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Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine 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| 2020-02-19 20:40:15|Editor: huaxia

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Truck loaded with disinfectant and local specialties from Golmud, northwest China's Qinghai Province, arrive at Wenzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Feb. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Ye Xu)

The goods were a symbol of the 10-year friendship between Wenzhou and Golmud. They would be distributed to the frontline in the fight against the epidemic as soon as possible: Wenzhou city government official

by Xinhua writers Lyu Qiuping, Wang Junlu and Yin Xiaosheng

HANGZHOU, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Since 2010, the coastal city of Wenzhou in east China has provided funds, goods and personnel to support the development of the inland city of Golmud in the west, part of a national effort to pair up the two regions in aiding less developed areas.

Ten years on, with Wenzhou as one of the worst-hit cities by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Golmud volunteered to give back, reversing the aid route to help its pairing city pull through.

Traversing 3,600 km of the country, 18 trucks loaded with disinfectant and local specialties arrived at Wenzhou on Monday, applauded by local residents who treated the delivery team with noodles and donated goods like brown sugar worth 65,000 yuan (around 9,300 U.S. dollars).

"To race against time, we drove from 7 a.m. to midnight every day, slept in the trucks in the service area and never drove off the expressway," said Tuo Xiucai, one of the 43 team members.

The entire trip covering six provinces took six days and five nights.

Wang Hao, an official with the Wenzhou city government in charge of the pairing-up aid, said the goods were a symbol of the 10-year friendship of the pair. They would be distributed to the frontline in the fight against the epidemic as soon as possible.

Wenzhou, a commercial hub in Zhejiang Province, is one of the most affected cities in terms of the number of COVID-19 cases apart from those in the hardest-hit Hubei Province.

According to health authorities, the overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 74,185 by the end of Tuesday, including 504 cases in Wenzhou.

Golmud is not the only area in west China making donations.

In Xinjiang's Aksu, where Wenzhou has poured 350 million yuan into dozens of projects, hundreds of fruit handlers and farmer volunteers loaded 1,631 boxes of apples, 890 boxes of pears, 400 boxes of dates and 320 boxes of walnuts onto trucks and had them delivered to Wenzhou on Sunday.

Qingchuan County in Sichuan Province, where Wenzhou supported the reconstruction of three townships following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, donated 300,000 yuan. Fuling District of Chongqing Municipality delivered 10 tonnes of pickles and 35,000 boxes of traditional Chinese medicine.

To date, Wenzhou has received 3.14 million yuan and 540 tonnes of goods from its pairing areas.

Pairing-up assistance plays an important role in China's development. The pairing of developed and underdeveloped, disaster-hit and other areas is almost ubiquitous in the country. Under such a framework, capital, skilled workers and other resources have been channeled to the country's vast western regions including Tibet and Xinjiang, to help the reconstruction of quake-stricken areas in Sichuan, and anti-poverty campaigns across China.

After the outbreak of the novel coronavirus that was initially reported in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, provincial-level regions paired up with cities across Hubei to provide medical aid, with a massive influx of medics, equipment and supplies pouring in.

This ability to "concentrate resources to solve major problems," as Chinese often describe it, is a notable advantage of China's socialist system that has helped the country overcome major challenges over the past several decades.

Apart from donations, a letter on behalf of the Qingchuan county government was delivered to Wenzhou.

"Like the mountain and the sea looking at each other, Wenzhou and Qingchuan are like loving brothers. We believe Wenzhou people will definitely defeat the epidemic," it said. 
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 10:46:00|Editor: huaxia

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A Libyan Coast Guard officer counts the number of rescued illegal immigrants in Tajura, eastern Tripoli, Libya, Feb. 18, 2020. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that Libyan Coast Guard rescued more than 300 illegal immigrants off the Libyan coast on Monday. More than 1,500 illegal immigrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast so far in 2020, said the IOM. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua)

TRIPOLI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that Libyan Coast Guard rescued more than 300 illegal immigrants off the Libyan coast on Monday.

More than 1,500 illegal immigrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast so far in 2020, said the IOM.

"Most migrants still end up in overcrowded detention center where they remain vulnerable to further risks," it said.

Libya has become a preferred departure point for migrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward European shores.

The IOM has repeatedly said that Libya is not a safe port for immigrants' disembarkation due to the deteriorating security condition in the country.

The IOM estimates that there are currently 650,000 illegal immigrants in Libya, many of whom lack medical care and basic needs.
Renaults shares rose in Paris even as Moodys cut its rating on the car makers debt to junk status, citing weaker profitability as the company restructures and grapples with falling demand.

The shares rose over 2%, but have lost 43% in the past year as car manufacturers grapple with fast-changing technology.

Like some rivals, and its Japanese alliance partner Nissan, Renault is under pressure as demand dwindles in markets like China. It is also bedding down a new management team after a scandal surrounding former boss Carlos Ghosn.

Moodys cut its credit rating on Renault to Ba1 after the company last week posted its first loss in a decade, in a move that will likely add to financing costs. Fellow rating agency Standard & Poors said it was placing Renault on credit watch negative, meaning it could also revise its investment grade BBB- rating downwards.

Renault last week set an operating margin goal for this year at between 3% and 4%, down from 4.8% in 2019, and forecast further declines in the global auto market. Moodys said it did not expect Renault to return to healthy operating margin levels in the medium term, and highlighted other challenges the carmaker has in common with peers, including high investments to produce less polluting vehicles.

The cost to comply with CO2 regulation in the European Union and the ongoing electrification of Renaults fleet will have further dilutive effects on profitability, Moodys said. Brokerage Jefferies cut its share price target for Renault.

Renault is set to remain income poor for a while, it wrote, keeping an underperform rating on the shares. Renaults interim chief executive Clotilde Delbos is embarking on a sweeping review of the carmaker which could lead to factory closures and job cuts.

Luca de Meo, a former VW executive, is due to take on the CEO job in July, in the latest management rejig after Mr Ghosn was arrested in late 2018 in Tokyo on financial misconduct charges, which he denies. Mr Ghosn has since fled to Lebanon.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has soared and former Vice President Joe Biden has crashed in national preference for the Democratic nomination for president, while the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary helped to clear some running room for a candidate who's not yet been on the ballot: former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

Sanders advanced to 32% support among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, up 8 percentage points from late January. Biden fell to 17%, down 11 points to his lowest of the campaign. And Bloomberg, who takes the stage for the first time in Wednesday night's debate in Nevada, now has 14% support, up 6 points.

See PDF for full results, charts, and tables.

By contrast, there's been little if any movement for former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a strong finisher in both early contests; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, third in New Hampshire; or Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who fell short in both. Warren has 11% support nationally, unchanged; Buttigieg, 7%; and Klobuchar, 6%.

Sanders' newfound 15-point lead over Biden nearly doubles Biden's biggest lead of the campaign, 8 points over Sanders in early September. That said, the most dramatic shifts arent in vote preferences but in views of who has the best chance to defeat President Donald Trump in November. Electability's been a cornerstone of Biden's campaign, yet just 19% now say he's likeliest to win, sliced in half from 38% in January.

PHOTO: LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 18: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and his wife Jane Sanders participate in a march after a campaign rally at University of Nevada February 18, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Instead, 30% of leaned Democrats now see Sanders as most electable, up 12 points, and 18% say this about Bloomberg, up 10 points. The rest of the field is in single digits on the question.

Among groups, Biden's support among blacks has declined from 51% last month to 32% now; he's been looking for support from blacks as a boost to his campaign in the South Carolina primary on Feb. 29. He lags with just 11% among whites. Sanders, meanwhile, is prevailing among Hispanics, potentially an influential group in the Nevada caucuses this Saturday. Nonwhites overall  who account for half of all Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents  have gone from 35-28 percent, Biden-Sanders, last month, to 35-22 percent, Sanders-Biden, now.

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FILE PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg speaks during a campaign event at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. February 12, 2020. (Douglas Strickland/Reuters)

General election matchups have changed little from January in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates. Sanders, Bloomberg and Biden lead Trump by 8 to 11 points among all adults, but it's close among those who are registered to vote. Biden holds a slight 7-point edge over Trump among those who are registered to vote, while Sanders' +6 and Bloomberg's +5 fall short of statistically significant leads. All these extend January's contraction after sizable Democratic leads in the fall, with Trump boosted by the economy.

Trump

Trump's job approval rating is mostly steady at 43%, a point off his career-high, 44% last July and again last month. His approval rating for handling the economy is higher, 52%, after peaking at 56% last month.

On the economy, 53% of Americans say they're holding steady financially, 29% getting ahead and 16% falling behind. It's a key measure; a huge advantage for Trump among those who say they're getting ahead financially largely compensates for his trailing position among those who are holding steady or falling behind.

Trump's support in general election matchups is very consistent  42 to 45% among all adults and 45 to 47% among registered voters, regardless of the six potential Democratic opponents tested. That's associated, naturally, with his job approval rating; 91 to 94% of his approvers support him for re-election. With re-election campaigns constituting a referendum on the incumbent, it's the reason to watch Trump's approval score  and the economy, which influences it  closely in the months ahead.

Trump retains two dubious distinctions: He's the first president in modern polling never to have achieved majority approval, and his career average rating is the lowest on record. He's at a new low in approval among Democrats (4%) and a high among Republicans (88% up 14 points from late October), for the widest partisan gap since he took office. He's got 46% approval among independents, often a swing group in national politics.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters prior to boarding Air Force One as he departs Washington for campaign travel to California from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, U.S., February 18, 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Another measure also marks the partisan divisions on Trump: Twenty-six percent of Americans say his behavior as president has "changed for the worse" since his acquittal on impeachment charges last month. That rises to 50% among Democrats, vs. 3% of Republicans, with independents between the two.

The Democrats

Defeating Trump in November is the party's prime motivation, and a potential limiting factor for Sanders despite his gains on the electability question. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents by 58-38% say they'd prefer a candidate who can beat Trump over one who agrees with them on major issues. Sanders wins 46% support among those chiefly focused on issues, a margin that's largely responsible for his lead overall. That drops to 21% among the majority that cares more about defeating Trump, with Biden and Bloomberg competitive in this group.

At the same time, Sanders is boosted within the party by his support for a government-run, single-payer health care system to replace private insurance. Leaned Democrats back this approach by 62-34%. Among the majority who are single-payer supporters, Sanders has 44% support; among opponents of that system, just 12%.

On another front, Sanders doesn't face trouble within the Democratic ranks based on his self-definition as a Democratic socialist or socialist. (He's used both terms.) Given the "Democratic socialist" label, 20% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they're more likely to support him, vs. 8% less likely  a net positive. (Liberals are especially accepting of the term.) Using "socialist," it's a wash  12% more likely, 13% less so. Two-thirds or more say it doesn't matter to them.

Both the label and Sanders' position on health care may be less helpful, though, in a general election. Americans overall are more apt to oppose than to support single-payer government health care, 52-41%. And Sanders' calling himself a democratic socialist or a socialist turns into a net negative in vote intention among all adults; they're less likely rather than more likely to support Sanders by 31-11% given the democratic socialist label and by 38-8% as a socialist. The share saying it makes no difference drops closer to half.

Similarly, about a third of all adults call Sanders "too liberal," compared with about a quarter who say the same of Biden or Bloomberg. That said, 20% call Sanders too conservative.

Within the Democratic primaries, the competing forces of electability and views on health care are key for Sanders. So too, potentially, is the fate of the now-lagging Warren. Were she not in the race, a plurality of her supporters say they'd shift to Sanders (based on aggregated results from the last two ABC/Post polls for an adequate sample size). That said, were Biden to go, a quarter of his support could be Sanders-bound.

PHOTO: LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 18: Former Vice President Joe Biden arrives at an Early Vote Event with Joe Biden and AAPI Victory Fund at Harbor Palace Seafood Restaurant at Chinatown Plaza Mall February 18, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Among demographic groups, Sanders' support remains focused among liberal (and especially very liberal) leaned Democrats and young adults. He has a vast 56% support among 18- to 39-year-olds, diving to 13% among those age 65 and older. Among seniors, by contrast, Bloomberg reaches 24 percent; Biden, 20%.

Sanders' 41% among liberals falls to 25% among moderates, who account for more than four in 10 leaned Democrats (44%). Biden wins 24% of moderates, Bloomberg 17%. At the same time, relatively few leaned Democrats call Sanders "too liberal," 17%; indeed, as many call him too conservative. The only significant ideological objections to any of the other leading candidates are to Klobuchar, seen as too conservative rather than too liberal by a 9-point margin, and Biden, the same by 6 points.

For his part, Bloomberg, despite controversies over "stop and frisk" policing in New York during his mayoralty, has about as much support from blacks (14%) and nonwhites generally (12%) as among whites (16%). Further, though he's been accused of sexism, his support is slightly higher among women (17%) than men (10%).

In a general election matchup among registered voters against Trump, moreover, Bloomberg is supported by 60% of women (vs. 39% of men) and by 71% of nonwhites (including 91% of blacks). Results among other leading Democrats are similar.

PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign event at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, in Las Vegas. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

A final result finds some apprehension among leaned Democrats about their chances in November. About seven in 10 think Sanders, Biden or Bloomberg would beat Trump; that leaves about a quarter who think Trump would win these matchups. More  four in 10  think Trump would beat either Warren or Buttigieg, and nearly half think he'd defeat Klobuchar.

Methodology

This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by landline and cellular telephone Feb. 14-17, 2020, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 1,066 adults. Results have a margin of sampling error of 3.5 points, including the design effect. Partisan divisions are 29-25-37 percent, Democrats-Republicans-independents.

The survey was produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates of New York, N.Y., with sampling and data collection by Abt Associates of Rockville, Md. See details on the surveys methodology here.

Sanders and Bloomberg rise, Biden falls, with sharp shifts in views of electability originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
If you havent learned by now, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (known as the SECURE Act) was signed into law on Dec. 20, 2019, and went into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. With bipartisan support, it is expected to generate about $15.7 billion in tax revenue over the next decade on the changes to the Stretch IRA and $16.4 billion overall, according to the Congressional Research Service. This means that previous advice your attorney, accountant and financial adviser gave you is most likely outdated  or incorrect  and a revision will be needed. Those with IRA trusts will need to plan as soon as possible before the unexpected can  and will  go wrong. Lets take a look at some key points to address going forward and planning opportunities now that the SECURE Act is in force: Stretch IRAs are eliminated, but there are exceptions Stretch IRAs for years were a way of reducing the tax bill non-spouse beneficiaries pay when they inherit IRAs. These beneficiaries could stretch out their required minimum distributions (RMDs) over their lifetimes, taking smaller payments along the way, and thus paying less in taxes. That has now changed with the SECURE Act. While it is true that stretch IRAs have been eliminated, this only applies to those not deemed eligible designated beneficiaries. Eligible designated beneficiaries, who can still stretch their RMDs, include:

Spousal beneficiaries

Beneficiaries not more than 10 years younger than the decedent

Certain minor children of the original retirement account owner, but only until they reach the age of majority

Disabled beneficiaries as defined by IRC Section 72(m)(7)

Chronically ill beneficiaries as defined by IRC Section 7702B(c)(2) with limited exception With beneficiaries who are not deemed eligible, the retirement accounts will have to be depleted by the 10th year after the account owner passes. Removal of RMD stretch provisions will complicate certain types of trusts  known as conduit IRA trusts or pass-through trusts  drafted prior to this bill. Simply put, a conduit IRA trust without appropriate language holds back the beneficiary from making additional distributions and can cause a tax nightmare. Going forward, these trusts need to be aligned with current SECURE language that doesnt restrict access to funds in order to take distributions in excess of the RMD. For example, an individual age 69 leaves their $500,000 IRA to a conduit IRA trust with the beneficiary being a child age 29. Before the SECURE Act went into effect, RMDs would be based on the beneficiarys life expectancy (which is 53.3 according to IRS Life Expectancy Tables). However, after Jan. 1, 2020, the 10-year rule is in place (unless they are an eligible designated beneficiary) and the beneficiary would have to deplete the IRA in 10 years or less. Since the conduit IRA trust is based on old language using life expectancy, the beneficiary will have smaller distributions in the first nine years but an enormous one in the last year. Before the SECURE Act, Stretching Benefits Out Lets assume the balance was $500,000 on Dec. 31, 2019, and the account earns 3% each year. Heres a breakdown of withdrawals and balances BEFORE the SECURE Act went into effect: Age Life Expectancy Factor 12/31 Balance RMD Amount 30 53.3 $500,000 $9,381 31 52.3 $505,338 $9,662 32 51.3 $510,546 $9,952 33 50.3 $515,612 $10,251 34 49.3 $520,522 $10,558 35 48.3 $525,263 $10,875 36 47.3 $529,820 $11,201 37 46.3 $534,178 $11,537 38 45.3 $538,320 $11,883 39 44.3 $542,230 $12,240 Those withdrawals would continue for years more, thanks to the stretch IRA provision the beneficiary enjoyed prior to the SECURE Act. After the SECURE Act, a Big Tax Bomb in Year 10 And here is a breakdown of what this beneficiarys account balances might look like if they inherited AFTER the SECURE Act went into effect. The beneficiary is now a year older and is still earning 3%, with his withdrawals looking somewhat similar  until Year 10. Heres a breakdown after Jan. 1, 2020: Age Life Expectancy Factor 12/31 Balance RMD Amount 31 52.4 $500,000 $9,542 32 51.4 $505,172 $9,828 33 50.4 $510,204 $10,123 34 49.4 $515,083 $10,427 35 48.4 $519,796 $10,740 36 47.4 $524,328 $11,062 37 46.4 $528,664 $11,394 38 45.4 $532,788 $11,735 39 44.4 $536,685 $12,088 40 43.4 $540,335 $540,335 Although the beneficiary is one year older, the significant difference is the mandatory depletion of the IRA in Year 10.

Again, make sure the conduit trust has the appropriate language or use an accumulation trust to retain RMDs with possibly more flexibility. In my opinion, one of the most overlooked factors for beneficiaries is asset protection, with distributions subject to creditors claims. Consider Roth conversions under current tax rates Currently, our tax rates are at historic lows at least until the end of 2025. With that being said, those contemplating leaving sizable amounts of their retirement accounts to children or grandchildren should reconsider a Roth conversion. While 37% is the highest tax rate in 2020, one should consider how a 10-year distribution can considerably increase a beneficiarys tax bracket. For example, say a couple has $3 million in their IRA and their only beneficiary is a married child with no children. Lets say the beneficiarys household income is already $350,000, the marginal tax rate is 32%. With a 10-year distribution and no expected changes in their income, their total household income would increase overall to $650,000 ($3 million  10 years = $300,000 per year). That results in a new marginal tax rate of 37% over the next 10 years if taxes dont increase. Instead, if the couple could start converting small amounts of their IRA to a Roth over time, theres a good chance they can possibly stay in the same tax bracket while moving taxable money to tax-free. Ive been counseling my clients for years to strategically convert their taxable retirement accounts to tax-free without affecting Medicare Part B premiums. In my opinion, one must weigh the pros and cons with each decision but not make knee-jerk reactions that will ultimately become costly later. Use charitable trusts and direct charitable beneficiaries By using charitable trusts  such Charitable Lead Trusts (CLTs) and Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs)  you can still take advantage of large upfront deductions as high as 60% of adjusted gross income (learn more by reading 5 Charitable Planning Options That Can Save You Money on Taxes). In addition, these trusts can help with the problem that the elimination of the stretch IRA poses.

Naming a charitable remainder trust as a beneficiary is a way of stretching the distributions past the 10-year mark. Since the trust is technically the beneficiary of the retirement account, a child (or children) would be named income beneficiaries and can effectively receive the dispersals over a longer period of time. Also, naming a charity and skipping any potential distributions to a child or children might be the better way to go and avoid any taxation. The popularity with Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) should also rise as its another go-to solution for unwanted RMDs. With this, an account owner can give up to $100,000 from their IRA each year, which should satisfy the RMD and dilute the retirement account once death occurs. While there are many ways to creatively plan ahead with charitable beneficiaries, youll have to evaluate which ones make sense and implement accordingly. Fund wealth transfer with life insurance For many years, Ive used life insurance as a remedy for estate tax purposes. With the SECURE Act, this will only increase the importance of life insurance as a wealth transfer conduit (learn more by reading Tax Rules on 10 Different Retirement Accounts and Investments). Although certain health conditions may disqualify some from being approved, its crucial to qualify while youre still healthy. In general, most should look at guaranteed universal life or whole life policies to keep stable premiums. Policies such as indexed universal life can work out in the long run, but they need to be reviewed annually. However, I would stay away from variable universal life as it can potentially complicate the initial objective  to pass a tax-free death benefit to beneficiaries (learn more by reading 4 Tax-Free Income Sources to Supplement Retirement). Even though there are several routes to structure a life insurance policy, the most basic one would be to use the RMD to fund the premium. With this scenario, youre both depleting the taxable amount inherited while substituting it for a tax-free option. Its imperative to know that the mentioned strategies can be complex and should be affirmed by your attorney, accountant and financial adviser. One can easily misinterpret something read that will lead to a legal or tax nightmare.
The self-proclaimed President of Single Mothers taught her followers a lesson in co-parenting after disclosing a conversation she had with her baby daddy over their daughter Rue Baby.

Akothees model daughter has been making blog headlines left, right and center, with the latest being her dream encounter with Nigerian musician Kizz Daniel.

VIDEO- Akothees Message to Kizz Daniel After Singer Danced With Daughter Rue Baby

Before the dance last Saturday, Rue Baby was rumored to be dating and sneaking around with comedian MCA Tricky.

Also Check out: MCA Tricky Responds After Akothees Warning on Dating Daughter Rue Baby  VIDEO

It is these dating rumors that have sparked concern in Rue Babys father, Jared. According to Akothee, Man Jaro called her on Tuesday demanding answers.

Today I have received a call from baba rue @rue.baby demanding an answer as to whats between my son @mcatricky & my daughter @rue.baby, said Akothee.

Below are excerpts from the conversation as posted by Akothee:

Baba Rue? : Esther how are you

Me:? fine how are you?

Baba Rue?: Listen, what am I seeing on blogs left right

Me?: South East, I am seeing it too

Baba Rue: ? can I know whats going on?

Me: MC tricky is a comedian and an actor. Rue is a model and an actress. The two are best of friends and are just building their brands, and exercising their talent. There is nothing between them apart from business. Unajua Brand ndio Inga saa hii nani ?? dont worry, the house is under my control otherwise, you would have seen me collect my school fee ??

Baba Rue ?: okay thanks and good day

Me: bye bye dad, thanks a lot for checking on us. Nirushie kakitu kwa mpesa ya macho ???

Hujaona ile niliona na mnaija(Kizz Daniel) bado? She is a dancer again, ama hauna video? Nitumie number yako ya wasap(sic), lakini nudes situmi ngooooo, usiexpect ???? Nikutumie ????

Akothee added that she loves all her baby daddies and assured Rue Baby and MCA Tricky that Baba Rue had understood.

I LOVE MY BABY DADDIES ALL OF THEM. CALL POLICE TO COME CATCH ME

ME: @rue.baby @mcatricky Fanyeni mambo yenu, daddy ameelewa ni biashara. Na hata mimi nimekubali si unajua I LOVE YOU ALL. Akothee concluded.
Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Social Policy Studies, University of Ghana, Dr. George Domfe, has shared his thoughts on the recent suspension of two senior lecturers of the country's premier university over the BBC's sex-for-grades documentary.



Dr. Domfe, who initially did not want to comment on the issue when the host of Adekye Nsroma sought his opinion, said "You know TK, as a staff of the University, I am not permitted to publicly comment on the issue but I can assure you that as a teacher at all levels of education in Ghana, sexual misconduct on the part of male teachers is not limited to the university teachers alone".



The Economist pointed out that the University of Ghana (UG) has always been particularly strict on perpetrators of acts likely to dent the tertiary institution's image.



"It is something that usually happens, we hear it often, Lecturers are mostly dismissed due to this (Sex for grades)....," he told Tweneboah Koduah on UTV.



The UG on Monday, 17th February, announced the suspension of Political Science Lecturer, Professor Gyampo and Dr Paul Butakor over the sex-for-grades documentary by the BBC.



A statement by the UG Management, stated that "in line with statute 46 (2) of the University of Ghana Statutes, as amended, and regulation 15.0 of the Code of Conduct for Academic Staff of the University of Ghana, the Disciplinary Committee recommended a six-month suspension without pay for Professor Gyampo and a four-month suspension without pay for Dr Butakor. The suspensions take effect from January 1, 2020."



The two lecturers are also required to undergo appropriate training on the University of Ghana's Sexual Harassment and Misconduct Policy as well as the Code of Conduct for Academic Staff of the University of Ghana.



They will be required to receive a positive assessment after the training before the resumption of their duties. They are also required to undergo an annual assessment for a period of 5 years.



As the discussion on UTVs Adekye Nsroma show wore on, one of the panelists, Hon Kwabena Kokofu, a former NPP MP for Bantama dragged Dr Domfe into the fray and sought to know whether Gyampo's case was "a precedent". To this, he remarked: "No, this is not the first time, about three years ago, a lecturer at the History Department of the University was sacked when he was found culpable of sexual related offence".



"I think in the case of Prof Gyampo and Dr. Butokor they are respectively spending six and four months of suspension and will soon join the University".



" . . This can happen to anybody, we shouldn't look at only the University but our seconday schools and JHSs . . . When it happens like this the level of discipline drops . . . it is not easy, but let us make God the foundation to our work, doing more of his work to protect our credibility and to bring discipline in our schools, Dr. George Domfe stated.



Listen to the video below . . .







Source: Elizabeth Semiheva Bedi/ peacefmonline.com / [email protected]









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OTTAWAIt was nearly midnight Tuesday in the last hour of an emergency debate on the Wetsuweten blockades crisis when Jody Wilson-Raybould stood in the Commons, blasted the Trudeau government for punting the hard work of resetting Indigenous relations, and laid out four proposals to ease tensions.

Wilson-Raybould, now an independent MP, called for Trudeau to fly to B.C. to get personally involved in meetings, a cooling-off period in B.C. during which construction would cease and the RCMP leave the area, and the immediate tabling of long-promised Indigenous land rights and self-governance legislation.

Wilson-Raybould also made a plea to the Wetsuweten to take responsibility for providing clarity to Canadians about who speaks for a community that Canadians and governments understand is divided.

Wilson-Raybould laid blame for the northern B.C. pipeline blockade, spinoff solidarity protests and the ensuing economic disruption not only at the feet of the federal Liberal government but also its predecessors.

All failed to do the basic work of resetting relations with Indigenous people despite all their fancy political talk, she said.

However Wilson-Raybould was especially critical of Justin Trudeaus failed promises.

Canada has known for decades what needs to be done, said Wilson-Raybould. But here we are, yet again, in a moment of crisis because the hard work was punted.

She said the prime minister and his colleagues know this, So please look in the mirror and ask yourself why?

Wilson-Raybould delivered a withering critique of the historical actions of federal governments that divided up Indigenous peoples into smaller administrative groupings with systems of government imposed upon them through the Indian Act and its creation of the band council system.

She said despite Trudeaus lofty reconciliation rhetoric and promises to offer a new legislative framework to support Indigenous communities to get out from under the Indian Act, the prime minister never truly supported their quest for self-determination beyond political language that became an excuse for delays and inaction.

Wilson-Raybould has a lot of former titles that give her credibility to speak on the current crisis.

Despite her infamous break with Trudeau last year over his attempts to meddle in a prosecution, she is his former federal justice minister and attorney-general who helped design Trudeaus promised-but-never-delivered new Indigenous rights framework.

She is a former B.C. regional First Nations chief, former B.C. treaty commissioner, former Crown prosecutor, and lawyer and daughter of a hereditary chief in B.C.

She cited several reasons for what she called perpetual inaction, among them the historical denial of rights to self-government and denial of lands, along with paternalism. The result, she said, is what is happening today in Wetsuweten territory.

That is ground zero of a series of paralyzing blockades and protests across the country.

A number of Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs and their supporters are blocking construction of a natural gas pipeline, claiming they hold the title and right to determine what happens in their traditional territory, not the elected band councils which are responsible for decisions on reserves. The company Coastal GasLink has signed benefit agreements with 20 elected band councils along the proposed route, including with five Wetsuweten bands, and won an injunction and enforcement order at the B.C. Supreme Court in late December to clear the path.

The RCMP moved to enforce the injunction against the protests in January, leading to the widening sympathy blockades elsewhere.

Let us be honest  the prime minister has to learn to take responsibility, said Wilson-Raybould.

She suggested Canadians have learned the true history and the need for fundamental change yet Trudeau has done little but talk.

He has been speaking for five years about this most important relationship. He stood up over two years ago in the House of Commons and pledged to make transformative legislative and policy reforms  reforms that would be directly relevant to the situation in Wetsuweten territory today that would have supported the internal governance work of the Nation, shifted the consultation processes that took place, and provided a framework for better relations. 

What have we seen as the result of this historic speech  and its transformative words? Honestly, almost nothing, she said.

The promised legislation has not come. I know it is hard. But we cannot keep punting the hard work because of political expediency. Or we will have another situation like today in five years from now  or quite likely far sooner

Wilson-Raybould suggested four courses of action for Trudeau and the B.C. government, saying Trudeau needs to show real leadership.

In my view and with respect, he should have gotten on a plane and flown out to British Columbia, picked up the premier on the way, and met with the Wetsuweten leadership, and some of the broader Indigenous leadership in B.C.

Wilson-Raybould laid bare what she said was a weird political practice where leaders avoid meetings where the outcomes and structure are not basically predetermined. Enough of that. One cannot script dealing with real issues and challenges. Deal with them.

Secondly, she called on Trudeau to table comprehensive bills to implement the minimum standards of the decade-old United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and to uphold his long-promised but never delivered new rights framework.

This government is five years old. It has been two years since the prime minister announced legislation would be tabled within 10 months. Enough is enough. It is time for action  no more half-measures and lofty rhetoric. No more setting up interminable negotiation tables that get nowhere very slowly over years and years.

As immediate measures, Wilson-Raybould said the government should work toward  a cooling-off period where construction activity on Wetsuweten territory ceases for a month or a few months, to de-escalate current tensions.

During that time, she said dialogue between the Wetsuweten and government can take place.

She suggested the possibility of an alternate routing for small portions of the pipeline should be addressed, and governments should explore whether they can accommodate the costs of rerouting the pipeline.

The company, however, has dismissed the option of rerouting the pipeline.

It told the CBC the most technically viable path was chosen to minimize the impact to the environment and says rerouting it now could add up to a billion dollars to the cost of the $6 billion pipeline project.

The pipeline is slated to bring natural gas from northern B.C. to a facility for liquefied natural gas exports to be built in Kitimat, B.C.

Wilson-Raybould also said the Wetsuweten people need to take responsibility and continue to have in an inclusive manner  the internal dialogue needed to bring clarity about how they will approach the future of this project collectively.

Wilson-Raybould said key to resolving the dispute is not just a meeting with the prime minister and the B.C. premier, but also that the RCMP leave the area where they conducted enforcement activity.

When questioned by another MP how she sees the governments power to make that happen, Wilson-Raybould said she understood the need for independence of the police but suggested the conversations she believes need to happen may happen appropriately with political action and agreement on all sides. Perhaps that would lead the way for decisions to be made by police and the RCMP.

In the end, Wilson-Raybould appeared to dismiss the talk that reconciliation is dead, but she said it requires a reckoning and actions that are not words, and half-measures, and apologies and hugs  but not fundamentally transforming the foundations that led us to need reconciliation in the first place. Of not addressing the roots of colonialism is Canada.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, 19 February, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias will travel to Lebanon, where he will meet with the countrys state and political leadership.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs will first be received by the President of Lebanon, M. Aoun, and the Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon, N. Berry. He will then hold talks with his counterpart, N. Hitti, concerning issues of bilateral relations, as well as issues of regional and international interest, with emphasis on developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and Libya.

Concluding his visit, he will also be received by the Prime Minister, H. Diab.
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YEREVAN.  The trial of the criminal case of the 10 members of the Sasna Tsrer armed group has resumed today at a Yerevan court of first instance.

Police officer Khachatur Muradyan, a witness in the case, is being questioned today.

The medical workers who had provided medical assistance to Gagik Mkrtchyan, an injured party in this case, were questioned in the previous hearing.

And at the hearing before that, the court examined the motions presented at the previous hearings, but which the court had not addressed.

Currently, defendants Armen Bilyan and Smbat Barseghyan, who are charged with murdering police officers, are still in custody.

After the revolution in Armenia in 2018, and based on the personal pledges submitted by MPs, the pretrial measure of custody that was in force for seven other members was commuted and they were released, while Sasna Tsrer member Pavel Manukyan was set free on a 1mn-dram bail.

In protest of the then authorities, the Sasna Tsrer armed group took over a police patrol regiment building in Yerevan and held hostages, but later surrendered in July 2016. Three police officers, however, were killed during the two-week standoff.

Criminal charges have been brought against 32 people in connection with this incident and related developments.
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The Conservative Baptist Network (CBN), launched on February 14th, rejected unbiblical ideologies affecting the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), and is working to prove the sufficiency of the Bible, the Church leaders reported on the same day.

The CBN said that contrary to the trend of theological progress within the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, it was formed by cooperation between Southern Baptist pastors and laypeople and the network is essentially calling for a new conservative resurgence.

Thus, the CBN said in press releases and social media, "This group can re-enforce the SBC with efforts to achieve the Great Commission declared by Jesus and have cultural influence, and all generations can gain courage and strength, and bring positive and Bible solutions."

Brad Jurkovich, a CBN spokesman and pastor of the First Baptist Church in Bossier City, Louisiana, said CBN is concerned about the current path of this denomination, which is distorting God's word on things like human sex, biblical racial reconciliation, and socialistic justice.

There are three options for Southern Baptist churches and pastors, Jurkovich said. "Do nothing and wait and see this denomination drift and fall into oblivion." The second is "a departure from the SBC and many false sources that will lead to inappropriate ideologies."

Finally, the third is "making a change and take a stand," the CBN said, "I believe most people want to resist," saying that the CBN is "trying to overcome the current downturn and experience another spiritual revival."

Jurkovich also expressed hope, "It may be another time of Conservative Resurgence that started 40 years ago at the SBC."

The CBN quoted Adrian Rogers, former SBC president, as saying in 1988: "Denominational cooperation through compromise is neither Baptist nor biblical. And Baptists must beware of the leaven of liberalism."

Referring to the "insolence and disrespect" shown by the attendees who left their seats the day Vice President Mike Pence address during the 2018 Annual-Convention, Jurkovich said, "As Southern Baptists, can't we love both Jesus and the United States? Is it no longer okay to be a pastor and a patriot?"

Another concern is the Resolution Nine (what passed last year) and the social-justice concepts of Critical Race Theory and Interoperability (CRT/I), according to the Church Leaders.

While other leaders of the SBC have called these concepts "analytic tool" that encourages diversity, the CBN argues they are "an ideology rooted in the Neo-Marxist, postmodern worldview."

The redefining of the gender role of the Bible, which the CBN is concerned about, refers to the debate about commonerianism, concept being investigated after the church's sexual abuse scandals.

The new conservative network reaffirms the long-standing Baptist faith as expressed in "Baptist Faith and Message 2000," it said on its website. The CBN also stressed that "it's not a new denomination, blog or social media page, it's not just a competitor who exists to complain, has a department that has a different sense of intent, or a group that has an exclusive soteriological view."

Tom Ascol, president of Founders Ministries, tweeted: "I'm happy to have a new network today."

An increasing number of Southern Baptists are trying to resist the godless ideology that undermines the authority and sufficiency of the Bible. Ken Ham, the founder of "Answers in Genesis," tweeted: "I'm glad to see the leaders of the SBC openly challenging the church to follow God's word in every field. Culture changes, but God's words do not change! The church needs to reflect on this," he said.

The CBN said that it was excited to have more than 800 people join in the first five hours of the year until noon, prompting many supporters to stand up to the so-called #WokeChurch movement.

On the other hand, an official CBN launch event is planned for June 8 prior to the annual SBC conference in Orlando, Florida, U.S.
By Julia Payne, Dmitry Zhdannikov and Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) - The list of cocktail parties during London's International Petroleum Week has shrunk even further as hosts like ExxonMobil and Azerbaijan's SOCAR continue to cancel events due to the coronavirus, trading sources said. IP Week is a key oil traders' gathering that takes place every year in February

By Julia Payne, Dmitry Zhdannikov and Ahmad Ghaddar

LONDON (Reuters) - The list of cocktail parties during London's International Petroleum Week has shrunk even further as hosts like ExxonMobil and Azerbaijan's SOCAR continue to cancel events due to the coronavirus, trading sources said.

IP Week is a key oil traders' gathering that takes place every year in February. This year, it is scheduled for Feb. 24-27. Oil majors, national oil companies and trading firms host receptions throughout the week.

Spooked by the epidemic, several oil companies based in Asia said last week that they would skip IP Week this year. Oil major BP then cancelled all events along with storage company Vopak and inspection company Bureau Veritas .

The move has now prompted others to follow suit as the number of attendees plunges. ExxonMobil, SOCAR, Royal Dutch Shell and PetroChina joint venture PetroIneos are the latest to cancel their receptions this week.

SOCAR's event typically draws a crowd of over 1,000 people.

Shell hosts several receptions, and so far, only its fuel oil event has been cancelled, traders specified.

"IP WEEK reception scheduled for February 25th at the SAVOY is cancelled due to recent developments concerning the spread of the coronavirus," SOCAR said in a note to attendees.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Exxon said one part of its business had cancelled IP Week-related activities, without providing further detail. A spokesman for Shell did not immediately comment.

China reported its fewest new coronavirus infections since January on Tuesday and its lowest daily death toll for a week, but the World Health Organization said data suggesting the epidemic had slowed should still be viewed with caution.

Among others, Spain's Repsol has decided not to send a delegation, traders said. Repsol did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"The avalanche is rolling down the hill," one source said, referring the lengthening list of cancelled meetings and parties.

(Reporting By Julia Payne, Ahmad Ghaddar and Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Jan Harvey)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee consoles the family members of veteran Bengali actor and former Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal after paying him the last respects, in Kolkata. (Image: PTI)
 Flash

Physical climate risk from extreme weather events remains unaccounted for in financial markets. Energy investors should plan for weather risk to avoid extreme event, according to a new research from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis).

The paper, "Energy Finance Must Account for Extreme Weather Risk," was published Monday in the journal Nature Energy.

"If the market doesn't do a better job of accounting for climate, we could have a recession -- the likes of which we've never seen before," said Paul Griffin, author of the study and an accounting professor at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.

The central message in his latest research is that there is too much "unpriced risk" in the energy market. "Unpriced risk was the main cause of the Great Recession in 2007-2008," Griffin said.

"Right now, energy companies shoulder much of that risk. The market needs to better assess risk, and factor a risk of extreme weather into securities prices," he added.

Excessive high temperatures, for example, not only disrupt agriculture, harm human health and stunt economic growth, but also can overwhelm and shut down vast parts of energy delivery. Extreme weather can also threaten other services such as water delivery and transportation, which in turn affects businesses, families and entire cities and regions, sometimes permanently. All of this strains local and broader economies, according to the study.

"Despite these obvious risks, investors and asset managers have been conspicuously slow to connect physical climate risk to company market valuations," Griffin said.

Extreme weather climate risk is hard to predict. Investors may normalize extreme weather impacts over time, discounting their future importance, according to the study.
After five years of advance and retreat, Yemen's Houthi rebels captured the country's critical Nahm district, east of the capital, Sanaa. Their victory forced national army forces  supported by a Saudi-led Arab coalition  to retreat to Marib province.

Some observers, however, believe the Houthis' success might have been due at least in part to Saudi Arabia putting its own interests ahead of winning the battle.

The operation succeeded Jan. 26 after less than a week, taking over nearly 2,000 square kilometers (1,243 square miles) mostly consisting of mountains and rugged terrain. This means that any force's attempt to return to the land will require time, effort, money and sacrifice.

Because of Nahm's strategic and geographic importance, the Houthis have fought several fierce battles for the area over five years against the forces of the UN-backed government of exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Despite intermittent calm, the battles kept reigniting, with neither side able to impose full control.

By capturing Nahm, the eastern gateway to Sanaa, the forces of the Houthi National Salvation Government secured all paths leading to the capital. During this recent battle, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, described Nahm on Twitter as the most important front in the Sanaa governate."

Iran-backed Houthi militias already controlled the capital.

With the fall of the Nahm front, stretching more than 35 kilometers (21 miles), the Houthis warded off a major threat they have faced since the war began in March 2015.

Moreover, the Houthis  officially known as Ansar Allah  now control the chain of highlands overlooking the provinces of al-Jawf and Marib, most notably a strategic rim of the Yam Mountains and the camp of Hadi's 312th Armored Brigade. This position gives them an advantage in monitoring and controlling fire lines along these areas.

Maj. Gen. Abdul Khaliq Badreddin al-Houthi, commander of the central military area in Sanaa, told the Houthi-affiliated al-Masirah TV Feb. 2 that the operation was successfully competed in six days in a large and complex geographical [area].

At the political level, the minister of foreign affairs in Hadi's government, Mohammed al-Hadrami, had hinted Jan. 23 at a withdrawal from a 2018 cease-fire agreement regarding the port city of Hodeidah. In a press statement, he called the situation "dysfunctional" and said that the Stockholm Agreement on the city of Hodeidah provided a cover for the Houthis escalation in the Nahm district.

The recent fall of Nahm was linked to the Houthis' ability to take advantage of several local and regional developments, most notably the period of calm between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. Talks between the two parties have been held in Oman since November. Also affecting the situation, the United Arab Emirates  part of the Arab coalition  pulled troops out of Yemen, and Hadi's government and the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) signed a power-sharing deal known as the Riyadh agreement.

Abdel Bari Taher, former head of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate, told Al-Monitor the situation in Nahm is clearly linked to the dispute between the UAE-backed STC and Hadi's government over the execution of the Riyadh Agreement. This offered Houthis an opportunity to exploit the recent developments.

Former Yemeni Ambassador to Syria Abdul Wahab Tawaf agreed with Taher's assessment.

What happened in Nahm is the result of the [UN-backed] governments attempt to cleanse Aden and Shabwa of the Emirati-backed [STC's] militia. This confirms that Abu Dhabi is continuing to support the secession of Southern Yemen from its north," Tawaf told Al-Monitor.

The lack of quality weapons and Patriot [missiles] enabled the Houthi militia to bomb civilians in Marib and the camps, he said. He argued that the absence of the Saudi-led coalition air force enabled the Houthis to advance in areas that had been controlled by Hadi's forces for several years. But Saudi Arabia will not allow such policies, which could undermine all previous efforts to support the legitimate government and restore the Yemeni state from the grip of Iran's militia in Yemen," Tawaf added.

For his part, Abdul Ghani al-Zubeidi, an expert in political and military affairs close to the Houthis, revealed that Qatar had mediated after the battle for Nahm, to keep Houthis from advancing toward Marib province. He attributed the fall of Nahm to the division between Hadis forces and those of al-Islah political party (Yemens Muslim Brotherhood).

Al-Islah controls most key and influential [government] positions, especially since leaders sympathizing with Hadi were recently replaced by leaders sympathizing with al-Islah," he told Al-Monitor. The plans of Ansar Allahs opponents were based on offense rather than defense. Also, the Houthis intelligence capabilities played a crucial role. Houthis were able to break into the communications system of Hadi's forces and reach their operations rooms.

It's obvious that after five years of continuous fighting in Yemen, the Arab coalition still doesn't trust some forces of Hadis government  those that were deployed near Sanaa in the Nahm battle as well as in Marib and al-Jawf provinces. These forces are mostly affiliated with al-Islah, according to Issa bin Ablan al-Mazrouei, deputy chief of staff of the UAE armed forces and joint operations commander in Yemen.

Mazrouei spoke at a Feb. 9 reception for UAE forces returning from Yemen, and asserted that his country was fighting three enemies in Yemen: the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

A military source with Hadis government spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity: There has been slight [intentional] negligence on the part of the coalition in the recent battle of Nahm. This aimed to pressure the military leadership affiliated with al-Islah to restructure the army in Marib and al-Jawf close to Nahm."

This includes changing major commanders such as military brigade commanders, chiefs of staff and operations within brigades, and battalion leaders such as operational and field units.

The source added, The coalition exerts pressure [on al-Islah's military leadership] to deploy or involve in al-Jawf and Marib influential forces loyal to Brig. Gen. Tareq Saleh, the National Resistance commander, and Maj. Gen. Sagheer bin Aziz, joint operations commander at the Yemeni Ministry of Defense."

The forces of Tareq Saleh and Sagheer bin Aziz are political affiliates with the General People's Congress party, which was founded and chaired by late President Ali Abdullah Saleh. These forces advocate a civil state and are far from Islamic ideologies such as the forces of al-Islah and the Shiite Houthis.

The journalist Taher said there is no doubt the Arab coalition is trying to weaken all Yemeni parties. At every stage of the conflict, it has sought to rearrange the situation politically and militarily through settlements among its allies and by repositioning these allies to perpetuate the cycle of advances and retreats.

The course of events since the coalitions intervention has proven that it is mainly seeking to secure Saudi borders and its strategic interests in Yemen.
Washington DC [USA], Feb 19 (ANI): India and the United States are likely to finalise not a complete but a "part" of a bilateral trade deal during President Donald Trump's two-day visit to India from February 24, a senior official told ANI.

The two countries are separately working on a limited trade agreement ahead of the trip, after earlier imposing tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's imports. While there have been reports that a possible trade deal appears unlikely, the official conveyed, "the leaders are likely to discuss and possibly finalize not a complete but maybe a 'part' of a bilateral trade deal during the visit."

Tensions on the trade front between the two countries had emerged in June, last year, after Trump revoked preferential trade privileges, in response to which India imposed tariffs on 28 US products, including almonds and apples.

Despite several meetings held over the past 18 months in Washington DC, New Delhi, and New York, trade negotiators of the two countries are yet to finalise on a deal.

The official said that India is also set to finalise a long-pending defence deal with the United States during Trump's visit.

Trump will arrive in India on his maiden visit, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, Senior Advisor to the President of the United States Jared Kushner or daughter Ivanka Trump, along with United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Secretary of Energy Dan Brouille.

The US President will reach Gujarat's capital city of Ahmedabad around the noon of February 24 and will address a mammoth crowd of more than 100,000 people which is expected to turn up for an event at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on the lines of the 'Howdy Modi' function that was addressed by the US President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Houston in September last year.

"The fact that a US President is going outside New Delhi to other cities -- and if you look at the reception that he will receive -- shows the admiration that the people of India have for the United States. And that's the biggest message that will come back to Washington," the senior official said.

The President is also likely to visit the Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati.

The senior official reiterated that POTUS and FLOTUS are most likely to make a quick pit stop at Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, however, the trip is subjected to change, considering the short time frame of the travel.

On 24th February itself, POTUS will arrive in the evening to attend talks in New Delhi. On Tuesday morning, the US President will first receive a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhawan as per protocol. Prime minister Modi could then accompany the US leader to the Gandhi Ashram (subjected to time availability if the Sabarmati ashram cannot be visited). The two leaders will then meet at the Hyderabad house and will call on official state meetings.

On Tuesday President Trump will meet with executives of Indian companies -- with business interests in the United States during his visit to the capital -- at an event organized by the US embassy in New Delhi. The companies expected to be represented at the meeting include the Indian oil and gas company Reliance Industries, Tata Sons, Bharat Forge, Mahindra and Mahindra.

POTUS's visit will conclude with an early banquet dinner, following which he will depart for Washington.

When asked about speculations of POTUS visiting Pakistan, Afghanistan or any other country in the South Asia region, the official said it's POTUS's 'stand-alone India visit.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nguyen Van Cong (not his real name) is happy that his family is under quarantine in Vinh Phuc Province.

Workers at Ba Thien 1 Industrial Zone in the northern province of Vinh Phuc receive instructions about how to wash their hands.

Cong, 27, and his wife Nguyen Thi Thanh (not her real name), 25, are both teachers in the province.

The province has the highest number of cases of COVID-19 in the country, with 11 people testing positive. Nine of them are from Binh Xuyen District, one in Tam Dao District and another in Tam Duong District.

Their school has been closed since January 31 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, so Cong and Thanh left Son Loi Commune and to visit Congs hometown in the northern province of Nam Dinh on February 10.

Upon their arrival, the local medical sector examined them and instructed them to stay indoors.

More than 30 people who had contact with Congs family were also instructed to isolate themselves.

Their temperatures were taken three times per day, and so far all of them are in a stable condition.

Nguyen Van Chien, chairman of the Yen Cuong Commune Peoples Committee, told Saostar e-newspaper that Congs family had volunteered to go into quarantine and clean their accommodation.

Local authorities had sterilised their house and neighbouring residences, he said.

Nguyen Van Quan (not his real name)  Congs father, said that after receiving instructions from local authorities, his family had been at home since January 31.

My son and all of my family are healthy, so we don't pose a threat to the country, said Quan.

Quan said his family did not experience any problems while they were under quarantine.  VNS

Coronavirus patients responding to treatment: health ministry No new cases of the coronavirus outbreak in Vietnam had been reported in recent days and infected patients were responding well to treatment.

Vietnam adopts measures for COVID-19 prevention Localities across the country are proactively implementing measures to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Mumbai, Feb 19 : Bollywood actress Sonam K. Ahuja says playing flight attendant Neerja Bhanot in the 2016 biopic "Neerja" was challenging, but it also a great honour to live the role on screen.

On September 5 1986, Neerja Bhanot died while saving 359 passengers on board Pan AM Flight 73, which was hijacked by terrorists during a stopover in Karachi, Pakistan. Bhanot was posthumously honoured with the Ashok Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award. She became the youngest recipient of the honour, at the age of 22. She was also honoured with several awards in the United States and Pakistan.

"Portraying a young girl from Bombay who saved the lives of the 359 passengers on board Pan AM Flight 73 was not only challenging but also a great honour. As the movie completes its 4th anniversary, I would want people to recall how fear gave courage to the young Neerja Bhanot," she tweeted.

Sonam added: "She was the true icon of bravery, strength, and sacrifice for our country. She continues to be an inspiration to everyone. #4YearsOfNeerja" "Neerja" is directed by Ram Madhvani. The film also features Shabana Azmi, Yogendra Tiku and Shekhar Ravjiani in supporting roles.
A non-profit consumer group announced on Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit to compel California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and the California Department of Insurance to hand over records of Laras meetings and communications with insurance companies.

The lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles. It was brought under the Public Records Act stems from what the group calls a pay-to-play scandal. Santa Monica, Calif.-based Consumer Watchdog is the plaintiff in the lawsuit and Lara is the named defendant.

Instead of turning over copies of Laras calendar as requested, the CDI made public a summary of Laras meetings, according to the group.

According to the lawsuit, Consumer Watchdog has been informed by whistleblowers that the CDI created a new version of the original calendar entries to avoid disclosing certain meetings and meeting notes containing details of Laras interactions with insurance company officials. None of the calendar entries provided by the CDI contain any such notes, nor were any meeting agenda records, internal memos, or phone call logs provided, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks to compel Lara to disclose his actual calendar.

The Public Records Act requires the actual records to be produced, not a paraphrase that could conceal critical details, said Jerry Flanagan, litigation director for Consumer Watchdog, said in a statement.

Lara during a press conference on Tuesday to talk about a new hardened homes wildfire bill, fielded a question about the suit.

He said the calendar has been turned over.

I believe in transparency, my calendar has been public and you can find those details on our website, Lara said.

The two Public Records Act requests at issue in the lawsuit seek Laras calendar of meetings and communications with executives of insurance companies with business pending before the CDI

The records relate to $54,300 in campaign contributions Lara received from individuals linked to two insurance companies, Applied Underwriters and Independence Holding Co., after Lara pledged not to take contributions from companies regulated by the CDI.

Related:

Topics Lawsuits California
A special court here has



sentenced a martial artsinstructor to four years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually harassing his 13-year-old girl student during a camp in suburban Borivali in 2015.

Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act court judge, S UBaghele, convicted the man and awarded the sentence on Monday.

The accused knew the victim and her family for eight years before the incident, the prosecution told the court.

He used to run martial art classes, which the girl would attend.

In February, 2015, the man had organised a karate training camp at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivali, which was attended by the girl and five other students, the prosecution said.

After the camp got over, the accused asked other students to proceed to their homes. Thereafter, he asked the victim to accompany him on his motorcycle.

As she was pillion riding, he stopped his two-wheeler at a secluded place and sexually harassed the girl, the prosecution said.

After reaching home, the minor told her parents about the incident, following which they lodged a complaint at Kasturba Marg Police Station.

The court relied on the testimony of the victim, her parents, and other students, who had attended the camp.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actress Beanie Feldstein, who starred in Lady Bird and Booksmart, is set to appear as former White House intern Monica Lewinsky in Ryan Murphy's American Crime Story series.

Feldstein, 26, spoke to The Face about her obsession with Netflix series Cheer (specifically Jerry), her lifelong love of theatre, and perfecting a British accent for her role in Caitlin Moran's How To Build A Girl.

While she "can't say too much" about the details behind the Lewinsky show, she did say she's in touch with the real-life Lewinsky, although they are yet to meet in person.

She did say, "I'm super excited to work with her. I mean, it's fifty times more than super excited, but I'm tremendously honoured.

The actress opens up about her former Lady Bird castmates, including Little Women superstars Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet.

I loved [my castmates] and that experience so much, it taught me that all Ive ever wanted to do is to try to have a similar type of experience with a different story and different people, but with the same love. Watching Saoirse and Timmy [Chalamet] play Laurie and Jo in Little Women was so exhilarating, because you just know theyre gonna work together forever.

"The reason that so many of us [in Lady Bird] have worked together multiple times is because when you find that connective tissue with someone, its irresistible.

Feldstein wore her best retro hair for the shoot, posing with vintage cameras and a microphone.

The previous American Crime Story covered the Versace murder in Miami and starred Darren Criss of Glee fame.

The upcoming show will delve into the impeachment of Bill Clinton in the 90s and will be produced by Lewinsky.

Sarah Paulson will star as Linda Tripp and Clive Owen will play Bill Clinton.
Lambert here: NC readers are familiar with these arguments, but it never hurts to repeat, and some of the studies cited are new. (Medicare and Medicaid have a very bad neoliberal infestation, too.)

By Igor Derysh, who covers politics for Salon. Cross-posted from Alternet.

The cost of administering health care in the United States costs four times as much as it does in Canada, which has had a single-payer system for nearly 60 years, according to a new study.

The average American pays a whopping $2,497 per year in administrative costs  which fund insurer overhead and salaries of administrative workers as well as executive pay packages and growing profits  compared to $551 per person per year in Canada, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine last month. The study estimated that cutting administrative costs to Canadian levels could save more than $600 billion per year.

The data contradicts claims by opponents of single-payer health care systems, who have argued that private programs are more efficient than government-run health care. The debate over the feasibility of a single-payer health care has dominated the Democratic presidential race, where candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., advocate for a system similar to Canadas while moderates like former Vice President Joe Biden and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg have warned against scrapping private health care plans entirely.

Canada had administrative costs similar to those in the United States before it switched to a single-payer system in 1962, according to the studys authors, who are researchers at Harvard Medical School, the City University of New York at Hunter College, and the University of Ottawa. But by 1999, administrative costs accounted for 31% of American health care expenses, compared to less than 17% in Canada.

The U.S.-Canada disparity in administration is clearly large and growing, the studys authors wrote. Discussions of health reform in the United States should consider whether $812 billion devoted annually to health administration is money well spent.

The increase in costs was driven in large part due to private insurers growing role in administering publicly-funded Medicare and Medicaid programs. More than 50% of private insurers revenue comes from Medicare and Medicaid recipients, according to the study. Roughly 12% of premiums for private Medicare Advantage plans are spent on overhead, compared to just 2% in traditional Medicare programs. Medicaid programs also showed a wide disparity in costs in states that shifted many of their Medicaid recipients into private managed care, where administrative costs are twice as high. There was little increase in states that have full control over their Medicaid programs.

As a result, Americans pay far more for the same care.

The average American spent $933 in hospital administration costs, compared to $196 in Canada, according to the research. Americans paid an average of $844 on insurance companies overhead, compared to $146 in Canada. Americans spent an average of $465 for physicians insurance-related costs, compared to $87 in Canada.

The gap in health administrative spending between the United States and Canada is large and widening, and it apparently reflects the inefficiencies of the U.S. private insurance-based, multipayer system, the authors wrote. The prices that U.S. medical providers charge incorporate a hidden surcharge to cover their costly administrative burden.

Despite the massive difference in administrative costs, a 2007 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Canadas health authority found that the overall health of residents in both countries is very similar, though the US actually trails in life expectancy, infant mortality, and fitness.

Many of the additional administrative costs in the US go toward compensation packages for insurance executives, some of whom pocket more than $20 million per year, and billions in profits collected by insurers.

Americans spend twice as much per person as Canadians on health care. But instead of buying better care, that extra spending buys us sky-high profits and useless paperwork, said Dr. David Himmelstein, the studys lead author and a distinguished professor at Hunter College. Before their single-payer reform, Canadians died younger than Americans, and their infant mortality rate was higher than ours. Now Canadians live three years longer and their infant mortality rate is 22% lower than ours. Under Medicare for All, Americans could cut out the red tape and afford a Rolls Royce version of Canadas system.

Himmelstein later told Time that the difference in administrative costs between the two countries would not only cover all the uninsured but also eliminate all the copayments and deductibles.

And, frankly, have money left over, he added.

Democrats like Biden and Buttigieg have argued that it would be a mistake to switch to a single-payer system because many people have private insurance plans they like. Both have proposed a public option, which would allow people to buy into a government-run health care program but would not do away with private plans.

But study senior author Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, at Hunter College and lecturer at Harvard Medical School, argued that a public option would make things worse, not better, because they would leave profit-seeking private insurance in place.

Medicare for All could save more than $600 billion each year on bureaucracy, and repurpose that money to cover Americas 30 million uninsured and eliminate copayments and deductibles for everyone, she said. Reforms like a public option that leave private insurers in place cant deliver big administrative savings. As a result, public option reform would cost much more and cover much less than Medicare for All.
Its a big shift for him personally, and his use of the bully pulpit is a new dynamic in Democrats push to shore up voting laws in key states before its too late to make a difference for them in the midterms.
Malaysia has so far managed to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, with limited local transmissions, the country's health minister told CNBC on Wednesday.

Malaysia has reported 22 cases of the new coronavirus as of Tuesday  the third-highest number in Southeast Asia behind Singapore and Thailand, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Formally named COVID-19, the new virus is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China.

Of those cases, 13 have recovered and there hasn't been any reported deaths so far, the data showed.

"I think it's very contained right now and there's ... no cause for panic at all, but we cannot be complacent about this and we'll continue to be on serious alert," Dzulkefly Ahmad, Malaysia's health minister, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia."

He added that there have been few local transmissions within the country.

Malaysia's health ministry earlier said six of the 22 confirmed cases are Malaysians, and only two of them caught the virus locally. The remaining cases reported in the country are 15 Chinese nationals and one American who was aboard the MS Westerdam cruise ship.

Dzulkefly said Malaysia has stepped up its surveillance at its international entry points by increasing the number of thermal scanners to detect potential cases of the flu-like disease that can lead to pneumonia. The country has also placed a temporary travel ban on Chinese nationals arriving from mainland provinces under government lockdown, and barred the entry of the remaining passengers on MS Westerdam.

The minister added that the country is not yet at the stage of having to close schools, but citizens should observe personal hygiene and wear a mask if they have symptoms of respiratory infections.
Andrew Yang is joining CNN as a political commentator after ending his 2020 presidential campaign last week, the network announced Wednesday.

The big picture: The businessman  who has never held public office  gained national attention in the race through his emphasis on universal basic income, which he believes will alleviate social and economic ills stemming from technological change. He'll make his first CNN appearance to discuss Wednesday's Democratic debate in Nevada "to help shed light on the election and the candidates experiences."

Go deeper: Politicians ditch government for cable news
The United States on February 18 reportedly imposed sanctions against a subsidiary of Russian oil company Rosneft in relation to its role in Venezuela. The United States' decision increased international pressure to break President Nicolas Maduro's control in Venezuela.

US treasury department targets Rosneft Trading SA

According to reports, the United States treasury department targetted Rosneft Trading SA, which had a role in helping sell Venezuelan oil despite unilateral sanctions. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo in a statement said that as the primary party of global deals for the sale and transportation of Venezuelan crude oil, Rosneft fanned President Maduro's dictatorial rule to repress people of Venezuela.

Mike Pompeo in a tweet made it clear that he was against the dictatorial rule and the repression of the Venezuelan people.

Today we sanctioned Russian-owned oil firm Rosneft Trading S.A., cutting off Maduros main lifeline to evade our sanctions on the Venezuelan oil sector. Those who prop up the corrupt regime and enable its repression of the Venezuelan people will be held accountable.  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) February 18, 2020

Read: Portugal Says Airline Suspension By Venezuela Is Unjustified

Read: Venezuela Criticizes French Diplomat's Support For Guaido

Sanctions will restrict any assets of Rosneft

According to reports, the US imposed sanctions will restrict any assets of Rosneft Trading that flow in through the United States. The sanctions will also make any monetary transaction with the above-mentioned party a criminal offence under the United States jurisdiction. The incident prompted Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido to call it a victory against Maduro's dictatorial rule. He said the news is victory, adding that anyone who is in support of a dictator must be subject to consequences that follow.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Jorge Arreaza stated that the United States imposed sanctions violated the rights to free trade and free enterprise.

The US unilateral coercive measures against Rosneft Trading, are aimed against our oil industry, its workers, and the Venezuelan economy. They keep attacking the people of Venezuela, trying to generate suffering and difficulties. Follow thread: https://t.co/nx9VaLW8wc  Jorge Arreaza M (@jaarreaza) February 19, 2020

These arbitrary measures against the Russian company Rosneft Trading, violate the right to free trade and free enterprise. We will add these unilateral actions to the criminal complaint we have introduced against US officials before the International Criminal Court.  Jorge Arreaza M (@jaarreaza) February 19, 2020

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court must identify, not only those responsible for issuing these perverse measures in Washington but also those confessed indolents in Venezuela that request and celebrate them. Venezuelan Justices will do what's due.  Jorge Arreaza M (@jaarreaza) February 19, 2020





The Bolivarian Government of Venezuela firmly rejects the US unilateral and illegal coercive measures against Rosneft Trading. All these arbitrary actions are prove that crimes against humanity have been committed

against the Venezuelan people.  Jorge Arreaza M (@jaarreaza) February 19, 2020

Read: Denouncing US, Venezuelan Troops, Militias Stage Drills

Read: Venezuela Authorities Detain Opposition Leader Guaido's Uncle
The issue came up again in the aftermath of a pair investigations by the New York Times and Bloomberg News looking at the wealth of Chinas leaders. After the Times published a 2012 investigation of the wealth of a senior leaders family, China took aim at the Timess Beijing bureau, blocking new hires and incoming reporters from getting visas rather than singling out the author of the investigative report.
The IAA World Congress, the most influential global platform to discuss a development strategy of the marketing communications industry amongst the worlds leading, visionary founders as well as global, C-level suite executives, returns for its 45th edition in May 2020.

The host cities for the IAA World Congress have always been the largest worlds business centers, including Beijing, London, Moscow, Washington, Dubai. But starting last year, the association decided to switch to selecting cities in terms of their cultural value or technology innovation. Kochi (India) became the first city to host the Congress in February 2019.

45th World Congress 2020 will be held between May 27-29, 2020 in St. Petersburg, Russia, known for its rich artistic heritage. The Congress will become the major activity in the communications industry in Russia and the must attend event for the rest of the world.

Leading experts and speakers with great experience in the industry, authorities representatives, young specialists will gather in St. Petersburg to discuss opportunities for emphasizing of strategic partnership between communications market participants and development of communications industry within 2030 perspective.

The MarCom industry is in the midst of revolution. It is common knowledge that technology is dramatically reshaping the way products and services are sold. In a mobile-first world, access to goods and services is infinite, and purchase is instantaneous.

On top of all this, something more fundamental is happening. The relationship between consumers and brands is evolving at warp speed. We are moving from a tell and sell world to the one in which consumers, fueled by new technologies, have more power in deciding what, where, when and how they buy. And how they interact.

Power to people, theme of the 2020 World Congress, will dive deep into this sea change and the implications it has on brands, consumers and the society.

A new era of consumer empowerment touches every angle of marketing  from privacy concerns and new forms of creativity to the importance of data protection in making personalized product/service offerings. At the same time, timeless fundamentals of creating high value brands remain as relevant as ever to high performance of any company.

Global leaders are set to open the 45th IAA World Congress in Saint Petersburg, Russia including Maher Nasser (Director Of DGC's Outreach Division, United Nations Organization), Shelly Lazarus (Chairman Emeritus, Ogilvy), Philip Thomas (CEO Cannes Lions), Steven Zhang (TikTok), Anna Lukanina (RBCA)

The WorldCongress business program will provide wide opportunities for the event participants to interact with leading professionals from all around the world during plenary sessions, business breakfasts, panel discussions, open talks and foresight sessions on key topics of present and future of communications industry.

The Congress will also grant a great chance for young professionals & students within educational program, which will involve briefings, master classes and lectures of key congress speakers.

The cultural program will offer unforgettable moments for the congress delegates and accompanying persons as Saint Petersburg, being one the leading world cultural centers, presents broadest range of cultural events, from famous ballet in Mariinsky theatre and unique art collection of Russian museums to fabulous parks and palaces around the city.

After the business program of the Congress is over, the event participants are can visit Moscow, which thrills visitors with its history, culture and grandeur.

Details about the IAA Congress can be found out on www.iaawordcongress.org/en

For registrations please contact: Soumen Santara execseciaa@gmail.com / or Bipin Pandit bipin@theadclub.in
Amid the rise in global surveillance systems, the common man needs to be involved in conversations on data through politics.

The Data State commenced with Dr Vidya Subramanian, a post doctoral fellow at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and the Chair, introducing the concept of surveillance capitalism. Panellist Srinivas Kodali, an independent researcher on technology and society, spoke about the Indian IT sectors role in enabling the State. He raised questions regarding how much the State can be trusted with data.

Another panellist, Sakina Dhorajiwala, associated with LibTech India, spoke from the perspective of welfare, throwing light on the high rates of participation in the governments data collection initiatives from economically marginalised sections of society. For them, this is the only possible way to access the welfare schemes of the government, she added. Arguing for civil societys focus to be directed towards ensuring accountability for errors in data handling by the government, she said: With the multiplicity of agencies, the buck keeps getting passed around. The state is taken further away from the citizens.

Dr Aasim Khan, assistant professor at the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi, spoke about the need to think of data more conceptually and historically. He called the first population census in India under the colonial administration a ghost that continues to haunt us. According to him, the slogan Hum Kaagaz Nahi Dikhayenge (We shall not show our papers) raised in protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a response to that process.

After their initial statements, Dr Subramanian asked the panellists: Can we demand that the government delete all our stored data? In response, Dr Khan spoke about how little this would achieve since multiple agencies store data on various mirror sites.

Citing Indian Railways as an example for giving people more choices, Sakina Dhorajiwala said: They continued to maintain physical counters even after the launch of online ticket booking services. People should have options.

Responding to the discussion on automating governance, Dr Subramanian reflected on the democratic project. She said, The purpose of democracy was to de-automate governance.

Both Dr Khan and Srinivas Kodali addressed the need to engage the common man in conversations on data through politics. Dr Khan quoted author Arundhati Roy while talking about the middle class secession from politics. Srinivas spoke about how limited the academias role was in involving the masses in these discussions. He said: The language for this will come from the people. This is what we have witnessed in the CAA-NRC protests.

While discussing the ubiquity of surveillance systems, Dr Subramanian complained that the brain was the only private space left for individuals. In response to this, Dr Khan quipped: Actually, China has developed something for that too.

Malvika, a former student of TISS and member of the audience, asked how one could engage with the Savarna State to ensure that the marginalised are not reduced to mere data. Dr Subramanian responded by saying, Unfortunately, the marginalised are not even being reduced to data. They have been rendered invisible. She described this as the biggest failure of the attempt to digitalise administration.

Srinivas Kodali spoke about how AADHAR, which was meant to be voluntary at first, was transforming citizens into consumers by allowing private corporations to access peoples personal data. Citing the Supreme Court Judgement on the Right to Privacy, Kodali pointed out that citizens have a right to know how their data is being used. He added: The state cant let go of its responsibility in the name of national security.

While talking about corporations providing free services in exchange for personal data, Dr Khan said: If you are buying something, you are a consumer. If you are buying something for free, then you are the product.

Dr Subramanian was skeptical about the prospects of setting up another regulatory authority to handle concerns regarding data. When asked about this, she said, A regulator is only as good as you let it be. My fear is that another regulator will only become open to manipulation by the authorities in power.

Towards the end of the discussion, Dr Khan invoked the speech delivered earlier during the day by Professor Gopal Guru, editor of the Economic & Political Weekly. Speaking about the importance of governing and not only regulating, he said: We dont need laws alone. We need public commissions that talk about truth. We need truth commissions.

Anant Gupta and Sayantan Banerjee are first year MA students of Media and Cultural Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Proper structures must be instituted to ...
Qantas flight attendants taking Aussies home from a coronavirus-infected cruise ship in Japan will be placed in quarantine for two weeks when they land.

About 200 Australians will be evacuated from the Diamond Princess ship on a Qantas flight from Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Darwin Airport on Wednesday night.

Food will be left on their seats so they have absolutely no contact with around a dozen flight attendants who will stay on the plane's upper deck.

When the passengers land they will be kept in isolation for two weeks at a former workers' site near Darwin.

Qantas flight attendants taking Aussies home from a coronavirus-infected cruise ship (pictured) in Japan will be placed in quarantine for two weeks when they land

The extreme measures are similar to those taken by Qantas during a previous evacuation mission (pictured) taking Australians from Wuhan to Christmas Island earlier this month

The flight attendants will be kept in 'home quarantine' meaning they cannot return to work for two weeks.

The extreme measures are similar to those taken by Qantas during a previous evacuation mission taking Australians from Wuhan to Christmas Island earlier this month.

During that flight the airline provided passengers with a bright yellow plastic 'clinical waste' bags on their seats.

Inside the emergency kit was sanitiser, face masks and hand wipes.

Passengers had health checks before boarding the flight and had to wear surgical masks.

There was a limited food and beverage service to minimise interaction between crew and passengers and the plane had a three-day cleaning process.

The crew had masks, gloves and sanitisers and were placed on the upper deck of the aircraft.

The plane had medical-grade filters that remove particles in the air, including viruses

All of the 14 crew and four pilots had volunteered for the mission.

In the previous rescue mission, a seat kit left on passengers' seats included a bright yellow plastic bag (pictured) with 'clinical waste' written on it

Fifteen Australians will remain on the Diamond Princess Cruise.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Adelaide they had chosen to stay to be near family members who were being treated for the virus.

More than 30 Australians have contracted the disease on the ship, which has been quarantined in Yokohama for more than two weeks.

Mr Morrison said he understood the frustration of people who had been stuck on the ship.

'We want to get them home to their families as soon as possible,' he said.

Australia's chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said the older evacuees will have continuous access to medical assistance.

'I can be absolutely confident that they will be very well looked after here, in much better facilities than being in a tiny cabin on a cruise ship,' he told reporters in Darwin.

The cruise ship evacuees will be kept separate from hundreds of people already in isolation at the facility, who were evacuated from the Chinese epicentre of the virus.

Professor Murphy has sought to alleviate concerns in the Darwin community, saying they will be completely protected from the disease.

Wednesday's flight will also include New Zealanders, who will be transferred home after landing in Darwin.

Meanwhile, the 36 evacuees remaining on Christmas Island left on Wednesday, after most of the quarantined group returned to the mainland on Monday.

The facility will be readied for the possibility of more Australians facing the two-week isolation period.

Island administrator Natasha Griggs tweeted her thanks to those involved in the operation.

'Job well done! I couldn't be a more prouder Australian,' she wrote.

There have been 15 cases of the virus in Australia, with eight people now recovered and the rest in a stable condition.

There are now more than 72,000 cases worldwide, with 1,868 reported deaths.
Asia Coronavirus Slows China's Belt and Road Push

Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, right, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Naypyitaw on Jan. 17, 2020. / Reuters

When President Xi Jinping made his first state visit to Myanmar this year and signed new infrastructure contracts, there was no indication of the obstacle about to trip up Chinas plan for railways, ports and highways around the world: the coronavirus.

Travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the disease, which has now killed more than 2,000 people, have idled much of the worlds second-largest economy and choked key elements of Xis signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Chinese workers cannot get to overseas projects, and factories are cut off from the Chinese imports they need to keep running, according to more than a dozen company executives and officials.

Many factories in China remain closed; those that are open cannot reach full capacity, said Boyang Xue, a China analyst at Ducker Frontier. Since many BRI projects tend to source equipment and machinery from manufacturers based in China, the disruptions in industrial production and supply chain will cause further delays.

One giant project, China Railway International Groups US$6 billion (8.6-trillion-kyat) high-speed railway in Indonesia, is on a war footing.

The state enterprise has set up a task force to monitor the coronavirus spread and urged all Chinese employees who went home for the Lunar New Year holiday not to return to Indonesia, a senior executive with the company said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The company has stopped more than 100 Chinese personnel, mostly skilled workers or managers, from returning to the project linking Indonesias capital Jakarta with the textile hub of Bandung, about 140 kilometers away, the executive said.

We have to focus on less-critical parts of the railway project until some of our key people come back to work, he said. Were getting off to a very bad start in 2020. Our project has been dogged by delays and controversy, and this coronavirus brought us bigger challenges.

Disruption

Chinas top regulator of state-run companies said in a Tuesday briefing that the outbreak has caused difficulties on some overseas projects and investments.

The country has already communicated with overseas companies, overseas owners, and governments as early as possible to gain support and understanding, said Peng Qinghua, secretary general of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

Several Chinese companies in Indonesia, including Tsingshan Holding Group, GEM Co Ltd and Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt saw nickel and cobalt projects disrupted as Southeast Asias biggest economy stopped flights from China in early February and denied entry to people who had been in mainland China in the previous 14 days.

The new projects may be postponed a little, but not that much, said an executive at one of the companies, who had planned to travel to Indonesia before the travel ban made it impossible.

More than 133 countries have imposed entry restrictions on Chinese citizens or people who have visited China, according to the Chinese National Immigration Agency.

Pakistans $62-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) said the coronavirus was not having an impact, although officials said some managers had been quarantined after returning from China.

The challenge of the coronavirus to Belt and Road contracts follows a pushback in 2018, when officials in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and elsewhere criticized projects there as costly and unnecessary.

China scaled back some plans after several countries sought to review, cancel or scale down commitments, citing concerns over costs, erosion of sovereignty, and corruption.

Broken supply chain

The coronavirus has also started to disrupt the supply chains that give companies access to key machinery and components.

The offices of Chinese senior managers stand empty at the Cambodia Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, which describes itself as a landmark project on the Belt and Road Initiative and is home to more than 160 businesses and over 20,000 workers.

Employees from Chinese-run factories told Reuters that most of the workers there were local, but that the greater challenge was their dependence on supplies from China.

That could elongate project timelines, for example, which might raise costs, said Nick Marro, global trade lead at the Economist Intelligence Unit and a China analyst.

And although that might only affect operations in the first quarterdepending on whether the virus is containedslower Chinese growth will have a regional and global impact, he said.

In some places on the Belt and Road, the impact of the coronavirus has already arrived.

Bangladesh has announced delays to several infrastructure projects, including commissioning of the Payra coal power plant, which was supposed to begin commercial operations in early February.

Well over 2,000 Chinese workers work on the plant and some 40 percent of them went home for the Lunar New Year holiday, local media reported. Twenty were allowed back to work on Monday after 14 days in quarantine.

You may also like these stories:

Coronavirus Cases Rise Again in China as Recession Looms for Japan, Singapore

China Reports 5,000 New Coronavirus Cases as Death Toll Hits 1,380
Every name on the BrandBucket marketplace is exclusively listed with BrandBucket. That means that all of our sellers are very responsive, making for quick domain transfers.

A dedicated BrandBucket agent will manage your domain transfer from beginning to end, ensuring a secure and easy transaction. They will manage the receipt of the domain into one of BrandBuckets secure registrar accounts and then complete the transfer to you.

1. Verification and registrar choice

After we receive the payment and verify it, we will reach out via email to confirm which registrar you want the domain transferred to. We also provide a link to our tracking system, where you can communicate with us, check on the status of your transfer, view your invoice, and download your logo files.

In most cases, if a domain is moved between accounts at a single registrar, the transfer is quick and usually completes within 48 hours. If a domain changes registrars (in other words, you would like to move it away from where it is currently registered), the transfer is slower. The total transfer time can then be anywhere from 48 hours to 7 days.

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Double act: Fr Ray Kelly performing on Dancing with the Stars with his partner Kylee Vincent. Photo: Kyran O'Brien

'Dancing with the Stars' priest Fr Ray Kelly has complained to gardai after receiving an abusive phone call at his parochial house.

It comes after the singing cleric (66) received a slew of cards and letters at his home in Oldcastle, Co Meath, following his appearance on the RTE show.

While many have been surprised by his level of support from the voting public, he has also been sent lots of negative messages calling on him to step down from the show.

"One particular card said: 'Remember what happened to John the Baptist when a woman danced for him? He was beheaded'," said Fr Kelly.

"There was one [card] last week that came in: 'Fr Ray, wouldn't it be a wonderful witness with Lent coming, if you now for the nation decided to pull out of DWTS and show the nation just the sacrifice you're making by pulling out?'"

The cleric, who found fame in 2014 thanks to his rendition of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' at a church wedding, was recently forced to take action after receiving a "very abusive" expletive-filled phone call.

Expand Close Targeted: Fr Kelly said the criticism he had received could be down to him stepping out of my field a little bit. Photo: Barry Cronin / Facebook

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Whatsapp Targeted: Fr Kelly said the criticism he had received could be down to him stepping out of my field a little bit. Photo: Barry Cronin

"Every second word was the F word... priest, parish, parochial house, housekeeper, fat effing belly dancing around the floor.

"The man left his number on the phone and his name.

"His number showed up on the landline. I answered the phone and went into my messages and there it was.

"An hour or two later, I was in the house and I answered the phone again. He said: 'Can I speak to Fr Ray Kelly please' and I was suspicious about it.

"I said: 'He's not here, can I take a message?' He said: 'Can you tell him from me...' and the whole spate again."

After consulting with the 'Dancing with the Stars' production team, Fr Kelly was advised to make a formal complaint to the gardai.

He said it was "hard" being on the receiving end of such negativity and he was trying not to let it affect him personally.

"For a while there, I was letting it come in [to my head]. As a priest, I've worked hard for 31 years. I've never gotten a huge amount of criticism for anything I've done. This is going back to singing 'Hallelujah' or doing 'Britain's Got Talent'."

Asked why he thought he provoked such a strong reaction, Fr Kelly said it could have been down to him "stepping out of my field a little bit".

"But I was determined to go out there and enjoy it on Sunday tonight. My line is, if I can go out there and put a smile on people's faces with what I do, just performing and whether it's singing and dancing, then bring it on."

A Garda spokesperson said the force did not comment on named individuals when asked about Fr Kelly's complaint.
From nearly 6,000 miles away, Jo Anne Adlerstein had seen enough.

The political climate from afar was becoming increasingly troubling, but when U.S. Attorney General William Barr intervened in the sentencing of President Trump ally Roger Stone last week, it struck a chord. This never happened  and would have never happened, she said  when Adlerstein was leading a team investigating federal tax and immigration crimes in New Jersey.

I live in Israel. Im retired, said the former assistant U.S. Attorney, who served under presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. But I have very strong feelings about this.

This is an affront to democracy," she said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Adlerstein is not alone.

As of Wednesday, nearly 2,500 former Justice Department employees, including at least a dozen former New Jersey prosecutors, have taken a rare step and signed a public letter calling for Barr to resign and denouncing the handling of the Stone case. After the president publicly attacked the sentencing recommended by the four prosecutors handling the case, Barr pushed for a lighter sentence for Stone, who was convicted of lying to Congress and obstruction.

The four prosecutors on the case resigned last week. (Stone is still scheduled to be sentenced Thursday.)

As a sign of solidarity, a small group of Department of Justice alumni signed a letter supporting the prosecutors and blasting Barrs apparent political intervention in the case. The number of signatures quickly grew to over 1,000 on Sunday. By Tuesday, it had more than doubled, and continued to rise.

Mr. Barrs actions in doing the Presidents personal bidding unfortunately speak louder than his words, the letter says. Those actions, and the damage they have done to the Department of Justices reputation for integrity and the rule of law, require Mr. Barr to resign.

The former New Jersey prosecutors who signed the letter have worked under presidents of both political parties dating back to President Richard Nixon. They include former U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, who Trump ordered to resign in 2017, and Paul Blaine, who worked in the Department of Justice for a total of 41 years in numerous roles, including chief of New Jerseys civil division.

Fishman, who served as New Jerseys chief federal law enforcement officer for eight years, said he cannot remember another time when a large group of former prosecutors have publicly voiced their concerns over a Department of Justice issue.

That is a testament to both the gravity of the situation and the enormous affection and allegiance that that group of people has for the traditions of the department and the values for which it should stand, he said.

Samuel Moulthrop, who was the chief of the criminal division for the U.S. Attorneys Office of New Jersey in the 1980s, said the department has traditionally upheld ideals of honesty, integrity, impartial administration of justice and faithful allegiance to the rule of law.

I am deeply disturbed by conduct that undercuts those ideals, Moulthrop said in an email. ... The Attorney General has a special obligation to uphold and publicly promote the independence of the Department in criminal cases from political influence.

The letter, which Moulthrop signed, says governments that use the enormous power of law enforcement to punish their enemies and reward their allies are not constitutional republics; they are autocracies.

I think people have the right to ask how is this president willing to use the criminal justice system in other ways, Fishman said. ... He believes that his enemies should be prosecuted and his friends should have a get-out-of-jail free card. That is not America. That is a very different kind of government and one that we have spent hundreds of years defending ourselves against.

While she is retired, Adlerstein is still practicing law in Israel and said it is more than a little terrifying to see political favoritism leaking into the traditionally by-the-book Department of Justice.

Something that was very important for all of us was that it was an apolitical office, Adlerstein said about her time in the U.S. Attorneys Office from 1978 to 1985.

Marianne Espinosa, who was an assistant U.S. attorney in New Jersey from 1978 to 1986, said she can never recall a time when someone from the Department of Justice tried to intervene in a case as a political ploy. Espinosa said she felt like there were probably people who wanted to interject when she prosecuted a member from the Gambino crime family, but it didnt happen.

I was in the office for eight-and-a-half years and politics was never a factor in any decision that we made, she said. That gave such meaning to the work that we did, the pride that we had in our work and the reputation of our office.

Espinosa said political interference, like what Barr has exerted, undermines the work done by federal prosecutors, which increases distrust with the public.

Its more than anti-democratic. Id like to say something more creative than evil," she added before pausing.

It is just unprecedented."

Former New Jersey Department of Justice employees who signed the letter:

Paul Fishman, former U.S. Attorney. Worked a total of 22 years in the Department of Justice under presidents Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Clinton, Obama and Trump.

Donald Fay, former chief of appeals division. Worked a total of 8 years in the Department of Justice under presidents Carter and Reagan.

Samuel Moulthrop, former chief of criminal division. Worked a total of 8 years in the Department of Justice under president Reagan.

Stuart Peim, former chief of criminal division. Worked a total of 7 years in the Department of Justice under president Reagan.

Jo Anne Adlerstein, former assistant U.S. Attorney. Worked a total of 6.5 years in the Department of Justice under presidents Carter and Reagan.

Paul Blaine, former chief of civil division. Worked a total of 41 years in the Department of Justice under presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama.

Robert Goodman, former deputy chief of criminal division. Worked a total of 6 years in the Department of Justice under presidents Carter and Reagan.

Frederick Klepp, former assistant U.S. Attorney. Worked a total of 13 years in the Department of Justice under presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan.

Marianne Espinosa, former assistant U.S. Attorney. Worked a total of 8.5 years in the Department of Justice under presidents Carter and Reagan.

Paul Weissman, supervisory assistant U.S. Attorney. Worked a total of 19 years in the Department of Justice under presidents Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Clinton and George W. Bush.

Edna Axelrod, former chief of appeals division and assistant U.S. Attorney. Worked a total of 12 years in the Department of Justice under presidents Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Clinton.

Thomas ONeil, former trial attorney in civil rights division. Worked a total of 2 years in the Department of Justice under president Nixon.

Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow on Twitter @monavage.

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Kendrick Brothers reveal next movie project is based on true story

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HOLLYWOOD  Award-winning filmmaker and actor Alex Kendrick attended the 28th annual Movieguide Awards where he revealed the plans for the next Kendrick Brothers film.

"We are shooting a movie this summer, Kendrick told The Christian Post in an interview last month at the popular award show that honors faith and family content.

We're very excited about that and it's a true story and it's going to grab your heart. We love it! he exclaimed.

The popular Christian actor said he and his brother, Stephen, who's also his producing partner, love the subject matter and what's going to happen as a result of it.

We think it's a very timely movie, he assured.

Kendrick said he expects the film to be released in 2021.

The brothers are used to making original content such as their No. 1 box-office hit War Room, but their next film was actually brought to them by a friend.

"We normally do write our own movies but this one was so powerful when we read it and we saw how it was very timely for today's culture, Kendrick told CP.

As we began researching a way to shoot it, it became very obvious the Lord was opening the door to do it, he said.

The brothers' last movie, Overcomer, was digitally released on Nov. 26, 2019, on Blu-ray and DVD. It starred Alex Kendrick, Priscilla Shirer, Shari Rigby, Cameron Arnett and newcomer Aryn Wright-Thompson. The movie is centered around themes of identity, forgiveness, and restoration, and Kendrick said the topics are resonating with people all over the world.

The Blu-ray, DVD and the digital release of Overcomer features extensive bonus material, including 10 minutes of deleted scenes, fun bloopers, exclusive commentary by the Kendrick Brothers, and a moving in-depth look at the power of forgiveness.

"We love the special features, the behind the scenes and how we made it, and we think that is almost as fun as watching the movie," Kendrick told CP.

The Movieguide Awards will be broadcast on the Hallmark Channel on Feb. 24.
MBABANE  Why Mtsambama Inkhundla? This is the million dollar question on the minds of some members of Parliament (MPs) after it was revealed that Mtsambama Inkhundla centre was the only constituency allocated about E7.5 million for its reconstruction.



The allocation is reflected in the 2020/2021 Budget Estimates, which were tabled by the Minister of Finance, Neal Rijkenberg in the House of Assembly last Friday.



Of concern to some of the legislators is that there are four new constituencies which were announced before the 2018 National Elections and a majority of them are currently housed in temporary structures.



Mtsambama Inkhundla centre is one of the originally existing 55 Tinkhundla centres prior to the addition of four more.

The scrutiny of the Mtsambama Inkhundla centre was highlighted during the budget debate workshop meeting, which was held for MPs at the Sibane Hotel on Monday.



Scrutinise



Deputy Speaker Phila Buthelezi said when the legislators scrutinised the budget estimates they should also ask themselves why Mtsambama was the only constituency which was allocated a capital project under the Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Development, when there were many other centres which were in a dilapidated state.



It was highlighted that the E7.5 million was for the reconstruction of Mtsambama and we have to ask why this is the case and what had happened to the original structure, said MP Buthelezi.

The current Mtsambama MP is Simosakhe Shongwe.

The new constituencies include Gilgal, Nkomiyahlaba, Kumethula and Phondo Inkhundla.



Another inkhundla which was affected by the changes was Motshane, which is now divided into two with the other being Siphocosini.

Motshane MP Robert Magongo also wondered why the centre under his constituency was not being built.



Currently, the Motshane Inkhundla operates from the handicraft centre which is situated in the same area.

Meanwhile, the previous centre that was utilised as Motshane Inkhundla is now being used by Siphocosini Inkhundla since it is situated under Sigangeni chiefdom.

Gilgal MP Sandla Fakudze informed this publication that they currently used a two-bedroom house which had been abandoned by an agriculture extension officer as their constituency structure.



Renovated



Although the house was renovated by the ministry, it is still very small and as we speak we are holding a meeting and we are squashed like sardines, he said.

He said although he had no problem with government allocating the said amount for the construction of the Mtsambama constituency centre one would have thought that the new constituencies would also be considered.



On the other hand, Phondo MP Xolani Vilakati said he was pretty happy with the structure that was allocated to them as their inkhundla centre.

MP Vilakati said government had renovated a structure which was previously occupied by a certain cooperative.

The standard of the building is very similar to that of other tinkhundla, as it was given a revamp by the Micro Project Unit, Vilakati said.



He said they were content with the structure. Another new constituency was reported to be Nkomiyahlaba which is under the Manzini Region.

The MP, Welcome Shongwe, said they currently operated from the premises of Sigombeni Clinic.



He said they, however, did not have any complaints about their current location as initially, the structure was meant to be a maternity ward, but was converted to suit the needs of the inkhundla centre.
China Central Bank is now destroying cash in some areas to make sure that these are disinfected from the coronavirus. This is action is recommended based on the information that the virus can live for several hours without a host, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Most commonly touched surfaces are subject to regular disinfection, like buttons, handles, and other contact surfaces. This includes cash that can harbor the virus by changing hands multiple times.

Chinese banks are now cleansing cash with ultraviolet light and high heat, and are stored for one to two weeks before being sent out to avoid more contamination and spread of this infection.

Extra treatment and sterilization of cash from hospitals and wet markets will not be given to the public immediately. As per central bank, they have rules to keep infection spreading via money.

One exception is the Guangzhou branch of the China CB, where bank notes are destroyed because they might be infectious. The coronavirus disinfection is a measure leading China to destroying cash in some places.

The China Central Back (CB) released four billion yuan in January, sent to Wuhan in new notes, noted by government press. It makes up for the loss of bills as fears of infection are now rampant. It gets more severe with suspending cash transfers in heavily infected Chinese cities and provinces.

How infected the cash is not really clear. Contagious cash with live viruses might die in several hours with the use of disinfectants. It is advised to use apps to pay for goods instead of cash which is considered high risk.

Also related: Researchers Reveal Coronavirus May Live More Than a Week Despite Absence of Host

Money is full of contaminants. A bill gets bits of material from each person handling it, which is how the fear of coronavirus on money is a concern for infection. A U.S. dollar bill has traces of Pet DNA, drugs, bacteria, and virus hitch-hikers that was found out in a 2017 study in the US.

Viruses that are active or dormant in money bill are the threat, not the money itself. Most epidemics will not come from an money machine. Any precaution to prevent more cases is helpful in a country reeling from government secrecy.

Support of the central bank in these measure is crucial to rein in the infection rate with contaminated money. This is just one of the after effects of the China coronavirus or COVID-19 that includes lock downs and travel limitations to prevent the situation from getting worse.

Small business enterprises contributes to the Chinese economy, which is severely affected by the outbreak. Chinese mainlanders are afraid to handle money that might be infected. Most of the people are staying indoors to avoid infection, and only leaves their homes to buy food. While outdoors, they are wrapped in plastic to avoid viral transmission in full gear.

Disinfecting cash and, in some places, destroying it, is a safety measure that banks need to take in the hope to reducing infection rates.

Related article: Scientists Baffled Why Coronavirus Doesn't Affect Children Like It Does Adults

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The private space company Orbex recently released the first photos of its rocket factory in Scotland, offering a glimpse at where the commercial orbital rocket called Prime is being built.

Orbex is targeting small-satellite launches from an as-yet-unbuilt spaceport called Space Hub Sutherland. And in early 2020, the company signed up a new client, a company called TriSept, looking to launch a dedicated ride-share mission in 2022.

(Image credit: Orbex)

The Prime rocket will use the world's largest 3D-printed rocket engine , which is powered by biopropane, a clean-burning, renewable fuel source. Using biopropane will reduce carbon emissions by about 90%, compared with standard kerosene-based rocket fuels, according to Orbex.

In addition, Orbex said that it designed Prime rockets to leave no orbital debris; the rockets are also made out of lighter materials, which the company said will facilitate recovering and reusing the main stage. The company plans to launch Prime from northern Scotland as early as 2021.

(Image credit: Orbex)

Founded in 2015, Orbex built its headquarters in Forres, Scotland, where key elements of the launch vehicles are manufactured and tested. From there, the rockets will head to a launch site overseas or the proposed Scottish spaceport.

That spaceport, which will be called the Space Hub Sutherland , is still pending approval for construction. It would be built on the Moine Peninsula in the county of Sutherland, a few miles from Scotland's Atlantic coast. The facility would enable vertical rockets to launch small satellites into low-Earth polar and sun-synchronous orbits.

(Image credit: Orbex)

Orbex engineers inspected the company's newest rocket engine test site in the UK to ensure it will be ready for future propulsion tests. The company also plans to open a second test site in Denmark to allow full-stage static tests.

Orbex personnel will monitor tests at both sites from the company's new mission control center in Forres, Scotland. Here, flight controllers will be able to access data from the launch vehicle during liftoff and flight, providing complete remote command and control. Orbex will use the facility to monitor orbital rocket launches from Scotland and other sites.

(Image credit: Orbex)

Orbex has also installed a carbon-fiber-winding machine at the rocket factory at its headquarters in Scotland. It is one of several new production systems installed at the facility and one of the largest high-speed carbon-fiber winding machines in Europe, according to the statement .

"This 18-meter-long machine automates the rapid weaving of intricate mixes of materials to build the main rocket structures," Orbex officials said in the statement, adding that it has taken several years to create the optimal blend of lightweight carbon-fiber and aluminum composites.

Using this carbon-fiber blend will make the Prime rocket up to 30% lighter than other rockets of its size and allow the rocket to accelerate from 0 to 830 mph (1,330 km/h) in just 60 seconds, Orbex said.

(Image credit: Orbex)

Orbex's carbon-fiber winding machine provides automated control of the fiber strands, also known as rovings, and allows Orbex to weave different materials together to build the main rocket structures.

"Numerous characteristics, from the basic material properties to the angle of the stands, all combine to ensure essential structures can tolerate large pressures  in some cases up to 500 times atmospheric pressure  as well as the intense dynamic loads of an orbital space launch vehicle," according to the statement from Orbex.

(Image credit: Orbex)

This photo shows a bobbin from which the fiber strands are woven. The blend of materials used in the carbon fiber for the construction of the Prime rocket was developed by Orbex over the last several years, according to the statement.

"This equipment allows engineers to have complete control over the design and pace of manufacture of all carbon fiber tanks, including the main stage tanks, which can be wound in a matter of hours," according to the statement from Orbex.

(Image credit: Orbex)

Engineers trim the carbon-fiber fabric before placing it in a component mold for the heating and curing process. The carbon fiber is pre-impregnated with a resin system to reinforce the fiber blend. This fabric is not only lighter than traditional aerospace materials, but also nearly twice as strong, according to Orbex.

Orbex has received funding from the UK Space Agency's Spaceflight Program to support the manufacture of this carbon-fiber technique. Orbex has also received support from the European Horizon 2020 SME Instrument program, which is part of the European Innovation Council and provides funding opportunities to small companies like Orbex.

(Image credit: Orbex)

In this photo, Orbex engineers are drilling the carbon-fiber composites, which are widely used in specialized, high-performance products like aircraft, race cars and spacecraft.

"We're creating rockets in a way that hasn't been done before," Chris Larmour, Orbex CEO, said in the statement. "The whole point of NewSpace  private enterprise getting involved in spaceflight  is to provide faster, better and cheaper access to space . Burning through hundreds of millions of dollars on robotic assembly lines or hundreds of staff to produce heavy, metal rockets is an antiquated approach."

(Image credit: Orbex)

At the same rocket factory, Orbex also recently installed a full-scale autoclave, which engineers use to "cure," or harden, the carbon-fiber structures under heat and pressure. The autoclave uses high temperatures and up to seven times the atmospheric pressure to bind the materials and strengthen the carbon fiber.

In this photo, an Orbex engineer verifies the temperature inside the autoclave to ensure a solid bond is established between the carbon fiber composites. The autoclave is used to cure all composite rocket parts, including the main-stage tanks.

"In just a few hours, these machines can process large composite rocket parts to create a strong and reliable structure that is ready for the extremes of space," according to the statement.

(Image credit: Orbex)

This photo offers an up-close view of a 3D-printed rocket engine. 3D-printing incorporates tiny design details and features that would otherwise require additional processing time. Using this technique, Orbex is able to create a complete rocket engine in just five days.

In addition, Orbex believes its 3D-printed rocket engine may be safer than conventional engines, as it is manufactured as a single piece without joints, seams or welds. That should make it better able to withstand extreme temperature and pressure fluctuations of spaceflight, according to Orbex.

(Image credit: Orbex)

Each Prime rocket requires six 3D-printed engines on the first stage and a seventh engine on the second stage. Weighing just 16.5 lbs. (7.5 kilograms), each of Orbex's 3D-printed rocket engines can lift 7,000 lbs. (3,200 kg) and requires only 8,800 lbs. (4,000 kg) of fuel per launch. Each Prime rocket is approximately 50 times more fuel-efficient than other small-satellite launch vehicles, which use up to 440,000 lbs. (200,000 kg) of fossil fuels.

In addition, Orbex has been testing the performance and reliability of biopropane-fueled engines, which use "clean" fuel supplies to reduce carbon emissions, compared with conventional hydrocarbon fuel-fired rockets, according to a statement.

(Image credit: Orbex)

High-performance turbo-pumps that spin at up to 25,000 rotations per minute feed fuel into the rocket engines. This photo shows the gearbox, which is part of a system that provides high-speed testing and rotor balancing of rocket engines, according to Orbex.

(Image credit: Orbex)

Orbex has also developed a full hardware system the company calls a "flat sat," which consists of flight computer and guidance sensors.

"Many satellites are now as small as a smartphone," Larmour said in the Orbex statement. "Our goal is to service this new market by making smaller, more efficient launch vehicles with a tiny [carbon dioxide] footprint and zero orbital debris."

He is also targeting scheduling to keep the reusable launch vehicles flying regularly. "We can only do that [by] re-thinking how we do it, rather than copying the past."
Giant fish sold at auction for over 16 million yen

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Armenia's Geghamasar community head: The situation is stable now

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Human Rights Defender: Azerbaijani troops open fire on Armenian sovereign territory

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Defense Ministry confirms Armenian side has 2 victims

Satanovsky on sending Armenian servicemen to Kazakhstan

Unofficial data: 2 servicemen killed as a result of Azerbaijan provocation

CSTO and Kazakh Defense Ministry developing plan

WHO thinks it's too early to consider COVID-19 pandemic

European Commission to require Poland to pay fine of nearly EUR 70 million

White House announces $308 million humanitarian aid for Afghanistan

Erdogan angry at minister after efforts to strengthen lira failed

Armenian FM has phone call with US Assistant Secretary of State

India imposes one-week quarantine even for vaccinated tourists

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Azerbaijan uses artillery and UAVs, 3 Armenian soldiers wounded

NEWS.am daily digest: 11.01.22

Austrian Chancellor confirms plan for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in February

Armen Sarkissian and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev discuss situation in Kazakhstan

Gulf, Iran and Turkey FMs to visit China

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Armenia hands over wanted US citizen to United States

Economy ministry: Organizing of accommodation and public catering increased by 61.1% in Armenia

Armenia parliament speaker expresses condolences on European Parliament President death

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UN offers two plans to help Afghans totaling $ 5 billion in 2022

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New commander elected of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh

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Water from the Ganga has been released in the Yamuna to temporarily revive the river stretch ahead of the US President Donald Trump's visit to the iconic Taj Mahal on February 24, officials informed on Wednesday.

According to officials, 500 cusec of Ganga water has been released upstream in the Yamuna that would flow via Noida and Mathura to Agra.

Meerut Executive Engineer, Irrigation Department, Dharmendra Singh Phogat said, "500 cusec of water was released in the Yamuna on February 17 and the water will reach Agra on February 22. This is Ganga water which will meet the Yamuna near Noida and from there it will flow to Mathura and then to Agra."

Speaking to ANI, Municipal Commissioner, Arun Prakash confirmed the development.

The Yamuna flows right beside the Taj Mahal. At present, the river stretch resembles a drain with dirty and stinking water polluted with effluents.

Convener of river connect campaign, Brij Khandelwal said, "There is not much water in the Yamuna and the water which is flowing mostly contains pollutants. The water contains toxic substances. Since there is not much water so it is necessary to release water in the river."

On Monday, Agra City Magistrate Arun Kumar had said, "It has been decided that the US President will be visiting Agra on February 24. So, we are clearing and beautifying the entire route from Kheria Airport to Taj Mahal."

Trump will pay a two-day state visit to India from February 24 on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Voting booths are setup at the Yuengling Center on the campus of University of South Florida as workers prepare to open the doors to early voters in Tampa, Fla., on Oct. 22, 2018. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Appeals Court Blocks Florida Law Barring Ex-felons From Voting Over Fines, Fees

A federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that Florida cannot bar ex-felons from voting over their failure to pay fines and fees related to their sentences.

The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction from a lower court while the case plays out. The lower courts injunction requires the state to allow the challengers in the cases, a group of 17 ex-felons, to register to vote if they can show that they are unable to pay off any restitution, court fees, and finescollectively known as legal financial obligations (LFO)and have completed other requirements.

Because the LFO requirement punishes those who cannot pay more harshly than those who can  Supreme Court precedent leads us to apply heightened scrutiny in asking whether the requirement violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment as applied to these plaintiffs, the court wrote (pdf).

In November 2018, Florida passed an amendment, commonly referred to as Amendment 4, to the states constitution that allows ex-convicts to vote upon completion of all terms of sentence including parole or probation, but excludes those who were convicted of murder or felony sexual offense. Before the amendment, all former convicted felons were permanently disenfranchised without a grant of executive clemency.

Governor Ron DeSantis (R) subsequently signed a bill, Senate Bill 7066, last year mandating that all formerly incarcerated people pay off restitution, court fees, and fines before their voting rights are restored (pdf). The law faced intense opposition from voting rights advocacy groups, who argue that it denies people with felony convictions the right to vote and penalizes them based on their inability to pay off fees and fines.

The group of ex-felons then brought a lawsuit against state officials, challenging the constitutionality of the LFO requirement. The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida consolidated the cases and issued a preliminary injunction in favor of the ex-felons, prompting the state to appeal.

In Wednesdays ruling, the circuit court judges said they reviewed the case to see whether the district court had abused its power when issuing the preliminary injunction and found that the lower court did not. They found that, using Supreme Court precedent, the LFO requirement violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Here, these plaintiffs are punished more harshly than those who committed precisely the same crimeby having their right to vote taken from them likely for their entire lives, the court wrote. And this punishment is linked not to their culpability, but rather to the exogenous fact of their wealth.

This comes after the Florida Supreme Court issued an advisory opinion (pdf) in January in favor of DeSantiss interpretation of Amendment 4. The governor asked the states top court to clarify the meaning of the phrase all terms of sentence after its meaning was disputed by voting rights advocacy groups.

DeSantis and the state government argued that the phrase includes all terms of the sentence, including financial obligations ordered by the sentencing judge. Meanwhile, some advocacy groups argued that the phrase only includes periods of imprisonment and supervised release, while others say it includes some financial penalties but not others.

In its opinion, the state Supreme Court found that the phrase encompasses all obligations ordered by a sentencing court including financial ones such as fines, restitution, costs, and fees.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who is representing the plaintiffs along with other civil rights groups, welcomed the circuit courts decision in a statement.

The court unanimously ruled that a persons right to vote cannot be contingent upon their ability to pay,  Julie Ebenstein, senior staff attorney with the ACLUs Voting Rights Project, said. This law is a modern-day poll tax. This ruling recognizes the gravity of elected officials trying to circumvent Amendment 4 to create roadblocks to voting based on wealth.

Meanwhile, DeSantiss Communications Director Helen Ferre said in a statement to The Epoch Times that they disagree with the ruling.

We are going to seek en banc review by the full court, Ferre said.
'The politicians waiting to grab the space left behind by Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti do not have any credentials,' says Athar Parvaiz.

IMAGE: A view of a deserted street at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. Photograph: S Irfan/PTI Photo

Ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in New Delhi abrogated the semi-autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and divided it into two Union territories of J&K and Ladakh on August 5, 2019, politically aware citizens and political analysts in Kashmir have drawn several conclusions from these actions.

One, by downgrading Article 370, which had already been thoroughly diluted by successive governments in New Delhi, the BJP rejuvenated the political sentiment in Kashmir which had lost steam in recent years.

Two, Pakistan had almost forgotten about Kashmir and was deeply involved in dealing with its own economic and political mess, but the BJP reminded it about doing something urgently about Kashmir.

Three, India, thanks to its democratic values, economic might and diplomatic capital, had created an aura around itself globally which has been dented by the August 5 decision on Kashmir and the events that followed.

A political analyst, who preferred anonymity, cited a parable while arguing that what the BJP -led government did on August 5, 2019, was "least warranted" and that it has certainly not resolved the Kashmir issue which, he said, still remains unresolved.

"Once a man found a dog drowned in his well," the analyst said. "Worried that his well had gotten impure, he rushed to a religious scholar to ask how the well could be purified. The scholar told him to remove 40 buckets of water from the well which would make it pure again."

"The man did the same, but returned to the religious scholar disappointed, telling him that despite removing 40 buckets of water from the well, the water still smelt bad. Upon this, the religious scholar asked: 'But did you remove the dog's body from the well?' The man replied in the negative."

"The scholar then asked him to remove the dog first and then draw 40 buckets of water from the well; only then would purity of the well be restored."

According to the analyst, this is exactly what the BJP has done with the Kashmir issue.

"Article 370 has been removed, but the Kashmir issue is still here. It is a matter of time when and how Kashmir erupts again with citizens demanding political rights. Pakistan may also throw up some challenge given the hard efforts that country is making now," he said.

Another political analyst, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the only interesting thing he sees in the abrogation of Article 370 and reorganisation of the state (from a Kashmiri's perspective) is the lesson for Pakistan that it can't afford to rely on its traditional modus operandi on Kashmir anymore and keep on staying as a stakeholder at the cost of lives of innocent Kashmiris with its actions yielding nothing for Kashmir.

What is currently under the spotlight in Kashmir are the charges under the Public Safety Act slapped on two former chief ministers, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. They were booked under the PSA in the first week of February when four other leaders -- Naeem Akhtar, Ali Sagar, Hilal Lone and Sartaj Madani -- were also slapped with the controversial Act.

Another former chief minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, had already been booked under the PSA in September.

On February 15, IAS topper and former bureaucrat Shah Faesal, the founder of the Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Movement, became the eighth leader booked under the PSA.

Most people in Kashmir feel that imposing the PSA must have compelled leaders like Omar and Mufti to realise what common Kashmiris have accused them all along of -- not making sustained political efforts to safeguard Article 370 while in pursuit of power and failing to protect human rights in Kashmir for years when both State and non-State actors created havoc in Kashmir.

The common man's argument: Both the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party as the main political players in Kashmir were supposed to safeguard the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and protect their rights, but they miserably failed to do so.

These political parties participated in elections and made the people come out and vote and, therefore, should have given Kashmiris political dignity and security in return. But they kept enjoying power at the cost of Kashmir's political dignity and future goes the argument.

"We can't blame Delhi, it will do what it wants to do. We were ditched by our own people. It is so shocking and insulting that the clumsiness of our politicians has got us to a stage where we have been declared as a Union territory," said a shopkeeper in Lal Chowk, Srinagar.

That is why many Kashmiris, rather than show any sympathy with the duo, mocked Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti when the PSA was slapped on them.

Sarcastic comments like 'As you PSA so shall you reap' and 'I brought PSA, I sowed PSA and I inflicted it on myself' were posted on social media as the people felt that when these two leaders were at the helm of affairs in the state, they did not abolish this draconian law and oversaw extensive use of the PSA against Kashmiri activists.

On the political front, the people of Kashmir have similar grievances against them. Mehbooba Mufti's PDP is blamed for bringing the Bharatiya Janata Party to Kashmir and forgetting its political ideology of self-rule. Abdullah's National Conference is blamed for not pursuing its agenda of restoring the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir.

Both the National Conference and PDP are blamed for adding to the political mess in Kashmir by plunging into electoral politics at a time when New Delhi needed these political parties to build a different narrative globally on Kashmir.

These accusations aside, the long absence of these politicians from the political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir can prove disastrous, at least for mainstream politics in Kashmir.

Currently, Kashmir's political atmosphere is an apocalypse.

The politicians waiting to grab the space left behind by Omar and Mufti do not have the credentials to face the public and create a peaceful political atmosphere in Kashmir.

It will be in the interests of all stakeholders to initiate a meaningful political process in Kashmir.

Now that New Delhi has disrupted the status quo in Kashmir, it will be interesting to see if it allows the churning of the past six months to throw up some pleasant surprises for the stakeholders.

Athar Parvaiz is a Kashmir-based journalist.
Orlando Bloom has fixed his bodged tattoo after incorrectly spelling his own son's name in Morse code in an awkward gaffe.

The inking, which featured a thin black line and a series of numbers, was supposed to spell out 'Flynn' - the name of the star's nine-year-old son - but instead it spelled the word 'Frynn'.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, the film star, 43, revealed the new and improved tattoo, which corrected the spelling of the name, blaming Pinterest for the initial mistake.

Orlando Bloom, 43, recently delighted his followers when he revealed a dramatic new tattoo on his arm - but fans were quick to point out an error in the spelling which forced him to correct it

He also revealed another tattoo on the inside of his wrist, which featured a picture of a dog with the word 'SIDI' written in block letters.

Alongside the selection of snaps, the Lord of the Rings star wrote: "Finally dot it right! How do you make a mistake like that? #pinterestfail Fortunately I know how to spell Sidi. Forever my boy."

Sidi was the actor's dog who sadly passed away in 2016 after a long struggle with liver disease.

Error: The inking, which featured a thin black line and a series of numbers, was supposed to spell out 'Flynn' in Morse code - the name of the star's nine-year-old son - but instead spelled the word 'Frynn'

Orlando previously revealed that he adopted the black Saluki mix in 2004 after rescuing him as a stray when filming Kingdom Of Heaven in Morocco.

When the Pirates of the Caribbean actor posted the original shot last week, fans were speculating the meaning of the tattoo when the actor, confirmed it was a reference to his son.

Responding to an Instagram user, he wrote: 'It's Flynn in MORSE CODE and his dob [date of birth] and time.'

He also revealed another tattoo on the inside of his wrist, which featured a picture of is dog Sidi, who passed away in 2016

Orlando also shared a black and white selfie with Balazs Bercsenyi, the tattoo artist who gave him the inking.

The film star shares his son Flynn with his ex wife Miranda Kerr who he divorced from in 2013 after three years of marriage.

Orlando has been engaged to pop star Katy since February last year after the couple began a relationship in 2016. The star recently said he could not wait to have children with Katy.

Family: The inking, featuring a thin black line and a series of numbers, is Orlando's nine-year-old son Flynn's name written out in Morse code (pictured in December 2019)

Tribute: Responding to an Instagram user, he wrote: 'It's Flynn in MORSE CODE and his dob [date of birth] and time'

But their wedding, which was initially rumoured to be taking place in December, was 'postponed' after the couple wanted to ensure they tied the knot in the right location.

A source previously told US Weekly: 'They changed the timing due to the location they want.'

The Firework songstress and Orlando are said to be planning two wedding parties: one 'local' and the other for a 'destination wedding.'

Pals: Orlando also shared a black and white selfie with Balazs Bercsenyi, the tattoo artist who gave him the inking

And the A-list couple are already making plans for their future family, with pop superstar Katy determined to have a baby 'soon after they get married.'

The star is currently filming the second series of Carnival Row in Prague where Katy has joined him.

It comes after Orlando revealed he took a step back from his illustrious acting career to bring up his son Flynn.

The actor said he felt scrutinised 'under a giant magnifying glass' and admitted he felt 'lonely' when he moved to the Czech Republic to film Carnival Row where he plays detective Rycroft Philostrate.

He told the Radio Times: 'The beginning of my career was a lot of big stuff and I was very visible. Having not been so visible for a while this show felt like a good time to get back on screen and work the muscles.'

'The hardest thing is not being around, getting to do the school run and things like that. But it's been a time to reflect. I've enjoyed the time alone, and maybe that's where I'm at.'
The Member of Parliament for Tema West in the Greater Accra Region, Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, has predicted a massive victory for President Nana Akufo-Addo in the December Presidential election.



If you look at the huge things that this President has achieved in just one term and the grand way that he came into power in 2016, it is clear that he is here for a purpose and that purpose is from fate itself. I dont think that now that he has started achieving the purpose fate will abandon him now, Carlos Ahenkorah said this in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.



According to the statement, the Deputy Minister stated this when he submitted his forms for re-election on the NPPs 2020 Parliamentary ticket for Tema West.

Even the air is pregnant with the smell of Akufo-Addos repeat mega victory.



Free SHS, One Village One Dam, Planting for Food and Jobs, One District, One Factory, Ambulances, roadswho can beat that?



I have developed the capacity of teachers, donated 10 cars for polling station executives, dual desks to schools, medical equipment, secured over 250 jobs for the youth and given out about GHC 300,000.00 to the people from microfinance among many other things. Mr. Ahenkorah said.



The constituency chairman, Dennis Amfo-Sefah, alias Nana Boakye after receiving Mr. Ahenkorahs forms said, insulting others is not intelligence, intelligence is about debates and discussions, so politics of insults should be avoided by all the contestants because it is a family contest.



Mr Carlos Ahenkorahs main opponent, is a former Presiding Member of the Tema West Municipal Assembly, Kwesi Poku Bosompim.



Meanwhile Mr Ahenkorah, earlier in the week joined thousands of constituents in the streets of Tema to participate in a health walk in the company of the Tema West Constituency Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dennis Amfo-Sefah co-headlining.



A statement from his outfit and copied to the Ghana News Agency said amidst loud music, they walked from Tema Community 2, and coursed through principal streets of the harbor city.



Sights and sounds included; marchers clad in pro Carlos Ahenkorah T-Shirts with the inscription, I am for Carlos, and other paraphernalia, overwhelming vehicular traffic amidst loud music and fanfare.



While many were dancing in the streets and receiving cheers from honking taxi drivers, others packed into a vehicle carrying the main spinners and speakers blaring out the danceable tunes.



Also some taxi drivers, who had just chanced upon the jubilant crowd of constituents and supporters quickly joined in the jollification, honking in accompaniment to the mood.

Source: GNA









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Nigerias major electricity problem is in the transmission and distribution of electricity, the power minister, Saleh Mamman, has said.

Mr Mamman told journalists after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting Wednesday that he submitted a report to the FEC on the problem.

He said Nigeria is currently able to generate 13,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity but can only transmit about 7,000MW and can only distribute about 3,000 MW.

Nigeria can generate up to 13,000 megawatts of electricity but we cannot transmit all, he said.

So today, we presented to the council the solution to the problem of our generation. It is mainly distribution. We can generate 13,000 megawatts, we can transmit 7,000 megawatts but can only distribute 3,000.

After Nigerias electricity privatisation programme, the government privatised the generation and distribution companies with government only manning the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

Mr Mamman said the distribution companies are a major hindrance to the success of the electricity sector and must sit up or give way.

We cannot continue like that, he sais. So, if they are ready to continue, fine. But if they are not ready to continue, maybe they should give way to whoever that is ready to come and invest.

Mr Mamman is not the first power minister to accuse the distribution companies of inefficiency. His predecessor, Babatunde Fashola, repeatedly had clashes with the DisCos while in office. The DisCos have, however, mentioned inadequate infrastructure and poor pricing of electricity as hinderances to their performance.

Read Mr Mammans interview with State House reporters below.

Mamman: We presented achievements right from the day we took oath of office to date.

We want to tell Nigerians what we achieved in the value chains. Nigeria can generate up to 13,000 megawatts of electricity but we cannot transmit all. So today we presented to the council the solution to the problem of our generation. It is mainly distribution. We can transmit, we can generate 13,000 megawatts, we can transmit 7,000 megawatts but can only distribute 3,000. There is a lot of work to be done in transmission companies and the government is now willing to take up the matter immediately.

Q: You left us hanging, what has government resolved to do?

Mamman: What I want to say is that most of the problem we are facing in this country that we cannot get electricity supplied adequately and efficiently is because we have a problem in distribution. Generation, no more problem. We can generate up to 13,006 megawatts but the transmission, those who are taking the electricity supply can only take 7,000 megawatts, even at that they are not taking the whole 7,000 megawatts but only 4,500 megawatts and then send to distribution, the distribution in turn receives only 3,000 megawatts. Because of the technical and commercial reasons, they cannot contain the whole power that has been generated.

So, we have to correct the infrastructure. That is why I said that today, I submitted my observation to council and I believe the government is on it. One of the things I will tell you is that government has signed memorandum of understanding with the German government, Siemens. They are to align between distribution and transmission and also generation. So that at the end of the day if we generate 13,000 megawatts, transmission will take the whole 13,000 and will distribute same, that way Nigerians will be happy and everyone will have 24/7 electricity supply.

Q: So what will become of the DisCos?

Mamman: The DisCos are the ones manning the distribution, that is why I have submitted my observations to the government. It is left for the government that will have to decide. We just have to sit and see whether they are capable, have the technical know-how because most of the problems we are having today is the loss  technical loss and commercial loss. They will give you light and may not collect your money or they will collect the money and pocket, or they may send light and you may not have good sub-station that may collect this power and distribute to customers. This has been our major problem and it is the responsibility of the DisCos to take care of that end.

Q: What happens to the several financial interventions the government has made?

Mamman: That is what we are saying: government cannot continue to subsidize because what they are doing is that they collect 3,000 megawatts and pay for only 1,000 megawatts, that is 15 per cent of what they are collecting. So government is the one completing the payment. So we cannot continue like that. So if they are ready to continue, fine; but if they are not ready to continue maybe they should give way to whoever that is ready to come and invest. So we are asking government to review and see if they are capable fine but if they are not capable they should give way.

Q: How are you trying to address the debts between DisCos and GenCos, between GenCos and Gas producers?

Well, we have come up with a plan, that issue of willing buyer, willing seller. You know there is ardent capacity of generated electricity that we cannot pick at all. So we are now asking the GenCosyou can imagine we are only paying them 15 per cent out of 100. So where do we take the remaining 85 per cent. Even if NBET is collecting 100 per cent, gas alone is taking 60 per cent, only 15 per cent is used for their overheads. So if they cannot work outside the agreement with the NBET, you can see how they are struggling to get their money back. NBET buys electricity from GenCos, supplies to DisCos and collects money from DisCos and pay the GenCos, that is why we have the gaps and that is why we have to do something to correct this gaps. Now it is governments decision.
She leads a multi-millionaire lifestyle and goes on a slew of sunny holidays each year.

And Chloe Green left little to the imagination as she posed topless on the beach during her latest trip to paradise.

The heiress, 28, looked tanned and toned as she flaunted her figure in the racy Instagram post, which she uploaded on Wednesday.

Chloe Green left little to the imagination as she posed topless on the beach during her latest trip to paradise, which she uploaded on Instagram on Wednesday

Chloe flashed a hint of side boob and her tattoo as she strategically protected her modesty with her arms in the seductive shot.

The mother-of-one posed in bright blue bikini bottoms which were tied at the waist.

Fresh from a swim in the sea, Chloe's wet brown hair fell over her shoulders.

Beach babe: Chloe has been uploading a slew of snaps from her time away

The former Made In Chelsea star accentuated her golden tan by going make-up free for the post.

On the first day of 2020 Chloe also posed up a storm, looking fierce as she stood with a fire lantern in a beautiful white embroidered dress.

'2020,' she simply wrote on her caption.

'2020 here we come!!  Happy new year!' she said a day previous while posing in front of a huge lit up sign for the new year.

At the end of December last year, Chloe's yoga skills were certainly breathtaking as she took to Instagram to pose on the board while opting to go topless for the flexible foray.

Stunner: On the first day of 2020 she also posed up a storm, looking fierce as she stood with a fire lantern in a beautiful white embroidered dress

She shared a cryptic caption alongside the snap, as she penned: 'Looking at the world from a different perspective' - in words that come amid claims she is spending the holiday away from her baby daddy Jeremy Meeks.

Chloe shares baby son Jayden, 16 months, with fiance Jeremy, with whom she has been plagued with heavy split speculation this year.

Chloe's beau Jeremy, 35 - who attracted the 'Hot Felon' nickname in 2014 after his police mugshot went viral - hit out at rumours about his romance with Chloe being 'strained' at the end of last year, confirming they are still on.
The Fire Safety Certificate and Cessation order of Hotel Park in Lutyen's Delhi, which was revoked following a blaze in the hotel's basement last week, was restored on Wednesday, according to officials.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Tuesday suspended the health and the trade licences of the five-star hotel which has not been restored yet.

"The hotel building was inspected by the team of officers of fire department on Tuesday to verify the compliance of shortcomings communicated. During the course of inspection, the shortcomings communicated have been found complied.

"The safety certificate of the premises is restored and the fire department has no objection for the operation of the hotel," said Director, Delhi Fire Services, Atul Garg.

Delhi police officials, confirmed that the cessation order was also restored.

"There was an incident of short circuit at the basement of 'The Park New Delhi' on February 15, 2020. There were no casualties and our in-house crisis management team got into action and controlled the situation immediately.

"Few people who reported smoke inhalation were taken for a thorough check-up to the hospital as a precautionary measure to ensure that there was no discomfort post which all were discharged," a hotel spokesperson said.

We had received a suspension notice from the fire department to undertake certain fire prevention improvements in other premises within the property to ensure better safety, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the hotel had acted upon all the suggestions made in the notice and complied with it, following which the fire department visited the premises and conducted an inspection to verify the compliance of safety norms on February 18.

"We have been doing regular drills and are completely safety compliant. After a thorough check that was done by the fire department yesterday, the hotel has received a clearance and the Fire Safety Certificate has been restored.

"Additionally, the Delhi Police has also revoked the cessation order of the hotel and has allowed the continuation of operations," the spokesperson added.

Fire broke out at the basement of The Park hotel in Lutyens' Delhi on last Sunday morning, following which 12 people, including 11 foreign nationals staying at the hotel, were rushed to a hospital, where nine of them were given first aid.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Nargiz Ismayilova  Trend:

Arab companies will invest about $400 million in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani Deputy Energy Minister Elnur Soltanov told reporters, Trend reports on Feb. 19.

Saudi Arabian ACWA Power company and the UAEs Masdar company will invest $400 million in the pilot projects in the field of renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan, the deputy minister added.

The implementation of these projects will take about two years, Soltanov added. The project commissioning will be carried out gradually.

In accordance with the contracts, together with ACWA Power company, Azerbaijan will implement the pilot projects related to the construction of wind power stations with a capacity of 240 megawatts, while with Masdar company, Azerbaijan will implement the pilot projects related to the construction of solar power stations with a capacity of 200 megawatts, Soltanov said.

In general, about 1.4 kilowatts of electricity are planned to be generated per hour within wind and solar power projects, the deputy minister said.

The commissioning of these power plants will save 300 million cubic meters of gas per year, which is 10 percent of the gas consumed by the Azerbaijani population, the deputy minister said. This volume of 300 million cubic meters exceeds the entire gas demand in Azerbaijans Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

"The implementation of these projects means additional foreign investments and the expansion of the opportunities for saving and export of gas," Soltanov said.

The signing ceremony of executive contracts among the Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy and ACWA Power and Masdar companies for the implementation of pilot renewable energy projects was held in Baku on January 9.

The agreements were signed by Azerbaijans Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov, Chairman of the Board of ACWA Power Mohammad Abunayyan and Chief Executive Officer of Masdar Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi.
Michael White leaves the Stout Center for Criminal Justice after being sentenced to two years of probation for evidence tampering in Center City Philadelphia on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020. White was earlier found guilty on the tampering charge but acquitted of voluntary manslaughter in the 2018 stabbing death of Sean Schellenger. Read more

Michael White, cleared last year of murder charges for fatally stabbing real estate developer Sean Schellenger near Rittenhouse Square in 2018, was sentenced Wednesday to an additional year of probation after he admitted stealing a bicycle from the University of Pennsylvania several months before the killing.

White, 22, pleaded guilty to theft and related crimes for using bolt cutters to break the lock that had been securing the bike on Penns campus at 1:27 a.m. on Nov. 3, 2017. White was out with several other people at the time, according to details of the case that were read in court during his plea hearing.

White and his friends were caught several blocks away after their theft, in part, because the bike  which belonged to Penns police force  had a GPS monitor. Responding officers found White with the bolt cutters in his backpack.

 READ MORE: Jury finds Michael White not guilty in stabbing death of Sean Schellenger near Rittenhouse Square

White was arrested and initially placed into a diversionary program, according to court records, but a judge revoked his placement on July 30, 2018, several weeks after he stabbed Schellenger during a random encounter at 17th and Chancellor Streets.

White was tried in the fall on voluntary-manslaughter and related counts in the death of Schellenger. White testified and told jurors he had acted in self-defense; the panel found him not guilty of voluntary manslaughter and two other charges, but convicted him of tampering with evidence for throwing his knife onto a rooftop.

For that crime, White received a sentence of two years probation.

 READ MORE: Relatives in Rittenhouse Square stabbing say they dont feel safe after not-guilty verdict

On Wednesday, White received an additional two years probation over the theft charges, but Common Pleas Court Judge Kai Scott said half of it would run at the same time as his existing term of supervision.

White said little during the hearing, except to tell the judge he hopes to return to college in the fall.

Schellengers father, Mark Schellenger, attended the hearing but left without commenting.
Shortages: Prawn crackers are one Chinese foodstuff which may be scarce as a result of the virus

The new coronavirus is at least 20 times more likely to be fatal than the winter flu.

The first major study of its impact showed it has an overall case-fatality ratio - the percentage of patients who die - of just 2.3pc, slightly more than one in 50.

In contrast, the death rate for flu is around 0.1pc.

A clearer insight into the complex virus has emerged in the study by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention .

Patients with heart disease were most likely to die from the virus, followed by those with diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and hypertension.

Men are more likely to die than women - but it is still unclear why there is this difference.

However, the virus kills up to 15pc of patients over the age of 80.

More than 73,000 cases have been recorded worldwide, with 99pc in China.

Almost 1,900 patients have already died.

Pointing to the risk to medical staff, the paper said a total of 3,019 health workers have been infected, 1,716 of whom were confirmed cases.

Some five died by February 11, which was the last day of data included in the research.

The report suggested the outbreak peaked in late January, but it is too soon to know for sure.

It describes it as a "highly contagious" virus that spreads "extremely rapidly" even in the face of an "extreme response" by China.

There is also the potential for a rebound of the epidemic.

Irish-born Dr Michael Ryan, the World Health Organisation's (WHO) director of emergencies, said the outbreak should not be described as a pandemic, even though it has spread to 25 countries outside China. "The real issue is whether we are seeing efficient community transmission outside of China and at the present time we are not observing that," he said.

The new coronavirus causes only mild disease in four out of five people who get it, the WHO has said.

"It appears that it is not as deadly as other coronaviruses, including Sars and Mers," said the WHO director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, adding that officials were 'starting to get a clearer picture of the outbreak'.

Meanwhile, black beans and prawn crackers could be the first items off the menu if coronavirus-driven shortages of Chinese goods hit Ireland as expected, according to a top distributor of Asian foods and ingredients.

"Prawn crackers and black beans are in huge demand. I'm not sure if we could find an alternative supply for them," said Eva Pau, commercial director for Asia Market, which supplies more than 2,000 restaurants across Ireland.

She spoke after Dublin Port terminal operators reported that a dropoff in ships bearing goods from China is scheduled to start next week.

They warned that this slump in Chinese imports via ship containers could run into April. Asia Market, founded in 1981 by Ms Pau's family, today generates most of its annual 38m turnover as a national wholesaler to restaurants, takeaways, hotel restaurants and grocers. It also runs two Dublin retail shops. Ms Pau said only about 20pc of its goods come from China.
Already, there is much buzz about which of Mr. Bloombergs anxious competitors will hit him the hardest, and how he will respond. If this weeks skirmish with the Sanders campaign is any indication, the evening could get bumpy. Mr. Bloomberg has a reputation for not taking criticism or unwelcome queries particularly well, once calling a reporter whose question he disliked a disgrace. During his mayoral runs, he participated in at least eight debates. He tended to come prepared, data at hand, although he could be prickly and awkward at times. His last turn on a debate stage was in 2009.

Beyond the candidate clashes, this will be debate moderators first opportunity to kick the tires on Mr. Bloombergs candidacy. They owe it to the public to do a thorough and vigorous job.

Presumably, he will come ready to answer the most overarching criticism: that he is trying to buy the presidency. And he can expect a grilling over his controversial use of stop-and-frisk policing  largely with young black and Hispanic men  while mayor. His apologizing for the practice as he began his campaign struck many as a tad cynical. At the very least, hell most likely face some follow-up queries, such as: What took you so long?

There is so much more to explore, both promising  like his new plan to address the cost and quality of college  and troubling  for instance, the widespread surveillance of Muslims by local law enforcement during his time as mayor.

In case the moderators are stuck for material, here are a few lines of inquiry to consider:

Mr. Bloomberg used to be a Republican and, over the years, supported numerous Republican candidates at the state and federal levels. Why should Democrats trust him to champion their values as president?

He once linked the financial collapse to measures taken to deal with the damages of redlining, the practice of banks denying home loans in minority neighborhoods. Does he still believe that?

He has been a longtime champion of gun control. How would he pursue reform if Republicans retain control of the Senate?
KABUL-- Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum has called on his supporters to take to the streets to protest the reelection of President Ashraf Ghani.



But reports from across Afghanistan say that, despite Dostums rallying cry, there was little sign of major protests or celebrations by Afghans weary of the dragged-out election process.



Ghani was declared the winner of the presidential election on February 18  nearly five months after the vote was held. The long delay was caused by a lengthy recount undertaken amid widespread allegations of electoral fraud.



The results were immediately rejected by Ghani's main rival, Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah, and his running mate, Dostum.

Abdullah vowed on February 18 that he would set up an all-inclusive separate government  a move reminiscent of the angrily contested 2014 election in which Ghani was also declared the winner.



Abdullah also sent letters on February 19 to foreign embassies in Kabul asking them not to recognize what he described as the illegal election results.



Meanwhile, Dostum said on February 19 that the final official vote count by Afghanistans Independent Election Commission (IEC) amounted to a coup.



Dostum called on supporters at a rally in his northern home province of Jowzjan to hit the streets to celebrate what he described as a victory for Abdullah.



I, as your leader...ask you to support Dr. Abdullah with all your life and power, Dostum told his supporters at the gathering.



There has been a muted response from the international community to the release of the final official vote count.



Dostum had been Ghani's running mate in Afghanistans 2014 presidential election. But the 65-year-old ethnic Uzbek warlord has switched allegiances many times since the 1970s -- fighting alongside Soviet forces against mujahedin guerrillas and then with the former Northern Alliance that opposed the Taliban regime.



Dostum has been vice president mostly in name alone, spending most of the past four years in exile after being accused of rape and kidnapping.

With additional reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and TOLONews
French investigators said Wednesday they were stepping up their investigation into two parties thrown by fallen auto titan Carlos Ghosn at the Palace of Versailles, including his lavish 2016 wedding.

The prosecutor's office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, which had been leading the probe, said it had been handed to an investigating magistrate, which means that Ghosn, who jumped bail in Japan in December, could soon face charges in France.

The big-spending former chief of Japan's Nissan and France's Renault is suspected of wrongly obtaining use of the sumptuous home of 17th century "Sun King" Louis XIV in exchange for a sponsorship deal between the state-owned palace and Renault.

The first party, on March 9, 2014, was officially held to celebrate the alliance between Nissan and Renault, which had turned 15.

But it also happened to coincide with Ghosn's 60th birthday and most of the guests were friends and family of the businessman, leading to suspicions that it was, in fact, a birthday bash.

Ghosn, 65, returned to Versailles in October 2016 to exchange vows with his wife Carole.

Versailles waived the usual 50,000-euro rental fee for the Marie Antoinette-themed wedding in what could amount to a further misuse of company resources.

He is also being investigated by France's tax fraud office over suspicious financial transactions between Renault and its distributor in the Gulf state of Oman, as well as over contracts signed by Renault's and Nissan's Dutch subsidiary RNBV.

The car industry was left reeling after Ghosn was arrested in Tokyo in November 2018 on charges of financial misconduct at Nissan.

He spent 130 days in detention in Japan before being placed under house arrest, but slipped past police out of the country, back to his native Lebanon.

The tycoon has denied all the charges against him and vowed to take Renault to court to claim millions of euros in unpaid pension and retirement pay.

(With AFP)
Police at the scene of the fatal collision. Credit: McAuley Multimedia

A man and woman aged in their 20s were killed in a two-car crash in Co Antrim on Wednesday.

It happened on Duneany Road in Glarryford, near Ballymena, around 2.05pm.

Police and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) attended the crash, which involved a yellow Citroen and a white Honda.

The PSNI confirmed that the female driver and male passenger of the Citroen were pronounced dead at the scene.

The female driver of the Honda was taken to Antrim Area Hospital for treatment.

North Antrim DUP MLA Mervyn Storey said the accident has plunged families into sadness.

Yet again there are more deaths on our roads, he added.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families because, again, they have to deal with the tragedy of a road traffic accident.

TUV councillor Timothy Gaston said one can only imagine the pain which has been visited upon the victims loved ones.

I am deeply saddened to hear that the accident on the Duneany Road, Glarryford, has resulted in the death of a young man and woman, he said.

The air ambulance, along with ambulance crews, fire brigade and police, arrived on the scene.

But unfortunately there was nothing they could do.

We do not know the circumstances of this accident, but once again it is a reminder of how dangerous the roads can be.

I would appeal for all road users to take extra care when travelling.

We have already had more than enough tragedy and I dont want to see any more lives cut short.

Fellow TUV councillor Christopher Jamieson also offered his thoughts and prayers to the families involved.

Ulster Unionist councillor Robin Cherry said he was disappointed and sad that families have been once again thrown into trauma.

I pass on my condolences to all of the families, he added.

PSNI Inspector Marty Mullan said police are appealing to anyone who may have been on the Duneany Road yesterday afternoon prior to or around the time of the collision.

He also asked those who recorded any dash-cam or mobile phone footage that could help the investigation to come forward.

The investigation team can be contacted by calling 101, quoting reference number CCS 853 190220, continued the inspector.

A spokesperson for the NIAS explained that after receiving the report of the collision yesterday afternoon two rapid response paramedics, four emergency crews and one doctor were all dispatched to the scene.

The air ambulance was also tasked.

Following assessment and initial treatment at the scene, one patient was taken by ambulance to Antrim Area Hospital, stated the NIAS spokesperson.

The Duneany Road remained closed on Wednesday night.

The latest accident brings the number of road fatalities this year to 12.
ABC News

Former President Donald Trump, his sister Maryanne Trump Barry and the estate of his late brother Robert Trump tried on Tuesday to convince a New York judge to dismiss a lawsuit by Mary Trump that accused her family of swindling her out of at least $10 million. Attorneys for the Trump siblings argued Mary Trump's claims are time-barred by a six-year statute of limitations and prohibited by legal releases she signed in 2001 when the family settled the estate of Fred Trump Sr., the former president's father. The Trumps also argued Mary Trump possessed "boxes and boxes of information" about the estate settlement that should have given rise to any claims at the time.
By Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices edged lower on Tuesday, pressured by concerns over the impact on crude demand from the coronavirus outbreak in China and a lack of further action by OPEC and its allies to support the market. Brent crude was down 18 cents to $57.49 a barrel by 1:21 p.m. EST (1821 GMT)

By Stephanie Kelly

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices edged lower on Tuesday, pressured by concerns over the impact on crude demand from the coronavirus outbreak in China and a lack of further action by OPEC and its allies to support the market.

Brent crude was down 18 cents to $57.49 a barrel by 1:21 p.m. EST (1821 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 25 cents to $51.80 a barrel.

Though new cases of the coronavirus in mainland China have dipped, global experts said it was too early to judge if the outbreak is being contained. Forecasters including the International Energy Agency (IEA) have cut 2020 oil demand estimates because of the virus.

"While the coronavirus remains as a latent bearish consideration capable of sharply reducing Chinese oil demand, estimates as to the extent of demand deterioration still vary widely with any definition still weeks if not months away," Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates, said in a note.

The virus is having a wider impact on financial markets. Asian shares fell, while Wall Street also was retreating after Apple Inc said it would miss quarterly revenue guidance due to slower iPhone production and weakened demand in China.

The IEA last week said first-quarter oil demand was likely to fall by 435,000 barrels per day (bpd) from a year ago.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allied producers including Russia have been considering further production cuts to support prices.

The group, known as OPEC+, has a pact to cut oil output by 1.7 million bpd until the end of March.

OPEC+ oil ministers will meet in Vienna on March 6 as initially planned, a senior Russian energy ministry official said on Tuesday. The group will consider an advisory panel's recommendation to cut supply by a further 600,000 bpd.

OPEC has been trying to persuade Russia on the deeper cuts, and Moscow has said it will disclose its stance in the coming days.

"Risk aversion has returned to the markets," said Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch. "OPEC+ has shown no sign yet of reacting to the virus-related slump in demand by making additional production cuts."

Supporting prices, oil output in Libya has collapsed since Jan. 18 because of a blockade of ports and oilfields.

Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia's crude stockpiles fell by 11.8 million barrels in December, despite steady shipments by the world's biggest oil exporter, official data showed on Tuesday.

(Additional reporting by Alex Lawler in London and Jessica Jaganathan in Singapore; Editing by Barbara Lewis, David Goodman and David Gregorio)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
These new lending models are aiming to increase this threshold by 15 per cent.

India is no longer holding back from leveraging the latest tech to simplify financial Services. With tech-enabled underwriting and paperless transactions, it is now possible to provide tailor-made loans to various merchants as per their industry segments ranging from food and beverage, apparel, salon, travel agencies, automobile dealers, etc. With tech-enabled underwriting and paperless transactions, it is now possible to provide tailor-made loans to various merchants as per their industry segments ranging from food and beverage, apparel, salon, travel agencies, automobile dealers, etc.

However, with access to more data for credit scoring and additional use of non-traditional data points, the new lending models are aiming to increase this threshold by 15 per cent.

Indifi Technologies: Gurgaon-based leading platform, Indifi Technologies enables debt-financing for small businesses. It claims to design and deliver credit products based on the kind of business the SMB does. The platform helps to create an industry-specific credit delivery system in a cost-effective and scalable manner using innovative technology with an increasing focus on Tier II and Tier III cities as well. The company states that it strives to improve access to credit, speed of approval and disbursement, in order to provide relevant collateral-free loans and loan products.

Capital Float: Capital Float is a non-banking finance company (NBFC). It is an online platform that provides working capital finance to SMEs in India. Their mission lies in bridging the current gap in the market with innovative and flexible credit products for SMEs. It offers flexible, short-term loans that can be used to purchase inventory, service new orders or optimize cash cycles.

LendingKart: LendingKart Finance Limited, is a non-deposit taking NBFC, providing SME lending in India. The Company aims to transform small business lending by making it convenient for SMEs to access credit easily. The Company uses technology and analytics tools, analyzing thousands of data points from various data sources to assess the creditworthiness of small businesses rapidly and accurately. The NBFC focuses on the clients current years cash flows and business growth.

Kredx: KredX was built to help businesses achieve their short-term working capital needs by discounting their unpaid invoices (raised against blue-chip companies) to a network of buyers/financiers including banks, NBFCs, wealth managers, and retail investors. The platform helps organizations maintain cash flow by unlocking the cash that is tied up in their invoices. It also offers financiers access to risk-mitigated, high-yield, and short-term investment opportunities that are not tied to the uncertainties of the stock market.
Microsoft will test its new open source electronic voting system next week in a local election in Wisconsin.

Called ElectionGuard, the system has been developed over several years to dissuade hackers from trying to alter electronic votes.

Microsoft has partnered with the Wisconsin Elections Commission to test ElectionGuard in an upcoming election in Fulton, Wisconsin, a town with 500 registered voters that will be voting for new school board members and a local judge.

Scroll down for video

Microsoft's ElectionGuard is an electronic voting system designed to thwart hackers with end-to-end encryption and by having voters verify their selections with QR codes after they've left the polls

'We hope this pilot test will give us further insights into how the system works and whether voters like it,' the Elections Commission's Meagan Wolfe told CNet.

'We can use this data as we try to make elections in Wisconsin even more secure, usable and accessible'.

ElectionGuard is an open source tool that works with any recent Microsoft Windows system.

It uses a simple touchscreen interface to record a user's vote, then encrypts the data, recording the choice to a main server or monitoring system.

After registering their vote, the user will get two printout sheets showing their choices -one of which is meant to be placed in a ballot box at the polling station as a backup to compare against the final tally of digital votes.

ElectionGuard will be tested in a local Wisconsin election next week, in a town of 500 registered voters who'll choose new members of the school board and a local judge

WHAT IS END-TO-END ENCRYPTION? End-to-end encryption ensures only the two participants of a chat can read messages, and no one in between  not even the company that owns the service. End-to-end encryption is intended to prevent data being read or secretly modified when it is in transit between the two parties. The cryptographic keys needed to access the service are automatically provided only to the two people in each conversation. In decrypted form, messages are accessible by a third party  which makes them interceptable by governments for law enforcement reasons. Facebook-owned WhatsApp is already encrypted, and now Mark Zuckerberg is looking to do the same with Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct. Advertisement

The other copy is to be taken home by the voter and used to later verify their vote was accurately registered by the system, which they can check by scanning a QR code from the printout.

According to Microsoft, the system isn't necessarily meant to prevent hacking, but rather make it easy to identify whether a vote has been changed that attempting to do so will be pointless.

If the voters themselves don't catch potentially fishy behavior when they verify their own ballots, the end-to-end encryption will make it easy to track differences in the final vote by unencrypting the original input to see if anything's changed.

At least, that's the theory for how it all should work.

Election experts say it will be years before the system is ready for a major election -2024 at the earliest.

'We're basically trying to test in a very controlled environment where the outcome of the election is in no way dependent on the technology,' Microsoft's Tom Burt said of the upcoming Fulton election.

'We just want to test, 'How does it work? What can we learn? What we need to change and improve?'

In previous tests, only 6.6 percent of voters noticed that their choices hadn't been properly logged by the system, but Microsoft says just the capacity to easily track altered votes could be enough to dissuade hackers

One potential problem is the system's reliance on voters themselves to follow up to ensure their own choices were properly registered.

An earlier mock election designed to test the system showed that just 6.6 percent of voters told poll workers there was a problem with their vote, despite the system being rigged so that every vote would have some inconsistency.

Microsoft hopes that simply having the capacity to easily trace hacks will be enough of a disincentive for hackers, even if many voters might ultimately be too lazy to actually follow up.

'If you can't stop the hack, the second-best thing is to know that you've been hacked,' Microsoft's RC Carter said. 'This is exactly what this does'.
The diplomat says U.S. sanctions against Russia over Ukraine will remain in place.

Acting Deputy Permanent Representative at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet has urged the Russian Federation to immediately free over 80 Ukrainian political prisoners.

"We condemn the abuses taking place under Russia's repressive occupation and call on Russia to release the more than 80 Ukrainian political prisoners it is holding, and to end its campaign of intimidation against Crimean Tatars and opponents of the occupation," she said at a UN Security Council meeting in New York City on February 18.

Read alsoU.S. Ambassador to UN: Russia continues to arm, train, lead, fight alongside its proxy forces in Donbas

The American diplomat assured that the United States would never recognize the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea by Russia and sanctions against Russia would remain in force.

"We do not, and will not, recognize the Kremlin's purported annexation of Crimea. Our sanctions against Russia will remain in place until Ukraine regains control over its territory. In the name of international peace and security, we call on Russia to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters," she said.

"We will never accept anything less than the full restoration of Ukraine's control over its own territory, whether in eastern Ukraine, Crimea, or its territorial waters," she added.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the latest swap of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia-controlled Donbas took place on December 29, 2019, when 76 Ukrainians were freed in exchange for 124 people listed by the self-proclaimed Donbas republics, the "Donetsk People's Republic"("DPR") and the "Luhansk People's Republic" ("LPR").
BJP national president J P Nadda on Thursday will meet Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal at his residence in Punjab's Muktsar, days after the former chief minister said the minorities "should be taken along" to run a government.

At a rally in Amritsar on February 13, Badal had said that all religions should be respected.

Nadda will be coming to Punjab for the first time after taking charge of the party, a party leader said on Wednesday.

"The BJP president will meet Badal Sahib at his residence in Badal village of Muktsar on Thursday," said the BJP leader, adding that it will be a courtesy call.

Nadda will land at the Bathinda airport in the morning from where he will go to Muktsar to meet Badal.

Later, Nadda will go to Amritsar and pay obeisance at the Golden Temple, Durgiana Mandir and Ram Tirath, said the party leader.

The BJP national President is also expected to meet the state party leadership in Amritsar, said the BJP leader.

The Shiromani Akali Dal had earlier refused to contest the assembly elections in Delhi after the BJP asked it to change its stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act.

However, in a U-turn the party backed the BJP candidates during the assembly elections.

The SAD had wanted that the Muslims to be included in the CAA, a legislation which seeks to give citizenship to members of persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A young man who died after slipping off a handrail and landing on his head will donate his organs to 10 strangers.

Tim Rogers, 24, never regained consciousness after suffering critical head injuries from the freak accident on February 6, New Zealand's national day.

His mother, Jenny Rogers, said: 'Whoever has his heart will have the biggest heart.

'He was generous, kind, very loving, loved children and was polite,' she told the NZ Herald.

Tim Rogers, 24, selflessly donated his organs after he sustained critical injuries in February

Tim had been out celebrating Waitangi Day when he decided to move to the Viaduct Basin, a popular nightlife spot in the heart of Auckland.

CCTV footage showed Tim stopping by the railing near the water's edge around 11.30pm before trying to sit down.

His family believe he was in the process of ordering an Uber home to Mt Wellington.

Tim failed to get on the railing and lost his balance which caused him to fall backwards, flipping and hit his head on the pontoon below.

A spokeswoman from St John said two ambulances were sent after they received a call that someone had fallen in Quay St at 11.45pm

He was found with critical head injuries and taken to hospital just after midnight.

Tim tried to sit on the railing at Auckland's Viaduct Basin when he fell and hit his head

Mrs Rogers received a call from the emergency room about her son: 'We were told that he'd been in an accident and had critical injuries,' she said.

The Rogers family were told that there was no chance of saving their beloved Tim just hours after the accident.

Mrs Rogers said she was hesitant when medical staff asked whether they would consider donating Tim's organs.

But her husband and four older children knew it was what Tim would have wanted.

Husband Kerry Rogers revealed he had a chance conversation with Tim weeks earlier about organ donation, with his son saying: 'If you don't donate your organs, you must be a selfish person, because why wouldn't you help someone if you could?'

Tim's legacy will live on in his generous act of donating his organs to ten strangers.

His funeral service was attended by 800 people at Eden Park.

The Rogers family are now calling on authorities to make changes to the railing around the Viaduct Basin to prevent another accident.
Deputy Minister of Information, Pius Enam Hadzide, has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of phony sanctimony with regards to the issue of illegal mining activities [galamsey] in the country.



To him, the NDC's holier-than-thou utterances on the current administration's fight against galamsey is simply nauseating.



The opposition NDC, over the weekend, called for the removal of President Akufo Addo as Co-chair of UN SDGs advocates over his failed fight on illegal mining.



Communications Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi, challenged the Akufo-Addo-led government to account for all the excavators that have been seized in the fight against illegal mining also known as galamsey.



Addressing the media at the banks of the Twifo Praso River in the Central Region, Mr. Gyamfi said the NDC will petition the UN over President Akufo-Addos appointment as co-chair of the SDG Advocates following his failed fight on illegal mining.



But Pius Hadzide, reacting to the comments on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, directed Sammy Gyamfi to abreast himself with data from relevant water agencies on the state of River Pra when the NDC was in power before pontificating on the subject matter.



Sammy Gyamfi should go to the Ghana Water Company and Water Research so that the institution will testify to him the state of the color of the river. What is the difference between the state of the river when the NDC was leaving power and the current state of the river where they had the press conference? he quizzed.



He insisted that under the John Mahama-led NDC government, the color of River Pra was as red as human blood. When NDC was leaving power, all the rivers in the country were like human blood; in fact, the color of condensed milk was brighter and clearer than our rivers in the country. Our rivers were very dirty and nasty and that was the legacy they bequeath to us.



He reminded the opposition NDC that galamsey did not start during the Akufo-Addo regime as the activity was already being highly patronized to the extent that the then Minister of Land and Natural Resources during the erstwhile Mahama government literally threw his arms up in despair.



The Deputy Information Minister recounted the duplication of licenses which created chaos in the mining sector in the NDC regime, leading to some interventions to arrest the situation implemented by the Akufo-Addo administration.



We, therefore, set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee to fight the galamsey and ask yourself what the NDC did in their era to fight galamsey. Even though one or two things happened which could have been avoided, it does not mean that we have done nothing to fight galamsey.



When they had the opportunity with their press conference, I was expecting them to mention the measures they put in place to fight galamsey but they did not do that and all they did was to state that Nana Addo should be removed as Co-Chair of the UN SDGs Advocates".



over 4500 miners who used to be illegal miners under former President Mahama have been trained in the Tarkwa University to become legal miners without destroying water bodies and lands. What capacity building and training did they give to the illegal miners in the country? I was expecting my brother Sammy Gyamfi to mention this during his press conference. We again developed software called galamstop to monitor the lifespan of licenses in the mining sector and this was done in 3 years of Akufo-Addo administration but we didnt see anything like this in 8 years of the NDC. We have trained drone pilots to monitor the various mining sites to detect those who might engage in illegal mining activities [galamsey]. What is the record of the NDC? he rhetorically asked.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-20 03:13:00|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) met ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi on Feb. 19, 2020 in Vientiane, Laos. (Xinhua/Kaikeo Saiyasane)

Public health is a common cause crossing national borders, and China is willing to enhance cooperation with ASEAN in this area, so as to inject new content to China-ASEAN relations, Wang said.



VIENTIANE, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met ASEAN Secretary-General, Philippine and Singaporean foreign ministers here on Wednesday night to discuss the joint combat against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.

During his meeting with ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi, Wang said the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease to be held on Thursday will send a positive signal that China and ASEAN countries are fighting the COVID-19 epidemic together, and China-ASEAN relations will further develop.

Public health is a common cause crossing national borders, and China is willing to enhance cooperation with ASEAN in this area, so as to inject new content to China-ASEAN relations, Wang said.

The Chinese side hopes the ASEAN Secretariat will continue to lead and coordinate ASEAN to firmly pursue China-friendly policies, and play an active role in pushing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to be signed as scheduled, he added.

For his part, Lim said that China is an important strategic partner of ASEAN. In face of the novel coronavirus epidemic, ASEAN firmly stands with China.

ASEAN is willing to work with China to strengthen cooperation on health security in the frameworks of ASEAN-China (10+1) and ASEAN-China-Japan-South Korea (10+3), he added.

Next year is the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations, Lim said, the ASEAN Secretariat is willing to actively push forward the docking of China's Belt and Road Initiative and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) met Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin on Feb. 19, 2020 in Vientiane, Laos. (Xinhua/Kaikeo Saiyasane)



While meeting Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Wang said the Philippine government has offered firm support to China in fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic. He believed that the friendship and trust between the peoples of the two countries will be deepened and strengthened after standing the test of the battle against the epidemic.

Wang said China attaches great importance to developing ties with the Philippines and will as always support the Philippines in safeguarding its own legitimate rights and interests.

Wang thanked the Philippines, which serves as a coordinating country for China-ASEAN relations, for its organizing and coordinating work for Thursday's Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease, which will send out a clear signal that China and ASEAN are joining hands to meet the common challenge, and they will explore and reach new consensus on boosting cooperation on regional health.

Locsin said the Philippine government and its people speak highly of and support the effective measures China has taken to fight the epidemic.

The foreign secretary said the Philippines will do its best to work for the unity and cooperation between China and ASEAN.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) met Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, on Feb. 19, 2020 in Vientiane, Laos. (Xinhua/Kaikeo Saiyasane)



During his meeting with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Wang said he hopes Thursday's Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease will not only explore on ways to cope with the epidemic, but also push forward the cooperation on public health in the region and promote the capacity of regional countries in meeting the challenges of public health such as this epidemic.

Wang thanked the support Singapore has provided to China in fighting the disease which once again embodies the excellent tradition between the two countries of always supporting and helping each other in difficult times.

Wang said the friendship between the two countries will be deepened in fighting the epidemic and the cooperation between the two countries will be widened after the epidemic.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two sides and China is ready to maintain high-level exchanges with Singapore, Wang said.

For his part, Balakrishnan said China has been dealing with the epidemic with a highly responsible manner and taking measures rarely seen in the world. China has also shared information with the international community at the first moment, thus offering valuable help to countries including Singapore.

Singapore highly appreciates and respects China's arduous endeavour and sacrifice, said the Singaporean minister, adding that his country would continue to firmly support China.

Singapore is willing to promote communication and cooperation with China, sparing no effort in decreasing the effects caused by the epidemic, in order to restore normal exchanges, Balakrishnan said.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Singapore and China, the Singapore side expects to frequent high-level exchanges with China, steadily push forward the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, actively promote the RCEP and participate in the Belt and Road Initiative cooperation, he noted.

Wang is in Vientiane, capital of Laos, for the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease and the fifth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Thursday.
Two teenage boys drowned in the



Kanhan river near Kamptee in Nagpur district of Maharashtra on Wednesday, police said.

The incident occurred in afternoon when a group of eight teenage boys was visiting the river for a swim.

Of the total four boys who entered the river, two came out of Waters but Ajesh Nitnawre (13) and Pravesh Nagdeve (14) drowned as they didn't know swimming, a police official said.

A local resident, identified as Purushottam Kawale, rushed to the help of the boys, but could not save them.

He took out the bodies from the river after searching for two hours, the official added.

Police have ruled out any foul play in the incident and registered a case of accidental death.

The deceased teenagers were students of class 8 and 10.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Help India!

Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net

Srinagar: As internet restrictions in Kashmir extend for over six months, journalists in the Valley have been complaining of harassment by authorities, with accusations on security forces of summoning and detaining them, scrutinizing phone data and social media monitoring hence restricting the scribes to carry out their daily work.

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Since the scrapping of Article 370 on August 5 by the Central government of India, many journalists are reported to have been summoned by the Jammu and Kashmir Police to the notorious torture centre, Cargo, in Srinagar while many were harassed and intimated by the authorities. When reporting from the ground, journalists say, they face a lot of violence and abusive treatment with instances of being beaten up, intimidated, their cameras broken at times. Journalists working in the Valley from both national and international press bodies have been voicing the same. (https://cpj.org/blog/2019/09/kashmirs-news-media-faces-existential-crisis-amid-.php). Especially those working in the Valley after August 5 opine that their curfew passes are no longer honoured by the security forces and they are not allowed to reach the victims or to a particular spot to cover a story despite the required access.

On 14th of August 2019, government forces barged into my house and detained me, said Irfan Amin Malik who was picked up from his residence in Tral. He added that he was kept inside the police station for one whole night while his family approached media facilitation authorities and after a series of briefings he was finally released.

Irfan works with the local daily, Greater Kashmir. On September 1, senior journalist Peerzada Ashiq was summoned at Kothi Bagh Police Station where he was pressurized to reveal sources of his story. I was asked to reveal my sources who had shared official data on detentions with the newspaper, said Ashiq, who works with The Hindu.

Similar incidents of journalists being thrashed or detained have been consistently flooding across online and offline news services in the following months after the abrogation of 370. In November, a freelance photojournalist Muzamil Mattoo was beaten in downtown Srinagar while covering Khojje Digar prayers. In December, two journalists,  Azaan Javaid from The Print and Anees Zargar from Newsclick were beaten up by police in full public glare in Srinagar while covering a protest. Despite assurances by the police, no action was initiated against the accused cops. Bashaarat Masood of the Indian Express and Hakeem Irfan from Economic Times were summoned to Cargo where the duo was grilled regarding sources of their stories. Safwat Zargar of Scroll.in was stopped midway at Handwara and taken to Superintendent of Police for questioning and intimidation.

Zargar, who was thrashed by the cops opines that for a democracy to thrive its important to allow the press to work freely although he does not shy away from accepting that there is an increasing threat of harassment to journalists because of the impunity granted to security officials. We cant do anything. Our job is to report based on facts and the onus lies on the government whether they will allow the press to work freely or not, Zargar says.

Despite several reports and statements from local and international journalists condemning the harassment of scribes during the six months communication blockade, the new Union Territory demonstration seems to be least bothered about it. While the Indian media is busy endorsing the narrative of normalcy in Kashmir, these journalists believe that the intimidation is being done to prevent them from reporting factual stories from the ground. The authorities, journalists asserted, have exercised direct control over the internet services in Kashmir as they had done during the 2010 and 2016 unrest but banning internet and mobile phone services lead to even worst law and order situation as people are misinformed in the absence of functional media.

The abusive treatment and violence has been part of their lives, said a freelance journalist Mudasir Kuloo. Kuloo says that for press bodies working in the Valley, there is no freedom of information while even the present laws like the Right to Information Act do not make it easier for them to access officially held information.

More recently, Naseer Ganai from the Outlook magazine with another journalist Haroon Nabi was summoned to the Cargo on February 8 where they were questioned for reporting a statement of JKLF which stands banned by the government. I was asked to reveal email ID from which I had got the statement, said Ganai.

I saw policemen surrounding our premises. The police official asked me to come along and snatched my phones, said Kamran Yousuf. Multimedia journalist working with Newsclick, Kamran was most recently picked up from his home by the police at 11 PM in the night. Although he was released late past midnight, no one can gauge how far this unchecked problem can go.

As journalists continue to be threatened in the Valley for simply carrying on with their professional duties, Kashmir Press Club (KPC), on February 10 convened an urgent meeting to discuss physical attacks, threats and intimidation being meted out to the journalists in Kashmir by J&K Police. KPC, an umbrella body of over a dozen journalistic associations, noted that the journalists have been harassed and are being subjected to harassment is evident by the fact that since August 5, several journalists reporting from Kashmir were summoned and questioned by police for their work.

It iterated that that there is ample evidence of physical assaults, threats and summons to journalists from the Polices counter-insurgency centre at Cargo in Srinagar, asserting that this has become a routine exercise.

KPC highlighted that the harassment and questioning of journalists in Kashmir on flimsy grounds by the J&K Police for their work is in fact a damning verdict on the appalling condition in which media is operating. In the light of such unfortunate and unnoticed cases, KPC extended its serious condemnation of harassment of Kashmiri journalists, demanding the Union Home Minster Amit Shah to take serious note of the harassment of Kashmiri journalists.
The Congress-led UPA and BJP-led NDA governments have something in common. It seems three previous governments and the current one- UPA-1, UPA-2, Modi-1 and Modi-2 - don't really understand the telecom sector. After the recent judgement of the Supreme Court asking telcos to pay Rs 1.47 lakh crore to the DoT (Department of Telecommunications), the AGR (adjusted gross revenues) crisis has put the government in a tight spot. How?

The amounts due on telcos could possibly lead to closure of one or more telcos in the near future. The telecom sector has already witnessed major consolidation over the past three years, and with more going out of business, there is going to be a major disruption across the telecom sector, the Indian economy, and the job market in addition to a loss of government's revenues, and a blot on the reputation of brand India. Not to forget, the Supreme Court judgement also covers non-telecom PSUs like GAIL, PowerGrid Corporation, Oil India and GNFC who have been asked to pay some Rs 4.39 lakh crore. These PSUs would likely go bankrupt if there were asked to pay the amount by DoT.

In short, the government has a lot to lose in the aftermath of AGR crisis. DoT earns annual revenues in the form of license fees and spectrum usage charges. The government taxes the sector with a GST rate of 18 per cent - among the highest in the world. Then, it earns substantial revenues almost every other year in the form of spectrum auctions. If the number of operators comes to two or three, all these revenues sources would be majorly impacted.

All of this could have been avoided if someone in the government (DoT to be precise) could have anticipated the current crisis. The AGR dispute in not new; it's been lingering for over 16 years. If the government wanted, it could have modified the definition of AGR long ago to save the telcos.

Also Read: AGR dues: Who hurts if Vodafone Idea goes down?

Some recent reports suggest government is now planning to introduce new regulations (through an ordinance) to modify the AGR definition that will exclude non-telecom revenues of telcos. That would certainly bring relief to the telcos but bringing an ordinance now would create a bigger trouble for the government.

First of all, having any such ordinance is not challenging before March 17 - the next hearing of the Supreme Court on the AGR matter - given the time constraints. By that time, telcos like Airtel and Tata Tele would have cleared their AGR dues - as promised by them - whereas Vodafone Idea would have paid part of its dues of Rs 53,039 crore. In case such an ordinance comes and becomes a law (after Parliament's approval), government would be opening the door for telcos to file legal cases against it. Vodafone plc, the parent company of Vodafone Idea, could possibly sue the government for favouring other entities (for instance, non-telecom entities) in the International Court of Justice, says an expert.

Also Read: Panic, confusion and payment promises from telcos after Supreme Court's AGR blow?

So on one hand, the government cannot favour telcos by waiving penalties/interest on AGR dues - even if it wants to - since that would be in contravention to the Supreme Court's order. On the other hand, it cannot change regulations to favour some entities. To put it simply, the government is stuck between the rock and hard place where it can only witness telcos dying, and the destruction caused by such an eventuality.

Nobody argues that the government is wrong, or the telcos are right in this AGR matter. In fact, telcos are being blamed for dragging the matter in the courts long enough when they should have cleared the case long ago since they were liable to pay AGR dues on all forms of revenues (telecom and non-telecom) as per the original license agreement.

While the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government made it to global headlines for its alleged involvement in the Rs 1.76-lakh crore scam that included opaque issuance of telecom licenses in 2008, the Modi government is going to be blamed for creating a much bigger mess. With the AGR crisis just beginning to unfold, the next few weeks are going to be critical for both telcos and the government.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 19)  A senior official at the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) who had wanted to testify in the Senate on the alleged freedom for sale scheme at the New Bilibid Prison was shot dead Wednesday near his agency's headquarters in Muntinlupa City.

Police said two gunmen shot Fredric Santos dead at around 2 p.m. on board his Toyota Hilux pick-up in front of Southernside Montessori school in Barangay Poblacion.

They said Santos was about to fetch his daughter from school when the two men shot him point blank, and immediately left.

Metro Manila police chief BGen Debold Sinas told reporters that investigators have retrieved six empty shells and a slug of a .45-caliber pistol, and CCTV footage of the area where the shooting occurred.

However, Sinas said the video does not clearly show Santos' fatal shooting.

"Ang nakuha ng CCTV na pinakamalapit doon, hindi po clear kung isa o dalawa ba [ang bumaril,]" he said. "Ang nakikita lang doon, area lang, yung lugar, highway. [Yung pagbaril,] hindi na. Not so clear."

[Translation: It's not clear if one or two people shot him, based on CCTV footage nearest the area ... What we saw there was the place, the highway. The shooting, we didn't see it. It's not so clear.]

Sinas said they still do not have persons of interest in the killing of Santos.

He added that they have coordinated with the BuCor for the security of Santos' family and a joint investigation on the shooting.

"Maganda po 'yung joint investigation para mawala po ang ating agam-agam na iisang view po iisang pananaw sa ating investigation," BuCor spokesperson Gabby Chaclag told CNN Philippines.

[Translation: A joint investigation would be good so that we wouldn't have any worries that our investigation is only heading one direction.]

Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III told CNN Philippines that Santos was ready to tell all about the supposed anomalies surrounding the implementation of the expanded Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) policy under the Revised Penal Code before the Senates last hearing on the issue.

Santos, however, backed out, Sotto said.

Senate Blue Ribbon committee chairman Richard Dick Gordon, who led the probe on supposed anomalies in the BuCor, condemned the killing, calling it a rubout.

Gordon added that Santos is the 15th BuCor official to be killed within the vicinity of its headquarters in Muntinlupa since 2011.

It is a warning to all in this country na kapag ikaw may nalalaman at ikaw nagsalita, kaya ka naming patayin, Gordon told reporters at the Senate.

[Translation: It is a warning to all in this country that if you know something and you speak up, we can kill you.]

The Office of the Ombudsman suspended Santos in September for six months after finding that he, along with 29 other officials of the bureau, allowed the questionable release of prison convicts in violation of the expanded GCTA policy.

He called on President Rodrigo Duterte, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police to immediately probe the killing.

Gordon also noted that "death and violence seems to follow" Nicanor Faeldon, who previously headed the BuCor.

Santos is the fifth BuCor employee to be killed after Faeldon was appointed to the helm of the prisons bureau in November 2018. President Rodrigo Duterte sacked Faeldon in September 2019 for supposedly disobeying his order to stop the release of more convicts under the expanded GCTA policy.

Santos was suspended without pay for alleged grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, and conduct "prejudicial to the best interest of the service. These could have led to his dismissal from service.

Faeldon, during a Senate hearing, pointed to Santos as the one who advised him that there was no legal basis to stop the release of convicted rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez through the expanded GCTA policy.

He also confessed during a Senate investigation that convicts and wardens cover each other's backs by doing favors while behind bars.

He cited examples where prison guards would relent on the punishment that should be meted out to inmates caught using mobile phones or contraband items in their cell, opting for a settlement rather than filing a complaint against the prisoner in trouble.

Senator Panfilo Ping Lacson also accused Santos of jamming or using illegal drugs with Chinese drug lords detained at the national penitentiary.

The alleged corruption in the BuCor came to light after reports warned of the impending release of convicted rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez through the expanded GCTA policy.

CNN Philippines Correspondents Gerg Cahiles, Joyce Ilas and Xave Gregorio contributed to this report.
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These people have completed the quarantine period of 14 days and were tested negative for the coronavirus.

They were then quarantined in Manesar quarantine facility and ITBP facility in Delhi's Chhawla area.

New Delhi: Some 248 Indians, mostly students who were evacuated from coronavirus-affected Wuhan area of China were discharged on Tuesday from Indian Armys Manesar quarantine facility. These people have completed the quarantine period of 14 days and were tested negative for the coronavirus.

Air India aircraft on January 31 and February 1 had evacuate about 600 people from Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed 1,800 people and infected 73,000. They were then quarantined in Manesar quarantine facility and ITBP facility in Delhi's Chhawla area.

All of these 248 person in the Manesar quarantine facility were declared fit and are being sent back all for their home today, said sources.

He said that all students were assisted in their discharge from the quarantine camp to airport, railway station and ISBT bus depot as asked by them. They have been issued with a certificate from the health authorities of them having undergone quarantine for 14 days and have been issued with further advisory regarding follow-up and care needed, said sources.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on The View.

Screenshot /ABC News

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who's endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders, agreed with hosts of The View who argued that Sanders should "do more" to reign in his supporters' behavior online.

Conservative host Meghan McCain described the harassment she and others have faced from "Bernie Bros" as "disgusting and vitriolic."

Ocasio-Cortez said Sanders "works very hard" to counteract the online vitriol, but she agreed when host Whoopi Goldberg said Sanders has "got to stand up and say it every day if he needs to."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren recently said Sanders "has a lot of questions to answer" about his supporters' behavior online.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez agreed with the hosts of "The View" who argued that Sen. Bernie Sanders, the 2020 Democratic frontrunner, should "do more" to condemn his online supporters who harass others.

Conservative host Meghan McCain broached the topic during Ocasio-Cortez's Tuesday interview, describing the harassment she and others have been subjected to by so-called "Bernie Bros" as "disgusting and vitriolic." The freshman congresswoman endorsed Sanders last fall and has since regularly campaigned with him.

"The one thing that connects women on the left and women on the right ... is the abuse that we have all been subjected to by the Bernie bros," McCain said. "It is by far the most violent, most misogynistic, the most sexist, the most harmful."

McCain added, "You're an extremely powerful woman, how do you feel that he's attached to this deeply misogynistic and I would go so far as to say violent sector of people?"

Ocasio-Cortez agreed with McCain that online hate is disproportionately targeted at women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ community.

"I think that to a certain extent we have to always reject hate, reject vitriol, and denounce that kind of behavior," the congresswoman said.

Story continues

But she argued that Sanders "works very hard" to counteract his online supporters' attacks and said the campaign sends out "messaging emails."

When Ocasio-Cortez began to explain how she was degraded and threatened on a secret Facebook page run by US Border Patrol agents, host Whoopi Goldberg cut her off to insist that Sanders has to more forcefully condemn online harassment in his name.

"He's gotta do more," Goldberg said. "He's got to stand up and say it every day if he needs to."

Ocasio-Cortez nodded, "Yeah, for sure."

Some of Sanders' online supporters received new attention recently, after they allegedly released private information about some female leaders of Nevada's Culinary Workers Union Local 226.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a fellow progressive 2020 candidate, said Sanders "has a lot of questions to answer" about his fans' behavior.

"I've said before that we are all responsible for what our supporters do and I think Bernie has a lot of questions to answer here, and I am particularly worried about what happened in the attacks on members of the culinary union, particularly on the women in leadership," Warren said.

She added, "That is not how we build an inclusive Democratic Party and it is now how we [beat] Donald Trump  we do not build on a foundation of hate."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Turkish officials and politicians visiting the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognized as a state only by Ankara, have refused to meet with its president, Mustafa Akinci, since October. Although Akincis criticism of Ankaras policies was the apparent trigger of the chill, there is more to it in the context of the mounting energy competition in the eastern Mediterranean.

After Turkey launched a military operation into northeastern Syria on Oct. 9, Akinci took a completely different stance from that of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government in Turkey and its coalition partner, the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

With hundreds arrested for merely criticizing Operation Peace Spring, questioning the military campaign turned into a kind of a taboo. And Akincis view of the operation stirred up a hornets nest. Referring to Turkeys 1974 military intervention in Cyprus, Akinci said, Even though we called it Operation Peace, it was a war and blood was spilled in 1974. Now, even if we call it Operation Peace Spring, what is being spilled is not water but blood. For this reason, it is my greatest wish that dialogue and diplomacy come into play as soon as possible.

By drawing a comparison between the two interventions, Akinci was obviously trying to say that military operations in foreign lands create lasting problems and, therefore, he was inviting Turkey to consider other options in Syria.

Akincis comments could well be read as a friendly reminder by a veteran politician about the repercussions of cross-border military operations, yet Ankara took them as a kind of hostility against Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Akinci had exceeded his limits and Vice President Fuat Oktay openly condemned the Turkish Cypriot leader. In Northern Cyprus, meanwhile, Akinci received death threats, for which he requested a judicial investigation.

What limits did Akinci exceed? Why was his suggestion to consider other options in Syria regarded as overstepping the line? Anyone familiar with how the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and its people are seen in Turkey could easily discern what triggered the anger. The official and widespread understanding of Northern Cyprus relationship with Turkey could be summarized as follows: Turkeys military intervention in 1974 saved the Cypriot Turks, who were being slaughtered by Cypriot Greeks seeking the islands annexation to Greece. It is Turkey that pays the bills in Northern Cyprus through direct and indirect financial aid. Therefore, Cypriot Turks should always be grateful to Ankara. Turkey is the mother and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is her baby. Anything that goes beyond this notion of subordination would threaten the status quo.

It was exactly this understanding that Akinci criticized in a Feb. 6 interview with The Guardian. He said he disagreed with Erdogans vision of the relation between Turkey and Northern Cyprus as one of mother and baby, calling instead for independent, brotherly relations.

Akinci further said that those who seek to end the 46-year partition of Cyprus should hurry up, stressing that the only viable solution was reunification under a federal roof. Responding to a question by the interviewer, he said that any prospect of Crimea-style annexation of Northern Cyprus would be horrible and against Turkeys own interests. His vision, he said, was wholly different  of a united Cyprus within the European Union.

Akincis vision, which is shared by many Turkish Cypriots, calls for a bicommunal, bizonal Cyprus with political equality and a single personality, as he told The Guardian. It is based on a shared identity of being islanders of Cyprus, rather than being Turkish or Greek.

Akincis remarks could be read also as criticism of the Greek Cypriots, who in 2004 rejected the so-called Annan Plan to reunify the island, as well as criticism of the EU, which accepted divided Cyprus as a member soon after the failed referendum, with EU law applying only to the Greek Cypriot south, which represents the internationally recognized government of the island.

Still, Akincis remarks made him a scapegoat in Turkey and fueled an unprecedented wave of reactions, the harshest that any Northern Cyprus representative has ever seen. MHP leader Devlet Bahceli called on Akinci to immediately resign. Akinci and his supporters should not forget that Cyprus is Turkish and will remain Turkish, Bahceli said. He also suggested that Akinci move to the Greek Cypriot south.

AKP spokesman Omer Celik urged Akinci to apologize, while Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the Northern Cyprus leader was being hostile to Turkey and that he had never seen such a dishonest politician in his life.

With the tone set like that by top politicians, pro-government newspapers were even harsher. The Crusaders Akinci should resign immediately, one paper said, while another declared that Akinci was like an enemy.

The outburst against Akinci, who was elected president with 60.4% of the Northern Cyprus vote in 2015, could not be fully understood without factoring in the big picture.

Turkey has a serious problem with joint efforts by Cyprus, Egypt, Israel and several other countries, which set up the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum last year, excluding Turkey, amid competition that is heating up over energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean. In a bid to counterbalance the initiative, Turkey signed an agreement on delimiting maritime zones with Libyas Tripoli-based Government of National Accord in November.

Some recent developments in Cyprus could also be read in this context. Turkey is planning to establish a naval base in Northern Cyprus and Turkish military drones have already started to use an airport in Famagusta there.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is scheduled to hold presidential elections April 26. Akinci has already announced his candidacy. His rival is the current prime minister of Northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar, who is supported by Turkey.

Given all those developments, it seems fair to say that the presidential polls have turned into a sort of a referendum, in which Turkish Cypriots will vote to choose one of two differing visions. Either they will support the notion that Northern Cyprus is an extension and part of Turkey, as recently described by a senior AKP official, or they will support the vision of reunifying the island, as outlined by Akinci.

In other words, Cypriot Turks will decide April 26 whether Northern Cyprus remains Turkeys baby forever or draws its own destiny and has a brotherly relationship with Turkey.
(TNS)  A bill to transfer ownership of Maines electric grid from for-profit companies to a publicly owned utility could increase customers rates and reduce state tax revenue in the near term, but it could benefit ratepayers over the coming decades, according to an independent review of the proposal.The switch to public ownership would not guarantee lower electricity prices, better reliability or lower management costs, said analysts from London Economics International in a report issued Saturday.Proponents of creating a consumer-owned electric utility in Maine said the report leaves out important parts of the issue, including an analysis of reliability and customer service. It also does not address major changes in the electricity industry that could influence its economic modeling, including electric vehicles, energy storage, carbon reduction targets, electrified heating and more.It is hard to predict the future already; when you take out the part you know is happening it makes it pretty challenging to produce a thorough and comprehensive evaluation of the matter, said Vaughn Woodruff, CEO of Insource Renewables, a solar energy company in Pittsfield. I thought it was interesting that even without including major pieces, that there would be a benefit of a consumer-owned utility  they saw a pretty reasonable return on investment.London Economics, a British consulting firm with an office in Boston, was hired last year by the Maine Public Utilities Commission to review the impact of L.D. 1646, which would create a consumer-owned public utility called the Maine Power Delivery Authority to take over operation of the transmission and distribution assets of Central Maine Power Co. and Emera Maine. A private contractor would be hired to manage the system, and it would be overseen by a board of directors appointed by the governor.The bill was sponsored last year by Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, partly in response to controversies that have dogged CMP since 2017, including the botched rollout of a billing and metering system.Berry did not respond to a request Tuesday for an interview about his response to the evaluation and what the future might hold for his bill.Supporters of the bill have said a consumer-owned private utility would improve reliability and lower costs for businesses and households by removing a profit motive and operating for the public good. But electric companies have pledged to fight what they see as a government takeover of their business and claimed their profits already get reinvested into the grid.The team that analyzed the impact of the bill envisioned a legal path forward for the state to take control of the two companies assets, but also predicted extended resistance to the plan.The independent reports findings demonstrate that public power is not in the best interest of Maine electric customers or taxpayers, said CMP spokesman Ed Crowder in a statement. We look forward to providing detailed comments to support policymakers during the review process. Meanwhile, CMP remains focused on our ongoing efforts to improve customer service and build a smarter, cleaner, more reliable electric grid for Maine people and businesses.It is unclear how much it would cost to buy CMP and Emeras assets, but it could be up to two times their present value, according to the report. In public testimony filed about the bill last year, Emera estimated the cost of buying the two companies at $7 billion to $9 billion.Paying for the transmission lines, plus a section of the bill that would require the new agency to keep employing all unionized power company workers at the highest wage scale, could mean increased rates in the first years after the transition, the reports authors said.Ratepayers could pay almost $12 million a year more than they otherwise would for the first 10 years after the public takeover, the report estimates.But, in the long term, the new agency could reduce rates if it were allowed to invest in its transmission system using tax-free borrowing, according to the report. In that scenario, ratepayers should save from $4 million to $8 million a year over 30 years, the report says.In other words, L.D. 1646 may create an inter-generational trade-off where current ratepayers may perceive the value of L.D. 1646 differently from future ratepayers, it says.Transitioning to a publicly owned utility also could mean the loss of some state tax revenue paid by the privately owned utilities, according to the report. If the contracted for-profit operator working for a publicly owned utility kept its costs low, it would benefit ratepayers but also reduce corporate income taxes paid to the state, it says.Maine Revenue Services would not provide corporate income tax receipts for CMP and Emera because those tax records are confidential. In the Legislature last spring, Emera testified that it and CMP paid a combined $35 million to $40 million in state taxes in 2018.Local governments would receive payments from the state in lieu of property taxes on electric utility infrastructure under the proposed regime, but only as long as the public utility was generating revenues that exceeded its expenditures and reserves, according to the report. That arrangement could put local tax revenue at risk and force communities to cut services, the report says.Bill Dunn, a consultant from Yarmouth with almost 50 years of experience in electric utilities, said he isnt convinced by the reports findings regarding the impact on state and local taxes.Utilities set rates to recover costs, which would cover payments to local governments, he said.I think it is a red herring, trying to make it seem like taxpayers are going to take a hit, Dunn said. The question is, will the total cost go down, and the total cost will go down because the financing will go down and profits wont be sent to companies out of the state of Maine. I dont think the tax shift will be appreciable.The bill, as currently written, would not automatically fix some issues, the report says. Because the authoritys board would be assigned by the governor from among various stakeholders, it would not solely represent ratepayer interests, it says. Instead of being a consumer-owned organization, it would operate like a government-owned one, it adds.The proposed ownership change would not guarantee lower electricity prices or improved reliability and customer service at no additional cost, the report says. Financial benefits to local residents are not ensured, and it would not eliminate management and administrative costs, it says.Woodruff, of Insource Renewables, said that in his experience, both sides will pick apart a report such as the one from London Economics to find points that support their positions. Proponents of a publicly owned utility in Maine already have reportedly criticized the PUC for choosing London Economics to perform the $500,000 evaluation because it has done work for Emera in the past.At the end of the day it becomes politics, he said. I think the important part is that when you have a report like this, it gives you a baseline to argue from.
Audit, Tax and Advisory firm, KPMG in Bahrain, is hosting a seminar to discuss the Operational Risk Management Module published by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) and its impact on the banking industry.

The event is scheduled to take place on February 25, 2020, at the Downtown Rotana hotel in Manama.

In December 2019, the CBB issued its revised module on operational risk management to further enhance risk management practices in the banking sector, in line with global best practices namely the principles and guidance from Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.

The event aims to bring together the leaders of the banking and financial services sector to discuss the implementation of the new regulation. Khalid Hamad, CBB Executive Director - Banking Supervision will be the keynote speaker at the seminar whilst KPMG speakers comprise Steve Punch, Head of Financial Risk Management at KPMG United Arab Emirates and Benson Wakaba, Associate Director Advisory at KPMG Bahrain.

Delegates will have the opportunity to learn more about the recommended implementation approaches and best practices, in addition to expected key challenges. This is pertinent given CBBs requirement for all banks to conduct and, submit their gap assessment results and corresponding action plans, for effective roll out of the new regulation.

Jeyapriya Partiban, Partner Advisory  KPMG Bahrain said: The changes in the revised module represent a positive move toward a more secure and efficient business environment.

Whilst implementation of the regulation is mandatory, it presents a valuable opportunity for banks to review and prepare for potential risk, by upgrading their processes and infrastructure. Our event will be an ideal platform for bankers to obtain deeper insights on the new regulation as well as how to turn operational challenges into valuable business opportunities. -- Tradearabia News Service
Married At First Sight's Poppy Jennings called her ex-'husband', Luke Eglin, the C-word during a rowdy screening earlier this month.

The 38-year-old photographer watched her wedding to Luke, 39, with friends and family at The Icon bar in Wollongong on February 3.

In footage obtained by Daily Mail Australia, Poppy can be seen jeering throughout the FIFO worker's glowing introductory video.

Furious: Married At First Sight 's Poppy Jennings (centre) called her ex-'husband', Luke Eglin, the C-word during a rowdy screening earlier this month

'For me to just find someone is difficult,' the father-of-two said on MAFS, prompting Poppy to yell out: 'It's because you're a c**t!'

Later that evening, Poppy was pictured kissing a mystery man outside the venue.

It's believed that Luke, who is based in Victoria, did not attend the public screening and is no longer on speaking terms with his ex-'wife'.

Lashing out: The 38-year-old photographer watched her wedding to Luke with friends and family at The Icon bar in Wollongong on February 3. At one stage, she yelled out: 'You're a c**t!'

Meanwhile, Poppy is seeking legal advice following her departure from Married At First Sight, according to her friend Susie.

Susie told The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Wednesday that there was more to Poppy's exit than was shown on Monday night's episode.

She claimed that a particular incident - which Daily Mail Australia cannot report for legal reasons - had caused the mother-of-two to abruptly leave the experiment.

Luke reportedly acknowledged the incident took place at the time, and Poppy is now speaking with lawyers to determine what she can say publicly.

Extraordinary claims: It comes amid reports that Poppy (pictured) is seeking legal advice following her departure from Married At First Sight

Also on Wednesday, Luke told The Daily Telegraph: 'I am not going to make any comments [on Poppy's allegations] because, honestly, the best way to react is not to react.

'To be honest, Poppy is a good person and the best of luck to her. I am not going to comment on anything because it is not worth it, it really isn't.

'Honestly, she just needs to move on like I have and that is it. We are finished on the show and that is as far as it goes.'

Leaving early: Poppy's dramatic exit from MAFS aired at the end of Monday night's episode
According to a White House statement, US President Donald Trump expressed concern over the violence in Idlib, Syria and thanked [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan for Turkeys efforts to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, during a phone call at the weekend. This comes amid growing clashes in recent weeks by both US and Turkish forces with Syrian government troops inside Syria, after nine years of a NATO proxy war for regime change in the country.

Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said, President Trump conveyed the United States desire to see an end to Russias support for [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad] regimes atrocities and for a political resolution to the Syrian conflict.

Clashes between Turkish troops and Syrian army units in northwestern Syrias Idlib province have killed 14 Turkish troops and dozens of Syrian soldiers since the beginning of the February, as Russian and Iranian forces back Syrian units advancing on Al Qaeda-linked US proxy forces in Idlib.

Turkish soldiers fire a missile at Syrian government position in the province of Idlib, Syria, February 14, 2020 [Credit: AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed]

A direct clash between US and Syrian forces, involving Russian troops, occurred last week. On Wednesday, a 22-year-old Syrian was killed while another man was injured during a protest by local people against US troops near the village of Khirbet Amo, east of Qamishli in northeast Syria. A Russian military statement declared, Only thanks to the efforts of the Russian servicemen who arrived at the scene of the incident was it possible to prevent a further escalation of the conflict with local residents.

After a first clash on February 3 killed eight Turkish soldiers, on February 10 five more died and five were wounded, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry.

On February 4, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared Washingtons support for Ankara, saying, We stand by our NATO ally Turkey in the aftermath of the attack.

It is increasingly clear that Washington considers growing tensions between Ankara and Moscow as a critical opportunity to mobilize Turkey against Russian as well as Iranian influence in the region.

Last week, top US Syria envoy James Jeffrey visited Ankara, calling for closer collaboration with Turkey not only in Syria but also in Libya, especially against Russia, We are both very concerned about the role of Russia in Libya and in Syria, in general, and in the Idlib offensive. He said Washington has very close geostrategic objectives with Turkey in the two areas where you have forces committed right now, in Libya and in Syria.

For some time, Ankara has prepared a direct military confrontation with Syrian forces, deploying nearly 1,250 trucks and military vehicles as well as 5,000 soldiers in Aleppo and Idlib. At least eight Turkish military posts have been besieged by Syrian soldiers in February, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is closely tied to the US-backed rebels. Turkey had 12 military observation posts in Idlib and has reportedly built several more.

The Erdogan government has accused Syria and Russia of violating the Sochi agreement, a September 2018 deal to establish a jointly patrolled demilitarized zone between the Syrian regime and NATO-backed rebels in Syrias northwestern Idlib province. Ankara also blames Syria and Russia for killing civilians in Idlib. According to the Turkish state-owned TRT World, more than 1,800 civilians there have been killed in attacks by the [Syrian] regime and Russian forces since then, flouting both the 2018 cease-fire and a new one that started on January 12.

Ankara also claims there is a threat that more than 1 million people from Idlib will be pushed across the Turkish-Syrian border. We are already hosting 3-and-a-half to 4 million people. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to accept another million, Erdogan said Saturday.

Ankara is also coordinating its policy with Berlin and calling for support from within NATO. After German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned of a humanitarian catastrophe if fighting in Idlib continues, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, There are already people coming to our border and, with Germanys support, we are going to build temporary shelters, but these are temporary solutions.

Moscow blamed the crisis on the aggressive policies of Turkey and NATO, however. On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, We see the reason for the current deterioration is due to Turkeys chronic noncommitment under the Sochi memorandum of September 17, 2018, and the transfer of Turkey-controlled groups to northeastern Syria.

On the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry said Turkeys inability to separate opposition from terrorist groups in Idlib is a key cause of the ongoing escalation there. The Defense Ministry added that terrorist groups are using the civilian population of Idlib as human shields to hide from retaliatory fire of government troops.

Last week, Al Qaeda-linked Islamist militias also shot down two Syria Army helicopters in Idlib and Aleppo. An unnamed Russian state source told Sputnik on Saturday, The US MANPADS which were in service with the Turkish armed forces, which the militants did not have access to before, fell into the hands of the terrorists thanks to Turkish deliveries.

On Wednesday, Erdogan openly threatened Syrian forces, declaring, In the event of the tiniest harm to our soldiers at observation posts or anywhere else, starting today, I declare that we will hit regime forces in Idlib and anywhere else. He also claimed that In Idlib, the [Syrian] regime and Russian forces and Iranian militants are constantly committing massacres. Turkey will not just watch this happen.

Erdogans accusations against Iranian militants echo Washingtons Middle East policy, amid the US war preparations against Iran after the US drone murder of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani on January 3. Before this, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had Tweeted: Iran reiterates its readiness to facilitate dialogue among brother neighbors Turkey and Syria.

Despite ongoing diplomatic talks and multiple phone calls between Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin this month, Turkish officials statements show the shaky alliance between Ankara and Moscow is on the verge of collapse.

Last Tuesday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told the Associated Press, NATO, Europe and the international community must deal with the attacks of the Assad regime in Idlib, and provide serious, concrete support to those fighting against it.

In Istanbul on Saturday, Erdogan declared, The solution in Idlib is the [Syrian] regime stopping hostilities and withdrawing to the borders in the agreements. Otherwise, we will handle this before the end of February. Appealing for support from Turkeys NATO allies, he added, We would like to do this with the support of our friends.

Ankaras appeals to Washington for military support underscore the growing and very serious danger that the bloodshed in Syria could escalate into a direct military confrontation between the NATO alliance and Syria, Iran and nuclear-armed Russia.

Ankaras reckless intervention in Idlib is also driven by its longstanding policy of preventing the formation of a Kurdish state in the regiona strategic priority of the Turkish bourgeoisie.

The Turkish army invaded northeastern Syria last October to drive the US-backed Kurdish nationalist Peoples Protection Units (YPG) from the Turkish-Syrian border after Washington abandoned the YPG, which had served as its main proxy force in Syria. Before this latest offensive, Turkish forces and their Islamist proxies had occupied parts of northwestern Syria, including Jarabulus, Al-Bab and Afrin, since 2016. Although Ankara claims its presence in Syria is legal according to the Turkish-Syrian Adana accord of 1998, Damascus denies this, arguing that it never invited Turkish troops inside Syria.

This explosive situation and the growing danger of conflict between nuclear-armed powers highlights the necessity of building an international anti-war movement based on the working class in the Middle East and around the world.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Wednesday wrote to the AAP government requesting it to expedite the process to accord sanction to prosecute former JNU Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in a sedition case, officials said.

It comes hours after a court directed the police to send a reminder to the Delhi government on its application for prosecution sanction which is pending with the home department since January 14, 2019.

Police had filed a charge sheet in January 2019 against Kumar and others, including former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, saying they were leading a procession and supported seditious slogans raised on the campus during an event on February 9, 2016.

The court had, however, asked the police to take requisite sanction for prosecution.

The letter stated that the application seeking sanction along with relevant documents was forwarded to the Home Department, Government of NCT Delhi on January 14, 2019 through the Police Headquarters.

ALSO READ | JNU sedition case: Will ask department concerned to take early decision, says Kejriwal

Till date despite follow up, the file for seeking sanction is pending with the GNCT Delhi, it stated.

In its reminder, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police which is handling the case, stated, "On February 19, 2020, the case was listed before Shri Purshottam Pathak, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Patiala House Court, Delhi.

The court has directed the Investigating agency to write a letter to GNCT of Delhi to expedite the decision on prosecution sanction.

"It is therefore requested to expedite the process to accord prosecution sanction as required."

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said he will ask the concerned department for early decision in connection with the issue.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Yusif Aghayev - Trend:

The introduction of mandatory health insurance (MHI) in Azerbaijan may reduce the fees in the segment of voluntary health insurance (VHI), the country's leading insurance companies told to Trend.

In 2019, Azerbaijani insurance companies collected insurance premiums in the framework of voluntary health insurance in the amount of over 95.8 million manat ($56.3 million), which indicated an increase of over 10 percent compared to 2018 figures. At the same time, the total amount of insurance payments made for this type exceeded 60.4 million manat ($35.5 million), which indicated an increase of 1.7 percent.

Voluntary health insurance is traditionally a highly unprofitable type, the loss ratio for which in accordance with the financial results of 2019 amounted to 63 percent.

This year, Azerbaijan is gradually introducing mandatory health insurance, which cannot but affect the situation in the VHI segment.

As the director of the Ata Sgorta medical insurance department, Rozalia Sadikhova told Trend, world practice indicates that at the initial stage after the introduction of MHI, the volume of premiums is significantly reduced, but the situation becomes stable after a year or two, when policyholders begin to feel that there are certain types of medical services that are not covered by the MHI system.

Moreover, a lot depends on the effectiveness of the mechanisms for the implementation of MHI and the quality of medical services provided within its framework, as well as the level of service in general. On the other hand, the introduction of MHI will give companies involved in VHI an additional impetus to increase their own level of service and customer satisfaction, which in turn will increase competition in the market within the framework of this type.

Another, no less important issue related to this problem is the financial one. Not every employer agrees, relatively speaking, to pay twice for the same services.

For example, Georgia's model of mandatory health insurance is different: employers are given the choice to insure their employees under the MHI (in Georgia it is called state health insurance) or choose an insurance package under VHI, provided that the employers should cover in scope all types of medical services provided for by MHI.

In addition, a gradation of the insured is provided within the Georgian model, depending on the level of income and membership in a particular social stratum.

According to Sadikhova, in general, Ata Sgorta has observed positive dynamics in VHI over the last 2-3 years, according to the results of 2019, the company collected about two million insurance premiums under this type, the payout ratio was about 60 percent, which corresponds to the general indicators for the market. But at the same time, there are a number of corporate clients who plan to make the transition to the MHI platform, as it is introduced within the respective regions.

The MHI will be introduced in Azerbaijan in four stages throughout 2020. The application of MHI has already begun in 23 districts since Jan. 1, 2020.

In addition to these, after April 1, residents of 21 districts and cities, after July 1 - residents of 15 districts and cities, and after Oct. 1, residents - seven districts and cities will use the MHI services.

Currently, one reinsurance and 22 insurance companies operate in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan's State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance is engaged in the introduction of the MHI in the country.
As a consequence of stepping away from their royal duties, Queen Elizabeth has revoked Prince Harry and Meghan Markles HRH titles. The decision was made in the weeks following Harry and Meghans exit announcement on social media, which reportedly blindsided the royal family. While the royals continue to move forward following Megxit, royal experts question the decision to strip Harry and Meghan of their titles when other non-working members of the royal family have not been treated the same.

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and Queen Elizabeth | John Stillwell  WPA Pool/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth allows these non-working royals to still have their HRH titles

There are plenty of examples of non-working royals who have retained their HRH titles. The best example of this is Prince Andrews daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

The two still have their HRH titles yet are not considered full-time members of the royal family. In fact, both Beatrice and Eugenie have careers in the private sector and only appear for major royal events.

It is bizarre that Princess Beatrice and Eugenie are allowed to retain the style, even though they are not working royals, yet the palace asked for Harry not use it, royal author Nigel Cawthorne pointed out. It makes no sense under the current system that Queen Elizabeth generally follows for her relatives.

Beatrice currently works as the vice president of a software company called Afiniti, while Eugenie is the director of an art gallery in London called Hauser & Wirth.

There have been a lot of reports about Queen Elizabeth asking Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie to take on more responsibilities in the royal family now that Harry and Meghan are gone, but nothing official has been announced.

Beatrice and Eugenie have worked on several charities over the years, but Harry and Meghan are expected to continue their charitable work with Sussex Royal, despite their exit.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle lose their titles

At the beginning of the year, Harry and Meghan announced their plan to step down as senior members of the royal family, reportedly shocking Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles with the timing of the news.

Taking to social media, the pair revealed that they will no longer accept public funding and will be living part of the year in North America.

Following the stunning announcement, Harry met with senior members of the royal family at Queen Elizabeths Sandringham estate while Meghan flew back to Canada. Harry has since reunited with Meghan, though it is unclear if Canada is their final choice for a second home.

Following the closed-door meetings, Queen Elizabeth issued a statement confirming that Harry and Meghan are stepping away from the royal spotlight. Her Majesty also revealed that the two will be losing their HRH titles and will pay back the money that was used to renovate Frogmore Cottage.

Why did Queen Elizabeth strip Harry and Meghan of their HRH titles?

Queen Elizabeths decision to strip Harry and Meghan of their royal titles has confused many royal watchers. But experts agree that the decision has something to do with Prince Charles vision for a slimmed-down monarchy.

According to Express, Charles reportedly wants the monarchy to only include a select few. In his vision, the royal family would be made up of the ruling couple plus their direct descendants, i.e. those who will actually sit on the throne someday.

However, it is undoubtedly a shot across the bow by Prince Charles what will happen once he is king, Cawthorne explained. He is saying to all the current HRHs I am prepared to take the style away from my own son, so dont count on keeping it forever.

The idea behind Charles grand scheme is that the royal family could better manage itself with only a handful of individuals in the spotlight. It was also cut down on the number of scandals, which have been a huge pain for the royals in recent years.

This is reportedly one reason why Andrew was forced to step down a few months ago. It could also explain why Queen Elizabeth stripped Harry and Meghan of their royal titles.

Prince Harry opens up Megxit

Harry and Meghan have been largely silent following Queen Elizabeths confirmation of their exit announcement. But before reuniting with Meghan in Canada, Harry spoke about his departure during a royal engagement in London.

Speaking to a charity called Sentebale, Harry admitted that the decision to leave the royal family was not easy. He also made it clear that he is not stepping away from his charitable work and will continue his various projects in the years to come.

It brings me great sadness that it has come to this, Harry shared. What I want to make clear is were not walking away, and we certainly arent walking away from you. Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth, and my military associations, but without public funding. Unfortunately, that wasnt possible.

Queen Elizabeth has requested that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to the UK next month for the Commonwealth Day service. They have not confirmed their appearance, but if they do make the trip, it will likely be their final royal engagement for the foreseeable future.




Thai Union Group's net profit at US$167.3 million in FY 2019





Seafood giant Thai Union Group Public PCL has reported a net profit of THB5.218 billion (US$ 167.3 million) for fiscal year 2019, an increase of .5% year-on-year. Gross profit increased 6.4% to THB20.1 billion.

The company continued to improve its operating performance as EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) in FY 2019 reached a record high of THB12 billion ($384.83 million)-an increase of 9.2% year-on-year-driven largely by improved profitability and consistently improved contributions from investment and affiliates.

Consolidated sales decreased by 5.3% to THB126.27 billion ($4.05 billion), mainly as a result of the Thai baht's appreciation in the period under review.

Sales volumes grew 1.9% over the previous period. This was chiefly due to frozen and chilled seafood products and related business, which increased 12.8% year-on-year, as well as a 3.2% increase in sales from the PetCare and value-added products business units.

Geographically, sales in North America continued to play an important role in driving revenue for Thai Union, accounting for 41% of total sales, while Europe contributed 28 %. The Thai market grew to 12% of total sales, with Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and South America contributing 19%.

Focus on profitability

"Thai Union continues to focus on profitability throughout our core operations, new value-enhancing businesses and our existing strategic investments," said Thiraphong Chansiri, CEO of Thai Union Group. "As this set of results closes out the last decade, we can be very proud of the work we have done and the progress we have made throughout the last 10 years. As we enter the new decade, I am confident that we will continue to lead on sustainability and innovation investment.

He also said the company is developing products that respond to the demands of customers and consumers globally through delivering against a focus on Healthy Living and Healthy Oceans.

Saying innovation remains critical to its future growth, Thai Union continues to focus greatly on using the latest technologies to provide the best products and outcomes for consumers. Last year, Thai Union opened the new Global Innovation Centre (GIC) in Bangkok, which employs more than 40 doctoral-degree scientists and more than 120 researchers in the fields of marine biotechnology, engineering, medicine, food science and nutrition from around the world.

Thai Union also established last year SPACE-F, the first global food-tech startup incubator and accelerator in Thailand, in cooperation with the National Innovation Agency and Mahidol University Faculty of Science. In late 2019, SPACE-F held its first exclusive preview event with 23 startups from Germany, India, Norway, Singapore, Thailand and the US, with an aim to drive innovation in the food industry. The first public Demo Day has been planned for March 5.

The company's global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands including Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, King Oscar and Rugen Fisch, and Thai-leading brands SEALECT, Fisho, Qfresh, Monori, Bellotta and Marvo.
Violinist Won Hyung-joon stages a solo performance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Dec. 15, 2019. He has been touring around different cities with Korean War memorials for such performances to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of 1950-53 Korean War, which falls this year. Courtesy of Lindenbaum Organization



By Jung Da-min



Violinist Won Hyung-joon played a series of solo performances at war memorials in major cities of countries that sent soldiers to fight in the 1950-53 Korean War. Won said he kicked off the project to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War.



The first performance was held at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. in December last year, followed by a performance at the Korean War Memorial in London on Jan. 31. He said he wanted to show his respect to those that sacrificed their lives for Koreans they had never met before.



"This year marks the 70th year since the outbreak of the Korean War. But the Armistice Agreement still exists between the two Koreas under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Command (UNC)," Won said during an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Tuesday. "I will continue my solo performances at memorials to call for the UNC to play a bigger role in peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula  I am planning performances at war memorials in New York and Philadelphia in April."



Won said his family was also torn apart during the war; his grandfather left for North Korea's Gaeseong during the war leaving his mother behind  Won's great grand-mother. He said his family never learned of her whereabouts. To contribute to peace-keeping efforts on the Korean Peninsula, Won founded the Lindenbaum Festival Orchestra in 2009 and has since organized many peace events like orchestra performances or youth workshops at home and abroad.



Such efforts have raised awareness and caught the attention of established, peace-keeping organizations in July, Won said. The Lindenbaum Organization, a non-governmental organization supporting Won's projects, is planning to co-organize the Geneva Peace Talks 2020, jointly with the U.N. Office at Geneva, Interpeace, and the Geneva Peacebuiding Platform. Interpeace is a Geneva-based non-governmental organization working on international peace-building projects.



The organizations are exploring the possibility of holding the event in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), at the truce village of Panmunjeom, where the truce treaty was signed, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the war.



"The Korean War is a forgotten tragedy. But when people remember it and talk about the ideological conflicts, that will be the very start of peace," Won said.





(Violinist Won Hyung-joon stages a solo performance at the Korean War Memorial in London on Jan. 31. From Won Hyung-joon's YouTube channel)




Oil rose to a two-week high on hopes that economic stimulus from China can revive demand battered by the coronavirus, and as a number of OPEC nations faced threats to their production.

Brent futures increased for a seventh day, the longest run of gains since early 2019, even as Chinese refineries slashed processing by 25 per cent from last year as the virus hit travel and economic activity.

Crude is being supported along with equities by signs that China, the worlds biggest oil importer, is considering steps to shore up its economy, such as direct cash infusions and mergers to revive its airline industry.

Prices are also drawing support from a range of supply disruptions.

Ceasefire talks were suspended in OPEC member Libya after the capitals port was shelled by forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Haftar, who has choked off the countrys exports. And Venezuelas ability to export crude was further threatened as the U.S. sanctioned a unit of Russias Rosneft PJSC for maintaining ties with President Nicolas Maduro and the state-run oil company.

The Rosneft story and the outage in Libya could help make the market less oversupplied in the first quarter, said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS Group AG in Zurich. Equities are also lending support to crude, he said, citing expectations that this virus situation will all be sorted out at some stage.

Brent for April settlement climbed 79 cents, or 1.4 per cent, to $58.54 (U.S.) a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe exchange as of 10:29 a.m. in London, after gaining more than eight per cent in the past six sessions. West Texas Intermediate for March delivery advanced 71 cents, or 1.4 per cent, to $52.76.

Besides the involuntary losses in OPEC countries, the cartel and its partners are contemplating deepening the deliberate production cutbacks theyve made this year. A committee representing the OPEC+ alliance recommended earlier this month that the producers should curb supply by a further 600,000 barrels a day to offset the impact of the coronavirus.

Rosneft Trading, the main exporter of Venezuelan crude, was targeted by the U.S. for helping to sell the commodity that bankrolls Maduros regime. The sanctions are the toughest in the U.S. Treasurys arsenal and render Rosneft Trading effectively untouchable to international companies, including shipowners, insurers and banks.

Meanwhile, the latest attack in Libya forced authorities to evacuate tankers carrying gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas before they had unloaded, according to an official from state-run National Oil Corp. The nations crude output has dropped to around 123,000 barrels a day from 1.2 million a day before a blockade of ports by Haftars supporters started in mid-January.
The fatal shooting by police of a knife-wielding man who was hiding out in a Mantoloking home while he wanted on assault and kidnapping charges has been deemed justified, authorities said Wednesday.

The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office reviewed the 2018 police shooting and determined that the officers use of deadly force against Edward M. Walsh, 39, of Manahawkin, was warranted and the matter did not need to be presented to a grand jury.

The undisputed facts establish that the Mantoloking Police Officers; the Ocean County Sheriff Officer and the Bay Head Officer involved in this incident were legally justified in the force they used to protect their lives and those of their fellow officers, the Ocean County Prosecutors Office said in a statement Wednesday.

Mantoloking officers went to the Jersey Shore home on Barnegat Lane on Nov. 12, 2018 around 11:45 a.m. after being alerted by Lacey Township police that Walsh was believed to be in the residence, according to the statement. Walsh knew of the $1.55 million dollar Mantoloking home because he was once married to a family member of the prior owner, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer previously said.

A day earlier, Walsh had kidnapped and beaten his girlfriend, prosecutors said. He showed the woman a shotgun and told her that he was going to kill her, authorities said.

One of Walshs friends told police that he dropped Walsh off in Mantoloking on the day of the shooting and that Walsh was acting paranoid, authorities said.

A detective contacted the Mantoloking homeowner and got permission to enter the residence where Walsh was believed to be. Police used a K-9 to locate Walshs scent on a small utility closet door. When an officer opened the door, Walsh jumped out and began cutting his own throat multiple times with a large knife before attacking and stabbing the police dog, authorities said.

He then began approaching the police while they yelled at him to drop the knife, authorities said. Four officers fired at Walsh after he walked about 20 feet toward them, authorities said.

A toxicology report found Walshs blood tested positive for amphetamine, methamphetamine and THC, the prosecutors office said. A urine screen revealed metabolites for cocaine, methamphetamines and fentanyl.

The medical examiner indicated that Walshs cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, though he would have died from the knife wounds without treatment, the prosecutors office said.

Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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UPDATE: Comedian insists he wasnt under quarantine when he left Cambodia.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia  The feel-good story of how Cambodia allowed a cruise ship to dock after it was turned away elsewhere in Asia for fear of spreading a new disease took an unfortunate turn after a passenger later tested positive for the new coronavirus, and an Oregon comedian, whod been performing on the ship, broke quarantine and flew to Seattle.

News over the weekend that an 83-year-old American woman who was on the ship and flew from Cambodia to Malaysia was found to be carrying the virus froze further movement of the passengers and crew of the Westerdam. Some are in hotels in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, while others are still aboard the ship.

KOMO news reports that Frank King of Eugene, a performer on the Westerdam, landed in Seattle on Monday after leaving a hotel at which the people aboard the ship were being held.

There was no official You cant leave (at the hotel) but if you tried to go out the front door with your luggage, security would stop you, King told KOMO. But if you went out with your backpack and you were sightseeing, not a problem.

The American woman was among several hundred passengers who were flown out of Cambodia on Friday and Saturday. According to authorities in Malaysia, 143 continued their flights home from that country, while the woman and her 84-year-old husband, who was diagnosed with pneumonia, remained behind for treatment.

The dispersal around the world of passengers from the ship with possible exposure to the new coronavirus has sparked concern.

"I think now given that there is a confirmed case that is suspected to have acquired infection on board the ship, the other passengers should be asked to quarantine themselves at home and alert health authorities if they develop fever or respiratory symptoms within the 14 days since disembarkation," said Professor Benjamin Cowling from the School of Public Health at Hong Kong University.

Dr. Gagandeep Kang, executive director of India's Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, said it is unclear whether the woman's infection would result in an outbreak in another part of the world. The virus that causes the disease named COVID-19 has been confirmed in about two dozen countries, with most cases concentrated in China, where it emerged in December.

"We will have to wait and see," she said, adding that it would depend on where the woman got the infection, and at what stage of the infection she was in while in contact with other people.

The ship's operator, Holland America Line, said in a statement Monday that Cambodian health officials were on the ship testing the 255 guests and 747 crew who were awaiting clearance, and that guests currently staying at a Phnom Penh hotel had all been tested.

"At this time, no other guests or crew on board or at the hotel have reported any symptoms of the illness. Guests who have already returned home will be contacted by their local health department and provided further information," it said.

The statement added that the virus patient had not reported any illness to the Westerdam's medical center during the cruise. Twenty people who reported illness while on board have tested negative for the virus, it said.

The rest of the passengers and crew had health checks that included filling out a written health questionnaire and having their temperatures checked, which has become standard procedure for air and sea passengers considered at risk.

Several Westerdam passengers from the United States and elsewhere have already returned home and spoken to the media.

Two of the passengers, Joseph Schaeffer and his wife, Paulette, a retired nurse, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal from their home in Henderson, Nevada, that they felt the hue and cry over the released passengers was not totally merited.

"It doesn't seem to me that the whole world should be jumping at this," Joseph Schaeffer said.

"There are more deaths from the flu than there have been from this particular virus," his wife said.

The couple said they were screened on their way home at airports in Phnom Penh and Singapore by thermal scanners that remotely monitor arriving passengers.

On arrival in Los Angeles, they said, they were among a large crowd getting screened that included fellow cruise passengers. They said they answered questions gfrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that included whether they felt sick, had visited mainland China or knew anyone who had contracted the virus.

Two Canadians who returned via Vancouver International Airport were asked to put on protective face masks on arrival but were not otherwise isolated, Canada's CBC News reported.

"We were asked a few questions and filled out an immigration form, and they very nicely helped us bypass the usual lineups and let us out the door," said Joseph Hansen, who took the cruise with his wife. "We're feeling fine."

Hansen, from Surrey, British Columbia, told CBC that he did not hear about the American woman in Malaysia with the virus until he landed in Vancouver on Sunday.

"I guess on the one hand it's upsetting to know that there was one case, but we're feeling fine," he said. "We've had health scans, temperature scans and we don't have any concerns for our own health."

Cambodia's government had originally earned kudos from the head of the U.N.'s World Health Organization and the U.S. ambassador there for allowing the ship to dock at Sihanoukville after it was turned away by Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Guam and Thailand.

The move was seen as a victory for the image of Cambodia's authoritarian leader, who welcomed the ship's passengers with handshakes and flowers. Prime Minister Hun Sen boasted that although Cambodia is a poor country, it "has always joined the international community to solve the problems that the world and our region are facing."

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had said he was pleased Cambodia had agreed to accept the Westerdam and described it as an example of the international solidarity advocated by the U.N. health agency.

"The one thing I can say is we're very, very grateful that Cambodia has opened literally its ports and its doors to people in need," U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia W. Patrick Murphy said Saturday when he took his family to the port to meet passengers. "We think this sends a strong message. We all have to help each other."

In hindsight, however, Cambodia's handling of the ship's passengers has been criticized on social media, though it also has gotten some support.

According to Cowling, the Hong Kong University professor, it's a good idea to let passengers leave and monitor them after disembarkation.

Since there were no known cases on board the Westerdam at the time passengers left the ship, it was reasonable to allow them to travel home, he said.

"I think it would not be appropriate to keep passengers on the ship for 14 days, as it could be a high-risk environment," Cowling said.

"We have seen the consequences of holding passengers on a cruise ship with the Diamond Princess outbreak," he said, referring to another cruise ship that is quarantined in Yokohama, Japan, with hundreds of cases among the passengers.

-- Associated Press
A week later, Blaney and Good voted in favor of the contract, for $59,800 with Midwest Transit in Kankakee, Illinois. Bailey has said the price of the van has fluctuated from around $60,000 to $70,000 and back down depending on which model was available. She was able to find a 2019 model, causing the price to drop.
February 18, 2020 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada will host the next ministerial meeting of the Lima Group in Gatineau, Quebec, on February 20, 2020.

The members of the Lima Group, joined by regional observers of the Lima Group  Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and El Salvador  will meet to discuss how to establish broad international cooperation for a regionally led solution to the crisis in Venezuela. The meeting will also reaffirm Canadas unwavering commitment to a peaceful return to democracy for Venezuelans.

Canada is a co-founder of the Lima Group, created in August 2017, which brings together countries from Latin America and the Caribbean to lead the regional efforts supporting a peaceful solution to the political, economic and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.
BENGALURU: It has been 12 days since women agitators have been protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Bilal Bagh in the city but the government has hardly paid heed to the protest.

Now, two women agitators, Amreen and Warsi, have gone on an indefinite hunger strike from Tuesday night sensing the governments reluctance to acknowledge their protest.

One of the volunteers close to the women agitators, Saqib Idrees said, They want Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to address them as it has been 12 days and nobody from the government has spoken to us. They have not had even a drop of water. They want the entire state to boycott the CAA and NRC.

Idrees also said that Jayanagar Congress MLA, Sowmya Reddy had paid a visit to the women agitators.

Every day we are getting prominent speakers to speak and the protest is getting stronger with each passing day. Seeing Amreen and Warsi, more will join us, he added.

Sayyed Sardar who is helping the women at the site said, The entire state should oppose the CAA as this is not about a religion but about the foundations of our country. I hope the crowd swells. We are not doing anything that goes against the law.
Furious neighbours have been living beside a home that is overflowing with rubbish for two years and claim the council has done nothing about it.

A home in Adelaide's southern suburbs is surrounded by so much junk that neighbours say they can't even see the ground.

Many are concerned over the dangers of the huge heaps of rubbish with one even saying it was the 'worst house' they'd seen.

A home in Adelaide's south suburbs has been overflowing with rubbish for two years

Matt Brook, a neighbour to the hellish home said he was concerned nothing had been done by the council.

'It's an absolute eyesore, I don't know how the council hasn't picked up on it before,' Mr Brook told Seven News.

'My main concern is the fire hazard for my son... it's within five or six metres of my house if it actually caught on fire.'

Other residents are concerned about the people the home attracts with many witnessing people stealing items from the property including books and even a motorbike.

Joan Stokes, 87, was horrified after one looter jumped the fence and landed in his backyard.

Neighbours say they are unable to see the ground below the junk that surrounds the home

'That was a bit scary,' he said.

A spokesperson for The City of Onkaparinga Council said the owner was not living at the home but the council was working to clear the property.

'We have served notice on the owner to clear the site. To date he has not been compliant so council is now looking at taking action-by-default to clear the site on the owners behalf,' the spokesperson said.

'We need to follow due process before taking this action which is being complicated by our inability to contact the owner who is not in residence at the property.

'We are seeking to engage a contractor and the site will be cleared in the coming weeks.

'We have conducted a clean-up at this site in previous years.'
The Nigeria police say it has arrested two suspects over the murder of Ms. Laetitia Naankang Dagan, an Assistant Director of Administration at the Presidential Villa killed.

Ms. Laetitia, 47 years old, a spinster, was said to have closed for work at the Villa at 8pm on Monday. But three hours after, she had been gruesomely murdered in her apartment.

According to sources, the police were able to make the arrests after her assassins forgot one of their phones in her apartment, after raping her and gruesomely murdering her.

They left with Laetitias phones and left one of their own, said an Aso Rock source, in the know of police investigation.

The Police had used the abandoned phone to trace the suspects.

ALSO READ: Again, Emir Sanusi explodes; says the north will destroy itself soon

The Permanent Secretary, State House, Abuja, Alhaji Jalal Arabi, described the killing as a painful loss, not only to her immediate family, but also the entire State House.

She was a dedicated, hard-working officer, and we all feel pained by her dastardly and untimely death, Arabi told her family members during a condolence visit.

We all share in your grief and pains, but be consoled by the fact that she lived a good life and contributed her best to the services of her nation.

Arabi expressed confidence that the Police will fish out the killers of Laetitia and the law will take its course.

The permanent secretary prayed God Almighty to comfort Dagans family, the entire Staff of State House, and grant the soul of the departed officer eternal rest.

PV: 0
A debate on the situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine will be held during the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly on Thursday, February 20.

A debate on the issue will become an important event in Ukraine's efforts to fight the ongoing aggression of Russia and to liberate a part of our territory from the occupant through the strengthening of international solidarity and use of unique representative possibilities of this global organizations, the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine said.

Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko will speak during the debate. The minister will also meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, as well as hold working meetings with representatives of several UN member states.
Agartala, Feb 19 : A local court on Wednesday sent former Tripura Chief Secretary Yash Pal Singh, who was arrested on Monday in connection with a multi-crore PWD scam from Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district, to four-day police custody.

Special Public Prosecutor Ratan Datta said that the police sought 10-day police custody, but Special District and Session Judge Sabyasachi Datta Purkayastha ordered a four-day police custody to the former Tripura Chief Secretary, who was brought here by a Tripura police team after the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Ghaziabad granted transit remand on Tuesday.

"Ex-Chief Secretary would be presented before the Special District and Session Judge once again on Saturday. Some important files of the multi-crore PWD scam are missing. Police during the four-day custody would interrogate Singh to know more details about the financial misdeeds," Datta said.

Singh was the state Principal Secretary (PWD) during 2008-09. The Tripura Police Crime Branch has been looking for him in connection with a corruption case regarding the implementation of various projects worth Rs 638 crore.

A police team led by investigating officer Ajay Das went to Delhi and several other places in northern Tripura before Singh was finally arrested from Ghaziabad. The Vigilance Wing of Tripura government had on October 13 last year, filed an FIR against veteran CPI-M leader and former state PWD and Finance Minister Badal Choudhury, former Chief Secretary Yash Pal Singh and former PWD Chief Engineer Sunil Bhowmik.

Both Choudhury and Bhowmik were granted bail by the Tripura High Court a few weeks ago after their arrest on October 14 and October 21, respectively last year. The case has rocked Tripura politics in the past six months.

According to Law and Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath, the Public Works Department (PWD) under the previous Left Front government in 2008-09 had clubbed together 13 projects -- five bridges, five buildings and three road projects -- being implemented at a cost of Rs 638 crore on cost-plus norms.

Terming it as the "biggest scam in the history of Tripura", Nath said Rs 164 crore had been siphoned off.

Opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist and Congress leaders, including former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government had hatched a conspiracy against CPI-M central committee member Choudhury to malign the previous Left government.

"No corruption had taken place during the 35-year rule (1978-1988 and 1993-2018) of the Left parties in Tripura. Instead, state infrastructure and all other sectors improved in the state," Sarkar said.
Ouallam, Niger. Eighty percent of Nigeriens are subsistence farmers. As population growth and climate change collide, farmers worldwide are struggling. Farmers cant change the weather, but they can change how they prepare for and respond to it.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today announced that the global organization Mercy Corps is one of the highest-scoring proposals, designated as the Top 100, in its 100&Change competition for a single $100 million grant to help solve one of the world's most critical social challenges.

Mercy Corps' innovative AgriFin program works with a global network of partners to design, test and scale high-impact digital solutions for more than 4 million smallholder farmers, particularly women and young people.

AgriFin leverages the power of mobile phones to link farmers to products and services they need - from better seeds to banking - boosting harvests and incomes. Together with NASA and supported by Digital Green, Mercy Corps is integrating hyper-local, satellite-to-soil insights to help millions of farmers adapt in the face of a changing climate. Support through 100&Change could bring this solution to millions more farmers across Africa and Asia.

The Top 100 represent the top 21 percent of competition submissions. The proposals were rigorously vetted, undergoing MacArthurs initial administrative review, a Peer-to-Peer review, an evaluation by an external panel of judges, and a technical review by specialists whose expertise was matched to the project.

Each proposal was evaluated using four criteria: impactful, evidence-based, feasible, and durable. MacArthurs Board of Directors will select up to 10 finalists from these high-scoring proposals this spring.

As population growth and climate change collide, farmers worldwide are struggling, says Beth deHamel, Chief Executive Officer of Mercy Corps. Farmers cant change the weather, but they can change how they prepare for and respond to it. With support from the MacArthur Foundation, we could mobilize 25 million small-scale farmers to transform the way they feed the world.

MacArthur seeks to generate increased recognition, exposure, and support for the high-impact ideas designated as the Top 100, says Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change and MacArthur Managing Director, 100&Change. Based on our experience in the first round of 100&Change, we know the competition will produce multiple compelling and fundable ideas. We are committed to matching philanthropists with powerful solutions and problem solvers to accelerate social change.

More About 100&Change

100&Change is a distinctive competition that is open to organizations and collaborations working in any field, anywhere in the world. Proposals must identify a problem and offer a solution that promises significant and durable change.

More About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into actionhelping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.
A Michigan man was found dead Saturday in his freezing house after months of living with no power, police confirmed Monday.

The man was identified as 62-year-old Arnoul Jaros, who had been living on his own for a long time.

When the police found Jaros in his 26-degree home at Falconview Estates in Freeland, his body was not only frozen but he was also emaciated, confirming that he died of accidental hypothermia, according to MLive.

Hes very, very skinny. He didnt have a lot of fat to live on, and if you cant cook, cant take a hot shower, cant microwave anything to eat or drink, eating cold foods, theres no words, said Karin Jaros, the mans sister-in-law who saw his body firsthand.

Losing someone but actually mourning the torture they went through prior to death is unspeakable, Karin told WNEM.

Karin, who last saw him in October 2019, told the outlet that when the family went to Jaross home to invite him to dinner, he didnt answer the door.

But described by his brother Jerold Jaros as independent and uninterested in socializing, it wasnt unusual for him to avoid opening the door.

You didnt know if he was there, and he would tiptoe around, Jerold told MLive. Sometimes you might hear him, sometimes you might not.

However, the family noticed that there were neither sounds of movement nor foot tracks outside the house and saw that his mailbox was full.

He didnt answer the door, which is not unusual. They didnt see any tracks in the driveway. They were preparing to leave and back out and they checked the mail and it was stuffed full, Karin said.

The suspicion was enough to prompt the family to call 911. When police and firefighters entered the house, they found Jaros frozen to death.

Everything was frozen in the house. There were mugs of beverages that were frozen solid, said Karin. According to MLive, even the toilet water was frozen.

According to WNEM, Consumers Energy had shut off the gas in May 2019 and electricity in July 2019.

Consumers Energy said in a statement: Consumers Energy stopped providing natural gas in May 2019 and electricity in July 2019 to this persons home due to non-payment of bills. The balance on the account was paid later in July, but Consumers Energy did not receive a request to restore service or payment for the restoration fee. We are currently working with local law enforcement officials to understand more about the situation and are reviewing this persons account records. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to this persons friends and loved ones.

We have no idea why Arnoul kept this from us. If he was embarrassed, if he thought he could handle it, if he thought he could fix it, Karin said, adding that the family often helped with Jaross finances but were unaware that he was struggling.
An artist's impression of the Saigon metro train. Photo courtesy of MAUR.

An elevated section of Ho Chi Minh City's Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Line 1 will be tested out within the third quarter this year.

This elevated section crosses Ho Chi Minh Citys District 9, spanning from central Binh Thai Station to Long Binh Depot, a train maintenance center, the HCMC Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) said in a report to the citys Peoples Committee.

Once testing is complete, MAUR said it would test another section between Binh Thai and Van Thanh stations in District 2.

The city targets project completion to advance to 85 percent before the end of this year, to officially enter operation by the end of 2021, it was added.

The first locomotives and trains for the line, produced by Japanese manufacturer Hitachi, are set to arrive in HCMC from Japan in June.

Hitachi is currently testing out two trains to deliver first, then will send over another 15, all of which will have three carriages each, as Metro Line 1 is being completed, the MAUR said.

All 17 trains are part of a $370 million package signed with Hitachi in 2003, which includes delivery of other equipment such as signaling and communication, electricity generation, and electronic fee collection systems.

On Monday, the city removed a barrier between the metro lines two underground segments, integrating the entire length of Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Line 1. Removal of the barrier, erected to facilitate construction of both segments, paves the way for the next phase of the project - equipment installation, officials said.

When completed, HCMC's Metro Line 1 will span 19.7 kilometers from Long Binh in District 9 to Ben Thanh in District 1 with a total of 14 stations.

Work on the line started in August 2012, with the elevated segment cleared in June 2018.

It was approved in 2007 with a total investment of VND17.4 trillion ($747 million). This was raised to VND47 trillion ($2.02 billion) in 2010 after design changes and fluctuations in the exchange rate of the Japanese Yen, though the increase was not approved by relevant ministries.

Last November, National Assembly allowed HCMC authorities to approve a new total investment of VND43.6 trillion ($1.87 billion).
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Grand Rapids-area ballot proposals on March 10 ballot

Along with picking their preferred party candidate for President of the United States, Grand Rapids-area residents will also be voting March 10 on proposals ranging from funding schools and roads and fire departments to allowing recreational marijuana growing operations.

Voters can find their sample ballot, and registration status, here.

See what voters in Kent, Ottawa and Montcalm counties and Saugatuck will weigh in on in about three weeks.

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Sidney Township Marijuana Proposal

Residents of Sidney Township in Montcalm County will vote on a local proposal petition to to set the number of state licensed marijuana establishments allowed within its boundaries.

The measure would allow recreational marijuana growers and microbusinesses.

Under the ballot language, the township could have up to two of each grower class and an unlimited number of microbusinesses.

Class A growers can have up to 100 plants, Class B up to 500 and Class C up to 2,000. Microbusinesses allow individuals to grow up to 150 plants, process the material and sell it all at the same location.

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Wyoming Public Schools Operating Millage Proposal

Residents in the Wyoming Public Schools will vote on a operating revenue proposal to allow the district to continue levying the full 18 mills on non-homestead property, with an increase of 1.4492 mills to restore millage previously lost as a result of Michigans Headlee Amendment rollback.

The tax is not on a family's primary residence. Instead, it would be on non-homestead properties such as second houses, rental properties, and businesses.

The money is used to fund the day to day operations of the school district, including educational services and programs. To receive full per pupil funding from the state, schools must levy 18 mills on non-homestead property.

Read more: Wyoming schools asking voters in March to support operating cash proposal for students

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Park Township Airport Millage Proposal

Park Township residents will vote on whether to allow the township to impose an increase of 0.185 mills for the purpose of providing funds for the operation, maintenance, and repair of the Park Township Airport for 10 years, from the beginning of 2020 to Dec. 31, 2029. This millage would raise an estimated $209,475.

Proceeds will be used for airport operation, maintenance, and runway / taxiway improvements.

The Park Township Board of Trustees issued voter fact sheet, including the cost to taxpayers. Officials say the average assessed value for a single family home in the township is $181,816, which is considered  of market value and such a home would pay $33.63.

 A home with an assessed value of 150,000 and a presumed market value of $300,000 would pay $27.75

 A home with an assessed value of 300,000 and a presumed market value of $600,000 would pay $55.50.

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Montcalm County Law Enforcement Millage Proposal

Montcalm County residents will vote on authorizing the county to to levy a new additional millage not to exceed 1 mill for five years, from 2020 to 2024, for the purpose of funding law enforcement function, providing personnel and equipment, conducting road patrol, and any other public safety purpose authorized by law, according to the ballot language.

"We have sought several other sources of funding in an effort to avoid having to ask for a millage, including grants and state funding. A millage seems to be the only feasible answer to provide stable funding for these critical public safety services.'' according to the Montcalm County Sheriff's Office.

Officials say the revenue will fund 14 additional deputies and include all the costs associated with putting them on patrol, including wages and benefits, uniforms, vehicles, equipment, and training. This reportedly will provide an average of 2-3 deputies in the county on patrol 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

According to the Montcalm County, the cost to a homeowner would be $50 per year if they have a property market value of $100,000 and estimated taxable value of $50,000. If the property market value was $200,000 and taxable value $100,000, the cost increases to $100 per year. To see all the county millage information, visit the website.

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Montcalm County Library Millage Proposal

Montcalm County residents will vote on whether to authorize the county to levy a millage of .90 mill for 10 years, from 2020 to 2029, in which .40 mill is a millage increase for the purpose of funding library services. The county has seven public libraries in eight locations.

The estimated revenue the county would collect if the millage is approved and levied in the first year, 2020, is approximately $1,714,000. If the millage is unsuccessful, some libraries are expected to close and others would have to significantly reduce services.

The cost per year for will range depending property value but for a homeowner with a property market value of $100,000 and estimated taxable value of $50,000, the cost per year would be approximately $45, according to Citizens for Montcalm County Libraries.

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Saugatuck Public Schools bond

Saugatuck voters will vote on a 22-year, $35.6 million school improvement bond proposal on the March 10 election ballot.

School leaders say the district needs to modernize outdated infrastructure and enhance the learning environments for students.

Related: Saugatuck schools puts $35.6M bond on March ballot

Saugatuck Public Schools in Allegan County has had two previous bond defeats. This latest request comes after getting feedback from the community through a survey, on social media, at board meetings and smaller venues such as coffee shops.

The proposed millage rate increase is 1.60 mills. A property owner that has a home with a market value of $300,000 and a taxable value of $150,000 would pay $240 per year, according to published district information for voters. For a home with a $200,000 market value and taxable value of $100,000, it would be $160 per year.

The school district is part of the Ottawa Area ISD. See the district's full bond proposal online here.

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Robinson Township Road Maintenance Millage Renewal

Robinson Township residents will vote on a road maintenance millage renewal of .9696 mills to fund the paving, repair, construction or reconstruction of roads, bridges or drainage structures.

The millage request is for eight years, from 2020 to 2027, and would raise an estimated $250,853 in the first year.

If your property's taxable value is $100,000, the cost would be $96.96, according to Robinson Township Supervisor Kathryn Kuck.

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Sparta Township renewal of 2 fire department millages

Sparta Township residents will vote on the renewal of the fire department's two longtime millages.

The first request is for the renewal of the department's previously-approved increase of 0.2395 mills for six years, from 2020 through 2025, for the purpose of the acquisition of equipment for the Sparta Fire Department. This property tax levy would provide an estimated $67,993 in revenue in the first calendar year.

The second fire proposal on the ballot is the renewal of the previously-approved increase of 0.2486 mills for six years, from 2020 through 2025 for the purpose of improving, remodeling, renovating and repairing the Sparta Fire Station and for vehicle purchases for fire protection purposes. This property tax levy would provide an estimated $70,577 in revenue in the first calendar year.

If the your property's taxable value is $100,000, the cost for each proposal would be $24 per year or $48, if both passed, according Marybeth Dame, deputy treasurer for the township.

Besides the revenue disbursed to the township and fire for these two measures, small portions will be captured by the Village of Sparta Downtown Development Authority (approximately $2,676 in the first year for first proposal for equipment and $2,778 for second proposal), and by the Kent County Land Bank (approximately $121 in the first year for first proposal and $126 for the second).

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Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Grattan Township Road Millage Proposal

Grattan Township residents will vote on a new 1 mill road millage proposal to provide funds for public gravel road repair, maintenance, and improvements. The request is for four years, from 2020 to 2023, an if approved would raise an estimated $190,247.00 in the first year of the levy.

All or a portion of the revenues from this millage will be disbursed to the Kent County Road Commission or other governmental agency for public gravel road repair, maintenance, and improvements within Grattan Township.

The 1 mill equates to $1.00 per $1,000 of taxable value.

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More March 10 election coverage

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Visit the online Michigan Voter Information Center and enter some basic information about yourself to see a sample ballot for your area.

The presidential primary requires voters to select a Republican Party, Democratic Party or proposal only ballot type.

To make Election Day a little easier, try to avoid some common mistakes:

Going to the wrong polling place: Each voter has a designated polling place. Unsure of where to vote? for an easy check, visit www.michigan.gov/vote.

Failing to bring a photo identification: Voters don't need their voter's registration card, but should bring a photo ID. Acceptable IDs include driver's license; state-issued ID card; ID issued by another state; federal or state-issued photo ID; U.S. passport; military ID; student ID or tribal ID card with photo.

Marking the ballot improperly: Some voters end up with ballots that don't get counted because they fill out the ballot incorrectly. Fill in the ovals on the ballot to mark your choices because circling the ovals or writing "yes" or "no" doesn't work.

The deadline to apply to receive an absent voter ballot by mail is 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to the election. After this, you may vote an absent voter ballot in person at your local clerk's office.
ROME - Authorities in northern Italy arrested the captain of a Lebanese-flagged cargo ship on suspicion of international arms trafficking Wednesday while they investigate if the vessel transported tanks, rockets and other weapons from Turkey to Libya.

The captain is under investigation for allegedly transferring military goods to Libya with as-yet unidentified Turkish military officials in violation of a United Nations arms embargo, Italian prosecutor Franceso Pinto told The Associated Press.

Italian authorities launched their probe based on allegations a crew member made after the cargo ship arrived in the port city of Genoa earlier this month.

The cargo ship, the Bana, turned up on the radar of French authorities not long before it reached Genoa on Feb. 2. The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle shadowed the vessel in late January.

The Lebanese crew member who blew the whistle in Italy alleged that tanks and other vehicles that could be used for military purposes were loaded onto the Bana at a Turkish port and then transported to Tripoli, the Libyan capital.

The sailor, who told Italian border police he was seeking political asylum, said the Bana allegedly sailed without cargo from Libya to Genoa. The 40-year--old ships hold is designed to carry vehicles.

According to a report in Genoa daily newspaper Il Secolo XIX, the asylum-seeking sailor alleged that some 10 Turkish agents, including military officials, travelled on the cargo ship from Mersin, Turkey, to Tripoli, staying in the hold near armoured vehicles.

Pinto told the AP the sailor provided photographs showing vehicles in the ships hold and that his application for political asylum in Italy is under consideration.

He contends he discovered this trafficking of arms, the prosecutor said.

If true, the alleged actions would violate the U.N. embargo aimed in part at ending nine years of fighting between rival factions seeking to control energy-rich Libya.

Its not just the sailors allegations that aroused suspicions about the cargo ship.

Earlier in the week, a French military official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier on Jan. 29 spotted a Turkish frigate off the Libyan coast escorting the Bana, which made a stop in Tripolis port.

French fighter jets from the aircraft carrier spotted a delivery while on a reconnaissance mission, French newspaper Le Monde reported.

The Charles de Gaulle was in the area as part of a U.S.-led operation against the Islamic State group.

Pinto told the AP the Banas transponders were turned off after it left the Turkish port and crossed the water to Libya. Investigators in Italy hope that analyzing equipment from the ship, including the cellphones of crew members, would help verify the Banas route.

Italy, in an effort to regain influence as a geopolitical player in Libya, has campaigned for vigorous monitoring and enforcement of the international arms embargo imposed on its former colony in northern Africa. The Italian government has not made any public statements about the Bana investigation.

Rival forces control different parts of Libya. The U.N.-recognized government of Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj is based in the west and seated in Tripoli. Forces based in the east and led by a powerful general, Khalifa Hifter, have been engaged in an offensive to take Tripoli for nearly a year.

Both of the rival Libyan governments have enjoyed diplomatic and other forms of support from a host of countries. France, for example, a rival of Italys in pursuing energy interests in oil-and-natural-gas rich Libya, sided with Hifter for a long time.

The Turkish government recently ratcheted up its backing of Sarrajs government, promising military support and sending to Libya hundreds of Syrian fighters. The Syrians included militants affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that Turkey would continue aiding Sarrajs government to establish dominance over all of Libya.

Neither Turkeys Foreign Ministry nor the countrys military responded to requests for comment on the whistle-blowers allegations or the Italian investigation.

In an interview with the AP last week, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said his country was doing all it could to ensure an agreement on respecting the arms embargo is put into practice. The deal was reached last month at a Berlin conference on Libya.

A spokesman for Serrajs office didnt reply to phone calls and text messages from the AP on Wednesday seeking comment about the Bana investigation.

The cargo ships Lebanese owner, Merhi Abou Merhi, denied media reports in recent weeks that the Bana was used to transport armoured vehicles to Libya. He said the vessel usually takes cars between Lebanon and Libya.

He has not hasnt responded to an AP request for an interview. There was no immediate comment from Lebanese authorities in Beirut.

The United States accused Abou Mehri in 2015 of laundering money for the militant group Hezbollah, but removed him from its list of sanctioned individuals in 2017. He consistently denied the money-laundering allegations.

The Bana remains idled in Genoas port, where it was supposed to take on a cargo of cars from European Union countries that were to be delivered to Misrata, Libya, prosecutor Pinto said.

Pinto said the whistle-blower sailor was on his first voyage on the Bana but told authorities that other crew members recounted the cargo ship bringing arms to Tobruk, a city in eastern Libya, on a previous trip.

Italian investigators plan to question the crew further. They are also awaiting results from technical analyses of ship equipment before deciding how to proceed.

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Frances DEmilio in Rome, Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Lebanon, Sam Magdy in Cairo, Aritz Parra in Madrid and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
LITOCHORO, Greece - Army aviation forces from Greece and the United States took part in a live-fire training exercise Wednesday at the foot of Mount Olympus, marking deepening defence ties between the two countries.

Greece is ramping up its military co-operation with the U.S. and France  and purchases of equipment from the two allies - amid wariness of worsening relations with Turkey over disputed sea and air space boundaries, including drilling rights in the East Mediterranean.

The chief of the Greek army and the U.S. ambassador to Greece watched the training drill conducted with attack helicopters in northern Greece. Washington and Athens finalized a defence agreement three weeks ago that gives American forces expanded access to Greek military bases.

The U.S.-Greece relationship is stronger than it has ever been, U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt said. Our defence ties and our defenceco-operation is an essential component of that.

After a financial crisis that lasted nearly a decade, Greece is working to modernize its navy, upgrade its fleet of F-16 fighter jets and to strengthen military ties with traditional allies as well as Turkeys regional rivals, including Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

The rule is to make the best use of limited resources, to get the most bang for our buck, and that is something that we are continuing to do, Panagiotis Tsakonas, a professor of international relations and security studies at the University of Athens, said.

The revised Mutual Defence Cooperation Agreement between Greece and the U.S. was signed in October and ratified last month. It provides for increased joint U.S.-Greece and NATO activities at Greek military bases and facilities in Larissa, Stefanovikio, and Alexandroupolis, as well as infrastructure and other improvements at a U.S. Navy installation on the island of Crete.

U.S. officials have typically avoided commenting on Greeces strained relations with Turkey. Asked about reports saying the Turkish government plans to expand its drilling activity in East Mediterranean waters to which Cyprus has economic rights, Pyatt noted the unhelpful and escalatory nature of some of these Turkish actions.

But well have to wait and see exactly what Turkey is planning at this stage, he said.

The training drill on Wednesday involved rescuing wounded soldiers behind enemy lines with Apache and Black Hawk helicopters. The American participants were from the 3rd Squadron of the 17th Cavalry Regiment, based at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia

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Follow Gatopoulos at https://www.twitter.com/dgatopoulos
MBABANE  May I state that every other sexual action other than what is in the order of nature, capable of producing offsprings is unnatural and, therefore, prohibited in terms of our laws.



This was one of the submissions made by the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade Siboniso Nkambule.

Government is vigorously opposing the application filed by the LGBTI community where it is seeking an order declaring that the registration of an association that seeks to promote their interests in Eswatini is not unlawful. LGBTI is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex.



Review



They also want the court to review and set aside the decision of the registrar of companies of refusing to register their association, Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities.

In his answering affidavit, the PS submitted that: The actions of Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities constitute unnatural action which ought to be stopped in our society for purposes of our young generations as well as the public interest.



He averred that the court could not compel the Eswatini Government to legalise LGBTI by setting aside and reviewing the decision of the registrar of companies and allow Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities to register as an association not-for-gain in terms of Section 7 of the Companies Act.

Nkambule said by setting aside and reviewing the decision of the registrar of companies, the court would be overstretching its mandate.



If granted, the orders will have a drastic impact on cultural, religious, social interest and legislative functions in Eswatini as it will amount to legalising LGBTIs through the back door, contended the PS.

He told the court that the orders that were sought by the Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities were incompetent, misconceived, misplaced and if they might be granted, it would be an abuse of the court process.



Nkambule contended that the applicants rights and fundamental freedoms had not been violated.

What the registrar of companies did was only to apply limitations in terms of Section 14 (3) of the Constitution as well as applying the discretion given to the minister in terms of the Companies Act, contended Nkambule. Section 14 (3) of the Constitution of Kingdom of Eswatini provides that: 

A person of whatever gender, race, place of origin, political opinion, colour, religion, creed, age or disability shall be entitled to fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual contained in this Chapter but subject to respect for the rights and freedoms of others for the public interest.

According to the PS, the applicants failed to lay clear grounds for the court to find the decision of the registrar of companies to be unlawful, unreasonable and irrational which would thereby render it unconstitutional.



When rejecting the application for the registration of the association, the Registrar of Companies, Msebe Malinga, pointed out that Section 27 (1) of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini stipulates that; men and women of marriageable age have a right to marry and establish a family.

It will be inappropriate for the registrar of companies to register an entity whose objectives are not provided for in the Constitution or any legislation, reads part of Malingas responses to the lawyers representing the association.



Malinga stated that in contrast, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa dealt with equality in Section 9 where it clearly prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in no uncertain terms.



Unfairly



The Constitution of South Africa, according to Malinga, provides that; The State may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience belief, culture, language and birth. He said the Eswatini Constitution does not include sex or sexual orientation.



The registrar of companies highlighted that based on the aforementioned, it was clear that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sex was not protected by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini or in any of the countrys domestic laws. The matter is still pending in court and appearing for the State is Mbuso Dlamini from the Chamber of the Attorney General. The applicants are represented by renowned human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko.
It's a slice of life you can really sink your teeth into.

The pizzeria featured in the ground-breaking South Korean movie "Parasite" -- which brought home the best picture and director Oscars among others -- is suddenly so popular that it ran out of dough the other day.

As South Korea celebrates director Bong Joon Ho's four Academy Awards--best picture, best screenplay, best international feature film and best director--business for the pizzeria, a Seoul supermarket and the makers of instant noodles is booming.

MORE: Elated South Korean moviegoers celebrate Parasite Oscars victory

"Sales have more than doubled," Eom Hangil, owner of Sky Pizza, told ABC News. She spoke in a whisper because her voice was hoarse from talking to more than 30 journalists over two days. "My pizzeria has not been so popular, you know."

That's changed, and Eom is both delighted and surprised at movie fans and reporters showing up at her store. "As you can see, this neighborhood is a redevelopment zone. Director Bong said it was a perfect location for his film."

PHOTO: Pizza restaurant owner Eom Hang-ki, 65, sits before a photo of her with film director Bong Joon-ho in her restaurant 'Sky Pizza' in Seoul on February 13, 2020. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

Bong Joon Ho's film is about two families--one very rich, the other very poor--whose worlds converge when the poorer family, the Kims, maneuver their way into the lives of the wealthy Parks. The Kim family folds pizza boxes for this pizzeria, and later the mother and children are portrayed eating pizza here as they scheme to kick out the housemaid working for the Parks.

MORE: 'Parasite' made Oscars history: 5 things to know about the film

"I came to eat pizza and also feel the atmosphere of the movie, but the place is so popular they are out of dough. I have to wait four more hours," Ha Kyeongsu, a tourist, told ABC News. "It took an hour and a half for me to come here. I came all the way for the 'Parasite' movie."

Movie fans have begun paying homage to other site locations in the movie such as the mom and pop store supermarket and the long-dilapidated steps in an underdeveloped neighborhood of western Seoul, Ahyeon-dong. The tiny Pig Rice Supermarket is where the son of the Kim family drinks with a friend who offers him a tutoring job for the Parks' daughter.

Story continues

PHOTO: A singed message written by film director Bong Joon-ho is displayed (L) as pizza restaurant owner Eom Hang-ki, 65, works in her restaurant 'Sky Pizza' in Seoul on February 13, 2020 (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

"I want to thank Director Bong. Who knew he would bring such joy? My store is now famous around the world," Lee Jeongshik, the 77year-old owner, told ABC News, while a handful of tourists took pictures in front of his store. "So many customers now, a lot of young people. They take pictures inside and outside. Reporters have been coming here from far away like Canada, Spain, Japan and the U.S.," he said.

MORE: How an American high school teacher became a K-pop celebrity

"This is a world historic event [for our nation] and [I] wanted to check out this place to commemorate director Bong Joon Ho winning the Oscar," Lee Jongseung, who came on his motorbike, told ABC News. Lee says he will share the course with his motorbike club.

"Each location has a symbolic meaning in the movie. It's great the locations are approachable," college student Yoon Seunghyun explained while visiting the landmarks to take pictures.

But the most viral, attention-grabbing element from "Parasite" is a local late-night snack translated into "ramdon" in English subtitles. The affluent Mrs. Park calls her just-hired housemaid to prepare chapaguri so that the kids could have it as soon as they arrive home from a camping trip cancelled due to heavy rain. "Ramdon" for the Parks turns out to be a mix of two instant noodles topped with top-grade seared sirloin steak strips, a perfect metaphor for how a rich family would consume a popular commoners' dish.

MORE: South Korean beauty blogger inspires others by sharing cancer battle

Nongshim, the maker of those two instant noodle brands, Chapagetti and Neoguri, has seen sales surge 60% in the past few days compared with the week before the Academy Awards. The company introduced a chapaguri recipe video on YouTube with subtitles in 11 languages for the global audience.

PHOTO: A customer poses before a photo of film director Bong Joon-ho at the 'Sky Pizza' restaurant in Seoul on February 13, 2020. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

YouTubers are introducing recipes for ramdon, or chapaguri with fancy sirloin steak garnished as the protagonists do in the film.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) and the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) were quick to jump on the bandwagon with plans to design a 'Parasite' Familiarization Tour of the filming sites guided by "film specialists." The course map is already uploaded at Seouls Tourism Website. Additional sites will be added to the tour from Bong's other movies, such as "The Host," "Memories of Murder," "Okja," and "Barking Dogs Never Bite."

ABC News' Hakyung Kate Lee, HeeJin Kang and Jiyung Koo contributed to this story.

Seoul pizzeria raking in dough after 'Parasite' Oscar-win success originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
I was talking to some fellas the other day  and these are pretty smart country boys  and posed this question: if a man was getting paid a base salary of $197,000, and then had a chance to jump to $240,000, what would be the percentage of ol Slicks increase? One pulled out his cell phone and punched it, erased it, and punched some more. Well, this thing says that if you had 197 cows in the south pasture, and another 250 in the east pasture, youd have 53 more cows behind the east fence. So, if you are planning on feeding all those cows alike, the smaller herd is about 78.8 percent the size of the bigger bunch.

Awright then, try this stumper. If I paid a cowhand $240 and then put another $10 in his saving account, what should I tell the gubment the old guy is getting? One laughed and allowed, Anything shy of deuce-fifty or youre gonna be in the clink . now, quit messing  where are we gonna get the money for another 250 head, let alone over 10 percent in feed?

No, Im talking about growing my 197 to 240. Whats that in feed? Just over 20 percent once we off-load the truck.

Thats my point exactly. The headline in the newspaper said Bryan Johnson will get a 5.5 per cent raise tomorrow night when the school board gullible votes to increase his base pay to $240-plus-10. Lets look at apples-for-apples for a minute. Johnson signed a four-year contract for $197,000 in 2017. Now, with two years still remaining over his signature, at tomorrow nights School Board meeting it is highly predictable he will be awarded a new $240,000 four-year contract that will include another $10,000 that will be placed in his retirement account each and every year. Make no mistake, the $10-large is Johnsons and it's exactly like putting it in his personal saving account but somebody  and I dont know exactly who  has figured that if it's iced down in a retirement fund it aint taxed, not yet, but can still draw interest. And, in sheer honesty, ol Slick is pocketing over $250K, not the shrouded $240 that is being batted around like some badminton buffoons.

Now, heres another bit. Johnsons base salary is still $197,000 but the same numb-brained School Board ratified his contract some time ago to include any raises the teachers will get. Does this mean that tomorrow night, when Johnsons contract is stamped approved at the meetings very beginning, hes gonna double-down on that 2.5 percent raise the School Board will unanimously approve just minutes later with a me too 2.5 percent boost on his $240K? What do you reckon? It was a surprise when Johnson announced the immediate teacher raise in some phony State of the Schools address the very next day after his propaganda department issued a news release that discussion of his contract would be the very first item of business at the upcoming School Board meeting.

But, whoa, lookahere: There are some elementary school kids who can convince you that 2.5 of 240 equals 6. Add three zeroes behind the six and it becomes $6,000. Wait  not yet  The state is supposed to come along with another 2 percent for the teachers this summer. In our same elementary schools, 2 percent of 240 is 4.8. Because of the pesky decimal point, you can only use two zeroes because the third makes the decimal disappear. No matter, Johnsons fair share of this summers sunshine is another $4,800.

No matter what any taxpayer might think or say, Johnsons canny push to accelerate the new School Board contract tomorrow night will automatically roll in an additional $10,800, free and clear. See how that works? What is interesting is the argument that performance raises and a bonus have already pushed Johnsons base of $197,000 to a current-day annual salary of $222,000. One way to rationalize the Superintendents $240,000 reach is to explain that the upcoming teachers raises  on top of his current $222,000  would put him at $232,100. Unbelievably, one school board member who is a friend of mine, gushed, That is a radically different conversation!

Please, momma, the only thing radical is that almost $11-large is going on top of his $240K, which brings us to  gulp!  over a quarter-million-a-year to a guy proven to be as wily as any carny worker that Ive ever come across. Believe me, I dont dislike Bryan Johnson, but I sure dont trust him. The belief of learned men? Hamilton Countys School Superintendent is average. Johnson loves to coo, Our work is about children. I want y'all to know that our work is about children, but I have found it glaringly obvious heres a guy who is a wiggler and grabbing every buck he sees laying. Know this too: if hes wiggled a base of $197,000 to $222,000 in just his first two years, signing him up for a new four-year cruise makes about as much sense to the taxpayer as voting for a School Board incumbent or keeping a cobra as a pet in their underwear drawer.

The School Board talkers say weve got to pay him big to keep other school districts from hiring him away. This isnt exactly true. In Metro Nashville, they bought out their third superintendent several months ago when allegations of sexual harassment seemed to be getting thicker in the air  paid something like $225-large to make him bounce. The other day there was a list of Nashvilles 19 semifinalists that proves two things: the field for superintendents is pretty sparse and trying to sweeten the pot for anybody who is bound by a contract that has two years remaining and is actually worth $222,000 today per year is flat-out stupid. Neither New York City nor Los Angeles would offer Hamilton County just south of half-a-million for the trading rights to our Mr. Average, and believing any smaller districts would is every bit as cut-dog dumb.

When Alabama voters go to the polls on Super Tuesday, there will be a question on the ballot to do away with the states School Board. Oh, theyll keep the Board but run off everyone picked by the voters for a new set that is appointed by the governor and a panel from the state legislature. Why? The current crowd is riddled with more nuts than victims of the coronavirus. In Alabama they want more professionals, more brain power, because the Heart of Dixie is dead last when it comes to children who can read. The state School Board was nothing but Fs, and Tennessees is every bit as pathetic -- what? We are 44th out of 50 in education? If you want to know why, this in the year 2020, is that no one cares.

I have little doubt that if it were put on a referendum to change Hamilton Countys School Board to appointments versus popular vote, the outcome would be incredibly against a group that has shown no regard whatsoever for where the money comes for continuous tomfoolery. An informal poll on The Chattanoogan that asks, Should Supt. Bryan Johnson receive a raise to $240,000 with a chance to earn $20,000 more? is running 85 percent against. I was wrong in the belief the School Boards decision can be overturned by the County Commission  no, the money comes straight from the Department of Educations allotment in the FY2020 budget. Once its done, its done, but lets never forget  the money really comes from the taxpayers. Apparently, few if any care what happens.

If you are so inclined, call your districts school board member. The phone numbers are on the Hamilton County website and your call must be accepted before the start of tomorrows 5:30 p.m. scam or every one of them will line up like second graders for the lollipop. Now, listen to my boys as they explain how the newspapers 5 percent is actually 25 percent at the county co-op where we buy livestock feed that you can actually see and touch:

* * *

Yo, Lefty, I been thinking, if we contracted with Con-Agra two years ago for four years of cow mix, and we got 197 head in the south pasture, what percentage you think it would cost to do a new contract for now 261 in the east pasture. Man, I aint even got to use my phone for me tell you thats over 25 percent more. Were just getting by feeding 197 but now you want to grow the herd by 54 more cows. Thats an easy 25 percent and ifn we already had the cows, how in the sam-hill are we gonna rise up and pay for 25 percent more feed!

Listen, son, the only way youre gonna see what is fixing to happen is to toss a new bull into the herd and its going to be the worst show in (breeding) that you ever saw. Just you wait, when the family finds out what youve gone and done, you might as well hitch your horse trailer to the bumper, grab you a pair of younger horses, and head west of Montana cause people in these parts will always remember the time you went slap crazy. Only a fool would take on a 25 percent rise before the calves start fallin in the spring  Lordy, man, youre acting like your hats on too tight

My sentiments exactly. Our superintendents jig-and-fiddle is every bit of 25 percent more than it started two years ago.

* * *

One last thing: If Johnsons new contract skates and hes clipping $251,000 by the time tomorrow nights meeting is adjourned, we need to remember the $10,000 to his retirement that will puff his haul to $261,000. In the FY2021 budget, the retirement clause will jump his net to $271K and in FY2022, it will automatically be $281,000. In FY2023 the retirement boost will give him a net income of $291,000 compared to his base salary in 2017 of $197,000. Surely he will reap the benefits of any teacher salaries and bonuses by FY2023, but in just six years he will have enjoyed a 47.7 percent increase in his original contract. How you like them apples?

royexum@aol.com
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Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 10:45 693 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20655aef4 2 Business mining,omnibus-bill,job-creation,business-license,central-government,incentives,investment,regional-government Free

An upcoming landmark bill on job creation is expected to streamline business and boost investment for miners in Indonesia, albeit at the expense of environmental protection and regional autonomy.

The bill, a draft of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post, will introduce four major changes to the 2009 Coal and Mineral Mining Law. These changes aim to centralize the issuance of mining permits, provide legal certainty for mining giants, boost downstream industry development and expand the nations mining territory into the open seas.

The changes are very similar to those being separately worked on by the House of Representatives.

Read also: Growth first, environment later. Proposed legal revision relaxes mining restrictions

Whats being discussed in the job creation bill is investment certainty, including how to boost downstream industry development, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry coal and mineral director general Bambang Gatot Ariyono told reporters in Jakarta last week.

Indonesia wants to earn more money from its mineral wealth by having miners develop downstream industries, such as mineral smelters and coal-fired power plants. The government will enforce bans on exports of all metal ore by 2022 and coal by 2046 while at the same time promoting development by relaxing regulations and offering incentives.

Downstream industry development

The sweeping omnibus bill will introduce several fiscal incentives to boost the development of downstream mining industries including mineral smelters, coal-fired power plants and coal gasification facilities.

It will allow miners that invest downstream to operate their respective concessions until reserves run dry (Article 47). Otherwise, operational periods will be capped at 40 years maximum.

The bill also exempts coal miners that invest downstream from paying royalties and from complying with Indonesias domestic market obligation (Article 28A) policy. Prevailing regulations require such miners to pay up to 7 percent of their net profit as royalty and sell 25 percent of their product domestically at US$70 per ton.

Most of the price-capped coal goes to Indonesias largest power producer, state-owned electricity company PLN.

United Overseas Bank (UOB) economist Enrico Tanuwidjaya wrote in a note last year that the governments downstream plan will be substantial in the long-term but only with consistent legal and policy certainties and sustained and immediate development of the processing and downstream industries.

Read also: Ban on unrefined nickel exports positive in long run: Economist

Environmental watchdog Mining Advocacy Networks (Jatam) Merah Johansyah slammed the incentives, arguing that they would prolong environmental destruction.

Contrary to Jatams argument, Indonesian Nickel Mining Association (APNI) secretary-general Meidy Katrin told the Post on Jan. 30 that not many miners had the financial muscle to exploit concessions beyond 40 years.

Legal certainty for mining giants

The government will provide some long-awaited certainty for coal miners and mineral miners, whose contracts are based on the now-defunct 1967 Mining Law.

Article 169A of the bill allows such miners to resume operating their respective concessions as special mining permit (IUPK) holders instead of contract of work holders, whereby IUPKs have to pay higher royalty fees, Indonesian Mining Institute (IMI) chairman Irwandy Arif told the Post on Feb. 17.

Indonesian Coal Mining Association (APBI) executive director Hendra Sinadia previously described the legal certainty issue as very urgent because seven coal mining giants contracts are slated to expire between 2020 and 2025, the earliest of which expires in November this year.

The soon-to-expire contract belongs to Jakarta-based PT Arutmin Indonesia, a subsidiary of the countrys largest coal miner by output, PT Bumi Resources.

Nickel mining activities at Sorowako PT Vale Indonesia Tbk. After being transported to trucks, nickel material in the form of land is placed in a temporary shelter, then put into a factory to be processed until it gets a matte nickel of 78 percent, and is exported to Japan. (JP/Ruslan Sangadji)

Centralizing mining permits

The omnibus bill aims to streamline the issuance of mining permits by centralizing the process with the government. At the moment, regional leaders have the power to issue mining permits and create regional mining regulations, many of which contradict national-level regulations.

The government will scrap Mining Law articles 48 and 67 if the omnibus bill passes into law. Article 48 allows regional leaders to issue mining permits while Article 67 authorizes regents and mayors to issue cooperative mining permits.

Watchdog leaders Robert Endi Jaweng and Maryati Abdullah, who respectively head think tanks Regional Autonomy Watch (KPPOD) and Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia, described the changes as a recentralization scheme that harks back to the countrys authoritarian New Order era.

From an autonomy standpoint, its drying up the spirit of regional autonomy. Its going in the opposite direction, Robert said, referring to the 2004 Regional Autonomy Law, which guarantees certain powers for regional administrations.

Read also: Omnibus bill allows President to scrap bylaws, weakens regional administrations

The issue is not just opening the investment tap, said Maryati. Will local residents have a complaint-handling mechanism?

Law lecturer Ahmad Redi, who leads the drafting of the bills energy-related provisions, countered the argument, saying that, in the long run, downstream industry development will increase the products values, which will add to state and regional incomes.

Expanding mining territory further offshore

The omnibus bill will allow mining activities anywhere within Indonesian seas (Article 47A) whereas the existing Mining Law limits offshore activity to 12 kilometers beyond the coast (Article 6).

The relaxation was needed to extract offshore tin reserves as we are almost out of tin reserves onshore, so like it or not, we have to enter the sea, IMIs Irwandy told the Post.

Indonesia is the worlds second-largest tin producer after China. A quarter of the global supply of tin, used for a range of products, from electronics to eyeglasses, comes from Indonesia, according to the US Geological Survey.
Police in Florida are investigating the gruesome discovery of jars of human tongues in a homes crawlspace, according to a report.

The preserved organs were found during an inspection of the foundation in the Gainesville house, which was previously owned by Ronald Baughman, a former University of Florida researcher, according to WCJB.

Some of the jars date back to the 1960s.

Investigators are looking into the possibility that Baughman, who published studies in the following two decades, may have brought the tongues home as part of his work, the news outlet reported.



Baughman currently is a professor emeritus at the university, it added.

A 1988 abstract in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery posted on medical research site ScienceDirect lists a Ronald A. Baughman as a dentist involved in a case of oral squamous cell carcinoma in twins. Hopefully its all research.

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Siskin Hospital is pleased to announce its 30th year of service to the Chattanooga community.

Siskin Hospital emerged from the vision and generosity of two philanthropic brothers, Mose and Garrison Siskin. That vision continues with the wide range of physical rehabilitation programs and services available today from Tennessees largest acute rehabilitation hospital.

We are working to ensure Siskin Hospital continues to thrive, said Dr. Matthew Gibson, president and CEO, so that transformative care can continue to be delivered to those in need across the organization at all of our campuses for another 30 years and beyond.

Siskin Hospital opened its doors as the first freestanding, not-for-profit rehabilitation hospital in Tennessee built specifically for rehabilitation patients. It remains Tennessees only not-for-profit rehabilitation hospital, offering an all-inclusive campus, as well as off-campus locations, dedicated to meeting a wide variety of rehabilitation needs.

Since admitting its first patient in February 1990, Siskin Hospital has since helped thousands of patients return to active, fulfilling lives. From an initial plan for a 50-bed hospital to todays 130-bed facility, Siskin Hospital has expanded its levels of care and specialty services to provide for the physical rehabilitation needs of the growing and changing Chattanooga community and surrounding areas and has become a destination hospital for out-of-state patients looking for special rehabilitation technology or services.

From one offsite outpatient facility in 1996, Siskin Hospital now offers outpatient therapy services at two facilities in East Brainerd and Cleveland, with a third to open this spring in Hixson.

Timeline of significant events:

1988: Robert Main is hired as Siskin Hospitals first President & CEO

1990: Siskin Hospital admits its first patient

1996: First offsite outpatient facility opens

1997: Siskin Hospital opens its Brain Injury Community Re-entry Services Program

2000: First patient is admitted to the SubAcute Rehabilitation Program

2002: Siskin Hospital is awarded the Non-Profit Organization of the Year Distinction

2003: Siskin Hospital hosts its first-ever Possibilities fundraiser

2006: The 27,000 square foot Outpatient Pavilion opens at the main campus

2007: The Siskin Hospital Health & Fitness Center, accommodating clients at every fitness level or ability, opens

2010: State-of-the-art Stroke Center opens

2011: State-of-the-art Brain Injury Wing added

2014: Carol Sim becomes Siskin Hospitals second president & CEO following Robert Mains 26 years as the longest-tenured healthcare CEO in Chattanooga

2014: Siskin Hospital acquires St. Barnabas

2018: Siskin Hospital becomes Tennessees largest acute rehabilitation hospital

2020: Dr. Matthew Gibson becomes Siskin Hospitals third president & CEO following Carol Sims six-year-tenure

Siskin Hospital offers all private patient rooms and has specialized Inpatient treatment programs in brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, amputee, orthopedics, neurological disorders, and major multiple trauma, among other illnesses and disorders

The experienced and dedicated staff at Siskin Hospital guides patients with the most innovative and successful rehabilitation programs, services, and equipment available in the Chattanooga area, said officials. For 30 years patients have received healing, hope, and independence through our philosophy of Caring People. Changing Lives.

To learn more about rehabilitation services at Siskin Hospital, please visit www.SiskinRehab.org or call 634-1200.
A former MP has called for an external review to be carried out into the Electoral Office's handling of last year's general election.

Tom Elliott, who held the seat from 2015-17, missed out on being again elected as MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in December by 57 votes.

Were you affected? Contact our news team on digital.editorial@belfasttelegraph.co.uk



Sitting MP Michelle Gildernew of Sinn Fein, who ousted him in the 2017 general election by 875 votes, retained the seat in a much closer fought contest.

The outcome became the subject of controversy after a whistleblower claimed the Electoral Office here oversaw a "chaotic" voter registration process.

The man, who was a former Electoral Office worker sacked from his role, told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show that people had been given "incorrect deadline dates" for submitting evidence needed to register to vote.

This resulted in scores of would be voters unable to cast their ballot, he claimed.

Read More

Yesterday the Electoral Office said that following a "thorough" internal investigation, it was "satisfied that many of the issues raised were inaccurate and unfounded".

However, Chief Electoral Officer Virginia McVea admitted mistakes had been made in its processing of "hundreds of thousands of documents... in a very short period of time".

In a statement the Electoral Office blamed "typographical errors" for those who had received letters with the incorrect deadline dates.

The Electoral Commission - the independent body which regulates elections - has said that it has "no evidence of any systematic issues" with the Electoral Office's handling of the poll.

However, last night Mr Elliott said it was in the public interest for a full investigation to be carried out by an external body, such as the Northern Ireland Office. "I'm disappointed at the Electoral Office that they haven't sought out an outside investigation," he told the Belfast Telegraph.

"This is a major issue: how the last election was dealt with. Obviously we're reviewing the situation. We will be pressing for more detailed information."

Revealing the UUP had raised the matter directly with the NIO, he stressed that unfortunately the 21-day deadline had passed to officially contest the election result. "We did take legal advice at the time but because of the Christmas holidays, it was impossible for us to gather enough information in that time. However, we've gathered more since, so we will be considering our options," explained Mr Elliott. He added that his party hope to raise their concerns during a meeting with Ms McVea next week.

"Clearly we have to establish what the Electoral Office has done. We will be looking for discussions with the Electoral Commission," he said.

"The NIO needs to launch their own investigation into this. They're the department which is responsible, it's their ministers which have led any changes (in the Electoral Office)."

His calls for an external organisation to intervene come after UUP leader Steve Aiken had accused the Electoral Office of "marking its own homework".

Ms McVea revealed yesterday that she cannot give an exact figure on how many people were sent letters with the wrong deadline, but she stressed data had shown the rate of people added to the register who had been asked to supply evidence went up 15%.

However, Mr Elliott insisted that it was a matter of deep concern that the precise number of affected voters is not known.

"It's in the public's interest to know," he said.

Referring to his narrow election loss, he admitted that it was unlikely that he would ever know if the voting issues impacted him.

"It could have, but this is something that's not just worrying for me as a person, but a wider concern that people here are being disenfranchised," he added.

The NIO would not be drawn on whether it would carry out an investigation into the Electoral Office.

However, in a statement it said the Secretary of State Brandon Lewis will consider the findings of a report submitted by the Chief Electoral Officer on the issue.

It had been submitted to his predecessor Julian Smith.

"The new Secretary of State will consider the detail of the report with a view to publishing shortly," the spokesperson added.

BBC NI said the investigation carried out by The Nolan Show was in the public interest and it stood by its journalism.

A statement added: "Throughout the investigation, the Electoral Office and Electoral Commission, have been given opportunities to respond to the various allegations we have investigated and have been invited to appear on the programme to answer the concerns raised. That invitation remains open.

ThanksCase Study 1: 'Very poor, disjointed service'

"I am my brother's next of kin. He is physically disabled and I contacted the Electoral Office as I had made an application for a proxy vote on his behalf.

"Nothing arrived back in the post and I contacted the Electoral Office at 9am on the closing date. I was told by a member of staff that if I sent all of my brother's details by email by 5pm it would be grand. I did this and I then just rang to confirm if they had received the necessary documentation.

"I was then told it would not be accepted by email but another staff member would contact me. I'm still waiting!

"It's very poor, disjointed customer service from the Electoral Office."

Case Study 2: 'We could not register online'

My daughter and partner tried to register online.

They went through all the questions and awaited a response to no avail.

They have heard absolutely nothing from the Electoral Office, not even an acknowledgement of receipt.

There were different deadlines from what I could gather on media advertising for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The whole system is a disgrace.

An independent body should look into what went wrong, especially considering some seats were won on an extremely small majority.

Case Study 3: 'They told me to phone back'

"I phoned up to secure proxy votes for my mother and father. My mother hadn't had any word if she was getting her proxy vote.

"She was worried because it was the first time that my parents had voted by proxy. It was coming close to voting day and my mum phoned up, and the person told her that it didn't look like that you have got them.

"She was upset so I called up and the first person I spoke to said that they couldn't check and there was nothing I could do and told me to phone back.

"I got in touch later and the second person I spoke got the matter sorted and fortunately my parents got their votes."
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse)  Wed, February 19, 2020 14:06 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20656e122 2 Entertainment Ozzy-Osbourne,concert,North-America Free

Representatives of the 71-year-old rocker announced that he was cancelling his "No More Tours 2" tour to "continue to recover from various health issues he has faced over the past year."

Osbourne explained in a statement that the decision was made to accommodate fans, with the musician adding that concert-goers who have purchased "No More Tours 2" tickets will have first access to tickets for his next tour.

"I don't want to start a tour and then cancel shows at the last minute, as it's just not fair to the fans. I'd rather they get a refund now and when I do the North American tour down the road, everyone who bought a ticket for these shows will be the first ones in line to purchase tickets at that time," he said, adding that he will soon seek medical treatment in Switzerland.

Osbourne has battled with various health issues in the past year, including Parkinson's disease, pneumonia, and injuries caused by a fall at his Los Angeles home.

The former Black Sabbath frontman postponed all his 2019 tour dates back in April. At the time, fans were asked to hold onto their tickets as they would be honored later this year.

The cancellation of Osbourne's 2020 North American tour arrives a few days ahead of the release of his twelfth studio album, "Ordinary Man," on February 21.

Post Malone, Elton John, Slash, and Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello all contributed to the much-anticipated follow-up to 2010's "Scream," which was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Andrew Watt, Gun N' Roses' bassist Duff McKagan and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Chad Smith.

"It was a lot of fun to do though it's a lot different from my other albums. We recorded it quickly, which I haven't done since the first Black Sabbath album. This made it a different process, which I actually enjoyed," Osbourne said of his latest studio effort in a statement.

In addition to releasing "Ordinary Man," the British vocalist will appear in the upcoming documentary "Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy," which will premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas.
Banning digital devices in schools will not rub out the risk of online abuse and cyberbullying, the Australian eSafety commissioner says.

Julie Inman Grant is instead calling for a consistent national approach to online safety that involves having difficult but age-appropriate conversations with school-aged children, and having them often.

The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, says conversations are the crucial starting point for schools and families seeking to promote online safety. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"Whether you're bringing your own device to school or devices are prepared, what we need to be setting down is school policies [on] acceptable use," she said.

"Where I think it gets a little trickier is what kind of influence the schools have when kids are at home using their own devices or on Fortnite. Cyber bullying and youth image-based abuse are peer-to-peer abuses, and so basically an extension of conflict happening within the school yard that spills over after hours. Is that the school's responsibility?
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jensen Partners has expanded its global footprint to meet the growing demand for specialized recruitment services. Peter Mayer, formerly a Partner at PJT Park Hill, joins Jensen Partners as Head of Europe, set to lead European efforts out of the firm's London office and spearhead recruiting and AUM growth advisory.

An executive search and corporate advisory firm for the alternative investment management industry, Jensen Partners specializes in the sourcing and placement of capital raising talent. Mayer provides Jensen Partners with additional boots on the ground in a key financial market.

"Peter is a veteran of the alternative investment industry, with a deep understanding of different strategies and asset classes, as well as a vast network of contacts and GP and LP relationships," said Sasha Jensen, founder and CEO of Jensen Partners. "We are thrilled to have Peter as a member of our team, who will be key to growing our advisory business and helping our clients raise capital by identifying and securing the ideal human capital."

Mayer has more than 30 years of experience in the alternative asset and financial services industry, including expertise in hedge funds and private debt. He joins Jensen Partners from PJT Park Hill, where he was most recently a Partner responsible for leading the Park Hill's European Hedge Fund business. Prior to joining Park Hill Group in 2006 (at the time, part of Blackstone), Mayer was a Director in the Private Funds Group at Credit Suisse; before that, he headed the bank's Emerging European Equity Sales team. Mayer began his banking career at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in New York.

"I have long admired Sasha and the team at Jensen Partners for how they have built such a dominant franchise anchored on extraordinarily strong relationships with their clients through their tailored services and a unique search methodology," said Mayer. "I hope to build on Jensen Partners' reputation by expanding the firm's efforts into new markets and delivering the same high-quality service to their clients around the world."

About Jensen Partners

Jensen Partners is a global advisory, corporate development and executive search firm that leverages its extensive relationships in the investor and alternative asset management community to source and recruit leading capital-raising candidates. The firm takes a data-driven approach, combining quantitative and qualitative insights to source and place the ideal human capital. In addition to executive search, Jensen Partners offers LP/GP referencing, proprietary 360 Investor Referencing methodology, and compensation benchmarking and analysis. To learn more, please visit www.jensen-partners.com.

Jensen Partners Proprietary Mapping and Data Recruitment Model

Jensen Partners leverages its extensive investor relationships as well as its proprietary big data recruitment and competitor intelligence market mapping model to source and place capital raising professionals. This model is based on the firm's global database of more than 22,000 global alternative capital raisers, which includes professionals from private equity firms, private credit firms, real estate investment firms, real asset investors, infrastructure investors and hedge funds.

Since 2014, Jensen Partners has tracked more than 11,000 marketing moves across the alternative investment industry, which gives the firm the depth and breadth of data necessary to find the best talent and make the best recommendations. Jensen Partners has also recently invested heavily in its data capabilities by bringing in expert resources to optimize the firm's market mapping model and identify new opportunities for its clients.

In 2019, Jensen Partners began tracking the diversity of marketing talent to better meet the demand for diverse hires, and in 2020 the firm will begin tracking the movement of marketers specializing in ESG and impact investing. This data and insights about trends in the alternative investment industry are available exclusively in the Jensen Partners quarterly newsletter.

Media Contact:

Samantha Foley

646-818-9140

[email protected]

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Whether they are household names or people making a big impact in their industries behind the scenes, successful leaders all swear by morning routines that set them up for a productive day.

Related: The 10-Minute Morning Routine That Will Clear Your Mind

Martha Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc.

In an interview with The Cut, she explained: "I have no shades on my windows, so I usually wake up with sunrise, which has been around 5 a.m. I generally read the New York Times right away. I have my iPad right next to my bed and I do the mini-crossword puzzle  if I havent done it before I go to bed, because the new one is posted around midnight. Its sort of a habit I have. Then I get up and I take my shower. Then I go back and I read the New York Times, and I might open the doors to let the cats out."

Tim Ferriss, entrepreneur, author and speaker

In a podcast, the writer, speaker and thought leader explained why he starts his day by journaling: "It's easy to become obsessed with pushing the ball forward as a Type-A personality and end up a perfectionist who is always future-focused...The five-minute journal is a therapeutic intervention, for me at least, because I am that person. That allows me to not only get more done during the day but to also feel better throughout the entire day, to be a happier person, to be a more content person  which is not something that comes naturally to me."

Sonali Divilek, Head of Digital Storefront for Marcus by Goldman Sachs

Divilaek told Entrepreneur: "Each day starts the same  my husband wakes up before 5:00 a.m. and I usually follow around 5:30 a.m., which gives us about an hour and forty-five minutes before our daughter wakes up. We sit together as I go through the news and selectively read or respond to emails. I typically dont answer non-urgent emails because I want some separation from the workday and to level set my intentions for the day. Then I go to the gym and once I get backits go time. I feed my daughter breakfast while we chat, get us both dressed and then we are out the door by 8:10 a.m. to start our days. It may sound simple, but my morning routine is one of if not the most important part of my day. To me, showing up in the right headspace is critical for being effective at work and the time I intentionally spend to make sure we have quality family time helps that."

Related: Everyone Should Try This Bit of Tim Ferriss's Morning Routine

Sir Richard Branson, founder of The Virgin Group

In a blog post, he explained his love of getting an early start on the day, writing, "...I find the period of quiet, before most of the world logs on, to be a great time to catch up on news and reply to emails. These early hours give me the opportunity to start each day with a fresh and organised slate." He continued: "Being an early riser isnt about trumpeting how hard you work. Its about doing everything within your power to help your business achieve success; and if that means you have to get up at an hour not known to most, then you might as well enjoy the sunrise."

Daymond John, Shark Tank and serial founder/investor

The Shark told CNBC Make It: When you wake up in the morning and look at emails, youre going to be consumed by everyone elses emails of people asking you what they need to be done. You dont get an email in the morning that says, All those problems I had last week, I solved them, and the check is on the way to you for a million dollars. He continued: I dont look at Instagram because everyone there is skinnier and sexier and richer than me, John says. So if I wake up in the morning, looking at everyones problems from an email, and then also thinking about how everyone is living a great life, then I walk out of the room depressed.

John says he prefers to schedule positive things for himself in those first early hours. What I do is I start to set up in the morning all the time I want to spend with my family, with myself, focus on my goals, John says. And when I walk into the world, Im concentrating on what I want to accomplish.

Related: 10 Tweaks To Your Morning Routine That Will Transform Your Entire Day

Deirdre Latour, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Pearson

For Latour, it's all about structure, explaining to Entrepreneur: "I basically break my morning routine into three important sections: me time, work time and family time. I do a few small exercises to warm my body up like cat/cow and roll-ups. After that, it is time to read the news. Since I am a Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for a British company, it is critical that I have an understanding of what is happening in the UK, US and in the business world. With my first batch of work finished, I focus on my family. I think doing small, nice things for your partner is good for the relationship, so I also always take the time to make a pot of coffee for my husband  he likes my coffee better anyway. After breakfast, I argue with the kids for what feels like ten minutes for them to get their shoes and coats on and then I take them to school on my way to the subway. Once I drop them off, its off to the races."

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple

In a televised interview, Cook described his crazy-early start: "I wake up at 3:45, I do e-mail (at 4:30), I'm in the gym by 5 a.m. And I work straight until 8 or 9 at night. And then I do it all over again the next day. But I love it, it's my life."

Sean Kell, CEO at Blue Nile

Kell builds his day around his early energy: "Im a morning person, so I like to make the most important decisions/meetings before 1-2 pm in the afternoon. I arrive at the office by 8 a.m. My first hour is spent walking around to catch up with folks and say good morning. Its also a good time to get a few emails done before my meetings start at 9 a.m. I usually have meetings booked from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. every day, so keeping 8-9 a.m. open is nice  and allows me to have impromptu meetings if something urgent comes up."

Related: 14 of the Best Morning Routine Hacks Proven to Boost Productivity

Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes, CEO at Aruba Tourism Authority

The head of Aruba tourism is mindful of enjoying her surroundings: "I get up at 5:00 a.m. and I use nature as my alarm clock. I like sleeping with the curtains open, so I wake up naturally at sunrise each day. The first thing I do is check my phone, emails and social media (if time permits!) I work with people across many different time zones, so I need to keep on top of my emails. I generally also exercise each morning. I start my day with a jog at Tierra Del Sol and twice a week, I like to mix it up with an activity like Hot Hatha Yoga at Happy Buddha Yoga. But Id be remiss if I didnt also call out one of the most important parts of my morning  playing with my dogs. Im a big dog lover and I have two American Bulldogs, Zeppo and Zazou. Spending time with them each morning helps relax me and gets me ready for the day."

Related:

How Does Your Morning Routine Compare to Business Leaders Like Tim Ferriss, Martha Stewart and More?

Sports Cliches That Can Actually Inspire Success

4 Ways to Unlock Your Inner Creativity



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While some beautiful women use the opportunity to travel to different places after winning in major beauty pageants. Others have used the opportunity to make connections with significant people and other networks for entrepreneurial prospects. The case is similar with Alida Boer.

Business Opportunity from Pageantry

For Alida Boer, her victory as Miss Guatemala in 2007 had given her the chance to travel to different regions in her country. During her travels, she had come across a discovery that inspired her to start one of her latest business venture, Marias Bag. The craftsmanship and richness of Guatemalan art had inspired her to start the business.

According to an article from Hola, Marias Bag is a high-fashion product that presents a line of designs inspired by the bold colors and textiles and complicated weaving patterns that were passed down from one generation to another. The designs empower true Guatemalan culture.

Boer said that before the launch of her new product, he thought of ways on how Guatemalan art can be introduced to the world. After more than two years of planning and researching, she finally thought of showcasing the rich Guatemalan culture through bags.

Currently, the Marias bag is being sold worldwide such as in Latin American nations, Miami, South Africa, and London. The former Miss Guatemala's brand was not only made with captivating and beautiful designs, but it was also like a book that told the story of Guatemalan culture and the artistic heritage originating from the culture of the Mayans.

Dreams from Pageantry

In Venezuela, aside from oil, the next successful and profitable export of the nation are beauty queens.

An article from NBC News told the story of how Venezuelan women are making a living through entering beauty pageants.

Johandrys Colls, a 16-year-old beauty pageant regular takes pride in her metal crown decorated with plastic gemstones and nine satin-made sashes she won in some local beauty pageants.

She is the daughter of a butcher and a teacher. Her parents hope for her to have a better life by entering the world of pageantry. They dream of Colls to become an international beauty queen someday.

Due to some protests of groups for sexism, many beauty pageants had given in to the rallies such as Miss America. It was noticed that the competition had scrapped the swimsuit competitions and converted it into an emphasis on the personal accomplishment of its candidates. It is highly evidential that Latin American women who looked good are frequently declared winners, disregarding their accomplishments in life.

Despite the difficulty in thriving in the beauty pageant industry, Colls' parents still see their child as a successful beauty queen in the future. This vision led them to enroll Colls in one of the top modeling schools in Venezuela. They believe that the school will help Colls transform into a beautiful woman worthy of being called a beauty queen shortly.

Looking at the achievements and current standing of the former Miss Guatemala, the rewards that come after being declared a beauty queen is enticing to many Latinas.
For most travelers, the prolonged grounding of the beleaguered Boeing 737 Max has been a nuisance.

Repeated flight changes and cancellations, the latest announced last week by Southwest, United and American, have messed with travel plans.

For California frequent flyer Carlos Burgos, the nearly yearlong string of schedule changes has been a bonanza, allowing him to save money and time on multiple Southwest flights.

"It's been the best thing in the world,'' he said.

Burgos and other savvy travelers have taken advantage of Southwest's generous flight-change policy during each Max flight schedule change. The plane has been grounded since March 2019 following two fatal crashes, on Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines, in five months that killed 346 people.

United and American have rebooked affected travelers on other flights for free or allowed them to make changes without penalty during the Max crisis. But Southwest's system has been more liberal, enabling any traveler to change any flight in the covered travel period for a short window (usually a few days) each time Max flight changes were announced.

Southwest never charges a fee to change a ticket, but passengers do have to pay any fare difference between the original flight and the new flight, which can make flight changes pricey or prohibitive.

With the fare difference broadly waived each time Max flight changes were announced, Burgos and other travelers changed existing flights to better times, dates or even eligible nearby airports and/or booked cheap new flights and immediately changed them to pricier flights without paying more.

Southwest Airlines has offered a liberal flight change policy during the Boeing 737 Max crisis and savvy travelers have used a loophole to book cheaper flights.

Take a trip to Las Vegas Burgos booked last week after Southwest announced it was delaying the plane's return from early June until mid-August, a move that impacted nearly 400 daily summer flights.

Burgos wasn't affected by the schedule change. But on the day of the announcement, he booked a cheap flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday, July 4, because it was only $54.

Story continues

As expected, he immediately got an alert that he was eligible to change his flight at no additional cost as long as the new flight was between June 20 and July 18 and he flew into LAX or another eligible Southern California airport.

He switched to Sunday, July 5, his preferred return date, and to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, his preferred airport because it's close to his house. The going one-way fares for travel that day into the airport, which has less airline competition than LAX: $169 to $227 depending on the time, more than triple the price he paid. His bill for the flight change: $0.

He did a similar switch on the flight to Las Vegas, booking a cheap early morning flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on July 2 and moving it to a later, pricier departure out of Orange County.

Burgos saved big, too, on a post-Christmas trip to Hawaii after Southwest removed the Max from its schedule through the busy holiday season last summer.He booked cheap tickets on off-peak days (Dec. 6 and Jan. 15) and immediately changed them to peak days, Dec. 26 and Jan. 5, without paying extra. His estimated savings: $600.

And those are just some of the trips he took due to the generous change policy. Burgos said the cheap tickets spurred him to book several weekend trips he wasn't otherwise planning, including trips this spring to Portland, Oregon; Seattle; Boise, Idaho; and the Grand Canyon via Las Vegas, plus a return trip to Hawaii.

Except for his twin brother, his family still doesn't understand how he pulled it off.

"This is not easy,'' he said.

Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz said the airline decided to institute a broad travel waiver because it offers the most convenience and flexibility for travelers affected by the Max changes.

"While its true that other customers could benefit by making changes, its just not something were seeing much of,'' he said.

Mainz said it would be difficult for passengers to predict when Southwest was going to do a schedule change related to the Max.

The airline did not broadcast the change free-for-all, of course, but savvy travelers including Burgos caught on early and started sharing strategies and free-change wins in the Southwest forum on frequent flyer website FlyerTalk several weeks after the grounding.

With repeated schedule changes as the grounding dragged on, and some bloggers sharing tips about the free changes from the forum, many openly wondered whether Southwest would tighten the broad change policy.

Avid users started talking in general terms about the free changes, and some advised others not to post about it.

But that didn't stop travelers from discussing the latest round of free changes last week when Southwest delayed the plane's return from early June to Aug. 10.

Burgos and others did notice, though, that fares seemed higher than usual on flights covered by the latest waiver, making the loophole less lucrative on some routes.

"Southwest knows that people are abusing this and increased the minimum price during the free change window so they don't take as much of a loss,'' one poster on FlyerTalk said.

The big question now is whether that will be the last Max schedule change, and thus the end of free changes altogether.

Boeing, under new leadership, has said it expects the plane to be ungrounded by regulators by mid-2020. Southwest has said it will take at least a couple of months after that to get the plane back into commercial service, which is why it pushed the planned return into August. United has removed the plane from its schedule until Labor Day weekend, American through Aug. 17.

Southwest isn't yet selling tickets beyond Aug. 10 and doesn't plan to do so until March 12, so there is no need for another schedule change in the near future.

Max fare sale? Don't count on it

Delta flight changes: Is a shake up on the way?

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Southwest 737 Max ticket loophole gave some travelers cheaper flights
HOLYOKE  The City Council adopted an ordinance Tuesday that gives property tax abatements to Massachusetts National Guard or Reserve members deployed overseas.

The Board of Assessors must draft policy on the new program.

Last week, Jesus Pereira, who directs the citys Department of Veterans Services, asked the council to approve the program under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 59, Section 5, which allows a local option tax abatement up to 100%.

Pereira proposed waiving part or all property taxes for Guard members on extended deployments, which can last a year or more. The state does not reimburse communities for the reductions.

When implemented, the tax break would cover the period the service member is deployed.

Pereira proposed waiving part or all property taxes for Guard members engaged in extended deployments. He noted that most Massachusetts National Guard members served at least one overseas duty in the past five years.

Pereira cautioned councilors not to classify military service members into those who serve in war zones or not. He said not all military personnel are kicking down doors but still provide critical support stateside and globally.

Holyoke offers tax abatements for eligible senior property owners and work-off programs for the elderly and veterans. Seniors can save up to $750 on their tax bills by working as a volunteer in a city department.

The council also approved a $6.56 million MassWorks grant for infrastructure improvements around Carlo Vega Park in South Holyoke. The work coincides with a multistage rental and owner-occupied housing project.

Councilor Rebecca Lisi, who chairs the Ordinance Committee, said the funding would enhance pedestrian and bike traffic and calm traffic in the neighborhood. She said the grant would improve quality-of-life in South Holyoke.

Ward 2 Councilor Terence Murphy said new raised sidewalks would offer safer routes to the park.

The Holyoke Housing Authority plans to build a mix of rentals unit and privates homes over multiple phases around Hamilton and Clemente Streets. The park honors the life and legacy of Carlos Vega, the former director of Nueva Esperanza.

The MassWorks grant pays for a new traffic configuration, stormwater bump-out planters, new trees, curbing, sidewalks, street lighting, bike lanes, pedestrian walkways and landscaping.

The project also includes new alleyways and an 18,950 square-foot greens pace. Gov. Charlie Baker announced the grant award in December 2019.
Threat actors are weaponizing hyper-connectivity with new adversarial strategies and tactics

WATERLOO, Ontario, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) today released its annual 2020 Threat Report, which examines the latest adversarial techniques and tactics analyzed by BlackBerry Cylance threat researchers, and provides guidance organizations can leverage to mitigate risk. Key findings include the continued evolution of nation-state backed threat actor groups, the increased availability of sophisticated attack toolsets, as well as analysis on which targets are becoming more appealing to attackers and why. The report also details more select threats focused on targets like embedded technologies in connected vehicles, manufacturing and mobile devices, and those taking advantage of misconfigurations in cloud computing deployments.

"New techniques to obscure malicious payloads and distribute attacks across multiple organizations paid off for threat actors in 2019," said Eric Cornelius, Chief Technology Officer at BlackBerry Cylance. "With the increasing ease of access to attack toolkits combined with the explosion of endpoints connected to organizations' networks, the global threat landscape for emerging threats will only continue to escalate in 2020."

Automotive and Retail Industries Should Brace for More Threats

The search to find and exploit vulnerabilities in the expanding attack surface has caused a shift in the industries most often targeted by malicious actors, particularly towards the automotive sector. For example, BlackBerry Cylance researchers discovered new backdoors being deployed by APT group OceanLotus (APT 32) in a 2019 campaign targeting multinational automotive manufacturers. As more vehicles become connected  and the attention given to potential outcomes of cyberattacks on vehicles increases  attacks against this sector are anticipated to grow. As such, the industry must continue investing in cybersecurity processes and secure connected software to ensure public trust in the transportation technologies of the future.

Additionally, Cylance researchers found that retail and wholesale remained the most targeted sectors, where almost a quarter (23%) of all retailers suffered a compromise of sensitive financial information. Three of the most prevalent threats of 2019  Emotet, Ramnit and Upatre  all focused on retail organizations. Coinmining operations also had a focus on retailers, with 47% of attacks impacting that sector.

The report also spotlighted other unique threats facing a range of industry verticals including:

Technology/Software: Where attacks typically have a focus on stealing intellectual property, over a quarter (26%) were victims of ransomware specifically.

Where attacks typically have a focus on stealing intellectual property, over a quarter (26%) were victims of ransomware specifically. Service Providers: This industry's customer base was leveraged by threat actors to increase malicious distributions using remote management tools like Go2Assist and NinjaRMM.

This industry's customer base was leveraged by threat actors to increase malicious distributions using remote management tools like Go2Assist and NinjaRMM. Healthcare: Healthcare organizations were more likely to pay ransoms than other industries due to the critical nature of the targeted data.

Healthcare organizations were more likely to pay ransoms than other industries due to the critical nature of the targeted data. Government: Attacks against government entities can have cascading effects that not only impact critical national infrastructure, but impact individuals as well given the significant quantities of personally identifiable information they store.

"Threat intelligence on APT groups can help organizations understand who is attacking their enterprise, and the actor's mode of operations and motives, in order to be more proactive in protecting vulnerable systems against advanced threats," said Brian Robison, Chief Evangelist at BlackBerry Cylance. "In 2020, AI and machine learning will continue to prove critical for threat prevention and remediation strategies because of the advantage they offer through continuous learning and proactive threat modelling of attacks that continue to become more complex."

Additional Key Findings in the 2020 Annual Threat Report

Coinmining attacks become more commonplace as cryptocurrency prevails: Criminals recognized an opportunity to passively generate revenue by infecting cryptocurrency machines.

Criminals recognized an opportunity to passively generate revenue by infecting cryptocurrency machines. MSSPs are becoming high-value targets for threat actors: New ransomware called Sodinokibi caused mass disruption by infiltrating hosted environments.

New ransomware called Sodinokibi caused mass disruption by infiltrating hosted environments. Data loss is increasing because of cloud misconfiguration: Misconfigured cloud resources led to a total of over seven billion records being publicly exposed in 2019. This number is only expected to increase with cloud investments estimated to reach $49.1 billion in 2020.

Misconfigured cloud resources led to a total of over seven billion records being publicly exposed in 2019. This number is only expected to increase with cloud investments estimated to reach in 2020. Continued evolution of ransomware tactics: An increased availability of Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) offerings, and instances where ransomware developers have collaborated with banking trojan developers to exfiltrate data prior to encryption, are being used to further extort victims.

An increased availability of Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) offerings, and instances where ransomware developers have collaborated with banking trojan developers to exfiltrate data prior to encryption, are being used to further extort victims. Increased use of host-encrypted malware: Static analysis of host-encrypted malware is almost impossible in a lab, decreasing defenders' understanding of the malicious code and the ability for security solutions to block it.

To learn more and download a copy of the report, visit http://www.cylance.com/2020-threat-report .

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) is a trusted security software and services company that provides enterprises and governments with the technology they need to secure the Internet of Things. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company is unwavering in its commitment to safety, cybersecurity and data privacy, and leads in key areas such as artificial intelligence, endpoint security and management, encryption and embedded systems. For more information, visit BlackBerry.com and follow @BlackBerry.

Trademarks, including but not limited to BLACKBERRY and EMBLEM Design are the trademarks or registered trademarks of BlackBerry Limited and the exclusive rights to such trademarks are expressly reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Media Contact:

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The unexpected novel coronavirus epidemic may have taken a toll on Chinas tourism industry, but the sector will rebound thanks to its resilience and the countrys bailout plans.

112 tourists from central Chinas Hubei province stranded in Sanya, south Chinas Hainan province, returned to Hubei by chartered plane following the novel coronavirus outbreak on Feb. 13.

The relevant departments, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT), have rolled out corresponding measures to help the tourism industry get through its current difficulties.

The ministry will refund 80 percent of the service quality deposits that travel agencies put up when opening for business, the MCT said in a statement on Feb. 6, adding that the agencies can deposit the money again within the next two years.

Local governments have also launched bailout plans for the sector. Southwest Chinas Sichuan province announced 10 measures to help travel agencies resume operation while still curbing the epidemic, while east Chinas Shandong province issued a notice to speed up work resumption of State-level A-class scenic spots.

Dai Bin, head of the China Tourism Academy, said that the sector will see better development due to supporting policies and huge market potential.

In the first three quarters of 2019, domestic journeys and tourism revenue surged 8.9 percent and 13 percent year on year, respectively, Dai said. What was of special note was that rural residents travel spending soared by 22.3 percent in the third quarter last year, Dai added.

Citizens tourism consumption potential has been further unleashed in recent years thanks to steady and solid progress in measures such as the reduction of ticket prices of state-owned major scenic spots and the launching of pilot national park programs, he noted.

Dai also said that huge consumption potential is promoting in-depth development of mass tourism in the country, and supporting sustainable development of the sector, as people have inelastic demands for tourism.
In a bid to engage citizens to adopt improved waste management practices, Tata Trusts, through its programme, Mission Garima, has launched a campaign -- #TwoBinsLifeWins. The campaign brings to light the story of a child whose father has to segregate waste in sewers because citizens wouldnt.

The campaign urges citizens to segregate waste at the source, to make the lives of the conservancy workers better, more dignified. It is a part of an on-going initiative of the Trusts -- Mission Garima -- to promote safe, healthy and humane working conditions for conservancy workers in Mumbai. Under Mission Garima, the Trusts have identified and procured technologies to make the process for waste management more mechanical, and reduce human intervention. Tata Trusts has provided improved Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to more than 150 conservancy workers in Mumbai, in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM).

The launch of the campaign will further see the distribution of more sets of PPE at a first-of-its-kind model chowki at L-ward, Kurla, jointly inaugurated by Tata Trusts and MCGM. Chowkis are facilities in every ward where cleanliness workers assemble to begin their day, and come back to change and rest. The first-of-its kind model chowki in Kurla comprises office space, separate rooms for men and women staff with improved water and sanitation services, storage, and a functional open space. It will be equipped with amenities like a water purification system, microwave oven, a gym, among other recreational activities.

Divyang Waghela, Head  Tata Water Mission, Tata Trusts, said, Conservancy workers are the backbone of large metropolitan cities like Mumbai. They help in keeping our city clean, and in order. It is imperative that efforts are made to ensure their safety, and to protect their dignity. Tata Trusts launched Mission Garima to bring about a significant positive impact in the work environment of conservancy workers. With #TwoBinsLifeWins, we hope to prod the conscience of the nation and encourage citizens to segregate waste at their respective homes, so conservancy workers live a life of dignity and respect.

The campaign has been developed by FCB Ulka.

Shedding light on the storytelling, Keegan Pinto, National Creative Director, FCB Ulka, said, The inspiration for this heartfelt film comes from true feelings, testimonials and insights. This film is very special to us. But the film is not more important than the cause. Nothing is more heinous, ridiculous, tragic, disgusting and a greater product of our trademark Indian collective convenience and ignorance than a man having to go down in the drain and then, dying too early leaving his children orphaned. We really wish the film makes a difference and we hope people start segregating their waste at home with the small act of 2 bins and abolish this practice altogether.
Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, sent them a video message. In these two articles, we will look at what she said. In our first piece, we examined the havoc the regime wreaked on the country and now we will look at how the Iranian people are fighting back.

Maryam Rajavi said that the Iranian people are restless against injustice and harbor immense hope for change, which is why theyve been rebelling against suppression and refusing to surrender to the velayat-e faqih (absolute rule of the Supreme Leader).

She said: I am proud to say that over the past 40 years, the struggle for freedom has not ceased for a second. Today, this struggle manifests itself in the Iranian peoples uprisings, including the magnificent uprisings that have continued from December 2017 to November and December 2019, and January 2020, and show no signs of abating.

Maryam Rajavi then quoted her husband and fellow resistance leader Massoud Rajavi, who said that the flames of resistance for freedom can never be extinguished, no matter how much the regime tries to hide the light.

She then spoke about the November uprising, highlighting that the 1,500 martyrs of the uprising, and the 4,000 injured and 12,000 arrested, champion the same message as the 120,000 people who have been killed by the regime for supporting freedom.

This message is: The Iranian people have a right to live free. They have a right to elect their government. They have a right to enjoy social justice and social development; and indeed, the Iranian people deserve freedom, democracy, and equality.

Maryam Rajavi then spoke about celebrating the lives of those who had made the ultimate sacrifice, including Ashraf Rajavi, the champion of the Resistance women, commander Moussa Khiabani, and their comrades, who lost their lives on February 8, 1982.

She said: They painted an epic struggle and kept this unforgettable flame burning, shining on the path of the Iranian peoples struggle and perseverance against the clerical regime.

Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of Ashraf,

Maryam Rajavi then praised the Iranians and their supporters who had held rallies that day, not just in Sweden, but also in the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, France, Italy, and Canada.

She said: Your efforts to echo the voice of your peoples Resistance and uprising to the rest of the world is admirable. Intensify these efforts and ensure that the clerical regime faces an international blockade. Inspire international governments and institutions to support the Iranian peoples rights and to condemn the regimes crimes.

Maryam Rajavi further advised that the international community duty to urge the regime to release political prisoners, refer the dossier of the regimes crimes to the United Nations Security Council, and firm policy in the face of the regimes human rights violations, terrorism and warmongering.

She said: A free Iran endowed with peoples sovereignty is on the horizon. Filled with this hope, we will, with conviction and passion, march ahead shoulder-to-shoulder with and for the uprising, and at every moment.

Read More:

Maryam Rajavis Speech to Stockholm Rally: Part 1

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Tyson Fury gave up waiting to face off with Deontay Wilder as they made their grand arrivals prior to Saturday's much grander world heavyweight title rematch.

The Gypsy King marched off the stage when the Bronze Bomber had still not entered the packed lobby of the MGM Grand 20 minutes after he had finished playing to the crowd.

Oh, the mind games.

Tyson Fury repeated his vow to knockout Deontay Wilder in their rematch on Saturday

Fury walked off the stage before the WBC champion Wilder arrived at the MGM Grand lobby

Maybe shades of things to come on Saturday night as Wilder will have the right to enter the ring second as still the WBC champion following the controversial draw in their first fight.

Fury was bedecked in another one of his extravagant suits, this time it beared hundreds of motifs featuring his own face - and a message about mental health.

When Wilder did appear it was in a fur collared leather coat with a gold chain and medallion hanging on his bare chest.

Fury turned up to Tuesday's promotional event wearing a suit with hundreds of his own face on

There was a message about mental health hidden in each one of Fury's faces on his suit

Fury had the crowd of some thousands cheering as he repeated his vow to land a second round KO: 'Absolutely. In an effing war.'

The Manchester giant's reception exceeded that of Wilder's as fans from both sides of the Atlantic appeared to show their allegiance lies with this popular British heavyweight.

'I'm very happy so many people have turned out for this event,' he said.

Grabbing the microphone, the Gypsy King then roared: 'Who's ready for a f****** war? Let's go! I've done everything correctly in training camp, I've been over here for 10 weeks and I feel on fire.

The self-styled Gypsy King played up to the crowd and shouted: 'Who's ready for a f****** war?'

Wilder, like Fury, is also predicting a knockout when the two renew their rivalry in Las Vegas

'I'm ready for anything they chuck at me. I cannot wait for Saturday. This is the biggest fight of the last 50 years in the heavyweight division with two men putting it on the line.

'The fans will be the winners because we both have a lot to lose. It's going to be an entertaining fight.'

Half an hour later Wilder reached the stage screaming his trademark 'Bomb Squad.'

Then he said: 'I can't wait to serve my greatness in this fight by knocking him out. Then we congratulate each other on the great job we did.'
A man who died after he was hit by a flying gas bottle during a freak storm in Sydney has been identified.

Hoong Leong, 37, was walking home from drinks with colleagues in The Rocks on Tuesday at 11pm when he was hit by the nine-kilogram bottle.

It is believed to have blown from a high-rise balcony on the street before hitting Mr Leong in the shoulder, according to Nine News.

Hoong Leong, 37, was walking home from drinks with colleagues in The Rocks on Tuesday at 11pm when he was hit by the nine-kilogram bottle

People from a nearby pub rushed to help but Mr Leong's condition began to deteriorate.

His lungs collapsed before he went into cardiac arrest and CPR was performed.

Mr Leong was rushed to St Vincent's Hospital, where he died.

'Traumatic cardiac arrest is serious and it's rare for someone to survive,' NSW Ambulance Superintendent Kath Rallings told reporters on Wednesday.

'This is a freak accident and a tragedy for this man's family and friends.'

Supt Rallings said the man's death was a 'one-in-a-million' event.

The bottle is believed to have blown from a balcony of one of the high rise buildings and hit Mr Leong in the shoulder

'While this appears to be a one-in-a-million accident please do not underestimate these wild-weather conditions,' she said.

Detective Inspector David El-Badawi said the gas bottle had fallen 'from a great height' to strike the married Chatswood man and they are investigating where it had fallen from.

'The bottle hit him in the shoulder,' Det Insp El-Badawi said.

'It's a nine-kilogram gas bottle. We believe it has come from a nearby apartment building but we don't know that yet.

'If anyone is missing a gas bottle, we just need to know the circumstances behind this man's death, it's a tragic accident.'

People from a nearby pub rushed to help but Mr Leong's condition began to deteriorate

Detectives visited the scene outside the Malt Shovel Taphouse on Wednesday morning.

Det Insp El-Badawi said the man's friend was traumatised after witnessing the 'freak incident'.

A crime scene has been established on Harrington Street and investigators have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
Fernando Alonso says he will be racing in May's Indianapolis 500.

That is despite the fact that Honda reportedly vetoed his deal with the top Andretti team, and Ed Carpenter's team said it also could not accommodate the Spaniard.

But when asked by a fan if he will be in the Indy 500 field this year, El Mundo Deportivo newspaper quoted Alonso as replying: "Of course.

"I have said and you know that it is the biggest challenge I have in this quieter schedule for me with fewer races. I am going for the triple crown," the 38-year-old added.

When asked if he has a deal already in place, Alonso quipped: "What do you think?"

Alonso was much less clear about his future in Formula 1, having said earlier that he is considering a return in 2021.

"I don't know yet but it's what I am asked the most," he replied, adding that it is "false" that he is already in talks with a team.

"I will see in the summer. In F1 there are not many challenges for me as I already conquered it. So if I return it is for enjoyment, not because I need to.

"I have other dreams to fulfil with more priority," the two-time world champion added.

(GMM)
In commemoration of Black History Month, the latest article from Beyond the World War II We Know, a series by The Times that documents lesser-known stories from World War II, focuses on the challenges of black troops stationed in Germany in the aftermath of the war.

When Walter White, the head of the N.A.A.C.P. from 1931 to 1955, wrote a piece for the Chicago Defender in 1948 about a recent trip he had taken to Germany to report on black troops stationed there, he reflected on one particular question Germans had asked him about America: How can you talk about German racism as long as you maintain separate white and black armies?

As a civil rights activist, White had posed that very question to the United States government time and again. And the answer he received repeatedly was frank: America functioned under Jim Crow and the military was no different.

For the 1.2 million black men who served in a segregated army during World War II, efficiency and bravery on the battlefield didnt lead to the social changes they had hoped for. The gulf between Americas ideals and its realities hit home particularly hard for one group: the thousands of black occupation troops sent to a defeated Germany to promote democracy.
GUYSBOROUGH, N.S.  Lionel Desmonds licence to buy and possess guns was placed under review by firearms officials in New Brunswick in 2014 and again 2015, an inquiry into the former soldiers death heard Wednesday.

But the mentally ill Afghanistan veteran  who shot and killed three members of his family and himself in Nova Scotia on Jan. 3, 2017  managed to get his permit reinstated despite repeated run-ins with police.

Desmonds ability to legally buy a rifle on the day he killed his wife, mother, 10-year-old daughter and himself is at the centre of a provincial fatality inquiry that heard its 13th day of testimony on Wednesday.

The corporal with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, was diagnosed in 2011 with major depression, severe post-traumatic stress disorder and a probable traumatic brain injury after serving in Afghanistan in 2007.

Before he was medically released from the military in 2015, Desmond had applied to renew his firearms licence. But the process was subject to a review in June 2014, when the Provincial Firearms Office in New Brunswick discovered Desmond had failed to disclose his PTSD diagnosis.

Lysa Rossignol, who at the time was operations manager for the office, testified that Desmonds doctor told a firearms officer he could see no reason why Desmond should be prevented from getting a licence renewal.

He has no problem with Mr. Desmond possessing firearms, Rossignol said, reading from an investigation report prepared in December 2014.

Hes been treating him for approximately four-and-a-half years and has him medicated. He advises that Mr. Desmond has no psychosis and has never mentioned self harm or any violent ideation.

Inquiry counsel Allen Murray asked Rossignol if the firearms officer asked for any medical files.

Rossignol said he did not.

That was the protocol that was in place, she testified. He did what he was supposed to do.

Less than a year later, on Nov. 27, 2015, police were dispatched to Desmonds home in Oromocto, N.B., after his wife Shanna told police she had received texts indicating he was preparing to kill himself using a rifle he kept locked in his garage.

Desmond was arrested under the provinces Mental Health Act, his weapons were confiscated by the RCMP and his firearms licence was again subject to a review  although that process did not kick in until a month later.

It was the same approach as in 2014, said Rossignol.

A medical assessment form was sent to another doctor in January 2016, and he reported much the same thing as the first doctor.

Non-suicidal and stable, Rossignol said as she read comments from Dr. Paul Smith that were included in the second investigation report. No concerns for firearms usage with appropriate licence.

Rossignol said she was in the process of reviewing the file when she noticed Desmonds licence had been flagged on the Canadian Firearms Information System following an incident involving police in Nova Scotia on Nov. 18, 2015.

However, Rossignol said it took four months for her to determine what happened on that date because the firearms office in Nova Scotia had trouble getting disclosure from the RCMP.

Rossignol said documents from the RCMP detachment in Canso, N.S., revealed police had been dispatched to check on Desmonds mental health after his aunt complained he was in a manic state and suffering from paranoia, depression and PTSD.

However, the investigating officer reported that Desmond was calm and lucid.

Desmond displayed no signs of being a danger to himself or others, Murray said, reading from the officers occurrence report. He advised that he would call police if he felt he was deteriorating.

The inquiry was told there were two other RCMP calls involving Desmond in Nova Scotia  on Nov. 25, 2016 and on Nov. 28, 2016. But neither of those mental health calls were flagged in the database used by provincial firearms officers.

On Jan. 3, 2017, Desmond bought a Soviet-era SKS 7.62 carbine, which he used later that night to kill his 31-year-old wife Shanna, their 10-year-old daughter Aaliyah and his 52-year-old mother Brenda inside the familys home in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S.

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YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Armenias minister of emergency situations Felix Tsolakyan is gifting books to children today, on the occasion of the Book Giving Day, the ministry told Armenpress.

February 19 is the birthday of great Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan and for already over a decade this day is celebrated in Armenia as the Book Giving Day. A day which unites all those who are gifting books to children and create a desire among them to read. Various events are being held in Armenia on this day. And of course, on this day everyone can give an amazing gift to anyone in the form of books.

The books will be given to the library of Armash community of Ararat province, the ministry said in a statement, adding that 3 of the packages will be handed to the library and the rest will be distributed to the schools of the villages of the province.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
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A project to support the growth of women entrepreneurs in Vietnam was launched this week by a United Nations agency.

The Catalyzing Womens Entrepreneurship (CWE) project was launched by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada and the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam.

It aims to support womens entrepreneurship as a strategy for poverty reduction, social well-being, and sustainable economic growth.

The CWE project will address the complex barriers faced by women entrepreneurs by working with a range of stakeholders including ministries and the private sector partners in Vietnam.

Together with these stakeholders, the project will focus on policy and advocacy, innovative financing, ICT, and business skills.

Despite Vietnams recent progress regarding its socio-economic status, women are estimated to own only 21 percent of formal enterprises and face various barriers to entrepreneurship, the UN agency said.

Such barriers include, amongst others, limited access to finance and information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, lack of financial and business knowledge, and discriminatory social norms.

Developing womens entrepreneurship can boost Vietnams economy as well as empower women, said UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana on the occasion.

Women entrepreneurs are true agents of change whose innovations can lift companies, communities, and countries, she said, adding that governments, the UN, and the private sector are joining forces in this area to improve womens and girls prospects in the region.

Women-led enterprises have made important contributions to Vietnams social and economic development, said Vietnams Planning and Investment Deputy Minister Vu Dai Thang.

With greater equitable access to resources and an improved favorable gender-responsive business climate, they could further overcome the conscious and unconscious biases and constraints that limit their potential, he said.

Then they could grow stronger and contribute to more inclusive and sustainable growth in Vietnam.

Ambassador of Canada to Vietnam Deborah Paul said her country has helped improve women's participation in economic decision-making and supports female entrepreneurs to grow their businesses in Vietnam.

Canada's partnership with ESCAP will contribute to economic inclusion and advance opportunities for women-led start-ups and female entrepreneurship in Vietnam and other countries across the Asia Pacific, Ambassador Paul said.

The CWE project will be implemented across six countries in Asia and the Pacific, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Nepal, Samoa, and Vietnam.

The program hopes to impact 20,000 women entrepreneurs directly and 500,000 people indirectly while also engaging with 50 policymakers and regulators to enable six policies to support women entrepreneurs and introduce ten financing solutions to the market by 2023.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Officials pose for a photo at the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Retreat in Hanoi on February 19 (Photo: VNA)

In his opening remark, Minister Lich thanked ASEAN member countries for supporting Vietnam in performing its rotary Chair of ASEAN. He expressed his belief that the defence-military cooperation channel will continue to contribute importantly to the building of the ASEAN Community in 2020, bringing a better life for ASEAN people.

Lich stressed that the ADMM Retreat took place amidst complicated developments of security challenges, especially the outbreak and rapid spread of the acute respiratory disease caused by coronavirus (COVID-19).

As ASEAN Military Medicine Chair, Vietnam proposed that member countries consider organizing drills to cope with disease outbreaks and spread in 2020, he said.

He went on to say that Brunei and Australia, as co-chairs of the ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group on Military Medicine during 2020-2023, are encouraged to include the response to disease outbreaks in field exercises during the three-year working programme.

Vietnam also called for partner countries in the ADMM Plus mechanism to enhance their cooperation in raising ASEAN countries capacity in military medicine, especially for responding to disease outbreaks, the minister said.

Minister Lich expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the working session of heads of ADSOM delegations on February 18, which agreed to issue a joint statement on defence cooperation against disease outbreaks. He described the joint statement as a specific evidence of the unity, resolve and proactiveness of ASEAN when facing common security challenges.

According to the minister, the ADMM Retreat, which is the first high-level event during Vietnams ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020, is very important in outlining the orientation for ASEAN defence cooperation in 2020 as well as in preparing for ADMM and ADMM Plus at the end of the year.

Lich urged delegates to engage in straightforward and open discussions on security challenges faced by the region and the world, particular the ASEAN, and on assessment of ADMM, ADMM cooperative mechanisms, as well as directions and contents for cooperation in the time ahead.
More than 100 journalists from 23 countries attended a press conference in London yesterday to discuss the US extradition hearing for Julian Assange that opens Monday. Organised by the Foreign Press Association, the conference was addressed by WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, lawyer Jennifer Robinson and Australian MPs Andrew Wilkie and George Christensen.

Ten years ago, Hrafnsson recalled, Assange was an internationally celebrated journalist. WikiLeaks had worked with a core group of journalists from all over the world to release the documents known as Cablegate. Those core values are being challenged in a court next week in the Julian Assange case, he said.

WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, lawyer Jennifer Robinson, Deborah Bonetti and Australian MPs Andrew Wilkie and George Christensen

Describing as absurd the US State Departments claims that Assange is not a journalist and WikiLeaks is not a media organisation, Hrafnsson said, Last night some of us were at the Frontline Club watching the award presentation that Julian Assange received in 2011, the Walkley award the Pulitzer prize of Australia. He received that award for the releases in 2010 and 2011. The same releases that are now being described as espionage.

The empire calls it espionage. We call it journalism.

Hrafnsson tackled the frame-up US indictments against Assange. He told the journalists, The lawyers acting on behalf of the United States will maintain that one of the indictments is about hacking. It is not. That label is propaganda it has nothing to do with hacking. It is about lawful communicationcommunication between a source and a journalist.

Rejecting the baseless allegations of heartbroken generals from the Pentagon that WikiLeaks exposures had endangered lives, Hrafnsson replied, I thought that was ironic from the person who we [had] just exposed as having run death squads in Afghanistan.

Now, ten years have lapsed and there has not been a single recorded incident of physical harm coming to any individual as a result of the leaks of 2010 and 2011, he noted.

Referring to the manufactured charges against Assange and the abuse of due process he has suffered over the past decade, Hrafnsson explained, There is an overwhelming argument for dismissal.

"This is a highly politicised case, Hrafnsson continued. I've said repeatedly, Julian Assange is a political prisoner It was political in 2010, when high level officials in the US and commentators called for the taking down of WikiLeaks.

It was political when people were calling out for the assassination of Julian Assange, which in light of recent events in Iraq one should take seriously.

It was political when Mike Pompeo, then CIA director in 2017, decided to depict WikiLeaks as a non-state hostile intelligence service, something never heard before

Andrew Wilkie, an Australian independent MP and former lieutenant colonel in the Royal Australian Infantry Corps, reiterated that Assange had publicised information in the public interest, including hard evidence of US war crimes.

He was very concerned at the behaviour of the British government, very concerned at the behaviour of the Australian government And I criticise the Australian government for not speaking up in defence of an Australian citizen in strife abroad.

Australian Liberal National MP George Christensen told the audience he was unusual among Assanges defenders because he was a big fan of Donald Trump and a big fan of BoJo [UK Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson]. He continued, But Im a bigger fan of free speech and a free press and they are clearly under attack when it comes to the Julian Assange case.

Explaining the purpose of his and Wilkies visit to London, Christensen said they wanted to hear directly from Julian Assange what he wants to relay to the Australian government and to the Australian people. And also, as a welfare check, because were concerned about the constant reports we hear about his health situation, his mental state.

Christensen said he took confidence from Boris Johnsons recent statements in the House of Commons: He said he believes that the US extradition treaty with the UK is somewhat imbalanced. Hes also said that the UK protects journalists and whistle-blowers and I commend him for that. I hope that theres a change in direction.

Jennifer Robinson focussed on the significance of WikiLeaks exposures for which Assange was being prosecuted, pointing to the criminalisation of national security journalism:

Were talking about Collateral Murder, evidence of war crimes; were talking about the Afghan and Iraq war logs, which showed the true costs of Americas wars; human rights abuses; were talking about Cablegate Amnesty international said that it sparked the Arab Spring.

WikiLeaks documents had been cited in numerous human rights cases across the world, Robinson said. They are a remarkable resource for those of us seeking to hold governments to account for abuses against their citizens and others. They are the publications for which Julian Assange now sits in a high security prison and faces 175 years in the US.

In the question-and-answer session, a journalist queried WikiLeaks role in exposing the actions of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) during the 2016 US presidential elections in subverting Bernie Sanders' campaign in the Democratic primaries. Christensen observed, because of that, some on the left have actually abandoned Julian Assange. In fact, the Democratic Party and its pseudo-left and liberal supporters internationally launched a reactionary campaign against WikiLeaks, claiming it was part of Russian intervention that put Donald Trump in the White House.

Hrafnsson explained that a court ruling last year had torn this lie to shreds. A New York judge had dismissed the DNCs case with prejudice in what he described as the most underreported media story of year.

Christensens absurd hope that Boris Johnson, a fellow right-wing politician, will intervene to save Assange is one that is also being openly promoted by Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. After meeting with Wilkie on Monday, Corbyn told ABC News, He [Johnson] accepted that it [the UK-US extradition treaty] is an unbalanced treaty and it is not a fair one. Therefore I think that is a big change by the British government.

This is a deliberate distortion of what happened during Prime Ministers Questions last Wednesday, when Corbyn ended the session by first asking about Anne Sacoolas, the CIA operative who ran down and killed teenager Harry Dunn. Corbyn denounced our countrys one-sided extradition treaty with the USA, asking whether Johnson would commit to seeking a balanced extradition relationship with the United States

Johnson, under immense pressure over revelations that his government allowed Sacoolas to leave the country knowing she was a CIA agent, squirmed while acknowledging Corbyns characterisation of the extradition treaty as unbalancedbefore insisting that is totally different from the case of Harry Dunn and Anne Sacoolas.

When Corbyn followed up by asking whether Johnson felt Assanges extradition should be opposed and the rights of journalists and whistle-blowers upheld for the good of all of us, Johnson replied that he would not comment on any individual cases, before claiming that the rights of journalists and whistle-blowers should be upheld and this government will continue to do that.

The only statement ever made by BoJo on Assange was on April 11, 2019, congratulating officials at the UK Foreign Office for brutally arresting and dragging him from the Ecuadorian embassy. He has no intention whatsoever of seeking the extradition of Sacoolas, let alone opposing the US demand for Assange to be extradited to the UKand Corbyn and Christensen know this full well.

The relentless, decade-long persecution, threatened illegal rendition and torture of Julian Assange are the product of a lurch by all the imperialist powers toward war, authoritarianism and state repression in which the Johnson government is positioning itself as Trumps key military ally.

Assange will not be freed because of a supposed change of heart by Johnson, but through the building of an independent political movement of the working class against the Tory government that demands the release of the WikiLeaks publisher.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asadussin Owaisi launched a scathing attack on the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on February 19 for sending notices to 127 Hyderabad residents over Aadhaar discrepancies.



THREAD: UIDAI did not follow due procedure & abused its powers. The result was (understandable) panic among people

First, @UIDAI has no power to verify citizenship. It has few powers to look into some cases of Aadhaar being granted incorrectly (rules 27 & 28) https://t.co/2QlzaOcwVJ  Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) February 19, 2020



Request @UIDAI & @TelanganaPolice to tell us how many of those 127 listed people are Muslim & Dalit@TelanganaPolice please stop asking for Aadhaar during your search & cordon operations. Youre not legally permitted to do so

 Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) February 19, 2020

Taking to social media, the minorities leader hit out at the Aadhaar issuing authority in a series of posts for asking the 127 odd people to verify their citizenship.

The UIDAI, however, has claimed this has nothing to do with citizenship and that the notices were sent after police reports suggested the ID cards were obtained on false pretences.

Their statement read: The regional office in Hyderabad received reports from Telangana Police about 127 people obtaining their Aadhaar cards on false pretences. Preliminary enquiry suggests they are illegal immigrants who are not qualified to obtain an Aadhaar number.
An unarmed man allegedly shot in the face by a federal immigration officer earlier this month has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the agent and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Erick Diaz Cruz, 26, was visiting his mother in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn on Feb. 6 when he awoke to "men's voices and banging on the door," according to the lawsuit, which was filed in the Eastern District.

ICE officers were outside with his mother's partner, Gaspar Avendano-Hernandez, who was being targeted for removal.

MORE: Trump administration to deploy specialized Border Patrol agents to sanctuary cities

According to the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, an unidentified ICE officer fired a gun directly at Diaz Cruz's face. The bullet fractured multiple bones as it passed through Diaz Cruz's left hand and into his left cheek, lodging behind his ear, according to the lawsuit.

"This was not just an attack against me, but also an attack against the entire Latino community in the United States," Diaz Cruz said in a statement. "Our community must come together to protest ICE's violence."

Diaz Cruz was in New York from his hometown of Martinez de la Torre, Veracruz, Mexico, on a valid tourist visa, according to the lawsuit.

PHOTO: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), officers gather for a debriefing after operations to arrest undocumented immigrants, April 11, 2018, in Brooklyn, New York City. (John Moore/Getty Images, FILE)

"Along with millions of New Yorkers, we are heartbroken and sickened by ICE's senseless and unjustified shooting of Erick," said his attorney, Katie Rosenfeld of Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady. "Erick posed no threat to anyone, at any time. Erick's face is shattered, and he and his family are traumatized."

The lawsuit said the shooting left Diaz Cruz's life "forever altered," adding that "what had started as a pleasant vacation with his girlfriend to see his family in New York, and a welcome break from his steady job as a municipal employee in Veracruz, Mexico, became a horrific, life-altering trip causing him grave and permanent injuries."

Story continues

The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and named the alleged shooter, "John Doe 1," as a defendant.

At the time of the shooting, ICE said in a statement that the shooting was provoked.

PHOTO: Carmen Cruz leads a candlelight vigil to her home for her son, Eric Diaz-Cruz, who was shot in the face by an ICE agent after intervening in the arrest for deportation of his mother's boyfriend, Feb. 16, 2020, in Brooklyn, New York. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

"A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Fugitive Operations Team discharged at least one firearm in Brooklyn, New York, Thursday morning when officers were physically attacked while attempting to arrest Gaspar Avendano-Hernandez, a twice-removed illegal alien from Mexico with a 2011 assault conviction in New York City," the agency said.

ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News on Wednesday.

MORE: Acting ICE director to speak in NYC amid heated sanctuary policy debate

Avendano-Hernandez had been arrested three days prior to the shooting for possession of a forged instrument. ICE tried to take him into custody on an immigration detainer, but city authorities don't recognize detainers unaccompanied by a signed arrest warrant.

"This forced ICE officers to locate him on the streets of New York rather than in the safe confines of a jail," ICE said in a statement at the time.

The case became fodder for an ongoing dispute between the Trump administration and New York over its sanctuary policies that give some shield to undocumented immigrants from federal enforcement.

Last week, the Trump administration said it will deploy 100 members of the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit, a rapid-response security force, to assist ICE officers with removing undocumented immigrants from sanctuary cities like New York and Chicago.

Tourist shot in the face by ICE agent during family friend's arrest files lawsuit originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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A view through the door window of a courtroom at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles March 16, 2009. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

This is part of Voter Game Plan, our project to get you prepped for the 2020 elections. And if you have questions about voting, ask us anything.

TIP: Hey, LA County Voters. Here Are Some Vote Centers Without Long Lines >>

Figuring out how to vote for a judge is often one of the most baffling tasks in any election year because there's just so little information about them. And this year, there are a whopping 12 judicial seats in the L.A. County Superior Court up for our vote in the March 3 primary election.

These judicial positions are important.

Elected judges handle trials that run to gamut from family law, to felony murder, to small claims, to civil cases. And, of course, you or someone you know might end up having to face one of these judges someday in court.

So how do you judge a judge and figure out how to vote? Judge Stuart Rice, who serves on the L.A. Superior Court and is a past president of the California Judges Association, gave us some tips:

Look at the L.A. County Bar Association's ratings. LACBA evaluates all candidates based on interviews, references, and insider information within the law community. Candidates are then rated as Well Qualified, Qualified, or Not Qualified. (There's also a rating for Exceptionally Well Qualified, but nobody seems to have earned that distinction this year.) Here are all the ratings for the 2020 election. Check out candidates' work experience. Consider who might be prepared for the role, and who might be able to learn quickly. Look at endorsements. These are nonpartisan seats, but an endorsement from a political party or group you align with might tip the scales for you. Keep in mind that the Republican Party of Los Angeles County declined to endorse any judges this year, saying that there is no solid way of vetting candidates. The L.A. County Democratic Party has made endorsements, however. Check out a candidate's website. It can tell you a little more about the candidate's background and mission and how seriously they approach their campaign.

With all this in mind, below is our judges guide. It includes all 26 candidates vying for the 12 seats (only nine of them are contested). Each profile has the candidate's job, campaign website, the first two organizational endorsements they list (where applicable), a link to their full endorsements, and the L.A. County Bar Association ratings (read about LACBA's methodology).

And, if at this point you're wondering why we elect judges at all instead of appointing them, here's a good primer on the subject.

OFFICE 17

Shannon Cooley, L.A. County deputy district attorney

Website: cooleyforjudge.com

Endorsements: Judicial endorsements (see full list)

LACBA Rating: n/a (LACBA only rated candidates for the nine contested seats)

OFFICE 42

Linda Sun, California deputy attorney general

Website: lindasunforjudge.com

Endorsements: L.A. County Democratic Party, L.A. County Federation of Labor (see full list)

LACBA Rating: Qualified

Robert "Bob" Villa, L.A. County deputy district attorney

Website: robertvillaforjudge.com

Endorsements: Judicial and legal endorsements (see full list)

LACBA rating: Well Qualified

OFFICE 72

Myanna Dellinger, law professor/attorney

Website: dellingerforjudge.com

Endorsements: National Women's Political Caucus, East Area Progressive Democrats (see full list)

LACBA rating: Not Qualified

Robert Jacobs, attorney at law

Website: robertjacobsforjudge.com

Endorsements: Stonewall Democratic Club, Mexican American Bar Association PAC (see full list)

LACBA rating: Qualified

Steve Morgan, L.A. County deputy district attorney

Website: morgan4judge.com

Endorsements: L.A. County Democratic Party, L.A. County Federation of Labor (see full list)

LACBA rating: Well Qualified

OFFICE 76

Emily Cole, L.A. County deputy district attorney

Website: emilycoleforjudge2020.com

Endorsements: L.A. County Democratic Party, L.A. County Federation of Labor (see full list)

LACBA rating: Qualified

Judge Mike Cummins, retired counselor-at-law (Note: Cummins' first name is "Judge." He is not a sitting judge)

No campaign website found

Endorsements: none found

LACBA rating: Not Qualified

OFFICE 80

David Berger, L.A. County deputy district attorney

Website: bergerforjudge.blogspot.com

Endorsements: Los Angeles Police Protective League, Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (see full list)

LACBA rating: Qualified

Klint James McKay, administrative law judge, California Department of Social Services

Website: klintmckayforjudge.com

Endorsements: SEIU Local 721, L.A. Progressive Majority Voter Guide (see full list)

LACBA rating: Well Qualified

Nick Rini, L.A. County deputy district attorney

Website: riniforjudge.com

Endorsements: Judicial endorsements (see full list)

LACBA rating: Qualified

OFFICE 97

Sherry Powell, L.A. County deputy district attorney

Website: powellforjudge.com

Endorsements: Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (see full list)

LACBA rating: Qualified

Timothy Reuben, attorney/business owner

Website: reubenforjudge.com

Endorsements: Judicial, political endorsements (see full list)

LACBA rating: Well Qualified

OFFICE 129

Kenneth Fuller, L.A. County deputy district attorney

Website: fullerforjudge.com

Endorsements: Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Hubert Humphrey Democratic Club (see full list)

LACBA rating: Qualified

Mark MacCarley, lawyer

Website: maccarleyforlacountyjudge.com

Endorsements: none found

LACBA rating: Qualified

Bruce Moss, attorney at law

Website: mossforjudge.com

Endorsements: Judicial endorsements (see full list)

LACBA rating: Qualified

OFFICE 131

Michelle Kelley, L.A. County deputy district attorney

Website: michellekelleyforjudge.com

Endorsements: none found

LACBA rating: n/a (LACBA only rated candidates for the nine contested seats)

OFFICE 141

Lana Kim, L.A. County deputy district attorney

Website: lanakimforjudge.com

Endorsements: Political, judicial endorsements (see full list)

LACBA rating: n/a (LACBA only rated candidates for the nine contested seats)

OFFICE 145

Adan Montalban, L.A. County deputy district attorney

Website: montalbanforjudge.com

Endorsements: L.A. County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, L.A. Police Protective League (see full list)

LACBA rating: Qualified

Troy Slaten, attorney/legal commentator

Website: troyslatenforjudge.com

Endorsements: Judicial, law enforcement endorsements (see full list)

LACBA rating: Qualified

OFFICE 150

Manuel Almada, L.A. County deputy district attorney

Website: manuelalmadaforjudge2020.com

Endorsements: Association of Deputy District Attorneys, Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (see full list)

LACBA rating: Qualified

Sherri Onica Valle Cole, attorney at law

Website: vallecoleforjudge.com

Endorsements: none found

LACBA rating: Not Qualified

Tom Parsekian, attorney/mediator

Website: parsekianforjudge.com

Endorsements: L.A. County Democratic Party, Long Beach Democratic Club (see full list)

LACBA rating: Qualified

OFFICE 162

David Diamond, attorney/adjunct professor

Website: Diamondforjudge.com

Endorsements: L.A. Police Protective League, AFSCME District Council 36 (see full list)

LACBA rating: Well Qualified

Caree Annette Harper, attorney/radio producer

Website: harper4judge.com

Endorsements: East Area Progressive Democrats, Long Beach Democratic Club (see full list)

LACBA rating: Not Qualified

Scott Andrew Yang, L.A. County deputy district attorney

Website: http://scottyangforjudge2020.com/

Endorsements: L.A. County Democratic Party, L.A. County Federation of Labor (see full list)

LACBA rating: Well Qualified

GET THE REST OF OUR ELECTION GUIDES:

And fill out your sample ballot through our Voter Game Plan>>
A: Oblique coronal fat-suppressed T2-weighted MR image shows normal hypointense joint capsule at axillary recess (arrow). Note full-thickness tear of supraspinatus tendon (arrowheads)B: Oblique sagittal proton density MR image shows preserved subcoracoid fat triangle (asterisk) Credit: American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR)

Two MRI findingsjoint capsule edema and thickness at the axillary recess, specificallyproved useful in predicting stiff shoulder in patients with rotator cuff tears, according to an ahead-of-print article in the May issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR).

Studying 106 patients with small to large (< 5 cm) full-thickness rotator cuff tears, in addition to joint capsule edema and thickness in the axillary recess, Yoon Yi Kim of Korea's Veterans Health Service Medical Center assessed obliteration of the subcoracoid fat triangle, fatty degeneration of the torn rotator cuff muscle, and degree of retraction.

Tear size and location were determined by MRI findings and operative report, while associations between MRI findings and preoperative passive range of motion (ROM) were evaluated with simple and multiple linear regression analyses and proportional odds logistic regression analysis.

As Kim and colleagues wrote: "There was a significant, negative linear correlation between limited ROM at forward elevation and thickness of the joint capsule in the glenoid portion of the axillary recess (p = 0.018), external rotation and joint capsule edema in the humeral portion of the axillary recess (p = 0.011), and internal rotation and joint capsule edema in the glenoid portion of the axillary recess (p = 0.007)."

Fatty degeneration (p = 0.003) was an independent predictor of limited ROM on internal rotation. Meanwhile, male sex (p = 0.041) and posterosuperior rotator cuff tear (p = 0.030) were independent predictors of shoulder ROM on external rotation.

"This study is important," Kim et al. noted, "because it is the first to highlight joint capsule abnormality on MRI as a factor associated with stiff shoulder in patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears."

Explore further Rotator cuff injuries common but easily remedied, says expert

More information: Yoon Yi Kim et al, MRI Findings Predictive of Shoulder Stiffness in Patients With Full-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears, American Journal of Roentgenology (2020). Journal information: American Journal of Roentgenology Yoon Yi Kim et al, MRI Findings Predictive of Shoulder Stiffness in Patients With Full-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears,(2020). DOI: 10.2214/AJR.19.21973
Former Central Regional Chairman of the largest opposition NDC and Social Commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs has said Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia initiative to digitise the various state institutions has yield results.

Allotey Jacobs disclosed that some state institutions that were migrated to digital platforms are recording improvements in revenue collection.

We cannot build a fair and equitable society that runs on the engines of bribes, Goro Boys and land guards.We must always support the idea to digitize every sector because all over the world that is what is going on and we need to work hard to match them.

Bernard Allotey Jacobs told Lawyer Ohene Gyan on Pae Mu Ka on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7.

According to him, the governments recent policy of digitising the economy would enhance the competitiveness of the Ghanaian economy.

The Ports, Lands Commission, Ministry of Tourism and the Passport Office are a few state agencies that have migrated to digital platforms to enhance efficiency.

He is tasking the government to remove unnecessary procedures that allow stealing in public service.

According to him, digitisation would allow the tax net to be expanded thereby enhancing revenue collection by government, leading to less borrowing and debt servicing.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The coronavirus death toll has passed another grim milestone as now more than 2,000 people worldwide have died from the virus. Global infections have also topped 75,000.

In a bit of good news, a number of passengers that were quarantined on a cruise ship in Japan were allowed to leave. Of the more than 3,000 individuals on board, some 600+ have tested positive for the virus.

Live coronavirus tracker

Coronavirus news in the U.S.

US partnering with drugmakers on coronavirus vaccine (The Hill)

Walmart says coronavirus will likely impact its business (USA Today)

Apples new iPad Pro could be delayed due to the coronavirus, report claims (Ars Technica)

Could outbreak bring out the worst in Trump? (The Atlantic)

Nebraska doctors are providing coronavirus patients with chicken soup and Tylenol (CNN)

Coronavirus patient under isolation in Napa hospital (SF Chronicle)

Coronavirus to impact Utah tourism from China (Fox13)

Couple that was stuck in Cambodia amid coronavirus outbreak headed back to Michigan (WDIV)

The coronavirus means tense times for small business owners who import products from China (CNBC)

In this Feb. 13, 2020, photo, a sparse lunchtime crowd eats in the food court at Mekong Plaza in the Asian district, in Mesa, Ariz. The Asian district is trying to gain a cultural foothold in the community that previously had little Asian presence but the coronavirus outbreak in China has been impacting business in Mesa and throughout the U.S. (AP Photo/Matt York)AP

Coronavirus news around the world

SARS-like damage seen in dead coronavirus patient in China, report says (Fox News)

South Korean church services seen as center of spike in coronavirus cases (Reuters)

In Hong Kong, the coronavirus outbreak is deepening the political divide from the 2019 protests (CNN)

African countries debate repatriating citizens from China as coronavirus fears mount (Quartz)

Coronavirus spread in Malaysia is no cause for panic, health minister says (CNBC)

Chinese film director, family die from virus (The Guardian)

Local coronavirus news

6 people in Ohio have tested negative for COVID-19 coronavirus (cleveland.com)

Records show Cleveland EMS boss asked patient to walk to ER over coronavirus concerns (Fox 8)

Read complete prior coronavirus coverage on cleveland.com
Former CPs book claims Kasab was supposed to die as Samir Chaudhary.

Mumbai: Former Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria has claimed in his memoirs that Pakistan had planted fake documents on the 10-member 26/11 terror squad in a bid to masquerade the attacks  which claimed at least 174 lives  as an act of Hindu terror. Mr Marias long-awaited book Let Me Say It Now was released on Monday.

The retired IPS officer wrote in his book that the sole terrorist who was caught alive, Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, was found to be in the possession of an identity card that mentioned him as Samir Chaudhary, a Bangalore resident.

The former top cop, who also headed the terror attacks investigation, wrote in his book that Pakistans notorious intelligence agency, the Inter State Intelligence (ISI), and terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) gave a contract to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, who is holed up in Pakistan, to kill Kasab.

Excerpts from Mr Marias book stated, If everything went according to plan, Kasab would have died as Chaudhary, and the media would have blamed Hindu terrorists for the attack.

On a photograph of Kasab released after the terror attack, Mr Maria said, It was the handiwork of central agencies. The Mumbai police tried hard not to disclose any details to the media fearing for security.

In the photograph, Kasab is seen wearing a red thread on his right wrist, which is sacred to Hindus. But alas, it had not worked that way and here he was, Ajmal Amir Kasab of Faridkot in Pakistan, Mr Marias book stated. He also said that martyred Mumbai constable Tukaram Ombles heroic feat of capturing Kasab alive was the key to foiling this plan.

Kasab was indoctrinated into believing that Muslims were not allowed to offer namaaz in India and he was taken to a mosque near Metro INOX Cinemas in a bid to rubbish his belief, the book stated.

The book further revealed the details of Kasabs journey prior to his arrival here, stating that he was allowed to stay with his family for a week and given `1.25 lakh before he left for Mumbai.

Kasab had passed on the money to his family before leaving Pakistan. Following a trial, Kasab was awarded capital punishment on November 21, 2012.
LAS VEGAS - Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Wednesday said it was possible the crowded Democratic primary race was headed toward a contentious convention fight and downplayed the political dangers of a scenario many party leaders are dreading.

I dont think well have one, but we could have one, Reid told The Associated Press in an interview days before the Democratic caucuses in his home state of Nevada. Weve had brokered conventions before, and weve always come up with good candidates. Its not the end of the world. It just slows the process down.

Reids attitude is a sharp contrast to many in the Democratic establishment who are anxious about the prospect of a long, contentious primary race in which several candidates divide up the vote and no one amasses more than 50% of the delegates ahead of the July convention. A brokered convention, in which party bosses or delegates in floor fights and negotiations decide the nominee, hasnt happened since the invention of the modern primary system five decades ago. Many believe it would fracture the party and delay its shift to focusing on the common goal: defeating President Donald Trump.

Still, the 78-year-old Reid, who retired in early 2017 after a long career as a party power broker, offered no other path to arriving at the nomination. Reid suggested that the Democratic National Committee delegates should decide the nominee if the partys leading candidate does not have a majority of delegates required to win.

No, I think that we should make sure that the convention picks the nominee then, Reid said.

But Reid, when pressed, then said he didnt want to weigh in on whether that should happen until the Democratic National Committee weighed in.

Theyre the ones that should make decisions like that, he said. I want to hear what they have to say. Thats their function.

During Wednesday nights debate in Las Vegas, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was the only candidate who said he thought the candidate with the most delegates should win the partys nomination, even if they dont have a majority.

His rivals said the party should let the convention play out according to rules set by the party, which allow for multiple rounds of voting if a candidate cannot get a majority of the delegates on the first round.

Reid is among the party leaders, chief among them former President Barack Obama, who are under pressure to assert some influence and avoid the convention fight. Reid has not endorsed in the Democratic primary race and, asked if he thought Obama should jump in, Reid said it was unlikely.

No one is going to get him to do anything that he doesnt want to do. He wants to be neutral. I dont think theres anything wrong with that. And hes getting tremendous pressure, as everyone knows, he said, adding that he hadnt discussed the matter with Obama.

We talk, but that isnt anything we talk about, he said.

Reid, who helped build the Nevada Democratic Party and has aides still closely entwined with it, said that he thinks the party will be able to release results on Saturday and that the early ballots will all be scanned and counted heading into the caucuses. DNC Chairman Tom Perez has said Democrats wont commit to releasing the unofficial results of Saturdays Nevada caucuses on the day of the vote, as they emphasize accuracy over speed after the disastrous Iowa caucuses.

Reid said he doesnt think anyone should encourage some of the more moderate candidates to drop out so their supporters could coalesce around one candidate. He said he thinks progressive favourite Sanders can win the election and beat Trump.

Sanders, who is well positioned heading into Nevadas Saturday caucuses, was a stunningly good chairman of the budget committee in the U.S. Senate, Reid said.

Reid said hes not a fan of Sanders signature Medicare for All health care proposal, moving the country to a government-run insurance system, and repeated his doubts that it could pass Congress.

I think Medicare for All will not pass. Im not a big fan of Medicare for All. I worked so hard on Obamacare  harder than I worked on any other one thing, Reid said. Obamacare is the law. The Republicans have pecked away at it and damaged it. But what we have to do is strengthen Obamacare. Public option with that would make it even better.

He also said he recommended years ago that Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, another Democratic presidential candidate, be put on the U.S. Supreme Court because she is brilliant and one of the finest minds Ive ever dealt with.

Amy is a force to be reckoned with, he said.

Reid had compliments for former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg and philanthropist Tom Steyer, the two billionaires in the Democratic race. He said theyre not doing anything illegal or wrong by pouring millions of their money into their campaigns, but hed like to see laws changed to get money out of politics.

While Bloomberg is a former Republican, Reid said he considers him a Democrat and said Bloomberg wanted to be a Democrat when he first ran for New York City mayor, but the Democratic powers to be in New York wouldnt let him.

He wanted to be a Democrat. Theres no question about that.

___

Associated Press writer Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento, California contributed to this report.

___

Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game.
Libya's unity government has announced it is halting its participation in UN talks aimed at brokering a lasting ceasefire in the war-torn country where a fragile truce has been repeatedly violated.

The pull-out came after a barrage of rocket fire hit a port in the capital Tripoli -- the target of a months-long operation by eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar to oust the Government of National Accord (GNA).

"We are announcing the suspension of our participation in the military talks taking place in Geneva until firm positions are adopted against the aggressor (Haftar) and his violations" of the truce, the GNA said late Tuesday.

"Without a lasting ceasefire... negotiations make no sense. There can be no peace under the bombing," it added.

The port strikes were the latest violation of a tenuous truce that came into effect in January, brokered by Russia, which supports Haftar, and Turkey, which supports the UN-recognised government in Tripoli.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

"It is clear the objective of the systematic bombardments of the residential areas, the airport and the port, in addition to the total blockage of the oil installations, is to provoke crises for the citizens in all the aspects of their life," the GNA statement said.

It added that Haftar's forces were "trying in vain" to destabilise the state, having failed to seize power.

UN Libya envoy Ghassan Salame had earlier on Tuesday launched a second round of talks in Geneva, with five senior officers from the GNA and five appointed by Haftar's forces taking part.

A first round of talks ended with no result earlier this month but Salame said there was "more hope" this time, mainly because of the approval of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a "lasting ceasefire".

The UN Support Mission in Libya said in a statement on Wednesday that it hoped the talks could resume.

"The Mission calls for an end to the escalation and provocative actions, especially expansion of the conflict area, and urges all parties to resort to dialogue as the only means to end the crisis," it said.

Libya has been in turmoil since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with rival armed factions still vying for power.

In the latest outbreak of fighting, Haftar launched his offensive on Tripoli last April but after rapid advances his forces stalled on the edges of the capital.

The fighting has left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced some 140,000 according to the United Nations.

Further talks were planned to start in Geneva on February 26 on finding a political solution.

Haftar on Wednesday met Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu at an undisclosed location for talks on resolving the conflict, the Russian defence ministry said.

They discussed "the important role" of Moscow talks in January and "the need to fulfil" terms agreed at talks in Berlin last month, it said.

World leaders had agreed at the meeting to end all meddling in the conflict and stop the flow of weapons, but little has changed on the ground since then.

EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to launch a naval mission to enforce an arms embargo, which the UN said was being violated by air, land and sea.

The naval operation will be authorised to intervene to stop weapons shipments into the North African state.

Countries including Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt support Haftar, while the UN-recognised government led by Fayez al-Sarraj is backed by Turkey and Qatar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
[February 19, 2020] Exostar Launches Aerospace and Defense Supply Chain Working Group

Exostar, the leader in trusted, secure business collaboration in aerospace and defense (A&D), life sciences, and healthcare, today announced the formation of an A&D Supply Chain Working Group to define and develop the industry journey roadmap for a next-generation solution that benefits buyers, suppliers, and commercial and Government customers throughout the supply chain. The Working Group includes executives from industry leaders such as BAE Systems (News - Alert), Boeing, General Dynamics, Huntington Ingalls, L3Harris, Leidos, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Rolls-Royce, and the UK Ministry of Defence. "A&D companies share supply and customer bases, as well as challenges in supply chain security, quality, and operational efficiency," said Sri Yellepeddi, Exostar's Senior Director of Supply Chain. "It makes no sense for each of them to reinvent the wheel. Our vision was to bring them together to cooperatively find common ground, overcome these complex hurdles, and develop the process and functional plans for a next-gen supply chain platform that best serves the industry." The A&D Supply Chain Working Group's activities focus on technology modernization roadmap alignment by identifying business drivers, their impact on the industry, and how they translate into current and future supply chain solution and operations equirements. Today's most pressing drivers include digital transformation, supply chain cybersecurity, network and application integration and interoperability, master data management, and supplier qualification, sourcing, and efficiency.



"Given the sensitivity of the information we handle, the critical customers we serve, and the lifecycles of our programs, our industry must move deliberately," said Paul Kling, Vice President of Procurement at BAE Systems Inc. "As we do that, we've got to find ways to better leverage technology, upgrade our end-to-end supply chain processes and solutions, and improve the supplier experience. The Working Group allows us to exchange ideas, define best practices, and agree on a common journey map." Members of the A&D Supply Chain Working Group identify non-competitive areas of alignment to incorporate into a next-generation solution. These include standards and forms to capture and manage supply chain information, data security methods and protections for sharing controlled unclassified information and covered defense information, and a "network of networks" model that promotes master data management and integration initiatives while preserving and protecting privacy, sensitive information, and intellectual property.

Per these objectives, the A&D Supply Chain Working Group defined initial themes to progress the industry journey roadmap: Collaboration (including orders, supply planning, and documents)

Onboarding user experience (including vendor qualification)

E-sourcing (including RFx support)

Interoperability (including network and application integration)

Security (including the forthcoming Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) "Nations, states, and cyber criminals target companies belonging to the A&D supply chain, looking for vulnerabilities to exploit. We need to ensure we engage in commerce with suppliers who meet security standards like CMMC," said M. David Wilkins, Vice President of Contracts and Supply Chain at Raytheon. "The efforts of the Working Group will complement the Government's program and will result in a more resilient supply chain, protecting important information without sacrificing cost, schedule, or quality." About Exostar Exostar's cloud-based platforms create exclusive communities within highly-regulated industries where organizations securely collaborate, share information, and operate compliantly. Within these communities, we build trust. More than 135,000 Aerospace and Defense organizations and agencies in over 150 countries trust Exostar to strengthen security, reduce expenditures, raise productivity, and help them achieve their missions. Ten of the top twenty global biopharmaceutical companies rely on Exostar to help them speed new medicines and therapies to market. Exostar is a Gartner (News - Alert) Cool Vendor. For more information, please visit www.exostar.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005094/en/

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Court upholds prison sentence for former anti-corruption official Zakharchenko

 Vladimir Burnov, RAPSI

10:42 19/02/2020

MOSCOW, February 19 (RAPSI)  The Second Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction confirmed prison sentence against Dmitry Zakharchenko, former Russian anti-corruption official, RAPSI learnt from the courts press service.

Zakharchenko was sentenced in June 2019 by the Moscow City Court to 12 and a half years in prison after he had been found guilty of corruption charges.

However, the court acquitted him of a $800,000 bribery count. The court held that these charges against the defendant were not proven. Investigators claimed that in 2014 Zakharchenko and his accomplice initiated audit of restaurant business. The check was completed when Zakharchenko received $800,000 from a businessman, they insisted.

Moreover, investigators claim that in 2016, he warned a familiar woman about forthcoming searches as part of a fraud case and organized taking of all documents and office equipment out to prevent their seizure.

Ex-Russian anti-corruption official was arrested on September 8, 2016. During searches at his sisters apartment law enforcement officers found around 9 billion rubles ($140 million). He denied any relation to the seized funds.
02/19/2020

With the South Carolina presidential primary just 10 days away, former Vice President Joe Biden has a narrow edge over U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders in a new poll released today.

The independent, nonpartisan poll of likely voters in South Carolinas Democratic primary found that Biden is ahead of Sanders by just 2 points, with the support of 23 percent, compared to 21 percent for Sanders. Both candidates are moving ahead of the pack, with businessman Tom Steyer in third place with 13 percent and Mayor Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in a tie for fourth at 11 percent. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar follows with 9 percent and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard at 4 percent.

Detailed poll results  including candidate favorability ratings, topline and methodology  are available at www.uml.edu/polls. The nonpartisan poll is independently funded by the University of Massachusetts Lowells Center for Public Opinion, which conducts public-opinion polling at the state and national levels. The internationally recognized center uses the latest technology and highest standards in its surveys and is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Researchs Transparency Initiative. The centers events and polls on political and social issues provide unique opportunities for civic engagement, experiential learning and research.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this poll is that its as if South Carolina voters were unmoved by the results of Iowa and New Hampshire, where Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren all won delegates. In South Carolina, none of them poll higher than 11 percent, behind Biden, Sanders and Steyer, said Joshua Dyck, director of the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion and associate professor of political science.

Among likely voters, Biden is supported by 43 percent of African American voters, compared to 20 percent who support Sanders. Sanders leads among white voters with 23 percent, followed by Buttigieg (16 percent), Klobuchar (15 percent), Warren (14 percent) and Biden with 11 percent. Sanders also leads with likely voters younger than 45 with 34 percent, compared to 15 percent for Biden, while Biden has the most support of those 45 and older at 26 percent, compared to Sanders 15 percent.

The poll also found that three in 10 likely voters said they could change their mind about their choice for a presidential candidate. Support for the two front-runners in South Carolina, Biden and Sanders, is most stable, with 85 percent of Sanders supporters saying they will definitely vote for him and 82 percent of those who favor Biden saying they will not change their mind. However, two-thirds (66 percent) of Klobuchar supporters say they could change their mind, followed by 39 percent of Steyer voters, 38 percent of Warren supporters and 34 percent of those who favor Buttigieg.

With less than two weeks to go the South Carolina primary is still a volatile race, said John Cluverius, associate director of the Center for Public Opinion and assistant professor of political science. He noted that throughout the race for the Democratic nomination so far, some have seen it as having an insurgent lane and a more moderate lane. Based on this, support could easily flow from Buttigieg to Sanders or Warren to Biden.

Among the two front-runners, likely voters said they believe Biden (41 percent) is more likely than Sanders (30 percent) to beat President Donald Trump in the general election. Forty-four percent of likely voters said they agree with Bidens policies more than Sanders (32 percent) and 25 percent said they agree with them about the same amount.

Asked which Democratic candidate they believe will ultimately win the partys nomination, 28 percent said Sanders, 22 percent said Biden, followed by Buttigieg with 8 percent and Tom Steyer at 6 percent. No other candidate on the ballot received higher than 3 percent, but Michael Bloomberg, who is not officially in the running in South Carolina, received 7 percent support.

Likely Democratic primary voters were also asked which candidate they believe best continues the legacy of former President Barack Obama, who has a 78 percent favorability rating, higher than all of the candidates. Forty-two percent said Biden, with Buttigieg a distant second at 11 percent. However, 69 percent of likely voters said they do not think Obama should endorse a presidential candidate.

The internals of this poll look better for Joe Biden than the actual horserace numbers. South Carolina Democrats see him as the candidate who best represents the Obama legacy and head to head with Sen. Sanders, they prefer his policy positions and see him as most likely to beat Donald Trump in a general election. With that said, our poll has this as a close race, with Biden only ahead by 2 points and Sanders inside the margin of error. With just 10 days to go, Biden needs to hold this lead and prove he can win if he wants to make a play on Super Tuesday, said Dyck.

The poll of likely South Carolina Democratic primary voters also found:

Only 18 percent said they think the country is headed in the right direction;

Asked if they feel House Democrats should accept a compromise bill with President Donald Trump and the Republican Senate that would create Medicare for All while fully funding a border wall, 22 percent of those surveyed said yes while 78 percent said no;

77 percent believe that rather than holding the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary first, other states should have a chance to vote first through a rotation.

The poll of 400 likely South Carolina Democratic primary voters was independently funded by the University of Massachusetts Lowell, which has hundreds of students and alumni who hail from South Carolina. The survey was designed and analyzed by the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion and fielded by YouGov from Feb. 12 through Feb. 18. It has an adjusted margin of error of plus or minus 7.5 percent. Full poll methodology is available at www.uml.edu/polls.

UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu
Expect former President Barack Obama's radio silence on the 2020 Democratic primary to continue in the coming months. After all, he's reportedly got a very specific reason for staying out of it.

Obama has intentionally remained on the sidelines throughout the primary so far, not throwing his support behind any candidate, including former Vice President Joe Biden. This, New York Magazine reports, is part of a "choreographed strategy" on the part of Obama, who is "increasingly sure he will need to play a prominent role in bringing the party back together and calming its tensions later this summer."

Between now and then, Obama is "committed to not allowing his personal thoughts to dribble out" into the open, the report says, since this might make it more challenging for him to serve as an "honest broker." Apparently, this effort could be going better considering this very same report features a few of Obama's personal thoughts, including that he's supposedly "unimpressed" with Biden's campaign.

A Fox Business report recently suggested Obama was considering speaking out about Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as he becomes nervous that he'll secure the Democratic nomination. But there's reportedly not much truth to that, and a source told New York Magazine, "there is no way Barack Obama is intervening, unless something very strange happens."

In fact, Obama reportedly isn't paying a whole lot of attention to the "day-to-day dynamics" of the race, following it through newspaper reports but not even watching all of the Democratic debates. But Obama is reportedly "sure that he'll have to catch up" on these dynamics he's been missing out on later, meaning some binge-watching of the Democratic primary may soon be in the cards. Read the full report at New York Magazine.

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Fighters killed after they tried to enter the flashpoint town of Birao on Sunday, according to government spokesman.

Twelve members of an armed group died in a clash with UN peacekeepers and government troops in the northeastern Central African Republic (CAR).

The fighting erupted on Sunday after the Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central Africa (FPRC) entered the flashpoint town of Birao before being repelled, government spokesman Ange-Maxime Kazagui said in a statement on Tuesday.

The toll is 12 dead on the FPRCs side, he said.

The UN force MINUSCA, in a statement, said heavily armed FPRC fighters entered the town before being pushed back.

The FPRC is one of the largest armed groups in the CAR, a landlocked impoverished country where militia groups control most of the territory, often fighting for control over resources.

The FPRC took over the crossroads town of Birao in 2014, giving it control over the lucrative tax of goods from neighbouring Sudan.

Violence erupted in July between the FPRC and the Movement of Central African Liberators for Justice (MLCJ), which is mainly drawn from the Kara ethnic group. The MLCJ currently has control of the town but outbreaks of fighting remain frequent.

Kazagui said the FPRC entered Birao from three directions, apparently threatening a site for displaced people and an army base.

Last Thursday, MINUSCA asked France to send warplanes over Birao to dissuade the FPRC from mounting an attack, the UN forces spokesman, Vladimir Monteiro, said on Saturday.

Both militias are among the signatories of a February 2019 peace agreement between the government and armed groups.

Thousands of people have been killed and nearly one-quarter of CARs population of 4.7 million have been displaced by conflict since 2013.

The former French colony is set to hold presidential elections in December.
Philps Pasties in Hayle, Cornwall, was set up in 1958 with a loan from the Lloyds Bank 100 yards down the road.

The pasty business thrived and it now has seven branches across the county, including two in Hayle.

But Lloyds is set to pull the plug on its historic connection with the bakery  and the town - after it announced it will be closing its branch in May.

Abandoned: The seaside town of Hayle in Cornwall, will be left without a bank in May after Lloyds shut's their branch

It will leave Hayle, whose population swells to 50,000 in the summer, without a bank. Five years ago, it had four.

'It will affect us in a big way,' says Paul Philps, 64, whose father Sammy founded the bakery. 'Lloyds is trying to save money, but there is a balance to be struck for the community.'

Bank branches are shutting at a rate of 55 a month across the UK, placing holiday hotspots such as Hayle under strain.

Shopkeepers fear tourists will go elsewhere, while the elderly face arduous journeys to get to a bank.

Neighbouring St Ives, which has been named one of the UK's best seaside resorts, has lost seven branches since 2015, according to Which?

Rumours abound that the last bank in that town, Barclays, will be next.

Barclays has shut at least 482 UK branches over the past five years, with the real total likely to be higher because the bank will not give figures.

Lloyds has closed 441 UK branches in that time.

The astonishing vanishing act has today prompted warnings that millions of people could be left behind if the UK becomes cashless within a decade, as predicted.

For Hayle, the timing couldn't be worse. The town is second only to Newquay for the number of holiday beds in Cornwall. This is thanks largely to Towans beach, which stretches 5km across St Ives Bay.

Bakers dozen: Margaret Ferrell of Ferrell's bakery, doesn't accept card payments because of the transaction fee

In January, work finally began on a 250 million redevelopment of its North Quay.

The first phase will build around 140 properties with views over the estuary, while it's hoped 20 new retail units will drive a boom in trade.

But unlike Sammy Philps, businesses won't be able to set up shop with the help of a local bank branch.

'We've been waiting decades for Hayle to regenerate,' says resident Charlie Cartwright, 56. 'It seems to be entirely the wrong time for the bank to be closing.'

Hayle shopkeepers say they have seen increased footfall since Lloyds closed its branch in St Ives in 2017, with residents making the 15-minute bus ride to Hayle to do their banking instead.

But Lloyds claims its counters are 21 per cent quieter than the same time last year, prompting its decision to close the branch.

A spokesman adds: 'We are sorry for the inconvenience this may cause, and encourage customers to contact us so we can discuss the ways we can support them.'

The announcement sparked an ill-tempered town meeting earlier this month. Councillors took turns to denounce the move as 'ridiculous' and 'a classic case of rank profiteering'.

Concerns were raised that the town's two Post Offices would be unable to cope with demand.

Michael Watton, 36, who runs Duckies Cafe, compares the closures to the Beeching cuts, which axed a third of UK railway lines in the 1960s.

He says most cafes in Hayle, including his own, are cash only, but the closure of Lloyds may force them to start accepting cards, which incurs a fee.

'I know we're talking small percentages, but we're a small business,' he adds. 'It will make a massive difference to us.'

Hayle has a large proportion of elderly and vulnerable adults. Many say they switched their accounts to Lloyds because they were told the branch would never close.

Colin Roberts, 37, has learning difficulties and relies on cashiers recognising him in the branch and giving him his money, because he is unable to use a card.

Getting to the next nearest branches requires a 40-minute round trip to Camborne or Penzance, but Colin cannot get there unaided.

Support worker Elle Lowe-Houghton, 35, says the closure will make his finances 'inaccessible', adding: 'For adults with learning disabilities these local amenities are vital. This closure is putting vulnerable people into a corner.'

A review panel, set up by ATM network Link, says bank closures are partly to blame for more retailers going cashless, as it has made it difficult for businesses to deposit takings

It comes as experts today warn the UK's cash system will collapse without legislation to protect it. A year ago, the Access To Cash Review said the UK could become 'virtually cashless' by 2035.

But data from UK Finance has since shown that cash use has fallen faster than expected  making up less than 30 per cent of transactions  and the trade body now expects the UK to hit this point by 2030.

The review panel, set up by ATM network Link, says bank closures are partly to blame for more retailers going cashless, as it has made it difficult for businesses to deposit takings.

It also points out that Barclays only reversed plans to stop customers accessing cash at the Post Office following pressure from campaigners and Money Mail.

Meanwhile, 13 per cent of free cash machines have closed over the past year, saving banks around 120 million, according to Which?

Panel chair Natalie Ceeney says: 'The UK is fast becoming a cashless society  without knowing what this really means for consumers or for the UK economy.

Many people may want a completely digital future, but we need to make sure that this shift doesn't leave millions behind or put our economy at risk.'

No wonder the people of St Ives fear that they will be abandoned, too.

A NatWest, an HSBC and a Lloyds used to be within a stone's throw of the High Street, but all have shut within the past five years.

Phyllis Bennett, 87, Joyce Williams, 86, and Doreen Barber, 86, have lived in St Ives since they were born.

Phyllis has to travel 40 minutes to Penzance for her nearest NatWest bank, while Joyce will soon have to do likewise when Lloyds closes in Hayle.

Only Doreen, a Barclays customer, still has access to her local branch. 'We've been abandoned by banks,' she says.

Alongside the seven branch closures since 2015, St Ives has also lost ten free-to-use ATMs since 2018.

The remaining two Post Offices and three ATMs are spread across the town. Barclays is open only three days a week, rising to four during the summer holidays, when the town's population grows from 12,000 to around 27,000.

But the bank stocks only 50 notes at this time to meet demand, which is a nightmare for the town's small businesses. 'It means you need 46 change for every customer who just wants coffee and cake,' says Graeme Parkhill, 46, of Scoff Troff Cafe. 'It's just not viable.'

Margaret Ferrell, 61, of Ferrell's bakery, doesn't accept card payments because of the transaction fee, but doesn't accept 50 notes either because of the high proportion of counterfeits.

Instead she directs tourists to change their money at the Post Office next door, but that regularly has queues of up to half an hour.

On Bank Holiday weekends, the cash simply runs out.

A Barclays spokesman says its St Ives branch has been ring-fenced until at least October 2021 as part of its commitment to more than 100 'last-in-town' and remote branches. But locals fear the reduction in Barclays's services means closure is inevitable.

m.dilworth@dailymail.co.uk
2Blades delivers crop disease solutions to improve global food security and raise incomes, while using less land, water, and chemicals.

The 2Blades Foundation today announced three new additions to its governance, advisory, and management teams:

Rob Horsch, is our newest 2Blades governing Board Member and non-Executive Director, after 12 years at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where he led the science and technology initiative for their agriculture development program;

Alesha Miller, joins 2Blades Sustainability Council, and also serves as a Non-resident Fellow for the Global Food and Agriculture Program at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs; and,

Mike Kelleher has been hired as 2Blades Director of External Affairs, after a decade at the World Bank where he worked as an advisor in its governance, international relations, and communications teams.

The 2Blades Foundation, based in Evanston, Illinois, and with offices and laboratories in the United Kingdom, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to the discovery, advancement, and delivery of durable disease resistance in crops in order to promote food security, environmental protection, and climate adaptation.

These new partners bring an extraordinary level of experience and perspective to our efforts to address a critical need for agriculture, said Diana Horvath, President of 2Blades. Their expertise in policy, research, and delivery at a global scale will help 2Blades deliver crop disease solutions into the hands of growers, improving global food security, incomes, and nutrition, she said.

2Blades Chairman Roger Freedman said, Rob Horsch combines a deep history in the development of molecular genetic agriculture with a clear appreciation of the opportunities and challenges in the development of science to bring real and lasting benefits to farmers and consumers. Altogether we are delighted to have these three experienced professionals join our team. Their skills and commitment will help us achieve our mission to develop disease-resistant crops.

Dr. Rob Horsch worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, joining in November 2006 to develop and lead the science and technology initiative of the agricultural development program. He managed a team of program officers and other staff that created and managed a large and diverse portfolio of research and development grants aimed at increasing the productivity of small holder farmersimproving the crops that poor farmers raise, and that poor consumers eat. Rob also serves on the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research, and as an Advisor to the Global Commission on Climate Adaptation and to the Global Farmer Network.

Alesha Miller is a Non-resident Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, advises a social impact technology startup, and is an independent consultant and public speaker on food and agriculture. Most recently she was managing director of the Chicago Councils Global Food and Agriculture Program, overseeing strategy, research, policy development, team management, and leading research on key challenges and opportunities affecting the food system, including urbanization, the rise of global youth populations, water scarcity, and digital technology. Previously she held several roles at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, managing strategic partnerships with governments and United Nations agencies, and overseeing investments focused on improving agricultural markets in sub-Saharan Africa to support smallholder farmers, linking programmatic investments in nutrition and agriculture, and coordinating the inaugural gender and impact measurement strategies for the Agricultural Development program.

Mike Kelleher recently left the World Bank Groups office of UN Relations, and previously he was Senior Speechwriter for World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, and an Advisor to the U.S. Executive Director of the World Bank. Mike served in the Obama White House as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Presidential Correspondence. Prior to that he served as Director of Economic Development and Outreach for then-U.S. Senator Obama. He was Country Director for the National Democratic Institutes office in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, and began his development work as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone, working for three years as a community health and development worker in a small rural village.

2Blades establishes and manages development programs addressing significant unsolved crop disease problems in collaboration with leading research institutions around the world and at the 2Blades Group in The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, UK. 2Blades manages a portfolio of specific traits and enabling technologies that it implements in its own programs and out-licenses for broad use.

Visit the 2Blades website at http://www.2blades.org and follow us on twitter at @2blades.
Graham is the rare Republican who can criticize Trump publicly and get away with it. Thats partly because he has been Trumps biggest cheerleader on issues such as impeachment. Graham explained his balancing act this way: The president has enough enemies, and hes short of friends. Hes let me be in his world. I want him to be successful. . . . He will tolerate criticism if he thinks you want him to succeed.
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LINCOLN, Neb. - Nebraskas pardons board refused Tuesday to pardon the murder conviction of the ex-girlfriend of Charles Starkweather, the infamous killer who went on a rampage in the 1950s that was later immortalized in movies, books and two hit songs.

The board voted 3-0 to deny the application from Caril Ann Clair, even though some relatives of Starkweathers victims lobbied in her favour. The board is composed of Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, Attorney General Doug Peterson and Secretary of State Bob Evnen, all Republicans.

Clair, who was known as Caril Ann Fugate at the time, was 14 when Starkweather, then 19, went on a killing spree in 1957-58 that left 11 people dead in Nebraska and Wyoming, including her mother, stepfather and baby half-sister.

The murders stoked so much fear around Lincoln that law enforcement conducted a house-by-house search of the city and the governor contacted the Nebraska National Guard. It also formed a loose basis for the 1973 movie Badlands, with Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen, as well as other films. The killings were the subject of Bruce Springsteens song Nebraska, and referenced in Billy Joels We Didnt Start the Fire.

Clair spent 17 years in prison on a murder conviction before she was paroled in 1976. She has since married and lives in Michigan under the name Caril Ann Clair.

Starkweather was executed in 1959 at the age of 20.

Clair, now 76, wrote in her pardon application that the perception that she willingly joined Starkweather on a murder spree is too much for me to bear anymore.

Receiving a pardon may somehow alleviate this terrible burden, she wrote.

After the vote, Peterson said he denied the application because the purpose of the pardons board is to restore a felons rights, and Clairs request was much, much broader than what board members could offer.

Thats not the role of the pardons board, he said.

But the vote infuriated some of Clairs allies, who were denied a chance to testify. Clair applied for a pardon once before, in 1996, and was rejected. This time, she had an unusual ally  the granddaughter of two of Starkweathers victims.

Liza Ward, of Duxbury, Massachusetts, said she became convinced that Clair was innocent after researching the case and visiting all the sites where people were killed. Ward is the granddaughter of S. Lauer and Clara Ward, who were killed in their Lincoln home in December 1958.

There are a lot of people who support her, and were going to let her know that however we can, Ward said through tears after the boards vote. She said she started investigating the case to discover what had happened to her grandparents, and the more I learned, the more I realized that something wasnt right.

Clairs attorney, John S. Berry Sr., said his client sought clemency to bring her some closure in the case.

Shes not after anything else other than to clear her name, said Berry, who also co-wrote a book arguing that Clairs conviction was a miscarriage of justice.

But Dave Ellis, a relative of another victim, said he was pleased with the boards decision. Ellis said he believes Clair killed his first cousin once removed, Carol King, because Kings body was partially mutilated after Starkweather raped her. Ellis said he thinks Clair mutilated her out of female rage.

Ward said she could find no evidence of Clairs guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and noted that Starkweather was the prosecutions main witness against her, even though he had changed his story multiple times and was likely angry because Clair had told him she never wanted to see him again.

Ward said she believes Clair was a victim of Starkweathers and that the publics perception of her guilt is based on misinformation and hearsay about the case.

___

Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: http://twitter.com/GrantSchulte
Purdue Pharma, in bankruptcy and embroiled in thousands of lawsuits for its role in the opioid crisis, paid Connecticut doctors and nurse practitioners $394,662 in 2018, a drop of 9 percent from $433,246 the prior year, federal data show.

But more significantly, the number of doctors and nurse practitioners who reported receiving payments shrunk by 51 percent, from 204 to 99.

I would assume it was the stigma, said Dr. Arthur Gale, contributing editor at Missouri Medicine. You cant pick up a newspaper and not read about Purdue. Even the greatest promoter of OxyContin and narcotics, Dr. Russell Portenoy, is now saying he was exposed to false information.

Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) show that a small group of doctors in Connecticut received the bulk of payments during the two years. The top five recipients are Dr. Thomas Pellechi ($747,429), an internist in Greenwich; Dr. Michael Brennan ($41,611), a physiatrist who specializes in rehabilitation medicine in Fairfield; Dr. Howard Hochster ($11,541), an oncologist in New Haven; Dr. Dean Mariano ($10,680), an anesthesiologist in Meriden; and Dr. Lucien Parrillo ($205), an internist in Portland.

Pellechi, employed as a company doctor for Purdue of Stamford while also maintaining a private practice, earned the most of any physiciana total of $1.877 million from 2014 to 2018more than three-fourths of the $2.24 million Purdue paid out during that period.

The only conflict of interest is if I overprescribed, and I barely prescribed OxyContin, he said. A review of the Medicare Part D prescription database showed Pellechi was not listed as a provider. His position with Purdue ended in mid-2019.

Even though individual payments from Purdue dropped sharply, critics argue that some doctors, such as Brennan, took too much. Brennan was paid a total of $150,555 between 2014 and 2018.

Doctors like Michael Brennan received larger payments because they are in a category called Key Opinion Leaders, said Dr. Andrew Kolodny, co-director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University. Kolodny has been a paid expert witness in opioid lawsuits. Doctors were hearing from [and influenced by] pain specialists like him with a thriving private practice.

When contacted, Brennan directed an office staff member to refer any questions to a study on the risks of withdrawing from opioids rapidly.

The financial relationships between pharma payments to doctors and their prescribing habits have been scrutinized for years.

A June 2019 study of prescribers under Medicare Part D in the journal Addiction found that physicians who receive direct payments from providers for opioid prescribing tend to prescribe substantially larger quantities, particularly for hydrocodone and oxycodone. The study said that doctors who took payments from opioid companies prescribed 8,784 daily doses of an opioid per year in excess of prescriptions made by their peers, who did not receive such payments.

Based on an analysis of Medicare Part D prescriptions in Connecticut, the top recipients of Purdue money had the following prescription rates in 2017, per the latest data: Opioids consisted of 71.91 percent of Brennans 7,202 prescriptions overall; 62.39 percent of Parrillos 2,963 prescriptions; and 9.77 percent of Hochsters 133 prescriptions.

Other high prescribers of opioids who also accepted money from Purdue include Dr. Mohan Vodapally (72.79 percent of 6,431 prescriptions); Dr. Anand Rahul (34.3 percent of 1,029); Dr. Robert Boolbol (52.13 percent of 3,401); Dr. Vincent Carlesi (46.25 percent of 2,536); and Dr. Igor Turok (46.89 percent of 2,730).

Not all doctors who were paid by Purdue were listed as prescribers of opioids in the Medicare Part D database. Dr. Joshua Hurwitz, a reproductive endocrinologist in Danbury, for example, was paid $2,227 in 2014 for consulting work in the area of women's health and hormones, but was not listed as a prescriber of opioids. "This is an example of appropriate physician consulting that has nothing to do with the opioid epidemic," said Hurwitz.

Whats the difference between consulting and giving talks on behalf of certain drugs? pharma critic Gale asked. Doctors shouldnt accept money from drug companies because its tainted.

Purdue paid 563 prescribers small amounts ranging from $10.18 to $200.17 between 2014 and 2018, indicating a free meal at an event or lunch with a sales rep.

But theres no such thing as a free lunch, Kolodny pointed out. Medical literature show that these small payments influence doctors prescribing habits, and thats why Purdue did it.

Purdue announced in 2018 that it would no longer send sales reps to doctors offices. But state attorneys general, including William Tong of Connecticut, say the damage is done. A lawsuit by the state of Connecticut alleged that a patient taking the lowest dose twice a day for a week earned Purdue $38. But if the patient instead took the highest dose, Purdue made $210an increase of 450 percent. To obtain that revenue, Purdue formulated its sales strategy to increase prescribed doses, the lawsuit says.

Purdues flagship drug, OxyContin, was launched in 1996 with the highly addictive oxycodone as the single active molecule. Oxycodone has had devastating consequences in Connecticut. According to the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, between 2012 and 2019, there were 707 accidental overdose deaths involving oxycodone, though the office does not indicate how many, if any, of these deaths involved OxyContin.

Deaths from all opioids climbed to 5,790 over the eight-year period, the state reports.

An October 2019 study by Yale University and the University of Connecticut published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence found that overdose deaths from opioid use in Connecticut doubled in the last six years as a result of fentanyl and polysubstance abuse.

Findings such as these could explain why a drop in prescriptions alone doesnt tell the full story. There are a lot of pathways to addiction, said Dr. Gregory Shangold, an ER physician in Willimantic.

This story has been edited from its initial version. Matthew Kauffman, a freelance data specialist, contributed data to this story.

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team , a nonprofit news organization dedicated to health reporting.

CORRECTION: An earlier version contained incorrect information concerning Dr. Joshua Hurwitz. He was not listed as a prescriber. He was paid $2,227 for consulting work in the area of womens health and hormones.
Humanity faces an existential threat  the whole world is beginning to see. Forests burn from America to Australia. Deserts are advancing across Africa and Asia. Rising sea levels threaten our European cities as well as Pacific islands. Mankind has seen such phenomena before, but never at this speed.

In Ireland, extreme weather events are occurring with increasing frequency: in recent years, we have experienced unseasonably heavy snowfall, heavy rainfall, heat waves and drought. In 2017, Hurricane Ophelia was the first Category 3 Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in Ireland. The following year, Storm Emma brought the highest accumulations of snow for several decades.

A large majority of European citizens perceive climate change as a major threat to our way of life. One in three Irish respondents to the most recent EUROBAROMETER (35%) identify climate change and environmental degradation as the most important issues facing the EU, exceeding the European average (28%). Children and young people have shown themselves to be particularly conscious of this issue, with many taking to the streets to demand that political leaders take meaningful steps to combat climate breakdown.

The European Green Deal is the EUs response to the challenge posed by the climate crisis: a comprehensive roadmap for ambitious structural reforms and bold policies designed to make the EU the worlds first climate-neutral continent by 2050. There has been broad political support for the Green Deal; however, a number of environmental experts and advocacy groups have challenged the proposals for not being ambitious or credible enough. Furthermore, several Member States have demanded more precise and generous commitments of EU funds to transition away from fossil fuels before endorsing the objective of achieving net zero emissions.

To reflect the urgency and significance of this discussion, the European Commission Representation in Ireland is holding a debate for Irish secondary schools on the issue of climate change and the European Green Deal. Staged annually, the Model Council of the European Union debate simulates a meeting of the Council of the European Union and involves teams from 27 secondary schools around Ireland, each of which represents an EU Member State.

On Thursday 27 February, Loreto Secondary School Kilkenny will participate in the Model Council Debate at the Printworks Building in Dublin Castle on 27 February and will be broadcast subsequently on Oireachtas TV.

The event will provide young people from across the country an opportunity to engage deeply with the defining political issue of our era from a variety of different national perspectives. In addition to discussing the social and economic implications of increased emissions reduction targets, participants will debate the support mechanisms required to ensure that the green transition is managed in a just and equitable fashion.

The European Green Deal is Europe's new growth strategy. It is the green thread that will run through all our policies  from transport to taxation, from food to farming, from industry to infrastructure. With our Green Deal we want to invest in clean energy and extend emission trading, but we will also boost the circular economy and preserve Europes biodiversity.

Across Europe, people young and old are not only asking for climate action. They are already changing their lifestyle: think of the commuters who take the bike or public transport, parents who choose reusable nappies, companies that renounce single-use plastics and bring sustainable alternatives to the market. Many of us are part of this European and global movement for climate. For example, in Ireland volunteers with the Clean Coasts programme hold an annual Big Beach Clean every September and this year saw over 8,000 volunteers remove 45 tonnes of marine litter from over 300 Irish beaches.

Nine European citizens out of ten ask for decisive climate action. Our children rely on us. Europeans want their Union to act at home and lead abroad.

The European Green Deal is Europes response to our peoples call. It is a deal by Europe, for Europe and a contribution for a better world. Every European can be part of the change.
A staff of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), has been reportedly electrocuted to death while on official duty at Ezukwu Ibusa, Oshimili north local government area of Delta state.

Trouble started Tuesday when the unidentified staff was on the high tension cable where he climbed to disconnect power supply was restored to the area.

It was learnt that the officer died on the spot before he was rushed to the hospital for medical attention.

An activist Victor Ojei, of the Young Nigerian Rights Organization, in a post on Wongtv box Facebook page, blamed the death of the staff on lack of communication by BEDC staff in the office and those on the field.

Ojei said: "Electric just killed him while on duty in EZUKWU Ibusa as light was restored.

"This goes to prove incompetence of BEDC, how will the officials of BEDC not be communicating while on field duties?

"This is arrogance and negligence on duty by BEDC officials", the activist who is the Convener of BEDC Must Go, movement added.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday reaffirmed India's commitment to the United Nation's goal set under the UN Decade of Action of drastically reducing road accidents by 2030.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari was addressing the '3rd High Level Global Conference on Road Safety for Achieving Global Goals 2030' in Stockholm in Sweden, an official release said.

"India is collaborating with stakeholders and other agencies who are assisting us by way of strengthening the capabilities of various institutions, enhancing awareness and improving our engineering designs for safer roads," the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement quoting Gadkari.

The government is fully committed to the safety of citizens, the minister said, adding that a large number of pedestrians, cyclists and motorised two-wheelers compete for space on roads, therefore, the road safety requirements of these vulnerable sections needs to be kept in mind while designing and developing transport strategies.

The minister pointed out that India is the largest producer of two wheelers and amongst largest manufacturer of cars in the world.

Road accidents constitute the most important public health concern in the country that saw over 1.51 lakh fatalities in about 5 lakh road accidents in 2018 alone.

"Eleven per cent of deaths due to road accident of the world take place in India alone. When translated into economic terms, estimates suggest that this has adversely affected our GDP by as much as 2-3 per cent per annum. Road accidents not only have an economic impact, but also serious implications for those involved in such crashes and their immediate families who suffer severe physical and psychological trauma as a result," he said.

Gadkari said India has been undertaking various publicity measures to improve road safety awareness among the general public.

The minister said India has the second largest road network in the world and the government has launched an ambitious programme for development and upgradation of roads in the country, especially the National Highways network.

He said his Ministry has been working in association with States, and vehicle manufactures for strengthening driving training.

Gadkari said the Motor Vehicles Act, has been amended for the first time in a comprehensive way after thirty years.

He said he is confident that the Act will lead to several reforms ranging from road safety, citizen facilitation, transparency, and efficiency through the use of Information Technology.

India is looking towards automated systems solutions using technology and having least human interface in its current licensing and fitness certificate regime, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Arla Foods-backed study has found that 66% of consumers in the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Germany do not see nutrition as part of sustainable diets. Moreover, half (49%)... Read More
Ram Janambhoomi Nyas chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das (R) and Yugpurush Paramanandji Maharaj at the meeting of Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, in New Delhi. (PTI)

New Delhi: Thanking Narendra Modi led-NDA government for setting up the Shri Ramjanambhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust as stipulated by the Supreme Court, the Trust in its first meeting on Wednesday appointed Mahant Nritya Gopal Das as its president, VHP functionary Champat Rai as its general secretary and Prime Ministers former principal secretary Nripendra Misra as the head of the temple construction committee.

Though no date for beginning of the construction of the temple was announced, Nritya Gopal Das and Rai said it would commence soon.

The Trust also paid tributes to all those Rambhakts, who had struggled or got martyred during the Ram Mandir, which had been on since 1528.

The meeting held at the residence of senior lawyer K. Parasaran, also appointed Swami Govind Dev Giri of Pune as the treasurer of the trust. The trust also decided to open an office in Ayodhya.

Appreciating the positive steps taken by the Prime Minister and the Central government, the Trust also thanked the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government for the social harmony that prevailed during the hearing of the case in the apex court.

The main model of the temple, it was learnt, will remain the same as designed by the VHP three decades back.

Other than paying tributes to the saints and seers, who kept the struggle on, the trust, in its resolution, made a special mention of late VHP stalwarts  Ashok Singhal and Giriraj Kishore, who played a key role in the Ramjanambhoomi movement.

The Trust also hailed the efforts of all those former prime ministers who had an important role in the struggle.

After 1947, the Ramjanambhoomi Mukti Campaign was the second biggest national campaign after the JP Movement. We pay tributes to all those who participated in it. It was their efforts and struggle, which culminated in clearing the path for a grand temple of Lord Ram, reads the resolution.
OREGON -- A vision of secession has occupied the minds of residents in eastern Oregons counties since 1975.

Now, 35 years later, a formal (and, admittedly, unlikely) plan to join the ranks of nearby Idaho is beginning to emerge, says a leader of Move Oregons Border for a Greater Idaho, reports our sister site, The Oregonian.

Mike McCarter, one of the skeptical architects of a game plan to get voters on board with the matter, said the effort is picking up momentum: It takes a lot of oomph to get something like this started. I call it a peaceful revolution.

Why the exodus?

People here would prefer Idahos conservative governance to the progressive/liberal current Oregon governance," said another initiative leader, Valerie Gottschalk. McCarter, meanwhile, said its not necessarily Republican vs. Democrat, but between urban and rural more than anything else.

In the past month, writes The Oregonian, proposals to let voters weigh in on the issue have earned initial approval from Josephine and Douglas counties in the state, setting the stage for a signature-gathering push to get them on the ballot in November.

The group reportedly wants to have initiatives on the ballot of every eastern Oregon county this fall.

Staten Islanders are familiar with this type of process. In 1993, unhappy with a variety of issues (including the stinking, grotesque entity known as the Fresh Kills landfill), 65% of borough residents voted in favor of seceding from the other four boroughs. Yet, it never happened. It was thwarted by then-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Fast-forward to 2019, and Republican Councilmen Steven Matteo and Joseph Borelli have reignited a push to break Staten Island from New York City. The reasoning is in line with Move Oregons Border for a Greater Idaho: The Big Apple has become too leftist, and the outer portion of the big city isnt getting a fair shake from the powers that control it.

"Maybe its time that we make a serious effort to distance ourselves from City Hall and to put Staten Island first, Borelli said late last year.

While the eastern counties of Oregon are a long way from exiting the Beaver State, Borelli and Matteo are currently pushing for a study to determine whether Staten Island could indeed secede from New York City.
The 88-year-old Trinh Ngoc still makes leather shoes by hand day in day out - PHOTOS: VUONG ANH Ngoc, a native of Bac Lieu Province in the Mekong Delta, left his home province to move to Cambodia when he was 16. He learned to make leather shoes in Cambodia and became an artisan there. Ngoc used to design shoes for Cambodias King Norodom Sihanouk and American and French diplomats in Cambodia. As many of Ngocs customers were foreigners, he could speak English, French and Chinese fluently. In 1970, Ngoc returned to Vietnam and chose Saigon as his second chance to start all over again. In 1971, he opened his store in Saigon and found his products selling very well here. Following the reunification of Vietnam in 1975, Ngoc halted his business for a while to work at a Vietnamese shoe company. Ngoc retired in 1991. However, his strong love for leather shoes has prompted him to reopen his store which is still running now. His workbench helps him create unique shoe designs Ngoc says the first step of making leather shoes is drawing parts of shoe on leather Then, Ngoc will cut the leather Those parts are sewed The shoes upper and sole are assembled via a shoe mold Ngocs complete pairs of shoes Ngoc still retains the mold for making the shoes of Cambodias late King Norodom Sihanouk
By Feb. 18, 2020

Dale & Co. will play the live music series Backstage Pass at West Kentucky Community and Technical College's Clemens Fine Arts Center (CFAC) Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 pm.

Dale is Dale Bickford, who lives and works in Paducah, and performs intimate sets where the music can be "felt" by the listener. He is accompanied by two guest players during his set at the CFAC, which is the "Co." in Dale & Co. Bickford, currently a solo performer, said the audience is most certainly part of his "company", too, and he loves performing for them.





"I believe music is a language and I view myself quite simply as a translator or interpreter," said Bickford. "What I do many people can do and is not to be esteemed as elite or special, in my opinionI am just a vessel, or as a friend of mine put it: 'It's a gift, you don't own it.'"





Clemens Fine Arts Center Director Todd Birdsong says that the Backstage Pass series is a perfect way to showcase local talent.





"The Backstage Pass series is currently celebrating its 17th year. It's an intimate, listening room atmosphere that lends itself to many of our local musicians' styles and music. And having one of Paducah's own, like Dale, return to the Clemens stage is what the Backstage Pass series is all about," said Birdsong. "Dale is a seasoned player and songwriter who is currently working on his second full length album and is about to release an upcoming EP. We are fortunate to have him playing in our series."





Coffee and donuts will be available throughout Bickford's Backstage Pass concert. The series is supported by WKMS-FM in Murray and Munal's Donuts located in Paducah.





Advance single tickets are $8 ($10 at the door) and $5 for students. Tickets are available at artsinfocus.org or by calling 270-534-3212.









PADUCAH -
Photo: Glacier Media

An independent consultants review of the Vancouver Police Departments practice of street checks has been unable to conclude that officers were motivated by racism or bias when stopping a person on the street.

The Vancouver Police Board ordered the review last fall after the B.C. Civil Liberties Association and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs accused the department of discrimination after police data showed an overrepresentation of Indigenous and black people checked between 2008 and 2017.

This review of street checks, consistent with other [Canadian police department] reviews, found that the available data and information could neither confirm nor deny police racism or bias, said the consultants report, which goes before the Vancouver Police Board Thursday.

Additionally, considering only the disproportionality of individuals in the street check data could not be used to confirm or deny the existence of bias.

The report was authored by Ruth Montgomery, a former Edmonton police superintendent who operates Pyxis Consulting Group Inc., and four other people, including Curt Taylor Griffiths of Simon Fraser University's School of Criminology. The police board hired Pyxis last year to conduct a review that would include interviews with people stopped in a street check.

The review found that more than 40 per cent of the street checks were justified with a bylaw stop. Another 25 per cent were justified as possible criminal behaviour.

Overall, very few of these street checks appears on its face to be unwarranted or unreasonable, the report said of the practice that allows an officer to stop a person to conduct an interview or investigation in regards to suspicious activity or a suspected crime.

The findings of the review fall in line what a VPD report concluded last year and what Police Chief Adam Palmer has repeated since the issue surfaced two years ago  that the practice is not discriminatory, and it helps solves crimes.

In June 2018, a request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act required Vancouver police to post data on its website that showed police conducted 97,281 street checks between 2008 and 2017.

Of those checks, 15 per cent (14,536) were of Indigenous people and more than four per cent (4,365) of black people. Indigenous people make up just over two per cent of the population in Vancouver, and Black people less than one per cent.

The report, which was released Tuesday, comes one month after the police board adopted a written street check policy for the Vancouver department.

The policy states that an officer cannot stop someone based solely on an identity factor such as race, social or economic status, religion, ancestry and sexual orientation.

Random or arbitrary stops are not permitted. An officer must have a specific public safety purpose to ask a person for identification and must inform the person of that reason.

An officer must also ensure a person is aware of their rights during a street check.
US authorities allow a Venezuelan father to enter the US, but force his 18-year-old daughter to wait in Mexico alone.

A Venezuelan teenager has been forced back to Mexico by United States government authorities who denied her claims that she was fleeing political repression and violence, even after they accepted the same claims from her father.

The teenager, who is being identified by only her first name, Branyerly, is living alone in Matamoros, Mexico, across from Brownsville. According to her lawyer, US border agents on Monday and Tuesday denied her requests not to be sent back under the Trump administrations so-called Remain in Mexico programme for migrants.

Branyerly and her father could not request asylum under another Trump policy, a ban on most asylum claims at the southern border for people who came through a third country. But in January, an immigration judge allowed her father, Branly, into the US by granting whats called withholding of removal, which requires meeting a higher legal standard.

That same judge denied withholding for Branyerly, who was 17 when she originally arrived at the border and is now 18. Both she and her father say the immigration judge, Monica Thompson Guidry, asked him most questions during the hearing and asked her relatively few. The final result came as a shock to both of them.

She tried to request parole on Monday at one of the bridges connecting Brownsville and Matamoros. She was taken into an office on the US side briefly, then told to return to Mexico.

I already lived one nightmare in Venezuela and another here, Branyerly said.

#laninavenezolana is going back to the bridge to ask @CBPRGV for parole. Justice for Branyerly. pic.twitter.com/rOTfNkUwOY  ***Jodi Goodwin*** (@JodiGoodwin17) February 18, 2020

Venezuela has experienced an economic collapse and political turmoil that has led to millions of people fleeing the country. Many have attempted to seek refuge in the US.

President Donald Trump, who has recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the countrys legitimate leader, in his State of the Union address this month called Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a socialist dictator and said all Americans are united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom. But many Venezuelans seeking refuge in the US have been barred by a series of Trump administration policies clamping down on asylum.

Its not only ironic but it smacks of speaking out of both sides of your mouth, said Jodi Goodwin, Branyerlys lawyer.

Branly says his political problems began when he rejected a job that would have required him to support the governing party. After he turned down the job, Branly says, he started receiving threatening calls at his home, saying his wife and daughter would be kidnapped.

He and his wife left Venezuela for the US in early 2019, leaving their daughter with a family friend. But she was soon threatened as well. So, Branly returned to Venezuela to find Branyerly, then travelled with her through Mexico to the southern US border. They arrived in July, shortly before her 18th birthday, and were placed into the Remain in Mexico programme until their January hearing.

Goodwin said Branyerly was in a particularly vulnerable situation as the daughter of a known political activist.

She is vulnerable as a migrant. She is vulnerable as a child. She is vulnerable as a woman, Goodwin wrote in her request to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that Branyerly be allowed into the US while her immigration case continues. In other words, there are any number of categories within which it is easy to tell that she is vulnerable being alone in Mexico.

CBP declined to comment on Tuesday.

As Branly spoke about his daughters plight in Mexico and the guilt he feels, he began to weep. His voice choked up.

What I care about is my daughter, he said. How did they do it for me but not my daughter? I dont understand. I dont understand.
Members of various Muslim outfits on Wednesday took out a protest march to Tamil Nadu Secretariat here against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Register of Citizens (NRC) and Population Register (NPR).

Heavy security has also been put in place at the Chepauk area ahead of the protest as protesters proposed to lay siege to the Secretariat and the District Collector's office against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered an interim stay on the blockade without the proper sanction of the police. It also ordered Muslim outfits to not go ahead with its proposed agitation to lay siege at the Secretariat and the District Collector's office.

Protests have erupted across the country against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) since Parliament gave its nod to the Bill last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A military document from 1918 has revealed how one spirited Australian soldier was brutally punished for refusing to leave his bed.

Private Humby C.R, from the 36th battalion of the Australian Imperial Force faced a field general court martial during World War One on February 16, 1918.

The unearthed court document showed how the private was charged with disobeying orders after giving attitude to his his superior officer.

A 1918 military document revealed how an Australian soldier, Private Humby, was tried and punished after he was charged with disobeying direct orders from his commanding officer

A week before being punished, Private Humby was 'personally ordered' by his Command Sergeant Major Coy to get out of bed and and prepare for job allocation.

'I am not going to get up, you can go f*** yourself,' Private Humby shot back.

Private Humby pleaded guilty to the charge and was found guilty of disobedience.

He was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment with hard labor.

A 'remarks' section at the bottom of the the document noted that the private's sentence had been reduced to sixty days of Field Punishment Number One.

It's understood the punishment he would be placed in handcuffs or similar constraints and then chained to a gun wheel or fence post for up to two hours every day.

The private from the 36th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force (pictured) refused orders to get out of bed and told his Command Sergeant Major to 'go f*** yourself'

The document was posted on Reddit, where social media users were quick to praise the soldier for his 'Aussie spirit.'

'Presumably they created the 'Australian of the year' award shortly after this,' said one.

'Nothing captures my idea of Australian culture more than this,' another commented.

The 36th Battalion disbanded in April of 1918 after suffering mass casualties to a German gas attack during the First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, a commune in northern France.
Brussels, 18 February 2020 - Today, at a European Parliament lunch debate hosted by Christophe Hansen MEP (Luxembourg), Alzheimer Europe launched a new report presenting the findings of its collaborative analysis of recent prevalence studies and setting out updated prevalence rates for dementia in Europe.

Over the past three decades, a number of significant pieces of work have been undertaken to estimate the prevalence of dementia at a European level, including:

EURODEM study in the early 80s (updated in 2000)

Alzheimer Europes project European Collaboration on Dementia  EuroCoDe (2006-2008)

ALCOVE, the 1st EU Joint Action on Dementia (2011-2013).

As the most recent of these studies is six years old, Alzheimer Europe recognised the importance of establishing more recent dementia prevalence estimates, using the most up-to-date academic literature on the subject.

The findings presented below are based on a collaborative analysis of prevalence studies published since the conclusion of the EuroCoDe project. A total of 16 studies meeting predefined quality criteria were included in the collaborative analysis.

The key findings of this new Alzheimer Europe report include:

For men, there has been a reduction in the prevalence of dementia across all age groups over the past ten years when compared to Alzheimer Europes 2008 EuroCoDe estimates.

For women, apart from the age group of women between 75 and 79 years, there has been a reduction in the prevalence of dementia over the past ten years when compared to EuroCoDe.

The number of people living with dementia in the European Union (EU27) is estimated to be 7,853,705 and in European countries represented by AE members, 9,780,678. Compared to its earlier estimates, this constitutes a significant reduction from 8,785,645 for the EU27 and from 10,935,444 for the broader European region.

Women continue to be disproportionately affected by dementia with 6,650,228 women and 3,130,449 men living with dementia in Europe.

Women continue to be disproportionately affected by dementia with 6,650,228 women and 3,130,449 men living with dementia in Europe. The number of people with dementia in Europe will almost double by 2050, increasing to 14,298,671 in the European Union and 18,846,286 in the wider European region.

Alzheimer Europes Yearbook also highlighted significant limitations in the available research into dementia prevalence and a lack of research into:

the prevalence of younger people with dementia (i.e. those aged under 65)

the prevalence of different types of dementia

the number of people affected by different stages of dementia including mild cognitive impairment

the prevalence of dementia of people from ethnic minority groups.

Commenting on the findings, Alzheimer Europe Executive Director, Jean Georges, said:

It is promising to see that healthier lifestyles, better education and improved control of cardiovascular risk factors seem to have contributed to a reduction of the prevalence of dementia. However, our report also demonstrates that the number of people living with the condition is set to increase substantially in the years ahead, which will only place greater pressure on care and support services unless better ways of treating and preventing dementia are identified. If people with dementia, their families and carers are to receive the high-quality and person-centred care they need, governments must ensure their health and care systems are ready to meet this demand and greater investments in research into the treatment and prevention of dementia are needed.

###

For further information, contact:

Owen Miller, Policy Officer of Alzheimer Europe, 14, rue Dicks, L-1417 Luxembourg, Tel.: +352-29 79 70, Fax: +352-29 79 72, owen.miller@alzheimer-europe.org, http://www.alzheimer-europe.org

The 2019 Yearbook "Estimating the prevalence of dementia in Europe" received funding under an operating grant from the European Union's Health Programme (2014-2020). The policy report was authored by Project Officer Christophe Bintener and Policy Officer Owen Miller. It can be purchased or downloaded via the AE website: https://www.alzheimer-europe.org/Publications/

Notes to editors

Alzheimer Europe is the umbrella organisation of national Alzheimer associations and currently has 39 member organisations in 35 European countries. The mission statement of the organisation is to change perceptions, practice and policy to ensure equal access of people with dementia to a high level of care services and treatment options.

Countries covered:

Alzheimer Europe calculated the numbers of people with dementia living in the European Union (EU27) and the countries represented by the organisation's members (EU27 + Bosnia and Herzegovina, Channel Islands, Iceland, Israel, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom).

Background information:

In 2008, Alzheimer Europe published the results of its meta-analysis of prevalence studies published between 1998 and 2008. This meta-analysis was part of its European Collaboration on Dementia - EuroCoDe project.

The findings presented above are based on a collaborative analysis of prevalence studies published since the conclusion of the EuroCoDe project. A total of 16 studies meeting predefined quality criteria were included in the collaborative analysis.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bold Penguin, a rapidly growing commercial insurance technology provider, announced today the addition of commercial auto insurance to its platform. The newly added capability allows business use auto insurance to be quoted alongside the other types of coverage in a bundled fashion through a single application.

Commercial auto represents 12% of the growing $100 billion small commercial market for the 30.2M small businesses in the United States. The growing demand for being able to efficiently review all types of coverage stemmed from the 1M businesses Bold Penguin powered to date.

"We are excited to go live with commercial auto which was in high demand from our existing broker partners," said Ilya Bodner, founder and CEO of Bold Penguin. "This is a significant enhancement to our platform, which now allows for other lines such as general liability and workers comp to be quoted alongside business auto through a single, uniform, tightened up application flow. Following this announcement, we will be expanding commercial auto options and continuing our expansion into E&S."

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company is one carrier now offering commercial auto insurance, amongst other small business coverages, utilizing the latest technology advancement in its Commercial Digital Storefront. The company won the highest ranking for overall customer satisfaction two years in a row in J.D. Power's 2018 and 2019 U.S. Small Commercial Insurance Satisfaction Studies.

"Nationwide is proud to have spent the last 90 years empowering and protecting small business owners," said Nationwide Property & Casualty President and COO Mark Berven. "Integrating Commercial Auto into our Commercial Digital Storefront tool with Bold Penguin allows us to continue to support small business owners with an efficient, user-friendly experience."

Bold Penguin's technology allows agents to quote and bind policies for SMBs 3 times faster than the traditional process. The addition of commercial auto to the platform, now the largest commercial insurance exchange, streamlines the quoting experience for General Liability, Business Owners Policy (BOP), Professional Liability, and Workers Compensation.

About Bold Penguin

Bold Penguin is where technology enhances the human touch in commercial insurance. With a heavy focus on agents, Bold Penguin upgrades the user experience for businesses, creates an easy tool for agents, and offers a streamlined process of underwriting for carriers. Founded by a group of entrepreneurs who spent their early days working with Allstate, Nationwide, and Progressive alongside regional carriers and established insurance agencies. For more details, please visit www.boldpenguin.com .

About Nationwide

Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the United States. Nationwide is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's. An industry leader in driving customer-focused innovation, Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and financial services products including auto, business, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Nationwide, Nationwide is on your side and the Nationwide N and Eagle are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.  2020

CONTACTS: Connor Pilbeam, [email protected]; or Amber Wuollet, [email protected]

SOURCE Bold Penguin

Related Links

https://www.boldpenguin.com


The upcoming season of The Real Housewives of Melbourne will introduce three new cast members.

Former CNN news anchor Anjali Rao, yoga teacher Cherry Dipietrantonio and 'champagne educator' Kyla Kirkpatrick will join the 2020 cast.

The three women will join returning fan favourites Janet Roach, Lydia Schiavello, Gamble Breaux and Gina Liano.

Coming soon! The upcoming season of The Real Housewives of Melbourne will introduce three new cast members, Kyla Kirkpatrick (left), Cherry Dipietrantonio (centre) and Anjali Rao (right)

'I'm brown, I'm female and I have an English accent': Former CNN news anchor Anjali Rao, 46, had a successful journalism career in Hong Kong for 20 years before moving to Australia

Anjali Rao, 46

Former CNN news anchor Anjali Rao had a successful journalism career in Hong Kong for 20 years, before moving to Australia with her now ex-husband Brett Gullan, who was born in Melbourne.

However, she found the media industry wasn't as inclusive in Australia, so she moved into reality television.

'I'm brown, I'm female and I have an English accent. And they just don't require any of those things over here,' Anjali told Arena.

The single mother-of-one decided to join The Real Housewives of Melbourne because she sees the news as 'the most real of reality television'.

New faces: Anjali Rao (left), Cherry Dipietrantonio (centre) and Kyla Kirkpatrick (right) will join the 2020 cast. Pictured at a launch party in Melbourne on Wednesday

Sparkling: Anjali (left) joined Real Housewives of Melbourne because she thinks journalism is similar to reality TV, while Cherry (right) wanted to be 'thrown' into a new situation

Cherry Dipietrantonio, 39

Having met her husband, Andre, in Bali when she was only 18, British-born Cherry Dipietrantonio moved to Melbourne to start a family.

The yoga instructor follows a philosophy of mindfulness, but she's not afraid of the other women 'taking the p**s' out of her career choice.

'I think it's quite interesting because I tend to surround myself with similar people  you know, people that are into mindfulness,' Cherry explained.

'They tend to be people who are very compassionate and understanding. So, how fabulous to be thrown into a situation that's completely the opposite! Sink or swim, right?'

'Sink or swim': Yoga instructor Cherry, 39, follows a philosophy of mindfulness

'I'm a big supporter of women': As CEO of three champagne-related companies, Kyla Kirkpatrick, 42, has never had time to watch The Real Housewives of Melbourne

Kyla Kirkpatrick, 42

As CEO of three champagne-related companies, Kyla Kirkpatrick has never had time to watch The Real Housewives of Melbourne.

The self-proclaimed Champagne Dame has an 80-hour work week, but she also squeezes in quality time with her six-year-old, Arlington-Rose.

Despite not being familiar with the reality TV franchise, Kyla hopes that the all-female cast will support each other more this year.

'It's interesting for me to do this show as I'm a big supporter of women. I just think women are the most amazing and resilient and talented creatures,' she added.

Back with a bang! The new housewives will be joined by fan favourites Gamble Breaux, Janet Roach, Gina Liano and Lydia Schiavello

Janet Roach, 61, Lydia Schiavello, 50, Gamble Breaux, 46, and Gina Liano, 53, will all be returning this season.

Gina, Lydia and Janet have appeared on the reality series since it first aired in 2014.

Original cast member Jackie Gillies will not be returning this season, as she focuses on starting a family with her husband, Ben.

Fan favourites: Janet Roach (left), Lydia Schiavello, Gamble Breaux (right) and Gina Liano will all be returning this season
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari who is representing India in a global road safety event in Sweden will hold bilateral dialogue with his Swedish counterpart for infrastructure Tomas Eneroth, the government said on Wednesday. The Road Transport and Highways Minister is in Sweden to represent India at the "3rd High-Level Global Conference on Road Safety for Achieving Global Goals 2030 being held in Stockholm from February 19-20.

READ | Delhi Election: Nitin Gadkari Congratulates Kejriwal After AAP's Resounding Victory

Gadkari to meet Swedish counterpart

During his stay in Stockholm, Gadkari will have a bilateral dialogue with his Swedish counterpart for infrastructure Tomas Eneroth, Minister for Foreign Trade Anna Hallberg, Minister for Business, Industry & Innovation Ibrahim Baylan and also with the British Minister for Road Safety Baroness Vere. Gadkari will also hold talks with the World Bank Vice President (South Asia) Hart Schafer, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said.

READ: Citizens' Group Paints Speed Breakers, Earns Gadkari's Praise

Also on Gadkari's itinerary will be a Sweden-India Transportation Safety and Innovation Partnership meeting to be attended by a number of CEOs. Swedish and Indian businesses are likely to exchange several MOUs on these occasions. Gadkari on Wednesday visited the Swedish Logistics Automotive manufacturer 'Volvo' in Gothenburg. The Minister was accompanied by Ambassador of Sweden in India Klas Molin. Volvo is one of the world's largest manufacturers of heavy-duty trucks, construction equipment, buses and heavy-duty diesel engines as well as a leading supplier of marine and industrial engines.

WATCH | 'Delhi-Mumbai Expressway' To Be Completed Before 2023: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari

The objective of the two-day conference is to bring road safety on the global agenda and renew the world community's commitment to safer roads. Leaders from participating countries will draw up a roadmap for reaching the United Nation's goal set under the UN Decade of Action of reducing road crashes by 2030.

READ: Swedish Businessman Seeks Alms In TN To Get Mental Peace
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Ramen Tatsu-Ya is celebrating its third birthday with $3 sake cocktails all day Thursday, Feb. 20.

The popular Austin-based Japanese chain opened in Feb. 2017 off California Street in Montrose and is known for ramen dishes featuring a thick, creamy broth and thin noodles, the Houston Chronicle reported.

ON HOUSTON CHRONICLE.COM: Cult favorite ramen maker coming to Houston

Houstonians can grab $3 sake cocktails and smoked shoyu brisket ramen from 11 a.m. until supplies last on Thursday, according to a Facebook post from the business. Customers wearing a Tatsu-Ya T-shirt on Thursday will receive 15 percent off their total bill.

In addition to food and drink specials, the restaurant is ringing in another year by hosting a naming competition for its beloved mascot and outdoor Lucky Cat sculpture. The winner will receive a T-shirt and free ramen for one year, or 12 $15 gift cards, according to a Facebook post from the business. The winning name last year was "The Notorious C.A.T. a.k.a. Kitty Smalls."

Houstonians have until Saturday, Feb. 22 to enter to win. The winner will be chosen Monday, March 2. Find more information and details on how to enter on the Ramen Tatsu-Ya Facebook page.

Ramen Tatsu-Ya is located at 1722 California Street, Houston.

FLAVOR: Hungry for restaurant reviews and recipes? Get the free, weekly Flavor newsletter delivered to your email.

Rebecca Hennes covers community news. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | rebecca.hennes@chron.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-20 00:31:47|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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HANGZHOU, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Workshop director Zhang Chuangye felt relieved when he checked the list of returning workers in Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang province.

"We arranged five buses to pick them up from their hometowns. A total of 110 are back," he said.

Yuan Jun, owner of a textile factory in Hangzhou, capital city of the province, explained the key issues that troubled him. "For us enterprises, the biggest task of work resumption is that our permanent employees are not able to go back, and it's difficult to find new ones currently."

They are not alone. During the back-to-work season, a lot of migrant workers are not able to return to work, thus, many enterprises are in lack of employees.

According to Ge Ping'an, deputy director-general of Zhejiang human resources and social security department, Zhejiang has a total of 19.84 million migrant workers, accounting for about 51 percent of the province's total employment.

In order to prevent and control the epidemic outbreak and help enterprises resume work at the same time, Zhejiang is making efforts in multiple ways.

From last week, Zhejiang has sent charter trains and buses to ferry back migrant workers to speed up the production resumption at local companies.

In the meantime, some businesses and companies in China have resumed work on the cloud. Many employers, as well as employees, have got familiar with telecommuting tools such as video conferences and online office kits.

International markets such as Yiwu International Trade Market and China Textile City, before its opening of shops offline, are making profits from orders online.

Flexible human resource management and sharing employees across industries are also making contributions.

In order to encourage the employment, local governments in the province are using financial support to help enterprises through the difficult time.

The city of Huzhou has established a special fund of 100 million yuan (about 143,000 U.S. dollars) for the work resumption of enterprises and factories.

"Both policy and wisdom are needed in work resumption," said Pan Helin, an expert in economics at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.
SFW announces today that it has been awarded a contract by Helen Oy for a circulating fluidized-bed (CFB) boiler for the new Vuosaari C plant in Helsinki, Finland. This bioenergy heating plant, with a fuel heat input of 220 MW, will use forest based biomass as the main fuel.

SFW will design, supply and erect the CFB boiler island along with flue gas cleaning, auxiliary equipment and a boiler house. The new bioenergy plant will be located next to Helens existing power plant site in Vuosaari. Heat production from the new plant will start during the heating season of 2022-2023.

Tomas Harju-Jeanty, CEO, Sumitomo SHI FW said:

SFW is enthusiastically participating in development of a carbon free future together with Helen. We are proud to have our innovative CFB boiler technology selected as one of the steps in Helens goal to phase out the use of coal combustion.

Our CFB boiler technology being utilized in the Vuosaari bioenergy heating plant is already used in over 100 plants in almost 20 countries including units recently taken into operation in Finland, Sweden, Korea and Japan. Renewable energy solutions delivered by SFW are reducing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil energy by over 30 million tons every year.

Notes to editors:

Sumitomo SHI FW (www.shi-fw.com) is a world leader in combustion and steam generation technology. The company has sold over 510 CFB steam generating units around the world, bringing high-value technology solutions to utilities, independent power generators and industrial clients. Our leadership position in CFB boiler combustion has resulted from our commitment to deliver superior designs providing high efficiency, fuel flexibility and low emissions. Our power solutions expand beyond fluidized bed technologies, covering a full range of environmental products, waste heat boilers and a spectrum of aftermarket services.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200218005878/en/
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, sources said, in the first meeting between the two leaders after the assembly poll in the national capital.

The sources said the meeting will take place at the Ministry of Home Affairs office here at 2.30 pm.

It will be a "courtesy" call, they said.

Shah had led the BJP offensive against Kejriwal in the Assembly poll in which the AAP trounced the saffron party, bagging 62 of the 70 seats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
But Beijing reports the lowest number of new infections in the current month. Outside Hubei, only 56 new cases have been reported, falling for the 15th consecutive day. Russia announces the closure of its borders to Chinese citizens. The spike in South Korea due to a "super greaser".

Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The death toll from coronavirus has exceeded the psychological threshold of 2 thousand: overnight, the Beijing National Health Commission announced that Covid-19 killed 2,007 people. About 95% of the deaths occurred in the epicenter of the epidemic, the province of Hubei. Here doctors are still fighting to contain the spread of the disease.

However, Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said yesterday that measures taken by China are making "visible progress".

Hong Kong reported its second death this morning from the infection. Russia has announced the closure of its borders to Chinese citizens and South Korea has experienced a spike in the number of infections.

Yesterday, at the end of the day, Beijing reported 74,279 Covid-19 cases reported in China, including 74,185 on the mainland. However, the National Health Commission said that the number of new cases has decreased for the second consecutive day.

In its daily bulletin, the commission reported 1,749 new cases of people infected with the virus nationwide, the lowest number of new cases in the current month.

Meanwhile, the Hubei government has said it will investigate anyone who bought cough or fever drugs after January 20, both in the pharmacy and online, as part of an unprecedented effort to track Covid-19 patients in the quarantined province.

Outside Hubei, only 56 new cases have been reported; a decrease for the 15th consecutive day. A second Covid-19 infected person died in Hong Kong. This was announced by the Chinese broadcaster CCTV, citing a report by the hospital authorities of the former British colony. The 70-year-old died this morning. In total, 62 coronavirus cases were diagnosed in the city.

Two days ago, Chinese authorities published a study according to which the new coronavirus Covid-19 causes only mild diseases for 80% of infected patients, who then manage to recover. Health officials presented the slowing numbers as an indication that the epidemic is under control. Shortly after the publication of the document, WHO invited the public to calm down despite the positive news contained in it.

Outside China's borders, another 25 nations report a total of 920 contagion episodes, in addition to three deaths. A note from the World Health Organization (WHO) today reports about 100 human-to-human transmission cases outside China.

Yesterday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke of 92 episodes in 12 countries. South Korea reports 15 new cases of contagion, including 11 in the city of Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. These people had come into contact with an already known patient.

The Moscow Times announces that starting tomorrow, Russia will ban the entry of those who hold Chinese passports into the country. Moscow explains that the measure will affect anyone who enters China for work, education, tourism or other reasons, but not passengers in transit.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A constant debate between some members of City Council and Mayor Frank Jacksons administration centers on how many officers the police department needs.

That subject is likely come up again Wednesday, when City Council addresses funding for the police department as part of its 2020 budget hearings.

In the last few years, the police force has grown from around 1,400 officers to slightly more than 1,600. But is that enough?

On one side are council members, the most vocal being Mike Polensek, who are convinced the city needs more officers to better handle crime in neighborhoods.

The Jackson administration argues that effective use of officers is more important than just flooding the ranks with new officers.

Just having more officers doesnt work, Jackson recently told cleveland.com, though he acknowledged the need for an unspecified number of additional officers.

Police Chief Calvin Williams, whom Jackson defers to on staffing issues, will be at the table in councils hearing room on Wednesday to explain his departments needs.

Adding officers isnt simple because the department can lose as many as 100 officers in a given year to retirements.

Polensek said Tuesday he fears that problem is only going to continue as a wave of baby boomers reaches retirement age.

Each training class for cadets can handle about 50 people. It takes six months to train a class, whether through the Ohio State Highway Patrols academy, Cuyahoga Community College or the citys own police academy.

In the last few yes, the city has had up to five classes to try and boost the number of officers. While the number has risen, specialty units, such as sex crime investigation and domestic violence units, remain understaffed.

More from Cleveland City Hall

Cleveland could weather a 2-year recession without cutting services, Mayor Frank Jackson says

Cleveland, neighborhood non-profit target 14-block, East Side commercial strip for growing new businesses

Street projects to force one-way traffic on major Cleveland roadways, detours for at least seven months

Cuyahoga County elections board grants Cleveland request to cancel charter issues to cut City Council seats, members pay

Cleveland plan for reducing single use bags could involve fees to protect retailers, exemptions for the poor

Get insider texts about Cleveland City Hall on your phone from Robert Higgs. Cut through the clutter of social media and communicate directly with cleveland.coms City Hall reporter, just like you would with your friends. Sign up here and give it a try. Its just $3.99 a month, which works out to about 13 cents a day.
The Trump administration has prevented at least 140 travelers from entering the United States as it attempts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus in the United States.

Fourteen foreign nationals were turned away at U.S. airports and 126 people were refused entry at land ports from Feb. 2 to Feb. 12, according to data provided to CNN by the Department of Homeland Security.

Airlines are responsible for removing passengers who are denied entry to the United States out of the country. Additionally, 34 travelers were stopped at preclearance locationsairports where U.S. officials conduct screening before passengers board U.S.-bound flights.

On Feb. 2, the United States began implementing stringent travel restrictions that include temporarily denying entry to foreign nationals who visited China in the 14 days before they arrived in the United States. American citizens returning from China are also subject to health screenings and potential quarantine. Those U.S. citizens and others traveling to the United States from China are being funneled through 11 airports where authorities can conduct additional screening and transfer people for quarantine if needed.

The vast majority of folks that we are processing are U.S. citizens coming back from China, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told CNN earlier this month. We continue to screen those at those 11 airports, continue to refer those to CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) who are then making further medical determinations about quarantine procedures.

Customs officers referred 43,263 air travelers for potential secondary screening since the efforts began on Feb. 2. Of those referred at airports, 23,836 required secondary screening, according to the data.

Last summer, as the Ebola virus threat was emerging from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the DHSs Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office implemented plans to provide enhanced airport screening at multiple airports throughout the United States. The departments chief medical officer is housed within the CWMD office.

The department retrofitted its Ebola response plan to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, according to the DHS. The contracts put in place last summer for medical teams as part of the Ebola preparations were still in place, and therefore used to respond to coronavirus.

Additional personnel have been added to deal with the virus as well. Around 95 CWMD contractors are employed per day across the 11 airports to conduct medical screenings. As of Feb. 12, 19 DHS personnel, primarily from FEMA, have been embedded with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services operations center.

There are also 150-200 Customs and Border Protection officers assisting with screening daily at the 11 airports.

The-CNN-Wire

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 &  2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME.

Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire.

Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III.





to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever.





Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation.





View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union.

Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history.

Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words.




(Alliance News) - Transense Technologies PLC on Wednesday said David Ford will step down from the role of executive chair effective immediately to become chief executive of the company's iTrack business.

This comes after the sensor systems maker said earlier in February that it had extended its joint collaboration agreement with auto & truck parts manufacturer Bridgestone Corp until February 2022.

Under the initial deal agreed in August, Transense and Bridgestone agreed to exclusively provide the iTrack tire-monitoring system for tyres which are 57 inches and above for its off-the-road customers. Transense also agreed not to have discussions with any other party related to mergers, acquisitions or joint ventures over the next six months in relation to its iTrack business.

The agreement was for an initial 18 months but was extended until February 12, 2022 at the earliest. The period during which Transense agreed to not have discussions with other parties was also extended until April 30.

Ford will step down to devote his full attention to the iTrack business, Transense noted, adding that he will continue to remain a member of the board.

"I have found myself focusing more and more on iTrack as the demands of that business have been increasing. The business has reached a stage in its development where it really isn't possible to devote the time needed as well as discharge effectively the responsibilities of the chair. I am very excited by the prospects ahead," Ford said

He will be replaced as non-executive chair by Deputy Chair Nigel Rogers.

Transense shares were down 2.9% at 68.00 pence each on Wednesday afternoon in London.

By Ife Taiwo; ifetaiwo@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
She's one of the UK's most prolific stars, thanks to roles in award winning films such as The English Patient and Darkest Hour.

But Kristin Scott Thomas revealed a director once told her to be more 'appealing', a comment that left her blood boiling, as she discussed her prolific career with Town & Country on Wednesday.

The actress, 59, detailed the situation, without naming the filmmaker in question, to the publication, and admitted: 'I was so cross!

Angry: Kristin Scott Thomas detailed her fury at a director who told her to try and be more 'appealing' as she admitted it made her feel 'so cross', in an interview on Wednesday

'That really rubbed me up the wrong way. It kicked something off in me. Why the hell should I be appealing?

'Why should I be pretty, and sweet, and kind, and nice, and have everybody love me? Why? I'm incredibly grumpy about lots and lots of things.'

While she expressed her dismay over the interaction, Kristin gushed about working alongside Phoebe Waller-Bridge on the Golden Globe-winning show Fleabag.

Frustrating: Without naming the filmmaker in question, Kristin said: 'That really rubbed me up the wrong way. It kicked something off in me. Why the hell should I be appealing?'

In the incredibly moving monologue, her character Belinda talks in detail about how women are 'born with pain built in', compared to men who seek out pain elsewhere.

Of the scene, Kristin said: 'I knew this was something that a lot of women were just longing to get out there, because I was too.

'What's so clever about Phoebe is she articulates these really buried feelings  she expresses what we've all been thinking about for ages.'

Kristin, who is next set to grace our screens on Military Wives, added that she is keen for viewers to become attached to her characters.

She explained: I want people to like my characters because they can identify with them in some way, because of the naughty bit, the bad bit that is recognisable in each of us. I think it's sort of fun.'

Read the full feature in the spring issue of Town & Country, which is on sale from Thursday 20 February.
Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury raised objection over procedure adopted in the selection of the next Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) and the Central Information Commissioner (CIC) at a high-powered meeting on Tuesday, a person familiar with the development said.

The selection committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in its meeting is said to have finalised the names of Sanjay Kothari, a former secretary to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and now secretary to the President of India, as the CVC and Bimal Julka, a former information and broadcasting secretary and at present an information Commissioner, as the CIC.

Chowdhury did not object to the names and did not have any formal dissent note but objected to the procedural formalities, the person cited above said.

At the meeting, also attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Chowdhury objected to the way the CIC is being selected. He said there was no search committee to select the CIC and no documents were given to him before the meeting so that he could have gone through those.

In the case of the CVC, Chowdhury said he objected to the inclusion of finance secretary Rajiv Kumar in the panel since he was in the search committee and an applicant as well.

However, he did not object to the selection of Kothari and Julka as the CVC and CIC respectively.

The person quoted above said the Prime Minister acknowledged Chowdurys grounds of objections in both cases.

Vigilance Commissioner Sharad Kumar has been acting as the interim CVC since July last year. Kumar, a former chief of anti-terror probe agency National Investigation Agency (NIA), took over as Vigilance Commissioner in June 12, 2018. His tenure at the Central Vigilance Commission will end in October next year, when he completes 65 years of age.

The Central Vigilance Commission consists of a CIC and two Vigilance Commissioners. The CVC was set up by the Centre to address governmental corruption.

The post of Chief Information Commissioner, meanwhile, is lying vacant since the retirement of Sudhir Bhargava in January last year. A former secretary in the Ministry of Social Justice, Bhargava was appointed the CIC in January, 2019. The CIC is the highest appeal body under the Right to Information Act (RTI).

The government had notified new RTI rules in October last year, curtailing the tenure of information commissioners to three years. The 2005 act gave them a fixed tenure of five years or a retirement age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
The Iowa Democratic Party announced on Tuesday that it had completed its partial recanvass, changing results in 29 precincts but shifting no national delegates.

But the Epic of Iowa still isnt over.

The recanvass drastically narrowed Pete Buttigiegs small lead over Senator Bernie Sanders in state delegate equivalents: Mr. Buttigieg now has 563.207 to Mr. Sanderss 563.127. The campaigns can now request a recount, which is a much more intensive process. And Mr. Sanderss campaign said it would do just that.

The recanvass process reduced the state delegate equivalent deficit by 97 percent, Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser to Mr. Sanders, said in a statement. We now believe a recount will give Sen. Sanders enough state delegate equivalents to put him over the top.

The initial caucus results showed Pete Buttigieg with an extremely narrow lead over Mr. Sanders in the state delegate equivalent count. But campaigns and journalists identified a slew of irregularities and miscalculations, and Mr. Sanderss campaign argued that those mistakes were enough to change the result.
Five men were arrested as police foiled bovine smuggling bids in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said.

A police team intercepted two Kashmir-bound trucks at the Rahbmal area of the district and during their search found that animals were being illegally taken to the Valley, they said.

Three smugglers -- Anjad Khan, Arshad and Satpal -- were arrested and 28 bovines rescued, the officials said.

A case was registered against the three, they said.

In another incident, a driver, Hardeep, was arrested at Chenani when police rescued 23 bovines from his truck which he was going to smuggle to Kashmir, the officials said.

In third incident, police arrested trucker Tousif Akhtar and rescued 26 bovines from his truck at Chenani, they said. He was trying to smuggle the bovines to the Valley, the officials added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 18:02 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20657a82b 1 News AirAsia,livery,Belitung,travel,tourism,destination Free

Low-cost carrier AirAsia unveiled a new livery on Wednesday that puts a spotlight on Belitung as one of Indonesia's 10 New Bali tourist destinations.

Dubbed "Let's Go To Belitung", the new livery on the AirAsia Airbus 320-200 was introduced at H.A.S. Hanandjoeddin International Airport in Tanjung Pandan in collaboration with the Belitung administration.

According to a statement, the livery's design was inspired by various iconic places in Belitung that are adorned with blue, orange and yellow. Among the attractions highlighted were Tanjung Kelayang, Lengkuas Island, a replica of SD Muhammadiyah Laskar Pelangi elementary school, Gurok Pakuk Waterfall and the tarsius, a primate species endemic to the region.

"We're very proud to know that Belitung's beauty has become one of two AirAsia's destination-inspired liveries," said Belitung Regent H. Sahani Saleh in the statement, adding that the opening of the airline's international service from Kuala Lumpur to Belitung in October has helped increased tourism in the province, "as well as mark H.A.S. Hanandjoeddin's status as an international airport".

Meanwhile, AirAsia Indonesia president director Veranita Yosephine Sinaga said the new livery was part of the company's long-term commitment to promote Belitung as one of the country's 10 New Bali destinations.

"With the availability of 13 Asia-Pacific destinations that are connected with Belitung through our fly-thru service via Kuala Lumpur, hopefully the world will get to know Indonesian tourism more through the beauty of Belitung," she added.

AirAsia has been operating a Belitung-Jakarta service since Oct. 1 last year and direct flights from Belitung to Kuala Lumpur since Oct. 2, 2019. (kes)

Topics : AirAsia livery Belitung travel tourism destination
At the end of a whistle-stop tour of three African countries, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has issued a thinly-veiled swipe towards China  by far Africas largest trading partner  as he pitched Washingtons ability to boost growth on the continent.

Countries should be wary of authoritarian regimes with empty promises. They breed corruption, dependency, Pompeo said in a speech on Wednesday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

They run the risk that the prosperity and sovereignty and progress that Africa so needs and desperately wants wont happen.

In his comments, Pompeo, who later left for Saudi Arabia, did not explicitly mention China  but analysts predicted before his trip to Senegal, Angola and Ethiopia that he would attempt to talk up the United States as an alternative source of investment.

Hailing the free market, Pompeo encouraged African countries to liberalise their economies after failed socialist experiments of years past in countries such as Zimbabwe and Tanzania. He also blasted as disastrous a proposed constitutional amendment in South Africa that would allow private property to be expropriated without compensation  a plan that seeks to overcome inequalities set down in the apartheid era.





Pompeos trip came at a time of growing confusion over Washingtons strategy on the continent, according to observers, who say his attempt to lay out a positive vision for US cooperation with African countries has been undermined by President Donald Trumps Africa policy so far.

Critics point to Trumps widely-reported remarks in 2018 when he used a profanity to describe African and poorer western hemisphere nations whose citizens migrate to the US. Meanwhile, Washington is currently discussing military cuts in Africa, and it recently announced tightened visa rules targeting the continents most populous country, Nigeria, as well as Tanzania, Sudan and Eritrea.

Pompeo is unlikely to undo the damage from the Trump administrations travel bans, the proposed budget cuts, or the presidents disparaging comments about the region, said Judd Devermont, Africa director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think-tank in Washington, DC.

But African leaders would nonetheless welcome his long-overdue engagement and focus on the positives as much as possible, Devermont said.

Even so, countries such as Ethiopia have benefitted from Chinese engagement, rendering Pompeos message less effective, said Abel Abate Demissie, an Ethiopian political analyst.

It is undeniable that Chinese investment was quite crucial in keeping Ethiopia on track as one of the worlds fastest-growing economies for many years, Abel said.

He added that much Chinese money has gone towards tangible projects such as roads and buildings, while US money is more often funnelled to less visible fields like education and health.

The fact that Chinese loans and sometimes grants have less bureaucracy also makes it quite convenient for Ethiopia and Africa at large, Abel said.

China has funnelled cash and loans into infrastructure projects across the continent.

However, Beijing has faced accusations, which it denies, of saddling poor nations with debt, siphoning off mineral resources and leaving environmental damage.





In his speech on Wednesday, Pompeo insisted that Trump was eager to play a bigger role on the continent.

If theres one thing you should know about our president  my boss  you should know that he loves deals, he said, drawing laughs from the audience. He wants more to happen between the United States and nations all across Africa.

Pompeo touted US companies, such as Chevron, Coca-Cola and Bechtel, as long-standing investors in the region.

He confirmed the US was seeking a free trade agreement with Kenya, but offered no new information about negotiations that began earlier this month in Washington, DC.

While Pompeo was visiting Senegal, the first stop on his Africa tour, he announced US firms had signed five new memorandums of understanding for infrastructure projects.

Beijing surpassed Washington as Africas largest trading partner more than 10 years ago, forming a relationship worth about $204bn in trade, according to Chinas Ministry of Commerce.

Several African states have also signed on to Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, which has seen Beijing finance power plants, roads and other infrastructure projects across the continent.

As a result of the billions of dollars in loans provided by China towards such projects, the country has become Africas largest debt holder.

The US is realising that they were playing games with Africa but China came in  and came in fairly big with minimum, if any, conditions, Joseph Ochieno, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera. Africa is up for grabs, unfortunately.
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Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Social Policy Studies, at the University of Ghana, Dr. George Domfe, has described the Ghanaian economy as useless for its reliance and over-dependence on other nations for support.



Dr. George Domfe was also critical of the way the country produces many natural resources without any attempt to export finish goods but only the raw products.



The economist angrily stated that Ghana since 1957 has been involved in the same routine and ways of transacting business, the number one challenge preventing the growth required of the natiuon.



The Ghanaian economy is a useless economy because since 1957 till now it has been involved in business as usual without any new policy initiatives introduced to disentangle it from where we have always been, he said.



Speaking on UTVs Adekye Nsroma newspaper discussion show, he stressed that the amount of cocoa alone produced in this country should be a yardstick for macro and micro economic growth, making life comfortable for the citizenry.



The economist praised President Akufo-Addo for putting up massive policies towards the growth of local business which will as well curb the high level of unemployment in the country, which has become a major challenge in the country due to the collapse of private businesses.



We have a lot of natural resources in this country that should make us live good and better lives. All we know is to go for reckless loans for little developments just make citizens happy because they do not understand the consequences it comes with due to the low level of educational background, he said.



Listen to him in the video below





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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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 19:17:03|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Overseas banks on the Chinese mainland are stepping up targeted support to aid the prevention and control of COVID-19 through donations and financing measures.

Data from the China Banking Association showed that as of Tuesday, 30 overseas banks on the mainland had released loans of over 7.4 billion yuan (about 1.06 billion U.S. dollars) for hard-hit firms, with rates 0.5 percentage points to 0.75 percentage points lower.

The banks also donated cash of more than 43.5 million yuan and 790,000 items of medical supplies.

U.S. financial giant JPMorgan Chase and UBS offered financial support for purchases of epidemic control materials, medical personnel and families with infected patients.

Banks like HSBC Bank (China), Standard Chartered Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group purchased anti-virus supplies including masks, gloves, protective suits and goggles, giving full play to their global business capabilities.

Meanwhile, a raft of specific preferential policies have been imposed to support the epidemic control. The Bank of East Asia and Citibank waived fees on donations and supply purchasing, while Fubon Bank issued online loans for small and micro-enterprises.
A s the presentations for the autumn/winter 20 season in the British capital comes to a close, it is not just the covetable clothing and enviable street style that has caught our eye.

Heading backstage at the shows we are given a huge insight into the latest and greatest hair, makeup and nail trends that well see everywhere come autumn.

While extreme lashes, floral detailing and glitter embellishments took centre stage for spring 2020, when the winter weather rears its ugly head once again, we can expect a much more pared back approach.

But this is not to say that there werent a whole host of statement styles. Sleek, slicked back ponytails ruled the runway, while on the makeup front, there was more than a fair share of bold eyeshadow hues.

From Erdem, to Ashish, weve got the lowdown on how you can recreate some of the best catwalk beauty looks.

Erdem

The makeup

By makeup artist Lynsey Alexander using Nars

The inspiration: 1920s metropolis inspired by Cecil Beaton's work and The Age of Silver (Erdem's AW20 show name and the key colour in the collection)

How to create:

The hair

By Anthony Turner using LOreal Professionnel

The inspiration: 1920s Cecil Beaton with a play on masculine/feminine style. It had a high-shine wet-look and S-shape side parting. Some of the models fashioned platinum silver wigs

How to create:

Comb hair into a low, side parting and apply about half a tub of TECNI.ART Fix Max to secure in place. Using a tail comb, shape one single finger wave into the front so it resembles a brush stroke. Add a silver bobby pin before the first loop. Gently diffuse the top of the head to set the gel and style. Secure a low pony in the nape of the neck with elastic. Apply heat to the ponytail with a precision nozzle for a super-sleek finish and smooth Mythic Oil on the ends for shine so it marries with the top of the head for a slick look from head to lengths.

Richard Quinn

The makeup

By Isamaya French using MAC

The inspiration: Russian dolls with a graphic, tough but feminine feel

How to create:

The hair

By Sam McKnight using his eponymous brand

The inspiration: Couture hair in a modern way with a powdery Marie Antoinette feel

How to create:

Spray lashings of Easy Up Do into the hair from roots to ends to create the powdery renaissance feel. Gently pull hair back into a ponytail at the occipital bone whilst keeping texture on the hair. Use your fingers to gently tease the texture around your head. Take the ponytail, fold it over itself and leave the ends out. Tie through the middle with elastic to hold in place. Spray Mane Thickening Spray in the same hue as natural hair colour for a matte finish. Tie a slim velvet ribbon around the middle and leave the ends long and loose.

Shrimps

The makeup

Shrimps / Shrimps

By Celia Burton using Glossier

The inspiration: Princess Diana inspired  demure, feminine and approachable.

How to create:

For the Classic Queenie:

For the Diana:

Use the same products above to create the same matte finish but with added contouring and tonal colours depending on colouring. Use peachy nudes low at the cheeks. Use Boy Brow to brush up the brows for a fluffy effect. Go for dark and defined lashed with Lash Slick for volume and not clumps. Apply a straight lip line using the Gen G in Cake and Leo but keep it soft.

The hair

By Sarah Jo Palmer using Bumble and Bumble

The inspiration: Royals and in particular Princess Anne with an up do and an exaggerated lift and Princess Diana with an 80s blow dry

How to create:

For the exaggerated lift:

Dampen the hair then brush back using a Mason brush and apply a large amount of Thickening Full Form Soft Mousse to create a stiff but light texture. Use hair dryer to create a front curve of the head and spray of Does It All to hold everything into place. Divide up the crown and the area at the top of the ear. Using large comb, give hair a light back comb. With tongs, start at the base line with a low elevation barrel from the ends taking thick sections - repeat this through sides. Once at the crown, backcomb the sections using the Thickening Dryspun Texture Spray. Tong root to ends over back comb and work back until you reach the recession. Ensure you maintain height at the top front of the head and texture and softness through front hairline. Takeout grips and softly brush maintaining height and texture, finishing off with Bb. Does It All.

For the 80s blow dry:

Prep hair with the Bb. Thickening Full Form Soft Mousse. Blow-dry the fringe back away from face flicking slightly up and swept to the side. Blow-dry lift and texture into shape using a Mason brush. Tong in vertical sections start at the front and work back away from the face until you meet in the middle of the back of the head. The middle section should be horizontal and you can use the Bb. Does It All to shape. Lastly, softly brush out the maintaining texture, height and swept fringe. If needed use the Bb. Thickening Dryspun Texture Spray to help with dusty texture. Use the Bb. Does It All to finish.

The nails

The inspiration: Royal family, minimal

How to create:

Apply the simple but effective colours Bloodgood and Bonjour from Peacci's range.

Rixo

The makeup

By Vincent Ford using NARS

The inspiration: Rixo collaborated with Christian Lacroix this season, merging the worlds of ready-to-wear and Haute Couture. The look took inspiration from Lacroixs early 2000s shows.

How to create:

For a lasting glow, use a combination of the Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation and new Tinted Glow Booster. Use the new Aroused Blush and Savage Blush shades at the top of cheek The collection features yellows and turquoises that you can use to match on the eyes, creating a soft smoky eye in the bold hues of the Fatale Eyeshadow, Douro Eyeshadow, and finished with the Naked City and Riding High Powerchrome Loose Eye Pigment and an added a jewel to the inner corner for an element of glamour.

The hair

The inspiration: 60s wave

How to create:

For the braided bun, slick the hair up and pin it in back with a chunky plait twisted into a bun design. The second look is a polished disco aesthetic where the hair is parted off centre and then styled into a clean kink.

The nails

The inspiration: Polka dots found in the collection

How to create: Using Essie

Prep nails with a coat of here to Here to Stay base coat. Apply two coats of the jet black Liquorice or snowy white Blanc shade. Use a dotting tool or the end of makeup brush to add the polka in the contrast colour. Alternate between size and colour on each finger. Set with top coat.

Simone Rocha

The makeup

By Thomas de Kluyver

The inspiration: Artist Dorothy Cross who created art with things that she found, ruggedness of the Irish seaside

How to create it:

To get that fresh straight out of the sea look, the skin is kept pale and pink eyeshadow is used on the eye that is the same colour of lips Freckles and any imperfections are left raw with a pinkness A tiny tea detail is created under the eye with gloss at the eye duct to look like watering Coloured abstract foil detailing in colour common to that used in Rochas collection that are pressed on to look organic and not symmetrical.

The hair

Simone Rocha / IMAXtree

By Gary Gill

The inspiration: Natural fresh from the sea look

How to create it:

On damp hair, apply mousse and rough dry. Section the hair into 9 even parts and tie at the root with a piece of long elastic. Take the two ends and stretch out, rick rack the hair in a figure of eight around the elastic and tie the end off. Repeat this on all sections. With straightening iron, heat up section thats tied in a rick rack and then wait for it to cool. Cut all the elastics out apart from four on the top. Use your fingers to pull out the hair, then use a wide tooth comb to give it a curly frizz. Take the pieces still tied in elastics and arrange on the top as you want to, use grips to attach, remembering to cut the ends of the elastic off. Use hair spray to flatten and give volume in different places of the head.

The nails

By Ama Quashie

The inspiration: The show was about life, loss, creation and destruction in reference to the sea. The accessories like jewellery and bags had crystals and shells which were reflected in the nails.

How to create it:

The nails were first covered in a high gloss clear top coat to give them a natural-looking shine. Swarovski crystals in clear and black were placed in a wave design.

Molly Goddard

The makeup

By Hironi Ueda using MAC

The inspiration: The look created after playing with your mother's makeup box

How to create:

2. For the eyes, curl lashes with Mac Curler and freely add Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara to create voluminised chunky lashes.

3. Keep brows natural and fluffy, enhanced with Brow Set gel and brushed through softly.

4. When I comes to lips, buff Powder Kiss Liquid Lip in a combination of shades Over the Taupe, Devoted to Chili and Make Love to the Camera and diffuse edges with #219 brush.

The hair

By Luke Hersheson using LOreal Professionnel

The inspiration: 90s girl grunge without curling irons, playing in to texture

How to create:

Spritz TECNI.ART Ring Light Shine Spray onto dry hair from a distance. Run your fingers through the hair to distribute the product evenly so it feels sheeny and separated. If hair is frizzy or curly, blow-dry it first (but not too straight) and saturate it using the same produce as above with TECNI.ART Liss Control+ Serum to bring some movement back into the hair.

Charlotte Knowles

The hair

By Shiori Takahashi using LOreal Professionnel

The inspiration: Beautiful but edgy, working with natural texture of the hair and adding gel

How to create:

Push the hair back from the face using TECNI.ART Pli to prep the hair if required. Smooth TECNI.ART Fix Max throughout the hair so its slicked back and supercontrolled. Separate small pieces and twist with same product as above to create defined spikes randomly throughout the hair for a strong feminine touch. Depending on individual hair texture, comb the spikes straight, or create separated strong twists.

The nails

By Lauren Michelle Pires using Peacci

The inspiration: Lean into the awkwardness of beauty

How to create:

Bora Aksu

The hair

By Daniel Martin using LOreal Professionnel

The inspiration: Hilma af Klint, a Swedish abstract artist and mystic who used colour to convey message from unseen world was the muse for the Pre-Raphaelite mysterical, ethereal waves.

How to create:

Section hair into a centre parting. For thicker hair textures, create a concealed braid or bun underneath to reduce density so the hair feels light and airy. Carefree, light waves. Prime hair with TECNI.ART Beach Waves spritzed over the top layers and diffuse the product in for a dry, textured finish. Use a triple barrel waver tool to create flat waves that are slightly irregular, not uniform. Once cooled and set, brush out and spritz the front and ends with TECNI.ART Morning After Dust to open up the waves. As a finishing touch, flick TECNI.ART Super Dust lightly onto the ends to enhance the dry texture.

Toga

The makeup

By Sada Ito using NARS

The inspiration: Modern, fresh and sophisticated with a toughness from black eyeshadow

How to create:

The hair

By Shiori Takahashi using LOreal Professionnel

The inspiration: Celebrating the individual, accentuating your natural locks to appear more finished

How to create:

Lean in to your natural parting and texture. Apply TECNI.ART Morning After Dust to the root. Use TECNI.ART Liss Control+ Serum lightly on frizzy hair to define.

Emilia Wickstead

The makeup

By Jen Myles using Aurelia Skincare

The inspiration: Fresh complexion, skin focused.

How to create it:

The skin was prepped and given a hydration boost with the CBD Super Serum, an anti-inflammatory with hyaluronic acid and CBD crystal isolate to cool the models skin. The twist came from the occasional bleached brow and a graphic gold eyeshadow.

The hair

By Benjamin Muller using Bumble and Bumble

The inspiration: 90s inspired with a boyish look

How to create it:

The hair was first draw into a deep low sided parting. Apply the Thickening Spray and the Glow Blow-Dry Accelerator at the roots and mid length of the hair. Blow dry the hair flat to the head to give a smooth and shiny texture. Comb over the hair to perfection to the right side with no volume and create a square line around the face. Follow the hairline by dropping the hair down and creating a wave by dressing the hair flat and above the ear, then secure it with a cover clip. Pull into a soft finish low ponytail. Finish with the Strong Finish Hairspray.
His name is Antonio Seijas but most Majorcans have heard of him by his well chosen nickname: the ambassador of Galician cuisine in Majorca. He gets this name because he combines being owner of the Hotel Cristobal Colon in Playa de Palma with organising annual events based on Galicias best known dishes, especially those featuring the regions incredible range of fish and shellfish.

All connoisseurs of good eating also know that Galicia is famous for its red meats, which are among the best in the world. Youll find these meats at any island restaurant specialising in chargrilled red meat. No decent red meat menu is complete without at least one of Galicias splendid cuts.

However, theres another Galician meat that very few connoisseurs have tasted  and some dont even know it exists. Its called the porco celta pig and its native to Galicia. The reason we havent heard of it is that it went out of production a long time ago and its only in the past five years that breeders have started to resurrect it.

For the moment, its probably the most exclusive meat in Spain: no butcher in Majorca sells it and no Majorcan restaurant has it on the menu. Its even unavailable to the vast majority of Galicians. Its an unusual pig in that it has black and white skin. One ear is white and the other is black.

But thanks to Antonio Seijas in his role as ambassador of Galician cuisine in Majorca, last week a group of us sat down to cocido de porco celta  a unique hot pot that featured every cut of the pig as well as chorizos made with its meat and flavoured with Galician spices.

The meal was at the Real Club Nautico and it was cooked by Antonios retired Galician head cook, Arturo Ojea. The meal was special in that it was Antonios tribute to the late Bulletin founder Pedro Serra. Those invited to the lunch were old friends of his.

The porco celta cocido is like other Spanish regional cocidos in that it is split into various parts. First a soup made with the stock from boiling all the different cuts. It included tiny pieces of pork as well as broken vermicelli. Unlike the other cocido soups, this one was light in colour and texture. It was the most elegant soup of its kind Ive had and it was ideal for the gargantuan platter of boiled cuts that followed.

There was a platter of Galician potatoes and the leaves of one of the very green cabbages you get in that region. On the veggie side there was also a tureen of plump chickpeas.

The large serving dishes with the meats was a hotchpotch of the different cuts, including tails, ears, cheeks, spare ribs, chops and others. I was especially fond of the extremely meaty spareribs, the white ear and the lacon, the Galician equivalent of gammon.

One of the wines was Galicias famous albarino, one of the worlds greatest whites. I never tire of drinking it. The other was an incredible red. Its called Pintia, a young wine (that is, it wasnt aged in wood) but the date on the label was 2006  it should have been well and truly over the top, but it had a beautiful taste.

How could this young wine from Toro still be so drinkable after 13 years? I dont know, but Ill try to find out and Ill report back on the Thursday page.

Galicia is an Aladdins cave replete with gastronomic gems. The cooking is of an extremely high standard and it is based on products that are among the best in Europe. So much of what is truly excellent about Spanish cooking comes from Galicia and it is difficult to know where to begin.

For many people, Galicia means fish and shellfish  and rightly so, because the best of the sea is available off the Galician coast. The areas seafood is so varied that a selection, no matter how vast, would still leave so much untried  at least until the next meal.

Most of the mussels eaten in Spain come from Galicia where fresh and canned ones form one of the areas top industries. Galicias clams (almejas) are also superb and widely available.

In Galicia you will be served clams on their own or done in various ways, but also as an integral part of other fish dishes such as merluza (hake) or congrio (conger eel).

Percebes (goose barnacles) are also abundant in Galicia, although not so much as mussels, which means they are one of the more expensive shellfish. They are simply boiled and eaten cold  ideally with a prickly local white wine.

One of the great dishes of Galician cuisine is the pulpo (octopus) which many British people are reluctant to try because they think it will be as tough as old rubber galoshes.

But Galician pulpo  which you will see on restaurant menus as pulpo gallego, pulpo con cachelos or pulpo a feira  comes in thinnish circular slices and is as soft as butter and with a delicious taste. It is served lukewarm and on wooden plates. The slices of pulpo are sprinkled with paprika (usually slightly piquant), good olive oil is drizzled over and a couple of pinches of sea salt crystals are scattered over the surface.

Ive had pulpo so soft I could masticate it simply by pressing it against the roof of my mouth with my tongue. Its a dish full of textures and flavours but you should always have it at a Galician restaurant or one with a Galician cook. Nowadays all kinds of restaurants have pulpo on the menu but its bought in pre-cooked and what arrives at your table may not be as good as what youd get at a Galician restaurant.

Galician waters are also teeming with fish and these give the local cooks and housewives a chance to show their culinary skills  although for the most part Galician dishes are noted for their simplicity.

Sardines in Galicia are a speciality and are larger than those in the Med. At the Mercat dOlivar they are usually on sale as sardina del norte but you dont need that tag to tell you which are the Galician sardines  they are always so much bigger than the others.

Galicians are extremely fond of sardines grilled over wood and will eat huge amounts of them as a starter. Chargrilled sardines are sometimes served with boiled potatoes and strips of roasted red peppers.

Most of the other fish that come from the sea, river or lake are found in Galician markets and restaurants, including some of the lesser known ones such as lamprey, one of the most primitive of living vertebrates. Legend has it that King Henry I, son of William the Conqueror, died of a surfeit of lamprey. So if you come across lamprey be sure to eat it in moderation.

Galicia is also fortunate in having fresh water fish, especially trout, salmon, eels and some of the crayfish family. It is also famous for its oysters (ostras), razor fish (navajas) and winkles (bigaros). And then there is the most celebrated shellfish of them all  the vieira or scallop, sometimes called the great scallop or pilgrim scallop.

The vieira is now one of the most expensive bivalves but centuries ago it was cheap, as were oysters both here and in England. The scallop is intimately associated with Galicia in countries all Europe because medieval pilgrims who did the route to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela returned home with scallop shells sewn on to their hats. It was proof they had completed the pilgrimage.

Scallops are luckier than most creatures in that they are complete hermaphrodites they have male and female genital glands and can take either role. Now, if that isnt having the best of both worlds, I dont know what is.

The orange-red part of the scallop is the roe, or coral, which is edible. The white edible part is the abductor muscle. Scallops move around by opening and closing their shells, thus propelling themselves through the water at amazing speeds and with incredible agility. The abductor muscle is used for this means of propulsion, so its a large well-developed piece of flesh that makes delicious eating.

You occasionally see fresh scallops at the Mercat dOlivar and El Corte Ingles. If you have to open fresh ones, put them into a big saucepan over a source of heat for a few seconds. The shells will open and you can take out the edible parts of wash them.

As always with shellfish that has a delicate taste, the simple ways of cooking them are best. In Galicia, vieiras al natural are the red and white part of scallops cooked in their shells. The coral and the abductor muscle are covered with a small amount of finely chopped shallots, a dash of wine vinegar, a drizzle of good olive oil and a little salt. They are put into a less than medium hot oven for about 15 minutes and are eaten hot.

Galicians also serve them in the bottom shell on a bed of chopped mushrooms cooked in butter, the flesh of the scallops having been gently cooked in cream and albarino white wine.

The white and red parts of the scallop can be coated in seasoned flour and gently sauteed in butter. You can also do them without the flour coating. Be sure to use plenty of butter and dont have the heat too high.

Scallops can be cooked on skewers with thin pieces of fatty bacon, tomato, mushrooms and bay leaves. You can also sprinkle the scallop roe and flesh with herbs of your choice, wrap them loosely in tinfoil and bake them in the oven. This is one of the tastiest ways of doing them and also one of the simplest.

However, Galicians dont live on seafood alone  they also have superb meats and poultry to fill out the daily menu. Galicia is Spains only autonomous community with two red meats that have denominacion especifica which guarantees its authenticity and quality.

These two meats are carne de rubia gallega and ternera gallega, both of which come from cattle that thrive on the lush pasturelands. Large herds of cows not only mean a high production of meat but also an abundance of milk  and that means high quality cheeses. Galicia has four cheeses with denominacion de calidad status that guarantees its quality.

Theyre on sale at El Corte Ingles and well-stocked cheese stalls at the municipal markets.

Ducks are also plentiful and capons are a speciality. Capons from Villalba are considered to be among the best in Spain. They are usually simply roasted in the oven and served with a chestnut puree. As I wrote on these pages in November of last year, Galicia cultivates Spains best chestnuts.

Galicia is such a wealth of gastronomic delights that I cannot possibly cover them in one article, so Ill come back to them at a later date.
Three Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including a self-styled commander of the outfit, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Tral area of Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said.

Officials said security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Sherabad area of Tral late Tuesday night following information about the presence of militants there . During searches, an encounter broke out between militants and security forces, officials said.

Three Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were killed in an operation in the Tral area, director general of police Dilbagh Singh told reporters here.

The DGP said the slain militants have been identified as Jehangir Ahmad Wani, Raja Maqbool and Sadat. Wani and Maqbool were residents of Tral while Sadat was from Bijbehara in Anantnag district. He said arms and ammunition was recovered from the encounter site which included two AK rifles, a pistol and two grenades.

He said Wani was a dangerous militant who had taken over the command of the outfit after killing of Hamad Khan last month.

He said Wani and Maqbool were involved in several terror crimes, including killing of two civiliansMehrajjuddin Zargar and Ghulam Nabi in south Kashmir. Nabi was killed in February and Zargar in November in Tral.

Besides the killings, they have been involved in burning a chemist shop, a truck, pasting threatening posters, setting a mosque in Amirabad Tral on fire. They also were involved in attacks on police and army jawans, the DGP said.

The third militant Sadat was also a part of the terror outfit and was involved in many incidents, he said.

Twenty-three terrorists have been eliminated in various encounters since last month, the DGP said. He said while 19 militants have been killed in eight operations in Kashmir, four were killed in two operations in the Jammu region since January this year. So far, we have had 10 successful operations in Jammu and Kashmir in 2020 in which 23 terrorists have been eliminated, the DGP said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-18 20:58:36|Editor: huaxia

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Indrika Ratwatte, director of regional bureau for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), speaks during an interview with Xinhua after the closing session of the Refugee Summit Islamabad in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan on Feb. 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

ISLAMABAD, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Admitting international support to Afghan refugees is getting thinner, a senior official from the United Nations' refugee agency said Tuesday that the Refugee Summit Islamabad held here on Feb. 17-18 will evoke more investment for the displaced population.

Indrika Ratwatte, director of regional bureau for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told Xinhua on the sidelines of the international refugee conference that host countries like Pakistan and Iran need continuous support from international donors to make lives of the Afghan refugees easier.

Apart from the conventional donor organizations, the conference may also succeed in engaging non-traditional partners to come in for the support of the refugees, he said.

"To be fair for Pakistan, they have many challenges of their own development. So when refugee children would have access to school, there must be additional support for the schools. This is something that's strongly encouraging and requiring donors to come in," said Ratwatte.

Currently, the UNHCR is implementing a dignified repatriation of the Afghan refugees back to their homeland. He said the UN agency planned to enable the Afghan government to create conditions that would enable refugees to voluntarily repatriate and reintegrate sustainably in Afghanistan.

The UNHCR will "ask the international community to support that effort by supporting Afghanistan in making those investments in the priority areas, which we have identified together with the Afghan government. This could be access to basic health, basic education, livelihoods, these are the things that refugees want to see back home."

The UNHCR official said that peace process in Afghanistan will enable return of the Afghan refugees as all the concerned parties who are able to contribute to that process are contributing to a peace dialogue, which is what the refugees want -- peace, safety and security to go back home.

China is playing a critical role to bring peace in Afghanistan by trying to help the country have a peace process. The country has a long standing relationship with Pakistan and also with Afghanistan, so it is in a very critical position to facilitate the peace process, enabling the return of the refugees, he said.

Talking about Pakistan's role as a host for refugees, the official said that the country has been showing an unparalleled hospitality to the refugees for the last 40 years, and the UNHCR has also partnered with Pakistan and also with Iran who is hosting another chunk of the Afghan refugees, from the very beginning with the support of international donors.

Talking about the need of stronger ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan, he said that the two countries should have a constructive dialogue engagement towards durable peace. "This is a critical juncture. And I think both countries are committed to looking forward. And that's what is critical that the both countries should forge a mutually supportive way forward for peace and progress."
As protests continue to erupt in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and across the world in outrage against the horrific shooting of Jacob Bla Read more
We have good news for anyone who's struggling to fit their life into their bag.

The sartorially adorable but practically useless trend of the micro-bag is fading in the rear view mirror of fashion's figurative car as the industry hurtles towards the next big bag trend.

And there's emphasis on the big here. In fact, they're supersized.

The news will come as a relief to those craving practicality from a fashion trend, particularly when we have laptops, gym kits and make-up to cart around, as we hop from our desks to dinner and everything in between.

Bottega Veneta spring/summer 2020 / IMAXtree

While in New York, Gabriella Hearst created a bag so bag you could probably fit your whole house inside. Whether flung over the shoulder, or nonchalantly slung across the body, these bags were big. Really big.

But, as eye-catching as the catwalk's offerings were, there is a way of channelling the "bigger is better" bag trend in a slightly more demure, office-friendly way. Hill & Friends, the British bag brand founded by ex-Mulberry designer Emma Hill has some roomy offerings, as does Mary-Kate and Ashley's covetably minimal brand, The Row.

Gabriella Hearst spring/summer 2020 / IMAXtree

For some colour-popping options, look no further than Natasha Zinko or Marni. Or, for a 'gram-friendly monogram, check out Burberry.

Whether you rock it a la catwalk or tone - and size - it down a peg or two, one thing's for sure, it's time to jazz up that commute - and sartorial work-wardrobe.
A college student who had struggled with alcohol abuse, Negroponte stands charged with first-degree murder in the Feb. 13 death of Rasmussen inside a small residence, blocks from Rockvilles downtown area, according to authorities. The two were there with a third friend, who saw Negroponte get a knife from the kitchen, according to police. The friend saw Negroponte stab Rasmussen, authorities said. She then yelled Im sorry! to him, took the knife out of his neck and pleaded for him not to die, police wrote in charging documents.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has alerted energy and other infrastructure firms to review their cybersecurity after a ransomware attack interrupted a natural gas compression facility.

The attack caused the unidentified pipeline facility to lose access and visibility to certain data and operations but it did not lose control of its overall operations. Management decided to deliberately shut down operations as a precaution. Although the direct operational impact of the cyberattack was limited to one control facility, geographically distinct compression facilities also had to halt operations because of pipeline transmission dependencies. This resulted in an operational shutdown of the entire pipeline asset lasting approximately two days, according to DHS.

According to the departments Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the cyber threat actor used a Spearphishing Link to obtain initial access to the organizations information technology (IT) network before pivoting to its operational technology (OT) network. The attacker then deployed commodity ransomware to Encrypt Data for Impact on both networks. The government did not say if the attackers asked for payment of any ransom to halt their attack.

CISA, which responded to the event, was critical of the facilitys emergency response plan for focusing on threats to physical safety but not cyber incidents.

Although they considered a range of physical emergency scenarios, the victims emergency response plan did not specifically consider the risk posed by cyberattacks. Consequently, emergency response exercises also failed to provide employees with decision-making experience in dealing with cyberattacks, CISA said.

The agency also said the plant management cited gaps in cybersecurity knowledge and the wide range of possible scenarios as reasons for failing to adequately incorporate cybersecurity into emergency response planning.

Although the facilitys plan called for a full emergency declaration and immediate shutdown, management judged the operational impact of the incident as less severe than those anticipated by the plan and decided to implement limited emergency response measures, according to CISA. The limited measures included a four-hour transition from operational to shutdown mode combined with increased physical security.

CISA is encouraging asset owner operators across all critical infrastructure sectors to review the details of this attack and take mitigation steps to protect their organizations against similar ransomware attacks.

CISA did not identify the source of the attack.

Last August, CISA said China was the greatest threat to the U.S. and its operational priority was reducing the risks to the global supply chain.

In 2019, cyber experts suspected Iran was stepping up its cyber attacks against the U.S. government and critical infrastructure.

In 2018, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued a report saying that Russian hackers have been attacking the electric grid, power plants, air transportation facilities and targets in the commercial and manufacturing sectors  attempting to gain remote access or install malware or make spear phishing attempts.

In 2018, Bloomberg reported that Insurers were limiting how much coverage they are willing to provide energy companies against a major attack by hackers, with the result being the industry is largely unprepared for a hacker-triggered catastrophe.

Related:

Topics Cyber USA
COLUMBUS, OhioGov. Mike DeWine refuses to publicly say whether he still supports the death penalty, even as its become one of the biggest problems hes had to address during his first year as governor.

A year ago Thursday, the Greene County Republican froze all Ohio executions indefinitely in response to the states continuing problems with finding a pharmaceutical company willing to sell drugs for use in lethal injections, Ohios only legal execution method.

But when reporters ask DeWine about whether he personally supports or opposes the death penalty, the governor usually dodges the question with the same answer: It is the law of the state of Ohio.

When DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney was asked again Tuesday about the governors stance on capital punishment, Tierney again referred back to that comment.

Asked why the governor is keeping his death-penalty stance to himself, Tierney declined to comment.

The governor did offer some criticism of capital punishment during a December interview with the Toledo Blade, saying, whatever you think about the death penalty morally, the death penalty can never come in very high in things that protect the public.

On the other hand, DeWine has pointed out that as a state senator in 1981, he backed the legislation that is now Ohios death-penalty statute. And as Ohio attorney general from 2011 through 2018, DeWines office successfully asked a federal appeals court to allow the state to continue using a three-drug lethal-injection cocktail.

A Roman Catholic, DeWine says his administration has a pro-life" agenda. The most high-profile part of that agenda is his staunch opposition to abortion, but it also includes things like encouraging pre-natal care and reducing Ohios infant and maternal death rates.

Even though the governor hasnt spoken out against the death penalty, anti-death penalty activists have praised his actions to freeze executions in the state, pointing to it as evidence of the increasing doubt about capital punishment among Ohio Republican leaders.

I certainly will say from a national perspective, I thought his comments have been very thoughtful, said Hannah Cox, national manager for Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, during a Statehouse news conference Tuesday. I thought he has shown through his actions substantial conservative leadership, and I think that its certainly getting the attention of the nation.

Capital punishment is far from the only issue DeWine has remained tight-lipped about. During his four decades in politics, the governor has become a master at staying on message and not letting slip information he doesnt want reporters to know.

When a TV reporter asked DeWine last summer whether he was frustrated by the inability of legislative leaders to work out a budget deal on time, the governor didnt take the bait.

Im not a person who likes to describe my feelings, DeWine said.

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$192 million in student fees, other school subsidies for sports at Ohio Division I public universities

Ohio secretary of state urges Kent State to cancel Jane Fonda May 4 speech

Cuyahoga, Summit counties reaped benefits of settling early with opioid companies, officials say

Six people in Ohio have tested negative for COVID-19 coronavirus

Mike Bloomberg wants you to text him back
Zoe Kravitz is the daughter of legendary musician Lenny Kravitz. She has been making a name for herself in recent years as one of the stars in HBOs Big Little Lies as well as several movies like Divergent (2014), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and The Lego Batman Movie (2017).

Since Kravitz has spent a lot of time in Hollywood starting at a young age, its not surprising that her dating history includes several famous names. Read on below to find out who Kravitz has dated and who she is currently in a relationship with.

Who Zoe Kravitz has dated over the years

Zoe Kravitz | Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Although Kravitz grew up with a famous father, she has often maintained a low-profile, so not much is known about the details of her past flings.

However, we do know that one of Kravitzs first public relationships was with actor Ben Foster. They were together for less than a year  from August 2007 to June 2008.

Kravitz also briefly dated actor Ezra Miller in 2010.

Starting sometime in 2010, she dated actor Michael Fassbender, though the two of them only lasted until 2011.

Then, Kravitz began a relationship with Penn Badgley in 2011. They stayed together until 2013.

In the next few years, Kravitz would be linked to a few people like James Levy, Drake, Noah Gabriel Becker, and Chris Pine. However, none of these relationships lasted for very long.

Zoe Kravitz is currently married to Karl Glusman

Zoe Kravitz Weds Karl Glusman With A Second Sweet Swirl Ceremony At Pops Lenny Kravitzs Paris Crib https://t.co/nnS3D26K7Y (Photo Credit: SplashNews) pic.twitter.com/2AsVixFxJz  Bossip (@Bossip) June 30, 2019

Of course, Kravitzs past relationships do not matter that much anymore since she is currently married to actor Karl Glusman.

Kravitz and Glusman first met at a bar when a friend introduced them to each other. Kravitz told British Vogue: I love that it wasnt on an app and that it wasnt on a movie set. My friend knew that I wanted to meet someone  not even to get serious, I think just to get laid, to be completely honest with you  and he brought Karl. I instantly felt something  then he turned around and started talking to the blonde girl next to him and I was like, Wait, what? But he later told me that he was just nervous.

Kravitz and Glusman ended up hitting it off really well, and the couple soon started dating. She once shared that their relationship works because they are completely themselves around each other.

I can be my weirdest self around him, she told Rolling Stone. Its so relaxing to be around someone where you can be a hundred percent how you feel.

Kravitz and Glusman got engaged in early 2018, and then the pair married in mid-2019. They had a big wedding in Paris attended by famous faces, such as Kravitzs Big Little Lies co-stars, Cara Delevingne, Chris Pine, and Denzel Washington. After the event, Kravitz and Glusman traveled with a few friends to the south of France for more celebration.

Zoe Kravitz recently revealed her favorite thing about marriage

Kravitz and Glusman have only been married for a short period of time, but Kravitz already knows that she really enjoys being a marital unit. For her, the best thing about marriage is the mutual commitment she has with her husband.

In an interview with Elle earlier this year, Kravitz shared: The best part of being married is being able to have the odd fight and knowing neither of us is going to walk out the door. The commitment feels safe.

Their relationship still has challenges, such as having to be far away from each other for work, but Kravitz and Glusman seem to be working hard to maintain their marriage and are not letting little issues bring them down.
(Natural News) When U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rebuked President Donald Trump in the fall of 2018 over the latters comments about Obama judges, we thought it was quite comical, not naive, of the head jurist to make that ridiculous claim.

We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges, Roberts  who should have remained quiet in the first place  said.

Of course there are Obama judges, Bush judges, Clinton judges  and now Trump judges. Its a political sin to try and convince Americans that the Judicial Branch is independent and not filled with political appointees who merely call themselves judges.

Its why the political parties fight so hard for control of the Senate  because it is the chamber of Congress where federal judges and Supreme Court justices are confirmed (or blocked).

Our founders believed that the men and women appointed to the federal bench for life would remain politically aloof but as weve seen for more than a hundred years, presidents have used the Senate to appoint judges who share their personal political views.

This was evident once again this week as was demonstrated by an Obama judge  Amy Berman Jackson of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She is the judge hearing the case involving longtime Trump ally Roger Stone.

In recent days, reports surfaced that the lead juror in Stones case harbored an ardent anti-Trump bias that she intentionally hid from the court and, importantly, from Stones attorneys.

As NewsTarget reported:

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.

I am unable to find any law

In short order, 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

This is information that she must have hidden from the lawyers and the judge, who interrogated her before she was put on the jury, said Fox News legal analyst and former judge Andrew Napolitano.

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.

And yet, no one (but Hart) knew of her bias until after Stone was convicted. So much for a fair trial.

Stones legal team has attempted twice to convince Berman Jackson to hold a new trial because he deserves one. And twice she has refused to do so. Now, according to reports Tuesday, she plans to move forward with Stones regularly-scheduled sentencing on Thursday, while she considers another request for a new trial.

I am unable to find any law that would require that such a motion be resolved before sentencing, Berman Jackson said Tuesday morning, according to the Washington Examiner. I think delaying the sentence would not be a prudent thing to do, given all the circumstances, unless Im required to do so.

All the circumstances? Like, a blatantly biased juror? How come that isnt a consideration?

And would it be if she wasnt an Obama judge who very likely also harbors political animosity towards President Trump and Republican operatives like Stone?

The proper thing for the judge to do, Napolitano 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.

So much for that.

Sources include:

NewsTarget.com

WashingtonExaminer.com

ChicagoTribune.com
Jalandhar A school bus driver Gurpreet Singh Gopi, of Dhaliwal village, has been booked for rash driving after seven students were injured when the bus he was driving overturned at Chaania village in Nakodar on Tuesday.

The bus (PB-08-CP-9501) was ferrying students of Amandeep Senior Secondary School, Samrai village, and overturned as Gopi tried to take a U-turn in Chanian village. Villagers rushed to the spot and rescued the children. The school management claimed that the mishap took place due to a technical snag.

A case under Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of other) and 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered. SSP Navjot Singh Mahal said the case has been registered on the basis of statements of family members of the kids and eyewitnesses. He added that the accused would be arrested soon.

Students did not sustain serious injuries and were rescued by locals who spotted the bus overturning; they say this was the result of speeding, said Sadar SHO Sikander Singh.
People are waiting for medical attention at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan, China on Jan. 25, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Elderly Man Attempts Suicide After Being Denied Treatment for Coronavirus

An elderly man who suffered from the symptoms of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) almost took his own life after he was unable to get immediate treatment. His daughter said their community office, which is in charge of arranging hospital visits for coronavirus patients, got him admitted to a hospital only after the attempted suicide.

Ms. Zhang spoke with the Chinese-language Epoch Times about her fathers ordeal in seeking medical treatment.

Ms. Zhang returned to her hometown in Qingshan District of Wuhan City from Beijing on Jan. 18 to celebrate the Lunar New Year with her parents. Her father had been ill with flu-like symptoms. She had just heard about the new mystery virus that began to spread in the city.

I was informed about the Wuhan epidemic by a colleague before I came back, Ms. Zhang told the Chinese-language Epoch Times on Feb. 12. But I didnt take it seriously because there were no news reports about the outbreak. And my parents were not aware of the situation.

I did wear a mask on my way home, and I saw a few people with masks when I got off the train. Even at Beijing railway station, only several young people, who probably read the news, wore masks. It was mostly the foreign media reporting about the epidemic at that time.

Wuhan is the epicenter of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Mr. Zhangs health deteriorated after several hospital visits. A CT scan revealed he had symptoms of the coronavirus, but it was not confirmed with a diagnostic test. He was sent home instead of being admitted to the hospital.

Attempted Suicide

For ten days, Mr. Zhang waited at homewith a high feverfor the staff at his communitys office to make arrangements for him to be admitted to the hospital. The prescribed medication did not help relieve his symptoms.

My father first went to a major hospital on Feb. 1, and the CT scan showed infections in his lungs. Then he started visiting the designated No. 9 Hospital every day from Feb. 2 to 5, where the doctors only gave medication and injections. It has been ten days since he started a fever and waited in despair, Ms. Zhang said.

It was a torment for my father to go to the hospital. He would arrive there at 3 p.m. and wait in line for 3 hours to get an injection. It was very cold inside the hospital and the people around him coughed a lotmany people were in bad shape. His whole body was icy cold after walking home from the hospital. Because of these four days of suffering, we didnt want him to go to the hospital again.

Ms. Zhang and her mother isolated themselves in different rooms in the house so they wouldnt get infected with the virus.

Worried about her husband, Mrs. Zhang cried frequently and began to suffer from mild depression and sleepless nights.

Mr. Zhang felt like he was a burden to his family. He then attempted to take his own life.

There was more than one cut on his wrist, they were all deep and long, Ms. Zhang said.

Mrs. Zhang saved her husbands life. She stopped him from committing suicide when she went to check on him in his room.

Ms. Zhang said, My father did not get the opportunity to take a gene sequencing test until two days after his suicide attempt.

Our community office [of Qingshan District] failed to provide the necessary authorization to help my father get diagnosed quickly or get him into a hospital in a timely manner, she added.

The results came out on Feb. 8. Mr. Zhang tested positive for the novel coronavirus. He was in anguish, Ms. Zhang said. The family could only try to comfort him.

I dont know what Im going to do now. Many families are suffering more than us, Ms. Zhang said.

Nursing Home Is Used for Quarantine

Ms. Zhang pointed out that undoubtedly a large number of people who are diagnosed are not hospitalized nor quarantined. Those who die at home are sent directly to a crematoriumthere are many of them who dont get tested nor receive medical treatment. These people are excluded from the official death toll.

She added that many people are being sent to a nursing home for quarantine.

In a nursing home, patients do not receive any injections or medication. Each medical staff is in charge of more than 80 patients. The equipment is insufficient, and even the food is not fresh, Ms. Zhang said.

The community office [of Qingshan District] is now responsible for everything, including arranging hospitalization and medical treatment, and reporting severe cases.
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Automobile importers in Vietnam will no longer have to obtain a Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) certificate from authorities in exporting countries, making it easier for them to import cars into the country.

Cars on display at an international auto show taking place in Vietnam in 2017. Automobile importers in the country will no longer have to obtain a VTA certificate - PHOTO: VNA

The Government on February 5 issued Decree 17/2020 on adjustments and supplements to Government Decree 116/2017 stipulating regulations on car manufacture, assembly, imports and warranty services.

Many car importers in the country had struggled to obtain the VTA certificate by end-2017, leaving the local automobile import market in limbo. The Thai and Indonesian governments also had to grapple with the issue as they did not want to lose automobile export revenues earned from the Vietnamese market. The two countries earlier had not granted this kind of certificate.

Aside from eliminating the VTA requirement, Decree 17 has relaxed its rules on clearance procedures for imported cars.

In particular, the model of each type of car will have to undergo emissions, quality and technical safety tests at least every three years.

Earlier, under Decree 116, one sample would be chosen from each batch of imported cars for the tests. The inspection was then repeated for the following shipments, even with the same car models.

Overall, the new rules in Decree 17 will help reduce the amount of time needed for the clearance process and lower the costs for inspections, testing and storage for automobile importers.

According to a representative of a German automobile operator in Vietnam, the removal of the VTA requirement and other rules in Decree 17 did not leave any major impact on their business but helped reduce their clearance time.

Besides this, another rule in the new decree stipulates that automobile importers will have their import business licenses revoked or suspended for six months if they are found importing cars with GPS maps that violate Vietnams sovereignty. After six months, the firms must show they have addressed these violations and carry out the required procedures to apply for new licenses.

Last year, some models of cars imported from China to Vietnam were discovered with GPS maps featuring the illegal nine-dash line infringing on Vietnam's sovereignty, sparking public concern. The new rule is expected to act as a deterrent to others and prevent repeat occurrences of this violation. SGT

Material autonomy key for Vietnam to fully exploiting EVFTA Textile stocks have been on an temporary upswing thanks to the recent ratification of the EVFTA but textile enterprises still face difficulties due to heavy dependence on imported raw materials and reduced demand worldwide.
She has been ruling the runway for Milan Fashion Week.

And Kaia Gerber led the models down the catwalk for Moncler's Autumn/Winter 2020 showcase on Wednesday.

The catwalk queen, 18, cut a quirky figure in a oversized green padded jacket which was adorned with a spikes.

Catwalk queen: Kaia Gerber turned heads as she led the models down the catwalk for Moncler's Autumn/Winter 2020 showcase during Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday

Kaia showed off her long legs in the space-age coat which trailed behind as she started to walk down the runway.

Wearing her brunette hair in a straight centre-parting, Kaia teamed the dragon inspired outfit with knee-high boots and a smart black bag.

The teenager looked the picture of confidence as she showcased the kooky ensemble to the host of fashionistas who had gathered to watch the show unfold.

Interesting: The catwalk queen, 18, cut a quirky figure in a oversized green padded jacket which was adorned with a spikes

Strutting her stuff: Kaia showed off her long legs in the space-age coat, which trailed behind as she started to walk down the runway

Quirky: Wearing her brunette hair in a straight centre-parting, Kaia teamed the dragon inspired outfit with knee-high boots and a smart black bag

Sitting on the front row was Cindy Bruna, who looked effortlessly stylish in a white midi dress with a racy thigh-high slit.

The model, 25, added a boost to her leggy frame with white PVC boots and added a pop of colour to her outfit with a yellow duffle coat.

Will Smith also made a surprise appearance. The actor, 51, looked cool in a white geometric print hoodie and padded coat.

Moncler wasn't afraid to experiment with colour and bold patterns in the latest collection and flowers were a predominant feature on the catwalk.

Kaia's catwalk appearance comes after she showed off half her tattoo collection on Tuesday, sharing a topless mirror selfie to Instagram.

Sitting on the front row was Cindy Bruna, who looked effortlessly stylish in a white midi dress with a racy thigh-high slit

Cool: The model, 25, added a boost to her leggy frame with white PVC boots and added a pop of colour to her outfit with a yellow duffle coat

A-list guest: Will Smith also made a surprise appearance

He's got style: The actor, 51, looked cool in a white geometric print hoodie and padded coat

Among the five visible tattoos was an inking of two interlocking arms in the shape of a heart on her shoulder which Kaia had done during a sibling tat session with brother Presley back in January.

Also visible was the image of an angel on Gerber's ribcage, and the number 23 over her elbow in honor of her Haute Couture debut on January 23 of last year.

On her shoulder was the word 'prez' in honor of her big brother and fellow model Presley.

And on her left wrist was a flower design, done during the same Evan Kim tattoo session with her bro in January.

Daring to be different: Coco Rocha modelled an interesting daisy print boilersuit

Style statement: She teamed the look with a paisley print green padded coat

Flower power! Daisy print was a prominent feature of the catwalk

Wow factor: Moncler wasn't afraid to experiment with colour and bold patterns in the latest collection

Roaring with fire: Another model showed off Moncler's spiked scarf

Among her other, unseen tattoos were her middle name Jordan in cursive on the inside on her arm (her first tattoo, which she got at 17 and inked by artist Rafael Valdez), a red anatomical heart by Rafael as well, the word Dad or Dab on her thigh, and a lady with a bird on her elbow by tattoo artist Jon Boy.

The daughter of models Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber also has a text tattoo on her wrist that reads 'I know' with a red line over it.

Kaia has lately been seen various events during London's fashion week, where she walked for label JW Anderson.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday defended police over the deaths of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters, saying they were shot by other rioters and nothing can be done to save someone with a death wish.

IMAGE: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath addresses a press conference in the UP assembly. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo

Wrapping up the discussion in the state assembly on the governor's address, Adityanath said the role of the police in dealing with rioters during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act should be appreciated.

In hard-hitting remarks, the chief minister said his government supported democratic protests but will maintain law and order by dealing strictly with those indulging in violence.

Jo jis bhasha main samjhega, usey uss bhasha main samjhayenge (We will talk to them in the language they understand), he warned.

About 20 people died of gunshot wounds during violent protests in several parts of Uttar Pradesh in December.

If someone is coming with an intention to die, how can he remain alive? Adityanath said.

If someone comes out to kill an innocent person and he is challenged by police, then either he or the policemen have to die, he added.

The CM said nobody died of a police bullet during the protests.

Rioters died of rioters' bullets, he said, repeating the claim made earlier by police.

He claimed that the anti-CAA protests revealed terror funding by the Popular Front of India, which is said is another name for banned terror group SIMI or Students Islamic Movement of India.

"Any sympathy for them means, support to the PFI and the SIMI. Those who do treason with country, will die an anonymous death (gumnam maut)," he said.

He said criminals don't want their sons and daughters to become criminals, but some big leaders had sent their daughters amidst those who raise anti-national slogans.

The chief minister claimed that azadi slogans were being raised during the protests.

What kind of 'azadi'? We have to see whether we want to fulfil the dreams of Bapu or Jinnah," he said, referring to the founder of Pakistan.

During his two-hour speech, Adityanath trashed the opposition charges against him on crime and women empowerment.

In an indirect reference to the Samajwadi Party, he recalled how in the past MLAs "used to throw paper balls" at the podium during the governor's customary address to the House.

"Those who insulted the Constitution are today trying to preach us about the Constitution. It's better they keep off or they will be badly exposed," he said.

Without naming former chief minister and Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, Adityanath recalled his controversial boys will be boys remark and mocked the opposition for speaking on women empowerment.

While opposing capital punishment for rape, Mulayam Singh Yadav had sparked an outrage by saying "ladke, ladke hain... galti ho jati hai (boys will be boys... they commit mistakes)."

Adityanath cited the police firing on 'kar sevaks' gathered in Ayodhya on October 30, 1990, when Mulayam Singh Yadav was the chief minister.

He also trained his guns at the Congress, referring to the infamous "tandoor case" in which former Youth Congress leader Sushil Sharma spent 23 years in Tihar Jail for killing his wife Naina Sahni and then trying to dispose of her body in a restaurant tandoor.

"These parties have the cheek to call themselves champions of women empowerment," he said.

The chief minister said when the governor spoke on 'Ramrajya' in her address, it did not have any religious connotations.

He said Ramrajya does not mean governance through religion. The country needs Ramrajya' not 'Samajwad', the chief minister said.

"My government is determined on Ramrajya, which means governance for public welfare, he said.

He listed his government's achievements during the past three years. "It takes time to cleanse the system, age-old garbage cannot be removed overnight," he said.

Using a computer tablet, he cited data to claim that the crime rate has come down during his term.

The House passed the motion of thanks on the Governor's address by voice vote.
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Linkedin Yulia Savitri (The Jakarta Post) Palembang  Wed, February 19, 2020 06:55 693 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2065456b4 1 National pneumonia,COVID-19,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,South-Sumatra,quarantine Free

A resident of Banyuasin regency, South Sumatra, has been put in the quarantine room of Mohammad Hosein General Hospital (RSMH) in the provincial capital of Palembang for showing symptoms of pneumonia.

The hospital gave an assurance that the patient in question did not contract the novel coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease. However, it stopped short of making an official diagnosis, as it was waiting for a test result.

Our initial diagnosis [of the patient] is still common pneumonia. We cannot determine whether the patient is COVID-19-positive yet, as we are still waiting for the laboratory result, which is predicted to come in two days, RSMH acting president director Zubaedah said on Tuesday.

The patient traveled to Malaysia, which had 22 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, from Feb. 11 to 15.

Two days after returning from Malaysia, he was admitted to RK Charitas hospital before being transferred to RSMH.

Doctors at RSMH found the patients body temperature was below average. However, his medical record showed he had experienced a high fever.

The hospitals head of the emerging infectious diseases team, Zen Ahmad, said the hospital had experience in treating lung infections, including pneumonia. Unlike COVID-19, the common form of pneumonia is caused by bacterial infection. Patients with acute respiratory infection are normally treated in the hospitals intensive care unit.

The patient had shown symptoms of shortness of breath before he was admitted. As of now, we can definitively say that the patient doesnt fulfill the criteria of [being infected with] the coronavirus, Zen said.

Read also: Suspected COVID-19 patient in Maluku tests negative

Once the result comes out as negative, he will undergo the usual treatment, Zen said.

South Sumatra Health Agency surveillance department head Yusri said his office had been observing 31 people who came in through Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport, Palembang, since Jan. 31.

They were placed in quarantine for showing symptoms of the virus. After 14 days, they were all declared at least relatively stable.

As of today, none of them tested positive for COVID-19, although some of them had suffered from the common cold. Eleven of the 31 people put under our observation have been declared safe, while the remaining 20 are still being observed, Yusri said. (dpk)
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Bombs are falling again in Syria and hundreds of thousands of refugees have once more streamed north towards the Turkish border. The north-east of Syria fell under the spotlight late last year when the US suddenly withdrew its forces from the area, creating a power vacuum and scenes of vicious violence. Two months later, the war has shifted to the north-western province of Idlib, a last holdout against the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, where hundreds of thousands of civilians had fled over several years to escape fighting. Now they are fleeing Idlib. Humanitarian groups say the Syrian governments campaign to take back control of Idlib and parts of surrounding provinces has displaced the largest number of people of any single campaign in a war that's been going on for nearly nine years. Syrian soldiers are killing Turkish soldiers, and vice-versa, and tensions are rising between Turkey and Russia. What is happening now in one of the worlds most confusing conflicts? And what will the ramifications be? Trucks ferry civilians out of Idlib to find safety inside Syria near the border with Turkey on February 11. Credit:DHA/AP

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Why is Syria back in the news? The military action in Idlib is the attempt by the Assad government to kill or displace the final remnants of the rebellion that started the Syrian civil war in 2011. That war started when Assad ruthlessly suppressed the Arab Spring protests of March 2011, which then gradually morphed into an armed uprising. Among the armed groups active in Syria have been a patchwork of players including ordinary Syrians, Islamist insurgents including Islamic State and militias backed and funded by various states. Troops from the regular armies of at least five different countries  Syria, Turkey, Iran, the US and Russia  have also been deployed in various parts of the country. More than 7 million people have fled from Syria during the war, causing a right-wing political backlash in Turkey and throughout Europe. Assad, largely thanks to Russian air power, has subdued the rebels in most of the country, partly by bombing several of his own largest cities into oblivion and deploying chemical weapons against his own citizens. In a succession of these cities, as ceasefire agreements have been reached to stop the bombing, hundreds of thousands of opposition members and civilians have been bussed out, ultimately ending up in Idlib. For example, in March 2018, when Assad and his Russian allies defeated rebels in eastern Ghouta, convoys of buses took civilians and rebel fighters to Idlib. By 2019, the bulk of the remaining rebels were gathered in Idlib, about 50 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast and straddling the M5 highway that links Syrias largest cities. About 3 million people  half of them people who had fled from other parts of Syria  lived there. The dominant ruling faction was a one-time al-Qaeda affiliate now known as HTS.

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Now Assad's forces, again backed by the Russian air force and Iran-backed militias on the ground, is trying to kill or expel the remaining rebels from Idlib and its surrounding towns and suburbs and reassert regime control. It is using its old tactics of air strikes and a ruthless ground campaign, creating hundreds of thousands of refugees. Why now? This is actually the third attempt by the Syrian government to retake Idlib. Government forces attempted an advance in 2018 but that was put on hold when Turkey and Russia agreed to create a demilitarised zone in the province. In April 2019, the government launched an offensive backed by Russian air strikes. A number of ceasefires were agreed to in mid-2019 but they have not held. In December, the new aerial and ground campaign began and has increased in intensity through the northern winter. Whats happening to the citizens? The latest push has meant 900,000 or more civilians have fled their homes since December, according to United Nations numbers. Refugees have gone to the nearest border  with Turkey  and many are living there in tents in freezing conditions. The UN's Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mark Lowcock, said babies and small children were dying after sleeping in the open air because the camps are full. But Turkey has sealed the border and is letting none of them in. The Turkish people are still hosting 3.6 million refugees from the earlier waves of the Syrian conflict and are weary of accepting more  it has become a serious political headache for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is attempting to push existing refugees back into Syria. The UN's human rights office, the OHCHR, says: It is shocking that civilians continue to bear the brunt of hostilities ... It appears foreign powers are battling for territorial and political gains while blatantly disregarding their obligation to protect civilians.

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A boy in a damaged car after government air strikes in the town of Ariha, in Idlib province last month. Credit:AP Who is involved and what do they want? The Syrian regime wants to remain in power and end the rebellion once and for all. It wants to reopen the north-south M5 highway, which runs through Aleppo and Idlib provinces and which was once a major commercial route linking Aleppo to Damascus and Syria's south. Russia backs Bashar al-Assads regime, saying it is there to fight terrorists. Analysts say Russia wants to expand its sphere of influence west to the Mediterranean. Its main support for Assad comes in the form of air power and political cover, including in negotiations with Turkey. Iran wants Assad to remain in power as a key source of support and strategic depth to Tehrans Lebanese ally, Hezbollah. Hezbollah has long positioned itself as Irans vanguard against Israel. Turkey wants to maintain a buffer, or safe zone, on its border to prevent further refugee incursions and to allow it to push back into Syria some of the 3.6 million refugees it already hosts and eliminate the presence of Syrian Kurds on its border. Turkey wants to maintain a buffer against the Kurds, who it fears will launch terror attacks against it. It has already created such areas on its border in so-called Operation Euphrates Shield, in Syrias north in 2016, in the north-eastern province of Afrin (Operation Olive Branch) and in the Kurd-dominated north-west (Operation Peace Spring) in 2019. Turkey also backs some of the rebel groups in Idlib, partly to strengthen its hand in future negotiations, according to some analysts. It has massed 30,000 troops and armour at the Syrian border and sent 5000 reinforcements to bolster its own troops deployed in positions in Idlib province. Rebel groups want Assad out of power. Beyond that they have a variety of visions for Syrias future ranging from a free, liberal democracy to an Islamist caliphate. The United States' wishes are not clear, although it is concerned by growing Iranian and Russian influence in Syria. The US has abandoned earlier hopes that Assad might be deposed but is still worried that an increased Iranian influence in Syria will threaten its ally Israel. The Kurds are less relevant in the Syrias north-west but hold a large part of the countrys north-east. Long-term, they desire their own self-ruled homeland in Syria and potentially in parts of Turkey. In the shorter term, they want to continue to administer their region, which they call Rojava. Emergency services carry the body of a person killed in a government air strike in the city of Idlib on February 11. Credit:AP Whats likely to happen? The clashes between Syrian troops and Turkey escalated after an attack on a Turkish convoy on February 27 that killed at least 36 soldiers. Turkey responded with two tactics, military and political. Its military launched a swarm of drone strikes against Syrian positions, and also hit them with artillery. Politically, Turkey sought to strong-arm Europe into coming to its aid by temporarily opening the border with Greece to allow existing refugees through. (Almost a million new refugees from Idlib are still trapped at the border between Syria and Turkey, which remains closed). Based on previous experience, the Syrian-Russian-Iran-backed forces will ultimately crush the rebellion in Idlib, even if it means flattening the cities and razing the surrounding villages. The hundreds of thousands or more people who have fled may hope to get into Turkey and then Europe  but Turkey will try to keep that border closed. Turkey and its Islamist proxies will fight Syria if it perceives there is any threat to it losing the territory it holds across the countrys north.

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The United Nations called on Cameroon Tuesday to conduct an independent investigation into the "shocking" killing of 23 villagers in a troubled English-speaking region and ensure the perpetrators be held accountable.

Citing information from colleagues on the ground, the UN rights office said two pregnant women and 15 children, nine of them aged under five, were among those killed.

The incident on Friday took place in a region where armed separatists are campaigning for independence from the rest of Cameroon, which is majority French-speaking.

More than 3,000 people have died and at least 700,000 have fled their homes in the nearly 29-month-old conflict. Rights watchdogs say they have documented killings of civilians and other abuses by the armed forces as well as by separatists.

"We urge the authorities to ensure that the investigation is independent, impartial and thorough, and that those responsible are held fully to account," the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement.

The UN had previously put the toll from Friday's attack at up to 22, but Tuesday's statement said 23 people had died in the "shocking episode".

French call

Part of Cameroon's opposition blamed the deaths on members of the armed forces -- an allegation that the army on Monday blasted as "duplicitous".

It said a woman and four children died in an "unfortunate accident" when fuel containers were set ablaze in an exchange of fire between security forces and separatists in the village of Ntumbo.

But France, a strong ally of Cameroon's 86-year-old President Paul Biya, on Tuesday condemned "the violence".

"We wish total light to be shed on this tragic event and for those responsible to be brought to account," the foreign ministry's spokesman said in Paris.

Witnesses had told the UN that around 40 armed men had attacked the village, "opening fire on people and burning down houses", the UN rights office said.

English-speakers account for nearly a fifth of Cameroon's population of 24 million -- a legacy of the French and British decolonisation of West Africa in the late 1950s.

Most anglophones live in the Northwest Region, where Ntumbo is located, and the adjoining Southwest Region.

Years of grievances at perceived discrimination snowballed into a declaration of independence in October 2017 and a government crackdown.

"We call on the government to ensure that the security forces abide by applicable international law norms standards during the conduct of their operations," Tuesday's UN statement said.

"We similarly remind armed separatist groups of their responsibilities under international law and call on all parties to refrain from deliberate attacks on civilians."

Bishops' appeal

The UN rights office said the already tense situation in Cameroon's anglophone regions had worsened ahead of this month's parliamentary and municipal elections.

Map of Cameroon locating English-speaking regions. By (AFP)

"The government deployed some 700 additional troops in the North-West and South-West where armed separatists reportedly kidnapped dozens of candidates, most from the Social Democratic Front which is one of the country's biggest opposition parties," the UN said.

While most of the candidates had since been released, the UN said it had also received information that voting centres and the homes of those involved in the election campaign had been attacked by separatists.

On Monday, 16 Catholic bishops from around the world sent a letter to Biya, urging his government to talk to the separatists.

Biya, in power for 37 years, has repeatedly ruled out demands for autonomy or a return to Cameroon's federal structure, although he has recently endorsed a decentralisation of some powers from Yaounde, the capital.

"There will be no military victory for any side," the bishops warned.

"A lasting solution to Cameroon's problems must come from a mediated process that includes anglophone armed-separatist groups and non-violent civil-society leaders."

The "best path" lies in a Swiss proposal to broker talks, they said.
CHICO, Calif.  There is a federal proposal currently in the works that would remove restrictions that are in place on the transport of liquefied natural gas, (LNG) by rail car. The compound is highly flammable and combustible.

Action News Now Morning Anchor Julia Yarbough talked to first responders with the Chico Fire Department, to ask, what other chemicals are currently moved by rail and what happens if there is an emergency in a populated area?

When one is near railroad tracks the sound of an approaching train is unmistakable. Most people simply see a train. For firefighters trained in dealing with hazardous materials, they often see a what if scenario.

Division Chief Wes Metroka with the Chico Fire Department spent 15 years as part of the Butte County Interagency HazMat Team. He knows chemicals and what they do. He says when it comes to rail cars, Haz-Mat situations are unique.

All you may have is the shape of the car to let you know what youre dealing with, explained Metroka. Then you are looking at the hazard placards to determine, is it flammable, toxic or corrosive.

Yarbough asked Metroka about the specific dangers posed by liquid natural gas. He said the biggest hazard with that gas is fire and its ability to burn. He says it is flammable and explains that gas escaped from a possible rail breach must go somewhere. He says if such gas gets trapped in a building, then you have a risk of explosion or burning.

Metroka says he worries about a long list of emergencies; not just with LNG, but with all kinds of dangerous and potentially deadly compounds currently transported by rail.

He says hazardous materials training means learning to read the unknowns of a situation. He says first responders must be able to understand how different chemicals react and how harmful they may be to humans and the environment.

Technology is also helping first responders move into action in case of an emergency. Mobile Apps allow teams on the ground to look up a chemical. They have the ability to type in the location of the incident and include factors such as wind speeds and temperatures. The app then calculates a course of action, including a response radius and how much time first responders have to keep people safe.

In any hazardous materials call, we have to figure out what the critical factors are. If were dealing with something toxic or corrosive that will harm or kill you, then our best plan of action may be to shelter in place, said Metroka.

First responders also have access to specialized, protective gear. There are several different levels of Haz-Mat suits teams utilize, depending upon the types of chemical agents encountered. Some protect against gases, while others provide protection from flash burns as well.

However, Metroka says gear alone will not save first responders moving into emergency situations. He says keeping a cool head is what protects team members.

Haz-mat is not one-size-fits-all, explains Metroka. With fires, we know what were dealing with. With Haz-Mat calls, like a train, you have multiple possibilities. For instance, if you had a derailment with 100 cars, you would have a mile-long scene. There are many situations we need to be prepared for.

To learn more about the federal proposal involving LNG, click here.
Elgin Marbles: Taken from the Parthenon in the 19th century

The European Union has opened up the prospect that Greece's claim on the Elgin Marbles could become a bargaining chip in negotiations over its future relationship with the UK.

The latest draft of the EU's negotiating mandate, seen by Bloomberg News, says the UK will need to "address issues relating to the return or restitution of unlawfully removed cultural objects to their countries of origin".

Officials involved on both sides said the clause was widely interpreted as a direct reference to the ancient statues in the British Museum that were taken from the Parthenon in Athens at the start of the 19th century.

A Greek official denied that the clause related to the statues, saying they remain a bilateral issue between the two countries. The official said it was a reference to stolen pieces including a number of 18th and 19th century paintings that often turn up at auction houses in London.

The document is due to be finalised today. ( Bloomberg News)
Palghar : , Feb 19 (IANS) The mainstream political parties have given up hopes of coming to power in the small Talasari tehsil in the north-west Maharashtra's Palghar district.

For the past 58 years, the Talasari area is the dominion of the CPI(M), which has been ruling the roost without a break since the first local elections were held here in 1962.

Like the Gaulish Village, which withstood the might of the rampaging Roman Empire, Talasari and surroundings hold out comfortably against the modern-day 'political invaders' in the form of national parties like the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Shiv Sena, local outfits, et al.

Though the Red Flag symbolising Communism was lowered long back in Russia and many other Communist countries, it continues to flutter brightly, boldly and cheerfully in Talasari.

This week, the CPI(M) again bagged the Talasari Tehsil Panchayat Samiti with Nandkumar Hadal elected Chairperson and Rajesh Kharpade elected unopposed as Vice-Chairperson.

In the January 2020 elections, this Panchayat Samiti (PS) has all 10 tribal members -- who dominate in the district -- and the CPI(M) scored 80 per cent to vanquish the BJP and NCP in 8 out of 10 PS, besides 4 out of 5 Zilla Parishad seats in Talasari Tehsil, around 145 kms north of Mumbai.

"It is because of our strong grassroots level work since 1940s among the tribals and farmers to tackle their problems in the region. People have reposed their faith in us repeatedly," local CPI(M) MLA from Dahanu, Vinod Bhiva Nikole told IANS.

A humble vadapaav seller-turned lawmaker, Nikole, 43, was among the 50,000 farmers who walked the entire 200-km historic Kisan Long March in March 2018, which had rattled the BJP-led powers-that-be at the Centre and in the state.

All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) President Ashok Dhawale said that like many other farmers' movements of the 1940s, Palghar farmers had joined it in a big way, besides Nashik, Kerala, Telangana, West Bengal, Tripura and other parts of India.

"That legacy has been nurtured well in all these regions. With changing times and needs, we take up contemporary issues, for instance, the massive opposition among tribals to the Bullet Train Project in Palghar and the Farmers Rights Act implementation," Dhawale told IANS.

In Palghar district, the CPI(M) bagged six Zila Parishad and 12 PS seats in 2020 elections -- improving its tally by three seats over 2015.

Even Nashik's Surgana Tehsil Panchayat Samiti is a matter of pride for the CPI(M) where it is in power since 35 years nonstop and its senior leader and farmers' rights activist, Jiva Pandu Gavit has been elected MLA for seven terms.

The Dahanu Assembly seat -- (earlier Jawhar) -- has been won by the CPI(M) in nine of 10 Assembly elections since 1978, barring 2014, and significantly, by different candidates each time, proving that the ideology is above the individual, said Dhawale.

On why Red is the rage in the region, Nikole harks to the historic Warli Adivasi Revolt of the AIKS in the mid-1940s, inspired and led by the Communist legends Shamrao Parulekar and Godavari Parulekar, both later elected to the CPI(M) Central Committee.

"Until then, though the tribals were the original owners of the lands, during the British Rule, they were reduced to slaves. After the struggle led by the Parulekars and other leaders, today the tribals are in possession of their ancestral lands," Nikole said.

Though the landlords were virtually driven away, and the lands returned to the tribals, getting it transferred in their tribals' name -- delayed due to political and bureaucratic hurdles -- is the next challenge, he added.

The CPI(M)'s latest achievement in Talasari has been hailed by Communist Parties in different countries, said the party's media coordinator P. S. Prasad.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 16:27:37|Editor: xuxin

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PHNOM PENH, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia dispatched 68,040 laborers abroad in 2019, according to a Labor Ministry report on Wednesday.

Thailand is the largest market for Cambodian workers, according to the report released during the ministry's annual conference.

Some 57,823 Cambodian laborers, or 85 percent of the workers, were sent to Thailand last year, it said, adding that 5,938 were dispatched to South Korea, 3,945 to Japan, 135 to Singapore, 72 to China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, 69 to Malaysia, and 58 to Saudi Arabia.

Cambodian laborers usually work in the fields of industries, agriculture, construction, fishing, and housekeeping in those countries.

Cambodian Minister of Labor and Vocational Training Ith Samheng said to date, approximately 1.28 million Cambodian workers have worked abroad.

"They have sent more than 2.8 billion U.S. dollars to their families in Cambodia a year," he said at the conference.
In her new show, Briarpatch," Rosario Dawson plays Allegra Dill, an investigator who returns home to solve her sisters murder. Her character also has an affair with her boss, a senator.

Of course, in real life, Dawson, 40, has been dating New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker since 2018.

Its the first time I felt like I had to be responsible about my choice of love, which is a challenging thing to do, Dawson said of her relationship with Booker, 50, in an interview with Bustle.

Dawson, who stars in the USA Network series, which premiered Feb. 6, talked about the circumstances that made her relationship with Booker different and addressed her sexuality in the interview.

If you fall in love, you fall in love," she said. "But theres another aspect I had to consider: what this meant in (putting) a microscope on my family and particularly on my daughter, she said, referring to her daughter Isabella, 17, who she adopted in 2014.

But in each other I think we found our person," she said of Booker, who announced in January that he would suspend his presidential campaign. (Dawson said she will support whoever becomes the Democratic nominee.)

When Dawson was asked about a message she posted to Instagram to celebrate Pride month in 2018 that was interpreted as her coming out, she corrected the record, simultaneously coming out.

People kept saying that I (came out) ... I didnt do that, Dawson said. I mean, its not inaccurate, but I never did come out come out. I mean, I guess I am now."

Ive never had a relationship in that space, she said, so its never felt like an authentic calling to me.

Have a tip? Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.
IndiGo said that the airfare offer cannot be clubbed with any other offer, scheme, or promotion related to airfare charges.

Budget carrier IndiGo has started a four-day sale on its international flights for a travel period from 1 March to 30 September, the airline said. The sale period started on Tuesday and will close on Friday, according to the airline's website.

The airline said that a total of 2.5 lakh seats on international flights are available.

"The sale, effective from 18 February to 21 February 2020, will offer the customers an all-inclusive fare on international flights, starting at a nominal price of Rs 3499," IndiGo said.

IndiGo, which has a market share of 47.5 percent in the country as of December 2019, offers fares at Rs 6,999 on Delhi-Abu Dhabi, Delhi-Bangkok, Delhi-Dhaka sectors while on the Delhi-Kathmandu sector, the fare under the offer is Rs 4,399.

The budget airline offers the lowest fares at Rs 6,999 on the Mumbai-Muscat, Mumbai-Bangkok and Mumbai-Abu Dhabi sectors.

From Chennai to Singapore, the cheapest available fare under the offer is 6,099, Chennai-Kuala Lumpur is Rs 6,399 and Chennai- Bangkok sector is Rs 6,199, said the airline

The no-frills carrier's lowest fare on the Kolkata-Dhaka sector is Rs 3,499.

The Kochi-Abu Dhabi sector's cheapest fare is Rs 6,599 under the offer while Kochi-Dubai is Rs 6,999, Kochi-Male is Rs 3,499 and Kochi-Muscat sector is Rs 6,349, according to the airline's website.

The offer is applicable to tickets booked for IndiGo operated flights.

IndiGo said that the airfare offer cannot be clubbed with any other offer, scheme, or promotion related to airfare charges.

This offer is non-transferable, non-exchangeable and non-encashable. Any change to the travel itinerary can be made by paying the applicable change fee and fare difference, it said.

The offer is applicable to one-way, round-trip and multi-city bookings, for international travel. The offer is, however, not applicable to IndiGos group bookings and for domestic travel, the airline said.

IndiGo said that limited inventory is available under the airfare offer and therefore, base fare discounts will be provided, subject to availability of inventory and at the sole discretion of IndiGo.

The low-cost airline has a fleet of 255 aircraft including 96 new generations A320 NEOs, 124 A320 CEOs, 25 ATRs and 10 A321 NEO aircraft.

Besides this, IndiGo operates 1,500 daily flights to 63 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations.
Giants fire Lansdale Catholic graduate Joe Judge as coach after 10-23 record in 2 years
Description

GIS - 19 February, 2020: Ebenegate Mauritius , the new appellation for Creditfix Holdings Mauritius , was unveiled, yesterday, during a ceremony held at 1 Cybercity, in Ebene. The President of the Republic, Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun, and the Chairman of Finbora Group and Chief Executive Officer of Ebenegate Mauritius, Mr Pearse Flynn, were present at the ceremony.

The new logo was made public on that occasion following its rebranding in 2019 to Ebenegate as the company is planning to become one of the most trustworthy managed service business in personal insolvency and manage the book of other personal insolvency providers in the UK as well as in other jurisdictions.

In his statement, the President of the Republic stated that the social, economic and political stability coupled with the abundance of skilled human resources in Mauritius has made Ebenegate progress and become the largest personal insolvency provider in the UK.

He pointed out that Creditfix Holdings Mauritius has been providing services solution to companies around the world since 2016 and expressed hope that it continues to do so as Ebenegate Mauritius.

President Roopun underlined that Ebenegate Mauritius must seize the opportunity of Mauritius being the gateway to Africa and plan for perpetual growth and commit to excellence for the benefit of the country and the company as well.

For his part, Mr Flynn highlighted that the youth of the country constitute a potential national resource and can become a vital factor for the development for Mauritius. The company promotes the recruitment of young graduates and empowers them to be good leaders, he observed .

About Ebenegate Mauritius

With a current workforce of 150 Employees, Ebenegate is planning to expand to over 200 employees by the end of this year and become one of the most trustworthy managed service business in personal insolvency.

Creditfix Holdings Mauritius/ Ebenegate Mauritius is managing the portfolio of Creditfix Limited and Carrington Dean Ltd which are among the largest personal insolvency practices in the UK, servicing Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland and has over 70 years worth of experience between insolvency practitioners in the financial industry.

The Mauritian operation, which started in May 2016, has supported Ebenegate Mauritius to increase their portfolio of clients by more than 70%, successfully helping over 141 000 people with their debt over the years.
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Jalalabad, Feb 19 : A total of 12 militants were killed as fighter planes struck Taliban hideouts in Mohmandara district of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, an army statement said on Wednesday.

No security personnel and civilians were hurt during the airstrikes on Tuesday, Xinhua quoted the statement.

Taliban militants active in parts of Nangarhar and neighbouring Kunar and Nuristan provinces have not commented so far.
Some members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Nelson Chamisa staged a peaceful march in Harare on Wednesday afternoon soon after the party leader promised fireworks in the coming over the deteriorating economic situation in Zimbabwe.

A 23-minute video circulating on social media, which was shot by NewDay newspaper, shows some of the youth singing revolutionary songs and denouncing President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government for failing to address issues affecting Zimbabweans, especially the declining economy that has resulted in high unemployment and unprecedented urban poverty.

The youth, carrying placards with anti-government messages and chanting MDC slogans, engaged in the spontaneous public protests around the Harare central business district.

Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi was unavailable for comment as he was not responding to calls on his mobile phone.

Indications are that nobody was arrested during the brief protest.

Chamisa told journalists in the capital that MDC supporters should brace for public protests designed to force Mnangagwa to address serious issues affecting the country.

This year is a year of action, action in communities, action in the various localities and also action nationally coordinated by various players and actors.

Two public protests in 2018 and 2019 resulted in the shooting to death of some people by Zimbabwes state security forces in Harare.
Calling India and France the 'closest partners' whose leaders, government and people alike share a level of confidence, French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain said on Tuesday that New Delhi and Paris look forward to expanding their security partnership in the Indo-Pacific.

"India and France are the closest partners. There is a level of confidence between our leaders, governments, and people, which is quite unusual," Lenain told ANI during an event at the French Embassy here.

"We want to expand this partnership to be able to join forces and be up to the challenges of the decade and the century, with means more (cooperation in developing) new technology with respect to the Artificial Intelligence, on cyberspace and join forces in the Indo-Pacific," he added.

The French Embassy on Tuesday celebrated the welcoming of fashion designer Rahul Mishra as the first Indian "guest member" at the Haute Couture Week, Paris.

"I want to thank the Excellency. I want to thank the love which I got in India and also in Paris. Actually I am living a dream right now," Mishra said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An illustration from the picture book, Waiting for My Daddy, which was produced in just 17 days and inspired by the plight of medical heroes and their children during the novel coronavirus outbreak. [For China Daily]

Book publishers and authors seek to inspire, entertain and educate with the release of varied literary materials in multiple formats.

Words and illustrations can sometimes provide a clearer picture of everyday heroics. Illustrator Sun Wentao, confined to his study in Wuhan, Hubei Province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, has been inspired by the heroes battling the virus, drawing sketches for an upcoming picture book that addresses the epidemic.

Sun and the other members of the illustration team felt the urge to produce the book as quickly as possible. They felt duty bound, in such a critical period, to tell these stories in a way that everyone can understand.

Despite being homebound in their individual residences and without all of the necessary drawing tools, Sun and his colleagues managed to complete illustrations for the 40-page picture book, titled Waiting for My Daddy. They released a digital edition for free circulation on Feb 12, just 17 days after the idea was initiated by Changjiang Children's Press. Normally the timeline for such a task can be measured in months.

Two audio versions, one narrated by an adult, one by a boy, were also released. Meanwhile, a namesake song was created to accompany the book. It is yet to be decided whether it will be published in print.

"We are so happy that, with our combined efforts, we could create the picture book in such a tight schedule," Sun says with a smile.

Sun and his colleagues at the Wuhan-based publisher have been witnesses of, and impressed by, the contribution of doctors and nurses fighting to save lives at the front line of the epidemic, according to He Long, president of the Changjiang Children's Publishing Group, which runs Changjiang Children's Press.

Chen Ying, author of the picture book, Waiting for My Daddy. [For China Daily]

He says: "We're touched by the courage and determination of these medical workers and many from other walks of life that are involved. We want to fight against the virus together with them  with the book, we are eager to inspire young readers, making our contribution with what we're good at."

Sun and other illustrators, as well as the book's author, Chen Ying, are all the publisher's employees.

The idea of making the picture book came after the team was deeply moved by a news photo showing a mother in army uniform wiping tears off her girl's face, before leaving for Wuhan on Lunar New Year's Eve. That scene turned out to be the inspiration, says Yao Lei, editor-in-chief of Changjiang Children's Press.

"Many children of working parents have similar experiences, especially when their parents have to leave for work. And at this critical time, the sad farewell to their parents seems even harder for children," Yao says. "These parents had little time to fully explain their absence from Spring Festival reunions upon receiving the call to join the mission."

Artists create the illustrations for the book at home. [For China Daily]

The book is narrated by a boy discussing his disappointment when his father has to leave to treat patients and is unable to keep his promise of playing with him during the holiday. The child's resentment wanes as he sees the empty streets.

In his dream, behind a glass wall, he sees his father in medical protective clothing, saying sorry to him with a note on paper slip. With his written reply, the boy tells his father to take care and he will wait for his daddy's return, and will save his favorite candy as a homecoming gift.

From a kid's perspective, the book combines basic knowledge of the virus in its plotline, and serves as a record of the heroes everybody could become, says Liu Jiapeng, head editor of the publisher's picture book department.

"We hope the book helps to plant a seed of social duty and selfless undertaking in the younger readers' hearts," says Liu.

Aside from depicting the child's mindset, the illustrations also feature Wuhan's landmarks, like the Yellow Crane Tower and the Yangtze River, to add a touch of realism.

Besides this picture book, the publisher released another popular science book titled A Brief History of Viruses for Children (Illustrated), also made in just six days, and free online.

"Knowledge is one key to defeat the disease and the fear," says He.

He's idea is echoed by editors from Beijing-headquartered World Publishing Corp, who decided to cater to the psychological needs for Chinese people.

In a seven-day blitz, on Feb 11 the publisher released a handbook of psychological self-help information and offered it for free on multiple online platforms.

Under a guideline issued by the National Health Commission on emergent psychological crisis intervention work amid the epidemic, Hu Ping, with Renmin University of China, and her colleagues are manning hotlines that offer counseling. They compiled the book to help readers learn how to conduct psychological assessments and emotional adjustments in practical ways, how to de-stress, or find solutions when they fear they may get infected.

The cover of A Brief History of Viruses for Children (Illustrated). [For China Daily]

Sharing resources

The two publishers are among many that have sought to offer their creative expertise through releasing e-books, audio books and online lectures to the public for free.

People's Literature Publishing House was among the first to open up access to its audio books in late January. The books contain popular literary classics and works by contemporary writers. And many publishers have joined in the effort since the National Press and Publication Administration called out on February 6 to encourage publishers to share their resources for free.

Also based in Wuhan, the Changjiang Literature and Art Press provided digital resources of more than 1,000 books for free in February.

People's Publishing House has released more than 100 titles in both audio and e-book formats, and initiated a plan to publish 10 books with themes related to the epidemic.

It also advanced publishing date of the e-version of A Century Record of Vaccine in China, a completion of reports about the diseases and disasters China survived, which initially was set to be released in August. The book is now available online for free.

Facing a nationwide crisis, the publishers' swift reaction is revealing new challenges as well as opportunities for the publishing sector.

The cover of a psychological self-help book for combating the mental stress caused by the epidemic. [For China Daily]

In recent years, more Chinese publishers are trying to expand the boundary of publishing by not only bringing good content from authors to the market, but also initiating and creating projects centered on self-owned intellectual properties, or IPs  titles penned by staff writers or illustrators.

Waiting for My Daddy is one such IP book. Its publisher had set up a picture-book research center, which collected firsthand stories of the fight against the epidemic. It has award-winning writers and its own illustration team that have a loyal following among both children and parents, and has platforms to create other adaptations.

"From the beginning of every title, we explore its potential for audio editions, streamed lectures, videos or other adaptations. Then our respective professional teams follow up," Liu says.

It's a trend that publishers make full use of IP content on various platforms, as was shown at the 2020 Beijing Book Fair, a major event held in January. Many publishers produce their content on various platforms to cater to the needs of the market, such as online lectures, audio books or videos.

Such books include Freshman Readings in English, a best-selling collection by China Translation Publishing House. This is a replica of English textbooks from the National Southwest Associated University (1937-46). Another example is The English-Chinese Dictionary, by Shanghai Translation Publishing House, whose online series of lectures titled The Tidbit will be released, with the aim of attracting readers with vivid illustrations of the dictionary's entries and examples.

(Source: China Daily)
Dejero to Showcase Latest Field Contribution, Content Distribution, and Connectivity Solutions at NAB 2020

Two-time Emmy award winners to showcase new EnGo 260 mobile transmitter and support SMPTE ST 2110 workflows in Las Vegas

Waterloo, Ontario( )

Dejero, an innovator in cloud-managed solutions that provides Emmy award winning video transport and Internet connectivity while mobile or in remote locations, is returning to NAB with an exciting display of technologies that include enhancements to its renowned contribution, distribution, and connectivity solutions.



Shining a spotlight on the capabilities of their latest EnGo mobile transmitter, WayPoint receivers support of SMPTE ST 2110, the importance of first- and last-mile connectivity, and cloud-based content distribution, Dejeros NAB booth is guaranteed to appeal to a wide spectrum of broadcasters and media organizations.





Second Emmy Award Win

In January 2020, it was announced that Dejero had been awarded a second prestigious Technology and Engineering Emmy Award and will be honored as recipients at a ceremony taking place at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 19th, during NAB 2020. The award, in the category of Video over Bonded Cellular Internet (VoCIP) technology, recognizes Dejeros innovation in the industry, and is attributed to the development of its patented Smart Blending Technology and unique Hybrid Encoding Technology. The technologies work in concert to form a tightly integrated system that responds in real-time to changes in network quality and video content complexity. This has helped transform how broadcasters contribute live content from the field using cellular networks, providing newsgathering crews with greater flexibility in terms of the location from where they can transmit a live shot, at a fraction of the cost of conventional uplink technology.



Last year, Dejero was awarded its first Technology and Engineering Emmy Award for 'excellence in engineering creativity', honoring a decade of achievements in the field of live transmission driven by its vision of reliable connectivity anywhere.





New EnGo 260 mobile transmitter makes NAB debut

The latest version of Dejero's renowned EnGo mobile transmitter will be on display at NAB for the first time. Featuring Dejero's Emmy Award-winning Smart Blending and Hybrid Encoding technologies, the 5G-ready EnGo 260 weighs 30% less than its predecessor, features a screen that is 85% larger, and now includes a 3-hour internal rechargeable battery and global modems for simplified international travel. Built with aircraft aluminum construction and polycarbonate ABS bumpers, the professional-grade EnGo is designed for durability to withstand on-the-go daily use by news, sports, and live production crews.





Compact CuePoint low-latency return video

At NAB, Dejero will be unveiling a new, smaller form-factor CuePoint server for use in field environments where it can be easily racked into mobile carts or vehicles. This follows the launch of the 1RU CuePoint 100 at last year's NAB. The low-latency return feed servers simplify talent cueing, production and confidence monitoring, and real-time teleprompting in the field. With as little as 250 milliseconds of latency, CuePoint servers keep teams at the broadcast facility and remote location synchronized, by sending video and audio, alongside teleprompting feeds, to production teams in the field to facilitate the creation of compelling live content. Up to eight return video and teleprompting feeds from the broadcast facility can be seen in the field by the talent on a tablet or dedicated monitor above or below the camera, or on multiple mobile devices by camera operators, field directors, and technicians.



WayPoint support for SMPTE ST 2110

The Dejero WayPoint 204 receiver makes the IP transition easier for broadcasters embracing the SMPTE ST 2110 suite of standards. As the first Dejero product to support SMPTE ST 2110 standards for professional media industries, WayPoint 204 reconstructs video transported over multiple IP connections from Dejero transmitters, decodes HEVC or AVC, delivers four channels of balanced IFB, and provides four outputs supporting SMPTE ST 2110. For broadcasters using SDI workflows, Dejero will be debuting a new, smaller form-factor of the WayPoint at NAB for use in field environments, where it can be easily racked in mobile carts or vehicles.



New GateWay 200 series for reliable general-purpose connectivity in the field

A new fanless networking appliance for nomadic and mobile connectivity, Dejero GateWay 200 provides fast, reliable, and secure access to the public Internet, private networks, and SaaS providers while in nomadic or mobile situations. Recently added features include increased reliability on any type of IP connection and faster file transfer methods. Dejero will also show how the GateWay can be used for backup connectivity as part of a disaster recovery plan, and other use cases that solve first- and last-mile connectivity challenges of broadcasters and media organizations.



IronRoute for Media - cloud-based content distribution

The IronRoute for Media solution is tailored to the needs of broadcasters and media organizations by combining the link diversity, service quality, and centralized management benefits of software-defined blended connectivity, with the flexibility and scalability benefits of a cloud-based workflow for cost-effective global distribution over IP networks. IronRoute blends broadband and cellular (3G/4G/5G) alongside satellite connectivity from Intelsats global network. The cloud-based solution also simplifies the simultaneous distribution of live and file-based content to multiple locations anywhere in the world, whether it be network affiliates, station groups, or to other broadcasters and media organizations in point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, and multipoint-to-multipoint scenarios.



To see these new developments and find out about more exciting announcements that will be made at the show, visit Dejero at booth C1307.

###

www.dejero.com
MAGUGA  Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) dividends from the joint venture company Mozambique Transmission Company (MOTRACO) has declined by E12.4 million.



The utilitys dividend, as per the EECs annual report for the 2018/19 financial year, amounted to E27 247 500. This was a decline from the dividend of E39 710 400 in the 2017/18 financial year.



Dividends



The dividends received by EEC were benefits of its investment in the 400kilo volt line project with its strategic partners from South Africa and Mozambique. As reported in the past month, the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) is now an official shareholder in MOTRACO having successfully cleared a E212.7 Million equity loan with the European Investment Bank (EIB).



During the year under review, the joint venture company declared a seventh dividend. The companys net share of the dividends was E27 247 500 (2018), reads the report in part.



As per the financing agreement related to the investment, half of the dividend was remitted to the European Investment Bank after deducting 20 per cent withholding tax.



MOTRACO was founded in 1998 as a joint venture between three companies of electricity from Mozambique, South Africa and Eswatini in particular, Electricidade de Mocambique (EDM), Eskom of South Africa and Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC), respectively.



The aim of this joint venture was to provide efficient energy transmission and services to business and ensure acceptable returns for its shareholders. MOTRACO therefore imports energy for direct sales to Mozal on behalf of EDM, EEC and Eskom through a 400kV line that cuts across the shareholder countries.



It has been more than 20 years already since MOTRACO was established.

This transmission project was conceived at a time when EEC was still battling with several challenges including, but not limited to, frequent power outages at transmission level, transmission constraints and general voltage drops that were being experienced in the power supply system.

According to the joint-venture agreement, the shareholding was split equally between the three investing parties.



Each company then had to contribute one-third of the USD39.5 million (now about E593 million) required equity to acquire its stake in the project. EEC was required to contribute USD10.1 million (almost E151million in todays exchange rate) towards the acquisition of her 33 per cent stake in the equity of (MOTRACO). However, the company did not have required capital amount at the time and had to borrow to cover the share subscription.



The company then approached the market for funding and on July 15, 1999, a loan agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) for 75 per cent of the required capital amount was secured.



Instalment



The loan amount advanced to EEC by EIB for this purpose was EUR 8.2 million (now equivalent to about E133.4 million) repayable, in one instalment, on maturity after 20 years. In addition, to the principal amount advanced, EEC was expected to pay to EIB 50 per cent of its share of the post-acquisition growth of the MOTRACO equity on the maturity of the facility.



The value of this portion was to be determinable from an independent valuation of the MOTRACO equity at the end of the 20 years.

Twenty years later(June 2019), the EIB loan facility matured, the sinking had accumulated adequate resources to extinguish the loan. EEC paid to EIB a total of E212.7 million (EUR12.7 million) in full redemption of both the principal amount and the variable obligation as determinable from the MOTRACO equity valuation report.
A 102-year-old man was able to fight off an intruder who attempted to force their way into his home.

The centenarian, named only as John, said the would-be robber pushed into his house in Lincoln after claiming he was there to check the lights.

John suffered cuts and bruising to his arms after the attacker lashed out but he was able to put up a fight and scared the intruder away.

The centenarian, named only as John, (pictured alongside 97-year-old wife Joan) said the would-be robber pushed into his house in Lincoln after claiming he was there to check the lights

The former serviceman said he thought the man's excuse said it sounded 'a bit dodgy' but added that 'by that time he had pushed the door wide open and stepped in.

'I said: "You're not going to come in here, mate".

'He gave me a few clouts - I was hoping to give him a few back and he ran away.

'He must have been frightened.'

John and his 97-year-old wife, Joan, who met when they were stationed together during the Second World War, said that they were left shaken by the incident.

It is the second attack on their home in just six months and they are now warning others to be more cautious when opening the door.

Lincolnshire Police are currently investigating the incident that took place at around 1.45pm on Tuesday.

John suffered cuts and bruising after the attacker lashed out but he was able to put up a fight and scared the intruder away

Officers are also investigating a second break-in around the Ermine area of Lincoln, which occurred about 45 minutes earlier.

In this instance, cash and bank cards were stolen after a man pushed his way past a disabled woman in her 90s.

Chief Inspector Phil Baker said: 'These two incidents are clearly concerning because they involve elderly and vulnerable victims.

'In both incidents the offender has used force to push past the occupants and, in one case, stolen cash.

'Any information relating to these incidents is important so I would please ask anyone who can help our investigations to contact us.

'I'd also appeal for those who have elderly neighbours to regularly look out for them and check that they are okay.'
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Image: Eric Brown / Baptist Press

During its meeting Tuesday, the SBC Executive Committee members voted to disfellowship a church led by a sex offender.

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has disfellowshipped a west Texas congregation that knowingly employs a registered sex offender as pastor, the first church to lose its ties with the denomination amid a heightened push to combat sexual abuse.

The decision came Tuesday, during a meeting of the SBC Executive Committee at its headquarters in Nashville. Based on a recommendation from the conventions repurposed credentials committee, the Executive Committee acted unanimously to declare that Ranchland Heights Baptist Church in Midland, Texas, should no longer be considered in friendly cooperation with the Convention. Practically, that means it will no longer be eligible to send messengers to the SBC annual meeting.

Previously, churches had only been disfellowshipped from the SBC over LGBT-related issues and racism, though a Houston church voluntarily withdrew from the convention last year after the Houston Chronicle reported its pastor pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a teen girl more than two decades ago.

Ranchland Heights pastor Phillip Rutledge was convicted of sexually assaulting two preteen girls in 2003. A deacon at the church told the local CBS affiliate in 2016 that the vast majority of members knew about Rutledges child sex offender status. The deacon added that the church ensures children are never by themselves with the pastor. Ranchland Heights Facebook page, which was removed following the decision, had listed its motto as the church of second chances.

Though the church may appeal the Executive Committees decision to the full SBC, credentials committee chairman Stacy Bramlett said they do not anticipate an appeal. Ranchland Heights did not respond yesterday to a call for comment.

During the February 17-18 meeting, unity was a recurring theme but disagreements over an alleged liberal drift in the nations largest Protestant denomination surfaced repeatedly, as the Executive Committee questioned the lineup of the SBC Pastors Conference and authorized a task force to study concerns related to the SBCs Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC).

The Executive Committee also recommended that SBC messengers in June give the second of two required approvals to amend the SBC constitution to state explicitly that mishandling sexual abuse is grounds for a church to be disfellowshipped. (The convention already has the power to disfellowship a church for any reason.) The credentials committee will continue to meet regularly and consider reports submitted through an online portal of churches alleged to have departed from Southern Baptist doctrine or practice.

The committee did not discuss the volume of reports they have received through the portal or the names of churches whose cases didnt get presented to the Executive Committee, but victims advocates spoke up to say one disfellowshipped church was not enough.

Jules Woodson, whose abuse testimony launched the #ChurchToo movement, tweeted that she was heartbroken to find out that the church and pastor that covered up her abuse get a pass once again, with only one church recommended by the credentials committee for exclusion from the SBC.

Some abuse victims who were crushed by SBC pastors and leaders ... received nothing but silence, tweeted Rachael Denhollander, who has assisted SBC President J. D. Greear and the ERLC with the conventions Sexual Abuse Advisory Study. She also lamented that the Executive Committee voted to investigate the ERLC and not sex abuse.

Greear told the Executive Committee in his presidential address, Were not done dealing with the sex abuse crisis. The SBC needs a culture change that makes churches safer.

Among action steps the SBC still needs to take, Greear said, are adding questions about abuse to the SBCs Annual Church Profile completed by local congregations, implementing mandatory background checks for all entity trustees, and developing an ordination resource to guard against abusers in the ministry.

In addition to addressing abuse, the Executive Committee convened as some segments of the SBC expressed apprehension about perceived doctrinal drift among Southern Baptists. Leaders of the SBCs annual Pastors Conference drew criticism earlier this month for announcing a conference program that includes female pastor Hosanna Wong performing as a spoken word artist and conference preacher David Hughes, known for what Baptist Press called sermon series with sensual themes.

In response to concerns that the program goes beyond the parameters of the faith and practice of Southern Baptists, the Executive Committee voted to allocate meeting space for the Pastors Conference prior to the SBC annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, this summer only if Pastors Conference leaders make changes to their program to the approval of SBC Executive Committee officers by February 24. For decades, the Pastors Conference has met at the convention site the two days preceding the SBC annual meeting.

First Baptist Church in Orlandowhere Pastors Conference President David Uth is pastorannounced February 17 that it would pay the full cost of the Pastors Conference and not receive any financial support from the SBC, apparently in an effort to preserve the existing lineup of speakers. First Baptist claimed the conference is in no way being sponsored, controlled, or paid for by the SBC. The Executive Committee seemed to dispute that claim, noting in its action that significant indirect support helps offset the costs of the Pastors Conference annually.

In authorizing a seven-member task force to review past and present activities of the ERLC, the Executive Committee cited ongoing concerns expressed publicly and privately over how the commissions actions in relation to its ministry statements are affecting the Convention. Included in the review will be whether the ERLC is affecting churches financial giving to the SBC.

The Executive Committee took a similar action in 2017, when it formed an ad hoc committee to study reports that churches were withholding funds from the Cooperative Program, in part over the ERLCs perceived criticism of supporters of President Donald Trump. After seven months of study, the ad hoc committee reported that less than .0016 percent of Southern Baptist churches had withheld funds from the denominations unified channel of supporting missions and ministries, the Cooperative Program (CP)a percentage lower than anticipated.

Executive Committee Chairman Mike Stone said reports are anecdotal but increasing in number that churches are either decreasing or potentially withholding Cooperative Program funds once again. While the Executive Committee does not govern the ERLC, it has a responsibility under the SBCs governing documents to study any factors that affect CP.

Among concerns about the ERLC, a documentary released in December by Founders Ministries alleged the Commission is unwittingly pushing the SBC to loosen its commitment to biblical authority by advocating critical race theory and intersectionality as ministry tools.

The ERLC said in a statement released to Christianity Today, The ERLC could not do what it does without the sacrificial giving of churches. We hear from our churches every single day with questions about some of the most complicated issues imaginable. In every case, we work to serve our churches with gospel-focused answers.

Earlier this month, a group of Southern Baptists launched the Conservative Baptist Network (CBN) to counter what they perceive as various unbiblical ideologies currently affecting the Southern Baptist Convention such as critical race theory, intersectionality, and social justice. More than 3,200 people have joined the network, CBN tweeted.

CBN has drawn varied responses on Twitter, but Greear appeared to criticize it at the Executive Committee meeting without citing it by name.

Dont launch a network that says its about the recovery of conservative theology or the mission when its really not, Greear said, claiming every SBC entity leader is committed to biblical inerrancy. I grew up independent Baptist, and Ive seen where this type of uncharitable, narrow, four degrees of separation leads. And its not where most Southern Baptists want to go.

Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd said the SBC is not going liberal, yet some in the convention have sent unclear signals at times that have escalated concerns.

Unclarity about anything always creates confusion, he said. But we are not unclear about what we believe in our statement of faith, The Baptist Faith and Message.

At least two Executive Committee members, Rod Martin of Florida and Mark Ballard of Vermont, have expressed support for the networkMartin in a CBN video and Ballard in tweets. Ballard, president of Northeastern Baptist College, told CT, he is grateful to see the formation of the Conservative Baptist Network and regards it like other non-geographic networks within the SBC.

Some networks have formed around church planting, church size, church staff roles, etc., he said. I am excited to see this new network that focuses on the inerrancy, supremacy, and sufficiency of Scripture and that focuses on all generations being encouraged, equipped, and empowered.

Despite several matters of disagreement, unity was a major theme of the meeting, with the recommendation of a five-year vision setting specific goals to increase giving, missionaries, and churches. The Executive Committee unanimously forwarded the plan, known as Vision 2025, to the SBC. Also unveiled was a new umbrella organization that will combine the compassion ministries of the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board as Send Relief.

Floyd compared the disagreements to what happens in a family and cited unity around the Word of God within the SBC.

Hopefully, we are growing in our maturity in handling those disagreements and those challenges along the way in godly manner, he said.

The next Executive Committee meeting is June 8 in Orlando.

David Roach is a writer in Nashville, Tennessee.
Trump rape accuser E. Jean Carroll has been fired by ELLE after having her name 'dragged through mud' by the president seven months after she accused him of raping her.

Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1980s in June last year. She sued him ever since, the pair have been entangled in a legal back and forth.

On Tuesday, Carroll tweeted that she had been fired by ELLE, the magazine she wrote an advice column for for 26 years.

'Because Trump ridiculed my reputation, laughed at my looks, & dragged me through the mud, after 26 years, ELLE fired me. I don't blame Elle.

'It was the great honor of my life writing "Ask E. Jean." I blame @realdonaltrump,' she said.

E. Jean Carroll publicly accused Trump of rape last June then sued him in November after he called her a liar

On December 11, Carroll received this email from ELLE's Executive Managing Editor informing her that her contract would be terminated after 26 years

ELLE has not commented to her claims and did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's inquiries on Wednesday.

The revelation that she had been fired was included in court documents filed by her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, on Tuesday.

Carroll's allegation against Trump went public last June in an excerpt of her book that was published by New York Magazine.

She said it happened in 1996. She had run into Trump in the luxury department store and he recognized her from her advice column.

After asking her to help him pick out a gift for a woman, he took her to the lingerie department and asked her to try on an item he'd selected, she claimed.

Then, she alleged that he raped her in the dressing room after a 'colossal struggle'.

Carroll tweeted this on Tuesday after her attorneys included the email in court on Tuesday

Trump denies it vehemently and said he does not even remember meeting her.

After his denial, Carroll sued him for defamation.

To fight the lawsuit, Trump is trying to delay it. His attorneys say that her case should not proceed until that of Summer Zervos - an apprentice contestant who also claims he assaulted her - is resolved.

That case is also on hold pending a decision by the New York Court of Appeals on whether or not a sitting president can be sued.

Kaplan said in her filings on Tuesday that Trump is trying to stall both cases.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, she said: 'Our client filed this lawsuit to prove that Donald Trump lied about sexually assaulting her and to restore her credibility and reputation.

'From the very beginning, Trump has tried every tactic lawyers can think of to halt this case in its tracks and keep the truth from coming out.

'His latest effort  a motion to stay our clients case until the New York Court of Appeals decides the Summer Zervos case likely after November 2020  is yet another obvious delay tactic that is not grounded in the law and, like his previous attempts to stall this case, will be rejected by the court.'

In her book, Carroll describes the 'attack' in more detail.

Carroll claims Trump raped her in a dressing room in Bergdorf Goodman's in the 1990s

'He opens the overcoat, unzips his pants, and, forcing his fingers around my private area, thrusts his penis halfway  or completely, Im not certain  inside me.

'It turns into a colossal struggle.

'I am wearing a pair of sturdy black patent-leather four-inch Barneys high heels, which puts my height around six-one, and I try to stomp his foot. I try to push him off with my one free hand  for some reason, I keep holding my purse with the other  and I finally get a knee up high enough to push him out and off and I turn, open the door, and run out of the dressing room.

'The whole episode lasts no more than three minutes. I do not believe he ejaculates. I dont remember if any person or attendant is now in the lingerie department.

'I dont remember if I run for the elevator or if I take the slow ride down on the escalator. As soon as I land on the main floor, I run through the store and out the door  I dont recall which door  and find myself outside on Fifth Avenue.

'The Donna Karan coatdress still hangs on the back of my closet door, unworn and unlaundered since that evening,' she wrote'.

Kaplan has asked Trump's lawyers for a DNA sample so she can see if it matches a trace of DNA found on the dress.

She has asked lawyers to provide the sample by March 2.
For the Religious Affairs Ministry, the building permit is the issue. The parish has all the papers needed to tear down the old building and put up a new one. Islamic radicals have filed a lawsuit against the government agency that issued the permits. The parish has agreed to wait for a ruling on the matter.

Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Indonesias Religious Affairs Ministry has denied claims that religious intolerance is behind the protest against construction work at St Josephs Catholic Church in Karimun, a remote regency in Riau Islands province.

The local Catholic parish has all the regular permits, and wants to demolish the original building for a larger structure to accommodate more worshippers.

Tensions resulted in a violent demonstration on 6 February when scores of Islamic radicals gathered outside the parish building. Shouting slogans and insults, they tried to break in and even attack the church spokesman.

Yesterday, a Religious Affairs official released an update on the long-running saga, which has been the subject of a heated controversy for weeks.

Returning from Karimun, Ubaidilah Amin Moech told the press that there is no sectarian problem. The issue concerns only building permits (IMB). He added that the church renovation committee agreed to await Tanjungpinang State Administrative Court in Batam to rule on a case related to the project.

Months ago, the Islamist-inspired Karimun Regency Caring Alliance (APKK) sued the district agency that released the building permits for the church.

A few days ago, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD announced that the case had been settled, and that the parties had agreed to refrain from any action that could increase tensions.

Work on the church stopped 13 days ago after protests by APKK and the local United Muslim Forum. The two groups are demanding that the structure, built 92 years ago by Dutch missionaries, be classified a "place of historical interest, thus preventing any work on the building.

In reality, Islamists have asked that the church be moved elsewhere, said the local parish priest, Fr Kristiono.

The parish obtained all the necessary papers last October. The committee had been working on getting them since May 2012, when it asked for the support of local, mostly Muslim residents.

The parish managed to collect 107 signatures from non-Catholic residents of Tanjung Balai, who approved the project.

Under a 2006 ministerial decree on procedures for building places of worship, every religious community must obtain 90 signatures from its members and another 60 from other residents before construction can go ahead.

The Tanjung Balai district office issued a letter dated 2 July 2012, recommending rebuilding the church.
Do you work for one of the best companies in the United States?

Fortune Magazine has been publishing its list of 100 Best Companies to Work For for 23 years.

On the list of 100 companies includes four companies that call Pennsylvania home, but there are many more on the list that have a presence in the keystone state.

So how does a company apply, qualify and get selected to be on this list?

The company, Great Place to Work, says it conducts an ongoing annual workforce study, representing more than 4.1 million employees this year alone.

To be considered for the list, companies submit an application documenting their HR programs and practices. Great Place to Work then conducts a confidential survey of each companys workforce. Employees complete a survey that has more than 60 questions. The company says that 85 percent of the evaluation is based on what employees report about their experiences of trust and reaching their full human potential as part of their organization. Great Place to Work analyzes these experiences relative to each organizations size, workforce make up, and whats typical in their industry and region. The company says it also does an assessment of all employees daily experiences of the companys values, peoples ability to contribute new ideas, and the effectiveness of their leaders. Companies need to employ at least 1,000 U.S. employees to be considered for the 100 Best Companies list. Government agencies are not eligible. Three parts of the total score come from Great Place to Works analysis of employees survey data, and one part is based on an evaluation of company programs and policies.

The magazine says that the 100 companies combined have 91,425 jobs open at the moment.

Weve scrolled through the list and below youll find some of the companies that have a presence in Pennsylvania and weve included the company descriptions as noted by Fortune.

A Delta Airlines airplane (MLive photo)Neil Blake | MLive

99. Delta Air Lines

The airline serves more than 200 million customers each year on more than 5,000 flights a day to more than 300 destinations in more than 50 countries on six continents around the world. Based in Atlanta, Delta employs 90,019 U.S.-based employees.

98. Mars

The Virginia company, which makes Twix and Snickers and has excess of $35 billion in sales, is headquartered in McLean, Virginia and employs 14,039 U.S.-based employees.

97. Farmers Insurance

The insurance company is based in California and employs 19,967 U.S.-based employees.

91. Nationwide

The insurance company is based in Ohio and has 28,141 U.S.-based employees.

(File photo)

80. Sheetz

In at number 80 is a familiar name and one of four companies based in the state. The Altoona-based convenience store has a large presence in central Pennsylvania and employs 18,291 U.S.-based employees.

64. Comcast NBC Universal

Philadelphias own, the Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal & Sky makes the list at number 64.

59. SAP America

"SAP" stands for Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing. SAP America is based in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania and offers a variety of information technology services. The company employs 19,311 U.S.-based employees.

50. Power Home Remodeling

The exterior home remodeler is based in Chester, Pennsylvania and employs 2,692 U.S.-based employees.

49. Progressive Insurance

Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes. Home insurance is underwritten by select carriers. The company is based in Ohio

45. Deloitte

The subsidiaries of Deloitte LLP provide audit, consulting, tax, and advisory services. The company is based in New York City and has 65,765 U.S.-based employees.

Pedestrians pass in front of a T-Mobile store in New York in 2018. Bloomberg photo by Jeenah Moon.Bloomberg

42. T-Mobile

The carrier says it has 81.3 million customers and has 52,467 U.S.-based employees.

38. Marriott International

The lodging company is based in Bethesda, Maryland and has more than 7,000 properties in 132 countries and territories. The company, which has a large presence in central Pennsylvania has 133,227 U.S.-based employees.

37. KPMG

The firm provides audit, tax, advisory and other services and has an office in Harrisburg. The company has 32,393 U.S.-based employees.

29. Quicken Loans

The mortgage lender is based in Detroit and has clients in every state. The company has 15,600 U.S.-based employees.

28. Hyatt Hotels Corporation

The hotel chain has 41,556 U.S.-based employees and is based in Chicago.

25. Ernst & Young LLP

The company provides tax and advisory services and employs 48,316 U.S.-based employees.

CarMax is at 6555 Carlisle Pike. The changing face of Carlisle Pike. May 16, 2019. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

20. CarMax

CarMax, the used car retailer has a location on the Carlisle Pike and is based in Virginia. The company has more than 200 stores and 26,041 U.S.-based employees.

19. Navy Federal Credit Union

The largest credit union serves the military and their families. The company is based in Virginia and has a location in the Carlisle area. The company employs 17,315 U.S.-based employees.

12. The Cheesecake Factory

The restaurant chain is based in California and has 37,676 U.S.-based employees.

9. American Express

The credit card company is based in New York City.

7. Edward Jones

The financial company has 46,572 U.S.-based employees.

4. Cisco

The information technology company is based in California.

The Wegmans at 6416 Carlisle Pike at Silver Spring Square in Silver Spring Township. The changing face of Carlisle Pike April 29, 2019. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comPENNLIVE.COM

3. Wegmans Food Markets

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a 101-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts and North Carolina. There is a location on the Carlisle Pike.

The hotel, The Wilbur Lititz, Tapestry Collection by Hilton is a 74 room hotel located in the former Wilbur Chocolate Factory and will include upscale double queen or king rooms with some suites overlooking the Lititz Springs Park. It will have a food hall and restaurant, large gym, and two meeting rooms. Throughout the hotel, guests will see artwork featuring images and signage of the original factory. Other items that were saved from the former factory included original Souchard machines, vintage chocolate grinding machine with two giant revolving granite rollers on top of a revolving granite slab. The Souchard machines were used as sculptural interest in the courtyard of the hotel; fire doors that will be used as art in the condominiums and hotel, and one of the large gears used in the machinery was used to create a coffee table in the lounge. Sept. 17, 2019.Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com

1. Hilton

And the number one company on the list is based in Virginia but has a large presence in central Pennsylvania. Hilton has 17 brands comprising nearly 5,900 properties in 114 countries and territories.

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Union railway minister Piyush Goyal and Union minister of state for home affairs G. Kishan Reddy laying the foundation for infrastructure at Secunderabad railway station. BJP state president Dr K. Laxman, TS minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav and BJP leader from AP C.M. Ramesh are also seen. (Photo: S. SURENDER REDDY)

Hyderabad: Railway minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said no state government can oppose laws that are passed by Parliament. It is unfortunate that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao under the influence of MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi was insulting the Constitution by not abiding by the laws.

We request KCR not to indulge in petty politics to appease minorities, Mr Goyal said at a meeting in the city on the stand taken by Telangana state on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Mr Chandrasekhar Rao has previously stated that the state Assembly will pass a resolution against the CAA.

Mr Goyal urged the state government not to politicise the CAA and hoped that wiser counsel would prevail in taking a decision.

The CAA has nothing to do with the citizenship of the rest of Indians, it is just a process to include persecuted minorities from the neighbouring Islamic countries who are staying in India as refugees, the minister said.

The minister claimed that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre had never differentiated people based on religion. The main agenda was Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas, he said. When giving cooking gas and electricity to everyone, have we ever asked the religion of the people and differentiated them? No. We are not against any religion, Mr Goyal said.

Though minister K.T. Rama Rao had said at a recent meeting in New Delhi that the state government and the Centre should work together, its the state that is not cooperating with the Centre, Mr Goyal said.

He asked why the state government was reluctant to implement Central government schemes like Ayushaman Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
RTE staff earning over 40,000 may face pay cuts under proposals being considered at talks to save 60m.

It is understood that the outline of a 12 month deal that includes tiered wage reductions is being negotiated by management and the Group of Unions at the station.

Sources said the proposals that have not been signed off aim to protect the lower paid. Unions are insisting on an agreement that would mean pay would be restored at a later date.

They said the proposal is being seen as a sticking plaster solution until the troubled stations future funding becomes clearer after a new government is in place.

The proposals are a work in progress and have not been agreed, but talks continued until close to midnight on Tuesday night.

The station sought to freeze staff increments last month but the unions including Siptu, the NUJ, Unite, Connect and the RTE Managers Association rejected the proposal.

RTE previously announced plans to reduce its costs by 60m over three years that included a voluntary redundancy plan to reduce numbers by 200 this year.

They included 15pc cuts to fees paid to top on-air presenters and a 10pc reduction in pay for the executive board. In addition, the board of RTE is waiving its fees.

It said it would consult with staff and unions on a number of initiatives to include pay freeze, tiered pay reductions, review of benefits and work practice reforms.

At the time, director general Dee Forbes said there is a future for public service media in Ireland but RTE cannot carry out its role unless the government fixes the TV licence system.

The station highlighted that Ireland has one of the highest licence fee evasion rates in Europe, which results in the loss of 25m in public funding every year.

It said there was a further loss of 20m due to households viewing its content on the RTE player without paying the licence fee.

Plans to sell off the RTE Guide and move Lyric FM from Limerick to Cork were suspended pending a report on the future of public broadcasting this year.

The government also agreed to give the station 50m over five years.

A spokesperson for RTE said discussions are ongoing and it would not be commenting at this time.
The Senate on Tuesday mediated in the dispute between the Rite Foods Limited, makers of Bigi soft drinks and the Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc in Abuja.

The management of the Rites Food Limited had petitioned the Senate over alleged threat to the security and existence of Rites Foods Ltd, Ososa, Ogun State by the Seven-Up Plc.

The matter was referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions by the Senate for investigation and further legislative action.

The two companies were expected to appear before a Public Hearing organized by the committee to hear submissions from both parties.

However, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Patrick Akinyelure (Ondo Central) told reporters that the committee decided to mediate between the parties behind closed doors to ensure amicable resolutions.

He said the Committee gave the parties two weeks to come up with resolutions that they adopt upon which the committee will make its report to the Senate.

Akinyelure said: Essentially we are stakeholders in this country and as democratically elected representatives of this country in the red chamber, our position in issues like this is to find a middle ground to ensure that these big players, none of them goes under.

We looked at it from submissions from both sides, we found out that there are some misconceptions.

There are three dominant players in the soft drink industry. We have the Coca-Cola, Seven Up and Rites Foods Nigeria Limited, makers of Bigi soft drink.

We appreciate as senior citizens of this country that Rites Foods Limited is a wholly owned indigenous company that should be encouraged in all ramifications.

They have only one plant and they have been able to do the magic through the dedicated team of management staff.

Within four years, they were able to compete favourably with Coca-Cola and Seven Up and by market rating they have the market rating.

When we heard from the Seven UP management, they appreciated the competitiveness of Rites Foods Nigeria Limited the makers of Bigi drinks and also they are developing strategies on how to compete favourably in the market.

We have been able to sit the two management together because we believe it is an issue that can be resolved through Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism that will bring more result to this country than damaging a wholly owned indigenous company that is competing favourably and we encouraged them to ensure that the issue is resolved amicably.

At the end of the meeting we had this morning, I decided to hold a closed door meeting in my office attended by senior members of the Senate, and we mediated.

We told them that we dont want this issue to cause any harm because if a company that is engaging over 2000 Nigerians at a time and the other one about 5000 Nigerians, it is our wish in the Senate to see them progressing and adding more value to this country than for issues to destroy them.

So we resolved in the Committee that we give them about two weeks to go and come back with resolutions that would be adopted by both parties and then we will make our report to the Senate to ensure that they go out to go and compete and also develop strategies that would employ more Nigerians.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Wednesday called on Union Minister Jitendra Singh and discussed with him progress of infrastructure, roads and public welfare projects in the state.

The minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) conveyed the commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give top priority to Northeastern states and bring them on par with more developed states of the country, according to an official statement.

Singh expressed satisfaction that of late tourist inflow in many picturesque destinations of Meghalaya has picked up in a big way.

The chief minister took up with the minister the issue of some projects that had been sanctioned under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS).

Sangma requested Singh for the early release of financial assistance for four of these projects.

The Union minister assured Sangma that he would look into it and if there were any procedural delays, the same will be immediately taken care of.

He told the chief minister that in the next two weeks, he would travel to Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and thereafter plan a visit to Meghalaya as well, the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Christians can have sexual attraction without it becoming lust: Christian counselors

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Christians can have sexual attraction without it being lust, according to a pair of Christian counselors who specialize in marriage and family.

The Dallas Theological Seminary podcast The Table had an episode posted on YouTube last week titled A Healthy Approach to Sexual Attraction.

The experts interview by host Bill Hendricks included Debby Wade, a licensed professional counselor who specializes in marriage, family, and sex addiction; and Gary Barnes, an ordained minister and licensed psychologist who specializes in marriage and family matters.

Wade took issue with the belief that sexual attraction and lust were the same thing, with her explaining that lust involves objectifying and just seeing one level of a person.

Sexual attraction, I think, is way deeper, and encompasses so many things, said Wade. The way that God designed us physiologically, we do have that chemical reaction and that chemistry that we may experience with others.

And we know that theres an attraction there. But we wouldnt just want to base a relationship on just that attraction.

Wade added that attraction involves a longer-term sentiment, using the hypothetical example of a married couple who had been together for 60 or more years.

They were attracted to each other physically. And although their body physically has changed, because of intimacy, there being an attraction and then a deeper knowing, they would still say, out of all their body changes, their wrinkles and everything, Were as attracted to each other now as we were 60 years ago, she continued.

Barnes also noted a contrast between attraction and lust, defining lust as objectifying for self-gratification while attraction would be beholding the beauty and powerful.

Its powerful on purpose. And it could be used for constructive purposes, or destructive purposes. But its not ho-hum. And thats really the good thing about Gods idea of sexuality is that its not supposed to be ho-hum, said Barnes.

Barnes also talked about what he described as the slippery slope of sexuality, which involved the extremes of demonizing sexuality on one end and deifying sexuality on the other.

Now at the top, the slippery slope that we tend to slide to one side or the other, is sacred sexuality. And that is Gods call for us to elevate, he explained.

What God has given us is a gift that He wants us to elevate. And the purpose, again, is to draw us beyond the physicalness of sexuality, although the physicalness is necessary to the drawing. And thats what attraction contributes to. Its a powerful part of the drawing. But we cant let it pull us to either side of the slippery slope.

In order to help elevate a healthy sexual attraction, Wade said it's important to begin with a heart of gratitude.

A gratitude that God chose to make us as sexual beings, a gratitude that God chose to make both male and female, that God chose, in His creative way, to make us so uniquely different, explained Wade.

I think when we stay in a heart of gratitude, that were aware of it, so we cant repress, were grateful for it. And then, I think when we have a gratitude and a gratefulness for something, and we know that He is the Creator, that helps us get in line of keeping this elevated.

Carl Thomas, creator of the Live Free Community App and founder of the porn addiction ministry Live Free, tackled the topic of what lust is and is not in a 2018 op-ed piece published by The Christian Post.

Lust IS NOT looking. Lust is letting your mind wander to sexual thoughts AFTER looking, wrote Thomas, whose column originally appeared on XXXchurch.com.

You see, lust is not this thing that just happens. It's not spontaneous. It's not random. Lust grows. It's in many ways organic. And it has its own lifecycle.

Thomas added that when you or I look at an attractive person, we aren't lusting ... but it's at that moment when the lifecycle can start to unfold.
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Top stories for Wednesday, Feb. 19

Terry Richard/Oregonian file photo

MEADOWS DEATHS: A California man who had been reported missing was found dead Monday at Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort (pictured), officials said. Tim Bauters, 47, of Sunnyvale, was the second person to die in the resorts Heather Canyon area over the weekend - Ryan Zeitner of Portland, 45, fell while snowboarding on Sunday. Having a pair of deaths in the same area of the mountain in such a short period is an anomaly, especially for unrelated incidents. (Terry Richard/Oregonian file photo)

ARREST SCANDAL: West Linn residents on Tuesday demanded accountability from their mayor, City Council and police a week after the city reached a $600,000 settlement with a black Portland man who was targeted for arrest in 2017 by West Linns then-police chief as a favor for a friend. Mayor Russ Axelrod issued an emotional apology to Michael Fesser for "inexcusable racism and abuse of power at the hands of members of our Police Department.''

HOMELESS CAMPS: A calendar found hanging inside Portland Fire Station No. 7 that pokes fun at homeless camps around East Portland is now the focus of a Portland Fire & Rescue Bureau investigation. City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who oversees the Fire Bureau, has denounced the calendar, while Alan Ferschweiler, president of the Portland Fire Fighters Association, said the calendar may be insensitive but highlights friction between firefighters and homeless people as well as an overstressed work force.

OREGON LEGISLATURE: At the Capitol Tuesday, House lawmakers approved a bill that would prevent Oregon police from asking public transit riders for proof of fare or conducting or participating in fare enforcement missions. The House also passed a bill that seeks to eliminate a state policy under which drivers could have their licenses suspended for failing to pay traffic tickets. Then, House Republicans boycotted Tuesdays evening floor session to slow the pace of lawmaking in the 35-day legislative session. In the Senate, lawmakers approved a bill to end the governors role in hiring and firing the states public records advocate.

ICE SUBPOENA: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement subpoenaed Washington County Sheriffs Office on Tuesday demanding information on two Mexican citizens wanted for deportation who are being held at the Washington County Jail. The subpoenas are the first to be issued in Oregon.

NIKE SHAKEUP: A month after he took charge, John Donahoe, Nikes new chief executive, president and chairman, has completed his first executive shakeup.To keep up with whats happening in Salem, sign up for our free 2020 Oregon Legislature newsletter.

Snap of the day

Jamie Hale/Staff

WINTER WONDER: Snow and ice cover the cliffs behind the 286-foot Salt Creek Falls, just off Oregon 58 at Willamette Pass. This time of year, a little bit of snow seems to transform the falls into a new place altogether. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Cyclist hit by truck in SW Portland dies

Flu kills Coos Bay high school student

Oregon cop used his badge to get sex; now he wants to be a lawyer

Woof! Portland police dog sniffs out $750k in meth

Beavertons new Tokyo-based ramen shop has an opening date

Sunriver Resort planning $40 million renovation over next 5 years

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Portland will see sunny skies and a spring-like high temperature. High 55, low 36.

In Portland, crews building a protective fence on the Burnside Bridge over Interstate 5 will slow freeway traffic for 5-minute intervals on weeknights through Friday.

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Ask Amy: Score-keeping keeps wedge firmly planted in mother-daughter relationship

Dear Abby: Husband gets wrong idea, puts friendship on the rocks

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Today in history

In 1942: During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which paved the way for the forced relocation and imprisonment of people of Japanese ancestry, including U.S.-born citizens.

In 1968: The childrens program Mister Rogers Neighborhood, created by and starring Fred Rogers, made its network debut on National Educational Television, a forerunner of PBS, beginning a 31-season run.

In 1997: Deng Xiaoping, the last of Chinas major Communist revolutionaries, died at age 92.

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Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Ravindra Nath Tripathi has been named in a rape case filed by a woman, who said she was raped in 2017. The complaint was filed earlier in February this year. The complainant said she had been held captive in a hotel and was raped successively for almost a month.

District Superintendent of Police Ram Badan Singh told media that the woman was tortured as well. She told police that she became pregnant after the assault and had to forcibly undergo an abortion by the rapists. Police said the woman, aged around 40, had filed the complaint against Tripathis nephew initially for raping her after promising to marry her. It was only later that the woman named Tripathi and six others as rapists.

The SP told PTI that the complainants statement was recorded before a magistrate and has been taken up for further investigation. The team investigating the case is working under SP Ram Badan Singh.

This is the third high profile case involving a BJP functionary from Uttar Pradesh. Unnao MLA Kuldeep Sengar and former Union MoS Chinmayanand are the other 2. The case against Sengar is that he raped a minor in 2017 and the father of the victim died in police custody. Following widespread outrage, the case was transferred out of UP to Delhi and in December 2019, a Delhi court sentenced Sengar to serve time till his death. Chinmayanand is alleged to have raped a student in one of his trust-run colleges. He is out on bail.

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For most of her life, people questioned whether Nicki Vander Meulen belongedin a traditional K-12 classroom, in law school or on the school board of one of Wisconsins largest school districts.

When doctors diagnosed Vander Meulen with Aspergers syndrome, attention deficit disorder, and cerebral palsy as a child, her parents fought for her right to attend the neighborhood elementary school.

The schools principal thought she belonged in a school for the severely disabled. Her parents knew otherwise.

Despite a counselor who told her that shed never graduate from college, Vander Meulen went on to graduate from high school with honors and earn undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsinwhere her law school classmates questioned whether the university providing a notetaker for her constituted an unfair advantage.

Now, a board of education member for Madison, Wis., schools and a juvenile defense attorney, Vander Meulen may be one of the few people in the nation on the autism spectrum serving in public office.

Vander Meulen recently spoke with Education Week about her life as a school board member with autism and her work as an advocate for children with disabilities. The interview was edited for length and clarity.

How did you decide to run for school board?

I kept seeing my juvenile clients being stopped and either cited or arrested for striking a [classroom] aide or other physical things that were directly related to disability. These are individuals who would not be found competent and were not found competent in the court of law. I realized the only way to protect these individuals was to get on [the school] board to make sure that the zero-tolerance policy [didnt] continue and to make sure that students with disabilities had rights that were enforcednot just on paper, but [in] practice.

How close are the nations schools to ensuring that children across the country are being educated in the least restrictive environment?

We dont have the staffing levels. Thats part of it. And were still dealing with the belief that children [with disabilities] cant be educated with their peers. Studies have shown the absolute opposite. It (is) a combination of overcoming the stereotypes, making sure that we have the one-on-one aide, the special ed aide, the behavioral education aide, and oftentimes those are the first positions to get cut or limited when theres a budget problem. And that causes a lot of heartache and a lot of problems because you dont want a tiered education system.

Youve talked about battling the misperception that students with disabilities cant learn alongside their peers. Why do you think that persists?

I think it persists because this isnt easy. This is not easy work in a society where youre focused on test scores. When youre focused on funding and funding is limited, youre going to focus on the most expensive [students to educate] because it affects your test scores and it affects your rankings. Theyre a child and they deserve [an education] no matter what. We need an actual nationwide commitment. These are all our kids and they all deserve an education.

How do you connect with your constituents?

Im the only board member who visited all 50-plus schools in our district. Ive met with parents, [parent teacher organizations] and the students themselves. I need to know how their lives work and I need to come to them. They dont need to come to me. We have this assumption, if you have a problem, you have to [go] to the board. No, the board [should] come to you. Were the public servant, not the other way around. Ive actually [met] with large groups, constituents of very different backgrounds because Im willing to go wherever they need me to go and meet. If I could do that without a drivers license ... I dont see why others cant.

Are accommodations and attention given to your needs as a school board member?

Yes, they are because I have a district that will provide the accommodations, but not every [school] does. I want to bring it up to the forefront that this is a major issue, Its a civil rights issue, its an equal rights issue. Sometimes the message doesnt get there.

(Editors Note: In December, the Hartford Courant wrote about Sarah Selvaggi Hernandez, a former Enfield, Conn., school board member with autism . She sued the school board, alleging she was discriminated against because of her disability.)

Would you encourage other people with disabilities to serve on their local school boards?

Absolutely, I find this incredibly enriching. In order to have a seat at the table you have to play a role politically, as well. These [are] major, major decisions on how resources are used and how children are educated. The only way you can fix the system is from the inside out. You need to hear unrepresented voices and oftentimes individuals with disabilities have little or no contact and that needs to change.

Youve served on the school board since 2017. Whats been the biggest surprise during that time?

How little the public knows about disability rights. They dont know so they dont understand, oftentimes, how they work or what accommodations are necessary. Were not getting an unfair advantage were just leveling the playing field and making it equitable, but to a lot of people, this is a concept that now requires additional [education].

You helped draft the original version of Wisconsins Public Act 125, which regulated the use of restraint and seclusion in state schools. Does the states law need to be updated?

We are now tweaking that to make it a stronger law, requiring the Department of Public Instruction to be notified when these seclusion and restraint techniques are used and to ban the prone position completely. Kids cant learn if theyre afraid to be hurt. Theyre afraid theyre going to be physically segregated, separated, or physically controlled. I dont think Id be able to go to school and not be in fear. These techniques, I understand [using it during an] emergency situation, that is one thing. Many schools use this a behavioral tool. That to me is not OK.

Photo: Courtesy of Jordan Anthony
(Newser)  A Milwaukee man strangled his girlfriend then killed her two young daughters, kissing the girls and telling them their mother wanted them to be in heaven with her, prosecutors said Tuesday. Arzel Ivery, 25, was charged in Milwaukee County with three counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of 26-year-old Amarah Banks, 5-year-old Zaniya Ivery, and 4-year-old Camaria Banks, the AP reports. Police found their burned bodies in a Milwaukee garage on Sunday afternoon, about a week after Banks was reported missing. Ivery told investigators that he killed his girlfriend and her daughters on Feb. 8 after a fight with Banks. He said she was upset over his decision to go to work as a security guard so soon after the Feb. 7 funeral of their 1-year-old son, Arzel Ivery Jr. Arzel had a history of asthma and died Jan. 24 from respiratory problems, according to autopsy reports.

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Ivery said Banks yelled at him that he did not care about their son's death, then she picked up a knife and said she did not want to live, according to the complaint. Ivery said Banks cut his left wrist. He then grabbed Banks, pushed her head into a wall twice and strangled her, according to the complaint. Ivery said he then killed the children because he did not want them to live in a world without their mother, according to the complaint. He went into the children's bedroom, took Zaniya out of the room, kissed her and told her "Daddy loves you and said her mother wanted her in heaven with her, the complaint said. He then strangled the girl, the complaint said. He then allegedly woke up Camaria and carried out a similar scene. The Defendant stated that it was his family, that he brought his kids into this world and that he can take them out if he wanted, the complaint said. He then allegedly burned all three bodies.

(Read more murder stories.)
So when Ford was questioned about his recent appearance in The Rise of Skywalker, things predictably took a left turn into Grumpsville. While talking to USA Today, Ford claimed that he was surprised to be asked back by director J.J. Abrams because Han Solo was dead. According to Ford, Abrams responded that Han was only "Sorta dead. You can do this." Which, frankly makes an already confusing scene slightly more confusing.

Then the interviewer, like Icarus perilously gliding towards a crotchety sun on wings of nerd, decided to press the issue further, questioning whether Han was a "Force ghost" like Obi-Wan or Yoda. Ford then uttered the audio equivalent of the Millennium Falcon you got for your ninth birthday being snapped in half: "A Force ghost? I don't know what a Force ghost is ... I have no (expletive) idea what a Force ghost is. And I don't care!"

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And can you blame him? The poor guy responded to yet another journalist's boring Star Wars question, only to be corrected that Han was frozen in "Carbonite" not "Kryptonite". Harrison Ford's almost eighty, asking him questions about his decades-old space adventures will likely only result in crushing disappointment and hurt feelings. Why not ask some deep-cut questions about The Mosquito Coast? Or Cowboys & Aliens? Hell, maybe there's an elaborate fan theory about Hollywood Homicide he's never heard?

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SPRINGFIELD  A group of Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday declined to block the Illinois State Police from implementing new administrative rules governing firearms dealers.

Those rules were adopted on an emergency basis in January, nearly one year after Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Firearms Dealer License Certification Act into law. It requires that anyone holding a federal firearms license who engages in the business of selling or transferring firearms also obtain a state certificate and subject themselves to state regulation.

ISP initially proposed rules to implement that law in August, but the draft rules ran into stiff opposition from gun store owners who said those rules  including requirements for video surveillance and the storage of guns and ammunition  would be impossible to comply with and would put many gun stores out of business.

The agency then began rewriting the proposed rules and in December submitted new rules on an emergency basis. That means they are allowed to remain in place for up to 150 days, during which time the agency must resubmit proposed new permanent rules that could be subject to public hearings and public comment.

During a meeting Tuesday of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, or JCAR, a 12-member legislative panel that has oversight authority over the rulemaking process, Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo, and Rep. Steven Reick, R-Woodstock, offered a motion to suspend the rules, arguing that agency-created emergencies do not constitute an appropriate use of emergency rule.

Although the motion appeared to receive support from a majority of those voting, it fell short of the two-thirds majority, or eight votes, required by law for JCAR to block administrative rules.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 18:45:59|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- China has set the first batch of mining output quotas for rare earth and tungsten this year, according to a government notice released Wednesday.

The first batch of quota for rare earths is set at 66,000 tonnes, about half the annual quota for 2019, said a circular jointly issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

This marks an increase from the 60,000-tonne quota for the first batch of 2019.

Of the total, 56,425 tonnes have been allocated for light rare earths, and 9,575 tonnes for medium and heavy rare earth metals.

The first batch of mining output quota for tungsten is set at 52,500 tonnes, up from 49,835 tonnes a year ago.

China is one of the world's major suppliers of rare earths, a group of 17 elements that are widely used in high-tech products ranging from flat-screen TVs to lasers and hybrid cars.

However, decades of excessive exploitation of the minerals have greatly damaged the environment. To curb environmental degradation and protect the resources, the country implemented a range of policies, including output caps, stricter emissions standards and a crackdown on illegal mining.

China will unveil the second batch of mining output quotas in the second quarter in accordance with government policies and market conditions, the circular said.
Mr. Rood was part of the team at the Defense Department that told Congress last year that Ukraine had made the necessary changes to justify sending the country $250 million in promised security assistance. The certification was widely viewed as undermining a key argument that Mr. Trumps defense team made during his impeachment battle: that Mr. Trump withheld the aid because he was concerned about corruption in Ukraine.

The president was impeached by the Democratic-controlled House but acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate. Since his acquittal, Mr. Trump has moved swiftly to purge administration officials whose presentation of events did not align with his own.

In the days after his acquittal, Mr. Trump fired two of the most prominent witnesses in the House inquiry against him, Gordon D. Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, and Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, a decorated Iraq war veteran on the National Security Council staff.

Another Pentagon spokesman, Jonathan Hoffman, pushed back on Wednesday against speculation that Mr. Rood was pushed out of the government because of his role in supporting the security aid to Ukraine. I have no information that would lead me to that conclusion, Mr. Hoffman told reporters at the Pentagon.

Mr. Roods departure, reported earlier by CNN, was not entirely unexpected. He and Mr. Esper were known to clash frequently early in their careers, and Mr. Esper was expected to fire Mr. Rood after he became Defense Secretary last year. But the dearth of respected national security policy experts willing to work for Mr. Trump has made it difficult for administration officials to fill jobs.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Air Force has failed to completely close its pilot manning gap through retaining, and recruiting and training new pilots, recently released data shows.

The U.S. Air Force will fall short in its year-end production goal of reaching 1,480 pilots by the end of fiscal 2020, and missed its pilot production benchmark in fiscal 2019, too, according to statistics provided by the service.

The service will not achieve its 1,480-pilot target, first set in the fiscal 2020 budget request published last March. Officials anticipate the service will have roughly 1,300 pilots across all communities by year's end, which show steady improvement, spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said in a recent email.

The service could not provide a breakdown of types of pilot communities -- such as mobility and fighter -- still experiencing manning gaps.

Then-Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said before a Senate Armed Services subcommittee on readiness and management support in October 2018 that the service would increase its 1,160 pilot training slots to 1,311 in fiscal 2019. The Air Force ended up producing 1,279 pilots that year, roughly 30 pilots short of its increased goal, the statistics show.

Related: Inside the Air Force's Plan to Revolutionize Pilot Training

Stefanek said the Air Force has taken significant steps to end the pilot shortage -- which grew to a whopping 2,000 pilots short in fiscal 2017. The Air Force ended fiscal 2018 with a total force pilot shortage of 1,937; the Air Force was 1,555 pilots short at the end of fiscal 2016, the service said at the time.

"The Air Force is developing several initiatives to help us meet and sustain these higher production levels," Stefanek said. "The planned growth in production, in conjunction with a continued focus on retaining our current pilots, is critical to restoring health. While we've arrested the decline, we still have several years of focused production and retention efforts to completely stop the pilot shortage."

One of those efforts has been investment in aviation bonuses. In 2017, the service introduced a tiered bonus system to combat the chronic pilot shortage, with monetary incentives of up to $455,000 over 13 years for fighter pilots.

The following year, the Air Force launched a first-of-its-kind study: Pilot Training Next. The initiative, which emphasizes training in a virtual environment, assessed not only students' learning methods and ability to retain information, but also ways the Air Force can adapt and use futuristic technologies such as virtual reality and simulator training in its day-to-day training routine.

The service recently began its third PTN class at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas; the latest class commences amid Air Force plans to make PTN an official program of record.

According to the fiscal 2021 budget request, the Air Force wants to dedicate $27 million across its Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, or RDT&E, and Operations and Maintenance budgets.

The funding "will help scale PTN across Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) bases," Stefanek said.

The service previously cited ambitious goals to steadily ramp up pilot training in order to produce 1,500 pilots a year by fiscal 2022. That number includes active-duty Air Force, Air Force Reserves, Air National Guard and international students, Air Education and Training Command officials said.

Some experts have said the 1,500-pilot goal may be out of reach, especially in the near term.

"We have a drastically different environment now where the body pool doesn't exit," said Gene Colabatistto, formerly the group president for defense and security at CAE, a company that provides worldwide training and integration for the civil and military aviation. Colabatistto spoke to Military.com last year on various pilot incentives.

"We're not going to fix this if we buy better airplanes, or have better simulators or train better instructors," he said at the time, arguing the many issues plaguing the service have nothing to do with what type of planes pilots are flying nor the technologies being used.

"It's a system issue," he said. "You have to attract people, and they want to become pilots in general. Otherwise ... you'll never succeed."

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @oriana0214.

Read More: Rifle Designed for Aircrew Ejecting in Hostile Regions Delivered to the Air Force
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Digital Editor
The assault weapons ban seemed to attract the most attention during the Virginia legislative session, but gun-control advocates had not made it their priority. Certainly they supported a ban on assault weapons, similar to one that saved lives when it was in effect on a federal level from 1994 to 2004. But volunteers from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, for example, spent more energy lobbying for an expansion of background checks and adoption of legislation that would allow judges to order people to turn in their guns if they are deemed after a hearing to be a threat to themselves or others. Those measures  along with reimposition of a one-per-month limit on handgun purchases, and power for cities and towns to establish their own gun ordinances  appear headed for final approval from the House and Senate. Mr. Northam has said he will sign them into law.
Coast to Coast Motors now has an application that is available to download. Now available to download on smartphone devices, the Coast to Coast Motors application allows customers to see the dealerships various locations, make a payment, see the inventory, request roadside assistance, access insurance information and claim rewards.

Coast to Coast Motors has dealership locations across the states of Texas and Oklahoma. Although the locations are spread across two states, there is one item that ties them all together. It is the Coast to Coast Motor application. Now available to download on smartphone devices, the Coast to Coast Motors application allows customers to see the dealerships various locations, make a payment, see the inventory, request roadside assistance, access insurance information and claim rewards.

The dealership with locations across Texas and Oklahoma has earned the trust of its customers over the years by offering a variety of make and models in its inventory as well as by being a buy here pay here dealership. Popular makes of vehicles that can be found in the inventory at Coast to Coast Motors includes but is not limited to Toyota, Chevrolet, Ford, Jeep along with many more.

Finally, Coast to Coast Motors is a buy here pay here dealership. This means that the dealership offers financing options right to its customers. This is beneficial for individuals that have bad credit or no credit. Even if a person has previously been turned down by a bank or lending institution, there is another option for financing a used vehicle.

Interested parties that would like to learn more about the Coast to Coast Motors application that is now available for download can visit the dealerships website at

https://www.ctcautogroup.com/. If a customer has more questions, the dealership can be reached by phone at 888-418-8517. Finally, individuals that wish to personally speak with someone can visit one of the dealerships locations in Houston, Conroe, Enid, Oklahoma City or Tulsa.
Former national security adviser John Bolton hopes his forthcoming memoir about his time in the White House is not suppressed, he said Monday.

During a talk at Duke University, Yahoo News reported that Bolton discussed his book The Room Where It Happened, slated for release on March 17, detailing his time working for President Donald Trump. The book describes his interaction with the president over Ukraine and other topics such as nuclear proliferation in North Korea. I hope its not suppressed, Bolton said. This is an effort to write history, and I did it the best I can. Well have to see what comes out of the censorship.

Also Read: White House Threatens to Stop Publication of John Bolton's Book

He also said, according to Yahoo News, I say things in the manuscript about what [Trump] said to me. I hope they become public someday. He tweets but I cant talk about it. How fair is that?

In January, a White House official sent a letter to John Boltons lawyer instructing the former national security adviser not to publish his forthcoming memoir because it contains significant amounts of classified information.

The letter from a National Security Council official Ellen J. Knight dated Jan. 23 thanked Bolton and his team for sending them a copy of the manuscript. However, she wrote that Based on our preliminary review, the manuscript appears to contain significant amounts of classified information. Knight said some of the information was top secret, meaning it reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave harm to the national security.

Read original story John Bolton Sounds Alarm on Censorship of His Upcoming Book: I Hope Its Not Suppressed At TheWrap
VIENTIANE, Laos (AP)  Chinas top diplomat assured his Southeast Asian counterparts on Wednesday that the situation in a central Chinese province where the outbreak of a new virus began has been brought under effective control.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi also expressed confidence that China can secure an early victory against this outbreak.

Wang made the remarks in a speech to diplomats from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the Laotian capital of Vientiane. The group, which has expressed alarm over the outbreak that started in China's Hubei province, is to hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the disease.

Six countries in the 10-nation ASEAN bloc have confirmed cases of the virus.

With the strong efforts of the Chinese nation, the entire situation is turning for the better, Wang said. Hubei province and Wuhan city have been at the epicenter of this outbreak and the situation in these places has been brought under effective control.

Outside Hubei, the number of confirmed cases has dropped for 15 consecutive days and the number of cured and discharged patients is also rising, Wang said, adding that on Tuesday, the number of cured patients was larger than the number of new infections for the first time since the outbreak began in December.

Asked to comment on Wangs assurances, Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said China managed to stop an outbreak of SARS, a related virus, years ago. I hope that the Chinese could do the same thing this time, he told The Associated Press.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the AP on Tuesday that the virus is not out of control but it is a very dangerous situation. He added that the risks are enormous and we need to be prepared worldwide for that.

Wangs reassurance came after ASEAN leaders expressed serious concerns over the outbreak in a joint statement this week. They said it poses severe challenges to the well-being of the peoples and the development of our respective countries and the region and the world.

Story continues

More than 75,000 people have been infected globally, with more than 2,000 deaths, mostly in China.

China and Southeast Asia could face greater economic losses if travel restrictions and other actions taken to prevent the spread of the virus drag on.

The ASEAN leaders agreed to increase the timely sharing of information within the bloc and with China and the World Health Organization. They underscored the need to coordinate and standardize measures to ensure proper health inspection at borders and entry points of ASEAN member states.

Alarm over the contagion has prompted Malaysia to bar the transit of cruise ship passengers after an American woman from the MS Westerdam tested positive for the virus.

She was among 145 passengers who flew from Cambodia to Malaysia on Friday. The Westerdam was turned away from four Asian ports before Cambodia allowed it to dock in Sihanoukville.

Other contacts between China and ASEAN have been affected by the outbreak.

A meeting of Chinese and ASEAN diplomats negotiating a regional code of conduct to prevent clashes in the disputed South China Sea was postponed in Brunei early this month, according to two Southeast Asian diplomats.

China was to host a meeting with four ASEAN members located along the Mekong River but moved the talks to Laos this week due to the outbreak and sought a separate meeting with all its member states to discuss the epidemic, the two diplomats said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to provide information to the media.

Laos has not reported any infections, along with Indonesia, Brunei and Myanmar. The rest of ASEAN, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia, have varying numbers of cases.

The first fatality outside mainland China was in the Philippines.
Norwegian F-35s to Patrol Iceland on Their First NATO Mission

Sputnik News

04:59 GMT 17.02.2020

A total of about 150 people will be dispatched to Iceland to operate four aircraft due to the advanced technology on Norway's new F-35 fighter jets.

Four Norwegian F-35 fighter jets have been commissioned by NATO to patrol the airspace over Iceland. This is the Norwegian F-35's first mission abroad, national broadcaster NRK reported.

"This means that we are ready for the mission both at home and abroad", General Major and Chief of the Air Defence, Tonje Skinnarland said.

The first three aircraft arrived in the fall of 2017. In November, the jets were proclaimed "initially operational". There are now 15 in Norway, and four of them are on their way to Iceland on assignment.

"I believe it's a very important mission, because it's a combat one. Finally, we get to perform a combat task, for which we have been training for a long time", Lieutenant Colonel Stale Nymoen and commander of the 332 Squadron at the rland aircraft base, said.

Norway's job in Iceland is called air policing. Iceland doesn't have an air defence of its own. Since 2006, when the Americans withdrew from the base they have had on the island for years, NATO members took over on a rotary basis. Now it's Norway's turn.

"We must be on standby with two planes and be able, by order of NATO, scramble and identify incoming planes, be it civilian, military, or other aircraft", Nymoen said.

The mission will last three weeks, and to be on the safe side, the Air Force is bringing in extra crew this first time. A total of about 150 people will be dispatched to operate the four aircraft.

"We're bringing some extra crew for the first time, should something unexpected happen. More personnel are needed to support the F-35 than the F-16", Nymoen explained, citing more demanding technology.

Norway has contributed to air policing missions in both Iceland and Lithuania. Last time Norwegian jets flew over Iceland was in 2016. Then it was F-16s carrying out the missions.

"It's a familiar mission, we've done it several times before with the F-16. The new thing is precisely the F-35, and not just the operation of the F-35 in the air, but the deployment of the F-35 force to another country", Skinnarland said.

Oslo's F-16s are still used for Quick Reaction Alerts (QRA) in Norway. The plan is for the F-35 to take over completely. The new jets are expected to become fully operational by 2025.

A total of 52 F-35s were acquried as a replacement for Norway's ageing fleet of F-16s, which are to be phased out starting in 2019. Despite the official price tag of NOK 85.1 billion (over $9.2 billion), the newspaper Bergens Tidende estimated last year that it could reach as much as NOK 97 billion ($10.4 billion). The acquisition has been hailed as Norway's single most important military investment and dismissed as the nation's largest investment blunder.

 Sputnik

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TV astronomer Heather Couper has died after a short illness at the age of 70.

Dr Couper presented the 1981 children's series Heavens Above and made regular television appearances on shows such as The Sky At Night, hosted by Sir Patrick Moore.

Fellow astronomer Nigel Henbest paid tribute to his 'charismatic' best friend, saying the 70-year-old would be remembered as a 'passionate communicator of science'.

Dr Henbest added that he was at her bedside when she 'died peacefully in her sleep' on Wednesday morning at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

TV astronomer Heather Couper has died after a short illness at the age of 70

He said: 'She basically just faded away peacefully so it was a classic case of she died peacefully in her sleep after a short three-week illness.'

In 2007, she received a CBE for services to science. Also a radio presenter, she served as a Millennium Commissioner and was also the first woman president of the British Astronomical Association.

Dr Couper and Dr Henbest worked and lived together, co-authoring Philip's 2019 Stargazing Month-By-Month Guide To The Night Sky Britain And Ireland.

The pair met while at the University of Leicester, where Dr Couper studied astrophysics before moving on to the University of Oxford.

Dr Couper presented the 1981 children's series Heavens Above and made regular television appearances including on shows such as The Sky At Night

In 2007, she received a CBE for services to science. Also a radio presenter, she served as a Millennium Commissioner and was also the first woman president of the British Astronomical Association

She later became president of the British Astronomical Association and Gresham professor of astronomy.

Paying tribute to the broadcaster, Dr Henbest said: 'When she enthused people about astronomy and space, she was charismatic.

'There's one word to describe her, that was charismatic. She had a bubbly personality.

'She got people really excited about the universe and about space - that was her love, her passion in life.'

He added that she loved looking at the sky as something wonderful and wanted 'to give people a cosmic vision to know and appreciate the earth'.
President Donald J. Trump and US Attorney General William Barr depart after delivering remarks on citizenship and the census in the Rose Garden at the White House on Thursday, July 11th, 2019 in Washington, DC. Jabin Botsford | The Washington Post | Getty Images

Your move, Mr. Attorney General. President Donald Trump on Wednesday retweeted claims that he is "the victim" of a Justice Department conspiracy, hours after reports that the department's chief official has threatened to quit if the president continues such criticism. A tweet Trump promoted to his nearly 73 million followers also said that Attorney General William "Barr should clean house" at the Justice Department  and argued that Trump "can also appoint a special counsel directly" to investigate the purported conspiracy against him. Tweet That tweet was first posted by Tom Fitton, president of the right-wing advocacy group Judicial Watch, and included a link to a more than eight-minute-long appearance by Fitton on Fox News. Trump soon afterward retweeted another post by Fitton, who said Judicial Watch is "doing the heavy lifting exposing the worst corruption scandal in American history."

That post referenced so-called astonishing emails that show former Justice Department official Rod Rosenstein "had many Obama/Clinton and media friends" supporting him when he "infamously appointed" former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel. Tweet2 Trump's retweets Wednesday morning came after reports on Tuesday night that Barr  who is the head of the Justice Department  has told people close to the president that he might resign if Trump does not stop making public comments about cases lodged by federal prosecutors who report to the attorney general. A Justice Department spokeswoman said later Tuesday that Barr has no plans to resign. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Wednesday that Trump "has a right to make his opinion known." Trump has raged since early in his presidency about the investigation by the Justice Department and FBI into Russian interference in the 2016 election, which Trump won, and contacts by Trump campaign officials and others affiliated with the president with Russians during and before the campaign. Mueller took over that probe as special counsel in 2017. Trump is said to be furious that the Justice Department last week decided not to pursue criminal charges against Andrew McCabe, a former FBI deputy director, who had been under investigation for allegedly misleading investigators about leaks to journalists related to a probe of 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Trump has repeatedly blamed McCabe, along with former FBI Director James Comey, for what the president has called a baseless investigation into Russian election meddling. On Tuesday, Trump told reporters that "I'm actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country." "But I've chosen not to be involved," the president added. Barr last week, in an ABC News interview, said that Trump's tweets about federal criminal cases, including ones targeting people connected to the president, are making it "impossible for me to do my job."
The Covid-19 outbreak, sowing panic across the globe and leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency is impacting Chinese, Asian and global economies as questions are emerging of how long might a full recovery take.

Also under scrutiny are government's capacity to handle a public health emergency  a sentiment echoed across Southeast Asia.

The viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 73,000 people globally as of early this week.

The latest figures reported by each government''s health authority as of last Tuesday in Beijing:  Mainland China: 1,868 deaths among 72,436 cases, mostly in the central province of Hubei  Hong Kong: 58 cases, 1 death  Macao: 10  Japan: 610 cases, including 542 from a cruise ship docked in Yokohama, 1 death  Singapore: 77 cases  Thailand: 35  South Korea: 31  Malaysia: 22  Taiwan: 22 cases, 1 death  Vietnam: 16 cases  Germany: 16  United States: 15 cases; separately, 1 U.S. citizen died in China  Australia: 14 cases  France: 12 cases, 1 death  United Kingdom: 9 cases  United Arab Emirates: 9  Canada: 8  Philippines: 3 cases, 1 death  India: 3 cases  Italy: 3  Russia: 2  Spain: 2  Belgium: 1  Nepal: 1  Sri Lanka: 1  Sweden: 1  Cambodia: 1  Finland: 1  Egypt: 1.

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Policy Support Unit (PSU) in a statement said the current sentiments of consumers and investors amid the virus outbreak could translate into significant economic and financial risks in the Asia Pacific.

There is already an observed decline in travel and tourism. An associated adverse impact on retail and hospitality receipts as well as transport sales are expected to reverberate around the world, it said.

The airline industry is already bracing for loses of up to US$5 billion this year, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said last week. It said 70 airlines had cancelled all international flights in and out of China and 50 others had reduced operations since the virus first emerged.

The tourism-dependent economies of Southeast Asia are particularly vulnerable. Chinas rapidly swelling middle class sparked a boom in tourist visits abroad, which soared from 20 million in 2003 to 150 million in 2018.

Besides Thailands, it is the tourism industries of Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan that are most exposed to the Chinese travel market.

If this lasts for three to six months, it will be catastrophic for the tourism industry, says Stuart McDonald, founder of the TravelFish independent travel guide to Southeast Asia.

Against this backdrop, the concern is acute in Southeast Asia, where many economies are heavily interconnected with the world's second largest economy. Export and import activity and tourism are the areas being hit the hardest.

For example, Hyundai had to suspend production for several days this month at its Ulsan complex in South Korea, which has an annual capacity of 1.4 million vehicles, because it had run out of parts made by suppliers in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak. Nissan had to close a plant in Japan for two days for the same reason.

Some factories in China that normally would have reopened on Feb 3 after the week-long Lunar New Year holiday remained closed to ensure the safety of workers, and are only expected to resume production this week.

Agriculture is another sector facing trouble because of drought conditions.

Indian companies have begun to feel the heat with disruption in the supply-demand scenario, according to LocalCircles, community-based social media platform.

According to the survey report from LocalCircles, 19 percent of Indian entities said they were facing supply disruption. At the same time, 26 percent of Indian entities said to be noticing weak demand following the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Top Indian imports from China include electronic equipment, machinery, organic chemicals, fertilizers, vehicle components, telecom equipment and mobile phones.

With the coronavirus looking likely to become a pandemic, a spotlight has been cast on the ability of Asian countries to respond. The vastly different levels of health care in the region raise questions about the capacity of some countries to catch up with  and stem  the deadly virus.

For a region whose warmer climate renders it prone to diseases originating from animals, Southeast Asia is ill-prepared to mount an emergency response to viral infectious diseases. Researchers at the health security company Metabiota found a "systematic underfinancing" leading to a concentration of weakly prepared health systems in the region.

"When ministries make allocative decisions, they're trying to balance between present tense needs, especially in Asia where pockets of poverty are acute, and the need to protect against future threats," said Ben Oppenheim, senior director of product at Metabiota. "The tendency is for the future tense not to be prioritized, but the cost is significant in terms of lives and economic loss."

Because of Asia's growing share of the global economy, the International Monetary Fund has warned that the novel coronavirus's economic repercussions will be worse than the SARS epidemic in the early 2000s.

World Health Organization guidelines recommend that countries build up disease surveillance, diagnostics and response capacities. Laboratories in the Philippines had to wait for coronavirus test reagents to arrive from Japan, according to health department spokesman Eric Domingo.

With no cases so far confirmed in Indonesia, the public is questioning the capability of health officials to screen and detect infections.

Ascobat Gani, a University of Indonesia professor in public health, said the country has the regulatory framework to deal with the outbreak, but "the problem is the execution." He pointed out that there were not enough surveillance officers, epidemiologists and sanitarians to properly monitor and handle an epidemic in the archipelago nation of 270 million people.

Similar concerns exist in Cambodia, where Prime Minister Hun Sen declared the country coronavirus "free" after its one confirmed patient  a Chinese man on vacation  recovered. Some 3,000 Chinese from Wuhan visited Sihanoukville and Siem Reap during the Lunar New Year.

Governments in Asia have faced criticism for their handling of the outbreak. Some have been accused of overreaction, others of underreaction.

Australia sequestered evacuees and travellers from China on Christmas Island, and more than 50 countries have imposed travel restrictions on people coming from China. Japan, on the other hand, allowed two evacuees from the virus epicentre of Wuhan to return home without undergoing the recommended 14-day quarantine.

Meanwhile, health professionals from around the world are continuing their efforts to slow the spread of Covid-19, while researchers try to come up with treatments that could still be months away.

Dr Daniel Kertesz, the WHO representative in Thailand, told a recent conference that the priority for member states right now is "limiting human-to-human transmission".

The work includes identifying cases, isolating them so that they will not infect others, and tracing their contacts. "The second thing is really about addressing the crucial unknowns," he added.

"Our experience is that they (travel bans) are not particularly effective," he said, adding that a travel ban merely contributes to deferring the expansion of the infection.

 Agencies
An illuminating excerpt from T C A Raghavan's History Men: Jadunath Sarkar, G S Sardesai, Raghubir Sinh And Their Quest For India's Past.

IMAGE: An early 20th century painting by Sawlaram Haldankar of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj fighting the Bijapuri general Afzal Khan. Photograph: Kind courtesy Wikpedia Common

Jadunath Sarkar's histories are gripping, the way he recreates the drama surrounding important historical events.

In doing so he was associating scholarly treatment with popular historical imagination in a manner perhaps not equalled since in India.

Sarkar did so both with events and situations that already exercised a powerful hold on popular culture, but also traced forgotten episodes, fleshed them out with personalities and embedded them into his main narrative.

Sarkar's treatment of two episodes concerning the life of Shivaji stands out as classic examples of this process.

The encounter of Shivaji with the Bijapur general Afzal Khan in 1659 and his visit to the Mughal court at Agra in 1666 are dramatic episodes of seventeenth century history that had captured the popular imagination of Maharashtra and India in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

In 1659, the prominent Bijapuri nobleman, Afzal Khan, was assigned the task of militarily defeating Shivaji.

He embarked on the task by provisioning a large force and '... determined to make war pay for war, by carrying out rapid cavalry raids' on well endowed temples en route from Bijapur to the Maratha strongholds.

But the task was by no means an easy one for the Bijapur army: 'Shiva's military strength was far from despicable; and the Bijapuri nobles shrank from the idea of a campaign among the hills and jungles of the Western Ghats.' Afzal Khan on his part also '... felt that the heavy cavalry who formed the spearhead of his army would lose their superiority among the hills and forests'.

On the other hand, '... the news of Afzal's coming had caused great terror and perplexity among Shiva's followers. ... Here was their first encounter with the regular forces of Bijapur, led by a famous general and numbering 10,000 horsemen with artillery, transport and all the other materials of the best equipped armies of that age.'

Shivaji's followers, therefore, '... urged him to make peace as the enemy was too strong and hostilities would only cause a great loss of life to their side'.

Both sides agreed to a meeting and '... the place chosen for the interview was the crest of an eminence, below the fort of Pratapgarh'.

The meeting ended with the killing of Afzal Khan by Shivaji on November 10, 1659, and the subsequent routing of his army in disarray.

Jadunath Sarkar wrote about Afzal Khan's country seat of Afzalpura, a suburb of Bijapur, on the basis of a visit in 1916:

The tragic fate of Afzal Khan has most profoundly stirred the popular imagination in his own country and in that of his enemy.

At his village of Afzalpura ... the gloomy legend sprang up that before starting on this fatal expedition, he had a premonition of his coming end and killed and buried all his 63 wives.

The peasants still point to the ... 63 tombs, of the same shape, size and age standing close together in regular rows. ... Utter desolation has settled on the spot.

Where his mansion once stood with its teeming population, the traveller now beholds a lonely wilderness of tall grass, brambles and broken buildings, the fittest emblem of his ruined greatness.

Sarkar wrote about this event conscious of its larger-than- life character:

'Among the Marathas the destruction of Afzal Khan caused the wildest exultation; it marked the dawn of their national independence. ...

The incident caught hold of the public imagination of Maharashtra as the most glorious event in the history of the race ...

Ballads were composed [where] ... short ringing lines ... almost reproduce the tramp of the soldiery, the journeys of the rival chiefs, their meeting, the exchange of abuse, the death grapple, the battle and the triumph of the Maratha army. ...

To the Marathas the fight with Afzal has always appeared as at once a war of national liberation and a crusade against the desecrator of temples.

The question Sarkar addressed was limited, but nevertheless a charged one: 'Was the slaying of Afzal Khan a treacherous murder or an act of self-defence on the part of Shivaji?'

And, 'Who struck the first blow?'

A foundational history of an earlier generation -- the British official James Grant Duff's History of the Marathas (1818) --- had concluded that Afzal Khan's killing was no more than treacherous and premeditated murder.

Justice M G Ranade's The Rise of Maratha Power (1900) did not challenge this conclusion even though the thrust of his own history was meant to correct Duff's distortions of Maratha history.

But the Afzal Khan episode most dramatically entered the nationalist mainstream at the turn of the nineteenth century when Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the nationalist leader and journalist, published in June 1897 an article with a justification of Shivaji's killing of Afzal Khan.

This was based on the philosophy of the Bhagvad Gita that with benevolent intentions he murdered Afzal Khan for the good of others:

'Do not circumscribe your vision like a frog in a well; get out of the penal code and enter the atmosphere of the Bhagvad Gita.'

A week later, two British officials were shot dead in Poona by some young men -- and the government took the view that the assassination was the consequence of Tilak's incitement and he was convicted of sedition.

Apart from these nationalist hues, the Afzal Khan episode had acquired a communal Hindu-Muslim dimension that grew steadily over the twentieth century and has continued to this day.

An illustration of this is provided by the angry response in the 1930s to Jawaharlal Nehru's description of the incident in Glimpses of World History: 'With his [Shivaji's] enemies he was prepared to adopt any means, good or bad, provided that he gained his end.

He killed a general sent against him by Bijapur by treachery. ... Some of Shivaji's deeds, like the treacherous killing of the Bijapur general, lower him greatly in our estimation.'

These sentences had resulted in a controversy, especially in the Marathi press and T R Deogirikar, the editor of a Marathi journal and a leading Congress party member of Maharashtra had thereafter referred Jadunath Sarkar's research on the subject to Nehru.

'I am very glad,' wrote Nehru thereafter to Deogirikar in March 1936, 'that you have written to me on the subject and given me extracts of books which go to show that my statement was wrong.

This is a matter of special pleasure to me as I have always been distressed at the thought that Shivaji should have been accused of improper behaviour.'

Sarkar distanced himself from all larger interpretations and implications of his research into the Shivaji-Afzal Khan contest, and in the communally supercharged times when his Shivaji appeared (1919) and its subsequent revised editions (second in 1920, third in 1928, fourth in 1948 and fifth in 1952), this was no small achievement.

For many admirers of Shivaji, the book itself administered a 'mixed shock' as recalled by K R Qanungo later: At least a little of the anger at Sarkar's dispassionate and therefore often critical comments on Maratha history was diluted at the absolving of Shivaji of bad faith in the Afzal Khan episode.

'Public indignation ... was no doubt allayed to some extent, and the Maratha rejoiced at Jadunath's irrefutable logic clenched with facts in clearing Shivaji of the charge of murder of an invited guest'.

Sarkar's own judgement on the Afzal Khan episode was arrived at by a careful distillation of all the extant source material he could lay his hands on:

The old Maratha chronicles (as distinct from the English educated apologists of the national hero) all assert it was Afzal.

These genuine old historians never shrink from charging Shivaji with murder or treachery whenever they know him to have been really guilty.

They wrote long before Grant Duff's book had roused public indignation against Shivaji's murder of an invited guest.

It is, therefore, impossible to contend that the story of Afzal having struck the first blow was an invention of the modern Marathas after English education had weakened their conscience to the wickedness of pre-meditated political murders.

After evaluating a wide range of extant sources, Sarkar concluded: 'The weight of recorded evidence as well as the probabilities of the case supports the view that Afzal Khan struck the first blow and Shivaji only committed a ... "preventive murder".

It was ... a case of "diamond cut diamond".'

This is Sarkar at his classical best: Dispassionate and objective even as he immersed himself into a debate that was as divisive as he wrote and as it has remained since.

Excerpted from History Men: Jadunath Sarkar, G S Sardesai, Raghubir Sinh And Their Quest For India's Past by T C A Raghavan, with the kind permission of the publishers, HarperCollins India.
The Attorney General was in contempt of a congressional subpoena but faced no consequences, she wrote in a letter to Judge Anthony J. Trenga. The President has been instructing his associates not to comply with grand jury subpoenas and witness subpoenas for at least two years, and has even fired people for their compliance with subpoenas. It is clear that the rules are different for different people.
Honestly, she was even stubborn in the womb. My mom had to fly out here to Nebraska for the last couple months of my pregnancy because she kept trying to come early. A week before my scheduled c-section, she finally got her way.

She is so ornery and carries that rather terrifying type of intelligence that suggests she will either be an undefeated defense lawyer or a very successful criminal (halfway kidding). One thing is for sure, we dont have boring days in the Peyatt house.

From swinging on the light fixtures over the kitchen island to climbing the shelves in the refrigerator, every second with our youngest is an adventure.

But we wouldnt have it any other way.

I love how she loves cooking with me, and I love how she creates little things like Ham Buckets, which is just a Tupperware container with ham and cheese slices in it. Every morning she yells, Give me my Ham Bucket!

She comes up with the darndest things, and my life would he so boring without that.

Both of my children bring so much joy and excitement to my life in their own unique way. Im not sure I ever realized how much so when I started this parenting journey.
A senior minister in the Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday alleged misappropriation of funds under two schemes during the previous Telugu Desam Party regime.

Backward Classes Welfare Minister M Sankara Narayana claimed that the money was disbursed to non-existent people under the NTR Vidyonnati and the skill development schemes in the state.

NTR Vidyonnati was a scheme implemented by the previous TDP government to provide Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh financial assistance to each student belonging to the backward communities for pursuing higher education abroad.

The Kapu Corporation was the nodal agency for the scheme.

Under skill development, several centres were opened in all districts to impart necessary training to unemployed youth and Rs 1,000 was granted per head per month.

"There were no records of the persons who actually availed of the benefits but money was drawn. In this fashion, at least Rs 250 crore to Rs 300 crore was misappropriated," the minister told reporters in the Secretariat.

Asked if an inquiry would be conducted into this, he replied it was not possible because there were no records.

"We don't know who the people were, in whose names the money was drawn. But the money was clearly siphoned off.

There is no way it could be recovered now," Sankara Narayana pointed out.

The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government had since disbanded the NTR Vidyonnati scheme and brought in a new scheme in its place.

The skill development programme has now been attached to the Information Technology Department with a complete revamp of the structure.

The state government has decided to open 30 skill development centres across the state, covering all 25 Lok Sabha constituencies.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Purchases real estate of Phantom Farms iconic outdoor grow

VANCOUVER, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - C21 Investments Inc. ("C21 Investments", "C21" or the "Company") (CSE: CXXI andOTCQB: CXXIF) is pleased to announce that it has completed the restructuring of the purchase of Phantom Farms and related companies ("Phantom Farms"), including SDP Development Group, LLC ("SDP Group")  see news releases dated October 17, 2018, July 8, 2019 and November 21, 2019. C21 has elected to purchase the real estate for the two Phantom Farms' outdoor grows from SDP Group, which strengthens C21's balance sheet as well as lowers the future lease obligations in Oregon for the Company. The Company believes the subject real property assets, which exceed sixty (60) acres in Southern Oregon, are intrinsic to the Phantom Farms brand legacy. Including the restructured agreement and purchased real estate, C21's forward lease obligations are reduced by $370,000 per year.

Total consideration paid by C21 to SDP Group for both the restructuring of the purchase agreement as well as the real property consisted of the issuance of 7,132,041 common shares of C21 at a deemed issue price of CAD$0.804 per share. The shares are subject to a statutory hold period of four (4) months plus one (1) day and applicable US securities resale restrictions. The restructuring was completed, and these shares were issued effective February 12, 2020.

"Our latest iteration of the restructure did not include real estate, but we concluded that the long-term value of the Phantom Farms brand is inextricably tied to the iconic outdoor farms in Southern Oregon. We are pleased that we could work out a new deal for the real property with payment in shares of the Company" said Michael Kidd, C21 Investments CFO.

The specific details of the restructuring are as follows:

a) The purchase of the six Phantom Farms real estate assets in the original Purchase Agreement dated October 16, 2018 among C21 and SDP Group, has been terminated;

b) SDP Group has transferred to C21 the two outdoor farms located in Eagle Point, Oregon;

c) SDP Group has released C21 from any further purchase obligations on the remaining properties held by SDP Group in Oregon; Lease arrangements have been amended to include reduction of rent under certain leases as well as termination of leases on other properties held by SDP Group located in Oregon.

About C21 Investments

C21 Investments is a vertically integrated cannabis company that cultivates, processes, and distributes quality cannabis and hemp-derived consumer products in the United States. The Company is focused on value creation through the disciplined acquisition and integration of core retail, manufacturing, and distribution assets in strategic markets, leveraging industry-leading retail revenues with high-growth potential multi-market branded consumer packaged goods. The Company owns Silver State Relief and Silver State Cultivation in Nevada, and Phantom Farms, Swell Companies, Eco Firma Farms, and Pure Green in Oregon. These brands produce and distribute a broad range of THC and CBD products from cannabis flowers, pre-rolls, cannabis oil, vaporizer cartridges and edibles. Based in Vancouver, Canada , additional information on C21 Investments can be found at www.sedar.com and www.cxxi.ca.

Cautionary Statement:

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements in this news release include: the result of the Phantom Farms restructure on the Company's balance sheet and future lease obligations, the performance of the Company's brands and the continued demand for cannabis products.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including the ability of the Company to restructure its secured debt and to service its restructured debt. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the 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. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, the consequences of not restructuring its secured debt, the ability to service its debt, if restructured, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent the Company's expectations as of the date hereof, and are subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations.

The CSE has not accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE C21 Investments Inc.

Related Links

https://www.cxxi.ca/


New routes are opening up to destinations such as Australia and Eastern Europe, Photo: Le Toan

Last week, Vietjet officially opened three new routes to India, making a total of five direct routes connecting Vietnams largest cities  Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang  with the Indian cities of New Delhi and Mumbai. India, one of the worlds largest countries, has a population of 1.3 billion people which is projected to surpass China by 2027. The routes will be in operation from May.

Like Vietjet, Bamboo Airways is also looking to open new routes, but with a focus on the European market. 2.2 million people travelled from Europe to Vietnam by air in 2019, accounting for 15 per cent of the countrys total international visitors.

Early this month, Bamboo was granted a licence by the Vietnam Aviation Department (VAD) to operate a direct flight from Hanoi to Prague in the Czech Republic. The airlines leader said the first flight on this route is expected to operate on March 29, with a frequency of two flights per week, and will continue to increase depending on the needs of passengers.

The airline also confirmed that it is soon introducing a direct flight from Vietnam to Munich and in early May the airline will start flying to Melbourne.

In addition, Bamboo Airways are planning to expand even further in the near future, with routes connecting Vietnam with Tokyo and Osaka, as well as Israel.

The coronavirus has spread to nearly thirty territories around the world, forcing around 50 airlines to suspend flights to mainland China, Macau, and Hong Kong. The situation has also had a considerable negative effect on Vietnams aviation industry.

Accounting for 10 per cent of Vietnam Airlines routes, the suspension has had a direct impact on 70,000 tourists travelling between the two countries.

On February 13, Vietnam Airlines said that it was losing up to VND250 billion ($10.8 million) per week in revenue due to the coronavirus. Since late January, the airlines passengers on domestic routes have also fallen by 20-30 per cent, Vietnam Airlines CEO Duong Chi Thanh told VIR.

According to the VAD, three of the biggest airlines (Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific, and Vietjet) operate 72 regular routes to 48 destinations in China (with a frequency of 401 flights per week) from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, Cam Ranh, and Phu Quoc.

China, where the COVID-19 epidemic has killed more than 1,300 people, is Vietnams largest source of foreign tourists and biggest trading partner. In 2019, the number of passengers travelling between the two countries was around 7.5 million, including 4.6 million carried by Vietnamese airlines.

On February 1, the VAD cancelled all flight licences and stopped granting new ones for routes between Vietnam and China. New licences will only be granted subject to approval from the prime minister, and as of February 11, visas will not be issued to anyone who has visited mainland China within 14 days prior to their arrival in Vietnam.

In suspending the exploitation of the Chinese market, Vietnamese airlines will lose revenue from an average of 400,000 passengers per month, VAD director-general Dinh Viet Thang said. The initial damage to Vietnams airlines due to stopping routes to China has been VND10 trillion ($430 billion), a figure which will increase if the epidemic situation does not improve, he added.

Thang also stated that the incident has had a negative impact on the revenues of Airports Corporation of Vietnam and Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation due to the blow of losing 640 regular and irregular flights per week. It will cause a domino effect on supporting aviation enterprises which provide food, duty free goods, and souvenirs, Thang added.

Assessing the resilience of the aviation industry, a Vietnam Airlines representative said that judging from the experience of the 2003 SARS epidemic, the tourism market will take at least two months to stabilise after the epidemic is over.

In order to support and facilitate airlines, the VAD has proposed that the Ministry of Transport ask the prime minister for permission to reduce the price of air services managed by the state.

The department is also encouraging airlines and aviation service providers to extend the payment schedule and actively discuss and negotiate the adjustment of service rates.

So far, the VAD has released three potential scenarios for the aviation market, depending on when the epidemic is under control.
LIMERICK's Strand Hotel has brought home the Irish Breakfast Menu award for its "outstanding offering" this week.

From classic breakfast favourites to dishes with a twist, the winners of the 2020 Georgina Campbell Irish Breakfast Awards in

association with Failte Ireland were the big announcement was made for the city centre hotel.

Now in their fourth year, the Georgina Campbell Irish Breakfast Awards celebrate the people and businesses that strive to make the first meal of the day as memorable as any fine dining experience, and with a real sense of place.

The Strand's executive chef, Tom Flavin said they were "thrilled" to bring home the award and is "delighted that our efforts at supporting local produce have been recognised".

Judged from menus submitted by participants in their 2020 Irish Breakfast Survey, Limerick Strand Hotel beat off still national competition winning Irish Breakfast Menu  Wild Atlantic Way Gateway.

The judges noted:

Just across the Sarsfield Bridge from the main commercial heart of Limerick, this highly regarded modern hotel has a pleasant ambience, with great views from the upper floors - and, unusually for a large hotel, it's a good place to explore some of the foods of the region.

"This is all thanks to the efforts of Executive Chef Tom Flavin, who has been a Failte Ireland Food Champion and works

hard to make food provenance and seasonality a point of difference throughout the hotel, and especially in The River Restaurant.

They judges also commented on the breakfast highlights at Limerick Strand including adding:

Serving a good breakfast has always been a point of pride for Chef Flavin and the hotel is a previous winner in our Irish Breakfast Awards. The buffet boasts over 100 items - yet it is not the wide variety that makes it exceptional, but the care that has gone into the selection. Leading off with a mini-feature on the benefits of organic honey, this unusual breakfast menu next highlights some key suppliers - including J ODea Smoked Cheddar, Achill Island Sea Salt, Flesk Meats of Macroom (Irish Sausages) Leahs Foods, Listowel (Black and White Pudding) and Sean Duggan, of Croom (Free Range Eggs and Honey) - thus setting the quality tone, before launching into what must be one of the countrys most extensive offerings of cold buffet and hot dishes from the chefs station, in-house bakery and their own Limerick Strand Pantry Range Preserves and Chutneys. It is an outstanding offering by any standards - and it runs like clockwork too.

The aim of the Georgina Campbell Irish Breakfast Awards in association with Failte Ireland is to encourage everyone who is serving breakfast in Ireland to up their game and give visitors - both international and domestic - the best possible experience to start their day.

Recognising those who are already doing a great job is a key element in that process and, in seeking out the best, we look for an all round experience and genuine hospitality, as well as authenticity - and a sense of place.

For details on Limerick Strand visit www.strandlimerick.ie or contact the hotel on 353 61 421800
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CLEVELAND, Ohio  The fees that airlines pay to operate at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport have come down dramatically in recent years, a result of increased revenue from parking and other sources.

The airports debt also is decreasing, down 27% in five years.

The improving financial picture is a necessary precursor to whats to come: The possible construction of a new terminal in several years, the cost of which will be shouldered in large part by the airlines.

Airport Director Robert Kennedy said hes working hard to improve the financial health of Cleveland Hopkins, which for years has collected some of the highest fees in the industry from airlines who operate there. The less reliance we have on the airlines for revenue, the better position the city is in, he said.

Hopkins fees are still high, at least on average, but theyre trending down, decreasing 38% in five years. Passengers dont see these fees listed separately in the ticket price, but rest assured, airlines pass these expenses on to travelers.

In 2018, for the first time in many years, the revenue collected from passenger airlines was less than revenue collected from other sources, including cargo fees and non-air sources like parking and restaurants.

Airport officials believe that by charging airlines less to fly here, carriers will be more likely to expand in Cleveland, and theres already some evidence that is happening.

In the U.S., airports generally are self-supporting, with operating revenue coming not from tax dollars but fees and rents paid by airlines, restaurants and other sources. And while airline fees may not be the primary consideration for carriers when deciding where to fly, they are one factor.

Said one airline spokesman, Southwests Dan Landson: Southwest Airlines strives to keep costs as low as possible, including airport rates and charges, as those costs are passed along to the customer within the ticket.

One way to compare fees across airports is a figure known as cost per enplanement (CPE)  thats the grand total of fees and rents paid by a carrier, divided by the number of passengers boarding at that airport.

In 2019, Cleveland Hopkins cost per enplanement was $13.26, down from a high of $21.25 in 2014, the year that United Airlines pulled its hub from Cleveland.

Clevelands cost per enplanement is still high compared to many other airports. According to FAA data for 2018, the most recent year available, Clevelands CPE was higher than Pittsburgh, Columbus, Indianapolis, Akron-Canton and Cincinnati. Only eight airports had a higher cost per enplanement in 2018: Newark, New York JFK, San Francisco, New York LaGuardia, Miami, Chicago OHare, Los Angeles and Washington Dulles.

Kennedy said Clevelands cost per enplanement should continue to decrease, down to between $12 and $13 in 2020. Before I go fishing in Puerto Rico, I would like to see us below $10, said Kennedy, referring to retirement plans at some future unspecified time.

Kennedy also pointed out that Clevelands average cost per enplanement is somewhat deceiving  different airlines pay vastly different rates, he said, depending on their footprint in the airport. United Airlines, for example, pays much more than other carriers, because it is still paying off $75 million in debt used to construct Concourse D, which closed in 2014.

One airline official at Hopkins, who requested that his name not be used, said decreasing airport fees, combined with other factors, has lowered his carriers cost per enplanement by 40% in recent years, and that his airline is adding flights as a result.

So if the airlines are paying less to the airport, from where is the additional revenue coming?

Parking and ground transportation is one significant area of revenue growth, according to both the airport and figures filed with the FAA.

Parking and ground transportation revenue in 2018 was $38.1 million, up 71% from $22.3 million in 2013, according to FAA figures.

The revenue has increased, in part, because parking rates have gone up, as have fees charged to limo drivers, Uber and Lyft drivers, and hotel and parking lot shuttles operating at the airport.

Revenue also has increased because Cleveland is no longer a hub airport, where many passengers are just passing through. The airport is now used almost exclusively by Northeast Ohio travelers, who drive (or get driven) to the airport. Airport parking lots are increasingly full during busy travel times.

The increase in local travelers also has put pressure on Clevelands aging airport infrastructure, including roadways, parking and terminal space.

Last fall, the city hired a Florida firm to update the airports master plan, which is an FAA-required blueprint for future infrastructure improvements. The firm, RS&H, is expected to outline perhaps a half-dozen suggestions for airport improvements as early as this spring, according to Kennedy. After a series of community events and conversations, the airport will select one preferred alternative.

Airport officials have said they expect a new or substantially renovated terminal to be among the recommendations. Cost estimates could exceed $1 billion.

Once a recommendation is agreed upon, the task turns to financing it.

In Cleveland, the likeliest scenario is that any major addition or renovation will be funded largely by bonds, paid off by airline fees and other sources (not including local tax dollars). Kennedy said the airlines have been involved in conversations about the master plan for months, and are generally supportive of the process.

Said Southwests Landson: When building terminals, we look at every square foot of the project including areas like employee breakrooms, hold rooms, and baggage handling systems to restrooms and everything in between to ensure the project is being designed in the most economical fashion possible.

The possibility of issuing as much as $1 billion in new debt in the coming years makes it important to bring down the airports current debt, said Kennedy.

The airports debt has decreased steadily during the past 20 years, from $986 million in 2003 to $816 million in 2013 to $595 million in 2019, according to FAA and airport data.

The airport has also improved its bond rating numerous times in recent years, which will make it less expensive to borrow money. The airports bond rating suffered after United pulled its hub in 2014, but has rebounded since.

If the master plan recommends reusing Concourse D, Kennedy said he is confident the city will be able to negotiate terms with United to reopen the space. Significant modifications of the concourse would likely be required, he said, because the facility was built to accommodate smaller, regional jets, and most airlines are reducing their reliance on these planes.

You hate to see it just sitting there. But that doesnt mean were going to make a bad deal for the airport, Kennedy said. I think that well both be reasonable.

In the meantime, airport officials are finalizing their 2020 budget, which will be presented to city council later this week.

Read more: Cleveland Hopkins airport passenger traffic hits 10 million in 2019, up 4%

Delta, Frontier airlines show biggest growth at Cleveland Hopkins airport in 2019

Spirit Airlines celebrates 5 years at Cleveland Hopkins with additional flights to Florida, Las Vegas, Cancun
Reuters

A Tel Aviv court ordered Facebook Inc to unblock the private account of a worker at Israeli surveillance company NSO Group, and similar rulings are expected for other employees in the coming days, an NSO spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

A group of NSO employees filed suit against Facebook in November, saying the social media giant had unfairly blocked their private accounts when it sued NSO in October.

(Also Read: WhatsApp vulnerability allowed Israeli spyware to be injected onto phones: Report)

(Also read: Pegasus scandal is latest confirmation that you are being spied on and always have been)

Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp accused the Israeli firm of helping government spies break into the phones of about 1,400 users in a hacking spree targeting diplomats, political dissidents, journalists and senior government officials across the globe.

The NSO employees said their Facebook and Instagram accounts, and also those of former workers and family members, had been blocked.

Ruling on their complaint, Tel Aviv District Court ordered the account of one employee to be restored by Wednesday afternoon.

"We are certain that following the court's unequivocal statements, Facebook will reverse the action it took against other employees," the NSO spokeswoman said.

Facebook officials could not immediately comment.

The company said in November it had disabled "relevant accounts" after attributing a "sophisticated cyber attack" to the NSO Group and its employees, saying the measure was necessary for security reasons.

(Also read: WhatsApp security breach: Amnesty international files lawsuit against NSO group)
Facts have proven once again that the United States is the largest state actor of spying in cyberspace, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said Monday, urging the United States to clarify to the international community on relevant affairs.

Reports have emerged that from the Cold War into the 2000s, the U.S. intelligence used the Swiss company Crypto AG's encoding devices to spy on other countries while pocketing millions of dollars.

The company sold the devices to foreign governments and companies, and the machines were encrypted but the U.S. intelligence had rigged the devices so they could crack the codes and intercept thousands of messages from more than 120 governments worldwide, according to reports.

Geng told an online press briefing that the U.S. government and relevant departments have conducted large-scale, organized and indiscriminate cyber theft, surveillance and espionage on foreign governments, businesses and individuals, which is "a fact already well-known to all."

It is a tawdry trick that the United States, on the one hand, has been collecting nearly 5 billion mobile phone call records across the globe every day, spying over German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone for more than 10 years, controlling more than 3 million computers in China every year, and implanting Trojan Horse in more than 3,600 websites in China, and on the other hand, enjoys playing victim of cyber attack, just like a thief crying "stop thief," said Geng.

The U.S. hypocrisy on the issue of cybersecurity could not be clearer, the spokesman said, stressing that the U.S. has no honor and credibility to speak of in front of other countries.

"Facts have proven once again that as the largest state actor of spying in cyberspace, the U.S. is worthy of the name of the 'empire of hackers.' The sky is the limit with the U.S. when it comes to spying," said Geng.

The spokesman called on the United States to clarify the issue to the international community, noting that an explanation concerning the WikiLeaks and Snowden incidents is still owed.
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Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung  Wed, February 19, 2020 19:09 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20657f40e 1 National Bandung-Police,West-Java,Taman-Sari-Police,eviction,eviction-scandal,LAPOR Free

Residents who were evicted from Taman Sari subdistrict in Bandung, West Java, have filed more than 100 complaints to the governments online public-service complaint system to step up their fight against their eviction.

Twenty residents submitted around 120 reports regarding the losses they suffered during the eviction, which occurred in December last year, to the lapor.go.id online portal. The reports included details on loss of property, loss of income, as well as adverse effects on their health.

According to the lapor.go.id mechanism, we should get a response from the government within three days, Aang Kusmawan of Bandung-based NGO Perkumpulan Inisiatif (Initiative Group), which has been working with the residents, said on Wednesday.

Its true that items such as school uniforms can be bought, but what residents want to know is, how is the government going to take responsibility?

On Dec. 12, about 1,200 officers from the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), Indonesian military (TNI) and police were deployed to evict the residents and demolish dozens of houses, affecting at least 33 households that had refused to be relocated.

Residents Sambas Sadikin and Budi Rahayu filed their case in court, asking for a postponement and allow them to vacate the land and challenge the environmental permit issued for the Bandung administration to build low-cost apartments. The Bandung Administrative Court ruled in favor of the administration, saying that it had found no irregularities in the issuance of the environmental permit.

Read also: Bandung's evicted residents keep fighting despite defeats. Here's why.

Sambas, 58, was also among the residents who had submitted a report to lapor.go.id.

I did not only lose a house but the place where I was born and raised. That is worth more than gold, he said.

Another evictee, 45-year-old Eva Aryani Effendi, said losing her house also meant losing her livelihood, as she had started a clothing business in her two-story home.

A decades-long business just disappeared. I feel that I have been impoverished by the government, she said. I was only given five minutes to gather my things. Now that everything is destroyed, how can I make a decent living?

Enjo, a 38-year-old evictee, said he would continue to fight for compensation.

I am taking a stand because its not just about monetary compensation. Evictions shouldnt be considered a normal thing by claiming to represent the greater good while making others suffer, he said. The other victims and I are also citizens that have the right to prosper.

Rizky Ramdani of the Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) said the online reports were part of the residents efforts to fight for their rights.

If we do not get a response, then, of course, we will continue to the next step, which is to file a report with the West Java branch of the Indonesian Ombudsman, he said.

Forty-one of the evicted residents, including 12 children, are currently staying at the nearby Al-Islam mosque. Fourteen others have chosen to stay with their relatives or rent rooms outside of Taman Sari. (kmt)
After years of working in two buildings, employees of PennLive and The Patriot-News have united under one roof at the companys Cumberland County production facility.

Members of PA Media Groups editorial, marketing and advertising departments joined the rest of the company Feb. 17 at the building located at the Cumberland Tech Park off I-81 in Hampden Township.

Were one company now, said Jim Jones, senior director of production at Advance Local Media.

The two halves of PA Media Groups operations have been split since 2000, when the 142,000-square-foot press plant opened. Production, circulation, human resources and business staff worked out of that facility.

Initially business and editorial offices stayed 10 miles away at 812 Market St. in Harrisburg until 2010, when they moved next door to the business park located at 2020 Technology Parkway.

With a lease up for renewal in March at the Technology Parkway offices, Jones said it was the ideal time to make the transition.

It just made sense logistically, getting everybody together and working together and saving a substantial amount of money," he said.

To accommodate the renovations, a former press lunchroom was built-out to create an open floor space. The 18,000 square-foot renovation took more than three months.

The press plant renovations allow for the modern, open layout we now enjoy, while taking advantage of the industrial setting, said Cate Barron, president of PennLive. The space offers inside views of our eight massive, four-story press towers while double-paned windows and quiet doors to the press hall will help tamp down their rumble.

Among the benefits is dedicated space for Penn Studios, PennLives in-house video production team. A 600-square-foot studio was created with a 28-foot-long infinity green screen and state-of-the-art lighting, a dedicated sound-proof audio studio for podcasts, editing stations, conference areas and a microfilm library.

In addition to the work Penn Studios will produce there, the studios facilities will be available for rent, Barron said. The extra space in the building will also better accommodate the many requests from community and business groups for meeting space, she added.

An open house will be held at the facility this spring.

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.
She made her big screen debut at the tender age of 10 and went on to have her breathrough role in 50 Shades of Grey in 2015.

And Dakota Johnson cut a chic figure as she attended the Gucci fashion show during Milan Fashion Week in Italy on Wednesday.

The actress, 30, displayed her elegant sense of style for the event, donning a black Gucci blazer which she wore with a black lace corset.

Stunning: Dakota Johnson, 30, cut a chic figure as she attended the Gucci fashion show during Milan Fashion Week in Italy on Wednesday

Also sporting matching trousers, the film star drew further attention to her look with a pair of black heels with an ankle strap.

Letting her brunette locks fall loose down her shoulders, Dakota completed her look with a pair of shades and a cross necklace.

Dakota was among those in the front row for the fashion show where she sat alongside French billionaire and Kerring CEO Francois-Henri Pinault.

The actress is a showbiz legacy many times over - her father is Miami Vice hunk Don Johnson and her mother is Melanie Griffith, while her maternal grandmother is The Birds star Tippi Hedren.

Fashionable: The actress displayed her elegant sense of style for the event, donning a black Gucci blazer which she wore with a black lace corset

The film star is in a relationship with Coldplay hunk Chris Martin, 42, who shares his children Apple and Moses with his ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow.

Chris and Gwyneth married in 2003 and publicly split in 2014, when she inspired widespread mockery by referring to the breakup as a 'conscious uncoupling.'

Gwyneth is friendly with both Chris and Dakota and got candid about their relationships in the latest issue of Harper's Bazaar.

The Oscar-winning actress said of Dakota: 'I love her. I can see how it would seem weird because its sort of unconventional.'

Event: Dakota was among those in the front row for the fashion show where she sat alongside French billionaire and Kerring CEO Francois-Henri Pinault

Glamorous: Letting her brunette locks fall loose down her shoulders, Dakota completed her look with a pair of shades

Show: There were a variety of eye-catching garments on display during the fashion show

Outfit: One look featured a bright red blazer with a houndstooth skirt with a a large wooly hat

Gwyneth, who is married to Ryan Murphy collaborator Brad Falchuk, said: 'But I think, in this case, just having passed through it iteratively, I just adore her.'

She added: 'I always start to think of the ampersand sign - what else can you bring in, instead of being resistant to or being made insecure by? Theres so much juice in leaning in to something like that.'

The Shakespeare In Love blonde said of her relationship with Chris: 'Its not like theres a finish line: "Oh, we consciously uncoupled; were done."'

She shared: 'Its a lifelong commitment to constantly reinvent your relationship with your ex, which you do presumably because you have children together. I dont see a reason to do it if you dont have children together. Some people do.'

Gwyneth said: 'But I think we put all the hard work in at the beginning. I would say very rarely is it difficult now. Weve learned how to communicate with each other.'

She went on: 'We love each other. We laugh. We have the best of each other. Its really nice. It makes you feel like you dont have to lose.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-20 02:11:56|Editor: huaxia

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MADRID, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Spanish share prices rose by 0.78 percent on Wednesday with the Ibex-35 benchmark stock market opening at 10,005.80 points and closing at 10,083.60 points.

The shares of 30 companies trading on the Ibex-35 gained value, while five companies saw their share price fall during Wednesday's session.

Clean energy producer Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, had the day's best results, with a 3.44 percent increase in share prices. Infrastructure provider Acciona gained 3.06 percent and telecommunications provider Cellnex Telecom rose by 2.09 percent.

Construction and infrastructure company ACS had the day's worst results as it suffered a 4.37 percent reduction. Media company Mediaset fell by 0.67 percent and mobile telephone operator Masmovil Ibercom went down by 0.33 percent. Enditem
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is the new owner of a rare chunk of undeveloped Bay Area land stretching across 787 acres of oak-studded grassy hills in Milpitas and Sunol.

The so-called Wool Ranch went on the market last spring for $13.9 million, and the deal closed in December for $9.7 million. The property is trading hands for the first time since Ernest Wool purchased the property to raise sheep in the 1900s. The sheep business failed when coyotes killed the flock, so Wool transitioned to cattle. Wool's grandchildren now lease the land to a cattle rancher, and they are ready to pass their stewardship to a new owner.

The SFPUC is a department of the city and county of San Francisco, and provides drinking water to 2.9 million customers in Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco counties. Water is pulled from reservoirs in the East Bay, the Peninsula and the Sierra Nevada, including Hetch Hetchy.

This newly purchased land neighbors SFPUC property in the East Bay, and drains directly into Calaveras Reservoir and Alameda Creek downstream from Calaveras Dam.

Tim Ramirez, who manages the SFPUCs natural resources and lands division, said Wool Ranch was purchased to stop development in the watershed.

"The best way to ensure clean water is to protect the watershed that drains into the reservoir," Ramirez said. "The watershed acts to a certain extent as a natural filter."

The SFPUC was particularly interested in acquiring property in the Alameda watershed where only 40% of the land draining into the reservoirs is protected under ownership by public agencies and conservation agencies (SFPUC owns 25%). By comparison, the SFPUC owns 95% of the land in the Peninsula watershed.

ALSO: 'An entirely new community of 8,000 homes': What Treasure Island will look like in 20 years

Ramirez said the SFPUC will also protect the many creatures that live on the land, including tiger salamanders and red-legged frogs.

"The open space and the watershed in general are home to countless plants and animals that are native to the watershed," he said. "This offers a lot of opportunities to protect native species."

The property is a relic of California's old Spanish land grants. This particular property was part of a 4,394-acre concession known as Rancho Los Tularcitos and given in 1821 to Jose Loreto Higuera by the last Spanish governor of Alta California, Pablo Vicente de Sola.

The land feels incredibly private as it's surrounded by undeveloped land owned by the SFPUC, East Bay Municipal Utility District and East Bay Regional Parks.

"People can't hunt on the water district land so there's a lot of wildlife," said listing agent Tim Renfrew of California Outdoor Properties. "There are lots of wild deer, pig, turkey, quail, doves."

The SFPUC's "grazing program" will oversee the cattle operations on the land. At this time, there aren't any plans to offer the public access to Wool Ranch.

Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.
by Pierre Balanian

Closed for years, Aleppo airport reopens tomorrow. In response to Turkish threats, the Syrian President said that the battle to liberate the countryside of Aleppo and Idleb will continue regardless.

Damascus (AsiaNews)  Aleppos airport is set to reopen for the first time in years after the Syrian military last week retook almost all of the citys surrounding region.

Anti-government rebel forces and the Al-Nusra and Daeshi terrorist groups had taken the airport in 2012 when they seized the eastern part of the city.

Work on upgrading the airport had began in 2016, followed in 2017 by the first test of the new runway.

Following tomorrows official reopening, the first plane, a domestic flight from Damascus, will land, Syrias Transport Ministry announced. Plans are for more domestic and international flights to follow, including direct flights between Aleppo and Cairo.

In a rare and unusual move, a few hours after the reopening was announced, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad delivered a brief televised speech, carried by many national and pan-Arab TV broadcasters.

The president noted that Aleppo is now safe after the Syrian army successfully took back the areas west of Aleppo. For eight years, rockets had been fired from here against the city, sowing death and destruction among the civilian population.

[W]e are fully aware that this liberation does not mean the end of the war, or the failure of schemes, or the disappearance of terrorism, or the surrender of enemies, but it certainly means [. . ] a prelude for [their] complete defeat, sooner or later, Assad said.

Responding to Turkeys threats, the Syrian President added that the battle to liberate the countryside of Aleppo and Idleb will continue regardless of some empty sound bubbles coming from the north,.

Likewise, the battle for liberating all Syrian soil, crushing terrorism, and achieving stability will also continue. To this end, the Syrian army will never hesitate to carry out its national duties, and it will be as it always has been: an army from the people and for the people.

Speaking about Russian forces, Assad described them without mentioning them directly as our brothers, friends, and allies

A Syrian military source told AsiaNews that the Turks were surprised by the fall of Al Rifeyn's defensive lines that extend from south-west of Aleppo to the southeastern limits of Idlib.

Faced with the inability of the forces it backed to hold back the Syrian advance, the Turkish army moved in further striking directly on the mistaken assumption that this would stop the Syrian advance.

Source added that, in light of the new situation, Turkey has had to quickly build a new defensive line, the last one before the Syrian-Turkish border at Bab el Hawa. Meanwhile, in Idlib, the battle continues.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Turkey and Russia are in Moscow for a two-day meeting, trying to avoid a confrontation.

The Syrian government yesterday announced the opening of two more humanitarian corridors as civilians continue to flee combat zones.

The decision to retake Idlib, which has the highest concentration of terrorists and mercenaries in the world, or at least free the Aleppo Latakia highway, was apparently taken in Damascus.

This time, nothing or no one seems able of stopping the advance of the Syrian army.
It was an observation post ahead of all the main positions.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk says Ukraine's army has lost one fortified post after a fight with Russia-led forces in Donbas on Tuesday, but has managed to retain all main positions.

When asked to comment on reports that the Ukrainian military had allegedly left one stronghold, the minister replied: "According to our information, they have temporarily left it, but in general our positions haven't changed. That is, that fortified site was ahead, so to speak, of all our main positions."

Read alsoUkraine's Defense Minister: Over 25,000 Russian troops in occupied Donbas now

Speaking after a meeting of the parliamentary committee for national security, defense and intelligence behind closed doors on Wednesday, February 19, he said it was an "observation post," according to an UNIAN correspondent.

According to Chairman of the committee Oleksandr Zavytnevych, this is the so-called "Banya" post, Channel 24 reported.

Zagorodnyuk said that it was the enemy that had started the February 18 fight.

According to him, the chief of Ukraine's General Staff is currently "on the ground."

"He will return and give details Those representatives of the Defense Ministry who spoke at the committee meeting today  they weren't on the ground," the minister explained.

He said the fight ended on Tuesday morning and the situation was under control then.

"It was under control even during the fight. We control the line and control the situation, and there is no reason for any panic or questions," he assured, adding that "there was an attempt to break through our line, this attempt failed, we repulsed it."

Commenting on the work of Ukraine's intelligence, the minister noted: "We had known about the accumulation of [enemy] equipment even before it happened. And that's why we got prepared, and that's why all the actions of our military had maintained the situation, the security policy that exists now."

The minister also did not rule out that the act of provocation could have been aimed at disrupting the process of the further disengagement of forces and weapons along the contact line in Donbas. At the same time, he believes, the situation should have an impact on an upcoming Normandy Four meeting.

As was reported, Russian occupation forces attacked Ukrainian defense positions in Donbas near the settlements Novotoshkivske, Orikhove, Krymske, and Khutir Vilniy in Luhansk region in the early hours of Tuesday, February 18. They employed 152mm, 122mm 120mm mortars, large machine guns, tanks, and grenade launchers of various types. Under fire cover, the enemy moved to an active offensive, attempting to advance across the line of contact. One Ukrainian military serviceman was killed in action and another six were wounded. Five enemy troops were killed.

Chief of Ukraine's General Staff Ruslan Khomchak said that the enemy attack was reportedly timed to coincide with the anniversary of the fierce battles near Debaltseve, where Ukrainian troops suffered major losses.
PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-19 02:01:02

Theme: Japanese Culture Exchange

Country: Lao P.D.R.

Japan's Friendship Ties Programs JENESYS 2019 ASEAN Outbound Program 8th Batch

Inquiries about the program

JENESYS 2019 ASEAN + Timor-Leste Project Implementing Agency

JTB Kasumigaseki Operations Department

Contact: Junji Mise (Mr.), Yutaka Shintani (Mr.), Takashi Iwashita (Mr.)

TEL: 81-3-6737-9447 Weekdays: 9:00-17:30 (Closed on weekends and holidays)

Email: jenesys2019haken@jtb.com

Sixteen Japanese university students are scheduled to visit Laos from February 18th to 26th as part of the Japans Friendship Ties Programs JENESYS 2019 promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The group will visit the Embassy of Japan in Laos, the ODA sites, Japanese companies, they will learn the relationship between Japan and Laos, and deepen the knowledge of Japanese contribution to Laos, and through the experience of school exchange, homestay, they are expected to have a better understanding of culture and society of Laos. They will also appeal Japanese culture during each program.

Through this program, we hope the participants proactively share the appeals of Japan and other information after returning to Japan and it ties the relationships between Japan and Laos.

[For reference] Japans Friendship Ties Programs JENESYS 2019

People with the ability and future mission to deliver messages between Japan and the countries and regions of Asia and Oceania are invited and dispatched in order to promote an understanding of Japan with regard to politics, economics, society, culture, history, foreign policy, and the like, and pro-Japanese people and experts on Japan are discovered in order to strengthen Japans message to other countries and expand Japans diplomatic foundation by having the guests and dispatches take the initiative to spread information about the diplomatic stance, appeals, and other facets of Japan.

[Participants] 5 students from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, 6 students from Niigata University and 5 students from Waseda University

<Itinerary>

Tuesday, February 18th

[Arrival in Laos]

Wednesday, February 19th

[Orientation]

[Courtesy Call] Embassy of Japan in Laos

[Courtesy Call] Lao Youth Union

[City observation] Japans ODA Sites : Vientiane Capital Water Supply Expansion Project by JICA

Thursday, February 20th

[Lecture] JETRO Vientiane Office

[Observation] Lao Midori Safety Shoes Co., Ltd

Friday, February 21st

[School Exchange] National University of Laos

Saturday, February 22nd

[Homestay]

Sunday, February 23rd

[Homestay]

[Observation] COPE Visitor Centre Laos

Monday, February 24th

[Observation] Houey Hong Vocational Training Centre

[Workshop] Preparation for the Reporting Session

Tuesday, February 25th

[Reporting Session]

[Departure]

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200218005
Panels on display in Gandhi Ashram

If Gandhi had succeeded as a lawyer in India, he would have lived in a Gujarati community in a Gujarati ghetto, in a Gujarati Hindu community

Ambedkarite intellectuals don't talk about evolution of Gandhian views, refuse to recognise that no upper caste Indian reformer did more than Gandhi to challenge caste

Wanting a future historian to document how much love Modi had for Gandhi and the Gandhi Ashram before May 2014, Guha continued, he felt aesthetic distaste, when every foreign minister, including many dictators, are taken there and shown around. He added, I feel the Prime Minister has misused Gandhis name to promote himself.During his lecture, titled What would Gandhi make of India Today, I found, on one hand Guha was also seeking to critique Gandhians who had reduced Gandhi into a ritual (eating vegetarian food, wearing khadi, spinning charkha etc.), and, on the other, left-wingers like Arundhati Roy and quite a few Dalit scholars, who are known for their view that Gandhi didnt want caste system abolished.Guha said, way back in 1922, the year he was arrested for the first time in India, Gandhi created a wonderful image of swaraj, by pointing out that it had four pillars: Removal of untouchability, manufacture of khaddar, Hindu-Muslim unity, cultivation of non-violence. Gandhi said, these are not measures of a temporary nature, adding, They are the four pillars on which the structure of swaraj must forever rest. Take away any of these pillars, and we will top it out.Guha interpreted the four pillars, giving them a broader meaning. The first vision is the removal of untouchability. I am going to use this terms for social justice; not just abolition of caste distinction, but also abolition of gender distinction, he said, adding, When Gandhi talks of Hindu-Muslim unity, we should understand it more broadly as pluralism of all kinds, including of language and race.As for khaddar, he was talking about the vital importance of economic self-reliance and his commitment to environmental sustainability, pointing out how western industrialization was keeping the world in chains.And as for his absolute commitment to non-violence, it came in South Africa, especially on September 11, 1906, when he, leading Indians, challenged racist laws in South Africa. Returning to India in ship, he wrote about why non-violence was necessary to fight discrimination and oppression. According to Guha, this was the most brilliant statement of why non-violence is not just morally efficacious aspect of political resistance, but also the most sustainable in the long run.Pointing towards how Gandhis mind mind expanded, whether on religion or gender, Guha gave a glimpse of what drove him. He said, Gandhi was an utterly mediocre student, quoting a former headmaster of the King Alfred School Rajkot, now Mahatma Gandhi Memorial School, where Gandhi studied, as revealing in his early 1960s book that Gandhi ranked 424th out of 800 students in matriculation, and he scored 44.5% in Gujarati, and 45% in English.Noting that Gandhis views evolved, Guha said, this was primarily due to exposure to the world, by going to London, where he met his first foreign friends and understood importance of other faiths, and then to South Africa. While Gandhi did return to India from London in 1891 and tried to establish himself as a lawyer in Bombay and Rajkot, he failed in both the places.According to Guha, What if he had succeeded? He would have never outgrown his Gujarati bania parochialism, the reason being that Gujarati banias would have given him his rozi roti, and the world to him would have been very different... If he had succeeded, he would have lived in a Gujarati community in a Gujarati ghetto, in a Gujarati Hindu community. Guha added, Gandhi failed at the bar, and was rescued from professional oblivion by an invitation from South Africa, where there were two Gujarati merchants, actually cousins, fighting.It turned out they were not of his caste or his religion, but were Muslims, said Guha, adding, Gandhi went to South Africa in 1893 to solve a dispute, he stayed for the first time in his life with Gujarati Muslims, which was totally inconceivable in Rajkot or in Porbandar, or even in Bombay. During his struggle, those who helped him were Parsis, Gujarati Muslims and Tamils.He also befriended with Jews, with Katurba and he sharing a home with husband-and-wife Henry Pollack, a Jew, and Millie Pollack, a Christian. One of the things that Millie Pollack did, said Guha, was to fire the first arrow at Gandhis traditional Hindu patriarchy. While Gandhi did talk about how he bullied Kasturba, he left out how Millie Pollack expanded his mind. Her book, Gandhi the Man shows that she was the first person who told Gandhi that women too had rights.Further, Guha said, after the first attempt on his life, which was by an Indian in South Africa, Gandhi was rescued by a Christian priest and their family, Joseph Doke, and was nursed back to health by Docks wife and daughter. So the expansion of Gandhis mind, his understanding of the vital importance of religion and pluralism, of economic self-reliance, of non-violence, came in South Africa, said Guha.The only thing, said Guha, Gandhi did not learn in South Africa were the awful horrors of the caste system, in particular of untouchability. This was mainly because in the diaspora caste, distinctions were not so rigidly observed. On returning to India, though he described untouchability as the Dyers of Hinduism, during his travel across India, in Kerala, he met followers of the great reformer, Shri Narayana Guru, whose slogan was One caste, one religion, one humanity.One of the followers of Narayana Guru was a journalist called TK Madhavan, who told Gandhi, attacking untouchability was not enough. One needed to practice what you preached. This led Gandhi to support the non-violent Vaikom satyagraha, in which a Brahmin, a Nayar, and a Dalit held hands as a team, disobeying the caste order. Brutalised by the police, this was an extraordinary satyagraha which finally led to temples of Kerala be opened to all Indians, said Guha.Thus, according to Guha, first Narayana Guru and later Ambedkar pushed Gandhi to take more and more radical positions on untouchability. It is part of the greatness of Gandhi that he was willing to change, unlike some people in power today. Gandhi went to the extent of saying he made Himalayan blunder. He was always searching, questioning, reforming, improving himself, expanding his vision.Referring to the manner in which some leaders had tried to pit BR Ambedkar against Gandhi, Guha said, while historically they have been placed in opposition, the main culprits were the Gandhians themselves who demoralised Ambedkar. In 1930s and 1940s there were visceral attacks on Ambedkar by Gandhians, saying, how dare he (Ambedkar) use polemical language on our beloved Bapu.Asserting that Gandhi had never any of objections, Guha said, he, Nehru and particularly Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, were able to have reconciliation with Ambedkar, bringing him back into the Cabinet, and making chairman for drafting the Constitution. Guha regretted, You can see many Ambedkarite intellectuals not talking about evolution of Gandhian views, refusing to recognise that no upper caste Indian reformer did more than Gandhi to challenge caste.Similarly, while Gandhis evolution on gender started with Millie Pollack, it didnt stop there. Noting how Sarojini Naidu was an important influence on him, Guha added, she sat right next to him in Ahmedabad court where he was tried in 1922. And in 1925, Sarojini Naidu was appointed president of the Indian National Congress at a time when no major political party in supposedly advanced countries could have contemplated to have a district president as female.Sharply criticising Modi for trying to appropriate Gandhi, Guha said, it was utterly deceitful for the Prime Minister to quote Gandhi on CAA, which went against one of the four pillars of swaraj  Hindu-Muslim unity. On October 2, 2019, the 150th anniversary of Gandhis birth, the New York Times allowed the Prime Minister to write an opinion piece on Gandhi. It had everything, but for what Gandhi lived and died: Hindu-Muslim harmony, Guha underscored.Even as wanting to make the four pillars of swaraj more robust, Guha insisted, one cannot blindly or mechanically follow Gandhi. Gandhi may remain a source of inspiration, but so must many others. For, one should remember, Gandhi couldnt anticipate the problems of the third decade of the 21st century. We need to draw on our own resources and we also need to draw on ideas of other great Indians, he said, adding, Karl Marx famously said towards the end of his life that I am not a Marxist, and Gandhi would have surely said I am not a Gandhian.
Results from the NRG Oncology clinical study NRG-CC001 concluded that lowering radiotherapy dose to hippocampal stem cells improves cognitive and patient-reported outcomes for patients with brain metastases. These findings were presented at Plenary Sessions at the 2018 Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) and the 2019 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meetings and are now published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

NRG-CC001 provides physicians with the information needed to offer patients a safer alternative to standard whole-brain radiotherapy. Hippocampal avoidance whole-brain radiotherapy with memantine should be a standard of care that providers offer for patients with brain metastases who are seeking whole-brain radiotherapy." Paul D. Brown, MD, Mayo Clinic and co-lead author of the NRG-CC001 manuscript

The NRG-C001 phase III trial enrolled 518 patients, which were randomly assigned to either receive whole-brain radiotherapy plus memantine with hippocampal avoidance or standard whole-brain radiotherapy plus memantine. The primary endpoint of the trial was cognitive function failure and the trial looked at secondary endpoints including overall survival, intracranial progression-free survival, toxicity, and patient-reported neurologic symptoms.

"Hippocampal avoidance during whole-brain radiotherapy in NRG-CC001 leads to a 26% relative reduction in cognitive toxicity risk following treatment. This is the first definitive and most important clinical evidence that the hippocampus is important in determining the negative effects that radiotherapy can have on cognitive function," added Vinai Gondi, MD, the Director of Research at the Northwestern Medicine Chicago Proton Center, Co-Director of the Brain Tumor Center at the Northwestern Medicine Cancer Center Warrenville, and co-lead author of the NRG-CC001 manuscript.

With a median follow up of 7.9 months, the risk of cognitive function failure was lower following hippocampal avoidance whole-brain radiotherapy versus standard whole-brain radiotherapy (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.74, 95% confidence interval: 0.58-0.95, p=0.02). The difference was attributable to less deterioration in executive function at 4 months (23.3% vs. 40.4%, p=0.01) and learning and memory at 6 months (11.5% vs. 24.7%, p=0.049, and 16.4% vs. 33.3%, p=0.02, respectively). At 6 months, patients who received whole-brain radiotherapy with hippocampal avoidance reported less fatigue (p=0.04), less difficulty remembering things (p=0.01), and less difficulty speaking (p=0.0049), in addition to fewer cognitive symptoms (p=0.01) and less interference of neurologic symptoms in daily activities (p=0.008). There was no statistically significant difference between overall survival, intracranial progression-free survival, or toxicity between treatment arms.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

A federal judge sharply criticized PG&E at a hearing in San Francisco on Wednesday, saying that the utility had fallen "far behind" in complying with its wildfire mitigation plan.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup spoke during a hearing on whether he should order PG&E to hire and train its own crew of tree trimmers in addition to using contractors to remove trees that could spark fires by falling on electrical lines.

The judge is also considering a second possible order that would restrict bonuses for supervisors until PG&E complies with the plan.

Alsup took both issues under submission and will rule at a later date after receiving more information from PG&E.

Any orders issued by the judge would be new conditions of its probation from criminal pipeline safety convictions stemming from the fatal explosion of a natural gas pipeline in San Bruno in 2010.

PG&E attorney Kevin Orsini argued it is more efficient for PG&E to work with professional contractors. He said the number of contract tree trimmers working in PG&E's 70,000-square-mile service territory grew from about 1,400 at the beginning of 2019 to 5,437 at the end of the year.

"The reality is it's a human system. It can never be 100 percent perfect. That doesn't mean we don't strive for perfection," Orsini told the judge.

Alsup eventually said, "Give me a number" of new contract tree trimmers to be hired "and a date by which you can achieve that, and I might be willing to accept that."

Alsup also heard testimony from a consultant who noticed a worn C-hook on the Cresta-Rio Oso transmission line in Butte County, near the line where a broken C-hook led to electrical arcing that sparked the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 85 people and burned 153,000 acres.

The consultant, Scott Hylton, was hired by lawyers for wildfire victims in connection with PG&E's Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, in which the utility is seeking financial reorganization in the face of liability for billions of dollars in wildfire claims.

Hylton said he noticed some wear on the hook on the Cresta-Rio Oso line in December 2018 and then more wear in a second inspection in December 2019. He then contacted PG&E and the judge.

Under questioning from Alsup, Orsini said PG&E inspectors had not recorded any problem with the hook. He said he did not know whether the reason was that they did not consider the wear to be significant, or that they missed it. He said repair has now been scheduled.

Thousands of other C-hooks have been replaced, "some with more significant wear," Orsini told the judge.

Alsup instructed PG&E lawyers to provide more information about the utility's inspections of the hook.

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D ave made a powerful statement at last night's Brit Awards, raising issues of racism and inequality in his performance of his hit song Black.

The 21-year-old rapper, who won the Album of the Year award, not only reeled off rhymes from the song, but also took aim at Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, whom he called "racist."

Dave also made reference to the Windrush generation, Grenfell and the treatment of Meghan Markle, before paying tribute to London Bridge attack victim Jack Merritt.

Downing Street has refused to comment but Home Secretary Priti Patel has defended the PM on BBC Breakfast, stating that although she didn't see Dave's performance, she believed it was "very much a generalisation."

Standout moment: Dave's performance fast became the most talked about moment of the night (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) / Getty Images

Ms Patel commented: I know the Prime Minister, I have worked with the Prime Minister for a long time, for many years. He is absolutely not a racist," before adding, "I disagree with it.

Here, we take a look at the lyrics in Black - and the added verse included in Dave's Brits 2020 performance.

Priti Patel defended PM Boris Johnson after Dave's politically-charged Brits rap (BBC ) / BBC

What was the added verse in Dave's Brits performance?

The Streatham rapper began his performance saying: It is racist, whether or not it feels racist, the truth is our Prime Ministers a real racist.

They say  You should be grateful, were the least racist. I say the least racist is still racist.

As he continued his unexpected segment, Dave commented on the treatment of the Duchess of Sussex, saying: "If you don't wanna get it then you're never get it out how the news treats Kate versus how they treat Meghan."

Dave's Black lyrics

(Courtesy of Warner Chapell and Hal Leonard Europe)

The first verse of the song opens with the lines: "Look, black is beautiful, black is excellent / Black is pain, black is joy, black is evident."

Dave also comments on the struggle of having to work "twice as hard" just to level with those who are white, despite "know[ing] you're better".

The politically-charged rap goes on to reference child soldiers and blasts slavery, stating: "Black is so much deeper than just African-American / Our heritage been severed, you never got to experiment / With family trees, 'cause they teach you 'bout famine and greed / And show you pictures of our fam on their knees."
A class 10th student of a school in Uttar Pradeshs Bareilly was detained on Tuesday for allegedly threatening to blow up his school if he was not paid 2 lakh as ransom.

The police have registered a case against the boy, who also works as a newspaper hawker, under sections 386 (extortion by invoking fear of death or grievous hurt) and 507 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to the manager of the school Anil Singh, the boy wrote a letter to the school on Sunday threatening a Pulwama-like attack if he was not paid the ransom amount and claimed to have planted bombs on the school campus and also in his house.

The police was informed immediately and it rushed a bomb disposal squad to the school which has more than 400 students. However, nothing was found in the search.

We heaved a sigh of relief when the bomb squad didnt find any explosive, said Singh.

The matter didnt end there as the school received another letter on Tuesday demanding 2 lakh and threatening with consequences.

Police investigations found that the paper used for writing the letters were torn from a science notebook following which notebooks of students of class IX and X were checked, which led to the alleged culprit.

We figured out who the accused was. When the police questioned him, he failed to give any satisfactory response and said that someone had forced him to write the letters, said SSP Shailesh Pandey.

Police say they have registered a case of extortion and were also trying to verify the involvement of a second person in the case.
Cutting across party lines,



MLAs in the Odisha Assembly on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the "gross mismanagement" in the paddy procurement during the Kharif season.

The issue was raised by senior BJD MLA and former minister Bhupinder Singh from Kalahandi district, who said the farmers faced difficulties in selling their paddy.

"The farmers in my constituency have received tokens very late for paddy procurement. Some farmers want to sell surplus paddy, but are not getting the opportunity," he said.

Singh also said as the agents of the millers turn up late at the mandis, the farmers find it difficult to sell their produce. Since this year's paddy production is good, the government should take steps for paddy procurement effectively.

BJD member and deputy government whip Rohit Pujari said the farmers face difficulty in mandis due to the token system mandatory to sale paddy.

BJD MLA Kishore Kumar Mohanty also expressed concern about the "mismanagement" in paddy procurement and urged the government to take adequate measures in this regard and mitigate the suffering of the agrarian community.

BJP MLA Jayanarayan Mishra said although the concerned minister and the secretary of the department have been directed to take adequate measures to sort out the problem, nothing has been done so far in this regard.

"The government introduced the token system forcibly which is causing difficulty for the farmers," Mishra said, adding that heaps of paddy at all the mandis speaks about the "mismanagement".

Leader of the Opposition Pradipta Kumar Nayak of BJP blamed the state government for the "miseries" of farmers. He said a huge quantity of paddy have been damaged due to lack of storing facilities in mandis.

Congress legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra said farmers face difficulty as there is no mechanism to know the quality of paddy they bring to mandis for sale.

Speaker S N Patro in a ruling asked the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister to take up the matter with MLAs and make a statement in the House on the alleged mismanagement in paddy procurement.

Minister R P Swain, however, said that the state government has so far purchased 43 lakh metric tonne of paddy.

"We have made arrangement to extend the last date for facilitating farmers to sell their surplus paddy," the minister said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A government notice which requires couples in the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak to sleep in different beds has sparked controversy in China.

The order was said to be issued by officials from one community of Xianning in Hubei Province, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

A document circulating on social media shows the local authority has demanded married couples to sleep separately from February 17. A spokesperson said the rule only applies on those suspected to have the disease.

Married couples living in one community in Xianning, China's Hubei Province, have been told to sleep in separate beds to 'completely blocks the spread of the epidemic'. The picture shows a couple wearing protective masks walking on the street on Valentine's Day in Guangzhou

The epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak has tightened its restrictions further on its 58 million residents during a sweeping lockdown to curb the virus, which has killed at least 2,012

A notice circulating on social media appears to show the rule issued by officials in Xianning

According to the directive, issued by the authority of the South Avenue neighbourhood, the policy was approved by its the high-ups and aims to 'completely blocks the spread of the epidemic'.

It orders the locals to sleep and eat separately from other family members, wear face masks at home and take their body temperatures every day.

Residents are also banned from leaving their homes unless they need to go to the hospital. Their necessities will be purchased and delivered by officials once every five days, according to the new rules.

The demands have sparked an outcry on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter, but many people initially thought they could not sleep in the same bed with their partner even if they were not in quarantine.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 2,012 people and infected more than 75,000 globally

One netizen condemned the officials by asking them: 'Why are you meddling in the middle to monitor if others sleep in separate beds or not?'

Another person seconded: 'How about sending a volunteer to inspect in the middle?'

A third critic wrote: 'The same house and same air. Are these measures really useful?'

There were also supporters, such as one participant who said: 'It is actually a good thing. It is best for those in home quarantine not to stay in the same room [to prevent] cross infection.'

A spokesperson from the community told reporters that only those having symptoms need to follow the rules.

China's Hubei Province, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, has tightened its restrictions further on its residents during a sweeping lockdown to curb the epidemic. All residential compounds must now arrange security staff to check the temperature of passersby

A new government notice bans citizens across the province from leaving their homes unless there are 'special circumstances'. Officials have also ordered citizens in Wuhan to stay at least 1.5 metres (five feet) away from each other on the street if they must leave their buildings

Yu Xia, the Communist Party Secretary of the neighbourhood told Pear Video: 'The incubation period of the disease is quite long. It is right for couples to sleep in different beds if [they are] not sure [of their health condition].'

She added: 'Unless there are special situations, [people] shall not come out. Be good and stay at home. Things will become normal after a while.'

Hubei, situated in central China, accounts for more than 80 per cent of the confirmed cases and 95 per cent of the deaths globally.

Overnight, the regional health officials reported 1,693 new cases out of a nationwide total of 1,749 and 132 of the 136 new deaths across China.

The epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak has tightened its restrictions further on its 58 million residents during a sweeping lockdown to curb the epidemic.

The Chinese province of Hubei is now only allowing one person of each household to go out once every three days to buy life necessities.

Officials have also ordered citizens in Wuhan - where the virus originated - to stay at least five feet away from each other on the street to prevent the spread of the illness, which has killed at least 1,873 people and infected more than 73,330 worldwide.

Wuhan, the provincial capital with 11 million residents, went into lockdown on January 23 in the wake of the outbreak. The majority part of Hubei then followed suit.

The novel coronavirus epidemic has killed over 2,000 people in China and infected more than 75,000, and has spread to at least two dozen countries around the world.
After Delhi debacle, Congress leader Intikhab Alam ahead of the plenary session has written a letter to the party's supremo Sonia Gandhi, demanding a nationwide voter connect programme for one month to reach out to every citizen in the country.

Alam, a Congress leader from Bihar, who claims to have support of many leaders in the party, in his letter to the party chief said that "party should launch one month programme to connect voters, asking them why they don't vote for Congress".

In the letter, the AICC member has requested Gandhi to launch a programme from "panchayat to state level".

He said that there should be a "feedback questionnaire" why people are not voting for the party and why they are upset with Congress.

The party's vote share in Delhi has reduced to less than 5 per cent with 65 candidates lost their deposit in the elections where the party ruled for 15 years.

Congress next litmus test is in Bihar where elections are due this year.

Congress is conceding its share to the regional parties," said Alam.
Friendswood police are working to determine if three burglary incidents in the West Ranch neighborhood and a fourth in nearby Friendswood Cove are related, according to a bulletin from the citys police department.

In the first incident, a homeowner confronted someone pulling on car door handles at 1:56 a.m. Feb. 4 in the 3500 block of Firenze Drive, police said. The suspect, described as a man wearing a backpack, reportedly fled the neighborhood on foot.

In the same subdivision, a suspect was captured on camera entering an unlocked vehicle in the 3500 block of Arezzo Circle, police said. The suspect was described as a man in his 20s or 30s who wore a dark hoodie and light pants, according to the report. Nothing was reported stolen from the vehicle.

Nearby, a vehicle title and $60 were stolen from an unlocked vehicle in the 3500 block of Cortona Lane, according to a Feb. 4 police report.

Finally, $3 was reported stolen from an unlocked vehicle Feb. 4 in the 3200 block of Tyler Court, police said. A neighbors surveillance camera captured an image of the suspect at 1:30 a.m., according to the report. The suspect was described as a slim man, 6 feet tall and wearing a light-colored sweatshirt and hoodie, matching sweatpants, black shoes and a backpack, police said.

In other news from police, officers investigated six reports of fraud

Burglary

A bottle of cologne, a sweater, three phone chargers and a jacket were reported stolen from an unlocked vehicle Feb. 4 at Bay Meadows Apartments, 17201 Blackhawk Blvd., police said.

Fraud

A Friendswood woman was scammed out of $1,000 in eBay cards through an email asking her to verify an Amazon purchase, according to a Feb. 4 police report. When she contacted the number provided to dispute the purchase, she was told to buy five $200 cards and provide the codes to the customer service rep, police said.

A Friendswood woman checked her Valero statement and found two unauthorized charges in Houston, according to a Feb. 5 police report.

A check written to a paint company for $175.33 was cashed for $6,500, according to a Feb. 6 police report. A clerk at the victims bank reportedly said the check appeared to have been altered by chemical washing and made out to an individual.

A Friendswood man dropped his wallet in the parking lot of an Alvin Pizza Hut in October 2019 and later that day received a fraud alert about his debit card as well as a debit card belonging to his mother, according to a Feb. 7 police report. The unauthorized activity occurred at Walmart in League City, police said.

A Friendswood man reported unauthorized charges on his credit card in Las Vegas as well as the compromise of his Social Security number Feb. 8, police said.

Two credit card accounts were opened fraudulently using a Friendswood mans identity, according to a Feb. 9 police report. Both accountsDillards and Floor and Decorhad charges on them, police said. The cards reportedly arrived in the mail along with several other rejected credit card applications.

Assault

Police charged a Shepherd man, 49, with assault by contact after he allegedly confronted a driver revving his engine Feb. 3 at Sonic, 806 S. Friendswood Drive. The suspect is accused of reaching into the other drivers car, slapping the victim and berating the victims ethnicity, police said.

A 23-year-old Houston woman was charged with assault by contact after she allegedly punched a co-worker in the face during a company meeting Feb. 4 at Low T Center, 347 E. Parkwood Ave, police said.

Friendwood police issued a warrant charging a 51-year-old Friendswood man with assault, family violence after an incident Feb. 9 in the 900 block of Laurelfield Drive. A woman reportedly had requested an ambulance because she was bleeding from the head. Officers arrived and tended to the womans injuries but could not find the suspect, police said. He left in a black Chevrolet Suburban, according to the report.

Narcotics

Police charged a Dickinson man, 37, with possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop for a license plate violation and failure to signal a turn Feb. 3 in the 2900 block of FM 528. He reportedly had two felony warrants and was taken into custody. A vehicle search yielded methamphetamine, police said.

A La Porte man, 40, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia after a traffic stop for expired registration Feb. 8 in the 3100 block of FM 528, police said. The officer reportedly found marijuana and cocaine residue during a vehicle search.

Driving while intoxicated

A Friendswood man, 43, was charged with DWI Feb. 7 in the 15900 block of Hope Village Road, police said. He allegedly ran a stop sign and made an unsignaled turn.

Police charged a Pearland man, 24, with DWI after a traffic stop for failure to maintain a single lane Feb. 7 in the 15300 block of Wandering Trail.

Police charged a 45-year-old League City man with DWI after a witness reported a reckless driver Feb. 8 near FM 2351 and Blackhawk Boulevard. Police found the vehicle in a gas station parking lot, according to the report. The man was in the drivers seat with the engine running, and he failed a field sobriety test, police said. After taking the man into custody, the officer reportedly observed an open can of beer on the vehicles floor.

Police charged a Friendswood man, 67, with DWI after a traffic stop for speeding and failure to maintain a single lane Feb. 8 in the 300 block of East Parkwood Avenue.

A Friendswood woman, 48, was charged with DWI after a traffic stop for speeding and driving with her high beams in use Feb. 8 in the 1400 block of West Parkwood Avenue, police said.

Police charged a La Porte man, 43, with DWI Feb. 9 in the 1300 block of South Friendswood Drive. He allegedly was driving 20 mph in a 45 mph zone with his high beams in use.

A 27-year-old Alvin man was charged with DWI after a traffic stop for speeding Feb. 9 in the 300 block of East Parkwood Avenue, police said. He allegedly failed a field sobriety test. An intoxicated passenger was released to the custody of an adult, according to the report.

Traffic

Police charged a Houston man, 23, with no drivers license after a traffic stop for speeding Feb. 7 in the 900 block of South Friendswood Drive.

Police charged a 19-year-old Houston man with reckless driving after he allegedly made a series of abrupt, unsignaled lane changes to overtake and pass other motorists Feb. 8 in the 2100 block of West Parkwood Avenue. Once he passed the other motorists, he accelerated and was caught on radar at 103 mph, police said. Marijuana residue, cigarillos and lighters were found inside his vehicle, according to the report.

An Alvin man, 37, was charged with driving while license invalid Feb. 9 in the 3000 block of FM 528, police said.

Tobacco

A 15-year-old Friendswood High School student was found in possession of several disposable e-cigarettes, according to a Feb. 6 police report. A summons to appear in municipal court is pending.
Indian universities had a good performance year within the emerging economies of the world as a record 11 made it to the top 100 Times Higher Education's (THE) Emerging Economies University Rankings 2020.

Only China has more universities than India in the top 100 at 30 from a total of 47 countries and territories included in the analysis released in London on Tuesday evening.

A total of 56 Indian universities appear in the full ranking of a total of 533 universities across emerging economies of the world.

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), ranked 16th, is India's top-ranked institution followed by the Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs).

"There has long been a debate about the success of Indian universities in world rankings, and for too long they have been seen as underperforming on the global stage," notes Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer for the THE.

"The Emerging Economies University Rankings 2020 suggests that real progress is being made by a number of institutions in a number of metrics across our robust methodology, and could mark an exciting turning point for Indian higher education, enabled in part by the Institutes of Eminence scheme," he said.

The Indian government's Institutes of Eminence scheme was established in 2017 and one of its participating universities, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, has entered the top 100 for the first time, moving up a huge 51 places from joint 141st in 2019.

Amrita declared improvements in almost all the ranking metrics compared to 2019, THE notes.

The other universities included in the Institutes of Eminence scheme that appear in the top 100 mark the biggest improvers in the ranking with IIT Kharagpur moving up 23 places to 32nd, IIT Delhi improving by 28 places to joint 38th and IIT Madras climbing 12 places to joint 63rd.

Indian Institute of Technology Ropar and Institute of Chemical Technology are entering the ranking for the first time, and both debut in the top 100.

The Institutes of Eminence scheme provides participating universities with government funding and greater autonomy with the aim of moving them into the top 100 of the world university rankings, including Times Higher Education's World University Ranking, over time.

The expectation is that this will be achieved through a number of changes including an increase in foreign students and staff, offering online courses and encouraging academic collaboration with other top universities around the world.

This year marks only the second time that 11 Indian institutions have held top 100 positions since the ranking began in 2014, when much fewer universities took part in the ranking globally.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
There is fresh hope for ailing Nollywood actor, Ernest Asuzu as wife of the Governor of Anambra State, Dr Ebelechukwu Obiano has paid him a visit at a private ward in Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka, where he is currently on admission.

The actor is receiving treatment at the teaching hospital, courtesy of the governors wife.

Recall that Ernest had in November last year gone down with partial paralysis; forcing him to solicit financial help from the public on social media.

Dr. Mrs Obiano saw the video online and immediately asked that he be moved to the state-owned hospital for immediate treatment and counseling. The state government is responsible for his treatment and upkeep.

On the heels of the visit today by wife of the Governor of Anambra state, to ailing Nollywood star, his colleagues based in Anambra including Bob-Manuel Udokwu, Obi Dike, Bibiana Nwankwo, Uju Edochie etc paid him a solidarity visit.

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A missing 87-year-old woman thought to have fallen into a flooded river is feared to become the sixth death from Storm Dennis in five days.

Jean Disney was last seen in the Devon town of Tiverton at 3am on Monday morning, and is thought to have fallen into the River Exe.

Emergency services have been carrying out searches as well as members of the public, who have been urged to keep away from the swollen river.

Police continued to search for Jean Disney, 87, of Tiverton, Devon, who is thought to have fallen into the River Exe

Mountain rescue teams and the fire service are involved in the major search on the River Exe

Mountain rescue teams and firefighters are involved in the search for Ms Disney, who was wearing a dark coloured jacket over a dressing gown at the time.

Police co-ordinating the search have asked members of the public carrying out their own searches to stay away from flooded areas.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: 'These searches are currently confined to the River Exe, as evidence at this time has strongly indicated that Jean fell into the water in the early hours of Monday.

'Police are aware that local residents and concerned members of the public have been organising their own searches.

'Officers strongly urge anyone wishing to assist not to approach any areas immediately adjacent to the river, or any other flooded areas.'

Ms Disney was last seen in the Johns Way area of Tiverton and has been described by police as of 'average build, with short grey hair'.

It comes after five people died during Storm Dennis, including two men whose bodies were recovered off the Kent coast over the weekend.

A man in his 60s died on Sunday after being pulled from the River Tawe near Trebanos Rugby Club in the Swansea Valley.

Kenneth Macartney (left) was killed during Storm Ciara in Hampshire on February 9; and Yvonne Booth (right) died in Storm Dennis in Worcestershire. Her body was found on Monday

Hill walker Richard Armstrong, 42, from Cumbria, plunged nearly 100ft from the path for the 3,278ft-high Scottish mountain Stob Ban in Lochaber on Sunday.

And in Worcestershire, Yvonne Booth, 55, became stranded in her car and was carried by fast-flowing water near a bridge which crosses the River Teme, near Tenbury Wells on Sunday. Her body was recovered on Monday evening.

Anyone with information about Jean Disney is asked to call detectives on 999, quoting log number 63 of February 17
Two Passengers From Cruise Ship Die: Coronavirus Updates From Feb. 19

Countries around the world are taking measures to stem the spread of the new coronavirus disease, dubbed COVID-19, as the death toll continues to rise.

This page has updates from Feb. 19. For updates from Feb. 20, click here.

Two Passengers From Cruise Ship Die

Two passengers from a coronavirus-hit cruise ship moored near Tokyo have died, public broadcaster NHK said on Thursday, as a second group of passengers began disembarking after two-weeks quarantined onboard.

More than 620 of the passengers on the Diamond Princess liner have been infected on the ship, which has been quarantined since Feb. 3, initially with about 3,700 people on board.

NHK, citing a government source, said the passengers were a man and woman in their 80s.

The rapid spread of the diseaseJapan has well over half of the known cases outside Chinahas sparked criticism of authorities just months before Tokyo is due to host the Summer Olympics.

Read more here.

Passengers look out from the cruise ship Diamond Princess, docked in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan on Feb. 19, 2020. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Beijing Expels 3 Reporters Over Virus Coverage

China announced that it revoked the press credentials of three Wall Street Journal reporters on Feb. 19, marking the countrys largest expulsion of foreign media in decades.

Beijing made the decision in retaliation over the publications Feb. 3 column headlined China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Wednesday.

The agencys deputy bureau chief Josh Chin, and reporter Chao Deng, both U.S. nationals, as well as reporter Philip Wen, an Australian, were told to leave the country in five days, according to the paper.

The three reporters, all stationed in Beijing, had no involvement with the commentary piece.

Read more here.

Russia to Let in Some Chinese

Russias entry ban for Chinese nationals will be partial and only affect those who travel with tourist, private, student and work visas, the countrys Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, clarifying the conditions of a sweeping entry ban for Chinese citizens announced the day before.

Visitors with official, business, humanitarian, and transit visas will still be allowed into the country, the Ministry said.

The ban goes into effect on Thursday at midnight Moscow time (2100 GMT). It was announced by the Russian government on Tuesday amid the new coronavirus outbreak centered in China that has infected tens of thousands of people worldwide.

The measure is one of many Russia has taken to keep the virus from spreading. The country so far has reported three confirmed cases of the COVID-19 diseasetwo Chinese citizens in Russia who were treated and released, and a Russian national infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Russia suspended all trains to China and North Korea, shut down its land border with China and Mongolia, and extended a school vacation for Chinese students until March 1. Hundreds of Russians who returned from China this year have been hospitalized as a precaution, and medics continue to monitor more than 14,000 people in total.

The MS Westerdam cruise ship is docked at the pier in Sihanoukville, Cambodia on Feb. 19, 2020. (Clare Baldwin/Reuters)

Nearly 800 Cruise Ship Passengers Test Negative

The nearly 800 remaining cruise ship passengers in Cambodia have tested negative for the new coronavirus, the Cambodian Ministry of Health said.

The 781 people sailed on Holland America Lines Westerdam ship. Some other passengers were released and flew out of the country but the ones still in Cambodia were held and screened after an American woman who flew to Malaysia late last week tested positive for the new COVID-19 virus.

In a statement, Holland America Line said no more tests will be done on the hundreds of passengers still in Cambodia.

This completes the guests testing. These results provide the required clearance for remaining guests in Cambodia to begin their onward journey home. The company is working to finalize arrangements for everyone. Those who traveled home previously will be contacted by their local health department and provided further information, the company said.

The cruise ship will stay in the waters alongside Sihanoukville for at least a few more days until testing is complete on the 747 crew members on board.

Read more here.

Virus May Be Detectable Before Symptoms Emerge: Study

Testing can confirm patients have the new coronavirus before they show symptoms, according to a new study.

Multiple countries have confirmed cases of the virus among people who are not showing symptoms.

The new report in the New England Journal of Medicine examined 126 people from Germany who were quarantined after being evacuated from Hubei Province in China, where the virus emerged in December 2019.

Researchers said its not clear whether people who have the virus but arent showing symptoms can pass on the virus, a process known as asymptomatic transmission. U.S. officials are among those who have said its clear asymptomatic transmission of the new virus is happening.

Workers go door to door to check the temperature of residents during a health screening campaign in the Qingheju Community, Qingshan District of Wuhan in central Chinas Hubei Province. (Cheng Min/Xinhua via AP)

Iran Reports First Cases, Then Deaths

Iranian authorities confirmed on Wednesday two cases of the new coronavirus.

Later in the day, officials said the two patients died.

IRNA quoted Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to the countrys health minister, as saying that both of the victims had been carrying the coronavirus and were located in Qom, about 140 kilometers (86 miles) south of the capital Tehran. Irans Mehrs news agency said the the patients were both Iranians.

ISNA quoted an official in the countrys health ministry, Kiyanoush Jahanpour, as saying that since last two days, some suspected cases of the new coronavirus were found.

Trump Might Attend 2020 Olympics

U.S. President Donald Trump said he might attend the 2020 Olympics, which are scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan, in July.

Trump told reporters in Los Angeles on Wednesday that he was invited by Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Well make that determination. We havent made it yet, but we might. Were going to try, if we can, he said.

The Tokyo Olympics are at risk of happening at a limited scale, or not happening at all, due to the new coronavirus that has continued spreading worldwide since emerging from China in December 2019. But organizers have thus far said the games will still take place as scheduled.

Trump was speaking during a briefing with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Los Angeles is slated to host the Olympics in 2028.

People walk to a taxi queue after leaving the cruise ship Diamond Princess, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan on Feb. 19, 2020. (Kim Kyung-hoon/Reuters)

Japan and South Korea Report Big Jump in Cases

The Novel Coronavirus crisis has deepened in both Japan and South Korea, after both countries reported a large number of new confirmed cases of the virus on Feb. 19.

Japans Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare said that 79 cases were confirmed after testing 607 people aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which sees its 14-day quarantine at Yokohama end today.

Of the 79 cases, 68 do not have symptoms of the virus.

Meanwhile, South Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 20 new cases of the virus on Wednesday, raising the countrys total from 31 to 51. Fifteen are contacts of a 61-year-old woman, including 14 who attend the same church.

Read more here.

Chinese people wear protective masks as they briefly play at a shopping mall in Beijing, China on Feb. 18, 2020. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

North Korea Has Quarantines in Place: Envoy

North Korea has imposed a strict quarantine around foreigners or returning nationals who display fever on entering the country, but has found no cases of coronavirus yet, its envoy to the United Nations in Geneva claimed on Wednesday.

Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it had no indications that the new coronavirus had spread to North Korea, after South Korean media suggested there were cases and deaths there that were being covered up by the Pyongyang authorities. North Korea shares hundreds of miles of border with China, where the virus emerged in December 2019.

Han Tae Song, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) ambassador to U.N. organizations in Geneva, said its officials had extended the quarantine period to some 30 daysdouble the 14-day incubation period for the virus.

(There has been) no case of the outbreak of coronavirus, Han said in Geneva. We have a strict quarantine in certain areas for certain times. Asked about suspect cases, he said: The main suspects could be travelers who visited other countriesNorth Korean as well as foreigners.

I was informed that we extended the quarantine, actually it was 14 days, but according to scientific results, coronavirus could break out even 3 weeks later. That is why we extended to 30 days quarantine  Prevention is less cost than cure.

Virologist: Tokyo Olympics Probably Couldnt Be Held Now

A respected Japanese virologist on Wednesday said if the Tokyo Olympics were tomorrow, the games probably couldnt be held because of the fast-spreading virus from Wuhan, China.

We need to find the best way to have a safe Olympics, Dr. Hitoshi Oshitani said, speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan. Right now we dont have an effective strategy, and I think it may be difficult to have the Olympics [now]. But by the end of July we may be in a different situation.

The local Tokyo Olympic organizing committee and the International Olympic Committee have repeatedly said over the last few weeks that they are following the advice of the World Health Organization and that the games will go on.

But with every passing day, the impact of the virus seems to spread and so does the fallout: Olympic qualifying events are canceled or postponed, travel gets difficult, and athletes and families are left wondering. Not to mention sponsors and broadcasting networks that have invested billions of dollars in the Olympics.

The modern Olympics dating from 1896 has only been canceled during wartime, and in 1980 and 1984 it went on with boycotts.

Oshitani, a former adviser with the WHO who worked on the SARS outbreak almost 20 years ago, was hopeful but sowed some uncertainty about the July 24-Aug. 9 Olympics.

Im not sure [of] the situation in Japan at the end of July, he said, answering in English. But probably we will not have large outbreaks in Japan in July.

Oshitani said he was most concerned about a Wuhan-type outbreak taking place in Africa or other parts of Asia and having cases imported into Japan. He said if that happened it may get difficult to have the Olympics. But he also suggested Japan might be able to handle it.

So what we have to do now is try to prevent such a thing from happening, he added, saying the Japanese government should support countries so they dont have that kind of situation.

Hitoshi Oshitani, Professor of Department of Virology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, speaks during a press conference in Tokyo on Feb. 19, 2020. (Stephen Wade/AP Photo)

Hong Kong, Taiwan Report New Infections

An 83-year-old Hong Kong woman has been infected with the Novel Coronavirus, according to Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Center for Health Protection.

The woman is the mother of Hong Kongs 60th confirmed case, and the mother-in-law of the citys 57th confirmed case.

With the new case, Hong Kong now has 63 known cases of coronavirus.

Lau Ka-hin, chief manager of quality and standards at Hong Kongs Hospital Authority, provided more insight into the citys second death, which was widely reported by Hong Kong media earlier today.

Lau said that the dead man had been suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, and poor kidney function before being infected with the virus. The man passed away at around 7 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

Chuang Shuk-kwan (L), head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Center for Health Protection, and Lau Ka-hin, chief manager of quality and standards at Hong Kongs Health Authority, speak at a press conference in Hong Kong on Feb. 19, 2020. (Bill Cox/The Epoch Times)

Taiwans Centers for Disease Control announced on Wednesday one new infection case, bringing the islands total known cases to 23.

The new case involves a 66-year-old woman, who is the younger sister of Taiwans first death due to coronavirusa taxi driver who had picked up many Taiwanese businessmen returning from Macau, Hong Kong, and China before passing away.

Aside from the younger sister, three other family members of the taxi driver have been infected with the virus.

Quarantined Passengers Disembarking Ship in Japan

Hundreds of people began disembarking a quarantined virus-hit cruise ship off Japan on Wednesday.

About 500 passengers were due to leave the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama near Tokyo, NHK reported. The entire process is expected to be completed by Friday, Reuters reported.

A member of the media approaches a passenger as he walks out from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, Japan, on Feb. 19, 2020. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

The ship was quarantined on Feb. 3 after a former passenger was diagnosed with the virus in Hong Kong. More than 540 people have since been infected out of about 3,700 passengers and crew on board, culminating in the largest concentration of infections outside mainland China.

The United States has flown home more than 300 American evacuees from the ship. Other countries are lining up to collect their citizens, including Australians, whose flight was due to arrive in Japan later on Wednesday.

Only passengers who had tested negative for the virus and did not show symptoms during quarantine would be allowed to leave the ship. Those who tested negative but were in cabins with infected people would remain on board for additional quarantine, Japanese officials said.

Read more here.

Passengers walk out from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan on Feb. 19, 2020. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

South Korean Plane Evacuates 7 From Japan

A South Korean government plane returned from Japan with seven evacuees early Wednesday.

According to South Korean media reports, the seven evacuees on the chartered flight were six South Koreans and a Japanese spouse.

They were among 14 South Koreans aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, docked off Japanthe site of the largest known outbreak of the new coronavirus outside China. The ship has been quarantined since early Feb. 3, but it is set to end Wednesday.

The Air Force VCN-235 touched down in western Seouls Gimpo International Airport at 6:27 a.m., about four hours after leaving Tokyos Haneda Airport, according to KBS World. The aircraft earlier arrived at Haneda Airport on Tuesday afternoon.

The evacuees are set to undergo isolation in South Korea for 14 days at Incheon International Airports quarantine office, according to the international broadcasting service.

Medical staff are seen outside Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong on Feb. 4, 2020. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

Hong Kong Reports Second Death

A 70-year-old man in Hong Kong has died of the Novel Coronavirus on Wednesday morning, bringing the total number of COVID-19-linked deaths in the city to two.

The man was hospitalized at the Princess Margaret Hospital on Feb. 12 after he fell ill at home, Hong Kong media RTHK reported. He was then tested positive for the virus. He had already been suffering from a cough and shortness of breath for more than 10 days.

Read more here.

South Korea Reports Leap in New Cases

South Korea reported on Wednesday 15 new cases of the new coronavirus, raising the countrys total to 46.

The countrys Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in an update that 13 of the new cases were confirmed in Daegu city in North Gyeongsang province, 185 miles southeast of Seoul.

Of the new cases, the KCDC said that 11 are contacts of the 31st coronavirus case in the countrya 61-year-old South Korean woman who lives in Daegu. Ten of the new cases attend the same church as the woman.

The woman was confirmed to have the coronavirus on Tuesday but had developed a fever as early as Feb. 10. According to AFP, she had reportedly refused to be tested for the new coronavirus as she had not recently traveled abroad.

Also among the new cases in South Korea is a 77-year-old man who has not been abroad. Another case involves an 11-year-old daughter of the countrys 20th confirmed casea 41-year-old Korean female who tested positive for the virus on Feb. 5 while in self-quarantine.

4 New Cases in Singapore

Singapores Ministry of Health on Tuesday announced four new cases of coronavirus.

Three of the new cases are linked to a cluster of cases at the Grace Assembly of God church, which already had 16 confirmed cases. The other case is a family member of a previous case in Singapore.

All four are in critical condition, reported Channel News Asia.

The Tuesday update also noted that the countrys 76th casea 1-year-old child who contracted COVID-19 after he was evacuated from Wuhan on Feb. 9 without symptomshas since fully recovered from the infection and was discharged from the hospital.

Chinese Regime Deploys 1,600 Internet Trolls

The propaganda department in virus-stricken Hubei Province has engaged over 1,600 censors to scrub the internet of sensitive information relating to the coronavirus outbreak, according to an internal document obtained by The Epoch Times.

The internal report, dated Feb. 15, detailed the agencys efforts to ramp up censorship measures. It was drafted after a speech given by Chinese leader Xi Jinping via video link on Feb. 10 to frontline responders of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, where the virus first broke out.

The revelations come as the Chinese regime tightens information controls over the worsening outbreak, as netizens have increasingly turned to the Internet to vent their frustrations about the authorities response, or document what is happening on the ground.

Read more here.

Mimi Nguyen Ly, Frank Fang, Cathy He, Eva Fu, Zachary Stieber, the Associated Press, and Reuters contributed to this report.

For updates from Feb. 18, click here.
JUNEAU, Alaska - Gov. Mike Dunleavy has named a former Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly member to a vacant state House seat.

Glenn Mike Prax would replace former Rep. Tammie Wilson of North Pole. Wilson resigned last month to become a policy adviser in the state health department.

Praxs appointment is subject to approval by House Republicans.

He served on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly from 1997 to 2000.

Dunleavy previously appointed Prax to the Alaska State Board of Public Accountancy and Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission. If confirmed as a legislator, Prax would have to step down from those appointments, Dunleavy spokesman Jeff Turner said.
A teenage relative of a slain ISIS terrorist was shot dead by mistake after intervening in an argument involving his younger cousin.

Omar Elomar, 18, was gunned down outside a park on Cabramatta Avenue at Miller, in Sydney's south-west, about 11.10pm on Saturday.

But Daily Mail Australia can now reveal Omar wasn't the initial target of the shooting - rather, the assassins were after his 15-year-old cousin.

At his funeral at Sydney's Lakemba Mosque on Wednesday, grieving relatives said he had told his cousin to run when he spotted his would-be attackers.

Scroll down for video

Omar Elomar (pictured) was gunned down in a western Sydney park on Saturday night after he intervened in an argument between his younger cousin and rival schoolboys

Omar's relative Mohamed Elomar (pictured) was infamously pictured holding severed heads in his hand while fighting for ISIS in Syria, before later dying in a drone strike in 2015

Omar Elomar's body is carried out of Lakemba Mosque after his funeral on Wednesday afternoon

Relatives said a fight broke out between Omar's cousin, his friends and children from another school near Miller Park on Saturday.

Tensions had already been high and so calls went out for a number of older relatives to help settle the dispute peacefully.

But soon after the groups arrived at the scene, the confrontation exploded.

Witnesses claim one of the older relatives pointed a gun at Omar's cousin and pulled the trigger, but the weapon misfired.

Omar told him: 'Quick, run'.

Witnesses said the gunman then turned to Omar and shot him in the chest, before he and other members of his group fled in a stolen car.

NSW Police remain on the hunt for his killer, with the homicide squad having taken over the investigation.

Hundreds of mourners turned out at Lakemba Mosque in western Sydney to farewell the teenager on Wednesday.

Tributes have flowed for him in the days since his death, with relatives telling how he desperately wanted to become a lawyer and leave the notoriety over his family name behind him.

Omar was farewelled by hundreds of mourners at Lakemba Mosque, in Sydney's west

The youngster's funeral was one of three to be held at the prominent mosque on Wednesday

His relative Shayma Elomar paid tribute on Facebook, describing how the teenager wanted to become a 'lawyer'

The 18-year-old was left to die by his silver Lexus which was towed away by detectives

Family and mourners watch on as Omar's body is placed in a hearse outside Lakemba Mosque

'Somebody thought it was OK to take away one of the two and only brothers I have,' his sister Shayma Elomar wrote on Facebook.

'Omar I have no f**king words! I have no more ambition for life. Omar wanted to be a lawyer... (he) was going places in life.

'Anyone who knew this beautiful soul knew how happy and amazing he was, his smile could light up any dark room.'

The teenager's death gained additional attention because of his relation to a number of criminals including former ISIS fighter Mohamed Elomar.

Daily Mail Australia understands Omar is a direct relative of Ibrahim Elomar, an uncle to Mohamed and Ahmed Elomar.

Mohamed was infamously pictured holding severed heads in his hands while fighting for Islamic State in Syria.

Ahmed Elomar (pictured) previously spent three years in jail for bashing a police officer during the Hyde Park riots in 2012

Omar embraces his direct relative Ibrahim Elomar (far left and far right), who was jailed along with his brother Madmouh Elomar (right) in 2017. Mamdouh is the father of Mohamed Elomar

Omar's coffin (front with black cloth) is carried out of Lakemba Mosque by relatives and mourners

After flying from Sydney to Syria in 2013 he quickly rose through the IS ranks, before being killed in a drone strike in 2015.

Mohamed's brother Ahmed previously spent three years in jail for bashing a police officer during the Hyde Park riots in 2012.

Ibrahim Elomar and his brother Mamdouh, the father of Mohamed and Ahmed, were sentenced to 20 months in prison for trying to bribe officials to receive construction contracts. They were released from jail in mid-2019.

The shooting happened directly outside the home of Raed Kalal, who told The Daily Telegraph he tried in vain to perform CPR on the teenager.

'I've heard a gunshot, ran out, called the ambulance, started doing CPR and the bloke died straight away and that was it,' Mr Kalal said.

Forensic officers (pictured) search the park - which is popular with children and located next to Miller Park Technology School - for evidence on Sunday morning

Forensics taped off the park and swarmed the area in a search for evidence on Sunday morning, a time when it is normally full of young families

'I tried CPR, mouth to mouth I had my phone on the ground and the ambulance they were (talking to me).

'I tried my best I'll try save any life, doesn't matter who it is.'

Locals in the area said they heard what sounded like a 'party' coming from the park in the hours before the shooting.

Elomar's Lexus - which had red P-plates on it - and three other cars, including a black Toyota Corolla, a white VW hatchback and a purple Nissan Tiida, were seized by NSW Police detectives.
Shooting is currently underway for the highly anticipated sequel for the 2016 anti-hero driven film Suicide Squad.

And Margot Robbie looked ready for battle alongside co-stars Idris Elba, Steve Agee, Alice Braga, and David Dastmalchian on set of Suicide Squad 2 last Friday in Colon, Panama.

Idris, Agee, Braga, and Dastmalchian were seen for the first time in costume as their supernatural alter egos during the day's action packed shoot.

They're back! Margot Robbie was spotted on set with her The Suicide Squad co-stars (L-R) Alice Braga, Idris Elba, Steve Agee, and David Dastmalchian last Friday in Colon, Panama

Margot debuted her character Harley Quinn's latest look for the DC sequel last Thursday, as she stepped out on set in an elegant ensemble that rivaled the villain's usual hot pants and T-shirt combo.

And the 29-year-old actress reappeared during last Friday's shoot in a dirtied version of Quinn's regal red dress.

Robbie, wielding a lengthy spear, rocked her character's signature two-toned piggy tails, which hung down both her shoulders.

The Oscar nominated actress sported Quinn's vast tattoo collection, which could be seen on her arms and face.

Elba, 47, had his infamously muscular frame accentuated in a bulky iron-glad suit.

Ready for battle: Robbie, wielding a spear, looked ready for battle as she stood on her mark

Newbies:

In April of 2019, Variety confirmed that Elba would be joining the infamous band of anti-heroes as a new - and still unannounced - character.

Agee, 50, donning a CGI suit will morph into King Shark for the film, while Dastmalchian, 42, suited up in white and polka-dot for his portrayal of the appropriately named Polka-Dot Man.

I Am Legend actress Alice Braga, 36, rounded out the sequel's cast of newcomers, as she posed intimidatingly in steam punk inspired garb as her undisclosed character to the left of Idris.

Missing from action during Friday's shoot were the film's other stars Nathan Fillion and John Cena who are currently in the Central American country for shooting.

Where it all began: Margot Robbie returns to her role as the infamous Harley Quinn for the highly anticipated sequel expected to hit theaters on August 6; Robbie pictured as Quinn in Suicide Squad released in 2016

Filming on the superhero sequel began back in September in Georgia.

Suicide Squad 2 will be Robbie's third time as anti-heroine Harley Quinn. The star just reprised the role in Birds Of Prey, which came out earlier this month.

The film had a disappointing opening weekend likely because many movie theaters were closed in China due to the spread of the Coronavirus.

DC fans will have to wait until summer for the sequel -- Suicide Squad 2 is set for release August 6, 2021.

Suicide Squad originally hit theaters in in August of 2016 and went on to rake in an astounding $746.8million dollars worldwide.
Last years sweeping education reform bill, House Bill 3, included new allotments to state funding, including an allotment for dyslexia services. But, this does not mean there will be more state funding for services, just a new requirement for how much a school must spend on those services.

What HB3 did is it ear-tagged money that had to be served for those kiddos who are dyslexic, and as a program, we are already spending that, plus more, said Traci Landis, dyslexia specialist with Conroe ISD. As of last year, we were spending $2.75 million for dyslexia without any indicated specific amount set by the state. This year we are already at $3.1 million, so we are far exceeding the money that was ear-tagged for dyslexia kiddos based on HB3.

Landis said six more dyslexia teachers had been hired this year bringing the district total to 44.

What was ear-tagged by the state with the new allotment requirements came out to about $2 million, Landis said. Before HB3 there was no allotment mandate for dyslexia services.

We were already doing above and beyond, Landis said, when it comes to dyslexia services funding. As a district, we will provide allocations for that program regardless, so now they have put a set amount that we are required to spend on that.

Until this year, dyslexia services were an unfunded mandate, Landis and her colleague, said Sharon Henry, CISD ELA coordinator.

But some parents in the district disagree that CISD has gone above and beyond. Nicole May is a district parent and a regular at the monthly board meetings this school year, using the public comment time to advocate for areas she believes the district could be doing better in, when it comes to dyslexia services.

May has two sons who started in CISD. When her oldest son was privately diagnosed with dyslexia she said the district fought her on it for a long time and eventually got him private tutoring. When her younger son was diagnosed through the district he qualified for services but after a year he wasnt improving. After an intensive evaluation her son qualified for special education services, but May said that the reading program offered wasnt good for dyslexic students, and the special education teacher didnt have dyslexia training. Back to private tutoring again.

What it would appear to me is that its not the program that was wrong for my son, it was the execution of the program, May said.

He was being offered 30 minutes in a maxed-out dyslexia class, four times a week. May wanted the recommended 45 minutes in a smaller class.

If they suggest 30 to 45 minutes, CISD does 30 minutes, May said. If they suggest two to six kids in the class, theres six kids in the class.

These are the same points May brings to the board meetings. She argues that while CISD may be meeting requirements for dyslexia services, they need to be doing more than the bare minimum. Ideally, she wants more dyslexia teachers and more dyslexia training for general education teachers.

One issue that comes up often is the number of diagnosed students. According to the International Dyslexia Association, somewhere between 15 and 20 percent of the population has a language-based reading disorder, but according to CISD data sent to the Texas Education Agency from the 2018-19 school year, the district has identified around 4.2 percent of enrolled students were dyslexic.

To this concern, the district has a few responses. The data sent to the state is based on how students are coded in the Public Education Information Management System and sometimes the coding isnt always accurate.

I think our numbers are higher, we just dont have it coded, Landis said.

But inaccurate coding isnt the only possible explanation. Dyslexia runs on a continuum, which means that it can be more severe for some people than others, Henry said. So, there may be some students who have dyslexia but it barely affects their performance in the classroom. Of the students that would typically be identified because it at least moderately affects their performance, Henry believes CISD is in an accurate realm.

Im not saying that we have found all of our dyslexic children, I know we havent, she said. But are we in a much better place than Fort Bend or Katy or some of the other districts? I say were way ahead of them because we have a lot more students identified per population than other districts around us.

Henry argues that the district has been very proactive about identifying children with dyslexia and continues to hire dyslexia teachers as more children are identified.

According to the district, there are 1,795 students receiving dyslexia instruction this year through the new program, Reading By Design. Students receiving services through a 504 or IDEA in the district total 3,188.

jamie.swinnerton@chron.com
For Latinos, the 2020 Democratic primary is only now getting underway. In Nevada.

Iowans took their first-in-the-nation status more seriously than they did the integrity of the caucusing process, which resulted in a debacle.

New Hampshire is like a cozy club where voters cant decide who to support until all the candidates have been to the house for coffee and cake.

But Nevada. Now there is a real state. Its got size, diversity, crosscurrents, special interests and a complex political philosophy. And it doesnt give 2 cents what Washington thinks about anything.

Nor do Nevadans have any desire to be like California, despite the fact that Las Vegas sometimes feels like a far eastern suburb of Los Angeles.

According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Californians account for 20 to 25 percent of the 43 million people who visit the city each year. Many of them stay. According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, more than 50,000 Californians moved to Nevada between July 2017 and July 2018.

Given that I live on the California side of the state line, I wouldnt dare try to speak for Nevadans. But I listen when they speak to me.

I got an earful during a recent three-day visit to Las Vegas, where I appeared on a podcast as part of a political panel at the College of Southern Nevada. What I heard loud and clear was an independent streak from people who have no use for party labels and prefer solutions to partisan wrangling. Nevadans love their guns and want lower taxes, but they also care about water, education and the environment.

Former Gov. Brian Sandoval epitomized the states ethos. The Latino Republican and former judge wasnt afraid to butt heads with GOP leaders over what he considered their wrongheaded immigration proposals. In 2012, when Mitt Romney suggested that the undocumented might simply self-deport if we were mean to them, Sandoval told the presidential nominee of his own party to pound sand. Romney lost that election, while Sandoval retired with a sky-high approval rating.

Latinos account for 6.2 percent of the population in Iowa and 3.9 percent of the people in New Hampshire. Those puny figures put those states way out of step in an election where Latinos  who were already a swing vote  now also account for the majority of eligible voters.

Nevada, meanwhile, is 30 percent Latino. So its a more reliable barometer for a country that is on pace to hit that mark in 20 years. And its not just about demographics. Its about power. Latino immigrants are  along with gaming and unions  one of the big economic and political forces in Nevada. All three sides of the triangle are co-dependent, and so no one has an interest in going to war with any other side.

This dynamic is different than what you find in the Rust Belt states  Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. In those states, the interests of Latino immigrants  chief among them legalization  are often at odds with those of the mostly white labor unions, many of whose members dont want to compete with hardworking Latino immigrants. Its a tug of war  and a headache for Democrats who always side with unions.

Nevada is also where former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, the leading Latino to run for president in 2020, was supposed to break through. But now that the former secretary of housing and urban development has dropped out of the race and endorsed Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren  who turned in a pair of disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire  the Latino vote is a crapshoot.

Three reasons.

First, Latinos dont normally respond to attempts to get them to transfer support from one candidate to another. Second, even when Castro was in the race, the Texan didnt have a lock on Latinos; he gave up support from older Latinos to former Vice President Joe Biden and enthusiasm among younger Latinos to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Third, the field is in chaos.

The Warren campaign has the stink of death on it. Biden could rebound with a good showing in Nevada, but it may be too late to save his campaign. And Sanders is making a hard last-minute pitch for Latino support. Meanwhile, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg couldnt name the president of Mexico during a recent Nevada interview. And Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar doesnt seem to know a churro from a chimichanga.

Welcome to the West, folks. Watch your step. In these parts, politics is as wild as it gets.

ruben@rubennavarrette.com
WASHINGTON  Matthew T. Albence, the acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, is scheduled to visit the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Department Thursday for a news conference at which law enforcement officials will continue their push for changing a New York law that blocks federal immigration and border enforcement agencies from accessing the state's motor vehicle database.

The Driver's License Access and Privacy Act, known as the "Green Light Law," prohibits sheriff's departments from sharing motor vehicle data with those federal agencies. It has raised concerns among many law enforcement officials who contend border patrols and immigration enforcement agencies conduct work that often involves national security, human and drug trafficking, and other serious crimes.

A news conference will take place at 11 a.m. in Sheriff Patrick Russo's office and will be livestreamed.

The prohibition was included in the state's new law that  like similar measures in more than 10 other states  allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. Many law enforcement leaders have not opposed issuing driver's licenses to people in the U.S. illegally, but they say the state's decision to block access to the driver's database by federal law enforcement agencies will impede the ability of border and immigration enforcers to do their jobs.

The unusual visit by Albence is planned as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and President Donald J. Trump have recently sparred over a decision this month by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to suspend the ability of New York residents to renew their memberships or enroll in several federal "secure traveler" programs that enable pre-screened individuals to swiftly pass through border and airport checkpoints.

Trump and Cuomo met at the White House last week but emerged without reaching agreement on Cuomo's proposal to allow Homeland Security agencies to access the state's motor vehicle database only for the purpose of screening applicants to the secure traveler programs. The governor has insisted he would never allow the federal immigration and border agencies to use the state's motor vehicle database to search for illegal immigrants.

Albence's scheduled appearance at the jail is being organized by the National Sheriffs' Association. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday afternoon.

"I'll definitely be there, but it's their press conference," said Russo, who along with other county Republican leaders has been an outspoken critic of the Green Light Law.

In October 2017, Russo drew criticism from civil liberties groups when he submitted an application to implement an ICE program that "allows a state or local law enforcement entity to enter into a partnership with ICE," allowing them to enforce federal immigration law on a local level.

Nearly 20 organizations, including the New York Immigration Coalition and New York Civil Liberties Union, as well as hundreds of individuals signed a letter sent to Russo that November urging him to withdraw the county's application for the program.

Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin has also criticized the Cuomo administration's immigration and licensing policies. County Clerk Frank Merola has been a lightning rod on the Green Light Law: He filed a federal petition late last year arguing the changes to state vehicle and traffic law are preempted by federal law, and that his compliance with those provisions would cause him to violate the U.S. Constitution and leave him exposed to criminal liability.

The federal case, and a similar challenge filed by a county clerk in Erie County weeks earlier, have been thrown out by federal judges who did not rule on the merits of the legal arguments but found the clerks lacked standing to bring the actions.

Last week, the state sheriff's association issued a statement saying they are not challenging the "public policy" to issue driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, but that they have "deep concern" about the information-sharing blockade.

"Our inability, under the new law, to share DMV data with federal immigration officers jeopardizes the safety of those officers," the sheriffs' statement said. "We find it offensive that, in order to avail our own deputies of DMV data that they need for their own safe operations, we were coerced into signing a nondisclosure agreement that jeopardizes the safety of our federal partners."

The timing of Albence's visit raises questions about whether Cuomo's proposal at the White House last week will be brushed aside. A Homeland Security official who attended the meeting last week said he would conduct follow-up discussions with Cuomo's office to "find a mutually agreeable solution," but there is no indication those have taken place.

Richard Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo, did not immediately comment Tuesday.

Albence oversees ICE's day-to-day operations, including a workforce of more than 20,000 officers, special agents, attorneys and "mission support professionals" assigned to more than 400 domestic and international offices, according to the agency's website.

New York's four U.S. attorneys issued a statement last week saying that information-sharing is a matter of national security, and the access to the motor vehicle database is necessary for border protection and immigration enforcement.

Hours after Cuomo's meeting at the White House, two Democratic Assembly members  Billy Jones, D-Plattsburgh, and Monica Wallace, D-Cheektowaga  whose districts border Canada announced they would work to amend the Green Light Law to "allow federal agents the access they need to do their jobs and protect the border."

"We rely upon customs and border patrol agents to keep our borders safe, and to the extent that this legislation is interfering with their ability to do that, it needs to be fixed," Wallace said in a statement.

New York Democrats, especially in Buffalo, have said the decision to cut off the ability of New York residents to apply for or renew safe-traveler status will be devastating to international commerce and tourism in that region.

Although many other states offer driver's licenses to immigrants who are in the United States illegally, only New York has blocked access to its motor vehicle database to the federal agencies that handle immigration enforcement.
How contagious is the coronavirus? How deadly is it?

Scientists have been working hard to determine the infection and fatality rates of the coronavirus. This information will draw a clearer picture of how the pathogen behaves and how and whether it can be contained.

The graph above shows how the new coronavirus compares with other infectious diseases. It uses a log scale, the same type of scale used for measuring earthquakes, where an increase of 1 on the log scale represents a 10-fold increase in the original scale. Data near the top is compressed into a smaller space to make the variation between less-deadly diseases easier to see. Diseases near the top of the chart are much deadlier than those in the middle.

After looking closely at the graph (here it is at full size), consider these three questions:

What do you notice? If you make a claim, tell us what you noticed that supports your claim.

What do you wonder? What are you curious about that comes from what you notice in the graph?

Whats going on in this graph? Write a catchy headline that captures the graphs main idea.

If youre interested in exploring this graph further, join this weeks Whats Going On in This Graph? conversation and the moderated discussion with our collaborator, the American Statistical Association, on Wednesday, Feb. 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time.

2) Make an argument about Chinas efforts to battle the coronavirus outbreak.

Do you think the quarantines imposed on Wuhan and other towns and cities in China are effective or ethical?

In an Opinion essay, Will the Largest Quarantine in History Just Make Things Worse?, Howard Markel, a professor of the history of medicine, writes:

Zhong Nanshan, of Chinas National Health Commission, is reported to have said that the most effective way to stop the virus, which appears to be spread by droplets, was a quarantine. Is it, though? In Wuhan, a city of 11 million, both patients who believe they have been infected by the coronavirus and people with other medical problems are having difficulty seeing doctors: Shortages are common at such times, and quarantines only compound them. Residents are complaining on social media about inadequate care. Distrust of the health authorities is mounting. And then, of course, overcrowding at hospitals, which mixes some presumably sick people with the healthy, increases the risks of transmission. Some people may have tried to escape the stricken cities for less-infected areas. Others may be hiding from public health workers. A woman from Wuhan, apparently eager to stick to her travel plans for Lunar New Year, reportedly cheated a health check by taking fever-reducing drugs to bring her temperature down  and then admitted doing so on social media after she had arrived in France. An integral failing of most quarantines is that some people, seeing the restrictions as overly strict and an imposition on their rights, will invariably try to bypass them. Their evasion, in turn, can endanger public health. So, do quarantines contain a disease or might they actually contribute to spreading it?

What do you think? Are the quarantines and other aggressive measures to combat the spread of the virus ethical and effective? If you were a resident of Wuhan do you think you would accept the aggressive measures as necessary or would you see them as an oppressive infringement on your liberty? Do you think a campaign of Mao-style social control would work in the United States if an outbreak were to occur?
Front and centre in Badiucaos exhibition, opening on Thursday in Melbourne, is a portrait of Dr Li Wenliang, who sounded the alert about the coronavirus. The 34-year-old had messaged his university alumni to warn them about a SARS-like illness, the very disease that would later kill him.

Badiucao, Shanghai-born political cartoonist, artist and rights activist Credit:Simon Schluter

The show is part of the Cant Do Tomorrow Festival, a celebration of street art, which by its very nature has always been political.

Badiucao says he wanted to memorialise Lis bravery in speaking out. Hes not a whistleblower like Julian Assange or Chelsea Manning. Initially he just told his close friends, he says. "Before he died, Li said A healthy society should not just have one voice.

Also featured in the series, called No I can't, No I don't understand, is a Chinese citizen journalist, who was arrested for reporting on the virus, alongside other people wearing facemasks, with "No I can't" and "No I don't understand" written on them in Chinese. The quotes refer to the statement authorities forced Li to sign, saying he would not speak further about the virus.
Gambian operator Africell has disputed claims by the countrys Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) that it had been ordered to refund and compensate subscribers over inaccurate tariffs.

The regulator stated that it acted on complaints by customers who believed they were receiving an unlimited 4G data package from Africell. Network congestion issues prompted the operator to pull the offer, but it claims to have informed the regulator of the decision.

In a statement, PURA said that it had received numerous complaints from aggrieved subscribers pertaining to the unilateral decision by Africell to change its unlimited bundle offering. The Authority notes with significant concern that the decision from Africell violates the notification principles attached to all tariff changes and package offers.

However, speaking to The Point newspaper, Africells Head of Corporate Affairs Musa Ceesay said: I want to make it clear to you that it was Africell that in fact put the offer before PURA. The welfare of our customers is among our top priorities. We decided to make sure that those customers that were affected are refunded and we also compensated them.

Ceesay did however concede that Africell had not informed its customers that they no longer had access to the unlimited internet offer, but noted: In our continued efforts to ensure that all customers are satisfied, Africell will be refunding all affected subscribers with the credit used to buy the unlimited bundles.

He added that Africell had purchased US$6 million of network equipment from Chinese vendors, allowing it to upgrade its access services in order to overcome the congestion issues.
Libya's internationally recognized government said on February 18 that it has suspended talks hosted by the UN to end the conflict over Tripoli after forces based in the east shelled the capital city's port.



"Today, violations of the cease-fire were renewed," the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) said in a statement. "The militias hit Tripoli's port which is considered a lifeline for many of Libya's cities."



The GNA added it that it was "suspending our participation in the military talks held in Geneva until strict stances are taken towards the aggressor and its violations."



The UN has been hosting cease-fire talks between officials from the UN-backed government in Tripoli and the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), whose declared goal is to take the capital and has been trying to do so for nearly a year.



The North African country has been torn by violence since longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi was deposed and killed in 2011.



A cease-fire has been called between the warring sides, with Turkey supporting the government in Tripoli, and Russia backing the LNA and its leader, General Khalifa Haftar.



Turkey and Russia have both been criticized by UN and Western officials who say their efforts to arm their allies have led to an intensification of the violence.



Earlier this month, the UN Security Council endorsed a 55-point road map for ending the war in Libya and condemned the recent increase in violence in the oil-rich North African country.

Based on reporting by dpa and Reuters
An unknown number of evacuees connected to the coronavirus outbreak have been transported from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland to a state hospital in San Antonio.

Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said that patients were transported to the Texas Center for Infectious Disease on Tuesday and Wednesday. He declined to specify the number of patients being treated there.
He's the keen surfer, often seen riding the waves in his hometown of Byron Bay.

And on Tuesday, Chris Hemsworth flaunted his washboard abs and muscled pins as he posed with a fellow surfer ahead of upcoming surf charity event SurFebruary.

In the snap, the 36-year-old Marvel universe star is seen grinning, while he gripped onto multiple surfboards, treating onlookers to his bulging biceps.

Friendly! Australian actor Chris Hemsworth (left) is all smiles as he shows off his washboard abs while posing for a fan selfie in Byron Bay

The sighting comes after the Thor star paid tribute to his stunning wife Elsa Pataky on Saturday.

Chris shared a heartwarming set of rare photos of the couple, as they cuddled up in the kitchen of their $20million Byron Bay mansion.

In the photos, Elsa, 43, was seen gazing at the camera as Chris playfully pretended to bite her head in the background.

So sweet! Chris Hemsworth (right) paid tribute to his wife Elsa Pataky (left) in a sweet tribute post on Saturday morning

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

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.

They currently reside in Byron Bay with their three children - daughter India Rose, seven, and twin sons Sasha and Tristan, five.

Enthusiast! The superstar is often seen out in the ocean, taking his children surfing with him near his home at Byron Bay

The superstar is often seen out in the ocean, taking his children surfing with him near his home at Byron Bay.

The Hollywood star lives in the coastal town with his wife Elsa and their children, adorable five-year-old twin boys Sasha and Tristan and daughter India Rose, seven.

In June, Chris spoke about his decision to move to Byron Bay with his family in 2014, after they had spent several years living in LA.

The father-of-three told OK! magazine the seachange had been a 'good decision' overall for his family, before adding: 'Living in Australia allows me to be away from a world where you can lose touch with reality sometimes.'

Meanwhile, the SurFebruary event will be hosted to raise money for the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse cancer hospital in Sydney.


At least three labourers were injured when a fire broke out in a plywood factory at a crowded residential locality in Bazarkhala area in Lucknow on Wednesday.

Additional DCP West, Vikas Chandra Tripathi said the fire broke out in the factory operational in a narrow lane of Aishbagh locality.

Injured labourers have been rushed to the civil hospital, Tripathi said.

He said four fire tenders have been rushed to the spot and efforts are on to douse the fire flames.

Rescue operations are still on, according to a police official.

Locals said that the rescue operation was delayed as fire fighters faced trouble in taking fire tenders inside the crowded locality.

People rushed out of their homes as the fire which engulfed the commercial establishment led to panic in the locality.

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The Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Chairman Mohammed Baantima Adam Samba has been honoured by the Voiceless Media and Consult as the best Regional Chairman in the Country at a ceremony in Accra for his leadership and humanitarian skills and works in the Northern Region and beyond.

Presenting a certificate of honour and a Personal Accident Insurance cover of Ghc60,000 from the Best Assurance Company at a brief ceremony in Accra to chairman Samba who is also known as Chairman Do All, Chief Akilu Sayibu of The Voiceless Media and Consult praised the Northern Regional Chairman for his leadership skills since his election as the Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP and the various roles he has played especially recently to enlist and consolidate peace, unity and stability in the NPP.

Chief Akilu Sayibu explained that a research conducted by the Voiceless Media and Consult in all 16 Regions of Ghana, revealed that Chairman Samba is the only Regional Chairman who has visited all constituencies of the NPP in his Region to inspire and to motivate the grassroot workers of the party to continue to work hard to record four more years for President Nana Addo in the December elections.

This effort according to the Voiceless Media places Chairman Samba over and above his colleagues in the areas of proactiveness and re-energization of the structures of the party in every constituency hence the award

Stories reaching the Voiceless Media from both party members and none party members also described chairman Samba as a first class generous man who freely and willingly gives his best to support mankind in cash and in kind and deserves to be encouraged to continue to do more for the fortunes of the party in not only the Northern Region but Ghana as a whole.

Receiving the award, Chairman Samba thanked Chief Akilu Sayibu and his team for the recognition and stated that it was the best award he has received in a long time and promised to work hard to ensure that the NPP wins more Parliamentary Seats in the Northern Region and also increase the Presidential votes to guarantee a resounding victory for the NPP in December.
State-owned Qatar Airways Group has upped its stake in British Airways owner IAG from 21.4 per cent to 25.1 per cent.

Qatar Airways has spent 465million on additional shares in IAG this week, after first ploughing money into the Spanish registered airline group in 2015, when it snapped up a stake of just over 9 per cent.

Gulf state group Qatar Airways also holds stakes in Cathy Pacific and China Southern airlines and this month snapped up a 49 per cent stake in Africa's RwandAir.

On the up: State-owned Qatar Airways Group has upped its stake in British Airways owner IAG

Qatar Airways is also in talks to double its stake in Chile's LATAM Airlines Group to 20 per cent.

It snapped up some of the airline investments in response to a move by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to ban it from their airspace following a regional political dispute.

Commenting on its latest IAG stake, Akbar Al Baker, chief executive of Qatar Airways, said: 'Our investment to date has been highly successful and the announced increase in our shareholding is evidence of our continued support of IAG and its strategy.

'Qatar Airways continues to consider opportunities to invest in airlines and support management teams that share our vision to enhance travel opportunities for airline passengers across the globe.'

The investment, which is in line with Qatar Airways policy of building a global group of carriers, is a vote of confidence in IAG, whose chief executive Willie Walsh is due to step down in the coming weeks.

Walsh was responsible for the creation of IAG in 2011, overseeing the merger of British Airways and Iberia. Walsh will be replaced by current Iberia chief Luis Gallego.

In November, IAG revealed it had secured a deal to buy Madrid-based airline Air Europa for 1billion, or just over 831million.

IAG has seen its share price rise by over 50 per cent in the last six months. This morning IAG's share price is up 0.51 per cent or 3.20p to 635.34p.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 18, 2020) - TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) (FSE: TH8) ("TransCanna" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has granted a total of 778,333 incentive stock options (the "Options") to key employees and consultants involved in the development of the company's operations. The Options are exercisable for a period of five years from the date of grant at an exercise price of $1.00 per common share in the capital of the company.

The stock options are being granted pursuant to the terms of the company's stock option plan and are subject to regulatory approval.

"I would like to thank the Lyted Farms team and all our key partners, we are pleased to offer incentives to those who contribute to our progress and strategic plan. These options have enabled us to retain and reward some of the best talent in the industry" stated Steve Giblin, President & CEO.

About TransCanna Holdings Inc.

TransCanna Holdings Inc. is a Canadian based company providing branding, transportation and distribution services, through its wholly-owned California subsidiaries, to a range of industries including the cannabis marketplace.

For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.transcanna.com or email the Company at info@transcanna.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Steve Giblin

President

604-609-6199

The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans, and prospects that constitute forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: timing of the completion of the SPA and the satisfaction of closing conditions, and the expected benefits of Lyfted to the Company's business. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52554
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The hands on the iconic Doomsday Clock moved to just 100 secondsto midnight last month. That is the closest they have come to the final hour since its creation in 1947.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Scienceand Security Board, in consultation with the Bulletins Board ofSponsors, made the unprecedented decision to express the time remaining in seconds rather than minutes when the time was adjusted from 2 minutes to 100 seconds to midnight.

The time displayed on the clock has moved closer to midnight in three of the last fouryears. The last time it moved was in 2018, with a forward jump of 30 seconds. It moved to 2 1/2 minutes to midnight in 2017 from its prior setting of 3 minutes tomidnight. There was no adjustment last year, but withthe arrival of 2020 the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists noted new threats.

In addition to the two simultaneous existential dangers ofnuclear war and climate change, the world now faces the threatmultiplier of cyber-enabled information warfare.

The decision to movethe hands forward by 20 seconds was made in part because world leadershave allowed the international political infrastructure forcontaining this potential cyberthreat to erode.

It is 100 seconds to midnight, warned Rachel Bronson, president andCEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. We are now expressing howclose the world is to catastrophe in seconds  not hours, or evenminutes. It is the closest to Doomsday we have ever been in thehistory of the Doomsday Clock. We now face a true emergency  anabsolutely unacceptable state of world affairs that has eliminated anymargin for error or further delay.

December 2020 will mark the 75th anniversary of the first edition ofthe Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. It originally was a six-page,black-and-white bulletin, which evolved into a magazine. It wascreated in response to fears that the atomic bomb, which had been usedagainst Japan in August of 1945 to end the Second World War, would beonly the first of many dangerous presents from the Pandoras Box ofmodern science.

Origins of the Clock and Nuclear Armageddon

The Doomsday Clock, which has been maintained since 1947, isessentially a metaphor for threats to humanity from uncheckedscientific and technical advances. The clocks original setting in1947 was 7 minutes to midnight, and over the years it was setbackward and forward a total of 24 times.

It typically is assessed in January of each year.

The largest-ever number of minutes to midnight was 17 in 1991, when theUnited States and Soviet Union signed the first Strategic Arms ReductionTreaty (START I), followed by the Soviet Union dissolving on Dec. 26 of that year. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain,along with the reunification of Germany a year earlier, already had added 4 minutes to the clock.

In 1995, global military spending, as well as concerns aboutpost-Soviet nuclear proliferation, moved the clock 3 minutes closerto midnight  14 minutes in total. That number was reduced to 9minutes to midnight three years later, following Indias and Pakistanstesting of nuclear weapons.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Two more minutes were cut in 2002 due toconcerns over a nuclear terrorist attack and the fears that vastamounts of weapon-grade nuclear materials were largely unsecured orotherwise unaccounted for worldwide.

2010 saw the last time a minute was added. That followed a newSTART agreement, as well as the 2009 United Nations Climate ChangeConference, which called for the developing and industrialized nationsto agree to take responsibility for carbon emissions.

New Fears

Most perceptions about the Doomsday Clocks time to midnight are thatit always has been based on the threat posed by nuclear weapons andthe potential for an atomic war. However, other factors have beenconsidered by the Bulletin of the AtomicScientists, including energy, weapons, diplomacy and climatescience. In recent years they also have considered terrorist threats and climate change.

Bioterrorism and artificial intelligence also could be seenas potential sources of threats that could inch humanity closer todoomsday.

Cyberwarfare is a new factor  specifically cyber-enabledinformation warfare. It could include everything fromstate-sponsored propaganda to deepfakes to the spread ofmisinformation online. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists warnedthat cyber-based disinformation could cause corruption of theinformation ecosphere on which democracy and public decision makingdepend.

Moreover, many governments are utilizing cyber-enabled disinformationcampaigns as a way to sow distrust among rival powers. It has beencalled out as threat to the common good.

In the wrong hands, technology absolutely creates a threat tohumankind that is on the same scale as current weapons technology,warned Bill Santos, president of Scottsdale, Arizona-base Cerberus Sentinel.

Improperly used or maliciously deployed, technology can cripplecritical infrastructure, upset financial systems, and disable many ofthe systems we depend on for our survival and happiness, he told TechNewsWorld.

Reducing the Threat Vectors

New arms treaties and greater cooperation among nations have allowedthe doomsday clock to be set back  gaining precious seconds, or insome cases even minutes. However, the new threats are so great thatthere may be no easy way of addressing them and regaining timebefore the hands strike the proverbial midnight.

The risk of cyberwarfare is on par with nuclear risk and climatechange  and it may even pose a greater risk than both, explainedMarc Gaffan, CEO of Israel-based cybersecurity firm Hysolate.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A decade ago, cyberthreats had somewhat manageable impacts  datatheft that would rock the stability of the organization, or monetaryloss that would affect performance and a companys stock price for acouple years, he told TechNewsWorld.

Today cyberattacks can result in serious business disruption that isfar beyond either data theft or monetary losses. A cyberattack couldpose a threat to all aspects of infrastructure, from power grids tocommunication networks.

Nation-state attacks like this stem back to 2010 with Stuxnet, noted Gaffan.

The Stuxnet attack, which likely was conducted as a jointAmerican-Israeli effort, successfully crippled Irans nuclear program. Iranian hackers were believed to be responsible for a 2018 cyberattack against a Saudi petrochemical facility.

There was no loss of life in either attack, but each increasedregional tensions. Moreover, such attacks could result in physicalequipment failures that would lead to human casualties.

Its far too easy for malicious attackers to cause physical damage said Gaffan, and the impact is far too great for this to not be a significant factor driving us closer to midnight.

Even more worrisome is the fact that much of our modern infrastructureisnt as secure as it could be.

The unfortunate truth also is that the power grid and other nationaloperations that literally keep the lights on are not built with themost sound security in place to prevent an attack from causing acatastrophic blackout or causing fatal medical device failures, said Gaffan.

Turn Back Time

It might be difficult to put time back on the Doomsday Clock,but its not impossible. Here is where cybersecurity as a defensive toolcould be crucial. The world could be safer if more governments, companies andindividuals all paid greater attention to cybersecurity.

Education and awareness can help move the hands back, said Gaffan.

Ultimately, we as a society need to start thinking of securityfirst  and not as an afterthought  in everything we do, he urged.

To that end, security needs to be built into the core architecture ofeverything  from the software and applications that are being builttoday to the improvement of legacy systems and infrastructures thatare currently in place.

However, due to advancements in technology, the risk of cyberwarfare will always be with us, warned Gaffan.

The best we can do is mitigate the risk by staying one step ahead ofattackers in building devices and an infrastructure that aresecure-by-design, he argued.

The defense against this threat goes beyond thetechnology itself, suggested Cerberus Sentinels Santos.

We need to create a comprehensive culture of security at thegovernment, corporate and individual level that is aware of thisthreat and understands the steps each can take to address it, he said.

This could begin with education to better understand the unique set ofrisks a completely connected civilization faces.

It is followed with an understanding of what can be done, at everylevel, to address or reduce these risks, said Santos. We need tothink of security holistically, understanding that it is anexistential risk that affects aspects of our interconnected lives. Weare far too dependent on technology to address our security needs.True cybersecurity is a culture.
The Associated Press

SpaceX aims to launch up to four tourists into a super high orbit, possibly by the end of next year.

The private company is working with Space Adventures Inc. for the flight, officials announced Tuesday. Ticket prices are not being divulged but expected to be in the millions.

Space Adventures already has helped put tourists into orbit with trips to the International Space Station, working with the Russian space program.

For this trip, paying customers will skip the space station and instead orbit two to three times higher, or roughly 800 kilometers to 1,200 kilometers above Earth.

Its a lofty goal that would approach the record 1,370 kilometers orbit achieved by Gemini 11s Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon in 1966.

The tourist flight will forge a path to making spaceflight possible for all people who dream of it, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement.

Elon Musks California-based SpaceX already is dabbling in space tourism, signing on a Japanese billionaire to fly to the moon in three or so years. Jeff Bezos Blue Origin and Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic also plan tourist trips to space, but these will be brief up-and-downs, not orbital.

SpaceX will use the same kind of Dragon capsule that will launch NASA astronauts to the space station, possibly in another few months. The capsule has flown only once in space so far, making its debut last year in a successful test flight without a crew.

Space Adventures spokeswoman Stacey Tearne said the tourist flight could occur in the last quarter of 2021. The company is in discussions with several potential clients.

No professional pilot or astronaut will be required, Tearne said, because the Dragon is fully autonomous. But passengers will be able to control the spacecraft if required, she said in an email.

The cost will be in line with previous tourist flights, she said. Canadian billionaire Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil, paid $35 million for a 1 1/2-week space station flight in 2009. He said from orbit that it was worth every penny and more.

Like all previous space tourists, he launched on a Russian rocket from Kazakhstan.

This private Dragon flight from Cape Canaveral will be shorter, lasting up to five days, according to Tearne.

Based in Vienna, Virginia, Space Adventures helped arrange the flight of the worlds first space tourist, Dennis Tito, founder and chairman of Wilshire Associates in California. He flew to the space station on a Russian capsule in 2001, igniting the wrath of top NASA officials who opposed visiting tourists.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - HEMP FOR HEALTH INC. (CSE: HFH) (FSE: 9HH) (the "Company"), a cultivator and distributor of premium CBD products in Italy and other European countries, is pleased to announce that it has arranged a non-brokered private placement of up to $2,000,000 (the "Financing") through the issuance of up to 10,000,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.20 per Unit. Each Unit will be comprised of one common share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant ("Warrant"), with each whole Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one common share of Hemp for Health at a price of $0.30 per share for a period of 24 months from closing. The term of the Warrants may be reduced should the Company's shares trade at or above $0.50 for 30 consecutive days on a Canadian stock exchange.

The Company may pay finders' fees equal to 8% in cash and 8% in warrants for subscriptions as may be attributable to such finders. Finders' warrants will be valid for a period of two years, with each warrant exercisable into one common share of the Company at a price of $0.30 per share (subject to acceleration).

The net proceeds of the private placement will be budgeted as follows:

( CAD$) Farmer Deposit $ 675,000

Deposit on Seeds

375,000

Consulting & Technical

180,000

Operational/Facility Expenses in Italy

560,000

Financing Fees

160,000

Working capital and general corporate purposes 50,000

Total $ 2,000,000



There is no material fact or material change about the Company that has not been generally disclosed.

About Hemp for Health Inc.:

Hemp for Health is a cultivator and distributor of premium CBD products contracting farmers in the Tuscan region of Italy for the purpose of yielding the highest quality hemp-based CBD. Our focus is to offer the absolute best in natural and organic CBD products to our customers, and that starts with pristine soil, seeds, and sun. (See further details available in the Company's filings on SEDAR. www.sedar.com)

ON BEHALF OF HEMP FOR HEALTH INC.

(sgd.) Robert Eadie

President & CEO

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Evan Eadie

Telephone: 416-640-1936 x 203

Toll Free: 1-866-602-4935

Email: evan@hempforhealth.eu

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52535
When Eric Braeden was cast on The Young and the Restless 40 years ago, he didnt think his role would turn into a lifelong career.

To be honest with you, I was not particularly interested. I really wasnt. Im not saying that to play it down, I was very trepidatious about it. I didnt even know what a soap was, Braeden, 78, tells PEOPLE of being cast as Victor Newman on the CBS soap opera in 1980.

After his old friend and fellow actor Dabney Coleman suggested he  Do it. Youll love it, in his typically cryptic fashion, Braeden says he interviewed with creators William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell. I didnt even know there was television during the day. I really didnt. It was the farthest thing from my mind, says Braeden, and here I am 40 years later.

For more from Eric Braeden, pick up this weeks issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday

At the time that he was cast, he only committed to playing Victor for three months. But after a pivotal conversation with Bill Bell, Braeden decided to continue in the daytime series.

I said, Bill, Ive played bad guys for so long, Im empty. Its too dehumanizing, I cant do it anymore. Id done it for, you know, 120-hour guest roles on nighttime television for years in films. And lo and behold, he came up with a storyline, I forget how much later. After I played that, I said, Now Im staying,  Braeden recalls.

It was when Nikki [Newman] asked Victor about his past; she knew nothing about his past  and he talked about having grown up in an orphanage, where he had been left by his destitute mother since he was 7 years old, Braeden explains about the scene. Once I played that scene, I saw an enormous amount of emotional possibilities for the actor to play, you know? Thats why I stayed, really. Thats actually the only reason I stayed.

Eric Braeden (as Victor Newman) and Melody Thomas Scott (as Nikki Reed Newman) in The Young and the Restless | CBS/Getty

Now, four decades later, Braeden has amassed a fan base spanning nearly half a century.

Story continues

We have an audience, in my case, of four generations. Imagine that, says Braeden. When I do public appearances anywhere, four generations show up from [ages] 100 to eight and nine and 10. Its handed down within families. Youd be amazed. Its stunning, it is really stunning.

He adds of meeting his viewers, When I do a public appearance or whatever, thousands come. They come with their grandmothers who have watched the show for 40 years and their daughters and their granddaughters. Its very touching. Its made a deep impression on them.

RELATED: CBS Renews The Young and the Restless for 4 More Years

Through playing the series lead, Braeden says, I learned through this medium to really appreciate the symbiotic relationship between what we create on TV and the audience. Its a deep, deep relationship. Youd be amazed. This medium has taught me to really appreciate the fact that I have been privileged to entertain people, all over the world, by the way. And I listen to the same reactions in Istanbul or Paris or Toronto as in New York or Dallas or Oklahoma, whatever. Its a phenomenon that most of Hollywood has never really taken that seriously.

In addition to starring as Victor, theres another role that Braeden immensely enjoys  being a grandpa!

Among the things that make him most happy is having done good work, says Braeden. And then seeing my grandchildren.

I adore them, he says of his three granddaughters.

Eric Braeden | CBS

RELATED: Young and the Restless Star Peter Bergman on His 30th Anniversary on the Soap: An Amazing Thing

They live with their father in Atlanta, Georgia, he says of his son, Den of Thieves writer and director Christian Gudegast. I dont see them often enough, but we do Skype a lot. I adore them. Nothing makes me more basically happy than to see them.

And as he reflects on his life and decades-long career, Braeden realizes how fortunate he is to be one of the few actors working. I have since 1962. The longest Ive been unemployed was three-and-a-half months.

Though hed still do more Shakespeare if he had more time, and would love to work with Meryl Streep  If I would define anyone as genius in our business, shes it. She defines it, he says about the Oscar winner  Braeden has deep gratitude for his journey and the people who have been a part of it.

Im deeply grateful to having worked with such great colleagues over the years and having had such great support from my family, from my wife, he says. You know, I consider myself very fortunate.

The Young and the Restless is set to air two special episodes to honor Braeden this week on Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesdays episode will feature a look back at his start on the show, including vintage clips dating back to 1980.
What TV channel is the Las Vegas Democratic presidential primary debate on? How can you watch for free online?

The Democratic presidential primary debate on Wednesday, February 19, 2020 (2/19/2020) at Paris Las Vegas in Las Vegas, NV, is the second of three primary debates this month and the ninth Democratic primary debate of this election cycle. It takes place 1 week after the New Hampshire Primaries, and just a few days before the Nevada caucuses on February 22.

Six candidates have qualified for the Las Vegas debate leaving just two candidates off the stage who remain in the debate. Thats one fewer attendee than at the previous Democratic debate in New Hampshire.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg have been emboldened by strong finishes in both Iowa and New Hampshire. Meanwhile, Former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar were trailing behind.

All five candidates have qualified for the Las Vegas debate, and for the first time, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will join them on stage, having met the four-poll criteria of at least 10%. Two candidates, Tulsi Gabbard and Thomas Steyer, have not qualified but remain in the race. Michael Bennet, Andrew Yang and Deval Patrick have all withdrawn their candidacy since the last debate.

Bloombergs campaign said it has seen a groundswell of support across the country." Bloomberg, who is worth an estimated $60 billion, is not taking donations for his campaign, and the campaign contribution requirements have been lifted for candidates in the Las Vegas debate.

It will also be a critical test for Bloomberg, who has not taken questions from voters while campaigning. His fellow candidates have criticized him for trying to buy the election," and he will likely face tough questions on Wednesday night.

What time is the Las Vegas Democratic presidential primary debate?

The debate is at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Febraury 19, 2020.

What TV channel is the Las Vegas Democratic debate on?

The debate will be broadcast on local NBC channels (in Syracuse, WSTM-TV, Channel 3) and MSNBC.

Channel finder: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish

How to watch the Las Vegas debate for free online

The following streaming services will broadcast the debate:

It can also be streamed in a web browser at NBC.com/live or msnbc.com/live or via the NBC app and MSNBC apps, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, XBox, Amazon Fire and other devices, with a cable provider login.

You can also stream the debate FOR FREE online at The Nevada Independents website or on the NBC News and MSNBC Facebook pages.

Who is debating?

Candidates need at least 10 percent in four DNC-approved polls or at least twelve percent support in any two early state polls from Nevada and South Carolina. Candidates who also have at least one delegate at the Democratic National Convention based on the results of the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries also automatically qualify.

These criteria gave stage space to:

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders

Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Former Vice President Joe Biden

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Two other candidates are still in the race, but did not make the cut, including:

Billionaire activist Tom Steyer

Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

Who is moderating the debate?

NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC anchor Lester Holt, Meet the Press moderator and NBC News political director Chuck Todd, NBC News Chief White House Correspondent and host of MSNBC Live Hallie Jackson, senior correspondent at Noticias Telemundo Vanessa Hauc and Nevada Independent Editor Jon Ralston will moderate the debate. It will be be the second debate moderated by Holt and Todd in this election cycle, after moderating the first debate alongside Rachel Maddow and Savannah Guthrie.

** ** **

Preview from The Associated Press

Sen. Bernie Sanders' win in the New Hampshire primary set off a new round of strategizing among moderate party stalwarts searching for a way to knock the Vermont independent off course. Former Vice President Joe Biden made a personal appeal to donors nervous about his dismal showing in the first two contests, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar hustled to take advantage of a burst of momentum and money. Pete Buttigieg, second to Sanders in New Hampshire and slightly leading in delegates, made a pitch to pull critical union members away from the progressive senator.

This is far from over, and this is going to be a pretty extended process, said Jim Margolis, who advised California Sen. Kamala Harris now-defunct campaign.

The race rolls ahead to Nevada, which holds its caucuses on Feb. 22, and South Carolina, whose primary is a week later. That lineup sets up an immediate fight over the voters largely left out of contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, namely Latino, black and union voters.

That put immediate pressure on leading candidates to show they could compete outside the largely white states that launched the nominating procession.

Buttigieg, the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor, argued that Sanders' Medicare for All plan would unravel some unions members' gold-standard health care plans, pointing to the influential Culinary Union that represents workers on the Las Vegas Strip.

If the choice is between Sen. Sanders telling them they're going to have to give that up and me saying that we can enhance and increase choice without asking them to sacrifice what they have worked so hard for, I think that is a very good debate for us to have and I'm looking forward to having that debate, Buttigieg said on NBC's Morning Joe.

Klobuchar's campaign worked to keep a tailwind from Tuesday's strong third-place finish. A campaign that once was down to boasting of being in the top five vacuumed up donations  more than $6 million in recent days  and scrambled to build out the field operations and advertising needed to put the cash to use. Klobuchar's campaign launched two new television and digital ads in Nevada on Wednesday.

We really shocked a lot of the pundits, she said at a New York fundraiser before heading to Las Vegas. I have had people count me out every single time, and Ive come roaring back.

The Minnesota senator appeared to benefit from Bidens slide, scooping up new support from older and moderate voters. Bidens campaign on Wednesday tried to reassure donors it could stop the bleeding with a retooled media strategy. On a conference call with donors, Biden and advisers said he would be increasing his visibility with more media interviews and would increase spending on radio ads, according to a participant on the call.

His campaign has raised just $4 million since his lackluster performance during the Iowa caucuses, the campaign told the group, describing the disappointing finishes there and in New Hampshire as a gut check for a candidate once viewed as the clear front-runner. They offered assurances that Bidens base of support with black voters was still solid, and said it remained the key to reviving his bid once they start voting in large numbers in Nevadas Feb. 22 caucuses and South Carolinas primary.

On a call with reporters, Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, a Biden backer, argued that no other candidate has Bidens advantage in those states.

"You cannot come through diverse states without having diverse support, he said.

Indeed, if the result from the first two states to vote  Iowa and New Hampshire  demonstrated anything, its that no candidate has a clear hold on the coalition needed to win the nomination. Both Buttigieg and Klobuchar, national newcomers from the Midwest, have demonstrated little backing from minority voters. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has also struggled to expand her support in the early contests or pick up momentum that might win over black votes in South Carolina, where African American voters make up more than half the Democratic electorate.

Warrens fourth-place New Hampshire finish and its potential to deflate donors only made that outreach harder. The Massachusetts senator pulled TV advertising from South Carolina, according to the ad tracking firm Ad Analytics. Her campaign said it was shifting money to radio and print buys in the state, as well as TV air space in Nevada and Maine, the latter of which votes on March 3, Super Tuesday, along with a slate of Southern states, California and Texas.

Warrens intention is to stay in the race through Super Tuesday, when her home state of Massachusetts votes, according to people who have spoken with her campaign. However, theres a recognition that she needs a breakout moment to shift the current dynamics  no small task for a candidate whose approach to the race has been methodical and disciplined, not rooted in splashy made-for-television moments.

Her style seemed to cost her in the lead-up to New Hampshire. She took a cautious approach to Fridays pre-primary debate, passing up opportunities to draw contrasts with other candidates and ultimately talking four minutes less than Sanders, her chief progressive rival. Klobuchar, meanwhile, was assertive and nimble, delivering a standout performance that catapulted her to her third-place finish.

Going forward, Warrens team is grappling with how much to engage with her rivals. Shes been reluctant to draw contrasts herself, often telling reporters that she isnt inclined to talk about other Democrats. But her campaign manager Roger Lau signaled that the campaign might take a sharper approach in coming days, issuing a memo ahead of the New Hampshire results that ticked through the weaknesses in the other candidates.

More than 457,000 ballots were cast in New Hampshires first-in-the-nation primary  about 37,000 more than the secretary of state had predicted.

The race only gets more competitive and more expensive for Super Tuesday. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been campaigning in those delegate-rich states for weeks, opting to skip the early scramble. His effort, and his millions in cash, appear to be making inroads with voters, including the black voters Biden is banking on.

On Wednesday, Bloomberg drew an overflow crowd to a speech at an African American museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee, one of the Super Tuesday states. None of his major competitors has yet announced stops there.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick ended his 2020 campaign Wednesday after his late bid failed to catch fire or resonate with voters. He was the last remaining African American candidate in a Democratic presidential field once defined by its diversity.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Iranian Christian convert fears execution if deported for giving wrong answers on Bible quiz

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A 38-year-old Christian convert, who says he would face imprisonment, execution and separation from his British wife and daughter if deported to Iran, has once again applied for asylum to the U.K.s Home Office, as his appeal was earlier rejected because he wasnt able to name Judas as the betrayer of Jesus at an immigration hearing.

Reza Karkah from Bradford, who fled Iran for the U.K. in 2003, said if he's deported, Iranian authorities would punish him for his conversion to Christianity, said the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting his case.

At an earlier immigration hearing, Karkah found it difficult to understand the 150 questions he was asked, including his favorite passage from the Bible, and identifying the betrayer of Jesus and the denomination into which he was baptized, according to The Times (of London). Unable to answer some of the questions correctly, his application was rejected as the judge was not convinced he was a real Christian.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, stressed, Reza Karkah is the real deal. A courageous man transformed by the gospel and the hope of the Lord Jesus Christ. At stake here is not just the life of Reza, but also his equally brave yet vulnerable wife, and their beautiful daughter.

If he is deported, his wife, Leigh Riley, would find it difficult to look after their 4-year-old daughter, Rosie, Karkah said. I am afraid that my daughter will think I have abandoned her if I was deported.

I feel weighed down and that my life is on hold. Knowing that I could be snatched off the street makes me nervous about leaving the house. We pray each time we go out that Jesus will have mercy on us. I now have a new life and a new hope. To think that this could be taken from me in a moment is horrible.

Leigh, who was born in Yorkshire, said, When I was down and out on the streets, meeting Reza changed my life. He was the first person who was kind to me. Now we are a family and I am a mother to a beautiful four-year-old daughter. I dont even want to think about what they might do to my husband if he was returned to Iran. You hear such terrible stories.

In its judgment in 2018, the Home Office said that he would not be exposed to a real act of persecution if he was deported.

Williams argued that the Home Office often fails to properly understand the nature of Christian faith or the scale of the challenges faced by Christians in Iran. Converting from Islam is illegal in Iran and punishable by death.

Karkahs initial bid for asylum was rejected in 2004, making him homeless, addicted to drugs and a petty criminal. Thats when he met Leigh. A year later, they converted to Christianity as a result of a local churchs outreach program.

After being baptized, Karkah quit drugs and is now an active member of a church. He has not committed any crime over the last five years.

The people at the soup kitchen spoke to me about Jesus Christ, the Bible and the need for salvation, Karkah recalled. They were kind and compassionate giving us access to a doctor, sleeping bags and clothing. I found hope, we both became Christians. Since then our lives have completely changed. My wife is unrecognizable from the disheveled, broken and abused woman I met in 2012.

Last year, the Home Office said it would take a second look at another Iranian Christians asylum claim after the department first denied the application, arguing that Christianity is not a peaceful religion.

The department faced international criticism for attacking Christianity as a violent religion in a letter stating their reasons for denying the Christian convert's asylum application.
SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Remaining passengers who were stuck onboard a cruise ship docked in Cambodia for almost a week left the vessel on Wednesday after they tested negative for the coronavirus, a government official said.

MS Westerdam, operated by Carnival Corp's Holland America Line, arrived in the port of Sihanoukville on Feb. 13 having been turned away at five other ports after leaving Hong Kong, which has reported more than 60 cases of the virus and two deaths.

The ship came under renewed scrutiny amid Cambodia's quick clearance for passengers to fly home, which was criticised after one American woman who had been on the cruise ship tested positive for the virus over the weekend after a special flight chartered by the cruise reached Malaysia.

On Wednesday, a series of cheers went up from people lining the lower deck of the cruise ship and there were several loud blasts of the ship's horn as passengers began disembarking, 18 days after the ship first left Hong Kong.

"The last 233 passengers on MS Westerdam are disembarked and will continue to Phnom Penh by buses," said Kheang Phearum, spokesman for Preah Sihanouk province, where Sihanoukville is located.

Holland America Line confirmed in a statement the last passengers had been given health clearances to leave the ship and make their way home.

"The company is working to finalise arrangements for everyone," the statement said, adding that those who travelled home previously will be contacted by their local health department.

Upon leaving the vessel, passengers received traditional checkered Cambodian scarves as souvenirs.

The passengers will spend a night in capital Phnom Penh and then fly home, said Sun Chan Thol, Cambodia's minister of public transport.

"Tomorrow, they will leave for their home countries," said Sun Chan Thol.

Holland America said the ship would remain at dock in Sihanoukville while hundreds of crew members were being tested.

The vessel spent two weeks at sea after being turned away by Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines and Thailand even though the cruise operator insisted there were no coronavirus cases aboard.

Some 1,455 passengers and 802 crew boarded the cruise ship when it set sail on Feb. 1 from Hong Kong. (Reporting by Clare Baldwin; Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Sam Holmes)
Ekos Taps Two New VPs to Accelerate Growth Ekos had a banner year in 2019 with a game-changing Series A funding round which will allow us to continue our commitment to our customer base and to develop new products. Were thrilled to welcome Christina and Chris to our team, said Josh McKinney, Ekos CEO.

Ekos, the leader in business management software for independent craft makers, today announced two new appointments: Christina Kyriazi as Vice President of Marketing and Chris Smith as Vice President of Engineering. Kyriazi and Smith join Ekos following the companys $8 million funding round in October 2019.

In her new role, Kyriazi will help Ekos grow and expand into new markets. She will report to Ekos CEO Josh McKinney. Smith was brought on to help the company scale its engineering team, process and software as the company grows. He will report to Ekos CTO, and co-founder, Greg Forehand.

Ekos had a banner year in 2019 with a game-changing Series A funding round which will allow us to continue our commitment to our customer base and to develop new products, said McKinney. Christina is a data-driven marketer with a passion for putting the customer first, and Chris is a passionate technical leader and seasoned engineer. Were thrilled to welcome them both to our team.

Kyriazi has more than 12 years of marketing experience and joins Ekos from Passport, where she most recently served as the senior director of marketing. Smith has more than 12 years of experience in engineering and business-driven development. He joins Ekos from Red Ventures, a marketing and advertising firm, where he served as the vice president of engineering.

This is an exciting time for Ekos, and Im delighted to be part of the momentum as we further enhance our product and solidify our presence in the craft manufacturing space, said Kyriazi. As a Charlotte resident, Im also excited to participate in the vibrant Charlotte tech scene.

Josh and his team have developed the must-have product for craft makers, added Smith. Im very excited to put my years of technical experience to work helping Ekos grow and continue to accomplish great things.

Ekos is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the company is planning to hire an additional 30 people in the coming year. Kyriazi and Smith round out Ekos post-Series A hiring initiative, which includes Chris Rosbrook as CFO, Trent Terrell as Director of Sales, and Landon Funsten as Director of Business Development.

About Ekos

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Ekos is the leader in business management software for independent craft producers. Ekos partners with makers in 40 countries to manage their day-to-day operations in inventory, production, sales and accounting. The Ekos software is designed and built to help organize and operate craft businesses more efficiently and profitably, delivering insights unavailable from spreadsheets and traditional methods. To learn more, visit the company at https://www.goekos.com/.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : After initial disenchantment with the formation of the Ram Temple trust, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Wednesday warmly welcomed the induction of Nritya Gopal Das and VHP's Champat Rai into the trust.

VHP's international working President Alok Kumar said, "We welcome the appointment of mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Champat Rai and Govind Dev Giri as President, Secretary General and Treasurer, respectively, of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. We believe the temple construction would begin soon." VHP has been in the forefront of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, particularly in the '90s when multiple Kar sevas took place. But there was no representation of VHP in the trust before.

Earlier, Ayodhya seers were also agitated over the exclusion of Nritya Gopal Das from the trust after which Union Home Minister Amit Shah stepped in to pacify the sants.

The first meeting of the Ram Temple trust was held on Wednesday at the residence of K. Parasaran, the head of the trust.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on February 5 announced the formation of the 15-member trust in the Parliament. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust has seven members, five nominated members and three trustees.
Billionaire business leaders are in a 'gold rush' to work with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry following their split from the Royal Family, banking insiders have told the Mirror.

The couple, who quit The Firm last month and expressed their desire to become financially independent, are set to be invited to speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland next year.

The annual WEF sees the coming together of some of the world's richest and most influential people.

Experts claim they could make up to 1billion if they network correctly with delegates and sign a combination of corporate deals and roles as brand ambassadors.

Billionaire business leaders are in a 'gold rush' to work with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry following their split from the Royal Family, banking insiders have told the Mirror

PR expert Mark Borkowski told the Mirror: 'This does not surprise me at all.'

Meanwhile a banking insider told the publication: 'Harry and Meghan have set a clear path to work with big banks and corporate giants as well as doing altruistic work with charities.

'The mix works well with the target audience and the celebrity set. However, it is sure to raise eyebrows in royal circles.

'It has echoes of other royals criticised for touting themselves to the highest bidder and all becomes rather tawdry.'

It comes after Harry, 35, and Meghan's first post-Megxit appearance earlier this month was at an event held by US banking giant JP Morgan in Miami - an organisation which has been embroiled in a succession of controversies.

Experts claim the Sussexes could make up to 1billion if they network correctly with delegates and sign a combination of corporate deals and roles as brand ambassadors

JP Morgan was among the group of big American investment banks blamed for triggering the financial crisis just over a decade ago  and was eventually ordered to pay a then-record $13 billion fine  about 10 billion  in 2013 for misleading investors in the years leading up to the meltdown.

Coincidentally, 2013 was also the year the bank finally parted company with one of its most notorious clients, paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Last week it emerged Prince Harry's team held talks with Goldman Sachs - an investment bank accused by the US government and senate of misleading investors about the value of subprime mortgages and contributing to the financial crisis.

Other controversies have ranged from being linked to the 1MDB fraud and a lawsuit brought by former female employees to the bank's role in the financial crisis.

It comes after Harry, 35, and Meghan's first post-Megxit appearance earlier this month was at an event held by US banking giant JP Morgan in Miami, which has been embroiled in a succession of controversies. Pictured at Canada House in London in January

Prince Harry insisted the talks were to benefit his charities rather than bolster the Sussex Royal brand - a label which the Queen and senior officials have decided is no longer tenable for the couple to keep.

The Duke of Sussex's aides are said to have discussed following in the footsteps of David Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow by speaking at one of the Talks at GS events.

If Harry and Meghan, 38, were to attend the WEF, it could be seen to clash with their campaigns for the climate.

If Harry and Meghan, 38, pictured with their son Archie in South Africa, were to attend the WEF, it could be seen to clash with their campaigns for the climate

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, 17, spoke at the event in January and called for urgent action, stressing the need for 'real zero' emissions and blasting the WED for ignoring calls to cut fossil fuel use.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were slammed last year for preaching about saving the planet and then flying around the world by private jet.

Harry's father Prince Charles also gave a keynote speech on the climate crisis at Davos this year and met Thunberg.
An Accra High Court has refused an application to halt proceedings in the trial of the embattled chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu Ampofo.

Mr. Ampofo's lawyers wanted the court to put the trial on hold to allow the Court of Appeal to conclude on a case they put before it.

They want the Appeal's Court to determine an appeal case they filed to challenge the decision of the High Court to admit into evidence a witness statement they felt should not have been accepted because the witness denied the knowledge of the content of the said statement.

But the High Court judge, Justice Samuel Asiedu disagreed with the application.

The judge among other things insisted that if the application was granted, it will unnecessarily delay the ongoing trial.

Samuel Ofosu Ampofo is standing trial together with Anthony Kwaku Boahen, a Deputy Communications Officer of the NDC, over an alleged leaked tape in which the NDC National Chairman allegedly incited violence against the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Jean Mensa, and the Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante.

The two have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit assault against a public officer while Ofosu-Ampofo has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault against a public officer.

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The Centre on Wednesday informed the Delhi High Court that a task force has been constituted to study the issue of minimum age of girl entering motherhood.

The Centre's submissions were made during the hearing of a PIL seeking equality in legal age of marriage for men and women.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar was informed about Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's recent speech while presenting the Budget in Parliament where she discussed the issue of age of girls entering motherhood.

The minister had said in her speech, "Women's age of marriage was increased from fifteen years to eighteen years in 1978, by amending erstwhile Sharda Act of 1929. As India progresses further, opportunities open up for women to pursue higher education and careers.

"There are imperatives of lowering maternal mortality rate (MMR) as well as improvement of nutrition levels. Entire issue about age of a girl entering motherhood needs to be seen in this light. I propose to appoint a task force that will present its recommendations in six months' time."



The court granted more time to the Centre to file its response to the petition which says the minimum age limit of 18 years for a woman to get married amounts to "blatant discrimination" and listed the matter for further hearing on May 28.

Men in India are permitted to get married at the age of 21.

Petitioner and advocate Ashwini Upadhyay said the plea has been filed raising a legal question and forming a task force will not serve the purpose. He said it is a matter concerning right to equality guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution.

The high court had earlier sought response from the Centre on the PIL by the BJP leader claiming that the difference in minimum age of marriage for men and women was based on patriarchal stereotypes and has no scientific backing.

The petition claimed that the difference in marriage age violates the principles of gender equality, gender justice and dignity of women.

"The petition challenges a blatant, ongoing form of discrimination against women. That is the discriminatory minimum age limit for marriage for men and women in India.

"While men in India are permitted to get married only at the age of 21 years, women are allowed to get married when they are 18. This distinction is based in patriarchal stereotypes, has no scientific backing, perpetrates de jure and de facto inequality against women, and goes completely against global trends," the petition contended.

It said "it is a social reality" that married women are expected to perform a subordinate role vis--vis the husband and this "power imbalance" is deeply aggravated by the age difference.

"A younger spouse is, therefore, expected to respect and be servile to her elder partner, which aggravates the pre-existing gender based hierarchy in the marital relationship," the petition stated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Since his January 2019 arrest, President Donald Trump's longtime adviser Roger Stone has repeatedly tested the patience of the federal judge who presided over his trial. On Thursday, that judge will tell the self-described "dirty trickster" how long he will serve in prison.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson is scheduled to sentence Stone, a veteran Republican operative whose friendship with Trump dates back decades, after a 12-member jury in November found him guilty on all seven counts of lying to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering.

The judge on Tuesday rejected Stone's bid to delay the sentencing.

The high-profile case has taken on additional importance since Trump last week blasted the federal prosecutors who won Stone's conviction as "corrupt" after they recommended to the judge a prison sentence of seven to nine years. Attorney General William Barr, appointed last year by Trump as the top U.S. law enforcement official, swiftly intervened and the Justice Department withdrew the recommendation as "excessive," with all four prosecutors then quitting the case.

The Republican president thanked Barr for "taking charge" of the Stone matter, though Barr rebuked Trump for tweeting about the case. Congressional Democrats have accused Trump and Barr of politicizing the U.S. criminal justice system and threatening the rule of law.

Stone has repeatedly pushed the boundaries set by Jackson since his arrest in a dramatic pre-dawn FBI raid on his Florida home. Stone violated the judge's orders not to talk about the case or post on social media, and she accused him of "middle school" behavior. At one point, Stone posted an image of Jackson on Instagram with what looked like the crosshairs of a gun over her head.

"His antics are definitely an aggravating factor, and he can expect a longer sentence than he otherwise would have received," said Mark Allenbaugh, a co-founder of Sentencing Stats, LLC who previously worked for the U.S. Sentencing Commission that sets federal sentencing guidelines.

"Expect an eloquent lecture from her about the sanctity of the rule of law and how judges should not be threatened and will not be threatened by such antics," added Allenbaugh, who predicted a sentence of between three and five years.

Trump has criticized not only the prosecutors but the jurors in the case and Jackson, an appointee of Trump's Democratic predecessor Barack Obama. Stone's lawyers have asked for a new trial in a motion still under seal.

Trump has sidestepped questions as to whether he might pardon Stone. "You're going to see what happens," Trump told reporters on Tuesday, adding that Stone had been treated "very unfairly."

Every effort

Some experts called the original sentencing recommendation by the prosecutors too high and forecast that Jackson would sentence Stone to far less. Stone's defense team recommended a sentence of 15 to 21 months.

"I would bet that the judge will make every effort to put all of those things aside and to sentence him based on the conduct that he was convicted of," said Bruce Green, a former federal prosecutor who is now a professor at the Fordham University School of Law in New York.

This marks the second time in 11 months that Jackson will sentence a former senior aide to Trump convicted by a jury in a case arising from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation that detailed Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election to boost Trump's candidacy.

Jackson last year sentenced Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, to 3-1/2 years in prison for unlawful lobbying and witness tampering, which combined with a sentence in a related case meant he would spend more than seven years behind bars.

Jackson took steps to rein in Stone's behavior early in the case. After she granted him broad discretion to continue discussing the case publicly, Stone posted the gun crosshairs image. Stone apologized to the judge during a pre-trial hearing, and she barred him from speaking about the case.

Stone violated that order by reposting articles promoting unproven conspiracy theories about Russia's 2016 hacking of the Democratic National Committee's computer system and mocking people connected to his case. Jackson then barred him from making any posts on social media.

Stone, 67, was convicted of lying under oath to U.S. lawmakers about his outreach to WikiLeaks - the website that disclosed many hacked Democratic emails ahead of the 2016 election that proved embarrassing to Trump's Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton - to protect Trump from looking bad.

Mueller's investigation concluded the emails were hacked by Russia. Stone sought to cast doubt on Moscow's role.

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OTTAWA - Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has offered effusive thanks to New Democrats and stinging criticism of the Conservatives after the NDP supported the minority Liberal government's efforts to more speedily ratify the new North American trade agreement.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Chrystia Freeland speaks with the media before Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday February 18, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has offered effusive thanks to New Democrats and stinging criticism of the Conservatives after the NDP supported the minority Liberal government's efforts to more speedily ratify the new North American trade agreement.

Freeland said the government wanted to limit study of the new deal, which replaces the quarter-century-old North American Free Trade Agreement, and get on with a vote to put it into effect.

Freeland said she was surprised that Conservatives wanted to extend committees' study of the agreement into March and was grateful to New Democrat MPs for supporting the government.

But the Conservative trade critic Randy Hoback said there is no circumstance under which his party would vote against ratifying the trade deal. He said the Tories simply wanted to hear from witnesses to give voice to people who are concerned about the deal, to make it stronger in the long term.

"We're just asking basic questions that Canadians are asking us. There's no silly buggery going on in the background. These are just fair questions that need to be answered before moving forward," he said in an interview.

"We needed to hear from those witnesses that were negatively impacted by this deal and we needed to have an idea from the Liberal party in how they are going to mitigate those consequences," Hoback added.

The partisan acrimony on the trade file came on a day when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pointedly excluded Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer from a meeting of party leaders talking about blockades raised by Indigenous people and supporters over a pipeline project in B.C.

The blockades and the unresolved trade deal have economic consequences.

Both the United States and Mexico have formally ratified the new continental trade pact, which was reached after the Trump administration in Washington foisted a renegotiation on its two continental allies in 2017.

President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to rip up NAFTA during the 13 months of acrimonious negotiations among the three countries.

Getting a new deal became the Liberal government's top priority because of Canada's massive economic dependence on access to the United States, its biggest trading partner.

Freeland has had cabinet responsibility for Canada-U.S. relations during that time as foreign affairs minister and now as deputy prime minister.

Freeland said Tuesday the Commons trade committee will end its hearings on Feb. 28, allowing the ratification to move forward. The Liberals needed the support of at least one other party to get their way, because they don't command a majority in the House of Commons.

"The Conservatives had sought to extend debate at committee on the new NAFTA beyond March 12. We think that that is too long, and would have created unnecessary needless and dangerous uncertainty in the Canadian economy," Freeland said.

"It will be a surprise to many Canadians who voted for Conservatives in October to learn that their Conservative MPs are less supportive of free trade, less supportive of economic certainty in Canada's relationship with the United States than the NDP is," she added.

"I leave it to the Conservatives to explain why they believe that partisan bickering is more important than a principled support of the national interest."

But Hoback said his party was not playing partisan politics by wanting further study, and that it will vote to support the deal.

"That's what created the problem in the previous NAFTA is when people were left out. They were the ones that elected Trump this last election, because they were left out."

New Democrat MP Daniel Blaikie said his party would support the new deal provided the government provides more transparency in future trade negotiations.

"We know that we can't change the deal," Blaikie told reporters.

"That's why we focused on what we could change, which is how we get better deals in the future and we were glad to see openness on the part of the government to that."

The Progressive Conservatives under Brian Mulroney ushered in the 1988 Free Trade Agreement with the United States and won a federal election over the Liberals to be able to do that. The Progressive Conservatives began expanded negotiations to include Mexico in the early 1990s before NAFTA was born in 1994 after the Liberals won power.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2020.
Image credit: Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry



The International Jeweller's Day held by the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) was marked by the meeting of members of the Exporters Guild and the presentation of the winners of the Moscow international jewelry design contest Russian Diamond Line. The meeting was attended by heads of companies approved for the participation in the Russian exhibition pool at the HKTDC Hong Kong International Jewellery Show rescheduled this year to May. At this largest world fair, Russia will be represented in the pavilion fully funded by the Moscow Export Centre (MEC). The meeting discussed the issues of restrictions on export and the possibility of selling Russian goods at the exhibition. The MEC will compensate not only the cost of the pavilion, but also customs and logistics expenses. The jewellers discussed the optimal scheme worked out by the Guild of Jewellery Exporters for taking part in the Jewellery Arabia exhibition: arranging the export of exhibits through a single operator, thereby greatly reducing the exhibitors costs and the volume of documents required for the customs clearance. The event participants expressed their wishes to the representatives of the Moscow Export Centre and the Moscow CCI regarding foreign exhibitions and business missions that should be included in subsidy plans for the next two years.

Other issues were also considered, in particular, the need to introduce a 950 standard for palladium goods popular in foreign markets. A distinctive feature of the Russian pavilion in Hong Kong should be the jewellery made of palladium using the technology patented by Palladin Gold.

The event was really brilliant thanks to the presentation of the best jewellery pieces - the items by the prizewinners of the Moscow international contest of jewellery design Russian Diamond Line and other international design contests. The head of the RF Gokhran Andrei Yurin who opened the presentation, in his welcoming complimentary address, highly praised the artistic and technical level of the items by the leading Russian jewellers and expressed confidence in their success on the world market. The vice-president of the Moscow CCI Alexander Krutov who also took the floor at the presentation called the Guild of Jewellery Exporters one of the most active organizations in the Chamber.

The guests who took part in the event - the leaders of the Moscow CCI special-purpose committees and invited journalists - could appreciate jewellery by famous jewellery brands in Moscow and St. Petersburg - Galina Konyaeva, Ilya Klyuyev, Palladin Gold and Tatyana Kholodnova, Vera Tiestto, Dmitry Kotlyarevsky, Victoria Romanova, Sergey Izmestyev, Sasonko jewellery house.

Pictured: Jewelry piece by Galina Konyaeva

Lyudmila Shcherbina, the first secretary of the Moscow Union of Journalists, expressed her admiration for everyone who creates modern masterpieces and who helps their promotion.

The leaders of the Moscow CCI special-purpose committees - Irina Zhukovskaya, Irina Linnik, Lidia Chukina, Elena Polyakova, Andrei Zholin - and other members of the Chamber familiarized themselves with the exposition and presentations of each of the participants, expressed their interest in further meetings with jewellers, possibly, in a trip to jewellery enterprises. Fyodor Poludenny, director of the Gevorkyan brand, proposed holding the first event of its kind in the Ceremonial Hall of the Estet jewellery house.

According to the chairman of the Guild of Jewellery Exporters Alexei Scherbina, the Russian Diamond Line international jewellery design contest is focused on creating an elite exhibition pool of the leading companies and designers who will represent their jewellery and also sell it at the most prestigious international venues.

Irina Slesareva, art director of the Russian Diamond Line contest, is confident that this is quite possible, Just start - the high level of work shown here, the success of our jewellers in world design contests allow us to integrate seamlessly into the international space and expect to succeed commercially.

The participants in the event and guests tasted the Italian wines offered by the Caudal Wine House and took part in the jewellery lottery arranged by Brial jewellery firm, and most importantly, they had a unique opportunity to communicate with the leading masters of the Russian jewellery art.

The Moscow international contest of jewellery design Russian Diamond Line was held at the end of last year. According to Irina Slesareva, an international jury composed of well-known art critics and artists - Gedimin Jablonski, Poland, Larisa Peshekhonova from the Moscow Kremlin Museums, Cynthia Winninayar, the USA (InColor Magazine), Larisa Zolotova from the State Hermitage, and Catherine Fournell, France, selected 18 prize-winners, and five more works were awarded special diplomas.

The Russian Diamond Line-2019 contest had two nominations  Exclusive and Golden Series. Of the jewellery items by the prizewinners, the Star Rain brooch (Tatyana Binder, Moscow), the Equilibrum transformer ring (Alina Andreyeva, Moscow), the Singularity ring (Palladin Gold & Tatyana Kholodnova, Moscow), and the Africa earrings (Tatyana and Natalya Tarasova, St. Petersburg) were very impressive, the Mandarin transformer ring (Wolf Bilonchik, Vienna, Austria), Waltz of Snowflakes bracelet (Victoria Romanova, Moscow), the Secret of the Butterfly set by Anna Teplinskaya, The White Diamond (Kostroma).

Image credit: Palladin Gold

Designer Galina Konyayeva, Voronezh, was awarded the Grand Prix for her harmonious design, successful interpretation of the theme and perfect execution (Pixels set). The main idea of this jewellery piece is modern life as a matrix. The sun's beam, frozen in stone, subdivides into pixels, like on a phone screen, through which the lion's share of communication is done today. Even sitting next to each other, we more seldom look into each other's eyes - only through the phone screens. Live emotions are replaced by nice pictures, the whole world of a modern person now consists of pixels. Of course, this has its own beauty, but ... there are not enough aromas, a breath of wind, a warmth sense.

This set - undoubtedly relevant in terms of concept and execution (necklace, earrings and ring) - is made of gold with diamonds and hand-cut rutile quartz; it organically combines handwork and 3D-modeling elements. The pendant, for example, consists of three parts with a pivot joint, and the earrings with movable hinges are made manually.

Irina Slesareva, the contest art director, noted that the Russian Diamond Line project is primarily aimed at the designers exploring new themes, styles and technologies, and she emphasized This year, the jewellery pieces have an amazing variety of themes and formats. We have opened several new names again, and we hope that in the future, there will be even more names. The contest prizewinners, as always, will be delegated to the prestigious International Jewellery Design Excellence Award-2021 contest, the final round of which will be held in Hong Kong, as well as to other world jewellery design contests.

Galina Semyonova for Rough&Polished
Saturdays vote is widely expected to return Faure Gnassingbe as president for a fourth-straight term.

Togos national election commission has revoked a main independent observer groups accreditation to monitor the countrys presidential election, just days before the vote is due to take place.

Long-standing President Faure Gnassingbe is widely expected to win Saturdays election, extending his familys decades-long rule after seeing off a wave of anti-government protests in 2017 and 2018.

In a letter dated February 17, the commission said it had cancelled the accreditation of the National Consultation of Civil Society of Togo to field their 500 observers nationwide, accusing it of preparing to carry out interference in the vote.

The move came after authorities previously blocked Catholic Church monitors from observing the election, which government critics allege will not be free and fair.

When the government of #Togo cancel observers credential of the largest independent civil society organization, one must be concerned in the election this Feb, 22. pic.twitter.com/uGPMwkXiEZ  Togo Civil League (@tcl_togo) February 19, 2020

As the electoral campaign is under way, Togolese have to decide whether to grant a fourth term for Gnassingbe. The incumbent 53-year-old leader took office in 2005 after the death of his father Eyadema Gnassingbe, who led the country for 38 years after seizing power in a coup in 1967.

A series of major protests swept the country of some eight million people in 2017 and 2018 demanding that Gnassingbe leaves power. However, demonstrations were choked by a fierce government crackdown and splits among the opposition, with Gnassingbes grip now appearing as solid as ever.

The president pushed through constitutional changes in May allowing him to stand again this year, and potentially stay in office until 2030.

The constitutional change caps the presidential mandate to two five-year terms, but does not take into account the three terms Gnassingbe has already served





President Gnassingbe supporters believe that he provides the security and stability for the Togolese, Al Jazeeras Ahmed Idris, reporting from Togos capital, Lome, said.

But the opposition says it can only grow the economy and bring prosperity to Togo, Idris said.

While reviving the economy is a concern for many who live in rural areas where 60 percent of people lack access to electricity and clean water, some believe that reforms alone would not be enough to solve their problems.

There is widespread poverty among the population, Togolese journalist Carlos Ketohou told Al Jazeera.

There is little or no economic empowerment for the poor. Some voters want a change of the current regime, to them it will mean economic freedom, said Ketohou.

According to the World Food Programme, about half of the population is affected by food insecurity, while almost 70 percent of rural households live below the poverty line.

Meanwhile, Gnasssingbe has promised to create 500,000 jobs across the country by 2022 to ease the frustrations of the large number of unemployed youths in the country.

But some doubted the upcoming ballot could create meaningful change.

I am not going to vote, said student Laure Dzossou-Afanlete.

I cant go and queue to cast my ballot for a change that never comes. When I know my vote will make a difference, maybe I will change my mind.
Several reports have detailed how coronavirus patients are being treated with oxygen, HIV drugs and Ebola medication.

But, in additional to medical care, doctors at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) are providing the ill men and women with comforts from home such as soup and pain relievers as 'supportive care.'

The practice focuses on improving the quality of life and alleviating the suffering of those battling serious diseases.

Specifically, the team at UNMC told DailyMail.com that patients are being given chicken soup to eat and medications that reduce fever and help them feel more comfortable including Tylenol and Motrin.

Doctors say it is about providing 'loving care' to the patients so they feel they are being taken care of by a loved one.

Patients under quarantine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (pictured) are being provided with comforts from home such as Tylenol and chicken soup

The medical team says they are practicing supportive care, which focuses on improving the quality of life of patients with serious illnesses. Pictured: One of the quarantine rooms at UNMC, courtesy of KETV

'We've called it the "chicken soup phase" of treatment, giving them some symptomatic relief,' Dr Mark Rupp, the chief of UNMC's division of infectious diseases, told DailyMail.com.

'What we learned from the Ebola outbreak, is that the mortality rate is much higher in west Africa than in places with supportive care. We've tried to make this a comfortable setting for folks.'

Studies have shown that the ingredients in chicken soup - including chicken, carrots, garlic and water - provide the body with vitamins and minerals that boost the immune system and help fight digestion.

Additionally, chicken is high in the amino acid tryptophan, which helps create serotonin, the neurotransmitter that elevates mood - making chicken soup feel like a comfort food.

It's also a stark contrast from many of the quarantined patients in others areas who say they've not been given enough to eat and are barely interacted with.

The patients in Nebraska were once passengers aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which went under a 14-day quarantine in Japan starting February 5 after someone who disembarked in Hong Kong came down with the coronavirus four days after leaving.

Twelve days into the quarantine, more than 300 Americans - including 14 of whom had tested positive for the virus - were evacuated back to the US.

After they arrived in either Texas or California, 13 'high-risk' patients, who had either tested positive or were likely to test positive, were transferred to UNMC.

They are currently staying at the federal quarantine center on campus, which has 20 rooms.

Dr Rupp says that all of the patients are in their own rooms, all of which contain exercise equipment and comforts such as TV and WiFi.

'It's pretty Spartan. You know, it's not a palatial hotel, but adequate for them to be comfortable,' he said.

On Monday, one of the 13 new patients was transported to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit after he complained of a cough and lightheadedness.

Twelve of the patients are in the federal quarantine center on campus, which has comforts such as TV and WiFi. Pictured: One of the quarantine rooms at UNMC, courtesy of KETV

One of the 13 patients was transported to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, which was used to treat three Ebola patients in 2014. Pictured: An Air Force member tests out the bio containment unit

UNMC has one of three known biocontainment units, which was commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2005.

In 2014, UNMC used the biocontainment unit to treat three patients with Ebola.

Dr Rupp explained the unit contains airlocks and negative pressure isolation.

'This means all air in the patient room gets put through special filters before being exhausted,' he said.

'We're taking care that the respiratory illness stays put.'

Local officials said that person who is in the unit currently also has a chronic health condition, but did not specify what sort.

One Nebraska patient, Jeri Goldman, says her husband, Carl, is that patient and the condition he has is Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder.

More than 75,000 people worldwide have been infected with coronavirus, including 15 in the US, and 2,000 people have died.

Nebraska Medicine notes that while this virus is far more infectious than the 2002-03 outbreak of SARS, coronavirus is much less fatal.
President Muhammadu Buhari has named a new acting managing director for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The president named Kemebradikumo Pondei, a professor of medicine, as the new acting managing director.

Mr Pondei replaces Joy Nunieh who was also acting in that capacity.

According to a statement by his spokesperson, Femi Adesina, the president said Mr Pondei will now head a five-member Interim Management Committee (IMC) for the NDDC which has been troubled by various corruption allegations and whose accounts is currently being audited.

President Buhari ordered the audit of the NDDCs accounts last year, saying there is not much to show for the billions of naira spent by the agency.

PREMIUM TIMES has also published a series of investigative reports that show how NDDC projects in the Niger Delta are abandoned or nonexistence despite release of moneys for them.

The Niger Delta minister, Gods will Akpabio, whose ministry now oversees the NDDC also lamented the corruption in the agency saying it was treated like an ATM by its previous management.

Read Mr Adesinas mail announcing the new leadership of NDDC below.

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the enlargement of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) from three to five.

The five members of the committee are now: Professor Kemebradikumo Daniel Pondei, who is the Ag. Managing Director, replacing Barrister Joy Nunieh; Dr Cairo Ojougboh, Ag. Executive Director (Projects); Mr Ibanga Bassey Etang, Ag. Executive Director (Finance and Administration); Mrs Caroline Nagbo (Member); and Cecilia Bukola Akintomide, OON, a former Vice President with African Development Bank, (Member).

Prof K.D Pondei, the new Ag. Managing Director, is a Professor of Medicine at the Niger Delta University, and former Provost, College of Health Sciences of the institution.

President Buhari had earlier approved that the Interim Management Committee would be in place till the forensic audit of the NDDC was concluded.
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FEDERAL WAY  A new self-storage facility at 33620 21st Ave. S.W. has sold for almost $21.7 million, according to King County records. The seller was an LLC related to Wasatch Storage Partners of Salt Lake City, which acquired the land in 2017 for $4.1 million, then developed it.

The buyer was LV 8250 LLC, which is associated with Life Storage, which operates the new facility and is based near Buffalo, New York.





. . .
President Donald Trump's lawyer and former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani in Washington on May 5, 2018. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Senate Democrats Ask IG to Investigate Communication Between Giuliani and DOJ

Senate Democrats have asked the Justice Departments inspector general, Michael Horowitz, to expand an investigation into Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trumps personal lawyer.

Ten Democrats sent a letter to Horowitzs office to determine whether Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, had improper communications with top-level Department of Justice officials.

Ten Democrats signed off on the letter (pdf), led by ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and expressed concerns that Mr. Giulianis interactions with senior DOJ officials may have unduly influenced or created conflicts of interests with regard to DOJ activities. According to the letter, At a minimum, Mr. Giulianis access creates an appearance of impropriety that could undermine trust in the agency.

If his contacts do not violate one or more of these provisions, further internal guidance may be needed to ensure that DOJ delivers fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans,' they added.

Nine other Democrats on Judiciary Committee, including Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Patrick Leahy (Vt.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Christopher Coons (Del.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Cory Booker (N.J.), and Kamala Harris (Calif.), signed the letter.

The Democratic senators included reports that made references to Giulianis contacts with Justice Department officials.

These reports suggest that Mr. Giuliani has used his relationship with the President, including his representation of the President as a private citizen, to gain improper access to attorneys and investigators in the agency, particularly political appointees who serve at the Presidents pleasure, they wrote. They said that some federal laws and regulations were put in place to prevent conflicts of interest.

Late last year, Horowitz told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he was concerned about leaks from FBI field offices to Giuliani.

We are investigating those contacts. Weve issued a couple of public summaries so far about people weve found violated FBI policy. We have other investigations ongoing, Horowitz said in a public hearing.

Meanwhile, Giuliani emerged as a central figure during the impeachment inquiry into President Trump. In a July 25 phone call, Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to speak with Giuliani and look into corruption allegations surrounding former Vice President Joe Biden and son Hunter Biden.

Democrats call for an expanded investigation comes after the Justice Department sent a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday, informing him that Attorney General William Barr has not discussed matters relating to Ukraine with Rudolph Giuliani before adding that the department remains vigilant against the significant threat of disinformation.

As always, the Department will reject information it finds to be non-credible while continuing to discharge its duty to pursue all meritorious leads and investigations, the letter added
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Alliance Data Systems Corporation (NYSE: ADS), a leading global provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions, today announced that Tim King, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will present at a fireside chat at the KBW Fintech Payments Conference at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York, NY on Wednesday, March 4, 2020.

The presentation will take place at 1:10 p.m. EST and will be broadcast live over the Internet at the following address: http://wsw.com/webcast/kbw50/ads/ or through the Company's website at www.alliancedata.com. A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days following the presentation.

About Alliance Data

Alliance Data is a leading global provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions serving large, consumer-based industries. The Company creates and deploys customized solutions, enhancing the critical customer marketing experience; the result is measurably changing consumer behavior while driving business growth and profitability for some of today's most recognizable brands. Alliance Data helps its clients create and increase customer loyalty through solutions that engage millions of customers each day across multiple touch points using traditional, digital, mobile and emerging technologies. An S&P 500, FORTUNE 500 and FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Alliance Data consists of businesses that together employ over 10,000 associates at more than 50 locations worldwide.

Alliance Data's card services business is a provider of market-leading private label, co-brand, and business credit card programs. LoyaltyOne owns and operates the AIR MILES Reward Program, Canada's most recognized loyalty program, and Netherlands-based BrandLoyalty, a global provider of tailor-made loyalty programs for grocers. In July 2019 Alliance Data completed the sale of its Epsilon business to Publicis Groupe. More information about Alliance Data can be found at www.AllianceData.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements give our expectations or forecasts of future events and can generally be identified by the use of words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "project," "plan," "likely," "may," "should" or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements that describe our business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements.

We believe that our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions. Forward-looking statements, however, are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the projections, anticipated results or other expectations expressed in this release, and no assurances can be given that our expectations will prove to have been correct. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, factors set forth in the Risk Factors section in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year, which may be updated in Item 1A of, or elsewhere in, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed for periods subsequent to such Form 10-K.

Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and we undertake no obligation, other than as required by applicable law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events, anticipated or unanticipated circumstances or otherwise.

Contacts:

Alliance Data

Tiffany Louder  Investor Relations

214-494-3048

[email protected]

Shelley Whiddon  Media

214-494-3811

[email protected]

SOURCE Alliance Data Systems Corporation

Related Links

http://www.alliancedata.com


Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 19)  A Filipino member of the crew aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked off Japan has recovered from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and is set to be released from the hospital, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday.

The DFA said the male crew member was admitted to the hospital on February 5 and and is the first among infected Filipinos to be "successfully treated." He was scheduled for discharge Wednesday.

Fourty other Filipinos who have tested positive for COVID-19 are confined in medical facilities in and around the Tokyo metropolitan area, the DFA added, including six recently confirmed cases.

Amid the rising number of Filipinos on board the ship infected with the virus, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin on Wednesday ordered the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo to immediately bring home the Filipinos aboard the Diamond Princess.

"I want them home now," Locsin said.

Ahead of Locsin's directive, members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases agreed that Filipinos onboard the coronavirus-hit vessel will be evacuated if they want to, provided that they do not have symptoms of the COVID-19.

"All Filipino passengers and crew of the MV Diamond Princess who will request repatriation will be accommodated by the Philippine government in accordance with the guidelines set by the Department of Health," said Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in a media briefing.

The Diamond Princess management said the Japanese Ministry of Health has begun the disembarkation process Wednesday and it will take a few days. Those who intend to leave the ship will have to be tested and the results will take two to three days to complete, the ship management said. Japanese health authorities will then grant a certificate that states a negative result to allow guests to leave the vessel.

The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo said it will repatriate the Filipinos there as soon as possible as the quarantine ended Wednesday.

Another quarantine

Upon arrival to the country, the evacuees will be required to undergo another 14-day quarantine as precaution, Vergeire said. There are a total of seven passengers and 531 Diamond Princess crew members who are Filipinos on the cruise ship. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said Wednesday that of the total Filipino employees there, 401 wanted to come home. The rest opted to stay, as they are thinking about their employment contracts, Dulay said.

The crew members are among the thousands of people who underwent a 14-day quarantine on the Diamond Princess vessel. Of those quarantined, Japanese authorities reported that a total of 545 people contracted the COVID-19 as of Wednesday.

Vergeire also said the task force on emerging infectious diseases is eyeing a quarantine facility, but refused to disclose the location. She said authorities still need to coordinate with concerned offices and local governments. Earlier, the task force was criticized after it failed to inform the municipality of Capas, Tarlac that it will use New Clark City as a quarantine area for the 49 people from Hubei province-- in particular, Wuhan City, the provincial capital where the outbreak began.

Authorities are still ironing out other details.

Passengers have begun disembarking from the cruise ship after they were quarantined for two weeks, CNN reported.

Guests of the ship will receive a full refund  covering air travel, hotel, ground transportation,"pre-paid shore excursions" and others, Diamond Princess said. The ship management added that the guests will not incur charges for additional time on board and they will receive credits for future cruises equal to the fare they paid for their trip.

RELATED: Tarlac town opposes use of New Clark City as coronavirus quarantine site

READ: Diamond Princess cruise passengers disembark after 14-day quarantine ends in Japan
The Supreme Court on Wednesday held that members of lower judiciary like magistrates and civil judges are not eligible for direct recruitment to posts of district judges, a route meant exclusively for advocates having seven years continued practice.

The top court directed that judicial officers, who have been appointed as district judges through direct recruitment during the pendency of the petition in this connection, will have to revert to their original posts.

It, however, said that magistrates and civil judges can be promoted on merit and seniority basis or appointed through limited competitive examination for the post of district judge.

The top court held that members of judicial service having seven years' experience of practice before they have joined the service or having combined experience of seven years as lawyer and member of judiciary will not be eligible to apply for direct recruitment as district judge.

A bench of justices Arun Mishra, Vineet Saran and S Ravindra Bhat unanimously interpreted Article 233 of the Constitution which deals with the appointment of district judges.

"We are of the opinion that for direct recruitment as district judge as against the quota fixed for the advocates/pleaders, incumbent has to be practising advocate and must be in practice as on the cut-off date and at the time of appointment he must not be in judicial service or other services of the Union or State," the bench said.

Article 233 sub clause 2 states that a person who is already in the service of the Union or of the State shall not be eligible to be appointed as a district judge.

The provision also says that a person to be eligible for the post of district judge should have not less than seven years of practice as an advocate or a pleader and is recommended by the high court for appointment.

The bench clarified that for constituting experience of seven years of practice as advocate, experience obtained in judicial service cannot be equated or combined.

"Advocates should be in practice in the immediate past for seven years and must be in practice while applying on the cut-off date fixed under the rules and should be in practice as an advocate on the date of appointment. The purpose is recruitment from bar of a practising advocate having minimum seven year's experience," the top court said.

In its 84-page verdict penned by Justice Mishra, the bench said, "The rules framed by the high court prohibiting judicial service officers from staking claim to the post of district judge against the posts reserved for advocates by way of direct recruitment, cannot be said to be ultra vires and are in conformity with Articles 14, 16 and 233 of the Constitution of India".

It said that the governor of a state is the authority for the purpose of appointment, promotion, posting and transfer, the eligibility is governed by the rules framed under Articles 234 and 235 of the Constitution.

The top court overruled a Patna High Court verdict of 2016 which allowed the in-service judicial officers to compete with the lawyers for post of district judge saying the law was not laid down correctly.

It said that during the pendency of batch of pleas filed by various lower judiciary officers several interim orders were passed time to time and they were permitted to appear in the examination for post of district judges.

"In the cases where such in-service incumbents have been appointed by way of direct recruitment from bar as we find no merit in the petitions and due to dismissal of the writ petitions filed by the judicial officers, as sequel no fruits can be ripened on the basis of selection without eligibility, they cannot continue as district judges. They have to be reverted to their original post," it said.

The top court added that the lower judiciary officers cannot claim any right on the basis of such an appointment obtained under interim order, which was subject to the outcome of the writ petition and they have to be reverted.

"Opportunities are provided not only to in-service candidates but also to practising candidates by the constitutional scheme to excel and to achieve what they aspire i.e. appointment as district judge. However, when someone joins a particular stream, i.e. a judicial service by his own volition, he cannot sail in two boats," the bench said.

Justice Bhat, concurred with the findings of justices Mishra and Saran but gave his separate reasoning in the matter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Japanese confectionery giant Morinaga unlocks Vietnamese market

Morinaga has linked up with DKSHs Consumer Goods Business Unit to help its expansion to Vietnam and reinforce their existing partnership in Asia to the country.

According to the agreement, DKSH will be the enabler to further unlock Morinaga's potential in Vietnam and ensure regional coverage through the strategic expertise of the local teams.

The key objective of the collaboration is to drive Morinagas growth in the confectionery category, leveraging DKSHs strong position in the rising convenience stores (CVS) channel, achieve comprehensive coverage in modern trade and deep capillary distribution in traditional trade. Besides a strong focus on coverage expansion for Morinaga, DKSH will pay special attention to increasing Hi-Chew and Dars Chocolates visibility across all channels and the whole region.

Terry Seremetis, head of the Consumer Goods Business Unit, commented, We are thrilled to expand our regional collaboration with Morinaga to Vietnam. This extension is another true testament to our strength in this key market. Furthermore, adding Hi-Chew and Dars Chocolate to our brand portfolio will help us keep driving the distribution of confectionery amongst Vietnamese households.

Established in 1899 and listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Morinaga is one of the big Western confectionery manufactures in Japan. It consists of business activities of the manufacturing, purchase, and sales of confectioneries, food, frozen desserts, and health products. Morinaga generates consolidated net sales of 205 billion ($1.86 billion) and operating income of 20 billion ($182.2 million) in 2018.

Vietnam has massive potential in this sector, with major players in the market including Orion Food Vina, Vinamilk, PepsiCo Vietnam, Mondelez Kinh Do, and Bien Hoa Confectionery Corp.

According to figures from Statista.com, revenue in the ice-cream segment is expected to reach $74 million in 2019, with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4 per cent in 2019-2023.

Regarding the snack segment, according to a recent study by Kantar Worldpanel, which deals in consumer knowledge and insights based on continuous consumer panels, the Vietnamese snack market  which was valued at $518 million in 2015  is expected to grow to $1 billion by 2020. The FMCG market in Vietnam is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5-6 per cent by 2020.

To win over Vietnamese consumers, local and foreign brands need to understand local consumer behaviour and preferences to stay abreast of the latest trends, which include health and nutrition and indulgence, by offering new products and new tastes and flavours.
North Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - Lion One Metals Limited (TSXV: LIO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (ASX: LLO) ("Lion One" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that that recent surface sampling at its new Navilawa exploration license, part of its 100% controlled Tuvatu alkaline gold project, Fiji, has returned high-grade gold assays (please refer to the table below for a summary of results). Prospecting has been geared to follow up on strong bulk leach extractable gold ("BLEG") stream sediment samples collected in 2019.

Highlights

Recent surface samples from nine new targets yield significant gold assays. Notable high-grade channel sample results include: 19.4 gpt Au over 0.85 m, 10.83 gpt Au over 1.00 m and 35.30 gpt Au over 0.45 m at Banana Creek. 60.4 gpt Au over 0.40 m, 94.8 gpt Au over 0.40 m, 17.90 gpt Au over 0.75 m and 83.60 gpt Au over 0.45 m at Biliwi. 12.55 gpt Au over 1.85 m at Central Ridge. 6.26 gpt Au over 0.90 m at Kingston. 32.30 gpt Au over 0.65 m, 35.88 gpt Au over 0.60 m, and 53.60 gpt Au over 0.13 gpt Au at Matanavatu. 7.85 gpt Au over 0.61 m at Qalibua.

Although early stage, these results indicate high prospectivity along a 6 km long corridor extending northeastward from the Tuvatu resource. As more data is collected, Lion One anticipates developing a pipeline of new drill targets in this area.

BLEG results indicate more gold sources are likely present within the Navilawa license. Lion One plans aggressive expansion of the prospecting area as well as follow up of these encouraging results.

"Building a pipeline of new, high quality drill targets outside of the Tuvatu resource is one of our main objectives at Lion One," commented Dr. Quinton Hennigh, technical advisor to Lion One. "Once access was granted to our new Navilawa tenement, we began to explore. Over the past few months, we conducted BLEG sampling which indicated the entire northern half of the caldera is prospective. Now that we are opening up roads, we are able to see numerous mineralized exposures. These first surface sample results are very promising, and, coupled with recently announced results from our controlled-source audio-magnetotelluric surveys that show robust structures underlying the region, suggest we should have a large pipeline of drill targets in time for the upcoming dry season."

Surface Sampling

Thus far, surface sampling has focused on areas within 3 km north and northeast of the Tuvatu resource. Although only very small areas have been cleared to date, multiple mineralized structures have already been identified, many with similar characteristics to lodes within the Tuvatu resource.

Interestingly, mineralized structures commonly display a northeast trend as opposed to the N-S trend common at Tuvatu. In spite of this shift in orientation, Lion One is growing more confident that these newly discovered lodes are likely connected to the Tuvatu lode network making the gold system much larger than currently perceived. Lion One sees strong potential to expand the footprint of the mineralized resource through exploration drilling.

Lion One plans to continue aggressive surface sampling work over coming months as it builds a pipeline of new drill targets to be tested during the upcoming dry season. The Company anticipates presenting its strategy to test these targets sometime in April once more work is complete and assays have returned.

Summary of surface sample results from new prospects within the Navilawa Caldera:

Target Channel_ID Sample Type Au (gpt) Strike Dip Channel Azimuth Banana Creek CH1585 0.85 m channel 19.40 NE 70 degrees SE 102 Banana Creek CH1571 6.00 m channel 3.86 NE 70 degrees SE 39 including 1.00 m channel 10.83 Banana Creek CH1574 1.05 m channel 5.00 NE 70 degrees SE 175 Banana Creek CH1575 0.80 m channel 2.58 NE 70 degrees SE 310 Banana Creek CH1460 0.45 m channel 35.30 NE 50 degrees SE 249 Banana Creek CH1461 0.28 m channel 7.68 NE 70 degrees SE 37 Banana Creek TUS011041 Spot rock chip 8.38 not applicable Biliwi CH1466 0.40 m channel 60.40 N-NE 80 degrees E 288 Biliwi CH1466 0.40 m channel 94.80 N-NE 80 degrees E 288 Biliwi CH1466 0.75 m channel 17.90 N-NE 80 degrees E 288 Biliwi CH1466 4.50 m channel 9.79 N-NE 80 degrees E 288 including 0.45 m channel 83.60 Central Ridge CH1451 1.85 m channel 12.55 NE 60-70 degrees SE 346 Central Ridge CH1452 6.70 m channel 2.67 NE 60-70 degrees SE 180 Goat Hill CH1495 0.68 m channel 3.47 NE 70 degrees SE 102 Kingston CH1716 0.90 m channel 6.26 N-S 80 degrees E 155 Kingston CH1481 0.22 m channel 6.31 N-S 80 degrees E 270 Lobau CH1472 1.00 m channel 3.08 N-NW 79 degrees W 280 Matanavatu CH1473 3.45 m channel 8.03 NE 80 degrees SE 350 including 0.65 m channel 32.30 Matanavatu CH1474 0.60 m channel 35.88 NE 80 degrees SE 110 including 0.13 m channel 53.60 Matanavatu CH1475 3.9 m channel 2.41 NE 70 degrees SE 285 Qalibua CH1437 0.61 m channel 7.85 NE 70 degrees SE 50 Qalibua CH1440 1.32 m channel 2.24 NE 71 degrees SE 260 Qalibua CH1679 1.30 m channel 2.13 NE 72 degrees SE 190 Yaloku TUS012186 Float rock chip 8.71 not applicable

Analytic Protocol

Samples are analysed at the Company's own geochemical laboratory in Fiji, whilst duplicates are sent to ALS laboratories in Australia for check analysis and quality control. All samples are pulverised to 80% passing through 75 microns. Gold analysis is carried out using fire assay with an AA finish (by Lion One and ALS [code Au-AA26]). Samples returning grades greater than 10g/t Au by Lion One and ALS are routinely reanalysed by gravimetric method (ALS code Au-GRA22). All samples are also routinely analysed for a range of additional elements using ICP-OES. The Lion One laboratory is not internationally certified, but the Company is anticipating certification in the next 12 to 18 months.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical content of this news release has been reviewed, prepared, and approved by Mr. Stephen Mann, P. Geo, Managing Director of Lion One, who is a qualified person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI-43-101).

About Tuvatu

The Tuvatu gold deposit is located in on the island of Viti Levu in the South Pacific island nation of Fiji. The mineral resource for Tuvatu as disclosed in the technical report "Tuvatu Gold Project PEA", dated June 1, 2015, and prepared by Mining Associates Pty Ltd of Brisbane Qld, comprises 1,120,000 tonnes indicated at 8.17 g/t Au (294,000 oz. Au) and 1,300,000 tonnes inferred at 10.60 g/t Au (445,000 oz. Au) at a cut-off grade of 3 g/t Au. The technical report is available on the Lion One website at www.liononemetals.com and on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.





Figure 1: Plan map showing the Navilawa caldera with BLEG catchement results and surface sample locations. Only a small part of the gold-bearing area has been explored to date. Lion One anticipates generating a large pipeline of drill targets in this area to be tested during the upcoming dry season.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/52556_1cd2febb84a6d891_002full.jpg

The Company is also pleased to announce the signing of a new investor relations agreement aimed to enhance the Company's shareholder base and ongoing investor communications.

Lion One has retained the services of Leo Karabelas of Focus Communications of Toronto, Ontario ("Focus"), to provide a range of investor relations, market awareness and consulting services to the Company. Mr. Karabelas will work with Lion One's management team to support interactions with media, broker-dealers, securities advisors, investment funds and members of the investment community.

The Company has agreed to pay to Focus monthly fees of $5,000 and has granted an option for Focus to purchase 300,000 common shares of the Company at an exercise price of $1.75 per share, vesting quarterly over 12 months and expiring after two years.

The appointment of Mr. Karabelas is subject to the requisite filings with and acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable securities. Focus Communications does not engage in market making activities and will restrict its services to public relations and investor relations counseling.

About Focus Communications

Focus Communications is a private Toronto based firm, specializing in investor relations, corporate communications and market awareness services. Utilizing its extensive database of private investors, brokers, analysts and fund managers, Focus provides customized investor relations solutions for its clients. Focus implements a proactive and "one on one" approach in managing relationships between clients, their shareholders and the investment community for positive, long term relationships.

About Lion One Metals Limited

Lion One's flagship asset is 100% owned, fully permitted high grade Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project, located on the island of Viti Levu in Fiji. Lion One envisions a low-cost high-grade underground gold mining operation at Tuvatu coupled with exciting exploration upside inside its tenements covering the entire Navilawa Caldera, an underexplored yet highly prospective 7km diameter alkaline gold system. Lion One's CEO Walter Berukoff leads an experienced team of explorers and mine builders and has owned or operated over 20 mines in 7 countries. As the founder and former CEO of Miramar Mines, Northern Orion, and La Mancha Resources, Walter is credited with building over $3 billion of value for shareholders.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

Lion One Metals Limited

"Stephen Mann"

Managing Director

For further information

Contact Investor Relations

Toll Free (North America) Tel: 1-855-805-1250

Email: info@liononemetals.com

Website: www.liononemetals.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This press release may contain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward looking information. Generally, forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "proposed", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information reflects Lion One Metals Limited's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Lion One Metals Limited and on assumptions Lion One Metals Limited believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, the actual results of exploration projects being equivalent to or better than estimated results in technical reports, assessment reports, and other geological reports or prior exploration results. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Lion One Metals Limited or its subsidiaries to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the stage development of Lion One Metals Limited, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the actual results of current research and development or operational activities; competition; uncertainty as to patent applications and intellectual property rights; product liability and lack of insurance; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting mining, timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; not realizing on the potential benefits of technology; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals. Although Lion One Metals Limited has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Lion One Metals Limited does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52556
Security forces in Tral in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama district killed three militants in a gun battle that began late Tuesday night, police officials said on Wednesday.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Tral late Tuesday night after a tip off about presence of militants there, a police official said. An encounter broke out between militants and security forces during the search operations.

Two of them were from the Hizbul Mujahideen and one from the Ansar Ghazwa ul Hind, according to an official statement. They were identified as Jehangir Rafiq Wani, a Hizbul commander and Uzair Amin Bhat of the same outfit. The third was identified as Raja Umer Maqbool Bhat of the Ansar Ghazwa ul Hind. The encounter lasted two hours.

Security forces seized two assault rifles, a pistol and their ammunition besides grenades from the site of encounter.

Jehangir Rafiq Wani was the Hizbul commander of Tral area who took charge after death of Hammad Khan in January 2020, the statement said.

The three were said to have been involved in series of terror acts including the killing of two civilians in Tral between November 2019 and February 2020 and destroying a truck in an act of arson among other offences. Also three were local Kashmiris.

On February 5, Jammu and Kashmir police chief Dilbagh Singh 20 terrorists had been killed in the union territory since the new year.
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 21:38:21|Editor: xuxin

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TOKYO, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Passengers on the novel coronavirus-hit cruise ship Diamond Princess docked in Yokohama, near Tokyo, began disembarking Wednesday after a two-week quarantine period ended.

The process of disembarkation is expected to take three days, the government said, with the first group allowed to leave the quarantined vessel comprising around 500 mainly elderly passengers on board who have tested negative for the virus.

Of those who began disembarking the vessel, the health ministry said that they had completed their final round of checkups with health specialists.

The health ministry said prior to those disembarking on Wednesday that there were around 3,000 people aboard the vessel and test samples have been collected from all the passengers aboard the ship, with those found to have been infected with the virus having been transported to medical facilities.

Amid continued precautions from health officials, people who have had close contact with those found to have been infected on the ship will be required to remain onboard to be monitored, regardless of whether or not they have tested positive for the virus or not, the officials said.

As for the ship's staff and crew, the health ministry said that operator of the vessel will decide when those not infected with the virus will be able to leave the ship.

During their period of quarantine, passengers were asked to spend the majority of time inside their cabins in a bid to help combat the spread of the virus on board, with those disembarking Wednesday expressing delight about their ordeal coming to an end, with some waving as they left the ship.

One passenger in his 70s told local media that it felt like he had been away from Japan for a long time. "I just want to go home and eat Japanese food," the former passenger told Japan's public broadcaster NHK.

"I am relieved I was able to get off. I want to take a good rest since I am returning home for the first time in a month," another, also in his 70s, said after disembarking.

Talking to his friends on the phone helped to "keep his spirits up," while confined to the ship, another remarked.

Those disembarking Wednesday were transported in around 10 buses to Yokohama Station and other nearby stations so that they could return home.

Japanese health minister Katsunobu Kato said at a parliamentary committee meeting that those disembarking the vessel no longer needed to be isolated and that there were no concerns about them using public transport to get home after leaving the ship.

"The National Institute of Infectious Diseases has indicated they can use public transportation as long as they were monitored for 14 days, tested negative to the virus and were confirmed to be in good health," Kato stated.

Officials from the health ministry said that those residing in Japan who disembark the ship, however, while free to return home, will be contacted for several days via phone to check on their health.

The Japanese government, meanwhile, has stood by its decision to quarantine the ship, saying the measure was appropriate and one that was endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Japan's top government spokesperson said that the protecting the health of the ship's passengers and crew had been its priority, stating that "the government has given the utmost consideration for protecting the health of passengers and crew."

The cruise ship, initially carrying around 3,700 passengers and crew from more than 50 countries and regions, has been quarantined at the Yokohama Port south of Tokyo since Feb. 5, after a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong on Jan. 25 tested positive for the virus.

All passengers testing negative for the virus should be allowed to disembark the vessel by Friday, government officials have said.
Attorney General William Barr suggested Wednesday that Section 230, Clinton-era legislation which shields tech platforms from liability for content posted by third-party users, should be revised to accommodate the new realities of social media.

Speaking at a DOJ workshop on the statute, Barr laid out the need for a holistic approach to the complex and multi-dimensional issues of the modern internet, while stipulating that the Department is not here to advocate for a position.

While he avoided specific policy prescriptions, Barr did assert that Section 230, as it is currently constructed, is unable to address the myriad online harms posed by giant social media conglomerates.

No longer are tech companies the underdog upstarts; they have become titans of US industry. Given this changing technological landscape, valid questions have been raised on whether Section 230s broad immunity is still necessary, at least in its current form, Barr said.  . . . Technology has changed in ways that no one, including the drafters of Section 230, could have imagined.

The attorney general cited censorship, monopolization, and police powers as policy areas that Section 230 is ill-equipped to address, and suggested that policymakers understanding of the internet at the time of Section 230s passing  as a forum for a true diversity of political discourse, unique opportunities for cultural development, and myriad avenues for intellectual activity  is no longer viable in the age of big tech consolidation.

Over time, however, the avenues for sharing information and engaging in discourse have concentrated in the hands of a few key players, Barr explained.  . . . The early days of online public bulletin boards, like AOL, have been replaced by platforms with sophisticated content moderation tools, algorithms, recommendation features, and targeting.

Barr added that Section 230s dissolution of civil tort law in the online sphere made it harder for the DOJ to effectively enforce criminal law.

Story continues

We are concerned that internet services, under the guise of Section 230, can not only block access to law enforcement  even when officials have secured a court-authorized warrant  but also prevent victims from civil recovery, Barr argued.  . . . Giving broad immunity to platforms that purposefully blind themselves  and law enforcers  to illegal conduct on their services does not create incentives to make the online world safer for children. In fact, it may do just the opposite.

Last month, Barr sparred with tech giant Apple over the companys refusal to unlock the iPhone of the Pensacola naval base shooter, after the attorney general called the shooting an act of terrorism.

When it comes to issues of public safety, the government is the one who must act on behalf of society at large, Barr concluded Wednesday. Law enforcement cannot delegate our obligations to protect the safety of the American people purely to the judgment of profit-seeking private firms. We must shape the incentives for companies to create a safer environment, which is what Section 230 was originally intended to do.

More from National Review
The President of the Polish Bishops Conference writes to Pope Francis to thank him for his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Querida Amazonia, on the beloved Amazon region.

By Vatican News

The president of the Polish Bishops Conference, Archbishop Stanisaw Gadecki, has expressed his gratitude to Pope Francis for the Apostolic Exhortation Querida Amazonia, which, he says, arose in the heart of your Holiness as the fruit of the dialogue and discernment during the recent General Synod of Bishops on the Amazon.

Pope Francis' care for the Amazon

In a letter to Pope Francis, written on behalf of the faithful and pastors of Poland, the Archbishop of Poznan said, My gratitude is deeper the more I discover with what care and love the Holy Father, as Pater Patrum [father of fathers] surrounds the children of our beloved Mother, the Church, scattered across all continents and inhabiting even the most distant places, often not only forgotten and overlooked, but also exploited and destroyed.

Archbishop Gadecki notes that Querida Amazonia is above all a manifestation of the faithful memory and responsible care of the whole Church for our brothers living in this region of the world, who often with great heroism and devotion, in suffering but also with hope, follow the paths of the Gospel of Christ.

The voice of the Church



Citing the Exhortation itself, the Archbishop continues, Thank you, your Holiness, for this necessary, important, and sensitive voice that becomes the loud voice of the Church for the rights of the poor, the indigenous peoples and the least of our brothers and sisters, where their voices can be heard and their dignity advanced; for the call for Amazonia to preserve its distinctive cultural riches, where the beauty of our humanity shines forth in so many varied ways, and to jealously preserve its overwhelming natural beauty and the superabundant life teeming in its rivers and forests.

Archbishop Gadecki concluded his letter with the prayer that, through the grace of God and the commitment of us all, Pope Francis dreams for the beloved Amazon region will inspire people of good will to take even greater care of the Amazon and its peoples.
A group of 76 Ethiopian refugees have voluntarily returned home from Kenyas Kakuma camp today. This marks the first major voluntary repatriation programme for Ethiopian refugees in the country.

The movement, supported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the governments of Ethiopia and Kenya, is part of a growing trend of thousands of Ethiopian refugees in the region who are voluntarily choosing to return to back to their country, following recent developments.

The majority of those returning originate from Ethiopias Somali region and had been living in exile for up 12 years. More than half are women and girls, with some having been born and raised in Kakuma.

This is a monumental day for these returnees and for UNHCR. All refugees have the fundamental right to make an informed, voluntary choice to return to their country in safety and dignity, said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, Director of UNHCR's Regional Bureau for the East, Horn and Great Lakes region of Africa.

Nothing is more fulfilling than to assist people who have been dreaming of returning to their towns and villages to raise their children and rebuild the lives they left behind.

The return was organized by UNHCR with the support of IOM. The returnees were flown from Kakuma to the eastern Ethiopian city of Dire Dawa in two UNHCR-chartered flights. They will now travel onwards by road to Jijiga, capital of the Somali Region.

UNHCR is providing returnees with a reintegration package in the form of cash assistance which also includes transportation allowances to ensure they can travel to their places of origin.

Todays return movement, a significant milestone in the quest to provide solutions to one of Africas protracted refugee situations, follows a previous repatriation in June 2019 in which 94 Ethiopian refugees were assisted to return home from Sudan.

More voluntary return movements from Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps are expected in the coming months.

To date more than 10,000 Ethiopian refugees in regional and neighbouring countries, have expressed to UNHCR their intention to return home, including those hosted in Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen.

Returns from Djibouti and Kenya are currently being prioritized, with more than 4,000 Ethiopian refugees expected to voluntarily return home from Kenya this year and 500 from Djibouti.

The surge in numbers follows recent reforms in Ethiopia which have opened the political space and are widely believed to be improving the countrys respect for human rights and the quality of life for its citizens.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Turkey denies ships carrying arms were in Tripoli port after rocket barrage led govt to pull out of UN-brokered talks.

Rebel group the Libyan National Army (LNA) says it bombed a vessel carrying weapons from Turkey in Tripolis port, an attack that led the UN-recognised government to call off peace negotiations in Switzerland.

The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) pulled out of the talks after a barrage of rocket fire on Tuesday hit the key port in Libyas capital, the takeover of which has been the goal of a months-long operation by renegade commander Khalifa Haftar and his LNA.

Turkish security officials told Al Jazeera on Wednesday there were no Turkish cargo ships in the port at the time of the attack.

Al Jazeeras Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Tripoli, said Libyans in the capital were expressing panic, fear, and frustration as the situation deteriorates.

People are worried that heavy fighting might renew at any time. People in densely populated areas, they are worried that the attack on the port could be the beginning of other attacks in residential areas, he said.

Oil-rich Libya has been splintered between competing factions and militias since former leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed during a NATO-supported uprising in 2011.





It is currently split between two rival administrations  the Tripoli-based GNA and another allied with Haftar in the eastern city of Tobruk that controls key oil fields and export terminals. Each administration is backed by an array of foreign countries.

No peace under bombing

Libyas unity government announced late on Tuesday it would halt its participation in UN talks aimed at brokering a lasting ceasefire in the war-torn country where a fragile truce has been repeatedly violated.

We are announcing the suspension of our participation in the military talks taking place in Geneva until firm positions are adopted against the aggressor [Haftar] and his violations of the truce, the GNA said in a press release.

Without a lasting ceasefire  negotiations make no sense. There can be no peace under the bombing.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the Tripoli governments withdrawal from the military committee talks in Geneva following the attack, and said his military would support the GNA in seizing all of Libyan territory.

If a fair agreement did not come out of the meetings in which the international community is also involved  we will support the legitimate government in Tripoli having control over the entire country, he said.

At the UN headquarters in New York, diplomats following the negotiations in Geneva reacted with dismay.

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia told Al Jazeera it was sad that the GNA decided to withdraw from the talks.

Germanys UN Ambassador Christoph Heusgen said he hoped the negotiations would resume as quickly as possible.

Provoke crises

The port attacks were the latest violation of a tenuous truce that came into effect in January.

Turkey recently sent soldiers and military equipment to Libya. To a lesser degree, the Tripoli government is also backed by Qatar and Italy, as well as local militias.

Haftars army is supported by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as well as France and Russia.

It is clear the objective of the systematic bombardments of the residential areas, the airport and the port, in addition to the total blockage of the oil installations, is to provoke crises for the citizens in all the aspects of their life, the GNA said.

It added Haftars forces were trying in vain to destabilise the state, having failed to seize power.

Russias Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu and Haftar met and agreed a political settlement is the only option for the North African country, RIA news agency reported on Wednesday, citing a statement from the Russian military.

They agreed there was no alternative way to resolve Libyas crisis, according to RIA.

Trying to fix this

UN Libya envoy Ghassan Salame launched the second round of talks on Tuesday in the latest international effort to end fighting between the warring sides, with five senior officers from the GNA and five appointed by Haftars LNA taking part.

A first round of talks ended with no result earlier this month but Salame said there was more hope this time, mainly because of the approval of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a lasting ceasefire.

Salame was trying to convince the Tripoli delegation to stay in Geneva and resume indirect talks, sources said.

Salame is trying to fix this, said one speaking on condition of anonymity, adding the governments reaction was being seen as a protest and not necessarily a full withdrawal from talks.

Haftar launched his offensive on Tripoli last April but after rapid advances, his forces stalled on the edges of the capital. The fighting has left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced some 140,000, according to the United Nations.

Further talks on finding a political solution were planned to start in Geneva on February 26.

World leaders had agreed at a Berlin summit last month to end all foreign meddling in the conflict and stop the flow of weapons but little has changed on the ground since then.

EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to launch a naval mission to enforce an arms embargo, which the UN said was being violated by air, land and sea. The naval operation will be authorised to intervene to stop weapons shipments into the North African state.

Erdogan on Wednesday criticised the European Unions decision to launch the new maritime effort focused on enforcing the UN arms embargo around Libya.

I want to specifically mention that the EU does not have the right to make any decision concerning Libya, Turkeys president said. The EU is trying to take charge of the situation and interfere. You have no such authority.
A year since the CPTPP came into force, trade between Viet Nam and other members of the trade deal had posted significant gains, but the potential to expand remained large, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Garment products made at Kydo Ltd. in Hung Yen Province. More efforts are required to boost exports to member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Greater efforts must be made to grab the opportunities arising from the 11-country deal, which accounted for 13.5 per cent of global gross domestic product with US$10 trillion worth of total trade value, the ministry said.

In a recent report, the ministry pointed out that trade between Viet Nam and CPTPP members reached $77.4 billion last year, a year-on-year rise of 3.9 per cent. Of the figure, Viet Nams exports accounted for 51 per cent and saw a year-on-year increase of 7.2 per cent.

The ministry said it was a positive sign that Viet Nam ran a trade surplus of $1.6 billion with CPTPP bloc in 2019, from a deficit of $900 million in 2018.

Notably, Viet Nam saw a $3.9m trade surplus with markets where the trade deal were already in force, up 135 per cent.

According to the report, exports to markets that did not have other trade deals with Viet Nam except for the CPTPP saw strong rises, including Canada (up 29.9 per cent) and Mexico (up 27.6 per cent). Viet Nam ran a trade surplus worth more than $5 billion with these two markets, more than 50 per cent of the countrys total trade surplus recorded last year.

The report also showed that 27 out of 63 provinces and cities had export activities with CPTPP member markets, led by HCM City, Ha Noi, Ba Ria  Vung Tau, Bac Ninh and Khanh Hoa.

However, several key export products did not see significant increases in exports to the CPTPP bloc like garments and textiles and agricultural products.

The report also revealed significant decreases in foreign direct investment attraction from CPTPP members.

Statistics showed that CPTPP countries poured nearly $5.9 billion in Viet Nam last year, a year-on-year drop of 38.3 per cent.

Investment from Japan decreased by half, Australia by 63 per cent and Malaysia by 51 per cent.

Although investment from Canada and Mexico saw strong rises of 98 per cent and 1,100 per cent, the investments were just small sums of $178 million and $120,000, respectively.

The ministry said that exports to CPTPP could be lifted significantly if Viet Nam made more efforts to grasp the opportunities provided by the trade deal.

The ministry said most firms in Viet Nam were small and medium sized and had not actively engaged in the CPTPP.

A survey conducted by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry showed that 86 per cent of firms knew about the CPTPP but only 1.86 per cent had studied the trade deal seriously. This modest figure showed the majority of Vietnamese businesses did not know how to take advantage of the trade deal, according to the ministry.

Communication must be enhanced to improve the awareness of businesses about trade deals and enable them to take their opportunities, the ministry said in its report.

According to To Hoai Nam, deputy president of the Viet Nam Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Association, SMEs should work with each other to share market information and meet the requirements of CPTPP markets.

The CPTPP is a trade agreement signed on March 8, 2018 in Chile by Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Viet Nam.

The trade deal came in force on December 30, 2018 for six countries which approved the trade deal first, namely Mexico, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, Canada and Australia. The CPTPP took effect in Viet Nam on January 14, 2019.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment forecasts that exports from Viet Nam to CPTPP members would rise to $80 billion in 2030, accounting for 25 per cent of the countrys total exports.  VNS

Evaluating first year of CPTPP in action The landmark Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership has been in force for more than a year now, influencing the trade activities of member economies.
Rice boosts 'internet of things' security -- again

HOUSTON - (Feb. 18, 2020) - Rice University engineers have one-upped their own technique to increase security for the "internet of things."

In truth, their upping is far greater than one.

Kaiyuan Yang, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice's Brown School of Engineering, and graduate student Yan He have introduced a technique to make security more than 14,000 times better than current state-of-the-art defenses while using far less energy.

The Rice team's technique, introduced with a paper and presentation at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco, is a hardware solution centered in the power management circuitry found in most central processing chips.

The "internet of things" (IoT) allows devices -- kitchen appliances, security systems, wearable technologies and many other applications -- to communicate with each other through networks. With the world on the verge of adopting them by the billions, the best possible security is paramount, Yang said.

Unfortunately, he said, any IoT device may become vulnerable to thieves, who could use it to gain access to entire households.

"Once they've found a hole, there are so many things they can do," Yang said. "And they don't need to get into a computer system or a cell phone. For instance, a thermostat connected to the network can become an access point to a home, a company, a hospital or a city."

Last year's breakthrough by the lab generated paired security keys based on fingerprintlike defects unique to every computer chip. "This year, the story is similar, but we are not generating keys," Yang said. "We are looking at defending against a new type of attack that is specifically for IoT and mobile systems.

"In power and electromagnetic side-channel attacks, the attackers can figure out a secret key when your device is running without opening up the device," he said. "Once they have your key they can decrypt everything, no matter how good your security software is.

The new strategy leverages the power regulators to obfuscate the information leaked by the power consumption of encryption circuits, Yang said. "Every system-on-a-chip has multiple modules powered by the power management circuits, so the interfaces we need are already there.

"By replacing existing power management circuitry with our unit, we not only provide a much better way to defend against powerful threats, but also provide a much more energy-efficient solution," he said.

Yang said the circuit should take no more room on a chip than current power management units, and as a side benefit will provide state-of-the-art power regulation. "I think it's going to be a very promising solution thanks to its minimal performance and design overheads," he said.

Yang said encryption-cracking hardware and software leveraging power and electromagnetic side-channel leakage are far too easy to find, "and there are YouTube videos to show you how to do this," he said. "This is a real threat, and we're in a fight to make it much more difficult and expensive for attackers to succeed."

While Rice's protective circuitry is improving with every iteration, he said it will take time for manufacturers to design it into their fabrication processes. "There's all the interface and engineering stuff," Yang said. "In terms of the concepts and principles, they're all proven. It's just going to be a long engineering effort."

###

This news release can be found online at https:/ / news. rice. edu/ 2020/ 02/ 18/ rice-boosts-internet-of-things-security-again/

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Related materials:

Secure and Intelligent Micro-Systems Lab (Yang group): http://vlsi. rice. edu

Rice Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: https:/ / eceweb. rice. edu

George R. Brown School of Engineering: https:/ / engineering. rice. edu

Video:

https:/ / youtu. be/ Z9pawPZ7B80

Video produced by Brandon Martin/Rice University

Image for download:

https:/ / news-network. rice. edu/ news/ files/ 2020/ 02/ 0224_SECURITY-1-web. jpg

Rice University graduate student Yan He, left, and Kaiyuan Yang, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, will demonstrate their enhanced security strategy for the "internet of things" at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 4 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

Jeff Falk

713-348-6775

jfalk@rice.edu

Mike Williams

713-348-6728

mikewilliams@rice.edu

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Six Democratic presidential candidates, including former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, will take the stage for tonights debate in Las Vegas. This is the ninth Democratic debate, but it marks the first time that Bloomberg is participating. Several Democratic contenders have already blasted the billionaire Bloomberg for, as they say, trying to buy his way into the race, so tonights debate should be contentious.

The Wednesday, Feb. 19 debate comes before Saturdays Nevada caucus, as the stakes are getting higher. After the chaos of the Iowa caucus, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders moving up in the polls, and a strong early showing by Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, the race for the Democratic presidential nomination seems more volatile than ever.

(How to watch the Nevada Democratic debate: You can watch the Nevada Democratic debate on NBC, MSNBC and Universo. No cable or satellite? Stream for free on NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com and The Nevada Independents website. You can also stream the debate via Hulu + Live TV; fuboTV; Sling TV; and YouTube TV)

The candidates who qualified for the Las Vegas debate are Sanders; Bloomberg; Buttigieg; former Vice President Joe Biden; Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar; and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.

After Sanders and Buttigiegs successes in Iowa and New Hampshire, the Nevada primary is significant. The state has a more diverse population than Iowa or New Hampshire, and the pressure is on for Biden to improve on his disappointing results so far. Warren is also seen as having lost momentum, as Sanders is pulling in voters who support his progressive policies.

Bloomberg will likely be a central focus in the Las Vegas debate, even though hes not on the Nevada ballot. The businessman has spent millions of dollars on ads, which have boosted his profile even though Bloomberg hasnt been on state ballots up to this point.

Thanks to a change in the Democratic National Committees rules for who qualifies to debate, which eliminated requirements for donations, Bloomberg -- whose polling numbers have risen -- is able to take the stage in Las Vegas despite his self-funding of his campaign.

As NBC News reports, There were two routes to qualification  hit 10 percent in four different national polls or 12 percent in two Nevada and/or South Carolina polls, or win a pledged national convention delegate in Iowa or New Hampshire.

Biden, Sanders and Warren hit both of those benchmarks, NBC News continues, with Bloomberg making the cut because of polling. Buttigieg and Klobuchar met the delegate qualification. got in with delegates. Steyer, who made the stage at the previous five debates, fell short on both avenues.

Here are details on how to watch:

What: Las Vegas Democratic debate, held at the Paris Theater and hosted by NBC News, MSNBC, Noticias Telemundo and The Nevada Independent.

Channel: The debate will air live on NBC, MSNBC and, in Spanish, on Universo.

Time: The two-hour debate begins at 6 p.m. PT.

Moderators: Debate moderators are NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC anchor Lester Holt; Meet the Press host and NBC News political director Chuck Todd; NBC News chief White House correspondent Hallie Jackson, host of MSNBC Live; Noticias Telemundo senior correspondent Vanessa Hauc; and Jon Ralston, editor of The Nevada Independent.

-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
The minister says the situation is constantly changing.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk says that over 25,000 Russian troops are now in occupied Donbas.

"The situation is changing... We see that there are more than 25,000 [Russian troops], for sure," he told reporters after a parliamentary committee meeting when asked how many Russian troops are in eastern Ukraine today, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

Read alsoZagorodnyuk: Disengagement along entire contact line in Donbas contradicts Minsk agreements

The parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence gathered behind closed doors on Wednesday, February 19.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry plans to build military bases in line with NATO standards in Mariupol and Sievierodonetsk in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. "One of the priorities of the new team at Ukraine's Defense Ministry is to develop infrastructure construction. We plan to build several high-quality infrastructure facilities so that everyone knows that we can also have military bases in line with NATO standards," Zagorodnyuk said.
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Linkedin Riska Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 10:04 693 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20654f665 1 Business BRI-shareholders-meeting,Bank-Rakyat-Indonesia,dividend,state-owned-enterprises,state-banks,management-shakeup,board-of-directors,commissioner Free

State-owned Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), the nations most profitable lender, announced on Tuesday a plan to distribute Rp 20.6 trillion (US$ 1.5 billion) in dividends to its shareholders.

The dividends are equal to 60 percent of the banks profits of Rp 34.4 trillion, higher than last years dividend payout ratio of 50 percent. This means that the value of the dividend of each share will be Rp 168.1, 27.2 percent higher than last years dividend of Rp 132.2 per share.

BRI, the biggest state bank by market value, also recorded a 6.1 percent yoy increase in earnings per share (EPS) in 2019 of Rp 279 compared with the 2018 EPS of Rp 263.

BRI president director Soenarso said on Tuesday that the government, which holds a 56.75 percent stake in BRI, would receive a total of Rp 11.7 trillion of the dividend.

The remaining 40 percent of our profits will be used as retained earnings, he said during a press briefing after the annual general shareholders meeting in Jakarta.

BRIs profits of Rp 34.4 trillion were the lowest in two years as lending growth slowed and the bank recorded a significant rise in bad loans last year, against the backdrop of the global and domestic economic slowdown.

Lending grew 8.44 percent yoy in 2019 to Rp 908.88 trillion versus 14 percent yoy in 2018. Net interest income grew 5.2 percent to Rp 81.7 trillion in 2019, slower than the 6.35 percent in 2018. Bad loans as indicated by the non-performing loans (NPL) ratio rose to 2.8 percent last year from 2.27 percent in 2018.

Read also: BRI profits slumps as bad credit rises in 2019

The shareholders meeting also agreed to appoint Deputy State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Kartika Tiko Wirjoatmodjo as the banks new president commissioner, replacing Andrinof A. Chaniago.

It also appointed University of Indonesia (UI) rector and renowned economist Ari Kuncoro as the banks deputy president commissioner, who will also act as an independent commissioner, replacing Wahyu Kuncoro.

The bank also made changes to its board of directors as it appointed Wisto Prihadi as the banks compliance director. The position was previously held by Azizatun Azhimah.

SOE Minister Erick Thohir said last week that the ministry would shake up three state banks during their respective shareholders meetings that will take place this week, namely BRI, Bank Mandiri and Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI).

"It's normal as long as we can see someone who has great expertise," Erick said, brushing off concerns about an overhaul of state enterprises.

Bank Mandiris shareholders meeting will take place today (Wednesday) and BNIs on Thursday.

Read also: Erick Thohir to shake up executives at state lenders

Shares in BRI, traded under the code BBRI, closed at Rp 4,400 apiece on Tuesday, down 1.57 percent from the previous trading day. The stocks have risen 12.5 percent in the past year, easily outperforming the broader benchmark Jakarta Composite Indexs (JCI) 9 percent drop.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The OSCE Minsk Group has recognized only two parties to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan and Armenia, former OSCE Minsk Group co-chair from the US Matthew Bryza told Trend.

Bryza was commenting on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans statement made at the panel debates on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Representatives of only Baku and Yerevan have participated in Minsk Group negotiations, former US ambassador added.

Bryza added that during his tenure at the US co-chair, the Armenian side occasionally requested participation by the so-called representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh, but all three co-chairs consistently rejected these requests.

After the co-chairs quiet rebuffs, Yerevan never pressed the issue further, Bryza added. I interpreted this approach as a sign of the Armenian governments need to check a political box with Karabakh Armenians without provoking Azerbaijan and threatening the positive momentum we were building at the negotiating table.

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 the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
A fire destroyed a house on Highway 228, just west of Sweet Home on Thursday morning, Jan. 6, according to a news release from the Sweet Home 
You've got to tip your hat to Americas newly minted chief law enforcement officer of the country.

Donald Trump is a master at stagecraft. His Feb. 16 appearance at the Daytona 500 was pure magic. It was the opposite of a helmeted Mike Dukakis awkwardly sitting in a tank.

Flying from Mar-a-Lago, Air Force One did a slow lap above the Daytona International Speedway track before landing across the street at Daytona International Airport.

Air Force Thunderbirds, which did two fly-overs of the track, were parked next to the presidential plane.

Trumps motorcade then led a parade of racing cars around the 2.5-mile track.

With First Lady Melania Trump at his side, the president gave a short pep talk before closing with, Rubber will burn, fans will scream, and the great American race will begin. As grand marshal, he declared, "Gentlemen, start your engines.

The enthusiastic crowd loved every minute of it and took up chants of USA, four more years, and we love you.

White House media organ Fox News broadcast the spectacle and the Trump campaign filed an ad of the event.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported that Trumps visit will be long remembered by Trumps fans and supporters.

The only glitch: Campaign manager Brad Parscale tweeted that Trump won the Daytona 500 even before the race started.

Unfortunately, he accompanied the tweet with a 2004 image of Air Force One carrying George W. Bush, taking off from Daytona after he attended the race.

Parscale deleted that image, which featured more fans in the stands than there were at this years opening of the NASCAR season.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg penned a Feb. 16 op-ed in the Financial Times that called for more regulation of Big Tech because he doesnt think private companies should make so many decisions along when they touch on fundamental democratic values in the areas of elections, harmful content, privacy and data portability.

The article was a smokescreen, a PR ploy to get Facebook off the hook. Since the US government moves at a glacial speed, theres no way regulatory safeguards could be erected in time for the 2020 election.

Zuckerberg could snap his fingers and kill political advertising tomorrow if he wished.

Philanthropist George Soros noted in a Feb. 18 letter-to-the-editor piece published in the FT that if FB has any "doubt whether an ad is political, it should err on the side of caution and refuse to publish.

Soros doubts that going to happen because he believes Zuckerberg is engaged in some kind of mutual assistance arrangement with Donald Trump that will help him to get re-elected.

The Trump campaign has hired Matt Oczkowski, who was head of product at Cambridge Analytica, the data firm that improperly obtained the personal information of tens of millions of FB users.

Ockowski played a key role in Project Alamo; the online campaign orchestrated through FB advertising that helped put Trump in the White House.

What do you say, Mark? Theres still time to pull the plug on political advertising.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place. The Foreign Correspondents Club of China issued a statement condemning Chinas decision to boot three Wall Street Journal reporters for the China is the Real Sick Man of Asia article published Feb. 3.

The Beijing regime says the WSJ piece smears the efforts of the Chinese governments effort to fight the coronavirus," which has killed more than 2,000 people in the country.

The Clubs statement calls the expulsion an extreme and obvious attempt by the Chinese authorities to intimidate foreign news organizations by taking retribution against their China-based correspondents.

But try to fight it on FCCCs website. If you click on the statements section, this pops up: To ensure the continued operation of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China, we are not currently making such material openly accessible on the website.

It looks like China is muzzling the FCCC.
Catchment areas, class sizes and buses to schools outside a students neighbourhood are all possible solutions under consideration in southwest Winnipeg after Pembina Trails School Division's request for portable classrooms was denied.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Catchment areas, class sizes and buses to schools outside a students neighbourhood are all possible solutions under consideration in southwest Winnipeg after Pembina Trails School Division's request for portable classrooms was denied.

The province has asked divisions dealing with high enrolment to maximize space and fill open seats in other classrooms within their borders instead of approving trailer-classroom requests.

Last week, Pembina Trails was notified that once again, its request for four portables at South Pointe School had been rejected, even though the school is nearly 80 students over capacity.

The Public School Finance Board had previously denied the request, but the division appealed the decision due to mounting concerns about overflowing classrooms in the K-8, dual-track school in southwest Winnipeg. The school has already converted its "makerspace" area  a collaboration-friendly room teachers were previously able to reserve  into a classroom.

The province has asked divisions dealing with high enrolment to maximize space and fill open seats in other classrooms within their borders instead of approving trailer-classroom requests. Last week, Pembina Trails was notified that once again, its request for four portables at South Pointe School had been rejected, even though the school is nearly 80 students over capacity. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

"We are running out of space, quickly," superintendent Ted Fransen told trustees during a board meeting last Thursday. "Were adding 500 students a year across the division, and I wouldnt want to use the word exclusively, but theyre almost exclusively in the south end."

According to South Pointe's website, there are currently 954 students enrolled in the school designed for 875 pupils. The division projects that number to climb to 990 in 2020-21, although enrolment fluctuates constantly as families move in and out of the area.

The province informed the division last Thursday it  and all 36 others in Manitoba  is expected to "use all available empty seats" and respect the 60-minute bus ride trip limit, Fransen said.

The province informed the division last Thursday it  and all 36 others in Manitoba  is expected to "use all available empty seats" and respect the 60minute bus ride trip limit.

A provincial spokesperson echoed that justification in an emailed statement to the Free Press Tuesday. "Most portable requests can be avoided when divisions undertake a space evaluation and maximize the space they have available," the spokesperson wrote, adding each portable costs $350,000 each to deliver and install.

Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen was not made available for an interview Tuesday.

Administrators are now in the process of coming up with options for South Pointe, to be presented to the board at the end of the month.

Suggestions raised at Thursday's meeting included adjusting catchments while using a grandfathering model, temporary classroom size increases and busing students to schools outside of their neighbourhoods, which could affect transportation and staffing costs.

Also on the table, implementing the "leapfrog" method, in which several division catchments are altered to potentially increase travel for everyone, but ensure no one has a bus ride that exceeds an hour.

"We really have been put into a corner," trustee Dianne Zuk said during the meeting, adding the board received the notice after the draft budget was tabled. Zuk and her colleagues questioned whether theres time to do any meaningful consultation with community members who will be affected.

Pembina Trails' recommended class size for K-4 is 24. Schools strive for a 29 or fewer student-to-teacher ratio for Grades 5 through 8.

"Those are manageable numbers, but in some areas in the south end of the province, we have some classes that are larger than that," said Bob Mauthe, president of the Pembina Trails Teachers Association.

Mauthe said it's crucial the province build the schools it has promised in order to alleviate crowding. Four schools are slated to be built in the Waverley West community, which is roughly the size of Brandon.

Despite its population, Fransen said there will be only 10 schools directly serving the community when all are built  compared to 23 in the Brandon School Division. "We are providing a first-class education as efficiently as possible," he said.

The provinces latest enrolment report indicates Pembina Trails' population increased by 3.6 per cent between 2017-18 and 2018-19. A total of 505 students joined the division during that time, while every other metro division saw enrolment rise by fewer than half that number.

A majority of Winnipeg divisions havent put in any requests for portables in recent months. An outlier, Alain Laberge with the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine, said he is hopeful the province will approve the division's most recent requests for portables after rejecting five last year.

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French schools have been dividing classrooms and turning libraries, lunchrooms and music rooms into classrooms amid restraints.

"We try to be creative," Laberge said.

The province did not provide details about the number of portable requests received or the rejected number during the last year.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
Ghanaians have been admonished not to mortgage their future by voting for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2020 general elections.



According to the National Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), a vote for former President John Mahama is a vote for the kingdom of darkness.



He made the comment while addressing NPP members at the 20th anniversary of the Tertiary Students Confederacy (TESCON) of the party at Ho Technical University in the Volta region.



2020 elections is going to be a battle between kingdom of God on one side and the kingdom of darkness on another side so let no one deceive you to exchange your colour television for black and white Sammy Awuku charged.



He maintained that, the December general elections will be won on the hard work of the youth in the party.



It is obvious the NDC does not have campaign message so we need to work hard to retain the NPP in power the NPP National Organizer stated



Sammy Awuku urged the youth to be focused and not allow the NDC to define them with propaganda.





Source: GHBeyondPolitics.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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(TNS)  Could Michigan become the next Cape Canaveral?Probably not, but lawmakers and the Michigan aerospace industry are hoping that Wurtsmith Airport, a former military base in northern Michigan, could become a space launch facility where public and private industry could launch satellites  and tourists  into space.The airport on the shores of Lake Huron in Oscoda was the pick of a task force from eight sites across the state. Those eight were narrowed to four that met the main criteria  a runway that was at least 8,000 feet long  and included airports in Alpena, Chippewa and Marquette counties, in the Upper Peninsula.The selection of Wurtsmith, which stopped operating as an Air Force base in 1993, was announced Tuesday at the state Capitol by a group of lawmakers and the Michigan Aerospace Manufacturing Association. The airport currently has about 2,000 takeoffs and landings a year from private aircraft and houses the maintenance operations for Kalitta Air, which is based in Ypsilanti.Those operations wouldn't need to be curtailed if the space port becomes a reality because the timing of flights coming in and out of Wurtsmith is flexible, said Gary Kellen, manager of Wurtsmith Airport, which offers an 11,800-foot-long runway."We have a brand-new surface that's good for another 20 years. So we're keeping the infrastructure available and we're hopeful that it gets repurposed for this," he said. "And we don't have any commercial traffic, which is a plus for a spaceport because you don't have the scheduling conflicts."The airport is owned by a multi-government authority made up of Iosco and Alcona counties and the cities of Oscoda, Au Sable and Greenbush.The announcement in Lansing doesn't mean that satellite launches will happen this year. There are still approvals that have to be obtained from federal, state and local governments.People don't realize how strong the aerospace industry is," said Gavin Brown, president of the Michigan Aerospace Manufacturing Association in Sterling Heights. "I call it the third coast and we should be participating, not just the Pacific and Atlantic states."The possibility of a space launch facility in Michigan could be a tremendous boon and a way to diversify the states economy, said Sen. Jim Stamas, R-Midland.I think it's extremely exciting ... looking especially at Oscoda. And the launchpad that we have there, it really makes a lot of sense. It's within a very short distance to get up over water and it's got a lower population density, which creates less of a threat if something horrible were to happen. But if you also look at the community that has been so supportive of our national defense in the past, and is still ready to continue to move forward with future technologies, I think it's a great opportunity for not only them but all of Michigan."The state authorized $2 million to conduct a feasibility and site selection study on the project, but no money was included in the 2021 budget proposed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer earlier this month. While the $2 million was earmarked and spent for the study, Stamas said he suspects more state money will be needed if the project moves forward."The job growth will be dramatic. So, if you look at the space industry as it grows today, I believe it's an industry worth $438 billion," Brown said. "And they project this to be a $3.2 trillion industry by 2048."Currently, there are 12 launch facilities licensed around the country, but only four are operational  in Florida, California, Alaska and Virginia.The Michigan facility would involve horizontal takeoffs, which look like a typical airplane taking off that goes up to a cruising altitude and then launches a piggy-backed satellite rocket into space. Wurtsmith would be used primarily to launch satellites into low orbit  up to 250 miles above the Earth.But it also could be used for space tourism, Brown said, taking individuals on the vacation of a lifetime."There may be some tourism associated with it. We wont be doing manned space flights," he said. "But tourism companies have different type of vehicles that will take them into orbit. ... We are in discussion with another company that could take people into suborbital space."Vertical space launches, which are the type that blast a spacecraft straight into the air and are used to reach mid- and deep-orbits, could be added in the future, Brown said. But further study is needed on that.
A teenager was shot and killed in overnight clashes between Palestinian forces and local gunmen in the West Bank, local media reported Wednesday.

Salah Zakarna, 17, was shot in the chest and later died when Palestinian security forces clashed with armed residents in the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya, the Palestinian Maan agency reported. It was unclear who shot him.

Maan said Palestinian forces were trying to prevent residents from firing celebratory gunfire into the air to welcome home a local man who had been released from an Israeli prison. It said several people, including members of the security forces, were wounded.

The Palestinian Authority, which has limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said it launched an investigation into the teenager's death and would bring those responsible to justice.

Support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has plummeted in recent years following his failure to bring about an independent state or mend the rift with the Islamic militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority has also faced widespread allegations of corruption.

Abbas has continued to maintain security ties with Israel more than a decade after the last high-level peace talks ended. The security coordination is deeply unpopular among Palestinians, many of whom view it as an extension of the occupation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Justin Sullivan / David Ramos / Getty Images

Billionaire George Soros is calling for Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg to be "removed from control of Facebook."

Writing to the Financial Times, Soros said that Facebook should "err on the side of caution and refuse to publish" political ads on its platform.

"Mr. Zuckerberg appears to be engaged in some kind of mutual assistance arrangement with Donald Trump that will help him get re-elected," Soros said.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Billionaire George Soros is calling for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg to be "removed from control of Facebook," and said the company should stop publishing political ads.

Writing to the Financial Times, Soros said that Zuckerberg "appears to be engaged in some kind of mutual assistance arrangement with Donald Trump that will help him get re-elected," but did not provide evidence to substantiate his claim.

Aside from his wealth, Soros is known for his philanthropy and liberal political activism.

Zuckerberg Sandberg

He added that Facebook should "err on the side of caution and refuse to publish" political ads, though "it is unlikely that Facebook will follow this course."

Facebook has received criticism that its policy not to fact-check political ads on its platform allows politicians to spread misinformation. Facebook has argued that its policy protects free speech, and said that political ads make up a tiny portion of its advertising revenue.

A Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider that "while we respect Mr. Soros' right to voice his opinion, he's wrong. The notion that we are aligned with any one political figure or party runs counter to our values and the facts."

In his letter to the Financial Times, Soros referenced an op-ed in the FT by Zuckerberg in which the Facebook executive said that tech companies need governments to set regulations on political advertising.

"I don't think private companies should make so many decisions alone when they touch on fundamental democratic values," Zuckerberg wrote.

Story continues

But Soros said that Zuckerberg "should stop obfuscating the facts by piously arguing for government regulation" and that Facebook "does not need to wait for government regulations" to stop publishing political ads.

The Facebook spokesperson said the company is making "unprecedented investments to keep our platform safe, fight foreign interference in elections around the world, and combat misinformation."

Soros has made similar comments before; he said in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that Facebook and President Donald Trump have a "kind of informal mutual assistance operation." Facebook called his claim "just plain wrong."

Speaking at Davos in 2018, Soros also criticized Facebook in front of world leaders. After his comments, a public relations firm hired by Facebook tried to blame Soros for growing criticism of Facebook. The firm sent journalists a report that accused Soros of backing anti-Facebook groups and encouraged the reporters to investigate alleged ties between the groups and Soros.

Sandberg and Zuckerberg immediately denied knowing about the effort  widely criticized as playing into anti-semitic tropes  but the New York Times reported that Sandberg had made the request to investigate Soros' financial ties.

Business Insider
A Melbourne family has missed an evacuation flight to Darwin after spending two weeks trapped on a coronavirus-riddled cruise ship because their daughter tested positive hours before the plane was due to leave Japan.

About 170 Australians stuck on the Diamond Princess cruise were expected to board a government-chartered Qantas flight in the early hours of Thursday morning, but at least one family will have to stay behind and be taken to hospital in Japan.

Melbourne mum Aun Na Tan with family aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Credit:Aun Na Tan

Melbourne mum Aun Na Tan said her daughter Kaitlyn tested positive for the virus just hours before the flight was leaving Tokyo for Darwin, where passengers will spend another two weeks in quarantine at a mining camp.

The rest of the family was cleared of the virus. Because Kaitlyn is a minor, the family was given the option of having just one parent stay back, but they insisted on staying together in Japan.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. President Armen Sarkissian received Ambassador of China to Armenia Tian Erlong, the Armenian Presidents Office told Armenpress.

The Armenian President and the Chinese Ambassador in particular discussed the current coronavirus outbreak and the preventive actions. The Ambassador gave the letter of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Armenian President where the Chinese leader expressed his gratitude to President Sarkissian, stating that the support of the Armenian side to fight coronavirus leaves its impact on the high-level mutual trust, the friendship between the two countries and peoples. I highly value the development of the Armenian-Chinese relations and I am ready to make efforts with you to raise the bilateral relations to a new level for the benefit of our countries and peoples, the Chinese President said in his letter.

At the meeting the Armenian President and the Chinese Ambassador highly appreciated the current level of the inter-state relations and expressed confidence that the sides will continue making efforts to develop the Armenian-Chinese friendship and expand the partnering relations.

The Chinese authorities registered an outbreak of the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV in the city of Wuhan. Cases of new coronavirus were confirmed in 25 other countries and territories. The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. According to the latest reports the death toll from the new coronavirus in China has climbed to 2,004, while over 14,300 people recovered, and the number of confirmed cases exceeded 74,100.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Ben Hough is a South Carolina native and has been a resident of Summerville for the past 17 years.
Fort Lupton, CO  In 2019 alone, cops in Colorado shot or killed a total of 67 citizens. Out of those 67 citizens shot or killed, only one cop faced any repercussions. Officer Zachary Helbig was charged with manslaughter last year after he shot and killed an unarmed man for absolutely no reason. Sadly, however, because people are blinded by the sheen of the badge, last week, a jury acquitted Helbig for executing Shawn Billinger on Jan. 16, 2019.

After the killer cop was acquitted, the body camera footage from that day was released. It is nothing short of shocking and raises serious questions as to how on earth a jury could acquit him.

On that fateful January afternoon, Helbig responded to a call at a Shell gas station. The reason for the response remains sealed, however, the video shows Billinger was not a threat and was unarmed when Helbig executed him.

As the video shows, Helbig is interviewing individuals at the gas station before driving after Billinger. The woman appears to be Billingers girlfriend and is telling the officer she is upset that they broke up. She then points to Billinger who is driving by in his van. Helbig then gets in his cruiser and pursues Billinger.

When Billinger gets out of his van he walks behind a house. When Helbig confronts him, Billinger begins walking toward Helbig saying kill me. Helbig, who was apparently so scared of the unarmed mentally ill man his only option was deadly force, quickly obliged and murdered him on the spot. He never once attempted less lethal force. He simply killed a man because he was scared.

The case was so egregious that Helbig was quickly indicted the following April. The indictment said Helbig fired one shot at Billinger, hitting him in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The defendant acted recklessly with respect to his conduct described above and was not justified in the actions he took pursuant to the affirmative defenses of deadly force in the defense of a person and peace officers use of deadly physical force, the indictment said.

Helbigs police union-appointed attorney disagreed and claimed that Helbig is trained to kill unarmed mentally ill people who walk toward him. Seriously.

The truth is, he did what he was trained to do, Gary Lozow, Helbigs defense attorney, told the jury, pausing silently for 10 seconds to demonstrate his point. He acted in self-defense. He did what he needed to do to save his life.

Exactly how this attorney could argue that Helbig acted in self-defense is a mystery. Never was Helbigs life in danger. We have no idea whether or not Billinger would have tried to hurt the cop because he was killed 20 feet away.

Nevertheless, the jury bought this nonsense hook, line, and sinker.

I dont know what funeral wed be at if Helbig did that, the attorney added.

How about no ones funeral? Had this officer had a single ounce of courage, he wouldve at least attempted to use his taser or baton first. He couldve simply backed up too.

The District Attorney disagreed with the defense and pointed out how this cop getting away with murder is not okay.

What do you expect from law enforcement before they take a life? Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said. That cant be the standard in this community.

Rourke argued, quite accurately that Helbig never needed to be in a life or death situation. The officer had every opportunity to create time and distance. Helbig knew backup was coming.

Why not stop there and assess the situation? Rourke asked the jury.

Sadly, however, Helbig didnt stop there and because of his cowardly actions a family now mourns the loss of their loved one.

In a statement, the Billinger family said Shawn was a man in crisis. He was mentally ill. Shawn did not have to die on January, 16, 2019. Shawn was a dad, grandpa, brother, son and friend. He is missed by all who loved him.

As you watch the video below, remember the statement from Helbigs attorney and let it sink in. The attorney argued  successfully  that Helbig, a police officer, is trained to kill unarmed individuals who walk toward them. A disturbing idea indeed.
Of course, nobody really expected graciousness from President Trump:

Trump Hits Romney as Democrat'

And, quite predictably, many infuriated Trumpists have been denouncing Senator Romney as a RINO, a Repubican in Name Only.

This is flat nonsense. It is either ignorant or dishonest or some blend of the two.

My friend and neighbor Tom L. Pittman VII posted a refreshing bit of sanity on Facebook the other day and has kindly given me permission to steal it for use here:

There is a certain group of people who have convinced themselves and each other that Mitt Romney is a RINO, anti-Trump, and has to go.

As fervently as they believe this, they are actually wrong  both in their perception, and in their behavior.

The truth is Mitt votes with Trump 81% of the time  making Mitt Romney a bigger Trump supporter than Mike Lee (74%) and Rand Paul (70%).

Moreover, contrary to the mean-spirited attacks from this bubble, Romney is not a closet Democrat. No sitting Democrat votes with Trump more than Joe Manchin of West Virginia (54%)  a LONG way behind Mitt Romney. If you struggle to believe these *documented facts*, then maybe you should ask yourself, Is my contempt based in reality? Or on hate? Obviously Romney was very vocal in his criticisms of Trump. I too thought Romney seemed petty in this [we disagree here  dcp], but TO HIS CREDIT Romney dialed that way back. Nevertheless, this Trump bubble continues to lash out in retaliation. Which brings me to my point: Mitt Romney is not what is wrong with America; political bigotry is. Whether it be Trumps refusing to shake the hand of Pelosi, or Pelosi ripping up Trumps speech, political intolerance is counterproductive and flat out immature. Good people of *all* political persuasions should just decide to be be above that. Thanks for listening. p.s.: thanks to Shelby Saget Rampton for bringing this data to my attention.

***

And please permit me to clarify something else:

My praise of Senator Romney for his vote on Wednesday should not be interpreted as an endorsement of impeachment. Although I havent been shy about the fact that, in my judgment, Donald Trump is a phony who is pretending to be a conservative and that he is intellectually unfit for and morally unworthy of the presidency, I actually have mixed feelings on the specific recent case for removing Mr. Trump from office. Moreover, like Senator Romney, I support more of the Trump administrations policies than I oppose. Im happy, for instance, that Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh now sit on the Supreme Court. I will never vote for Joe Biden or Pete Buttigieg, let alone for Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren.

My praise of Senator Romney for his vote on Wednesday derives from the moral courage that he manifested in casting it.

Im proud of him, and I dont flinch from saying so. Im sorry that Ive lost friends over this. Still, Padre no me arrepiento.
Joelle Foster is returning to Winnipeg after a two-year stint at the University of Calgarys innovation centre to become the new CEO of North Forge Technology Exchange.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Joelle Foster is returning to Winnipeg after a two-year stint at the University of Calgarys innovation centre to become the new CEO of North Forge Technology Exchange.

Foster is very well known throughout the Manitoba startup ecosystem. On Twitter she is known as Startup Mom in the Prairies.

Before taking the position at the University of Calgarys Hunter Hub, Foster ran Futurpreneur Canadas office out of Winnipeg and was responsible for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Nunavut and NWT.

She was also one of the founding board members of North Forge  and the only female board member  and will step into the organizations leadership position already very well known throughout the startup community.

"Im so excited to come back," Foster said. "You always think the grass is greener, but when the board approached me I made the decision to come back. People who know me know I am passionate about entrepreneurship."

Foster is replacing Teresa Dukes, who has been in the position for just more than a year. Dukes had been a policy analyst with the provincial government.

Dukes took over North Forge at a time when it was getting larger and needed organizational structure. During her tenure it became one of the provinces strategic partners in its Economic Growth Action Plan.

But over the last couple of years there are some who might say some of the lustre of Manitobas previous startup successes has been diminished.

"When I first left Winnipeg people were asking me whats in the water in Winnipeg, but over the last couple of years I have not heard that," Foster said. "I am coming back to add stuff to the water. There are some new partnerships underway, things that will help our entrepreneurs shake up the ecosystem,"

Chris Johnson, incoming chair at North Forge and also one of its original board members, said Fosters hiring was a recognition by the business development agency that it needs to be more attentive to the grassroots activities upon which the organization was founded.

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"She is ridiculously connected and ridiculously talented," he said.

Johnson said that regardless of the good work Dukes did, he said the opportunity to have someone with Fosters passion and connections at the organization was seen as crucial.

He said the mandate of the organization was to make sure its startups are connected with the right talent, resources and investors.

Johnson said, "We are still learning. We had a great cohort of companies who all started to grow (including Johnsons own company, Permission Click) and the whole ecosystem rallied around them and pushed them over the edge. But we found we did not enough bandwidth, attention, love whatever you want to call it for the next cohort.

He said North Forge now has the opportunity to re-focus on that with Foster coming back and Johnson assuming the role of chairman of the board.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
In a little-noticed case with major implications, a United Nations panel ruled in January that refugees fleeing a threat to their lives or safety from climate change cannot be forced to return home by their adoptive countries. The U.N. Human Rights Committee ruling demolished a long-standing practice of denying the legitimacy of climate refugees rights in international law.

In the case, the U.N.s Human Rights Committee ruled against a Kiribati man claiming asylum in New Zealand, finding that the threat he faced was not imminent. But the panel made clear that a nations forced removal of migrants displaced by the climate crisis could violate their legally protected right to life.

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The decision has the potential to radically alter international refugee law, even as the climate crisis is on track to displace tens of millions of people over the coming decades. The bedrock U.N. treaty governing the rights of displaced people does not mention the environment, climate, or disasters, narrowly defining refugees as those with a well-founded fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in another social group. When it came to climate change, refugee law created an ill-fitting framework for the 21st century, leaving millions ineligible for safe harboreven when their safety and security were imminently at risk.

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The recent U.N. panels decision flung open the door for climate refugees to attain legal victory in international fora, but the law still snuffs out hope at the domestic level. That needs to change. The panels decision will allow lawyers in international and domestic courts to use the cases precedent-setting text and reasoning to argue for clients whose claims are based on conditions created by the climate crisis. The U.N. panels ruling does not bind countries, but it lights a way toward a more equitable future at an urgent moment.

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Individual nations can, of course, choose to ignore nonbinding international law. American law is tilting in that direction. U.S. asylum law protects only those who show a well-founded fear of persecution based on the narrowly drawn protected grounds outlined in the U.N. treaty. And the current administration has demonstrated a stony opposition to refugee rights.

The United States has contributed more than any other country to the climate crisis already roiling the globe. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has sought to dramatically curtail the number of migrants eligible for asylum or protection under federal law. The Trump administration plans to admit a maximum of just 18,000 refugees in fiscal year 2020a 40 percent decrease from 2019 and the lowest number of refugees admitted by an American administration in any single year since 1980, the year the nations refugee resettlement program was birthed.

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Even emergency protections designed to mitigate the aftermath of natural disasters have been abandoned. The United States has historically granted temporary protected status to people whose home countries are affected by extraordinary natural disasters and other urgent situations, including to visitors from Honduras, Haiti, and Nicaragua. The administration last year declined to grant temporary protected status to Bahamians to allow them to live and work in America after Hurricane Dorian thrashed the Bahamas, tenderizing the islands and leaving large portions of land virtually unlivable. The science suggests that Hurricane Dorian, which lashed the Bahamas last August, was intensified by climate change.

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Trumps radical restrictionist policies and the U.N. panels expansive approach represent twin poles of a choice facing all world leaders. Climate refugees are in the eye of a political hurricane. The two defining stories of the coming decade will be the global surge of authoritarian nationalism and the transnational impact of the climate crisisboth grisly and growing. These grim trends are on a collision course. As entire nations slip further underwater, become engulfed by fires, and are razed by storms, displaced climate crisis survivors will become fodder for fledgling autocrats seeking political scapegoats.

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The United Nations is an imperfect tool to foil this crisis. The body has been crippled by paralysis and is bogged down in bureaucratic rancor. There is evidence that Russiaone of five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, alongside the United Statesdeliberately exacerbated Syrian refugee flows to sew discord and political upheaval in the West. Still, the U.N. is the only near-functioning global multilateral institution weve got. U.N. member states need to draw, ratify, and sign into domestic law a treaty granting formal refugee status to climate refugees or risk ceding fertile ground in the global campaign to preserve human rights and democracy. By beginning to calcify the rights of climate refugees under international human rights law, the U.N. panels recent decision applies some pressure to nations to come to the table to formally guarantee those rights.

Developed nations have a responsibility to shelter migrants harmed by centuries of carbon pollution. A compassionate policy is in our interest, too.
Photo: The Canadian Press Protesters march in support of Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs in Vancouver, Tuesday.

A small, mobile RCMP detachment in a remote area of British Columbia has become a bargaining chip in proposed talks that many hope could put an end to blockades that have disrupted rail and road traffic across the country.

The demonstrations are in support of Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs who oppose a natural gas pipeline through their territory and the federal minister in charge of Indigenous relations has proposed a meeting with the chiefs to diffuse the situation.

However, a hereditary chief representing one of 13 Wet'suwet'en house groups, said they won't meet with Carolyn Bennett and her B.C. counterpart Scott Fraser until the RCMP detachment is removed.

Chief Woos accuses the RCMP of acting as "bullies," and says all hereditary chiefs are in agreement.

RCMP say in a statement they are aware of the request and discussions are underway on next steps, while Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said during an emergency debate that "there is a clear path forward."

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has called his own meeting, saying on Twitter that as chairman of the Council of the Federation he will convene a conference call with Canada's premiers.

Moe said the blockades have been up for almost two weeks and while the prime minister spoke in Parliament about the ongoing illegal activity "he offered no course of action to protect the economic interests of our nation."

Woos, who also goes by Frank Alec, said they'll start talking about meeting with politicians when the chiefs' message gets through to the RCMP.

The detachment is located off a forest service road where 28 people were arrested this month when RCMP enforced an injunction on behalf of Coastal GasLink, which is building a natural gas pipeline through the area.

"Pick up everything and go and do not return," Woos said.

While the RCMP have said their major operations in the region have concluded, they have also said the mobile unit will remain in place and they'll continue "patrols of the corridor to ensure everyone's safety."

Although 20 elected First Nations councils along the 670-kilometre path of the Coastal GasLink pipeline have signed agreements with the company, the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs say the project has no authority without their consent.
(Natural News) Its been a long and torrid journey for Dr. Ken Stoller who, as you may know, was targeted by the state of California for writing medical vaccine exemptions for some of his patients. And, sadly, the journey isnt over yet.

In just a few short weeks, the Medical Board of California will be holding a hearing to examine a case against Dr. Stoller that accuses him of violating the newest laws in the Golden State governing when medical vaccine exemptions are appropriate.

At the time when Dr. Stoller wrote the 11 temporary and permanent exemptions from immunization that are now under scrutiny, Senate Bill 277 was the law of the land. Since then, however, SB 277 was replaced by SB 276 and SB 714, which carry different requirements.

Of issue is whether or not SB 277 changed the conditions under which medical vaccine exemptions could be written, in essence allowing for reasons beyond those covered by the contraindications and precautions laid out by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

The Medical Board of California is arguing that SB 277 did not change these standards to allow for a broader set of eligible criteria, while Dr. Stoller and his legal team are arguing that it did.

Our view is that SB 277 did change the law and standards, or at the very least, many physicians thought it granted them the authority to write broader than ACIP based exemptions upon a determination that immunization was not safe for a particular child, reads a Go Get Funding update from Jaffe.

At the hearing, we hope to have Senator Pan explain some of his statements which sure sounded like physicians had that discretion.

This is a David vs. Goliath case, but we can do it!

Richard Pan, as you probably know, is the infamous vaccine Mercury Joker and California senator whos responsible for eliminating the states religious and philosophical vaccine exemption clauses, which had had previously been on the books there for many decades.

Pan is a vaccine industry whore who we know has taken untold tens of thousands of dollars in campaign money from the pharmaceutical industry. Hes also a believer in medical extremism, meaning he supports forced-at-gunpoint medicine as part of a state-run medical police state.

Hes a dangerous Chicom, in other words, who some suspect may be secretly working for the communist Chinese regime to help implement a total medical police state not just in California but throughout the United States.

Because Pan and the other pro-vaccine elements trying to persecute Dr. Stoller are extremely well-funded, hes up against a giant in much the same way that David faced Goliath. But as we know from that biblical account, David won because he had God on his side, and we believe that Dr. Stoller is in much the same boat trying to fight for medical freedom in the state of California.

One of the latest updates from Jaffe explains that this brave man needs our help. Dr. Stoller has refused to give the Medical Board of California the settlement it requested, which would have revoked all of his previously written medical exemptions, putting these patients in harms way.

To resolve the case, we proposed a resolution which did not jeopardize the medical exemptions, but that was rejected by the board, Jaffe further explains.

Fortunately, Jaffe is convinced that the judge in the case is smart, deliberate and reasonable, and will do the right thing.

You can read more details about the case at this link, as well as donate to the cause if you feel so led.

For more related news about the vaccine police state, be sure to check out Vaccines.news.

Sources for this article include:

GoGetFunding.com

NaturalNews.com

RickJaffeEsq.com

NaturalNews.com

ThoughtCrimeRadio.net

GoGetFunding.com
Historically, Russia goes to great lengths to hide or disguise its strategic intentions but it clearly feels empowered enough in the Middle East to very obviously stake its claim in the region  excluding, for the time being only, Saudi Arabia  by stating that a slew of Russian companies are to spend up to US$20 billion on oil projects in Iraq in the near term. Since [U.S. President Donald] Trump outlined the new U.S. foreign policy of not engaging in conflicts abroad unless they were directly aligned with U.S. interests [October 2019], and then effectively withdrawing from Syria and from supporting the Kurds, Russia and China have felt that they can bring forward their plans to bring Iraq within their geopolitical arc of influence, a senior source who works closely with Iraqs Oil Ministry told OilPrice.com last week. They know that provided that they do not impinge on Saudi Arabia and, at a pinch the UAE and Kuwait, or launch attacks against U.S. personnel, then they can basically do whatever they want anywhere else, hence this announcement from Russia last week, he added.

Before this announcement - which specifically mentioned Zarubezhneft, Tatneft, and Rosneftegaz as companies interested in pursuing specific but as yet unnamed projects, in addition to those Russia companies already active in the country (including Lukoil, Bashneft, and GazpromNeft)  Russia had adopted its usual stealth approach to building up its presence in Iraq. It is incremental colonialism, beginning one day with one relatively small contract being taken up by some Russian company nobody has heard of, then more Russian companies turn up in the same place under contractor terms having been engaged by the company you gave the original contact to, then security companies turn up to guard all of the personnel, and suddenly you have a major Russian occupation of part of your key oil and gas infrastructure, the Iraq source underlined,

The oil and gas prize for the Russians in Iraq is, of course, huge, but many in the industry do not realise that it is still underestimated. The official figures for oil are that Iraq has around 149 billion barrels of reserves (18 per cent of the Middle East total and 9 per cent of the global total) and is currently the second-largest oil supplier in OPEC, after Saudi Arabia. All of this oil coming at a mean average lifting cost per barrel in Iraq of US$2 to US$3 per barrel, according to the IEA, at least as competitive as Saudi Arabia. For gas, the official figures are slightly less impressive, but they are likely even more underestimated than the oil figures, with Iraq having about 135 trillion cubic feet of reserves (the 12th largest in the world), mostly associated at the moment with oil fields in the supergiant fields in the south of the country. However, despite the occasional increase in reserves estimates over the past few years  extremely modest by the standards of its neighbours, incidentally  much of Iraq still remains unexplored or under-explored compared with other major oil-producing countries. Related: A Middle East Financial Crisis Is In The Making

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), and derived from the landmark United States Geological Survey (USGS) 2000 assessment and subsequent updates, the level of ultimately recoverable resources at that time was around 232 billion barrels of crude and natural gas liquids. Even this, though, might prove on the low side, added the IEA, as a detailed study by Petrolog around that time reached a similar figure but did not include the parts of northern Iraq in the KRG area or examination of the geological anomalies prevalent in the central and western regions of the country. Even using the much more conservative USGS number, Iraq had just a decade ago only produced around 15 per cent of its ultimately recoverable resources, compared with 23 per cent for the Middle East as a whole at that time. At that point, of the 530 potential hydrocarbon-bearing geological prospects identified by  only - geophysical means in Iraq only 113 had been drilled, with oil being found in 73 of them, a success rate of 65 per cent. Although more of these geophysically-identified sites have now been drilled many more new ones have arisen due to identification by more sophisticated analysis of seismic and historical data.

The Russians have done their own testing of potential oil and gas reserves over the years and they think it is about double the current official estimates on both of those [oil and gas], the Iraq source told OilPrice.com last week. This is one of two key reasons why Russia has exploited every opportunity to expand its footprint in the north and south of Iraq. In the north it has been extremely successful so far in using its corporate proxy, Rosneft, to gain control over key elements of the regions oil and gas infrastructure while in the south it had been forced by the U.S.s own former ambitions to tread more stealthily. Although it has always been able to rely on being able to use Irans political and military over Iraq for its own purposes, these had to be sidelined for a while, at least whilst the real power in Iraq  Moqtada al-Sadr  was getting settled in to his power-broking role. As this was initially founded on the ultra-nationalist message (Iraq for the Iraqis, with no undue foreign influence, in essence) of his election-winning Sairoon power bloc, Moscow was able to tinker only the edges. Related: Saudi Arabias Oil Exports Dropped 11% In 2019

In such strategies, though, Russia is a master, and the influence it can ultimately wield starting from such a tiny access point is absolutely extraordinary. The most recent example of this  and a template for such strategies for any aspiring superpower, frankly  was the awarding of a hitherto unknown development block in the middle of a wasteland by a hitherto unknown Russian company at a time when no one else was aware that anything was due to be awarded. As highlighted in-depth by OilPrice.com at the time, Russias Stroytransgaz (an almost unknown Russian oil and gas company - except by the U.S. whose Office of Foreign Assets Control extensively sanctioned it in 2014) signed a preliminary contract with the oil ministry in Baghdad for oil and gas exploration in Anbar province (a wasteland as far as Iraqs oil and gas sector development goes). On the face of it, there was  and is - no real prospect of any substantial amounts of oil or gas being recovered from its Block 17 and additionally stationing any normal oil and gas workers there would be perilous to say the least, as it is an area torn by warring tribal communities, which even Islamic State avoided where possible.

The key to this, though  and vital in understanding the purpose behind the announcement of a doubling (possibly tripling) of Russian overt investment into Iraq  is that the area is critical in Russia fortifying its presence in the central Middle East and being able to secure a warm water multi-layered military presence in the Mediterranean. Russia risked full-on military confrontation with the U.S. to get a full-scale Black Sea port [Sevastopol] with access into the Mediterranean when it annexed Crimea in 2014, so theres nothing it wont do to build out its foothold in Syria and in the transit and supply route to Syria, which includes Iraq, said the Iraq source. In this context, then, Block 17 in Anbar  and the US$20 billion investment announced last week  makes perfect sense for the Russians, as it intends to secure what the U.S. military used to call the spine of Islamic State where the Euphrates flows westwards into Syria and eastwards into the Persian Gulf. Along the spine running from east to west are the historical ultra-nationalist and ultra-anti-West cities of Falluja, Ramadi, Hit and Haditha, and then there is Syria, with its key strategic ports of Banias and Tartus. By happy coincidence both Banias and Tartus are also extremely close to the massive Russian Khmeimim Air Base and the S-400 Triumf missile system. Although the base only came in to operation in 2015 supposedly to help in the fight against Islamic State, Russia appears to have changed its tactical plans for it, having also signed a 49 year lease on it, with the option for another 25 year extension. A short flight away is Russias Latakia intelligence-gathering listening station.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
By Jun Ji-hye



Asiana Airlines CEO Han Chang-soo has sparked controversy after it became known that his two sons had been hired by the nation's second-largest airline, according to industry officials Wednesday. Critics say considering Han's position, the sons would have received preferential treatment during the recruitment process.





Asiana Airlines CEO Han Chang-soo
[February 19, 2020] California Healthcare Duo Moves to Davis Wright Tremaine, Deepening National Industry Team

It is mid-February and Davis Wright Tremaine has made its fourth significant lateral acquisition of the year. The firm has welcomed two of California's leading healthcare lawyers, Stacie Neroni and Hope Levy-Biehl, as partners in the national healthcare industry team. They join the firm in Los Angeles. "Their addition advances two of the firm's strategic priorities: continuing our California expansion and building out our national healthcare team," said Ingrid Brydolf, co-chair of DWT's healthcare practice. Jason Farber, the other co-chair, added, "Stacie and Hope are outstanding lawyers who will fill critical substantive roles and lay a solid foundation for future healthcare growth in California and nationally." Neroni and Levy-Biehl come to Davis Wright Tremaine from Nelson Hardiman where Neroni served as the firm's co-managing partner. Both lawyers, who have worked together for nearly 20 years, help healthcare providers navigate complex and sometimes esoteric regulatory issues, including those that arise in connection with mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations and bankruptcies. Neroni also brings extensive regulatory experience in the pharmacy space, with Levy-Biehl's practice focusing on theday-to-day challenges experienced by hospitals, health systems and other providers and suppliers.



"We have deep trust in the excellence of DWT's healthcare team, as well as the other parts of the firm that are critical to serving our clients," said Neroni. "When you combine that excellence with an open and supportive culture, it makes for a great place to build a successful, fulfilling practice." "Beyond its commitment to client service, Stacie and I were attracted to DWT because of its commitment to collaboration, transparency and diversity," said Levy-Biehl. "Given that and the firm's performance over the past few years, DWT was an easy choice when deciding where to transition our practices."

At the close of 2019, DWT recorded a nearly 10% increase in gross revenue and a 7% increase in profits per partner from the previous year. The firm's results on these and other key financial metrics have outpaced most of the Am Law 100 for multiple years running. Earlier this year, David Gossett, the former deputy general counsel to the Federal Communications Commission, joined the firm's technology industry practice in the Washington, D.C. office. Matt Diggs, a veteran federal prosecutor with broad healthcare experience, joined DWT in Seattle from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington. And a six-lawyer energy regulatory group, led by Sean Atkins, Michael Kunselman and Andrea Wolfman, added a nationally recognized FERC practice to the D.C. office. About Davis Wright Tremaine Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is a national law firm with more than 550 lawyers representing clients based throughout the United States and around the world. For more information, visit www.dwt.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005904/en/

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Students have held a rally at University College Dublin (UCD) to protest against its decision to increase on-campus accommodation rates by 12pc over the next three years.

The demonstration follows a proposal by the college to impose a rent increase of the maximum 4pc for each of the next three years after the cap was applied to student apartments last August to ensure rent predictability, in the same way as it does in Rent Pressure Zones (RPZ).

Highest

The rise means students at UCD are facing some of the highest on-campus room fees in the country, with apartments costing from 6,000 to 9,150 once the 4pc is applied.

Up to 100 protesters marched from UCD's student centre to the Tierney Building.

Students' Union (SU) president Joanna Siewierska delivered a statement on behalf of the SU and two other student representative groups, together with a petition against the rent increases signed by 2,000 students.

The petition called for the university to reduce on-campus rents, to commit to delivering cheaper accommodation, and to set up an assistance fund for students who are renting both on and off campus.

Ms Siewierska is expecting a formal response from the college, but said that students will "continue escalating" their protests if their demands are not met.

Meanwhile, University College Cork announced it is raising rents for on-campus residences by 3pc.
By Paul Boxer

For the past 20 years Ive studied the development and treatment of aggressive, antisocial behavior in children and adolescents, and for the past 10 years I have done so with a specific emphasis on practices and policies in the juvenile justice system. We have made tremendous strides in juvenile justice reform in the last decade, with major improvements in sentencing, case processing, and the conditions of juvenile confinement.

But for all of the positive changes we have seen, we appear to be stuck when it comes to one particular arena  one that encompasses both juveniles and adults involved with the justice system: race. And specifically  racial profiling.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the definition of racial profiling is pretty straightforward  discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individuals race, ethnicity, religion or national origin. In the abstract, this means the biased targeting of individuals based on their similarity to some racial group. Yet this simple characterization can sound quite benign relative to what racial profiling looks like in practice.

Racial profiling in practice has been persistently in the news cycle for years for a variety of reasons, but has gained attention recently after two high-profile moments in the Democratic presidential primary. The first was in the televised debate hosted by ABC on Feb. 7.

In the debate, Peter Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, was asked about the disproportionate arrests for marijuana possession of Black men in South Bend during his tenure. Under Buttigiegs mayorship, those arrests increased such that Black men were four times more likely to be arrested than were white men. His answer to the question was chilling: South Bend police targeted cases where there was a connection to the most violent group or gang connected to a murder.

On the surface, this point sounded like any other get-tough-on-crime policy. But what it meant in reality was that Buttigieg and his team associated skin color with the most violent group or gang to yield arrests for drug possession.

Pete Buttigieg repeatedly dodged a question about black marijuana arrests in South Bend  then invoked gangs https://t.co/J7YyOy0ifI by @akela_lacy  Bunny (@rag_koko) February 17, 2020

The second moment came when Benjamin Dixon, an independent podcaster with a large social media following, discovered and shared a 2015 clip of former New York City mayor and Democratic candidate for president Michael Bloomberg addressing the Aspen Institute. Bloomberg had been speaking about his stop and frisk crime-fighting tactic, stating that it targeted minority kids and emanated from his belief that in terms of reducing violent crime, it is possible to just take a description, Xerox it, and pass it out to all the cops they are male, minorities, 16-25. Thats true in New York, thats true in virtually every city.

Whereas reaction to Buttigiegs admission of racial profiling was somewhat muted  perhaps on account of the smaller city of South Bend  reaction to Bloombergs description of his racial profiling strategy was massive. High profile media figures from various communities of color  from Charles Blow of The New York Times to Trevor Noah on The Daily Show -- took to social and broadcast media to voice their sharp concerns and criticism of Bloomberg as a candidate for president, asserting that Bloombergs well-publicized apology could never be enough.

This clip is absolutely powerful from @Trevornoah. And to hear him reference the audio from Bloomberg makes it extra meaningful.



David vs Goliath.



pic.twitter.com/Ht2ijKqaRA  Benjamin Dixon (@BenjaminPDixon) February 15, 2020

There is no question that racial profiling in the justice system has led to significant, serious harms to people of color  Black and Brown individuals are overrepresented in terms of police contacts, arrests, convictions, and lengthy prison sentences. Even in my home state of New Jersey, long recognized as a national leader in juvenile justice reform, Black and Brown youth disproportionately populate arrest logs and secure detention beds. Across the country, youth of color are disproportionately impacted by the school to prison pipeline in which arrests in schools early in development place youth onto trajectories leading ultimately to adult imprisonment.

Of course, as scholars such as Michelle Alexander (author of The New Jim Crow) and Keesha Middlemass (author of Convicted and Condemned) have shown, contemporary criminal justice policies in America follow from a lengthy history of racism.

As Democratic voters in upcoming primary contests prepare to head to their polls, it is worth their time to consider whether we as a nation are ready to leave racist criminal justice policies in the past and make a clean break with the politicians who supported and implemented them.

Paul Boxer is a professor of psychology at Rutgers University-Newark and co-director of the Rutgers Center on Youth Justice and Human Development. His research centers on aggressive behavior, especially in very high risk environments, and the effects of violence on youth development.

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.
HCL Technologies rose 0.96% to Rs 612.85 after the IT major on Tuesday announced that it will open a global delivery centre (GDC) in Hartford, the capital city of the US state of Connecticut.

The new facility will offer digital transformation services to clients in the smart manufacturing, insurance, aerospace and defence industries, HCL said.

With the GDC, HCL said it will invest in the area and create local jobs with the help of a strong ecosystem regionally and at the state level.

The first anchor client for the GDC will be Stanley Black & Decker, a diversified global industry that operates the world''s largest tool company, which signed a significant global agreement with HCL.

HCL said it will bring advanced digital capabilities and help transform Stanley Black & Decker''s global application and infrastructure environments to enhance the company''s agility and ability to respond to emerging business needs.

As part of the deal, HCL will ramp up to deploy 1,000 people globally for Stanley Black & Decker.

Meanwhile, HCL Technologies during market hours on Tuesday announced a new large contract with New Zealand dairy co-operative Fonterra to modernise and manage the entire technology infrastructure Fonterra employees around the world use every day.

The multi-year partnership with HCL Technologies will consolidate Fonterra's technology suppliers and bring together the Co-op's IT infrastructure services under one umbrella. The technology edge services provided by HCL will enhance Fonterra's employee experience, to navigate through their business operations.

On the technical front, the stock's RSI (relative strength index) stood at 57.316. The RSI oscillates between zero and 100. Traditionally the RSI is considered overbought when above 70 and oversold when below 30.

The stock was currently trading between its 5-day moving average (DMA) placed at Rs 613.08 and its 10-DMA placed at Rs 610.25.

HCL Technologies' consolidated net profit rose 8.59% to Rs 2,944 crore on a 3.46% rise in net sales to Rs 18,135 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q2 September 2019.

HCL Technologies is engaged in providing a range of software development services, business process outsourcing services and information technology (IT) infrastructure services. The firm's segments include software services, infrastructure management services and business process outsourcing services.

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T he US Justice Department has denied reports the country's top law officer is considering resigning after Donald Trump ignored his warning to stop tweeting about the department's cases.

It was reported people close to Attorney General William Barr claimed he had "threatened to quit", although it was not clear if he was serious.

The revelation came days after Mr Barr took a public swipe at the president, saying in an interview that Mr Trumps tweets about Justice Department cases and staffers had made it impossible for him to do his job.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Justice Kerri Kupec fended off the reports, tweeting: "Addressing Beltway rumours: The Attorney General has no plans to resign.

Mr Trump has repeatedly ignored Mr Barr's warnings against getting involved in his matters, insisting he had the legal right to intervene in criminal cases and sidestep the Justice Departments historical independence.

Donald Trump admits I do make his job harder" / REUTERS

One person was quoted in the Washington Post as said: "He has his limits."

Mr Trump on Tuesday tweeted he was considering suing those involved in special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation and suggested his confidant Roger Stone deserved a new trial after being convicted of witness tampering and obstruction.

Mr Barr, serving in his second stint as attorney general, sought to paint himself as an independent leader who would not bow to political pressure.

But Democrats have repeatedly accused Mr Barr of acting more like the presidents personal attorney than the attorney general.

The White House has so far not commented on the reports.

However, last night Mr Trump admitted he made Mr Barr's "job harder".

"The Attorney General is a man with great integrity," he told reporters while boarding an Airforce One

Mr Barr has proved to be a largely reliable ally for Mr Trump and defender of presidential power.

In recent days, a stream of Trump allies, including South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, have issued statements expressing their confidence in the Attorney General.

The revelation about Mr Barrs comments came as Mr Trump granted clemency in the cases of 11 people jailed in the US, these include high-profile figures with powerful friends.

One of the convicts was Rod Blagojevich, former Illinois governor, who was released from prison after the president commuted his 14-year prison sentence for political corruption.
SEATTLE, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PAC Worldwide, a global leader in flexible packaging, announces the promotion of Steve Foster to President, effective immediately. The announcement was made at the company's headquarters in Seattle by PAC Worldwide CEO Jim Boshaw. In his new role, Mr. Foster will continue to oversee sales, marketing, and customer service initiatives at PAC, and with his promotion to President, he adds operations to his managerial scope, while maintaining the company's people-first culture.

In his former role as Chief Sales Officer, Mr. Foster led the PAC team to the highest revenue-producing years in the companies history. By creating a sales environment that values the relationships PAC enjoys with its large and loyal customer base, Mr. Foster has helped to establish PAC as a leader in flexible packaging. He joined the company in 2003 as Regional Sales Manager and was subsequently promoted to Vice President of Sales, Executive VP of Sales and then Chief Sales Officer in 2018.

"Steve embodies the proud tradition of strategic thinking, innovation, and sales-driven leadership that has fueled PAC's phenomenal growth," said Jim Boshaw. "I have considered him for this opportunity for some time and am confident that he will guide us to even greater heights."

Mr. Foster is only the third person to hold the position of President of PAC Worldwide in its 44-year history.

About PAC Worldwide

Founded in 1975, PAC Worldwide Corporation has been a leader and innovator in the development and manufacturing of customized packaging and contract packaging solutions for more than 40 years. The privately-owned company employs more than 1,200 team members through operations in the U.S., Mexico and Malaysia.

CONTACT: Michael Shepherd

(206) 224-3550

[email protected]

SOURCE PAC Worldwide

Related Links

https://www.pac.com


Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Mong-Koo Chung plans to give up his board seat, in the latest sign that the octogenarian patriarch of South Korea's second-largest conglomerate is preparing to hand the reins over to his son.

The company said on Wednesday it would propose Chief Financial Officer Kim Sang Hyun as a replacement for Chung on the board. Shareholders will vote on the proposal during a meeting on March 19.

Chung, the son of Hyundai's founder, has been stepping back from frontline operations in recent years.

Meanwhile, his son and heir-apparent, Euisun Chung, has become increasingly visible since being promoted to executive vice chairman in 2018.

Mong-Koo Chung is the only one of five executive directors whose term expires this year, Hyundai's website showed.

He will remain as chairman and as an executive who does not hold a board seat, a spokesperson said.
When UPS pilot Mark Noah isnt flying around the country, hes often helping to locate the remains of missing American servicemen from World War II in Europe and the Pacific. Noah is the president and founder of History Flight, a nonprofit he started in 2003 to restore vintage aircraft and preserve aviation history. Once he learned nearly 80,000 U.S. military members were still missing in action from World War II, however, his organization began assembling teams to find the remains and have them properly interred. To date History Flight has recovered 325 sets of remains, many of them from forgotten graves on the central Pacific island of Tarawa. For his dedicated efforts Noah was named an honorary Marine by the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, a distinction he shares with fewer than 100 individuals. Noah recently spoke with Military History about why he gives so much of his time and money to this cause.

How did History Flight begin?

We started 16 years ago restoring World War II planes and giving people rides in them. That was a neat way to connect with history. Then I was invited to be a technical adviser on aircraft structures for a wreck investigation. We got to meet the son of a missing airman, and it was very compelling. I didnt know it at the time, but 19 percent of all World War II casualties are still missing. That was a big eye-opener for me. We shifted focus from rides in historic airplanes to search and recovery of the men who flew them, because people are more important than machinery.

We now have full-time teams working all over the world, including a continuing project in Tarawa. We are working in Europe and the Philippines, too. History Flight is a public-private partnership with the U.S. military. We do the research as well as the search-and-recovery work with them. A large number of doctorate and masters-level archaeologists work for us, as do remote-sensing experts, retired FBI investigators and others who help us do the sleuthing necessary to find these sites.

How did you learn about missing Marines on Tarawa?

We were doing research into missing airplane crews while working in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and I found a report from the graves registration and recovery team that reported 49 percent of the known buried Marines were not recovered on Tarawa. From there we decided to start digging deep into the process of how we would find them.

Why were there so many missing men on Tarawa?

The Marines actually did a pretty good job with the burials. When they left the day after the battle, the Navy construction battalions turned the whole place into an unsinkable aircraft carrier. They put buildings, roads and infrastructure on top of the graves. Thats why they were never able to find them after the war.

How did your team discover the graves?

A combination of new- and old-school technology. We used remote sensing, cartography, ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs to give us a general idea of where to find the grave sites. Then we looked closely at what was beneath the ground. It took 12 years, but we recovered the remains of 309 Americans on Tarawa.

We are helping to put the American back in America with every recovery

What happens when you find a grave beneath a house?

History Flight has an excellent relationship with the local government. Weve received permission to build houses and relocate residents. Weve recovered more than 50 Marines from beneath buildings. In one case we found 12 beneath a two-story building. We were able to brace the structure with jacks and then dig down through the floor. I thought we were going to have to demolish it, but that didnt happen.

What kind of training do your people get?

We have a large number of experienced archaeologists with forensic skills, and they all go through a course with the Department of Defense to learn standard operating procedures. We hire very knowledgeable people and train them about what to expect on Tarawa. There are about 30,000 people who live on that tiny island on top of all the graves. Weve excavated three separate sites that are the number one, two and three largest recoveries since World War II.

Where else are you searching?

There are still 21,000 Americans missing from World War II in the European Theater of Operations. That includes infantrymen from D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge and all the fighting across the entire continent, as well as a large number of aircrew. Weve been concentrating on known cases so we can recover as many people as possible. Most of the recoveries weve done there have been aircrews.

PBS recently aired a documentary about one of the guys we found in Germany. Homecoming: Sgt. Hamiltons Long Journey was produced by WQED in Pittsburgh. Sergeant Vernon Hamilton was one of three crewmen in an A-26 Invader shot down during a raid over Dulmen, Germany, on March 21, 1945. We located the crash site at a farm and recovered his body along with the other two airmen.

How do you determine where to search?

We do a ton of research. From there we launch remote-sensing expeditions. For example, in Belgium we recovered a P-47 pilot who was shot down during the Battle of the Bulge. We knew the plane had crashed in a certain town, so we started knocking on doors, asking if people remembered anything. Everyone knew about it. One of the homeowners told us he had landing gear holding up part of his garage. He showed us how he had built it into the wall. We used radar to find the crater, which had been filled in. We got permission to excavate and recovered the pilot.

Whats happening in the Philippines?

Weve done a lot of research there but dont have the resources to start excavating yet. There are almost 10,000 U.S. service members missing in the Philippines, so there is a lot of work to do. The largest surrender of U.S. forces in World War II was there, and the Japanese were hardly hospitable caretakers of those POW populations. We had some rough maps from the Marine Corps to give us the general location of some graves on Tarawa, but the POW graves in the Philippines were never marked or recorded. There are horrible stories of atrocities and clandestine burials by the Japanese. At Palawan they forced the POWs into air raid shelters, then poured gas on top of them. The ones who ran out were shot or bayoneted. Amazingly, 11 men survived. They swam 5 miles across a bay to where the Filipinos helped them. Weve profiled the Palawan site and intend to do work there once we have enough funding. One of the cemeteries has a Filipino FBI building on it. Of course, you can dig here, one of the Filipinos said to us. We see ghosts almost every night.

Its important for people to do something now, because the relatives of the missing are dying

Do you go on the missions?

Yes. Ive led more than 50 recovery projects. My employer is very generous and has granted me a lot of unpaid leave. Basically, I have two jobs. My day job is flying for UPS. History Flight is a full-time volunteer job Ive done for 16 years. Its a great projectthere is no question in my mind about that.

You were not in the military. Why do you do this?

My dad was a veteran. His uncles and my grandfather were in World War II. We have a strong family connection. Ive been flying airplanes since I was 15 and became fascinated in restoring World War II planes. When I found out there were so many missing men, that became very compelling to me.

We tell people we are helping to put the American back in America with every recovery. I feel this is really important. Its not widely known that so many people are missing, and its an outrage that not much is being done about it. Its critical that something be done.

What does your family think of your volunteer work?

My wife and children really like what we are doing and respect the value of it. I am away from home a lot, so its tough on my kids. But I have brought them on some missions. Last summer they got to work with us in France. Hopefully, every summer in the future they will get to do that again.

Have you recovered any famous people?

They are all equally important. On Tarawa we recovered a large grave that included a Medal of Honor recipient, Alexander Bonneyman Jr. Obviously, he was a very important individual, but no more important than anyone else. Thats the way we look at it.

How do you pay for all this?

Initially, it was 100-percent private funding. An old friend and I paid for most of it. When we became successful, we entered into a series of collaborative agreements with the Department of Defense, and they pay for a portion of it now.

Where does the rest of the money come from?

We have fundraisers, but I find almost no one in America donates to this sort of thing. Its very rare we find people willing to support it. Weve had to pay a lot of the bills ourselves.

I gave congressional testimony recently about how recovering World War II, Korean War and Vietnam-era casualties has been chronically underfunded since the 1950s. Its important for people to do something now, because the relatives of the missing are dying. We accept donations on both our website and Facebook page [see below].

Once we got a donation from a homeless veteran. He was at the VFW, getting a free meal, when he heard about our project. He sent $2.76, which was really touching. If every person in America gave $2.76, we could actually fund the recovery of all those people.

You see the MIA flag hanging everywhere, yet almost no one will step up to help out. Americans like their history with icing on it. They like interviews with old World War II guys talking about how it was. They dont want to hear the stories about the people who were burned to death at Palawan.

What is your hope for the future?

Wed like to see more recoveries. Wed like to see more people get engaged and volunteer to help us. Weve done more than anyone else in the private sector, and wed like to continue that success. MH

Readers can support the work of History Flight by donating at historyflight.com/donate or facebook.com/history-flight-109735866254.
London: Britain's new visa system, which toughens entry requirements for non-English speaking migrants but makes it easier for skilled workers, has been welcomed as "great news" for Australians.

The strict new rules, aimed at ending the private sector's reliance on "cheap labour", are intended to come into effect next year when Britain formally leaves the EU and the free movement system.

Under the Conservatives' long-promised "point-based" immigration system, which it claims to have modelled on Australia's scheme, Australians and other non-EU citizens will be treated equally.

The Home Secretary Priti Patel conceded that even her own mother, from Uganda, would not have been welcome under the changes. Credit:

Under the EU's free movement rules, all Europeans, including unskilled and non-English speaking migrants from EU countries, have been able to live and work in the UK while Australians have faced tougher barriers because of the government's commitment to lowering overall migration.
HOLDREGE  Little by little, Aubri Nantkes is learning more about the history of the building that houses her business in downtown Holdrege.

Aubri and her husband, Dustin, have been hard at work since purchasing the property at 409 West Ave. in October for their screen printing business, the Screen Machine.

They purchased the Screen Machine in November 2017, and soon outgrew their former location on the eastern edge of Holdrege along Highway 6/34.

Freight would come in and would be all over the front room, and we would have nowhere for people to go, Aubri explained.

They also purchased an automatic press and larger dryer that required more space. As they began remodeling the building, Aubri became curious about its history.

I started looking up pictures. When you start ripping up carpet and start taking down ceilings and walls and stuff, you are trying to figure, OK, so what am I going to run into? How was this all put together? she said.
Amid speculation about her possible entry in Rajya Sabha, senior Congress leader and in-charge for Rajasthan unit Avinash Pande has said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra deserves a nomination to the upper house as she is an undisputed leader of the party.

Pande said this is the feeling among Congressmen in every state but there has been no discussion in the party over it yet.

He said it is the prerogative of the Congress president on whom to name as party candidates for Rajya Sabha, election to which are slated in April after 51 vacancies are arising.

"Every Congress worker desires that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should be a Rajya Sabha member. She is an undisputed leader of the party and any state would want to recommend her name for nomination to the Upper House," Pande told PTI.

Asked if state units have discussed her name for the nomination, the AICC in-charge for Rajasthan said no discussion has taken place yet on her name.

"She has the potential to be a Rajya Sabha member and if asked we will certainly recommend her name. There is a general feeling among Congress leaders and workers that she should be recommended for a Rajya Sabha berth, but no discussion has taken place on the issue yet," he said.

There is widespread speculation over Priyanka Gandhi being among probable candidates considered by the Congress for a Rajya Sabha nomination.

The Congress has, however, remained silent on the issue and have dubbed it as speculative.

Asked about Priyanka Gandhi's name among probable candidates for Rajya Sabha berth, the party chief spokesperson said, "We do not answer speculative questions".

Priyanka Gandhi is the party's general secretary and is in-charge for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh.

As many as 51 seats are falling vacant in Rajya Sabha in April and the Congress is likely to bag over nine seats in the upcoming elections in party-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Central government on Wednesday told Delhi High Court that a task force has been constituted to study the issue of age of girls entering motherhood.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to an equalised minimum age of marriage for men and women at 21 years.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar adjourned the matter for May 28 after the Centre's counsel Monika Arora informed about the development.

The court also asked the party in the case to file an affidavit.

The government counsel apprised the court citing speech given by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Budget.

"Women's age of marriage was increased from fifteen years to eighteen years in 1978, by amending erstwhile Sharda Act of 1929. As India progresses further, opportunities open up for women to pursue higher education and careers. There are imperatives of lowering maternal mortality rate (MMR) as well as improvement of nutrition levels. The entire issue about age of a girl entering motherhood needs to be seen in this light. I propose to appoint a task force that will present its recommendations in six months' time," Sitharaman had said.

The plea seeking 'uniform minimum age of marriage' was filed by BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, who said that at present, while men in India are permitted to get married at age of 21, women are allowed to get married when they are 18. It also mentioned that more than 125 countries in the world have a uniform age of marriage.

The litigant said the plea is filed in public interest under Article 226 and it challenges a blatant and ongoing form of discrimination against women.

"The discriminatory 'minimum age' limit for marriage for men and women is based in patriarchal stereotypes, has no scientific backing, perpetrates de jure and de facto inequality against women, and goes completely against the global trends," the plea said.

As per the petition, some of statutory provisions, which are responsible for discriminatory 'minimum age' limit for marriage include -- Section 60(1) of the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872; Section 3(1)(c) of the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936; Section 4(c) of the Special Marriage Act, 1954; Section 5(iii) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and Section 2(a) of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.

The plea stated that differential bar discriminates against women and contravene with the fundamental principles of gender equality, gender justice and dignity of women and breaching Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution.

The petitioner in his petition further stressed that women have a fundamental right to be free to pursue studies or occupations after finishing school at the age of 18.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Carlisle Police





(717-243-5252)David Tyrone Johnson, 48, of Mechanicsburg, was charged with felony retail theft after an incident in the 200 block of South Spring Garden Street about 1 p.m. Feb. 17. A business employee reported that a man had taken a bottle of vodka without paying for it and left. After they were given a description of the minutes, police apprehended Johnson minutes later at the rear of the 200 block of East Pomfret Street. The stolen merchandise was recovered at the scene. Johnson remains in Cumberland County Prison on $50,000 cash bail.

Middlesex Township Police (717-249-7191)Elizabeth Nichole Cope, 31, of Carlisle, was charged with misdemeanor defiant trespass after an incident at a business in the 1500 block of Harrisburg Pike on Feb. 16. Police said Cope was previously told she was not permitted on the property. The charge was sent via summons.

Donovan Nicholas Decicco, 25, of Carlisle, was charged with misdemeanor simple assault and summary disorderly conduct and harassment after a domestic incident in the 1400 block of Harrisburg Pike at 2:34 p.m. Feb. 16. Police said Decicco had an argument inside a motel room with a woman, and when the woman tried to leave Decicco aggressively removed her from her vehicle and took her back to the motel room. He remains in Cumberland County Prison on $15,000 cash bail.

State Police at Carlisle (717-249-2121)Police are investigating a hit-and-run in which a blue sedan side-swiped a semi-trailer, causing minor damage, at 3:48 a.m. Feb. 16 on Interstate 81 north in Carlisle. The sedan fled, and the driver of the semi-trailer, Emily Phillips, 25, of Granbury, Texas, was not injured.

No one was injured in a one-vehicle crash that caused minor damage to a utility pole and to the tractor-trailer at 12:21 a.m. Feb. 17 in Newville. Police said a 2016 International Harvester was traveling east on West Main Street turning right onto South High Street, which is a prohibited right-turn. The trailer of the tractor-trailer went up onto the sidewalk and struck a utility pole. The driver, whom police did not name, was not injured but he was cited for failure to obey traffic-control devices.

Information is from police reports and may be incomplete depending on the status of an investigation. Phone numbers are nonemergency.

Information is from police reports and may be incomplete depending on the status of an investigation. Phone numbers are nonemergency.
An urgent search is underway for a father and his 15-month-old daughter who drove off in a stolen car.

The white 2016 Subaru Liberty, with NSW registration CK26UP, was last seen in Kambah, Canberra, about 1pm on Wednesday.

ACT Police said they are 'seeking assistance from the community to locate a stolen vehicle that is believed to have a 15-month-old child inside'.

An urgent search is underway for a father and his 15-month-old daughter who drove off in a stolen car

'The car is believed to be being driven by the child's father,' a police spokesperson said.

The 35-year-old father is a white man, who has brown hair and tattoos on his forearms. He is about 175cm tall.

The girl was last seen wearing a purple T-shirt with a rainbow and sun emblazoned on the front and three-quarter pants with smiley face suns.

Police said they hold concerns for her safety.
Brooklyn Beckham's granny flat

The granny-less granny flat is the latest celeb must-have and Brooklyn Beckham is the latest to get one. Thoughtful parents Victoria and David are renovating their 31 million Holland Park mansion to include an annexe for when Brooklyn, 20, and his American actress girlfriend Nicola Peltz come to stay.

>Scroll right for more celebrity homes...
Members of President Faure Gnassingbes family have been in power in Togo since 1967.

When voters in Togo head to the polls this weekend they will have to choose between keeping a dynasty that has ruled the tiny West African nation for more than half a century, or a new leader.

In the first of a series of stories on the election, Al Jazeeras Ahmed Idris went to Lome, the capital of Togo, to find out what matters to the people there.
Mike Cannon-Brookes, one of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs, wants the Morrison government to set net-zero emissions target because it "doesn't make any sense" to have a technology investment goal without clear guidance to investors.

The billionaire founder and co-chief executive officer of software giant Atlassian said reports earlier this week the Morrison government planned to adopt a target for technology investment but not one for reaching carbon neutrality weren't good for businesses.

Mike Cannon-Brookes, co-chief executive officer of software giant Atlassian, says Australia needs an emissions not a technology target. Credit:Renee Nowytarger

"From a business context, it's completely backwards," Mr Cannon-Brookes told The Herald and The Age. "It's like, 'Let's start making some plans. Where are trying to get to? Well, we'll figure that out along the way.'"

The technology, he said, already existed but not the political will. Electrifying the world economy with renewables would achieve about 70 per cent of the emission reductions needed to avoid dangerous climate change with agriculture accounting for about 15 per cent of the remainder.
NORWALK  City officials are considering an ordinance change in order to honorarily name a street after late Norwalk police officer Cesar Ramirez.

The Ordinance Committee of the Common Council voted Tuesday night to move forward a proposed ordinance modification. The change would allow someone who died within the past year to have a street be honorarily named after them, if approved by at least 11 council members.

The current ordinance says officials must wait a year after someone has died to honorarily name a street after them, though it does allow for streets to be named after living people if approved by 11 council members.

Some people feel as though they ought to have the option to be able to name a street after someone deceased less than a year, Committee Chair Lisa Shanahan said.

Plans to honorarily rename a portion of Chestnut Street after Ramirez were derailed when former Common Council member Richard Bonenfant brought the current policy to the Public Works Committees attention at a meeting earlier this month.

At Tuesdays Ordinance Committee, Bonenfant urged the group to maintain the current ordinance, which was made to prevent people from acting out of emotion when it comes to honorary street namings.

I threw a monkey wrench in the plans, Bonenfant said. Im suggesting you leave it alone. Wait a year. I had two families hate me for a year, but they thanked me later because it meant a lot more to them when it was done. Changing the rules for one person, we might be sorry later on.

Ordinance Committee and District D council member Tom Keegan also brought up reservations about the potential change. Keegan previously said he would support anything named after Ramirez, but said he wanted to respect the rules in place.

At one point many years ago, they decided they wanted to wait, Keegan said Tuesday. I think its important we visit why they did that.

Shanahan pointed out that requiring as super majority vote on such name changes would help prevent decisions made out of emotion.

The committee, including Keegan, ultimately approved to move the item to a public hearing on March 17.

I respect the wishes of the community more so than my own opinion, he said after the meeting. Im going to listen to the public and do what they expect me to do as a public official.

Ramirez, who died of brain cancer in January, served the Norwalk Police Department over 30 years. He patrolled South Norwalk and was well-known by the community there, particularly at Side by Side Charter School and Columbus Magnet School.

The proposal would honorarily rename a portion of Chestnut Street between Monroe Street and Merritt Place  near Side by Side School and Columbus Magnet  to Officer Cesar Ramirez Drive.

erin.kayata@hearstmediact.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 18:18:54|Editor: xuxin

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GABORONE, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Botswana and Namibia will continue to cooperate and collaborate in critical areas of defense and security, the permanent secretary of Botswana's Ministry of Defense, Justice and Security, said here Tuesday.

Matshidiso Bokole made the remark at the 28th session of the Botswana/Namibia Joint Permanent Commission on Defense and Security.

Noting there is concrete evidence that criminals have resorted to cyberspace to advance their illegal motives, she said the two countries must be alive to the ways through which criminals exploit technology.

"It is therefore incumbent upon us to do all we can to mitigate their efforts, reverse their gains and remain steps ahead. We can only be successful if we continue working together," she said, encouraging the commission to devise new strategies and review resolutions to ensure robustness and resilience in response to preventing and combating transnational organized crimes.

For his part, Peter Vilho, executive director of Namibia's Ministry of Defense, said the people and governments of Botswana and Namibia have both met economic and legal challenges since the last session was held in Namibia's capital of Windhoek in October 2018.

Despite some financial challenges, a considerable number of resolutions adopted at the previous session were implemented, he added.

"The economic downturn and drought, notwithstanding, we managed to improvise and prioritise where we could. I am impressed by the progress made on the border affirmation and demarcation process. I am equally heartened by the continuous efforts of the public security officers in ensuring the safety and security of our peoples," Vilho said.

He urged the commission to have foresight and demonstrate commitment to ensure that peace, security and stability continue to prevail in both countries.
Over 40 suspected crude bombs were found in front of a panchayat office, a TMC party office and a bank in West Bengal's Birbhum district on Wednesday, police said.

However, the bomb disposal team sent to Sian Muluk village in Bolpur police station area found that only three were actual bombs while the remaining were duds, an officer said.

The duds were stuffed with soil and 'aabir' (dry colour), he said.

It seems to be mischief by local anti-social elements, the officer said, adding that investigation is on.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
That could have been a moment to give her a lecture on the difference between your friend and your partner, but what I realized was in her way, she was inching toward the direction of acceptance, Buttigieg said. I think at a moment like this, its important that we find those who are maybe not quite there yet and help them get there instead of clubbing them over the head and telling them theyre bad people until they see it just the right way.
2 1 of 2 Karen Warren, Staff / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Jill Karnicki, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Show More Show Less



As a criminal defense attorney, Elizabeth Frizell has seen defendants who are wrongfully convicted and others who receive the death penalty in cases where a life sentence would have been more appropriate. She has seen higher courts rule verdicts in criminal trials must stand, even when lawyers or judges made significant errors in the trials that produced them.

Frizell, who is running in the Democratic primary for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3, says those issues would be among her top priorities in reviewing cases if elected.
The Justice Department has denied a report claiming that Bill Barr is threatening to quit as Attorney General if President Trump fails to stop tweeting about Department investigations.

Taking to Twittter on Tuesday night, DOJ spokeswoman Kerri Kupe stated: 'Addressing Beltway rumors: The Attorney General has no plans to resign.'

The comment came just hours after three Trump administration officials told The Washington Post that Barr was considering whether he should tender his resignation.

They claimed that the AG told several people close to Trump - both inside and outside of the White House - about his potential plans.

'Barr has his limits,' one anonymous official told The Post, claiming that the AG was fed up by Trump's continued interference in Justice Department cases.

The report ran in the wake of tensions between Barr and Trump - who have widely been seen as close allies.

Last Thursday, Barr took a swipe at the President in a television interview, saying that Trump's tweeting about Justice Department cases and staffers make it 'impossible' for him to do his job.

On Friday, Trump ignored Barr's request to curb his social media use and insisted that he has the 'legal right' to intervene in criminal cases and sidestep the Justice Department's historical independence.

He has continued to tweet about various DoJ cases - including the impending sentencing of his confidante Roger Stone.

Bill Barr is reportedly threatening to quit as Attorney General if President Trump does not stop tweeting about Justice Department investigations

On Tuesday, he posted that Stone deserved a new trial after being convicted of witness tampering and obstruction

Trump tweeted out a quote from a Fox News contributor which called upon the Judge in Stone's case - Amy Berman Jackson - to order the new trial.

'Judge Jackson now has a request for a new trial based on the unambiguous & self outed bias of the foreperson of the jury, whose (sic) also a lawyer, by the way,' the tweet blasted.

The move is said to have angered Barr, but as of Tuesday night, he is still Attorney General, and several sources told The Washington Post that he would not make any 'hasty decision to leave'.

The sources said that Barr would resist making such a 'dramatic step'.

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump conceded that his tweets do make Barr's job harder.

'I do make his job harder, yes, I do agree with that. I think that's true,' Trump stated, despite continuing to send out the public posts.

Barr, who is serving in his second stint as Attorney General, has sought to paint himself as an independent leader who would not bow to political pressure

He went on to attempt to diffuse any reports of tension between himself and Barr, praising the AG.

'He's a very straight shooter. We have a great attorney general and he's working very hard. He's working against a lot of people that don't want to see good things happen, in my opinion,' Trump said, casting Barr as an ally against people he deems rogue prosecutors. 'That's my opinion, not his opinion. You'll have to ask what his opinion is,' Trump added.

Trump defended his use of social media, and continues to believe Twitter was key to his election and governing.

'It gives me a voice,' he said of his tweets.

'I do make his job harder, yes, I do agree with that, President Trump said of Attorney General Bill Barr

He hailed Barr's integrity and defended his right to be involved in cases  on a day he announced a flurry of pardons and commutations, including one for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who got sent to prison for seeking to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat.

'I'm allowed to be totally involved,' Trump said before leaving Washington for a West Coast swing.

'I'm actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country. But I've chosen not to be involved. But he is a man of great integrity. But I could be involved if I wanted to be,' he said, picking up a line he also used last week amid a furor over his comments about the Stone case.

Barr is pictured during an interview with ABC News last week where he hit out at Trump for tweeting about ongoing DoJ cases

Barr, who is serving in his second stint as Attorney General, has sought to paint himself as an independent leader who would not bow to political pressure.

However, Democrats have repeatedly accused Barr of acting more like the presidents personal attorney than the attorney general. Barr proved to be a largely reliable Trump ally and defender of presidential power.

But last Thursday, during an ABC News interview, Barr blasted Trump's tendency to tweet about DoJ cases, stating: 'I think it's time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases'.

'I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.'

Barr's comments came just after Trump had tweeted his fury at a demand his pal Stone be jailed for up to nine years.

Stone was convicted of witness tampering and lying to Congress about his contacts with WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign, when he was an informal Trump advisor.

A message followed hours later by anonymous senior Justice Department officials called it 'excessive' and all four prosecutors on the case quitting later that day. Democrats called for an urgent investigation into whether Trump intervened in a live criminal case.

Barr denied being influenced, and called for the president to stop tweeting.

'I'm not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody ... whether it's Congress, a newspaper editorial board, or the president,' Barr told ABC News in an interview.

'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 said.

Barr said his actions in the case of the Roger Stone case had 'nothing to do with the president'.

Barr says he already had spoken to staff about the Stone sentencing recommendation  which he indicated was too severe  before the president's early morning tweet. But the public blast put him in a bad position.

'Do you go forward with what you think is the right decision or do you pull back because of the tweet? And that just sort of illustrates how disruptive these tweets can be,' he fretted.

Trump last week tweeted his fury at a demand his pal Stone be jailed for up to nine years

White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham responded that Trump was fine with the comments  while defending his right to speak his mind.

'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,' she 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,' she said, CBS reported.
The attack was carried out just a few miles from a disengagement zone.

Russian-backed forces tried on Tuesday to break through the trench line in the stalemated war in eastern Ukraine, killing one government soldier and wounding four others, the Ukrainian military said.

In the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, the attack was seen more as a diplomatic feint than a military assault, an effort to gain leverage during talks to end the war. In response, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, convened an emergency meeting of his national security council. The Kremlin denied any involvement, according to The New York Times.

After a phase of widespread violence in 2014 and 2015, the war settled into a dreary back-and-forth along a frontier consisting of about 270 miles of trenches.

Despite a negotiated cease-fire, skirmishes break out daily, most of them with long-distance artillery. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe reported nearly 300,000 cease-fire violations by both sides last year, counting every explosion or burst of gunfire its monitors hear along the front.

The attack on Tuesday, in Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, was unusual in that the armed forces tried to overrun a Ukrainian trench line and seize additional territory. It was the first such attack in two years, the military said.

Mr. Zelensky called the action an "attempt to disrupt the peace process" but did not directly blame the Russian government.

Read alsoChief of staff Yermak: Ukraine wants peace, simultaneously increases spending on army

"Our course, our commitment to end the war and to international agreements remains unchanged," he wrote in a social media post. "As does our determination to repel any manifestation of armed aggression against Ukraine."

In a conference call with journalists, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov expressed condolences for the dead but said that "it would be wrong to say that the Kremlin is responsible for whatever happens there."

The fighting broke out in a remote area of farmland and villages carved by a network of trenches that has been a hot spot in the conflict for years.

The Ukrainian Army said it began with an artillery barrage near the village of Krymske, followed by the unsuccessful attempt to overrun its trenches, but the military provided no further details. The fighting killed one enemy troop and wounded five others.

The attack, carried out just a few miles from a "disengagement zone" where Ukrainian troops had pulled back from the front, seemed to have been calculated to create political problems for Mr. Zelensky.

Creating these sites has been a signature policy of the Ukrainian president, who won an election last year promising to negotiate an end to the war. But the voluntary pullbacks have incensed his Ukrainian nationalist opposition at home.

The escalation near the disengagement zone in the town of Zolote was intended to "force Zelensky into talks in an unfavorable position" at home politically, said Yevhen Mahda, an analyst in Kyiv.

Read alsoUkraine's envoy at UNSC: Kremlin continues strategy of escalation in Donbas

"Unfortunately, the Kremlin feels the weakness of Ukraine's leadership in its unwillingness to raise the stakes," Mr. Mahda said. "Zelensky came to power on a program of peace, and the Kremlin understands this."

The fighting on Tuesday came three days after Mr. Zelensky's government rejected a 12-point plan to reduce tensions, a proposal promoted by former Russian, European and American government officials at a security conference in Munich.

That plan was seen as echoing pro-Russian positions, such as promoting a partial rollback of Western economic sanctions on Russia before a final peace deal and encouraging Ukraine to sign a trade deal with Russia.

It also suggested that Ukraine should engage in a national debate about "themes of history and national memory, language" and identity that would include Russian perspectives, something also sure to enrage the nationalist opposition.
A new report says that there are more than 10,000 jobs in the solar industry in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but that both states lag behind others in creating those jobs for a mix of reasons.

Nationally, solar has had its ups-and-downs, but overall, the number of solar-related jobs has grown from 93,000 to 249,000 since 2010, representing a 167% increase, according to the report by the Solar Foundation, an advocacy group.

The solar industry is driven by state and federal policies, tax credits, the cost of solar panels, government tariffs, and other factors that can swing from year to year, according to Ed Gilliland, the foundations senior director and author of the 2019 report.

The market has turned around after two years of decline in 2017 and 2018 and started back on a growth track, Gilliland said. And we expect that to continue into 2020.

Florida, Georgia, Utah, New York and Texas all saw the biggest increases out of the 31 states experiencing solar job growth. California lost the most jobs, but was still the largest employer within the industry.

Though solar represented only about 2.6% of overall electricity generation nationally, it employed twice as many workers as the coal industry, the report said. However, other fossil fuel industries, such as oil and natural gas, employ more than solar.

The Southeastern U.S. was a growth area because of falling solar panel costs, new state laws, and an improving parity of price per kilowatt hour, compared with other forms of electricity generation in the region.

The Solar Foundation broke the jobs down into three categories: residential, non-residential (commercial), and utility-scale.

Last year marked the end of a 30% federal tax credit for solar installations (it is stepping down now, and expires fully in two years), and many rushed to start projects, helping to fuel those jobs. In addition, the impact of tariffs imposed on solar panels by the Trump administration in 2018 was largely offset by the lower cost of producing the panels in Southeast Asia, the report said.

Solar-related businesses that were surveyed saw continued demand, with public policy the leading factor driving growth.

New Jersey, once a national leader among states, dropped to 12th, with 6,225 solar jobs in 2019, a 3% loss from 2018.

Gilliland, however, said he considers New Jersey a leader because of the commitment by Gov. Phil Murphy to achieve 50% of the states electricity generation from solar by 2030, and 100% by 2050 under its Clean Energy Program. Gilliland said that as expiring policies are replaced with new ones, the states solar jobs creation will improve.

There is a phase-out of the solar renewable energy credit program, and as the state transitions to a new program coming down the pike, that creates some uncertainty in the market, Gilliland said. Its very common to see states drop off when these types of transitions happen.

And, he added, New Jersey is always very aggressive and proactive on policies for renewable energy and solar. Theres no reason to believe it wont pick back up again.

He noted that New Jersey is still in the top five nationally in terms of residential solar jobs.

Pennsylvania, Gilliland said, is less aggressive in chasing renewables, though it saw a slight gain in solar jobs to 4,231 last year, a gain of 12.

The states Department of Environmental Protection launched a statewide planning effort to produce 10% of the states electricity from solar by 2030, but it is only a goal, not legislated, Gilliland noted.

Pennsylvania has relatively cheap electricity rates, mostly due to its natural gas and coal production, so the solar is less attractive than it is in New Jersey, where electricity prices are higher, Gilliland said.

Pennsylvania now gets less than 2% of its electricity from solar, while other states have reached 10% or more.

Delaware saw a nearly 6% increase in solar jobs, bringing the total to a still-modest 495.
19.02.2020 LISTEN

It is a trite knowledge that Africa experimented democracy, accepted it and now must believe in it as a custom and principle. Many of the nations that gained independence in the 50s had either inherited or adopted democracy. In the case of Ghana, I think, and I believe it is the case, that we inherited but reformed our democracy. The many years of experimentation was a treacherous one. It was a tedious exercise which at a point almost became an exercise in futility because the incidence of military takeovers became predominant in the body politics of Africa.

Many of these revolutions were occasioned by some assigned reasons zeroing down to the general discontent by the people, arising out of the then social, political and economic situations. Those were the very challenging days of political history. We were not sure of the very path we had chosen for ourselves because the situation was chaotic and characterized by national upheavals. Our principles of government inherited and somehow reformed, were absolutely annihilated. There was neither a national hope nor a vision. Our hope and vision rested in the arms and minds of those men with threatening muscular disposition, in khaki uniforms, who, by a simple trigger and shout, could decide within few minutes, the person or group to rule us.

The hostile political environment continued because some were obviously encouraging and promoting instability as a way of revenge. The reminiscence of the brutalities, the lawlessness and other instances of dictatorship tortures my memory and provokes a certain excruciating pain in me, even though I was not born at the time. I feel it because I have been told by my parents. I dislike that period because I could probably not have survived the culture of silence as a youth activist. I would have written, I would have spoken, and I would have advocated a change, on any platform within my vicinity. Surely, the repercussions would have been dire because the vindictiveness and tolerance of the self-made leaders would have been extended to me.

Fortunately, in 1992, there was another era which became what I call the cleansing period. Within that period, we all agreed that we erred, trespassed and infracted the standards in our thoughts and actions that culminated a slow socio-economic transformation. The greatest achievement of a man starts the very day he recognizes his own mistakes and takes decisions to change by starting at fresh with a more rejuvenated hope and vision. That was the case of 1992. The 1992 constitution holds this spirit of freshness and collectiveness. It was borne out of frustrations and lamentations of past events and that has made it sacred and powerful. By that spirit, everybody was defined by the same standard and more importantly, there was inclusiveness in the affairs of our country. That was nationhood.

We have walked that path together without becoming tired or bored despite the many other challenges we face. Naturally, the problems of man can never finish. Indeed, the very day we would not have problems is the very day we should not need leaders because leaders are always needed to solve problems. It is this understanding that should resonate in the mind of all citizenry. We must help our leaders in solving our problems. I encourage every Ghanaian to continue to work hard and discharge our responsibilities as part of our quota to nation building. Leaders, on the other hand, must understand that they are where they are because of the people. They must not let personal interest prevails in the expense of the will of the people because the constitution let us understand that power resides with the people. When the will and interest of the people is subverted, the constitution is under threat and patriotic citizens must not sit down and watch in silence.

Let me reiterate that government in the context of our laws must benefit everybody. The decisions and indecisions of government must therefore be in the interest of the people. A government whose aim is to empower some citizens but unjustifiably punish others, denying them the security they need as citizens is a danger to democracy and must be uprooted as early as possible. When laws are mischievously and selectively applied to meet the whims and caprices of government under our current democracy, one can only infer that we are witnessing another form of dictatorship. Perhaps a dictatorship that does not necessarily rely on the gun but paper and pen. This would not benefit the future because once the oppressed harbor any intentions of revenge and reprise, then, there is a looming danger capable of annihilating the cherished existing standards not given attention to.

We have many enterprising, industrious and innovative men and women in the country who have the potentials of capturing economic height globally. We are thus blessed by diversified knowledge and skills. What we should do as a country is unearthing, guiding, supporting and protecting such talents to grow to their peaks. That is how we can create jobs and industrialize this country. It is incontestable, that many of the private enterprises we have in this country perform far better than public or state enterprises/institutions. This should give us a common understanding that the private man has more potentials to tap from if we really are committed to the quest for industrialization.

Sadly, this government which claims that the private sector is the engine of our economic growth has collapsed local businesses. It is sad, that government had had to collapse many local banks and financial institutions. I am yet to be convinced that the many banks that were collapsed were done in the interest of this country. I am yet to be convinced, that the laws were reasonably and fairly applied. It was simply an extension of a certain hatched political agenda to destroy others to build others but rubbing Peter to pay Paul isnt a fair principle in democracy. Some reasons for the collapse of the banks, as were given by the bank of Ghana, are ridiculous, unfathomable and nebulous. Many businesses have been collapsed because of the collapse of the banks, many others have loss their jobs and many others have their savings and business capitals locked up in the collapsed banks and other financial institutions, for those who are going through this excruciating economic hardship, what is their crime? For no fault of theirs, they should suffer in the hands of government which, primarily, should have given them security?

Again, the case where government hide under the fight against crime to perpetuate crimes should not be accepted. That kind of distrust, willfully demonstration of double standard, dishonesty and corruption should not be accepted. We do agree that illegal mining is bad and has brutally affected our environment that our lives began to be threatened because our ecology is being destabilized and far becoming inhabitable. Some concerned citizens, largely, from the media fraternity waged a war to stop this canker and I supported it. Then, the government took it up and promised Ghanaians to end it with alacrity. An inter-ministerial committee was formed, and they used the state security to chase illegal miners, beat them up, imprisoned some of them, cease their properties including guns, excavators, gold and many others. In some instances, some powerful voices in government were directing the military to adopt the shoot to kill approach. We thought government was discharging its duty of safeguarding the environment. Little did we know that there was a diabolic agenda for some top government officials to use the opportunity to venture into illegal mining and that many others were targeting to steal the ceased equipment. Is this the country that we have struggled to bring this far? Then, it would have been better to have allowed the illegal miners to continue to destroy the environment than chase them out to make way for government itself to engage in the illegality. What is more worrying is the fact that government officials took bribes to allow some illegal miners to continue the act. Now we are told of how the minister and others planned to betray this country. This act of wickedness has put government into public disrepute and in some other jurisdiction, the least would have been the president apologizing to Ghanaians and resigning afterwards, but in our case, he sees nothing wrong. Can we conclude that the government no longer represents the interest of the country and that he has betrayed us?

Additionally, just some few days ago, another young industrious Ghanaian entrepreneur, by name Raymond Archer, had his fair share of the capricious and whimsical acts of this government. The Universal Label and Packaging Company was pulled down on the orders of the Trade Fair Company limited. I am told it is one of the best and largest labelling and packaging company we have in the shores of Africa. That Ghanaian company is gone over what could be resolved amicably. Alas, the economic brutality suffered by the Archer and his many other workers cannot be forgotten. It is a dark history for this country. That is the reward they have gotten for investing in their own country. if it were that easy to build a factory, why has government not been able to deliver its own 1D1F policy? At least, I cannot find one in the whole of the Upper West Region, yet it can just use national security to unjustifiably pull down a factory own by a Ghanaian. Isnt this ironic for a government to say it is encouraging the private sector to build factories but turn around to wickedly collapse existing factories?

I can understand, lucidly, that this government is being tricked by power and it is blind by its own deeds. The government fails to understand leadership that is anchored in common sense. All it believes is that we have the power. Unfortunately, the moral society and many so-called voices of conscience have their mouths glued perhaps by political largesse. I can now appreciate the wisdom in Martin Luther Kings postulation that history will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.

I am sure power makes us blind, but posterity holds the light.

I speak no more on this vindictiveness, intolerance, unfairness, corruption and discrimination everywhere. May the gods of our ancestors, who left a foundation for us, save this country from the clutches of oppressors.

Denis Andaban

The village boy from DBI
Nikki Araguz Loyd, a Houston activist known for her commitment to transgender rights in Texas, died in November from a mixture of substances that include heroin, ethanol and medication designed to treat anxiety and panic disorders, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

Araguz Loyd, 44, died Nov. 6 at her home in Humble. She is survived by her husband, William Loyd, and their two children. She most notably fought a high-profile court battle over the legitimacy of her marriage to a Wharton County firefighter who was killed in a 2010 blaze. She also courted reality TV and worked as an entrepreneur in Houston.

In addition to ethanol and heroin, her cause of death lists clonazepam and alprazolam, which both treat anxiety and panic disorders, among the substances that contributed to her death. The death was ruled an accident. Officials with the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences declined to say when the cause of death was determined.

William Loyd said his wife battled various forms of addiction throughout her life. He said she recently had been reliant on Xanax, and she planned to go to rehab.

She knew she had a problem, he said. But she did not get it addressed in time.

William Loyd said he wants her death to raise awareness for prescription drug abuse throughout the country. Her absence still hurts, he said, but he believes she can continue to help people.

She created change for so many people, and she gave up a huge part of herself up to create that change, William Loyd said. Unfortunately, the way she dealt with it was through prescription drugs and alcohol and sometimes other drugs. But the thing Id always love people to remember my wife by is the hero and overcomer and somebody who fought for the rights of others. Of course, to me and my kids, shell always be mom.

Araguz Loyds sister, Vanessa Bockelman-Ball, said her siblings life was an open book, and she would have wanted people to learn from her addiction. The siblings were tight-knit. Araguz Loyd moved to the Houston area to be closer to Bockelman-Ball, she said.

For her to not be in my life is very hard, Bockelman-Ball said.

Araguz Loyd first gained widespread notoriety in the 1990s when she appeared on TV talk shows to discuss transgender issues, including when she was raped at 13 and infected with HIV. She said she developed as a woman, both physically and emotionally, despite being born a boy.

In 2008, she married a Wharton County firefighter. Two years later, her husband died battling a fire at an egg farm in Wharton, a town of 9,000 about an hour west of Houston.

The firefighters mother and ex-wife sued Araguz Loyd to keep her from receiving death benefits, arguing that the marriage wasnt valid because she was born a man. Araguz Loyd spent years fighting that assertion in court, until in 2014 a state appeals court ruled that she was a woman at the time of her marriage.

The case thrust her further into the national spotlight. She was featured on the television show 20/20, and other transgender activists took up her cause. She also was interviewed for a lengthy profile in Out Magazine and spoke openly of her battle with drug addiction as a young adult.

While her case played out in court, Araguz Loyd was arrested in Harris County after she was accused of stealing a womans Rolex watch. She spent nearly a month in jail in 2012.

Shortly after her release, new federal standards took effect requiring prisons and jails to make certain accommodations for LGBT inmates. Araguz Loyd had previously been booked under her birth name. After her theft arrest, Araguz Loyds case helped spark a policy change under then-Sheriff Adrian Garcia, requiring that transgender inmates be addressed by their chosen name.

Araguz Loyd met William Loyd, an artist in Houston, following her release from jail. They married the next year. Together they opened the Starving Artist art gallery in Montrose, and in 2014 she launched a web series, Nikkis American Dream, about her life.

Araguz Loyd also rode in Houstons Gay Pride Parade.

julian.gill@chron.com
Hong Kong: One more chartered flight mulled

Secretary for Security John Lee today said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is mulling over the need to prepare for a third chartered flight to evacuate Hong Kong residents aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.

Speaking to the media at the Legislative Council this morning, Mr Lee said the Immigration Department has contacted all 352 Hong Kong residents on the cruise ship and more than 200 have indicated that they will take the chartered flights arranged by the Hong Kong SAR Government to return home.

He noted that Japanese authorities will start allowing passengers to disembark today, once they have tested negative for the novel coronavirus.

He explained that about 20 Hong Kong passengers should have tested negative for the virus so far.

We are pressing for more results today. So hopefully, the number of Hong Kong people who are confirmed to be negative will increase and we are pressing the Japanese authorities to allow them all to come down.

Mr Lee asserted that the SAR Government has urged Japanese authorities to first deal with the Hong Kong passengers.

We have been pressing the Japanese authorities to give priority to the treatment of Hong Kong residents.

Our aim is to allow all Hong Kong residents to be allowed to disembark today, so that they will all be sent back to Hong Kong as soon as possible.

The security chief said the SAR Government has requested even more information but Japanese authorities have failed to respond.

For example, how many Hong Kong residents have tested positive and how many negative? How many are regarded as close contacts who may have to continue to stay in Japan? How many, if they are required to be quarantined, will be quarantined on the ship or on land? And we have asked the Japanese authorities to allow Hong Kong residents, even if they stay to be quarantined, then that should be done on land.

The SAR Government will ask the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong to provide assistance, Mr Lee added.

I will be in touch with the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong to reflect the concerns of the stranded Hong Kong residents on the cruise and to explain that because we have a large number, so it is in everybody's interest that priority is given to Hong Kong residents, so that they can come back as early as possible.

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- enCore Energy Corp. (TSX.V: EU) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that 18.5 million warrants (Warrants) have been exercised at a price of $0.10 and exchanged into an equal amount of common shares for total gross proceeds of $1.85 million. The Warrants were issued in connection with an equity financing completed on February 15, 2017. Following the exercise of these Warrants, there are currently 159.2 million shares outstanding with 16.3 million warrants and options outstanding with an average exercise price of $0.18. This funding allows the Company greater flexibility to pursue potential acquisitions and business opportunities at a time when the uranium industry is still underfunded and share values remain depressed. The Company has $4.2 million in cash and equivalents with no debt.

U.S. Domestic Nuclear Fuel Cycle Stimulus Plan

The Company also wishes to provide a general update to its shareholders on the status of nuclear-related funding initiatives contained within the federal budget proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The proposed budget includes significant increases in funding relating to nuclear energy and security across the board, including the establishment of a strategic domestic uranium reserve.

The budget request for the Department of Energy (DOE) includes a 21% increase on defense and nuclear fuel cycle items to $21 billion within the DOEs overall $35 billion budget, with funding for non-nuclear items remaining relatively flat. The domestic uranium reserve would be funded with an initial $150 million request as part of a proposed ten-year commitment to provide $1.5 billion in funding.

When discussing the 2021 budget, U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, stated, The bottom line is the President has chosen to put the U.S. back into the nuclear game around the world and he continued What youre seeing in the Presidents budget is the very first step that we will take to put the U.S. back into this competitive game.

Dennis Stover, CEO of enCore Energy, commented, "We are extremely pleased to see the President take this first step toward revitalizing our strategically important domestic nuclear fuel supply system. This support for domestic mining and conversion emphasizes the importance of the front end of our supply system. More remains to be done and we look forward to additional positive steps by both the Administration and Congress.

The actions taken by the Administration re-affirms the Presidents commitment to recognizing the importance of a reinvigorated domestic nuclear industry, particularly considering recent deliberations as part of the section 232 review and Nuclear Fuel Working Group (See News Release dated July 15, 2019). The Company is encouraged by the President's initial actions along with his continued emphasis on removing unnecessary regulations.

Nuclear energy is an important part of the energy mix to reduce global carbon emissions while also advancing energy independence. Nearly 20% of all U.S. electricity is generated from nuclear energy including more than 55% of carbon-free electricity, greater than wind and solar combined.

About enCore Energy Corp.

enCore Energy Corp., with assets based entirely in the United States, has a 100% interest, with no holding costs, on 115,000+ acres (46,400 ha) of private mineral rights in New Mexico, including the Crownpoint and Hosta Butte uranium deposits. These deposits contain an Indicated Mineral Resource of 26.6 million pounds of U3O8 at an average grade of 0.105% e U3O8(1). A portion of these resources are under NRC license. The Company also holds the Marquez and Treeline projects in New Mexico as well as other properties in Utah, Arizona, and Wyoming. The Company owns or has access to an extensive collection of proprietary North American and global uranium data including the Union Carbide, US Smelting and Refining, UV Industries, and Ranchers Exploration databases in addition to a leading geophysical data collection concerning the high- grade Northern Arizona Strip district.

For additional information: William M. Sheriff

Executive Chairman

972-333-2214

info@encoreenergycorp.com

www.encoreenergycorp.com

(1) Technical Report, titled, "Crownpoint and Hosta Butte Uranium Project Mineral Resource Technical Report, McKinley County, New Mexico, USA, Mineral Resource Technical Report - National Instrument 43-101," dated May 14, 2012, and authored by Douglas L. Beahm, PEng, PGeo.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws including the anticipated completion of the transaction and acquisition of the Marquez, Nose Rock and other properties, and the potential advancement thereof. Forward- looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward- looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. Estimates of mineral resources and reserves are also forward looking statements because they constitute projections regarding the amount of minerals that may be encountered in the future. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation; statements about the terms and completion of the transaction are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the respective companies undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.
A Boy Scout camp in Madison Township with a 90-year history will be closing in May.

The Lake Erie Council of the Boy Scouts of America said operations at Camp Stigwandish, located at 7497 Ross Road, will cease on May 4.

In a message posted earlier this month on its Facebook page, the council said its decision to close the camp was based on a 2019 assessment of its four properties in northern Ohio. Those properties are Camp Stigwandish; Camp Beaumont in Morgan Township in Ashtabula County; Firelands Scout Reservation in Wakeman Village in Huron County; and the Lake Erie Council, Boy Scouts of America Unit Service Center in Cleveland.

This assessment was conducted to evaluate the strengths and weakness of all four properties, focusing on occupancy, usage, building conditions, programs, and financial sustainability, Lake Erie Council Scout Executive/CEO Mark Ryan stated in his Facebook message.

Ryan said the team conducting the independent assessment was led by a volunteer adult Boy Scout leader who is familiar with properties and camp operations. In regards to the three camps, the assessment team sought to determine how much it would cost to bring the camps to brand positive levels  or standards required to meet or exceed the expectations of current and future campers.

The assessment team estimated that the cost for needed improvements at our camps would exceed $6 million, the council stated in a list of Frequently Asked Questions about the closure of Camp Stigwandish.

Another conclusion reached by the assessment team is that two of the three camps  Stigwandish and Firelands  have operated at a deficit in recent years.

Combined losses for the camps ranged from a high of $235,000 in 2017, and then improved to a shortfall of $150,000 in 2019.

These operating losses do not include the significant capital investments made at all three camps since the Lake Erie Council came into existence (in January 2017), the council stated.

In addition, the assessment showed that although Firelands has been operating at a financial loss for several years, significant progress has been made at lowering the camps deficit.

The study also showed Stigwandish had the lowest camper-occupancy rate of all three camps for 2017, 2018 and the first half of 2019.

While Stigwandish is a beautiful property and holds a special place in the hearts of many who have camped there for years, it is no longer sustainable to operate and keep the camp, Ryan said.

All planned activities will go on and reservations will be honored there until May 4.

As of May 30, 2020, Camp Stigwandish will cease to be a council-owned property, Ryan said.

The council said it has contracted outside help to sell the camp property.

Several weeks ago, Lake Metroparks expressed interest in buying a portion of the property, said Paul Palagyi, executive director of the parks agency.

Palagyi said Lake Metroparks manages an easement over a section of Mill Creek in the back section of Camp Stigwandish.

We were interested in purchase the underlying ground of that, and an access road, Palagyi said.

However, he said the Lake Erie Council indicated its preference to sell Camp Stigwandish in its entirety, and declined the Metroparks offer.

Boy Scout activities and events that traditionally were held at Camp Stigwandish could be moved to Camp Beaumont in neighboring Ashtabula County, Ryan noted. The council also pointed out in its list of FAQs that Firelands Scout Reservation is geographically positioned to more conveniently serve Scouts and families on the west side of the Lake Erie Councils service area.

Camp Stigwandish includes more than 20 campsites, six cabins, three lakes, a dining hall, trading post and nature center, according to the Lake Erie Councils website. The camp, which encompasses more than 300 acres and sits on the banks of Mill Creek, traces its beginnings to 1930, when the Northeast Ohio Council of the Boy Scouts of America purchased land on Ross Road in Madison Township.

The Boy Scouts of America named the camp in honor of a Seneca Indian chief who helped the survey party of the Western Reserve in 1796, according to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Stigwandish, whose name sometimes was spelled alternatively as Stigwanish, spent about 20 more years in the area, which became part of the state of Ohio in 1803. The chiefs name translates into English as Standing Stone, the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History stated.
A mother has sensationally revealed her daughter was left on a bus owned and run by the same daycare company at the centre of the death of a three-year-old boy.

The boy boarded a minibus owned by Goodstart Early Learning on Tuesday morning and was supposed to be dropped off at a daycare, but his body was found in the vehicle parked outside Hambledon State School, Cairns, at about 3pm.

The exact circumstances of the horrific incident remain unclear, but it appears the child had been left in the minibus all day as temperatures reached 34C.

Lisa Easton said the tragedy brought back horrific memories.

The mother said her daughter Violet, now three, was left on a bus owned by the same company for more than an hour in January 2018 on the Gold Coast.

Ms Easton said if a worker hadn't spotted Violet in the bus when they took the garbage out, she could have met the same fate.

She has started a petition calling for the business to be shut down if it doesn't overhaul its safety procedures, which she claimed were inadequate.

'To my knowledge at the time [Violet was enrolled] there was only ever one driver, at the most there were two adults on the bus,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Lisa Easton's daughter Violet (pictured together) was left on a Goodstart Early Learning bus for more than an hour in January 2018 on the Gold Coast

People have written cards and left flowers and teddy bears for the boy and his family

'They would occasionally use a clipboard and check off names but that was mostly for drop off.'

She said the company told her it had changed its procedures following Violet's ordeal.

'They promised me they now had three staff on each bus that would cross check each other before one would do a final sweep. It was worded to me in a way that I believed this was across the board,' she said.

'I started the petition because when it happened to Violet I wanted to make sure to show they were incompetent and I wasn't going to sit back. They need to have an overhaul or go completely. They've shown they can't train staff.'

Ms Easton, whose daughter is unable to attend daycare and has developed anxieties since her ordeal, said she is shattered for the family of the boy.

'In the end I could hug my daughter and get peace out of that. But this mother can't,' she said.

A toddler was found dead in the daycare minibus (pictured) outside a primary school in Edmonton, Queensland, on Tuesday

'I want to tell the boy's parents to stay strong as much as possible and to get support. There are no words - I mean what can you say?

'I tried to make sure this never happened. I am so sorry.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Goodstart Early Learning for comment.

The daycare company has previously insisted it has strict safety procedures in place.

Ms Easton (pictured with Violet in 2018) started a petition to shut down the business after a three-year-old boy was found on a bus owned by the business in Cairns on Tuesday afternoon

But sources close to the centre told Daily Mail Australia staff were 'ever-changing' and that the 'run down' centre had 'no consistency'.

It is also understood that protocol, which dictates a child must be signed in and out of the bus, may not have been followed - leaving the toddler to swelter for up to six hours on Tuesday.

Among a catalogue of potentially fatal errors, insiders said:

Children are supposed to be strictly checked in and out of the minibus

checked in and out of the minibus The minibus is understaffed with just one carer, who is also the driver

carer, who is also the driver If the child does not arrive at daycare, family should be immediately contacted

contacted Head checks are supposed to be done every 30 minutes, as well as eating records

Yard checks must also be undertaken to ensure every youngster is accounted for

The boy was found in a bus outside Hambledon State School, just 1.7km from his daycare, Goodstart Early Learning, in Edmonton (pictured)

Head checks are supposed to be done every 30 minutes, with records taken of what youngsters eat and drink, which would have alerted staff that the toddler was missing.

It is not known if these procedures were not followed, but the young boy was eventually found by the 'distraught' driver at 3.15pm - having been picked up from his home at 9.15am.

This means the defenceless toddler could have been trapped in the bus for up to six hours, as temperatures in the area reached 34C.

Such blistering heat can quickly turn a stationary vehicle into a death trap.

His family are believed to be Aboriginal, and are being supported by Indigenous family liaison officers.

The driver was said to be in such a 'distraught' state that he was taken to hospital suffering from shock, and has not yet been able to speak to police.

It it understood tragedy struck when the little boy was left alone in the bus outside Hambledon State School in Edmonton after older children were dropped off.

But police insisted on Tuesday afternoon that the investigation was in its early stages, and that they didn't know if the boy had been in the bus all day.

A source explained the toddler was often picked up by the bus in the mornings, alongside other daycare children and young school students, and should have been monitored.

'The little boy was supposed to be at care all day,' the source said.

'He uses the bus service. The childcare also does before and after school care, hence it was at the school.

'It appears after morning pick up and school run he was forgotten until the afternoon run.'

The centre was closed on Wednesday following the tragedy, with an ominous sign in its car park reading 'do not leave babies and children in parked cars'.

The Goodstart Early Learning centre in Edmonton (pictured) was closed on Wednesday following the tragedy

A sign outside Goodstart Early Learning (pictured) in Edmonton advises staff and visitors to not leave children in parked cars

An insider explained that, as per procedure, the toddler should have been signed into the bus and then signed off again when he was safely at daycare.

If he was then not seen at daycare, it would be correct protocol for carers to contact his family and check his whereabouts.

'A lot of procedure seems to not be followed,' they explained.

'It's there for a reason. And if just one of those policies and procedures above had been followed, would it be different?

'The centre is closed today, and that one already has a bad name. How would anyone want to leave their baby there now little own let them get on a bus?'

The five-room centre, which usually has around 12 members of staff, can cater for 70 children.

But it is understood that the centre wasn't full at the time of the tragedy.

It comes as Julia Davison, the CEO of Goodstart Early Learning, admitted on Sunrise her team 'don't know what happened'.

Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the child's death (pictured) outside a primary school in Queensland

'All of our 15,000 educators are devastated and shocked,' she said.

'It is every family's worst nightmare that something might happen to their child and it is every educator's worst nightmare something might happen to a child in their care.'

The source added that ongoing staffing changes at the centre made it less safe.

'When the new Childs World Centres opened, it was a lot of competition and they lost a lot of families and staff, as you do,' they said.

'The staff that stayed were ever changing, new educators in the room all the time and no consistency.

Julia Davison, CEO of Goodstart Early Learning, called the incident 'every parent's worst nightmare' (pictured) on Sunrise

'And as you know, that's never good for little kids being left.

'It's also a bit run down. When there's a new educator all the time, it's not nice to leave your babies there.'

The centre's CEO, Ms Davison, said that it would now stop both its morning pickup and afternoon drop-off services,

'We don't know what happened, all we know is that something went badly wrong yesterday,' she said.

'We have decided that with effect from today, we will cease our pickup and drop-off service. That has been a very difficult decision for us to make.

Emergency services were called to the scene on Tuesday afternoon (pictured) after the boy's body was found

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'We are going to see cease temporarily and we know that without our pickup and drop-off service, many children are not able to access high-quality early learning.

'But we feel that we need to just pause for a few days whilst we think about whether there are other things we can do to improve the safety of our transfers.

'We usually had lots of procedures and processes in and training in place anyway, but we want to look at what we can do to strengthen that. And we will no doubt have learnings from the investigation, but at this stage we don't know what happened yesterday.'

She insisted the centre 'always have an adequate number of staff on the bus', and that there was a procedure for checking children off the list.

The incident is being investigated by police.

Children are seen arriving at Hambledon State School (pictured) on Wednesday, hours after the toddler was found dead nearby

'It's early days and a number of factors could be at play here and we'll investigate all possibilities,' Detective Inspector Jason Smith told Nine on Tuesday.

'The death of any child is an awful thing which is why it's so important for us to get to the bottom of this.'

In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, Ms Davison said: 'Goodstart Early Learning sends its deepest condolences to the family of a small boy who died in our care in Cairns yesterday.

Hambledon State School wrote on social media that it was postponing a scheduled parents' meeting following the tragedy (pictured) outside its gates

'It is a great responsibility to care for a child and each day tens of thousands of families entrust their precious children to us. It is not a responsibility we take lightly.

'While we don't yet understand the circumstances of yesterday's tragedy, we will of course do everything in our power to assist the authorities with their investigation.

'On behalf of every Goodstart centre across Australia and our 15,000 team members I want to extend our deepest condolences to the family who have suffered such a tragic loss.

'We will of course offer them all possible assistance.'

The company is providing counselling for staff and families.
MIDDLETOWN  The citys Planning and Zoning Commission recently approved an amended site plan application for a national auto service company to occupy a lot at the rear of the Chipotle plaza off busy Route 66.

Meanwhile, John DeSena, owner of Mobile 1 Lube, located a half-mile away from the proposed Firestone Tire and Auto development, is objecting to the plan in hopes the Zoning Board of Appeals will deny the request next month.

This isnt the right location. We dont have that many hair salons. We dont have that many grocery stores. We dont have that many gyms or gas stations, DeSena said. Why do we have to have that many dealers and repairs on that street: people changing oil and brakes, and selling tires?

The commission approved the site plan at its Feb. 12 meeting.

The land is owned by Abe Kaoud, principal of the Washington West development at 804 Washington St., who submitted revised plans for a smaller building.

Kaoud, who also runs Kaoud Rugs, with locations around the state, already has signed a lease with Firestone.

The original plan was for a, 21,000-square-foot, free-standing retail business at the Firestone lot. That use would result in more traffic, and the need for more parking spaces and two curb cuts (or ramps), PZC Chairman Stephen Devoto said.

By having a smaller building and parking lot, there is less impervious surfaces (hard areas where rainwater cannot soak into the ground) to building and parking areas. So theres going to be less runoff from rain storms and more grass. One less curb cut is generally viewed as a good thing for bicycles and pedestrians, he said.

Electric vehicle charging stations also are a requirement of city zoning code. City Planner Marek Kozikowski said these power supplies must comprise at least 3 percent of total parking spaces, five to six in this case.

Kaoud said he was not aware of any objections to his proposal.

Site plan review should be an objective evaluation, to ask whether the plan meets our regulations, has adequate parking, and approval from all departments, police, water and sewer and inland wetlands, Devoto said. Its not based on do we think this business is good for the neighborhood. There are other times we can take that into account, but for a site plan, we can only evaluate whether it is consistent with our regulations.

DeSena employs 14 people, all of whom have families, and is concerned about whats best for Middletown, he said.

The issue is less about competition and more about market saturation, he said, pointing to similar businesses up and down Route 66: Meineke Car Care Center, Midas, Town Fair Tire, Computer Tune and Lube, Valvoline, Advance Auto Parts and others.

DeSena sees the potential for ambient noise from the facility disturbing residents of the Carabetta Apartments complex on Plaza Drive. Particularly in summer, when more families are outside enjoying the warm weather, he foresees the sounds of tires being changed and tow truck backup alarms proving bothersome.

Hes encouraging neighboring businesses and residents to turn out at the next ZBA meeting to contest the plan.

Planning and Zoning Alternate Commissioner Shanay Fulton said the area isnt adequately equipped for foot and bike traffic.

That area has a bus route, and a great deal of families within that area are bus riders. The site plan also doesnt have handicapped parking, electric car parking, nor much sidewalk space for the pedestrians, she said.

That includes residents of Carabetta Apartments. The land cleared for the project served as a buffer zone between the complex and Washington Street.

I was hoping that the developers would be encouraged to overview their plan and accommodate the area for the families residing there  potentially speaking with residents to see what their concerns were, Fulton said.

There were notices posted and businesses were informed, but truth be told, not every resident understands what those notices meant and what it entails, Fulton said.

The next Zoning Board of Appeals meeting is 5:30 p.m.March 5 at City Hall Council Chambers.
In an otherwise excellent Politico article advising Democrats how to avoid the fate of 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney, former Obama staffer Dan Pfeiffer offers his team some self-soothing revisionism regarding the 2016 election:

When all is said and done, the 2016 election might end up being a black-swan event. The combination of Russian interference, Comey intervention and multiple third-party candidates make that election a hard one to extract guidance from.

Guess what? Every election is conducted under a unique set of circumstances. Every election is a black-swan event. But that doesnt mean you should rewrite history to excuse your sides performance.

The so-called Comey intervention has become a security blanket for Democrats unable to acknowledge that Hillary Clinton was merely acting in the same reckless and corrupt manner she always had. In reality, Democrats were incensed that the FBI director didnt bury evidence pertaining to an ongoing congressional investigation of their preferred candidate. They had demanded Comey operate as a political actor even before Trump won.

Comey, a bureaucrat who likely had zero interest in angering the consensus front-runner for the presidency, had no choice but to inform Congress of this evidence. Not only because Department of Justice rules stipulate that relevant congressional committees should be apprised of new evidence when it appears, but because Comey had promised Congress after letting Clinton off the hook in July 2016 that he would notify it if new evidence emerged.

New evidence did emerge, and there was nothing Comey could do about it. A high-level Hillary staffer, Huma Abedin, was in possession of classified emails that should have been handed over to the FBI. Moreover, her high-profile husband, Anthony Weiner, then under investigation for carrying on with an underaged girl, had access to those emails. If Comey had kept silent and that story had leaked out in bits and pieces later, it surely would have destroyed his career (and badly damaged Clinton).

Story continues

Whats more, it takes some chutzpah to claim Comey doomed Clinton by revealing that story when he had previously intervened in the campaign to save her from becoming the first major-party presidential candidate to have to run under an indictment. The mass of evidence in the broader Clinton email scandal showed, at the very least, that her staff had engaged in lawlessness and obstructed justice in ways that make the actions of George Papadopoulos and Michael Flynn look piddling in contrast.

What about the Russians? Well, they did not meddle or interfere in the presidential election as Pfeiffer claims. They tried but failed to interfere in the election, and probably could have changed votes, but didnt. Such an attack by a foreign power is a serious issue, but there is absolutely no evidence that a few Facebook ads or John Podestas hacked emails changed voters minds about the election.

Nor is there any evidence that Clinton was uniquely hurt by third parties. Democrats might hate Jill Stein, but she won 1,457,218 votes, or around 1 percent of the vote. The Libertarian Party ticket of Gary Johnson and Bill Weld pulled in 4,489,341 votes, a better-than-usual performance for the party driven by antagonism toward the decidedly non-libertarian Trump. The Never Trump McMullin/Finn ticket won 731,991 votes from, one assumes, mostly disgruntled Republicans. Another 203,090 votes went to the Constitution Party, which definitely doesnt sound like a group that would appeal to most Democrats. In short, if anyone was hurt by third-party candidacies, it was probably Trump.

In reality, there is plenty of guidance we can extract from 2016. How did the party lose one of the most winnable elections in recent history? Pfeiffer asks. Well, Trumps populism connected with voters in places such as Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, voters who had been throwing Democrats out of office for almost the entirety of Obamas two terms. Clinton was a uniquely terrible candidate undone by her own grating personality, her insincerity, and her policy positions, all of which the party was aware of when it nominated her.

Pfeiffer offers three really good pieces of advice to Democrats for winning in 2020: do not make this election solely about Donald Trump, find ways to frame this economy on your own terms, and get out of the liberal Twitter bubble. But like most members of his tribe, he still hasnt come to terms with the reality of 2016.

More from National Review
ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Transportation Research Institute today released its annual list highlighting the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America, and seven New York locations made the top 100.

The 2020 Top Truck Bottleneck List assesses the level of truck-involved congestion at 300 locations on the national highway system. The analysis, based on truck GPS data from over 1 million heavy duty trucks uses several customized software applications and analysis methods, along with terabytes of data from trucking operations to produce a congestion impact ranking for each location. ATRI's truck GPS data is also used to support the U.S. DOT's Freight Mobility Initiative. The bottleneck locations detailed in this latest ATRI list represent the top 100 congested locations, although ATRI continuously monitors more than 300 freight-critical locations.

"The greatest city in the world also has some of the greatest traffic chokepoints in the country, and with more than 8 million residents and nearly eight times as many visitors each year, New York City generates tremendous demand for all the goods delivered by truck, including food, clothing and fuel," said Trucking Association of New York President Kendra Hems. "Trucks deliver 91% of all the freight coming into or out of New York City to support that robust economy, so when congestion brings trucks to a standstill, everyone pays the price. ATRI's analysis clearly shows where the worst problems are and provides a roadmap for solving these challenges."

The seven bottlenecks in New York are:

No. 13: Rye: I-95 at I-287

No. 29: Queens: I-495

No. 31: Brooklyn : I-278 at Belt Parkway

: I-278 at Belt Parkway No. 58: Bronx : I-678

: I-678 No. 79: Elmsford : I-287 at I-87

: I-287 at I-87 No. 81: Nyack : I-287

: I-287 No. 83: Manhasset : I-495 at Shelter Rock Road

"ATA has been beating the drum about the continued degradation of our infrastructure, and thanks to ATRI's research we can see exactly how decades of ignoring the problem are impacting not just our industry but our economy and commuters everywhere," said American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear. "This report should sound the alarm for policymakers that the cost of doing nothing is too high, and provide a roadmap of where to target investments to really solve our nation's mounting infrastructure crisis."

For access to the full report, including detailed information on each of the 100 top congested locations, please visit ATRI's website at TruckingResearch.org.

ATRI is the trucking industry's 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation's essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.

SOURCE American Transportation Research Institute
Vice President of Travel Michigan David Lorenz is confident Pure Michigan funding will be restored, he told the crowd gathered at the 2020 Pure Michigan Governors Conference on Tourism on Wednesday.

The governor and the vast majority of the legislature support us. They understand what we do. They value you, and they value us. We just got stuck in the middle of this very strange situation, Lorenz told the crowd of several hundred.

And, I am confident were going to be ok. Im confident were going to still get some funding for this year, so hold out hope. Keep on talking to everybody, but hold out hope. I think its going to be fine, Lorenz said.

The funding for the states popular Pure Michigan tourism advertising program was thrust into the spotlight when it was among the nearly $1 billion in line-item vetoes Gov. Gretchen Whitmer struck from the budget last fall. Although lawmakers and the governors office worked together to restore some of those line-items last year, Pure Michigan was not among them.

Lawmakers are currently considering next years budget, in which Whitmer has proposed restoring $15 million in funding, less than half of what it was slated to get before the veto.

But there is a movement, too, to restore Pure Michigan funding before then, in this budget year, which goes through Sept. 30.

The governor herself did not attend the tourism conference, but in a video message played for the crowd reiterated what shes said about the cut: it was a tough decision she made in the larger budget picture. After the message played, there was a weak smattering of applause.

A legislative panel afterward expressed hopefulness about getting funding to the program this budget year.

Rep. Mark Huizenga, R-Walker, recounted a few years ago meeting a couple from out of state who traveled to Michigan because theyd seen the Pure Michigan ads. Now hes hopeful, he said, but as every day goes by, it feels like theres less likelihood that well see funding.

Rep. Terry Sabo, D-Muskegon, said there was plenty of opportunities to get some money back in the budget.

But Sen. Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth, said that as the budget moves forward, its going to take more than compromise, its going to take a rebuilding of trust.

Related coverage:

No funding coming for Pure Michigan in immediate future

Pure Michigan budget cut stings for travel industry: It feels like a veto of our state

Pure Michigan ads will remain on airwaves for now, despite budget cut

From Water Wonderland to Pure Michigan: A history of the Great Lakes states tourism campaigns
Traveling is such an amazing way to experience all the wondrous views and sites that the world has to offer. Whether it be done with friends, or just by flying solo, traveling fills the mind with new stories, new friends, and new memories that will stay with you forever. flyBARBARA, a Czech startup built with an intention to fulfill travelers' dreams, shows their commitment to protect the environment by announcing plans to plant trees to compensate for the CO2 produced by air traffic

PILSEN, CZECH REPUBLIC / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / Traveling lets you meet new people whether it be on the plane, sitting next to someone who could potentially be your next new adventure. People have met from all over the world just from meeting in a new location. There's nothing better than knowing that there are people out there just like you with a thirst for adventure and have the same aspirations as you do. Popular travel platform, flyBARBARA gives its customers an opportunity to be a part of their initiative to preserve the eco-system, by committing one-third of the profit to plant trees.

flyBARBARA is an all in one travel company that serves its clients by allowing them to book everything from the flight, hotel, and everything in between. Simply select the airport you want to fly out of, into and the date in which your dream vacation is planned for. From the roofs of Saint Petersburg to the lush green fields of Vietnam, people are able to experience their dream destinations thanks to flyBARBARA doing all the travel planning for them. The team behind the platform believes sharing travel photos is the best way to inspire others to create their own memorable travel experience. From leading their customers down the safest paths through remote or bustling areas, flyBARBARA aims to provide travelers with the resources to help them manage time and find the most fascinating areas to visit with every precious moment inside one's dream destination.

"We started the project to simplify traveling for everyone by providing all the necessary information a traveler would want without the hassle of going through so many platforms. But we wanted to do more, that's why we are committing one-third of our profit to plant trees to compensate with the CO2 emission from the air traffic." explains CEO Josef Pavelec.

The fact that flyBARBARA wants to renounce one-third of their profit to help the eco-system sustain its balance makes them a fine example to other similar platforms and transforms them into a truly unique startup. Their goal is to help reduce the carbon footprint while letting others create their own footprints across the world. The travel startup country donates a portion of its profits in order to combat the effects of excessive carbon emissions in the air from airplanes. flyBARBARA's decision to plant new trees will release more oxygen, eating up the offsetting amount of carbon dioxide being released into the air. Not only are they working towards filling in the forests devoid of plant life, but they are completely transparent in all of their efforts to make the world green again.

The company wants to keep everything transparent and all the records from donations, trees planted, and the number of tickets sold can be seen on a monthly basis on their website. Planes can release toxins that harm the environment, but flyBARBARA makes it their mission to make travel as safe and as frequent as possible for the next round of future explorers. More details about the platform can be found at https://www.flyBARBARA.com

Media contact information

Name: David Vejvancicky

Company: flyBARBARA

Email: info@flybarbara.com

Website: https://www.flyBARBARA.com

SOURCE: flyBARBARA

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/576961/New-Travel-Startup-flyBARBARA-Compensates-for-the-CO2-Emissions-by-Planting-Trees
A social worker from Kerala has launched a hunger strike at the Sharaniyavas slum where the Ahmedabad civic body has built a 600-metre wall apparently to hide slums from United States President Donald Trumps sight during his Ahmedabad visit on February 24.

IMAGE: Aswathy Jwala (centre) sits on a hunger strike to oppose the building of a wall along a slum area, that authorities said was built as part of a beautification drive along a route, that US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be taking during Trump's upcoming visit in Ahmedabad. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

Aswathy Jwala, who founded the Jwala Foundation that provides food and shelter to the displaced and the elderly, was quoted as telling Ahmedabad Mirror, "If I am not arrested, I will be sitting right here on Monday when Trump's convoy passes by."

She has demanded that all these people living in the slums for decades must be rehabilitated with proper housing by the government.

When asked what brought her from Kerala to Gujarat, she said that it was her "humanity".

"Instead of hiding slums, the authorities and governments should work to make the country better. Why not work to eradicate poverty so that there are no slums instead of hiding slums, she told The Hindu.

IMAGE: A placard hangs as residents gather to support Aswathy Jwala, who is on a hunger strike to oppose the building of a wall along the slum area in Ahmedabad. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation is building a wall in front of a slum along the road connecting Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport to Indira Bridge.

In fact, on February 18 reports stated that at least 45 families living in a slum near the newly-built Motera stadium in Ahmedabad have been served eviction notices by the municipal corporation ahead of the scheduled visit of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 24.

While officials have denied any connection with the proposed high-profile visit and issuance of notices, residents of the slum have questioned the timing of the move, which came days after the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation began building a wall allegedly to cover a slum on a route that the US President is likely to take while visiting the city.

PM Modi and Trump are scheduled to address over one lakh people at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera on February 24, as part of the 'Namaste Trump' event.

Trump is scheduled to take part in a roadshow in Ahmedabad and to visit the Sabarmati Ashram on that day.
BALTIMORE, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission ordered "reimbursement for out of pocket medical expenses/pain management: The employer/insurer shall reimburse the claimant for medical expenses legally permitted in the State of Maryland up to the amount of $200.00 per month, upon receipt of appropriate documentation." The award was part of a workers' compensation decision issued on Dec. 17, 2019. Baltimore-based law firm Warnken, LLC represented the injured.

The Order of the Court did not say "Give this injured worker his medical marijuana now." However, the Order was clear that treatments legally allowed by law would be covered. In Maryland, that includes cannabis/marijuana.

The case is currently on appeal on other grounds related to the permanency findings. The insurance carrier did not file an appeal on the medical cannabis/reimbursement issue. The Claimant has a Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission card. His treating foot and ankle orthopedist recommended that the Claimant get medical cannabis as his primary pain management regimen for multiple reasons, including a severe negative reaction to narcotics during his most recent surgery.

Medical cannabis is legal in Maryland with appropriate authorizations. James Lanier, Esq., of Warnken, LLC argued that his client should be entitled to legally prescribed treatments as allowed by law. The insurance company argued to the Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission, among other arguments, that because they conducted business in multiple states, they would not be able to comply with federal laws if forced to pay for the medical cannabis. They did not make substantial arguments related to the efficacy of the treatment.

About Warnken, LLC

Warnken, LLC is a law firm representing the injured throughout the State of Maryland. Warnken, LLC has a focus on workers' compensation, personal injury, and medical malpractice. Presently, Warnken, LLC represents more than 700 clients in workers' compensation matters and more than 1,000 clients overall.

Contact: Byron B. Warnken, Managing Attorney, 443-921-1100

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Warnken, LLC - Representing the Injured

SOURCE Warnken, LLC
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Linkedin A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil and Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Medan  Thu, February 20 2020

Polling the peeps: Employees of Statistics Indonesia work at the 2020 census call center in Jakarta on Monday. (JP/Seto Wardhana)

The 2020 population census by Statistics Indonesia (BPS) has started. The online phase, which is expected to ease access for public participation across the country, has begun, but glitches have plagued the launch.

Less than a week after the online census started, some residents, such as those in North Sumatra where authorities aim to have 20 percent of residents, 3 million people, taking part in the online census, encountered slow webpage loading when people attempted to fill in the online form.

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New Delhi, Feb 19 (UNI) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday gave its approval for 10,000 Farmer Produce Organisations (FPOs) to be formed in five years period from 2019-20 to 2023-24 to ensure economies of scale for farmers.

It was stated by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar during the media briefing of Cabinet decisions.

Small and marginal farmers do not have economic strength to apply production technology, services and marketing including value addition. Through formation of FPOs, farmers will have better collective strength for better access to quality input, technology, credit and better marketing access through economies of scale for better realization of income.

A new Central Sector Scheme titled "Formation and Promotion of Farmer Produce Organizations (FPOs)" to form and promote 10,000 new FPOs with a total budgetary provision of Rs 4496.00 crore for five years (2019-20 to 2023-24) with a further committed liability of Rs 2369.00 crore for period from 2024-25 to 2027-28 towards handholding of each FPO for five years from its aggregation and formation.



Initially there will be three implementing Agencies to form and promote FPOs, namely Small Farmers Agri-business Consortium (SFAC), National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). States may also, if so desire, nominate their Implementing Agency in consultation with DAC&FW.



DAC&FW will allocate Cluster/States to Implementing Agencies which in turn will form the Cluster Based Business Organization in the states.



FPOs will be formed and promoted through Cluster Based Business Organizations (CBBOs) engaged at the State/Cluster level by implementing agencies. The CBBOs will have five categories of specialists from the domain of Crop husbandry, Agri marketing / Value addition and processing, Social mobilisation, Law & Accounts and IT/MIS.These CBBOs will be platform for an end to end knowledge for all issues in FPO promotion.



There will be a National Project Management Agency (NPMA) at SFAC for providing overall project guidance, data compilation and maintenance through integrated portal and Information management and monitoring.



Initially the minimum number of members in FPO will be 300 in plain area and 100 in North East & hilly areas. However, DAC&FW may revise the minimum number of membership based on experience/need with approval of Union Agriculture Minister.



Priority will be given for formation of FPOs in aspirational districts in the country with at least one FPO in each block of aspirational districts.



FPOs will be promoted under "One District One Product" cluster to promote specialization and better processing, marketing, branding & export by FPOs.



There will be a provision of Equity Grant for strengthening equity base of FPOs.



There will be a Credit Guarantee Fund of up to Rs 1,000.00 crore in NABARD with equal contribution by DAC&FW and NABARD and Credit Guarantee Fund of Rs.500.00 crore in NCDC with equal contribution by DAC&FW and NCDC for providing suitable credit guarantee cover to accelerate flow of institutional credit to FPOs by minimizing the risk of financial institutions for granting loan to FPOs.



States/UTs will be allowed to avail loan at prescribed concessional rate of interest under Agri-Market Infrastructure Fund (AMIF) approved for set up in NABARD for developing agriculture marketing and allied infrastructure in GrAMs, by making marketing & allied infrastructure including Common Facilitation Centre / Custom Hiring Centre for FPOs as eligible category for providing assistance to States / UTs.



Adequate training and handholding will be provided to FPOs. CBBOs will provide initial training. Professional training of CEO / Board of Directors / Accountant of FPOs will be provided in organizational training, resource planning, Accounting / management, marketing, processing etc in reputed National / Regional training Institutes.

The report of 'Doubling of Farmer's Income (DFI)' has emphasized this fact and recommended formation of 7,000 FPOs by 2022 towards convergence of efforts for doubling the farmers' income. In the Union Budget 2019-20, Government has announced creation of 10,000 new FPOs to ensure economies of scale for farmers over the next five years, for which a dedicated supporting and holistic scheme as Central Sector Scheme is proposed for targeted development of FPOs and its sustainability.

UNI NY SB 1712
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday started a 'Praja Chaitanya Yatra' (public awareness march) against YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government from Boppuru village in Marturu Mandal of Prakasam district.

He is scheduled to address a public meeting at Boppuru village today.

The party leaders will continue the Yatra for 45 days in all districts.

TDP wants to create awareness among the people about the "misdeeds" of the YSRCP which has been in power for the last nine months in the state.

"People are dissatisfied with the inefficient and corrupt rule of YSRCP. I am going to take out a yatra from tomorrow to create awareness about the policy of the YSRCP government, how they are cheating the people," Naidu had tweeted on Tuesday.

The TDP chief plans to traverse through 175 assembly constituencies over 45 days yatra.

"All TDP leaders, party workers, and representatives to participate in the Yatra, to expose dictatorial attitude of YSRCP government, and ensure the victims of this government that we are with them," another tweet said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Cayce Department of Public Safety

Evidence shows that 6-year-old Faye Swetlik was strangled to death by her neighbor within hours of being abducted from her front yard in South Carolina last week, authorities revealed Tuesday.

Police said Coty Scott Taylor, a 30-year-old neighbor who killed himself inside his home last week, was the sole perpetrator behind Swetliks tragic slaying on Feb. 10.

Taylor was found dead in his South Carolina home on Feb. 13, which is about 100 to 150 feet away from the Swetlik residence, just minutes after the first-graders body was discovered in a nearby wooded area after an exhaustive three-day search around their Churchill Heights neighborhood.

Police said Tuesday her body had been moved to the wooded area between her home and a nearby auto-body shop shortly before she was discovered.

Body of Missing 6-Year-Old Faye Swetlik Found in Her South Carolina Neighborhood

The Lexington County Coroners Office confirmed the 6-year-old, who was last seen by her family playing in her front yard around 3:45 p.m., died from asphyxiation a few hours after she was abducted. An autopsy showed that Taylor died by suicide.

This was not just an investigation or case for us. Faye Swetlik quickly grabbed all of our hearts. This case will remain very personal for each of us. Faye will never be forgotten. There are no words that can adequately convey sorrow to her family, Cayce Public Safety Sgt. Evan Antley said during a press conference.

Cayce Department of Public Safety Director Byron Snellgrove said investigators interviewed Taylor last Wednesday, and he gave authorities consent to look through his home, but they didnt find anything linking him to the case at the time.

Authorities previously said Taylor, who had no criminal history and was not known to law enforcement, was not considered a friend of Swetliks family.

Case of 6-Year-Old Faye Swetlik Linked to Neighbor Found Dead in Home: Authorities

The next day, however, police found a polka-dot boot the 6-year-old was wearing at the time of her disappearance and a soup ladle with fresh dirt on it in Taylors trash can.

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Around the same time officers found Swetliks body on Thursday morning behind the neighborhoods townhomes, other deputies were responding to reports of a man bleeding on the back patio of a nearby house, Snellgrove said. When officers arrived, Taylor was found dead.

Snellgrove added that DNA collected from both crime scenes connected the unknown pieces of this horrific crime and said video surveillance footage showed Taylor doing some suspicious things. Authorities declined on Tuesday to provide details on the video.

The loss of Faye Marie Swetlik will never leave our thoughts or minds. I hope today, we can start to process this horrific crime and grieve the loss of this precious life, Antley said.

The city of Cayce is holding a vigil for the first-grader on Tuesday at city hall, and a funeral will be held Friday at 7 p.m. at Trinity Baptist Church in Cayce, according to an online obituary.

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Enemy troops used proscribed weapons, which resulted in the death of one Ukrainian soldier with another five wounded.

Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vasyl Bodnar has called on the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to inform the international community about a recent attempt by Russian-led forces to advance near the town of Zolote, Luhansk region, in Ukraine's Donbas.

"[I] called on the OSCE to immediately inform the international community about an attempted Russian offensive in the Zolote area. [I] drew attention to the use of prohibited weapons by the Russian Federation's armed forces," Bodnar said on Twitter on February 18.

Read alsoEU calls on Russia to make illegal armed formations in Donbas observe full ceasefire

He also informed about his meeting with Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine Yasar Halit Cevik over escalation in Donbas.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian occupying forces on Tuesday morning attacked Ukrainian defense positions in Donbas, using 120mm mortars proscribed by the Minsk agreements. Under fire cover, the Russian invaders began their offensive operation and attempted to advance across the contact line. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another five were wounded amid the fight. The enemy's casualties included four killed and six wounded.
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US Airstrikes Kills 3 Terrorists in Airstrike Targeting al-Shabaab

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) carried out airstrikes along with the Somalian government on Wednesday, killing three al-Shabaab terrorists.

The precision strike occurred in Wadajir, Somalia, according to a statement from AFRICOM. No other casualties were reported.

Al-Shabaab attacks range from unsophisticated to complex operations, and include assassinations, IEDs and vehicle-borne IED attacks, among other brutal tactics, stated U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Gregory Hadfield. Removing even one of these terrorists from the field supports our partners on the ground and prevents that individual terrorist from planning or executing future attacks on Africans and Americans, Hadfield added.

The official noted that Somalia is a key security environment in the region and long term security is a necessity.

The United States carries out regular airstrikes in Somalia in support of a weak, United Nations-backed government in Mogadishu, which has fought al Shabaab for years.

On Wednesday, al-Shabaab militants carried out attacks on two military bases, including using a suicide vehicle loaded with explosives, according to a local commander. They attacked the Qoryoley army base near Mogadishu and also the nearby Ceel-salini military base.

The terrorists carried out an  attack on the military bases at Qoryoley and Ceel-salini but our brave boys repelled them, they (Shabaab) have suffered heavy casualties this morning and the army is in full control in the both areas now, said Mohamed Adan, a Somali military commander, reported AFP. They have destroyed part of the bridge across the entrance to Qoryoley where the Somali military base is located using a vehicle loaded with explosives.
FORT VALLEY, Ga.  Authorities have recovered the body of a Georgia college student who was missing since Valentines Day.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed that the body of 23-year-old Anitra Gunn was found Tuesday afternoon in Crawford County, near the Peach County line. The area is in central Georgia, about 100 miles south of Atlanta.

Anitra Gunn was an agriculture student at Fort Valley State University. Her father, Christopher Gunn, had told news outlets that he last spoke with his daughter to wish her a happy Valentine's Day.

Her disappearance was first reported after hours went by without Gunn responding to calls and texts from her friends, leading police to conduct a welfare check at her apartment, according to WMAZ-TV.

"She never texted them back, didn't call them back. That's when we knew something is definitely out of whack," her father told the news outlet.

The Fort Valley Department of Public Safety said she was last seen Feb. 14 around 11:30 a.m. just outside Fort Valley. The next day, her car was found in a neighbors yard with the bumper missing.

Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese told reporters in a news conference Tuesday evening that law enforcement officials were able to narrow their search based on bushes and sticks found in the grill of her car.

Anitra Gunn, 23

Deese said authorities found Gunns body around 3:20 p.m. partially covered with tree limbs as if someone tried to hide it alongside a part of the missing bumper.

Missing Idaho kids: Mother and husband seen island hopping. Why havent they been arrested?

Missing South Carolina girl: Faye Marie Swetlik found dead, police identify man found during search

Police arrested Gunn's boyfriend, 23-year-old Demarcus Little, and charged him with criminal damage to property for a Feb. 5 incident where they say he smashed Gunn's apartment windows and slashed her car tires.

Gunn reportedly went to Little's aunt's house early on the day of her disappearance, authorities told WMAZ-TV.

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Deese said in the news conference that Little is considered a person of interest in Gunn's death and has been interviewed by authorities at least three times. A bond has not been set for his release.

Police say the investigation into Gunns disappearance is still ongoing but that more charges may be coming.

Contributing: Associated Press. Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Missing Georgia student Anitra Gunn: Body found, boyfriend arrested
Traditionally, many workplaces have been parent-unfriendly. From little to no parental leave to shoddy health care and bottom of the barrel salaries that barely cover child care, it's tough to find an employer that recognizes that parents have different needs than childfree employees. The trend is shifting, however, with more and more companies offering the perks that parents are craving.

Fortune magazine just released a report of the 100 Best Companies to Work For and we broke it down by parent perks to help you in your next job search.

1. Hilton

The winner by far for most parent-friendly employer is Hilton. The ubiquitous hotel chain just updated its parental leave policy, guaranteeing 12 weeks of paid leave for new moms and four weeks for dads and adoptive parents. Hilton also recently partnered with Milk Stork to provide a service that allows breastfeeding parents to ship or store breastmilk, at no charge, when traveling for work.

Hilton also offers employees subsidized child care, telecommute options, as well as health insurance and sick days for part-time workers.

2. Ultimate Software

This cloud storage company knows a thing or two about keeping employees happy. Ultimate Software offers employees 100 percent coverage of health care premiums, subsidized child care, health insurance, and sick days for part-time employees and unlimitedyes, unlimitedpaid time off. And for parents who are looking to further their education, Ultimate Software offers tuition reimbursement programs. On top of travel perks and company-sponsored trips to the Bahamas, Ultimate Software sounds ... pretty ultimate.

Getty Images

3. Cisco

Networking and cybersecurity giant Cisco is on the cutting edge of not only technology, but also how to treat their employees. In their newly tweaked paternal leave policy, paid time off is not determined by the gender of the parent, or which parent gave birth, but by which parent will be the primary caregiver. Even grandparents get three days off to help out when a new baby joins the family.

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Cisco also offers subsidized child care, a ton of paid time off, and insurance and sick days for part-timers. All that on top of on-site mental health screenings, yoga and meditation workshops, and extended health care coverage for therapy and counseling!

4. Northwell Health

Providing care to over 2 million people each year, Northwell is New York's largest private employer and largest health care provider. As part of their commitment to foster emotional well-being and mental health in their employees, Northwell recently instituted Team Lavender, a "rapid response" team of social workers, chaplains, nurses, and therapists to provide emotional support in the face of trauma experienced on the job.

Northwell also provides 100 percent health care coverage, subsidized child care, sick days, and health coverage for part-time employees, as well as options for telecommuting and compressed workweeks.

5. Adobe

Unlimited paid time off, subsidized child care, 26 weeks paid maternity leave, and four to six weeks paternity leave are just the tip of the iceberg at Adobe. After five years, employees receive four weeks paid vacation that can be combined with other paid time off or holidays. And, speaking of holidays, the entire company shuts down for the weeks of July 4 and Christmas. Plus, Adobe offers programs for student loan debt repayment.

Finding a job that makes it easy to balance work and family life isn't easy, but these companies are leading the way in helping people succeed as both employee and parent.
American passengers who were evacuated from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship and officials wait for the takeoff of a Kalitta Air airplane bound for the United States, at Haneda airport in Tokyo on Feb. 17, 2020. (Cheryl and Paul Molesky via AP)

First Coronavirus Case Confirmed in Napa Valley, California

A case of the new coronavirus was confirmed in Napa Valley, California, an area known by many Americans for producing high-quality wine, local officials said late Tuesday.

The majority of the 16 cases of the new virus in the United States are in California.

Testing confirmed the single case of the new virus and the patient is under isolation at Queen of the Valley Medical Center, the Napa County government said in a statement. A second patient with symptoms is also at the hospital pending tests. Neither person is a resident of Napa County.

There is minimal risk for Napa County residents from the arrival of these two patients at the Queen of the Valley, said Napa County Public Health Officer Karen Relucio in a statement. They are in isolation, and are receiving medical care and undergoing testing.

Both patients arrived at the hospital on Monday from Travis Air Force Base, where they were part of a group that was flown in from Japan. The group was on the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama before the U.S. government evacuated them on a State Department-chartered flight over the weekend.

Buses carrying U.S. passengers who were aboard the quarantined cruise ship the Diamond Princess, seen in background, leaves Yokohama port near Tokyo early on Feb. 17, 2020. (Jun Hirata/Kyodo News via AP)

Another five people among the group were identified as needing testing or hospitalization. They were sent to local hospitals in Solano County but because of the limited number of isolation beds in the county, two were sent over to Napa County.

Workers at Queen of the Valley are working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which hasnt publicly confirmed the 16th domestic case, to care for the patients, according to Amy Herold, chief medical officer at the hospital.

Out of caution, the patients are being monitored in special isolation rooms that have negative pressure to minimize the risk of exposure, she said in a statement.

Our hospital is equipped to handle the virus. Our caregivers are well prepared; they have received training, have practiced for these scenarios and are wearing protective equipment to minimize their risk of exposure. No hospital operations are impacted, she added.

A group of ambulances from the Solano EMS Cooperative stage at the visitor center at Travis Air Force Base, adjacent to Fairfield, Calif., on Feb. 16, 2020. (Hector Amezcua/AP Photo)

Coronaviruses usually circulate among animals but in rare cases can jump to humans and begin transmitting human-to-human. The new disease, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, emerged in China in December 2019. The origin is unknown.

Symptoms of the new virus include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Some people show more severe symptoms such as pneumonia. Hundreds of people have been killed by the virus, mostly in China. Some experts believe the true number of cases and deaths in that country, ruled by a communist government, is actually higher.

The United States has evacuated people from both Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, and Japan. Hundreds are under mandatory quarantine at military bases in California, Texas, and Nebraska. The last handful of cases have all been among the groups who were quarantined.
The mediators appointed by the Supreme Court reached Shaheen Bagh in south Delhi on Wednesday afternoon to talk to the protesters and convince them to hold the agitation at an alternative site.

The protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) act or CAA at the south Delhi locality is going on for more than two months, with protesters demanding the government should scrap the law.

While hearing a plea against the protest, the Supreme Court had on Monday appointed senior lawyers Sanjay Hegde and Sadhna Ramachandran to go and talk to the protesters. The court had also asked the lawyers to speak to former Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah for assisting them.

ALSO WATCH | Shaheen Bagh: What Supreme Court-appointed mediators said to protestors

Supreme Court has said that you have the right to protest. The law (CAA) has been challenged in the Supreme Court. But like us, others too have their rights, like right to use roads, open their shops. Your rights must not trample on others, Ramachandran told protesters as she initiated a dialogue.

We want to listen to you. Together, we will find a solution which I am confident will be an example not just for India, but for the world, she further said.

We have come here according to the order of Supreme Court. We hope to speak to everyone. We hope to resolve the matter with everybodys cooperation, said Hegde as he reached Shaheen Bagh.

Also read: Who are the 3 mediators appointed by Supreme Court to talk to Shaheen Bagh protesters

The Supreme Court has fixed the matter for further hearing on February 24.

The court order on appointing the interlocutors came on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Amit Sahni, which sought appropriate directions to the Centre and others for removal of protesters from Shaheen Bagh near Kalindi Kunj.

It stated that these people are illegally protesting by blocking a public road that connects Delhi to Noida and is causing inconvenience to the commuters.

Also read: Two questions about the citizenship act | Opinion

The protesters, meanwhile, contested the claim that the sit-in was causing inconvenience to a large number of commuters. The commuters who travel to Noida regularly anyway take the parallel highway. When the parallel road to the highway is open as well as all lanes of Shaheen Bagh except this road, why the applicants want to use only this road? said Shaheeda Sheikh, a protester.

Another protester Mehjabeen Khan said, We are asked to move, we will move but the protests will continue.

The stretch of Shaheen Bagh to Kalindi Kunj road, where the protest is being held, is about two to three kilometres long and has commercial centres housing shops and restaurants. The road ends at Atlanta Water Park. The Shaheen Bagh-Kalindi Kunj road is parallel to the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway which is used by a large number of commuters between Delhi and Noida.

Also read: Break the deadlock on the meaning of secularism, writes Mark Tully

The petition sought appropriate direction to the respondents, including the Union of India for laying down detailed, comprehensive and exhaustive guidelines relating to outright restrictions for holding protest/agitation leading to obstruction of the public place.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 20:20:12|Editor: huaxia

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WUHAN, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan enterprises and entrepreneurs have donated more than 200 million yuan (about 28.57 million U.S. dollars) worth of funds and supplies to help the hardest-hit province of Hubei battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to the cross-Strait affairs authority in Hubei.

The supplies include medical masks, medical protection suits, sterilization materials as well as food and beverages.

In addition, a Taiwan-invested hospital in southeast China's coastal city of Xiamen has also sent a medical team to Hubei.
SIUE Associate Professor of Accounting Jamie Hoelscher, PhD, CIA. Being recognized as an IAEP program puts our program in both a national and global spotlight

The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Academic Relations Committee (ARC) has accepted Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles School of Business into its Internal Auditing Education Partnership Program (IAEP) program as an IAEP Internal Audit Foundation Program.

SIUE is the only university affiliated with the St. Louis Chapter of the IIA to receive the designation and only the fourth accounting program in Illinois to be recognized.

ARC Chairman Rudrik du Bruyn, CIA, sent a congratulatory letter to SIUE Associate Professor of Accounting Jamie Hoelscher, PhD, CIA, and said, The Academic Relations Committee has demonstrated its firm belief that SIUE will make impactful contributions to the next generation of internal auditors.

Being recognized as an IAEP program puts our program in both a national and global spotlight, said Hoelscher, who will serve as SIUEs IAEP coordinator. While only four schools in the state have this designation, less than 40 schools in the United States have it, with roughly 55 schools globally receiving it. It is a formal acknowledgement of our departments ability to prepare students for a career in internal audit.

Hoelscher said the process took years of work and collaboration between the SIUE Department of Accounting faculty and the St. Louis IIA Chapter. SIUE had to demonstrate a commitment to offering internal audit-related coursework in its curriculum by qualified faculty. Extensive documentation was warranted to show course offerings, course availability, faculty qualifications, faculty contributions to the profession and a resources commitment to ensure students get appropriate exposure to the necessary coursework.

Du Bruyn noted that participation in the IAEP program identifies SIUE as a forward-thinking school that recognizes the importance of the internal auditing profession as a career choice. SIUE is to be commended for bringing internal auditing education to its academic curriculum in order to prepare future internal auditors, he said.

Inclusion in the IAEP program helps us to strengthen our partnership with our local St. Louis IIA chapter and further enables our students to bridge the gap with the profession, Hoelscher said. Increased access to educational and practice-based resources at the local and global level will be available for our students and faculty alike.

Our students will have more direct access to the profession, with increased guest speakers in the classroom, access to local and global workshops, training and networking events, as well as increased opportunities for internal auditing internship and jobs not only in the St. Louis area, but also globally. In addition, our students will be recognized as coming from a school that places a strong emphasis on professionally developing internal auditors for the workforce.

A formal presentation will be given at the Internal Audit Student Exchange (IASE) on September 18-20 in Orlando.

SIUEs School of Business and the accountancy programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International, representing the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. The Princeton Review lists SIUE as one of the top 252 business schools in the U.S. for the 13th consecutive year. Undergraduate degrees are offered in accountancy and business administration, with specializations in computer management and information systems (CMIS), economics, entrepreneurship, finance, human resources, international business, management and marketing. Graduate degrees include accountancy, business administration, CMIS and marketing research, with specializations in tax, project management and business analytics. More than 26,000 alumni have earned degrees from the SIUE School of Business. For more information about the School of Business, visit siue.edu/business.


High water levels have taken a toll across Michigan and it doesnt look like its going to get any better this year.

Weve gone from record low lake levels six years ago to record highs in record time. That has had a devastating impact on homes, shorelines, parks, even campgrounds. It also threatens key infrastructure such as wastewater treatment facilities and roadways across the state.

At our recent Michigan High Water Coordinating Summit, which brought together state agencies, emergency managers, federal partners, and organizations representing local government officials, we heard scary numbers about how saturated our state is. Michigan is in the middle of the wettest one-year, three-year, and five-year periods since records began 125 years ago. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the Great Lakes recently had the largest 24-month rise in the period on record. And, its been the wettest September through December on record, according to the National Weather Service.

For example, more water has flowed past Grand Rapids down the Grand River in the first four months of the current water year  which started in October 2019  than usually passes through in an entire year.

As passionate stewards of the states water resources, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has regulatory oversight over most projects intended to protect the states shorelines from erosion. That oversight includes permitting of the materials and construction methods that will limit negative impacts on neighbors, the Great Lakes, and in many cases critical dunes.

Legislation has been introduced to give contractors a free pass to armor shorelines without a permit  regardless of the effect on neighboring properties and important natural features. This is not the solution. Installing shoreline protections incorrectly can actually cause more problems than it solves. Waves can destroy barriers and spread debris into the lake. Protection for one property may actually exacerbate erosion on neighboring properties. We dont want to add to the erosion problem with haphazard and uncoordinated efforts to gird our shorelines.

One of the solutions EGLE has implemented is speeding up the permitting process for property owners who find themselves in critical situations. A completed permit can be approved in a few days. And in the most critical situations, we can work with a contractor to submit an application after the work has started and assure that the work will be permittable after the fact.

The bottom line: We will work with homeowners to find timely solutions that benefit everyone and that create the least impact on the shore or the states globally significant freshwater dune system.

Speeding up permit processing isnt the only tool in our toolbox. We are:

Working with our community partners to study high water impacts on inland lakes, rivers, and canals, as well as working with communities on measures to safeguard infrastructure.

Assisting partners with statewide mapping or areas vulnerable to flooding if water levels increase another foot, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is predicting for this Spring.

Diverting staff to lakeshore permitting and approving overtime to process permits, more than 500 from October to December 2019.

Approving the temporary use of sandbags to guard against erosion.

Beefing up our customer assistance so people with questions can get answers more quickly.

Coordinating with other state agencies, local emergency managers, and community stakeholders through the Michigan High Water Action Team on short- and long-term efforts to stem the impact of high water levels.

Were constantly asking what more we can do and what resources might be available to help property owners, municipalities, and others who are being inundated.

Funding those resources will be important. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in her 2020 proposed budget has allocated $40 million in one-time climate resistant infrastructure grants, $30 million of which would be earmarked for flooding and coastal erosion.

Town halls will also be scheduled across the state this spring to communicate with residents what were doing and to listen to their needs.

One message we will emphasize is that property owners should begin acting soon as possible, before the situation become critical. Even with EGLE expediting permits, experienced contractors and engineers are in high demand and short supply. Flooding, erosion, and high water levels will not go away soon. We have a wonderful, professional staff, so please reach out to us. Contact information for our district offices and a link to a page dedicated to high water issues is on our website at Michigan.gov/EGLE.

We cant control lake levels, but we can help municipal governments, property owners, and contractors develop timely and smart solutions that work for everyone.

Liesl Clark is the director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

More MLive stories on high water, erosion:

Fixes for record high water levels expected to come with big pricetag for Michigan

MichMash: How houses falling into the Great Lakes impacts all of Michigan

Beaches shrink in Southwest Michigan amid rising water levels

Birdseye view of Lake Michigan shore shows impact of erosion
FRESNO, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sheehan Genetics LLC ("Sheehan Genetics"), Specialty New Fruit Licensing's ("SNFL" or the "Company") North American branch, today announced its strategic investment in opening a new state-of-the-art Sheehan Research and Development Innovation Center of Excellence in Fresno, CA. Projected to open in 2021, the facility will focus on driving research, innovating and developing premium table grape varieties to complement SNFL's existing European operations and will support the Company's continued global breeding and varietal expansion plans.

The Innovation Center will enable Sheehan Genetics to accelerate its expansion efforts in key portfolio additions and enhancements. It will also better position the Company to leverage its exceptional varietals to create value-added offerings for California and the broader Americas region. The chosen location dates back to Sheehan Genetics' Co-Founder, Tim Sheehan, a table grape varietal development pioneer, and it will stand as a testament to SNFL's commitment to his work and to the greater California table grape community.

"Establishing this new innovation facility reinforces our commitment to investing in the advancement of new solutions for the table grape industry," said Josep Estiarte, General Manager of SNFL Globally. "Our new facility will allow Sheehan Genetics and SNFL to continue to grow, diversify our portfolio and strengthen our position as a market leader."

The table grape industry, a multibillion-dollar global sector, grows at a sustained pace annually propelled by the secular shift from commoditized, public varieties to proprietary, seedless varieties that better accommodate grower, retailer and consumer preferences. The work by SNFL and Sheehan Genetics to innovate and develop technology that accelerates the development of new varieties is pivotal to the continued development of the sector.

The Sheehan Genetics Research and Development Innovation Center of Excellence will also feature a customer experience hub to bring together SNFL's partners  growers, retailers, consumers and the broader community  to experience first-hand the process, products and future of the table grape industry.

Elena Aguaron, Chief Operating Officer of SNFL's Sheehan Genetics, commented, "We look forward to hosting our partners and customers in a tailor-made facility where they can learn more about our projects and varieties, exchange know-how and collaborate in the development of our future innovation pipeline."

About SNFL

Founded in 1992, Special New Fruit Licensing, SNFL, is the global leading platform in the development, licensing and commercialization of patented Table Grape varieties; anchored in a best-in-class research and development innovation engine. SNFL's proven varieties have demonstrated a track record of preference and demand by farmers, retailers and consumers globally, holding the top global position in licensed farming hectares.

Contacts:

Ursula Mejia Melgar

Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

[email protected]

SOURCE SNFL
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New York, February 18, 2020Somali broadcast journalist Abdiwali Ali Hassan was shot several times near his home in the town of Afgooye, about 30 km (19 miles) outside Somalias capital, Mogadishu, on February 16, and died on his way to the hospital, according to three local media organizations, his colleagues, and news reports.

Abdiwali, nicknamed Online, was a freelance correspondent for the London-based Universal TV and local Radio Kulmiye in the conflict-ridden Lower Shabelle region, the site of attacks by the militant group Al-Shabaab. The 25-year-old journalist was returning from work at about 6 p.m. when two gunmen shot him several times in the head and chest, according to a statement from the Federation of Somali Journalists, another from the Somali Journalists Syndicate, and a Facebook post by the Somali organization Human Rights Journalists.

All three organizations said the journalist had been receiving anonymous threats. Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu, secretary general of the Federation of Somali Journalists, said that Abdiwali died on his way to a hospital in Mogadishu.

Somali journalist Abdiwali Ali Hassan. (Photo: Universal TV)

Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, secretary general of the Somali Journalists Syndicate, said the journalists last report for Radio Kulmiye focused on Somali National Army operations in several districts in Lower Shabelle targeting locations held by Al-Shabaab. In its statement, the Human Rights Journalists organization said no group had claimed responsibility for the killing.

We urge the government of Somalia to ensure that the safety of local journalists becomes a priority and that an independent investigation is launched to find Abdiwali Ali Hassans killers, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator. Somalias failure to take action when journalists are attacked or threatened has allowed impunity to thrive. Authorities must send a clear message that crimes against the press will no longer be tolerated.

Universal TV editor Abdullahi Ahmed Nur told CPJ via messaging app that Abdiwali had received threats over several months for his reporting. Two weeks before his death, unidentified people posted the journalists photo on a Facebook page saying that Abdiwali was killed, said Abdullahi, adding that the post was later deleted.

Armed men on at least two occasions came to the journalists house, looking for him, Abdullahi said. Al-Shabaab militants had entered Abdiwalis home last year when it had captured most villages in Afgooye district looking for the journalist, but luckily he was not at home, he said. In mid-2019, the journalist had left his home town for Mogadishu fearing for his life, after he was threatened with death by unknown callers, said Abdullahi.

I am not sure if these were Al-Shabaab or others. Abdiwali always covered news about the conflict in the Lower Shabelle region and also did a lot of humanitarian news reporting including the displaced people in the region, said Abdullahi.

He personally told me that armed men visited his home one night and that they could not get him because he was not there. He did not know who these people were but his wife who was at the home confirmed that they were looking for Abdiwali. Abdullahi added that Abdiwali had returned two weeks later thinking it was safe to do so.

On the day he was killed, the journalist was on assignment within Afgooye, said Abdullahi. He told me that he wanted to cover the impact of the recent floods in the region and how it affected the local people and he was looking for people to interview for his story.

Abdiwali had also recently covered the inaugural ceremony of a school in the Shalanbood district as well as the renovation of the district commissioners office, Abdullahi said.

CPJ tried to telephone the mobile number of the governor of Lower Shabelle, Ibrahim Adan Ali, as well as Minister of Information Mohamed Abdi Hayir Maareeye, but the calls would not connect. Text messages sent via messaging app after hours were not immediately replied to. Somalias deputy police commissioner, General Zakia Hussein Ahmed, did not immediately reply to a request for comment sent via messaging app.

For the fifth straight year in 2019, Somalia topped CPJs Global Impunity Index, which highlights countries where journalists are slain and the killers go free.

EDITORS NOTE: The 12th paragaph has been updated to correct the spelling of the Lower Shabelle governors name.
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The parties in a suit of alleged NI.2 billion tax error claims before the Tax Appeal Tribunal, Abuja on Wednesday agreed to explore an out-of-court settlement.

The appellant, Joseph Daudu, a senior advocate of Nigeria, is challenging the alleged N1.2 billion error in his taxation by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

At the resumed hearing, the counsel to the appellant, Adedayo Adedeji, tendered an application which contained the details of options of settlement.

Mr Adedeji, however, told the tribunal that the hearing could still go on if the respondent rejected the options of settlement thereof.

He also confirmed the presence of his witness, an auditor whom the tribunal directed at the last adjourned date to appear before it to give evidence about the appellants financial statement and be cross-examined.

The tribunal chairman, Alice Iriogbe, in her response told the parties to key into the out-of-court settlement option and carry the tribunal along with their plans.

She, therefore, adjourned to April 22 for a report of settlement or continuation of hearing in the event of a breakdown in the negotiation process.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the appellant dragged the FIRS before the tribunal over an allegation of an error on assessments of his Withholding Tax (WHT), Personal Income Tax and Value Added Tax (VAT) for the period from 2010 to 2017.

Specifically, he expressed dissatisfaction with the decision to assess him with respect to WHT and VAT in the sum of N1. 2 billion.

The appellant claimed that it was a misnomer for him, who operated a law firm as a legal practitioner and did not deal in primary goods, to be assessed on Withholding Tax (WHT).

FIRS in its argument said that its assessments were not in error and that it was discovered that the appellant did not deduct and remit WHT on some of the expenses and payments made under the period in review.

The service, therefore, prayed the tribunal to declare that the notices of assessments issued on the appellant for 2010 to 2017 assessment was right.

It also urged the tribunal for an order mandating the appellant to pay the total sum of N1.2 billion, being the appellants liability for WHT, personal income tax and VAT for 2010 to 2017 years of assessment.

FIRS stated that it rightly assessed the appellant; acting in accordance with the law and by collaborating with EFCC on non-declaration of income as well as tax evasion.

(NAN)
Scientists have long envisioned brain-sensing technology that can translate thoughts into digital commands, eliminating the need for computer-input devices like a keyboard and mouse. One company is preparing to ship its latest contribution to the effort: a $399 development package for a noninvasive, AI-based, brain-computer interface.

The kit will let "users control anything in their digital world by using just their thoughts," NextMind, a commercial spinoff of a cognitive neuroscience lab claims in a press release.

The company says that its puck-like device inserts into a cap or headband and rests on the back of the head. The dry electrode-based receiver then grabs data from the electrical signals generated through neuron activity. It uses machine learning algorithms to convert that signal output into computer controls. The interaction could be with a computer, artificial-reality or virtual-reality headset, or IoT module.

"Imagine taking your phone to send a text message without ever touching the screen, without using Siri, just by using the speed and power of your thoughts," said NextMind founder Sid Kouider in a video presentation at Helsinki startup conference Slush in late 2019.

Advances in neuroscience are enabling real-time consciousness-decoding, without surgery or a doctor visit, according to Kouider.

One obstacle that has thwarted previous efforts is the human skull, which can act as a barrier to sensors. Its been difficult for scientists to differentiate indicators from noise, and some past efforts have only been able to discern basic things, such as whether or not a person is in a state of sleep or relaxation. New materials, better sensors, and more sophisticated algorithms and modeling have overcome some of those limitations. NextMinds noninvasive technology "translates the data in real time," Kouider says.

Essentially, what happens is that a persons eyes project an image of what they see onto the visual cortex in the back of the head, a bit like a projector. The NextMind device decodes the neural activity created as the object is viewed and sends that information, via an SDK, back as an input to a computer. So, by fixing ones gaze on an object, one selects that object. For example, a user could select a screen icon by glancing at it.

"The demos were by no means perfect, but there was no doubt in my mind that the technology worked," wrote VentureBeat writer Emil Protalinski, who tested a pre-release device in January.

Kouider has stated its the "intent" aspect of the technology thats most interesting; if a person focuses on one thing more than something else, the technology can decode the neural signals to capture that users intent.

"It really gives you a kind of sixth sense, where you can feel your brain in action, thanks to the feedback loop between your brain and a display," Kouider says in the Slush presentation.
State Police, in their weekly Cold Case outreach, have spotlighted the 38-year-old search for a wanted fugitive.

On Jan. 13, 1982, Edward E. Nye was arrested in the town of Canaan by State Police for 30 counts of first-degree sodomy (now criminal sex act, first degree). Nye plead guilty in Columbia County Court to multiple sex offenses, and was ordered to the Capital District Psychiatric Center in Albany, pending sentencing.

On Feb. 21, 1983, Nye escaped from the psychiatric center and has not been seen since. A Columbia County grand jury indicted Nye for first-degree bail jumping and a warrant for his arrest was issued.

Nye has family ties throughout upstate New York, and it is believed that he may have fled to Canada, police said this week. Nye has previously worked as a youth counselor and used this position to access to child victims, police said.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Anyone with information regarding Nyes whereabouts is asked to contact the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation at Livingston at (518) 851-2893 or New York State Police Troop K at (845) 677-7300.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday that he will ask for an early decision by his government in the 2016 Jawaharlal Nehru University sedition case involving Left leader and former varsity students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar, said a news agency.

Kejriwals reported assurance comes on a day when as per a news agency report, a Delhi Court asked for a status report on the issue of the pending sanction to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar and others.

The court also directed the Delhi Police to send a reminder to the government and posted the matter for hearing on April 3.

Ive no interference in the concerned dept. I cant change their decision but can ask them to make a decision as soon as possible, Kejriwal was quoted saying in response to the courts directive by ANI.

During the last hearing before the Delhi assembly elections were held, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had said that it had not taken any decision on the grant of sanction till then.

It was stated that the file was before Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who also handled the home department in its previous term. Jain has retained the home department in the present government as well.

The case pertains to raising of alleged anti-national slogans at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus during a protest action against the death sentence handed out to Afzal Guru, a convict in the 2002 Parliament attack case.

A Delhi Police charge sheet filed on January 14, 2019, names 10 JNU students as the main accused, including Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and seven Kashmiri students.

Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, investigating agencies have to take the approval or sanction of the state government while filing charge sheets in sedition cases.

On September 18 last year, the court had asked the Delhi government to decide within one month on the sanction to prosecute Kumar and others, saying the delay has caused wastage of judicial time as the case had been listed and adjourned repeatedly since the filing of the charge sheet.

The JNU sedition case has led to a political blame game between the BJP and the AAP, with the former accusing the latter of shielding alleged anti-nationals by not granting permission to prosecute them.

The development also coincided with the Delhi Chief Ministers first meeting with the Union home minister Amit Shah after his party swept 62 out of the 70 assembly seats in Delhi, leaving only eight for Shahs party.

Kejriwal said several issues related to Delhi were discussed in the meeting which he described as fruitful. He also said that both leaders agreed to work together for Delhis development.
MISGAV, Israel and SINGAPORE, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Trendlines Group Ltd. ("Trendlines") (SGX: 42T) (OTCQX: TRNLY), is pleased to announce that its newly-formed fund, Trendlines Agrifood Fund Pte. Ltd. ("the Fund"), has made its first investment, investing in Equinom Ltd, ("Equinom") a seed breeding technology business.

Awareness of the agrifood industry's impact on climate change is a growing global priority. Technological solutions will be a major driver and critical component of change and development in the agrifood industry and this represents a major opportunity for the Fund. Equinom's unique non-GMO technology, which optimizes seed functionality to increase plant yield, higher nutritional value, disease resistance and more, is an ideal fit with the Fund's focus and strategy. The Trendlines Agrifood Fund is investing US$1.6 million (of an US$10 million round) alongside lead investor BASF Venture Capital, the investment arm of global materials and chemical company BASF, as well as existing investors Fortissimo Capital, a leading Israeli private equity fund, and Roquette, a global leader in plant-based ingredients for food, nutrition and health markets and a pioneer in new vegetable proteins.

The agriculture and food sectors are facing enormous challenges to provide enough nutritious food for a growing population, without destroying the planet's resources. The utilization of technology is key to providing sustainable solutions to these challenges. Equinom leverages traditional crossbreeding with computational genetic algorithms to develop new, highly strategic seed and legume varieties with unmatched accuracy and at significantly higher speeds. Their bioinformatics-based technology accelerates seed breeding, achieving new levels of productivity to enable the creation of high-protein crops for sustainable plant proteins.

Trendlines previously announced that it intends to invest 66% of the Fund's capital in commercial or growth stage companies. CEO of Trendlines Agrifood Fund, Nitza Kardish, PhD., commented," The Fund's investment in Equinom corresponds with our investment focus to invest in growth stage companies that have the potential to make a real difference to yields, nutritional value, and sustainability of crops. Equinom's technology and products has the potential to meet all these criteria."

As a key investor in the Fund, British entrepreneur, Vincent Tchenguiz, commented: "Investing in more sustainable food production systems that mitigate climate change is paramount in tackling the challenges of this century caused by climate change. Our investment in Trendlines and in the Agrifood Fund represents our firm belief in the potential of technologies in the agrifood portfolio to have a profound positive impact on the global food production footprint. This comes at a time when our plant's environment is changing so dramatically and the need for sustainable solutions in the production of food is so great."

About The Trendlines Group

The Trendlines Group is an innovation commercialization company that invents, discovers, invests in, and incubates innovation-based medical and agrifood technologies to fulfill its mission to improve the human condition. As intensely hands-on investors, Trendlines is involved in all aspects of its portfolio companies from technology development to business building. Trendlines' shares are traded on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX: 42T) and in the United States, as an American Depositary Receipt (ADR) on the OTCQX (OTCQX: TRNLY).

About Equinom

Equinom was founded in 2012 on the backdrop of the dramatic transformation in genetics, which made genomic sequencing accessible and affordable. Equinom is now pursuing two parallel breeding tracks. First, the company has developed high-yield, shatter-resistant sesame, and has become the world's largest provider  with farms in the USA, Australia and Europe. Concurrently, Equinom is breeding super trait plant protein  sustainable, reliable and healthy legumes for alternative proteins, relying only on what nature has provided. Equinom is committed to developing products that transform markets by changing their economies, helping the food industry and its supply chain to create better and affordable food ingredients to feed the Earth's growing population. Further information at www.equi-nom.com

Investor Contact Information

Israel:

Shira Zimmerman

The Trendlines Group

[email protected]

Tel: +972-72-260-7000

Singapore and China:

Reyna MEI

Financial PR

[email protected]

Tel: +65-6438-2990

SOURCE The Trendlines Group

Related Links

https://www.trendlines.com/


By Trend

Latvia already has examples of successful investment from Azerbaijan in wholesale trade and in the future the country would like to attract more investors to its ports and logistic hubs, Latvias Ambassador to Azerbaijan Dainis Garancs told Trend.

"The Latvian companies are already doing business in Azerbaijan in fields like transport and logistics, mechanical engineering, ICT, food production, architecture, design, construction, chemical, pharmaceutical industries, tourism etc. We would like to expand this cooperation exchange. Promising area is green technologies where Latvia has well-developed expertise and knowledge. We are interested in increasing mutually beneficial investment exchanges. Investment in small and medium-sized business could bring a lot of benefit to our economic relations," said the ambassador.

Talking about bilateral trade, he noted that the main categories of goods exported from Latvia to Azerbaijan currently are food products, construction and building materials, wood products, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals.

"We are also very glad to see fruits and vegetables from Azerbaijan in our supermarkets. However, the current bilateral trade volume (7.75 MEUR in the first half of 2019) does not reflect the actual economic potential of our countries. One of the embassys priorities is to encourage our entrepreneurs to look for new opportunities and to facilitate further contacts between businesses," said Garancs.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 18, 2020 | 12:34 PM | PADUCAH

According to Jailer David Knight, the first-ever Deckhand Training Course will hold a graduation ceremony at 4 pm. Eleven inmates are scheduled to participate in the ceremony.





In addition, seven inmates will graduate from the latest Welding Course on Wednesday.





In a press release, Knight said the courses will provide inmates with the ability to obtain gainful employment when they are released.





He said, "This not only benefits the inmates but also their families and the community. We invite everyone to come help us congratulate these individuals in this huge accomplishment."









Taxpayers don't pay for the program since needed materials are donated, and any other expenses are funded by the proceeds of the jail's commissary fund, where inmates purchase incidentals while serving their sentences.

The ceremony will take place in the Jail Annex.

Two educational programs at the McCracken County Jail will celebrate milestones on Wednesday.
Dashing hopes of a possible bilateral trade deal during his upcoming visit to India, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said a comprehensive agreement would take much longer to finalise. Well, we can have a trade deal with India, but Im really saving the big deal for later on. Were doing a very big trade deal with India.

I dont know if itll be done before the election, Trump said in Washington DC. The US is set to hold its presidential elections in November. Trump, who will be on his maiden visit to India on February 24 and 25, also ...
,



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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday made a surprise visit to Hunar Haat at Rajpath here, where he interacted with artisans and relished litti-chokha and kulhad tea.

Soon after chairing the meeting of the Union Cabinet, Modi reached Rajpath where Hunar Haat is being organised by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Sources in the government said officials of the ministry were surprised when they came to know about the prime ministers visit.

Modi, who was there for 50 minutes, ate litti-chokha, a dough ball made of whole wheat flour and stuffed with sattu, and paid Rs 120 for it. The dish is popular in Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

He later had tea served in kulhad with Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and paid Rs 40 for two cups.

Had tasty Litti Chokha for lunch along with a hot cup of tea... #HunarHaat pic.twitter.com/KGJSNJAyNu  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 19, 2020

Artisans participating in the event said the traditional arts were dying, but the Hunar Haat programme has helped revive them.

There was a surge in crowd when people came to know that the prime minister was visiting the event.

Glimpses of our culture and diversity in one maphave a look at this. #HunarHaat pic.twitter.com/dFWyO0KC3K  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 19, 2020

The Hunar Haat here is based on the theme of Kaushal Ko Kaam and will be held till February 23.

Master artisans, craftsmen and culinary experts, including more than 50 per cent women, from across the country are participating at the Haat.

A bawarchikhana section has also been set up with traditional delicacies of several states available for people to savour.

Similar haats are being organised across India as part of an effort to empower master artisans.
European plane-maker Airbus said Wednesday it planned to cut 2,362 jobs in its Defence and Space division over the next two years.

Airbus cited a "flat space market and postponed contracts on the defence side" for the decision to cut 829 jobs in Germany, 630 in Spain, 404 in France and 357 in Britain.

A further 142 jobs will be cut in other countries, it said, adding that it was in talks with its European works council on the restructuring.

"Airbus Defence and Space will provide updates on its plans and continues a constructive dialogue with employee representatives," it said in a statement.

The Defence and Space division accounts for 15 percent of the group's revenue.

It posted operating losses of 881 million euros ($951 million) in 2019.

Airbus said that "while the underlying business perspectives, especially in the core business, remain solid", job cuts were necessary after the book-to-bill ratio -- the ratio of orders received to amounts billed -- fell below 1 for the third year in a row.

France-based Airbus last week reported a net loss of 1.36 billion euros in 2019, mainly due to a 3.6-billion-euro fine over a bribery scandal and extra development costs for the A400M transport aircraft.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A breakthrough in the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction -- commonly used in synthesizing useful chemicals -- allows scientists to cut down on the number of steps, leading to a more economical process

The Suzuki-Miyaura reaction is a well-known chemical process in which a reaction between organic boronic acids and aryl halides leads to the synthesis of "biaryl" compounds, which are important components of various drugs and chemical products. This is also called cross-coupling, as two aryl molecules are combined, or cross-coupled, in this process. Because the organic aromatic molecules--which are formed as a result of this reaction--have various applications, such as in solvents and drugs, finding a way of optimizing the existing cross-coupling reactions is crucial. This is why, in a new study published in ACS Catalysts, a team of scientists from Japan, including Junior Assoc Prof Yuichiro Mutoh and Prof Shinichi Saito of Tokyo University of Science, wanted to check if this reaction can be made more efficient.

"Protected" organic boronic acid, which is an organic boronic acid with a "masking group," is frequently used as a precursor for boronic acid in the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction. Because the reactivity of the protected boronic acid is low, it does not take part in this reaction. Thus, the masking group needs to be removed for the reaction to proceed, which adds another step to the process. This made these scientists wonder: what if the masked molecules were directly used in the reaction? It would lead us to a much faster, cheaper technique! Prof Saito explains, "Because the removal of the masking group is necessary to provide the latent boronic acids that engage in subsequent Suzuki-Miyaura reactions, the direct use of the protected boronic acid in a Suzuki-Miyaura reaction would be highly desirable in terms number of steps and atom economy. This would help streamline the synthesis of complex molecules." The only challenge was that until now, there was no known way to directly use protected boronic acids without removing the masking group first, and thus, the scientists set out to find ways to do this.

The scientists knew that the process required a palladium catalyst (a molecule or compound that can speed up a reaction), a base, and two starting aryl molecules. They proceeded to check if the reaction takes place with a protected molecule. To begin with, they examined the impact of various bases on the reaction. They saw that when a particular potassium base, called KO-Bu, was used, it resulted in a high yield of products, and this effect as not seen with other bases. Then, they tested various palladium-based catalysts and saw that all catalysts produced a similar yield, indicating that common palladium-based catalyst systems can be used for the cross-coupling. This led them to conclude that the KO-Bu base played a crucial role if one was to use protected boronic acid directly. After over a dozen successful Suzuki-Miyaura reactions with high yield for different biaryl compounds, the team conducted "control" experiments to check for other variables and to gain insight into the underlying mechanisms of the KO-Bu base. Specifically, they checked if the chemical species were present in the reaction mixture before the reaction was complete, which uncovered an intermediate compound involving the KO-Bu base and the boronic acid reagent. Using techniques like NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, the scientists confirmed that the key to the success of these cross-coupling reactions is the use of KO-Bu as the base, as it enables the formation of an active borate, essential for the reaction.

The methodology discovered in this study provides insight into the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction and proposes a novel way in which the required steps to use protected boronic acids can be minimized. The entire process to obtain biaryl molecules was carried in one single pot, which is advantageous in terms of space and cost. Prof Saito concludes, "We developed a way for the reaction to be step- and pot-economic, features that have received considerable attention in recent years. Thus, this study opens up new possibilities for the use of protected boronic acids in various coupling reactions."

Owing to its novel findings, this study was even selected to be on the cover of the January 2020 issue of ACS Catalysis. These findings will hopefully help simplify the synthesis of important complex molecules, including pharmaceutical drugs, so that more people can benefit from advances in the chemical sciences.

###

About The Tokyo University of Science

Tokyo University of Science (TUS) is a well-known and respected university, and the largest science-specialized private research university in Japan, with four campuses in central Tokyo and its suburbs and in Hokkaido. Established in 1881, the university has continually contributed to Japan's development in science through inculcating the love for science in researchers, technicians, and educators.

With a mission of "Creating science and technology for the harmonious development of nature, human beings, and society", TUS has undertaken a wide range of research from basic to applied science. TUS has embraced a multidisciplinary approach to research and undertaken intensive study in some of today's most vital fields. TUS is a meritocracy where the best in science is recognized and nurtured. It is the only private university in Japan that has produced a Nobel Prize winner and the only private university in Asia to produce Nobel Prize winners within the natural sciences field.

Website: https://www.tus.ac.jp/en/mediarelations/

About Professor Shinichi Saito from Tokyo University of Science

Prof Shinichi Saito graduated in 1991 in Pharmaceutical Sciences from The University of Tokyo, where he also obtained his PhD in 1995. He joined Tokyo University of Science in 2002 as a principal investigator and a Lecturer. He became a Professor in 2009, and his team now focuses on synthesis methods for organic supramolecules, development of new and efficient reactions, and other aspects of organic chemistry. He has published more than 100 papers, many of which were selected as the covers of their respective journals.

About Junior Associate Professor Yuichiro Mutoh from Tokyo University of Science

Dr Yuichiro Mutoh obtained his PhD from Gifu University in 2005. After completing his postdoctoral fellowship, in 2007, he joined Prof Youichi Ishii's research group at Chuo University as an Assistant Professor. In 2012, he moved to Prof Shinichi Saito's group at Tokyo University of Science and became a Junior Associate Professor in 2017. His research interests include the development of new transition-metal-catalyzed transformations and organometallic complexes with a heavier group 16 element ligand.

Funding information

This research was partially supported by the Foundation for Interaction in Science and Technology (FIST), Japan.
[February 19, 2020] NOTICE TO DISREGARD - Deal Box, Inc.

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- We are advise by Deal Box, Inc. that journalists and other readers should disregard the news release, Deal Box Innovation Finance Forum 2019, issued February 7th, 2019, over GlobeNewswire.





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About 6,000 employees of UkrLandFarming and Avangard agricultural holdings demand resignation of Director of the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) Artem Sytnyk, accusing him of putting pressure on the Ukrainian business, which gives 27,000 jobs to people in the village areas.

The protesters have gathered outside the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, where they called on the government to stop pressure from law enforcement agencies on enterprises and expedite the dismissal of Sytnyk, who had been put in the national register of corrupt officials, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

People came from almost all over Ukraine, since enterprises are operating in 600 settlements of 22 regions of the country.

The farmers handed over a written appeal with their demands to representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers, who came out to talks with the protesters at their request. The employees also prepared a box of eggs, on which the slogan "Sytnyk, go away!" was written, however, both NABU and the Cabinet refused to accept the gift.

Earlier this morning, the protesters came to the NABU office, but no one came out to hear their demands.

According to UkrLandFarming Operations Director Halyna Kovtok, the company's work has been destabilized as of today. NABU detectives carry out searches and interrogate employees who have no idea how their work is related to Sytnyk's personal motives to impede a successful business.

According to her, people are afraid that they will be deprived of jobs at home and forced to emigrate to work in neighboring countries.

"Our company is the pride of Ukraine, annually paying UAH 2.5 billion (US$102.3 million) in taxes and creating 1% of the country's GDP, and it must be heard. Sytnyk did not come to us today and closed the doors to our employees. These people are fighting for their families, love Ukraine and want to work here, and they will not allow one person's ambitions to destroy it all. You cannot hold a corrupt official in such a position, therefore we call on the prime minister: bring the matter to an end," she said, handing over the farmers' demands to the Cabinet of Ministers.

Later, the protesters moved to the Verkhovna Rada's building, where they repeated their demands to expedite the dismissal of Sytnyk from the post of NABU director. Several lawmakers spoke in their support.

MP from the European Solidarity parliamentary Oleksiy Honcharenko said half of the Verkhovna Rada supports Sytnyk's resignation.

"You want to protect your salaries, your families and your jobs to continue to feed the whole country and the whole world  that's right, and we will all work together on this. After your previous rally, the MPs gathered 216 votes for dismissing a corrupt official  this is the majority in the Verkhovna Rada. This issue should be brought to an end, Sytnyk should be dismissed!" he shouted from the stage.

Prior to this, the employees of UkrLandFarming and Avangard gathered about 30,000 signatures of farmers and ordinary people demanding resignation of Sytnyk and handed them to President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to Kovtok, the company is still awaiting a response.

Earlier, businessman Oleg Bakhmatyuk, the owner of UkrLandFarming and Avangard group of companies, called illegal the raids on his company in the case of embezzlement of a stabilization loan from VAB Bank, where he was main shareholder.

He also said the cases opened against him and the company had been personal revenge of NABU Director Sytnyk. The latter was found guilty of corruption by the court over the elite vacation at someone else's expense, and was put in the register of corrupt officials, therefore he could lose his job. The adviser to Bakhmatyuk's sister was the main witness for prosecution.

UNIAN memo. UkrLandFarming is the largest Ukrainian agro-industrial holding, which manages the country's largest bank of fertile black soil, namely 500,000 hectares, which is engaged in the cultivation of crops and seeds, sugar production, animal husbandry and distribution of agricultural machinery. It includes the Avangard agricultural group, whose companies specialize in the production of chicken eggs (with a design capacity of 1.6 billion eggs per year) and egg products, which are exported to about 40 countries.
REGINA - Questions are being raised about the Saskatchewan government's move to automatically deny sex offenders the ability to legally change their names.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Justice Minister and Attorney General of Saskatchewan Don Morgan attends the first day of the fall legislative session at the Legislative Building in Regina on Wednesday October 23, 2019. Questions are being raised by some lawyers and beyond about the Saskatchewan Government's plan to deny sex offenders the ability to legally change their names. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michael Bell

REGINA - Questions are being raised about the Saskatchewan government's move to automatically deny sex offenders the ability to legally change their names.

The province has released details about an order of council passed by cabinet that says anyone 18 years or older requesting a name change will be required to undergo a criminal record check.

The government says convictions from a list more than 20 sexual offences  ranging from those committed against children to sexual assault and incest  will disqualify a person from a name change, as it's not in the public interest.

Criminal defence lawyer Aaron Fox said sex offenders are already tracked under Canada's national sex offender registry, so the legislative change is mostly window-dressing on the province's part.

The change does, however, open the door to a debate around who should be tracked and for how long, he said.

"If I have someone who's committed a million-dollar fraud on a bunch of elderly people, should that person be able to change their name?" Fox said in an interview Tuesday.

"Maybe from a societal point of view, I need to track that person just as much."

The Justice Ministry said Saskatchewan would be the first province to refuse a name-change request because of a criminal record. Alberta announced last week that it is eyeing a similar move.

Saskatchewan Justice Minister Don Morgan said sex offenders should not be able to change their names to avoid public scrutiny, and the change is being made to protect vulnerable people.

"The goal of this was not to be punitive. The goal of this was protection of children and that's why we didn't spread it out across a lot of other offences," he said.

Morgan also said a sex offender seeking a name change would be automatically rejected based on their criminal record.

A department spokeswoman said someone refused a name change can appeal the decision to a Court of Queen's Bench judge within 30 days.

Those changing their names because of marriage or divorce don't need to apply for a legal name change.

Zachary Miller, who was 10 years old when he was abducted and sexually assaulted by notorious pedophile Peter Whitmore in Saskatchewan in 2006, said the idea is a step in the right direction, as it takes away the ability of a predator to hide behind an alias.

"But it's not the right place we should be at."

Miller had a publication ban lifted on his name in 2015 so he could share his story. Now 25, he said he wants to see more focus on preventing child abuse through education in schools, as well as imposing stricter release conditions on sex offenders.

Niki Filippatou works with sex offenders and doesn't believe they should be denied a name change without a look at other factors, such as their risk of re-offending and community support.

As a co-ordinator at Circles of Support and Accountability South Saskatchewan, which helps offenders re-integrate into the community, she said most want a name change because of employment issues.

"We had a few individuals laid off four times last year, within the three-month probation period, because the employers did a Google search and found out who they really were," Filippatou said.

Another reason is because some offenders attend church and can be ostracized, and that prevents them from making a return to regular society, she said.

Andrew Mason, president of the Saskatoon Criminal Defence Lawyers Association, said discretion should be used when it comes to denying a name change.

"If you make laws too inflexible, you always create injustices," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2020
During the hometown week of The Bachelor, Peter Weber met each of the families of his final four. Hoping for some more insight as to which of these women he could realistically marry, Weber met up with Hannah Ann Sluss in her hometown of Knoxville. After an ax-throwing date together, Weber shared a letter of his own, mimicking the list of Things I Love About You that Sluss had previously given to him.

Hannah Ann Sluss & Peter Weber | John Fleenor/ABC

When the couple arrived at the Sluss home, Weber was welcomed with open arms. Still, as hometown visits tend to go on The Bachelor, Weber would soon learn more about what Slusss father is looking for when it comes to a match for his daughter and why hes not too happy about Slusss current dating situation.

Who is Hannah Anns family?

Hannah Ann has two younger siblings, including a sister, Haley, and a brother, Wade. Weber met Slusss younger sister during hometown week, as well as Slusss mother, Jennifer, and father, Rick. Both parents were able to speak with Weber personally about their daughter.

Why wont Hannah Anns dad give Peter his blessing?

Slusss mother pointed out to Weber that her husband wasnt going to just give [Hannah Ann] away to anybody. Later, in a conversation with Slusss dad, Weber explained that he felt like he was falling in love with his daughter.

To protect his daughter from getting hurt, Mr. Sluss asked that Weber not say [that he felt like he was falling in love] to her. There are still three other women fighting for Webers heart, which is what was preventing Slusss dad from giving his complete blessing.

Does Hannah Anns dad dislike Peter Weber?

Sluss mentions that her father has spoken highly of Weber in the past. During her introductory video package, Sluss points out that when her dad references Weber, its as if he already knows him. Slusss fathers lack of approval and the blessing of her relationship with Weber seems to stem from not wanting to see her get hurt.

How did the rest of the hometown dates go?

After his visit to Tennessee, Weber still had three other families to meet. In terms of the hometown dates this season, Sluss had one of the more positive experiences. Madison Prewetts visit to Auburn forced her to come to terms with the decisions she has made for herself regarding intimacy, Kelsey Weier expressed that she was in love with Weber in West Des Moines, and Victoria Fuller had a nightmare of a time in Virginia Beach after Webers ex-girlfriend exposed her negative past.

Despite paying a visit to Virginia to meet Fullers family, Weber never actually got the chance to do so. Instead, the two argued outside of her parents home, leaving Fuller crying in the middle of the street and Weber driving off to sit pensively in his hotel room.

With the series finale of The Bachelor drawing closer, Weber has a big decision to make. Bachelor Nation is wondering who Peter is going to choose to be with for the rest of his life. Will Slusss dad come to terms with the fact that his daughter is in love with the bachelor? Only time will tell.
The Harvey Weinstein trial has requested another batch of evidence - this time related to rape accuser Annabella Sciorra - as the second day of deliberations at his New York trial came to an end.

The jurors requested on Wednesday afternoon for the court to re-read testimony from actress Rosie Perez who testified in support of her friend Annabella Sciorra.

Perez told the court that the Sopranos actress had confided in her that she had been allegedly raped by Weinstein in the mid-1990s. Sciorra told her friend that Weinstein was harassing her and she was scared in the months after the alleged attack, Perez told jurors.

The jury also asked to see all written or digital communications mentioning Sciorra in relation to the investigators Weinstein paid to keep tabs on his accusers.

The trial heard that Weinstein offered Black Cube, an investigative spy agency, $300,000 if they kept stories about him out of the press in 2017. Weinstein also spoke to a private investigator about his 'red flag list' of people who might be talking to the press, which included Sciorra.

Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting Mimi Haleyi and also raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. He is also charged with predatory sexual assault for both women.

Sciorra's rape allegation is intertwined with the predatory sexual assault charges Weinstein is facing in relation to Haleyi and Mann.

Harvey Weinstein's trial has requested another batch of evidence - this time related to rape accuser Annabella Sciorra - during the second day of deliberations at his New York trial. Weinstein is pictured leaving court with his lawyer Donna Rotunno

Weinstein was all smiles after leaving court during the second day of deliberations

The jurors requested on Wednesday afternoon for the court to re-read testimony from actress Rosie Perez (right) who testified in support of her friend and Weinstein rape accuser Annabella Sciorra (left)

While Sciorra's accusation is too old to be the basis for criminal charges on its own due to the statute of limitations at the time, the law allows prosecutors to use her allegations as a basis for charges alleging Weinstein is a sexual predator.

If the jury decides Weinstein didn't rape Sciorra, then it can't find Weinstein guilty of either predatory sexual assault count.

The jury's note on Wednesday also requested all communication between Weinstein and his friend Paul Feldsher - who was called as a defense witness.

Feldsher's defense testimony backfired after the prosecutors dug up damaging texts he sent to Weinstein in 2018 in which he called his accusers a 'dogpile of actresses'.

On Wednesday morning, the jury had requested a court reporter to read back Mimi Haleyi's testimony of the night Weinstein allegedly forcibly performed oral sex on her when she had her period in his apartment in 2006.

Jurors scribbled in their notepads when details of Haleyi saying 'no, no, no' during the alleged assault was read out. They listened carefully as they heard her say how Weinstein 'came towards me and lunged at me, trying to kiss me'.

Some male jurors looked uncomfortable as Haleyi's testimony about Weinstein ripping out her tampon and forcing himself upon her was read out.

Weinstein repeatedly shook his head dismissively as the testimony was read.

The jury listened and took notes on Wednesday as a court reporter read back Mimi Haleyi's testimony of the night Weinstein allegedly forcibly performed oral sex on her when she had her period in his apartment in 2006

Harvey Weinstein arrived at the Manhattan court on Wednesday as the jury continue to weigh the case that could send the disgraced Hollywood producer to prison for the rest of his life

In addition to hearing the testimony, the jury of seven men and five women had also requested to see the email exchanges between Haleyi and Weinstein that were used as evidence in the trial.

They also asked the judge to clarify the charges Weinstein faces in regarding to Haleyi's allegations.

Judge James Burke had earlier said the emails would be provided to the jury on a safe laptop in the deliberation room. He said he couldn't given them a transcript of her testimony, which is why it was read out by a court reporter instead.

Haleyi alleges Weinstein sexually assaulted her after he got her a job working on Project Runway. She testified that she and Weinstein had sex at a hotel two weeks later even though she didn't want to be intimate.

Weinstein's lawyers have argued that is evidence he didn't coerce her during the first encounter either.

During their deliberations on Tuesday, the jury asked to see a blueprint of Weinstein's apartment where he is accused of assaulting Haleyi. The jury sought clarification for the legal definition of terms like consent and forcible compulsion.

They also requested to see an email Weinstein sent to his private investigator listing certain accusers he feared would come forward as 'red flags'.

Jurors will spend six hours a day for as long as it takes to reach a verdict on the five sex crimes charges against Weinstein.

Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi (left) in 2006 and raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann (right) in 2013

THE WEINSTEIN CHARGES EXPLAINED What is Weinstein accused of: Harvey Weinstein is accused of raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on film production assistant Mimi Haleyi in his apartment in 2006. What are the FIVE charges he faces: Jessica Mann: First degree rape and third degree rape The first degree charge alleges Weinstein used physical force or an implied or expressed threat that led the alleged victim to fear immediate death or injury. The third degree charge alleges only that there was a lack of consent. Mimi Haleyi: Criminal sexual act for her forced oral sex allegation. Two counts of predatory sexual assault, one for each of the charged acts. How the predatory sexual assault charges works: Under New York law, one way a person can be found guilty of predatory sexual assault is if he or she committed certain sex offenses in the past, even if that conduct didn't result in criminal charges. In Weinstein's case, prosecutors allege that he raped Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorra in late 1993 or early 1994 - an accusation that is too old to be the basis for criminal charges on its own because of the statute of limitations. Does the jury have to convict on all five charges? No. The form instructs the jury to start by reaching a verdict on the predatory sexual assault counts, which encompass the other charged acts. Depending on what they decide on those counts, they can move onto or skip other charges. For example, if jurors find Weinstein guilty of the predatory sexual assault count alleging he both raped Sciorra and assaulted Haleyi, then the jury does not need to decide the criminal sex act charge involving Haleyi. If the jury decides Weinstein didn't rape Sciorra, then it can't find Weinstein guilty of either predatory sexual assault count. Advertisement

In total, the ex-movie mogul is facing five charges: First degree and third degree rape for Mann and a criminal sexual act for Haleyi's forced oral sex allegation. He is also charged with predatory sexual assault for both women.

The most serious charge, predatory sexual assault, requires jurors to decide two things: If he raped Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorra in the mid-1990s and if he committed one of the charged acts.

Sciorra testified at trial about Weinstein allegedly raping her in her Manhattan apartment.

Her testimony was a crucial for prosecutors to prove predatory sex assault and establish a pattern of serious sex crimes. Her accusation is too old to be the basis for criminal charges on its own.

With the way the verdict form is designed, jurors will likely be spending a lot of time weighing Sciorra's rape allegations, which could act as an aggravating factor to support a predatory sexual assault charge that carries a potential life sentence.

In her closing argument last week, Weinstein's lawyer Donna Rotunno implored jurors to see things the other way around. She suggested they focus first on Haleyi's allegation and Mann's rape allegation before thinking about Sciorra's allegation.

'You have heard from many witnesses in this case... But in the end, it only comes down to those two,' Rotunno said.

'You don't have to evaluate anything else. You don't get to Annabella Sciorra if you do not believe Miriam Haleyi, and if you do not believe Jessica Mann, you don't get to Annabella Sciorra.'

Earlier, Weinstein's lawyers had made a second attempt to have a juror who wrote a novel about predatory older men excluded from the jury.

One of Weinstein's lawyers, Damon Cheronis, renewed a request he made Tuesday to boot a juror from the case because of her online review, posted during the trial, of Kate Elizabeth Russell's debut novel 'My Dark Vanessa'.

The novel is about a relationship between a 15-year-old female student and a 42-year-old male teacher in 2000. In 2017, the former student is encouraged to come forward and tell her story, amid the #MeToo movement, in which women have accused powerful men in business, entertainment, news media and politics of sexual misconduct.

The judge denied the request, saying: 'My finding is just that she hasn't done anything wrong.'

The 67-year-old has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013

The same juror wrote a novel about young women and 'predatory' older men. The defense had tried to exclude her from the jury before the trial began.

Weinstein's lawyers also asked the judge for a gag order against Gloria Allred, the lawyer who represents three accusers who gave evidence in the trial.

Cheronis said that Allred had been giving speeches outside the court every day including claiming that the defense were 'victim shaming'.

The judge denied their motion and said: 'I wish I had that kind of authority'.

The judge had earlier gagged Weinstein's lawyers until the end of the trial after the lead defense attorney, Donna Rotunno, wrote an op-ed for Newsweek urging the jury to clear him.

'I want to caution you about the tentacles of your public relations juggernaut,' the judge told Rotunno before deliberations began on Tuesday.

Rotunno told Burke that the opinion piece, titled 'Jurors in my client Harvey Weinstein's case must look past the headlines', was not intended to address the jury directly.

'This is an op-ed about the jury system as a whole, about the criminal justice system as a whole,' she said.

In the op-ed, Rotunno said jurors were asked to avoid all media coverage and outside influences but questioned whether anyone thought it was 'realistically possible' in a 'high-profile case like Harvey Weinstein's'.

'I implore the members of this jury to do what they know is right and was expected of them from the moment they were called upon to serve their civic duty in a court of law,' she wrote.

'The facts are the facts. Harvey Weinstein is innocent. His fate hangs in the balance, and the world is watching.'
Ethan is a low-income student attending college in southeast Texas, the sort of person higher education should support. Right before his tuition was due, Ethan had to cover an unexpected and urgent personal expense. When he missed the tuition payment deadline, he was surprised to find himself abruptly dropped from all of his classes. He thought he had no option but to drop out. Ethan was lucky. He had a scholarship from the Dell Scholars program, and program staff helped him navigate the financial aid process. He is due to graduate on time.

His story, unfortunately, is the exception. It shouldnt be, but it is.

Millions of college students receive federal financial aid through Pell Grants each year, but this assistance, while essential, only goes so far. Just as critical is making sure low-income and first-generation college students have the support they need to navigate higher educations  and lifes  challenges to see their way through to graduation.

As President Lyndon B. Johnson put it when he signed the Higher Education Act into law, learning must offer an escape from poverty. Yet the low-and-middle income students who receive Pell Grants far too often do not achieve a degree, and higher education is not their career springboard.

Unfortunately, Pell Grant students graduate at far lower rates than the overall population - nearly 40 percent of Pell Grant recipients drop out.

This is not their fault. Pell Grant recipients face extraordinary challenges outside of the classroom  from paying for housing or balancing part- or full-time work, to navigating family health issues.

There is good news, however. Many universities have recognized and begun addressing this problem, but theres much more that needs to be done.

Take The University of Texas at Austins 10-year, $100 million partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation as one example.

This commitment will be used to create a personalized support system for UT Austin students, eventually growing to serve every Pell Grant recipient on campus  about 8,000 students per year, or 20 percent of the student body. It will include real-time customized tutoring, advising, mentorship and counseling, and financial planning services, along with other support like textbook and technology assistance.

This is the evidence-based approach that higher education needs to adopt more frequently. The data show investments in student support enable students to graduate. Also telling are the statistics of students in the Dell Scholars program  over the last 15 years, across 500 colleges, graduation rates for Pell-eligible students receiving services through the program were four times the national average.

Based on this track record, UT Austin is setting an ambitious goal. Currently, 73 percent of the universitys Pell recipients graduate within six years, which, while significantly higher than the national average, is still 13 points lower than that of the overall student body. Our eventual goal is for 90 percent of Pell Grant students at UT Austin to graduate in six years. It is aggressive. Yet it is achievable.

Theres a lot riding on this partnership, and not just for UT Austin. If this works the way we believe it will, it can provide true proof of concept. It will show universities in Texas and around the country an excellent way to support students from low-income families. It can help stem the dropout epidemic. It could be a real benefit to our economy, our country and the learners themselves.

And, to be clear, it takes resources  federal, state, private and nonprofit  to fund ambitious student support programs like this one. Our partnership was made possible because of UT Austins Texas Advance Commitment, which covers tuition for in-state students from families earning $65,000 or less. Universities must also seek to implement similar financial aid guarantees and personalized student support if they are to help build strong foundations for all students.

Ben Franklin said, an investment in knowledge pays the best interest. We agree. Your talent and intellect should determine whether or not you graduate from college  not your financial status. By investing fully in all students knowledge, we can ensure they get a real chance at a life-changing degree.

Fenves is the President of The University of Texas at Austin. Mountain is the Executive Director of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.
The United States condemns Russias aggression in Donbas and calls on Russia to immediately implement the ceasefire.

The United States stands with its partners and allies in condemning Russias latest aggression against Ukraine. We support President Zelenskys commitment to peace and call on Russia to immediately implement the ceasefire it signed on to in the Minsk agreements, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus posted on Twitter.

As reported, at 05:00 on February 18, the armed formations of the Russian Federation attacked positions of Ukraines Joint Forces units near Novotoshkivske, Orikhove, Krymske, and Khutir Vilnyi.

The invaders fired 120mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems and heavy machine guns on Ukrainian troops.

Russian invaders went into the offensive under the fire cover and tried to break through the demarcation line. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and four more soldiers were wounded.

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A friend of the former NRL player suspected of 'burning his family alive' in their car on Wednesday told him to keep his 'chin up' just days before the massacre.

In a chilling final post on social media which alluded to problems at home, the friend told the father-of-three 'everything will work out'.

Former rugby star Rowan Baxter died alongside his three children, Laianah, Aaliyah and Trey, when the family's white SUV was set alight at Camp Hill, near Brisbane.

The horror blaze started on Wednesday morning, with neighbours reportedly hearing his terrified wife Hannah shrieking 'he's poured petrol on me' from inside the car.

Hannah Baxter (pictured, far left) is fighting for her life after her estranged husband Rowan (centre) died on Wednesday along with their three children

Just four days before the tragedy, family friend Joey Abraham told him to keep his 'chin up', saying 'everything will work out'

A friend told Daily Mail Australia that Baxter was suffering from depression after separating from his wife, and had become 'a shadow of the person he used to be.'

He blamed the family's break-up for the tragedy, saying it had 'driven Baxter crazy'.

Family friend Joey Abraham said: 'He said he hadn't seen his kids for a few months as he and his wife were separated.

'She had found a new partner. Rowan was in a real bad place there for a bit because of the separation.

'I know it hurt him so much it just unbelievable that he could this.

'If you knew Rowan when he at his best and to see him like last week then you know how far he'd fallen. He was just a shadow of the person he used to be.

Rowan Baxter (pictured, centre, right) reportedly set his family car alight with his children Laianah, Aaliyah and Trey inside

The car was set alight in Camp Hill near Brisbane (pictured) on Wednesday morning, killing three children and their father

'They were beautiful kids, they were a beautiful family.

They had a business together, they had everything together.'

Just four days ago, Mr Abraham - who has known the family for 10 years - left a cryptic message on Facebook under a picture of his young son, Trey.

'Chin up brother everything will work out,' the friend wrote.

'Just hang in there my bro, a lot of people care about you and the situation you're facing. We are all sending our thoughts and best wishes to you my friend.'

He explained that Baxter was 'struggling' and 'suffering from depression' before the massacre.

Rowan Baxter (pictured, centre right) reportedly set fire to his family car, killing himself and his three children

Neighbours near the scene at Camp Hill, Brisbane (pictured) reported hearing a woman's desperate screams, believed to be Baxter's wife Hannah

The horrifying incident took place in Camp Hill in Brisbane's south-east (pictured) on Wednesday morning

The couple separated recently and shut down the exercise business they ran together, Integr8 Fitness.

Mrs Baxter, the childrens' mother, was driving the car and is in a critical condition in hospital, after suffering serious burns.

Neighbours heard a series of massive explosions shortly after 8am and watched in horror as Mrs Baxter, dressed in her activewear, managed to clamber out of the car.

She was soon hosed down by a Good Samaritan neighbour who rushed to her aid.

Baxter, an ex New Zealand Warriors player, is believed to have stabbed himself with a knife during the horrific attack on his family.

This Kia Sportage (pictured) went up in flames in Camp Hill, in Brisbane's south east, about 8.20am on Wednesday

Rowan Baxter (pictured, left) reportedly set fire to his car, killing all three of his children

Residents reported hearing an explosion which sounded like a 'gas bottle' sound early this morning.

At least four blasts followed.

Wendy Antoniou, who lives several houses up, told Daily Mail Australia: 'I thought something had landed on my roof, it was like BANG - I could feel the vibration.'

'I came around the side window - well, I nearly bloody died. The fire brigade was everywhere, ambulance was everywhere.

'All I could see was the smoke. I didn't know whether it was a house on fire or what. Apparently, this car exploded.

Mrs Baxter (pictured) is seen on holiday with her three children. The trio died on Wednesday morning, while their mother is fighting for her life

'First of all I couldn't even see the flames - then I could see all these flames high in the air!'

Another resident said he thought he heard the sound of a smoke detector going off. but became increasingly concerned as the moments ticked by.

'I thought it was maybe a grinder or something  then (after three or four minutes) I saw the smoke coming up and people started to make sounds.'

He described the scene of the woman being hosed down by a neighbour as 'pretty confronting for everyone involved, extremely confronting for the residents'.
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Reliance Industries Ltd, a key buyer of Venezuelan oil, said it was assessing the impact of the latest US sanctions on Rosneft Trading SA (RTSA), the Geneva-based trading unit of Rosneft that supplies oil to the private refiner.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday imposed sanctions on the trading arm of Russian oil major Rosneft, which has been the largest intermediary of Venezuelan oil, as Washington targeted Moscow over its backing of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government.

"Reliance will continue its direct communications with the US Government to ensure that Reliance's purchases of Venezuelan oil after the RTSA sanctions are both compliant with US sanctions and consistent with US policies regarding Venezuelan oil sector," the Indian refiner said in a statement.

Apart from Reliance, India's Nayara Energy, part-owned by Rosneft, also imports Venezuelan oil.

Rosneft accepts oil from Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA as payment for billions of dollars in loans extended to Venezuela over the past decade and then ships the barrels onto refineries that used to buy directly from Venezuela, including Nayara's facilities.

"In its dealings with Rosneft and otherwise, Reliance will continue to act in compliance with US sanctions and policy guidelines," the company said.

Reliance, the operator of the world's biggest refining complex, said its purchases of Venezuela crude oil are reported to and permitted by the US government.

"We have been in continuous communications with the US Department of State and the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the US Department of Treasury," Reliance said.

Both Nayara and Reliance are long-time customers of PDVSA as the two refiners are capable of processing the type of heavy sour crude that the OPEC member sells.

In 2019 Reliance's import of Venezuelan oil fell 15% to about 230,000 barrels per day (bpd), while that of Nayara Energy rose 55% to about 107,500 bpd, according to tanker arrival data obtained by Reuters.

Nayara Energy said in a statement it complies with all relevant and applicable US sanctions and "we reaffirm our commitment to this position following the recent announcements."
New Delhi, Feb 19 : Just minutes after two of the Supreme Court-appointed interlocutors left the Shaheen Bagh protest site, the third member of the team, former Chief Information Commissioner, Wajahat Habibullah reached the site with an entourage of advocates.

The move left media and protesters wondering if there was a rift between the mediators, or a conscious strategy to both listen to, and guide the protesters.

The Supreme Court on Monday had appointed a team of three interlocutors to be led by senior advocate Sanjay Hegde to talk to the Shaheen Bagh protesters in connection with shifting the protest venue, and file a report in the court.

Former CIC, Habibullah was part of this team along with senior lawyers Sadhna Ramachandran and Sanjay Hegde.

However in the first visit to the site on Wednesday, Habibullah did not accompany the two lawyers, leaving protesters wondering about reasons for his absence.

"Where is our third advocate... where is Habibullah sahab," protesters were seen asking Hegde and Ramachandran as the two tried to address the gathering.

But minutes after the two left the site, promising to return on Thursday, Habibullah reached protest site with advocates, including Mehmood Paracha.
The last batch of inmates who were quarantined at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) facility at Chhawla in Delhi after they were evacuated from Wuhan in China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, were discharged on Wednesday.

An ITBP spokesperson said that the evacuees were being discharged in batches since February 17 and the last batch, a family of six, were discharged on Wednesday morning.

A total of 645 people were evacuated from Wuhan on February 1 and 2, and were housed at two quarantine facilities created by an Indian Army-run camp in Manesar, Haryana, and ITBP-run Chhawla camp.

The development has come even as the staff at the ITBP facility is preparing to house another set of evacuees that India plans to air-lift from Wuhan. The fresh batch, of about 125 Indians, is expected to land in India by Friday.

As part of the preparations, the staff has started disinfecting and fumigating the premises.

On Wednesday, health secretary Preeti Sudan met Chinese ambassador to India urging him to look into the reports of Chinese universities asking students, among the first set of evacuees, to join their classes or forfeit their admissions.

This request has been responded to favourably. The Chinese embassy has written that the State Council of China has decided to postpone the new semester of the universities including Southwest University The students will be notified by their respective universities accordingly, a Union health ministry statement said.

Meanwhile, the government has banned the export of certain active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), raw materials used in making drugs, amid rising fears of India facing a drug shortage in the future.

A government committee, formed to monitor the supply of raw materials for drugs from China, has recommended restrictions on exports of 12 APIs and formulations. The APIs and formulations include common antibiotics and vitamins.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals had formed a committee under the chairmanship of joint drug controller, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which has been closely monitoring the supply of APIs and intermediates which are imported from China and the effect of the coronavirus epidemic in the country on their supply to India.

There is absolutely nothing to worry about at the moment, as we have stocks for at least next three-four months. The government has assessed the situation and India is pretty comfortable as far as drugs are concerned including antibiotics and vitamins, said an official at CDSCO.
Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign is ramping up their social media reach by hiring hundreds of workers in California to post on their personal social media accounts in support of the billionaire.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the campaign is hiring more than 500 'deputy digital organizers' to work 20 to 30 hours a week and receive $2,500 a month.

Those employees will promote Bloomberg through posting about him daily on their social media pages and sending texts each week to everyone in their contact list.

The multi-million dollar effort is launching in California ahead of the March 3 implemented nationwide, sources tell The Wall Street Journal.

Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign is hiring more than 500 'deputy digital organizers' to work 20 to 30 hours a week and receive $2,500 a month

This is just one of the exorbitant ways billionaire Bloomberg is using his wealth to further his campaign.

These are examples of messages that the Bloomberg campaign suggests supporters send to their friends via OutVote, an app the campaign is paying workers to use

While most campaigns encourage their supporters to post on social media, it is rare that staffers will get paid at such rates to do so.

James Thurber, professor of government at American University, told the WSJ: 'It's classic AstroTurf tactics. When you have unlimited resources the way Bloomberg seems to, you can do that.'

One of the suggested prompts supporting Bloomberg reads: 'The Fight for Equal Rights Has Been One of the Great Fights of Mike's Life.'

While another reads: 'A new national poll confirms that the fastest growing movement is behind Mike Bloomberg.'

The job application, which is publicly available, requires applicants to provide their social media handles.

In addition to social media posts, the staffers may be required to do more traditional tasks like phone banking.

The new employees will use Outvote, an app that allows users to send pre-written texts, post to social media and then send data back to the campaign.

The app, created by Democratic technology incubator called Higher Ground Labs, also allows users to see if their friends are registered to vote by cross-referencing their contacts with public data.

Bloomberg's senior national spokesperson Sabrina Singh told The Hill: 'We are meeting voters everywhere on any platform that they consume their news.

'One of the most effective ways of reaching voters is by activating their friends and network to encourage them to support Mike for president.'

The multi-million dollar effort is launching in California ahead of the March 3 primary and could then be implemented nationwide

While the Trump campaign has its own staff dedicated to digital and social media, it does not pay their employees to post on their personal social media accounts.

It's not exactly clear if Bloomberg staff's posts like would need to be labeled as sponsored content under Facebooks disclosure rules.

A spokeswoman for the Bloomberg campaign told The Hill that this type of employment is the future of political organizing.

'We are meeting voters everywhere on any platform that they consume their news,' the spokeswoman said.

'One of the most effective ways of reaching voters is by activating their friends and network to encourage them to support Mike for president.'
After completing their initial round of testing, Texas-based movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse has finally unveiled a service many fans were expecting: A full-on subscription plan for movie tickets, entitled Season Pass. The popular theater chain, which styles itself as an upscale movie-viewing experience complete with food and alcohol, will again attempt to take on industry giants AMC, Regal and Cinemark, which have all unveiled their own subscription services following the much-heralded demise of the service MoviePass, which finally shut down in 2020 after popularizing the all the movies you can watch for a monthly fee structure.

Season Pass is a monthly program that will go into effect in all 41 Alamo Drafthouse locations in the U.S. At its core, the program will provide one regularly priced ticket per day, with reservations for tickets that are available up to a week in advance. The price of the service will depend on location of the theaters and customers, ranging from a floor of $14.99 per month, up to $29.99 in the biggest markets, such as L.A. or NYC. If you ask us, the first figure sounds a lot more attractive than the latter. Season Pass members will also have to pay additional, small surcharges of $1.99 per ticket for certain premium formats such as 3D or 70 MM, but theyll also have access to additional privileges, such as reserving extra seats for friends and family at discounted prices.

This is a huge win for movie lovers, said Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League in a statement. The entire reason we opened the Alamo in the first place was to share the movies we love with as many people as possible, and Season Pass is the perfect means for folks to explore more and more films.

Each theater chain has handled its own subscription service a bit differently. AMC Theatres Stubs A-List program sets a maximum of three movies weekly for between $19.95 and $23.95 per month, while Regals Unlimited Plan has no limit, costing only $18. Alamo Drafthouse, meanwhile, has always styled itself as the more premium and audience-friendly experience when compared to those major chains, so it will be interesting to see how they integrate Season Pass into what has been a very successful model. Major locations, including NYC, San Francisco, L.A. and Austin (the companys original home) will all be able to begin signing up for Season Pass memberships as of today, and the program will be rolled out in all the other Drafthouse locations in the near future.
The minister says that advisers and consultants working on behalf of NATO in Ukraine are happy with the pace of reforms in the country.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk forecasts Ukraine may be granted Enhanced Opportunity Partner (EOP) status as early as in October 2020.

"The main results of the Munich [Security Conference] are: there is no decrease in attention paid to Ukraine at the level of experts and the Ministry of Defense  there is a lot of attention, there is a lot of support. There is full support for our reforms, they know about our reforms," he said after a meeting of the parliament's committee for national security, defense, and intelligence behind closed doors on February 19, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

Read alsoUkraine's Defense Minister: Over 25,000 Russian troops in occupied Donbas now

He said he had met with over a dozen defense ministers from different countries. "In Brussels, the day before the Munich [event], we had a meeting with the [NATO] Secretary General and his deputy. The meeting was actually like the Ukraine-NATO Commission, but an informal one. And there were all the defense ministers of all NATO member states who arrived in Brussels," he said.

According to him, their advisers, consultants and observers are working in Ukraine, reporting on the progress of the reforms. "They are absolutely happy with the progress of the reforms, they see the pace we are moving at now, we may expect the promotion of our status with NATO to an Enhanced Opportunity Partner in October. If the pace of reforms is maintained," he added.
SANTA FE  A bill to reorganize New Mexicos oft-maligned Public Regulation Commission stalled in a Senate committee Tuesday, with critics saying it would shift too much power to the executive branch.

After a nearly three-hour hearing, the Senate Corporations and Transportation Commission voted 5-3 to table the legislation, all but ensuring its demise for this years 30-day session.

This feels to me like its purely punitive, said Sen. William Sharer, R-Farmington at one point during Tuesdays debate.

He also suggested the bill might violate the constitutional separation of powers provision, as it would allow the governor to appoint two top executives who would oversee the PRCs staff.

However, backers of the legislation, House Bill 11, said structural changes are needed to modernize the regulatory body and reduce political influence.

The need to professionalize and better protect staff  is more apparent than ever, one of the bills co-sponsors, Rep. Nathan Small, D-Las Cruces, told the Journal after Tuesdays vote. That lack of consistent, clear leadership does not help move the state forward.

In recent months, the PRC has clashed with top-ranking Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham over the five-member bodys handling of a landmark energy law passed by lawmakers last year.

The discord led to a state Supreme Court ruling last month that the PRC must apply the Energy Transition Act, which Lujan Grisham signed into law last year, in considering a plan to close a coal-fired power plant in San Juan County.

This years bill passed the House last week on a 36-34 vote. It has split the current PRC, as three commissioners have opposed it while the bodys two other members have spoken in support.

The three commissioners who oppose the measure all testified at Tuesdays hearing, as did several top PRC staffers.

Currently, the five members of the PRC are elected by voters and represent districts around New Mexico.

However, that too could change under a proposed constitutional amendment that will go before statewide voters in November. If ratified, the measure, approved by the Legislature last year, would turn the PRC into an appointed body, with nominees screened for professional qualifications.

The PRCs duties are focused on regulating public utilities, including transportation, water and electric companies.
Is Chongqing Machinery & Electric Co., Ltd. (HKG:2722) a good dividend stock? How can we tell? Dividend paying companies with growing earnings can be highly rewarding in the long term. Yet sometimes, investors buy a popular dividend stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations.

With Chongqing Machinery & Electric yielding 8.7% and having paid a dividend for over 10 years, many investors likely find the company quite interesting. It would not be a surprise to discover that many investors buy it for the dividends. Some simple analysis can reduce the risk of holding Chongqing Machinery & Electric for its dividend, and we'll focus on the most important aspects below.

Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Chongqing Machinery & Electric!

SEHK:2722 Historical Dividend Yield, February 19th 2020

Payout ratios

Companies (usually) pay dividends out of their earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, the dividend might have to be cut. Comparing dividend payments to a company's net profit after tax is a simple way of reality-checking whether a dividend is sustainable. In the last year, Chongqing Machinery & Electric paid out 39% of its profit as dividends. This is a medium payout level that leaves enough capital in the business to fund opportunities that might arise, while also rewarding shareholders. Plus, there is room to increase the payout ratio over time.

We also measure dividends paid against a company's levered free cash flow, to see if enough cash was generated to cover the dividend. Unfortunately, while Chongqing Machinery & Electric pays a dividend, it also reported negative free cash flow last year. While there may be a good reason for this, it's not ideal from a dividend perspective.

Remember, you can always get a snapshot of Chongqing Machinery & Electric's latest financial position, by checking our visualisation of its financial health.

Dividend Volatility

From the perspective of an income investor who wants to earn dividends for many years, there is not much point buying a stock if its dividend is regularly cut or is not reliable. For the purpose of this article, we only scrutinise the last decade of Chongqing Machinery & Electric's dividend payments. Its dividend payments have declined on at least one occasion over the past ten years. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was CN0.06 in 2010, compared to CN0.04 last year. The dividend has shrunk at around 4.0% a year during that period. Chongqing Machinery & Electric's dividend has been cut sharply at least once, so it hasn't fallen by 4.0% every year, but this is a decent approximation of the long term change.

Story continues

When a company's per-share dividend falls we question if this reflects poorly on either external business conditions, or the company's capital allocation decisions. Either way, we find it hard to get excited about a company with a declining dividend.

Dividend Growth Potential

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share (EPS) are growing - it's not worth taking the risk on a dividend getting cut, unless you might be rewarded with larger dividends in future. Over the past five years, it looks as though Chongqing Machinery & Electric's EPS have declined at around 5.7% a year. If earnings continue to decline, the dividend may come under pressure. Every investor should make an assessment of whether the company is taking steps to stabilise the situation.

Conclusion

When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. First, we like Chongqing Machinery & Electric's low dividend payout ratio, although we're a bit concerned that it paid out a substantially higher percentage of its free cash flow. Earnings per share are down, and Chongqing Machinery & Electric's dividend has been cut at least once in the past, which is disappointing. With this information in mind, we think Chongqing Machinery & Electric may not be an ideal dividend stock.

Are management backing themselves to deliver performance? Check their shareholdings in Chongqing Machinery & Electric in our latest insider ownership analysis.

Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of dividend stocks with a yield above 3%.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
JADE Learning offers online CE for Rhode Island electricians JADE Learnings online courses offer busy electricians the opportunity to complete their hours on their own time without having to commit an entire weekend for an in-person class.

JADE Learning, a nationally trusted electrical continuing education provider, is now approved by the Rhode Island Board of Examiners for Electricians to provide electrical continuing education (CE) online. JADE Learning is the first continuing education provider to be approved for online courses making it easier for Rhode Island electricians to renew their electrical license with JADE Learning. Prior to JADE Learnings online courses, Rhode Island electricians could only complete their CE requirements in a classroom setting.

JADE Learning's online electrical CE courses are taught by experienced instructors who are NEC experts with decades of experience. JADE Learning offers online electrical CE training in 40 states nationwide. JADE Learning is committed to assisting electricians in completing the CE hours required to renew their electrical licenses on-time by providing state approved content and expedited reporting of CE hours to the Rhode Island board of Examiners for Electricians.

Rhode Island electrical licenses expire every two years and the exact date is dependent on the licensees birthdate. Licensees are required to complete a total of 15 hours of continuing education. JADE Learning provides electricians with a 15-Hour Code Update course that covers the 2017 NEC. This course also covers Rhode Island amendments to the 2017 NEC and current laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to Rhode Island electricians in Title 5.

JADE Learnings online courses offer busy electricians the opportunity to complete their hours on their own time without having to commit an entire weekend for an in-person class, said Amy Bonilla, VP of JADE Learning. We are excited to be the first approved provider of online electrical continuing education in Rhode Island. Weve attended several board meetings and worked with the state for a number of years to get online courses accepted by the state.

Upcoming Board Meetings:

The Rhode Island Board of Examiners for Electricians holds one meeting a month to address issues and topics in the industry. The meetings are held at the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training located at 1511 Pontiac Avenue, Building 70, 2nd Floor, Cranston, RI 02920. Meetings begin at 9:30 AM.

February 19, 2020

March 18, 2020

April 22, 2020

May 20, 2020

Electrical Continuing Education

Online electrical CE courses are available any time at jadelearning.com

JADE Learning is an approved provider by the Rhode Island Board of Examiners for Electricians and the very first approved provider of online electrical continuing education in the state. Register for courses and contact JADE Learning about continuing education at jadelearning.com or call 1-800-443-5233.
State officials are investigating reports that a north Alabama developer is building homes on the site of a Native American village and likely burial site in Huntsville.

The development, called Flint Crossing, is in the Hampton Cove (or Big Cove) area of Huntsville, off Taylor Road near the Flint River. Jeff Benton Homes began building the subdivision last year, but nearby residents reported finding pottery shards, spearheads and even possible fragments of human remains in and around the construction site.

Those residents contacted Ben Hoksbergen, post archaeologist at the U.S. Armys Redstone Arsenal, who says he informed the developer and the city of Huntsville about the finds in May and June of 2019. Hoksbergen also found a site assessment of the property conducted by a private archaeological firm in 2010 that showed significant evidence of a Native American village at the site from roughly 500-900 AD.

Hoksbergen said he informed the developer and the city last summer that the construction may be in violation of a state law and city ordinance protecting human burial or historic sites, but the construction is still ongoing.

He also told the Alabama Historical Commission, which is now looking into the situation.

Jonathan Jones, one of the residents who initially contacted Hoksbergen, said he was walking a trail at the Wildlife Sanctuary when he noticed unusual objects in the dirt back in June 2019.

I was walking on the trail and I saw there were a bunch of shells, like mussel shells and snail shells and just shells that were from the river. But I noticed it was in a really weird spot, Jones said. So I went over by the shells and I noticed a couple bones laying around and saw part of a skull, like a crushed skull and a tooth.

Jones showed cell phone photos of those items to AL.com. He said that upon returning to the spot later, the area where he found the remains had been covered with a thick layer of fill dirt and crushed rock.

Developer: Zero information indicating burial site

Jeff Benton, owner of Jeff Benton Homes, said via email that the company had no prior knowledge of significant artifacts or human burials on the site.

Prior to development, we engaged a local geotechnical engineering firm to do a site evaluation on this property, Benton said. They reported no significant historical/archeological features on the property.

The Alabama Historical Commission  the state agency that enforces the Alabama Burial Act  said that it could not comment on an active investigation, but that the act requires construction to stop if human remains of any age are found on the site.

When there is an accidental disturbance of a cemetery  or discovery of human remains (or remains that might be human) - all ground disturbing work should stop within a minimum 100-foot radius of the discovery and law enforcement should be notified immediately, AHC spokesperson Andi Martin said via email.

The Alabama Legislature amended the act in 2010 to specifically include all human remains, not just those in marked or known cemeteries or recent remains. Martin said the law recognizes that accidental disturbances may occur at unmarked sites, but that developers have a responsibility to act when they find human remains.

Accidental disturbance of a cemetery and/or human remains is not a violation as long as the discovery is reported as soon as possible, Martin said. If a cemetery/remains are disturbed and ground disturbance continues after the discovery, this may represent a willful criminal violation as defined in the act.

Hoksbergen, the Redstone archaeologist, said he repeatedly attempted to contact the developer, and city and state authorities about the situation since last summer but finally felt compelled to speak about the situation with AL.com when construction continued.

Hoksbergen said some of the bones found at the site were faunal, most likely deer, but some appeared to be a human tibial fragment, skull fragment and teeth.

This site is technically legally protected, Hoksbergen said. It'd be just like if this was an early plantation cemetery or slave cemetery, it's got the same legal protection.

Benton said the company had heard from a gentleman that wanted to dig for artifacts in the site, last May but they did not give him permission to do so.

As for a potential burial site we have zero information to suggest this, Benton said. We have found nothing during construction that would indicate this and no information that suggest the potential for a burial site.

Artifacts still visible

In February 2020, standing just outside the construction sites silt fence on the Wildlife Sanctuary, Hoksbergen can quickly identify and pick up several artifacts on the surface. He points out a spearhead fragment here, a piece of rock with stone tool markings there as excavators move dirt around in the background.

I work with developers, I work with the Army engineers and I understand their need to meet a bottom line, but the laws the law, Hoksbergen said. I cant just sit and watch this happen.

Hoksbergen said after he learned of the site, he consulted the Alabama State Site File, where he found an archaeological site assessment performed by Tennessee Valley Archaeological Research in 2010 for the previous owner of the property. TVAR is a private archaeology firm that has been contracted by the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Alabama Department of Transportation, Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Alabama and other clients.

Their assessment showed hundreds of historical artifacts from a Native American settlement estimated to be from 500-900 AD and recommended that portions of the site be preserved or maintained as green space due to the high concentration of artifacts.

It is clear that this site is extensive and certain locales within the site reflect intense American Indian occupation, the report said, adding that the site may be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The report recommended that the areas of the property with the highest concentration of artifacts be preserved from development.

Hoksbergen said the number of artifacts described in that survey is exceptionally high.

Normally when we find five artifacts or more, we consider it high density and potentially National Register eligible, Hoksbergen said. TVAR, some of their shovel tests had well over 100 artifacts in each test. So that's extraordinary, especially in an upland area like this.

The TVAR survey did not uncover human remains, but Hoksbergen said Jones and other local residents have sent him photographs of human remains found on the site since construction began.

Folks in the neighborhood would continue to come out here and collect it as the construction was going on, Hoksbergen said. People were sending me pictures of skull fragments and teeth and so I got confirmation that there is in fact burials out here, which we suspected from the beginning.

Hoksbergen said that the TVAR report was included in the Alabama State Site File should have been reviewed as part of the environmental assessment for the project.

Benton said his company had not seen the TVAR report until AL.com emailed him a copy last week. He said that according to his understanding of the law, he was not obligated to report such findings if they occurred, attaching a PDF of what appears to be a scanned version of the Code of Alabama from 2003, before the law was amended in 2010.

Hoksbergen said he also contacted the Huntsville Police Department and spoke with the city attorney about the situation, but the city had declined to take action.

City of Huntsville Communications Director Kelly Schrimsher said via email that the city was not aware of any historical sites in the area.

The site assessment from the developer, Jeff Benton, for that project showed no evidence of historical material on the property, Schrimsher said. City records also show no evidence of historical sites in the area of the development site.

Huntsvilles municipal zoning code requires a setback of at least 25 feet which shall extend from the boundaries of significant historical or archaeological sites as determined by the Alabama Historical Commission, which maintains the Alabama State Site File. The Alabama Historical Commission declined to comment on this case, citing an active investigation.

Schrimsher said the city planning department did not have access to the Alabama State Site File, and the TVAR report was not provided to the city at the time of development. She said the city to her knowledge had received no reports of human remains being found on the site and that there were procedures in place to shut down construction sites if human remains were found on site.

The city provided AL.com a copy of the developers site assessment, a six-page document that describes environmental conditions at the site. According to the assessment, the engineers conducted a review of available literature, and contacted government agencies. The document did not specifically cite which documents were reviewed or which agencies contacted.

Under the subhead Historic and Archaeological Features, the document says None evident.

Hunter Johnson, the archaeologist for TVAR who conducted the assessment in 2010, said the city was aware that there were artifacts in the area.

I can't say specifically for Jeff Benton, but the city and the environmental consultant that hired us originally to do that [report], they were aware of the sensitivity of this site, Johnson said.

A tale of Alabamas past

Today, the site is on the sprawling southeastern edge of one of Alabamas fastest growing cities, located across Monte Sano mountain from downtown, in an area that was largely farms and swampland just 30 years ago. Recently, new schools and new homes have flooded the cove. But around 1,500 years ago, the area likely became a refuge for a people on the run.

Hoksbergen said of the indigenous settlements of that time were mostly centered along the rivers, but around 535 AD, settlements migrated to upland village sites. Hoksbergen excavated one such village site located on Redstone Arsenal and said based on the TVAR report, the Hidden Springs site would probably have been similar.

The reason for the inland migration appears to be a widespread climatic event beginning in 535 AD that impacted much of the world. Its unclear whether it was sparked by a major volcanic eruption, or a meteor that collided with Earth, but the predominant belief is that a significant dust cloud enveloped much of the Northern hemisphere, blocking out the sun and leading to almost worldwide crop failures. Written records from Ireland to China describe famines occurring around this time, and the event appears to have impacted Native American peoples as well.

Worldwide, if they have any sort of written record, they talk about 10 years of winter, you know, temperatures dropped, in the middle of the day it looked like midnight, Hoksbergen said. 10 years of a solar eclipse, essentially.

Hoksbergen said the areas original inhabitants retreated away from the rivers, possibly in response to new tribes moving into the area. Hoksbergen said the burials found in north Alabama from this period indicate a time of violent conflict, with remains often showing shattered skulls, broken bones or other injuries, based on excavations of similar sites in the region.

We noticed about 75 percent of the skeletal samples we had had evidence of violent trauma, he said. We had scalp marks and trophy heads and people with fractures on their forearms like they were blocking blows. Several of the skulls had compression fractures like they'd been clubbed.

We think that big population movement off the river was the result of some external group moving in and raiding to try to supplement their resource base, and that pushed the local population of hunter-gatherers up into the uplands.

Hoksbergen said the fossil record showed that the inhabitants stayed on similar upland sites for about a century before migrating back down to the rivers, but the years appeared to be difficult based on what appear to be ancient trash pits.

They limited their access to their traditional resource bases [by moving inland], so theyre desperate and eating snails, Hoksbergen said. We noticed that squirrel bones are way over represented compared to other sites, so theyre hunting smaller game and all the animal bones we found were over-processed. Deer bones were just crushed to a pulp and boiled for, you know, to try to get every nutrient that you could possibly get.

Hoksbergen said the inhabitants were not building large burial mounds during this period, instead choosing to bury their dead near the villages.

What next?

Construction on the subdivision is ongoing.

When the TVAR site assessment was conducted, its purpose was to determine which parts of the property should be preserved or excluded from development. The owner at that time, Margaret Anne Goldsmith, was donating portions of the land to the city of Huntsville to create what is now the Goldsmith-Schiffman Wildlife Sanctuary.

At the time, the land was being used to grow cotton, but the in the TVAR assessment report, Johnson recommended that the site be preserved due to its historical significance.

It is recommended that the site be planted in grass and used as a green space, the report states. If the site remains in agriculture, it is the recommendation of Tennessee Valley Archaeological Research that no till farming be practiced at the site.

However, at some point after that site assessment, the portion of the property containing many of the artifacts was divided from the wildlife preserve property and sold to Jeff Benton Homes.

Johnson said he was initially told the site would be preserved.

We were told verbally, I don't think we had this written, but we were told that they were going to, because of the sensitivity of the site, that they were going to incorporate it into the preserve, Johnson said.

Obviously, that didn't happen.

Hoksbergen said he would like to see the space preserved, possibly as part of the wildlife sanctuary, with an educational marker about the areas prior inhabitants.

I initially reached out to the developer and they didn't want anything to do with me, Hoksbergen said. Otherwise, I would like to work this out with them.

But what I would encourage them to do is use the site boundaries that TVAR established and exclude those sections from development.
Notpla is an edible material made from seaweed and plants that can encapsulate drinking water other edible materials, eliminating the need for plastic packaging.

From Fast Company:

The designers used a technique from molecular gastronomy to create the packageif you dip a sphere of ice in a mixture of calcium chloride and brown algae extract, an edible membrane forms around the ice, holding everything in place as the ice melts back to room temperature. A small version of the package is designed to break open inside your mouth. "It's a bit like a cherry tomato," says Paslier. "You put it in your cheek and bite on it. It explodes, so it's quite a surprising experience." The startup partnered with the Scottish whisky brand Glenlivet last year to make a "glassless cocktail" capsule that customers can imbibe along with whisky. The seaweed coating, which is tasteless, can either be eaten or composted.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mexican Gold Mining Corp. (the Company or Mexican Gold") (TSXV: MEX) announces that along with New Found Gold Corp. (NFGC), it has mutually terminated the binding letter agreement to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of NFGC.



The Company also wishes to announce the re-commencement of field operations at its Las Minas project in Veracruz, Mexico. Mexican Gold is preparing for an upcoming drill program to follow-up the discovery of a high-grade gold occurrence in a previously unexplored area near the Cinco Senores prospect where the Company intersected 21.37 g/t gold over 2m and 8.94 g/t gold within the entire 5.2m altered zone in hole LM-19-CS-13. Please refer to Mexican Golds January 21, 2020 new release for further information.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Sonny Bernales, P. Geo., a registered Professional Geoscientist in the Province of British Columbia and a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Bernales is responsible for logistics and supervision of all exploration activity conducted by Mexican Gold on the property.

About Mexican Mining Gold Corp.

Mexican Gold Mining Corp. is a Canadian based mineral exploration and development company committed to building long-term value through ongoing discoveries and strategic acquisitions of prospective precious metals and copper projects in the Americas. Mexican Gold is exploring the Las Minas Project, which is located in the core of the Las Minas mining district in Veracruz State, Mexico, and is host to one of the newest, under-explored skarn systems known in Mexico.

For more information, please contact:

Philip ONeill  CEO, President, and Director

E-mail: info@mexicangold.ca

Telephone: (604) 638-1428

Website: www.mexicangold.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.
JENKINTOWN  The Abington Advocacy Team and Abington Friends Meeting are sponsoring the screening of the unique one-hour film An Endless War? Getting Out of Afghanistan featuring a Skype appearance by former Marine and acclaimed peace activist Matthew Hoh.

Discussion will follow the film showing, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29, at Abington Friends Meeting, 520 Meetinghouse Rd. Jenkintown.

Hoh is a senior fellow with the Center for International Policy. In 2009, he resigned in protest his position with the State Department in Afghanistan over the escalation of the war by the Obama Administration. Prior to that he had been in the Iraq War as a Marine Corps officer and also with a State Department team. Hoh is a disabled veteran and a member of Veterans For Peace.

Contact Abingtonadvocacy@gmail.com for more information. http://thepeacereport.com/an-endless-war-getting-out-of-afghanistan-film/
Risky drinking is a significant problem for youth and young adults, and mass media messages--such as TV commercials--are frequently used in campaigns aimed at warning them about alcohol use. But how these videos effectively increase awareness of risky drinking, or if they reduce alcohol use in an audience, is not always clear. A new study published in NeuroImage has applied the science of brain synchronisation to assessing the success of alcohol risk campaigns. The results show that the stronger, more engaging videos led to more synchronised brain activity in viewers and that this was associated with subsequent reductions in risky drinking. By showing that neural measures can help to predict alcohol message success, the study shows promise for applications in public health.

###

Read the full story in the University of Konstanz's online magazine, campus.kn: https://www.campus.uni-konstanz.de/en/science/brain-measurements-can-reveal-success-of-alcohol-risk-messages

Facts:

University of Konstanz researchers publish experimental study examining the audience reaction of young adults using electroencephalography (EEG) while watching real-life health advertisements about risky alcohol use.

The study found out that the stronger, more engaging ads lead to more synchronised brain signals in viewers and this synchronisation is correlated to subsequent reduction in drinking.

Original publication: "Strong health messages increase audience brain coupling" by Martin Imhof, Ralf Schmalzle, Britta Renner and Harald Schupp is published in NeuroImage with the DOI 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116527.

Authors Martin Imhof, Harald Schupp, and Britta Renner are all members of the multidisciplinary research unit "RiskDynamics", which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), and of the DFG Cluster of Excellence "Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour".

The full story is available at the University of Konstanz's online magazine, campus.kn: In campus.kn, we use multimedia approaches to provide insights into our research and science, study and teaching as well as life on campus.

Contact:

University of Konstanz

Communications and Marketing

Phone: +49 7531 88-3603

Email: kum@uni-konstanz.de

uni.kn/en
Sanaullah Dar was due to undergo surgery to remove a tumour in his bladder. Four months later, he was dead, with doctors blaming a lockdown imposed by New Delhi on the restive part of Kashmir it controls. In August, India's Hindu-nationalist government stripped the Himalayan region of its semi-autonomous status and imposed restrictions on movement and a communications blackout, virtually cutting it off from the outside world. Life for Kashmir's seven-million inhabitants came to a standstill, including for doctors and patients who rely heavily on the internet to consult specialists outside the region, communicate with patients and order vital medicine. "To get appropriate healthcare for patients like my father is difficult anyway," Dar's 20-year-old daughter, Sumaya, told AFP. The lockdown and blackout "made it impossible" for the family to schedule the surgery Dar urgently needed in Mumbai, 2,000 kilometres (1,300 miles) away. By the time the family was able to get him to a hospital in Delhi in late October, it was too late. Dar passed away a week after he returned home. Omar, an oncologist who treated Dar in Kashmir and who only wanted to give his first name, told AFP the surgery "probably would have been able to save" Dar if it had gone ahead as scheduled. Dar was not his only patient to die due to the lack of timely specialist treatment, he said, adding he had heard of other deaths from other doctors' patients. - 'Needlessly difficult' - India is the world leader in cutting internet services, activists say, and access was also temporarily suspended in other parts of the country during recent protests against a new citizenship law. New Delhi said the Kashmir blackout was necessary to restrict communications by militants who it alleges are supported by arch-rival Pakistan, which has fought two wars with India over the territory. Mobile phone coverage has slowly been restored in Kashmir, and restrictions on movement relaxed. Internet access was partially restored in late January, but users can only access government-approved websites that include international news publications and platforms such as Netflix and Amazon. Mobile phone data, however, is still limited to slower second-generation (2G) connections -- of little use for doctors trying to conduct remote consultations. And all social media sites remain blocked. Omar is a member of a WhatsApp group of international cardio specialists that had detected 1,600 cardiac events among patients in Kashmir in the 18 months up to last August by sharing and analysing more than 50,000 urgent electrocardiograms. "I am not able to access anything which is of importance," he said. "The key provision of healthcare these days is being up to date." At hospitals and universities, broadband can only be used by administrative staff, leaving doctors unable to access crucial research findings and remedies shared online. - Fear of death - Chronic or acute patients who need life-saving medications have also suffered, with courier services not delivering supplies from other parts of India to Kashmir. Abdul Rahim Langoo, a houseboat owner and tourism operator who has a rare type of cancer, feared he would die as he could not contact drug suppliers in India's capital New Delhi when phone lines were cut. Even after the lines were restored, the 57-year-old faced difficulties sending his doctor's prescription, which was required for the order, over the internet. The clampdown hit tourist operators like Langoo badly, with just a handful of travellers -- local and foreign -- visiting the picturesque valley since August. That meant Langoo and other patients AFP spoke to can't afford the flight to Delhi, about 810 kilometres from Srinagar, to purchase medications directly if they can't order them remotely. Some can't even afford to buy the expensive drugs their lives depend on. "I am struggling to buy this drug every month," Langoo told AFP as he sat in his exquisitely decorated but empty houseboat on the banks on a Srinagar lake. "And the nature of my business is tourism and from August till now there is no tourism, we have no income." Sumaya Dar said her family was devastated by her father's death. "You don't understand how crucial phones and the internet are until something like this happens to you," she said. "I feel like I too died... Life existed for us only up to the time my father was alive." Kashmiri doctors and patients rely heavily on the internet to consult specialists outside the region, communicate with patients and order vital medicine Abdul Rahim Langoo, a houseboat owner and tourism operator who has a rare type of cancer, feared he would die as he could not contact drug suppliers in India's capital New Delhi when phone lines were cut At hospitals and universities, broadband can only be used by administrative staff, leaving doctors unable to access crucial research findings and remedies shared online Cancer patients rest inside a hospital ward in Srinagar
Courtesy of Sonya VanGelderen

En espanol | Sonya VanGelderen grew up in Canada but felt the pull to go south ever since she hit her 50s.

Her kids were grown, she was newly divorced and she was ready to invent a happier version of herself. So she set off for Latin America, decided to stay and learned Spanish.

"I wanted to know the real culture, the real people, and I wanted to be able to, you know, say, What a cute little baby when I was passing someone on the street, says VanGelderen, now 57 and a bilingual property manager on the coast in Progreso, Mexico. I guess I wanted to integrate with the people.

She's one of thousands of boomers and Generation Xers who retire, or semi-retire early, each year to a warmer, seemingly more exotic or less expensive country. And she's done what many people her age can't: learn a new language.

Though learning a language at any age has been found to stimulate the brain, it's not easy to master a second language when you're older.

But it's not impossible, says Joshua Hartshorne, a researcher and director of the Language Learning Laboratory at Boston College. It's just that young children are much better at it, and scientists still are trying to figure out why.

Immerse yourself in the language early

Two things will help you learn a new language, Hartshorne says: immersing yourself in exclusive use of a new language  and youth.

"Being young is good when it comes to this, he says. Being in the place where the language is spoken and trying to speak it all day is even better. So, moving to a country where the language is spoken and trying to learn it there will be even more successful if you're 2 years old at the time that you do it."
As death toll climbs, China blames US for coronavirus, 'causing panic'

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As coronavirus cases and deaths spike in China, Communist officials have attempted to deflect blame away from the central government by accusing the United States of both starting the virus and causing panic in its response to the outbreak, according to a human rights outlet.

Religious liberty magazine Bitter Winter reports that on Jan. 26, Chinas military online portal Xilu.com published an article, claiming that the coronavirus is a biochemical weapon produced by the US to target China.

Imperialism has never stopped attacking, destroying, and annihilating China. But China is developing so rapidly that imperialism rips off its mask of hypocrisy and openly acts [against China], the article says.

The Global Times, a Communist Party-controlled tabloid, also accused the U.S. of immoral conduct and repeatedly claimed the Wests response to the disease is stained by racism and a yellow peril mythology.

In a briefing for reporters earlier in February, Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs, similarly deflected blame by citing an overreaction from the U.S. government that has spread fear and set a bad example for other nations, reports the BBC.

The U.S. is turning from overconfidence to fear and overreaction, she said, citing the Trump administrations decision to evacuate some U.S. Embassy personnel and impose a ban on Chinese travelers.

She also accused the U.S. of failing to provide any substantial help to China since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has infected more than 70,548 people in mainland China and killed 1,770.

Hundreds of cases have been confirmed elsewhere, with the virus being reported in 26 countries in the Asia-Pacific region as well as Europe, North America, Africa and the Middle East.

Chinas criticism of the U.S. comes amid widespread dissatisfaction with the Chinese governments inability to deal with the crisis and seeming lack of transparency over the magnitude of the outbreak.

In an essay, Xu Zhangrun, a law professor from one of the countrys top universities, blamed the crisis on a culture of suppression and systemic impotence that Chinese President Xi Jinping has created.

The cause of all of this lies with The Axelrod and the cabal that surrounds him, Xu wrote, referring to Xi, according to a translation of the article by historian Geremie Barme, published Monday by the website ChinaFile.

It is a system that turns every natural disaster into an even greater man-made catastrophe. The coronavirus epidemic has revealed the rotten core of Chinese governance; the fragile and vacuous heart of the jittering edifice of state has thereby shown up as never before.

Xu described the outbreak as a national calamity that involves politics, the economy and the nations ethical fabric, making it more perilous than total war itself.

Shortly after the article was published, Xu was detained by authorities in the southern city of Guangzhou and remains missing. His girlfriend, Li Qiaochu, a social activist, also went missing on Sunday, according to The New York Times.

Xu had also joined a group of Chinese academics in signing an open letter, calling for the government to issue an apology for reprimanding Li Wenliang, a young doctor who died just weeks after trying to alert the world to the dangers of the illness.

The letter also called for freedom of speech and rights guaranteed by the constitution to be protected amid the governments efforts to limit dissent in China, according to the South China Morning Post.

Amid the chaos, Christian humanitarian organizations are stepping up to provide hope and physical aid to those suffering.

International evangelical humanitarian agency World Vision aims to help 390,000 people in 10 Chinese provinces by distributing personal protective equipment and sanitation products that include face masks, thermometers, sanitizers and soap.

Erica Van Deren, World Vision program manager for humanitarian and emergency affairs, told CP the cost of World Visions coronavirus-related efforts in China is estimated to be about $3.7 million.

So far, the group has already distributed 50,000 hospital-grade face masks to people in five counties in four provinces.

These are incredibly poor families, she said. World Vision China has a history of addressing the needs of these communities.

Additionally, World Help, an organization serving the physical and spiritual needs of people in impoverished communities around the world, announced it is partnering with pastors on the ground to distribute emergency relief in the provinces surrounding Wuhan.

The aid includes protective face masks and food for those living in areas where the coronavirus is spreading.

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, Mark Hogsed, World Helps vice president of international programs, 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.
Portland, OR, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The antihypertensive drugs industry was pegged at $22.56 billion in 2018, and is estimated to reach $28.79 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 3.1% from 2019 to 2026. The report provides an extensive analysis of the market dynamics including drivers & restraints, major winning strategies, market size & projections, competitive landscape, and major segments.

Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/436

Increase in geriatric population worldwide, rise in healthcare expenditure worldwide, and surge in prevalence of hypertension across the globe have augmented the growth of the global antihypertensive drugs market. Whereas, patent expirations of blockbuster drugs impede the market growth. On the other hand, high growth potential in developing economies is projected to provide lucrative opportunities in the near future.

The global antihypertensive drugs market size is categorized on the basis of therapeutic class, distribution channel, and region. Based on drug class, the market is divided into diuretics, ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, vasodilators, beta-adrenergic blockers, and others. The calcium channel blockers segment held the largest share in 2018, contributing to more than one-fourth of the global antihypertensive drugs market. However, the ACE inhibitors segment is projected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 4.7% during the forecast period.

Based on distribution channel, the market is categorized into retail pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, and e-commerce. The e-commerce websites and online drug stores segment is expected to register the fastest CAGR of 4.2% through 2026. On the other hand, the hospital pharmacy segment accounted for the highest share in 2018, contributing to more than half of the global antihypertensive drugs market.

The global antihypertensive drugs market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. The market across the North America region held the largest share in 2018, contributing to more than one-third of the revenue. However, the market across Asia Pacific is estimated to register the fastest CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period.

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Key market players analyzed in the research include Merck KGaA, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Johnson and Johnson, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Daiichi Sankyo Company, Novartis International AG, AstraZeneca plc, Pfizer, Inc., Sanofi S.A., and Bayer AG.

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Oncology/Cancer Drugs Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192026

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Abuja, Nigeria (PANA)  The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says that the growing activities of oil thieves and pirates along the country's waterways and the Gulf of Guinea threaten the operations of the corporation
A Mexican has been arrested in the US city of Miami for spying on "a US government source" on behalf of Russia, the Department of Justice alleged Tuesday.

Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes, a Mexican citizen who lives in Singapore, is accused of conspiracy and "acting within the United States on behalf of a foreign government."



US intelligence officials have identified Russia as a central spying threat to the country, and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation last year found that Moscow interfered in the 2016 presidential election -- a finding that President Donald Trump has repeatedly dismissed.

According to court documents cited in a Department of Justice (DOJ) release, a Russian government official recruited Fuentes last year and told him to rent a specific property in Miami-Dade County, not using his own name.

Fuentes allegedly traveled to Russia, where he told the government official about the arrangements.

On a subsequent trip this month, the Russian official "provided Fuentes with a physical description of a US government source's vehicle and told Fuentes to locate the car, obtain the source's vehicle license plate number, and note the physical location of the source's vehicle," DOJ alleged.

Last week, Fuentes traveled to Miami from Mexico City and drove to the residence of his target, where a security guard stopped him, but his companion managed to photograph the target's license plate, the court documents said.

When the pair tried to leave Miami for Mexico City on Sunday, US Customs and Border Protection allegedly found images of the photo in their phones.

"According to court documents, messages on Fuentes's phone showed that the Russian official initiated and directed the meetings," the DOJ statement said, without giving any further detail about the US source targeted.

Fuentes is to appear in court for a pretrial detention hearing on Friday, followed by his arraignment on March 3.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government on Wednesday made its flagship crop insurance schemes voluntary for farmers with existing crop loans or those willing to take new ones, as it seeks to address the concerns raised by farmers' body and states in implementation of these programmes.

"The Union Cabinet has approved revamping of 'Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)' and 'Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS)' to address the existing challenges in implementation of crop insurance schemes," an official statement said.

Under the PMFBY, which was launched in February 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is mandatory for loanee farmers to take insurance cover under this scheme.

The PMFBY provides comprehensive crop insurance from pre-sowing to post-harvest period against non-preventable natural risks at extremely low premium rate of 2 per cent for kharif crops, 1.5 per cent for rabi crops and 5 per cent for horticulture and commercial crops.

The Cabinet approved modification of certain parameters/provisions of ongoing PMFBY and RWBCIS schemes.

"Enrolment under the scheme to be made voluntary for all farmers (both PMFBY/ RWBCIS)," Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told reporters here.

He said currently 58 per cent of total farmers are loanee and the remaining 42 per cent are non-loanee. The number of farmers opting for these crop insurance schemes may drop immediately but the enrolment would eventually pick up, Tomar said.

The minister said the government would launch a campaign for creating awareness among farmers about the need to take a crop insurance policy.

These modifications will help in addressing the concerns raised about the PMFBY scheme by farmers organisations and states, he said.

Among other modification, Tomar said the allocation of business to insurance firms through tender process would be done for three years as against the current policy of one to three years.

"Central share in premium subsidy to be increased to 90 per cent for north eastern states from the existing sharing pattern of 50:50 (Both PMFBY/RWBCIS)," the statement said.

Tomar said States will not be allowed to implement these schemes in subsequent seasons in case of considerable delay in release of requisite premium subsidy to insurance companies beyond a prescribed time limit. Cut-off dates for invoking this provision for Kharif and Rabi seasons will be 31st March and 30th September of successive years, respectively.

The Cabinet also approved provisioning of at least 3 per cent of the total allocation for the scheme to be made by the Centre and implementing state governments for administrative expenses.

For estimation of crop losses/admissible claims in the PMFBY, two-step process will be adopted based on defined deviation matrix using specific triggers like weather indicators, satellite indicators, etc, for each area along with normal ranges and deviation ranges. Only areas with deviations will be subject to crop cutting experiments (CCEs) for assessment of yield loss.

Technology solutions like Smart Sampling Technique (SST) and optimization of number of CCEs would be adopted in conducting CCEs. In case of non-provision of yield data beyond cut-off date by the States to implementing insurance firms, claims will be settled based on yield arrived through use of technology solution.

The central subsidy under PMFBY/RWBCIS to be limited for premium rates up to 30 per cent for un-irrigated areas/crops and 25 per cent for irrigated areas/crops. Districts having 50 per cent or more irrigated area will be considered as irrigated area/district.

States have been given flexibility to implement the schemes with option to select any or many of additional risk covers/features like prevented sowing, localised calamity, mid-season adversity, and post-harvest losses. Further, States/UT can offer specific single peril risk/insurance covers, like hailstorm etc, under PMFBY even with or without opting for base cover (Both PMFBY/RWBCIS).

"As the scheme is being made voluntary for all farmers, therefore, to provide financial support and effective risk mitigation tools through crop insurance especially to 151 districts which are highly water stressed including 29 which are doubly stressed because of low income of farmers and drought, a separate, scheme in this regard would also be prepared," the statement said.

The concerned provisions/parameters of scheme and operational guidelines of the PMFBY and RWBCIS would be modified to incorporate these modifications and made operational from Kharif 2020 season.

"With these changes, it is expected that farmers would be able to manage risk in agriculture production in a better way and will succeed in stabilizing the farm income. These changes will also enable quick and accurate yield estimation leading to faster claims settlement," the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The US Embassy in Libya has called on all Libyan parties to join the UN-supervised "5 + 5" Joint Military Committee talks in Geneva, Switzerland, saying that the talks should "resume quickly in order to progress towards the long-awaited ceasefire and the withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries" from Libya
Gold Terra Resource Corp. (CVE:YGT) (OTCMKTS:YGTFF) owns a 100% interest in the Yellowknife City Gold ("YCG") Project, encompassing 790 sq km of contiguous land within 12 kilometers of the city of Yellowknife. The Project is located in the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering 70 kilometers of strike length along the main mineralized break in proximity to the former high-grade Con and Giant gold mines which have produced over 14 million ounces of gold. The YCG Project is close to vital infrastructure, including all-season roads, air transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power and skilled tradespeople. On November 4, 2019, Gold Terra announced an Inferred mineral resource of 735,000 ounces of gold for the YCG Project, consisting of a pit constrained Inferred mineral resource of 11.6 million tonnes averaging 1.4 g/t for 523,000 ounces of contained gold and an underground Inferred mineral resource of 1.2 million tonnes averaging 5.7 g/t for 212,000 ounces of contained gold.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-18 21:44:44|Editor: huaxia

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A woman holds a placard to support China in front of the Tel Aviv Municipality Hall lit up with the colors of China's national flag in solidarity with China's fight against novel coronavirus epidemic in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 11, 2020. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

The epidemic no doubt is a challenge for the tourism industry and people naturally are scared and would postpone their travels, but in the end people will go on vacations, said Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin.

JERUSALEM, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The unexpected novel coronavirus epidemic has created some temporary impacts, but China's tourism market has a huge potential for Israel over the long term, said Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin.

China has become one of the main source markets for Israeli tourism, Levin told Xinhua in a recent interview, saying the number of Chinese visitors surpassed 150,000 in 2019.

This was a great increase, but "it is still not a big number and the potential is still to be exploited," noted Levin.

According to the annual report released by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of Chinese tourists that visited Israel last year reached 156,100, up 36.7 percent compared to 2018.

A sunbather floats on the Dead Sea in Israeli Dead Sea Hotels area on June 11, 2012. (Xinhua/Yin Dongxun)

"We miss Chinese tourists and I hope that what happens now will be ended as fast as possible," he said in reference to the ongoing COVID-19.

Levin added that he is sure that "the Chinese government is doing its best in order to create a situation that all this problem will be behind us."

The epidemic no doubt is a challenge for the tourism industry and people naturally are scared and would postpone their travels, but in the end people will go on vacations. "I am sure we will overcome it," said Levin.

Levin believed the flow of Chinese tourists to Israel will continue and grow once the problem is solved.

"The relations between Israel and China are strong and Chinese tourists are very welcomed all the time," he said. "I hope that we will see China is big and strong as usual."

Levin has come to China for several times as a tourism minister and traveled to various Chinese cities. He said he was "very impressed" by the country every time he visits.

Both Israel and China have been working closely to strengthen cooperation and exchanges to tap into the great potential in the two countries' tourism industries.

"I actually grew up among books in Chinese," he said, adding that his mother was one of the first Israelis to learn Chinese and was head of the Asian and African department of the Israeli National Library.

"China has a unique history and has an important place in the heritage of the world," noted Levin.

Thanks to the closer ties between China and Israel, a number of non-stop flights have been in operation, serving as a significant bridge for tourism and people-to-people exchanges between the two nations. 
Aramco Trading Co (ATC) has sealed a new deal to secure long-term crude oil supplies from state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) that can be processed at refineries owned by Saudi Aramco in Asia, trade sources said.

ATC inked its first contract to buy Kuwaiti Export Crude (KEC) from KPC this year, three sources with knowledge of the matter said. The company is the trading arm of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of Saudi Arabia, which is the world's largest oil exporter.

One of the sources said ATC will nominate a volume each month.

Saudi Aramco and KPC declined to comment.

The Kuwaiti crude supply contract is in addition to two other annual deals ATC sealed late last year to buy naphtha from Italy and Greece in 2020.

The deals allow ATC to widen its supply sources globally beyond Saudi Arabia to secure feedstock for Saudi Aramco's expanding refining and petrochemical base in Asia after a drone attack in September crippled its oil production facilities and forced domestic refineries to cut output, the sources said.

After the incident, ATC had to hunt for cargoes in the spot market which pushed up prices.

The contracts also boosts the volume of oil that ATC trades and allows it to have direct control over where it can divert excess naphtha to when prices are favourable, the sources said.

Saudi Aramco holds shares in refining and petrochemical projects at two sites in China, one in Japan, one in Malaysia, and owns a large stake in South Korean refiner S-Oil Corp , according to the company's website.
A consultant for Burisma with links to Hunter Biden approached a top State Department official in June 2016 to discuss troubling events in Ukraine, according to newly released State Department emails.

Consultant Sally Painter of Blue Star Strategies was at the time working with Burisma, the Ukrainian natural gas company, to quash corruption investigations into the firm. Painter approached then-deputy secretary of state Tony Blinken at an event for the Truman National Security Project, and sent an email to Blinkens top aide three days later requesting a second meeting with the deputy secretary.

Per my conversation with Tony at the Truman event, [Painters Blue Star partner] Karen Tramontano and I would like to have a brief coffee with Tony at his earliest convenience regarding some troubling events we are seeing n [sic] Ukraine, Painter wrote in a June 27, 2016 email first reported by the Daily Caller.

The email shows an instance of Burismas efforts to contact State Department officials at the same time it was being investigated for corruption. However, the email does not specify whether Painter discussed Burisma with Blinken. Other emails show that Tramontano had been in contact with the state department specifically regarding Burisma.

Painter and Hunter Biden both served on the board of the Truman Project, a D.C.-based liberal think tank (Biden left the Project in 2019). The New York Times has reported that Biden connected Burisma with Painters firm, Blue Star.

Hunter Biden served on Burismas board from 2014 to 2019, overlapping with Joe Bidens tenure as vice president. President Trump and allies have repeatedly accused Hunter Biden of a conflict of interest and corruption over his business dealings in Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the Daily Caller reported that Hunter Biden was director of the Center for U.S. Global Leadership, a trade group, from 2012 to 2018. The group lobbied for increased aid to Ukraine at the same time Joe Biden was pressing the Obama administration to increase Ukraine funding.

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In a video recorded last year, presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg refers to transgender women as some guy in a dress. This is the second time Mr Bloomberg has been recorded making such statements in recent years.

The March 2019 video also has Mr Bloomberg referring to transgender people as he, she or it in comments aimed at warning 2020 Democratic candidates against emphasising transgender issues, arguing that they would not play well in parts of America.

Mr Bloomberg joins the other Democrat candidates on stage tonight in his first debate of the primaries  the ninth for the other contenders.

In an interview with Kristen Welker that airs tonight on NBC Nightly News, fellow presidential candidate former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, when asked what Mr Bloomberg has to answer for on the debate stage, said: I think he has to answer for his treatment of others, for his language and above all for an attitude that seems to have dismissed the humanity of a lot of people.

Mr Bloombergs comments were recorded before he announced his candidacy for the 2020 Democratic nomination at a forum hosted by the Bermuda Development Agency. The clip surfaced shortly after a new campaign ad described the former mayor of New York as being incredibly sensitive to LGBT+ issues.

Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Show all 18 1 /18 Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Jessica Canicosa, a precinct captain for Bernie Sanders, waits to greet caucus voters at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Hotel workers at the Bellagio in Las Vegas get to grips with voting papers during the Nevada caucuses AFP via Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A caricature of Bernie Sanders is projected on to a tree during a rally in Las Vegas EPA Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A woman waits to have a photo taken with Elizabeth Warren during a town hall meeting in Las Vegas REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures The threat of coronavirus and other germ-borne illnesses was on some voters' minds at the Democratic caucuses in Henderson, Nevada Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Former vice-president Joe Biden takes a selfie with a voter in Las Vegas ahead of the Nevada caucuses REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Amy Klobuchar changes her shoes backstage after giving a speech in Exeter, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A warmly-wrapped-up dog attends an Elizabeth Warren event at Amherst Elementary School in Nashua, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Bernie Sanders, who romped to victory in New Hampshire against Hillary Clinton in 2016, talks to the media in Manchester Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden was hoping to improve on his poor showing in Iowa in the New Hampshire primary Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren, renowned for giving time to supporters for selfies, works the crowd at the University of New Hampshire in Durham Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden takes a selfie with a supporter and his child outside a campaign event in Somersworth, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders quarrel after a confrontation in a TV debate in which Sanders claimed that Warren was not telling the truth about a conversation in which she claimed he had said a woman could not win the presidency on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Supporter Pat Provencher listens to Pete Buttigieg in Laconia, New Hampshire on 4 February Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire while awaiting the results of the Iowa caucus Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren is presented with a balloon effigy of herself at a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A Trump supporter rides past a rally for Amy Klobuchar in Des Moines, Iowa on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A man holds up a sign criticising billionaires in the presidential race in front of Michael Bloomberg in Compton, Califronia. The former New York mayor skipped the first caucus in Iowa and instead campaigned in California on 3 February Reuters

If your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress and whether he, she, or it can go to the locker room with their daughter, thats not a winning formula for most people, he said.

He made similar remarks at Oxford University in 2016.

Speaking to Buzzfeed, a spokesperson for his campaign defended Mr Bloomberg: Mike understands that the transgender community has been under attack for decades and the advance of rights has not been equal. In April 2002, during his first year as mayor, Mike signed a sweeping transgender civil rights bill into law.

They also highlighted that Mr Bloombergs company provides comprehensive health care coverage for its transgender employees.

As president, he has a comprehensive plan to secure rights for transgender Americans, including passing the Equality Act, ensuring transgender people have access to affirming health care and working to end the crisis of violence against transgender women, the spokesperson added.
The National Union of Teachers says 547 teachers have been killed in the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast region of Nigeria.

The president of the union, Nasir Idris, said this in Abuja on Tuesday during the 2020 edition of the unions Solemn Assembly.

He did not state the period during which the casualties were recorded, as the insurgency in the northeast of Nigeria has run for over a decade.

He also said the government has not paid the benefits of the deceased teachers to their families.

It is unfortunate that some of the children of these teachers affected are dropped out of school sitting at home, some cant even go to their workplaces, he said.

Mr Idris said the union is engaging the affected state governments to ensure that the death benefits of the deceased teachers get to their families.

He also spoke on the meeting the union held with President Muhammadu Buhari on its request to adjust the retirement age of teachers to 65 years.

President Buhari directed that a memo be written through the Minister of Education itemising our request on the retirement age for onward approval, he said.

We have made headway, we have passed all the processes, from the Senate to the House of Representatives, everybody is in consonance with the agitation of the Nigerian teachers on the retirement age issue. We look at it that the gesture that allows university lecturers to teach till 65 should be passed onto us teachers of primary and secondary schools.

He said re-adjusting teachers retirement age to 65 would revive classrooms across the country.

Mr Idris said state governments no longer recruit teachers for rural areas which has created a gap in the education system.

Therefore we are having a shortage of teachers in our primary and secondary. That is why we are demanding that the retirement age be made 65, so that when local and state governments fail to recruit teachers we will be able to manage the ones in the system before their retirement.

President Buhari in January acknowledged that Nigeria had a deficit of teachers.

The president also said the federal government was ready to engage more qualified teachers to increase the teacher-to-pupil ratio in the country.

The prayer

In his sermon at the event, an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Muhammad Bin Uthman who said the first session of prayers, said, killings in the country have nothing to do with Islam.

The cleric appealed to the government to secure the country, ensure food security, provide jobs, quality education, healthcare and Infrastructure.

He advised the teachers to respect the claimable rights of the Nigerian child.

Mr Uthman appealed for better remuneration for teachers and advised teachers to avoid strike as much as possible.

For the second prayer session, Ben \Egemba said teaching is a painstaking work that needs patience and endurance. The Christian cleric advised teachers to go beyond teaching and become role models who encourage learning.

Mr Egemba said teachers remain parents and leaders.

During the solemn assembly, clergymen took turns to lead the teachers in special prayers against what they called the evil forces of educational decay, corruption, maladministration, insecurity and underdevelopment.

The teachers prayed for peace to return to Nigeria and end to all forms of insurgency and forces of destabilisation.

The assembly also prayed for presidential assent to the bill on the adjustment of the retirement age of teachers to 65 years, as well as for greater attention to the welfare of Nigerian teachers.

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The teachers also prayed for all teachers in Nigeria who died in the line of duty, kidnap victims and all internally-displaced persons to return to their homes.

The NUT Solemn Assembly was designed to kick start the activities of the union in the new year while committing the members and the annual plan of actions of the union to the guidance of God.
Russia's defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Libya's eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar met and agreed a political settlement is the only option for the North African country, RIA news agency said on Wednesday, citing a statement from the Russian military.

They agreed there was no alternative way to resolve Libya's crisis, according to RIA.

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Everything comes one way from the above, said Ms. Liu, referring to the governments top-down style of communicating. There is not a channel for local Wuhan people to communicate with the government so that we know what is happening, so we know that the government is aware of what we need.

As a volunteer, Ms. Liu doesnt provide transportation, food or face masks, but information. She starts her day by looking through online posts written by Wuhan citizens searching for help. She calls them to verify their details, makes edits to their posts and guides each person to the right authority or resource.

She has helped people file complaints, get treatment and hospital beds at a time when everyone in Wuhan seems to be struggling to make sense of the public health crisis caused by the coronavirus and people are desperate for any shred of information. There are cases in which people are sent to the wrong hospital; families who are unable to reach their sick or old relative; and patients with illnesses other than coronavirus who have nowhere to be treated.

More than 44,000 people have the coronavirus in Wuhan, the center of the outbreak. Nearly 2,000 have died in mainland China as of Wednesday. The government has been accused of being slow to respond and unforthcoming, making a bad situation worse.

As a journalist, what I try to do is to make the unbalanced communication more balanced, said Ms. Liu, who hasnt left home for a month. She said her experience dealing with Chinas opaque bureaucracy has helped her with the crisis. Still, she mostly feels powerless. There are just too many desperate people in Wuhan.
SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / TPT Global Tech, Inc. ("TPTG or the Company") (OTCQB:TPTW) announced today it has successfully paid off the remaining 43K convertible promissory note due August 22, 2019 issued by the Company to Geneva Roth Remark Holdings, Inc. ("Geneva Roth") located in New York City. Since March 15, 2019, the Company has issued five different convertible promissory notes to Geneva Roth for a total of $287,000, the first four of which totaled $244,000 were converted into 129,064,728 common shares of the Company. The remaining convertible note for $43,000 was paid off by paying $63,086, including the principal balance of $43,000, a 40% premium and accrued interest. The payment was made possible through a secured bridge loan of $90k provided by a third-party existing investor. The bridge loan is secured by the assets of the Company and is due June 14, 2020 or earlier in case the Company is successful in raising other monies and carries an annual interest charge of 10% payable with the principal.

The proceeds from the convertible promissory notes issued to Geneva Roth were used as part of the acquisition of the assets of Speed Connect, LLC, which assets were conveyed into TPT SpeedConnect, LLC ("TPT SpeedConnect"), wholly owned by the Company. The acquisition included the tradename of SpeedConnect. SpeedConnect is located in Frankenmuth, Michigan and is one of the largest Rural Wireless Internet Services Providers in the United States. Speed Connect has operations in 10 Midwestern states, Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Texas. The Company's plans are to upgrade the existing Speed Connect 10 state Broadband network to a 4G+/5G network offering faster speeds and added value products such as TV, Voice and Data Services to its 16,000 Rural Middle American telecommunication's customers.

"The conversion to stock and subsequent sale by Geneva Roth has had an adverse effect on our TPTW common stock price. Geneva Roth converted four of their five convertible promissory notes putting tremendous pressure on the company's stock price. We are very pleased the company was able to repay the last convertible promissory note which may ease market pressure on our stock. In the month of February, the company successfully completed paying the remaining balances of two debt relationships, Advantage Funding, a $753K merchant advance loan and now the last of the Geneva Roth convertible notes." said Stephen Thomas CEO TPTW.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of various provisions of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, commonly identified by such terms as "believes," "looking ahead," "anticipates," "estimates" and other terms with similar meaning. Specifically, statements about the Company's plans for accelerated growth, improved profitability, future business partners, M&A activity, new service offerings and pursuit of new markets are forward looking statements. Although the company believes that the assumptions upon which its forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements should not be construed as fact. The information contained in such statements is beyond the ability of the Company to control, and in many cases the Company cannot predict what factors would cause results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements. All forward-looking statements in the press release are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and by reference to the underlying assumptions.

About TPT Global Tech

TPT Global Tech Inc. (OTC:TPTW) based in San Diego, California, is a Technology/Telecommunications Media Content Hub for Domestic and International syndication and also provides Technology solutions to businesses domestically and worldwide. TPT Global offers Software as a Service (SaaS), Technology Platform as a Service (PAAS), Cloud-based Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS) and carrier-grade performance and support for businesses over its private IP MPLS fiber and wireless network in the United States. TPT's cloud-based UCaaS services allow businesses of any size to enjoy all the latest voice, data, media and collaboration features in today's global technology markets. TPT's also operates as a Master Distributor for Nationwide Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) and Independent Sales Organization (ISO) as a Master Distributor for Pre-Paid Cellphone services, Mobile phones Cellphone Accessories and Global Roaming Cellphones.

CONTACT:

Frank Benedetto

619-915-9422

SOURCE: TPT Global Tech Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/576984/TPT-Global-Tech-pays-off-remaining-43K-Convertible-Debt-to-Geneva-Roth-Remark-Holdings-remainder-of-notes-converted-to-common-stock
Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial will open on March 17, just two weeks after the embattled leader tries to secure re-election, officials said Tuesday. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving premier and the first to be indicted while in office, has been charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He denies all wrongdoing. In a statement, the justice ministry said judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman would read out the indictment in Jerusalem, in the presence of Netanyahu. The trial, including all possible appeals, could take years. Israeli law says that government ministers who are subject to criminal prosecution must resign. But this does not apply to the prime minister, meaning no legal barriers are likely to prevent Netanyahu, 70, from remaining in office should his right-wing Likud win enough seats to form a government. The March 2 poll is Israel's third in less than a year, after two previous votes resulted in a deadlock between Netanyahu and his rival Benny Gantz. Neither was able to form a coalition despite having the two biggest parties in the 120-seat Knesset (parliament). Gantz had refused after September elections to join a unity government led by Netanyahu, saying the prime minister must settle his differences with the judiciary before taking power. The retired general said Tuesday it was "unacceptable that a prime minister could lead the country and manage three legal cases against him at the same time." "On March 17, his mandate ends and the trial begins. Netanyahu will not be able to take care of the Israeli people as well as his own affairs," Gantz told a meeting of his centrist Blue and White party. - Impact on voters? - Experts are uncertain whether the indictment will damage Netanyahu's support among voters, with recent polls pointing to another tight race. "Netanyahu skillfully managed to frame the issues he has been charged with as... not real corruption," the president of the Israel Democracy Institute think-tank, Johan Plesner, told AFP. Plesner said Netanyahu had succeeded in convincing the majority of his political base that his conduct amounts to legitimate political "wheeling and dealing," not serious misuse of public resources. Netanyahu and his family are accused of receiving gifts including luxury cigars, champagne and jewellery from wealthy individuals, estimated to be worth more than 700,000 shekels ($204,000, 189,000 euros), in exchange for financial or personal favours. He has also been accused of seeking a deal with the owner of the Yediot Aharonot newspaper that would have seen it give him more favourable coverage. In exchange, the prime minister allegedly offered to push for legislation that would hurt the paper's main competitor. A third allegation, the most serious, is that Netanyahu offered mogul Shaul Elovitch regulatory changes worth millions of dollars to his telecoms giant Bezeq in exchange for positive coverage on Elovitch's Walla! news website. Shlomo Filber, a Netanyahu ally for more than 20 years and a former communications ministry director general, has become a state witness in that investigation. Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit formally presented the charge sheet last month after Netanyahu withdrew a request seeking parliamentary immunity. His opponents had already mustered a majority in the legislature to deny him immunity.
DOJ Pushes Back on Reports Claiming AG Barr Considered Resigning Over Trump Tweets

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has dismissed reports that claimed Attorney General William Barr had told people close to him that he was considering resigning from his role over the presidents Twitter posts about the department.

Addressing Beltway rumors: The Attorney General has no plans to resign, DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec said in a statement on Twitter.

On Tuesday night, The Washington Post and The Associated Press reported, citing unnamed administration officials, Barr had told people close to him that he was considering quitting after President Donald Trump did not heed the attorney generals message that he should stop publicly weighing in on DOJ ongoing criminal cases.

During an interview on Feb. 13, Barr issued criticism to the president about his Twitter posts in the wake of one of Trumps posts about the sentencing of former campaign adviser Roger Stone. The DOJs handling of the Stone case has received extensive scrutiny after the department requested a lighter sentence for the Trump associate. Top department officials intervened in the case after deeming the original recommendation of seven to nine years as excessive. The attorney general maintains that the decision to revise the sentencing recommendation came before Trumps Twitter post.

Barr said that the presidents public statements and Twitter posts made about the department and pending cases make it impossible for the attorney general to do his job.

To have 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, Barr said, and to assure the courts and the prosecutors in the department that were doing our work with integrity.

I think its time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases, he added.

Reacting to Barrs comments, Trump posted on Twitter that he has the legal right to ask the attorney general to intervene in criminal cases but has so far chosen not to. Earlier on Tuesday, the president acknowledged to reporters that his public statements about the department on social media do make [Barrs] job harder.

I do make his job harder. I do agree with that. I think thats true, Trump said. Hes a very straight shooter. We have a great attorney general and hes working very hard. Hes working against a lot of people that dont want to see good things happen, in my opinion.

Barr has been accused of threatening the independence of the DOJ by thrusting the department into political matters. The attorney general has faced intense scrutiny over his handling of the Stone case. Over 2,000 former DOJ officials have signed an online letter urging Barr to resign following his intervention in the Stone case. The online letter was organized by Protect Democracy, a nonprofit advocacy group staffed by former government officials, political operatives, and activists who have been opposing Trumps agenda via legal means.

Meanwhile, former senior members of the department have also publicly criticized Barrs handling of matter, including Donald Ayer, the former deputy attorney general under George H. W. Bush. Ayer wrote an op-ed published in The Atlantic accusing Barr of acting more as the presidents personal advocate than as an attorney general and being un-American.

In his defense, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham told Fox & Friends on Tuesday morning that the calls for Barrs resignation did not surprise her. She said that its been proven time and time again. There are obstructionists all across this government who are working against the president.

Similarly, Republican congressional leaders have backed the attorney general in a joint statement on Tuesday in response to the criticism.

Suggestions from outside groups that the attorney general has fallen short of the responsibilities of his office are unfounded, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) wrote.

The attorney general has shown that he is committed without qualification to securing equal justice under law for all Americans, the statement said.

The nation is fortunate that President Trump chose such a strong and selfless public servant to lead the Department of Justice. We expect that, as always, efforts to intimidate the attorney general will fall woefully short.
Harry and Meghan will likely lose the royal part of their branding. (Getty Images)

As professionals, businesses and celebrities alike will know, getting your branding right is crucial to success.

But Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle may have suffered a blow this week, when it emerged its unlikely they will be able to continue using the moniker Sussex Royal as they step back from senior duties.

The couple announced in January that they wanted to carve out their own path, and hoped to be able to carry on serving the Queen but also gain financial independence.

That meant giving up royal duties for which they receive payment from the Crown.

But, after intense talks between Buckingham Palace and the couples team, it became clear they would not be able to have a half-in, half-out lifestyle.

Read more: The 360: Does it matter if Meghan and Harry are gone for good?

The couple will still have a huge amount of personal brand power. (Getty Images)

Since then, the pair have been busy preparing for what they might do once they stop getting public funding.

A big part of that was the brand name - Sussex Royal.

Its been all over their website and their Instagram account, but now it seems they wont be able to use it, with the palace likely to rule against the word royal.

Brand expert Deborah Ogden told Yahoo UK: With a personal brand, there is no question that they have invested their profile globally and established that.

But its my belief that a personal brand is more than a logo, so what they would spend time building is a strong reputation and strong profile to support certain causes.

They have been clever in the causes they have supported and messages they have put out there.

They will lose some value from the Sussex Royal brand but my belief is that Prince Harry will always be Prince Harry therefore in the UK market, the American market, and the global markets that recognise the British Royal Family, Im not sure taking it away will have a huge impact.

Read more: Date Prince Harry and Meghan will end royal duties confirmed

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been living in Canada with their son Archie. (Getty Images)

Zoe Middleton-Lyons, senior account manager for branding agency Underscore, said: The Royal suffix comes with its own legacy, however brands need to constantly evolve in order to be relevant to their audience and the next generation.

Story continues

Rebranding may be beneficial for the young royals as this is their chance to move away from the confines of the brand that they were born/married into. Change is beneficial for brands whether it is a new tone of voice, brand name or internal business changes.

This is especially true for Meghan and Harry at such a crucial stage in their lives , as they can begin to create their own legacy.

With any rebrand there is an initial impact, as people become attached to the original name and perception of that brand, however if the transition is handled correctly their new status and 'brand' will thrive.

Read more: Magazine claim about Harry and Meghan split was 'blatantly incorrect'

Prince Harry and Meghan will be able to make their own money from April. (Getty Images)

Thomas Coop, UK Chartered trade mark attorney for law firm Fieldfisher said: Trade Mark applications at the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) can be refused if the products or services covered by the application would lead people to believe that there is an association with the Queen or the Royal Family.

This can include images in trade mark applications which are similar to the royal crown, royal flags, royal arms as well as wording which may suggest that the applicant has or recently has had royal patronage or authorisation.

Coop said there had recently been an application for the word royal to be used on a trade mark relating to catering and it was refused, but one related to using royal for disco services was accepted.

He added: It is interesting to see that Harry and Meghan's UK trade mark application for SUSSEX ROYAL was published.

Therefore, it is possible that the Queen consented to the initial application and has therefore, now withdrawn this consent.

Coop said the Sussexes might be able to get some temporary protection from EU law, because those provisions of the use of the word royal are not the same as in the UK.

But this wouldnt last past the end of the transition period, which finishes on 31 December 2020.

He added: Overall, as the UK is likely to be an important market for Harry and Meghan, they will probably need to consider rebranding or come to some new arrangement with the Queen so they can gain the benefits of having registered protection for their brand name, such as making it much simpler to enforce against other parties.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the Sussexes would end their royal duties from 31 March, meaning from 1 April onwards they can make their own money.
He is expected to arrive in Kyiv on February 19.

RFE/RL contributor Mykola Semena, who has been convicted of separatism in the Russian-controlled Crimea region, moved to mainland Ukraine on February 18.

Semena, 69, is expected to arrive in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on February 19 to receive medical care that he needs to treat a heart condition and damaged spine, RFE/RL said.

The journalist said he was planning to stay in mainland Ukraine "indefinitely," adding: "As long as part of Ukraine is occupied, I cannot consider it my home. My family thinks the same."

Read alsoRFE/RL: OSCE hopes Crimean journalist Semena's work will now be 'unhindered'

RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said the news of Semena's "safety and security is long-awaited and joyous."

"His arrest, almost four years ago, for publishing criticism of Russia's annexation of Crimea, was always wrong and violated every basic human right and freedom," Fly added. "I'm glad Mykola is free and able to resume his writing career for the benefit of the people of Ukraine."

Semena, who has contributed to RFE/RL's Krym.Realii (Crimea Realities) reporting project, was arrested by Crimea's Russia-imposed authorities in 2016 and charged with acting against the "territorial integrity of the Russian Federation."

In 2017, a court handed him a 2 1/2-year suspended sentence and banned him from "public activity" for three years.

But a court in Crimea's capital, Simferopol, last month ruled to prematurely terminate the probation period and expunge his criminal record.

Semena says the accusation against him was politically motivated.

The United States, the European Union, and international media watchdogs have all condemned the trial and verdict.
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Linkedin Fadli and Ardila Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Batam/Jakarta  Thu, February 20 2020

The Religious Affairs Ministry has insisted that protests against the renovation of Santo Joseph Catholic Church in Karimun, Riau Islands, have nothing to do with intolerance.

I went to Karimun; this not an issue of intolerance. The problem is merely related to the churchs building permit [IMB], Religious Affairs Ministry special staff member Ubaidillah Amin Moech said on Tuesday.

He added that the churchs renovation committee had agreed to wait for the Tanjungpinang State Administrative Court (PTUN) in Batam to issue a ruling on the renovation project.

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In a February 10 National Review article, Andrew Walker argued there are three categories of religious conservative voters when it comes to supporting President Trump. The first is NeverTrumps, populated by well intentioned, intellectual, and principle-based voters, who couple a dose of spiritual bravado with self-righteous contempt. The second group is Always Trumpers, those who are religiously lukewarm and middle-class, who, although not significantly political, are proud of being Americans and look to the president as the promised disrupter of politics and government as usual. The third group is Reluctant Trumpers, or what I call Moral Trumpers.

Moral Trumpers do not politically idolize the president; they do not see him as the second coming of Ronald Reagan, but neither do they outright reject him because of his narcissistic personality, sexual escapades, and braggadocio. They view him as an acceptable replacement vote, compared to the Democrat alternative. Yet Walker insists Moral Trumpers are more sophisticated that their detractors give them credit for. Instead of abandoning their Christian virtue, or ignoring common sense, Moral Trumpers think and act more deeply than Trumpian political rhetoric (e.g., "Mexico will pay for the wall").

Moral Trumpers do not necessarily like Trump personally; in fact, many find his personality repulsive. They do not care for his egoistic bantering; they disdain his name-calling and find his abuse of tweeting noxious. Moral Trumpers support and vote for President Trump because the president's endgame is moral: the embodiment of civic and spiritual values, defense of structural and procedural integrity for the republic, and pursuit of community.

First, Moral Trumpers advocate two important sets of values: civic and spiritual. Moral Trumpers know that President Trump pulls back the curtain of policy confusion, silencing his critics with definitive positions, such as reducing illegal immigration on the southern border; establishing free trade deals with China, Mexico, and Canada; and killing known terrorist leaders. Moral Trumpers seek political action but also seek action with a purpose. They believe that President Trump delivers.

Moral Trumpers also demand that policy action evoke spiritual virtues of bygone era. Like the Founding Fathers, Moral Trumpers know that the course of human action lies in the human heart. Fixing roads, tunnels, and bridges contributes to the economic and societal well-being of the nation, but Moral Trumpers know that President Trump's dedication to protecting the unborn from infanticide, stemming the opioid epidemic in rural America, and providing minority children with the opportunity to attend quality alternatives to the nation's failing public school system speaks to the nation's spiritual DNA.

Second, Moral Trumpers express concern for the destructuralization of our federal system of government. Moral Trumpers know that President Trump supports states' and communities' initiatives to address local issues, including everything from addressing the opioid epidemic to combating homelessness, but they also know that he nominates and fights for Supreme Court justices who are originalists, protecting the rule of law, upholding the constitutional principles of a republican democracy.

Moral Trumpers approve President Trump's Hamiltonian use of executive authority, especially when it comes to regulating the economy, and taking a tough stance on tariff and trade deals with foreign nations. However, they support his Jeffersonian appeal to local and state jurisdictional autonomy, fighting back on the divisiveness of sanctuary cities and states.

Third, Moral Trumpers support President Trump's affinity for community. Who would have guessed that a pampered New York billionaire would so attract middle America? As much as his critics loathe him, his base loves his tough talk, nationalistic fervor, and unwavering attention to the middle class and the blue collar. President Trump's populist message, which is on display in his arena-size rallies, depicts his uncensored charisma. While his political enemies cry foul at his Machiavellian ways and means, his enthusiastic followers gravitate to his jokes and taunts of his political opponents.

Moral Trumpers see through the veneer of President Trump's crassness, recognizing that his outreach is political. It is his way of connecting to the largely forgotten mass, what Richard Nixon once labeled the Silent Majority. Where Bernie Sanders and his socialist policies want to sacrifice jobs, wages, and liberty in exchange for higher taxes, bigger government, and trillions more in unfettered debt, stifling any hope for the future, Moral Trumpers recognize the paradoxical genius of President Trump. The loud-mouth billionaire wins the hearts of tens of millions across the political spectrum with a message that is not an obfuscating Hope and Change, but a crystal-clear Make America Great Again.

Image: Ninian Reid via Flickr.
Three Notch Rd., 23000 block, 10:30 a.m. Feb. 8. A woman entered a bank and presented a note to an employee demanding cash and threatening an incendiary device. The employee complied and the robber fled. On Feb. 13, the woman did the same robbery at a bank in the 37600 block of Mohawk Drive in Charlotte Hall. Again, the bank teller complied, and the woman fled with cash. Later that evening, she was observed operating a vehicle in Calvert County and arrested. The 41-year-old Saint Leonard woman was charged with armed robbery, robbery, theft, threat of arson and second-degree assault.


A gentleman on an easyJet flight from Manchester to Iceland apparently began disassembling and chewing up parts of his mobile phone, causing the battery to smoke and alarming passengers. Prior to this snack, Matthew Flaherty, 44, was simply acting like a drunk asshole violently threatening passengers and crew. The pilot diverted the plane to Edinburgh Aiport. Upon Flaherty's arrest, he screamed racist remarks to the police. The incident happened last year and Flaherty was just in court to face the music. From The Scotsman:

Solicitor Richard Souter, defending, said his client was "aghast at his behaviour" on the flight and had little recollection of the events due to mixing alcohol with painkillers he had taken for a trapped nerve.



Mr Souter said the combination of medication and alcohol had "an adverse effect on his behaviour".





Sheriff Thomas Welsh QC said Flaherty had carried out an "extremely serious offence" and deferred sentence to next month for the preparation of reports.





The sheriff added: "This is an extremely serious case and you should prepare yourself for custody."
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.19

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Trends exclusive interview with Ambassador of Italy to Azerbaijan Augusto Massari

Question: Today the President of Azerbaijan lands in Italy to mark the start of a State visit to the Italian Republic. Can you share an anticipation of some of the highlights and main contents of this visit?

Answer: High-level visits are a good indicator of the degree of trust and mutual understanding between countries and governments. I think a quick glance at this indicator speaks volumes about the intensity of Italian-Azerbaijani dialogue. It is extraordinary that in only one year and a half we have had the first visit of an Italian President of the Republic in Azerbaijan, and now the visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Rome. In between, we have had the visit of the First Vice-President, Mehriban Aliyeva to Rome and the first-ever visit in Baku of a Speaker of the Italian Senate, the second highest-ranking official after the Head of State, in October 2019. Members of both Governments exchange visits very frequently and just one month ago, in January, Rome hosted the latest session of the Bilateral Intergovernmental Joint Commission. I think we have set the scene for a very successful few days of President Aliyev in Italy!

He will meet, of course, with our President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, and our Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, but also with the Speakers of both Chambers of our Parliament. Together with our Minister of Foreign Affairs, your President will open a large bilateral Business Forum, with the participation of hundreds of companies from both countries, and we expect to sign an unprecedented number of agreements. Among these, a new Declaration on strategic partnership stands out as a significant political step. The key aspect of this visit is its spirit and substance  the mutual acknowledgment that our countries can build on their political understanding and their commercial relationship in order to deepen their ties at all levels, especially in terms of industrial cooperation.

Question: Azerbaijan and Italy are bound by such a significant energy project as the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). TAP has recently achieved an important milestone by filling 2-km section of its Greek part with gas. This means Italy is one more step close to receiving gas from Azerbaijan. How do you assess the significance of TAP for ensuring Italys energy security and diversification?

Answer: The TAP project is proceeding according to plan and reached 92 percent of completion at the end of January. Work is speedily proceeding in the Italian segment of the pipeline. We expect the first gas from Azerbaijan to reach the Italian network in the autumn. The Italian government has consistently supported the project over the years, bearing in mind its role in further diversifying Italy and the EUs gas supplies, and accelerating our transition toward a clean energy mix.

Q.: This year will mark the commissioning of the entire Southern Gas Corridor, which will for the first time deliver Azerbaijani gas to Europe. In this context, the discussions on the expansion of the Corridors capacity have been intensified. How does Italian side see the prospects and benefits of the capacity expansion? Is it possible for Italy to increase the volume of gas purchases via the Southern Gas Corridor in the long-term?

A.: Italy has the second-largest manufacturing sector in Europe, and produces only a tiny fraction of the huge amount of energy it needs. The initial supplies of gas through TAP (10 bcm/year, of which 8.8 earmarked for Italy proper) will be helpful, but our market may indeed demand more. I know that several hypotheses exist in this regard, among which the Trans Caspian Pipeline, but it seems that discussions in this regard are still at an early stage.

Q.: Aside from the energy field, Italian companies are successfully participating in a number of projects in Azerbaijan in the spheres of agriculture and many other fields. How do you see the prospects for even more developing the cooperation in the non-oil sector?

A.: Azerbaijan can certainly reap the benefits of diversification and a greater openness in terms of trade and industrial development. Italy, in turn, has much to offer across all sectors, thanks to its industrial and engineering prowess. This is why, starting with the visit from our Head of State in Baku, we launched a simple but ambitious concept: Beyond oil & gas. We are aware that extractive industries will remain at the heart of our relationship, thanks to our imports but also to the Italian companies working in Azerbaijan in this field. However, Azerbaijan is not only about oil, and Italy certainly isnt! You mention agriculture and it is a good example. Only in 2019 we had many important highlights in this field, starting with the first-ever visit of our Minister of Agriculture, last July, and with the launch of an important EU Twinning project led by our Ministry in the field of subsidy reform. Many companies in this sector will take part in the Business Forum that will be held in Rome this Friday. Much can be done in the areas of renewable energies, water and soil remediation, and green technologies  these are fields we really want to emphasize in 2020, when Italy will host the pre-COP26 meeting as well as the Youth COP summit. We see very important opportunities also in infrastructure and connectivity, where Azerbaijan displays great ambitions, and lets not underestimate the fields of creativity and design, which saw a few months ago the opening of the Italian-Azerbaijani Design Centre with the Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction, the first academic hub dedicated to design in the entire Caucasus.

Q.: Currently, Italy is the largest trade partner of Azerbaijan. What is the potential to even more increase the volume of bilateral trade turnover?

A.: The answer to this question is an unequivocal yes. Once TAP goes online, the amount of trade between our countries will inevitably, and substantially, grow. Italy will not only be Azerbaijans first worldwide trade partner in oil (our imports in 2018 were roughly equal to 12 percent of Azerbaijans nominal GDP), but also the second importer of natural gas after Turkey. We can confidently say that this will further strengthen Italys role as Azerbaijans first trade partner. At the same time, Italy has a vast trade deficit with Azerbaijan. This is why we look to the next few years as an important opportunity to bolster the position of Italian companies here in Azerbaijan  both in terms of exports and industrial cooperation. Of course, as the Azerbaijani economy grows, the middle class rises with it, opening up new opportunities for thousands of our exporting companies. Regarding industrial cooperation, I would not like to repeat my previous comments, but just to recall the decision of our two Heads of State to jointly inaugurate the Sumgayit polypropylene factory in July 2018, during our Presidents historic State visit to Azerbaijan. This is exactly the type of project that can become a blueprint on which to build a growing friendship and mutual success: based on strong partnerships, driven by advanced technology and supporting the long-term growth trajectory of the country.

Q.: Which spheres in Azerbaijan are attractive for Italian companies in terms of making investments? What are the prospects for cooperation and share of know-how in ports industry?

A.: I think that if we look beyond the oil & gas sector, there remains a vast potential for further investment and openness toward foreign players. We closely follow the reforms pursued by the President and the Azerbaijani government in terms of improving the business climate, and look forward to further measures in fields such as rule of law and the functioning of the courts, which may ideally be dedicated to international commercial and economic issues. Good logistics naturally favor investments, too, and I really appreciate the efforts this government is making in this regard. Italian companies are already active in this field. Since you mention ports, we have an excellent Italian SME, DBA Group, which for several years has supported Port of Baku in building the new IT infrastructure for the Alat terminal.

Q.: Historically, Italy and the UK are the two European countries with the most intense trade and investment relations with Azerbaijan. With Brexit taking place, how do you see Italys role evolving in facilitating the EUs relationship with our country?

A.: I would not reduce our relationship to economic factors. This relationship originated centuries ago, and today it is a friendship between peoples, characterized by an increase in mutual tourist flows, by the Azerbaijani love for Made in Italy products and Italian lifestyle, and by an increasing interest in Italian culture, with our language now being taught in three Universities in Baku. The same is true from our side, as more and more Italians know and appreciate Azerbaijan as a cultural destination and as a place to work  we already have the largest expatriate community among EU countries! Italy consistently makes an effort to facilitate Azerbaijans relations with the EU  in this regard, a new EU-Azerbaijan Partnership Agreement is a major goal  as well as with other key organizations we are a part of  and, among these, lets not forget Bakus partnership with NATO. Our key aims are not only bilateral in nature: we see, appreciate and support Bakus wish to maintain strong and mutually beneficial ties with European countries and institutions.

---

Follow the author on Twitter:@Lyaman_Zeyn
The Democrats storming Nevada in the lead up to Saturday's caucuses faced off in Wednesday's debate, a matchup in a more diverse early state than the first two, with a new wrinkle in the form of billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who took the stage for the first time.

Joining the former New York City mayor on the stage were former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

The debate, hosted by NBC, MSNBC and the Nevada Independent in the state's epicenter of Las Vegas, brought the presidential contenders in front of a different audience that far more reflects the makeup of the Democratic Party and the country as a whole. Nevada is nearly 30% Latino, over 10% black and encompasses one of the nation's fastest-growing Asian-American and Pacific Islander populations.

But once again absent from the Democratic debate stage, and from the primary's top tier, was a candidate of color -- a somewhat unexpected reality for a party that once touted its most diverse field, even with a still fluid race. Only six candidates squared off in the matchup, which takes place only three days ahead of the Nevada caucuses.

MORE: Michael Bloomberg qualifies for Democratic debate, showdown with candidates looms

Here's how the night unfolded. Please refresh for updates:

11: 23 p.m. Final candidate speaking times

According to an unofficial count of candidate speaking times from ABC News, here's where the candidates ended for the night:

Warren: 16:13 Klobuchar: 16:09 Sanders: 15:52 Buttigieg: 15:33 Biden: 13:59 Bloomberg: 13:44

11 p.m. The debate has ended

10:59 p.m. Biden interrupted by protestors as he kicked off closing statement

Former Vice President Joe Biden's closing statement was interrupted by protestors, just as he began.

"I'm running because so many people," he said, before protests broke out from the audience.

Story continues

After the protesters were cleared out, Biden continued, "I'm running because so many people are being left behind. People I grew up in Scranton when my dad lost his job, lost his house, had to move. We moved to Claymont. We found ourselves in a position where we had little ability to get anything done. And my dad worked like hell. I learned a lot. I've been knocked down a whole lot. I know what it's like to be knocked down but we have to get up..."

10:53 p.m. Candidates deliver their closing statements

Klobuchar highlights her record of gaining across the aisle support, saying, "We need a candidate that can bring people with her. Yes, a fired up democratic base, but also independents and moderate Republicans."Bloomberg points people to his website, adding, "but I'm not asking for any money" and distances himself from Trump and the other candidates.

Buttigieg positions himself as the centrist option, saying "if you look at the choice between a revolution or the status quo and you don't see where you fit in that picture, then join us... We cannot afford to lean on the same Washington playbook. We cannot afford to alienate half the country.

Warren also looks to what makes her career different. "I am, of all the people on this stage, I have been a politician the shortest time, but I've been the one out fighting for families the longest time," she says.

Biden's closing is interrupted by protesters but he takes the chance to criticize Sanders in his final seconds on the stage. "The only person in here that has a worse record on immigration is Bernie because Bernie voted against the 2007 bill. Had that immigration bill passed, there would be 6 million members would be now American citizens," he says.

Sanders responds in his closing, saying, "groups say that bill having provisions akin to slavery, Joe" before honing in on his final message of the night: "Real change never takes place from the top on down, never takes place from an oligarchy controlled by billionaires. We need to mobilize millions of people to stand up for justice."

10:48 p.m.: Threats of a brokered convention plague the Democratic field

The Democratic nominee will need 1,991 delegates to clinch the nomination this summer, but fears over a split party and brokered convention-- where one candidate cannot reach that threshold-- are starting to weigh on the primary field.

When asked if they believed that the candidate who got the most delegates, but not the necessary 1,991, should win the nomination, all but one candidate, Bloomberg, said no.

Sanders said that the candidate with the most votes should win the nomination, a cornerstone of his governmental reform platform.

10:44 p.m.: Sanders campaign says debate show has led to spike in fundraising

"During the first hour of tonight's debate, Bernie Sanders' supporters made 15,218 donations for a total of $300,000  nearly 40% of all money raised on ActBlue," his campaign said.

PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a Democratic presidential primary debate, Feb. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP)

10:43 p.m. Buttigieg and Klobuchar spar on immigration

After Klobuchar says she supports a path to citizenship for Dreamers, Buttigieg questions Klobuchar on her voting record, saying she's the only Democrat in the race to break from the others in Washington.

"You voted to confirm the head of customs and border protection under Trump, who is of the architects of the family separation policy. You voted to make English the national language. Do you know the message that sends in as multilingual a state as Nevada to immigrants? You have been unusual among Democrats -- I think the Democrat among all of the senators running for president -- most likely to vote for Donald Trump's judges, who we know are especially hostile to dreamers and to the rights of immigrants," Buttigieg says, before delivering a short message in Spanish.

"I wish everyone was as perfect as you, Pete," Klobuchar responds. "You know what? You have not been in the arena doing that work. You've memorized a bunch of talking points and a bunch of things, but can tell you one thing: What the people of this country want, they want a leader that has the heart for the immigrants of this country and that is me."

10:43 p.m.: Candidate speaking times 90 minutes into the debate

According to an unofficial count of candidate speaking times from ABC News, here's where the candidates stand:

Warren: 14:40Sanders: 14:35Bloomberg: 12:45Klobuchar: 11:29Buttigieg: 10:50Biden: 10:46

10:40 p.m. Biden seeks to pitch electability by invoking Trump's attacks on him

Former Vice President Joe Biden sought to cast his campaign as the toughest competitor against President Trump by saying, "It was said that I was in the pocket of Mitch McConnell. Im the only person on this stage who has beaten Mitch McConnell on four major cases...And Mitch Mcconnell, I've been the object his affection and the president's affection the way he's gone after me this new Republican Party after me, after my son, after my family."

"I don't need to be told I'm a friend to Mitch McConnell's. He's been the biggest pain in my neck in a long, long time," he said.He then argued, " We're in a situation where you have the, excuse me, the president making clear that he doesn't want any part of me being his opponent. Hes spending $125 million this week to keep me from being the opponent. I wonder why."

10:32 p.m. Warren implies conflict of interest for Biden, Klobuchar, Buttigieg

After calling herself a capitalist and saying the country is worried "about gambling on a narrow vision that doesn't address the fears of millions of Americans," Sen. Elizabeth Warren directly calls out the relationships of some of her opponents.

"Amy and Joe's hearts are in the right place, but we can't be so eager to be liked by Mitch McConnell that we forget how to fight the Republicans. Mayor Buttigieg has been taking money from big donors and changing his positions. So it makes it unclear what it is he stands for other than his own," Warren says.

10:29 p.m.: Buttigieg: "I was into Bernie before it was cool."

Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg acknowledged that he previously had lauded Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

"The qualities I admired then are qualities I still respect a great deal. I never said that I agree with every part of his policy views, then or now," Buttigieg said.

However, on the trail Buttigieg has spent his time as a top-tier candidate attacking Sanders over the costs of many of his plans calling the Vermont senator and his policy positions divisive.

"At a certain point you have to do the math," Buttigieg said over the cost of Sanders' health care plan.

10:24 p.m. Warren proposes wealth tax as Bloomberg draws comparisons to "communism"

When asked if he agrees with Sanders' stance that billionaires should not exist, Bloomberg says, "this is ridiculous."

"I can't think of a ways that would make it easier for Donald Trump to get reelected than listening to this conversation." Bloomberg says. "We're not going to throw out capitalism. We tried that. Other countries tried that. It was called communism and it just didn't work."

Warren responds by pitching a two percent wealth tax.

"It is a question of values. Do we want to invest in Mr. Bloomberg or an entire generation?," she asks.

When pressed with a follow up, Bloomberg says he would not support a wealth tax.

10:21 p.m. Should billionaires exist?

After Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who centers his campaign on railing against the wealthiest Americans, invoked the crux of his campaign, saying, "We have a grotesque and immoral distribution of wealth and income. Mike Bloomberg owns more wealth than the bottom 125 million Americans. That's wrong," Bloomberg had the opportunity to respond head on.

PHOTO: Democratic presidential hopefuls Mike Bloomberg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders talk during the ninth Democratic primary debate at the Paris Theater in Las Vegas, Feb. 19, 2020. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

When asked should billionaires exist, the former New York City mayor said, "I can't speak for all billionaires... I've made a lot of money and I'm giving it all away to make this country better. And a good chunk goes to the Democratic Party as well."

"Should you have earned that much money," he was asked by the moderators.

"Yes. I worked very hard for it. And I'll giving it away," he said.

10:14 p.m.: Biden says small Latino-owned businesses won't be harmed by his tax plan

As the debate turns to the impact of candidate tax plans, Biden says small Latino-owned businesses won't be harmed by his tax plan.

"Taxes on small businesses wont go up. As a matter of fact, we're gonna make sure there is more money available for small businesses in the Latino community and the black community to be able to get the capital to start businesses," he said. "We should start rewarding work, not just wealth."

Biden argued redlining from Wall Street disenfranchised groups around the country. He said greed, not failure, is the reason why the tax code favors the wealthy.

10:11 p.m. Bloomberg, a longtime climate champion, debuts his approach to climate climate

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, during his debut debate performance this cycle, outlined his approach to tackling climate change.

"You have to convince the Chinese that it is in their interests as well. Their people will die just as our people will die. It is India that is an even bigger problem. It is an enormous problem. Nobody is doing anything about it," he began.

The longtime climate champion explained, "We could right here in America make a big difference. We're closing the coal fired power plants. If we enforce some of the rules on fracking so that they don't release methane into the air and into the water, you'll make a big difference...When it is done poorly like they're doing in too many places where the methane gets into the air, it is very damaging. It is a transition fuel. You want to go to all renewables. That's still many years from now."

"Before, I think the senator mentioned 2050 for some data. No scientist thinks the numbers for 2050 or 2050 anymore. Theyre 2040, 2030," he added.

10:09 p.m.: Biden courts the union vote

Biden took an opportunity to go after the union vote in the union-heavy, and more diverse, Silver State.

"And by the way, minority communities are the communities most badly hurt by the way in which we deal with climate change. They are the ones that become the victims," Biden started.

"I have a trillion-dollar program for infrastructure. That will provide for thousands and thousands of new jobs. Not $15 an hour, but $50 an hour plus benefits. Unions. Unions being able to do that. And what it does is it will change the nature."

Biden has heavily relied on support from communities of color after a slow start in the early states. While on the trail, he's highlighted his support from unions nationwide.

h3>10:01 p.m.: Warren on climate: "I believe in science."

Warren responded to questioning about the country's reliance on fracking and mining, saying that if certain natural resources are needed, it would needed to be done in a sustainable way.

"We cannot continue to let our public lands be used for profits by those who don't care about our environment and are not making it better," she said.

Warren tapped into her anti-corruption stump as she defended her stance, arguing Washington's corruption and the filibuster gives the fossil fuel industry veto power over legislation.

"We have two problems. The first is corruption. An industry that makes its money felt all through Washington. The first thing I want to do in Washington is pass my anti-corruption bill so we can start making the changes we need to make on climate. And the second is the filibuster. If you're not willing to roll back the filibuster, then you're giving the fossil fuel industry a veto," she said.

10 p.m. Candidates weigh in on environmental policy

Biden is the first to address specific policies he would implement that would help keep Las Vegas and Reno livable but also not hurt the local economy?

"What I would do is, number one, work on providing the $47 billion we have for tech to make sure we find answers to find a way to transmit that wind and solar energy across the network in the United States. Invest in battery technology. I would immediately reinstate all what trump has eliminated in terms of the EPA. I could secondly make sure that we have 500,000 new charging stations in every new highway we built in the United States of America or repaired."

Bloomberg says he's committed to stop the expansion of coal and to rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, among working with India and China on environmentally-friendly trade policies.

Warren seizes the chances to weigh in on one her landmark platforms.

"I think we should stop mining on public lands and all offshore drilling...We cannot continue to let our public lands be used for profits by those who don't care about our environment and are not making it better," she says.

9:53 p.m. Klobuchar, seeking to tout experience, once again targets Buttigieg

Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who sought to differentiate his campaign from those with only "Washington experience," said to Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, "You're literally part of the committee that's overseeing these things and were not able to speak to literally the first thing about the politics of the country to our south."

PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidates former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, left, looks on as Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks during a Democratic presidential primary debate, Feb. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP)

"Are you trying to say that I'm dumb? Are you mocking me here, Pete," Klobuchar responded.

"I'm saying you shouldn't trivialize that knowledge," he shot back.

"If I could respond, this was a pretty big allegation," Klobuchar said later. "He's basically saying that I don't have experience to be President of the United States. I have passed over 100 bills as the lead Democrat since being in the U.S. Senate. I am the one, not you, that has won statewide and congressional district after congressional district."

9:44 p.m. Bloomberg responds to allegations of sexual harassment within his company: "Maybe they didn't like a joke I told."

Despite women who are sealed to NDA agreements within Bloomberg's company, Bloomberg said that those agreements were made consensually.

"I said we're not going to get -- to end these agreements because they were made consensually and they have every right to expect that they will stay private," Bloomberg said.

PHOTO: Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg speaks at the ninth Democratic 2020 Presidential candidates debate at the Paris Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada, Feb. 19, 2020. (Mike Blake/Reuters)

9:47 p.m. Warren stands up for women who made claims against Bloomberg for a hostile work environment

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg came under fire as he stood shoulder-to-shoulder from Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who directly slammed him keeping women who previously worked for his company under non-disclosure agreements.

PHOTO: Democratic presidential hopeful Sen, Elizabeth Warren speaks during the ninth Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season at the Paris Theater in Las Vegas, Feb. 19, 2020. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

"I hope you heard his defense. I've been nice to some women," she began, as Bloomberg rolled his eyes. "That just doesn't cut it...The Mayor has to stand on his record. And what we need to know is exactly what's lurking out there. He has gotten some number of women -- dozens, who knows -- to sign nondisclosure agreements both for sexual harassment and for gender discrimination in the workplace."

"So Mr. Mayor, are you willing to release all of those women from those nondisclosure agreements," she asked."We have a very few nondisclosure agreements," he responded, but wouldn't commit to releasing those women from the agreements.

9:41 p.m. Bloomberg faces heat for delay in releasing tax returns

"I can't go to turbo tax," Bloomberg says, explaining the delay in releasing his tax returns while voters in Nevada head to the polls. "Fortunately I make a lot of money and we do business all around the world. The number of pages will probably be in the thousands of pages."

Bloomberg adds that his returns should be released "in a few weeks" -- but his opponents say that's too late.

"It is a major issue because the President of the United States has been hiding behind his tax returns even when courts order him to come forward with those tax returns. I don't care how much money anyone has. I think it's great you've got a lot of money, but I think you've got to come forward with your tax returns," Klobuchar says.

9:35 p.m. Sanders doesn't commit to releasing full medical record

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of the oldest candidates in the Democratic field who suffered a heart attack in Las Vegas last year, was asked about his promise for full transparency when it comes to his medical records, but the 78-year-old deflected.

"We released the full report of that heart attack. Second of all, we released the full -- my whole 29 years in the capitol, the attending physician, all of my history, medical history," he said. "And furthermore, we released reports from two leading Vermont cardiologists who described my situation. And by the way, who said Bernie Sanders is more than able to deal with the stress and the vigor of being president of the United States. They follow me around the campaign, three, four, five events a day, see how you're doing compared to me."

But he did not commit to releasing his full medical record at any point in the contest.

9:33 p.m. Klobuchar address controversial past as prosecutor

Klobuchar has fielded questions for weeks on s a case involving an 11-year-old African-American girl who was shot doing her homework at her kitchen table. Three people were convicted, but Klobuchar welcomes new evidence forward.

"It is very clear that any evidence, if there is new evidence, even old evidence, it should be reviewed by that office, the county attorney," she says. "I have made very clear for months now that like so many prosecutors, I think those cases in my time, they were all going to the grand jury. It was thought that was the best way to handle them in many, many jurisdictions."

Moving forward, Klobuchar says it's "going to be on me to earn it. You earn it with what you stand for when it comes to equal opportunity. You earn it with the work I have done, the leadership I've shown on voting rights and, yes, you earn it with the work that must be done on criminal justice reform."

9:31 p.m. Biden says apology on stop and frisk is not enough, Warren says it doesn't depend on how policy turned out

"And it's not whether he apologized or not, it's the policy. The policy was abhorrent. And it was in fact a violation of every right people have," Biden says.Warren jumped in on the attack of Bloomberg, as well, saying Bloomberg's argument that stop and frisk snowballed out of control, saying it targeted communities of color.

"When the mayor says that he apologized, listen very closely to the apology. The language he used is about stop and frisk. It's about how it turned out. Now this isn't about how it turned out, this is about what it was designed to do to begin with. It targeted communities of color. It targeted black and brown men from the beginning," she said.

9:29 p.m. Bloomberg addresses past support for "stop-and-frisk"

Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, when asked about his past support for the controversial policy of "stop-and-frisk" policing, tackled his past head on.

"If I go back and look at my time in office, the one thing that I'm really worried about, embarrassed about, was how it turned out with stop and frisk," he said. "When I got into office, there was 650 murders a year in New York City. And I thought that my first responsibility was to give people the right to live. That's the basic right of everything."

MORE: Bloomberg continues to confront stop and frisk legacy

"And when we discovered, I discovered, that we were doing many, many, too many stop and frisks, we cut 95% of it out," he continued. "And Ive sat down with a bunch of African-American clergy and businesspeople to talk about this, to try to learn. I've talked to a number of kids who had been stopped. And I'm trying to -- was trying to understand how we change our policies so we can keep the city safe."

9:25 p.m. Warren attacked Klobuchar head-on on differences over health care.

"Amy, I looked online at your plan, it's two paragraphs. Families are suffering," Warren said.

"You can't simply stand here and trash an idea to give health care coverage to everyone without having a realistic plan of your own. And if you're not going to own up to the fact either that you don't have a plan or that your plan is going to leave people without health care coverage, full coverage, then you need to say so."

9:24 p.m. Biden tethers himself to Obama on healthcare, taking on each rival in the process

Former Vice President Joe Biden, in his effort to set himself apart on the key issue of health care, first tethered himself to former President Barack Obama, telling the debate audience, "I'm the only one on the stage that actually got anything done on health care. Okay? I'm the guy the president turned to and said, go get the votes for Obamacare."

Then, he turned to his rivals he is sharing the stage with, targeting each one in the process.

"From the moment we passed that signature legislation, Mike called it a disgrace, number one," he said. "Number two, Trump decided to get rid of it. Number three, my friends here came up with another plan. But they don't tell you, when you ask Bernie how much it cost, the last time he said that I think it was on your show, he said, we'll find out. We'll find out."

PHOTO: An image of Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg appears on a video monitor inside the media center for Wednesday's Democratic presidential debate, in Las Vegas, Feb. 18, 2020. (David Becker/Reuters)

9:23 p.m. Sanders responds to attacks on Medicare-for-all

Sanders switches to his stump when responding to attacks on Medicare for all and it's record in the Senate.

"Maybe it is finally time that we said, as a nation, enough is enough, the function of a rational health care system is not to make the pharmaceutical industry and the drug companies rich. It is to provide health care to all people as a human right, not a privilege," Sanders said.

9:19 p.m. Warren compares Buttigieg's healthcare plan a Powerpoint, Klobuchar's to a post it note

Warren pitches Medicare for All and criticizes her opponents' healthcare plans for lack of substance.

"Mayor Buttigieg really has a slogan that was thought up by his consultants to paper over a thin version of a plan that would leave millions of people unable to afford their health care. It's not a plan, it's a power point. And Amy's plan is even less. It's like a post-it note, insert plan here," Warren says. "You can't simply stand here and trash an idea to give health care coverage to everyone without having realistic plan of your own," Warren says.

9:13 p.m. Sanders addresses harassment by supporters on social media

"We have over 10.6 million people on Twitter and 99.9% of them are decent human beings, are working people, are people who believe in justice, compassion and love. And if there are a few people who make ugly remarks, who attack trade union leaders, I disown those people. They are not part of our movement," Sanders says, after fielding criticism from Warren and Buttigieg.

9:11 p.m. Buttigieg calls Sanders polarizing

Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, in a continuation of his critique of Sen. Bernie Sander's progressive stances calls the veteran lawmaker "polarizing."

Sanders responds by saying he supports the working class and calls Buttigieg out about his well-heeled donors.

Buttigieg then responds by saying he too represents to working class including the culinary union that has critiqued Sanders' policies.

9:10 p.m. Buttigieg contrasts himself with Sanders and Bloomberg, positions himself as centrist candidate

Buttigieg say the Democratic party need to "wake up" and nominate someone "who is actually a Democrat."

"We could wake up two weeks from today, the day after super Tuesday, and the only candidates left standing will be Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg, the two most polarizing figures on this stage," Buttigieg says.

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, FILE)

"Most Americans don't see where they fit if they've got to choose between a socialist who thinks that capitalism is the root of all evil and a billionaire who thinks that money ought to be the root of all power. Let's put forward somebody who actually lives and works in a middle class neighbor in an industrial mid western city. Let's put forward somebody who's actually a Democrat. We shouldn't have to choose between one candidate who wants to burn this party down and another candidate who wants to buy this party out."

9:09 p.m.:Biden calls on his electability argument as a defense while calling out Bloomberg's controversial use of stop-and-frisk

Biden laid into his electability argument, which has remained a centerpiece of his campaign despite a lackluster showing in Iowa and New Hampshire, and pivoted into an attack on Bloomberg's controversial criminal justice policy during his time as mayor.

"NBC did a poll yesterday, it says Joe Biden is best equipped to beat Donald Trump," Biden started.

"The mayor says that he has a great record," Biden began. "He had stop and frisk, throwing close to 5 million young black men up against a wall. And when we came along in our administration, the President -- Obama -- and said, we're going to send in a moderator -- a mediator to stop it, he said, 'that's unnecessary.'"

9:05 p.m. Warren aims at Bloomberg

Sen. Warren lays into Bloomberg for his questionable record on how he has treated women calling him a "questionable billionaire." She directly goes after Bloomberg saying "I'd like to talk about who we're running against. A billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse faced lesbians, and no I'm not talking about Donald Trump, I'm talking about Mayor Bloomberg," she said.

I

Elizabeth Warren slams Mike Bloomberg at #DemDebate: "Understand this: Democrats take a huge risk if we just substitute one arrogant billionaire for another. This country has worked for the rich for a long time and left everyone else in the dirt." https://t.co/n6lgNOs7tb pic.twitter.com/o1B5qM85QQ  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 20, 2020

He does not directly respond to her critique.

9 p.m. The debate is now getting underway

The debate is now getting underway.

8:53 p.m. Six candidates walk on stage and take their positions at the podiums

It's the first time Bloomberg has taken the debate stage this election cycle and the candidates have sparred all day ahead of this showdown--a foreshadowing of the possible back and forth that could take place on stage. Many in the Democratic field have criticized the former New York city mayor for the way he has leveraged his substantial wealth in the contest.

8:42 p.m. DNC Chair Tom Perez calls Nevada "a microcosm of America"

"The Nevada Democratic Party and countless volunteers and partners organized and lifted up diverse communities across every inch of this state...Nevada is truly a microcosm of America," he said

Perez also touts voter turnout in Nevada following Democrats' record-breaking turnout in New Hampshire.

"We're already at 70,000 early voters here and to give you some perspective, in 2016, 84,000 people turned out in total on caucus day," he says. "Our unity is indeed our greatest strength."

8:34 p.m. Former Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., says it's time to "thump Trump"

Former Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, a retired five-term senator from Nevada and an architect of the state's Democratic caucuses, welcomes the audience to the Silver state, where "state parties are meaningful," he says.

He also pitches Nevada for first-in-the-nation status saying, "Iowa and New Hampshire do not represent the makeup of the United States. That's why pundits are saying and I'm saying that we should have Nevada as the first state to vote."

PHOTO: Former Sen. Harry Reid speaks before a Democratic presidential primary debate, Feb. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP)

He takes a moment to reflect on his tenure in the Senate, saying "every time we had another woman in the Senate, the Senate got better."

MORE: Former Nevada Sen. Harry Reid says 'not a chance in hell' Medicare for All would pass

"Nevada is a state that is representative of the country. It's diverse. It's heavily unionized," he continues. "What are we going to do? The main thing we're going to do is thump Trump."

8:30 p.m. Six candidates are set to square off, including Bloomberg for the first time

The six candidates who qualified for the debate are former Vice President Joe Biden, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Bloomberg, the newest face to Wednesday's lineup, has not graced a debate stage in more than a decade -- and hes never been on one this crowded.

Warren, Sanders attack newcomer Bloomberg during Democratic debate originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
TRENTON, N.J.  Public and private employers in New Jersey would be required to put anti-harassment policies and training in place as part of a new proposal Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy unveiled on Tuesday.

Murphy announced the new bill alongside Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, Civil Service Commissioner Deirdre Webster Cobb as well as anti-harassment advocates at his office in Trenton.

The bill comes as New Jersey is amid a reckoning on sexual misconduct, years after the #MeToo movement began shining a light on allegations of sexual assault and impropriety toward women at the hands of influential men.

"The message from survivors and advocates alike has been clear: Its time for New Jersey to reject the norms of yesterday that overlooked workplace harassment and discrimination as business as usual, Murphy said in a statement.

The proposal must still move through the Democrat-led Legislature before becoming law. Messages were left with legislative leaders seeking comment.

Patricia Teffenhart, executive director of the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, introduced the governor on Tuesday. She said she's committed to working with the state to make it a safer place to work.

Were at a critical moment of public reckoning here in New Jersey, with an increased level of understanding of the ways power and control impact the lives of New Jerseyans across sectors, she said.

The bill would make a number of changes, including the mandate that employers come up with policies on how to prevent workplace discrimination. Among the other changes are a requirement for the state to come up with model policies and training to make compliance easier, as well as a requirement that employers with 50 or more workers collect and report data on harassment complaints to the state.

The legislation also specifies that a single incident can create a hostile work environment and that harassment need not involve physical touching.

Tuesday's development comes after Murphy last week said the state would be evaluating its own workplace guidelines and standards for state employees.

Reporting in NJ.com late last year cited more than a dozen cases of misconduct alleged by women in lobbying as well as on legislative and campaign staffs, including unwanted touching and sexual assault.

That led Democratic Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg to create a panel, including some of the states highest profile political leaders, to hear from women and map a way forward.

The panel's first meeting last week included testimony from nearly a dozen people, some of whom also called for better anti-harassment training.

Murphy spotlighted the issue in his annual state of the state address, in which he called for putting an end to pernicious sexism in state politics.
Urban living remains attractive for homebuyers nationwide, but pricey housing in capital cities like Boston is pushing young professionals toward smaller metros and suburbs. Worcester Renaissance is one such example, but smaller towns are feeling the impact, too.

We find that many residential buyers are being priced out of the Greater Boston markets and looking westward for greater value; however, there is a national shortage of homes available for sale and Worcesters housing market is among the most competitive in the region, realtor Joe Abramoff of Real Living Barbera Associates said. Fortunately, there are many options for those looking for a suburban solution with great school systems, vibrant town centers and easy commuting options to Worcester or other economic centers.

The term hipsturbia was first coined by The New York Times reporter Alex Williams back in 2013. Since then, urbanization of suburbs has persisted, ushering in breweries, artisanal bakeries, and boutique retail shops to communities once bound by white picket fences. Developers have also adopted the term hipsturbia to describe small-town environments where residents maintain the live-work-play virtues of larger cities.

Walkable urban nodes are appealing to millennial buyers beyond city lines.

The hippest suburb, off the top of my head, is Hudson, said Tom Rheault, president and CEO of Rheault Real Estate. Rheault praised the towns welcoming Main Street, which includes Rail Trail Flatbread Co., New City Microcreamery, Medusa Brewing Company, The Haberdash, and Less Than Greater Than  a speakeasy masquerading as a cobbler shop. Hudson is a desirable town for buyers; home prices and limited listing inventory reflect this, he concluded.

Hudson's speakeasy, Less Than Greater Than, masquerades as a cobbler shop on Main Street.

Amy Lynn Chase, owner of The Haberdash gift shop, first discovered downtown Hudson six years ago when a friend recommended Rail Trail Flatbread Co.

After dinner, I remember just walking around town looking in all the windows of the shops and realizing how charming it was that you could walk to different stores and then get food and drinks, Chase said. We stumbled onto Medusa Brewery while walking around. The next day I was researching retail space in Hudson. It took her two years to find just the right home for The Haberdash.

Chase emphasized the amount of work required to create live-work-play suburbs. Walkability isnt something that comes naturally to most people in our area, she said, We have to be very intentional about celebrating how easy it is to get around to other cool businesses without a car. Chase works with fellow entrepreneurs who promote one another across the neighborhood.

Amy Lynn Chase owns The Haberdash gift shop in downtown Hudson, Massachusetts.

Hudson is located 17 miles northeast of Worcester. In terms of immediate suburbs, towns south and east of Worcester represent the hottest submarkets while North and West of the city have just a touch more supply of single-family housing, Abramoff explained.

Will hipsturbia offset the Worcester Renaissance? Not according to Barbera Associates.

As Worcester continues to evolve and develop, we are observing an increase of the proportion of our 36,000 students who are opting to stay in the city following graduation from our 9 colleges and universities, said Abramoff, This trend should help to back-fill demand for starter homes and condos in the city as the preceding generation filters out to suburbia.

If Abramoff is right, unique retail, walkability, and locavore dining will continue to thrive in the city of Worcester, but suburbs with a glimmer of urban spirit wont be far behind.

Location Number of Single Family Homes on the Market Average List Price Homes Under Agreement (Offer accepted. Anticipated to close within 30-45 days) Number of Homes Sold in the Last Month Average Sale Price Average Days from Listing to Accepted Offer Worcester Proper 76 $315k 131 77 $280k 28 Worcester North (Holden, Paxton, West Boylston, Boylston) 65 $468k 49 Approximately 130 (261 over 2 months) $401k 41 Worcester West (Leicester and Spencer) 47 $310k 22 Approximately 25 (151 over 6 months) $286k 32 Worcester South (Auburn and Millbury) 37 $410k 42 Approximately 37 (202 over 6 months) $318k 24 Worcester East (Shrewsbury, Grafton, Westborough, Northborough) 107 $616k 103 Approximately 86 (514 over 6 months) $489k 40.3

For the purposes of the figures above, Joe Abramoff and Michael Barbera of Real Living Barbera Associates assessed single-family data (omitted condos and multi-family) using Multiple Listing Service for the referenced submarkets on the week of January 19, 2020.

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The situation in Idlib in northern Syria is growing worse for Turkey by the day and leading to a crisis in Russian-Turkish relations

Last week, residents of Ankaras tranquil Mesnevi neighbourhood awoke to find their usually calm streets swarming with unusual military activity that by the end of the day had turned their neighbourhood into something akin to a military camp. Had Mesnevi suddenly been transported to Diyarbakir or Mardin, they must have wondered.

As it eventually became clear, the armoured vehicles and barricades were concentrated around the Russian embassy. The reason: the frenzy of anti-Russian sentiment whipped up by the pro-government Turkish media against the backdrop of developments in Idlib in northern Syria.

The Turkish authorities have taken additional security measures to protect the Russian Embassy in Ankara after Ambassador Alexei Yerkhov said that he had faced threats as part of growing anti-Russian sentiment in Turkey over the escalation of violence in Syrias north-western Idlib province, embassy Spokeswoman Irina Kasimova was cited as saying by the Russian Sputnik news agency last Friday.

Addressing the surge in anti-Russian hysteria in an interview with the agency, Yerkhov recounted some of the threats his embassy has received, including say goodbye to life, no one will mourn you, and its time for you to burn.

In a subsequent interview he said that those who write [such threats] may not be fully aware of it, but they are starting a chain reaction of xenophobia, anger and hatred which can find a real-world manifestation. Many experts have recalled that the information and propaganda situation emerging in recent days is reminiscent of the one which reigned five years ago, and we all remember how that ended.

This was a reference to the murder of Yerkhovs predecessor, Andrei Karlov, in 2016 against the backdrop of the crisis in Russian-Turkish relations after Turkey downed a Russian aircraft over Syria.

Mesnevi residents, the majority of whom support the opposition Republic Peoples Party (CHP), pointed the finger at the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government in Turkey. Many of their tweets not only blamed it for drumming up the hysteria, but also for having dragged their country into the predicament in Idlib to begin with. Some, joined by political observers, predicted that the developments in Idlib marked the beginning of the end of Turkish President Recep Tayyep Erdogans ambitions in Syria, where Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, have been steadily reasserting Damascuss control over most of the countrys territory.

Turkey was looking for more Russian understanding in Idlib, Andrei Chuprygin, a senior lecturer at the School of Oriental Studies at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, told the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

In my view, Turkeys activities in Idlib are akin to a nervous reaction to Erdogans failures in other areas, particularly in Libya and efforts to resolve the Syrian refugee dilemma in Turkey. He promised the moon to his voters but fulfilled few of them. Erdogan said he would resettle refugees in Syrian safety zones, but it was clear from the start that it was impossible. So now he is looking for someone to blame, Chuprygin said.

Not surprisingly, the municipal authorities in Istanbul have torn down posters of a heroic-looking Russian President Vladimir Putin that once peered over the famous Istiklal Boulevard. The image jarred with the propaganda campaign against the Kremlin in part to drum up the fervour of the AKPs ultranationalist and Islamist supporters and in part to cover up the failure of the governments adventurism in Syria.

As journalist Cetin Gurer pointed out beneath the headline, Horses run, Soldiers die, Kings rule, on the Turkish AhvalNews site, Erdogan is taking every sort of risk in order not to return empty-handed from Syria. Because he knows that with nothing to show, the average citizens who supported him will start to ask, if there was nothing to be gained from this, why did so many soldiers have to die? Why did so much money have to be poured into it? Why did we have to grieve so much? Public support for him will then deteriorate further.

These risks, Gurer added, would be Erdogans last throes in his quagmire of despair.

This explains Erdogans fervent support for the Hayaat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) in its offensive against Syrian government forces in Kafr Halab last Sunday. The HTS, formerly the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front, sent in a suicide bomber and then stormed the strategic position beneath heavy artillery fire using newly arrived shipments of heavy weaponry from Turkey, including US-made anti-aircraft guns.

HTS leader Abu Mohamed A-Julani, designated in the US as a global terrorist with a $10 million bounty on his head, lauded the Turkish military presence in Idlib and said he would use it to the advantage of his group.

Such reports, which officials in Ankara have not been able to deny, have led Russian officials to say that they are deeply troubled by the fact that rebel terrorists in Syria have come into the possession of sophisticated anti-aircraft weapons that may have been used to down two Syrian army helicopters. Voicing its concerns over the Turkish support for such groups, Moscow reiterated its accusations that Turkey had failed to abide by its commitments under the agreements it signed in Astana and Sochi in 2018 and 2019.

The Russians are not alone in expressing such concerns. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a partner in the Astana Process and an Erdogan ally, said that Turkey needed to respect all agreements relating to Syria. Describing the important agreement that had emerged from Sochi as a successful peace-making model, Rouhani added that he hoped Erdogan will fight terrorism and respect Syrias territorial unity and sovereignty.

Erdogan continues to insist on keeping Turkish forces in Idlib in order to guarantee stability there, whereas the Turkish intervention has been a major cause of the prolongation of the conflict and instability. We will stay in Idlib to limit conflict and prevent a humanitarian disaster, he said, whereas the reverse has resulted. Tensions have risen, military clashes have increased and humanitarian crises continue to unfold.

Erdogan claims that the Turkish army is there to protect the Turkish borders, even though Syrian President Bashar Al-Assads forces have never threatened these borders, which have long been the source of the influx of jihadist recruits into Turkish-backed militias. Erdogan has said he wants to prevent a new wave of refugees, whereas already more than 700,000 people have been displaced and have headed towards the Turkish border.

The situation in Idlib is growing worse for Erdogan by the day. Russian officials have cautioned Ankara against taking reckless actions in Syria, adding the reminder that the Turkish military presence there is illegitimate. They have also made it clear that the Kremlins patience is wearing thin, and the frequent reminders in the Russian press of the crisis in Russian-Turkish relations in the wake of Turkeys downing of a Russian Su-24 over Syria are meant to drive the point home.

Evidently, the powers that be in Ankara are unable to face these awkward truths, let alone utter them openly. The fact is that Turkish forces are bogged down in Idlib. The Turkish observation points there and the Turkish soldiers in them are surrounded, and because of the intermeshing between Syrian government and Russian forces, their hands are bound.

Erdogan has threatened tough action, but it is difficult to see him coming through on this threat without some backing from the US or other NATO countries, which analysts agree is unlikely to be forthcoming.

The question now remains: when Erdogan is in a corner, what will he do next?

*A version of this article appears in print in the 20 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed delight at a fruit-and-flower exhibition being held in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi on Wednesday, saying it will benefit farmers and the locals alike.

"Elated to see the pictures of the two-day fruit, flower and vegetable exhibition at the Company Bagh complex in Varanasi," Modi wrote on Twitter and shared pictures of the event.

The exhibition, he said, gave an opportunity to the residents of Kashi to see the plants and flowers, adding that it would also help farmers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ludhiana A team of Special Task Force (STF), Ludhiana unit, arrested Division Number 2 SHO sub-inspector Amandeep Singh Gill, 39, and his aide Ajay Kumar for possessing 10.35gram heroin from Khasi Kalan village, around 14km from district headquarters, on Tuesday night. Police commissioner Rakesh Agrawal has suspended the SHO with immediate effect.

The SHO had recovered the drug from five suspects, but instead of lodging an First-Information Report (FIR) set them free in lieu of bribe. Kumar had been associated with Amandeep for eight years and drove his car, even when he was on official duty; this is illegal. Police sources said the SHO was demanding more money for releasing a Maruti Suzuki Swift and phones of the suspects.

Headconstable already dismissed in same case

Police say the SHO had close links with a dismissed headconstable Balvir Singh, who had benn arrested by the STF on February 16 for drug peddling, after 20gm heroin was recovered on him.

STF Inspector General (IG) RK Jaiswal said, Balvir, along with his accomplices, had rounded up Sarvir Singh and Gurpal Singh of Jassowal village; Harpreet Singh, alias Peeta, and Gagan of Dakha village, and Satvirs cousin Yadwinder Singh on February 11. He had handed over these suspects to SHO Amandeep Singh Gill. The SHO, instead of arresting them, released them in three days after taking a bribe of 30,000. He was demanding more money for releasing their vehicles, phones etc.

He added that phones of these suspects and their car were hidden in the Division Number 2 police station itself; the heroin was recovered from the house of the SHO. A case under Sections 21, 59 (2), 61 and 85 of the NDPS act has been registered against the accused at STF police station, Mohali.

STF officials added that Balvir has confessed to links with senior cops, who are also under its scanner. The office of the assistant commissioner of police (ACP central) Waryam Singh is also in the building of police station Division Number 2. The STF will conduct a dope test on the accused SHO to verify if he is a drug addict. STF officials added that a perusal of his record had shown that he had not arrested any drug peddling accused for a long time.

Transferred to present posting just two weeks ago

Amandeep had got a job in the force as an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) on compassionate grounds after the death of his father, who was a constable in Punjab Police, in 2008. He had been transferred to his present police station only on February 4. He was close to a Congress MLA, who helped him in being posted to his constituency. In his career, he served at the passport verification branch of the community police resource centre, and then as Division number 1 SHO. Later, he was transferred to Jalandhar. On October 16, 2019 he had joined as SHO police station Division number 7.
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Butyl Adhesive Market - Overview

Though butyl adhesives are particularly new technology, the demand for the market has demonstrated a significant pace of traction over the years. Market focused reports linked to the chemicals & materials industry among others of late have been made accessible by Market Research Future which issues reports on this industry. The market is anticipated to grow with an unmatched CAGR percentage in the duration of the forecast period.

Growing butyl rubber in adhesive uses is one of the key causes of the copolymers progress. Furthermore, the emergent transportation sector and investments in construction are anticipated to grow its demand over the period of the next seven years and open up new prospects. Rising demand from packaging and paper industry for products such as cartons, tapes, bags, etc. have given way to the unparalleled growth of the industry while opening up new avenues for expansion. The superior properties of butyl adhesives such as exceptional resistance to high durability, weather and sunlight, resistance to aging and heat have made it suitable for end use in a number of industries.

Industry Segments

The Butyl Adhesive Market Growth is segmented on the basis of end use industry and region.

The end use industry has segmented the market into paper & packaging, woodworking, building & construction, automotive, and others. As butyl adhesives are resistant to air and water and highly resistant to alkali and UV rays, thus extensively used in the end use industries. By region, the market segmentation includes Europe, Latin America, North America, Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa.

Detailed Regional Analysis

The regions such as Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East & Africa are a part of the Butyl Adhesive Market globally. The Asia Pacific region is projected to develop at an incremental CAGR in the forecast period owing to mounting demand from end use industries such as woodworking, building & construction and automotive. The demand for Butyl Adhesive is expected to surge in emerging countries such as China, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Japan owing to increasing construction activities and development of woodworking industry. China is anticipated to be a major market in terms of consumption. Moreover, cheap labor charge, ease of accessibility to raw material, and growing development strategies to achieve the demand for butyl adhesives due to the developing applications which are the vital factors for regional market growth. The Middle East & Africa region is projected to observe considerable growth in the forthcoming years. This factor is credited to the rising development activities in the commercial and residential sector together with the growing demand for VOC free adhesives, especially in countries such as United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.

The North American market is likely to observe stable development in the use of butyl adhesive over the forecast period. The U.S. is foreseen to be the biggest butyl adhesive market in the region followed by Mexico and Canada. The Latin American countries like Argentina and Brazil, are also expected to observe stable growth owing to modest demand from packaging and woodworking industries. The European region is foreseen to be the second biggest market after the Asia Pacific region in the consumption of Butyl Adhesive. The European nations such as UK, France, Germany, and Italy are contributing to the regional market development owing to the occurrence of a large number of manufacturing companies in the region.

Global Competitive Analysis

The market has ushered in a new period of growth as the market is constantly in a state of mutability. The ripple effects of this growth have altered the competitive landscape of the market. Localization is among the more favored trends for expanding the market share of the competitors in the market. The potential strategy of each player in the market involves a certain degree of innovation in the product offerings to increase the possibilities for development, particularly in the forecast period. The chances for increasing revenue inflow in the business are expected to multiply through the forecast period. The intensifying interest in diversification within the business has indirectly allowed the businesses to utilize several situations obtainable in the market.

The noteworthy competitors in the butyl adhesive market comprise of ADCO Global, Bostik SA, Vinati Organics Ltd., Royal General Sealants, Adhesives & Sealants, Anabond, and others.





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A drug dealer has forfeited Bitcoin cryptocurrency worth 52m to the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) after the High Court ruled that it was the proceeds of crime.

The court accepted that Clifton Collins, from Crumlin, in Dublin's south inner city, was involved in the sale and supply of drugs.

Mr Justice Alex Owens ruled that the Bitcoin should be forfeited under the Proceeds of Crime legislation.

Collins (49) did not contest the CAB's application. The bureau's inquiries into his assets stemmed from a garda investigation, which began in February 2017 when officers stopped a 4x4 vehicle, driven by Collins, on the Sally Gap in the Wicklow Mountains and found a quantity of cannabis in the vehicle.

The find resulted in gardai searching an address at Farnaught, Corr na Mona, where a large number of suspected cannabis plants were found growing.

Collins was subsequently charged with a number of offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act and appeared before Bray District Court.

He is believed to have invested in Bitcoin at an early stage and its value as a cryptocurrency increased dramatically over the years.

The CAB secured a freezing order on the Bitcoin to ensure it could not be removed from its wallet without the court's approval.

The seizure of the Bitcoin haul was largely responsible for the value of assets confiscated by the CAB in 2019 amounting to a record 62m. The Collins case was one of six applications brought by the CAB before Judge Owens yesterday.

The CAB took possession of 62,136 held in a Ladbrokes betting account by Stephen McAuley, of Hollystown, west Dublin, on the grounds that it was the proceeds of his involvement in the sale and supply of drugs.

McAuley did not contest the application and the CAB also secured another 21,940 in cash and a Tag Heuer watch, valued at 2,900. His consent removed the need for the CAB to wait for seven years before the seized assets can be transferred to State coffers.

Another target for a CAB application was James O'Neill, from Dublin's south inner city, who was alleged to have been involved with associates of a drugs gang closely aligned with the Kinahan crime cartel.

In his case, the CAB seized 21,000 held in a credit union account, a mobile home in Courtown, Co Wexford, valued at 20,000, and an Audemars Piguet watch, also valued at 20,000.

The bureau also hit Paul Coddington (50) after officers found 10,000 in cash following a search of his premises at Mornington, Co Meath, and seized it on the grounds that the money was the proceeds of crime.

Coddington was previously threatened with two weeks in custody by a judge for contempt of court during an eviction hearing but subsequently purged his contempt.

Coddington had been involved in advising distressed mortgage holders. His brother Roy Coddington was shot dead after he was lured to his death at Mornington beach by his killers in 2007.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 16:22 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206575c2e 1 National Pancasila,mahfud-md,P4,ideology Free

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD has said that Indonesia is heading toward reinstating guidelines on the implementation of a Pancasila course in educational institutions, a practice that occurred during the New Order regime.

The course, known as P4, was an obligatory subject taught during student orientation in junior and senior high school as well as at the collegiate level.

Mahfud, however, said that the new P4 course would be an updated version.

Before I left [my post] at the Agency for Pancasila Ideology Education [BPIP], [we had decided] that we would organize more [P4] courses.

"So [the reintroduction of the courses] basically has started," Mahfud, a former member of the BPIP steering committee, said in Jakarta on Monday as quoted by tempo.co.

He went on to say that several people had received a training-of-trainers session on P4. They were expected to teach the course once the program is fully run nationwide, added Mahfud.

Earlier today I asked the BPIP secretary [who said] there were already some people who took the course. However, its just the beginning  we dont have enough [trainers]. We plan to have more trainers that master Pancasila values, Mahfud said.

The P4 course was based on a People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) decree issued in 1978. The decree elaborated Pancasilas five main ideas into 36 points of practical guidelines to internalize and implement Pancasila values to citizens daily lives.

In 1999, however, the MPR issued another decree that put an end to the P4 course.

Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said he agreed with the plan as it would strengthen nationalism.

I recommend that Pak Menko have the course be delivered over a shorter amount of time per session. In the old days, the course was given over rather long hours, he said, referring to Mahfud. (gis)
Curious onlookers gathered in downtown San Francisco as a supervillain in a fiery red aloha shirt stood on his tip-toes, twirled his fingers, and waited for the bullets to hit.

"Cut!" someone yelled after several shots rang out, and a member of the crew lowered the boom mic. But the people who watched from their windows in the Tenderloin didn't avert their attention  one of them even cheered.

Woody Harrelson was filming a scene just outside, and the line of apartment buildings on O'Farrell Street had a front row seat to the set of "Venom 2." Harrelson is portraying the shape-shifting antihero, Carnage, a Spiderman-adjacent villain from the Marvel universe.

Notices posted by Film SF location manager Justin Duncan recently alerted residents that a feature film project code-named "Filmore" would be shooting in front of 545 O'Farrell, just across the street from the Crosby, and in the back alley of Antonio Street on Sunday afternoon. The memo warned them of "a scene with simulated gunfire," as well as a prop weapon wielded by an actor playing a cop  and this appeared to be it.

Filming scheduled to continue yesterday evening was expected to be relatively quieter, said Janet Austin, the film commission's senior film coordinator supervising late-night production for the project.

"This day will be less impactful, nothing too dramatic," Austin said, referring to the mostly exterior shots taking place later in the night. "But it'll be hard to miss them."

Even in a month where sightings of Keanu Reeves have become frequent around town, it's surprising to see another major motion picture shooting at the same time just mere blocks away. It's certainly a boost for the local film industry.

ALSO: Video of 'Matrix 4' stunt doubles leaping from SF skyscraper isn't for the faint of heart

"I think its always great when a feature film comes to town," said Austin. "People get excited about it. Its a lot of fun... we try to minimize impact, but we've gotten lots of positive feedback and excitement."

Two days ago, Tom Hardy  reprising his role as Venom  shared a first look at Harrelson's character on Instagram. "Hello Cletus," it read, alluding to Carnage's pre-symbiote identity, but the photo has since been deleted.

@tomhardy/Instagram

Hardy himself appears to be seen in a different video as his true identity, Eddie Brock.

It's unclear what exactly is going on here, but it looks like he is crying out in anguish as an alien tears up his prized motorcycle. The scene apparently called for a number of takes.

"Tom Hardy's screams kept me up all night," said Reddit user u/suburbanite, who lives at 540 O'Farrell.

Spoiler alert in case you haven't seen 2018's "Venom" yet: There's a scene mid-credits where Hardy's Eddie Brock heads over to San Quentin State Prison. There, he meets Harrelson's Cletus Kasady, an imprisoned serial killer who hints at the reveal of his transformation with a pretty on-the-nose remark: "When I get out of here, and I will... there's going to be carnage."

"Venom 2" was also reportedly filming in Nob Hill, North Beach, Portrero Hill and at the Palace of Fine Arts. It's scheduled to wrap on Feb. 21.

Amanda Bartlett is an SFGATE associate digital reporter. Email: amanda.bartlett@sfgate.com | Twitter: @byabartlett
Joel Greenblatt (Trades, Portfolio), managing principal and co-chief investment officer of Gotham Asset Management and inventor of the "Magic Formula" investing strategy, recently disclosed the firm's portfolio updates for the fourth quarter of 2019.





Gotham Asset Management offers a range of both long-only and long-short funds, all of which are based on valuation. The group holds that stock prices can be volatile and emotion-based in the short term, but that they will general trade closer to their fair value after a period averaging around two to three years. The funds that are centered on the U.S. large and mid-cap companies are trading at the biggest discount to the managers' assessment of their value, based on factors such as return on capital, earnings yield and risk.

Based on the above criteria, the firm added 216 new positions to its $4.8 billion equity portfolio during the quarter.

Among those new buys, some of the firm's top picks were Square Inc. (NYSE:SQ), Allegion PLC (NYSE:ALLE), AECOM (NYSE:ACM), GoDaddy Inc. (NYSE:GDDY) and Navistar International Corp. (NYSE:NAV).

Square

The firm bought 181,820 shares of Square, impacting the equity portfolio by 0.21%. Shares of the stock traded at an average price of $64.02 during the quarter.

Square is a San Francisco-based company that provides financial services, merchant services aggregation and mobile payment services to small businesses. Its offerings include mobile credit card processors, online stores, payroll solutions and marketing.

On Feb. 19, shares of Square traded around $85.87 for a market cap of $36.86 billion. GuruFocus has assigned the company a financial strength score of 6 out of 10 and a profitability score of 4 out of 10.

The cash-debt ratio of 1.73 and current ratio of 1.68 are average for the industry, while the Altman Z-score of 8.81 suggests that the company can meet its financial obligations.

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189dba4c1d1c63817652df9f942d68c9.png

Square has a low operating margin at 0.14%. The three-year revenue growth rate is 3%, while the three-year earnings per share without non-recurring items growth rate is 58.3%.

dca981cc3575963ca41f6e1367228458.png

Allegion

The firm bought 51,896 shares of Allegion, impacting the equity portfolio by 0.12%. Shares of the stock traded at an average price of $115.82 during the quarter.

Based in Dublin, Ireland, Allegion is a provider of security products for homes and businesses. Its products are sold in 130 countries around the world.

On Feb. 19, shares of the company traded around $130.76 for a market cap of $12.15 billion and a price-earnings ratio of 27.29. Allegion has a GuruFocus financial strength rating of 5 out of 10 and a profitability rating of 8 out of 10.

The cash-debt ratio of 0.16 is underperforming 75.76% of competitors, but the interest coverage of 9.99% and Altman Z-score of 5.73 mean that it is not in financial danger.

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Allegion has a three-year revenue growth rate of 10.2% and a three-year earnings per share without non-recurring items growth rate of 41.9%. Net income has also grown steadily over the last several years.

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AECOM

The firm bought 125,621 shares of AECOM, impacting the equity portfolio by 0.10%. Shares of the stock traded at an average price of $41.58 during the quarter.

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AECOM is a multinational engineering company based in Los Angeles. As one of the world's largest infrastructure company, its job is to design and build roads, light structures, water pipelines, bridges and other mainstays of modern communities.

On Feb. 19, AECOM shares traded around $50.46 for a market cap of $7.91 billion. GuruFocus has assigned the company a financial strength rating of 5 out of 10 and a profitability rating of 7 out of 10.

The company's cash-debt ratio of 0.17 and interest coverage of 3.1% are underperforming 76.37% of competitors. The Altman Z-score of 1.74 suggests that AECOM may not be in the best position financially, but it has reduced debt in recent years, and the low debt-revenue ratio of 0.23 is also a positive sign.

7b2120189eb9af46596134de0b459c56.png

GoDaddy

The firm bought 82,889 shares of GoDaddy, impacting the equity portfolio by 0.10%. Shares of the stock traded at an average price of $66.20 during the quarter.

66bd7466398a9213ff6dbdf8845f46cf.png

GoDaddy is an internet domain registrar and web hosting company based in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is the world's largest registrar of domain names and also offers products such as a website builder, email addresses and web security.

On Feb. 19, shares of the company traded around $77.59 for a market cap of $13.54 billion and a price-earnings ratio of 101.64. GuruFocus has assigned it a financial strength score of 3 out of 10 and a profitability score of 4 out of 10.

The cash-debt ratio of 0.42, interest coverage of 2.2% and Altman Z-score of 1.94 are all on the low end of the spectrum compared to industry competitors, indicating a weak balance sheet.

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GoDaddy has a return on capital of 54.21%, beating 66.51% of competitors. Both revenue and net income have shown growth in recent years, with net income turning to the positive range beginning in 2017.

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Navistar International

The firm bought 151,647 shares of Navistar International, impacting the equity portfolio by 0.08%. Shares of the stock traded at an average price of $30.84 during the quarter.

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Navistar International is a manufacturing holding company based in Lisle, Illinois. The majority of profits come from vehicles such as school buses, 18-wheeler trucks, military vehicles and agricultural machinery.

On Feb. 19, Navistar shares traded around $37.50 for a market cap of $3.73 billion and a price-earnings ratio of 16.97. The company has a GuruFocus financial strength rating of 4 out of 10 and a profitability rating of 6 out of 10.

Navistar has a cash-debt ratio of 0.26, interest coverage of 2.41% and an Altman Z-score of 1.46, indicating financial weakness.

d03d514bdb5cd6f2da1e08040d785e71.png

The return on capital of 24.82% is higher than 76.84% of competitors. Both revenue and net income have shown strong growth in recent years.

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Disclosure: Author owns no shares in any of the stocks mentioned. The mention of stocks in this article does not at any point constitute an investment recommendation. Investors should always conduct their own careful research and/or consult registered investment advisors before taking action in the stock market.

Read more here:

Frank Sands' Firm Sells 4 Stocks in 4th Quarter

Bill Ackman's Pershing Square: 4th-Quarter Update

Chuck Akre's Firm's Biggest 4th-Quarter Buys







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IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Maymo, the beloved lemon beagle, is now a part of the Semaphore Licensing family. Maymo has earned fanfare across the globe, becoming the most popular pet personality on YouTube, with content viewed an average of 125 million times per month. His videos have been seen on award winning and popular television shows such as Good Morning America, Anderson Cooper 360, The Today Show, Ellen and The Tonight Show. Maymo's channel launched in 2011 and has attained a global audience, with each video released averaging 2 million views. The comedic, feel good videos have also been featured online, in destinations such as Time, NPR, Mashable, Gizmodo, People, Daily Mail and Newsday.

Semaphore Licensing Solutions is excited to create opportunities for pet stars to bring signature products to retail shelves, thereby assisting in the expansion of their stars' brand in a whole new way. Semaphore's Senior Vice President of Licensing, Lisa Berlin Wright, will be attending Global Pet Expo 2020 and is actively securing meetings to review opportunities for consideration.

"As our portfolio of new media creators and YouTube stars expands, our team will be creating out of the box opportunities for talent to propel their careers to the next level. It doesn't matter if talent helps you feel beautiful, makes you laugh, helps you get fit, or simply barks  we'll blaze an exciting product path forward together."-Michael Bienstock, Founder and CEO, Semaphore Licensing Solutions

About Semaphore  A Family of Companies:

Founded in 2002, Semaphore offers a diverse suite of services including accounting, tax preparation, payroll, insurance, brand and licensing management. Serving clients across the globe, the firm has become the in-demand provider of choice for those who value a service driven approach, fueled by integrity. Semaphore's headquarters is located in Irvine, California where their team of seasoned professionals strive to see their clients thrive.

Learn more: SemaphoreLicensingSolutions.com

Contact: Paula Steurer

Sterling Public Relations

Direct: 949. 200. 6566

[email protected]

SOURCE Semaphore

Related Links

https://semaphorelicensingsolutions.com


DARIEN  The family of one of the teens accused of cheating on Darien High Schools exams has hired an attorney to investigate and possibly challenge the school districts handling of the penalties for his client.

Darien Schools Superintendent Alan Addley said several students entered the Language Arts and Social Studies faculty offices and copied the answers to the multiple-choice portions of those exams.

It was determined that these answers were widely disseminated through social media, Addley said, adding that up to 280 to 300 students could have been impacted.

The pervasiveness and issues of fairness of the incident led the administration to believe the most reasonable action is to re-administer the multiple-choice parts of the exam, he said.

Addley said this is consistent with practices of other standardized tests such as the SAT and AP exams, though several parents objected.

Mark Sherman, a Stamford attorney hired by one of the families whose 16-year-old son was implicated in the scheme, said the punishment imposed by the school included a range from retaking the exam to suspension.

While the district showed measured discretion and compassion in setting the punishment ceiling for the accused students, we are looking into the disparate treatment of these students, especially in the context of federally mandated due process accommodations that should be considered, Sherman said.

Sherman said he will examine whether the punishment was appropriate and was fair and equitable in the context of penalties meted out to other similarly situated students received in this dumpster fire of a discipline process.

I also want to reassure that among these deliberations, the administration has been reflective and considered the integrity, fairness, disruption, stress and reasonableness, Addley said at a recent Board of Education meeting that was attended by more than 100 people.

Addley said the needs of all the students, including the students that violated the academic policy were taken into consideration.

Many parents objected to the retaking of exams, which were administered last week.

Addley said the multiple-choice answers for World Studies and English exams were breached and widely distributed to the sophomore class, compromising the exams integrity.

Board of Education Chairman Tara Ochman said his panel does not handle student discipline and does not determine or govern the day-to-day runnings of the school. However, given the level of concern Ohman said the board opted to hear a report about what happened and to allow the public to speak during a meeting this month.

One parent said her son who is a sophomore worked hard to study for the two exams and was more of a math and science kid.

These two midterms were the ones he stressed about the most, and when they were done, he felt a weight had been lifted off him, she said.

Re-administering the tests nearly a month after the initial tests, while also interfering with other classwork is not an acceptable solution, she said.

She pointed out that the high school handbook does not cite a retesting policy for students who have been accused of dishonesty, let alone a student not accused. She also said there were a lot of rumors about what happened and the punishment.

The only way to dispel those rumors is for the administration to tell us exactly what happened and what the punishment was for those students, she said.

This can be done without identifying them. I think you owe it to the students who were affected and the students who honestly studied for those exams, she said.

Another parent pointed out the event leading up to the answers being disseminated was breaking and entering.

If someone punches someone in the hallway, or does something illegal, is that not grounds for expulsion? Why is this not grounds for expulsion for the students involved? he asked.

Pace Flaherty, one of the students who spoke, said he created a petition to hold the Darien public school system more accountable for violations of academic integrity. The petition received more than 276 signatures in 72 hours.

A lot of students in my grade and in the school are feeling like the students got away with these acts with a slap on the wrist, he said. And that is very insulting to us as we have to retake our midterms, which also sounds like a consequence that has fallen onto us.
The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) outbreak has taken nearly 1,900 people and infected more than 73,000 people, mainly in China. It has spread to 28 countries, prompting scientists to develop potential therapies to treat deadly viral infections. Now, Chinese doctors are using plasma therapy to treat coronavirus patients.

The promising approach is valid, according to the World Health Organization. In plasma therapy, the doctors infuse the plasma from a recovered patient to a currently infected patient in the hopes of boosting the immune systems fight against the pathogen.

Doctors in Shanghai are using plasma therapy to help critically ill patients to recover. In the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, there is a specialized clinic intended for the administration of plasma therapy.

Professor Lu Hongzhou urge recovered patients to donate blood after they pass screenings for other diseases such as hepatitis B or C or HIV.

Blood plasma. Image Credit: Komsan Loonprom / Shutterstock

Generate antibodies against the infection

Convalescent plasma has been proven effective and lifesaving in the fight against infectious diseases, such as rabies and diphtheria. Dr. Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization (WHO)s head of health emergency program said that convalescent plasma is a valid approach against the coronavirus.

The hyperimmune globulin concentrates the antibodies in a patient who recovered from the infection, providing a new victims immune system a boost of antibodies. This way, they have the power to survive the infection, especially in a challenging phase.

So, it must be given at the right time, because it mops up the virus in the system, and it just gives the new patients immune system a vital push at the time it needs it. But it has to be carefully timed, and its not always successful, Dr. Ryan explained.

So, it is a very important area of discovery, and I believe they are starting trials on that in China. But it is a very valid way to explore therapeutics, especially when we dont have vaccines and we dont have specific antivirals, he added.

Plasma therapy has been used in the previous Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa in 2014 to 2016. The therapy has shown promise in providing care for patients in the early stages of the disease.

Though there is no proven treatment for these diseases, such as the coronavirus disease and the ebola virus disease, whole blood collected from patients in the convalescent phase of infection has been used as a treatment. For EVD patients, the therapy showed promising results in a small group of EVD cases.

Calling for survivors

Chinas state-owned medical products maker, China National Biotec Group Co., has been collecting plasma from the blood of those who have recovered from the coronavirus. The plasma, which contains highly potent antibodies, has been used to treat more than ten critically ill patients since Feb. 8. The company claimed that the patients showed improvements within 24 hours, manifesting reduced inflammation and viral loads, with better blood oxygen levels.

Doctors in Shanghai encourage all survivors of the coronavirus disease to donate plasma for the treatment of other infected patients in the coming weeks. In Shanghai alone, about 124 patients have recovered from COVID-19, while 14 showed a willingness to donate for other coronavirus patients.

Meanwhile, since the beginning of the outbreak, a total of 217 medical teams comprising of more than 25,000 health workers were sent to Hubei Province, the epicenter of the deadly epidemic. Two large hospitals have been built in just ten days, while China built nine makeshift hospitals for patients with mild symptoms in Wuhan City, admitting more than 5,600 patients.

Experts say that the outbreak of new cases toll has decreased compared to the numbers in the previous weeks while the number in other provinces, such as Huanggang and Xiaogan, has remained relatively high, and its increasing rapidly.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 20)  An official from the Department of Education proposed the use of sablay instead of toga during graduation rites in the elementary and high school levels.

In a Facebook post, DepEd Undersecretary Alain Pascua confirmed reports circulating online that there is a proposal to change the graduation toga, which usually consists of a white robe and cap ensemble, in the basic education level. Yet, he said he did not have any idea how his proposal leaked online.

The proposal said the use of toga has deep Western roots.

It does not inspire loyalty to the country, but only serves as a reminder of a colonial past, Pascua said in the document.

He added that it is impractical and uncomfortable to wear especially in a tropical country like the Philippines. Pascua also said that renting or buying a toga is just an additional expense.

Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto said he has spoken to public schools in the city and they have agreed to switch to using sablays instead of togas during graduations.

"Bukod sa mas Pilipino ito -- pareho lang ang gagastusin ng [local government unit,] pero maiuuwi nila ito pagkatapos ng graduation! 'Yung toga renta lang kasi," Sotto said on Twitter.

[Translation: Aside from this being more Filipino, we would spend the same amount but students can bring them home after graduation! We only rent togas.]

The use of sablay in graduation ceremonies was popularized by the countrys premiere state university, University of the Philippines. Sablay is an indigenous loose garment that is traditionally used for formal occasions and worn like a sash.

The DepEd official pointed out that using a Sablay will help promote local culture and national diversity.

[It] will nurture ethnic roots and perpetuate the production of local textiles of indigenous peoples, said Pascua.

He also said that it will boost rural development by providing jobs to weavers and sustaining local and traditional weaving enterprises.

However, Pascua clarified that the proposal has yet to be discussed with department officials at the executive and management committee levels and "remains a proposition."

To clarify, the Aide Memoire has yet to be discussed at the Exe[cutive] com[mittee]-Man[agement] com[mittee] levels and remains a proposition, he said.

One positive outcome though of the leak was that we were able to glean at the publics sentiment towards the proposal, which has generally been favorable and very welcoming, give or take a few concerns that need to be addressed should the proposal be considered, he added.
Breastfeeding affects infant growth and, researchers have found, helps prevent obesity, both in childhood and later in life. However, the components of breast milk responsible for these beneficial effects remain mostly a mystery.

Human milk is an elaborate blend of proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins, plus complex sugar molecules called human milk oligosaccharides, or HMOs. There are approximately 150 types of HMOs. Like thumb and tongue prints, the combination and concentration of HMOs is unique to each nursing mother.

In a new study, published in the February 18, 2020 online issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine confirmed the findings of previous pilot studies that found an association between HMO concentrations and infant weight and body composition.

The earlier pilot studies looked at a smaller, combined cohort of approximately 30 infants who were exclusively breastfed and who displayed excessive weight gain over a period of six months. The UC San Diego study examined a much larger cohort of 802 mothers and their children, part of the longitudinal Steps to Healthy Development of Children (STEPS) study, led by researchers at the University of Turku in Finland. The children were examined from birth to age 5.

The researchers found that high concentrations of one HMO called 2'-Fucosyllactose (2'FL) and low concentrations of another HMO known as Lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) were associated with growth in infancy and early childhood. Depending upon concentrations of HMOs in mother's milk, but independent of the mother's pre-pregnancy body mass index or duration of breastfeeding, infant height and weight can vary by half a standard deviation. Standard deviation is a measure of how spread out numbers are.

We were surprised by the magnitude of the association. The impact persisted long after actual exposure to HMOs during breastfeeding. Our analytical platform allows us to measure and associate individual HMOs with specific health and development outcomes." Lars Bode, PhD, senior author professor of pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine and director of the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence

HMOs are natural prebiotics that contribute to the shaping of the infant gut microbiome, which may affect health and disease risk. But they also act independently of the microbiome, protecting the infant from diseases, such as infectious diarrhea or necrotizing enterocolitis, a serious condition that impacts the intestine of premature infants. HMOs potentially also reduce the risk for non-communicable diseases, such as asthma, allergies and obesity later in life.

"Our goal is to generate a deep mechanistic understanding of how HMOs in a mom's milk can contribute to infant health and development. Although we are only at the very beginning, the generated knowledge provides fascinating new opportunities," said Bode. "Some HMOs could help infants who are behind the growth curve; other HMOs could do the opposite and help lower the risk of childhood obesity. We could even imagine applying HMOs as novel therapeutics for adults who either need to gain weight or suffer from overweight and obesity."

Bode said the study is also an example of how data can help guide the development of HMO blends for different products promoting health. "We could tailor HMO composition in products based on actual scientific evidence and desired outcomes. Much like personalized medicine."

The association results from cohort studies are an impactful way to generate new hypotheses, said the researchers, especially if several different cohorts show very similar associations. However, association studies do not prove causality. Bode said his team's next steps include bringing the data back to the lab to test whether or not HMOs, either alone or in combination, affect growth and to pinpoint the underlying mechanisms.
Proceeds to be used for exploration programs at Slate Falls, West Madsen, and Bruce Lake Projects

VICTORIA, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / GoldON Resources Ltd. (TSXV:GLD) ("GoldON" or the "Company") is pleased to report the closing of its previously announced non-brokered private placement of 1,150,000 flow-through shares at a price of $1.00 per share for gross proceeds of $1,150,000.

The Company will, subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance, pay finders' fee totalling $69,000 and 69,000 warrants exercisable at $1.00 per share until February 19, 2022 in respect of the offering. All securities issued pursuant to this offering are subject to a four-month hold period and may not be traded until at least June 20, 2020, except as permitted by applicable securities legislation and the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Company will use the proceeds of the financing to fund its initial 2020 exploration programs. Analytical results are forthcoming from the recent Slate Falls drilling program and the West Madsen soil-gas-hydrocarbon survey. Once those results are received and interpreted, details of the next phase of work at both projects will be provided.

About GoldON Resources Ltd.

GoldON is an exploration company focused on discovery-stage properties located in the prolific gold mining belts of northwestern Ontario, Canada. Active projects include: the West Madsen property in the Red Lake Gold Camp, an option/JV with Great Bear Resources; the Bruce Lake property that adjoins BTU Metals' Dixie Halo property and their TNT Target; and our flagship Slate Falls project in the Patricia Mining Division, where 18 Au-Ag mineralized zones have been identified over the 13-km breadth of the property. GoldON has 16,858,432 shares issued.

For additional information: visit our website at https://goldonresources.com, you can download our latest presentation by clicking here and you can follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GoldONResources.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Signed "Michael Romanik"

Michael Romanik, President

Direct line: (204) 724-0613

Email: romanikm@mymts.net

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: GoldON Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/577050/GoldON-Closes-Private-Placement-Financing
In a recent press release from the Cabinet of Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs, it was stated that she held several visits in the Netherlands with public officials including Chairman of the Second Chamber Mr. Jan Anthonie Bruijn. However, his official post is Chairman of the First Chamber of the Dutch Government.

We trust that this rectification serves you well.
Barr should know he has only two choices. He can resign now and be done with trying to tame the presidents worst impulses. Or he can swallow his pride, shut his mouth, ignore Trumps tweets and keep trying to do his job. If he chooses the latter, though, he may find that he is merely prolonging his own humiliation and doing even more damage to his reputation until Trump decides to dump him.
Publicis Sapient, today announced that it has wholly acquired Sapient.i7, the joint enterprise it launched with Tquila Ventures in March 2018. Over the past two years, Sapient i7 has offered an extensive set of services leveraging Salesforce technology to enable digital transformation for large companies in Europe.

Sapient i7 will join Publicis Sapient to form a new global practice, expanding Publicis Sapients Salesforce expertise and strengthening its alignment to the technology.

The global Salesforce practice will be led by Jason English. Stephen Aitken, the current CEO of Sapient i7, will lead the UK, Europe, and APAC regions.

Jason English, SVP, Global Salesforce Practice Leader, Publicis Sapient, commented, The acquisition of Sapient i7 enhances the value Publicis Sapient brings to its clients. Publicis Sapient has been delivering large scale digital business transformation for a number of years and the acquisition of Sapient i7 enables the company to offer digital business transformation on a truly global scale.

On the acquisition, Stephen Aitken said, Its been exciting to watch Sapient i7s Salesforce practice grow quickly in Europe. The acquisition enables us to continue growth in delivering digital business transformation on the Salesforce platform.

Stephane Viallet, VP, Alliances, Salesforce, added here, Were excited that Publicis Sapient has now acquired Sapient i7. This is a renewed demonstration of Publicis Sapients commitment to invest in the digital business transformation of organisations, leveraging Salesforce technology.

Salesforce and others are trademarks of salesforce.com, Inc.
Todd McFarlane talks about his first Spawn team book and the culmination of the 'Year of Spawn'

The comic book icon looks back at the 'Year of Spawn' and forward to his first-ever team book The Scorched
Around 200 Ancient Roman amphora have been discovered in an underwater cave off of the coast of Majorca  in the first dive down there in 20 years.

Amphorae are ceramic pots  often used to store wine, other liquids, or grain  that have a two-handled design that dates back to the Neolithic Period.

The artefacts were found in the Fuente de Ses Aiguades cave, which lies in the Bay of Alcudia on the northeastern coast of Majorca, in the Spanish Balearic Islands.

Experts from the so-called 'Underwater Archaeological Research in the Caves of Mallorca' Project are re-exploring the caves using the latest technology.

The team believe that the ceramicware was left in the cave by sailors as some form of ritual offering.

Around 200 Ancient Roman amphora have been discovered in an underwater cave off of the coast of Majorca  in the first dive down there in 20 years

The artefacts were found in the Fuente de Ses Aiguades cave, which lies in the bay of Alcudia on the northeastern coast of Majorca, in the Spanish Balearic Islands

Amphorae are ceramic pots, often used to store wine, that have a two-handled design that dates back to the Neolithic Period

The Fuente de Ses Aiguades cave was first discovered in 1998, with the last dive down there by underwater archaeologists having taken place in the year 2,000.

Although the cave had been explored previously, experts are now able to give it a more thorough examination using modern technologies, with some 200 new amphorae found as result, project leader Manel Fumas told Central European News.

Modern 3D scanning technology, he said, will allow them 'fully understand the cave's layout.'

The cave  which is around 591 feet (180 metres) long and full of stalactites and many air chambers  is accessed by a narrow vertical shaft, once reached using a pulley system.

'The mystery lies in why there are so many amphorae. It is not normal. One could fall, when the pulley broke, but not 200,' Mr Fumas said.

The sheer volume of the containers indicated that they had been left there as some form of offering, he said.

The results gathered so far, he added, 'make us think the place was used for religious rituals by sailors.'

As well as studying the amphorae, Mr Fumas said that his team will also analyse the bones of extinct animals that have also be found in the cave.

Divers in a previous expedition, for example, found in the cave the remains of a Myotragus  also known as the Balearic Islands cave goat  which became extinct 5,000 years ago.

'The presence of the Myotragus shows that the cavity was natural, formed thousands of years before the arrival of the humans to Mallorca and not as a consequence of [human] action related to the search for water,' Fumas and colleagues explained.

The results gathered so far, the researchers said, 'make us think the place was used for religious rituals by sailors'

Experts from the so-called 'Underwater Archaeological Research in the Caves of Mallorca' Project are re-exploring the caves using the latest technology

The Fuente de Ses Aiguades cave was first discovered in 1998, with the last dive down there by underwater archaeologists having taken place in the year 2,000

Although the cave had been explored previously, experts are now able to give it a more thorough examination using modern technologies, with some 200 new amphorae found as result, project leader Manel Fumas told Central European News

'The presence of the amphoras could be linked to commercial routes between Spain and Italy. Ships used to anchor off the island to gather freshwater before going on their way,' the archaeologists told Central European News.

'The water in the cave is 14 metres deep, half is freshwater and the rest is saltwater and they do not meet.'

'This results in unique conditions that may have led people to believe that it held spiritual and healing elements as the chlorine level is very high, much like a swimming pool.'

A team of scientists has now returned to the site, however, aiming to use new 3D scanning technology to 'fully understand the cave's layout'

As well as studying the amphorae, Mr Fumas said that his team will also analyse the bones of extinct animals that have also be found in the cave

Divers have already found, for example, the remains of a Myotragus  also known as the Balearic Islands cave goat  which became extinct 5,000 years ago

Divers have already found, for example, the remains of a Myotragus (pictured here in this reconstruction)  also known as the Balearic Islands cave goat  which became extinct 5,000 years ago

A previous expedition led by one Xisco Gracia found 189 amphorae in the cave around 20 years ago, local media reported.

These amphoras were dated as coming from the Roman era right up to the 19th century, experts determined.

The team plans to publish the results of their presently ongoing studies later this year, Mr Fumas said.

The sheer volume of the containers indicated that they had been left there as some form of offering, Mr Fumas said

'The presence of the amphoras could be linked to commercial routes between Spain and Italy. Ships used to anchor off the island to gather freshwater before going on their way,' the archaeologists told Central European News

A previous expedition led by one Xisco Gracia found 189 amphorae in the cave around 20 years ago, local media reported

These amphoras were dated as coming from the Roman era right up to the 19th century, experts determined

The artefacts were found in the Fuente de Ses Aiguades cave, which lies in the bay of Alcudia on the northeastern coast of Majorca, in the Spanish Balearic Islands
Priti Patel has said that it is right that workers should have to learn English before they come to the UK.

Speaking ahead of an announcement on the governments new points-based immigration system, the home secretary stated that immigrants will obviously need to speak English and have a sponsored route through employment or an academic institution in order to gain a visa.

We're being very clear about this - this is a system that puts the British government in control of its immigration policy for the first time in decades.

And, yes, it is right that people should speak English before they come to our country, that they should have a sponsored route, whether it's through employment or a sponsored route through an academic institution.

For those who live already live in the UK but do not meet the thresholds of the governments new point based system, Patel cited the EU Settlement Scheme which has received 3.2 million applications.

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

Details of the radical plans to overhaul immigration will be released on Wednesday and Ms Patel confirmed discussions had been held with the devolved administrations ahead of the announcement.

"There's been discussions taking place across the whole of government for a number of months and, in fact, even prior to the general election there'd been discussions taking place across all government departments and the devolved administrations," she said.

The introduction of a new system of immigration with stricter controls on who can enter the country was one of the core pledges made by the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Salary thresholds for skilled migrants will be lowered from 30,000 to 25,600 for those coming to the UK with a job offer and points will be awarded for key requirements such as having a job offer from an approved sponsor or have a job offer that is at a 'required skill level.'

However, all applicants - both EU and non-EU citizens - who want to live and work in the UK will need to gain 70 points to be eligible to apply for a visa.

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott has publicly criticised the new plans.

"This isn't an 'Australian points-based system', which is a meaningless government soundbite. It's a salary threshold system, which will need to have so many exemptions, for the NHS, for social care and many parts of the private sector, that it will be meaningless.

"Ultimately, it will also be very difficult to attract the workers we need at all skill levels while the Tories' hostile environment is in place. It needs to go," she said.

The new system is set to come into force on 1 January 2021.

Additional reporting by Press Association
How important are the EVFTA and IPA to Vietnams development?

Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh

In the face of the current complex global situation, the EVFTA attests to both sides strong commitment to promoting bilateral ties, from there deepening the relationships between Vietnam and the EU.

The signing and approval of EVFTA aligns with Vietnams external policies for multilateralisation and diversification, striving to strengthen the relationships with big trading partners, including the EU, contributing to maintaining peace, enhancing Vietnams status in the international arena, and availing of EUs support to ensure effective implementation of socio-economic, political, multifaceted external development targets.

With Vietnams position of the ASEAN chair in 2020, the EVFTA will help bolster the countrys position and status in the relationships between EU and the ASEAN, as well as shape a model for future ASEAN-EU FTA.

Amid current fast-changing and increasingly complex political-security situation regionally and globally, the EVFTA can help the country to foster inner strength as well as consolidate our status internationally to exercise the external policies for independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification, going in parallel to consolidating and strengthening national defence and security.

In the economic development aspect, the EU is currently one of Vietnams largest export markets with an export value to this zone touching $41.5 billion and an import value reaching $14.9 billion last year. Thereby, when the EVFTA and IPA come into force, the two-way trade and investment flow from EU to Vietnam is forecast to rise robustly, making active contributions to Vietnams economic growth, facilitating export, pushing up markets diversification, procuring higher added values through newly established supply chains, and creating more jobs.

Enforcement will also entail improvements in the local business environment as well as the countrys regulatory system with more transparency in compliance with international practice.

What has the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) prepared to maximise the benefits of official approval?

As a central agency for FTAs implementation, the MoIT has made careful preparations to be able to maximise the advantages the EVFTA could bring.

Similar to what we were doing with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the MoIT has drafted an action plan for the implementation of the EVFTA which has set forth clear tasks and objectives. The main tasks are divided into the five following core groups: diffusion about the deal and EU markets; regulatory work; boosting competitiveness and human resource development; guidelines and policies towards trade unions and other organisations caring for the labourers at enterprises; and policies on social well-being, environmental protection, and sustainable development.

To improve awareness about the EVFTA, particularly corporate entities and state management personnel at the central and local levels, we have established a website at evfta.moit.gov.vn, to elaborate on the deal, as well as to connect with people and businesses. In addition, the MoIT has also pushed up diffusion about the EVFTA through hosting workshops and training courses across the country, focusing on localities with big industrial zones and a large number of businesses.

Furthermore, market surveys have also received priority to help businesses become well-prepared to take advantages of tariff incentives when the agreement comes into force. We have also scaled up efforts for branding and image promotion of Vietnamese products in the markets of EU member countries.

What are the opportunities and challenges the EVFTA brings to Vietnams economy after the deal comes into force?

Regarded as a fulcrum for development, the EVFTA opens enormous opportunities for local businesses to enter a promising market with more than 508 million people and about $18 trillion GDP value. The EU is one of Vietnams most important trading partners with a total import-export value touching $56.39 billion in 2019. The import-export structure between Vietnam and the EU is mutually supplemental, not competing directly with each other.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the EVFTA would help Vietnams export value to the EU rise by about 42.7 per cent in 2025, and increasing to 44.37 per cent by 2030. Simultaneously, the import value from the EU to Vietnam will also pick up speed, growing by about 33.06 per cent in 2025 and 36.7 per cent by 2030. On a macro level, the EVFTA would contribute to an average 2.18-3.25 per cent in Vietnams GDP growth during 2019-2023, increasing to 4.57-5.30 per cent during 2024-2028, and 7.07-7.72 per cent high during 2029-2033.

Besides these advantages, the deal also brings certain challenges. Vietnams commitment to opening local markets to products and services from the EU will pose pressure to the local economy and businesses, as well as our products and services. This pressure, however, is positive and follows a suitable roadmap. More importantly, as the EU-Vietnam economic structure is highly supplemental, the competitive pressure would not be significant.

In addition, as the EVFTA encompasses close regulations and principles regarding investment and customs procedures, trade facilitation, technical barriers, quarantine measures and many more, full implementation of these regulations requires our country to embrace comprehensive institutional reforms. This, by essence, aligns with Vietnams commitment to accelerating administrative reforms, thereby enhancing the efficiency of public procurement and reforming growth model.

Which export sectors will benefit from the EVFTA and which sectors will suffer negative impacts?

With the EVFTA, almost all Vietnams export items to the EU would be exempted from import duties right after the deal takes effect or after just a short time. This is the highest benefit from an FTA that Vietnam has signed with the international community. The most beneficial sectors will be footwear, textiles and garments, agriculture, and seafood. The sectors bearing the brunt would be chemicals, transport means and equipment, processed food, and basic metal items.

The sectors intended to reap maximal benefits, however, might also face certain challenges. EU countries apply strict technical barriers to import items. For instance, Vietnams export agricultural items to the EU, albeit enjoying incentives, often lack uniformity in each shipment while post-harvest preservation is not good, resulting in unstable quality.

In addition, regulations on product origin also present challenges to textile and garments in taking advantage of tariff incentives under the EVFTA as the material for their production comes mainly from China or the ASEAN.
Washington, DC - The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is pleased to announce that Corinn Rutkoski and Renee Collini have been selected as the 2020 AIBS Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award (EPPLA) recipients. The EPPLA recognizes graduate students in the biological sciences who have demonstrated leadership skills and an aptitude for future professional success working at the intersection of science and public policy.

Corinn Rutkoski is a doctoral student in integrative biology at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. She recently received a graduate research fellowship from the National Science Foundation's Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program to study how the incorporation of native prairie plants in agricultural fields influences soil health. Rutkoski conducts research at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station and has also contributed to research projects at the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. Rutkoski earned her BS in environmental science from Loyola University Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.

Renee Collini is a doctoral student at Mississippi State University in Biloxi, Mississippi, where her research focuses on understanding the coastal impacts of sea-level rise. As a program coordinator of the Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative, a partnership funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Collini facilitates the integration of sea-level rise science into coastal decision-making through a multi-state network of stakeholders, researchers, NGOs, and state and federal agencies. Collini received her MS in marine science from the University of South Alabama and her BS in biology from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Both awardees are active in their professional communities. Rutkoski has been instrumental in organizing visits for lawmakers at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station to educate them about the research being conducted in their district. She has previously participated in the annual AIBS Congressional Visits Day during which she met with her congressional delegation in Washington, DC to advocate for science funding. Collini works as an extension educator of climate science at Mississippi State University and is facilitating a collaboration between a coastal engineering researcher and the Town of Dauphin Island to develop adaptation strategies to prevent island breaching as sea levels rise. She has been actively involved with the League of Women Voters, a non-partisan organization focused on education and empowerment. Collini has lead community discussions with coastal residents, elected officials, and municipal staff on sea-level rise science, impacts, and mitigation options through the Sea-Level Rise Resilience Dialogues.

Rutkoski applied for the EPPLA because it "provides scientists with an opportunity to make their voices heard by individuals in decision making positions." She looks forward to sharing her experience as a scientist with her congressional delegation. "Engagement between scientists and policy professionals is mutually beneficial" notes Rutkoski. Importantly, it provides scientists with the opportunity to share relevant information with policy makers.

Collini views the award as an opportunity to expand her "science to policy communication skills" and share her experience of integrating science with actions at the local level. "Science is rarely simple; it is the exploration of complex issues and phenomena that spans generations of research and researchers," says Collini. "Someone responsible for everything that happens in their district or state from potholes to hurricanes cannot be expected to have the time or background knowledge to comprehensively digest and apply research. We need scientists to support policy makers, helping them contextualize findings from the best available science to the decisions at hand."

This is the seventeenth year that AIBS has recognized graduate student achievement through the EPPLA program. "I am impressed each year by the outstanding leadership we see from graduate students across the nation," said Dr. Robert Gropp, AIBS Executive Director. "I am even more pleased to see how many of our past award recipients are actively shaping science policy today through careers in government, non-profit organizations, and in university science departments."

Rutkoski and Collini will travel to Washington, DC, in April to participate in an AIBS science communications training program and to meet with their members of Congress as part of the annual AIBS Congressional Visits Day.

###

AIBS is the national organization dedicated to promoting informed decision-making that advances the biological sciences for the benefit of science and society. The EPPLA program is one way that AIBS builds the capacity of the scientific community to promote sound decision-making.

The EPPLA program is made possible by the generous financial support of AIBS donors. More information about the EPPLA program, and AIBS is available at http://www.aibs.org.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 13:06:13|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government will ramp-up tourism campaigns to counter a downturn caused by bushfires and the outbreak of coronavirus.

Simon Birmingham, the Minister for Trade and Tourism, told the Australian Financial Review (AFR) that Tourism Australia's focus will shift away from Asia in the short-term on account of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The government has been under pressure to sell Australia to the world in the wake of the bushfire crisis, which crippled the tourism industry in many regions.

A Chinese travel ban was put in place by the Australian government following the outbreak of COVID-19 in China.

More than 1.4 million people from the Chinese mainland visited Australia in 2019 - more than from any other country - and tourism bodies have predicted that the travel ban is costing the industry 1 billion Australian dollars (668 million U.S. dollars) per month.

"There are no silver bullets to ease the pain being felt by many tourism businesses at present, with global travel bookings down and Australia one of many nations feeling the impacts of coronavirus," Birmingham told the AFR.

"We have begun the planning required to ensure that when these temporary travel restrictions are lifted and as global travel confidence improves, Australia quickly re-establishes our place as a hugely popular, welcoming and safe destination for Chinese and other visitors."

Australian government in January announced a 76 million AUD (50.8 million USD) package to help the tourism industry recover from the bushfires.
A 26-year-old man was arrested for allegedly kidnapping a businessman after posing as an officer of the Delhi Police Crime Branch and demanding Rs 25-lakh ransom in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, police said on Wednesday.

The businessman, Aman Kumar, was rescued a few hours after he was kidnapped on Tuesday evening.

The accused has been identified as Haripal, a resident of Najafgarh, they said, adding that efforts were on to nab his three associates.

Deepak Purohit, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) said the businessman was picked up from Tilak Nagar Metro Station gate number-3 and the accused demanded Rs 25 lakh as ransom for his release.

"Acting on the call, a police team was constituted to rescue the victim and nab the kidnapper. The kidnapper was put on technical surveillance and a trap was laid down at Ring Road near Delhi Cantt Metro Station where the ransom money was to be delivered, he said.

"A swift car came and total of five occupants, including the victim, were sitting in it. Haripal was arrested and the victim Aman Kumar was safely rescued but three more culprits in the car fled, he added.

During interrogation, Haripal told police that he wanted to start his own business but did not have sufficient money. To meet the requirement, he, along with his aide Ajay Tripathi, hatched the conspiracy to abduct a wealthy target, the DCP said.

They picked up the businessman after posing as Crime Branch personnel, he said.

Efforts were on to nab the remaining accused, the police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sara Ali Khan, even before her film debut in 2018, had a reputation of being articulate. Shes unafraid to speak her mind, be it about her ordeal with polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) or how she coped with the divorce of her parents, Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh. And it is only natural for fans to expect those traits to reflect in her choice of films. I dont think so, pat comes Saras reply.

The audience is intelligent. They recognise that as actors, our job is to convincingly tell stories. We dont have to showcase our personal lives and belief systems on camera, says the 24-year-old.

The actor feels cinema should be viewed as a medium through which a director or writer expresses their version of something. I am here to tell something which might be a representation, inspiration, motivation or it might be a foil. Different characters are written for different reasons, she says.

Recently, speaking to News18.com about the response to her latest film Love Aaj Kal, Sara had said, Ive always maintained that as an actor, I think my job is done before the release of the film.

She might be just three films old, but Sara has already essayed varied roles  the vivacious Mukku in Kedarnath, Shagun, a girl-next-door in Simmba (both 2018) and the feisty, strongheaded Zoe in Love Aaj Kal. And if there is one thing she has learned early on in her career, it is to never judge the characters she takes on.

Because for human beings in general, self introspection is an idea we want to work towards, not something we do inherently. We dont really judge ourselves very often. And to do justice to any character on screen, its important to not do that. I dont judge Zoe. I dont judge the fact that she says f**k you. I dont judge the fact that she is a front-footed girl who gets what she wants, Sara says.

She goes on to add, I dont think movies are the medium for actors to play role models. Actors have different platforms to do that and embody larger concepts through themselves.

There is another thing the young actor has learned in her journey so far  dealing with criticism. She faced a lot of flak for a scene in her recently-released film where she says, Tum mujhe tang karne lage ho, which has become the subject of memes.

I am totally fine now. Whenever you see something different, it is immediately jarring. Somewhere down the line, the archetypical heroine cries beautifully. She has to be a bit demure, coy, beautiful, aesthetic, even in her most emotional and vulnerable scenes. My character looks ugly when she cries, she is loud and aggressive, because people can be that. People who are trying to put you down just for the sake of it, you shouldnt give them the satisfaction of doing it, just move forward, Sara adds.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
The United States on Tuesday announced sanctions against a subsidiary of Russian state-controlled oil giant Rosneft over its continued trade with Venezuela in defiance of Washington's attempt to break leftist President Nicolas Maduro's grip on power. Officials in President Donald Trump's administration said Rosneft Trading SA and Rosneft vice president Didier Casimiro were targeted in the latest measures. One official, speaking on condition of not being identified, called Rosneft Trading SA "the prime culprit" in helping Maduro escape the effect of US economic sanctions. This is "sending a message that we will not stand idly by as foreign, extra-continental or other entities help the Maduro regime maintain and sustain its repression," he told reporters. "Rosneft Trading has been the overwhelming provider of trading in the Maduro regime oil and has provided the overwhelming amount of financial resources and hard currency that has been coming in to the Maduro regime. Therefore this action should have a signficant impact on the Maduro regime," the official said. Another adminstration official, who also asked not to be named, said the sanctions would hit Rosneft Trading SA business in the United States, but also send ripple effects through the company's wider activities. "The designation of Rosneft Trading and Didier Casimiro means that anyone outside the United States ... runs the risk of being sanctioned themselves," the official said. Moscow's support for the Maduro government "is having huge consequences for them," one of the adminstration officials briefing reporters said. The official said the United States is determined to bring down Maduro through its maximum pressure campaign, which currently is at "50 to 60 percent." "We hope never to have to get to 100 percent of maximum pressure," the official said, responding to a question of whether the United States could ever carry out a military campaign in Venezuela. Despite US sanctions and Washington's recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela, Maduro and his military backers retain a tight grip. More than 50 countries have joined the United States in recognizing Guido, saying that Maduro's 2018 re-election was rigged. But Maduro has survived in large part thanks to economic, military and diplomatic backing from Russia, as well as support from China and communist Cuba. Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Caracas, where he said US sanctions were illegal and "the main cause of the crisis in the Venezuelan economy." Maduro on Monday accused Trump of plotting an invasion and said "we are not afraid of military combat and we are going to guarantee peace."
The assassins are (back row, from left) Fred Carpenter, Randy Doyle, Brett Baird, Terrence Moos (middle row, from left) Beau Jackett, Holly Hansen, Michael Cameron, (front row, from left) Sam Hurwitz, Ari Lew and Oliver Kuehne. COURTESY PHOTO

Presidential politics continue to divide us as a nation, but Eventide Theatre Companys Assassins is a surprising unifier.

The semi-revue won five Tony Awards in 2004 (including Best Revival of a Musical), after opening off-Broadway to mixed reviews in 1990, and only running for two months. Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheims Assassins focuses on the many attempted and sadly successful assassinations of our nations presidents.

The dark comedy opens innocently enough, at an all-American carnival, but everything shifts when the shooting range proprietor (Ari Lew), patriotically wearing an American flag-covered blazer, hands out guns to kill a president. It becomes apparent the gun enthusiasts are the infamous assassins, and Lew sinisterly encourages them to use their arms, through the upbeat song Everybodys Got the Right.

Beau Jackett is eerily memorable as John Wilkes Booth, especially when he takes on the forbidding leadership role of the assassins. After Booth kills Lincoln without remorse, Michael Cameron enters as the Balladeer singing, Lincoln only had mixed reviews, but now only raves. He insists through Booths actions that he paved the way for other mad men.

Dressed like an all-American teen, Cameron, along with Lew, convincingly tell the stories of the assassins. Some of them are disenfranchised or have a cause, but most are just plain crazy, with all of the highly talented actors fully fleshing out their characters.

Fred Carpenter plays Leon Czolgosz, the lonely anarchist who kills William McKinley. When Guiseppe Zangara, portrayed by Oliver Kuehne, attempts to assassinate Franklin D. Roosevelt, killing the mayor of Chicago instead, he says its okay as long as someone controlling the money died.

Charles Guiteau has delusions of grandeur and kills James Garfield when he refuses to make him Ambassador to France. As Guiteau, Randy Doyle is increasingly crazed, as he heads to the gallows hauntingly singing Im Going to the Lordy.

Holly Hansen and Sam Hurwitz play opposite each other as the two mentally unstable women, Sara Jane Moore and Lynette Squeaky Fromme, respectively, who individually attempt to kill Gerald Ford, at different times. Hansen is hilarious as the fried chicken-loving, absent-minded housewife, complete with a West Virginia accent. Ivan Carpenter adds to the humor playing her tantrum-throwing son. Hurwitz is intense as her hippie character proclaims her love for and devotion to Charles Manson.

In love with Jodie Foster and wanting to get her attention, Terrence Rex Moos plays an emotionally shy John Hinckley, Jr., who attempts to assassinate Ronald Reagan.

Dressed in a Santa suit, Brett Baird is wonderfully over the top as Sam Byck, who plots to kill Nixon. Baird is hilarious, switching between a calm and cleverly rational man, to a creepy bellowing lunatic, bringing Jack Nicholson from The Shining to mind.

Director Joan McKenzie-Baird and musical director Chris Morris have created a tour de force with their notable cast of 17. The rest of the ensemble includes: Carryl Lynn, Kevin Kenneally, Peter Cook, Susanna Creel, Laura Garner and Virginia Ohlson.

Sondheim is known for his sophisticated and challenging music, and the play cleverly weaves popular musical trends from each Presidents term, while also including heartwarmingly ironic patriotic music.

Amy Canadays thoughtful costumes place each character perfectly in their time frame. Guy Trudeaus set design portrays a surrealistic carnival atmosphere.

There are many stand-out performances in Eventides latest thought-provoking musical, but one especially deserves special mention: teenage local Michael Cameron, who is back on Cape, after studying at Walnut Hill School of Arts. As the Balladeer, he lightheartedly embodies the American spirit of resilience and hopefulness, b

ut at the end of the play, Cameron masterfully transitions into a desperate and confused Lee Harvey Oswald, who markedly changes the American landscape.

Presidential politics continue to divide us as a nation, but Eventide Theatre Companys Assassins is a surprising unifier.

The semi-revue won five Tony Awards in 2004 (including Best Revival of a Musical), after opening off-Broadway to mixed reviews in 1990, and only running for two months. Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheims Assassins focuses on the many attempted and sadly successful assassinations of our nations presidents.

The dark comedy opens innocently enough, at an all-American carnival, but everything shifts when the shooting range proprietor (Ari Lew), patriotically wearing an American flag-covered blazer, hands out guns to kill a president. It becomes apparent the gun enthusiasts are the infamous assassins, and Lew sinisterly encourages them to use their arms, through the upbeat song Everybodys Got the Right.

Beau Jackett is eerily memorable as John Wilkes Booth, especially when he takes on the forbidding leadership role of the assassins. After Booth kills Lincoln without remorse, Michael Cameron enters as the Balladeer singing, Lincoln only had mixed reviews, but now only raves. He insists through Booths actions that he paved the way for other mad men.

Dressed like an all-American teen, Cameron, along with Lew, convincingly tell the stories of the assassins. Some of them are disenfranchised or have a cause, but most are just plain crazy, with all of the highly talented actors fully fleshing out their characters.

Fred Carpenter plays Leon Czolgosz, the lonely anarchist who kills William McKinley. When Guiseppe Zangara, portrayed by Oliver Kuehne, attempts to assassinate Franklin D. Roosevelt, killing the mayor of Chicago instead, he says its okay as long as someone controlling the money died.

Charles Guiteau has delusions of grandeur and kills James Garfield when he refuses to make him Ambassador to France. As Guiteau, Randy Doyle is increasingly crazed, as he heads to the gallows hauntingly singing Im Going to the Lordy.

Holly Hansen and Sam Hurwitz play opposite each other as the two mentally unstable women, Sara Jane Moore and Lynette Squeaky Fromme, respectively, who individually attempt to kill Gerald Ford, at different times. Hansen is hilarious as the fried chicken-loving, absent-minded housewife, complete with a West Virginia accent. Ivan Carpenter adds to the humor playing her tantrum-throwing son. Hurwitz is intense as her hippie character proclaims her love for and devotion to Charles Manson.

In love with Jodie Foster and wanting to get her attention, Terrence Rex Moos plays an emotionally shy John Hinckley, Jr., who attempts to assassinate Ronald Reagan.

Dressed in a Santa suit, Brett Baird is wonderfully over the top as Sam Byck, who plots to kill Nixon. Baird is hilarious, switching between a calm and cleverly rational man, to a creepy bellowing lunatic, bringing Jack Nicholson from The Shining to mind.

Director Joan McKenzie-Baird and musical director Chris Morris have created a tour de force with their notable cast of 17. The rest of the ensemble includes: Carryl Lynn, Kevin Kenneally, Peter Cook, Susanna Creel, Laura Garner and Virginia Ohlson.

Sondheim is known for his sophisticated and challenging music, and the play cleverly weaves popular musical trends from each Presidents term, while also including heartwarmingly ironic patriotic music.

Amy Canadays thoughtful costumes place each character perfectly in their time frame. Guy Trudeaus set design portrays a surrealistic carnival atmosphere.

There are many stand-out performances in Eventides latest thought-provoking musical, but one especially deserves special mention: teenage local Michael Cameron, who is back on Cape, after studying at Walnut Hill School of Arts. As the Balladeer, he lightheartedly embodies the American spirit of resilience and hopefulness, but at the end of the play, Cameron masterfully transitions into a desperate and confused Lee Harvey Oswald, who markedly changes the American landscape.

Details:

What: Assassins

Where: Eventide Theatre Company, 713 Route 6A, Dennis

When: Through March 1

Tickets: Call 508-398-8588
By Vinny Vella | The Philadelphia Inquirer

PHILADELPHIA  A Bucks County judge Tuesday gave prosecutors more time to decide whether to seek the death penalty against a Morrisville mother and daughter accused of killing five relatives, including two 9-year-old sisters and a 13-year-old boy, last year in an apparent botched murder-suicide pact.

A case with this magnitude of tragedy, this magnitude of criminality, requires a superlative level of effort, Deputy District Attorney Christopher Rees, the lead prosecutor on the case, said after the arraignment of Shana and Dominique Decree. To put it bluntly, we dont want to get anything wrong, because these victims deserve our best and were willing to take as much time as we need to get it right.

Judge Wallace Bateman said prosecutors can have until March 20 to file motions explaining why the Decrees should be put to death if convicted in the killings, a seemingly confounding case of domestic violence steeped in bizarre behavior and religious imagery.

The two were arrested in February 2019 when police officers conducting a wellness check went into their cramped Morrisville apartment and discovered a horrific scene. Five people, including Shana Decrees 13-year-old son, Damon, were dead in a bedroom, according to investigators. Four had been asphyxiated, the other strangled. Down the hall, investigators found Shana Decree and her daughter lying disoriented in a bed, surrounded by overturned furniture and other signs of a struggle.

Shana, 46, and Dominique, 20, told detectives variations of the same story: That everyone in the apartment had wanted to die and openly talked about suicide. Both confessed to participating in what appeared to be a murder-suicide pact, but their accounts differed on who killed whom.

Both were charged with five counts of homicide and one count of conspiracy for killing Damon; Jamillah Campbell, Shanas 42-year-old sister; Shanas daughter NaaIrah Smith, 25; and Campbells twin daughters, Imani and Erika Allen, both 9.

They entered not guilty pleas at Tuesdays arraignment.

Rees said prosecutors would be pursuing first-degree murder convictions, which carry life prison terms.

Jailed without bail since the killings, the two sat in silence during the proceeding, answering the judges questions softly. At one point, during a short break, Dominique Decree sobbed.

Family members and friends said the suspects and victims had started living together inside a small unit in the Robert Morris Apartments a few weeks before the murders. All seven had withdrawn from the outside world, spending most of their time together inside the basement apartment and limiting communication with others.

The texts and calls they did exchange were clipped, and often included references to biblical apocalypses, family members told The Philadelphia Inquirer. They spoke about pearly gates and of seeing angels and demons everywhere.

Such a drastic shift confused the groups family and friends, who didnt understand what they were trying to convey.

Rees declined to comment on the perceived motive behind the killings, saying more would be revealed during the trial, tentatively scheduled for June.

The question is Why did this happen? and thats my question as well, because its so hard to understand, and so its such an unimaginable crime, these losses of life, Rees said. At the end of the day, whats much more important to me is that Im able to look in the eyes of the parents of the victims, or their loved ones or their friends, and say to them, justice has been served.
Thae Yong Ho, North Korea's former deputy ambassador to Britain, speaks during a news conference, ahead of the country's general election in April, in Seoul

By Hyonhee Shin and Sangmi Cha

SEOUL (Reuters) - Politics in South Korea is drawing high-profile North Korean defectors in numbers not seen before, aiming to remedy what they call failures by President Moon Jae-in's administration to protect refugees from the North.

Two defectors have entered the fray for parliamentary elections in April as candidates of the main conservative opposition party, and about 200 launched a party this week that vows to counter Moon's policies.

Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected in 2016, and Ji Seong-ho, whom U.S. President Donald Trump invited to Washington in 2018 to attend his State of the Union address, have both said they aim to amplify the voices of defectors.

"Regardless of whether they win the election, the defectors' growing participation in politics could raise the need for discussions about how South Korean society represents them," said Lee Nae-young, a professor at Korea University in Seoul.

In recent years, defector groups have complained that Moon's administration was cutting funding, ignoring human rights, suppressing anti-Pyongyang activism, and sidelining prominent voices such as Thae, who once worked at a government think tank.

The complaints boiled over last year, when South Korea decided to forcibly repatriate without trial two North Korean sailors suspected of killing 16 fishermen, and many were upset at the apparent hunger deaths of a young defector and her son.

"This is very wrong, even if they are criminals," Thae told a news conference in Seoul on Wednesday.

"If someone is shouting in the river 'Save me!'...will you judge whether he is a criminal or not? If he is a criminal, will you give up your efforts and let them die in the river? No!"

The government had maintained at the time that the sailors were criminals who could pose a threat to society.

Seoul's Unification Ministry has said it is pushing to improve settlement programmes for defectors, adopting measures this week to boost job opportunities and embrace them into South Korean society.

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PROTECTION FOR DEFECTORS

For the disabled Ji, 37, the trigger moment dates to May 2018, when a group of seven defectors he had been helping to bring to South Korea was caught in China, and he tried to secure their release.

South Korean diplomats were unhelpful, so Ji turned to officials at the White House, whom he had met while attending Trump's speech just months earlier.

Even though the Americans were involved in talks at the time that would lead to the first summit between Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, they helped Ji win the release of the defectors in a way that South Korea had not.

"That's the moment I realised why it is important to elect a good leader and how politics matter," Ji told Reuters.

Ji visited on Tuesday the newly opened office of a lawmaker's former aide, Kim Soo-chul, who is now running in the election, to greet voters and introduce himself.

He hopes to lay the legal groundwork for more realistic settlement programmes for the 33,500-strong defector community, while advocating for underprivileged people, including South Koreans with disabilities.

"Without an arm and a leg, I am the symbol of North Korea human rights," Ji said. "And as a young, disabled man, I can bridge the South and North, the young and older generations, and those who have disabilities and those who don't."

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Sangmi Cha; Editing by Josh Smith and Clarence Fernandez)
The scourge of environmental racism and its devastating effects across communities in Nova Scotia, Canada, comes into sharp focus in Theres Something In the Water, a new documentary from co-directors Ellen Page and Ian Daniel.

The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall and will become available to stream on Netflix on March 27, is inspired by a book of the same name by the sociologist Ingrid Waldron, who also appears in the movie. Both works dive into the health impacts of environmental racism  the decisions and policies brought by local governments that expose marginalized communities to environmental risks  in particular on black and indigenous populations in Nova Scotia.

In Canada, your postal code determines your health, Waldron says in the trailer for Theres Something In the Water, which debuted Wednesday morning. So we know that where you live has bearing on your well-being. Indigenous and black communities are the ones that tend to be located near hazardous sites.

Movie poster for 'There's Something in the Water'

Page, an actor known for projects including Juno, Inception and The Umbrella Academy, grew up in Nova Scotia and previously collaborated with Daniel on the Viceland series Gaycation. The duo wanted to spotlight the women who are taking a stand against efforts by local government and corporations that have brought pollution and toxic waste to their neighborhoods and homes, in various locations throughout the province. They include Michelle Francis-Denny, the granddaughter of a former Pictou Landing First Nation chief, fighting the ramifications of the dumping of toxic waste from a mill in what is now known as one of the worst instances of environmental racism in the country.

Though she was somewhat aware of the challenges faced by black and indigenous communities in Nova Scotia during her childhood, Page told TIME it wasnt until she got to know the women at the forefront of the fight that the high levels of cruelty and disregard became apparent.

You see how these issues are life or death, literally, she said. The lack of response by the government and how much individuals have been silenced in these situations is absolutely just atrocious and appalling.

In a review of the documentary following its Toronto premiere, the Hollywood Reporter called it an eye-opening experience, especially as it is set in country we tend to idealize for its wholesomeness. The trailer arrives just over a week after reports of Canadian police arresting protesters who were blocking traffic around the country in support of an indigenous groups efforts to stop a natural gas pipeline.
Italy is on the verge on selling two FREMM frigates to Egypt as relation between the two countries are improving.

The talks for the sale of the two vessels, in the pipeline for some time, have been confirmed by Italys Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio, and by Fincantieri CEO, Giuseppe Bono, Defense News reports.

The deal will cost Egypt around 1.2 billion ($1.3 billion). Italian voices criticized the sale over human rights abuses in Egypt and the murder of Italian PhD student, Giulio Regeni, in Cairo, in 2016.

Italian investigators finger-pointed members of the Egyptian security service in the students murder, but Cairo denied any wrongdoing and refused to cooperate with Rome.

The two countries are also opposed in neighboring Libya where Rome backs the UN-sponsored Government of National Accord (GNA) also endorsed by Turkey, while Egypt supports rival government championed by retired and rebel Gen. Khalifa Haftar.

The sale of the two vessels comes amid deterioration of ties between Rome and Ankara on several fronts.

Italy rejects the recruitment by Turkey of Syrian rebels to prop up the GNA and has also taken the side of Egypt, Greece and Cyprus in a maritime crisis that broke out following a deal between Ankara and the GNA in November.

The security and maritime deal extends Turkeys territorial waters in the Mediterranean, cutting through Greece and Republic of Cypruss maritime controls.

They fear Turkeys gas exploration plans in maritime zones off Cyprus, which have already been allocated to Italian state controlled energy firm ENI.

Egypt has also contracted ENI to help work on an important new gas field in Egypts Mediterranean waters.
Conventional wisdom is that those who stayed home in 2016 cost Hillary Clinton the election and if Democrats can just increase turnout in 2020, theyll defeat President Donald Trump in November. That assumption is likely wrong.

Report after report has shown that nonvoters nationwide prefer Democrats over Republicans. But new data from the Knight Foundation suggests that if every eligible adult voted in 2020, Democrats would likely increase their popular vote lead from the 2016 presidential electionbut still lose the Electoral College.

In the closest battleground states, more nonvoters say theyre likely to support Trump, if they vote, than support the Democratic Partys nominee. And that could have serious implications for the two major parties traditional approaches to getting people to the polls on Election Day.

The United States has low voter turnout by international standards. In 2016, over 40 percent of people who were eligible to vote did not, including more than 2.5 million people in Michigan, 3.5 million people in Pennsylvania and 1 million people in Wisconsin, the three states where Trump defeated Clinton by a collective 77,774-vote margin to win the presidency.

As part of its 100 Million Project, the Knight Foundation surveyed thousands of nonvotersdefined as those who are eligible but not registered or registered but have cast no more than one ballot in the past six national electionsin 10 of the most competitive states to better understand what could be the most pivotal portion of the electorate, especially as 2020 may be on track to have a record-shattering turnout.

Whereas nationally more nonvoters say they would rather vote this November for a generic Democratic nominee than vote for Trump, in Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia, more nonvoters say they would vote for Trump than a Democrat. In Georgia, which Trump won in 2016, more nonvoters say they would support the Democratic nominee than Trump, and in the other battleground states polled, neither Trump nor a generic Democratic nominee had an advantageor the advantage was below the margin of error.

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It is an irony says Daniel Smith, a professor of political science at the University of Florida who has researched how Republican lawmakers have attempted to restrict the vote in electorally competitive states, when asked about the results. But Im not that surprised, he added. I worked as a poll worker in Florida in 2016, and anecdotally, I can tell you that the people who were not on the voter rolls in my precinct  were disproportionately more likely to be Republicans.

Smith says the notion that Republicans are concerned with voter fraud while Democrats care more about democratic principles may be based on recent evidence but should never have been taken as an indication of the parties basic values. Both sides are doing this with respect to strategy as much as some inherent principle of the sanctity of the vote or the accessibility of the vote, Smith says.

Andy Bernstein, executive director of HeadCount, a nonpartisan get-out-the-vote organization, tells POLITICO: Its a very sad thing that voting itself has been politicized.

Theres a perception that any get-out-the-vote effort is somehow a partisan effort, Bernstein adds. Voter registration has become perceived as in and of itself a means to a political end.

Any organization like his, which partners with cultural figures and events to register voters, Bernstein says, is going to be perceived as having left leanings.

On the other hand, its not hard to associate voter restrictions with the right. In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4, with all the Republican-appointed justices in the majority, in favor of the Republican secretary of state of Ohio in a case over a practice thats colloquially described as use it or lose itwhen a state strikes inactive voters who dont respond to a change-of-residence notice from its voter rolls.

Is it a principle that we want to have clean voter rolls? Smith, who gave expert testimony in the case, asks rhetorically in an interview with POLITICO. Or is it a strategy of trying to limit the size of the electorate for partisan advantages?

Ironically, the strategy may be misguided for Republicans. At least with regard to Trump.

In Pennsylvania, one of several states where the conservative group Judicial Watch is pressuring officials to clean their voter rolls, the Knight survey shows far more nonvoters say they would vote for Trump than for a Democratic nominee in 2020. These very people could find themselves disenfranchised by the efforts of an organization that the president has praised and amplified.

Similarly, in Arizona last year, Republican state lawmakers attemptedbut failedto purge some 200,000 voters from the Permanent Early Voting List for missing two election cycles. Joel Edman, executive director of the Arizona Advocacy Network, told NBC News: Being on the PEVL has proven to be a strong driver of turnout among those least likely to vote. Removing those marginal voters from the PEVL would only further depress their turnout rate. According to the new data from Knight, Arizonas nonvoter population is overwhelmingly more likely to support Trump than the Democratic nominee in 2020.

Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, denies that the group's work is motivated by partisan goals. People mistake ideology for partisanship. In the case of the left, youve got this ideology thats against enforcing the rule of law. Our ideology is for the rule of law, he tells POLITICO. Dirty voting rolls can lead to dirty elections. It provides additional opportunities for potential fraud. A now-disbanded commission by the Trump administration found no evidence to support claims of widespread voter fraud. But an analysis by the liberal-leaning Brennan Center found voter purges are prone to errors and can end up making it more difficult for eligible people to vote.

Its not just Democrats who dont turn out to vote and then therefore might be taken off the rolls from these more restrictive states, Smith says. I suspect a story like POLITICOs might have some of these officials start questioning what theyre doing.

Trumps reelection campaign has already hinted at reconsidering the usual strategy. The Associated Press reported last year that the Trump campaign views nonvoters as an untapped stash of Republican support that can help him overcome stubbornly low poll numbers and his difficulties in winning over voters in the shrinking political center. Bill Stepien, a senior political adviser to the Trump campaign, told reporters: Theres a new math spurred by a new candidate at the top of his ticket. And I think we need to throw out the old way we look at how elections are won and lost.

Furthermore, in November, Justin Clark, a senior political adviser and senior counsel to Trumps reelection campaign, reportedly said privately: Traditionally, its always been Republicans suppressing votes in places. Lets start protecting our voters. He clarified his remarks to the Associated Press, saying he was referring to false accusations of the GOP engaging in voter suppression. Neither I nor anyone I know or work with would condone anyones vote being threatened or diluted, and our efforts will be focused on preventing just that.

One possible theory for why a generic Democratic nominee might be less popular than Trump to nonvoters in some battleground states is that nonvoters in those states are significantly whiter than nonvoters nationwide. According to the Knight data, in the 10 battleground states, there are 10 percent less black or Latino nonvoters and 10 percent more white nonvoters than there are nationwide.

Another theory for why Trump may be more popular than a generic Democratic nominee among nonvoters is that the political parties themselves are very unpopular, and nonvoters are excited by nontraditional candidates, like Trump.

The Knight survey results show that vast majorityabout three quartersof nonvoters are registered to vote. The most common reason to not be registered is lack of interest. The No. 1 reason voters think other people dont vote is because they think nonvoters dont believe their vote matters. In reality, the No. 1 reason nonvoters cite for not voting is that they dont like the candidates. This is especially true in the battleground states.

It makes sense to me the idea that nonvoters or unreliable voters dont have a strong attachment to either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party but may have an attachment to Donald Trump, says Meagan Day, staff writer at the democratic socialist Jacobin magazine. This population has no love for the two major parties, but its possible for a charismatic change-oriented candidate whose campaign has a lot of vigor to break through and win their affections where the sort of generic partisan affiliation wouldnt necessarily.

In fact, according to the Knight data, nonvoters do view both parties unfavorably, as do voters. But fewer nonvoters view Trump unfavorably than voters do, and more nonvoters have a favorable opinion of the president than have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party itself. Fewer nonvoters consider themselves liberal, moderate or conservative than voters do, with more nonvoters volunteering that they dont think in those terms. Nonvoters are also less likely than voters to identify with either of the major political parties. And thats even more true in the battleground states, where more nonvoters identify as independent or say theyre unsure.

In Days estimation, Bernie Sanders, like Trump, is appealing to people who dont typically vote because he has managed to put some distance between himself and the Democratic Party establishment. There are a lot of people who like Donald Trump who dont necessarily love the Republicans, she notes. When we look at who doesnt vote, were looking at people who are feeling alienated from the political process because they feel like theres nothing on offer from them from either party. And they dont get the sense that anybody wants to fight for them.

Fewer nonvoters than voters, according to the Knight survey, are confident that the results of an election represent the will of the people, and many nonvoters say thats because they think the system is rigged or corrupt. Voters who are not confident that the results of an election represent the will of the people cite campaign financing or the Electoral College for their lack of confidence more than a rigged or corrupt system.

Its not left-right, Day adds. While Elizabeth Warren has some very progressive policy proposals, she admits, Sanders campaign is the only one she feels is capable of reaching the nonvoting population in a significant way. And she may be right.

In a New York Times survey of swing state nonvoters, Sanders was the most popular Democrat, besting Trump by 4 percentage points, while Warren was actually 1 point less popular than Trump among nonvoters. The same survey showed that between Democratic voters and nonvoters who favor Democrats, fewer nonvoters consider themselves very liberal or say they want a candidate who promises to fight for a bold progressive agenda, but more nonvoters than voting Democrats want a candidate who will fundamentally change America. The Times survey also showed that more Democratic-leaning nonvoters than Democratic voters in swing states support single-payer health care.

In the Knight survey, far fewer nonvoters than voters both in battleground states and nationwide who say they think theyll vote in 2020 cite civic duty as their top reason for doing so. More nonvoters than voters cite health care policy. Similarly, more nonvoters than voters point to health care as well as jobs and the economy as the most important issues to them; whereas more voters point to issues like immigration, gun control, climate change and racism. Knight asked nonvoters: What, if anything, could motivate you to vote in more elections? A plurality responded with a candidate I believe in.

We cant rely on high turnout alone, Day says. Democrats could still lose in November, especially if many people who have been nonvoters up to now in key battleground states show up at the polls for Trump. Democrats, she believes, would have the best chance of motivating nonvoters if they nominate Sanders. The ratio of nonvoters to voters is so high in the United States, Day emphasized, that just a small fluctuation in it can have serious consequences for a general election.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  In an attempt to ease the tensions flaring up on the borders between Israel and the Gaza Strip since mid-January, Egyptian intelligence resumed its mediation between Hamas and Israel on Feb. 10. The escalation came after Palestinian groups launched incendiary balloons and rockets from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israel, and Israel responded with air raids and artillery shelling of Hamas military locations in the Gaza Strip.

When Hamas accused Israel of slackening in implementing truce understandings reached in October 2018, military tensions worsened. In addition, the US administrations declaration of the so-called "deal of the century" raised the ire of Palestinians.

An Egyptian delegation of four major officers headed by Ahmed Abdul Khaliq, who is in charge of the Palestinian affairs at the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, arrived in the Gaza Strip on Feb. 10, coming from Israel, and held talks with Hamas and Palestinian factions before returning to Israel a few hours later.

An Egyptian official close to the intelligence service told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, The Egyptian delegation held talks with Hamas leaders, asking them to control the security situation along the borders with the Gaza Strip and to stop launching rockets and incendiary balloons toward south Israel. Provoking an Israeli reaction would result in a huge military confrontation ahead of the Israeli elections in early March.

The official noted that Israel repeatedly warned that it would not keep mum about the ongoing launching of rockets and incendiary balloons toward south Israel and that it is running out of patience. He indicated that Hamas leaders asserted during the talks with the Egyptian delegation that they were not after military escalation with Israel and that undisciplined groups in the Gaza Strip are the ones launching these rockets.

According to the official, Hamas stressed its inability to rein in the security situation completely in the Gaza Strip, since Israel is tightening the noose on the area and slackening in implementing the truce understandings. He said that the Egyptian delegation left the Gaza Strip and headed back to Israel to fill it in on the talks with Hamas.

In a surprising move, Israel had expanded on Feb. 5 the permitted fishing zone off the Gaza coast to 15 nautical miles, after having previously restricted it to 10 nautical miles in response to the incendiary balloons and rockets launched from Gaza toward southern Israel. Israel had also resumed the issuance of permits for Gaza traders.

However, Israel retracted these decisions Feb. 15 after two rockets that were launched from Gaza landed in the Kissufim area in southern Israel.

On Feb. 13, the Israeli i24 television quoted an Israeli security official as saying that Hamas sent a message to Israel about stopping the launching of rockets and incendiary balloons. The last incendiary balloons launched toward Israel were on the morning of Feb. 14, while rockets were last launched Feb. 15.

This comes as Israel increased its threats to the Gaza Strip, with the ongoing launching of incendiary balloons and rockets.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in statements cited by the Times of Israel on Feb. 11, Im telling you as prime minister, I dont rush to war. But were preparing for Hamas the surprise of their lives. I wont say what it is, but it will be different from anything that came before.

In response to the threats, Hamas leader and head of the Economic Committee of the Palestinian Legislative Council Atef Adwan told Al-Monitor, Israeli threats do not scare us, and we know they are on the rise because of the imminent elections. Israeli parties and candidates think their threats to Hamas and the Gaza Strip might improve their chances in the elections.

He added, Israel can implement its threats and wage some military and security attacks on the Gaza Strip, but it is well aware that it cannot control the timeline or outcome of any aggression it starts. He underlined that Hamas neither wants war nor is seeking it, but it will not allow Israel to live in peace while the Gaza Strip inhabitants struggle under the Israeli blockade.

Adwan indicated that the Egyptian delegation carried Israeli promises to return to implementing the understandings if calm is restored on the borders, and rockets and incendiary balloons are no longer launched from the Gaza Strip.

He concluded, We do not trust Israeli promises, and we will continue to pressure Israel to make actual progress in fulfilling the understandings.

The Egyptian delegations visit to the Gaza Strip is the first since the Sept. 8 one to cement the calm between Israel and the Gaza Strip. The Egyptian delegation canceled a visit scheduled for early January because of Egyptian anger at Hamas politburo head Ismail Haniyehs visit to Tehran on Jan. 6 to pay his respects for Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by the United States on Jan. 3.

The Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper cited an official in the Gaza Strip on Feb. 11 saying, on condition of anonymity, that the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, apologized for not being able to attend the meeting with the Egyptian delegation out of fear of being assassinated by Israel.

Iyad al-Qarra, journalist and political analyst at the Hamas-affiliated Felesteen newspaper, told Al-Monitor, The visit of the Egyptian delegation was partially successful in containing the escalation between the two sides, which explains the lull in incendiary balloons launched toward Israel.

Qarra ruled out the possibility of Netanyahu implementing the understandings signed with Hamas as the March 2 Israeli elections approach because that might lower the electoral chances of his party. Qarra expected the borders between Israel and the Gaza Strip to be the stage of military escalation in the coming days.

Talal Okal, political analyst and journalist at the Palestinian Al-Ayam newspaper, told Al-Monitor that Israel will not make any progress in the understandings with Hamas before its elections.

Although Israeli threats to the Gaza Strip are increasing and Israel has taken back some of the concessions that it had offered Gaza early this month, it seems unlikely that an open military confrontation will erupt because neither side wants it.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal of Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to sign an updated Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) agreement with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of the UK.

An official statement said as the UK exited the European Union on January 31, 2020, FCA had informed SEBI that no transitional measures would be available if the amended agreement is not signed before the date when the UK exits the European Union (Brexit), and requested SEBI to sign an updated MoU as early as possible.

The proposal is not expected or intended to have any effect on employment in India, it added.

As per the requirement of establishing adequate supervisory cooperation arrangements between EU and non-EU authorities under the European Union Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD), a bilateral MoU was signed by SEBI with securities regulators of 27-member states of European Union or the European Economic Area, including Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), United Kingdom on July 28, 2014.

"In the context of UK's proposed withdrawal from EU, FCA brought to the notice of SEBI that the existing MoU between SEBI and FCA relating to AIFMD, which is currently anchored on EU law, will no longer apply directly in the UK, and have therefore, suggested signing an updated MoU after amending the AIFMD MoU by suitably modifying it and substituting references to EU legislation with the relevant UK law," the statement said.
In keeping with his mission to bring a youthful edge to the storied bastion of British fashion, Burberry Creative Director Riccardo Tisci made the two worlds collide once again for Fall 2020. At London Fashion Week, Tisco brought together experimental producer Arca and French pianists Katia and Marie Labeque to score the show.

Related | Arca Is the Most Important Thing We Have on This Planet

After teasing her appearance with a shot of Burberry heels posted to Instagram Stories, Arca appeared center stage with slicked back hair and a sharply tailored Burberry blazer. Flanked by two pairs of CDJs, Arca complemented the Labeque sisters' flowery arrangements with her own array of droning hisses and parseltongue-like vocal loops, adding a contemporary edge to the show's classical soundtrack.

Today on Instagram, Arca thanked Tisci, writing that "it was such an adventure" to be involved in the production. To Katia and Marielle, Arca added, "Thank you for being so open, and sensitive and thoughtful and for your sublime playing."

The show itself, titled "memories," eschewed voluminous puffers and elaborately styled baby hairs in favor of a focus on inventive tailoring and retooling the label's classic check pattern. Full of flared trenches and form-fitting silhouettes, Tisci's latest collection looked at the brand's DNA through a modern lens.

Beyond Arca, Tisci's show was positively packed with star power. On the runway, the same familiar cadre of supermodels made a strong showing with Irina Shayk, Joan Smalls, Kendall Jenner and both Hadid sisters all walking in the collection.

The whole affair really hammered home why Burberry still reigns supreme as the crown jewel of LFW. Watch the full Burberry Fall 2020 show, here, and as a parting gift, please enjoy this incredibly blessed photo of Arca and Schafer together.
Maxxis India on Wednesday said it has partnered Yamaha for supplying tyres in India and plans to corner at least 15 per cent of the country's two-wheeler tyre market in the next five years.

Maxxis India, which is a part of the Taiwan-based Maxxis Group, already has similar tie-ups with Hero MotoCorp and Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India.

As part of the tie-up, Yamaha's 125 cc BSVI- compliant Ray ZR and Fascino range of scooters as well as BSVI-compliant model of Ray ZR Street Rally 125 FI will come fitted with Maxxis tyres, a company release said.

The company has already started production of tyres with particular specifications to cater to the requirement for both range of scooters, it said.

Maxxis India plans to corner at least 15 per cent of the demand by 2023.

"As we begin our 5th year of operations in India, this association will further strengthen our portfolio for scooter tyres in India. We are hopeful that the relationship will help us create a new market for Maxxis Tyres and penetrate deeper in rural markets," Bing-Lin Wu, Marketing Head, Maxxis India said.

As a part of this association, Maxxis Tyres will be available at select Yamaha and Maxxis dealerships across India, the company said, adding, the tyres will be an Original Equipment (OE) fitment to Yamaha scooters.

The partnership will give help to capture 15 per cent of India's two-wheeler tyre market within five years, Maxxis India said. India market is touted to play a vital role in achieving Maxxis's global vision to become one of the top five tyre manufactures in the world by 2026, it said.

Apart from catering to the domestic tyre market, the product portfolio from the Sanand facility will be exported to South Asia and will further expand to Africa and Middle East countries in the coming years, as per the company, which also has plans to set up five more plants in the country, which will also cater to the four-wheeler tyres market.

Maxxis India' Sanand manufacturing facility in Gujarat has a capacity to produce around 20,000 tyres and 40,000 tubes per day.

Maxxis currently serves as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) tyre supplier to Honda, Hero Moto Corp, Yamaha Motors (two-wheelers), Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra, Tata and Jeep in India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A three-day session of the Delhi Assembly will begin from February 24 during which newly-elected MLAs will be sworn in and the speaker will be chosen.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday.

"The Cabinet has decided to convene a three-day session of the Delhi Assembly from February 24," the chief minister told reporters here.

Newly-elected lawmakers will take oath on the first day, an official said, adding that the speaker will also be chosen during the session.

Sources said Ram Niwas Goel, who was the speaker in the previous assembly, is likely to retain the post.

Lt Governor Anil Baijal is likely to address the House during the three-day session.

Last week, the 7th Delhi Legislative Assembly was constituted after the Aam Aadmi Party won 62 seats in the 70-member House.

The BJP won eight seats while the Congress drew a blank.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Global Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing Market

PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-19 21:21:16

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Artificial Intelligence is witnessing a significant growth in the manufacturing industry, since, it is helping in reducing operating cost, and in decreasing the turnaround time. For instance, e-commerce players are investing in drones and robots for optimizing their supply chain. For example, in August 2017, e-commerce giant Alibaba deployed 60 robots in its smart factory in China. These robots are responsible for assisting humans in the floor operations such as moving goods from one place to other. Thus, improving the overall efficiency of the factory and reducing the turnaround time.For Additional Insights, Click to Access Complete Report - https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-artificial-intelligence-in-manufacturing-market-ai-by-technology/ Industry 4.0 revolution and the growing penetration of the IoT, automation and big data-based solutions in the manufacturing industry are some of the key factors that are driving the AI in manufacturing. In addition, growing adoption of industrial and collaborative robots and the need for the smart factories are bolstering the growth of the AI in the manufacturing industry. For instance, in October 2018, Osram partnered with Deutsche Telekom for developing and testing AI enabled smart automated guided vehicles (mobile robotics) for the smart factories. However, lack of industry standards, the reluctance of the manufacturers to adopt AI solutions and underdeveloped ICT infrastructure in most of the developing and underdeveloped regions are restraining the market growth.Request for Sample Report  https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-artificial-intelligence-in-manufacturing-market-ai-by-technology/sample-request Various notable players operating in the market, include Siemens AG, Intel Corporation, Bosch, General Electric (GE) Company, Cisco Systems, Inc., Oracle Corporation, Rockwell Automation Inc., IBM Corporation, Alphabet Inc., and Datarpm. Most of the players in the market are focusing on a product launch, partnerships and on research and development of technologically advanced AI solutions for the manufacturing industry.Request for Customization  https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-artificial-intelligence-in-manufacturing-market-ai-by-technology/request-for-customization The Global Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing Market has been segmented on the basis of technology, application, industry vertical and key geographies. Based on the technology, the market is segmented into deep learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and context awareness. Based on application, the market is categorized into predictive maintenance and machinery inspection, material movement, production planning, field services, and quality control. Based on industry vertical, the market is classified into automotive, energy and power, heavy metals and machine manufacturing, semiconductor and electronics and othersThe research report Global Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing Market provides in-depth analysis of technology, application, industry vertical and key geographies for the forecast period from 2018 to 2025. The report also highlights the major market drivers propelling the growth as well as challenges faced by market participants. The research report provides market size and forecast for the Global Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing Market. In addition, the report also analyses the competitive landscape, major players and their strategies in 2018. The competitive landscape section of the report captures and highlights the recent developments in the market.Key questions answered in this research report:1. At what pace is artificial intelligence in manufacturing market growing? What will be the growth trend in the future?2. What are the key drivers and restraints in the current market? What will be the impact of drivers and restraints in the future?3. What are the regional revenue and forecast breakdowns? Which are the major regional revenue pockets for growth in the artificial intelligence in manufacturing 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: Ireland
Sensors, IoT, and Embedded Week From the Internet of Things and machine learning to AI and smart sensors, Sensors Expo & Conference has a laser focus on new and emerging technologies, real-world applications, and innovations that engineers need to know about now.

Questex's Sensors Expo & Conference (#Sensors20), North America's premier event for technical professionals involved with sensors, sensor systems, and sensor applications, today unveiled the widely anticipated 2020 Conference Program. Taking place June 22-24 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, the 35th annual event will build upon its legacy of showcasing and educating on innovative sensor technology and dive deeper into the technologies, systems, and applications where sensors play a critical role  including the Internet of Things, Autonomous Technologies, and Embedded Systems. Registration is now open and Early Bird Rates apply. To register, please visit http://www.sensorsexpo.com/register.

Sensors Expo 2020 by the Numbers:



9 conference tracks: Advanced Technologies, Industrial & Manufacturing, IoT & Wireless, MEMS, Robotics & Drones, Security & Privacy, Smart Building & Cities, Standards and Systems Design

65 technical sessions by industry leading experts

5 full-day Symposiums dedicated to the hottest topics  MEMS, Machine Learning/AI, IoT, and Wireless

350+ anticipated exhibitors including startups and established industry leaders

10,000 participants expected to gather for Sensors, IoT, and Embedded Week

Whats New in 2020

At the largest gathering of design engineers in North America, Sensors Expo & Conference will continue to offer attendees a comprehensive conference program focused on sensor technology. This year the event has expanded to include an emphasis on the role of sensors in new technologies, systems, and applications. With more than 65 educational sessions designed to inspire and educate, technical professionals and engineers will have the opportunity to take a deep dive into the latest technologies and tools, empowering them with the insights they need to develop better, more reliable systems and bring products to market faster. To learn more, view the 2020 Conference Program here: http://www.sensorsexpo.com/schedule.

The 2020 event will also include:



Addition of more end-user perspectives in the program  including Fortune 500 brands such as John Deere, Nike and Tesla.

Panel discussions that represent a diversity of perspectives from industry, academia, and government as participants debate the most pressing issues.

More in-depth case studies that focus on specific sensor applications.

From the Internet of Things and machine learning to AI and smart sensors, Sensors Expo & Conference has a laser focus on new and emerging technologies, real-world applications, and innovations that engineers need to know about now, commented Karen Field, Director of Content, Sensors Expo & Conference. Our Conference Program also includes sessions dedicated to evergreen challenges including systems design and coping with sensor integration, meeting cost and budget constraints, and time-to-market strategies. We are committed to helping attendees get ahead of the curve and stay there.

Sensors Expo & Conference is part of the new Sensors, IoT, and Embedded Week, consisting of four co-located events including the Embedded Technologies Expo & Conference; Autonomous Technologies Conference; and the inaugural IoT Implementation Forum. Taking place June 22-24, 2020, participants will have unprecedented access to the technical innovations and experts that are addressing real-world challenges and shaping the future.

To register for an All-Access Pass to Sensors, IoT, and Embedded Week during Early Bird Rates, click here. Press registration is also available here.

About Sensors, IoT, and Embedded Week

Sensors, IoT, and Embedded Week is set to take over Silicon Valley with four co-located events that will take place June 22-24, 2020 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. These events will host the largest gathering of design engineers in North America at the flagship 2020 Sensors Expo & Conference, Embedded Technologies Expo & Conference, Autonomous Technologies Conference, and the inaugural IoT Implementation Forum. Collectively, these events will showcase the design, application, and disruption brought on by these new and emerging technologies.

About Questex

At Questex, we are passionate about driving business outcomes. We connect buyers and sellers and help both achieve their goals. We are online, on devices and live with experiential engagements. We understand the buyers behavior and evolving needs and connect them with the seller through continual touchpoints. From discovery through purchase and purchase through advocacy, we supply unmatched access, insight, engagement and turnkey solutions all in one place.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday was shocked after it was brought to its notice that despite the ban put on sand mining several years ago, such activities were still in progress in Rajasthan. The Apex Court directed the state government and other high-ranking officials in the government to take immediate steps in the matter. A three-judge bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant and headed by CJI SA Bobde has sought a report from the state government within four weeks.

SC had issued an order to stop illegal sand mining in 2017

In its judgement, the Top Court stated that illegal sand mining could damage the environment irreparably. The verdict pertained to several petitions connected to illegal sand mining in the state. The Supreme Court had issued an order in 2017 to stop illegal sand mining in Rajasthan. The SC had also state government, and the Collectors and Superintendents of Police (SP) of all districts in Rajasthan to take immediate action to stop rampant illegal sand mining.

READ | Unidentified Bag Causes Brief Security Scare At Supreme Court; Details Here

Central Empowered Committee (CEC) appointed by the SC itself, has been directed by the three-judge bench to examine the issues of illegal sand mining and submit a report recommending measures on this matter. The court observed that the CEC would take into account the issues faced by stakeholders involved in the matter, which includes sand traders, transporters and others associated.

READ | Supreme Court Asserts On Preservation Of Green Cover While Hearing Case Against WB Govt

In conducting the detailed probe on the matter, the CEC would also have the authority to summon people, including government officials, fix responsibility as well as give suggestions on way forward. A deadline of six weeks has been issued by the Supreme Court to the CEC.

SC asserts on preservation of green cover

Meanwhile, in the backdrop of the rapid deforestation in the country, the Supreme Court on Tuesday had emphasized on the importance of green cover and said that it must be preserved. The remark by Supreme Court came while hearing a plea on the cutting of trees in connection with the construction of foot over bridge on the India-Bangladesh border by West Bengal state government.

The Apex Court observed that the green cover must be preserved but people were not willing to explore alternatives. "There could be a way to create a path without cutting trees. It might be a little more expensive, but if you value the property, it would be better," the bench added.

READ | Supreme Court Reserves Order On Fadnavis's Plea Over 2014 Poll Affidavit Pending Cases

READ | BIG: Supreme Court Directs Centre To Set Up Permanent Commission For Women In Armed Forces

(with inputs from agencies)
Yellow, the accelerator program launched by Snap in 2018, has selected ten companies to join its latest cohort.

The new batch of startups coming from across the U.S. and international cities like London, Mexico City, Seoul and Vilnius are building professional social networks for black professionals and blue collar workers, fashion labels, educational tools in augmented reality, kids entertainment and an interactive entertainment production company.

The list of new companies include:

Brightly. An Oakland, Calif.-based media company angling to be the conscious consumer's answer to Refinery29.

Charli Cohen. A London-based fashion and lifestyle brand.

Hardworkers. A Cambridge, Mass.-based professional digital community built for blue-collar workers.

Mogul Millennial . This Dallas-based company is a digital media platform for black entrepreneurs and corporate leaders.

Nuggetverse . Los Angeles-based Nuggetverse is creating a children's media business based on its marquee character, Tubby Nugget.

SketchAR . This Lithuanian company is developing an AI-based mobile app for teaching drawing using augmented reality.

Stipop . A Seoul-based sticker API developer with a library of over 100,000 stickers created by 5,000 artists.

TRASH . Using this machine learning-based video editing toolkit, users can quickly create and edit high-quality, short-form video. The company is backed by none other than the National Science Foundation and based in Los Angeles.

Veam . Another Seoul-based social networking company, Veam uses Airdrop as a way to create persistent chats with nearby users as a geolocated social network.

Wabisabi Design, Inc. Hailing from Mexico City, this startup makes mini-games in augmented reality for brands and advertisers.

The latest cohort from Snap's Yellow accelerator

Since launching the platform in 2018, startups from the Snap accelerator have gone on to acquisition (like Stop, Breathe, and Think, which was bought by Meredith Corp.) and to raise bigger rounds of funding (like the voiceover video production toolkit, MuzeTV, and the animation studio Toonstar).

Every company in the Yellow portfolio will receive $150,000 mentorship from industry veterans in and out of Snap, creative office space in Los Angeles and commercial support and partnerships -- including Snapchat distribution.

Building from the momentum of our first two Yellow programs, this new class approaches mobile creativity through the diverse lenses of augmented reality, platforms, commerce and media, yet each company has a clear vision to bring their products to life, said Mike Su, Director of Yellow. This class shows us that theres no shortage of innovation at the intersection of creativity and technology, and were excited to be part of each companys journey.
NORTHLEACH, England  Daisy May Cooper and her brother Charlie endured so many humiliations in the years it took to get their BBC sitcom, This Country, on the air that it would be hard to pick a standout rock bottom moment. One candidate: The day producers of an earlier version of the show, optioned by a different network and never aired, sent a note that read, The cast is too ugly.

I was the lead in it, said Daisy May, cackling at the memory. What was I supposed to do with that?

Both Coopers were then in their 20s and living at their parents home in the Cotswolds, a scenic and drowsy region in southwest England, a place all their peers had left. The pair had flamed out in London, she as an actress, he as a sales clerk at Topshop, and were in the middle of five dispiriting years writing scripts and shuffling through unglamorous jobs.

We were night cleaners at an office building, said Daisy May. Wed go in together at 6 and clean toilets, vacuum the carpets.
ROME (dpa-AFX) - Rockwell Automation, Inc. (ROK) said Wednesday it has agreed to acquire Italy-based ASEM S.p.A., a provider of digital automation technologies. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. ASEM provides a range of Industrial PCs or IPCs, Human-Machine Interface or HMI hardware and software, remote access capabilities, and secure Industrial IoT gateway solutions. Rockwell Automation noted that the acquisition will strengthen its Control and Visualization portfolio. 'ASEM's strength in the IPC market and expertise in HMI will further expand our Control & Visualization hardware and software portfolio and enhance our ability to deliver high-performance, integrated automation solutions,' said Fran Wlodarczyk, Senior Vice President, Architecture & Software at Rockwell Automation. The transaction includes the purchase by Rockwell Automation of a minority interest in ASEM held by KEB Group, Germany. Following closing, Rockwell Automation will maintain ASEM's strategic supplier and technology partner relationship with KEB. The transaction is expected to close in the spring of 2020, and will be reported in Rockwell's Architecture & Software business segment. Rockwell Automation will provide additional information on the transaction at the upcoming Barclays and Citi investor conferences to be held in Miami, Florida on February 19 and 20. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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.
MICHIGAN -- In the midst of a cold, sometimes dreary winter season, many people don't think about birds, which are often considered harbingers of spring.

But a great variety of birds can be found throughout Michigan all winter long, both those that migrate from colder climates, like dark-eyed juncos and common redpolls, and those that are here year-round, such as white-breasted nuthatches and northern cardinals.

Efforts to monitor bird populations also don't stop over the winter. Scientists need help from the public in collecting important citizen science data through winter bird counts, which help them better understand winter bird movements and population health.

Encouraging Michiganders to get involved in citizen science opportunities - and bird conservation overall - is the aim of MI Birds, a bird-focused outreach and engagement program jointly founded in 2016 by Audubon Great Lakes and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The program focuses on bridging gaps between the hunting and birding communities and increasing all Michiganders' engagement in the understanding, care and stewardship of public lands important for birds and people.

A steering committee with members from a dozen conservation organizations, some focused on game species and others on wildlife that isn't hunted, came together to form MI Birds.

"Creating an environment of collaboration between birding and hunting groups is something we've been pushing for years, and this program has really made it happen," said Audubon Great Lakes' Director of Conservation Nat Miller.

MI Birds' founding partners included Ducks Unlimited, the Ruffed Grouse Society, Pheasants Forever, the National Wild Turkey Federation, The Nature Conservancy, Detroit Audubon, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Michigan State University Extension, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, American Bird Conservancy and the Detroit Zoo.

These organizations, and the others MI Birds has partnered with since, are dedicated to bird conservation in Michigan.

"We are excited to have all of these conservation groups at the same table to have conversations that show how our values are aligned and how we can work together to achieve something really great," said Holly Vaughn, Public Outreach and Engagement Unit manager for the DNR Wildlife Division. "When we are able to work together and engage our collective audiences, we can make a positive impact on bird conservation in Michigan."

One conservation success story MI Birds has supported is the comeback of the osprey, a species of special concern that has returned in record numbers.

The DNR has worked closely with Osprey Watch and the Detroit Zoo to monitor osprey nests in southeast Michigan. In 2019 they joined forces with MI Birds to expand this monitoring effort, with the Adopt-A-Nest Osprey Monitoring Program across the Lower Peninsula, enlisting the help of volunteer community scientists.

"I am overwhelmed with the response we had on the adopt-a-nest program," said Julie Oakes, the DNR wildlife biologist who manages the osprey monitoring program. "With over 280 people responding, it tells me that there are a lot of people out there who are very dedicated to helping wildlife!"

With the assistance of volunteers, 150 active nests across 29 counties were monitored in 2019.

While osprey and other raptors have seen increases in their populations, many other birds are experiencing population declines. A recent study published in the journal Science showed a wide-range loss of 30% of adult breeding birds across the country since 1970. Perhaps most surprising was that this loss, which includes common birds like finches, blackbirds and warblers, was observed across a wide variety of habitats.

However, this study also showed that when people work together to prioritize healthy lands and waters, birds will come back.

With the banning of DDT, increased environmental protections, improved management, and on-the-ground work of a coalition of conservation groups, raptors, woodpeckers, waterfowl and wild turkeys all have bounced back from the brink of extinction.

In 2019, with the help of 18 partner organizations, MI Birds hosted more than 30 programs and reached more than 1,200 Michiganders.

The program also successfully recruited more than 150 volunteers for a series of stewardship events, where people pitched in on projects like building nest boxes for wood ducks, and community science programs like bird-monitoring efforts.

Together, the members of its diverse group of partners help develop messages MI Birds communicates to Michigan citizens and cohost immersive guided birding tours at state game and wildlife areas they have enhanced or restored.

The program's biggest presence is online, with a Facebook page more than 9,400 followers strong, and a new Instagram account with more than 500 followers. These pages feature real-time information about Michigan's birds and community science opportunities, presented in a fun and engaging way.

MI Birds also has a website where blog posts on a variety of bird conservation topics and citizen science opportunities are shared.

"The MI Birds coalition gives all partners a platform to share their conservation successes with each other's organizations, improving our individual and collective abilities to raise awareness of our shared goal to conserve Michigan's birdlife," said Ben Beaman, biologist and Adopt-A-Game-Area program coordinator with Michigan Pheasants Forever.

MI Birds is also working to raise awareness of the DNR's important habitat work statewide, leading tours of key state game areas and other public lands, which double as Audubon Important Bird Areas. These events offer opportunities to engage the public in conversations with DNR biologists about habitat work and the species it benefits and how that work is funded through hunting license purchases.

"When people who don't hunt understand how nongame species benefit from primarily hunting-funded work, they instantly follow-up with the question, 'how can we help?'" Vaughn said.

"We encourage all Michiganders to purchase federal Migratory Duck Stamps, donate to the Adopt-A-Game-Area program, and volunteer as public lands stewards or community scientists. Each field trip is an opportunity to discuss this important conservation issue and brainstorm possible funding framework solutions."

By elevating these discussions statewide, MI Birds stands to engage new user groups and create broader support for public lands conservation in Michigan.

Spring MI Birds events are being planned in locations around the state, including the western and central Lower Peninsula and central Upper Peninsula. Check the MI Birds Facebook page for details about upcoming events as they are announced.

"We partnered with the DNR to create MI Birds to bring people together to be advocates for birds in Michigan," Stephanie Beilke, Audubon Great Lakes' conservation science manager, said. "When we all come together, we are stronger and can achieve more when it comes to influencing policy and management that can help birds survive and thrive."

MI Birds events also are places new participants might find future best friends while pursuing their interest in birds, nature and conservation.

Michigan residents who want to get involved in bird conservation this winter can take part in citizen science opportunities including:

 The Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb. 14-17. Join others around the world to take part in this event where people of all ages and birding skill levels record their bird observations in their own backyards or on nearby public lands.

 In Detroit, a MI Birds-hosted guided bird-counting tour of Belle Isle Park at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 15. The tour will visit several sites along the Detroit River to count wintering birds as part of the Great Backyard Bird Count.

 Project FeederWatch, continuing through April. Anyone interested in birds can join in this winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas and other locations in North America.

For more information on MI Birds, visit the MI Birds website, Facebook page, Instagram page or Twitter page.

Check out previous Showcasing the DNR stories in our archive at Michigan.gov/DNRStories. To subscribe to upcoming Showcasing articles, sign up for free email delivery at Michigan.gov/DNR.
The brand was developed with the specific aim to fulfill the unmet need for purpose-built wellness and social focused private-pay housing that is affordable for moderate income seniors, many of whom will be Medicare eligible. The brand intends to offer a lower cost, technologically delivered wellness solution to residents. This offering is limited in service relative to traditional senior housing, yet program-rich relative to traditional multifamily options. This extension of the Welltower brand and product offerings significantly expands the company's addressable market from a predominantly 75+ years old, affluent resident base to one which is 55+ years old with a broader economic profile.

The first application of welltowerLIVING is through the acquisition of three assets located in Las Vegas, Nevada, comprising 620 total units. The properties, which were extensively renovated in 2017, are expected to have lower staffing levels and low annual resident turnover of just 20-25%, resulting in anticipated operating margins and capital expenditures which are more consistent with those attained in the multifamily sector. The model will also provide opportunities for Welltower's health system partners to integrate clinical programs and onsite care models in select communities with the goal of improving outcomes and reducing the total cost of care for their senior populations. Welltower's Clover assets are another example of limited-service housing that is designed to meet many needs of aging seniors. Welltower's total portfolio of senior apartments currently consists of approximately 4,500 units across 35 properties in 5 states.

Welltower's efforts to expand its presence within the senior apartments market are further exemplified by its partnerships with Terwilliger Pappas and Priya Living. Welltower's newly formed strategic partnership with Charlotte, North Carolina based Terwilliger Pappas will develop a wellness oriented residential product in the southeast. Pappas is an existing partner of Welltower, having recently partnered to develop an estimated $400 million Class A+ mixed use development in midtown Charlotte which is anchored by Atrium Health. Additionally, our recently announced partnership with Priya Living of San Francisco will offer a highly differentiated product designed to serve a tremendously underserved market, which will also be part of the senior apartment portfolio. In both cases, we anticipate that our relationships will provide a multi-billion dollar investment opportunity for Welltower shareholders over the next decade. This year we expect to start three projects each with Pappas and Priya Living.

"The growing population of aging adults is expected to create significant demand for housing options across all income levels," commented Ayesha Menon, SVP - Strategic Investments. "welltowerLIVING delivers a housing product at a significantly lower cost to residents than traditional senior housing alternatives. This initiative also allows Welltower to leverage a unique triumvirate of capabilities  healthcare relationships, sector-relevant data and analytics expertise, and real estate investment capabilities  to deliver a differentiated product that creates value for all stakeholders."

"welltowerLIVING was created to provide a safe and accessible environment for aging-in-place," commented Thomas J. DeRosa, Welltower Chairman and CEO. "The integration of physical design, technology and affordable access to products and services that can enhance the social determinants of health will allow Welltower to meet the needs of the rapidly growing population of moderate income, independent seniors that we expect will be increasingly covered by Medicare Advantage programs."

Forward Looking Statement

This press release may contain "forward-looking" statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When Welltower uses words such as "may," "will," "intend," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate" or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause Welltower's actual results to differ materially from Welltower's expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. This may be a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, those factors discussed in Welltower's reports filed from time to time with the SEC. Welltower undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements.

About Welltower

Welltower Inc. (NYSE: WELL), an S&P 500 company headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, is driving the transformation of health care infrastructure. The Company invests with leading seniors housing operators, post-acute providers and health systems to fund the real estate infrastructure needed to scale innovative care delivery models and improve people's wellness and overall health care experience. Welltower, a real estate investment trust ("REIT"), owns interests in properties concentrated in major, high-growth markets in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, consisting of seniors housing and post-acute communities and outpatient medical properties. More information is available at welltower.com.

SOURCE Welltower Inc.

Related Links

http://www.welltower.com


French English

Paris, 19 February 2020, 6:45 p.m.

PRESS RELEASE

Eramet: EBITDA at 630m in 2019, reflecting good operating performance, in a deteriorated manganese price environment

Sales down 4% in 2019 financial year at 3,671m in a contrasted price environment: sharp decline in manganese ore prices by -21% on average over the year and rise in nickel prices at the LME of +6%

down 4% in 2019 financial year at in a price environment: in prices by -21% on average over the year and in prices at the LME of +6% New operational records for the Mining and Metals division 1 , above targets set for 2019: Manganese ore production: 4.8 Mt vs. target at 4.5 Mt Nickel ore exports: 1.6 Mwmt vs. target at 1.5 Mwmt Mineral Sands production: 735 kt vs. target at 720 kt



, above targets set for 2019: EBITDA at 630m , in line with guidance, including mainly an unfavourable impact of -268m due to manganese prices versus 2018

at , in line with guidance, including mainly an unfavourable impact of due to manganese prices versus 2018 Non-recurring items in the High Performance Alloys division (-114m) and high tax charges in Gabon, resulting in positive income before taxes of 89m and a negative net income, Group share of -184m

of Net debt of 1,207m excluding the impact of IFRS 16 (1,304m published) corresponding to a gearing 2 of 74% excluding the impact of IFRS 16. Measures launched to preserve the Groups cash position

excluding the impact of IFRS 16 (1,304m published) corresponding to a gearing of 74% excluding the impact of IFRS 16. Measures launched to preserve the Groups cash position CSR performance rating up to 112 points, 12 points above targets for 2019

rating up to 12 points above targets for 2019 Strategic roadmap breakthroughs expected in 2020, despite a less favourable economic environment: Manganese ore production target of more than 5 Mt Continued implementation of SLN rescue plan: target to export 2.5 Mwmt in nickel ore Production start-up at Weda Bay (Indonesia) expected as early as H1

New modular approach for the production capacity expansion project of the mine in Moanda , Gabon

for the production capacity project of the mine in , Gabon Lithium development project in Argentina on hold: subject to meeting launch requirements

subject to meeting launch requirements Thanks to expected and major intrinsic progress, and factoring in deteriorated manganese market conditions, EBITDA forecast for 2020 should be close to 400m assuming January 2020 market conditions3, and without recognising to date the potential impact related to the Coronavirus4 epidemic.







Christel BORIES, Eramet Chairman and CEO:

"In 2019, we have made major breakthroughs in implementing our strategic roadmap again and we have improved our intrinsic performance. We achieved production records in all our mines and the strong increase in nickel ore exports in New Caledonia demonstrates the relevance of SLNs business model.

2020 marks a key milestone in our transformation. This year we will start up our plant in Weda Bay in Indonesia; we will expand mining production in Moanda in Gabon; we will continue implementing the SLN rescue plan and a normal level of activity should resume at Aubert & Duval.

In an uncertain start to the year, particularly for China, which is facing a difficult period, more than ever we stay close to our employees and customers; we would like to express our solidarity with the Chinese people. In light of the volatile and deteriorated global economic environment, we have decided to adopt a cautious and controlled strategy for our cash position. We have thus revised the scope and schedule for our investment projects, specifically in Gabon and Argentina. The Group is also considering initiatives to strengthen its financial structure such as disposals or partnerships.

Initial results are on track and the fundamental pillars of our strategy are robust, in particular our ambition to diversify our assets in order to better balance our risks, with a sustainable and responsible approach that involves all of our stakeholders. Now more than ever, agility, responsiveness and control of our financial equilibrium are key to make progress in our long-term profitability targets."





Eramets Board of Directors met on 19 February 2020, under the chairmanship of Christel BORIES, and approved the financial statements for the 2019 financial year5 which will be submitted for approval at the General Shareholders meeting on 26 May 2020.

Safety

The total recordable injury rate (FR26) declined considerably again in 2019, from 8.3 to 5.4, down 35%, thanks to increased commitment and vigilance shown from all employees. However, the Group was very saddened to report the deaths of four people during the course of the year, of which one employee of a subcontractor. Safety of each and every one with a zero-tolerance policy for severe accidents remains the first priority for the Group.

Eramet group key figures

(Millions of euros)1 2019 20182 Change (m) Change3 (%) Sales 3,671 3,825 (154) -4% EBITDA 630 843 (213) -25% Current operating income (COI) 341 581 (240) -41% Net income, Group share (184) 53 (237) n/a Free Cash-Flow (358) (211) (147) -70% Net debt (net cash), excl. IFRS 16 impact 1,207 717 490 +68% Gearing4, excl. IFRS 16 impact 74% 38% +36 pts n/a Gearing4, incl. IFRS 16 impact 80% 38% +42 pts n/a ROCE (COI/capital employed5 for previous year) 12% 22% -10 pts n/a





1 Data rounded up to the nearest million. 2019 figures after application of IFRS 16 on 1st January 2019, except for net debt and gearing. The comparative table is presented in Appendix 7, not significant impact on EBITDA and COI

2 Until 2018, data adjusted from Group reporting in which joint ventures are accounted for using proportional consolidation. The reconciliation with the published financial statements is presented in Appendix 6

3 Data rounded up to higher or lower %

4 Net debt-to-equity ratio

5 Total shareholders equity, net debt, restoration provisions, restructuring and other social risks, less long-term investments, excluding Weda Bay Nickel capital employed





N.B.: all the commented changes in FY 2019 are calculated with respect to FY 2018, unless otherwise specified.

The Groups FY 2019 sales totalled 3,671m, down 4%. At constant scope7,[8] and exchange rates8, the change in sales declined 8%, mainly owing to the decline in manganese ore prices, in addition to the supply chain situation at Aubert & Duval, due to bringing quality processes into conformity.

Group EBITDA ended at 630m, down -213m, impacted by a -268m manganese price effect and -49m due to supply chain difficulties at Aubert & Duval. Operating improvements (+39m) were also penalised by the strikes in H2 2018 and H1 2019 at SLN, which affected ore supplies and operations at the Doniambo plant, as well as by an increase in transport costs at Comilog. These effects hindered the operational breakthroughs made in 2019, specifically production records in the mines.

The Groups current operating income ended at 341m, down 41%.

Income before tax amounted to 89m, after recognition of -118m in non-operating income and expenses, including a provision for an asset impairment at Erasteel (-25m), and -134m in financial result.

Net income, Group share reported a loss of -184m, after writing down a -227m tax charge. This charge is largely owing to taxes in Gabon (-147m).

Capex has been focused on modernising industrial tools and preparing strategic projects. Related cash outflow totalled 423m, of which 132m in preparation work for the two strategic projects in Gabon and Argentina.

Free Cash-Flow (FCF) ended at -358m at end-December 2019, of which -274m in non-recurring items. This includes the -160m non-recurring effect related to supply chain difficulties at Aubert & Duval, of which -80m due to the strong increase in work-in-progress inventories. FCF was also penalised by a -114m payment made to the Gabonese government related, on the one hand, to the advance and exceptional payment of corporate income tax, and on the other, to the payment of a tax audit.

Finally, dividends paid to Eramet shareholders and Comilog minority shareholders in respect of the 2018 financial year amounted to 20m and 86m respectively.

Net debt stood at 1,207m, excluding the IFRS 16 impact. Eramet has applied IFRS 16 since 1st January 2019 with a simplified retrospective application, resulting in an increase of 97m, with no impact on cash, and total recorded net debt of 1,304m.

Financial strategy

In 2019, the Group set up a Term Loan, with a 2-year maturity and an option that can be exercised by Eramet to extend it to January 2024. The financing amounts to 350m, thanks to participation from eight French and international banks. Its the first time two of these banks are working with Eramet.

At 31 December 2019, Eramets financial liquidity remained high at 2.3bn, including available cash of 848m in the balance sheet.

The evolution in the Groups financial ratios (gearing at 74% excluding IFRS impact and gearing at 63%9 within the meaning of the financial covenants) drove management to start an action plan. The Group took measures to maintain cash position, including strict industrial capex control, with the aim of controlling the level of net debt and preserving gearing. The Group might also plan initiatives to strengthen its financial structure such as disposals or partnerships.

Moreover, a proposal not to pay out any dividends in respect of the 2019 financial year will be made at the Shareholders general meeting held on 26 May 2020.

Key figures by activity

(Millions of euros)1 2019 20182 Change (m) Change3 (%) MINING AND METALS DIVISION Manganese BU Sales 1,765 1,857 (92) -5% EBITDA 560 784 (224) -29% Nickel BU Sales 778 738 40 +5% EBITDA 38 (18) 56 n/a Mineral Sands BU4 Sales 286 212 74 +35% EBITDA 106 62 44 +70% HIGH PERFORMANCE ALLOYS DIVISION A&D and Erasteel Sales 847 1,020 (173) -17% EBITDA (26) 46 (72) n/a





1 Data rounded up to the nearest million. 2019 figures after IFRS 16 application on 1st January 2019. The comparative table is presented in Appendix 7

2 Until 2018, data adjusted from Group reporting in which joint ventures are accounted for using proportional consolidation. The reconciliation with the published financial statements is presented in Appendix 6

3 Data rounded up to higher or lower %

4 Mineral Sands activity fully consolidated in the Groups accounts as of 1st July 2018, versus 50% previously





 Mining and Metals Division

Manganese BU

The Manganese BUs sales, which accounts for 48% of the Groups consolidated sales, fell by 5% to 1,765m in 2019, compared with 2018. Despite significant increases in ore production levels (+10%), ore and alloys market prices declined considerably, particularly at year-end, generating EBITDA at 560m, down 29%.

Market trends & prices

Global production for carbon steel, the main end-market for manganese, reached a record level of 1,86710 Mt in 2019, up 3.6%10, despite a slowdown in H2. This growth was almost exclusively driven by strong demand in China (+8.3%10 at 996 Mt, representing 53% of global production), supported by the construction and infrastructure markets. Production was down across the rest of the world (-1.3%10), most notably with a sharp decline in the European market (-5.1%10), whereas the Indian market trended upwards (+1.8%10).

In order to respond to growing ore consumption, and considering that manganese ore prices were kept at high levels for the first nine months of the year, all producers continued to operate at full capacity. This resulted in a slightly surplus supply/demand balance over the 2019 financial year. As a result, ore inventories in Chinese ports amounted to 4.7 Mt10 at end-2019, up 1.6 Mt10 versus end-2018.

CIF China 44% manganese ore market prices trended very negatively in Q4 (-34%11 vs. average for first 9 months of the year) resulting in an average price of $5.63/dmtu11 in 2019, down 21% on 2018 ($7.16/dmtu11). In euros, the decrease only amounted to 17% over the year, given the appreciation of the dollar.

In 2019, the market environment also remained unfavourable for manganese alloys, which were adversely impacted by a slowdown in Europe, linked on the one hand to the sudden decline in the automotive market and on the other to protectionist measures taken by the United States, which are weighing on European steel production. Manganese alloys prices fell in Europe, particularly for refined ferromanganese (-7%11) and silico-manganese (-5%11).

Activities

In Gabon, Comilog set a new record for ore production at 4.8 Mt (+10%), greatly exceeding the target of 4.5 Mt set for 2019. This excellent performance reflects continued operational improvements in mines, complying with CSR standards. It was achieved thanks to the new dry ore processing process started end-2018, which extracted approximately 0.5 Mt of ore during the year.

Thanks to logistics improvements, produced and transported manganese ore volumes increased by 17%, to 4.6 Mt. The renovation programme for the Transgabonese railway has shown signs of success. Global freight volume (mining and others) increased 22% in 2019 from 2018 (+70% since the programme started end-2016), benefitting all Gabonese economic stakeholders. 2019 marked a key milestone with the establishment of the new traffic control centre equipped with digital communication resources with mobile trains. A total of 166m in capex has been made as part of the programme since its launch in 2016, with 19m paid for by the Gabonese government.

Thus, external ore sales grew 15% to 3.9 Mt over the same period.

Manganese alloys production totalled 740 kt in 2019 (+3%). Sales volumes were up 4% to 733 kt, propelled by standard alloys (+16%), with a decrease in refined ferromanganese alloys (-8%) due to a sharp downturn in the market. This unfavourable mix in addition to the margin squeeze for manganese alloys - particularly due to the downward momentum in sales prices - adversely affected performance in this activity.

Outlook

The growth outlook for global carbon steel production remains favourable in the short and medium term.

Mine reserves in Moanda, Gabon, allow a manganese ore production capacity of approximately 7 Mt in the long-term. In 2019, Eramet thus continued its brownfield expansion study for the mine aimed at the development of the Okouma plateau, in parallel with the Bangombe plateau currently in operation. Cash outflow for preparation work in 2019 totalled 51m. The target set for manganese ore production in 2020 is more than 5 Mt.

The expansion project was reviewed based on a new modular approach. This approach optimises capex and is based on the start of production at the Okouma plateau and on the intensified use of the alternative dry processing for the entire mine. This process gives greater flexibility in mining operations and extends the mine life.

Looking ahead, the modular approach shows an initial production improvement phase of around 25% on 2019, representing approximately 6 Mt. This phase will account for overall capex estimated at 150m over a 2-year period. The schedule for roll-out is being finalised with our partner, the Gabonese government.

Nickel BU

The Nickel BUs sales increased 5%, ending at 778m in 2019 with EBITDA of 38m. SLN12 EBITDA stood at 59m, up 74% from 2018. In a favourable price environment, SLN recorded the initial effects of its rescue plan, despite operating performance that was strongly impacted by a decline in ferronickel production due to disruptions and strikes in the mines. At the same time, the Sandouville plants operating loss was halved, with EBITDA of -21m.

Market trends & prices

The 2019 financial year was marked by continued trade tensions between the United States and China, as well as the September announcement in Indonesia to ban exports of nickel ore that has not been transformed locally, effective 1st January 2020. This measure is aimed at profoundly affecting market equilibrium for the various players.

After slightly increasing in H1 (+2.1%13 vs. H1 2018), global stainless steel production grew considerably in H2, reaching a record level of 51.7 Mt in 2019, up 4.2%13. Production in China increased from 12.2%13 to 29.6 Mt and slowed in the rest of the world (-4.8%13). Indonesia continued to present a unique situation with stainless steel production up 4,7%13, due to the start of locally integrated production upstream from NPI (Nickel Pig Iron [14]).

Demand for primary nickel was up 3.6%13 over the period to 2.4 Mt, boosted by both stainless steel and the development of electric vehicle batteries, which grew by 30%13 in 2019 (to 176 kt of primary nickel).

In parallel, global primary nickel production was up significantly (+8.9%13) to 2.3 Mt at end-2019, driven by continued growth in NPI (Nickel Pig Iron14) production in Indonesia and China (+30%13), whereas traditional production was down slightly.

Considering a nickel supply/demand balance with a high deficit in 2018 (- 141 kt13), this production increase was nevertheless not enough to satisfy the change in demand, resulting in a further deficit of more than 31 kt13 in 2019. Nickel stocks at the LME15 and SHFE15 continued to fall, amounting to 191 kt at end-December 2019 (-31 kt vs. end-December 2018, i.e. -14%), equivalent to slightly more than 7 weeks of consumption (including nickel producers inventories), the lowest level since end-2006.

The average LME price was $6.31/lb in 2019, representing an increase of 6% from 2018 (average of $5.95/lb), largely owing to the early September announcement that the Indonesian ban was being reintroduced16. The average H2 price ended at $7.03/lb, up 26% from H1 ($5.59/lb). The increase in LME prices in euros was +12% on an annual basis, factoring in the appreciation of the dollar.

Parallel to this, the price of nickel seaborne ore (1.8% CIF China) also rose sharply in H2 compared with H1. The average price went from $50.68/wmt17 to $66.58/wmt17, an increase of +31%.

Activities

In New Caledonia, after a difficult first-half, impacted by strikes in one of the main mining centres, the second half of 2019 was marked by the continued implementation of the SLN rescue plan, whose effects were achieved in part.

In 2019, despite large-scale strikes in the first half, nickel ore production was up 15%, achieving a record18 of 4.7 Mwmt19. This was attributable to the new mine schedule working times applied since mid-May on all mining centres. The volume of low-grade ore exported exceeded the target set, ending at 1.6 Mwmt19(+32%). The new mine schedule working times in addition to further discussions with local inhabitants should confirm the target of reaching the 4 Mwmt export rate of ore in 2021.

Given the blockade of mining centres on the East coast, supply to the ore smelting furnaces at the Doniambo plant remained disrupted for the entire year, with a 13% (47 kt) decrease in ferronickel production in 2019. Ferronickel sales volumes also fell by 15% to 47 kt over the same period.

Despite the implementation of new organisations at the mine and plant, the considerable decrease in ferronickel volumes weighed on SLNs cash-cost, which ended at $5.91/lb in 2019. Cash-cost substantially improved in H2, at $5.74/lb ($6.05/lb in H1), particularly due to export volumes and the increase in the market price of ore following the announcement of the Indonesian ban.

On this basis, SLN generated cash in H2 2019, specifically in the fourth quarter.

In November, the Group achieved a third milestone20 in the implementation of the rescue plan by signing an agreement with Enercal, SLNs electricity provider. Through this agreement, Eramet achieves a third21 of the required target to reduce energy prices. Other options are still being discussed with local partners in order to identify additional initiatives that will be key to achieving the overall objective of SLNs rescue plan.

The intrinsic reduction cash-cost target of $1.30/lb22on a full-year basis in 2021 remains dependent on the plan being rolled out without disruptions, especially with regard to social and societal aspects.

Moreover, digital transformation, specifically connected mines, should improve productivity. It is also a lever for performance improvement at SLN.

In addition, SLNs newly-established business model significantly increases the companys mining reserves and resources, particularly following the integration of lower grade tonnages for exports. SLNs mineral resources increased approximately fourfold (~4), amounting to 19.4 Mt of contained nickel, with an average grade of more than 1.85%. This makes SLN one of the worlds leading mining operators.

At the Sandouville plant in Normandy, progress continued thanks to technical corrections implemented by an expert task force and strengthened site management. Nickel salt and high-purity nickel metal production roughly doubled (~2), versus 2018. This resulted in the plant doubling its sales to 90m. The loss was halved and cash consumption significantly reduced, with FCF of -32m in 2019 (vs. -54m). Factoring in the progress made in 2019, 2020 EBITDA should be close to break-even.

Outlook

At Weda Bay, Indonesia, as part of a partnership with Tsingshan, mining works started end-2019, with 900 employees currently working at one of the largest nickel deposits in the world. This mine will provide ore for several NPI14 plants situated on the island of Halmahera. The target for nickel ore production is 6 Mwmt in the long-run, with more than 3 Mwmt as early as of 2020. To allow the start-up of calcination and smelting operations at the JV plant with Tsingshan at Weda Bay, more than 0.5 Mwmt19 of nickel ore inventory was built up at end-2019.

At the same time, construction of this plant is in its latter stages. Production at the plant should start in H1 2020, ahead of the initial schedule. However, the Coronavirus epidemic could affect the activitys launch schedule.

The ramp-up in the plants production is expected to be fast, with 80% of nominal capacity by end-2020, thereby benefitting from a favourable NPI environment thanks to the introduction of the Indonesian ban. The plant is expected to be well positioned as far as production costs are concerned with a cash-cost consistent with the best Indonesian producers.

Mineral Sands BU

This activity now contributes approximately 17% of the Groups EBITDA, demonstrating the success of the Groups strategy in mineral sands. TiZirs sales grew 5% to 286m in 2019 (at comparable scope, full basis). EBITDA was up considerably by 32% at 106m, thanks to good operating performance and favourable prices.

Market trends & prices

Global demand for zircon decreased by 10% on 2018, largely due to a decline in the ceramics market (~50% of end-products for zircon). The other application areas (mainly chemicals and refractory materials markets) were stable overall during the year, with a year-end downturn for refractory materials. Zircon supply remained strong, generating a surplus zircon supply/demand balance for 2019.

Compared with levels at end-2018, prices gradually lowered in 2019, albeit maintaining a high level. On an average annual basis, premium zircon market prices rose to $1,575/t23, up 7% on 2018. Factoring in the currency effect, the price increase in euros was +13%.

Global demand for TiO 2 pigments (~90% of end-products for titanium-based products) remained stable in 2019. Demand for high value-added raw materials producers bolstered demand in CP grade titanium slag as produced in Norway. The average price of CP grade titanium slag thus increased by 10% to $752/t 24 compared with 2018. Factoring in the currency effect, the price increase in euros was +16%.

Activities

Upstream, in Senegal, thanks to further improvements (+6%) in operating performance25, annual production for heavy mineral concentrates26 at the Grande Cote (GCO) site reached 735 kt, exceeding the target set. The decline in production (-5% vs. 2018) is an expected reflection of the lowest grade (-11% on average in 2019 vs. 2018) for the deposit area currently in operation following the mining plan.

Zircon sales volumes were down 11% in 2019 at 58 kt. H2 offset part of the decline of the start of the year (- 16% in H1).

Downstream, in TiZirs Norwegian plant, titanium slag production remained stable at 189 kt, penalised by a metal casting incident, which resulted in a production shutdown for 4 weeks. Sales volumes decreased by 10% to 180 kt since the 2018 financial year benefitted from destocking effects.

Outlook

With the medium-term in mind, the Group is reviewing options to debottleneck mineral sand production in Senegal, with a focus on organic growth for GCO production. Initial results for this study should be available in H2 2020. The aim is to optimise the use of available capacity in ore beneficiation plant as well as in transport, leading to step-by-step increases in production.

Furthermore, following a global international tender procedure, Eramet secured exploration permits on the rutile block of Akonolinga, in Cameroon. The three-year long permits will allow the Eramet teams to conduct the necessary fieldwork and feasibility studies. This long-term project, which is fully in line with Eramets exploration strategy, would provide a diversification of the Group product portfolio on the particularly attractive rutile market.

Lithium BU (Project)

In 2019, Eramet continued development works for its lithium deposit in Argentina, with an annual production target of 24 kt in LCE (Lithium Carbonate Equivalent). Capex for preparation work ended at 81m for the year, including the pilot plant on site. This pilot is currently operating in real conditions, confirming an excellent yield level to date, leading to a first quartile cash-cost position, amongst the most competitive in the industry.

The project is currently on hold and expenses have been reduced to a minimum, since required conditions for launch have not yet been met. This specifically applies to the Argentinian regulations context and to the economic environment.

 High Performance Alloys division

The High Performance Alloys divisions sales were down 17% to 847m and EBITDA showed a loss of -26m. This underperformance results from delivery delays at Aubert & Duval, in turn caused by bringing its quality process into conformity, and particularly deteriorated market conditions for Erasteels activity.

Market trends

In the aerospace sector, which accounts for more than 70% of Aubert & Duvals sales, the market environment remains stable. Through a diversified product portfolio that covers medium and long-haul aircraft, the company was little affected by Boeings situation in 2019. The reduced Boeing 737MAX production rates and the announced Airbus A380 production shutdown were offset by record deliveries for the Airbus A320 aircraft and maintained production output for long-haul planes at Boeing.

Moreover, Aubert & Duval recently signed contracts with leading players in the aerospace and energy sector, paving the way to medium-term growth outlook and market share gains for the single-aisle programmes, landing gears and gas turbines segments.

Erasteels markets (high-speed steels) were adversely affected by the sharp slowdown in the automotive sector in Europe and China in 2019, which is expected to continue in the coming months. The company was also penalised by the increase in customs duties, which are heavily impacting the exports of high quality high-speed steels to the United States.

Activities

At Aubert & Duval27, sales declined considerably by 19% to 642m28, with EBITDA at break-even (vs. +36m in 2018). Bringing quality processes into conformity continues with all customers concerned, and continued to weigh on deliveries, significantly impacting Aubert & Duvals sales and performance. The momentum of the corrective action plan launched end-2018 enabled all sites to return to a normal billing rate since September, with the exception of Les Ancizes site, which nevertheless came close to a normal rate at year-end. In Q4, Aubert & Duvals monthly billing rate came out 15% above the monthly average for the year, reflecting a general trend reversal in delays observed since September.

Delays in deliveries for the closed die-forged parts BU continue to decrease and a return to normal inventory levels is expected in 2020. Delays in Forged and Rolled Products BUs still remain significant, especially at Les Ancizes site. A specific action plan has been rolled out in order to increase capabilities for the final production and control phases.

Throughout the year, combined expertise and background work have been conducted, working closely with customers. All this work will continue in 2020. This expertise has resulted in in-depth restructuring of former production and management routines. This key structural initiative will extend throughout 2020. An additional accrual of 15m was booked in 2019 to take into account the estimated cost to date of processing this in-depth review of quality processes (especially expertise costs). Total costs are estimated to be 80m.

To date, Aubert & Duval has not been subject to any judicial developments as part of bringing its quality processes into conformity.

The ramifications of the logistics difficulties have adversely affected Aubert & Duvals performance in 2019: -49m impact on EBITDA, -160m impact on FCF, including an increase in work-in-progress inventory levels (80m).

At Erasteel, sales were down 10% at 205m in a strongly declining market. EBITDA recorded a loss of -27m (vs. +10m in 2018), also significantly penalised by the decline in raw material prices in recent months, particularly for cobalt and vanadium. Despite highly unfavourable market conditions, FCF showed marked improvement near break-even at -3m. This was particularly due to well managed WCR and specifically stocks.

Factoring in Erasteels current market outlook, an asset impairment charge of 25m has been booked as other non-current income and expenses at end-2019.

Outlook

Following a strategic review conducted in 2018 and actions to bring quality processes to conformity, the High Performance Alloys Division has launched a long-term in-depth restructuring programme. Several corrective actions are included:

restructuring organisations and reshaping former managerial routines,

reviewing portfolio of subsidiaries and focusing activities and capex on six key segments,

improving operating performance, particularly in safety, product quality control, customer service and equipment reliability.

The Group will continue to roll out these initiatives in 2020 to ensure a sustainable recovery in this divisions performance.

CSR roadmap

Eramet has a long-standing commitment to a responsible approach and continuous improvement. The Group makes Corporate Social Responsibility the key focus of its activities. In 2018, the Group set out its CSR roadmap, which connects key challenges affecting our society and the environment to Eramets strategic vision. This 2018-2023 CSR roadmap is based on three core components: acting as a committed player to women and men, a responsible economic player and a committed player to our planet. For each of the thirteen objectives that make up the roadmap, Eramet has set out quantitative and qualitative targets.

In order to assess overall progress in its Roadmap, Eramet measures its CSR performance index, which is based on yearly achievements. For the 2019 financial year, this index came out at 112, i.e. 12 points above the targets set for the year (the index measures overall average progress within the roadmap). Most of the objectives established for the year were achieved. More than half of them exceeded the agreed milestones. This particularly applied to three of the environmental objectives, focused on rehabilitation of mining sites, dust emissions and industrial waste valorisation.

Eramets growth strategy across all its subsidiaries is based on a sustainable and contributive foothold in its host countries, which is built in a spirit of partnership with all of its stakeholders. Eramet, a committed corporate citizen, is developing its projects in line with the highest international standards regarding the environment, society and ethics.

t Outlook

At the start of this year, Eramet is closely monitoring developments in the Coronavirus epidemic. China is the worlds largest consumer of manganese, nickel and raw materials in general. To date, this epidemic has not significantly impacted the Groups operations.

In the context of a deteriorated and uncertain economic environment, the Group faces numerous challenges but is pursuing the roll-out of its strategic roadmap in 2020, with a focus on the following objectives:

Manganese ore production target of more than 5 Mt

Continued implementation of SLN rescue plan: target to export 2.5 Mwmt in nickel ore

in nickel ore Starting-up production at Weda Bay (Indonesia) expected as of first-half 2020

Thanks to expected and major intrinsic progress, and factoring in deteriorated manganese market conditions, EBITDA forecast for 2020 should be close to 400m assuming January 202029 market conditions, and without recognising to date the potential impact related to the Coronavirus30 epidemic.





2019 annual results presentation

A live Internet webcast of the 2019 annual results presentation will take place on Thursday 20 February 2020 at 10:30am (Paris time), on our website: www.eramet.com. Presentation documentation will be available for the webcast.

To join the webcast, click on the link on the Groups website (www.eramet.com).

Calendar

28.04.2020: Publication of 2020 first-quarter sales

26.05.2020: General Shareholders meeting

29.07.2020: Publication of 2020 half-year results

ABOUT ERAMET

Eramet, a global mining and metallurgical group, is a key player in the extraction and valorisation of metals (manganese, nickel, mineral sands) and the elaboration and transformation of alloys with a high added value (high-speed steels, high-performance steels, superalloys, aluminium and titanium alloys).

The Group supports the energy transition by developing activities with high growth potential. These include lithium extraction and refining, and recycling.

Eramet positions itself as the privileged partner of its customers in sectors that include carbon and stainless steel, aerospace, pigments, energy, and new battery generations.

Building on its operating excellence, the quality of its investments and the expertise of its employees, the Group leverages an industrial, managerial and societal model that is virtuous and value-accretive. As a contributive corporate citizen, Eramet strives for a sustainable and responsible industry.

Eramet employs around 13,000 people in more than 20 countries with sales of approximately 4 billion in 2019.

For further information, go to www.eramet.com



INVESTOR CONTACT



Executive VP Strategy and Innovation - Investor Relations



Philippe Gundermann

T. +33 1 45 38 42 78



Investor Relations manager



Sandrine Nourry-Dabi

T. +33 1 45 38 37 02







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PRESS CONTACT



Communications Director



Pauline Briand

T. +33 1 45 38 31 76



pauline.briand@eramet.com









Image 7



Marie Artzner

T. +33 1 53 70 74 31 | M. +33 6 75 74 31 73

martzner@image7.fr







APPENDICES

 Appendix 1: Sales









( million)1 Q4 2019 Q3 2019 Q2 2019 Q1 2019 2019 2018 MINING AND METALS DIVISION







Manganese BU 434 427 470 434 1,765 1,857 Nickel BU 216 216 182 164 778 738 Mineral Sands BU2 85 62 80 59 286 212 HIGH PERFORMANCE ALLOYS DIVISION







A&D and Erasteel 232 192 206 217 847 1,020 GROUP







Holding company & eliminations 1 (3) (2) (1) (5) (2) Eramet group

Inc. joint ventures 968 894 936 873 3,671 3,825 Share in joint ventures 0 0 0 0 0 (100) Eramet group

published IFRS financial3 statements4 968 894 936 873 3,671 3,725





1Data rounded up to the nearest million.

2 Full consolidation of Mineral Sands in the Groups accounts as of 1st July 2018.

3 Application of IFRS standard 11 Joint Arrangements.







 Appendix 2: Productions and shipments

In thousands of tonnes Q4 2019 Q3 2019 Q2 2019 Q1 2019 2019 2018 MANGANESE BU Manganese ore and sinter production 1,309 1,340 1,112 1,004 4,765 4,330 Manganese ore and sinter transportation1 1,306 1,303 1,022 996 4,627 3,954 Manganese ore external sales 1,322 911 861 776 3,870 3,368 Manganese alloy production 163 201 185 191 740 720 Manganese alloy sales 190 175 193 175 733 703 NICKEL BU Nickel ore production (in thousands of wet metric tonnes) 1,356 1,331 1,096 872 4,655 4,045 Ferronickel production 12.5 11.1 11.6 12.2 47.4 54.3 Nickel salts and high-purity nickel metal production 0.8 2 2.3 1.8 6.9 3.7 Ferronickel sales 11.4 11.6 12.0 12.0 47 55.3 Nickel sales and high-purity nickel metal sales 1.1 1.6 2.4 1.6 6.7 3.5 Nickel ore sales

(in thousands of wet metric tonnes) 578 556 254 235 1,623 1,234 MINERAL SANDS BU Mineral Sands production 195 162 207 171 735 774 Zircon production 15 12 16 15 58 64 Titanium dioxide slag production 51 37 48 53 189 189 Zircon sales 15 14 16 13 58 65 Titanium dioxide sales 49 34 58 39 180 201





1 Produced and transported





 Appendix 3: Price and index

H2 2019 H1 2019 2019 2018 2019/2018 H2/H1 2019 MANGANESE BU Mn CIF China 44% (USD/dmtu)1 4.85 6.42 5.63 7.16 -21.3% -24.5% Ferromanganese MC  Europe (EUR/t) 1 1,417 1,551 1,484 1,601 -7.3% -8.6% Silico-manganese  Europe (EUR/t) 1 921 976 949 1,004 -5.5% -5.6% NICKEL BU Ni LME (USD/lb)2 7.03 5.59 6.31 5.95 +6% +25.8% Ni LME (USD/mt) 2 15,489 12,325 13,907 13,118 +6% +25.8% Ni ore CIF China 1.8% (USD/wmt)3 66.58 50.68 58.63 54.44 +8% +31% MINERAL SANDS BU Zircon (USD/t) 4 1,565 1,585 1,575 1,466 +7.4% -1.3% CP grade titanium dioxide (USD/t) 5 758 746 752 685 +10% +2%













1 Eramet calculation, based on CRU monthly price index

2 LME prices (London Metal Exchange)

3 CNFEOL prices (China FerroAlloy Online)

4 FerroAlloyNet.com, Eramet analysis (premium zircon)

5 Market analysis, Eramet analysis









 Appendix 4: Sales and COI by activity

( million)1 2019 20182 Change (m) Change3 (%) MINING AND METALS DIVISION Manganese BU Sales 1,765 1,857 -92 -5% Current operating income (COI) 459 699 -240 -34% Nickel BU Sales 778 738 40 +5% COI (58) (111) 53 -48% Mineral Sands BU4 Sales 286 212 74 +35% COI 64 35 29 +83% HIGH PERFORMANCE ALLOYS DIVISION A&D and Erasteel Sales 847 1,020 -173 -17% COI (68) (8) -60 n/a





1 Data rounded up to the nearest million. 2019 figures after IFRS 16 application on 1st January 2019. The comparative table is presented in Appendix 7.

2 Until 2018, data adjusted from Group reporting in which joint ventures are accounted for using proportional consolidation. The reconciliation with the published financial statements is presented in Appendix 6.

3 Data rounded up to higher or lower %.

4 Mineral Sands activity fully consolidated in the Groups accounts as of 1st July 2018, versus 50% previously.







 Appendix 5: Performance indicators

Operating performance by division

MINING AND METALS HIGH ( millions) Manganese Nickel Mineral Lithium PERFORMANCE Holding and Total Sands * ALLOYS Eliminations Financial year 2019 Sales 1 765 778 286 - 847 (5) 3 671 EBITDA 560 38 106 - (26) (48) 630 Current operating income 459 (58) 64 - (68) (56) 341 Net cash generated by operating activities 206 (17) 55 (13) (84) (61) 86 Industrial investments (intangible assets and property plan and equipment) 234 35 12 101 53 20 455 Financial year 2018 Sales 1 857 738 212 1 020 (2) 3 825 EBITDA 784 (18) 62 46 (31) 843 Current operating income 699 (111) 35 (8) (34) 581 Net cash generated by operating activities 499 (21) 41 (1) (69) 449 Industrial investments (intangible assets and property plan and equipment) 140 57 12 60 12 281 * BU into Holding Eliminations till 31st december 2018

Sales and investments by region

( millions) France Europe North Asia Oceania Africa South Total America America Sales (sales destination) Financial year 2019 320 1 274 599 1 309 37 86 46 3 671 Financial year 2018 362 1 315 629 1 346 30 87 56 3 825 Industrial investments (intangible assets and property plan and equipment) Financial year 2019 76 42 8 - 30 198 101 455 Financial year 2018 78 38 5 - 49 110 1 281 Non-current assets (excluding deferred tax assets) 31/12/2019 651 506 47 37 575 1 380 103 3 299 31/12/2018 644 349 38 42 545 1 417 4 3 039

Consolidated performance indicators  Income statement

( millions) Financial year Financial year 2019 2018 Sales 3 671 3 825 EBITDA 630 843 Amortisation and depreciation of non-current assets (284) (260) Provision for risk and expenses (5) (2) Current operating income 341 581 Impairment of assets (25) (104) Other operating income and expenses (93) (12) Operating income 223 465 Financial income (134) (95) Share of income from associates (7) (3) Income taxes (227) (241) Net income for the period (145) 126 - Attributable to non-controlling interests 39 73 - Attributable to the Groupe (184) 53 Basic earning per share () (6,93) 2,00





Consolidated performance indicators  Net financial debt flow table

( millions) Financial year Financial year 2019 2018 Operating activities EBITDA 630 843 Cash impact ot items in EBITDA (420) (345) Cash flow from operations 210 498 Change in WCR (124) (49) Net cash generated by operating activities (1) 86 449 Investing activities Industrial investments (455) (281) Other investments flows 11 (379) Net cash used in investing activities (2) (444) (660) Net cash used in financing activities (117) (123) Impact of fluctuation in exchange rate and other (6) (7) Right of use relating to lease contracts acquisition (IFRS16) (12) (Increase) / Decrease in net financial debt (493) (341) (Net financial debt) opening (717) (376) IFRS 16 Impact (94) (Net financial debt) opening restated * (811) (376) (Net financial debt) closing (1 304) (717) Free Cash Flow (1) + (2) (358) (211) * Restated for the first-time application of IFRS 16 as of January 1, 2019





Consolidated performance indicators  Balance sheet

( millions) 31/12/2019 31/12/2018 Non-curent assets 3 294 3 030 Inventories 1 098 958 Trade receivables 362 390 Trade payables (458) (413) Simplified Working Capital 1 002 935 Other Working Capital items (242) (319) Total Working Capital Requirements (WCR) 760 616 Derivatives - - TOTAL 4 054 3 646 ( millions) 31/12/2019 31/12/2018 Equity attributable to owners of the parent 1 398 1 605 Non-controlling interests 241 303 Shareholders equity 1 639 1 908 Cash and cash equivalents and current f inancial assets (920) (1 366) Borrowings 2 224 2 083 Net financial debt 1 304 717 Net financial debt/shareholders equity (Gearing) 80% 38% Provisions and employee-related liabilities 877 794 Net deferred tax 214 201 Derivatives 20 26 TOTAL 4 054 3 646





 Appendix 6: Reconciliation Group Reporting and published financial statements

( millions) Financial Year Contribution of Financial Year Financial Year Contribution of Financial Year 2019 joint ventures 2019 2018 joint ventures 2018 Published (1) Adjusted (2) Published (1) Adjusted (2) Sales 3 671 - 3 671 3 725 100 3 825 EBITDA 630 - 630 828 15 843 Current Operating income 341 - 341 574 7 581 Operating income 223 - 223 398 67 465 Net Income - Group share (184) - (184) 53 (0) 53 Net cash generated by operating activities 86 - 86 437 12 449 Industrial investments 455 - 455 278 3 281 (Net financial debt) (1 304) - (1 304) (717) - (717) Shareholder's equity 1 639 - 1 639 1 909 (1) 1 908 Shareholder's equity - Group share 1 398 - 1 398 1 606 (1) 1 605 (1) Published data with joint-ventures consolidated using the equity method as per current regulations (2) Data from groupe reporting where joint ventures are consolidated porportionnaly till the 31st december 2018. Starting 1st january, all joints ventures are consolidate regarding the equity method.





 Appendix 7: IFRS 16

( millions) Information First Information 31/12/2018 Application 01/01/2019 published IFRS 16 with IFRS16 Rights of use relating to lease contracts 94 94 Non-current assets 3 023 94 3 117 Current Assets 2 972 - 2 972 TOTAL ASSETS 5 995 94 6 089 ( millions) Information First Information 31/12/2018 Application 01/01/2019 published IFRS 16 with IFRS16 Attributable to equity holders of the parent company 1 606 - 1 606 Attributable to non-controlling interests 303 303 Shareholders equity 1 909 - 1 909 Lease obligation due in more than one year 86 86 Non-current liabilities 2 676 86 2 762 Lease obligation due in less than one year 8 8 Current liabilities 1 410 8 1 418 TOTAL LIABILITIES 5 995 94 6 089





(en millions d'euros) Financial Year Financial Year 2019 IFRS16 2019 published Impact with IAS17 Revenue 3 671 3 671 Other income / expense 13 13 Cost of goods sold (2 832) (17) (2 849) Administrative and sellong expenses (196) (1) (197) Research and development costs (25) - (25) EBITDA 630 (18) 612 Depreciation of fixed assets and provisions for contingencies and losses (289) 14 (275) Current operating income 341 (4) 337 Other operating income (118) (0) (118) Operating income 223 (4) 219 Financial profit (loss) (134) 10 (123) Share of income from joint ventures and associates (7) - (7) Income tax (227) (2) (229) Net income for the period (145) 4 (141) - Attributable to non-controlling interests 39 - 39 - Attributable to equity holders of the parent company (184) 4 (180)





 Appendix 8: Financial glossary

Consolidated performance indicators

The consolidated performance indicators used for the financial reporting of the Groups results and economic performance and presented in this document are restated data from the Groups reporting and are monitored by the Executive Committee. In accordance with the accounting policies adopted for the Groups reporting, the operating performance of the joint-ventures have been accounted for under proportional consolidation until 2018: the TiZir subgroup (Mineral Sands BU, Mining and Metals Division) until 30 June and the UKAD Company (High Performance Alloys Division) until 31 December.

A reconciliation of Group sales with the published data is presented in Appendix 1.

Sales at constant scope and exchange rates

Sales at constant scope and exchange rates corresponds to sales adjusted for the impact of the changes in scope and the fluctuations in the exchange rate from one year to the next.

The scope effect is calculated as follows: for the companies acquired during the financial year, by eliminating the sales for the current period and for the companies acquired during the previous period by integrating, in the previous period, the full-year sales; for the companies sold, by eliminating the sales during the period considered and during the previous comparable period.

The exchange rate effect is calculated by applying the exchange rates of the previous year to the sales for the year under review.

EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation)

Earnings before financial revenue and other operating expenses and income, income tax, contingencies and loss provision, and amortisation and impairment of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets.

SLNs cash-cost

SLNs cash-cost is defined as all production and fixed costs (R&D including exploration geology, administrative expenses, logistical and commercial expenses), net of by-products credits including nickel ore exports and local services, which cover all the stages of industrial development of the finished product until delivery to the end customer and which impact the EBITDA in the companys financial statements, over tonnage sold.

SLN break-even cost

The break-even cost of SLN is defined as SLNs cash-cost as defined above, plus capex (actual capex versus yearly tonnage for annual accounts; projected capex and projected tonnage for the current year) non-recurring income and expenses, and financial expenses (recognised in SLNs corporate financial statements).









1 Manganese, nickel, mineral sands and lithium







2 Net debt-to-equity ratio







3 In particular, the monthly average January manganese ore price came out at $4.3/dmtu and nickel prices at $6.15/lb ($13,595/t)







4 As a reminder, China accounted for approximately 1/3 of Eramet group sales in 2019







5 Audit procedures for the 2019 consolidated financial statements are complete. The certification report will be issued after the Board of Directors meeting held on 12 March 2020, which will set the draft shareholders resolutions







6 FR2 = number of lost time and recordable injury accidents for 1 million hours worked (employees and subcontractors)







7 The scope effect is owing to i) the full consolidation of Mineral Sands activity in the Groups reporting as of 1st July 2018, following the acquisition of shares in Mineral Deposits Limited, an Australian company that held a 50% stake in TiZir. and ii) the consolidation by equity method of UKAD (High Performance Alloys division) as of 1st January 2019.







8 See Financial glossary in Appendix 8







9 Excl. IFRS 16 impact and excl. French government loan to SLN







10 Eramet estimations based on World Steel Association (WSA) production data available for 2019 excluding data regarding inventories levels at Chinese ports (Eramet estimations)







11 Change calculated based on average monthly prices: CRU index (manganese ore and alloys)







12 SLN, ENI and others







13 Eramet estimations







14 Low-grade nickel ferroalloys







15 LME: London Metal Exchange; SHFE: Shanghai Futures Exchange







16 Ban on the export of nickel ore produced in Indonesia as of 1st January 2020







17 CNFEOL: China Ferroalloy Online







18Over a 5-year period







19 Mwmt: millions of wet metric tonnes; kth: thousands of wet metric tonnes







20 After being granted a 10-year authorisation by the local government to export 4 Mth a year of low-grade nickel ore and signing new agreements on working times in mines and plant







21 This proposal represents an initial step in lowering energy prices as of 1st January 2020, leading to a flat-rate reduction of 8.5m per year, subject to conditions, assuming that the price of nickel is below $6.5/lb. Conversely, if the price of nickel on the international markets exceeded $10.0/lb, SLN has committed to return part of its profits for a maximum flat-rate amount of 8.5m per year.







22 At end-2018, kick-start of the rescue plan







23 Source Zircon premium: FerroAlloyNet.com, Eramet analysis







24 Source: Market consulting, Eramet analysis







25 OEE: Overall Equipment Efficiency reflects the intensity of mining production (real production / maximum theoretical production)







26 Titanium-related ore (ilmenite, rutile and leucoxene) and zircon







27 Aubert & Duval, EHA and others







28 Excl. UKAD sales, accounted for using the equity method as of 1st January 2019 (2018 UKAD sales: 44m)







29 In particular, the monthly average January manganese ore price came out at $4.3/dmtu and nickel prices at $6.15/lb ($13,595/t)







30 China accounted for approximately 1/3 of Eramet group sales in 2019







Attachment
SALEM, Ore., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The launch of the new and improved ABLE Visa Prepaid Card by the Oregon ABLE Savings Plan and the ABLE for ALL Savings Plan has been met with enthusiasm by the disability community. Starting in December, ABLE program savers were given the opportunity to sign up for the enhanced card, with nearly 150 account holders and their families opting to gain access to their ABLE funds on the go.

"Three years after the launch of the Oregon ABLE and national ABLE for ALL Savings Plans, thousands of Oregonians experiencing disabilities are now on the path to financial security," said Treasurer Tobias Read. "The launch of the new ABLE Prepaid Card is the latest step to improving the services Oregon State Treasury offers to the disability community and a key part of our efforts to ensure that all Oregonians have access to a simple and secure means to save for their future."

The new ABLE Visa Prepaid Card enables cardholders to easily control their spending by loading the card with as little or as much as they'd like to spend, up to $20,000. The expense tracking process has been simplified, allowing cardholders to easily sort, filter and categorize their expenditures. Just like ABLE accounts, prepaid card funds do not impact benefits eligibility.

True Link Financial, Inc., the new card provider, is a California-based financial services company offering custom debit cards. An innovator in the investment space, True Link has developed fraud-detection algorithms that prevent common types of financial abuse. Cardholders now have access to custom features, including the ability to set up SMS alerts and restrictions on certain spending categories.

"We're proud to be able to offer our account holders improved flexibility and greater control over how and where they spend their ABLE funds," said Michael Parker, executive director for the Oregon Treasury Savings Network. "ABLE accounts give savers the independence to take control of their financial future, and with the convenience of the new prepaid card they can also enjoy peace of mind knowing that their money is protected."

Oregon ABLE is a state-sponsored savings program that allows people with disabilities and their families to save money for day-to-day expenses and future needs without disqualifying them from critical state and federal benefits www.oregonABLEsavings.com.

Contact: Kasey Krifka

[email protected]

503-431-7976

SOURCE Oregon ABLE Savings Plan

Related Links

www.oregonablesavings.com


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PITTSBURGH, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "I had a knee replacement and wanted a tool to help me rehab afterwards," said an inventor from Tooele, Utah. "I came up with this idea so that people who recently had a knee replacement could begin to exercise the knee from a seated position."

He created a prototype for the patent pending EXERCISE DEVICE to provide an effective way to rehabilitate the knee after a knee replacement surgery. The device enables the user to exercise while seated. It makes it easier to extend the knee. The invention helps to save on the costs associated with physical rehabilitation. Additionally, it is easy to use.

The original design was submitted to the Salt Lake City sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 18-STU-2331, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

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Haiti - FLASH: 5 police officers dismissed for indiscipline, attack on the honor of the PNH and acts of vandalism





Following the regrettable excesses that occurred Monday, February 17, during the police demonstration in Petion-ville and on the Champ-de-Mars where Molotov cocktails were launched on several stands intended for the festivities of the National Carnival 2020, as announced in the declaration of the Prime Minister Lapin https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30060-haiti-politic-incidents-of-champ-de-mars-declaration-of-the-prime-minister-ai-lapin.html the sanctions have started falling on the police offciers.



Rameau Normil Director General a.i. of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday that sanctions have been taken against police officers affected by the events. This is the dismissal of 5 police officers: three Agents II: Yanick Joseph, leader who advocated a union within the PNH, belson Gros-Negre and Gedeon Mombrun, an Agent I Yens Lamarre and an inspector Jean Elder Monday.



Rameau Normil explained "The National Police is governed by the internal regulations. According to the provisions of the latter, any behavior which undermines the honor of the institution is subject to an investigation by the General Inspectorate, which, afterwards, will make recommendations to the Director General. In this specific case, we have made arrangements to approve the IGPNH recommendations. The revocations are confirmed" stating "These police officers are not dismissed because they demanded a union, they have the right to demand better working conditions. They were dismissed for indiscipline, attack on the honor of the institution and act of vandalism."



PNH officials say other police could face similar fate following ongoing investigations



According to Prime Minister Lapin, these police officers were under investigation by the Inspector General of the PNH and it was after the conclusion of these investigations that the decision to dismiss them was taken, they are accused in particular of having infringed the honor of the police, indscipline and violation of the internal regulations of the PNH.



For his part, Jean Roudy Aly the Minister of Justice indicated that the charges against these police officers were in particular "irreverent and seditious behavior", adding that these people also at risk og "criminal sanctions" since there was, among other things, "violence and arson of public property..."



TB/ HaitiLibre


















Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 22:36:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TRIPOLI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Wednesday expressed hope the second round of the Libyan Joint Military Commission talks will resume soon.

The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) had announced it suspended its participation in the talks due to the east-based army's attack on a seaport in the capital Tripoli.

"The UNSMIL hopes the commission talks will be resumed and meanwhile strongly condemns the bombing of Tripoli seaport on Tuesday by the Libyan National Army, which resulted in casualties and could have led to a real disaster had the vessel transporting liquefied gas been hit," the Mission said in a statement.

The east-based army led by General Khalifa Haftar has been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple the UN-backed GNA of Fayez al-Sarraj.

The fighting killed and injured thousands of people and forced more than 150,000 civilians to flee their homes.

The rivals have agreed on a cease-fire on Jan. 12 but both sides exchanged accusations of breaching an already-tenuous truce.
"Sinister" graffiti targeting a local UUP councillor has been painted on a road sign in Co Down.

The graffiti, on the Drumcaw Road between Castlewellan and Clough, appeared on Wednesday and features the name of Councillor Alan Lewis alongside the crosshairs of a gun and 'IRA'.

Police confirmed they are investigating a report of criminal damage to the road sign.

Mr Lewis was elected to Newry, Mourne and Down Council in last year's council elections and is also a victims' campaigner, working for the South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF).

Mr Lewis said that he had been travelling along the road to visit a constituent around an hour before the graffiti appeared, but that it will not deter him from carrying out his work in the constituency.

Im shocked but not surprised at this incident. Unfortunately I am used to receiving verbal and online abuse, which has almost become second nature," the UUP councillor said.

I work on behalf of everyone regardless of creed or culture and I will not be deterred from doing my job. Many people within the South Down area lived through the worst of the Troubles, some with routine threats and attempts on their lives.

"Those responsible for this graffiti are wannabe gangsters living in the past, romanticising over a bygone era. They dont intimidate me."

Mr Lewis has two young children and said that his family is concerned by the threats. He said he had taken advice from police regarding his own personal safety.

"The people behind this graffiti need to grow up and wise up. This type of incident is exactly why people do not want to get involved in politics," he said.

"I help constituents right across the district and I focus on bread and butter issues, but there remain some within this area who seek to cause division, raise tension and whip up hate for their own malicious ends."

The UUP councillor called on police to take action against those involved in the incident.

This is 2020, yet just last year two mortar devices were found in the same area. I want to see the police put anyone who is still wedded to violence out of business permanently so the rest of us can normalise politics, stamp out terrorism and wipe out hate, Mr Lewis said.

UUP leader Steve Aiken said he was "disgusted" by the incident and said it should be "condemned by all".

I spoke to Alan and he will not be intimidated. Neither will any other member of the Ulster Unionist Party. Alan is a hard working local councillor and has been given a democratic mandate by the people of Slieve Croob to act on their behalf," Mr Aiken said.

"The nameless bigots and thugs that are responsible for this are a blight on our society. I would ask that if anyone has any information that could help police arrest those responsible to pass it on to the PSNI as soon as possible.

SEFF's Director of Services Kenny Donaldson said that Mr Lewis is a "valued victims' advocate" and described the graffiti as "disturbing".

We call upon local political representatives, including Sinn Fein to condemn the graffiti, it is intolerable that someone going about legitimate roles in serving the community should be targeted and highlighted in this way," Mr Donaldson said.

We are supposed to be in a new dispensation, we are repeatedly told that violence and the threat of violence is in the past. A lot of people are being made liars of when incidents like this occur.

We will be supporting Alan and his family as required in the times ahead, but also ensuring that he continues to fulfil the important role he holds as our South Down Victims Advocate.

PSNI Sergeant McIlveen said the incident was reported to police on Wednesday afternoon.

"I am appealing to anyone with information, or who may have noticed any suspicious activity in the area, to call police on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 750 of 19/02/20," he said.

Alternatively, information can be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.
From millennials looking to stash their retirement savings in line with their ethics all the way up the corporate ladder to the worlds largest investment houses vowing to put climate action at the heart of investment decisions, responsible investing is quickly gaining traction.

According to Ipsos polling released by RBC Global Asset Management last month, two-thirds of Canadians surveyed say theyre interested in responsible investment options (or RI, also known as sustainable, socially responsible or ethical investing). Nearly three out of four believe RI is the way of the future. But with the deadline for retirement-savings-plan contributions less than two weeks away, it turns out that three of Canadas Big Five banks dont currently offer any options to meet that demand.

Spotty information

Corporate Knights anonymously visited Toronto branches of the Big Five banks (RBC, BMO, TD Canada Trust, CIBC and Scotiabank) and inquired about ethical investing. While some bank advisers were enthusiastic and fairly well informed, information about responsible investments was often spotty and inconsistent.

Many bank staff werent sure whether or not their bank offered ethical investments and what those offerings entailed. Some advisers downright discouraged us from putting our savings into RIs, suggesting they were money-losers, while advisers at other banks gushed about how their responsible funds outperform conventional funds.

Notably, BMO and RBC were the only two banks that had dedicated RI funds. Scotiabank and TD trailed at the back of the pack.

The Toronto-based Responsible Investment Association (RIA) did its own polling with Ipsos in 2019 and found that while 79 per cent of Canadian respondents would like their financial services provider to inform them about RI options, only 23 per cent have been asked by their banks if theyre interested in RI. That helps explain why only a quarter of Canadians say they already have responsible investments, according to stats from Wealthsimple, BMO and the RIA.

Meanwhile in the U.S., new investments into sustainable funds quadrupled in 2019 compared to 2018, and in Europe investments doubled, according to new Morningstar data.

Regulating green investing

The tricky part for would-be purchasers is figuring out what investments genuinely align with their values. One CIBC branch adviser told Corporate Knights that all the mutual funds we offer have gone through these ESG (environmental, social and governance) checks. Ditto for all of RBCs funds around the globe. That doesnt mean they screen out any dubious companies or sectors. Part of the problem is theres no universal standard for how terms like ESG, low carbon and fossil-fuel free are defined or applied, leaving funds vulnerable to impact washing.

Many Canadian ethical fund managers choose not to screen out fossil-fuel companies, instead investing in those they consider sector leaders. Which is fine for some responsible investors  if funds are transparent about it. But after the RIA received flak for listing fossil-fuel-free funds in its directory that were later exposed to contain oil and gas companies, the association is now considering creating a certification process for RI funds in Canada.

To counter impact washing in Europe, the EU passed a disclosure regulation in December that sets standards for financial product labelling, mandating that financial advisers disclose the sustainability risks of a finance product to investors.

Canadas federally convened Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance recommended we do something similar here.

How green are the banks own investments?

Many climate-conscious investors will also want to know just how their banks are dishing out their own money.

All five banks have signed on to the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment, promising to fold ESG factors into investment decisions, though research by Corporate Knights has found that while the Big Five invest billions in sustainable-solution companies, they also invest billions in controversial weapons, for-profit prisons and severe environmental violators, as well as a number of other themes that would register as egregious on many responsible investors radars (see report card). All five also have loan books bulging with fossil fuels in relation to their renewable energy lending, putting them at odds with global money trends.

In the meantime, the first RRSP deadline (March 2) of the new decade gives Canadians a chance to rethink their finances, knowing there are now at least some options on the shelf that allow them to bank on a sustainable future.

Big Five ethical investing report card

We visited Toronto-area branches of the Big Five banks and asked advisers what ethical or sustainable investment options they offered. Heres what we found:

Scotiabank

Ethical options: No responsible funds available in branch, though Scotiabank said in a statement that it has considered ESG factors in the investment process, and added, Scotia iTRADE offers sustainable investing tools [online].

Fossil-fuel-free or climate-conscious funds: No.

Knowledge of adviser: The personal banking adviser was unaware of any sustainable options and returned five minutes later to confirm that no options exist that the banks financial advisers were aware of.

Cost of values-aligned portfolio: N/A.

Bank loans and investments (clean vs. dirty): Scotiabank dishes out the second-most oil and gas loans ($14.8 billion), compared to zilch in loans to renewables.

Score: D-

TD Canada Trust

Ethical options: TD Canada Trust discontinued its sustainability funds in 2013, and at this point there are no specific RI-themed funds available to Canadians at branch level. TD did not respond to our request for comment.

Fossil-fuel-free or climate-conscious funds: No.

Knowledge of adviser: One bank adviser was blunt, saying To be completely honest, most socially aware investment funds dont make a lot of profit. As such, we dont have funds that invest in these companies.

Cost of values-aligned portfolio: N/A.

Bank loans and investments (clean vs. dirty): TD has the smallest oil-and-gas loan book of the Big Five, but its investment book is another story. Among the Big Five, it has the worst ratio of investments in sustainable-solution companies to harmful companies.

Score: D-

CIBC

Ethical options: No specific RI funds. CIBCs VP of public affairs says that ESG factors are included in our investment process across all funds.

Fossil-fuel-free or climate-conscious funds: No.

Knowledge of adviser: Initially, the branch manager said that CIBC has some ethical funds that dont invest in tobacco companies or oil companies, but the manager and a financial adviser werent aware of specifics, so they placed a phone call. We dont get asked this question frequently, the manager said. After their call, the manager updated earlier comments: The good news is theres no specific mutual funds that actually do that since all the mutual funds we offer have gone through these ESG checks.

Cost of values-aligned portfolio: N/A.

Bank loans and investments (clean vs. dirty): CIBC says all its funds are filtered through an ESG lens, but it has $2.7 billion, or 6.4 per cent of assets, invested in companies flagged for harmful products and activities, including palm oil deforestation and severe human rights violations. On the bright side, 9.4 per cent of its investments are in companies tagged as sustainable-solution providers. On the loan side, CIBCs exposure to oil and gas companies is almost five times as large as its renewable energy book.

SCORE: D

RBC

Ethical options: RBCs Vision line uses ESG filters to determine holdings while screening out weapons makers, as well as traditional sin stocks like tobacco and alcohol. RBC Vision also has a Womens Leadership fund.

Fossil-fuel-free or climate-conscious funds: Yes: the RBC Vision Fossil Fuel Free Global Equity Fund. Though a financial planner at one branch said the bank doesnt offer entirely fossil-free options, suggesting that omitting a whole sector could limit the opportunity to grow. RBCs Vision Fossil Fuel Free fund actually outperformed RBCs Global Equity Fund in both 2018 and 2019.

Knowledge of adviser: The financial planner was well versed in the Vision line (besides fossil-free funds) and enthusiastic about the Vision balanced fund, saying it has outperformed RBCs regular balanced fund (being green is saving companies a lot of money down the road).

Cost of values-aligned portfolio: Varies, but many are slightly lower than conventional funds.

Bank loans and investments (clean vs. dirty): Canadas largest bank has the highest total amount of oil-and-gas loan exposure on its books ($16.4 billion). Thats more than seven times more than its renewable loans, which gets it into trouble with environmental activists, though it also has the biggest ratio of investments in sustainable solutions to harmful companies among the Big Five.

Score: C+

BMO

Ethical options: Branches offer BMOs Sustainable Opportunities Global Equities mutual fund, as well as a Women in Leadership fund. There are eight new ESG ETFs for self-directed online accounts.

Fossil-fuel-free or climate-conscious funds: Yes: the BMO Sustainable Opportunities fund.

Knowledge of adviser: The personal bank associate was enthusiastic about BMOs sustainable opportunities fund, explaining that she invests in it herself, but she cautioned that it is mid-to-high risk and is best for longer-term investments. A financial planner follows up via email to discuss ESG options further.

Cost of values-aligned portfolio: Fees vary, but the Sustainable Opportunities fund has a somewhat lower fee than comparable BMO funds. The ESG ETF fees are also priced lower than many non-RI equivalents.

Bank loans and investments (clean vs. dirty): BMO has both the biggest renewable-energy loan book and sustainable-solutions investment book among the Big Five, but it has the largest amount invested in companies classified as harmful.

SCORE: B-
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River levels continued to threaten to breach barriers across Britain today as parts of the country braced for a month's worth of rain to fall - along with further hail, thunder, gales and snow this week.

It came as a missing 87-year-old woman thought to have fallen into a flooded river was feared to become the sixth death from Storm Dennis in five days, as flood-hit communities endured further downpours.

Police continued to search for Jean Disney, of Tiverton, Devon, who is thought to have fallen into the River Exe early on Monday morning, and urged local residents trying to help out to not approach any flooded areas.

Dozens of towns and villages across Britain have been menaced by the floods more than 48 hours after Storm Dennis hit, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson came under pressure to call an emergency Cobra meeting.

Rail passengers are being warned to expect further disruption due to more heavy rain, with speed restrictions being introduced in Cumbria and Lancashire as the conditions create an increased risk of landslips and flooding.

Nearly 1,500 properties have been flooded and thousands more evacuated, with more rain building up in the West throughout this morning and up to 4in (100mm) of rain in North Wales over the next few days.

People eat in front of temporary flood defences today in Bewdley, Worcestershire, in the aftermath of Storm Dennis

Flooded gardens on the banks of the River Severn following Storm Dennis this week. It is the second storm to pummel the country in recent weeks

Flooding in Worcester city centre and the racecourse continues following Storm Dennis. Although water is residing in many places flood warnings are still in places along the River Severn

Thousands of properties have been evacuated across Britain, with the areas above the worst-hit by flooding in recent days

An aerial view of Upton-upon-Severn in the Malvern Hills area of Worcestershire this morning following severe flooding

Houses are surrounded by flood water this morning in Ironbridge, Shropshire, in the aftermath of Storm Dennis

A woman carrying shopping bags wades through flood water as she returns home today in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire

The River Thames breaches its banks at the Flowing Springs in Sonning, Oxfordshire, this morning

Temporary flood barriers hold back the River Severn in Ironbridge, Shropshire, this morning in the aftermath of Storm Dennis

The Riverside Caravan Park Houses surrounded by floods today in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, in the aftermath of Storm Dennis

The rain will then move north, with Cumbria and Yorkshire likely to be most affected by the weekend. Both the Rivers Wye and Severn will remain especially high into the weekend, after both broke records this week.

Missing pensioner feared to have fallen into river Jean Disney, 87, of Tiverton Emergency services are searching for an elderly woman who is believed to have fallen into a river. Jean Disney, 87, was last seen in the Johns Way area of Tiverton at 3am on Monday. She was wearing a dark coloured jacket over a dressing gown at the time. A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: 'These searches are currently confined to the River Exe, as evidence at this time has strongly indicated that Jean fell into the water in the early hours of Monday 17 February. 'Police are aware that local residents and concerned members of the public have been organising their own searches. Officers strongly urge anyone wishing to assist not to approach any areas immediately adjacent to the river, or any other flooded areas.' Anyone with information is asked to call police on 999, quoting log number 63 of February 17. Advertisement

More than 300 flood warnings or alerts were in place for England, including six severe 'danger to life' warnings, with the worst affected areas of the UK being South Wales, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire.

About 800 homes in Wales have been flooded, along with nearly 600 in England  including almost 400 in the West Mercia Police area  and about four miles of temporary flood barriers have been erected across the UK.

Defences in a flood-threatened Worcestershire town are 'holding up' - but more rain is on the way.

In Bewdley, which straddles the River Severn north of Worcester, the barriers that protect businesses and homes on either bank were enough to keep the water at bay on Wednesday.

The river had been expected to peak of about 17ft (5.2 metres) - well above normal levels.

The Environment Agency is keeping a close eye on the defences there and in other places along the Severn, including Ironbridge upstream and Upton-upon-Severn downstream.

The barriers in Bewdley have been doing their job, despite a 'remarkable' amount of water still working its way down the river channel.

A steady stream of curious onlookers have been drawn to the historic town's main bridge - currently closed - to see how close the water has come to topping the barriers.

However, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service has warned people against taking the risk of getting too close to floodwaters simply to get pictures.

'Stay away from flood areas if you don't have a genuine reason to be there,' the brigade said. Residents are carrying on as normal despite the water rushing past a few yards away, with businesses open as normal.

The seven deaths during storms Ciara and Dennis STORM CIARA (2) Hampshire : Shop owner Kenneth Macartney, 58, was crushed to death when a tree fell on his Mercedes car and killed him while he was heading home to the village of Micheldever near Winchester on February 9.

: Shop owner Kenneth Macartney, 58, was crushed to death when a tree fell on his Mercedes car and killed him while he was heading home to the village of Micheldever near Winchester on February 9. West Dumbartonshire : A 77-year-old man from the town in Clydebank fell over and banged his head during icy weather on the morning of February 10. STORM DENNIS (5) Kent : A 19-year-old man's body was recovered from storm-hit waters off the coast at Herne Bay on Saturday.

: A 19-year-old man's body was recovered from storm-hit waters off the coast at Herne Bay on Saturday. Kent : A man's body was found in the water near Margate after he fell off a Maltese fuel tanker in the early hours of Saturday morning.

: A man's body was found in the water near Margate after he fell off a Maltese fuel tanker in the early hours of Saturday morning. South Wales : A man in his 60s died on Sunday after being pulled from the River Tawe near Trebanos Rugby Club in the Swansea Valley, but police said his death was not being linked to the bad weather.

: A man in his 60s died on Sunday after being pulled from the River Tawe near Trebanos Rugby Club in the Swansea Valley, but police said his death was not being linked to the bad weather. Highlands : Hill walker Richard Armstrong, 42, from Cumbria, plunged nearly 100ft from the path for the 3,278ft-high Scottish mountain Stob Ban on the south side of Glen Nevis in Lochaber on Sunday.

: Hill walker Richard Armstrong, 42, from Cumbria, plunged nearly 100ft from the path for the 3,278ft-high Scottish mountain Stob Ban on the south side of Glen Nevis in Lochaber on Sunday. Worcestershire : Yvonne Booth, 55, from Birmingham became stranded in her car and was carried by fast-flowing water near a bridge which crosses the River Teme, near Tenbury Wells on Sunday. Her body was recovered on Monday evening. Kenneth Macartney (left) was killed during Storm Ciara in Hampshire; and Yvonne Booth (right) died in Storm Dennis Advertisement

The closure of the main road has seen community members setting up a free bus route, with a vintage double-decker taking people from one side of the town.

The water is at its highest level in the town for 20 years, according to the Environment Agency, which is preparing for more rain.

Dave Throup, Environment Agency manager for Herefordshire and Worcestershire, said: 'As it stands, our defences are all holding up.

'There's huge amount of water against them so we're monitoring that very closely at the moment. But at the moment things are okay at Bewdley.'

Attention is starting to turn to the situation down-river, where levels in Worcester - which had dropped back in the last two days - are expected to rise again.

Mr Throup said: 'Further down towards Upton-upon-Severn, we still have severe flood warnings in place there and that's because we do expect levels to rise again slightly and they are already exceptionally high.

'So we will be monitoring that again very closely through today with staff at Upton.'

As time goes on the water will feed down into Gloucestershire, where 'some big levels' are expected later.

'The only saving factor there is there's not much water coming down the River Avon,' Mr Throup said. 'So that may allow things to spread out a little bit.

'Unfortunately it's not out of the woods, even then, because we're looking at rainfall for today, tomorrow and right through the weekend, which potentially could affect the tops of the catchments, which is just not where we want to be at all.

'But we will be prepared, so we're working with our forecasters on that for scenarios going through the weekend.'

Kate Marks of the Environment Agency (EA) said while Storm Dennis had passed, 'we'll be feeling the impacts for a few more days'.

'There's a lot more water in the river systems. In particular we are worried about the Rivers Severn, Teme and Wye,' Dr Marks said.

Residents in the Shropshire towns of Ironbridge and Bridgnorth were urged to evacuate their properties, while residents in Bewdley near Kidderminster were warned flood barriers at Beales Corner might not be able to withstand the rising water levels.

Storm Dennis continues to bring severe flooding to the Monmouth area of South Wales today

Flooding in Monmouth, South Wales, today which continues after Storm Dennis swept across the country

Residents in the Shropshire towns of Ironbridge (pictured today) and Bridgnorth were urged to evacuate their properties

A man rides a bike through floods as pumps and barriers help to keep the water from flooding homes in Tewkesbury today

A man surveys flood water as pumps and flood barriers help to keep the water from flooding homes in Tewkesbury today

An aerial view of Upton-upon-Severn this morning where residents are still on high alert as the town sits surrounded by water

A woman carrying shopping bags wades through flood water as she returns to her home in Tewkesbury this morning

Deputy Chief Constable Julian Moss said: 'Water levels have been unprecedented in many places and the impact of such high-levels of flooding has been substantial across all the agencies, but more significantly to members of the public affected in any way.'

How the Environment Agency helps out during flood mayhem in Britain The Environment Agency has 250 high volume pumps available as well as 6,500 staff across Britain to respond to flooding - including 314 flood support officers. The pumps are stored around the UK, weighing up to 15 tonnes, with most stored in the EA's principal depots. A range of pump sizes are located across the country to be transported as needed as quickly as possible. The EA can deliver temporary barriers anywhere in Britain within 12 hours and has a contract with Stobart Group which provides logistics support to help with this. Advertisement

The EA said 599 properties had been flooded across England as of Tuesday afternoon. Some 800 homes in Wales have been directly affected by flooding, First Minister Mark Drakeford told the BBC.

More than 6km (3.7miles) of temporary flood barriers have been erected across the country and flood defences have protected nearly 25,000 properties from the impacts of the storm, the EA said.

But record-breaking river levels and continued rainfall means further flooding is possible across much of the country, said EA executive director of flood and coastal risk management John Curtin.

'We expect further disruptive weather into tomorrow and Thursday, bringing a significant flood risk to the West Midlands, and there are flood warnings in place across much of England,' he said.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for persistent rain in Wales and north-west England for today and tomorrow, and the North of England on Friday into Saturday.

The town of Upton-upon-Severn has been turned into an inland island by floodwaters which now completely surround it today

A woman and child enter a cottage on Gloucester Road in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, this morning

People riding their bikes through flood water in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, following the aftermath of Storm Dennis today

An aerial view of Upton-upon-Severn this morning where residents are still on high alert as the town sits surrounded by water

The River Thames breaches its banks at Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire today, flooding the surrounding areas

EA manager for Herefordshire and Worcestershire Dave Throup said the level of flooding had left affected parts in 'uncharted territory'.

Storm Dennis claimed the life of Yvonne Booth, from the Great Barr area of Birmingham, who was swept away by floodwater near Tenbury in Worcestershire on Sunday.

Six severe flood warnings remained in place today for the River Severn at New Street and Waterside, Upton on Severn, the River Wye and the River Lugg at Hampton Bishop, and the River Severn at Ironbridge and Uckinghall.

In Wales, two severe warnings in place on the River Wye at Monmouth were downgraded by Natural Resources Wales, although the Wye bridge in the town remained closed.

Hundreds of residential and commercial properties have been flooded and several hundred people have either moved upstairs or found alternative accommodation.

Mountain rescue teams evacuated an elderly man from his home on a flooded road by breaking down his back door with a sledgehammer and taking him to safety on a raft.

Rain will become widespread by the afternoon (left) before further downpours are expected in some parts tomorrow (right)

Other neighbours on the A466 ventured to a nearby Lidl supermarket on canoes to pick up their food shopping. And drinking water supplies were hit after a treatment works in Monmouthshire flooded.

Fraudsters pose as highways workers and offer to repair damage Fraudsters are posing as highways workers and offering to repair damage to homes caused by storms Ciara and Dennis, it was revealed today. Trading Standards chiefs are warning members of the public after reports of crooks saying they will remove fallen trees and do repairs for cash. The con artists have been targeting homeowners in East Sussex, which saw around 130 trees knocked down and numerous roads flooded as the bad weather battered the country. Experts also say there tends to be a hike in cold-calling after spells of bad weather. East Sussex Trading Standards team manager Richard Strawson said: 'Many residents will be surveying storm damage on their home and will be needing traders to help remove fallen trees, repair fencing or undertake roof repairs. Experience has shown that rogue traders will often visit areas hit by storms and go door to door offering to undertake such work. 'Prices can start cheap but soon escalate with work being done of poor quality or unnecessarily - with residents then unable to contact the trader when things go wrong.' Advertisement

Welsh Water asked people in Monmouth to reduce their usage. Over the weekend, the River Taff in Pontypridd reached its highest level in more than 40 years and the River Usk reached the highest level since 1979.

The River Trent, which had prompted a severe flood warning for Burton-on-Trent, also peaked at record levels of just below four metres (13ft) yesterday.

MPs have questioned why Boris Johnson has chosen to remain holed up at the Government's Chevening grace-and-favour mansion in Kent while the crisis unfolds and asked why he had not called a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee to handle the official response.

Craig Whittaker, Tory MP for Calder Valley, said his constituency had been 'really badly' affected, with 1,187 properties flooded.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'But, amazingly, it's the third time in seven-and-a-half years that this has happened to us.'

On the emergency funding scheme announced by Government yesterday night, he said: 'It will make a huge difference, but the problem is we've had to wait so long for it to be triggered.

'It's nine days since the floods in the Calder Valley and I can tell you I've been hammering on doors in Whitehall every day since, trying to get this funding triggered.

'The problem is, what happened last time in 2015, Cobra was called because it was very widespread. This time, because it was much more isolated to the Calder Valley, Cobra wasn't called, so all the ministers weren't in one room to agree a funding package.

Further downpours are expected with up to 4in (100mm) of rain set to fall in North Wales over the next few days

More than 300 flood warnings or alerts were in place for England, including six severe 'danger to life' warnings

The Met Office has issued weather warnings for today and tomorrow (both in left) and Friday and Saturday (both in right)

'The sad thing is all this funding package that was announced last night comes from about seven different departments, and when you don't have a situation where you've got all ministers in one room, getting them to sign off is just incredibly difficult.'

Government announces financial support for flood-hit communities Owners of flood-hit homes will be able to apply for a 500 emergency grant and exemption from paying council tax, the Communities Secretary has confirmed. Both homeowners and businesses will be able to seek 100 per cent relief from council tax and business rates respectively as they start to salvage their properties after suffering the impact of storms Dennis and Ciara. On top of the 500 hardship relief for individual households, the Government is also fronting up 2,500 to each business hit by flooding. And grants worth up to 5,000 will be made available to both businesses and households impacted by the floods to allow them to pay for changes that could help make their properties more resilient in the future. Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'Storms Dennis and Ciara have severely impacted a large number of households and businesses - and I recognise how destabilising this can be. 'This extra support, including new funding, will help people in the worst-hit areas to recover and get back on their feet as soon as possible. 'I'd like to thank the emergency services and key agencies on the ground for their dedication and tireless work to help everyone affected in extremely challenging circumstances.' The Cabinet minister also announced that the cross-Whitehall Flood Recovery Taskforce would convene this week, bringing together environment, businesses and transport ministers to provide flood-stricken areas with support and guidance. The financial measures announced apply to those affected in district or unitary authorities that have 25 or more flooded households as a result of storms Ciara and Dennis. Advertisement

Asked if it would have helped if the emergency funding had come earlier than last night, Mark Garnier, Tory MP for Wyre Forest, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Yeah, look - if they're running an overdraft and it gets paid off in a week's time then I can live with that.'

He added: 'Yes, absolutely, but, look, I think, as long as the money comes, that's what's really important to me.

'What I don't want to find is my local authority has had to run up some overdraft or, actually, just as importantly is not delivering the emergency responses that we need because of funding, but I don't get any sense that that's happening.'

He went on: 'Being a humble backbencher I can't guarantee anything but I can absolutely guarantee I will be banging on people's door to make sure they do get that money.'

And Daniel Kawczynski, Tory MP for Shrewsbury, said yesterday: 'Given the flooding crisis in our constituencies why has Commons not been recalled?'

He said that more Government funding and flood defence schemes were needed in the Shropshire town, where flood waters blocked main roads yesterday.

Labour MP for Halifax, Holly Lynch, said: 'His refusal to call a Cobra meeting has really hampered the recovery of lots of different communities.'

However, last night Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced he would trigger the Flood Recovery Framework, releasing thousands of pounds of aid for flooded homes and businesses.

It means flood-hit homes and businesses can apply for up to 5,000 to help make them more resilient against future flooding.

Households can also apply for up to 500 in financial hardship payments and 100 per cent council tax relief, while flooded businesses can apply for up to 2,500 and 100 per cent business rates relief.

The Environment Agency claims that existing defences have protected at least 20,000 properties while the Government has promised to invest 4billion in flood defences over the next five years.

Rail passengers face enduring speed limits amid further disruption due to more heavy rain Rail passengers are being warned to expect further disruption due to more heavy rain. Speed restrictions for trains are being introduced in Cumbria and north Lancashire as further downpours create an increased risk of landslips and flooding. Delays of up to 30 minutes are expected as trains will be limited to 50mph between 5pm on Wednesday until 10am on Thursday on some routes. This includes a section of the West Coast Main Line between Lancaster and Penrith, where Avanti West Coast trains normally run at up to 125mph. Phil James, managing director of Network Rail's North West route, said: "The railway has taken a sustained battering from both Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis this month, so we have to take the threat of more heavy rain really seriously. "While I appreciate the speed restrictions will be frustrating for people, our number one priority has to be keeping passengers and our staff safe. "We have extra teams on the ground at various locations across the region to deal with any disruption. "Our temporary speed restrictions are a necessary safety precaution." Network Rail said it is working hard to repair and reopen lines affected by flooding in Wales, but some closures and disruption to Transport for Wales services remains. Lines which remain closed include: Treherbert, Ebbw Vale, Abergavenny - Hereford, Aberdare Line and Conwy Valley. Passengers are advised to check www.nationalrail.co.uk before travelling. Network Rail's route director for Wales and Borders Bill Kelly said: "We are continuing to work around the clock following the impact of the recent storms. "Even in the current spell of significant rainfall, our teams will be doing all they can to reopen affected lines as soon and as safely as they can. "I would like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding as we work to get the network back to capacity." Advertisement

Residents in Tewkesbury nervously wait to see whether their homes will flood with roads closed and an emergency shelter set up

Residents in Tewkesbury are nervously waiting to see whether their homes will flood as Gloucestershire braces itself for the worst flooding since 2014.

There are almost a dozen flood warnings in place along stretches of the River Severn between Tewkesbury and Gloucester in the aftermath of Storm Dennis.

Some roads have been closed due to flooding and an emergency shelter has been set up at a leisure centre in Gloucester for residents living in high risk areas of the city.

John Badham checking pumps in his back garden, as pumps and flood barriers help to keep the water from flooding homes in Tewkesbury today

In Tewkesbury, many residents remember the floods of 2007, 2012 and 2014 and are prepared for what could happen.

Retired headteacher John Badham, 71, has removable barriers protecting the front and rear of his home from the water which has flooded his street and garden.

He also has a pump removing water from his garden patio. 'The experience is closer to 2014 than 2007 where the water is coming down more slowly, rather than sudden,' he said. 'In some ways it is quite anxious.

'We have been waiting since Sunday with the water getting closer and coming in. There are millions of people in England with similar problems. We have to keep telling ourselves it's only things.'

Mr Badham, a former mayor of Tewkesbury, has lived in the town since 2001 and the last time his house flooded was 2007.

A man helping a postman deliver letters to residents in Tewkesbury today, following the aftermath of Storm Dennis

He and his wife Marion, 69, also a retired teacher, have considered moving but have been unable to find a house they like in the local area.

They pay around 800 a year for insurance and for a few years after 2007 they could not get any at all. 'When we bought this house in 2001 the only time it flooded before was in 1947, so it seemed a good risk.

'It didn't seem like a big risk but it obviously was,' Mr Badham said. 'The problem with Tewkesbury is there are five rivers coming into the same place.

'The only thing you can probably do is replace the bridge on Gloucester Road, which would be particularly expensive. The bridge acts as a barrier to water getting out to the Severn. There is a limit to what people can do.'

Mrs Badham said: 'It hasn't been as close as this for nearly 10 years.'

A woman carrying shopping bags through flood water as pumps and flood barriers help to keep the water from flooding homes in Tewkesbury today

The couple have moved anything of value from the ground floor to upstairs in case the flood defences are unable to keep back the water.

Speaking from his kitchen, he said: 'I have never lived anywhere quite like this - there is an extraordinary community. People coming together to help each other out. The police have been particularly outstanding.

'People are now talking about Storm Ellen and that is a bit worrying with the water coming down the Severn and flooding. I imagine the water levels will go up a bit and if we are saved we will have been very lucky.'

Mark Sitton-Kent, director of operations at the Environment Agency, warned river levels may continue to rise in the coming days with more rain on the way.

'It is very difficult to predict what the rain forecast over the next few days will do but I can reassure people that we are absolutely on our toes and doing everything we can,' he said.

Residents picking up sandbags in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, where pumps and flood barriers have been put in to help to keep the water from flooding homes today

'Nationally around 700 properties have flooded and that compares to something like 25,000 properties that have been protected by defences.'

Mr Sitton-Kent said incidents of flooding were becoming much more common and attributed this to climate change.

'I have been working in the water industry for 25 years and when I started floods like this were virtually unheard of and occurred once in a career,' he said. 'I've had more of these than I care to remember.

'They are becoming much more frequent and I think that can be a sign of the shift in the climate and the climate emergency.

'And I think we really do need to think long and hard about what we are doing and how we're addressing the climate emergency.

'Sadly, I think it's inevitable that we will see more of this and we need to prepare for it and our infrastructure needs to be better at coping.'

It's raining cats, dogs...and sheep! Storm Dennis floods spark dramatic animal rescues including farmer who braved freezing waters to save her lambs

Farmer Faye Russell braved seven-foot flood waters to rescue her lambs

The 26-year-old farmer from Derbyshire saw the flood waters rise on Sunday

A Welsh veterinary surgery was forced to evacuate its pets due to a flood

Now flooded communities are waiting nervously for the approach of Storm Ellen

These are the amazing scenes as a farmer risks her life by entering freezing Storm Dennis flood water to rescue some lambs.

Faye Russell, 26, tied a rope around her waist and handed the end to a neighbour and members of her team before entering the flood water.

The farmer from Derbyshire was one of a number of people who rescued animals caught out by last weekend's deluge, including a staff and a veterinary surgery who had to rescue pets at risk inside their rapidly flooding building.

Farmer Faye Russell, pictured, from Derbyshire had to enter freezing floodwaters to rescue her stranded lambs from drowning

The 26-year-old farmer tied a rope around her waist before entering the floodwaters to rescue the stranded lambs

Valley Veterinary Hospital in Gwaelod y Garth, Wales had a five-foot flood after the nearby River Taff burst its banks. Emergency services had to rescue animals from the building

The animal hospital, which was opened seven months ago, will be closed for the next six months after the water destroyed much of the high tech equipment such as this CT Scanner

Ms Russell was forced to act after the torrential rains brought by Storm Dennis started flooding her fields which had already been soaked by Storm Ciara.

She told The Metro: 'I said I'm going to have to go first. I didn't fancy filling out the accident book for anybody else. If I got in a bit of danger they could pull me out. There were two people on the end of the rope because the current was so strong. It was fierce.

'It got quite choppy. I was swimming and had lambs under my arms trying to keep them above water. I had clothes and wellingtons on and they were full of water.'

On Saturday, Ms Russell and her border collie Tom moved her 300-strong flock to higher ground but she did not anticipate the sudden deterioration in the weather.

She said: 'The water came at such a force. At 8am we were fine. The sheep had plenty of high ground. But it was really driving rain. The wind and the rain cut me in two. So the sheep took themselves behind the floodbank and effectively watched the tide come in around them.'

At its height, the flood waters reached more than seven feet in height and presented a major danger to the sheep.

She continued: 'You just do it, don't you. I said to somebody 'duty calls'. You put your life on the line for your animals, you really do. They come first in any farmer's life. Any farmer will agree they come above yourself and above anything.'

The River Taff burst its banks after a month's worth of rain fell in less than 48 hours

Inside the surgery, equipment including computers in the office were destroyed by the floods

Across much of the UK, Storm Dennis saw flood waters rise as the land was already soaked thoroughly by Storm Ciara

Ms Dennis said she and her team had just completed the busy lambing season and said farmers haven a close relationship with their animals.

She said: 'We know them by name. One of them is actually called Pebbles but she was like a big hippopotamus as she swam beside me. They will follow their lambs but you have to give them the confidence to get going. Sheep aren't very good in water but they were pleased to see me when I got across to them.'

Ms Dennis said she would especially like to praise her neighbours and the team on her farm for helping her save the lambs.

In Gwaelod y Garth, Wales, the Valley Veterinary Hospital was hit by five-foot deep flood waters after the River Taff burst its banks.

The 2 million animal hospital - which had recently been completed - was destroyed by the floods.

The state-of-the-art veterinary hospital is the most high-tech facility of its kind in Wales and opened just seven months ago, with hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of equipment - including a CT scanner, digital x-ray machines and ultrasounds - all destroyed when a month's worth of rain fell in less than 48 hours.

All pets were moved to the building's first floor by staff once river levels rose but soon had to be rescued by firefighters - with one photo showing Border Collie Shadow being floated out of the practice on a sofa cushion.

Now householders and businesses are preparing for the arrival of Storm Ellen

Such was the power of the flood water it managed to move this hydrotherapy treatment centre

The flood water inside the vet surgery will have been infected by sewage

Mark Evans, VetPartners Business Development Director for South Wales, said: 'The crew from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service that attended were incredible.

'They had to smash their way through glass panels at the front of the building to gain access.

'The team was evacuated on boats and dogs were floated out of the building on cushions.

'Our out-of-hours team reacted very quickly, moving patients upstairs as soon as they were aware the river was rising.

'They also moved equipment onto work surfaces, but such was the speed of the flooding that the counter tops were eventually submerged as the whole hospital was under 5ft of water in less than an hour.

According to staff at the surgery, the water level rose by five feet in less than an hour

Luckily no one was hurt by the flood in Wales and all of the animals were rescued safely

'This was a disaster but we will bounce back strongly. It has been harrowing for everyone involved, but the morale of the team has been incredible.'

No one was hurt, and all staff and pets are now recovering from the ordeal with the animal patients being cared for at one of four branch surgeries elsewhere in Wales.

The damage is currently being assessed and the two-storey hospital, which was opened in an empty warehouse in July, will not be fully functional again for six months.

Valley Vets is part of UK veterinary group, VetPartners.

VetPartners CEO Jo Malone said: 'The team at Valley Vets have shown such bravery and commitment in the last few days.

'They are determined to continue providing outstanding care to their patients and that is and always has been their primary focus.

'They have been through a harrowing time over the past few days, and the entire VetPartners family will help them in any way we can.'

Emergency inspections for more than 20 former coal tips in the Welsh valleys over fears Storm Dennis could cause another Aberfan-style disaster

More than 20 former coal tips in the Welsh valleys are having emergency inspections over fears Storm Dennis could cause another Aberfan-style disaster.

One huge landslide at a former tip-site was caught on video as thousands of tonnes of coal fell from the mountainside drenched by heavy rain.

Experts fear dangerous landslides could cause another tragedy like Aberfan - where 144 people were killed when a coal tip fell on a village school.

The scene of a landslide in the Rhondda valley yesterday in Tylorstown, South Wales

An enormous landslide in Tylorstown in the neighbouring Rhondda valley happened on Sunday - just 10 miles from the 1966 disaster in Aberfan where 116 children died.

Further landslides have taken place across South Wales over the past few days - with falling debris closing roads and causing havoc.

The coal authority says 24 emergency inspections are now being carried out on former industrial sites to ensure a tragedy is avoided.

Mining historian Dr Ben Curtis said the Tylerstown landlslide 'evokes memories' of Aberfan.

Inspections of old coal tips on the mountains in the Rhondda are underway following a landslide during Storm Dennis

He said: 'The Aberfan disaster was such an unspeakably horrific thing that cast a deep shadow over popular memory in the area,' he said.

'So whenever we see anything like this, which is distressing in itself, it evokes images of Aberfan.

'Work was done after that disaster to deal with a lot of the tips with an emphasis on the tips that posed the greatest risk. However there was another slide in 1973 above Cwmavon, which caused an evacuation of the village.

'But events over the last few days show landslides are something we still can't disregard.'

Former miner Cliff Durham watched the Tylorstown landslide as it happened on Sunday.

Workers appear to inspect a landslide in the Rhondda valley yesterday in Tylorstown, South Wales

He said: 'As soon as I saw this, I thought of Aberfan straight away. Believe me - you don't want to see that again.

'There's tonnes and tonnes of coal still around. The authorities should drill it so the water could go down but they can't leave it like that.

'They've got to take it away because it could come again.'

But Lisa Pinney, chief executive of the Coal Authority, said inspections were being carried out to keep communities safe.

She said: 'We haven't seen any major issues at any of these sites but we are ensuring that all drainage channels and trash screens are free from debris so they perform as they should.

A man looks on at a landslide in the Rhondda valley yesterday in Tylorstown as inspections of old coal tips continue

'We regularly inspect our sites and remotely monitor key sites so we're alerted to any movement.'

Experts at the British Geological Society said South Wales is prone to landslides.

Engineering geologist Ashley Patton said: 'Landslides are caused by a combination of geology, the shape and steepness of the slopes and some sort of trigger, which in this case was the heavy rainfall.

'Wales is prone to landslides because it often has that mix.

'Wales also has sites where there is a lot of loose material left by man which have changed what nature put there.

'Wherever you have this material it can have an impact on the likelihood of landslides, even when it has been stable for years.

Experts fear dangerous landslides could cause another tragedy like Aberfan - where 144 people were killed when a coal tip fell on a village school in October 1966

'These landslides can be very dangerous. At the moment we have saturated slopes and if we see more rain, it is only going to exacerbate the situation.'

Meanwhile flooded families are bracing themselves for more rain as further weather warnings have been issued for South Wales.

The Queen and Prince Philip visit Aberfan in South Wales to comfort the families of the 144 people who died when a coal tip collapsed on the local school in October 1966

Another huge downpour is due to hit areas that have already been beset by bad weather - and five flood warnings are in place.

The warnings come as council leaders said families could be left homeless as their houses are condemned by environmental health officials.

Rhondda Cynon Taf council leader Andrew Morgan said 800 homes had been hit in his area alone.

He said: 'We have to consider homelessness because some houses will not be able to be lived in for some time.'

The Welsh Government has promised 10million for councils to spend on flood relief, but Mr Morgan says the bill is likely to be much higher.

He said: 'That 10m is the initial amount for householders and businesses and we have released 1m from our own reserves. No doubt we will have to release more in the coming weeks.

'But the repair bill is going to run into millions and millions of pounds.'

He said the Labour-run council had been 'simply overwhelmed' by the flooding.

He added: 'We've done as much as we possibly could, but we need to look at it again as these storms seem to be happening more frequently.'

In Monmouth, South Wales, utilities officials have delivered 40 huge tankers of water after a treatment centre was washed out by rain and residents were told to ration their use.

Dwr Cymru Welsh Water said: 'Reducing water use now will ensure that we can restore full supplies as quickly as possible once we can access our site.'

Floods inspire 'Dunkirk spirit': Locals rally round to help families forced out of their homes by rising waters - with donations piling high while churches and leisure centres become refuges

Flood-hit residents and workers praised the 'Dunkirk spirit' in Britain following Storm Dennis as communities rallied to help those worst affected today.

Among the worst hit areas was Ironbridge in Shropshire where residents are beginning the clear up after the River Severn peaked last night, with the town's flood defences holding firm against the onslaught

Up to 1,500 properties have been flooded in the past few days with thousands more evacuated  but spirits were high in the former industrial town near Telford today with the river level expected to go down.

Vic Haddock, 60, in his canoe in Ironbridge today, said: 'I've lived here for 17 years and this has been the worst it's ever been'

Pictured are donations, including heaps of children's cuddly toys, for flood victims at Treforest community centre in Wales

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford (centre) and Member of the Welsh Assembly for Pontypridd, Mick Antoniw (right), with resident Caroline Jones inspecting flood damage at her house in Oxford Street, Nantgarw, in south Wales, on Monday

Ironbridge resident Pete Andrews, 50, with his dog Pippin, said today: 'It was a lot better last night. We weren't scared at all'

Mike Perks, manager of Cleo's wine and cocktail bar said: 'We got told we would have to be here all through the night. Then we were told that the water had dropped.

'Yesterday we were full of people and the council workers who were here seemed relieved that the water was going down. The community has really pulled together.

'It would have been awful if it had been a tragedy. The next step is the clear up. We just hope everyone is alright.'

Mr Perks has had as many as 40 people in at the busiest point to take shelter and refuel with complimentary teas and coffees.

He said yesterday: 'We've got people drinking teas and coffees and having bacon sandwiches and everything else - the old Dunkirk spirit.'

Dr Ann Henshaw, 73, lives in a cottage directly next to the River Severn by the eponymous Ironbridge. She said today: 'We've been fine. I've had lots and lots of calls and offers of help from friends. It was touch and go last night.

Vic Haddock outside his canoe hire business in Ironbridge today while neighbour Pete Andrews pumps out water

Appliciances have been placed on stools in Vic Haddock's house in Ironbridge today as the flooding problems today

Flooded homes on the banks of the River Severn in the Shropshire former industrial town of Ironbridge today

Furniture has been moved off the floor in Vic Haddock's home in Ironbridge today as the area faces flooding chaos

Among the worst hit areas is Ironbridge where residents are beginning the clear up today after the River Severn peaked

'I had to disable all the downstairs electrics which meant it was a bit cold. It hasn't been great, it's been the worst it's been since 2000.

'I'm just relieved the water has gone down. My garden is flooded. The water isn't bad for it at all, in fact it's probably good for it with all those minerals.'

Residents in Ladywood which is directly next to River Severn and the iconic Ironbridge are beginning the clear up after their homes flooded. Pete Andrews, 50, said: 'It was a lot better last night. We weren't scared at all.'

Residents in the area hit out at the council for not installing flood defences on their side of the river.

Vic Haddock, 60, said: 'I've lived here for 17 years and this has been the worst it's ever been. Nobody can control the weather and if you live by a river then you can expect to get wet.'

He added that despite the flood barriers put in by the council on the nearby Wharfage, residents in Ladywood had been given no such protection.

Robert Price, 53, faces a bill of thousands after his grade-II listed 15th century cottage Ironbridge was flooded today

Robert Price in Ironbridge claimed that the water had peaked higher than the Environment Agency had predicted at 21ft

He said: 'Over here were not told anything. We don't have flood barriers over here. I had to spend last night with my family in Wolverhampton. Right now we have no gas, no electricity and no amentities. It's going to cost thousands to put it right.'

Robert Price, 53, faces a bill of thousands after his grade two 15th century cottage was flooded.

He claimed that the water had peaked higher than the Environment Agency had predicted at 6.52 metres and that the flood would cost him thousands of pounds in damage.

He said: 'This is the worst it's ever been without a doubt. I feel like we've been let down. The frustrating thing is that this is a grade 2 listed building and we have to go through hoops to get anything done.

'Since we've lived here we knew that something like this would happen. The council put up flood defences on the other side of the river, not here. It's going to cost us thousands to repair.'

Debbie Kane said: 'Last night was OK. Monday night was terrible. We were up all night manning the pumps. We're a nice little community down here, we look after ourselves.

'We were told it was be five metres high and we were updated by text and checked hourly. We had sandbags and pumps ready.'

The flood-hit interior of Rob Price's home on the banks of the River Severn in Ironbridge today

DVDs and electrical equipment has been stacked as high as possible at Robert Price's home in Ironbridge today

Some 30 properties were evacuated on the Wharfage in Ironbridge yesterday morning as a danger to life warning was issued.

Elsewhere in the country, Pontypridd in Wales was battered by Storm Dennis over the weekend, but as families were left without homes, strangers were quick to offer their help, and a small community centre was overwhelmed with donations to help those affected.

A small group at Treforest Community Centre, dubbed the 'unsung heroes', put together plans to get people aid.

Secretary of the centre, Cheryl Jarman, 58, explained they decided to ask people who were willing to donate unwanted items to help those who had lost everything in the floods.

A post was published on social media and the centre has had thousands of donations including household items, food, toiletries, and stuffed toys for displaced children.

Mrs Jarman said: 'We have had a back up of bags this week as donations keep coming through the door.

'I've never seen anything like this at all. We've had things for babies, prams, clothes, toiletries - anything you can think of.

'We have been overwhelmed by the reaction here.'

People have even donated beds, TVs, and Sky boxes. Transit vans were delivering toiletries and baby supplies, along with boxes of fresh fruit and daffodils.

On Monday Mrs Jarman opened up at around 9am thinking she'd be there for 10 minutes to speak to an electrician.

Flooded cottages in Monmouth in the aftermath of Storm Dennis yesterday

She didn't leave until 10.20pm because people kept arriving bringing donated goods through the door.

The centre has received so much it's sending some to other venues like Trallwn Community Centre and Hapi Hub in Rhydyfelin to make sure all communities have enough to go around.

'We just want to say how thankful we are,' said Mrs Jarman. 'Can we just say how grateful we are for the generosity of others.

'There was a two-year-old here this morning and it broke her little heart - she has nothing.

'We are trying to help people and they're saying 'give it to someone who needs it', and they have nothing.

'People are proud and they don't want to take anything.'

Churches in Pontypridd also opened their doors to offer refuge to those left stranded by the deluge.

Families living along the River Severn were evacuated from their homes as a city braced itself for its highest flood levels since 2014.

Residents in Hempsted and Alney Island, Gloucester, were told they were 'at risk' from the rising river levels, with some choosing to pack up and spend the night in a rest centre.

Red flood warnings remain in place along the Severn with new predictions that water levels could top 4.5m in Gloucester, just 42cm shy of the 2007 peak.

In 2014, the last time homes were evacuated, flood defences held and the area on the far side of Westgate Bridge was not flooded.

Councillor Dawn Melvin has spent part of the evening in her ward as residents prepare for high tide at 3am.

She said the people of Alney Island have either 'hunkered down' or evacuated their homes.

Cllr Melvin said: 'People were evacuating, but all I will say is many of those people are the salt of the earth. They are so resilient, it's frightening.

'Even ones with small babies have been putting their furniture on anything they could to get it off the ground or moving everything to the first floor.'

Gloucestershire Police said officers had been out in at risk areas offering advice to residents.

A member of the public wades through floodwaters after flooding in Nantgarw, Wales as Storm Dennis hit on Sunday

A force spokesperson said: 'People have been advised that they are at risk of flooding.

'The neighbourhood team have been around advising and have told them they can go to the rescue centre at the GL1 Leisure Centre.'

Cllr Melvin added that 'en masse people have been hunkering down' and the community have been helping each other to move furniture and the like.

She went on to commend the 'level of community in that area' while the Environment Agency were pumping water out of the River Severn.

Cllr Melvin, who represents Westgate on Gloucester City Council, said: 'People have been bringing out cups of tea and checking the Environment Agency have sandwiches.

'Some of these people, God-willing, they will have lost nothing but they might and they probably all know that they might.'

Red flood warnings were issued for Alney Island, Gloucester, Hempsted, Minsterworth and Stonebench, Sandhurst and Maisemore, and Trigworth and Longford.
The agreements worked out by the Normandy Four leaders in December 2019 are not being implemented.

Permanent Representative to the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations, Ambassador Serhiy Kyslytsya says the Kremlin continues a strategy of escalation in Donbas, eastern Ukraine.

"The Kremlin continues to pursue a strategy of escalation in Donbas in flagrant violation of Russia's obligations they have undertaken as a party to the Minsk agreements," he said at a UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting in New York City on February 18.

"The attack perpetrated today [Tuesday, February 18] near Zolote, on the fifth anniversary of the Debaltseve tragedy, is particularly cynical," he said.

According to him, the Armed Forces of Ukraine properly responded to the offensive launched by the Russian occupation forces, who used weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements.

"This was Ukraine's inherent right of self-defense," the diplomat said.

Read alsoU.S. Ambassador to UN: Russia continues to arm, train, lead, fight alongside its proxy forces in Donbas

As Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier said, the armed provocation "aims to disrupt the peace process in Donbas, which has begun to advance in small but continuous steps."

"The Ukrainian leadership has confirmed that our commitment to ending this war and to adhering to the reached agreements remains unshaken  as does our resolve to repel any acts of armed aggression against Ukraine," Kyslytsya said.

He emphasized that the agreements worked out by the Normandy Four leaders in December 2019 were not being implemented.

"Over the last two months our positions have been shelled more than 400 times. Thirteen Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and almost 60 wounded. Can anyone call this a frozen conflict? Or perhaps a low-intensity conflict? It is a war. The only ongoing war in Europe. A full-scale war unleashed by the Russian Federation," he said.

At the UNSC meeting, the diplomat showed a photograph of the Ukrainian soldier killed in the attack on February 18, 2020, accusing Russia of being involved in the crime.

He stressed that the Russian Federation, accusing the victim of its aggression, Ukraine, is trying to discredit the memory of those killed during the war in Donbas. "Russia tries to present the victim of its aggression as a perpetrator, which is one of the hallmarks of its information war against Ukraine. [This is a] cynical insult to the memory of 22-year-old soldier Maksym [Khitaylov], who was killed today while repelling the offensive of Russian forces near Novotoshkivske," he said.

Russia tries to present victim of its aggression as a perpetrator, which is one of hallmarks of its information war against Ukraine.



Cynical insult to the memory of 22-year-old soldier Maksym, who was killed today while repelling offensive of Russian forces near Novotoshkivske pic.twitter.com/to5lM9qaZX  UKR Mission to UN (@UKRinUN) February 18, 2020

As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian occupying forces on Tuesday, February 18, morning attacked Ukrainian defense positions in Donbas, using 120mm mortars proscribed by the Minsk agreements. Under fire cover, the Russian invaders began their offensive operation and attempted to advance across the contact line. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another five were wounded amid the fight. The enemy's casualties included four killed and six wounded.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 13:17:14|Editor: Lu Hui

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WUHAN/TIANJIN, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- At midday on Feb. 13, Liu Xiaomeng, a nurse working in a hospital in the city of Wuhan, received a phone call asking her to pick up her takeout. She did not order any food that day. But when Liu saw a birthday cake box in the deliveryman's hands, she was too excited to say anything.

The birthday cake was beyond her expectation, as she had already celebrated her 31st birthday in the morning with a bowl of noodles, as Chinese believe long noodles signify long life. However, she only had a cup of instant noodles this time, instead of fresh home-made noodles.

"I gave myself an extra egg. My birthday in Wuhan was simple but meaningful," said Liu, who is among hundreds of medical staff from north China's Tianjin Municipality aiding in the fight against the deadly virus in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.

While in the hardest-hit province of Hubei, about 30,000 medical staff from other provinces and regions, as well as the armed forces, are racing to treat coronavirus patients.

By the end of Tuesday, the province reported 61,682 confirmed cases. Wuhan, the provincial capital, recorded 44,412 confirmed infections.

Liu could not count how many cups of instant noodles she had eaten since she arrived in Wuhan on Jan. 26, the second day of the Lunar New Year.

The birthday cake was ordered by Liu's family, which was not an easy thing in the city, as many bakeries were shuttered since the start of the outbreak. Liu's family members contacted many cake outlets on an online food delivery platform, but only one closed shop agreed to make a birthday cake when they found it was for a nurse.

Apart from the pink cake, Liu found a letter from her father, who wrote down all the greetings, care and love from her family and friends.

Her father, Liu Dianjun, is a police officer in Wuqing District in Tianjin, who also needs to inspect residential communities and publicize knowledge about epidemic prevention and control every day.

On the day of his daughter's departure, the father kept telling his daughter to drink more water, wear protective gears and try not to catch a cold.

"That day, I felt like a parent sending their child off to war. It is a war without gunfire. I was so proud that my daughter could go to the frontline, but I was very frustrated knowing she might face the risk of infection," said the 59-year-old man, who burst into tears after saying goodbye to his daughter.

Liu Xiaomeng shared the cake with her "comrades-in-arms" in the hospital and made a wish.

"I cannot tell you my wish, but it includes my family, my colleagues, the patients and the city of Wuhan. I believe that my wish will come true," Liu said.
YEREVAN.  Hraparak daily of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: Yesterday, during a consultation with the Prime Minister on the rise in deaths in the army in times of peace, a political decision was made to dismiss a number of officials.

It was decided that the commander of the Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] Defense Army, Karen Abrahamyan, would resign. According to our sources, he has already submitted his resignation yesterday, but it is not announced for "technical" reasons.

The name of the replacement is also known - Jalal Harutyunyan, First Deputy Commander-Chief of Staff of the Artsakh Defense Army.

The resignation of the head of Department for Personnel Affairs of the RA Armed Forces, Major General Alik Aleksanyan, as well as of the chief of the Military Police, Artur Baghdasaryan, is also expected.
JERSEYVILLE  Jersey County 4-H, in cooperation with University of Illinois Extension, held its annual Soup and Chili Fest Feb. 16 at Peace United Church of Christ in Jerseyville.

A strong crowd turned out to enjoy lunch and bid on the silent auction baskets and other donated items. The annual event helps support 4-H youth programming in Jersey County.
The bumper results from BHP and Fortescue this week might suggest the good times are back for the big miners. Unfortunately, there is a big caveat next to any assumption that the buoyant earnings they generated in their first halves will continue through the rest of the financial year and beyond.

Its an obvious qualification. The 39 per cent increase in BHPs earnings and the spectacular 281 per cent leap in Fortescues in the December half were generated before the emergence of the coronavirus in China.

From the middle of last month commodity prices have been impacted by the quarantining of the Hubei province, the widespread closures of factories, the lockdown of cities and restrictions on travel across China.

A man walks in a park in Wuhan. Australia's big miners are counting on the widespread effects of the virus to be over by the March quarter. Credit:Getty

The oil price is down about 12 per cent, iron ore 5 per cent, copper about 7 per cent, nickel more than 5 per cent and thermal coal 2 per cent from their levels in mid-January.
Leos mortgage mantra of move home or borrow from the bank of mum and dad seems to be on the rise, as young people struggle to grapple with the housing crisis.

This week weve learned that not only are people online shopping for homes by signing leases without viewing properties, but Ireland has seen one of the biggest increases in Europe of people in their late 20s living at home.

According to EU agency Eurofound, between 2007 and 2017 the number of Irish people aged between 25 and 29 living with their parents increased 11.2 percentage points to 47.2 pc.

And while some wont have much sympathy for the young millennials back living with the folks, returning home may be having a significant impact on the social lives and mental health of generation stay-at-home.

Rachel Matthews (28) has been commuting from Dundalk to Dublin for the last three years due to the high cost of renting in the capital. Last year she rented in Dundalk for six months but decided to move home again as she was paying up to 900 each month in rent.

Living back home is super hard as obviously you want to be respectful of your parents but also want your own independence, she said.

In terms of going out after work, I dont want to be staying out late and waking them up when I come home and cant be bringing groups of friends over as its their house at the end of the day.

Some might believe that living at home in your late 20s is a lot different to living at home in your teens.

But old Irish mammy habits die hard and for some, living at home can feel like a step back in time.

If Im not home by 8pm you can guarantee my mam is going to text to see where I am, and Im like, Im 28 years old mam!

The main reason for commuting is rent. It is too expensive, even though I get a decent salary, but in terms of trying to save and get a place of my own one day, I cant afford to live in Dublin.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald remarked during one of the leaders debates on RTE how young couples are having their freedom restricted by moving home.

Some on social media interpreted it as Mary Lou acknowledging how alone time is being reduced  and its a fair point.

Research published in the journal Society and Mental Health discovered that young people who move back in with their parents are more likely to suffer from mental health issues, relationship breakdowns and a feeling of failure.

While a report published by Growing Up in Ireland also found that most 20 year olds now live at home and are worried about housing.

People in their early and late 20s are forfeiting independence due to extortionate rent and house prices.

If you asked your 18 year old self where you see yourself in ten years time, I cant imagine many would say: Back at home living with my parents.

But sadly, thats what its come to.

We found out this week that 100 people are getting ready to move into one of the countrys newest apartment complexes - without ever having viewed the properties.

The housing crisis has reached a point where renters are now online shopping for 1,550 per month one-bed apartments and desperately hoping the apartment fits without trying it on.

The people who will rent these lavish apartments are lucky in a way, as they arent part of the group of 25-29 year-olds who have had to move home as they cant afford rent or a mortgage.

But this news is also symptomatic of the housing crisis.

A young family previously interviewed by this paper were scammed out of nearly 3,500 after they transferred rent money and a deposit without viewing a property.

The landlord said he lived abroad, but he would organise for the keys to be given to them.

There were phone calls between the advertiser and the family and he sent on a copy of a passport as proof of his identity. Unfortunately, they eventually discovered the property wasnt available for rent and the man wasnt who he said he was.

We were just so desperate, they said.

When we published the article on our Facebook page, readers with the gift of hindsight commented in their droves. They described it as naive and were shocked someone would transfer money without viewing a house.

A spokesperson for Daft.ie, the rental portal website, told the Irish Independent at the time: We recommend that no one transfers money before viewing a property.

The big difference with the apartments in Dublin reported on this week is they are legitimate and there is no scam involved, but it once again shows how desperate people are to find a home. So desperate, they will fork out up to 1,550 for a one-bed apartment without ever setting foot in it.

Based on the pictures, the apartments are of a very high standard. The fact theyre fully furnished and renters will be able to avail of an on-site gym, yoga studio, private cinema and a communal lounging area, was obviously a major selling point.

But this represents a whole new level of house-hunting. The pictures of hundreds of people queuing from dawn to buy a house dont shock us any more.

And this probably wont either.
Erling Haaland cannot seem to take to the pitch at the moment without smashing more goal-scoring records.

The Borussia Dortmund starlet hit a sensational brace on Tuesday night to hand the German giants a 2-1 first-leg advantage in their last-16 tie with Paris Saint-Germain.

Haaland stabbed in a rebound in the 69th minute to give Dortmund the lead before Neymar equalised shortly after. It was Haaland who had the last laugh though, smashing a powerful shot into the top corner from distance to win it.

Erling Haaland scored another brace for Borussia Dortmund in their 2-1 victory over PSG

Another two goals means Haaland has now scored 10 Champions League goals in just seven appearances, reaching the mark four games quicker than any other player in the competition's history.

He became just the fifth man to reach 10 goals in his debut season in the Champions League, joining the likes of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Claudio Sulser and Just Fontaine in achieving the feat.

The Norwegian is also just the second player to score 10 Champions League goals as a teenager after Kylian Mbappe, his opponent on Tuesday night, and the first to do so in a single European campaign.

Haaland reacted quickest to a loose ball in the box to stab into the roof of the net for his first

Haaland unleashed a powerful left-footed drive into the top corner to put Dortmund in front

Another brace also continue his ridiculous form in front of goal since joining Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg in January.

Haaland has now scored 10 goals in seven appearances for Dortmund, which is the most by any player in Europe's top five leagues since his debut last month.

He also became the first Dortmund player ever to score on his debut in the Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League.

'I still need to improve, keep working,' Haaland said at full time.

'I want to go far in the Champions League. With the second goal I enjoyed the moment.'
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Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya and Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020

Amid debate over articles in the omnibus bill on job creation that would grant sweeping powers to President Joko Jokowi Widodo, allowing him to override laws and bylaws, Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto has come to Jokowi's defense, saying that the authority is important as it would protect the President from potential impeachment.

"Whos the one who can be impeached? The President. Can the President be impeached because of ministers mistakes? Can the President be impeached because of governors' mistakes? [...] This is the problem. So we give discretion to the President," Airlangga said during a meeting with media leaders, including The Jakarta Post's, on Tuesday.

The bill, aimed at streamlining laws and regulations and bringing in more investment and creating jobs in the country, has come under fire, with the public questioning several articles in the draft law that is currently under deliberation at the House of Representatives.

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She starred in What Men Want.

And Taraji P. Henson seemed to still have her character's male mind-reading skills during a romantic trip to Mexico with fiance Kelvin Hayden.

The Empire actress, 49, couldn't help but make a splash while enjoying the pool of Nobu's Los Cabos resort in a sexy studded swimsuit.

Time of her life: Taraji P. Henson looked sexy as she enjoyed her recent stay in Mexico with fiance Kelvin Hayden

What a stud: The Empire actress looked like a 10 in her studded swimsuit

Taraji looked like she was having the time of her life in the pool shots, jumping up and down for the perfect aquatic look.

Her crimson-tinted hair was braided back as she sipped on a ruby red cocktail that matched her tresses.

It was clear the Hidden Figures star was having the time of her life as she threw her head back with glee while enjoying a drink poolside.

Making a splash: Taraji looked like she was having the time of her life in the pool shots, jumping up and down for the perfect aquatic look

Cheers! It was clear the Hidden Figures star was having the time of her life as she threw her head back with glee while enjoying a drink poolside

Braid-y lady: Her crimson-tinted hair was braided back as she sipped on a ruby red cocktail that matched her tresses

Fun in the sun: The starlet looked like she was having the time of her life

Later Taraji shared some pictures of herself beachside, looking ethereal in a sheer white cover-up with an ivory suit underneath.

She and future-hubby Kelvin looked like they were having the time of their lives as they posed outside of the hotel's flagship Nobu restaurant.

During their trip, the couple took a romantic boat tour of the famous Cabo San Lucas Arch while indulging in lobster, oysters and chocolate covered strawberries as they toasted to their upcoming nuptials.

They also indulged in a lavish brunch at Los Cabos' Malibu Farms eatery.

White hot: Later Taraji shared some pictures of herself beachside, looking ethereal in a sheer white cover-up with an ivory suit underneath

They also indulged in a lavish brunch at Los Cabos' Malibu Farms eatery.

The look of love: She and future-hubby Kelvin looked like they were having the time of their lives as they posed outside of the hotel's flagship Nobu restaurant

The suite life: Inside their suite was an enticing selection of Valentine's Day treats

Taraji and Kelvin first announced they were getting hitched back in May of 2018.

But they've been taking their time to finally reach the altar.

Henson recently revealed that the pair had pushed back their previously planned April 4 2020 nuptials during a chat with Extra.

'I mentioned one date. It was 4/4/20 and we were really going to do it 4/4/20, but my wedding planner was like, "Okay, in case it rains, well have umbrellas"and I was like, "You know what, never mind about April, lets move it later."'

Wedding bells: Taraji and Kelvin first announced they were getting hitched back in May of 2018

Small change: Henson recently revealed that the pair had pushed back their previously planned April 4 2020 nuptials in favor of better summer weather

Still, the star is looking forward to getting hitched.

'I am excited,' she revealed. 'I usually dont get excited until its closer to me. It still seems so far off.'

The new date has yet to be revealed.
[February 18, 2020] Biotech Institute Secures Novel Propagation Technology

Biotech Institute, LLC, the global leader in hemp and cannabis plant breeding, science, and innovation, and Booshoot, LLC ("Booshoot") announced today that they have finalized a groundbreaking technology licensing agreement that will set a new standard for the propagation of hemp and cannabis. The deal grants Biotech Institute exclusive rights to Booshoot's innovative proprietary micropropagation methods enabling renewable, sustainable plant production on a mass scale without genetic modification at a fraction of the cost of traditional propagation. Booshoot, founded by Jackie Heinricher, is a world leader in proprietary commercial-scale plant propagation methods, a technology that will expand the reach of Biotech Institute's diversified portfolio spanning tailored plant genetics exhibiting novel concentrations and combinations of phytocannabinoids, terpenoids, and other metabolites. "Following exhaustive, global due diligence on the various technology players in the space, it was clear that Biotech Institute's forward-looking mindset, focus on product efficacy and safety, and successful innovation-focused breeding made it the most obvious home for our technology," said Heinricher. "Our technology's track record speaks for itself [referencing the application of the Booshoot technology to the mass propagation of ornamental and timber bamboo]; the opportunity to integrate our technology with Biotech Institute's genetics portfolio will make a significant impact on the progress of the cannabis and hemp industries and was one that we could not pass on." "This micropropagation technology lowers plat costs, exponentially increases the ability to propagate unprecedented numbers of plants, and eliminates disease and pests pressure, while spawning plants with performance and yields that in many instances are superior to seedlings," said Biotech Institute President Gary Hiller.



Biotech Institute is one of the cannabis industry's most disruptive technology leaders that has caught the attention of NBC News, GQ Magazine, Forbes, Mashable, Wired, Silicon Valley Business Journal, etc. and continues to not only blaze the trail for intellectual property in scaled agriculture, but has also facilitated the unprecedented development of the most chemically diverse, award-winning, cannabis genetics library in the world. Its continued growth along with superior partners such as Booshoot, enable farmers to grow plants with highly-specified compositions, enhanced quality, and higher value to differentiate their products from the competition. About Biotech Institute, LLC

Inspired by nature and guided by curiosity, Biotech Institute ("BI") is an innovation company focused on developing novel plant-based therapeutics and related technologies. BI has built a robust global intellectual property portfolio including cannabis cultivars with increased efficacy and enhanced safety profiles, new analytic methods, and novel plant propagation technologies. BI's toolbox of plant genetics has enabled cultivators to win numerous awards at prestigious cannabis and hemp competitions. For more information, visit: www.biotechinstitute.io. About Jackie Heinricher As Founder and President of Booshoot Technology, Jackie Heinricher re-launched her company in 2016 specializing in the development of a new plant sciences leading to innovative forestry, agriculture, and pulp invention; biotechnology concerned with emphasis on humanitarian non-GMO technologies. Today in addition to managing the company, Ms. Heinricher continues to spearhead visionary intellectual property development, has authored numerous patents and articles for peer reviewed journals, and has been featured in the Seattle Times, New York Times, NPR (News - Alert), etc. For more information, visit: www.booshootbiotech.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200218006200/en/

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 21:45:22|Editor: xuxin

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LONDON, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Britain will not grant visas to low-skilled workers under its newly unveiled immigration scheme after Brexit, the Home Office said on Wednesday.

The immigration scheme, which takes effect from Jan. 1, 2021, is expected to end free movement, reassert control of the British borders and restore public trust.

It will assign points for specific skills, qualifications, salaries or professions and visas will only be awarded to those who gain enough points.

Overall levels of migration will be reduced, with tighter security and a better experience for those coming to the country.

British Home Secretary Priti Patel said that the new system was about bringing "the brightest and the best" to the UK.

"We're ending free movement, taking back control of our borders and delivering on the people's priorities by introducing a new UK points-based immigration system, which will bring overall migration numbers down," she said.

"We will attract the brightest and the best from around the globe, boosting the economy and our communities, and unleash this country's full potential," she added.

The plan is urging employers to "move away" from relying on "cheap labor" from Europe and invest in retaining staff and developing automation technology.

It said the points threshold will be carefully set to attract the talent the British need.

"Skilled workers will need to meet a number of relevant criteria, including specific skills and the ability to speak English, to be able to work in the UK," the document said. "All applicants will be required to have a job offer and, in line with the Migration Advisory Committee's recommendations, the minimum salary threshold will be set at 25,600 pounds (33,231 U.S. dollars)."

It also stressed that European Union (EU) and non-EU citizens coming to Britain would be treated equally after UK-EU free movement ends at the end of this year.

But the opposition Labour Party said the "hostile environment" will make it hard to attract workers.

In line with the government's manifesto commitment, there will be no specific immigration route for low-skilled workers. An estimated 70 percent of the existing EU workforce would not meet the requirements of the skilled worker route, something the government hopes will help bring down the overall number of migrants in the future.

The student visa route will also be points-based and opened up to EU citizens, ensuring talent from around the globe will have access to the country's world-class universities.

Professor Alice Gast, president of Imperial College London, said "British science is global. The new post-study work and Global Talent visas will help us to attract the world's brightest students and researchers, wherever they come from."

"From the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine to clean energy, British science's international collaborations drive innovation and excellence," she added.

Those wishing to study in the country will need to demonstrate that they have an offer from an approved educational institution, that they can support themselves financially and that they speak English, according to the new plan.

The ruling Conservative Party has pledged to reduce overall migration to the country with an Australian-like points-based immigration system. One of the most important reasons behind the Brexit referendum results of leave is immigration.
By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Azerbaijans participation in the Davos Forum held on 20-24 January will further strengthen Azerbaijans integration, Malik Ayub Sumbal, geopolitical analyst, commentator and award-winning journalist said in an interview with Azernews.

Sumbal noted that Azerbaijan's active participation in Davos is beneficial for all stakeholders.

Azerbaijan is the leading country in the South Caucasus, has an impressive economic growth and is positioned in an ideal position among the CIS countries.

Sumbal believe that Baku is a good place to open the World Economic Forums regional center as Azerbaijan is the center of many activities and has great potential to attract international attention.

"There are already a number of mega international events taking place in Azerbaijan such as Baku Forum. The WEF regional center would open a new chapter for Azerbaijan and it would be highly beneficial," Sumbal concluded.

Founder of the PolitRUS expert-analytical network Vitaly Arkov said that the Davos Forum is a good additional opportunity, for example, to increase the recognition of the country and its investment potential. At the same time, to focus on the development of direct relations based on their national interests.

Arkov believes that today, the Davos Forum is increasingly replacing the UN General Assembly, all the more so since the influence of the latter on world processes has practically came down to zero, and the resolutions adopted are declarative and almost never implemented.

Arkov however noted that in recent years, the excessive politicization of this event has become increasingly noticeable.

"It is clear that economics and politics are historically inextricably linked, and the former is almost always in the basis of the events of the latter," he added.

As for the bilateral Azerbaijani-Russian ties, Arkov expressed confidence that mediators are not needed in relations.

"Moreover, these relations are at such a high and trusting level (as, by the way, Azerbaijani-Turkish) that Baku played an important role in the reconciliation of Moscow and Ankara after the well-known tragic events on the Syrian-Turkish border with the Russian military aircraft," Arkov said.

He mentioned that at the official level, these relations are called a strategic partnership.

"In my opinion, Azerbaijan and Russia are already allies in many ways, and the peoples of the two countries are connected by strong, long friendship and numerous happy interethnic marriages," he concluded.

Another political scientist from Russia Andrei Nikulin said that Europe seems to be main trading partner of Azerbaijan and Russia, since the EU buys raw materials from both countries and provides the necessary investments, technologies and high-tech products.

Trade and integration between Azerbaijan Russia is similar to Soviet-era chains, where grain, metals, timber and engineering products are coming from Russia, while fruits and vegetables, as well as oil products from Azerbaijan.

Nikulin considers that common past helps trade relations, as well as a powerful Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia.

---

Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Venezuelas government has turned to Russia's Goznak state-owned money printer to purchase 300 million new bolivar bills, Bloomberg reported.

The notes will carry denominations ranging from 10,000 ($0.14) to 50,000 bolivars ($0.68), according to a copy of the contract between Goznak and Venezuelas central bank signed in November 2019.

The $7.4 million order will be worth $143 million of cash.

Russia printed banknotes for Syria, Belarus, Lebanon, Laos, Malaysia and Guatemala.

In the past, Venezuelas government has struggled to make good on its dues with bill suppliers. Last year, De La Rue, one of the worlds largest makers of bank notes, reported a nearly $23 million hit due to outstanding debts with Venezuela.
One more Indian aboard a quarantined cruise ship off Japan tested positive for the novel coronavirus and was shifted to hospital, taking the number of Indian nationals infected with the virus on the vessel to seven, according to the Indian Embassy on Wednesday.

Among the 3,711 passengers and crew, 621 people were found to be infected with the new coronavirus as of Wednesday. On Tuesday, 88 people tested positive and a day earlier 99 others were found to have been infected.

In a tweet, the Indian Embassy here said, 1 Indian crew who tested positive for COVID19 among 88 new cases on Diamond Princess shifted to hospital for treatment. Earlier, six Indians had tested positive for COVID-19.

The mission said that infected Indians were responding well to the treatment.

A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, were among the 3,711 people on board the ship that arrived at the Japanese coast earlier this month.

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.

Meanwhile, passengers began leaving the ship on Wednesday after the end of a two-week quarantine period that failed to stop the spread of the virus among passengers and crew.

About 500 passengers were expected to leave Wednesday, and Japanese officials will spend several days staging the high-stakes evacuation of about 2,000 others, the Japan Today newspaper reported.

Crew members are expected to stay on the ship, it said.

The Indian Embassy earlier said it was making efforts for de-boarding of all the Indians from the ship after the end of the quarantine period and was in discussions with the Japanese government and the ship management company for the disembarkation modalities and welfare of Indians.

The US on Monday evacuated its 340 nationals from the ship and they are now in quarantine for another 14 days. China, where the virus outbreak occurred, is grappling to contain the deadly disease as the fatalities crossed the 2,000-mark on Wednesday with the death of 136 more people, mostly in the worst-hit Hubei province.

The virus outbreak originated in Chinas Hubei province in December and has spread to more than 25 countries, including India.

Many countries have banned arrivals from China while major airlines have suspended flights to the country.
Russia's Attempts to Regain the Balkans Are Futile - GeorgianJournal
[February 19, 2020] ClipperCreek Founder Named Electric Auto Association Entrepreneur of the Year

AUBURN, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ClipperCreek, the leader in electric vehicle charging station manufacturing, announced today that ClipperCreek's President and Founder, Jason France, received the Electric Auto Association (EAA) Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 National Award. The awards program recognizes the EV entrepreneur who has had the most positive impact in the EV marketplace. France was nominated by EAA members and selected by a panel of four EAA directors. The distinction was unveiled at the EAA annual member's meeting on January 25, 2020 at the Center for Sustainable Energy in San Diego, CA. The awards ceremony highlighted several speakers and special guests including Chris Paine, the Director/Producer of Who Killed the Electric Car . "In 1994 the roots were planted of what has now grown to be ClipperCreek, Inc.; back when there were two distinctly different and incompatible approaches to recharging battery packs in commercially available OEM electric vehicles. The copper-to-copper connections were better, faster, and less complex. So, with the California Air Resource Board calling the shots, they announced that after 2007, all charging of EV batteries would be done that way, said Tim Benford, Vice-President of the EAA. "Fast forward to today. Jason France's creation has made many tens of thousands of conductive units, some of which are over two decades old and still functioning as designed, thereby still filling an ever-growing demand for their products. As the Society of Automotive Engineers modified their J-1772 standard with a major physical update in 2010, ClipperCreek was ready to roll it out. Supplying many conventional auto OEMs with charging gear, the new Plug-In Hybrids all needed connections as well. By late 2018 there were 1 million plugin cars on US highways, including plug-in hybrids with their smaller packs. As it remains today, it's less expensive to recharge from a charger than to burn gasoline to replenish a battery pack. The team that Jason has assembled and nurtured has achieved much and done well for their Sierra Nevada-based community and nation-wide EV customers. His design acumen and managerial talent have helped this nascent industry get traction. We appreciate his tenacity as we award him with "EAA's EV Entrepreneur of the Year"." "The EAA Entrepeneur of the Year award is one of the highest honors an EV entrepreneur can receive," said Suzanne Guinn, Director of Marketing and Communications at ClipperCreek. "Jason has created a highly transparent company culture where his infectious passion drives value and success for ClipperCreek's customers, partners and employees. I am continually impressed by his laser focus and unwavering commitment to provide the most reliable EV charging stations and the best working environment for his employees in the industry."



France began his career as a computer engineer and subsequently founded an engineering consulting company. He later joined EV charging pioneer, EVI, where he led the company's engineering and manufacturing efforts before rising to the position of CEO. After EVI, Jason served as an independent consultant offering a wide range of strategic business advisory services to startup companies, including guiding a company through a successful acquisition transaction. He holds a B.S. degree in computer engineering from Chico State University. "I was pleasantly surprised to hear the news this week; this is quite an honor," said France, in a video acceptance speech to the EAA membership. "Back in 2006, when Tesla announced that they were going to make a Roadster, a pretty cool little car, the very next day I incorporated ClipperCreek and ever since then I've been building the business, inventing more charging stations and really having a fantastic time doing so. What has made that possible, is all the amazing staff that has joined the ClipperCreek team and with their help, not only have we come out with many generations of new products, but we have also exceeded the milestone of producing and delivering over 90,000 charging stations here in Auburn, CA. On behalf of all my staff, I am honored to accept this award."

France ensures a continuous culture of innovation at the company and this fuels his ability to attract top talent and encourage continuous learning. His stewardship leverages the success in his business to create purpose and opportunity for his family, employees, and local community. He mentors local entrepreneurs, and provides charitable donations to a variety of local and national non-profit organizations. Other honorees included: Doug Duke , EAA Oklahoma, Fastest Growing EAA Chapter

, EAA Oklahoma, Fastest Growing EAA Chapter Mark Bishop , Knoxville EVA, Road Tripper Ambassador

, Knoxville EVA, Road Tripper Ambassador Stan Skokan , Silicon Valley EVA, Lifetime Achievement Award About EAA: The Electric Auto Association accelerates the widespread adoption of Electric Vehicles (EV) through education, infrastructure support and demonstration. The EAA mission is to promote, educate, and advocate regarding EV availability, alternatives, infrastructure, benefits, and legislation. Our EV Owner/Educator members act as a credible source of information for car shoppers. The EAA acts as a centralized information source and be a national advocate for owners on EV technology and infrastructure. About ClipperCreek: Founded in 2006 by Jason France, ClipperCreek is a worldwide leader in Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), and globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance. The company offers a wide range of products designed to be the safest, most reliable, and grid-ready EV charging stations on the market. ClipperCreek advances the plug-in vehicle market and broadens the acceptance of the most exciting vehicle revolution in a century. The industry pioneers at ClipperCreek build more than 25 years of real world EV charging expertise into every EVSE they manufacture. All ClipperCreek products are Made in America. For more information, dial (877) 694-4194 or visit www.clippercreek.com. Connect with ClipperCreek on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Media Requests:

Suzanne Guinn 530-887-1674

Sales: 877-694-4194

[email protected]

https://www.clippercreek.com/ View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/clippercreek-founder-named-electric-auto-association-entrepreneur-of-the-year-301007284.html SOURCE ClipperCreek, Inc.

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[February 19, 2020] VegFresh Farms Joins The Movement to Build The World's Safest Food Supply Chain Adopting The Free iTrade Traceability Campaign

DUBLIN, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VegFresh Farms is the latest customer to pick up the food safety mantle and join iTrades iTracefresh program. As the leading global provider of supply chain software for the food and beverage industry, iTrade is pioneering efforts to build the worlds safest and most comprehensive global food supply chain. To underline its commitment to guaranteeing the safety of our food, it has removed all barriers to adoption, offering the iTracefresh traceability suite to any supplier, or indeed any buyers, entire supplier portfolio for the first year  free of charge. With iTrades free traceability offer, we are most excited to ensure that our customers are receiving the safest and highest quality food. In addition, we can meet changing requirements quickly and without doing a lot of heavy lifting. We are excited to grow our business with iTrades free offer, comments Bob Wright, GM at VegFresh Farms In addition to protecting a suppliers brands during recalls and enabling critical downstream supply chain visibility, iTrades traceability solutions help grow its customers businesses. Data from a yearlong pilot with a major inustry buyer showed that suppliers adopting iTrade traceability increased their trading volumes by an average of 55 percent in just 12 months. Additionally, a sample of just four new growers added a combined $10 million in revenue over the same period.



The world would be a better place if everyone knew where their food came from, says Rhonda Bassett-Spiers, CEO of iTradeNetwork. Consumers are choosing brands that can ensure the safety of their food and we are excited to have VegFresh Farms join us in creating the worlds safest food supply chain. Companies interested in adopting iTrades iTracefresh traceability suite and enjoying the first year, free of charge, should visit https://www.itradenetwork.com/itracefresh/item/ . The promotional package includes two of iTrade s products: its Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) case labeling solution, and its Palletized Advanced Ship Notice (ASN) solution, Transit. Qualifying companies may also receive the free field kit hardware package that includes a printer, two mobile devices, and 10,000 labels to help them get started on iTracefresh.

Committed to safe and fresh produce from farm to table, VegFresh Farms has been family-owned and family-operated for over thirty years. Partnering with farmers throughout California and Mexico, they provide year-round conventional and organic produce while also maintaining environmentally conscious practices, from sourcing more than half of their power from solar panels to donating over 40,000lbs of produce annually. Veg-Fresh Farms has a proven track record in superior service, on-time deliveries, consistent high-quality product, and unsurpassed customer service. Contact:

Bryn McFadden

925-660-1100

[email protected]

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That if I were to give in to the pressure and give in to the shakedown that was done to me, that I would be violating my oath of office to fight for the Constitution and fight for the rule of law and keep my promises to (the public), he said.  Cause I didnt do the things they said I did. And they lied on me.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. The first civilian flight in eight years landed at the Aleppo airport on February 19th as the Syrian government recently announced they have wrested the region around the city back from terrorists.

The ministers of transport and tourism were both on the Syrian Air Airbus A320 carrying 120 passengers that flew from Damascus. The Syrian authorities are planning to launch regular flights from the Aleppo International Airport to Damascus and Egypts Cairo.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
After giving us Singham and Simmba, Rohit Shetty is going all out for his third cop drama Sooryavanshi with Akshay Kumar in the lead. And now looks like the director already has something on his mind, on whats going to be post his much awaited Sooryavanshi. Recently, Rohit Shetty was asked what will be his next outing in the cop universe after Sooryavanshi and the filmmaker proudly said that post the Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif starrer he's going to bring Singham back with its third instalment. Ajay Devgn was casted as Singham in 2011 and the film went on to become a blockbuster. The filmmaker even had a sequel to it, and the effect was same at the box-office. Singham is known for his righteous act and his good heart. Singham 2 had released in 2014 and its been a long time, weve not had this hot cop on screen who gave us the popular line, aata majhi satakli!

While Rohit Shettys Sooryavanshi releases next month, Ajay Devgns roaring at the box-office with Tanhaji. The actors last release is unstoppable at the ticket window. This hit actor-director duo are surely going to go a notch higher for the third part of Singham. We are just waiting for an official announcement to happen soon.



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She's never shied away from her sultry side.

But Bella Thorne took a more chaste approach to fashion while filming her new project Habit in LA on Monday.

The 22-year-old actress was spotted wearing a nun's habit and standing in front of a classic car as the cameras rolled.

Getting into the habit: Bella Thorne traded her usually sultry attire for a nun's habit as she shot a new project in LA on Monday

Interestingly, she paired the religious attire with some classic Converse sneakers.

With her, Bella carried a handbell and a teal bucket which was decorated with a cross.

Cameras followed the multihypenate as she confronted a male character, who appeared to cover at the nun's feet in fear.

Holy roller: Bella kept up the faith in a traditional looking black and white habit

Hellraiser: Cameras followed the multihypenate as she confronted a male character, who appeared to cover at the nun's feet in fear

Later on Bella took to Instagram to share an in-costume selfie, which she captioned: 'Nun -ya-business. New week new movie' along with a rose emoji.

Unfortunately, there are details about the upcoming project are scarce. Habit doesn't even an IMDB page at this point.

But Bella has tons of other projects in the works right now. The star is currently filming the Malin Akerman-fronted action comedy Chick Fight, in addition to the thriller Masquerade.

Meanwhile, Thorne has four different film projects in the post-production stage: Leave Not One Alive, Southland, Girl, and The Babysitter 2.

Nunya: Later on Bella took to Instagram to share an in-costume selfie, which she captioned: 'Nun -ya-business. New week new movie' along with a rose emoji'

Heavyweight: Bella is currently filming the Malin Akerman-fronted action comedy Chick Fight, in addition to the thriller Masquerade

The former Disney Channel star will also soon return to TV with the upcoming series Paradise City.

The show, which is based off the world of the 2017 supernatural thriller American Satan, will also feature the talents of Olivia Culpo, Fairuza Balk, Drea de Matteo and Brittany Furlan.

Paradise City, which is set for a 2020 release, also marks one of late actor Cameron Boyce's final roles.
Melody Rose

Rose, Ph.D., of Rose Strategies, LLC, is a consultant for higher-education and nonprofit institutions.

Hearts are broken again in Oregon with the news of another college closure. While it may seem that the closures hitting our fair state are unexpected, the east coast and Midwest have been experiencing these losses for some time. And the trend is not likely to let up.

Like many other sectors, higher education is facing major disruption through this fourth industrial revolution. Understanding this disruption and why it leads to the current trend of college closures requires an explanation of the challenges the industry faces. Having overseen the seven public universities as chancellor of the Oregon University System, and later working as president to bring the small, struggling Marylhurst University to a graceful end, I have experienced these trends up close. Now as a consultant working nationally to provide college boards and presidents the insights they need to be future-ready, I see universities struggling with these trends every day.

We can easily separate the pressures colleges face into two categories: supply challenges and demand challenges.

Nationally, demand for a college degree has waned. There are nearly three million fewer college-going students than there were in 2011 at the nations peak enrollment, due to declining birth rates and other factors. This fact forces colleges to scramble to attract fewer students, which is in part why we see more aggressive enrollment practices. For smaller colleges, which may rely on tuition for more than 90% of their revenue, even a small fall-off in matriculation can have a sudden, devastating impact on financial sustainability.

Demand for higher education at four-year institutions is also threatened because students and their families are beginning to question the value of a four-year degree versus the price they pay for it. In the wake of the Great Recession, the new generation is simply more price-sensitive than previous students, and they want to know their education will result in a job. Colleges with low brand recognition or unclear linkages to employment struggle particularly within this environment.

Finally, suburban and religiously-affiliated colleges are less popular today for most demographic groups, adding even more challenges for colleges in these categories.

Share your opinion Submit your essay of 500-700 words on a highly topical issue or a theme of particular relevance to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and the Portland area to commentary@oregonian.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification.

These demand-side challenges for Americas colleges and universities are met with equally daunting supply-side hurdles. While it may seem as though the supply of colleges is going down through closures, that slide is not happening in proportion to the loss of students overall. And what is more: there is new competition for Americas traditional four-year institutions.

About half the states in the nation are in the process of extending the right to confer bachelor degrees to their community colleges, creating new competition for the four-year institutions. In the 2019 legislative session, Oregon took a step in that direction with SB 3, which allows Oregon's 17 community colleges to offer applied baccalaureate or targeted four-year degree programs, subject to approval by the states Higher Education Coordinating Commission. And what is more, corporate America has also stepped up to provide job-ready educational offerings that provide training and often direct entry to employment. Neither of these trends is expected to taper off soon.

The pressures described above will not abate soon. The decline in the aggregate number of high school graduates is actually expected to accelerate in 2025, when the babies born in 2007, the start of the Great Recession, become college age. As we might expect, the overall U.S. birth rate took a steep decline that year and has never recovered.

These trends show up in the Northwest in interesting ways. On the one hand, the population in Oregon continues to climb, though at a slower rate. Rising population is due in part to in-migration from chillier climates, where the college closure trend originated. As well, there are certain sub-populations, such as the Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander communities, with birth rates that will provide for more college-eligible young people. Oregon also claims a significant number of adults with college credits but no degrees. Oregon colleges and universities are wisely responding to these growth opportunities in their marketing and student support efforts, and some have pursued strategic affiliations that will see them through a period of stagnant (or even declining) enrollment.

Unfortunately, we should steel ourselves for more contraction in the industry. Regulators and policymakers are trying to anticipate this continued trend while contemplating changes that would better protect students and employees in such cases. As we await those protections, the closure trend will sadly continue nationwide. We must extend grace to all affected. Through transfer agreements and employee off-boarding, college boards facing closure decisions should hold students and employees at the heart of their decision-making.
While most social media influencers try and leverage their follower base to move up into acting roles in web series, television, music videos or movies, Sameeksha Sud did the opposite. I myself didnt believe that being a social media influencer was a job, says the former television actress who started out making Musically videos in between takes on set. That was three years ago. Today she has 18.6 million followers on Tik Tok, brand deals with Pepsi, Lays, Redbus and several others.

Though Tik Tok as a platform is often shunned for its content, one cannot deny the mass appeal it enjoys with over 120 million active users in India. The Bytedance-owned app lets users create 15-second videos and has surpassed Whatsapp, Instagram, and Facebook to become the most downloaded app on iOS and android.

Sameeksha, who posts about seven or eight videos on a daily basis with two other group members, Bhavin Bhanushali and Vishal Pandey, says that this mass appeal comes from more relaxed regulations and a more informal space compared to the classier and more selective Instagram. The trio also has a Youtube channel with 6,95,000 subscribers.

When it comes to translating Tik Tok fame onto other platforms, Samiksha says that posting content on a consistent schedule is key. Apart from that, keeping an eye out for trends and tweaking them to suit your target audience will work as well.

But at a time when trends are so fleeting and social media is almost saturated with content creators, how does one manage to stay relevant? Figure out what kind of content you want to create and be consistent in putting it out. On Tik Tok, I spend almost four hours watching videos to understand what trends are working and how I can use them in my own videos, for example, if I had to make a video today, it would be centred around Valentines Day and the Pulwama Attack, or any festival because we have so many of them in India.

If youre a college student looking for more social media traction or just an active user looking to transition into that social media influencer space, now you know what to do.
[February 19, 2020] Medable Forms Patient Advisory Council to Advocate for Patient Access, Experience, and Outcomes in Clinical Trials

Medable Inc., the leading software provider for decentralized clinical trials, today announced the launch of its Patient Advisory Council (PAC) - a nationwide network of advocates who will advise Medable and its biopharma customers on ways to improve patient access, experience, and outcomes in clinical trials. The PAC is a network of expert patient advocates, advisors, and caregivers with diverse backgrounds in patient engagement and a strong understanding of patient preferences. The patient-led council is dedicated to improving clinical trial access and efficiency by embedding patient voices and perspectives into every facet of clinical trials, with the goal of bringing innovative, life-improving therapies to more patients at a faster pace. The PAC will identify and prioritize potential hurdles for patients in the clinical trial process, particularly in the areas of trial burden, quality of life, and patient outcomes. Medable will then incorporate that perspective into its digital platform for decentralized trials - and share that patient insight with key stakeholders including healthcare providers, biopharma companies, and clinical research organizations. Original PAC member, T.J. Sharpe, a melanoma cancer survivor and patient advocate, has been working closely with Medable leaders Jena Daniels (Director of Research) and Ingrid Oakley-Girvan (Senior Vice President of Research and Strategy) to develop the framework, initial guidelines, and best practices for how Medable can best incorporate the patient perspective. "Embedding patient insights into product offerings and clinical trial development is slowly replacing 'limited patient interaction' as the model for patient engagement," said Sharpe. "As a disruptor in the market, Medable has fully adopted this progressive concept to ensure their integrated platform includes patient input at every level." Patient advocate, and founder of One Rare, Jennifer McNary will serve as the Medable PAC Chair for 2020, providing leadership guidance and development to its growing membership.



"As the mother of three sons living with rare diseases, an educator, and a patient advocate with 15 years of experience in clinical trials, I am excited to chair Medable's PAC," said McNary. "Patient and caregiver insight is important to the development of real-world solutions that can drive innovation and research. By bringing the patient voice into the clinical trial process, we can help create a better patient experience, increase engagement and address tougher-to-populate rare disease trials." PAC member Joni Venticinque is a two-time breast cancer survivor and advocate who brings her first-hand experience and the experience of other patients to the PAC: "I joined Medable's PAC to bring the patient perspective to research proposals and studies. By representing the collective views of survivors, patients, family members, and persons affected by cancer and other conditions, the PAC will aim to evaluate clinical trials and research study proposals for relevance to patient needs and concerns. By asking questions to clarify study design, risks, benefits, and rationale for the proposed research, patient advocates ensure clinical studies are patient-centered with outcomes relevant and meaningful to their care."

Richie Kahn, a PAC member who was diagnosed with glaucoma last year, said, "As a health policy wonk by training, a clinical researcher by choice, and patient advocate by necessity, I came to the Medable PAC to learn from the patient community and incorporate patient perspective across the clinical trial landscape. For years, patient-centricity was a hot topic in the industry but very little was actually being done. Medable's goal is to change all that by incorporating the patient voice and ultimately accelerating clinical trial timelines." "By giving patients and caregivers a much-needed voice in trial design and execution, life science companies can improve patient access, experience, and outcomes," said Dr. Michelle Longmire, CEO & co-founder of Medable. "This is a unique opportunity for key stakeholders across the clinical trial landscape to work together and contribute their insights and experience to accelerate innovation. By integrating patient perspectives within our digital trials platform, we hope to offer patients a more human experience." For patients or caregivers who would like to get involved with Medable's PAC, please contact Jena Daniels (Director of Research) at [email protected]. About Medable Medable is on a mission to reduce clinical trial timelines by 50 percent. The company's digital platform streamlines design, recruitment, retention and data quality for decentralized trials, replacing siloed systems with integrated digital tools, data and interfaces to accelerate trial execution. Medable connects patients, sites and clinical trial teams to improve patient access, experience, and outcomes. Medable is a privately held, venture-backed company headquartered in Palo Alto (News - Alert), California. For more information, visit www.medable.com and follow @Medableinc on Twitter (News - Alert). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005346/en/

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  February 19, 2020  Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Jack in the Box Inc. JACK, TPG Specialty Lending Inc. TSLX, Nordson Corp. NDSN, Hormel Foods Corp. HRL and Builders FirstSource Inc. BLDR.

Here are highlights from Tuesdays Analyst Blog:

Buy 5 Top Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates This Week

The fourth-quarter 2019 earnings releases have been showing steady improvement so far. Below we discuss five top-ranked mid-cap stocks that are poised to beat earnings estimates this week.

Better-Than-Expected Fourth-Quarter Earnings So Far

Fourth-quarter 2019 earnings results have been improving significantly. In fact, overall earnings expectations have rebounded and are in positive territory. As of Feb 14, 388 S&P 500 members reported fourth-quarter earnings results. Total earnings of these companies are up 1.3% from the same period last year on 4.8% higher revenues. Of the total, 72.9% surpassed EPS estimates while 66.2% outpaced revenue estimates.

Overall, fourth-quarter 2019 earnings for the S&P 500 Index were projected to be up 0.8% year over year on 4.3% higher revenues. This suggests a complete turnaround from earnings decline of 3.2% year over year on 3.5% higher revenues, projected at the beginning of the reporting cycle. (Read More: Key Takeaways from the Q4 Earnings Season)

5 Stocks Set to Surpass Earnings Estimates

We have narrowed down our search to five companies that are gearing up to release their earnings results this week. Each of these stocks carry either a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and has a positive Earnings ESP. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Our research shows that for stocks with the combination of a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better and a positive Earnings ESP, the chance of an earnings beat is as high as 70%. These stocks are expected to soar after earnings release. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Story continues

Jack in the Box Inc.is a restaurant company that operates and franchises through Jack in the Box quick-service restaurants, and is one of the nations largest hamburger chains. The company has an Earnings ESP of +1.56% for first-quarter fiscal 2020 (ended December).

Jack in the Box has an expected earnings growth rate of 4.1% for the current year (ending September 2020). The trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise is 4.9%, on average. The Zacks Rank #2 company is set to release earnings results on Feb 19, after the closing bell.

TPG Specialty Lending Inc.is a specialty finance company. It is focused on providing fully-underwritten capital solutions to middle market companies. The company has an Earnings ESP of +4.26% for fourth-quarter 2019.

TPG Specialty Lending has an expected earnings growth rate of 2.9% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 1% over the last 30 days. The trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise is 9.2%, on average. The Zacks Rank #2 company is set to release earnings results on Feb 19, after the closing bell.

Nordson Corp.engineers, manufactures, and markets products and systems to dispense, apply, and control adhesives, coatings, polymers, sealants, biomaterials, and other fluids worldwide. The company has an Earnings ESP of +2.10% for first-quarter fiscal 2020 (ended January).

Nordson has an expected earnings growth rate of 1.7% for the current year (ending October 2020). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 1% over the last 30 days. The Zacks Rank #2 company is set to release quarterly numbers on Feb 19, after the closing bell.

Hormel Foods Corp.produces and markets various meat and food products to retail, foodservice, deli, and commercial customers in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Grocery Products, Refrigerated Foods, Jennie-O Turkey Store and International & Other. The company has an Earnings ESP of +1.10% for first-quarter fiscal 2020 (ended January).

Hormel Foods has an expected earnings growth rate of 2.9% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 0.6% over the last 30 days. The trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise is 2.6%, on average. The Zacks Rank #2 company is set to release earnings results on Feb 20, before the opening bell.

Builders FirstSource Inc.manufactures and supplies building materials, manufactured components, and construction services to professional homebuilders, sub-contractors, remodelers, and consumers in the United States. It operates through four segments: Northeast, Southeast, South and West. The company has an Earnings ESP of +1.45% for fourth-quarter 2019.

Builders FirstSource has an expected earnings growth rate of 7.4% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 0.5% over the last 30 days. The trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise is 28.20%, on average. The Zacks Rank #1 company is set to release financial numbers on Feb 20, after the closing bell.

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Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Wednesday paid tribute to Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his birth anniversary.

This year's Shivaji Jayanti marks the 390th birth anniversary of the great Maratha warrior.

Interacting with reporters on the occasion, the Governor said," I want to request to all the people of the country, that we all should draw inspiration from the lives of such great human beings."

Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi also paid to tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter to pay tribute to the great ruler and said," Bowing to one of the greatest sons of Mother India, the embodiment of courage, compassion, and good governance, the exceptional Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his Jayanti. His life continues to motivate millions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Savers with Britain's largest building society could win 100 in a new prize draw.

Nationwide's Start to Save account offers quarterly prize draws with payouts of 100 to lucky savers as well as 1 per cent interest.

The aim is to encourage people to build a rainy-day fund.

Nationwide's Start to Save account offers quarterly prize draws with payouts of 100 to lucky savers as well as 1 per cent interest

The new account supports the Government-sponsored Money and Pensions Service target to persuade millions more who struggle to save regularly. More than 11 million people in the UK have less than 100 in savings.

Nationwide will have four prize draws. The first will be in July, with the others following at three- monthly intervals.

To be eligible for the draws you must increase your balance by 50 a month prior to the draw.

Nationwide says the odds of winning are, at worst, one in 67  far better then Premium Bonds, where the odds will drop to one in 26,000 in May.

The more people save, the more prizes there will be, which means the odds could drop.

The total prize fund for each draw will be 1 per cent of the total balance increases on qualifying Start to Save accounts in the three months leading up to the draw.

The account is available online and open to all savers in England, Scotland and Wales.

It is not available in Northern Ireland because legislation there does not allow it to offer a prize draw.

sy.morris@dailymail.co.uk
MIAMI - U.S. authorities have arrested a Mexican citizen they say was hired by a Russian government official to locate the vehicle of a U.S. government source in the Miami area and inform the Russian of its location.

A Justice Department statement issued Tuesday on the arrest of Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes did not indicate why a member of the Russian government sought such information. The U.S. government source, who might be better described as an informant, was not identified.

Fuentes was arrested and charged with acting within the United States on behalf of a foreign government  in this case, Russia  without notifying the U.S. attorney general, and conspiracy to do the same, according to the Justice Department. A pretrial detention hearing was set for Friday in U.S. magistrate court in Miami and arraignment for March 3 in the same court.

The case involved the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection as well as an assistant attorney general for national security and the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

According to the Justice Department, a Russian government official recruited Fuentes, a resident of Singapore, in 2019. The Russian official later directed Fuentes to rent a specific property in Miami-Dade County, Florida, but not in his own name, the Justice Department said.

Fuentes travelled twice to Moscow to meet with the official, the Justice Department said, and during the second meeting received a physical description of the U.S. government sources vehicle. The Russian official told Fuentes to locate the car, obtain the sources vehicle license plate number, and note the physical location of the sources vehicle with the goal of providing that information in April or May.

The Justice Department said Fuentes, having travelled from Mexico City to Miami last Thursday, attracted the attention of a security guard where the U.S. government source resided because his rental car entered the premises while tailgating another vehicle. A person with Fuentes then photographed the sources vehicle and license plate, the Justice Department said.

Customs and Border Protection stopped Fuentes and his companion when they appeared at Miamis airport Sunday night to return to Mexico City. Fuentes admitted to law enforcement officers that he was directed by a Russian government official to conduct the operation, the Justice Department said.
An Iowa man is accused of forcing a woman to watch the miniseries "Roots," purportedly to better understand her racism.

The man, Robert Lee Noye, 52, faces charges of harassment and false imprisonment, according to Greg Buelow, the public safety spokesman for Cedar Rapids.

IMAGE: Robert Lee Noye

On Monday, Cedar Rapids police were sent to an area in the city for an open-line 911 call "with lots of screaming," police said in a statement.

Dispatchers and officers were able to find the home by using GPS. When they arrived, an intoxicated man, later identified as Noye, answered the door, police said.

A 37-year-old woman and her 12-year-old daughter were found crying inside, police said.

The woman told police that Noye had been assaulting her all night and had made her sit with him to watch the miniseries "Roots," based on Alex Haley's bestselling book "Roots: The Saga of an American Family," which drew attention to the brutality of slavery. The miniseries aired on ABC in 1977 and won a host of awards, including multiple Emmys and a Peabody.

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The woman said that when she tried to move, Noye told her to remain seated and made threats to kill her.

She was eventually able to call 911 and leave the line open, according to police.

Noye was arrested and taken to the Linn County Jail. He was not listed as an inmate as of Tuesday evening.
A major retrospective will open Wednesday in Berkeley, displaying quilts by internationally known Richmond resident Rosie Lee Tompkins, according to the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.

Nearly 70 works by Tompkins, who died in 2006, will be available to view at the museum and film archive through July 19. The museum is located at 2155 Center St. and galleries open at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Dozens of quilts that have never been seen will be on display in the largest ever retrospective of work by Tompkins, who contributed more than 500 quilts to a collection by Eli Leon, an Oakland psychologist, collector and art scholar.

Leon later donated his whole collection to the Berkeley museum and film archive. He died in 2018.

A patient at Queen of the Valley Medical Center was Napa County's first confirmed case of the COVID-2019 (novel coronavirus) and a second patient at the hospital has symptoms, according to the county's public health division and the hospital.

Neither patient is a Napa County resident. Both patients were under quarantine on the Diamond Princess cruise ship and were flown to Japan, then to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. They were taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center Monday, Napa County spokesman Noel Brinkerhoff said.

Among the passengers who were tested two or three days before Sunday, 14 tested positive for the virus, according to the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Seven of the cruise ship passengers flown to Travis Air Force Base were identified as needing testing or hospitalization and five of them were sent to hospitals in Solano County, Brinkerhoff said. Due to a limited number of isolation beds in Solano County, two people were taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center.

The confirmed case tested positive for the virus in Japan but has not experienced any symptoms associated with the virus so far. The patient under investigation for the virus tested negative while in Japan, but is experiencing symptoms and is being tested.

A spokesman for San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said Tuesday that city lawyers disagree with an appeals court ruling last week upholding a $5 million verdict in a whistleblower case, but have not yet decided whether to appeal further.

"We're evaluating our next steps," said spokesman John Cote.

In a decision issued Thursday, a state Court of Appeal panel in San Francisco upheld a 2017 Superior Court jury award of $2.6 million in damages and $2.4 million in attorney's fees for former Chief Trial Attorney Joanne Hoeper of the City Attorney's Office.

Hoeper claimed she was fired in retaliation for her investigation in 2012 of payments made by the city to plumbing companies to repair sewer lines damaged by tree roots.

Herrera contended the reason was dissatisfaction with her handling of other matters dating back several years.

Homicide detectives were investigating the discovery of a body Tuesday afternoon in unincorporated Santa Clara County, sheriff's officials said.

Sheriff's deputies responded at 3:47 p.m. to a home on Mountain View Avenue near Gordon Avenue after a report that a person there might be dead.

When deputies arrived they found a dead woman. No other details were available from sheriff's officials.

Santa Clara County hospitals remain inundated by short staffing and lack of incentives to keep workers in the county's healthcare offices and departments, disgruntled union employees said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

County workers with Service Employees International Union Local 521 held a news conference at noon Tuesday outside the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center emergency room in San Jose.

SEIU Local 521 employees have been without new contracts since June and have demanded the county address short staffing in government offices throughout the South Bay to no avail.

The union authorized and executed strikes throughout the county last year following the previous contract expiration. While strikes have ceased, a new contract for county workers has not been ratified and the union says it has kept local residents from receiving timely and quality health care.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's board of directors on Tuesday unanimously approved a new Curb Management Strategy, which aims to revamp the city's curb functions and address congestion along city streets.

According to the SFMTA, although the agency's current Color Curb Program creates loading and short-term parking zones, it fails to address the needs of trucks, taxis, ride hailing vehicles, food delivery services, or drivers trying to simply drop off a family member.

As a result, the SFMTA has seen an increase in double parking, circling and other unsafe driving behaviors. Additionally, the spread of bike and transit lanes across the city has created the need to readdress the issue.

The Curb Management Strategy is considered the first comprehensive strategy in the nation, recommending specific changes to state and local legislation around citywide curbs.

In a letter sent to the SFMTA Tuesday, Mayor London Breed called on the agency to develop proposals for congestion pricing and Sunday and weekend parking meters as part of the strategy.

Police were looking for two suspects in an Oakland home invasion robbery attempt that transpired Monday morning.

At about 7:40 a.m., the pair -- one of whom was armed with a gun -- somehow got into a house on Grand View Drive in an alleged effort to rob it, according to Oakland police.

The homeowner was able to escape into a locked room and call the police and the suspects fled without taking anything, police said.

No injuries were reported and police didn't provide a description of the suspects.

At least one person has been arrested following a high-speed pursuit that started on Pleasanton city streets and ended after the suspects allegedly went the wrong way on northbound Interstate Highway 680 and caused a traffic collision early Wednesday, according to Pleasanton police.

The pursuit started at about 12:05 a.m. when an officer attempted to pull the vehicle over for moving and equipment violations, according to Sgt. Steven Ayers.

The vehicle fled and committed several traffic violations, at one point going southbound in the northbound lanes of I-680, and at which point officers terminated the pursuit, according to Ayers.

Soon after, the suspects ditched the vehicle on the freeway and a northbound vehicle struck it, Ayers said. The driver of the vehicle that struck the suspected pursuit vehicle was uninjured.

One suspect was arrested outside the vehicle at the scene, but per Ayers, isn't being identified. The officer who was pursuing the suspect's vehicle believed there to be more than one person inside, but according to Ayers, no other suspects have been immediately located.

All lanes in both directions of Interstate Highway 680 were closed as the California Highway Patrol and Pleasanton police investigated the scene. All lanes were cleared at 2:19 a.m. after the closure was in effect at 12:36 a.m.

Wednesday will be partly cloudy in the morning, then becoming sunny. Highs will be near 60. West winds will be 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday night will be mostly cloudy. Lows will be in the mid 40s to lower 50s. West winds will be 5 to 10 mph, before becoming northeast winds at 10 to 15 mph after midnight.

Thursday will be mostly cloudy. Highs will be in the upper 50s to mid 60s. Northeast winds will be 5 to 10 mph, before becoming north winds in the afternoon.

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 operation at phoenixNAP is world-class, and thats driven by the quality of their team. We have enormous respect for their people and trust in their expertise, so phoenixNAP was an easy choice to launch this exciting new phase of our business," said Jeff Wheelhouse, GridFury.

phoenixNAP, a global IT services provider offering security-focused cloud infrastructure, dedicated servers, colocation, and specialized Infrastructure-as-a-Service technology solutions, announced today the establishment of GridFury internet connectivity at their flagship data center in Phoenix, Arizona. As a data center carrier, GridFury will provide phoenixNAPs clients with direct access to its highly redundant network at affordable prices.

GridFurys IP network, originally designed to support the demanding performance and availability requirements of its managed infrastructure customers, will now provide IP transit and DIA (dedicated internet access) options at phoenixNAP from 1 Gbps to 10+10Gbps at highly competitive prices starting under $1,000 per month. With a point of presence in phoenixNAPs data center, GridFury significantly improves service stability and access options for our data center customers.

We have been working with GridFury for years and we are excited to welcome it as a carrier to our flagship data center, said Ian McClarty, president at phoenixNAP. GridFury has a robust and cost-effective carrier connectivity option, which I believe our clients will find very valuable. We are looking forward to the future expansions of GridFury in the carrier ecosystem.

With its highly-redundant local and long-haul IP network, including connections to multiple Tier 1 backbones, regional providers, and extensive peering, GridFury aims to provide turnkey connectivity that redefines the relationship between quality and price. GridFurys IP transit and DIA are currently available from five locations in Arizona and Massachusetts, with phoenixNAP being a strategic location for its future expansion.

As a connectivity hub for Phoenix, phoenixNAP interconnects with all major domestic and international fiber routes. Its carrier-neutral Meet-Me-Room in Phoenix is home to 40 network, bandwidth, and telecommunications carriers at a SOC 1, SOC 2, and PCI certified facility. Providing the highest standards of security and a global reach (through 15 data center locations and PoPs), phoenixNAP supports growth of different sized organizations.

Our previous experience with phoenixNAP left no space for doubt that they are the best location for our expansion, said Jeff Wheelhouse, general manager at GridFury. The operation at phoenixNAP is world-class, and thats driven by the quality of their team. We have enormous respect for their people and trust in their expertise, so phoenixNAP was an easy choice to launch this exciting new phase of our business. We are thrilled to expand our partnership and look forward to providing the high level of quality that phoenixNAP customers expect.

About phoenixNAP

phoenixNAP is a global IT services provider with a focus on cybersecurity and compliance-readiness, whose progressive Infrastructure-as-a-Service solutions are delivered from strategic locations worldwide. Its cloud, dedicated servers, hardware leasing, and colocation options are built to meet ever-evolving IT businesses requirements. Providing comprehensive disaster recovery solutions, DDoS-protected global network, and hybrid IT deployments with software and hardware-based security, phoenixNAP fully supports its clients business continuity plans. Offering scalable and resilient opex solutions with expert staff to assist, phoenixNAP supports growth and innovation for businesses of all sizes, enabling their digital transformation.

phoenixNAP is a Premier Service Provider in the VMware Cloud Provider Program and a Platinum Veeam Cloud & Service Provider partner. phoenixNAP is also a PCI DSS Validated Service Provider and its flagship facility is SOC Type 1 and SOC Type 2 audited.

See all phoenixNAP's colocation carriers here.

About GridFury

GridFury started in 2007 as a provider of managed Internet infrastructure focused on the highly-demanding needs of hosting companies, tech startups, and independent game developers. Over time, GridFury has expanded their network, and now offers IP transit and DIA at five locations in the U.S. Please visit https://www.gridfury.com/ for more information.
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.
Who has jars of tongues stored underneath their home?

Apparently, a former University of Florida researcher.

At least six gallon-sized jars of preserved human remains, mainly tongues, were found under a home in Gainesville, Florida Monday afternoon, according to police. The remains were found by a worker who was inspecting the homes foundation.

Labels on the jars date most of the remains from the late 1960s, said Gainesville Police Chief Inspector Jorge Campos.

The woman who owns the home said the remains were part of her ex-husbands research when he worked at UF, Campos said. She said he stored the specimens inside the home, reportedly under the floorboards, because of the cool temperatures. When they divorced, he moved out and left them behind.

He forgot they were there. So did she, Campos said.

Local TV news station WCJB, which provides news for the Gainesville area, has identified the researcher as UF emeritus professor Dr. Ronald Baughman. He worked in the College of Dentistry from 1971 until he retired in 2002, a university spokesman confirmed to the Miami Herald.

Reached by phone, the former professor declined to comment on the discovery.

Campos says investigators believe the remains were part of Baughmans research, but they have collected the tongue-filled jars and shipped them to the medical examiners office. Theyll try to confirm the identity and age of the remains and determine whether they were meant for research.

With the University of Florida being here, its something we sometimes see but not frequently, said Campos, who says officers have occasionally found strange items in the city through the years because of the amount of researchers who reside at UF and the nearby hospitals.

The medical examiners findings will determine if the investigation continues or not.

READ MORE
A Delhi-based tourist guide was found dead on Wednesday morning under mysterious circumstances in a village in Rajasthan's Udaipur district, police said.

The body of Anurag Patwa, said to be around 34 years, was found in the middle of a road near a hotel in Nai village, they said.

The body has injury marks and it appears that he was murdered with some sharp-edged weapon, SHO of Nai police station Mukesh Soni said.

The body was shifted to a hospital for post-mortem, he added.

The deceased worked as a tourist guide in New Delhi. He was a resident of Rampura area of Udaipur. He left his house in his car late on Tuesday night and the body was recovered the following morning, the SHO further said.

The vehicle is missing and the matter is being investigated, the policeman added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Mike Bloomberg, the "former Republican," has qualified for Nevada's Wednesday-night Democrat debate. This is by virtue of polls such as the latest NPR/PBS/Marist poll, which shows nationwide that the self-funding billionaire is in second place at 19 percent behind the leader, Bernie Sanders, with 31 percent. Joe Biden is hovering in third place at 15 percent.

Bloomberg's presence will make the debate especially interesting to watch. He has shot up in the polls due to spending over $300 million in advertising and staffing. Considering that Mini-Mike was polling around three percent just a few months ago, this is a dramatic rise. And it has come at the expense of all the other candidates except Sanders, who has a comfortable lead in all sections of the country, according to the NPR/PBS/Marist poll.

But Bloomberg's numbers may be soft. So far, he has had smooth sailing. Up to now, the other candidates have been mostly focusing their fire on each other, not him. That will change on Wednesday night. If Joe Biden (15%), Elizabeth Warren (12%), Amy Klobuchar (9%), and Pete Biuttigieg (8%) hope to have any chance of remaining viable, they have to take serious bites out of Bloomberg. Sanders as well should be motivated to go after Bloomberg. The billionaire represents everything that Crazy Bernie and his followers absolutely detest about politics  namely, the use of money to buy the nomination and even the Democrat Party itself.

Bloomberg has given his opponents ample ammunition with which to attack him. There are numerous videos of him disparaging blacks and even farmers. These past positions and comments cannot be swept aside with cheap apologies. And if Bloomberg thinks buying off some black ministers and politicians will insulate him, he's in for a rude awakening.

An open question is how far the NBC/MSNBC debate moderators will go to protect Bloomberg. He is, after all, the Democratic establishment's candidate of choice to stop Sanders now that the corrupt and addled Biden is fading. The five moderators include Lester Holt and Chuck Todd. Given the way the world works, one can be forgiven for wondering how much money and influence Bloomberg has expended, both directly and indirectly, to be given protection and deference in the debate.

Will Bloomberg be roughed up in the debate? Is he as vulnerable as he appears on paper? Will his poll numbers take a hit after Wednesday night? Those are critical signs. Super Tuesday is just around the corner on March 3. That's when primary races will be held in 14 states and one territory (American Samoa), and approximately one third of the pledged delegates for the Democrat National Convention in Milwaukee will be selected. This upcoming Nevada debate will cast a long shadow on Super Tuesday, which in turn casts its own shadow on the national convention.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex depart Canada House on January 07, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit Tembisa township to learn about Youth Employment Services (YES) on October 2, 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex leave Windsor Castle in the Ascot Landau carriage during a procession after getting married at St Georges Chapel on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Phil Noble - WPA/Getty Images)

Britain's Duke and Duchess of Sussex's use of the label "Sussex Royal" is being reviewed following their decision to step down from official duties.

Talks involving the Queen and senior officials are ongoing about the couple's use of the brand as they prepare to start their new life outside royal duties, the Daily Mail reported.

Harry and Meghan's popular Instagram account uses the name Sussex Royal, as does a website set up by the couple after their decision to quit the monarchy in favour of financial freedom.

A royal source said the future use of the term by Harry and Meghan "needed to be reviewed" and that discussions were ongoing.

Expand Close Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit Tembisa township to learn about Youth Employment Services (YES) on October 2, 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa / Facebook

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"As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are stepping back as senior members of the royal family and will work towards financial independence, use of the word 'royal', in this context, needed to be reviewed," the source said.

"As part of the process to transition the Duke and Duchess of Sussex into their new chapter, planning has been well underway around the launch of their new non profit organisation."

Read More

The Sussexes are living in Canada with their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor as they prepare to drop their HRH styles and quit the monarchy.

Buckingham Palace said their new life away from royal duties would begin in the spring of this year.

Harry and Meghan first used the Sussex Royal name when they created their own household, following a split from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Kensington Palace.
University College Cork is the latest third level institution to confirm it is increasing rents in campus accommodation.

Students living in UCC-run accommodation will see their rents increase by 3% for the 2020/21 academic year.

The decision comes amid announcements of similar rent hikes at other universities around the country.

Students at University College Dublin staged a rally calling on the college to reverse a planned increase in campus rents of 12% over the next three years.

A UCC spokesman said money generated from on-campus accommodation is put back into the facilities.

"Due to major refurbishing work, the rise in security and maintenance costs, and the investment required to provide additional accommodation for students, Campus Accommodation UCC has decided to raise its campus accommodation rates by 3% for 2020/21. Income generated by Campus Accommodation is exclusively used by the company to meet such costs," he said.

"UCC is extremely conscious of the financial challenges faced by students and has decided to undertake to review the applicability of the 2020/21 increase for students in receipt of student assistance funding.

"Any changes to Campus Accommodation rates are considered together with the student representatives on the Campus Accommodation Board."

UCC has five accommodation complexes. It is in the process of building a new student development on the site of the former Crow's Nest bar in Victoria Cross, which will include an additional 255 student beds.

Even with the increase, UCC's accommodation "remains significantly below" the cost of privately-owned student accommodation in Cork city, the spokesman added.

Sinn Fein TD Donnchadh O Laoghaire

Sinn Fein TD Donnchadh O Laoghaire has criticised the rent increases at Irish third-level institutions. UCC's announcement follows similar decisions by UCD, DCU, NUIG, NUIM, UL and TCD.

Mr O Laoghaire said: "Many students will now wonder how they can afford to live in Dublin, Cork, Galway, or any of the major cities.

"We recognise that there is a funding crisis for third Level institutions, however, making it harder for low-income students to attend third level is not a solution."

Meanwhile, some 154 new student beds have been granted permission in a 25-apartment structure in Victoria Cross.

The eight-storey private apartment block will be constructed at the former Kelleher's Tyre Service Centre, close to UCC.
The anti-CAA, NRC NPR protesters including women have erected a small pandal on the pavement in front of secretariat. Human rights activists, cultural leaders and people from various walks of life are holding 24X7 dharna for the past 16 days.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While the CPM is wholeheartedly backing Shaheen Bagh protest in Delhi, the government led by the party in Kerala has issued eviction notice to people who are agitating against CAA and NCR outside the state secretariat in the heart of capital Thiruvananthapuram.

The anti-CAA, NRC NPR protesters including women have erected a small pandal on the pavement in front of secretariat. Human rights activists, cultural leaders and people from various walks of life are holding 24X7 dharna for the past 16 days.

On Monday night cops came to the protest site and noted down the details of the participants.

As a follow up action, the cops turned up on Tuesday and asked the protesters to dismantle the pandal.

They cited an earlier directive of the High Court which prohibited pandals in front of the secretariat citing security reasons.

The protesters, however, rejected the police directive and resolved to continue the agitation.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

There is growing evidence that respiratory problems among children may be exacerbated by indoor air pollution in homes, schools and nurseries, according to a report which involved a University of York academic.

The report presents evidence linking indoor air pollution to a range of childhood health problems including asthma, wheezing, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, and eczema.

Sources of indoor air pollution include smoking, damp, the burning of fossil fuels and wood, dust, chemicals from building materials and furnishings, aerosol sprays, and cleaning products.

Exposure

Professor Nicola Carslaw, from the Department of Environment and Geography, was one of the authors looking at "Factors Affecting Indoor Air Quality."

Prof Carslaw looked at how indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning and air freshener use can lead to exposure to air pollutants in our homes.

It draws on research carried out by Prof Carslaw and her colleagues at York around the use of cleaning products in the home.

Prof Carslaw said: "Using such products leads to a suite of chemical reactions, some of which can lead to the formation of harmful pollutants such as small particles and formaldehyde.

"Although people are generally very aware of air pollutants outdoors and exposure to themsuch as walking along a heavily trafficked streetthey are much less aware that they can be exposed to pollutants in their homes."

There are some simple things that people can do in their homes to reduce exposure to pollution. Using an extractor fan that vents outdoors when cooking is one way and making sure that cleaning is carried out in a well-ventilated space is another. People can use liquid cleaners instead of sprays, use minimal amounts of the cleaning product and never mix them together.

Harmful

Prof Carslaw is currently carrying out research to identify ways to change product formulations so that they produce less of these chemically harmful products when used.

The RCPCH report recommends:

Legally binding performance standards for indoor air quality to include ventilation rates, maximum concentration levels for specific pollutants, labeling of materials, and testing of appliances

Air quality tests when local authority construction is complete and before the building is signed off

Compliance tests after construction stages and assessment of buildings once occupiedthis may require ring-fenced resources for local authorities to take enforcement action.

Professor Jonathan Grigg, Paediatric Respiratory Consultant from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) said: "We're finally paying attention to the quality of our outdoor air and this is long overdue. It's harder to get population level data on the quality of indoor air but the evidence in this report paints a worrying picture. Children in the UK spend most of their time indoors, with just 68 minutes spent outside on an average day. Too many of our homes and schools are damp and poorly ventilatedthis is adversely affecting the health of children."

The report says local authorities should provide free indoor air testing for residents. It recommends a national fund to support improvements for low income residents who report issues with ventilation and air quality.

Explore further Study examines indoor exposure to air pollution
A furry, gray and brown speckled Chihuahua wagged his tail while sitting in a pen inside the Plainfield Area Humane Society on Tuesday.

It was one of 130 cats and dogs authorities seized overnight at a house in Scotch Plains, N.J., that was operating as a suspected illegal puppy mill. Criminal charges are forthcoming, authorities said.

Plainfield Area Humane Society Director Elijah Brice-Middleton said his shelter alone seized 42 animals, including three dozen dogs. And the gray Chihuahua, hell be adopting it himself.

I saw him in the house and I dont know, Brice-Middleton told NJ Advance Media. "He caught my eye. He spoke to me. He said, Save me!

Two Chihuahuas at the Plainfield Area Humane Society received 36 dogs and six cats taken from a home in Scotch Plains.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Scotch Plains police confirmed they were investigating the activities in the house with the Union County Prosecutors Office, but did not elaborate.

Three dog cages were observed in front of the home Tuesday morning, but no one answered the door when an NJ Advance Media reporter rang the doorbell and knocked.

In addition to the cats and dogs at the Plainfield shelter, even more animals were collected by 11 other shelters, the prosecutors office said.

We thank both the Scotch Plains Police Department and the approximately dozen shelters for helping us get these animals safely, the prosecutors office told NJ Advance Media in a statement.

Now, the animals will need homes.

Brice-Middleton holds a Golden Retriever puppy.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

The shelters director said he was unsure if the animals were all full-bred. An array of Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, Pekingese and three Golden Retriever puppies were picked up by the Plainfield shelter.

For the most part, the dogs were mostly well-taken care of, said Brice-Middleton, but he declined to speak about the condition of the cats.

Brice-Middleton said he will name the tiny speckled dog he plans to adopt Achilles, after the Greek warrior in Homers Iliad.

Because it means strong warrior and you know where he came from, he added.

All the animals that were taken to the shelter get veterinary care, behavioral evaluations and any needed shots, Brice-Middleton said. He encouraged those interested in adopting the animals to visit the shelter, a no-kill facility, at 75 Rock Ave. in Plainfield.

It costs anywhere from $175 to $450 to adopt dogs, depending on their age.

Additional contact information about the shelter can be found on the Plainfield Area Human Societys website.

Volunteer Kristina Barbayanni holds a Chihuahua.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Volunteer Jill Colandrea with one of the rescued dogs.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

A Golden Retriever, one of the 36 dogs and six cats taken from a home in Scotch Plains.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

One of the dogs the Plainfield Area Humane Society.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Shelter volunteer Colandrea holds two Chihuahuas.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

One of the dogs at the the Plainfield Area Humane Society on Feb. 18, 2020.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @BeccaPanico.
VIJAYAWADA: A protest meeting against CAA, NRC and NPR held here on Tuesday asked Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to file a petition in the Supreme Court requesting the apex body to reject laws that harm people. The meeting conducted by Muslim Muttahida Mahaz (All-Minorities Associations Network) was attended by the leaders of various parties, including Telugu Desam, Brahmana Chaitanya Vedika and other organisations.

AIMIM president and MP Asaduddin Owaisi asked the CM to reject the laws which harmed the people. Welcoming the statement of TD MP Kesineni Srinivas alias Nani against the laws, he urged TD supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu to openly speak against them without fearing Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Mr Owaisi said Mr Modi, who would not reveal his educational qualification, was ordering the public to show their certificates to get citizenship. The laws violated Article 14 of the Constitution, which is a black spot in the history of the country.

Mr Owaisi affirmed that they were not against giving citizenship to the Hindus of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan but opposed laws in the name of religion. He alleged that the BJP government was raising sedition charges against minority youths for protesting against the black laws, but saving Hindu extremists who fired on the protestors of Shaheen Bagh. He alleged that 19 lakh people were denied citizenship in Assam in which five lakh were Muslims.

TD MP Srinivas stated that the party will fight against the black laws and asserted that Mr Modi cannot divide the country in the name of religion. He announced that the TD MLAs will extend support to the CM if he moved a resolution against such laws in AP Assembly.

Former MLA Jalil Khan and other leaders asked the CM to pass a resolution and file a petition in the SC against the laws.
With many axes to grind against Prashant Kishor, the BJP on Wednesday launched a fresh attack against the poll strategist-turned-politician whom it likened to the musclemen who having previously captured booths for their political masters, had themselves started becoming politicians in the 1990s in large numbers.

A day after Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi's caustic tweets against the expelled JD(U) leader, the alliance partner's chief whip in the Lok Sabha Sanjay Jaiswal, who also heads the state unit, came out with a Facebook post



a common feature, though, being avoidance on part of both BJP leaders to mention Kishor by name.

"The one who made a name for oneself by doing business with the BJP is now trying the formula of the 1990s. Burglars and robbers back then had begun to think, why capture booth for others, better to become leaders ourselves. They also met with success for some time," said Jaiswal.

"But the public now has become far more aware. It does not vote for goons and ruffians. A 'rajnaitik dhandhebaaz' (political dealer) thinks of carving a niche for oneself with money power. Had it been possible then only those with deep pockets could become public representatives," he said.

Jaiswal also berated Kishor's accomplishments as an election strategist, pointing out "he seeks to remember the success of 'chai pe charcha', but wants to forget a failed venture like the 'khat pe charcha' in Uttar Pradesh which was disastrous ('khaat khadi kar di thi') for two so-called young leaders".

'Khaat pe charcha' or discussions on a cot was a public outreach program said to be masterminded for the Congress by Kishor ahead of the 2017 assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. The party stitched a last-minute tie-up with the Samajwadi Party led by the then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who was struggling to hold his own in the face of a revolt by his influential uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav.

Yadav and Rahul Gandhi ran an energetic campaign with catchy slogans describing them as "UP ke ladke" (sons of UP) but the alliance was pulverized by the BJP, which pulled off a stunning victory, bagging three-fourth majority.

Jaiswal also sought to twist the knife by posting "this is the world-famous Bose speaker. Sometimes when it is used for playing music, it starts believing that it deserves the credit for the melody. It forgets that it owes its quality to its cost of production which is 10 times greater than that of other brands".

"It is an overused, poor business strategy to offer free services to whichever party is the favorite during assembly polls in a state and, after the results, claiming success by getting oneself photographed (with the winning leader)," the BJP leader added.

Starting as a campaign manager for Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha polls of 2014, Kishor thereafter collaborated with the alliance among Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), Lalu Prasad's RJD and a decadent Congress. The short-lived coalition trounced the NDA in the assembly polls in 2015.

In 2017, besides UP, Kishor worked for the Congress in Punjab where the party ousted the Akali Dal-BJP coalition from power. He joined the JD(U) in September 2018 and took to aggressively strengthening the party's student unit by nibbling away the support base of ABVP, which led to much bad blood between the party headed by Nitish Kumar and the BJP.

During the Lok Sabha polls, he was involved with the YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh where assembly elections were held simultaneously and saw its chief Jaganmohan Reddy's ascension to power.

His clout with the Thackeray family of Shiv Sena has been blamed, from some quarters, for souring of the party's old ties with the BJP, ultimately resulting in a break-up.

He had begun to attack the JD(U) after it supported the CAA and was sacked when he accused Nitish Kumar of having spoken a "lie" by claiming that Kishor was inducted into the party on the recommendation of Amit Shah.

At his press conference here on Tuesday, Kishor said that he could not reconcile to Kumar's devotion towards Gandhi and his association with "Godsewadis" alluding to the Sangh Parivar's association with the Mahatma's assassin.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rod Blagojevich, the Chicago political jester who rose from life as a scrappy city kid to the states highest office  then secretly taped by the FBI in a corruption probe, arrested at home before dawn, tried (twice), convicted and sentenced  was sprung from federal prison Tuesday more than four years early when President Trump commuted his sentence. Now his life begins again.
ALEPPO, Syria  A Syrian passenger jet landed in Aleppo on Wednesday from Damascus as domestic flights resumed between Syrias two largest cities for the first time since 2012, while the government continued bombarding several rebel-held towns and villages nearby.

The flight carrying Syrian officials and journalists was an important symbol that President Bashar Assads government, with Russian military support, has consolidated its control over the northwestern province of Aleppo and also seized the last segments of the strategic M5 highway linking Aleppo to Damascus. The motorway, under repair, is scheduled to reopen in coming days for the first time in eight years.

For weeks, government forces have been conducting a crushing military campaign to recapture the Aleppo countryside and parts of neighboring Idlib province, the last rebel-held areas in the country. The swift advances on multiple fronts have triggered the largest single wave of displacement in the nine-year civil war, with nearly 1 million people driven from their homes toward the Turkish border.

The suffering has been compounded by a bitter winter with freezing temperatures, leading to a number of deaths among people sheltering under plastic tents, in open fields and under trees. The advocacy group Save the Children reported Tuesday that seven children, including a 7-month-old, have died in cold and horrific living conditions in displacement camps in northwestern Syria over recent weeks.

The U.N. puts the number of civilians displaced since Dec. 1 at more than 900,000  most of them women and children. Humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said at least 100 civilians, 35 of them children, were killed so far in February by airstrikes and shelling. He said aid efforts are overwhelmed.

In New York, the U.N.s Syria envoy, Geir Pedersen, expressed alarm at the rapid deterioration in Idlib, and he appealed for a cease-fire.

Young children are dying from cold. The potential for more displacement and even more catastrophic human suffering is apparent as an increasing number of people are hemmed into an ever-shrinking space, he told a Security Council meeting on Syria.

Satellite images showed the staggering scale of the displacement, concentrated within a small space in Idlib province near the border with Turkey.

The images from Colorado-based Maxar Technologies show a huge number of tents and shelters near Kafaldin and Deir Hassan. Images from the same area a year ago show the rapid expansion of the informal camps, as hundreds of thousands of people scrambled to escape the onslaught. The images also show tents near the edge of a nearby quarry.

Airstrikes and shelling were reported Wednesday on several rebel-held areas, mostly near the towns of Daret Azzeh and Atareb. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitoring group, reported more than 120 airstrikes on Tuesday alone.

The Syrian Civil Defense, an activist group, reported that four civilians were killed and 18 were wounded in Tuesdays bombardment on several parts of Idlib.

Rida Haj Bakri was among those fleeing Daret Azzeh, most of them to the areas of Afrin and Azaz. He and his family had fled to Daret Azzeh from Maaret el-Numan only about a month ago.

The roads are filled with displaced people fleeing.  There is no water, no bread, I dont have the price of diapers, he said.

I dont know  where do we go from here? he asked as he and his relatives packed their meager belongings onto a pickup truck.

Although Russia and Turkey support opposing sides in the conflict, the offensive has strained cooperation between Moscow and Ankara and led to direct clashes between Syrian and Turkish troops.

Turkey and Russia have closely coordinated their moves in recent years in Idlib province. A truce reached between the two countries collapsed in late 2019, leading to the current Russian-backed offensive.

Turkey arms and trains the Syrian opposition and has sent thousands of troops and military reinforcements into Idlib in recent weeks to try to stem the Syrian government advance. That has led to rare clashes between Turkish and Syrian troops, with deaths on both sides.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called for Assads forces to retreat from Idlib or face an imminent Turkish intervention.

We are delivering our final warnings. We have not reached the desired results as yet, Erdogan said, addressing lawmakers from his ruling party. The operation in Idlib is a matter of time. We could enter (Idlib) suddenly one night.

His comments came a day after a top Turkish official said talks in Moscow between Russian and Turkish representatives to reduce tensions in Idlib did not yield a satisfactory result for Ankara. The official said however, that the sides agreed to continue discussions.

Russian officials said they held Turkey responsible for the collapse of the cease-fire deal that was reached during talks in Sochi, Russia, saying Ankara had not held up its end of the deal to rein in militants, who continued attacking Syrian and Russian targets.

We were satisfied with the agreements reached a year ago in Sochi, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

We absolutely stopped being satisfied when militias and terrorists in Idlib started their attacks on the Syrian military and Russian military objects. Thats where our satisfaction ended.

He said the Kremlin intends to use its working contacts with Turkey to try to prevent further escalation.

The commercial Syrian Air flight landed in Aleppo after a 40-minute flight from Damascus and was welcomed by a military band on the tarmac. Syrian warplanes flew low overhead in a show of force and celebration. Syrian Tourism Minister Rami Radwan Martini and Transport Minister Ali Hammoud had earlier opened the airport for business.

Hammoud called the opening of the airport is a great joy for Syrians and a dream for the ministry. It has been closed since 2012 due to fighting after Aleppo fell into rebel hands.

The Syrian army drove the rebels out of Aleppo in December 2016, after a crushing siege and bombardment campaign, with help from Russia and Iran. The airport opened briefly in 2017 but closed again due to security concerns.

In southern Syria, meanwhile, two Oxfam workers were killed by armed attackers in Daraa province, said Mark Lowcock, the U.N.s humanitarian affairs chief.

Wissam Hazim, southern hub staff safety officer for the charity, and driver Adel Al-Halabi were killed when their vehicle was attacked by an armed group, Oxfam said. An Oxfam volunteer also was injured, it said in a statement.

Daraa province is controlled by Syrian government forces, although there have been reports of rebel violence.

___

Karam reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Daria Litvinova in Moscow contributed.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Syrias tourism minister is Radwan Martini, not Bishr al-Yazigi.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : Few passengers travelling onboard an IndiGo flight were offloaded at Delhi's IGI Airport after one of them tried to open the aircraft's door.

The incident took place on Tuesday when a number of passengers, who were part of a larger group travelling on IndiGo flight 6E1741 from Delhi to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, displayed unruly behaviour.

One of the members of the group, who was agitated over the fact that few of his fellow members could not make it to the flight, tried to argue with the crew and ultimately tried to open the aircraft's door.

At that point of time, the aircraft was taxing for take-off. However, the commander safely returned the plan back to the terminal, where the unruly passengers were de-planed and handed over to the CISF.

At present the matter is being probed by the Delhi Police.

On its part, the airline said: "We confirm the incident on 6E1741 operating from Delhi to Jeddah on February 18, 2020.

"Some passengers displayed unruly behaviour and were off-loaded to continue flight operations. A report has been filed with the relevant authorities as per protocol."
A flight of R.A.A.F. Vampire Jet fighters' zoomed overhead in salute as the chairman of the Shrine Trustees (Sir Edmund Herring) unveiled the massive monument  the largest single sculptural unit in Australia.

More than 12,000 people watched in glorious sunshine the unveiling of the Cenotaph and the handing over of the completed Shrine forecourt yesterday afternoon.

The unveiling of the new WWII memorial at the Shrine of Remembrance. Credit:The Age Archives

First published in The Age on February 21, 1955

Soldiers attend the unveiling of the new WWII memorial. Credit:The Age Archives

The completed memorial  Victoria's tribute to the memory of the men and women who fell In the 1939-45 war  was then handed over to the Premier (Mr. Cain), who accepted it on behalf of the people of the State.

The memorial, comprising forecourt, cenotaph, and eternal flame was uncompleted when the Queen dedicated the forecourt almost a year ago. Yesterday's ceremony marked the completion of the memorial.

The guard of honor was inspected by the Governor (Sir Dallas Brooks), who later read the prayers and a special message for the occasion from the Duke of Edinburgh.

The most impressive part of the ceremony was the arrival of the color, parties and escorts, preceded by the band in full ceremonial dress.
Kurdish fighters in Syria are smuggling oil out of the war-torn country in partnership with the U.S., Turkish language daily Yeni ?afak reports, quoting fighters of the Kurdish YPG forces who have surrendered to Turkish security forces and whom Turkey see as terrorists acting in northern Syria.

According to the accounts of the surrendered Kurds, reported by Turkish media, oil from Syrias oil-rich Deir Ezzor region is being smuggled out of the country onto Iraq and from Iraqs port of Basra it is being shipped to the United States.

Authorities from Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Egypt have also taken samples of that oil, according to the media reports in Turkey, which is a party in the Syrian conflict supporting the opposition to Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Wednesday that a Turkish military operation in the opposition-held Idlib province to stop a Syrian army offensive is a matter of time.

After a surprise announcement of pulling the U.S. troops out of Syria in October last year, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States would protect Syrian oil fields from ISIS.

President Trump claimed that the U.S. had taken control of the oil in the Middle East, tweeting that The U.S. has secured the Oil, & the ISIS Fighters are double secured by Kurds & Turkey.



Related: The New Must-Have For Energy Hedge Funds

The President did not elaborate on what he meant by securing the oil, but speculations about the Presidents statement assume he was referring to the U.S. special forces that have beenand will continue to bein control of oil and gas fields in Deir Ezzor, Syrias oil region.

President Trump has vowed to protect Syrian oil fields from ISIS, and the United States may leave 500 troops in northeastern Syria and send in battle tanks and other equipment with the purpose to help the Kurds in the area to protect oil fields that used to be controlled by Islamic State during its so-called caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria.

At the end of last year, Turkish media reported that the United States had moved more equipment from Iraq into Syria to boost the protection of the oil and gas fields in eastern Syria.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
[February 19, 2020] Addepar Broadens Reach with Expanded Offerings for RIAs

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Addepar , Inc., a leading technology platform for wealth management, announced a number of releases aimed at helping RIAs that serve a variety of client types excel in an increasingly competitive market. The new capabilities and features make it easier than ever for firms to adopt Addepar's modern technology stack, streamline their operations and offer a truly differentiated client experience powered by best in class data, analytics and reporting. "As the wealth management industry continues to undergo a dramatic transformation, we're making good on our goal to meet wealth advisors where they are. We're delivering new functionality in our platform that empowers RIAs to navigate these changes with purpose-built, intuitive solutions so that they can deliver lasting value to clients and grow their business for years to come," said Addepar CEO Eric Poirier. Making it easier for RIAs to modernize their tech stack

For established RIAs who want to modernize their reporting technology but find it daunting to make the switch, Addepar is introducing a broader and more flexible set of data migration options to efficiently and precisely fulfill each client's data onboarding needs. This includes a newly introduced "Advent Converter," which streamlines migrating data from Advent's APX and Axys systems into ddepar. Addepar will continue investing in additional data management and conversion solutions to make it easy for any firm to upgrade to Addepar's technology.



Addressing emerging demand and delivering more client value

Addepar's strong traction with large RIA firms, banks and broker-dealers has exposed a previously unmet need in the market: the power to use Addepar's platform for all advisor teams, from those with ultra-high net worth clients to those who serve the mass affluent. Today, the company is introducing AddeparGoSM, an offering that tailors Addepar's software to the specific needs of these larger firms. AddeparGo is designed with a set of features, capabilities and custodial data feeds that optimize for speedy implementation and make it easy for larger firms who have a range of advisor teams to adopt. The company is making AddeparGo available to key partners and clients now, and will continue shaping this offering based on feedback. Helping the back-office streamline operations and scale productivity

Many well-established firms have turned to Addepar for its ability to support sizable and complex implementations and provide data aggregation, analytics and reporting at scale. To offer even greater support, the company is pleased to announce the release of Addepar Teams. Teams is a set of advanced controls and permissions to serve firms that need to grant varying access by team, branch, role and functional responsibility. This set of digital capabilities dramatically simplifies the previously time-intensive and error-prone operational process of managing reporting controls, while achieving legal, risk and compliance goals.

For more information, please visit www.Addepar.com About Addepar

Addepar is a wealth management platform that specializes in data aggregation, analytics and reporting for even the most complex investment portfolios. The company's platform aggregates portfolio, market and client data all in one place. It provides asset owners and advisors a clearer financial picture at every level, allowing them to make more informed and timely investment decisions. Addepar works with hundreds of leading financial advisors, family offices and large financial institutions that manage data for over $1.7 trillion of assets on the company's platform. In 2020, Addepar was named as a Forbes Fintech 50 and in 2018 received Morgan Stanley's Fintech Award for making a significant impact on the firm's mission of continuous innovation. Addepar is headquartered in Silicon Valley and has offices in New York City and Salt Lake City. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/addepar-broadens-reach-with-expanded-offerings-for-rias-301007139.html SOURCE Addepar

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Former Galveston resident and multi-millionaire Robert Durst will stand trial this year for the 2000 murder of his former best friend and confidant, Susan Berman, more than 20 years after her death.

Durst is the son of real estate tycoon Seymour Durst, who is credited with creating a $500 million New York real estate empire and was once considered one of the wealthiest people in America, according to Forbes. After inheriting his father's millions, the real estate heir was accused of three different murders that stretch from Texas to New York, span nearly four decades and are all allegedly part of Durst's cover-up of the alleged killing of his wife, Kathleen Durst, after she disappeared in 1982, according to the Associated Press.
Serbian authorities have arrested five people suspected of trafficking more than 140 migrants.

The detainees are accused of helping migrants cross into neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina, prosecutors said on February 19.

"Since November of last year, a group of suspects smuggled migrants by bus from Belgrade to the border with Bosnia-Herzegovina," the prosecutors statement said.

Led by a Syrian national, the group also used boats to cross the Drina River to reach Bosnia.

One suspect is at large, and authorities said the group was paid some 17,000 euros ($18,000) for their activities.

Once in Bosnia, migrants try to enter Croatia, a member of the European Union.

Some 29,000 migrants entered Bosnia last year, according to the Bosnian government.

Many are fleeing war and poverty in their home countries and have been stranded in Serbia and other Balkan countries as they seek to enter Europes more developed countries.

Officials say most of the migrants come from war-torn countries like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen.
The resident of a remote Assam village, Jabeda Begum was declared a foreigner by the tribunal in 2018. The Gauhati High Court didn't accept any of her 15 documents as proof of her citizenship since she didn't have a birth certificate.

A woman in Assam, who was declared a foreigner by the foreigners tribunal, has lost her case against the denial of citizenship even after submitting 15 documents to prove her Indian citizenship.

The 50-year-old, Jabeda Begum, is a resident of Assams Baksa district, some 100 km from Guwahati. She was declared a foreigner in 2018 and though she tried to contest the case in the high court, she could not get a verdict in her favor. The sole-breadwinner of her family, Jabeda Begum had to spend all her money to fight the case. She has an ailing husband Rejak Ali and three daughters of whom just one, Asmina, a Class 5 student, has survived; one died and another went missing.

A report quoted her as saying that she is struggling to feed her family since she has had to run pillar to post to prove her citizenship. Among the documents she provided to the high court include her income tax PAN, land revenue receipts, bank documents, the voters list of 1966, 1977, 1971 of her father. The court said the documents do not prove her citizenship and there is no documentation to prove her relationship with her father.

Also read: Iran media claims 80 US soldiers killed in missile attacks on twin military bases in Iraq, calls them American terrorists

Have a look at the story of Jabeda Begum:

Also read: Shaheen Bagh protest: Supreme Court appoints 3 mediators to talk to protesters on shifting, reopening Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch

Begums biggest problem is that she doesnt have a birth certificate though her village headman had issued her a letter mentioning her date of birth and her parents whereabouts. The court did not accept it. The headman of the village, Golak Kalita, who was present in court on behalf of Begum, said he has routinely issued such certificates to married women of their village, who came from elsewhere. The report said Begums parents migrated from Hajo to Baksa after they lost their land to the erosion of Brahmaputra. The family could not make it to the NRC.

The despair of Jabeda Begum reflects the growing, gnawing frustration among Muslims in India, who are on the tenterhook following the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act, which, as per BJP leaders, would be followed by the National Register of Indian Citizens and the National Population Register. The fear among them is that they would be stripped of their citizenship even though Home Minister Amit Shah has repeated himself several times that Indian citizens neednt fear the CAA.

For all the latest National News, download NewsX App
Falak Consulting, a strategy and innovation consultancy, has announced the 4th Unreasonable Thinking Summit to take place in Manama on March 25 featuring an array of innovative minds, top achievers and global change-agents and advocates.



The one-day event will be held under the auspices of Minister of Youth & Sport Affairs Ayman bin Tawfiq Al Moayed and in collaboration Tamkeen, Bahrains labour fund.



Participants at the summit include Nobel Peace Prize recipient Kailash Sathyarthi, founder of Atari Nolan Bushnell, CEO of Neat Meat and Neat Eco-Feeds Limited and recipient of the 2019 Financial Times/ International Finance Corporation (FT/IFC) Transformational Business Awards Lincoln Peedah, and Joint MD, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises and president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) Sangeeta Reddy, amongst others.



Founder and CEO of Falak Consulting Suhail Algosaibi expressed his gratitude for the Minister of Youth & Sport Affairs for patronising the event, while thanking Tamkeen for their continued support and unquestioned belief in innovation and entrepreneurship as key factors to economic growth and sustainability.



Innovative entrepreneurship has helped the Kingdom, and the whole world as a matter of fact, by evolving and creating new products and services to compete with  not to say replace  the existing ones. Hosting the 4th edition of the Unreasonable Thinking Summit comes as part of our purpose of building stronger economies and happier societies by unlocking business and human potential, he said.



Through the summit we aim to educate and inspire the Bahraini community, including startup entrepreneurs, business leaders, university and high school students. Through the diversified backgrounds of our speakers, we would like to tell the entrepreneurship and startup community in Bahrain that you do not have to invent something; innovators often take an existing concept and transform it into its best version for the right audience. Innovative ideas are what make startups compete, succeed and survive, he added.



Executives and members of the startup, corporate, government and student communities who are interested in attending the free-of-charge but limited capacity event, can register now through the official website (uts.bh).  TradeArabia News Service
A.W., who asked to be identified by his initials, is silhouetted as he poses for a portrait at his home in Philadelphia on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. A.W. was beaten up by counselors at Glen Mills Schools. Read more

The Philadelphia Inquirers Lisa Gartner has won the George Polk Award for Justice Reporting for her investigation into the Glen Mills Schools, which uncovered a pattern of abuse at the nations oldest and most prestigious reform academy, and prompted swift action at the local and state levels.

The winners of the distinguished award, presented by Long Island University in honor of former CBS correspondent George Polk, were announced Wednesday. The Polk Award places a premium on investigative work that is original, resourceful, and thought-provoking.

The abuse at Glen Mills would have continued to this day if not for the dogged reporting of Lisa Gartner," said James Neff, Inquirer deputy managing editor for investigations, who edited the Glen Mills series. "Her work is proof that journalism can make our world a better place.

Scouring internal documents, court records, incident reports, and conducting scores of interviews with students, staff, and others at the school in Delaware County, Gartner detailed decades of widespread abuse of delinquent boys and the cover-up by those entrusted to care for them.

 READ MORE: At Glen Mills, leaders have used the schools prestige to silence abused students  for decades

Her reporting produced quick results. Hours after Gartners initial Beaten, Then Silenced investigation published online, the City of Philadelphia removed its boys from the school, citing The Inquirer report. Days later, jurisdictions across the country followed suit.

Within two months of Gartners report, the state launched an investigation into Glen Mills oversight, eventually closing the school. Months later, Gov. Tom Wolf ordered an overhaul of youth facilities across Pennsylvania.

A subsequent investigation by Gartner revealed how Pennsylvanias Department of Human Services allowed violence to go unchecked in juvenile residential programs. Following that story, U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, a Democrat from Delaware County, introduced legislation that would make it easier for juveniles abused in residential facilities to hold them accountable in court.

 READ MORE: Nobody listened: How Pa. failed to detect, stop abuse at Glen Mills and other schools

Such quick institutional redress only occurs when the proof offered by the reporting is authoritative and powerful," Inquirer editor and vice president Gabriel Escobar said. "And in Lisas case, the stories were also profoundly human and moving.

This is Gartners second Polk Award, and The Inquirers 11th. She and two colleagues previously won for the Failure Factories investigation with the Tampa Bay Times. That investigation, which exposed the culpability of a Florida school board in the downfall of five local schools, went on to win the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting.

Its hard to overstate how stunned and thrilled I am to receive this award," Gartner said. "The Glen Mills investigation was only possible because a lot of brave people came forward. It wasnt easy for them to relive the worst years of their lives. Ill always be grateful to them, for their time and trust.

Stan Wischnowski, executive editor and senior vice president of The Inquirer, said Gartners reporting on Glen Mills epitomizes The Inquirers rich history of producing investigative journalism of this caliber.

Gartner, along with the 14 other winners of the 2019 Polk Awards, will be honored in April at a ceremony at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City.

The Inquirers investigative reporting is supported in part by The Lenfest Institutes Investigative News Fund. Gifts to support the Investigative News Fund can be made at www.inquirer.com/donate. Editorial content is created independently of the Funds donors. A listing of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org.
At least 2,004 people in mainland China have died from the coronavirus, which has now spread to 27 countries.

Two people have died in Iran after testing positive for the new coronavirus as the number of fatalities in mainland China rose to 2,004 and passengers began leaving the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship.

A total of 74,185 infections have been recorded in mainland China, most of them in Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan  the epicentre of the outbreak.

Here are all the latest updates:

Click here for February 20 updates .

Wednesday, February 19

Pompeo denounces Chinas expulsions of WSJ reporters

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has denounced Chinas expulsion of three Wall Street Journal reporters and urged Beijing to respect freedom of the press.

Mature, responsible countries understand that a free press reports facts and expresses opinion. The correct response is to present counter arguments, not restrict speech, Pompeo said in a statement.

The move follows a complaint about the headline of an opinion article, which referred to China as the Real Sick Man of Asia and a decision by Washington earlier this week to treat five government-controlled Chinese news organisations as foreign government functionaries.

All Ukrainians being evacuated from China are healthy: Deputy health minister

All Ukrainians being evacuated from Chinas Hubei province this week are in a healthy condition, Dmytro Koval, the deputy health minister, told reporters.

Everyone is healthy, he told a televised briefing. There is no threat.

Ukraine is evacuating 48 of its citizens in response to the outbreak. They are expected to arrive on a charter plane at .800 local time (0600 GMT) and be put in quarantine for two weeks. A number of foreigners are being evacuated on the same flight.

Man with coronavirus in Egypt recovering, no longer a carrier: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the person previously confirmed as having coronavirus in Egypt is on his way to recovery, after latest tests showed he was no longer carrying the virus.

He will remain in quarantine until the full 14-day period is over and will be undergoing further required tests to ensure he was fully recovered, WHO spokeswoman Inas Hamam said in an email.

Two Iranians die after testing positive for virus

Two Iranians have died in hospital after testing positive for the new coronavirus in the central city of Qom, the head of the citys University of Medical Sciences told Irans Mehr news agency, saying the two had died of respiratory illness.

Separately, health ministry official Kianush Jahanpur said in a post on Twitter that both patients died in ICU due to age and immune system deficiency.

Iran had confirmed the two cases  the first in the country  earlier on Wednesday.

Read the full story here.

Surviving coronavirus in Wuhan

Scrambled eggs with tomatoes  thats the first dish Yangyang made for herself after being discharged from No 7 Hospital in Wuhan.

After escaping what she describes as a near-death experience, Yangyang is now one of the estimated 14,000 people in mainland China who had beaten the COVID-19 virus.

Read the full story here.

Some 14,000 people have reportedly recovered from coronavirus in China [Stringer/EPA]

Malaysia firm offers AI-based profiling of Chinese visitors for virus

Malaysias MYEG Services Bhd said it had developed a coronavirus risk-profiling system for visitors from China and was offering the artificial intelligence-based serviced to the government of Malaysia and the Philippines.

The fully-automated system analyses a vast number of available data points, including visitors previous known whereabouts as well as heart rate and blood pressure readings crossed-referenced against public transportation ridership and exposure to locations with incidences of infections, MYEG said in a statement to the stock exchange.

HIV patients in China risk running out of drugs: UNAIDS

HIV patients in China risk running out of life-saving drugs because quarantines and lockdowns aimed at containing the coronavirus disease outbreak mean they cannot replenish vital medicine stocks, the United Nations AIDS agency said.

Nearly a third of the more than 1,000 HIV positive people surveyed by UNAIDS said lockdowns and restrictions on movement in China meant they were at risk of running out of their HIV treatment in the coming days.

Of these, almost half  48.6 percent  said they did not know where to collect their next antiretroviral therapy refill form.

UNAIDS and China working together during the #coronavavirus outbreak to ensure that people living with HIV continue to get treatment  https://t.co/Z1IrV1wcOH #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/zxeOz6wUpv  UNAIDS (@UNAIDS) February 19, 2020

China virtual idols removed after mockery

The Chinese Communist Partys Youth League has removed a pair of anime-like characters this week after their introduction amid the coronavirus outbreak unleashed a storm of criticism and mockery online.

The fictitious brother-and-sister duo, dressed in traditional attire and named after characters in poems by Mao Zedong, were rolled out on Monday as virtual idols in an apparent attempt to lift spirits as China deals with the outbreak.

Instead of spending time crafting the idols, Id rather you make some real contribution to help with Wuhan, one person wrote in a now-deleted post on Weibo.

China vice premier says Hubei virus control improving, situation still severe

Efforts to prevent and control the coronavirus in Chinas Hubei province have made progress but the situation remains severe, Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan said, according to state-run CCTV.

Authorities in Beijing are urging both Hubei province and its city of Wuhan to strengthen checks on patients with fever, the broadcaster said.

Coronavirus outbreak slashes China carbon emissions: Study

Chinas carbon emissions have dropped by least 100 million metric tonnes over the past two weeks, according to a study published by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) in Finland.

That is nearly 6 percent of global emissions during the same period last year.

Measures to contain coronavirus have resulted in reductions of 15 percent to 40 percent in output across key industrial sectors, the report said.

The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus has led to a drop in demand for coal and oil, resulting in the emissions slump, the study published on the British-based Carbon Brief website said [File: Jason Lee/Reuters]

Iran reports its first two cases of new coronavirus

Iranian authorities confirmed two cases of the new coronavirus, the first in the country, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

The report did not elaborate on the nationality of the two people infected by the virus. ISNA quoted an official in the countrys health ministry, Kianush Jahanpur, as saying that since last two days, some suspected cases of the new coronavirus were found.

The two confirmed cases were detected in the central province of Qom.

Olympics could not be held now: Virologist

A Japanese virologist said if the Tokyo Olympics were tomorrow, the games probably could not be held because of the fast-spreading coronavirus.

We need to find the best way to have a safe Olympics, Dr Hitoshi Oshitani said, speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan.

Right now we dont have an effective strategy, and I think it may be difficult to have the Olympics (now). But by the end of July, we may be in a different situation.

South Korea coronavirus cases jump by two-thirds in one day

South Korea reported 20 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus  increasing its total by nearly two-thirds  including a cluster of at least 16 centred around the southern city of Daegu.

The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement that 20 new coronavirus cases had been confirmed, raising its total from 31 to 51.

Fifteen of the new cases are believed to be linked to a single patient, a 61-year-old woman [File: Reuters]

Japan draws criticism over coronavirus response

As the virus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship is evacuated, Japan faces deepening criticism over its response to the outbreak.

Critics say the governments response has seemed more concerned with managing public perception than the outbreak. Some of the most pointed criticism has come from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Japan is just months away from hosting the 2020 Olympic Games. The spread of the virus is wider than the government said, said Shinichi Niwa, an adjunct professor at Fukushima Medical University.

The government has repeatedly said its response has been appropriate, and some prominent doctors have defended it.

China revokes press credentials of three at Wall Street Journal over opinion piece

China has revoked the press credentials of three Beijing-based reporters for the United States newspaper Wall Street Journal over an editorial headline deemed by the government to be racist and slandering, the foreign ministry said.

Spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily briefing that Beijing made several representations to the newspaper over the column, which criticised its efforts to combat the coronavirus epidemic  but the Journal failed to apologise or investigate those responsible.

The move follows a complaint about the headline, which referred to the current outbreak in China and called the country the: Real Sick Man of Asia.

Terrible situation: Pakistani students say Imran Khan-led government ignoring them

Pakistani students in China say their government is continuously ignoring and they have disowned us amid the new coronavirus outbreak.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Wuhan, medical student Rahatullah Khan said students made repeated attempts to reach out to Pakistani authorities, but no responsible person has contacted us.

Khan said students from other countries were being evacuated except for Pakistanis  and it was their constitutional right to be evacuated by their government.

They are treating us like we are not Pakistanis, Khan added.





US warns of ongoing risk after Japan evacuates victims

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warned Japans release of hundreds of passengers on board a cruise-liner carrying coronavirus victims posed a threat.

The CDC said there was an ongoing risk and keeping the 3,700 passengers on board the ship could have slowed new infections. But it added it may not have been sufficient to prevent transmission among individuals on the ship.

To protect the health of the American public, all passengers and crew of the ship have been placed under travel restrictions, preventing them from returning to the United States for at least 14 days after they had left the Diamond Princess, CDC said in a statement.

New virus cases in China fall again as deaths top 2,000

New virus cases in China continue to fall with 1,749 more infections and 136 additional deaths announced.

New cases have fallen to less than 2,000 for the past two days, but officials and analysts have warned the threat of a more serious outbreak remains as workers gradually return to work following a prolonged Lunar New Year holiday.

Cities in Hubei with a combined population of more than 60 million have been under lockdown since the Lunar New Year holiday last month. Wartime measures were implemented in some places where residents were prevented from leaving their apartments.





Wuhan official vows punishment if authorities fail to halt spread

The top official in Chinas outbreak epicentre promised to find and isolate every infected patient in the city by days end.

Protective suit-clad inspectors went door-to-door to find every infected person.

Theres nothing more important than human life, said Wang Zhonglin, Wuhans newly selected Communist Party secretary. If a single new case is found [after Wednesday], the district leaders will be held responsible.

Hundreds of cruise passengers in Cambodia test negative for virus

Nearly 800 passengers who had been on board the cruise ship Holland America Lines Westerdam, currently docked in Cambodia, have tested negative for the coronavirus, the health ministry said.

Or Vandine, spokeswoman of the Cambodian health ministry, said the department was waiting on additional

lab results for other passengers, without specifying how many were pending.

The dispersal of those who had already left for various countries has caused concern they might be undetected carriers of the virus, and health authorities in several nations were tracing them to take protective measures.

Passengers begin leaving Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan

Relieved passengers began leaving a coronavirus-wracked cruise ship in Japan after testing negative for the disease.

The Diamond Princess has proved a fertile breeding ground for the virus with at least 542 positive cases, and Japan has faced mounting criticism for its quarantine arrangements as the passengers disperse.

Im relieved  I want to take a good rest, a 77-year-old Japanese passenger, who declined to give his name. He said he would be boarding Japans famously crowded railway system to go home.





Hong Kong records second coronavirus death

Hong Kong recorded its second death caused by the new coronavirus on Wednesday, a Princess Margaret Hospital spokeswoman told Reuters.

The 70-year-old man, who had underlying illnesses, was one of the 62 confirmed cases in the Chinese-ruled city.

South Korea reports 10 new cases of coronavirus

South Korea has confirmed about 10 new cases of the coronavirus and will announce the positive test results later on Wednesday, Yonhap news agency reported, citing unnamed health officials.

The new cases are in the city of Daegu and the surrounding North Gyeongsang province, Yonhap said.

An official at South Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declined to confirm the Yonhap report.

South Korea has reported 31 cases of coronavirus infections and no deaths as of late Tuesday.

Read the updates from Tuesday, February 18 here.
Bioethicist lecture to look at Medical Aid in Dying possibilities in Illinois

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.  A presentation that assesses why a proposal that would allow terminally ill patients to obtain medical assistance to end their lives should be passed by the Illinois General Assembly is the focus of the 2020 John and Marsha Ryan Bioethicist in Residence lecture next week at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Thaddeus Mason Pope, director of the Health Law Institute at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, will present Medical Aid in Dying: Assessing the Illinois Patient Choices at End of Life Act.

The lecture is at 5 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the SIU School of Law in Carbondale. The lecture is free and the public is welcome.

Media Advisory

Reporters, photographers and camera crews are welcome to attend the Ryan Bioethicist in Residence lecture with Thaddeus Mason Pope at 5 p.m., Feb. 26, in the SIU School of Law courtroom. For more information or to arrange interviews, contact Mike Ruiz, assistant dean for career, alumni, and promotional services at mikeruiz@siu.edu or 618/453-8763. For the 9 a.m., Feb. 27 lecture in Springfield, contact Rikeesha Phelon, director of marketing and communications, SIU School of Medicine, at rphelon64@siumed.edu or 217/545-3854.

Among nations top-cited health law scholars

Pope is a foremost expert on medical law and clinical ethics with a special focus on patient rights and healthcare decision-making. He has more than 220 publications in leading medical journals, bioethics journals and law reviews. He is co-author of the definitive treatise The Right to Die: The Law of End-of-Life Decisionmaking and his Medical Futility Blog has more than 4 million page views.

Terminally ill individuals in Illinois do not have the option of Medical Aid in Dying which would permit a physician to prescribe a lethal medication that the patient could self-administer, Pope said.

There are several ways in which terminally ill individuals in Illinois can control the timing and manner of death, Pope said. They include:

Refusing life-sustaining interventions such as CPR, dialysis or mechanical ventilation.

Refusing potentially curative or life-prolonging interventions like chemotherapy.

Receiving palliative sedation to unconsciousness.

Other states permit Medical Aid in Dying

Presently, nine states, along with the District of Columbia, have Medical Aid in Dying laws. Pope said that Illinois advocates and Evanston-area legislators are laying the groundwork to introduce legislation in 2021.

The nine states with Medical Aid in Dying legislation on the books are: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. There are expectations that Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York could also enact laws this year, Pope said.

Polls show support

Pope said polls by organizations including Gallup show that a majority of the public support Medical Aid in Dying. It is typically opposed by right-to-life organizations, some religious organizations and some disability rights advocates, he said.

They are primarily concerned with the risk of error and abuse; that someone might get a lethal medication when they were not terminally ill or when they did not really want that, Pope said.

Pope will also present a lecture in Springfield

In addition to the public lecture Pope, while at SIU, will present lectures on the same general topic to the Southern Illinois Healthcare Bioethics Committee and students on Feb. 27, and to faculty, students and medical providers at the SIU School of Medicine in Springfield on Feb. 28. Popes presentation in Springfield is at 9 a.m. in the Memorial Center for Learning and Innovation 2A Curtis Theatre classroom.

Thaddeus Pope is one of the leading scholars in the field of Medical Assistance in Dying. The topic has more recently come to the attention of the public, in part, I think, because the Baby Boomer generation, known for its attempts to control the variables, is now old enough to be interested in controlling those variables at the end of life, Marsha Ryan said.

In the name of autonomy, that is, the ability to decide for ourselves what we do with our bodies, there are those who are interested in applying that principle of autonomy to the last chapter of life, that is, death, Ryan said. We are pleased that Mr. Pope will be bringing his expertise to Carbondale and to Springfield so we can put what may be a contentious bioethical matter on the table for discussion.

Lecture series focuses on timely medical, legal ethics

This is the law schools 15th bioethicist-in-residence lecture, and the 13th since John C. and Dr. Marsha G. Ryan endowed the visiting lecture series.

Founded in 2006, the John and Marsha Ryan Bioethicist-in-Residence program supports an annual residence and lecture by a law or medicine ethics scholar for the SIU schools of law and medicine.

Marsha Ryan earned her law degree from the SIU School of Law in 1987 and was an adjunct faculty member there for 30 years until 2017. She practiced general and breast surgery in Carbondale for 36 years until her retirement in 2017. John Ryan, a member of the law schools inaugural class, is a longstanding attorney at Feirich, Green, Mager, Ryan in Carbondale.
19.02.2020 LISTEN

The Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Education, Vincent Ekow Assafuah who doubles as an aspiring candidate in the upcoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries for the Tafo-Pankrono constituency in the Ashanti Region has called for decent campaigns and fair play ground amongst contestants.

We should avoid insults, intolerance and dirty campaigns, he appealed, saying steering the Party to another victory in the 2020 general elections required a collective responsibility.

According to him, the member of the party ought to remain focused and rally behind the government in its bid to transform the socio-economic fortunes of the country for the better, adding, they should stay off actions that could distract the NPP's vision.

Mr. Assafuah was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Old-Tafo in the Tafo Municipality after presenting his nomination forms to the constituency party executives.

Events unfolding indicate that the Tafo-Pankrono NPP Parliamentary Primaries would be one of the hotly-contested polls, following the decision of the current Member of Parliamentary (MP), Dr. Anthony Akoto-Osei's decision not to seek re-election.

This had led to about six aspirants expressing interests in contesting to get the mandate of the delegates.

Mr. Assafuah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and Master of Arts degree in Economic Policy from University of Ghana (UG), Legon.

He was a former President of the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) while working in various capacities at the Party level as the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the NPP's Tertiary Students' Confederacy (TESCON)  KNUST Chapter, among others.

The parliamentary aspirant, who is also a former acting Deputy National Communication Director  NPP, said the party needed an experienced and devoted person to champion its cause at the constituency.

His vision is to work in partnership with all identifiable stakeholder groups to promote the development agenda of the ruling NPP.

Mr. Assafuah said most importantly, he would be championing the cause and also lobbying for educational, health and youth development investment in order to better the lives of the electorate.

Receiving the nomination forms, the Tafo-Pankrono Chairman of the NPP, Moses Donkor, thanked the aspirant for showing interest in contesting for the seat.

---citinewsroom
The sound of WAAF will be changing Saturday.

For 50 years, 107.3 FM has been the home for rock music in Worcester and Boston, but beginning this weekend Christian contemporary programming will take over the radio station.

On Tuesday, Entercom announced it sold 107.3 FM for $10.75 million to Educational Media Foundation.

The new owner of 107.3 FM, Educational Media Foundation, exclusively produces Christian contemporary programming, according to its web site.

Entercom said it will continue to air WAAF programing on its existing HD stations 104.1 HD2 and 93.7 HD2 and on RADIO.COM.

The transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2020. Educational Media Foundation purchased WCCC, a rock radio station in Hartford, in 2014.

WAAF lost one of its biggest names, Greg Hill, last year when Entercom announced he would join the morning show on WEEI.

Hill served as the host of WAAFs Hill-Man morning show for more than 28 years. He joined WAAF in 1986. The Greg Hill Show currently airs mornings from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on WEEI.

At the end of last November, WAAF announced a 50th anniversary concert that included performances by Godsmack, Halestorm, Dinosaur Pileup, Dirty Honey and Theory of a Deadman.

The concert is scheduled for April 16 at the DCU Center in Worcester.

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In the face of rising tensions, local leaders help to uphold the values of tolerance by supporting interfaith couples.

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso  It happened more than 20 years ago, but Inoussa Bouda remembers it as if it happened yesterday.

Waiting at a bus station on his way to his grandparents, he saw a beautiful woman cross the road.

I was thinking, I dont know which bus shes taking, but even if shes going to the other side of the country, I dont care  Im taking the bus with her.'

Bouda was delighted to find out that the woman was taking the same route as him. The two started talking and the conversation sparked a relationship. Nine years after first meeting on September 29, 1998, in Burkina Fasos capital, Ouagadougou, they got married.

At the beginning, our families were against the marriage, but when they realised how much we loved each other they gave up, Bouda said, smiling.

The 45-year-old entrepreneur, a Muslim, and his wife Alida, a Christian, are an interfaith couple, which according to Burkina Fasos census, make up approximately 10.4 percent of all married couples in the country. Their three children all have a Christian and a Muslim first name and attend both mosque and church with their parents.

I see the girls getting up on Sundays and getting ready to go to church, but our boy is still sleeping, Alida Bouda says, sitting by her husband.

When his father goes to the mosque he always gets ready on time. It makes me think hes going to be a Muslim.

Mr and Mrs Bouda show a picture of their wedding day at an interfaith ceremony [Henry Wilkins/Al Jazeera]

Burkina Faso has made headlines in recent months for a rapidly deteriorating conflict between government forces and fighters linked to banditry and armed groups, including Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).

Last year, almost 2,200 people died as a result of the violence that has plagued the wider Sahel region. Many areas of the largely semi-arid belt land that have seen the most fighting are severely underdeveloped. Armed groups are exploiting poverty as well as religious and ethnic divisions to recruit fighters and stoke more violence.

The conflict has been defined in part by attacks on places of worship and armed groups attempting to divide the country along religious lines. This week, at least 24 people were killed in an attack on a church in a village in Burkina Fasos northern Yagha province.

Supporting interfaith couples

Although Burkina Faso is a Muslim-majority country (61.5 percent), its ruling class is largely Christian, which has led to a sense of disenfranchisement among some Muslims. But the West African country has historically been a bastion of religious and ethnic tolerance in the region. Interfaith marriages are relatively common and it is unusual for extended families not to include followers of both Islam and Christianity.

In the face of rising religious and ethnic tensions, some religious leaders are helping to uphold Burkina Fasos values of multiculturalism and tolerance by supporting interfaith couples such as the Boudas.

Among them are Bourima Drabo, an imam in Ouagadougou, and Joseph Clochard, a priest within the Missionaries of Africa, a Catholic organisation of about 1,200 clerics spread across the continent.

They support Muslim and Christian marriages by organising workshops on the last Saturday of every month where interfaith couples discuss the problems that can arise as a result of their different faiths  from the choice of a childs name and their education to difficulties surrounding the attendance of religious ceremonies and events.

The meetings started in neutral places, like the central town hall of Ouagadougou, but given the administrative difficulties, in the end, we opted for a room in the cathedral which is central and well known, said Clouchard, adding that they have so far worked with more than 500 couples through the programme.

When asked about what the initiative meant for the current security situation, Clouchard said: The strengthening of the social fabric is at stake. These marriages are more and more numerous and can be a way to promote community and rapprochement.

He added: Together we can build a nation that can live in peace.

They tried to divide us

Little research has been carried out into the effect interfaith marriage can have on defusing religious tensions on a societal level.

However, a 2016 report by the think-tank International Crisis Group on religious tensions in Burkina Faso said everybody must play their part in promoting religious tolerance and publicise examples of peaceful coexistence, particularly in the media.

Many initiatives exist but they only have limited support and visibility, it added. The government should become more involved and international partners could offer to contribute.

Joseph Clochard works with interfaith couples on a regular basis to help overcome marriage problems [Henry Wilkins/Al Jazeera]

Drabo, the imam who often leads the workshops and gives marriage counselling to interfaith couples who attend his mosque, acknowledges that many Muslims do not think interfaith marriages should be allowed.

But he is quick to add that Burkina Faso is a great example in the region of a place where people of different religions can be seen together living peacefully.

The terrorists tried first to divide us with ethnic conflict, for example between Mossi and Fulanis, but they didnt succeed, he said, referring to the rising tensions between the majority and politically dominant Mossi group and the 6 percent-minority Fulani group.

Right from the start, Muslim leaders distanced themselves from the attacks that began hitting Burkina Faso in 2016 and reminded everyone that Muslims and Christians have been living side by side for many years, Drabo added.

We would never do this to our own brothers.

As for the Boudas, they said their marriage was initially met with challenges unique to interfaith couples  but with the help of Drabos counselling, they rarely have problems any more.

Nowadays, we often give each other advice and [our relationship] continues because we put dialogue above all, Inoussa Bouda said. It plays a very important role in life generally, not just in a marriage.

Of course every human relationship has its problems  but by the grace of God, we will overcome them.
Hollywood sex therapist Amie Harwick's alleged killer ex-boyfriend had 'stalked and threatened' her at a porn awards show weeks before her death.

Harwick, 38, died on Saturday after her ex Gareth Pursehouse, 41, allegedly attacked her and she was thrown off the third-floor balcony of her Hollywood Hills apartment.

She had got a restraining order against Pursehouse twice and court documents chronicle how he allegedly harassed her for years after they dated about 10 years ago and his obsession with her continued.

On January 16 he allegedly harassed her at the XBiz adult-industry awards ceremony, which was hosted by porn star Stormy Daniels, in downtown Los Angeles.

'Gareth knew Amie was going to be at XBiz. He stalked her there and went bats**t crazy,' Harwick's close friend former adult-film star Jasmin St. Claire said to Page Six.

'He was at the awards working as a photographer, but his behavior was abusive and threatening. He was yelling and screaming,' she added.

Hollywood sex therapist Amie Harwick's alleged killer ex-boyfriend Gareth Pursehouse, 41, (right) had 'stalked and threatened' her at a porn awards show just weeks before her death. Harwick pictured left at the XBiz adult-industry awards ceremony in LA on January 16

Gareth Pursehouse pictured circled in red at the XBiz Awards on January 16 where he worked as a photographer and allegedly harassed Harwick. Stormy Daniels, the host of the event, is pictured in the glitter dress on the red carpet

'Gareth knew Amie was going to be at XBiz. He stalked her there and went bats**t crazy,' Harwick's close friend said. Harwick reported him to police after the award show, but nothing was done

'Amie told me after the incident that she was scared he would show up at her home. She went to the police, but they did not take it seriously. He was really obsessive over her; controlling,' she added.

Though Harwick alerted the cops about Pursehouse's behavior after the awards show, nothing was done.

'There should be an Amies Law to protect women. It is a tragedy Amie went to the police a few weeks ago  The LAPD failed her. It is just devastating,' St. Claire said.

Pursehouse was arrested on Saturday and charged with murder. He was released from prison on a $2million on Tuesday.

Friends say it was the former couple's chance meeting last month at the event he was photographing that 'reignited his obsessive preoccupation with her'.

Beverly Hills sex therapist Hernando Chaves told The LA Times: 'It was the absolute worst possible luck.' Friend Vera Duffy added: 'She said that when he saw her, he just went ballistic. He lost it. He made a scene.'

'She was very scared. She said, "What am I going to do? I let my roommate know, I have home security,"' Chaves added.

Harwick and Pursehouse dated 10 years ago, but he continued to be obsessed with her after the break up. She got two restraining orders against him. The second one, issued in 2012, had expired by the time she was killed

Harwick was formerly engaged to the Price is Right host Drew Carey but they split in November 2018 after dating for more than a year. In a statement Carey said: 'Amie and I had a love that people are lucky to have once in a lifetime. She was a positive force in the world, a tireless and unapologetic champion for women, and passionate about her work as a therapist'

Harwick was a Playboy model-turned-therapist who published the book The New Sex Bible for Women.

She formerly engaged to the Price is Right host Drew Carey but they split in November 2018 after dating for more than a year.

Harwick and Pursehouse dated 10 years ago.

She got her first temporary restraining order against Pursehouse in 2011 and a second one a year later from the Superior Court branch in Van Nuys, according to the LA Times.

That restraining order had expired by the time she was killed.

In California the maximum length of a restraining order is set at five years.

What led her to seek the restraining orders and the terms of those orders are not disclosed in the dockets.

Court documents shed light on the years of turbulent abuse Harwick suffered.

She alleged he showed up to her apartment in March 2012 and smashed 10 picture frames against her front door then texted her the chilling warning, 'Things will get worse.'

The next day he left around four dozen flowers taped to her door. The next day he stood outside her apartment and played music.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Pursehouse, pictured, has worked as a photographer as well as a software engineer and developer. His most recent job was as lead architect at Internet Brands.

Pursehouse posted this picture of himself on Instagram in 2017

Harwick was found unconscious after falling from a third-floor balcony in her home, pictured

On Saturday the LAPD found her unconscious on the ground around 1.15am following reports of a 'woman screaming' in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood.

She had been thrown from her third floor apartment's balcony, according to police.

The LA County medical examiner found 'evidence of manual strangulation' before she fell. She died of blunt force injuries to the head and torso.

She was rushed to the hospital where she succumbed to her wounds.

Cops said there were signs of forced entry into her home and of a struggle.

No details about Pursehouse's bail conditions have been released by police, and it is currently unclear when he will return to court.

It's not clear how Pursehouse allegedly knew where Amie was living. The two shared a home together 10 years ago when they dated.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Pursehouse has worked as a photographer as well as a software engineer and developer. His most recent job was as lead architect at Internet Brands.

On Tuesday a video from the alleged killer's Instagram account re-surfaced showing him joking about an eerily similar scenario to the one that took place on Saturday morning.

The clip, posted to Instagram last May, shows Pursehouse standing shirtless in a yard as he laughs about a scene from Game of Thrones in which character Bran Stark is pushed from a tower window by Jamie Lannister.

Harwick is a well known sex and family therapist in the Hollywood area. She received her degree in psychology from California Polytechnic University in Pomona, California. Harwick also earned her masters of arts in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University

Harwick pictured above teaching a feminine empowerment class in China

Pursehouse states: 'Okay, Game of Thrones, first season. The brother and sister (Cersei and Jamie Lannister) are up in the castle and then the kid (Bran Stark) sees them through the window and the brother has to throw the kid off to kill him. Even though it's evil, I feel kind of bad for the brother, because even though he doesn't want to do it, his sister incest-ed'.

The alleged murderer is then seen cackling at his pun before the camera cuts off.

It's unclear why Pursehouse uploaded the clip talking about the episode, or whether it served as some kind of inspiration for his alleged killing.

'Foreshadowing?' one follower wrote on Tuesday.

'Wow,' remarked another, struck by the similarities.

Drew Carey released a statement after her death saying: 'Amie and I had a love that people are lucky to have once in a lifetime. She was a positive force in the world, a tireless and unapologetic champion for women, and passionate about her work as a therapist.'

Gareth Pursehouse (left) was bailed out of prison on Tuesday evening, just three days after he was arrested and charged with throwing Harwick (right) from the balcony of her third-floor apartment

Gareth Pursehouse's Playa Del Rey, California residence where he was arrested in connection with Harwick's murder pictured above

Pursehouse's home in California pictured above

Wendy Williams, 55, has come under fire for making a tasteless joke about her death, telling viewers: 'She was killed... not by Drew, but by the ex... come on down,' using Drew Carey's catch-phrase from The Price Is Right.

Harwick was a well known sex and family therapist in the Hollywood area.

She received her degree in psychology from California Polytechnic University in Pomona, California. Harwick also earned her masters of arts in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University.

In 2015, Harwick appeared in the popular online documentary titled Addicted to Sexting.

She offered weekly therapy sessions at $200 per session, according to her site.
Workers in the farm and Latino civil rights advocates are not putting their flags down from years of fighting for the ban of Chlorpyrifos, a type of pesticide used widely by farmers. The pesticide had been closely associated with children's neurological issues.

Largest Producer Cancels Chlorpyrifos Production

When Corteva Agriscience, the pesticide's biggest producer, announced that it will cease the manufacture of the pesticide. Despite the discontinuation of the manufacture of its Chlorpyrifos products, it claims that all of their other products are safe. According to the company, their decision to cancel the production of the said product line was solely based on its negative sales performance in the market and not on the health issues it is tied with.

What is Chlorpyrifos?

The said pesticide was primarily used to kills worms and insects by attacking their nervous system. Its discontinuance announcement was made after California announced on Thursday that it will ban the said pesticide.

California, the largest agricultural state in the United States of America, is the second state in the country to ban chlorpyrifos.

Multiple studies have reported that prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos lowers the weight of a baby upon birth, lowers the baby's IQ, increases the chances of the occurrence of mental illnesses such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD.

Legal Fight for the Ban of Chlorpyrifos

The US government planned to ban chlorpyrifos in 2015. This decision was based on the results of the studies conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency saying that the pesticide can cause damage to the nervous system of a person. However, during the supposed implementation of the ban in 2017, it was rather scrapped.

An article from NBC News stated that the League of United Latin American Citizens' national president named Domingo Garcia released a statement on Tuesday. He said that the pesticide had been used for years by many Latino farmers for crops such as fruits, soybeans, corn, and other fruits. This had exposed its users and their families to the harmful chemical with a record of negatively affecting the neurological health of its users.

LULAC, the oldest civil rights organization of Latinos had been one of the groups who fought for the ban of chlorpyrifos for many years. Just last year, a lawsuit was filed against EPA for its refusal to the implement the ban, with one of the primary plaintiffs of the case being LULAC.

During that time, the court decided in favor of the advocate group. They released an order to stop the reproduction of the said pesticide and EPA had appealed to the decision.

The Fight is Still Not Over

According to Teresa Romero, the leader of the United Farm Workers, the decision of the largest manufacturer of the pesticide to stop its reproduction of the chemical is an important part of the victory of their group and its advocacy. However, she stressed that the fight for the complete ban of the chemical should still push through.

The thing is, as long as people are selling and using the pesticide, farmers and consumers will still be affected.
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Malibu, CA, Feb 18, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Join Ellis Martin for a conversation with Geologist and Manager of Operations Scot Evans of ReconAfrica trading ( CVE:RECO ) ( OTCMKTS:LGDOF ). Mr. Evans is an energy industry leader with a combined 35 years of experience with Exxon, Landmark Graphics and Halliburton.In his last position, Mr. Evans served as Vice President of Halliburton's Integrated Asset Management and Technical Consulting organizations, where he grew production from 20K to over 100K barrels of oil equivalent per day, creating the equivalent of a Mid-Cap upstream oil company. ReconAfrica is a junior oil and gas company engaged in the development of the newly discovered Kavango Sedimentary Basin, in northeast Namibia, where the Company holds a 90% working interest in petroleum licenses, comprising approximately 6.3 million contiguous acres. In this segment Mr. Evans discusses the acquisition and transport of a new modern drill rig to Namibia in order to execute the company's drilling program at Kavango.To view the interview, please visit:About ReconAfrica

ReconAfrica (CVE:RECO) (OTCMKTS:LGDOF) is a junior oil and gas company engaged in the exploration and development of oil and gas in Namibia. ReconAfrica holds a 90% interest in a petroleum exploration licence in northeast Namibia which covers the entire Kavango sedimentary basin. The exploration licence covers an area of approximately 25,341.33 sq km (6.3 million acres), and based on commercial success, it entitles ReconAfrica to obtain a 25 year production licence. The Kavango Basin offers both large scale conventional and non-conventional play types.

About The Ellis Martin Report

The Ellis Martin Report (TEMR) is an internet based radio program showcasing potentially undervalued companies to an audience of potential retail investors and fund managers that comprise our listening audience. TEMR is broadcasted on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel and The Opportunity Radio Network. CEO and company interviews are paid for by those represented on the program.
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Yowie Group Announces Winner of Charity Donation Competition Over Holiday Season as WIRES Wildlife RescueNEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / February 18, 2020 / Yowie Group, the confectionary company bringing families sweet treats combined with an educational experience, today announced the donation of $20,000 to WIRES Wildlife Rescue as a result of their charity donation competition. Over the holiday season, Yowie gave their fans the opportunity to vote for an eco-conservation organization of their choice. The majority of fans directed their votes to WIRES, an Australian wildlife rescue organization, in the wake of the bushfire crisis.WIRES Wildlife Rescue is the largest wildlife rescue and rehabilitation charity in Australia. It is a non-profit organization providing rescue and rehabilitation for all native Australian fauna. All animal rescuers and caretakers are volunteers. Recently, Australia has faced its worst national emergency to date, with bushfires impacting and destroying ecosystems and species across multiple states."With headlines reaching the United States about the tragic bushfires in Australia, Yowie fans were quick to want to help the animals from down under," said Cynthia Thayer, Global CMO of Yowie Group. "We are happy to be donating to WIRES on behalf of our consumers." With the fires destroying unprecedented amounts of habitat, food shortages have increased and lack of suitable habitat will be a significant long-term challenge for surviving wildlife. The money donated to WIRES by Yowie Group will be directed toward the relief and recovery of the animals and ecosystems affected by the bushfires.For more information about Yowie Group or WIRES, please visit yowieworld.com or wires.org.au About YowieYowie is best known for its flagship product, the Yowie surprise inside chocolate. Each Yowie product is created in the shape of the Yowie characters (Yowie is what they call Bigfoot in Australia) and contains limited-edition collectible animal toys and a full color leaflet featuring a picture of the real-life animal, its profile and level of endangerment. Our social media channels and website allow collectors to learn more about the animals and their world while having loads of fun through games and competitions. The combination of tasty, clean-label treats, fun animal toys and an educational experience encourages kids to learn about wildlife and the threats endangered animals face. Yowie surprise inside chocolates, Yowie Bites and Yowie Gummies are available in more than 30,000 retail outlets across the U.S. For more information visit www.yowieworld.com Contact:Katie Moralesyowie@ interdependence.com 949-777-2439SOURCE: Yowie Group
Due to a water billing error by the city of Pearland that began in 2018, city officials are considering a plan to collect approximately $6 million in unpaid water usage from residents over the next two years.

Residents got wind of the issue when some were issued two water bills in February and some were wrongly told they were past due on their bills.

Addressing frustrated residents at a Feb. 17 special meeting on the issue, which can be seen at this video, City Councilman Tony Carbone said, Ive lost trust with staff, and I know citizens have lost trust with us, and that will take time to rebuild.

The solution being considered  called Plan B  was one of three the citys staff put before the council during the meeting. Staff members and elected officials favored Plan B because it would have the least financial impact on residents regarding how quickly the money would be paid to the city.

Under the plan, also called The 32/30 Plan, water meters would be read every 32 days and the billing schedule would be on a 30-day cycle until all the money due from a customer is paid. No customers would be double-billed in a single month, but the payment process wouldnt be complete until March 2022.

The council directed staff members to report back with more details in anticipation of voting and implementing the plan next month. Discussion of the issue is scheduled to occur at City Council's meeting on Feb. 24.

That meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, 3519 Liberty Drive.

It shouldnt have occurred

Jon Branson, one of Pearlands assistant city managers, began the meeting by explaining how the situation started and apologizing to residents for a billing error two years in the making.

He said in 2018 the city received numerous complaints about the length of the water billing cycle. Historically and according to industry standards, meter reads were conducted every 28 to 32 days. However, some customers meters werent being read until more than 32 days had lapsed. As a result, those bills had higher water consumption than usual and, in some cases, pushed customers into a higher billing tier.

In an effort to fix the problem, the city decided to move to standardize the read cycle to an average of 28 days. However, it failed to change the once-a-month billing cycle, creating a gap that left some days of water usage unpaid.

So over time there was a gap between when meters were read and when actual bills went out, Branson said. The change in timing between when water meters were read and when the corresponding bills were sent has led to up to a 59-day delay in the utility bills.

We created the situation, were accountable, and were committed to resolving the matter, Branson said.

Once city staff became aware of the problem, they moved to fix it but again made a misstep, resulting in customers in one area of the city, labeled Cycle 11, being double-billed in February. Cyle 11, which includes 12,348 customers, is east of Texas 35, in an area that extends north and south of FM 518.

To exacerbate the problem, we became aware of this issue and were trying to fix it, but ended up inadvertently billing Cycle 11 twice, and we billed them prior to vetting and advertising the new schedule, Branson said. It was an error, and it shouldnt have occurred.

However, some residents werent convinced the double billing was a mistake.

Theres no such thing as inadvertent,  said Richard Sharp, who was among some 40 residents at the meeting. When that billing went out, somebody knew about it and pushed a button on that. It was talked about, it wasnt a mistake. Somebody has to be accountable for this, and it doesnt need to happen again.

Resident Denise Hewitt, who received bills for $132 and $130 in February, agreed with Sharp and then questioned how the city let the billing problem fester for two years before anyone realized it was happening.

How can you get this far behind? she asked. Im paying a high bill every month (for water), and Im really insulted by this. Why didnt we see this presentation before you billed me the $130? Where was the transparency? It wasnt there.

Of the other possible approaches to the problem presented by city staff members, Plan A would be a one-year fix. Over that time, customers would be billed every 25 days and face double monthly bills at some point, some paying 14 bills and others paying 15 over a 12-month period. Any bills generated beyond the 12th billing in a calendar year would not include the base rate water fee. Under Plan C, customers would be billed the full amount of what they owe for unpaid past water consumption and be offered payment plans to settle their accounts.

Carbone said that over the last two years hes dealt with what he thought were one-off water bill problems.

Moving forward, he said he wants clear communication about how the city plans to make things right and cautioned against a knee-jerk reaction which might force another mistake.

Councilman Gary Moore said that in the future, he doesnt want any customer double-billed in one month via automated bank draft. He also directed staff to try to find a way to inform water customers how much they owe in total even if the city opts to move forward on Plan B, which does not call for residents to pay their total bill upfront. That way they would have the option to pay their bill in full should they so choose.

Branson said staff would have to work on that idea since it is not possible within the current system.

Councilman Luke Orlando wants staff to consider Plan B but possibly amend it to provide meter reads on 34-day instead of 32-day cycles. He said if longer read cycles push peoples water consumption higher and possibly move them into a higher tier billing bracket, those fees should be waived as well as any other penalties that might result.

That would be a good step that would ensure youre paying one bill a month, were prioritizing getting caught up a little bit more quickly and theres no penalization to the victims of a mistake by the entity that made the mistake, he said.

The city has nearly 40,000 water customers. Once the money is collected in full, the city plans to read meters once a month on the same day each month.

Monthly bills would also go out the same day each month, somewhere between 10-15 days after the meter reading, per American Water Works Association industry standards.
A mother who was asked to stop breastfeeding her two-year-old son in a shoe shop, has sparked a debate on inappropriate places to feed.

The anonymous woman took to British parenting site Mumsnet, explaining that after buying a pair of shoes, she fed her toddler in the seating area where nobody was trying on shoes.

She said an assistant came over and asked her to move, telling her the seats were for customers trying on shoes only, despite there being plenty of free seats if anyone had wanted to sit down.

Considering that the she wasn't getting in the way of others customers, responses to the thread were torn with some insisting that the employee should have accommodated her.

However, others argued that it's not appropriate to breastfeed in a space that wouldn't usually be used to eat or drink.

Mumsnet users debated if it's inappropriate to breastfeed in a shoe shop, after a mother said she was asked by an employee to move somewhere else (file image)

A British woman who was breastfeeding her two-year-old in a shop, asked if she had behaved inappropriately after staff asked her to stop

Explaining the situation, the mother wrote that she was out with her son, who is two-and-a-half, and fed him 'sitting on a cushion seat in a shoe shop', after making a purchase.

'A few other customers around but nobody even looking like they'd like to try on shoes,' she explained.

'All other seats next to me completely free. An assistant came up to me and said please an I do that somewhere else? The seats are for trying on only.

'He was done by this point anyway so I got up and left.Am I being unreasonable to have fed him there and see it as an acceptable place to feed? No other people sitting there and I wasn't preventing anyone from sitting next to us, many other seats available.'

Many responses argued that the woman should've chosen somewhere else, suggesting coffee shops and park benches.

One person wrote: 'It's a bit of an odd place to feed, particularly a toddler who can wait until an appropriate time. I can imagine feeding a tiny baby in a shop if you were caught short, but don't really see why you'd do it for an older child.

'I mean, you wouldn't sit your toddler down on that seat and give them a sandwich or some cracker would you?'

Another said: 'I don't think issue is actually BF (breastfeeding) here. I think it's that you were sat somewhere for paying customers (or potentially paying customers) and you weren't one.

'If you were trying on shoes and got caught short, then yeah I think it's fine to feed your child there, regardless of age. If your child wanted a feed and you just stopped off there because it was a free seat and you had no intention of buying from that shop then YABU and should have gone to a coffee shop (and bought a coffee) or otherwise found a free public seating area/ feeding area if there is one.'

A flood of responses to the post blasted the mother as they argued she should've chosen a coffee shop or public bench instead

Others argued it's legal to breastfeed in public and said that the employees should have been trained to accommodate the mother.

'OP is feeding a child well within the average biological natural weaning age, so anyone saying a 2.5 year-old shouldn't feed on demand has no idea what they are talking about.

'If more people did this then perhaps it would become culturally normal and we wouldn't have such low breastfeeding rates and such a premature weaning age in this country. It's illegal to stop someone from breastfeeding in public. Whatever the age of the child,' wrote one.

Another said: 'YANBU (You are not being unreasonable). You are protected by law to be able to breastfeed your child. Staff should be trained on this and you should complain to head office of the store responsible for telling you to move'

A third added: 'I think providing you were shopping there and you are not taking up room for other people to try on shoes it is perfectly reasonable to feed there. A better comparison than food is whether you would have given a toddler a hug and a dummy in the same spot. If the answer is yes then yes, you are perfectly justified to breastfeed them there'
Income investors can leverage the increased demand for healthcare into strong total returns, explains Ned Piplovic, editor of DividendInvestor. Here, he reviews two global pharmaceutical firms that are attractive for investors seeking both growth and income.

Headquartered in Paris, France, and founded in 1973, Sanofi (SNY) offers general medicines, cardiovascular and diabetes medications, specialty care, vaccines and other consumer healthcare products and services.

More from Ned Piplovic: Piplovic's Picks: Best Global Chip Stocks

In 2019, the company invested more than $6 billion in more than 80 R&D projects, which also included more than 30 projects in the final phase 3 approval stage.

Like many European companies, Sanofi distributes its dividend once per year. With the ex-dividend date in early May, the dividend pay date follows in late May or early June every year.

The company has advanced its annual dividend payout amount more than four-fold since introducing dividend payouts in 2003. This growth pace corresponds to an average dividend growth rate of 9.3% per year. The most recently paid dividend of $1.72 corresponds to a 3.36% forward dividend yield.

Headquartered in Brentford, United Kingdom, and tracing its founding to 1715, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) discovers, develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products, vaccines, over-the-counter medicines and other health-related consumer products.

The company began paying dividends in 2001. With 11 annual dividend boosts in the first 15 years, the company maintained an overall rising dividend trend.

Even with a slight dividend payment amount pullback over the past five years, GlaxoSmithKline still doubled its annual dividend payout amount for an average dividend growth rate of 14.4% over the past two decades.

See also: ARK Next Generation Internet ETF

The company pays varied dividend levels for each quarter and the current annual dividend projection of $2.01 converts to a 4.52% forward dividend yield.

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The dividend income combined with a robust asset appreciation to deliver a total return on shareholders investment of nearly 17% over the past year and 27% over the past three years.

More From MoneyShow.com:
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has said the federal government lost about $750m to crude oil theft in 2019.

The corporation said the activities of oil thieves and pirates, which has been on the rise, is a threat to its operations.

The Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mele Kyari, disclosed this on Tuesday, while speaking to members of the Executive Intelligence Management Course 13 of the National Institute for Security Studies who visited the NNPC Towers, Abuja, on a study tour.

According to a report by The Punch newspaper, Mr Kyari said because of the crucial role of the corporation in the economy of the nation, any threat to its operation will be a direct threat to the survival of the country.

According to him, the vandalism of oil and gas infrastructure and the kidnapping of personnel are other security challenges facing the corporation.

He said there was a deep connection between the various shades of insecurity challenges.

Mr Kyari said they were all linked to what was happening in the Gulf of Guinea and the entire maritime environment.

He then called for a synergy to secure the oil and gas operations for the economic survival of the country.

Responding to questions on the challenge posed by the proposed energy migration by most western countries to renewable energy, Mr Kyari said that fossil fuel would still be relevant and that the demand for crude oil would not reduce in the nearest future.

Even by 2050, fossil fuel would account for 80 percent of the energy mix, and there would still be consumption of at least 100 million barrels of oil per day. We are determined to remain relevant in the long term, he said.

In his presentation, the NNPC Chief Operating Officer, Downstream, Yemi Adetunji, said the Gulf of Guinea accounted for more than half of the global kidnappings for ransom in 2016, with 34 seafarers kidnapped out of 62 cases worldwide.

He said the corporation was working closely with security agencies to tackle the security challenges, and cited the Operation Kurombe that was recently conducted by the Nigerian Navy at the Atlas Cove as an example of such collaborative efforts.
Rescuers are searching for two boats carrying dozens of migrants missing at sea between Western Sahara and the Canary Islands, as Spain continued to deport those who survived the perilous voyage from Africas western coastline.

A spokeswoman for Salvamento Maritimo, Spains coastguard, said on Wednesday a rescue plane was looking for two boats carrying 53 people, combing a huge area of water between the island of Gran Canaria and the port of Dakhla.

On Tuesday, two nongovernmental organisations  AlarmPhone and Walking Borders  said 14 migrants, two of them children, had died off the coast of Morocco when their boat sank while en route to the Canary Islands.

The same day, Salvamento Maritimo rescued another boat in distress that was just south of Gran Canaria and carrying 25 migrants, taking them to the southern port of Arguineguin.





Meanwhile, Spain continued its efforts to send home those arriving without documents in the Canaries, a Spanish archipelago off the western coast of Africa, with a repatriation flight carrying 51 people leaving for Mauritania on Monday  the third such flight this year, the Spanish ombudsman said.

Such flights are operated by Frontex, the European Unions border security agency.

None of those on Mondays flight were from Mauritania, with 36 from Mali, 13 from Senegal, one from Gabon and one from the Ivory Coast. Another 88 people were flown back last month, among them 72 Malians.

Under a bilateral agreement between Spain and Mauritania, the latter agreed to receive any repatriated migrants who passed through its territory en route to the former, regardless of their nationality.

In the first six weeks of the year, the number of migrants reaching the Canaries soared to 1,008  15 times the level of a year ago, when it stood at 66, government figures showed at the weekend.

The surge has raised fears of a renewal of migrant traffic on a route taken by tens of thousands of people a decade ago.

Late last week, another 87 migrants, including one born while at sea, were rescued south of Gran Canaria. Nearly half of them were women and children.

As Morocco has waged a crackdown on undocumented immigration, there has been an increasing number of people trying to reach the Spanish islands by boat from Mauritania, whose coastline lies 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) to the south.

As well as taking the Canaries route, other migrants have sought to sail to mainland Spain from Algerias northern coast.
ALMOST 600 threatened jobs in 12 Irish firms secured a reprieve last year following examinerships that enabled the businesses to keep trading, according to a new report.

The Baker Tilly Examinership Index said that saving the jobs resulted in turn in savings to the State of 2.6m in wage arrears, holiday pay and statutory redundancy payments that taxpayers could have been on the hook for if the posts were lost.

A total of 19 firms applied for examinership in 2019 but only 12 completed the process last year. Of the 7 others, some withdrew, some are still underway and some were unsuccessful.

Among the businesses to exit examinership was PBR Restaurants, which operated a number of restaurants in the greater Dublin area including outlets of the Fish Shack Cafe.

Under that examinership, the business of PBR Restaurants was split in three. PRB continues to control the four Fish Shack Cafe restaurants. They were sold to an unnamed investor.

The new directors of PBR include Ian Higgins, a former senior manager at Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, and Colin Pardy. Mr Higgins is a director of Dublin-based Market Lane Investments, a property development and investment firm.

Market Lane's other director is Jason Clerkin, a former managing director of Howard Holdings.

"The growing number of those availing of the examinership process is to be welcomed in a period of prolonged uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the terms by which Irish companies will trade with the UK in 2021 and beyond," said Neil Hughes, the managing partner at business advisory firm Baker Tilly.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine agreed on a draft order on the abolition of visa requirements with the Government of Grenada.

We launch a visa waiver program with Grenada. The Government has approved an agreement between the governments of Ukraine and Grenada on the abolition of visas," Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk posted on Telegram channel.

According to him, the citizens of the two countries will be able to travel without visas for up to 90 days for 180 days.

The Cabinet of Ministers authorized Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Natalia Halibarenko to signing the agreement.

Ukraine and Grenada established diplomatic relations in September 2019.

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Dr Gowun Park, 41, has been charged with first-degree kidnapping and murder in the death of her husband, Sung Nam, 41

An economics professor at a small liberal-arts college in Iowa was arrested on Wednesday after police say she bound and gagged her husband for hours, leading to his death.

Dr Gowun Park, 41, was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in the death of her husband, Sung Nam, also 41, West Des Moines police said.

According to court records, Park used zip ties to bind Nam's feet and hands to a chair at their home in the at 8300 block of EP True Parkway between 10.30am and 11am on Saturday.

Park is accused of then tying Nam to the chair with rope and jamming clothing into his mouth before finally using duct tape to attach a towel over his head.

Police said Park refused to untie him despite his repeated pleas.

Officers were called to the couple's home shortly before 7pm on Saturday and found Park performing CPR on her unresponsive husband, whose lips had turned blue. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Police in Des Moines, Iowa, say Park used zip ties to bind Nam's feet and hands to a chair in their home, then gagged him with clothing at their home in the at 8300 block of EP True Parkway (pictured)

'Ms. Park made efforts to hide and conceal the binding items prior to the arrival of emergency personnel,' according to a criminal complaint, cited by Des Moines Register. 'The injuries sustained by Mr. Nam were not self inflicted.'

Police did not comment on Nam's cause of death or a possible motive.

After an investigation, Park was arrested Wednesday at the West Des Moines Police Department and lodged in the county jail.

She made her initial court appearance on Wednesday and had her bond set at $5million. Park is due back in court on February 28.

Park has worked as assistant economics professor at Simpson College since 2017

Simpson College's student newspaper, The Simpsonian, reported that Park is an assistant economics professor at the school, where she was hired in 2017.

Her name has since been removed from the college's website.

Park's LinkedIn page indicates that she graduated from NYU with a Master's degree in economics in 2010, and then went on to earn her PhD from the City University of New York Graduate Center.
During the 17-month tenure of John Bolton as President Trumps national security adviser, representatives from government agencies with a stake in Iran policy would meet regularly in a secure room in the Old Executive Office Building or in the situation room in the West Wing of the White House.

The gatherings, hosted by the National Security Council, were designed to hash out a unified U.S. government position on Iran policy. But the Defense Department repeatedly complained that the memos the NSC produced from these meetings were largely incorrect and inaccurate, a former senior administration official said. Defense officials accused Boltons staff of misrepresenting the departments views in the official memos on issues ranging from the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization to the provision of military aid to the Lebanese armed forces.

The summaries were essentially fiction, the former official said.

John Bolton, then national security adviser, at the United Against Nuclear Iran summit during the U.N. General Assembly in September 2018. (Darren Ornitz/Reuters)

The tension between the Pentagon and the NSC was a microcosm of the evolution of the administrations Iran policy. It is a story, according to several officials involved, of hard-line political appointees taking on more moderate career civil servants and military professionals, and the most hard-line political appointees outmaneuvering moderate hawks on Iran policy.

Even after Boltons forced departure from the White House last September, his handpicked team has managed to steamroll opposition to most of his hard-line views from the Defense, State and Treasury departments, and even within the NSC itself.

The Bolton era was one of incredible impact on Iran policy, said another former administration official, crediting the former national security adviser with bureaucratically outflanking Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin by nudging Trump in the direction in which the president already wanted to go.

Boltons arrival at the NSC in April 2018 marked a sharp change in the way the council approached Iran. Under his predecessor, Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, the NSC functioned as an organizing body, a policy-neutral organization teeing up issues for decisions by policymakers at Cabinet or sub-Cabinet level, according to the former senior administration official. But under Bolton, it became like a policy-making branch, he said. It went from coordination to speaking for the president constantly.

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Then-national security adviser John Bolton answers questions from reporters as he announces the U.S. will withdraw from the nuclear treaty with Iran, Oct. 3, 2018. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Bolton, a longtime advocate for regime change in Tehran, had, like Trump, argued for overturning the nuclear deal with Iran negotiated by the administration of President Barack Obama. Two weeks after Bolton took office, the collective position against Iran of Trumps foreign policy team became harder still when Pompeo succeeded Rex Tillerson as secretary of state. A hawk on Iran since his days as a Republican congressman from Kansas, Pompeo also brought an incredible amount of Trump loyalty, as well as credibility on national security issues based on his time as an Army officer and as CIA director, said a former administration official.

But even after Pompeos arrival at Foggy Bottom, Bolton remained the hardest of the hard-liners on Trumps national security team when it came to Iran. Pompeo is definitely an Iran hawk, but when Bolton came in he made him look like a dove, almost, said the former senior administration official. Bolton came in wanting a war.

Bolton did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

In July 2018, Bolton strengthened his hand on the NSC staff when he brought in Tim Morrison, a like-minded opponent of the Iran deal, to be the NSCs senior director for countering weapons of mass destruction. At the beginning of 2019, Morrison in turn recruited Richard Goldberg as his director for Iran. A former staffer for Illinois Republican Sen. Mark Kirk, Goldberg was best known on Capitol Hill for drafting much of the sanctions legislation against Iran. He and Morrison made it their job to try to destroy what was left of the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which the United States had withdrawn in May 2018 but which several other major powers were still party to, while tightening economic sanctions as part of a maximum pressure campaign against Tehran.

Morrison and Goldberg found themselves sometimes aligned with, and other times at odds with, two other members of the NSC staff: Victoria Coates, the senior director for the Middle East, and Rob Greenway, a retired Special Forces officer who was the director for Iran. Coates, a former adviser to Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, was an art historian by training, but Greenway had worked on the Iran issue for years, including a stint on the staff of U.S. Central Command.

Tim Morrison, a former official at the National Security Council, testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Nov. 19, 2019. (Susan Walsh/AP)

Behind the scenes, Greenway has wielded significant influence on the administrations policy toward Tehran and wrote much of the administrations original Iran strategy, which the White House rolled out in the fall of 2017, according to two sources. While Coates can sketch the outlines of the Iran strategy, when it comes down to the actual substance its Rob, a Pentagon official said.

But Greenway based his strategy on the assumption that the United States would remain in the nuclear deal, according to a former administration official. Therefore, those on the NSC staff who wanted out of the deal looked down on it. Its the kinetic hard-power stuff that he knows well, and so the idea of a counter-IRGC strategy, the idea of rolling back the IRGC, stuff youre seeing now of going after the militias in Iraq and Syria and taking out [IRGC Maj. Gen. Qassem] Soleimani and all that, that would be very much in line with a Rob Greenway way of thinking, said a former administration official. His thesis basically is [the Defense Department] doesnt do enough.

However, the former administration official added, Greenway was less aggressive when it came to Irans nuclear posture and the need to impose even more aggressive sanctions on Tehran. The push to kill the deal and collapse it entirely, kill the waivers  [was] never out of Victoria and Robs shop, always out of Tim Morrison and Rich Goldberg, said the former administration official.

The NSC hard-liners also viewed the office of Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran at the State Department, as more accommodating of Iran than necessary, the former administration official said.

As a result, when Bolton was the national security adviser, a little civil war developed among Trumps advisers on Iran, according to the former administration official. Victoria, Rob and Brian Hook had their own club, so theyre sort of allies together, the former administration official said. Facing off against them, Bolton, Tim Morrison [and] Rich Goldberg had their own sort of silo.

But Goldberg, Morrison and Greenway were united in their belief that the Defense Department was not hard enough on Iran. During the first year and a half of the administration (before the arrival of Goldberg and Morrison on the NSC), when retired Marine Gen. James Mattis was defense secretary, the disagreements between the Pentagon and the NSC had centered around the nuclear deal.

Then-Defense Secretary James Mattis in August 2018. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

Under Mattis, the view from the Pentagon was that the JCPOA represented a really good deal, according to the former senior administration official. Military and civilian leaders alike in the Pentagon, including the key political appointees, argued that the administration should engage with its European allies and get them to back sanctions on Iran for its use of proxies like the Houthis to attack Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, rather than blow up the JCPOA, which ruptures a lot of our relationships with the Europeans, the former senior administration official said.

The CIA agreed with the Pentagons logic, without advocating a policy position, according to the former senior administration official. Their assessment would be that we would cause problems with our allies by doing this, he said. However, while the State Departments career civil servants also supported the Pentagons position, all the appointed people, particularly Pompeo and Hook, disagreed, the former senior administration official said. They thought that we had to exit the JCPOA and that was the only way to deal with them, and then start this substantial economic pressure campaign.

The former senior administration official described the Pentagon and the State Department, with the exception of Pompeo and Hook, as a moderating force on Iran policy. The NSC was the igniting force, the former official said. They were the ones that constantly wanted to push the [Defense Department] and the elements of State that werent onboard with a more aggressive position.

But with Bolton urging him on, Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018, less than two months after announcing that Bolton would be his national security adviser. To Pentagon officials, the administrations policy just seemed backward, the former senior administration official said.

In the meantime, disagreements between the Pentagon and the NSC escalated over the policy coordination committee meetings, which were supposed to coordinate Iran policy. Those meetings occurred every week or two and were run by Coates or Greenway, according to the Pentagon official.

President Trump speaks to reporters at the White House after signing a proclamation declaring his intention to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement, May 8, 2018. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

At first, Defense officials would respond informally to the summaries of conclusions, asking the NSC to change the memos to reflect they were not in agreement with the policy proposals mentioned in the documents. However, when that did not work, the department sent formal requests for changes and Undersecretary of Defense John Rood would call the NSC, according to the former senior administration official.

But the Pentagons protests had little effect. The original summaries would stand as the official record of the meetings. A senior Obama-era Pentagon official described a formal rebuttal of a policy coordination committee meeting summary of conclusions as highly unusual and said he could not recall it happening during his two years in the Defense Department. The former senior Trump administration official agreed.

Ive served through many administrations, but Ive never heard of having this done this way, he said.

As an example of how things have worked in the current administration, the former senior Trump administration official cited the debate over whether to continue military aid to the Lebanese armed forces. NSC hard-liners wanted the U.S. government to halt the aid because some senior Lebanese military figures had links to Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia group that is Irans most powerful proxy force. The Defense Departments response was, Thats one of the best programs weve got in the Middle East, the former senior administration official said. The Pentagon just flat out disagreed with the idea that everybody who talked to Hezbollah should be excommunicated from us, because they are the most significant people, thats why Hezbollah wants to talk to them.

The Pentagon joined with the State Department on a rebuttal to the summary of conclusions on the issue of military aid to Lebanon, one of several related to the Middle East to which both departments objected, he said.

The NSC officials got their way on the aid for a while late last year, but under pressure from Congress the Trump administration released it in late November, in the midst of the impeachment investigation into the administrations similar withholding of military aid to Ukraine.

The same thing happened when the Pentagon officials argued against designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization, according to the former senior administration official. The NSCs summary of conclusions made it appear as if the Pentagon was in favor of the step.

Pentagon officials disagreed with designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization on the grounds that it was a state entity, albeit a bad state entity, and that if the United States took that step, then Iran might reciprocate, treating U.S. special operations units or CIA personnel as terrorists and targeting them accordingly, the former senior administration official said.

The hard-liners again won the internal debate. On April 8, Trump announced that he was designating the IRGC, including its Quds Force, as a foreign terrorist organization.

Two weeks later, in what a former administration official described as a historic game-changing moment in Trumps shift to a more hard-line Iran policy, the administration announced that it was ending the sanctions waivers it had granted to several countries that had allowed them to buy oil from Iran. The decision was intended to bring Irans oil exports to zero and deny the regime its principal source of revenue, the White House said. The announcement marked a victory for Bolton, Morrison and Goldberg and their vision of a maximum pressure campaign that would put the Iranian regime under intolerable economic duress.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces that the U.S. will designate Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, April 8, 2019. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Less than five months later, however, Bolton was out as national security adviser, after what Trump said were many disagreements between the two of them. One of those was Boltons oft-stated desire for regime change in Tehran, a goal Trump publicly said he did not share.

But with that key exception, Bolton succeeded in shaping the direction of Trumps Iran policy, gradually overriding resistance from the Defense Department and the rest of the government.

However, the former administration official pointed out that Bolton was able to achieve his goals only because they largely coincided with Trumps. He noted that the administrations policy has been moving in the same direction since Trump took office, through four national security advisers and a succession of different heads of the Pentagon and the State Department.

Theres one common denominator throughout the spectrum of time, he said. Its the president.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
Labour Party TD Alan Kelly during his announcement that he intends to stand for the leadership. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Alan Kelly and Aodhan O Riordain have announced their intention to run for the leadership of the Labour Party.

Mr Kelly unveiled his bid in Dublin yesterday, with new Dublin Fingal TD Duncan Smith nominating the Tipperary TD, who was seconded by Cork East TD Sean Sherlock.

The Labour Party will have a contest for the leadership, however, as Mr O Riordain is taking on Mr Kelly.

Mr O Riordain was re-elected as the party TD in the Dublin Bay North constituency.

The former junior minister was a TD from 2011 to 2016, but then lost his seat and has served as a senator for the past four years.

Mr Kelly is being backed by former TDs Willie Penrose, Jan O'Sullivan and Mary Upton, as well as a number of councillors across the country.

He said he would "relish" a contest and that it would be good for the party.

Mr Kelly added that Lab-our needed to go "back to basics" and reposition itself to represent working people. He said the party would stick with its position of not going into government as it has no mandate to do so.

Ged Nash was tipped to contest the leadership of the Labour Party, but the Louth TD's decision not to run leaves it as a two-horse race for the leadership after Brendan Howlin announced his intention to resign last week.

Mr Nash said he will not contest the party leadership despite being encouraged to do so in recent days.

Reflection

Mr Nash, who won back a Dail seat in Louth at the election after losing it in 2016, said he wants to focus on his constituency for the foreseeable future.

In a statement issued yesterday morning through the Labour press office, Mr Nash said: "I want to thank those Parliamentary Labour Party colleagues who have encouraged me to run for the position of leader of the Labour Party.

"I also want to express my sincere gratitude to party members and supporters across the country who have been in contact with me in recent days to encourage me to contest the election.

"After considerable reflection, I have taken the decision not to allow my name to go forward.

"Just over one week ago, the people of Louth and East Meath honoured me with a mandate to represent them, their families and our community in Dail Eireann.

"I am proud to have been entrusted with their trust and confidence. With that mandate comes enormous responsibility.

"My home town of Drogheda is, at present, faced with a particular set of complex challenges.

"There is a responsibility on my local Dail colleagues and I to work night and day both locally and nationally to fix them. This is where my immediate focus must lie.

"I look forward to playing a full and central role in the revitalisation of our party."
PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-19 16:40:21

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SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / TPT Global Tech, Inc. ("TPTG or the Company") (OTCQB:TPTW) announced today it has successfully paid off the remaining 43K convertible promissory note due August 22, 2019 issued by the Company to Geneva Roth Remark Holdings, Inc. ("Geneva Roth") located in New York City. Since March 15, 2019, the Company has issued five different convertible promissory notes to Geneva Roth for a total of $287,000, the first four of which totaled $244,000 were converted into 129,064,728 common shares of the Company. The remaining convertible note for $43,000 was paid off by paying $63,086, including the principal balance of $43,000, a 40% premium and accrued interest. The payment was made possible through a secured bridge loan of $90k provided by a third-party existing investor. The bridge loan is secured by the assets of the Company and is due June 14, 2020 or earlier in case the Company is successful in raising other monies and carries an annual interest charge of 10% payable with the principal.The proceeds from the convertible promissory notes issued to Geneva Roth were used as part of the acquisition of the assets of Speed Connect, LLC, which assets were conveyed into TPT SpeedConnect, LLC ("TPT SpeedConnect"), wholly owned by the Company. The acquisition included the tradename of SpeedConnect. SpeedConnect is located in Frankenmuth, Michigan and is one of the largest Rural Wireless Internet Services Providers in the United States. Speed Connect has operations in 10 Midwestern states, Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Texas. The Company's plans are to upgrade the existing Speed Connect 10 state Broadband network to a 4G+/5G network offering faster speeds and added value products such as TV, Voice and Data Services to its 16,000 Rural Middle American telecommunication's customers."The conversion to stock and subsequent sale by Geneva Roth has had an adverse effect on our TPTW common stock price. Geneva Roth converted four of their five convertible promissory notes putting tremendous pressure on the company's stock price. We are very pleased the company was able to repay the last convertible promissory note which may ease market pressure on our stock. In the month of February, the company successfully completed paying the remaining balances of two debt relationships, Advantage Funding, a $753K merchant advance loan and now the last of the Geneva Roth convertible notes." said Stephen Thomas CEO TPTW.This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of various provisions of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, commonly identified by such terms as "believes," "looking ahead," "anticipates," "estimates" and other terms with similar meaning. Specifically, statements about the Company's plans for accelerated growth, improved profitability, future business partners, M&A activity, new service offerings and pursuit of new markets are forward looking statements. Although the company believes that the assumptions upon which its forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements should not be construed as fact. The information contained in such statements is beyond the ability of the Company to control, and in many cases the Company cannot predict what factors would cause results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements. All forward-looking statements in the press release are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and by reference to the underlying assumptions.About TPT Global TechTPT Global Tech Inc. (OTC:TPTW) based in San Diego, California, is a Technology/Telecommunications Media Content Hub for Domestic and International syndication and also provides Technology solutions to businesses domestically and worldwide. TPT Global offers Software as a Service (SaaS), Technology Platform as a Service (PAAS), Cloud-based Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS) and carrier-grade performance and support for businesses over its private IP MPLS fiber and wireless network in the United States. TPT's cloud-based UCaaS services allow businesses of any size to enjoy all the latest voice, data, media and collaboration features in today's global technology markets. TPT's also operates as a Master Distributor for Nationwide Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) and Independent Sales Organization (ISO) as a Master Distributor for Pre-Paid Cellphone services, Mobile phones Cellphone Accessories and Global Roaming Cellphones.CONTACT:Frank Benedetto619-915-9422SOURCE: TPT Global Tech Inc.
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NASCAR driver Ryan Newman walked out of hospital hand in hand with his two young daughters on Wednesday less than 48 hours after his 200mph Daytona 500 horror crash which left him serious injuries Monday night.

A smiling Newman had earlier posed in his hospital gown with his girls, with his team tweeting: 'The veteran driver is fully alert and walking around Halifax Medical Center. True to his jovial nature, he has also been joking around with staff, friends and family while spending time playing with his two daughters.'

Newman was in the final lap of the Daytona 500, Roush Fenway Racing, when his car was hit, causing a fiery wreck. He had been hospitalized in Daytona Beach, Florida.

'Ryan and his family have expressed their appreciation for the concern and heartfelt messages from across the country,' Roush Fenway earlier tweeted. 'They are grateful for the unwavering support of the NASCAR community and beyond.'

A new picture Wednesday showed Newman wearing socks, jeans and a t-shirt and holding the hands of his daughters as he left hospital.

Scroll down for video

NASCAR driver Ryan Newman walked out of hospital hand in hand with his two young daughters on Wednesday less than 48 hours after his 200mph Daytona 500 horror crash which left him serious injuries Monday night

An earlier photo of a smiling Newman, standing behind his daughters, accompanied a tweet on his improving condition

Newman was in the final lap of the Daytona 500, Roush Fenway Racing, when his car was hit, causing a fiery wreck, pictured

Ryan (left) and his family 'expressed their appreciation for the concern and heartfelt messages from across the country'. Roush Fenway tweeted: 'They are grateful for the unwavering support of the NASCAR community and beyond'

Newman turned hard into the wall after getting bumped from behind by Ryan Blaney a few hundred feet from the finish line. Newman's No. 6 Ford Mustang then flipped onto its roof, where he was helpless as he was walloped in the driver's side by another car at 190 mph.

It sent his car spinning backwards and LaJoie, who was driving behind him, then crashed into the driver's side of Newman's vehicle.

Newman's Mustang flipped multiple times and began spitting out flames. He was pulled from the wreckage in front of nervous crowds afterwards and was immediately rushed to the hospital.

President Trump tweeted on Monday night that he was 'praying' for the 42-year-old driver.

On Tuesday morning during an interview with Good Morning America, LaJoie said he it was 'very scary' what had happened.

He was still under care of doctors at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona, Florida on Tuesday afternoon

After Newman's vehicle landed after flipping the first time, it was then struck directly by No. 32 - driven by Corey LaJoie

Newman's car flew into the air after LaJoie clipped him while they sped around the Daytona 500 track at 195mph on Monday

Flames soon started shooting from Newman's vehicle before he came to a stop and emergency teams flooded the track

A crowd of emergency workers pulled Newman from the wreckage and immediately put him in an ambulance

The nervous crowd watched as Newman was put in the ambulance and then driven from the track to go to the hospital

'He's obviously in a serious condition because that's probably the most vulnerable spot in our race cars that was a really scary wreck.

'It was wild, I didn't even know who I hit because you're concentrating on trying to get a good finish and nobody knows how fast 200mph or how light or out of control these cars are.

'I didn't even know who I hit or what the extent of the crash was.

'[It was a] very scary crash but the fact that he's still with us and trying to make a full recovery is just testament to NASCAR and how safe they're trying to make these race cars,' he said.

President Donald Trump tweeted on Monday night that he was praying for Newman

NASCAR had earlier released a statement, saying: 'Ryan Newman is being treated at Halifax Medical Center.

'He is in serious condition, but doctors have indicated his injuries are not life threatening.

'We appreciate your thoughts and prayers and ask that you respect the privacy of Ryan and his family during this time.'

Newman has made complaints in the past about the safety of NASCAR's tracks.

He's been a harsh critic of NASCAR's struggles to keep cars on the ground, even getting fined for public comments the sanctioning body considered negative.

In 2010, he said fans shouldn't even go to the track to see races at Talladega.

Denny Hamlin, who sped to victory unaware of what had happened on the track behind him, was criticized for celebrating so quickly when Newman's condition was unknown

When the Fedex team realized what had happened and how serious it was, they cut their celebrations short in shock

They then all huddled together in prayer for Newman. A screen grab of that moment is shown above

Team owner Joe Gibbs (left) is pictured with Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin (right) following the race. Gibbs apologized for celebrating the victory as Newman was rushed off to hospital

The Indiana native, who graduated with an engineering degree from Purdue, said earlier during Speedweeks he felt renewed in his second year at Roush Fenway Racing.

'It's all about competitiveness and fun,' he said. 'I want to have fun with my life. If I can have fun in this garage doing it and get paid what I feel like I deserve to get paid, then I'm all for it. It's got to be fun and it's got be rewarding in more ways than one.

'I'm doing it past when I said I was going to do it 10 years ago. I don't know how to give the answer anymore, I really don't. I always said 40 and I'm 42 now.'

On Monday night, after the wreck, Denny Hamlin went on to win the race in his No 11. Toyota Camry for the second consecutive season, prompting NASCAR owner Joe Gibbs to wildly celebrate at the finish line.

However, Gibbs has now apologized for gloating about the victory, saying he was unaware of how serious Newman's accident actually was.

'We really didn't know, we got in the winner's circle and that's when people told us,' he told assembled press later in the evening.

Newman, who is nicknamed 'Rocket Man', is father to two young daughters, who frequently watch him on from the sidelines of the race track. They are pictured in 2016 left. He and his wife, Krissie, have split after 16 years of marriage

Meanwhile, Hemlin appeared somber following his victory, telling assembled press: 'I think we take for granted sometimes how safe the cars are and number one, we are praying for Ryan'.

'It's a weird balance of excitement and happiness for yourself, but someone's health and their family is bigger than any win in any sport. We are just hoping for the best.'

Other drivers were also stricken with concern in the aftermath of the smash, including a rattled Corey LaJoie - the driver who hit Newman's car as it was flipping.

Corey LaJoie spoke on Tuesday about the crash. He clipped Ryan Newman's vehicle after it had already hit the track wall. The collision sent Newman's car flying into the air in a fiery wreck

'Dang I hope Newman is ok,' he posted on Twitter. 'That is worst case scenario and I had nowhere to go but (into) smoke.'

It wasn't the first crash like this for Newman at Daytona or at another superspeedway, the Talladega track in Alabama. His car went airborne and flipped repeatedly in the 2003 Daytona 500. He landed on his roof in that one and did again at Talladega in 2009.

Newman also announced last week he and his wife had split after 16 years of marriage.

'I feel just renewed in general, the team, the people, the opportunities, the sponsors,' he said.

'All that makes a big difference to me. We've got to perform better.

'Just because we performed better than they had done in the past doesn't mean it's up to my standards and my goals.

'I feel like we need to step it up and that's a big part of me wanting to continue doing what I'm doing.'
Medical staff at Irans top cancer hospital tell FRANCE 24 their patients are paying the price of geopolitical strategies as the countrys health system struggles to cope under crippling US sanctions. The economy tops the agenda as Iran heads to the polls in Fridays general elections.

The reception area at the Cancer Institute in the Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex in the Iranian capital, Tehran, is packed with patients seeking treatment in the countrys preeminent cancer centre. Nearly two years after the US pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal imposing ever-tightening sanctions, patients and staff at the Cancer Institute are struggling to provide healthcare amid shortages and spiraling drug prices.



We don't have enough of some types of drugs and we have to import them. It becomes very expensive for our patients. They have to pay in dollars or euros, explains Wida Shehri, head nurse at the chemotherapy unit.



US President Donald Trumps maximum pressure strategy is posing a serious risk to Irans healthcare system, according to an international human rights group. A 2019 Human Rights Watch report found some of the worst-affected were Iranians with rare diseases and conditions that require specialised treatment.



Although Washington has built exemptions for humanitarian imports into its sanctions regime, the sweeping US sanctions against Iranian banks along with aggressive rhetoric from Trump administration officials have drastically affected Irans ability to import medical supplies.



While Iran produces 95 percent of its drugs, the country has to import ingredients that are difficult to access under the sanctions.



Exporters want to sell us the drugs. The problem is payment. We don't have ways to transfer money between bank accounts. I think around 50 percent of our patients have been affected by the sanctions, explains Mahmoud Zadeh, director of oncology at the Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex.



'Cancer doesn't stop'



Iranians are going to the polls Friday in the first general elections since the US imposed sanctions following the pullout from the 2015 nuclear deal.



Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday called on Iranians to vote, saying it was not only a revolutionary and national responsibility, but also a religious duty".



Opposition figures, however, have called for a boycott of Fridays vote, saying the elections were not democratic and that casting ballots only bolstered Irans theocratic rulers.



The elections have been overshadowed by mass disqualifications of over 7,000 mainly moderate and reformist candidates by the Guardian Council oversight body.



Trapped between crippling international sanctions and an authoritarian government, protests erupted across the country but were brutally suppressed earlier this year, according to opposition figures.



At an operating theatre in the Cancer Institute though, surgeons trying to save lives sound tired of being pawns in geopolitical games.



Doctors say medical equipment at the cancer centre is not up to date, increasing the risk for patients.



Surgeons working on a complex operation on a patient suffering from jaw cancer that involved transfering chest tissue cells to the face sounded weary with the situation.



We are facing some problems during operations, a surgeon told FRANCE 24. I don't know really if the target of the sanctions are the politicians or our patients. We are dealing with cancer here and cancer doesn't stop, so we cannot stop.



Directly or indirectly US sanctions have hit almost all sectors of Iran's economy and it is the economy that is on voters' minds during this election season.

(FRANCE 24)
Gov. Noem lauds state economy, but big legislative fights are coming

Noems speech flowed between business and economic development, lifestyle issues and social issues that were united by their conservative themes.
Warning: Andrew Hastie MP said TikTok could be a threat to national security

Tiktok is a national security threat that could be sharing users' data with the Chinese government, a federal MP has warned.

The popular social media app, owned by Chinese company Bytedance, was banned among Australian Defence Force personnel last month over security fears.

Andrew Hastie, Liberal MP and chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, praised that decision and also raised concerns for Australian teenagers whose data could be at risk.

'China's National Intelligence Law of 2017 means the Chinese Government can compel businesses to share information with them,' he told the ABC's 7.30.

'So, I doubt if our information is secure when it's owned by Chinese companies.'

Mr Hastie, who served in the ADF and is a vocal critic of the Chinese state, said he was worried that users' information such as their name, age and location could be accessed by the Chinese Communist Party.

'TikTok is largely used by teenagers but they're our future leaders... and we need to protect their information long-term,' he said.

The father-of-two, 37, also expressed fears for his own children, saying: 'I certainly don't want my children's data going to a foreign country who might use it for nefarious purposes.'

TikTok is the international version of Chinese app Douyin where users create and upload short videos and Gifs with a host of functions.

The app asks users for access to their phone's camera, microphone contact list and location when they sign up.

The popular social media app, owned by Chinese company Bytedance, was banned by the Australian Defence Force last month over security fears (stock image)

President Xi Jinping arrives during a military parade for the 70th anniversary of the CCP

The company says it stores its data in the US and Singapore, not China - but experts fear it could still be accessed by the Chinese state.

Fergus Ryan, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), told 7.30: 'It could very well be the case that data is being stored in the United States.

'But it's highly likely that same data is being accessed by Beijing-based engineers in order to improve the app.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted TikTok for comment.

In October, US Senators Chuck Schumer and Tom Cotton wrote a joint letter to Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire warning that the app could be used 'to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.'

WHAT IS TIKTOK? TikTok is a Chinese social media app where users can live stream, create short videos and music videos and Gifs with a host of functions. TikTok's tagline is 'Make every second count'. It was the most downloaded app in the US in 2018 and the world's fourth most downloaded app in 2018, ahead of Instagram and Snapchat. TikTok is known in China as Douyin where it was launched in 2016 and then made more widely available around the world in 2017. Douyin is still the version of the app used in China, available to download separately to TikTok. Last year, the app was merged with popular music video lip-syncing app Musical.ly, also with headquarters in China. Most children use the app to film themselves lip-syncing to chart hits. It offers users a raft if colourful modification and editing tools including overlaying music, sound, animated stickers, filters and augmented reality (AR) for creating short videos. The Beijing based social network has more than 500 million active users and the company is now worth more than $75 billion (58 billion). Advertisement

In January, the US Army announced the app would be banned on all government devices after fears arose about its Chinese-owned parent company using the app to gather data.

The ADF the followed suit, banning the app from all work phones.

It comes after a cyber expert claimed that TikTok is a magnet for paedophiles and Australian children are not safe.

In a dire warning to parents, 'Cyber Cop' Susan McLean told Daily Mail Australia the popular app was 'not safe' for kids due to grooming, bullying and privacy fears.

Users of the app, which is now more popular than Snapchat, only have to be 13 years old to sign up - and can be contacted by anyone unless they make their profile private.

Even then, anyone can request to look at their pictures and videos, and even pretend to be another child.

'TikTok is not a safe app and there are many concerns, not the least bullying and grooming by predators,' Ms McLean, a former Victorian police cyber safety specialist of 27 years, said.

'Any app that allows communication can be used by predators.'

The cyber safety expert warned TikTok has been known to fail to remove suspicious accounts even after being warned they could be run by a child groomer.

'TikTok does not have the same safety sessions as some of the more well-known apps and routinely do not remove accounts that have been flagged as potentially a predator,' she explained.

'Paedophiles like to watch kids sing and dance so they can take the videos and share them.

'The data gathering is a huge concern and if the government is worried then it is not a place for kids.'
80% of Chinese state-owned enterprises return to work, but national GDP is estimated to drop to 5%. Kickbacks for all major Asian economies, especially Japan and India. Taiwan and South Korea are expected to limit the damage. Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam are also slowing down.

Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Chinese economy is starting up again after the halt to activities caused by the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19), but growth forecasts for the world's second largest economy and its neighbors are revised on the downside.

China is expected to grow to around 5% in 2020 if the epidemic is contained by spring. 80% of its state-owned enterprises and their subsidiaries have resumed operations in the last few days. The reopening concerned in particular the energy, telecommunications and transport sectors. In services, the tourism sector continues to suffer from the country's substantial isolation. At the moment, less than a third of the 291 million migrant workers - citizens who reside in rural areas but who work in an urban center - have returned to work in factories.

The drop in production and demand for consumer goods in China, and the blocking of tourist connections, will have an inevitable negative impact worldwide. Beijing is a cornerstone of the global goods chain, and therefore a driving force for Asian manufacturing economies.

While the forecasts for the first quarter of 2020 are rather gloomy, the recovery of activities in China should favor a recovery in the second half of the year across Asia.

The rating agency Moodys estimates that India will grow by 5.4% in 2020, a substantial cut compared to the pre-coronavirus projection that gave it 6.8%: the lowest level in the last 11 years. Without an upturn in consumption in the cities and the countryside, and an impetus to the granting of loans to local businesses, the Indian recovery could prove fragile according to analysts.

Estimates for South Korea are more moderate, which should slow down from 2.1% to 1.9%. For Indonesia, however, growth of less than 5% is expected, which contradicts the optimistic declarations of the Jakarta government to be able to exceed the numbers in 2019 (+5.02, the worst figure in the last three years) despite the effects of Covid- 19.

After a 6.3% drop in the last quarter of 2019, the Japanese economy is likely to end in recession in the current year. To cope with the crisis, Tokyo announced a stimulus program worth  111 billion in December, the effects of which could however be canceled by the contraction due to the epidemic crisis in China.

The Singapore government expects a slowdown to 0.5% from 0.7% last year. But the initial projections for 2020 were growth of up to 2.5%. Local authorities are preparing for new liquidity inputs to stimulate the production system. Vietnam also announced stimuli to achieve its annual growth target (+ 6.8%).

Despite its strong interdependence with the Chinese economy, the decline in Taiwanese growth is expected to be contained in 2020. Taipei estimates it at 2.4%, after a previous forecast of 2.7%. According to the island's authorities, the loos will be less than that experienced during the Sars epidemic of 2002-2003.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 19)  PLtCol Jovie Espenido suspects that intelligence information about his supposed involvement in illegal drugs was made up by politicians trying to get back at him.

"I cannot really, maybe, pinpoint but this is one thing I can tell you... greedy, a greedy kind of person. Number one, politicians talaga (really)," Espenido said in a media briefing in Bacolod City on Wednesday.

"Yung nabangga natin sa trabaho since sa PO1 pa ako (Those I went after since I was PO1). That kind of person maybe ran after me," the anti-drug cop added.

This is Espenido's first public appearance since he was confirmed to be among the 357 policemen in President Rodrigo Duterte's drug watch list or narco list.

Espenido said the President has many informants but it is the intelligence officials' job to make sure politics does not get in the way of verifying the information.

"Hindi sana natin paniwalaan 'yung mga kaibigan natin na mga politicians na gusto lang na sirain yung tao, yung pulis," he said.

[Translation: We should not believe our politician friends who just want to destroy a person or policeman.]

Espenido refused to speculate on whether his detractors are local or national government officials, and whether or not they were connected to his last assignment as deputy for operations and drug enforcement unit chief of the Bacolod City Police Office. Duterte gave him the post in October last year saying the Negros Occidental capital was "badly hit" by illegal drugs and that he was "free to kill everybody."

READ: 'Free to kill'? Controversial cop vows to uphold human rights

Espenido also called Bacolod a "shabulized city." He was relieved from his post early this month over alleged drug links.

Espenido said information about his alleged drug links was from 2016. He said there was a 2017 resolution calling for his removal from the narco list, that's why he is wondering why his name had resurfaced this year.

During these years, two mayors on Duterte's narco list were killed in areas under Espenido's watch. Espenido was chief of police of Albuera, Leyte when the town's mayor, Rolando Espinosa, Sr. was killed while in detention in 2016. He was also police chief of Ozamiz in Misamis Occidental when the city's mayor, Reynaldo Parojinog, was killed in an anti-drug operation in 2017.

In 2017, Duterte awarded Espenido for his contributions to the government's anti-drug campaign.

Duterte has stood by Espenido, with the Palace saying the President believes reports on the police officer's drug involvement were not true. Ano, who has supervision over the Philippine National Police, stressed that Espenido's previous accomplishments as an anti-drug cop "could be a big positive factor to his side" during the probe.

Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Archie Gamboa said he plans to submit to the President recommendations on the fate of the drug-linked policemen on March 5, a week earlier than the initial schedule. Meanwhile, Gamboa said he will deal with Espenido "internally" after the latter made comments on PNP's "failure of intelligence-gathering."

READ: Espenido apologizes for speaking out on drug allegations
P riti Patel's new points-based immigration system has sparked controversy with critics calling it "xenophobic" and "meaningless".

The government claims that the new system will be modelled on the "Australian points system" and will better meet the UK's needs.

It has been reported the new system could cut the number of low-skilled migrant workers from European Union countries by up to 90,000 a year.

However, Labour have slammed the proposals, saying it will be meaningless due to exemptions. The Liberal Democrats have gone a step further, branding the new system as based on "xenophobia".

Here, we take a look at the proposed immigration rules and what that will mean moving forward.

Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, has said it is right that workers should speak English if they move to the UK / AP

What are the current immigration laws?

For those from outside the EU there is currently an immigration system based on points.

These points are awarded based on English language skills, sponsorship by a host company, and a salary threshold.

EU citizens do not need a visa to work in the UK as they benefit from freedom of movement.

That is set to change under the new proposals.

What is Priti Patel's proposed points-based immigration system?

A policy statement published on Wednesday said free movement would end, laws surrounding this would be repealed and a new Immigration Bill would be introduced for a "firm and fair" system which would "attract the high-skilled workers" to create a "high wage, high skill, high productivity economy".

It vowed to prioritise someone on their skills not where they came from, adding: "For too long, distorted by European free movement rights, the immigration system has been failing to meet the needs of the British people.

"Our approach will change all of this."

How will it work and when will it likely be rolled out?

The Government's plan for for a points-based immigration system is set to come into force on January 1, 2021.

The paper set out the first phase of changes.

- Skilled workers:

All applicants - both EU and non-EU citizens - who want to live and work in the UK will need to gain 70 points to be eligible to apply for a visa.

Points will be awarded for key requirements if they can demonstrate they:

- Have a job offer from an approved sponsor, such as an employer cleared by the Home Office (which earns 20 points).

- Have a job offer that is at a "required skill level" (20 points).

- They can speak English to a certain level (10 points).

Other points could be awarded for certain qualifications and if there is a shortage in a particular occupation.

The salary threshold for skilled migrants will be lowered from 30,000 to 25,600 for those coming to the UK with a job offer.

But migrants "will still need to be paid the higher of the specific salary threshold for their occupation, known as the 'going rate', and the general salary threshold", the paper said.

If an applicant earns less than the required minimum salary threshold - but no less than 20,480 - they may still be able to come to the UK if they have a job offer in a specific occupation which appears on the Government's jobs shortage list, or if they have a PhD relevant to the job.

This could mean lower earners such as nurses may still be able to apply for a visa, provided a shortage of staff in this area remain on the approved list.

The cap on the number of people who can come through the skilled worker route has been scrapped.

There are no plans to introduce regional salary thresholds or different arrangements for different parts of the UK.

- Highly-skilled workers:

This would allow a some of the most highly-skilled workers, who can gain the required level of points, to enter the UK without a job offer if they are endorsed by a "relevant and competent body".

This will include science, technology, engineering and mathematics professionals.

There will also be an "unsponsored" visa option where points will also be awarded for factors such as academic qualifications, age and relevant work experience for a small number of highly-skilled workers without a job offer. The route would be capped to begin with.

- Low-skilled workers:

There will be no temporary or general visa options for low-skilled migrant workers.

The paper said: "UK businesses will need to adapt and adjust to the end of free movement, and we will not seek to recreate the outcomes from free movement within the points-based system.

"As such, it is important that employers move away from a reliance on the UK's immigration system as an alternative to investment in staff retention, productivity, and wider investment in technology and automation."

It is estimated 70 per cent of the existing EU workforce would not meet the requirements of the skilled worker route, which will help to bring overall numbers down in future, according the Home Office.

It is thought there are around 3.4 million EU citizens living in the UK and most are said to be unskilled or low-skilled workers.

The policy document mentioned the immigration system would "reduce overall migration numbers".

But the Home Office has been unable to provide more detail on how this would be achieved and if a target number had been set.

A pilot scheme for seasonal workers in agriculture will be quadrupled from 2,500 to 10,000 places.

Youth mobility arrangements with eight countries that result in around 20,000 young people coming to the UK each year will continue.

"Both routes will provide employers with further ongoing flexibility in employing individuals into lower-skilled roles", the paper said, but added: "We expect employers to take other measures to address shortages."

- Students:

They will need to demonstrate:

- They have an offer from an approved educational institution.

- Can speak English.

- Can support themselves during their studies in the UK.

- Other routes:

- Current arrangements for specialist occupations such as religious ministers, artists, musicians and entertainers are expected to broadly remain the same and be extended for EU citizens.

- Self-employed and freelance workers can continue to apply for visas under existing rules and will not need to be sponsored.

- Visitors, including EU citizens, will be able to come to the UK without a visa for six months but will not be allowed to work.

- Asylum applications fall outside the points-based system and are expected to operate under existing rules.

Listen to today's episode of The Leader podcast:
Big cuts in school spending and three years of school tax hikes would be in store in Jersey City under a comprehensive financing plan unveiled by Mayor Steve Fulop on Tuesday.

Fulops plan, which he announced alongside Councilman Michael Yun, calls on the district to raise school taxes by $25 million in each of the next three years and make $45 million in budget cuts.

Fulop says the plan will save the school district $250 million by 2022 and solve a budget crisis sparked in part by a massive change in the state funding formula. New Jerseys second-largest school district will lose at least $175 million over a seven-year period that began in 2018.

Jersey Citys auditor said Tuesday that if school taxes are raised by $25 million, the owner of a home with an average assessment of $440,000 (the 2019 average) would pay an additional $101 in school taxes. Last year, when the Board of Education raised school taxes by 10%, or $12 million, board officials said the owner of a home with an average assessment of $439,000 would pay an additional $155 in school taxes.

School taxes are one of three components of a homeowners property tax bill. The others are municipal taxes and county taxes.

"We have always said that we would do our part and show leadership by putting forward a plan, Fulop said. The students and teachers are the number one priority here. The next step is we need a basic action plan from the Board of Education. This plan from the city will deliver $250 million toward fixing our public schools.

Fulop added that if the BOE adopts his plan, he will rescind Novembers referendum asking voters whether the citys elected school board should be converted into an appointed body.

In a letter sent to Fulop on Tuesday, BOE President Lorenzo Richardson said the citys primary focus should be guaranteeing tens of millions in revenue from the payroll tax created to offset the state aid cuts.

The district, which educates more than 30,000 students, lost $27 million in state aid last year and anticipates losing $72 million in 2020-2021.

Our focus is on fully funding the budget which is our responsibility as board members, Richardson said in his letter to Fulop. We can have a separate conversation about the appointed board vs. elected board, but I do not think a referendum to appoint a board . should be used as a threat over this board or the budget process.

When asked what he thought of the plan, Richardson simply replied, not good. He said the proposal doesnt provide the school district enough funding, but he does like the idea of the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority overseeing the lead remediation of schools, saving the district $13 million.

The city will implement its own austerity measures, including a pay freeze for some city employees, a cut in recruitment of firefighters and police officers, and a reduction in overtime payments. The budget cuts will save the city $10 million, money that can be remitted to the BOE, Fulop said.

He pointed to the districts forensic audit, which recommended a number of measures to cut costs, including laying off 71 district employees, switching the districts healthcare to a self-insured plan, and getting a fair share of tax abatement revenues.

They need to be doing things similar to what we are doing, Fulop said, noting the BOE should consider pay freezes, buyouts, and staff reductions at the central office. We have been talking to them and we think that number is manageable, that was a small number that was highlighted in their own audit.

Fulops plan would see the city share more tax abatement revenue with the district, bringing $40 million to the schools over the next three years. The plan also calls on the BOE to sell its central office building on Claremont Avenue to the city and then lease it back for $1 per year  a move Fulop says would save the district $15 million over the next three years.

Richardson told The Jersey Journal on Tuesday the district does not plan to sell its central office, despite it being part of a plan to fill a budget hole last year.

Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said how much homeowners tax bills increase is up to the members of the BOE.

While the BOEs only plans so far have been to rely on tax increases to plug their budget gap, the mayors plan is drastically less reliant on taxpayers.
SYRACUSE, NY -- The secret to resurrecting a bar in the location of a much-beloved dive is to spruce it up, at least a little.

Thats the approach Jamie Crouse is taking with the bar he hopes to open soon at the corner of West Seneca Turnpike and Valley Drive.

You know the place: Its across from Gannons Isle Ice Cream in what was obviously once a bank building.

For more than 40 years, it was a dimly lit, slightly grungy and frequently crowded place called The Remedy.

When it reopens, possibly within the next few weeks, it will be called The Night Drop.

It was definitely a dive, Crouse said, referring to the old Remedy, which closed in 2015. But Im polishing it up a bit. Will it be a dive? Ill just let people come in and they can decide what it is.

 The Remedy: Goodbye to amazing and hilarious

The new name comes partly from the buildings origin as a branch of the Bank of Onondaga, where night drops were a a way of making after-hours deposits. (Its was later Murphys Valley Pharmacy, which of course led to the old bars name, The Remedy).

The other inspiration for the new name comes from perhaps the best-known of the bits and pieces of memorabilia that helped make the old Remedy so intimate: Some regulars called it a torpedo, while others, like Crouse, called it a missile. The 10-foot-long (or so) object may have in fact once been a World War II smoke bomb.

Its still there, though Crouse has cut it in half and plans to use one end as his beer tap tower. Hes printed T-shirts depicting a vintage military plane and bombs with the words Night Drop on them.

Whatever the Night Drop becomes, it will evolve after the opening, starting with drinks and a limited food menu and expanding from there. Crouse plans to have a pool table, electronic darts and at least one TV at the opening.

Crouse began this project four years ago, but has faced significant hurdles along the way.

The major one came in July 2016, when he was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. He suffered head, neck and back injuries, lost the hearing in one ear and still has moments when hes a bit wobbly.

Ive put a lot of time into this and I need to get it open," he said. Its been a long haul.

Crouse was a chef who has worked in Central New York and other places, including three stints in New Orleans. Thats where he was when he found out The Remedy had closed.

He can no longer work as a chef, which requires too much standing, but has done most of the renovation work at the place himself: Hes installed a new horseshoe-shaped bar, stripped the floor down to its original tiles and added a new window to bring in little more light. (He is also both a builder and an artist).

He plans to open with a full bar and about five beer taps. Hell still have classic cheap beers like PBR and Genny, but will also add some craft brews. Some of those will come from Willow Rock Brewing Co., a craft brewery off of Ainsley Drive south of the SU campus.

A kitchen is for a later time, but he hopes to have some snacks and maybe a charcuterie board before that.

Theres room for a music stage, but that still requires approval from the city. (Hes had some other issues with the city that hes hoping to work out.)

Spike Nulle, who owned the old Remedy with Tom Coulter, still lives nearby and has come over to offer advice.

Taking a cue from the Remedys business model, Crouse said his bar will be open and accomodating to everyone, as long as they show everyone else respect.

Get along or get out, is one way Crouse puts it. Bring green (money) and a good attitude, is another.

Whether he ends up operating a dive bar or not, Crouse has fond memories of The Remedy.

One involves The Remedys reputation as a beer and shot joint.

I went in there once and ordered a beer and a shot -- I got a Busch (beer) and they poured a shot from a Jack Daniels bottle, he said.

"So next time I went in, I ordered a Busch and whatever it is youre pouring from that Jack Daniels bottle. "

Read more:

 New bar /arcade to open in Armory Square

 Inside Syracuses Anything But Beer taproom

 Inside Skaneateles Brewery, CNYs newest beer-maker

 CNY breweries that opened and closed in 2019

Don Cazentre writes about craft beer, wine, spirits and beverages for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.

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.
A search is underway to find evidence relating to the death of a blind man and his guide dog.

Victorian man Raymond Meadows, 63, and his black labrador Jerry were killed on 2 June last year when they were struck by a Toyota Corolla at 6.40am on the Calder Highway, in Wedderburn, a rural town in Victoria.

The Toyota driver, a 22-year-old man on P-plates, stopped to assist before being taken to Bendigo hospital with shock.

Police believe the car was travelling in the same direction.

In the weeks that followed, detectives received anonymous information via Crime Stoppers that dispute the drivers version of events and indicates there may be more evidence.

Raymond Meadows, of Bendigo, and his black Labrador Gerry, were struck by a car while walking along Calder Highway (pictured) in rural Wedderburn, north of Melbourne

The Australian Federal Police, which is now leading the case, joined Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives and State Emergency Service volunteers on Tuesday to scour the scene for more clues.

At the time of the incident, Highway Patrol officials said Mr Meadows was walking in an area with no street lighting and was hit in the dark.

Valma Meadows, Mr Meadows wife, said her safety-conscious husband would wear a hi-vis vest and light and walked up the highway to his gym every day for the past 15 years.

On the day of the accident, Ms Meadows said she knew straight away that something was wrong when she heard a loud crash outside her home.

Mr Meadow's wife said he was safety conscious and would wear a hi-vis vest and light for visibility

'I heard one hard bump and one small bump and I knew it had to be Ray, it was just outside our gate,' she told 9News.

Detective Acting Sergeant Brendan Eames-Mayer previously told 9News that Ray had recently received his furred sight companion shortly before the accident.

'The vehicle ... has for an unknown reason to us, struck Ray and his dog, and they have received significant injuries,' Det. Sgt Eames-Mayer said.

'Ray was treated at the scene for a number of hours, however was unable to survive the severity of his injuries and died at the scene.'
Days ahead of US President Donald Trumps visit to India, an influential Indian-American lawmaker said it is important for India to retain its standing as a secular democracy that sets it apart from other countries in the region.

Referring to the Indian governments revocation of Jammu and Kashmirs special status last year and the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), congressman Ami Bera said democratic institutions around the world are being tested even as there was push back on some of this.

Bera, a four-time Democratic Party lawmaker and chair of the subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and non-proliferation, told a small group of reporters: Indian citizens are the ones that ultimately will control the outcome of where India heads...We can offer that what we admire about India...is its vibrant secular democracy and we would hate to see India lose or tarnish any of that reputation.

He added, We dont want to see India lose that secular democracy, thats what sets it apart from other countries in the region. Thats what makes it such a valuable partner with the US as we look at extending democratic values across the world.

George Holding, the Republican co-chair of the India Caucus, and Bera were on a two-day visit to India to demonstrate bipartisan support for the bilateral relationship and to discuss key issues such as the situation in Afghanistan and maritime security with Indian interlocutors. Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla was among the officials they met.

Bera described the protests against the CAA as democracy in action. The tools of democracy in India remain vibrant and the country has an independent judiciary which seems to be ruling on the constitutionality of some of these issues, he said.

He added that is Democratic Party lawmakers were more critical about India, it was because we really care about India, we care about that secular democracy and those values. India derives its strength from a secular democracy where more than 800 million Hindus live side by side with 200 million Muslims and other minorities, he said.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 03:34:23|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum on Tuesday stressed that there is no military solution to the current Libyan crisis.

Boukadoum made his remarks during a meeting with the UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj in the Libyan capital Tripoli, the prime minister's information office said in a statement.

The Algerian minister renewed his country's support for the Government of National Accord and its rejection of the attack on Tripoli, saying Algeria will spare no effort to stop the war, according to the statement.

The east-based army has been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around the capital Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple the UN-backed GNA.

The fighting killed and injured thousands of people and forced more than 150,000 civilians to flee their homes.

The rivals have agreed to cease-fire on January 12, but both sides exchanged accusations of breaching the truce. Enditem
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The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday said that it will act against the misuse of social media networks, which were allegedly being used to stoke violence in the valley.

"We have evidence whereby social media was used through VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to tell militants to carry out attacks at certain places. On priority, we are targeting such misuse of social media," Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh told reporters here.

He said the Jammu and Kashmir administration had issued an order on January 14 banning the use of social media but the police was only going after those who were misusing it.

"We are sharing information (through WhatsApp) with you which means we know that you are using it. We are keeping a vigil on the use of social media and will act against those who misuse it," Singh said.

The DGP was responding to a question about the police spokesperson using WhatsApp to share press releases and send invitations for events including his press conference on Wednesday in spite of the ban on the use of social media.

"There have been several instances of misuse. For example, the driver of the truck which was carrying militants at Nagrota sent a photograph to his handlers in Pakistan the moment his vehicle was intercepted at the naka," he said.

"We have to differentiate between use and misuse... when someone misuses the social media, there will be no room for leniency. You should be thankful that you are able to use it," he added.

Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone Vijay Kumar dismissed reports in some sections of media that 200 persons have been booked for using VPN.

"We have registered a general FIR. The report that 200 persons have been booked is absolutely wrong," Kumar said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The doughnuts with the funny name are about to have their day.

Every year on Shrove Tuesday, bakeries, grocery stores and churches sell fastnachts in a variety of flavors, from plain to cinnamon sugar. This year Fastnacht Day falls on Feb. 25.

In order to meet demand, Pronios Market in Hershey has ordered 200 dozen of the treats - the most it has ever purchased - from St. Cecilias Catholic Church in Lebanon. The fastnachts will sell on a first come, first served basis.

Its a fun thing. People are lined up for an hour beforehand. It has gotten to be quite the event, said Mike Pronio, owner. People are excited about and they look forward to it.

Fastnachts arent like typical doughnuts decorated with sprinkles or filled with jelly or cream. Instead, they are dense and not very sweet.

The tradition of eating fastnachts started with the Pennsylvania Dutch, who were looking for recipes to use up fat such as lard in the house before Lent. Fastnacht is a German word meaning night before the fast.

Not every fastnacht is the same and recipes vary. Some fastnachts are square or diamond-shaped, while others are round. Some have holes.

Authentic fasnachts are made with yeast or baking soda. Some recipes call for mashed potatoes or potato flour. Traditional fastnachts are supposed to be deep-fried in lard.

To ensure you dont miss out on the doughnut tradition, heres a list of places in and around the Harrisburg region that will be selling them in the coming days:

Anna Rose Bakery & Coffee Shop

The city bakery is selling fastnachts in plain, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon sugar for $15 a dozen. Available for pre-order.

205 Walnut St, Harrisburg, 717-236-3149

Ciao! Bakery

This city bakery with ties to Bricco restaurant is selling homemade fastnachts in cinnamon sugar, granulated sugar and powdered sugar for $1.25 a piece and $12 a dozen. Pre-order is suggested. The bakery is also selling king cakes for $8.50.

304 Chestnut St., Harrisburg, 717-724-0236

Cornerstone Coffeehouse

The coffee house will be selling fastnachts again this year. They will be selling glazed, granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Price is $1.35 apiece, $7.50 for a half dozen and $14 a dozen.

2133 Market St., Camp Hill, 717-737-5026

Desserts Etc.

The bakery will sell fastnachts for $1.75 a piece and $18 a dozen on Feb. 25 only. Varieties include plain, cinnamon sugar, granulated sugar, powdered sugar and glazed. The bakery is accepting pre-orders.

840 E. Chocolate Ave., Hershey, 717-533-7505 ext. 4

The Filling Station

The restaurant will be selling granulated sugar, glazed and plain fastnachts for $9 a dozen and $6 a half dozen. Pre-order is available through Feb. 23. The restaurant also will sell them individually from its bakery case starting at 5 a.m. on Feb. 25.

320 W. Main St., Palmyra, 717-838-9077

Giant Food Stores

The stores are selling plain, powdered and glazed varieties for $5.99 a dozen and $2.99 for a half dozen.

Multiple locations

The Karns Quality Foods sells fastnachts at its supermarket in Lemoyne in March 2019. Once again, it will sell the Shrove Tuesday treats. File photo by Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comPENNLIVE.COM

Karns Quality Foods

Karns supermarkets will be selling fastnachts in plain, glazed, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar and granulated sugar. Prices are: $4 for a six-pack and $29 for a tray of 48 fastnachts. Pre-orders are being accepted and can be picked up starting at 11 a.m. Feb. 24.

Multiple locations

Maple Donuts

Maple Donuts will be selling fastnachts at its four bakeries in York County Feb. 24-25. If you want three dozen or more fastnachts, you must pre-order them. The bakeries are selling powdered, plain and glazed for $1.09 cents apiece, $6.39 a half dozen and $9.99 a dozen.

Locations include:

3455 E. Market St. (East York) 717-757-7826 204

St. Charles Way (South York) 717-747-9147

970 Loucks Road (West York) 717-843-4276

50 Robinhood Drive, Goldsboro (North York) 717-938-5544

Oak Grove Farms

The market sells plain, glazed, powdered sugar, regular sugar and cinnamon sugar fastnachts for $4.99 a half dozen and $8.99 a dozen. Its recommended you pre-order doughnuts for large orders.

846 Fisher Road, Monroe Township, 717-766-2216

Prince of Peace Roman Catholic Parish

The parish is making fastnachts again this year. The pre-order deadline has passed. However, they will be selling those orders that are not picked up to the public on a first come, first served basis on Feb. 25. The price is $9 per dozen and $5 a half-dozen.

Parish Center, 815 S. Second St., Steelton

Pronios Market

Every year Pronios brings in fastnachts from St. Cecilias Catholic Church in Lebanon. This year the market will be selling plain and granulated sugar fastnachts on Feb. 25. They arrive between 9 and 10 a.m. and will sell on a first come, first served basis. No preorders accepted.

236 W. Caracas Ave., Hershey, 717-533-2869

Fastnachts are fried and sold plain, glazed or dusted with cinnamon, granulated or powdered sugar at The Pennsylvania Bakery on Market Street in Camp Hill in 2013. File photo by Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com PENNLIVE.COM

The Pennsylvania Bakery

The bakery is selling fastnachts for $12.95 a dozen in plain, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, granulated sugar and glazed. King Cakes are selling in various flavors including cinnamon, cream cheese, cherry, raspberry, blueberry, apricot, apple, lemon, pineapple, or nut for $15.95 each. The cakes serve about six people.

The bakery is bringing back fastnacht cupcakes made with buttermilk, cinnamon, and brown sugar cake, topped with a cinnamon sugar buttercream, rolled in sugar and topped with a piece of made-from-scratch fastnacht. They sell for $3.75 apiece.

1713 Market St., Camp Hill, 717-763-7755

Schenks Bakery

Schenk's is selling plain, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar and glazed for $16.50 a dozen or $1.75 apiece. Pre-orders are being accepted.

1061 N. Mountain Road, Lower Paxton Township, 717-671-5133

Mary Ann Willever, left, of New Jersey, and Eileen Secoges, of Lebanon, sugar coat fastnachts at St. Cecilia Church in Lebanon. File photo by Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comPENNLIVE.COM

St. Cecilias Catholic Church

This church is the most well-known spot for fastnachts in central Pennsylvania. Fastnachts will be available starting at 7 a.m. Feb. 23 until supplies run out. The price is $5 for a half dozen and $10 a dozen, plain or sugared. Unfortunately, pre-orders for six or more dozen are no longer being accepted.

202 E. Lehman St., Lebanon, 717-272-4412

Weis Markets

The grocery stores are selling glazed, plain, powdered and sugared fastnachts for $5 a dozen and $3 for a half-dozen.

Multiple locations

Wegmans

The grocery store will be selling cinnamon sugar, glazed, powdered sugar fastnachts starting Feb. 23 for 85 cents apiece and $8.50 for a dozen. King cakes are selling for $15, while paczki, a filled Polish pastry, is selling for $4.50 for a four-pack.

6416 Carlisle Pike, Silver Spring Township, 717-791-4500

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. - West Virginia senators on Wednesday rejected a bill to cut state funding for the greyhound racing industry, three years after Gov. Jim Justice vetoed similar legislation.

The bill was defeated on a 23-11 vote. It would have ended $17 million in subsidies that benefit dog racing breeders and handlers at the states two racetracks, the Mardi Gras Casino and Resort in Nitro and the Wheeling Island Hotel Casino and Racetrack.

The track at Wheeling Island, sandwiched in the states Northern Panhandle between Ohio and Pennsylvania, also has felt the pinch of competition from new casinos in Pennsylvania.

Senate President Mitch Carmichael, the bills lead sponsor, said the industry is outdated and inhumane to greyhounds. He wanted the subsidies steered toward more important priorities such as health or education.

Whether we do it this year or next year or the year after, its going to happen, Carmichael, a Republican, said in a floor speech. Greyhound racing is ending across all of America.

The bill would not have outlawed greyhound racing in the state, but opponents have said the bill would doom the industry that provides up to 1,700 jobs.

Sen. William Ihlenfeld, D-Ohio, noted that a hospital in Wheeling closed last fall, and the city cant afford to take another blow like this right now.

The bill would have set aside $3 million to retrain displaced workers and $1 million to promote greyhound adoptions. Residents who adopt greyhounds would have received a one-time $500 tax credit.

During dog racings heyday, there were about 60 greyhound tracks in the U.S. But the rise in slot machines and table games has led to racings decline. Over the past decade, dog tracks were eliminated in Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Florida voters in 2018 approved a measure to ban betting on greyhound races starting in 2021. In October, the only greyhound track in Arkansas agreed to phase out greyhound racing by the end of 2022. Besides West Virginia, other active dog racing tracks still exist in Alabama, Iowa and Texas.

Ihlenfeld said West Virginia should take advantage of the dog betting dollars that will be lost in Florida.

Instead of kicking this to the curb, we ought to embrace it, Ihlenfeld said.

Like other states, West Virginia started the subsidies for the racing industry when slot machines and table games arrived. Money for the West Virginia Racing Commissions Greyhound Breeding Development Fund comes from a portion of those games at the greyhound tracks. The fund in turn provides much of the purse money kennel operators earn when they win or finish well in the races.

We ought to be concerned about cutting the legs out of an industry at the drop of a hat, said another bill opponent, Sen. Mike Romano, D-Harrison.
Amazon, the delivery, warehouse and Web services giant that made $1 billion a month in after-tax profits last year, is asking Delaware for a $4.5 million state taxpayer grant to establish its operations in Wilmington.

The Delaware Economic Development Authoritys Council on Development Finance plans to review a brief proposal for the Delaware Strategic Fund money on Monday.

Amazon already employs more than 2,500 full-timers  plus part-time and seasonal workers  at three Delaware sites: the companys original East Coast warehouse on Delaware Route 273 near New Castle; its truck yard, also near New Castle; and its warehouse and delivery center in Middletown. The company operates extensive warehouse networks in upstate Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Dermody Properties is the Nevada-based developer that built a one million-square-foot LogistiCenter for Amazon in Logan Township, Gloucester County, two years ago. It has applied to build a 5-story, 3.83 million-square-foot LogistiCenter, with more than 900 trailer parking spaces and more than 1,900 for cars, on the 142-acre site of the former General Motors auto assembly plant on Boxwood Road west of Wilmington.

Amazon intends to occupy that center, according to two sources familiar with Amazons plans, who asked not to be identified because they had agreed not to talk about the project.

Amazon is proud to call Delaware home, and we are constantly exploring new locations, but are not yet commenting on any specific operations plans in Delaware. Stay tuned, Amazon spokeswoman Rachael Lighty said in an email. She did not address a question as to why the company wanted taxpayer assistance.

The site, which Dermody purchased in stages from local developer Harvey Hanna & Associates, is served by rail lines and borders Delaware 141, a four-lane divided highway less than five miles from I-95, I-295, I-495, the Port of Wilmington, and the twin Delaware Memorial Bridge spans to the New Jersey Turnpike.

Dermodys draft plan for the site, replacing Hannas proposal to build about half as much space, was filed with county officials by the Philadelphia-based Langan engineering firm in November, as noted by the Delaware Business Times, and has since been updated several times.

The company has collected economic development subsidies in a number of states, and built a string of upstate Pennsylvania warehouses  more than in any state except California  after Gov. Tom Corbett agreed not to force the company to pay sales taxes it had incurred before 2012.

General Motors laid off the last workers at the 142-acre General Motors property and shut the works in the late 2000s. Former Vice President Joe Biden, who in his six successful campaigns for a U.S. Senate seat from Delaware appealed for votes to United Auto Workers members at the plant, in 2009 returned to announce a government-funded project to turn it into an electric-car plant for Fisker Auto. That failed to materialize, costing the state $21 million and the federal government more than $150 million in useless public subsidies.

Hanna bought the derelict plant complex and spent several million dollars leveling the works. The firm filed plans to develop more than two million square feet of industrial space at the site, then sold the cleared ground to Dermody last year. The Hanna firm remains active performing environmental remediation at the site, company president Tom Hanna said.
A newly proposed bill would clarify under California law the concept of hardened homes that are safer or more resistant to wildfires and then require admitted carriers to cover those homes.

Californias insurance commissioner and several lawmakers on Tuesday introduced a bill they said is designed to give insurance companies a greater role in protecting communities from devastating wildfires.

Assembly Bill 2367, which is being called Renew California, would require admitted insurance companies to write or renew policies for existing homes in communities that meet a new statewide standard for fire-hardening.

The bill also would authorize the insurance commissioner to require insurance companies to offer financial incentives for homeowners to do the work to make their homes more fire-safe.

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, Assemblywoman Monique Limon, D-Santa Barbara, and United Policyholders joined first responders and homeowners on Tuesday to announce legislation that addresses the growing number of insurance non-renewals due to wildfire risk across California.

AB 2367 focuses on insurance companies that have been writing fewer homeowner policies and sharply increasing non-renewals of homes with wildfire risk across the statea response to several years of devastating wildfires, according to backers of the bill.

Communities form Sierra to San Diego County are losing their insurance in numbers that we have not ever seen before, Gonzalez said.

In her district in San Diego County, Gonzalez said shes seen over a 10% increase in non-renewals.

Millions of Californians live in areas considered at risk for wildfires, she added.

Lack of insurance has sparked a wildfire domino effect that disrupts real estate markets and threatens the property tax base that local communities rely on to fund emergency services and more, according to the California Department of Insurance.

Data released by the CDI in August 2019 showed that insurance is becoming harder to find for communities across the state, with eight counties seeing a greater than 10% increase in non-renewals in 2018 alone.

Lara said he has heard from thousands of homeowners and has heard the same stories.

Are we going to have insurance tomorrow, is a theme we hear over and over again, Lara said.

Lara explained that the law will clarify standards for a harden home, and then admitted carriers will be required to cover those homes.

Insurance companies in underwriting guidelines will be required to write homeowners insurance for those who meet these standards, Lara said.

The American Property Casualty Insurance Association, the largest trade group representing insurers, and the Personal Insurance Federation of California, issued the following statement:

We look forward to working together on solutions that best address homeowners concerns about non-renewals, but we need to avoid legislation that limits consumers choices or results in unintended consequences that harm Californians. While a relatively low percentage of Californians face non-renewal in high-risk areas, it is little comfort to those who cant find insurance.

As long-term solutions are worked on, a balance must be struck that ensures the availability of coverage and safeguards insurers ability to pay homeowners claims in the face of large-scale disasters, the statement adds.

The statement goes on to note that claims payments from two consecutive years of massive wildfires have left California homeowners insurers with an underwriting loss of over $10 billion.

With climate change creating new pressures on homeowners insurance, any new laws must reflect this new normal in order to protect access to insurance while also providing stability to insurers so they can meet the needs of homeowners devastated by wildfires, the statement reads.

The Surplus Line Association of California has also been reached out to for comment.

Lara and the department have taken other measures to battle what they see is a growing problem of lack of insurance availability.

The CDI has issued a revised plan of operation for the California FAIR Plan Association, which furthers Laras Nov. 14 order revoking portions of the FAIR Plans current plan of operation and ordering the insurer of last resort to make changes to the plan.

The FAIR Plan has filed a petition for a writ of mandate seeking to have a court annul, vacate, or withdraw an order issued last month by the Lara calling for the Fair Plan to begin offering a comprehensive homeowners (HO-3) coverage, in addition to its current dwelling fire-only coverage, by June 1.

Lara in December issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies non-renewing policyholders, a move he says will help at least 800,000 homes in wildfire disaster areas in Northern and Southern California.

Under AB 2367, the Commissioner, the California Governors Office of Emergency Services and the State Fire Marshal will develop statewide standards for home and community hardening, in consultation with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention and the Governors Office of Planning and Research.

Hardened homes in communities that meet this standard would receive a guaranteed offer or renewal of insurance, contributing to community resilience while ending the cycle of lost home sales, falling prices, and declining property values negatively impacting communities across the state, those supporting the bill say.

This law would apply only to existing homes, whose owners are facing an abrupt change in insurance availability related to wildfire risk, according those pushing the bill.

AB 2367 already has support from the California Professional Firefighters, California State Firefighters Association, Consumer Attorneys of California and the Consumer Federation of California

Related:

Topics Carriers California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Legislation Wildfire Pricing Trends Homeowners
NORTH SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Police are searching for a shooter who opened fire in North Syracuse and riddled an apartment with bullets on Tuesday evening.

The gunfire on Lawrence Avenue was reported at 7:36 p.m., the North Syracuse Police Department said in a news release. No one was hurt.

Officers responded to the 200 block of Lawrence Avenue after callers reporting hearing nine to 12 gunshots fired in the area, police said.

One witness told officers he saw a hooded man run out from the back of a stretch of homes between Lawrence Avenue and East Taft Road just after the gunshots were fired, police said. The man jumped into a car parked on Lawrence Avenue, the witness told police, before the vehicle sped away.

Officers tracked the hooded mans footprints to the back of 221 E. Taft Road, a two family home. They discovered the homes second-story apartment had been repeatedly struck by bullets, police said.

No one was inside the second-story apartment when gunshots were fired, police said. The first-floor apartment was not hit.

The incident remains under investigation. Police asked anyone with information to contact Detective Florian by calling (315) 458-5670 or emailing tips@northsyracuseny.org.

North Syracuse police were assisted by the Cicero Police Department, the Onondaga County Sheriffs Office and the New York State Police.

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TWIN FALLS  The daughter of country music legends is coming to Twin Falls to perform in March.

Carlene Carter is the daughter of musicians June Carter and Carl Smith and the stepdaughter of Johnny Cash. She will perform at 7:30 p.m. on March 7 at the College of Southern Idaho Fine Arts Auditorium. Tickets are $26 for adults and $10 for high school students and younger. She also plays on March 8 at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum.

Her shows in Twin Falls and Ketchum mark the end of her Pacific Northwest tour, which included concerts in Oregon and Washington.

This will be Carters first visit to Twin Falls.

Im looking forward to coming because I do love that part of the world, the whole northwest, Carter said. I like to go off the beaten path because that's where I find my people are.

Carter will play music from early in her career to her most recent work. Its a career that spans decades.

She started in the late 1970s when she went to England to record her self-titled debut album with Graham Parker and The Rumour. In the 1990s, she had hits like "I Fell in Love," "Come On Back," and "Every Little Thing." She also co-wrote hit songs for Emmylou Harris such as "Easy From Now On" and The Doobie Brothers with "One Step Closer. In 2015, she joined John Mellencamp on his Plain Spoken Tour, which played to more than 250,000 fans in sold-out venues across the United States and Canada.

Her most recent album release was "Carter Girl," a collection of Carter Family songs and originals inspired by her family.

Ive had a long career of 40 plus years making music, Carter said. Ive really been embracing my heritage with the Carter Family music. Whenever I wasn't sure what to do next, I'd go back and get into my roots, which is the Carter Family.

She is the granddaughter of "Mother" Maybelle Carter, an original member of the Carter Family.

The Carter Family were the first vocal group to become country music stars. They are credited with having a profound impact on bluegrass, country, pop and rock musicians, as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. The original group consisted of A.P. Carter, his wife Sara Carter, and his sister-in-law Maybelle Carter. The original Carter Family was the first group admitted to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Carters family legacy grew even more when her mother, June Carter, married country music superstar Johnny Cash in 1968.

My parents, all three of them, were down to earth, Carter said. They were iconic. It's the yin and yang of being a big star. They had the grounding to maintain it. Mama was a grounding force in Johns life for sure. I think that's why he had the longevity that he did.

When she was growing up, Carter said her mother would come to her school to perform concerts. She remembered being horrified but also proud of her mothers musical talents.

I had the best of everything as far as parents go, she said.

At her own concerts, Carter likes to connect to the audience with stories as well as music.

They are a part of that as much of the night and show as I am, Carter said. I want them to feel like they are in my living room and that's how I approach every night. It's a very comfortable thing and I got two great guys with me. They are great entertainers too. Im looking forward to being there and playing. When I dont play for a bit I get homesick for it.

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Russia on Wednesday warned Turkey against attacking Syrian forces after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to launch an operation in Syria's Idlib region.

"If we are talking about an operation against the legitimate authorities of the Syrian republic and armed forces of the Syrian republic this would of course be the worst scenario," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

He added however that Moscow would not object if Turkey acted against "terrorist groups in Idlib" in accordance with existing agreements.

"Contacts with Turkey are continuing," Peskov added.

Earlier on Wednesday Erdogan threatened to launch an operation in Idlib by the end of the month if Damascus fails to withdraw its troops behind Turkish military positions.

"An operation in Idlib is imminent," he told his party's lawmakers in parliament.

Syrian forces, backed by Russian air power, have pressed a brutal offensive in Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in the northwest of the country, sparking fears of a humanitarian catastrophe.

In 2018, Russia and Turkey agreed to enforce a demilitarised zone in the Idlib region from which "radical" fighters would be required to withdraw.

Russia insists that groups of terrorists continue fighting in the northwestern provence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / Ximen Mining Corp. (TSXV:XIM)(FRA:1XMA)(OTCQB:XXMMF) (the "Company" or "Ximen") wishes to announce that is has verified gold assays for previous drill core from the Kenville gold mine at Nelson in southern BC.

As part of on-going metallurgical studies on material from the Kenville gold mine, Ximen submitted a series of samples collected from drill core and bulk sample material that was generated by previous operators. A total of 13 drill core samples were collected from selected intercepts obtained in the years 2007 to 2011 inclusive. In addition, assays were completed on two composite samples labelled as "High Grade" and "Low grade" that will be used to create a metallurgical test sample. Assay results are provided in the table below.

Hole/Sample From

(m) To

(m) Length

(m) Original

Sample

Number New

Sample

Number Original

Value

Gold g/t Check

Assay

Gold g/t Difference

% AK07-05 291.70 292.70 1.00 43465 V112451 15.90 12.23 -23% AK08-07 234.70 235.20 0.50 43305 V112452 44.71 28.38 -37% AK08-18 216.71 217.03 0.32 190029 V112453 29.20 17.71 -39% AK08-20 84.42 84.64 0.22 190044 V112454 37.60 14.23 -62% AK08-30 103.20 103.33 0.13 190336 V112455 14.90 8.51 -43% KW10-02 202.88 203.45 0.57 I985502 V112456 36.20 35.2 -3% KE09-10 456.15 457.03 0.88 A085823 V112457 14.35 10.42 -27% KE09-10 457.03 457.97 0.94 A085824 V112458 43.60 47.32 9% KE10-12 346.02 346.55 0.53 I984091 V112459 12.27 13.64 11% KE10-15 228.49 228.69 0.20 I984182 V112460 113.08 191.13 69% KE10-16 361.86 362.74 0.88 J294131 V112461 88.10 45.74 -48% KE11-22 263.86 264.65 0.79 K242405 V112462 14.20 21.12 49% KE10-12 387.79 387.99 0.20 I984094 V112360 62.19 55.02 -12% Low Grade Composite 26.39 High Grade Composite 55.28

Graph showing check assay results for Kenville drill core samples

As shown in the table above, the drill core assay results show a wide range of differences. The average difference between the check and original assays is -12%. The high variability in assay results is typical of gold vein deposits and is likely due to a nugget effect caused by the presence of coarse gold grains in the mineralized material. Also, the original values were determined by various methods including 30 gram fire assay or the metallics sieve method and as such are not exactly comparable to the check assays. Note that the average grade of the check assays is 38.51 whereas the average of the original values is 40.48 grams per tonne gold, a difference of only -5%. In addition, 11 of 13 (85%) of the check assays are within +/- 50 percent of the original values (see graph). The check assays compare reasonably for this type of coarse gold bearing mineralization and are therefore considered to verify the original drill core assays.

For the composite samples, the results indicate relatively high gold contents. Compared to the average grade historically mined from the deposit (12.8 grams per tonne gold), the "Low Grade" composite assay is about 2 times higher and the "High Grade" composite assayed about four times higher.

Check assays were performed by MSALABS at Langley, BC, an independent commercial laboratory, accredited with ISO/IEC Standard 17025. Samples were prepared pulverized a 250 gram split to 85% passing 75 microns. Gold analyses were performed on 30 gram subsamples. Sample # 112460 was subjected to a duplicate 30g high grade fire assay (with a detection range of 0.05 - 1000 g/t Au) with gravimetric finish while the remaining samples were each subjected to a single 30g ore grade fire assay (with a detection range of 0.01 to 100 g/t Au) with AA finish.

Dr. Mathew Ball, P.Geo., VP Exploration for Ximen Mining Corp. and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, approved the technical information contained in this News Release.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Christopher R. Anderson"

Christopher R. Anderson,

President, CEO and Director

604 488-3900

Investor Relations:

Sophy Cesar,

604-488-3900,

ir@XimenMiningCorp.com

About Ximen Mining Corp.

Ximen Mining Corp. owns 100% interest in three of its precious metal projects located in southern BC. Ximen's two Gold projects The Amelia Gold Mine and The Brett Epithermal Gold Project. Ximen also owns the Treasure Mountain Silver Project adjacent to the past producing Huldra Silver Mine. Currently, the Treasure Mountain Silver Project is under a option agreement. The option partner is making annual staged cash and stocks payments as well as funding the development of the project. The company has recently acquired control of the Kenville Gold mine near Nelson British Columbia which comes with surface and underground rights, buildings and equipment.

Ximen is a publicly listed company trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol XIM, in the USA under the symbol XXMMF, and in Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin Stock Exchanges in Germany under the symbol 1XMA and WKN with the number as A2JBKL.

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding the receipt of TSX Venture Exchange approval and the exercise of the Option by Ximen. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include the possibility that the TSX Venture Exchange may not accept the proposed transaction in a timely manner, if at all. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any state in the United States in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Ximen Mining Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/576923/Ximen-Verifies-Kenville-Drill-Core-Assays
Vietnam insists it is not about to call off its inaugural grand prix.

China's April race has already been postponed due to the coronavirus crisis, but serious questions are now being raised about nearby Vietnam.

However, the new Hanoi race CEO Le Ngoc Chi is quoted by the Vietnamese daily Dan Tri as saying: "It will take place as planned."

Hanoi tourism official Tran Trung Hieu agrees: "The F1 race will not be postponed or delayed.

"It may be sports, but the event has a huge impact on Vietnam and Hanoi's tourism."

It emerged last week that Vietnam had quarantined some 10,000 residents over the coronavirus crisis, which in total has killed over 2000 people - almost all of them in China.

"We are monitoring the situation closely and will inform customers via the media if there is a change," race CEO Le Ngoc Chi concluded.

(GMM)
New Delhi: Protesters agitating against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) being addressed by the Supreme Court appointed interlocutors, senior lawyers Sanjay Hegde and Sa Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: To find a solution for the ongoing Shaheen Bagh protest, the Supreme Court appointed interlocutors, senior lawyers Sanjay Hegde and Sadhna Ramachandran reach Delhi's Shaheen Bagh to talk to the protesters agitating against the Citizenship Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Feb 19 : While two of three Supreme Court appointed interlocutors reached Shaheen Bagh on Wednesday, the third interlocutor former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah skipped the meet with protesters for reasons unknown.

The Supreme Court on Monday had appointed a team of three interlocutors to be led by senior advocate Sanjay Hedge to talk to the Shaheen Bagh protesters with regard to shifting the protest site, and file report in the court.

Former CIC, Habibullah was part of this team along with senior lawyers Sadhna Ramachandran and Sanjay Hegde.

Habibullah on Tuesday had claimed that he had not got any official word for his inclusion in the team of interlocutors, which is being seen as a reason for his absence from the meet.

Though he was unavailable for comments, as calls made to him went unanswered.

A bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice K.M. Joseph on Monday citing replication of protests involving blocking of public roads, had said: "We are concerned, what will happen if people start hitting the streets and blocking the roads while protesting... it is a concern." The court had suggested that the Delhi Police may also offer an alternative site to the protesters at Shaheen Bagh.
NEW HAVEN  A 41-year-old New Canaan man was sentented to 12 months in federal prison Wednesday for health care fraud, according to the U.S. attorneys office.

Kwasi Gyambibi, formerly of Stamford, must also serve one year of supervised release after he was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven.

According to court documents, statements made in court and the evidence presented during his trial last year, Advantage Pharmacy was a compounding pharmacy located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. As a compounding pharmacy, Advantage created compound prescription drugs specifically tailored for individual patients who had a medical need for a compound drug, by mixing together individual ingredients in the exact strength and dosage prescribed by the health care provider to meet the unique needs of a patient, according to the release.

One tube of a compound drug cream prepared and dispensed by Advantage Pharmacy typically cost health care benefit programs thousands of dollars, and some individual tubes of cream cost more than $11,000 for a one-month supply. Gyambibis wife, Kakra Gyambibi, is a physician who worked as a hospitalist at Stamford Hospital, and Kwasi Gyambibi acted as, and eventually became, a sales representative for Advantage Pharmacy, according to the release.

In 2014 and 2015, Kwasi and Kakra Gyambibi engaged in a scheme to defraud the State of Connecticut Pharmacy Benefit Plan, TRICARE and other health care programs by submitting prescriptions for compound pharmacy medications prepared and dispensed by Advantage Pharmacy, according to the release.

Although the prescriptions sent to Advantage Pharmacy contained Kakra Gyambibis signature, Kakra Gyambibi did not treat, examine, or even meet with the patients for whom the prescriptions were written. Based on these false and misleading claims, the victim health care programs paid Advantage Pharmacy for the compound prescription drugs. Advantage Pharmacy, in turn, paid commissions of between 15 percent to 35 percent to sales representatives, including Kwasi Gyambibis close cousin, whom Kwasi Gyambibi considered his brother, according to the release.

It is alleged that Kwasi and Kakra Gyambibi also induced the victim health care programs to pay Advantage Pharmacy more than $292,000 for their own compound prescription drugs.

The investigation has revealed that this scheme resulted in more than $1.6 million in losses to the victim health care programs.

Kwasi Gyambibi was arrested on an indictment on June 28, 2018. On Jan. 9, 2019, a grand jury in New Haven returned a 19-count superseding indictment. On Feb. 22, 2019, Kwasi Gyambibi was found guilty of two counts of health care fraud related to fraudulent prescriptions for compound drugs that were submitted to Advantage Pharmacy in March 2015, and found him not guilty of seven counts of health care fraud. The jury could not reach a verdict on the other 10 counts in the indictment.

Kwasi Gyambibi, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison March 20.

On Jan. 18, 2019, Kakra Gyambibi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. On June 12, 2019, she was sentenced to three months of imprisonment.

Judge Meyer will issue a restitution order at a later date. The government is seeking $1,650,332.35 in restitution.

This investigation was conducted by the New Haven Division of the FBI. U.S. Attorney Durham thanked the Office of the Attorney General of the State of Connecticut, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Mississippi, the U.S. Department of Justices Fraud Section, and the Jackson, Mississippi Division of the FBI for their assistance with the investigation.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Sheldon and Christopher W. Schmeisser.
You could call it the digital debut.

The 2020 Census will be different from all of its analog predecessors. Its now online.

Not only will you be able to fill out the census online this year, but if youre employed as a census worker, youll also apply for your job online and be given a government-issued smartphone to conduct your work.

This time its all digital, said Jeff T. Behler, the New York Regional Director for the U.S. Census Bureau, referring to recruitment and work. And this is going to make us so much more efficient.

Residents arent required to fill out the census onlinethey can also provide their information over the phone or through a paper questionnaire. But the majority of residents are being asked to complete it online this year.

For areas with older populations or limited to no internet access, the U.S. Census Bureau will send the same materials, along with a paper questionnaire.

They are also partnering with local places and organizations, like libraries, to provide resources, internet access, and help for people who need it, Behler said.

The change is long overdue, according to James W. Huges, dean emeritus of Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.

Well this certainly is the way it should be done, in the third decade of the 21st century, he said. We should be using the latest available technology.

How it works

The first mail-out will arrive March 12, Behler said. A package will be mailed or hand-delivered to nearly every household. The mail-out will include a URL that directs you to the online census.

It will also include your census ID, which is a 12-digit unique identification in place of your address. If you have your ID, then the form will automatically know your town, county, and state.

If you dont have your ID, thats okay too, Behler said. You can key in your address on the online form. The form will also include a list of 13 different languages (including English), with a little message in the noted language telling people to call the number if they have questions, and the subsequent toll-free phone numbers to call if you choose to fill out the census over the phone.

Available languages include Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Tagalog, Polish, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Japanese.

Roughly 80% of the nation will get that in the first mail-out, Behler said. The other 20%which includes areas with historically poor response rateswill get the same package, along with a paper questionnaire.

There will be a total of five mail-outs, Behler said. The fourth begins on April 8, he said, which will consist of a paper questionnaire to anyone who has yet to respond to the census. A final and fifth mailing will come after that. And then after five mailings, if you still havent responded, an official census worker will be headed your way.

Starting May 13, well begin to knock on the doors of every address that we have yet to receive a census response, he said.

Official census workers employed by the U.S. Census Bureau will also be adjusting to a new change this yearthey will apply online.

In previous years, people interested in working for the bureau filled out paper applications, took paper assessments, and brought the materials to a physical office.

This year, the hardest part is creating your approved password, which is so many characters long, Behler said. The change makes it easier for people to apply, he said.

Switching to an online format also allows the bureau to reduce the number of physical offices needed. In 2010, there were almost 500 U.S. Census Bureau offices across the county. This year, there are 248, Behler said.

Census employees will also be given smartphonesconsidered official government propertywhich the bureau will teach them how to use. Employees will use the smartphones for everything from completing their payroll to submitting their assignments, Behler said.

Security

A report released this month by a watchdog group, the Government Accountability Office, said the Census Bureau faces significant cybersecurity challenges, including addressing security weaknesses in a timely manner according to The Wall Street Journal.

Theres always things to be ironed out when you try things out for the first time, Hughes said. But as far as security, nobody really knows how its going to be. Its just an unknown factor.

Behler said the bureau is working with industry experts both within the government and outside of it to ensure theyre safeguarding the data theyre collecting. He also said theyre working with those experts on aspects of the process they need to improve.

Theres always concerns, he said. Cybersecurity is a concern thats been raised by many of our partners.

Since not everyone has internet access or is familiar with providing their data online, the U.S. Census Bureau is also working with partners, like libraries.

Partnered libraries and other organizations will have resources for people to fill out the census, including internet access, one-on-one support, and other help.

Its a big improvement from previous censuses, Behler said.

Behler emphasized that the census is safe, easy, and important. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), for example, cannot access the bureaus census data, due to Title 13 of the U.S. Code.

The Patriot Act does not supersede Title 13, he said.

The answers people submit to the census are used only to produce statistics, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. People are kept anonymous, Behler said.

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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RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Liqui-Box, a portfolio company of Olympus Partners, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have entered into an agreement to allow Liqui-Box to acquire DS Smith plc's Plastics Division (DS Smith Plastics). The transaction is expected to close in Q1 2020.

As part of the agreement, Liqui-Box will divest selected DS Smith/Rapak bag-in-box (BIB) business in the U.S., including two manufacturing facilities located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Union City, California.

"I am pleased that we were able to find a solution that works for all parties and can now move forward with closing the acquisition," said Ken Swanson, Liqui-Box president and CEO. "As we work to integrate Liqui-Box and DS Smith Plastics, we will align product families, improve distribution networks and leverage the strengths of each business to deliver an enhanced value proposition."

About Liqui-Box

Liqui-Box is a global leader in liquid packaging and dispensing  working in partnership with customers to deliver high-quality, innovative solutions that achieve sustainable performance. Liqui-Box was founded in 1961 and operates globally. Stamford, Connecticut-based private equity firm Olympus Partners holds Liqui-Box among its portfolio of middle-market packaging and other businesses. More at liquibox.com.

About DS Smith Plastics

The Plastics Division consists of sustainable flexible packaging and dispensing solutions, extruded plastic sheet products, returnable injection molded crates, and molded foam products. Headquartered in Romeoville, Illinois, the Plastics Division employs more than 2,000 people across 25 facilities in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

About Olympus Partners

Founded in 1988, Olympus Partners is a private equity firm focused on providing equity capital for middle market management buyouts and for companies needing capital for expansion. Olympus is an active, long-term investor across a broad range of industries including business services, food services, consumer products, healthcare services, financial services, industrial services, and manufacturing. Olympus manages in excess of $8.5 billion mainly on behalf of corporate pension funds, endowment funds and state-sponsored retirement programs.

Media contact:

Paul Kase

+1 (804) 433-3834

SOURCE Liqui-Box

Related Links

http://www.liquibox.com


Current play mats do not differ that much from each other, but the Funtory Magic Carpet includes bonus features that are catered towards a new generation of children.

South Korean companies, Creamhaus Inc. and Envisible Inc. have teamed up to create Funtory Magic Carpet, the world's first baby play mat. Current play mats do not differ that much from each other, but the Funtory Magic Carpet includes bonus features that are catered towards a new generation of children.

In order to bring this product to the market, Creamhaus and Envisible have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the Funtory Magic Carpet. Both companies are seeking $10,000 in funding to begin the production process for its Kickstarter backers.

The Funtory Magic Carpet provides the basic benefits of a traditional play mat. Creating a safe, comfortable play space, the easy care play mat looks more like a stylish decor rather than a giant eyesore. With playtime over and babys toys put away, parents will be able to reclaim their adult space and stop compromising the appearance of their favorite rooms.

Funtory Magic Carpet is accompanied by a smartphone app that can be used to access the AR games feature. By pointing the device at different parts of the Funtory Magic Carpet, kids will be able to access different games that are not only fun but educational as well. This allows children to explore a new world that will help stimulate their creativity levels. While the children enjoy their new favorite past time, parents will have the opportunity to stay nearby and take a well-deserved break.

Creamhaus and Envisible have announced that Kickstarter backers will be able to get their own Funtory Magic Carpet at a backer only discounted price. Any editors or influencers interested in receiving a sample to review are encouraged to reach out to the team through their Kickstarter campaign.
Passengers began disembarking on Wednesday from a cruise ship docked off Yokohama, Japan, as a two-week quarantine of the vessel was coming to an end even as a major coronavirus outbreak on board continued unabated.

An initial group of about 500 people were to leave the boat on the first day of what the Japanese authorities have said will be a three-day operation to offload those who have tested negative for the virus and do not have symptoms. Passengers who shared cabins with infected patients have been ordered to remain on the ship.

Several countries have arranged charter flights to take their nationals home after they leave the boat. Most if not all of these passengers face an additional two-week quarantine in their home countries.

The disembarkation is taking place even as at least 542 passengers aboard the ship, the Diamond Princess, have been infected with the virus. On Tuesday, the authorities announced an additional 88 cases on the ship, which originally carried about 3,700 passengers and crew members.
This day is Maharashtras day.

Thrice over.

First, it is the birth anniversary, the jayanti, of the peerless Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (1627/301680), our all-time hero and the emblazoned symbol of Indias national pride.

Second, it is a day when we remember the dearly beloved Lokamanya Tilak (18561920) who told us in that matchless phrase, brilliantly mixing Sanskrit and Urdu, that Svaraj, freedom, was our janmasiddha haq, birthright. He brought Shivajis jayanti out of the dust of time and the haze of forgetting back to living memory by marking February 19 as a festival, an utsav. As also Jyotirao Phule and Babasaheb Ambedkar who too marked Shivajis jayanti as they would, for Shivaji, by his example, showed freedom from both bigotry and casteism.

And the third reason that the nation bows its head reverentially to Maharashtra today is because this day  February 19  is also the anniversary of the death of the great karmayogi Gopal Krishna Gokhale (18661915). We mourn the fact that Gokhale, who burned himself out trying to bring to India democratic rights and republican obligations, lived for so short a time, died so early  at age 49, this day, 105 years ago.

By the standards of life expectancy in his time (23 years), he was already above the average age that anyone expected to reach. By the standards of today (70 years), he had 20 more years, at least, to go. But many crossed the average life expectancy of those times by a wide margin. Gandhi, who was born three years after Gokhale, lived to age 79 and he could have gone on for another 10 years, at the very least, had he not been shot in 1948. Sardar Patel lived to age 75, as did Jawaharlal Nehru.

So, with better luck in health, Gokhale could have lived to when he would have reached 70, in 1936. Had he done that, Gokhale would have realised one of his dreams, which is, he would have seen popularly elected responsible governments getting ready to assume office in the provinces of British India, with a young Nehru as the Congress president.

But, then, who are we to replay lifelines and time cycles ?

We can, nevertheless, do something else, something better. We can see what we can derive from his life, which VS Srinivasa Sastri has set down, that may be valuable to us as a people and as citizens, and serve our polity.

There are, in my thinking, five lessons that Gokhale holds out for us to imbibe today:

First, as the teacher of mathematics, English literature, history and economics that he was for 25 years in Punes Fergusson College, Gokhales career showed this: Political leadership need not be about degrees and PhDs, but it has to come from a pupilship of knowledge such as BR Ambedkar symbolised. The politician who decries the intellect forgets the outstanding chief minister of Madras, K Kamaraj, who never went to college but was a master of the sociology of his people and brought a full head of humble wisdom to his office, not a vacuous self-serving agenda.

Second, as a public figure whom slander did not spare, Gokhale knew the principle he explained to a sympathetic correspondent in 1898 thus: Thanks to the teaching and example of Mr Justice Ranade, I have long learnt to make my conscience  and not public applause  the spring of my actions. The politicians fair-weather friend is popularity; the long-term associate, a clean conscience.

Third, as a politician who had adversaries, including no one less than the eminent Tilak Maharaj himself, Gokhale, who was aware about the issue, said of Tilak: I have many accounts to settle with him. Buthe is a great man.There is no man who has shown grit and patience and courage so rare The politician who does not respect his opponent finds compliance, not esteem.

Fourth, as a legislator in the Bombay and Imperial Legislative Councils who saw his place in time, Gokhale disliked being compared to great figures, and said: We are small people, living small lives on a small contracted stageNothing but self-esteem to have our names in juxtaposition with those which have shed lustre on pages of the historical past.

Fifth, as a statesman, politics meant for him civility and courage, the civility to acknowledge ones own limitations and the courage to cross them in humility for the greatness of the country. This was the only honourable path.

Not for nothing did Gandhi describe Gokhale to be: As pure as crystal, as gentle as a lamb, as brave as a lion, and the most perfect man in the political field.

Fortunate is Maharashtra to have given India these titans, fortunate is India in Maharashtra.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi is a former administrator, diplomat and governor

The views expressed are personal

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Detroit business owner Scott Zack reflects on the importance of the Entrepreneurs' Organization and other similar initiatives.

WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / Supporting business owners and aspiring business owners alike, a variety of organizations exist to assist, encourage, and promote America's rapidly growing number of entrepreneurs. A successful Detroit business owner, Michigan resident and entrepreneurial organization advocate Scott Zack offers a closer look at the work of YPO and the Entrepreneurs' Organization.

Zack starts by briefly looking back at the history of the Young Presidents' Organization, today more commonly known as YPO. "Now 70 years in the making, the Young Presidents' Organization, or YPO, was first founded back in 1950," he reveals.

The Entrepreneurs' Organization, meanwhile, Zack goes on to point out, while not dating back as far, is still more than 30 years old. "The Entrepreneurs' Organization was established in 1987," he adds, "and, today, boasts thousands of members both in the U.S. and internationally."

In fact, together, the Entrepreneurs' Organization and YPO combined boast tens of thousands of members in total, according to the successful business owner.

Such organizations, Scott Zack, Michigan resident, says, even decades on, remain extremely important to entrepreneurship and the wider business world, both in the U.S. and overseas. "The simple fact that these organizations exist and facilitate learning between existing and new or aspiring entrepreneurs alike is great for our economy," suggests Zack, "and other economies around the world where such organizations exist."

Scott Zack has seen, first hand, he says, how initiatives such as the Entrepreneurs' Organization and YPO have instilled excitement, passion, and drive into newer and newer generations of entrepreneurs.

According to Zack, the Entrepreneurs' Organization exists on a basis of integrity and promotes core values which include respect, trust, and a thirst for learning. YPO, meanwhile, and now with over 25,000 members in more than 130 countries globally, is built upon a framework of mentorship provided by what they call a network of peer leaders, each of whom is dedicated to lifelong learning.

"Both organizations, and other entrepreneurial organizations alike, foster environments of trust and respect, first and foremost," explains Zack, "and confidentiality is often a stipulation, particularly between peer leaders and those who they mentor."

"It's also about accessing opportunities," adds the successful Detroit business owner, wrapping up, "and opportunities, I believe, are central to long-term success as an entrepreneur, whatever your field of business."

CONTACT:

Caroline Hunter

Web Presence, LLC

+1 786-551-9491

SOURCE: Web Presence, LLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/577007/Scott-Zack-Demonstrates-Importance-of-National-Entrepreneurial-Organizations
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 07:32:33|Editor: ZD

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Medical team members prepare to check in at Hohhot Baita International Airport before leaving for Hubei Province in Hohhot, capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Feb. 18, 2020. The 7th batch of medical workers from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to Hubei Province departed Tuesday to help the novel coronavirus control efforts there. (Xinhua/Liu Lei)
Google reported a remarkable breakthrough toward the end of 2019. The company claimed to have achieved something called quantum supremacy, using a new type of quantum computer to perform a benchmark test in 200 seconds. This was in stark contrast to the 10,000 years that would supposedly have been needed by a state-of-the-art conventional supercomputer to complete the same test.

Despite IBMs claim that its supercomputer, with a little optimization, could solve the task in a matter of days, Googles announcement made it clear that we are entering a new era of incredible computational power.

Yet with much less fanfare, there has also been rapid progress in the development of quantum communication networks, and a master network to unite them all called the quantum internet. Just as the internet as we know it followed the development of computers, we can expect the quantum computer to be accompanied by the safer, better synchronized quantum internet.

Like quantum computing, quantum communication records information in what are known as qubits, similar to the way digital systems use bits and bytes. Whereas a bit can only take the value of zero or one, a qubit can also use the principles of quantum physics to take the value of zero and one at the same time. This is what allows quantum computers to perform certain computations very quickly. Instead of solving several variants of a problem one by one, the quantum computer can handle them all at the same time.

These qubits are central to the quantum internet because of a property called entanglement. If two entangled qubits are geographically separated (for instance, one qubit in Dublin and the other in New York), measurements of both would yield the same result. This would enable the ultimate in secret communications, a shared knowledge between two parties that cannot be discovered by a third. The resulting ability to code and decode messages would be one of the most powerful features of the quantum internet.

Commercial applications

There will be no shortage of commercial applications for these advanced cryptographic mechanisms. The world of finance, in particular, looks set to benefit as the quantum internet will lead to enhanced privacy for online transactions and stronger proof of the funds used in the transaction.

Recently, at the CONNECT Centre in Trinity College Dublin, we successfully implemented an algorithm that could achieve this level of security. That this took place during a hackathon -- a sort of competition for computer programmers -- shows that even enthusiasts without detailed knowledge of quantum physics can create some of the building blocks that will be needed for the quantum internet. This technology wont be confined to specialist university departments, just as the original internet soon outgrew its origins as a way to connect academics around the world.

But how could this quantum internet be built anytime soon when we currently can only build very limited quantum computers? Well, the devices in the quantum internet dont have to be completely quantum in nature, and the network wont require massive quantum machines to handle the communication protocols.

One qubit here and there is all a quantum communication network needs to function. Instead of replacing the current infrastructure of optical fibers, data centers and base stations, the quantum internet will build on top of and make maximum use of the existing, classical internet.

With such rapid progress being made, quantum internet technology is set to shape the business plans of telecom companies in the near future. Financial institutions are already using quantum communication networks to make inter-bank transactions safer. And quantum communication satellites are up and running as the first step to extending these networks to a global scale.

The pipes of the quantum internet are effectively being laid as you read this. When a big quantum computer is finally built, it can be plugged into this network and accessed on the cloud, with all the privacy guarantees of quantum cryptography.

What will the ordinary user notice when the enhanced cryptography of the quantum internet becomes available? Very little, in all likelihood. Cryptography is like waste management: if everything works well, the customer doesnt even notice.

In the constant race of the codemakers and codebreakers, the quantum internet wont just prevent the codebreakers taking the lead. It will move the race track into another world altogether, with a significant head start for the codemakers. With data becoming the currency of our times, the quantum internet will provide stronger security for a new valuable commodity.

This article was first posted to The Conversation.
Highlights Motorola advises suitable weather conditions for the Razr.

A window of -4 degrees Fahrenheit and 140 degrees Fahrenheit is said to be ideal for the Razr.

Motorola will cover a naturally damaged display under standard warranty.

It has been a while since the Motorola Razr was shown to the world and in the meantime, not only has it gone on sale in selected markets but it also got a rival that tries to outdo it in many ways. India Today Tech also played with the Razr and we were left quite impressed with what this phone offers, However, the Razr has not had the most fairytale-like starts like most first-gen products. One user, in particular, has seen the Razr's screen getting damaged in a normal usage scenario.

Recently, a review unit of the Motorola Razr was reported to have its screen damaged. The particular unit of the Razr was said to be in a subway train in New York City when the display cracked. The display kept working normally but it developed a weird patch in the hinge area. The user says that on the day this incident took place, the weather was extremely cold.

Once asked for a statement, Motorola gave an explanation as well as advised exiting Razr users to take care of the device. The company said, "We have full confidence in Razr's display, and do not expect consumers to experience display peeling as a result of normal use. As part of its development process, Razr underwent extreme temperature testing. As with any mobile phone, Motorola recommends not storing (e.g., in a car) your phone in temperatures below -4 degrees Fahrenheit and above 140 degrees Fahrenheit. If consumers experience device failure related to weather during normal use, and not as a result of abuse or misuse, it will be covered under our standard warranty."

Hence, those using the Motorola Razr will have to ensure normal ambient temperature for the device to keep functioning normally. In case of extreme cold weather, the Razr's display could be damaged. So far, nothing has been said about what would happen in extremely hot weather.

Do note that this is the only example of the Razr being damaged naturally. Based on other reports, the Razr is not alone when it comes to damaging screens. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip was also reported to have a damaged display right after it was taken out of the box. Samsung hasn't given a statement for the damage yet but it could be either due to the weather effects or a manufacturing defect.

Folding phones are extremely delicate and the Razr is no exception. Motorola says it has tried to ensure a high-quality standard for the flexible display as well as the hinge while designing the phone. So far, we have seen the phone in a closed room too but we will have to wait for an official review unit of the Razr to see how well it fares in the Indian outdoor conditions.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gave its approval for 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to be formed in five years period from 2019-20 to 2023-24 with a further committed liability of Rs. 2,369 crore for the period from 2024-25 to 2027-28 towards the handholding of each FPO for five years.

"It will ensure economies of scale for farmers. Support to each FPO to continued for 5 years from its year of inception from its aggregation and formation. Through formation of FPOs, farmers will have better collective strength for better access to quality input, technology, credit and better marketing access through economies of scale for better realization of income", said an official release.

FPOs will be formed and promoted through Cluster Based Business Organizations (CBBOs) engaged at the State/Cluster level by implementing agencies. Adequate training and handholding will be provided to FPOs. CBBOs will provide initial training.

The report of 'Doubling of Farmer's Income (DFI)' has emphasised this fact and recommended the formation of 7,000 FPOs by 2022 towards convergence of efforts for doubling the farmers' income. In the Union Budget 2019-20, Government has announced the creation of 10,000 new FPOs to ensure economies of scale for farmers over the next five years, for which a dedicated supporting and holistic scheme as Central Sector Scheme is proposed for the targeted development of FPOs and its sustainability.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MBABANE - After a long wait, the ACC is cracking the whip again. On Monday, the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) obtained a warrant of search and seizure against a businessman and his company. Usually, a warrant of search and seizure is followed by the issuance of a warrant of arrest.



The warrant was issued by Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala after the commission moved an ex- parte application. An ex-parte application is one that is moved without the knowledge of the other party.



The businessman, who cannot be mentioned pending his arrest, is alleged to have been using the company as conduit or instrumentality for corrupt or unlawful practices. The alleged corrupt practices involve a substantial amount of money.



The application was moved on behalf of the ACC by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Phila Dlamini, who was in the company of Ngcebo Lukhele and an officer from the commission.

In the past, the ACC has been encountering difficulties in executing its duties following a judgment by the CJ where he observed that certain sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act were inconsistent with the Constitution.



He made these findings when dismissing an application by the ACC to arrest former minister Gideon Dlamini, Nigerian businessman Fred Ngeri and his wife Sindile.

The trio was alleged to have colluded to defraud government a sum of E1.3 million which was donated by the Embassy of Qatar for the Online Shopping Project.



The CJ found that the ACC failed to establish a prima facie case warranting the prosecution of the three as required by the Anti-Corruption Act.



Allegations



The CJ said the Act required that a person investigated should submit a sworn statement on the allegations and further furnish books of accounts and other information.

Section 11 (1) of the Act provides as follows In the performance of the functions of the commission under this Act, the commissioner may;  (a) authorise in writing any officer of the commission to conduct an inquiry or investigation into alleged or suspected offences under this act.



Subsection (b) further states that the commissioner can require any public officer or person to answer questions concerning the duties of any other public officer or person and order the production for inspection of any orders, directives, office instructions relating to the duties of such other public officer.



This Section further provides that in performance of the duties under this Act, the commissioner of ACC or, if acting under the authority of a warrant issued for that purpose by or on behalf of the commissioner, an officer of the commission, shall have  (a) access, where necessary with a court order, to all books, records, returns, reports, data stored electronically on computer relating to the functions of any government ministry, department or other establishment or parastatal, public body or private body (b) access at anytime, where necessary with a court order, the premises of any government ministry, department, or other establishment, parastatal, public body or private body, or to vessel, boat, train, aircraft or any vehicle if the commissioner or officer has reason to suspect that any property acquired in contravention of this Act has been placed, deposited or concealed in that vessel, boat, train, aircraft or vehicle. The Act also stipulates that any person who had been required to disclose information or to produce any accounts, books or documents to an investigating officer shall, notwithstanding any other law to the contrary comply with that requirement.

The chief justice also observed that the Act did not define what it meant by corruption.

The matter is still pending in the Supreme Court after the DPP noted an appeal.
T he National Theatre's artistic director has dismissed claims the organisation has fallen out with its patron, the Duchess of Sussex.

Rufus Norris said reports that theatre bosses were left fuming after Meghan and Harry announced they were stepping back as "senior royals" were a "complete fiction".

Meghan became the London venue's patron in January 2018, but questions were raised about the future of her role with the Sussexes moving to Canada.

But Mr Norris said the Duchess was still involved with the theatre.

The National Theatre's artistic director Rufus Norris / Getty Images

He told the Daily Telegraph: "She is still very engaged, the conversations are regular and ongoing, there are ideas we are exploring.

"There has been no indication at all from her that her engagement with us would be anything other than business as usual  she has proven to be a very engaged patron, and we look forward to working with her."

Mr Norris added that Meghan had "star reach" and understood what the organisation was trying to achieve.

The theatre has become known in recent times for its community theatre programmes as much as for hosting performances from Ralph Fiennes and Cate Blanchett.

It will have achieved Mr Norris' five-year targets of 50 per cent of its writers, directors and actors being female as well as 20 per cent of writers and directors and 25 per cent of performers being "people of colour" by next year, the artistic director said.


CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - Boeing Co., which is struggling to relaunch its grounded 737 MAX jets to service, has been hit with a new potential safety concern. The planemaker found debris in the fuel tanks of several undelivered 737 MAX jetliners, multiple reports said citing an internal memo.



The Foreign Object Debris or FOD were found during maintenance work on an undisclosed number of jets parked at facilities in Washington state and Texas, waiting to be delivered to airlines.



The company has been storing its undelivered planes in these facilities due to a worldwide ban on 737 MAX, its best-selling aircraft, last year following two deadly crashes that killed a total of 346 people.



Workers allegedly leave behind FOD including rags, tools, metal shavings and other materials during the production process.



Mark Jenks, general manager of the 737 program, reportedly told in the memo to employees that such debris was 'absolutely unacceptable.'



Following the finding, the company conducted an internal investigation and is taking immediate corrective actions in its production system.



Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration or FAA is monitoring the company's response to the new issue.



The jet's return to service is expected to be in the middle of this year. Regulators around the world had grounded the 737 MAX aircraft in March 2019 following the crashes. Since then, Boeing has been trying hard to put its hugely popular aircraft back to service.



The company in January 2019 had reported an order of 5,011 Max planes from 79 customers.



In early January this year, Boeing had reportedly found 'previously unreported concerns' with the plane's wiring. The potential flaws were reported during the company's internal audit of the plane's safety in December.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Priti Patel admitted today that the Government's plans for a hardline immigration policy would have prevented her own parents from settling in the UK.

The Home Secretary this morning published plans for an 'Australian-style' points-based immigration system as she said net migration will fall when it is introduced next year.

But the 47-year-old, who was born in London to Ugandan Asian parents of Gujarati descent, admitted they would not have made the cut were the system in place in the 1960s, in a frank radio interview.

LBC presenter Nick Ferrari, who is of Italian heritage, said to her: 'The side of my family on my father's side were in catering, so I don't know if I would actually be in this country under these rules. Would you, with your parents?'

She replied: 'This isn't about my background or my parents.'

He pressed her again, highlighting her family background - her parents came to the UK in the 60s and set up a newsagent chain - saying: 'But you wouldn't be here, Home Secretary.'

At that point, she said: 'Yeah, but also let's not forget we are not changing our approach to refugees and asylum seekers, which is very different to a points-based system for employment and that particular route.'

Priti Patel today defended the government's proposed crackdown on low-skilled foreign migrants coming to the UK as she said it was 'about time' British businesses focused on investing in UK workers

LBC presenter Nick Ferrari, who is of Italian descent, said to her: 'The side of my family on my father's side were in catering, so I don't know if I would actually be in this country under these rules. Would you, with your parents?'

Priti Patel is pictured as a baby with her mother Anjana, who along with her father Sushil initially lodged in one small room in North London while he completed his studies in engineering

Ms Patel has previously said her parents 'were kicked out of Uganda' and 'came to the UK with nothing, worked hard and set up a successful shop business'.

Who is Priti Patel, the Home Secretary who made a shock return to the government after Boris Johnson won power? Priti Patel was brought back in to the heart of Government by Boris Johnson last July, less than two years after quitting the Cabinet in disgrace. The daughter of Gujarati Ugandan Asians, she picked up her Tory values and work ethic from her parents. The right-winger and vocal Brexiteer's maternal family was originally from Gujarat in India, before moving to Uganda in the early 20th century and prospered in business. They moved to the UK in the 1960s, before the East African nation's 80,000 Asian community was were expelled by the murderous dictator Idi Amin in 1972. Her parents, Sushil and Anjana, initially lodged in one small room in North London while he completed his studies in engineering. Eventually, they were able to buy a small house in Harrow and used that to secure a bank loan for their first shop, a newsagent in Tottenham. Priti and her younger sister and brother were frequently called upon to work alongside their parents in the several shops and sub-post offices they ran in Nottingham, Ipswich and Norwich. When Priti became secondary school age, the family bought an upmarket chocolate shop in Hertfordshire where there were good state schools, including Watford Grammar where she was head girl. She later got a degree in economics, sociology and social anthropology at Keele University and a post-graduate diploma in government and politics at Essex. Advertisement

But they came to the UK in the 1960s and she was born in London in the same year that dictator Idi Amin expelled Uganda's Asian community - many of whom settled in Britain as refugees.

Earlier today she dismissed business concerns that the government's new immigration system could lead to staff shortages as she told British companies to focus on employing British workers.

The Home Secretary today published plans for the UK's new Australian-style points-based immigration system as she said net migration will fall when it is introduced next year.

However, Ms Patel refused to set a target as she said she was not 'getting into the sphere of targets at all'.

A crackdown on the number of low-skilled workers coming to the UK is at the heart of the new border control blueprint.

Business groups are concerned that could make it difficult to fill jobs in certain sectors.

But Ms Patel said it was 'about time' UK companies focused on investing in domestic workers as she claimed there is a pool of some eight million economically inactive people who could be recruited.

The government's proposals for the UK's post-Brexit immigration system will mean migrants from the EU will have to speak English and have a job offer to be allowed in as part of a concerted effort to end Britain's reliance on cheap European labour.

The measures are part of the biggest shake-up to border rules since Britain joined the Common Market in 1973.

The plans will make low-skilled immigration almost impossible as EU free movement is consigned to history.

Instead, EU migrants' chances of getting a work visa will be the same as for applicants from elsewhere.

They will need at least 70 points to work in Britain, with points awarded for speaking English, if the job earns a salary above 25,600 and if it is at a certain skill level.

Highly skilled workers  such as scientists  will be able to come without a job offer as the Government re-aligns the immigration system to the 'brightest and the best'. But there will be no general visas for low-skilled migrants.

Responding to business concerns about what the proposals could mean for potential staff shortages, Ms Patel said: 'It is about time that businesses started to invest in people in this country.

They will need at least 70 points to work in Britain, with points awarded for speaking English, if the job earns a salary above 25,600 and if it is at a certain skill level

'We have over eight million people, that is 20 per cent of the work force aged between 16 and 64, that are economically inactive right now.'

Told that some of those people do not want to do certain jobs, Ms Patel said: 'That is an assumption that has been made but it is down to businesses as well to work with the government, to join us in investing in people, levelling up across the United Kingdom so we can have wage growth across the entire country but also investment, innovation when it comes to supporting people and training them.

'That is absolutely at the heart of the government's agenda and of course businesses should be encouraged by that and they should be working with us to achieve that.'

The government is adamant that companies will have to wean themselves off cheap labour from the Continent.

But some industry leaders have warned the plans could spell 'absolute disaster' for the care system, and for farmers, builders and the hospitality sector.

Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said that while parts of the plans would be 'welcomed by business' the low-skilled measures would mean 'some sectors firms will be left wondering how they will recruit the people needed to run their businesses'.

Previous Tory governments pledged to cut net migration to the tens of thousands but never got anywhere close to hitting the number.

Ms Patel today confirmed a target will not be set under the new system which will be rolled out at the end of the Brexit transition period in January 2021.

'I am not going to get into numbers for some very good reasons,' Ms Patel said.

'First of all we are ending free movement which basically means numbers will come down because we are ending free movement from the EU and with that we have a structured framework now with points and tradeable points as well based on individual skills, citizens from around the world.

'So this is a single global immigration system. It doesn't discriminate in terms of where you have come from or which country you originate from.

'But importantly it is about the skills you can bring to the UK. So as a result numbers will come down, that is the purpose of having a system.'

Asked on Sky News to confirm there will not be a target, Ms Patel said: 'We are not getting into the sphere of targets at all.'

Told that previous Tory governments had a target, the Home Secretary said: 'I am not going to dwell over the past.'
Republican senators had privately pushed the Trump administration to nominate a national security professional for the post, and advisers made clear that the president was not nominating Mr. Grenell for the permanent job. Mr. Trump has installed acting leaders in other top government vacancies, giving him freedom to maneuver around the demands of Senate confirmation.

By law, the current acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, has to give up his temporary role before March 12. Mr. Grenell is expected to begin his new job on Thursday. Mr. Maguire, in a statement on Wednesday, thanked Mr. Trump and said that when he was confirmed by the Senate to lead the counterterrorism center, he never imagined what would follow.

Mr. Trump can choose any Senate-confirmed official to replace Mr. Maguire, who has served as the acting director of national intelligence since the resignation last summer of Dan Coats, a former Republican senator from Indiana. Mr. Grenell was confirmed by the Senate for his current job after a delay caused by parliamentary tactics that stirred a bipartisan outcry.

He would be the latest in a line of intelligence directors who have had varied policy experience including diplomatic or military backgrounds rather than stints in the intelligence world.

But Mr. Grenell is also an acerbic combatant who throws regular punches at fake news reporters and Mr. Trumps opponents online. Last month, he angrily demanded The Washington Post retract a report, which he insisted was based on fabricated sources, that Mr. Trump had threatened to impose auto tariffs on European cars if European leaders did not adopt a tougher line on Irans nuclear program. The next day, Germanys defense minister publicly confirmed it.

Mr. Grenell honed his combative style when he worked as a spokesman at the United Nations for the former ambassador John R. Bolton. Often to the surprise  and sometimes the horror  of the State Departments more staid communications officials who worked for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Mr. Grenell would take on reporters and argue long into the night about stories appearing in major newspapers and on television.

In recent days, after Attorney General William P. Barr said in an interview that Mr. Trumps tweets made his job more difficult, Mr. Grenell appeared on Fox News to counter that view. It makes my job so much easier, Mr. Grenell said, offering the example of Mr. Trumps pressure on NATO allies to spend more on defense.
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Linkedin Riza Roidila Mufti and Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 08:18 693 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2065492fb 2 Business Indonesia,tourism,travel,discount,price,coronavirus,COVID-19,Jokowi,policy Free

The government will provide discounts of up to 30 percent for both foreign and local travelers in a bid to revive Indonesias tourism, as more tourists cancel their vacation plans to the country over fears of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Unveiled by President Joko Jokowi Widodo during a Cabinet meeting on Monday, the plan will be relayed to travel companies, airlines and other related industries.

I met with the finance minister this morning and we will weigh the possibility of providing a discount or incentive of up to 30 percent of actual prices to foreign tourists, he said.

No details of the incentives have been announced but related ministers said that discounts would be applied to tour package to certain destinations and service fees waived on airlines at local airports, among other measures.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said the details of proposal would soon be discussed with other related ministries, such the Health Ministry, Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry, Transportation Ministry, as well as State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Ministry.

Everything is currently being finalized, including how long the [initiative will run]. We are still calculating the different incentives offered during the low season and peak season.

She added that the special offers would be supported by the state budget but did not elaborate on how much the government would set aside as a budget.

Under the plan, tourists visiting certain destinations will, among other deals, get discounts on flights and hotels.

Meanwhile, for business players in tourism-related industries such as travel agents and airlines, the government will offer several incentive that can help them pass through the difficult time.

For instance, state-owned enterprises such as Pertamina and Angkasa Pura airport operator will provide incentives to airline operators. We will offer them in a package, Sri Mulyani said, adding that the incentives can be in the form of a tax reduction, lower airport fees, lower handling fees, possibly lower jet fuel prices and the ease of obtaining airport slot permits for airlines.

For example [...], many airlines from Eastern Europe want to fly to Bali, but the problem so far has been the unavailability of slots. So, we see opportunities there, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said earlier.

The minister also urged airlines to reroute their China flights to new potential markets or add flights to their busiest routes. The potential markets include Australia and countries in the Middle East and South Asia like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio said on Monday that discounts may be given to tourist visiting destinations such as Bali, Likupang in North Sulawesi, Bintan and Batam in Riau Islands, Yogyakarta, Lombok and Labuan Bajo.

The ministry plans to offer a tour package that includes flights, accommodation and tickets for attractions with promotional rates in cooperation with online travel agents and tour operators.

We will decide the incentive this week, we will have a follow-up meeting [on Tuesday]. We will coordinate so the incentives can be effective in reviving tourism, he said.

The coronavirus outbreak had been a blow to Indonesias travel industry, with massive cancellations of flights and hotels.

The Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) has recorded at least 20,000 cancellations for Bali since the rise in the new coronavirus in early January.

The outbreak has also severely hurt local airline operators as a result of a government-imposed travel ban to and from China. Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, for example, has halted 40 weekly flights to mainland China, while Lion Air Group, the largest private Indonesian airline, has suspended 30 weekly flights to China.

The tourism minister said Indonesia could suffer potential losses of up to US$2.8 billion from Chinese tourists, whose number have reached an average of 2 million travelers.

Indonesia saw 16.1 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2019, with Chinese visitors contributing 12 percent of all foreign arrivals.
Thirteen Buddhist monks on a global peace mission from Thailand to France had to return from Barmer after they were not allowed to undertake further journey to neighbouring Pakistan through Rajasthan's Munabao border.

According to a police official, they were stopped from entering the area restricted for foreigners in Barmer, over 100 kilometres away from the Indo-Pakistan border.

Now, they will go to the Attari-Wagah border crossing for their further journey into Pakistan, a police official said.

The monks have a valid visa for India and Pakistan.

Their leader said they were carrying the message of global peace and will be covering nearly 9,000 km from Thailand to France in this mission.

"A group of monks is on a peace journey and will go to Pakistan from India. There was no clarity over their route. Since they cannot cross the border from here, they were asked to go to the Wagah border," Barmer Circle Officer Vijay Singh said on Tuesday.

He informed that the monks have left for Jodhpur and will now go to the Attari-Wagah border in Punjabs Amritsar
Mr. Hou is widely recognized as both an entrepreneur and a powerful driver behind the growth of the industry. He has always been committed to serving the public interest and giving back to society as he continues to embrace the philosophy of doing business with integrity and showing gratitude when gratitude is due.

The values of remembering to show gratitude and giving back to society are deeply rooted in Proya's corporate culture

As head of a leading global cosmetics firm, Mr. Hou and, by extension, Proya have been actively participating in public welfare campaigns while providing consumers with high-quality beauty products.

On the heels of the recent coronavirus outbreak in China, Proya, led by Mr. Hou, has supported the country's emergency efforts in fighting the disease. On January 27, the company announced the formation of a 15 million yuan (approx. US$2.2 million) charitable public fund to purchase medical supplies, make cash donations, provide financial assistance to affected employees, partners and their families, as well as support other programs in the public interest. The first donations have already been delivered to the Hubei branch of the Red Cross Society of China and the Wuhan Charity Federation, including 3 million yuan (approx. US$430,000) in cash and 2.14 million yuan (approx. US$305,000) worth of face masks and other medical supplies purchased from European countries. On February 1, the company donated 1 million yuan (approx. US$145,000) to the Wenzhou Charity Federation and the Yueqing Charity Federation for the purchase of medical supplies and protective gear with the aim of helping prevent and control further spread of the disease in the cities of Wenzhou and Yueqing, where Proya founder Mr. Hou was born.

The values of showing gratitude and giving back to society have always been an integral part of Proya's corporate culture. In 2007, Mr. Hou helped built the Proya Hope Primary School in Huolianwan, a village in Xiyang town, Pingliang city, Gansu province. In Lijiang, a city in Yunnan province, he organized a tree planting event attended by over 1,000 spectators, resulting in the creation of a protective forest which, when translated from the Chinese, means "Proya Thanksgiving Woods". Proya provided the funds for the forest's ongoing management and protection. On May 13, 2008, just one day after the massively destructive Wenchuan earthquake, Proya employees, led by Mr. Hou, delivered in person over 5 million yuan (approx. US$715,000) worth of supplies to the affected areas. In 2013, the company funded the purchase of teaching tools for 12 local primary schools affected by the Ya'an earthquake. In 2018, Proya made a donation to the building of libraries for Chunlei schools  special schools set up to educate disadvantaged children of migrant workers  in the cities of Xuzhou and Lianyungang in Jiangsu province. The Global Outstanding Chinese award recognizes Mr. Hou and Proya's commitment to social responsibility over the last several years.

Building China Beauteville to drive the holistic development of China's cosmetics industry

Proya was successfully listed on China's A-share market in November 2017, becoming the first company in the beauty sector to list on the exchange. Besides his success with the creation and growth of Proya, Mr. Hou also has the dream of creating a landmark town in China where the top companies across the global cosmetics industry chain would form an industry cluster. As vice president of the China Association of Fragrance Flavour and Cosmetic Industries and executive vice president of the Beauty Culture & Cosmetics Chamber of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, he is an industry leader who started at the bottom and worked his way to the top in that, early on, he recognized that China's cosmetics industry and market still had a huge amount of room for growth. At the time when he founded Proya, almost 80 percent of the domestic market was monopolized by foreign cosmetics companies. Mr. Hou has worked steadily to promote the overall development of the cosmetics industry in China and the rise of national brands. It was with this thought in mind that China Beauteville was conceived and launched.

In October 2015, the first press conference for China Beauteville was held at the Louvre in Paris, France. As a result of much research both in China and abroad, the town, which integrates the functions of industry, culture, tourism and community, was finally built in Wuxing Industrial Development Zone (Daixi) in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province. With four goals in mind, including the establishment of China's beauty industry cluster center, a culture experience center, an international beauty fashion expo center as well as a talent and technology center, Mr. Hou hopes to create an upgraded version of an "Eastern Grasse" in Huzhou.

At present, firms spanning the industry have signed on for the creation and operation of 85 facilities in China Beauteville with a planned total investment exceeding 24 billion yuan (approx. US$3.4 billion). With many leading companies already having committed to set up there, including Proya, South Korea's third largest cosmetics company HANBUL, Asia's largest cosmetic packaging company YONWOO, a complete cosmetics industry chain, covering raw materials planting, R&D, production, packaging, logistics and warehousing, online and offline sales, and cosmetic-related cultural tourism projects, has taken shape. All signs are pointing to the town becoming the cosmetics industry's destination with the world's most complete array of necessary resources.

Taking all of Mr. Hou's contributions to the industry into consideration, his garnering of the Global Outstanding Chinese Award is also a high recognition of his global vision for the revitalization of the Chinese cosmetics sector. It's no small feat that he has not only built a company with such a solid reputation but also taken on the even more difficult task of driving the development of an entire industry. Despite being the chairman of a publicly listed company, he spends his days as a sales executive working shoulder-to-shoulder with his team day and night, visiting customers around the world non-stop. He enjoys every minute of his work as he remains focused on the ultimate goal: realizing the dream of creating an end-to-end cosmetics industry chain that will be the envy of the world.

Taking an active part in public welfare and giving back to society

Mr. Hou, born into a disadvantaged environment, had to fend for himself and start to earn his own keep from a young age. Each phase of his career path became a witness to his efforts, from learning automotive repair skills with his brother-in-law after dropping out of school followed by a time during which he toiled in cosmetics wholesaling in Yiwu, a Chinese city specialized in small goods trade, to, finally, setting up Proya in Hangzhou. He does not hesitate for a minute to acknowledge that much of his success can be attributed in large measure to China's fast-growing economy and to the rapid changes taking place in the country's society.

He has often said: "Ongoing success in Proya or China Beauteville is not mine alone, but belongs to the entire team and to the benefits bestowed on me by China's society. As a result, we should take an active part in public welfare, make contributions to the community and give back to society."



In his hometown of Yueqing, he invested over 5 million yuan for the renovation of roads linking to Feng Village, Dajin Town and for the construction of offices for the village. He donated over one million yuan to help repair Wenchang Pavilion, a local landmark in Dajin Town dating back to the Ming dynasty, as well as to build the cultural courtyard of Bairuoao Village. He also founded the Xiangyanghua Scholarship to award scholarships and bursaries to outstanding students at Dajin Middle School, the school he himself once attended.

As the lead consultant of China Beauteville, Mr. Hou is not only happy to be a member of the marketing team focused on promotional events and fundraising, but also to partner with the local government to develop the town into a flower tourism destination featuring 6.7 million square meters of roses, as part of an effort to revitalize the local economy and benefit the town's residents. In addition, he personally donated 10 million yuan to the local government with the aim of building the largest cosmetics-themed museum in China and possibly the world, transforming his home town into an international platform for the display of and exchanges in Chinese cosmetics culture.



To better devote himself to public welfare and give back to society, Mr. Hou has served as the vice chairman and co-founder of the non-governmental public welfare organization Ramunion, in addition to running his own business.

"The destiny of both individuals and enterprises is deeply connected to that of our country. I hope to do my utmost to create economic benefits for the country and continue giving back to society," said Mr. Hou.



SOURCE China Beauteville
NEWS: GIVEGAME INTEGRATES WITH KINDFUL, GIVING KINDFUL USERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO RUN FUNDRAISING GAMES AND TRACK THEIR DONOR DATA THROUGH KINDFUL'S POWERFUL DATA TOOLS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COLUMBUS, OH, Feb. 18, 2020 - GiveGame, Inc. has partnered with Kindful to offer a revolutionary approach to fundraising to its clients. Kindful is a nonprofit CRM based out of Nashville that services over 8,500 nonprofit users. "GiveGame is pioneering something new for nonprofits. Adding them 
New Facility Enhances Existing Worldwide E-Discovery Infrastructure

TransPerfect Legal Solutions (TLS), a global provider of e-discovery and legal technology solutions for law firms and corporate legal departments, today announced the expansion of its worldwide e-discovery capabilities with the addition of a secure data processing and hosting center and a specialized local client service team in Amsterdam.

TransPerfect's Amsterdam office is one of the company's largest facilities and has serviced clients in the legal, corporate, financial services, and life science spaces since its opening in 2006. With a large number of TransPerfect's legal experts based in the city, including directors, technologists, and businessstrategists, the company's investment in a data storage, processing, and hosting facility alongside these individuals is a natural evolution of the business.

The new center gives TransPerfect a complementary hub to its existing facility in London and supplements a global network that includes London, Hong Kong, Sydney, Beijing, Toronto, and multiple cities across the USA, as well as a dozen forensics laboratories worldwide. TLS project managers, data analysts, and artificial intelligence (AI) experts will support client matters through a secure data center in Amsterdam. Data will be processed in TLS's proprietary processing technology, Digital Reef, and hosted in Relativity for review. Where necessary, TLS will also be able to deploy advanced analytic/AI tools such as Brainspace, all while ensuring case data never leaves the EU or the Netherlands, where applicable.

The EU market has seen a sharp rise in the need for e-discovery services in class actions, arbitration, internal investigations, regulatory matters, and antitrust cases. With that growth comes a greater need for experts to guide lawyers through the numerous uses of evolving technology solutions.

TransPerfect President and CEO Phil Shawe stated, "In response to our clients' requirements, we are thrilled to announce the opening of our new, state-of-the-art e-discovery facility in Amsterdam. Not only will this investment allow TransPerfect to enhance customer service levels throughout Europe, it will also exponentially increase our ability to process large data set projects entirely within the European Union."

About TransPerfect Legal Solutions

TransPerfect Legal Solutions (TLS) is an industry leader in global legal support. Founded in 1992, TLS offers a full suite of services, including forensic technology and consulting, e-discovery and early data assessment, managed review and legal staffing, language services, deposition and trial support, and paper discovery and production. With offices in over 100 cities across 6 continents, TLS is a trusted partner for every Am Law 200 and Global 100 law firm, as well as the majority of Fortune 500 corporate legal departments. For more information, visit www.transperfectlegal.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005510/en/

Contacts:

Ryan Simper +1 212.689.5555

mediainquiry@transperfect.com
MetLife Korea CEO Song Young-rok, left, poses with Minister of Gender Equality and Family Lee Jung-ok, after the two signed an agreement for better gender representation, at the Seoul Government Complex, Tuesday. Based on the agreement, MetLife pledged to increase the percentage of female executives to 30 percent by 2022. / Courtesy of MetLife Korea
The indefinite hunger



strike by students of Assam University here over the rustication of a research scholar entered the 10th day on Wednesday.

The students under the aegis of the Assam University Students' Union are on hunger strike since February 10 with a host of demands, including withdrawal of rustication order of Milan Das, withdrawal of FIR against him and assurance of no action against the agitating students.

Assam University is a Central University.

With the students sitting in front of the main gate and not allowing anyone to enter the campus, including the Vice-Chancellor and office staff, the functioning of the varsity has come to a standstill.

The Executive Council meeting of the Central university on Tuesday was held outside the campus at Radhamadhab college due to the agitation.

The meeting which continued till late Tuesday night, failed to arrive at a decision over a letter written by Das, a research scholar of the Ecology and Environmental Sciences department.

"As the Das neither apologised nor assured of not repeating the mistakes, the EC did not accept it. It decided to forward the letter to advocates for taking legal opinion on it," an official source told PTI.

However, AU Registrar (In-Charge) P K Nath said, "he is hopeful of finding a solution to the impasse in the next few days."



A senior official had earlier said the EC was ready to examine the matter provided an application was made by the research scholar requesting a review of the order and an apology while assuring not to repeat such acts in future.

The Assam University Students' Union (AUSU) president Biswarup Bhattacharjee said Das has not done anything wrong and nothing more could be written in the letter.

"Whatever he had done, it was for the greater interest of the student community. So, there is no question of apology or compromise. We will end our agitation only after the authority withdraws the rustication order," he added.

The protesting students alleged that action was taken against Das because of his active involvement in various agitational programmes exposing irregularities in the campus.

AU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dilip Chandra Nath on Tuesday said the scheduled convocation of the varsity on March 1 has been postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing agitation.

Already, nine striking students were admitted in hospital after falling ill and they have been released with improvement in their conditions.

A tripartite meeting between district administration, university authority and students' union on Monday failed to end the impasse.

Das was rusticated on February 8 for two years and barred him from entering the campus on seven counts, including causing threats to government servants, creating hindrance to office work, damaging varsity properties and insulting the VC.

The university administration also lodged an FIR against him on the same charges.

Das is the president of the Assam University Research Scholars' Forum and former president of AUSU.

The agitating students alleged that the university authorities did not issue any show-cause notice to Das before rusticating him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two years after a San Antonio jury slammed a home appraisal company affiliated with mortgage lender Quicken Loans with a record $706 million verdict, a lawyer for the company asked a state appeals court Wednesday to reverse the decision.

Attorney Catherine Stone also requested the 4th Court of Appeals in San Antonio deliver a judgment in favor of Amrock Inc., a Detroit company formerly known as Title Source Inc.

Following a seven-week trial in 2018, a 12-person jury found Amrock had breached confidentiality agreements and stolen trade secrets from real estate analytics firm HouseCanary Inc. Jurors awarded $245 million in actual damages and $470.8 million in punitive damages to HouseCanary, which has an office in San Antonio.

Amrock moved for a new trial but last year was denied by state District Judge David A. Canales, who presided over the trial. He affirmed the jurys award and added more than $33 million in prejudgment interest and attorneys fees.

On ExpressNews.com: Company that lost $706M court verdict loses bid for new trial

The case has gained national attention because of the size of the verdict, the largest ever awarded in Bexar County.

The legal fireworks started in 2016 when Amrock sued HouseCanary, claiming it failed to deliver functioning software for valuing residential properties.

HouseCanary claimed it was a game-changing app that would allow appraisers to submit appraisals in the field, Amrocks appeal states.

HouseCanary responded by filing its own lawsuit alleging Amrock fraudulently misappropriated technology even after purporting to terminate their agreement.

Stone, who had served as a chief justice of the appeals court, told a three-judge panel there was no evidence presented during the trial that her client misappropriated trade secrets.

We dont agree that there was any misappropriation for which damages should be awarded, Stone said during the roughly hourlong proceeding.

Amrock wants the court to invalidate the testimony of a HouseCanary expert who testified about the amount of damages that should be awarded. Amrock said the testimony was speculative.

Since there is no evidence of misappropriation of trade secrets  which both of HouseCanarys own technical experts acknowledged during trial, combined with the fact that HouseCanarys damages expert divined values without any basis in reality, we are optimistic the court will decide to reverse and render in Amrocks favor, Stone said after the hearing.

Texas Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox

HouseCanary has countered that Amrock took its data and improperly used it to re-engineer its automated valuation model.

The record contained document after document, not just with Title Source talking hypothetically about stealing our technology, but actually doing it, HouseCanary attorney Kalpana Srinivasan told the judges.

After the hearing, Srinivasan explained why she believed the jurys verdict should stand.

The jury spent seven weeks listening to testimony from more than a dozen witnesses and reviewing a thousand exhibits, and that included many admissions by Title Source itself as to its theft and the highly lucrative nature of its theft, she said. Its the jurys determination finding for HouseCanary on every issue and rejecting every claim by Title Source as a result of all the evidence that it had before it.

How the appeals court addresses the way HouseCanary calculated the value of its technology could have ramifications in other cases, Bloomberg Law reported this week.

One of the complexities facing litigators in the patent and trade secrets fields is the difficulty in calculating damages for infringement and misappropriation, New York attorney Wendy Stein told Bloomberg Law. Shes with the Gibbons law firm. This case presents one example of how hard it is.

Parties not connected to the case weighed in against the verdict.

The National Association of Manufacturers, Texas Association of Manufacturers and the Texas Association of Business said if the damages award stand it will adversely affect the willingness of established companies to contract with startups.

That in turn means fewer opportunities for new ventures, higher costs for established businesses, and slower innovation in a competitive global economy for American businesses, the groups said in their court filing.

After the verdict, Amrock sought a new trial on the grounds that four whistleblowers  ex-HouseCanary employees  alleged their former employer engaged in collusion and fraud. Stone cited time limitations for not referencing the four.

Hearing the appeal were Chief Justice Sandee Bryan Marion and Justices Patricia O Alvarez and Beth Watkins. They gave no indication when they may rule.

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD
A desperate family have launched an appeal to fly their son home from the US after he was left in a coma following an accident during a study trip to San Francisco.

Student Matt Cotton was hit by a car as he walked through the Ingleside district of the city.

The 21-year-old who is a student at the University of East Anglia in Norwich had been in the US as part of his American Studies degree.

His family, who live in Devon, have now said they are in a 'living' hell, as they wait for his condition to improve.

Student Matt Cotton (pictured above) was hit by a car as he walked through the Ingleside district of San Francisco

Matt's family have now said they are in a 'living' hell, as they wait for his condition to improve (he is pictured above with a member of his family)

Matt was in a coma for the first three days and suffered a bleed on the brain and a severely fractured pelvis. He also has broken ribs which have punctured a lung and caused an infection.

He began to show signs of recovery at the end of last week and his family have launched an online appeal to help bring him home and care for him when he returns to South Devon.

His mother Sue Cotton, who lives in Paington has flown out to the US to be with her son.

Matt's aunt Jayne Griffiths has set up the fundraiser on Go Fund Me and told the Norwich Evening News: 'The zeroes on the end of travel insurance figures run out very quickly when you need serious medical care.

Matt (pictured above) began to show signs of improvement last week and his mother has flown to the US to be with him

'We all feel completely helpless, and him being so far from home makes it even harder. We are hoping he recovers, but we still don't know to what extent that will be.'

Mrs Griffiths and her husband Andrew set up the fundraising campaign to help take the strain off his mother.

So far more than 3,500 has been donated to help airlift Mr Cotton home and to support his family throughout treatment.

Andrew said parents will always be concerned when their children fly the nest to 'broaden their horizons'.

However, he added that when his sister said goodbye to her son when he left for the US, no one expected such bad news.

'I hope that between us we can give Sue some financial support in this awful time.

'We don't know how long she will be in the States and what the financial implications will be in the future, but every little bit we can give for her and Matt will help.'
PALO ALTO, Calif. and BATON ROUGE, La., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Vynca, the national leader in advance care planning technology, and the Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum (Quality Forum) announced a partnership with Ochsner Health System, Louisiana's largest non-profit academic healthcare system, to assist patients and their families with managing documents related to care decisions when faced with serious, life limiting illness.

Ochsner will be the first healthcare system to join the Quality Forum collaboration with Vynca to manage Louisiana's statewide electronic Registry for the Louisiana Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (LaPOST) forms and advance directives.

"Advance care plans are designed to give the patient a voice in situations where they are unable to speak for themselves. Ochsner recognizes digital access to advance care planning documents and LaPOST forms will ensure that our patients, as well as their families and care teams, have the information available when they need it. The partnership with Vynca and the Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum, allows us to create momentum so that one day digital access for vital advance care planning documents will be the norm," said Susan Nelson, MD system chair of palliative medicine at Ochsner.

"Enabling care across the care continuum remains our focus and I'm thrilled to welcome Ochsner to deepen the collective goal we have with Vynca," said Cindy Munn, CEO of the Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum. "Over the last decade, the Quality Forum has proudly partnered with leading initiatives in advance care planning education that empowers healthcare consumers and providers alike. Vynca continues to show us how we can not only expand adoption of the statewide electronic registry but become a national leader in the value that embracing these practices and products can have on patient care."

The partnership between the Quality Forum, Vynca and Ochsner will enable healthcare providers across all care settings in Louisiana to electronically complete and access patients' LaPOST documents and advance directives. This collaboration will further enhance the state's current advance care planning programs, which includes LaPOST documents  physician orders outlining the types of medical treatment that patients with serious, life-limiting illness wish to receive as they approach the end of their life.

"The solution we've built at Vynca securely and intuitively ensures that accurate LaPOST forms are readily available, supporting healthcare providers as well as patients during transitional moments. The collaboration with Ochsner will improve the quality of care patients in Louisiana will receive when facing serious illness," said Ryan Van Wert, CEO and co-founder of Vynca.

Since these forms are not currently easily or quickly accessible to medical staff, patients at end-of-life are at risk of receiving undesired health interventions. Vynca's solution ensures advance care planning documents reflect patients' most up-to-date preferences and are digitally available to healthcare providers across all care settings including primary care, hospice, nursing homes, and specialty clinics.

About Vynca

Vynca, based in Palo Alto, Calif., provides comprehensive advance care planning technology solutions that enable health care organizations to deliver high-quality end-of-life care consistent with an individual's preferences. The company helps patients, families and health care providers have meaningful conversations about future care preferences, ensure that wishes are documented accurately, and provides real-time access to this critical information throughout the care continuum.

Vynca is also the leading solution provider for state advance care planning registries, having first partnered with the Oregon POLST Registry to develop a bi-directional electronic interface for health care organizations in Oregon. It is also the technology vendor for the California POLST eRegistry Pilot, the Delaware DMOST Registry, the Louisiana LaPOST Registry, and the South Carolina Registry. Follow Vynca on LinkedIn and Twitter @VyncaHealth.

About Ochsner Health System

Ochsner Health System is Louisiana's largest non-profit, academic, healthcare system. Driven by a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate, coordinated clinical and hospital patient care is provided across the region by Ochsner's 40 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and specialty hospitals, and more than 100 health centers and urgent care centers. Ochsner is the #1 ranked hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report and is recognized as a "Best Hospital" across two specialty categories caring for patients from all 50 states and more than 70 countries worldwide each year. Ochsner Hospital for Children is the only facility in Louisiana to be recognized as a top 50 children's hospital by U.S. News & World Report for three consecutive years. Ochsner employs more than 26,000 employees and over 4,500 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties and conducts more than 700 clinical research studies. Ochsner Health System is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

About Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum

The Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing evidence-based initiatives to improve the health and health care of Louisiana residents. Its focus areas include quality measurement and analytics, practice transformation/medical home development, health information technology (IT), advance care planning/Louisiana Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment education, and community outreach/education. The Quality Forum serves as the State-Designated Entity for health IT initiatives in Louisiana, including management of the statewide health information exchange. For more information, visit lhcqf.org.

Contacts:

Emelia Altschul, 914.260.1621, [email protected]

Christine Rigamer, 504.703.2114, [email protected]

Monique Tyler, 225.334.9299, [email protected]

SOURCE Vynca, LLC
Samsung Electronics stands to be a major beneficiary of the China production problems announced by rival Apple Inc on Monday, reaping the rewards of a decade-long bet on low-cost smartphone manufacturing in Vietnam.

Half of Samsung's smartphones are now made in Vietnam, where the coronavirus that has crippled the China operations of Apple and many other firms has so far had only a limited impact on its production.

Apple said on Monday it would not meet its revenue guidance for the March quarter due to the coronavirus impact on both production and sales in China, where most iPhones are made. Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp last week also flagged a hit to its March quarter sales.

Huawei, another major Samsung rival, has not announced any production problems, but analysts expect it will also be hit hard due to its heavy reliance on Chinese manufacturing and parts. Many Chinese and foreign firms have begun to re-open China factories that were idled for weeks, but shortages of workers and other problems have in many cases kept output to a minimum.

Samsung has also largely ceded the China market to its rivals in recent years, meaning it won't suffer from the store closures and drop in demand that is hitting Apple and others.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

"Samsung is better positioned to weather the virus fallout than its formidable rivals such as Huawei and Apple," a person with knowledge of Samsung's supply chain told Reuters.

"The virus exposed China risks. We feel fortunate that we were able to escape the risks," he said.

Another person familiar with Samsung's thinking told Reuters: "Samsung does not say it publicly. But it is relieved."

Still, two sources familiar with Samsung's Vietnam operations cautioned that should the virus outbreak be prolonged, Samsung would feel the impact, as the company sources many components from China.

Problems with cross-border shipments also cropped up in the early phases of the virus outbreak as Vietnam imposed stricter border controls, according to Hong Sun, vice chairman of Korea Chamber of Business in Vietnam. The issues have since been resolved, Sun said, but risks remain if Chinese parts suppliers cannot get back to work.

Samsung also relies on Chinese contract manufacturers for some low-end models.

In a statement to Reuters, the company said: "We are making our best effort to minimize any impact on our operations."

TrendForce recently cut its first quarter production forecasts for Huawei by 15% and Apple by 10%. It cut projections for Samsung Electronics by a smaller 3%.

Since starting phone production in Vietnam in 2009, Samsung has aggressively boosted output through cheaper labour and generous government incentives. A number of South Korean suppliers followed suit, powering its breakneck growth.

Samsung ended its own smartphone production in China last year as its market share plunged to nearly zero.

Apple makes most of its iPhones in China via Taiwanese company Foxconn.

Last week, Samsung unveiled a trio of flagship Galaxy s20 smartphones as well as its new foldable phone. Sources said the virus could delay new product launches by rivals.

But the woes of Apple and Chinese rivals are not necessarily good for Samsung, as the South Korean tech giant also supplies memory chips and displays for Apple's iPhones and other smartphones. Samsung counts Apple and Huawei among its top five customers.

"The virus outbreak is positive for Samsung's mobile division, but negative for Samsung's chip and display businesses," Greg Roh, an analyst at Hyundai Motor Securities, said.

"Samsung will not be completely immune from the virus," he said.
In Cairo earlier this month Asne Seierstad, a Norwegian journalist and the author of several books that depict life in war zones, attended the launch of the Arabic translation of her most recent book, Two Sisters, put out by the Lebanese house, the Arab Scientific Publishers. It was especially rewarding for Seierstad to see serious interest in this non-fiction thriller.

Like the children of other Somalis, the main refugee community in Norway, Ayan and Leila are two teenage sisters who at a very young age flee war-torn Somalia to Oslo with their parents Sadiq and Sara and three brothers. Typical teenagers who enjoy makeup and the company of boys as well as girls, they have a healthy relationship with both their parents, and their Somali identity doesnt seem paramount even though Sara is endlessly regretful about leaving her home country.

Their Muslim identity on the other hand is more of an issue. Years into the familys life in Norway, of which they have become citizens, Sara  careful to distinguish between Muslim and Christian holidays  still refuses to cook anything special for Christmas. When her son Ismael shows lack of respect for the required religious rituals, she takes him to an Oslo-based Sheikh to recite the Quran over his head.

Unlike Sadiq, who is eager to assimilate, Sara makes no serious effort to learn Norwegian. But neither of them is in any way prepared for the day Ayan and Leila come home from what is meant to be a shopping outing wearing the full niqab, declaring that this was their duty as Muslims. Seierstad recalls that when she talked to Sadiq his shock that day was still fresh in his mind.

Seierstads impeccably documented 450-page book differs from many accounts of European young men and women who became radical Islamists in that social media was not Ayan and Leilas starting point. It was rather through Islam Net, an organisation Ayan joined through her elite secondary school, that introduced the two girls to jihad. Islam Net had been active for years before the girls decided to join it in 2012; it was there first as a Facebook page and then it picked up speed, Seierstad explained.

Through Islam Net, the girls started going to the Tawfik Mosque in Oslo, a Somali-dominated house of worship where radical Islamists, including some who had been in jihad wars, preached. The girls parents were aware that they were involved in Islamic activities at the mosque but did not know where it might lead. Constructed around the narrative of Sadiq, who wanted to tell the story for the benefit of others, the book shows how Ayan and Leilas friends, classmates and teachers are never sure when it comes to the shifting point after which those otherwise well-integrated Norwegian girls became attracted to the radical path Islam Net was offering.



Seierstad believes it cant be one particular thing alone: It could have been many things including the pursuit of an uncontested identity or the sense of empowerment they got from being part of this group that pronounced itself a defender of Muslims who are being suppressed in so many parts of the world or the simple fact that the girls liked being there in this mixed community of girls and boys who would be segregated while sitting but could still recognize each others presence and company.

There were push factors they faced as immigrants who became citizens  the fact, for example, that they were never fully integrated, unlike Ismael who enrolls to study nanotechnology and who openly expresses scepticism about religion. It could also be about the hidden unease of looking different from the average Norwegian girl, although there are considerable communities of Pakistanis and Somalis in Norway.

But Seierstad is convinced that the girls conversion had rather more to do with the pull factors of activism and empowerment that Islam Net gave them. The details of the girls association with Islam Net as recalled in Two Sisters favour the question of identity  not because Ayan and Leila did not feel Norwegian enough but because Islam Net gave them an accentuated sense of what for them seemed to be an interesting and curious identity: Muslim women.





Even more blurry is the point at which the two niqabis  militant good Muslim women who feel this dress code is an act of feminism and political empowerment  decide to abandon their life in Oslo to join ISIS, travelling via Turkey to Syria and eventually settling in Idlib. Obviously, as Seierstad points out, not all the girls who attend the events of Islam Net or frequent Tawfik Mosque end up as IS women. What prompted Ayan and Leila ==rather was the desire to defend good Muslims in need and reach the highest step on the ladder of righteousness by embracing the possibility of martyrdom.

Martyrdom, as Ayan and Leila keep telling Ismael in their texts from Syria, is not something they are just doing for themselves but also for their parents because a martyr could take their parents hands and lead them to paradise. In one text Seierstad shares in the book, Leila, the younger sister, argues that while Sara might feel hurt by her daughters fleeing this is a worldly sentiment that will count for little on the Day of Judgement. That day, Leila tells Ismael, a girl who has performed jihad and become a martyr can take her mother straight to paradise.



Because Seirestad never managed to talk to the girls, who kept declining her requests for interviews, her account of the escape of Ayan and Leila is based largely on Sadiqs narrative. Sadiq how Sara called him worried about the girls and he dismissed her worries, assuming they were busy at the mosque before he received a call from one of them telling him to find a letter theyd written in which they explained how they put Allahs path above love of family.

The books details the familys nerve-racking efforts to locate the girls as Ismael checks the location information in a photo of grilled chicken they posted accompanied by the caption Last meal in Europe, discovering they are in Turkey and not in Sweden as they had claimed. Sara demands that Sadiq should bring the girls back, and he ends up on a wild goose chase in Turkey. Seierstad expertly turns this information into a page-turner as Sadiq manages to make contact first with Mahmut, a taxi driver, and then Osman, a Syrian who helps refugees across the border.

The conversations in this part of the book reveal a great deal about the ongoing tragedy of Syria. At one point Sadiq ends up noticing a recent wedding photo on the wall of a damaged house and is devastated to the think of the fate of the bride and groom who were poised for a prosperous life before protests calling for democracy, which started in February 2011, turned into a complex civil war.



The search for the girls is also a way for Seierstad to outline the complexity of Islamist militias fighting not only the Bashar Al Assad regime but also, at times, each other. The account of Sadiqs capture and torture almost to death by ISIS, and how he witnesses men being eliminated for spying, is among the most powerful. Sadiq ultimately fails to bring back Ayan and Leila, who are now married with children. By the time the book was published in 2016, four years after the two girls left Oslo, Sara had returned with her two younger boys to Somaliland, leaving Sadiq penniless and in debt after all that he spent on his journey and Ismael alone. The girls disappeared during the war against ISIS, resurfacing in a POW camp for foreign fighters held by the Kurds in northern Syria in March 2019. The fates of many such fighters who hail from Europe remain unknown, and Seierstad feels they should return. The fact that most of these women are stranded with children is both a profound humanitarian and a socio-political concern, she argues: The kids get sick and they cannot find treatment; and what would become of these girls if they are left there.



Seierstad is aware that, following Syria, many Europeans are concerned about the failure of immigrants and refugees to integrate, but her point is that this simply makes their return a two-way challenge of acceptance, coexistence and reintegration. Having spent the best part of her 25 years as a freelance journalist in war zones, Seierstad understands first hand in how difficult Muslims lives can be in such places as Afghanistan and Iraq, and the yearning for justice that might express itself in jihad.

She also understands that people like Sara and Sadiq will keep turning up in Europe as long as the wars that ravage their homes arent stopped. Until the big issues can be resolved, however, she feels efforts should be made to make it easier for the children of immigrants and refugees who grow up in Western societies to integrate: There will still be this argument about what makes young men and women who grow up in societies that grant them at least the very basic standards of decent living decide to defect to militant groups  is it Islam in itself or is it racism against and unfairness to Muslims? Seierstad feels that, whatever it is, the important thing is to ensure that no more girls should go through what Ayan and Leila went through and, should they wish to start anew, that people like Ayan and Leila should be allowed to.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 20 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Staten Island Mall has served as a venue for various events over the years. Notable happenings have included everything from a visit by Yankee legend Derek Jeter to a carnival to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

In the photo above, members of the honor guard of Beauvais-Hudson Post, American Legion, fire a volley during a Veterans Day service at the Mall in 1980.

So take a walk back in time, and scroll through some of the memorable moments at the New Springville shopping center over the years.

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They're off and running at the borough-wide run-offs of the Cub Scouts' second annual Kenneth J. Vezzuto Memorial Pinewood Derby in 1980.

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Santa is shown here after his arrival at the Mall in 1996.

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This 2000 file photo shows Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter at a book-signing at Waldenbooks to promote his autobiography, "The Life You Imagine."

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Fans outside Waldenbooks as they try to get a view of Jeter. Thousands turned out to see the Yankee star when he visited the Mall in 2000.

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In this 2002 photo, Dorothy Burns whispers to her daughters, Taylor, 6, Brielle, 2, and Madison, 1, before the Rosebank family poses for a picture with the Easter Bunny.

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Tottenville High School juniors and seniors draw a crowd as they do their warmup exercises before the High School Sports-O-Rama event in 1976.

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Guests of the Neptune Ball, which was held at the Mall in 1985, gather in the Center Court for a performance by Marvin Hamlisch, who was the acclaimed composer of "A Chorus Line."

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Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers signs an autograph for the eagerly waiting Michael Serreta in 1988.

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Staten Island Girl Scouts join hands for a huge square dance in the Mall's Center Court in 1980.

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The director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Staten Island, Rabbi Moishe Katzman, says a prayer before lighting the first candle on the Menorah at Staten Island Mall in 1996.

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In 1982, the Staten Island Mall celebrates the completion of a new 13-restaurant eating area called PicNic, marking the end of the site's two-year renovation project.

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"Jersey Shore" star Snooki poses for the media as she arrives at Center Court to promote her new line of sunglasses in 2011.

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Gathering around the Staten Island Mall's anniversary cake during the opening ceremonies of the Halloween Community Fair in 1981 are, from the left: Martha Knoop, the Mall's marketing director; Aldo R. Benedetto, executive assistant to Borough President Anthony R. Gaeta; John Grimaldi, the Mall's manager; Richard Nicotra, owner of Everything Yogurt. The fair was held in conjunction with the first anniversary of the Rouse Company assuming control of the shopping center.

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The Mall offers indoor fishing to young visitors in 1974.

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Staten Island Girl Scouts celebrate the 75th anniversary of Girl Scouting with a big balloon launch in front of the Staten Island Mall in 1987.

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Veterans from Staten Island American Legion participate in Veterans Day services at the Mall in 1980.

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In summer 1978, the Mall served as the setting for a carnival to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

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In this 1998 photo, former Congresswoman Susan Molinari, right, signs a book for 10-year-old Samantha Cheung, and her mother Susan, as Borough President Guy Molinari looks on. Susan Molinari was promoting her new book,' "Representative Mom," at Waldenbooks.
On WeChat, the renowned law scholar slams the dearth of information about the crisis. In his view, without press freedom, people will live in distress and the government in mendacity. A supporter of Liu Xiaobo and Charter 08, He calls for the implementation of the rule of law in China.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies)  He Weifang, a law professor at Peking University, has attacked the government for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19).

The lack of a freedom of speech and expression helped the spread of the virus, the scholar said on Monday in a post on WeChat, a Chinese messaging app.

In his view, errors by the government, especially the restrictions on the free flow of information, have magnified the crisis. This shows that China needs press freedom to deal with emergencies.

I hope the heavy price [caused by the outbreak] will make Chinese authorities come to realise that without press freedom, people will live in distress and the government in mendacity, he explained.

He is highly critical of President Xi Jinping for his late reaction to the Wuhan virus. A speech by Xi on 3 February, reported by several state media, suggests that he was already aware of the epidemic in early January, when he ordered his officials to take the necessary steps to counter it.

He lost his university professorship for supporting the well-known dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, and signed Charter 08, a declaration drafted in December 2008 by intellectuals, including Liu, that calls for greater democracy and respect for human rights, and for this reason was censored by the government.

His younger brother, He Weitong, who works in legal publishing, was arrested last November for posting an Islamic State video on social media to protest the visit to Beijing by some Taliban officials.

Freedom of the press, an independent judiciary, human and trade union rights, as well as social protection are at the heart of He's demands for the rule of law in China.

Critical of his country's judicial system, considered too centralised and subordinated to the power of the Communist Party, He penned a piece for the South China Morning Post in August saying that If China were to have had a comparably fair judicial system, the Hong Kong people would not have protested so vehemently against the extradition bill introduced by the territorys authorities.

He remains one of the few voices openly critical of Chinas regime. But his words echo those of two other intellectuals.

Human rights lawyer Xu Zhiyong, also a former professor at Peking University, recently lashed out at Xi for his "inability" to handle the coronavirus crisis, the trade war with the US and pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Xu was arrested last Saturday, in Guangzhou (Guangdong), during a "health check" to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Another law professor, Xu Zhangrun, from Tsinghua University, blamed the authorities for failing to tackle the epidemic crisis. According to Xu, the government's repressive and tyrannical action is the reason for the delayed response, which favoured the spread of COVID19.
Whats Streaming

THE CHEF SHOW Stream on Netflix. Its easy to see why Jon Favreau and Roy Choi signed on to host this food travel show. One of the new episodes finds them chomping down smoked fish at Wexlers Deli in Southern California. (It looks so good, Choi marvels.) Another begins with footage of the two sampling red wine given to them by Wolfgang Puck. (Favreaus conclusion: Its good.) Other highlights from the latest batch of episodes, released Wednesday, include the pair getting a lesson in cooking Peruvian ceviche from the chefs and restaurateurs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, and cooking bread and biscuits with the filmmaker Sam Raimi. Raimi seems mildly envious of the pairs gig: Boy, he says while holding a steaming bowl of delicious-looking food, this is one of the toughest shoots Ive been on.

JUSTIN BIEBER: SEASONS Stream on YouTube. Last week, Justin Bieber released Changes, his first album in a half-decade, in which he attempts to reimagine himself by fully embracing R&B. Accompanying the new album is Seasons, a YouTube series that chronicles his return, his music-making process and his struggles with stardom, which include several years of drug abuse. The first few episodes of Seasons are about, loosely, how the sausage gets made, Jon Caramanica wrote in a recent article in The New York Times. But the subsequent ones are something else altogether  a picture of how the sausage almost doesnt get made.

Whats on TV
This article is for investors who would like to improve their understanding of price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll show how you can use Societe Anonyme des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers a Monaco's (EPA:BAIN) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. What is Societe Anonyme des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers a Monaco's P/E ratio? Well, based on the last twelve months it is 63.89. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 1.6%.

View our latest analysis for Societe Anonyme des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers a Monaco

How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?

The formula for P/E is:

Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price  Earnings per Share (EPS)

Or for Societe Anonyme des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers a Monaco:

P/E of 63.89 = EUR65.60  EUR1.03 (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2019.)

Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?

A higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying a higher price for each EUR1 of company earnings. That is not a good or a bad thing per se, but a high P/E does imply buyers are optimistic about the future.

How Does Societe Anonyme des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers a Monaco's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?

One good way to get a quick read on what market participants expect of a company is to look at its P/E ratio. The image below shows that Societe Anonyme des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers a Monaco has a higher P/E than the average (27.1) P/E for companies in the hospitality industry.

ENXTPA:BAIN Price Estimation Relative to Market, February 19th 2020

That means that the market expects Societe Anonyme des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers a Monaco will outperform other companies in its industry. Clearly the market expects growth, but it isn't guaranteed. So investors should always consider the P/E ratio alongside other factors, such as whether company directors have been buying shares.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases.

Story continues

Societe Anonyme des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers a Monaco's 165% EPS improvement over the last year was like bamboo growth after rain; rapid and impressive. Regrettably, the longer term performance is poor, with EPS down 13% per year over 5 years.

Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet

Don't forget that the P/E ratio considers market capitalization. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. Theoretically, a business can improve its earnings (and produce a lower P/E in the future) by investing in growth. That means taking on debt (or spending its cash).

Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context.

So What Does Societe Anonyme des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers a Monaco's Balance Sheet Tell Us?

Societe Anonyme des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers a Monaco's net debt is 7.6% of its market cap. The market might award it a higher P/E ratio if it had net cash, but its unlikely this low level of net borrowing is having a big impact on the P/E multiple.

The Bottom Line On Societe Anonyme des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers a Monaco's P/E Ratio

Societe Anonyme des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers a Monaco's P/E is 63.9 which suggests the market is more focussed on the future opportunity rather than the current level of earnings. Its debt levels do not imperil its balance sheet and its EPS growth is very healthy indeed. So on this analysis a high P/E ratio seems reasonable.

When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. People often underestimate remarkable growth -- so investors can make money when fast growth is not fully appreciated. We don't have analyst forecasts, but shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20.

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.
Carlo-Gonzalezs trajectory has mirrored the genres, though she said shes not the typical artist. She started making beats as a hobby about 10 years ago, when she was 14. I was very, very bad at it, she said. But she got to college and honed her skills. Her music appeared on top playlists  and one day, spilled over from YouTube and Spotify into the physical world. A friend told her he heard one of her tracks at a Starbucks in Costa Rica. About a year ago, she started hearing lo-fi leaking out of Bay Area coffee shops and at least one bar.
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
By Tom Hals and Brendan Pierson (Reuters) - Here are highlights of the rape trial of former movie producer Harvey Weinstein, who has pleaded not guilty to charges he sexually assaulted former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and raped onetime aspiring actress Jessica Mann. Jury deliberations were due to begin on Tuesday. OUTSIDE THE COURTHOUSE Images of Weinstein's feeble entrances into court rocketed around social media: a disheveled man slouched over a walker, trailed by his lead defense lawyer, a woman

By Tom Hals and Brendan Pierson

(Reuters) - Here are highlights of the rape trial of former movie producer Harvey Weinstein, who has pleaded not guilty to charges he sexually assaulted former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and raped onetime aspiring actress Jessica Mann.

Jury deliberations were due to begin on Tuesday.

OUTSIDE THE COURTHOUSE

Images of Weinstein's feeble entrances into court rocketed around social media: a disheveled man slouched over a walker, trailed by his lead defense lawyer, a woman.

"I think he's taken some good acting tips," quipped Rose McGowan, an actress who has accused Weinstein of rape. She is one of more than 80 women since 2017 to accuse the former producer of sexual misconduct.

Weinstein, who made his mark with critically acclaimed films such as "Shakespeare in Love," has denied the allegations and said any sexual encounters were consensual.

The trial, which began on Jan. 6, is a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement, in which women have accused powerful men of misconduct.

McGowan staged a protest outside the court, along with actress Rosanna Arquette and other Weinstein accusers, demanding accountability.

"As we stand here at the beginning of a new year and a new decade, time's up on sexual harassment in all workplaces," said Arquette, referencing the #TimesUp movement that opposes sexual harassment, misconduct and discrimination. [nL1N29B08D]

THE ACCUSERS

Haleyi, a former production assistant, cried as she testified that she accepted an invitation to Weinstein's Manhattan home in 2006. Haleyi said Weinstein lunged at her, backed her into a bedroom and forcibly performed oral sex on her, yanking out her tampon. [nL1N29W0I0]

Under questioning from Weinstein's attorneys, Haleyi acknowledged that she accepted trips to Los Angeles and London from Weinstein after the attack, in part because she needed work, and signed messages to him with "lots of love."

The other accuser, Mann, described Weinstein as a "Jekyll and Hyde:" Charming in public but often showing terrifying anger when they were alone.

Mann said that soon after meeting Weinstein she entered into an extremely degrading relationship with him that never included intercourse until, she alleged, he raped her in 2013. [nL1N2A0110]

Weinstein's defense team repeatedly suggested that Mann willingly had sex with Weinstein to advance her career. On cross-examination, Mann was shown an email she wrote in 2014 in which she described Weinstein as a "pseudo father." [nL1N2A30JU]

Under prosecution questioning, Mann described Weinstein's genitals as "deformed." [nL1N2A40ON]

OTHER WITNESSES

Prosecutors were allowed to introduce evidence of alleged attacks on other women, even though the incidents did not result in charges against Weinstein.

Actress Annabella Sciorra testified that Weinstein pinned her hands behind her head and violently raped her more than 25 years ago. [nL1N29S0GS]

Costume designer Dawn Dunning said Weinstein groped her in 2004 and offered her movie roles in exchange for three-way sex with him and his assistant, which she refused. "This is how this industry works," she said he told her. [nL1N29Y0G8]

Tarale Wulff testified she was a waitress when Weinstein invited her to read for a movie role at his home, where he pushed her onto a bed. She said Weinstein told her not to worry because he had a vasectomy, then raped her. [nL1N29Y0G8]

Lauren Young testified that the film producer trapped her in a hotel bathroom in 2013, masturbated in front of her while groping her breasts, and told her: This is what all the actresses do to make it. [nL1N2A516L]

She is one of two accusers in a separate sexual assault case against Weinstein in Los Angeles.

Young was also questioned about the appearance of Weinstein's body. She said of his penis: "It looked like it had been cut and sewn back on." [nL1N2A516L]

Later, the jury was shown photos of Weinstein naked. The defense said in an email that the photos were introduced to "shame" him.

During closing arguments, prosecutors said Weinstein had abused his power and counted on his victims never coming forward.

The defendant not only ran roughshod over the dignity and the very lives of these witnesses, but he also underestimated them, said Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi. [nL1N2AE0SB]

DEFENSE WITNESSES

Writer Paul Feldsher testified for the defense that Sciorra told him she had "done this crazy thing with Harvey," and that he understood her to mean that she had "fooled around with him." Feldsher said that he had no indication it was a negative experience. [nL1N2A60ZE]

On cross-examination, he acknowledged sending Weinstein text messages disparaging Sciorra in harsh language, calling her full of shit and an asshole.

Elizabeth Loftus, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, told jurors that peoples memories can become distorted after the fact and testified that strong emotions around a memory were no guarantee of its accuracy. [nL1N2A70RM].

Actress Talita Maia, a former friend of Mann, and Thomas Richards, Mann's former agent, testified that Mann showed no signs of distress hours after she was allegedly raped.

During closing arguments Weinstein's lead attorney, Donna Rotunno, urged jurors to put aside their emotions and told them they were the "last line of defense" against an "overzealous" media and prosecution. [nL1N2AA0MR]

Weinstein never took the stand, although he told reporters outside court that he had wanted to. His lawyers said the prosecution case was so weak that they did not need his testimony. [nL1N2AB0T0]

(Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware and Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Jonathan Oatis)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
In the light of PNP's 'Oplan X-Men' illegal arrests

'TIME TO END ALL FORMS OF PROFILING' -- SEN. NANCY

Sen. Nancy Binay called on the Philippine National Police to end all kinds of profiling targeting specific individuals or groups based on appearance, political beliefs, religion, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation.

According to Binay, police profiling has been very prevalent that even innocent law-abiding citizens have been wrongly arrested or accused of crimes.

"Medyo bordering on grave abuse yung pagpo-profile. Yung pipilitin kang sumama sa presinto at kukunin ang personal na impormasyon mo na wala namang malinaw o legal na dahilan. Bakit, may kaso ba? May complaint ba? May krimen bang nagawa? Warrantless arrest ba ito?" the senator pointed out.

In light of the reported "profiling" of a transgender woman in Makati by cops in the guise of "Oplan X-Men", the senator urged police leadership to ensure that a standing policy banning operations with a gender or political bias is implemented.

"Dahil sa mali-maling profiling, people's rights have been trampled. Sana huwag nang pamarisan pa ang pangyayaring ito ng ibang local police. Nais nating ipaalala sa mga opisyal ng PNP that they have a duty to respect the rights of all citizens," the senator said.

END BIGOTRY

Binay added that to ensure that even ordinary citizens' rights are protected, and protections against all forms of profiling extend across the country, the PNP and law-enforcement agencies should have a clear and enforceable policy in ending bigotry, particularly institutionalized homophobia and transphobia in their organizations.

"Huwag na po sana tayo dumagdag sa culture of hate and discrimination na nananaig lalo na laban sa ating LGBTQ+ sector, people's organizations, mga kapatid nating Muslim, or dahil sa politika," said Binay.

She suggested that police undergo intensified and regular gender awareness and sensitivity training to avoid any malicious and unsubstantiated arrests.

"Naiintindihan natin na kailangan gawin ng mga pulis natin ang trabaho nila. Pero sana sa pagsagawa nila sa responsibilidad na ito, laging manaig ang pag-respeto sa karapatang pantao," Binay pointed out.

She also questioned the wisdom of gender profiling, red- or prostitute-tagging, and the propriety of arresting people on the basis of observed characteristics or behavior.

"Injustice have become so pervasive. Nakakatakot itong life-endangering allegations, at hindi biro yung bigla ka na lang huhulihin dahil trans ka o nakita kang kasama sa political rally, o gay pride march. Police should be accountable for abusive practices. Profiling and bias must stop," Binay said.

The police' duty to "serve and protect" covers all Filipinos regardless of gender, she said.
As models walk in show-after-show during fashion month, it's not easy to maintain glowing skin amid a hectic schedule of long flights, 4am wake up calls and little sleep.

It turns out that the secret weapon in their beauty squads' arsenal is a sheet face mask made from 24 carat pure gold that promises bright and blemish-free skin.

Mimi Luzon, who is based in Israel but follows models across the world for Fashion Weeks, has become renowned for her gold facials.

The treatment has been praised by Bella Hadid, Irina Shayk, Kaia Gerber and Alessandra Ambrosio, all of who have all shared pictures of themselves dripping in the gold to their Instagram profiles.

The mask is made by placing a powdered cosmetic grade gold leaf cut to a thinness of 0.0001 mm with a hyaluronic moisturiser and applying it to the face or body.

Mimi Luzon, who is based in Israel but follows models across the world for Fashion Weeks, has become renouned for her 24k pure gold facial. The treatment has been praised by Bella Hadid, pictured here using the mask before she walked in Burberry's show in LFW

Meanwhile, Irina Shayk swears by Mimi's treatments, and has also shown to use the treatment on her famous legs

The ideas behind the mask it to tighten skin, smoothe over wrinkles, reduce redness and give the skin a glow.

Bella's supermodel sister Gigi and her mother Yolanda have also tried the masks over fashion week, making it a family affair for the Hadid family.

Meanwhile, Irina Shayk swears by Mimi's treatments, and has also shown to use the treatment on her famous legs.

In a recent interview with Vogue the supermodel ex-wife of Bradley Cooper said Mimi's treatments are essential when she's travelling.

The treatment has been praised by Bella Hadid, Irina Shayk (right) Kaia Gerber (left) and Alessandra Ambrosio, all of who have all shared pictures of themselves dripping in the gold to their Instagram profiles

The results are in! Mimi, pictured with Kaia Gerber after a treatment, said that 'gold's benefits to the skin have been known since ancient times'

'I always make sure I moisturise my skin a lot when I travel, as the air on a plane is really dry. To revive my skin after long-distance flights, I use special masks, like Mimi Luzon's Sparkling Champagne Mask  it moisturises and refreshes the skin and gives it a healthy glow.

Is gold good for your skin? Using gold-infused skincare is seaid to reduce inflammation, smooth away wrinkles and brighten dark spots, but is it worth the high price tag for premium skincare. There is no scientific evidence to say that gold is good for your skin. However, because it's a metal it will reflect light and make the skin look brighter. The ions present in gold are said to stimulate the skin's basal cells, which improves elasticity. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, but it's debatable whether the quantity present in skincare is enough to have a significant effect. Advertisement

'When I travel for work, I always see my beauty queen, Mimi Luzon, and do 24-carat gold mask treatments for extra glow' she said.

Mimi's gold mask treatment uses hyaluronic gel and then topped with the gold leaf which is rubbed into the skin going straight into the pores.

Speaking to Femail Mimi explained: 'Gold's benefits to the skin have been known since ancient times.

'Cleopatra herself was known to use gold to give her skin a healthy, radiant appearance.

'It provides the skin with an immediate sense of wellbeing, treating redness and fine lines while evening the skin's tone and promoting a healthy glow.'

Gold is believed to improve microcirculation in the face and improve cell regeneration which makes skin look younger and more radiant.

Portuguese supermodel Sara Sampaio, pictured, used Mimi's under eye mask

It's not just for the face! Isreali supermodel Bar Refaeli showed her three million Instagram followers she used the treatment on her face and stomach

Getting that fashion week glow! Over the weekend, Irina Shayk told her Instagram followers about her visit to Mimi

Meanwhile, hyaluronic acid has been dubbed 'the Holy Grail' of skincare, as it works by acting as a magnet for moisture and helping our cells keep hold to as much water as possible.

The substance is found naturally in our skin that holds water and helps keep it hydrated and plump.

The molecule holds a thousand times its weight in water to not only retain all that moisture in our skin, but also prevent all that moisture from evaporating into the air. It's essential that we keep it in our beauty regimes because the amount of naturally-occurring hyaluronic acid in our bodies decreases as we get older.

While Mimi is based in Israel, her masks are also available to purchase at home - but at 275 for a pack of three, you might need supermodel's salary to try them out too.

Can a 24k gold give you a supermodel glow? FEMAIL tests Mimi Luzon's 200 eyemask While Mimi Luzon's hands are mostly familiar with famous faces, anyone can try it at home - if their willing to part with a few hundred pounds. I tried the 24K Pure Gold Eye Treatment, which costs 195 from Mimi's website or Net-a-Porter. It comes with three treatments, at 65 a go it's more than I would usually spend on any beauty buy - let alone something I would do myself. This is actually one of the less expensive options, the full face option costs 275, while her wonder treatment (made from silver) is 220. Femail's Bridie Pearson-Jones tried out the Mimi Luzon 195 24K Pure Gold Eye Treatment, she is pictured left before and right after After a house party where I'd had a few too many G+Ts I was hoping for a lie-in the next day. However, I was rudely awaken by my windows shaking thanks to Storm Dennis, and my lack of sleep left my under eye bags more pronounced than normal. I was quite excited for a quick way to banish the bags under my eyes - and it felt very luxurious to be placing 24 carat gold on my face, if for nothing more than the Instagram brag (if you search #glowbymimiluzon on Instagram, there's lots of people doing this). From the moment you open the Mimi Luzon package, there's a sense of opulence. The packet itself is gold with a beautiful trim and it comes with clear instructions inside, which repeatedly mention that it's dripping in gold. The set comes with a corrective anti-wrinkle mask that you can put on before the the gold mask. This smells amazing, and felt really good on my skin. Golden eye! Bridie said the face mask (pictured trying it) felt luxurious from start to finish, but wouldn't often be able to afford the price tag The box comes with simple instructions on how to use the product The gold leaves are wrapped in silk, which you use to stop yourself from touching the leaves directly - another little luxury. It was definitely more faff to apply than a standard sheet mask - or even cream-based face mask, but once the gold leaf was on my skin it felt really very smooth, and I could feel the bags going. There was a sense of ceremony around the whole mask, using it felt like a special occasion, from opening the box to the mask coming the whole process was an event in itself. After I took it off, I didn't notice a hugely different effect, although my face was certainly glowing and the bags were reduced. Bridie said: 'There was a sense of ceremony around the whole mask, using it felt like a special occasion, from opening the box to the mask coming the whole process was an event in itself'. The box is pictured Was the slight diminish in my eye bags worth 65? Probably not, but I felt fabulous wearing it. It's super hydrating, so I can definitely see how it would be great on a long flight, but on a day to day basis, unless you have dry skin it's definitely not essential. I probably wouldn't buy this a regular thing (unless I won the lottery) but for a special occasion - like a girls night in hen do or wedding - I think it could be a really fun treat. Advertisement




Chinese President Xi Jinping called for greater protection of medical workers fighting the coronavirus after causalities among them showed an upward trend as the death toll from the epidemic crossed the 2,000-mark on Wednesday, authorities said.

China's National Health Commission (NHC) in its daily report said that 136 people died on Tuesday taking the total death toll to 2,004 so far due to the virus also called COVID-19.

Of the new deaths, 132 were reported from the worst-hit Hubei province for which Wuhan is the provincial capital and one each from Heilongjiang, Shandong, Guangdong and Guizhou.

Over 74,100 people have now been infected by the deadly virus in China, with more than 1,000 other cases detected in at least 25 countries.

Another 1,185 new suspected cases have been reported on Tuesday in China, while 236 patients became seriously ill and 11,977 patients remained in severe condition, the commission said, indicating that the condition of the large number of people who contracted the virus remained critical.

On Wednesday, Hong Kong reported its second death from the virus. The deceased was a 70-year-old male who was diagnosed on February 14.

Meanwhile, Wuhan witnessed yet another major tragedy on Tuesday as Liu Fan, 59, a deputy chief nurse of Wuchang Hospital, her parents and brother died due to the virus, raising concerns over increasing casualties of the medical staff.

State-run Global Times reported on Wednesday that Liu had been on duty in the injection room of the hospital until February 2. She was confirmed to have been infected with the virus on February 7 after she felt physical discomfort and had a fever following which she was admitted to the hospital. Her condition worsened quickly and she died on February 14.

Tragically before Liu's death, her parents and brother had also died of the virus after being infected. Her husband and daughter are under quarantine but have not been found to be infected.

On the same day, Dr. Liu Zhiming, 51, president of the same hospital, died of the coronavirus, highlighting how China's medical staff are paying a very high price while fighting the virus.

Last Friday, the NHC said that a total of 1,716 medical workers had been confirmed with the infection as of February 11 and six others died.

As the medical workers' casualties increased, President Xi called for great attention to their protection to make sure they are healthy and stay focused on winning the battle against the coronavirus.

Xi said medical workers are the backbone force in defeating the epidemic and stressed on providing comprehensive support for them to ensure their strength, morale and energy.

He said China must "strengthen efforts to relieve the stress of medical workers, provide them with daily necessities, arrange time for their rest and give them encouragement", the state-run Xinhua agency reported.

More than 30,000 medical workers, including military medics, have been sent from across the country to worst-hit Hubei province to fight the epidemic.

The World Health Organisation Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, condoled the death of Dr. Liu saying that he touched and saved a number of lives.

"My deepest condolences to the family of Dr Liu Zhiming, his colleagues and patients for this enormous loss," he tweeted on Tuesday.

Liu "touched and saved numerous lives in the COVID-19 outbreak," Tedros said, adding that "my thoughts are with them and all the front-line health workers fighting the virus."



An eulogy issued by the local health commission said Liu had made important contributions to the city's epidemic prevention and control while leading all medical personnel of Wuchang Hospital on the frontline to fight against the epidemic.

Official media reports said that the casualties among the medical staff rose sharply as they were not aware about the human-to-human transmission potential of the virus as a result many of them attended patients without proper medical gear.

Also on Wednesday, NHC spokesperson Mi Feng claimed that the COVID-19 in Hubei has been gradually brought under control.

The daily count of newly cured and discharged cases in Hubei, excluding the capital city Wuhan, has exceeded the number of newly confirmed cases for four consecutive days as of Wednesday, Mi told the media here.

He also said that the number of newly confirmed cases has decreased significantly since February 13 in areas besides Wuhan, and the increase in the cumulative number of confirmed cases has remained flat.

On Wednesday, 1,693 new confirmed cases were reported in Hubei, including 1,660 in Wuhan, according to NHC.

Also, two more hospitals with a planned capacity of 1,560 beds under the control of military medics have started functioning in Wuhan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Firefly Aerospace's CEO Tom Markusic is refuting reports of questionable comments and ties between his company's biggest investor and shady, online hookup sites.

Journalists at the fact-checking site Snopes recently investigated a possible tie between Firefly Aerospace and a web of deceptive online dating sites. Additionally, following an interview with Markusic by Texas Monthly , the company and its leadership received online backlash and questioning. But, according to Markusic, these recent negative assumptions about him or the company are just a big misunderstanding.

"I don't believe everything that I read on the web," Markusic told Space.com in an interview.

Noosphere Ventures, Firefly's largest investor, released a full statement in response to the situation and refuting the claims made in the Snopes piece. "This is a manipulation," the statement reads. "The article twisted the facts. Noosphere Ventures projects and its C-level management have an impeccable reputation."

Video: Firefly Aerospace rocket engine test ends in fire (video)

In 2018, NASA selected the Austin, Texas-based Firefly as one of the nine companies that would have the opportunity to bid on contracts to build lunar landers for missions to the moon under the agency's Artemis program. This coveted spot landed Firefly in a position to jockey for contracts that could be worth up to $2.6 billion over the next decade.

In response to the recent criticism of Firefly Aerospace, NASA told Space.com that "NASA is not aware of any illegal activity by Firefly Aerospace. The agency follows all federal procurement practices to ensure its business partnerships are within current laws and regulations."

Phoney dating sites?

According to the Snopes investigation, there's a fly in the ointment. To summarize, Firefly's largest investor, Noosphere Ventures, is a company that shares staff, an address and an office space with Together Networks, a company that maintains a number of the same websites as TopOffers.com, an international web of fake, deceptive dating websites with frequently misogynistic names (yes they're NSFW, no I will not be linking to them).

These sites use shady tactics to mislead people into signing up for recurring credit-card charges, and might be operating in potential violation of FTC regulations; specifically, a law named the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA), according to the Snopes investigation into this possible relationship.

Snopes found that 194 of the 218 sites listed on TopOffers are either owned or operated by at least one company with some history and connection to Firefly Aerospace co-founder and board member Max Polyakov, who is also a managing partner at Noosphere Ventures and who co-founded the U.K.-based online dating site Cupid plc (a site that, in 2013, was accused of using "fake profiles" to deceive people online, tactics similar to those used by TopOffers, Snopes found).

Noosphere Ventures denies these claims laid out by Snopes, as they detail in their statement linked above.

Firefly's rebuttal

Thomas Markusic, Firefly's CEO. (Image credit: Firefly Space Systems (now Firefly Aerospace))

In an interview with Space.com, Markusic asserted that he has had no awareness of any relationship between Firefly Aerospace and Together Networks and their affiliated, deceptive sites. While Noosphere Ventures shares an address with Together Networks, "my understanding is that Noosphere has a portfolio, an exclusive portfolio of tech companies, one of which is Firefly," Markusic said.

Noosphere is "focused on technology and, again, Firefly is completely independent and run by me," he said, adding that he has not observed any companies affiliated with Firefly acting in any nefarious ways.

"I would point out," he added, "that it's public knowledge that some of my business partners in the original founding of Firefly Space Systems have launched litigation against Firefly Aerospace wanting some remuneration for the success." Markusic emphasized that there is no evidence to support any interference in the public opinion of Firefly by these partners, but "the timing is pretty interesting."

All in all, Markusic finds the connection drawn between Firefly and this dating site network to be a stretch and irrelevant, as he emphasized that there was no connection.

"I run Firefly and I can tell you that Firefly is run with the highest ethical standards [and] extreme transparency with all stakeholders and customers," Markusic said, adding that the company is very serious about adhering to "all laws and all regulatory issues associated with being a U.S. aerospace company."

Questionable quotes

The other point of contention that online critics had of Firefly was of Markusic himself  specifically a quote attributed to Markusic in a 2019 interview with Texas Monthly.

In the quote, Markusc said about space-based observational technology that "it depends on what you want and how frequently you want it. And what region you're looking at. I mean, we can talk about real-time stuff  say, following your girlfriend, watching where her car is driving from space." To which Texas Monthly responded, "That's creepy."

To nobody's surprise, this quote did not go over very well with the public and it received significant criticism online and on social media. However, according to Markusic, the quote was taken out of context, and he finds the potential use of technology for these purposes "disturbing."

"That quote was taken out of context in a larger conversation that I was having with the interviewer immediately preceding that quote," Markusic told Space.com. "I had told the interviewer that, basically, although the advent of satellites is going to bring about all kinds of amazing opportunities, it will also bring about real privacy issues."

He added that the quote that was used in the article was simply an example of "a disturbing privacy issue  I was saying that there could be disturbing applications of this technology." The Texas Monthly confirmed that account of the conversation when contacted by Space.com.

Artist's illustration of Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket lifting off. (Image credit: Firefly Aerospace)

Despite the recent criticism online, Markusic said Firefly is on track to launch its first rocket later this year. Recently (Feb. 4), Firefly announced that their Alpha launch vehicle would be used to launch a constellation of satellites for Satlantis. Additionally, in January, the company announced that its Alpha rocket will be used for launches with the Netherlands-based company Innovative Space Logistics B.V. (Isilaunch).

"We expect in the next six months to be on a launch pad," he said, adding that Firefly will have "a string of great announcements" coming soon.

Editor's Note: This article was updated to include statements from Noosphere Ventures.

Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook .
Director Anubhav Sinha and actor Taapsee Pannu in partnership with filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj hosted a special screening of their upcoming film, Thappad, on Tuesday. Reactions to the movie, about a woman triggered by an act of physical violence to divorce her husband, have been shared online.

The Delhi screening will be followed by more events, hosted by Bollywood filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap, Sudhir Mishra and Hansal Mehta.

Journalist Barkha Dutt tweeted about the film, and wrote, I saw #Thappad and wept through the movie. It especially delights me that this movie was made by a man @anubhavsinha and among many fine characters, my friend @taapsee as its lead shone. The film is brave and lifts the lid off silent, crushed & repressed female dreams. Do watch.

I saw #Thappad and wept through the movie. It especially delights me that this movie was made by a man @anubhavsinha and among many fine characters, my friend @taapsee as its lead shone. The film is brave and lifts the lid off silent, crushed & repressed female dreams. Do watch  barkha dutt (@BDUTT) February 18, 2020

Writer-journalist Saba Naqvi wrote, Delighted to see a man @anubhavsinha make a movie such as #Thappad that reinforces the message of women strength and independence and the ability to walk away from a man inspite of social attitudes. Go see.

Delighted to see a man @anubhavsinha make a movie such as #Thappad that reinforces the message of women strength and independence and the ability to walk away from a man inspite of social attitudes. Go see.  Saba Naqvi (@_sabanaqvi) February 18, 2020

Screenwriter of the recent Shikara and journalist Rahul Pandita wrote, Watched #Thappad last evening in Delhi, a film splendidly made on realistic events happening all time around us. Stellar direction/screenplay by @anubhavsinha and a terrific performance by @taapsee. Thank you, @vanityparty.

Watched #Thappad last evening in Delhi, a film splendidly made on realistic events happening all time around us. Stellar direction/screenplay by @anubhavsinha and a terrific performance by @taapsee. Thank you, @vanityparty  Rahul Pandita (@rahulpandita) February 19, 2020

Gaurav Dwivedi, Advisor to Chhattisgarh Government, wrote, Watched #Thappad at a special preview..its a brilliant film! @anubhavsinha handles such an emotional yet complex issue with such maturity!! @taapsee is superb! her histrionics reaching greater heights after each film!Congrts to the entire team! Thnks @vanityparty @VishalBhardwaj.

watched #Thappad at a special preview..its a brilliant film! @anubhavsinha handles such an emotional yet complex issue with such maturity!! @taapsee is superb! her histrionics reaching greater heights after each film!Congrts to the entire team! Thnks @vanityparty @VishalBhardwaj  Gaurav Dwivedi (@meGauravDwivedi) February 18, 2020

Writer Nazia Erum wrote that The best thing about the movie was its good for thought for everyone - whatever space you occupy in the society. Kudos @anubhavsinha.

The best thing about the movie was it's good for thought for everyone - whatever space you occupy in the society.

Kudos @anubhavsinha https://t.co/JsUhoiDmm2  Nazia Erum (@nazia_e) February 19, 2020

Writer Aseem Chhabra wrote, After #Mulk and #Article15 Sinha is back with a bang. #Thappad will shake you and thats why it is such an important film. He added, #Thappad will make all men think and hopefully conversations will make us better humans, spouses, partners.

After #Mulk and #Article15 Sinha is back with a bang. #Thappad will shake you and thats why it is such an important film.  Aseem Chhabra (@chhabs) February 18, 2020

Writer Yasser Usman wrote, Watched a special preview of #Thappad. Director @anubhavsinhas form continues. A brave film on domestic violence with the gifted @taapsee. More soon.

Watched a special preview of #Thappad. Director @anubhavsinha 's form continues. A brave film on domestic violence with the gifted @taapsee

More soon. pic.twitter.com/JU3yra9BlQ    (@yasser_aks) February 18, 2020

Thappad is slated for release on February 28. Sinha is coming off two acclaimed films -- Mulk and Article 15.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- An enriched environmentwith increased opportunities for physical activity, socialization and exploring novel stimulihelped lessen functional, anatomical and cellular deficits in an experimental model of brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation at birth. What's more, recovery of the brain's white matter required a combination of all experimental interventions, not just a single intervention, suggests a new study led by researchers at Children's National Hospital. Their findings, published online Feb. 19, 2020, in "Nature Communications," could lead to new treatments for children affected by this condition.

About 450,000 babies are born preterm in U.S. every year, a number that continues to rise, says senior author Vittorio Gallo, Ph.D., chief research officer for Children's National Hospital and scientific director for Children's National Research Institute. Oxygen deprivation caused by immature lungs or birth injuries is a common consequence of prematurity, which leads to permanent neurological deficits and disabilities, Gallo explains.

Premature babies require minimal handling for their first months of life in order to eliminate stressful stimuli and optimize their development. Efforts have been made to switch from the noisy and crowded environment of the older neonatal intensive care units to new, quiet private family rooms in order to eliminate noise and light. However, recent studies suggest that infants that were treated in private family rooms had lower language and motor scores compared to the infants in open wards, raising questions about the ideal level of stimulation that premature neonates require in order to achieve optimal brain development. The mechanisms by which environmental stimuli positively affect brain development in the early neonatal period and better neurological outcomes remain unclear.

To determine how enriched environments may affect recovery for newborns who suffer brain injury after birth, Gallo and colleagues leveraged a preclinical model of newborns exposed to low oxygen levels shortly after birth. These experimental models had brain damage similar to premature human babies with hypoxic brain injuries.

After injury, some of these experimental models grew up in standard enclosures, with little more than nesting materials, a few other cage mates, and access to food and water. Others grew up in enriched environments: larger enclosures equipped with a running wheel as well as objects of differing sizes and colors that were switched out frequently, and more cage mates for enhanced socialization.



When these preclinical models were young adults, the researchers assessed how well they performed on a functional test of motor skills in which both groups scurried up a narrow, inclined beam. While foot slips were common in both groups, those raised in an enriched environment had about half as many as those raised in the less-stimulating enclosures.

When researchers examined the brains, they found that these functional improvements were linked to significantly enhanced division and maturation of oligodendrocytes, cells in the brain's white matter that support nerve cells and produce myelin, a fatty insulating sheath that covers the long extensions that connect nerve cells to each other and to other parts of the body. Indeed, consistent with the cellular and functional findings, the white matter of experimental models raised in enriched environments had significantly more myelin content than that of counterparts raised in the simpler environment.

Further experiments showed that for these improvements in function and anatomy to occur in experimental models raised in the enriched environments, they needed all three elements: enhanced physical activity, socialization and cognitive stimulation from novel objects. Additionally, exposure to these elements needed to start early and be continuous and long term. Those experimental models that weren't raised in a completely enriched environment or whose exposure to the environment started later, was interrupted, or was cut short didn't have any improvements in function and white matter recovery.

Digging deeper, Gallo and colleagues employed next generation sequencing to investigate oligodendrocyte gene expression in these animals, identifying broad differences in networks of genes involved in oligodendrocyte development between the two groups.

Gallo notes that these results and future studies to better understand the effects of enriched environments could lead to better ways to care for premature babies that help lessen or prevent the long-term consequences of oxygen deprivation.

In addition to Gallo, other Children's National co-authors include Thomas A. Forbes, Ph.D., co-lead author, Evan Z. Goldstein, Ph.D., and co-authors Beata Jablonska, Ph.D., Joseph Scafidi, D.O., Katrina L. Adams, Ph.D. and Kazue Hashimoto-Torii, Ph.D.; additional authors include Jeffrey L. Dupree, Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth University; and Yuka Imamura, Ph.D., Penn State University.

Financial support for research described in this post was provided by the District of Columbia Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (DC-IDDRC) under award No. U54HD090257, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award Nos. R37NS109478, F31NS100277, F32NS106723 and 5R01NS099461. Microscopic analyses were carried out at the Children's National Research Institute Cell and Tissue Microscopy Core, which is supported by DC-IDDRC. The study authors also acknowledge the support of the CRI Bioinformatics Unit, a partnership between the Children's Research Institute, the Center for Genetic Medicine Research, the Clinical Translational Science Institute at Children's National (CTSI-CN) and the DC-IDDRC. The CTSI-CN is supported by the NIH under grant Nos. UL1TR001876 and KL2TR001877.

Summary: Preclinical model of oxygen deprivation, a common consequence of prematurity, showed better recovery when exposed to a combination of increased physical activity, socialization and cognitive stimulation

About Children's National Hospital

Children's National Hospital, based in Washington, D.C., celebrates 150 years of pediatric care, research and commitment to community. Volunteers opened the hospital in 1870 with 12 beds to care for Civil War orphans. Today, 150 years stronger, it is the nation's No. 6 children's hospital. It is ranked No. 1 for newborn care for the third straight year and ranked in all specialties evaluated by "U.S. News & World Report." Children's National is transforming pediatric medicine for all children. In 2020, it will open the Children's National Research & Innovation Campus, the first in the nation dedicated to pediatric research. It has been designated twice as a Magnet hospital, demonstrating the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers in the D.C., metropolitan area, including the Maryland and Northern Virginia suburbs. Children's National is home to the Children's National Research Institute and Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation and is the nation's seventh-highest NIH-funded children's hospital. It is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels.

For more information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

SOURCE Childrens National Hospital
New Delhi, Feb 19 : Telugu superstar Pawan Kalyan, who is also the founder of the Jana Sena Party, will visit New Delhi on Thursday.

On Thursday, the actor-producer-director will be visiting the Kendriya Sainik Board (Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare) where he will be donating a sum of Rs 1,00,000,00.

The same afternoon, he will be visiting the Indian Student Parliament (ISP) as a speaker. At the session, which will be held at Vigyan Bhavan, a short film on the Telugu superstar will be played, after which he will address the audience.

Also present at the event will be eminent personalities like Smriti Irani and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

On the film front, Pawan will star in the upcoming Telugu remake of critically-acclaimed Hindi film "Pink".
By Neil Michael and Evelyn Ring

There is confidence but not certainty that containment measures will be successful in stopping coronavirus from spreading within this countryto the rest of community, the chief medical officer of the Department of Health, Dr Tony Holohan has said.

Even if there was a small number of cases, Dr Holohan believes Ireland will be as successful as other European countries in containing the virus.

If a case was to get through, it wouldnt mean that our system had failed. We are expecting to see cases, he told reporters a media briefing.

An Irish couple who were on a cruise ship where there was an outbreak of the coronavirus returned home last weekend and it later emerged they were not screened on entry to the country.

They had been among a group of nine Irish nationals on the Westerdam cruise ship currently docked off Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

Dr Holohan said Ireland did not have entry screening because it would be useless and a waste of resources to test people who were asymptomatic. However, anyone identified as a risk would be assessed.

He stressed that measures taken by public health authorities were working.

Up to last Monday there were 78 people who fell within the case definition, but all tested negative for the virus, he said.

If somebody is a suspect case and meets the case definition as a result of their exposure, thats what guides our decision-making.

Our screening depends on people having the information, coming to the authorities and self-declaring and being guided from there.

Dr Holohan said the 78 suspected cases were all managed in a hospital environment, not because they were ill but for the purpose of putting strong infection control procedures that limited the likelihood of the disease being passed on to anybody else.He said there would be a higher number of people in self-isolation in the community.

Not every close contact is going to have symptoms that will result in a test. It is not a number that we will track.

Earlier yesterday, experts insisted there is no need for panic in Ireland about the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Kingston Mills, professor of experimental immunology at Trinity College Dublin and emergency medicine consultant Dr Chris Luke both said the HSE has the correct measures in place.

Let there be no panic, Dr Luke said on RTE Radio 1s Today with Sean ORourke.

Self-isolation is the ideal way to deal with the situation in Ireland. Too many people come into A&E [accident and hospital emergency departments] with minor illnesses.

Dr Luke was commenting on reports that an Irish couple who were on a cruise ship where there was an outbreak of the coronavirus had returned to Ireland and were in self-isolation.

They had been among a group of nine Irish nationals in total aboard the Westerdam cruise ship, which is currently docked off Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

Two of them returned home to Ireland last weekend but it later emerged they had not been screened on entry into the country - leading to fears about the spread of the virus here.

To date, a total of six Irish people have been repatriated from Wuhan City in the past three weeks.

A couple who were on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama tested positive and were currently being treated in a military hospital in Tokyo. There were four other Irish nationals stuck on board, including two crew. One of the couples is believed to be from Meath.

Its vital that people dont come to A&E, said Dr Luke. The majority of illnesses like this are best treated at home.

Prof Mills agreed self-isolation, with the support of a GP and the HSE, was the best way of stopping the spread of the virus. It was unfortunate that two other Irish people were being treated for the virus in Japan, he said.

But that does not change anything for people in Ireland.

He said that to date there were no cases in Ireland, but due to because of the nature of international travel it would be very difficult to stop the virus coming here.And he added: Its almost inevitable there will be two to three cases, but its not going to suddenly spread to the whole community.

On average the spread is to 2.2 people.

If measures are taken to isolate these people then it will be minimized.Dr Luke pointed out that the Sars virus in Canada had eventually been halted by the use of security guards at emergency departments to stop people going in and out.

Ireland is very well prepared as training for ebola and Sars had put procedures in place, he said.

Professor Mills said that Ireland cannot be complacent, but that there was no need for panic as the right procedures were in place.

Both experts predicted that a vaccine will be available in the coming months, but will first have to be tested and trialed.

Although nobody has so far been tested positive in Ireland, a total of 5,216 people have been tested, of which 5,207 were confirmed negative and 9 positives.
AptarGroup, Inc. ATR has entered into an agreement to acquire Fusion Packaging. The buyout is expected to be accretive to AptarGroups Beauty + Home segment margins.



Founded in 2004, Fusion Packaging is a leader in high quality, prestige airless and color cosmetics packaging, and conception-to-launch turnkey solutions for the North American beauty market. It employs around 100 people across its headquarters in Dallas, sales and design offices in New York and Los Angeles, and operations in New Jersey and China. Fusion Packaging generated sales of approximately $80 million in 2019.



This is in sync with AptarGroups strategy to cater to market demands for fast beauty solutions with differentiated design and decorative offerings. The company is strengthening portfolio by expanding agile design and full-service beauty packaging capabilities. The company will also be able to leverage Fusion Packagings existing relationships with many global cosmetic and skin care customers and several rapidly growing indie brands.



Fusion Packaging has been growing at double-digit rates over the past few years. The color cosmetics and skin care markets has immense prospects. The buyout will enable AptarGroup to capitalize on these market prospects,. Further, Fusion Packagings capability in turnkey solutions is especially valuable to indie brands as well as large established customers requiring expeditious launches. Fusion Packaging will complement AptarGroups North American business. In the future, the company can use this model in Europe and other regions.



AptarGroups Beauty + Home segment generated around 52% of its total sales in fiscal 2018. It consists of operations that sell dispensing systems primarily to the beauty, personal care and home care markets. Sales to the beauty, the personal care and the home care market accounted for approximately 49%, 44% and 7%, respectively, of the segments total net sales in 2018.



The company remains on track with its business transformation, which primarily focuses on the Beauty + Home segment. The company expects the business-transformation plan to yield incremental EBITDA of approximately $80 million by the end of 2020, particularly within the Beauty + Home segment.



Price Performance

Story continues





AptarGroups shares have gained 13.5% in a years time against the industrys decline of 31.6%.

Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider

AptarGroup currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Some better-ranked stocks in the Industrial Products sector are Northwest Pipe Company NWPX, Sharps Compliance Corp SMED and Graco Inc. GGG. All of these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Northwest Pipe has an expected earnings growth rate of 19.5% for the current year. The stock has appreciated 50% over the past year.

Sharps Compliance has an estimated earnings growth rate of 767% for the ongoing year. In a years time, the companys shares have gained 43%.

Graco has a projected earnings growth rate of 4.3% for 2020. The companys shares have rallied 20% over the past year.

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[February 19, 2020] Jameson And Anderson .Paak Challenge Neighborhoods Across America To Show Their St. Patrick's Day Spirit

NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The local bar has remained the beating heart of neighborhoods across America for decades. Its storied past is a powerful reminder of the role the local bar has played throughout our lives  it's a pioneer of culture, it's where connections are made, and its doors are always open. Jameson Irish Whiskey has teamed up once again with GRAMMY award-winning musician and record producer Anderson .Paak to make sure that this St. Patrick's Day, your local neighborhood spot gets the credit it deserves. Throughout the month of February, Jameson wants fans to represent their hometown and show their St. Patrick's Day spirit by voting in Jameson's #MeetMeAtTheBar challenge. The state with the most votes will have Jameson and Anderson .Paak come to a local neighborhood for an unforgettable St. Patrick's Day celebration. Fans can vote for their state in two different ways: By voting at Jameson's #MeetMeAtTheBar website. By posting on Twitter using state-specific hashtags (example: #MeetMeInNY for New York ; #MeetMeInTX for Texas ), where Jameson is also counting votes. On March 2, Jameson will announce the state with the most votes. Voting is limited to five votes per person, per day Voting will close on Saturday, February 29.



"The local neighborhood bar gave Jameson a home when we first arrived in the U.S. and is one of the biggest reasons we're the number one Irish Whiskey today. We like to say we were 'raised' in the local bar," said Marnie Corrigan, Jameson's Director of Engagement at Pernod Ricard USA. "The bar continues to be a place that brings people together, and we want to spotlight its impact not only on Jameson, but on how it shapes the culture and spirit of a neighborhood. This St. Patrick's Day we are thrilled to once again celebrate local neighborhood bars and the people in them, and we couldn't think of a better partner than Anderson .Paak to help make this possible." Jameson's invitation to #MeetMeAtTheBar comes at a time when we need to be reminded of the importance of connecting in real life and coming together despite what divides us. Today's neighborhood bars provide a place where all are welcome.

This St. Patrick's Day, meet Jameson at the bar to celebrate good times, great conversation, and even better Irish Whiskey. TASTE RESPONSIBLY.

JAMESON Irish Whiskey. 40% Alc./Vol. (80 Proof). Product of Ireland. 2020 Imported by John Jameson Import Company, New York, NY About Pernod Ricard USA

Pernod Ricard USA is the premium spirits and wine company in the U.S., and the largest subsidiary of Paris, France-based Pernod Ricard SA. The company's leading spirits and wines include such prestigious brands as Absolut Vodka, Avion Tequila, Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky, The Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Kahlua Liqueur, Malibu, Martell Cognac, Olmeca Altos Tequila , Beefeater Gin, Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal, Monkey 47 Gin, Plymouth Gin, Seagram's Extra Dry Gin, , Hiram Walker Liqueurs, Lot No. 40 Canadian Whiskey, Midleton Irish Whiskey, Powers Irish Whiskey, Redbreast Irish Whiskey, Smithworks Vodka, Smooth Ambler Whiskey, Pernod, and Ricard; such superior wines as Jacob's Creek, Kenwood Vineyards, Campo Viejo and Brancott Estate; and such exquisite champagnes and sparkling wines as Perrier-Jouet Champagne, G.H. Mumm Champagne and Mumm Napa sparkling wines. Pernod Ricard USA is based in New York, New York, and has roughly 650 employees across the country. Pernod Ricard USA urges all adults to consume its products responsibly and has an active campaign to promote responsible drinking. For more information on this, please visit: www.responsibility.org. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jameson-and-anderson-paak-challenge-neighborhoods-across-america-to-show-their-st-patricks-day-spirit-301007813.html SOURCE Pernod Ricard USA

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All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday accused Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) of creating panic by abusing its powers and not following due procedure while issuing notices to 127 people in the city to prove their citizenship.

In a series of tweets, Owaisi said the UIDAI had no power to verify the citizenship of any individual. It has few powers to look into some cases of Aadhaar being granted incorrectly, he said.

Reacting to media reports that it had issued notices to 127 residents of Hyderabad who had allegedly obtained Aadhaar cards on false pretences, the UIDAI in a statement late Tuesday clarified that the notices were issued based on the complaints from the Telangana Police which suspect them of being illegal immigrants.

On UIDAIs clarification that Aadhaar has got nothing to do with the citizenship issue as such, Owaisi pointed out that the notice served on a 40-year old auto rickshaw driver Mohd Sattar Khan of the old city of Hyderabad clearly asked the person to submit documents to prove his Indian citizenship.

The notice is for verification of citizenship, not validity of Aadhaar. So, will UIDAI suspend the deputy director who issued the notice? They clearly exceeded their powers by issuing this notice. It was a bad faith and biased exercise of their powers, the MIM chief said in one of his tweets.

The UIDAI said the issuance of the notices were on the basis of reports from the state police that 127 people had obtained Aadhaar on false pretences, as in their preliminary enquiry they were found illegal immigrants who were not qualified to obtain an Aadhaar number.

Which police officer provided you with this information? Can Telangana Director General of Police confirm if they (the police) shared a list of 127 names with UIDAI? Can they tell us on what grounds (they were issued notices)? Since UIDAI has now shifted the responsibility to Telangana police, it is their responsibility to clear the air, Owaisi said in another tweet.

He also sought to know from the UIDAI authorities and the Telangana police to disclose how many of those 127 people were Muslims and Dalits.

The UIDAI also asserted that the cancellation of Aadhar number (after inquiry) was in no way related to the nationality of the resident. Sometimes it becomes necessary to cancel the Aadhaar number when it is found that a resident has obtained it by submitting false biometrics or documents. It is a routine quality improvement process that UIDAI takes up regularly, the UIDAI press release said.

The UIDAI also announced postponement of personal hearing of the 127 Hyderabadi residents before the inquiry officer to May to enable them collect their original documents which they had submitted for obtaining Aadhaar. The hearing was originally scheduled for February 20 at a function hall in the old city.

However, those who received notices from UIDAI have not received any information from the authorities about the postponement of the hearing date. We have seen only on the UIDAI twitter. So far, there is no communication from the authorities, Sattar Khans advocate Muzafferullah Khan said.

Many of those served notices have started approaching lawyers seeking their help to prove their citizenship. Apart from Sattar Khan, I have been approached by two others Mohd Ismail Khan and Md Zakir, who got similar notices. Both are daily wage workers and were born and brought up in Hyderabad. Even their parents were Indian citizens by birth. How can they be asked to prove their Indian citizenship now? Muzafferullah Khan asked.

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Last night wasnt your average hometowns episode.

When Peter Weber was on his Virginia Beach date with controversial contestant Victoria Fuller, one of his exes, Merissa Pence, came up to him and told him she knows the medical sales representative and doesnt trust her. Before Weber met Victoria F.s family, he asked her about what his ex told him. She became overwhelmed and removed herself from the conversation and the two parted ways without Weber ever meeting the contestants family.

But at the end of the episode, Weber didnt send Victoria F. home. He said goodbye to Kelsey Weier.

Peter Weber and Kelsey Weier | Francisco Roman via Getty Images

When Weber met Kelseys family there was the usual dont hurt my daughter talk.

You walked in the door and I know my daughter. When she loves, she loves like no other. It takes a lot for her, and thats why I guess Im so shocked that were here today, because it proves youre a very special person. Nobodys ever done this, Peter. Ever, Kelseys mom told the pilot. So dont break my girls heart. Do you understand?

Kelsey told Weber she was in love with him, but she told her family she didnt know where he stood and that shes scared of getting hurt.

I know he has strong feelings, she said, I just dont know what that means.

Kelsey Weiers staged family home

When the episode was airing, some fans pointed out that Kelseys mothers home looked staged. Turns out, it was, according to Reality Steve.

This is clearly not Kelseys house you can tell its been staged for this hometown lol which I think is so weird that the Bachelor does that. Isnt it more sentimental to be where they grew up and have things around the house to show the date etc #TheBachelor  Alexandra Cooper (@alexandracooper) February 18, 2020

That was not her mom & step dads house last night. It was a house production rented for the night. Happens often on hometowns, tweeted Reality Steve of Kelseys hometown dinner.

As the reality reporter pointed out, though not every family hosts hometowns in a fake home its not uncommon to do so.

In an interview with Huffington Post, former Bachelorette Andi Dorfman mentioned something similar.

I have heard that some people will do their hometown in a different house, like an uncles house or a rich grandfathers house, she said.

The unrealized Kelsey Weier drama

Reality Steve also wrote about another layer of drama that was supposed to take place during Kelseys hometown but didnt.

Kelsey and her sisters have a very contentious relationship with their father, and I was told production was trying to get the father to show up for the hometown date. Im sure if the family caught wind of it and shut it down, or production couldnt get a hold of him, but from everything Ive heard, it wouldve been a disaster if he showed up. Hence the reason production was trying to get him. If you look hard enough, you can find on the internet exactly what went down years ago that caused this, he wrote.

Read more: Bachelor Nation Thinks Hunter Hayes Singing I Want Crazy To Victoria F. And Peter Weber Is A Little Too On The Nose
2nd District. Democrat Theresa Mah came to the Illinois House in November 2016 armed with a meaty resume. The former college professor worked as a senior policy adviser for then-Gov. Pat Quinn. Before that, she did community activist work at Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community. She was the first Asian American elected to the state legislature. Now she has more than three years under her belt in Springfield. She sets drawing down Illinois $137 billion unfunded pension liabilities as a top-shelf priority. We wish, however, that she would change her opposition to giving citizens a vote on a state constitutional amendment that would permit lasting pension reform. Pension benefits state workers already have earned could be preserved under such an amendment; only unearned, future benefits would be affected. Mah cites the 2015 Illinois Supreme Court ruling striking down pension reform legislation, but an amendment would render that moot. Why not let voters have their say? One of Mahs opponents, Bobby Martinez Olson, is a 27-year-old lawyer with a nonprofit. Hes right when he says rising taxes are driving Illinoisans out of Illinois. He has a bright future in state politics. Mah, however, has earned another term. She is endorsed. Also running is Kenneth M. Kozlar.
The 90 Day Fiance Tell All for the current season has begun, which means that fans get an opportunity to see under the hood of this seasons relationships. That also means there may be some hints as to the future of various couples. In particular, some fans have been wondering if Anna Campisi will eventually move to Turkey with her now-husband, Mursel Mistanoglu. Their relationship had some rocky points, and its not clear whether or not their families will accept their love, so the future may still be uncertain.

Mursel Mistanoglu lied about Anna Campisi

Mursel Mistanoglu and Anna Campisi from 90 Day Fiance | annamcampisi via Instagram

Early on in Mursel Mistanoglu and Anna Campisis relationship, things were off to a rocky start. Mursel Mistanoglu actually lied to his parents about the situation with Anna Campisi  generally not a strong way to kick off a relationship.

The issue was that Anna Campisi already had children from a previous relationship, and Mursel Mistanoglu believed that his parents would not be on board with that. As a result, he lied. Mistanoglu told Campisi hed inform his parents about her children in ten years. Afterwards, he told the producers that he lied, and would not tell them until they were on their deathbeds.

Campisi eventually told Mistanoglue via a translation application. I decided that Im done with this lie. If you dont tell your parents, I dont think we will get married.

Eventually Mistanoglu told his parents the truth. On the 90 Day Fiance episode Judgment Day, what he said was translated as, Anna has three children.

A Reddit user, however, claims that Mursel Mistanoglus Turkish more accurately translates to, I just found out Anna has three children. That would be a bit of a fib  it wasnt something he had just found out at all.

Anna Campisi calls out 90 Day Fiance star for fast marriage

Despite facing problems within her own relationship, Anna Campisi did call out one of Tania Maduro and Syngin Colchesters decisions that she found suspect. During the 90 Day Fiance Tell All episode, it was revealed that Tania Maduro and Syngin Colchester are still butting heads about whether or not they will have children together.

Colchester admitted, I am still indecisive about having a child. When I have a sh*t job I choose, Im not going to do this job anymore. And I will go. But if I have a child I might just have to do that sh*t job.

He continued, You know, its something we still bump heads about. Its a big thing. Were kind of skipping around the fact that we dont talk about it too much. Because like, do we split if I dont want kids?

Confused by their decision to get married despite the obvious difference in future plans, Anna Campisi asked the couple, Why would you get married then? I mean, if you both have different ideas on that?

Colchester told her it was a matter of timeliness when it comes to the visa.

Would Anna Campisi move to Turkey?

Now, with Anna Campisi and Mursel Mistanoglu in wedlock, it remains unclear what their exact future holds. However, some suspect that Anna Campisi may wind up trying to move to her 90 Day Fiance husbands home country.

In fact, Campisi has mentioned that she does have some interest in making that move in the future. One fan asked Campisi on Instagram, Would you ever live in Turkey, like when the kids are older?

Campisi replied, Yes!! I plan on it!

When a fan asked about her vacation to Turkey, Campisi replied, I love Turkey! Go. Its inexpensive to visitAnd the most beautiful place Ive been to.
WILTON  The cost of employee health care could be a determining factor for Wiltons FY2021 town budget.

First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice presented three scenarios for the town budget at the Board of Selectmens meeting on Feb. 1.

The lowest increase would be 0.47 percent over the current budget.

Other possibilities are 1.37-percent or 2.2- percent increases. Those proposed increases could also change depending on a number of factors.

For a 0.47-percent increase, the total budget would be $33,659,637, broken down as:

Operating budget: $32,791,225, a $249,123 increase.

Operating capital: $868,412, a $91,485 decrease.

The 0.47-percent increase scenario is based on cost reductions and cost avoidance of $600,000 provided the town moves from its self-insured medical plan with Anthem to the State Partnership Plan for employee health care.

The state rates have not yet been announced for July 1, when the new budget goes into effect, so the $600,000 reduction estimate could change.

Were hoping rates from the state will come out soon. We will need to discuss this with our bargaining units, they have the right to weigh in on this, Vanderslice said.

The 1.37-percent increase would total $33,959,637, and also relies on $600,000 in cost savings from moving to the State Partnership Plan. Under that scenario, $300,000 would be added for improvements for the municipal buildings.

Rather than submitting a budget with a half-percent increase, consider taking some of that savings and invest it into our municipal buildings, Vanderslice said in support of the 1.37-percent increase.

Building issues that could be addressed with the additional $300,000, are overcrowding at the annex and town hall; window replacements and installation of insulation in sections of town hall; and improving the poor condition of the DPW sleeping quarters.

If the town does not change to the State Partnership Plan, and with no additional funding for building improvements, the budget request would be $34,259,637, a 2.26-percent increase, Vanderslice said.

Budget drivers

The FY2021 budget request includes savings realized from repurposing police and DPW vehicles to fill the vehicle needs of land use and town hall departments and energy savings through renewables.

There are also a number of other budget drivers:

Increased employee wages: Contracted scheduled increases for police for FY2021 and 2-percent increase for FY2022 and FY2023.

Two-percent increases are also estimated in non-contracted increases for fire, highway, AFSCME and non-union employees in FY2021, FY2022 and FY2023.

Medical benefit costs: Budgeted within individual departments, reflecting FY2020 self-insured rates and changes in employee selections.

Transfer station subsidy: The budget reflects an estimated increase in the transfer station subsidy.

A study is being funded by the WestCOG regional planning agency of Wilton and Westons transfer stations to identify mutual cost reductions.

Department requests

Town departments explained their budget requests.

Social services requested a $5,526 increase for increased hours for a part-time youth services counselor due to increased school referrals.

The Finance Department, tax collector and assessors office are requesting a 1.2-percent increase, the majority being wage increases.

The Building Department, Health Department and Planning and Zoning budgets are pretty flat, according to Michael Wrinn, the towns new planning director.

Initiatives for land use include increased use of technology to improve customer service and efficiencies and continuing to support public/private partnership initiatives to improve town-owned open spaces and the Norwalk River.

Michel Conklin, director of environmental affairs, said his budget proposal includes a $10,000 reduction in anticipation of one less lawsuit. However, due to the start of the Schencks Island renovation project, he would like to hire an additional seasonal employee for $10,800 to maintain invasive species areas on the island. He would also like to increase the GIS budget in order to hire a firm to scan documents into the GIS mapping system.

Chris Burney, director of facilities and energy management, presented the $4,965,539 proposed Public Works budget, which is $56,773 more from the current year, a 1.16-percent increase. He discussed the departments increased use of technology to effectively and efficiently manage work and assets.

Parks and Recreation is requesting a $1,763,890 budget, $10,079 more than the current budget. The department is looking into public/private partnerships to fund new infrastructure and upgrades.

The police departments budget request is $8,396,359, $64,208 less than the current year. Initiatives for the department are to continue to maintain Wiltons reputation as a safe community in which to live and work; and provide proper training to ensure the safety and health of all officers.

The fire departments budget is $5,085,154, a $40,790 proposed increase. Initiatives for the department are management of overtime, leadership training, and ensuring the safety of both residents and department members.

Human Resources Director Sarah Taffel presented the budgets for the registrars of voters, town clerks office and human resources and administration.

Regarding the registrars, she said they do more than basic clerical work and must also be knowledgeable about laws and compliance. Also, this year, with the presidential election in November, there will be more costs than usual. A $35,863 increase is requested primarily for printing ballots, additional election training, poll work, and additional part-time election help.

For human resources, Taffel said there will be collective bargaining negotiations and the department will continue to use town counsel rather than outside counsel, to hold down expenses.

Vanderslice discussed the budgets for the Board of Selectmen, town counsel and economic development.

The selectmens budget request is $20,236 more than the current year. It includes increased hours for Sarah Gioffre, the towns coordinator of community affairs, Vanderslice said,

Town counsel is budgeted for $230,000, $800 less than the current year.

An initiative for the first selectwoman is to have weekly meetings with town counsel and staff in order to be ahead of potential issues.

There is a proposed increase in economic development, from $20,000 to $35,000 to assist the Wilton Center Beautification Commission with watering flowers.

An initiative in economic development is to pursue a partnership with AdvanceCT to retain and recruit businesses.

To review the complete budget presentation, click the selectmens tab at wiltonct.org.
Trump wished Rood well in a tweet.

A top Defense Department official who advised against cutting off U.S. military aid to Ukraine has resigned after President Donald Trump asked for his departure.

John Rood, the under secretary of defense for policy, said in a letter to the president dated Wednesday that he'll step down February 28 "as you requested," Bloomberg reported.

Rood, who had been in his post since January 2018, didn't say why the president sought his ouster.

Read alsoWhite House to propose keeping Ukraine aid intact in new budget  media

"It's my understanding from Secretary Esper that you requested my resignation from serving as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy," Rood said in his letter, which was confirmed by Pentagon officials. "I leave with the utmost admiration for the outstanding team with which I worked at the Defense Department."

Some senior national security officials had lost confidence in Rood's ability to carry out Trump's agenda, according to multiple officials who asked not to be identified discussing a personnel matter.

Rood drew attention because he was the official who certified in May to Congress that Ukraine was eligible to receive US$250 million in security assistance. That aid was later temporarily blocked by the White House, a decision at the center of Trumps impeachment.

The president had recently asked some associates whether Rood should be released, according to a person familiar with the matter. Trump wished Rood well in a tweet.

CNN reported earlier this month that Rood warned Defense Secretary Mark Esper against withholding military aid to Ukraine in an email on July 25, the same day Trump asked the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in a phone call to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.
Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal lost his life in a gunbattle with Jaish-e-Mohammad (Jem) terrorists in the Pulwama terrorist attacks on 18th February 2019, just a few days after the terror attack on the CRPF convoy that killed forty personnel. And now, the officer's wife is paying tribute to him in the most incredible way possible.

 BCCL

His widowed wife, Nikita, is now ready to step into his shoes and join the Indian Army.



That cry of his wife... I love you Vibhu... Still tears the heart.



Remembering Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal on his martyrdom day who made supreme sacrifice in Pulwama Encounter during fighting against terrorists on 18th Feb 2019. #Indianarmy #Martyrs pic.twitter.com/XYE1zshadv  Sneha Singhvi (@snehasneha173) February 19, 2020

The emotional video of Nikita paying her last respects to her husband left the internet devastated last year as the entire nation felt her pain and sorrow and grieved with her. And now, exactly a year later after her husbands martyrdom, she is ready to serve the nation as well.



#WATCH Wife of Major VS Dhoundiyal (who lost his life in an encounter in Pulwama yesterday) by his mortal remains. #Dehradun #Uttarakhand pic.twitter.com/5HWD6RXwnO  ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2019

She has cleared her Short Service Commission (SSC) exam and the interview round and is now waiting for the merit list.



34-year-old Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal was killed in a gun battle with terrorists when the security forces cornered them in an encounter in Pulwama. The gunbattle went for over eighteen hours and wiped out the top leadership of Pakistani-based terror group JeM in the Valley soon after the three terrorists were killed.

Hope you remember those 100 hrs ? Our Heroes gave their ALL to avenge on behalf of you.



Love, respect & salute to Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal of 55 RR & 3 other soldiers who made supreme sacrifice on 18 Feb 2019. 18 hours long gun battle with JeM terrorists. Jai Hind  pic.twitter.com/ngyPb96xTG  Major Shailendra Singh (@MAJORshailendra) February 18, 2020

The Chief Operational Commander of JEM Ghazi Rashid and many JeM militants were killed in the encounter and the nation's brave men, including Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal along with Sep Ajay Kumar, Sep Hari Singh, and Hav Sheo Ram sacrificed their lives in the encounter.



This courageous image of Nikta Kaul, wife of Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal is forever etched in our memories.Tribute to the brave sons of india who sacrificed his live in the ghastly attack

You will always be remembered. #TuesdayMorning #PulwamaAttack #SaluteToASoldier pic.twitter.com/MgQdzG6IQu  Tiya Ghosh (@TiyaGhosh11) February 18, 2020

Nikita earlier used to work with an MNC in Delhi but left the job to join the Indian Army.



"Vibhu was a walking manifestation of every possible virtue. Love, compassion, bravery, intelligence and helping others. I will make him proud. Our love can't vanish till we live and tales of his bravery will inspire generations," Nikita said in an interview with Indian Express.

She also expressed that wearing the same uniform is going to make her feel closer to her husband.

Their marriage wasnt even a year old when Major Dhoundiyal sacrificed his life for his country and now, this is the ultimate tribute she could have given to her husband.

 Twitter Rahul Panday

Last year at his funeral she said, "You said you loved me, but the fact is you loved the nation more. I am really proud. We all love you. The way you love everyone is entirely different because you sacrificed your life for the people who you may have never met, but still you decided to give your life for them. You are such a brave man. I am very honoured to have you as my husband. I'll love you till my last breath. I owe my life to you.



 BCCL

In another crucial development signalling major change towards ending gender bias in the Armed Forces, the Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Indian Army to grant Permanent Commission to women officers within three months.


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The County Court's chief judge believes Victorians have been "misled" into thinking legislation introduced to crack down on people who assault emergency services workers means mandatory jail time for offenders.

Chief Judge Peter Kidd said on Wednesday that commentary around the changes to sentencing laws  introduced by the government in 2018  had given the community the mistaken impression custodial sentences were mandatory for those who assault police, paramedics, nurses, firefighters and prison staff.

Country Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd. Credit:Joe Armao

"Unfortunately, there is commentary out there which suggests [they are mandatory] and I can understand why people then ask the question, 'Why has the person not gone to jail if it's mandatory sentencing?' The simple answer is the people, the community, have been misled about what these laws are," he told 3AW's Neil Mitchell.

Chief Judge Kidd said judges apply and interpret the law, which is made by Parliament.
Royal History's Biggest Fibs With Lucy Worsley

Rating:

The Split

Rating:

Please, Auntie, give it a rest. Enough of the shows chiding us for making the 'wrong' decision on Brexit by showing us the myriad errors of our ways.

Historian Lucy Worsley was intent on proving that British muddle-headedness about Europe went all the way back to the original Leaver, Henry VIII, on Royal History's Biggest Fibs (BBC4). The 16th century's Dirty Harry didn't just dump four of his six wives: he and his adviser Tom Cromwell, the Tudor version of Dominic Cummings, ditched the Continent, too.

'Henry VIII and Cromwell used a dodgy reading of history,' Prof Lucy fumed, 'to spin a story about a proud and independent nation . . . one that sees Britain flourishing without interference from its European neighbours.'

Lucy Worsley dressed as Ann Bolyen for Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley

What a bounder that Henry, eh?

Like Jeremy Corbyn, the Prof was insistent on 'winning the argument'. If persuasion was just a matter of talking yourself to a standstill, she'd be unstoppable.

In fact, she talked so much that, by the time she reached the ruins of Tintern Abbey on the Welsh border, to illustrate her points about the dissolution of the monasteries, her voice was just a croak. Always husky, Lucy now sounded like a 60-a-day gal.

To give her throat a rest, she dived into the dressing-up box. Prof Lucy is never happier than when she's in costume, and she took advantage of her revelation that no contemporary portraits survive of Anne Boleyn to show us what the unlucky queen might have looked like.

According to her enemies, Anne was a right witch. Lucy stuck boils on her face, a lump on her neck and an extra finger on one hand to conjure the image. She even added a protruding tooth. I don't know how closely she resembled Anne Boleyn, but she'd be brilliant as Worzel Gummidge.

The show exploded a few myths: Protestant reformer Martin Luther didn't actually nail his famous 95 theses to a church door, apparently, and Good Queen Bess executed almost as many people for heresy as her sister, Bloody Mary.

You won't find any brave and noble chaps in The Split (BBC1), the divorce drama where every man is a different flavour of nasty

But the documentary, the first of three, was at its most interesting when it stuck to straightforward history  such as the story of secret Catholic Humphrey Pakington, who commissioned carpenter Nicholas Owen to install hidey-holes around his home, Harvington Hall, near Birmingham. Here, priests could lie low from the Queen's thought police.

Owen was arrested and tortured. He died in prison, but he never divulged the secrets of Harvington Hall. He was declared a saint in 1970. There's a brave Englishman who deserves to have his story told in greater depth . . . and no one gives a stuff what it's got to do with Brexit.

You won't find any brave and noble chaps in The Split (BBC1), the divorce drama where every man is a different flavour of nasty. There's no telling why heroine Hannah (Nicola Walker) is so smitten with needy colleague Christie (Barry Atsma). He's an emotional drama llama, so immature that he can't even bear to see her answer the phone to her sister when he's with her.

But he compares well to her husband, pervy Nathan (Stephen Mangan), who got caught trawling for sex on a no-strings dating website. But the worst is Richie (Ben Bailey Smith), a sexist control freak who physically bullies his PA and leers over Hannah.

Writer Abi Morgan creates great characters, such as Hannah's mother Ruth (Deborah Findlay)  always smiling and never meaning it. Donna Air is good, too, as Richie's scared wife, plucking up the courage to leave him. But why does every bloke have to be as beastly as Henry VIII?
A WA Police detective has been found not guilty after she was charged with distributing an intimate image without consent under the states 'revenge porn' laws.

Detective Senior Constable Christine Frey, 30, was charged in June last year and stood down from operational duty as a result.

According to ABC Kimberley, Senior Constable Frey briefly showed her colleagues a photo of a topless woman on her phone for advice, after a child she was interviewing in the course of her job came across it while playing on the phone.

After more than a year, Senior Constable Frey was found not guilty in the Broome Magistrates Court on Wednesday, on the basis she was acting in her role as a police officer when she showed her colleagues the photo.

Following the verdict, WA Police Union president Harry Arnott said it had been 12 months of hell for Senior Constable Frey.
TEHRAN, Iran - Irans foreign minister said Wednesday that he believes his recent meeting with a U.S. senator had spooked the Trump administration because it was an opportunity to talk directly to the American nation.

Mohammad Javad Zarif met last week with Sen. Chris Murphy on the sidelines of an international security conference in Germany. The Connecticut Democrat defended the meeting on Tuesday after his actions were questioned in conservative media, and as President Donald Trump suggested they may have violated U.S. law. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped anyone who meets with Zarif would be reflecting the U.S. position with Iran.

Trump and Pompeo are afraid of a senator hearing facts from the Iranian foreign minister, Zarif said, speaking to reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting. He said this wasnt his first face-to-face chat with an American lawmaker in the last 20 years. It was not immediately clear which senators hed met with.

Murphy said meeting Zarif was important because it is dangerous not to talk to ones enemies, adding: I have no delusions about Iran  they are our adversary.

Tehran and Washington came close to an open conflict in January, when a U.S. drone strike in Iraq killed Irans top general. Iran retaliated with missile strikes on a base housing U.S. troops in Iraq.

Tensions have been escalating steadily since 2018, when Trump pulled the U.S. out of Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers. The Trump administration reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran as part of its maximum pressure campaign on the Islamic republic.

On hearing of Saturdays meeting, Trump said it sounded as though Murphy had violated an obscure, little-used federal law known as the Logan Act, which bars private citizens from conducting official diplomacy.

Pompeo said the U.S. has long designated Iran a state sponsor of terrorism, and pointed out Irans recent accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger jet over Tehran. Pompeo has criticized other Americans for meeting with Zarif, including his immediate predecessor, John Kerry.
HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, six months after disclosing it had paid millions of dollars to people sexually abused as children by its clerics.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 17, 2018 file photo, Bishop Ronald Gainer of the Harrisburg Diocese celebrates Mass at the Cathedral Church of Saint Patrick in Harrisburg, Pa. On wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, the Diocese of Harrisburg filed for bankruptcy, six months after disclosing it had paid millions of dollars to people sexually abused as children by its clerics. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, six months after disclosing it had paid millions of dollars to people sexually abused as children by its clerics.

The diocese joins at least 20 others across the United States in seeking protection from creditors through the federal bankruptcy system, but it is the first diocese in Pennsylvania to take such a step.

In August, the diocese said it paid 106 people a total of just over $12 million to compensate for claims of sexual abuse they suffered as children from its clerics, deacons and seminarians,and officials said Wednesday the current total is 111 settlements.

The filing in Harrisburg federal bankruptcy court said the diocese faces potentially significant exposure from remaining claimants" and wants Chapter 11 reorganization to provide money for unresolved claims and perform its ministry and other operations.

The diocese told the court it has more than 200 creditors and estimated liabilities between $50 million and $100 million, with assets of less than $10 million. It listed creditors that include a $30 million loan from the Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority and 12 blacked-out names that were represented by lawyers.

Bishop Ronald Gainer said that even before the abuse scandal reached it with a grand jury subpoena in 2016, his diocese's finances were in a very challenging condition.

We have no other path forward to ensure the future of our diocese than reorganization bankruptcy, Gainer said.

The diocese serves about 250,000 Catholics in 89 parishes, spanning 15 counties. Individual parishes within the diocese are separately incorporated entities and so are not part of the bankruptcy, diocesan attorney Matt Haverstick said.

The diocese estimates it faces about 200 additional child sexual abuse claims, counting those that do not involve clergy, Haverstick said.

The filing could help shield it from additional claims, said Harrisburg lawyer Ben Andreozzi, who has settled about 20 claims against the diocese and has two pending lawsuits, all related to child sexual abuse. Andreozzi was listed in the court filing as the contact for six creditors.

From the day they file bankruptcy, moving on into the future, if someone did not present their claim in that time frame, it is forever exhausted, Andreozzi said.

The Harrisburg diocese opened a temporary settlement program after a landmark grand jury report accused it and five other dioceses in Pennsylvania of covering up the sexual abuse of hundreds of children over much of the past century.

Many of those now-adult victims identified in the grand jury report are too old, under state law, to sue the dioceses.

The Legislature last year took a crucial step toward amending the state constitution to give those victims a new opportunity to sue their abusers and institutions that may have covered it up.

The proposed amendment allowing such a lawsuit window must be passed by lawmakers again in the 2021-22 legislative session before needing approval by voters in a statewide referendum.

Lawmakers, however, have rejected changing state law to allow such lawsuits, as several other states have done.

Andreozzi said the diocese can resolve lawsuits at a much lower cost by going into bankruptcy before Pennsylvania opens a window for lawsuits.

A claim that goes to a jury in state court is typically worth several times as much in a cash settlement for a victim who sues, Andreozzi said.

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Minneapolis attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents dozens of clergy abuse survivors in lawsuits against the Roman Catholic dioceses, said filing for bankruptcy can be used to hide assets or shield them during the determination of their liability to victims.

Filing for bankruptcy can also help dioceses avoid being forced under court order to divulge documents or testimony about how they handled reports of abuse in the past, Anderson added.

Twenty-two U.S. dioceses and religious orders, including one in Guam, have filed for bankruptcy protection, according to the group BishopAccountability.org. One, Minnesota's Diocese of St. Cloud, had announced bankruptcy plans but has continued negotiating with accusers to stave itoff.

All the Catholic dioceses and religious orders that filed for bankruptcy in the United States are still in existence and carrying out their mission, said Marie Reilly, a Penn State University law professor.

___

Associated Press writers Marc Levy in Harrisburg and Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
The oldest Igbo performing musician alive and Ekpili music crooner, Chief Emeka Morocco Maduka would be celebrating his 60 years anniversary on stage come October 23rd and 24th, 2020 in Awka and Onitsha, both cities in Anambra State of Nigeria.

The music festival was earlier slated to hold on March 6th and 7th, 2020, but was shifted to October due to what the promoters termed "the unfortunate era of Corona Virus creating health fears around the world."

The London based music promoter and president of Morocco Maduka's Fans Club, Mr Eddie Isebor regretted the shift in date, noting that it was better to postpone the event than stage an event of this magnitude and fans and supporters would refuse to show up due to palpable fears of the epidemic breaking presently in China and already spreading in parts of the world.

Isebor affirmed that sponsors and partners were already signing up in what would be the biggest music festival in Nigeria, stating that the shift was also an opportunity for more partners and sponsors to show interest.

Chief Dr Emeka Morocco Maduka, the Ukwulu, Anambra born music maestro, is the oldest performing musician in the East of Nigeria.

He is famous with the Ekpili music genre and he enjoys followers all over the world, including United States of America, Europe and Asia.

The coming stage anniversary is expected to feature his work exhibition as part of the festival colloquium.
Jaguar Land Rover bosses admitted they have been flying car parts into the country in suitcases due to difficulties in the supply chain from China caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The UK's biggest car maker, which produces around 400,000 motors a year, has three vehicle manufacturing plants in the UK - all of which rely on components delivered from China.

JLR boss Ralf Speth said the factories could run out of parts in two weeks due to the strangled supply following the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 virus.

Supply shortage: Jaguar Land Rover bosses confirmed that car maker has been forced to fly vehicle components into the UK from China in suitcases due to the outbreak of coronavirus

Speaking at the official opening of the National Automotive Innovation Centre at Warwick University in Coventry on Tuesday, Speth - who is due to stand down from his role as JLR chief executive in September - said production was safe for the next two weeks but in three weeks' time will have 'parts missing'.

He went on: 'We have flown parts in suitcases from China to the UK.'

In a later interview with Sky News, he added: 'This is an issue for the complete car automotive industry.

'We don't know how long it will take before the supply chain comes on stream again in China.'

Jaguar Land Rover's manufacturing headquartered in Changshu, China, has been closed for an extended period for the Lunar New Year, though is due to re-open next week, albeit with a limited supply of components available, Speth admitted.

Ralf Speth said at an event held in Coventry on Tuesday that the current supply of parts at JLR's three UK car plants could start to run out after two weeks

All three UK car plants - two in the West Midlands and one in Merseyside - all rely on parts shipped from China

Speth was speaking at the opening of the National Automotive Innovation Centre at Warwick University Coventry on Tuesday. JLR used the event to unveil this Project Vector self-driving electric pod that will be used for autonomous trials on UK roads next year

His comments came during the opening of the Coventry automotive technology centre, which was attended by Prince Charles.

The event was used by JLR and owners Tata Motors to unveil the new 'Project Vector' self-driving electric pod, which will be used for an autonomous vehicle trial on UK roads in the midlands from next year.

Guenter Butschek, the boss of Tata, also spoke at the launch about the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on JLR's operations.

'We are safe for the month of February and for a good part of March,' he said.

'Are we fully covered at this point of time for the full month of March? Unfortunately not.'

The UK's biggest car maker announced earlier this year that it is cutting jobs at its Halewood plant in Merseyside due to declining demand for new vehicles

It also announced full day and half day halts to assembly lines until the end of March at the Castle Bromwich and Solihull vehicle plants in the West Midlands

Jaguar Land Rover remained the UK's biggest car maker in 2019, though outputs at the brand's three plants fell by 14.3%

Commenting on JLR's admission it has flown car parts in suitcases, professor ManMohan Sodhi from Cass Business School at City, University of London said: 'Two things characterise the mass auto manufacturers - low inventories at the auto plants and geographically concentrated suppliers.

'Toyota suffered for these very reasons in the tsunami of 2011, and Honda suffered in the Thai floods the same year.

'Now it is 2020 and Jaguar's supply sources in China have been hit. The auto industry has been hit with the Evonik fire in 2012. Obviously, it is hard for the industry to de-risk its supply chain from geographical concentration.

He added: 'In any case, now Jaguar has to see if there is a fall-back option in case manufacturing doesn't pick up in China in March.

'One fall-back may be India, where the auto sector has seen a massive slowdown and therefore will have adequate capacity to provide alternative sources for Jaguar.

'Whether Jaguar can get such suppliers and their supplies qualified in a reasonable amount of time is another story.'

Brexit uncertainty has also taken a toll on UK car makers, not least Jaguar Land Rover, which produced 64,000 fewer units in 2019 than it did the year previous

JLR is one of the car makers hit hardest by the falling demand for diesel vehicles, with its recent vehicle range swung heavily towards using oil-burning powerplants

Efforts to combat the coronavirus outbreak - which has so far killed 1,800 people in China - has resulted in factory shutdowns and movement restrictions in the world's second-largest economy.

It has had a global impact of the export of goods to customers, even hitting giants such as Apple, which confirmed this week that it will suffer damages due to the outbreak.

The impact on JLR is just the latest in a number of headaches endured in recent times.

The brand has suffered immensely from the fall in demand for diesel cars, resulting in thousands of job losses and reduced hours at UK manufactuing plants.

At the beginning of the year it confirmed there were to be 500 job losses at its vehicle production plant at Halewood, Merseyside.

And earlier this month the firm announced it has been forced to halt production on selected days over a four-week period from late February at its Castle Bromwich factory in the West Midlands and also stop assembly lines on some half- and full days at the nearby factory in Solihull until the end of March.

The car maker has also been hit with battery supply issues for its I-Pace electric car - though believed not to be linked to the coronavirus outbreak - which has forced an 'adjusted production schedule' at the firm's production facility in Graz, Austria.

It comes at a time when it - along with all other mainstream car manufacturers - are being forced to heavily invest in the development of electric vehicles and self-driving technology.

Brexit uncertainty has also taken a toll on UK car makers, not least JLR, which posted a 14.3 per cent decline in outputs last year.

It's three auto factories produced 385,197 vehicles last year - some 64,000 fewer than they did in 2018.

As a whole, UK car production across all makers fell to its lowest level in almost a decade in 2019.

Vehicle outputs were down 14.2 per cent to 1.3 million cars - the lowest since 2010, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders revealed last month.
Marathi film director Digpal



Lanjekar on Wednesday said the Indian Army has decided to archive his film "Fatteshikast", which is based on the encounter between Maratha warrior king Chhtrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Mughal army general Shaista Khan in Pune.

The movie will be part of the Army's library and soldiers joining the Maratha Light Infantry regiment will be shown the film, Lanjekar told PTI.

"I received a letter from the Army on Tuesday and the archival process will be completed in a month," he said.

The film, released last year, stars actor Chinmay Mandlekar as Shivaji Maharaj and Anup Soni as Shaista Khan.

"The movie depicts the valor of our ancestors. The event shown in the film will inspire soldiers. Hence, every soldier who joins the Maratha Light Infantry will get to see the film," the director said.

The film was screened for 4,000 Army personnel in Belgaum, where the Marathi Light Infantry's headquarters is located, in December last year, he said.

Lanjekar claimed "Fatteshikast" is the first Marathi film based on a life event of Chhatrapati Shivaji to be archived by the Army.

The film depicts the struggle of the Maratha army led by Shivaji Maharaj to capture Lal Mahal in Maharashtra's Pune city in early 1660s.

Shiv Jayanti, the birth anniversay of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is being celebrated across the state on Wednesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senyatse Lucas Phasha

Man stabs his four children to death in South Africa after accusing their mother of cheating and infecting him with HIV

The police in Mecklenburg outside Burgersfort have launched a manhunt for a 52 year old suspect Senyatse Lucas Phasha, who allegedly killed his four children at ga-Pasha village, Polokwane.

The bodies of the children were found at two different locations in the area.

The suspect allegedly informed a neighbor on Tuesday morning, 18 February 2020, about the murders and and also indicated to him the places where the bodies were.

The police were then informed and on arrival, the lifeless bodies of three children aged 09, 07 and 05 were found in the nearby bushes and that of a 3 year old was found next to the local mountain, at about 3 kilometers from the first scene.

Preliminary police investigations indicate that the suspect stopped the vehicle transporting the kids from school on Monday 17 February 2020. The driver, who apparently knows the father, stopped and let the kids go with their father.

Three of the children were found with stab wounds. The youngest was found with open wounds. The children were identified as follows:

 Katlego Pasha, 9 year old boy

 Joyce Pasha, 7 year old girl

 Tshepo Phasha, 5 year old girl

 Adel Phasha, 3 year old boy.

According to reports on social media, the man had taken to Facebook to accuse the childrens mother of cheating and infecting him with HIV. See his alleged post below.

The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba, who also visited the scene has condemned this incident in the strongest possible terms, more so as it was allegedly perpetrated by someone who was supposed to protect these victims.

Four counts murder have been opened and Police investigations are continuing.
HYDERABAD: The formation of new districts in Andhra Pradesh may take place only in 2021. AP Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, during his Praja Sankalpa Yatra before the Assembly elections last year, had promised that the number of districts will be increased from 13 to 25 for decentralisation, better administration and taking governance to doorsteps of the people. In its election manifesto, the YSR Congress promised to turn every Lok Sabha constituency into a district.

Taking forward this promise, Mr Reddy has taken up the exercise for formation of new districts. However, the Union home ministry has directed all states not to make any jurisdictional changes from January 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021. This is in view of house listing operation (HLO) being taken up, along with updating of National Population Register (NPR), as part of Census of India-2021. Consequently, the state government is not in a position to form new districts till the census is completed.

The state administration and the Chief Minister had earlier thought that delimitation of Assembly constituencies will be completed in a year. They decided to form new districts after that. But the Centre instead decided to take up delimitation exercise in the two Telugu states along with that of other states after the first Census after 2026. Because of this, the state government decided to take up the exercise of forming new districts.

At a recent media conference in Visakhapatnam, a close associate of Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy, Mr V. Vijayasai Reddy, MP, asserted that the state government will form new districts soon. Incidentally, the Telangana state government has already formed new districts, increasing the number from 10 to 34.

In his Praja Sankalpa Yatra, Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy had also promised to name some districts after their prominent leaders and freedom fighters. He promised to name one district in Krishna area after N.T. Rama Rao, renowned Telugu actor and founder of the Telugu Desam.

It is believed the state government will name Gudivada after NTR district because Nimmakuru, the birthplace of NTR, falls under this district.

The Chief Minister had announced renaming Krishna district itself as NTR district but the proposal received criticism from several quarters.

Continuing his refrain during the Praja Sankalpa Yatra in Visakhapatnam district, the Chief Minister had announced that one district would be named after Alluri Sitarama Raju, the great freedom fighter. The state government may consider naming Araku district after Alluri Sitarama Raju.
SAN DIEGO, CA, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals Inc. (EHP), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing medicines based on cannabinoid science, has been accepted to make two presentations on its lead product candidate, EHP-101, at the upcoming ACTRIMS Forum 2020, in West Palm Beach, Florida, February 27-29, 2020. The ACTRIMS (Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis) Forum is a translational science meeting highlighting novel and rigorous scientific discoveries made in multiple sclerosis (MS) that advance the understanding of research and clinical care of MS patients.

The first presentation (Poster P61), titled First-in-human Study with EHP-101 Oral Solution of a Synthetic Cannabidiol Derivative Enables the Initiation of a Phase II Study in Multiple Sclerosis, will provide the topline safety, pharmacokinetic and preliminary biomarker data in the Phase I clinical study after EHP-101 single and multiple ascending doses in 104 healthy volunteers. Details of the poster presentation are as follows:

Session: Opening Networking Event; Poster Session 1

Date and Time: Thursday, February 27 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET

Location: Palm Beach County Convention Center

The second presentation (Poster 289), titled Oral Administration of EHP-101 Promotes Remyelination in White Matter in the Cuprizone/Rapamycin Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis, will report positive preclinical proof-of-concept data. Details of the poster presentation are as follows:

Session: Luncheon; Poster Session 2

Date and Time: Friday, February 28 from 11:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET

Location: Palm Beach County Convention Center

Further details on these presentations will be provided in upcoming Company communications. For more information about this conference, please visit: https://forum.actrims.org/

About EHP-101

EHP-101 is an oral formulation of a patented fully synthetic aminoquinone derivative of CBD (VCE-004.8), which through rational drug design, has dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR) and cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB 2 ) agonist activity; both receptors are therapeutic targets for anti-inflammation and neuroprotection in multiple sclerosis (MS) and systemic sclerosis (SSc). EHP-101 also targets the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) pathway, expanding the rationale for its development as a novel drug since the HIF pathway has effects on myelination (for MS) and neo-vascularization (for SSc). EHP has received Orphan Drug Designation for EHP-101 in systemic sclerosis, a form of scleroderma, from both the US FDA and EMA.

About Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals is developing product candidates derived from cannabinoids for the treatment of CNS, autoimmune, and other diseases. The Company has two families of patented new chemical entities, derived from synthetic cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG), that it has modified through rational drug design to affect validated receptors and pathways pertinent to targeted diseases. Its first drug candidate, EHP-101, is entering Phase II clinical development for the treatment of systemic sclerosis, a severe form of scleroderma, and multiple sclerosis. Its second product candidate, EHP-102, is in preclinical development and is focused on treating Huntingtons disease and Parkinsons disease.

EHP-101 has received Orphan designation in the US and EU for systemic sclerosis and EHP-102 has received Orphan designation in the US and EU for Huntingtons disease. For more information, visit http://www.emeraldpharma.life or contact info@emeraldpharma.life.

To the extent statements contained in this news release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals Inc. they should be considered "forward-looking statements," as described in the private securities litigation reform act of 1995, that reflect management's current beliefs and expectations. You can identify forward-looking statements by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "hope," "hypothesis," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "strategy," "will," "would," or the negative of those terms, and similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: (i) the success and timing of our product development activities and clinical trials; (ii) our ability to develop our product candidates; (iii) our plans to research, discover, evaluate and develop additional potential product, technology and business candidates and opportunities; (iv) the anticipated timing of clinical data availability; (v) our ability to meet our milestones; and (vi) our expectations regarding our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals' investigational drug products have not been approved or cleared by the FDA.
As you might know, Robert Anton Wilson (1932  2007) is one of Boing Boing's patron saints. Raw's humor, skepticism, optimism, and ability to reveal the deep weirdness underlying almost everything were deeply influential to Carla and me when we launched bOING bOING as a zine in 1987. In fact, we kind of started the zine as an excuse to interview RAW at his house in Santa Monica that year. I'm very grateful I was able to get to know RAW, and honored that he wrote a regular column for bOING bOING. I'm also grateful to have become a friend of Bob's daughter, Christina, a delightful person who is active in keeping her father's books in print. Here's an essay Christina wrote about a new edition of Ishtar Rising, a book originally published by Playboy Press called The Book of the Breast.  Mark

A while back, we knew that Hilaritas Press would soon be working on releasing a new edition of Robert Anton Wilson's Ishtar Rising, prepping it for publication by removing tons of typos (thanks to Gregory Arnott, Chas Faris, Rasa, and a few select others), and inserting a timely new foreword by Grant Morrison. We were excited to be manifesting what we had intended; to publish and make available as many of RAW's books as we could. I had originally read the book in its The Book of the Breast form in my early twenties, having just returned from India (yep, went to gain enlightenment, but instead gained disillusionment  which has served me well!) with a goal of starting a small business that would enable me to be financially and emotionally independent. What did I think of it then? Bleh. Not much, I was simply too undeveloped.

What I learned in India was this; after running away from a 10-day vipasyana training (because I was sure an inner darkness would eat me up) I ran into a young beggar woman, of India's lowest caste, the Dalit. She stood there begging, with a toddler at her feet and a new baby in her arms. I suddenly had a moment of clarity into how truly different our reality tunnels were; she had no options, and I had many. She was resigned to her position in life, I was not. As a woman, and as an American, I had opportunities that girls my own age around the world had absolutely no concept of, or access to. I suddenly understood that I had the truly amazing GRACE of CHOICE. I stood up, aware that many had died to give me the freedoms I had; and yes, maybe these freedoms were curtailed and stunted by the idiocy of gender discrimination, the power of the "wealthy over poor," and countless belief systems that were like juggernauts of insanity ruling from unconscious thrones; but freedoms I had, and I was profoundly grateful. I could decide to change my life, so I did.

Looking back, I admit I read The Book of the Breast at that time without much contemplation on what it was saying. However, in re-reading it last year, I really enjoyed a peek into Bob's head during the time when I myself was beginning to experience puberty, and as I am now 63 with a lot more life experience under my belt, the book has touched me in a very profound way.

While the The Book of the Breast was being written, we lived in Chicago, on Paulina Street, where we had just moved to. I was in 5th-6th grade, and 3-4 boys had discovered the great joy of pestering me (we all became great friends over the next couple years). They would ride on their bikes to my house, throw pebbles at the window, and then we would exchange tons of adolescent banter. Bob and Arlen shrugged it off good naturedly. I think they were just glad I was home! One day one of the boys, Alan, needed to come in to the house to use our bathroom, and unbeknownst to me, had peeked into Bob and Arlen's bedroom. Where, GASP, he saw the huge collage of women's breasts made with magazine photos Bob had meticulously cut out and adorned one wall with. (He WAS writing The Book of the Breast, at the time you know) Their bedroom was a large room, today we would probably call it a master bedroom although it did not have a bathroom of its own. My parents slept on a bare mattress on the floor at one end of the room, with one dresser, a couple of bookcases, a card table with Bob's typewriter on it, and a folding chair for him to sit on. The collage was the only thing decorating the whole wall. As far as young Alan was concerned, it was a MIRACLE!

Oh My God. Alan raced out of the house, beet-faced and squealing "Breasts! There's pictures of breasts!" of course the guys (aged 11-13) all went semi-hysterical, asking me a kajillion questions "I can't believe your dad works for Playboy!" "Why does your dad have breasts on the wall?" "Does your mother mind?" "Can you get us magazines?"  The last question was asked by just about every boy in my classes for the following two years, until I graduated eighth grade. I never did get them magazines, but they sure tried!

So there's my personal early memory attached to The Book of the Breast. Bob wrote it pretty quickly, and the breast collage morphed into other artwork going up. I do remember when I had asked him about it, "Why do you have that up?" he mused and said something along the lines of "to remind me of the marvelous differences of every breast" I was like "Uh, okay." Seemed kind of useless to me. But what did I know? I was 11-12 years old!

Some 40 years later, rereading the book, not only did I realize I had childishly dismissed its cultural value, I also began to experience a deep desire to present the manuscript as Bob had intended originally; with as many of the original photographs as possible that he had chosen, and with their captions, as it really helps to flesh out the concepts in the book. This became somewhat of a passion/obsession of mine, and I would often get stuck for hours in the process of researching internet images over the past half year! Poor Rasa [owner of Hilaritas Press], who was excited to get the project completed, would regularly say, "How are the pictures coming along?" Did I tell him finding one image the night before had led me to spend hours researching archeological findings from early Mesopotamia? Or that looking for photos of Clara Bow had led me to investigate deeply into the American silent film era, and the transition to sound? No way! But I did learn a lot about photography, and the logistics required to reprint images legally. I, of course, had rather naively thought that because the images were in the original book, of course we could print them! Nope! Each and every one needed to be researched to determine the current ownership status, and then I needed to seek permission to use the images again in the reprint. For a few images, the process took months. Others were done in minutes. Overall, it cost several thousand dollars to have the rights to reintegrate most of the original pictures as best we could, while also adding a few new images when necessary.

I wanted to put almost every photo I found in the book, and was only stopped by the cost of printing in color. Of course some of the images are in black and white, as that's how they were taken. But I must say I am delighted to be presenting a book with vivid, lovely, and sometimes thought provoking images, in color, and I have a hunch RAW would be delighted.

I can assure you that as a living breathing female of our half-baked species, I have much to say on the weird imbalance of our gender crisis. For me, this imbalance lies at the root of most of the destructive forces of our world. There is no balance; we live in a sort of culture model that I see as based on "vertical thinking" (tends to be more masculine-oriented) as opposed to "lateral thinking (tends to be more feminine-oriented) Vertical access is great, but where does it stop? Growth is everything!!! (think Amazon, Google, etc.)  Grow, Grow, get rich, get powerful! POWER! If you have it you are to be RESPECTED! But what good is power when the ecosystem collapses and you cannot breathe the air? What good are your riches if you live in a gated gilded castle but cannot dare to leave because your fortress is surrounded by despairing, angry masses that have grown to despise you, hate you, and blame you for the source of their woes? Does this give you freedom? Not really, at least not the sort I crave. I see our species in general as ignorantly pursuing an unsustainable and ultimately deadly form of materialism that puts all life  in fact, all that is sacred  at risk. Perhaps it is a form of spiritual cancer; I have been told cancer is the result of cellular mutations that cause UNRELENTING cell growth to occur, which either kills the host, or the host needs to kill it, often at great personal expense. Cancer teaches us that unrelenting growth is not progress, it is a death sentence, and to live, one must shift direction.

Lateral thinking is more like "hmmm, let's see, what ARE the long-range consequences of this decision, and will it impact my children, grandchildren, my neighbors, the life on planet earth negatively or positively?" It is thinking that spreads outward, more engaged in the network of it than the "one-pointed goal" like "we gotta get to the Moon first, because then we win!" And what did we win? Not really much of anything from my perspective; yes, some medical breakthroughs, and engineering breakthroughs, but did we attain the illusory goal of POWER? Not from my perspective!

Let us become stronger by acknowledging both masculine and feminine are not truly balanced without fully engaging the other; it is both the vertical spires and the lateral trusses that give a building strength; the interweaving, as it were, to strengthen the whole. So. We have choice, my friends. Shall we deny the truth of what is being messaged all around us, and be blown away? Or shall we learn to flex with wonder and gratitude, weaving our very beings with the elemental powers gifted to us by our Elemental Parents, dual complementary Aspects of the One, enabling us to thrive?

I will finish with these words that come from the introduction RAW wrote in 1973 to The Book of the Breast;

Most men, after all, are on their best behavior when under the spell of that double catenary curve; they stare or feed or caress and are as cozy as puppies  one cannot imagine them a threat to the earth, the animals or other men. But once they leave this central sacrament of existence and begin thinking about how the universe (or other people) might be improved, they are apt to go a bit wild and start brandishing clubs or cannons or hydrogen bombs. Nobody knows why the rest of us put them in government mansions instead of mental hospitals when they get stirred up that way, but they would certainly be better off contemplating Helen's breasts (or Sophia's or Marge's or Jayne's or Molly's). Earth would not resemble hell quite so much if men attended to such earthly matters more and were not up in the air over ideologies.

So read on, my friends; enjoy and share!

Much love, Christina

A Note From Hilaritas Press:

Decisions about how to put together the new Hilaritas Press edition of Ishtar Rising presented us with an array of issues that arise from the book's historical iterations. The 1974 Playboy Press edition, The Book of the Breast, a commissioned work from the magazine, had photographs interspersed throughout the text with captions written by Bob that followed the written narrative.

When Bob regained the rights to the book from Playboy Press in the mid 1980s, he decided to republish it with the text largely as originally written, but with a new title and a new foreword. This new edition was published through a small publishing house, New Falcon Publications. The book that emerged in 1989 (sadly filled with typos), was quite different from the original. The New Falcon edition had inserted new photos and only SOME of the original photos, and all the photographs were clumped together in the center of the book, with no photo captions. We can only surmise that the effort of obtaining legal rights to all of the original photographs was deemed either too expensive or too daunting, as the New Falcon photo choices were quite different from the original. We also are guessing that if you couldn't get all the original photos, then entering Bob's original photo captions on just some of the images probably did not make sense.

In the new Hilaritas Press edition of Ishtar Rising, we have attempted to honor Bob's original guidelines, and recreate the Playboy layout as much as possible. We took the time, effort and considerable expense of tracking down and gaining rights to as many of the original photos as possible. For those photos for which we could not locate permissions, we found suitable substitutions that worked with Bob's photo captions. In many cases, when finding images that Playboy used, we were able to obtain the same image but at a much higher quality. Because of improvements in digital processing and printing, we can not only offer superior graphics, but also an Ishtar Rising in full color.
Five Afghan troops killed in Taliban attack on military base in Kunduz

Iran Press TV

Monday, 17 February 2020 10:01 AM

The Taliban militants have stormed a military base in northern Afghanistan, killing at least five soldiers, according to officials.

The attack occurred in Shora Khak area of Kunduz Province on Sunday, the Afghan Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

"Unfortunately, five army soldiers were martyred and three wounded," said the statement.

In a post on Twitter, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, put the number of fatalities among the Afghan soldiers at 19.

According to Kunduz police, a fighting had been underway for several hours in the area.

A police spokesman, Enhamuddin Rahmani, said the militants also suffered casualties.

The attack came as the country is expecting a reduction in violence as negotiated between the US and the Taliban.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Saturday that Washington and the Taliban had agreed on a seven-day reduction in violence that could result in the exit of US troops from Afghanistan.

Esper, however, said the US has not yet fully set a date for when it will begin a period of reduction in violence negotiated with the Taliban.

A US official said on Friday that it would begin "really soon," while the a Taliban official said it was imminent.

The two sides have been negotiating a peace deal on and off for a year in Qatar's capital Doha.

Talks restarted in Qatar last December, but were suspended again following an attack near the Bagram military base in Afghanistan, which is run by the US.

Violent assaults in Afghanistan have meanwhile been raging, with the number of clashes jumping to record levels in the last quarter of last year.

But in recent weeks, US special representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, who is leading negotiations with the Taliban, had launched a new round of shuttle diplomacy by traveling to Pakistan and Afghanistan to brief officials on the status of the talks.

A member of Taliban delegation in Doha told a local news agency on Monday that the talks had ended "successfully" with an agreement to be released before the end of the month.

The US invaded Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The invasion deposed the Taliban, but the group has never ceased its operations across Afghanistan, and has vowed to keep up its attacks until the withdrawal of all US forces.

Currently, there are some 13,000 US troops as well as thousands of other NATO personnel in Afghanistan.

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The man had been directed by his handler to take a photo of a license plate of the vehicle owned by a U.S. government official.

A Mexican national has been arrested for acting within the U.S. on behalf of the Russian Government without notifying the Attorney General.

"Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes, a Mexican citizen residing in Singapore, was arrested based on a Complaint charging him with acting within the United States on behalf of a foreign government (Russia), without notifying the Attorney General, and conspiracy to do the same," according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to court documents, a Russian government official recruited Fuentes in 2019 and directed Fuentes to rent a specific property in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The Russian official told Fuentes not to rent the apartment in Fuentes's own name and not to tell his family about their meetings. Fuentes traveled to Russia and informed the Russian government official about the arrangements. The official approved and told Fuentes to see him again on his next trip to Russia.

In February 2020, Fuentes traveled to Moscow again and met with the Russian government official. At this meeting, the Russian government official provided Fuentes with a physical description of a U.S. Government source's vehicle and told Fuentes to locate the car, obtain the source's vehicle license plate number, and note the physical location of the source's vehicle. The Russian official instructed Fuentes to meet the Russian official again in April or May 2020, to inform him of the results of the search for the source's vehicle.

Read alsoRussian agents plunge to new ocean depths in Ireland to crack transatlantic cables  The Times

Furthermore, according to court documents, Fuentes traveled to Miami on February13, 2020, from Mexico City. The next day, on February 14, Fuentes's rental car drew the attention of a security guard where the U.S. government source resided because it entered its premises by tailgating another vehicle to gain access.

On the evening of February 16, 2020, Fuentes and his travel companion arrived at Miami International Airport to leave to United States, on their way to Mexico City. U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspected the phone of Fuentes's travel companion and found a close-up image of the license plate of the U.S. Government source's vehicle in the "recently deleted folder" of her phone.

When asked about the photo, Fuentes admitted tasking his travel companion to take the photo of the vehicle's license plate.

CBP's review of Fuentes's phone revealed a WhatsApp message from his travel companion sent to Fuentes with the same photograph of the vehicle license plate. Fuentes admitted to law enforcement officers that he was directed by a Russian government official to conduct this operation. According to court documents, messages on Fuentes's phone showed that the Russian official initiated and directed the meetings.
After the controversial deportation of the UK MP Debbie Abrahams from India, the British lawmaker has now reached Pakistan and will meet with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. This comes as Debbie Abrahams in an interview with Republic TV admitted that she wanted to visit the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) to have a look at the human rights situation there. Abrahams is the Chair of the British Parliaments All-Party Parliamentary Kashmir Group.

Read: 'Rulebook & due process followed': MHA sources on UK MP Debbie Abrahams being deported

Debbie Abrahams is expected to address a press briefing with Imran Khan's foreign minister and her collegaues from the British Parliament on Wednesday, February 19. The presser will be held at Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Below is the list of people who will be attending the briefing.

Ms. Debbie Abrahams MP, Chair APPGK (Labour)

Imran Hussain MP, Senior vice-Chair APPGK and Shadow Justice Minister (Labour)

James Daly MP, Treasurer APPGK (Conservative)

Lord Qurban Hussain, Secretary APPGK (LibDem)

Tahir Ali MP Vice-Chair APPGK (Labour)

Sara Britcliffe MP (Conservative)

Mark Eastwood MP (Conservative)

Judith Cummins MP (Labour)

Cllr. Yasmine Dar, Member Labour Partys National Executive Committee (She was instrumental in getting the Labours resolution on Kashmir)

Harpreet Uppal, Parliamentary Staff;

Sabah Kanwal, Parliamentary Assistant

Raja Najabat Hussain, Chair J&K Self Determination Movement Intl (JKSDMI)

Mr. Shadad Qumar

Debbie Abrahams deported

After being denied entry into India on Monday, February 16, Abrahams in an exclusive interview with Republic TV admitted that she was not aware of her visa being cancelled. When asked if the Government of India had informed her about the visa expiration, she said, "I had no idea. I had absolutely no idea. I was treated badly by the officials; the officer shouted at me. I have never seen a deportation cell - they took me to a deportee cell."

She later posted a picture of her visa, with government sources confirming to Republic that the visa had been cancelled on Feb 14, with the UK MP having been informed. As for her claims of having suffered an ordeal, sources confirmed that regular process was followed.

Read: UK MP Raminder Ranger: 'Kartarpur Should Remain A Gesture Of Goodwill'

Debbie on PoK

When asked about her visit to Pakistan occupied Kashmir, she said, "Yes, I am going to visit Pakistan. I would like to visit Pakistan occupied Kashmir and look at the human rights issue. I wanted to meet my family in Karachi."

Read: Deported British MP Debbie Abrahams not aware of visa cancellation; will go to Pakistan

Debbie's stance on Kashmir

The aim of the British Parliaments All-Party Parliamentary Kashmir Group is to support the right of Kashmiri people to self-determination and to highlight the abuses of human rights in Kashmir. After the abrogation of Article 370, she wrote to UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab asking whether UK would raise the matter at the UN Security Council meeting in September 2019.

On February 4, 2020, she participated in the Kashmir Solidarity Day seminar in London. The event also witnessed the participation of Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, the Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK and Sardar Masood Khan, the President of PoK. The seminar was organised by the Women Council of Jammu Kashmir Self-Determination Movement International.

Read: UK MP Debbie Abrahams Issues Statement On Deportation From India; Claims Victimisation
February 2020 | Vol. 9 / No. 1

REGIONAL ECONOMIES

Job openings and labor turnover trends for Northeastern states in 2018

By Hope Allen and Larry Akinyooye

The Northeast is known for its vibrant cities, dense population, and cultural diversity, but what are some of the labor market trends that set this geographical region apart? The Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) program publishes estimates on job openings, hires, and separations. JOLTS estimates can give certain insights into labor market dynamics, such as labor demand and labor turnover, that other employment measures cannot. In 2019, the JOLTS program published JOLTS experimental state estimates for the first time.1 The JOLTS experimental state estimates offer valuable information that can help us better understand state-level economies and allow for comparisons between states, the region, and the nation. This Beyond the Numbers article features new experimental JOLTS estimates on states in the Northeast region. This article is the first in a series of four.2 We will explore trends in a number of measuresjob openings, unemployment, hires and separations, quits, layoffs and discharges, and churn and fill ratesthat can give us a deeper understanding of business cycles and labor demand in the Northeast and help businesses and workers make better informed decisions. This article reveals ways that data users can use these estimates to evaluate labor demand and labor turnover at regional and state levels.

Unique labor patterns in the Northeast region

Labor force dynamics in each state can vary widely. Each state in the United States exhibits its own unique labor patterns because of variations in geography; climate; major industries; labor force demographics, such as education and age; and other factors. Although neighboring states may have different labor patterns, there are often traits shared by states in the same geographic region. For this discussion, we will focus on states in the Northeast region, as classified by the U.S. Census Bureau: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.3

Of the four census regions, the Northeast has the highest population densitythe most people living per square mile.4 As a result, this region has the largest labor force per square mile.5 For 7 of the 9 Northeastern states, education and health services was the major industry with the largest number of employees at the end of 2018.6 This is notable as there were only nine states nationwide that had education and health services as their top-employing industrial sector at the end of 2018.

While the Northeast has a distinct industrial composition and concentration of the labor force, states within the region have large variations in population and employment, resulting in differing labor market patterns between states. For instance, in 2018, New Yorks annual average employment level was over 30 times that of Vermont.7 The nine states in the Northeast also vary in climate and geography, so some states exhibit more seasonal employment patterns than others. These differences are reflected in the JOLTS experimental state estimates.

Trends in job openings: Northeast

JOLTS defines job openings as all positions that are open on the last business day of the month. Job openings measure unmet labor demand in the labor market. Chart 1 shows job openings rates in the United States, Northeast region, and Northeastern states. All states in the Northeast region experienced series-high job openings rates in 2018, but a difference in trends can be seen between Connecticut and Vermont.8 At the end of 2018, Connecticut had the lowest job openings rate in the Northeast, while Vermont had the highest. Since 2011, job openings rates in the Northeast region and Connecticut have generally trended below the United States.

View Chart Data Chart 1. Job openings rates in the United States, Northeast Region, and select Northeastern states, June 2004December 2018, not seasonally adjusted Date Connecticut Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Rhode Island Vermont Northeast United States Jun 2004 2.7 3.2 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.3 2.4 2.8 3.2 2.5 2.7 Jul 2004 2.6 3.2 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.3 2.3 2.6 3.0 2.5 2.8 Aug 2004 2.6 3.1 2.6 2.9 2.9 2.4 2.4 2.7 3.0 2.5 2.7 Sep 2004 2.9 3.1 2.7 3.2 3.3 2.6 2.5 3.0 3.2 2.7 2.8 Oct 2004 3.0 3.1 2.8 3.2 3.6 2.6 2.5 3.2 3.4 2.8 2.8 Nov 2004 3.0 2.9 2.7 3.1 3.4 2.4 2.4 2.9 3.4 2.7 2.7 Dec 2004 2.8 2.9 2.7 3.0 2.9 2.4 2.3 2.7 3.6 2.5 2.6 Jan 2005 2.5 2.7 2.6 3.0 2.5 2.2 2.2 2.5 3.6 2.4 2.6 Feb 2005 2.5 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.6 3.4 2.5 2.7 Mar 2005 2.3 2.7 2.7 3.0 2.7 2.5 2.5 2.7 3.1 2.6 2.9 Apr 2005 2.4 3.0 2.7 3.1 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.9 2.9 2.7 3.0 May 2005 2.4 3.3 2.7 3.3 2.8 2.8 2.5 2.9 3.1 2.7 3.0 Jun 2005 2.4 3.6 2.8 3.4 3.0 2.8 2.5 3.0 3.3 2.8 3.0 Jul 2005 2.5 3.5 2.9 3.5 3.0 2.7 2.6 2.9 3.4 2.8 3.0 Aug 2005 2.6 3.5 2.8 3.6 3.2 2.6 2.9 3.2 3.7 2.8 3.1 Sep 2005 2.8 3.4 2.9 3.6 3.4 2.7 3.1 3.4 3.6 3.0 3.2 Oct 2005 2.8 3.5 3.0 3.5 3.6 2.8 3.0 3.5 3.6 3.0 3.1 Nov 2005 2.8 3.4 2.9 3.4 3.4 2.8 2.9 3.3 3.3 3.0 3.0 Dec 2005 2.7 3.2 2.9 3.3 3.0 2.6 2.7 3.0 3.4 2.8 2.9 Jan 2006 2.7 3.3 2.9 3.5 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.9 4.0 2.8 2.9 Feb 2006 2.8 3.2 3.1 3.4 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.9 4.1 2.8 3.0 Mar 2006 2.8 3.4 3.3 3.5 2.9 2.9 2.8 3.0 3.9 3.0 3.2 Apr 2006 3.1 3.5 3.5 3.4 3.0 2.9 2.9 3.4 3.2 3.1 3.3 May 2006 3.2 3.9 3.4 3.4 3.0 2.8 3.0 3.4 3.4 3.1 3.4 Jun 2006 3.2 3.9 3.4 3.5 3.2 2.8 3.0 3.5 3.6 3.0 3.4 Jul 2006 3.0 3.8 3.2 3.3 3.3 2.6 2.9 3.2 3.5 3.0 3.2 Aug 2006 3.2 3.8 3.2 3.6 3.7 2.9 3.0 3.6 3.7 3.1 3.3 Sep 2006 3.3 3.7 3.2 3.6 3.9 3.0 3.1 3.9 3.5 3.3 3.4 Oct 2006 3.4 3.6 3.2 3.6 4.1 3.2 3.2 4.0 3.7 3.4 3.4 Nov 2006 3.4 3.6 3.1 3.5 3.8 3.1 3.2 3.8 3.4 3.3 3.2 Dec 2006 3.3 3.6 3.0 3.4 3.6 2.8 3.2 3.5 3.6 3.1 3.1 Jan 2007 3.2 3.8 2.9 3.6 3.2 2.7 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.0 3.1 Feb 2007 3.2 3.6 2.9 3.4 3.3 2.7 3.2 3.4 3.8 3.0 3.2 Mar 2007 3.2 3.7 3.0 3.4 3.5 2.8 3.1 3.4 3.6 3.1 3.3 Apr 2007 3.2 3.4 3.0 3.2 3.6 2.8 3.0 3.4 3.4 3.1 3.4 May 2007 3.1 3.6 3.0 3.5 3.5 2.8 2.9 3.4 3.5 3.1 3.4 Jun 2007 3.0 3.8 3.0 3.6 3.4 2.9 3.0 3.3 3.7 3.1 3.4 Jul 2007 3.0 3.9 2.9 3.8 3.5 2.8 3.1 3.1 3.9 3.1 3.3 Aug 2007 3.1 3.8 2.9 3.8 3.5 2.9 3.2 3.3 4.0 3.1 3.3 Sep 2007 3.0 3.5 2.9 3.6 3.5 2.9 2.9 3.4 3.7 3.1 3.3 Oct 2007 2.9 3.3 2.9 3.5 3.7 2.9 2.9 3.4 3.6 3.1 3.3 Nov 2007 2.7 3.2 2.8 3.3 3.7 2.8 2.8 3.2 3.3 3.0 3.2 Dec 2007 2.6 3.1 2.7 3.2 3.6 2.6 2.8 2.8 3.5 2.9 3.1 Jan 2008 2.7 3.1 2.7 3.2 3.6 2.5 2.8 3.3 3.9 2.9 3.0 Feb 2008 2.7 3.0 2.6 3.0 3.6 2.4 2.7 3.2 3.8 2.8 3.0 Mar 2008 2.9 3.0 2.6 3.0 3.6 2.5 2.7 3.3 3.5 2.8 3.0 Apr 2008 2.7 3.1 2.4 2.8 3.2 2.5 2.6 2.8 2.9 2.7 3.0 May 2008 2.8 3.4 2.5 3.1 3.1 2.5 2.6 2.9 3.2 2.7 3.0 Jun 2008 2.6 3.6 2.5 3.1 2.9 2.5 2.8 2.9 3.3 2.7 2.9 Jul 2008 2.6 3.7 2.6 3.2 2.8 2.5 2.7 2.9 3.4 2.7 2.8 Aug 2008 2.8 3.5 2.7 3.3 2.9 2.6 2.8 3.2 3.4 2.8 2.7 Sep 2008 2.8 3.1 2.7 3.2 2.8 2.6 2.6 3.2 3.3 2.7 2.6 Oct 2008 2.8 2.9 2.7 3.0 2.7 2.5 2.6 3.0 3.3 2.6 2.5 Nov 2008 2.5 2.8 2.5 2.8 2.6 2.3 2.3 2.6 2.8 2.4 2.3 Dec 2008 2.5 2.8 2.3 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.2 2.5 2.8 2.3 2.2 Jan 2009 2.4 2.5 2.1 2.8 2.3 2.2 2.0 2.3 2.5 2.2 2.0 Feb 2009 2.5 2.3 2.0 2.6 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.3 2.5 2.2 2.0 Mar 2009 2.4 2.3 2.0 2.5 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.1 2.0 Apr 2009 2.3 2.4 2.0 2.2 2.1 1.9 2.0 2.3 2.3 2.1 1.9 May 2009 2.2 2.5 2.1 2.3 2.0 1.9 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.0 1.9 Jun 2009 2.1 2.7 2.3 2.4 2.3 1.9 2.0 2.4 2.6 2.1 1.9 Jul 2009 2.1 2.9 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.3 2.6 2.1 1.8 Aug 2009 2.0 2.9 2.3 2.5 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.2 2.6 2.1 1.8 Sep 2009 2.3 2.7 2.3 2.4 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.0 1.8 Oct 2009 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.4 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.3 2.5 2.1 1.9 Nov 2009 2.4 2.2 2.3 2.2 1.8 1.7 2.0 2.2 2.2 1.9 1.8 Dec 2009 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.0 1.7 1.6 2.0 1.9 2.3 1.8 1.8 Jan 2010 2.0 2.4 2.2 2.2 1.8 1.6 2.0 1.9 2.2 1.9 1.8 Feb 2010 2.1 2.4 2.2 2.3 2.0 1.6 2.1 2.1 2.5 2.0 1.9 Mar 2010 2.1 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.3 1.7 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.1 2.0 Apr 2010 2.7 2.8 2.4 2.7 2.6 1.8 2.5 2.7 2.8 2.3 2.2 May 2010 2.9 3.2 2.7 2.8 2.7 1.9 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.4 2.3 Jun 2010 3.0 3.3 2.8 2.9 2.6 2.1 2.6 2.9 2.9 2.5 2.3 Jul 2010 2.5 3.1 2.8 2.8 2.6 2.1 2.4 2.7 3.0 2.4 2.2 Aug 2010 2.5 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.7 2.1 2.6 2.9 3.1 2.5 2.3 Sep 2010 2.6 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.7 2.1 2.7 3.0 3.1 2.5 2.3 Oct 2010 2.5 2.8 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.1 2.8 2.8 3.0 2.6 2.4 Nov 2010 2.3 2.7 2.9 2.6 2.5 2.0 2.8 2.5 2.8 2.4 2.3 Dec 2010 2.1 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.4 1.9 2.6 2.4 2.9 2.3 2.2 Jan 2011 2.0 2.7 2.3 2.7 2.3 1.8 2.6 2.4 2.7 2.2 2.2 Feb 2011 2.0 2.7 2.3 2.6 2.3 1.9 2.6 2.4 2.8 2.2 2.2 Mar 2011 2.1 2.9 2.5 2.7 2.5 2.1 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.4 2.4 Apr 2011 2.2 2.9 2.5 2.6 2.4 2.2 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.5 2.5 May 2011 2.3 3.2 2.5 2.7 2.4 2.2 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.5 2.5 Jun 2011 2.3 3.4 2.4 2.7 2.3 2.3 2.7 2.9 3.1 2.5 2.5 Jul 2011 2.2 3.5 2.5 2.8 2.3 2.3 2.7 2.6 3.0 2.5 2.6 Aug 2011 2.2 3.3 2.6 2.9 2.3 2.3 2.7 2.7 2.9 2.5 2.6 Sep 2011 2.3 3.2 2.6 2.9 2.4 2.4 2.8 2.7 2.9 2.5 2.7 Oct 2011 2.3 3.0 2.5 2.8 2.4 2.4 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.6 2.7 Nov 2011 2.3 2.9 2.3 2.7 2.4 2.4 2.8 2.6 2.8 2.5 2.7 Dec 2011 2.2 2.7 2.2 2.7 2.2 2.3 2.7 2.4 2.9 2.4 2.6 Jan 2012 2.2 2.8 2.3 2.7 2.0 2.3 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.3 2.5 Feb 2012 2.3 2.9 2.4 2.7 2.0 2.2 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.4 2.6 Mar 2012 2.5 3.0 2.6 2.9 2.1 2.4 2.8 2.9 2.7 2.5 2.8 Apr 2012 2.5 3.0 2.6 3.0 2.6 2.5 3.1 3.1 3.2 2.7 2.8 May 2012 2.6 3.2 2.6 3.2 2.6 2.7 3.2 3.1 3.5 2.8 2.9 Jun 2012 2.5 3.3 2.5 3.3 2.7 2.6 3.2 3.3 3.6 2.8 2.9 Jul 2012 2.4 3.2 2.6 3.2 2.5 2.6 3.1 3.1 3.3 2.7 2.8 Aug 2012 2.4 3.3 2.7 3.5 2.5 2.8 3.1 3.3 3.3 2.8 2.8 Sep 2012 2.5 3.1 2.7 3.4 2.4 2.9 3.1 3.4 3.1 2.8 2.8 Oct 2012 2.5 3.1 2.7 3.4 2.5 2.9 3.2 3.4 3.1 2.9 2.9 Nov 2012 2.4 2.8 2.6 2.9 2.3 2.6 3.1 3.1 2.9 2.7 2.8 Dec 2012 2.3 2.7 2.5 2.9 2.3 2.5 3.0 2.9 3.1 2.6 2.7 Jan 2013 2.4 2.7 2.6 2.9 2.2 2.5 2.8 2.7 3.0 2.5 2.6 Feb 2013 2.3 2.8 2.6 2.8 2.2 2.6 2.7 2.7 3.0 2.5 2.7 Mar 2013 2.4 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.4 2.8 2.6 2.8 2.9 2.7 2.8 Apr 2013 2.5 2.9 2.8 3.0 2.6 2.8 2.6 2.9 3.0 2.7 3.0 May 2013 2.5 3.2 2.9 3.1 2.8 2.8 2.6 3.0 3.2 2.8 3.0 Jun 2013 2.5 3.6 2.9 3.3 3.0 2.6 2.7 3.0 3.3 2.7 3.0 Jul 2013 2.3 3.5 2.8 3.2 3.1 2.4 2.7 2.9 3.4 2.7 2.9 Aug 2013 2.5 3.4 3.0 3.3 3.1 2.5 2.7 3.0 3.5 2.8 2.9 Sep 2013 2.5 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 2.6 2.8 3.1 3.4 2.8 3.0 Oct 2013 2.6 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.0 2.8 2.8 3.2 3.3 2.9 3.1 Nov 2013 2.5 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.0 2.6 2.8 3.0 3.0 2.8 2.9 Dec 2013 2.3 3.3 2.9 3.2 2.7 2.4 2.6 2.8 3.2 2.6 2.8 Jan 2014 2.4 3.1 2.7 3.1 2.5 2.3 2.6 2.7 3.2 2.5 2.7 Feb 2014 2.4 3.0 2.8 2.9 2.6 2.3 2.6 2.8 3.2 2.5 2.8 Mar 2014 2.6 2.7 3.0 2.8 2.9 2.5 2.6 2.9 2.9 2.7 3.0 Apr 2014 2.8 3.0 3.2 3.0 3.1 2.8 2.8 3.1 3.3 2.9 3.2 May 2014 2.9 3.5 3.4 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.9 3.1 3.6 3.0 3.3 Jun 2014 3.0 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.2 3.0 3.2 3.2 4.0 3.1 3.4 Jul 2014 2.9 4.0 3.6 3.7 3.1 2.9 3.4 3.4 3.9 3.1 3.4 Aug 2014 3.0 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.2 2.9 3.6 3.6 3.9 3.3 3.6 Sep 2014 3.1 3.5 3.8 4.0 3.2 2.9 3.6 3.7 3.6 3.3 3.6 Oct 2014 3.2 3.3 4.0 3.8 3.3 3.0 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.3 3.6 Nov 2014 3.0 3.1 3.7 3.5 3.0 2.7 3.3 3.1 3.4 3.1 3.4 Dec 2014 2.8 3.6 3.7 3.3 2.6 2.5 3.4 3.0 3.8 2.9 3.3 Jan 2015 2.8 3.3 3.7 3.4 2.5 2.7 3.3 2.9 3.9 2.9 3.3 Feb 2015 2.8 3.5 3.8 3.6 2.8 2.9 3.6 3.1 4.0 3.2 3.5 Mar 2015 2.8 3.4 3.9 3.6 3.1 3.0 3.6 3.2 3.6 3.3 3.6 Apr 2015 2.7 3.7 4.2 3.6 3.4 3.0 3.9 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.8 May 2015 2.9 4.1 4.3 3.5 3.3 3.0 4.0 3.7 3.9 3.5 3.8 Jun 2015 3.0 4.2 4.1 3.6 3.2 3.0 3.9 3.6 4.1 3.4 3.8 Jul 2015 3.1 4.4 3.9 3.9 3.2 3.1 3.9 3.6 4.6 3.4 3.9 Aug 2015 3.1 4.2 3.9 4.0 3.0 3.2 4.0 3.5 4.5 3.5 3.9 Sep 2015 3.3 4.0 4.1 4.0 3.1 3.4 4.2 3.8 4.4 3.6 4.0 Oct 2015 3.3 3.7 4.2 3.9 3.2 3.3 4.1 3.9 4.0 3.6 3.9 Nov 2015 3.4 3.6 4.2 3.8 3.1 3.3 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.5 3.8 Dec 2015 3.3 3.8 4.2 3.9 3.1 3.1 3.6 3.7 4.5 3.4 3.7 Jan 2016 3.3 4.0 4.0 3.9 3.1 3.0 3.5 3.6 4.5 3.3 3.7 Feb 2016 3.2 4.1 3.8 3.9 3.3 2.9 3.4 3.6 4.5 3.3 3.7 Mar 2016 3.3 4.0 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.1 3.4 3.6 4.0 3.4 4.0 Apr 2016 3.3 4.6 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.7 4.0 3.5 4.0 May 2016 3.4 5.0 3.8 3.7 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.8 4.1 3.6 4.1 Jun 2016 3.5 5.2 3.8 3.9 3.4 3.6 3.2 3.8 4.3 3.5 3.9 Jul 2016 3.6 4.7 4.0 4.1 3.5 3.6 3.3 3.8 4.6 3.6 3.9 Aug 2016 3.6 4.5 4.1 4.2 3.5 3.7 3.6 3.9 4.6 3.7 4.0 Sep 2016 3.6 4.2 4.2 4.1 3.8 3.7 4.0 4.1 4.5 3.9 4.0 Oct 2016 3.4 4.0 4.2 3.9 3.8 3.7 4.0 4.1 4.1 3.8 3.9 Nov 2016 3.3 3.9 4.0 3.7 3.7 3.5 3.9 3.8 3.9 3.7 3.8 Dec 2016 3.3 4.0 3.9 3.8 3.3 3.4 3.8 3.5 4.2 3.5 3.7 Jan 2017 3.5 3.9 3.9 3.7 3.1 3.3 3.7 3.5 4.1 3.5 3.6 Feb 2017 3.6 4.0 4.2 3.7 3.1 3.4 4.0 3.8 4.1 3.6 3.7 Mar 2017 3.8 4.0 4.3 3.7 3.3 3.4 4.2 3.9 3.9 3.7 3.8 Apr 2017 4.2 4.4 4.3 4.0 3.5 3.6 4.5 4.7 4.4 3.9 4.0 May 2017 4.2 4.7 4.0 4.1 3.6 3.6 4.3 4.6 4.7 3.9 4.0 Jun 2017 4.2 4.9 3.9 4.2 3.7 3.6 4.2 4.5 4.8 3.9 4.1 Jul 2017 3.7 4.8 4.1 4.1 3.8 3.5 4.2 4.0 5.3 3.8 4.1 Aug 2017 3.9 4.6 4.2 4.3 3.9 3.5 4.5 4.3 5.3 4.0 4.2 Sep 2017 3.9 4.3 4.2 4.1 4.1 3.5 4.8 4.4 5.1 4.0 4.2 Oct 2017 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.1 3.5 4.8 4.3 4.3 4.0 4.2 Nov 2017 3.8 3.9 3.9 4.0 3.9 3.4 4.4 4.0 4.2 3.8 4.1 Dec 2017 3.6 4.1 3.8 4.3 3.8 3.4 4.2 3.9 4.7 3.7 3.9 Jan 2018 3.5 4.6 3.6 4.5 3.8 3.5 4.0 3.8 4.6 3.7 3.9 Feb 2018 3.4 4.6 3.6 4.3 3.8 3.6 4.2 4.1 4.7 3.8 4.0 Mar 2018 3.5 4.7 3.8 4.4 3.8 3.9 4.5 4.2 4.3 4.1 4.3 Apr 2018 3.6 5.1 4.0 4.7 4.1 4.1 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.2 4.5 May 2018 3.8 5.6 4.1 4.9 4.4 4.1 4.7 4.8 4.7 4.3 4.6 Jun 2018 4.0 5.9 4.2 5.0 4.5 4.0 4.5 4.8 5.0 4.3 4.7 Jul 2018 4.0 5.5 4.3 4.8 4.5 3.9 4.7 4.8 6.1 4.3 4.7 Aug 2018 4.1 5.2 4.3 4.8 4.5 4.0 4.7 4.8 6.2 4.4 4.8 Sep 2018 4.2 4.9 4.5 4.6 4.9 4.1 4.8 5.1 5.9 4.5 4.8 Oct 2018 4.2 4.7 4.7 4.5 4.8 4.0 4.9 5.0 5.0 4.5 4.8 Nov 2018 3.9 4.7 4.9 4.5 4.7 4.0 4.9 4.8 4.9 4.5 4.8 Dec 2018 3.6 4.7 4.9 4.5 4.2 3.7 4.8 4.4 5.3 4.3 4.7

JOLTS experimental state estimates allow for the comparison of job openings (labor demand) to unemployment (labor supply) at the state level. The number of unemployed persons per job opening factors in both the supply of unemployed persons and the demand of employers.9 Unemployed persons per job opening is a ratio of the level of unemployed persons, as published by other BLS programs, and the job openings level. A ratio of 1.0 means there is a job for every unemployed person. Lower ratios signal tighter labor markets with firms having more job openings than there are people available to work. Higher ratios indicate an abundance of labor supply, meaning there are more unemployed people competing for each job opening. While states in the Northeast had similar ratios in recent years, differences emerged during and after the Great Recession.10 Among the Northeastern states, Rhode Island had the highest ratio of unemployed persons per job opening, at 7.0 in January 2010. New Hampshire and Vermont had the lowest average unemployed persons per job opening ratio in the region for 2018, at 0.6 unemployed persons per job opening. (See chart 2). All states in the Northeast were below 1.0 unemployed persons per job opening in December 2018, indicating there were more available jobs than unemployed people.

View Chart Data Chart 2. Unemployed persons per job opening in the United States, Northeast region, and select Northeastern states, June 2004-December 2018, not seasonally adjusted Date Connecticut Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Rhode Island Vermont Northeast United States Jun 2004 1.9 1.5 2.1 1.6 1.8 2.7 2.4 2.0 1.3 2.2 2.2 Jul 2004 2.1 1.5 2.1 1.5 1.9 2.7 2.6 2.2 1.3 2.3 2.2 Aug 2004 2.1 1.5 2.1 1.4 1.8 2.6 2.6 2.3 1.3 2.3 2.3 Sep 2004 1.8 1.4 2.0 1.2 1.5 2.3 2.3 1.9 1.2 2.0 2.1 Oct 2004 1.6 1.4 1.7 1.1 1.3 2.1 2.2 1.6 1.0 1.8 2.0 Nov 2004 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.2 1.3 2.3 2.2 1.6 1.0 1.9 2.1 Dec 2004 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.2 1.4 2.3 2.3 1.8 1.0 1.9 2.1 Jan 2005 1.9 2.0 1.9 1.4 1.8 2.6 2.5 2.1 1.1 2.2 2.3 Feb 2005 2.1 2.2 1.9 1.5 1.9 2.5 2.5 2.3 1.2 2.2 2.2 Mar 2005 2.3 2.3 2.0 1.6 1.9 2.4 2.5 2.5 1.4 2.2 2.2 Apr 2005 2.2 2.1 1.9 1.4 1.7 2.1 2.3 2.1 1.5 2.0 1.9 May 2005 2.2 1.7 1.8 1.3 1.6 1.9 2.2 2.0 1.3 1.9 1.8 Jun 2005 2.2 1.6 1.7 1.1 1.4 1.9 2.1 1.8 1.2 1.8 1.8 Jul 2005 2.2 1.5 1.7 1.1 1.6 2.0 2.1 1.9 1.1 1.8 1.8 Aug 2005 2.1 1.5 1.7 1.1 1.5 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.1 1.8 1.8 Sep 2005 1.9 1.4 1.7 1.0 1.4 2.0 1.7 1.7 1.0 1.7 1.7 Oct 2005 1.8 1.4 1.6 1.1 1.3 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.0 1.6 1.7 Nov 2005 1.7 1.4 1.6 1.1 1.4 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.1 1.6 1.7 Dec 2005 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.1 1.6 2.0 1.7 1.8 1.0 1.7 1.8 Jan 2006 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.1 1.8 2.0 1.9 2.1 1.0 1.8 1.8 Feb 2006 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.2 1.9 2.0 1.9 2.1 1.1 1.9 1.8 Mar 2006 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.2 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.2 1.3 1.8 1.7 Apr 2006 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.1 1.8 1.9 1.7 1.8 1.4 1.7 1.5 May 2006 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.1 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.6 1.4 Jun 2006 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.0 1.6 1.8 1.6 1.5 1.1 1.6 1.4 Jul 2006 1.6 1.3 1.6 1.1 1.6 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.1 1.7 1.6 Aug 2006 1.5 1.2 1.6 1.0 1.4 1.7 1.8 1.6 1.1 1.6 1.6 Sep 2006 1.5 1.2 1.5 1.0 1.3 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.5 Oct 2006 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.0 1.1 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.0 1.3 1.4 Nov 2006 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.0 1.1 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.4 Dec 2006 1.2 1.3 1.5 1.0 1.2 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.0 1.4 1.5 Jan 2007 1.4 1.4 1.7 1.1 1.4 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.2 1.5 1.6 Feb 2007 1.5 1.5 1.8 1.3 1.4 1.8 1.6 1.7 1.3 1.6 1.6 Mar 2007 1.5 1.6 1.8 1.4 1.4 1.8 1.6 1.8 1.5 1.6 1.6 Apr 2007 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.7 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.4 May 2007 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.5 1.4 Jun 2007 1.5 1.3 1.5 1.1 1.3 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.2 1.5 1.4 Jul 2007 1.6 1.2 1.6 1.0 1.3 1.7 1.5 1.8 1.1 1.5 1.5 Aug 2007 1.6 1.2 1.6 1.0 1.3 1.7 1.5 1.8 1.0 1.5 1.5 Sep 2007 1.7 1.3 1.6 1.0 1.3 1.7 1.6 1.8 1.1 1.6 1.5 Oct 2007 1.6 1.3 1.4 1.0 1.1 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.2 1.5 1.5 Nov 2007 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.1 1.6 1.5 1.8 1.2 1.5 1.5 Dec 2007 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.0 1.2 1.8 1.6 2.2 1.2 1.6 1.6 Jan 2008 1.9 1.7 1.7 1.2 1.3 2.1 1.8 2.1 1.1 1.7 1.7 Feb 2008 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.4 1.4 2.3 2.0 2.4 1.4 1.9 1.8 Mar 2008 2.0 2.1 2.0 1.5 1.5 2.3 2.1 2.6 1.6 2.0 1.9 Apr 2008 2.0 2.0 2.1 1.6 1.6 2.1 2.0 2.9 2.0 2.0 1.8 May 2008 1.9 1.7 2.0 1.3 1.6 2.0 2.0 2.7 1.7 1.9 1.8 Jun 2008 2.1 1.6 2.0 1.3 1.8 2.1 1.9 2.7 1.5 1.9 1.9 Jul 2008 2.3 1.5 2.1 1.2 2.0 2.2 2.1 2.9 1.4 2.1 2.2 Aug 2008 2.3 1.6 2.1 1.2 2.0 2.2 2.1 2.8 1.4 2.1 2.4 Sep 2008 2.3 1.7 2.1 1.3 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.9 1.6 2.2 2.5 Oct 2008 2.3 1.9 2.2 1.3 2.2 2.4 2.2 3.1 1.5 2.3 2.6 Nov 2008 2.6 2.2 2.4 1.4 2.4 2.6 2.5 3.6 1.8 2.5 2.9 Dec 2008 2.6 2.4 2.7 1.7 2.6 2.8 2.9 4.1 1.9 2.7 3.3 Jan 2009 2.9 3.1 3.4 1.9 3.3 3.3 3.6 5.0 2.5 3.3 4.0 Feb 2009 3.1 4.0 3.8 2.4 4.0 3.9 4.0 5.4 2.9 3.8 4.6 Mar 2009 3.5 4.3 4.0 2.9 4.6 4.4 4.5 6.4 3.7 4.3 5.1 Apr 2009 3.7 4.4 4.0 3.5 4.6 4.6 4.4 5.8 3.8 4.4 5.3 May 2009 3.8 4.0 3.8 3.2 5.0 4.5 4.3 6.3 3.7 4.4 5.4 Jun 2009 4.0 3.4 3.6 3.0 4.3 4.6 4.4 5.7 3.2 4.2 5.6 Jul 2009 4.3 3.1 3.7 3.2 4.8 4.6 4.7 5.7 3.1 4.4 6.0 Aug 2009 4.6 3.0 3.9 3.0 5.0 4.8 4.8 5.8 3.0 4.6 6.2 Sep 2009 4.2 3.1 3.9 3.1 5.8 5.0 4.7 6.3 3.2 4.7 6.1 Oct 2009 3.8 3.4 3.7 3.0 5.6 5.1 4.4 5.6 2.6 4.6 5.8 Nov 2009 3.9 3.7 3.8 3.2 5.8 5.7 4.4 6.0 3.0 4.8 5.9 Dec 2009 4.4 3.8 4.2 3.4 6.3 5.9 4.4 6.7 3.0 5.1 6.2 Jan 2010 5.0 4.1 4.2 3.3 6.3 6.2 4.6 7.0 3.2 5.3 6.2 Feb 2010 5.0 4.4 4.4 3.3 5.8 6.2 4.8 6.5 3.0 5.3 6.2 Mar 2010 5.2 4.6 4.3 3.4 5.3 6.3 4.7 6.1 3.6 5.2 5.9 Apr 2010 3.9 3.7 3.8 2.8 4.5 5.6 4.0 5.0 2.7 4.5 5.4 May 2010 3.6 3.1 3.3 2.5 4.1 4.9 3.7 4.9 2.6 4.0 4.9 Jun 2010 3.5 2.7 3.1 2.2 4.1 4.4 3.6 4.5 2.5 3.8 4.8 Jul 2010 4.3 2.9 3.1 2.3 4.2 4.4 4.0 4.9 2.4 4.0 4.9 Aug 2010 4.3 2.8 3.0 2.2 4.1 4.6 3.7 4.6 2.4 3.9 4.9 Sep 2010 4.3 2.9 2.9 2.3 4.0 4.5 3.4 4.6 2.3 3.8 4.7 Oct 2010 4.2 3.0 2.7 2.2 3.9 4.3 3.1 4.8 2.2 3.5 4.5 Nov 2010 4.5 3.1 2.8 2.3 4.2 4.4 3.0 5.0 2.2 3.7 4.5 Dec 2010 5.0 3.4 3.0 2.4 4.4 4.7 3.2 5.5 2.2 3.9 4.6 Jan 2011 5.1 3.6 3.6 2.4 4.9 5.1 3.4 5.7 2.7 4.2 5.0 Feb 2011 5.4 3.8 3.7 2.5 4.9 4.9 3.4 5.9 2.5 4.3 4.9 Mar 2011 5.2 3.7 3.5 2.5 4.7 4.6 3.3 5.5 2.8 4.0 4.6 Apr 2011 4.8 3.4 3.2 2.6 4.6 4.1 3.1 4.8 2.4 3.7 4.2 May 2011 4.5 3.1 3.0 2.3 4.5 3.8 3.0 4.4 2.3 3.6 4.1 Jun 2011 4.5 2.7 3.1 2.3 4.8 3.7 3.1 4.2 2.2 3.6 4.0 Jul 2011 4.7 2.6 3.0 2.2 4.8 3.9 3.3 5.0 2.1 3.7 4.1 Aug 2011 4.8 2.5 3.0 2.1 4.7 3.9 3.4 4.7 2.1 3.7 4.0 Sep 2011 4.4 2.5 2.9 2.1 4.6 3.7 3.3 4.7 2.1 3.6 3.8 Oct 2011 4.2 2.6 2.9 2.1 4.4 3.6 3.0 4.7 2.0 3.4 3.6 Nov 2011 4.0 2.8 3.0 2.1 4.4 3.6 2.9 4.6 2.0 3.4 3.6 Dec 2011 4.2 3.0 3.0 2.2 4.7 3.9 3.0 5.1 1.9 3.6 3.7 Jan 2012 4.2 3.2 3.1 2.2 5.2 4.0 3.2 5.3 2.3 3.8 3.7 Feb 2012 4.1 3.4 3.0 2.5 5.5 4.3 3.3 5.0 2.1 3.9 3.7 Mar 2012 4.0 3.4 2.9 2.3 5.2 4.1 3.1 4.7 2.2 3.7 3.5 Apr 2012 3.8 3.3 2.7 2.2 4.2 3.7 2.7 4.4 1.9 3.4 3.3 May 2012 3.6 2.9 2.6 1.9 4.1 3.4 2.6 4.0 1.7 3.1 3.1 Jun 2012 3.8 2.5 2.6 1.9 4.1 3.4 2.6 3.6 1.6 3.2 3.1 Jul 2012 4.1 2.6 2.7 1.9 4.5 3.6 3.0 3.8 1.8 3.4 3.3 Aug 2012 4.2 2.4 2.6 1.8 4.5 3.4 3.0 3.6 1.8 3.3 3.4 Sep 2012 3.9 2.5 2.6 1.8 4.5 3.2 2.9 3.6 1.7 3.2 3.2 Oct 2012 3.8 2.3 2.4 1.8 4.3 3.0 2.7 3.2 1.6 3.0 3.0 Nov 2012 3.7 2.8 2.5 2.0 4.5 3.2 2.6 3.6 1.7 3.1 3.0 Dec 2012 3.7 3.0 2.6 2.1 4.4 3.4 2.7 3.7 1.5 3.2 3.2 Jan 2013 3.7 3.1 2.7 2.2 5.0 3.5 3.1 4.2 1.8 3.4 3.4 Feb 2013 4.0 3.2 2.9 2.4 4.8 3.6 3.4 4.2 1.9 3.6 3.4 Mar 2013 3.8 3.3 2.6 2.3 4.4 3.2 3.5 4.3 2.0 3.4 3.2 Apr 2013 3.7 3.2 2.5 2.2 3.8 3.0 3.3 3.8 1.9 3.1 2.9 May 2013 3.5 2.7 2.4 1.9 3.5 2.9 3.1 3.4 1.6 2.9 2.7 Jun 2013 3.5 2.2 2.4 1.7 3.2 3.1 3.0 3.3 1.6 3.0 2.7 Jul 2013 3.9 2.1 2.5 1.8 3.2 3.4 3.2 3.6 1.6 3.1 2.9 Aug 2013 3.6 2.0 2.4 1.7 3.1 3.3 3.2 3.7 1.4 3.0 2.9 Sep 2013 3.5 2.1 2.2 1.8 3.0 3.1 2.9 3.4 1.5 2.9 2.8 Oct 2013 3.3 2.1 2.0 1.7 2.9 2.9 2.7 3.3 1.4 2.7 2.5 Nov 2013 3.2 2.2 2.1 1.7 2.7 2.9 2.6 3.3 1.5 2.6 2.5 Dec 2013 3.3 2.1 2.1 1.6 2.9 3.0 2.7 3.8 1.3 2.7 2.6 Jan 2014 3.3 2.3 2.3 1.8 3.2 3.2 2.7 3.9 1.5 2.9 2.7 Feb 2014 3.4 2.6 2.3 1.9 3.2 3.2 2.7 3.7 1.5 2.9 2.7 Mar 2014 3.2 3.0 2.2 2.1 3.0 3.0 2.8 3.7 1.8 2.8 2.6 Apr 2014 2.8 2.5 1.9 1.8 2.6 2.6 2.4 3.2 1.5 2.4 2.2 May 2014 2.5 2.1 1.7 1.6 2.4 2.2 2.2 3.0 1.3 2.2 2.0 Jun 2014 2.4 1.7 1.6 1.4 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.6 1.1 2.0 1.9 Jul 2014 2.6 1.5 1.7 1.3 2.4 2.3 2.0 2.5 1.1 2.1 2.0 Aug 2014 2.5 1.5 1.6 1.2 2.4 2.3 1.9 2.3 1.1 2.0 1.9 Sep 2014 2.4 1.6 1.5 1.1 2.4 2.2 1.8 2.3 1.2 2.0 1.9 Oct 2014 2.2 1.6 1.3 1.1 2.2 2.0 1.6 2.3 1.0 1.8 1.7 Nov 2014 2.2 1.7 1.4 1.2 2.3 2.1 1.6 2.5 1.1 1.9 1.8 Dec 2014 2.3 1.5 1.3 1.2 2.6 2.2 1.6 2.4 1.0 1.9 1.8 Jan 2015 2.4 1.8 1.4 1.3 2.9 2.2 1.7 2.7 1.1 2.0 1.9 Feb 2015 2.5 1.8 1.4 1.3 2.6 2.1 1.6 2.6 1.1 1.9 1.8 Mar 2015 2.5 1.9 1.4 1.3 2.4 2.0 1.7 2.6 1.2 1.9 1.7 Apr 2015 2.4 1.6 1.2 1.2 2.1 1.9 1.5 2.2 1.2 1.7 1.6 May 2015 2.2 1.3 1.1 1.1 2.0 1.8 1.4 1.9 1.0 1.6 1.5 Jun 2015 2.1 1.2 1.2 1.1 2.0 1.8 1.4 1.8 1.0 1.6 1.5 Jul 2015 2.0 1.0 1.3 1.0 2.1 1.7 1.6 1.8 0.8 1.6 1.5 Aug 2015 2.1 1.0 1.3 0.9 2.2 1.7 1.5 1.9 0.9 1.6 1.5 Sep 2015 1.9 1.0 1.2 0.9 2.0 1.5 1.4 1.7 0.8 1.5 1.4 Oct 2015 1.8 1.0 1.0 0.8 1.8 1.5 1.3 1.6 0.8 1.4 1.3 Nov 2015 1.7 1.1 1.0 0.8 1.7 1.4 1.3 1.5 0.8 1.4 1.3 Dec 2015 1.7 1.0 1.0 0.8 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.5 0.7 1.4 1.4 Jan 2016 1.7 1.1 1.1 0.8 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.7 0.8 1.5 1.4 Feb 2016 1.9 1.2 1.2 0.9 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.8 0.8 1.6 1.5 Mar 2016 1.9 1.3 1.2 1.0 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.0 1.6 1.4 Apr 2016 1.8 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.6 1.0 1.5 1.3 May 2016 1.7 0.9 1.0 0.9 1.5 1.3 1.7 1.5 0.9 1.4 1.2 Jun 2016 1.6 0.8 1.0 0.8 1.6 1.2 1.8 1.5 0.8 1.4 1.3 Jul 2016 1.6 0.8 1.0 0.8 1.6 1.3 1.8 1.5 0.7 1.4 1.3 Aug 2016 1.7 0.8 0.9 0.7 1.6 1.3 1.7 1.5 0.7 1.4 1.4 Sep 2016 1.6 0.8 0.9 0.7 1.5 1.3 1.5 1.4 0.7 1.3 1.3 Oct 2016 1.6 0.8 0.8 0.7 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.3 0.8 1.3 1.3 Nov 2016 1.5 0.9 0.8 0.7 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 0.7 1.2 1.3 Dec 2016 1.4 0.9 0.8 0.7 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.4 0.7 1.2 1.3 Jan 2017 1.5 1.0 0.9 0.8 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.5 0.8 1.3 1.4 Feb 2017 1.5 1.1 1.0 0.9 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.4 0.8 1.4 1.4 Mar 2017 1.5 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.0 1.4 1.4 Apr 2017 1.3 1.0 0.9 0.8 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1 0.8 1.2 1.2 May 2017 1.2 0.9 0.9 0.7 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.0 0.7 1.1 1.1 Jun 2017 1.2 0.8 0.9 0.7 1.3 1.2 1.2 0.9 0.7 1.1 1.1 Jul 2017 1.4 0.7 1.0 0.7 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.1 0.6 1.2 1.1 Aug 2017 1.4 0.7 0.9 0.7 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.1 0.6 1.2 1.1 Sep 2017 1.3 0.7 0.9 0.7 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.1 0.6 1.2 1.1 Oct 2017 1.2 0.7 0.8 0.6 1.2 1.3 1.0 1.0 0.6 1.1 1.0 Nov 2017 1.2 0.8 0.8 0.6 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.1 0.6 1.1 1.0 Dec 2017 1.2 0.7 0.8 0.6 1.1 1.2 1.0 1.1 0.5 1.1 1.0 Jan 2018 1.4 0.8 1.0 0.6 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.3 0.6 1.2 1.1 Feb 2018 1.5 0.8 1.1 0.7 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.3 0.6 1.2 1.1 Mar 2018 1.5 0.9 1.1 0.8 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.2 0.8 1.2 1.1 Apr 2018 1.4 0.8 0.9 0.7 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.0 0.7 1.0 1.0 May 2018 1.2 0.7 0.8 0.6 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.7 0.9 0.9 Jun 2018 1.1 0.6 0.8 0.5 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.9 0.8 Jul 2018 1.2 0.6 0.8 0.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.5 0.9 0.9 Aug 2018 1.1 0.6 0.8 0.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.4 0.9 0.9 Sep 2018 1.0 0.6 0.7 0.5 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.4 0.9 0.8 Oct 2018 1.0 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.5 0.8 0.8 Nov 2018 0.9 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.5 0.8 0.8 Dec 2018 1.0 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.4 0.8 0.8

Trends in hiring: Northeast

JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. As chart 3 shows, hires rates in the Northeast region are lower than the U.S. average for most of the JOLTS series. However, all states in the Northeast do not trend lower than the U.S. average. Maine, with more extreme seasonal employment patterns, has very high levels of hires in the summer months. In contrast, New Jersey experiences less seasonal change and has hiring rate patterns more in line with the Northeastern region. Chart 3 illustrates how aggregate regional JOLTS estimates do not always reveal the large seasonal patterns that some states experience.

View Chart Data Chart 3. Hires rates in the United States, Northeast Region, and select Northeastern states, June 2004December 2018, not seasonally adjusted Date Connecticut Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Rhode Island Vermont Northeast United States Jun 2004 3.5 6.1 3.9 5.0 3.9 3.5 4.5 4.7 5.4 4.0 4.3 Jul 2004 3.5 6.0 3.9 5.1 4.3 3.6 4.0 4.5 5.3 3.9 4.2 Aug 2004 3.5 5.6 4.1 4.9 3.9 3.6 4.1 4.4 5.4 3.9 4.2 Sep 2004 3.9 4.5 4.1 4.8 3.8 3.6 4.1 4.5 5.1 3.9 4.1 Oct 2004 3.9 4.3 4.3 4.6 3.8 3.6 4.2 4.4 5.0 3.9 4.1 Nov 2004 3.9 4.1 4.0 4.3 4.0 3.6 3.8 4.1 4.6 3.8 3.9 Dec 2004 3.5 3.8 3.2 3.9 3.5 3.2 3.2 3.5 5.0 3.3 3.5 Jan 2005 3.5 3.6 2.9 3.9 3.2 3.0 3.1 3.3 5.1 3.1 3.4 Feb 2005 3.2 3.1 2.6 3.6 3.1 2.7 3.0 3.2 4.7 2.9 3.3 Mar 2005 3.1 3.2 2.8 3.7 3.3 2.8 3.4 3.4 3.8 3.1 3.6 Apr 2005 3.2 3.6 3.1 4.0 3.6 3.0 3.8 3.9 3.7 3.3 3.8 May 2005 3.3 4.8 3.6 4.8 3.9 3.4 4.2 4.3 4.6 3.8 4.1 Jun 2005 3.7 5.9 4.4 5.5 4.4 3.7 4.2 4.7 5.4 4.1 4.4 Jul 2005 3.6 6.1 4.3 5.5 4.7 3.7 3.9 4.5 5.6 4.1 4.4 Aug 2005 3.6 5.5 4.0 5.3 4.6 3.7 3.9 4.5 5.3 4.0 4.4 Sep 2005 3.8 4.6 3.5 5.2 4.5 3.9 3.9 4.6 5.0 4.0 4.3 Oct 2005 3.5 4.0 3.4 4.7 4.0 3.8 3.8 4.3 4.6 3.8 4.2 Nov 2005 3.3 3.8 3.4 4.4 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.9 4.1 3.6 3.9 Dec 2005 2.6 3.4 2.7 3.6 3.0 2.8 2.8 3.0 3.9 2.9 3.5 Jan 2006 3.0 3.3 2.6 3.8 2.9 2.6 2.8 2.7 4.4 2.8 3.4 Feb 2006 2.9 3.1 2.4 3.6 2.7 2.4 2.8 2.7 4.6 2.6 3.4 Mar 2006 3.2 3.3 2.6 3.9 3.3 2.6 3.2 3.0 4.2 3.0 3.7 Apr 2006 3.1 3.6 3.1 4.0 3.3 3.0 3.4 3.7 3.9 3.2 3.8 May 2006 3.7 4.4 3.5 4.6 3.8 3.5 3.7 4.2 4.4 3.7 4.1 Jun 2006 3.7 5.4 4.1 5.2 3.5 3.8 3.9 4.7 5.2 3.9 4.4 Jul 2006 3.9 5.7 4.1 5.4 4.0 3.8 4.1 4.6 5.3 4.0 4.4 Aug 2006 3.7 5.3 4.0 5.1 3.9 3.5 4.0 4.6 5.2 3.9 4.4 Sep 2006 3.8 4.5 3.8 4.8 4.0 3.5 4.1 4.6 4.7 3.8 4.3 Oct 2006 3.5 3.8 3.6 4.3 3.7 3.2 3.8 4.1 4.3 3.6 4.2 Nov 2006 3.2 3.6 3.4 3.8 3.5 3.1 3.5 3.8 3.7 3.4 3.9 Dec 2006 2.8 3.3 2.8 3.4 3.2 2.7 3.1 3.1 3.8 2.9 3.5 Jan 2007 2.7 3.6 2.7 3.7 2.9 2.6 3.1 3.0 4.0 2.8 3.4 Feb 2007 2.7 3.1 2.6 3.4 2.5 2.4 2.8 2.7 3.8 2.6 3.3 Mar 2007 2.9 3.2 2.7 3.4 2.8 2.5 3.1 2.9 3.3 2.8 3.6 Apr 2007 2.9 3.1 2.8 3.3 3.2 2.8 3.0 3.3 3.2 3.0 3.7 May 2007 3.2 3.9 3.2 4.1 3.7 3.2 3.3 3.6 4.0 3.4 4.1 Jun 2007 3.4 4.7 3.5 4.9 3.9 3.5 3.3 4.0 4.7 3.6 4.3 Jul 2007 3.6 5.0 3.7 5.2 3.8 3.5 3.6 4.0 5.2 3.7 4.3 Aug 2007 3.7 4.8 3.7 5.2 3.8 3.4 3.8 4.2 5.3 3.7 4.3 Sep 2007 3.8 4.2 3.4 4.8 3.9 3.4 4.0 4.1 4.9 3.7 4.2 Oct 2007 3.5 3.8 3.1 4.4 3.8 3.2 3.7 3.9 4.4 3.5 4.1 Nov 2007 3.2 3.7 3.0 4.1 3.5 3.1 3.5 3.6 4.0 3.3 3.8 Dec 2007 2.8 3.4 2.9 3.7 3.0 2.7 3.3 3.1 4.2 3.0 3.4 Jan 2008 2.7 3.3 2.8 3.6 3.0 2.5 3.1 3.8 4.5 2.9 3.2 Feb 2008 2.4 2.9 2.4 3.1 2.8 2.3 2.7 3.5 4.1 2.6 3.1 Mar 2008 2.6 2.9 2.5 3.2 3.0 2.5 2.7 3.6 3.6 2.7 3.3 Apr 2008 2.9 3.3 2.8 3.4 3.2 2.7 2.9 3.5 3.3 2.9 3.4 May 2008 3.1 4.2 3.1 4.1 3.5 3.0 3.1 3.8 4.0 3.2 3.7 Jun 2008 3.3 4.9 3.2 4.4 3.9 3.5 3.0 4.2 4.6 3.5 3.9 Jul 2008 3.1 4.9 3.0 4.5 4.0 3.6 3.0 3.8 4.6 3.5 3.8 Aug 2008 3.2 4.5 3.1 4.5 4.0 3.4 3.1 4.0 4.6 3.5 3.8 Sep 2008 3.1 3.9 3.1 4.2 3.9 3.1 3.0 3.8 4.3 3.3 3.6 Oct 2008 3.1 3.7 3.0 3.8 3.8 2.9 2.9 3.7 4.2 3.1 3.6 Nov 2008 2.9 3.4 2.7 3.3 3.3 2.7 2.5 3.2 3.4 2.8 3.2 Dec 2008 2.5 3.0 2.4 2.9 2.6 2.3 2.1 2.6 3.4 2.4 2.8 Jan 2009 2.5 2.8 2.2 3.3 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.5 3.3 2.3 2.7 Feb 2009 2.3 2.7 2.2 3.3 2.3 2.1 2.5 2.6 3.4 2.3 2.6 Mar 2009 2.4 2.8 2.3 3.3 2.4 2.2 2.8 2.7 3.0 2.5 2.7 Apr 2009 2.5 3.3 2.6 3.3 3.0 2.2 2.8 3.1 3.1 2.7 2.8 May 2009 2.9 4.0 2.7 3.8 3.2 2.5 2.9 3.4 3.8 2.9 3.0 Jun 2009 3.2 4.7 3.1 4.3 3.6 2.9 3.1 4.0 4.5 3.2 3.2 Jul 2009 3.2 5.0 3.1 4.1 3.5 3.0 3.1 3.8 4.5 3.2 3.2 Aug 2009 3.2 4.5 3.5 4.1 3.4 3.1 3.1 3.7 4.3 3.3 3.3 Sep 2009 3.0 3.9 3.3 3.7 3.3 3.1 2.9 3.4 3.8 3.1 3.2 Oct 2009 2.9 3.4 3.3 3.8 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.4 3.8 3.1 3.2 Nov 2009 2.8 3.4 2.8 3.5 2.8 3.0 2.8 3.2 3.5 2.9 3.0 Dec 2009 2.5 3.3 2.4 3.2 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.7 3.7 2.6 2.7 Jan 2010 2.5 3.2 2.2 2.9 2.5 2.4 2.7 2.6 3.5 2.5 2.6 Feb 2010 2.4 2.8 1.9 2.8 2.5 2.2 2.5 2.4 3.4 2.3 2.5 Mar 2010 2.5 3.1 2.2 3.1 2.8 2.3 2.8 2.7 3.0 2.6 2.8 Apr 2010 2.9 3.5 2.3 3.5 2.8 2.4 2.8 3.1 3.2 2.7 3.0 May 2010 3.5 4.6 2.9 4.3 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.7 3.8 3.2 3.4 Jun 2010 3.6 5.2 3.3 4.6 2.9 3.6 3.4 4.1 4.4 3.5 3.6 Jul 2010 3.3 5.2 3.4 4.7 2.9 3.9 3.5 4.0 4.8 3.6 3.6 Aug 2010 2.9 4.6 3.3 4.3 2.9 3.6 3.3 3.8 4.5 3.4 3.5 Sep 2010 3.0 3.9 3.1 4.0 3.0 3.6 3.1 3.7 4.3 3.3 3.4 Oct 2010 2.7 3.3 3.0 3.6 2.8 3.5 3.0 3.4 3.9 3.2 3.3 Nov 2010 2.5 3.1 2.7 3.4 2.8 3.4 2.9 3.2 3.8 3.0 3.1 Dec 2010 2.2 2.8 2.4 3.1 2.3 2.8 2.6 2.6 4.0 2.6 2.8 Jan 2011 2.1 2.8 2.4 3.1 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.5 3.8 2.4 2.7 Feb 2011 2.0 2.5 2.3 2.9 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.5 3.5 2.3 2.7 Mar 2011 2.1 2.7 2.5 3.0 2.7 2.3 2.8 2.9 3.0 2.5 2.9 Apr 2011 2.3 2.9 2.7 3.0 2.8 2.5 3.2 3.3 3.3 2.8 3.1 May 2011 2.7 3.8 3.0 3.4 2.8 3.2 3.5 3.6 4.0 3.2 3.5 Jun 2011 3.1 4.5 3.4 3.9 2.9 3.4 3.5 3.9 4.8 3.4 3.7 Jul 2011 3.3 4.8 3.2 4.0 3.0 3.9 3.2 3.8 5.0 3.5 3.7 Aug 2011 3.1 4.3 3.4 4.0 3.1 3.6 3.0 3.7 4.7 3.3 3.7 Sep 2011 2.7 3.6 3.1 3.6 3.0 3.5 2.9 3.5 4.2 3.2 3.5 Oct 2011 2.4 3.3 3.0 3.3 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.3 3.9 3.0 3.5 Nov 2011 2.3 3.0 2.7 3.2 2.8 2.8 3.0 3.1 3.8 2.8 3.3 Dec 2011 2.0 2.8 2.3 3.0 2.3 2.4 2.8 2.6 3.7 2.5 2.9 Jan 2012 2.1 2.8 2.3 3.3 2.3 2.5 2.7 2.8 3.6 2.5 2.8 Feb 2012 2.1 2.8 2.3 3.1 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.8 3.4 2.5 2.8 Mar 2012 2.5 2.9 2.5 3.1 2.6 2.7 2.5 3.0 3.1 2.7 3.1 Apr 2012 2.6 2.9 2.4 3.0 2.7 2.7 2.6 3.0 3.5 2.7 3.2 May 2012 2.8 3.6 2.7 3.6 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.3 4.0 2.9 3.5 Jun 2012 2.9 4.6 3.1 4.4 3.6 3.0 3.2 3.9 4.7 3.2 3.7 Jul 2012 2.8 4.7 3.3 4.3 3.5 3.3 3.2 3.9 4.5 3.3 3.7 Aug 2012 2.7 4.3 3.1 4.2 3.4 3.3 3.1 3.8 4.4 3.3 3.7 Sep 2012 2.7 3.5 2.7 3.8 3.0 3.6 3.1 3.8 3.9 3.2 3.5 Oct 2012 2.5 3.2 2.5 3.4 2.8 3.4 2.9 3.5 3.5 3.0 3.5 Nov 2012 2.4 3.0 2.6 3.2 2.6 3.2 2.9 3.3 3.4 2.9 3.2 Dec 2012 2.0 2.7 2.2 2.9 2.3 2.6 2.6 2.6 3.4 2.5 2.9 Jan 2013 2.2 2.7 2.2 3.2 2.4 2.4 2.9 2.7 3.5 2.5 2.9 Feb 2013 2.1 2.6 2.1 3.1 2.3 2.2 2.7 2.5 3.3 2.3 2.8 Mar 2013 2.4 2.8 2.3 3.1 2.3 2.4 3.0 2.7 3.1 2.5 3.0 Apr 2013 2.4 3.0 2.9 3.0 2.5 2.8 2.8 3.0 3.2 2.7 3.2 May 2013 2.6 4.0 3.1 3.6 3.0 3.0 3.3 3.5 3.8 3.1 3.5 Jun 2013 2.8 4.7 3.4 4.2 3.7 3.2 3.2 3.8 4.2 3.3 3.7 Jul 2013 2.9 4.9 3.2 4.3 3.6 3.2 3.3 3.7 4.4 3.3 3.7 Aug 2013 3.0 4.2 3.2 4.2 3.4 3.1 3.2 3.6 4.3 3.2 3.7 Sep 2013 2.8 3.5 3.1 3.8 3.0 3.2 3.2 3.5 4.0 3.1 3.7 Oct 2013 2.5 3.1 3.0 3.5 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.3 3.8 3.0 3.6 Nov 2013 2.2 2.9 2.9 3.3 2.9 2.8 3.1 3.0 3.4 2.8 3.4 Dec 2013 2.0 2.8 2.6 3.1 2.4 2.2 2.8 2.5 3.3 2.4 3.0 Jan 2014 2.0 2.9 2.6 3.1 2.2 2.0 2.8 2.4 3.4 2.3 2.9 Feb 2014 1.9 2.7 2.3 2.7 2.0 1.8 2.7 2.5 3.2 2.2 2.8 Mar 2014 2.1 2.6 2.4 2.6 2.4 2.1 2.9 2.8 3.0 2.4 3.1 Apr 2014 2.2 2.7 3.1 2.7 2.5 2.4 2.9 3.0 3.0 2.6 3.3 May 2014 2.5 3.7 3.5 3.5 2.9 2.7 3.4 3.4 3.7 3.0 3.7 Jun 2014 2.7 4.6 3.9 4.3 3.1 2.8 3.6 3.7 4.3 3.2 3.9 Jul 2014 2.8 4.7 3.4 4.5 3.4 2.8 3.6 3.7 4.4 3.2 3.9 Aug 2014 2.8 4.1 3.2 4.3 3.3 2.7 3.5 3.6 4.1 3.1 3.9 Sep 2014 3.1 3.7 3.3 4.3 3.3 2.9 3.5 3.7 3.8 3.2 3.8 Oct 2014 3.1 3.3 3.2 4.2 3.2 2.8 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.1 3.8 Nov 2014 2.9 3.3 3.0 4.1 3.2 2.8 3.5 3.2 3.5 3.1 3.7 Dec 2014 2.6 3.0 2.4 3.8 2.7 2.3 3.1 2.8 4.0 2.7 3.3 Jan 2015 2.4 2.9 2.3 3.6 2.4 2.2 3.0 2.6 4.2 2.5 3.2 Feb 2015 2.4 2.9 2.3 3.5 2.7 2.1 2.9 2.6 4.0 2.5 3.1 Mar 2015 2.3 3.0 2.7 3.2 3.3 2.4 3.1 2.9 3.4 2.8 3.3 Apr 2015 2.5 3.4 2.8 3.2 3.5 2.7 3.3 3.5 3.2 3.0 3.5 May 2015 2.7 4.2 3.1 3.7 3.4 2.9 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.3 3.8 Jun 2015 2.9 4.9 3.0 4.0 3.3 3.2 4.0 4.0 4.4 3.4 4.0 Jul 2015 3.1 5.2 3.0 4.3 3.3 3.3 3.9 3.8 5.0 3.4 4.0 Aug 2015 3.4 4.7 2.9 4.3 3.2 3.4 3.7 3.6 4.9 3.4 4.0 Sep 2015 3.6 4.0 3.0 4.1 3.4 3.3 3.8 3.7 4.6 3.4 3.9 Oct 2015 3.4 3.5 3.0 3.9 3.5 3.2 3.8 3.6 4.2 3.4 3.9 Nov 2015 3.2 3.3 2.8 3.9 3.4 3.1 3.8 3.6 4.0 3.3 3.7 Dec 2015 2.7 3.5 2.7 3.8 2.9 2.8 3.3 3.1 4.3 2.9 3.4 Jan 2016 2.6 3.5 2.6 3.8 2.6 2.5 3.3 3.0 4.2 2.8 3.3 Feb 2016 2.4 3.3 2.5 3.3 2.4 2.4 3.1 2.8 3.9 2.6 3.2 Mar 2016 2.7 3.3 2.5 3.2 2.5 2.6 3.2 3.0 3.4 2.8 3.4 Apr 2016 3.0 3.8 2.7 3.3 2.6 2.9 3.3 3.3 3.5 2.9 3.6 May 2016 3.2 4.6 3.1 3.7 2.8 3.2 3.4 3.7 3.9 3.2 3.8 Jun 2016 3.3 5.3 3.7 4.2 3.2 3.5 3.6 4.1 4.7 3.5 4.0 Jul 2016 3.2 5.1 3.7 4.4 3.3 3.6 3.6 3.9 5.1 3.6 4.1 Aug 2016 3.6 4.6 3.8 4.6 3.3 3.5 3.6 4.0 5.0 3.6 4.1 Sep 2016 3.6 3.9 3.8 4.3 3.1 3.3 3.7 3.9 4.5 3.5 3.9 Oct 2016 3.4 3.6 3.8 4.0 3.2 3.1 3.8 3.9 4.1 3.4 3.9 Nov 2016 3.1 3.3 3.7 3.6 3.0 2.9 3.8 3.5 3.7 3.2 3.6 Dec 2016 2.8 3.3 3.2 3.5 2.6 2.7 3.3 3.1 4.0 2.9 3.3 Jan 2017 2.9 3.3 3.0 3.5 2.4 2.7 3.1 3.1 4.0 2.9 3.3 Feb 2017 2.7 3.1 2.7 3.2 2.3 2.7 3.0 3.1 3.8 2.7 3.1 Mar 2017 2.8 3.2 2.6 3.3 2.4 2.8 3.3 3.2 3.2 2.9 3.4 Apr 2017 3.2 3.5 2.5 3.4 2.7 2.8 3.9 3.8 3.6 3.1 3.5 May 2017 4.0 4.7 2.9 4.2 3.1 3.2 4.7 4.4 4.6 3.6 3.8 Jun 2017 4.3 5.5 3.3 4.7 3.4 3.4 5.0 4.9 5.5 3.9 4.1 Jul 2017 3.9 5.5 3.7 4.9 3.6 3.5 4.5 4.7 6.3 3.9 4.2 Aug 2017 3.2 4.6 3.5 4.6 3.4 3.3 4.0 4.4 5.7 3.6 4.2 Sep 2017 3.1 3.6 3.1 4.2 3.4 3.2 3.7 4.0 4.9 3.4 4.0 Oct 2017 3.2 3.2 3.0 4.2 3.4 3.2 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.4 4.0 Nov 2017 3.3 3.4 2.9 4.0 3.3 3.0 3.6 3.5 3.8 3.2 3.7 Dec 2017 2.8 3.3 2.6 3.8 2.9 2.6 3.0 3.1 3.8 2.8 3.4 Jan 2018 2.5 3.4 2.4 3.8 2.4 2.3 2.9 2.6 3.4 2.5 3.2 Feb 2018 2.2 3.0 2.2 3.5 2.3 2.3 2.8 2.7 3.2 2.4 3.2 Mar 2018 2.4 3.1 2.5 3.4 2.4 2.4 3.4 3.2 3.1 2.7 3.5 Apr 2018 2.6 3.7 2.6 3.5 2.8 2.6 3.6 3.7 3.4 2.9 3.6 May 2018 3.2 4.8 3.2 4.1 3.3 3.0 3.9 4.3 4.2 3.4 4.0 Jun 2018 3.6 6.3 3.7 5.0 4.0 3.5 4.0 4.8 5.2 3.8 4.3 Jul 2018 3.5 6.4 3.9 5.1 4.0 3.9 4.0 4.8 6.4 4.0 4.4 Aug 2018 3.4 5.7 3.6 5.1 3.8 3.7 4.1 4.6 6.1 3.9 4.3 Sep 2018 3.2 4.2 3.4 4.2 3.4 3.5 3.7 4.2 5.1 3.6 4.1 Oct 2018 3.2 3.5 3.3 3.7 3.4 3.1 3.4 3.9 4.0 3.3 4.1 Nov 2018 3.1 3.3 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.0 3.1 3.6 3.8 3.2 3.9 Dec 2018 2.8 3.2 3.1 3.3 3.1 2.6 2.8 3.2 4.1 2.9 3.5

Trends in separations: Northeast

Trends in separations often mirror the trends in hires. States with higher seasonal hiring patterns, such as Maine, also tend to exhibit higher seasonal separations patterns. JOLTS defines separations as the number of employees separated from the payroll during the month. Total separations are composed of quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Other separations are not published with the release of experimental state estimates as they are a minor portion of total separations.

Quits, a component of total separations, are voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Quits can show employee confidence in the labor market. Employees tend to quit their jobs more frequently when they are confident they can find another one. At the U.S. level, quits increased by 6 percent from 2017 to 2018. Table 1 shows that New Jersey and Maine experienced increases, but many Northeast states saw decreases over the year. Rhode Island and Vermont had no change in quits levels between 2017 and 2018.

Table 1. Quits levels in the United States, Northeast region, and Northeastern States in 2017 and 2018, not seasonally adjusted, levels in thousands Area Level by year Over-the-year change 2017 2018 Percent United States 37,529 39,876 6 Northeast 5,415 5,377 -1 Connecticut 336 305 -9 Maine 144 150 4 Massachusetts 660 650 -2 New Hampshire 179 166 -7 New Jersey 755 828 10 New York 1,722 1,710 -1 Pennsylvania 1,418 1,372 -3 Rhode Island 115 115 0 Vermont 82 82 0

Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the employer. At the U.S. level, layoffs and discharges increased by 1 percent from 2017 to 2018. However, during this time the Northeast region experienced a 4-percent decrease in layoffs and discharges. Within the Northeast region, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts experienced large decreases in layoffs and discharges from 2017 to 2018. New York, Maine, and New Hampshire were the only states in the Northeast in which layoffs and discharges increased from 2017 to 2018.

Table 2. Layoffs and discharges levels in the United States, Northeast region, and Northeastern states in 2017 and 2018, not seasonally adjusted, levels in thousands Area Level by year Over-the-year change 2017 2018 Percent United States 21,597 21,846 1 Northeast 4,149 3,970 -4 Connecticut 268 219 -18 Maine 120 126 5 Massachusetts 520 462 -11 New Hampshire 119 123 3 New Jersey 578 568 -2 New York 1,312 1,405 7 Pennsylvania 1,084 928 -14 Rhode Island 88 84 -5 Vermont 61 58 -5

Trends in churn rates: Northeast

The churn rate is defined in this article as the sum of the hires rate and the separations rate. A high churn rate indicates a labor market with high hires, high separations, or both. And it can signify more frequent job-to-job movement of workers in the labor market. Conversely, a low churn rate indicates a labor market with low hires, low separations, or both. The only states with 2018 churn rates higher than the U.S. average were Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire. (See chart 4.) As shown by the data above, these states tend to have more seasonal employment patterns, which can lead to more frequent job-to-job movement. Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts had the lowest churn rates in 2018.

View Chart Data Chart 4. Average monthly churn, hires, and separations rates in United States, Northeast region, and Northeastern states in 2018, not seasonally adjusted Area Hires Separations Connecticut 3.0 2.8 New York 3.0 2.9 Massachusetts 3.1 2.8 New Jersey 3.2 3.0 Northeast 3.2 3.1 Pennsylvania 3.5 3.4 Rhode Island 3.8 3.6 United States 3.8 3.7 New Hampshire 4.0 3.8 Maine 4.2 3.9 Vermont 4.3 4.0

Trends in fill rates: Northeast

The fill rate is used to evaluate how employers differ in the rate that open jobs are filled. The annual fill rate is the ratio of hires to job openings over the year. An annual fill rate near or above 1.0 can indicate that employers are more efficient at filling job openings over the year. On the other hand, an annual fill rate less than 1.0 can indicate a tighter labor market, with employers having difficulties filling job openings. Table 3 shows that from 2017 to 2018, fill rates declined for the nation, Northeast region, and all Northeastern states except for Massachusetts. In both years, New Hampshire had the highest annual fill rate of the Northeastern states. Massachusetts had the lowest in 2017 and New Jersey had the lowest in 2018.

Table 3. Annual average fill rates in the United States, Northeast region, and Northeastern states in 2017 and 2018, not seasonally adjusted Area Fill rate by year Over-the-year change 2017 2018 United States 0.90 0.81 -0.09 Northeast 0.82 0.73 -0.09 Connecticut 0.82 0.75 -0.07 Maine 0.87 0.80 -0.07 Massachusetts 0.70 0.71 0.00 New Hampshire 0.95 0.82 -0.13 New Jersey 0.80 0.70 -0.09 New York 0.85 0.74 -0.11 Pennsylvania 0.84 0.72 -0.12 Rhode Island 0.88 0.78 -0.10 Vermont 0.91 0.80 -0.11

Conclusion

JOLTS experimental state estimates allow for economic comparisons among states, regionally and nationally. The analyses in this article show differing labor trends between states within the Northeast region. Through job openings, hires, and separations and other measures such as churn rate and fill rate, JOLTS experimental state estimates provide valuable information about labor demand, labor turnover, and business cycles. JOLTS state-level estimates allow researchers and policymakers to better understand state-level economies, and help businesses and workers make better informed decisions at a more granular level than national and regional estimates. State estimates can also be useful to those seeking employment opportunities as this information can help jobseekers evaluate labor market opportunities across states.

The JOLTS program invites your comments on the experimental state estimates. Please visit our website at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata.htm, call us at (202) 691-5870, or email us at JoltsInfo@bls.gov.

This Beyond the Numbers article was prepared by Hope Allen and Larry Akinyooye, economists in the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Program, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Telephone: (202) 691-5870. Contact the JOLTS program directly by completing the form at https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/forms/jlt?/jlt/home.htm.

Information in this article will be made available upon request to individuals with sensory impairments. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200. Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339. This article is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission.
Barr, Wray Among Federal Officials Urging Public to Be on Watch for Election Interference

Attorney General William Barr, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and other top officials in President Donald Trumps administration urged Americans to be on the watch for election interference ahead of the upcoming presidential elections.

Election season is in full swing, and Americans have already begun to cast their votes in the 2020 presidential primaries. As we exercise this precious right, we must be mindful that foreign interference and malign influence in our elections are still threats to our democracy, the officials wrote in an op-ed published in USA Today on Wednesday.

Combating these threats requires a whole-of-society approach that deserves the attention of all Americans. While these threats to our elections are perennial, our efforts to defend our democracy are unwavering. As leaders of our government, we are committed to defending our democracy, but we need your help, too.

No activity designed to prevent voting or change votes has been detected but officials are looking out for any malicious activities from foreign actors like Russia, China, and Iran.

States have plans in place to prevent interference and federal agencies are providing information and support.

The officials said Americans should participate in the election process, engaging with local and state officials and potentially volunteering as a poll worker, while avoiding untrusted sources of information about elections.

Candidates, election officials, and others involved in elections should report suspicious cyber activity. And, the officials said, everyone should be cautious of foreign governments trying to shape public opinion and voter perceptions through hacking, revealing private information, and spreading disinformation.

Efforts include sharing information with technology companies, including social media companies, and being aware that foreign adversaries are attempting to spread information that discredits some lawmakers and views.

We cannot prevent all disinformation, foreign propaganda or cyberattacks on our infrastructure. However, together, we can all help to mitigate these threats by exercising care when we share information and by maintaining good cyber hygiene to reduce the risks that malicious cyberattacks will succeed, the officials wrote.

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies at a hearing in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee in Congress in Washington on Jan. 29, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Barr and Wray were joined by Joseph Maguire, director of the National Counterterrorism Center; Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security; and Christopher Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Wray, testifying to the House Judiciary Committee earlier this month, said that interference attempts by Russia never stopped.

While I dont think weve seen any ongoing efforts to target election infrastructure like we did in 2016, we certainly are seeing and have never stopped seeing, really, since 2016 efforts to engage in malign foreign influence by the Russians, he told lawmakers.

Still, officials have said previously that theres no evidence any votes in 2016 or 2018 were changed through foreign interference.

Lawmakers also asked Wray about the unsubstantiated dossier that ex-British spy Christopher Steele promoted among government officials, leading to a years-long special counsel investigation into the Trump campaigns contacts with Russia. A number of Steeles sources were Russian.

Seems to me a big part of the Russian interference was the idea that a document  the information came from Russia and and Christopher Steele put together, is scary, said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

Wray replied that U.S. Attorney John Durhams investigation is looking at, among other things, the origins of the Crossfire Hurricane probe.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday announced measures to end a programme that allowed foreign countries to send imams and teachers to France in a bid to crack down on what he called the risk of "separatism".

During a visit to the eastern French city of Mulhouse, Macron said the government sought to combat foreign interference in how Islam is practiced and the way its religious institutions are organised.



"A problem arises when, in the name of religion, some want to separate themselves from the Republic and therefore not respect its laws, he said.



Macron plans to end a programme created in 1977 that allowed nine countries to send imams and teachers to France to provide foreign-language and culture classes that are not subject to any supervision from French authorities.



Four majority-Muslim countries  Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Turkey  were involved in the programme, which reaches about 80,000 students every year. Around 300 imams were sent to France every year by these countries and those who arrived in 2020 will be the last to arrive in such numbers, said Macron.



The government has asked the French Muslim Council (CFCM), the body representing Islam in France, to find solutions to train imams on French soil instead and ensure they can speak French and do not spread Islamist views.



The measures were part of a much-anticipated intervention less than a month before municipal elections in France. Macrons speech came at the end of a visit to Mulhouse, home to a large Muslim community that has been the focus of the French governments campaign against Islamism.



The new rules were intended to counter Islamic extremism in France by giving the government more authority over the schooling of children, the financing of mosques and the training of imams, said Macron.



"This end to the consular Islam system is extremely important to curb foreign influence and make sure everybody respects the laws of the republic," he told a news conference in Mulhouse.

Story continues

We cannot have Turkey's laws on France'



The scrapping of the programme granting countries the right to send imams and teachers to France would instead be replaced by bilateral agreements to ensure French state has control over the courses and their content starting in September.



France had agreements with a number of countries, including Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, said Macron. But the only country with which France did not reach a bilateral agreement was Turkey.



Turkey today can make the choice to follow that path with us or not, but I won't let any foreign country feed a cultural, religious or identity-related separatism on our Republic's ground, he said.



We cannot have Turkey's laws on France's ground. No way, Macron added.

Turkey runs a vast network of mosques inside the country and abroad under the powerful Diyanet, or Directorate of Religious Affairs. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Diyanet budget has dramatically increased amid criticism that the body was being used by Ankara as a foreign policy tool and an attempt to extend Turkeys soft power.



Home to Europes largest Muslim community, estimated at around 6 million, or 8 percent of the population, France has long sought to assimilate its Muslim nationals and residents in a country that holds fast to laicite, or state secularism, a 1905 legal principle that separated church and state and mandated the states neutrality on religion.



France has suffered major attacks by Islamist militants in recent years. Coordinated bombings and shootings in November 2015 at the Bataclan theatre and other sites around Paris killed 130 people  the deadliest attacks in France since World War Two. Most of the attackers were French or Belgian nationals who had travelled to Turkey and from there to Iraq and Syria to fight with the Islamic State (IS) group.



Fighting separatism or communities governing themselves



Addressing the issue of separatism, Macron warned of the dangers of "communitarianism" or the practice of communities governing themselves in France. He called for better integration of Muslims in wider society.

"We are here for a reason that we share with Muslims  that is the struggle against communitarianism," he said. Macron insisted the new measures were not anti-Islam, but were designed to aid the integration and provide opportunities for Frances Muslims.



"What we must put in place is not, as I have sometimes heard from some people, 'a plan against Islam'. That would be a profound mistake, said Macron. What we must fight is the separatism, because when the Republic does not keep its promises, others will try to replace it."

(FRANCE 24 with AP and REUTERS)
Manitoba corrections officers took their frustration over the province's plan to close the Dauphin jail to the legislature this morning.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba corrections officers took their frustration over the province's plan to close the Dauphin jail to the legislature this morning.

Officers representing correctional facilities across Manitoba picketed outside the Legislative Building during morning rush hour, calling on the government to build a new jail and healing centre in Dauphin.

The informational picket was organized by the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union.

The Progressive Conservative government plans to close the Dauphin Correctional Centre at the end of May. The facility, built in 1917, currently has a capacity of 61 inmates and provides employment for roughly 80 people in the Parkland region, including corrections officers, nurses, administrative staff and contractors.

"Everyone is concerned and they are very, very worried about whats going to happen to their community," MGEU president Michelle Gawronsky said.

"This is a huge hit. Eighty jobs in the Dauphin area is like 8,000 jobs in the city of Winnipeg. We need to do that comparison. This government has a responsibility to every Manitoban and its time they started to answer for what theyre doing."

About 50 people joined the picket and marched in the cold on Broadway and at the northwest and southwest corners of the Legislative Building grounds in opposition to the province's plan. A union spokesperson said picketers included employees from corrections facilities within Winnipeg and as far north as The Pas, but were not able to provide media interviews.

Employees will be transferred to other facilities or will have to find work elsewhere. Gawronsky said the union is pressing the government for clarity on pending employment transfers.

"We are trying to get some information, trying to get some facts and urging this government very strongly: reverse this decision," she said.

"This is a huge hit. Eighty jobs in the Dauphin area is like 8,000 jobs in the city of Winnipeg. We need to do that comparison. This government has a responsibility to every Manitoban and its time they started to answer for what theyre doing," MGEU president Michelle Gawronsky said. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

The provincial government has said inmates from the minimum-security jail will be moved to other facilities within the corrections system, which currently has beds for 2,555 individuals. The rated capacity at existing long-term facilities is 1,985, a Manitoba Justice webpage says.

The MGEU, however, contends facilities near Dauphin are already at, or close to, capacity. The union is calling for the province to keep the jail open until a new facility and healing centre is built.

The previous NDP government committed to building a new facility and local governments subsequently donated and serviced land to be used for that purpose.

"That healing centre was majorly important for Manitobans. It needs to be built," Gawronsky said. "Its just common sense. Youve got the area there, moneys been put into it already, so the infrastructure can easily be built."

The City of Dauphin has also recorded its opposition to the closure. Mayor Allen Dowhan previously told the Free Press the upcoming closure has angered people across the region and there are fears residents and service professionals will leave the community when corrections staff are relocated.

Dauphin city council has since passed a resolution requesting the province to delay closing the facility until the end of June to allow families to finish the school year. The council has asked the province to be included in a consultation process for any future development of a rehabilitation facility in the area.

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The province's Legal Aid Lawyers' Association has also warned the closure would impact criminal lawyers working in the region, as well as inmates and family members.

In a written statement, Justice Minister Cliff Cullen said the province's primary focus is to support staff and their families during the transition period and to continue to offer employment within the "Manitoba government."

"We are committed to working with the employees union to address individual staff needs well prior to the closure, with flexibility into June, and this includes working to ease the transition for employees with children in school," he said in the statement.

Meanwhile, the province has ordered $11 million in renovations and expansions to the courthouse located next to Dauphin's jail. The renovations include enhanced security, more holding cells, improving interior and exterior accessibility and adding new administrative and office spaces for court staff, sheriff services and the judiciary.

"We are also committed to work with local leaders to address their concerns and we will be further engaging with the community on the final design for the courthouse renovations as well as other economic development opportunities in the Parkland region," Cullen said in the statement.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
Labor Fund Tamkeen has announced its strategic partnership with Bahrains luxury decor and furniture event Interiors Expo.



Held under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain, Interiors Expo will run from April 14 to 16 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, said the event organisers, Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE).



Tamkeens strategic partnership with the expo comes as part of the organisation's continuous efforts to support such initiatives that provide a platform for companies to showcase their products and services, it stated.



In addition, the expo will allow those companies to network with potential partners and customers, which in turn will expand their business circle, explore partnerships, and accelerate the growth of their business, said the statement from HCE.



Interiors Expo, the leading interiors and decor event in Bahrain, is held annually in conjunction with two other big events - Gulf Property Show and Gulf Construction Expo - providing the biggest integrated business-to-business showcase for the construction, interiors and property sectors ever to be staged in the Northern Gulf.



Interiors Expo features a curated Art Gallery called On the Wall and also offers classes in painting and design, it added.



On the partnership, HCE Managing Director Jubran Abdulrahman said: "Tamkeens support for the Interiors Expo is very important, as we are witnessing a growing pool of creative talent in the interiors sector in Bahrain."



"We are determined to promote home-grown talents whether through showcasing their products and services and supporting artists through the On the Wall Art Gallery Event during the Interiors Expo," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The EU is waging slide wars against the UK to convince Boris Johnson it will refuse a tariff-free trade deal if he insists on the right to break its rules.

A graph sets out why the UK  a powerful economy on its doorstep  will not be allowed to wriggle out of past commitments not required of Canada, South Korea, Japan and other distant countries.

It shows how about 13 per cent of EU trade is with the UK, while just 2 per cent or less is with countries many thousands of kilometres away that enjoy favourable agreements with Brussels.

What was dubbed slide wars is a riposte to the inflammatory speech by David Frost, the prime ministers EU adviser, insisting democracy will snap unless the UK can set its own regulations.

The stance puts the UK on course to crash out of the transition period at the end of 2020 with no trade deal  risking huge economic damage  unless one side gives ground.

An aide to Michel Barnier, Brussels chief negotiator, again insisted it would not budge from maintaining a level playing field on state subsidies, environmental protections and workers rights.

Its clear that for us its a different ball game that we are playing with the UK to the one that we agreed with Canada in terms of the level playing field, Stefaan De Rynck warned, speaking in London.

Some in the UK now seem to want to become Canadians, but Dover is much closer to Calais than Ottawa is. Proximity matters, distance matters in trade. What also matters is the interconnectedness between our economies.

So, in terms of zero-tariff, zero-quota access, this brings a lot of benefits to the UK economy and with benefits come obligations.

Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Show all 66 1 /66 Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A message projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover Sky News/AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The Union flag is taken down outside the European Parliament in Brussels PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU EU Council staff removed the Union Jack-British flag from the European Council in Brussels, Belgium EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to 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Saemann, left, and her seven-year old sister Katie hold a placard during a rally by anti-Brexit protesters outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Europe supporters gather on Brexit day near the British embassy in Berlin, Germany EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit protester hugs a man while holding a placard REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A decorated, old fashioned fire pump in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit Elvis impersonator performs at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexiteers stands with his dog in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Paddy from Bournemouth wears Union colours as he sits next to an EU flag decorated bag in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-EU activist plays a guitar decorated with the EU flag during a protest organised by civil rights 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goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU French newspapers PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald with a Border Communities Against Brexit poster before its unveiling in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU National growers organisation British Apples & Pears has renamed a British apple to EOS, the Greek goddess of dawn, to commemorate Brexit day AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Britain's departure from the European Union was set in law on January 29, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. After half a century of membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (23.00 GMT) on January 31 Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses with paintings on Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People sporting Union Flags gather in Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man walks with a St. George's flag at Westminster bridge on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs at a souvenir store Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British pro-brexit Members of the European Parliament leave the EU Parliament for the last time Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Jonathan Bullock waves the Union Jack as he leaves the European Parliament EPA

The EU hit back after No 10 issued what was widely seen as a misleading claim about a 2017 EU slide, warning Theresa May she was heading towards a hard Brexit, Canada-style deal she opposed.

Now they say its not on offer after all, tweeted the official Downing Street account, asking Mr Barnier: Whats changed?

Even Gavin Barwell, Ms Mays former chief of staff, backed the EU, saying: Nothing has changed. The EU has always said an FTA [free trade agreement] with the UK would need greater level playing field provisions.

He pointed to paragraph 77 of the political declaration, signed by Mr Johnson last autumn, which pledged to uphold the common high standards for state aid and regulation.

The clash came as the EU further toughened its conditions for a tariff-free deal, on both regulatory alignment and access to UK fishing waters.

A draft mandate discussed by EU ambassadors says any agreement must stand the test of time, suggesting Brussels will push for the UK to sign up to its future regulations.

It also makes clear a deal should uphold EU fishermens current rights in UK waters  a problem for the UK government, which has promised to reclaim fishing rights.
The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has formally proposed a legal framework for tokenization, but also plans to label cryptocurrency transactions as suspicious activity, it said in a press release Monday.

The CBR announced it had successfully piloted a platform that allows users to tokenize assets, including equities and currencies, and issue them to investors.

Ivan Zimin, director of the CBRs financial technology department, said in the release the bank had now proposed using the platform as a framework in the countrys upcoming cryptocurrency law, which will act as guidance for legitimate businesses wanting to tokenize assets.

Related: Crypto Industry Lauds Token Safe Harbor, But Warns of Risks

Based on the results of the piloting, the Bank of Russia proposed to include in the draft federal law On Digital Financial Assets the provisions necessary for the introduction and development of such decisions in the emerging digital assets market, which were supported by government bodies and businesses, Zimin said.

This coincides with local media reports that the CBR is planning on updating bank guidance on what constitutes criminal activity, for the first time in eight years. According to business news site RBC, both the sale and purchase of cryptocurrencies could be considered suspicious under the new guidance.

Still undergoing in-house assessment, the guidance would ask commercial banks to flag activity and authorizes them to block transactions, and even close the accounts, of any clients found to be trading cryptocurrencies.

CBRs move has been met with some pushback from industry figures. Don Guo, CEO of technology and liquidity provider Broctagon, has criticized the fragmented approach. Speaking to CoinDesk, he said the two decisions on Monday will only create more uncertainty in the digital asset space.

Related: US Financial Crimes Watchdog Preparing Significant Crypto Rules, Warns Treasury Secretary Mnuchin

Russia seems to have taken one step forward, two steps back when it comes to crypto, Guo said, adding it would leave Russian traders scratching their heads as other major economies, such as the U.S and China, continue to offer conflicting advice on how to regulate cryptocurrencies.

Story continues

Where China has been advocating for bitcoin (BTC) and creating its own digital currency, other countries like the U.S. seem to be fighting a losing battle to squash it, Guo said. Whether regulators like it or not, the adoption of digital currencies will continue, and dismissing cryptocurrencies comes with an opportunity cost.

Since 2017, the Russian government has been drawing up a bill that would regulate cryptocurrencies and related activities such as initial coin offerings (ICOs) and trades with fiat currencies like the ruble. Although officials have previously indicated the bill was nearing completion, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao hinted in a speech last October that Russian officials were being indecisive.

The Russian parliament passed a digital rights bill in early October that outlined basic digital rights in Russian law and also provided legal definitions for smart contracts and cryptocurrencies.

Mondays news suggests Russia is now trying to create a regulatory distinction between asset tokenization, which can more seamlessly be integrated into existing financial law, and cryptocurrencies, which cannot be as easily supervised and managed by the authorities.

In October, the CBR backed a potential ban on cryptocurrency payments, claiming they carried significant risks and could not be equated with legal tender.

Reportedly one of the largest projects to ever come out of CBRs regulatory sandbox since it launched in April 2018, the tokenization platform was developed by Nornickel, a Russian mining and smelting company. Also allowing organizations to mint hybrid tokens backed by different assets simultaneously, the platform will go into operation once Russias cryptocurrency bill passes into law.

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She rejects the label alcoholic but said she experienced alcohol addiction, from which she says she is fully recovered. The turning point, she said, came in November 2017, when she went out drinking with friends. Her partner, who has epilepsy, stayed up waiting for her, even though sleep deprivation put him at risk for seizures. Conybeare came in so late that her partner only got two hours of sleep, and the next morning he had a seizure and hit his head.
Businessman Jim Mansfield Jnr, who is facing false imprisonment charges, has been denied permission to vary his bail to allow him travel to Spain for his mother's 75th birthday party.

Mr Justice Paul Coffey at the Special Criminal Court said there was "nothing to stop" the woman's party from taking place in this jurisdiction. The judge said "to ask the court to work around" circumstances in which the party arrangements were made after Mr Mansfield's passport had already been surrendered as part of his bail terms is "highly unsatisfactory".

Mr Mansfield Jnr (52), of Tasaggart House, Garters Lane, Saggart, Co Dublin, is to stand trial at the non-jury court in April on charges relating to false imprisonment and the perversion of justice. He is charged with conspiring with one or more persons to falsely imprison Martin Byrne on a date unknown between January 1, 2015 and June 30, 2015, both dates inclusive.

He is also charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice by directing Patrick Byrne to destroy recorded CCTV footage, with the intention of perverting the course of public justice in relation to the false imprisonment of Martin Byrne at Finnstown House Hotel, Newcastle Road, Lucan, Co Dublin between June 9, 2015 and June 12, 2015.

Last year he was admitted to bail on an independent surety of 10,000 and subject to a number of conditions including the surrender of his passport. However, this morning [WEDNESDAY], Mr Mansfield applied for a bail variation, specifically seeking permission to travel to Malaga in Spain tomorrow [THURSDAY] to celebrate his mother's 75th birthday before returning on Monday next.

Tony McGillicuddy BL, for Mr Mansfield Jnr, told Mr Justice Paul Coffey, presiding, sitting with Judge Martin Nolan and Judge James Faughnan, that Mr Mansfield Jnr lives with his mother and is one of two principle people who take care of her. He said the flights and hotel for the celebration have been booked and that the court and State had been provided with the relevant documents to outline these details.

"He would very much like to attend that [celebration] given that she lives with him on an ongoing basis," the barrister said.

Mr McGillicuddy also said that he understands that the request for permission to go to Spain is "close" to Mr Mansfield Jnr's trial date of April 20 next, however he said Mr Mansfield Jnr's independent surety, who was present in court, is happy to stand over the surety for anytime the court may grant a relaxation of the businessman's bail terms.

Shane Costelloe SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said there was one "remarkable aspect" of Mr Mansfield Jnr's submission for permission to leave the State. He said that the court will see from documentation provided that the flights and hotel were booked "for a date in March" and that, as recently as Thursday last week, the hotel and flights were changed. Mr Costelloe referred to the chain of events as a "peculiarity".

In respect of this, Mr McGillicuddy told the court that "an error was made in the initial booking and that's been corrected". He added: "I don't think it's of great import."

Mr Costelloe told the court that there is an allegation that Mr Mansfield Jnr "conspired with" Dessie O'Hare and Declan Duffy who, over the past three years, have either pleaded guilty or changed their plea to guilty to falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne. He said their cases [O'Hare and Duffy] are "done and dusted".

Sgt Eamon O'Neill, from Tallaght Garda Station, told Mr Costelloe that gardai became aware of Mr Mansfield's move to apply for permission to go to Malaga yesterday. Asked what the Garda attitude is to Mr Mansfield Jnr's application, Sgt O'Neill told Mr Costelloe: "We'd be concerned due to the seriousness of the offences Mr Mansfield is facing. We're also concerned about the close proximity to the trial date."

Sgt O'Neill added that Mr Mansfield agreed to his bail conditions last year and An Garda Siochana "just don't know if he has any intentions to travel further from Spain if he gets that far".

In response to a question from Mr McGillicuddy, Sgt O'Neill said there have been no bench warrants in respect of Mr Mansfield Jnr in the past.

Mr McGillicuddy told the court that Mr Mansfield has the presumption of innocence, that he has honoured his bail conditions to date and repeated that Mr Mansfield's independent surety is satisfied to stand over that "substantial surety".

After rising for several moments to consider the submissions, Mr Justice Coffey said it is "not in dispute" that Mr Mansfield Jnr's trial is "imminent". Another established fact, he said, is that a "key feature of his bail bond is that he has to surrender his passport".

He said it follows that the birthday celebration was arranged for outside the jurisdiction at a time Mr Mansfield is not allowed to leave the jurisdiction and he said there was "nothing to stop" the celebration from being held in this jurisdiction.

"The court is not disposed to proceed with the bail application," the judge said.

In April of last year, former INLA man Dessie OHare was sentenced to ten years in prison with three years suspended for false imprisonment and assault. OHare (63), of Slate Rock Road, Newtownhamilton, Co Armagh, pleaded guilty to falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne at Rathcooleand Saggart on June 9th, 2015. He also pleaded guilty to assaulting John Roche, causing him harm, at The Towers, Garter Lane, Saggart, Co Dublin on the same date.

In January 2018, former Republican paramilitary Declan Whacker Duffy (46), originally from Armagh but with an address at Hannover Street West in Dublin, was jailed for six years after he pleaded guilty to falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne in Co Dublin on June 9, 2015. He also pleaded guilty to assaulting John Roche, causing him harm, at The Towers, Garter Lane, Saggart, County Dublin on June 9, 2015.
Regulatory News:

Ontex Group NV (BSE:ONTEX), a leading international provider of personal hygiene solutions, with expertise in baby care, feminine care and adult care, will release its FY 2019 results at 7:00 am CET/6:00 am UK on Wednesday, March 4, 2020. The press release and presentation will be available on the Company's website: http://www.ontexglobal.com/financial-reports.

Management will host a conference call for investors and analysts on Wednesday March 4, 2020 at 9:00 am CET/8:00 am UK. A replay of the conference call will be available for one week afterwards.

Dial-in information

Please dial in 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time to register your attendance. Dial-in numbers for the call are as follows:

Belgium +32 (0) 2 400 6926 France +33 (0) 1 76 77 22 57 Germany +49 (0) 69 2222 2018 United Kingdom +44 (0) 330 336 9411 United States +1-323-994-2093 Passcode 5366650

Replay numbers

Belgium +32 (0) 2 620 0568 France +33 (0) 1 70 48 00 94 Germany +49 (0) 69 2000 1800 United Kingdom +44 (0) 207 660 0134 United States +1 719-457-0820 Passcode 5366650

About Ontex

Ontex is a leading international provider of personal hygiene solutions, with expertise in baby care, feminine care and adult care. Ontex's innovative products are distributed in more than 110 countries through Ontex brands such as BBTips, BioBaby, Pompom, Bigfral, Canbebe, Canped, ID and Serenity, as well as leading retailer brands.

Employing 11,000 passionate people all over the world, Ontex has a presence in 21 countries, with its headquarters in Aalst, Belgium. Ontex is part of the Bel20 and STOXX Europe 600.

To keep up with the latest news, visit www.ontexglobal.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005459/en/

Contacts:

INVESTOR ENQUIRIES

Philip Ludwig

+32 53 333 730

investorrelations@ontexglobal.com

PRESS ENQUIRIES

Gaelle Vilatte

+32 53 333 708

gaelle.vilatte@ontexglobal.com
Russian lawmakers have voted to lift a legal ban on displays of Nazi symbols like swastikas as long as they are not intended to promote fascist ideology.

Currently the public display of Nazi symbols along with logos of extremist organisations is banned in Russia and punishable by a fine or up to 15 days behind bars.

A vote by the lower house of parliament on Tuesday backed lifting the ban, which was introduced in 2014. The amendment still has to be passed by the senate and signed into law by President Vladimir Putin.

Lawmakers opposing the ban pointed out that it theoretically applies to documentaries about the Third Reich as well as World War II-related feature films, book illustrations and school textbooks.

They cited cases including a woman from the western city of Smolensk who was given a small fine in 2015 for posting a picture on social media of German soldiers in the courtyard of her home during the Nazi occupation of the Soviet Union.

The ban has also affected Russians who re-enact World War II battles.

The lower house voted in favour of lifting the ban when symbols are used to promote a "negative attitude to Nazi ideology and extremism" and when there are "no signs of propaganda or justifying Nazi and extremist ideology".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)




George Zimmerman, the Florida neighbourhood watchman famously acquitted after killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, has filed a lawsuit against Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg over tweets the presidential candidates posted to commemorate the shooting victim's birthday.

The lawsuit cited separate tweets both candidates posted on 5 February, the victims birthday, in which they call out issues of gun violence and prejudice in the US.

Trayvon Martin would have been 25 today, Mr Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, wrote in his tweet. How many 25th birthdays have been stolen from us by white supremacy, gun violence, prejudice, and fear?#BlackLivesMatter.

Ms Warren (DMA) said her heart goes out to the shooting victims family and friends, writing: He should still be with us today.

Related Video: Zimmerman Suing Trayvon Martins Family For $100M

The senator added: We need to end gun violence and racism. And we need to build a world where all of our childrenespecially young Black boyscan grow up safe and free.

Though neither of their tweets so much as named Mr Zimmerman, the 36-year-old claimed in his lawsuit that Mr Buttigieg and Ms Warren were committing defamation with actual malice or at a minimum a reckless disregard for the truth.

The lawsuit was seeking $15,000 (11,524) in damages, while alleging the Democratic candidates wrongly connected the shooting victims death to gun violence.

Mr Zimmerman, who has long claimed self-defence after killing the unarmed black teenager, said Mr Buttigieg and Ms Warren posted the tweets as part of a political agenda to garner votes in the black community.

This is a breaking news story. More follows...

Read more

George Zimmerman charged with stalking private investigator
CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cuda Oil and Gas Inc. (Cuda or the Company) (TSXV: CUDA) releases the results of its 2019 year-end oil and gas reserves evaluation for Wyoming and Alberta.



In 2019, Cuda made significant progress in maturing and developing its major asset, the Barron Flats Shannon Secondary Recovery Unit (SRRU) in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. Milestones included all regulatory approvals, commissioning of the Central Delivery Point Gas Facility (the CDP), commencement of injection and completion of multiple injection lines, completion of source natural gas tap with Tallgrass at GlenRock, Wyoming and start-up of the nine (9) mile high pressure pipeline system to supply gas to the miscible gas flood at the SSRU. The Company has been successful in its execution of an eight (8) well infill program. The Company disposed of all its assets and liabilities in Quebec in 2019 inclusive of all contingent resources.

Reserves Report Highlights

The independent Reserves Report prepared by Ryder Scott is effective as of December 31, 2019 (2019 Reserves Report). All reserves information contained in this press release is based on the 2019 Reserves Report and includes reserves attributed to the BFU, the Cole Creek Unit and Alberta assets. Unless specifically indicated, all financial and operational information in this press release is based on estimates and is unaudited and accordingly, such financial information is subject to change based on the results of the Companys audit.

Proven Developed (PDP) and Proved Non-Producing (PNP) Reserves

The Companys PDP + PNP reserves grew 108% over 2018 reserves to 3,189 Mboe (79% oil and liquids).

NPV10 of $40.9 Million or $1.13 per basic common share.

Reserve Life Index (RLI) based on 4th quarter, 2019 production of 12.2 years.

Total Proved Reserves (1P)

The Companys 1P reserves grew 54% over 2018 reserves, to 7,599 Mboe (87% oil and liquids).

NPV10 of $95.0 Million or $2.61 per basic common share.

Future development costs of $50.3 Million.

RLI of 29.1 years.

Proved plus Probable Reserves (2P)

The Companys 2P reserves grew 2% over 2018 reserves, to 14,872 Mboe (89% oil and liquids).

NPV10 of $178.2 Million or $4.90 per basic common share.

Future development costs of $99.0 Million.

RLI of 57.0 years.

Oil and Gas Reserves

The 2019 Reserve Report represents Cudas oil and gas properties in Alberta and Wyoming and was prepared in accordance with the definitions, standards and procedures contained in the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook and National Instrument 51-101  Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities (NI 51  101) by Ryder Scott. The following table summarizes certain information contained in the 2019 Reserve Report:

Reserves Category

Summary of Oil and Gas Reserves 1 (company share gross volumes before royalties) Light and

Medium Oil Natural

Gas Natural Gas

Liquids Total BOE

2019 Total BOE

2018 Reserves Category (Mbbl) (MMcf) (Mbbl) (Mboe) (Mboe) Proved Developed Producing 1,559 2,877 131 2,169 1,248 Proved Developed Non-Producing 788 1,122 45 1,020 286 Proved Undeveloped 3,737 2,135 318 4,410 3,415 Total Proved 6,083 6,134 494 7,599 4,950 Probable 6,130 4,098 460 7,273 9,621 Total Proved Plus Probable 12,213 10,232 954 14,872 14,571 Note: 1. BOEs are derived by converting gas to oil equivalent in the ratio of six thousand cubic feet of gas to one barrel of oil (6 Mcf:1 boe).

Reserve Category

Summary of Net Present Values of Future Net Revenue (Before Tax)4 (based on forecast price and costs) As at December 31, 20191 Per Share2 As at December 31, 20183 Discount Rate 10.00% 10.00% Reserves Category (M$) ($) (M$) Proved Developed Producing 28,284 0.78 24,168 Proved Developed Non-Producing 12,625 0.35 2,683 Proved Undeveloped 54,047 1.49 50,964 Total Proved 94,957 2.61 77,815 Probable 83,208 2.29 113,784 Total Proved Plus Probable 178,165 4.90 191,599 Notes 1. Forecast pricing used is based on Ryder Scott published price forecasts effective December 31, 2019 2. Per share amounts are calculated on basic common shares outstanding (36,329,139) as of December 31, 2019 3. Forecast pricing used is based on Ryder Scott published price forecasts effective December 31, 2018 4. Estimates of future net revenue do not represent fair market value

About Cuda Oil and Gas Inc.

Cuda Oil and Gas Inc. is engaged in the business of exploring for, developing and producing oil and natural gas, and acquiring oil and natural gas properties across North America. The Cuda management team has worked closely together for over 20 years in both private and public company environments and has an established track record of delivering strong shareholder returns. Cuda will continue to implement its proven strategy of exploring, acquiring, and exploiting with a long-term focus on large, light oil resource- based assets across North America including significant operational experience in the United States. The Cuda management team brings a full spectrum of geotechnical, engineering, negotiating and financial experience to its investment decisions.

For further information please contact:

Glenn Dawson

President and Chief Executive Officer

Cuda Oil and Gas Inc.

(403) 454-0862

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties and are based on forecasts of future operational or financial results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. In particular, forward-looking information included in this news release includes: (i) Cudas exploration and development plans, which assume accuracy of technical and geological information and analysis and may be impacted by unscheduled maintenance, labour and contractor availability; (ii) future development costs and reserve life, which assume foreign exchange rates and accuracy of production estimates, and may be impacted by unexpected maintenance, the need to hire external resources and accelerated capital plans; and (iii) reserves which are forward-looking statements by their nature involving the implied assessment that the reserves can be profitably produced, and may be impacted by energy prices, future drilling results and operating costs. Risk factors that could prevent forward looking statements relating to Cuda and its operating activities from being realized include ongoing permitting requirements, the actual results of current exploration and development activities, operational risks, risks associated with drilling and completions, uncertainty of geological and technical data, market conditions, the availability and nature of alternative sources of energy, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as future prices of oil and natural gas. Although Cuda has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Oil and Gas Advisories

This news release contains metrics commonly used in the oil and natural gas industry, such as future development costs, net asset value and reserve life index. These oil and gas metrics have been prepared by management and do not have standardized meanings or standard methods of calculation and therefore such measures may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies and should not be used to make comparisons. Such metrics have been included in this news release to provide readers with additional measures to evaluate Cudas performance and to compare Cudas operations over time. Readers are cautioned that the information provided by these metrics, or that can be derived from the metrics presented in this news release, should not be unduly relied upon.

Future development costs are estimates of capital expenditures required in the future for the Company to convert proved developed non-producing reserves and probable reserves to proved developed producing reserves.

Reserve Life Index or RLI is calculated based on the amount for the relevant reserves category, divided by current production.

BOEs may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A BOE conversion ratio of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one barrel of oil equivalent (6 Mcf: 1 bbl) is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. As the value ratio between natural gas and crude oil based on the current prices of natural gas and crude oil is significantly different from the energy equivalency of 6:1, utilizing a conversion on a 6:1 basis may be misleading as an indication of value.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies

of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
SANTA CLARA, California, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aavenir, a premier ServiceNow partner, today announced the launch of its next-generation 'Aavenir RFPflow Solution' on ServiceNow App Store to extend Aavenir's Source-to-Pay Solution capabilities and enable enterprises to collaborate with suppliers more effectively.

Enterprises can leverage RFPflow to execute collaborative sourcing on the most advanced digital workflow platform - ServiceNow. RFPflow can standardize and speed up RFx-to-award cycle time by creating reusable RFI/RFP/RFQ templates and MS-WORD integration. With Aavenir RFPFlow, the enterprise can realize immediate ROI by releasing RFP on Day 1 with less implementation timeline and deployment costs.

To explore Aavenir RFPflow and Source-to-Pay solutions, visit the Aavenir booth at ServiceNow Future of Work - Australia and Knowledge 2020  Florida, USA. Schedule a meeting with Aavenir executives to discuss innovative ways to resolve procurement, financial and legal operational challenges.

"We're very excited to see Aavenir RFPflow solution available on ServiceNow App Store. It leverages the best of ServiceNow features to enable procurement teams to automate the entire RFP process, eliminate bad trade-offs, improve supplier collaboration, and gain complete visibility of the RFx-to-award process. ServiceNow customers can quickly install and administer it like other ServiceNow apps  ensured with security compliances," said James A-A Maxwell, ISV Technology & Alliances Lead, ServiceNow.

"Built on innovative ServiceNOW platform, Aavenir's RFPflow delivers 40% faster RFx-to-award supplier cycle time with innovative features like collaborative RFP authoring, milestone-based supplier response requests, and comparative supplier evaluation. Enterprises can integrate RFPflow with Aavenir's other Source to Pay (P2P) solutions including Contractflow and Invoiceflow to streamline Source-to-Pay Operations," shared Jesal Mehta, Founder and CEO, Aavenir.

To know more, visit Aavenir RFPflow solution website.

About Aavenir:

Aavenir delivers 'future of work' with AI/ML-powered Source-to-Pay solutions  RFPflow, Contractflow, and Invoiceflow. Led by enterprise tech experts with 25+ years of domain experience, Aavenir aims to drive operational efficiency and competitive edge for enterprises. www.aavenir.com

About ServiceNow:

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) is making the world of work, work better for people. The cloud-based Now platform delivers digital workflows that create great experiences and unlock productivity for employees and the enterprise. www.servicenow.com

Media Contact:

Nupur Patel

Marketing & Communications Team, Aavenir

[email protected]

SOURCE Aavenir Software Private Limited
A man who denies the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe texted his girlfriend to say he was loading a lorry about 90 minutes before the shooting and asked if she wanted to meet up later that evening, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Under cross examination Detective Inspector Mark Phillips told defence counsel Michael O'Higgins SC that gardai retrieved a number of text messages from the accused man Aaron Brady's girlfriend's phone. Jessica King's phone was seized by members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) the day after the robbery as Mr Brady had told gardai he was with her at the time of the shooting.

It also emerged during cross examination that the yard in south Armagh where Mr Brady said he was loading waste from laundered diesel onto a truck at the time of the shooting was not searched by the PSNI. Insp Phillips also told Mr O'Higgins that the investigation team believe that the raiders had been in position beside the credit union from about 20.50, about 35 minutes before the fatal shooting. He said that investigators believe a car seen in the area from about that time was linked to the robbery.

Mr Brady (29) from New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh has pleaded not (NOT) guilty to the capital murder of Det Gda Donohoe (41) who was then a member of An Garda Siochana on active duty shortly before 8.30pm on January 25, 2013 at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth. Mr Brady has also pleaded not (NOT) guilty to a charge of robbing approximately e7,000 in cash and assorted cheques on the same date and at the same location.

Insp Phillips confirmed the contents of a series of texts between Mr Brady and Ms King on January 25, 2013. The first from Aaron Brady was received by Ms King at 14.43 and read: "Where did you get the feed. I'm not doing anything. Have a few things to do later on at about 8 'til ten. Then I'm doing nothing if you want to do something. If not I understand. Is your ones giving out today."

Insp Phillips agreed that when asked about this text Ms King said that when he said he had a "few things to do later on" he might have meant that he was "away with the lads" or "down in the yard loading the lorry".

At 16.52 that afternoon Mr Brady again texted to say: "I was there for a while. Had to meet a man there now. I have work at 8 'til about 10.30 then that's it. Sure if not, I will be stuck in the cold house and am not putting heating oil in it until [named person] gives money."

Insp Phillips said Ms King told investigators she understood Mr Brady to mean that from 8 until 10.30 he would be in the yard "where they would be loading and washing diesel and that."

At 19.50 Ms King received a message from Aaron Brady stating: "Aww. They won't say nothing to you will they. Watch any good movies. I'm going to get soaked in a while. Rippin." By "ripping" Ms Flynn understood him to mean that he was "in a rage".

Ms King texted Mr Brady saying: "Not really a scary one. Just dopey ones. They didn't even want to talk to me because I'm like a wasp this day. What do you have to do?" Ms Flynn told PSNI officers that she deleted Mr Brady's response to that message because she knew police were coming and she didn't want to "get any of the lads in trouble". However, she remembered that he had said he was "loading the lorry" so she knew he meant he was working in the diesel yard.

The text was later retrieved from the phone using specialist software, Insp Phillips said. It was sent at 19.54 and read: "Just have to load the lorry but will only take an hour or two. This phone is going to go dead. I will text you as soon as home and get it charged. Love you. x."

Insp Phillips agreed that there were discrepancies between what Mr Brady told gardai in February 2013 about his movements that evening and what was contained in the text messages to Ms King in that he told gardai he was in the yard for just ten to 15 minutes. The witness disagreed with Mr O'Higgins when he suggested it was "odd" that the book of evidence doesn't give any detail of a meeting or discussion among gardai about this discrepancy.

Mr O'Higgins said that his client's "movements in this yard are critical as to whether he can participate in this robbery." The witness replied that after Mr Brady gave his account over two statements to gardai he was told that an investigation would be carried out and he agreed to speak to gardai a third time if anything arose. Following garda investigations, Inspector Phillips said, the third meeting never took place.

Mr O'Higgins also questioned the witness as to whether the diesel laundering yard was ever searched. Insp Phillips said he knew from "another leg of the investigation" that diesel laundering took place at that site and said that he, on one occasion, looked at the site when he was driving by it. He said it was not his decision to order a search of the site and he couldn't say why the PSNI was not asked to search it. When Mr O'Higgins asked him if it ever crossed his mind that the yard should be searched he said: "No it didn't."

He said no other members of the investigation team suggested searching the site and the senior investigating officer did not suggest to Insp Phillips that it should be searched. Mr O'Higgins asked: "Does that sound extraordinary?" Insp Phillips replied: "No judge."

The witness agreed that had police searched the site they might have found evidence of diesel laundering that would "tend to suggest he [Aaron Brady] was telling some truth" or they might have found no such evidence which would show that Mr Brady's account was "pie in the sky". When Mr O'Higgins asked why this information wasn't checked out, Inspector Phillips said: "The information was most definitely checked out."

Mr O'Higgins said that the PSNI were not asked to visit the site when prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan interrupted and asked for the jury to leave. Minutes later Mr Justice White brought the jury back to say that "at short notice, some enquiries have to be made" and asked them to return to court tomorrow.

The trial continues in front of Justice White and a jury of eight men and seven women.
LAS VEGAS, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jet Linx , the preeminent private jet management and Jet Card membership company in the U.S., and Forbes Travel Guide ("FTG"), the world-renowned and only independent, global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and spas, today unveiled an innovative and unique hotel concierge program. The Jet Linx / Forbes Travel Guide Hotel Concierge Program, the first of its kind for the private aviation industry, will exclusively refer its Jet Card members to participating FTG Five-Star, Four-Star and Recommended hotels when booking through program concierges and the Jet Linx Mobile App. In addition, Forbes Travel Guide Star-Rated property owners, management and guests will have special access to guaranteed private aviation solutions from Jet Linx through Jet Linx flight concierge personnel. The joint announcement was made at Verified, The Forbes Travel Guide Luxury Summit, by Jamie Walker, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jet Linx, and Filip Boyen, Chief Executive Officer of Forbes Travel Guide.

"Our partnership with Forbes Travel Guide has enabled us to ensure an unrivaled standard of service excellence in private aviation and an incomparable benchmark for the industry," said Mr. Walker. "In launching The Jet Linx / Forbes Travel Guide Hotel Concierge Program, we will now offer our clients special benefits and privileges at the world's finest hotels, and we look forward to welcoming the owners, management and guests at participating star-rated and recommended hotels into the Jet Linx program."

Said Mr. Boyen, "We are delighted to continue building on the success of our partnership with Jet Linx and introduce a program that benefits Jet Linx clients as well as the owners, management and guests of participating Forbes Travel Guide Star-Rated hotels and resorts. This program further reinforces our shared commitment to providing the finest in luxury travel and the highest standards of service excellence both in the air and on the ground."

The Jet Linx / Forbes Travel Guide Hotel Concierge Program will launch in early April 2020 with phone and email service and, thereafter, will also be accessible through the Jet Linx app. The Program's concierges will be trained and qualified in standards of service excellence by Forbes Travel Guide. In 2019, Jet Linx became the only Five-Star trained and accredited private aviation company in the world. Since that time, all Jet Linx flight concierge personnel, private terminal staff and flight crews have been continually assessed, instructed and certified by Forbes Travel Guide in Jet Linx proprietary standards of service excellence, which were developed by Jet Linx in collaboration with Forbes Travel Guide.

About Jet Linx Aviation

Jet Linx Aviation is a locally-focused private jet company founded in Omaha, NE in 1999 as a more personalized approach to national private jet companies. Jet Linx offers two different ways to experience private aviation  a guaranteed Jet Card and a Jet Management program  providing its clients with an all-encompassing, local solution to all of their private jet travel needs. Jet Linx is an IS-BAO Stage 3, ARGUS Platinum and Wyvern Wingman safety rated operator, an accomplishment earned by less than one percent of all aircraft operators in the world. It is headquartered in Omaha, Neb. and has bases in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Ft. Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Nashville, New York, Omaha, San Antonio, Scottsdale, St Louis, Tulsa and Washington D.C. For additional information, please visit the Jet Linx website ( www.jetlinx.com ).

About Forbes Travel Guide

Forbes Travel Guide is the only independent, global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and spas. Started as Mobil Travel Guide in 1958, the company created the first Five-Star rating system in the United States. Today, Forbes Travel Guide's incognito inspectors travel the world, evaluating properties based on up to 900 rigorous, objective standards. Forbes Travel Guide also supports the hospitality industry and other service-oriented businesses such as luxury residential, healthcare and private clubs with bespoke training solutions, evaluation services and the creation of custom service standards.

For more information, please visit partner.forbestravelguide.com .

SOURCE Jet Linx
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. The murder of Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan in Budapest and the subsequent actions prove the racist nature of Azerbaijan. By pardoning the perpetrator of this murder Azerbaijan has ensured impunity, and giving privileges to the criminal has been conditioned by the murder based on ethnicity. All these issues are stated in the appeal submitted to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

The ruling My Step faction MP of the Armenian Parliament, expert on Azerbaijani studies Tatev Hayrapetyan and attorney Siranuysh Sahakyan gave an interview to Armenpress today, the anniversary of the murder of the Armenian officer, talking about the topic.

The tragic murder of Gurgen Margaryan and the subsequent actions clearly show what country we are dealing with. Azerbaijans all actions once again prove its militaristic, xenophobic and racist nature, Hayrapetyan said. She said Armenia doesnt miss any opportunity and raises this issue at all international platforms, and this is being done both at the leaders, parliamentary and NGO level. Recently, the Prime Minister of Armenia again touched upon this topic at a meeting in Berlin.

The murder of Gurgen Margaryan was carried out in the center of Europe several years ago. We must continue talking not only about this tragedy, but also the other cases to show Azerbaijans real character. Both the election frauds and Azerbaijans militaristic rhetoric and hostilities speak about the fact that there will be no return to the past, Tatev Hayrapetyan said, adding that like in the past, now as well Azerbaijan is distinguished with its open anti-Armenian policy. If one day peace is achieved, it can happen only in case of change of this thinking, but we do not see this at this stage yet, the MP said, adding that Armenophobia has become a state policy in Azerbaijan.

Siranusyh Sahakyan introduced the details of Gurgen Margaryans case in the ECHR, stating that it is at the final stage. According to her, the ECHR is expected to release the verdict in March. The ECHR case is against Hungary and Azerbaijan.

For Azerbaijans part we asked the Court to record that a violation of right to life has taken place. The appeal says that Azerbaijan has ensured impunity by pardoning the criminal. We have also put inquiries that giving the pardon and privileges to the criminal has been conditioned by the murder based on ethnicity. This is a very important point because as a result of it we should reach the recording of anti-Armenian discrimination by the international court, showing that Azerbaijan is responsible for that as a state, she said, adding that they will be consistent in the implementation of the verdict of the Hungarian court, meaning that murderer Ramil Safarov should be sent back to Hungary to serve his sentence.

On January 11, 2004, Gurgen Margaryan left for Budapest, Hungary, to participate in a three-month English language course which was part of NATO's Partnership for Peace program. On February 19 he was axed, while asleep, by his fellow Azerbaijani participant, Lieutenant Ramil Safarov. The murder took place at 5 am, while the victim was asleep.

Safarov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, was transferred back to his home country on August 31, 2012 under an extradition agreement. Although Azerbaijan formally pledged that the life sentence handed down to him in Hungary would be directly continued when he was returned to his homeland, the Azerbaijani president granted him a pardon and formally recognized him as a national hero upon his arrival.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
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New York, Feb 19 : US President Donald Trump has indicated that a full-fledged trade agreement with India was unlikely during his visit there next week -- or even this year -- but a "very big one" was in the offing.

"I don't know if it'll be done before the election, but we'all have a very big deal with India," he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday when he was asked about the likelihood of it during the visit to India.

But he left room open for a symbolic preliminary agreement.

He said, "I'm really saving the big deal for later on. We're doing a very big trade deal with India. We'll have it." Trump's assertion that a trade deal may not be done "before the election" in November could be meant to goad India into making concessions to complete it soon.

Complaining about the progress of the trade deal negotiations, he said, "We are not treated very well by India." He quickly added, "But I happen to like Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi a lot." Trump, who is into show and pomp, sounded eager about the trip encouraging reporters to come along telling them, "It's going to be very exciting; I hope you all enjoy it." Referring to the main programme in Ahmedabad of inaugurating the Sardar Vallabhai Patel Stadium, he said that Modi "told me we'll have seven million people between the airport and the event." "And the stadium, I understand, is sort of semi under construction, but it's going to be the largest stadium in the world. So it's going to be very exciting." All agog, he repeated the number of the welcoming crowd: "But he says between the stadium and the airport, we'll have about seven million people." The stadium will have a capacity of 110,000 people.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is not going on the trip to India with Trump, which was already an indication that a full-fledged trade pact more than a year in negotiations was not going to be signed.

One of the final sticking points is India's proposed law modelled on European legislation to require financial companies like credit card issuers to store data in India.

With the proposed law before Parliament, it would be difficult for Modi to agree to the US demand that there should be no such provision.

Another is with the Indian restriction on importing dairy products from animals fed with offal -- the leftover products from the butchery of animals.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)

Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston
Kyslytsya spoke about Russia's direct involvement in the war in Donbas.

Chief of Ukraine's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Ambassador Serhiy Kyslytsya has said there is no justification for former vice-governor of Russia's Irkutsk region to "head" occupied Donbas.

"Whenever reminded of its own Minsk commitments, Russia immediately points finger at Ukraine, saying that it is us who should hold a so-called direct dialogue with the representatives of two so-called 'local authorities' in the temporarily occupied parts of Donbas. But what are they? How local is the recently appointed so-called acting head of 'government of Donetsk' Vladimir Pashkov? The citizen of Russia, born in Siberia, graduated from the Russian Military Pacific Navy School and, until recently, the vice-governor of the Irkutsk region of Russia?" Kyslytsay said at a UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting in New York City on February 18.

Read alsoRussia issues over 200,000 passports to Ukrainians in Donbas  Ukraine's envoy to UN

"Would you like to know how close is Irkutsk to Donetsk? Some insignificant 6,000 km. Still local enough, in the opinion of Moscow, to rule in Donbas and to be talked to about its future," Kyslytsya said.

Earlier, 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.

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.
As a board and as a community, we should be grateful for Dr. Trimbergers work in speaking out against what happened in the district under the prior administration, she said. But it is not our place to subjectively reward him out of gratitude for his past work, when we should instead be relying on a superintendents objective evaluation of his performance in determining the length of his contract and any compensation or benefit."
Here's what you need to know about what's happening in Raleigh.

Double homicide reflects violent trend in Raleigh

Police found two people dead inside a car in northeast Raleigh late Monday. Teleah Janae Richmond, 27, and Taferious Traquail Cannady, 24, were found shot to death on McGuire Drive, off Perry Creek Road, at about 11 p.m., police said.

Read the full story on WRAL TV.

Raleigh womens clinic has unique approach to cut infant mortality rate

Having a baby is usually a time of joy, but of every thousand babies born in North Carolina, statistics show seven will die before their first birthday.

Read the full story on WNCN.

Pier 1 is closing almost half of its stores, including four in the Triangle

The home decor retailer will close two Raleigh locations, but keep other locations in the area open and online services operating.

Read the full story on The News & Observer.

Triangle cooking competition pits top chefs against each other, raises money for charity

It is a combination of two things everybody loves  good food and classic cars. The Lucy Daniels Center is hosting Cooking for a Classic beginning on Feb. 24.

Read the full story on WNCN.

WalletHub ranks Raleigh among best state capitals for cost of living

Raleigh came in second place behind Austin, TX.

Read the full story on ABC11 WTVD.

This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
A PhD in Medical Microbiology or Medical Biochemistry shall be required for Medium & Advanced Laboratories

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in its latest gazette notification regarding Clinical Establishment (Central Government) Amendment Rules 2020 on 14/02/2020 made it official that, professionals with MSc degree in Medical Microbiology or Medical Biochemistry with three years of laboratory experience can become authorized signatory in diagnostic laboratory for tests respective to their specialization without recording any opinion or interpretation of lab results.

As per the notification, A PhD in Medical Microbiology or Medical Biochemistry shall be required for Medium & Advanced Laboratories.

This notification came after the Board of Governors in supersession of MCI gave its decision regarding the role of authorized signatory to the ministry.

Dr. Sridhar Rao, President, National M.Sc Medical Teachers' Association welcomed this move of the ministry and said, "it was indeed a long battle to win back our rights. Signing authority was snatched from us and many of our members lost jobs or demoted at workplace and faced a lot of hardships.

He thanked the Board of Governors and the central Health Ministry for restoring the signatory rights by giving due consideration to the NMMTAs detailed representations.

Clinical scientists signing laboratory reports is practiced all over the world, including the US, the UK, the European Union, Middle East countries, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Nepal etc. In fact, the West Bengal government had included the clinical scientists in its Clinical Establishments Act guidelines. With the Union government clearing the way, rest of the states must adopt these guidelines", he added.

Arjun Maitra, Secretary, National M.Sc Medical Teachers' Association said, We were waiting for this day for long. From 2014 we were fighting for our professional dignity and the opportunity to work in the field of our specialization. Appropriately trained clinical scientists will compensate the acute deficiency of doctors specializing in laboratory medicine.

Since the knowledge and skills regarding the techniques used in the laboratory tests are acquired in the postgraduate course (Medical MSc) itself and the fact that Ph.D doesn't confer any additional knowledge or skill in routine diagnostics, the requirement of Ph.D for medium and advanced laboratories may be omitted. NMMTA has always asked for the restoration of signatory authority based on the PG qualifications, with or without Ph.D. As of now we thank and welcome the decision of the ministry and all else who have supported us.

National M.Sc Medical Teachers' Association (NMMTA) is a registered association of persons who have medical M.Sc postgraduate degree in Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology or Microbiology awarded under the faculty of medicine and conducted by any medical college/institution (recognized by the Medical Council of India).






Truffle EXX 10Gb SD-WAN The latest Truffle EXX models have already been in use by some of our customers around the world and the feedback has been outstanding.

Mushroom Networks, Inc., an innovator in next generation cognitive Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN), today unveiled a new version of its Truffle Broadband Bonding SD-WAN appliances  the Truffle EXX series  designed to support up to twenty-six WAN ports with configurable NIC modules with fiber and/or copper ports as 1Gb and/or 10Gb Ethernet.

Truffle EXX supports Mushroom Networks latest SD-WAN software and is ideal for larger offices and data center installations with its near wire-speed performance for the overlay tunnels. Measuring at 430mm x 475mm x 44mm, Truffle EXX packs twenty-six configurable WAN and eight built-in LAN ports for high port density in a 1U rack-mountable form factor.

We designed the product to address the increasing demands from some of our value-added reseller partners for their clients. The latest Truffle EXX models have already been in use by some of our customers around the world and the feedback has been outstanding. We see SD-WAN with 10Gb capacity becoming more commonplace with larger enterprise and service provider customers. Truffle EXX will also be ideal for scenarios where the software-only Truffle V is not the best option, said Dr. Jay Akin, co-founder and CEO of Mushroom Networks, Inc.

Truffle EXX, similar to other Mushroom Networks SD-WAN appliances, leverages automated overlay tunnels that can detect flow types, analyze transport metrics in real-time and accordingly apply flow specific algorithms to optimize application performance. The network automation enables hands-off network management and leverages rich telemetry data, deep packet inspection and adaptive overlay tunneling to set networks on autopilot.

Truffle EXX is available worldwide directly from Mushroom Networks and through select channel partners. For more information, please visit https://www.mushroomnetworks.com.

About Mushroom Networks

Mushroom Networks, Inc., is a privately held company based in San Diego, CA, providing patented Broadband Bonding SD-WAN solutions to a wide range of Internet connection applications. Their products bond dissimilar broadband access technologies forming a single highly reliable broadband pipe that can easily scaled and customized based on needs. The company's flagship product line serves SMBs, enterprises, multi tenant buildings, Internet Service Providers and Managed Service Providers. Mushroom Networks was the winner of the 2017 SD-WAN excellence award by Internet Telephony Magazine, 2016 Company of the year award by Quadrant Research, 2015 Most Innovative Product award by CONNECT, finalist for the coveted 2012 San Diego Business Journal Innovation Award, winner of the XCHANGE Tech Innovators Xcellence Award, and winner of the 2008 CONNECT Most Innovative New Product award, Network Worlds "top technology trend of 2008" award. For more information, please visit https://www.mushroomnetworks.com or call (858) 452-1031.
Fact-checking Democrats on the budget and Medicare, Trump on Roger Stone's legal case and more
There were tears and defiance too as the women of Shaheen Bagh poured their hearts out to the two Supreme Court appointed interlocutors on Wednesday, the first attempt to reach out to those sitting in protest against the anti-citizenship amendment legislation for more than two months.

Advocates Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran as well as former bureaucrat Wajahat Habibullah went to Shaheen Bagh, the epicentre of the anti-CAA protests, to speak to the women and attempt to find a way out of the impasse.

Many said they would clear the protest site only after the CAA, NRC and NPR were removed.

"The Supreme Court has upheld your right to protest. But then other citizens also have their rights and that should also be maintained," Ramachandran told the crowd assembled at the spot in south Delhi in large numbers.

"We want to together find a solution to the problem. We will listen to everyone," she said in Hindi.

Responding to the concerns raised by the women, Ramachandran said all the points will be put forward before the Supreme Court and discussed in detail.

"However, I want to say one thing. A country that has daughters like you can never face any threats," Ramachandran said.

Hegde explained in detail the Supreme Court order to the crowds. This was translated into Hindi by Ramachandran.

On Monday, the Supreme Court observed that the blockade of the road at Shaheen Bagh was "troubling" and suggested the protesters go to another site where no public place would be blocked. It, however, upheld their right to protest.

The apex court also asked Hegde to "play a constructive role as an interlocutor" to persuade the protesters to move to an alternative site. It said the interlocutors could seek Habibullah's assistance.

The sit-in, which has been going on since December 16, has blocked a critical arterial road connecting Delhi and Noida, causing trouble to commuters and schoolchildren.

The women, young and old, tried to explain their point of view to the interlocutors.

Bilkis, one of the feisty 'dadis' who has been demonstrating against the CAA since it began, declared they wouldn't move an inch even if someone fires a gun.

The wizened elderly woman said the main tent where the podium has been erected covers only 100 to 150 metres of the road.

"We have not blocked the whole stretch. It is Delhi Police which barricaded the whole road in the name of security. Why don't you get that removed first? We never asked police or any authority to block the roads for us. It is they who did it and are now blaming us for the blockade," she argued.

A defiant Bilkis said they will not move until the CAA is repealed.

"They call us traitors. When we pushed Britishers put of the country, who is Narendra Modi and Amit Shah? We won't move an inch even if someone fires at us. You remove NRC and CAA, we will clear the site in no second," she said as the crowd of about 100 people cheered on.

Another woman broke down while talking to the mediators.

She said they are protesting to save the Constitution but people see only the inconvenience of commuters who have the option of taking so many other roads.

"Aren't we facing inconvenience sitting here in cold nights, without food, taking our children to the protest. We are ourselves so troubled, what trouble will we cause to citizens?"



She said the allegations that they are not letting ambulances pass and vehicles pass are baseless.

"The road hasn't been blocked by us. In fact, it is the Centre that has blocked freedom in this country," she added.

Another woman described their ongoing protest as mental trauma. She said they jump up even at the slightest noise at night, fearing police action.

"We are unable to sleep at night and every woman is scared here. Our religion does not allow us to commit suicide but each day is killing us. Our condition is like patients who seek mercy killings," she said.

The protest site witnessed firing earlier this month, triggering panic.

Many women said they had been living in the area since generations.

"We are not infiltrators who will move," she said.

The talks, which lasted for almost three hours, will continue on Thursday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mumbai: Bellwether stock index Nifty50 will exclude lender Yes Bank from the stocks that comprise its weightage, NSE Indices said on Tuesday.



The Index Maintenance Sub-Committee (IMSC) of the NSE decided to make the change as part of a periodic review.



In its place, Shree Cement will be included in the index from March 27.





Besides, the company made changes to the Nifty Next 50 index as well by excluding Ashok Leyland, Indiabulls Housing Finance, L&T Finance Holdings, Shree Cement, and Vodafone Idea.



It included Adani Transmission, IDBI Bank, Info Edge (India), Larsen & Toubro Infotech and Torrent Pharmaceuticals.



The NSE Indices is a subsidiary of NSE which provides a variety of indices and index related services for the capital markets.



It owns and manages a portfolio of indices under the NIFTY brand of NSE, including the flagship index, the NIFTY 50.



The NIFTY equity indices comprises of broad-based benchmark indices, sectoral indices, strategy indices, thematic indices and customised indices.


A Michigan-based coffee franchise is coming to New Jersey.

Biggby Coffee, which has 230 shops throughout the United States, will be located at 660 Middlesex Ave in Metuchen.

Brian Glass, the stores owner and operator, told NJ Advance Media there are plans to open in March, although an official opening date has not yet been announced.

Im a Jersey boy  graduated from Montgomery High School and went to Rutgers University, Glass said. Its always been really important to me to bring a place to my home state that reflects my values and beliefs.

Biggby Coffee was founded in Michigan in 1995. Most of its footprint is in the Midwest and Great Lakes region.

This will be the first New Jersey location.

Biggbys menu features lattes, hot chocolate, smoothies and traditional coffee beverages. Bragels," a cross between a bagel and a sandwich, are also on the menu.

Nicolette Accardi can be reached at naccardi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @N_Accardi. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

MORE RETAIL AND SHOPPING COVERAGE:

Indian restaurant franchise enters N.J., plans to open 5 locations

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Kmart to close another store, only 4 will remain in N.J.
A view of "Pinatasthetic" at Art League Houston, including Josue Ramirez' "Formation' and Justin Favela's mural "Valle de Mexico desde el Molino del Rey, after Jose Maria Velasco (1898)." Photo: Molly Glentzer / Houston Chronicle Photo: Molly Glentzer / Houston Chronicle

Nothing to knock around lightly, the paper pinata has a complex history.

It may have originated in China, then found its way in about the14th century to Europe, where it was incorporated into Lenten traditions. Spanish missionaries took pinatas to Latin America in the 16th century, but indigenous people had a similar practice involving treasure-filled clay pots.

That legacy  and the meaningfulness of pinata-making in the Latinx collective conscious  drives the work of the three artists featured in Art League Houstons show Pinatasthetic. Their materials are humble by nature  strips of colorful paper that they layer and build into sculpture and murals.

Josue Ramirez of the Rio Grande Valley pushes the working-class craft of pinateria into the contemporary art realm the most compellingly with his abstract psychedelic forms and a videotaped performance. In the video, he performs alongside a river bed, maybe the Rio Grande, in a costume that calls to mind a Nick Cave Soundsuit. But the the form of Ramirezs pinata suit morphs continuously as the person inside it rolls and whirls. It could be so many things: A wild beast, a flower, a colorfully unsettled spirit. Its mesmerizing.

His big, globular and wormy sculptures  also part of his Pinatabstract series  are fixed in place but have such a sense of movement you half expect them to wake up and animate the room.

Justin Favela, a Las Vegas-based artist who showed his Tex-Mex food-inspired sculpture last year at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, has created a monumental mural based on Mexican painter Jose Maria Velascos late 19th century masterpiece El valle de Mexico desde el Molino del Rey. Velascos original landscape, a realistic and tranquil depiction of a valley below snow-capped mountains, has a muted palette. Favelas mural renders the in near day-glow colors, and the rows of paper strips create an almost Impressionistic effect. The image is readable only from a distance, nicely evoking the haze of time.

Dallas native Giovanni Valderas has built what looks like a rolling pinata with Victory Lap, a paleta cart-inspired sculpture emblazoned with the word Recuerda (Remember). It made me recall Sancho Panzas fanciful cart in the Alley Theaters wonderful recent production of Quixote Nuevo.

Valderas smaller, wall-dependent mixed-media pieces combine pinata materials atop nestlike deconstructions. For example, he spells out Apaciguate (cool it or settle down) with pinata paper strips atop layered slivers of wood, duct tape and newsprint.

Valderas explains in his artist statement that such works address the tattered relationship of his Guatemalan, Mexican and American ancestry. These are the shows least pinataesque pieces, but that idea aptly expresses the soul of it all.

Pinatasthetic is up through Feb. 29 at Art League Houston, 1953 Montrose; free; 713-523-9530, artleaguehouston.org .

molly.glentzer@chron.com
Coronavirus outbreak has impacted the prices of consumer durable products which have gone up by 5-10%, according to Novel Coronavirus - Asiawide on-the-ground impact report.

The report said that the manufacturers are grappling with a shortage of components and finished goods imported from coronavirus-hit China as the electronics and consumer durables face supply chain disruptions.

With the approaching summer months, the demand for air-conditioners and refrigerators is set to go up which will put further strain on the prices of these products if the supply disruption is prolonged.

Also Read: Coronavirus scare in India: Huge capacity to manufacture masks, gloves, but govt yet to place orders

"Indian electronics and white-goods manufacturers rely heavily on Chinese supplies for television panels, LED chips, compressors for refrigerators and air conditioners, and motors," said the report.

"There has been a disruption in the supply chain with regards to these critical components for Indian brands. The prices of these products have increased by 5-10% and could increase further if the supply disruption is prolonged," it added.

The report went on to say that the Indian businesses are also complaining of "no commitment from Chinese vendors on when materials would be delivered as their inventory buffer gets exhausted."

The companies also rued that the slowdown of port operations is another threat area for them and if the port shutdown continues, there could be further supply chain disruptions.

Also Read: How consumer durable brands are wooing millennials?

The report further highlighted that "any shift in global supply away from China" will benefit countries like India whose "garment and textile exporters could see busier order books in the short term."

The coronavirus outbreak has crippled operations of manufacturing hubs such as Hubei and Shenzhen in China, forcing factories that produce components and finished products for the global market to curtail their production sharply.

At the same time, as travel restrictions continue in China, the workers are not able to rejoin factories after the prolonged Chinese New Year holiday.

Also Read: TV, AC, refrigerator sellers look forward to festive season for sales revival
The United States will provide financial assistance to Ethiopia as it pursues political reforms, the office of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a statement on Tuesday, following the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visit in the country.

An agreement has been reached regarding the strengthening of the holistic and ongoing reform in Ethiopia to which the United States Government plans to provide substantial financial support, the statement said.

Ethiopia, a key US security ally in the Horn of Africa, has undergone dramatic political reforms since Nobel Peace Prize-winner PM Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018.

Mike Pompeo praised political reforms Abiy has spearheaded ahead of Ethiopias upcoming elections. Ethiopians are due to vote on Aug. 29 in a balllot Abiy has promised will be free and fair in a bold break from decades of repression.

A free and credible vote will show that there is no false choice between democracy and security and it will ensure that everyone has a choice, Pompeo told reporters.

However, the loosening of repressive measures has been exploited by some with long-held grievances, leading sometimes to violent ethnic tensions that threaten the August polls.

Ethiopia is Pompeos last stop on his tour of Africa before he moves on to the Middle East.
A federal judge in Texas on Tuesday rejected a constitutional challenge by Huawei Technologies, the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker, to a U.S. law that restricted its ability to do business with federal agencies and their contractors.

In a 57-page decision, U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant ruled in favor of the United States, concluding that Congress acted within its powers by including the restriction in the National Defense Authorization Act, which also targeted ZTE Corporation, another Chinese company.

A Huawei spokesman said the company was disappointed in the loss.

While we understand the paramount significance of national security, the approach taken by the U.S. government in the 2019 NDAA provides a false sense of protection while undermining Huaweis constitutional rights. We will continue to consider further legal options, the spokesman said.

The government was pleased with the ruling, a Justice Department spokesman said.

The decision comes as the United States has a wide-ranging effort underway to prevent Huawei technology from being used in sensitive telecommunications equipment in the United States or elsewhere. Earlier this week, the government charged Huawei and two of its subsidiaries with federal racketeering and conspiracy to steal trade secrets from American companies. Huawei has denied the allegations and said it expects it will be exonerated.
The cloud has long been cited as a means of achieving multiple business benefits including reduced IT costs, faster speed-to-market, better service levels and cloud as an enabler of the digital business.

Kirtan Sirta, Managing Director Technology: Accenture South Africa

The potential of cloud computing is currently a hot topic. For those who don't know, what is cloud computing? How does it work and why is it skyrocketing so progressively?

Cloud offers faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale since you typically pay only for the cloud services you use, your overall operating costs are lower.

Could you tell me, what are the advantages and disadvantages of cloud adoption?

What is the expected benefit versus the real benefit of adopting cloud services in South African businesses?

At the same time, your business isnt just built on technology  its built on your people and your culture.

Do businesses realise the full benefit that cloud promises to deliver?

How will the cloud transform the way we do business in the future?

As the topic of cloud services becomes part of our daily dialogue. How would a business get started in the cloud?

Many South African companies are still struggling to capture the benefits for themselves. What advice do you have?

Would you encourage businesses to take their business to the cloud?

Accenture recently conducted a survey on the outcomes of cloud  expectations vs. reality. What are some of the key findings from the survey?

Despite the opportunities of the cloud, many companies are still struggling to capture the benefits for themselves.Kirtan Sirta, Managing Director Technology: Accenture South Africa shares insight on how South African businesses can benefit from the cloud...Well, the cloud is a metaphor for the internet. Simply put, cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the internet instead of your computer's hard drive. These include servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence.Businesses have come to understand the value cloud offers, with 77% of enterprises reporting that they have at least one application or a portion of their enterprise computing infrastructure in the cloud, while the worldwide whole cloud spending is predicted to reach $565bn by 2021.Someof cloud include lower cost and greater speed. You dont need to invest too much into data centres with servers, IT experts, continuous air-conditioning and expensive hardware and software. This, in turn, leads to better productivity and performance. Most cloud computing services are self-service and on-demand allowing flexibility and less pressure on capacity planning.Another important advantage is that cloud computing is highly reliable. It makes data backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity easier and less expensive because data can be mirrored at multiple redundant sites on the cloud providers network. Cloud adoption resources can be scaled elastically, meaning in the right amount right where they are needed from anywhere in the world.There are sometoo, such as the risk of data confidentiality. Security is by far the biggest concern with cloud adoption. Public cloud especially poses a high-security risk due to its wide accessibility and makes it an almost wide-open opportunity for hackers.The internet is also the only way to cloud computing, so if your connection is problematic, it is easy to be disconnected. Likewise, the quality of cloud computing servers needs to be on par. Lastly, if a problem occurs on the cloud, you need to call out an agent for assistance. Technical support is not always available - unless for an extra fee.Cloud technology and the digital world are crucial parts of the way we do business in the new era. We are witnessing the next evolution of enterprises in which smarter businesses will have to transform the way in which they provide and differentiate value to take advantage of new or shifting business opportunities.Technology has brought the business world to the point where almost everything is being digitised. Not only does this mean that new software and systems are constantly being introduced  it requires a paradigm shift in approach to all aspects of business.In the new business landscape, complexity will only continue to grow, as technological capability exponentially increases. Success will thus largely depend on the ability to address the challenges posed by complexity, human resource considerations and increased demands for accountability. This requires insight into every aspect of the organisation and its operations.Like most new technologies, capturing the intended benefits of the cloud takes time; there is a learning curve influenced by many variables.We conducted a survey, and most companies report having achieved some measure of their expected outcomes with 4% of those surveyed indicating they have not achieved their goal. While the vast majority of companies cite achieving some level of their desired outcomes, on average only 35% of companies report they have fully achieved their expected outcomes across the four categories of cost, speed, business enablement and service levels.Further nuances appear as one starts to breakdown the results by degree of cloud adoption and the type of cloud model employed.Cloud computing is not merely a set of technologies. It is a new business model that affects almost every aspect of an organisation. It is an approach to aligning technology with business strategy and needs  in ways that offer unprecedented business flexibility and agility.The cornerstones of cloud computing are inter-connectivity and collaboration between technologies and services, made possible through an overarching cloud framework that integrates everything and supplies the requisite information that all the constituent services use in our integrated cloud solutions.Success in the modern-day organisation requires understanding and addressing the challenges of the dynamic and fast-changing business landscape. It demands the development of new business strategies that take these trends into account, and transform businesses to enable them to take advantage of them. Organisations need to respond quickly, relevantly and accurately. They also need to manage the risk and uncertainty that comes with this and adjust accordingly.The strategy also needs to be executed successfully. To achieve this a business needs to go through a transformation process. Technology has to support tactical and strategic decision making as well as day-to-day operations, ensuring continuous alignment and allowing the organisation to bridge the gap between strategy and execution.Every cloud project is different. After assessing your goals, you'll need to define the right cloud solution for your business needs with a holistic approach that addresses people and processes as well as technology.One option available to companies in addressing the barriers to achieve the promise of the cloud is to leverage a qualified third-party to manage their cloud services.We asked our IT leaders to indicate the extent to which they would consider using such services. Overall, 87% of those surveyed indicated they would moderately or greatly consider the use of such services. Accenture offers solutions for managed cloud services for companies who are willing to seek out advice and help with cloud adoption. These are typically larger companies and they are statistically more inclined toward the use of managed services.For those in the early phases of cloud adoption, we have published numerous studies to assist in their decision-making, which are all available on our Accenture Cloud blog Absolutely yes! If they can effectively manage or overcome the barriers to adoption, then there is no reason not to move to the cloud.The two most cited barriers across all phases of adoption were consistent with security and risk compliance the top concern, and complexity of business and organisational change second.The world is operating under 4IR now and any business that lags in its IT infrastructure risks becoming vulnerable to losing their spot in the market. The cloud allows for better operational efficiency, scaling, reliability and productivity.Accenture surveyed 200 senior IT executives (chief information officers, vice presidents/directors of IT, vice presidents/directors of Cloud) from companies around the world, to discover to what extent those leveraging cloud have achieved the expected benefits and their level of satisfaction with these achievements.Four dimensions of cloud outcomes were considered - cost savings, speed to market, business enablement, and improved service levels.Accenture then asked IT leaders to identify the greatest barriers in their organisations to fully exploit the promise of cloud. The blind survey was conducted with 200 companies having revenues in excess of $1bn per annum, across 10 industries in eight countries.While 96% of the survey respondents report achieving some degree of their expected cloud outcomes, less than half are very satisfied with the results. Most companies surveyed had achieved some measure of success in attaining their desired cloud outcomes.With this in mind, the study looked at the level of satisfaction the surveyed executives had with their reported results. In general, respondents indicated satisfaction with cloud results achieved, despite not fully realising the anticipated benefits.On average, 93% of executives were satisfied (49%) or very satisfied (44%) with the outcomes delivered, indicating that for the most part, cloud-driven improvements of any degree were sufficient to clear the bar of minimum expectations.Cost savings proved to be the area where the most dissatisfaction was raised, with 11% acknowledging expectations have not been met.Dissatisfaction with expected outcomes for business enablement and speed to market came in at 8% and 7% respectively, with only 4% indicating being dissatisfied with progress on service level improvements.Top concerns were largely dependent on company size. Large companies (>$10bn), not surprisingly, identified complexity of business and organisational change as the top concern (67%), with security and compliance risk ranked second (61%) and legacy infrastructure and/or application sprawl ranked third (47%).Small and moderately sized companies ($1bn-$5bn and $5-10bn) ranked security and compliance risk as their top concern (61%) but next viewed lack of cloud skills and complexity of change equally concerning at (53%).Download the Accenture's Perspectives on Cloud Outcomes: Expectation vs. Reality - A Global Survey of IT Executives report (PDF File: 455KB)
There could be restrictions on the movement of traffic in parts of the national capital on Monday and Tuesday as part of elaborate security measures put in place for US President Donald Trump two-day stay in New Delhi, a police officer said.

It is not finalised, but if the US President visits Rajghat [Mahatma Gandhis memorial] on Tuesday morning, roads will be blocked between New Delhi and Central Delhi. From Rajghat, he will return to the New Delhi area before noon. Traffic will be affected around the India Gate and other parts of New Delhi until the evening. Late evening, the road around the airport will be closed for his convoy to pass smoothly and safely, the officer said on condition of anonymity. The Delhi traffic police will accordingly release an advisory on social media, the officer added.

The Delhi police have proposed a four-tier security for Trump, according to people aware of the matter. The first cordon will be that of the Presidents bodyguards, second by his security unit, third by paramilitary personnel and fourth by the local police, they added.

The police are also installing around 10,000 CCTV cameras along the routes Trump will take during his 26-hour stay in New Delhi. They have started coordinating with the security of the hotel, where Trump will stay.

The Delhi police on Wednesday held a security liaison meeting with a team of officers from the US. Another meeting is scheduled for Thursday, the people cited above said.

The traffic police will not allow any vehicles along the road from the airport to a five-star hotel on the Sardar Patel Marg on Monday evening when Trump lands in Delhi. There will be heavy security outside the hotel, but traffic would be allowed to ply normally once Trump reaches there.
BAY CITY, MI - City and county leaders took the stage Tuesday at an annual Bay Area Chamber of Commerce event to give an update on the community.

The chamber hosted the 20th annual State of the Community address at the Double Tree Hotel in Bay City on Tuesday, Feb. 18. The luncheon invites local leaders to give presentations, similar to a State of the Union address.

Bay County Executive Jim Barcia and Bay City Manager Dana Muscott emphasized positive achievements and notable events from 2019 at both the county and city level, while also discussing the challenges that await in 2020.

Barcia highlighted the opening of the new Veterans Affairs Office in the Bay County building designed to be more accessible and the re-branding and growth of Bay County Animal Services with a 97% no-kill rate.

We are doing so well that the Michigan Association of Counties has added a breakout session at their Spring Legislative Conference in Lansing to share our strategies with other counties, said Barcia about Animal Services. Craig Goulet and I, along with Deb Schutt, CEO of the Pet Fund Alliance of Michigan, will be presenting.

Barcia also praised work toward establishing a low-income dental clinic with the new My Community Dental Centers location. The 3,000-square-foot clinic is slated to open in the summer of 2020 and it will be located at 2624 Center Ave., in the plaza containing Little Caesars and Family Dollar on the citys East Side.

The clinic will make a life-changing difference for our neighbors, who would otherwise not have access to dental care by offering reduced fees for those without dental insurance, based on household income," Barcia said.

According to Barcia, the clinic will be 100% funded at no cost to Bay County taxpayers.

Barcia stressed that Bay County has been working on doing more with less, citing a decrease in tax revenue for the county to work with while striving to offer the same level of service to residents. He credited his staffs diligence at seeking alternative funding sources and said that Bay Countys estimated federal and state operating grants and contributions total up to $11.4 million.

Our staff is diligent about seeking all possible federal and state sources to supplement our budget and maintain quality services, he said.

Barcia emphasized the importance of collaboration, especially with state and federal agencies, in regards to shoreline flooding and predicted high water levels.

County Emergency Management is working with municipalities to schedule informational public meetings with state and federal agencies, the distribution of tens of thousands of sand bags and evacuation and rescue plans are being developed with local fire departments," he said.

As for the city side of things, Muscott listed a myriad achievements and successes that Bay City has seen.

Muscott highlighted the citys fight against blight and recent push to clean up Bay Citys neighborhoods.

The movement that we want to make is about neighborhoods and people. Neighborhoods that are accessible, safe, inclusive, clean and affordable, she said. An economy that extends opportunity to everyone, a city that preserves its history, character and sense of community, even in the midst of negativity. That negativity to me is blight.

She discussed the neighborhood revitalization agreement between the Bay City Housing Commission and the Bay County Treasurer as a strategy to remove blighted houses from the area. Muscott said the city also hired an additional code enforcement officer to help alleviate blight.

She mentioned economic growth and development in Bay City, including a recent expansion by Gougeon Brothers and the growing presence of Rod Hildebrant and Matthew Meehans ShineWater company in Bay City.

Uptown was a focus of Muscotts presentation, with her noting the progress on Uptowns phase 2 project while acknowledging Uptowns phase 1 project, which was awarded the Michigan Municipal Leagues 2019 Community Excellence Award.

This magnitude of investment shows that Shaheen Development has confidence in our city as they have done on that once deserted 43-acre site," she said.

Muscott also made the first public announcement about a new industry setting up shop in Bay City. She said that Wilkinson Minerals purchased property at 101 Picard St. in Bay City - a site east of Independence Bridge along the Saginaw River - for a planned $50-60 million investment. Wilkinson Minerals is a Mayville-based company that focuses on the production and sale of calcium chloride solution.

Related news:

Mineral extraction company coming to Bay City, plans 50-100 permanent jobs

These houses in Bay City are scheduled for demolition in 2020

Bay Citys Gougeon Brothers plans expansion, gets some tax relief

Bay Citys new Wenonah Park bandshell should be ready for 2020 summer concerts

Tennis courts removed at Vets Park as Bay City looks to bring back old-school games
Fran Ruchalski/The Enterprise

For a long time political leaders in Southeast Texas were content to reap the many benefits from our petrochemical plants but do little about the downsides that affect the health and safety of people who live here. State Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, has broken out of that mindset, and its about time.

Phelan has called for the Legislature to do a lot more in next years session to protect plant workers and residents from industrial disasters and dangerous pollutants. After countless reports of excessive pollution and the TPC explosion in November (along with last months blast in Houston at the Watson Grinding and Manufacturing plant), this isnt a difficult position to take. The need for more action should be obvious, and that includes more Republicans who have traditionally been reluctant to support stronger business regulations.
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday rejected a plea seeking CBI probe into the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report against the Kerala Home Department.

George Vattukulam, a resident of Thrissur, had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding a CBI investigation into the CAG report against the state Home Department.

The petitioner had alleged in the court that "the loss of arms and ammunition from the Special Armed Forces Battalion was a serious issue, having implications on security".

The CAG report had found that 25 rifles and 12,061 live cartridges were "missing" from the possession of Kerala's Special Armed Police Battalion (SAPB).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In context: Stadia isn't the end-all, be-all game streaming platform Google hoped it would be, but, like most tech products these days, a rough start does not necessarily mean the entire platform is doomed. Stadia continues to improve slowly and is set to get many new features and dozens of new games (including a few exclusives) this year. Before that happens, though, Google is focusing on enlarging the platform's userbase.

New reports claim Google will be bringing Stadia to a wide array of new smartphones on February 20, instead of keeping the platform exclusive to its Pixel device family. That's a smart decision, and probably one Google should have made upon launch. Stadia has a variety of issues, but limited mobile availability is one of the bigger ones -- if people can't even access the platform on a device of their choice, they're much less likely to buy in.

The new set of Stadia-ready phones will be mostly Samsung Galaxy devices. Indeed, out of 18 soon-to-be-supported smartphones, a total of 14 are Galaxies -- the S8 or newer (including the S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra). The remaining four devices are all "gaming phones": the ROG Phone 1 & 2, and the Razer Phone 1 & 2, specifically.

For the sake of comparison (and as Engadget notes), Microsoft's in-dev xCloud game streaming service already supports all Android devices capable of running version 6.0 (or newer) of the mobile OS. That's a massive difference compared to Stadia's small list of compatible devices, and it's difficult to understand why Google is moving so much more slowly. One might think that Google's position in the Android market would give it an edge in bringing Stadia to a larger pool of gadgets, but it seems that's not the case for now.

If you haven't bought into the Stadia universe yet, we don't think you're missing much. Long promised features like 4K desktop support and Google Assistant functionality are still missing from the platform (though they should arrive soon), and its full game list is quite small at the moment.

We hope, for the sake of those who have signed up for Stadia, that the service gets better soon. If you're one of the platform's early adopters, feel free to leave your thoughts, criticisms, or experiences (positive or negative) in the comments below.

Middle image credit: TechMalak
It's time now to meet the newest members of our Morning Mug Club -- brought to you by Holland Farms Bakery & Deli.

ST. MARGARET'S ECUMENICAL & RETREAT CENTER is hosting an overnight trip to:

Queen Esther @ the Sight & Sound Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Tuesday & Wednesday, April 21 & 2, 2020

Tuesday, April 21

7:30am Depart New Hartford  St. Margaret's, 47 Jordan Road

- appropriate break stop(s) en route

2:30pm Approximate arrival at Sight & Sound Theatre

3:00pm Queen Esther

Set in the opulent yet perilous Persian Empire, Queen Esther is a captivating tale of beauty and bravery. Esther's ordinary life changed forever when she was taken through the palace doors, entering a new world of royalty and risk. With a crown on her head and a secret in her heart, can she find the courage to trust in God's plan and believe that she was made for such a time as this?

Experience one of the most riveting Bible stories of the Old Testament as it comes to life with magnificent sets, special effects and live animals in this brand-new, original stage production.

6:30pm Hometown Kitchen  Family Style Dinner

You'll be seated at tables with buggy seats instead of chairs in the Carriage Room, filled with antique carriage decor. Enjoy a Penn Dutch family-style meal including rolls, homemade strawberry jelly, tossed salad, turkey breast, beef pot roast, mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, peas and carrots, dessert and beverage.

8:00pm Hotel check-in: La Quinta Inn & Suites (717) 392-8100

25 East Brook Road, Ronks, PA

Wednesday, April 22

Breakfast included at hotel

10:00am The Shops at Rockvale

Time for shopping and lunch on your own before departing for home.

2:00pm Depart for home  appropriate break stops will be made

9:30pm Approximate return to New Hartford

COST PER PERSON:

SINGLE OCCUPANCY $370.00

TWIN OCCUPANCY $315.00

TRIPLE OCCUPANCY $305.00

QUAD OCCUPANCY $300.00

A $150.00 deposit is due when the reservation is made. Full payment is due by March 13, 2020.

Call or email to request a reservation form, 315-724-2324 or info@stmargaretshouseny.org

All times are approximate and subject to change.

Arrangements by: Tours By Design, Inc. PO Box 29, Hinckley NY 13352

Tours By Design is not responsible for delays.
It all started with five men and a teepee.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It all started with five men and a teepee.

"It was so dark, we couldnt see anything," Drey Smith says. "First, we had to sneak onto our own land, as it was all blocked up. Then, we had to put it up by moonlight."

"By the time we lit the sacred fire," Calvin Ramsay adds, "we werent going to let anything or anyone stop us."

By midnight Feb. 16, 2019, Camp Morningstar was established.

The roots of Manitobas longest land occupation by Indigenous activists were seeded with a proposed silica sand extraction project in 2014, to be mined from the lands around Hollow Water First Nation and neighbouring Seymourville and Manigotagan.

Camp Morning Star celebrated a one-year anniversary with a feast and gathering at Turtle Lodge in Sagkeeng on Saturday. (Kevin Settee photo)

After being shelved due to community concerns on the environmental and social impacts of development (silica sand is a major health hazard when airborne), it was revived in 2018, due to an increased demand in hydraulic fracturing projects.

In the meantime, Canadian Premium Sand had come to an agreement with Hollow Waters five-member chief and council to provide around 150 jobs and some investment in the community. In late 2018, the province had granted its approval and plans were announced to break ground in 2019 on the $150-million project, 160 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

If built, the Wanipigow sand project was to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for 54 years, mining around 12 acres a year.

While Canadian Premium Sand promised to mitigate damage by planting trees and keeping construction to a minimum, the impact on land, water, animals, and people likely would have taken centuries to repair  if at all. No provincial or federal environmental impact assessment was obtained.

Indigenous rights were dubiously obtained, too.

While Hollow Water chief and council agreed to a "waiver" of Canadas constitutional requirement under Sec. 35 for "free, prior, and informed consent" of First Nations lands, no input or approval of the community was obtained. Still, chief and council negotiated a "benefit agreement."

With laws appearing to be broken, and legal means to stop the project seemingly exhausted, Hollow Water citizens decided to defend  and occupy  their land. (Kevin Settee photo)

With laws appearing to be broken, and legal means to stop the project seemingly exhausted, Hollow Water citizens decided to defend  and occupy  their land.

Camp Morningstar eventually grew to dozens of Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents, living mostly in tents and the teepee, with a nearby sweat lodge and communal meeting area. Hundreds more visited the site weekly, from communities such as Bloodvein, Brokenhead, Sagkeeng, and Winnipeg.

Organizations such as Wilderness Committee soon came on-board, too.

The action was a success, delaying the project until Canadian Premium Sand announced Feb. 5 the mine had become unfeasible. Company president Glenn Leroux told APTN the firm hopes to now begin the project in two years  when the price of silica sand improves.

Undeterred, Camp Morningstars sacred fire continues to burn. Last weekend, activists celebrated its one-year anniversary with a feast and community gathering.

"Were not going anywhere," says Reg Simard, who has been cooking and providing support daily to camp residents.

Julius Hardisty drumming at the camp which has become a beacon for Indigenous activists in Manitoba. (Kevin Settee photo)

"The camp has brought people together," adds Mary Jane McCarron, who does much of the external advocacy and communications for the camp, and is Simard's ex-wife, "even us."

"We would not be able to face our children if we didnt protect their future," Simard says, with a laugh.

Life at Camp Morningstar has not been easy. Occupants have been harassed, lost jobs due to their support of the camp, and experienced threats and warnings.

"No one thought we would make it a month, but we kept going," Simard says.

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Winnipeg march in 'spirit of solidarity' with Wetsuweten Click to Expand Holding a sign that says, "Water is life," Brielle Beardy-Linklater, a local activist, walks with drummers over the lunch hour in support of the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs blocking construction of a natural gas pipeline in northern B.C. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) Posted: 2:18 PM Feb. 18, 2020 Around 100 demonstrators braved the bitter cold Tuesday in downtown Winnipeg to show support for the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs blocking construction of a natural gas pipeline in northern B.C. "We gather in a spirit of solidarity, of peace of love and of respect," Eric Reder, director of the Wilderness Committee's Manitoba field office, said before the lunch-hour march from the Manitoba legislature to the Law Courts building and back. Read Full Story

The camp has also become a beacon for Indigenous activists in Manitoba.

On Tuesday, Camp Morningstar leader Lisa Raven and elder Lance Wood led a march in downtown Winnipeg, in solidarity with Wetsuweten people who were removed from their B.C. land for challenging construction of a natural gas pipeline.

The Manitoba camp is a success story, showing a community can stand up for ancestral traditions and rights.

Its a story of how peaceful demonstration  invested with defending the earth, water, and life for future generations  can win, albeit temporarily, against great odds.

Its a story worth listening to, as Canada ponders its latest crisis involving Indigenous lands and how to work legally, justly, and for the future.

niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
The Highland Acres neighborhood in Bismarck has an interesting past, and its understandable why residents are proud of it. Some have organized in an effort to have the area listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Its a commendable goal, one that merits the support the group behind it has received from the city and state. However, the Tribune editorial board believes there are limits on what the city can do.

Highland Acres was formed after World War II when veterans returned to find a housing shortage in Bismarck. Veteran groups created a housing cooperative at the site of whats Highland Acres, according to Jim Fuglie, a resident of the neighborhood who has researched the history of the area. The neighborhood eventually was completed as a private venture.

Its a lovely community with a lot of trees lining the streets and the yards, with residences ranging from starter homes to very expensive. There are sidewalks in the neighborhood, but not in the more private cul-de-sac areas.

The Bismarck City Commission has been considering sidewalks in those areas, and it has sparked debate in the neighborhood. The controversy goes back to 2017 when the group organized to pursue the National Register.

Since that time, the commission has delayed sidewalk installation three times to allow the group to get on the registry. In January, the commissioners delayed the sidewalks for the third time until October 2021.

If Highland Acres gets on the registry it wont prevent the city from installing sidewalks. Bruce Whitney, who has led the effort to get on the registry, has argued delaying the sidewalks will improve the chances of getting on the registry.

The group faces other challenges.

The effort to get on the registry has been slowed by the North Dakota State Historic Preservation Office's requirement to survey all the homes in the neighborhood to qualify for a nomination to the National Register. The group also failed to get a grant from the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The Historic Preservation Commission is helping the group apply for another grant.

The group seeking the historic designation is small, and it has been difficult to keep volunteers for three years. It would appear it will take the group considerable time to prepare an application for the registry.

City officials have been more than helpful, and the Tribune believes there shouldnt be another extension beyond October 2021. Commissioner Shawn Oban, who voted against the extension, said when he was principal of Highland Acres Elementary School, parents complained about safety issues of children walking to school on the streets.

Its a valid concern, and the Tribune believes safety should come before the character of a community. The city needs to monitor the situation, and if children are in danger the commission shouldnt wait until 2021 to take action.

The Tribune supports the efforts of Highland Acres to get on the registry. However, we dont believe children should be put at risk to do so. Hopefully, thats not the case.

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Vodafone Idea shares closed at Rs 4.19 on the BSE, up by 38.28 per cent after hitting a high of Rs 4.49 in the intra-day trading.

Reports said the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is still working on the final AGR dues that the service providers have to pay, as it has detected variations in the accounting practices adopted by different telecom circle offices.

Mumbai: Telecom stocks bounced back on Wednesday on expectations that some government relief to the telcos on the hefty adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues would be forthcoming.

Reports said the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is still working on the final AGR dues that the service providers have to pay, as it has detected variations in the accounting practices adopted by different telecom circle offices.

Also, Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman, Bharti Enterprises, and Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman, Vodafone Idea, on Wednesday met finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, kindling market hopes that some relief to the telecom service players is on the way.

Vodafone Idea shares gained close to 40 per cent on Wednesday from the closing price on Tuesday, when the stock had come under huge selling pressure over doubts the companys ability to pay the huge dues.

Vodafone Idea shares closed at Rs 4.19 on the BSE, up by 38.28 per cent after hitting a high of Rs 4.49 in the intra-day trading. Bharti Airtel shares also gained intraday but later saw profit taking and closed a tad lower at Rs 543.35, down by 0.90 per cent. Bharti Infratel shares gained 7.14 per cent, closing at Rs 225.10. Reliance Industries, which owns Reliance Jio, gained 2.60 per cent to close at Rs 1,504.20.

"The department has been facing a challenge in carrying out the revised assessments due to various issues related to debit voucher reports (DVRs). Telecom operators, including Airtel and Vodafone Idea, have challenged many DVRs, said an agency report, quoting an unnamed official.

"Also, circle offices have not adopted uniform practice in accounting. The DoT has asked them to re-verify DVRs at the earliest in the light of Supreme Court judgement," the official reportedly said.

Telecom operators have been submitting two separate audited details of deduction towards interconnection usage charges and roaming fee to the DoT. In one set, they have been claiming deductions on a paid basis and in the other, on an accrual basis.

"DoT noticed that many Controllers of Communication Accounts have been cherry picking the figures claimed by telecom operators in their final DVRs. In some cases, DoT guidelines regarding deduction verification issued in 2014, 2015 and 2016 have not been followed. There have been cases where one CCA has allowed one kind of deduction and another has disallowed, the official said.
The next two weeks are crucial to assess the overall trend of coronavirus outbreak as workers in China resumes work after the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays, according to a leading expert.

"There is a declining trend of cases reported by China, however we may see fluctuations," said Peter Piot, Professor of Global Health and Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Piot was instrumental in discovering vaccine for Ebola. In 1976, he co-discovered the Ebola virus in Zaire while working at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, and led research on HIV/AIDS.

Piot warned about the risk of second wave of cases when the workers return to work, and said at least

"We need at least two weeks to assess the trend, as that is the period of incubation period for transmission," Piot said.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Piot said China is taking unprecedented measures to contain virus that no other country, except North Korea could possibly take.

Piot said the virus isn't as deadly as Ebola.

"One needs to be in close contact to get Ebola but Coronavirus spreads through respiratory route," Piot said.

Piot said the onset of summer may help in containment efforts.

He added that a vaccine can be ready possibly by next outbreak.
Apple is seeking to ban a book titled App Store Confidential and has issued a cease-and-desist letter to its author, who is also an ex-employee of the company, on the grounds of revealing business secrets in his book.

The German book that was written by Tom Sadowski, a former Apple manager who headed the App Stores German business. The book is published by Murmann Verlag in Hamburg, and it is a personal testimonial from the former manager at Apple. It was released yesterday in e-book and paperback formats.

The Cupertino-based tech giant claims that the book reveals several critical business secrets, but Sadowski and some of the readers disagree with Apple. The author denies that he has disclosed any such business secrets in the book. Publication EN24 says whats written in the book is a mix of banal and the obvious.

The company is trying to take action against the publication of the book. The companys lawyers have told the author and the publisher of the book to stop (to) deliver the book and to recall all copies of the book already in circulation and to destroy all book manuscripts.

The iPhone maker is claiming that Sadowski has breached his employment contract. While the company says that it supports free press and authors, it also claims that the author has revealed Apples business secrets that are of considerable economic value for the company.

The book reveals some obvious points, such as Apple pointing developers towards developing apps that enrich peoples lives and convert users into paying customers. This development should only help the book in attracting more sales.

The App Store Confidential book is still on sale on Amazon, but it only available in the German language. It costs $14.57 for the e-book version and $18.59 for the paperback version.

[Via Focus
A Florida kindergartner was sent to a mental health center against her mothers wishes and held there for 48 hours this month after she reportedly threw tantrums at her school.

The student, 6-year-old Nadia King, was just starting her day at Love Grove Elementary in Jacksonville on Feb. 4 when her mother, Martina Falk, received a call from a mental health counselor at the school saying that the girl was out of control and throwing a tantrum.

The school called me after the decision to Baker Act was made, Falk said on Monday, referring to a Florida law that allows the involuntary commitment  for up to 72 hours  of people who are judged by certain authorities to be an imminent danger to themselves or others.

Tracy A. Pierce, a spokeswoman for Duval County Public Schools, said it was Child Guidance, a crisis-response firm, that decided to have the girl admitted to the mental health center  not the school.

Nadia was taken to River Point Behavioral Health, an 84-bed center that treats patients of all ages for emotional, developmental, substance abuse and behavioral health issues. Pierce declined to detail specifics of Nadias behavior that day, citing student privacy laws. But an incident report from the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office said that the girl was destroying school property, attacking staff, out of control and running out of school.

When a students behavior presents a risk of self-harm or harm to others, the school districts procedure is to call Child Guidance, our crisis-response provider, Pierce said in a statement on Monday. Our staff followed that procedure.

The parent was notified immediately after the decision was made to transport Nadia, who calmly walked to the police car with the school principal, she added.

More for you Florida law that forces mental-health treatment faces new...

Police body-camera footage shows the girl calmly chatting with a sheriffs deputy in the car, where she asks if there are any snacks and if this is a field trip. She also recites her mothers name and phone number. The deputy can be heard telling another officer that the girl is pleasant and cooperative.

She is fine, the deputy says in the video. There is nothing wrong with her.

The school district said that the officers in the video were not present during the events which motivated the school to call Child Guidance or when the health counselor was intervening with the student.

Falk, a customer service representative, said that when she arrived at River Point Behavioral Health, around 11:30 a.m., she was told that her daughter was being held for 48 hours. She said she wasnt permitted to see Nadia until 6:30 that night. When she did see her, Falk said the girl was sedated in a secluded room.

I was crying, I was hysterical, I was angry, Falk, 31, recalled, adding that she was able to bring her daughter home around noon on Feb. 6. I dont think she should have been Baker Acted. Why did they feel this was necessary?

Falk said that Nadia, whom she described as prone to outbursts and tantrums, has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as well as a disability called global developmental delay. She said she had enrolled Nadia at Love Grove Elementary, which has a student body of about 420, because of its services for children with special needs.

Reganel J. Reeves, a lawyer for Falk, said the family planned to hold the school district accountable for the emotional stress the girl and her mother had endured.

We put them on notice and intend to take legal action, Reeves said on Monday.

In the meantime, Falk said that Nadia was now enrolled at another school.

We are trying to get back to having everything as normal as possible, Falk said. We are maintaining.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
LAS VEGAS - Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign intends to request a partial recount of the Iowa caucuses, a top adviser said Tuesday, more than two weeks after the chaotic contest produced no decisive victor.

The announcement came as the results further narrowed Tuesday, after a recanvass of a small subset of precincts. The revised figures did not change the allocation of delegates to the national convention. Still, they just barely shifted projected support at the state convention, which is typically the metric used to name a winner.

The Iowa Democratic Party said Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, would claim 563.207 state delegate equivalents, or SDEs, while Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., would claim 563.127.

What had been a difference of 2.774 shrank to 0.08.

The razor-thin margin is likely to intensify the wrangling over the closely watched contest, which descended into chaos when a technology glitch threw off the transmission and verification of results. No numbers were posted until the following afternoon. When figures did start to trickle out, they were riddled with obvious inaccuracies. The Associated Press still has not called the race.

The new figures may not be final, and the Sanders campaign responded to the update by saying it would press ahead with a request for a recount of certain precincts.

A recanvass involves a hand audit of the math worksheets completed by volunteer precinct leaders on caucus night. It differs from a recount, which would entail a hand count of each of the "presidential preference cards" completed by individual caucus-goers.

Sanders, who won the most votes in Iowa, claimed victory in the contest, but so did Buttigieg, who eked out a narrow lead in SDEs. That left Buttigieg with more national delegates, according to the estimates of the state party, which projected that he would claim 14 delegates and Sanders would claim 12.

Over all, Iowa accounts for about 1% of national delegates. Momentum and bragging rights, however, make for another story.

"We now believe a recount will give Sen. Sanders enough State Delegate Equivalents to put him over the top by that metric as well," Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser to Sanders, said in a statement. The campaign said it would flag "some 12 precincts" as part of its recount request.

A spokesman for Buttigieg didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Three "recanvass administrators" named by the state party reviewed a total of 81 precincts, including three satellite precincts, alternative locations designed for Spanish speakers, night workers and others who have trouble attending a traditional caucus.

There were 1,765 precincts in total. Of them, Sanders queried 28 precincts, while Buttigieg queried 114. Most of the precincts challenged by the former mayor were satellite caucuses - and the recanvass team disposed of that challenge as a whole, it said, because "the reason for the request was outside of the scope of a recanvass." It did not elaborate on why.

The recanvass yielded changes in 29 instances. Modifications were made in most cases because the precinct under scrutiny had misapplied rules outlined in the state's delegate selection plan. In the other cases, the changes rectified a mismatch between the caucus math worksheet and publicly reported results.

In other cases, the leaders of the recanvass declined to intervene to address even obvious errors, including errors with recording attendance and mistakes calculating "viability," or the threshold for a candidate to take delegates from a given precinct.

"The administrators deemed that to do so would result in the disenfranchisement of caucusgoers," the state party wrote in a summary of the recanvass.

Earlier, an attorney for the state party, Shayla McCormally, had said the recanvass did not authorize Iowa Democrats to alter the math worksheets because they represented legal documents. In an advisory this month, she warned that interference to rectify arithmetic errors would introduce "personal opinion" into the caucus process, which involves caucus-goers arranging themselves into groupings and then realigning if candidates don't achieve a baseline level of support.

Representatives from the two campaigns, in addition to the campaign of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., were on site as the recanvass unfolded Sunday.

Buttigieg and Sanders now have 24 hours to request a recount. The request must include details about the precincts for review, as well as "credible evidence that indicates the recount could change the national delegate allocation," according to the state party.

The recanvass was conducted by Staci Appel, Paula Martinez and Melissa Peterson. All are current or former elected officials or advocates in Iowa.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 12:39:10|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Universities from the Chinese mainland have secured seven of the top 10 positions in Times Higher Education (THE)'s Emerging Economies University Rankings 2020 for the third straight year.

Tsinghua University maintains its position at number one in the global table, keeping Peking University in the second position for the second year running.

Zhejiang University and University of Science and Technology of China remain in the third and fourth place, respectively, while Shanghai Jiao Tong University climbs from eighth to sixth, Fudan University is in seventh while Nanjing University takes ninth place to complete the contingent of Chinese universities in the top 10.

Chinese mainland's universities dominate the rankings with 30 in the top 100. With 533 universities from 47 countries and territories represented in the rankings, it demonstrates the global impact of continued strong investment in Chinese universities through schemes like the Double First Class initiative as well as significant increase in research funding, particularly in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

Among the biggest movers are Beijing Normal University, which enters the rankings for the first time at 24th, Central South University, which climbs 20 places from 56th to joint 36th, Beijing Institute of Technology, which moves up 16 places from joint 82nd to joint 66th, Hunan University, which rises from 91st to joint 79th and Northwestern Polytechnical University, which climbs from 92nd to joint 79th.

"China's success in our Emerging Economies University Rankings reflects its rapid rise on the world higher education stage. With the Double First Class Initiative driving improvements across participant universities, we expect it to continue to establish itself as a major global player in providing world class higher education over the coming years," said Phil Baty, chief Knowledge officer at THE.

THE's Emerging Economies ranking has been released annually since 2014, which compares the university performance of countries with economies classified as "advanced emerging," "secondary emerging" or "frontier" by FTSE.
The Nancy Ward Chapter TNDAR (Tennessee Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution) met at Mountain City Club, hosting Louis Varnell, dressed in WWI uniform. He exhibited a WWI photo of his great-grandfather and presented a history of his participation in the first large-scale battle fought by American soldiers in World War I (U.S. officially entered the conflict on April 6, 1917) in the battle of Belleau Wood, northwest of the Paris-to-Metz road.

In late May 1918, the third German offensive of the year penetrated the Western Front to within 45 miles of Paris. U.S. forces under General John J. Pershing helped halt the German advance. On June 6, General Pershing ordered a counteroffensive to drive the Germans out of Belleau Wood. U.S. Marines under General James Harbord led the attack against the four German divisions positioned in the woods; and by the end of the first day suffered more than 1,000 casualties.

For the next three weeks, the Marines, backed by U.S. Army artillery, launched many attacks into the forested area, but German General Erich Ludendorff was determined to deny the Americans a victory. General Ludendorff continually brought up reinforcements from the rear, and the Germans attacked the U.S. forces with machine guns, artillery, and mustard gas.

Finally, on June 26, the Americans prevailed but at the cost of nearly 10,000 dead, wounded, or missing in action.

The Medal of Honor was awarded to 121 men for their actions in World War I (34 of them posthumously): 92 from the Army, to include four from the Air Service, 21 from the Navy, and eight from the Marine Corps.

For inquiries regarding community service in the areas of education, historic preservation or patriotism, contact Nancywardchapter@gmail.com






President Donald Trump has ousted the Pentagon's top policy official who had certified last year that Ukraine had made enough anti-corruption progress to justify the Trump administration's release of congressionally authorized aid to Kyiv in its conflict against Russian-backed separatists.

John Rood resigned Wednesday, saying he was leaving at Trump's request.

The Trump administration's delay in releasing the aid to Ukraine was central to the president's impeachment by the House on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate voted to acquit the president. But in the wake of the Senate trial, an emboldened Trump has gone after officials he has perceived as being disloyal.

Rood is the latest official to be purged.

Trump tweeted Wednesday that he wanted to "thank John Rood for his service to our Country, and wish him well in his future endeavors!''

Rood, in his letter to Trump, did not mention Ukraine. "It's my understanding from Secretary (Mark) Esper that you requested my resignation," Rood said. Rood said he will step down as of Feb. 28.

Rood wrote in a May 23 letter to Congress that the Pentagon had made a thorough assessment of Ukraine's anti-corruption actions and other reforms. And he said that, "I have certified that the government of Ukraine has taken substantial actions to make defense institutional reforms for the purpose of decreasing corruption" and making other improvements."

Rood wrote that his certification, legally required before the aid could be released, was based on insights gained in "persistent U.S. engagement" with Ukraine, including meetings between the U.S. defense secretary and his Ukrainian counterpart.

Asked about Rood's resignation, chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman declined to speculate on the reason for Trump's decision.

"The president has the opportunity and the ability to have the team that he wants to have in policy positions,'' Hoffman said at news conference. He said Rood's resignation letter spoke for itself.

He later told reporters that, "In the weeks after signing the certification I did become aware that the aid had been held. I never received a very clear explanation other than there were concerns about corruption in Ukraine.'' He also spoke in favor of releasing the aid, suggesting that withholding it would hurt America's defense priorities.

Pentagon press secretary Alyssa Farah said James Anderson, who is currently serving as the deputy for policy, will take over the job until a permanent replacement is appointed by the President and confirmed.

Esper said Rood played "a critical role'' on issues such as nuclear deterrence, NATO, missile defense and the National Defense Strategy.

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Surti, who most recently served as the Northeast Residuals Practice Lead and Senior Associate at Hazen and Sawyer, has extensive experience in project management, facility and master planning, and detailed design and construction for complex water and wastewater projects, with specific expertise in biosolids handling and processing systems and biosolids infrastructure facilities.

In this key leadership role at Greeley and Hansen, Surti will oversee daily operations of multiple Greeley and Hansen locations in the Northeast Region and will also lead efforts to expand the firm's services for sustainable biosolids management and opportunities for future growth in this key service market segment.

"Adding Jay to the Greeley and Hansen team will even better position our firm to meet the increasingly complex challenges within the water industry today," said John C. Robak, Chief Executive Officer. "Jay's impressive technical knowledge and expansive experience on major water, wastewater, and biosolids projects will be valuable assets for providing our clients with innovative and sustainable solutions to meet their long-term needs."

"This is a great time for me to be joining Greeley and Hansen, with its strategic focus on achieving sustained future growth," said Surti. "I'm looking forward to leading the firm's efforts to expand business operations in the Northeast and expand our services for sustainable biosolids management by building solid partnerships with our clients and collaborating with them to deliver successful projects that achieve their goals for the organization, the environment, and the community."

A registered Professional Engineer, Surti holds both Bachelor and Master of Engineering degrees from Stevens Institute of Technology. Surti is a sought-after speaker at technical conferences across the country and is actively involved in many professional associations, including the Water Environment Federation, where he serves on the Residuals and Biosolids Committee, and Municipal Wastewater Treatment Committee; the New Jersey Water Environment Association's Professional Engineering Committee; and the New York Water Environment Association, serving on the its Biosolids Committee.

About Greeley and Hansen

Greeley and Hansen is a leading global engineering, architecture, and consulting management firm solely dedicated to providing sustainable engineering solutions for a broad range of water and wastewater challenges. The firm has built upon over 100 years of proven civil and environmental engineering experience in all phases of project development and implementation to become a premier global provider of comprehensive services in the water sector. Greeley and Hansen is dedicated to designing better urban environments worldwide. http://www.greeley-hansen.com/new.htm

For more information, contact:

Nancy Stankus

312-558-9000

[email protected]

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British-based tycoon Sanjeev Gupta's GFG Alliance has bought a bankrupt steel plant in India for $60 million.

GFG has grown rapidly from its roots as a metals trader by spending billions of dollars buying up often troubled metals manufacturing facilities from the US to Europe and Australia.

The privately-held group completed the takeover of Adhunik Metaliks Ltd and Zion Steel Ltd, GFG said in a statement on Tuesday, adding to a string of acquisitions in steel and aluminum in recent years.

The GFG deal has been tangled in court actions since 2018 when Adhunik went into liquidation due to sustained losses. The Indian plant posted a pretax loss of 9 billion Indian rupees ($126.19 million) for the year-ended March 2018, according to a financial statement on its website.

"It has been a challenging journey to get us to this stage, but we now look forward to starting work in partnership with all stakeholders to revive these plants and bring employment back," Gupta, who is executive chairman of GFG Alliance, said in the statement.

Adhunik's plant in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, with a coal-fired blast furnace, an electric arc furnace and a power plant, has an annual capacity of 500,000 tonnes of crude steel.

Zion Steel is a rolling mill and the two units together have rolling capacity of 400,000 tonnes a year, making products for the automotive, energy and engineering sectors.

The operations, which are currently shut, will be integrated into GFG's Liberty Steel Group, which was formed last year and aims to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Liberty Steel, with annual output of 18 million tonnes, is the world's 17th largest steel producer, based on World Steel Association figures for 2018.

The steel group has operations in 10 countries and 30,000 employees, not including the new Indian operations.

GFG has merged its steel operations in preparation for a potential listing, Gupta told Reuters in October.

Also read: Steel ministry plans to invest $70 billion in East India

Also read: All eyes on Odisha on iron ore auction as steel industry enters critical phase
New Delhi, Feb 19 : After Ram Mandir Trust's first meeting in New Delhi, BJP President J.P. Nadda congratulated the new post holders, including Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.

Nadda tweeted: "Today, in the first meeting of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, I am heartened to know that the ever-struggling Mahant Nritya Gopal Das ji is made President, Vishwa Hindu Parishad Vice President Shri Champat Rai ji as General Secretary and Pujya Govind Dev Giri Ji Maharaj as Treasurer for the Ram Temple. I express my greetings to all of them." Earlier, Ayodhya seers were agitated over the exclusion of Nritya Gopal Das from the trust after which Union Home Minister Amit Shah stepped in to pacify the sants.

Nadda thanked the saints, social organizations and all the activists associated with the movement and the people "who played an important role in bringing this struggle of 500 years to the last stage".

"This is a big step towards realizing our resolve and feelings towards Ram temple," said Nadda.

The first meeting of the trust focuses on overseeing the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The venue of the meeting was the residence of K. Parasaran, the head of the trust.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 5 had announced the formation of the 15-member trust in Parliament. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust has five nominated members and three trustees. The trust was formed as per the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case in November last year.
Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya made largely false remarks during a UN Security Council briefing on Ukraine on February 18.

UK Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Karen Pierce, said this at that briefing in New York on Tuesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The Russian Ambassador spoke at length about the failure of others in fulfilling their obligations under the Minsk agreements. His account was largely a falsehood, wrapped in a fiction inside a fairy tale," Pierce said.

She added that Russia's position that local elections should pave the way for special status to be granted in parts of the Donbas is correct, but requires considerable clarification.

"But these local elections can take place only under proper conditions. And these conditions include a comprehensive ceasefire, unfettered access for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission and the withdrawal of foreign troops. And this is a far cry, as we've heard, from the reality we face today," the diplomat said.

Pierce also called on Russia to immediately cease the practice of sending uninspected "humanitarian convoys" across the border and to focus instead on facilitating the safe delivery of international aid "based on an agreed international mechanism as foreseen under the Minsk agreement."

op
A Paterson man accused of shooting another city man last September fled to Georgia, where he hid for a month before being arrested, authorities said.

Keith Brinkley, 29, was arrested in late October in Georgia, little more than a month after he allegedly shot a 31-year-old Belleville man in Paterson, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said in a statement. He was charged with multiple crimes, including first degree attempted murder.

Although Brinkley was arrested in October, he was only recently extradited to New Jersey, the statement said. The office did not say where in Georgia he was apprehended, or the circumstances of his travel there.

Hes charged with shooting a man on Sept. 24, 2019. Police responded to a report of shots fired near Pearl and Carroll streets in Paterson that date and found a crime scene but the victim was no longer there. Shortly after, the Belleville man, whose name was not made public, arrived at Saint Josephs University Medical Center with a non-fatal gunshot wound, the statement said.

If convicted, Brinkley faces as much as 10 to 20 years in prison on the attempted murder charge alone. Hes scheduled for a detention hearing on Feb. 25.

Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rodrigotorrejon.

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Highlights Realme has announced a New Delhi event for the launch of X50 Pro 5G.

There is an online event also slated to be held in Madrid, Spain.

Realme X50 Pro 5G will be brand's first 5G flagship phone.

Realme X50 Pro 5G, the first flagship 5G smartphone from the brand's kitty, is set to make its debut on February 24. After the MWC 2020 was cancelled, the company announced the change in plans wherein it has decided to hold an online event in Madrid, Spain to launch the Realme X50 Pro 5G. Now, it seems Realme is hosting a simultaneous event in New Delhi, as well. Realme has sent out media invites for the launch of X50 Pro 5G in India on February 24.

The launch of Realme X50 Pro 5G comes at a time when Vivo's IQOO announced it will be the first brand to introduce a Snapdragon 865-powered 5G phone in India on February 25. Since Realme is holding the X50 Pro 5G event a day earlier, it will be the first smartphone brand to introduce a 5G phone that rocks a Snapdragon 865 processor. The Realme X50 Pro 5G has been confirmed to come with 5G support, a Snapdragon 865 SoC, a 90Hz display, 65W SuperDart Charge technology, and a dual punch-hole setup.

But while Realme could now become the first brand to launch India's first 5G phone, the X50 Pro 5G may take some time before hitting the shelves. India does not have a 5G network infrastructure, which makes the proposition meaningless for Realme and IQOO. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is yet to float a paper among the telecom companies and initiate the auction process for 5G spectrum. Analysts have speculated 5G will not be commercially available until next year, which has some weight given the current scenario.

Talking about the Realme X50 Pro 5G, the smartphone will be the company's first flagship device sporting 5G. It was scheduled to make global debut at the MWC, which now stands cancelled due to the Coronavirus fear. Circumventing the situation, Realme decided to shift the launch to an online event that is slated to take place in Madrid on February 24. The recent news now confirms the launch will be held in New Delhi as well. Alongside the X50 Pro 5G, Realme also announced it will launch its first smart television at the MWC. But post the cancellation of its MWC event, Realme has stayed mum over the launch of its smart TV. That said, the event microsite on Realme India website mentions "1 More Thing", which could be the Realme TV.

Realme X50 Pro 5G will be the brand's first 5G flagship smartphone that will rock a Snapdragon 865 processor. It will pack a 90Hz display with a dual punch-hole setup, along with the company's new 65W SuperDart Charge technology, which was previously rumoured to debut on the Realme X2 Pro. It will pack 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage out of the box, and will run Android 10-based Realme UI. It will come with a quad-camera setup at the rear, comprising one 64-megapixel camera, that can offer 20x zoom capability.
Lauren Dado, currently assistant principal at Clark, would move into the Hammond Area Career Center principal role vacated when Miller, the career center's former principal, became superintendent in April. Miller recommended the three administrators receive a stipend, which is yet to be determined, in addition to their regular salary schedule to compensate the additional work ushering through the school transition.

The board approved the recommendations in a 4-1 vote with vice president Carlotta Blake-King dissenting.

Miller said he brought the recommendations nearly a year and a half before consolidation takes effect to give the incoming principals time and clarity in working to overseeing students' transition to their new schools and to take part in training for the district's implementation of a new, New Tech Network curriculum, similar to what is being taught in nearby Lake Ridge New Tech Schools.

He said timing of the recommendations, which will bring downsizing at the administrative level, also allows non-returning school leaders advance notice for seeking new opportunities.
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / International Montoro Resources Inc. (TSXV:IMT)(Frankfurt:O4T1), (the "Company") and Falcon Gold Corp. (FG) have secured an exploration crew to begin mobilizing on the Camping Lake property.The Camping Lake property is located along the Pakwash/Longlegged Fault deformation zone and is approximately 20 kilometers south of Great Bear's Dixie Project and 8 kilometers south of BTU Metals Corp's TNT base metals Target.The first phase of the Camping Lake 2020 exploration program consists of approximately 20-line kilometers ("km") of ground VLF/EM geophysics and soil geochemistry surveys. The program's objective is to delineate mineralized structures related to past gold and base metal discoveries in the region and outline targets for follow-up trenching and drilling.The 2,200 hectare Camping Lake property is contained within the Birch-Uchi-Confederation Lake greenstone belt, which hosts the world-renowned Red Lake gold deposits and includes the Dixie project, currently being drilled by Great Bear Resources Ltd. ("GBR"). GBR has recently reported exciting drill results with mineralized intersections commonly returning bonanza gold grades in association with coarse visible gold grains. Most recently GBR reported drill hole BR-068 intersecting 10.58 grams per tonne gold over 21.00 metres, including 48.98 g/t gold over 3.25 metres (see February 13, 2020 news release for further highlights of current results). BTU Metals Corp ("BTU") has also recently announced additional drilling on their TNT-target following up on prior work which boasts significant intercepts of mineralization including an assay highlight of 44.3 m of 1.14% CuEq with intervals containing as much as 5.56% Cu, 99.6 g/t Ag, and 2 g/t Au.From 2010 to 2013, the Camping Lake property area was subjected to work programs completed by Laurentian Goldfields Ltd. which included: petrographic studies; diamond drilling, rock, soil and sediment samples; along with airborne and ground geophysics.Various anomalies were identified in the aforementioned programs including gold and zinc anomalies which are present along a significant >1 km highly magnetic trend through the northern portion of the property. This trend represents the initial target area for Montoro's 2020 work program.Qualified PersonThe technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Alex Pleson, P. Geo., who is a member of the Association of Professional Geoscientists on Ontario and is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.About International Montoro Resources Inc.Int. Montoro Resources Inc. listed on the TSX Venture Exchange for over 25 years, is a Canadian based emerging resource company. The Company is systematically exploring its extensive property positions in:Red Lake, Ontario ( Camping Lake - Au prospect)Elliot Lake, Ontario (Serpent River/Pecors -Ni-Cu-PGE discovery) & (Uranium- REE's)Quebec (Duhamel -Ni-Cu-Co prospect & Titanium, Vanadium, and Chromium prospect)Prince George, British Columbia (Wicheeda North - Rare Earth Elements prospect)ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD"Gary Musil"Gary Musil,President/CEO and DirectorDisclaimer for Forward-Looking Information:Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements which reflect the expectations of management. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect.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.CONTACT: Ph.#604-683-6648; Fax #604-683-1350E-Mail: gmusil@ montororesources.com Website: www.MontoroResources.com SOURCE: International Montoro Resources Inc.
More than 100 people were infected by the highly contagious novel coronavirus by December 31 at the outbreak epicentre Wuhan, three weeks before it was officially declared to be transmissible between humans and the city was put under a lockdown, it has emerged.

A study  the largest so far on the outbreak -- conducted by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also say over 6,000 might have been infected by January 20 in China besides across the worst-hit Hubei province and its capital city, Wuhan.

Data accessed and analysed by the CDC shows that 15 among the 104 infected in December, 102 among the 653 infected between January 1 and 10 and 310 among the 5,417 infected between January 11 and January 20 later died of the virus.

The official death toll on January 20 was 3 and the number of infected was 225.

Titled Analysis of Epidemiological Characteristics of New Coronavirus Pneumonia, the CDC accessed data on more than 72000 covid-19 cases reported until February 11.

The Hindustan Times reported on the study on Monday but the full import of the largest covid-19 study is emerging only now.

Until early on Wednesday, the death toll from the outbreak in China stood at 2004 and 74,185 were reported to be infected with the pathogen; 136 new deaths were reported on Tuesday.

Hundreds of infections and at least four deaths have been reported from at least 25 countries.

The largest study by the CDC  Chinas top institute leading the fights against the contagion -- on the outbreak suggests that authorities did nothing to stop the epidemic from spreading within China and beyond despite knowing about it.

In a statistical table published in the study, the CDC says 104 people were infected with the pathogen by December 31 and 15 later died.

The CDC study indicates that health authorities at the provincial level were well aware of the disease and its virulence but chose not to take steps to contain the spread.

President Xi Jinping had, in fact, held a meeting on January 7 on the coronavirus cases  again clearly showing that topmost leadership of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) had relevant information.

The WHO was notified on January 3.

Heres what the CDC says in its abstract for the study: The covid-19 spread outward from Hubei sometime after December 2019 and by February 11, 2020, 386 counties across all 31 provinces were affected.

The epidemic curve of onset of symptoms peaked in January 23-26, then began to decline leading up to February 11.

The covid-19 epidemic has spread very quickly. It only took 30 days to expand from Hubei to the rest of Mainland China. With many people returning from a long holiday, China needs to prepare for the possible rebound of the epidemic, the study said.

The paper did a retrospective analysis of 44,672 confirmed patients and divided the outbreak of the deadly disease into five different phases: The one before December 31, 2019, January 1 to 10, January 11 to 20, January 21 to 31 and February 1 to 11.

Here, we report results of a descriptive, exploratory analysis of all cases diagnosed as of February 11, 2020. Methods: All covid-19 cases reported through February 11, 2020, were extracted from Chinas Infectious Disease Information System, the study said.

The cases that occurred in December 2019 may be a small-scale exposure transmission mode; in January 2020, it may be a diffusion transmission mode. The time trend of this outbreak is consistent with the previous survey conclusion that the south China seafood market in Wuhan may have wild animal trading, allowing the new coronavirus to spread from a still unknown wildlife to humans, and then spread from person to person, the study added.

Quoting the study, even state-controlled media has raised questions about Chinas response to the initial outbreak of the disease.

From January 11 to 20, there were 5,417 new infections in total, which was also in line with information provided by local hospitals in Wuhan to the Global Times, indicating that even before Zhong Nanshan, a top medical advisor warned the disease could be transmitted human to human on January 20, many hospitals in Wuhan had received a large number of patients with fever from unknown causes.

However, those concerns remained at the local hospital level, with no further prevention and control measures taken by local authorities, the tabloid Global Times said in a report.

A lid was kept on the gradually spreading outbreak despite efforts by local doctors like Li Wenliang attempting to share information about it.

Li was reprimanded and harassed for talking about the disease on social media platforms.

Li died from the infection earlier this month, leading to an outpouring of grief and anger online.

Earlier this month, the CPCs central committee sacked Jiang Chaoliang, the CPC party chief in Hubei province, and replaced him with the Shanghai mayor, Ying Yong.

The CPC chief in Wuhan, Ma Guoqiang, was fired as well, replaced by the party chief of Jinan city in Shandong province, Wang Zhonglin.
Ukraine's economy minister invites government to announce competition for new Naftogaz head

16:20, 19.02.20 883

The contract with Kobolyev expires in March 2020.
The Eliza B. Kirkbride School. ICE agents detained an undocumented Honduran mother after she dropped her child off there last week. Read more

ICE on Tuesday acknowledged that its agents detained a woman last week after she dropped her child off at a South Philadelphia school, an act that advocates for immigrants said sparked new concern in the community and raised questions about the agencys stated practice of not making arrests at sensitive locations.

Its getting right up to that line, said Peter Pedemonti, co-director of New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia. He said the arrest appeared "intended to intimidate and send fear throughout our community by touching a place like schools, dropping your kid off.

The arrest, first reported by KYW Newsradio, took place on Feb. 11 after a drop-off at Eliza B. Kirkbride Elementary, according to Philadelphia School District spokesperson Monica Lewis. She said it happened outside the school at Seventh and Dickinson Streets, but did not know whether it was on school property.

To our knowledge, there was no interaction from the school staff" with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, Lewis said. We dont know how ICE determined this parent needed to be apprehended by them.

 READ MORE: Report: ICE arrests of undocumented immigrants at Pennsylvania courthouses scare away victims, witnesses

In a statement Tuesday, an ICE spokesperson said officers had arrested Carmen Lara-Marquez, 30, a Honduran national, for immigration violations near her residence in Philadelphia. She was briefly detained before being released for humanitarian reasons."

The spokesperson, Adrian Smith, said an immigration judge in 2012 had "issued Lara-Marquez a final order of removal in absentia. Humanitarian factors and potential mitigating circumstances are considered for every individual encountered by ICE. A detention decision is made on a case-by-case basis based upon the totality of the circumstances.

Lara-Marquez could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

ICE says it does not conduct enforcement actions at locations such as schools and churches unless exigent circumstances exist," other law enforcement actions have led ICE officers to the location, or supervisors have granted prior approval.

Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said Tuesday night that the district was looking into the detention, noting ICEs sensitive locations policy. We are unwavering in our commitment to have all schools remain safe havens where families can support their childs education without risk or concern for their personal freedom, Hite said.

Advocates for undocumented and other immigrants questioned whether last weeks action complied with ICEs policy on sensitive locations. Pedemonti, of New Sanctuary Movement, said the arrest has been a topic of conversation among community members and teachers. People are very concerned about it, he said.

City Councilmember Helen Gym said there was absolutely no reason" to treat a mother outside a school like that. We have made very clear our schools are safe zones.

The district has previously instructed school staff on dealing with immigration issues, including through a tool kit provided to employees in 2017.

 READ MORE: In charged climate, Philly teachers learn how to keep immigrant students safe

The document says that school staff should not report an undocumented student to ICE; that the district does not participate in immigration actions; and that a schools principal must immediately contact the district if ICE agents come to a school. It says ICE personnel must provide a warrant to enter a school.

The district is prohibited from asking whether students about immigration status. Of its approximately 130,000 students, more than 14,000 are learning the English language, and students speak 126 languages, Lewis said.
WILLIAMSTOWN  A Pittsfield man, arrested last week on cocaine and heroin charges during a raid at the Howard Johnson Inn on Main Street, was ordered held in lieu of $10,000 bail following his arraignment.

Ismael Osorili, 20, was arrested on Feb. 12 by members of the Berkshire County Law Enforcement Task Force, the Berkshire Eagle reported, citing a spokesman for Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington.

Police seized 300 bags of heroin, 168 grams of cocaine and $13,120 in cash.

Osorili denied charges of possession of heroin with intent to distribute and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute during his arraignment last Thursday.
The EU sees the agreement as opening more sectors of the Chinese economy to investment by European companies.

A planned European Union-China investment agreement looks unlikely to be struck by September as planned because of the coronavirus outbreak, European Union trade chief Phil Hogan said, while also casting doubt on deals with other Asian countries.

The European Commission chief and other senior EU officials are set to meet Chinese counterparts in Beijing in late March before an EU-Chinese summit to be held in Leipzig, Germany, in September  ideally to sign a deal.

EU Trade Commissioner Hogan told the international trade committee of the European Parliament on Wednesday that the March meeting would now probably not happen, and that he was not optimistic of a deal by the Leipzig summit.

Theres a lot of time lost now and going to be lost because of the coronavirus. A lot of meetings have been cancelled, Hogan said. If we were going to get a deal by the Leipzig summit we would have to largely have it completed by July.

The EU sees the agreement as opening more sectors of the Chinese economy to investment by European companies, as well as setting conditions for them to do so, such as whether they have to do so jointly with a local Chinese firm.

We are making some progress with the Chinese in relation to a lot of matters, but the key issues of industrial subsidies and forced technology transfer are still not dealt with, Hogan said.

He also cautioned against assuming that trade negotiations with other Asian partners could progress, albeit due to other reasons. Indonesia and Malaysia are contesting EU rules that are set to have palm oil phased out as fuel for transport from 2024.

Hogan said the Commission wanted to establish a working group with the two top palm oil producers on the issue, but they had not agreed on the terms of reference. This, he said, undermined prospects of trade deals with each country.

There will be no deal with Indonesia until this issue is resolved, and there will be no reopening of negotiations with Malaysia until this issue is resolved.

Hogan also met Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar this week and concluded that a free trade agreement with India was also not possible in the short term.

We suspended talks in 2013 for good reason and we have not seen any conditions that are changed that would allow us to restart them, he said, adding that a lesser investment protection agreement might be feasible.
The revocation was due to her involvement in activities against Indias national interest.

New Delhi: The e-business visa of British MP Debbie Abrahams was revoked for her alleged involvement in ant-Indian activities and the decision to cancel the visa was conveyed to her on February 14 itself, senior officials claimed.

Officials further clarified that sanctioning, revocation or rejection of a visa or any electronic travel authorisation was the sovereign right of a country. Ms Abrahams, officials added, was an issued an e-business visa on October 7 last year, which was valid till October 5 this year only for attending business meeting.

However, this e-business visa was revoked on February 14 this year, and the decision was conveyed to the British MP the same day. The revocation was due to her involvement in activities against Indias national interest.

When Ms Abrahams landed at New Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday, she was not in possession of a valid visa and was hence asked to

go back. India does not have any provision for a visa on arrival scheme for UK nationals at any airport, hence her argument that she was not given a visa on arrival was not valid, officials clarified.

An e-business visa issued to any individual can be used only for business meetings and not for visiting family and friends, which was the reason given by the Labour MP for her travel to India. For this, a separate visa has to be sought, which was not done in this case.

Ms Abrahams, a Labour Party MP, also chairs a British parliamentary group on Kashmir. She was denied entry into India on her arrival at IGI Airport on Monday, and officials said she had been informed in advance that her e-visa had been cancelled.

Ms Abrahams was part of a group of British MPs who issued formal letters expressing concerns over the revocation of Jammu and Kashmirs special status under Article 370 in August last year.

The Congress, meanwhile, backed the government on this issue on Tuesday. Party leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed she was not just an MP but a Pakistan proxy. Mr Singhvi tweeted: The deportation of Debbie Abrahams by India was indeed necessary, as she is not just an MP, but a Pak proxy known for her clasp with Pak govt and ISI. Every attempt that tries to attack Indias sovereignty must be thwarted.
By pardoning Michael R. Milken, a potent symbol of the greed is good 1980s and arguably the most significant white-collar criminal of his generation, President Trump has sent two powerful messages: When it comes to justice, money counts. And white-collar crime doesnt really matter.

So much for the rule of law, already under siege by the Trump administration, and the notion that no one, no matter how rich or powerful, is above it.

Lest history be entirely rewritten, its worth considering what Judge Kimba M. Wood told Mr. Milken at his sentencing on Nov. 21, 1990, on charges including conspiracy and fraud:

When a man of your power in the financial world, at the head of the most important department of one of the most important investment banking houses in this country, repeatedly conspires to violate, and violates, securities and tax laws in order to achieve more power and wealth for himself and his wealthy clients, and commits financial crimes that are particularly hard to detect, a significant prison term is required in order to deter others.

She added that Mr. Milken, who was a senior executive at Drexel Burnham Lambert, had committed serious crimes warranting serious punishment and the discomfort and opprobrium of being removed from society.
The Hanoi Construction Department has announced that it will inspect the use and management of apartment buildings in Hanoi this year.

Hapulico Apartment Complex, an apartment building in Thanh Xuan District. The Hanoi Construction Department will inspect all apartment buildings in the city in the coming months. Photo dantri.com.vn

The move aims to solve difficulties and clarify the cause and responsibilities of State management agencies, authorities, businesses and people in the management, operation and use of apartment buildings.

Apartment buildings to be inspected in the second quarter of this year include those in Long Bien, Nam Tu Liem, Bac Tu Liem, Ha Dong, Thanh Xuan, Cau Giay, Ba Dinh, Dong Da, Tay Ho, Hai Ba Trung, Hoang Mai and Thanh Tri districts.

Gia Lam, Hoai Duc, Chuong My, Thanh Oai, Me Linh, Dan Phuong and Quoc Oai districts will be examined in the third quarter.

Disputes and complaints related to the management and operation of apartment buildings have become a widespread problem in the capital, where 13.5 per cent of the population lives in an apartment building.

The city has nearly 2,600 buildings, accounting for 58 per cent of the total number of apartment buildings across the country, including nearly 1,580 old buildings, 845 commercial buildings and 174 resettlement apartment buildings.

About 130 commercial apartment buildings have witnessed disputes.

Most disputes relate to the use of management and maintenance funds at apartment buildings.

According to the current Housing Law, the owner of an apartment must pay an extra 2 per cent of the total apartment selling price for maintenance inside the building. The fees collected by property developers must be passed on to residents committees no later than seven days after a residents committee is set up.

However, several developers have delayed transferring the fees to residents committees, causing disputes among residents and developers.

After the inspections, the Construction Department will name investors who do not comply with regulations on management and use of apartment buildings.

Previously, Hanoi Police Department examined fire safety measures in residential buildings and issued 57 fines for violations of regulations on fire prevention and control.  VNS

As Hanoi's new apartment buildings rise, so do disputes Early Thursday morning, Quynh Anh found a footprint on her apartment buildings elevator control panel.

Construction Ministry inspects apartment building management The Ministry of Construction will organise an inspection on the use and management of maintenance funds at residential buildings in HCM City and Hanoi beginning next year.
When Otis and Carol Menasco of Granite Bay got off the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan where theyd been quarantined for almost two weeks because of the coronavirus, they were led to believe theyd be transported to Travis Air Force base in Fairfield, about 90 minutes from their home outside Sacramento.

A few hours into the flight, they overhead paramedics saying they were going not to Travis but to Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio. Others on the flight were also surprised, Otis Menasco said.

That wasnt the first, or the last, time they had trouble getting straight answers about their plight, which illustrates what Americans might face if an epidemic like the one plaguing China hit the United States.

At Lackland, they began serving a minimum 14-day quarantine on Monday. Theyre confined to a room much smaller and more primitive than the luxurious cabin theyd had aboard the cruise ship.

They have one phone number to call if they need something in their room, but dont know who to call for information about their situation. The only human contact they have is with the paramedics who come twice a day to take their temperatures. A spokesman for Lackland referred calls to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which did not return multiple requests for comment.

When the Diamond Princess docked in Yokohama on Feb. 3 at the end of their cruise, the Menascos thought theyd be going home the next day. Instead, they were to be held for 14 days because of an outbreak of coronavirus. At least 621 on the ship have become infected.

As the number of cases grew, the U.S. State Department and other agencies chartered two cargo planes to evacuate 338 Americans from the ship to Travis and Lackland. Other Americans previously evacuated from Wuhan, China, were taken to the same bases but held in separate areas. Some of those people were released this week.

The cruise ship evacuation was voluntary, but the U.S. Embassy strongly encouraged passengers to take it, saying their next chance to leave Japan would be March 4 at the earliest.

About 15 buses transported passengers from the ship to the airport. En route to the airport, the government learned that 14 passengers on the buses had tested positive for the coronavirus, but showed no symptoms before boarding.

Before they got on the bus, they took our passports, Menasco said. When they got to the airport, no one seemed to know which passengers were on which bus, which led to a long delay. People would come onto the Menascos bus with a handful of passports and call out the names. Some were on that bus, some werent.

In a press conference, a doctor with the State Department said passengers were removed from the buses as soon as those buses sort of came to a stop on the tarmac and it was safe to do so.

But the Menascos were on their bus for at least an hour or two, long enough that some people had to be excused to use the restroom, Carol said.

The 14 passengers who tested positive were allowed to board the aircraft, but were seated in a sort of plastic isolation chamber.

On the Menascos plane, there were 151 people; seven were isolated with positive lab tests and two more were placed in isolation during the flight for fever, according to the State Department briefing.

Otis said the cargo plane was very, very cold; pretty miserable. There were no bathrooms or sinks on the plane, only portable toilets and hand sanitizer.

By the time they arrived at the barracks in San Antonio early Monday morning, theyd been traveling for 20 hours, 14 on the plane. The first thing you want to do is take a nap, the second is take a shower, Otis said. But there was only one towel in the room. They requested another, but didnt get one until Monday night.

We are in a little tiny room, like a studio apartment, Otis said. Theres a small refrigerator and microwave, a chest of drawers and a bathroom. Theyve asked for cleaning supplies and garbage bags, but havent gotten any yet.

Three times a day, someone knocks on the door and leaves a meal in a brown paper bag on the ground. The food cant compare to the four-course meals they got on the cruise, or even the rice with chicken or beef they got while quarantined in Japan. And theres no booze.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

While quarantined on the boat, they could have a bottle of wine and a small bottle of liquor (about a half of a fifth) delivered to their room each day, Menasco said. Originally they could have two of each, but that was cut back because they said some people were drunk all the time, he said.

At Lackland, the Menascos ordered six bottles of wine from Amazon and were told the shipment could be delivered, but when it got to the base, whoever received it didnt know they could have it or misdirected it, and it was sent back. They reordered it for delivery on Wednesday, but again it was sent back.

On the ship, they had Wi-Fi and movies on demand, but couldnt make phone calls. In Texas, they have a TV and phone service but no movies on demand.

Their one-bedroom cabin on the ship had a private balcony that let them get fresh air while avoiding other passengers. They think that helped them stay healthy. At Lackland, they can go outside in a fenced yard, watched over by security guards. But theyre afraid to go out, especially after paramedics told them that four more people were taken to the hospital with possible infection. (Those isolated on the planes were taken to a hospital in Nebraska, not the air bases.)

The Menascos are taking the ordeal in stride and trying not to complain, merely answering questions posed by this columnist. Although the room, the food, the view and the service was better when they were quarantined on the ship, theyre glad to be in the United States. We feel safer here, Otis said, and less likely to become infected.

When theyre released, theyll need to find their own way home, at their own expense, the government said.

Fortunately Princess has agreed to pay their plane fare home, refund the entire cost of the cruise and wont charge for anything they used during confinement. It will also give them a certificate good for another cruise, for the same amount, within the next year. The couple already had two cruises planned for the next year; and are debating whether to go.

Otis said his wife is suffering more than me. Shes become quiet and dearly misses her cats, who have been in a boarding facility since they left home on Jan. 17. At least the facility emails them daily pictures of the kitties.

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender
The MS Westerdam cruise ship is docked at the pier in Sihanoukville, Cambodia on Feb. 19, 2020. (Clare Baldwin/Reuters)

All 781 Remaining Cruise Ship Passengers in Cambodia Test Negative for Coronavirus

The nearly 800 remaining cruise ship passengers in Cambodia have tested negative for the new coronavirus, the Cambodian Ministry of Health said.

The 781 people sailed on Holland America Lines Westerdam ship. Some other passengers were released and flew out of the country but the ones still in Cambodia were held and screened after an American woman who flew to Malaysia late last week tested positive for the new COVID-19 virus.

In a statement late Tuesday, Holland America Line said no more tests will be done on the hundreds of passengers still in Cambodia.

This completes the guests testing. These results provide the required clearance for remaining guests in Cambodia to begin their onward journey home. The company is working to finalize arrangements for everyone. Those who traveled home previously will be contacted by their local health department and provided further information, the company said.

The cruise ship will stay in the waters alongside Sihanoukville for at least a few more days until testing is complete on the 747 crew members on board.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a speech on Tuesday that more than 300 tourists from the ship would be flying to Dubai from Phnom Penh, reported Reuters.

The cruise ship was rejected by multiple countries after the Diamond Princess, another ship owned by Carnival Corp., docked in Japan and was placed under quarantine. There are now over 600 confirmed cases among the 3,700 passengers of the Diamond Princess.

In this Feb. 14, 2020, file photo, Cambodias Prime Minister Hun Sen, left, gives a bouquet of flowers to a passenger who disembarked from the MS Westerdam at the port of Sihanoukville, Cambodia. (Heng Sinith/AP Photo)

Cambodia finally accepted the Westerdam last week. Company officials insisted that there were no confirmed or even suspected cases of the new virus but the 83-year-old American woman tested positive after being allowed to leave the ship and fly to Kuala Lumpur.

After the positive test, Holland America Line said that no other guests or crew still on board or on their way home had reported any symptoms of the illness. The company said all 2,257 passengers and crew were screened for illness on Feb. 10. And passports of everyone on board showed no one had traveled through mainland China in the two weeks preceding the cruise.

Before the negative results came back this week for the 781 remaining passengers, 406 passengers at a hotel in Phnom Penh all tested positive and were told they could travel home.

We are in close coordination with some of the leading health experts from around the world, Dr. Grant Tarling, chief medical officer for Holland America Line, said in a statement. These experts are working with the appropriate national health authorities to investigate and follow-up with any individuals who may have come in contact with the guest.

Holland America Line said officials still havent made a decision on Westerdams planned Asia sailings for March 14 and beyond. On Wednesday, the company said it would make a decision by the end of the week.

We would like to thank everyone for their extreme patience and understanding during this unprecedented situation, it said.
'In a democracy, there is nothing like 'I am right'.'

'You can be wrong, so somebody has to point that out.'

Photograph: Hitesh Harisinghani/ Rediff.com IMAGE: A protestor at the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest at Mumbai's August Kranti Maidan, December 19, 2019.

"It is not good for our country to keep people in fear and the feeling of living in an uncertain future," Adoor Gopalakrishnan, arguably India's finest film director, tells Neeta Kolhatkar.

You said dissent should be allowed. Yes, through dissent, new paths are led, but this dissent is being curbed. Indians don't seem to encourage dissent.

A few can't decide for all what decision should be taken.

There are families like that, but there are also good families where decisions are taken together, even with children.

They are treated by individuals, not like 'I am the head. You have to listen to me.'

Their views can differ, but it is respected.

A politician decided to send you to Pakistan when you spoke about the current intolerance in the country.

Laughs. It was a silly person making a comment, not to be taken seriously. It is not the opinion of the party or anything.

When we speak of dissent, it is the basis of any culture. But it is not being allowed today in our democracy.

We have to respect dissent, it is basic.

When somebody praises me, I am very wary about it.

When somebody criticises me, I listen to that, because I learn from criticism, not from praise.

Also, I cannot be right all the time.

You may have the right things, but you need to take the consensus of all the people, that we don't see happening.

In a democracy, there is nothing like 'I am right.'

You can be wrong, so somebody has to point that out.

In a country where there is a democracy equivalence, the majority party needs to listen to the others and the Opposition.

All parties, because they too have been elected by the people.

There has to be a consensus of the people, there can be varied opinions.

IMAGE: Adoor Gopalakrishnan, left, shoots a film. Photograph: Kind courtesy Adoorgopalakrishnan.com

We don't see that happening in our political process today.

Yes, even in that Citizens (Amendment) Bill, the smaller parties asked the government to send it to a parliamentary committee, but it was rubbished by the majority.

It was simply passed.

It should have gone through the committee and opinions taken from those who are experts or have knowledge of this subject.

If they had gone through the select committee, there would have been no problem.

Then no wrong decisions would have been taken.

Isn't it interesting to see the majority being made to feel threatened by the minority Muslim community? How is this narrative of fear being perpetuated?

Smiles. That is not good. It is not good for our country to keep people in fear and the feeling of living in an uncertain future.

Back in the villages people are saying we are Muslims so we will be thrown out and lose our homes.

It is everybody's country.

In fact, the protests in large numbers are by students and women, not just Muslims. It is an issue of our country, not just one community.

Fortunately, the protests are not being done by Muslims alone.

That's why Shashi Tharoor said it is not a protest by Muslims, it is our problem.

It is our country's problem, it is not the Muslims's problem.

It should not be communalised.

It will be very dangerous if it is communalised.

Has this current fear mongering affected the creative fields -- literature, films, art?

I don't think it has affected the creative fields.

If we can surmount small little negativities, it can make an impact.

The artist does not wait for the most opportune moment to take place.

They create against all kinds of odds and adversities.

When we compare our creative people to their counterparts in the US or elsewhere, we see a difference. The influencers there speak fearlessly against wrongs of their leader, here they take selfies and remain silent.

Creativity is something personal.

Somebody else cannot foster or stop your creativity.

They can create impediments, like if I make a film they can censor and ask you to cut scenes and dialogues, they can do that.

But we find ways of circumventing it as creators. Smiles.

Now we don't get trapped by their demands.

That's how Iran has been making some brilliant films.

There are so many restrictions about their films, yet Iran has been on the top for so many years.

The same with all the East European films.

Somewhere it is a challenge as it propels you to invent things.

Your cinema, your stance, being a rebel, does it pose problems for your daughter and son-in-law who are IPS officers in Maharashtra?

No, why should it?

They are doing their job and I am doing mine.

They are in completely different fields.

There is no family in it.

I cannot go and sit there to see the files, can I?

I cannot do that.

I am not in politics. I am a creative person, or at least I think I am creative. Laughs.

I speak what I feel and see what is going on.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Finance Atom Janjughazyan received today Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin, the ministry told Armenpress.

At the meeting the sides discussed issues relating to the cooperation with the European Union, as well as the process of ongoing EU-funded projects in Armenia and the prospects for future partnership.

Minister Janjughazyan highlighted the EUs active participation to the Armenian governments reforms, in particular the support provided via different tools. Touching upon the current reforms of the state finance management, the minister attached importance to the EUs experience in the field and the necessity to share it with the Armenian side.

The EU Ambassador expressed readiness to continue the Unions support to Armenias ongoing reforms. She highly valued the major progress recorded within the state finance management strategy, in particular the adoption of the 2019-2023 reform strategy of State Finance Management System.

The sides expressed readiness to continue the active cooperation at all directions of the current bilateral cooperation.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
A sessions court in Delhi on Wednesday upheld a magistrate court order, which had discharged Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan in a 2010 child labour rescue case.

Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Kumar Kumar upheld the order passed by ACMM Samar Vishal.

Khan was accused of threatening and obstructing labour department officers from rescuing child labourers from Zari units in South Delhi.

The magistrate court while discharged AAP MLA had also pulled up the police for its lethargic investigation in the case in which 15 child labourers were being rescued by the police and NGO from Batla House in Jamia Nagar.

An FIR was registered in Jamia Nagar police station on November 1, 2010, on the complaint of then sub-division magistrate, who was leading a rescue team of child labourers in that area.

The complaint was based on a note of the labour officer. The police had filed a charge-sheet in the matter in the year 2016 and a court had taken cognisance of the same.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 17:03:41|Editor: xuxin

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ULAN BATOR, Feb.19 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia has retrieved the bodies of more than 140 cattle that fell into a frozen lake in the country's west late last year.

It took seven days to recover the bodies of all 143 cattle that had fallen into the Oigon lake in Zavkhan province. The cattle were owned by 10 herder households, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said in a statement on Wednesday.

More than 60 people including NEMA rescue workers and local officials participated in the retrieval at the lake, which has a maximum depth of eight meters, said the agency.

Livestock husbandry is Mongolia's economic pillar, supporting the livelihood of nearly 40 percent of its nomad population.

Official data show the landlocked East Asian country has more than 230,000 herder households with livestock nationwide. Livestock totaled over 70 million by the end of 2019.
Maha Shivaratri 2020: Why you shouldn't offer Tusli and wear black dress on Shivaratri

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Feb 18: Maha Shivaratri 2020 is one of the famous festivals celebrated in India which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This year Maha Shivrati will be celebrated on February 21. This is happening after 52 years for the first time. This festival is also known as 'Har-ratri'.

According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is celebrated on the Chaturdashi Tithi (fourteenth day) of the Krishna Paksha every month.

Puja Time of Maha Shivaratri 2020

On 21st, in the evening, it will be from 5: 20 minutes to 22 February, on Saturday, it will be from 7.30 to 2 minutes.

On Maha Shivaratri 2020, devotees keep a fast and pray to Lord Shiva on this day. However, one must avoid these simple things on this auspicious occasion:

Tulsi: Tusli or basil leaves are barred from being used in the worship of Lord Shiva since Tusli was born from the part of Vrinda, wife of Asura named Jalandhar, which is accepted by Lord Vishnu as a wife. Instead of that use Bael leaves during pooja.

Flower: On this day, flowers of dupaharika, Ketaki malati, champa, jasmine, juhi etc should not be offered. According to the Shiva Mahapurana, Sage Narada had cursed the tree.

Broken rice: Broken rice should not be offered to Shivling as damaged rice is incomplete and impure and shouldn't be supplied to Shiva.

Kumkum: It is a symbol of good luck, while Lord Shiva is recluse, therefore Kumkum is not be offered to Shiva.

Black dress: Do not wear black drss for Maha Shivaratri poojas as most of the Hindu rituals forbid the devotees for wearing black clothes as it is considered inauspicious. Hence, if your are fasting or going to the Shiva temple, choose colours such as red, pink and yellow.

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Story first published: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 6:32 [IST]
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians fleeing a fierce government push are being squeezed into ever-smaller areas near Turkeys border under horrendous conditions, including below-freezing temperatures that are killing babies and children, the United Nations humanitarian chief has warned.

Addressing the UN Security Council, Mark Lowcock said on Wednesday the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Syrias northwestern Idlib province had overwhelmed efforts to deliver and provide aid.

Nearly 900,000 people, more than half of whom are children, have fled their homes since December 1, when Russian-backed Syrian government forces pressed ahead with a military offensive to push out opposition fighters from their last stronghold in the country.

They are moving into increasingly crowded areas they think will be safer, Lowcock said.

But in Idlib, nowhere is safe.

Displaced Syrians arrive to Deir al-Ballut camp in Afrins countryside, along the border with Turkey [ Rami al Sayed/AFP]

Catastrophic human suffering

Lowcock said hostilities are now all around areas densely populated with terrified people who have fled on foot or on the backs of trucks. They are now in Dana and Sarmada, in the direction of the shut Bab al-Hawa border crossing with neighbouring Turkey, in what has been the biggest wave of displacement since the start of the war nearly nine years ago.

Nearly 300 civilians have been killed in attacks this year in the northwest region, with 93 percent of the deaths caused by Syrian and Russian forces, according to the UN.

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Earlier on Wednesday, UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen echoed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres alarm at the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation and the tragic suffering of civilians.

Hostilities are now approaching densely populated areas such as Idlib city and Bab al-Hawa border crossing, which has among the highest concentration of displaced civilians in northwest Syria and also serves as a humanitarian lifeline, he said.

Pedersen warned, The potential for further mass displacement and even more catastrophic human suffering is apparent, as an increasing number of people are hemmed into an ever-shrinking space.

He said Russia and Turkey, as sponsors of a fragile ceasefire in Idlib, can and must play a key role in finding a way to deescalate the situation now, though meetings between delegations of the two countries in Ankara, Munich and Moscow in recent days and contacts between the two presidents have not produced results.

To the contrary, public statements from different quarters, Syrian and international, suggest an imminent danger of further escalation, Pedersen said.

Al Jazeeras Mike Hanna, reporting from the UN headquarters in New York, said the statements at the Security Council reflected an exceedingly bleak situation unfolding on the ground in northwest Syria.

What we heard today is something of deep gloom and of the greatest concern for the Security Council, he said.

A man riding his motorcycle past destroyed buildings in the Syrian town of Ihsim in the southern countryside of Idlib [Omar Haj Kadour/AFP]

Erdogan: Idlib operation imminent

The councils meeting comes as Turkey and Russia, which back opposing sides in the conflict but have collaborated towards what they say is a political solution to the nearly nine-year war, exchanged warnings.

An operation in Idlib is imminent, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his partys legislators in Parliament on Wednesday. We are counting down, we are making our final warnings.





Ankara, which supports several rebel groups in northwest Syria, has been outraged since recent Syrian government attacks in Idlib province killed 13 Turkish military personnel in two weeks. It is also eager to prevent another flood of refugees into its territory adding to the 3.6 million Syrians it already hosts.

Responding to Erdogans comments, Russia  the main ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad  said any operation against Syrian forces in Idlib would be the worst scenario.

Al Jazeeras Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Hatay at the Turkey-Syria border, said both sides havent been able to make a breakthrough in talks.

He added that next week would be crucial in determining whether Ankara will step up its operations in Idlib.

Erdogan has repeatedly said Syrian government forces in Idlib must pull back behind a line of Turkish observation posts by the end of February, warning that if they did not do so, Ankara would drive them back.

Turkey has set up 12 observation posts in Idlib as part of a 2018 deal with Russia.

Syrian troops have reconquered swaths of Idlib and retaken the strategic M5 highway connecting the countrys four largest cities, as well as the entire surroundings of Aleppo city for the first time since 2012.

In rare remarks earlier this week, al-Assad pledged to continue the offensive, saying the war was not yet over but a complete victory was in sight. Damascus and Moscow maintain the military operation in Idlib is aimed at driving out terrorists from the region.




South Africa lifts two-month ban on livestock auctions caused by food and mouth disease



Thoko Didiza, South Africa's Agriculture Minister said farms affected by food and mouth disease will continue to be quarantined, while future livestock auctions require permits and documentation, reported Reuters.

The imposed ban followed a foot and mouth disease outbreak in Limpopo end 2019, which has stopped cattle, sheep and other livestock trade.

An auctioneer, suspected of violating the ban, was arrested in January 2020. The auctioneer was selling the livestock from the northern province of South Africa, the heart of the foot and mouth disease outbreak that has resulted in neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe to ban livestock imports from South Africa.

South Africa continued to export livestock to China and Middle East, key markets which make part of the 81 billion ZAR (~US$5.44 billion; 1 ZAR = US$0.067) annual value for the country's livestock auction industry.

Foot and mouth disease was detected in South Africa on November 2019 after a previous outbreak back in January 2019.

- Reuters
While Disney is expanding its river cruise offerings once again, one option will let passengers get a sneak peek of its next ocean-going cruise ship Disney Wish.

Adventures by Disney, the tour operator that partners with AmaWaterways to provide European river cruise vacations, had its first river cruises in 2016 on just the Danube River. It now has voyages on four European rivers: The Danube, Rhine, Rhone and Seine. For 2021, its offering 30 cruises across the four rivers, three more than in 2020.

And nine of those 30 will be adults-only, including Oktoberfest sailings on the Danube and Food & Wine sailings on the Rhine.

For 2021, Disney has cut back on both its Rhone and Seine sailings by one, but added two more Rhine and four more Danube options.

That includes doubling down on Christmas Market Danube sailings by sailing an east-to-west and west-to-east itinerary at the same time on two different ships.

For all Rhine River sailings, passengers will have the added-cost option to book a tour of Meyer-Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, where the fifth Disney Cruise Line ship, Disney Wish, is under construction. The new vessel is set to be handed over in December 2021 and make its way to Port Canaveral, Fla., to begin sailing in January 2022 from the ports revamped Disney terminal.

This limited-capacity tour will be guided by a Disney Imagineer taking guests on a hard-hat tour of the shipyard.

Its the first new cruise ship for DCL since Disney Fantasy debuted in 2012, and is the first of three new ships, with the other two unnamed vessels also to be constructed at Meyer-Werft and debut in 2022 and 2023.

This brand-new excursion is another example of our commitment to creating one-of-kind family vacations filled with storytelling and experiences that only Disney can provide, said Terri Schultz, senior vice-president, Disney Vacation Club, Guided Adventures & Expeditions and Golden Oak. Seeing the Disney Wish under construction, hearing directly from a Disney Imagineer and touring the historic Meyer Werft shipyard will be a unique and unforgettable experience for everyone who books this excursion.

Rhine River cruises visit Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands on either AmaMora or AmaSiena. Danube cruises visit Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary on either AmaLea or AmaViola. Rhone cruises travel the south of France in Provence on board the AmaCello while Seine River cruises venture from Paris to Le Havre on the northern coast on the AmaLyra.

The seven-night voyages are on ships with 144-156 passenger capacity based on double occupancy. Some of the ships that have been built since Disney began offering the river cruises have specially constructed adjoining staterooms in an effort to accommodate larger travelling families. Each stop along the voyage often features two or three guided tours as well as the option to explore on bike.

For the second year, passengers can also book short two-night immersion trips in Paris, Amsterdam and Budapest, Hungary, that can be added onto the river cruise trips, or be taken on their own.

The guided travel arm of the Disney empire, Adventures by Disney, is entering its 13th year of business. It now offers more than 40 itineraries, mostly land-based adventures, across six continents. The group is under the same Walt Disney Parks & Recreation umbrella as Disney Cruise Line and Disney Vacation Club.

Bookings are open to the general public at adventuresbydisney.com. Call 1-800-543-0865 for more details.
Lucknow, Feb 19 : Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said that the government should provide the funds for the mosque in Ayodhya.

"The BJP is dividing people on communal lines. If the government can form a trust for the temple, why can it not give funds for the mosque too by forming another trust?" he asked.

Pawar was here on Wednesday to attend the state conference of his party.

Speaking at the function he said that the budget for Uttar Pradesh for the next financial year had nothing for farmers. "The government has announced a monthly sop for the youth but it is doubtful whether the money will reach them. The need of the hour is to give the youth the right to work," he said.

Pawar pointed out that it was mainly because of lack of opportunities that the youth was migrating to cities like Mumbai in search of livelihood.

He called upon NCP workers to work for bringing a change in the state and the country.

"People are fed up with the BJP and despite a high-profile campaign in Delhi, the party failed to make its mark," he said.

He also called upon all non-BJP parties to join hands and throw the BJP out of power like they had done in Maharashtra.

Pawar accused the BJP of playing the divide and rule policy and said that the CAA was an example of this.
Jyoti Punwani By

In the Marxist study circles of the 70s in Mumbai, among the earnest youngsters who opted to spend their weekends banging their heads against the concepts of wage, labour and capital, there were two groups: Those who grasped these complex concepts, and those for whom Revolution simply meant a society where every Indian would be assured of leading a life of dignity, with his/her essential needs met by the state. It seemed an impossible dream, given the nature of governments both at the state and the Centre.

Half a century later, the Revolution is still a dream. But one government has taken the first steps towards enabling that life of dignity to the common citizen. On prime time news, a rickshaw-driver couldnt hide his pride as he told a rather skeptical interviewer that his child went to the best school in Delhi. Nor could the obviously lower-middle-class mother stop smiling, as she complained that her child no longer liked holidays, so fond was he of his primary school. Both were referring to government schools.

In the feudal world of our political parties, where even ministers rush to touch their leaders feet, which government bothers to bring smiles to the faces of auto drivers and low-end housewives? The same government that invites people like them - the government school teacher, the bus conductor who saved a six-year-old from being kidnapped, the mohalla clinic doctor - to share the stage with the chief minister at his swearing-in ceremony and introduces them as city builders. One thing we learnt in those Marxist study circles was the importance of free universal primary education in transforming society. The Indian state after Independence, instead of focusing on getting all children into school, had chosen instead to spend more on higher education. This had benefited those already privileged enough to reach college. What about parents who couldnt afford to send their children to school? There was a method to this madness, of course. A policy of keeping people illiterate could only benefit the rulers, especially with a populace as conservative and superstitious as ours.

Now comes a chief minister who declares at his swearing-in that the very thought of collecting fees in schools run by his government was an insult to him. He would feel accursed if people had to pay to use his governments hospitals. Communist governments in Kerala and Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu provided low-cost education and health to their citizens long back, but in the countrys financial capital, we have seen municipal schools close down one by one. In Mumbais renowned public hospitals, relatives wheel patients to wards and buy medicines in the open market. Across the country, the lack of beds, stretchers and ambulances in public hospitals makes headlines routinely.

So, for this Mumbaikar, the events of the last week have been no less than a miracle. A government that made schools, hospitals, water and electricity its priorities has been swept to power again, with barely any dent in its popularity, breaking even Narendra Modis record in Gujarat. Lest we forget, this government was subject to the worst kind of obstructionist policies from a hostile Centre. Arvind Kejriwal spoke at his swearing-in about the tricolour achieving its full glory only after every child is educated and every citizen gets basic necessities and a job. That was the Revolution many of us had imagined. It was fitting that he ended his speech with a rendition of Hum Honge Kaamyaab, the Hindi version of the famous Civil Rights and Labour song We Shall Overcome.

But the icing on the cake lies in the party he defeated. The ruling party at the Centre let loose its full arsenal of communal vitriol at him. Yet, a mere 6% of Delhis Hindus, the BJPs target audience, got swayed. The BJP has always had a core base of 32% in Delhis Assembly elections; this time it got 38%. Thats almost 20% less than those who voted for it eight months ago. Over the last six months, fewer Hindus have voted for the BJPs majoritarian rhetoric than it expected, given its Lok Sabha sweep last May. The electoral outcomes in Jharkhand, Haryana and Maharashtra have therefore brought much relief to those who fear the way the partys divisive politics is changing the majority community and thereby the country itself. Even the BJPs increase in vote share in Jharkhand and Haryana, compared to the 2014 Assembly polls there, hasnt diluted this sense of relief.

Why, in Maharashtra, even a three-way alliance between a party infamous for communal violence and two secular parties, whose record on secularism has been nothing less than shameful, was welcomed as a better option than a government committed to Hindutva. The effects on the ground of BJP-mukt governments have been evident, and the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls can only enhance these. But AAPs victory is on a different footing. A ruling party which did what a socialist government is supposed to do, without discrimination against anyone, has decisively defeated the countrys most powerful and divisive party. Its been voted back by all castes and communities, primarily by women, without resorting to identity politics. It treated its people as citizens with common needs, and they, in turn, voted as citizens. You couldnt get a more emphatic assertion of secular politics and rejection of hate campaigns.

Jyoti Punwani is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai. You can reach her on mail at jyoti.punwani@gmail.com.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / Bitterroot Resources Ltd.'s (TSXV:BTT) ("Bitterroot") Michigan subsidiary has entered into an option/joint venture agreement whereby Below Exploration, Inc., ("Below") a private Michigan corporation, can earn a 49% joint venture interest in Bitterroot's 100%-leased LM nickel-copper-platinum-palladium property in Baraga County, Michigan. Below is required to fund US$285,000 of exploration expenditures prior to the first anniversary of the agreement to earn a 49% joint venture interest. Bitterroot will be the project operator, regardless of its ownership level, and retains a right of first refusal over Below's property interest. Following vesting of its 49% interest, Below will have a 90-day option to convert its interest in the project into Bitterroot shares. The value of the project will be determined at that time by an independent Qualified Person acceptable to both parties. If it were to occur, the conversion into Bitterroot shares will be subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange and is subject to applicable securities laws. If Below does not exercise the share conversion option, the joint venture will continue.

The LM nickel-copper-PGM property comprises 100%-leased, privately-owned mineral rights located approximately 25 km west of Lundin Mining's Eagle Mine, in a similar geologic setting. In 1995, following the discovery of nickel-copper mineralized boulders in a nearby gravel pit, Kennecott Exploration Company drilled one shallow angle hole on the LM target. This hole intersected 190 metres of an olivine gabbro intrusion which is prospective at depth for conduit-hosted, high-grade magmatic nickel-copper-PGM deposits similar to the Eagle and Eagle East deposits. The 1995 Kennecott angle hole tested the Eagle-sized LM intrusion to a depth of only 170 metres below surface. In the mid 2000's, several years after Kennecott had released the LM Property, drilling nearby intersected nickel-copper mineralization in similar, but much smaller, mafic intrusions at approximately 500-600 metres below surface. Bitterroot and Below plan to drill-test the LM intrusion at similar depths. Bore hole EM techniques may also be used to guide subsequent drilling.

A ground magnetic survey completed in January 2020 has confirmed the position of the ~200-metre-diameter, pipe-shaped LM intrusion. Bitterroot and Below plan to complete two 650-metre sub-vertical core holes to test the intrusion for nickel-copper-platinum-palladium mineralization near the unconformity between Paleoproterozoic Baraga group sediments and older Archean gneiss. A map showing the LM property's ground magnetic response and a simplified cross section showing the drill target are posted on Bitterroot's website www.bitterrootresources.com.

Jeffrey Rowe, P.Geo is the Qualified Person responsible for the technical content of this disclosure.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY:

Michael S. Carr

Director

Contact information:

Telephone 604 922 1351

Email infoman@bitterrootresources.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects" or "it is expected", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. This document contains statements about expected or anticipated future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and as a result, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, such as general economic, market and business conditions, regulatory processes and actions, technical issues, new legislation, competitive conditions, the uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans, the occurrence of unexpected events and the company's ability to execute and implement its future plans. Forward-looking statements in this press release include but are not limited to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange and the Company's planned use of the proceeds of the Private Placements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include that the Company does not receive final regulatory acceptance to the Private Placements. Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in 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, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. For such forward-looking statements, we claim the safe harbour for forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Legislation Reform Act of 1995.

SOURCE: Bitterroot Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/576925/Bitterroot-Resources-Option-Agreement-on-the-LM-Nickel-Copper-PGM-Propery
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 16:57:41|Editor: xuxin

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CANBERRA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- A killer disease capable of devastating Australia's citrus industry was found in the country, biosecurity officials have confirmed.

The Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment on Wednesday confirmed that officers recently seized fruit items entering Australia with citrus canker.

Lyn O'Connell, the head of Biosecurity in the department, said fresh limes and dried citrus seized on separate occasions were all tested positive for the pathogen.

"This is an example of the significant biosecurity risks that Australia faces and why it is so important to follow our biosecurity conditions," she told News Corp Australia.

"Back in 2004, a citrus canker outbreak had a major impact on our million-dollar citrus industry and the disease has also caused extensive production losses in citrus industries overseas.

"These recent interceptions are particularly concerning given there is an ongoing national response plan in place to manage previous detections of citrus canker in Northern Territory and Western Australia."

Citrus is also Australia's largest fresh fruit export, with around 165,000 tonnes annually shipped to over 30 destinations.

After an outbreak of citrus canker was detected in Emerald, a rural town in central Queensland, the government ordered to cut all citrus trees in the region in 2004 .

Citrus Australia on Wednesday urged the government to immediately increase the biosecurity budget.

"If brought into Australia, it would decimate the Australian industry and lead to the destruction of millions of backyard citrus trees," Chief Executive Nathan Hancock said.

"Our national agriculture industry, and the billions of dollars it contributes to the economy and jobs it creates in regional and rural areas, cannot be put at risk."
A new Washington PostABC News poll out Wednesday shows Sen. Bernie Sanders extending his lead nationally after strong showings in Iowa and New Hampshire. Sanders support grew 9 points to 32 percent, double the backing of Democrats second choice, Joe Biden, who registered 16 percent. Bidens polling was halved since January after two pretty dismal returns, seriously denting his message of inevitability and electability. Sanders has built a double-digit lead in the next state to go to the polls this week, Nevada, but Bidens still leading in South Carolina, though by a narrowing margin, and a win there could offer a potential course correction for the former vice president going into Super Tuesday March 3.

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These new national numbers largely reflect the mood following the first two rounds of voting: Biden slumping, Sanders picking up steam, and Bloomberg, now polling at 14 percent, starting to poke his head into the national conversation. Two interesting numbers in the poll that run counter to the horse race momentum narrative is the holding support of Elizabeth Warren at 12 percent. If you read a newspaper or watched TV over the past several weeks, you would have thought her campaign was on life support. Her national support, however, has maintained and put her in the mix for second choice at the moment among Democratic voters, even though she has yet to get all that many actual Democratic votes. Shell need to change that in Nevada, where a second-place finish is conceivable, otherwise shes on a trajectory to be a perpetual fourth-place finisher, and her campaign, along with her 10-plus percent support, will slowly fade into the sunset.

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The other interesting non-narrative development is Pete Buttigieg, who only managed 8 percent in the WaPo-ABC poll. Buttigieg seems to have willed himself into the race with his essentially dead heat *win* in Iowa, which he parlayed into a strong second-place finish in New Hampshire. But his national numbers remain in Amy Klobuchar range (7 percent). That makes Nevada particularly important for the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor because despite all the recent heat from his campaign, a distant finish in Nevada could land Buttigieg back at square one going into South Carolina, where he has struggled to gain traction. Then the race goes to Super Tuesday, a more national contest, where national polling numbers might prove more directly relevant.
[February 19, 2020] StratiFi & AdvisorPeak Partner to Help Advisors Easily Manage Entire Investment Lifecycle

StratiFi Technologies is pleased to announce a new data integration and partnership with AdvisorPeak. The seamless integration simplifies the advisor experience by embedding StratiFi's institutional-quality risk analysis technology within AdvisorPeak's leading-edge trading and rebalancing platform to optimize advisors' time and user experience. AdvisorPeak's innovative trading and rebalancing software enables advisors to intuitively manage their client portfolios in a tax-efficient manner. Advisors will now be able to analyze risk data with StratiFi's award-winning PRISM technology directly inside AdvisorPeak. This robust integration eliminates the need for advisors to compare risk data of securities in one system while manually trading them in another system. StratiFi's award-winning PRISM Rating technology uses proprietary algorithms, once only available to institutional investors, to analyze thousands of securities to quantify a portfolio's correlation, volatility, tail, and concentrated stock risk into an easily understood score. These scores, along with actionable insights, enable advisors to mitigate risk more effectively and to communicate complex risk exposures in ways anyone can understand. "The integration of PRISM technology with AdvisorPeak's platform recognizes the interdependent relationship between portfolio management and real-time risk analysis," said Akhil Lodha, co-founder, and CEO of StratiFi Technologies. "The integration of these best-in-class systems will also enable advisors to keep pace with the increasing demands of regulators to closely monitor and archive advisor activities." "Our partnership with Stratii is an important part of our pledge to champion innovation in our industry. This integration puts risk analysis enhanced rebalancing & trading at advisor's fingertips in an intuitive and streamlined format. It represents another step forward in taking AI assisted trading from whiteboard to reality," stated Pete Giza, Chief Product Officer of AdvisorPeak.



About StratiFi Technologies StratiFi Technologies is democratizing risk management to help financial advisors and their clients make smarter investment decisions. Its award-winning PRISM Rating technology enables investment advisors, family offices, and investors to define and manage risks that are often hidden, or not well understood, within their client's portfolios. By identifying, defining, and managing risks, StratiFi helps financial advisors help their clients, and also protect and grow their practices. By educating clients about the realities of markets, advisors can deepen relationships, and better help investors confront the challenges of modern markets.

StratiFi, based in San Francisco, is the recipient of the WealthManagement.com 2019 Industry Award for the top Compliance Technology for Financial Advisors. The company is backed by key investors who are focused on financial technology, including Cboe Global Markets, Wolverine Holdings, and leading venture capital firms, including Anthemis Group, Khosla Ventures, and Y Combinator. For more information about StratiFi, or to schedule a software demo, please visit , please visit https://www.stratifi.com. About AdvisorPeak Located on the Silicon Slopes of Salt Lake City, Utah, AdvisorPeak, Inc. was founded by former investment advisors and wealth management industry subject matter experts with the vision of bringing innovative software to the financial services industry. Designed to meet the real-world needs that advisors and institutions face, AdvisorPeak is the product of years of in-depth research and development of tax-smart portfolio trading and rebalancing. AdvisorPeak puts enterprise-class portfolio management tools within the reach of all investment professionals. For more information about AdvisorPeak, or to schedule a software demo, please visit https://www.advisorpeak.com or follow @AdvisorPeak on Twitter (News - Alert). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005861/en/

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Consequently, major businesses are now flocking to Alabama for its cheap labor, anti-union workforce, inexpensive housing, and overall pleasant quality of life. While many people question whether the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction, one thing is for certain: it takes dedication and unquestionable integrity to focus a law firm's practice on consumer protection litigation in Alabama. Campbell Law, PC, out of Birmingham and Mobile fits that bill, says founder Tom Campbell.

On February 18, 2020, an Etowah County Judge ordered a $250,000 award to the plaintiffs in a case over bad Lincoln Logs. Does this judgment indicate that Alabama is once again a "hell" for American businesses? You decide.

Well, the Lincoln Log kit involved in this dispute is not the childhood building block set originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's son, John Lloyd Wright, that were wildly popular in a simpler time, the same toys now sold by K'Nex and manufactured in Maine. No. These were pine logs supplied by Lincoln Logs International as part of a kit to build a couple's dream home. Campbell Law, which has spent the last two decades protecting consumers from fraudulent practices in the wood destroying organisms industry, obtained a verdict of $250,000 for a Gadsden family who had purchased a log home that was both poorly constructed and devastated by beetles which could only have infested the logs before the Lincoln Logs kit was sold to the homeowners.

The family who purchased the kit of Lincoln Logs lived frugally for a lifetime to build and own their dream of a beautiful log home out in the country. They paid cash to own the home free-and-clear in retirement. The couple even asked direct questions of the Kannapolis, North Carolina, log supplier to make sure that the logs for their home were treated or kiln-dried to prevent active beetle larvae. The trial evidence established that the couple was completely innocent. The family did their homework and everything they could to make a wise decision because they had read horror stories about new log homes being infested with destructive beetles.

To their horror, months after investing their life savings into their retirement home, the couple saw metallic flathead beetles digging out of the logs all over the house. Fixing the house will be impossible or very expensive. The home had deteriorated so badly by the time of trial that wind and rain poured into the house during storms. Experts testified that the home will have to be rebuilt from the ground up or something very close to that. Like the Lincoln Logs that children play with, the home must be taken apart log-by-log to replace the infested wood logs.

After years of litigation, the company who invites customers to "Live the American Dream!" on their website admitted at trial that it never did anything to prevent beetles. The information Lincoln Logs International gave to the homeowners was false  fraudulent. Lincoln Logs International offered no excuse for why it promises to treat logs for beetles when it really does nothing. Other than trying to place all the blame on the builder, who happened to be an exclusive seller of Lincoln Log kits, Lincoln Logs International offered no valid excuse for its deceit.

At trial, Campbell Law lawyers, Matt Nicholson and Chris Cochran, called entomology professor from Auburn University, who explained that the destructive beetles and their larvae may live inside and continue to consume the logs for up to 30 years without finally and fully emerging.

Because it learned after taking the case that Lincoln Log International's business practices would make collection efforts difficult and time consuming, Campbell Law PC and its lawyers agreed to help these innocent victims for free. Indeed, not only did they waive their fee for the hundreds of hours of legal time spent preparing and trying the case, they also paid the couples litigation expenses out of their own pockets  nearly $30,000

Campbell Law PC, has a long track record of success bringing claims for people and businesses whose property is damaged by wood destroying pests. They have recovered tens of millions of dollars against pest control companies and are lawyers who almost exclusively handle pest control cases. According to Cochran, "Lawyers with special experience have a duty to help the public by providing legal work at no charge when the circumstances call out for it. This is one of those times. Sometimes being of service is reward enough."

"While it is undeniably a good thing that Alabama is attracting upstanding businesses to our state, let this be a cautionary tale for those which would intentionally deceive innocent homeowners," warns Campbell. "We are watching and we are always ready."

About Campbell Law, PC: Campbell Law PC has handled cases against Terminix and other pest control companies across the U.S. for over 20 years. Campbell Law was again deemed one of the "Best Law Firms" by U.S. News and World Report. The firm has eight lawyers and a professional staff of paralegals, legal assistants, artists, and law clerks who work almost exclusively on termite fraud and related cases. Contact them with questions about your termite contract or other concerns involving a wood destroying organism: 877-586-7582 or https://campbelllitigation.com/contact/ .

(Reference: Etowah County Circuit Court, case CV-2012-900042.00)

SOURCE Campbell Law PC

Related Links

www.campbelllitigation.com


She returned to New York from a Jamaican getaway just days ago.

But jet-setting supermodel Emily Ratajkowski was on her way out of the Big Apple again when she was spotted this Tuesday.

The 28-year-old wrapped up in a cherry red overcoat as she rolled her Away luggage into John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Tuesday travel: Emily Ratajkowski wrapped up in a cherry red overcoat as she rolled her Away luggage into John F. Kennedy International Airport

Emily threw the coat over a black sweatsuit, sweeping her dark hair tightly back and accessorizing with hoop earrings and Ray-Ban sunglasses.

The brunette bombshell was in Jamaica this past Valentine's Day with her husband, the hunky Uncut Gems producer Sebastian Bear-McClard.

They were joined by their pal Josh Ostrovsky, who is infamous for a 2015 joke-stealing scandal, and his new influencer second wife Caitlin King.

Globetrotter: Emily threw the coat over a black sweatsuit, sweeping her dark hair tightly back and accessorizing with hoop earrings and Ray-Ban sunglasses

Josh, a.k.a. The Fat Jew, celebrated his 38th birthday this Tuesday and Emily made sure to mark the occasion on Insta Stories with some snaps from Jamaica.

She included a shot of him throwing her over his shoulder on the beach, writing: 'and even though you're now skinny really glad you can still do this'.

Emily recently starred in a Super Bowl block-party themed ad for Babe, Josh's canned rose brand for which she is 'Chief Of Taste.'

Jet set: Emily and her husband Sebastian Bear-McClard just spent Valentine's Day in Jamaica with Josh Ostrovsky, a.k.a. The Fat Jew, and his influencer second wife Caitlin King

Josh and Emily co-starred in the ad with none other than Diplo, the DJ and songwriter whose real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz.

Emily, who while showing Vogue around her vast LA apartment in 2015 said she was for a platform to 'redistribute wealth in this country,' got married in February 2018.

She made a splash with her surprise courthouse marriage to Sebastian in New York City, wearing a $200 Zara trouser suit.
Caroline Flack sent concerning messages on Instagram stories to her close friends.

The messages come just the day before Flack took her own life aged 40 at her London flat on Saturday just three weeks before her upcoming trial.

Her showbiz pal Nicola Mclean said she knew the late Love Island presenter wasnt in a great way after seeing a post on her Instagram on Friday.

The television personality said Caroline had switched her Instagram stories to the close friends which only allows specific people chosen by the user to see her posts.



Flack had a strong following of 2.7million fans on Instagram yet only a handful of her close friends were able to see the messages.

She told Dan Woottons talkRadio Drive Time show: Shed made her Instagram to just her close friends, so there were not very many people on there, and she posted something where I could tell she wasnt in a great way.

Nicola confessed she thought Caroline had been doing really, really well with her stint in Los Angeles and she had hoped things were looking up for the troubled star.

She added: Caroline been doing a lot better so Id felt like shed done really, really well. She went LA and shed done really well, and was seemingly a lot more positive.

And that post I knew.

Nicola didnt share what Carolines last worrying Instagram post was.

Caroline had been surrounded by her closest friends and family in her final weeks.

As well as taking a trip to Los Angeles, the TV star accompanied a friend to Barcelona in recent weeks.

Its been widely reported Caroline was feeling very vulnerable in the time leading up to her tragic death.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
A video has surfaced online of a brazen robbery targeting a Matrix Warehouse store in Bellville, Cape Town.

The video was recorded on a bystanders smartphone and shows a pair of men taking merchandise from the Matrix Warehouse store and loading it into a vehicle.

Unperturbed by bystanders and other drivers in the parking lot, the suspects continue to run between the store and the vehicle, taking goods from the retailer.

The men eventually flee with their stolen merchandise when another vehicle approaches, leaving the scene in both a bakkie and a BMW sedan.

MyBroadband reached out to Matrix Warehouse for comment on the video, and the company confirmed that its Bellville branch suffered a robbery.

The police are busy with the investigation, so at this point in time, we are not allowed to disclose any information, Matrix Warehouse said.

Watch the full video below:

Retail danger zone

Minister of Police Bheki Cele recently said that retail businesses in South Africa operate in a danger zone, with robberies occurring every day.

Retailers are especially targeted by criminals, and despite the slight decrease in armed robberies over the last year, businesses are still suffering.

The increased cost of private security to deter and combat armed robberies has also severely impacted many local businesses.

The danger of retail crime was demonstrated by a spate of mall robberies at the end of 2019, with malls in both Johannesburg and Cape Town being targeted.

These robberies are often violent and commonly end either in shootouts with law enforcement or the escape of the perpetrators.

According to the latest crime statistics, common robbery, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and commercial crime all increased compared to the previous year.

A total of 2.01 million crimes were recorded in 2019  down from the 2.09 million recorded in 2018.

Now read: MTN fights back against battery theft
Robert Palmer is Executive Director of Tax Justice UK.

The tremors that accompanied the resignation of Sajid Javid exposed a fault line underpinning the Governments new electoral coalition of leafy shire seats and so-called Red Wall constituencies in the Midlands and North of England.

Rumours splashed across the papers in the run up to the reshuffle included plans to cut pensions tax relief for higher earners, changes to capital gains tax, and a new mansion tax. All of this was briefed as on the cards to help fund increased public spending to level up previously forgotten parts of the country.

Such policies might be anathema to traditional Conservative voters in places such as Maidenhead and Sevenoaks. But what do people in the former Red Wall areas think?

In the wake of the election my organisation, Tax Justice UK, decided to see what voters thought about politics, government promises on spending, and how best to fund these. Along with the research company Survation, and with the support of the University of Sheffield, we carried out seven focus groups. We spoke to people in the new Conservative seats of Blyth Valley, Bury, and Wrexham, and as part of the project we also went to Long Eaton, London, and Reading.

Somewhat predictably, Brexit dominated peoples decision-making. But we also got a real sense that the Prime Minister was right to describe many of his new supporters as lending him their votes. One new Conservative voter in Blyth Valley told us: I felt terrible the next day, did I do the right thing?

But there was also no love lost for the Labour leader, with one person in Wrexham saying I struggled between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn  I dont particularly like either of them but there was no way I was voting for Corbyn  Boris Johnson is just the best of a bad bunch.

Voters in Blyth and Wrexham told us that they felt abandoned by politicians from all sides. One person in Blyth said: Public services are falling apart on a massive scale. Austerity has shafted the North East. Across all the areas we visited, we heard a consistent message that people expected to see improved public services. No one called for tax cuts.

As part of our research we explored different ways in which the Government could fund extra spending. In particular we were curious to hear voters views on taxing wealth. The current tax system relies heavily on taxes on income and consumption. A number of Conservative thinkers have argued that the government should rebalance this towards taxing wealth more.

Will Tanner, now head of the influential think tank Onward and originator of Workington man, has written that taxes should be low on labour but higher on unproductive parts of the economy, such as property. Tim Pitt, a former senior Treasury advisor, recently argued that the Conservatives need to tackle inequality and should look at higher taxes on wealth to help do this.

Since the reshuffle the mansion tax seems to be off the agenda but Rishi Sunak, the new Chancellor, is reportedly still looking at other forms of tax on wealth.

This chimes with a promise in the Conservative manifesto to redesign the tax system so that it boosts growth, wages and investment and limits arbitrary tax advantages for the wealthiest in society. We asked people their views on this statement, initially not telling them where it was from. The language was seen as positive. Participants were surprised when we told them it was a Conservative commitment, but they hoped to see it happen.

As part of the focus groups we also tested specific proposals for how to tax wealth more.

The people we spoke to supported the idea of bringing capital gains tax into line with income tax rates, a policy last introduced by Nigel Lawson in 1988. Last year we carried out a poll with YouGov and found that 66 per cent of Conservative voters agreed that income from wealth should be taxed at least at the same level as income from work. As one participant in Blyth put it, Why should someone who is working hard to stay on the breadline, why should they pay more tax than someone who makes all that money from shares.

We also tested reducing pension tax relief for higher earners and adding a few extra bands to council tax. Both proposals received more qualified support. The voters we spoke to wanted to see more action to tackle tax avoidance.

However, blanket calls for much higher taxes on wealth went down badly. Most people supported the idea that the wealthy had by and large earned it.

Our research shows that the Prime Minister needs to deliver for his new voters if he wants to keep their votes. People expect to see more investment in local services. And theyre prepared to see some increases in taxes on wealth to help pay for it.

You can read the full report here.
Political parties in Jammu & Kashmir on Wednesday welcomed deferment of bypolls to over 12,500 panchayat seats that had been scheduled to be held in eight phases from March 5, citing the continued detention of top politicians and curbs on political activity since the region was stripped of its special status in August.

Chief electoral officer Shailendra Kumar on Tuesday said the polls had been postponed by three weeks due to security concerns, almost a week after he announced the schedule for the elections. The bypolls would have been the second such electoral exercise since Jammu & Kashmir was stripped of the special status with the nullification of the Constitutions Article 370. The change in the regions constitutional status dovetailed with the incarceration of hundreds of politicians and activists.

Ghulam Ahmad Mir, who heads the Congresss local unit, called the deferment a good move and added the party had raised several issues over the conduct of the polls. We identified the loopholes... we do not understand; if the situation was not good, how could they have announced these polls, he said. He added the Congress contested the rural polls when they were last held in 2018. We will contest [the bypolls] but the government must provide us a level playing field. Mir alleged that Congress leaders were not being allowed to move freely and many of them remain under house arrest.

The National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the regions two main political parties, as well as the Congress boycotted the Block Development Council polls held in October 2019 citing the detention of political leaders. The NC and PDP also boycotted the panchayat elections held last in 2018 amid concerns over the erstwhile states special status. Over 60% of seats in the Kashmir Valley had remained vacant in 2018.

NC spokesman Imran Nabi Dar said there was uncertainty on the ground and called the deferment a sensible decision. He added there was no point in contesting the elections when their leaders were in jail and a conducive atmosphere to hold the polls was missing.

The bypoll dates were announced on February 13, a week after two former chief ministers, Omar Abdullah of the NC and PDPs Mehbooba Mufti, were booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) that allows detention without trial for up to two years. Another former chief minister, Farooq Abdullah, was booked under the PSA in September.

The three were among hundreds detained to prevent protests against the changes to Jammu & Kashmirs special Constitutional status and the erstwhile states division into two Union territories. A communications blackout and lockdown were also enforced in the region. Most of the curbs have since been eased even as Internet services remain restricted.

The NC on Sunday said it was willing to participate in the byelections but added it was practically impossible because its top leaders have been detained.

PDP spokesman Tahir Sayeed said the postponement of the bypolls shows all is not well. After the abrogation of [Article] 370, all the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] leaders have been claiming that the situation is normal in Kashmir. But the deferment of the polls is an indication that all is not well.

Sayeed said the government had no road map or plan following the nullification of Article 370. They even do not know what to do now. First, they announce the polls and now they have deferred them.

BJP spokesman Altaf Thakur said serious inputs about the security scenario had forced the deferment. We were ready for these polls and have shortlisted our candidates. And whenever the polls will be held, our party will contest.

The bypolls were postponed hours after the PDP on Tuesday said it walked out of an all-party meeting after Kumar expressed his helplessness in addressing the issues, including the detention of its leaders, it raised. The party questioned how the polls could be held when they were not allowed to hold public meetings and to meet Mufti. The Congress complained about the withdrawal of the security of non-BJP leaders at the meeting.
Russia has called Turkey's bluff of a wide ranging attack on Syrian government forces. The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan will now have to find a way out of the Idleb trap he set himself in. His excellent Syria adventure is coming to an end.

Meanwhile we learn that the British military intelligence ran another large dis-information campaign that brought 'Syrian voices' into the 'western' press.

Erdogan continues with his wild rhetoric over Syria.

#ERDOGAN: "#Turkey cannot be confined within the 780,000 km2 border. #Misrata, #Aleppo, #Homs & #Hasaka are outside our actual borders, but they are within our emotional & physical limits, we will confront those who limit our history to only 90yrs."

The Turkish talks with Russia have not gone well. Russia had proposed the following points:

1- 16-km border strip in Idlib under Turkey control

2- Russia controls crossing between Idlib strip and Afrin

3- M4 and M5 opened under joint Russian-Turkish supervision

4- Retreat of observation points to border strip

Some ten of Turkey's observation points are currently surrounded by the Syrian army. If Turkey starts to escalate they will be in a dire situation.

Turkey rejected the Russian proposal:

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Feb. 19 that talks with Russia on the northwestern Syrian region of Idlib were far from meeting Turkey's demands and warned that a military operation there was a "matter of time". "As with all [previous] operations, we say 'we could suddenly come one night.' In other words, an Idlib operation is a matter of time," Erdogan said. He was referring to the previous three Turkish operations to northern Syria since 2016. "We are entering the last days for the [Syrian] regime to stop its hostility in Idlib. We are making our final warnings," he added. Turkey has made all preparations to carry out its own operation plans in Idlib."

Russia called a Turkish attack the worst case scenario:

The Kremlin spokesman added that "if it is an operation against Syrias legitimate authorities and armed forces, it will definitely be the worst scenario." Russia will continue contacts with Turkey in order to prevent the situation in Idlib from escalating further, according to Peskov. "We are determined to continue to use our working contacts with our Turkish counterparts to prevent the situation in Idlib from escalating further," he said.

Two hours after it published the above the Russian agency TASS also published this:

Two Russian Tupolev Tu-22M3 strategic bombers have performed a scheduled flight over the neutral waters of the Black Sea, Russias Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. "During the flight, the crews covered a distance of about 4,500 km and stayed in the air for more than five hours," the statement runs. Fighter jets of Russias Southern Military District escorted the bombers during the flight.

The Tu-22M3 can fire long range cruise missiles. The Turkish military will understand that warning.

The Russians are also prodding Erdogan with reports about U.S. weapon deliveries to PKK-Kurds in east Syria:

The US command in the region is intensively saturating the territory east of the Euphrates river with weapons and ammunition. Since the beginning of 2020, 13 military convoys have arrived from Iraq to Syria, which included over 80 armored vehicles and more than 300 trucks loaded with various types of weapons, ammunition and materiel, Rear Adm. Oleg Zhuravlev said in a daily briefing.

Reports now speak of more than a million refugees in Idleb even as the pre-war population of Idleb governorate never exceeded 1.5 million. Many of those already fled during the early war either to government held areas or to Turkey and beyond. Where are the million reported now supposed to have come from?

The 'western' media is again practicing tear jerking about these refugees in Idleb. But its reports forget to mention that al-Qaeda rules Idleb and that it prevents the people from crossing the line into Syrian government held areas:

In yet another lengthy, expensive, lavishly illustrated story about Idlib, the NYT once again failed to make any mention of the politics of what is happening in that enclave of northwestern Syria namely, the fact that well-armed jihadist/takfiri fighters from all around the world have controlled it for the past several years, while Syrias government forces have been battling to regain control. In that latest article, as in all of the lengthy, one-sided tearjerkers it has published about Idlib over the past year, the NYT has no actual journalists or photographers on the ground reporting the story. It is wholly reliant instead on stories and footage it gathers from unverifiable sources inside the enclave sources who notably never include any mention of the jihadi armed groups that control all aspects of life there.

Today we learn that many of these unverifiable sources have been on the British government payroll since at least 2012:

A number of leaked documents seen by Middle East Eye show how the propaganda initiative began in 2012 and gathered pace the following year, shortly after the UK parliament refused to authorise British military action in Syria. Drawing upon British, American and Canadian funding, UK government contractors set up offices in Istanbul and Amman, where they hired members of the Syrian diaspora, who in turn recruited citizen journalists inside Syria.

...

During 2015, Free Syria, Syrian Identity and Undermine were funded in both British pounds and Canadian dollars, with the equivalent of around 410,000 ($540,000) being spent each month.

These 'sources' which were hired and instructed by the UK government are the ones quoted in 'western' papers. The whole scheme, like the British organized 'White Helmets', was run by military intelligence officers:

Individuals familiar with the project say that around nine companies were invited to bid for the contracts. They included a number of firms established by former British diplomats, intelligence officers and army officers. Although the contracts were awarded by the UKs foreign office, they were managed by the countrys Ministry of Defence, and sometimes by military intelligence officers. These companies set up offices in Amman, Istanbul and, for a period, at Reyhanli in southeast Turkey. From here they would employ Syrians who would in turn recruit citizen journalists inside Syria, who were under the impression that they were working for the media offices of Syrian opposition groups.

The British intelligence also hired journalists to write 'Syrian rebel' propaganda stories. Britain also organized and directed the opposition's spokespersons:

Meanwhile, other leaked documents seen by MEE show that the British government had awarded contracts to communications companies, which selected and trained opposition spokespeople, ran press offices that operated 24 hours a day, and developed opposition social media accounts. British staff running these offices were told that their Syrian employees were permitted to talk to British journalists  as spokespeople for the Syrian opposition  but only after receiving clearance from officials at the British consulate in Istanbul. One of the responsibilities of the press offices set up covertly by the British government under the terms of these contracts was to maintain an effective network of correspondents/stringers inside Syria to report on MAO [moderate armed opposition] activity. In this way, the British government was able to exert behind-the-scenes influence over conversations that the UK media was having with individuals who presented themselves as Syrian opposition representatives.

It weren't just UK media who cited those persons. The whole 'civil opposition movement' was, like the 'White Helmets', a well organized and paid British government front. But when Turkey increased its role in Syria the British dis-information operation began to shut down:

British government enthusiasm for much of the work appears to have begun to wane as it became increasingly clear that the Assad government and its Russian and Iranian allies were winning the civil war, and funding for contracts began to dry up. Early in 2019, the Free Syrian Police, a British-backed organisation, finally ceased operations following a militant takeover of Idlib province, much to the dismay of civilians and civil society activists. The Turkish government is also said to have become less tolerant of the propaganda initiatives being co-ordinated from its territory. One British contractor is understood to have been expelled after the Turkish authorities discovered she had entered the country on a tourist visa.

That Turkey's government became less tolerant to the British operation may also explain the death of the British military intelligence officer who ran the 'White Helmets' propaganda group from his apartment in Istanbul.
China's Foreign Ministry revoked on Wednesday the press credentials of three Beijing-based Wall Street Journal journalists and ordered them to leave the country within five days, the news outlet confirmed.

Why it matters: The action taken over the Journal op-ed headline "China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia" comes hours after the State Department designated the Chinese state media outlets Xinhua, China Global Television Network, China Radio International, China Daily and Hai Tian Development USA as "foreign missions," meaning they are treated as arms of the government, as Axios' Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian first reported.

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

There are strict reporting restrictions on foreign news outlets in China. But the expulsion of foreign journalists  and "multiple reporters with the same international news organization at the same time"  is rare, as WSJ notes.

What they're saying: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement condemning Chinas expulsion of the foreign correspondents:

"Mature, responsible countries understand that a free press reports facts and expresses opinions. The correct response is to present counter arguments, not restrict speech. The United States hopes that the Chinese people will enjoy the same access to accurate information and freedom of speech that Americans enjoy."

Details: The journalists ordered to leave the country are deputy bureau chief Josh Chin and reporter Chao Deng, both Americans, and reporter Philip Wen, an Australian, according to WSJ.

Geng Shuang, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, told a news briefing authorities had repeatedly asked for a public apology but the news outlet had not done so, according to the state-run Global Times.

Of note: News and editorial departments are run separately and the journalists would have had nothing to do with the opinion pieces like the one Chinese authorities object to, written by Walter Russell Mead, a James Clarke Chace professor of foreign affairs and the humanities at Bard College and the Journal's Global View columnist.

In August, another WSJ reporter, Chun Han Wong, who reported on an investigation by Australian authorities into Chinese President Xi Jinping's cousin, had to leave mainland China after a request to renew his press credentials was denied.

Go deeper: Pompeo says new China media restrictions "long overdue"

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
NEW ALBANY, Ohio, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- RoamHR (roamhr.com), the digital platform empowering the freelance workforce to easily and effectively manage its taxes, announces its partnership with BBVA Open Platform . Starting today, RoamHR users will now have access to FDIC-insured tax withholding accounts in the RoamHR app.

RoamHR's tax withholding accounts work alongside the app's other features. By using the Tax Withholding Account, RoamHR's proprietary algorithm calculates what a user's estimated taxes are based on the income they are bringing in. It then allows them to move that portion of their income into the Tax Withholding Account to make sure they have the right amount to pay the IRS every quarter -- helping to take the guesswork out of taxes. Additionally, RoamHR users can take advantage of the company's IRS tax payment service, which makes tax payments on their behalf five days before the scheduled due date.

"Our partnership with BBVA Open Platform offers the additional security and peace of mind associated with FDIC-insured banking institutions," said Rick Gonzalez, founder and CEO, RoamHR. "Its nimble and highly-customizable offerings allowed our team to easily develop the perfect solution for our users."

BBVA Open Platform is a leading Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform in the United States and makes it easy for companies across industries to deliver core banking services to their customers. Through this partnership, RoamHR can originate RoamHR branded FDIC-insured tax withholding accounts on BBVA USA's real-time Alnova banking core. This is accomplished via BBVA Open Platform's simple and intuitive APIs.

"Freelancers and consultants have different expectations around financial services," said Susan French, Open Platform's Head of Product. "1099 employees are seeking platforms that can help streamline their finances. We are excited to partner with Roam HR to offer an innovative solution that addresses these consumers' unique needs."

About RoamHR

RoamHR is the ultimate financial platform for freelancers. Our solution is precision-engineered to solve the biggest tax and budgeting challenges faced by the self-employed and contract workers, making it incredibly easy for 1099 employees to save money, plan for quarterly tax payments, track mileage and other deductible expenses, and automate tax payments. Our goal is to unlock new levels of financial freedom for freelancers, wherever they may roam. Whether you're a truck driver, a designer, or a developer for hire, our easy-to-use platform allows freelancers the freedom to focus on the work that you want to do, and not on tax planning.

To download the RoamHR platform or learn more, please visit www.roamhr.com .

About BBVA Open Platform

BBVA Open Platform offers API-driven, white label banking and payments solutions. Through Open Platform, companies can integrate banking and payments services directly into their existing UI to streamline their own operations and offer their customers banking and payments services, all under their own brand. Top brands work with BBVA Open Platform to optimize their user experience on top of API- powered banking and payments solutions designed for the platform economy and provided by leading U.S. bank BBVA USA, Member FDIC.

For more information, visit Open Platform at https://bbvaopenplatform.com/

SOURCE RoamHR

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A new medical approach recommended by University of Cincinnati physician-researchers may reduce organ wait times, save money, boost quality of life and prolong life expectancy for kidney patients.

According to a computer analysis conducted by faculty in the UC College of Medicine, using kidneys from hepatitis C (HCV)-infected donors for transplant in non-HCV-infected dialysis patients and then treating the infection afterward could reduce the average wait for a kidney from four years to 1.56 years. That's a reduction of 61 percent.

This matters because patients on dialysis have a much higher risk of dying each year. Patients receiving hemodialysis face an excess mortality rate as high as 15% per year, while the mortality rate for patients receiving kidney transplants is 2% annually. If we can shorten the amount of time that patients need to live on hemodialysis, survival can improve." Mark Eckman, professor and director of the UC Division of General Internal Medicine

The findings are available online in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases and Eckman, also a UC Health physician, is the study's lead author.

The computerized decision analytic model uses data from United Network for Organ Sharing and the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients to establish an average wait time for dialysis patients of four years for a non-infected kidney, said Eckman.

In the United States, roughly 103,000 patients are waitlisted for kidney transplantation. In 2018, only 14,725 or 4% received kidney transplants, said Eckman.

The computer model shows results for both effectiveness, measured in quality-adjusted life years, as well as cost. Patients receiving transplants with an HCV-infected kidney gained nearly 10 months in quality-adjusted life expectancy compared with those who waited longer for transplantation with a kidney not infected with HCV. Quality-adjusted life years take into account duration of survival and the quality of those years.

Eckman says the quality of life during the time following kidney transplantation is higher than that for the years a patient remains on dialysis.

There is also a cost savings of $37,918 over the life of the patient when someone accepts an HCV-infected kidney and is then treated for hepatitis C compared to waiting for a non-infected kidney and continuing dialysis in the process, according to computer analysis. Eckman said patients receiving hemodialysis have medical costs exceeding $95,000 annually, while costs after transplantation surgery are roughly $36,000 per year. Physicians can now cure hepatitis C thanks to a new 12-week treatment regimen.

The latest findings showing possible benefits for transplanting HCV-infected kidneys into patients not infected with hepatitis C mirror a 2018 study authored by Eckman that also found a benefit in transplanting HCV-infected kidneys into patients already infected with hepatitis C.

The decision analytic model simulates events occurring over time looking at two different strategies. One strategy uses kidneys from a non-HCV-infected donor while the other uses kidneys from an HCV-infected donor. Many factors affect waiting time for a donated kidney such as blood type and location of a patient's transplant center. The increased availability of HCV-infected kidneys is largely the result of a surge in the number of deaths from opioid-related drug overdoses, said Eckman.

Hemodialysis is tough on the body and is an important factor in patients seeking a kidney replacement, said Eckman.

"Patients on dialysis have large shifts of fluid volume and rebalancing of electrolytes during each dialysis session that typically occur three times a week," said Eckman. "That creates physiological stresses. A large part of the mortality associated with dialysis is due to cardiovascular events, some of which may be related to the volume shifts, changes in blood pressure and changes in electrolytes that accompany dialysis."

A patient's quality of life is also impacted; dialysis patients spend three-hour sessions three times a week hooked up to a dialysis machine, said Eckman. "It's hard to travel anywhere since you are tethered to the dialysis center. Thus the quality of life while receiving chronic dialysis is not as good as that of a patient following a kidney transplant. Anything that can shorten the number of years the patient is on dialysis waiting for a transplant is an improvement. That's the benefit of accepting an HCV-infected kidney."
Its one thing to not be able to afford a college education. Its an entirely different issue altogether when you dont even have a college around you.

A recent report from Jain Family Institute (JFI) reveals that access to college isnt just about the cost of college. Physical access to public higher education institutions across America has also been highly unequal.

Specifically, as detailed by JFIs interactive map, regions in Americas West have little-to-no access to an institution of higher education, compared to the East Coast.

One of the major takeaways when you're looking at the map is the staggering amount of populated areas that are considered highly concentrated, Laura Beamer, higher education finance project lead at JFI and one of the two authors of the study, told Yahoo Finance. We figured out that roughly 2.4 million prospective students have access to most one public option nearby  Though financial access is extremely important, geographic access is also a very important piece of this dialogue and should be talked about more.

The concentration of higher education institutions across the U.S., based on whether they were accessible within 30 mins, if one was driving. Red indicates that they were few or no schools within that range, green indicates the opposite. (Graphic: Jain Family Foundation)

The Rocky Mountain region is the worst off, the report added, followed closely by the Plains region.

The JFI report  which drew on various points of data from the 2016-17 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, enrollment data from 2017, the 2016 5-year population, and median income estimates from the American Community Survey, driving durations to higher ed institutions in the area, zip codes, and more  created a School Concentration Index which measures the variation across the higher education market across different types of schools in the U.S. and U.S. territories.

Four states  Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming  were found to have higher education institution monopolies or close to it, meaning that there is only one institution or very few schools to choose from.

Graduates toss their caps in the air after receiving their diplomas at Silver Creek High School in Idaho. (Photo: Matt Jonas/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images)

Prime hunting ground for for-profit institutions

The authors found that a highly concentrated zip code (in red) means that there are few  or in some cases zero  higher education institutions in the area. A low concentration implies that there are a wide variety of options available for prospective students.

Story continues

In the U.S., 38% of the population lives in highly concentrated zip codes, where they have access to very few or no higher education institutions, according to Beamer and her co-author Marshall Steinbaum, who is also an assistant professor of economics at the University of Utah. If a student from these areas wanted to attend a college or university, their commute would be at least 45 minutes.

The unequal access has wide-ranging implications for prospective students, most of them negative.

Parts of the U.S. where theres little to no access to a higher ed institution are prime hunting ground for for-profit institutions, just as they are known to draw disproportionately from populations historically excluded from traditional higher ed on the basis of race and class, the authors argued.

The for-profit higher education sector saw tremendous growth since the financial crisis. In 2016, the New York Fed noted that enrollment at these schools had skyrocketed as the country emerged out of the Great Recession. For-profit colleges have also been known to saddle graduates with high levels of student debt, and in some cases, provide low-quality education with false promises of job placement.

The Obama administrations crackdown on for-profit colleges led to several closures, and recent action by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) pushed the University of Phoenix to put a stop to deceptive advertising of lucrative job opportunities.

Despite government action, for-profits persist due to these gaps in availability.

A security guard inside Everest College keeps away a member of the media and a former student Gary Montano after the embattled for-profit Santa Ana school was shut down along with 28 others on Monday. (Photo: Mindy Schauer/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

A school could ... possibly practice price discrimination

So why are schools so unequally distributed across the U.S. in the first place?

It comes down to the structure that that states have put in place and just haven't been able to update over the last few decades, Beamer said. There is a rural versus urban dynamic as well  schools are going to open in places where there's a labor market and where there's a large population of students.

The biggest problem arising is a neglect of the West, the researchers argue, where a school could determine prices and access unilaterally and possibly practice price discrimination.

More broadly, the issues raises a more philosophical question about what higher education represents.

We have this idea that higher education as a societal institution is egalitarian  there's also a lot of reasons why it isn't, said Steinbaum. This is one tiny piece of evidence among a broad painting of the fact that the higher education system is extremely stratified.

They're screwed on the front end as well as the other end

Another problem of education deserts trickles down below higher education.

Folks in these certain geographic areas which more often tend to be rural, have fewer options, Ryan Wells, associate professor of higher education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, told Yahoo Finance.

Rural students not only had fewer options for college, he explained, but they also had fewer resources to prepare them for college in the first place when compared to their suburban or urban counterparts.

It's kind of like  to put it crassly  they're screwed on the front end with what they have with their preparation and their resources and things to be ready for college, Wells said, and then fewer options on the other end as well.

Students walk across campus between classes at the University of Wyoming, on April 30, 2018 in Laramie, Wyoming. (Photo: Melanie Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor via Getty Images)

Responsible colleges offer a way out

Fortunately, there are some good actors that restore faith in the system.

The University of Wyoming  despite having monopoly status  takes its job to offer accessible higher education seriously.

We are quite a blue-collar state, University of Wyoming spokesperson Chad Baldwin told Yahoo Finance. Only about 24% of our adults have a bachelor's degree or higher [so] one of our goals is to try to lift the educational attainment level.

Baldwin noted that the university has a broad open admissions standard: Our acceptance rate is something in the order of 97%. Furthermore, according to Baldwin, more than half of the universitys graduates who started as first-time students didnt graduate with any student loan debt, thanks to low tuition and fees, and a state scholarship program.

The tuition for a Wyoming resident undergraduate for a year is about $6,300, he added.

Factoring in living costs and so on, that comes up to about $13,000 per year, based on data from the Department of Educations College Scorecard.



Aarthi is a writer for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at aarthi@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @aarthiswami.

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Beijing primary and high school students started taking online courses on Feb. 17, the first day of the semester, as part of measures to curb the coronavirus outbreak, Beijing Evening News reported.

(Photo/Beijing Daily)

A group of well-known teachers and principals from Beijing schools gave the first lesson of the new term, including 97 senior-level principals and nearly 800 senior-level teachers in the city.

In his first lesson to the students, Xu Hua, principal of Luhe Middle School in Tongzhou District, encouraged the students to cultivate their morals amid the pneumonia outbreak.

Luhe Middle School has also formulated a special class schedule for the students, including knowledge review, physical exercises, aesthetic education, household duties, reading and so on.

Peiying Primary School in Beijings Haidian district held an online flag-raising ceremony, where students sang the national anthem in front of their computers to send their best wishes to the country in the war against the coronavirus.

In most schools, each days first online lesson starts later than the usual 8 a.m., and the duration of each lesson is set to be longer than the 45 minutes in the offline school curriculum to suit online learning practice.

In addition, nearly every school will include relaxation exercises during breaks and extracurricular activities that students can do at home into the school schedule.
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She's spent the past few days partying in London for Fashion Week.

And after ending her UK trip with a fun night at the BRIT Awards afterparties on Tuesday, Bella Hadid had an early start on Wednesday morning to catch a flight to Milan.

The top model was looking super chic despite her late night and early start as she touched down in time for the start of Milan Fashion Week.

Another day, another city: Bella Hadid had an early start on Wednesday morning to catch a flight to Milan, hours after partying the night away in London

Bella looked gorgeous in a pair of loose jeans, teamed with a smart navy blazer and white poloneck layered under a black leather jacket.

She dressed for comfort, ditching the heels for chunky black boots and added a pair of statement shades to hide any sign of tiredness.

Bella flashed a smile as she strolled through the airport terminal next to her minders.

Arrival: The top model was looking super chic despite her late night and early start as she touched down in time for the start of Milan Fashion Week

Chic: Bella looked gorgeous in a pair of loose jeans, teamed with a smart navy blazer and white poloneck layered under a black leather jacket

Stroll: The brunette star was seen strolling through the streets of the Italian city after landing

The night before Bella partied at the star-studded Sony BRITs bash at the Standard Hotel London with fellow model Kendall Jenner.

Bella, 23, opted for a casual look as she arrived in a plaid shirt and wide-legged jeans with her glam best pal.

Bella has been busy jetting across Europe for Fashion Week season, with Milan her last stop.

The American star - who is the younger sister of fellow model Gigi - spoke out about her early modelling career in the latest issue of LOVE called #CHAOSANDCONTROL.

Model behaviour: The California native appeared to be getting in some early catwalk practice as she made the streets her personal runway

Deep thought: The model appeared to be in a pensive mood ahead of her latest Fashion Week

Early wakeup: Bella shared a screengrab of her 4am alarm after her night of partying, before posting from the airport at 6:12am

She told the publication: 'In my opinion I started modelling way too young. I was still growing and my confidence wasnt fully matured. I didnt love myself, or didnt necessarily think I was worthy of all of the recognition I was getting.

'When I was younger, I would see photos of myself that I hated and would be mortified that people wanted to work with me, because I was so self-conscious.'

Instead the model said that she had only been interested in fashion if it involved horses, such as when her supermodel mother Yolanda bought her new Hermes riding saddle for Christmas one year.

Party time! The night before Bella partied at the star-studded Sony BRITs after-party at the Standard Hotel London with fellow model Kendall Jenner

Low key: Bella, 23, opted for a casual look as she arrived in wide-legged jeans and a cropped sweater vest
Growing up in an environment where she could question anything and everything, the true meaning of patriarchy came home to her only when she started working in Bollywood, says actor Taapsee Pannu, whose latest "Thappad" closely examines the issue of domestic violence.

The actor, who has pushed the envelope with films like "Pink", "Mulk" and "Saand ki Aankh" and now plays a woman who refuses to accept even one slap from her husband, said she is happy she is in a place where audiences can view change through her work.

"I have understood the meaning of the word patriarchy in recent years... like if the father says you cannot go out, you don't question that. Your mother may agree with you but she is just running the house, so it does not matter. You have to be in the house by 8 pm because guys can't control themselves," Taapsee told PTI in an interview.

The realisation that this is not okay comes after a lot of questioning, she said, adding that she understood how to make changes in her own life.

"Small things about gender parity and pay parity... But you cannot change that by just shouting that 'this is not right'. You have to ensure that people start to recognise that change through your work. Maybe the new generation will not see the difference but the generation next to us will," she said.

"Thappad", which releases on February 28, happened after she told director Anubhav Sinha during the making of "Mulk" that she would now like to work on a film dealing with the everyday problem of domestic violence. The film is set in an affluent Delhi family with Taapsee playing a housewife whose world comes crashing around her after her husband slaps her in a party.

Film stars, Taapsee said, are worshipped in a cinema-obsessed country like India and can sometimes use the power in the right direction.

"People listen to you. They may agree or disagree with you, but they will listen to you. In this day and age, who has the time to even do that? If you have been given that kind of power, then you can use that power in the right direction sometimes," she said.

But with great power comes greater responsibility, the actor said.

"When, in the beginning, I managed one or two issued-based films and saw that people were listening and the movies had started a discussion, I realised 'this is power, and one should use it in the right manner'."



There was some controversy when producer Tanuj Garg called Taapsee "Bollywood's female version of Ayushmann Khurrana" on Twitter, to which the actor sportingly replied, "What about calling me Bollywood ki pehli Taapsee Pannu?"



Asked about her response to the controversy, the actor said Tanuj, who is producing her upcoming film "Loop Lapeta", a remake of "Run Lola Run", is a good friend and someone who has supported her for a long time.

"I know that Tanuj's intention was good. He is the producer of 'Run Lola Run' and he has been very supportive of me for years now. I know his intention but I have been hearing a lot from people recently -- 'you choose your films the way Ayushmann does. You are the female version of Ayushmann'.

"I'm like 'wonderful that this guy is doing fabulous work but why am I supposed to be known by his name'?" she said.

Ayushmann choosing to do different kind of films should not become a reason for her being called his female version, Taapsee argued.

"So I tweeted and that became huge. I guess, as women, we have been seen through male benchmarks so much that whenever something like this happens, our antenna is up."



With five more films in the offing, Taapsee is busier than ever and said it has taken her a while to reach a place where she can do the films she wants to.

"I am not ready to leave a single of these films. I have worked really hard to achieve a level where people today are ready to wait for me. I am not ready to leave any of these films because I have waited for a long time to have these movies and say they are mine," she said.

Unlike other stars in the film industry, Taapsee is someone who does not hide her opinions. While that leads to controversies sometimes, it comes from a space of clarity, she explained.

"I have a clear mind. I have rarely had grey areas in my life where you are confused about what you want to do. I don't know where it comes from but this has really helped me in the long run.

"This is why when I have to criticise something, I don't do it for the wrong reason. I don't target people. So I don't get that kind of backlash. You can take a dig at me but I will never answer that and that's my 'cheap thrill'. Life is really small and I have to do a lot so I will not spend my time or energy on you."



"Thappad" also features Pavail Gulati, Ratna Pathak Shah, Kumud Mishra, Tanvi Azmi and Dia Mirza in key roles.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - State officials in California say more than 1.5 million people have purchased health insurance through a taxpayer funded marketplace.

That's a 1.6% increase over last year's enrollment. It's the first increase after three years of decline.

The increase comes after state lawmakers passed a law requiring people without health insurance to pay a tax.

State officials also announced a special enrollment period will begin Wednesday and run through April 30.

To be eligible, people must check a box on a form that says they did not know about the new tax for not having health insurance. To do so, CLICK HERE.
By Jeff Mason and Makini Brice WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump objected on Tuesday to U.S. proposals that would prevent companies from supplying jet engines and other components to China's aviation industry and suggested he had instructed his administration not to implement them. In a series of tweets and in comments to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said national security concerns, which had been cited as reasoning for the plans, should not be used as an excuse to make it difficult for foreign countries to buy U.S.

By Jeff Mason and Makini Brice

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump objected on Tuesday to U.S. proposals that would prevent companies from supplying jet engines and other components to China's aviation industry and suggested he had instructed his administration not to implement them.

In a series of tweets and in comments to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said national security concerns, which had been cited as reasoning for the plans, should not be used as an excuse to make it difficult for foreign countries to buy U.S. products.

The president's comments came after weekend reports by Reuters and other news media that the government was considering whether to stop General Electric Co from further supplying engines for a new Chinese passenger jet.

The president's intervention illustrated that, at least in this case, he would prioritize economic benefits over potential competitive pitfalls and national security concerns.

His views on the issue contrasted with the sharp restrictions his administration has placed on U.S. companies trading with Huawei Technologies, the world's largest telecommunications equipment maker, also for national security reasons.

"Were not going to be sacrificing our companies ... by using a fake term of national security. Its got to be real national security. And I think people were getting carried away with it," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews before departing for a trip to California.

"I want our companies to be allowed to do business. I mean, things are put on my desk that have nothing to do with national security, including with chipmakers and various others. So were going to give it up, and what will happen? Theyll make those chips in a different country or theyll make them in China or someplace else," he said.

The United States has supported American companies' business with China's aviation sector for years.

"I want China to buy our jet engines, the best in the World," Trump wrote on Twitter. "I want to make it EASY to do business with the United States, not difficult. Everyone in my Administration is being so instructed, with no excuses..."

Trade lawyer Doug Jacobson said limitations on jet engines and chip makers would hurt U.S. companies.

"This is ultimately akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face because ultimately youre hurting U.S. manufacturing companies but youre not having a material impact on your target," he said.

The United States and China, the world's two largest economies, have a complicated and competitive relationship. Trump signed a first-phase trade deal with China earlier this year after a long trade war in which the countries levied significant tariffs on each others' products, many of which remain in place.

Washington is also eyeing limits on other components for Chinese commercial aircraft such as flight control systems made by Honeywell International Inc .

Central to the possible crackdown is whether shipments of U.S. parts to China's aircraft industry could fuel the rise of a serious competitor to U.S.-based Boeing Co or boost China's military capabilities.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said it welcomed Trump's comments.

We applaud President Trumps tweets supporting U.S. companies being able to sell products to China and opposing proposed regulations that would unduly curtail that ability," John Neuffer, the group's president, said in a statement. "As we have discussed with the administration, sales of non-sensitive, commercial products to China drive semiconductor research and innovation, which is critical to Americas economic strength and national security.

Huawei is at the heart of a battle for global technological dominance between the United States and China. Washington placed Huawei on a blacklist in May last year, citing national security concerns. The United States has also been trying to persuade allies to exclude its gear from next generation 5G networks on grounds its equipment could be used by China for spying. Huawei has repeatedly denied the claim.

"So, national security is very important. Ive been very tough on Huawei, but that doesnt mean we have to be tough on everybody that does something," Trump said.

(Additional reporting by Tim Ahmann and Chris Sanders; Editing by Howard Goller)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is scheduled to meet at 10.30 am today (February 19) and is likely to clear the defence deals that could be finalised during the bilateral meeting between the two nations, according to sources.

The committee is likely to give its consent to the purchase of MH-60 `Romeo multi-mission helicopters for the Indian Navy, and the sale of six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters could also get consent.

India and US are eyeing to finalise a raft of mega defence deals including procurement of a batch of military helicopters by Indian Navy from American defence major Lockheed Martin at a cost of $2.6 billion. Both sides have also been pushing for joint venture and collaboration between private sectors of the two countries in defence manufacturing.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said he is "saving the big deal" with India for later and he "does not know" if it will be done before the presidential election in November, clearly indicating that a major bilateral trade deal during his visit to Delhi next week might not be on the cards.

"We can have a trade deal with India. But I'm really saving the big deal for later," he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews Tuesday (local time).

According to news agency PTI, defence and security ties between India and the US have been on an upswing in the last six years. The bilateral defence trade touched the $18 billion mark in 2019, reflecting growing defence cooperation between the two sides.

Officials said that the two sides may finalise the deal during President Donald Trump's visit to India.

President Trump will pay a state visit to India on February 24 and 25, he is accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump. This is the president's first bilateral visit in the third decade of 21st century and also the first after his acquittal by the Senate in the impeachment trial.

(With agency inputs)
CHICAGO - Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar are getting help for their presidential bids from separate super PACs, whether they like it or not.

Persist PAC started running ads Wednesday in Nevada to support Warren. The Massachusetts senator has made lessening the influence of unlimited spending a centerpiece of her campaign. Kitchen Table Conversations PAC is running ads in Nevada and South Carolina to help Klobuchar. The Minnesota senator has rejected contributions from corporate political action committees.

Its the type of spending that Democrats lined up against at the start of the campaign. But as outside groups backed other candidates and billionaire Mike Bloomberg joined the race, making multimillion-dollar ad buys across the United States, the groups and supporters such as Emilys List said they needed to jump in and help boost the campaigns of the top two women still in the race.

Sen. Warren is the best candidate to take on Donald Trump and win, and were going to ensure primary voters and caucus-goers hear her message, said Joshua Karp, a spokesman for Persist PAC. He said the ad buy is over $1 million.

The ad portrays Warren as a fighter who took on Wall Street, and includes images of President Barack Obama, who chose her to set up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The Warren campaign said her position hasnt changed, adding that she has made clear that she thinks all of the candidates should lock arms together and say we dont want super PACs and billionaires to be deciding our Democratic nominee.

Warren is third in the delegate count for the Democratic nomination, after finishing third in Iowa and fourth in New Hampshire. She has said the race remains wide open and has begun campaigning in states that will vote in the Super Tuesday contests on March 3.

Kitchen Table Conversations PAC, the group supporting Klobuchar, is led by two Minnesota-based strategists. The group says its launching six-figure buys to run TV and digital ads in Nevada and South Carolina. More ads are expected, the group said in a news release.

The first ad tells the story of how Klobuchar was kicked out of the hospital shortly after her daughter was born with a health issue, then fought to change state law to allow women and their babies to have longer hospital stays. Klobuchar has said that experience launched her career in politics.

Klobuchar had a surprising third-place finish in New Hampshire after coming in fifth in Iowa. She is hoping the momentum will help her when Nevada holds its caucuses Saturday and in the Feb. 29 primary in South Carolina.

Emilys List, which supports women in politics, said its giving $250,000 each to the pro-Klobuchar and Warren PACs.

Vice-President Christina Reynolds said the group has been impressed by the campaigns the women are running and wants to help amplify their messages. Reynolds and others have said in recent weeks they believe gender bias has made it more difficult for the campaigns to break through. She said Wednesday the group decided it was time to provide assistance, working under the rules and laws currently in place rather than those Democrats may wish to see.

While we respect their views and agree on the need for campaign finance reform, we believe this election is too important and we want to do what we can within the bounds of existing law to support them, Reynolds said.

A super PAC may raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, including from corporations and unions, to campaign independently for candidates for federal office.

___

Associated Press reporter Brian Slodysko in Washington contributed to this report.
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John Rood, the Pentagon's top policy official, will resign from his post on Feb. 28, CNN first reported and President Trump confirmed.

The state of play: CNN said Rood "was perceived as not embracing some of the changes in policy the White House and senior Pentagon officials wanted," such as peace talks in Afghanistan with the Taliban and a decision to cut back on military exercises with South Korea as the president courted North Korea's Kim Jong-un.

He certified to Congress last year that corruption reforms in Ukraine allowed the delivery of $250 million of security assistance that ultimately formed the basis of Trump's impeachment.

Rood emailed Defense Secretary Mark Esper in the hours after Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to state that "placing a hold on security assistance at this time would jeopardize this unique window of opportunity and undermine our defense priorities with a key partner in the strategic competition with Russia," reports CNN.

What they're saying: "I would like to thank John Rood for his service to our Country, and wish him well in his future endeavors!" President Trump tweeted Wednesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 02:19:16|Editor: mingmei

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TEHRAN, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday called for a high turnout in the upcoming parliamentary elections to disappoint the United States.

"Elections neutralize many of the evil intentions that the Americans and the Zionists (Israelis) have in mind against Iran," Khamenei said.

"These elections are the response to the chicanery and deception of Iran's enemies," he said, according to Press TV.

Iranian people will go to the ballot boxes on Friday to vote for lawmakers for the 290-seat parliament.

Nearly 58 million Iranians are eligible to vote in the 11th round of parliamentary elections.
Baylor denies accusation that chapel speaker prayed to mother mystery at service

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Baylor University has denied accusations by a conservative student group that a recent chapel service included a prayer to Mother Nature or mother mystery.

On Feb. 12, Native American author and poet Kaitlin Curtice spoke at a scheduled chapel service at the Waco, Texas-based Christian school. During her opening and closing prayers, she did not name God or Jesus, but used the word "mystery."

Following the chapel service, the Baylor chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas expressed multiple concerns with Curtice's remarks in her 40-minute lecture. A video of Curtice's talk and prayers can be seen here and at the bottom of this article.

Very disappointed that the Chapel staff has elected to ignore our conversation last year and chose to bring in another speaker, Kaitlin Curtice, whose message ignored the gospel and instead focused on woke politics, tweeted Baylor YCT last week.

As Christians, we dont pray to Mother Mystery. We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages ...

In another tweet last week, the student group went on to label Curtice as the most recklessly anti-Christian speaker yet to speak at a Baylor chapel service.

However, Baylor Assistant Vice President of media and public relations, Lori Fogelman, told news station KWTX that no such prayer happened.

Fogelman told KWTX that, after reviewing videos of three chapel sessions, they could not find an instance in which Curtice gave a prayer to Mother Mystery or "Mother Earth."

However, in a video of her remarks posted by Baylor Chapel on Vimeo, Curtice can be heard giving an opening and closing prayer, each addressed to "o mystery," and she describes the Creator as " ... the one who is not here or there, not this or that ..."

She also spoke at one point of trying more to listen to "mother earth as she speaks" as she reconnect to the Native American side of her family.

In a response to the allegations, Curtice also denied using the term mother mystery and defended her overall remarks at the service.

I mean, I spoke on decolonizing our spirituality by breaking down systems of white supremacy. Who doesnt love that? Now I know who doesnt love that, she replied on Twitter. Also Ive never used mother mystery in a talk but definitely going to now.

In response to the denials, the student group stands by their initial claim, telling Relevant magazine in comments published Tuesday that they had multiple sources.

We have had several people confirm to us that they also heard her say that, and the College Dems Presidents statement also matched up with that, Baylor YCT, told Relevant. If she did not say that, we would apologize for specifically highlighting that, but it was only one of many problems."
People wear mask as they walk on the Charles bridge in Prague, Czech Republic on Jan. 27, 2020. (Michal Cizek/AFP via Getty Images)

China Threatened to Harm Czech Companies Over Taiwan Visit: Letter

Beijing threatened to retaliate against Czech companies with operations in China if a senior Czech lawmaker went ahead with a planned visit to Taiwan, according to a diplomatic letter seen by Reuters.

The Jan. 10 letter, which was sent by Chinas embassy in Prague to the Czech presidents office, suggested that Czech companies operating in mainland China, such as Volkswagen subsidiary Skoda Auto or lender Home Credit Group, would suffer if Senate speaker Jaroslav Kubera visited the self-ruled island.

Kubera died unexpectedly on Jan. 20, before his trip had been due to take place, but the letter, written in Czech, reveals how explicit Beijing was about the possible consequences if the visit had gone ahead.

Czech companies whose representatives visit Taiwan with Chairman Kubera will not be welcome in China or with the Chinese people, the letter said.

Czech companies who have economic interests in China will have to pay for the visit to Taiwan by Chairman Kubera, the letter added, noting, China is the largest foreign market for many Czech companies like Skoda Auto, Home Credit Group, Klaviry Petrof and others.

The Czech presidents spokesman confirmed the letter had been received but did not comment on its content.

Asked about the letter, Chinas foreign ministry said it did not know where the information had come from.

I want to emphasize that China resolutely opposes a country that has established diplomatic relations with China having official exchanges with Taiwan authorities in any form. This stance has been consistent and clear, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a fax.

The Foreign Ministry in Taiwan criticized Chinas warning to Prague.

Chinas business pressure on the Czech Republic proves that One Belt, One Road is a predatory policy tool, bringing only counter-effects to the global business order, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said.

While Taiwan is a self-ruled island with its own constitution and military, the Chinese regime considers it a renegade province that must be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. Relations between China and Taiwan deteriorated since the islands President Tsai Ing-wen, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, swept to power in 2016. Since then, China has ramped up diplomatic, economic and military pressure on the island.

Serious Breach

As speaker of the Czech Republics Senate, Kubera was the countrys second-most senior official after President Milos Zeman.

Zeman and Prime Minister Andrej Babis had expressed concern that Kuberas plans to visit Taiwan would lead China to retaliate against the Central European countrys business community.

The Senates office said Kubera had been aware of the letter and its content after receiving a copy at a regular meeting of top Czech foreign policy officials.

The Chinese letter warns that Kuberas trip would be seen as a serious breach of the so-called one-China policy on Taiwan, under which Beijing insists it is the sole representative of China.

Babiss government, which has the main say on foreign policy, has repeatedly said it adheres to the one-China policy.

However, diplomatic ties cooled last year when city authorities in Prague showed support for Tibet and demanded changes to an intercity partnership agreement with Beijing over a reference to Chinas policy on Taiwan.

The agreement was eventually canceled, and Prague instead signed a cooperation deal with Taiwans Taipei, further infuriating Beijing.

Another dent in bilateral relations came in December 2018 when the Czech cyber-security watchdog warned about the risks of using network technology provided by Chinese telecoms equipment makers Huawei and ZTE.

A Home Credit spokesman said he had not been aware of the letter, while Skoda could not be reached immediately for comment.

Czech senators elected a replacement for Kubera as speaker on Wednesday.

By Raphael Satter and Nick Carey. The Epoch Times contributed to this report.
Absconder mafiosi Chhota Shakeel on Wednesday rubbished contentions by former Mumbai top cop Rakesh Maria that fugitive mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar had allegedly been given a contract to kill the arrested terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab.

In a brief telephonic chat with a TV channel, Chhota Shakeel said, "all these are absolute lies" - referring to an extract from Maria's book, "Let Me Say It Now", as reported by IANS on Tuesday (February 18).

Maria has revealed that Dawood, who is a wanted accused in the March 1993 Mumbai serial attacks - had been assigned the task of killing Kasab by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Pakistan's Inter-Services-Intelligence (ISI), ostensibly to erase the only living evidence of their heinous (terror) act.

Interestingly, both these cases; the Mumbai serial blasts and Mumbai terror strikes 15 years later - were personally investigated by Maria.

"All this is a publicity stunt. Its being done to promote his (Maria's) book only. There's not an iota of truth in it," Chhota Shakeel said flatly, reacting to the charges in the sensational book released on Monday.

On persistence, the Mafiosi, considered a right-hand man of Dawood, said, "that's not our business" - implying taking a contract to eliminate a terrorist.

Maria further said that the 26/11, 2008 Mumbai terror attack was actually planned for September 27, 2008, which was the 27th day of Ramadan month of fasting, but for reasons not specified, were postponed by two months.

Besides, he said that the terror group LeT wanted the arrested terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab to have a Hindu identity for the Mumbai terror strikes.

According to Maria, the LeT wanted Kasab to be killed as a Bengaluru resident 'Samir Dinesh Chaudhari', with a red thread tied around his wrist to portray the attack as a case of 'Hindu Terror'.

But their plan apparently didn't work and the police succeeded in nabbing Ajmal Amir Kasab hailing from Faridkot in Pakistan, he said.

Accordingly, Maria said it became his "first priority" to ensure Kasab's safety, particularly in view of perceptible anger and hostility among the Mumbai Police personnel besides the external threats.

The Mumbai cops' angst stemmed from the fact that around 16 Mumbai Police personnel, besides at least two NSG commandos were killed in the 60-hour terror operation at 11 locations in barely a five-square km area of south Mumbai, plus the 150 civilian casualties including around 26 foreigners.

Kasab, 25, underwent a full trial in Indian courts and was finally hanged secretly in Pune's Yerawada Central Jail on November 21, 2012 and buried at an unknown location.
A year ago this month, an investigation by The Houston Chronicle and The San Antonio Express-News found that about 400 Southern Baptist leaders had been accused of sexual misconduct or crimes against more than 700 victims since 1998. Offenders included pastors, youth pastors and volunteers.

After that report, the denominations president, J.D. Greear, called for 10 churches to be reviewed for how they handled abuse allegations. Top leaders cleared seven of the churches within days.

Asked whether or not it is a requirement that churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention not employ sex offenders, Mr. Wilke said the denomination does not have the ability to enforce employment standards for its member churches because it does not hire or fire pastors.

National church leaders first received a request to examine the Ranchland Heights case last June, said Stacy Bramlett, who leads the committee responsible for reviewing churches. The church cooperated with the review process, she said, but she declined to share specifics about the interactions.

The review committee has also decided to not disclose the total number of complaints or requests for review of churches that it has received, Ms. Bramlett said, citing victims privacy.

Ranchland Heights can appeal the decision to the full Southern Baptist Convention when the group meets this summer in Orlando.

Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention have also not publicly addressed an allegation at one of the denominations most prominent megachurches, the Village Church in Texas. A woman who said she was sexually abused as a child by a pastor there sued the church last summer, accusing it of gross negligence and seeking more than $1 million in damages.
By Laila Kearney

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices gained more than 2% on Wednesday as worries eased about demand declining due to the spread of coronavirus cases in China, while supplies tightened as the United States moved to cut off more Venezuelan crude from the market.

Brent crude <LCOc1> settled at $59.12 a barrel, rising $1.37, or 2.4%. U.S. oil <CLc1> settled at $53.29, gaining $1.24, or 2.4%.

Official data showed new coronavirus cases in China fell for a second day, although the World Health Organization said there was not enough data to know if the epidemic was being contained.

Wall Street reached new highs on optimism China would stimulate its economy and counteract the impact of the outbreak.[.N]

"It seems like the oil market is trying to catch up with the stock market and put the coronavirus in the rear-view mirror or discount it mightily," said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital in New York.

China is expected to cut its benchmark lending rate on Thursday to limit damage from business shutdowns and travel curbs. The world's second-largest economy has imposed city lockdowns and travel restrictions to contain the virus that has now killed more than 2,000 people.

S&P Global Ratings said it expected the virus would deliver a "short-term blow" to economic growth in China in the first quarter, echoing findings by the International Energy Agency.

The oil market price structure is also showing signs that prompt demand for oil is picking up, as the front-month Brent futures market is moving deeper into backwardation <LCOc1-LCoc7>, when near-term prices are higher than later-dated prices.

(Graphic: Brent backwardation link: https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/7/8597/8578/Brent%20back%20in%20backwardation.jpg)

This week, oil prices were buoyed by a U.S. decision to blacklist a trading subsidiary of Russia's Rosneft <ROSN.MM>, which President Donald Trump's administration said provided a financial lifeline to Venezuela's government.

Story continues

The deterioration of supply out of Libya due to a blockade of ports and oilfields also tightened the crude market and propped up prices.

Hopes that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied producers would deepen supply cuts also supported oil futures.

The grouping, known as OPEC+, has been withholding supply to support prices and meets next month to decide a response to the downturn in demand resulting from the coronavirus epidemic.

But in the United States, which is not party to any supply cut agreements, oil production has been rising. U.S. shale production is expected to rise to a record 9.2 million barrels a day next month, the Energy Information Administration said.

(Graphic: U.S. rig count, crude production png link: https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/US-OIL-RIGS/0H001PBQ55VR/eikon.png)

(Additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla in LONDON and Aaron Sheldrick in TOKYO; Editing by Mark Potter, Edmund Blair and Nick Macfie)
A recent poll published in a newspaper in England showed that the majority of people in Northern Ireland would vote to stay with the United Kingdom if a referendum were held tomorrow. According to reports, the poll was conducted by Liverpool University and Britains Economic and Social Research Council and it showed that Irish unity was supported by just 29% of voters, while the majority of 52% voted to stay with the United Kingdom. As per reports, the poll took the opinion of 2,000 people.

Read: Northern Ireland's First Gay Marriage On Feb 11 After Government Lifted Ban

Out of the 2,000 people who took part in the poll, 19% of them said they did not know how they would vote, which means that the figures excluding them would show 65% in favour of staying in the United Kingdom. As per reports, the recent survey showed a 2% increase in the people who voted for Irish unity since the last poll that was conducted in 2017. If the trend continues and the number of supporters for pro-Irish unification increases at the same rate, it would take 20 years to gain a full majority for the united Ireland movement.

Read: British PM's Plan To Build Scotland-Northern Ireland Bridge Criticised By Netizens

Northern Ireland-United Kingdom conflict

Ireland suffered from decades of violence between Catholic nationalists, who were seeking to leave the United Kingdom to merge with Ireland and Protestant unionists, who wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom. The violence ended with a deal between Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom in 1998 that is also known as the Good Friday peace agreement which states that the British government can call for a referendum if a 'yes' majority looks likely.

Read: As Brexit Saga Enters New Phase, What's Next For Northern Ireland?

The recent poll came days after the United Kingdom officially left the European Union to enter the one-year transition period with the bloc. The Brexit vote had left the people divided as two out of the four nations that form the United Kingdom voted against leaving the European Union and Northern Ireland was among the nations that voted against it.

Read: Northern Ireland Awaits Momentous Abortion, Same-sex Marriage Decision

(With inputs from agencies)
Kendra Horn (D-Okla.), chair of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, speaks during a hearing at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, on July 10, 2019.

When planning for human moon landing missions in the 2020s, NASA needs detailed budgetary estimates to get a better chance of securing congressional support, Rep. Kendra Horn, chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, said in an exclusive interview with Space.com.

The subcommittee recently marked up NASA's fiscal year 2021 bill, which is supposed to ramp up funding in preparation for a mission to land astronauts on the moon in 2024 as a part of the agency's Artemis program. The White House's budget request includes a 12% increase in NASA's total budget, putting its cap at around $25.2 billion. The biggest line item on the wish list is $3.37 billion for the crewed lunar landing system, according to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine's State of NASA speech last week..

The subcommittee introduced several large changes in its version of the bill, including pushing back the moon landing deadline to 2028 (giving NASA the option to go earlier if it has the appropriate resources) and asking for NASA to take more control of the moon lander's design. NASA has expressed worries that the commercial partners would not be involved enough, but Horn said the subcommittee made that decision after hearing testimony from Apollo 10 astronaut Tom Stafford in November 2019.

Related: Trump calls for $25 billion NASA budget for 2021 to boost moon and Mars goals

In his testimony, Stafford spoke of the success of the first Apollo moon landing in 1969 (that of Apollo 11); the moon landings continued through Apollo 17 in 1972, with some design changes made after a serious explosion in space during Apollo 13 in 1970. His written statement did not mention Apollo 1, whose crew died in a launchpad fire in 1967 in part due to faulty communication between the agency and its contractors, prompting changes in communication. But Stafford did say close relationships with contractors were key to NASA's ability to put humans on the moon in the 1960s and 1970s.

"He said the thing that allowed NASA to be successful in the Apollo program was that you had NASA right there in the center," Horn told Space.com. "You had the engineers, the administrator, the technical experts [and] the astronauts, working side by side with contractors."

The new moon landing effort also will require more details on how money will be spent in budgetary line items, Horn said, considering the troubled history of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Two Commercial Crew companies  SpaceX and Boeing  were selected in 2014 to provide spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station; at the time, NASA said the companies were expected to have at least one commercial vehicle ready by 2017.

It's now three years past that deadline, and neither vehicle has launched humans to space, although both companies are in the final testing stages and flew uncrewed orbital flights in 2019. SpaceX's Crew Dragon safely reached the International Space Station during an uncrewed test flight in March 2019, and the company is getting ready to launch its first astronauts in May. However, multiple software errors prevented Boeing's CST-100 Starliner from accomplishing the same feat in December.

NASA "has been chronically underfunded; that's one of the reasons things have taken a long time," Horn said. She also pointed to other factors, such as overly optimistic cost assessments (including criticism of the NASA Office of Inspector General in 2019) and "challenges unseen," referring to developmental issues the companies encountered.

"We know things are going to change," Horn said of NASA's Artemis plans, because many of the big pieces are still being developed  for example, the Space Launch System rocket and lunar spacesuits, both of which haven't been tested in space.

The subcommittee asks NASA for feedback and plans, and those details help the subcommittee present the budget to Congress to "ensure that NASA can get the funding it needs," Horn said.

In October 2019, Bridenstine told the House Appropriations Committee that NASA doesn't have the line items ready yet. Several members of that subcommittee repeatedly asked Bridenstine for detailed cost estimates, saying they can approve more money only if they know what that funding would be used for.

Bridenstine said the 2024 moon landing deadline is good for NASA because proceeding with the plans safely while political support is in place will give the agency a better chance of success than pushing out the deadline would. That's because long lead times killed similar moon landing efforts under the Bush administrations in the 1990s and early 2000s.

But moving past 2024 would mean the moon landing happens after the Trump administration leaves the White House, regardless of whether the president is reelected. And it's still unknown which political party will control the White House, and thus NASA's efforts, at that time. When asked if the moon effort could persist under a new administration or a different political party, Horn said the bill's bipartisan support in her subcommittee gives it a better chance of continuing.

"This is a story that isn't told nearly enough, which is that this was a true bipartisan effort," Horn said of her subcommittee's work. "We worked together  in a way that was intentional, and we took our time. We did that, and we wanted to get that right."

The subcommittee's goal, she said, is to provide a bill with "certainty and longevity," and she noted that it's up to NASA to do the same. NASA's plans changed rapidly during the budget negotiations for fiscal year 2020, she added. In a span of just three weeks in 2019, she said, the Trump administration requested a 2024 landing effort, even while the NASA budget was in the process of being approved.

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.


Al-Shabaab Islamists on Wednesday carried out attacks on two Somali military bases, using a suicide vehicle bombing and dozens of heavily armed militants, a military official said.

African Union troops stepped in to help repel the second, larger attack, after a suicide bomber drove a vehicle packed with explosives onto a bridge leading to the Qoryoley army base some 95 kilometres west of Mogadishu and detonated it.

Earlier they had attacked the Ceel-salini military base some 30 kilometres away.

"The terrorists carried out an ... attack on the military bases at Qoryoley and Ceel-salini but our brave boys repelled them, they (Shabaab) have suffered heavy casualties this morning and the army is in full control in the both areas now," said Mohamed Adan, a Somali military commander in a nearby town.

"They have destroyed part of the bridge across the entrance to Qoryoley where the Somali military base is located using a vehicle loaded with explosives." He said the AU peacekeeping force AMISOM had helped fight the Al-Qaeda linked militants.

It was not yet known how many casualties there were.

Witnesses said dozens of heavily armed Shabaab militants entered Qoryoley town and addressed a gathering of residents before retreating.

"The Shabaab fighters entered the town and one of their commanders spoke with a gathering before they made their way out of the town, the situation is quiet now and the Somali forces backed by AMISOM soldiers are patrolling the streets," Ali Moalim, a resident in Qoryoley said by phone.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying they had "captured a sizeable amount of military supplies".

The group has fought for over a decade to topple the internationally-backed Somali government, and carries out regular attacks against civilian and government targets, despite losing much of the territory they once controlled.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After 17 years of service, the American C-17 transport has spent over two million hours in the air. This equals over two billion kilometers travelled. There are 226 American and foreign C-17s in service. The C-17 fleet passed a million hours only five years ago, when there were 152 in service. Despite the heavy use, the C-17 has been very reliable, with a current readiness rate of 85 percent. The 290 ton C-17 can carry up to 100 tons (including one M-1 tank) anywhere in the world because of in-air refueling. The C-17, costs about $250 million each. Britain is the largest foreign user of the C-17. Australia and Canada each got four. The U.S. Air Force operates 173.

But in the meantime, C-17s are being worked to death. The problem is that the C-17 is more in demand during the war on terror than are air force combat aircraft. Only the two dozen AC-130 gunships, and a hundred or so A-10 ground attack aircraft and F-16 fighter-bombers are getting steady work these days. But their workload is nothing compared to the C-17s, which are in constant demand to deliver personnel and material to American troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other places where the war on terror is being fought.

The C-17 entered service fifteen years ago, and those first few aircraft quickly compiled 3,000 flight hours supporting peacekeeping operations in Bosnia. Each C-17 has a useful life of 30,000 flight hours, but the current force is flying such long, and hard (landing on rough fields) flights that many of the early model C-17s are already wearing out. This attrition is accelerated by the fact that the early model C-17s are structurally different, and weaker, than the later model C-17s. The wing box in the center of the fuselage was insufficiently strong for the loads placed on it. This was corrected later in the production run, but those early planes are wearing out faster than later model planes of the same flight hours. The air force has flown a lot of C-17s into northern Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and a bunch of other stans with rough/short strips in 2001 and 2003. The C-17 was built for this sort of thing, but lots of these landing come at the price of shorter useful life.

It's always been an uphill fight getting new air transports built. There were so many delays in the C-17 program that, when the 1991 Gulf War came along, the C-17 was not available and the C-141 transports, that was supposed to keep flying until 2010, were basically worn out and had to be retired early. Now the C-17s are doing more work, to make up for the missing C-141s. Originally, there were to be 120 C-17s (at $135 million each), with production ending in 2004. After September 11, 2001, it was realized that more air transports would be needed, and the production run of the C-17 was increased to 180. But logistics planners insist that 300 will be needed, if wartime needs are to be met. Moreover, the rapid deterioration of the early model C-17s means that eventually 350, or more, will have to be built to maintain a fleet of 300 transports.

The major problem is that the air force is run by combat pilots. Although they recognize the importance of the C-17, they tend to focus on getting warplanes built. Additional C-17 construction comes at the expense of building new combat aircraft, and that's a hard sell inside the air force. Usually, it's lobbying by the army, and other branches of the government, that compels Congress to strong arm the air force generals to build the needed C-17s. It's an ugly, messy and time consuming way to get aircraft built, but it works.
Credit: De lzf/Shutterstock

The use of wearable technologies, mobile health applications and online health platforms is on the rise, allowing us to track and share our health data, and engage in online discussion forums to ask about health-related questions. The wealth of data in theory allows us to manage our health more effectively and be better equipped when we visit the doctor. Such tools can also act as a new source of knowledge legitimacy, integrating "layman" input and enabling patient access to and control of information. While patient access to secrecy of the healthcare system and its proprietary power on patient data, is increasing and demonstrating the potential to have healing powers for patients despite privacy and security concerns.

According to the Pew Research Center, more and more people are seeking health-related information online. In the United States, 93 million people do so every day, and among them, 55% seek information related to their medical condition prior to visiting the doctor. Digital platforms such as PatientsLikeMe, MedHelp and MyHealthTeams offer the potential to change the power dynamics that have long characterized the healthcare sector, bringing the focus back on the patient. Indeed, traditional medical research with its scientific rigor is shifting from control by researchers to the one that crowdsources patient needs.

One of the online health platforms, PatientsLikeMe (PLM), brings together a community of diverse stakeholderspatients, doctors, caregivers, researchers, pharmaceutical companies, and the governmentfor collaboration for big data generation and medical research. The platform currently engages more than 600,000 members worldwide. Patients on PLM have generated 43 million data points to date. Patients with life-changing diseases or conditions, including multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and ALS, openly share their data such as the medications they use and their side effects, lifestyle modifications, and diagnostic and prognostic disease information.

The company then pools and aggregates this patient-generated data for research, and analyses and visualises it with algorithmic tools. The data are sold to institutions and partner companies for medical research. Based on any new treatments developed, patients have the opportunity to modify their behaviours and better manage their health. Patients also share their data with their physicians, creating new forms of interaction between patients and doctors in clinical settings, and increasing patient access to clinical trials. On its website, PLM asserts that it seeks to use artificial intelligence and other tools to "democratize learning" about health and medicine.

Indeed, AI health-care applications are being used for diagnostic and treatment purposes, designing new drugs and treatments, as well as supporting patients in their health decision making.

The risks of data illiteracy

Despite the promise of these platforms, increased stakeholder inclusiveness is essential for greater transparency in how our health data is shared with and used by others. As empowering and utopian as these technologies and platforms seem, one cannot help but think about the expert versus layman divide. In other words, how expert are patients to provide input on their health data as well as interpret data provided to them? In a 2008 article in the Journal of Macromarketing, I drew attention to the issue of new media literacy and its empowering potentialand also the need for expertise to be able to use and benefit from these technologies.

In the case of today's online health-tracking platforms, patients who are not sufficiently literate to use the tools and describe their symptoms will not be able to reap the benefits. In addition, when we talk about data literacy, we do not only need cognitive and technical skills but also the ability to act on this data to manage our health. Hence, social challenge of big data algorithms emerges, as human judgment is required to make sense of it and act on it (Gillespie, 2017; Kitchin, 2014). Such actions may also impact others' healthfor example, a person could strive to track the mood swings of a friend, partner or family member, reminding her or him to, say, take medication. Although these self-tracking tools have significant potential, their use shifts responsibility to individuals, not only for their own health but also for others.

In addition, when corporations design tracking tools, they may not be able to capture all the aspects of patient experience, normost importantlyunderstand the language of the patient in describing his/her experiences (Tempini, 2015). Consequently, patient and corporate illiteracy become the main contributors to the digital divide that hinders the capability to report, analyze and make sense of data, and manage our and others' health accordingly.

Knowing too much

But what happens when patients are too literate as they track and report their data? Indeed, the risk for data manipulation exists, to have the right profile to make specific demands that cater to their own interests, which may then yield results that lead to unsuccessful treatments. This is alarming as platforms such as PLM engage in patient-generated medical research in partnership with pharmaceutical and research institutions.

Being too literate to manipulate data or not literate enough to provide the necessary data may obstruct the medical knowledge generation process. Patients with scientific skills could manipulate data that poses privacy and security challenges such as job security, and insurance and criminal concerns. Furthermore, such risk is carried to patient-physician knowledge exchanges in clinical settings, as patients share their self-tracked data with their physicians. Although online health platforms create predictive data modeling that allows tracking of each reported change in drug use and symptoms, accuracy of such data models remains a concern.

As we are mesmerized by talk of openness, transparency, personalization, and empowerment, we often overlook the detrimental effects of such discourses on control and information asymmetry. Online health platforms as new data intermediaries control the flow and manipulation of data (Gillespie, 2017; Zuboff, 2019), serving as gatekeepers of big data generation and distribution. Zuboff (2015, 2019) adamantly expresses the dangers of big data in the age of surveillance capitalism and how it constitutes the "big other" via indecipherable mechanisms of extraction, commodification, and control that exile people from their own behaviors and create seemingly non-democratic new markets.

Critical questions remain concerning the (mis)use of self-tracking tools as well as ethical and privacy issues. These include how the patient-generated data are being stored and used by third parties, who owns and controls the data, and to what extent patients should have a voice in the use, reuse and sale of their data.

Explore further Health sector needs guidelines for big data usage

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Styles appeared none the worse for wear as he posed for photographers on the red carpet at the Brits, although he may have had a different reason for a sober demeanor, as well as the black ribbon he wore, apparently as a symbol of mourning. British TV personality Caroline Flack, whom Styles dated in 2011, was found dead Saturday of an apparent suicide, and its believed Styles was wearing the ribbon in her memory.
London: Former Victorian premier John Brumby has warned the outpouring of donations for the bushfire appeals has made it a "tough environment" for charities like the Fred Hollows Foundation trying to combat "killer rates" of avoidable blindness around the world.

By late January, up to $500 million had been donated to charities following Australia's so-called Black Summer, including more than $50 million to an online fundraiser run by comedian Celeste Barber and a $70 million donation from mining magnate and philanthropist Andrew Forrest and his wife, Nicola.

Mr Brumby, who chairs the Fred Hollows Foundation, a not-for-profit devoted to curing and preventing vision impairment, said the government may need to start reversing cuts to the foreign aid budget to meet any shortfall. Lowy Institute figures show a gradual decline in the Australian foreign aid budget from almost 0.5 per cent of gross national income in the mid '70s, to close to 0.2 per cent in the 2018-19 financial year.

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in London, Mr Brumby echoed calls made by his former staffer and the former prime minister Julia Gillard, that Australia should follow the lead of the UK in agreeing on a political truce when it came to the aid budget.

"It's a tough environment at the moment," he said.
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A rare white bear - known as a spirit bear - has been captured in stunning photos while fishing in a river in British Columbia, Canada.

Steven Rose, 63, discovered the gorgeous animal while visiting the Great Bear Rain Forest in October as it caught hold of a fish.

Rose, a photography guide, said: 'The bears can be seen cleverly digging up the eggs laid by the salmon by clawing away the sand on the riverbed to expose the eggs, then gulping them up.

'I have clients who have gone on trips in previous years and not seen one during the whole week they were there. I am a lucky guy to have been able to witness this.'

The rare white bear - known as a spirit bear - has been captured in stunning photos while fishing in a shallow river in British Columbia, Canada (pictured: the bear shakes excess water from its fur as it brings its head up from the river)

Steven Rose, 63, discovered the gorgeous animal while visiting the Great Bear Rain Forest in October as it caught hold of a fish. Rose, a photography guide, said: 'The bears can be seen cleverly digging up the eggs laid by the salmon by clawing away the sand on the riverbed to expose the eggs, then gulping them up.' (pictured: the bear holds a fish in its mouth)

Rose said: 'I have clients who have gone on trips in previous years and not seen one during the whole week they were there. I am a lucky guy to have been able to witness this.' (pictured: the animal with its head down in the water peering for fish)

The white bear makes it way down towards the river from the deep woodland of the Great Bear Rain Forest in British Columbia. The spirit bear, also known as a Kermode bear, is a subspecies of the American black bear found in British Columbia. Most Kermode bears are black and there are estimated to be fewer than 400 white variants in existence.

The best chance of finding one if on the islands of Gribbell, Princess Royal, and Roderick, where one in ten bears are white. The animal is of deep significance to the indigenous Tsimshian peoples who call them moksgmol, meaning 'white bear.' They are not albinos, instead their color is caused by a rare variation in a gene responsible for melanin production.

The spirit bear, also known as a Kermode bear, is a subspecies of the American black bear found in British Columbia. Most Kermode bears are black and there are estimated to be fewer than 400 white variants in existence.

The best chance of finding one if on the islands of Gribbell, Princess Royal, and Roderick, where one in ten bears are white.

The animal is of deep significance to the indigenous Tsimshian peoples who call them moksgmol, meaning 'white bear.' They are not albinos, instead their color is caused by a rare variation in a gene responsible for melanin production.

Several indigenous narratives exist for the bear, one describes how the Raven - the creator of the universe in Tsimshian mythology - made the animal as a reminder of the last ice age which blanketed the environment in ice and snow.

Since the middle of the last century hunting the bears has been outlawed, before this their furs were of high value.

Several indigenous narratives exist for the bear, one describes how the Raven - the creator of the universe in Tsimshian mythology - made the animal as a reminder of the last ice age which blanketed the environment in ice and snow.

Since the middle of the last century hunting the bears has been outlawed, before this their furs were of high value. (pictured: the bear holds a fish between its paws on a rock with blood smeared on its white fur after eating its prey)

The spirit bear peers into the river as it hunts for fish in the Canadian forest, part of the wider Pacific temperate rain forest, the largest temperate rain forest in the world

The bear wading through the river as it hunts for prey in the shallow waters. The Great Bear Rain Forest was recognized by the BC government in 2016 when they enshrined protecting 85% of the land into law. This means that it is protected from logging

The amazing animal shakes water from its white fur as it comes up for air during its fishing expedition. The bears are omnivorous, surviving on plants and berries for the majority of the year before the salmon hunts in the Fall

It has been observed by scientists that white bears are up to 35 percent more successful in hunting fish than black bears, they have also found that salmon are more likely to evade black models set up in the water as mock bears, while black models are less likely to scare the fish

Kermode bears are not endangered but because of their rarity, conservationists have gone to great lengths to protect the animal's habitat and guard them against trophy hunting

The white bear creates a splash as its hunts for prey in the vast Canadian temperate rain forest. One way in which conservationists are trying to protect the bears is through lucrative ecotourism

The bear peers into the water as it looks for a fish. The Spirit Bear Lodge, which facilitates bear sightseeing for visitors around the world, has boosted the local economy so that conservationists can protect the bears

In October 2012, it was revealed a spirit bear was to be taken into captivity and kept at the British Columbia Wildlife Park in Kamloops. The young cub had been found abandoned on the side of Terrace Mountain
Mike Bloomberg will join Democratic presidential candidates on the debate stage Wednesday, Feb. 19 in Las Vegas, Nevada, a few days before the states primary election.

The third Democratic debate of 2020 is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. on NBC and MSNBC. It will be held at the Paris Theater in Las Vegas and is also hosted by The Nevada Independent.

Keep up to date on the key moments of the debate by following MLives live coverage here.

How to watch the next Democratic debate

The two-hour debate will air live on NBC and MSNBC at 9 p.m.

The debate will stream live on NBC News NOW, NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, the NBC News mobile app, NBC News and MSNBCs Facebook pages and online at The Nevada Independent.

The event will also be broadcast live in Spanish on Universo, the Telemundo mobile app and website and Telemundos Facebook page.

What is the Democratic debate lineup?

Six candidates have qualified, including:

Former Vice President Joe Biden

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Ind.

Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City

Candidates had to win at least one delegate in the Iowa or New Hampshire contests, or receive 10% support in four polls, or 12% in polls from two early-voting states.

Bloomberg will take the stage for the first time since launching his presidential bid late last year. Rules requiring candidates to receive a certain number of individual donations had barred Bloomberg from past debates since his campaign is self-funded.

The Democratic National Committee removed donor qualification rules for the Feb. 19 debate, allowing Bloomberg to participate. The change sparked some criticism from Bloombergs opponents, who accused him of trying to buy his way into the election.

Billionaire activist Tom Steyer did not qualify for the Nevada debate. U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, is still running for president but hasnt qualified for a debate since November 2019.

Businessman Andrew Yang dropped out since participating in the previous debate in New Hampshire.

Who is moderating the Democratic debate?

Five journalists who will moderate the primary debate in Las Vegas, including NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC anchor Lester Holt, Meet the Press moderator and NBC News political director Chuck Todd, NBC News Chief White House Correspondent and host of MSNBC Live Hallie Jackson, Noticias Telemundo senior correspondent Vanessa Hauc and Jon Ralston of The Nevada Independent.

When is the next February debate?

The final Democratic debate in February is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 25. It will be hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, CBS and Twitter, broadcast from Charleston, South Carolina.

Read more debate coverage on MLive:

February Democratic debate 2020 recap

January Democratic debate 2020 recap

Its the economy stupid, reminds Tom Steyer at Democratic debate

Buttigieg defends Biden family at February Democratic debate

Warren calls for national law to protect abortion rights at Democratic debate
It's was a great week!

In Iowa, the party that claims to be devoted to "science" and "technology" demonstrated that it couldn't count to 10.

Trump delivered a triumphant State of the Union address, highlighting all he's done to make America great again -- and attacking previous administrations for failing to do so. It was such a bravura performance that when he was finished, Speaker Nancy Pelosi childishly tore up his speech from the podium in a shocking breach of decorum.

Hours after the president's address, he was "acquitted" in the Senate impeachment trial -- if that's the right word for a dismissal of the most absurd charges ever brought against a chief executive.

After weeks of scurrilous accusations against him being made on the Senate floor, Trump's job approval rating in Gallup polling has soared to 49%, the highest it's been since he took office. He should ask Pelosi to impeach him again.

We should cap it all off with something fun. For your gloating pleasure, let's take a stroll down memory lane.

Liberals know nothing, but always express themselves with great bravado and certainty. These are people who claim to know exactly what the temperature will be a decade from now, but have trouble with what will happen next week. Their confident predictions are as useless as bill of impeachment or an Iowa vote count.

THE ECONOMY: As you've probably heard, the economy is booming under President Trump. Unemployment has fallen to historic lows, more than 7 million jobs have been created, and the stock market keeps setting new records. ...

"In preparation for a completely unpredictable Trump presidency, I sold all stocks in my kids' education accounts today. I urge u to do same." -- Kurt Eichenwald on Twitter, Sept. 26, 2016

"[Trump's] statements reveal a deep ignorance of economics ... He promotes magical thinking and conspiracy theories over sober assessments of feasible economic policy options. ... If elected, he poses a unique danger ... to the prosperity of the country. For these reasons, we strongly recommend that you do not vote for Donald Trump." -- 790 economists, the week before the 2016 election. The esteemed signatories included a dozen Harvard professors and a slew of Nobel Prize winners, such as Angus Deaton of Princeton, Oliver Hart and Eric Maskin of Harvard, and Kenneth J. Arrow of Stanford, as well as four others evidently not interesting enough to be mentioned in articles about the letter.

"It really does now look like President Donald J. Trump, and markets are plunging. When might we expect them to recover? ... [A] first-pass answer is never. ... So we are very probably looking at a global recession, with no end in sight." -- The New York Times' Paul Krugman, Election Night 2016

THE MUSLIM BAN: On June 26, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Trump's "Muslim ban," in an opinion that simply cited the law:

"By its plain language, Section 1182(f) [of the Immigration and Nationality Act] grants the President broad discretion to suspend the entry of aliens into the United States. ... It entrusts to the President the decisions whether and when to suspend entry ... whose entry to suspend ... for how long ... and on what conditions.

"The Proclamation falls well within this comprehensive delegation. The sole prerequisite set forth in S1182(f) is that the President 'find[]' that the entry of the covered aliens 'would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.'" ...

"[Y]our Muslim ban is unconstitutional." -- The New York Times' Paul Krugman, Feb. 13, 2017

"The President of The United States' unconstitutional Muslim ban has been rightly thwarted by the courts." -- Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., Ranking Member on the House Judiciary Committee, Feb. 14, 2017

"[Sally Yates] warned the White House that their Muslim ban was illegal, it was unconstitutional. She told them she would not direct the Justice Department to defend it in court. The new president fired Sally Yates for that. But, you know what, she's been proven right." -- MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, Feb. 21, 2017

"And no wonder courts are striking it down. It's unconstitutional. You know four words, Lawrence. Sally Yates was right." -- Ron Klain, MSNBC contributor, March 15, 2017

"[Trump has] leveled personal attacks against federal judges and career prosecutors who dare to see his promised Muslim ban for what it is, unconstitutional." -- Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Senate Judiciary Committee, March 20, 2017

BRETT KAVANAUGH: On Oct. 6, 2018, Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in as the 114th Justice of the Supreme Court. ...

"I believe Kavanaugh is dead at this point. I would be shocked if he's ever a Supreme Court justice." -- MSNBC's Donny Deutsch, Sept. 17, 2018

"The Kavanaugh Supreme Court Nomination Is Dead." -- Shaun Mullen, The Moderate Voice, Sept. 17, 2018

"Stick a fork in him, he's done." -- CNN guest Wendy Murphy, Sept. 29, 2018

I guess the lesson is, self-appointed experts operating within a media that rewards liberal fantasy and invective over reality are not the best touchstones of truth.

Ann Coulter is an American conservative social and political commentator, writer, syndicated columnist and lawyer. She frequently appears on television, radio and as a speaker at public and private events.

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FILE PHOTO: Logo of Facebook is seen in Davos

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia on Monday issued an ultimatum to Facebook, telling the Silicon Valley-based tech giant it must strengthen its security measures to better protect users' personal data in the Andean country.

Facebook has until June 14 to implement useful and effective new security measures to prevent unauthorized or fraudulent use of personal data, the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce said in a statement.

Security improvements will help protect the 31 million Colombians who have Facebook accounts, the SIC said.

Similar measures against Facebook have previously been adopted by Australia, Canada, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Holland, Ireland and New Zealand.

"A company as vital to global cyber-security as Facebook... has a duty to be more than diligent in processing data," the SIC said. "The company should not hold back from improving security for all of its users, as demanded by regulators."

The social media site is not the first Silicon Valley company to face the wrath of the SIC. In December, ride-hailing company Uber was ordered to cease operations in the South American country after the SIC said it had violated competition rules.

Facebook must certify that it has made security improvements through an external audit firm, the SIC said.

A spokesman for Facebook told Reuters the company would not comment on the decision by Colombian regulators.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Additional reporting and writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Defendant in Golunov case admits guilt, testifies against superior officer

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

18:19 19/02/2020

MOSCOW, February 19 (RAPSI)  Ex-policeman Denis Konovalov, a defendant in a criminal case over abuse of power against journalist Ivan Golunov, has admitted guilt and made a statement incriminating his superior officer, lawyer Aleksey Kovrizhkin informs RAPSI on Wednesday.

According to the lawyer, Konovalov testified against ex-chief of a police department for drug control Igor Lyakhovets, whom Kovrizhkin defends, saying it was him who ordered to plant drugs on Golunovs bag and apartment. Investigators believe Lyakhovets, who does not admit guilt, is the organizer of the crime.

Earlier, all five ex-police officers investigators allege are involved in the case have been placed in detention for two months, until March 29.

Defendants are ex-Moscow narcotics control policemen Denis Konovalov, Akbar Sergaliyev, Roman Feofanov, Maxim Umetbayev and ex-chief of their department Igor Lyakhovets. They are charged with abuse of power, evidence tampering and illegal drug trafficking. All the men plead not guilty.

Investigators believe that they planted drugs on Golunov. Thus, they falsified the results of operative search activity that later became inculpatory evidence against Golunov in a drug dealing case; however, the drugs had been earlier illegally bought and kept by the police officers, according the Investigative Committee.

In late December, 2019, investigators opened the case over arrest of Golunov. The journalist was recognized as an injured party. All five defendants in the case have been dismissed from police.

Golunov was arrested in Moscow on June 6, 2019. On June 8, the Nikulinsky District Court of Moscow placed him under house arrest for 2 months. According to the Interior Ministrys official statement, police seized nearly 4 grams of methylmethedrone from Golunov.

The journalist pleaded not guilty, insisted that the drugs were planted on him during the arrest and claimed that his prosecution is related to his journalistic investigations.

According to his defense, an examination showed no drugs in his biomaterial.

On June 11, charges against Golunov were dropped because of a lack of evidence that he participated in the crime, and the journalist was released.

On June 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed two generals of police on the back of the arrest of Golunov.
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON  Voting barriers for Native Americans have always existed, but polling cutbacks, discriminatory voter ID laws and lack of funding for elections are making things worse, advocates told a House panel last Tuesday.

What was old is new again, said Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, D-Ohio, who chaired the hearing. It is not only appropriate, but necessary, to hold a few hearings and make up for lost time.

The hearing came the same day a federal appeals court agreed to temporarily let Arizona restore its ban on ballot-harvesting  when one person collects anothers ballot  a tool that advocates said can increase voter turnout among groups like Native Americans.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on January 27 had overturned Arizonas ban on ballot harvesting, one of two laws that it said reflected the states long and unhappy history of official discrimination in elections.

But the appeals court Tuesday agreed to stay its ruling while Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich files an appeal with the Supreme Court.

Our job is to defend the law and were not going to let out-of-state special interests systematically dismantle our election integrity safeguards, Brnovich said in a statement.

The stay came down after the hearing by the House Administration Committees Subcommittee on Elections  but the topic of ballot harvesting was still a hot topic for witnesses.

We were encouraged by the 9th Circuit decision finding that the ballot harvesting ban was intentionally discriminatory, said Jacqueline De Leon, a member of the Isleta Pueblo and a staff attorney with the Native American Rights Fund.

There is a lot of work still to be done in Arizona, she said.

A hearing on challenges for Native American voters came the same day that a federal appeals court said it would reinstate Arizonas ban on ballot harvesting for now. Photo by McKenzie Sadeghi/Cronkite News

Arizona is not alone. Indian Country voters face challenges to voting that include a lack of language assistance for Native speakers and difficulty complying with voter registration laws in areas where there may not be street addresses.

A majority of Navajo citizens residing on the reservation do not have traditional street addresses, Navajo Nation Attorney General Doreen McPaul said in her testimony.

She said that 70 of 110 Navajo Nation chapters do not have street names or numbered addresses, which accounts for at least 50,000 unmarked properties.

McPaul said Arizona laws limiting ballot harvesting and rejecting ballots cast out of precinct had significant hardship for Navajo voters.

From left, Arizona State Unviersity law professor Patricia Ferguson-Bohnee, Rep. Marcia Fudge, Navajo Nation Attorney General Doreen McPaul, Leonard Forsman, Elvis Norquay and Jacqueline De Leon after the hearing before the House Administration Committees Subcommittee on Elections on February 11, 2020. Photo by McKenzie Sadeghi / Cronkite News

She was challenged by Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., who said ballot harvesting is ripe for fraud. But McPaul said its not uncommon on the reservation for people to have keys to others post office boxes and collect their mail.

De Leon testified to other barriers to Native American voting that she and others identified through hearings in North Dakota, Oregon, California and Arizona. Those included geographical isolation, limited hours of government offices, technological barriers and homelessness.

Tohono Oodham Chairman Ned Norris, on Capitol Hill for another hearing Tuesday, said people do not understand the sheer isolation of some tribal villages.

We think that if there was some level of understanding and an awareness, that we might be able to provide those polling places a little more accessible to the (Tohono Oodham) nations members, that could help address this issue, Norris said.

Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, led the hearing where advocates and experts talked about the challenges Native Americans can encounter when trying to vote, including language barriers and remote locations that make access to polling places difficult. Photo by McKenzie Sadeghi / Cronkite News

Problems are not limited to the reservation. Elvis A. Norquay, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, testified about being turned away from a North Carolina polling place in 2014 for not having an ID with an address. Norquay, a Marine Corps veteran who has been homeless, did not always have an address or the means to buy a new ID.

I was always happy to go vote, he said, but being turned away brought me down.

Fudge called Norquays story striking, and thanked the witnesses who showed up and made clear the obstacles they face. She said after the hearing that Congress needs to pass the Native American Voting Rights bill passed, which would at least make a huge step toward making sure their right to vote is protected.

That bill aims to remove voting barriers for Native Americans by increasing voter registration sites, authorizing tribal ID cards for voting and providing resources. It has 94 co-sponsors, including all five Democrats from Arizona. [ H.R.1694

In an era of increasing voter suppression across this country, its more important than ever that we safeguard access to the ballot box, said a statement from Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Tucson.

Arizona State University law professor Patricia Ferguson-Bohnee echoed the need to protect voting rights among Native Americans, who may already feel disenfranchised.

You also have issues with people feeling like theyre not part of the Democratic process, so when you add barriers, it impacts their desire to vote and participate, said Ferguson-Bohnee, director of the Indian Legal Clinic at the Sandra Day OConnor College of Law. When you get disenfranchised and turned away, then you may not show up.

House Subcommittee on Elections Notice

This story originally appeared on Cronkite News and is published via a Creative Commons license . Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University

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Former Vice President Joe Biden was confronted by a group of chanting immigrant rights protesters outside a campaign event Tuesday night in Las Vegas' Chinatown.

Biden had headlined an event tailored to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at Harbor Palace Seafood Restaurant, but as he walked outside to take pictures with the crowd that had gathered he was approached by a group of undocumented activists, shaming him for not committing to halt deportations.

About 10 women from the group United We Dream Action yelled and scream-talked in the direction of Biden and held up a banner that read 'Biden Commit 2 Stop All Deportations.'

Vice President Joe Biden greets supporters at his early voting event for members of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community in Las Vegas, Nevada Tuesday night. The event later attracted a group of immigrant rights activists

Vice President Joe Biden had appeared at an event in Las Vegas' Chinatown specifically tailored to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community

But outside he was greeted by screaming immigrant rights activists, who wanted the former vice president to commit to stopping deportations if he's elected president

A group of all female activists showed up in front of the Chinese restaurant where former Vice President Joe Biden had held a campaign event Tuesday night in Las Vegas' Chinatwon neighborhood

Activist Karina Ruiz of United We Dream Action holds onto a banner asking former Vice President Joe Biden to commit to stopping deportations if elected president of the United States

'We are here just to ask Joe Biden to give us a strong commitment to stopping all deportations,' said Carla, an undocumented immigrant from Charleston, South Carolina who declined to give DailyMail.com her last name.

Carla explained that the former vice president hasn't committed fully to stopping deportations. 'His constant answer is I will, but if people have criminal backgrounds they will be deported.' She explained that Biden's answer hasn't been good enough because the Trump administration has defined law-breaking undocumented immigrants to 'anyone and anything.'

Joe Biden had attracted a line of fans outside the campaign stop - and they chanted in support of the ex-veep once the protesters arrived

The protesters chants were met with more chants, this from the line of Biden supporters who had hoped to get pictures with the former veep and 2020 presidential hopeful.

But the ruckus had prompted Biden to head back inside - to take more pictures with potential supporters from the Asian-American community.

Ironically, Biden's entire speech Tuesday was dedicated to increasing immigration flows, as he called President Trump's attitude clamping down on the numbers of immigrants 'absolutely bizarre.'

He talked of his family's own immigrant story, hinting that he thought his grandfather had come to the United States from Ireland 'illegally.'

'The people who come are people who are resilient,' he said of the American melting pot.

He also used a fresh applause line against President Trump. 'He is a pre-existing condition we've got to take care of,' Biden told the crowd.

But for the protesters, American immigration policy was problematic pre-Trump, as Carla talked of the family separations that happened 'during the Obama-Biden administration.'

She explained that they've put every Democratic candidate on notice, but Biden has specifically been targeted before, including in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses.

'We are hoping for the best. Our communities are at risk, our lives are at risk everyday. So we're asking for that commitment from all the candidates to stopping all deportations,' Carla told DailyMail.com.

Biden is looking to the next two states to vote - Nevada and South Carolina - to provide him with a rebound after coming in a disappointing fourth and fifth place, respectively, in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Biden and his surrogates have argued that President Obama's vice president will perform better when the electorates are diverse.

In Nevada, 19 per cent of Democrats who caucused for candidates in 2019 were Hispanic, while another 13 per cent were black.

In South Carolina, the black vote made up 61 per cent of Democratic primary voters, according to 2016 exit polls.

Early voting in Nevada wrapped up Tuesday night and caucuses will be held Saturday. A week after that is South Carolina's primary.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- SAIC Motor saw its sales in January tumbled 34.55% over a year ago, versus the estimated 18% drop in the industrys total reported by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

Despite the overall downturn, the group still boasted growth in sales of indigenous brands. The combined sales of Roewe and MG aggregated 60,025 units, making SAIC Motor PV gain a slight year-on-year growth of 0.04%.

Amid the fighting against the novel coronavirus, automakers spare no effort to maintain their sales performance through various innovative methods. On the Valentine's Day, Yu Jingmin, vice president of SAIC PV Motor, performed as a host on a live-streaming platform to sell cars personally, attracting numerous netizens to watch.



SAIC Maxus started its year of 2020 with a remarkable growth of 11.42%. The balanced development strategy for PVs and CVs and the consumer-centric customized marketing business model should owe much to its blooming sales.



(Photo source: SAIC Volkswagen)



However, the sweeping downturn that hit joint ventures still brought the overall sales down. SAIC Volkswagen, SAIC-GM and SAIC-GM-Wuling respectively suffered year-over-year plunge of 40.53%, 30.49% and 51.10%. It is noteworthy that SAIC-GM-Wuling recently earned much likes among users by producing the urgently needed face masks to combat the virus.

As for the CV sector, the sales of SAIC-IVECO Hongyang Commercial Vehicle and Naveco Ltd. shrank 38.51% and 6.24% from the previous year respectively.

Apart from the rising sales of self-owned brands, the performance of overseas markets was another bright spot. Last month, MG Motor India sold 3,381 new vehicles and SAIC GM Wuling Indonesia Co.,Ltd. obtained a 41.5% hike. The auto giant expects its overseas auto sales to reach 1 million units by 2025.
The Ontario PC government has introduced measures that would expand the provinces power to expropriate property and reduce requirements for environmental approvals, in a move that it says will speed up the construction of badly needed new transit projects.

Speaking in the legislature Tuesday, Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney said that the Building Transit Faster Act and associated regulatory changes would would help deliver a transit system for the 21st century faster, for the benefit of the people of the Greater Toronto Area.

To deliver transit on time and on budget, we have a responsibility to think differently, she said.

We cant keep doing the same things, the same way, and then be surprised when projects are chronically over budget and delayed for years.

Opposition MPPs said they would have to wait for more details on the governments proposals before they could give them a full appraisal, but raised concerns about what theyd seen so far.

The biggest challenge were facing to quickly rolling out transit in this province is the fact that the current government actually ripped up existing plans and undermined years of transit planning, said Green party Leader Mike Schreiner (Guelph).

If passed, the act would eliminate the right of landowners to have whats known as a hearing of necessity if their land is being expropriated for a new transit project. The hearings, which are non-binding, are supposed to determine whether a proposed expropriation is fair and necessary to execute a government project.

A separate regulatory change not included in the legislation but that the government said would be introduced by the Ministry of the Environment would allow Metrolinx to move ahead with early works for a transit project before its environmental assessment process is complete. The measure applies specifically to the Ontario Line, the $11-billion centrepiece of Premier Doug Fords $28.5-billion transit expansion plan.

The Progressive Conservatives legislation would also:

require permits for development activity on or near lands required for transit construction

give provincial representatives the authority to enter transit corridor lands to remove obstacles to construction without the consent of the owner, but with proper notice and a guarantee of compensation for damage

institute an enhanced process for relocating utilities such as phone and sewer lines that lie in the path of a transit project

grant the transportation minister the authority to allow Metrolinx, the arms-length provincial transit agency, to close city roadways or access city services like water and sewer provisions without an agreement with the municipality

The legislative and regulatory measures would apply only to the provincial governments four priority transit projects, which in addition to the Ontario Line are the Scarborough subway extension, Yonge North subway extension, and Eglinton West LRT.

The government described the new tools as backstops if amicable agreements cant be reached with affected parties in a timely manner.

Were still going to respect property rights, negotiate in good faith, and treat people fairly. But were not going to spend 12 months getting permission to remove a tree, Mulroney told reporters.

NDP transit critic Jessica Bell said her party was all for identifying barriers that slow down the expansion of transit projects.

But we cant forget that we need to do our due diligence and we need to respect stakeholder and community concerns at the same time  In order to build right, we need to plan well, said Bell (University-Rosedale).

The province says eliminating expropriation hearings could reduce the land assembly process for new transit projects from 12 months to seven months.

The law would replace the hearings with an as-yet-unspecified process under which landowners could submit comments to the minister of transportation about the proposed expropriation.

Guillaume Lavictoire, an expropriation lawyer and the president of the Ontario Expropriation Association, said scrapping the hearings would very much limit  the ability of an owner to contest an expropriation and to be heard in a hearing.

But he pointed out that as it stands, the government doesnt have to abide by the outcome of a hearing, and it already has the ability to waive hearings on a case-by-case basis through an order in council.

Lavictoire said the hearings do provide landowners a formal setting to make their case against expropriation. If the independent officer presiding over the case finds in the property owners favour, the government can still expropriate the land but may face political pressure not to do so, Lavictoire said.

Kate Hilton is a member of the steering committee of the EastEnd Transit Alliance, which represents residents of Leslieville, South Riverdale and Riverside who oppose the governments plans to run the Ontario Line above-ground through their neighbourhoods.

RELATED STORIES GTA Eglinton business owners desperate as Crosstown construction faces new delay

She slammed what she described as the speed and aggression of the governments legislation.

To the extent that there were some protections for citizens prior to this legislation, theyve really effectively been eliminated, she said.

If the government wanted us to trust them, I think that they wouldnt be delivering such an iron-fisted response to legitimate concerns raised by citizens about a poorly conceived transit plan. This is not the way a government builds trust with its citizens.

The provinces introduction of measures to speed up transit came a day after Metrolinx confirmed the Eglinton Crosstown LRT wont open by the provinces deadline of September 2021, and instead will be delayed until some time in 2022.

Mulroney has claimed repeatedly that if the governments proposed measures had been in place earlier, the line could have opened three years sooner.

However, under questioning from reporters Tuesday, she acknowledged that the legislation and regulatory changes wouldnt address what Metrolinx has said is one significant cause of the Crosstown delay: the discovery of a defect in decades-old infrastructure beneath the TTCs Eglinton station, which is impeding construction of a connecting LRT stop at the same site.

I wish we could find ways to solve those kinds of issues, but we cant. The measures we proposed today are just meant to address things that are within governments control, but  there were other issues as well with respect to the Eglinton Crosstown that caused the delay, she said.

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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Oscar nominee Salma Hayek responded to a fan accusing her of having 'too much Botox' in a seaside selfie she shared with her captive, combined 15.4M social media following on Tuesday.

The Like a Boss funnywoman kindly clapped back in the comments: 'I don't have Botox but thank you for the advice because I was thinking maybe it's time.'

At 53, the half-Mexican, half-Lebanese American has impressively managed to maintain her flawless complexion and slim 5ft2in hourglass figure.

'Not needed Salma!' Oscar nominee Salma Hayek responded to a fan accusing her of having 'too much Botox' in a selfie she shared with her 15.4M social media following on Tuesday

'I don't believe in Botox, especially when [people] do it so young. They destroy themselves,' Salma once said - according to Inquisitr.

'I don't really take big risks when it comes to beauty. I think a big risk is plastic surgery. I'm very conservative in my beauty routine. I don't know if I would never get plastic surgery. I'm not planning on it right now.'

Valentine's Day marked her 11th wedding anniversary with her husband - Kering CEO Francois-Henri Pinault - and the wealthy couple are proud parents of 12-year-old daughter Valentina Paloma.

Hayek (born Jimenez) will next portray a character called Dolores in Sally Potter's alternative lives drama The Roads Not Taken, which hits US theaters March 13 and UK theaters On May 1.

The Like a Boss funnywoman kindly clapped back in the comments: 'I don't have Botox but thank you for the advice because I was thinking maybe it's time'

2020 versus 2001: At 53, the half-Mexican, half-Lebanese American has impressively managed to maintain her flawless complexion and slim 5ft2in hourglass figure

Salma once reportedly said of the filler: 'I don't believe in Botox, especially when [people] do it so young. They destroy themselves' (pictured February 9)

The 70-year-old British filmmaker's surreal day-in-the-life flick also features Oscar winner Javier Bardem, Oscar nominee Laura Linney, and SAG Award nominee Elle Fanning.

'A personal dream has come true. I finally got to work with my friend, an extraordinary actor, Javier Bardem and the wonderful Sally Potter,' the Harvey Weinstein accuser gushed on February 5.

'But I also got to discover the immense talent of Elle Fanning in my new movie The Roads Not Taken.'

2019 family portrait: Valentine's Day marked Hayek's 11th wedding anniversary with her husband - Kering CEO Francois-Henri Pinault (L) - and the wealthy couple are proud parents of 12-year-old daughter Valentina Paloma (M)
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday made a surprise visit to 'Hunar Haat' at Rajpath where he interacted with artisans and relished 'litti-chokha' and 'kulhad' tea. Soon after chairing a meeting of the Union Cabinet, Modi reached Rajpath where 'Hunar Haat' is being organised by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Officials of the ministry were surprised when they came to know about the prime minister's visit, sources in the government said. Modi, who was there for over 50 minutes, ate 'litti-chokha', a dough ball made of whole wheat flour and stuffed with 'sattu', and paid Rs 120 for it.

The dish is popular in Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. He later had tea served in 'kulhad' with Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and paid Rs 40 for two cups. The prime minister, along with Naqvi, took a round of the 'Hunar Haat' and stopped at several stalls to interact with master craftsmen and artisans.

Efforts such as #HunarHaat have given a platform to many talented individuals. I met some of them earlier this afternoon... pic.twitter.com/foJzBdRldE  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 19, 2020

"Spent a wonderful afternoon at Hunar Haat on India Gate. It showcases the best of products including handicrafts, carpets, textiles and of course, delicious food! Do visit it," PM Modi tweeted. He said that the participation of people from all across India makes 'Hunar Haat' a vibrant place. "Had tasty Litti Chokha for lunch along with a hot cup of tea," he said in another tweet.

The prime minister also tried his hand at music, playing a traditional musical instrument at a stall. Modi tweeted several photographs from his visit to the Hunar Haat in which he is seen interacting with the artisans and appreciating the traditional handicrafts at various stalls.

Artisans participating in the event told Modi that traditional arts were dying, but the 'Hunar Haat' initiative had given a new lease of life to them. Modi interacted with a specially-abled painter who benefited from the government's Hunar Haat initiative.

Had tasty Litti Chokha for lunch along with a hot cup of tea... #HunarHaat pic.twitter.com/KGJSNJAyNu  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 19, 2020

There was a surge in crowd when people came to know that the prime minister was visiting the event. Several people were seen taking selfies with Modi. The 'Hunar Haat' here is based on the theme of 'Kaushal Ko Kaam' and will be held till February 23.

Master artisans, craftsmen and culinary experts, including more than 50 per cent women, from across the country are participating at the Haat. A 'bawarchikhana' section has also been set up with traditional delicacies of several states available for people to savour.

Hunar Haat will be organised in Gurgaon, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Dehradun, Patna, Bhopal, Goa, Kochi, Guwahati and Bhubneshwar, among other places, over the next few months. Cultural programmes are also being organised on a daily basis at the Hunar Haat.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES



TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hampton Financial Corporation (Hampton or the Corporation) (TSXV: HFC) (TSXV: HFC.PR.A) is pleased to announce that it intends to enter into a non-convertible debenture (a Debenture") with each of Peter M. Deeb and Axium Capital Corp. for the principal amount of $175,000 CAD and $1,000,000 CAD, respectively (the Loans).

Each Debenture shall bear interest at the rate of 9.0% per annum payable in equal payments quarterly in arrears on the last day of March, June, September and December in each year, commencing at the end of the first calendar quarter following the issue date (the Initial Interest Payment) until the Maturity Date. The Initial Interest Payment will include accrued and unpaid interest for the period from the issue date to the end of the first calendar quarter following the issue date. Interest will be payable in cash only. The principal amount owing under each Debenture, and any accrued and unpaid interest thereon, will be payable in cash on the date that is 60 months from the issue date.

In connection with the Loans, the Corporation will issue: (a) to Peter M. Deeb, 87,500 warrants; and (b) to Axium Capital Corp., 500,000 warrants, under TSXV Policy 5.1  Loans, Loan Bonuses, Finder's Fees and Commissions, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV). Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one subordinate voting share of the Corporation at the exercise price of $0.60 per share for a period of 60 months.

The proceeds from the Loans will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes.

All securities issued will be subject to a four-month hold period.

The loan from Peter M. Deeb to the Corporation (the Related Party Loan) will constitute a related party transaction for purposes of Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101) and Policy 5.9  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions of the TSXV. The Corporation is not required to obtain a formal valuation for the Related Party Loan as it is not a related party transaction described in any of paragraphs (a) to (g) of the definition of related party transaction in MI 61-101. The Corporation expects to rely on an exemption from the minority approval requirements available under MI 61-101 as neither the fair market value of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the Related Party Loan, insofar as it involves interested parties, is expected to exceed 25% of the Corporations market capitalization. The Corporation expects to file a material change report less than 21 days before the expected date of the closing of the Related Party Loan, which shorter period the Corporation deems reasonable in the circumstances so as to be able to avail itself of the proceeds of the Related Party Loan in a timely manner.

About Hampton Financial Corporation

Hampton Financial Corporation is a unique private equity firm that seeks to build shareholder value through long-term strategic investments. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Hampton Securities Limited (HSL), Hampton is actively engaged in family office, wealth management, institutional services and capital markets activities. HSL is a full service investment dealer, regulated by IIROC and registered in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Ontario and Quebec. In addition, the company provides investment banking services, which include assisting companies with raising capital, advising on mergers and acquisitions, and aiding issuers in obtaining a listing on a recognized securities exchange in Canada.

For more information, please contact:

Peter M. Deeb

Executive Chairman & CEO

Hampton Financial Corporation

(416) 862-8651

The TSXV has in no way approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release. This press release does not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction outside of Canada. The securities being offered have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to a U.S. person absent registration or pursuant to an available exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. There will be no public offering of securities in the United States.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which may include, but are not limited to, information and statements regarding or inferring the future business, operations, financial performance, prospects, and other plans, intentions, expectations, estimates, and beliefs of the Corporation. All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing", "estimate", "outlook", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should" or similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes.

Forward-looking statements involve and are subject to assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors beyond the Corporations ability to predict or control which may cause actual events, results, performance, or achievements of the Corporation to be materially different from future events, results, performance, and achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements herein. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance. Although the Corporation believes that any forward-looking statements herein are reasonable, in light of the use of assumptions and the significant risks and uncertainties inherent in such statements, there can be no assurance that any such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results may vary, and vary materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements herein. Accordingly readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of the risks and uncertainties inherent in forward-looking statements herein and should not place undue reliance upon such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements herein are qualified by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking statements herein are made only as of the date hereof, and except as required by applicable laws, the Corporation assumes no obligation and disclaims any intention to update or revise any forward-looking statements herein or to update the reasons that actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has made a strong case for a $105 million from the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) under the United Nations for the implementation of Government's Planting for Food and Jobs(PFJ).

The facility is under Cycle two of the Ghana Agriculture Sector Investment Programme (GASIP) which is meant to support and improve the capacity of smallholder farmers in the country under the Government's flagship programmes.

The request follows a successful completion of Phase One of the programme in 2019, which saw the disbursement of over 60% of the funds to beneficiary farmers within the spate of six months under a new team put in place by his office to ensure the implementation of the programme.

Following this feat, Dr. Afriyie Akoto says his Ministry is seeking the immediate release of $30 million to consolidate the gains made in 2019, plus additional $75 million for long term investment.

The Minister, who made the request during a meeting with the President of IFAD, Gilbert Houngbo, at the just ended 43rd Session of the Governing Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO-UN) said the timely release of the facility would not only help Ghana consolidates gains made under PFJ over the last three years, but would also help meet the demand of over 50,000 smallholder farmers who could not be supported last year.

Successes

Dr. Akoto Afriyie pointed out that before the advent of the current administration, the GASIP Fund had recorded paltry 10% fund disbursement in 4 years, a development which he said, did not inure to the benefit of potential farmers in the country.

The Minister however noted that under the Government's flagship Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme, the GASIP project recorded tremendous success.

Between June to December 2019, close to 50,000 smallholder farmers benefitted from inputs subsidy, capacity building, roads infrastructure amongst others, whilst 53 Value Chain Drivers were also engaged under the programme in August.

Additionally, 18,000 youth and women, as well as 1,200 Farmer-Based Organizations (FBOs) were also enlisted on the programme.

According to the appraisal document released by GASIP, 1,300 farmers and associations benefited from climate resilient practices whilst the Ministry, as part of the programme also collaborated with other institutions such as Ghana Meteorological Agency , NESTLE, GIZ on crosscutting issues such as climate change and gender considerations.

Vision for Cycle Two

The Minister noted that the second phase of the programme would involve meeting the demand of over 50,000 smallholder farmers across the country whilst mainstreaming and integrating climate change resilience in all programme activities.

We are anticipating that under the Phase II of this programme about 50,000 direct jobs would be created with the inclusion of the tree crop and poultry value chains he said, stressing that this would help address the increasing number of youth and women interested in tree crops farming under the PERD programme and livestock under the Rearing for Food and Jobs initiative.

Meanwhile, Mr. Houngbo has expressed satisfaction with the level of progress achieved in Ghana's agricultural sector.

According to him, the remarkable successes achieved by Government of Ghana over the last three years in the agriculture sector must be commended adding that his outfit would continue to partner with Ghana to sustain and improve on the gains.

---Daily Guide
Jet-powered suit pilot Vince Reffet recently took off from the ground in Dubai and within seconds, he was able to reach more than 325 feet. In just 30 seconds, he reached an initial height of an incredible 3,280 feet at an average speed of 130 knots (approximately 150 mph), as reported by Gulf Today. He was able to reach an altitude of around 6,000 feet by the end of his three-minute flight before opening his parachute and landing back to safety on the Skydive Dubai runway.

Also Read | Robert Downey Jr Surprises Autistic Fan Whose Life Was Changed By Iron Man

The video sees the pilot effortlessly hover over the water while operating finger controls which have been built into his gloves. It may also remind you of a scene from the first Iron Man film where Tony Stark was first learning how to jet off into the air.

XDubai, the company behind the stunt, stated that this was the first time that a Jetman Dubai pilot was able to combine hovering safely at a limited altitude and flying aerobatics at high altitude in the same flight. It also explained that the equipment is controlled by the human body thereby enabling Jetman Dubai to achieve speeds of 400kmh, which involved hovering, changing direction, and performing loops.

This was reportedly made possible after three engineers, Mohammed Rashid Chembankandy from India, Andre Bernet from Switzerland, and a chief-engineer Matthieu Courtois from France, came together and worked on developing this pioneering technology.

Also Read | Marvel Cinematic Universe's Most Endearing Relationships; Iron Man-Spiderman To Loki-Thor

Dubai Jetman isn't the only real-life Tony Stark

Vince Reffet became the next person to join the likes of Jet wing pilot and real-life Iron Man Yves Rossy. who was seen taking off from the ground and hovering over lake Geneva in Switzerland with his jet-powered wingsuit. Prior to that, another real-life Iron Man, British inventor and daredevil Richard Browning flew through the skies in his own jet suit while reaching a staggering 136.891 kmph.

Also Read | Free WiFi Project To Continue In India Despite Winding Down Of Google 'Station' Program

Also Read | What Is IE Error In Washing Machine? How To Solve The IE Error Code In Your LG Machine
Shoppers wearing face masks bag up their purchases at a grocery store in Hong Kong on Feb. 9, 2020. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

Second Patient Succumbs to New Coronavirus in Hong Kong

A 70-year-old man in Hong Kong has died of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday morning, bringing the total number of COVID-19-linked deaths in the city to two.

The man was hospitalized at the Princess Margaret Hospital on Feb. 12 after he fell at home, Hong Kong media RTHK reported. He was then tested positive for the virus. He had already been suffering from a cough and shortness of breath for more than 10 days.

A medical worker wearing protective gear walks outside Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong on Feb. 4, 2020. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

The man had a recent travel history to China. He took a one-day trip to the mainland on Jan. 22 via Lok Ma Chau, one of the major border crossing points between Hong Kong and China. The particular destinations during his trip are not known.

Hong Kong media HK01 reported that the man lied about his trip to China when he was first hospitalized, claiming that he had not left Hong Kong recently. However, hospital authorities were later able to confirm his trip to China with local immigration officials.

The man lived by himself in Kwai Chung, a town in Hong Kongs New Territories.

Hong Kong currently has 62 known cases of coronavirus, with the dead man being the 55th confirmed case.

His death is the sixth COVID-19-related death outside of mainland China.

There has been one death reported each in France, Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan.

The first death in Hong Kong involved a 39-year-old man who died on Feb. 4 after his heart stopped beating. He traveled to Wuhan on a high-speed train on Jan. 21 and returned to Hong Kong two days later. The man started having muscle pain and developed a fever on Jan. 29 and was subsequently hospitalized, where he tested positive on Jan. 31. He was the 13th confirmed case of COVID-19 in Hong Kong.

People leave after buying face masks at a pharmacy at Myeongdong shopping district in Seoul, South Korea, on Jan. 31, 2020. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Nearby country South Korea on Wednesday reported a jump of almost 50 percent in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, with the Centers for Disease Control in the country (KCDC) reporting 15 new cases, bringing the national total from 31 to 46.

Eleven of the 15 cases came in contact with the countrys 31st confirmed casea South Korean woman in her 60s who tested positive on Feb. 18, according to the KCDC.

Among the 15 cases was an 11-year-old South Korean girl, who is the daughter of the countrys 20th case, a 41-year-old Korean woman who tested positive on Feb. 5.
[February 19, 2020] TransPerfect Supports the Arts With $15,000 Donation of Website Localization Services and Technology to Koltun Ballet Boston

TransPerfect, the world's largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business, today announced that it has donated $15,000 worth of website localization services and technology to Koltun Ballet Boston (KBB). KBB is the premier ballet and dance school in the Boston area, and 40% of its students come from homes where English is a second language. As part of their efforts to attract and support international students, KBB chose to translate their website in Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. Alexandra Koltun is the Co-Founding Director of KBB. She is a graduate of the Vaganova Ballet Academy and is a former soloist and principal dancer at Mariinsky/Kirov and Boston ballets. Koltun stated, "Our school has tripled in size over the last three years, and we continue to draw more and more Asian and Russian students. Even though all the students are expected to speak English, the website allows our students' extended families and friends-many of whom do not speak English-to understand and appreciate our school." The site is localized and maintained using TransPerfect's GlobalLink OneLink (News - Alert) website localization technology, which provides a user-friendly site localization process with virtually no IT involvement. "TransPerfect's processes and technology are really smooth. We appreciate the collaborative nature of the relationship, as well as the ability to use their on-page editor to make changes in context. We worked closely with their teams to fine-tune very specific ballet terms that will now be remembered by their systems for future translation work," commented Alex Lapshin, Co-Founding Director of KBB, graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy nd former soloist and principal dancer at Vienna, Montreal, and Boston ballets. "We're really pleased with the result and feel this investment will give KBB the international recognition that Alexandra and I are seeking."



Phil Shawe, President and CEO of TransPerfect, stated, "Koltun Ballet Boston is connected to some of the finest ballet professionals and has a history of producing and exporting bright talent to professional companies all over the world. We're grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the arts by donating our services and technology to help KBB achieve their international goals." About TransPerfect

TransPerfect is the world's largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business. From offices in over 100 cities on six continents, TransPerfect offers a full range of services in 170+ languages to clients worldwide. More than 5,000 global organizations employ TransPerfect's GlobalLink Product Suite to simplify management of multilingual content. With an unparalleled commitment to quality and client service, TransPerfect is fully ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 certified. TransPerfect has global headquarters in New York, with regional headquarters in London and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit our website at www.transperfect.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005722/en/

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Philadelphia Police Officer John Sears was charged with driving under the influence after he allegedly caused an accident Sunday evening in Northeast Philadelphia. Read more

A 41-year-old Philadelphia police officer has been arrested and charged with driving under the influence after he allegedly caused an accident in the citys Oxford Circle section, police said Tuesday.

John Sears, a 13-year-member of the force who was off-duty at the time, was arrested on suspicion of DUI after he was found in an overturned vehicle on the northbound side of Roosevelt Boulevard at Bustleton Avenue around 7 p.m. Sunday, police said.

Responding officers helped Sears out of his vehicle and the driver and passenger of a second vehicle that police said Sears struck while driving. Police said Sears was given a Breathalyzer test and was found to be in excess of the Pennsylvania legal limit for alcohol while operating a vehicle, .08%. Police reported no injuries.

Prior to the accident Sears was assigned to an administrative position.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to claim during an extradition hearing that the Trump administration offered him a pardon if he agreed to say Russia was not involved in leaking Democratic National Committee emails during the 2016 US election campaign, a lawyer for Assange said Wednesday.

Assange is being held at a British prison while fighting extradition to the United States on spying charges. His full court hearing is due to begin next week.

At a preliminary hearing held Wednesday in London, lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said that now-former Republican congressman, Dana Rohrabacher, visited Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in August 2017.

Fitzgerald said a statement from another Assange lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, recounted "Mr. Rohrabacher going to see Mr. Assange and saying, on instructions from the president, he was offering a pardon or some other way out, if Mr. Assange ... said Russia had nothing to do with the DNC leaks.

Responding to the the lawyer's claims, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said, "This is absolutely and completely false."



U.S. President Donald Trump barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than he's an ex-congressman. He's never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject," Grisham said.

"It is a complete fabrication and a total lie. This is probably another never-ending hoax and total lie from the DNC.

Emails embarrassing for the Democrats and Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign were hacked before being published by WikiLeaks in 2016.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said the evidence was admissible in the extradition case.

Assange appeared at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday by video-link from Belmarsh prison, where he is being held as he awaits his extradition hearing.

U.S. prosecutors have charged the 48-year-old Australian computer hacker with espionage over WikiLeaks' hacking of hundreds of thousands of confidential government documents. If found guilty, he faces up to 175 years in jail.

He argues he was acting as a journalist entitled to First Amendment protection.

Assange spent seven years inside Ecuador's embassy in London after holing up there in 2012 to avoid questioning in Sweden over unrelated sexual assault allegations.

Assange was evicted from the embassy in April 2019 and was arrested by British police for jumping bail in 2012. In November, Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigation because so much time had elapsed.

There is no quick end in sight to Assange's long legal saga. The full extradition hearing starting Monday is due to open with a week of legal arguments. It will resume in May, and a ruling is not expected for several months, with the losing side likely to appeal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Experts in Belgium have discovered a wall made up of human bones and skulls at a Cathedral, local media in Brussels reported. According to reports, the wall was discovered at Saint-Bavo's cathedral in Belgium city of Ghent. Media reports suggest that the archaeologists believe the bones to be 200 years old and the structure was built sometime in the 17th century. As per reports, the wall was made up of thigh and shin bones from adults, with skulls filling the structure's space.

Read: Archaeological Survey Of India To Fine Tourists Exceeding 3-hour Visiting Limit At Taj Mahal. Details Here

According to the archaeologists, the walls of bones were likely built to clear the church's graveyard in an effort to create new spaces for graves. And as skeletons cannot be just thrown away, the church decided to build walls. However, the archaeologists also said that there is more research to be done and they cannot confirm everything but for the moment they placed the actual construction in the 17th and 18th century. Saint-Bavo's church where the walls have been discovered is being used for more than 1,000 years. The cathedral is the seat of the diocese of Ghent and contains the well-known Ghent Altarpiece.

Read: Budget 2020: Govt To Setup Archaeological, Maritime & Tribal Musuems; Picks 5 Iconic Sites

Burundi mass grave

Just recently, a mass grave was discovered in Burundi containing more than 6,000 bodies. According to media reports, the grave is being considered as one of the largest mass graves ever discovered. As per reports, authorities in Burundi opened six mass graves which included over 6,000 bodies from the unrest that occurred decades ago. According to reports, the graves include bodies from massacres along ethnic lines in the East African country that took place after the assassination of Burundi's first ethnic Hutu president Melchior Ndadaye. Media reports suggest that ethnic Tutsi families were massacred after the president's assassination.

Read: Republic Day 2019: Women Engrave Their Names In History, Lead From The Front At Republic Day Parade

Read: Secret Chamber: Archaeologists Find Opening Decorated With Centaurs And A Sphinx Inside Nero's Palace In Rome. Pictures Inside
The deadline for submitting the bids for Jet Airways, which is undergoing insolvency process, ended on Monday

The Committee of Creditors (CoC) of grounded airline Jet Airways decided to extend the deadline for submission of bids to 10 March on Tuesday as a new entity has evinced interest in the airline, according to a source.

The deadline for submitting the bids for Jet Airways, which is undergoing insolvency process, ended on Monday.

The deadline for submitting the bids for #jetairways , which is undergoing insolvency process, ended on Monday. #aviation https://t.co/cJwhEuapr1  CNBC-TV18 News (@CNBCTV18News) February 18, 2020

"A team from Far East Asia Development Fund of Russia along with Enso group met the CoC on Monday and has expressed interest in Jet Airways," the source said to PTI.

Against this backdrop, the CoC extended the deadline for submission of bids to 10 March.

Ashish Chhawchharia, the resolution professional for Jet Airways, was not available for comments.

Set up in 2011, the Far East Development Fund is a state finance development institution which warrants a flexible approach to projects' structuring and financing, as per its Linkedin profile.

Mumbai-headquartered Enso Group has reportedly been roped in by the fund to find an Indian partner to form a consortium that would later put in a formal bid. It has interests in diverse sectors, including oil and gas, metal mining, healthcare, infrastructure and real estate, as per its website.

Earlier, South American conglomerate Synergy Group and New Delhi-based Prudent ARC were given time to submit resolution plan. Reportedly, they failed to meet the deadline.

The cash-strapped airline, which was grounded in April 2019, owes more than Rs 8,000 crore to banks, with those from the public sector having significant exposure.

Jet Airways has attracted a slew of bidders. Early last month, Synergy Group, which owns majority shares in airlines including Colombian carrier Avianca Holdings, had submitted a fresh expression of interest (EoI) for investing in the bankrupt Jet Airways, reported The Economic Times.

In December last year, Synergy Group had sought more time to take a decision on investing in the grounded airline.

In December 2019, the UK-based Hinduja Group yet again expressed interest to buy Jet Airways.

The Hinduja Group had plans to submit an expression of interest by the 15 January 2020 deadline, signalling its intent to make a formal offer. However, in January this year, the group reportedly withdrew as it did not find any value in the company.

In May 2019, there were reports that Hinduja Group was planning to initiate the bidding process for Jet Airways. The business group and Etihad Airways were also expected to meet on 23 May, 2019 to explore ways to revive the cash-starved airline.

However, the Hinduja Group and Etihad Airways failed to strike a deal for joint ownership of Jet Airways.

The Committee of Creditors (CoC) sought extension of corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP) of Jet Airways from the Mumbai bench of the NCLT in view of South America's Synergy Group wanting more time for due diligence and two new interests being shown for the grounded airline.

On 17 December, the Aviation Ministry and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had informed the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) that they would positively consider any concrete business plan for the grounded Jet Airways.

The airline owes over Rs 8,500 crore to a consortium of 26 banks led by State Bank, and over Rs 13,000 crore to the tens of hundreds of vendors and around 23,000-odd employees.

Lenders to Jet Airways, led by the State Bank of India (SBI), are seeking investors in Jet to recover their dues. The airlines total liability, including unpaid salaries and vendor dues, is nearly Rs 15,000 crore.

--With inputs from agencies
Nearly three million people in Niger, over half of whom are children, are suffering at the hands of various natural and man-made crises and are in need of humanitarian aid, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

In a statement, UNICEF cited "the risks posed by insecurity, malnutrition, recurrent disease epidemics and outbreaks, cyclical floods, droughts and displacement" as the causes behind a crisis threatening 2.9 million people, including 1.6 million children.

"Insecurity is spreading at a rapid pace in the central Sahel region," said Felicite Tchibindat, UNICEF's regional nutrition advisor, following a visit to the conflict-affected region of Diffa.

"Women and children are bearing the brunt of the violence.

"In already fragile host communities, the burden of forced displacement increases the vulnerability of children and communities and significantly affects their health, protection, nutrition and education."

Since 2015, Niger has struggled against a wave of jihadist attacks near the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso in the west, exacerbating needs in Tillaberi and Tahoua regions, where nearly 78,000 people have been displaced.

"Attacks against civilians in the Lake Chad region prevented 263,000 people in Diffa from returning to their homes," said the statement, adding that deteriorating security on the border with Nigeria has also resulted in the movement of tens of thousands of people.

Niger is home to nearly 450,000 refugees -- Nigerians, Malians and Burkinabe -- and internally displaced people, trying to escape jihadist violence or armed gangs, according to the UN.

Some refugees and displaced persons live in the midst of an already very poor population.

"In a context of constrained resources and limited social services, the communities that host displaced populations are showing extraordinary resilience and sharing the little they have," said Tchibindat.

"This truly is a great example that Nigeriens are showing to world."

On Monday, 15 women and five children were trampled to death in a stampede for food and money for refugees in the southeast of the country.

According to UN figures, jihadist attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger left around 4,000 dead last year.

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Colum McCanns new novel, Apeirogon, is based on an uplifting true story. Its about two fathers  Rami Elhanan, an Israeli, and Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian  who each lost a young daughter to senseless violence. They have become friends and work together, through an organization called Combatants for Peace, to bring the opposing sides together.

McCann takes their story and drops it to the ground, where it shatters. To read Apeirogon is to watch him pick up the shards. As befits a writer who ruminates about the nature of storytelling, there are 1,001 of these shards, each numbered, in a homage to One Thousand and One Nights, the collection of Middle Eastern folk tales.

This is an early warning sign. It is possible to admire One Thousand and One Nights while having learned through hard experience that a writer who derives too much inspiration from it is generally one to avoid, unless whats desired is a self-inflicted intellectual glitter-bombing. The Time magazine film critic Stephanie Zacharek, writing on Twitter, recently called storytelling a jazz-hands word. Apeirogon is a jazz-hands novel.

In many of McCanns 1,001 shards, we follow Rami and Bassam in something like real time. They attend meetings, give lectures, worry about crossing border checkpoints. In others, we flash back to earlier points in their lives. From multiple angles, we witness the events that led to their daughters being killed.
Married At First Sight hasn't had the greatest track record of forming successful long-term partnerships beyond the experiment.

And according to OK! Magazine, producers feared six of the 10 couples would quit halfway through filming the latest season.

An insider told the publication on Thursday: 'Producers [were] scrambling to both prop up the remaining couples and try to persuade the couples whose relationships are hanging by a thread to stay.'

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'They were scrambling to persuade couples to stay': Married At First Sight producers feared SIX couples would quit halfway through filming. Pictured: Jonethen Musulin, Connie Crayden and Mishel Karen

'We've never known anything like it. Producers [were] seriously worried,' the source claimed.

They added: 'There's a lot of drama and turmoil behind the scenes.'

On Monday's episode, Poppy Jennings and Luke Eglin were the first couple to leave the social experiment before the second commitment ceremony.

Meanwhile, other couple who are strained include Mishel Karen and Steve Burley, lesbian brides Amanda Micallef and Tash Herz, Hayley Vernon and David Cannon, Natasha Spencer and Mikey Pembroke, and Connie Crayden and Jonethen Musulin.

'There's a lot of drama and turmoil behind the scenes': The publication claimed producers were worried for the fate of the couples on the show

Gone! On Monday's episode, Luke Eglin and Poppy Jennings were the first to leave the social experiment before attending their second commitment ceremony

Meanwhile, Natasha, Poppy, Hayley, and Tash have already been spotted with new partners following filming of the show.

The brides' new relationships have reportedly prompted 'urgent meetings' between the cast and producers, with several participants being 'officially warned' about leaking spoilers.

MAFS was filmed between September and December last year, with the reunion dinner party taking place in mid-January.

The contestants' contracts prohibit them from discussing their breakups or new relationships until their last episode has aired.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment.

SPOILER! Natasha, Poppy, Hayley, and Tash have already been spotted with new partners. Pictured: Tash with new girlfriend Madison Hewitt

With so many unstable marriages on the show, it's no surprise producers would choose to bring back a fan favourite mid-season.

Elizabeth Sobinoff is expected to make her debut as part of an 'intruder couple' in the coming weeks.

Married At First Sight continues on Sunday from 7pm on Nine
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-18 21:12:39|Editor: huaxia

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A cook from a hotpot restaurant in Chongqing prepares takeout food for online customers on Feb 15, 2020. (Wang Quanchao/Xinhua)

Under the guidance of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce and relevant departments, 35 hot pot restaurants in the city started to provide consumers with zero-contact hot pot takeout service.

CHONGQING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Tan Yayun picked up the phone on the first ring, grabbed her keys, darted downstairs and rushed to the compound gate for a takeaway package she had yearned for days and nights, a hot pot dinner.

For the prevention and control of novel coronavirus outbreak, residents in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, including Tan, have been encouraged to stay at home since the Spring Festival holiday in late January.

As a hot pot afficionado, Tan had to resist the temptation of the delicate cate in the past month.

"Oh finally, my favorite hot pot," said Tan as she picked her long-anticipated package.

Chongqing is one of the cradles of hot pot cuisine in China and enjoys a reputation for its outstanding gastronomy. For local residents, eating hot pot has already been embedded in their lifestyle.

Yet compared with takeouts, food freshly prepared, instantly boiled in a flavorful, bubbling stock is much preferred for the best taste of the ingredients.

China's catering businesses had prepared to cash in on the traditional high season during the Spring Festival holiday, but the sudden coronavirus outbreak has kept people from dining out, taking a toll on the catering industry and catching restaurant owners off-guard.

In 2019, earnings during the Spring Festival holiday accounted for about 15 percent of the total annual revenues of the catering industry, which topped 4.6 trillion yuan (about 656.6 billion U.S. dollars), according to the China Cuisine Association.

Nearly all meal reservations and wedding banquets have been canceled and many restaurants suspended operations, according to a report issued by the association on the epidemic's impact on the catering business.

Restaurants that previously relied heavily on eating-in earnings had to shift to take-out services, hoping the move could help ease the pressure from overhead costs such as rent and labor.

Under the guidance of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce and relevant departments, 35 hot pot restaurants in the city started to provide consumers with zero-contact hot pot takeout service.

Staff from a Chongqing hotpot restaurant checks orders for delivery on Feb 15, 2020. (Wang Quanchao/Xinhua)

Consumers can order food through various platforms such as telephone, WeChat and takeaway-ordering apps. The takeout services were strengthened in the safety of purchase, processing and delivery, winning the favor of many consumers.

"We actually launched delivery service five years ago, but we have very few orders, only five or six per day," said Li Jie, president of Chongqing Qinma F&B Management Co., Ltd. which owns a nationwide chain brand Chongqing Qinma Hot Pot.

Li added that during the epidemic, the number of hot pot take-out orders surged to more than 100 orders a day.

Zhoushixiong Hot Pot, a local startup brand of Chongqing hot pot, also launched take-out business for the first time and went popular immediately due to its sound reputation built up in brick-and-mortar restaurants.

"At present, we receive about 400 to 500 take-out orders every day," said Zhou Dao, CEO of Zhoushixiong, noting that the number has maintained steady growth.

To help enterprises tide over the difficulties and boost confidence, the municipal government has taken a slew of policy measures to help small and medium-sized businesses, including financial support and tax cuts.

"We experienced a dramatic turnover drop during this year's Spring Festival, which has taught everyone in the catering industry a lesson," Zhou said. 
FELTON, California, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The scope of the global Loafers Market was priced at US$ 24.1 billion in the year 2018 and is projected to touch US$ 31.4 billion by 2025. It is estimated to grow at a 3.8% CAGR by the completion of the prediction period.

Increasing necessities for comfortable and fashionable footwear amongst the middle-aged employed people is endorsing the usefulness of loafers. Loafers are measured to be a suitable and easy footwear among diverse age-groups having features together with not excessively fitted in the heel and cooler to wear off and on. The Generation X and Millennial populace have a preference to buying fashionable, upmarket, and comfortable shoes. Leather shoes are broadly looked upon as the first-class product and they inhabit a decent sized quantity in the market.

As per the observation it is found that men are the most important clienteles of loafers. They wear these as substitutes to formal shoes, together with having a fashionable element. The companies are capitalizing in branding and advertising actions to upsurge their range to the purchaser. They are capitalizing in fashion displays and uploading videos of the product on social media to fascinate additional customers.

During the recent years, increasing population of employed class people, together with growing expenses on private outfit comprising footwear products in the emerging financial prudence comprising India and China, is likely to encourage the scope of the market for loafers. The companies together with Hush Puppies and Woodland are growing their range of the product. This is enticing the customers to expend more on the sector of footwear. Approximately the widely held loafers' category obtainable in the market are folded leather, velvet slippers, black calf, tassel, suede leather, foot bed slip, and no lace casual.

Growing number videos on fashion style on satellite television and on the platforms of social media by way of fashion professionals is estimated to indorse the consciousness between the purchasers. Accordingly, the customers are likely to upsurge the expenditure on the best products together with penny loafers and canvas loafers as a portion of their fashion smartness.

Get Sample PDF and read more details about the "Loafers Market" Report 2025.

Classification:

The global loafers market can be classified by Delivery Network, Product, and Region. By Delivery Network, it can be classified as Online Market, Hypermarkets & Supermarkets, and Specialty Stores. By Product, it can be classified as Fabric, Leather and Others.

Regional Lookout:

By Region the global loafers industry can be classified as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America, and Middle East & Africa. In 2018, Asia Pacific detained the principal share of the market and is estimated to be the speedily developing area at a CAGR of 4.6% during 2019 to 2025. Increasing power of expenditure between the groups of middle-class people, who are capitalizing in comfy and fashionable products of footwear and clothing, in the nation state such as South Korea, India, China and Bangladesh, are likely to encourage the development of the industry.

China is the biggest manufacturer of the footwear and it ships its products in the nations comprising Germany, Canada, the U.K. and the U.S.A. Additionally, increasing infiltration of e-commerce companies together with Amazon, Alibaba, and Flipkart in emerging financial prudence containing India and China, is likely to be a promising factor for the development of the industry during the following a small number of years.

Europe is the subsequent biggest market. It was responsible for the market share of more than 25.0% of the entire global income in 2018. Growing prominence of fashionable footwear amongst customers of advanced financial prudence such as the U.K. and Germany, is a most important tendency witnessed within this area. Additionally, growing consciousness concerning individual preparing among the customers of Europe is motivating shoppers to expend on footwear and clothing. This is creating the demand for suitable footwear, comprising loafers. What's more, customers' inclination toward first-class products in the nations together with the U.K., Italy, France, and Germany, will continue to create the demand for loafers during the period of approaching years.

Companies:

The companies are implementing policies for example mergers & acquisitions to upsurge their share of the market. For instance - London centered company "Far fetch" finalized the acquisition of New York centered Startup Company named "Stadium Goods" at the cost of US$ 250 million in December 2018. Furthermore, presentation of the new-fangled product in terms of canvas loafers in emerging financial prudence comprising India and China, aiming at budding millennial residents, is likely to expose new-fangled possibilities during the subsequent a small number of years.

Some of the important companies for loafers market are Allen Edmonds Corporation, Relaxo Foot wears Limited, Hush Puppies, Wolf and Shepherd, BACCA BUCCI FASHIONS PVT. LTD., WOODLAND, Lee Cooper, Clark International, PUMA, and The Rockport Group.

Browse 80 page research report with TOC on "Global Loafers Market" at: https://www.millioninsights.com/industry-reports/loafers-market

Market Segment:

Loafers Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

Leather



Fabric



Others

Loafers Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

Supermarkets & Hypermarkets



Specialty Stores



Online

Loafers Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

North America



U.S.



Europe



U.K





Germany



Asia Pacific



China





India



Central & South America



Brazil



Middle East & Africa

&

South Africa

Browse reports of similar category available with Million Insights:

Candle Market

Footwear Market

Maternity Wear Market

Mountain Bike Shoes Market

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HANOVER, Md., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aston Carter, a global provider of recruiting and staffing services, announced today it has been honored with ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Client and Talent Diamond Awards for providing superior service to clients and talent. This year marks the fifth consecutive year that Aston Carter was acknowledged by clients and the ninth consecutive year by talent, thereby earning the Diamond Award designation in both categories.

The Best of Staffing awards are given to companies that have proven to be industry leaders in service, and are based entirely on ratings provided by clients and contract employees. Over 1,300 contract employees and more than 400 clients gave Aston Carter industry-leading satisfaction ratings, with 79 percent of clients and 77 percent of talent ranking their experience a nine or 10 out of 10.

"At Aston Carter, we believe in making an impact on the lives of our clients and employees," said Aston Carter President Stuart Ferguson. "These awards belong to our whole team for their rigorous efforts and reaffirm our promise to deliver the highest level of service year after year. Our customers can look forward to more great things from us in the future, including a brand refresh and completely redesigned website that will focus on our unrivaled commitment to meeting the end goals of the companies and contract employees we serve."

"Now more than ever, it is important for staffing firms to deliver consistently remarkable experiences to the clients and talent they work with," said ClearlyRated CEO Eric Gregg. "This year's Best of Staffing winners have shown their commitment to exceptional services, committing to not only measuring satisfaction, but taking action on the feedback. I couldn't be prouder to showcase these industry leaders alongside feedback from their actual clients and candidates on ClearlyRated.com, and I applaud them for their commitment to making improvements at their respective firms!"

To learn more about Aston Carter and the Best of Staffing awards, please visit AstonCarter.com.

About Aston Carter

Aston Carter is a distinguished global provider of recruitment and staffing services to companies requiring highly specialized business professionals. We have an unrivalled commitment to delivering first class service to clients and business professionals across a variety of disciplines, including Accounting and Finance, as well as Risk and Compliance. With more than 90 offices across Europe, Asia Pacific and North America, Aston Carter provides local, regional and global expertise to drive value and meet our customers' unique needs. Aston Carter is a division of Aerotek. Aerotek is an Allegis Group company, a global leader in talent solutions.

About ClearlyRated

ClearlyRated (formerly known as Inavero) administers more staffing agency client and talent satisfaction surveys than any other firm in the world, reporting on more than 1.2 million satisfaction surveys from staffing agency clients and job seekers each year. Committed to delivering ongoing value to the industry, ClearlyRated is proud to serve as the American Staffing Association's exclusive service quality partner. Learn more at ClearlyRated.com/Solutions

About Best of Staffing

ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on ClearlyRated.com  an online business directory that helps buyers of professional services find service leaders and vet prospective firms  based exclusively on validated client and candidate ratings and testimonials.

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France says seven-year Sahel operation will come to an end, indicating troop drawdown and restructuring of its presence.
By AFP

BEIJING: China on Wednesday ordered three reporters from The Wall Street Journal to leave the country over what Beijing deemed a racist headline, in one of the harshest moves against foreign media in years.

The United States protested what it called an affront to press freedom, one day after it tightened rules on Chinese media organisations that it considers state propaganda.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said a Journal opinion piece -- titled "China is the Real Sick Man of Asia" -- had a "racially discriminatory" and "sensational" headline, and slammed the newspaper for not issuing an official apology.

"As such, China has decided that from today, the press cards of three Wall Street Journal reporters in Beijing will be revoked," Geng told a press briefing.

The Journal reported that deputy bureau chief Josh Chin and reporter Chao Deng, both US nationals, as well as reporter Philip Wen, an Australian, had been ordered to leave the country in five days.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the expulsions and voiced hope that China would one day allow its citizens "the same access to accurate information" that Americans enjoy.

"Mature, responsible countries understand that a free press reports facts and expresses opinions," Pompeo said in a statement.

"The correct response is to present counter-arguments, not restrict speech," he said.

The three journalists work in The Wall Street Journal's news section, which is not linked to the editorial and opinion section.

The newspaper's publisher, William Lewis, said the outlet was "deeply disappointed" with China's decision and asked that the visas of the three reporters be reinstated.

"This opinion piece was published independently from the WSJ newsroom and none of the journalists being expelled had any involvement with it," Lewis said in a statement.

"The need for quality, trusted news reporting from China is greater than ever; today's decision to target our News department journalists greatly hinders that effort," he said.

"However, this has clearly caused upset and concern amongst the Chinese people, which we regret."

- 'Not completely coincidental' -

The op-ed, written by Bard College professor Walter Russell Mead, criticised the Chinese government's initial response to the new coronavirus outbreak -- calling the Wuhan city government at the virus epicentre "secretive and self-serving", while dismissing national efforts as ineffective.

The phrase "sick man of Asia" originally referred to China in the late 19th and early 20th century, when it was exploited by foreign powers during a period sometimes called the country's "century of humiliation".

"At American newspapers, writers typically do NOT write or approve the headlines," Mead tweeted after the op-ed was published.

"Argue with the writer about the article content, with the editors about the headlines."

The new coronavirus epidemic has killed more than 2,000 people in China and infected more than 74,000, and has spread to at least two dozen countries.

Geng said the February 3 piece "slandered the efforts of the Chinese government and the Chinese people to fight the epidemic".

The expulsions come a day after the United States angered China for classifying five state media outlets, including Xinhua agency and the China Global Television Network, as foreign missions, with State Department officials saying they were part of Beijing's growing "propaganda" apparatus.

China's nationalistic Global Times newspaper on Wednesday implied a link between the WSJ expulsions and the new US policy.

"There are no connections between the two events, but it is not completely coincidental that they happened at about the same time," it said an editorial on its English-language website.

"The two countries' values are drifting apart... This is not a good sign."

- 'Extreme' -

China's move to force out the three journalists marks a drastic escalation in pressure on the international media. Multiple foreign reporters have been effectively expelled over the past five years.

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China said China had not outright expelled a foreign correspondent since 1998.

"The action taken against the Journal correspondents is an extreme and obvious attempt by the Chinese authorities to intimidate foreign news organisations," the FCCC said in a statement.

Nine journalists have been either expelled or effectively expelled through non-renewal of visas since 2013, it added.

In August, China refused to renew the press credentials of WSJ journalist Chun Han Wong, after he and Wen wrote an article on one of Chinese President Xi Jinping's cousins.

Wen and the other two expelled Journal reporters had reported on Xinjiang, covering forced labour, surveillance and re-education camps.

A 2019 FCCC survey of 109 foreign journalists said many working in China have been threatened with visa delays, or issued with short-stay visas, which they believed were related to their coverage.
Consumers in California can proceed with a class-action suit against AT&T for slowing down data speeds on mobile phones despite a promise of unlimited service, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco in 2015, suffered an apparently fatal setback a year later when U.S. District Judge Edward Chen said he was bound by the provisions in AT&Ts customer contracts to refer each customer to arbitration with AT&T rather than a collective suit in court. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld his ruling in 2017.

But the environment for consumer suits in California changed in 2017 when the state Supreme Court ruled, in a separate case, that businesses could not require their customers to sign away their right to a court order prohibiting unfair or deceptive practices. Customers who have signed arbitration agreements can still seek a public injunction, under state law, against practices that harm the public, the court said.

Consumers in the AT&T case returned to Chen, who agreed to reconsider his ruling and reinstated the portion of their suit seeking a public injunction against throttling  the slowing down of speeds for customers who thought they had unlimited data  without proper notice by AT&T. And Chen said the plaintiffs can seek damages as well, because AT&Ts contract specified that the entire arbitration requirement would be unenforceable if its ban on injunctions was found invalid.

The appeals court upheld his ruling Tuesday.

The arbitration clause in AT&Ts contracts prohibits public injunctive relief in any forum and is therefore invalid under California law, the three-judge panel said. The court cited its June 2019 ruling setting aside a rental companys arbitration requirement and allowing consumers to seek an injunction against excessive charges for household items.

AT&T argued that its customers had waited too long to raise the public injunction argument and should have brought it up in their initial suit. But the appeals court agreed with Chen that the customers should not be penalized for failing to make an argument that federal courts had consistently rejected in other cases, until the 2017 California court ruling.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

In a separate case, AT&T agreed last year to pay a $60 million fine to the Federal Trade Commission, which had sued the company in 2014 for failing to adequately inform customers of its throttling rules. AT&T also agreed to stop calling its phone data plans unlimited without informing customers of the data points at which their speeds would be slowed.

AT&T spokesman Marty Richter said the company believes Tuesdays ruling is inconsistent with the arbitration provision agreed upon by the parties, the Federal Arbitration Act, and United States Supreme Court precedent, and is reviewing further options in the case.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Imagine if someone paid a large sum out of your bank account, and when you asked what the payment was for you were told it was confidential, mind your beeswax, and to check back in six months.

For years thats what the state of New Mexico has been doing with your tax dollars when it comes to paying out settlements for lawsuits and tort claims against the state and its employees. And thats what the state of New Mexico will no longer do thanks to a unanimous Senate (38-0) and a unanimous House (70-0).

Sen. Sander Rue, R-Albuquerque, spearheaded Senate Bill 64, which removes the 180-day delay in releasing public records concerning claims against governmental entities and it replaces it with the right to inspected records more immediately. The bill is headed to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, whose administration has championed releasing such information.

Meanwhile, a small portion of the Senate suffered a black eye earlier this month when KRQE News 13 reporter Rachel Knapp was kicked out of a Senate Conservation Committee meeting because she hadnt sought permission to film.

So its only fair to give credit to lawmakers who moved swiftly to change the rule that allowed for Knapps ejection.

In review, acting chairwoman Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, D-Albuquerque, first asked Knapp if she had permission from the chair, Sen. Liz Stefanics, D-Cerrillos, who was presenting a bill. Knapp said she did not. Im a reporter, she said. I just figured it was a public meeting. Sedillo Lopez then said Knapp would need to pack up her camera gear and leave.

Knapp was correct. It was a public meeting and in fact was being streamed by the Legislature. But there also was a rule, occasionally enforced, requiring reporters or members of the public to first get permission from committee chairs to film or record.

Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, moved quickly, introducing a resolution to replace SR2, eliminating the requirement. His proposal was approved on a unanimous 40-0 vote (two members were excused) by the full Senate on Saturday. Modern democracy requires our complete transparency in all forms and encouragement of media and citizen involvement, he said I congratulate my Senate colleagues for passing SR2 to allow the media and public full access to film and document the Legislature in action.

All New Mexicans should congratulate them as well  particularly Steinborn who as a state representative pushed rules creating webcasting of committee meetings and a requirement they be archived for five years.

On another positive note, their House colleagues deserve congratulations for unanimously passing HR1, 63-0, which publicizes committee votes to table legislation. While its unfortunate the new House rule exempts the Appropriations and Finance and the Taxation and Revenue committees, it is a strong step toward putting the peoples business in the light. The Senate should follow suit.

Transparency is a popular buzzword. These are concrete steps that move it from vocabulary to reality.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
By Azernews





By Abdul Kerimkhanov

A small Azerbaijani girl named Nuray, who is a native of Armenian-occupied Shusha city, has made a heartfelt video about her hometown Shusha.

In a video circulated in social media, Nuray addressed the international community to help her go back to her hometown.

Speaking in English, Nuray says: I am very sad, because my mommy was crying. I asked my mommy why are you crying? She said I want my home, I want my city Shusha. But it is not possible now. 27 years ago when she was like my age, Shusha was occupied by Armenian troops. I cannot imagine how it was hard. I want [to] stop war. I want my home back. I want Karabakh."

Another Azerbaijani IDP from Shusha, Rovshana Guliyeva, who lived in this city before its occupation on 8 May 1992, called on the international community to put pressure on Armenia to leave the occupied lands of Azerbaijan. Guliyeva made her address in a video shared in the Twitter page of Head of Nagorno-Karabakhs Azerbaijani community Tural Ganjaliyev on February 15.

In her appeal to the international community, Guliyeva stressed Azerbaijani people's readiness for peaceful coexistence with the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh within the restoration of Azerbaijans territorial integrity and inviolability of its borders.

Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijans breakaway region which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. To this day, Armenia has not implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions.




Haiti - News : Zapping...





A police patrol targeted

On Tuesday morning at Street of Casernes, unidentified individuals in a vehicle without a license plate opened fire on a patrol vehicle where 4 police officers were oonboard. One or more police officers were injured according to unofficial police information.



The radical opposition wants to damage the agreements with Taiwan

The radical opposition grouped in the so-called "Democratic and Popular" movement asked the Ambassador of Taiwan (Republic of China) Bang-Zyh Liu not to engage in anything with the Haitian Government so as not to compromise, the future diplomatic relations between the two countries.



A Police Inspector murdered

The Haitian National Police (PNH) confirmed the assassination of Inspector Job Joseph Paraison, shot dead by unidentified individuals on the night of Monday, February 17, 2020 on the route des rails, not far from Arcachon 32, in the Commune of Carrefour. Job Joseph Paraison was assigned to the Penitentiary Administration Department.



Brown algae in the Bay of Les Cayes

Sargassum (brown algae in the Sargassaceae family) has appeared in Cayes Bay. These foul-smelling algae when it rots are a real scourge on the beaches of the Antilles and the Caribbean



DJs honored at the Town Hall of PAP

The Town Hall of Port-au-Prince presented "Honor and Merit" plaques to DJs Fanfan, CashCash, Tonymix, Bmix, Valmix and Bullet for their commitment and their contribution to the 4 consecutive years of pre-carnival activities carried out under the administration of Mayor Ralph Youri Chevry.



COVID-19 Global report 19 February

Wednesday February 19, 2020, the number of people infected worldwide with the Coronavirus COVID-19 (laboratory and clinical confirmed cases) amounted to 75.201, an increase of 1.865 (22%) compared to the previous day https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30059-haiti-news-zapping.html ; 2,012 deaths (+ 7.4%), ie 138 more than the day before (1,775); 15,023 people healed, ie 2,002 people (+ 15.4%) more than the day before or 7.4 times more healing than death compared to 6.9 times the day before.



To date, there are 1,015 confirmed infected people worldwide (+ 13%), ie 117 more cases.



Number of deaths abroad (5): 1 in the Philippines, 2 in Hong Kong, 1 in Japan, and 1 in France.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















(Natural News) Coronavirus is still spreading throughout the globe and biblical scholars are taking the opportunity to spread what they believe is an important message: The end is nigh and all must prepare for the Second Coming of Christ.

Even the non-religious may eventually be convinced because its not just coronavirus affecting people in various countries  an apocalyptic locust plague in Africa and the ongoing conflict between Iran and America tick all the right boxes for the apocalypse, warn biblical scholars.

A prophecy fulfilled?

Over 1,300 people in China have lost their lives because of the coronavirus, a disease that is on its way to becoming a global pandemic. Meanwhile, the Middle East is on high alert because of the African locust invasion, and there is an ongoing conflict in Iran.

However, biblical scholar Melvin Sandelin advises his viewers in a video to remain calm since these events are all part of the process for Christs Second Coming. Sandelin explains that 2,000 years ago, Jesus predicted that before He would come back, the world would be facing disease and outbreaks. He says that coronavirus is just one of the ways that the End Times prophecy is being fulfilled.

Sandelin adds that the other signs heralding the Second Coming can be found in Matthew 23, verses 6 and 7, which talk about rumors of wars and pestilence.

A plague in Africa

An enormous locust swarm is devouring crops and pasture in Africa. Experts warn that the swarm can grow 400 times its size by June and that it can spread to Uganda, South Sudan and even further North toward the Middle East.

This second event seems like something out of the Book of Exodus from the Old Testament.

A pastor in Kenyas capital shared that he has been asking for Gods forgiveness since the locust swarm earlier in February. The pastor added that its unheard of for the country to be threatened by desert locusts, along with rain in January.

A forthcoming war

The third event involves a rocket attack on an Iraqi base in the province of Kirkuk that seemed to have targeted the US bases stationed there.

The attack is the latest event in rising tensions between America and Iran, which have been increasingly uneasy after President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani earlier on January 3.

Bill Salus, a prophecy writer in California, told viewers on his YouTube channel Prophecy Watchers that Iran is a bully from the Middle East. Salus noted that the current Iranian leadership has incurred Gods wrath and that Christians must watch the recent events that could fulfill biblical prophecies.

Meanwhile, Joel Rosenberg, a popular Christian novelist, commented that he is wary about making claims that these events are prophecies being fulfilled. He said that scripture from the Old and New Testaments must be taken seriously. For the last couple of years, Rosenberg has led trips of evangelical leaders to meet with leaders in the Middle East.

Rosenberg believes biblical texts like Ezekiel 38, which tells of a forthcoming war, means that Iran will side with Russia to attack Israel. He concluded that according to Jeremiah 49, which details the destruction of a nation, Gods judgment and blessing on Iran will follow.

Focus on the real problem

While biblical scholars rush to convince people that these events are signs of the Second Coming, they must be regarded as real threats.

Instead of panicking, do whatever you can to protect yourself against coronavirus.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you can prevent coronavirus by following the tips below:

Staying home when youre unwell.

Avoiding close contact with sick people.

Not touching your eyes, nose and mouth with dirty hands.

Covering your mouth with a tissue if you cough or sneeze and throw the tissue in the trash.

Regularly cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces with a cleaning spray or wipe.

Wearing a full face mask.

Washing your hands with soap and water thoroughly. Wash after using the bathroom, before eating and after coughing, blowing your nose or sneezing. If you dont have access to soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with 60 percent alcohol.

Dont panic and prepare. Learn about other preventive measures you can take against infections and diseases at Prevention.news.

Sources include:

Express.co.uk

CDC.gov

Brighteon.com
Actor-politician Tapas Paul's death has kicked up a political storm in West Bengal, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday blaming the Centre's "vendetta politics" for it and the BJP hitting back insisting "neglect and mistreatment" by the TMC caused his demise.

Paul, a two-term former TMC MP, died at the age of 61 in Mumbai on Tuesday after a heart attack.

The actor-turned-politician was an accused in the Rose Valley chit fund scam case and was in jail for over a year. He was the brand ambassador of the Rose Valley group.

Banerjee, while paying homage to Paul, alleged that another TMC leader Sultan Ahmed had also died of cardiac arrest as he was under stress after being named an accused in the Narada tapes scandal of 2016. Ahmed, a former Union minister, had died in 2017.

The wife of party MP Prasun Banerjee, too, died because of the Centre's "vengeful" politics, the TMC supremo claimed. Prasun Banerjee's name had also cropped up in the Narada tapes scandal and was subjected to interrogation by both the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI.

Narada scandal was a sting operation in which several top TMC leaders were purportedly shown on video accepting bribes for extending favours.

"Tapas Paul was under tremendous pressure from central agencies and was a victim of the Centre's vendetta politics," she told reporters at Rabindra Sadan where Paul's mortal remains were kept for people to pay homage.

Sharply reacting to Banerjee's comments, Union minister Babul Supriyo said, "She has little or no respect for Tapas Paul. He never got due respect in Trinamool Congress. TMC is a party mired in corruption."



Lauding Paul as one of the finest actors of Bengali cinema, BJP state vice president Jaiprakash Majumdar claimed the TMC had "neglected" Paul after his arrest.

"We have seen how Mamata Banerjee sat on a dharna to stop CBI interrogation of Rajeev Kumar (an ex-Kolkata police chief in a chit fund case). But the same Banerjee didn't keep in touch with Paul after his arrest.

"It was due to the TMC and Banerjee's neglect and mistreatment that Paul became depressed and his health deteriorated," he alleged.

Banerjee praised Paul for his work in films such as "Dadar Kirti" and "Saheb" and said actors and celebrities often got associated with several organisations as brand ambassadors.

"But is this a fault for which he (Paul) had to spend more than one year in jail? Is this right? The vendetta politics of the central government is condemnable. No one is spared. I have seen three deaths before my eyes because of it," she said.

The law must take its own course, she said, adding "whisper campaign and humiliation" must stop.

"I can't even bear to look at Tapas Paul (his body)... I didn't even see Sultan's face before his last rites were performed," Banerjee said.

"Tapas Paul's death has proved how agencies can destroy a person mentally. He was devastated. He was tortured. He probably never realized his crime. He was a number one film star and he was jailed for 13 months for committing no wrong," she said.

She said the same was the case with film producer Shrikant Mohta who was in jail for a long time.

The CBI had in January last year arrested Mohta, a renowned Bengali film producer, in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund case.

Congress MP Pradip Bhattacharya described Banerjee's comments as a "perverted way" of using the occasion of a dead person's last journey "to score political brownie points".

CPI(M) legislative party leader Sujan Chakraborty, too, wondered what made Banerjee so sympathetic towards Paul whom the party "neglected" after his arrest.

Paul's mortal remains were consigned to flames at Keoratala burning ghat with full state honours in the afternoon.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hong Kong: Gov't responds to protest

In response to a demonstration organised by the Union for New Civil Servants today, the Government said civil servants have strict responsibility to follow its policies to combat the novel coronavirus.

It also said civil servants have a responsibility to work in concert with other sectors to counter the virus.

The top priority of the Government is to combat the virus with all its means and various policy initiatives have been put in place to step up anti-epidemic measures across the city, the Government said in a statement.

The organisation of the demonstration at this critical moment is irresponsible and contrary to the Government's important guidelines on reducing social contact in the fight against the virus, it added.

Regarding the special work arrangement for government employees, the Civil Service Bureau stated clearly in its reply last week that bureaus and departments will make appropriate manpower arrangements and take adequate protective measures according to their operational needs.

The union also alleged that Polices protective equipment is better than that of frontline medical staff.

In response, the bureau said the distribution of protective gear is based on the risks involved in the duties assigned. To allay public concerns and misunderstanding, the Government has repeatedly explained the standard of Police's protective gear and the criteria for distributing anti-epidemic protective equipment.

The statement said it is very disappointing the union appears to have not only ignored the Civil Service Bureau's reply and the Governments repeated responses but has also organised the demonstration on the pretext of the discontent over the special work arrangement and the criteria for allocating government resources.

The Government deeply regrets such an attempt to divide and create conflict among civil servants and to undermine the morale of the civil service. Moreover, the shouting of slogans by some of the demonstrators in support of Hong Kong independence is totally unacceptable.

At this critical moment, when Hong Kong is combating the virus, the Government hopes the union will adopt a positive attitude and work with the entire civil service to fight against the disease together.

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Gandhinagar, Feb 19 : For the first time, animal culture - the learning of non-human species through socially transmitted behaviour - is being linked to conservation action, biologists said on Wednesday.

The Convention on the Conservation on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) has been spearheading efforts to use scientific knowledge on animal culture, to better protect endangered wildlife.

Two such proposals were presented to delegates meeting this week in Gandhinagar to consider conservation measures for the eastern tropical pacific sperm whale and the nut-cracking chimpanzee.

There is evidence that whales, dolphins, elephants and primates acquire some of their knowledge and skills through social learning.

In addition to individual learning, some animals may learn socially from adults or peers about various behaviours, including optimal migration routes.

The concerted action of the sperm whale recognizes the complex social structure within four subspecies. They differ little from each other in their nuclear DNA, but their vocalizations vary considerably, and these can only be acquired through social interaction and learning.

Collecting data through acoustic and photographic records can help conservationists fully understand the social structure of all subspecies. The proposed conservation measures call for research and transboundary information exchange to close knowledge gaps.

The initiative for the nut-cracking chimpanzees highlights the species' unique technological culture. The species can crack open different types of nut by using stones and pieces of wood as a hammer and anvil.

Despite nuts, stones and wood being commonly available, nut-cracking skills occur only in the most westerly parts of this subspecies' range spanning Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Co'te d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), and not in other populations across Africa.

Scientists say this cultural capacity enables these chimpanzees to survive dry seasons in their western habitats.

Such behaviour could enhance survival prospects of chimpanzees in areas showing climate induced changes to vegetation.

Human activities that disrupt the social fabric of culturally developed species can have severe impacts. Once a species has vanished from an area, critical knowledge can also be lost.

For example, the southern right whales' knowledge of migration routes around New Zealand's coastline was lost to the species as a result of commercial whaling in the 1800s.

Nowadays, a handful of whales, however have again started to calve around New Zealand.

Recent evidence of genetic mixing among these whales suggests that the species may recolonize forgotten migration destinations once the population recovers from the impact of whaling.

Protecting cultural knowledge among peers and across generations may be vital for the survival and successful reproduction of certain species.

Supporting individuals that act as "repositories" of social knowledge such as elephant matriarchs, or groups of knowledgeable elders, may be just as important as conserving critical habitat.

Understanding how sperm whales pass on valuable information to their offspring or why some groups of chimpanzees have a culture of cracking nutritious nuts with stone tools while others do not, can be key to evaluating conservation challenges for such species.

Scientific research has made significant progress in animal culture. However, it is necessary to develop findings and recommendations that show how this complex issue can be further considered in conservation efforts under CMS.

CMS is the only United Nations treaty that addresses migratory species and their habitats.

Delegates at the ongoing 13th meeting of the CMS COP13, which India is hosting for the first time, will also consider the need for guidance and implementation tools to mitigate the impacts of linear infrastructure on migratory species.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Tamilla Mammadova  Trend:

The Georgian delegation, led by Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Natia Turnava, left for Minsk for the sixth meeting of the Georgian-Belarusian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, to be held on February 19, 2020, Trend reports citing Georgian media.

The commission has been operating since July 2010. The last meeting of the commission was held in Tbilisi on March 21, 2019.

As reported, at a meeting of the commission in Minsk, the parties will discuss deepening cooperation in the field of trade, agriculture, transport, tourism, education, information technology and innovation.

Within the visit, Turnava will meet with Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas, as well as with other Belarusian high-rank officials.

An agreement on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Belarus and Georgia was signed and entered into force on January 6, 1994.

In April 2015, the first official visit of the President of the Republic of Belarus to Georgia took place, during which 16 legal documents were signed on the main issues of developing bilateral cooperation.

The legal framework for cooperation with Georgia consists of more than 60 documents, including two interstate, 15 intergovernmental and 18 interdepartmental agreements.

For Georgia, Belarus is one major trading partners. The trade turnover between the countries in 2019 amounted to $154.6 million.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356
New Delhi [India], Feb 19 (ANI): The Jaipur airport will be available as an alternative to the Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport during US President Donald Trump's highly anticipated visit to India, Jaipur airport officials said.

After the Ahmedabad event, Trump is scheduled to visit the capital with his official delegation. The Jaipur airport will be available as a back up for the dignitaries in case of any unanticipated event.

"On Monday officials from the US embassy in Delhi visited the Jaipur airport for the necessary arrangements, as we know Jaipur is an alternate airport for Delhi. Basically in the situation of bad weather and emergency situation, Jaipur is the nearest airport," the official told ANI.

President Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump will be visiting India on February 24 and 25.

On his first day, he will visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat and take part in a roadshow with Prime Minister Modi. He will also address the Indian crowd at the "Namaste Trump" event in Ahmedabad.

"The Jaipur airport is fully equipped to handle VVIP flights," Jaideep Singh Balhara, Airport Director, Jaipur International Airport, told ANI.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Donald Trump: Reuters

Donald Trump reportedly advised conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh not to apologise to Democratic 2020 contender Pete Buttigieg after saying America is not ready for a gay president kissing his husband on the world stage, prompting the candidate to mock Trump over his affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.

The president is touring the western swing states of Nevada, California and Arizona this week with one eye on November but caused offence to the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco overnight by suggesting both are suffering from widespread drug addiction and homelessness.

Trump is meanwhile also facing criticism for pardoning 11 white collar criminals  including ex-Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, whom he once fired from The Celebrity Apprentice over a Harry Potter controversy  a decision that provoked fresh concern about the president exceeding the powers of his office and moved former acting solicitor general Neal Katyal to reassure the public: The law will find a way to catch up with him.

Meanwhile, sparring between Mike Bloomberg and the leading Democratic candidates erupted hours before Wednesday night's debate, previewing what's expected to be a tense night as the billionaire businessman meets his rivals onstage for the first time.

Both Bernie Sanders' and Joe Biden's campaigns took aim at Mr Bloomberg, the former raising questions about the 78-year-old's health and the latter pointing out reversals in Mr Bloomberg's stances on key issues.

The attacks underscore how seriously Democrats are taking the former New York mayor's campaign, now that he's rocketed to double-digit support in national polls and qualified for the next two debates.

Mr Bloomberg, who formally registered as a Democrat in 2018, has faced relatively little national scrutiny in his surprisingly swift rise from nonpartisan megadonor to top-tier presidential contender.

On CNN Wednesday morning, Mr Sanders' national press secretary Briahna Joy Gray tried to rebut questions surrounding the Vermont senator's health by pointing to Mr Bloomberg, who she said had also "suffered heart attacks in the past".

Mr Sanders suffered a heart attack last fall and released letters from doctors attesting to his health. But Mr Bloomberg has never suffered a heart attack; he released a doctors' letter last year that said he did undergo coronary stent surgery in 2000.

Ms Gray later walked back her statement, saying on Twitter that she "misspoke" about Mr Bloomberg's health.

Separately, the Biden campaign took on Mr Bloomberg over ads the former mayor is running that feature shots of him working closely with former President Barack Obama.

The Biden campaign posted a video to Twitter highlighting past comments Mr Bloomberg made criticising Mr Obama on health care and climate change and accusing him of failing to address racism during his term. The video also includes a clip of Mr Bloomberg declaring "I'm a friend of Donald Trump's, he's a New York icon."

Additional reporting by Associated Press. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load

Read more

Trump attacks decline of San Francisco and LA
China has appointed an official who spearheaded the removal of hundreds of crosses from churches to a key position overseeing affairs in Hong Kong and Macau.

Xia Baolong, vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, oversaw the campaign against the churches in Zhejiang, a province in eastern China.

He is close to Chinese president Xi Jinping, having been his deputy when Xi was party secretary in Zhejiang.

During Xia's campaign against the churches, some 1,000 crosses were removed from churches, according to the South China Morning Post. Some churches were demolished completely.

"A lot of people celebrated when he left Zhejiang three years ago," political analyst Wen Kejian told the newspaper.

An unnamed pastor told International Christian Concern he was concerned for Hong Kong churches following the appointment of Xia.

"This shift is not a good situation. It is possible that Xia will oppress the churches in Hong Kong," the pastor said.

Christians in Hong Kong have long been concerned about their future under China but these fears escalated after the introduction of an extradition bill last year that would have made it possible for the special administrative region's citizens to be sent to mainalnd China for trial.

The bill sparked large-scale protests across the city despite its withdrawal from legislative business. The protests have continued, although the outbreak of the coronavirus has dented attendance in recent weeks.

Ying Fuk-tsang, head of the Chinese University of Hong Kong's divinity school, told the Hong Kong Christian Times that with the arrival of Xia, religious freedom stands to be affected.

"The appointment of Xia can be seen as Beijing's adjustment towards Hong Kong/Macau policy, 'it will only be tighter'. [...] When the overall environment is tightening, as an indispensable part of civil liberties, religious freedom would also be affected as a result," he said.
Four caught smuggling 200 laptops from US

Laptops smuggled via Tan Son Nhat Airport are held at a police station in Saigon, February 17, 2020. Photo courtesy of HCMC Police.

Saigon police arrested four culprits smuggling over 200 laptops and three used iPhones from the U.S. via Tan Son Nhat Airport.

The detained suspects are Vietnamese American Bui Huu Loc, 48, two Vietnamese men Phan Tan Phat, 38, and Nguyen Huu Cuong, 48, Vietnamese woman Huynh Thi Bich Thuan, 36, police confirmed Wednesday.

On Monday, police spotted the group acting suspiciously after claiming 12 pieces of luggage on arrival at the airport.

On checking, police found over 200 laptops and three used iPhones worth around VND2 billion ($86,047) hidden in the luggage, all without valid documentation.

Loc confessed he bought laptops and iPhones in the U.S. and transported them to Vietnam for resale to earn money.

Arriving at the airport, Loc called Thuan and Cuong to fetch the haul. Cuong had Phat come help transport the luggage.

Police are expanding their investigation.

Vietnam bans the import of used laptops and cell phones.

People are allowed to carry one laptop or cell phone into the country. The second needs to be declared at customs and is subject to duty if its value exceeds VND10 million ($430).
Former Shade coach Fyfe taking over Central Cambria football

Former Shade football coach Don Fyfe was announced as the new Central Cambria head coach on Monday.
Shree Ramjanmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the trust mandated by the Central government to look after the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, will hold its first meeting on Wednesday evening here.

Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (Home), Awanish Kumar Awasthi. will be present at the meeting. He will leave from Lucknow for New Delhi at 3 pm.

During its first meeting, the Trust is set to finalise the "muhurat" for beginning construction and transparent mode for collection of funds apart from discussing the future course of action.As per sources, the trust is expected to broadly finalise the timeline for the construction schedule of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple. The members would also be discussing the way in which funds need to be generated for it.The members of the trust would debate on how donations for the construction of temple should be collected through common people, with the focus being on keeping the process transparent and controversy-free, sources said.

The Ramjanmabhoomi trust was formed last month by the Central government after the Supreme Court of India directive regarding it on November 9 last year.Construction of a grand Ram temple at the Ayodhya Janmabhoomi site has been a promise of the Bharatiya Janata party ever since its inception and has been highlighted in each of its electoral manifestos.The election for the post of various office bearers of the trust is also likely to take place today.The trust notified by the government has its office in Greater Kailash which is also the address of advocate K Parasaran, who had represented Ram Lalla in the decades-old dispute. The 15-members trust has religious as well as civilians members as part of it apart from bureaucrats.

These are Jagatguru Swami Vasudevanand, Jagatguru Swami Vishwas Prasannatheerth from Udupi, Swami Govinddev Giri and Yugpurush Parmanand apart from one Dalit member Kameshwar Chaupal, Dr. Anil Mishra, a homeopathic doctor and Vimlendu Mohan Pratap Mishra who is a descendant of Ayodhya Royal family. Mahant Dhirendra Das of Nirmohi akhara too has got a place in the trust.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Besides, the North Atlantic alliance urges Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine

NATO expressed concern about the escalation of the conflict in Donbas and urged Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine as NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu stated.

We are concerned about the escalation of violence from the side of the Russia-backed separatists in the east of Ukraine. It disrupts the Minsk Agreements and efforts on peace settlement of the conflict. NATO fully supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, Lungescu said.

Besides, she noted that NATO still urges Russia to withdraw its forces and assume real forces on the fulfillment of the Minsk Agreements.

On February 18, about 5:00 a.m. the militants started the attacks of Ukrainian strongholds in Donbas near Zolote, Novotoshkivske, Orikhove, and Krymske.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called the February 18 attacks an attempt to thwart the peace process in Donbas and declared his intention to respond decisively to such aggression.

The Office of Prosecutor General of Ukraine started a criminal investigation due to the fact that Russian mercenaries landed attacks on Ukrainian military emplacements in Donbas.






New Delhi, Feb 19 : With several industries in China on a standstill due to coronavirus outbreak, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said that the revenue of Indian companies operating in China are likely to fall by 15-20 per cent in the first two quarters of 2020 and may revive only in the third quarter.

An assessment report by the industry body said that extended holidays have reduced productivity which has a direct impact on revenues and growth. Businesses have been closed since January 24, 2020 and are expected to resume operations only by February 20, which is not certain, it added.

"Overall, companies foresee a dip in revenue by 15-20% in Q1 and Q2 over previous year. It is expected that businesses will get normalised only by Q3," it said.

As per the report, the companies are yet incur the fixed costs including wages, office rent, statutory overheads and interest especially for manufacturing companies despite nil operations.

Loss of revenue for months of February and March 2020 is expected to result in cash crunch as fixed costs need to be borne without any sales or only part sales, it said.

"Unexpected costs have gone up to cater to the safety and wellbeing of employees returning to work, like providing facemasks (3 times a day), office quarantine (3 times a day), transport for pickup/drop and hand sanitizers. In some cases, companies have had to procure laptops and arrange work from home or 14 days accommodation for people returning to the cities in lieu of the restrictions imposed by local communities on people coming from other cities." Titled 'Novel Coronavirus in China: An Impact Analysis', the report observed that input costs may be affected due to shortages in supply and cost of freight may also go up which will have a direct impact on companies' revenues and profitability in the short run.
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Glasgow, United Kingdom  In August 1998, voters from Nevis went to the polls to decide the constitutional future of their tiny Caribbean island.

As part of St Kitts and Nevis, a twin-island state sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, the sun-kissed territorys relationship with its larger neighbour had become ever more fractious, prompting a push for independence.

The 62 percent vote in favour of secession from St Kitts was resounding  but Nevis failed to become one of the worlds smallest independent nations after falling short of the two-thirds majority that was required for the referendum result to pass into law.

There was an element of frustration [for independence supporters], but going in we all knew what the constitutional requirement was, Mark Brantley, the premier of Nevis, told Al Jazeera.

It was a very high bar to be sure, but it was set that high to ensure that the overwhelming majority of the public wanted this initiative, rather than just a simple majority.

For British supporters of the European Union, securing a two-thirds threshold in the countrys 2016 Brexit referendum would have been the stuff of dreams. As it was, a simple 52-48 percent result in favour of the leave was enough to end the United Kingdoms nearly 50-year membership of the bloc.

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With the country effectively split down the middle, the UKs exit from the EU became a bitter and divisive issue in the three and half years that elapsed between the vote and the countrys official departure at the end of last month. And as British Eurosceptics became increasingly frustrated by the countrys failure to negotiate an EU-agreed framework to swiftly exit the union, pro-independence voices in Scotland  where 62 percent of voters opted to remain in the EU  ramped up calls for a second referendum on Scottish sovereignty.

Yet ongoing Brexit rancour and continuing calls for Scottish statehood  tested in a 2014 referendum which saw Scots reject independence from the British state by 55-45 percent  are but two constitutional wrangles that have made international headlines in recent years. And, as millions of pro-Europeans in the UK continue to lick their wounds, simmering questions of national sovereignty look likely to remain a noteworthy part of many political movements in nation-states worldwide.

But are binary referendums really the best way to address weighty constitutional matters such as independence? And are major constitutional shifts worth pursuing if the result will leave a people divided against itself?

All elections are divisive, as they are meant to resolve issues of political differences in the population, argues Simon Vallee, a 35-year-old self-declared Quebec nationalist, speaking from his home in the Canadian province.

Quebec, a predominantly French-speaking part of the Canadian state, remains a place of constitutional unease for many Canadians, despite the province voting twice against independence  once resoundingly in 1980, and the second time by a razor-thin margin of just 0.58 percent, 15 years later.

Vallee aspires to see his home province become an independent state, but says Canadas established democratic tradition remains crucial to healing divisions resulting from any independence victory in any future sovereignty poll.

Quebec [independence supporters] are able to live peacefully under the Canadian Federation despite their dislike of the current arrangement, he tells Al Jazeera. Because we accept that the rules of democracy havent favoured our option; I expect Canadian Federalists and patriots to display the same peaceful behaviour if we ever were to win by the rules of democracy.

Brexit followed a 52 percent Leave vote, in a referendum with a 72 percent turnout [Dylan Martinez/Reuters]

The notion that democracies are robust enough to deal with the discordant nature of referendums is a theme endorsed by Brantley of St Kitts and Nevis.

He contends the political structure of democracies  as a whole  leads to division; referendums are not divisive by their nature.

In the UK, you have the Conservative Party and Labour  theres a division there, states Brantley, who also doubles as the St Kitts and Nevis minister of foreign affairs and aviation. And in the US, you have the Democrats and the Republicans  thats also a division. I dont know if [referendums] lead to any peculiar division, it is [rather the] issue, and issues sometimes can be divisive.

Yet, what of the Nevis-style mechanism that would require a super-majority to endorse a referendum on issues such that of independence? Five years after the 1995 referendum in Quebec, the Canadian government ruled that an unspecified clear majority in any future sovereignty poll would be required for a province to secede from the Canadian Federation.

No longer would 50-percent-plus-one be deemed sufficient for far-reaching constitutional changes  in future, a stronger mandate would be required, wrote Canadian academic Gordon Bannerman in August 2019.

The strength of feeling surrounding the Brexit referendum has led to increasingly bitter divides throughout British society [Simon Dawson/Reuters]

In Britain, and following the deep schisms emanating from the 2016 Brexit vote, would settling any future Scottish independence referendum on the basis of a super-majority be a reasonable course of action for such a critical decision?

No, says pro-independence supporter and blogger James Kelly.

Its a complete non-runner, says Kelly, author of the Scot Goes Pop! blog. Now that we have the precedent of the UK leaving the EU on a simple majority vote, nobody would accept different rules for Scotland.

He adds: The cornerstone of democracy is that every vote is equal, and the unavoidable consequence of a super-majority rule is that Yes votes would be less equal than No votes.

James Mitchell, a professor at the University of Edinburghs school of social and political science, agrees.

He tells Al Jazeera that, in Britain, which also saw simple majority referendums endorse the creation of the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly in 1997, one sure way to increase bitterness and rancour would be to change the rules and impose a higher threshold that clearly favours one side over the other in a referendum in future.

Whatever the constitutional debate, and wherever in the world it takes place, aspirations for the perfect system of delivering change may remain out of reach. Yet, the necessity for successful movements of constitutional change to explicitly accommodate voters who rejected change is, say many, a worthy cause.

A narrow win for Scottish freedom, scraped together by stoking grievance and fomenting anger, edging support over the line in the artificial heat of a campaign, is no longer sufficient, wrote Scottish political commentator, Kenny Farquharson, after the UKs membership of the EU officially expired last month. It never was, if truth be told. A dirty win is not a win worth having.
Arlene Foster and Michelle ONeill will met President Trumps acting chief of staff in Belfast today.

The First Minister and Deputy First Minister will hold talks with Mick Mulvaney at Stormont.

He was in Dublin yesterday. After meeting Mrs Foster and Ms ONeill, he will fly to London where he is expected to urge the government to reverse its decision on Huawei.

The US administration is furious at the decision to involve the Chinese company in supplying 5G technology, over US concerns of a perceived security threat.

President Trumps acting chief of staff will also address the Oxford Union debating society during his two-day visit.

Meanwhile President Trump has gone on a clemency blitz, commuting the 14-year prison sentence of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and pardoning former NYPD commissioner Bernie Kerik.
The hookah tobacco market is poised to grow by USD 1.84 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 8% during the forecast period. Request free sample pages

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Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Hookah Tobacco Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Read the 120-page report with TOC on "Hookah Tobacco Market Analysis Report by Product (SHT, MHT and LHT), Application (FrHT, BevHT, CfHT and ScHT), Geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America and South America), and the Segment Forecasts, 2020-2024".

https://www.technavio.com/report/hookah-tobacco-market-industry-analysis

The market is driven by the increasing frequency of new flavor launches. In addition, the rising trend of online retailing is anticipated to boost the growth of the hookah tobacco market.

The growth of the global hookah tobacco market has been accelerating since the last decade due to the increasing launch of innovative products and new flavors. This has encouraged several vendors to launch innovative products and expand their customers across various regions. The market is witnessing the introduction of several hookah tobacco mixes with flavors such as blueberry, acai berry, goji berries, apricot, and pomegranate. Thus, the increasing launch of new flavors is expected to drive the market.

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Major Five Hookah Tobacco Companies:

Al Fakher Tobacco Trading

Al Fakher Tobacco Trading has business operations under various segments, such as standard range, golden range, special edition, non-tobacco, and accessories. The company offers a comprehensive range of light, mild, and strong hookah tobacco flavors.

Altria Group Inc.

Altria Group Inc. operates its business through various segments, including smokable products, smokeless products, and wine. The company offers hookah tobacco and other products under its premium brands, Copenhagen and Skoal. The company also offers products through its value brands, Red Seal and Husky.

ASA Produktions GmbH

ASA Produktions GmbH operates its business through various segments, such as glass manufacturing, metal production, product design and manufacturing, drink manufacturing, tobacco manufacturing, and e-liquid manufacturing. The company offers 5pipes Hookah Tobacco.

Fumari

Fumari has business operations under various segments, such as tobacco, coal, hookahs, parts, and gear. The company offers hookah tobacco and hookah parts.

Haze Tobacco LLC

Haze Tobacco LLC offers various shisha flavor products such as Baby Doll, Bananrama, Black Berry, Blazen Blue, and many more. The company also offers Haze Coconut Charcoal Cubes 72pc and Haze Coconut Charcoal.

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Hookah Tobacco Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024)

SHT

MHT

LHT

Hookah Tobacco Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024)

FrHT

BevHT

CfHT

ScHT

Hookah Tobacco Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024)

APAC

Europe

MEA

North America

South America

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report

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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.

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he planned to raise U.S. concerns about human rights during a visit to Saudi Arabia, in particular the case of a Saudi-American doctor facing trial there who was barred from leaving the kingdom and allegedly tortured.

Pompeo arrived with his wife Susan in Saudi Arabia Wednesday and is scheduled to remain there until Friday, before departing to Oman, a close U.S. ally that has ties with both Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Pompeo said that during his time in Saudi Arabia, he will speak with the kingdom's leadership about security issues, threats posed by Iran, the economic relationship between the two countries, and issues of human rights.

A day before Pompeo was scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia, two lead Congressmen in the House Foreign Affairs Committee wrote to Pompeo to urge him to raise the case of Fitaihi with Saudi government officials.

Fitaihi, a Boston-area physician, was detained in Saudi Arabia in November 2017 during an unprecedented anti-corruption crackdown initiated by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that targeted senior princes, ministers and businessmen.

Some 200 people were detained in the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh for weeks, and even months, and forced to sign over billions of dollars in assets to the government during the shakedown, which helped the young crown prince consolidate power.

Fitaihi was released from detention last summer, but he and seven members of his family, all of whom are U.S. citizens, have been barred from leaving Saudi Arabia while he stands trial, the congressmen said.

It is unclear what specific charges Fitaihi faces.

Democratic representative Eliot Engel of New York and Republican representative Michael McCaul of Texas said in their letter that Fitaihi was held without charge for almost two years.

Ahmed Fitaihi has told members of Congress that his father was beaten, electrocuted and subjected to other forms of torture and allowed little contact with his family during his detention.

Fitaihi returned to his native Saudi Arabia in 2006, where he helped found a hospital built by his family and became a popular motivational speaker on television.

Saudi Arabia has come under increased scrutiny for its alleged human rights abuses under the crown prince.

The prince's reputation was tarnished internationally after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. A critic of the crown prince, Khashoggi was living in exile and writing about the prince's crackdown on critics and activists when agents who worked for the Saudi prince killed and dismembered him inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

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When studying abroad, or simply traveling for an extended amount of time, finding an apartment to rent may offer a cheaper means of living, compared to staying in an expensive dorm or hotel room.

However, searching for the perfect apartment to rent can be an arduous and, often, confusing process, especially when searching so far from Rome. Here are some points to guide the search:

Free online services

Portaportese

Nestpick

Airbnb

Immobiliare.it

Portaportese is one of the best places to find a lead on an apartment. Here, all searches are Rome specific and can be customized by a variety of personal requirements. Specify the search by picking price ranges, locations and the number of needed rooms. When using this online service, some translating will be involved. The site is low-tech and is In an effort to conserve time and energy, Nestpick is a suburb option, when needing toacross a variety of free websites. On this website, potential tenants can find individual rooms within an apartment or find entire flats available for rent,. Searches can be filtered by the desired arrival dates. Also, the majority of pictures founded on the site were taken by real persons working with partnering firms. This is a great resource that assists in the avoidance of scams and ensures that a picture of the apartment matches its written description. Popular for students is the worldwide site Airbnb . On this website, leases are offered for long-term stays. However, these leases do not entail meeting typical Italian lease requirements, which are 18 month leases; three-year leases with two-year extensions; or four-year leases with a four-year extension. This option avoids breaking a lease with the landlord. However, if the lease needs to be broken, its recommended to notify the landlord three months in advance of the departure date. Immobiliare is a free online service that connects tenants with paid real estate agencies. These agencies will travel with clients, in their search for the perfect home in a desirable area at the perfect prices. Private real estate firms provide a truly personal experience, while taking every step with intending renters.

READ ALSO:

Paid services

Wanted in Rome

Since 1985, Wanted in Rome has offered an apartment and property search, in their Housing section. Listed properties can range from vacant rental accommodations inside of the city to properties available on the outskirts of town. Hunting renters can view advertisements for landlords searching for new tenants. These posted ads usually entail that an individual room is available in a shared apartment space. Properties that are available to buy are also listed under the housing tab. Again, these listed properties can be found in or out of town. For those visiting Rome on extended holidays, Wanted in Rome offers a register of holiday accommodations.

Immobilizare Zanni

Property International

One agency that can be found on immobiliare.it is Immobiliare Zanni Real Estate. Ran by an Italian-American couple, Marco Zanni and Bonnie Rose-Zanni, Zanni Real Estate is a great option for hopeful expatriates looking to leave their native country, in search for a new life. This firm is especially helpful for Americans looking to move to Rome. Originating from Alexandria, Virginia, the couple have been living abroad for more than 25 years. They pride themselves in being experts in relocation and the challenges involved. Immobiliare Zanni Real Estate can be contacted on WhatsApp and WeChat at, as well as through e-mail at info@immobiliarezanni.com Not in association with Immobiliare,is another great resource that connects clients with a variety of properties in different neighborhoods, at varying prices and with the desired space. Property international offers their services in several places. However, they offer services specific to living in Rome. Searches can be filtered by city, use (i.e. residential), rent or buy options, rooms, furniture and are of the city, as well as the maximum price the renter is willing to pay. Property International Rome supports clients in a variety of ways, from showing them the best international schools to assisting with taxes to translating. This agency sticks with their clients from day one to departure day by supporting new tenants, during the move in and move out processes and inventory checks.

Photo: Courtesy of the Grand House
ALLENDALE, MI -- A Michigan photographer, who documented the famous and captured the real and raw of reality, has gifted his entire collection to Grand Valley State University.

GVSU is still counting the collection of over 2,000 photos that includes a 1964 collection of Bob Dylan, photos at an autistic school in New York, scenes from New Yorks Financial District and a selection of photos from Italy. The collection comes from nationally published photographer Douglas R. Gilbert.

The collection is the largest donation the university has received.

Its a great example of how Douglas, as a photographer, was able to... capture these more intimate moments, said Nathan Kemler, interim director of Galleries and Collections at GVSU. Theres these moments of reflection and pause. Its something that you dont just go and take a photo of, its something youre waiting for.

Gilbert worked for Look Magazine, starting out as an intern and then moving to New York to be a photographer full time. In 1964, he had spent some time with the up-and-coming musician Bob Dylan and submitted a story to the magazine.

They looked at them and said, Too scruffy for a family magazine, Gilbert recalled his editors responses when he submitted the story idea in a meeting. I couldnt believe it... That almost caused me to resign right there.

I said, 'You just dont know what youre doing. Youre going to miss something big.

Within a year, the magazine published a story on Dylan using photos done in a studio, rather than the more personal, behind-the-scenes photos Gilbert had offered.

Look Magazine was just one stop in Gilberts six decades of photography work.

13 See photos from the Douglas R. Gilbert photography collection at GVSU

Gilbert was born in 1942 in Muskegon and raised in Holland. As an eighth-grader at a rural middle school, Gilbert was introduced to the shadow gram by a friend whose uncle worked for Kodak. Gilbert was instantly hooked and started to get into photography himself. By the following year, he had placed second in a national Kodak photography contest.

Gilbert continued to follow his passion as a freelance photographer, selling his photos of construction projects and community activities to The Grand Rapids Press, Holland Sentinel, and Detroit Free Press.

After studying at Michigan State University, 21-year-old Gilbert moved to New York City to work for Look Magazine and do freelance photography. It was there that he took photos that are now bigger collections on his website, including images of a school for mentally ill children, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Simon and Garfunkel, the NYC Financial District and scenes from Italy.

It was all new, Gilbert said, reflecting on how he had not seen much of the world before moving to New York City. I landed in New York and decided to conquer the place.

Not pictured in the galleries are photos Gilbert took of Vietnam War protests in New York and a Klan rally while Gilbert was covering the Civil Rights Movement. At the rally, Gilbert was traveling with Stokely Carmichael, who helped to start the Black Panther Party.

You dont realize it until later, Gilbert said. It has the immediate impact, which is enough, but to then have perspective on it from some years away, you wonder how you survived sometimes.

Those photos are now housed in a Smithsonian museum.

To capture the intimate moments he did, Gilbert said he primarily used a 50mm standard lens and 35mm wide angle lens, both which provide a closer view of a subject or scene.

It moves you into the action, Gilbert said. Getting in close, those lenses approximate almost your normal eyesight and... you dont see the camera, its just not there. Youre immediately confronted with the content.

At 77 years old and with 95 percent vision loss, Gilbert is no longer taking photos. He said parting with his collection was hard, but important.

Its like handing your last child out to the world to do what they can to make their way, Gilbert said with a laugh. He had been searching for a few years for an institution to house the collection and was pleased with GVSUs appreciation of not only photography, but art in general.

I have a lot of feelings about it, so it was sort of a match from the start I guess, and that feels good, Gilbert said. That makes me feel as if its found a home.

Losing his sight as a result of glaucoma has proven to be a struggle of its own, having spent his entire career capturing the things he saw.

Ive had to adjust, he said. And finding other things to do, I guess is what it amounts to.

Gilbert, who was also a professor of art and photography for 10 years at Wheaton College in Illinois, hopes students can form their own meanings out of his art.

I would hope that it can be described as multilayered, in terms of meaning, Gilbert said. Looking into the interactions between... the light and the objects within that particular photograph. What is that telling me, this interaction? Why did he do this? I think thats what Id like it to be. The answers come from that.

For students, Kemler said it is unique to be able to see the entire careers work of an artist.

They get a complete story of an artist, a complete human story, Kemler said. Its not often that they have a full and deep spectrum of the lifes work.

The full collection, including archives, slides and photos, is being digitized and can be found online at artgallery.gvsu.edu.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

Azerbaijan's Central Election Commission (CEC) has annulled the voting results from three precincts of the country's 47th Mingachevir city constituency, Trend reports with reference to the CEC.

CEC member Bakhsheysh Asgarov said that offenses at a number of polling stations of the Mingachevir constituency were indicated in an appeal to the CEC.

According to Asgarov, during the investigation on the matter, the CEC revealed facts that could affect the voting results and do not reflect the will of the voters. In view of this, the CEC member proposed to annul the election results from the 9th, 17th and 21st precincts of the constituency. The proposal was accepted as a result of the vote conducted at the CEC meeting on Feb. 19.

The CEC also annulled the voting results of two precincts of the 90th Aghdash constituency.

CEC member Gabil Orujov said that the CEC had received an appeal on offenses in the 6th and 7th precincts of the Aghdash constituency.

According to the CEC member, the commission, during the investigation on the matter, revealed facts that distorted the voting results. Gabil Orujov proposed to annul the voting results received from the 6th and 7th precincts of the Aghdash constituency. The proposal was accepted after voting.

The snap parliamentary elections were held in Azerbaijan on Feb. 9.
KIBBUTZ GIVAT BRENNER, Israel, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Equinom, Ltd., the leading seed breeding startup, announces it has closed its Series B round of funding of $10 million, led by BASF Venture Capital, Germany followed by Roquette, France; and Trendlines Group, Israel. Equinom's current investor, Tel Aviv-based Fortissimo Capital, also participated.

Equinom's non-GMO technology shapes the future of plant protein by designing smarter seeds via fast-track, technology-driven breeding methodology that harnesses natural genetic variation in plants. Leveraging an innovative business model, Equinom supports the entire supply chain and collaborates with top-tier food companies to bring products to consumers.

Smart seeds are more nutritious than traditional commercial varieties, featuring protein and oil contents among the highest in the market. Equinom introduces such high-value characteristics and organoleptic properties by combining advanced sensory technologies with high-throughput protein analysis systems.

Gil Shalev, CEO of Equinom, founded the company eight years ago with a drive to feed the world with nutritious, high protein food. He recognized the need to improve the food supply and make it more affordable, with a primary focus on the source of the challenge - seeds and legumes. Under his leadership, Equinom has been building a new 'ecosystem' that directly connects food companies to the supply chain, bringing greater transparency and paving the way for more responsible sourcing of high-value plant protein.

Today, Equinom is transforming the food industry, strategically breeding non-GMO seeds with higher nutritional profiles and increased crop yields. Equinom is the first company to design seeds exclusively for the food industry, enabling clients to choose specific varieties for their needs.

An example of the success of Equinom's mission is that in just five years, the company has become the preferred supplier for sesame seeds by generating mechanically harvestable varieties. These seed stocks are now being grown worldwide.

"We also plan to launch our high-protein pea variety in 2021," adds Shalev. "Equinom will continue working with plant-based food ingredients and food companies to help create tasty, 'cleaner' plant-based applications. We already have clients producing products with our smart grains, which provide higher quality, improved nutritional values, and lower production costs."

The recent $10 million investment represents market leaders' trust in Equinom's proprietary technology and its capabilities. The FoodTech startup gained increased awareness and leadership in providing solutions to the plant-based-food industry, spurring numerous international strategic collaborations.

"This investment round has been highly successful and combines financial investors as well as strategic investors, as well as VCs from multiple regions around the world," notes Shalev. "It will accelerate Equinom's expansion globally and allow us to build talent and infrastructure to better serve our clients locally. Already, we have enjoyed phenomenal sales growth across four continents in 2019."

Visit us at World Agri Tech (Innovation Summit) in San Francisco on March 17 -18.

For further information, please contact:

Company Contact: Press Contact Equinom NutriPR Mr. Itay Dana VP of Marketing Tel: +972-8-658-0585 Email: marketing@equi-nom.com www.equi-nom.com Ms. Liat Simha Tel: +972-9-974-2893 liat@nutripr.com www.nutripr.com Twitter: @LiatSimha

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1092333/Equinom_Raises_USD_10_Million.jpg
There is a simmering tension across Canada. For decades, we have witnessed First Nations and their allies come into conflict with corporate interests and governments over who has a say on what happens on reserve lands.

Such conflicts have led to solidarity actions, violence and police conflicts as nations, land defenders and corporations battle over control of who has the right to access natural resources. In the midst of this tension, First Nations continue to assert their rights and sovereignty as the original stewards of the land. It does not have to be this way.

There is national acknowledgment that tackling climate change and reducing our carbon emissions is both necessary and urgent. For the first time, environmental issues and climate action were top issues in the 2019 federal election. Youth in record numbers are marching globally to effect change and create a more secure future; while First Nations from coast-to-coast-to-coast have resolved to make climate change an urgent global priority.

On March 24 and 25, the Supreme Court of Canada will begin a significant and potentially transformational hearing in Ottawa, and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) will be present to address the court as an intervener.

On the surface, the case is about the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, the federal governments first attempt to impose a national carbon pricing scheme in Canada. First Nations are in agreement with dissenting provinces that it is a constitutional debate on nation-to-nation relationships and reconciliation.

Not only is it a federal responsibility to acknowledge the existence of First Nations laws; but federal and provincial governments do not understand the implications, or the unconstitutional intrusion of exclusive provincial legislative jurisdiction when they mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

AMC argues that the Supreme Court case exposes an outdated, inaccurate and destructive narrative about Canada yet poses an opportunity to address the reality that First Nations people and laws have always been here. These laws are grounded in mutual respect and the treaty relationship continues to govern First Nations relationships with the Creator, Mother Earth and all living beings.

The current political climate regarding the Wetsuweten Nation exemplifies the rights of all First Nations who live, assert and defend their sovereignty and land rights every day.

Recent lower court decisions have sent contradictory signals about the relationship between Euro-Canadian laws and First Nations laws, despite First Nations laws having been recognized by the Supreme Court. The lack of clarity has led to a patchwork of inconsistent decisions, and due to this void, First Nations people are impacted on a daily basis.

Our First Nations laws comprise Canadas first constitutional order, alongside French Civil Law and English Common Law. Nature is giving us signs that human beings are out-of-balance and First Nations laws provide clear guidance on climate change.

Again, this court case offers an opportunity for a fundamental paradigm shift in the relationship between First Nations and non-First Nations people, to usher in a more meaningful implementation of reconciliation, grounded in the spirit and intentions of Treaties.

Reconciliation, as outlined in the seminal Truth and Reconciliation Commissions Calls to Action, requires respect for First Nations laws as equal and distinct from Euro-Canadian laws and calls for recognition of First Nations as protectors of Mother Earth  as a living, sacred spirit. It requires a return to the intent of the treaty relationships on which Canada was built.

Now more than ever, we must work together, as the existential crisis of climate change is too complex for one treaty partner and one legal tradition. First Nations laws can no longer be excluded when the future of our children and health of our planet is at stake.

It is our sincere hope that the Supreme Court recognizes that First Nations laws can assist in alleviating the tension and restoring environmental and constitutional balance.
BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to strengthen practical cooperation with France in the health sector so as to jointly safeguard regional and global public health security, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.

In the phone call, Xi expressed gratitude and appreciation that Macron called again to extend sympathy and support to China at a critical moment in China's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, adding that it fully demonstrates the profound friendship between the two countries and the high level of the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, a people's war against the epidemic has been launched in China, featuring full mobilization, comprehensive arrangements and national solidarity, Xi said.

China, he added, will definitely win the battle as it has strong mobilization capability, great comprehensive strength, and experience in dealing with public health incidents.

Noting that China's various measures are achieving positive results, Xi said that on the basis of effective prevention and control, China supports and encourages all kinds of enterprises and institutions to resume work and production, so as to ensure sufficient supply for the society.

The epidemic's impact on China's economy will be temporary, Xi said, expressing confidence that with efforts, China will still be able to achieve this year's set goals for economic and social development.

A friend in need is a friend indeed, Xi said, stressing that China not only safeguards the lives and health of the Chinese people, but acts in a highly responsible manner for global public health security.

While China mainly relies on the strength of the Chinese people to fight against the epidemic, it is grateful for the help offered by the international community, he said.

China has always been open and transparent in its cooperation with other countries, including France, to deal with the epidemic, Xi said, adding that China stands ready to work with France to boost practical cooperation in the health sector and jointly safeguard regional and global public health security.

For his part, Macron once again expressed solidarity with the Chinese government and people in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, as well as appreciation for China's timely and effective measures and its high degree of openness and transparency.

Macron noted that France has provided a batch of medical supplies to China and stands ready to provide more assistance.

France respects the professional guidelines proposed by the World Health Organization in responding to the COVID-19 epidemic, and its response to the outbreak is generally objective, Macron said, adding the French Consulate General in Wuhan is still operating.

France is ready to work with China in the fight against the epidemic and take the joint battle as an opportunity to strengthen health cooperation, he said.
A former rugby league star, his wife and their three children have been killed in a horrific car fire in Australia.

Rowan Baxter, who played in the NRL for the New Zealand Warriors, and the children - aged six, four and three - were pronounced dead at the scene following the blaze in the Camp Hill area of Brisbane.

A woman, reported to be Mr Baxter's wife Hannah, 31, was said to have fled the burning vehicle saying "He's poured petrol on me".

She died hours later in hospital from her injuries, police said.

Police told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Mr Baxter had self-inflicted stab wounds and had got himself out of the car, but died on the footpath.

Emergency services were called to the scene on on Wednesday at about 8.30am local time (10.30pm Tuesday UK time) and Detective Inspector Mark Thompson said: "It's a horrific scene."

Rowan Baxter with his three children Laianah, Aaliyah and Trey / Rowan Baxter/Facebook

"It is very early in the investigation, but the vehicle was fully involved in fire upon police arriving."

Paramedics said they had also treated a passerby, who had "tried his best to get to the car".

He had suffered some "facial burning" and also been taken to hospital, a Queensland Ambulance spokesman told the ABC.

Mr Thompson confirmed the family in the car had lived locally.

Residents on the street told local media they had seen the woman jump out of the car while she was on fire.

She had yelled, "he's poured petrol on me", one witness told The Australian newspaper.

Police said their preliminary investigations indicated Mrs Baxter was driving the car and Mr Baxter, who played for the Warriors in 2005, was in the front passenger seat.

Mr Thompson said: "How the fire actually occurred has not been ascertained at the moment.

"For us to call it a murder-suicide or a tragic accident, it's inappropriate for us to try to do that.

"That's exactly what we're investigating, what exactly happened today."
Our first search of 2020 is kicking off and we need your help. Nominations are now open for Michigans Best Burger, and we are looking to you to help uncover the tastiest burgers across the state.

Our Michigans Best team of John Gonzalez and Amy Sherman have decided to personally dub this one The Great Burger Search of 2020, because it sounds pretty grand, and to differentiate it from the very first burger search that Gonzo undertook way back in 2013.

What makes a great burger? The quality of the beef, a perfect bun, and fresh toppings all combine to create a burger that just hits the spot. We want to find burgers that we cant stop thinking about, the ones that you go back for over and over again.

We are interested in places that have been serving tasty burgers for decades, using their tried and true recipe. Were also excited to try new restaurants that might be pushing the envelope with creative toppings and interesting tastes.

To send us your nominations, please email us directly. Let us know the name of the restaurant, what city its located in, and what makes their burger fantastic. You can find us at:

gonzo@mlive.com

asherma2@mlive.com

Well be accepting nominations until Saturday Feb. 22 at noon. Our voting polls, arranged by region, will go up on Monday Feb. 24. Youll then be able to vote through Friday Feb. 28 at noon. You can vote in multiple regional polls. In fact, if you wish, you can vote in all of them. We guarantee a visit to the poll winner in each region. After the polls close, well finalize our schedule, and will plan on visiting about 30 different places in order to taste and try Michigans best burgers.

Well start our visits around all of Michigan the first week of March, and after thousands of miles of travel, and most likely hundreds of burgers tried, well declare our top picks by the end of March.

We cant do Michigans Best without your expertise. Help us find our states most delicious burgers by nominating your favorites now. Remember, you must email us your nominations this time.

Special thanks to Michigans Best Burger search sponsor, the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Follow our new Michigans Best search on social media:

@mlivemibest on Twitter

@mlivemibest on Instagram

Also, be sure to follow our MI Best Facebook Page, which you can check out here.

Join in by using the hashtags #mibest and #ItriedMiBest

In addition:

Amy Sherman is on Twitter @amyonthetrail, as well as Facebook and Instagram @amyonthetrail.

John Gonzalez is on Twitter @michigangonzo, as well as Facebook and Instagram @MichiganGonzo.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 10:52:00|Editor: huaxia

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SYDNEY, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- A world-class research and development hub to test new technologies in the energy sector is in the works for Northern Australia, the Queensland State Government have announced on Wednesday.

Located in the Tropical city of Cairns, designs for the 6 million Australian (4 million U.S.) dollar facility are currently being drawn up according to local Member of State Parliament Michael Healy.

"This is the first large-scale facility of its kind in Queensland and will feature some of the most cutting-edge technology in the energy sector," he said.

"This will pave the way for new electricity solutions... It will also support many new jobs for the region, which will have a flow on effect for local businesses, schools and the economy."

Aiming to seamlessly integrate new technologies such as renewables into the national electricity network, Queensland Energy Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said the facility will also look at off-grid power alternatives for remote communities.

"The brains of the new facility is a super computer, or real-time digital simulator, which can simulate and model equipment and capture data in very high detail," he said.

"A wide range of energy solutions will be able to be tested before they are deployed, enabling renewable energy and energy storage to form a greater part of micro-grids and isolated systems for remote communities."

"We want to tap into technology that helps deliver affordable, reliable, sustainable and safe energy solutions to communities across Queensland, but we have to ensure it is the right fit first."

With the Sunshine State already one of the world's biggest users of solar energy per capita, researchers believe the Micro-grid and Isolated Systems Test facility could see Queensland as global leading in the energy distribution space.

"By enabling the integration of high levels of centralized and distributed renewables and energy storage, we can reduce costly diesel consumption in isolated communities," Principal Engineer of Technology Innovation at Queensland Energy Alan Louis explained.

"With a facility of this caliber, we can prepare customers, communities and our workforce for the future, support regional development and build on our relationships with local academic institutions."
The court reman-ded Parveen and Salim Penwala, a top police informer, to police custody till February 21.

Mumbai: The Mumbai police crime branch has invoked the MCOCA against a former aide of Dawood Ibrahim arrested in connection with an extortion case. The court Tuesday remanded Parveen and Salim Penwala alias Salim Maharaj, a top police informer, in police custody till February 21.

The police on Tuesday produced Parveen and Maharaj before special MCOCA court Judge D.S. Deshmukh, who remanded both persons to police custody till Friday.

The police sought remand of the duo saying that the provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act had been imposed and the probe agency needed to interrogate the accused further to find out the involvement of other persons in the crime, and how many other people had been targeted by them.

The crime branch of the Mumbai police arrested the duo in connection with an extortion case involving gangster Ejaz Lakdawala. According to the police, both of them helped gangster Lakdawala, who demanded money from the complainant.

The Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) arrested Lakdawala (50)  once a close aide of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim, and wanted in 25 cases in the metropolis  on January 8 from Patna in Bihar.

A Byculla-based builder gave an application to the police last year claiming that Lakdawala was demanding extortion money from him. Meanwhile, the police arrested Parveen and Maharaj in another case involving Lakdawala.

While seeking their custody, the police also informed the court that it was yet to arrest Lakdawala in this case. Although Parveens lawyer Bharat Tiwari opposed the plea seeking remand by contending that Parveen did not have any connection with Lakdawala.

He argued that the case in which Parveen had been arrested was of 2013 and his client was not part of any organised crime syndicate and hence, MCOCA could not be applied to the case.

However, after hearing the arguments, the Judge remanded them to police custody.
Nose Job Surgery in Bangalore

Nose Job Before After

PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-19 16:11:03

Press Information

New You Cosmetic Surgery Clinic

#220, 1st Main Road, Behind Bosch Back Gate, Someshwara Temple Rd, 7th Block, Koramangala, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560095



Dr Kishore Babu Pentyala

Director & Chief Surgeon For New You Cosmetic Surgery Clinic

+91-9901349691

email

http://www.nosejobindia.com





# 429 Words

#220, 1st Main Road, Behind Bosch Back Gate, Someshwara Temple Rd, 7th Block, Koramangala, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560095Director & Chief Surgeon For New You Cosmetic Surgery Clinic+91-9901349691

Rhinoplasty or nose job is a surgery that is performed to alter the shape, size, contour, or the overall appearance of the nose. Also known as cosmetic nose reshaping or nasal area surgery, this treatment can also be combined with a face lift surgery, an eye lid surgery (Blephoplasty), or a lower jaw surgery (Genioplasty) to achieve desired cosmetic results.Many celebrities opt for nose job surgery in Bangalore to improve their appearance. The surgery can decrease the period of the nose, modify the tip of the nose, or reduce the space between the nasal area and the higher lip, thereby enhancing the beauty of the nose. Nevertheless, a rhinoplasty can also be done to correct a birth defect, cure breathing problems, and patch up a nasal fracture that might have occurred due to an injury or an accident.People with deviated or depressed noses, humped noses, bulbous noses, too small noses, too big noses or nostrils can achieve best results through Rhinoplasty. Although the results might vary from one person to another based on the experience of the surgeon, the results are long-lasting and work well for men as well as women.Looking for a good cosmetic surgeon who has the relevant experience in Rhinoplasty is very important if one wants to enhance the aesthetic balance of the nose without facing any complications. This can eliminate the need for a Revision Rhinoplasty, saving the individual a lot of stress and money.Dr. Kishore Pentyala of New You Cosmetic Clinic is one of the most experienced surgeons when it comes to Rhinoplasty. He does a thorough assessment of the patient and clarifies all queries about the treatment, before carrying out the nose job surgery. He has achieved excellent results and instilled renewed confidence in many patients from India, as well as from countries like UK, USA, Canada, Australia, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, and Maldives.New You Cosmetic Clinic believes in providing world-class care and best cosmetic treatments in an affordable way. Apart from rhinoplasty, the clinic also offers other cosmetic treatments such as hair transplant, face lifts, brow lifts, eye lid surgery, neck lift surgery, and face and neck liposuction.Coupled with experienced surgeons and state-of-the-art facilities, New You Cosmetic Clinic is one of the best cosmetic clinics in Bangalore for nose job surgery. The friendly staff members of the clinic look into every aspect right from the time of consultation to surgery and beyond. They take all precautions to make sure every individual who walks into the clinic experiences the desired results in the best possible way.
The human mind works in the most amazing ways. It is so unpredictable in its wiring and synapses, we want nothing more than to credit it for all the good that our kind has experienced on the planet.

But I feel our minds tendency to poke around until our curious brain cells have been satisfied, is its greatest capability. Of course besides furnishing mind-boggling, truly-convincing but so-damn-unnerving conspiracy theories that will unsettle the nerd inside us.

With Coronavirus claiming its 2000+ victim recently, crazy conspiracy theories are pouring in thick and heavy, so lets dive right into the top 6 conspiracy theories around recent virus infection outbreaks around the world:

1. Novel Coronavirus

 Reuters

Social media was abuzz with recent posts on Twitter which claimed that the reason why Wuhan became the epicentre of the deadly epidemic is because this is a case of Chinese manufacturing of a bio-weapon gone wrong. It is also suggested that it was meant to target the rival powers of the world.



I told you all so. The #coronavirus is a #Wuhan-made #bioweapon that was either released intentionally or accidentally. Either way, this is a MAJOR SCANDAL. #China needs to be held accountable. https://t.co/WKLSHBUQMh   Cory Groshek  (@CoryGroshek) February 3, 2020

Alternatively, others have claimed that the outbreak was orchestrated by the United States to inhibit Chinas momentous growth and bring down its economy. But the most amazing of them all is the theory which suggests that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation planned the outbreak as a population control measure.



Bill Gates & World Economic Forum Ran Coronavirus Outbreak Simulation Just 6 Weeks Before the Real Outbreak https://t.co/BXcMSXCcKg Gates is an open proponent of Global Depopulation. #BioWeapon #norovirus #wuhan #BillGates pic.twitter.com/3uT6FezQm2  Norsu2  (@Norsu2) February 6, 2020





2. SARS

 Reuters

Back in 2003, when the SARS outbreak in China was at its peak, Russian scientist Sergei Kolesnikov claimed that SARS coronavirus was a mix of measles and mumps, and thus, the virus had to have been created in a lab. However, independent labs rejected the theory mixing two paramyxoviruses cannot create a coronavirus.



To add to the above claim, in the same year a Chinese lawyer and a volunteer in a 1998 Chinese-American medical cooperation program, named Tong Zeng claimed in his book titled The Last Defense Line: Concerns About the Loss of Chinese Genes that SARS could be a US-created bio-weapon meant to harm China.

Tong revealed how American research groups had secured close to 5000 samples of blood, DNA and specimens of mainland Chinese twins in the 1990s. He suggested that the samples which were sent to America were now being used as bio-weapons.

What really gave a boost to this claim was that the samples had been taken from all the 22 Chinese provinces which were hit by SARS in 2003.

3. AIDS

 Facebook

In a study conducted by Laura Bogart of RAND Corporation and Sheryl Thorburn of Oregon State University, it was found that most African Americans believed AIDS was created in the government laboratories to keep a check on the black population, and even though they knew of the cure, the poor were denied it.



In his book Behold a Pale Horse Milton William Cooper also suggested that AIDS was a product of a government-CIA conspiracy to limit the black, Hispanic, and homosexual population in the country. To this day, many believe that the CIA intentionally infected thousands of African Americans with AIDS under the guise of hepatitis vaccinations.

4. Ebola

 Reuters

The biggest conspiracy theory that gave health workers sleepless nights was the claim that the outbreak was propagated, and a big hoax. This even led to the murder of eight relief workers in Guinea which was a result of distrust between villagers and the government, who believed Ebola is nothing more than an invention of white people to kill black people.



An Al Jazeera report in 2014 also claimed that many Guineans say local and foreign healthcare workers [invented Ebola] as a means of luring Africans to clinics to harvest their blood and organs. The belief found a strong footing because Ebola victims were asked to be buried instead of doing it the traditional way.

5. Zika Virus

 Reuters

A survey conducted by the University of Pennsylvanias Annenberg Public Policy Center had found that a third of the US population believed that genetically modified mosquitoes caused the spread of Zika. It all started with a Reddit post Genetically modified mosquitoes released in Brazil in 2015 linked to the current Zika epidemic? which suggested that Oxitec, a British company that modifies mosquitoes might have created the epidemic because many cases of microcephaly had been reported from around Juazeiro in Brazil, where Oxitec introduced modified mosquitoes in 2012.



Additionally, other theories also implied at the participation of the Bill Gates Foundation as a cause since the Foundation had given away $19.7 million for a project to develop and test GM mosquitoes.

6. Swine Flu

 Reuters

Many conspiracy theorists and their supporters have come to believe that swine flu got to such a dangerous stage alarm because of the pressure from drug companies who wanted to make a profit from the outbreak of swine flu. Even the WHO was accused of being part of a worldwide conspiracy wherein they created a pandemic' that didn't really exist just in order to help the drug companies.


Phil Hogan - European Commissioner for Trade I firmly believe that these trade agreements will create the best platform for further engagement and constructive dialogue. To not ratify the deal would be a failure and leave the European Union with fewer options to pursue a reform agenda in Vietnam and would undermine the credibility of the EU as a reliable partner. Among members of the European Parliament, the free trade agreement and the investment protection agreement with Vietnam are the most ambitious ever concluded with a developing country. The agreements will further reinforce our already strong trade and investment ties. And, they will also provide an additional opportunity to strengthen the co-operation established under other EU instruments, for example on illegal logging or fishing. The agreements will strengthen our presence in Asia, following the new generation agreements. Tomas Tobe - European Parliament Committee on Development Free trade is one of the best tools to lift people out of poverty. History proves that with all clarity, but this agreement will ensure that Vietnam can go forward on an inclusive path. Also, with this FTA, we set a very high standard as a comprehensive agreement with a developing country. And as shared by the development committee, I am very pleased that this agreement has a dedicated chapter on sustainable development, which needs to be effectively implemented. I also welcome the timetable from Vietnam on when to ratify the outstanding core International Labour Organization conventions. Moreover, I urge both parties to make full use of the provisions of the agreements in order to contribute to strengthening human rights in Vietnam and towards the sustainable development goals. I also urge the commission to work with civil society to ensure growth in Vietnam will strengthen environmental protection and labour rights. The Committee on Development recommends to give our consent to this agreement. Ywert Visser - Board member, Dutch Business Association in Vietnam The ratification of the EVFTA and the EVIPA by the European Parliament marks a historic milestone in the relation between the European Union and Vietnam. The next step is the ratification by the European Council and Vietnams National Assembly. In the meantime, the Dutch Business Association in Vietnam (DBAV) is preparing for the moment the agreement enters into force. This is expected to be in the middle of this year. The EVFTA is a comprehensive agreement and it is therefore important that Vietnam is fully prepared for the agreement before its implementation. However, companies and consumers must also do their part. One of the keys to unlock the benefits of this agreement is for companies and consumers on both sides to be alert to the possibilities and requirements of the EVFTA. This is sometimes challenging, especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises. The DBAV will be an active participant in this process and our focus will be on sharing practical advice to companies to facilitate trade between the Netherlands and Vietnam and the EVFTA in particular. This new-generation FTA will deliver a rise in trade and investment while creating sustainable growth and mutual benefits in several sectors. In short, it will be an effective tool to improve trade relations between the EU and Vietnam. The DBAV will continue to encourage and support Dutch companies to enhance their investment to support Vietnams economic growth. Pamela Phua - General director AkzoNobel Paints Vietnam With the approval of the EVFTA and EVIPA, a new decade of sustainable foundation to improve quality in comprehensive co-operation has been opened. Among EU members, the Netherlands is the country with the largest investment in Vietnam and Dutch enterprises are hugely contributing to the sustainable development of the country. As the most notable company among that, AkzoNobel is quickly making progress to help turn Vietnams potential into a vivid and sustainable reality. Given that the accelerated urbanisation trend is coming along with complex environmental issues, Vietnam is finding new and suitable solutions. The company has developed a wide range of paint and coating products to meet customers needs. Advanced technologies that are in high esteem for their sustainable benefits are currently inherent to almost all brands in AkzoNobels portfolio. Besides that, the company is building a clear pathway to reach a sustainable future with a series of events and activities to promote smart cities, urban heritage preservation, and green architecture in Vietnam. Lynette Moey - Managing director, Bayer Vietnam The EVFTA will enhance broad relationships in many areas, resulting in the creation of jobs, transfer of know-how and expertise, and introduction of cutting-edge technologies as well as provision of many new goods and services to benefit consumers. The strong commitment to an open, fair, and rules-based trade will further widen export markets for Vietnam. The improved regulatory co-operation and coherence through the EVFTA will bring advantages to Vietnam towards international rule alignment. This not only helps Vietnam attract foreign investors but also bring advantages to its society. As we are a global company with roots in Germany with our key businesses in healthcare and agriculture and a presence in more than 90 countries worldwide, international trade is essential for our business. The companys business depends on a complex value chain with research and development (R&D) being conducted in many different places, geographically spread production, and largely nationalised regulatory environments. In agriculture, we are converting R&D into solutions for farmers that enhance productivity, create new value, and reduce the use of inputs necessary to produce a crop. Thanks to our leading positions across technology platforms including digital solutions, Bayer is best positioned to discover, combine and tailor solutions. With that, the company enables increased agricultural productivity and contributes to keeping Vietnams agriculture competitive in international markets. For the health care sector in Vietnam, there are opportunities to strengthen high-quality services through innovation and infrastructure investments. Bayer, together with the healthcare industry, is ready to join hands with the government to support such developments and share international practices to benefit the patient access to better quality of treatment in Vietnam. With its leading innovation, Bayer is ready to have further close co-operation and partnership with the government and relevant stakeholders to achieve the national action plans in the respective areas to ensure the effective implementation of the EVFTA agreements from now. Erick Contreras - Managing director, BASF Vietnam BASF, a global leading chemical company headquartered in Germany, has been active in Vietnam since 1994. Over the last 26 years, we have been proud to be part of the remarkable transformation of the Vietnamese economy into one of the fastest-growing in the region. The EVFTA was approved by the European Parliament last Wednesday, and we are very pleased with this important event. With more preferential customs duties, we will be able to offer our innovative solutions to many more local manufacturers, helping them better serve the export and local markets. Local consumers will have greater access to safe and quality goods made in Europe and vice versa, and that Vietnamese goods will be offered to many more European consumers. Last but not least, together, we can all contribute to the sustainable development of both Vietnam and the European Union. Hans Kersten - Head of Sales and Marketing DEEP C With another hurdle being cleared, it only takes the final vote in Vietnams National Assembly and ratification of the European Council before the historic EVFTA can come into force. The deal holds a special significance to DEEP C as it is a drive to attract more overseas companies to the country and encourage them to pour investment in the manufacturing sector. The EVFTA reflects that Vietnam is a trustworthy place for EU companies to manufacture, meaning we respect the labour law and we do not trade environmental health for economic growth. This is also important to DEEP C Industrial Zones because we are at the forefront of our efforts in sustainability to showcase that manufacturing and environment can coexist in harmony. On top of that, the EVFTA pledges the best import-export duties. In combination with the existing attractive investment incentives at DEEP C, it will give investors a financial advantage to participate in our endeavours. Joseph Perucca - General director at GIVI Vietnam As a European company that focuses on the global market, we welcome this challenging and important turn with enthusiasm. Looking at trade activities, the EU is currently among the top trading partners of Vietnam. We believe that important changes will be executed in the future regarding the Vietnamese manufacturing sector. At the same time, we hope that this will result in bilateral exchanges, allowing not only simplifications in processes but, more importantly, create advantages in export operations from Vietnam to Europe. Our vision for these two markets is that the possibility of real integration can really make a difference. A market reality that translates into optimistic approaches between the parties in a humanistic way, making quality products available at reasonable prices and competitive costs. I would like to emphasise a very important aspect of this agreement: the regulation of intellectual property rights. As a leading company in the sector, we deal with issues related to the protection of our images and products on a daily basis. We invest heavily in research and development and can clearly see that regulations on intellectual property can bring significant benefits, not only for companies but particularly for the end users of products or services. Oliver Brazier - Managing director, BRG Capital Investment Management We see this agreement as a very important milestone in the relationship between the EU and Vietnam and think that it will, especially in the long run, be very beneficial to both sides. In particular to Vietnam, as it allows the country more flexibility and to diversify its usual trade partners to export goods on favourable terms and receive investments. We expect that the demand for logistics, warehouses, and office space will further increase as this agreement is implemented and hope to welcome many more European investors as tenants to our projects in Vietnam. The country will further strengthen its position inside the ASEAN as a central and cost-effective hub for activities of European companies operating in the region. We hope that this agreement will also facilitate access to European investment and funding directed at the infrastructure sector, as this is an important element to actually being able to implement what the agreement promises. Alain Cany - Country chairman, Jardine Matheson I feel extremely relieved and excited with the favourable result of the vote of the European Parliament. This will be a win-win for the EU and Vietnam and the result of very hard work from both sides. I want to pay tribute to my successors at EuroCham, in particular Nicolas Audier and Jean-Jacques Boufflet who have been so active in Vietnam, alongside the government and the EU delegation to push for the final approval. I am sure their personal efforts have counted at the end. The last step is to ratify the agreement by the National Assembly in Vietnam, but this seems to be a mere formality. After almost 10 years of preparation, we can now benefit on the business side. Of course, the immediate elimination of customs duties and some non-tariff barriers will boost trade between the EU and Vietnam, and new investments from the EU will be encouraged by a better framework. In the long term, Vietnam should benefit more from the technology transfer from the EU to support its sustainable development. For full success, Vietnam needs to accelerate structural reforms and fulfill all its commitment on labour and human rights, but I feel confident this will happen. VIR
Highlights Samsung Galaxy A71 has been launched in India

The smartphone comes with a quad camera set-up

The phone comes powered by a Snapdragon 730 chipset

After launching the Galaxy A51 a few weeks ago, Samsung has now launched the Galaxy A71 in India. The phone maker today announced the Galaxy A71 as its newest A series phone that Samsung claims will complement the needs of consumers on-the-go.

The phone comes with a 64-megapixel quad camera and an Infinity-O display for improved viewing experience.

After the unprecedented success of Galaxy A51, we're happy to announce the all-new Galaxy A71 - a device that lets our consumers do more with their smartphones. With a stunning Infinity-O Display, awesome camera and best in class performance, Galaxy A71 is truly a testament of our relentless effort towards bringing awesome innovations to everyone. With its sleek design and unique Make for India Alive features', Galaxy A71 will redefine the way millennials use and flaunt their smartphones, said Aditya Babbar, Director, Mobile Business, Samsung India.

Samsung Galaxy A71 price

Samsung has announced that the Galaxy A71 will be available in Prism Crush Silver, Blue and Black colours starting from February 24 across retail stores, Samsung Opera House, Samsung e-shop and leading online portals. The phone will be available in a single variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. The price of the variant will be Rs 29,999.

Samsung Galaxy A71 specifications

The Galaxy A71 has been announced to come with a 6.7-inch Infinity-O Super AMOLED display.

Under the hood, the Galaxy A71 comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 Octa-Core chipset paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage. The smartphone also promises to enhance your gaming experience with improved frame rate and stability as well as reduced power consumption with the AI-powered Game Booster.

For cameras, the Galaxy A71 comes with a 64-megapixel lens with F1.8 aperture for low light photography. Sat next to this lens is a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens that promises a 123-degree field of view.

There's also a 5-megapixel macro camera and 5-megapixel depth camera in the module. The phone also supports slow-motion videos along with other interesting features.

The device is powered by a long-lasting 4,500mAh battery with 25W Super-Fast charging. For software, the phone will come with One UI 2 based on Android 10 and will also support a full version of Samsung Pay.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 12:53:12|Editor: huaxia

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GUIYANG, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- As more cities across China announced to resume business after the extended Spring Festival holiday, migrant workers began trickling back to factories, but millions are still on their way back to work amid the coronavirus outbreak.

On Tuesday, serveral cities in east China's Zhejiang Province, including Huzhou and Jiaxing, organized chartered airplanes to bring over 300 workers from the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan back to work, a move rarely seen before in the province.

Hangzhou, Zhejiang's capital city and home to a population of over 10 million, is welcoming back the influx of migrant workers meticulously. Nearly half of the mega city's population come from other regions in China.

A total of 300 migrant workers from Guizhou, a major labor exporter in southwest China, were the first to answer the city's call. Compared with other hard-stricken regions, the province is less affected by the virus.

The 300 workers took a bullet train to Hangzhou last weekend. The free ride was provided by Hangzhou as an exclusive commute service for returnees after the extended holiday.

Rather than the usual stereotype of an overcrowded journey, the quiet carriages saw many empty seats and everyone wore a mask.

To minimize the risk of infection, passengers of the train were advised not to sit together and not to move between carriages, said Wen Tao, an official with the Guiyang north railway station.

Before boarding, the workers, like all the other passengers, were required to undergo a temperature check and report any travel history to the hardest-hit Hubei Province, Wen said.

Specific measures have also been taken to meet the requirement of the destination, including filling in online questionnaires on physical conditions.

"Each carriage has an emergency kit for passengers with abnormal temperatures and all fever patients will be placed under quarantine at designated places," said Liu Juenan who oversaw the trip and trained the staff on how to deal with emergencies.

"We were all nervous about the coronavirus infection, but the conductors' thoughtful reminders throughout the journey helped relieve our stress," said a worker on the train.

The efforts to guarantee a safe return trip for workers mirrors how the country has been attempting to minimize anxieties and encourage companies to resume operation.

The volume of return trips made by migrant workers after the Spring Festival is expected to reach 300 million, among which 80 million trips have been made. And 120 million trips are expected by the end of February, according to a Sunday press conference held by China's Ministry of Transport.

Transport departments at all levels were urged to provide safe transportation for migrant workers to meet the labor demand of enterprises.

For those who are unemployed and struggle to maintain a stable paycheck, provinces including Guizhou and Sichuan have launched online recruitment platforms to offer short-term jobs for the local workforce that is now idle.

Meanwhile, more companies have moved to hire jon-hunters online to offset the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on employment.

Farmers in some provinces are encouraged to seek local opportunities with government subsidies and bonuses, as part of the efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
[February 19, 2020] Kin + Carta Launches 2020 Change Report: Trends, Technology and The World in Progress

CHICAGO, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Kin + Carta, the global consulting firm, launched its 2020 Change report: Trends, Technology and The World in Progress. The report covers nine themes across three categories: new opportunities, new tools, and advancing change. This year's themes include The Great Data Reckoning, which sheds light on the tipping point we've reached in the world when it comes to data overabundance, New Brand Battlegrounds, on how brands must recalibrate how they compete for engagement moving forward, and Put Up or Shut Up, which covers the mandate for all businesses in 2020: Show, don't tell what you believe in. "While everyone talks about the unprecedented rate of change in our world, we believe it's critical to look beyond the headlines to understand the tectonic forces driving those changes," said Dan Ptak, VP of Marketing at Kin + Carta. "More than mere trends or fads, we believe the nine themes of this year's report will impact business and humanity for years to come." Since 2016, Kin + Carta has put out an annual trends report identifying changes in the world and their impact on the enterprise ( The Report was previously published under the Solstice brand ). This year's report addresses the ways in which businesses will continue to harness these changes to create progress of their own, adapt to new customer expectations, leverage emerging technologies, and how leaders across industries are advancing their own transformation agendas.



Executives interested in learning more about the report will be able to attend one of the 2020 Trends Report Executives Briefings, taking place in March in Chicago, New York City and London. Sponsored by Google Cloud, the Chicago event will bring together over 100 cross-functional and cross-industry enterprise executives for TED-style talks, a panel discussion, and a networking happy hour. The 2020 Change Report: Trends, Technology and The World in Progress can be downloaded for free here: https://www.kinandcarta.com/en-us/global/2020trends/

For more information, please contact:

Julia Ansaldi: [email protected]

Kathy Berardi: [email protected] / 678.644.4122 About Kin + Carta

Kin + Carta exists to make the world work better. A global consulting firm built for the 2020s, Kin + Carta helps make the journey to becoming a digital business as profitable, tangible and sustainable as possible. By building digital twins to replace existing analog processes, designing and launching new digital products and services, and unlocking future innovation through modernization initiatives, Kin + Carta seamlessly integrates the strategic consulting, software engineering and marketing technology needed to help businesses Make It Happen. Headquartered in London and Chicago, Kin + Carta is a collaborative ecosystem of 1,600 strategists, engineers, and creatives across four continents. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kin--carta-launches-2020-change-report-trends-technology-and-the-world-in-progress-301007563.html SOURCE Kin + Carta

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FREMONT, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Our increasingly connected world brings enormous potential for social and economic growth. However, without sophisticated security solutions that address the diverse threats posed to connected devices and systems, this potential is at risk of getting squandered. To tackle this challenge, Innodisk has developed a security-optimized product range that fortifies security at the hardware, firmware, and software levels.

Demonstrating Cutting-edge Security Solutions

Innodisk is unveiling a security and performance-oriented suite of products from across its flash storage, embedded peripheral, and DRAM product lines. Among these, the brand new InnoAGE SSD -- a highly secure smart SSD that can be controlled even when its host device has broken down. Innodisk is also debuting its innovative AI accelerator card, which brings exceptional AI performance to security applications on the edge. Combined with Innodisk's high-performance DDR4-3200 DRAM and comprehensive software solutions, this product line demonstrates Innodisk's commitment to cutting-edge solutions optimized for the security industry.

Tackling Security Challenges in AIoT and Beyond

The explosive growth of Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things (AIoT) means that businesses deploy smart and connected devices in a diverse range of applications at an unprecedented scale. These complex cybersecurity environments require a multifaceted approach to data and system security that provides the best possible protection from edge to cloud. With Innodisk's innovative integrated security solutions, this challenge is faced head-on at both a hardware and software level -- providing excellent security even to the most complex cybersecurity systems.

Addressing Security Challenges with Embedded Security Solutions

Businesses interested in learning more about how to effectively address their cybersecurity challenges are invited to join Innodisk in booth 567 in the South Expo of the RSA Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on February 24 to 28.

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US President Donald Trump has complained that India has not treated his country "very well" on the trade front and indicated that a "very big" bilateral deal with New Delhi may not be signed before the American presidential election in November.

"Well, we can have a trade deal with India, but I'm really saving the big deal for later on," Trump, who is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25, told on Tuesday when asked whether he expects a trade deal with India before his trip.

"We're not treated very well by India," the US president complained.

Trump, forcefully pursuing his 'America first" policy, has previously described India as a "tariff king" for imposing "tremendously high" tariffs on American products.

"We're doing a very big trade deal with India. We'll have it. I don't know if it'll be done before the election (in November), but we'll have a very big deal with India," he said during an interaction with reporters at the Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.

The US and India could sign a "trade package" during Trump's maiden visit, according to media reports.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the point-person for trade negotiations with India, may not accompany Trump to India, sources said. However, officials have not ruled it out altogether.

Multiple rounds of talks have taken place between Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Lighthizer in the past few weeks over telephone.

India is demanding exemption from high duties imposed by the US on certain steel and aluminium products, resumption of export benefits to certain domestic products under their Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), greater market access for its products from sectors including agriculture, automobile, auto components and engineering.

On the other hand, the US wants greater market access for its farm and manufacturing products, dairy items and medical devices, and cut on import duties on some ICT products. The US has also raised concerns over high trade deficit with India which was USD 16.9 billion in 2018-19.

Though President Trump is not happy with the bilateral trade ties, he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he is looking forward to his visit to India.

"I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot," Trump said.

"He (Modi) told me we'll have seven million people between the airport and the event. And the stadium, I understand, is sort of semi under construction, but it's going to be the largest stadium in the world. So it's going to be very exciting... I hope you all enjoy it," he told reporters.

Trump was referring to a scheduled joint public rally with Modi at the newly-built Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad, capital of Gujarat.

Meanwhile, the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) in a report said the latest quarterly data depict continuation of overall positive bilateral trade trends. The third quarter data reflects some downslide in growth rates.

"It may be due to several reasons, including the unexpected economic slowdown in India's economic growth, impact of US-China trade war, GSP withdrawal from the US side and retaliatory tariffs on specific US goods from the Indian side," it said.

According to the report, the data available for the first three quarters of 2019 (January-September) pulled the overall growth rate in cumulative bilateral trade down to 4.5 per cent from 8.4 per cent registered for the first two quarters.

Goods and services trade performance in third quarter was dismal at -2.3 per cent, in contrast with the impressive 9.6 per cent growth witnessed for the first two quarters of the year; while trade in services was up two per cent goods trade dropped five per cent, the report said.

The cumulative US-India trade in goods and services (USD 110.9 billion) for the first three quarters of 2019 increased 4.5 per cent with US exports and imports growing at four percent and five per cent respectively.

The US exported USD 45.3 billion worth of goods and services to India in the first three quarters 2019, up 4 per cent from the corresponding period in the previous year; and the US imported USD 65.6 billion worth of goods and services from India, up five per cent from the previous year's USD 62.5 billion level for the same period, it said.

The USISPF has projected that the total bilateral trade can touch USD 238 billion by 2025 if the current 7.5 per cent average annual rate of growth sustains; however, higher growth rates can result in bilateral trade in the range of USD 283 billion and USD 327 billion.

The US remains the top trading partner for India in terms of trade in goods and services, followed by China. While the bilateral trade between US and India is approximately 62 per cent in goods and 38 per cent in services, the bilateral trade between India and China is dominated by goods.

India's trade with China grew 13 per cent in 2018, while India's goods trade with the US increased 18 per cent.

China had a huge trade surplus of USD 58 billion with India, indicating Beijing's strength in the Indian market, especially in sectors like electronics, machinery, organic chemicals and medical devices.

The US goods exports to India, in comparison, were mainly concentrated in mineral fuels, precious stones, and aircraft. The US faces tough competition with China in the Indian market in areas such as electronics, machinery, organic chemicals and medical devices.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South China Sea: Japan risks furious Chinese backlash as fishing row erupts

by Simon Osborne

February 19,2020 | Source: Express

Japan is stepping in to help Indonesia protect its South China Sea fishing grounds after a series of aggressive incursions by China.



Kazuhiko Shimizu, economic counselor at the Japanese Embassy in Indonesia, said the measures were being taken to promote its free and open Indo-Pacific strategy.



He said: Recently, Indonesia has suffered some losses due to illegal fishing.



China insists its fishermen are free to conduct activities in their traditional fishing ground, which partly overlaps with Indonesias exclusive economic zone around its Natuna island group.



Chinese fishermen have since December operated in the area escorted by boats from the Chinese coast guard.



Tensions in between Beijing and Jakarta soared around Christmas when Indonesias military tracked Chinese coastguard vessels and fishing boats in its waters and scrambled warships and fighter jets as it raised its combat alert status.



Officials reacted with anger when the Chinese fishing boats protected by coastguard warships forced their way into Indonesian territorial waters in the Natuna archipelago.



Chinas coastguard is military rather than civilian with its vessels fully crewed, operated and co-ordinated by the Peoples Liberation Army Navy.



Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the region to assert his nations sovereignty.



Six warships were deployed and fighter jets carried out overhead patrols to drive out the foreign vessels.



Jakarta summoned Chinas ambassador after the coastguard and fishing boats entered waters around the northern Natuna islands, where Indonesia has established an exclusive economic zone.



China has not claimed the Natuna islands themselves but insists it has nearby fishing rights within a self-proclaimed Nine-Dash Line that includes most of the energy-rich South China Sea - a claim disputed by some Southeast Asian countries and is not recognised internationally.



In 2017, Indonesia renamed the northern section of its Exclusive Economic Zone as the North Natuna Sea, as part of a push back against Chinas maritime territorial ambitions.

 2020 Express Newspapers.

Theme(s): Others.
Pierce County Sheriff(TACOMA, Wash.) -- A woman accused of posing as a baby photographer in a twisted plot to kidnap a mother's newborn daughter was arraigned Tuesday afternoon in a Tacoma, Washington, courtroom and ordered held on $150,000 bail by a judge who deemed her a threat to children.



Juliette Lelani Parker, who last year ran for mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado, is accused of showing up at the victim's home with her own teenage daughter earlier this month and drugging the victim with a tainted cupcake.



Parker, 38, abandoned her abduction attempt when the young mother became ill and asked the suspect and her daughter to leave, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case.



Parker, who also goes by several aliases, appeared in Pierce County Superior Court, where her attorney entered not guilty pleas to charges of second-degree attempted kidnapping and second-degree assault.



Before Parker was handcuffed and removed from the courtroom, prosecutor Fred Wist told Judge Craig Adams that Parker is a flight risk and that she has family in Colorado and in Texas.



Wist said "given the sophistication" of the crimes Parker is accused of, his office believes there is a chance "she is likely to commit a violent offense if she is allowed to remain" free.



Parker was initially arrested on Feb. 14 and released on $50,000 bail that was posted by her father, who lives in Texas.



The victim in the case, Elysia Miller, watched the brief hearing from the front row of the courtroom, where she sat with detectives who investigated the crime.



Following the hearing, Miller said she is terrified that Parker is going to get out of jail.



"Since this happened, I am terrified to be at my house. I don't go anywhere. I don't like being at home. I'm not sleeping. I'm not eating. I carry a machete, a knife and pepper spray at my house and in my car. I sleep with a knife under my pillow as a result of this," Miller said at a news conference.



She said seeing Parker in court, was "scary."



"I'm terrified she's going to get back out," Miller said. "This is my kids. This is my house. She violated that. She violated my safety, tried to kidnap my daughter. I'm terrified she could come back. Anything could happen. She could be successful next time and take her, take my other child. Anything is possible."



Prosecutors said the attempted kidnapping of Parker's infant occurred on Feb. 5 after Miller answered an ad Parker placed on Facebook, offering to take photos of newborn babies for free, saying she was attempting to build a portfolio.



Miller said that after she answered the Facebook post in January, Parker made two visits to her home. On a third visit, Parker arrived with her 16-year-old daughter and offered Miller wine and cupcakes that Parker said she had baked.



"She offered me a glass of wine and they pressured me to try the cupcakes," Miller said on Tuesday. "As I ate one, my lips and face started to feel numb. I saw the photographer wiping down her wine glass and other items in my house. My legs and arms started to go numb and I repeatedly told the photographer and her daughter to leave my house."



She said that after Parker and her daughter left, she noticed her house keys were missing and that she started to vomit uncontrollably.



Miller called 911 and was taken to the hospital, where she told doctors what happened.



"They tested my blood and told me that my symptoms sounded like what someone would experience if they were exposed to GHB or the date-rape drug," Miller said.



She said that as soon as she left the hospital she contacted the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, which immediately launched an investigation.



Parker's daughter, whose name has not been released because she is a juvenile, was also taken into custody on charges of attempted kidnapping and assault, and is being detained at a juvenile facility, Wist said.



During the investigation, detectives came in contact with a man who had been involved in a dating relationship with Parker.



"Communications between the two establish that prior to Thanksgiving 2019, the defendant contacted the male and asked him if he could get GHB and talked about how they should get a kid from a homeless person and raise the child together in a nice house," according to the probable cause affidavit.



The affidavit alleges that Parker, who also has a 10-year-old son, told the man she had been dating that "she would marry him on the spot if he found her a baby girl in the next five weeks," according to the affidavit.



The same man told detectives he spoke to Parker's teenage daughter who allegedly told him that Parker "wants a baby girl more than anything, one that she can call her own," according to the affidavit.



The daughter also allegedly told the man "that she knows where they could get a baby and specifically referred to kidnapping," the affidavit states.



Parker's attorney, Ephraim Benjamin, scoffed at the charges and dismissed the prosecution's case as "a lot of smoke."



"She is maintaining her innocence and she intends to fight these charges to the best of her ability," said Benjamin, adding that Parker has received death threats since news of the case broke.



Benjamin asked Judge Adams to allow Parker to remain free on the original $50,000 bail and offered to have Parker wear an electronic monitoring device.



Benjamin argued that he had previously represented Parker in 2014 in a case in which she was charged with felony reckless burning in the second degree, and that Parker attended all her hearings. He said the case was eventually resolved when Parker was convicted of a misdemeanor.



Benjamin also told Adams that Parker suffers from bone cancer and is on medication. Wist, the prosecutor, immediately asked that Parker produce medical records proving her illness.



In the end, Adams rejected Benjamin's argument, ordering Parker to be remanded to the custody of the Pierce County Sheriff's Office immediately.



Adams said he had to weigh the "safety and security of small children" in the community if Parker was released.



"The allegations are such that that safety and security has been threatened significantly," Adams said. "As a consequence, the court cannot ignore that. I have to pay attention to that safety and security of those small children who are effectively defenseless."



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Goldman Sachs strategists expect earnings to narrowly beat estimates this year while margins come under increased pressure. Only the really big companies are likely to continue posting strong performance. For the coming year, Goldman analysts forecast S&P 500 EPS growth of 6% With that backdrop, lets take a look at the top stories for the day:



EU Rejects Facebooks Content Moderation Offer



Facebooks FB Zuckerberg met with EU regulators including competition chief and digital EVP Margrethe Vestager, internal market commissioner Thierry Breton and online disinformation policy lead Vera Jourova, while also releasing its white paper titled "Charting a way forward on online content regulation."



Facebooks rules essentially praise its own efforts, stress the importance of its own AI tools to fight disinformation and content moderation, while cautioning against overly strict regulation that could have unintended consequences, including the stifling of innovation.



At the meeting with EU officials, Zuckerberg said that Facebook was a platform somewhere in between a telecom and a content provider, so its regulation should be tighter than a telecom but looser than a content provider, or in other words, that it shouldnt be punished for harmful content or fake news as long as it had adequate systems and procedures in place to fight it. He also wants the flexibility to develop and test content moderation technology.



The EU isnt having it. Thierry Breton said, "I told him the comparison with telecoms is not relevant. A message [on Facebook] reaches hundreds of millions. On telcos you have one-on-one communications, and "It's [Facebook's plan] not enough. It's too slow, it's too low in terms of responsibility and regulation."



IRS and Facebook Meet in Court



The Internal Revenue Services (IRS) lawsuit against Facebook commenced Tuesday.



The lawsuit is based on the assumption that Facebook undervalued technology licensed to its Ireland unit, allowing it to book lower royalties from these assets, thus lowering its tax liability in the country. The IRS figures Facebook owed it $9 billion in back taxes.



Facebook contends that since the case relates to the position in 2010 when the company wasnt publicly traded, had less than a fifth of the users it has today and had no mobile revenue that generates billions today, there was no undervaluation. In fact, the company has suggested that the assets were overvalued and the IRS in fact owes it money.



Throughout Facebooks history, we have worked with the IRS and complied with all applicable tax laws, Facebook spokesperson Bertie Thomson said. Our business has had hits and misses but we stand behind the actions taken over a decade ago during a time of great risk and uncertainty for the company.



The practice of using low-tax jurisdictions to lower a companys overall tax burden isnt new and is widely used by technology and non-technology companies alike. However, if the IRS loses, it would embolden the companies using these tactics. And if the IRS wins, the precedent could impact a lot of share prices.



Israeli Court Orders Facebook



Last year, Facebook discovered that an Israeli surveillance company NSO Group was involved in extensive hacking operations on behalf of the Israeli government, breaking into at least 1,400 user phones, including those belonging to diplomats, political dissidents, journalists and senior government officials in 20 countries, including Mexico, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.



Following the discovery, the company blocked several accounts belonging to NSO employees, who then took the matter to court. The court has now ordered Facebook to unblock one account and NSO employees are optimistic that others will follow.



"NSO Group has conducted cyber-attacks against human rights activists, journalists, and diplomats. We will continue to take appropriate action to defend our users and we look forward to participating in open court to document how NSO threatens the safety and security of users and needs to be held accountable," Facebook says.



Amazon Counters Oracle Claim on JEDI



The fight for the JEDI contract is on. While achieving a legal stay on Microsofts MSFT execution of the contract, Amazon AMZN is countering Oracles ORCL claim that the bidding process wasnt completely clean because of relationships between Amazon employees and former Pentagon officials and violations of procurement law. The Pentagon eliminated Oracle and International Business Machines IBM from the competition in April 2019, and in July, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruled that there was no impact on the integrity of the acquisition process as claimed by Oracle.



The case specifically refers to Deap Ubhi who worked at AWS before joining the government and then, continued to work on the JEDI contract although he had already accepted employment at AWS in October 2017.



Amazon maintains that Oracles lawsuit is based on suspicion and innuendo and that it hadnt received any competitively useful information from the people mentioned. Government lawyers said there was no major input from the mentioned employees.



Google Cloud Chooses AMD Epyc



Alphabets GOOGL Google Cloud Platform (GCP) has rolled out cloud computing instances on Advanced Micro Devices AMD second-generation Epyc server CPUs codenamed Rome. Both Microsofts Azure and Amazons AWS already offer Epyc-based instances. The devices enable both general purpose and high-performance workloads. Its likely that these CPUs from AMD offer better performance benefits than offerings from Intel, which could help it gain market share. But it remains unclear whether there is a price-performance advantage as well.



Google Cloud Job Cuts



Google Cloud is reportedly looking to trim its workforce as it tries to play catchup to Microsoft and Amazon.



We recently communicated organizational changes to a handful of teams that will improve how we market, partner, and engage with customers in every industry around the globe, a company spokesperson said in a statement, per CNBC. We made the difficult, but necessary decision to notify a small number of employees that their roles will be eliminated.



CNBC expects the number to be less than 50 and Google hopes to absorb most of the workers elsewhere in the company.



Google Shuts Down Makani



A Google subsidiary working on wind energy, Makani was formed in 2006 to make flying kites to harness wind power and, eventually, replace more expensive turbines. Despite strong technical progress, the road to commercialization is longer and riskier than hoped, so from today Makanis time at Alphabet is coming to an end, Fort Felker, Makanis chief executive, wrote in a blog post. Falling prices of wind energy has made it difficult to deploy new technology, reducing the projects viability.



Spain on Google Tax



The Spanish parliament has approved a proposal to impose a 3% tax on online ads, on deals brokered on digital platforms and on sales of user data by technology companies with global annual revenue of more than 750 million euros ($811.05 million) and more than 3 million euros in Spain, according to budget minister Maria Jesus Montero.

Spain is essentially going the same way as other European countries like France and the UK have gone. These taxes are expected to go into effect by year-end, by which a more detailed internal law is expected to be framed. The problem has arisen because of OECDs delay in drawing a consensus among member nations on how to tax cross-border digital behemoths.



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(Newser)  Rod Blagojevich promised he'd have more to say about the president Wednesday, and true to his word, the former Illinois Democratic governor gushed about Donald Trump after the Republican president commuted his sentence for political corruption, speaking Wednesday at a press event outside his Chicago home that sounded like an extended campaign ad for the president. Blagojevich spoke in front of a large sign hanging off the landing of his home that read, Thanks Mr. President." One man in a crowd of more than 100 reporters and well-wishers wore a rubber Blagojevich mask and hoisted the former governor's 2006 campaign sign. The governor-turned-convicted felon even added an endorsement of Trump's bid for a second term, the AP reports. I'm a Trumpocrat, said Blagojevich, flanked by his wife and two daughters. If I had the ability to vote, I would vote for him.

story continues below

During the event in Chicago, the president fired off a tweet about Blagojevich, saying Blagojevich paid a big price for his convictions. Trump also alluded to Blagojevich's convictions for seeking to exchange an appointment to the US Senate seat vacated by then President-elect Barack Obama for campaign contributions. Rod Blagojevich did not sell the Senate seat, Trump tweeted. Prosecutors have said that they decided to arrest then-Gov. Blagojevich at his home on Dec. 9, 2008, so that could thwart his plan to sell the seat. Outside the same home Wednesday, Blagojevich repeatedly praised the president, describing him a criminal justice reformer and thanking Trump for setting him free; the 63-year-old left federal prison Tuesday. But he also, as he continually dabbed a handkerchief on a cut on his chin, explained to reporters, It's been a long time since I shaved with a normal razor.

(Read more Rod Blagojevich stories.)
Five-and-a-half years after the tragic death of his wife, Candida  daughter of national treasure and Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman  Rupert Lycett Green has been blessed with unexpected happiness.

At the age of 81, he is, I can disclose, about to marry again.

His bride is Julia Dawson, some 25 years his junior, who has two children by a previous marriage and lives close to Rupert and Candidas old home in South Oxfordshire, where Rupert still lives.

Its wonderful, a family friend tells me. It would certainly have Candidas blessing.

Rupert Lycett Green, 81, is set to marry Julia Dawson five-and-a-half years after the tragic death of his wife Candida (he is pictured left with author Jilly Cooper, The Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire and Andrew Parker Bowles in 2016)

Lycett Green, who is said to have partly inspired Jilly Coopers fictional hero Rupert Campbell-Black in her bonkbuster novel Riders, refrains from commenting.

But no one is more delighted for him than one of his oldest friends, interior designer Nicky Haslam, who has known him since their schooldays together at Eton.

I am absolutely thrilled for him, he tells me. Just goes to show that all the sport he has played for years has done wonders for him.

Were glad hes found someone as sparkling as Candida. Julia is very popular  all the neighbours love her. I havent met her yet but hope to next week as Rupert has invited me down for drinks.

Mr Lycett Green married Candida Betjeman on 25th May 1963 in Wantage, Berkshire. She died in 2014 aged 71 after a 15-year battle with cancer

Candida, a close chum of the Prince of Wales and the Beatles, and Rupert, whom she married in 1963, were at the throbbing heart of Sixties London.

David Hockney painted her portrait and Ossie Clark designed her dresses, while Rupert founded Blades, the most fashionable gentlemens outfitters of its day. Candidas biggest regret, she said, was not going the whole hog with Mick Jagger.

In homage to her wit, the couple, who went on to have a large and lively family of two daughters and three sons, became known as Tailor and Cutter.

Candida succumbed to cancer aged 71 after a 15-year battle, but not before sending a valedictory tweet to friends, urging them to sponsor her daughter, Imogen, and grandson, Ivo, on a bike ride to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer Action.

The Marquess of Bristol,aka Freddie, 40, and his American art consultant wife Meredith, 37, (pictured at their wedding in 2018) are expecting their first child next month

Love is in the heir for Lord Bristol

The Marquess of Bristol, scion of one of Britains most colourful aristocratic families, has secured his family dynasty and the possible future of his title.

For I can reveal that his wife, American art consultant Meredith Dunn, 37, is expecting their first child next month  two years after their wedding at Brompton Oratory.

Theyre really looking forward to becoming parents. Theyre so happy, Lord Bristols sister, Lady Victoria, tells me. Due to the law of primogeniture, the baby will inherit the family title only if its a boy. But it all hangs in the balance, as the prospective parents dont know the gender yet.

Lord Bristol, aka Freddie, 40, inherited the title in 1999 from his half-brother, John, who squandered 30 million on drugs and died aged 44.

Iris lays down the Law on dressing up

Theyre both celebrity offspring, but Iris Law  daughter of film star Jude Law and ex-model Sadie Frost  upstaged fellow model Kaia Gerber when she turned up to the LOVE Magazine party in London this week sporting a sheer 1,559 Mugler rainbow bodysuit and ruched skirt.

The 19-year-old Burberry Beauty campaign star, whose godmother is Kate Moss, says of her sartorial choices: I use my clothes to project how I want to feel that day. My parents were eccentric and free. I like to channel that feeling.

Beside her, 18-year-old Kaia, daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, looked positively demure in a 671 Alexander Wang black minidress.

Iris Law, 19, upstaged fellow model Kaia Gerber, 18, when she turned up to the LOVE Magazine party in London this week sporting a sheer 1,559 Mugler rainbow bodysuit and ruched skirt. Beside her Kaia looked positively demure in a 671 Alexander Wang black minidress

Chrysalis record company mogul Chris Wright, a Caribbean regular, is staggered that Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds were able to stay in a Mustique villa for 15,000 over New Year. Close to 50,000 would be a more accurate price, he says. Well done, Boriss pals, on getting a bargain.

Sir Derek Jacobi says his reputation as a sort of classical, posh, well-spoken, Shakespearean actor is misleading. Im a grown East London boy and Im as common as muck, he says.

Comic Ben Elton takes issue with the idea we are living in an era of peak TV. Were calling it the Golden Age of Television, but Im not sure. The one area that I feel is under-respected is the studio sitcom with a live audience, he told me at the opening night of his play Upstart Crow at the Gielgud Theatre.

Ive always worked with the style of Dads Army, Blackadder and Only Fools And Horses, which were made with a live audience. The laughter was not recorded, it was real laughs and now it feels television isnt as funny without it.

Imelda's marriage secret

Imelda Staunton says the secret behind her 37-year marriage to fellow actor Jim Carter is that they havent spent too much time apart from one another.

I think the most time weve spent away is five weeks, she tells me, because if youre lucky enough to work, and work away, you have to make decisions  do you want to be married or give more to the world? We decided we would like to be married.

Staunton, 64, who will play the Queen in the fifth series of The Crown, is happy that roles for older actresses have improved.

I do think things have got better for older actresses because, since weve had Judi [Dench] and Maggie [Smith], parts in general have got better for older women and men.

Becker ex's surprising soap role

Boris Beckers estranged wife Lilly has come out as a lesbian  in her debut acting role.

The 43-year-old Dutch model, who split from the Wimbledon champion in 2018 after nine years of marriage, reveals shes launching a career as an actress.

Last week, she was on the set of Bavarian TV soap Dahoam Is Dahoam (Home Is Home), in which she guest-starred as a lesbian friend of a main character. The episode will air in April.

It was an exciting day. I really enjoyed it, says the mother of one, admitting she had problems with the Bavarian dialect. I have to listen to everything three times before I understand it.
Groff is suing to be given his job back with accommodation, back pay and unspecified compensation for emotional distress

The mail carrier was eventually let go from his position, attorneys said

USPS forced him to work Sundays and disciplined him when he refused, he says

He alleges he had been working 'flexibly' because of his religious beliefs but the arrangement came to an end when USPS began Sunday deliveries

Groff is an Evangelical Christian who obverses Sunday as the Sabbath and avoids secular work on that day, the lawsuit

He claims the USPS violated his rights by forcing him to work Sundays

An Evangelical Christian is suing the US Postal Service (USPS) claiming he was fired because he refused to work Sunday shifts.

Gerald Groff, who worked as a mail carrier in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for seven years, claims the USPS violated his rights by forcing him to work Sundays.

Groff is an Evangelical Christian who obverses Sunday as the Sabbath and avoids secular work on that day, the lawsuit filed Friday states.

In the suit, Groff alleges that he had been working 'flexibly' because of his religious beliefs and would offer to pick up other shifts on evenings and Saturdays that his colleagues didn't want to work.

Gerald Groff, who worked as a mail carrier for USPS (above) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for seven years, claims his employer violated his rights by forcing him to work Sundays

However, this arrangement came to an end when USPS partnered with Amazon to provide Sunday deliveries, the suit states.

Groff claims that his employer began forcing him to work Sundays and when he refused on religious grounds, he was disciplined including two-week long suspensions from his job.

The mail carrier was eventually let go from his position, a statement from his attorneys said.

'In a free and respectful society, government should recognize those differences among us that make us great, rather than punishing those differences, particularly when those differences result from our sincerely held religious beliefs,' said one of Groff's attornies David Crossett.

Groff is suing to be given his job back with accommodation, back pay and unspecified compensation for emotional distress.

The suit is also asking for the agency to create policies that provide equal employment opportunities for religious observance of Sabbath on Sundays.

'It's not uncommon for people to request reasonable accommodations at their workplace,' Jeremy Samek, a lawyer at Independence Law Center, one of the firms representing Groff said

Groff is suing to be given his job back with accommodation, back pay and unspecified compensation for emotional distress

'It's not uncommon for people to request reasonable accommodations at their workplace,' Jeremy Samek, a lawyer at Independence Law Center, one of the firms representing Groff told ABC27.

'Employers are actually required to provide reasonable accommodations. It's something that happens every single day.

'We should, as a society, seek to reasonably accommodate people with unique religious beliefs, that we can all live and work together in a pluralistic society.'

The Postal Service has not commented on the lawsuit.
(Natural News) A Missouri peach farmer has been awarded $265 million in a crop damage lawsuit after he says Bayer and BASF encouraged farmers to spray a difficult-to-control weedkiller in an irresponsible manner.

Bill Bader sued the companies after thousands of his fruit trees were damaged by the herbicide dicamba, which drifted in from cotton fields nearby that had been planted with dicamba-resistant seeds made by BASF and Bayer.

Baders peach farm is said to be one of the biggest in Missouri, producing 5 million pounds of peaches each year. Lab tests that were carried out by state agricultural officials confirmed symptoms of dicamba, and the farmer incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost sales due to damaged trees. The award consisted of $15 million in damages for the losses to his crops and $250 million in punitive damages.

This could be just the beginning of a slew of similar suits over dicamba. The Bader Farms case was the first one to go to trial, and roughly 35 similar suits seeking damages are already underway in states like Illinois and Arkansas. XTendiMax and other dicamba herbicides have been blamed by farmers and weed scientists in recent years for damage to millions of acres of crops like soybeans.

Bayer plans to appeal the verdict, and they maintain that dicamba is a useful tool for farmers when it is used safely. BASF is also considering its legal options. The three-week trial was the nations first to rule on dicamba drift. Other lawsuits are in the works claiming failure to warn and negligent design against Bayer and BASF, both of which were found equally liable for damages by the jury in this case.

The lawsuit argued that dicamba is so potent that the trees will never be able to recover from their exposure to it. Dicamba was originally developed and sold by Monsanto, which was since purchased by Bayer for $63 billion in 2018. Dicamba becomes a vapor that can drift for miles when its used under certain weather conditions. When Monsanto developed a strain of cotton and soybeans that resist dicamba, it led to widespread use of the chemicals and the subsequent crop damage that comes with its use.

Thousands of lawsuits currently pending against Bayer

Bayer is also currently in the process of settling tens of thousands of lawsuits related to cancer caused by Roundup exposure, another herbicide produced by Monsanto. In one case, a jury awarded a California couple with non-Hodgkins lymphoma $2 billion, which was later reduced by a judge to $87 million. On that occasion, a judge said the evidence supported the finding that the firm knew that glyphosate was dangerous and failed to warn people.

In another case, a San Francisco jury awarded a former school groundskeeper $289 million, which was later reduced by a judge to $78.5 million, while a federal court jury awarded another cancer patient $80 million, which was later reduced to $25.2 million. A further 13,000 plaintiffs have similar suits pending.

Bayer will also go to trial next month in the first of what will be thousands of lawsuits alleging the company hid safety risks related to its Essure birth control device. Theyre also fighting suits by several cities alleging that Monsanto contaminated their waterways with chemicals known as PCBs.

The Environmental Protection Agency has said they will decide by years end if farmers will continue to be allowed to spray dicamba herbicides on crops given its drift potential, but for many farmers, its already too late.

Sources for this article include:

WSJ.com

LATimes.com
Officials in Georgia confirmed on Wednesday that the body of missing college student Anitra Gunn was found. (GBI)

Georgia Students Body Found After She Went Missing Last Week

Officials in Georgia confirmed on Wednesday that the body of missing college student Anitra Gunn was found.

Fort Valley Police posted on their Facebook page that officials received confirmation from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab of a positive identification. Her body was found next to a piece of her car bumper around 150 yards from a road near Greer Road in Crawford County, Georgia, 13WMAZ reported.

Gunn, who went missing last Friday, was a student at Fort Valley State University.

Her boyfriend, DeMarcus Little, is in police custody. He was arrested for an unrelated incident that occurred on Feb. 5, said police in a news release.

In this incident, the windows were smashed at her apartment and tires were slashed on her vehicle. More charges may be forthcoming, police said in the news release.

The area is located in central Georgia around 100 miles south of Atlanta.

Police had checked Gunns apartment after she failed to answer friends calls and texts on Valentines Day, Feb. 14. Authorities said there were no signs of a struggle, but her car was found in a neighbors yard with its bumper missing.

Her father, Christopher Gunn, has told news outlets that he last spoke with his daughter to wish her a happy Valentines Day.

She never texted them back, didnt call them back. Thats when we knew something is definitely out of whack, her father said, according to USA Today.

An investigation into Gunns disappearance is ongoing at this time, said police in the release.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
B ritish nationals stranded on the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise liner in Japan could be evacuated this week, the Foreign Office has said.

Those on board the vessel, which is docked off the coast of Yokohama, are anxiously waiting news on when they will be flown home.

Japanese authorities have now allowed passengers to begin disembarking the ship but those who plan to were warned there is "a chance" they may not be able to board a planned evacuation plane to the UK.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said it is planning a chartered flight from Tokyo for as soon as possible.

Officials have begun letting passengers leave the cruise ship / AP

We hope the flight will be later this week, subject to permissions from the Japanese authorities, a spokesman said on Tuesday night.

"We have the utmost concern for the affected Britons and strongly encourage them to register for the evacuation flight."

The spokesman said: "At 7am local time on Wednesday (10pm Tuesday, UK time), the Diamond Princess cruise operator and Japanese authorities allowed passengers to disembark from the cruise ship," the spokesman said.

"However there is a chance that people who disembark will not be able to join the evacuation flight."

Coronavirus: Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined 1 /32 Coronavirus: Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo AP Global interest: David Abel, who is on board Diamond Princess with his wife Sally, has been posting updates on social media David Abel Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), officials of the DFA-Philippines in Tokyo with Department of Health team wear protective suits as they prepare for the disembarkation of Filipino crew members on board the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship at Yokohama Port AP A man in a proctective clothing is seen on the sixth deck of cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama via Reuters A woman holds a Japanese flag that reads "shortage of medicine" on the cruise ship Diamond Princess Reuters Passengers disembarking from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama Port are pictured in Yokohama REUTERS/Kyodo Japan David Abel of the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined in Japan. PA David Abel being treated David Abel Workers in protective clothes stand before passengers disembarkating off the Diamond Princess AFP via Getty Images Quarantine operation on the eighth deck of cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama via Reuters An empty general view of Diamond Princess cruise ship PA The Diamond Princess cruise ship, in quarantine due to fears of new COVID-19 coronavirus, is seen at Daikoku pier cruise terminal in Yokohama AFP via Getty Images Sally Abel being treated David Abel/Facebook Men wearing protective gear are seen near the cruise ship Diamond Princess, Reuters The Diamond Princess cruise ship with around 3,700 people on board sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama after a number of passengers were confirmed to be infected with coronavirus Getty Images An empty general view of Diamond Princess cruise ship PA Medical workers in protective suits lead a passenger tested positive for a new coronavirus from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port AP Buses carrying passengers who have been under quarantine on a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship off the coast of Japan, the Diamond Princess, leave RAF Boscombe Down in Amesbury Reuters An empty casino on the Diamond Princess cruise ship PA Workers in protective gear are seen on the Japan Coast Guard boats in Yokohama Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images An empty atrium on the Diamond Princess cruise shi PA Workers in protective gear transfer a person under a blue sheet from the Diamond Princess cruise ship onto a Japan Coast Guard boat in Yokohama Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images Medical workers in protective suits carry belongings of passengers of the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port AP Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo AP

Around 500 people were expected to disembark the ship on Wednesday with the entire process to be completed by Friday, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The FCO has faced pressure to fly home the 74 Britons on board after the US chartered two planes for its citizens.

Brits David Abel and his wife Sally, who were also isolated on the vessel, said they were among 88 others confirmed to have become infected with the virus.

David Abel, who is on board Diamond Princess with his wife Sally, has been posting updates on social media / David Abel

The couple have been posting regular Facebook updates and pleaded with the UK government to be flown home.

Mr Abel, 74, said they had tested positive and also claimed the Japanese authorities were taking them off the ship to a hostel rather than a hospital.

Two Irish passengers who were on board the cruise ship have also been diagnosed with the deadly illness.

Simon Coveney, Irelands deputy prime minister, said: Two of these tested positive for Covid-19 and are currently being treated in hospital in Japan.

Diamond Princess Cruise Passenger Matthew Smith Talks About Life In Quarantine

These citizens share dual citizenship with another EU member state and are not normally resident in Ireland.

Our Embassy in Tokyo is in ongoing contact with them regarding their consular needs.

The Diamond Princess has been moored off the coast of Yokohama, near Tokyo, since February 3.

US passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, who have chosen to leave, are transported by shuttle bus in Yokohama to Haneda airport / via REUTERS

A total of 542 people on board testing positive for the respiratory illness, known as Covis-19.

Elsewhere, Britons are being tested for coronavirus in Cambodia after leaving a cruise ship where an elderly woman was diagnosed with the illness.

Passengers disembarked from the Holland America Westerdam ship on Friday, and hundreds have undergone testing for the virus.

It is unclear how many Britons were on board, but the Foreign Office said it is in contact with British nationals in Cambodia who were on the ship.
Odds are that a person engages an attorney at least once during his or her lifetime. Indeed, in this day and age, the average person has the need for legal assistance more than one time. In most cases, the relationship between a client and attorney progresses appropriately. Most individuals end up generally satisfied with the efforts of their lawyers.

There are instances in which a client becomes dissatisfied with the services provided by a particular attorney. This is more commonplace in the divorce and criminal defense arenas than in other areas of the law, according to the American Bar Association.

When a person reaches the juncture at which he or she decides to fire an attorney, certain steps must be taken. These specific steps are necessary to fully protect the rights and interests of the person firing an attorney.

Put Notice of Dismissal in Writing

When the decision is made to terminate the services of a lawyer, the notification to legal counsel must be made in writing. A traditional letter is the appropriate type of communication, signed by the client.

Obtain Your Client File Promptly

In the letter bringing representation to an end, a client also needs to request that the attorney provide a complete client file. Keep in mind that rules regarding attorney conduct do require the lawyer to maintain a copy of your client file for a specific period of time. Nonetheless, as a general rule, original documents contained in a file should be conveyed to a client, and not duplicates or copies.

Consult with Another Attorney Immediately

A person who has terminated the services of a lawyer must retain new counsel with all deliberate speed. This particularly is vital if litigation is ongoing at the point of the termination of an attorney. (As an aside, there are instances in a criminal case in which a judge may not permit the termination of counsel to occur. Although this is not commonplace, it can happen  particularly if a defendant in a criminal proceeding has terminated prior counsel.)

Advise the Court or Opposing Counsel of Termination

When a person has ended a professional relationship with a lawyer, that individual (or a successor counsel) must notify the court and opposing counsel of the change immediately. If a case is ongoing in court, it may be necessary to request a continuance or a delay in those proceedings to accommodate new counsel.

Obtain an Accounting of Fees

Finally, request a specific accounting of fees from the terminated attorney. Rules regarding attorney conduct require that such an accounting be provided to a former client under these circumstances.

By following the strategy and tips outlined in this article, a person is able to undertake a smooth transition from one lawyer to another. The possibility of negative fallout potentially associated with firing an attorney is minimized.

If youre looking for an experienced DWI lawyer, reach out online or call (210) 801-9400 today.

Editor's Note: This content is made possible by Lahood Norton. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com.
In October 1982 a Conservative politician called John Nott stormed out of a BBC interview with a journalist called Robin Day.

Nott was at the time Defence Secretary, while Day was a then-celebrated BBC interrogator.

The cause of the upset was the combative Day demanding of the unworldly Nott: 'Why should the public... believe you, a transient, here-today and, if I may say so, gone-tomorrow politician...'

He didn't get much further with the question before a furious Nott tore off his microphone and stomped out of the studio.

The BBC itself sailed magnificently on: bigger than both its own stars and the  yes, transient  politicians on whom it reported. Pictured: Broadcasting House

Nearly 40 years later, few people under the age of 60 will remember much about Nott.

He called his 2002 autobiography Here Today, Gone Tomorrow in dry acknowledgement of his 'five minutes of fame before... my descent into obscurity'.

Day, who presented Question Time for ten years, will be more widely remembered. But he, too, will one day fade from our collective memories.

But the BBC itself sailed magnificently on: bigger than both its own stars and the  yes, transient  politicians on whom it reported.

At the time, the walk-out made huge headlines  the latest in a series of bust-ups between the then Conservative government and the Corporation. But grown-up politicians and BBC chiefs knew the score.

A later chair of the BBC, Marmaduke Hussey, shrugged away such squalls: 'The BBC will always have an antagonistic relationship with the government of the day  that is in the nature of its independence.'

But all that has changed. Within weeks of being told that the Johnson Government intends to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee  thereby (in the worst fears of BBC supporters) making it a voluntary payment  we were told that the licence fee itself would be abolished.

There was some rowing back on that incendiary revelation this week when it was suggested that Boris Johnson and his consigliere Dominic Cummings are at odds on the issue

'We will whack it,' was the mob-style threat attributed to a senior Government source. I think we can all guess who.

There was some rowing back on that incendiary revelation this week when it was suggested that Boris Johnson and his consigliere Dominic Cummings are at odds on the issue but, if such a bold step were to be taken, it would spell the end of the BBC as we know it.

Until recently, the BBC's affable director-general, Tony Hall, imagined that he would retire in 2022 after celebrating 100 years of Auntie broadcasting to the nation and the wider world.

But in the space of barely a month all that has changed. Not only will Hall be gone long before 2022, it's not clear that there will be much to celebrate by then  or even if the BBC itself will survive.

How did it come to this? Boris Johnson is  sorry, Boris  just one more transient politician. Cummings will one day be an expanded footnote in British history.

So how come these two here-today-gone-tomorrow figures are in with a good chance of wrecking an institution which, like the Royal Family and the NHS, is loved and admired around the world?

Until recently, the BBC's affable director-general, Tony Hall (pictured), imagined that he would retire in 2022 after celebrating 100 years of Auntie broadcasting to the nation and the wider world

We should concede that lots of people are currently very cross with the BBC. Given three polarised years of Brexit-fulled anger it's hardly surprising that both sides ended up blaming the messenger.

Remainers will go to their graves cursing the Brexit Broadcasting Corporation. Leavers will forever believe the BBC is run by out-of-touch metropolitan elite pinkoes.

This is not the place to arbitrate between these two camps. But the bitterness on both sides will  let's hope  soon pass and we will tune in to a much more urgent problem which society is belatedly waking up to: no one knows what to believe any more.

That's a slight exaggeration. Two-thirds of us, according to a recent poll, can no longer distinguish between a good source of information and a dodgy one.

The crisis over fake news is one of the biggest threats to democratic societies  bigger, on some views, than terrorism. If citizens can no longer distinguish between fact and fiction, they become easy meat for populist politicians who can play on their ignorance.

Donald Trump is a genius at speaking directly to the 72 million who follow him on Twitter. A team at the Washington Post calculates that, since becoming President, he has made more than 16,000 false or misleading statements.

Donald Trump is a genius at speaking directly to the 72 million who follow him on Twitter

But who cares what real journalists find? Trump has made it his business to discredit and delegitimise the work of decent reporters. His brand of politics  like Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan  depends on creating a fog of uncertainty in which his facts are as good as anyone else's.

America has no BBC, or anything like it. Its citizens make do, for their information, with dying newspapers, opinionated talk radio, a swamp of social media and the shrill partisanship of channels such as Fox News. Into that cacophony steps the master manipulator of truth.

Whatever the current failings of BBC journalism, it is at least some kind of universally available tent peg in the ground. It does not always succeed in being impartial or fair to all sides.

Indeed, it makes its fair share of clumsy mistakes.

There was that over-enthusiastic tweet from its political editor Laura Kuenssberg claiming that one of Health Secretary Matt Hancock's advisers had been punched in the face by a Labour activist, something that turned out to be untrue.

And newsreader Huw Edwards liked a tweeted video that said 'Vote Labour for the National Health Service', a lapse he excused on the basis that he hadn't watched the clip right to the end.

Matters were not helped by the fact that both incidents occurred during a highly charged General Election campaign.

But the BBC behaves  by and large  extremely ethically and responsibly. It is to my eyes  as someone who edited a national newspaper for more than 20 years  as good a news organisation as any on the planet.

It is out there reporting on the world, as well as spread out across our nation in a way that no other news organisation could even dream of.

It is accountable and transparent in the way that few newspapers are: see the furore and multi-million pound inquiries that can follow on from mistakes that would pass unnoticed in Fleet Street.

But the BBC behaves  by and large  extremely ethically and responsibly. It is to my eyes  as someone who edited a national newspaper for more than 20 years  as good a news organisation as any on the planet (stock photo)

It funds 150 reporters to sit in courts and councils to be watchdogs on our behalf.

That doesn't make it perfect. We all have our gripes. I wish for it to be braver in its investigative journalism. I, too, shout at the Today programme and cringe at Question Time.

But the appropriate response to under-performance is reform. The NHS has badly performing hospitals, the strain of severe winters and crises over rogue consultants. The answer is constant improvement, not abolition.

Some say the BBC is doomed long term because millennials are not only switching to streaming services, such as Netflix and HBO, but also increasingly failing to pay the licence fee.

There is some truth in this, but there is nothing to stop us following the example of Norway, which is in the process of phasing out its licence fee model in favour of one based on a general public service tax.

To those who argue that we should get rid of the licence fee and turn the BBC into a privatised subscription service for people who want to pay to be informed, I say prepare to watch a decline in trust and an inevitable parallel rise in information inequality.

Such an approach is not technically feasible in any case. As Culture minister John Whittingdale (a former Culture Secretary) has pointed out, Freeview  Britain's largest television platform  is incapable of switching off certain stations for non-subscribers.

Scrapping Freeview and putting all BBC channels online is not an option either, as a large number of viewers do not have access to broadband or are unwilling to pay for it.

The inescapable truth is that without a public-sector broadcaster, we will  like America  see the growth of a gap between an informed elite and the rest. We'll lose the glue that binds us and become more polarised and doubtful about whom to believe.

You don't have to imagine the informational chaos that will follow: it's happening in too many countries around the world right now.

So don't allow two transient figures to dismember the BBC. If Brexit was about anything, it was about taking back control  including our own narrative. It's our BBC, not theirs.

n Alan Rusbridger was editor of The Guardian from 1995-2015 and now chairs the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
Listen to the this weeks episode below or on your favorite app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Podcasts. Be sure to subscribe/follow and rate us in the app to make sure to get the latest episodes as soon as they are published.

Episode 17 | Barr barring Tweets and the Nevada Caucuses

Is the Justice Department truly independent of the White House and the wants of President Donald Trump? Attorney General Barr did comment that the Presidents tweets were making his job much more difficult. In the second half of the episode, we discuss Bernie Sanders going up against billionaire Mike Bloomberg in the upcoming Nevada Caucuses. PennLive Opinion Editor Joyce Davis hosts Trump supporter Jeffrey Lord and Dauphin Democrat Chairwoman Rogette Harris.

Join the conversation on Twitter by following us @battlegroundpa and use the hashtag #BattleforPA. Or if you prefer, join us on Facebook. Have an idea for an episode or a guest we should have? Email us at topics@battlegroundpa.org.

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Battleground PA is produced by Penn Studios Salim Michel Makhlouf and edited by Martin Boutros.
Editors note: Todays guest editorial was written by Annerieke Daniel of Tribune News Service. Editorial content from other publications and authors is provided to give readers a sampling of regional and national opinion and does not necessarily reflect positions endorsed by the Editorial Board of The Daily News.

When Abba M. learned that a sexual partner had exposed her to the human papillomavirus, commonly known as HPV, she did a bunch of Googling. The 21-year-old Alabama resident knew very little about it.

Turning to her friends proved unhelpful. Most, like Abba, had never learned about the virus in school. HPV isnt really a thing, a friend told her. You have it, but you dont have it, so dont worry about it.

To the contrary, HPV is something people, especially girls and women, ought to worry about. In fact, its the most common sexually transmitted infection in America, and it leads to around 35,000 cases of cancer annually. HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer, which kills around 4,200 U.S. women each year.

Mortality rates are higher for black women, poor women and those who lack health insurance.

Abba is just one of many girls and women Ive spoken with over the past year, in my role with the nonprofit group Human Rights Watch, who knew little or nothing about HPV and the vaccine that can lower their risk of cervical cancer.

Only 29 states and the District of Columbia mandate the teaching of sex education in schools. And while voluntary teaching of sex ed in Alabama is allowed, it must be abstinence-focused. By not providing students with comprehensive knowledge about their sexual health, many schools are omitting information that could save lives.

The HPV vaccine, first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2006, protects against most HPV infections that can lead to abnormal changes in cervical cells and eventually cancer. It is an effective cancer-prevention tool when administered before a person becomes sexually active.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends that all adolescents ages 11 and 12, boys and girls alike, receive two doses of the vaccine, although it can be given to children as young as 9. It was originally approved only for those 26 or younger, but in 2018 the Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine for adults up to the age of 45.

But despite its life-saving potential, the vaccine is underutilized. HPV vaccine rates trail far behind those of other recommended adolescent vaccines, and approximately 50% of girls ages 13-17 have completed it. Vaccination rates are even lower for U.S. boys, though men experience HPV-related cancer rates nearly as high as womens.

One factor contributing to low vaccination rates is the stigma that sexually transmitted infection still carries. Another culprit is medical providers failure to strongly recommend the vaccine and bring awareness to its important role in cancer prevention.

And then there are our nations schools, which have a responsibility to protect students. They should be educating students on how to prevent HPV and additional steps they can take to lower their risk of cancer. Yet many dont.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 14:05:18|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), known as the congressional watchdog, is opening an investigation into the integrity of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) aid to farmers affected by the Trump administration's trade policies, a senior lawmaker said on Tuesday.

"It's clear that the Trump administration's trade assistance payments pick winners and losers rather than help the farmers who have been hit the hardest by this President's trade policies," Debbie Stabenow, the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said in a statement.

"This investigation will shed more light on what has been happening, and bring accountability and fairness to a program that has spent billions of taxpayer dollars," she said.

The probe came after Stabenow last month requested a comprehensive GAO investigation of the trade assistance program. In a report released in November, the Democratic senator expressed concerns that the Trump administration distributed trade aid unevenly across the country, benefiting regions and farms that have experienced less trade damage.

The investigation opened by the GAO will examine whether the model USDA used to distribute payments has accurately reflected trade damages felt by farmers and whether USDA is effectively preventing fraud, waste and abuse in the program, according to Stabenow.

The USDA offered 12 billion U.S. dollars to help farmers who had been hit hard by the trade war in 2018 and unveiled an additional 16-billion-dollar trade aid package in 2019.

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue said last month that there is no need for a third year of trade-related aid for farmers after the United States and China signed the phase-one economic and trade agreement.

"This agreement will help turn around two years of declining agricultural exports. The potential of tens of billions more in exports is welcome news for farmers who are eager to compete on a more level playing field," echoed American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall.
Ross Stock has known since last spring that his softwood lumber mill in Toledo would be subject to Oregons new, $1 billion business tax. Nine months later, though, he still doesnt know what it will cost him.

The new corporate activity tax, which went into effect January 1, appears to be the largest tax hike in state history. Oregon lawmakers approved it last spring, levying a 0.57% tax on most business transactions within the state to raise $1 billion for schools and education. However, they left the details of the tax to the Oregon Department of Revenue, and to future legislatures.

That means business managers like Stock are still puzzling over what it will cost them and how to plan their investments. And they have to figure it right away  the first payments are due at the end of April.

Theres a lot of accounting confusion just because nobody else has a tax like this in the United States, lamented Stock, general manager at Western Cascade Industries. His sawmill typically employs 85 and produces 60 million board feet a year, mostly sold to Southern California.

Accountants tell Stock they just dont know how the tax will apply to milled lumber that he sells to buyers out of state. Some of the sales nominally take place in Oregon, but many of them go straight to builders in California. And hes not sure whether those sales are taxable or not.

The answer matters a great deal.

Stock estimates the impact of the new tax could vary by hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on how the tax applies to those sales and how his suppliers pass along their own costs from the new tax. Thats an enormous amount of uncertainty that will have profound implications for his business, one way or another.

Were happy to live by the rules. We dont even know what the rules are, Stock said. We dont want to be at a competitive disadvantage. We dont even know how to avoid that.

Uncharted territory

Business owners, accountants and lawyers all over Oregon are scratching their heads over the new corporate activity tax. Its unusual in several ways, taxing revenue rather than profits and providing few industry exemptions.

Thats by design. Lawmakers crafted a tax with a low rate, just 0.57%, that applies equally to just about every industry. The idea was that a small tax, spread broadly, would have relatively little impact on any one business and be relatively straightforward to administer.

From the outset, some industries  construction and manufacturing, among others  warned the tax would weigh disproportionately on their activities because it applies at each stage of the supply chain.

The cumulative effect, known as pyramiding, means that the tax accumulates for products as they move from manufacturer to supplier to the end buyer.

Many states have corporate taxes higher than Oregons. Some, including Washington, levy a tax on revenue. Oregons tax is modeled on a similar tax in Ohio, but that tax was a replacement for other business taxes. Oregon layered its tax on top of existing corporate taxes.

Even for seasoned taxpayers you dont have an equivalent in other states, said Mike Stober, director of government affairs for Oregon Business & Industry, the states largest business association.

This is uncharted territory for everybody, Stober said.

Corporate Activity Tax The new business tax aims to raise $1 billion a year for schools. Heres how it works:  Businesses pay a tax of 0.57% on sales inside Oregon above $1 million. Groceries, gas, hospitals and long-term care businesses would be exempt.  Businesses can subtract 35% of their labor or capital costs from taxable sales. Single-family homebuilders can exclude another 15% of their subcontracting labor costs.  To offset anticipated increase in consumer prices, the plan cuts personal income tax rates by 0.25 percentage points for the lowest three of the states four tax brackets.

Businesses large and small are still awaiting definitive word from the Oregon Department of Revenue on which sales, specifically, the state believes are subject to the tax. The department didnt post its first temporary rules until December and now has 17 altogether. Final rules will come later this year.

Businesses, though, have to make decisions now. They owe taxes quarterly, with the first payments for the corporate activity tax due April 30. Legislation now under consideration could provide some flexibility in how tax collectors treat businesses that pay too little while the rules are still evolving.

Lawmakers in Salem are using the short legislative session to weigh additional changes that could clarify the situation  or muddy the waters further. And big industries are lobbying for exemptions that could save them millions of dollars.

The corporate activity tax aims to raise $1 billion altogether, boosting state education spending by about 17% and adding hundreds of millions of dollars for early childhood education programs.

Districts around Oregon are now planning how to spend the windfall, aiming to lower class size and to boost support for struggling students and for kids from diverse backgrounds who have historically benefitted less from the states educational programs.

A unique tax

Though the Legislature levied the tax on businesses, economists say companies will inevitably pass some portion of the tax on to consumers. So lawmakers cut Oregons personal income tax at the same time they raised business taxes, hoping to offset higher prices they anticipate some retailers will pass on to consumers.

Oregon companies have long enjoyed some of the nations lowest business taxes, according to government spending watchdogs, primarily because the state doesnt have a sales tax.

The corporate activity tax will change the equation  but not dramatically. The pro-growth Tax Foundation estimates Oregon will fall from No. 8 in the nation for lowest business taxes to No. 15.

Thats not a big enough change to have a meaningful impact on Oregons economic trajectory, according to estimates by state economists. In a quarterly financial forecast issued Wednesday, the Oregon economists forecast the impact on personal income, employment, population and investment to be less than 0.1%.

However, the state economists warned that different businesses will experience the tax quite differently.

There are likely to be some businesses or sectors that experience large impacts from the (tax), or where pyramiding increases prices to a larger degree, they wrote in their quarterly forecast, while other businesses or sectors see relatively few impacts.

The tax applies only to sales within Oregon and exempts businesses with sales below $1 million. It also exempts groceries, gas, hospitals and long-term care organizations, and offers partial exemptions for labor and capital costs and for single-family homebuilders.

In general, industries likely to feel the greatest impacts are those that sell their products within Oregon  especially those that also draw their raw materials from producers inside the state that are also subject to the tax.

And since the new tax is levied in sales, rather than income, industries with thin profit margins will feel the pinch especially hard.

For all that, though, businesses and accountants say the biggest issue right now is that businesses dont understand the tax  or dont know that its coming at all.

The uncertainty is the biggest challenge weve been dealing with, said Blake Seabaugh, a senior manager at the Portland accounting firm Perkins & Co. He said his firms clients understand the tax conceptually but arent clear on the nuances of how it will be enforced.

Its really impacting businesses ability to forecast for future hiring of employees, future fixed-asset purchases, investments in their own businesses, Seabaugh said.

Pass it on?

The tax applies to sales within Oregon, which sounds straightforward in principle. In practice it can be difficult to figure out just what counts.

Take milk, for example. A dairy farm might sell its milk to a dairy processor who also serves several other farms, and sells to businesses both inside and outside Oregon before the milk ends up in cartons or packages of cheese on grocery shelves.

The Department of Revenues temporary rules call on farmers to use a formula based on their historical sales to determine what portion of the farms milk is subject to the tax.

The department is working out rules for dozens of such situations, issuing periodic updates and touring the state to outline its plans and collect feedback from companies. An e-mail list with updates on the tax has more than 4,600 subscribers, a big number but still a small fraction of the 40,000 businesses the state believes are subject to the tax.

It is a brand-new, very large tax program and its keeping us very busy making preparations, said Robin Maxey, the department spokesman tasked with communicating about the tax. The department plans another tour around the state next month, both to gather feedback from businesses and to answer their questions about how the tax works.

One of the big things is: Can I pass that on to my customers? said Sean Wallace, another senior manager at the Perkins accounting firm.

And that answer, like so much about the tax, isnt clear. Businesses, of course, can charge customers whatever the market will bear  but how they describe the charges can matter a great deal.

Its not a sales tax. Its not something that the consumer is subject to, Wallace said. So companies could face legal liability if they describe the additional charge as a tax.

I would advise them to just increase pricing rather than try to itemize it on an invoice, Wallace said.

Simply raising prices isnt always an option, though.

Fish Construction NW builds homes targeted to first-time homebuyers. The tax would have added a little more than $1,000 to the cost of each of the 20 homes Fish built last year, according to Justin Wood, the firms vice president and co-owner.

The true cost, though, could be double that because Fishs suppliers have already raised their prices this year to reflect the tax. Wood estimates that could increase his companys costs by $40,000 altogether.

It may not be possible, Wood said, for Fish Construction to recoup those costs and still keep home prices low enough to be accessible for first-time homebuyers and eligible for government programs that support affordable housing.

Were kind of capped on how much we can raise our sales prices and stay active in that entry-level market, said Wood, who also serves as president of the Oregon Home Builders Association.

Last-minute negotiations last year won Wood and other single-family homebuilders an exemption for 15% of their contracting costs. Thats in addition to the 35% of capital and labor costs all industries may subtract from their taxable sales.

Opponents of the business tax planned to refer it to voters but their efforts collapsed within weeks last summer. A subsequent poll found supporters of the tax outnumber opponents.

Tweaking the tax

Legislators in Salem are using this winters short session to consider modifications that would clarify the tax rules, and perhaps create exemptions for certain industries.

Two bills proposed exemptions from the tax for prescription drugs and for agricultural products. Neither of those received hearings and appear dead.

Another proposal that has been discussed at the capitol, but hasnt been written into any bill, would create an exemption from the tax for large construction projects that were already underway when lawmakers approved the tax last spring. That could benefit several projects, none more than the D1X research factory Intel is spending billions of dollars to expand in Hillsboro.

Rep. Nancy Nathanson, who heads the House Committee on Revenue considering changes on the tax, said her priority will be making technical fixes to the tax, not establishing broad exemptions.

Beyond that, any policy changes would be facing a steep road uphill for this legislative session, since our first priority is preserving the new funding dedicated to preK-12 education, Nathanson, D-Eugene, said in an email to The Oregonian/OregonLive.

I dont think theres going to be major surgery, said Sandi McDonough, CEO of Oregon Business & Industry. However, she said she does expect the tinkering underway during this session will continue for years to come.

Weve probably entered a conversation thats never going to end about how this tax works, McDonough said.

Thats what happened when Washington established its own tax on revenue, known there as a business and occupation tax. The state has carved out dozens of different rates and exemptions for different industries, and makes changes every year.

Oregon Business & Industry dropped its opposition to the tax last spring after cutting a deal to blunt its impact on manufacturers, clearing the way for the tax to pass and blunting efforts to refer it to voters. The decision split the business community and McDonough said her phone rings constantly with concerns from members who dont like the tax, or dont understand it.

The truth is there wasnt one thing that was going to work in the same way for every business, she said. Thats the problem with a tax like this.

-- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
An image describing the DVCS off the nucleon reaction. In Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS), a 6 GeV electron beam scattered off a nucleon interacting with a single quark inside. The quark immediately emits a high energy photon, which is detected in the researchers experiment. A high-resolution spectrometer was used to measure the scattered electron. Credit: Benali et al.

The Jefferson Lab Hall A Collaboration, in an experiment led by researchers at Faculte des Sciences de Monastir in Tunisia, Institut de Physique Nucleaire d'Orsay in France and Old Dominion University in the United States, has recently gathered the first experimental observations of deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) in neutrons. Their experiment, whose results were published in Nature Physics, was motivated by generalized parton distributions (GPDs), a recently developed theoretical framework that describes the internal dynamics of the nucleon (proton or neutron) in terms of quarks and gluons. DVCS is the simplest process involving GPDs. It consists of the scattering of an electron off a nucleon and the emission of a high-energy photon while the nucleon remains intact.

"Protons and neutrons consist of waves of quarks and gluons confined into a space approximately 100,000 times smaller than the size of an atom," Prof. Charles Hyde, a researcher at Old Dominion University in Virginia, told Phys.org. "This paper, resulting from work in Jefferson Lab's Hall A, can be described as hitting a proton or neutron with a high-energy electron, and then detecting an emitted gamma-ray to 'take-a-picture' of the quark waves."

In their work, Hyde and his colleagues demonstrated a new technique to separately resolve the spatial distribution of up and down quarks of particular wavelengths (i.e., crest-to-crest distance), while also measuring the offset between the wave crests of up and down quarks. Using this technique, they were able to gather the first experimental observation of DVCS in neutrons.

"Studying deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) off the neutron came as a natural extension of studies on the proton," Dr. Carlos Munoz Camacho, researcher at the Institut de Physique Nucleaire d'Orsay in France, told Phys.org. "DVCS can tell us about the transverse position and longitudinal momentum of quarks inside the nucleon. However, DVCS experiments on the proton alone cannot tell which flavor of quark the photon scatters from."

As no neutron target is entirely pure, experimentally studying DVCS off the neutron can be very challenging. By performing DVCS off the neutron and combining the results with those gathered in previous experiments on protons, the researchers were able to map the position and momenta of up and down quarks inside the nucleon independently.

In their experiments, the researchers decided to use a deuterium target, a nucleus formed by one proton and one neutron, impinged by a 6GeV polarized electron beam. This beam was provided by the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) in Newport News, Virginia.

"We measured the scattered electrons and the energetic photons emitted during the reaction using high precision detectors," Dr. Meriem Benali, who recently attained her Ph.D. from Faculte des Sciences de Monastir in Tunisia, told Phys.org. "The recoil neutron was identified using a technique called energy-momentum conservation."

The researchers compared the data they collected in their experiment on the deuterium nucleus to data gathered in the past using hydrogen targets (i.e., a nucleus with only one proton). This allowed them to identify rare DVCS events occurring in neutrons, determining the contributions of the up and down quarks separately.

"Our results prove the experimental feasibility of neutron DVCS measurements, which are highly complementary to proton ones," Dr. Malek Mazouz, professor at Faculte des Sciences de Monastir in Tunisia, told Phys.org. "Since the neutron has a different quark flavor content than the proton, the combination of neutron and proton measurements allowed us, for the first time, to experimentally study the GPDs at the quarks level."

DVCS is a difficult process to measure, especially off a neutron. As a neutron carries no net electrical charge, its probability of interacting with electrons is much smaller than that of a proton.

The so-called A collaboration was enabled by several technical advancements, including the intense beam of electrons provided by JLab and high precision detectors. To ensure its success, the researchers monitored the calibration of the detectors with extreme care over the several months in which their experiment took place.

"Protons and neutrons are like spinning tops," Hyde said. "A surprising result of our study is that by using the full energy range of the Jefferson Lab accelerator, the measurements could also distinguish how the distribution of quarks in the proton and neutron changes with the orientation of the proton or neutron spin."

This team of researchers was the first to successfully observe the DVCS process off the neutron, which is an important accomplishment. By adding a number of constraints to GPD models, their findings could help to answer a number of fundamental questions, for instance unveiling the origin of the nucleon spin. In addition, their work opens a new avenue for the experimental mapping of independent quark flavors inside a nucleon.

"The accelerator facility at JLab has recently been upgraded and the energy of the electron beam is much higher (11 GeV)," Munoz Camacho said. "New DVCS experiments are on-going and planned for the future, which will allow us to map out the distributions of quarks inside the nucleon with greater precision. DVCS measurements are also one of the scientific motivations for the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) project, planned to be built at Brookhaven National Laboratory (NY, U.S.)."

The new collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory should soon allow researchers to study the position and momentum distributions of gluons, the particles that hold quarks together inside protons and neutrons. In fact, quark and gluon imaging is a key component of the science program for the development of the new Electron-Ion collider, which was recently announced by the U.S. Department of Energy.

More information: M. Benali et al. Deeply virtual Compton scattering off the neutron, Nature Physics (2020). Journal information: Nature Physics M. Benali et al. Deeply virtual Compton scattering off the neutron,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-019-0774-3

 2020 Science X Network
Colacem proposed plant hearing date set

19 February 2020

The Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) case involving the proposed Colacem cement plant in Champlain Township, in eastern Ontario, Canada, will be heard beginning on 2 November 2020 for four weeks, local media have reported.



The case involves two appeals connected to the proposed plant, according to an article published in The Review (Canada). Champlain Township council rejected the zoning changes needed to construct the facility and Colacem appealed the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board, which has since become the LPAT. However, the United Counties of Prescott-Russell (UCPR) council later approved the same proposed zoning changes. Action Champlain, a citizens group opposed to the Colacem project, objected to the decision.



Colacem legal counsel Chris Burnett urged Richard Makuch, the LPAT member presiding over the CMC, to move the hearing forward as quickly as possible. Several dates in September and October of 2020 were considered and following two recesses for legal counsels to discuss options with Makuch, the November date was agreed upon.

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[February 19, 2020] BullGuard: New Study Reveals One in Three SMBs Use Free Consumer Cybersecurity and One in Five Use No Endpoint Security at All

LONDON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- New research commissioned by and published today by cybersecurity company, BullGuard , revealed an alarming number of small businesses in the UK and US are not prepared for a potential cyber attack or breach. One-third of companies with 50 or fewer employees report using free, consumer-grade cybersecurity, and one in five companies use no endpoint security whatsoever. Additionally, the study found 43% of SMB owners have no cybersecurity defense plan in place at all  leaving their most sensitive financial, customer and business data, and ultimately their companies, at significant risk. "Small businesses are not immune to cyber attacks and data breaches and are often targeted specifically because they often fail to prioritize security," said Paul Lipman, CEO of BullGuard. "Caught between inadequate consumer solutions and overly complex enterprise software, many small business owners may be inclined to skip cybersecurity. It only takes one attack, however, to bring a business to its knees." The study also revealed some glaring discrepancies between what SMB owners believe versus what is actually occurring in the market. Nearly 60% of SMB owners believe their business is unlikely to be targeted by cyber criminals, however the results revealed that 18.5% of SMB owners have suffered from a cyber attack or data breach within the past year. Unfortunately, while securing data can be simple, remediation is nt. Companies that fall victim to a cyber attack often experience significant downtime that seriously impacts productivity, data privacy, and even revenue. Once breached, 25% of SMB owners stated they had to spend $10,000 or more to resolve the attack, which could be devastating for a small company. As for time lost, 50% of SMB owners said it took 24 hours or longer to recover from a breach or cyber attack, while 25% reported they lost business as a result, and almost 40% stated they lost crucial data.



Despite these numbers, many SMB owners are overly confident in the safety of their company and customer data. One in five SMB owners surveyed stated their organization has zero vulnerabilities, however 50% of SMB owners stated their employees do not receive any cybersecurity training. A significant number, 65%, of SMB owners report managing their cybersecurity in-house, but less than 10% say they have a dedicated IT staff member. The right solution makes it simple and extremely cost-effective for SMBs to manage their own cybersecurity, ensuring their business is secure and protected.

Conducted in January 2020, the BullGuard-commissioned survey queried a total of 3,083 small business owners in the UK (1,532) and the US (1,551) with 50 employees or less. About BullGuard BullGuard is an award-winning cybersecurity company focused on providing the consumer and small business markets with the confidence to use the internet in absolute safety. We make it simple for users to protect their data, identity and privacy  at home, in the office and on the go. The BullGuard product portfolio extends to PC, Mac, tablet and smartphone protection, and features a comprehensive product suite, including internet security, mobile security, identity protection, an easy-to-use VPN with military-grade encryption and BullGuard Small Office Security, a dedicated, cloud-managed endpoint service designed specifically for small offices. BullGuard released the world's first IoT vulnerability scanner, real-time Home Network Scanner and unique Game Booster delivering the most secure and optimized gaming experience for PC Gamers. Today, BullGuard continues to lead the cybersecurity industry in providing innovations. All BullGuard customers enjoy expert live 24/7 customer support and a no-logs policy. Follow us on Twitter @BullGuard , like us on Facebook at BullGuard , or learn more at https://www.bullguard.com . All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bullguard-new-study-reveals-one-in-three-smbs-use-free-consumer-cybersecurity-and-one-in-five-use-no-endpoint-security-at-all-301007466.html SOURCE BullGuard

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Christine Hamilton has claimed that eating food in the cinema is 'deeply selfish and unfair' amid a debate about snacking during a film.

The presenter, 70, from Bournemouth, appeared on Good Morning Britain today alongside reality star Clare Brockett, 42, Essex, to discuss whether food should be banned from cinemas to stop films being disrupted by noisy eaters.

Christine told that while she doesn't want to place a blanket ban on food, as the occasional 'cough sweet' is okay, she thinks eating foods like crisps in the cinema or theatre is 'totally unacceptable'.

But viewers disagreed that food shouldn't be allowed in cinemas, with one teasing they would 'tip popcorn over someone's head' if they told them to be quiet, while another slammed the idea as 'absolute nonsense' and said it was part of a tradition and 'added to the atmosphere'.

This comes after The Crown star, Imelda Staunton, 64, revealed that when she notices a fellow cinema or theatre audience member on their mobile or tucking into crisps, she tells them to keep quiet.

Christine Hamilton 70, from Bournemouth (left), appeared on Good Morning Britain today alongside reality star Clare Brockett, 42, Essex,(right) to discuss whether food should be banned from cinemas to stop films being disrupted by noisy eaters

Christine claimed that eating food in the cinema is 'deeply selfish and unfair' amid a debate about snacking during a film while Clare felt food was the best part of her trip

Christine said: 'I certainly wouldn't ban it because I'm not an authoritarian and if people want the odd cough sweet that's fine.

'But yes this noisy eating I think is deeply selfish, I think it's unrealistic and unfair.'

Clare disagreed, insisting: 'It's just I really enjoy it because it's my excuse to pig out and I pick everything.'

But Christine went on: 'It's totally unacceptable, why do you go to a film to eat it's not a fast foot outlet is it?'.

Viewers disagreed that food shouldn't be allowed in cinemas with one teasing they would 'tip popcorn over someone's head' if they told them to be quiet, while another slammed the idea as 'absolute nonsense'

The TOWIE star went on to argue that there are other factors that can spoil the atmosphere in a 'social place' that could affect your enjoyment of the film.

Christine responded: 'It's not that long ago that everyone smoked in the cinema and that was acceptable and it isn't just the noise, it's the smell.'

Viewers quickly took to Twitter to share their views, with one insisting that those who don't like cinema snacking should stay at home.

One wrote: 'No way do I agree. If I go to the cinema I go to munch on the popcorn. If you don't like it then don't go and wait for the movie to come out on DVD and watch it.'

Christine told that she thinks eating foods like crisps in the cinema or theatre is 'totally unacceptable'

Clare disagreed, insisting the cinema is an excuse for her to treat herself to her favourite snacks

'Two to three hours sat doing nothing except watching a film makes me starving. If shed rather listen to my stomach rumble go for it', said another.

A third commented: 'Wouldnt be the cinema without some snacks to share.'

'Absolute nonsense we where in a very busy cinema yesterday seeing a kids film! Didnt even notice ANY noise from snacks!', raged another.

Amid the debate, Laura Tobin, Richard Arnold and Ranvir Singh were seen snacking on various cinema favorites

As Ranvir munched on some tortilla chips Laura began to throw popcorn at Richard, eventually pouring an entire bucket over his head

However, some viewers did agree with Christine and Imelda and felt that food could be consumed before going into the cinema, and insisted it 'spoils the atmosphere' to hear someone 'crunching or slurping behind you'.

One wrote: 'Yes ban it during the movie have something to eat before you go in.'

'Definitely agree with Imelda! Plus the smell of those nacho things and as for the people using their mobiles', wrote another.

However, some viewers did agree with Christine and Imelda and felt that food could be consumed before going into the cinema

A third said: 'Totally agree with Imelda, can people not go two- three hours without eating! Totally spoils the atmosphere when someone is crunching or slurping behind you.'

Amid the debate, Laura Tobin, Richard Arnold and Ranvir Singh were seen snacking on various cinema favorites.

As Ranvir munched on some tortilla chips Laura began to throw popcorn at Richard, who quickly retaliated pouring an entire bucket of popcorn over her head.
Storm Dennis has landed and hit the UK hard with strong winds, and accompanying heavy rain all over the country. Here is the latest info that everyone needs to keep informed.

The storm brought in a strong wind causing disruption in most parts of England and Wales. Before the arrival of Storm Dennis, a warning was given by the Met Office that included severe weather that will cook up a perfect storm, which may caused delays in daily routine. This caused flooding, power outages, and dangerous conditions which was life-threatening to everyone.

Expected flooding occured, which caused damage to some buildings.Trains and bus schedules were delayed with cancellations, with bad road conditions and road closures as result of the gnarly weather.

Communities were cut off, with flooded roads as the storm battered away. Disruptions and power cuts and services that did homes and businesses alike. A few coastal routes, coastal communities, and seafronts were affected by large waves.

On Saturday at Herne Bay on 12.15, a man was died on the scene. The next of kin have been told of the fatality, to collect the remains.

Related article: The UK Leaves the EU: How Brexit Will Affect Canadian Visitors

Aftermath of Storm Dennis

The result of the plentiful rain from Storm Dennis has flooded many communities in the UK. As 48-hours' worth of rain caused flooding all over the country, including 400 households.

A total of 630 flood warnings were sent out, as more torrential rain brought in by the storm that included a set of five severe warnings of floods. The West Midlands was severely affected by the strength of the storm.

In Wales, the River Wye at Monmouth, reached its highest recorded level. The major recorded incidents happened in south Wales, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire.

Floodwaters rose in Worcestershire, while there were reports of a woman who was swept away by rising floodwaters. As police search for her, two male bodies were retrieved in the rough season Saturday.

In other places in the UK, a group of environmental activists had to postpone their national conference. This national conference was supposed to have many delegates, but Storm Dennis caused problems by flooding in Staffordshire for all the participants. Extremely heavy rain blocked may roads for the attendees to reach the venue for the UK Student Climate, it was cancelled.

One of the members of the group Sophia Coningham said that postponing the conference because of bad weather was very hard. Cancelling the event is not easy for other members, who are not financially sound, and fit to travel anytime.

In other areas, 400 properties were flooded out by the storm, according to the Environmental Agency. River Thames will rise its levels as the aftermath of Storm Dennis is felt with large deluges.

Also read: Coronavirus Vaccine May Be Out in 18 Months, But California Lab Claims Making It in 3 Hours

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Tight Lines equalled a track record en route to victory in the Open Trot at Dover Downs on Tuesday night (Feb. 18).

JL Cruze blasted off the gate and set fractions of :26.3, :55.2 unchallenged. Joey Bats, the even-money favourite, settled in the pocket while the field remained in single file until Tight Lines hustled off the pegs and raced first over for driver Corey Callahan nearing three-quarters in 1:23.1.

Tight Lines cleared and took the lead at the top of the stretch. Jack Vernon followed second over with Joey Bats trapped on the pylons. At the finish, Tight Lines prevailed by one-and-three-quarter lengths. Joey Bats found room late and finished second while Jack Vernon took third.

Tight Lines is owned by Jeff Gregory, Jesmeral Stables and W.H. Richardson. Corey Callahan drove for trainer Jeff Gregory. Off at 9/5, the seven-year-old son of Yankee Glide equaled the track record of 1:51.2 for aged trotting geldings at Dover Downs.

Tim Tetrick won four races and Corey Callahan won three races on the card.

Dover Downs expresses condolences to the Andrew Harris family. Andrews wife, Amanda, passed away on Feb. 15. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

(Dover Downs)
The most sporty

Lets begin with a 100% action-packed motor-racing contribution from IWC. The 10-piece limited edition Big Pilots Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport (ref. IW503003) is delivered with a matt black zirconium oxide ceramic case, and a dial in black carbon fibre. The markings picked out in Petronas emerald green  the colour of the racing teams livery  ensure it wont go unnoticed!

Big Pilots Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport  IWC

Most complicated

This highly disputed category entered a new era with Jaeger-LeCoultres Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Cylindrique Quantieme Perpetuel. Its calibre 985 is driven by a flying tourbillon with a cylindrical balance spring, set inside a grade 5 titanium cage, with an imposing 14-karat gold rotor. The perpetual calendar displays announce the day, date, month and year with great clarity, plus theres a moon phase.

Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Cylindrique a Quantieme Perpetuel  Jaeger-LeCoultre

In 2019 Bulgari created the Octo Roma Grande Sonnerie Calendrier Perpetuel to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first Grande Sonnerie, created by Gerald Genta in 1994. This watch features a Grande and a Petite Sonnerie, minute repeater, tourbillon, perpetual calendar, moon phase, power reserve indicator and alarm, all on an openworked dial.

Octo Roma Grande Sonnerie Calendrier Perpetuel  Bulgari

The most unisex

A perpetual calendar for him and for her! Advances in watchmaking, paired with a return to more reasonable diameters, have heralded the advent of 39 mm models that can be comfortably worn by both sexes. This category includes a highly aesthetic contribution from Hermes, the Slim dHermes Quantieme Perpetuel. On the dial, the numerals with their distinctive typography, designed specifically for the Slim, are elegantly legible. While the date, month, second time zone and leap years each have their own counters, a mother-of-pearl moon phase floats across an aventurine sky at 3 oclock. The movement measures just 30 mm, inside its 39.5 mm case. This is timeless elegance, Hermes style.

Slim dHermes Quantieme Perpetuel  Hermes

The slimmest

The pursuit of the extra-thin watch, kicked off by Piaget, with Bulgari close behind, was relaunched by Audemars Piguet and its Royal Oak Quantieme Perpetuel Extra-plat Automatique. It is the worlds thinnest. In order to fit into a movement that is just 2.89 mm deep, the perpetual calendar functions, which are normally assembled on three different levels, have been reduced to just one layer. The dial has also been updated from previous Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar models. The day, date and month counters have been enlarged to improve visibility, and a day/night indication has been added at 8 oclock, opposite the leap year display at 4 oclock. Interestingly, the dial no longer bears the Grande Tapisserie motif; instead, we have a satin-brushed blue finish that improves the watchs legibility, as well as reducing its depth by a few precious microns!

Royal Oak Quantieme Perpetuel Extra-plat Automatique  Audemars Piguet

The most affordable

If tourbillons have become more accessible, why not perpetual calendars? With prices starting at 7,995, Frederique Constant is the undisputed leader in the affordable luxury sector. The Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture, launched in 2016, has been redesigned this year. With its grey dial, applied markers, and movement decorated with circular Geneva striping and circular graining, this watch will need a single manual correction every 400 years. The first is due on 1 March 2100, thanks to a peculiarity of the Gregorian calendar.

Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture  Frederique Constant

In a similar vein, but with a gold case, there is the Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Perpetual Calendar, which starts at 22,000. The movement is the brand-new Baumatic, with an additional module supplied by Dubois-Depraz. It offers a 5-day power reserve (compared with 38 hours for Frederique Constants Slimline) and comes in a 42 mm case.

Clifton Baumatic Perpetual Calendar  Baume & Mercier

Another alternative is a manufacture movement from Chopard which, for a few euros more (23,400), offers an in-house movement in a 43 mm case, with perfect legibility and close to three days of power reserve (65 hours), thanks to the companys signature double-barrel system.

L.U.C Perpetual Twin  Chopard

The most bejewelled

Piagets Emperador Coussin Quantieme Perpetuel Serti makes the most of the companys dual jewellery and watchmaking expertise. It also has the distinction of being the one-millionth Piaget watch to leave the workshops of the manufacture. Released exactly 10 years ago, it was produced in a limited run of just 20. In addition to two retrograde displays (weekday and date), the watch is distinguished by a second time zone displayed on two hands in a counter at 8 oclock, as well as a day/night indicator connected to the hour.

Emperador Coussin Quantieme Perpetuel Serti  Piaget

The most feminine

And because we have to recognise that quartz has its advantages, our final choice is the 100% feminine sporty-chic QP by Longines, in the new VHP range. The latest model comes with a mother-of-pearl dial and a diamond-set bezel (2,550), or in black mother-of-pearl sans diamonds (1,260). Theres no day of the week or year, but at this price, with a precision of 5 seconds per year, whos complaining.
A man in Germany was sentenced to life in prison for homicide after his participation in an illegal race caused the death of a woman.

Given the recent ruling in Germany, RTL Radio's Eric Ewald took a closer look at a draft bill submitted by then-Minister of Justice Felix Braz. Two and a half years ago, Braz submitted draft bill 7204 on 'deliberately endangering others'. The last trace of the draft bill on the Chamber of Deputies website was a meeting with the parliamentary commission on justice in January 2019. At that meeting, the president of the commission Charel Margue was named the rapporteur of the project once he'd received reports from the Luxembourg Bar, the public prosecutor's office, and other justice authorities.

However, the minutes of the meeting mentioned the reticence of the government council and other legal authorities in enshrining such an infraction in Luxembourgish criminal law. Whilst no parties were categorically against the draft bill, concerns surrounding proving the infractions were raised.

Braz had presented the draft bill in November 2017, naming the following example to justify such a law: "Somebody speeding through a village at 130 km/h during the day endangers the lives of children playing on the pavements, as well as the lives of police officers forced to pursue the driver. These types of motorists basically take the lives of others hostage and only coincidence plays a role in whether or not there are ramifications of speeding!"

The law was consequently designed to punish highly reckless and dangerous wrongdoing, which could either result in no consequences for others or in the risk of death or injury. Braz's draft bill proposed sentences of up to three years in prison and 5,000 fines. He added that elements to ensure the infraction does not apply to all types of carelessness would also be clearly defined.

French law has defined such behaviour as a criminal offence since 1992. It looks like it will take some time for this law to pass in Luxembourg for various reasons. However, the draft bill has not completely dropped off the radar.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to claim during an extradition hearing that the Trump administration offered him a pardon if he agreed to say Russia was not involved in leaking Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails during the 2016 US election campaign, a lawyer for Assange said on Wednesday.

Assange is being held at a British prison while fighting extradition to the United States on spying charges. His full court hearing is due to begin next week.

At a preliminary hearing held Wednesday in London, lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said that now-former Republican congressman, Dana Rohrabacher, visited Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in August 2017.

Fitzgerald said a statement from another Assange lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, recounted Mr Rohrabacher going to see Mr Assange and saying, on instructions from the president, he was offering a pardon or some other way out, if Mr Assange  said Russia had nothing to do with the DNC leaks.

Responding to the lawyers claims, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said, This is absolutely and completely false.

US President Donald Trump barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than hes an ex-congressman. Hes never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject, Grisham said. It is a complete fabrication and a total lie. This is probably another never-ending hoax and total lie from the DNC.

Emails embarrassing for the Democrats and Hillary Clintons presidential campaign were hacked before being published by WikiLeaks in 2016.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said the evidence was admissible in the extradition case.

Long legal saga

Assange appeared at Londons Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday by video-link from Belmarsh prison, where he is being held as he awaits his extradition hearing.

US prosecutors have charged the 48-year-old Australian hacker with conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law over WikiLeakss release of hundreds of thousands of confidential government documents. If found guilty, he faces up to 175 years in jail.

He has argued he was acting as a journalist entitled to First Amendment protection.

Assange spent seven years inside Ecuadors embassy in London after holing up there in 2012 to avoid questioning in Sweden over unrelated sexual assault allegations.

Assange was evicted from the embassy in April 2019 and was arrested by British police for jumping bail in 2012. In November, Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigation because so much time had elapsed.

There is no quick end in sight to Assanges long legal saga. The full extradition hearing starting Monday is due to open with a week of legal arguments. It will resume in May, and a ruling is not expected for several months, with the losing side likely to appeal.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A team of researchers at the University of Toronto has successfully tested a new strategy for identifying genetic resources critical for the ongoing battle against plant pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses that infect and destroy food crops worldwide.

"As much as 40 per cent of global crop yield annually is lost to pests and pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and other disease-causing microorganisms," said David Guttman, a professor in the Department of Cell & Systems Biology (CSB) at the University of Toronto and co-author of a study published in Science. "In Canada, pathogens of the top five crops cause annual losses of approximately CDN $3.2B, even with no significant outbreaks."

By focusing on the near limitless arsenal of disease-associated genes available to pathogens, and the defences available to plants, they not only uncovered new insights into the ways plants survive relentless attacks, they developed a blueprint that could one day be used to protect the health of any species grown for food production.

"We wanted to know how relatively long-lived plants defend themselves against very rapidly evolving disease-causing pathogens, why disease is so uncommon even while plants are under continual attack by these highly diverse pathogens, and why domesticated crop species are so much more susceptible to pathogen attacks than wild species," said Guttman.

Guttman and fellow CSB professor Darrell Desveaux, who co-led the study, addressed these questions by specifically asking how a single plant is able to fight off the attacks of a common, bacterial, crop pathogen. They did this by first characterizing the global diversity of an important class of pathogen proteins, called effectors.

"Effectors play key roles in disease since they evolved to enhance the ability of pathogens to attack and infect their hosts. Fortunately, plants have evolved counter-defenses in the form of immune receptors that can recognize certain effectors," said Desveaux. "A plant is able to mount an 'effector-triggered' immune response that usually stops the infection, if it carries a specific immune receptor that recognizes a specific pathogen effector. This effector-receptor interaction has been called gene-for-gene resistance, and is the basis for nearly all agricultural resistance breeding."

The team started by sequencing the genomes of approximately 500 strains of the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae (P. syringae), which causes disease on nearly every major crop species.

"From these bacterial genomes we identified approximately 15,000 effectors from 70 distinct families," said Guttman. "We then reduced this complexity by identifying 530 effectors that represent their global diversity."

The researchers next had all of these representative effectors synthesized and put into a particularly harmgul strain of P. syringae that causes disease when infecting the plant Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana), a common weed widely used in plant biology studies. By doing infections with each individual effector they saw how many of the 530 effectors elicited an effector-triggered immune response that protected the plant.

The results were unexpected.

"We found that over 11% of the effectors elicited immune response, and that almost 97% of all P. syringae strains carry at least one immune-eliciting effector," said Desveaux. "We also identified new plant immune receptors that recognize these effectors, and found that almost 95% of all P. syringae strains can be blocked by just two A. thaliana immune receptors."

The results shed new light on how plants survive relentless pathogen attack. They also provide an exciting new approach for identifying new plant immune receptors, which is a genetic resource in short supply in agricultural breeding.

"While wild plant species have a diverse array of immune receptors, most domesticated crop species have lost much of this immunodiversity due to intensive artificial selection," said Guttman. "Our approach enables the rapid identification of new immune receptors in wild relatives of crops that can then be moved into elite agricultural lines by traditional breeding, ultimately creating new varieties with greater ability to resist agricultural pathogens."

Explore further Plants can skip the middlemen and directly recognize disease-causing fungi

More information: Bradley Laflamme et al, The pan-genome effector-triggered immunity landscape of a host-pathogen interaction, Science (2020). Journal information: Science Bradley Laflamme et al, The pan-genome effector-triggered immunity landscape of a host-pathogen interaction,(2020). DOI: 10.1126/science.aax4079
What made the tragedy especially regrettable is that it was preventable. Martin, a convicted felon, was forbidden to own a gun. Earlier, when his conviction had come to the attention of the Illinois State Police, the agency revoked his Illinois firearm owners identification card, and he was ordered by letter to surrender his weapons. But he never did, and no one followed up. So he kept his guns and put them to lethal use.
Authorities say a worker at a New Jersey mall was seriously injured in a 30-foot fall from the roof over the weekend.

Roxbury police were dispatched to the Ledgewood Mall shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday after the man, a demolition-construction company worker, fell through an opening on the roof.

Police spokeswoman Jen Dillard said the employee was airlifted to a hospital with major trauma.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which investigates workplace incidents, was notified.

The mall is being converted into the Shops at Ledgewood Commons, with some stores remaining open during construction and others slated to be demolished and rebuilt.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics New Jersey
(Newser)  An 88-year-old crossing guard who died after being hit by a vehicle in Kansas City, Kansas, saved the lives of two children before the impact, a school principal says. Bob Nill, who the Washington Post reports was known affectionately as "Mr. Bob" to his young charges, was struck early Tuesday near Christ the King Parish School and died later at a hospital, the AP reports. No children were injured, police spokesman Jonathon Westbrook says. Christ the King principal Cathy Fithian said two students were getting ready to cross the street when Nill yelled at them to stop, preventing them from being in the car's path.

story continues below

"We teach our students at Christ the King to know that we are here to protect them and they need to listen," Fithian tells the Kansas City Star. "Were just so blessed that he was there." Nill always put the children first, and some students had given him gifts for Valentine's Day, she says. Nill, who was hired through the city, retired from a different career before becoming a crossing guard in 2015, Unified Government spokesman Dave Reno says. In a statement, Mayor David Alvey thanked Nill for his "selfless sacrifice in protecting our children." The driver of a black sedan that hit the guard was taken to a hospital. Police say they are investigating whether the driver was speeding.

(Read more Kansas stories.)
Strategic Transaction Will Create Global One-Stop Shop for Consumer Goods Companies from Conception to Production Across the Beauty, Personal Care and Household Products Categories

LONGUEUIL, Quebec and TRENTO, Italy, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Knowlton Development Corporation ("KDC/ONE" or the "Company"), a global leader in custom formulation and manufacturing solutions for beauty, personal care and household brands, today announced an agreement to acquire Zobele Group ("Zobele"), a leading global innovator and manufacturer of home and air care products.

Founded in Italy in 1919, Zobele is a leading global manufacturer with more than 5,000 employees, two innovation hubs, five design & development centers and seven state-of-the-art facilities across the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America. Zobele serves 130 customers, providing an unparalleled, international offering and service to more than 150 leading brands in the fastest-growing household categories.

Established in 2002, KDC/ONE has become one of the world's leading custom formulators and manufacturers, offering high-touch innovation, operational excellence and speed to market for well-known and emerging brands. Backed by Cornell Capital, which acquired KDC/ONE in December 2018 with Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ), Investissement Quebec and HarbourVest Partners, KDC/ONE has expanded its technology base and expertise.

KDC/ONE's strategic acquisition of Zobele will further enhance its global platform across beauty, personal care and household products to provide its customers with best-in-class innovation and manufacturing capabilities. With a shared commitment to operational excellence, innovation and client service, KDC/ONE and Zobele are dedicated partners to their customers, and the combination is expected to immediately enhance customer offerings. Following the close of the transaction, Zobele CEO Roberto Schianchi and the current management team will continue to run the Zobele business under the KDC/ONE umbrella, and Zobele's headquarters will remain in Italy.

"As a market leader in its categories, Zobele is the right partner for us as we look to embark on our next chapter of strategic growth," said Nicholas Whitley, President and CEO of KDC/ONE. "With a truly scaled international footprint and customer base, the combined company will drive unparalleled innovation for our partners and significant expansion into key geographic and end markets. We look forward to working closely with Zobele's visionary management team to capitalize on the many growth opportunities ahead."

"We are excited to announce this transformative combination with KDC/ONE," said Roberto Schianchi, Chief Executive Officer of Zobele. "We look forward to collaborating with KDC/ONE to provide best-in-class services and high-quality products to our customers. Together with KDC/ONE, we are confident that we will be able to advance our shared goal of creating cutting-edge products and technologies at scale while using the best of our combined industrial footprint."

"This strategic and highly complementary transaction positions KDC/ONE for continued success as a global brand partner that can deliver bespoke innovation at an accelerated pace," said Justine Cheng, Chair of the KDC/ONE Board of Directors and Partner at Cornell Capital. "We are pleased to continue to support KDC/ONE as it partners with Zobele to continue building the Company's platform as a global one-stop shop for consumer goods companies across the beauty, personal care and household products categories."

"Since our initial investment in 2014, KDC/ONE has made a series of complementary international acquisitions, allowing the company to grow and diversify while consolidating its position as one of the most innovative manufacturers in the world. Today, this Quebec company is a true global leader, and CDPQ is pleased to continue supporting it," said Charles Emond, President and Chief Executive Officer of CDPQ.

Financing for the transaction will include significant equity reinvestment from Cornell Capital and CDPQ, as well as from the other existing investors. UBS Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC are acting as joint lead arrangers for the transaction, with UBS as the left lead arranger. Specific financial terms were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close later this year.

Jefferies Group LLC is acting as financial advisor to KDC/ONE and Cornell Capital, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is acting as legal advisor. Guggenheim Securities, LLC is acting as financial advisor to Zobele Group, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is acting as legal advisor.

About KDC/ONE

KDC/ONE is a leading global provider of manufacturing and packaging solutions for the beauty, personal care and household sectors. Established in 2002, KDC/ONE is headquartered in Longueuil, Quebec and employs over 7,000 employees across 18 state-of-the-art facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. KDC/ONE also operates three state-of-the-art innovation and R&D centers. The business delivers high-touch innovation, operational excellence and speed-to-market to a wide range of prestige and emerging brands. Over the past five years, KDC/ONE has experienced rapid growth through the successful completion of several acquisitions. Most recently, KDC/ONE completed its previously announced merger with HCT Group, a leading provider of full-service manufacturing solutions for cosmetic brands. For more information, visit www.kdc-one.com.

About Zobele

Zobele Group is a leading global innovator and manufacturer of home and air care products with more than 5,000 employees, two innovation hubs, five design & development centers and seven state-of-the art facilities across North & South America, Europe and Asia. The Company is highly recognized by its customers to provide outstanding value and a unique offering of products and services that can be supplied worldwide, ranging from innovation partnerships and development agreements to manufacturing and distribution. Zobele sells its products to blue chip fast-moving consumer goods companies worldwide as well as primary regional brands and retailers and provides a truly integrated global business model to its customers. For more information, visit www.zobele.com.

About Cornell Capital

Cornell Capital LLC is a U.S.-based private investment firm with $3.0 billion of AUM and offices in New York and Hong Kong. Partnering with strong, entrepreneurial management teams, the firm takes a value-oriented approach to investing across the consumer, financial and industrial sectors. Founder and Senior Partner Henry Cornell, who served as the Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs' Merchant Banking Division prior to founding Cornell Capital in 2013, leads a highly-seasoned senior leadership team with decades of shared investing experience. For more information, visit www.cornellcapllc.com.

About Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec

Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ) is a long-term institutional investor that manages funds primarily for public and parapublic pension and insurance plans. As at June 30, 2019, it held CAD 326.7 billion in net assets. As one of Canada's leading institutional fund managers, CDPQ invests globally in major financial markets, private equity, infrastructure, real estate and private debt. For more information, visit cdpq.com, follow us on Twitter @LaCDPQ or consult our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.

Media Contacts:

KDC/ONE

Valerie Gonzalo

AGO Communications

514-626-6976

[email protected]

Zobele Group

Danilo Fenner

+39-345-9765365

[email protected]

Cornell Capital

Jon Keehner / Tim Ragones / Kate Thompson

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

212-355-4449

SOURCE KDC/ONE

Related Links

http://www.kdc-one.com


By Finian Cunningham

February 18, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is like the proverbial thief who has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Instead of slinking off in shame, he goes into a fit of rage as if hes the one who is the injured party.

This is the situation in Syrias northwest territory where under a 2018 deal with Russia, Turkey was obligated to maintain a de-escalation zone. Ankara failed to do so. Attacks by terror groups operating from Idlib and Aleppo countryside continued unabated against Syrian civilians in Aleppo city and other government-controlled areas.

Those deadly breaches of the de-escalation deal were carried out in spite of the fact that Turkish military forces were permitted to have 12 observation posts on Syrian territory. That arrangement  to allow a foreign power to have a military presence on its territory  was a major concession by the Syrian government. A concession that has been abused time and time again.

Since the Turks did not stop the terror groups launching offensive operations, well then, all bets were off. From the end of last year, the Syrian Arab Army has moved to finally crush the insurgents operating from their last bastion in northwest Syria.

Russia, which backs Syria, says it supports that nations sovereign right to eradicate all terror groups from its territory. The major insurgent faction is Jabhat al-Nusra (also known as Tahrir Hayat al-Sham)* which is an internationally proscribed terrorist outfit. Therefore, the Syrian state has every right under UN resolutions and international law to pursue its objective.

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Earlier this week, a military-diplomatic source revealed that Ankara, in fact, supplies terror groups in Syria with armaments as the Turkish military equipment being sent into the Arab country often finds its way into the hands of Jabhat al-Nusra immediately after crossing the border.

The Syrian government and other observers have long been saying the same. Namely, that the Turkish state is not some kind of arbiter in the conflict, but rather is an antagonist through its covert sponsorship of anti-government militants whom it refers to as innocuous-sounding rebels.

The recent shooting down of two Syrian military helicopters  with deadly loss of crews  is believed to have been enabled by Turkey supplying the terror groups with US-made surface-to-air MANPAD missiles.

The nine-year war in Syria is coming to an endgame as the Syrian army and its Russian ally close in on the residual terror groups holding out in northwest Syria. This week, Syrian government forces liberated large areas of Aleppo countryside, which will stop shelling by the terror groups of civilian areas.

However, the endgame also poses a precarious situation of possible escalation into an international conflict.

Turkeys Erdogan has lately been flexing his muscles at Syria and Russia. He says his forces will attack Syrian and Russian aircraft unless Syria retreats from its offensive against the terror groups. The deaths of a dozen Turkish troops earlier this month from Syrian army fire seems to have enraged Ankara further. Turkey claims to have hit back at Syrian positions in retaliation. Flagrantly, Turkey is acting as the de facto artillery division of the terror groups.

Turkish officials are in Moscow this week in a bid to furnish a ceasefire. Erdogan has been on the phone frequently to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But the truculent tone from Erdogan and his envoys are misplaced. Ankara is threatening to take more belligerent action if the Syrian army does not back off.

What Erdogan appears to be indulging in is a treacherous bluff. Ankara is flaunting support it has received from Washington. Trump thanks Erdogan for averting catastrophe in Idlib, reads a headline in the Turkish media this week. That is, of course, a preposterous distortion of what is going in Syria. Nevertheless, it shows how Washington is shaping up on the side of Ankara.

The American president also told Erdogan that he wants to see Russia ending its military backing for the Syrian regime.

The Kremlin rejected that intervention from Washington and said it will remain steadfast in upholding Syrias inalienable right to fight terrorism on its territory.

As a member of the NATO military alliance, Turkey could potentially invoke a common defence provision and request that the US and other alliance members come to its aid in Syria. If that were to happen, then the Syrian war takes on an international dimension of immense stakes. It appears that Erdogan is dangling this threat of escalation in front of Syria and Russia.

At which point it should be recalled that at the root of the Syrian war is the problem of foreign interference. NATO members, including the US and Turkey, have been fueling the war from their covert sponsorship of terror groups (despite absurd official claims about fighting terrorism).

The war will finally end when these foreign powers which are illegally present in Syria begin to abide by international law and remove their forces from Syrian territory. Those forces include troops, warplanes, military bases and shadowy operators in the CIA and their Turk counterparts.
Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Lyris Younge, who had been fighting a complaint charging her with 10 counts of judicial misconduct over 18 months in Family Court, has admitted to the allegations in a filing with the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline.

With that admission, made public late Tuesday, Younge, 53, will avoid a trial that had been set for Wednesday on claims that she had failed to be impartial, demonstrated an improper judicial demeanor, denied parties their right to be heard in court, and caused inordinate delays in cases involving young children that were supposed to be fast-tracked.

Younges lawyer, Charles Gibbs, declined to comment. Spokespersons for Philadelphia Family Court and Pennsylvanias Court of Judicial Discipline did not immediately return calls for comment

 READ MORE: Inside the Philly courtroom where you're not allowed to speak

Six different complainants had asked the disciplinary board to investigate Younge, a Democrat elected to the bench in 2015, according to court filings. She had been moved into Common Pleas Court to handle civil proceedings after the complaints were raised. Although the disciplinary board had asked that she be suspended while the charges were pending, the Court of Judicial Discipline allowed her to remain on the bench.

As a judge in Family Court, Younge on several occasions prevented parents from speaking in court proceedings about the removal of their children from their care, The Inquirer reported. One mother described being handcuffed in the courthouse while her kids were taken away. She would not regain custody of the children for eight months, until after Younge was removed from her courtroom.

In another case, a mother became ill during proceedings and stepped out of the courtroom. Younge barred her from reentering and, while she was absent, terminated her parental rights.

 READ MORE: Controversial Philly judge evicts a dozen tenants with one weeks notice

In Family Court, Younge also clashed with lawyers and social workers, controversially holding an attorney in contempt for missing court while he was delayed in another courtroom. She did not conceal her contempt for some Department of Human Services employees, and in court said of one social worker that she would not believe him if his tongue were notarized.

Though she avoided trial, Younge and lawyers for the Judicial Conduct Board will still have to submit proposed findings for a final decision by the Court of Judicial Discipline, which would then determine any sanctions. Those could include a reprimand, fines, suspension, or removal from the bench.

The board views this as a positive development in the case, said Richard Long, of the Judicial Conduct Board. He declined to say what type of sanction the board would seek. Theres a still a significant amount of work to be done.
ROME  A man who was wanted in the state of Illinois for alleged child abduction was found with a missing 16-year-old in Rome and charged with rape, according to the Rome Police Department.

At 7 a.m. Wednesday, Rome police were contacted by the Wills County Sheriff Office in Illinois regarding a minor who was missing. Deputies said a 16-year-old had been reported missing on Sunday, Jan. 14, and she was believed to be with a male subject, identified as 27-year-old Dakota Adair. Deputies said during their investigation, they received information that the teen might currently be in Rome, New York.

Rome police responded to the Red Carpet Inn at 799 Lawrence St., Rome, where they say they found Adairs car, and they then found the missing teen and Adair in one of the motel rooms.

Adair, who was wanted out of Illinois for child abduction, was transported to the Rome police station for questioning. The teen, who police say was uninjured, was also transported to the police station.

Police say after further investigation by officers with the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center, Adair was charged with felony third-degree rape, and he was held at the Rome police station pending arraignment.

Police say the investigation is ongoing and further charges are pending.

The victim was offered counseling through the Child Advocacy Center.
CAMBRIDGE, England, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambridge Pixel, a developer of radar display, tracking and recording sub-systems (www.cambridgepixel.com), has been selected by Hanwha Systems, a South Korean defence company, to supply its advanced SPx radar technology for installation on the Republic of Korea Navy's fleet of Chamsuri II-class patrol boats and FFX-II frigates.

Engineers at Hanwha Systems in Gumi City, South Korea needed advanced and field-proven radar processing components - including radar acquisition, radar display, radar scan conversion, radar distribution and radar recording - for the development of its latest multi-function display console, the FFX-B2.

It was vital that the software modules provided by Cambridge Pixel could be built into Hanwha's own application code thereby enabling Hanwha's development team to deliver a native solution to the Korean Navy which can be maintained and supported locally.

Cambridge Pixel will supply Hanwha Systems with radar interfacing and distribution capability for a number of different radar types, along with software for radar scan conversion, network distribution and multi-channel radar recording.

Each FFX-B2 display console will be equipped with Cambridge Pixel's radar scan conversion software to convert the polar format network data into a PPI image, which is presented with application graphics as part of the multi-function console display.

By using Cambridge Pixel's world class off-the-shelf SPx radar components, Hanwha Systems will reduce the development time for its new console and save money. Furthermore, the software modules selected will deliver all the functionality needed for this programme and provide access to new features as the software is updated.

David Johnson, CEO, Cambridge Pixel, said: "We are delighted to continue our well-established relationship with Hanwha Systems for the supply of radar processing components. We have been working with Hanwha now for nearly ten years and they regard our engineers as an extension to their own development team.

"Our aim is to give partners, such as Hanwha, flexibility and control over the project by supplying our hardware-agnostic C++ software modules from our SPx library for integration with their own systems."

Chamsuri II-class (project name PKX-B) patrol boats are a new, smaller, class (230-tons) of South Korean Navy patrol boats intended to replace the aging Chamsuri-class vessels built for the navy in the 1970s. FFX-II, an improved variant of Incheon-class (FFX-I) frigates, is intended to replace the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy's ageing fleet of corvettes and frigates.

SPx is Cambridge Pixel's integrated radar processing and display software based on COTS software and Open Standards. The SPx suite of software libraries and applications provide highly flexible, ready-to-run software products for radar scan conversion, visualisation, radar video distribution, target tracking, sensor fusion, plot extraction and clutter processing.

Cambridge Pixel's radar technology is used in naval, air traffic control, vessel traffic, commercial shipping, security, surveillance and airborne radar applications. Its systems have been implemented in mission-critical applications with companies such as BAE Systems, Frontier Electronic Systems, Blighter Surveillance Systems, Exelis, Hanwha Systems, Kelvin Hughes, Lockheed Martin, Navtech Radar, Raytheon, Saab Sensis, Royal Thai Air Force, Sofresud and Tellumat.

For more information about Cambridge Pixel's products, please visit www.cambridgepixel.com or call: +44(0)1763-852749 or email: enquiries@cambridgepixel.com.

Media photo:

Photo shows a Chamsuri II-class (project name PKX-B) patrol boat.

https://www.cambridgepixel.com/site/assets/files/2582/pr-hanwha2020.jpg

About Hanwha Systems

Since its founding in 1978, the Hanwha Systems system division has significantly advanced the defense capabilities of South Korea's military. The knowledge it has gained from working with the South Korean military and the 40+ years developing systems used globally are being used to develop advanced systems for surveillance, reconnaissance, control, communication, computer, and intelligence (C4I), naval and land.

About Cambridge Pixel (www.cambridgepixel.com)

Cambridge Pixel is an award-winning developer of sensor processing and display solutions including primary and secondary radar interfacing, processing and display components for military and commercial radar applications. It is a world-leading supplier of software-based radar tracking and scan conversion solutions through its modular SPx software, and HPx hardware product range. Based near Cambridge in the UK, the company operates worldwide through a network of agents and distributors.
[February 19, 2020]

Swedish Stirling Signs Agreement With South African Ferrochrome Producer

STOCKHOLM, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Swedish Stirling AB ("Swedish Stirling") and a South African ferrochrome producer have today signed an energy conversion service agreement for the installation of up to 25 PWR BLOK 400-Fs (9.9 MW).

Swedish Stirling has earlier announced that it had signed an exclusive agreement with one of South Africa's largest ferrochrome producers - granting Swedish Stirling the right to finalize negotiations in an agreement regarding an energy conversion service with the PWR BLOK. Today, the parties have signed an energy conversion service agreement for an installation of up to 25 PWR BLOK 400-Fs (9.9 MW) at a power generation facility in South Africa. The exact number of PWR BLOKs will be determined when the first three units are operational and the amount of residual gas from the plant is established. At completion, a 25 PWR BLOK unit is estimated to generate annual revenue for Swedish Stirling of MSEK 40 (3.75 MEUR).

The first PWR BLOK will be commissioned by 31 May 2021. The energy conversion service agreement runs for eight years from the time the facility is fully developed. The facility will be owned and operated through a special purpose vehicle (SPV), established and controlled by Swedish Stirling.

CONTACT:

Sven Ljungberg

CCO

Swedish Stirling AB

+46-(0)31-385-88-30

[email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/swedish-stirling/r/swedish-stirling-signs-agreement-with-south-african-ferrochrome-producer,c3038862

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https://mb.cision.com/Main/14881/3038862/1196416.pdf Avtal energikonvertering eng


Flesh trade racket busted in Bengaluru: CCB raids spa in Koramangala; 6 women rescued

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Bengaluru, Feb 19: Officers attached to the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in Bengaluru raided a spa centre in Koramangala area on Wednesday and rescued six women.

According to reports, the owner of the Jack Salon And Wellness Spa in Koramangala has been absconding while the Manager was arrested. CCB police had earlier raided a few places in Koramangala, where prostitution was being run.

Earlier, Former Home Minister and BTM Layout Congress MLA Ramalinga Reddy had written to the state police chief, asking to crack down on prostitution in Koramangala, which falls under his constituency.

Sex racket in Kolkata spa busted, 5 arrested & 3 rescued

In a letter, the MLA stated that someone had created a website 'Koramangala Call Girls' and was running flesh trade, by posting photos of women. The MLA had also shared the phone number of the suspect behind the racket who allegedly ran prostitution using the website. Besides, he also stated that some people were running prostitution in the name of massage centres and spas.

However, this is not the first time an illegal spa and massage centre has been busted in the city of Bengaluru. Earlier on Dec 19, a Arise Thai Spa and Saloon in Banashankari limits was raided by the Central Crime Branch, Bengaluru.

Police were tipped off about a person named Narayanaswamy running this brothel under the guise of a spa and saloon, collecting Rs 2000 from customers and pushing young girls into flesh trade. The police also arrested Mahantesh Mattikoppa of Gadag another pimp. Case were also filed against the owners of the respective establishments under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for engaging in flesh trade.
[February 19, 2020] Preempt Security Achieves Record Growth in Customers, Revenue in First Half of Fiscal Year & Expands Management Team

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Preempt Security , the leading provider of Conditional Access for real-time access control and threat prevention, announced record breaking revenue. The company saw in its first half of its fiscal year 100% growth in customers and 140% growth in ARR year-over-year.

Accelerating market acceptance of industry frameworks for cyber security risk reduction, such as Gartners CARTA and Forresters Zero Trust, mean that customers need solutions for continuous authentication for identity. A Conditional Access approach provides risk based, continuous authentication in real-time, and with the least amount of user friction. The risk from credential and identity store compromise has only accelerated. Conditional Access, at enterprise scale, is a highly leveraged way to reduce risk and still achieve key strategic goals, said co-founder and CEO Ajit Sancheti. Customer Wins Select customer wins this half included: One of the worlds largest cosmetic companies

The worlds largest private agricultural company

The worlds largest franchisor

The world's largest manufacturer of primary batteries and portable lighting products

Other wins in verticals such as energy, healthcare, and finance across the EMEA and APAC regions Additionally, Preempt Lite , a free version of the Preempt Platform, now boasts downloads from over 250 companies.



Partner and Management Team Expansion Extending its global reach, Preempt expanded its international operations and added identity and access management services partners. In addition, Preempt announced two new executive appointments:



Patrick Doherty has been promoted to the role of Vice-President, North America Sales. Doherty brings 12+ years of infosec sales experience prior to Preempt with companies such as Tenable. Having been with Preempt for the past two years, Doherty said that I am extremely excited to evolve with our clients and partners. Our clients have helped shape how Preempt secures identity and access in complex hybrid networks. This has been incredibly rewarding and we are just scratching the surface.





has been promoted to the role of Vice-President, North America Sales. Doherty brings 12+ years of infosec sales experience prior to Preempt with companies such as Tenable. Having been with Preempt for the past two years, Doherty said that I am extremely excited to evolve with our clients and partners. Our clients have helped shape how Preempt secures identity and access in complex hybrid networks. This has been incredibly rewarding and we are just scratching the surface. Kapil Raina has been appointed to the role of Vice-President of Marketing. Raina has 20+ years of cyber security industry experience and has driven all aspects of product and marketing across brands such as Zscaler, HyTrust, VMware, and VeriSign. Preempt has built a great base of customers with amazing technology. I am excited to amplify those success stories and help Preempt achieve the next stage of customer trust and acquisition, said Raina. CISO Series and RSA Activities Learn more about Preempt at RSA 2020 , including talks on identity security and AI challenges. Learn from industry leaders through Preempts CISO speaker series including leaders from organizations such as Safelite, Solenis, Intralinks, and others. About Preempt Preempt delivers a modern approach to authentication and securing identity in the enterprise. Using patented technology for Conditional Access, Preempt helps enterprises optimize identity hygiene and stop attacks in real-time before they impact business. Preempt continuously detects and preempts threats based on identity, behavior, and risk across all cloud and on-premises authentication & access platforms. This low friction approach empowers security teams with more visibility & control over accounts and privileged access, while achieving compliance and auto-resolving incidents. Learn more: www.preempt.com. For More Info:

Kapil Raina

[email protected]

+ 1 (415) 738-7829

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Today we can't even think of our lives without a smartphone -- it has become one of the most indispensable things in our life. However, some people are constantly on them all the time -- being addicted to the smartphone. And in case you thought it's not as harmful as people say it is, get ready for a shocker.

Reuters/Addictive Behaviors

A recent study (published first in Addictive Behaviours) conducted by German researchers revealed that smartphone addiction physically changes the shape and size of the brain in the same fashion as drug addiction.



German researchers examined MRI scans of 48 individuals -- 22 who were addicted to smartphones whereas 26 non-addicts. They found that the brains of people with smartphone addiction have lower grey matter volume in some key parts of the brain compared to the non-addicts.

They say, Compared to controls, individuals with smartphone addiction showed lower grey matter volume in left anterior insula, inferior temporal and parahippocampal cortex.

Lower levels of grey matter volume in the insula have been linked to substance abuse in previous studies. They state that discovery of this is the physical evidence showing smartphone addiction doing considerable damage to the brain.

Authors further state, Given their widespread use and increasing popularity, the present study questions the harmlessness of smartphones, at least in individuals that may be at increased risk for developing smartphone-related addictive behaviours.

Getty Images

Today, kids are experiencing a condition called Problematic Smartphone Usage which basically means that the kids are obsessed with a mobile device in such a way that it is resulting in behaviours exuding addiction.



As per a recent study conducted by researchers at Kings College in London, 10-30 percent of children are using smartphones or other devices in a way that causes them immense discomfort when its not around.

Researchers feel that the obsessive use of the device has an element of addiction to it where it causes anxiety to the user if they dont get the desired screen time.

It is time we started using a smartphone responsibly instead of just giving in to the obsession.
Rajasthan Assembly on Wednesday passed the Rajasthan Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2020 by voice vote.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Kumar Dhariwal introduced the Bill in the House.

During a discussion on the Bill, he said only the amendments made in GST by Parliament have been done through this Bill.

An ordinance was brought in this regard on December 28 last year in view of the special circumstances and urgent needs.

He said the Centre had implemented GST in hurry and the mistakes are needed to be fixed repeatedly.

He informed that the tax collection of the central government will be Rs 2.5 lakh crore less than the target in the current fiscal year.

Dhariwal informed the House that the state government's share of GST compensation of Rs 2,600 crore and CST (central sales tax) of Rs 4,100 crore is pending with the Centre.

In the 37th meeting of the GST Council, only one month's compensation was given. He said that the state government will be able to do more welfare works in interest of the public if the share is released by the Centre.

Referring to anti-evasion actions, Dhariwal said that during the last five years of the previous government, Rs 25 crore was recovered by checking 900 vehicles in the state, whereas the present government took effective action in only one year.

The government recovered Rs 75 crore during checking of 2,700 vehicles, he said.

He said the Congress government in the state took strong action against GST fraudsters in Bhiwadi, Jodhpur and Kota, whereas the previous government failed to take any action.

Earlier, the House rejected the amendment resolution to circulate the Bill for seeking public opinion.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
B oris Johnson has been warned that the EU views Brexit negotiations as a "different ball game" to the trade talks that secured an agreement with Canada.

The Prime Minister wants a Canada-style trade deal which would leave the UK free to diverge from EU rules.

But a key aide to Brussels' chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the EU would not budge from its position and that the UK is too close for the same type of deal to work.

The bloc has insisted on a "level playing field" for state subsidies, environmental protections and workers' rights as the price for any deal.

Stefaan De Rynck said: "It's clear that for us it's a different ball game that we are playing with the UK to the one that we agreed with Canada in terms of the level playing field."

Jacques Barrot (L) talks with Barnier aid, Stefaan de Rynck (R) / Getty Images

He was speaking after the Prime Minister's negotiator David Frost warned that "to think that we might accept EU supervision on so-called level playing field issues simply fails to see the point of what we are doing".

Mr De Rynck said the UK's closeness to the EU in terms of both distance and trading relationships meant the level playing field conditions were more important than in other trade deals struck by Brussels.

"Some in the UK now seem to want to become Canadians. But Dover is much closer to Calais than Ottawa is," he said in a speech at the London School of Economics.

"Proximity matters, distance matters in trade. What also matters is the interconnectedness between our economies.

"So, in terms of zero tariff, zero quota access, this brings a lot of benefits to the UK economy and with benefits come obligations."

Mr De Rynck is a key aide to chief negotiator for the EU, Michel Barnier / REUTERS

The UK and EU "share values such as free enterprise, open economies, social justice," he said, adding: "Surely it cannot be rocket science to agree common standards.

"Indeed the idea at the heart of the Political Declaration which has been agreed is having common standards on the issue of the level playing field."

The goal of "zero tariff, zero quota" trade is set out in the Political Declaration agreed by the Prime Minister and the EU in 2019.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signing the Withdrawal of the UK from the EU agreement / PA Media

But Mr De Rynck said there was concern in Brussels about the Government attempting to deviate from the shared declaration.

A written ministerial statement published alongside the Prime Minister's major Brexit speech earlier in February was a "source of some concern in terms of the level of ambition in the Political Declaration not perhaps being fully met", he said.

With a deal needing to be reached by the end of the year, Mr De Rynck warned the talks could get "rather difficult".

Brexit: UK's final day in EU 1 /44 Brexit: UK's final day in EU Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives to attend a cabinet meeting held at the National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland AFP via Getty Images A massive banner by the campaign group Another Europe is Possible is hung off Westminster Bridge in London, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union PA People wear Union Jack hats and Brexit Day t shirts in Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images Pro EU supporters let off flares from Westminster Bridge by the London Eye as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images European Parliament President David Sassoli speaks during a media conference at the Parlamentarium in Brussels AP MEP Jonathan Bullock holding the Union Jack waves from a taxi as he leaves the European Parliament AFP via Getty Images Commuters walk along London Bridge toward the City of London with Tower Bridge AFP via Getty Images Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon delivers a speech on Brexit day Reuters AFP via Getty Images European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and European Parliament President David Sassoli arrive for a meeting near The European Parliament in Brussels AFP via Getty Images Steve Bray in Westminster this morning Jeremy Selwyn People walk past a Brexit countdown clock at the Parlamentarium in Brussels AP Union Flags line the Mall leading to Buckingham Palace AFP via Getty Images British members of the European Parliament from the Brexit Party Jonathan Bullock and Ann Widdecombe wave in front of the train station as they leave in Brussels AFP via Getty Images Pro-EU anti-Brexit protesters hold placards in Parliament Square in London AFP via Getty Images Sunrise over the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid arrives at King's Cross St. Pancras Station in London before boarding a train to the North East for a cabinet meeting in Sunderland PA Brexit Party members of the European Parliament, Jack Pugh and David Bull, depart from the Parliament to return to Great Britain on the day the United Kingdom will officially fulfill Brexit and leave the European Union Getty Images Britain's ambassador to the European Union Tim Barrow leaves the British representation to the EU residence in Brussels AFP via Getty Images A man sits as members of the media set up on Parliament Square on Brexit day Reuters European Commission Chief Negociator Michel Barnier arrives for a meeting near the European Parliament in Brussels AFP via Getty Images Red Viking apples with the Union Jack are displayed and given out for free to promote British produce on Parliament Square AP A woman carrying the red box belonging to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab goes into King's Cross Station in London to board a train to the North East for a cabinet meeting in Sunderland PA A technician makes lighting adjustments prior to a media conference of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and European Parliament President David Sassoli at the Parlamentarium in Brussels AP Ann Widdecombe member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England, reacts with other members of the Brexit party as they leave en masse from the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium PA Euro Balloons stuck in a tree in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn Newspapers and other souvenirs are pictured at a store, near Parliament Square REUTERS Julian Smith, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland arrives at King's Cross Station in London PA A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs are pictured at a souvenir store, near Parliament Square Reuters International Trade Secretary Liz Truss arrives at King's Cross St. Pancras Station in London before boarding a train to the North East for a cabinet meeting in Sunderland PA British MEP's carry a Union flag as they march out of European Parliament with their luggage in Brussels to take the Eurostar train back to Britain AP A Brexiteer in Parliament Square, Londo PA

"We have a vast amount of work and we seem to have 10 months to do it, or less than 10 months if you calculate the time for ratification so that everybody can be ready on January 1, 2021 for the new regime," he said.

"I would expect some of these negotiations to be rather difficult, perhaps more difficult that during withdrawal because the scope of issues is so much vaster."

The scale of the challenge was underlined this week by French foreign minister Jean-Yves le Drian, who predicted the two sides in the negotiations would "rip each other apart".

Mr De Rynck also set out the EU's position on talks on financial services and security co-operation.

He warned that an equivalence regime for financial services - where one side accepts the other's regulations are suitably robust - would not mean business as usual for the City.

"Equivalence is certainly not continuity, it does not exist for every service in the financial sector," he said.

"Equivalence is not something that can make up for the loss of the benefits of the single market."
He made a name for himself with his 2008 action-packed, profanity-filled thriller In Bruges, set in the Belgian city of the same name.

And director Martin McDonagh is set to reunite with the film's iconic duo Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson for his next project, Deadline revealed on Tuesday.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker, 49, has reportedly cast the actor, 43, and Paddington 2 star, 64, in leading roles for the movie, for his next untitled project.

They're back! Martin McDonagh is set to reunite with In Bruges duo Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in new untitled film, it was reported on Tuesday

According to the publication the film is set on a remote island in Ireland, and Colin and Brendan will portray lifelong pals after one unexpectedly ends their friendship, with dangerous consequences for the two of them.

The drama has already been backed by Searchlight Pictures and Film4, and it has been reported that shooting will begin in the summer.

Martin first worked with Colin and Brendan in his breakthrough directorial debut, which they starred in alongside Ralph Fiennes and Clemence Poesy.

Drama: The filmmaker, 49, has reportedly cast the actor, 43, and Paddington 2 star, 64, as lifelong pals whose lives are thrown into chaos when one abruptly ends the friendship

In Bruges followed Ray (Farrell), a hitman who botches a job and is sent away to the Belgian city with fellow assassin Ken (Gleeson) to wait to be given the all-clear from their boss Harry (Fiennes).

However, Harry isn't keen for Ray to be left to live after accidentally killing a child, so he orders Ken to do away with his friend now he has been able to enjoy his final days in the picturesque location.

Ken, realising that Ray's guilt over the course of events has left him feeling suicidal, chooses to go against his boss and instead try and get his Ray to safety, leading to a dramatic showdown between the trio.

Iconic: Martin first worked with the pair in his debut film, which saw Colin play a hitman who botches a job and is sent away to the Belgian city with his fellow assassin Ken (Gleeson)

Martin has proven himself time and again as a filmmaker, following up his debut film with hit crime caper Seven Psychopaths, and then Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

His 2017 film starred Frances McDormand as a mother trying to get justice for her daughter's death by imploring the authorities solve the case after they fail to catch the culprit.

Three Billboards was a sensation upon release, garnering Academy Awards for Best Actress for Frances and Best Supporting Actor for Sam Rockwell, while Martin won a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay.
South Africa: 100 land parcels released for restitution, agricultural use

Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza says government has, since July last year, released about 100 parcels of land to be used for restitution and farming purposes.

Didiza said this when she participated on the first day of the debate on President Cyril Ramaphosas State of the Nation Address during a joint sitting of Parliament, in the National Assembly, on Tuesday.

She said this not long after the Presidential Land Advisory Panels recommendations implored government to urgently deal with land tenure and restitution to ensure security of tenure for millions of people on traditional land of the country.

Mr President, in your State of the Nation Address in June 2019, you committed government in the medium term to identify and release public land that is suitable for smart urban settlement and for farming.

Six months into this sixth administration, the following has been achieved: 14 000 hectares have been identified and released for human settlements, 100 parcels have been released for restitution purposes, 44 000 of these have been transferred to communities  in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Western Cape.

Didiza also said that 1.3 million hectares of agricultural land has been identified and is ready for allocation.

Out of these, 300 000 hectares will be used for the settlement of restitution claims, while 700 000 hectares of these will be allocated to women, youth, people with disabilities and those who have been farming on communal land.

Developing a new farmer for the future

The Minister said, meanwhile, that agriculture, as an economic sector, is dependent on, among others, land to thrive.

He said that the use of land will require that government does not only give access to land, but support to those who enter into the agricultural economy with training, finance, water, research, mechanization and infrastructure.

Given the challenges of climate change, we need to ensure that our farming system is consistent with this reality. Thinking about the future, we need to build a new cohort of farmers.

The current training that we are undertaking through NARYSEC and the agricultural colleges of 1000 young people from the three districts that have been identified as pilots for the district development model working with the Department of COGTA will contribute towards the development of new farmers.

In addition to these, we have maximized the use of our international exchange programme by sending young people for training in critical agricultural skills.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The Erickson Aircraft Collection has just announced that they will be transporting their beautifully restored P-51 Mustang to Oahu, Hawaii. They will be offering flight experiences in this magnificent WWII fighter aircraft over the island paradise beginning in March this year.

This Mustang has been in Jack Ericksons collection since the early 1980s, and is actually a CA-17, an Australian-built version of the famous WWII North American Aviation P-51D fighter assembled at the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporations factory in Fishermans Bend near Melbourne, Victoria.

The aircraft joined the Royal Australian Air Force in December, 1945 and flew for less than two years before becoming a ground instructional airframe in mid 1947. It served in this role for the rest of its military career. The RAAF sold her on in 1954 to Fawcett Aviation/Illawarra Flying School where she took up target towing operations, registered as VH-BOY. She earned her keep at this facility until the fall of 1979 when the British collector, Doug Arnold, acquired her. However, Arnold could not get an export permit. Oddly though, within a few months, an American named Gordon Plaskett did successfully import the fighter to his facility in King City, California. The Mustang soon passed on to the legendary air racing pilot Bill Tiger Destefani, and he sold her to the Erickson Aircraft Collection in 1983, and she has been with them ever since.

In their recent press announcement, the Erickson Aircraft Collection displayed well-earned pride for this aircraft. General Manager Mike Oliver noted that, The P-51 is undoubtedly one of the most historically significant fighter aircraft of World War II. The aircrafts clean design gave it unparalleled range, allowing it to escort American bombers deep into German territory and, later, over Imperial Japan. It also had the speed and agility to overcome nearly every foe in a dogfight. Some say that the P-51 was the decisive factor for the U.S. in the battle for air superiority.

It will be a complex and time-consuming process to ship the warbird to Hawaii, but Oliver says it will be well worthwhile, We anticipate intense interest in this airplane and these flights by WWII aircraft fans worldwide. The attraction of flying in this magnificent aircraft over Pearl Harbor cannot be overstated. They plan to offer both 15-minute and 30-minute flight experience tours in the Mustang. While there are a number of vintage WWII aircraft at museums in Hawaii, it is rare to see them flying over the state.

Regarding aviation museums in Hawaii, Mike Oliver noted that the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum,  is quite pleased with this unique adventure. The aircraft dovetails nicely with the Museums mission to honor the men and women of that era who fought for our country. We are delighted to be able to bring this piece of history to Honolulu for future generations to enjoy.

The aircraft is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu in early March. The first Mustang rides are scheduled to be offered in late March or early April. Interested parties are encouraged to log on to www.WingsOverPearl.com.
The Hisar administration is planning to launch a bus service, Hisar Darshan, which will show tourists around the city that offers an expansive historical experience.

In this regard, Hisar deputy commissioner (DC) Priyanka Soni convened a meeting of officials from 30 odd departments and asked them to gather details of all historical sites in the district.

The main aim to identify such sites, she said, is to make the city a tourist hub and offer the vast array of knowledge to those interested in the history of Hisar.

The officials will be submitting the comprehensive report to the DC on Thursday.

There are many sites in Hisar which hold historical significance. Thus, a bus service will be launched in April to show tourists around the city, DC Soni said.

There are many plans that have been set in motion to assist tourists and support this ambitious project. For instance, guides will be appointed who would accompany tourists to each site and inform about their historical relevance, she added.

Government public relation officer Surender Kumar Saini said, Several foreigners come to Delhi just to satiate their fascination towards history. Similarly, Haryana also possess rich culture of Harappan era.

He said that it was highly likely that many tourists who come to Delhi would also visit Hisar after this project as the distance between the two cities is just 180km.

Places of Interest

Gujari Mahal: Located about 100 metres away from Hisar bus stand, Gujari Mahal was built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq for his beloved queen Gujari about 675 years ago

Asigarh Fort (Hansi fort): It is also known as Prithviraj Chauhan fort and has been declared a centrally protected monument by the Archaeological Survey of India. This fort is more than 1,000 years old and the ancient fort was surviving till 1857, when its greater part was demolished

Ancient mound, Agroha: The site of Agroha is traditionally believed to be the capital of legendry king Maharaja Agrasena of Agrawal community. A hoard of coins, including four Indo-Greek, one punch-marked and another 51 coins of Agrodaka, were found from the site during excavation

Lal Sadak, Hansi: This is the place where freedom fighters were crushed under a road roller in the wake of the 1857 revolt

Rakhigarhi Mounds: The site of Rakhigarh is one of the five known biggest townships of Harappan civilisation on Indian subcontinent. Five interconnected mounds spread in a huge area form the Rakhigarhis unique site. Two mounds, out of five, were thickly populated

Deer park: Only 7km from the main city of Hisar on Barwala road, the park attracts children as well as adults who are keen to see wildlife. Animals such as blackbucks, deers and chinkara are kept there

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President Akufo-Addo has commended his deputy Chief of Staff and Political Assistant, Francis Asenso-Boakye, for his contribution to the formation of the Tertiary Students' Confederacy of the NPP (TESCON) and to the development of the NPP.

He was speaking at a durbar organized by the National Youth Wing of the NPP to commemorate 20 years of TESCONs inauguration, under the theme, 20 YEARS OF COMMITMENT WITHOUT INDUCEMENT: TESCON OUR GENERATIONAL PILLAR, which took place at Ho in the Volta region, on the 18th of February, 2020.

President Akufo-Addo said, I have the force also to mention the name of my deputy Chief of Staff and Political Assistant, Francis Asenso-Boakye, the Founding President of TESCON who has proved to be invaluable to me in my work and is desirous of joining his colleagues in parliament. This is the nature of my umbilical link to TESCON which cannot be cut.

In the year 2000 when TESCON was inaugurated, he took the lead in mobilizing the youth of our party and of our country to make the historic change of 2000. For the first time in Ghanaian history, an opposition party, the New Patriotic Party, under the outstanding leadership of John Agyekum Kufuor came to office through the ballot box.

That event gave a great boost to the consolidation of the principles of democratic accountability in our body politic, President Akufo-Addo concluded.

Prior to the 2000 general elections, the NPP had lost the two previous elections (1992 and 1996) to Jerry John Rawlings' National Democratic Congress (NDC), amidst widespread controversy. Key among the reasons assigned to the two consecutive defeats were rigging on the part of the ruling NDC, arising from the NPP's inability to mobilize its sympathizers to serve as party agents at the various polling stations to monitor the polls.

The idea to form TESCON was, therefore, conceived at a meeting at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) branch at the Republic Hall.

At that time, the NPP group on the various campuses were known as the NPP students' wing, a name that lacked the vitality and vigorousness, according to Francis Asenso-Boakye, that would make the group stand up to the challenge posed by the then vibrant TEIN of NDC.

TESCON, since its formation has contributed constructively to the political development of the country through active participation in the national political discourse and election monitoring.

The commemoration of TESCON at 20 years brought together representatives of all TESCON institutions, regional TESCON coordinators, regional youth organizers, national officers, as well as various dignitaries of the party.

The two-day program which commenced on the 17th February and ended on the 18th involved various activities including community campaigns, the procession of achievements across the principal streets of Ho and a health screening exercise. The final day was crowned with a durbar at the Ho Technical University where President Akufo-Addo was the Special Guest Speaker.

Peacefmonline
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday visited two schools in the city on the second day of the class 10 board examinations and met students as they were entering the centres.

Banerjee met the examinees at two girls' schools in Bhowanipore area in the southern part of the city and wished them luck.

The chief minister also enquired whether people in charge of the centres were facing any problem.

The Madhyamik examinations began on February 18.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The popular TV series "Crash Landing on You" starring Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin has ended with a record-breaking finale that delighted viewers all over the country.

The melodrama, which began airing on cable channel tvN in December last year, drew a 21.6 percent viewer rating with its final episode on Sunday, a new record for the cable channel's drama series. The previous record was 20.5 percent set by supernatural rom-com "Guardian" in 2016.

"Crash Landing on You" was especially popular among viewers in their 40s, with the last episode recording a whopping 29.4 percent rating among women and 23.6 percent among men.

The series revolved around a South Korean heiress who makes a forced landing in North Korea while paragliding, and a North Korean officer who falls in love with her while trying to hide and protect her.

The two stars' chemistry in an unusual setting for romance as well as supporting actors' scene-stealing turns have helped propel the show to the top.
Farmers abandoning winter cereals and switching to spring wheat and barley have been told to pay attention to broadleaf weed control if they are to prevent significantly reduced yields.

For many arable farms, fieldwork taking place over the next few weeks will have more of a focus on spring cropping than it has done for many years.

Corteva Agriscience is advising that effective weed control should not be overlooked in what looks set to be an extremely busy season for UK farmers.

Alister McRobbie, product manager at the firm, said: The very wet autumn and winter has led many growers to abandon the remainder of their winter cereal drilling and opt for spring-sown crops instead.

We saw about 900,000 hectares of spring barley planted in 2013 but we could see as much as one million hectares go in the ground this year if the switch is as profound as some predict.

Where spring cereals arent the norm, farmers should be mindful that different weed control strategies are required, he said.

Broadleaf weed species are more likely to pose a threat to yield and a problem at harvest than grassweeds.

Where annual meadow grass is a problem, farmers often use tried and tested, well-established residual herbicides.

However, these wont control all the key broadleaf weeds and a number of important species, such as cleavers, cranesbill, poppy, fat hen, black bindweed and fumitory will come through a residual application.

A follow-up contact herbicide is therefore recommended, depending on species present.

Crops established with shallow disc cultivations before drilling in early spring could transplant large, over-wintered weeds into crop rows, which will readily re-establish.

These larger weeds will be much harder to control as they are unaffected by any residual herbicides used, so a contact product will be required.

Mr McRobbie added: Fluctuating temperatures in early spring means sulfonylurea chemistry may struggle to achieve good control of some weed species, especially larger poppy plants and those exhibiting ALS resistance.

Thats where Zypar, which contains Arylex Active, can prove very useful. Zypar works well at low and fluctuating temperatures giving good control of poppy, including ALS-resistant populations. It is also robust on cleavers, cranesbill, chickweed, mayweed, fat hen, fumitory and charlock.

In spring cereals Zypar can be applied from 1 February to 30 June, up to and including growth stage 45 of the crop.

Where a mix of broadleaf weeds and grassweeds need controlling in spring cereals, growers could use Arylex-based products Pixxaro or Zypar plus Broadway Star (pyroxulam + florasulam) to control wild oats and a wide range of broadleaved weeds.

In late-sown winter cereals, Pixxaro at 0.375L/ha plus Broadway Star can be used to control both grassweeds and broadleaved weeds from 1 February to growth stage 23.

Tank mixing with plant growth regulators, fungicides and trace elements will help reduce the number of sprays applied to crops in the busy spring period.

This will be especially helpful with the expected increase in spring drilling work.

In Scotland, Broadway Star is likely to be the contact herbicide of choice on either winter or spring cereals, due to its effective control of ryegrass, brome, oats, and range of broadleaf weeds.
Throughout the month of February, Jameson wants fans to represent their hometown and show their St. Patrick's Day spirit by voting in Jameson's #MeetMeAtTheBar challenge. The state with the most votes will have Jameson and Anderson .Paak come to a local neighborhood for an unforgettable St. Patrick's Day celebration. Fans can vote for their state in two different ways:

By voting at Jameson's #MeetMeAtTheBar website. By posting on Twitter using state-specific hashtags (example: #MeetMeInNY for New York ; #MeetMeInTX for Texas ), where Jameson is also counting votes.

On March 2, Jameson will announce the state with the most votes. Voting is limited to five votes per person, per day. Voting will close on Saturday, February 29.

"The local neighborhood bar gave Jameson a home when we first arrived in the U.S. and is one of the biggest reasons we're the number one Irish Whiskey today. We like to say we were 'raised' in the local bar," said Marnie Corrigan, Jameson's Director of Engagement at Pernod Ricard USA. "The bar continues to be a place that brings people together, and we want to spotlight its impact not only on Jameson, but on how it shapes the culture and spirit of a neighborhood. This St. Patrick's Day we are thrilled to once again celebrate local neighborhood bars and the people in them, and we couldn't think of a better partner than Anderson .Paak to help make this possible."

Jameson's invitation to #MeetMeAtTheBar comes at a time when we need to be reminded of the importance of connecting in real life and coming together despite what divides us. Today's neighborhood bars provide a place where all are welcome.

This St. Patrick's Day, meet Jameson at the bar to celebrate good times, great conversation, and even better Irish Whiskey.

TASTE RESPONSIBLY.

JAMESON Irish Whiskey. 40% Alc./Vol. (80 Proof). Product of Ireland. 2020 Imported by John Jameson Import Company, New York, NY

About Pernod Ricard USA

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Mall murder suspect arrested

BANGKOK: A man accused of shooting dead his ex-wife and wounding another woman at a cosmetic clinic inside a shopping mall in Bangkok yesterday (Feb 18) has been arrested.

crimemurderdeathviolence

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 19 February 2020, 11:51AM

Danusorn Numcharoen, the suspect in the murder of his ex-wife at a cosmetic clinic in a shopping mall near Victory Monument yesterday (Feb 18), after his arrest by police in Phetchaburis Kaeng Krachan district this morning (Feb 19). Photo: supplied

Danusorn Numcharoen, 28, was taken into custody about 4:30am today (Feb 19) in tambon Huay Mae Phiang of Kaeng Krachan district, Phetchaburi province, by Phayathai and Metropolitan Division 1 police under a court warrant. Yesterday afternoon, a man walked into The Icon Clinic on the fourth floor of the Century The Movie Plaza and shot dead Piyanut Chatthai, 28, an employee. He opened fire with a handgun, hitting Piyanut in the head and the body. Another woman, Wilasinee Teepan, 29, was also hit and seriously wounded in the calculated attack. She was rushed to hospital. A video of the cold-blooded shooting from the clinic security camera was later posted on Youtube. Mr Danusorn was brought to Bangkok for legal action. He was charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder, having a firearm in possession without permission and carrying the firearm in public without reason. Police said he confessed.
(Newser)  As an extraordinary two-week quarantine of a cruise ship ends Wednesday in Japan, many scientists say it was a failed experiment: The ship seemed to serve as an incubator for the new virus from China instead of an isolation facility meant to prevent the worsening of an outbreak. Since the virus was identified late last year in central China, it has sickened more than 75,000 people across the globe and killed more than 2,000. As of Tuesday, 542 cases of the virus, known as COVID-19, have been identified among the 3,711 quarantined passengers and crew, making the ship the site of the most infections outside of China. The Diamond Princess cruise ship is also the only place where health officials have seen the disease spread easily among people beyond China, the AP reports. The question now is: Why?

story continues below

In a possible sign of lax quarantine protocols, three Japanese health officials who helped in the quarantine checks on the ship were also infected.

Obviously the quarantine hasn't worked, and this ship has now become a source of infection, said Dr. Nathalie MacDermott, an outbreak expert at King's College London.

Some passengers were allowed to walk on the decks wearing a mask, and I suspect people were not as isolated from other people as we would have thought, said Dr. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia in England. He said the continued spread of the virus could be due to compliance problems, and called the quarantine's lack of effectiveness "a huge disappointment."

Boats are notorious places for being incubators for viruses, said Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics at the New York University School of Medicine, who suggested passengers should have been removed from the ship rather than quarantined there. It's only morally justified to keep people on the boat if there are no other options."

All passengers whose samples test negative will begin disembarking Wednesday, but US health officials on Tuesday told Americans who declined to come home on government-chartered flights over the weekend that they wouldnt be allowed back into the country for at least 14 days after they had left the Diamond Princess. (Read more coronavirus stories.)
Researchers at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw, with colleagues from Poland and China used liquid crystal elastomer technology to demonstrate a rotary micromotor powered with light. The 5-millimeter diameter ring, driven and controlled by a laser beam, can rotate and perform work, e.g. by rotating another element installed on the same axis.

Rotational movement in nature is very rare, while at the same time ubiquitous in our civilization. While we can build a variety of rotary motors, they usually consist of many elements and it makes their miniaturization difficult. However, there is a group of materials that enable construction of small, moving and/or mobile devices - liquid crystal elastomers (LCE). Research on these materials focuses mainly on design of LCE shape and its change upon laser illumination (e.g. shrinking, bending).

Liquid crystal elastomers are smart materials that can exhibit macroscopic, fast, reversible shape change under different stimuli, including illumination with visible light. They can be fabricated in various forms in the micro- and millimeter scales and, by the molecular orientation engineering, they can perform complex modes of actuation.

Researcher from the University of Warsaw with colleagues from the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou, China, Institute of Applied Physics at Military University of Technology in Warsaw, and Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials of Polish Academy of Science in Zabrze, Poland, have now developed a micromotor that rotates thanks to the traveling deformation of the soft material, caused by the laser beam and its interaction with the ground. The main part - the rotor is a 5 millimeter ring. Appropriate design of the orientation of the elastomer molecules provides stable performance of the micromotor or can increase the rotation speed.

- Despite low speed, around one rotation per minute, our motor allows us to look at the micromechanics of intelligent soft materials from a different perspective and gives food for thought when it comes to their potential use - says Dr. Klaudia Dradrach from the Photonic Nanostructure Facility. - The motor design has been inspired by ring piezoelectric motors, often found in autofocus mechanisms of photographic lenses. The contribution of scientists from the Polish Academy of Sciences in Zabrze and the Military University of Technology was crucial to the development of the method of reproducible fabrication of LCE miniature components. Notably, young researchers took part in the study, including Mikolaj Rogoz and Przemyslaw Grabowski, PhD students from the Faculty of Physics of the University of Warsaw.

Researchers who have previously demonstrated a light-powered snail robot moving like its natural relatives believe that new intelligent materials combined with advanced fabrication methods will allow them to build further miniature components and drives.

Research on soft microrobots and polymer actuators is funded by the National Science Center (Poland) within the project "Micro-scale actuators based on photo-responsive polymers", by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education with "Diamentowy Grant" awarded to M. Rogoz, Ministry of National Defense (Poland) and Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University funds.

Physics and Astronomy first appeared at the University of Warsaw in 1816, under the then Faculty of Philosophy. In 1825 the Astronomical Observatory was established. Currently, the Faculty of Physics' Institutes include Experimental Physics, Theoretical Physics, Geophysics, Department of Mathematical Methods and an Astronomical Observatory. Research covers almost all areas of modern physics, on scales from the quantum to the cosmological. The Faculty's research and teaching staff includes ca. 200 university teachers, of which 78 are employees with the title of professor. The Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, is attended by ca. 1000 students and more than 170 doctoral students.

###

SCIENTIFIC PAPERS:

Klaudia Dradrach, Mikolaj Rogoz, Przemyslaw Grabowski, Chen Xuan, Rafal Weglowski, Jolanta Konieczkowska, Ewa Schab-Balcerzak, Wiktor Piecek, Piotr Wasylczyk, "Travelling wave rotary micromotor based on photo-mechanical response in liquid crystal polymer networks", ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces,

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsami.9b20309

CONTACTS:

Piotr Wasylczyk

Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw

tel. +48 505 004 059

email: pwasylcz@fuw.edu.pl

RELATED LINKS:

http://www.fuw.edu.pl/

Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw.

http://www.fuw.edu.pl/informacje-prasowe.html

Press office of the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw.

IMAGE:

FUW200219b_fot01

https://www.fuw.edu.pl/tl_files/press/images/2020/FUW200219b_fot01.jpg

Photo of the 5.5 mm diameter micromotor rotor made of specially oriented polymer film, on a pencil tip. (Source: UW Physics, Piotr Wasylczyk)

MOVIE:

FUW200219c_mov01.mp4

http://www.fuw.edu.pl/press/images/2020/FUW200219c_mov01.mp4

Movie of the 5.5 mm diameter micromotor, driven by a rotating laser beam. (Source: UW Physics, Mikolaj Rogoz)
TOKYO, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Around 3,000 people quarantined on a cruise ship in Yokohama due to the novel coronavirus outbreak will start disembarking as planned on Wednesday, according to Japan's health minister.

Japanese Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare Katsunobu Kato told a press conference on Tuesday that samples had been collected from all the remaining passengers and crew aboard the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship, adding that the process of allowing them to leave should be completed by Friday.

Anyone whose latest samples test negative will be allowed to leave the ship with no other conditions, while those infected, or who test positive will be required to be hospitalized, according to Japan's health ministry.

The cruise ship was carrying around 3,700 passengers and crew from around 56 countries and regions. The number of infections among those aboard increased by 88 on Tuesday, bringing the total to 542.

The ship has been kept in quarantine off the port of Yokohama after a passenger from Hong Kong was found to be infected.

The 80-year-old passenger flew to Tokyo in mid-January and boarded the ship on Jan. 20. He got off the ship on Feb. 25 and went to hospital six days after leaving the ship.

According to local media reports, passengers have been largely confined to their cabins, although they have been allowed to spend some time on deck while being monitored by staff. Crew members, however, are sharing cabins and are required to move around the ship more frequently, which has posed a problem for health officials.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, on Tuesday, told a press conference that the measures to keep the passengers and crew on board the virus-hit vessel for a two-week quarantine was "appropriate."

As for Japan's overall situation, Kato said the country is seeing an increase of cases "in which the route of transmission is not immediately known."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, meanwhile, has reportedly instructed his ruling Liberal Democratic Party to think about postponing or reducing the size of its annual general meeting, which was originally scheduled for March 8.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will start a two-day state visit to Turkey on February 19. In talks with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he will discuss economic issues, as well as take part in a meeting of the bilateral Strategic Cooperation Council and the opening ceremony of the Presidential Library complex of Turkey.

According to Tashkent officials, Uzbekistan-Turkey relations are on the rise. The relations between the two countries were reset in November 2016, when Erdogan paid his first visit to Tashkent. During this period, a visa-free regime was established between the states, more than 20 documents were signed to develop cooperation in economy, transport and logistics, trade, tourism, healthcare, training, defense and other areas. The President of Uzbekistan also visited Ankara for the first visit in 18 years. The agreements and contracts worth more than $3.5 billion were signed.

In late April 2018, during Erdogans visit to Tashkent, the parties signed agreements worth about $3 billion, as well as agreed to bring trade turnover to $5 billion in the medium term. In addition, last year Mirziyoyev for the first time participated in the Turkic Council Summit, after Uzbekistan became its member in September 2019. The Uzbek leader then noted that "Uzbekistan'sentry into the organization is a reflection of the natural historical process and fully meets the fundamental interests of our people."

Turkey has recently become one of Uzbekistan's largest trade and economic partners. For Tashkent, it is fundamentally important to increase the country's economic opportunities, including through the arrival of foreign investors. Turkish businessmen, as the experience of the last three years shows, have actively entered the Uzbek market. If in 2017-2019, 750 enterprises created with the participation of Turkish partners were registered in Uzbekistan, today their number has exceeded 1,140.

Bilateral trade is growing as well. In 2017, the volume of bilateral trade amounted to $1.5 billion, but in 2018 this figure increased to $2.2 billion. And last year, the volume of trade between the two countries reached $2.5 billion. Turkish Ambassador to Uzbekistan Mehmet Sureyya Er noted that radical transformations have been carried out in the republic in recent years, and Turkey intends to contribute to these reforms.

In particular, Tashkent and Ankara are discussing the opening of a branch of the Turkish special industrial zone 'Gebze'. Recently, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay held talks with the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov on issues of systemic interaction in the field of transport and freight transportation, expanding cooperation in the framework of technical assistance programs and concessional lending by the Turkish government. According to the Uzbek agency, they also studied the issues of accelerating preparations for the signing of the Agreement on preferential trade between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Turkey, expanding the list of commodity items proposed for inclusion in this agreement, and agreed on the procedure for its practical application. "It is expected that these measures will greatly contribute to the fulfillment of the instructions of the Presidents of the two countries to bring trade between Turkey and Uzbekistan to $5 billion," the Uzbek ministry said in a statement.

The cooperation between the railway departments of the two countries is discussed. Uzbek Railways and Turkish Railways intend to develop transportation by the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, as well as launch container trains.

"Uzbekistan continues to diversify its foreign policy. Last year, the number of its trading partners increased to 178. This is quite large and far from final. The republic's main foreign trade partners are China (18.1% of total trade), Russia (15.7% ), Kazakhstan (8%), South Korea (6.5%) and Turkey (6%). Uzbekistan has a favourable trade balance only with five states, including Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Its trade balance with others is negative," head of the Center for Central Asia and Caucasus Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences Stanislav Pritchin told Vestnik Kavkaza.

As for Uzbekistan's entry into the Turkic Council, this is an additional platform for cultural and educational interaction. Yet, Turkey's influence in the educational sphere in Central Asia has noticeably decreased after the closure of Gulens educational institutions. Turkey hasnt offered anything yet in exchange, the expert noted. Pritchin connects Turkey's passivity with Ankara's new foreign policy priorities - the Middle East, Syria, Libya.

According to the press service of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Miziyev will deliver a welcoming speech at the inauguration ceremony of the Turkish Presidential Library. That will confirm the spiritual bonds linking the peoples of the two countries, their leaders' attention to the development of science and education, which are brought to the level of state policy.

The library was built on the territory of the Turkish Presidential complex. It is a peculiar building, designed with Ottoman and Seljuk architectural synthesis. The total area of the 11-story building is 120 thousand square meters. Along with works related to Turkish culture, science and art, the library features unique editions, ancient manuscripts and modern scientific books on the development of world civilization.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 16:05:34|Editor: xuxin

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KABUL, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's election commission on Tuesday evening finally declared the serving President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani as the elected president for the second term, nearly five months after the 2019 presidential polls.

"Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has secured 50.64 percent of the votes used in the presidential elections, therefore the Independent Election Commission announces him as the elected president of Afghanistan," head of the election commission Hawa Alam Nuristani said at a press conference.

"This is the victory of the people of Afghanistan and I as a servant of the people would have the honor to serve our people," Ghani said in his speech late night. "Today is the day of unity and let us join hands to build our country, to bring peace and alleviate poverty."

However, Ghani's rival in the presidential race, Abdullah Abdullah has disputed the election results as "bogus" and claimed his victory in the controversial polls.

"We are the winner of the presidential elections. The result announced by the election commission is unfair and bogus, so our team rejects it and forms its broad based government," Abdullah said in a sharp reaction among his supporters.

Afghanistan's controversial and possibly the longest presidential election in the world was held on Sept. 28, 2019. The preliminary result was supposed to come out on Oct. 19, but without a outcome, Ghani was announced in lead followed by Abdullah on Dec. 22.

The final result of the polls was announced on Tuesday, almost five months after holding the elections.

Abdullah lost to Ghani in the previous presidential elections in 2014, but rejected the result, bringing the country at the verge of collapse. To make a patch up, the former U.S. Secretary of State John Carry mediated and formed the National Unity Government in which Abdullah was made the chief executive, a post equal to the prime minister.

Afghanistan's fourth presidential election since the collapse of Taliban regime in late 2001 was held amid tight security in 2019 among over a dozen contesters, including the serving president Ghani and Abdullah.

Fazal Ahmad Manawi who is a close aide to Abdullah has described the election result as "electoral coup" and "illegitimate."

More than 1.9 million out of 9.4 million eligible voters casted their votes in Sept. 28 presidential elections, of these Ghani secured 50.64 percent, Abdullah 39.52 percent and remaining of the votes garnered by the remaining 12 candidates.

"The militancy-plagued Afghanistan seems like a broken ship that can hurt all Afghans if drowned," political expert Sediqullah Tawhidi observed, calling upon the politicians to be careful in this critical stage and tackle the issues cautiously.
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksiy Danilov has met with Acting Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, U.S. Coordinator for Counterterrorism Nathan Sales, according to a statement posted on the NSDC website.

During the meeting, the parties discussed Ukrainian-American cooperation, in particular, in the field of combating terrorism.

Danilov thanked the United States for the unwavering support of Ukraine: "We are grateful to the American people for the sincere help and support of Ukraine in these difficult times of war with the Russian aggressor," he said.

Danilov said that countering the terrorist threat is a key element in this context.

"We understand the insidiousness of terrorists, and the fight against terrorism is one of our main challenges. Cyberterrorism is at the forefront today," he said, emphasizing the need to strengthen practical cooperation between Ukraine and the United States, in particular, on the exchange of information on terrorist threats.

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T he Queen has paid tribute to Prince Andrew on his 60th birthday by sharing a picture of him as a baby.

The Royal Family Instagram and Facebook accounts posted two photos to celebrate the occasion on Wednesday.

One is a black and white childhood photo of Andrew with his grandmother, the Queen Mother, and the other an official portrait taken in recent years.

A caption reads: "On this day in 1960, Prince Andrew was born at Buckingham Palace, the first child born to a reigning monarch for 103 years. Happy Birthday to The Duke of York."

The message comes as the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said Government buildings will not be required to fly the Union flag to mark the Duke's birthday today.

He gave up royal duties for the foreseeable future last November following a "disastrous" Newsnight appearance about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew faced a backlash after the interview, with critics accusing him of failing to show regret over his friendship with the late financier, and empathy with his victims.

Downing Street said earlier this month the issue of flying the national flag in tribute on the Duke's birthday was being looked at.

Prince Andrew: The Duke of York - In pictures 1 /77 Prince Andrew: The Duke of York - In pictures Interview with Prince Andrew by Emily Maitlis of BBC's Newsnight in 2019 BBC The Duke of York and Duchess of York kiss on the balcony of Buckinham Palace on the wedding day in 1986 PA The Queen, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and their three children Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew in the grounds of Balmoral Castle in 1960 AFP via Getty Images The Duchess Of York and Prince Andrew at The Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, For Princess Beatrice's Christening Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images Prince Edward, fourth child of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, grips the finger of his brother, four year old Prince Andrew in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace PA The Queen, accompanied by Princess Anne, pushes the pram of her younger son, Prince Andrew, during a walk in the grounds at Balmoral PA Surrounded by members of the Royal Family, Prince Andrew sits up and takes an interest in the proceedings from the comfort of his pram, in the Balmoral Estate. PA Both wearing a kilt, 10 year old Princess Anne and 11 year old Prince Charles, share the task of pulling the pram of baby brother Prince Andrew for a walk in the grounds at Balmoral PA the Queen and Prince Andrew, Duke of York, appear on 12 June 1961 on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Trooping the Colour AFP/Getty Images Peter Phillips, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Andrew and the Duke of Edinburgh at Balmoral Castle. The Queen and Prince Philip were celebrating 32 years of marriage. PA The Queen and Prince Andrew in the grounds of Balmoral, Scotland PA The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh with two of their children, Prince Andrew and Prince Edwar, at Balmoral PA Prince Andrew watching a polo match at Smith's Lawn in Windsor Great Park in 1967 Popperfoto/Getty Images The Queen, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Andrew, Duke of York during the Windsor horse trials in 1968 AFP/Getty Images The Queen Mother with Prince Andrew and Edward whilst watching Prince Philip and Prince Charles playing Polo At Windsor Great Park in 1968 Daily Mail Informal portrait of Prince Charles playing a game of Bagatelle with his two young brothers, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward at Sandringham in April 1969 Getty Images Prince Andrew, Prince Charles and Prince Edward during a family holiday at Balmoral Castle PA The Queen with Prince Andrew when he started school at Gordonstoun PA The Queen accompanied by the Duke of York, at the Badminton Horse Trials on her 53rd birthday in 1979 PA The Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Andrew in 1979 safari in Zambia Daily Mail Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew. The Queen and Prince Philip will celebrate their platinum wedding anniversary in 1979 PA Prince Andrew bites the stem of a red rose, after stepping ashore at Portsmouth, England on 16 September 1982 AP The Duke of York ashore in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands in 1982 PA Prince Andrew, Duke of York, in the US, 21st April 1984 Getty Images The Duke of York at his official engagement day at Buckingham Palace in 1986 PA The Duke of York and Duchess of York on the wedding day in 1986 PA The Duke of York and Duchess of York on the wedding day in 1986 PA The Duke of York and Duchess of York on the wedding day in 1986 PA The Duke of York and Duchess of York on the wedding day in 1986 PA Sarah, Duchess of York and Prince Andrew examine a broken polo mallet while walking across Smiths Lawn at Guards Polo Club in Windsor, Berkshire, after a visit to the Royal Ascot Races on June 18, 1986 Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of York leaving his 30th Birthday at Annabel's in 1990 Dave Benett Prince Andrew and Sarah Duchess of York with new baby daughter Princess Eugenie in 1990 Rex Features Prince Andrew on his 38th Birthday with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess Of York and his two Daughters Princess Eugenie and Beatrice in Verbier Daily Mail Great Britain's Prince Andrew, tees off the first hole at the Farm Neck Golf Club 27 August 1999 AFP via Getty Images US President Bill Clinton (R) and Britian's Prince Andrew (L) head off for a round of golf at the Farm Neck Golf Club 27 August 1999 in Martha's Vineyard. The two made a joking wager for return of the island which was acquired by the US from Great Britian AFP via Getty Images Prince Andrew of Britain rides in one of the New Zealand Army's General Dynamics LAV III Light Armoured Vehicles accompanied by Captain Dougal Barker (L) during a visit to Trentham Military Camp in Wellington, 30 September 2005 AFP via Getty Images Prince Andrew, Duke of York accepts a challenge from a Maori warrior, part of the Maori welcome, during the Prince's visit to the Trentham Military Camp on the second day of his seven day visit to New Zealand, on March 16, 2007 in Wellington Getty Images The Queen ) and Prince Philip are joined at Clarence House in London by Prince Charles, Prince Edward, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew on the occasion of a dinner hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall to mark the forthcoming Diamond Wedding Anniversary of The Queen and The Duke on 18 November 2007 AFP via Getty Images Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York (R) and his daughter Princess Eugenie (C) visit the debris to dedicate flowers to the deceased of the "Sichuan's May 12 earthquake" on November 4, 2008 in Dujiangyan, one of the worst earthquake-hit area of Sichuan Province, China Getty Images Princess Beatrice with her parents, Prince Andrew, the Duke York and Sarah Ferguson following her graduation ceremony at Goldsmiths College in London on 9 September 2011 AFP/Getty Images Prince Andrew, Duke of York and his daughters Princess Beatrice (L) and Princess Eugenie (C) wave as they travel along the Processional Route to Buckingham Palace after the Royal Wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London Warren Allott/WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Andrew, Duke of York sits in the royal box at Wimbledon during the 2014 championships Getty Images The Queen, Princess Beatrice and Prince Andrew, Duke of York arrive in the Parade Ring they attend Ladies Day on day 3 of Royal Ascot in 2015 Getty Images The Duke of York and the Prince of Wales in 2015 PA Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attends a commemoration service at Manchester Cathedral marking the 100th anniversary since the start of the Battle of the Somme. July 1, 2016 Getty Images The Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Andrew Investec Derby Festival at Epsom in 2016 Rex Features Princess Beatrice and Prince Andrew, Duke of York arrive for a service of thanksgiving for Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday at St Paul's cathedral on June 10, 2016 Getty Images The Royal Family watch the flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour on 9 June 2018 in London Getty Images The wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in Windsor in 2018 Jeremy Selwyn Britain's Princess Eugenie of York walks up the aisle with her father Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York to marry Jack Brooksbank during their wedding ceremony in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on October 12, 2018 AFP via Getty Images Princess Eugenie, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Princess Beatrice attend the wedding of Prince Harry to Ms Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle in 2018 Getty Images Prince Andrew, the Duke of York takes part in the Colonel's Review on June 01, 2019 Getty Images The Queen with Prince Andrew on ladies day at Ascot 2019 Reuters Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson attend the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 9 November 2019 AFP via Getty Images Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attends the annual Remembrance Sunday memorial at The Cenotaph on 10 November 2019 Getty Images Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attends a ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Bruges on 7 September 2019 AFP/Getty Images Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts at Maxwells London townhouse in 2001 Interview with Prince Andrew by Emily Maitlis of BBC's Newsnight in 2019 BBC

A Culture department spokesman later announced: Following the decision by the Duke of York to step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, there is no longer a requirement for UK Government buildings to fly the Union flag on Wednesday February 19.

The bells of Westminster Abbey will still ring out in celebration as it is a Royal Peculiar  a place of worship that falls under the jurisdiction of the monarch rather than a bishop.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being praised for making an eye-catching fashion statement while presenting an award for female leadership.

On Friday, the Supreme Court justice wore silver glitter high heels to present the inaugural Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

In a photo from the event posted to Instagram by Martha Stewart, the 86-year-old can be seen wearing a pair of cropped black pants, white tights and the sparkly heels to present the award to philanthropist Agnes Gund.

Since sharing the photo, the justices outfit has prompted comparisons to Dorothys ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz.

RBG is Dorothy reincarnated with her slippers, one person commented on the photo, while another said: She definitely knows shes not in Kansas anymore.

Others simply praised the octogenarian for the fun, unexpected look, including CNN White House correspondent Kate Bennett, who shared a collage of the justices outfit with the caption: Yes. All the yes.

Fabulous!! Look at the justices shoes! Love it. Girl has style, someone else commented.

Another person said: Swooning over those shoes!

13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes Show all 13 1 /13 13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes 13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes On feminism 'Feminism  I think the simplest explanation, and one that captures the idea, is a song that Marlo Thomas sang, 'Free to be You and Me.' Free to be, if you were a girldoctor, lawyer, Indian chief. Anything you want to be. And if youre a boy, and you like teaching, you like nursing, you would like to have a doll, thats OK too. That notion that we should each be free to develop our own talents, whatever they may be, and not be held back by artificial barriers - manmade barriers, certainly not heaven sent.' (Interview with Makers, 2012) Getty Images 13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes On how she wants to be remembered 'Someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability. And to help repair tears in her society, to make things a little better through the use of whatever ability she has. To do something, as my colleague David Souter would say, outside myself. Cause Ive gotten much more satisfaction for the things that Ive done for which I was not paid.' (Interview with MSNBC, 2015) Getty Images 13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes On the advice she'd give women today 'Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.' (Speech at Harvard University's 364th Commencement, 2015) AFP/Getty Images 13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes On women being included in the conversation 'Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. I don't say [the split] should be 50-50. It could be 60 per cent men, 40 per cent women, or the other way around. It shouldn't be that women are the exception.' (Interview with USA Today, 2009) Getty Images 13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes On how she copes with criticism 'Well, Im dejected, but only momentarily, when I cant get the fifth vote for something I think is very important. But then you go on to the next challenge and you give it your all. You know that these important issues are not going to go away. They are going to come back again and again. Therell be another time, another day.' (Interview with ABC News Correspondent Lynn Sherr, 2000) Getty Images 13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes On women's rights 'Women's rights are an essential part of the overall human rights agenda, trained on the equal dignity and ability to live in freedom all people should enjoy.' (ACLU) Getty Images 13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes On rejection 'You think about what would have happened ... Suppose I had gotten a job as a permanent associate. Probably I would have climbed up the ladder and today I would be a retired partner. So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great good fortune.' (Interview with Makers, 2012) AFP/Getty 13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes On the biggest issue women face 'In some ways its the most familiar issue and the largest one. Its, Who will take the responsibility for bringing up the next generation? That, I think, is the hardest problem. There can be incentives and encouragement, but women will have achieved true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.' (Interview with ABC News Correspondent Lynn Sherr, 2000) AFP/Getty Images 13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes On sexist, unconscious bias 'I think unconscious bias is one of the hardest things to get at. My favorite example is the symphony orchestra. When I was growing up, there were no women in orchestras. Auditioners thought they could tell the difference between a woman playing and a man. Some intelligent person devised a simple solution: Drop a curtain between the auditioners and the people trying out. And, lo and behold, women began to get jobs in symphony orchestras.' (Interview with Elle magazine, 2014) Getty Images 13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes On having a supportive partner 'If you have a caring life partner, you help the other person when that person needs it. I had a life partner who thought my work was as important as his, and I think that made all the difference for me.' (Interview with Yahoo, 2014) Getty Images 13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes On how many women should be on the Supreme Court 'People ask me sometimes, when  when do you think it will it be enough? When will there be enough women on the court? And my answer is when there are nine.' (Talk at Georgetown University, Washington, 2015) (There are nine judges on the US Supreme Court) AFP/Getty Images 13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes On the impact of discrimination 'We should not be held back from pursuing our full talents, from contributing what we could contribute to the society, because we fit into a certain mold  because we belong to a group that historically has been the object of discrimination.' (Interview with ABC News Correspondent Lynn Sherr, 2000) Getty Images 13 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most inspirational quotes On her most treasured talent 'If I had any talent in the world, any talent that God could give me, I would be a great diva.' (Talk at Georgetown University, Washington, 2015) AFP/Getty Images

This is not the first time the Supreme Court justices fashion choices have been coveted. In January, a limited-edition re-release of Ginsburgs dissent necklace from Banana Republic sold out before it even went on sale.

In 2014, Ginsburg described the necklace, which shed reportedly received in a gift bag at Glamours Women of the Year gala in 2012, as her dissenting collar because it looks fitting for dissents.
Former Nascar driver Candace Muzny has been found dead in her Oklahoma home and police are calling the death suspicious, reports claim.

The 43-year-old was found unresponsive in her Oklahoma City residence by a neighbour on Monday evening.

This comes just a few days after Ms Muzny was released from jail on Friday.

She made the news last month after she allegedly punched a nail technician for not speaking English to her. Ms Muzny was then accused of attacking a responding police officer with a knife, Fox 8 reported.

Police said her death remains under investigation.
Actor Kamal Haasan expressed condolences over the death of three people on the set of his movie, 'Indian 2'.

"Although seen many accidents but today's accident is horrible. I lost three friends. Rather than my pain, their family has more suffering. My deepest condolences," Haasan's tweet in English translated from Tamil.

Three people died while around 10 suffered injuries after a crane collapsed on the set of the movie, 'Indian 2' during the shooting of the film near Chennai on Wednesday night.

Madhu, personal assistant to director Shankar, Krishna, assistant director, and a staffer Chandran, have lost their lives in the incident.

Injured persons have been shifted to a hospital.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jersey Village City Council approved a selection of contractors to complete four home elevations with federal funding to prevent flooding. Additionally, the city approved a contract with a firm to design a parks master plan during their regular monthly meeting on Feb. 17.

Four homes will be elevated by only two contractors considering the small scope of the work, Jersey Village City Manager Austin Bleess said. The work is a part of a series of elevations funded by anticipated FEMA grant dollars.

This time we only have four homes so we're recommending we only get two prequalified contractors, one being (home elevation firm) Planet Three and one being (Construction company) Excello (Homes), Bleess said. Both of those companies are doing work with us right now in the current run of elevations. Both of them seem to be doing good work as well.

When asked when the FEMA grant funding would be available, Bleess said the date is unknown. After the process begins, homeowners, stakeholders and city officials will hold meetings on how to proceed.

The total grant amount is $761,000, he said. Our cost share is $117,034 for a total project cost of $878,000. That's for the elevations and everything.

Related: Jersey Village City Council moves forward in process of making a parks master plan

The parks master plan, meant to allow the community to provide input on a more structured park system, was approved to move forward with a contract with Burditt Land | Place after approval for negotiations during the January city council meeting. Jason Alfaro, director of parks and recreation for Jersey Village, said the parks master plan creation process with Burditt, a design firm for community planning and architecture based in Conroe, will include public workshops to assure public input is received.

We'll have one public workshop, (and) we'll have one open house event to present the draft recommendations, Alfaro said. (Burditt will) have a booth at one of the city sponsored events, such as Spring Fling or Farmer's Market. Finally, they attend city staff official meetings, which may include the parks board or city council. We have a pretty decent amount of public input opportunities.

The master planning process will take approximately six months and work on the project is expected to commence in March. The project will cost the city $66,000 to complete, according to the agenda packet.

A few key elements that will emerge from this plan will be recommendations and improvements to the parks, programming changes, opportunities for expanded quality of life programs, partnership opportunities, recommendations to ordinances and policies, and parks conceptual renderings, Alfaro said.

For more information on about Jersey Village City Council, visit https://www.jerseyvillagetx.com/page/homepage.

chevall.price@chron.com
He dropped his fifth studio album Changes on Valentine's Day.

And critics have had a variety of reactions to Justin Bieber's first album release since 2015's Purpose.

What they can agree on is that the new music reflects the 25-year-old Canadian pop star's joy at being married to Hailey Baldwin and the bliss of life as a newlywed.

As for being any good, well it depends on who you ask.

New music: He dropped his fifth studio album Changes on Valentine's Day. And critics have had a variety of reactions to Justin Bieber's first album release since 2015's Purpose

'A passion project': What critics can agree on is that the new music reflects the 25-year-old Canadian pop star's joy at being married to Hailey Baldwin and the bliss of life as a newlywed

Changes offers fans 17 tracks in 51 minutes of listening and includes his single Yummy as well as songs with titles such as That's What Love Is, Come Around Me, All Around Me and Take It Out On Me.

'None of these songs are bad, exactly, but theyre almost universally forgettable, with little of the catchiness thats been Biebers hallmark in the past,' opined music bible Rolling Stone.

The magazine added: 'Its nice to know his life is so loving and boring now. The idea of expressing that feeling through music is nice, too, though a shorter, stronger project would have done so more effectively than this long, exhausting trudge.'

Billboard, meanwhile, is more favorable, observing: 'Gone is the dance floor fodder, replaced with futuristic R&B built upon a variety of trap beats. Meanwhile, the choruses are still designed with top 40 radio in mind.'

The outlet gushed that Changes is 'a literal passion project from one of pops most fascinating superstars.'

Mixed reviews: As the Los Angeles Times puts it, Changes 'depicts his relationship with Baldwin as a refuge from the unkind world hes still not quite ready to reenter'

The New York Times describes the album as 'sinuous, meditative and largely impressive' and calls it 'a muted version' of R&B.

Bieber famously canceled the final leg of his 2017 Purpose world tour and laid low for a while as he struggled with the pressures of fame and his mental health.

During that time, he struck up a romance with model Hailey Baldwin and the couple married legally in September 2018, tying the knot for a second time a year later in a lavish ceremony in front of family and friends.

It's his marriage and his new wife that seem to have enabled the former tweener to return to the spotlight, or at least try to.

As the Los Angeles Times puts it, Changes 'depicts his relationship with Baldwin as a refuge from the unkind world hes still not quite ready to reenter.'

'Long on clean-toned guitars and drowsy soul grooves  and many, many words about the love of a good woman  it represents a distinct shift from the throbbing EDM of Biebers last album, 2015s Purpose,' the LA Times continues.

All about love: 'For a Valentines Day album about love in bloom, it sounds surprisingly serious and dark, with a one-track-mind.... What's missing is joy,' Variety opined

As for Hollywood bible Variety, The Biebs has 'never sounded better.

But when it comes to substance, Variety says the songs 'skim the surface.'

'His voice and the production are flawless, and his soul is in the right place  but theres something airless about the album, too, like he could have left the window open a crack to let some sunshine in,' Variety states. 'For a Valentines Day album about love in bloom, it sounds surprisingly serious and dark, with a one-track-mind.... What's missing is joy.'

The Guardian says in its review of Changes that the album 'just feels subdued and unassuming, which are curious things for mainstream pop to be.'

'Its a tentative, rather than all-guns-blazing, return, with a by-any-means-necessary bubblegum single dutifully tacked on to throw his record label a bone.'

Britain's NME writes that Changes 'is filled with mostly sub-three-minute tracks that open pleasantly but fail to keep the momentum. The results are tunes that finish abruptly, flag, or feel like interludes. '

'Throughout the record relies on the same production of pounding bass and icy synths; this gets tiresome quickly,' the outlet says. 'Lyrically, its filled with pseudo-intelligent babble.'

'Overly reliant on trendy production and profound(ish) romantic proclamations, its a disappointing comeback from an artist who has a track record in creating hits. It may be an album filled with sex jams and lovelorn lyrics, but sadly this is one romp that never reaches climax.'
Four out of 77 people werent allowed to board a Ukrainian plane sent to evacuate them from Wuhan city in China, the epicenter of a new coronavirus from which more than 2,000 people have died.



Speaking on Ukrainian television on February 19, Deputy Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said three Ukrainians and one foreign national werent allowed on the government-chartered plane after they were checked by Chinese medical personnel.



After that, Ukrainian professionals, medics, who are also on the flight, conducted a final examination, Lyashko said.



Earlier, a deputy health minister told journalists that all 87 people who arrived to board the plane, including 48 Ukrainians, were cleared to fly.



The plane will first fly to Almaty in Kazakhstan where two Kazakh citizens will disembark. There, the planes crew will change and it will fly onward to Ukraine, where it is scheduled to land at 8:05 a.m. local time on February 20.

Nationals from Israel, Norway, Montenegro, Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Spain are among the foreigners expected to be evacuated, the Ukrainian Health Ministry said.

Meanwhile, Beijing has reported 2,004 total fatalities from the COVID-19 virus, up 136 from the previous day. The total number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far is 74,185, with around 700 cases in other countries around the world.

Upon the passengers' arrival, Ukraine is looking to house them under quarantine for 14 days at one or more of four sites, depending on the ultimate size of the group that arrives.



However, the potential sites weren't disclosed "due to safety concerns," Health Minister Zoryana Skaletska told journalists in Kyiv on February 18.



Some two dozen people on February 18 protested at a sanatorium in the western Ternopil region over concerns that the evacuated people would be placed there.



Earlier, online flight data from SkyUp showed that the chartered plane was scheduled to land in Lviv in western Ukraine.

Outside China, five fatalities and 827 cases have been reported in 30 locations so far, with more than half of those infected on a cruise ship quarantined off Japan.



Two Russian women were among the 542 passengers who were allowed to disembark the Diamond Princess vessel on February 19 after testing negative for the pathogen.



Beyond China, the cruise ship is the largest cluster of infections and there are at least 524 cases among the 3,700 who have been on board.



The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against a global overreaction to the epidemic following panic-buying, event cancellations, and concerns about cruise ship travel.



"Measures should be taken proportional to the situation. Blanket measures may not help," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva.

With reporting by AP, Hromadske, and Censor.net
Nigeria vows to 'redouble' efforts to free Leah Sharibu 2 years after Boko Haram abduction

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Wednesday marks two years since Christian schoolgirl Leah Sharibu was abducted along with 109 of her classmates from her school in northeast Nigeria by a faction of the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.

Although most of her classmates were later released by the Islamic State West Africa Province  a breakaway group of Boko Haram  Sharibu, then 14 years old, was not. She was reportedly held back from her classmates in 2018 because she refused to recount her faith in Christ.

Despite recent reports that Sharibu married a Boko Haram commanders son and gave birth to a child, Sharibus family and their global supporters have not given up hope that the 16 year old will be freed one day.

In a statement shared with The Christian Post and other media outlets Tuesday, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari restated his vow to secure Sharibus release.

Now aged 16, Leah remains in the hands of the terrorists  they say because she refuses to renounce her Christian faith, Buhari said. We say, as the government for and of all Nigerians, that no person has the right to force another to change their faith against their will and that all life is sacred.

Buhari assured that the federal government is continuing efforts to secure Sharibus release as well as all other captives of the Borno-based terror factions that have terrorized the Lake Chad region for the past decade.

[W]e do so regardless of their creed or the name of their creator, the Muslim president said.

As we as redouble our efforts for Leahs return, we can never allow the terrorists to divide us  Christian against Muslim, Muslim against Christian. We are all sons of Abraham. And all Nigerians have the same worth and rights before the law, and before God.

Despite his vow, Buhari has been criticized by international human rights advocates who say that his words do not match his administrations actions.

Just last week, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari claimed the Nigerian government is committed to ensuring that every child taken by insurgents will be released. Two years after Leah was taken, the world wants to see action rather than talk, Dede Laugesen, executive director of the nonprofit organization Save the Persecuted Christians, said in a statement.

Nathan Sharibu, Leahs father, told Channels Television in an interview Tuesday that it is due to [the governments] lapses that his daughter has spent two years in captivity.

[Buhari] also promised the nation and almost promised the whole world that his administration will do its possible best to ensure that those in captivity are released, Nathan Sharibu was quoted as saying. So, Im pleading with him now to fulfill his promise; Im begging him.

Sharibu's mother, Rebecca, spoke at a protest Wednesday organized by Christian Solidarity Worldwide outside the Nigerian High Commission in London. Rebecca Sharibu delivered a petition to the commission signed by over 12,132 people calling on the Nigerian government to take action.

Today Leah has spent two years in captivity. We dont know where Leah is. We don't know the condition or the situation that Leah is in," Rebecca Sharibu said at the protest.

"I'm pleading with [the U.K.] government and with our Nigerian government, with President Buhari ... to fulfill his promises that he has made to me personally, that he is going to rescue Leah and ensure that she is released, and not just Leah, all the others in captivity.

Cece Heil, senior counsel with the American Center for Law and Justice, said Wednesday that while Buharis words are encouraging, Nigerias government has done very little to secure Leahs release.

Citing knowledgeable government sources, the Nigerian daily newspaper Vanguard reported this week that the Nigerian federal government made an effort during the early days of Sharibus abduction to pay a ransom through a third party to secure Sharibus release.

However, the ransom agreement was reportedly rejected by her abductors. In 2018, a friend of the Sharibu family told media outlets that the terrorists demanded the equivalent of $275 million for their daughters release.

Ama Onyerinma, the founder of the social change organization Live Abundantly, has also criticized Buhari. Onyerinma told The Guardian that even though there was much media coverage surrounding the news that Sharibu gave birth to a baby earlier this year, there was no comment from the Nigerian government or any of its related agencies.

The sinister aspect of this regrettable and despicable tale is that the victims are girls  school girls who were left in the safety of their school compound under the watchful eyes of administrators, Onyerinma said. [Y]et terrorists succeeded in violently snatching them from the community and have continued to hold them under coercion.

Two months after the Dapchi schoolgirls abduction in February 2018, the U.N.'s Children's Fund reported that at least 1,000 children had been kidnapped by Boko Haram.

Among those were over 276 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in the town of Chibok in 2014. Despite an international #BringBackOurGirls campaign over the past five years, dozens upon dozens of those girls are still missing. Reports had suggested that a number of the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram had become pregnant.

As for Sharibu, her family has been through many hardships, especially after news reports suggesting that their daughter was killed were followed by reports that she is alive and pregnant.

Last week, Buhari told attendees of a side event of the 33rd African Union Summit in Ethiopia that his government will not relent until every child, boy or girl, every Nigerian adult in custody of Boko Haram, is freed. Buhari praised the fact that some of the schoolgirls from Dapchi and Chibok have gained their freedom.

Leahs parents have founded The Leah Foundation, an organization that advocates for Nigerian girls seeking an education without fear of harm. UNICEF reported in December 2018 that as many as 13 million children in northern Nigeria are not in school, the highest total in the world.

Most of the out-of-school children live in the northern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, where Boko Haram is active. Experts fear that a large number of out-of-school children will impact Nigerias economic growth.

Nigerias youth face massive hurdles regarding education, employment and dire poverty, Laugesen explained. As weve seen in other countries, this means they are ripe for radicalization and vulnerable to violence and abuse. The nation itself is blessed with enormous natural resources, most especially oil, making it a target for terrorist groups and state-actors looking to profit from corruption and chaos.

STPC, along with the International Committee on Nigeria and other activists, are calling on U.S. President Donald Trump to appoint a special envoy to monitor the situation in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Region.

The United States must get ahead of this burgeoning crisis of international concern with grave national security implications, Laugeson stressed. If Nigeria unravels, the fallout will be felt worldwide. The appointment of a trusted, experienced diplomat as a U.S. special envoy to Nigeria and the Lake Chad region is a good place to start.

The Nigerian government has also faced international criticism for what has been labeled an ineffective response to the increasing violence carried out by Boko Haram factions and Fulani radical attacks. Insecurity has led to Nigeria becoming one of the most dangerous countries to live in the world.

As Nigeria ranks as the 12th-worst country in the world on Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List of countries where Christians are most severely persecuted, Nigeria was added to the U.S. State Departments special watch list of countries that tolerate or engage in severe violations of religious freedom in December.
Co-founded by Gupta and Mukul Shah, and Danish Chopra, YOLO runs on an Uber-like template, where it does not own buses, but it takes care of the operational side of the business

After raising $800,000 in a seed funding round last month, Gurugram-based YOLO Bus founded in August 2019 aims to be the first preference and easy recall for anyone opting for intercity bus services. The intercity transportation startup recently announced a fundraise of $600,000. Last week, it revised the fundraise to $800,000 after it received seed funding from Rebright Partners along with other active angel investors.

A part of the money raised will go into marketing to reach this goal, said 31-year-old Shailesh Gupta, co-founder. Yolo TravelTech Pvt. Ltd, which operates inter-city transportation and mobility platform YOLO, wants to have a presence in the eastern and western regions of the country, which Gupta is hopeful will be accomplished in a year's time.

The money raised will be used to build technology and expand the startup team from its present size of 20 to 50 members.

Co-founded by Gupta, Mukul Shah, and Danish Chopra, YOLO runs on an Uber-like template, where it does not own buses, but takes care of the operational side of the business including the scheduling of buses, ticketing, customer service, and network planning.

The startup was founded from a 'bad experience' Gupta reached three hours late for a 9 AM meeting with a professor in Chennai. The bus he was travelling got delayed and the professor could not oblige as he was very busy. "I reached Chennai only to return and was hugely disappointed. That experience triggered the idea to set up a venture to solve this problem," he said.

Gupta and Mukul Shah found that there was a major disconnect between what existing bus operators deliver and what travellers need. Attempting to fill this gap, the duo along with Chopra has come out with ways to make public transportation and bus commute comfortable, safer and convenient. The result is YOLO-a premium mobility platform.

The bus fleets partnering with the startup offer personalised bus captains, welcome kits to all passengers, high-speed Wi-Fi, hygienic washrooms, food and beverages, USB charging points, films, and infotainment. Apart from this, babies and pregnant women get a special kit. It also has an emergency SOS button inside the bus and special safety measures for women, informed Gupta.

With YOLO, an acronym for You Only Live Once, Gupta and his co-founders provide 'clean buses with toilet facilities and Wi-Fi' to passengers besides punctuality and safety being its USP. "We have been able to achieve 90 percent punctuality," said Gupta.

Gupta is a serial entrepreneur. He co-founded his first startup while in his final year of engineering at IIT Kharagpur with his younger brother, Nalin-a 3rd year student from the same institution and two of his friends. They wound up the venture as soon as Gupta graduated, but he said the co-founders did not 'lose any money'. One of the reasons for closing the venture was that there were too 'many competitors' and they found it difficult to scale. Two more short stints as a an entrepreneur and he hit gold with Innov8-his co-working spaces startup, that he sold and made 'some good money'.

From having exited his first startup due to 'competition', Gupta and his co-founders now say that with YOLO, 'competition is not a consideration'. Instead, they are focussing on customer experience.

The intercity bus service has covered more than 15 lakh km and has done 1 lakh rides so far.

How it works

Download the YOLO App and make your booking. It can be booked through other platforms--Redbus, Paytm, MakeMyTrip or through one of their agents / physical booths. Passengers can also book tickets on the bus if seats are available.

The services find traction during the weekends and on holidays. Since its launch, the startup has seen a 30 percent growth in revenues week on week. The plan is to connect all the regions in the country and make the brand 'most-loved' among people, said Gupta. The startup hopes to scale to be able to come out with an initial public offering eventually.
The House of Representatives has launched the maiden edition of its Green Chamber magazine to tell its own story rather than relying on others to take charge of the Houses narrative.

House Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila said the House decided to publish the magazine to promote true and noble journalism, which would not massage the egos of lawmakers.

We have come here to show that in spite of the economic pressures brought on by the advancements in new media, it is still possible to do journalism with integrity, eschewing the false promise of clickbait headlines and fake news editorials, he said.

He said the publication would throw open the workings of the National Assembly while holding the powers that be to account.

Likewise, he praised the efforts of the nations journalists who expose abuse of power. I can say with absolute confidence, that this our democratic settlement could never have been achieved without the noble daring of the press.

On his part, President Muhammadu Buhari who was represented by the minister of information, Lai Mohammed, said the magazine would combat the scourge of fake news as it affects the House.

Mr Buhari said that though the magazine was long overdue, it was better late than never, urging the house to make copies available online for the benefit of Nigerians in the diaspora.

Largely seen as excessively paid officials, Mr Buhari said the magazine would help change the public perception about the lawmakers.

This wrong perception has resulted partly from the lack of understanding of the enormous work of lawmakers, especially outside the glare of television cameras. The public will be better informed on the activities of the House, and this will, in turn, reflect in an improved public perception.

It will go along way in bridging the gap between the House and the public, it will promote the activities of the house including bills and motion passage and committee assignments which is mostly reported in the newspapers, electronic and new media.
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- Ferric maltol (FM) was associated with substantially lower use of healthcare resources than IV ferric carboxymaltose (FCM)

- IV FCM was linked to greater productivity loss and disruption to patients' work and family life due to the need for clinic-based IV administration

- 50% of patients on IV FCM lost at least one full day due to treatment with 43% losing up to 387.51, as quantified for a German setting

- Mean total per patient drug costs were approximately 1.6 times higher for treatment with IV FCM compared to FM

AMSTERDAM, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Norgine B.V. highlighted new data from three post hoc analyses of the randomised controlled, open label, phase 3b non-inferiority study of oral ferric maltol vs intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (NCT02680756), presented at the 15th European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) Congress in Vienna. Ferric maltol, a novel oral iron replacement therapy, was found to be a cost-saving alternative to intravenous (IV) ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) by reducing drug administration costs[1] and productivity loss,[2]with at least as great benefit to the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).[3]

Dr. Stefanie Howaldt from the Hamburg Research Institute for IBD, HaFCED e.K., Germany presented the new research findings at ECCO and commented, "Iron deficiency anaemia is very common in inflammatory bowel disease and can significantly impair the quality of life of patients. Due to very common intolerance to standard oral iron products, IV iron is currently the main treatment alternative for IBD patients with IDA. These new data demonstrate that ferric maltol is not only a well-tolerated and effective therapy, which we previously knew, but also a cost-saving treatment for the healthcare system, representing an alternative oral treatment option with substantial health-related quality of life benefit for IBD patients with IDA.'

IDA can be a serious complication of IBD resulting from inflammation, chronic mucosal blood loss and iron malabsorption.[4]Treatment of IDA involves iron-replacement therapy often with oral iron supplementation in the first instance.[4]However, use of oral ferrous iron medications may be limited by poor absorption and adverse events[4,5] which can lead to many unwell patients having to receive IV iron in hospital.

Patient-reported outcomes are an important way to measure health and wellbeing. Measures of HRQoL in IDA have the potential to reflect both IDA symptoms and treatment-related issues such as adverse effects, so are a useful tool to capture additional treatment benefits beyond those typically reported in clinical studies.[3]

In the quality of life post hoc analysis, the HRQoL benefits of FM and IV FCM and their relationship to haematological parameters were analysed using data from a randomised controlled trial. The analysis showed that improvements in SF-36 PCS and MCS scores were slightly greater with FM than with IV FCM (difference not statistically significant). FM patients experienced at least as great benefit in all SF-36 domains such as general and mental health, bodily pain, vitality, physical, social and emotional functioning.[3]

IDA imposes a substantial economic burden on the healthcare payer system resulting primarily from increased medical costs and hospital admissions. The second post hoc analysis looked at the impact on productivity comparing the associated productivity loss of oral FM vs. IV FCM. The study found that 50% of patients treated with IV FCM lost at least one full day due to treatment, with 1 in 15 losing 4-6 days. Productivity loss was quantified, with IV FCM treatment associated with losses between 0.00 and 107.21 in 50% of patients, 129.17 and 387.51 in 43% of patients and 516.68 and 775.02 in 7% of patients. As FM was administered orally by the patient and did not require any in-hospital treatment administration, there was no treatment linked productivity loss. FM did not have the indirect costs associated with IV FCM and as such may provide an oral alternative to IV iron in patients with IBD, enabling them to avoid the disruption of everyday life activities due to the need for in-hospital IV administration.[2]

The third post hoc analysis compared the health care resource use (HCRU) associated with oral FM and IV FCM. The data showed that total per patient drug costs (acquisition and administration) were approximately 1.6 times higher for treatment with IV FCM than FM. The total cost of IV FCM is not only influenced by the higher drug cost, but additional costs associated with IV administration which was required to be carried out in a hospital or outpatient setting. FM has no additional costs or resource use associated with administration and is therefore less of a burden on local health care systems. [1]

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Notes to Editors:

About the post hoc analyses

Patients with IBD and IDA (haemoglobin [Hb] =8.0 g/dL and =11.0 g/dL for women or =8.0 g/dL and =12.0 g/dL for men, and ferritin <30 ng/mL or ferritin <100 ng/mL with transferrin saturation <20%) were randomised to FM (30 mg b.d.) or IV FCM (as per local Summary of Product Characteristics [SmPC] or prescribing information) in an open-label, Phase 3b non-inferiority study. The primary endpoint was Hb responder rate (proportion of patients achieving a =2 g/dL increase or normalisation of Hb at week 12). 250 patients were randomised: 125 to FM (per-protocol [PP] n=86) and 125 to IV FCM (PP n=93). The Hb responder rate for oral FM was non-inferior to IV FCM in the PP population (74% vs 83%); risk difference was -0.1 (two-sided p=0.017; 95% CI -0.2, 0.0), within the pre-defined non-inferiority margin of 20% difference.

For the post hoc analysis 'Impact of oral ferric maltol and IV iron on health-related quality of life in patients with iron deficiency anaemia and inflammatory bowel disease, and relationship with haemoglobin and serum iron', patients with IBD and IDA were randomised to FM (30 mg b.d) or IV FCM (as per local SmPC) with primary endpoint Hb responder rate [proportion of patients with =2 g/dL increase or normalisation of Hb at week 12; non-inferiority margin 20%]. HRQoL was assessed via the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). In the post hoc analysis of patient-level data, Hb, serum iron and HRQoL at baseline and week 12 were summarised descriptively and correlations between HRQoL and haematological parameters were assessed via Pearson's correlation coefficient (PCC). Hb, serum iron and HRQoL all improved following both treatments at Week 12. Improvements in SF-36 physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores were slightly greater with FM (difference not statistically significant). HRQoL improved across all SF-36 domain scores with both FM and FCM, with no statistically significant differences between treatments. HRQoL (MCS and PCS) improvements were positively associated with increases in Hb and serum iron. [3]

For the post hoc analysis 'Productivity loss in patients with inflammatory bowel disease receiving treatment for iron deficiency anaemia: a comparison of ferric maltol and IV iron' Productivity loss was calculated based on the number of days lost due to iron therapy during the initial 12-week study period. The costs associated with lost productivity were calculated using the human capital approach and based on the average gross income from Germany. IV FCM treatment resulted in a loss of patient time because IV administration was limited to an outpatient setting: 50% of patients treated with IV FCM lost at least one full day due to treatment, with 1 in 15 losing 4-6 days. Productivity loss was quantified, with IV FCM treatment associated with losses between 0.00 and 107.21 in 50% of patients, 129.17 and 387.51 in 43% of patients and 516.68 and 775.02 in 7% of patients. FM was administered orally by the patient and did not require any in-clinic treatment, there was no treatment linked productivity loss. [2]

For the post hoc analysis 'Health care resource use associated with ferric maltol and IV iron treatment for iron deficiency anaemia in patients with inflammatory bowel disease', pHCRU was assessed based on the total costs of iron therapy (including drug costs and administration), and the number of clinic visits during the initial 12-week study period. Costs of IV FCM and FM were applied to a German setting. Mean (standard deviation; SD) total treatment costs per patient in the FM and IV FCM arms were 302.27 (80.68) and 489.37 (147.19) respectively. 87% of FM patients were still receiving treatment at week 12, and 45% and 36% of IV FCM patients required a repeat course of IV iron at weeks 4 and 12 respectively. The mean (SD) number of hospital/outpatient visits during the study period for patients receiving IV FCM was 2.30 (0.88) and the total dose of IV FCM received was 1621 mg (491 mg). The study showed that the total per patient drug costs were approximately 1.6 times higher for treatment with IV FCM than FM. The total cost of IV FCM is not only influenced by the higher drug cost, but additional costs associated with IV administration which was required to be carried out in an outpatient setting. FM had no additional costs or resource use associated with administration and was therefore less of a burden on local health care systems. FM was associated with and substantially lower HCRU than IV FCM, and may provide a cost-effective oral alternative to IV iron in patients with IBD. [1]

About oral ferric maltol (FERACCRU)

Ferric maltol is a novel oral ferric iron therapy for the treatment of iron deficiency (ID) in adults. The recommended dose is one capsule (30mg) taken twice a day, morning and evening, on an empty stomach. Treatment duration depends on the severity of the iron deficiency (ID), but generally at least 12 weeks of treatment are required.[6] For further information, please refer to the product Summary of Product Characteristics, available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/feraccru-epar-product-information_en.pdf

About Norgine

Norgine is a leading European specialist pharmaceutical company that has been bringing transformative medicines to patients for over a century. Our commitment to transforming people's lives drives everything we do and our European experience, fully integrated infrastructure and exceptional partnership approach enables us to quickly apply creative solutions to bring life-changing medicines to patients that they may not otherwise be able to access. Norgine is proud to have helped 22 million patients around the world in 2019 and generated 419 million in net product sales, a growth of 6% over 2018.

Norgine has a direct presence in 12 European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand. We also have a strong global network of partnerships in non-Norgine markets. We are a flexible and fully integrated pharmaceutical business, with manufacturing (Hengoed, Wales and Dreux, France), third party supply networks and significant product development capabilities, in addition to our sales and marketing infrastructure. This enables us to acquire, develop and commercialise specialist and innovative products that make a real difference to the lives of patients around the world.

In 2012, Norgine established Norgine Ventures, a complementary business which supports innovative healthcare companies through the provision of debt-like financing in Europe and the US. For more information, please visit http://www.norgineventures.com/

NORGINE and the sail logo are trademarks of the Norgine group of companies.

References

Howaldt S, et al. P685, presented at ECCO 2020 Howaldt S, et al. P331, presented at ECCO 2020 Howaldt S, et al. P567, presented at ECCO 2020 Howaldt S, et al. Presented at UEGW 2019, abstract number OP195 Lugg et al. 2014 Journal of Crohn's and Colitis 8, 876-880 FERACCRU UK Summary of Product Characteristics, Norgine B.V. January 2020 . Available at https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/feraccru-epar-product-information_en.pdf Accessed February 2020

GL/COR/0220/0231, Date of preparation February 2020

Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/597589/Norgine_Logo.jpg
P assengers on the coronavirus-hit cruise ship in Japan have begun to disembark after their two-week quarantine came to an end.

The Diamond Princess, operated by Carnival Corp, has been quarantined after arriving in the port of Yokohama on February 3.

More than 540 people have been infected with the virus on the liner, which originally carried some 3,700 people.

Before passengers were told they could leave on Wednesday, the UK Foreign Office said British nationals on board could be flown home later this week.

Officials have begun letting passengers leave the cruise ship / AP

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said it is planning a chartered flight from Tokyo for as soon as possible.

We hope the flight will be later this week, subject to permissions from the Japanese authorities, a spokesman said on Tuesday night.

"We have the utmost concern for the affected Britons and strongly encourage them to register for the evacuation flight."

A health worker in a protective suit walks near the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship on Wednesday / AP

The spokesman said: "At 7am local time on Wednesday (10pm Tuesday, UK time), the Diamond Princess cruise operator and Japanese authorities allowed passengers to disembark from the cruise ship," the spokesman said.

"However there is a chance that people who disembark will not be able to join the evacuation flight."

Coronavirus: Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined 1 /32 Coronavirus: Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo AP Global interest: David Abel, who is on board Diamond Princess with his wife Sally, has been posting updates on social media David Abel Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), officials of the DFA-Philippines in Tokyo with Department of Health team wear protective suits as they prepare for the disembarkation of Filipino crew members on board the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship at Yokohama Port AP A man in a proctective clothing is seen on the sixth deck of cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama via Reuters A woman holds a Japanese flag that reads "shortage of medicine" on the cruise ship Diamond Princess Reuters Passengers disembarking from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama Port are pictured in Yokohama REUTERS/Kyodo Japan David Abel of the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined in Japan. PA David Abel being treated David Abel Workers in protective clothes stand before passengers disembarkating off the Diamond Princess AFP via Getty Images Quarantine operation on the eighth deck of cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama via Reuters An empty general view of Diamond Princess cruise ship PA The Diamond Princess cruise ship, in quarantine due to fears of new COVID-19 coronavirus, is seen at Daikoku pier cruise terminal in Yokohama AFP via Getty Images Sally Abel being treated David Abel/Facebook Men wearing protective gear are seen near the cruise ship Diamond Princess, Reuters The Diamond Princess cruise ship with around 3,700 people on board sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama after a number of passengers were confirmed to be infected with coronavirus Getty Images An empty general view of Diamond Princess cruise ship PA Medical workers in protective suits lead a passenger tested positive for a new coronavirus from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port AP Buses carrying passengers who have been under quarantine on a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship off the coast of Japan, the Diamond Princess, leave RAF Boscombe Down in Amesbury Reuters An empty casino on the Diamond Princess cruise ship PA Workers in protective gear are seen on the Japan Coast Guard boats in Yokohama Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images An empty atrium on the Diamond Princess cruise shi PA Workers in protective gear transfer a person under a blue sheet from the Diamond Princess cruise ship onto a Japan Coast Guard boat in Yokohama Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images Medical workers in protective suits carry belongings of passengers of the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port AP Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo AP

Many of those on board who have been infected with coronavirus have already been transferred to hospitals.

Japan has come under fire for its handling of the cruise ship quarantine.

Around 500 people were expected to disembark starting Wednesday, a health ministry official said, with the entire process completed by Friday.

Diamond Princess Cruise Passenger Matthew Smith Talks About Life In Quarantine

The US evacuated more than 300 nationals on Monday on two chartered flights.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday there were 220 Australians on board and that a total of 169 would be evacuated.

Those evacuated will be flown to Darwin, where they will be quarantined for 14 days.

A captain's announcement on the liner said that Hong Kong passengers would also be evacuated over the next 24 hours.
T he Government's post-Brexit immigration system has come under fire as industry leaders warned it could spell an absolute disaster for businesses.

Labour also criticised the plan, with Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott saying it will need so many exemptions that the changes are meaningless.

The new rules, which are set to come into force in January next year, seek to lower the salary threshold for skilled migrants from 30,000 to 25,600 for those coming to the UK with a job offer.

However, the Government said that if the applicant earns less than the required minimum salary threshold - but no less than 20,480 - they may still be able to enter if they have a job offer in a specific shortage occupation or if they have a PhD relevant to the job. There will not be a visa option for low-skilled migrant workers.

The Government's post-Brexit changes to UK immigration rules have come under fire / Getty Images

Ms Abbott said: "This isn't an 'Australian points-based system', which is a meaningless Government soundbite. It's a salary threshold system, which will need to have so many exemptions, for the NHS, for social care and many parts of the private sector, that it will be meaningless.

"Ultimately, it will also be very difficult to attract the workers we need at all skill levels while the Tories' hostile environment is in place. It needs to go."

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokeswoman Christine Jardine said the proposals were based on "xenophobia" and not the "social and economic needs of our country".

"Too many businesses are already struggling to hire the workers they need, and now the Tories want to stop them recruiting all but the highest paid employees from abroad," she said.

Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said the plan will need so many exemptions that it will be meaningless" / Getty Images

Pro-EU campaign group Best for Britain was also critical of the plans.

Chief executive Naomi Smith said: "Companies are being urged to eliminate low-paid jobs through automation and technology, but the truth is that a great many low-paid workers cannot be replaced by machines, not least in the care sector.

"Couple that with the additional red tape companies will face in ensuring staff can work in the UK, and it becomes clear that this represents a double-whammy to hard-pressed employers who rely on freedom of movement to deliver essential services.

"While concerns over immigration are well documented, we should all be concerned by a policy that actively promotes the elimination of jobs, even low-paid jobs, in pursuit of a short-sighted migration policy."

Dame Donna Kinnair, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: "We are concerned that these proposals from the Government will not meet the health and care needs of the population.

"They close the door to lower-paid healthcare support workers and care assistants from overseas, who currently fill significant numbers of posts in the health and care workforce."

The UK Homecare Association said: "We are dismayed by the decision Government has made.

"Cutting off the supply of prospective careworkers under a new migration system, will pave the way for more people waiting unnecessarily in hospital or going without care.

"Telling employers to adjust, in a grossly underfunded care system, is simply irresponsible."

Unison assistant general secretary Christina McAnea said the plans "spell absolute disaster for the care sector".

'I am not hostile to immigration' says Boris Johnson

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) welcomed the reduction of the skilled worker salary threshold, but was cautious about the potential impact of the policy on its members due to the sheer number of workers involved in food production.

Mark Harrison, policy manager covering employment and access to labour at FDF, said: "The food and drink industry is reliant on workers at all skill levels.

"We have concerns about access to those potential employees who won't qualify through these 'skilled' routes such as bakery assistants, meat processors, and workers essential to the production of huge array of basic foodstuffs such as cheese, pasta, and sausages."

Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said: "Getting a new immigration system right on day one will be critical for economic growth and the UK's global reputation as it forges a new path outside the EU.

"Several aspects of the new system will be welcomed by business.

"Nonetheless, in some sectors firms will be left wondering how they will recruit the people needed to run their businesses.

"A regularly reviewed shortage occupations list, with promises of further flexibility, will be vital for the effectiveness of the new system.

"Above all, the Government must work with employers and employees - especially smaller firms - to ensure they have the time to adapt to new policies and practices."

Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK which campaigns to reduce immigration, said the proposals "suggest the government is not serious about taking control of immigration."

Listen to today's episode of The Leader podcast:
Poster for Aladdin, left, and Toy Story 4. Local telecom companies are eager to ink deals with Disney Plus. Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea



By Kim Hyun-bin



The launch of the Disney's Over The Top (OTT) services has garnered massive popularity in less than a year. After just three months from its release Disney Plus has accumulated over 28.6 million subscribers closing in on market leader Netflix, which accounts for 160 million subscribers worldwide.



Their success has grabbed the attention of SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus, which have been sending "love calls" with hopes to ink future partnerships in Korea.



"Of course all telecom companies are interested. Just Disney alone holds abundant content. At this point, even without independent production, they will become a huge success in the OTT market here in Korea," a telecom official said.



Last November, Disney+ launched services in the U.S. and Canada and has been expanding to English speaking countries including Australia and New Zealand. The initial goal was to reach 60 million subscribers in the first five years after launch, but industry watchers says Disney will be able to fast-track and fulfill its goal around June.



Starting next year, Disney+ will be available in India as well as several western European countries including England, France and Germany rapidly expanding its presence throughout the world.



Disney Plus is expected to launch services in Korea as early as in the latter half of this year, and industry watchers say it will be open to cooperating with local telecom companies.



Industry watchers believe Disney will not pursue a single partnership with one telecom company.



"We have been cooperating and communicating with them, and our OTT platform "Seezn" is an open platform, which allows us to make partnerships with any content company. We have the most subscribers in the IPTV sector and from the stance of Disney they have no reasons to leave out KT and make deals with the other two rival telecom companies," a KT official said.



KT currently has the most IPTV subscribers accounting for 8 million people, a factor Disney would not ignore.



Disney has joined hands with U.S. telecom companies including Verizon, which offers free one year subscriptions for customers registering for unlimited data plans, which helped Disney garner subscribers.



"At this point there are no specific standards on how Disney will cooperate and how the negotiations will take place," a telecom official said. "But after looking at Verizon's case, Disney will want to join hands with local telecom companies."



Currently, all three telecom companies are eager to collaborate.



"We have met with the Disney and brought back a surprise. Unfortunately we are not able to reveal (what it is) at this stage," SKT CEO Park Jung-ho said to reporters in November. SKT currently has the most mobile subscribers in the country.



LGU+ has found great success after partnering with Netflix and their experience through the partnership could become a strong point during possible negotiations.



The firms says it is open to new partnerships including one with Disney.



"We are open for more partnerships in the OTT sector to enhance our content and competitiveness in the home media market," an LG official said.



The monthly subscription rate for Netflix is $8.99 but Disney+ is $2 cheaper at $6.99.

Also Disney+ offers a bundle package which includes ESPN Plus and Hulu.



On the first day of its launch in 2019, Disney+ garnered over 10 million subscribers and became the most searched word on Google.


Adama Dieng, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, talks about his fears for the fate of refugees in a moment of excessive populism

In Cairo this week to take part in a conference on the freedom of faith and worship organised by the Italian Embassy, the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide held a round of meetings with official and religious leaders to discuss Egypts engagement in implementing the UN Plan of Action to promote religious tolerance.

On Monday Dieng met with the grand imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb. He told Al-Ahram Weekly he had discussed with Al-Tayeb ways to incorporate the principles of the UN plan into Al-Azhars curricula.

The plan of action foregrounds the prevention of incitement to violent extremism and gender-based violence and underlines the need to enhance education and capacity building and promote inter-faith dialogue in order to build more peaceful and inclusive societies.

Given its outreach to Muslim countries around the world, Dieng said Al-Azhar is an important institution to work with on the promotion of the plan to promote tolerance and prevent incitement that could lead to hate crimes.

The grand imam, who has been working closely with [Roman Catholic] Pope Francis, is very committed and promised that the principles of the plan will be integrated in the curricula of Al-Azhar, Deing said.

On Wednesday Dieng was scheduled to meet with Pope Tawadros. Working against incitement has to be on all fronts and at all levels, he said.

According to Dieng, it is unwise to assume any society is fully immune to the repercussions of incitement.

Since the launch of the plan of action in 2017 Dieng says its implementation has become increasingly necessary all over the world.

Incitement is not specific to any region or religion. It is not just about the Middle East or Africa. During the past few years we have seen a disturbing increase in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in some Western countries.

The UN official said it is a mistake to blame the situation on the refugee crisis.

You cannot blame it on refugees. They are being used as a scapegoat by populist leaders.

It is very worrying when you monitor the hate speech being used today against refugees in some countries. It brings back memories of Nazi incitement in the early 1930s, said Dieng.

While it is crucial to work on resolving the problems of refugees, until political problems in countries like Syria or Libya are sorted out they must be spared from incitement that could aggravate the ordeal they are passing through, said the UN official.

Host communities clearly have responsibilities towards refugees, Dieng argued  I saw this in Bangladesh which hosted one of the largest refugee groups, around 800,000 Rohingyas who fled Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh  he said, but the international community must also provide support for countries hosting refugees.

The Sahel/Sahara zone also merits the attention of the international community, especially with the spill-over of refugees from Mali to neighbouring Burkina Faso.

I think the humanitarian crises in Syria and in Sahel are pretty similar and they both require a lot of attention, Dieng said.

Failure to live up to the challenges creates room for militant groups like the Islamic State (IS) to manipulate the situation and threatens a repeat of the horrifying situation that erupted in Sinjar when IS took over the area forcing thousands of the Yazidi minority to flee into the mountains under dire conditions and enslaving others, leading to the horrendous images of female slavery that shockingly emerged in the 21st century.

It is very important to ensure that IS does not re-surface, in Iraq, Mali, Libya or anywhere else. And there is a crucial role for religious leaders to play to prevent this from happening.

The promotion of freedom of faith and freedom of worship is essential in this respect. If people come to truly accept freedom of faith and worship then there is less room for incitement and the kinds of crimes to which it leads.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 20 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the title: Promoting tolerance

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A group of crocodile wranglers headed by animal expert Matt Wright have failed in their first attempt to free the Indonesian crocodile from a tyre stuck around its neck for the last few years. As per the reports, it is believed that the crocodile in the Indonesian city of Palau is thought to have a motor scooter tyre stuck around its neck for the last three-to-five years. Aussie croc specialist Matt Wright, who stars in National Geographic show 'Outback Wrangler' reportedly received a call from the local authorities in central Sulawesi who briefed him about the reptile's condition.

READ: Rare Fossil Of Bone-crushing Reptile Related To Modern Crocodiles Found In Brazil

Croc wranglers putting their best efforts

They said that the four-metre reptile is being strangled to death by the tyre as it grows. Wright reportedly stated that he and his team are putting best efforts to rescue the crocodile and relieve it from the tyre stuck in its neck. He explained that the tyre has been around the crocodile's neck for a few years now with the croc being able to survive and live unaffected. He added that their contacts in Indonesia recently shared the pictures which reveal that the tyre looks tighter than before and the crocodile can be seen struggling to breathe.

READ: WATCH: Hungry Leopard Steals Food From The Jaws Of A Huge Crocodile

Matt Wright joins the bid

The television personality has joined a bid to help capture a giant Indonesian crocodile and remove a motorcycle tyre stuck around its neck, as per reports. Matt Wright, host of National Geographic's Monster Croc Wrangler show was on the island of Sulawesi on February 13, with its team all prepared to save the tyre-tied reptile. Wright told his 200,000 followers on Instagram that he along with his team had trapped a smaller crocodile on February 12 "training for the main event". He added that catching the bigger beast was a challenge because of the tough environment and the main fact was it wasn't hungry due to plenty amount of food in the river.

READ: Australian Croc Wrangler Joins Bid To Save Tyre-tied Reptile In Indonesia

READ: Indonesia: Authorities Offer Reward To Remove Tyre Off Crocodile's Neck
Personal injury protection can help drivers that got injured in a car accident to receive the treatment they need and obtain help to do the house chores if they got a serious injury., said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

Personal Injury Protection insurance (PIP) is one of the least understood types of insurance. Many policyholders dont know that much about this coverage. This insurance will cover bodily injury after a car accident. This coverage was created because it took to long to decide who caused the accident and had to pay all the medical bills. PIP insurance will cover the policyholder and the immediate family members while occupying a car, or if they are struck by a vehicle while walking on the sidewalk. Also, PIP will cover any person inside the policyholders vehicle.

PIP insurance can cover the following expenses:



Medical bills. PIP offers coverage for all sorts of medical expenses. However, this insurance has some caps on coverage depending on the states minimum requirements and by the coverage plan. Drivers that need more protection can choose higher coverage limits.

Lost wages. Several types of PIP insurance can provide coverage for lost income. The amount the policyholder can claim will be limited and the insurance will be more expensive. Drivers that have insurance that covers lost wages should think twice before buying PIP insurance.

Funeral expenses. This optional feature will cover the cost of a funeral in case someone dies in a car accident. Policyholders should carefully analyze this option and see if the covered amount is enough to pay for all the expenses of a funeral. Also, this option can be useless for policyholders that have life insurance.

Death benefit. In case of a death in a no-fault accident, some PIP plans will offer a death benefit. In most cases, the surviving family members will get the unused premium.

Important services. PIP coverage will help policyholders that have major medical issues that stop them from fulfilling their daily and weekly house chores. Cooking, mowing the lawn, doing the laundry, and other chores can be nearly impossible to accomplish by someone that has serious injuries. This insurance will reimburse the costs of hiring people that will help the policyholder do everyday chores.

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For more information and money-saving tips, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/.
Do Khai Ly is one of three Vietnamese students studying at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University in Hangzhou City, but her two friends have already returned home.

Zhejiang Province is the worst-hit region after Hubei Province, and 30 million residents there have been in lockdown since early February.

As COVID-19, the official name of the disease caused by the new coronavirus, continues to spread around China, Ly has been self-quarantined at her university, but says despite the epidemic, she feels safe.

Do Khai Ly has her temperature checked by staff at the Zhejiang Sci-Tech University.  Photo Asim Mushtaq



My family call to check on me every day as they are all worried about the situation here, said 27-year-old Ly. But I assure them I am fine.

My university has taken good care of us. Here we can buy food and basic necessities from the schools canteen.

Ly, from Da Nang, is in her final year of a Masters in Textile Chemistry, Dyeing and Finishing Engineering.

She said the city she lives in feels deserted, but is confident the authorities are doing all they can to fight the virus and ensure the safety of those living there.

Ly told Viet Nam News: Hangzhou City is one of the 15 cities of China which is in quarantine and at present everyone has to follow the order of the government to stay inside at home.

Our university had the order for all international students as well as Chinese students to stay in their home town or dormitory without going back to university before the opening time.

All the outdoor activities are stopped, all public transportations are limited and every place is closed, especially the crowded places like the west lake, the shopping malls are totally closed to stop the spreading of coronavirus.

We have to prepare our food and necessities and stuff inside our room. We have received one notice from our university that there is a possibility to return in the middle of March but it is not confirmed yet.

Although the city's usual vibrant atmosphere is no longer there, Ly says all the residents are following the orders of the authorities to minimise the risks of spreading the virus.

She said: Since the first day of coronavirus all the teachers have noted daily about the prevention, how to disinfect ourselves, how to avoid the crowded public places.

On the day the quarantine order was released by the government, one day before that our university teachers inform us to buy a lot of food, necessities and stuff and medical masks to survive for a minimum of two weeks.

I really appreciate the co-operation of Chinese citizens and international students and foreign people here, they follow all the orders of Government to stay inside and will stop all the outside crowded activities.

There are many students and most of us follow really strictly the order of the government and university to quarantine ourselves in the room. This is good and safe for our survival these days.

Ly believed that the Vietnamese embassy is doing its best to help students in affected regions, especially those living in Wuhan City, the epicentre of the epidemic. Some were given help to return to Vietnam, but Ly says she has no intention to come back home at the moment.

I want to finish my Masters graduation thesis and the risk for infection is even higher if I travel back home now.

As of midnight Monday, China has recorded 72,436 infected cases and 1,868 deaths.  VNS

COVID-19: Border localities asked to resume trade with China Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh has asked Lang Son and Quang Ninh to resume imports, exports and transport of goods through three sub-border gates in the two localities after a suspension due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

WHO: Vietnam manages COVID-19 outbreak well The World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam has highly praised the countrys capacity in dealing with public health emergencies, including the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Engineers claim to have developed an innovative microchip, called BATLESS, that can continue to operate even when the battery runs out, an advance that may lead to longer lasting devices, especially those which demand extreme power efficiency.

BATLESS, as described at International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2018 Conference held in the US, is designed with a new power management technique that allows it to self-start and continue to function under dim light without any battery assistance, using a very small on-chip solar cell.

According to the researchers, including those from the National University of Singapore (NUS), the microchip may substantially reduce the size of batteries required to power sensor nodes in Internet of Things (IoT) devices which are connected with each other over the internet.

They said the new microchip could make the IoT sensor nodes 10 times smaller and cheaper to produce.

"We have demonstrated that batteries used for IoT devices can be shrunk substantially, as they do not always need to be available to maintain continuous operation," said lead scientist, Massimo Alioto from NUS.

"Tackling this fundamental problem is a major advancement towards the ultimate vision of IoT sensor nodes without the use of batteries, and will pave the way for a world with a trillion IoT devices," Alioto said.

The researchers said when the battery energy is available, the chip runs in minimum-energy mode to maximise the battery lifetime.

However, they said when the battery is exhausted, the chip switches to the minimum-power mode and operates with a tiny power consumption of about half a nanoWatt -- a billion times smaller than the power consumption of a smartphone during a phone call.

This power, the scientists noted, can be provided by a very small on-chip solar cell that is about half a square millimetre in area, or other forms of energy available from the environment, such as vibration or heat.

Despite being in minimum-power mode when battery is not available, the reduced speed of the microchip is still adequate for numerous IoT applications that need to sense parameters that vary slowly in time like temperature, humidity, light, and pressure, they added.

"BATLESS is the first example of a new class of chips that are indifferent to battery charge availability," Alioto said.

"In minimum-power mode, it uses 1,000 to 1,00,000 times less power, compared to the best existing microcontrollers designed for fixed minimum-energy operation," he added.

According to the NUS researchers, BATLESS microchip covers a very wide range of possible energy, power, and speed trade-offs, as allowed by the flexibility offered through the two different modes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A teenager allegedly raped by an Uber driver changed her mind during consensual sex and reported it to police out of regret and shame, his defence lawyer has told a Sydney court.

Onur Dedeoglu is defending allegations he indecently assaulted and digitally raped the 17-year-old passenger after she fell asleep in his Uber on her way home from a night out.

An Uber driver is defending allegations he indecently assaulted and digitally raped a 17-year-old passenger after she fell asleep in his vehicle on her way home from a night out. Credit:Bloomberg

The prosecution says the victim woke to find the driver - 20 years her senior - on top of her in the back seat in August 2018.

The schoolgirl was exhausted after trial year 12 exams and had been drinking before the Uber picked her up, the Crown says.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. After a long pause caused by the military operations in Syria, the airport of Aleppo is being re-launched. Today, on February 19, the first flight en route Damascus-Aleppo will be operated.

Ethnic Armenian MP of the Syrian Parliament Jirair Reisian told Armenpress that the society welcomed this news with a great enthusiasm.

Due to the shutdown of the airport the life in Aleppo was difficult for various reasons. The airport is an important infrastructure both for the city and the state. The first flight will be operated in Damascus-Aleppo route, and there are also plans to increase the number of flights and routes in the future, the lawmaker said.

The re-launch of the airport will contribute to accelerating Aleppos restoration process. Jirair Reisian said its a very important tool for boosting business. The re-launch of the airport will also have its affect on the economic activity.

Talking about the other infrastructural problems of the city the MP informed that significant works have been carried out over the water supply. Some districts are supplied with water the whole day, and the works in the remaining ones continue. The electricity issue is not completely solved yet, people are supplied with electricity for several hours a day, but all these issues are under the direct spotlight of the authorities. Everything is being done to provide people with electricity.

Activities are also planned for the restoration of structures of the Armenian community in Aleppo. Jirair Reisian said the issue of schools was a priority, no school-children has been left without classes at this period. Everything possible has been done for the operation of Armenian schools. Currently, all classes are normally being carried out, the children are actively participating in the educational processes. As for the churches, the lawmaker informed that during this period the Mother Church of Aleppo has been restored and now is operating normally. The issue of the St. George Church is on the agenda. It is located in the Armenian-populated Nor Gyugh district of Aleppo. The MP also informed that the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church is also located in this part and is operating normally.

As for the movements of Armenians, Jirair Reisian said many have returned to Aleppo, many visit to get acquainted with the local conditions and consider the options of returning back completely. In any case we wish all sons of the community to return to their homes and restore their works, he said.

During those days in line with the liberation of Aleppo another important event took place in Syria. The Parliament of Syria officially recognized the Armenian Genocide. Syria officially recognized the Armenian Genocide. Here the key message is for us to fight jointly against and prevent the crimes, he said, adding that today as well Syria is subject to the hostile acts of the same criminals.

On February 13 the Syrian Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution on recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide.

Interview by Anna Gziryan

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Blaming protesters for violence and deaths during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in the state late last year, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said not much could be done to save someone who was intent on dying.

Agar koi marne ke liye aa raha hai to woh zinda kahan se ho jayega (If someone is coming with the intention to die, then how will that person remain alive), he said even as the Opposition parties in the UP assembly alleged that 24 people died in the anti-CAA protests across the state.

When someone comes out on the street with the intention to shoot people, then he dies or the policeman dies, the chief minister said, speaking on the motion of thanks to governor Anandiben Patels joint address to the legislative assembly and legislative council.

No one had died from a police bullet, he said, adding that all those who died fell to troublemakers bullets.

Alleging that people involved in violence during the anti-CAA protest enjoyed political protection, he said children of a senior opposition leader also joined the mob that raised anti-India slogans.

Azaadi (freedom) slogans were raised by the protesters. The people know what azaadi they want. The protesters wished to realise the dream of Jinnah whereas we have work to fulfil the dreams of Gandhi, he said.

Hitting out at the Opposition in his two-hour-long speech, Adityanath said the state government was not against demonstrations or dharnas till it was peaceful and protesters did not indulge in violence. He also said the anti- CAA protest in the state was planned.

Asserting that the state had not witnessed communal violence since the BJP came to power in 2017, he said, If someone tries to vitiate the atmosphere then we will reply them to in their language (wah jis bhasa mein samjhega, us bhasha main samjhayenge).

The action against anti-social elements organising violent protest had exposed a conspiracy against the state government, he said, adding that terror funding had come to light during a probe by security agencies.

Popular Front of India (PFI), a changed form of SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) was funding the protest, he said, adding that the Opposition parties should not have sympathy for anti-national elements.

Adityanath said he failed to understand why there were protests against CAA.

What is wrong with the Act? The BJP has not drafted CAA, but the Act was framed in 1955 after the Nehru-Liyaqat pact. The Partition pained people and a large population suffered, he said.

Earlier, the Opposition parties demanded a judicial probe by the sitting judge of the Supreme Court or high court into the violence during anti-CAA and alleged police atrocities on the protesters.

Leader of opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary (Samajwadi Party) said 24 innocent people were killed in police firing in various districts.

Anti-social elements joined the protesters and indulged in violence, he said, adding that sit-ins had continued for over a month but no one from the state government held talks with the protesters.

Public interest litigation petitions that alleged police atrocities during the anti- CAA protests will be taken up in the Allahabad high court on March 18.

In a hearing on February 17, the state government had told the high court that 22 people died during the anti-CAA violence in the state. FIRs were lodged against 883 people on the charge of arson and destroying public property and 561 people were granted bail.

The state government provided the figures to a high court bench comprising chief justice Govind Mathur and justice Siddhartha Varma hearing a bunch of petitions against police action during the anti-CAA protests.

The petitioners had alleged police atrocities and mentioned the recovery notices that the state government had issued.
'In its short life, AAP has distinguished itself in many, many, governance spheres.'

'But party democracy is not one of them,' notes Aditi Phadnis.

IMAGE: Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal speaks after being sworn in as Delhi chief minister for the third time on February 16, 2020 as newly sworn-in ministers Gopal Rai, Satyendra Jain, Manish Sisodia and Kailash Gahlot look on. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

The Aam Aadmi Party is here to stay -- which is what makes it so perplexing.

Kamal Mitra Chenoy, a social activist for 30 years, a member of the Communist Party of India for 40, joined AAP in 2014.

He explained his reasons for resigning from the CPI: 'This is a critical time for Indian secularism. It is naive to say that AAP has no theory. As (Italian philosopher Antonio) Gramsci repeatedly stressed, all people in some way or another are intellectuals.'

'His major distinction was between traditional intellectuals who defend and legitimise traditional ideologies and monopolist use of power. Their rivals, essential for change and even a revolution, are organic intellectuals who are rooted in popular movements and popular culture,' Mitra Chenoy said in a signed article.

Barely two years later, Mitra Chenoy quit AAP.

In a personal exit note to Kejriwal, he suggested course correction and getting rid of the coterie that surrounds the national convenor.

Clearly, monopolist use of power was rearing its ugly head again.

Oddly enough, in a more unsophisticated way, all the supporters-turned-critics of AAP are saying the same thing today: Kejriwal is a plaything in the hands of a coterie.

This poses a perplexing problem.

Can un-democracy be the foundation for a democratic party that aspires to be different from all other parties in India?

In its short life, AAP has distinguished itself in many, many, governance spheres. But party democracy is not one of them.

This was clearly evident in the events in Punjab, the outbreak of rebellion in Delhi after a debilitating defeat in the municipal elections and in the way Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav were thrown out of the party in 2015.

Bhushan, Yadav and Anand Kumar were charged with undermining AAP's efforts to win the Delhi assembly election.

All of them refute this strongly and say they were only trying to make AAP run in a more democratic way.

Sucha Singh Chhotepur, an independent-minded legislator in Punjab, left the Shiromani Akali Dal and joined AAP before the 2014 election.

AAP leaders say his oratory impressed Kejriwal who heard him for the first time in Gurdaspur.

When the AAP lost two assembly by-elections, Kejriwal asked Chhotepur to keep the party afloat in Punjab.

Chhotepur has worked with the Congress's Amarinder Singh as well.

In 2009, Amarinder took Chhotepur into the Congress fold during a rally in Gurdaspur when the two were campaigning for Partap Singh Bajwa.

Bajwa won that election, with Chhotepur's local influence seen as having contributed to the victory.

But Chhotepur is not a complaisant individual.

AAP says they have him on video accepting a packet of money.

Even his rivals said they could fault Chhotepur on many grounds, but corruption was not one of them.

Chhotepur himself says he was turfed out when he refused to be a yes-man to Kejriwal and his "coterie".

Kumar Vishwas, once part of the inner circle and a friend of Manish Sisodia for four decades, has also quit the party and is now one of AAP's most trenchant critics.

Social scientist Anand Teltumbde writes that AAP's return to power in the capital lies in its ability to reinvent itself as a 'start-up', by reorganising itself and tendering apologies to its 'customers', the people of Delhi.

Teltumbde argues that the AAP business model -- to brand itself as an anti-politics political enterprise -- appeals to the neo-liberal generation in metros, who are idealist and see India's potential encumbered by corrupt and incompetent politicians.

Former AAP member Alka Lamba says till the MCD elections in 2017, everything was great.

But during the elections, none of the MLAs were consulted over ticket distribution and that's when things began to go downhill.

Many leaders, including Ashutosh and Ashish Khetan, have left the party since, citing lack of inner-party democracy.

The last word on the rifts in AAP has not been spoken yet.

Can you really deliver democratic results through undemocratic party structures? This is the paradox AAP needs to resolve.
Coronavirus CORVID-19's hit to Queensland economy prompts $27 mn aid package

by Allyson Horn

February 19,2020 | Source: ABC

Likening Queensland's economic pain from the coronavirus outbreak to a natural disaster, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the Government is rolling out a $27 million rescue package for the tourism, education and agriculture sectors.



Those three sectors alone are expected to lose hundreds of millions of dollars due to the closure of China's borders following the outbreak of the virus, which has recently been renamed CORVID-19.



Queensland tourism operators will have government fees and charges waived as part of the support package.



"Our tourism, fishing and international education industries are hurting," Ms Palaszczuk said.



She said the devastating impact of coronavirus control measures were akin to "a disaster like any cyclone, fire or flood".



"This is the largest, most comprehensive coronavirus response by any government anywhere in Australia," she said.



China is Queensland's biggest trading partner and concerns have been expressed about the risk of massive job losses across the state due to the coronavirus outbreak.



Ms Palaszczuk said many industries had already been brought to a standstill.



"This Government has never treated this virus lightly," she said.



"We began preparing our defences while the first patients were still 7,000 kilometres away."

 2020 ABC

Theme(s): Others.
AMRITSAR: A local court on Wednesday sentenced former Punjab Police deputy inspector general (DIG) Kultar Singh to eight years in jail and handed down a four-year prison term to serving deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Hardev Singh Boparai for abetting the suicide of five members of a family here in 2004.

Hardeep Singh, a resident of Chowk Karori locality in Amritsar, his wife Romi, mother Jaswant Kaur, and children Simran and Ismeet, ended their lives by consuming poison on October 31, 2004.

Additional district and sessions judge Sandeep Singh Bajwa also sentenced Hardeeps sister Parminder Kaur, her husband Palwinder Pal Singh, Hardeeps uncle Mohinder Singh and his daughter-in-law Subreen Kaur to eight years in jail for driving the five members to end their lives.

The judge imposed a fine of 23,000 each on the former DIG and the four relatives, while the DSP was told to pay up 20,000.

Parminder Kaur, Sabreen Kaur, Mohinder Singh and Palwinderpal Singh were convicted under Sections 306 (abetment to suicide), 388 (extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, while Kultar Singh was convicted under Sections 306, 388, 506, 465 and 120-B of the IPC.

DSP Hardev Singh was convicted under Sections 465, 471, 120-B, 119, 201 and 217 of the IPC.

Five of them were convicted on Monday after they were found guilty of criminal intimidation and extortion. The DSP was convicted the same day for destruction of evidence.

JUSTICE AT LAST

The family had left a suicide note scribbled on a wall of their house besides posting a letter to their acquaintance, accusing four of their relatives, including Hardeeps sister, and Kultar Singh, who was then serving as Amritsar senior superintendent of police (SSP), of forcing them to take the extreme step.

Hardeep was allegedly being blackmailed by his relatives and Kultar Singh for having committed a crime.

Hardev Singh, who was then in-charge of the police station where the first information report (FIR) in the incident was registered, was accused of tampering with evidence to protect the then SSP.

In 2009, Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO) activist Sarabjit Singh Verka brought the matter before the court, seeking justice for the victims as the police were not probing the case seriously despite having instituted three inquiries.

On the basis of the application moved by Verka, Kultar and Hardev were again summoned in January 2016 and a chargesheet was filed against the accused.

The trial in the case began in March 2016 on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court.
Families devastated by flooding today demanded action from Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he enjoys a grace and favour break with his girlfriend in Kent.

Up to 1,500 homes have been flooded and thousands more evacuated across Britain following Storm Dennis which brought torrential rain and 90mph winds.

But Mr Johnson has chosen to remain holed up with his partner Carrie Symonds at the Government's 115-room Chevening mansion while the crisis unfolds.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds at Downing Street in December

Mr Johnson is staying at the Government's 115-room Chevening mansion in Sevenoaks, Kent

MPs speaking on behalf of residents have asked why Mr Johnson has not called a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee to handle the official response.

Craig Whittaker, Conservative MP for Calder Valley, West Yorkshire, said his constituency had been 'really badly' affected, with 1,187 properties flooded.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'But, amazingly, it's the third time in seven-and-a-half years that this has happened to us.'

On the emergency funding scheme announced last night, he said: 'It will make a huge difference, but the problem is we've had to wait so long for it to be triggered.

Chevening is one of the best perks that go with the job of Foreign Secretary - a 13th century country estate at their disposal to woo dignitaries and impress friends

The Riverside Caravan Park Houses surrounded by flooding in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, today

'It's nine days since the floods in the Calder Valley and I can tell you I've been hammering on doors in Whitehall every day since, trying to get this funding triggered.

Government announces financial support for flood-hit communities Owners of flood-hit homes will be able to apply for a 500 emergency grant and exemption from paying council tax, the Communities Secretary has confirmed. Both homeowners and businesses will be able to seek 100 per cent relief from council tax and business rates respectively as they start to salvage their properties after suffering the impact of storms Dennis and Ciara. On top of the 500 hardship relief for individual households, the Government is also fronting up 2,500 to each business hit by flooding. And grants worth up to 5,000 will be made available to both businesses and households impacted by the floods to allow them to pay for changes that could help make their properties more resilient in the future. Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'Storms Dennis and Ciara have severely impacted a large number of households and businesses - and I recognise how destabilising this can be. 'This extra support, including new funding, will help people in the worst-hit areas to recover and get back on their feet as soon as possible. 'I'd like to thank the emergency services and key agencies on the ground for their dedication and tireless work to help everyone affected in extremely challenging circumstances.' The Cabinet minister also announced that the cross-Whitehall Flood Recovery Taskforce would convene this week, bringing together environment, businesses and transport ministers to provide flood-stricken areas with support and guidance. The financial measures announced apply to those affected in district or unitary authorities that have 25 or more flooded households as a result of storms Ciara and Dennis. The 500 community recovery grant to individual households will be paid to local councils by the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), while the 2,500 business recovery grant will come from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and paid to businesses who cannot recover flood damage costs from insurance. Advertisement

'The problem is, what happened last time in 2015, Cobra was called because it was very widespread. This time, because it was much more isolated to the Calder Valley, Cobra wasn't called, so all the ministers weren't in one room to agree a funding package.

'The sad thing is all this funding package that was announced last night comes from about seven different departments, and when you don't have a situation where you've got all ministers in one room, getting them to sign off is just incredibly difficult.'

Asked if it would have helped if the emergency funding had come earlier than last night, Mark Garnier, Tory MP for Wyre Forest, told BBC Radio 4: 'Yeah, look - if they're running an overdraft and it gets paid off in a week's time then I can live with that.'

He added: 'I think, as long as the money comes, that's what's really important to me. What I don't want to find is my local authority has had to run up some overdraft or, actually, just as importantly is not delivering the emergency responses that we need because of funding, but I don't get any sense that that's happening.'

He went on: 'Being a humble backbencher I can't guarantee anything but I can absolutely guarantee I will be banging on people's door to make sure they do get that money.'

It comes after Daniel Kawczynski, Tory MP for Shrewsbury, said yesterday: 'Given the flooding crisis in our constituencies why has Commons not been recalled?'

He said that more Government funding and flood defence schemes were needed in the Shropshire town, where flood waters blocked main roads yesterday.

Labour MP for Halifax, Holly Lynch, said: 'His refusal to call a Cobra meeting has really hampered the recovery of lots of different communities.'

However, last night Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced he would trigger the Flood Recovery Framework, releasing thousands of pounds of aid for flooded homes and businesses.

It means flood-hit homes and businesses can apply for up to 5,000 to help make them more resilient against future flooding.

Households can also apply for up to 500 in financial hardship payments and 100 per cent council tax relief, while flooded businesses can apply for up to 2,500 and 100 per cent business rates relief.

The Environment Agency claims that existing defences have protected at least 20,000 properties while the Government has promised to invest 4billion in flood defences over the next five years.

A woman carrying shopping bags wades through floods in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, today

Flooding hit Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire yesterday with the Abbey surrounded by water

Mr Johnson normally goes to the country estate of Chequers in Buckinghamshire to unwind with Miss Symonds.

But as the mansion, set in 1,000 acres of English countryside, is undergoing repairs this weekend, Mr Johnson has asked to make use of Chevening instead.

It is understood he will be working from the mansion, which is Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab's weekend retreat.

The repairs being carried out at Chequers are fairly standard, rather than major works.

Flooding in the Kent town of Maidstone yesterday in the aftermath of 90mph Storm Dennis

A van marooned in flood water on Sunday after Storm Dennis in Fordingbridge, Hampshire

Chevening is one of the best perks that go with the job of Foreign Secretary - a 13th century country estate at their disposal to woo dignitaries and impress friends.

The Grade I-listed property in Sevenoaks was gifted to the nation for the use of a cabinet minister or a member of the royal family.

It is not funded by the Government and is the responsibility of its trustees.

Chequers, on the other hand, was given to the nation by Sir Arthur Lee, an MP and minister during and after the First World War.

The Chequers Estate Act 1917 created a trust allowing prime ministers use of the mansion on the assumption they would not necessarily have their own country estate.
By Azernews





By Abdul Kerimkhanov

On the occasion of the 28th anniversary of Khojaly Massacre, thousands of Azerbaijanis will hold a Karabakh rally on February 22 in Paris Square near Brandenburg Gate, Berlin.

The rally will take place at the initiative of the diaspora organizations from more than 30 countries of the world and with the administrative support of Alliance of Azerbaijanis in Germany.

The rally participants will appeal to the international organizations with the slogans "Karabakh is Azerbaijan!", "We say no to terror!", "Azerbaijan demands justice!", "Don't be indifferent to Khojaly!", "Shame on he murders of the civils and innocent people!", "Armenia stop lying!", "Stop invasion!", etc.

During the rally, the participants will demand international community to give proper legal and political account of Khojaly Massacre perpetrated by the Armenian invaders 28 years ago, put pressure on Armenia to return the Azerbaijani lands back, restore the rights of the Azerbaijanis deprived of their homeland, and make Armenia follow the decisions of the proper international documents adopted with regards to the conflict.

Diligent participants will distribute brochures to the locals and tourists of Berlin about Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Khojaly Genocide, financial and moral losses of the Azerbaijani side as a result of the aggressive policy of Armenia. Thousands of Azerbaijanis are expected to attend the rally.

Azerbaijanis living in Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey, Moldova, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, France, Romania, Croatia, the UK, Greece, the U.S. and Canada, as well as diaspora members of the fraternal peoples are expected to attend the rally.

At the end of the rally, the diaspora representatives plan to adopt a document and address it to several international organizations.

In 1992, the town of Khojaly came under intense fire from the towns of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by the Armenian armed forces. 613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent.

Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, the fate of 150 of them remains unknown. Many civilians were shot at close range, scalped or burned alive.

The legislative bodies of many countries have already adopted resolutions recognizing the crime committed by Armenians against the peaceful people in Khojaly as genocide.
Free SoundCloud Creator Forum Announces 5 Cities, More To Follow

SoundCloud is bringing its free Creator Forums to more than five global cities in the next eight months.

Designed to give creators the tools they need to grow their careers, each SoundCloud Creator forum is a multi-day event filled with panels, studio sessions, showcases, and workshops.

While more cities will be announced soon, here are the first 5.

Toronto | February 19-21

AVA @ Printworks in London | March 13-14

Sonar in Barcelona, ES | June 18-20

Mexico City (in conjunction with the LAMC) | August 25-27

A3C (Atlanta, USA) | October 21-23

If youre not in a city SoundCloud is visiting this year, they are filming all of our panels. In addition to the audio and video content, they are introducing Expert Advice  guest posts featuring tips for you, straight from authorities in music, DJing, podcasting and more.

More details here.

Share on:
Shirble Department Store Holdings (China) Limited (HKG:312) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 14% in the last month. But in stark contrast, the returns over the last half decade have impressed. Indeed, the share price is up an impressive 268% in that time. Generally speaking the long term returns will give you a better idea of business quality than short periods can. Ultimately business performance will determine whether the stock price continues the positive long term trend.

Check out our latest analysis for Shirble Department Store Holdings (China)

In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

During the five years of share price growth, Shirble Department Store Holdings (China) moved from a loss to profitability. Sometimes, the start of profitability is a major inflection point that can signal fast earnings growth to come, which in turn justifies very strong share price gains. Since the company was unprofitable five years ago, but not three years ago, it's worth taking a look at the returns in the last three years, too. Indeed, the Shirble Department Store Holdings (China) share price has gained 122% in three years. In the same period, EPS is up 21% per year. Notably, the EPS growth has been slower than the annualised share price gain of 30% over three years. So one can reasonably conclude the market is more enthusiastic about the stock than it was three years ago.

The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

SEHK:312 Past and Future Earnings, February 19th 2020

It's probably worth noting we've seen significant insider buying in the last quarter, which we consider a positive. On the other hand, we think the revenue and earnings trends are much more meaningful measures of the business. Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here..

Story continues

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. In the case of Shirble Department Store Holdings (China), it has a TSR of 294% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that Shirble Department Store Holdings (China) shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 26% over the last year. Of course, that includes the dividend. However, that falls short of the 32% TSR per annum it has made for shareholders, each year, over five years. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Shirble Department Store Holdings (China) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on HK exchanges.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
She made a red swimsuit famous while starring on Baywatch in the '90s.

And Yasmine Bleeth kept covered up as she stepped out to walk her dog in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning.

The 51-year-old actress sported a black hooded sweatshirt with a vibrant blue dress in a rare sighting nearly 20 years after she said goodbye to Hollywood.

Out and about: Yasmine Bleeth kept covered up as she stepped out to walk her dog in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning

Yasmine seemed to be enjoying the warmer weather in Southern California as she took to the sidewalk wearing a colorful blue dress with red and orange circular designs plastered across the gown.

She covered her arms with a black zip-down hoodie with 'Detroit vs. everybody' embroidered across her chest in white lettering.

Bleeth, a New York native, added a seasonal pair of woven sandals made out of a beige canvas material.

Fresh air: The 51-year-old actress sported a black hooded sweatshirt with a vibrant blue dress in a rare sighting nearly 20 years after she said goodbye to Hollywood

Beachy: Bleeth was one of many breakout stars from Baywatch, and starred as Caoline Holden on 72 episodes of the hit show

She kept her dark brown hair tied back into a loose ponytail and let short fringe frame her face.

The BASEketball star appeared to be relatively makeup-free as she walked her pet pooch with a black and white leash.

Bleeth was one of many breakout stars from Baywatch, and starred as Caoline Holden on 72 episodes of the hit show.

Happy: Yasmine seemed to be enjoying the warmer weather in Southern California as she took to the sidewalk wearing a colorful blue dress with red and orange circular designs plastered across the gown

Brisk: She covered her arms with a black zip-down hoodie with 'Detroit vs. everybody' embroidered across her chest in white lettering

Casual: Bleeth, a New York native, added a seasonal pair of woven sandals made out of a beige canvas material

After starring in a host of television movies in the late '90s, she took her talents to the silver screen with roles in Heaven or Vegas, Coming Soon and Undercover Angel.

Yasmine hit a tough spot in her personal life when she entered rehab to overcome a cocaine dependency in 2000.

Nearly one year later, she was arrested after driving into the median of a highway in Michigan, and upon searching her vehicle, authorities found syringes with injectable cocaine. A search of her nearby hotel room also resulted in police finding more cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

She wrote in an April 2003 article for Glamour that 'consciously trying to stay off drugs is now part of my life and always will be.'
More than 1.4 million residents of Donbas are now IDPs, the diplomat recalls.

Chief of Ukraine's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Ambassador Serhiy Kyslytsya says Russia in last year alone supplied to Donbas over 4,000 tonnes of weapons and munitions.

"We should not lose sight of the broader context of the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine," the envoy told a UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting in New York City on February 18.

Kyslytsya noted that "six years of Russia's military invasion in Donbas left over 13,000 people killed and more than 27,000 wounded."

"More than 1.4 million residents of Donbas are now IDPs," the envoy added.

Read alsoDonbas escalation: Russian occupation forces attack Ukrainian troops, try to penetrate line of contact (Video)

"The seized areas turned into a land of fear and terror. Local economy destroyed, equipment of enterprises wrecked or moved to Russia. More than 3.4 million people need humanitarian assistance this year. On top of that, this territory, according to the UN, has already become one of the most mine-contaminated in the world," Kyslytsya said.

"The Russian Federation continues to supply its occupation forces with the weaponry, regular troops and mercenaries to the extent that now they dwarf many European armies," the diplomat noted, elaborating on the numbers: around 500 tanks, around 1,000 armored combat vehicles, almost 130 MLR systems, and nearly 800 artillery systems.

"Just last year, the Russian Federation sent into the occupied territories of Donbas over 4,000 tonnes of weapons and munitions," said Kyslytsya.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Serhiy Kyslytsya told the UN Security Council that the Kremlin "continues to pursue a strategy of escalation in Donbas in flagrant violation of Russia's obligations they have undertaken as a party to the Minsk agreements,"
Still, the view of any work of art changes according to our distance from what it portrays. A college student may intellectually savor Becketts vision of the corrosive effects of time in its depiction of a tyrannical, blind and disabled man, Hamm (played by a deliciously splenetic Cumming) and his resentful manservant, Clov (Radcliffe). It takes someone a few decades older, though, to fully appreciate the plays merciless evocation of a life with a front-row view of its own end.

Similarly, watching Endgame in this incarnation, I found a creepy new pertinence in its depiction of a blighted, blasted world beyond the single, decrepit room in which Hamm, Clov, Nagg and Nell live (barely) in virtual captivity. When Hamm says, Nature has forgotten us, and Clov answers, Theres no more nature, it doesnt register, as it once did, as a pathetic projection by the ailing and aging on everything that surrounds them. Its tomorrows weather report.

Clov is able to make this brutal assessment because, unlike Hamm, he still has his eyesight, though its failing fast. He is regularly bid to peer through a telescope out the window (where what he sees is described as zero, zero and zero). The windows are very, very high, which means that Clov has to use a ladder to reach them.

This in turn allows Radcliffe to make the most of the very difficult business of climbing a rickety ladder. Movement of any kind is a fraught proposition for Clov, and in a highly disciplined physical performance, Radcliffe turns every act of locomotion into a Sisyphean dance. Walking, for example, isnt a matter of putting one foot in front of the other, but of twisting the legs into an inefficient, crablike shuffle.

This process is exceedingly painful to watch. It also embodies why this production is not, finally, depressing. The energy thats expended in Clovs every movement  and, for that matter, in Hamms vicious tirades  testifies to the fact that where theres life, theres, well, life.

No matter how futile the struggle to live may turn out to be, Beckett always revels in the very fact of that struggle. For him, theater  with its heightened emphasis on words and gestures  becomes the ideal temple for such celebration.

Joness production, designed by Stewart Laing (set and costumes) and Adam Silverman (lighting), emphasizes the theatrical, and particularly the vaudevillian, elements of Endgame. So do Cumming and Radcliffe, who appear to be having the time of their lives in acting out their characters endless misery. They bring a similar, if lighter, charge to the curtain-raising Rough for Theater II, in which they portray two celestial (or infernal) assessors, taking inventory of the existence of a man about to commit suicide.
What began as a quiet Wednesday morning will forever be carved in the minds of the residents of Raven Street.

Neighbours ran from their homes on the street in the inner Brisbane suburb of Camp Hill shortly before 8.30am as a white car with five people inside - including three children - was engulfed in flames.

Three children under the age of 10 and a man were killed in horrific circumstances, while a woman was left fighting for her life.

A loud bang had alerted homeowners to the horror that was unfolding outside.

A woman was then heard screaming 'he's poured petrol on me', before she dropped from the car and onto the grass.

Residents desperately ran to save the others who were trapped inside, while the woman, wearing activewear, was hosed down on the lawn.

A loud bang had alerted homeowners in the street, which is filled with families and elderly, to the horror that was unfolding

Police, firefighters and paramedics swarmed Raven St, in Camp Hill, in the city's south-east, after a white car with five people inside burst into flames

What began as a quiet Wednesday morning will forever be carved in the minds of the residents of Raven Street

'Next minute, about four other explosions. Apparently there's some young kids in the car,' the neighbour told The Australian.

'By that time you couldn't get near the vehicle, unless you had a proper suit on, you were just no hope.

'Some young trade blokes down the road, they came out (with) some timber or something to stop the vehicle going further because it actually rolled across the road from here to there.'

Another resident told Daily Mail Australia he saw a first responder fighting back tears after discovering the children inside the car.

'''Babies in the car'', that's what he said.'

The neighbour said he thought he heard a smoke detector going off about 8.30am, and became increasingly concerned as it kept going.

'I thought it was maybe a grinder or something then (after three or four minutes) I saw the smoke coming up and people started to make sounds.

'It was pretty confronting for everyone involved, extremely confronting for the residents.'

A woman who was lying in bed at the time said she was startled by the sound of an explosion.

'I was lying in bed and I heard a loud bang, the house sort of vibrated like something hit my roof.'

Another resident said they heard screams coming from the street and ran to help.

Police attend the scene of a car fire which claimed the lives of multiple people, including children in Brisbane

Raven Street, in Brisbane's south, is in a quiet neighbourhood filled with many families and elderly residents

'I had people working at my house and we could hear screams and calls for help,' he told The Courier-Mail.

'The flames were huge, absolutely insane. We had to stand back because the fire fighters were rushing in.

'I'm so sad, so very, very sad to hear it's kids. I just wonder who they are and why they were there. It's a very emotional time for our neighbourhood.'

The car was covered in an orange sheet while police door-knocked residents on Wednesday

Wendy Antoniou, who lives several houses up, said: 'I thought something had landed on my roof, it was like BANG - I could feel the vibration.'

'I came around the side window - well, I nearly bloody died. The fire brigade was everywhere, ambulance was everywhere.

'All I could see was the smoke. I didn't know whether it was a house on fire or what. Apparently, this car exploded.

'First of all I couldn't even see the flames - then I could see all these flames high in the air!'

A view from the street where three children and a man died on Wednesday

'It's such a quiet street'.

'I've asked police to go and give him a welfare check'.

Detective Inspector Mark Thompson said police were still trying to piece together what had happened.

'How the fire actually occurred has not been ascertained at the moment. For us to call it a murder-suicide or an accident is not appropriate at the moment.'
Pats the spot next to me. Hey you, artist panicking about trying to find a pin manufacturer that isn't in China. Take a seat.



I need you to know something: this is a bad idea. Focus your energy elsewhere.  Hannako Lambert  C2E2 W-14 (@thisishannako) February 12, 2020

Today was supposed to be our book birthday! But sadly, global virus quarantines, widespread factory and port shutdowns, and a massive international shipping backup have caused unavoidable delays! 



Sorry! Banned Book Club will be with you as soon as it can!  pic.twitter.com/5Lw0H8pSH1  Banned Book Clubs (@BannedBookClubs) February 17, 2020

There are some people -- and I used to be one of them, many years ago -- that don't pay much attention to international or even national news. The thinking being that if things are going sideways in Iran, how does that impact me sitting in the middle of Cornfield, KS? In many cases, it's really hard to find a connection, so it's understandable why someone might not care. But we have some very real world instances that we can show direct cause-and-affect.You've like heard about COVID-19, previously known as the Coronavirus, right? There's been a few cases that have cropped up in the US and other countries, but it's so far been almost entirely contained to China.Except, as it turns out, many of the pin manufacturers that artists use to make affordable pins to sell at conventions are based in China. And because so many people are calling in sick -- or are simply afraid to leave their house for fear of catching something -- that many of those manufacturing plants have effectively shut down. There are certainly those that are still open, but now they're swamped with the work from other places.(Click through to the entire thread to see how many "US manufacturers" are actually using those same Chinese plants, meaning people are having trouble even getting "local" help with these.)Maybe you're thinking, "OK, yeah, that sucks. But you're talking about some pins here. They're hardly big money-makers for anyone."Well, first, there is a pretty hefty market there, so this will absolutely hurt the bottom line of some creators. They're often running pretty thin margins, and this could mean the difference between breaking even at a convention and ending up in the hole.But beyond that, it's not just pins. It's affecting anything and everything that's made in China. Including books!Books. The very lifeblood of the comics industry. That's going to have a big impact. Now, that doesn't mean every book is going to be late now, of course. I don't have many newer books to double-check many publishers, but the most recent Marvel and Boom! Studios books I have were printed in the United States. I know some independent creators who insist on working with local printers. I consider myself a little lucky in that Bloomsbury had initially planned on having my upcomingbook printed in China, but switched to a British printer back in the fall. But how many other books are getting caught up with printer closures and delays?Economists are currently estimating that China's growth will drop 1.5% in the first quarter alone. Some of Apple's parts manufacturers have temporarily closed, and will undoubtedly cause production delays. Nissan and Hyundai plants located in the US have closed because they can't get all the parts from China. Global airline revenue is expected to drop $4-5illion because of people cancelling their trips to/from China.My point being that what's happening in China right now is very much impacting the rest of the world. In a practical, feel-it-on-the-ground way. Will not being able to get a new Nissan be a big problem for the comics industry? Probably not. But what about artists whose Wacom tablet just died? More than a few Wacom products are made in China. Or all those books that are printed over there because it's somehow cheaper to print books in China and ship them overseas to the US than to print them in the US in the first place. Or all those pins I mentioned earlier? These are real-world impacts that will specifically hit the comics industry.Further, what about the books and pins and merchandise thatmake it over to the US? Somebody has to buy them, right? It's probably not going to be anyone who works at those closed Nissan and Hyundai plants. How many other manufacturing jobs are going to be put on hiatus because their just-in-time inventory system relies on parts from China arriving? If parts aren't arriving just in time, that's going to bottleneck the whole operation. The whole point of JIT production is that you don't need to have spare parts lying around! Should manufacturers have accounted for that? Sure! Did they? Some may have, but I can guarantee not everyone!As COVID-19 continues to cause disruptions in China -- and there doesn't yet seem to be any indication it won't! -- we're going to see more and more disruptions here in the US. If we're lucky, it's nothing more than some book delays for a couple months. I wouldn't count on that, though!
Ukraine's Cinema Agency has banned a 2012 film featuring the country's current president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, because the film includes a Russian actress blacklisted by Kyiv for making an unauthorized visit to Ukraine's Russian-occupied region of Crimea.



The Kyiv-based agency says the Russian-Ukrainian comedy Eight New Dates cannot be screened at public theaters in Ukraine due to "national security concerns" because it includes the Russian actress Yekaterina Varnava.



Varnava was banned by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) in 2017 from entering Ukraine for five years after she'd taken part in a 2016 comedy show in Crimea without permission from Ukrainian authorities to visit the Russian-occupied region.



Crimea was forcibly annexed by Russia through a widely discredited referendum in 2014 just weeks after Russian military forces seized the territory from Ukraine.



Kyiv's newly announced list of banned films also includes a 2010 U.S. action film called Machete, featuring actor Steven Seagal, and a 2008 French fantasy adventure Les Enfants de Timpelbach that features actor Gerard Depardieu.



Seagal and Depardieu were named to Ukraine's blacklist after they'd also visited Russian-occupied Crimea without permission from Ukrainian authorities.



Before winning the presidency in an April 2019 landslide election victory, Zelenskiy was a popular comedian known in both Ukraine and Russia.
US Imposes New Venezuela-Related Sanctions on Rosneft Trading, Its Head - Treasury

Sputnik News

15:47 GMT 18.02.2020(updated 16:26 GMT 18.02.2020)

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The United States has imposed sanctions on Russia's Rosneft Trading S.A. and its head Didier Casimiro over their collaboration with Venezuela, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced in a notice on its website on Tuesday.

"The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today designated Rosneft Trading S.A. ... for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy," the Treasury said in a statement. "OFAC also designated the chairman of the board of directors and president of Rosneft Trading S.A., Didier Casimiro."

The United States accuses Rosneft Trading S.A., a Swiss-based subsidiary of Russia's oil giant Rosneft, of handling Venezuela's oil exports in circumvention of American sanctions and the company's president of being "the main European intermediary to help Maduro skirt sanctions."

"The overwhelming amount of the Maduro regime's oil that has been skirting sanctions and has been traded around the world has been done through Rosneft Trading," a senior US administration official told reporters.

The Treasury said in the statement that in January, Rosneft Trading S.A. facilitated a shipment of two million barrels of Merey-16 crude oil from Venezuela to West Africa. It added that in September, Petroleos de Venezuela (PdVSA) supplied a shipment of one million barrels of Merey-16 to Rosneft Trading, which was destined for Asia.

All property of Rosneft Trading S.A. and its head Casimiro have been blocked in the United States, the statement said.

The US has also issued a general license giving the companies doing business with Russia's Rosneft Trading S.A. 90 days to disentangle their arrangements, a senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday.

"OFAC is also issuing a short-term general license today that authorizes USA persons to engage only in certain wind-down prohibited activities that are necessary to disentangle transactions involving Rosneft Trading," the official said, referring to the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The official said the license was issued with a view toward maintaining the strength of the US dollar globally and to allow time for allies such as Germany to "disentangle arrangements with this entity."

In early November, the Trump administration pledged to impose "impactful" measures

on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro within the next 30 days.

Following the announcement, Rosneft stocks fell by over 5.2 percent.

As of 6.32 p.m. Moscow time (15:32 GMT), Rosneft's stocks are falling by 1.75 percent to 456.55 rubles ($7.14), while they have been previously decreasing by 5.2 percent to 440.7 rubles, while the Moscow Exchange index is seeing a 1.07 percent decline.

 Sputnik

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A man on trial for the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe said he was moving laundered diesel waste at the time of the fatal shooting, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

The formal alibi of Aaron Brady (29), who denies capital murder, was read out yesterday and the court heard that it was provided to the prosecution last December.

The jury was also told that Mr Brady did not want this account included in an initial voluntary statement he made 11 days after the fatal shooting because he was fearful of incriminating himself in relation to diesel laundering.

The accused has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Adrian Donohoe (41), who was then a member of An Garda Siochana acting in the course of his duty, at Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan, Co Louth, on January 25, 2013. The fatal shooting happened shortly before 9.30pm.

Mr Brady, of New Road in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, also denies the robbery of about 7,000 in cash and assorted cheques from Pat Bellew at the same location and on the same date.

Under cross-examination from Michael O'Higgins SC, defending, Garda Inspector Mark Phillips read out Aaron Brady's notice of alibi.

In his formal alibi, the accused said that at the time of the alleged murder of Det Gda Adrian Donohoe he was at a yard on Concession Road, Crossmaglen.

Mr Brady said that on February 5 and 6, 2013, he presented at Dundalk Garda Station to make a voluntary statement and was asked by two gardai to account for his movements on the evening of the alleged murder.

During the course of this Mr Brady said his solicitor asked the two gardai, Insp Phillips and Det Gda Jim McGovern, if he could consult with him in private. His legal representative then indicated that Mr Brady was reluctant to account for his movements on the record out of fear of being prosecuted.

In the notice of alibi the accused said that he initially informed gardai that he attended a yard on Concession Road and attempted to use a forklift, but that it did not start and left between 10 and 15 minutes later.

"This was not correct," he said, adding that he went to the yard at around 8pm that evening.

Mr Brady said he arrived there with the "sole intention" of laundering large volumes of diesel waste cubes on to the back of a curtain side lorry already on site with the aid of a forklift.

In his alibi, he said he had made contact with two men known to him by telephone who instructed him to move as many diesel cubes onto the lorry as possible.

The accused said that the forklift would not start at first, but that he did eventually manage to start it and spent between 90 minutes and two hours loading diesel cubes onto the truck.

This was due to the rough terrain, poor lighting and the forklift cutting out occasionally, he said, adding that he then left and went to a separate address.

Suspicious

Under cross-examination from Mr O'Higgins, Insp Phillips said that there were profits to be made from diesel smuggling along the Border.

The witness agreed with Mr O'Higgins that Crossmaglen used to be regarded as a republican stronghold, and that some people in the Border locality would be suspicious of the authorities.

He also agreed with counsel that a person could be seen in a bad light for talking to gardai about diesel laundering.

Asked if this could compromise someone's personal safety, Insp Phillips said that there could be "an element" of that.

Mr O'Higgins will continue his cross-examination of Insp Phillips before Mr Justice Michael White this morning.
A Bergen County resident and owner of a vending machine company who admitted he embezzled nearly $400,000 from a pension fund set up for his employees was sentenced Tuesday to 2 and  years in prison.

Howard Preschel, 63, of Teaneck, previously pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Newark to one count of embezzling funds from the CMG Vending Inc. Pension Trust Fund, according to U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.

Preschel had served as the sole trustee for the company, which operated, leased, and rented vending machines in New Jersey and New York.

Between November 2010 and April 2018, Preschel made 52 illegal withdrawals or transfers from the pension trust accounts totaling $368,782.66. In addition to the money he stole, the trust fund accounts lost more than $93,000 in interest, Carpenito said, citing court documents.

The criminal complaint had alleged Preschel wrote checks to himself or cash in various amounts.

To conceal the ongoing embezzlement, Preschel failed to inform the participants and beneficiaries that insufficient funds were being forwarded to the pension trust and failed to file a required annual report for the plan, Carpenito said in a statement last year.

U.S. District Court Judge Susan D. Wigenton on Tuesday ordered Preschels 30-month prison term to be followed by three years of supervised released. She also ordered Preschel to make restitution to the trust fund in the amount of $462,049.64.

Preschel is also barred from acting as a fiduciary on behalf of any employee benefit plan for 13 years, Carpenito said.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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With Assembly elections slated to be held in Bihar in November, political parties have started making strategies to woo voters.

Patna: Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor on Tuesday questioned the Nitish Kumar governments development model, even as he sneered at the chief minister for making ideological compromises to stay in an alliance with the BJP.

Mr Kishor, who has been vocal about his opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and was expelled from the JD(U) in January, said Nitish Kumar needs to spell out whether he is with the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi or those who support Nathu Ram Godse.

Mr Kishors remarks evoked angry reaction from the JD(U), which advised the poll strategist to devote his time to his business instead of dabbling in politics.

He should keep batting for the Aam Aadmi Party. Its better for him to devote his time to furthering his vyavsaya (business). Politics is not his cup of tea, party spokesperson K.C. Tyagi said.

When pointed out that Mr Kishor had worked for several parties and leaders in the past, Mr Tyagi called it unethical. With Assembly elections slated to be held in Bihar in November, political parties have started making strategies to woo voters.

Mr Kishor who, reached Patna on Tuesday, announced that he would launch Bihar Ki Baat program from February 20 to mobilise thousands of young voters who have been concerned about the progress of the state.

There is no one to question Nitish Kumars good governance model. Bihar was in a poor state in 2005 and continues to remain like that even after Nitish Kumar became the chief minister. People want to know what he has done for the development of Bihar and what he would do in the next 10 years to place Bihar in Top 10 developed states of the country, Mr Kishor said.

This was his first offensive directly against his former mentor and Bihar CM after being expelled from the JD(U).

Political analysts say that Mr Kishors youth mobilisation program may create hurdles for the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government.

On Tuesday, while talking to reporters in Patna, Mr Kishor said that his differences with Nitish Kumar widened because he did not take a clear stand between the ideology of Gandhi and Godse.

I firmly believe that Gandhi and Godse cannot go together. One has to take a clear stand on the issue. Nitish Kumar keeps saying that the party can never leave the ideals of Gandhi but is now standing with those who are soft on Nathuram Godse, he said.

On his expulsion, he said, I cannot question his decision to expel me from the party. He treated me like a son and I respect him for that. But I also would like to say that my only agenda has been to work for the development of Bihar.

Mr Kishors stint as a campaign planner began with the BJP during 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In 2015 he started working for Nitish Kumar who had aligned with the RJD and the Congress in a bid to return as chief minister for the third time in Bihar.

Political analysts claim that it was Mr Kishor who had scripted Nitish Kumars return as chief minister in 2015 despite a massive Modi wave in the country. He also recently worked for Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi and Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal.
Carlsbad, California--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - Fernhill Beverage, Inc., (OTC Pink: FHBC) is excited to announce that the Company has entered into an agreement for distribution of the Company's RK Super Vitamin Packed Kid's Drink throughout the great state of Texas.

Fernhill Beverage has agreed to an exclusive 2-year deal with an independent distribution network to represent and distribute RK Super throughout Texas and Southern Oklahoma. This network consists of 4 distributors that work in concert to ensure complete coverage of the major populated areas of the state.

The agreement allows the distribution network the exclusive rights to sell and market Fernhill Beverage, Inc. brands to every retail location within the geographic area excluding major National Grocery and Pharmacy locations. These locations include, but are not limited to, convenience stores, liquor stores, deli's, neighborhood markets, etc.

Fernhill Beverage, Inc. has agreed to hire a full time representative in the area to act as a liaison and to assist the distributors and their sales staff in any way needed.

Fernhill Beverage will be delivering the first load of RK Super to Houston Tx on or before April 6, 2020, allowing ample time for marketing for the expected summer season.

Once sales have been secured in the region, Fernhill Beverage, Inc. will begin the process of contracting with a co-packer in the region to limit excessive freight costs.

Fernhill Beverage, Inc. is currently in negotiations with the same distribution network for them to represent and sell SuperBuzz Energy Drink also. Negotiations for that brand are ongoing.

"We have been looking to enter the Texas market with our brands for a long time," states Larry Twombly, Fernhill Beverage's CEO. "It's a strong market with a loyal customer base. We feel very fortunate that this particular network agreed to invest their expertise and infrastructure with our brand. We know our brands are a perfect fit for the Texas consumer. We look forward to growing with them."

Fernhill Beverage, Inc has recently secured the web domain www.drinksuperbuzz.com. The Company is currently in the process of building the web site to allow the consumer to interact with the brand. The site will be linked with www.fernhillbev.com when both sites are completed.

Please follow the Company on Twitter @fernhillbev. The Company will be releasing updates. Many exciting things are happening.

Safe Harbor:

Statements in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including the failure to complete successfully the development of new or enhanced products, the Company's future capital needs, the lack of market demand for any new or enhanced products the Company may develop, any actions by the Company's affiliates that may be adverse to the Company, the success of competitive products, other economic factors affecting the Company and its markets, seasonal changes, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The actual results may differ materially from those contained in this press release. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any statements in this press release.

Fernhill Beverage, Inc.

Contact: info@fernhillbev.com

Website: www.fernhillbev.com

Twitter @fernhillbev

Phone: (760) 613-8828

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52570
South Korea reported 20 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday -- increasing its total by nearly two-thirds -- including a cluster of at least 16 centred on the southern city of Daegu. The trade-dependent nation has been hit by the economic fallout from the virus outbreak in neighbouring China, but until Wednesday's jump, its own case numbers had hardly changed for several days. The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement that 20 new coronavirus cases had been confirmed, raising its total from 31 to 51. Of those, 18 were in Daegu and neighbouring North Gyeongsang province, with 15 of them believed to be linked to a single patient, a 61-year-old woman. Fourteen of them attend the same church as the woman, the KCDC said, while the other one had come into contact with her at a hospital. She had first developed a fever on February 10 but reportedly refused to be tested twice for the coronavirus on the grounds that she had not recently travelled abroad. She was not put into quarantine until a week later and was confirmed as the country's 31st case on Tuesday. Seoul has blocked entry to foreigners coming from Hubei, the Chinese province that is the epicentre of the outbreak, and suspended visa-free entry to the island of Jeju, popular with Chinese tourists, but has not imposed a general ban on arrivals from China.
(Natural News) Weve now learned that Liu Zhiming, head of the Wuchang Hospital in Wuhan, China, where novel coronavirus patients are being treated, has himself died of pneumonia stemming from a CoVid-19 infection.

An announcement from the official state media of communist China reveals that Liu is the first hospital director, and really major figure in general, to die thus far while battling the virus in its epicenter.

Despite all-out attempts to save him, Liu succumbed to the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) at its worst.

In an official announcement about his death, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission honored Liu for his important contributions in the work of fighting and controlling the deadly virus.

Unfortunately, he became infected and passed away at 10:54 Tuesday morning at the age of 51 after all-out efforts to save him failed, the commission somberly reported.

Lius death marks at least the seventh medical worker to die from the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) since the outbreak first took hold.

And dont be fooled: Just because were not yet seeing a major outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) here in the United States does not mean were in the clear. The disease can apparently spread without symptoms, as explained below in an episode of The Health Ranger Report with Mike Adams:

How long will it be until theres a coronavirus death here in the U.S.?

News of Lius death echoes back to another similar death, that of fellow Wuhan doctor Li Wenliang.

As we reported, Li was the first to warn his fellow colleagues, which eventually spread to the general public, that the Wuhan coronavirus was a threat back in December 2019.

The communist Chinese regime quickly silenced him with threats of punishment, and also handed him a misdemeanor for creating a stir. But it turns out he was right, though Li has since passed from the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) himself.

As were all now witnessing, the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) is no laughing matter. Its devastating impact continues to be observed with new infections, new deaths, and new quarantines both in China and in the United States.

The virus can reportedly persist on surfaces for anywhere between two hours to nine days. It allegedly prefers colder, more humid conditions.

What this means is that moist winter air could be causing the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) to last a lot longer outside of human bodies than it otherwise would, which could explain why people are now starting to contract it from unknown sources.

Amazingly, coronaviruses can actually persist for up to a month if the conditions are just right, including at temperatures between 4C or 39.2F. At room temperature, a strain of coronavirus known as HCoV-229E persisted significantly longer in 50 percent humidity compared to 30 percent humidity.

Human coronaviruses can remain infectious on inanimate surfaces at room temperature for up to nine days, a recent study explains. At a temperature of 30C [86F] or more, the duration of persistence is shorter. Veterinary coronaviruses have been shown to persist even longer for 28 d[ays].

As for eradicating coronaviruses on surfaces, experts suggest using hydrogen peroxide, ethanol, and/or sodium hypochlorite (a chemical found in bleach). These, they say, can quickly and successfully inactivate coronaviruses.

Surface disinfection with 0.1% sodium hypochlorite or 6271% ethanol significantly reduces coronavirus infectivity on surfaces within 1 min[ute] exposure time, this same paper explains.

As of this writing, some 760 million Chinese people  more than twice the U.S. population  are currently in mandatory quarantine. This is despite the very low numbers being reported by the everything is just fine Chinese regime.

Hear more podcasts each day from the H.R. Report channel on Brighteon.com.

You can also keep up with the latest coronavirus news at Outbreak.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NYPost.com

NaturalNews.com

MedicalNewsToday.com

Brighteon.com
PETERSBURGH  Two small towns are wrestling with how to handle PFOA contamination from a shuttered landfill in a move that could have lasting implications.

The towns of Berlin and Petersburgh have discussed similar agreements with the state that would require the towns to install a system for collecting the pollutants that are spreading from an old landfill that is contaminated with PFOAs and various metals. The towns are also considering reaching settlements from Taconic plastics, a local manufacturer blamed for much of the PFOA pollution in that area, and Covanta, a waste management firm that absorbed a company which had signed an agreement to oversee the landfill's closure in the 1990s.

Their solution stands in contrast to how the village of Hoosick Falls, another small eastern Rensselaer County community, dealt with PFOA contamination that polluted its water supplies.

On Monday, the Petersburgh town board failed to get enough votes to go into executive session to discuss the proposal with their attorney Kevin Young. After a lengthy public discussion, the four members of the board that were present voted 2-2 on whether to enter into the agreement with the state.

Board member Heinz Noeding pushed the board to conduct its deliberations in public and questioned some of the assumptions behind the proposals. He said he has not received answers on what the proposed closure might cost, how the town would pay for its share and why it should release both companies from potential liability.

Theyve had years to prepare for this, it isnt like it happened in the last four years, he said. If those documents were made public for a simple reading by the press or the public, I think they might ask the same questions.

Young, an environmental attorney who represents both towns on the landfill issue, said the proposed plan would involve the towns receiving a state grant, with local expenses capped at 10 percent of the cost. That money would pay for the installation of a leachate collection system.

The town has received approval for that grant but are several years away from receiving it, Young said. Additionally, the towns could pursue another grant, one with a 25 percent local match for engineering work on the site. But the funding program for the second option has mainly been used to purchase additional land in the Adirondacks, Young told the board.

The settlements proposed with Covanta ($200,000) and Taconic plastics ($250,000) would provide money to help pay for the installation of the leachate system, Young said. But those proposed settlement agreements have not been made public by the towns and it's unclear whether Berlin would receive additional funds.

Judith Enck, a former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator, said settlements such as those on the table in Petersburgh are commonly sought by companies trying to deal with contamination clean-ups. Enck noted that Hoosick Falls rejected a similar offer when it was proposed.

I want to say in the strongest possible terms, the towns of Petersburgh and Berlin, they absolutely should not agree to this deal," Enck said. "It lets the polluters off the hook and would put massive financial responsibilities of the taxpayers of Petersburgh and Berlin.

The village of Hoosick Falls has signed a series of interim settlements with the companies blamed for polluting that communitys drinking supplies. In each of the settlements, neither side has signed away their right to file lawsuits in the future. The manufacturing plant in Hoosick Falls that has been the focus of the contamination of the village's water supply was declared both a state and federal Superfund site and cleanup is scheduled to begin this year.

Petersburgh board member Alan Webster, who helped negotiate the proposed settlement with Taconic, said he understands why people have questions about the possible consequences of the deal.

Were looking at an opportunity to have ownership of this, he said. Were poor towns, we dont have the money.

Webster said that in negotiating with Taconic, he wanted to ensure the town maintained a working relationship with the company.

Theyre the primary employer of the eastern valley of Rensselaer County, he said.

The company has previously paid for a water treatment system at a private home near the landfill and helped pay for upgrades to Petersburghs water treatment system.

But since the towns are both responsible for the landfill, Petersburghs decision to table the agreement means the state may declare the landfill a Superfund site. The state, which did not pursue the action for nearly 20 years until PFOA contamination was revealed in that region in 2016, would then try and recover its costs from anyone involved in the operation or closing of the dump, including the municipalities.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

In a statement, the DEC said it would ensure that the landfill is appropriately cleaned up, saying their agency strictly monitors permitted activities at landfills in New York state and works with the community on necessary actions related to site management."

The Petersburgh meeting was held four days after the Berlin Town Board discussed the landfill behind closed doors and emerged with little information to share with the public.

Berlin town Supervisor Rob Jaeger on Tuesday the board discussed the proposed agreements in executive session because it involved attorney-client privileged information.

We didnt want to put ourselves at a disadvantage with any of the parties that are involved in what was being proposed, Jaeger said. My biggest concern is that we dont end up with a Superfund site. I personally want to see us work with the DEC to get the order of consent finished so we can get something done for the public.

With four members present, the Berlin board passed resolutions approving an agreement for a consent order as well as a settlement with Covanta. The board was forced to table a similar agreement with Taconic Plastics after a split vote. Jaeger said that if the fifth member had been present, he was confident the measure would have passed.

The 22.5-acre landfill on Jones Hollow Road has been owned by the towns of Berlin and Petersburgh since 1982. It stopped taking waste, both municipal and industrial in about 1991. The DEC has noted that a small tributary of the Little Hoosic River is located to the west of the dump and gets landfill leachate.

The site is surrounded by rural residential property.

Although the landfill was capped and seeded with vegetation, no system for collecting pollutants as they spread from the site  known as a leachate collection system  was ever installed as called for in the closure plan. It's unclear why the DEC allowed the company that closed the dump to not install the system.

On Monday night, Emily Marpe, who left Petersburgh after PFOA was discovered in the water near her home, watched the board debate what to do. Marpe, who moved to Hoosick Falls and joined the village board there, said she understand both sides of the debate but supports what Young is advising the board to do.

You were elected for a purpose, to make these decisions for the town," she said.
TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Euro Sun Mining Inc. (TSX: ESM) (Euro Sun or the Company) is pleased to announce that it will attend the BMO Capital Markets 29th Global Metals & Mining Conference from February 23 to February 26, 2020 in Hollywood, Florida.



The event is hosted by the BMO Capital Markets' Metals & Mining Equity Research team. BMOs metals & mining specialists are part of a team of equity analysts across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. that together covers approximately 920 equities globally. With 11 analysts dedicated to the sector, BMOs Metals & Mining Equity Research team has one of the largest coverage universes of metals, mining and fertilizer companies in the world.

BMO Capital Markets has been advising companies in the metals & mining industry for more than a century. For eleven consecutive years, including this year, Global Finance Magazine has recognized BMO Capital Markets as the best investment bank for metals and mining in the world.

The annual conference brings together metals and mining industry leaders and institutional investors from around the world  more than 1,400 professionals representing approximately 500 organizations. The event is considered a barometer of industry sentiment for the year to come, featuring presentations from some of the world's largest metals and mining companies. Notable panel discussions this year include: ESG Implications and Opportunities; China and Commodity Market Dynamics and Innovations in Mining Technology.

"Our participation in this invitation only conference is an endorsement of the quality of the Rovina Valley Project as we develop one of Europes next gold and copper mines utilizing best in class environmental, social and governance practices, said Scott Moore, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

About Euro Sun Mining Inc.



Euro Sun is a Toronto Stock Exchange listed mining company focused on the exploration and development of its 100%-owned Rovina Valley Gold and Copper Project located in west-central Romania. The property hosts 10.11 million gold equivalent ounces (7.05 million ounces of gold grading 0.55 g/t and 1,390 million pounds of copper grading 0.16%).

Qualified Persons

Mr. Randy Ruff, P.Geo, an employee of Euro Sun and a qualified persons as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release.

Further information:

For further information about Euro Sun Mining, or the contents of this press release, please contact Investor Relations at info@eurosunmining.com

Caution regarding forward-looking information:

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding participation at the BMO Capital Markets 29th Global Metals and Mining Conference. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including risks inherent in the mining industry and risks described in the public disclosure of the Company which is available under the profile of the Company on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.eurosunmining.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
"We are very excited to partner with kathy ireland Worldwide, the best brand in the world to bring this revolutionary product to the global marketplace, and to bring the importance of jewelry hygiene to the forefront," says Mr. Bellman. "Most of us, including the public health community, understand and stress the importance of hand washing as a defense against food-borne illnesses. But most people don't realize that washing your hands is not enough, and at times, counter-productive. Bacteria colonies dwell and thrive on our jewelry. It's a fact that the average ring or bracelet carries more than three to five times the bacteria found on a public restroom toilet seat . Now, more than ever, preventing the transmission of harmful pathogens has garnered worldwide attention. The GemSpa by kathy ireland is the only safe, convenient and affordable at-home option that leaves your jewelry not only sparkling, but removes 99.9% of the bacteria residing on it."

"We are delighted to partner with David and his incredibly innovative team," says Kathy Ireland, Chair, CEO and Chief Designer of kathy ireland Worldwide, who is named one of the top ten women's health advocates by UCLA. "As I learned from my beloved hero and mentor, Elizabeth Taylor, who taught me almost everything I know about exquisite gems, jewelry is something most of us cherish and consider prized possessions, and not only do we want to keep them clean and sparkling at all times, we want to make sure that they are not the source of harmful bacteria for us and our loved ones. The GemSpa by kathy ireland system is effortless, convenient and an easy at-home solution for jewelry hygiene, with professional cleaning results that keep your family safe and healthy, by removing the harmful bacteria that builds up on rings, bracelets, and earrings from everyday wear."

Over 90% of all fine gold, silver, diamond and gemstone jewelry can be safely cleaned in the GemSpa by kathy ireland . The device's patented surgical-grade, stainless steel mesh design defuses the water and steam in the dishwasher, into a fine spray that gently and safely cleans fine jewelry. This multi-patented device with its locking mechanism secures the complete front cover of the device, which includes a jewelry bar that holds up to three stud/hoop earrings, and a large jewelry bay to place necklaces, bracelets and pendants, which will remain in place during the cleaning process.

The GemSpa by kathy ireland retails for $69.95 and is available at www.mygemspa.com.

About Bright Innovations, Inc. (BII)

BII is a New Hampshire based marketing and product design firm redefining the Jewelry Care industry with its revolutionary product GemSpa by kathy ireland; the most affordable, effective and convenient home jewelry cleaner in the world. BII's pioneering work in Jewelry Care led to the discovery of Jewelry Hygiene uncovering the high levels of bacterial contamination and potentially dangerous pathogens on jewelry worn everyday. Jewelry Care and Jewelry Hygiene concerns affect hundreds of millions of people globally, driving the company to promote health and wellness for everyone who wears fine jewelry through innovative Jewelry Care product solutions.

About kathy ireland Worldwide (kiWW)

kiWW is listed as one of the most powerful brands in the world by License Global Magazine. Kathy Ireland is named one of the 19 most influential women in licensing by License Global magazine and according to Fairchild Publications, Kathy Ireland is one of the 50 most influential people in fashion. Furniture Today names Kathy one of the most influential leaders in the furniture industry. Kathy graces the cover of Forbes Magazine twice (2012, 2016). kiWW is responsible for billions of dollars in retail sales. kiWW is the recipient of multiple awards including several Good Housekeeping Seals. Kathy and kiWW support many non-profits including: women and children's health, HIV/AIDS, Education, human freedom, life, wars against religious persecution and violence. Kathy is a Board Member of the NFLPA, WNBPA Board of Advocates, an Ambassador and donor for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and International Youth Chair for the National Pediatric Cancer Society.

SOURCE Bright Innovations, Incorporated

Related Links

https://mygemspa.com/


LONDON  Across the digital economy, Europe has been missing.

Apple, based in California, and Samsung, from South Korea, make the most popular phones in Europe. Facebook owns the most widely used social networks, Google dominates online search and advertising, and Amazon controls e-commerce. European companies run their businesses on cloud infrastructure from Amazon and Microsoft. The regions wireless networks are largely made with equipment from the Chinese giant Huawei.

The European Union on Wednesday outlined an attempt to restore what officials called technological sovereignty, seeking tougher regulation of the worlds biggest tech platforms, new rules for artificial intelligence and more public spending for the European tech sector.

Officials said the effort was a generational project, and the ideas reflect a growing concern among European leaders that countries in the region are overly dependent on services provided by companies based elsewhere. With the global economy becoming ever more centered on technology, European countries would have a harder time creating jobs and generating tax revenue to fund government services.

We want to find European solutions in the digital age, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union that is developing the policy, said at a news conference in Brussels.
Summer loving I enjoyed Sami Shah when he was filling in for various 774 presenters over summer and would listen to him if he had a dedicated program. I think his true radio colours were poorly represented in the collaboration with Jacinta Parsons on 774 Breakfast. Carolyn Watts, North Carlton Serious misjudgment It is disappointing to see such a dramatic change in format of Q&A. The decor gives a tacky reminder of Sunrise. It is meant to be a serious program which gives much to our democracy, so why change something that has worked so well for years?

Patricia East, Mont Albert North A bold admission Apologies to my family and friends who think I have appalling taste in television shows but I am delighted to be assured of three more years of the long-running The Bold and The Beautiful (Networking, 13/2). Susan Munday, Bentleigh East Salty listener

I wholeheartedly agree with Sharon Rushbury's comments (Letters, 13/2) lamenting the dumbing down of the fabled Jon Faine's breakfast show by Virginia Trioli. One segment broadcast in January discussed whether open salt containers on tables in restaurants should be considered a food hazard. Really! Helen Cleak, Kew Quintet standards On the last three occasions when a TV news journalist has described police as 'swarming all over the scene' I have been able to count at least five. Jim Pilmer, Camberwell

You can say that again Of course the reason for repeats on the ABC (Letters, 13/2), Dennis Richards, is that the Morrison government has cut funding to the ABC by several million dollars. We should all bear this in mind at the next election. Frank South, Sorrento Standing up for taxpayers The ABC proudly announced and displayed its new 7pm News set last week for all to see. What a waste of money. The amount of use it is getting is pitiful with the presenters more often than not standing to one side and leaving the grand edifice empty. At least we don't have to ignore or endure the grid lines on the weather maps now (and Paul Higgins stands up anyway).

Ross Cropley, North Ringwood 621 > 774 Many letter writers to the Green Guide are critical of the presenters on 774 Melbourne. The reality is that this radio station has been dumbed down for quite a while now. 621 Radio National, on the other hand, is brimming with intelligent discussions about topics that are actually important, none more so than Late Night Live with host Phillip Adams. Fair to say that a listener would learn more about what is going on around the world, and why, in a week of LNL than they would in a month of listening to the whole gamut of what 774 broadcasts. Phil Alexander, Eltham
The Shiv Sena on Wednesday hailed as "historic" the Supreme Court's judgment directing the government to grant permanent commission to women officers in the Indian Army, and said the Centre's stand of opposing command postings for women was "regressive" and an insult to them.

An editorial in the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' termed the Supreme Court order as the victory of "women power", and said the Centre needs to change its attitude and vision.

The apex court's verdict meant there was a problem in the central government's "mental frame", it said.

In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court on Monday directed that women officers in the army be granted permanent commission and command postings, rejecting the Centre's stand of their physiological limitations as being based on "sex stereotypes" and "gender discrimination against women".

Referring to it, the Sena said, "The Supreme Court said there can be no gender bias when it comes to bravery and sacrifice. The verdict is victory of women power."

It is shocking that the central government should question the physical capacity and mental strength of women, the Marathi publication said.

"The Centre's stand reflects regressive mindset and this is an insult to women," it said.

"The Centre questioned how women can handle risks," it said, adding that the Union government's history is "weak".

Women like Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, Maharani Tarabai, Rani Chennamma and Ahilyabai Holkar displayed exemplary courage and bravery on the battlefield, the Sena pointed out.

"Who can forget Captain Lakshmi Sehgal of the Indian National Army. The central government should change its attitude and vision. The Supreme Court's verdict meant there was problem in the central government's mental frame," the editorial said.

It also highlighted how Swati Mahadik, the wife of Colonel Santosh Mahadik, and Kanika, wife of Major Kaustubh Rane, have followed their martyred husbands in the army.

"They have gone through all physical tests," the Marathi daily said.

Colonel Mahadik, hailing from Satara in Maharashtra, laid down his life battling militants near LoC in north Kashmir's Kupwara district in July 2018.

Major Rane, who was a resident of Mira Road in the state's Thane district, was killed in Jammu and Kashmir during an operation to foil an infiltration bid in August 2018.
Their murder convictions were overturned before found guilty of manslaughter

Drug dealer Shaun Barker was put in a fishing esky, deprived of food and assaulted for weeks before his death.

His captors tied him to a tree in a forest in Gympie, north of Brisbane.

They put honey on his testicles for ants to eat off.

Stephen John Armitage, pictured tied to a bed in a bizarre photograph, previously successfully appealed his murder conviction, but a guilty verdict for manslaughter was handed down. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday

Shaun Barker was kidnapped in December 2013 - and his charred remains were found scattered in the remote forest four months later. Pictured: Shaun Barker before his death in 2013

Their motivation was to scare him into giving information, probably about stolen drugs.

Some time in the weeks after he was kidnapped on December 10, 2013, Mr Barker died.

He was reported missing the following month, but it was only in April 2014 that his charred remains were found scattered in the remote forest.

Part of his skull and jawbone were first discovered, followed by bone fragments and eventually more parts of his skeleton.

Some burnt bones were found in a fire pit.

His cause of death could not be determined, but Brisbane Supreme Court Justice David Jackson says Mr Barker died as a result of the circumstances in which he was kept, the assaults and deprivations he suffered.

Stephen's son Matthew Leslie Armitage (posing with a wild boar) also successfully appealed in August to have his murder conviction quashed but was found guilty of manslaughter. He was sentenced to eight years in jail

Commercial fishermen Stephen John Armitage, 50, and his son Matthew Leslie Armitage, 27, together with William Francis Dean, 43, were on Wednesday sentenced to jail for Mr Barker's manslaughter.

Stephen Armitage and Dean were sentenced to 10 years' jail each, while Matthew Armitage was sentenced to eight years in prison.

The trio's murder convictions were overturned last year when an appeal court found they did not intend for Mr Barker to die.

The men have also been convicted of interfering with Mr Barker's corpse.

The appeal court ordered a retrial on a torture charge, but the prosecution has dropped the charge.
NEW CASTLE, Del., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EESTech Inc (OTC: EESH), publicly traded on the US OTC markets, is a specialist in the provision of reclamation and remediation services to the world's mining and minerals processing industries. EESTech has developed a patent pending design breakthrough in primary smelting furnace technology known as the IRF (Induction Reduction Furnace).

Inductotherm Corp. founded in 1953, is the world's leader in the development and supply of induction furnace equipment and related services, with 38 manufacturing facilities located in 18 countries and over 36,500 systems in applications around the world.

EESTech's CEO Murray Bailey said, "the signing of this Agreement marks a significant milestone for the company and represents an exclusive supply agreement for Inductotherm and a strong technology partner for EESTech."

The IRF incorporates an ultra-high temperature Plasma field over an induction furnace body to significantly reduce the cost of smelting, requiring up to 40% less energy than traditional electric arc or blast furnaces and achieving up to 99% recovery of metal from non-conductive metal oxides. The IRF's increased process performance and dramatic reduction in power consumption, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of primary smelting, positions the IRF as an Economically Environmentally Sustainable Technology.

Mr Robert Keshecki, International Sales Manager of Inductotherm said, "EESTech's integration of these two established furnace technologies (plasma and induction) will provide substantial benefits and efficiencies for the foundry industry. The IRF will have the unique ability to smelt and melt concentrates into primary metals and alloys at efficiency rates never seen before in the industry."

The IRF represents a 'paradigm shift' in primary smelting technology, with the potential to revolutionize the world's foundry and metal casting industries.

The first commercial application of the IRF is planned for the Samancor Ferro-Chrome (FeCr) recovery project. Samancor Chrome, South Africa, is the second largest ferrochrome producer in the world. In 2019, Samancor awarded EESTech a 10-year contract with a 5-year extension option, to undertake the reclamation of 12.5 million tons of Ferrochrome (FeCr) slag. EESTech's robust process technologies will reclaim up to 99% of residual FeCr units in the form of a concentrate ready for smelting by the IRF.

Under the terms of Agreement, Samancor Chrome will purchase all Ferrochrome metal recovered by EESTech that meets agreed specifications.

All residual materials will be transformed into environmentally stable, inert, in demand, sand products suitable for a variety of commercial applications. EESTech's services will have a significant positive impact on the world's mining and resource industries by increasing productivity, reducing energy demands, delivering significant economic benefits, delivering zero-waste outcomes and environmental sustainability.

About EESTech:

EESTech Inc, promotes Economically Environmentally Sustainable Technologies to the world mining and minerals processing industries. EESTech Inc is publicly traded on the US OTC market, symbol EESH. www.eestechinc.com

Forward Looking Statement:

This media release includes statements that may constitute 'forward-looking' statements. The statements can be identified by phrases such as EESTech, Inc. or its management 'believes' 'forecasts', 'estimates' or other words or phrases of similar import. These statements are made pursuant to the safe harbour provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Similarly, such statements herein that describe the Company's business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements. Factors which could cause or contribute to such differences include but are not limited to our ability to recruit and retain key personnel, the availability of funding for future operating requirements, our ability to protect our intellectual property, our ability to secure contracts for the installation of our products and our ability to develop and operate such projects successfully. We urge you to carefully consider these factors and the information detailing other factors (which may cause actual results to differ materially) included in EESTech, Inc.'s press releases and other historical SEC filings. The forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and neither the Company nor its management assumes any obligation to update these statements.

SOURCE EESTech Inc.

Related Links

http://www.eestechinc.com


New Delhi, Feb 19 : Lashing out at the government for being in denial mode, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday agreed with a former close aide that the Centre's hopes of turning India into a $5 trillion economy by 2024-25 was "wishful thinking".

Montek Singh Ahluwalia, has "pointed out that contrary to what the ruling group may say, today the $5 trillion economy by 2024-25 is wishful thinking. Also there is no reason to expect that farmers' income will be doubled in a three-year period (as the government has announced)," Singh said after releasing "Backstage - The Story Behind India's High Growth Years" by the former Planning Commission Deputy Chairman.

"Today, we have a government that does not acknowledge a word such as slowdown. This is not good... Unless you conceptualise the problem, you will not find answers," a confident sounding Manmohan Singh, who did not once refer to his notes during his 21-minute address, asserted.

"I think these issues will be debated and should be debated... If you do not recognise the problems that you face, you are not likely to find credible answers to take corrective action. That is the real danger," he said.

Pathways can emerge only through solid dialogue and discussions on the challenges of taking the country forward, he added.

At the same time, he expressed the hope that there will be a debate for carrying forward the economic reforms initiated.

To become a $5 trillion economy "calls for an average growth rate of about 9 per cent in real terms over the six-year period from 2019-20 to 2024-25. With growth below 5 per cent in 2019-20, and only a slow recovery expected next year, achieving an average of 9 per cent for the period as a whole is simply not credible. We will certainly get to $5 trillion, but it will be a few years later," Ahluwalia writes in the book, which has been published by Rupa.

"A more realistic target would be to try to reach a growth rate of around 8 per cent per year as quickly as possible. This is certainly necessary if we want to continue to reduce poverty and generate the employment needed to satisfy our young and aspirational labour force. Is 8 per cent growth feasible? India did achieve GDP growth of 8.5 per cent in the first seven years of the UPA, but a return to that growth rate is easier said than done," Ahluwalia warns.

India's growth was at 6.8 per cent in 2018-19 and dropped to 5 per cent in 2019-20. It is expected to "strongly rebound" to 6-6.5 per cent in 2020-21 the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament on January 31 said.

Still, Manmohan Singh expressed optimism, saying 8 per cent growth was required but this could only happen after drastic changes in the fiscal policy and the tax structure.


Today is the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Iwo Jima, when the US Marines and Navy invaded and captured the island from the Imperial Japan Army. Almost 7,000 Allied troops and 18,000 Japanese soldiers were killed. The University of South Carolina's Moving Image Research Collections is now helping the History Division of the Marine Corps digitize and make public mostly unseen film footage shot by marines in combat during the battle. There are 14,000 cans of film undergoing the digitization and preservation process. The videos above and below are barely a teaser of what's to come. From the University of South Carolina:



From the beginning, Marine Corps leaders knew they wanted a comprehensive visual account of the battle  not only for a historical record but also to assist in planning and training for the invasion of the Japanese main islands. Some Marine cameramen were assigned to the front lines of individual units, and others to specific activities, such as engineering and medical units. Films from these units show the daily toll of the battle such as Marines being treated in the medical units or being evacuated off the island to hospital ships as well as essential behind-the-lines tasks of building command posts or unloading and sorting equipment on beaches.





Another goal of the Marine Corps film project is to identify and label as much of the historical information in the films as possible, such as Marine Corps units and equipment. In addition to manually scanning the films for this information, Moving Images Research Collections has partnered with Research Computing and the university's Computer Vision Lab, a research group within the College of Engineering and Computing, to use artificial intelligence to recognize text in the films to help identify units as well as individual Marines, airplanes and ships.





Using artificial intelligence and machine learning "can quickly and accurately provide the wanted information to different users, including historians and general users. Just as the computer can 'recognize' faces from videos, we can now train a collection of very big and deep artificial networks to make the computer 'know' what is the text inside the video and which parts of the videos are related to some topics," says Liang Zhao, a doctoral student working on the project.





For example, Marines might have names on the sides of their helmets or stenciled on their uniforms. Ship names, hull numbers and tail numbers on planes also provide identifying information that is searchable by anyone viewing the films online.
A country town has been forced to drink bottled water for the past three months after the supply was contaminated with arsenic.

Residents in Uralla, in the New South Wales Northern Tablelands, were left without clean drinking water on December 18 last year after unsafe levels of arsenic were detected in Kentucky Dam.

The pollutant, which is present in the ground, is believed to have seeped into the water as drought conditions dwindled the supply down to the floor of the damn.

The levels were four times the Australian Drinking Water Guideline limit of arsenic consumption when they were first discovered.

On Monday, one section of the creek was measured at 12 times the recommended concentration levels of arsenic.

Uralla, in New South Wales Northern Tablelands, has been forced to drink bottled water since December after unsafe levels of arsenic were detected in the town's water supply

The state government has been spending $5000 a day on bottled water for the town of around 2800 people since the crisis began.

Residents who have been advised to use bottled water for drinking, food preparation, making ice, cleaning teeth and gargling, are growing increasingly frustrated with no-end date to the saga in sight.

Arsenic can cause diabetes, acute gastrointestinal and neurological disorders, skin discoloration and the development of several types of cancer.

'It's just frustrating, there's a strong feeling in the community that they are frustrated it hasn't been fixed,' Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall told the Northern Daily Leader.

'They feel there are mixed reports about the extent of the problem, what's being done and what can be done to resolve the problem.

'We'll have plenty of time to go through the entrails and read the tea leaves, but I want to get things fixed. I'm as frustrated as anyone.'

The Uralla Shire Council released a statement on Wednesday warning residents not to drink from the tap

Uralla Shire Council general manager David Aber told Daily Mail Australia it was an unprecedented issue for the treatment facility plant as three species of arsenic had been discovered.

Mr Aber said the council has drafted a funding proposal to the state government to make filtration modifications to the plant but he could not confirm how long the process would take.

Once it is approved, the modifications will take three to four weeks to be installed.

Much-needed rain over the past two weeks filled the water catchment to 100 per cent on Tuesday.

A photo of a resident's backyard reveals the devastatingly dry drought conditions that prompted the contamination

On Tuesday, Mr Aber said while the rain had brought relief, it would still be a while before the arsenic issue would be resolved.

'This has been a persistent and difficult problem for our own and the State Governments staff,' Mr Aber said in a statement on Facebook.

'We need to work carefully to ensure that we have a robust practical solution to the problem that will provide future protection as well as meet our immediate needs'

'Any solution will be subject to detailed testing before implementation.

'We want the solution for Uralla to be both robust and reliable.' Mr Aber said.
The Maharashtra government has



decided to withdraw Rs 10,000 crore from its contingency fund for implementation of the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule farmer loan waiver scheme announced last year.

The state cabinet, at its meeting on Wednesday, approved a proposal to take out Rs 10,000 crore from the fund for implementation of the loan waiver scheme for farmers.

An ordinance to facilitate the withdrawal will be promulgated soon, a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

The present limit of the contingency fund is Rs 150 crore, which will now be increased by Rs 10,000 crore, taking the total size of the fund to Rs 10,150 crore, it said.

The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government, which took charge in November last year, has decided to implement the loan waiver scheme from February 22. The scheme needs Rs 10,000 crore for implementation till March 5.

The budget session of the state legislature will begin in Mumbai from February 24 and the budget will be presented on March 6.

The government has announced a loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh for farmers



In another decision, the cabinet gave a go ahead to a proposal to make available free spectacles for vision correction in students aged six to 18 years studying in government and state-aided schools.

Under the National Child Health Mission, schoolchildren have to undergo health check-up every year.

There are 1.21 crore children in government and aided schools and 8 per cent of them suffer from vision impairment. A sum of Rs 20 crore will be set aside for providing free spectacles to such student, the statement added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - Pure Global Cannabis Inc. (TSXV: PURE) (OTC Pink: PRCNF) (the "Company" or "Pure Global" or "Pure"), an integrated growth-oriented cannabis bulk extracts and consumer products manufacturing company, operating through its wholly-owned subsidiary PureSinse Inc., a Health Canada Licensed Producer under the Cannabis Act, which also operates under a B2B brand PureCanna Solutions, is very pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Langille as the new Chief Financial Officer of Pure Global with immediate effect, following the departure of Bhupender Gosain as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary of the Company to pursue other opportunities. As a senior member of the executive leadership team, Scott will report directly to the CEO Malay Panchal.

Mr. Langille brings many years of experience in the pharma and cannabis industry, holding key roles in finance, corporate development and strategic planning. Previously, he served as CFO of Wayland Group Corp., a vertically integrated cultivator and processor of cannabis, where he led the company's finance and treasury operations. Prior to Wayland, he held CFO roles at Tribute Pharmaceuticals and Virexx Medical Corp. He has led several financings and business development deals in the Biopharma as well as the cannabis sector. He also was a vice-president at Biovail Corp. (US office) from 2001-2002. Mr. Langille is a Certified Management Accountant, holds an MBA from the University of Toronto, as well as an undergraduate Bachelor of Applied Arts degree from Ryerson University.

"We are excited to have Scott join Pure Global. We believe his deep pharma and cannabis industry knowledge and the experience he has gained makes him an ideal choice to lead our financial strategy," said Malay Panchal, Founder & CEO of Pure Global. "We recently announced several significant financings which, upon closing, will strengthen our balance sheet and ensure our short-term liquidity. Adding Scott's extensive skillset strengthens our finance organization and complements our management team as we focus on profitability and building shareholder value. We would like to express our thanks to Mr. Gosain for his services to the company in its formative years as a public company."

In addition, Pure Global announces that the supermajority holder of the issued and outstanding 8% senior secured convertible debentures of the Company issued on September 17, 2018 (collectively, the "Secured Debentures") has agreed to an amendment to the terms of the Secured Debentures pursuant to which, among other things, all accrued and unpaid interest under the Secured Debentures that was owed to each holder of the Secured Debentures on December 31, 2019 will be paid on or before February 28, 2020. In addition, on or before March 16, 2020, the Company will make a repayment in the aggregate amount of $500,000 of the principal amount outstanding under the Secured Debentures on such date, together with accrued and unpaid interest on such amount.

Pure Global has also agreed to apply to the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") and use its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain approval of the Exchange to amend the terms of the Secured Debentures to reduce the conversion price applicable to 10% of the principal amount outstanding under each Secured Debenture (the "10% Conversion Price") to: (i) $0.056, or (ii) if the Exchange does not approve a conversion price of $0.056, the lowest conversion price that the Exchange shall approve. In addition, in the event the issue price of the units of the Company issued in connection with the private placement of units announced on February 12, 2020 is less than $0.056 per unit, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain as soon as practicable all necessary regulatory and Exchange approvals to reduce the 10% Conversion Price to such price.

"Pure is pleased to see the support and positive inclinations of the debenture holders to work towards attaining a stronger financial position for the company. This agreement helps strengthen our balance sheet while alleviating any undue risk to the Company," commented CEO Malay Panchal.

About Pure Global Cannabis

Pure Global is an EU-GMP grade cannabis manufacturer focused on producing high-quality high margin branded and white label cannabis and CBD consumer products, premium quality bulk dried flower, full spectrum concentrates, and pre-formulated active ingredients for CPG manufacturers globally. The Company is led by a professional team of experienced pharma, biotechnology, horticultural, extraction, manufacturing and consumer packaged goods experts, and operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, PureSinse Inc., which is a licensed producer under the Cannabis Act. Pure operates a B2B brand under PureCanna Solutions which is focused on high-margin bulk cannabis extracts, bulk CBD sales, as well as white label, and co-manufacturing services. The Company's 18,000 square foot Brampton manufacturing campus houses facilities for vertically farmed hydroponic indoor cultivation, R&D, extraction, processing, and packaging. To compete in international markets, Pure Global is the process of deploying a joint operation in Yunnan, China for large scale hemp derived organic bulk CBD manufacturing and processing for international bulk and finished product sale under Special Economic Zone tax-free export provisions. Pure has also launched, or is in the process of launching, several premium branded products in targeted consumer categories into the Canadian legal adult market including PureSinse Wellness, Paper&Weed Pre-Rolls, Galaxy Cannabis, Kumo Edibles, and PureSinse Medical, which operates with Pure's wholly own subsidiary Spark Cannabis Clinic, offering free telemedicine consultation for medical cannabis patients across Canada. Through its recently acquired division, The Great Canadian Hemp Company, which won Hemp Product Company of the year at the recent 2019 GrowUp Awards, Pure is launching a line of organic hemp oil and CBD topical products, into several markets in Europe and Asia in the first half of 2020.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements about Pure Global's future plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as "may", "will", "should", "could", "expect", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict" or "potential" or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.

Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, Pure Global cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and Pure Global assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To register to Pure Global's mailing list, please visit www.pureglobal.com. Follow @pureglobalcanna on Twitter and Facebook and @pureglobalcannabis on Instagram.

SOURCE Pure Global Cannabis Inc.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Malay (Mel) Panchal

Founder, President & CEO

Telephone: 1-866-840-PURE (7873)

E-mail: info@pureglobal.com

Stephen Pynn

VP Corporate Development

Telephone: 1-866-840-PURE (7873)

E-mail: stephen@pureglobal.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52557
Today

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 51F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 51F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Partly to mostly cloudy. High 73F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
The Mumbai Police have beefed up security in five-star hotels located near the international airport and in Andheri, Juhu, Santacruz and Mira Road after a few of them received emails from an unknown sender threatening a bomb blast by Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The anti-terrorism squad (ATS) and crime branch officials are conducting parallel inquiries. However, a crime branch official said the email appears to be a hoax. The Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) has been deployed in the premises of the hotels.

The emails that most of the Mumbai hotels received were generated by their websites after the sender wrote the threat messages in the comments section. Joint commissioner of police, Santosh Rastogi, said, Four five-star hotels in the western suburbs have received threat emails and we are looking into it. A senior ATS officer said they are trying to trace the sender.

Deputy superintendent of police, Mira Road, Shantaram Walvi, said a former MLA and his hotel in the area also received the emails. The subject of the emails read: Lashkar-e-Taiba wants management of your hotel. The police said the sender demanded bitcoins as ransom. We rushed a team of ATS and BDDS to the hotel and intensified security arrangement there, Walvi said.
Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has confirmed that he met with US Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy to convey facts about Iran to the American people. The meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference last week, has already drawn the ire of US President Donald Trump, who suggested that the Connecticut senator may have acted against US law by engaging in official diplomacy as a private citizen. Also, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said such a meeting was sitting down with the foreign minister of a country who is the largest world sponsor of terror and the worlds largest sponsor of anti-Semitism.

It is not news, Zarif told reporters after a Cabinet meeting in Tehran on Feb. 19. According to the top diplomat, the reactions from Trump and Pompeo indicated how they are afraid of facts about Iran being heard by an American senator. The Iranian foreign minister also dismissed the US administrations ban on him as a diplomat. The Iranian foreign minister is not an individual, rather a representative of his nation, who have always found their way to get their voice out, he said.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi reacted to US media reports about the secret meeting between Zarif and Murphy. Such moves are part of [Zarifs] public diplomacy, which includes meetings with the elites, attending academic centers and interviews with the press.

The US-educated Iranian foreign minister did not shy away from defending his earlier interactions with American senators. Those meetings, he said, date back to over 20 years ago, when he headed Irans UN mission in New York.

But Zarifs hard-line critics at home have shown little tolerance for such engagement. The architect of the Iran nuclear deal came under particular pressure last month after an interview with the German paper Der Spiegel in which he declared that Iran is still at the negotiation table and could talk with the Trump administration if the latter lifts the sanctions on Tehran.

The meeting with Murphy was not the entire episode of Zarifs sideline activities at the Munich Security Conference. Irans Foreign Ministry announced that the top diplomats intense negotiations secured the release of Iranian national Ahmad Khalili from Germany before his imminent extradition to the United States over circumventing American sanctions on trade with Tehran. As Zarif and Khalili flew back home together, the Foreign Ministry remained muted on further details, including the fact that the release was not one-sided. Irans judiciary, however, confirmed that a German national sentenced to three years in prison after he was found guilty of taking pictures from prohibited sites in Iran returned home as part of a prisoner swap deal between Tehran and Berlin.
A large group of Australians quarantined on a coronavirus -hit cruise ship in Japan for two weeks are now on their way home on a special Qantas flight

A large group of Australians quarantined on a coronavirus-hit cruise ship in Japan for two weeks are now on their way home on a special Qantas flight, but their departure was not without drama.

Some 180 citizens and permanent residents had taken up the federal government's offer of a seat on the evacuation flight, which left Haneda Airport near Yokohama in the early hours of Thursday morning.

But of those who were ready to go, 10 were told they could not leave because they had tested positive to the deadly disease, known as COVID-19, meaning only 170 could make the flight, Nine Network reported.

Melbourne mother Aun Na Tan said her family had packed their bags and were ready to board the flight when she learned her 16-year-old daughter Kaitlyn tested positive.

'We were pushing our bags out when the call came with our test results from Monday's sampling. Kaitlyn has tested positive. We will not be taking the flight tonight. Our family will stay together,' Ms Tan revealed.

Melbourne mother Aun Na Tan (centre) found out her 16-year-old daughter Kaitlyn (left) had tested positive to coronavirus. The family have decided to stay with her in Japan

'We were pushing our bags out when the call came with our test results from Monday's sampling,' she revealed

Another 15 had already chosen to stay behind in Japan to be near family members who have been hospitalised after contracting the virus.

The Qantas Boeing 747 jet was making its way over the Philippines at 6.15am and heading to Darwin, where it's expected to land at a Royal Australian Air Force base in around 8am ACST.

Upon landing, the Australians will be screened for symptoms of the virus five times before being taken to a facility at Howard Springs, 30km south-east of Darwin.

The evacuees have already spent more than two weeks quarantined on Diamond Princess in Yokohama port and will now face another 14-day isolation period at the former Inpex workers camp.

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus on the ship, which was carrying 3700 passengers and crew, has topped 620 and includes 36 Australians.

Some 180 citizens and permanent residents had taken up the federal government's offer of a seat on the evacuation flight, which left Haneda Airport near Yokohama in the early hours of Thursday morning

Australia's deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly said while the ship's quarantine methods had worked to stop the virus spreading onshore, there had been a recent spike in cases onboard.

'It just demonstrates the infectiousness of this particular virus and how it can spread very easily in a closed setting like a cruise ship,' he said.

The cruise ship evacuees will be kept separate from hundreds of people already in quarantine at Howard Springs and who were evacuated from the epicentre of the virus at Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province earlier this month.

This group are 'due to go home in a few days, all things going well', Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted on Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, all of the evacuees on Christmas Island have now left the detention-centre turned-quarantine-facility.

None have tested positive for the coronavirus.

There have been 15 confirmed cases of the disease in Australia. Eight people recovered and the rest are in stable conditions.

So far there have been more than 75,200 cases worldwide and 2009 people have died. Almost all of the deaths were in China.
The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia is a reminder for the world that we are living in a time when traditional security intertwines with non-traditional security and when regional and global issues interconvert. The human beings are seeing increasing interdependence and their destinies are gradually becoming one.

The Munich Security Conference held from Feb. 14 to 16 also indicated such point as the meeting paid close attention to global public health security and the novel coronavirus epidemic.

At the conference, China introduced its concerted efforts and achievements in combating the epidemic, and received wide praise from the attendants. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also recognized the encouraging steps China has taken to contain the outbreak at its source, and once again called for solidarity from the international society.

In this silent war where no bullet is used, the entire world has become a whole and a community with a shared future.

Chinas most comprehensive, strict and thorough measures to combat the epidemic represent the largest contribution to global epidemic prevention and control. Thanks to the countrys speed and efficiency which play a vital role in the battle against the virus, and its active engagement in global cooperation, the confirmed cases outside the country only account for less than 1 percent of the total.

I have given credit where its due, and I will continue to do that. Tedros remarks echo the common aspiration of the international society, as China, which is combating the virus on the frontline, totally deserves such compliments.

By supporting China, global countries are supporting their own and the epidemic prevention and control of the world.

China is not lonely, because people across the world are standing closely with the Chinese people in the hardest days of the battle. Leaders from more than 160 countries and international organizations sent messages of sympathy to China to express strong support for the country, and people from many countries also took active actions to donate money and materials to encourage China.

An Indonesian policeman recently sang the song "Jiayou, Wuhan" (Stay strong, Wuhan) on social media to show love; children from a primary school in Northern Ireland joined together to perform a Chinese song, Let the World be Full of Love, for people in China suffering from the coronavirus outbreak; and Sri Lankans prayed for China's victory against the novel coronavirus epidemic. To show the power of solidarity in the epidemic is the choice made by the people across the world.

A profound lesson has been taught by the epidemic to the world. At the Munich Security Conference, the debate over "Westlessness," which refers to the loss of common standing of what it means to be part of the West, reflected insufficient sense of security.

The world should figure out what security is and how it can be achieved. Common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustained security is what the world needs, as no country in this planet is able to avoid global challenges or deal with them alone.

Countries must stop dividing the world into the east and the west, fill the economic gap between the north and the south, take the planet on which human beings rely as a community with shared lives, and perceive the international society as a family, so as to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Only by joining hands and working together can the world overcome the global public health challenge. It is a moment that demonstrates the power of multilateralism and international cooperation. The Group of 77 and the United Nations voiced support for Chinas efforts to combat the epidemic, followed by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BRICS countries, ASEAN and the African Union.

Fifteen members of the Economic Community of West African States convened an emergency meeting of health ministers to coordinate efforts and cope with the novel coronavirus outbreak. A special China-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting on the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak will also be held in Laos, which marks another important meeting between China and ASEAN on public health cooperation after the special leaders meeting on the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak they held in 2003.

Building multilateralism to jointly protect the health and security of people around the world has become a choice for more and more countries and regions.

In the era of globalization, countries are sharing challenges, responsibilities and destiny. To practice multilateralism and cope with global challenges with cooperation conforms to the general trend of time and the common aspiration of the people.
The brother of Amie Harwick has called on Wendy Williams to make a public apology after she made an 'extremely distasteful' joke in reference to the sex therapist's death.

Chris Harwick's sister died after she fell off the balcony of her Los Angeles, California home on Saturday and her ex-boyfriend Gareth Pursehouse has been charged with murder.

While announcing the tragic news about Harwick - the ex-fiancee of former Price Is Right host Drew Carey - The Wendy Williams Show host said Monday: 'She was killed... not by Drew, but by the ex... come on down.'

Referring to the show's well-known catchphrase 'come on down', Williams, 55, looked towards the ground as if watching something fall, drawing gasps of shock from her studio audience.

Chris Harwick (left) thinks Wendy Williams should apologize publicly to his family after making 'come on down' reference, which Amie's former Price Is Right host ex Drew Carey (right) is famed for saying

Amie, 38, was allegedly thrown from her balcony in LA on Saturday. On Monday's show, Williams said: 'She was killed... not by Drew, but by the ex... come on down'

Williams looked towards the ground as if watching something fall, drawing gasps of shock from her studio audience

Chris told Fox News: 'Domestic violence is something no one should be joking about.'

'This is a difficult time for my family and for Wendy Williams to make light of this tragedy is very upsetting to us and extremely distasteful,' Chris continued.

'My sister worked tirelessly for domestic violence victims and women's rights. Wendy Williams should apologize publicly to my family for her comment.'

The Pennsylvania woman is survived by her parents Penny and Tom Harwick.

Her funeral is scheduled to take place in home state next Thursday.

LA resident Amie previously had a restraining order against Pursehouse, who she dated 10 years ago.

The restraining order against Pursehouse had expired at the time of Harwick's death, and she had, 'expressed fear about a former boyfriend'.

Many viewers bashed Williams for the joke, including @AuntKimmie_GG, who said, 'I KNOW #WendyWilliams did NOT just make a 'come on down' joke about Drew Carey's ex-fiancee getting killed by being thrown off a third floor balcony!!! Somebody tell me I heard that wrong, please.. but the audience is stone-cold quiet.'

@BotchedNews added, 'Did @WendyWilliams really just 'joke' like that about Drew Carey's ex? Disgraceful,' adding her behavior was, 'very disgraceful' and, 'she should be thrown off the air.'

@lilltigger7 added, 'Did Wendy Williams just make a 'come on down' joke about a murdered woman?'

The Pennsylvania woman is survived by her parents Penny and Tom Harwick. Chris Harwick said: 'This is a difficult time for my family and for Wendy Williams to make light of this tragedy is very upsetting to us and extremely distasteful'

On January 16 he allegedly harassed her at the XBiz adult-industry awards ceremony, which was hosted by porn star Stormy Daniels, in downtown Los Angeles.

'Gareth knew Amie was going to be at XBiz. He stalked her there and went bats**t crazy,' Harwick's close friend former adult-film star Jasmin St. Claire said to Page Six.

'He was at the awards working as a photographer, but his behavior was abusive and threatening. He was yelling and screaming,' she added.

'Amie told me after the incident that she was scared he would show up at her home. She went to the police, but they did not take it seriously. He was really obsessive over her; controlling,' she added.

Though Harwick alerted the cops about Pursehouse's behavior after the incident, nothing was done.

'There should be an Amies Law to protect women. It is a tragedy Amie went to the police a few weeks ago  The LAPD failed her. It is just devastating,' St. Claire said.

Amie's ex-boyfriend Gareth Pursehouse (pictured), 41, has been charged with murder

LA resident Amie previously had a restraining order against Pursehouse (right), who she dated 10 years ago

Pursehouse was arrested on Saturday and charged with murder. He was released from prison on a $2million on Tuesday.

Amie's friend Diane Arias started a Justice 4 Amie petition calling for no expiration date on restraining orders until requested, mandatory long-term counseling for the stalker/abuser and institutionalization if they are deemed a danger.

Arias also believes victims should not have to testify in a courtroom close to their abuser/stalker and there should be an option to live stream in a safe space.

'This man clearly needed treatment, incarceration and/or punishment for years prior to this attack,' Arias says in a petition that had approximately 36,000 signatures by Wednesday afternoon.

The Change.org petition required 50,000 signatures before it's sent to California politicians.

'She should have never been in this situation like so many other victims.

'The process to get a restraining order is very difficult, traumatizing and must be repeated when the restraining order expires.'
1. Yes. The downtown area needs a good draw. Some quality taverns would be a plus.

2. Yes. Too many storefronts are vacant. Bars could help to bring in needed revenue.

3. No. Putting a number of bars downtown is just asking for trouble. Dont change things.

4.No. Several churches have located downtown. Putting bars close by would be a bad fit.

5. Unsure. It would depend on how the law is written and what standards are enacted.

Vote

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The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, currently under construction in Chile, will conduct a vast astronomical survey of our dynamic Universe starting in 2022.

They plan to collect 500 petabytes of image data by observing the skies continuously for 10 years and produce nearly instant alerts for objects that change in position or brightness every night.

In addition to astronomical data, their dataset will include DevOps, IoT, and real-time monitoring data.

DBTA recently held a webinar with Dr. Angelo Fausti, software engineer, Vera C. Rubin Observatory, who discussed how a time series database has the versatility to address their needs.

Because relational databases are not optimized for time series data, Fausti explained, the observatory chose InfluxDB time series relational database to timestamp data and analyze it.

The platform can ping scientists when there is an update via Slack, according to Fausti, which keeps the observatory abreast of any developing situations.

InfluxDB is a complete solution, he said. It offers:

A time series database, has an SQL-like query language, and provides an HTTP API

Chronograf UI for time series visualization written in Go and React.js

Kapacitor framework written in Go for processing, monitoring, and alerting on time series data

Generic and flexible

OSS we did some customizations to Chronograf

Chronograf dark mode (important if you work at the observatory at night)

Astronomers working on telescopes have to monitor different things depending on what their assignments are. Chronograf gives us the flexibility to create dashboards that suit our needs on different situations, said Tiago Ribeiro, scheduler scientist at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

The scientists were able to have sensors publishing information in many streams, and from multiple physical locations, according to Fausti. Kapacitor has been critical in sounding the alarm when the system is not behaving correctly.

The next steps for the observatory include:

Migration to InfluxDB 2.0 Waiting for annotations to be implemented in 2.0

Testing the solution with increasing data volume and variety as more subsystems of the Telescope are put together

Data replication to our data facility/cloud Which resources are needed to store the raw data for the lifetime of the project? Other problems to solve: observatory electronic log system, astronomical time-series, etc.



An archived on-demand replay of this webinar is available here.
Additional reporting by Vivienne Clarke

An Independent councillor is raising concerns of potential overcrowding in a new Direct Provision centre in Offaly.

The former Marian Hostel in Tullamore will accommodate up to 168 asylum-seekers who will arrive on a phased basis.

The centre will open early next month and will have cooking facilities and a food hall for residents.

But Offaly councillor John Leahy says the plans are a joke and likened it to shoving people into a sardine tin.

"What amazes me about the whole system is the Justice department with Direct Provision legislation can supersede planning permission," said Cllr Leahy.

"I know as county councillors if we put 168 people into that facility, we would be in the human rights court straight away and people would be crying from the rooftops saying that it is absolutely scandalous."

He said that the plans are "discriminating against ordinary citizens of Offaly".

"There is a shortage of medical care in the county and if you want to see a doctor you will have to wait a couple of days.

"What happens here is that migrants and refugees come and they will be allocated a doctor regardless if a doctor is at full capacity.

"Then, from a housing point of view, if someone came to me and said 'my daughter is on a housing waiting list for the last eight years, will someone from this Direct Provision centre get a house before my daughter?' I would have to say yes."

However, Fianna Fail TD Niall Collins, a member of the Oireachtas foreign affairs committee, takes a much different view.

"We have to play our role in dealing with and processing asylum seekers and people seeking international protection," said Deputy Collins.

"The State over the years has unfortunately not provided accommodation to a proper standard and I think that what has been announced in relation to Tullamore certainly seems an improvement to some of the centres which have been controversial recently."

Fiona Hurley, communications manager with Nasc, the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre, said it was not true that asylum seekers would leap frog housing lists.

Thats not true, to say that does a disservice, it allows inaccurate information. Asylum seekers are not eligible to be on social housing lists.

However, Cllr Leahy said this was not true on the ground and that two of four social houses built in Birr, Co Offaly last year had been allocated to migrants.

They were put on the housing list from direct provision. There was a directive from the Department that they had to be housed.

Its a war of words, its actually happening.

Ms Hurley said she did not understand how that could happen in Birr as people in the asylum process were not eligible for social housing.

Only certain categories are eligible to access the housing list.

She said that of the thousands of people they represented she knew they could not leap frog the list.

Cllr Leahy called for people to be treated equally and not to be allowed leap frog social housing or GP lists.

This is happening, everybody knows.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 10:21:57|Editor: huaxia

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Xi said that China has confidence and capacity to achieve this year's targets for economic and social development.

BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic are achieving visible progress as the battle has reached a crucial time, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a phone conversation with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday.

In the phone call, Xi expressed his gratitude to Queen Elizabeth II and Johnson for their sympathies with China's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, noting that Britain has offered China supplies in support of the fight, which demonstrates the friendship between the two countries and the two peoples.

Since the outbreak, China has always prioritized its people's safety and health, given full play to its institutional advantages, mobilized the entire country, and adopted the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control measures, Xi said.

Thanks to those arduous efforts, the situation is witnessing positive changes, and China's prevention and control measures are achieving visible progress, he added.

Now the battle against the epidemic has arrived at a crucial time, he pointed out, stressing that China will strive to reduce the impact of the epidemic while resolutely carrying out the prevention and control efforts.

Noting that the Chinese economy enjoys strong resilience, broad space for domestic demand and a solid industrial foundation, Xi said that China has confidence and capacity to achieve this year's targets for economic and social development, especially such key tasks as securing a victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and in eliminating poverty.

Upholding the idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China is not only responsible for the safety and health of its people, but also committed to the cause of safeguarding international public health, Xi noted.

China has made enormous efforts, and has effectively contained the global spread of the virus, Xi said, adding that the Chinese side will continue to cooperate with Britain and all other countries in an open and transparent manner.

Against the backdrop of increasing global challenges, China and Britain, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, should work together to shoulder more responsibilities and make more achievements, so as to lead the China-Britain comprehensive strategic partnership to a fresh journey in the new decade, Xi said.

He said that the two sides should grasp the general direction of the development of bilateral relations from strategic and political perspectives, stick to the principle of win-win cooperation, and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns on the basis of mutual respect.

The two sides should also strengthen high-level exchanges, tap into their economic complementarity and carry out more practical cooperation, Xi noted.

He added that the Chinese side stands ready to work with the British side to safeguard multilateralism and free trade, and strengthen communication on major international and regional issues.

For his part, Johnson, on behalf of the British government and people, expressed sympathies to the Chinese people over the COVID-19 outbreak, and highly appreciated China's comprehensive and effective measures to prevent and control the epidemic, timely sharing of information with the international community, and efforts to stop the virus from spreading on a worldwide scale.

Huang Xia (front) wears protective suit before going into the intensive care unit in Three Gorges Central Hospital in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Feb. 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

The British side admires China's speed and efficiency in the fight against the epidemic and stands ready to continue to provide China with support and assistance, the prime minister said.

Johnson also expressed his belief that under the leadership of Xi, the Chinese people will prevail over the epidemic and minimize its impact on the country's economic and social development.

He added that he loves China, and stands ready to lead the new British government to work with the Chinese side to strengthen exchanges at all levels, deepen cooperation in various fields, and push for continuous achievements in the "golden era" of bilateral relations.

Britain welcomes investment from Chinese enterprises and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

Britain and China, both influential major countries, share similar positions on many international issues, Johnson said, noting that both sides advocate multilateralism, support free trade and safeguard a multilateral trading system.

The British side stands ready to enhance coordination with China on the 2020 UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Britain and the upcoming 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in China, so as to jointly promote international cooperation on climate change, he added. 
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum announces his candidacy for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination in Cabot, Pa., on May 27, 2015. Read more

Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum helped secure a pardon Tuesday for a member of his national finance committee from his 2016 presidential campaign.

President Donald Trump issued a full pardon to Paul Pogue, a construction company owner from McKinney, Texas, who pleaded guilty in 2010 to filing false tax returns.

Pogue underpaid his taxes by 10% for three years, according to the White House, and was sentenced to three years of probation, a $250,000 fine, and $473,604 in restitution.

Santorum told Clout he mentioned Pogues case to Trump in passing and felt the felony tax charge sort of stunk.

He paid 90% of his taxes, Santorum said. Its not like he didnt pay taxes. He admitted he didnt pay it because he thought he was paying too much. So he took a hit for it.

In 2015, Pogue and his family contributed $11,000 to Santorums 2016 campaign.

Pogues son, Ben, now runs the family business. Ben Pogue last year contributed $147,442 to the Republican National Committee and $85,000 to Trump Victory, a joint effort of Trumps reelection campaign and the RNC.

Santorum cited charity work in the United States and other countries done by Pogue and his wife, Judy, echoing reasons listed by the White House for the pardon.

Hes just one of the most genuine, decent, generous, upright guys that Ive ever met, Santorum said. I dont think Ive ever pushed for a pardon for anyone. I generally dont do that.
If Mike Bloomberg is elected president this November, he would sell his financial information business, a campaign official told NBC News on Tuesday.

Bloomberg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and the former Republican mayor of New York, founded Bloomberg L.P. in 1981; the company has an estimated annual revenue of roughly $10 billion, and could be worth $40 billion, CNBC reports. The official said Bloomberg L.P. would be put into a blind trust for "eventual sale," but did not give an estimated timeline. Because the company would be in a blind trust, Bloomberg would have "no involvement" in its sale. Bloomberg L.P. employs an estimated 20,000 people.

Tim O'Brien, a senior adviser to the campaign, told CNN Bloomberg will "release his taxes" and there will be "no confusion about any of his financial holdings, blurring the line between public service and personal profiteering. We will be 180 degrees away from where Donald Trump is on these issues because Donald Trump is a walking conflict of interest." President Trump did not put his Trump Organization into a blind trust, and it is being run by his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.

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NCP chief Sharad Pawar on



Wednesday said the defeat of the BJP in the Delhi Assembly elections signals "beginning of the change".

"The BJP is tasting defeats - be it in the elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan or Delhi. In Delhi, the BJP had put all its strength and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah campaigned there," Pawar said at a party workers' meeting here.

"UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and chief ministers of other BJP-ruled states also campaigned in Delhi. But people of Delhi showed that the beginning of change has started," he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) stormed back to power in Delhi by winning an impressive 62 seats, while the BJP could work its magic only in the remaining eight seats in the national capital.

On the Ram temple issue, Pawar said, "We accept the construction of Ram temple. The way in which a trust was set up for it, there should be a similar body for mosque. The country and the government belong to everyone and every religion".

Noting that the atmosphere in the country was "different" now, the NCP leader lamented, "Those in power are ignoring problems of common man. Uttar Pradesh gave many leaders to the country, so the state has an important role in The state has the capacity to bring the country on the right track".

Senior NCP leader Praful Patel said his party has decided to strengthen its organisation in Uttar Pradesh.

"We have started establishing party organisation at every district and village level in the state," he said, adding people were disappointed by the of SP and BSP in Uttar Pradesh, which was capitalised by the BJP and it came to power in the state with a majority.

Patel later told reporters that there was no difference of opinion among the NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena over the



Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 17:56:50|Editor: xuxin

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JAKARTA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia is planning to impose excise tax on sugary and artificially sweetened beverages for their linkage to health risks, including diabetes and obesity, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said during a meeting with members of the country's House of Representatives here on Wednesday.

The finance minister claimed that the rate of consumption of sugary drinks in the Indonesian society is getting higher amid growth of the public revenue. Imposing excise tax on them is expected to reduce the number of diabetes cases in the country, one of the main causes of death among Indonesians.

"Many countries have imposed excise tax on dangerous products, one of which is soft drinks that contain sweeteners. Diabetes is one of the most common diseases happening and it keeps growing amid growth of the public revenue," said Indrawati, the former managing director at the World Bank.

The excise tax, she said, would be imposed on sugary and artificially sweetened drinks produced by domestic manufacturers as well as those that are imported.

If the planned excise tax is approved by the House of Representatives, Indonesia is expected to receive 6.25 trillion Indonesian rupiahs (456.56 million U.S. dollars) per year, the minister estimated.
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Linkedin Ragini Saxena (Bloomberg) Mumbai, India  Wed, February 19, 2020 09:04 693 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20654c046 2 World Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-lockdown,coronavirus,COVID-19,apocalypse,rescue Free

As an Air India flight landed at the airport in Wuhan last month to rescue Indians stranded in the coronavirus-hit city, Captain Kamal Mohan couldnt help but think that he had entered a post-apocalyptic film set.

It was frightening, Mohan said in an interview on Monday. Its a massive airport, so just imagine not seeing a soul. Youd think a zombie might pop up from somewhere.

The Indian flag carrier sent two 423-seat Boeing Co. 747 aircraft on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 to evacuate about 600 people from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed 1,800 people and infected 73,000. The flights consisted of eight pilots, 30 cabin crew and 10 commercial staff. Air India has carried out similar evacuation missions in the past, including during the first Gulf War in the early 1990s.

The airport, which handled 20 million passengers last year, was completely deserted and there were only three ground personnel to help with the evacuation process, said cabin crew chief Chander Prakash.

The Air India crew had to wear three pairs of gloves and layer-over-layer of clothes that looked like a spacesuit, according to Prakash. There were special instructions on how to wear the clothes and how to remove them to ensure you dont get contaminated, he said.

The others who were part of the operation were doctors from India, said Captain Amitabh Singh, the other pilot.

We were going to a place where we had no idea what we will find on the ground, Singh said. So we had our own doctors, who were checking temperatures of passengers, handing out masks and making us wash our hands a number of times.
: The Andhra Pradesh government has



proposed to set up its own generating units to produce 10,000 MW of solar power to meet the energy requirements of the agriculture sector.

The government has already issued an order for setting up the Andhra Pradesh Green Energy Corporation Limited, as a subsidiary of Power Generation Corporation of AP, to erect the 10,000 MW solar power plants.

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, who chaired a high-level review meeting on the power sector here on Wednesday, directed the officials to focus on the 10,000 MW solar power plants and also their subsequent expansion, an official release said.

The state has been incurring more than Rs 10,000 crore to meet the agriculture subsidy, lift irrigation power charges and aquaculture subsidy every year.

The subsidy has been continuously increasing over the years on account of increasing cost of power supply and also an increase in the number of agricultural pump sets.

To ensure that the subsidy is provided on a sustainable basis, there is a need for evolving an alternative mechanism to provide quality power and nine-hour day-time free supply to farmers.

Solar energy has the potential to fulfil the above requirements due to its lower cost compared to the current average procurement cost of Discoms, ex-officio Principal Secretary to Energy Department G Sai Prasad said.

Since solar power is generated during daytime, it could be well utilised for agricultural needs.

To provide free power supply to the agriculture sector and lift irrigation schemes, the total capacity of solar plants required is likely to be about 10,000 MW (including the projected annual increase in agricultural demand), Sai Prasad pointed out.

The chief minister asked officials to :Focus on making these plants successful and also plan for expansion. Also encourage solar and wind energy companies that come forward to sell power at a lower price, a CMO release quoted him as telling the Energy Department officials.

This would reduce the financial burden on the ailing power distribution companies (Discoms).

Reddy said the energy sector should be pulled out of losses in the next five years.

Increase the productivity of thermal plants by using quality coal. Get a third-party audit done on the coal quality. Also concentrate on hydro reverse pumping projects, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Seo Young-hoon





Imagine a town of a hundred people. There is a factory next to the town, which requires the work of all hundred residents. This town has followed the traditional desert-based distributive principle for decades, under which compensation for working is based on the effort and contributions of the laborers. Everyone received "fair" wages based on his or her work and managed to avoid hunger. One day, the factory owner implemented a high-tech robotic assembly line, which reduced the necessary labor force from one hundred to a mere five that would oversee the machines for any malfunctions. At the end of the month, the five workers earned higher wages than before, as the new robotic assembly line substantially increased the production efficiency and enabled massive profit. On the other hand, the 95 unemployed residents had no money and were subjected to hunger.







Based purely on the "fairness" defined by the desert-based distributive principle, it is acceptable for the 95 unemployed residents go without money or food because they did not contribute to the profit of the factory. Furthermore, any form of sharing on the part of the five employed residents would be an act of charity, rather than an obligation, because they were the ones who actually gave their time and effort, rightfully earning their wages.







However, despite the rational understanding that the 95 unemployed residents do not deserve the money on the basis that they did not work to earn it, the ascribed circumstances still seem "unfair" in most people's eyes. Perhaps it is the consideration that the 95 residents did not choose to be unemployed or idle. Instead, they were hard-working, industrious people, who were forced out of work because of the robotic assembly lines replacing the need for their human labor. They wanted to work, but it was beyond their control in a post-labor world.







This simple illustration, though it may seem foreign to us on the surface, reflect the circumstances of society of a very near future or perhaps of this very moment. As Robert Shiller, an American economist, remarked, robots are "on the verge of replacing many basic functions that labor performs now," thereby rendering labor obsolete. The more robots replace human labor, the more unemployed people there are, and the higher the income inequality rises. Only a chosen few even possess the opportunity to participate in the hyper-competitive battle for limited jobs, while the rest of the population questions how they are going to put food on their table that night.







It is unlikely that the industrialists would favor human labor over robots because, in the eyes of the profit-driven industrialists, it makes more sense economically to replace human labor with robots due to the higher efficiency and lack of need to pay wages. Therefore, to prepare for this future, we as a society must understand and realize that the definition of "fairness" in a labor world would need to substantially differ from "fairness" in a post-labor world. The desert-based distributive system of history's great thinkers such as Aristotle and Locke has enabled humanity to achieve tremendous feats, as it hailed in the age of industrialization and capitalism that saw the rise in human progress. Nevertheless, we cannot adhere to the principle of the past any longer and must develop a new and fair distributive system not exclusively based on effort and contribution.







The task facing humanity is challenging and almost impossible. To create a fair distributive system and yet not take effort and contribution into account resembles a paradox in itself. In what other ways can fairness be defined beyond effort and contribution? I, like most others, do not have the answer to the question. Instead, I would like to urge society to start to consider the need to prepare for the imminent paradigm shift of distributive justice. Science continues to evolve at an exponential pace, along with the global population, which raises the stakes and the urgency of this issue. A world where humans and robots coexist is no longer a dream or a future. Technology is designed to improve the human life condition; however, depending on our capacity to redefine a fair distributive method, it can become a servant of humanity that alleviates the stress and burden of work or a rival that drives out humanity from existence.









Seo Young-hoon (

) is a student at Chadwick International School in Incheon.


One more Indian aboard a quarantined cruise ship off Japan was tested positive for the novel coronavirus and shifted to hospital, taking the number of Indian nationals infected with the virus on the vessel to seven, according to the Indian Embassy on Wednesday.

Among the 3,711 passengers and crew, 621 people were found to be infected with the new coronavirus as of Wednesday. On Tuesday, 88 people tested positive and a day earlier 99 others were found to have been infected.

In a tweet, the Indian Embassy here said, "1 Indian crew who tested positive for COVID19 among 88 new cases on Diamond Princess shifted to hospital for treatment."



Earlier, six Indians were tested positive for COVID-19.

The mission said that infected Indians were responding well to the treatment.

A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, were among the 3,711 people on board the ship that arrived at the Japanese coast earlier this month.

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.

Meanwhile, passengers began leaving the ship on Wednesday after the end of a two-week quarantine period that failed to stop the spread of the virus among passengers and crew.

"About 500 passengers were expected to leave Wednesday, and Japanese officials will spend several days staging the high-stakes evacuation of about 2,000 others," the Japan Today newspaper reported.

Crew members are expected to stay on the ship, it said.

The Indian Embassy earlier said it was making efforts for de-boarding of all the Indians from the ship after the end of the quarantine period and was in discussions with the Japanese government and the ship management company for the disembarkation modalities and welfare of Indians.

The US on Monday evacuated its 340 nationals from the ship and they are now in quarantine for another 14 days.

China, where the virus outbreak occurred, is grappling to contain the deadly disease as the fatalities crossed the 2,000-mark on Wednesday with the death of 136 more people, mostly in the worst-hit Hubei province.

The virus outbreak originated in China's Hubei province in December and has spread to more than 25 countries, including India.

Many countries have banned arrivals from China while major airlines have suspended flights to the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 19)  Motorcycle taxi firm Angkas has gained the lion's share in motorcycle taxi operations in Metro Manila, the Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.

The Inter-Agency Technical Working Group (TWG) handling the pilot run said Angkas has been allowed to deploy 23,164 riders for the motorcycle taxi study, which runs until March 23.

The adjustment comes after service provider Move It only registered 6,836 riders on the February 12 deadline, well below the 15,000 cap set for each company. JoyRide registered exactly 15,000 names, leaving the excess slots to Angkas  the service which previously went through a six-month pilot test in 2019.

The TWG said all three players agreed to the redistribution of rider slots during a meeting with Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade. For now, only riders registered under Angkas, JoyRide, and Move It are authorized to pick up and drop off passengers who book rides through mobile apps, which also set the fares.

RELATED: MMDA wants to ban motorcycle taxis on major roads

Authorities earlier capped the number of riders at 13,000 per firm. Angkas then filed a temporary restraining order against the TWG to stop its implementation, which led authorities to threaten to blacklist the company for questioning the rules.

The study would be crucial to the decision of lawmakers on bills declaring motorcycles-for-hire as a legal mode of public transport in the Philippines.

Two Senate committees approved their version of the bill last week. The measure would still need to go through second and third reading approvals, although there have been enough votes secured among senators to ensure its passage.

The House of Representatives must also pass their version of the bill, which will then be harmonized with the Senate proposal before it is referred to the President's signing into law.
Olmsted County officials see potential cuts to state funding for a regional program serving human-trafficking victims as punishment for a job well done.

"We were being led to believe that when the funding came up this year, wed be in line for just as much, if not more," said Travis Gransee, director of Olmsted County Community Corrections.

That has been the case in recent years for the countys effort to oversee the 12-county regional Safe Harbor program, which provides resources and services for victims of human trafficking and raises awareness of exploitation and trafficking.

"We established ourselves as a leader in the state around the Safe Harbor work," Gransee added.

While Olmsted County received $343,000 for this year, the county has been told the maximum state funding will be $290,000.

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"The rationale is they want to add another region," Gransee said, noting that the change doesnt come with additional state funding.

The new region would reduce the counties served through Olmsted County to 11.

Paul Fleissner, Olmsted County deputy administrator, said the proposal appears to seek to take Olmsted Countys success and attempt to reproduce it in the new region. Doing so, he said would likely require local participation, even as funding is threatened.

"They would have a difficult time duplicating what weve done in the past six years," he said.

County commissioners on the Olmsted County Boards Health, Housing and Human Services Committee said it appeared to punish success.

"Why would a county try to do more and try to innovate if the net result is you pave the way and then you lose the funding?" County Commissioner Sheila Kiscaden said after hearing about the proposed funding reduction.

The proposed funding cut comes less than a year after the disbanding of Mission 21, a local nonprofit that was working with victims of human trafficking. At that time, Olmsted County sought to step up its efforts, using unspent funds from previous years.

The regional program stems from the states 2011 Safe Harbor law, which was passed to provide legal protections and state services for sexually exploited youth. The idea was to treat youth who engage in prostitution as victims and survivors  not criminals.

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Since then, the law was expanded to protect victims of sex trafficking younger than 18 from criminal prosecution with services extended to victims up to age 24.

Since Olmsted County started receiving state funding in 2015, it has been recognized for being among the top counties for referrals into the program. The success has come with state funding increases since 2018.

Now, Gransee said local efforts will likely need to be scaled back if funding is cut.

With that, commissioners on the Health, Housing and Human Services Committee agreed to send a letter to the state health department citing concerns about the proposed reduction in available state funds.

Additionally, they told Gransee to submit a request for the same level of funding received for this years budget, rather than reducing it to the maximum level set by the state.

"It leaves you in a better negotiating position, rather than acquiescing," Kiscaden said.

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(CNN) -- The president of the company that owns the stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess greeted disembarking passengers in Tokyo on Wednesday, acknowledging that customers had endured a "challenging" situation following an outbreak of coronavirus on the vessel.

"This is an unprecedented situation," Jan Swartz, President of Princess Cruises, said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday.

"Nobody going on vacation thinks that they're going to be notified in the last days that they've got an extension ... and they're not going to be allowed to leave their cabins," she added.

The Diamond Princess ship became a floating quarantine zone earlier this month. Dozens of passengers tested positive for the novel coronavirus, effectively trapping more than 3,000 people, including 428 Americans, on board.

A total of 624 confirmed cases of the coronavirus have been linked to the boat -- the largest outbreak outside of China.

Swartz also specifically highlighted the actions of the ships crew. Japans government did not allow the roughly 1,000 crew members to be quarantined unless they took ill, instead asking them to work and serve the rest of the passengers throughout the two-week period.

I think the guests and our crew who came together to help support each other, from 57 different countries and regions around the world really lifted each other's hearts, as did social media play a critical role in that.

"Our guests shared stories about living in the cabin for 14 days, clearly it was an uncomfortable, challenging situation," Swartz added.

Even though the departing passengers have tested negative for the virus and endured the 14-day quarantine, there is mounting evidence from infectious disease experts that they could unknowingly be carrying the virus back into their communities.

On Monday, the United States evacuated more than 300 American passengers who had tested negative for the virus from the Diamond Princess, only to discover that more than a dozen of them were infected.

Canada, Australia and Hong Kong have arranged charter flights to take their citizens home after they leave the ship.

Princess Cruises, which operates a fleet of 20 ships, is the third largest cruise line in the world.

Because of the coronavirus outbreak onboard the Diamond Princess, the company has canceled dozens of sailings, and is moving one of its ships, the Sapphire Princess, from Shanghai to Australia.

Shares in Princess Cruises' parent company Carnival Corporation are down nearly 16% for the year. Carnival said last week that the hit to global bookings and canceled voyages "will have a material impact" on its finances.

Carnival runs its flagship Carnival Cruise Line, the Princess Cruises brand and the Holland America Line, whose fleet includes the Westerdam, a ship that has been linked to one confirmed case of the coronavirus.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Princess Cruises president calls coronavirus crisis 'unprecedented'"
Amanda Rickman, on Bowdoin's campus

Uptown-Downtown Jamaica: Exploring Dancehall Culture

Amanda Rickman 20 used her award to travel to Jamaica last summer and explore dancehall culture. "Dancehall is a crucial way through which inequalities [in Jamaica] can be understood, due to the tensions, divisions, and contradictions present in the contemporary dancehall space," she said at the symposium.

Rickman noted with good humor that her research had her going out at night. "A lot of my fieldsite time was parties, which was really fun," she said. She attended parties and clubs to observe the different ways dancehall has been affected by the country's class divisions. From Kingston's inner cities to uptown's luxurious clubs, she navigated the interactions between people that occurred in those spaces.

"Generally, I found that uptown Jamaicans had this very idealistic notion of, 'Oh, we're bringing the two classes together and we're forming a unified bond,' where downtown Jamaicans kind of saw that as taking something that didn't belong to them and kind of trying to characterize it in a way that isn't true to the inherent art form that dancehall is," she concluded.
Perths community TV broadcaster WTV is doing it tough, forced to cease broadcasting on Free to Air.

Instead it will focus on social media and YouTube.

A post on Facebook last night said, Dear loyal WTV c44 viewers. WTV is currently off free-to-air television until further notice. There will be more updates to follow. In the meantime  our Undercurrent journalists will be bringing to you a variety of stories to enjoy on FB. We will also proceed to develop our YouTube channel further with more WTV productions. We thank you for your ongoing support. We appreciate your audience very much.

West Television is a non-profit organisation, run mostly by students and volunteers. It began broadcasting in 2010 following the demise of Access 31.

In December WTV told its followers online, Perth. We have a problem. For years, we have acted as a training ground and talent incubator in Perth, Australia. But what you might not know is that we have been limping on by last-minute licence extensions since 2015. Unfortunately, today we have to break the news to you that we might not be able to hold out much longer.

A GoFundMe campaign set up last week was hoping to raise $30,000 for facilities, equipment and administration costs.

West TV needs your help. We are a community-based television station based in East Perth. The federal and state government do not fund community television here in Perth, Western Australia. We, at WTV, want to bring to you the true community spirit.Perth is built up of many cultures. We would like to share your stories, passions and news. Therefore, we are asking you to help us now, the campaign advised.

The Community broadcasting sector in Australia has had a difficult 5 years after then-Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull ordered all broadcasters in 2014 to move to an online model with their broadcast spectrum to end. Pleas from the community has led to multiple extensions now until 30th June 2020.
NASA has announced that it will be accepting applications from MArch 2-31 for its new class of astronauts.

The application requirements and process are rigorous, but if you've ever dreamed of taking off toward the stars, this is your chance to (maybe) make that dream come true.

This new class of astronauts will be members of the Artemis Generation and will train to reach several locations throughout the solar system, including the moon and Mars.

Earlier this month, NASA announced that it is accepting applications for new astronauts to explore the vast frontier that is outer space.

According to a statement from NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, We're celebrating our 20th year of continuous presence aboard the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit this year, and were on the verge of sending the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024. The milestone and upcoming events come in addition to the space agency's plans to have humans on the surface of Mars by the 2030s.

The requirements

You need to be a U.S. citizen, have a masters degree within the STEM field that covers the fields of engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science, or mathematics, from an accredited institution.

You should also have at least two years of related professional experience, and be able to pass a NASA astronaut physical examination. In lieu of a master's, NASA will also accept:

Two years (36 semester hours or 54 quarter hours) of work toward a Ph.D. program in a related science, technology, engineering or math field

A completed doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathic medicine degree

Completion (or current enrollment that will result in completion by June 2021) of a nationally recognized test pilot school program.

The application process will also include a required online assessment.

This new class of astronauts will be members of the Artemis Generation and will train to reach several locations throughout the solar system, the moon being among them. NASA is hoping to pick the newest astronauts by mid-2021.

Astronaut Stan Love has described the position as the coolest job on or off the planet. If launching into orbit doesnt sound like your thing, NASA also has several other openings in computer science, architecture, and engineering that are more ... down to Earth.

Related video: 3 things NASA wants from new astronauts
Amazon's first employee says he's concerned about how big the company has become.

Shel Kaphan, who joined Amazon after it was founded in 1994, gave a rare interview to PBS "Frontline" for its two-hour special, "Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos," which aired on Tuesday. Kaphan was Amazon's chief technology officer and was a key architect of the website.

"I built a substantial part of the early system that allowed them to come into existence, so I feel responsibility because of that," said Kaphan, who left Amazon in 1999. "On one hand, I'm proud what it became, but it also scares me."

Kaphan said Amazon should be broken up, given its size and influence over small businesses' ability to thrive online. It's an idea that's being weighed by U.S. antitrust enforcers and has been brought up on the campaign trail by candidates including Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
A garda was so seriously injured after being headbutted by a man resisting arrest that he got physically sick next to the patrol car and is still off work.

In a victim impact statement read out at Clonakilty District Court, Garda Evan Horan said he suffered blackouts and bouts of forgetfulness following the incident and said he had been a nightmare to live with for a time afterwards.

He added that he had gained two stone in weight, as he forgets he has already eaten.

Garda Horans statement was given during the case of Stephen OShea of Tullineaskey, Clonakilty, who pleaded guilty to a number of charges relating to an incident on June 24 in Shannonvale.

Judge James McNulty heard that, at 2.20am, gardai saw a car in a pub car park. Mr OShea, 21, was in the driver seat with another man in the passenger seat and OSheas partner, Kelly ODonovan, 21, standing beside the car.

Gardai said they were going to conduct a search. OShea became aggressive, calling gardai muppets and saying he could do both gardai no bother.

The court heard Ms ODonovan, who pleaded guilty to two charges of obstruction, one of failing to comply with garda direction, and one public order offence, called gardai fucking scumbags and interfered with garda efforts to detain OShea.

OShea, having initially been put in the patrol car, was able to get out due to the efforts of his friends. He was instructed to get in, but refused.

One garda was kicked twice in the leg by Mr OShea, who again refused to get back in the car. One garda tried to pull him into the car, but then saw the two others interfering with the other garda.

OShea headbutted Gda Horan in the eye area.

Sgt Paul Kelly, prosecuting, said Gda Horan was dazed and got physically sick outside the car. OShea was restrained but continued to be aggressive and to attempt to headbutt Garda Horan.

In his statement, Gda Horan said he had little recollection of what happened after the headbutt, and that his partner said he was totally disorientated and making no sense that night. His GP said he may have severe concussion.

The garda had a blackout some weeks later and underwent a CT scan. He underwent visual tests and is now awaiting assessment at the Mater Hospital in Dublin.

My life has changed since the assault took place, he said.

He was constantly fatigued, to the extent where it was impinging on his ability to do normal things.

Mr OSheas solicitor, Eamonn Fleming, said his client had had a lot to drink that night and had 4,000 in court for the injured garda, which the judge described as token compensation.

Judge McNulty sentenced OShea to eight months in prison for the assault causing harm to Gda Horan and to another four months in prison, to be served at the same time, for the assault on the other garda. He also received a four-month sentence for obstructing gardai, and was fined 400 for intoxication in a public place, and 600 for a public order offence.

The judge said OShea was lucky the case was in the district court, adding: This incident is an appalling episode for which he is primarily responsible.

The judge ordered a probation report into Ms ODonovan, who had no previous convictions, with the case to come back before the court on April 7.

Separately, OShea was also fined 1,000 and disqualified from driving for two years after he pleaded to careless driving at 8.35am in Clonakilty on May 11, 2018.
Airplane already departed from Boryspil to evacuate Ukrainian citizens from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak

As of the morning of February 19, 1,886 people died due to the coronavirus in the mainland China. Despite this, the citizens of Ukraine are still at the epicenter of the spread of coronavirus. Initially, it was reported that for the Ukrainians who asked for evacuation, a plane was supposed to be ready on February 11. However, then the evacuation did not take place. The Prime Minister of Ukraine noted that the delay is due to the fact that the government wants to minimize risks to zero.

Later, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health announced that the plane should fly after the Ukrainians on February 18, and then for at least two weeks they would be isolated. But first things first.

How the date of evacuation changed

For the first time on February 2 authorities started talking about the upcoming evacuation of Ukrainians. Then the Ukrainian Embassy in the PRC reported that preparatory work on the evacuation of Ukrainian citizens from the territory of Hubei Province was nearing completion.

"The embassy is completing preparatory work for the evacuation of our compatriots from the territory of Hubei province, which it is impossible to leave on their own due to quarantine restrictions. Now we have established direct contact with 74 Ukrainians in Wuhan and the province of Hubei. Prior consent has been obtained from the Chinese Foreign Ministry to evacuate our citizens from the city Wuhan by special charter flight, "the embassy said.

On February 8, the embassy reported that the formation of evacuation lists was completed. They promised to name the exact time of the evacuation later. And on February 10, it was reported that the Ukrainians who requested evacuation would be transported to Kyiv. The citizens of Ukraine were going to be taken out on February 11 by a special charter flight Kyiv - Wuhan - Kyiv. The embassy called on Ukrainian citizens who wish to fly out of Wuhan to keep their passports and documents ready. For children under 18 years of age they needed birth certificate. They also asked to be constantly in touch. It was noted that every Ukrainian should be ready for evacuation, including at night. They also needed to have the necessary supply of water, food and medicine.

However, on February 11, the evacuation did not take place. The Minister of Health of Ukraine Zoryana Skaletska reported that Ukrainians must sign a form of information consent (for evacuation), and only after that the date of their return home will be known.

Today, there are about 80 people (Ukrainians) in this province, 50 previously expressed a desire (for evacuation). Despite the fact that our employees communicate with them, we also prepared the forms of informed consent that these persons must sign in case of if they want to go aboard and be evacuated to Ukraine. Only after signing this form we can talk about how many people will actually be evacuated. And after that we can talk about the date," Skaletska reported.

On February 12, Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk said that the delay in the evacuation of Ukrainians who are in the Chinese city of Wuhan is due to the fact that the government wants to minimize risks to zero.

The next day, Zoryana Skaletska said that the plane should take off on February 18, and on February 19 it should arrive in Ukraine.

"There is no delay. There is a systematic decision-making process to ensure that we arrive in Ukraine and allow everyone to feel safe. We agreed on the decisions with all ministries. A plane will be sent on Tuesday, and Ukrainian citizens will be in Ukraine on Wednesday," - said Skaletska.

On February 17, Deputy Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko noted that the plane for Ukrainian citizens would fly on Tuesday (February 18), and Ukraine expect its return on Thursday (February 20).

Who and how will be evacuated from Wuhan

It was reported that Ukrainians from Wuhan were evacuated by a SkyUp airline flight. It was noted that the aircraft and crew are ready for evacuation. SkyUp added that there will be one plane and it will make a stop in the city of Almaty. The exact duration of this flight cannot be reported.

According to Zoryana Skaletska, Chinese doctors will examine all the Ukrainians who are now in Wuhan, and only healthy people will be allowed on the plane.

"Then the Ukrainian team of doctors who will be on board will also check them (evacuees)," Skaletska said.

It is noted that doctors will accompany the Ukrainians during the flight and later remain in isolation with them.

On February 16, BBC News Ukraine, citing the Ministry of Health, reported that 56 people should arrive in Kyiv, among them 11 foreigners. Later it became known that the citizens of Argentina will be taken aboard the Ukrainian aircraft during the evacuation from Chinese Wuhan.

The Argentinean Foreign Ministry noted that Ukraine agreed to provide places for the evacuation of their citizens along with Ukrainians. The Argentinean Foreign Ministry thanked Kyiv for the willingness to take foreigners on board.

On February 17, Deputy Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko announced that 49 Ukrainians and 25 foreigners from five different countries should be evacuated from Wuhan.

What will happen upon arrival in Ukraine

After returning to Ukraine, at least two weeks of isolation awaits for all evacuated (including foreigners).

Initially acting Director of the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Igor Kuzin said that Ukrainians were evacuated to one of two institutions of the sanatorium-resort type, which was converted into temporary observatories. However, the Ministry of Health did not comment on this information, only noted that several options for premises are being considered.

For us, the main task was to find premises that are both epidemically safe and comfortable so that people stay there for at least 14 days. We have four options that we will analyze, including figuring out the payment procedure. Preparation of these premises will be carried out on time," said Minister of Health Zoryana Skaletska.

She emphasized that these people should be healthy. But if someone finds coronavirus symptoms, that person will immediately be taken to the hospital.

The same information on the air of the Ukrainian television channel was confirmed by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk.

"Now there are 3-4 facilities, each of which is preparing to receive our citizens next week. They will be supervised by professional specialists for 14 days," the prime minister said.

Everything else is not yet known. For example how much time Ukrainians will have to spend in isolation after evacuating from Wuhan.

Why, in fact, have we been preparing for such a long period of time? Because the world now has different information on how the virus spreads, what measures should be taken. Scientific publications indicate that the incubation period does not last 14 days, but more ... And if on the tenth day, for example, one of the people has this disease, it means that quarantine starts again," said Honcharuk.

On board the cruise ship Diamond Princess, which is quarantined in the port of the Japanese city of Yokohama, the number of people infected with the coronavirus has reached 454. There are 25 Ukrainians, two of whom are infected by the new type of coronavirus. Now they are hospitalized in satisfactory condition.

As for the rest of the Ukrainians who are still on the liner, authorities do not intend to evacuate them yet. The consular section of the Ukrainian Embassy in Japan said that only a few countries (including the USA and Canada) announced the evacuation of their citizens from the liner, but in general representatives of more than 50 countries are on board.

"I have no information about intentions to evacuate the citizens of Ukraine. I think this is being discussed, but so far there is no specific information. It should also be understood that other countries evacuate their citizens who are passengers, and all Ukrainians are members of the ships crew," the representative of the embassy noted.

The embassy also noted that there must be important reason for the decision to evacuate. Now the situation is under control.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said "political islam" has "no place" in France during a visit Tuesday to Mulhouse, in northeastern France, where he outlined the government's new strategy to fight 'Islamist separatism.'

The government's plan to tackle what it has long dubbed communitarianism, or the separation of communities, has become under Macron the fight against 'Islamist separatism'.

"In some areas of France, separatism has wedged itself between communities," the President said last October.

On Tuesday, he vowed to "honour the promises" of the Republic to "fight separatism (...) discrimination and prioritise meritocracy," striving not to stigmatise French Muslims.

Macron was welcomed by huge crowds in Bourtzwiller, in Mulhouse, a town of 15,000 inhabitants, identified as needing to be won back by the Republic.

Accompanied by four ministers including interior minister Christophe Castaner, the head of state visited a local police station to take stock for himself of how well or little the state is fighting trafficking or radicalisation.

"Islam is facing a crisis. Certain radical groups would like to see it become political. Here in France, there is no place for political islam," Macron said in a long-awaited speech addressing the structuring of Islam in France, the schooling of children and the funding of places of worship, particularly from abroad.

His critics are also expecting him to mention the An-Nour mosque, which is being built in Mulhouse, and has been mostly funded by private donations from Qatar.

Local elections loom

The government's new strategy was first announced last October, after four police officers were stabbed to death by a radicalised colleague.

At the time, Macron vowed an 'unrelenting fight' against Islamist terrorism.

Monday's trip is the first in a series of outings due to last several weeks and is aimed at showing that the government is serious about cracking down on Islamic radicalism.

Right-wing opponents accuse the state of being too lax on the topic. The debate has intensified in recent months over furor sparked by a veiled Muslim mother being allowed to accompany her daughter on a school trip and the government's decision to allow candidates who promote identity politics to compete in local elections next month.

However, criticism has also emerged from the left of the political spectrum, with opponents accusing Macron of trying to outflank far-right leader Marine Le Pen with less than a month to go before the local elections.

"The president is trying to divert attention away from his policies," Communist MP Pierre Dharreville told BFM TV.

While, Bruno Retailleau from the conservative party, Les Republicains, told French news agency AFP "He is going to make a speech, but what action will he take?"

Macron, who has vowed to devote his remaining two years in office to strengthening the role of government, has dismissed the criticism, saying he "won't stop working just because there are elections."
On Thursday, February 20, at 10.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference entitled: "Will the President Hear Trade Unions, Entrepreneurs, Farmers and Journalists?" Participants will include Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine Volodymyr Sayenko; Member of the Board of the Assembly of Agricultural Chambers, Chairman of the Board of Kyiv Regional Agrarian Chamber Oksana Ustymenko; Chairman of the NGO Union for Protection of Entrepreneurship Serhiy Dorotych; human rights activist, Director of the Institute for Trade Union Development Mykhailo Chaplyha; Director of the International and Domestic Policy Program at the Analytical Center "Ukrainian Institute of the Future" Yuriy Romanenko (8/5a Reitarska Street). Registration of journalists with press cards on the spot.
In our personal opinion, shoe designer Tamara Mellon's eponymous, post-Jimmy Choo collection is way chicer than Choo's shoes have ever beenso we're stoked to welcome Mellon's third U.S. store, in Union Square.

Plus, buzzy denim and essentials brand AYR has arrived on Fillmore Street; The Assembly is hosting a warehouse sale of women-owned businesses; and more Bay Area style news.

Tamara Mellon steps out with a San Francisco store. (Courtesy of Tamara Mellon) Union Square is now home to storefront number-three for Tamara Mellon's almost four-year-old namesake luxury footwear brand (L.A. and NYC are older siblings). The Insta-ready store is literally filled with walls of shoes, refreshed on the regular thanks to weekly product drops. The seriously shop-able space is designed to mirror Mellon's personal shoe closet. (You just know the Jimmy Choo co-founder and fashion boss has one damn fine collection.) Plus, because of her longstanding relationships with family-run factories in Italy, TM's pumps, sandals, sneakers, flats, and handbags are without the crazy markups that usually come with designer bootie. Still, they are investment pieces. Prices range from $385 for kidskin leather pumps (swoon) to $695 for chic mid-calf suede boots. We love that each purchase comes with two-year complimentary cobbler service. // 245 Post St. (Union Square), tamaramellon.com

The makings of a timeless wardrobe await at AYR, Pac Height's newest resident. (Courtesy of AYR) Hello, AYR (pronounced like "air")! We're so excited you decided to open a boutique in SF. Your cool and "all year-round" (get it?) essentials are pitch-perfect for us Northern-California folkand we're hella into your brand's commitment to making high-quality, low-maintenance pieces designed for heavy wardrobe rotation. AYR denim, tees, outerwear, and button-ups consistently score raves from many of the ladies whose style we admirethink Emma Stone, Mandy Moore, and Laura Dernand it doesn't hurt that Vogue called the jeans "a gift from the denim gods." The store itselflocated in the former Superga spot on Fillmoreis bright, minimalist, and easy to shop. A few of the pieces that caught our eye? The Supercool ($65), the Lil Dude ($245) and the Robe ($595), a piece that broke the Internet a few years back. // 2326 Fillmore St. (Pacific Heights), ayr.com

Assemble your squad and shop a women-owned warehouse sale on Saturday. (Courtesy of The Assembly) If scoring fashion treasure from women-owned Bay Area brands at, ahem, up to 80 percent off sounds like a plan, make it your mission to get to The Assembly on Saturday, February 22nd. Deep discounts come courtesy of these local labels and retailers: Ali Golden, Bells & Becks, Frances Austen, Gravel & Gold, Jenny Pennywood, Kin Label, Le Point, Micaela Greg, Modern Citizen, and Voyager Shop. The event is free from noon to 3pm, but those with the eye of the tiger and/or type-A shopping genes may want to cough up $10 for early access, giving you first dibs from 10am to noon (sign up here). We suggest wearing comfy shoes and your best game face. // 449 14th St. (Mission), theassembly.com
Selbyville, Delaware, Feb. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



According to latest report Industrial Sensors Market by Product (Level Sensors, Temperature Sensors, Flow Sensors, Position Sensors, Pressure Sensors, Force Sensors, Image Sensors, Gas Sensors), Application (Energy & Power, Oil & Gas, Mining, Chemical, Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical), Regional Outlook, Competitive Market Share & Forecast 2026, by Global Market Insights, Inc., the market valuation of industrial sensors will reach $30 billion by 2026.

The industrial sensors market growth is attributed to the growing adoption of industrial automation in the manufacturing sector to increase production capability and gather real-time data of various operations. Adding to this, the integration of cloud computing technologies with industrial sensors to offer enhanced results for manufacturing facilities and environment will positively impact global market demand.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/4271

The level sensor product segment will witness a growth rate of over 5% through 2026 due to increasing adoption of the sensors for various industrial applications for leakage detection, pump control, and overfill detection. The growing implementation of automated machines in industries will accelerate the demand for level sensors for control and safety applications. Other than this, force sensors are experiencing a huge demand from the petroleum industry as these sensors monitor the fuel level for large tanks and containers and reduce the risk of overflow.

The energy and power application segment accounted for 7% industrial sensors market share in 2019 and will register around 7% gains during the next few years. The increasing market share is attributed to the growing adoption of IoT technology in energy and power applications. The integration of new technology into sensor modules helps to analyze and transfer data in real time for several parameters including flow rate, temperature, and pressure.

The integration of IoT into energy and power applications helps to increase reliability, robustness, and durability of operations; therefore, rising investments in the power sector will create an opportunity to enhance the demand for advanced sensing solutions. This will add an advantage to the market growth. According to IEA, in 2018, power investment in the U.S. increased by 8% where renewable energy rose by 16% with the availability of federal tax credits, corporate procurement, and decreasing cost of solar PV.

Europe industrial sensors market is poised to witness more than 6% CAGR between 2020 and 2026 due to growing digitalization of the manufacturing sector in Germany. The companies are adopting advanced machinery and materials to modernize their manufacturing operations and improve their competitiveness against China-based companies. This will drive the market revenue in the region.

Make an Inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/4271

Some major findings of the industrial sensors market report include:

The increasing adoption of IoT in various industrial applications will boost the demand for industrial applications.

Manufacturers are progressively adopting transformation with industry 4.0 to enhance their operation capability. Also, it will increase the adoption of various industrial sensors to analyze data and reduce the need for human intervention.

The rising demand for consumer electronics in Asia Pacific, majorly in China and India is creating lucrative opportunities for electronics manufacturers. This will add an opportunity for the implementation of industrial sensors.

Technological advancement in flow sensors with the implementation of coriolos, ultrasonic, and electromagnetic technologies will drive their demand in power plants and oil refineries.

Pharmaceutical application requires enhanced monitoring of temperature-sensitive drugs, weight, and chemicals composition of ingredients. This will drive the market for industrial sensors in pharmaceutical applications.

Some of the key players operating in the industrial sensors market include STMicroelectronics N.V., NXP Semiconductors, TE Connectivity., Infineon Technologies AG, Analog Devices, Inc, AMS AG, Honeywell International Inc., Sensirion AG, and Omron Corporation.

Table of Contents (ToC) of the report:

Chapter 3 Industrial Sensors Market Insights

3.1 Industry segmentation

3.2 Industry landscape

3.3 Industry ecosystem analysis

3.3.1 Manufacturers

3.3.2 Distribution channel analysis

3.3.3 Vendor landscape

3.3.4 End-use landscape

3.4 Technology & innovation landscape

3.4.1 Internet of Things (IoT)

3.4.2 Cloud computing

3.4.3 Advanced 3D optical sensing

3.5 Regulatory landscape

3.5.1 International Standards

3.5.1.1 IEC 60068

3.5.1.2 IEC 61508

3.5.1.3 North America

3.5.1.3.1 Industries of the Future Act of 2020, U.S.

3.5.1.3.2 UL 61010-1 Safety Requirements for Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control and Laboratory Use

3.5.1.3.3 OSHA

3.5.1.4 Europe

3.5.1.4.1 The Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive 2002/95/E

3.5.1.5 Asia Pacific

3.5.1.5.1 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (2002/96/EC)

3.5.1.5.2 Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA)

3.5.1.5.3 KC Certification, South Korea

3.6 Industry impact forces

3.6.1 Growth drivers

3.6.2 Industry pitfalls and challenges

3.7 Growth potential analysis

3.8 Porters analysis

3.9 Competitive landscape, 2019

3.9.1 Strategy dashboard

3.9.1.1 R&D/New product development landscape

3.9.1.2 Partnerships/Acquisitions

3.10 PESTEL analysis

Browse Complete Table of Contents (ToC) @

https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/industrial-sensors-market

About Global Market Insights

Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.

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DARIEN  News that the family of one of the 16-year-olds accused of cheating on exams had hired an attorney prompted some outrage and accusations of entitlement this week.

But that attorney, Stamford-based Mark Sherman, responded Wednesday that the family is protecting its rights. On Tuesday, he said the family has hired him to investigate and possibly challenge the school districts handling of the penalties assigned to the teenager.

While the district showed measured discretion and compassion in setting the punishment ceiling for the accused students, we are looking into the disparate treatment of these students, especially in the context of federally mandated due process accommodations that should be considered, Sherman said Tuesday.

The announcement of his hiring drew swift reaction.

Does anything scream entitlement more than hiring a lawyer after your child enters a faculty office, steals an exam, and then disseminates the answers to the grade? This family should be embarrassed that they are defending their childs actions instead of taking the punishment handed to him/her, one person wrote on Facebook.

This is really teaching the child a lot. ... steal a test and share the stolen test and you hire a lawyer to get out of it, another person wrote.

Unfortunately, this move will not only reopen the wounds but rub salt in them as well. Disgraceful, another person commented.

Sherman on Wednesday said his law firm was engaged only after good faith efforts were exhausted by his client, referencing meetings with the high school principal and superintendent.

Sherman, who on Tuesday described the schools reaction as a dumpster fire of a discipline process explained that if the school is going to review each students discipline on a case-by-case basis, then the punishment should fairly reflect each students level of responsibility.

Sherman emphasized that engaging a lawyer does not reflect entitlement or even mean a lawsuit will be filed.

When the district takes unilateral action that impacts their child and possibly their educational trajectory, a family is entitled to understand their rights, he said. While the district was measured and fair in setting the ceiling for the maximum punishments, we are looking into whether the Darien school discipline here was equitable in light of each students level or lack of involvement.

At a Feb. 4 Board of Education meeting, Darien Schools Superintendent Alan Addley told parents and the board that a number of students entered the Language Arts and Social Studies faculty offices and copied the answers to the multiple-choice portions of those exams.

It was determined that these answers were widely disseminated through social media, Addley said, adding that up to 280 to 300 students could have been impacted.

The pervasiveness and issues of fairness of the incident led the administration to believe the most reasonable action is to re-administer the multiple-choice parts of the exam, he said.

Addley said this is consistent with practices of other standardized tests such as the SAT and AP exams, though several parents objected. Many said it was punishing several incident students for the guilt of few.

Darien schools are on vacation this week. Addley said he had not yet heard from Sherman and had not been aware he had been hired.
According to the Census Bureau, more than 15 percent of American adults speak a language other than English. Some may work in the medical field or have to make personal medical decisions, which could be unknowingly affected by language. Ditto in the legal field; in experiments involving 36 adult Spanish and English speakers, Caldwell-Harris found that using a nonnative language might skew the results of polygraph tests. Both experts mention people who work for the United Nations who might be attending meetings  and making decisions  in foreign-language settings. Language can also make advertising more or less effective, depending on whether you want the item to have an emotional tug (use the native language) or be thought about with care (use the nonnative one), based on a study that looked at more than 380 university students and community members in Belgium and the Netherlands.
RUSD officials are moving forward with plans for the district's $23 million aquatic center with construction expected to begin this spring.
" " The landmark Suleymaniye Mosque is the largest mosque in Istanbul and was built on the order of Sultan Suleiman (Suleiman the Magnificent) during the Ottoman Empire. Izzet Keribar/Getty Images

The Ottoman Empire was one of the largest superpowers and longest-lived dynasties in world history. At its height, the Islamic empire extended far beyond modern-day Turkey  from Egypt and Northern Africa through the Middle East, Greece, the Balkans (Bulgaria, Romania, etc.), and right up to the gates of Vienna, Austria.

In the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire was not only a dominant military force, but a diverse and multicultural society. The glory wouldn't last, however, and after centuries of political crises, the Ottoman Empire was finally dismantled after World War I.

So, what led to its downfall? First, let's go back to its beginnings.

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It All Started with Osman

Osman Gazi is known as the father of the Ottoman dynasty, the first in a long line of military leaders and sultans who came to rule the Ottoman Empire for six centuries. In fact, the word Ottoman in English derives from the Italian pronunciation of Osman's name.

Osman was born in 1258 in the Anatolian town of Sogut (in modern-day Turkey). He led one of many small Islamic principalities in the region at the time, but Osman wasn't satisfied with a provincial kingdom. He raised an army of fierce frontier warriors known as Ghazis and marched against Byzantine strongholds in Asia Minor.

According to Ottoman lore, Osman had a dream in which all the known world was unified under Ottoman rule, symbolized by the canopy of a massive tree rising from his body and covering the world. This vision, first published 150 years after Osman's death, provided divine authority for the Ottoman conquests to come, explained historian Caroline Finkel in "Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire."

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The Gunpowder Empire

In 1453, Sultan Mehmed II, aka Mehmed the Conqueror, laid siege to the greatly weakened Byzantine capital of Constantinople. Although its population had dwindled, the fabled city still had its impenetrable walls. But the Ottomans came prepared with a new type of weaponry: cannons.

"The Ottomans were some of the first to employ artillery on a mass scale in the 15th century," says Chris Gratien, a history professor at the University of Virginia and co-creator of the Ottoman History Podcast. Mehmed bombarded the fortified city walls for weeks before his army broke through, making Constantinople (later Istanbul) the new Ottoman capital, which it would remain for over four centuries.

By unseating the Byzantine Empire, Sultan Mehmed could claim his place in the Roman imperial tradition. It's at this moment, historians believe, that the Ottoman Empire was born.

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A Multicultural Caliphate

The Ottomans and most of their functionaries were Muslim, but the sultans and the ruling elite were strategic and pragmatic about the role of religion in their ever-expanding empire.

For conquests of predominantly Muslim regions like Egypt, the Ottomans established themselves as the true caliphate without completely erasing their Muslim subjects' existing political structure. Non-Muslim communities throughout the Mediterranean governed much of their own affairs under the Ottomans, as Christians and Jews were considered "protected people" in the Islamic political tradition.

Gratien says that the Ottomans were able to successfully govern and maintain such an extensive land empire not only through military might but "a combination of cooption and compromise."

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The Golden Age of the Ottoman Empire

In the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire reached its territorial and political apex under the 46-year rule of Suleiman I, better known as Suleiman the Magnificent, who was intent on making his Mediterranean kingdom a European superpower.

" " A map of the Ottoman Empire showing its expansion from 1481 to 1683. Andre Koehne/CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikimedia

Militarily, this was the "period of peak Ottoman dominance," says Gratien. Suleiman commanded an elite professional fighting force known as the Janissaries. The fighters were taken by force from Christian families as youth, educated and trained as soldiers and made to convert to Islam. Fearless in battle, the Janissaries were also accompanied by some of the world's first military bands.

Suleiman's reign also coincided with a period of great wealth for the Ottoman Empire, which controlled some of the most productive agricultural land (Egypt) and most trafficked trade routes in Europe and the Mediterranean.

But Gratien says that the Age of Suleiman was about more than just power and money; it was also about justice. In Turkish, Suleiman's nickname was Kanuni  "the lawgiver"  and he sought to project the image of a just ruler in the Islamic tradition. In larger towns across the empire, citizens could take their disputes to local Islamic courts, the records of which are still around today. Not just Muslims, but Christians and Jews. And not just men, but women.

"These were places where women could go claim their rights in cases of inheritance or divorce, for example," says Gratien.

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Roxelana and the 'Sultanate of Women'

A fascinating and somewhat overlooked figure in Ottoman history is Roxelana, the wife of Suleiman the Magnificent. As historian Leslie Peirce showed in his book "Empress of the East: How a European Slave Girl Became Queen of the Ottoman Empire," Roxelana, known as Hurrem Sultan in Turkish, ushered in a new age of female political power in the palace, sometimes known as the "Sultanate of Women."

Roxelana was a non-Muslim kidnapped by slavers at 13 and eventually sold into the sultan's harem. According to Ottoman royal tradition, the sultan would stop sleeping with a concubine once she bore him a male heir. But Suleiman stuck with Roxelana, who bore him a total of six children and became one of his closest confidantes and political aides  and perhaps most shockingly, his wife.

Thanks to Roxelana's example, the imperial harem took on a new role as an influential political body, and generations of Ottoman women ruled alongside their sultan husbands and sons.

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Military Decline and Internal Reforms

In 1683, the Ottomans tried for a second time to conquer Vienna but were repulsed by an unlikely alliance of the Hapsburg Dynasty, the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Not only did the Ottomans fail to capture Vienna, but they ended up losing Hungary and other territory in the ensuing war.

The once unbeatable Ottoman fighters suffered loss after loss throughout the 18th and 19th centuries as more Ottoman territories declared independence or were snatched up by neighboring powers like Russia.

But Gratien says that while the Ottoman Empire shrunk in size, it also centralized its government and become more involved in the lives of its citizens. It raised more taxes and opened public schools and hospitals. The economy and population density grew rapidly in the 19th century even as the military suffered painful losses. The Ottoman Empire also became the destination for millions of Muslim immigrants and refugees from former Ottoman lands and neighboring regions.

"Large-scale immigration is associated with places like the United States in the 19th century, but people don't think of the Ottoman Empire as something that was also growing and dynamic during that time," says Gratien.

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The Rise of the 'Young Turks'

In the late 19th century, the Ottoman Empire experimented with a constitutional monarchy and an elected parliament, but that came to end in 1878 when Sultan Abdulhamid II dissolved the democratic institutions and ushered in 30 years of autocratic rule.

Abdulhamid's hardline approach sowed the seeds of revolution, and the leading Ottoman opposition group was the Committee of Union and Progress party (CUP), also known as the "Young Turks." Though its leaders were Turkish nationalists, the CUP formed a coalition of ethnoreligious groups, including Armenians, Jews, Arabs, Greeks and Albanians.

The Young Turks wanted to restore the constitution, limit the monarchy and reestablish the greatness of the empire. Their victory in the 1908 revolution was widely celebrated as a win for liberty, equality, and Ottoman brotherhood. But the revolution quickly soured as factions split and more ardent nationalists consolidated what became increasingly authoritarian rule.

Coinciding with this internal turmoil was the First Balkan War in 1912, in which the Ottomans lost their remaining European territory in Albania and Macedonia. And as World War I approached, the militarily weakened Ottomans threw their fate in with Germany, who they hoped would protect them from their bitter enemy Russia.

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The Armenian Genocide  The Empire's Final Shameful Chapter

With the ultranationalist wing of the Young Turks in charge, the Ottoman government initiated a plan to deport and resettle millions of ethnic Greeks and Armenians, groups whose loyalty to the crumbling empire was in question.

Under the cover of "security concerns," the Ottoman government ordered the arrest of notable Armenian politicians and intellectuals on April 24, 1915, a day known as Red Sunday. What followed was the forced deportation of more than a million Armenian citizens, including death marches across the desert to Syria and alleged massacres by soldiers, irregulars, and other armed groups in the region. In all, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians (out of 2 million in the Ottoman Empire) were killed between 1915 and 1923, according to the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.

" " Members of the local Armenian community in Berlin demonstrate for Turkey's recognition of the Armenian Genocide on its 100th anniversary on April 25, 2015. Turkey vehemently objects to the use of the term 'genocide' in reference to the deaths of the estimated 1.5 million Armenians who were killed by Ottoman Turks in the massacre beginning a century ago to the day. Adam Berry/Getty Images

Most scholars and historians agree that what happened to the Ottoman Armenians constitutes ethnic cleansing and genocide, but Turkey and a number of its allies still refuse to call it by that name.

Defeat in World War I was the final death blow to the Ottoman Empire, but the sultanate wasn't officially dissolved until 1922, when the Turkish nationalist resistance leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk rose to power and established a secular republic. Under his decades-long, one-party rule, Ataturk tried to erase Ottoman institutions and cultural symbols, brought in Western legal codes and laid the foundation for modern Turkey.

Now That's Cool You can thank the Ottoman Empire for popularizing both coffee and coffeehouses way back in the 16th century.
Four Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested at nearby Perundurai for not having proper travel documents, police said.

They were later sent to Puzhal prison in Chennai, the police said.

The four were standing near a Magaliamman temple near Perundurai in Erode district of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday and were interrogated by the police on routine rounds.

On inquiry, one of them identified himself as Farroq Haji (38) employed in SIPCOT as a casual labourer, they said.

The remaining three were Hemul Islam (22), Siraj Haji (45) and Rafiul Islam (35). None of them had proper documents, they said.

So, the police arrested them and checked the premises where the four were residing on rent.

All the four were produced before the Judicial Magistrate and remanded them in judicial custody for 15 days, the police said.

Further investigations are on, they added.

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that instead of keeping departments himself, he prefers to monitor the work of each of his cabinet ministers.

"I feel the duty of a Chief Minister is to keep an eye on other ministers and, hence, I have distributed the portfolios to the ministers," Kejriwal said in response to a media query about him not keeping any portfolio.

The Delhi Chief Minister was also criticised by the opposition during his last stint for not keeping any ministry/department with himself. He was jeered as "Minister without a portfolio" by the opposition.

This time around, too, Kejriwal has not kept any department with him.

He also said, "Today, I had a meeting with the secretaries and ministers of all departments of the Delhi government wherein discussions were held on the 10 guarantees."

"In the meeting, departments have been directed to prepare a presentation within a week on the guarantee for which they are responsible. In the presentation they have to specify the timeline and the budget needed to fulfil their allotted guarantee," the Chief Minister added.

He further said that after one week another meeting will be held with each department and the budget demanded by them will be presented to the public via media.

"The budget as demanded by the departments will be included in the upcoming state Budget," he added.

He also said that the Cabinet has decided to hold a three-day Assembly session of the new government from February 24.

Arvind Kejriwal also spoke to the reporters about the meeting held with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

He said, "The meeting with Amit Shah was held in a cordial atmosphere. We held discussions on various issues and we agreed that the central government and Delhi government need to work together for the development of Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
To influence the outcome of his friend Roger Stones sentencing and discredit Judge Jackson, he accused her of being prejudiced against Mr. Stone and lied about her judicial record. And though the Bureau of Prisons sets conditions of confinement, he dishonestly blamed Judge Jackson for sentencing Paul Manafort to solitary confinement.
The Netflix "Kingdom" second season premiere is less than a month away! And lots of fans and viewers are excited to watch it already. "Kingdom" is a zombie sageuk that happened in the Joseon era. In English language literature, sageuk is referring to historical films and television series.

The drama series "Kingdom" is a mystery thriller that addresses a zombie apocalypse taking place in the Joseon era. To continue the first season of the series, the second season will follow the crown prince's battle to keep his people safe while feeling as though he can't trust anyone.

In the teaser shown, the second season will start from where the first season ended. Having the crown prince Lee Chang portrayed by Joo Ji Hoon looking in great fear at zombies that don't go to sleep during the day time like they used to before and instead they just keep on charging and attacking ahead. While Prime minister Jo Hak Joo played by Ryu Seung Ryong still continues to push Lee Chang into a corner and Seo Bi portrayed by Bae Doona is being close to the symptoms and cause of the zombie outbreak. The crown prince Lee Chang seems to be more firm than before as he said that they must save the people and asking everyone if they would follow him.

After encountering their very long journey, Lee Chang was seen aiming his sword at the throne and claims that the palace does not belong to them referring to The Queen portrayed by Kim Hye Joon who is at the other end of the sword as she gives him a silly smile while looking down at Prince Lee Chang.

In the teaser, the tagline was tagged as "Face off against the living and stop the dead". It reflects on the hardships that Prince Lee Chang has to face to repel the zombie outbreak at the same time having to deal with the Jo family's greed and ambition. Lastly in the final scene of the teaser shows Lee Chang saying, "They used to disappear when the sun rose," and looking back into a dark void as the sound of zombies nears."

Here is more information about the upcoming series "Kingdom" season 2:

Drama: Kingdom Season 2

Revised romanization: Kingdeom Seuszen 2

Hangul:   2

Director: Kim Sung-Hoon

Writer: Kim Eun-Hee (webcomic & screenplay), Yang Kyung-Il (cartoon)

Network: Netflix

Release Date: March 13, 2020

Language: Korean

Country: South Korea

The series is constructed from the webcomic "Burning Hell Shinui Nara" written by Kim Eun-Hee& Yang Kyung-Il as the illustrator. It was published last July 23, 2015, by RHK.

The First script reading and traditional ceremony to bring about good fortune were held last February 8, 2019.

Filming of the "Kingdom" season 2 started last February 12, 2019.

The cast of the drama:

Ju Ji-Hoon as Lee Chang

Bae Doo-Na as Seo-Bi

Ryoo Seung-Ryong as Jo Hak-Joo

Kim Hye-Jun as Queen

Kim Sang-Ho as Moo-Young

Kim Sung-Kyu as Young-Shin

Heo Jun-Ho as An Hyun

Jun Suk-Ho as Jo Beom-Pal

Park Byung-Eun as Min Chi-Rok

"Kingdom" scheduled to make its premiere on March 13 via Netflix.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope that the next meeting of the Normandy Four would take place in April this year. His optimism is not shared by the current Foreign Minister, Vadym Prystaiko: the meeting will take place, he says, but maybe not in April. Maybe later.

Or it is generally unknown when, Putin adds. A spokesman for the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, says that first of all, you must "at least re-read the Paris document (that is, adopted at the summit on December 9, 2019 in the French capital) and try to reflect on whether something has been done."

In other words, Moscow is hinting: Kyiv has not completed its homework. Consequently, it will be punished by the lack of continuation of the Normandy epic. It does not matter that President Zelensky brought to Munich a whole package of new proposals that Putin might like.

The Ukrainian guarantor is determined to be described in history as a man who managed to stop the Russian-Ukrainian war. Zelensky takes 5 years on this mission (of which the first year is coming to an end soon). But Putins plans are diametrically opposed and do not coincide with Zelenskys intentions. We want to live. Our neighbors want to see us dead. This leaves not too much space for compromise, the legendary Golda Meir once said.

Volodymyr Zelensky could have subscribed to these words if he had not been so busy erecting a monument to himself. In any case, he really does not have much space for a compromise with Putin. Another question is whether our president understands this.

What does Zelensky offer

The topic of Ukraine was far from central one at the Munich Conference. However, when it came to it, a scandal arose. Everyone started discussing the informal 12 Steps project, which appeared on the events website and was designed to phase out the war.

This plan was developed by the former head of the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain Desmond Brown, the head of the Munich Conference Wolfgang Ischinger, Senator from Georgia State Samuel Nunn, and the former Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Ivanov. The Ukrainian side put forward a diplomat Vasyl Filipchuk.

One of these steps involves launching a new dialogue about Ukrainian identity. The patriotic public saw in this wording the need to consult, in particular, with Poland and Hungary (regarding language and education), not to mention Russia.

With the help of Oksana Zabuzhko, the document began to be compared with the Munich conspiracy of 1938, which divided Czechoslovakia. But this was only a warm-up before the speech of Volodymyr Zelensky. His performance excited if not Munich, then Kyiv for sure.

Zelensky promised the following. First of all, local elections in the fall, which will be held (attention!) throughout Ukraine simultaneously. He also announced readiness for dialogue with the "civilian population" of occupied Ukraine, but not with the leaders of the fake republics.

He promised to soon propose a plan for the sectoral disengagement of forces. And also - to conduct a large-scale exchange of prisoners with the Russian Federation. He supported the idea of joint patrolling of the border together with representatives of the occupation forces, as well as with the OSCE. In fact, Zelensky presented the dowry with which he was ready to go to matchmaking in Normandy.

But what will be the effect of such a matchmaking? Bogdan Petrenko, deputy director of the Ukrainian Institute for the Study of Extremism, notes that history already knows cases of joint patrols and the withdrawal of forces.

I know only one example when the troops were separated and a demilitarized zone arose between them, Petrenko says. This is not a good experience, because the two countries are sitting opposite each other, pointing their weapons at a neighbor - I mean North and South Korea "What will it lead to? We are just preserving the situation that exists now."

Regarding joint patrolling, there was such an experience in Serbia and Croatia, during the reintegration of Vukovar into Croatia, but its impossible to say that this contributed to a final reconciliation. Conflicts erupt from time to time there, "the expert adds.

By the way, Petrenko reminds: the withdrawal of troops is not at all spelled out in the Minsk agreements. Zelensky had already disengaged (or rather, withdrawn) troops, and this led to an aggravation of public sentiment. The situation may be repeated a second time.

Russia will agree to a Normandy format meeting only if Ukraine fulfills the conditions which it has signed, Petrenko comments. This, in particular, is Steinmeiers formula. But its problematic to implement it, because the formula will have to be implemented in legislation. And this will have an extremely negative reaction in Ukrainian society - such as occurred during the withdrawal of troops."

But the director of the Ukrainian Institute for Political Analysis and Management Ruslan Bortnyk believes that Zelenskys proposals may interest the Russian side. But on one condition - if the Ukrainian president spoke sincerely.

Its difficult to predict the outcome of the Normandy format meeting, Bortnyk believes. Everything will depend on how its other participants, especially Russia, evaluate the new initiatives of the President of Ukraine. The one of them, for example, regarding sectoral separation of forces. As well as joint patrolling. And if this is the tip of the iceberg, and under the tip really lies the desire to achieve peace through a discussion of compromises, then such a meeting can be very successful. But if it's just rhetoric without concrete plans, then Normandy format meetings are at big question. "

Trying to decide ...

Andriy Zolotarev, the head of the Third Sector Center, is convinced that the Normandy format meeting may fail, although "the situation is not in Russia's favor, because France and Germany have a vision that the Minsk agreements require adjustment." But the breakdown will happen due to inconsistency of positions: "one side believes that first there should be elections, and then control over the border, and the other side believes the opposite: first, control over the border, and then elections."

Moreover, says Zolotarev, inconsistency exists not only between Ukraine and Russia, but also between Ukraine and ... Ukraine. "There is a statement by Yermak that Ukraine is ready for the elections, but there is also a statement by Reznikov that Ukraine does not refuse the Minsk agreements, but cannot fulfill them," he notes.

Actually, everything is not like this. The new head of the Presidents Office, Andriy Yermak and the candidate for ministers of the occupied territories (who is also the representative of Ukraine in the Tripartite Contact Group), Oleksiyi Reznikov, do not demonstrate significant contradictions. Although Reznikov is more categorical, he states that the Minsk agreements need to be revised, in particular, the last two clauses of the agreements should be swapped so that the elections in the temporarily occupied territories will be held after the establishment of Ukrainian control over them.

Yermak also allegedly recognizes the primacy of borders over elections, but at the same time announces their holding. "I hope that we will take the following steps so that local elections under Ukrainian law take place throughout Ukraine in late October," said the presidential aide.

As for Zelensky himself, recalling that Auschwitz-Birkenau was released by fighters of the 100th Lviv Division of the 1st Ukrainian Front he angered Putin, Zolotarev believes. And even suggests that if the Normandy format meeting is disrupted, then also because of the presidents words spoken in Auschwitz.

In general, Zelensky squeezed out everything that was possible, but then he has neither political resources, nor sufficient support from outside and inside the country to come to some kind of decision. At the same time, he cannot but understand that the implementation of the Minsk agreements is actually the path to the federalization of Ukraine. And this means to keep Ukraine on the hook - in the zone of Russia's geopolitical interests," said Andriy Zolotarev.

But not Zelensky is to blame for this situation, but Petro Poroshenko. Actually, the Minsk agreement belongs to his authorship. It was Poroshenko who signed the de facto surrender of Ukraine. Even Russian experts said that they were very surprised by both the first and second Minsk agreements - Ukraine could bargain for better conditions. If Poroshenko thought that the Minsk site is a market where Putin can be the fool, he was mistaken, "summarizes Zolotarev.

Kyiv vs Moscow

Now Zelensky must consider the legacy of his predecessor. And achieve progress in the Normandy format. If only such advances are possible.

From a technical point of view, Zelenskys statement on joint patrolling means a compromise, says Bogdan Petrenko. But the question is whether Russia will make a step forward - even having such a compromise. The answer to this seems to be negative, especially against the backdrop of a decrease in European interest to Ukraines problems. Russia will not take any reintegration actions with respect to Donbas until the final legal status of Crimea is decided. That is, until Ukraine declares that Crimea is Russian. If it does not happen again, the Russian Federation will again use Donbas as a trigger.

To the words of his colleague Ruslan Bortnyk adds the following: Zelensky urgently needs a meeting of the Normandy four. Or, at least, an exchange of held persons. For only in the subject of war and peace can he demonstrate this or that effectiveness. Because the topic of the fight against corruption is blocked by his partners, and the topic of achieving economic success and increasing social welfare has been blocked by our creditors. But progress is possible on the topic of war and peace, so at least an imitation of certain steps is needed for this."

That is why, perhaps, Zelensky recently called his namesake in the Kremlin. This telephone conversation was interpreted very differently by official sources in Kyiv and Moscow. The latter once again emphasized that there is an internal conflict in Ukraine, and this, they say, was the subject of a conversation between the two presidents. Whereas in the Zelensky Office they accentuated on another - in particular, on the exchange of prisoners.

For Zelensky its important not to reintegrate Donbas as to carry out his humanitarian mission, says Bogdan Petrenko. Not to stop the shelling (which is impossible), but to return the hostages (which is possible). And the hostages add him a rating. That is why he is trying to knock out as many of these ratings from Putin as possible."

At the same time, the expert adds, Zelensky understands that Russia will not just compromise its interests. Therefore, in February 2020, we have a slightly different Zelensky than the one that was in December 2019 - before the Normandy format meeting. "The impulse to please Putin has diminished, but the belief that an agreement can still be reached is still present."

But faith itself is not enough for success. Therefore, there will be no progress, says political analyst Kyrylo Sazonov. The positions of the parties have not changed, and they are too different. Let us recall the Crimea, recall the position on the amnesty for the militants - these two reasons are enough to exclude all kinds of concessions. Most likely, everything will end with the traditional agreed to negotiate. The Kyiv scenario is unacceptable for Moscow, the Moscow scenario is the same for Kyiv. The parties are doomed not to agree. 

Paris & Berlin

But such a situation (with endlessly ongoing negotiations) should be profitable for the other two members of the Normandy Four - France and Germany. "The local bureaucrats love long negotiations. For them it is very comfortable: the problem has not been resolved, but the process continues, and there is something to tell the voters about," Sazonov says ironically.

Its not worth counting on these countries anymore, he continues. Especially on Germany, where "German business wants to do business with Russia. It cares about its own interest, not about Ukraine. Our allies now are rather the Baltic countries and Poland, as well as the United States."

Bogdan Petrenko adheres to approximately the same point of view. Angela Merkel, he says, is more occupied with the internal situation and the search for a man who will act as her successor. And "Macron, as it seems, is trying by all possible efforts to return Russia to the circle of countries worthy of a handshake. Moreover, Europe is interested in the Russian Federation with its hydrocarbons returning to European markets."

"Both France and Germany want Russia and Ukraine to somehow get along, and in this situation they would already skim the cream," Petrenko sums up.

Andriy Zolotarev is angry with the allies. He also recalls the well-known scandal in which US President Donald Trump was involved, who blackmailed Zelensky by not providing assistance of $ 400 million. But the political scientist emphasizes that Germany did the same. Indeed, at the end of December 2019, Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko spoke about Germanys refusal to provide military assistance to Ukraine.

But, as Kyrylo Sazonov emphasizes, in order to receive assistance from the Western countries (and only military one), Ukraine must learn to be interesting for them, and not just demonstrate its pain points. So Andrzej Duda built a military base for the Americans, called it Trumps Fort. Trump personally came to the opening - he really liked everything. Ukraine should do something like that.

To a clarifying question, what exactly should we do, Sazonov replies that we could, for example, "attract American investors for gas production and transportation. And why not, Europe is very close, and the Americans will be interested." Actually, the project, according to which liquefied gas from the USA and Qatar enters the Polish LNG terminal is already in effect. And in December last year, the Polish company PGNiG and the American ERU Management Services signed an agreement with Ukraine on the exploration and exploitation of gas fields in the Lviv region.
Vientiane, Feb 20 : Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met ASEAN Secretary-General, Philippine and Singaporean foreign ministers here on Wednesday night to discuss the joint combat against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.

During his meeting with ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi, Wang said the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease to be held on Thursday will send a positive signal that China and ASEAN countries are fighting the COVID-19 epidemic together, and China-ASEAN relations will further develop, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Public health is a common cause crossing national borders, and China is willing to enhance cooperation with ASEAN in this area, so as to inject new content to China-ASEAN relations, Wang said.

The Chinese side hopes the ASEAN Secretariat will continue to lead and coordinate ASEAN to firmly pursue China-friendly policies, and play an active role in pushing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to be signed as scheduled, he added.

For his part, Lim said that China is an important strategic partner of ASEAN. In face of the novel coronavirus epidemic, ASEAN firmly stands with China.

ASEAN is willing to work with China to strengthen cooperation on health security in the frameworks of ASEAN-China (10+1) and ASEAN-China-Japan-South Korea (10+3), he added.

Next year is the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations, Lim said, the ASEAN Secretariat is willing to actively push forward the docking of China's Belt and Road Initiative and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025.

While meeting Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Wang said the Philippine government has offered firm support to China in fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic. He believed that the friendship and trust between the peoples of the two countries will be deepened and strengthened after standing the test of the battle against the epidemic.

Wang said China attaches great importance to developing ties with the Philippines and will as always support the Philippines in safeguarding its own legitimate rights and interests.

Wang thanked the Philippines, which serves as a coordinating country for China-ASEAN relations, for its organising and coordinating work for Thursday's Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease, which will send out a clear signal that China and ASEAN are joining hands to meet the common challenge, and they will explore and reach new consensus on boosting cooperation on regional health.

Locsin said the Philippine government and its people speak highly of and support the effective measures China has taken to fight the epidemic.

The Foreign Secretary said the Philippines will do its best to work for the unity and cooperation between China and ASEAN.

During his meeting with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Wang said he hopes Thursday's Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease will not only explore on ways to cope with the epidemic, but also push forward the cooperation on public health in the region and promote the capacity of regional countries in meeting the challenges of public health such as this epidemic.

Wang thanked the support Singapore has provided to China in fighting the disease which once again embodies the excellent tradition between the two countries of always supporting and helping each other in difficult times.

Wang said the friendship between the two countries will be deepened in fighting the epidemic and the cooperation between the two countries will be widened after the epidemic.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two sides and China is ready to maintain high-level exchanges with Singapore, Wang said.

For his part, Balakrishnan said China has been dealing with the epidemic with a highly responsible manner and taking measures rarely seen in the world. China has also shared information with the international community at the first moment, thus offering valuable help to countries including Singapore.

Singapore highly appreciates and respects China's arduous endeavour and sacrifice, said the Singaporean minister, adding that his country would continue to firmly support China.

Singapore is willing to promote communication and cooperation with China, sparing no effort in decreasing the effects caused by the epidemic, in order to restore normal exchanges, Balakrishnan said.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Singapore and China, the Singapore side expects to frequent high-level exchanges with China, steadily push forward the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, actively promote the RCEP and participate in the Belt and Road Initiative cooperation, he noted.

Wang is in Vientiane, capital of Laos, for the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease and the fifth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Thursday.
By Express News Service

KURNOOL: Ushering in a new era of reforms in the medical and health sector in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday launched the Nadu-Nedu scheme in government hospitals and the third phase of YSR Kanti Velugu, which will benefit 56.88 lakh senior citizens.

All government hospitals in the State will be developed, bringing them on a par with corporate ones within three years, Jagan said, addressing his first public meeting in Kurnool as Chief Minister. All hospitals in Andhra Pradesh will meet the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS), he added.

Just like in the Nadu-Nedu programme in government schools, photos of all government hospitals showing the existing conditions will be displayed, and after three years, another set of photos will be taken and displayed to depict the transformation. The makeover will be undertaken in three phases at a cost of Rs 15,337 crore.

In the first phase, the focus will be on 7,458 health sub-centres. New buildings will be constructed for 4,906 of them, and facilities at the rest will be improved. This is expected to cost Rs 1,129 crore.

In the second phase, the focus will be on 1,145 primary health centres (PHCs), with 149 of them getting new buildings, and 989 getting modern infrastructure. Simultaneously, facilities at 169 community health centres (CHCs) will be upgraded at a cost of Rs 1,212 crore, and 52 area hospitals will be modernised at an estimated cost of Rs 700 crore.

In the third phase, district hospitals and teaching hospitals will be transformed, and super-specialty hospitals and medical and nursing colleges will be built at a cost of Rs 12,300 crore, the Chief Minister said.

Since Independence, the State has had just 11 teaching hospitals. This is now set to change. Sixteen new medical colleges will be built, giving the State one such facility in each of the 25 parliamentary constituencies. In addition to this, 16 nursing colleges will be set up. This will ensure there are more government doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, PG students and medicos; and ultimately, it is the poor who will benefit, he added.

To ensure there is no shortage of doctors in government hospitals after three years, revolutionary changes have been initiated, the Chief Minister said. No other State in the country is spending so much on healthcare for the poor and middle class. I am proud to say only Andhra Pradesh is doing this, he asserted.

Jagan began his speech by enquiring how his sisters, brothers, and elders are faring, and asked if they received Ammavodi, Rythu Bharosa and enhanced pensions as promised. Avva Thathalu (elderly) have a special place in my heart. What is being done for them is not enough; they must be given more. Today, I am proud to say another step has been taken to help them. In the third phase of the YSR Kanti Velugu scheme, which will go on till July 31, as many as 56,88,420 elderly people will be screened for eye ailments, and free spectacles, medicines and surgeries will be performed for the needy.

Village secretaries will deliver the spectacles at recipients doorsteps, he said, adding that Rs 560 crore will be spent on the programme. The first phase of YSR Kanti Velugu began on October 10, 2019, and 66 lakh students were screened by 60,000 trained personnel. In the second phase, secondary eye tests were conducted on 4.36 lakh students, and spectacles were distributed to 1.5 lakh of them free of cost. As many as 46,000 students suffering from critical eye problems need surgery, and on the request of their parents, these operations will be conducted during the summer vacations after the Class X exams, Jagan said.

Taking a dig at TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister said that though the government has initiated so many schemes to help people, there are some who are suffering stomachache due to jealousy and heartburn.

Unfortunately, there is no medicine for them, he quipped. Jagan concluded his speech by stating he is committed to public health, happiness, and a better future.
Melinda Simmons is concerned by an attempted offensive by Russia-led forces in Ukraine's east.

British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons has called on the Russian Federation to use influence over its proxies to implement Minsk peace agreements on Donbas.

"[I] extremely concerned by reports of [a] sharp increase in ceasefire violations near [the] Zolote disengagement area with heavy weaponry proscribed under Minsk agreements, leading to casualties. Russia must use influence over its proxies to implement Minsk agreements fully," she said on Twitter on February 18.

Read alsoEU calls on Russia to make illegal armed formations in Donbas observe full ceasefire

As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian occupying forces on Tuesday morning attacked Ukrainian defense positions in Donbas, using 120mm mortars proscribed by the Minsk agreements. Under fire cover, the Russian invaders began their offensive operation and attempted to advance across the contact line.

One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another five were wounded amid the fight. The enemy's casualties included four killed and six wounded.
A court challenge to the provincial government's public-sector wage-control bill has entered its final stage.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A court challenge to the provincial government's public-sector wage-control bill has entered its final stage.

Closing arguments began Tuesday in the lawsuit by more than two dozen unions against the Public Services Sustainability Act, which was passed by the Manitoba legislative assembly in 2017 but never proclaimed into law.

Even before the closing arguments began, however, there was controversy when a lawyer acting on behalf of organized labour asked the trial judge to strike references the government's final court submission to a bill before the legislature that would amend the PSSA.

Government lawyers should have raised Bill 9 during the evidence phase of the trial  where it would have faced scrutiny  instead of leaving it to their closing submission, said union lawyer Garth Smorang.

"The position of the plaintiffs (the unions) is that the document should not, therefore, be before the court in any respect," he told Madam Justice Joan McKelvey of Court of Queen's Bench.

The new bill is part of the PSSA's legislative history, and is "unlikely" the PSSA in its current form will become law, responded government lawyer Michael Conner.

Most members of the Manitoba Nurses Union have been without a contract since March 2017. (Boris Minkevich / Winnipeg Free Press files)

McKelvey reserved her decision on the unions' motion.

The PSSA mandates a two-year wage freeze as each new public-sector collective agreement is negotiated. Wage increases are limited to 0.75 per cent and one per cent in the third and fourth years, respectively, of any new deals.

The Manitoba Federation of Labour and 28 unions representing more than 110,000 workers are asking the court to strike down the legislation, introduced as Bill 28 nearly three years ago. They argue it is unconstitutional, as it unfairly denies free collective bargaining.

In November, the government said in its opening statement before the court that the PSSA, which received royal assent on June 2, 2017, may never become law and "is having no legal effect on anyone."

A month earlier, the government sought to adjourn the trial, as it introduced a bill that would have amended the unproclaimed legislation. It later withdrew the adjournment request, and the bill died on the order paper when the session ended.

The new bill (reintroduced in November) would provide the government with more flexibility in how it implements its wage-control legislation.

Manitoba Federation of Labour president Kevin Rebeck says with the threat of Bill 28 hanging over them, union members have signed contracts under duress. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press files)

It would give the provincial cabinet discretion to exempt a collective agreement or portions of an agreement from the law if, for example, the government needed to pay higher wages to attract certain types of workers.

However, the main provisions of the PSSA would remain.

According to the Manitoba Federation of Labour, there are 111,651 workers who are members of the unions involved in the lawsuit. Of those, only 8,865 have reached a collective agreement since Bill 28 was passed.

Most members of the Manitoba Nurses Union, for instance, have been without a contract since March 2017. The collective agreement between the province and its nearly 13,000 civil servants expired in March 2019.

Those who have signed collective agreements following the PSSA's dictates have done so under duress, said MFL president Kevin Rebeck.

If organized labour wins its lawsuit, he expects those unions will demand to go back to the bargaining table to negotiate wages, he said.

"Our hope and expectation is that the judge gives clear direction that returning to the bargaining table is part of the appropriate remedy," Rebeck said Tuesday.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

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Kathmandu, February 19

The government has decided to launch a drive to tell the world that the country is free from the novel coronavirus epidemic so that it can attract as many foreign tourists as possible during the ambitious Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign.

A meeting chaired by the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai made the decision on Tuesday, the ministry informs. The decision is made after the epidemics emergence as a global threat seriously hit the governments campaign of welcoming at least two million tourists in the year. The number of foreigners visiting Nepal has decreased in this January from the figure for the same month last year.

The ministry says it will make audiovisual contents in English, Chinese and Hindi languages and broadcast them on the international media. Minister Bhattarai has directed the officials to make the contents ready in the next three days.

The government has prioritised the campaigns promotion in China as the ministrys decision reads that it will create messages that Nepal is hopeful of Chinas soonest overcoming of the crisis and it is eager to welcome Chinese tourists.

The ministry plans to broadcast such contents on websites and social media outlets of the Nepali government agencies and diplomatic boards and other government and private organisations of the tourism sector.

Meanwhile, social media users have criticised the governments decision citing it tried to create a sense of false security as Nepal also faces the threat.
Photograph: Go Nakamura/Reuters

Mike Bloomberg has been plunged into fresh controversy over his comments on race and transgender people, as scrutiny intensifies over the presidential candidates past remarks ahead of his Democratic debate debut.



On Tuesday, a 2011 PBS interview resurfaced in which Bloomberg stated that there was an enormous cohort of black and Latino males who dont know how to behave in the workplace. And separately, a newly uncovered video from March 2019 showed Bloomberg describing trans rights as being about some guy wearing a dress and whether he, she, or it can go to the locker room with their daughter.

The comments re-emerged as the multibillionaire media mogul faces questions over his other past remarks on race and women, and as he secured a presence in the televised Democratic debates for the first time.

Related: 'I like theater, dining and chasing women': Mike Bloomberg in his own words

A NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll published on Tuesday shows Bloomberg with 19% support among Democrats for the presidential nomination, enough to join the debate stage alongside other leading contenders in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

In the PBS interview, Bloomberg, who was then mayor of New York City, said he supported a program to boost employment prospects for minorities and lamented that blacks and Latinos score terribly in school testing compared to whites and Asians. If you look at our jails, its predominantly minorities.

Bloomberg said some progress had been made but nevertheless, theres this enormous cohort of black and Latino males, age, lets say, 16 to 25, that dont have jobs, dont have any prospects, dont know how to find jobs, dont know what their skillsets are, dont know how to behave in the workplace where they have to work collaboratively and collectively.

Related: Michael Bloomberg has a terrible past. Will his money stop scrutiny into it? | Zaid Jilani

The former mayor added that crime in New York City takes place in minority neighborhoods, with victims and perpetrators of crime virtually all minorities.

Story continues

In a March 2019 video, first reported by BuzzFeed News, Bloomberg criticized Democrats for focusing on transgender rights, saying it was not a winning formula for most people.

If your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress and whether he, she, or it can go to the locker room with their daughter, thats not a winning formula for most people. They care about healthcare, they care about education, they care about safety, and all of those kinds of things.

The revelation comes on the same day Bloombergs campaign released a video touting the former New York mayors record on LGBTQ issues, BuzzFeed notes.

Bloomberg has achieved solid polling numbers despite several previous interviews and comments coming to light that have been viewed as highly problematic.

An audio clip of Bloomberg defending his stop-and-frisk approach to policing in New York from 2015 featured the former mayor attributing 95% of murders to male minorities, 16 to 25. He added: You can just take the description, Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops.

Bloomberg has previously apologized for the use of stop-and-frisk, saying it was overused in New York. His rivals for the Democratic nomination, in particular the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, have accused Bloomberg of being out of step with voters and guilty of attempting to buy the nomination via his vast wealth.

Bloomberg will appear on stage in Wednesdays debate in Las Vegas alongside former vice-president Joe Biden, Sanders, senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar and the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg. Fellow billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is still hoping to qualify.

The Democratic National Committee recently changed its rules for how a candidate qualifies for the debate, opening the door for Bloomberg to be on stage and drawing the ire of some candidates who dropped out of the race for failing to make prior stages.

The candidates were previously required to receive a certain number of campaign contributions to qualify, but Bloomberg, who is worth an estimated $60bn, is not taking donations.

The primetime event will be a stark departure from Bloombergs highly choreographed campaign. He has poured more than $300m into television advertising, a way to define himself for voters without facing criticism.

Bloomberg has barely crossed paths on the trail with his fellow Democrats. He decided to skip the first four voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina in favor of focusing on the 14 states that vote on 3 March and the contests that come afterward.

He rarely mentions his rivals by name, though his campaign is centered on the idea that none of them can beat Donald Trump.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
PORTLAND, Ore. - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement subpoenaed a sheriffs office in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday for information about two Mexican citizens wanted for deportation, a move that is part of a broader escalation of the conflict between federal officials and local government agencies over so-called sanctuary policies.

ICE, the Homeland Security agency responsible for arresting and deporting people in the U.S. illegally, served the Washington County Sheriffs Office in Hillsboro, Oregon, with the subpoenas in an attempt to get more information about two men, including one who has already been released from custody, said ICE spokeswoman Tanya Roman.

Sheriffs Office spokeswoman and deputy Shannon Wilde told The Oregonian/OregonLive their office is going to comply with the subpoena because its valid and was served properly.

Proponents of sanctuary policies say they allow people to feel safe reporting crime without fear of deportation, while those opposed to them say the inability of local law enforcement to co-operate with federal immigration authorities helps shield criminals.

Oregons 1987 sanctuary state law, the nations first, prevents law enforcement from detaining people who are in the U.S. illegally but have not broken any other law. Authorities in the state wont hold in custody those who committed crimes and have finished their sentences to be picked up by federal immigration agents, unless they have a warrant signed by a judge.

A U.S. judge ruled in August that the Trump administration cannot withhold millions of dollars in law enforcement grants from Oregon to force the state to co-operate with U.S. immigration enforcement.

Since January, ICE has issued similar immigration subpoenas in California, Colorado, Connecticut and New York. Tuesdays subpoenas were the first issued in Oregon.

The action means the agency could ask a federal judge to order Washington County to comply and hold it in contempt of court if it doesnt. It was unclear what options were available to the sheriffs office, which is subject to the states sanctuary law.

The subpoenas relate to two separate cases, both involving Mexican nationals, Roman said.

The first person, a 39-year-old man, was sentenced to more than six years in an Oregon prison for sexual abuse. He was transferred to the Washington County Jail last month and ICE filed an immigration detainer asking the jail to hold him. Roman said he currently faces additional charges of displaying a child in sexual conduct, sexual abuse and sodomy. The agency did not provide the mans name.

The second person, a 44-year-old man, was released from the Washington County Jail late last year after serving a sentence for driving under the influence of intoxicants.

Hillsboro, Oregon, the Washington County seat, is about 20 miles (32 kilometres) west of Portland.
MADISON  Broadband is a general term for a mix of technologies that can connect people and machines to the internet.

Those delivery systems range from typically slow dial-up connections to cable and Digital Subscriber Lines, from satellite to public Wi-Fi networks, and from optical fiber to small-cell transmission links for 5G service.

Yet another promising technology is underused broadcast white space, which describes buffer zones between assigned broadcast channels in the spectrum used to transmit electromagnetic waves.

White space may soon become part of the larger tech mosaic for improving broadband service in hard-to-reach parts of the nation, rural Wisconsin and Minnesota included.

The latest step toward making white-space technologies part of the mix came Feb. 5 when Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, asked the full commission to adopt a rule-making process to remove current regulatory hurdles. The FCC is expected to take up the plan Feb. 28.

Pais announcement was supported by an array of groups that believe the cost of bridging societys often-lamented digital divide requires a blend of technologies, especially in areas where laying optical fiber is far too costly.

White space refers to the unused buffers, in this case between television channels, that can be used to carry wireless signals and extend high-speed internet service for homes, businesses, health care systems, emergency services and more.

Its attractive as a rural broadband option because it can operate at speeds four times faster than Wi-Fi and reach up to 16 times farther.

Wireless white-space signals can travel over hills, through foliage and buildings, the same qualities that have long allowed rural communities to get strong television signals.

White space is viewed as less expensive because the equipment needs are less elaborate than fiber-optic cable or transmitters that must be more densely situated to work. It can cost $30,000 per mile for fiber-optic cable under normal conditions, more over more rugged terrain, which is why internet service providers have been hesitant to install last-mile fiber lines in sparsely populated areas.

An estimated 34 million Americans lack an affordable, reliable internet connection, according to Connect Americans Now, and 19.4 million of them live in rural America. Those who are connected often dont enjoy speeds that allow efficient uploads and downloads, or they pay prices that may be prohibitive.

Two years ago, a bipartisan group of Wisconsin legislators got behind resolutions to encourage the guaranteed availability of at least three white-space bands on an unlicensed basis in every U.S. market.

However, governing those channels (television bands 2 through 35) is a province of the FCC, which is why Pais decision to force the issue with the rest of federal commission is critical.

His proposal would specifically permit higher transmit power and higher antennas for fixed white space devices in rural areas, thus allowing white space devices to reach users at greater distances. Higher power would enhance signal ability to penetrate foliage, buildings and other obstacles.

The National Association of Broadcasters, which had been worried about interference to existing broadcast channels from white-space internet, now appears willing to work with the FCC on the latest proposal.

Groups that applauded Pais notice represent a loose-knit alliance of the broadband disconnected.

They included agriculture (The National Grange and Midwest Food Products Association), education (the Consortium for School Networking and the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition); health care (the American Telemedicine Association) and about 10 business and innovation groups. School districts in some parts of the country already use white space to provide internet service to students so they can do their homework.

Its possible Wisconsin could soon see similar white-space pilot projects. In part, thats because Wisconsin ranks only behind California in the amount of federal matching dollars available for broadband projects of all descriptions. Those dollars are assigned through the FCCs Connect America Fund 2.

Tech giant Microsoft has also announced interest in making Wisconsin a test case. Microsoft is a major supporter of the Connected Americans Now group, and Microsoft President Brad Smith is a native of Appleton.

(Pais) notice is an important step forward towards bringing broadband to more people in rural America, Smith said via Twitter.

Television white space for internet is no longer a bunch of static. It has moved a step closer to helping provide better, faster and less expensive broadband coverage to parts of rural America.

Tom Still is president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. He can be reached at tstill@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com.

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Seniors with an interest in the land and environment can learn more about both from one of the masters.

Lime Creek Nature Center is offering a program on Feb. 26 that includes a screening of the Emmy Award-winning Aldo Leopold documentary, "Green Fire," and a discussion of the film and Leopolds land ethic.

"Green Fire" is the first full-length documentary film ever made about legendary environmentalist Aldo Leopold, author of "A Sand County Almanac," who was born and raised in Burlington, Iowa.

"Green Fire" highlights Leopolds extraordinary career, tracing how he shaped and influenced the modern environmental movement. The film was produced in partnership with the Aldo Leopold Foundation, the Center for Humans and Nature and the US Forest Service, and it was supported by funding from Humanities Iowa.

"Green Fire" provocatively examines Leopolds thinking, renewing his idea of a land ethic for a population facing 21st-century ecological challenges. The film describes the formation of Leopolds idea through his life and experiences, exploring how it changed one man and later permeated through all arenas of conservation today. Through these examples, the film and discussion challenge viewers to contemplate their own relationship with the land community.

The program will be followed by a catered lunch and social time. Cost is $5 for nature center members and $7 for nonmembers. Please call 423-5309 by Feb. 24 to register.

Discussion will be led by Thomas Dean, trained as a Land Ethic Leader through the Aldo Leopold Foundation, a program with the goal to both introduce Leopolds land ethic to a wider audience and also to deepen understanding and engagement through dialogue about the meaning and value of conservation.

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VISTA, Calif.Paradise Marketing continues its tradition of celebrating the LGBTQ+ Community with the introduction of Pride specialty condoms.

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The premium triple-lubricated, ultra-resistant latex condoms offer discerning users the ultimate barrier from sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS, without sacrificing pleasure or sensitivity.

Paradise Lifestyles participating retailers can purchase the Pride condoms wholesaleavailable in three-pack or 12-pack packaging optionssix ways: Classic, Feather Thin, XL, XL Feather Thin, Ribbed Pleasure and Dotted Pleasure.

Pride Condoms, expertly designed to support todays dominant industry standards into new levels of innovation and inclusivity, combine sexual safety with emphasized messages of personal health and emotional wellbeing to enhance todays gender-diverse experiences. Beyond Pride month, Pride is an active social movement and 365 day-a-year lifestyle.

To learn more about Pride condoms, a proud sponsor of international nonprofit Interpride.org, visit ParadiseMarketing.com.
A day after he was found guilty of stealing a calf, WA animal rights activist James Warden has already begun planning his next move.

Warden detailed to Nine News Perth on Wednesday evening a mission to expand his rogue operation interstate.

"We haven't learnt lessons in terms of regressing on our actions, we've learnt lessons in terms of the operations of our opposition," he said.

Warden's crew of activists wants to open three new chapters of their protest group Direct Action Everywhere and would look to recruit members in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.
REUTERS

President Donald Trump on Tuesday granted clemency to 11 people, including several convicted felons who are either Fox News regulars or have been championed by the presidents favorite cable-news network. And in another case, the family of one pardon recipient dished out massive contributions to the presidents re-election campaign just months before Trumps clemency spree.

Among those granted pardons or sentence commutations were former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempting to sell former President Barack Obamas Senate seat; former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik, who was sentenced to four years in 2010 for tax fraud and lying to the feds; and Michael Milken, the junk-bonds king whose early-'90s insider-trading conviction made him a poster boy of white-collar crime.

Unsurprisingly, a key influence that led to Trumps decision, particularly as it related to Blagojevich, was Fox News. The same could partly be said of the decision on Kerik, a frequent Fox News guest whose pardon was backed by several of the networks stars; Milken, whose pardon was supported by Fox Business Network host and Trump loyalist Maria Bartiromo; and Angela Stanton, an occasional pro-Trump TV pundit whose pardon was pushed by frequent Fox News guest and evangelical leader Alveda King.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump made the Fox News connection abundantly clear, telling reporters that he decided to commute the rest of Blagojevichs sentence because hed seen the ex-governors wife Patti Blagojevich pleading her husbands case on Fox.

I watched his wife on television, Trump declared, adding that he didnt know the ex-governor very well despite Blagojevichs appearances on The Celebrity Apprentice years ago.

In mid-2018, the president repeatedly asked close advisers to explore a Blagojevich pardon and, while doing so, emphatically referenced clips hed seen on Fox, including a segment on informal Trump adviser Jeanine Pirros weekend show, according to two sources who independently discussed the matter with the president at the time.

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According to liberal media-watchdog Media Matters for America, Patti Blagojevich took to Fox programming in April 2018 to push for her husbands sentence to be reduced, making at least seven appearances on some of Trumps favorite primetime shows such as Tucker Carlson Tonight and The Ingraham Angle.

The hosts, meanwhile, didnt even bother with subtlety during the interviews. For instance, Tucker Carlson asked Mrs. Blagojevich what she would say if you could speak to the president.

Kerik, meanwhile, has been a frequent guest of Fox News primetime programming for several years, generally offering on-air criticism of how Democrats handle New York Citys police department and criminal justice in general.

In what can generously be described as ironic, Kerik appeared the evening before his pardon on Tucker Carlson Tonight to rail against bail reform in New York while urging for harsher punishment for criminals, claiming crime was down when the police department increased arrests for jumping turnstiles and other low-level misdemeanors.

Kerik has also been used as a Trump-friendly critic of the so-called deep state on Fox News airwaves, at one point advocating for the arrest of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) for trying to carry out an attempted coup of Trump with the whistleblower complaint and impeachment inquiry.

According to the White House, Keriks pardon was supported by Fox News stars like Geraldo Rivera and Judge Andrew Napolitano. Additionally, the administration said, Trumps personal lawyer Rudy Giuliania frequent Fox News commentator and Kerik's one-time bossbacked the decision.

Pirro, meanwhile, celebrated Keriks pardon and Blagojevichs commutation on Twitter, personally thanking the president while declaring that political prosecutions have no place in this country.

The pro-Trump Fox News star, who brushed off Blagojevichs crimes as just practicing politics in an April 2018 interview with Patti Blagojevich, has something of a sordid history with Kerik. Back in 2006, Pirrowho was then running as a Republican for New York attorney generaladmitted she asked Kerik to bug her then-husbands boat to see if he was having an affair after federal prosecutors began investigating whether she and Kerik illegally taped conversations.

While junk-bond king Michael Milken is not a Fox News regular by any measure, his pardon was backed by Bartiromo, yet another Fox star who has morphed into an unofficial mouthpiece of and adviser to President Trump.

Additionally, Angela Stanton, who was pardoned for her role in a stolen luxury-vehicle ring, has appeared on Fox News as a pro-Trump commentatormuch like her godmother Alveda King, who backed her pardonoften arguing that Democrats want more poor women of color to have abortions.

Appearances on Fox News and Fox Businesstwo of Trumps favorite networksare popular vessels for those seeking to make their cases for pardons or clemency directly to the president, a voracious consumer of TV and cable news.

The most prominent example was the sustained, successful on-air and behind-the-scenes campaign on Fox to lobby Trump to grant clemency to accused and convicted American war criminals. Fox & Friends Weekend host Pete Hegseth was a ringleader of that highly controversial effort.

[Trump] knows how people play this game, said one source close to the president. Hes even told me before something to the effect of, All these people keep getting themselves on Fox News begging me for a pardon, so hes self-conscious about this stuff. But it doesnt matter, it still has an effect on him.

For those who didnt receive the Fox News treatment, it appears that in at least one case, cold hard cash did the talking. Paul Pogue, a construction company owner who pleaded guilty to underpaying his taxes by $473,000 and received three years probation, was issued a full pardon and clemency by the president.

According to FEC filings, Pogues family has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in direct contributions and in-kind air travel to the Trump Victory Committee. Beginning in August 2019, Ben PogueCEO of Pogue Construction and son of Paul Pogueand his wife Ashleigh made over $200,000 in contributions to the campaign.

In August alone, Ben Pogue donated $85,000 to Trump Victory while Ashleigh Pogue contributed $50,000 that month. The following month, Ben Pogue made an in-kind air travel contribution of $75,404.40. The couple also made several large donations to the Republican National Committee and each donated $5,600 to Donald Trump for President Inc.

On the day of their first donation to the Trump campaign, Ashleigh posted an Instagram photo of her and her husband posing with Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, at the Hamptons.

Prior to the Pogues sudden significant donating spree to Trump and the Republicans, the couple was not seen as big campaign spenders, having donated a few thousand dollars for Paul Ryans congressional campaign in 2017 and $5,400 for former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorums 2016 Republican presidential run.

Notably, one of the advocates for Pogues clemency: Santorum, who is now a CNN contributor.

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The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has sent notices to at least 127 people in Hyderabad to verify their Aadhaar enrolment documents in person and prove their claims of 'Indian citizenship' or face a suspension or cancellation of their Aadhaar card.

The matter grabbed headlines after a letter sent to an autorickshaw driver went viral on social media on Tuesday (February 18). In the letter, the driver identified as Sattar Khan has been asked to appear before a UIDAI official on February 20 with all necessary documents in original to prove all his claims of Indian citizenship.

If you are not an Indian national, prove that you have entered the territory of India legally and your stay is valid, the notice, served under Rule 30 (Chapter VI) of Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations, 2016, said. The notice also mentions a complaint/objection, without naming the person who objected to Khans Aadhaar enrolment.

The UIDAI defended the move saying that Telangana police has informed the Hyderabad office of UIDAI that 127 people obtained Aadhaar on false pretences and were illegal immigrants.

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In the said notice/s, the residents in Hyderabad, 127 in number, were asked to appear before the deputy director on 20th February for a personal hearing. Since it may take them some more time to collect their original documents that they had submitted for obtaining Aadhaar, as informed by the state police, the UIDAI has postponed the personal hearing to May 2020, the agency said.

...Aadhaar has got nothing to do with the citizenship issue as such. Aadhaar is not a document of citizenship and UIDAI has been mandated under the Aadhaar Act to ascertain residency of a person in India for 182 days prior to applying for Aadhaar. Also, the Supreme Court of India in its landmark decision has directed UIDAI not to issue Aadhaar to illegal immigrants, it added.
US President Donald Trump has indicated that a full-fledged trade agreement with India was unlikely during his visit there next week, or even this year, but a "very big one" was in the offing.

"I don't know if it'll be done before the election, but we'all have a very big deal with India," he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday when he was asked about the likelihood of it during the visit to India.

But he left room open for a symbolic preliminary agreement.

He said, "I'm really saving the big deal for later on. We're doing a very big trade deal with India. We'll have it."

Trump's assertion that a trade deal may not be done "before the election" in November could be meant to goad India into making concessions to complete it soon.

Complaining about the progress of the trade deal negotiations, he said, "We are not treated very well by India."

He quickly added, "But I happen to like Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi a lot."

Trump, who is into show and pomp, sounded eager about the trip encouraging reporters to come along telling them, "It's going to be very exciting; I hope you all enjoy it."

Referring to the main programme in Ahmedabad of inaugurating the Sardar Vallabhai Patel Stadium, he said that Modi "told me we'll have seven million people between the airport and the event."

"And the stadium, I understand, is sort of semi under construction, but it's going to be the largest stadium in the world. So it's going to be very exciting."

All agog, he repeated the number of the welcoming crowd: "But he says between the stadium and the airport, we'll have about seven million people."

The stadium will have a capacity of 110,000 people.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is not going on the trip to India with Trump, which was already an indication that a full-fledged trade pact more than a year in negotiations was not going to be signed.

One of the final sticking points is India's proposed law modelled on European legislation to require financial companies like credit card issuers to store data in India.

With the proposed law before Parliament, it would be difficult for Modi to agree to the US demand that there should be no such provision.

Another is with the Indian restriction on importing dairy products from animals fed with offal -- the leftover products from the butchery of animals.
New York

In Arizona, a burgeoning Asian American community fields xenophobic calls about a planned night market featuring Asian street foods. In New York, a dim sum restaurant owner worries he won't make rent. In the San Francisco Bay Area, a local Asian American-owned restaurant chain is mulling temporarily shuttering one of its properties because of the downturn in trade.

In major U.S. cities, Asian American businesses are seeing a remarkable decline in customers as fear about the viral outbreak from China spreads. City and health officials are trying to stanch the financial bleeding through information campaigns and personal visits to shops and restaurants, emphasizing that, with just 15 cases diagnosed in the entire country, there is no reason to avoid them.

Business owners, some of whom have seen their customer traffic cut by more than half, are anxiously waiting for things to return to normal.

Mesa, Arizona's freshly crowned Asian District was deep into organizing its night market when news broke that a case of the illness known as COVID-19 was confirmed at nearby Arizona State University.

Xenophobic comments on social media and phone calls started almost immediately, according to Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce CEO Vicente Reid.

"I probably should stop picking up my phone altogether," Reid said. "One lady was like, 'Well, aren't people coming to your event that are the cause of it?' "

The Feb. 29 food festival, modeled after popular outdoor Taiwanese markets, was designed to get the public acquainted with the district.

Mesa Mayor John Giles called the xenophobia directed at the event "ridiculous."

"We certainly take any health crisis seriously but to make those kinds of connections is just offensive," he said.

Organizers will be handing out specially made masks with playful Asian-food theme slogans like "Bao to me" and "Insert lumpia here."

The virus has sickened tens of thousands of people, mostly in China. Fifteen people have been diagnosed with the virus in the U.S., all but two who recently traveled from China. U.S. citizens have been diagnosed abroad, including 14 who were on a cruise ship quarantined off Japan and brought to hospitals in the U.S.

Vegetarian Dim Sum House has been a fixture in Manhattan's Chinatown for 23 years, but suddenly owner Frankie Chu said he will not be able to make his rent this month.

Chu said sales have plunged 70 percent over the last two weeks at his no-frills restaurant. Three couples trickled in for lunch on a recent weekday. Normally, Chu said he gets up to 30 customers for lunch. At dinnertime, his narrow restaurant is usually packed with about 70 diners. These days, he gets about four.

Chu has sent some of his staff on vacation to cut costs. Under the circumstances, he will ask his landlord to forgive a 5 percent late fee normally charged.

"I don't know how long I can stay here," Chu said. "After 9/11, it wasn't this bad."

The crisis has alarmed New York City officials and business leaders, who have launched a campaign to lure people back to hard-hit communities in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.

"Chinatown is bleeding," said Wellington Chen, executive chairman of the Chinatown Partnership, a local business and community group. "This thing is thousands of miles away. This fear is really out of proportion."

Small businesses in Manhattan's Chinatown have reported sales drops of between 40 percent and 80 percent the past month as the viral outbreak in China spread, Chen said. In Flushing, business is down an estimated 40 percent, according to the Flushing Chinese Business Association.

For some businesses, it's much higher. Derek Law, senior vice chairman of the America China Hotel Association, said business has dropped about 70 percent at a spa he owns in Flushing.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

New York City is home to more than half a million Chinese Americans, the biggest population of any U.S. city. Some New Yorkers of Chinese descent are frustrated at being made to feel like foreigners because of a disease outbreak that feels as far away to them as any other resident.

"I'm probably more American than a lot of the people asking me about coronavirus. It's a little annoying to be honest," said Christina Seid, owner of the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, a neighborhood fixture that her father founded four decades ago.

Seid, whose great-grandparents immigrated to New York from China, said business has been slower than usual but added that the winter months are never good for ice cream shops. She said she feels optimistic that things will soon return to normal, relying on New Yorkers' determination to get on with life.

With no confirmed cases of the virus in New York City, officials and politicians are trying to drive home the point that there is no reason to avoid any neighborhood, with many eating at Chinese restaurants and tweeting out photos under the hashtag #supportchinatown.

In Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh has launched a similar social media campaign, encouraging people to share photos of themselves supporting small businesses in the neighborhood with the hashtag #LoveBostonChinatown.

Allison Arwady, the Chicago Department of Public Health commissioner, said she and her colleagues "continue to field rumors" about threats to public health. She said the health risk is low and urged people to not fear visiting and spending time at restaurants or stores in Chicago's Chinatown.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, the situation is dire enough that Sunny Wong's family is considering temporarily closing one of the four restaurants they own in Oakland Chinatown. Even some of his friends and patrons have told him about hearing of untrue rumors of people getting sick at one of his restaurants.

"People just are clueless. They hear stories and rumors and they just don't really look for the facts in a situation," said Wong.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently visited Nom Wah Tea Parlor, the oldest restaurant in Manhattan's Chinatown. The restaurant has seen a 40 percent drop in business over the past three weeks, said manager Vincent Tang, whose cousin Wilson Tang took over the restaurant from his father. Normally, the restaurant fills up at lunchtime. But during a recent weekday, nearly half the tables were empty, although it was at least busier than many of its neighbors.

"We're lucky to have loyal customers," said Tang. "Usually at this time we are packed and there is a line outside."
Jason Alexander has blasted The West Australian newspaper for 'blindsiding' him with an interview shortly after his arrival in Perth.

The 60-year-old actor, who is best known for playing George Costanza in the '90s sitcom Seinfeld, snapped back on Twitter after the publication shared a link to an article criticising his behaviour at the airport.

The newspaper's tweet read: 'Seinfeld was famously the "show about nothing". And that's precisely what The West Australian got from @IJasonAlexander - who played George Costanza - when we tried to interview him at Perth Airport #perthnews.'

'Try setting it up like professionals': Jason Alexander (pictured) has blasted The West Australian newspaper for 'blindsiding' him with an interview shortly after his arrival in Perth

Jason replied from his verified Twitter account: 'Yeah, well here's a thought... if you want an interview with someone, try setting it up like the professionals do rather than blindsiding people at hotels and airports.

'I'm not there for you then. I'm off the clock, being a person. Like it or not, no one is a performing seal for you.'

However, The West Australian has disputed this, claiming that Jason's publicist had told them he wasn't available for an interview while in Perth for his show.

Feud: Jason, who is best known for playing George Costanza in Seinfeld, snapped back on Twitter after the publication shared a link to an article criticising his behaviour at the airport

Ouch! Jason replied from his verified Twitter account, 'Yeah, well here's a thought... if you want an interview with someone, try setting it up like the professionals do rather than blindsiding people at hotels and airports'

It comes after Jason revealed that the cast of Seinfeld weren't actually as close as they appeared to be on screen.

During an appearance on The Project last week, ahead of his Master of His Domain tour, he said the actors didn't have much in common.

'We were never social friends, we were work friends. We had very different lives,' he said.

Retro: Seinfeld, which ran from 1989 to 1998 on NBC, starred Michael Richards (left) as Cosmo Kramer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (second from right) as Elaine Benes, Jason Alexander (right) as George Costanza and Jerry Seinfeld (second from left) as a fictionalised version of himself

But he did grow close to Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who played Elaine Benes, because they both had children around the same time.

'After nine years, when the show ended, we kind of went, "Oh, bye, see ya!"' he added.

According to Jason, the main cast members still send each other birthday emails, but they don't catch up regularly.

'We were never social friends': It comes after Jason revealed that the cast of Seinfeld weren't actually as close as they appeared to be on screen

The Seinfeld cast also included Jerry Seinfeld, portraying a fictionalised version of himself, and Michael Richards, who played oddball neighbour Cosmo Kramer.

Jason's Australian speaking tour, Master of His Domain, continues in Perth on Tuesday before making its way to Sydney on February 23.

Every episode of Seinfeld is available to stream on Stan.
In probably the first of its kind judgement, a Pakistani court has nullified the marriage of a minor Hindu girl, who was converted to Islam and married to a Muslim man in the country's Sindh province.

Mehak Kumari, a class IXth student, was allegedly abducted from Jacobabad district on January 15 by Ali Raza Solangi who later married her.

Her father filed an FIR, claiming that Solangi had abducted and married her forcibly. He also said that her daughter was 15-year-old when she was abducted.

Additional Session Judge Ghulam Ali Kanasro ruled that Mehak, who took the Muslim name of Aliza to marry Solangi, was underage.

The couple, however, claimed that Mehak embraced Islam at a shrine after which they contracted a free-will marriage.

The Judge citing evidence and documents ruled that Mehak was underage and was not fit for marriage under section 3 and 4 of the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act.

He directed Larkana's senior police officials to take action against all those involved in conducting, facilitating and abetting the child marriage.

Kumari was brought to the court from a women's shelter home from Larkana where she was sent on court orders soon after the couple was taken into custody.

Heavy security was witnessed in and around the court for the hearing to quell any unrest as local Hindu and Muslim leaders were present in town.

Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.

Abduction and conversion of Hindu women has been a major issue in Sindh province where the majority of Pakistani Hindus live.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Venezuelan teenager has been forced back to Mexico by US government authorities who denied her claims that she was fleeing political repression and violence, even after they accepted the same claims from her father

Houston: A Venezuelan teenager has been forced back to Mexico by US government authorities who denied her claims that she was fleeing political repression and violence, even after they accepted the same claims from her father.

The teenager, who is being identified by only her first name, Branyerly, is living alone in Matamoros, Mexico, across from Brownsville. According to her attorney, US border agents on Monday and Tuesday denied her requests not to be sent back under the Trump administration's so-called Remain in Mexico program for migrants.

Branyerly and her father could not request asylum under another Trump policy, a ban on most asylum claims at the southern border for people who came through a third country. But in January, an immigration judge allowed her father, Branly, into the US by granting what's called withholding of removal, which requires meeting a higher legal standard.

That same judge denied withholding for Branyerly, who was 17 when she originally arrived at the border and is now 18. Both she and her father say the immigration judge, Monica Thompson Guidry, asked him most questions during the hearing and asked her relatively few. The final result came as a shock to both of them.

She tried to request parole Monday at one of the bridges connecting Brownsville and Matamoros. She was taken into an office on the US side briefly, then told to return to Mexico. I already lived one nightmare in Venezuela and another here, Branyerly said.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has overseen an economic collapse and political turmoil that's led to hundreds of thousands of people seeking refuge in the United States and elsewhere.

President Donald Trump in his State of the Union address this month called Maduro a socialist dictator and said all Americans are united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom. But many Venezuelans seeking refuge in the US have been barred by a series of Trump administration policies clamping down on asylum. Its not only ironic but it smacks of speaking out of both sides of your mouth, said Jodi Goodwin, Branyerly's attorney.

Branly says his political problems began when he rejected a job that would have required him to support the ruling party. After he turned down the job, Branly says, he started receiving threatening calls at his home, saying his wife and daughter would be kidnapped.

He and his wife left Venezuela for the US in early 2019, leaving their daughter with a family friend. But she was soon threatened as well. So Branly returned to Venezuela to find Branyerly, then traveled with her through Mexico to the southern US border. They arrived in July, shortly before her 18th birthday, and were placed into the Remain in Mexico program until their January hearing.

Goodwin said Branyerly was in a particularly vulnerable situation as the daughter of a known political activist. She is vulnerable as a migrant. She is vulnerable as a child. She is vulnerable as a woman, Goodwin wrote in her request to US Customs and Border Protection that Branyerly be allowed into the US while her immigration case continues. In other words, there are any number of categories within which it is easy to tell that she is vulnerable being alone in Mexico.

CBP declined to comment Tuesday.

As Branly spoke about his daughter's plight in Mexico and the guilt he feels, he began to weep. His voice choked up. What I care about is my daughter, he said. How did they do it for me but not my daughter? I don't understand. I don't understand.
Neighbour Andrew Sinclair, who lives five houses away from where the car went up in flames, said it was a traumatic and awful incident to witness. I unfortunately saw the mother and her suffering. There was a lady who came out with a hose to put over her [Hannahs] horrific burns, Mr Sinclair said. I heard what I thought was a smoke detector and I thought it was a standard neighbours toaster going off, then I heard a grinding sound and some sort of car alarm. I saw the flames coming out of a car  then as I got closer I saw the lady, Hannah, and saw what was being done. They were horrific burns. Its sad that she has passed, but the pain she would have been suffering mentally and physically would have been horrific. She was conscious during this time.

Nothing could be done, the flames were so intense. Twenty metres away you could feel it as if you were beside a campfire. The confronting scene shocked emergency workers, who were called to Raven Street just before 8.30am to find the car engulfed in flames. "I've seen some horrific scenes, this is up there with ... them," Detective Inspector Mark Thompson said near the scene. "How the fire actually occurred has not been ascertained at the moment, so for us to call it a murder-suicide or a tragic accident is inappropriate for us to try and do that." Friends of Ms Clarke paid tribute to the victims on social media, describing the loss as a "nightmare".

"These beautiful kids will forever be remembered. My heart breaks for you Hannah," one wrote on Facebook. "She was such an incredible mum, I just cant fathom that this has happened," another said. Rowan Baxter once played for the New Zealand Warriors rugby league club in a pre-season match against NRL club the Parramatta Eels. He had previously played as a winger for Bay of Plenty in the New Zealand rugby competition. Photos of the children, including one of Trey with his grandfather on rowing machines, had previously been shared online by the Baxters' business, Integr8 & CrossFit. The car is removed from Raven Street on Wednesday. Credit:Dan Peled/AAP

The couple reportedly separated late last year and were trying to work out custody arrangements. However, they were not involved in any proceedings in the Family Court or Federal Court. Ms Clarke was a trampolining champion who represented Queensland for four consecutive years. The couple's Integr8 fitness website described her as "an enthusiastic, passionate mother of three". The website said Mr Baxter had trained AFL, Super Rugby and NRL players. Floral tributes and teddy bears placed near the scene. Credit:Matt Dennien

Loading Five days ago friend Joey Abraham wrote under a photo of Trey: "Chin up brother everything will work out just hang in there my bro alot of people care about you and the situation your facing (sic)." Emergency services remained at the cordoned-off block into Wednesday evening as the vehicle was towed away and clean-up efforts began. A collection of flowers and plush bears grew on a nearby street corner throughout the afternoon as neighbours and numerous politicians, many holding back tears, visited the site. One neighbour, who did not give a name, said her husband woke her about 8.30am when he smelt "burning rubber" from their home two blocks away. She said she heard a helicopter about 30 minutes later.

"We walk our dogs up this street," she said. Neighbour Murray Campbell heard multiple explosions from his backyard and came running out the front to see the car, which he did not recognise, "engulfed in flames". "[There were] multiple explosions ... it was very loud, like a gas cylinder exploding. It was every bit as bad as that." 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14
A couple of days ago, Input reported that their Motorola Razr unit is having issues with screen peeling. Motorola was quick to issue an official response to that, as it sent a statement to Input.

Motorola says that it has full confidence in Motorola Razrs display. It says that it doesnt expect consumers to have issues with Motorola Razr screen peeling as a result of normal use.

Cold temperature is probably not the reason for Motorola Razr screen peeling

The company also said that the Razr underwent extreme temperature testing as part of its development process. As with any smartphone, though, the company doesnt recommend storing the Razr in temperatures below -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20C) and above 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60C).

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Motorola also said that if consumers experience device failure related to weather during normal use, it will be covered by its standard warranty. That does not include abuse or misuse, of course, Motorola was clear to signify the difference.

Input notes that it assumed that cold weather was to blame for screen peeling, as the screen lamination got separated from the display and the hinge edges. The phone has not been dropped or anything of the sort.

Motorola claims that weather is not the issue, though. So, its possible that Input got a faulty unit, or something of the sort. Some other sources also expressed concerns when it comes to the Razrs build quality, though.

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Brenda Stoylar, from Mashable, said that the display on her unit is crunching every time she folds and unfolds the phone. That unit sat next to an open window while it was charging, while the space heater was nearby during that time as well.

This may not be related or anything of the sort, but there you go. The Galaxy Z Flip is not exactly without issues either. Recently, a consumer shared a picture of the Z Flip on Twitter, showing that the display broke.

He also thinks that cold is to blame. He said he heard the crack after he opened it in the cold, and there you go. Samsung was fast to respond to this issue, and replaced that unit immediately.

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All foldable devices have been tested in lab conditions, of course

Companies have been testing their foldable smartphones in lab conditions, thats for sure. So, they should be durable enough. It remains to be seen how well they hold up in real-life, though.

You do need to be more careful with foldable smartphones than with regular ones, thats for sure. The Galaxy Z Flip is the only foldable with a glass display at this point, but even that phone has a plastic layer on top of that display. So, it scratches easily, as do other displays on foldables.

The Motorola Razr and Galaxy Z Flip are now in the market, along with the Galaxy Fold. The Huawei Mate X also got released in China, and was supposed to be announced for global markets at MWC 2020. Well soon get a better idea as to how durable these phones are.
SPRINGDALE, Ark., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Birdzi, the supermarket industry's most comprehensive customer engagement ecosystem, today announced that Harps Food Stores has chosen to deploy Birdzi's customer engagement marketing tools.

Harps is the largest employee-owned company based in Arkansas, and the 30th largest in the United States. It operates 96 supermarkets in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas.

Harps will leverage Birdzi's real-time digital ecosystem, which is specifically designed to support the marketing strategies of regional food retailers. A key component is the AI relationship engine, which uses several hundred attributes for each shopper, updated with each purchase, to power contextual relevancy. This will enable Harps to better address shopper needs, including through more relevant real-time recommendations than what has previously been possible.

"We've been following Birdzi for some time now as they've grown across well known retailers like Niemann Foods, Coborn's, Weis Markets, and more," said David Ganoung, Vice President of Marketing for Harps. "We're ready to expand our digital customer engagement efforts, so it is only natural to work with Birdzi. Harps will be leveraging Birdzi's real-time personalization and relevancy as we continue to enhance our shopping experience and engage with our customers."

Unlike other personalization solutions that use only backward-looking historical purchase data, Birdzi's deep integration to its white label mobile and web apps provide a real-time view of shopper intent, enabling up-to-the-second recommendations based on customer behavior and location.

Shekar Raman, CEO and Co-Founder of Birdzi, said the partnership will bring important new capabilities for Harps to advance its marketing strategies.

"We are proud to work with David and the Harps team in rolling out new digital capabilities," Raman said. "This relationship shows that regional retailers value the comprehensive ecosystem that Birdzi provides, giving retailers a path away from the siloed systems of today to a seamless and cohesive ecosystem for the future. Birdzi's platform begins with the customer, a focus fully aligned with Harps' customer-first philosophy."

To learn more about Birdzi and its customer engagement ecosystem, please contact [email protected]

About Birdzi

Birdzi was founded with a vision to make the shopping experience "Smart, Personal and Seamless" for the shopper, while empowering retailers and brands to easily and intelligently connect with the shopper at the right time and place with the right message. For more information, visit: https://www.birdzi.com/

About Harps Food

Harps Food Stores Inc., is a 100% employee-owned company, which operates 96 stores across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas since 1930, Harps continues to grow and employs over 4,300 associates. The Company's strategy has been to differentiate itself from the competition based on quality, service, and freshness at competitive prices. Combining the core value of quality with employee-owned service, Harps has become one of the grocery industry's most recognized independent chains. Visit www.harpsfood.com for additional information.

Media Contact:

Meryl Rader

Rader Public Relations

[email protected]

908-528-3826

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Turkey Deploys 300 Military Vehicles to Idlib Amid Conflict With Syria - Reports

Sputnik News

12:35 GMT 18.02.2020

The situation in northern Syria remains tense since Damascus clashed with Ankara-backed militants, and later with the Turkish Army, as both sides accuse each other of breaking a ceasefire agreement.

The Turkish Army has sent around 300 military vehicles to its observation points in the Syrian province of Idlib, Haberturk reported. According to the broadcaster, the military trucks, armoured vehicles, and self-propelled guns are heading to the de-escalation zone.

This deployment comes after Ankara performed strikes against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), claiming that Damascus violated a ceasefire after several Turkish servicemen died during the army's attack at the observation point in Idlib.

The Syrian government, however, stated that the various armed factions in Idlib  the last stronghold of jihadists in the country  ignored the agreement, repeatedly attacking the military. According to Damascus, there are at least 70,000 militants in the rebel-controlled part of the province, with many of them belonging to the al-Nusra* terrorist organisation.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to drive the Syrian forces from the de-escalation zone before the end of February, also threatening to launch a full-scale military offensive in all areas if Damascus attacks the Turkish Army.

*al-Nusra [al-Nusra Front, the Nusra Front, Jabhat al-Nusra, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham] - a terrorist group banned in Russia

A Sputnik

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The Bosniak and Croat members of the multiethnic presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina say they will not agree to a Serb demand to remove international judges from the country's Constitutional Court.

Sefik Dzaferovic, a Bosniak, said on February 19 that a demand by the Serb member of the Bosnian presidency, Milorad Dodik, for the three international judges to be removed from the nine-member court could send Bosnia "into a downfall."

Dodik said the same day that the international judges -- placed on the court by the 1995 Dayton accords that ended the Bosnian War -- are part of the "concept of the breakup...of Republika Srpska" and only work "for the interests of Bosniaks."

Dodik said his party would submit a bill in the coming days that would terminate the foreign judges' mandate and institute the election of only Bosnian judges to the Constitutional Court.

The three international judges -- from Germany, North Macedonia, and Moldova -- serve with two judges each from Bosnia's Bosniak, Croat, and Serb ethnic groups.

Lawmakers in Republika Srpska (RS), the Bosnia Serb entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina, voted on February 17 to suspend the work of all RS officials in Bosnian institutions until the foreign judges are removed from the Constitutional Court.

That vote came after Dodik proclaimed in the RS legislature in Banja Luka, "Goodbye Bosnia, welcome RS Exit," threatening secession by making a reference to Brexit.

Dzaferovic said the Serbs' refusal to work in Bosnian institutions -- which has crippled work in many state bodies -- is a "blow to the constitutional order of Bosnia-Herzegovina."

He added that the Dayton agreement "is not a menu from which you can select only what you like from it."

Dzaferovic urged the Serb officials not to obstruct the government's work and added that a solution cannot be found through "blackmail and pressure."

The third member of Bosnia's presidency, Croat Zeljko Komsic, also spoke out against Dodik's demands.

"He knows that no one in Sarajevo will be fooled by him," he said. "There are procedures. If you think something is unconstitutional, contact the Constitutional Court. That's the rule."

Tensions have flared in Bosnia since the Constitutional Court earlier this month ruled that unclaimed agricultural land became automatically the property of the central Bosnian state rather than Republika Srpska -- contradicting Bosnian Serb law.

Dodik has repeatedly called for a referendum on the status of the Serb-led entity, saying Bosnian Serbs have a right to decide their own future.

Bosnia remains deeply divided along ethnic lines. The country emerged from the 1992-95 Bosnian War as two autonomous regions -- the Bosnian-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska -- united under a weak central government.

Last week, the United States and the EU office in Sarajevo joined Britain, Germany, France, and Italy in saying that unilateral withdrawal from institutions, or blockages of decision-making within them, are unacceptable and counterproductive."
It might be another two weeks before the Gessner explosion site is cleared of remaining chemicals, including the highly flammable propylene, the states environmental agency said Tuesday.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality called for an emergency hearing in federal bankruptcy court Tuesday and asked the judge to keep dozens of lawyers and experts from entering the west Houston site, citing safety concerns. The judge told the agency to come back with a timeline for removing remaining chemicals, which it submitted Tuesday afternoon. 

TCEQ had explained in the morning hearing that representatives from Watson Grinding & Manufacturing were expected to remove those remaining chemicals from tanks and cylinders by the end of Monday, before allowing interested parties to tour the site. But when officials stopped by the plant Tuesday morning, they saw the gases remained as more than 40 people were getting ready to enter the facility. 

The TCEQ told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur, who is presiding over Watson Grinding & Manufacturing and Watson Valve Services Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding, that the site could still be hazardous.

Even if tanks and cylinders are not currently leaking, no one knows if they are structurally sound and even if it is inert gas in a container, such a gas under pressure can clearly cause the container to become a projectile, the TCEQ said in court documents. Given the lack of knowledge regarding the post-explosion structural integrity, it is unacceptable to have multiple parties touring the facility prior to the removal of the gases.

The blast killed at least three people and damaged 450 structures. Investigations are ongoing, but so far officials have said it appears that electrical arcing inside the warehouse sparked the propylene that was leaking from a pipe.

There are more than 30 civil suits pending.

While attorney Mo Aziz, who represents the family of a worker who died during the blast, said he didnt oppose a delay, he wanted to make sure evidence was preserved. In particular, he said, they were concerned about preserving evidence near one of the tanks.

At this point we are not opposed to removing the gases, he said, but we are opposed to disturbing evidence close to another tank.

TCEQ proposed assessing the site and starting to move some of the chemicals within the next 10 to 14 days. As a compromise, it will coordinate with attorneys for the company and plaintiffs to document a pipeline of interest thats near that particular tank and to bisect a section of the pipeline as evidence.

perla.trevizo@chron.com
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio), a leading clinical-stage adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy company, today announced that it has appointed scientific leader Anna Tretiakova, PhD, as Senior Vice President of Product Development. Reporting to Jude Samulski, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of AskBio, Anna will lead the companys research and translational collaborations to deliver clinical candidate vectors.

An industry veteran with more than 30 years of research and development and translational medicine experience, Dr. Tretiakova has spent nearly 10 years exclusively focused on AAV gene therapy at the University of Pennsylvania Gene Therapy Program, Pfizer Rare Disease Research Unit and, most recently, SwanBio Therapeutics.

Broadening our research and development team is critical to achieving our mission to transform genetic medicine, and we are excited to add Annas expertise moving AAV programs into the clinic, said Dr. Samulski. She will lead preclinical translational research across all of our existing and future therapeutic areas to ensure we pursue the highest quality candidates for clinical development.

Throughout my career, I have been inspired to help patients with untreatable diseases, said Dr. Tretiakova. I am thrilled to join AskBio to help advance our preclinical programs with safety and speed and drive down the cost to make gene therapy available to all who need it.

In addition to delivering clinical candidate vectors into the therapeutic programs, Dr. Tretiakova will be part of AskBios leadership team tasked with driving value across the integrated gene therapy technology platforms.

She continued, AskBio has one of the most impressive visions for gene therapy and has undertaken a fully integrated strategy to advance DNA and vector manufacturing, capsid and gene cassette engineering, knowledge of vector biology and immunology to allow for treatment re-administration, and tissue targeting. All of this is done within one company, which is unprecedented in the gene therapy industry today.

About Anna Tretiakova, PhD

Anna has over 30 years of research and development experience that spans basic research and non-clinical translational sciences, progressing from a bench scientist in academia to senior leadership roles with biotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations. She has spent almost a decade of that time fully dedicated to AAV gene therapy for monogenic and non-monogenic diseases in various therapeutic areas at the University of Pennsylvania Gene Therapy Program, Pfizer Rare Disease Research Unit and, most recently, SwanBio Therapeutics.

She completed her graduate education in molecular biology and biochemistry with a PhD from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and diploma from Novosibirsk State University in Russia.

About AskBio

Founded in 2001, Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio) is a privately held, clinical-stage gene therapy company dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with genetic disorders. AskBios gene therapy platform includes an industry-leading proprietary cell line manufacturing process called Pro10 and an extensive AAV capsid and promoter library. Based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, the company has generated hundreds of proprietary third-generation AAV capsids and promoters, several of which have entered clinical testing. An early innovator in the space, AskBio holds more than 500 patents in areas such as AAV production and chimeric and self-complementary capsids. AskBio maintains a portfolio of clinical programs across a range of neurodegenerative and neuromuscular indications with a current clinical pipeline that includes therapeutics for Pompe disease, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2i/R9 and congestive heart failure, as well as out-licensed clinical indications for hemophilia (Chatham Therapeutics acquired by Takeda) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Bamboo Therapeutics acquired by Pfizer). Learn more at https://www.askbio.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
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Donald Trump has spent the past three years cowering to Russian president Vladimir Putin, but Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) said on Tuesday night that the Kremlin will have even more control over the White House if the president is reelected in November.

If Trump gets a second term in the White House, Waters expects Trump to lift all sanctions against Russia and welcome Putin to the White House with open arms.

The California Democrat also believes Trump will pardon Paul Manafort, his former campaign chairman who is currently behind bars.

He will pardon Manafort. He will lift all of the sanctions from Russia. He will be even more involved with the oligarchs of Russia, and hes going to bring Putin to the White House, Waters said.

She added, Weve got to make sure this man is not elected again.

Video:

Maxine Waters warns that Trump will lift all sanctions on Russia if he gets reelected. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/WHPe3rPZIT  PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) February 19, 2020

Waters said:

He will pardon Manafort. He will lift all of the sanctions from Russia. He will be even more involved with the oligarchs of Russia, and hes going to bring Putin to the White House, I believe that, if he is reelected. But we have to make sure  those of us who really respect and care about the constitution and know that Russia has hacked into our Democratic National Committee, into our state election system, and we are knowing very well that theyre going to do it again in this election  we have got to work hard to make sure that they dont get away with it, that we dont have this president who will carry out that kind of agenda if he is reelected. Weve got to make sure this man is not elected again.

Trump is a clear and present threat to America

Those who support the president will likely scoff at Waters comments and claim shes engaging in hysteria. But the presidents post-impeachment conduct shows that America has every reason to be frightened by the prospect of a second Trump term.

After all, Donald Trump has already done long-lasting damage to American institutions and the rule of law. Each day, he seemingly takes another crack at the fabric of this country.

If hes given four more years in the White House without having to worry about winning another election, there is no telling how much more damage he will do.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko met in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss cooperation in agriculture, technology and security, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

El-Sisi and Lukashenko discussed the localisation of agriculture and technology in Egypt as well as security cooperation and the exchange of information between the two countries.

They also discussed recent developments regionally and internationally, the statement said.

Following the talks, the two presidents held a short press conference where President El-Sisi declared establishing a joint business council between Egypt and Belarus, which will hold its first session on Thursday in the New Administrative Capital.

According to El-Sisi, the council aims to boost relations between the two countries, especially in investments.

President Lukasheko said that the talks with his Egyptian counterpart focused on the economic and trade relations between the two countries.

El-Sisi and Lukashenko also oversaw the signing of two memorandums of understanding (MoU) between the two countries.

One of the MoUs was signed by Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Belarusian counterpart to found a high-level joint committee for political dialogue between the two countries.

The other MoU was signed between the Central Bank of Egypt's governor and his Belarusian counterpart.

A special higher education programme agreement was signed by Egyptian Higher Education Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghafar and his Belarusian counterpart.

An agreement for mutual cooperation and support was also signed between the Egyptian customs authority and its Belarusian counterpart.

President El-Sisi last visited Belarus in June 2019.

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Photo: The Canadian Press Forest industry workers and their supporters held a rally on the front lawn the same day as Minister of Finance Carole James delivered the budget speech at B.C. Legislature in Victoria, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Hundreds of forestry workers staged a rally on the lawn of British Columbia's legislature Tuesday, reminding the government about how important the industry is to the economy and to the survival of rural communities.

Many of the workers arrived in logging trucks and parked their rigs near the legislature, temporarily shutting down a busy thoroughfare.

Among the crowd of about 500 people were many who carried placards saying, "Forestry Feeds My Family."

Forests Minister Doug Donaldson spoke to the crowd, saying he will take their message to the government.

Port McNeill Mayor Gaby Wickstrom told the group that B.C.'s forest industry is in crisis and the government needs to be reminded that a healthy industry benefits the entire province.

Wickstrom said her Vancouver Island community suffered during a recent eight-month strike that saw up to 3,000 people out of work and many families and businesses on northern Vancouver Island struggling to survive.

"We are here to ask for the protection of the working forests in perpetuity," she said. "It doesn't matter if you are rural or urban, you benefit."

Donaldson said he expects to release the results of a recently completed consultation this spring on timber areas available for industry activities.

"I've heard from you about the stress of not knowing about the future of the forests," said Donaldson, who agreed to present a forest worker support petition signed by 8,000 people to the government.

Liberal forestry critic John Rustad said 2019 was a catastrophic year for the industry with 10 permanent or indefinite mill closures and over 10,000 jobs lost.

He said Tuesday's budget provided no new funding to help forestry workers.

"Communities have been devastated, lives uprooted and families forced to fight for their survival amidst a forestry crisis that shows no signs of slowing and a government that simply pretends like they can't do anything to help," he said in a statement.
Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu on Wednesday asked the BSF to intensify vigil along the International Border (IB) to ensure safety and security of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

This was conveyed by Murmu to L Mohanti, Inspector General of Border Security Force (headquarters Delhi), who called on the Lt governor here at the Raj Bhavan, a statement issued said.

Murmu and Mohanti discussed wide-ranging issues related to the BSF's operations and the current security situation in the union territory, it said.

The Lt governor lauded the role being played by the BSF in safeguarding the frontiers and advised heightened surveillance for ensuring safety and security of people.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Want to walk the Red Carpet at the U.S. Harness Writers Associations annual Dan Patch Awards dinner at Rosen Shingle Creek resort in Orlando, Fla. on Sunday night (Feb. 23)? An expected crowd of more than 300 will have the chance, but so too do those who cant make the trip.

For the third year in row, well-known harness racing personalities Heather Vitale and Heather Wilder will be walking the Red Carpet, sponsored by Shartin N, and broadcasting live on their Facebook pages. The Facebook Live shows will begin at 5:30 p.m. and continue until 6:30 p.m., when the awards dinner will commence.

If you cant make the banquet we are going to bring the party to you! said Wilder. And its going to be some party!

Heather Vitale's Facebook page can be found at facebook.com/PacinHeather. Heather Wilders Facebook page can be found at facebook.com/heather.k.wilder.

Vitale has hosted two popular television shows: Post Time and PA Harness Week. In addition to her local weekly productions, the charismatic personality has covered the sport nationally on espn2, CBSSN and MAV-TV. Vitale loves communicating with Standardbred enthusiasts around the world via social media and her unconventional interviews with a when in doubt, add glitter attitude has brought a unique sparkle to the sport and grabbed the attention of new fans. She was the 2018 USHWA Member of the Year.

Wilder is currently known for her handling talent management for the Delaware County Fair during the live TV broadcast of the Little Brown Jug. While working as public relations and marketing director for the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association she became a pioneer of reporting on racing on Facebook Live and coordinated the promotion of countless on-track events. She was the 2013 recipient of USHWAs Lew Barasch Memorial Breakthrough Award.

The entire awards dinner, hosted by Roger Huston and Jason Settlemoir, will be broadcast live on the USHWA Facebook page and available on the U.S. Trotting Associations Youtube page the following day (Monday, Feb. 24).

(USHWA)
Migrants from the EU will have to speak English and have a job offer under sweeping reforms to end Britain's reliance on cheap European labour.

The measures are part of the biggest shake-up to border rules since this country joined the Common Market in 1973.

Low-skilled immigration will be made virtually impossible under a points-based system as free movement rights are consigned to history.

Instead, EU migrants' chances of getting a work visa will be the same as for applicants from elsewhere.

They will need at least 70 points to work in Britain, with points awarded for speaking English, if the job earns a salary above 25,600 and if it is at a certain skill level.

Last night, Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured) said she had listened to the 'clear message' from the 2016 Brexit referendum and the 2019 General Election that the public wanted 'a reduction in low-skilled immigration'

Highly skilled workers  such as scientists  will be able to come without a job offer as the Government re-aligns the immigration system to the 'brightest and the best'. But there will be no general visas for low-skilled migrants.

Last night, Home Secretary Priti Patel said she had listened to the 'clear message' from the 2016 Brexit referendum and the 2019 General Election that the public wanted 'a reduction in low-skilled immigration'.

'Today we set out our historic blueprint for taking back control of our borders,' she said. 'It is the biggest shake-up of our immigration system in a generation and is what the public rightly demand.'

Home Office officials warned that businesses would have to wean themselves off cheap labour from the Continent.

Instead, employers will be encouraged to recruit from Britain's pool of 1.3million unemployed, or pay higher wages to ensure they retain existing staff.

However, there was an immediate backlash last night with some industry leaders warning that the plans spelled 'absolute disaster' for the care system, and for farmers, builders and the hospitality sector.

The announcement also opens up the prospect of a rush of EU migrants coming to Britain by the end of the year.

Any EU citizens living in Britain by New Year's Eve will be entitled to live and work here under current rules. The reforms, which will come into force in January, will:

Limit EU nationals without a visa to a maximum of six months in Britain;

Bar all new migrants, including Europeans, from claiming income-related benefits;

Allow EU travellers to carry on using the current 'UK and EU' e-gates at ports and airports  although this will be 'kept under review';

Force all migrants, including those from the EU, who come here to work to pay towards the NHS  currently set at 400 a year;

Exclude more Europeans who have criminal records;

Phase out 'insecure' EU identity cards being used as travel documents.

The reforms will sweep away rights to work in Britain which date back to 1973 for nationals from countries such as France, Germany and Italy.

All migrants will have to earn at least 25,600 a year and must hold an offer for a job which meets the 'skills test' equivalent to A-levels.

The minimum salary is flexible, however, and an applicant could be set to earn as little as 20,480 a year if they meet other criteria  such as filling a job where there are shortages, such as nursing.

All successful migrants will still be able to bring dependants such as spouses and children with them.

The Home Secretary said: 'We will choose who comes here based on the skills they can offer, to benefit the whole of the UK. They must speak English  so they integrate in our communities'

The existing agricultural worker scheme will be quadrupled to 10,000 a year to bring in temporary foreign workers at harvest-time.

The Home Secretary said: 'We will choose who comes here based on the skills they can offer, to benefit the whole of the UK. They must speak English  so they integrate in our communities.

'They must have a job offer  so they make a genuine contribution to our country. They must be paid a salary that does not undercut local workers and ensures they can support themselves.'

A policy paper published by the Home Office today does not set out the price of an application under the new system  but currently a five-year visa costs about 1,200.

One Whitehall source said: 'Businesses are going to have to invest in workforces. There is an unemployment pool in the UK. If they are not able to attract people they are going to have to look at automation or improve conditions.'

Last night, Caroline Abrahams of Age UK said: 'It's all very well saying we have to 'grow more of our own' care workers but it's older people and their families who will suffer if a care company can't come to their aid because there aren't enough staff.'

Unison assistant general secretary Christina McAnea said the plans 'spell absolute disaster' for the care sector.

Carolyn Fairbairn, of the Confederation of British Industry, said parts of the new system would be welcomed by business but 'in some sectors firms will be left wondering how they will recruit'.

This article has been updated to replace an earlier graphic which did not explain as clearly how points could be traded under the new immigration system. We apologise for any confusion.
GREENBELT, Md. - A former Canadian Forces reservist at the centre of an alleged white-supremacist plot to trigger a race war in the United States pleaded not guilty to weapons charges Tuesday as his lawyer indicated he plans to use the First Amendment of the U.S. constitution to defend his client.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GREENBELT, Md. - A former Canadian Forces reservist at the centre of an alleged white-supremacist plot to trigger a race war in the United States pleaded not guilty to weapons charges Tuesday as his lawyer indicated he plans to use the First Amendment of the U.S. constitution to defend his client.

Patrik Mathews, sporting an orange jumpsuit, unruly hair and a long, reddish beard, stood ramrod-straight in a Maryland courtroom as Judge Timothy Sullivan asked him to state his name and whether he fully understood the charges against him.

Master Cpl. Patrik Mathews is shown in this undated RCMP handout photo. A former Canadian Forces reservist and accused neo-Nazi is scheduled to appear in court today on weapons charges linked to his role in an alleged plot to touch off a race war in the United States. Patrik Mathews, 27, has been in custody in the U.S. since he and two of his American cohorts were arrested a month ago by the FBI. Mathews, a former combat engineer, vanished from Beausejour, Man., last year following media reports alleging he was a recruiter for The Base, a white-supremacist group with growing notoriety in the U.S. and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-RCMP

"Yes, your honour," replied Mathews, who has been in custody in the U.S. since he and two of his American cohorts were arrested a month ago by the FBI.

Asked for his plea, Mathews said, "Not guilty, your honour."

The former combat engineer vanished from Beausejour, Man., last year following media reports alleging he was a recruiter for The Base, a white-supremacist group with growing notoriety in the U.S. and around the world.

He's facing four charges, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison: two counts each of two charges related to possessing and transporting a firearm and ammunition while in the country illegally.

"We, frankly, intend to vigorously contest the charges in this case," defence counsel Joseph Balter said after Tuesday's brief arraignment.

"We consider the First Amendment issues in this case to be very, very significant. We believe that part of the reason why Mr. Mathews was charged was because of the fact that he was expressing extreme opinions. Under the First Amendment of the constitution, that's a protected right."

Prosecutors allege in documents filed in court that Mathews videotaped himself advocating for killing people, poisoning water supplies and derailing trains to incite a civil war in the name of creating a white "ethno-state." They have also alleged that Mathews and one of his alleged co-conspirators, 33-year-old Brian Lemley Jr., had been planning to violently disrupt a massive gun-rights rally last month in Richmond, Va.

Investigators used a closed-circuit television camera and microphone, hidden in a home in Delaware, to record Mathews talking about the Virginia rally as a "boundless" opportunity.

"All you gotta do is start making things go wrong and if Virginia can spiral out to (expletive) full-blown civil war," the documents quote Mathews as saying.

Mathews and Lemley discussed the planning of violence at the Richmond rally, according to prosecutors. They said Lemley talked about using a thermal imaging scope affixed to his rifle to ambush unsuspecting civilians and police officers.

"I need to claim my first victim," Lemley said on Dec. 23, according to the memo.

"We could essentially like be literally hunting people," the documents quote Mathews saying. "You could provide overwatch while I get close to do what needs to be done to certain things."

The case has turned an uncomfortable spotlight on the problem of hatred in the Canadian Armed Forces. A military-intelligence report released in 2018 said 30 active service members were known to belong to a hate group or to have made statements deemed discriminatory or racist.

Chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance is among senior military officials who have promised a zero-tolerance approach to hate and discrimination in the ranks, while Canada's military ombudsman has been tasked with investigating the issue and recommending solutions.

FBI agents arrested the trio  the third accused is William Bilbrough  Jan. 16 as part of a broader investigation of The Base. Authorities in Georgia and Wisconsin also arrested four other men linked to the group, which has been attracting more scrutiny from law enforcement in recent months.

Investigators found a number of videos on a computer belonging to Mathews, including one that depicts him wearing a gas mask and distorting his voice.

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"The time for violent revolution is now, that time is already here, it's here right now as we speak," the documents quote Mathews saying on the video. "For those who want to do nothing and who want a comfortable life, that's not an option. This is the age of war."

Officials say the group is just part of a wider spread of white nationalism and extremist ideology throughout the United States, with The Base following a model similar to that of al-Qaida, the Islamic State group and other violent organizations that rely on the internet and social media to mobilize independent cells or individuals who share their philosphies.

"Since 2018, The Base has been building a coalition of white supremacist members within the United States and abroad through, among other things, online chat rooms, in-person meetings, propaganda, and military training," prosecutors allege in court documents.

"The Base's membership includes members of other white supremacist organizations, including Atomwaffen Division, a violent neo-Nazi terror group linked to several hate crimes. The Base recruits white supremacists and is particularly interested in applicants with military and explosives backgrounds."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2020.

 With files from Lee Berthiaume in Ottawa; follow James McCarten on Twitter @CdnPressStyle
TORONTO, Feb. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hudbay Minerals Inc. (Hudbay or the company) (TSX, NYSE: HBM) today announced the community of Chilloroya has formally approved a surface rights agreement with Hudbay for the Pampacancha satellite deposit located near the Constancia mine in Peru. With the completion of this agreement, the company expects to be mining ore from the deposit in late 2020.



We are very pleased to have reached a Pampacancha agreement with the community, said Peter Kukielski, Hudbays President and Chief Executive Officer. I have been impressed with the teams work and appreciate the years of effort to achieve this goal. Pampacancha adds high-grade copper and gold ore into the Constancia mine plan, lowering future cash costs for the mine and increasing operating cash flows at Constancia. Not only was Constancia one of the best project development and production ramp-up successes of recent project builds, Constancia is also one of the lowest cost open pit copper mines in South America. This could not have been achieved without our long-term commitment to, and partnership with, our local communities, and this successful agreement further validates our social acceptance to operate in Peru.

On behalf of Hudbay Peru, I would like to thank the community of Chilloroya for their dedication to completing this agreement which further enhances our valued long-term relationship with the community, said Javier Del Rio, Vice President of Hudbays South America Business Unit. We look forward to continuing harmonious negotiations with the communities north of Constancia on our highly prospective exploration properties.

The company expects growth capital expenditures associated with project development and acquiring the surface rights for Pampacancha to be approximately $70 million in 2020. In accordance with Perus Consulta Previa law, additional consultation between the Peruvian government and the local community is required before Hudbay can begin development activities. Some additional capital costs remain outstanding in recognition of current uses of the land by certain community members and the company intends to enter into agreements to address these matters prior to commencing mining activities. With the communitys endorsement of the agreement, the company believes these processes will be concluded in the first half of 2020.

Story continues

Qualified Person

The technical and scientific information in this news release related to the Constancia mine has been approved by Cashel Meagher, P. Geo, Hudbays Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Meagher is a qualified person pursuant to NI 43101. For a description of the key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate mineral reserves and resources at Hudbays material properties, as well as data verification procedures and a general discussion of the extent to which the estimates of scientific and technical information may be affected by any known environmental, permitting, legal title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing or other relevant factors, please see the technical reports for the companys material properties as filed by Hudbay on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, plans to commence the development of Pampacancha, expectations regarding the timing of mining activities at Pampacancha, and expected production, costs and cash flows from the Pampacancha and Constancia mines. Forward-looking information is not, and cannot be, a guarantee of future results or events. Forward-looking information is based on, among other things, opinions, assumptions, estimates and analyses that, while considered reasonable by the company at the date the forward-looking information is provided, inherently are subject to significant risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may cause actual results and events to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information.

The material factors or assumptions that Hudbay identified and were applied by the company in drawing conclusions or making forecasts or projections set out in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, the timing of development and production activities on the Pampacancha deposit, the timing of the Consulta Previa and permitting process, the timing for reaching additional agreements with individual community members and no significant unanticipated delays to the development of Pampacancha.

The risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information may include, but are not limited to, risks generally associated with the mining industry, such as economic factors (including future commodity prices, currency fluctuations, energy prices and general cost escalation), risks associated with the political situation in Peru, risks associated with the Consulta Previa process, risks associated with reaching additional agreements with individual community members, risks associated with the rainy season in Peru as well as the risks discussed under the heading Risk Factors in Hudbays most recent Annual Information Form.

Should one or more risk, uncertainty, contingency or other factor materialize or should any factor or assumption prove incorrect, actual results could vary materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Hudbay does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this news release or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

About Hudbay

Hudbay (TSX, NYSE: HBM) is an integrated mining company primarily producing copper concentrate (containing copper, gold and silver), molybdenum concentrate and zinc metal. With assets in North and South America, the company is focused on the discovery, production and marketing of base and precious metals. Directly and through its subsidiaries, Hudbay owns three polymetallic mines, four ore concentrators and a zinc production facility in northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan (Canada) and Cusco (Peru), and copper projects in Arizona and Nevada (United States). The companys growth strategy is focused on the exploration and development of properties it already controls, as well as other mineral assets it may acquire that fit its strategic criteria. Hudbays vision is to be a responsible, top-tier operator of long-life, low-cost mines in the Americas. Hudbays mission is to create sustainable value through the acquisition, development and operation of high-quality, long-life deposits with exploration potential in jurisdictions that support responsible mining, and to see the regions and communities in which the company operates benefit from its presence. The company is governed by the Canada Business Corporations Act and its shares are listed under the symbol "HBM" on the Toronto Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange and Bolsa de Valores de Lima. Further information about Hudbay can be found on www.hudbay.com .

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:
Bhopal, Feb 19 : The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to ensure time-bound clearance of applications for diverse services to boost industrial investment.

Depending on the service, a period of either seven or 15 working days has been fixed. The legislation will cover services like trade license, land development permission, electricity connection, broiler registration and consent under Water Act, 1974, and Air Act, 1981.

If a department concerned fails to give permission within that period, the application will be deemed to have been sanctioned. After an applicant gets "deemed permission", official responsible for not clearing the application could be penalised under the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Guarantee Act, 2010.

According to the draft legislation, there will be just one inspection in units that don't report any violation in two years.

Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to take this decision to boost industrial investment.

Public Relations Minister PC Sharma said, the draft of the bill was approved in the cabinet meeting. Industry groups or individuals investing in industry, small scale industry, information technology (IT) and tourism sector will get this facility.

The state government will also include in the future the provisions related to issuing other permissions or licenses within the time limit. It has also been decided to provide electricity to the industries at a cheaper rate.

The bill will be introduced in the budget session of the Legislative Assembly starting next month and it will be passed and given the shape of the Act. Accordingly, 'Invest Portal' will also be upgraded.

The Kamal Nath cabinet has approved the film tourism policy. The government will give special concession for shooting 50 percent of the film in the state. And if the film gives an opportunity to local actors, then the producer will also be given a subsidy of up to 1 crore rupees.

The Cabinet could not approve the new excise policy that allows the current liquors vends to have sub-outlets to expand the area of their coverage. The opposition had criticised the government for diluting the policy to serve vested interests and corrupting the system. Many ministers opposed the decision to dilute the policy and forced a deferment.

The Cabinet also decided the government will pay the dues of workers of Vinod mill in Ujjain which was shut down many years ago. The amount will be given to the workers by auctioning nearly 20 acres of the mill land.

The Film Tourism Policy has been approved. The government will give a grant for the shooting of films. If 75 per cent of a film is shot in Madhya Pradesh the subsidy amount will be increased.

Among other decisions an airport will be developed at Singrauli, the hub thermal power generation.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : Vodafone Idea Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla on Tuesday in a meeting with Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash stressed that without government relief, the company may file for bankruptcy and land up at NCLT, leading to a cascading effect of rise in banks' NPAs, and damage India's image as an FDI-friendly nation.

While neither Birla nor the Department of Telecom (DoT) has revealed any details of their meeting, according to a source, Birla insisted on going to National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) if relief from AGR was not given to the company.

He left the choices to the DoT on the exact form of relief, but apparently suggested that there could be staggered payments, or the dues could be limited to principal of the AGR without penalty and interest on penalty.

Sources said Birla also told Prakash that invocation of bank guarantees would wipe out Vodafone Idea's net worth, and that it would have to shut down operations straight away, leading to bank facing rise in non-performing assets (NPA), job losses and labelling of the country's image as a difficult FDI destination.

It would hinder governments' target to be among the top 50 countries in terms of ease of doing business against the current ranking of 64th.

With Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad several times repeating that the government doesn't want duopoly, the message from Birla has been communicated to all stakeholders -- Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Law and Finance ministries on possible repercussions of Vodafone Idea landing up at NCLT.

With DoT being criticised by the Supreme Court in the last hearing, the department has sounded out these concerns, and sources said DoT too agrees on some of the impacts. The Finance Ministry is worried on the overall loans by PSU banks estimated at Rs 4 lakh crore including spectrum auction loans.

SBI alone has Rs 12,000 crore exposure in Vodafone Idea. DoT feels a duopoly is a worst scenario for consumers. Keeping legal angle in mind, sources said two options could be looked at -- a waiver of penalties or staggered payment with interest.

The current moratorium of 2 years on spectrum auction dues payment was also offered by governments after Birla had met DoT top brass expressing inability to pay the dues to government due to poor financial conditions of the sector and his company's on account of cheap and free services offered by Reliance Jio.
Rosario Dawson has been fearless in her performances in Kids, Seven Pounds, Trance, Rent and more. Shes been fearless in her activism. Her relationship with Senator Cory Booker gave her some apprehension at first. Dawson was open about what concerned her and how she and Booker have stayed together.

Rosario Dawson and Cory Booker | Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Dawson has a new show on USA. Briarpatch premieres Monday, Feb. 24 and Dawson spoke with reporters after the Television Critics Association panel for Briarpatch on Jan. 11. Well have more on Dawson and Briarpatch this week but first Dawson opened up about her relationship with Booker.

Rosario Dawson thinks she wouldnt have been ready for Cory Booker before

Dawson and Booker seem like a match made in heaven, but Dawson believes timing is everything. Had they met any other time, neither of them might have been in the right place for a relationship.

Rosario Dawson | Ursula Coyote/USA Network

I think weve just had different kinds of partners who didnt necessarily relate in the same way, Dawson said. So even though him and I are really opposite sides of the ponds in a lot of different ways, theres a lot of similarities that weve discerned with each other constantly and also age. We met at 39, 49. Im 40 now, hes 50. Theres a lot that comes from wisdom and experience and maturity. Dont knock it, its really real.

This gave Rosario Dawson pause before she got serious with Cory Booker

A lot of added security comes with being a senator and presidential candidate. Dawson considered the risks when embarking on a relationship with Booker.

Rosario Dawson | Richard Foreman/USA Network

I mean, hes had a bomb sent to his office, Dawson said. It definitely was one of those things as I got into the relationship, I dont get to just cavalierly just fall in love with someone. I have to really consider I have a daughter and Ive got a family. Are we all willing to go down this path together? Hes just the love of my life so this is what it is and weve all kind of grown together and figured that out. Its definitely been very eye opening.

How they make it work

Dawson is busy filming Briarpatch and movies, and Booker is often in Washington, D.C. or on the campaign trail. Heres how they make it work.

Ive talked about my love language to Cory. Touch is one of them so Im a hugger and people know that about me which is difficult when youre also having a long distance relationship. I think probably quality time with him, its words of affirmation and probably acts of service. I know how I want to love but I also know that I have to be thoughtful and specific and conscious about the way you want to be loved. Even though weve had a long distance relationship and this has been a really challenging year for the both of us, just being able to be supportive to each other in the right way when we only have a limited amount of time. I think just consciousness in relationships, it sounds like work but the benefit that comes from it and the being seen and the being heard and the being understood and the communication is just absolutely critical and profound. Rosario Dawson, Briarpatch Television Critics Association panel, 1/11/2020

Date nights with Rosario Dawson and Cory Booker

When Dawson and Booker do get time together, they spend it just like the rest of us do.

Cory Booker and Rosario Dawson | Bonnie Biess/Getty Images

We are very nerdy and silly so were Trekkies, Dawson said. Were obsessed with Star Wars right now because of The Mandalorian. I just love that he kind of unwinds in the same way that I do. Were just really curious about everything. We do poetry with each other. Theres a lot of music. He does music playlists. We read to each other. Were in the middle of a Kurt Vonnegut book right now.
MORTEAU, France  When you tell Parisians you are going east to visit the small town of Morteau, many will say you should sample la saucisse de Morteau, the smoked pork sausage that is the local specialty.

But to its 7,000 inhabitants and to industry specialists, Morteau is better known for watches.

Nestled in a valley of the Jura mountains  in the heart of what is known nationally as le pays horloger, or watch country  the town is a quiet, picturesque spot along the Doubs river and home to some of Frances boutique watch brands, including Pequignet and Yema.

There also is an impressive horological museum, housed in the 16th-century Chateau Pertusier, with a collection that ranges from a 19th-century astronomical clock almost six feet tall to a Jaeger-LeCoultre mechanical movement that, weighing less than a gram, is said to be the worlds smallest. And it has a large number of Comtoise clocks, a kind of grandfather clock with a pot belly, made in the region.

But Morteau is known in the world of watchmaking because, despite its small size, it saw the creation of a watchmaking school in 1836, said Gregory Maugain, director of the Musee de lHorlogerie de Morteau.
TULSA, OK, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- AppSwarm, Corp. (OTC: SWRM) Swarm Social takes social media off your daily to-do list so you can focus on doing what you do best.grow your business.



As a business owner, you have about a thousand things to do every day but posting to your social media pages doesnt have to be one of them. We know its not always a walk in the park to establish and maintain a social media presence for your business. In fact, it can be tricky to find the hours or the know-how to make it happen. Let us take it off your hands.

What is Swarm Social? Social media content is a necessity for your business to build brand awareness and trust within your online community. Swarm Social offers social media content management services to help busy entrepreneurs (like you) maintain a solid presence on social media. When your happy customers or potential clients go looking for you on social media they'll find your pages covered with fresh daily posts. Your followers will refer to you as an expert in your field. And potential clients will know they are dealing with a recognized business online.

WHY SOCIAL MEDIA?

The goal is to keep your business relevant. You want to post things people can talk about, things people will share with their friends, things people can smile about or have a laugh.

You do not want to post the same boring promotional post day in and day out, for example: Come over to Cheryles Beauty Shop! Mention this post and get $10 off! If you were to post a promotional post like this every day people will unfollow you and ultimately you will have nobody to share posts with.

The goal is to have the ideal mix of entertaining, informative, pertinent and engaging posts. And sneak in some promotional posts when the time is right. Check us out: https://www.app-swarm.com/swarm-social/

Call or email today to get started! info@app-swarm.com or 888-886-8583.

The company is working on many new developments and will be updating shareholders over the upcoming weeks.

About APPSWARM

AppSwarm is a technology company specializing in the accelerated development and publishing of mobile apps and other software platforms for gaming and business applications and seeks to acquire symmetric business opportunities. AppSwarm partners with and assists other development firms in technology development, business management, and funding needs.

For more information, visit us at www.app-swarm.com or follow us on www.facebook.com/AppSwarm Twitter https://twitter.com/AppSwarm or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/appswarm/

Forward-Looking Statements:

"Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risk and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the impact of competitive products, product demand, market acceptance risks, fluctuations in operating results, political risk and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with OTCMarkets.com and as required to the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks could cause SWRM's actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, the Company.
Seattle, Washington--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - CFN Media (OTCQB: CNFN), the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the North American cannabis industry announces the publication of an article discussing CannaTrac and its cashless banking solution for the cannabis space and beyond.

CannaTrac

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6612/52575_9fe2658524f31979_001full.jpg

Many cannabis businesses struggle to access even basic banking services. While it's possible to secure a bank account, it requires a massive amount of paperwork that has forced many small businesses to deal in cash only. Most banks and credit unions don't even bother offering conventional financial services to cannabis companies, much less advanced services.

Regulators have sought to solve these issues by introducing legislation like the SAFE Banking Act, which would limit the power of federal banking regulators and provide safe harbor to financial institutions serving cannabis companies. Until then, many cannabis companies are still either operating in cash only or quietly using cannabis-friendly banks.

CannaTrac, the leading cashless payment solution for the cannabis and hemp industries, and beyond, offers a third option for cannabis dispensaries and delivery services by providing banking access, mobile payments, and loyalty and rewards capabilities, as well as merchant processing to online and brick-and-mortar CBD retailers with the lowest industry rates.

Are you an accredited investor? Sign up to receive an investor tear sheet and corporate updates!

Unique Approach to Payments

CannaTrac has built a unique ecosystem of products and services tailored for the cannabis industry. Rather than waiting for regulatory clarity, the company built a cashless payment system designed to eliminate the need to process credit cards on-site and encourage customers to spend more through loyalty and rewards programs.





CannaCard(R) Mobile App

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6612/52575_9fe2658524f31979_002full.jpg

Customers are rewarded for each purchase that can be used at participating locations, while retailers can sidestep thorny banking issues and focus on growing their business. In addition, the solution ensures that retailers are adhering to all relevant compliance and know-your-customer laws - where violations can be extremely costly.

CannaTrac is also targeting CBD companies that are selling their products online through ecommerce shops. Using an online plugin, merchants can quickly and easily integrate CannaCard payments into their ecommerce platforms. The company also offers online and brick-and-mortar retailers with the lowest rates available in the industry.

SAFE Banking Act Friendly

The SAFE Banking Act passed the house 321-103 in a rare showing of bipartisan support in September 2019. While Republicans in the Senate have traditionally taken a negative view on cannabis, they can appreciate the need to ease banking access to both improve the safety of business as well as make cannabis sales easier to trace through the financial system.

Once that legislation reached the Senate, however, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) raised several concerns, mostly to do with wider policy issues like public health. Several banking organizations have pushed the Senator to focus on the narrower financial services issues actually contained in the legislation. The bill is co-sponsored by Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colorado), so it has bipartisan support. The picture is still murky, however, leaving cannabis-related companies in banking limbo.

CannaTrac's experience helping cannabis and hemp-based CBD companies navigate the complexities of compliance requirements could play a vital role in its future. For instance, it's agreement with Pacific Banking Corp. in 2019 enabled cannabis companies to apply for CannaCard and banking services at PBC simultaneously with a single application.

Looking Ahead

CannaTrac is raising a $5 million seed round atop its $20 million Series A to scale its business both domestically and around the world. In addition to PBC, the company has already inked a contract with Valid USA, Inc. - the fifth largest SIM card producer in the world and a leading manufacturer of banking cards - to implement, distribute, license and promote its payment solution software and products internationally.

The SAFE Banking Act may be a wildcard this year, but CannaTrac is well-positioned to provide valuable banking services and payment options to cannabis companies with or without its passage.

Are you an accredited investor? Sign up to receive an investor tear sheet and corporate updates.

Click here to read the full story:

https://www.cannabisfn.com/cannatrac-provides-cannabis-banking-access-with-or-without-the-safe-banking-act-cfn-media/

CannaTrac Company Contact:

Tom Gavin CEO

tgavin@cannatrac.com

CFN Media Contact:

Frank Lane President

flane@cannabisfn.com

About CFN Media

CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN) is the owner and operator of CFN Media, the leading agency and digital financial media network dedicated to the legal cannabis industry.

For Visitors and Viewers

CFN Media's Cannabis Financial Network (CannabisFN.com) is the destination for savvy investors and business people profiting from the worldwide cannabis industry. Viewers will see breaking news, exclusive content and original programming involving the people, companies and investments shaping the industry.

For Cannabis Businesses & Companies

CFN Media is a leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the cannabis industry. We help private, pre-public and public cannabis companies in the US and Canada attract capital, investors and media attention.

Our powerful digital media and distribution platform conveys a company's message and value proposition directly to accredited and retail investors and national media active in the North American cannabis markets.

Since 2013, CFN Media has enabled the world's preeminent cannabis companies to thrive in the capital and public markets.

Learn how to become a CFN Media client company, brand or entrepreneur: https://www.cannabisfn.com/become-featured-company/

Disclaimer

The above article is sponsored content. CannabisFN.com and CFN Media, have been hired to create awareness. Please follow the link below to view our full disclosure outlining our compensation: http://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52575
Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all.

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Gumbo is one of the American South's most decadent, and most contested, exports. Louisianans have long claimed ownership of the stew, due to its combination of culinary influences from along the Gulf Coast -- West African, American Indian, French. The dish has many styles -- chicken vs. crab, thick vs. watery, red vs. brown -- some of which originate in Texas, Alabama and Mississippi. Whatever your preference, it's an excellent comfort food, equally suited for balmy summer days and cold wintry nights of Los Angeles. Here are the seven of the best gumbos around the city.

Sweet Blessings by Cyler A meal at Van Nuys soul food joint Sweet Blessings by Cyler is something of a religious experience, not necessarily for the customer (although the food is on a higher plane) but definitely for chef Katina "Ms. Kat" Cyler and her husband, Ron. They opened the place last September and Cyler regularly prays for its success on Instagram, hence the restaurant's name. She makes a lovely golden gumbo with a roux recipe she learned in her homestate of Florida and a hearty helping of scallops, swordfish, and crawfish. The trick is getting some. Sweet Blessings has a small revolving menu (the Cylers are frequently busy catering for military functions) and the gumbo is only available on Fridays and Saturdays. Plan accordingly.

14126 Sherman Way, Ste. 1, Van Nuys. 818-285-8437.

The gumbo at Preux & Proper in downtown L.A. (Sean Malin for LAist)

Preux & Proper Perhaps the most lauded of L.A.'s high-end Cajun establishments, Preux & Proper isn't cheap. Collard greens cost $18, dungeness crab hushpuppies go for $22 and a massive cast-iron pot of gumbo will set you back $44 but it is one of the most satisfying stews in the city. A delicate lobster broth replaces traditional roux, crunchy Geechie Boy Mill farro steps in for white rice and masses of oysters, mussels and black tiger shrimp create an unexpectedly briny intensity that's missing from most gumbos. Despite the chunk it takes out of your wallet, it's a must-try, especially for a big party willing to split the bill.

840 S. Spring St., downtown L.A. 213-896-0090.

Cafe Creole "Tastes so good you wanna tell somebody!," says the website for Cafe Creole. Founded by Eric Lanueville in 2014 and managed by Keith Adams, this small charmer in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza approaches traditional bayou recipes with reverence. Its gumbo features jumbo shrimp, sliced chicken and chicken sausage in a hickory-colored, crab-seasoned roux pulled from Lanueville's home state of Louisiana. The jambalaya, with its bright red vegetable roux, is every bit the gumbo's equal. Cafe Creole's food court digs look inauspicious but its devoted patrons know it's a gem.

3650 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw. 323-389-8355.

Stevie's Creole Cafe Encino residents mourned when Stevie's Creole Cafe and Bar closed its original Ventura Blvd. location in 2015 after 29 years. Hope sprang anew when it reopened in 2016 along Pico Blvd., where it appears to be thriving. The food, in particular the seafood gumbo, is as strong as ever. At $24 for a large bowl, it isn't cheap but the abundance of shellfish and the intensity of the sausage make it worth every penny. Paired with a housemade Cool Breeze lemonade, it's the pinnacle of Cajun cuisine.

5545 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. 213-413-2494.

Ritter's Steam Kettle Cooking The six excellent gumbos at Ritter's Steam Kettle Cooking, which has three locations, all share one thing: They're full of onions, bell peppers and celery (the Holy Trinity of so many Cajun recipes). The roux at Ritter's is viscous and smoky, like mole or melted chocolate, rendered thicker by okra. For those bored of the classics (crab and chicken), the microchain offers two luxury renditions: lobster gumbo ($26 for 24 oz.) and the house special, made with shrimp, clam, crab and whitefish ($23). The Huntington Beach and Alhambra locations are usually cramped, so head to the brick-and-mortar in Santa Ana for a less hectic experience.

1800 W. Valley Blvd., Alhambra. 626-872-6464.180 5th St., Unit 130, Huntington Beach. 714-536-7733.1421 W. MacArthur Blvd., Santa Ana. 714-850-1380.

The gumbo at Krimsey's Cajun Kitchen. (Sean Malin for LAist)

Krimsey's Cajun Kitchen Billed as the "world's first Cajun vegan restaurant," Krimsey's Cajun Kitchen offers the kind of countertop service common in founder Krimsey Ramsey's native Baton Rouge. The cozy-casual vibe, like her food, is calibrated to suit the broadest possible tastes. The gumbo, with its inky roux, sassafras file, vegan sausage and fragrant parsley rice, is particularly inviting, and it's chunky enough for two hungry people to split. Adventurous eaters should try the gumbalaya bowl, a Franksteinian fusion of two Cajun standards spiced with the house hot sauce (although we recommend adding a splash of Crystal to light the fire). Ramsey seems to have found her niche. She's getting ready to open a Silver Lake location.

12900 Victory Blvd., North Hollywood. 818-308-6166.
Now the Delhi government is preparing to connect 17 thousand entrepreneurs with government schools. The government's move is expected to bring good results. Tell that we will discuss entrepreneurship with the students of all these government schools and tell them about their experiences. Last year 4 thousand entrepreneurs discussed their entrepreneurship journey with 3,10,309 students. This year its scope is being increased even more. Under the entrepreneurship course started in government schools, 17 thousand entrepreneurs will talk on this subject with students in classes like volunteers. On Tuesday, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia have taken this decision.

Donald Trump before coming to India says, "will do trade deal later"

On Tuesday, Manish Sisodia convened a review meeting of the Entrepreneurship course, in which members of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Directorate of Education and the Core Committee of Entrepreneurship Course participated. Along with this, field projects will be started for the students of 11th and 12th from the months of April and July by promoting entrepreneurship skills. According to this course, seed money of one thousand rupees is also being given to these students for the field project.

Coronavirus badly affects economy, China will destroy 84 thousand crore paper currency

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that there is a need to develop the mindset of an entrepreneur among the students. In which interaction with entrepreneurs plays a very important role. The entrepreneurs' Yatra Yatra will help the students to learn from real life experiences. He said that with the aim of developing entrepreneurship mentality skills in the students, it is planned to give seed money to the students of 11th and 12th grade. Which is planned to start in April and July 2020? Under this, each student will be given seed money of Rs 1000 and they will be involved in entrepreneurial activities which will enable them to find solutions to a problem and work differently.

Pakistan designed missile to target India, capable enough to carry Nuclear Weapon
Afghanistan's former vice president and powerful warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum called on his supporters Wednesday to protest against the re-election of President Ashraf Ghani, but so far, response to his rallying cry in the streets was muted. Ghani was declared winner of the presidential election on Tuesday -- five months after it was held -- prompting a subdued response from the international community as well as ordinary Afghans weary of the dragged-out process. The result was immediately rejected by Ghani's main rival, former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, who declared he would form his own parallel government. And then Abdullah's running mate Dostum -- who has long held outsized sway over the country's politics -- also rejected the final tally and declared support for Abdullah's move. Dostum served as Ghani's running mate in 2014, but the burly 65-year-old Uzbek warlord has switched allegiances many times since joining the Afghan army in the 1970s -- fighting for the Soviets against the mujahideen and then with the alliance that helped overthrow the Taliban. He had been vice president mostly in name alone, having spent much of the past four years in exile after being accused of rape and kidnapping. Dostum said the announcement by the election commission amounted to a "coup", and called on supporters to "hit the streets". "I, as your leader... ask you to support Dr Abdullah with all your life and power," he said. But there was little sign of major protests -- or celebrations -- across the country. - Election fatigue - Ordinary Afghans have shown little passion for Abdullah, Ghani, or the election process in general, with most of them abstaining from voting in last year's lacklustre election that saw candidates pitch few new ideas. The international community also remained unusually silent in the wake of the results, despite pumping millions of dollars into the election process, with little in the way of public congratulations to Ghani or comments on Abdullah's declaration of a parallel government. More than 24 hours after the results were released, the presidential palace tweeted that Ghani had met with US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad to discuss the peace process. Ghani himself also tweeted that the EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell called to offer his congratulations. "While it is up to Afghans to decide the election outcome, our priority -- and what we believe to be the priority of most Afghans -- remains peace and the peace process," Molly Phee, deputy to Khalilzad, told a gathering at the US Institute of Peace in Washington late Tuesday. - 'Reduction in violence' - The final results come just as Washington seeks a deal with the Taliban -- possibly to be signed by February 29 -- which would allow it to withdraw troops in return for various security guarantees, and a promise that the militants would hold peace talks with the Afghan government. Dostum and Abdullah have not been the only ones to denounce the results. Another warlord-turned-politician, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, said the vote should be declared "totally invalid" in a speech Wednesday, and called for an "inclusive" government that included the Taliban. He did not mention Abdullah. Meanwhile, the Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan (TEFA), an independent observer organisation, blasted the national election body responsible for tallying and announcing results. TEFA "finds the announcement of the final election results a poorly thought-out decision," the group said, pointing to a high number of unresolved complaints that were still being scrutinised. "Moreover, the international community, which happens to be the most important contributors to the Afghan elections, has remained silent." Ghani appeared at the Independent Election Commission on Wednesday to pick up the document certifying his presidency. In televised comments there, he thanked supporters again but made no mention of Abdullah, Dostum or the criticism of the process. Abdullah's intent to try to form a separate government brought back memories of the angrily contested 2014 election, which also saw Ghani declared the winner. That time, Abdullah's supporters held violent demonstrations before the US finally intervened to broker an awkward deal between the two rivals, with Ghani as the president and Abdullah as the chief executive. More than five years on, the apathy of Afghans and reluctance of the international community to intervene meant it was not clear how much support Abdullah would get. "We're still in a democracy," policy analyst Mariam Safi told AFP, warning that Abdullah would have to find legal justifications as well as popular support for his move. "It's a huge question mark... (in) the next couple of days we'll start to see a few things come out that might signal where this is going."
Sportsmen of all kinds are given the title of 'hero' but few actually put their own life on the line to save others.

Harry Gregg did just that, not once but twice on a foggy frozen Munich airfield he returned to the wreck of a plane he had just escaped from and rescued two others.

My personal memory of Irish international Harry Gregg was in the FA Cup semi-final at Burnden Park against hot favourites Manchester United. I was in the crowd directly behind United's goal when Colin Harvey's shot found the net for Everton that took us Wembley and the 1966 FA Cup Final.

Harry had anticipated the intended flight of the ball yet was caught off balance by what in my opinion was a mishit by Colin that had Harry scrambling too late to make the save.

In those days, there were lots of sporting heroes but Harry Gregg was truly of another kind. May he rest in peace.

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Thousands protested in Greece on Tuesday against a new pension reform as a 24-hour strike paralysed transport and services. Some 10,000 people demonstrated in the capital against the reform, which encourages a longer stay in the workforce, police said. The labour action brought public transport in Athens, intercity trains and ferry ship services to a standstill. Civil servants also walked off the job and journalists will stage a three-hour work stoppage against the pension reform. "This bill is practically the continuation of (austerity) laws introduced in 2010-2019," civil servants' union ADEDY said. Unions are also holding protests in Thessaloniki and other major cities. The new conservative government says the reform, to be voted by Friday, will make the troubled Greek pension system viable to 2070. The labour ministry says the overhaul -- the third major revamp in a decade -- will contain pension increases and reduce penalties for pensioners still working. Successive governments have attempted to reform the pension system, whose previously generous handouts are seen as one of the causes of the decade-long Greek debt crisis. "The government will pay dearly for the further dismantling of social insurance, as (its predecessors) did. The Greek people do not forget," said Communist party general secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas. A separate government bill to stiffen regulations on street protests is also causing anger among unions. Chronic overspending and the inaccurate reporting of the budget deficit spooked creditors in 2010, and required three successive bailouts by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund to avert a Greek bankruptcy. In return for billions of euros in rescue funds, Greece had to adopt unpopular austerity reforms and pension cuts.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper heads to America's heartland on Wednesday to emphasize the importance of U.S. nuclear deterrence and the need for modernization.

The defense secretary will make his first visits to Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and Offutt Air Force Base outside Omaha, Nebraska, which is home to U.S. Strategic Command -- the combatant command responsible for the U.S. military's nuclear arsenal. Both locations serve a key purpose in maintaining America's ability to deter adversaries through the nuclear triad: strategic bombers, submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and ground-based ICBMs.

MORE: Pentagon shifts $3.8B for more border wall construction

However, with aging infrastructure, the Pentagon has made the modernization of the triad a priority in recent years.

Minot Air Force Base is the only base that hosts two legs of the nuclear triad, making it a unique stop for the secretary, according to the Defense Department. There, Esper will visit a missile alert facility that houses ICBMs and a launch control center to meet with missileers, maintainers and security personnel. He will also check out the nearly 60 year-old nuclear-capable B-52 bombers.

PHOTO: A B-52H Stratofortress sits on the flight line at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., Jan. 10, 2019. (U.S. Air Force)

Then on Thursday, the secretary will travel to Offutt Air Force Base to meet with U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) leadership and tour the highly classified Nuclear Command, Control and Communications Enterprise Center. He'll also see the newly built $1.3 billion command and control facility that STRATCOM just opened last year.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, the new commander of STRATCOM, Navy Adm.Charles Richard, said he firmly supports leadership's commitment to identifying nuclear deterrence as the highest priority mission of the department.

MORE: Lawmakers, experts warn of potential arms race as New START Treaty expires in less than a year

"Our nuclear deterrent underwrites every U.S. military operation around the world and is the foundation and backstop of our national defense," Richard said. "I cannot overemphasize the need to modernize our nuclear forces and recapitalize the supporting infrastructure to ensure we can maintain this deterrent in the future. I am concerned that the oft-repeated message of the need to modernize and recapitalize has lost its impact."

Story continues

In his confirmation hearing last October, Richard said the money needed to modernize the triad is minimal, only a "fraction" of the nation's discretionary budget.

"That's what buys our deterrence and defense against the only existential threat this nation faces," Richard said. "I think that is a good investment, and in the words of the former Secretary of Defense (James) Mattis: this nation can afford survival."

ABC News' Mel Madarang contributed to this report.

Defense secretary to tour bases in North Dakota, Nebraska at heart of nuclear triad originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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Linkedin M. Taufiqurrahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 20:05 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2065820f7 1 Opinion Jokowi,democracy,democracy-in-Indonesia,authoritarianism,authoritarian-leadership,Soeharto,New-Order,omnibus-bill,#commentary Free

When presidents make the consequential decision to suspend democracy, they usually do so at a critical juncture in history and with a grand purpose in mind.

Would-be autocrats need to have a perfectly plausible excuse for why such a drastic decision is needed.

When Egyptian military leader Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi decided in 2013 to temporarily suspend the constitution, it was a response to political chaos and division created by president Mohamed Morsi's administration.

But el Sisis primary argument was to suppress the rise of Islamism in Egypt as represented by Morsi and his political vehicle the Muslim Brotherhood. Within months of the el-Sisi-led coup, the Egyptian military took steps to undermine the Islamist organization  banning it in September 2013 and declaring it a terror organization in December.

Post 9/11, the war on terror has been used as justification when political leaders have decided to partially or wholly suspend democracy.

Analysts have chalked up Russian President Vladimir Putin's power grab to the Beslan hostage crisis in 2004, which ended in the deaths of 330 people, mostly children. For Putin, the rise of regional terrorist groups, including the Chechen rebels who launched the siege, indicated Russian state weaknesses; the only solution was centralizing power in the Kremlin.

But the idea of concentrating power in the hands of the executive to deal with terrorism does not come from strongmen like Putin and el-Sisi alone.

Shocked and awed by the 9/11 terror attacks, democratically-elected president George W. Bush enacted the Patriot Act, which greatly expanded the government's surveillance power. Some provisions, including one that empowers law enforcers to search homes without the homeowner's knowledge and without a judge-approved warrant, led many rights groups to deem the act as offensive to democracy.

Closer to home, when past presidents have decided to forgo democratic practices, it was mostly claimed as being for the sake of great national urgency.

In July 1959, when the country's first president Sukarno moved to suspend the provisional 1950 Constitution, which included all provisions of the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and was the foundation for Indonesia's parliamentary democracy, the country was in a precarious political and security situation.

Indonesia's territorial integrity was under threat from regional rebellions while security forces were engaged in a confrontation with the Dutch over who should occupy Irian Barat, now Papua.

Things were so bad that in 1957, the government decided to declare martial law, which later proved ineffective, as security continued to deteriorate, culminating in the attempted assassination on Sukarno himself.

Faced with such a dire political situation, it was apparently easy for the founding father to roll out measures that would weaken democracy.

In 1966, when Gen. Soeharto rose to power, he took the drastic legal, political and military decision to rid the country of the communist threat and bring back a semblance of political stability.

Soon after Soeharto received the March 11 decree from Sukarno, which basically gave him an order to improve the overall security situation, the army general enacted measures to ban the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), set up a kangaroo court to try the party's bigwigs and purge the Indonesian military of elements sympathetic to Sukarno and/or the PKI.

Soeharto basically founded his authoritarian regime on demonizing communists and repeatedly imposed draconian measures throughout the New Order era on the pretext of cracking down on remnants of the PKI.

While we should not consider any effort to undermine democracy as permissible, at least we now know that for most would-be autocrats, suspending democracy should be taken seriously and not be spurred by mundane tasks like creating jobs.

And from the brouhaha surrounding the deliberation of the omnibus bill on job creation, we now know that not only was the plan to compromise our democracy not motivated by some higher purpose, we also learned that officials involved in the bill's discussion failed miserably in their job of making an effective sales pitch for the plan.

While Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD tends to make light of the solemn pledge to defend democracy  saying that the omnibus bill's contentious articles resulted from "a typo  Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto completely misunderstood the concept of democracy itself.

A typo is when you mistake a full stop for a comma and theres nothing to suggest that the phrase "...central government can change provisions within this law or change provisions within laws not amended by this law" is the work of a careless intern at the State Secretariat.

And if concentrating power in the hands of a president was solely motivated by the urgent need to protect the office holder from potential impeachment, then minister Airlangga mistook the job of a president for that of a king.

In a democracy, it is the job of the president to negotiate with the House on how best to execute his office. And if the president loses the debate and is forced to make concessions, it is simply the function of the separation of powers.

Besides, if the ultimate goal is to create jobs and push economic growth, the government could, for instance, focus on streamlining and/or improving existing regulations.

In the grand scheme of things, job creation should be a matter of governance, not constitutional tinkering. Don't burn a house just to smoke out a rat.

***

Deputy chief editor of The Jakarta Post
CAMEROON, Cameroon - Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing a Russian-backed Syrian offensive are being squeezed into ever smaller areas near Turkeys border under horrendous conditions in freezing temperatures that are killing babies and young children, the U.N. humanitarian chief said Wednesday.

Mark Lowcock told the U.N. Security Council that the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in northwest Idlib province, which is the last major rebel stronghold, has overwhelmed efforts to provide aid.

He said nearly 900,000 people have been displaced since Dec. 1 when the government offensive began, more than 500,000 of them children.

Many are on foot or on the backs of trucks in below-freezing temperatures, in the rain and snow, Lowcock said. They are moving into increasingly crowded areas they think will be safer. But in Idlib, nowhere is safe.

Lowock, the undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said almost 50,000 people have taken shelter under trees and in open spaces. I am getting daily reports of babies and other young children dying in the cold, he added.

U.N. special envoy Geir Pedersen echoed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expression of alarm on Tuesday at the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation and the tragic suffering of civilians.

Hostilities are now approaching densely populated areas such as Idlib city and Bab al-Hawa border crossing, which has among the highest concentration of displaced civilians in northwest Syria and also serves as a humanitarian lifeline, he said.

Pedersen warned: The potential for further mass displacement and even more catastrophic human suffering is apparent, as an increasing number of people are hemmed into an ever-shrinking space.

He said Russia and Turkey, as sponsors of a cease-fire in Idlib, can and must play a key role in finding a way to deescalate the situation now, though meetings between delegations of the two countries in Ankara, Munich and Moscow in recent days and contacts between the two presidents have not produced results.

To the contrary, public statements from different quarters, Syrian and international, suggest an imminent danger of further escalation, Pedersen said in a video briefing from Geneva.

The United States, United Kingdom, Germany and others stressed that three-way talks with Syria supporters Russia and Iran and opposition backer Turkey, which led to a de-escalation zone in Idlib, arent working.

German Ambassador Christoph Heusgen said that since the so-called Astana formula isnt working, its now time for the U.N. to step in and its time also for the secretary-general also to step up to the plate.

We have an immense responsibility that we face here as the United Nations, as the Security Council to stop what is happening, he said. We must spare no effort.

U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft told the council that the clearest path we see to an immediate end to violence in northwest Syria is for the U.N. to take full charge of a new cease-fire initiative.

This should be the secretary-general and U.N. special envoy Pedersens most urgent priority, she said.

Heusgen also urged Russia to stop supporting Syria.

If you tell the Syrians that there is no longer military support to the Syrian regime, they will have to stop the onslaught on their own population, he said.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia responded: We will not stop supporting the legitimate government of Syria which is conducting a legitimate fight against international terrorism.

He defended the Astana process as playing the key role, saying that theres no other mechanism for a political dialogue.

Nebenzia supported Pedersens efforts to get agreement from Syrias government and opposition on an agenda so a constitutional committee can start discussing a new charter for the country, which is seen by many as a first step toward elections and formation of a new government.

What needs to stop is protection of fighters, insurgents, he said.

Britains ambassador, Karen Pierce, said Russia and Syria need to stop indiscriminate and inhumane attacks in the northwest that are killing and injuring innocent civilians.

During closed consultations after the open meeting, French Ambassador Nicolas De Riviere said he proposed that the Security Council issue a statement on the escalating situation but Russia blocked it.

According to council diplomats, the proposed statement called for a cessation of hostilities in northwestern Syria, but Russia insisted on an additional line that would have allowed the fight against terrorists to continue. That was unacceptable to the vast majority of council members, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the consultations were private.
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The Dobbin Road in Armagh has been reopend folowing an earlier crash.

Diversions are in place and traffic is being diverted onto the Vicarage Road, delays are expected.

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LONDON - Surgeons at Kings College Hospital in London removed a brain tumour from a woman who played the violin during the procedure.

Doctors for violinist Dagmar Turner, 53, mapped her brain before the surgery to identify areas that were active when she played the instrument and those responsible for controlling language and movement.

Doctors then woke her in mid-procedure so she could play to ensure the surgeons did not damage any crucial areas of the brain that controlled Dagmars delicate hand movements, the hospital said in a statement.

We knew how important the violin is to Dagmar, so it was vital that we preserved function in the delicate areas of her brain that allowed her to play, said Prof. Keyoumars Ashkan, her neurosurgeon. We managed to remove over 90% of the tumour, including all the areas suspicious of aggressive activity, while retaining full function in her left hand.

Turner, who plays in Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra and various choral societies, left the hospital three days later and hopes to return to her orchestra soon. She was full of praise for the efforts of Ashkan, a fellow music lover.

The thought of losing my ability to play was heart-breaking but, being a musician himself, Prof. Ashkan understood my concerns, she said. He and the team at Kings went out of their way to plan the operation  from mapping my brain to planning the position I needed to be in to play.
India and the United States currently share a robust partnership in the defence sector and some deals are likely to fructify during President Donald Trump's first official visit to India next week, sources said on Wednesday.

"There will be a big focus on the Indo-Pacific region during visit of US President to India, the government sources said.

India is set to finalise a long-pending defence deal with the United States during President Donald Trump two-day visit to India from February 24, a senior US official has told ANI.

Trump will arrive in India on his maiden visit, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, Senior Advisor to the President of the United States Jared Kushner or daughter Ivanka Trump, along with United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Secretary of Energy Dan Brouille.

The US President will reach Gujarat's Ahmedabad around noon on February 24 and will address a huge crowd of more than 100,000 people at an event at Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on the lines of the 'Howdy Modi' function that was addressed by the US President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Houston in September last year.

On the same day, Trump will come to New Delhi to attend talks in the evening.

Both countries are separately working on a limited trade agreement ahead of the trip, after earlier imposing tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's imports.

While there have been reports that a trade deal appears unlikely, an official conveyed that the leaders are "likely to discuss and possibly finalize not a complete but maybe a 'part' of a bilateral trade deal" during the visit.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Commenting on the acquisition, Paul Peters, CEO of SGS said, "This is a strategic addition to our recent acquisition of Underwater Contractors Pte. Ltd. Singapore (UWC). Creating a single platform under the SGS umbrella with the most advanced technologies, special repair equipment, and more than 40 skilled diver/technicians will give us the optimum operational efficiency as well as the bench depth to deliver unparalleled value to our customers in this highly competitive market."

Capt. Satnam Singh Kumar, Managing Director-Asia Pacific for SGS said, "I am excited to take on the challenge of integrating both UWC and the commercial diving division of TTSA under the SGS brand and building the most capable commercial diving company in Singapore. TTSA has a great reputation and will complement UWC's capabilities nicely, as we aim to transform the commercial diving industry globally, focusing to raise the bar on the safety and quality overall in all segments we operate in."

Matt Guenther, the GenNx360 Managing Partner who led the transaction said, "This transaction represents SGS' fourth add-on acquisition. Since GenNx360's investment in March 2018, SGS has pursued an aggressive expansion strategy both establishing new territories and improving density and operational efficiency in existing territories. In November 2018, SGS acquired Muldoon Marine Services, a prominent local commercial diving firm based in Long Beach, California. Subsequently, SGS acquired Underwater Contractors Pte. Ltd. (UWC), a prominent commercial diving firm based in Singapore, and Gray Diving Services Pty. Ltd. (GDS), a commercial diving firm based in Sydney, Australia, both transactions closed in November 2019 through separate transactions. All four of these acquisitions significantly improve the ability of each company to serve their markets and customers, while at the same time enhancing the operating leverage of each enterprise."

About GenNx360 Capital Partners

GenNx360 Capital Partners is a private equity firm focused on acquiring middle market business services and industrial companies. We invest in companies with proven and sustainable business models in expanding industries with the objective of implementing the required operating changes to deliver cost efficiencies, accelerate growth, and generate strong financial returns. Target industries include industrial machinery and components, logistics and supply chain solutions, industrial and environmental services, food and agricultural products and services, infrastructure equipment and services, specialty chemicals, packaging, and aerospace and defense. GenNx360 was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in New York City. For more information on GenNx360 Capital Partners, please visit www.gennx360.com.

About SGS

Subsea Global Solutions is the globally formed corporation with wholly owned assets and personnel in USA (Miami, Tampa, Long Beach, Houston, Port Angeles), the Caribbean (Curacao, Trinidad), Canada (Vancouver, Halifax, Saint John), South Korea (Busan), Singapore, Australia (Sydney), and Brazil. With dedicated staff situated globally, Subsea Global Solutions has revolutionized the methods of repair and maintenance for ships and advanced procedures used in underwater marine construction. Our name serves to accentuate the shared values of the SUBSEA GLOBAL SOLUTIONS companies, and our commitment to be "The One Source for Global Underwater Solutions." All offices are approved by the major classification societies. www.subseasolutions.com

For media inquiries about this press release, please contact:

Carmen Rojas, Director of Investor Relations

GenNx360 Capital Partners

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +1 212.257.6772



SOURCE GenNx360 Capital Partners

Related Links

http://www.gennx360.com


Our goal for CardFlight Conference is to make a space for those driving the innovation in our industry to learn from and collaborate with each other. This years strong speaker lineup and generous sponsor support promise to make this a conference that will move the needle.

CardFlight, the leading SaaS payment technology company, will hold its third annual CardFlight Conference in Naples, Florida, from February 25th to 27th, 2020. The conference theme will be, Navigating small business software solutions and payments.

The event will feature sessions on emerging payments trends and business development tools, thought-provoking conversations with industry leaders, and networking opportunities with peers in the payments industry. Attendees will be able to hear from experts on the key trends theyre watching, share best practices with their peers at merchant acquirers and other payments firms, and learn how to grow their small business portfolios and maximize profitability.

We look forward to bringing together so many of our peers and partners for our most comprehensive conference yet, said Derek Webster, Founder and CEO of CardFlight. Our goal for CardFlight Conference is to make a space for those driving the innovation in our industry to learn from and collaborate with each other. This years strong speaker lineup and generous sponsor support promise to make this a conference that will move the needle.

To open the conference, Webster will present a keynote speech sharing his industry outlook. The remainder of the conference will include presentations and interactive panels from leaders across the payments industry.

Featured speakers and panelists include:



Sarah Adams, Vice President, Global Product at First American Payment Systems

James Derby, Vice President, Merchant Product at Payroc

Mike English, Vice President at Beyond

Denise Fox, Vice President, Product Management at Electronic Merchant Systems

Steve Klebe, Business Development at Google Pay

Tony Lucento, Sr. Manager, Implementation Engineering at Verifone

Heather Nowak, Merchant Services Product Manager at First Citizens Bank

Scott Paape, Sr. Vice President, Sales and Operations at Talus Payments

Alexander Paull, Director, Global Merchant & Network Services at American Express

Kenneth F. Schember, Vice President of Middle Markets ISV/VAR Solutions at PAX Technology

Tom Sheridan, Sr. Account Executive at Visa

John Shipley, Sr. Vice President, Third-Party Relationships at Clearent

Scott Talbott, Sr. Vice President, Government Affairs at Electronic Transactions Association

Representatives from Discover Financial Services

Event sponsors include:

Gold-Level Sponsors



American Express

Discover Financial Services

Silver-Level Sponsors



BBPOS

CDE Solutions

PAX Technology

The Phoenix Group, an Ingram Micro Company

POS Portal

Visa

The conference will be held at the LaPlaya Resort. To see the full, up-to-date conference agenda visit http://cardflight.com/conference.
The MEK wrote: The Supreme Leader of the Iranian regime will be welcoming these elections because it gives him an opportunity to oust all those that oppose him.

After all, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei instructed the Guardian Council to reject the candidacies of many from the reformist faction, headed by the regimes President Hassan Rouhani, including 90 sitting MPs.

Considering that all Iranian politicians have to swear an oath of loyalty to Khamenei anyway and anyone who opposes the regime is barred from standing, you can see there is not much opposition for him to squash in the first place.

The MEK told Iranians that rather than vote in a rigged election, they should instead work to overthrow the malign mullahs and their inhumane regime.

While the opposition leader Maryam Rajavi said that it was Iranians patriotic duty to boycott the sham elections, which will show support for the over 1,500 martyrs killed by the regimes security forces during the November 2019 uprising in Iran. The MEK leader said that this would also show support for all those people who took part in the January uprisings with the goal of overthrowing the regime.

Many Iranians highlighted that activism in Iran is already on the rise, with the people longing to overthrow the corrupt and criminal regime, and planning to boycott the election en-masse. Although it is likely that the Iranian regime will cover this up, given that they have previously reported ludicrously high voter turnouts, it will still send a clear message of defiance to those in charge.

One activist from Tehran, identified only as Kaveh, said the people are eager to rid the world of the mullahs.

Via text, Kaveh said that the point of elections is for a populace that trusts in democratic processes to elect a democratic government. But given that the regime is fascist, the people do not have confidence in the democratic process and despise the regime.

He said that the regime is wrongly calling it an election in order to project legitimacy to the world and that anti-regime activism is only increasing as public anger increases.

The MEK said that the regime is showing signs of weakening, especially with the ridiculous crackdown on who can and cannot stand for elections, highlighting this as proof that the regime is unstable and its end is near.

MEK leader Rajavi said that Khamenei is trying to cram the backward-looking parliament with loyalists because he thinks that closing ranks are the solution to the present crisis.

The MEK wrote: Whether he succeeds or not, it has got to the point now that the clerical regime doesnt have any way out and cannot hold off being overthrown for much longer.

The international community should stand with the MEK and call out the regimes sham election for what it is.

Read More:

Iran Parliamentary Elections Riddled With Crises

Khamenei Begs for Votes in Horror of Election Boycott
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Specialty Food Association's Trendspotter Panel searched the 45th Annual Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, CA for this year's hottest trends. They reviewed 80,000 specialty food and beverage products to select a robust group of products and companies representing eight notable trends in the specialty food and beverage industry.

"In a reflection of consumer awareness and tastes, products connected to sustainability and plants, health, and global flavors continue to grow in prominence," said Denise Purcell, director of content for the Specialty Food Association. "As we can see with trends around oat milk, teas, functional drinks, and charcuterie, innovations in alternative dairy, specialty beverages, and protein continue to dominate, and all of this will be on our radar as we head into the Summer Fancy Food Show."

The Winter Fancy Food Show Trendspotters included: Melanie Zanoza Bartelme, analyst, Mintel; Monifa Dayo, consultant, chef, The Supperclub; Andrew Freeman, founder, af&co., co-founder Carbonate; Illyanna Maisonet, Puerto Rican Food Columnist; Chef Tu David Phu, Top Chef Alumni, TDP Enterprises LLC.; Wendy Robinson, buyer, Market Hall Foods; Leith Steel, trendspotter, Carbonate; and Bryant Terry, author, educator, and Chef-in-Residence at the Museum of the African Diaspora SF (MoAD).

Top Trends from the 2020 Winter Fancy Food Show

Regional Cuisines of Asia Oat Milk Takes Dairy-Free Center Stage Plants as Plants Prebiotic-Rich Functional Beverages Charcuterie and Deli Meat Makeover Mocktail Culture Sparkling and Global Teas Sustainability-Driven Product and Packaging Development

ABOUT THE TRENDS

Regional Cuisines of Asia

Sauces, seasonings, instant noodles, and snacks reflecting the foods and ingredients of Asia's varied regions were in the spotlight at the Winter Show.

Angkor Cambodian Food Tuk Meric and Kroeung Prawlak, a tangy peppery sauce and a marinade, respectively.

Burma Superstar Fermented Tea Leaf Dressing, a traditional dressing made from tea leaves imported from Burma

Eastland Food Corp. Indomie, instant noodles Indonesian-style

KPOP Foods Kimchi Mayo Sauce, a flavorful aioli

Linaco Chicken Rendang

Mama La's Kitchen Beef Pho

Niloofar Persian Trail Mix, or ajil, and roasted Persian-style almonds

Ochanoki Sai Sai Kyoto-style Chili Oil

Oyna Natural Foods Kuku, a Persian-style frittata available in grab-and-go package

Tat Hui Foods Pte. Ltd. Singaporean-style instant noodles

The Spice Hunter Japanese 7-Spice, traditionally known as Shichimi Togarashi, or seven-flavor chile

True World Foods Mentaiko, a creamy, mayo-like spicy sauce

Oat Milk Takes Dairy-Free Center Stage

Dairy alternatives continue to grow, with oat milk dominating at the Winter Show as new products were introduced in cheeses, creamers, butters, confections, and RTD beverages.

Ancient Foods MOATzarella

Califia Farms Oatmilk Creamer

Endangered Species Chocolate Oat Milk Chocolate Bars

Miyoko's Creamery Cultured Vegan Oat Milk Butter

Rise Brewing Co. Oat Milk Latte Nitro Cold Brew Coffee

Verve Oatmilk Macchiatos

Plants as Plants

The Trendspotter Panel predicted renewed consumer interest in whole fruits and vegetables in their annual trends predictions last November. That trend was very visible at the Winter Show.

Life's Grapes Vine-Dried Grapes and Peanut-Covered Grapes

Mooney Farms Bella Sun Luci Tomato Jerky

Pitaya Dragonfruit and Jackfruit bite-sized fruit cubes

Prebiotic-Rich Functional Beverages

According to SFA's annual State of the Specialty Food Industry research, functional beverages are part of the overall rise in popularity of specialty beverages that is helping spur specialty sales. Beverages with prebiotic benefits specifically, emerged at the Winter Show.

Mayawell Sparkling Prebiotic Beverage

Teranga Baobab Juices, made with baobab a prebiotic- and antioxidant-rich fruit grown on trees throughout Africa

Xoca Cocoa Fruit Soda with prebiotic benefits, made from a byproduct of the cacao bean

Charcuterie and Deli Meat Makeover

From grass fed, to plant based, to traditional preparation methods, charcuterie and deli meats were prevalent at the show.

Red Bear Provisions, artisanal charcuterie with an emphasis on grass-fed meats

Mia Plant-Based Deli Meat Alternatives

Zoe's Uncured Meats with no nitrates

Mocktail Culture

Mocktails, or ingredients for nonalcoholic beverages that offer sophisticated alternatives to alcohol, were on display.

Fentimans Botanical Sodas

Hella Cocktail Co. Bitters + Soda mixer

Hops Water H2OPS, a sparkling water with the subtle flavors of hops grown in the Northwest

Saint Ivy G&T, a no-alcohol beverage made with real juniper and quinine

Suntory All Free, unfermented nonalcoholic beer

Sparkling and Global Teas

From antioxidant-rich and digestive-friendly varieties, to products based on indigenous tea leaves, new teas and tisanes are prevalent.

BOS sparkling unsweetened rooibos red tea made with antioxidant-rich organic rooibos from South Africa

HopLark Hoptea, sparkling RTD tea made with hops

Nuba Tisane, a ready-to-drink hibiscus tea based on a traditional Egyptian beverage

Shaka Teas , sustainably grown herbal teas brewed with mamaki, a superleaf from the Hawaiian islands

Sustainability-Driven Product and Packaging Development

More food products are working to build a stronger future for their community and the planet, whether through plant-based foods, regenerative agriculture, upcycled ingredients, or sustainable packaging.

12 Tides Seaweed, organic seaweed from regenerative North American ocean farms

Alter Eco grass-fed milk chocolate collection, made from Peruvian cocoa sourced from fair trade farms that practice restorative farming methods

grass-fed milk chocolate collection, made from Peruvian cocoa sourced from fair trade farms that practice restorative farming methods Flower & White Meringues, in new plastic-free, paper sleeve packaging

Patagonia Provisions Smoked Mussels, focused on transparency, traceability, and low-carbon footprint

Pescavore Ahi Tuna Jerky, includes information on the packaging of fish species, vessel/captain, fishing method and location caught

Ugly Pickle Pickles, made from upcycled farm surplus and irregular produce

About the Specialty Food Association

Founded in 1952 in New York City, the Specialty Food Association (SFA) is the leading advocate for the $148.7 billion specialty food industry. Representing makers, importers, entrepreneurs, retailers, distributors and others in the trade, the SFA aims to champion, nurture and connect its members to deliver traditional and innovative new products to consumers that expand consumption of specialty foods. With over 3,800 member companies, the Association helps its members through providing information, research, educational events, and celebrating the industry through its awards programs. The SFA is known for hosting the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows, and presents the sofi Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. Learn more at specialtyfood.com.

Facebook: Specialty Food Association

Twitter: @Specialty_Food

LinkedIn: Specialty Food Association

Pinterest: @specialtyfoodassociation

Instagram: @specialtyfoodassociation

SOURCE Specialty Food Association

Related Links

http://www.specialtyfood.com


The Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel chaired by Janet Yale provides a vision for placing Canadas communication system at the service of the Canadian people. It has already shifted the level of debate, recentering it on the public service nature of the system.

There are many ways to think about communication and the panel opted to imagine it as a key building block of Canadian democracy. All of its 97 recommendations were guided by this goal. Some are clear and obvious responses to well-identified problems; some are contentious and may not fly. But it has produced a bold report that deserves a full airing.

On the whole, the proposals would enhance the quality of Canadian media, make communication more accessible, distribute the resources the system generates more fairly, oblige the major players to be good corporate citizens, and ensure that Canadians have the tools we need to steer the system in the public interest.

The report proposes measures to streamline and modernize the systems legal framework while preserving the values that have characterized it over the past century. It provides some reasonable solutions to age-old problems like the chronic underfunding of the CBC while updating its mandate and repurposing it as Canadas national public media institution.

It recognizes that we can and should regulate foreign entities operating in Canada according to the same rules as Canadian ones. It would enshrine the notion of net neutrality in law, guaranteeing open and equitable access to the internet, in full respect of consumer protection and human rights.

The report makes proposals for addressing the scandalous inequity in broadband access  98 per cent of urban Canadian households have connectivity, while in rural, Indigenous, and remote communities it can be as low as 15 per cent. (It is virtually silent, however, on the issue of affordability.)

The report also proposes more democratic procedures for naming CRTC commissioners, as well as the president, chair, and board members of the CBC. It would fund public interest group participation in media regulation hearings, create a public interest committee to advise the CRTC, and develop a national digital literacy strategy.

All of these measures would bring Canadian media and communication activities closer and make them more responsive to the people they are intended to serve.

So why has the report generated such furious response from some pundits and industry insiders?

Most of the reaction to the report so far has generated more heat than light. Naysayers have decried it in almost Trumpian terms, calling it insane, disastrous, and  one of the kinder terms  Orwellian. The prime minister has been called the most dangerous man in Canadian political history, for simply receiving the report.

Such reactions demonstrate how far off-track the public debate on the topic has wandered. That is a shame because, whatever its shortcomings, the report rests clearly on the basic values that have characterized the Canadian communication system since the 1930s.

There have always been ideological opponents of these values but the wholesale rejection of the report that has accompanied criticism of its bolder proposals often seems like a smokescreen for burying the most pressing issues.

The proposals flow from the premise that the Canadian media system is a public service. In this sense, we need to think about media the way we think about education, or health care, as sectors to be overseen in the public interest, for the public good.

Those sectors, too, are made up of a range of services, some publicly funded, some for-profit, some operated by non-profit organizations. But they are conceived, operated and overseen as public systems and regulated as such.

That may not be a popular premise, but it is how Canadians have seen the issue since a Conservative government  one of the most conservative in our history  adopted the first broadcasting legislation in 1932, at the height of the Great Depression.

Opponents of regulation overlook an inconvenient truth: except perhaps for the old-fashioned printing press, media technologies and infrastructures are always regulated, if not by government agencies, in the public interest, then by private corporations for private corporate interests. The question then is how best to regulate them.

Canadas current Broadcasting Act specifies that the system should serve the needs and interests, and reflect the circumstances and aspirations of Canadians. The Yale Report is a good starting point for thinking about how to do this.
After her impressive turn as a vibrant young woman in Netflix's Lust Stories, actress Kiara Advani is making a comeback on the streaming giant with the thriller Guilty.

At the trailer launch of the movie, Kiara, who plays the role of a rich spoilt brat from a high-end college, revealed that initially, producer Karan Johar thought that she wouldn't do another film on the OTT platform as she'd signed on films like Kabir Singh and Good Newwz.

"I was in the car with Karan when he told me he has heard a narration and it's a very strong role. He said it's the most thrilling script he had heard. He wanted me to hear it and told me it was on Netflix. But he thought I may have an apprehension because I had signed films like Kabir Singh and Good Newwz, but in my head, the platform doesn't matter. What matters is the content," Kiara said.

Having witnessed the reach of web content, Kiara said she had no reluctance whatsoever in returning to the medium.

"As an actor you want to reach out to as many people as possible. Fortunately, the script that came to me was Guilty. Lust Stories was a game changer for me. So there was never a second thought about doing Guilty. It seemed like the perfect opportunity," she added.

The film, also featuring debutante Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, explores the different versions of truth when a young woman from a small town accuses her college heartthrob of sexual assault.

Talking about the film, Kiara further said, "Every character in the film is layered. I'd just say what Karan told me because I think that describes the film aptly -- 'consent is a victim of perception.' And it's true because what may be consensual to you might not be consensual to someone else. So, this film is very thought-provoking."

Karan, who is producing the movie under his digital production house called Dharmatics, hired an all-female crew for the film, directed by Ruchi Narain.

"It has intrigue, resonance, relevance and more than that, Guilty has a strong narrative and storytelling along with terrific performances. It's quite interesting that it is such a strong female-led narrative, led by a mainstream female actor, directed by a woman, creatively nurtured by a strong woman and all of us at Dharma are such strong feminists including Somen (Mishra), Apoorva (Mehta) and me that we feel proud to tell this story and want to continue telling stories led by women, created by women and nurtured by women," he said.

Talking about what made her tell the story of Guilty, director Ruchi Narain, known for writing screenplays of films such as Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and Calcutta Mail, said, "There is a lot of talk and awareness about it these days, about any kind of assault and who do you believe. What interested me the most in telling this story was that when you read an article, there are opinions and a lot of things are academic. But life is about human beings and everybody is coming from a (certain) place, they have their own agenda. So when an issue like this happens, there are different reasons to believe and not believe. So how do you really know? That's the question which bothers and plagues all of us. Everyone has a point of view and it is, in some way, relevant. It is a story about human complexities."

Written by Kanika Dhillon and Atika Chohan, Guilty will be available on Netflix from March 6.
US President Donald Trump has said that his country is not treated well by India when it comes to trade ties.

Were not treated very well by India, Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in the US on Tuesday afternoon (local time). But he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he is looking forward to his visit to India.

I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot, said Trump who is coming to India on a two-day visit on February 24.

Watch | I like Prime Minister Modi a lot: Donald Trump ahead of his visit

He told me well have seven million people between the airport and the event. And the stadium, I understand, is sort of semi under construction, but its going to be the largest stadium in the world. So its going to be very exciting... I hope you all enjoy it, he told reporters.

Ahead of the visit, negotiators have been trying to put together a limited accord giving the US greater access to Indias dairy and poultry markets and lowering tariffs on other products. But no breakthrough has yet been announced and a planned trip by United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer was cancelled, underlining the difficulties the two sides face in narrowing differences.

Since Trump took office in 2017, long-standing trade differences between the two countries have come to the fore, with Trump calling India the tariff king.

The two have warred over everything from tariffs on farm goods to Harley Davidson motorbikes and price caps on medical devices and Indias new rules on local data storage.

The US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) said in a report that the latest quarterly data depict continuation of overall positive bilateral trade trends. The third quarter data, however, reflects some downslide in growth rates.

The US exported US $45.3 billion worth of goods and services to India in the first three quarters 2019, up four per cent from the corresponding period in the previous year; and imported US $65.6 billion worth of goods and services from India, up five per cent from the previous years US $62.5 billion level for the same period, it said.

The USISPF further projected that the total bilateral trade can touch US $238 billion by 2025 if the current 7.5 per cent average annual rate of growth sustains; however, higher growth rates can result in bilateral trade in the range of US $283 billion and US $327 billion.

Trump, meanwhile, said that he is saving the big trade deal with India for later. Were doing a very big trade deal with India. Well have it. I dont know if itll be done before the election, but well have a very big deal with India, the US President said.

What the two countries could sign during Trumps visit is a trade package, according to media reports.

The United States is Indias second largest trade partner after China, with their goods and services trade hitting a record $142.6 billion in 2018. While the bilateral trade between US and India is approximately 62 per cent in goods and 38 per cent in services, the bilateral trade between India and China is dominated by goods.
Samsung may have only just released the Galaxy S20 series, but people are already speculating about what the successors to the Note 10 and Note 10 Plus will look like. Imagined as the Note 20, Note 20 Plus and Note 20 Ultra, all retain the boxy design of past Galaxy Note handsets while including a touch of the Galaxy S20 series, too.

Working For Notebookcheck Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! English native speakers welcome! News Writer (AUS/NZL based) - Details here

This is how the Galaxy Note 20 series could look, at least according to Windows United. The website, which partnered with WaqarKhanHD, has combined the design of the Note 10 series but with a few touches from the Galaxy S20 series. Both stress that these have been developed based on current rumours, and not from insider sources. Instead, treat them as a fun insight into what the Note 20 series could look like.

Following on from the Galaxy S20 series, Windows United and WaqarKhanHD have produced renders for the Note 20, Note 20 Plus and Note 20 Ultra. While Samsung did not release the same volume of Galaxy S10 and Note 10 series devices, there is no reason to suggest why the company would not release a successor of sorts to the Galaxy Note 10 Lite.
Even style queen Lady Kitty Spencer can fall victim to the annoying white bra camera flash fail.

The society beauty, who is Princess Diana's niece, suffered the fashion faux pas earlier today while attending the Alberta Ferretti show in Milan.

Kitty sported a denim-look blue suit which she teamed with a white belt, bag and a plain navy T-shirt - but unfortunately the bright light of the camera flash caused her underwear to show through.

The model, 29, looked glowing as she arrived for the event at Milan Fashion Week - having swept her blonde locks into a chic updo with one loose strand which elegantly framed her face.

Even style queen Lady Kitty Spencer can fall victim to the white bra camera flash fail. Pictured at Milan Fashion Week

Her make-up was immaculate, showing off her radiant, dewy complexion, and she kept it relatively natural, with a slick of rose pink lipgloss.

London-born Kitty is a FROW regular, having showed off her sartorial prowess at Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris last month.

The stunner, who is engaged to multi-millionaire fashion tycoon Michael Lewis, 61, was snapped in France without her engagement ring as she sported a ribbed white polo neck and wide-leg mauve trousers.

It was unclear if Kitty was wearing her sparkler this afternoon as she posed with her hands tucked neatly in her suit trouser pockets.

Kitty sported a royal blue suit which she teamed with a white belt and a plain navy T-shirt - but unfortunately the bright light of the camera flash caused her underwear to show through

The model, 29, looked glowing as she arrived for the event - part of Milan Fashion Week - having swept her blonde locks into a chic up do with one loose strand which framed her face

Today she watched the likes of Bella Hadid take to the catwalk to model the Alberta Ferretti Fall/Winter 2020/21 collection.

Fellow supermodels Gigi Hadid, 24, and Kaia Gerber, 18, arrived in Italy from London yesterday for another stint on the catwalk at Milan Fashion Week.

At the weekend The Sunday Times reported Lady Kitty is converting to Judaism to marry her fiance, who is 32 years her senior and five years older than her father Earl Spencer.

A natural beauty, Princess Diana's niece opted for a subtle make-up look wearing a light brown eyebrow pencil and layers of black mascara around her green eyes

Showing she's a stickler for detail, the cousin of Prince Harry and William touted a deep red colour of her pedicured toes, while letting her blonde locks flow in loose waves.

The society model is set to demonstrate her commitment to the divorced father-of-three, who is chair of the Foschini Group, by converting to his Jewish faith.

She is already 'taking religious instruction' in preparation for their marriage according to a friend of the couple, the publication reports.

Lady Kitty's cousin, future king Prince William, 37, is a future Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

It is not yet known which branch of Judaism Kitty will convert to. She has previously been seen attending synagogue with Lewis in London.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 23:17:36|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MOSCOW, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Wednesday that it had blocked a channel for delivering drugs to Russia from Central Asia by detaining a smuggler and seizing 20 kg of heroin.

The smuggler, a native of Central Asia, was detained in the Bolshechernigovsky district of the Samara region on the border with Kazakhstan, and drugs were found hidden in his car during an inspection at a border crossing point, an FSB statement said.

The FSB believes that the channel of smuggling drugs on an especially large scale was organized by members of a transnational criminal group, it added.
A tweet about the ear sound went viral. (Getty Images)

Weve seen our fair share of theories.

There was a theory doing the rounds about how every woman had a freckle on her left boob. Lets not forget the famous gold or blue dress phenomenon that plagued 2015, either.

This one, though, pertains to our ears.

A tweet from a science columnist suggests that a part of the human population can voluntarily control the tensor tympani, a muscle within the ear.

In simpler terms, it means that some people can create a rumbling sound in their ears and others cant.

A part of the human population can voluntarily control the tensor tympani, a muscle within the ear. Contracting this muscle produces vibration and sound. The sound is usually described as a rumbling sound https://t.co/FjD36qFACU pic.twitter.com/ianKb60EK8  Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) February 17, 2020

If youve just spent a couple of minutes trying to make your ears rumble to no avail, the chances are you dont possess the ability to do it.

For the rest of us, the rumbling sound will be an all too familiar sensation.

If youre feeling a bit left out and wondering what this rumbling sounds like, one Twitter user likened it to the rumble of thunder which, as far as comparisons go, is pretty spot on.

Read more: Gross gym habits could cause illnesses

Others were left a little surprised that this isnt a skill that the entire population possess.

Wait, not everyone has this? it happens when i contract my face and smush it real hard, my eyes close and my nose scrunches up and i hear this rumbling sound.

I thought everyone could do this. Another user simply added.

wait, not everyone has this? it happens when i contract my face and smush it real hard, my eyes close and my nose scrunches up and i hear this rumbling sound  Caori (@CaoriAzarath) February 18, 2020

To me it sounds like when theres a big thunderstorm and the thunder is just lowly rolling around in the sky forever with only tiny flashes of lightning that dont leave the clouds  baapi mishiike (@turtlelaughing) February 18, 2020

I thought everyone could do this  gecko chamber (@chthonicbacchae) February 18, 2020

Although there are a few studies about this, there are no official figures to indicate what percentage of the population can do the rumble.

Story continues

Regardless, rumblers have united on Twitter to explain how and when their rumbling ears help them in everyday life.

Read more: Woman preaches benefits of naked yoga

It helps me deal with the uncomfortable sensation of plugged ears while flying. One Twitter user offered up a useful tip.

Others suggested using their skill to block water from getting in their ears when theyre underwater.

It helps me deal with the unconfortable sensation of plugged ears when flying     (@fbernaus) February 17, 2020

Yup.

I rather like the ability to summon and control the distant roar of rocket engines any time I like.



Also (slightly) attenuates loud high frequency noises.  James Garry (@jrcgarry) February 17, 2020

Been able to do that forever and wiggle my ears independently. Regrettably It doesnt attract women and I cant make money from it. Sad face.  Simon (@Simstersnose) February 17, 2020

Another also commented on how it helps him to attenuate high-frequency noises.

The non-rumblers amongst us might be feeling a bit left out at this revelation, but its not all smooth sailing.

Many people says it does nothing to help control sinusitis with others describing it as a bit annoying.

Been able to do that forever and wiggle my ears independently. Regrettably It doesnt attract women and I cant make money from it. Sad face. One man astutely concluded.

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In the latest twist, the chief of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division has informed Virginia prosecutors that if they decide to pursue state charges against the officers who killed Ghaisar, they may be forced to do so without testimony from the FBI agents who investigated Ghaisars death. The reason, said Eric S. Dreiband, who leads the division, is that the Justice Department may actually defend the officers in a civil suit brought by Ghaisars parents. If it does, he wrote, the department would have a conflict of interest were it to assist a state prosecution through the FBI, its subsidiary agency.
The CPI(M) on Wednesday hailed two recent high court judgments which upheld the fundamental right of citizens to protest and said that they were a "breath of fresh air" in an atmosphere where the government has induced all institutions to "connive" against the public.

The latest editorial of the party's mouthpiece People's Democracy cited a judgment by the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court which had set aside an order by the additional district magistrate against allowing protests in Beed against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

"The judgment delivered by the division bench of justices Nalawade and Sewlikar of the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court is an object lesson on how the fundamental rights of citizens to protest can be exercised in a peaceful and lawful fashion. First of all, the court held that those protesting against the CAA cannot be called as traitors, anti-nationals only because they want to oppose one law," it added.

Referring to the Karnataka High Court's ruling in which it held that prohibitory orders imposed by the Bengaluru Police to prevent protests against the CAA were illegal, the editorial said the verdict is a blow against the indiscriminate use of Section 144 of the CrPC, which has been used around the country to suppress peaceful protests against the amended citizenship act and the NRC.

"These are two significant judgments at a time when sections of the higher judiciary and even the Supreme Court are seen to be lagging behind and failing to intervene to uphold constitutional rights," the editorial said.

"These two judgments are like a breath of fresh air in an atmosphere where it seems the government has suborned all institutions to connive in the deprivation of the liberty of citizens. Not a day passes without cases being filed against people who are opposing the government, or, expressing dissenting views in the social media," it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
RICHMOND  The average length of time it takes a Virginia state trooper to write a ticket on the side of a road has been cut from 26 minutes to 10 minutes using an electronic summons system, according to the findings of a pilot project in Northern Virginia.

Those 16 saved minutes for each of 82,700 summonses written, translate into an additional 22,000 hours saved per year  the equivalent of adding 11 full-time troopers. The Virginia State Police say by taking the e-summons program statewide, the roughly 500,000 summonses issued a year could equate to 66 more troopers.

More importantly, the shorter roadside ticket processing time will save the lives of troopers and the public by limiting the danger of nearby passing traffic, the state police say.

To take the effort statewide, the state police need the General Assembly to grant it the authority, which already is given to local governments, to charge those getting the tickets a $5 court fee to pay for the hardware and software costs.

All were asking for is the same authority the General Assembly has given every other law enforcement agency in Virginia except us, Wayne D. Huggins, a former superintendent of the state police told a Senate committee last week.

Huggins, now the executive director of the Virginia State Police Association, read off the names of more than a dozen troopers killed in the line of duty along roadways.

Thats the reason we need this bill is to protect, not only us, but the motoring public because they are exposed to the hazard 60% less at the same time, he said.

A state police report on the pilot program last October said the e-summons system allows a trooper to scan drivers licenses and vehicle registrations, immediately filling out many of the data fields required to be recorded on a summons. Other fields, such as the court where the case will be tried, are selected from a drop-down menu.

The system greatly speeds up the exchange of information compared with handwritten ticket processing and eliminates legibility issues concerning the location, date and time the case is scheduled to be heard and clearly identifies the trooper writing the summons.

The system also benefits the courts, which can upload the information into their case management systems.

The enabling legislation, House Bill 172E, introduced by Del. Paul Krizek, D-Alexandria, was passed by the House in a 99-0 vote.

In the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, while members voiced support for the greater safety and efficiency offered by the system, some questioned the imposition of a $5 fee.

Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, said, This ought to be done, this would be great. The problem that I have is it is yet another fee on a criminal charge. I think its OK to have some. But for the most part, people are getting assessed more in fees than they are in the actual fine.

In the end, the committee reported the bill out with a referral to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee to see if there might be another way to pay the associated costs.

A Department of Planning and Budget analysis reported that almost $2 million was appropriated two years ago for the two-year pilot program that involved equipping 100 of Northern Virginias 177 patrol vehicles with required devices.

The state police said there are now 50 local jurisdictions using the e-summons program in the state. The state police would expand their program as the $5 fee provided revenue to grow.

Statewide implementation could be done over eight years for $15 to $20 million for the departments 1,121 vehicles, with no cost to the states general fund.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : There is likely to be further litigation due to AGR payment in the Indian telecom sector but Airtel will overcome the storm whereas Vodafone Idea vulnerability is highest in the given industry dynamics, analyst firm Credit Suisse said.

Bharti Airtel's Rs 100 billion payment is on an ad-hoc basis and it is in process of self-assessment of AGR dues and will make balance payments before next hearing in court slated for March 17, CS said.

"Bharti Airtel recently raised US$3 billion for funding of AGR payments. Even as the AGR litigation dates back to 2003, Bharti Airtel provisioned for 73 per cent of total US$5 billion AGR dues in 9MFY20. Further of these US$1.2 billion is for principal liabilities, US$2.3 billion is for interest and US$1.4 billion is penalty and interest on penalties. As per industry, with 75 per cent of AGR dues in interest and penalties, further litigation is still likely including for staggering of payments," the report said.

"Amid AGR risks Bharti Airtel's 3QFY20 4G subs additions at 21 m were highest ever and data traffic was up 15 per cent quarter on quarter. In 9MFY20 it has gained 3 ppt data traffic share. Given changing industry dynamics and Vodafone Idea's vulnerability with out-of-control gearing and lag in 4G besides higher spectrum and AGR burden we raise our Bharti Airtel total/4G subs forecasts by 7-14 per cent to 325m/250m by March 2022." "We await Bharti Airtel's self-assessment of AGR dues, the next steps in industry litigation and Supreme Court's further hearing of AGR case on 17 March. Meanwhile, following the upgrade of our Bharti Airtel's 4G and total subscriber estimates, India mobile Arpu will reach Rs 186 in FY22 (from 3QFY20 exit of Rs140) and FY21/22CL consolidated Ebitda forecasts are higher by 2-7 per cent," CS said.

Bharti Airtel, following the Supreme Court's adverse verdict on the AGR (adjusted gross revenue) case, has paid Rs 100 billion on an ad-hoc basis. Further, it is in the process of self-assessment of AGR dues before the next hearing on March 17.

"Bharti Airtel has provisioned for Rs353bn of AGR dues, 75 per cent of which are interest and penalties. We now factor in 50 per cent of Bharti Airtel's AGR dues risk (vs 25 per cent earlier) in our valuations but given changing industry dynamics, also raise 4G and total subscriber forecasts by 7-14 per cent, the analyst firm said.
Months after a widely supported Creighton University student referendum called on the university to divest from coal, oil and gas companies, Creighton announced it plans to shed some of its fossil fuel investments.

On Tuesday, Creighton announced it would reduce its investments in fossil fuel companies from 8.9% to 5.7% of its portfolio, effective on Friday, when its board of trustees will meet.

The change marks a reversal from the Creighton administrations earlier stance. Last year, the university's president, the Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, rejected the students call to divest the endowment from fossil fuel companies, saying it did not align with the universitys goal of maintaining a diversified investment portfolio.

In a statement about the decision to divest, Creighton said the reduction was part of a thoughtful, multifaceted approach to its overall sustainability plans, which includes an energy master plan and reducing the universitys carbon footprint.

Students celebrated the decision but pointed out Creightons announcement did not include a commitment to steer clear of future investments in fossil fuel companies.

The news is positive, but here is yet again another issue of transparency, freshman Antonio Angel said in a statement from Divest Creighton, the student organization. Without concrete commitments to stay out of fossil fuels, how do we know that the board is acting in accordance with the moral imperative?

Emily Burke, a junior sociology and justice and society double major from Milwaukee, said current events and continued pressure from students helped nudge administrators and board members to change course.

Georgetown University became the second Jesuit-linked institution to adopt a divestment strategy in early February, saying it planned to end its investments within the next decade. In 2018, Seattle University made a commitment to end its fossil fuel investments by 2023.

I think the pressure of Georgetown, which is a comparable institution, got to them, Burke said. I think that might have cracked them a little bit.

Since last Novembers vote, in which 86% of those who cast a ballot supported an 11-page referendum written by students calling on divestment, Burke said the Creighton Climate Movement has worked to keep students engaged and broaden its support.

The students have made and shared videos to raise awareness and participated in a January forum where divestment was discussed, Burke said.

But, she added, Creighton students are no longer interested in talking only.

After the forum that happened in January, students looked around and said Were dialoguing for the sake of dialoguing, Burke said. Weve taken the appropriate steps and followed institutional channels. Its gotten attention, but the demands weve made have not been addressed.

On Thursday evening, students, faculty and members of St. Johns Parish on Creightons downtown Omaha campus will march to the Mike and Josie Harper Center for Student Life and Learning, which Burke said draws a line between Creightons Jesuit mission and the Trustees' fiduciary responsibility.

While marching, students will identify each board member by name and by relevant connections to the fossil fuel industry and pray for each members realization of power, an announcement for the event states.

Divestment campaigns are continuing elsewhere in Nebraska, too.

Earlier this month, four University of Nebraska students from the newly formed Divest UNL, a student coalition across all four NU campuses, addressed the Board of Regents and called on the university to join the divestment movement.

As of Sept. 30, roughly 5.8% of the $1.5 billion the NU Foundation manages in investments was tied to fossil fuel companies, accounting for about $92 million in all.

Seth Keith, a law student at UNL, said divestment was a big idea whose time has come and added the university, which conducts research into reasons for and effects of the changing climate, could no longer ignore the science.

I encourage you to find your courage, find your resolve, Keith told regents.

Board members have not taken any action on divestment, but Regent Bob Phares of North Platte, who leads the Business and Finance Committee, said the issue was being studied.

Weve asked (the foundation) to do a review of those investment programs, Phares said. Were waiting for that to return to us.

Phares added student regents would be involved in those discussions and a clearer picture of what NUs path to divestment could potentially look like may be available later this spring.

Creighton students, many of whom believe divestment fits within the university's Jesuit background, plan to continue their pressure campaign pushing for divestment, according to Burke.

Were trying to leverage the power we do have here, and thats purely numbers, Burke said. The institution exists for students, but to what degree does that actually play out?

By using the numbers we have and getting high turnout, thats when we really feel powerful, she added.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com. On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS

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As his campaign for president takes off, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is facing renewed criticism this week for his decades-long habit of making offensive remarks about other peoples race, sex and gender identity. This includes revelations this week that as recently as last year he was comfortable referring to transgender people in pejorative terms.

They werent exactly the sort of remarks that go over well with the Democratic Party base that Bloomberg will need to win the partys 2020 nomination  and, if he does, beat President Donald Trump. Of course, Trump has his own long and infamous history of making offensive remarks.

To be fair to Bloomberg, he has at least expressed regret about some of his past remarks and actions, which is not exactly Trumps strong suit. Yet the two white, male, 70-something billionaires have nonetheless harbored similar attitudes over the years about people who are less powerful than them.

Dont believe us? See if you can figure out which of the following statements were made by Bloomberg or Trump.

Create your own user feedback survey

Answer Key

1. On making deals.

Let me tell you something, buddy boy, I have pictures of you and theyre not with your wife.

These remarks are attributed to Bloomberg in the Wit and Wisdom of Michael Bloomberg, which employees at his eponymous company compiled and presented to him as a gift.

2. On a business enterprise.

It will do everything, including give you a blowjob. I guess that puts a lot of you girls out of business.

Bloomberg reportedly made this promise about his eponymous Bloomberg Terminal, according to the Wit and Wisdom of Michael Bloomberg.

3. On black people.

You know, you dont want to live with them either.

This remark is attributed to Trump while giving a deposition in the early 1970s for a federal lawsuit alleging that he and his father had discriminated against black people who wanted to rent apartments. The Trumps eventually settled the case.

4. A female presidential candidate.

I mean, shes a woman, and Im not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?

This remark about Republican primary candidate Carly Fiorina is attributed to Trump in 2015. While Bloomberg appears to have stayed away from making sexist remarks about fellow presidential candidates, he is no stranger to crude comments about women in general.

5. On avoiding military service in the Vietnam War.

I had a great agreement with the draft board  they never called me and I never called them.

These remarks are attributed to Bloomberg in the Wit and Wisdom of Michael Bloomberg. Trump also secured several draft deferments to avoid service in Vietnam.

6. On black and Latino men.

Theres this enormous cohort of black and Latino males aged, lets say, 16 to 25 that dont have jobs ... dont know how to find jobs  dont know how to behave in the workplace.

This remark is attributed to Bloomberg in a 2011 interview with PBS NewsHour. Full quote: Theres this enormous cohort of black and Latino males aged, lets say, 16 to 25 that dont have jobs, dont have any prospects, dont know how to find jobs, dont know that the  what their skill sets are, dont know how to behave in the workplace, where they have to work collaboratively and collectively. Trump has more than his fair share of troubling statements about people of color.

7. On Trump.

Nice person

Trick question. Both Bloomberg and the notoriously narcissistic president have described Trump in such terms. Bloomberg praised Trump after the 2016 election: "If youve sat and had dinner with Donald Trump, youd probably walk away saying everything he just said is bullshit, he cant be doing that. But you have a good time. He is socially a nice person. Will he be a good president? I hope so. Because we desperately need leadership in the country and the world.

8. On a womans looks.

This is someone who likes to eat.

Trump said this to former Miss Universe Alicia Machado in 1997, the year after she won the competition.

9. On nondisclosure agreements.

You cant just walk away from it. Theyre legal agreements, and for all I know the other side wouldnt want to get out of it.

Bloomberg said this to ABC News in 2020 when he pushed back at attacks from Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren about past nondisclosure agreements Bloombergs company has arranged with female employees alleging discrimination. Trump also has a history of requiring employees to sign nondisclosure agreements, and has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than two dozen women.

10. On the politics of transgender rights.

If your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress ... thats not a winning formula.

Bloomberg made the remark at a 2019 forum hosted by the Bermuda Business Development Agency, where he spoke about Democratic candidates support for transgender rights. Full quote: If your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress and whether he, she, or it can go to the locker room with their daughter, thats not a winning formula for most people. Trump has incurred the wrath of the LGBTQ community for a variety of policy reasons, including efforts to exclude transgender people from the military.

11. On a womans looks.

Why didnt they ask you to be in the picture? I guess they saw your face.

Bloomberg reportedly said this to a female employee while getting his photo taken with business school students at New York University in 1995.

12. On how he is totally not sexist.

"Nobody has more respect for women than I do."

Trump said this many times, most notable in a debate after the Access Hollywood recording was released in which he infamously said, Grab them by the pussy. Bloombergs words have often been at odds with the technocratic image he tries to project, but he has avoided making this claim.
Turkey: Council of Europe denounces risk for rule of law Commissioner Mijatovic, lack of independence of judiciary

(ANSAmed) - STRASBOURG, FEBRUARY 19 - In Turkey ''the lack of independence of the judiciary and its tendency to favor political interests'' as well as ''inobservance of basic guarantees for a fair trial and an extensive use of the criminal code for illicit acts'' pose a ''real risk for the rule of law'' and for the ''respect of human rights'', the commissioner for human rights of the Council of Europe, Dunja Mijatovic, said in a newly released report related to his visit to Turkey last July. During the visit, he evaluated the judicial system and the situation in which civil society and lawyers operate.



According to Mijatovic, Turkish magistrates are in a situation of crisis and authorities need to react urgently to restore and boost its independence and to guarantee the principles of fair trial.



In the document, commissioner Mijatovic said that the Turkish judicial system has always been a source of concern but ''the situation has hugely deteriorated over the last few years''.



This is due to several elements, including ''measures taken by authorities after the attempted coup'' in 2016, which had ''devastating consequences on the independence and impartiality of magistrates''.



According to the commissioner, ''the erosion of the judiciary's independence over the past years has favored a climate of fear among judges, which has led to the explosion of conformism and has exacerbated the tendency which was already present to punish people perceived as government opponents'', wrote the commissioner. (ANSAmed).




A dangerous trend on social media reported to have caused serious injuries and at least one death has sparked fears more kids could face the same fate if it continues.

The Skullbreaker craze emerged on video sharing app TikTok and involves three people standing side-by-side tricking the middle person into jumping and having their legs kicked from underneath them.

Many injuries have reportedly been sustained by people who fell for the cruel prank overseas, with Brazilian TV station Costa Branca reporting that a 16-year-old girl died because of the prank in December.

A recent video taken at a school in Venezuela, South America, went viral after it showed a boy slamming into the concrete ground after two peers kicked his feet away.

The Skullbreaker ... Two girls shown teaming up to kick the legs of another girl so she falls back onto the tiles. Source: TikTok via Facebook

Reports suggested the student ended up in intensive care due to the severity of the injuries he sustained, The Mirror reported.

Cyber safety experts are now warning of the grave risks associated with taking part in the challenge, with parents being encouraged to pay close attention to how their kids are using the app.

It never ceases to amaze me the stupidity of people, cyber safety expert Susan McLean told Yahoo News Australia.

Parents need to be aware of what their kids are doing and they need to have conversations with them about whats acceptable behaviour on the internet.

Mrs McLean said the Skullbreaker challenge was far from the first social media trend to pose serious danger to the people who took part.

These men kicked the legs out from beneath a woman, causing her to fall back. Source: TikTok via Facebook

She referenced previous social media challenges involving people pouring ice on themselves, eating laundry detergent pods and using salt and ice to cause painful burns to the skin.

Young people have always taken risks, but this is risk-taking at a whole new level, she said.

They have to understand that a lot of the stuff they see online is faked, and kids dont discern about that as well.

Story continues

Mrs McLean urged those using social media to not participate in activities that are likely going to cause you or someone else harm.

Stunt could lead to criminal charges

All you can do is have conversations with your children about their behaviour both on and offline  thats your job as a parent, to make sure your children travel safely through life to the best of your ability.

She warned those taking part in dangerous challenges of the potential there is for them to face criminal charges if they have a role in someone being seriously hurt or killed.

These three gents begin the video in typical fashion, but stop before the fall in a message to others not to try it. Source: TikTok

You can be charged with recklessly or negligently causing injury - you can go to jail. Regardless of whether its your mate, youre probably going to face charges if you inflicted that injury, Mrs McLean said.

Dont be a sheep and follow what people are doing online if its dumb and dangerous.

TikTok parties becoming a danger in themselves

Yasmin London, executive directer at cyber safety education provider Ysafe, told Yahoo News Australia children hosting and attending TikToks parties were also becoming a concerning trend.

She said these were troublesome because the entire party revolves around taking these videos and often involved children under age 13 who dont always get permission from their parents.

Its causing problems in terms of privacy for people. Kids are going to parties whose parents may not know that all of these TikTok videos are being uploaded to that platform without their knowledge, Ms London said.

This is one of the warnings being shared by TikTok users about the Skullbreaker challenge. Source: TikTok

She added that any social media app showing content of children and in some cases, paid content, made it a target for online predators.

Kids can get paid for their performances by adults and people they dont know and that obviously leads down a pretty dangerous path.

Theres a number of issues when we have young children on platforms that, while they might appear fun, can have some dangerous implications.

In the wake of serious injuries being reported from people using the app, some TikTok users have taken it upon themselves to share videos urging people to stop taking part in the Skullbreaker challenge.

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.
Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion curated for you at this hour. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

Kerala mystery deaths: Police clueless, doctor fears sudden death syndrome

The autopsy of the three-month-old Kerala infant that was the sixth child of a Malappuram couple to have died mysteriously has ruled out any unnatural cause and a doctor suspects the reason could lie in the sudden death syndrome instead of any foul play.

Read More

Like you, others too have rights: Mediators for Shaheen Bagh tell protesters

The mediators appointed by the Supreme Court reached Shaeen Bagh in south Delhi on Wednesday afternoon to talk to the protesters and convince them to hold the agitation at an alternative site. The protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) act or CAA at the south Delhi locality has been going on for more than two months, with protesters demanding the government should scrap the law.

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Litti-chokha, kulhad chai on menu as PM Modi visits artisans Hunar Haat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday made a surprise visit to Hunar Haat at Rajpath here, where he interacted with artisans and relished litti-chokha and kulhad tea. Soon after chairing the meeting of the Union Cabinet, Modi reached Rajpath where Hunar Haat is being organised by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

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India-NZ 1st Test : Virat Kohli looks to emulate Mansur Ali Khan Pataudis 52-year-old feat in Wellington

If Indian skipper Virat Kohli wants to take an unassailable lead in the first Test, he will have to emulate former captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudis 52-year-old feat as he was skipper when India last beat New Zealand in Wellington.

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Man vs Wild motion poster: Rajinikanth and Bear Grylls are ready to take on the jungle. Watch

Bear Grylls has shared the first motion poster for the upcoming episode of Man vs Wild, featuring Rajinikanth as the special guest. The motion poster shows the actor and Grylls sitting on the hood of an SUV. Rajinikanth is sporting a beard and a cap, while Grylls is dressed in his usual jungle attire.

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Deepika stuns in black, Anushka and Ananya shimmer in metallic outfits

In its sixth edition, The Nykaa Femina Beauty Awards 2020 celebrates the essence of beauty in its purest form had stars such as Anushka Sharma, Deepika Padukone, Ananya Panday, Alaya F, Kartik Aaryan and many other names.

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Elderly man withdrawing cash attacked by robber. What happens next is shocking

A shocking video of a man attempting to rob an elderly man withdrawing cash has been shared on Facebook. The video, however, is collecting tremendous reactions for the surprising way the incident ends.

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A Winnipeg man has been allowed to withdraw guilty pleas to several crimes, including threatening to kill his wife, after Manitobas highest court found he was unaware his subsequent conviction would result in automatic deportation to the Philippines.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg man has been allowed to withdraw guilty pleas to several crimes, including threatening to kill his wife, after Manitobas highest court found he was unaware his subsequent conviction would result in automatic deportation to the Philippines.

"The accused has established he was not advised of the immigration consequences of his guilty pleas, such that his pleas were the result of an unfair trial process and a miscarriage of justice," Manitoba Court of Appeal Justice Holly Beard wrote in a decision released last week.

Marion Cerna, a permanent resident of Canada, was sentenced in April 2017 to nearly 8 1/2 months' time served, triggering an automatic deportation order, with no right of appeal.

Cerna was first arrested in July 2016, after he drove away from a shopping mall with property stolen by his friends.

Cerna was rearrested three months later, after he threatened and assaulted family members who had confronted him about his drug use. A day later, he called family members from jail and threatened to kill his wife and brother-in-law.

Over the next few weeks, while still in custody, Cerna continued to call his wife and mother, violating a no-contact order, and urged them to provide false evidence to court.

Cerna pleaded guilty to all the offences in February 2017  with neither the Crown nor his lawyer mentioning his immigration status nor what impact his subsequent sentence would have on it.

At sentencing, "the defence referred to certain details from the accuseds earlier life in the Philippines, but there was, again, no mention of his immigration status as a factor in sentencing," Beard said.

As his sentence exceeded six months, Cerna lost his right to appeal a deportation order.

In his hearing before the Manitoba Court of Appeal, Cerna argued for the admission of fresh evidence, specifically he was innocent of the theft and assault charges, claiming he pleaded guilty because he was afraid his family would lose their house if he remained in custody for a long period of time.

"The evidence is that the accuseds wife, son, mother, sister and her family all live in Winnipeg, so the certain prospect of deportation upon being convicted was, arguably, a much more significant deterrent to pleading guilty than was the incentive of getting out of jail earlier," Beard said.

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"When the two options are weighed, it cannot be said that (Cernas) evidence that he would not have entered the plea had he known the consequences is not credible."

Prosecutors did not dispute Cerna was not informed of the deportation implications of his guilty pleas, but argued the case against him for attempting to obstruct justice was "very strong" and would almost certainly result in the same sentence or longer if convicted after trial.

Cerna said he would have negotiated a different sentence on the attempt to obstruct justice charge, had he known of the deportation implications.

"Given that the accused received something over eight months for the attempt to obstruct justice conviction, a sentence of just less than six months is, arguably, not out of range and would have preserved the accuseds right to appeal his deportation," Beard said.

Cernas case will now return to provincial court.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
The former rugby league player who died with his three children in a car that erupted in flames in a quiet Brisbane street had shared several posts on Facebook of his family in the past few weeks.

Rowan Baxter, a fitness trainer who played for the New Zealand Warriors, died with his kids Laianah, Aaliyah and Trey, who were all under 10, in a car that was allegedly set alight on Wednesday morning at Camp Hill.

A woman also in the car, believed to be Mr Baxters wife and mother of the three children, was rushed to hospital with serious burns. She later died of her injuries.

Police could not disclose how the fire was started but described it as terrible.

Rowan Baxter and his three children died after flames engulfed their car. Source: Facebook

"How the fire actually occurred has not been ascertained at the moment, so for us to call it a murder-suicide or a tragic accident, it's inappropriate at this stage," Detective Inspector Mark Thompson said.

I've seen some horrific scenes  this is up there with some of the best of them.

"It's a terrible thing to be presented with."

Mr Baxter posted on Facebook on December 30 he missed his kids and in several posts since revealed his love for them.

T-R-E-Y Love you to the moon and back #daddy, he posted last Thursday alongside a picture of his son.

He then posted another black-and-white photo in January of him cuddling one of his children with the caption: Goodnight my babies Daddy loves you.

Also in January, Mr Baxter posted a video of him playfully wrestling his three children, with the four of them screaming and laughing.

Rowan Baxter posted on Facebook about how much he loved his kids. Source: Facebook

A member of the New Zealand Warriors NRL squad in the mid-2000s, Mr Baxter had been working at a Brisbane fitness centre with his wife who was a trampolining champion.

Neighbours reported hearing multiple explosions before seeing the car engulfed in flames in Raven Street about 8.30am Wednesday.

A man who tried to help at the scene has also been taken to hospital with facial burns.

Rowan Baxter posted this photo on January 10 with the caption, "Goodnight my babies". Source: Facebook

Neighbour Murray Campbell said he heard a number of loud bangs.

"It sounded very much like a gas cylinder explosion," he told AAP.

Story continues

He said he called triple-0, and did not see anyone run from the car, which was engulfed in flames.

"It was just horrible, multiple explosions, very loud," he said.

Police Minister Mark Ryan described the incident as "horrific".

Police were called to the scene at Camp Hill about 8.30am on Wednesday. Source: AAP

The car has been wrapped in orange plastic but the vehicle appears to have been severely damaged by the fire.

A major crime scene has been established with police condoning off a large part of the street and several side streets.

The family was not involved in any Family Court or Federal Court proceedings.

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.

With AAP

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

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Some Are Very Worried

State Officials Remain Confident

Conflicting Views

(TNS)  Gloria Lee Snover has peered down the abyss of election nightmares.Last November, just as polls closed, Snover, the chairwoman of the Northampton County, Pa., Republican Committee, quickly realized that something had gone wrong with the states new voting machines.The results that posted that night were statistically impossible, and Snover suspected that the new machines had malfunctioned. She would be proven correct.The Northampton County election night debacle was just one of several mishaps that marred the last municipal election and cast doubt on Pennsylvanias readiness for what is poised to be an historic election cycle this year.Now, the recent Iowa caucus debacle begs questions: Is Pennsylvania ready for its upcoming April 28 primary? Will the state be ready for November?Pennsylvania has required counties to use new voting machines. And the states new election reform law signed by Gov. Tom Wolf takes effect this year for the first time.Beginning with the April primary, voters will be able to cast their ballot from their homes without having to provide an excuse as to why they cant make it to the polls on Election Day. This year, people also have more time to register to vote; voters can register up to 15 days before the election, as opposed to 30 days previously. So elections officials are dealing with several new variables this year.There's a lot of uncertainty in Northampton County, a lot of anxiety about the upcoming election, Snover said. Now, not only do we have new machines that failed us, and that we are going to try to use, we have a whole new system of mail-in voting.Officials found no signs of outside meddling in the Northampton County election night mishap; evidence points to a bug in the software. But there were widespread problems elsewhere.Voters in York County, for instance, complained about a lack of privacy, confusion with scanners, and long wait times. York County election officials had to deal with a potential irregularity involving a bag containing about 400 ballots from a Fairview Township polling place that were scanned later because the lines were too long.Indeed, the warning signs of possible hacking in 2016 led Pennsylvania to overhaul its voting infrastructure. Some counties - Snovers included - have even changed the polls sign-in books.With a critical primary just two months away followed by a presidential election that is poised to be historic no matter the outcome, some local election officials are apprehensive that at least in their respective county, the upcoming election cycles can be executed seamlessly given all the changes.I feel like Im at the edge and they are pushing, said Jerry Feaser, director of Dauphin County Elections Bureau. The state, and not just the Department of State, but the governor and the General Assembly have no grasp of the implication of what theyve enacted.Dauphin County was among the counties that in Novembers municipal election saw voters and election officials contend with a host of challenges, including paper jams, vote-counting malfunctions, long lines and befuddled voters who could not even figure out how to use new voting machines.On Dec. 30, Dauphin County commissioners voted to buy a new voting system. The county was the last to adhere to the requirements of Gov. Tom Wolfs administration for all 67 counties to have new election systems in place by the April 28 primary.Not everyone is on edge.Steve Ulrich, who will oversee his first election as director of the York County Board of Elections, seems confident that the mishaps that threw election night into a turmoil last November are relegated to the history books.Ulrich said he has heard from a slew of stakeholders - from voters, to judges to election workers. All, he said, have learned lessons from November.I feel very confident that we will have all addressed all the issues, Ulrich said. Its going to be an education but I feel confident that we will have a much smoother primary election than we had in November 2019.Still, with the stakes arguably higher in the upcoming cycles, the newly rolled out initiatives and changes across the election infrastructure have left some officials uneasy about their systems ability - human and otherwise - to adapt to all the new changes.Weve never used this before and now we are going to add it in a presidential election? Snover said, reeling off the new changes, including new digital sign-in poll books. People in Northampton County are very worried. Ive had people say to me, Is this on purpose? Why do we keep going down this road of uncertainty forever?Feaser said he is tired of people pointing out that other states have ushered in similar changes.My question is how was it implemented, he said. Was it all done at once or did they build a system and infrastructure to support the changes? Did they do it in a presidential election or did they try to unveil in a municipal election first?To be sure, changes have ushered in consequences, even minor ones.Feaser, for instance, recently received guidelines on the new envelopes for mail-in and absentee ballots. That meant that Dauphin County, which had about 7,000 packets ready to go out, had to throw them out. Feaser said he now has to go to the print vendor to get new ones.He said he is also waiting on the legal guidelines for the new provisional ballots.We are right now sitting here guessing what volume we are going to receive in terms of mail-in and absentee ballots, Feaser said. Weve not had a chance to catch our breath from the last municipal election, and then we had a special election, and now the new voting system and all this other stuff. We are scurrying about trying to catch up with all the changes.To add to his woes, after Pennsylvania changed its voter registration deadline, Dauphin Countys longtime pollbook printer pulled out of Pennsylvania, leaving Feaser scrambling to find a vendor.Feaser now also has to schedule training for poll workers to learn the new system, new books and new process.We are a month and a half away from the election, Feaser said.Much of the changes stem from previous vulnerabilities in the states election system. Pennsylvania was one of 21 states known to have experienced some hacking attempts during the 2016 presidential election.As part of the terms of a settlement of a lawsuit filed against the commonwealth by 2016 Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, all 67 counties have either already rolled out new voting systems or they will have them in place by the April presidential primary. The new system produces a paper trail to allow for post-election auditing.The state has provided counties with $90 million to help pay for the new systems, which are considered more secure and less susceptible to computer hacking.Wanda Murren, the spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of State, said officials are confident that the states newly refurbished election infrastructure is up to the upcoming tasks.I would never say we are not concerned, she said. You have to be, but we feel we are doing everything we can to stay ahead of the latest threat.Iowas caucus debacle cannot be compared to Pennsylvanias primary process, she noted.Iowas problems have been traced to the code in a mobile phone app that precincts used to report results. Officials say that while the app was recording data accurately, it was reporting out only partial data.Votes in Pennsylvania will be cast and tallied on certified voting systems that are tested by the federal Election Assistance Commission, as well as the Department of State. Moreover, caucuses are conducted and governed by the rules of state parties and are not subject to federal, state and local election laws. In Pennsylvania, elections are handled by trained state or local election professionals.Still, Pennsylvania will have something in common with Iowa: backup paper records.With the voting systems that will be in use in every Pennsylvania county for the April 28 primary and beyond, voters can be assured that they will be able to verify their choices before they cast their ballots, and that election officials will have paper records with plain text to carry out post-election audits and recounts, Murren said.To date, 45 of the states 67 counties implemented their new voting systems in time for the November 2019 election. That included Philadelphia with its 1 million-plus registered voters.The overwhelming majority of voters in those counties had no problems at all, Murren said. So, anything indicating that all Pennsylvania voters, or even most Pennsylvania voters, will be using new technology in April would be incorrect.The department has also put in place an extensive partnership with other agencies to address cybersecurity, including PEMA, Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania National Guard.Murren said Pennsylvania has done so much to shore up election cyber security since 2016 that it has become a leader in the field.Other states are looking to us for best practices, she said.When it comes to technology, no precaution may guarantee a flawless election process.As Terrill L. Frantz, head of Cybersecurity Management and Operations at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, notes, election mishaps are typically related to human error, not technology.Technology just does what we tell it to do, he said. Its rarely a technical problem. Elections are personal. You have a lot of people involved. Theres a vote count, voter fraud. Those are human issues.Software is written by humans, which means theres always a vulnerability. Moreover, all software has a backdoor, a way for anyone to get in and access data - whether for good or evil reasons.Iowa was a human problem that merely showed itself in the technology, Frantz said. Technology is an inherent magnifier -- positive or negative, much like drugs. If used incorrectly or left on their own, we'll see the bad side of technology. If managed well, then we are very happy or the technology becomes invisible. Iowa was a human problem, as are most cyber security issues.No doubt, Iowa has raised awareness across the country to election vulnerabilities - not that scrutiny wasnt already high after the Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Still, in spite of security measures, whats the likelihood that something could go wrong in any given election?The probability is almost absolute, Frantz said. He uses the analogy of an airplane: the probability of two mishaps happening are higher than that of six errors occuring, and the probability is a function of the people in charge.You have one bad manager in charge, and one bad precinct is going to affect the outcome, he said.At the moment, party officials seem to stand at opposite corners when it comes to their outlook on the upcoming cycles.Its a lot of change to bring into a really important election, said Charlie ONeill, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Republican Party. We werent thrilled with a lot of things that happened in the election. Obviously those issues need to be addressed but we are definitely concerned. We are going to be watching closely. Based on what we saw the last time, definitely there needs to be some improvement.His counterpart on the Democratic side, Brendan Welch, struck a more confident note.Its great that the new machines were rolled out for the 2019 election, said Welch, communications director for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. It was a trial run for them. It gave people across the state a chance to get used to the new machines. Anytime you have new machines, there are going to be minor hiccups.Feaser, the director of Dauphin County Elections Bureau, remains apprehensive.He is not opposed to change, he said, just change that butts up so close to critical elections.I think it was too much change all at once without any time to think about it, he said. Right now I have people who want voter registration forms and Im still waiting for the State Department to give us the printed application. So right now, Im printing off the internet. I have no paper application.
Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich speaks next to his wife Patricia Blagojevich outside of their house in Chicago, Illinois, on Feb. 19, 2020. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

Ex-Gov Rod Blagojevich Returns to Chicago, Says Hes Innocent

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich returned home to Chicago on Wednesday after President Donald Trump commuted his 14-year prison sentenced a day before.

In his first remarks, Blagojevich said hes innocent while signing autographs. I didnt do the things they said I did and they lied on me, the former governor told reporters as he walked through the airport.

When he arrived home in Chicago, he lavished praise on Trump.

Im profoundly grateful to President Trump, and I will be for as long as I live, Blagojevich told the Chicago Tribune. He didnt have to do this. Hes a Republican president. I was a Democratic governor. But hes a man whos not only tough and outspoken, strong, but he has a kind heart. And Ill be forever grateful.

For several years, Blagojevich and his wife pushed for Trump to commute his sentence. He was convicted of trying to sell Barack Obamas U.S. Senate seat and trying to extort a childrens hospital in 2011.

But Trump, in remarks to reporters on Tuesday, said he felt Blagojevichs sentence was unfair.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters during a meeting with President of the Republic of Ecuador Lenin Moreno, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Feb. 12, 2020. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

That was a tremendously powerful, ridiculous sentence in my opinion and in the opinion of many others, Trump said. In previous years, the president said he was considering taking action on his case.

Several local Illinois officials, including the governor and some Republicans, said it was a mistake to commute Blagojevichs sentence.

Trump has abused his pardon power in inexplicable ways to reward his friends and condone corruption, and I deeply believe this pardon sends the wrong message at the wrong time, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement to news outlets. In a state where corrupt, machine-style politics is still all too common, its important that those found guilty serve their prison sentence in its entirety, said the chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, Tim Schneider, in a statement.

Now, after his release, Blagojevichknown sometimes in the media as Blagotold the Tribune that now, he wants to regain the publics trust, again saying he is not guilty.

That if I were to give in to the pressure and give in to the shakedown that was done to me, that I would be violating my oath of office to fight for the Constitution and fight for the rule of law and keep my promises to [the public], he said.  Cause I didnt do the things they said I did. And they lied on me.
Nordic CEOs See Cybersecurity as #1 Risk to Growth

Echoworx, the industry leader in message encryption, today introduced full support for Nordic languages, further facilitating adoption of its world-class email security solutions in one of the world's most dynamic centres of technology innovation.

"The Nordic countries have long been leaders for tech innovation, giving us household names like Philips, Nokia, Skype, and Spotify," said Echoworx Senior Director Market Intelligence Jacob Ginsberg. "With a population of less than 30 million, the Nordics punch well above their weight and have been an outstanding breeding ground for innovative startups and billion-dollar unicorns."

In spite of this vibrant tech community, Nordic economies remain dominated by more-traditional industry titans, from oil and gas to logistics and shipping. Only six per cent of Nordic cloud-service start-ups are security based, meaning that firms need global expertise providers to fill legacy gaps.

Nordic firms see cybersecurity as increasingly essential, and are looking to adopt world-class services. Among Nordic CEOs, 65 per cent believe cyberattacks are a question of 'when' as opposed to 'if', and 72 per cent see information security as a potential competitive advantage.

"Cybersecurity is a specialist area, with new threats emerging daily," said Ginsberg. "With best-in-class cloud encryption, responsive local support, and native-language functionality, companies are better able to dedicate more attention to innovation and focus on their core businesses."

While Nordic firms are globally focused and multilingual, people are most comfortable conducting business, banking and other serious transactions in native languages. Even subtle differences in spelling, pronunciation or context can lead to confusion and security risk.

Echoworx's scalable, easy to use, and configurable cloud security and email encryption solutions, have been adopted by firms of all sizes in more than 30 countries and 26 languages. Echoworx's senior members will be at the Nordic Cyber Security Summit in Copenhagen to meet with clients, answer press inquiries, and speak with industry influencers.

About Echoworx

Echoworx is a trusted path to secure communications. As a pure-play encryption solutions provider, Echoworx works with finance, government, healthcare, manufacturing, and compliance professionals to tailor customer-centric secure communication solutions. Our scalable encryption platform, OneWorld, can address multiple uses across an organization. Our encryption experts take pride in transforming chaos into order for multi-national enterprises using our SaaS encryption platform. www.echoworx.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005240/en/

Contacts:

Lorena Magee, VP Marketing media@echoworx.com +1 416 226-8600
Mother Angelica, the founder of EWTN Global Catholic Network, and Justice Janie L. Shores, the first female on the Alabama Supreme Court, will be inducted into the Alabama Womens Hall of Fame, Judson College has announced.

The induction ceremony will take place on March 5 at the Alabama Womens Hall of Fame, located on the Judson College campus in Marion, at 10:30 a.m. in Alumnae Auditorium.

Mother Mary Angelica

In 1923, the woman who would become Mother Mary Angelica was born as Rita Rizzo in Cleveland, Ohio. Through the challenges of poverty, an unstable home, and ill health, Rita grew a faith in God that led her to become a nun whose humble service to her Savior would make significant contributions not only to the Catholic Church but to the world. She joined the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration in Canton, Ohio, in 1953, taking the name Sister Mary Angelica. She dreamed of opening a monastery in the Deep South, so she turned her efforts to fundraising. A creative and entrepreneurial spirit surfaced in her as she led the sisters to establish St. Peters Fishing Lures, a fly fishing lure company that, due to the Sisters creative skill and Sister (later, Mother) Angelicas marketing and business acumen, garnered national attention. Mother Angelica and the Sisters raised enough money for a move South, and she and several other Sisters established Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Irondale in 1962.

To raise funds to support the monastery, Mother Angelica again used her charisma, entrepreneurship, and gift for teaching. Mother Angelica began giving talks locally and writing Mini-Books on religious life and social issues, and the Sisters began printing and packaging the books for a growing following. She began recording her talks for a television audience with the CBS affiliate network in Birmingham in the mid-1970s. In 1981, she launched the worlds first Catholic cable channel, the Eternal World Television Network (EWTN), in the garage of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, with only $200 in seed money. EWTN Global Catholic Network is now the largest religious media network in the world, offering 24-hour programming to over 300 million households in more than 145 countries and territories.

In 1995, Mother Angelicas story was featured in Time magazine, which named her the most influential Roman Catholic woman in America. That year, during a trip to Colombia, South America, in support of EWTNs Spanish offerings, Mother Angelica felt a calling from God to build a temple shrine and monastery that could serve as a place of pilgrimage and worship in Alabama. After three-and-a-half years of planning and building, the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville was completed.

In 2009, Mother Angelica received the papal medal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (for the Church and the Pontiff) from Pope Benedict XVI, for distinguished service to the Catholic Church. She died on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016 and was buried in a crypt at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Mother Angelica will be inducted into the Hall of Fame by Walter Anderton, architect of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery.

Justice Janie L. Shores will be inducted in the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame.

Janie Ledlow Shores

Born in 1932 in Butler County, Alabama, Janie Ledlow Shores became a trail-blazer for women in legal professions in Alabama and beyond. Shores attended Judson College from 1954-1956, earning pre-law credits before entering the Law School at the University of Alabama, where she joined a cohort with only 4 other female students. She served as editor of the Alabama Law Review while a student at UA and graduated with honors in 1959. Shores then entered professional and courtroom environments in a state where women were not permitted to serve on juries until 1966.

After a few years of private practice in Selma and as a staff attorney with Liberty National, in 1965 Shores became the first female law school professor in the state of Alabama (at Cumberland School of Law at Samford University). In 1974 she became the first woman elected to the Alabama Supreme Court, where she served for the next 25 years. In 1993, her friend and U.S. Senator Howell Heflin recommended her to President Bill Clinton for nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, a seat that would ultimately be filled by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Clinton appointed Shores to the State Justice Institute, a private nonprofit entity focused on improving the administration and quality of state courts.

Shores announced her retirement from the Alabama Supreme Court in 1998, leaving the bench and a remarkable judicial legacy in 1999. "During the time she served on the Court," Heflin said, "Janie never lost sight of the fact that she should eliminate barriers to equal opportunity for women." Shores accomplished much toward eliminating those barriers in her career, but she also took time to encourage and inspire young women in other ways.

Shores committed to preserving the stories of Alabama women as a long-time board member of the Alabama Womens Hall of Fame, housed on the Judson College campus. In a 1997 commencement address at Judson College, Shores reminded graduates of their opportunity and great responsibility to "make the world a better place". "You are understandably nervous about taking this next step in your life, but you are more ready than you may think you are," said Shores. "If you need inspiration to tackle the problems of our world, Shores said, referencing the Hall of Fame, inspiration is available right here on the Judson campus...There, youll find inspiration from those who came before you."

Justice Shores died on Aug. 9, 2017.

Justice Shores will be inducted into the Hall of Fame by Leila Watson, former Law Clerk of Justice Shores.

Luncheon

A luncheon will follow the induction ceremony. Alex Colvin, Public Programs Curator at the Alabama Department of Archives and History, will give the keynote address at the luncheon. Tickets are $50. Reservations are required by February 25 for the luncheon and may be made by calling (334) 683-5109.

Previous inductees into the Alabama Womens Hall of Fame include Harper Lee, who was inducted last year.
Scoop  Husqvarna India exports have started with 106 units of the Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 401 in January 2020.

It is not news that Husqvarna Motorcycles will be hitting the Indian market soon. The Swedish-origin brand under KTM will launch its first line of products in the country later this year. The motorcycles (Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 401) will be assembled at Bajajs Chakan facility which also serves as the manufacturing hub for KTM products in India as well as some foreign markets. Bajaj Auto owns a 48% stake in KTM AG.

Now, we have received information that Husqvarna Motorcycles India has commenced export operations of the Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 401. Put together, 106 units of the motorcycles were exported in January 2020. The figure is expected to see a rise in the coming months as production gets streamlined.

The Husqvarna 401 models were spotted on multiple occasions on Indian roads as part of testing. The motorcycles were expected to make an official debut at India Bike Week 2019, but Husqvarna surprised everyone with the global unveiling of the Svartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250, which will be launched in India before the 401s. Both the 401 and 250 range will be retailed through major KTM India outlets. In the initial phase, 125 outlets will serve as the modified KTM-Husqvarna showrooms. Bajaj plans to improve the network to more than 350 outlets in a few months time from then.

The Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 401 are based on the same platform which underpins the KTM 390 Duke. The engine will most likely remain in the same state of tune, making the neo-retro motorcycles a pair of solid performers in the 300-400cc category. In the latest BS6 format, the KTM 390 Duke makes 43bhp and 37Nm of torque from its 373cc liquid-cooled DOHC single-cylinder engine. The power plant is mated to a 6-speed transmission via a slipper clutch.

Similarly, the all-new Swartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250 are based on the KTM 250 Duke. The 249cc liquid-cooled DOHC single-cylinder motor churns out 31bhp and 24Nm. The 6-speed transmission is coupled to a slipper clutch. In typical KTM fashion, the 250 Duke is the best-performing motorcycle in the 250cc category.

The KTM Duke 250 and RC 250 (not available in the Indian market) are actively exported from Bajajs manufacturing facility in Chakan. For the same reason, the Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250  two Huskies which are unavailable in any market  are also potential export products. The KTM 250 line-up will be updated by the 250 Adventure in the coming months. It is only recently that the company launched the KTM 390 Adventure.
An arson attack on a family home in Longford town is being described as "attempted murder".

Five people escaped through an upstairs window when their house was set on fire in Annaly Gardens on Monday morning.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : Ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to India next week, the Indian alcoholic beverage industry has urged the government not to reduce customs duty on wine and spirits.

The US President has been pushing for reduction of customs duty on American liquor, particularly bourbon whiskey, and Indian liquor manufacturers fear that any tinkering with customs duty vis-a-vis US imports would have a domino effect as European Union would also push for slashing of customs duty.

"Ahead of Trump's visit discussions on reducing customs duty have again resurfaced in the Commerce Ministry. If the government gives any concession on US wines and spirits, then it would open the floodgates as European Union would push for similar concessions which we cannot allow to happen. We have been writing to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal again and again," said Vinod Giri, Director General of Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC).

In its recent letter to Goyal, the apex body of India's alcoholic beverage industry has stated that "any immediate and large reduction in (basic customs) duty (BCD) will be highly detrimental to the domestic industry". The letter says that "Foreign governments (are) seeking easy access to Indian markets (but) deny Indian companies the same in their countries through non-tariff barriers." According to Giri: "The Indian companies are not against reduction of BCD, but it should happen in a phased manner. BCD should be brought down from current level of 150 per cent to 75 per cent in next 10 years. But before that other countries, particularly the US and EU, should be persuaded to remove non-tariff barriers on Indian products. They should accept alcoholic products made in India as per the product description on the label. They should also not insist on any maturity period on liquor products made in India. All that we are seeking is a level playing field for the Indian alcoholic beverage industry." In its letter the CIABC has also urged that any negotiation on duties should proceed keeping in mind the interest of domestic industry. Basic Customs Duty should be reduced to a level which does not create great competitive disadvantage for Indian companies, it has said.

Also, reduction should be done in phased manner to allow Indian companies time to prepare and build own competitiveness to offset regulatory disadvantages of manufacturing in India.

The association has suggested that to prevent dumping and protect mainstream Indian products against predatory pricing, products below a certain import price (Threshold Import Price) should be taxed at the threshold import price rate only irrespective of actual import price.

Giri also pointed out that the current balance of trade in alcohol is heavily skewed against India. "Indian exports of alcoholic beverages is around Rs 2,200 crore per annum while imports is Rs 5,400 crore. Exports to US is just Rs 50 crore while imports is Rs 1,900 crore, and in case of EU exports is Rs 160 crore and imports is Rs 1,850 crore. The trade is heavily balanced against India. Any more concessions will aggravate the imbalance beyond redemption," he added.

The domestic liquor industry is making a strong case for its protection as the industry contributed Rs 1.25 lakh crore in taxes to the government while its own annual turnover is to the tune of Rs 2.5 lakh crore.

Many states depend on it with industry accounting for 20-40 per cent of their total tax revenues.

As per industry estimates, the Indian liquor industry supports the livelihood of approximately 50 lakh farmers impacting 3.5 crore people in rural India besides employing, directly and indirectly, 20 lakh people.
Review at a glance









T he seemly burger  does it exist? Is it a contradiction in terms? Here comes the French marvel Big Fernand to test the proposition to the limit once again.

London had its burger apocalypse some 10 years ago now. Richard Godwin called time on the whole dirty burger phenomenon in these pages back in 2014 in an article headed Peak Filth, observing that, after the arrival of gonzo burger outfits such as MeatLiquor and Pitt Cue Co, the creation of ever more excessive burgers had degenerated into a sort of toxic arms race.

Big Fernand, a French chain offering thoroughly tasteful burgers in a pleasant environment, was created in Paris in 2011, soon opening elsewhere in France. It launched in London in 2014 in Percy Street off Tottenham Court Road, but didnt succeed there, at that time, and closed three years later.

Big Fernand has continued to prosper elsewhere though, now with 47 branches in France and several in UAE too. Perhaps inspired by the success of the French Big Mamma group in opening Gloria and Circolo Popolare in London, they are trying again, this time, more appropriately, in the Frenchest area of London, South Ken, directly opposite the whopping Le Pain Quotidien.

Its a charming place, looking from the outside more like a neighbourhood bistro than a fast food joint with its handsome blue awning. Inside, its a merry caricature of froggiedom. Theres a big red hexagon painted on the ceiling, the staff wear stripy T-shirts and caps, bottles of Ricard are on display. There are Eiffel Tower lamp bases and, yes, mais oui, they parlez franglais here, promising sauces fait maison, fromage from the wheel, un service with a smile, urging you to amuse your bouche. Yet the delivery is seriously good.

Charming: The interior of Big Fernand in South Kensington / Daniel Hambury/@stellapicsltd

Theres a short list of eight burgers, ranging in price from 7.75 to 13, three beef, one veal, one lamb, one chicken, and one portobello mushroom, while for now le veggie option remains a bit of a mystery on the current card. Veg pattie  coming soon  being perfected in la cuisine. Watch this space, it says, with perfect French indifference to this silly fad.

There are excellent frites (2.50) with garlic and paprika, or gooey frites raclette (3.50) lubricated with creamy cheese and scattered with chives. Le Natural (4.50) is a pleasant mixed salad, with olives, sundried tomatoes and tangy vinaigrette, and to follow theres yoghurt with fruit or coulis, or la mousse au chocolat (4), made fraiche today.

To drink, they go big on their own grenadine, mixed with Evian (3) and Meteor French craft beer, but theres also good wine at modest prices (4.50 or 5.25 a glass). Vaguely listed just as vins francais, theyre the excellent Marius range from the Rhone house of M.Chapoutier, the grenache/syrah red from the Languedoc being quite delectable, just the thing to help a burger find its calling.

And those burgers? They are as tasteful as a burger can be, if that is what a burger hopes to aspire towards. They are sensibly proportioned, not bigs, not whoppers, certainly not dirty, but sanely sized and not over-filled. The bun is fresh, the UK-sourced meat good quality, the cheeses distinctive, the sauces not overpowering, the herbs coming through clearly. Le Jura, a beef patty with creamy Morbier cheese, crispy smoked bacon, grilled red peppers, chives and an olive-based sauce was lush, about as far away from random hogging as the hamburger gets. Le Veau was positively refined, a mild and delicate burger, with caramelised onions, coriander and a dash of mayo, lifted by a lovely taste of Fourme dAmbert blue cheese.

And Big Fernand is actually a pleasant place to sit, eat and even linger. You order at the counter, in front of the open kitchen, pay and carry away a little flag to your table but thereafter you are amiably served.

The French do not think much of eating standing up (only animals eat standing up, a French friend once told me, a remark that comes to mind most days on the Circle line). Magazines there regularly warn that its positively dangerous  nefaste pour la sante; even now, the French spend much longer at table than we brutes do.

McDonalds is now immensely popular in France (1,500 branches), providing its second most profitable market after the States, but it has achieved this by adapting to French preferences, not only in the food it serves, either. French customers tend to go to McDonalds at regular meal times, in groups, and stay for longer, enjoying table service and spending more than elsewhere. (They also have an endearing tendency to believe that in eating American fast food, they are experiencing a distinctive foreign cuisine  a delusion the scale of which was brought home to me on a visit to a branch of the countrys most popular themed barbecue chain, Buffalo Grill, one Saturday lunchtime in Villeneuve-sur-Lot, which proved to be packed with kids dressed as cowboys and, well, native Americans, complete with bows and arrows.)

So the best way to approach Big Fernand, perhaps, is not as primarily a burger place at all, but rather as a perfect expression of Frenchness, taking another countrys earnest endeavours and demonstrating how they can be civilised.

The cheese-eating surrender monkeys know best, after all.

Five things David ate this week

A wet weekend with a toddler. On Saturday, after a trip to the RAF Museum, restorative penne with sausage sauce in friendly Hornsey Italian joint, Tomo.

Sunday even wetter: refuge found in classy Crouch End offshoot of Paesan, tiptop carbonara and gnocchi alla sorentina.

Still pursuing my Florence Knight studies, I made her baked beans recipe, with her elusive key ingredient, moscatel vinegar, from the deli at Orford Saloon Tapas Bar in Walthamstow.

Fresh food merchants Little Farm having opened in Kensington, I tried their Farmer Salmon (8.95). For rustic authenticity, it came with carrots so unwashed they were inedible. Silly!

The perfect midweek supper: partridge, pancetta, polenta, truffle oil, 20 minutes. Alas, the last from the freezer, seasons over.
Metro Bank has hired a new boss as it battles against dwindling profits and the fallout from a major accounting blunder unveiled last year.

The bank has hired Dan Frumkin, 55, who has previously worked at Northern Rock, Royal Bank of Scotland and a bank in Bermuda.

Frumkin, a restructuring specialist, had been serving as Metro Bank's interim chief executive since 1 January, having joined the group in September as its chief transformation officer.

The new boss will enjoy an annual base salary of 740,000 a year, with the possibility of raking in a further 1.48million as a 'variable reward opportunity.'

All change: Metro Bank has hired Dan Frumkin as its new chief executive

Frumkin took on the role of interim CEO at Metro Bank when former boss Craig Donaldson stepped down after a tough year for the lender, made worse by a row over accounting errors.

The bank's founder, Vernon Hill, also quit the group last year amid widening losses.

Earlier this month Metro Bank revealed it was undergoing a review of its compliance controls after handling money from Iran and Cuba, breaching strict US and EU sanctions.

The group revealed it swung to a 2.2million loss in the third quarter, from profits of 15.1million a year earlier.

In the first nine months of 2019, the lender's profits fell by 71 per cent, compared with the same period a year earlier, to 11.3million.

Looking ahead to his tenure at the bank, Frumkin said: 'This is a business with robust foundations and real potential to shake up British banking.

'I am excited about the opportunity and look forward to updating the market on our plans on February 26.'

Metro Bank chairman Sir Michael Snyder said: 'We have conducted a comprehensive evaluation from a strong field of candidates and Dan stood out.

'The combination of three decades of experience across retail banking and the positive impact he has made since joining Metro Bank last year mean we have identified an impressive CEO to take Metro Bank into its second decade.'

The lender's share price is currently down 1.9 per cent or 3.70p to 191.30p, having fallen around 4 per cent earlier this morning.

Metro Bank, which was launched in 2010, has sought to establish itself as a radically new player in the retail banking market, opening new branches with extended opening hours at a time when many are closing branches at a rapid rate.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 08:42:46|Editor: huaxia

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A resident checks information sent by community on her phone in Wuchang District of Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

The latest decisions were made at the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.

BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China will boost agricultural production in the spring season and take a multi-pronged approach adopted to facilitate business operation and employment, with specific measures including provisionally lowering or waiving employers' social insurance contributions and deferring their payments to the housing provident fund, in an effort to boost economic development.

These decisions were made at the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday.

"At this critical moment of epidemic control, we must facilitate spring plowing and farming preparations, while advancing outbreak response. For such a large developing country like China, agriculture is the foundation. We must tackle the outbreak in a science-based way, and lose no time in resolving the outstanding issues affecting spring plowing. The State Council's inter-agency task force should provide detailed guidance to facilitate orderly resumption of the manufacturing of agricultural supplies. The minimum purchase price for rice will be kept stable this year, and will be raised as necessary. Greater support will be provided to businesses of livestock products," Li said.

The Tuesday meeting emphasized that farming is a strictly seasonal undertaking. For China as a major agricultural country having 1.4 billion mouths to feed, spring farming is too important to be delayed or missed. All sub-national governments must fulfill their jurisdictional responsibilities and lose no time to promote spring farming with comprehensive and concrete measures, thus laying a solid foundation for a bumper harvest of summer crops. Detailed and categorized guidance will be provided for science-based epidemic control in the rural areas. Localities will be directed to promptly start spring plowing and farming preparations from south to north of the country. Companies producing agricultural supplies will be urged to resume production as early as possible.

Livestock and poultry farming must be intensified. Poultry farmers in the key regions, who suffered heavy losses, will be entitled to loan extensions and relaxed loan guarantee requirements. Resumption of hog production will be brought forward. The required number of slaughtered pigs that qualifies a hog farmer for loan interest discount will be lowered from 5,000 to 500.

Villagers working in the field in Danzhai County, Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture of Qiandongnan, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 18, 2020. (Photo by Huang Xiaohai/Xinhua)

Major disease and pest prevention and control will be enhanced with closer monitoring and greater preparedness on all fronts. The prevention and control of major animal diseases such as H5N1 influenza and African swine fever will be heightened.

The Tuesday meeting urged local authorities to set reasonable criteria for the resumption of work and production in their jurisdictions. Arbitrary guaranty or deposit requirements for companies who seek to reopen should be eliminated. Existing fiscal and financial support policies must be implemented at a faster pace.

"Keeping employment stable is a pressing priority in the course of advancing epidemic control and economic and social development. This requires stable performance of corporate China. It is important to promptly introduce policies bolstering businesses, especially micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Sound development of such businesses is vital to stable employment," Li said.

"We must take employment as a first-order priority in maintaining stability in the six key areas, namely employment, finance, foreign trade, foreign investment, domestic investment, and expectation. No job means no income and no wealth creation. Every effort must be made to prevent massive lay-offs from happening. Sub-national governments must meet their responsibilities for keeping employment stable. The return of rural migrant workers should be well organized. Sound and practical epidemic control guidelines for different categories of enterprises should be promptly formulated to guide local authorities in setting reasonable criteria for the resumption of work and production in their jurisdictions," Li said.

Targeted efforts should be made to ensure the employment of key groups of people. Except for regions hit hard by the outbreak and high-risk areas, unwarranted restrictions that make it hard for employees to get back to work must be resolutely reversed. Rural migrant workers will receive support in finding jobs in their hometowns or nearby cities under the existing programs of poverty eradication and local development.

Staff members work at a workshop of the Shenyang branch of GONVVAMA in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Given the record number of college graduates this year, plans for extending the time-line for college recruitments will be promptly worked out, and on-line hiring will be popularized. Enterprises will be supported in adding flexible jobs to meet the online consumer demand. The essential needs of the jobless must be provided for.

"Online recruiting should be intensified to have their job seeks effort well catered," Li said.

Employers' contributions to the old-age pension, unemployment and workplace safety insurance schemes will be lowered or waived to cushion the impact of the outbreak on enterprises, especially smaller firms, and allow them some respite following the resumption of normal production.

Specifically, in provinces other than Hubei, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises will be eligible for a waiver of the above-mentioned contributions from February to June. Large companies will see their contributions halved from February to April.

Companies of all types in Hubei who have participated in these insurance schemes will be exempted from the above contributions from February to June.

Before the end of June, companies may also apply for deferring their payments to the housing provident fund. Failure by employees to repay their housing provident fund loans due to the epidemic will not be taken as a default.

In deciding on these policies, full consideration has been given to the sustainability of the social security fund, the balance of which is sufficient to support the full and timely payments of old-age pensions and other social security benefits nationwide.

"Household businesses have an important role in job creation. We must swiftly work out supporting policies. The unemployment insurance fund shall be tapped into to issue allowances to the jobless. Pension payments must also be met on time and in full," Li said. 
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SafeBreach , the market leading Breach-and-Attack Simulation (BAS) platform, announced the release of two powerful new capabilities  Risk-Based Vulnerability Management integration and Cloud Native Container Security  to address the most pressing problems that face SecOps and DevOps teams today. SecOps and vulnerability management teams struggle to sort through thousands of potential remediations and patches to focus on those which address the greatest business and security risk. At the same time, the adoption of containers and cloud-native infrastructure has elevated the importance of testing and validating security controls that protect private, public and hybrid clouds.

With these two new capabilities, SafeBreach empowers security teams to focus on the right problems first and gives security teams the capabilities they have long sought to validate deployed controls against their fast-changing cloud native stacks.

Security teams today are literally drowning in vulnerability and risk remediation data. Tracking, analyzing and managing all this data manually is challenging, if not impossible. Patches are deployed based on risk scores supplied by vulnerability and threat intelligence data and security frameworks without regard for actual business risk.

For example, a vulnerability may be ranked as "medium risk" in the vulnerability report because it is not present on a critical asset, but it actually presents a very high risk to a business because it is present in systems which have easy access to critical assets and important data. At the same time, a vulnerability ranked as "high risk" may present only a minimal risk in reality if it is already blocked. Without the ability to take into account security controls deployed in the organization, security teams waste time applying patches against low-risk vulnerabilities and fixing security control gaps that are not mission critical.

At the same time, vulnerabilities that could result in serious breaches and large monetary damages are left ignored. This exposes organizations to a greater potential for major breaches and security incidents, as well as compliance and audit failures. Poorly designed remediation strategies can also result in unnecessary downtime, which impacts customer satisfaction and may violate SLAs, triggering costly penalties.

SafeBreach Risk-Based Vulnerability Management Prioritizes What To Fix First

To solve this problem, the new Risk-Based Vulnerability Management module from SafeBreach combines vulnerability scan results with attack simulation data against both hosts and networks. It scores the results against risk criteria to generate a comprehensive vulnerability management prioritization plan that takes the guesswork out of patching. The risk criteria are defined by the user team managing the SafeBreach solution, enabling the business to customize fine-grained risk postures that map precisely to security stance and vulnerability management. The risk plan is easy to understand and apply, and makes remediation planning accessible to risk managers not well versed in the security jargon and structure of CVEs and technical reports.

"In our continuous engagement with CISOs, CIOs and security team leads, they have made clear that their most painful problem has been prioritization and understanding of risks. They were constantly worried that they were not patching the most important vulnerabilities or remediating the biggest risks to their business, because their security control strategy was not taken into account." says Yotam Ben Ezra, VP Products at SafeBreach. "With SafeBreach Risk-Based Vulnerability Management prioritization, security teams can be sure that they are concentrating on the patches that matter the most, every day, all the time."

According to Gartner's 2019 Market Guide for Vulnerability Assessment (Gartner subscription required) "Vulnerability assessment buyers are shifting from tools that only identify vulnerabilities, to those that proactively assess and manage the risks posed by those weaknesses. This is primarily being addressed by new vendors offering vendor-agnostic products, prompting companies offering solutions to update their offerings."

Drop-In BAS For Cloud Native Applications Running in Containers

As the global infrastructure has rapidly migrated to the cloud, the need for solutions to validate the security controls of container-based infrastructure has grown exponentially. This gap is made more critical by the tendency of development teams to make many more code pushes to update cloud-native applications and infrastructure, as compared to the number of updates to legacy infrastructures. In addition, the ephemeral nature of cloud native infrastructure and applications makes them challenging to secure. Not surprisingly, malicious hackers have started to focus on virtual infrastructure as a target-rich environment for new exploits.

The new Cloud Native Container Security capabilities of SafeBreach extend full BAS coverage via a new Docker simulator to security teams that manage container-based infrastructures deploying Docker, the most widely used container software stack. These teams increasingly play a role in the security stance for cloud native deployments where modern Developer Operations (DevOps) practices use Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) to rapidly iterate and ship new code. This reality means a constantly shifting attack surface, making continuous testing and validation even more critical to security hygiene.

SafeBreach simulates a growing universe of attacks against the Docker data plane, network and API, including attacks that involve process injection, rogue applications, system changes and lateral movement from container to container. The SafeBreach BAS now contains Docker-based attack techniques drawn from the SafeBreach Hacker's Playbook, the largest collection of breach methods on the market today.

"More and more of our customers are moving critical systems and applications into the cloud, where they face new risks and challenges to ensuring that their security posture and controls can block next-generation attacks on containers," says Yotam Ben Ezra, VP Products, SafeBreach. "With our new Cloud and Container Security features, their security teams can easily extend their BAS coverage to encompass all types of virtual infrastructure and keep up with the rapid pace of deployments that make cloud native environments so dynamic and difficult to defend."

SafeBreach Platform for Automated Continuous Breach and Attack Simulation and Prioritized Remediation

Built by a team of cybersecurity experts and hackers with decades of experience on the front lines of information security and cyberwarfare, SafeBreach empowers SecOps teams to optimize their controls and configurations on a continuous basis to ensure all networks and hosts are as secure as possible. SafeBreach BAS makes it simple for users to simulate attacks to match any infrastructure footprint, visualize weaknesses in their security controls, and holistically remediate gaps and vulnerabilities to provide the best possible security posture. SafeBreach provides easy-to-understand, intelligent insights on which security gaps to prioritize for remediation based on business risk, and clear remediation steps. Remediation data is automatically pre-formatted for consumption by leading security controls, making it a matter of simple clicks to close security holes. Only SafeBreach offers an industry-leading SLA that promises the addition of new breach methods to its attack simulation library within 48 hours of disclosure.

The SafeBreach Hacker's Playbook

SafeBreach maintains the largest collection of attack tactics, techniques and procedures in the industry, giving SafeBreach BAS users the broadest and most up-to-date cybersecurity attack simulation coverage on the market today. Thousands of controlled, safe forms of real cyber attacks are available as part of the SafeBreach Hacker's Playbook. With 10,000+ breach and attack methods, this playbook is based on actual attacks, active investigations and cutting-edge research. With the new product capabilities for Risk-Based Vulnerability Management and Cloud Native Security for Docker container attack simulations, SafeBreach continues to deliver bleeding-edge capabilities to help SecOps and Vulnerability Management teams stay ahead of attackers and optimize their security postures.

For More on the New SafeBreach Capabilities

Please read the SafeBreach blogs on Using Breach and Attack Simulation to Effectively Prioritize Vulnerabilities and Meeting the challenge - Using SafeBreach to stay on top of Cloud Native Security for more information.

SafeBreach will present the new capabilities at the RSA Conference, Feb 23-27 in San Francisco, Booth N-5353.

About SafeBreach

SafeBreach is a leader in breach and attack simulation. The company's groundbreaking patented platform provides a "hacker's view" of an enterprise's security posture to proactively predict attacks, validate security controls and improve security operations center (SOC) analyst response. SafeBreach automatically executes thousands of breach methods from its extensive and growing Hacker's Playbook of research and real-world investigative data. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, the company is funded by Sequoia Capital, Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners, DNX Ventures, Hewlett Packard Pathfinder, PayPal and investor Shlomo Kramer. For more information, visit www.safebreach.com or follow us on Twitter @SafeBreach.

Media Contact:

Danielle Ostrovsky

Hi-Touch PR

410-302-9459

[email protected]

SOURCE SafeBreach

Related Links

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 03:51:25|Editor: huaxia

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DAMASCUS, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- At least two workers were killed on Tuesday when an explosion took place in Syria's Qamishli city in Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, state news agency SANA reported.

The explosion occurred when an explosive device went off while workers were repairing an electrical motor in a workshop, said the report.

It noted that the explosive device was planted inside the damaged electricity motor they were trying to repair.

No further details were given about the explosion.

It's not the first bombing to hit Qamishli in Hasakah province as the area is largely controlled by Kurdish forces who share enmity with the Islamic State (IS) group, whose sleeper cells frequently carry out explosions as a kind of revenge. Enditem
F ears are growing for an 87-year-old woman thought to have fallen into a river amid Storm Dennis.

Jean Disney was last seen in the early hours of Monday morning and concerns are growing following her disappearance.

In statement released on Wednesday, Devon and Cornwall Police said evidence at this time has strongly indicated that Jean fell into the water of the River Exe.

Ms Disney is from Tiverton, 20 miles west of Taunton and 13 miles north of Exeter.

Storm Dennis: UK Flooding aftermath - In pictures 1 /33 Storm Dennis: UK Flooding aftermath - In pictures PA A rainbow appears over flooded fields in the Wye Valley Getty Images A Land Rover wades through flooded roads in the Wye Valley Getty Images A dog takes a drink from flood water as water levels in the River Ouse in York Getty Images South Wales Fire and Rescue personnel fit an outboard motor to a Rigid Inflatable Boat AFP via Getty Images A man cycles through floodwater after the River Ouse burst its banks in York AFP via Getty Images PA PA Getty Images Getty Images AFP via Getty Images A taxing time: Firefighters rescue people from a care home in Whitchurch on the banks of the River Wye after flooding from Storm Dennis. A proposal has been put forward to increase council tax and use the proceeds for a ring-fenced climate fund Getty Images A man walks through flood water, as pumps and flood barriers help to keep the water from flooding homes in Gloucester Road in Tewkesbury PA A section of road that has been closed off due to flooding in Monmouth PA Flooding in Ironbridge PA Residents picking up sandbags in Gloucester Road in Tewkesbury PA Authorities have warned that the current levels of flooding are unprecedented PA Temporary flood barriers hold back the river Severn in Ironbridge PA Residents bail out their homes in Ross-on-Wye AFP via Getty Images Swamped: rescuers help two women after the River Wye burst its banks in flood-hit Hereford Getty Images A man uses a plank of wood to paddle a kayak on flood water after the River Wye AFP via Getty Images A resident is rescued from a home in a boat by the emergency services amid flooding in Hereford on Monday AFP via Getty Images An aerial view showing flooding from the River Wye on Monday following Storm Dennis Getty Images A bin floats in flood water in a street in Tenbury AFP via Getty Images A man wades through flood water towards an ambulance in a flooded street in Tenbury Wells AFP via Getty Images

When she was last seen, the pensioner was wearing a dark coloured jacket over a dressing gown at the time.

A spokeswoman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: These searches are currently confined to the River Exe, as evidence at this time has strongly indicated that Jean fell into the water in the early hours of Monday 17 February.

Police are aware that local residents and concerned members of the public have been organising their own searches.

Officers strongly urge anyone wishing to assist not to approach any areas immediately adjacent to the river, or any other flooded areas.

Thousands of homes have been evacuated due to the rains of Storms Ciara and Dennis.

The Environment agency said the country had received 141 per cent of average February rainfall already this month.

But another months worth of precipitation could be dumped on parts of the UK on Thursday.

Flooding has been especially bad in parts of Wales and Shropshire, with river levels reaching record heights for the Colne, Ribble, Calder, Aire, Trent, Severn, Wye, Lugg, and Derwent.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : The Congress here on Wednesday criticised the announcement of Sanjay Kothari's name for the post of Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) on Tuesday and demanded initiation of fresh procedure for appointing the CVC.

Addressing the media, Congress leader Manish Tiwari said Kothari's name was not short-listed by the search committee and the Prime Minister had announced his name without any procedure.

The Congress might move the court if the government notified Kothari's name, he said and demanded de novo procedure. Congress floor leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Chaudhry had made the objection clear, he added.

"What happened on Tuesday had vitiated the process of appointing the CVC and the Vigilance Commissioner (VC) as the procedure and proprietary were thrown to the wind," Tiwari said.

The Congress said the search committee held two separate meetings -- one for the CVC and the other for the VC -- on November 18 under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary.

The search committee had received 180 applicants. Of this, 38 had applied for the CVC's post, 88 for both the CVC and the VC posts, and 54 only for the VC.

"The committee, comprising Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Personnel Secretary A.C. Chandramouli and Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar, recommended a panel of three names in alphabetical order for the CVC's post," said the Congress.

Given the importance of the CVC, it was extremely important that people appointed to the post of the CVC or the VCs should be of unimpeachable integrity and the process of appointment be absolutely kosher, he said.

The Central Vigilance Commission is an important institution in the Indian framework. It exercises superintendence over the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with regard to anti-corruption remit.

"The Narendra Modi government wants to destroy the Central Vigilance Commission like other institutions," Tiwari said.
Technology has changed the way we look at the world around us. With various path-breaking technologies emerging every year, we are observing massive changes in different spheres, education being no exception. Keeping up with the emerging technology trends can have a major impact on the way education is being imparted in schools today. It will help offer students with latest opportunities and unique learning experiences that they need and deserve.

But what exactly are the educational technology trends that have been making major waves in the recent years? Heres a list of the 7 classroom technology trends in the current education environment that you should not miss out on!

Digital Books

Digital textbooks have brought a radical transformation in the world of education, with higher education slowly adopting the digital era. Learning from plain textbooks in traditional classrooms is not exciting and would be outdated soon. Digital textbooks and Tablets are engaging and help save many textbooks every year. Textbooks are getting more expensive as they need to be revised or updated every few years. Textbooks are usually used for at least seven years before a new edition comes out, not giving children access to the latest information. A digital textbook or a Tablet is not only cost efficient but can easily be updated to reflect the most recent data. It helps provide students with the best content with the best learning outcomes at the best possible prices!

Multi-sensory Classrooms

With advanced technology, classrooms are now being given a multi-sensory learning environment through interactive whiteboards. Interactive whiteboards are a smart way to help students learn better and engage them completely. They offer a huge step forward in educating the next generation of students. Interactive whiteboards support visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning styles, leading to consistent improvement in the learning outcomes. They aid in teaching abstract and complex concepts to the students in a more engaging and fun way. They also allow teachers to record their instructions which can later be shared with the students for revision.

Remote Learning

Remote learning through virtual classrooms is reshaping education like never before. There are no limitations of time and distance, and all one needs is a reliable Wi-Fi connection paired with apt mobile technologies. High quality of learning is made possible for students by providing them access to educators or subject matter experts who may not be reached due to distance or time constraint. Education can be tailored to suit the needs of the students when various technologies like video conferencing, social media, pre-recorded videos, class forums etc. are clubbed together. Remote learning model also allows students who cant make it to school to attend classes virtually.

Interactive Gamification

Gamification is the concept of applying game-design thinking to various classroom activities to make them more engaging and fun. Educational video content can be taken to the next level by adding gamification. Interactive things are always more easy to remember and retain. Learning process can become easy with this approach. The whole idea is to use the typical game technique of giving challenges, give rewards to winners, then provide harder challenges with even bigger rewards. There is a science behind it. When you win at a game, your mind releases a chemical called dopamine that triggers motivation and pleasure. This makes learning an overall positive experience, one that you dont have to force students to enjoy. So the main concept of interactive gamification is to challenge the students, let them feel great about overcoming the challenge, then challenge them more.

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Virtual Reality is the next big thing in the education sector, enhancing student learning and engagement. It cuts across all the barriers and gives a feeling of things being right in front of your eyes. Students find themselves immersed in what they are learning and are able to process the information better. Augmented Reality is another technology that can take learning to the next level. The educators can use augmented reality in innovative ways to make any boring lesson interesting and interactive. It can be used to overlay interactive digital elements like text, image, video clip, animation etc. to give real-time experience. Augmented reality can promote 21st century skills like critical thinking analysis, creativity and problem-solving.

Block-chain Technology

Another emerging technology is the Block-chain technology which is especially useful when there is a need to collaborate distributed information in a database. In education sector, Block-chain can prove to be very useful in examination management, verification of student credentials, certificate verification etc. Life-long learning records can also be managed using Block-chain. Learning, being a broad process calls for effective analyzing and tracking to understand the results better. Learning analytics using emerging Block-chain technology, is reshaping how learning behaviours of children are being monitored. It is helping teachers to provide students with targeted improvement to courses and help them deliver enhanced results.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence, also known as AI, is the latest buzzword that is finding its way into various sectors, including education. AI has revolutionized the way curriculums are being implemented in schools, and has given birth to innovative ideas. There are various AI applications for education today that have made learning more convenient and personalised. Thanks to smart devices, the educational materials are becoming more accessible to students. AI has also resulted in automation of administrative jobs, allowing educators to spend more time with students. In future, AI can also aid in providing detailed analysis of student performance in the examinations, as a teachers ability to comprehend student performance has its own limitations. As per studies, adoption of AI in education sector will explode over the next five years.

These were a few trends that have taken the education sector by storm.

(The author is Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Shemford Group of Futuristic Schools)
He had surgery to remove a two inch patch of skin removed from his scalp

A grandfather who had dry skin on his bald head for years was shocked to be diagnosed with skin cancer.

Peter Wilson, 68, from Melbourne, Australia, had always had rough skin on his scalp and never thought much of it.

But some patches became progressively more 'angry', and one particular inch red spot remained on his scalp for several months.

The IT consultant downloaded the app SkinVision which helps identify potential risks of skin cancer from a photo. It suggested he see a doctor immediately, which led to a referral to a dermatologist in August 2019.

Skin biopsies came back positive for squamous cell carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer which appears as a scaly or crusty raised area of skin.

Mr Wilson had surgery to remove a two-inch patch of cancerous skin from his scalp, which was covered with a skin graft from his right thigh.

Despite delaying seeing a doctor, his skin cancer was caught early and didn't spread to rest of this body.

He is now urging others to wear skin protection, admitting he was 'blase' about doing so under the Australian sun for hours every day.

Peter Wilson, 68, from Melbourne, Australia, didn't think much of the patches on his head. He was shocked to discover he had skin cancer

Mr Wilson, who has no history of skin cancer in his family, said: 'It was more than a shock - I'm a very active person and had to stop running... I really missed it'

Mr Wilson had squamous cell carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer which appears as a scaly or crusty raised area of skin (pictured)

Grandfather-of-one Mr Wilson said: 'Over a number of years I spotted some dry patches on my head and some blotches.

'My skin has always been dry but these spots were a bit more red and angry.

'The patches were more inflamed and didn't go away - but I didn't think much of it.

'I did some research online and came across the SkinVision app and scanned the spots on my head.

'They advised me to see a specialist, but that was something I put off for a while - my wife Isobel, 67, is a nurse and urged me to go to the doctors about it.'

A dermatologist took a couple of biopsies from the scalp and the cheek. They also scanned the rest of Mr Wilson's body for any other potential spots.

Mr Wilson said: 'The biopsies came back positive for skin cancer and I was booked in for an appointment to remove this infected skin.

'It was more than a shock - I'm a very active person and had to stop running and going to the gym for two months after surgery, I really missed it.

'My kids were shocked and more than a little anxious and my extended family were horrified when they found out I had skin cancer.'

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common type of skin cancer in the UK, after melanoma, affecting around 23,000 a year.

Non-melanoma affects an estimated three million Americans a year, and approximately two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the time they are 70, according to Cancer Council.

SCCs most usually appear as a scaly or crusty raised area of skin with a red, inflamed base on the head, ears, neck and back of the hands.

They are caused by changes in the DNA cells, such as a burn, which can grow rapidly if untreated.

The vast majority of SCCs are low risk skin cancers and can be cured. A small number can recur locally, or spread to other parts of the body.

Mr Wilson underwent a 20-minute operation under local anaesthetic in October 2019.

Mr Wilson had surgery to remove a two inch patch of cancerous skin from his scalp (pictured) which was covered with a skin graft from his right thigh

Mr Wilson, pictured with a healed head, is now urging others to wear skin protection, admitting he was 'blase' about doing so under the Australian sun for hours every day

WHAT IS SKINVISION? SkinVision is a mobile phone app that assesses a user's skin cancer risk by analysing their moles. After downloading the app, which costs 6.99 for a single use and 49.99 for unlimited checks for a year, it asks questions about the user's skin type, ranging from very fair to dark brown. The user then takes three pictures of each of their chosen moles on their phone. These images are run through an algorithm that assesses factors such as asymmetry and shape. An assessment is made within 30 seconds, with 'all clear' requiring no action, 'medium risk' meaning the mole needs monitoring and 'high risk' requiring the user visits a doctor. If a user gets a high-risk rating, an in-house dermatologist provides a free review within two days to explain why there is a cause for concern. These images are then added to the algorithm, which contains more than three million pictures, to improve its accuracy. The app, which is available globally aside from the US and Canada, also sends reminders for users to visit a doctor, if necessary. A study completed by SkinVision found the app has greater than 95 per cent sensitivity. Advertisement

Surgeons took a skin graft from his right thigh and expanded it to cover the patch on his scalp. Forty staples attached the graft and dressings.

A further 20 staples were used to hold a dressing down to his thigh wound.

Mr Wilson, who has no history of skin cancer in his family, said: 'Recovery was quick but very uncomfortable because of the staples and I had to change the dressings on my head and leg often.

'The staples all had to come out one at a time, which was quite a painful experience.

'The worst part was the skin graft - I had a bit of a bleed with the dressing on my thigh, so peeling that off was excruciating.'

Luckily, prior to the operation Mr Wilson was told the cancer had been caught early enough and wasn't particularly aggressive.

However, it had the potential to spread through the dermis - the tissue underlying the skin - in the affected area.

If left unchecked, it could eventually spread further in his body, so the surgeon's strategy was to remove enough of the area to prevent further damage.

Mr Wilson is now waiting to hear back from his dermatologist whether he is at risk of developing further cases of skin cancer, and he's urging others to be wary of suspicious looking patches of skin.

Mr Wilson said: 'Back in the 70s and 80s when I was young, there wasn't much information about sun protection.

Mr Wilson said the SkinVision app advised him to see a specialist, but he put it off for a while. His wife, Isobel, 67, urged him to go to the doctors about it. They are pictured with their son

Mr Wilson, pictured after surgery with a dressing on his scalp and wounds from where his biopsies were taken, is now waiting to hear back from his dermatologist whether he is at risk of developing further cases of skin cancer

'Everyone just knew that if you stayed in the sun too long, you would get sunburnt. And we often got burnt while we were at the beach, swimming and surfing.

'When I was at university, I used to work over the Christmas break carting hay for a contractor. I would spend about 14 to 15 hours exposed to the sun while working every day and I only wore boots, jeans and a singlet.

'The effects of the sun back then weren't as bad as they are today, now that the ozone layer has been damaged over Australia.

'I used to be pretty blase about the sun but now I wear a hat all the time and put sunscreen on any exposed skin.'

Between 95 and 99 per cent of skin cancers in Australia are caused by exposure to the sun, and are therefore preventable, Cancer Council reports.

Mr Wilson said: 'The fact of the matter is, the sun nowadays is fairly dangerous to skin - you've got to be crazy if you don't use protection.

'You really can't afford to be blase about the sun, you have to protect your skin in summer and winter.

'Cancer is a horrible thing and [if you're not careful] you're at risk of dying.

'Another warning to people is to get these suspicious things looked at early before they escalate.'

Mr Wilson praised SkinVision for prompting him to see the doctor with its quick skin analysis using a photo.

He said: 'I was impressed by the SkinVision app and I am sure it will develop into an incredibly important tool - it saved my life.

'I'm glad I caught it early - you usually just think this is the kind of thing that only happens to other people.'
Days after he took oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal met Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday and said that it was a 'good meeting held in a cordial atmosphere'.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has had an arduous relationship with the Central government during his previous term, met Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, just days after taking oath for the third time. He said that they had agreed to work together for the "development of Delhi", adding that it was "a good meeting held in a cordial atmosphere".

Wednesday's meeting was the first since the results of the Delhi Assembly election were declared on 11 February.

Addressing the media soon after the meeting, Kejriwal said, "It was a good meeting, held in a cordial atmosphere. We held discussions on various issues. We agreed that the Centre and Delhi government need to work together for the development of Delhi. We will work together."

However, when asked whether they had discussed the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest in the Shaheen Bagh area of the National Capital, the chief minister said that the issue had not been discussed.

Met Honble Home Minister Sh Amit Shah ji. Had a very good and fruitful meeting. Discussed several issues related to Delhi. Both of us agreed that we will work together for development of Delhi  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 19, 2020

#WATCH Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal meets Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the latter's residence. pic.twitter.com/uQigQBTpVm  ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2020

The AAP chief and former BJP president met at the latter's residence and their discussions lasted 20 minutes. The meeting was earlier scheduled at the Home Ministry.

Shah had led the BJP's offensive against Kejriwal in the Delhi Assembly polls but the incumbent AAP trounced the saffron party, bagging 62 of the 70 seats. In his oath-taking address on 16 February, Kejriwal had said he would "work in harmony" with the Centre.

With inputs from agencies
Faced with growing fear about the risks of vaping, New Jersey last month became the second state to adopt legislation outlawing all nicotine vaping liquids other than those flavored to taste like tobacco.

It has banned all fruit- and menthol-flavored e-cigarettes and cartridges, which are popular with teenagers, as well as most nicotine-infused liquids that are used in larger, hand-held vaping devices and are commonly sold in vape shops.

Under New Jerseys new law, Darth Vapors rows of disposable e-cigarettes, menthol Juul pods and flavors with names like God Nectar, Joy on the Off Ramp and Apple Cinnamon Donut must be gone by April 20. Only a handful of tobacco-flavored products can remain.

How does a whole store that pays employees and rent survive on five flavors of tobacco? Mr. Mitrani said. The answer is it cant.

Many shop owners say they are selling off as much inventory as possible, operating on month-to-month leases and preparing to close. Others are making plans to sell pipes, tobacco products, CBD oil and kratom, an herbal supplement that the Food and Drug Administration has said can be dangerous, to try and stay afloat.
Mohamed Salah was substituted by Jurgen Klopp. AFP/OSCAR DEL POZO

The European champions thrashed Barcelona 4-0 after losing the first leg of their semi-final 3-0 in Catalonia last season and do not need such a dramatic turn of events this time round.

However, after romping to a 25-point lead at the top of the Premier League, defeat was a really check for the Reds that they will not have it easy if they are to retain the Champions League.

AFP Sport looks at three things we learned as Diego Simeone's Atletico rolled back the years.

ATLETICO RISE TO THE OCCASION

It was not just the holders' relentless form in the Premier League that made Liverpool huge favourites to progress before the tie, but Atletico's poor season so far that has seen Simeone's future questioned for the first time in his eight-year reign.

However, on the big occasion, Atleti revelled in rolling back the years to play the role of underdogs to perfection.

Saul's early strike provided the perfect platform for a classic Champions League performance from a Simeone side as the Spaniards soaked up Liverpool's possession and pressure without Jan Oblak even being stretched to keep a clean sheet.

Another huge effort will be required to prevent another famous Anfield fightback on a European night in three week's time.

A year ago, Atletico beat Juventus 2-0 at home in the first leg of their last 16 tie only to be eliminated by old foe Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick.

However, thanks to a raucous atmosphere with Simeone characteristically playing the role of conductor, they at least preserved a proud home record in European competition under the Argentine with now 37 wins and just three defeats in 46 games.

BETTER CALL SAUL

Saul has been one of Atletico's key players who has failed to match his normally high standards this season.

However, the Spanish international has a habit of coming up with big goals from midfield on Champions League nights.

He scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich that took Atleti to the final in 2016 and was on target in another semi-final win against Real Madrid a year later.

Saul's first in the Champions League this season was far from his most spectacular in the competition as he slotted home from close range after Liverpool failed to clear a corner.

But it was more than good enough to give Atletico hope of pulling off a huge shock.

LIVERPOOL'S TRAVEL SICKNESS

Defeat may have been just Liverpool's second with a senior team in all competitions this season, but both have come in the Champions League and follows a trend of difficult trips across the continent for Jurgen Klopp's men.

The Reds have lost seven of their last 11 away Champions League games and are once again left relying on fortress Anfield to progress.

Despite enjoying nearly 70 percent possession, Liverpool did not manage a single shot on target against the mass ranks of Atletico defence on an off night for their two top scorers.

Sadio Mane was substituted at half-time as the Senegalese ran the risk of being sent-off before Mohamed Salah was also replaced by Klopp 20 minutes from time.
An oilsands processing unit at the Suncor Fort Hills facility in Fort McMurray, Alta., in a file photo. (The Canadian Press/Jason Franson)

Tecks Frontier Oilsands Mine Ruling a Barometer for Canadas Global Energy Ambition

Potential win for Metis and First Nations communities hangs in the balance

News Analysis

OTTAWAWhile most of the worlds attention on Canada is falling on Indigenous protests and rail blockades, the ramifications of the governments decision on Teck Resources $20.6 billion Frontier oilsands mine should not be overlooked. Its being called another watershed moment for the government, the resource sector, and the province of Alberta.

The mine, north of Fort McMurray with an expected 40-year lifespan, is also a litmus test for Canadas desire to be thought of as having a reliable, transparent, and predictable supply for foreign partners looking for an alternative source.

Ken Coates, a Munk Senior Fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, says the mines approval process is like running a 100-metre race that turns into a 200-metre event when halfway done. And then 10 metres to the finish line, it extends to a 400-metre race.

At some point companies are just going to walk away from all of this, he said in an interview.

When you look at Teck Resources spending hundreds of millions of dollars to get this far, at some point theyre going to start suing the Government of Canada for breach of faith I think.

Reliability as an Energy Supplier

The problem is that some in cabinet believe green-lighting the mine project would run afoul of the governments goal to make Canada a net-zero carbon dioxide producer by 2050 and undermine credibility on environmental issues.

However, its been said that, given the technological advances in the oilsands, Canada can play a major role in reducing pollution while continuing to use and develop fossil fuels.

The oil and gas industry has cleaned up its production by leaps and bounds in the last 10 years and is recognized as a model of good governance and transparency, in contrast with authoritarian oil-producing regimes in other parts of the world.

But as the industry seeks to capitalize on the solutions it can offer the rest of the world, it continues to be hampered by the unpredictable or unforeseen.

If it was turned down then that could send a message to our potential energy customers around the world that were not as serious as we talk about being an energy supplier to the rest of the world, said Jeff Kucharski, adjunct professor at Royal Roads University in Victoria, in an interview.

And if it is not approved, the reasons for its rejection will also be closely scrutinized, he adds. Whats at risk is Canadas reliability as an energy supplier.

This will send a message not only within Canada but to the rest of the world, Kucharski said.

Coates and Kucharski were participating in a Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) panel discussion on Canadas energy advantage and global energy security in Ottawa on Feb. 18. At the event, experts agreed that as Canada examines its progress on climate change targets, it cant simply look at projects on an individual basis. Projects have to be evaluated based on their impact on Canadas aggregate carbon footprint.

Energy as a Foreign Policy Tool

The Indo-Pacific region is highly dependent on crude and natural gas, and Canada is in a unique position to take advantage of that, says Kucharski, who is conducting research on energy policy in that region.

Energy is a strategic issue and not simply a matter of trade, he said. Canada should use its energy resources to support its allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific and enhance energy security in the region.

Energy security means having the uninterrupted and sustainable availability of energy sources at an affordable price.

Jonathan Miller, an MLI senior fellow and an international affairs professional focusing on Northeast Asia, said having sustainable in that definition distinguishes Canada from the Gulf States or Russia.

Japan has territorial disputes with China, which has territorial disputes with just about everybody in the region. For example, the Japanese and South Koreans currently get their gas from authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and a small amount from Russia, Miller noted.

Theres a demand for Canada now. Theres going to be a demand in 5 to 10 years, he said, while speaking at the MLI panel.

Thus projects like the Teck Resources Frontier mine, which is expected to produce 260,000 barrels of bitumen a day, is needed to fill global demand for oil.

Indigenous Cooperation

The Teck mine could also be a milestone for cooperation and reconciliation with Metis and First Nations communities, which are pushing for change and want improvements in the arrangements, says Coates.

They want to break welfare dependency, he told the audience.

Coates, an expert on Indigenous affairs, says people dont understand how much work First Nations communities put into making the decision to support the oilsands project.

Theyve done a really careful calculus of how do we ever get to wealth and opportunities? he said.

The vast majority of Indigenous communities are on board with the Teck Resources mine, and to throw that away by nixing the project could widen the schism between Indigenous groups and the government at a time when the rail blockades show how support has already galvanized for the Wetsuweten dealing with the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

Ill tell you, as a Western Canadian, people are waking up every morning to see if theyre deciding this, Coates said. If they dont [approve it], the impact of this on Canada can be very very profound.

The government is expected to make a decision about the oilsands project by the end of the month.

Steve Laut, executive vice-chairman of Canadian Natural Resources, has been flying the flag for Canadas oilpatch as a vehicle to lift people out of poverty and reduce emissions globally.

He calls it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and touts Canadian ingenuity whereby Canada can drive a virtuous cycle of economic, social, and environmental performance.

Oil and gas will remain a material component of energy consumed for decades to come, and whichever country supplies it to the world should have the lowest greenhouse gas intensity and highest standards, Laut says. And thats Canadas advantage.
He was detained by Russia-controlled occupying authorities in the middle of November 2016.

Ukrainian political prisoner Oleksiy Stohniy has arrived in Kyiv after the end of his term served in a penal colony in the city of Kerch in Russia-occupied Crimea.

He was detained in the middle of November 2016 when leaving the peninsula towards mainland Ukraine; Russia-controlled occupying authorities brought charges against him as part of the so-called "Ukrainian saboteurs' case."

"For all these years, our citizen has been kept in unbearable conditions while serving a term in a prison controlled by the occupying country, which has greatly affected his health," Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova said on Facebook on February 19.

Read alsoRussia claims another two Ukraine "saboteurs" in occupied Crimea detained

"I will urgently take appropriate measures to arrange highly qualified medical examinations and the necessary medical care for Oleksiy," she said.

She also wrote that she had been doing everything within her power to facilitate the return of 115 Ukrainian citizens, who are still illegally held by the aggressor country, the Russian Federation.

"I call on representatives of international human rights organizations and the diplomatic corps to use all levers of influence to ensure that the fundamental rights and freedoms of Ukrainian citizens who are still prisoners of the Kremlin are respected," she said.

Stohniy was detained on November 15, 2016, and charged with the illicit purchase and transfer of ammunition (Part 1 of Article 222 of the Criminal Code of Russia) and the unlawful manufacture of firearms (Part 1 of Article 223 of the Criminal Code of Russia). On July 17, 2017, the so-called "Kyivsky district court of Simferopol" sentenced him to three years and six months in prison.

According to NGO Association of Relatives of the Kremlin's Political Prisoners, Stohniy was released in late January 2020, but his family did not want to announce his release to avoid possible risks related with his departure from Russia-occupied Crimea.
New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg, after unprecedented spending, will join his rivals on stage for the first time.

The six remaining Democrats running to compete against Donald Trump in the November general election will face off on Wednesday night in the ninth of a series of debates, this one just ahead of a caucus vote in Nevada over the weekend.

The debate, to be aired on television by MSNBC and streamed on several NBC News platforms, including Telemundo in Spanish, will be held at the Paris theatre in Las Vegas and airs beginning at 8pm local time (02:00 GMT on Thursday). It is scheduled to last two hours.

On the stage will be Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, as well former Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Vice President Joe Biden, and, for the first time, New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Tulsi Gabbard and Tom Steyer are still in the race, but did not qualify under rules established by the Democratic Party.

The addition of Bloomberg to the usual coterie of candidates is expected to add some fireworks to the evening, mainly because his opponents have not had a chance to challenge him to his face yet. Bloomberg is not on the ballot in Nevada, but qualified for the debate by rising in national polls on the back of unprecedented spending.

Bloomberg has spent more than $400m of his own money on the campaign so far, mainly on television and digital advertising, an effort that has drawn criticism from his challengers, who insist he is trying to buy the Democratic nomination.

Were going to end a corrupt political system in which billionaires buy elections, Sanders, echoing comments from the other candidates, told a crowd at a rally in Denver earlier in the week. Democracy, to me, means one person, one vote. Not Bloomberg or anybody else spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to buy an election.

Its a shame Mike Bloomberg can buy his way into the debate. But at least now primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we each take on an egomaniac billionaire. https://t.co/H02radEZcv  Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 18, 2020

A new poll published on Tuesday showed Bloomberg with 19 percent support nationally in the Democratic nomination contest. Support for Sanders in the same poll was at 31 percent, up nine points since December. Coming in third in the poll was Biden with 15 percent, down nine points since December.

The stakes on Wednesday night are high for all the candidates, not just Bloomberg. After more than a year of campaigning, there is little clarity in the search for a nominee.

Longtime establishment favourite Biden is fighting to breathe new life into his flailing campaign, and Warren, another early favourite, has found herself eclipsed on the progressive side of the Democratic spectrum by Sanders.

Some Democrats fear that the conditions are ripe for a bare-knuckles brawl on national television that could carve new scars into a divided party that must ultimately come together this fall if it hopes to deny Trump a second term.

President Trump, for his part, is continuing his habit of holding political rallies in states right before the Democrats hold election contests. Trump plans a rally in Las Vegas on Friday, the day before the Nevada caucuses. He held a similar rally in Des Moines, Iowa before the caucuses there and in Manchester, New Hampshire on the eve of the primary there.

The next debate is scheduled to be held in Columbia, South Carolina on February 25, days before the primary contest in the southern state.
During President Trumps visit to California this week, the commander in chief who campaigned on a pledge of shipping more water to Central Valley farms plans to stop in Bakersfield to boast about a promise kept.

His administration has succeeded in rolling back protections for fish in California, opening the door to more pumping from rivers and streams, and more irrigation deliveries for the states vast agricultural economy.

The endeavor is no surprise for a president who has been supportive of industry and hopes to rally rural voters behind his re-election bid. But what confounds some who are worried that Trumps water plan could undermine the environment is how little the state has done to stop Washington.

While Gov. Gavin Newsom has fought Trump on such issues as immigration, health care and gun control, critics say the governor has not stood up to the president on water. They say his office has been complicit in weakening regulation and, as a result, waterways, wetlands and wildlife are bound to suffer.

Theyre not doing enough, and, in fact, theyre hand in glove with the Trump administration, said Jon Rosenfield, senior scientist for San Francisco Baykeeper, an environmental advocacy group focused on water.

The immediate fear for environmentalists is that the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the hub of Californias water supply, will dry up because of overpumping, and that chinook salmon, delta smelt and other endangered species will slip into extinction. The low numbers of fish are seen as an indicator of a broader decline of the states rivers, lakes and bays.

Newsoms top environmental administrators denied suggestions that California was soft on watershed protection. They said the state is pursuing a balanced approach to water, which means considering the concerns of environmentalists as well as those of water users.

The water users that rely on delta supplies are not only the politically connected farms of the San Joaquin Valley, but cities in the Bay Area and Southern California.

Criticism of Newsom from the environmental community began to escalate last fall. The governor disappointed many when he vetoed SB1, which aimed to halt Trumps environmental rollbacks by adopting federal standards on clean water and air before the president could change them. Newsom called the legislation a solution in search of a problem.

Then came the Trump administrations bid to send more delta water to San Joaquin Valley farms. Federal officials rewrote rules under the Endangered Species Act, essentially permitting less water for fish and more for the state and federal pumps. Newsoms team vowed to sue over the action in November, but as of the start of this week, had not. Environmentalists remain infuriated.

Instead, state officials sought to maintain protections for fish at the state pumps while the federal pumps moved under the dictate of the weakened endangered species rules. The states draft of separate pumping procedures marked the end of a longtime policy of running the state and federal pumping stations under the same rules. The problem, which was pointed out by the states own water and wildlife experts, was that the state procedures were considered lenient and risky for fish.

There are just a lot of troubling signs that the state is not resisting federal rollbacks and even seems to be weakening state protections, said Doug Obegi, a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The states recent water moves come as Newsoms team is pursuing a grand compromise on water. Rather than bicker about every single decision, state officials believe they can craft a long-term arrangement that protects watersheds while still ensuring enough pumping to please water users.

Newsoms team has had to proceed delicately to keep irrigation districts in the San Joaquin Valley from abandoning the negotiations. When the state threatened legal action over changes to the Endangered Species Act, the Westlands Water District in Fresno said it would walk away if the governor went forward with the suit.

The fruit of Newsoms labor came earlier this month when the state announced a framework for a $5.2 billion water-sharing agreement. The plan calls for water agencies to sacrifice up to 900,000 acre-feet of supplies each year, more than twice whats in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, as well as cough up money for river restoration. The state and the federal government would provide additional funds for watershed improvements.

While the details of the deal, known as the voluntary agreements, are yet to be worked out, the benefit for water agencies appears to be avoiding the steep water reductions that were put on the table when Gov. Jerry Brown was in office.

We think this is a solution that brings back the fish, working with the water users rather than against them, said Wade Crowfoot, Californias secretary of natural resources, in an interview last week. We are trying to strike this balance.

Some environmental groups, as well as many urban and agricultural water agencies, called the voluntary agreements a good first step. But most in the conservation community said the plan is a nonstarter.

Were very worried that this will be less water for the environment than we have even today, said Rachel Zwillinger, a water policy adviser for the advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife. Were a long ways off from something that is actually going to start putting in protections (for fish).

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.

As it stands, water agencies divert more than half of the water that flows to the delta. In some rivers that feed the estuary, 80% of the water is siphoned off. Scientists say these draws must be reduced to improve water quality and save salmon and smelt.

Prior to the voluntary agreements, the State Water Resources Control Board, the agency that regulates river flows, had begun tightening limits on water draws. When Newsom took office, he replaced the chair of the state water board, Felicia Marcus, who was seen by some in the agricultural industry as favoring fish over farms. The governor urged a more collaborative approach to managing flows.

Jared Blumenfeld, the states secretary of environmental protection, said imposing strict regulations is not always productive. With the voluntary agreements, he said, the state can achieve things that are beyond its regulatory command, such as making deals with water agencies to restore fish habitat. Working collaboratively is also more likely to avert a legal battle.

In a best-case scenario, that would take five to 10 years, he told The Chronicle. In the interim you dont have extra flows or habitat (restoration).

Blumenfeld said Newsoms arrangement remains Californias best shot at fulfilling the governors new goal of doubling the salmon population by 2050.

The voluntary agreements, once the specifics are worked out, will have to stand up to public scrutiny and win approval from the state water board. Part of the debate undoubtedly will be how well the arrangement can temper the Trump administrations renewed push to pump.

Trump is scheduled to visit Bakersfield on Wednesday afternoon to talk about water. Bakersfield represents the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and is home to Trump loyalist House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who is expected to join the president.

The stop is Trumps first visit to the region since campaigning there in 2016. During the earlier visit, he pledged to fight for the agricultural community.

Were going to solve your water problem, he said in front of a cheering crowd in Fresno four years ago. If I win, believe me, were going to start opening up the water so that you can have your farmers survive.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
HINGHAM, Mass., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Talbots and O, The Oprah Magazine today unveil "Cardigans for a Cause," their fifth co-branded capsule collection, with 30% of the net proceeds benefiting Dress for Success, an international not-for-profit organization that empowers women and provides them with the tools to achieve economic independence. The 2020 limited-edition collection consists of five one-of-a-kind cardigans, ranging from sporty and floral to graphic and striped, perfect for refreshing a spring wardrobe while also paying it forward and supporting women in need.

The O, The Oprah Magazine Collection for Talbots is featured in the March issue, on newsstands now, online at talbots.com/omagazine and in Talbots stores nationwide through March 29. Talbots, a purpose-based brand that champions women, will also enlist the help of their 9,000 associates and the generosity of their millions of customers to make even more impact this year.

Individuals can give by dropping off new or nearly new work-appropriate clothing and accessories at a Talbots store, Feb. 20-24, 2020. Talbots stores nationwide will also accept monetary donations both in-store and online at www.Talbots.com/dressforsuccess. On Saturday, February 29, Talbots will host a Shop For A Cause Shopping Party at all Talbots stores nationwide, with 10% of the net proceeds from the sales benefiting Dress for Success, (up to $50,000). To date, this collaboration has raised more than $6 million and collected over 18,000 boxes of donated business attire for Dress for Success, benefiting over 125,000 women across America.

"Our partnership with Talbots and O, The Oprah Magazine has been an amazing five-year success story," says Joi Gordon, CEO of Dress for Success Worldwide. "Talbots is our number one corporate sponsor, and we are grateful for their ongoing commitment to helping us further our global mission to help women reach their full potential."

2020 also marks the 20th anniversary of O, The Oprah Magazine, and to celebrate this milestone, the magazine will spotlight different remarkable people each month who change the way we look at the world. The March issue highlights Maria Shriver, journalist, activist and former first lady of California, who has devoted herself to numerous issues, with a particular focus on womenincluding female poverty, education, and health. Maria shows off the capsule collection along with five other changemakers, including: Maysoon Zayid, comedian, writer and disability advocate; Denise Bidot, model, body positivity activist and TV personality; Jamira Burley, activist, social impact consultant and Kelly Sawyer Patricof and Norah Weinstein, Co-Presidents of Baby2Baby.

"Having all of these exceptional women showcase this collection is an honor," says Deborah Cavanagh, CMO and SVP of Marketing, Talbots. "At Talbots, we believe that one small act of kindness from one person can change the lives of many," she adds. "These inspiring women, who are philanthropic visionaries, exemplify our mission and pay it forward every day."

As Maria Shriver says in the March issue of O, The Oprah Magazine: "We live in a time when we need to be advocates. We have to use our voices. There's not going to be someone else who fixes problems. That person is you. When we were young, my mother brought us to soup kitchens, we 'adopted' a family at Christmas, and she expected me to volunteer. Like I tell my kids, find the cause you're passionate about and then go for it."

The O, The Oprah Magazine Collection for Talbots is available in Misses, Petite, Plus and Plus Petite:

Chevron: Clean and classic pattern with black cinching waist for a flattering fit. $89.50

Tipped: Longer, cozy design with sporty stripes. $99.50 (online exclusive only)

Heathered: Cozy sweater coat with belt for relaxed luxury. $99.50

Striped: Flattering, graphic pattern with subtle lantern sleeves and bow accents. $129

Floral: In of-the-moment toile, with feminine, silk front. $159 (online exclusive only)

Talbots Call to Action: Shop, Bring, Give and Pay it Forward!

Tuesday, February 18 - March 29 : Collection on Sale in stores nationwide and online





Collection on Sale in stores nationwide and online Tuesday, February 18 - March 29 : Monetary donations accepted in stores nationwide and online





Monetary donations accepted in stores nationwide and online Thursday, February 20 - Monday, February 24 : Customer clothing and accessory donations accepted at all Talbots stores nationwide





Customer clothing and accessory donations accepted at all Talbots stores nationwide Saturday, February 22 : Shop For A Cause Shopping Party at all Talbots stores nationwide.





Shopping Party at all Talbots stores nationwide. Saturday, February 29 : Pay it forward, with 10% of the net proceeds from the day's sales to benefit Dress for Success, (up to $50,000 )

For information on Dress for Success, go to https://dressforsuccess.org/.

To follow along on Instagram visit: @TalbotsOfficial; @OprahMagazine; @DressforSuccessand follow #TalbotsxOMag; #GiveConfidenceHopeStyle

About Talbots

Established in 1947, Talbots is a multi-channel retailer of women's apparel, shoes and accessories. Currently, the Company operates over 500 Talbots stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. Its online shopping site is located at www.talbots.com.

About O, The Oprah Magazine

O, The Oprah Magazine (oprahmag.com), celebrating 20 years, encourages confident, intelligent women to reach for their dreams, express their individual style and make wise choices, guided by the values of one of the most charismatic women in the world, O editorial director Oprah Winfrey. With an emphasis on personal growth, the magazine inspires, addressing every aspect of a woman's lifethe material, the intellectual and the emotionaland deeply connects with more than 14 million consumers every month (source: 2018 comScore Multi-Platform //GfK MRI Media Fusion (03-18/F17). From the moment it launched, O, The Oprah Magazine carved out a unique position in the marketplace and created an entirely new category in women's magazines, delivering the Live Your Best Life message through thoughtful, ever-evolving content and the trusted advice provided by well-known experts. Throughout the years, O, The Oprah Magazine has been recognized with the publishing industry's highest honor, winning multiple American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) awards. Follow O, The Oprah Magazine on Twitter at @OprahMagazine and Instagram at @OprahMagazine.

About Dress for Success

Since 1997, Dress for Success has been empowering women worldwide to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help them thrive in work and life. To date, Dress for Success has served more than one million women worldwide in nearly 150 cities across more than 20 countries. Visit www.dressforsuccess.org for more information.

For more information:

Talbots

Meredith Paley

Vice President, Public Relations [email protected]

212.841.1845

O, The Oprah Magazine

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Director, Public Relations, [email protected]

212.649.2617

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Vice President, Marketing & Communications

[email protected]

646.233.4948

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New York State Police photo

A Sherman man is accused of engaging in sexual conduct with a victim under 15 years old in a Poughkeepsie, N.Y., hotel last November.

On Tuesday, the New York State Police from the Poughkeepsie barracks arrested Eric J. Fenyes, 46, of Sherman, on a charge of criminal sex act in the second degree, a class D felony.
Air Force One carrying United States President Donald Trump may land in Jaipur in Rajasthan at the start of his scheduled visit to India this month in case weather conditions at the Delhi International Airport are poor, airport officials here confirmed on Wednesday.

US Embassy's three-member team visited the Jaipur airport on Monday, followed by another visit by a four-member team on Tuesday to check on infrastructure and other facilities.

Official sources confirmed that the team had given its consent to use the city airport as an alternative landing spot for the plane carrying the visiting dignitary and his entourage.

Jaideep Singh Balhara, Director, Airports Authority of India, Jaipur, said: "The airport is well-equipped to handle the VVIP flight as we have a reserved bay for the purpose. We shall use all standard operating procedure necessary for the safe landing of such flights."

Airport officials revealed that they have been asked to remain on alert mode from February 23 to 24. Trump is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25.
The rapper who branded Boris Johnson a real racist during the Brit Awards has been backed by a former Conservative Party chairwoman.

Tory peer Baroness Warsi, who chaired the party from 2010 to 2012, tweeted her support of Daves performance at Tuesdays music ceremony.

Dave added verses to his song Black criticising the government for the Windrush scandal and its handling of the Grenfell disaster.

"The truth is our prime minister's a real racist," he rapped during the performance at London's O2 Arena.

Dave onstage at the Brit Awards 2020 at the O2 Arena, London. (PA)

Wow wow wow

That performance of #Black by #Dave @BRITs was powerful- pin drop silence

After the appalling appointment of #Sabinsky & the shameful lack of condemnation this week from No10 this performance felt like a necessary wake up call in the most provocative way #Respect https://t.co/PFP0vDvtIn  Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) February 18, 2020

Baroness Warsi highlighted Downing Street's hiring of aide Andrew Sabisky, who claimed black Americans have lower IQs than white Americans, in her support of Dave.

She wrote: "After the appalling appointment of #Sabinsky & the shameful lack of condemnation this week from No10 this performance felt like a necessary wake up call in the most provocative way. #Respect.

Read more: Tory MPs turn on Boris Johnson over 'racist comments' of adviser

Sabisky stood down on Tuesday amid mounting pressure when a slew of highly criticised past comments surfaced, but Downing Street has failed to condemn his remarks.

Story continues

Home secretary Priti Patel said the prime minister was "not a racist at all", branding Daves comments as "utter nonsense.

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi has spoken in support of Dave's performance. (AP)

Home secretary Priti Patel described Dave's comments as 'utter nonsense'. (AP)

Patel was asked about Dave's criticism as she defended the government's immigration plans to refuse visas to low-skilled migrant workers after Brexit.

"Well, that's utter nonsense, it really is," she told Sky News.

Read more: Labour MP criticised for sayingt 'a child is born without sex'

"I mean I don't know what those comments are based on. It's wrong to make judgements about individuals when you don't know a particular individual.

"He's not a racist at all and I just think those comments are highly inappropriate.

Dave also paid tribute to London Bridge terror attack victim Jack Merritt, and criticised the PM's decision to impose more severe sentences.

Rapper Dave branded Boris Johnson a 'real racist' during the Brit Awards. (AP)

"As a young black man who's seen paper and crack. Give them tougher sentences? It's just papering cracks," he rapped.

Read more: Nigel Farage mocks Boris Johnson over aide who made comments on race

And he criticised the government, saying: "Grenfell victims still need accommodation and we still need support for the Windrush generation.

Dave won best album at the Brits for Psychodrama, which topped the UK album chart and won last year's Mercury Prize.
The Plainview Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday recognized a local cotton gin and a Wayland Baptist University student as the February Business and Student of the Month.

Kamri Knippa, a WBU senior, and Elizabeth Van Hersh and Yessica Cavazos, both representing Quarterway Cotton Growers, were presented certificates during the Chambers regular morning meeting.

Quarterway Cotton Growers is a located in Halfway and is a farmer-owned gin. Todd Straley is the gin manager.

Quarterway Cotton Growers is one of the very few Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)  certified cotton gins in the country, according to a Herald article published in late 2018. At the time, it was the only one.

Knippa is a 21-year-old WBU student from Hale Center. She is the daughter of Kris and Sharla Knippa.

Knippa is working on a major in molecular biology and a minor in English.

She is active a member of the Presidents Ambassadors, the Texas Academy of Science, American Chemical Society, Welch Summer Research, Student Alumni Council, and is part of the BSM Leadership Team.

Her achievements and awards include graduating as valedictorian of Hale Center High School and being a recipient of both a Pioneer Scholarship and the J.H. Wayland Endowed Scholarship.

Knippa is also a First Baptist Church Hale Center childrens minister and participates in the SGA canned food drive.

She enjoys singing, reading, cooking, baking, playing piano and playing with her dog.

After graduation, Knippa wants to attend the School of Optometry at the University of Houston.
Bridge Biotherapeutics CEO Lee Jung-kue speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the company's headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Feb. 13. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



Bridge Biotherapeutics eyes 'seller's market' in pharmaceutical value chain



By Nam Hyun-woo



There are a slew of biopharmaceutical firms that are operating here, with some even listed on the stock market, but not many of them are making a profit, as they have to make huge investments compared to the slim chance of bringing a new drug to market.



Thus, an operating profit by a young bio firm bears more significance than that of businesses in other industries, as it soothes investor concern over risks and provides proof that the company's portfolio is solid.



One such firm is Bridge Biotherapeutics (Bridge), which recently garnered attention with a 617 million won ($519,000) operating profit and a 1.32 billion won net profit last year. It was an accomplishment that came just four years after the company was established in 2015, which is rare among biopharmaceutical firms in Korea.



Bridge CEO Lee Jung-kue attributed the success to the company's business model of "no research development only," which licenses in promising drug candidates, does early stage development and clinical studies, and then licenses them out to big pharmaceutical firms which will lead further development and manufacture the drugs.



Through this process, researchers who explored the candidate drugs do not have to handle the costly processes of commercialization by themselves, while big pharmaceutical firms can secure competitive drugs without the time-consuming research process.



"Developing a new drug is a race against time," Lee said during an interview with The Korea Times, Feb. 13. "That is because the shorter the development period, the longer the selling period under the protection of patents. In terms of blockbuster drugs, with sales surpassing $1 billion, we say speeding up the development process by a day will save you $3 million."



In setting drug patents, most of major markets in the world allow 20-year terms. Since it takes an average of 10 years to finish clinical trials and secure new drug approval, pharmaceutical firms have 10 years to sell finished drugs under patent protection. With a drug generating $1 billion in annual sales, a year-long delay in clinical studies costs the company about $1 billion, which translates to roughly $3 million per day. Due to this reality, many advanced drug markets have specialists handling different parts of a drug developing value chain to speed up the whole process, but there are not many development specialists in Korea.



"It is very much similar to the publishing industry," Lee said. "Our job is finding authors with good stories and developing them into actual content, which involves layout, illustration and design. After this process, we sell this to a bigger publisher who will print the story into actual books and retail them."

Lee said this business thus requires finding feasible and competitive drug candidates from research organizations.

"Our current focus is treatments for life-threatening diseases which have high, unmet medical demand," Lee said. "Especially, we are looking into cystic fibrosis treatments and targeted cancer therapies which currently have a seller's market, in which selling firms have the advantage."



One such drug candidate was BBT-877  aimed at treating Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), which led Bridge to post a turnaround last year.



In July last year, Bridge signed a 1.5 trillion won license-out deal with Boehringer Ingelheim over BBT-877 which was in Phase 1 clinical trials at the time. It was a feat that came two years after Bridge licensed the candidate from LegoChem Bioscience of Korea in May 2017, and one of the largest deals for a single compound involving a Korean biopharmaceutical firm.



Currently, Bridge has received approximately 60 billion won it set as an upfront and near-term milestone and it will receive up to 1.4 trillion won when the candidate reaches other milestones including clinical developments, approval and sales. Based on this trajectory, Lee assumed the company will reach 82.7 billion won in sales and 29.7 billion won in operating profit this year. "The market for IPF was valued at $2.2 billion in 2018, with two treatments only. Since the existing treatments have low efficacy and serious side effects, the outlook for BBT-877 is lucrative," Lee said.



BBT-877 has a rival in the same class  GLPG1690 developed by Belgium-based pharmaceutical firm Galapagos. While BBT-877 has currently finished its Phase 1 study, GLPG1690 is in the middle of a Phase 3 study, with the goal of receiving approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by as early as 2022.



Since BBT-877 expects its approval in 2026, GLPG1690 is three years ahead, which is a great market advantage.



"Though BBT-877 is three years behind than GLPG1690, we believe Boehringer Ingelheim licensed our candidate because not only us but also Boehringer Ingelheim believe in the efficacy of BBT-877," Lee said. "To minimize the impact of being late, we have done our best to shorten the development period and so has Boehringer Ingelheim."



In general, it takes an average of 18 months for a drug developer to wrap up pre-clinical trials and file for an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the FDA, which allows developers to test new drugs on people.



However, Bridge finished the same process in seven months for BBT-877 and took nine months for BBT-401, a candidate for ulcerative colitis treatment the company licensed out to Daewoong Pharmaceuticals in December 2018.



"We are a small company and I tend to give authority to my staff in many of our important decisions," Lee said. "This allows Bridge to be agile and draw outcomes faster than large organizations which have bureaucratic processes they must meet."





One license-in, one IND

Along with BBT-877 and BBT-401, the next candidate in Bridge's pipeline is BBT-176, a targeted therapy for non-small cell lung cancer. After licensing it in December 2018, the company's IND application was cleared by the FDA last month and it plans to launch a global Phase 1/2 study within this year.



"Just five years ago, big pharmaceutical firms showed little interest in targeted therapies, but they are emerging as a trend and resulting in a seller's market. Our strategy is licensing in candidates with low interest and selling them out when big pharma shows demand," Lee said adding he is currently looking into a number of candidates for eye diseases such as age related macular degeneration.



Looking ahead, Lee said Bridge will seek its goal of having one license-in deal and one IND application every year, so the company can secure five to six candidates in the pipeline and build the company's capacity to pursue later stages of drug development.



"By expanding our pipeline to have five to six candidates at the same time in the next three years, we will organize a portfolio covering each clinical stage, and this will lower pending risks," Lee said. "In the long-term, we hope to become a global specialty biopharma company developing specialty drugs and market them in the U.S. by ourselves."
A mother in Mississippi has said she was horrified after a Mardi Gras-goer presented her 12-year-old daughter with a black doll hanging by a beaded noose.

Nicole Eley-Fairconeture says her child  who is African American - was given the toy 'dressed as a slave' in a red and white frocked covered with an apron at the Krewe of Nereids parade in Bay St. Louis on Sunday.

She says a white man uttered 'That's you' after he handed over the offensive item and she ran back across the road without realizing what she was holding.

The doll is believed to represent the mammy caricature  prevalent throughout the slavery and Jim Crow periods and pushing the stereotype that black women were content in their serving positions.

Nicole Eley-Fairconeture says her child  who is African American - was given the toy 'dressed as a slave' in a red and white frock covered with an apron at the Krewe of Nereids parade in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi on Sunday. It depicts the 'mammy' caricature

The NAACP, Boys and Girls Club and Mayor of Waveland  where the family lives  have condemned the man's actions and have vowed to help the family get justice. Mayor Mike Smith called the act 'infuriating'.

Police in Mississippi are now investigating it as a hate crime.

Cops received a call around 4pm that day reporting what had been thrown from a float in what is supposed to be an event to show generosity from the start of Epiphany Season last month, until Ash Wednesday.

It passes along the I-90 in Bay St. Louis where they stood outside the woman's uncle's B&J Pit Stop business to greet revelers.

'She hung it from her finger and she felt degraded. She felt attacked. She didn't even want to stay at the parade. She was ready to go,' The child's mother told CNN.

Eley-Fairconeture added to CNN that the young girl asked her: 'Why me, Mom? Why me?'

Mother Eley-Fairconeture told the Sun Herald it's the first time her child has had 'something targeted (at her) as racist'.

'She's just very disturbed by it, that he pointed her out in the crowd to give her what to her was an insult,' Eley-Fairconeture continued. 'Her peers had to see it, my family had to deal with that. ... It's really disturbing.'

Sun Herald reports it was a black and gold New Orleans Saints-themed float. Some people on social media have claimed this is the float but it is not confirmed

The parent said he daughter remembers a sign with 'Krewe of Family and Friends' on the float during the event run by Krewe of Nereids. Sun Herald reports it was a black and gold New Orleans Saints-themed float.

Krewe of Neireids have denied any connection to the float the offensive item was hurled from.

'These floats are not part of, nor in anyway affiliated with Nereids, other than parading on the same day,' they said in a statement. 'These floats are independently owned and operated, and the riders on these floats are not members of Nereids.'

They added: 'Steps are being taken to prevent similar offensive conduct from ever occurring again, and to ensure that the responsible party or parties will no longer be allowed to parade with the Krewe of Nereids.'

Bobby-Lisa Moran, who was captain of the Krewe of Party Time Anytime float said she too had nothing to do with it and mentioned several people on her vehicle were of African descent.

'I would never do anything like that,' Moran told the Sun Herald.

However others haven't been so kind to the family.

The mother posted on social media a comment that appeared to label African Americans 'mammys' in an Aunt Jemima imagery reference.

'I'm glad my baby doesnt have access to Facebook...Shes a child and no one deserves this! why do people have to be so rude???' she captioned the shocking response the Sunday's incident.

Police ask anyone with information to call 228 467 9222.

The mother posted on social media a comment that appeared to label African Americans 'mammys' in an Aunt Jemima imagery reference
The virus that causes COVID-19 seems able to spread to anyone, anywhere. Credit: NIAID/Flickr, CC BY

Stop calling the novel coronavirus outbreak the "Wuhan coronavirus," and start getting comfortable with "COVID-19." That's the World Health Organization's recommended name for the disease.

While identifying a new disease by its place of origin seems intuitive, history demonstrates that doing so can harm the people who live there. Consequences can include economic distress, as tourists withdraw, investment cools down and solidarities between people weaken. Linking a specific disease with a specific place can lead to discrimination and stigmatization and avoidance of a town or village.

As a historian of public health and modern Africa, I study the politics of infectious diseases and the importance of understanding the cultural contexts of epidemics and responses to them. Past epidemics underscore the social and public health consequences of how people talk about a disease's origins.

A long tradition of naming by place

Tagging a place when identifying a disease has a long history.

In the 19th century, as global trade and mobility allowed cholera to spread worldwide from its origins in the Ganges Delta, the disease quickly became known as "the Asiatic cholera." That label persisted for decades, implicitly blaming an entire continent for a disease that can spread anywhere as a function of poor sanitation.

For Europeans and Americans of the time, Asia was an exotic, distant somewhere else. Distinguishing the disastrous illness of cholera as "Asiatic" fit with the racialized, imperial views that denigrated the intelligence and the cultures of non-white populations globally and justified colonial overrule. It also helped justify more stringent quarantine measures and travel restrictions for people read as "Asian" and not European. Muslim pilgrims en route to Mecca from southern Asia, for instance, were subject to different rules than European troop ships traveling the same routes.

Ideas about disease changed after the late 19th century, when scientists could use new laboratory techniques to link specific pathogensbacteria, parasites, and later on, virusesto specific diseases. Sometimes, this gave a scientific name to an age-old problem, such as "consumption" becoming the medical entity tuberculosis.

But these new techniques also allowed researchers to correlate pathogens with particular locales. Naming an illness after a place quickly became the norm.

So Rift Valley Fever, caused by a virus in the Bunyaviridae family, got its name from an area of colonial Kenya where it was first reported.

The Hantaviruses are linked to the Hantan River area of South Korea where Dr. Ho-Wang Lee first identified the virus.

Ebola virus disease (EVD) got its popular name from a river near the village in the modern nation of Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) where U.S. and European scientists identified that pathogen.

Focusing on a specific place creates something particular from something that could have happened anywhere. There's nothing peculiarly distinctive about Lassa village in Nigeria, compared to any other village five or 50 miles away. Lassa was just the first place where a white missionary's death drew the attention of authorities. And yet, in the aftermath of that moment, as "Lassa fever" came to identify a fearsome hemorrhagic fever, the town of Lassa became a shadow of its former self.

Focusing on the wrong things

In the short term, close associations between places and diseases can stigmatize the sick, as well as influence perceptions of risk for people both nearby and distant.

An outbreak of a serious and deadly respiratory and hemorrhagic disease reported in the U.S." Four Corners region in 1993 was tagged by the press as a "Navajo flu." People in the area assumed incorrectly that the disease was directly contagious and highly localized to the Navajo Nation.

Associating this alarming new disease specifically with the Navajo Nation had a chilling effect on reporting illness to medical authorities because of fear of stigma. In the end, officials named the new hantavirus that caused that particular outbreak Sin Nombre, which means "without a name" in Spanish.

Understanding disease ecology and patterns of transmission at a point of origin are important for biologists and epidemiologists. But permanently naming a disease for a specific place serves to keep public attention on the moment of originthe "spillover" case or known outbreak of an epidemic.

Focusing on how an "emerging" disease originally reached human populations can come at the expense of clear messaging about who is at risk of infection or how to prevent the disease in an ongoing epidemic. What's more, that outbreak moment is often less relevant for a general public looking to stay healthy or public health practitioners trying to control a person-to-person epidemic.

Building blame into a name

Affixing place to disease also puts a spotlight on specific people, which matters for how a wider public associates a population's perceived culture, foodways or activities with a disease.

These kinds of stereotypes arose, for instance, around Ebola virus disease in 2014-15, erroneously blaming some people for a wider problem.

Early conversations about EVD, marked as particularly African with its name, focused on eating "bushmeat," a term from the colonial era to describe meat that people hunt, rather than buy in a market. Talking about "bushmeat" allowed people to characterize those suffering from EVD as primitive or exotic. It also implied that people were responsible for bringing this disease into circulation because of what they ate or how they lived.

In fact, the wider spread of EVD in 2014-15 had everything to do with underfunded health systems in the affected nations and nothing to do with what people ate.

A similar process is unfolding now, with rumors that Wuhan's "wet markets" are the culprits of zoonotic spillover, where viruses jump from animals to humans. Scientists don't yet know how relevant Wuhan's live-animal markets truly were for this global epidemic, although they do know that viruses jump from animals to humans (and back again) frequently. Wuhan's historic position as a national high-speed rail and commercial hub is likely to be far more important for the wider dissemination of COVID-19 than where and how people shopped and ate.

Get used to COVID-19

Public health officials and scientists have come to understand the potentially harmful repercussions of associating place and disease namesfor both the immediate public health response and the long-term economic and social future of a given place. In 2015 WHO announced its official guidelines to avoid the practice.

In the past weeks, as the novel coronavirus has dominated the news and spread around the world, there's been vigorous debate about what to call it. It's important for both a popular understanding of risk and prevention, as well as for global solidarity with the heavily affected population of Wuhan, to get used to saying "COVID-19" and to insist that others do the same.

After all, Spain had nothing specific to do with the so-called "Spanish influenza," as the devastating H1N1 influenza pandemic of 1918-19 was popularly known for decades. They just reported it first.

Explore further In virus outbreak, fretting over a name that might go viral

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
They largely agree on the environment, immigration, health care and other issues, but Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy are working to convince voters that they have the experience, plans and political will to move the needle on progressive policies in the age of President Donald Trump.

On the commander-in-chief himself, the Massachusetts Democrats running for U.S. Senate found themselves again in agreement during a WGBH debate Tuesday night: Trump shouldnt be in office, but they stopped short of calling him mentally unfit for office."

With Boston Public Radios Margery Eagan and Jim Braude pressing the pair regarding some psychiatrists and mental health experts who have weighed in on Trumps fitness for office, Markey said I think he has crazy ideas, but he didnt think anyone can examine him from a distance.

Similarly, Kennedy responded that he is not a doctor. Ill leave that to the professionals. His actions alone disqualify him for office."

Kennedy voted for Trumps impeachment in the House and Markey for his conviction on charges of abuse of power and obstructing Congress in the Senate.

Markey said he saw overwhelming evidence that the Trump had committed a high crime against the country but said the president has willing, supine allies in the Senate and cabinet.

He argued Trump has a rear-view mirror view of a world and country that never existed.

Kennedy said the Mueller report showed Trump has obstructed justice on multiple occasions, and said Trump violates his oath of office to protect every citizen of this country literally on a daily basis."

We need to ensure were doing everything we can ... (that) if Republicans are not going to abide by their oaths as impartial jurors, that you go out there and hold them to it and you flip the Senate," Kennedy said.

During the debate and speaking with reporters afterward, Markey focused on his legislative successes and made the case that he was the leader of a generational change on climate change, gun laws, the opioid crisis and Alzheimers research.

On each and every one of those issues, the difference is, I have fought, I have led and I have delivered," he said. "My bills are the law. My bills are what changes the debate in our country.

Kennedy, meanwhile, argued Washington lacked the political will to make enough substantive change on climate change, ending the filibuster and the electoral college, and blocking gerrymandering at a time when Trump leads from the White House.

Voting the right way is critical, he said. But if theres one lesson from todays Washington, its all about power. Youve got to go out there and get it. And you need candidates that are going to leverage every ounce of power that comes with a Massachusetts Senate Seat.
Speaking in Palma on Wednesday, Spain's health minister Salvador Illa said that the treatment of the patient with coronavirus at Son Espases had been "by the book" and a "model" of management.

Illa stated that this management was key for always making decisions based on the criteria set out by experts and on intense coordination between the health services in the Balearics and other Spanish regions. There are always "details which can be improved", but in his opinion the approach to the case had followed all the rules. He observed that there has been no other coronavirus case in Spain since the patients in Palma and La Gomera had been discharged, and he expressed his confidence in the health service.

Not wishing to comment on Russia's decision to prevent Chinese citizens from entering the country, the minister added that Spain is continuing to follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization, which has not sent out any restriction regarding the movement of goods or people.

"The measures we have adopted are sufficient to guarantee the health of all Spanish citizens. If we have to apply other measures, we will do so and always in coordination with regional governments, which have a key role. Asked whether workers at ports and airports should wear protection, Illa replied that "if they needed to wear protection, then they would".
(Newser)  The Pentagon's top policy official is out, and his resignation comes at the president's request. In a letter penned by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John Rood on Wednesday and obtained by CNN, Rood writes, "Senior administration officials appointed by the President serve at the pleasure of the President, and therefore, as you have requested, I am providing my resignation effective February 28." Bloomberg's sources say "some senior national security officials had lost confidence in Roods ability to carry out Trumps agenda," and CNN's sources describe instances in which Rood's position was in opposition with that of the administration, for instance, his skepticism about peace talks with the Taliban. But Rood's dealings with Ukraine are getting particular attention.

story continues below

The AP reports Rood was the one who in a May 23 letter to Congress certified that Ukraine had made adequate progress on "institutional reforms" intended to reduce corruption, and that as such, aid should be released to the country. The withholding of that aid factored heavily into Trump's impeachment. Rood told reporters he was "aware that the aid had been held" but "never received a very clear explanation other than there were concerns about corruption in Ukraine." On the day of Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Rood emailed Defense Secretary Mark Esper to express his concern about putting a hold on the aid. As for his soon-to-be-vacated position, "one of the most important at the Pentagon," per Bloomberg, Deputy Under Secretary James Anderson will temporarily fill it. (Read more Pentagon stories.)
Photo: Thomas McKinless/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Both Democrats in the race for Texass 28th congressional district received important endorsements on Friday. The conservative incumbent, Henry Cuellar, was endorsed by the Koch-funded LIBRE Initiative Action. On the same day, his left-wing primary challenger, Jessica Cisneros, received a set of endorsements from an altogether different source: the labor movement.

In a Friday morning press release, the Cisneros campaign announced that it had the backing of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the Service Employees International Union Texas (SEIU), and the Texas American Federation of Teachers, among others. Another major labor group, the Texas AFL-CIO, previously endorsed Cisneros in January. In December, pro-choice groups  including Planned Parenthood Action and NARAL Pro-choice America  endorsed Cisneros over Cuellar, who is anti-abortion. Cisneros, a 26-year-old immigration attorney, thus enjoys wide support in the progressive world. Cuellar, meanwhile, refuses to debate her.

After pro-choice groups backed her insurgent campaign in December, Cuellar spokesperson Colin Strother adopted a dismissive tone. The organizations, he told NBC News, were focused on some kind of a purification ritual that does nothing other than feed their ego and their donor base. But what may look like a purification ritual to Cuellar looks increasingly like good politics to lots of other people. By January, Cisneros had raised nearly $1 million in her quest to unseat Cuellar  a major show of force for a first-time, left-wing candidate. To many, Cisneros represents the partys future.

But some powerful Democrats disagree. The race between Cisneros and Cuellar has exposed deep fissures in the national party that will persist long after the primary ends. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Cheri Bustos, the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), backed Cuellar early, and they back him still. The DCCCs vendor blacklist, intended to block consultants and outside firms from working for primary challengers, also protects Cuellar, though it wasnt enough to prevent significant portions of the progressive movement from supporting Cisneros. A similar dynamic has emerged in Illinois, where Marie Newman challenges incumbent Dan Lipinski. Like Cuellar, Lipinski is anti-abortion; also like Cuellar, he enjoys the support of party leadership. The Newman campaign said previously that the DCCCs blacklist did deter some vendors from working with them. But Newman has since picked up major labor and reproductive rights endorsements, including the SEIU Illinois State Council and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

In each primary race, Pelosi and Bustos have pitted themselves against unions and the pro-choice movement. Its an uncomfortable position for any Democratic leader to occupy, and it promises trouble later down the road. Neither Cuellar or Lipinski represent conservative districts. Voters in both districts supported Clinton in 2016; whoever wins the Democratic primary in either district is very likely to enter Congress in November. There is no good reason, in other words, for party leaders to back a pair of anti-choice men over a pair of pro-choice women. In doing so they keep alive a strategy from an earlier, failed age of Democratic politics. The idea that the party ought to compromise on some core issues in order to win moderate districts may well create a big tent. But it hasnt helped the party maintain a grip on power, either in the states or in Congress.

Instead, Pelosi and Bustos have made themselves look weak. What good is the DCCCs blacklist if it doesnt work? And how trustworthy is the party as an ally to pro-choice groups and to unions if its leaders ignore the preferences of both movements? Cisneros stands a legitimate chance of defeating Cuellar. The incumbent himself seems to realize this, since hes refused to debate her and is running attack ads against her. If she does win, she, like insurgents before her, will have to reckon with a party whose leaders stubbornly refuse to change. That bodes ill for the future of progressive policy, and for the future of the party itself.
Lucknow, Feb 19 : UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, on Wednesday, kicked off a major controversy when he slammed the anti-CAA protesters and made a disparaging remark on the deaths that took place during the protests.

"Agar koi marne ke liye aa hi raha hai to woh zinda kahan se ho jaayega (If someone is coming with an intent to die, then how will the person remain alive?)," he said while referring to the 22 deaths that took place during the anti-CAA protests in December 2019.

The chief minister said, "No one has died from police bullets. All those who died have died of bullets from rioters. If someone goes to the street with the intent to shoot people, then either he dies or a cop dies." The chief minister was replying to the motion of thanks to the Governor's address in the state assembly.

Yogi Adityanath also targeted those who have been protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in the state over the past weeks.

"Azaadi (freedom) slogans are being raised. What is 'azaadi'? Do we have to work towards Jinnah's dream or do we have to work towards Gandhi's dream? The police should be praised for their work. After the December violence, there were no riots in the state," he said.

The chief minister further said that he was not against protesters but would come down heavily against those indulging in violence.

"Those who try to undermine the law, we will reply to them in their language. I have always said we will support any democratic protest. But if someone hides behind democracy to vitiate the atmosphere, we will take action," he added.

Leader of Opposition, Ram Govind Chaudhary later told reporters that the chief minister's statement showed utter disregard for civil liberties. "This kind of attitude is amply reflected in the behaviour of the state police," he said.

The chief minister's statement that no deaths had taken place due to police firing was in contradiction to the Bijnor police's acceptance that one person had been killed in police firing during the protests.

Public interest litigations that alleged police atrocities during protests against the CAA in UP will be taken up on March 18.

In the petitions, it was alleged that excessive force was used by the police on protesters resulting in several deaths and injuries. They alleged that police action was unjustified and in violation of the fundamental rights of protesters.

In a hearing before the Allahabad High Court on Monday, the UP government had said 22 people had died in the state in the anti-CAA violence.

For rioting and destroying public properties, FIRs have been filed against 883 people in the state, of which 561 have been granted bail.

Latest updates on Gandhi Jayanti 2019
BATKEN, Kyrgyzstan -- Uzbek border guards have detained 13 Kyrgyz citizens in the southern region of Batken near the border with Kyrgyzstan.



Kyrgyzstan's State Border Guarding Service says the residents of the village of Chekelik in the Ferghana valley were detained on February 19 after they "accidentally entered Uzbek territory."



"The identities of the Kyrgyz nationals detained by Uzbek border guards are being established at this moment and negotiations on their release are under way," the State Border Guard's department in the Batken region said.



Three countries sharing the Ferghana Valley -- Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan -- inherited unclear borders after their independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Many populated areas remain in dispute



The Kyrgyz-border segment near Chekelik is not among the disputed ones, but many local citizens continue to cross the border without official permission.



Last month, Kyrgyz officials had to evacuate more than 250 residents from a village in the Batken region after Kyrgyz and Tajik villagers clashed near a disputed segment of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border.



In December, six Kyrgyz nationals and three Tajik nationals were wounded in clashes in the area, while violence in September claimed four lives.
Nepal's senior journalists on Wednesday condemned the Chinese embassy's recent remarks critical of a leading daily over its coverage of the coronavirus outbreak, saying the statement has stepped over diplomatic decorum.

A group of 16 senior editors from major dailies and online outlets issued a joint statement, condemning in strong words Chinese Ambassador Hou Yanqi's recent statement.

"Our attention has been drawn towards the statement issued by the Embassy of China on Tuesday regarding a content published on The Kathmandu Post daily," said the joint statement.

"While we respect a person or an institution's right to express dissent over materials published in the press, we strongly disagree with actions issuing threat against a specific individual for expressing an opinion or publishing a report.

"We condemn such act and would like to remind that the said statement has stepped over diplomatic decorum," reads the joint statement.

The editors have further stated that they are fully committed towards practising and protecting "freedom of press" which has been guaranteed by the Constitution of Nepal.

On Tuesday, the Post republished an article 'China's secrecy has made coronavirus crisis much worse' by Ivo Daalder, a former US ambassador to NATO, which was originally published in The Korea Herald, a member of Asia Network. The accompanying illustration showed Mao Zedong wearing a mask.

In its statement, the Chinese embassy not only took exception to the article and the accompanying illustration published but also identified the Post's Editor-in-Chief Anup Kaphle, employed disparaging language and went so far as to make a veiled threat of "further action", the Post reported.

Editors including Prakash Rimal of The Himalayan Times, Akhilesh Upadhyaya from The Kathmandu Post, Hari Bahadur Thapa of Annapurna Post and Ameet Dhakal of Setopati online portal expressed their concern over the statement issued by the Chinese embassy for pointing out an individual and threatening to take action.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Minister Parshottam Rupala on Wednesday urged all stakeholders to play a pivotal role in promoting organic farming in the north east region.

Addressing a workshop on Soil Health Card and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for north east region, the Union Minister of State for Agriculture appreciated the activities of all stakeholders for the development of agriculture in the region through soil health card scheme and organic mission.

He urged the concerned officials, Kisan Vikas Kendras (KVKs) and farmers to intensify their efforts through a holistic approach for improving soil health leading to enhanced productivity, profitability and sustainability in agriculture.

The minister said he was happy to learn that some states in the region initiated steps for exporting organic agricultural products such as fruit, vegetable and spice crops to other countries.

Rupala also emphasised that successful implementation of soil health scheme is one of the major strategies for achieving the primary goal of doubling farmers income by 2022 by reducing the input cost of cultivation.

The minister urged upon all stakeholders of this region to play a pivotal role to promote organic farming through judicious use of fertilizers as per prescription provided in the soil health cards.

He also congratulated Trinity Saioo, a Padmashree awardee on her remarkable achievement towards the development of agriculture and enhancement of income of farmers in Meghalaya.

The workshop was organised by ICAR-ATARI, Umiam in collaboration with ICAR RC for NEH Region.

It was attended by the officials of all the states of north east region, scientists from ICAR RC for NEH Region and ICAR-ATARI, staffs of KVKs, progressive farmers.

The additional secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Dr Alka Bhargava said that soil health card should be used as a medium to promote organic agriculture in the region.

She said that this scheme could act as a medium for checking the pattern of jhum cultivation in the region by strengthening the jhumia farmers.

The additional secretary mentioned the importance of training programmes for potential farmers in the states so that they may act as master trainers for other farmers in agriculture development.

Dr Bidyut C Deka, Director, ICAR-ATARI Umiam also presented a brief overview of achievements, outcome and impact of the soil health card scheme of the institute which is being implemented across the states of north east India through KVKs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
More people encouraged to consider a hugely rewarding career in mental health nursing

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Feb 19th, 2020

A senior north Wales nurse is encouraging more people to consider a hugely rewarding career in mental health nursing.

To mark the second annual Mental Health Nurses Day on February 21st, Steve Forsyth, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Boards director of nursing for mental health & learning disabilities, wants to encourage more people to join the profession.

Around 20 per cent of vacancies for mental health nurses in the region are unfilled

Steve, who is an experienced mental health nurse with more than twenty years experience, says the profession is more than just a job, describing it as a way of life, an adventure and a privilege.

Were always looking to recruit outstanding people to join our teams, he said.

There are so many diverse opportunities across the region in inpatient settings and our community teams. These include working with people with mental health problems, learning disabilities, addiction and eating disorders.

There are real opportunities for people to progress throughout their career and we offer a supportive environment which enables our nurses to continuously improve their skills and knowledge.

The privilege of being a mental health nurse means that Id do my twenty plus years again in a heartbeat.

To mark Mental Health Nurses Day, other mental health nurses across the region have been sharing what makes the profession so special.

Since qualifying as a mental health nurse eight years ago, Matt Jarvis has managed a mental health team at Wrexham Maelor Hospital which was named the Nursing Times Team of the Year in 2019. He recently took up a new role with the Aston House Community Mental Health Team in Flintshire.

Matt said: When I left school I always wanted to help people but I wasnt sure where I would fit in.

There was something special about mental health nursing that set it apart. It was about understanding the person as a whole and forming a trusting relationship.

Ive met some amazing people during my time eight years as a nurse and each time I work with someone, I learn something about them, but also learn something about myself. Ive had ups and downs along the way but have worked in some fantastic teams where you share the joy but also support each other when times are hard.

Ive seen some of the most timid, quiet people develop and grow in confidence and become the best nurses. For me, it has been the most rewarding personal journey, and Im so proud to be a mental health nurse working in North Wales.

Mental Health Nurses Day is an annual celebration to promote and celebrate the work of mental health nurses across the United Kingdom. It forms part of BCUHBs wider celebrations to mark the World Health Organisation designating 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.

Mental Health Nursing degree courses are delivered by Bangor University, with students able to study at campuses in Bangor or Wrexham.

Unlike in England, people studying at Welsh Universities qualify for the NHS Wales nursing bursary, which means that fees are paid and living cost contributions may be available.

The Welsh Government have confirmed that the scheme will be extended to nurses beginning their studies in the 2020-21 academic year.

Further details of Bangor Universitys Mental Health Nursing course, can be found here.
A Limerick garda plans to climb Irelands highest mountain carrying a four-stone rowing machine to raise funds for children battling terminal and serious health conditions.

Ken McDonalds Carry up Carrauntoohill fundraiser has a 30,000 target with all monies raised going directly to cover the cost of repairs to Share A Dreams Dreamland which was broken into a number of times last year.

Once on the summit, he plans to row a distance of 10km on the rowing machine before carrying it back down Carrauntoohill.

Dreamland, a unique all-inclusive fantasy land, located in Limerick, allows non-able bodied children to play with their able-bodied siblings, friends, and family.

Garda McDonald aims to raise 30,000. Picture: Share A Dream Foundation

McDonald, a champion rower and a training instructor at the Garda Training College in Tipperary shared his motivation for the challenge.

He said: Last year I met the founder of the Share a Dream Foundation, Shay Kinsella, and to say I was blown away by the amazing work being done by the charity for seriously ill and disabled children all over Ireland for the last 27 years is an understatement.

Not only do Share a Dream make dreams come true for children fighting terrible life-threatening illnesses but they have also built the very first ever all-inclusive magical indoor Fun Centre called Dreamland.

Garda McDonald said the charity relies solely on donations and the goodwill of the community and does not receive any government funding.

McDonald explained his decision to raise money for Share a Dream after the Dreamland facility was twice broken into last year. He said: "I decided that I must do something to raise much-needed funds for repairs and to make dreams come true for terminally ill children."

McDonald also hoped to increase the organisation's profile and raise "more national awareness that the charity deserves.

McDonald, a champion rower, broke the World indoor record over 1000m last November and will be attempting to carry his rowing machine up Carrauntoohill and row 10km when he reaches the summit before carrying the equipment back down again.

The Carry Up Carrauntoohill challenge is set to take place on March 28th and McDonald said he aims to "to raise 30,000 for the Share a Dream Foundation" in order to "rectify the damages they suffered after the break-ins" so that the charity can "continue making dreams come true for very sick children.

McDonald has asked people to donate online here or else contact 061-200080 to get a sponsor pack.
Plane for evacuation of Ukrainian citizens from China to arrive in Wuhan at 22:00 local time

The plane of a special flight, on board of which citizens of Ukraine and foreign countries will be evacuated from the city of Wuhan in China, has flown out from the Boryspil International Airport, said Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk.

"According to the plan, the plane will arrive in Wuhan at 22:00 local time on February 19," the prime minister wrote on the Telegram channel.

As reported, there are 84 Ukrainians in total in Wuhan, while 49 of them expressed a desire to be evacuated. Foreign citizens will also be evacuated, who will undergo observation in Ukraine.
The Industrial Bank of Korea headquarters in Seoul. / Yonhap



By Park Jae-hyuk



The Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK), Daegu Bank and Jeju Bank are among the lenders that will be most affected by the drop in domestic consumption and tourist arrivals following the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to Moody's Investors Service, Wednesday.



The global credit ratings agency said in a recent report that the outbreak of COVID-19 has the potential to disrupt several key Korean industries, which increases asset quality risk for the more exposed banks.



It said the epidemic will affect most adversely the credit quality of banks that have significant exposure to the service sector, such as accommodation, food services, transportation, wholesale and retail.



"Based on the rated banks' local currency loans, Jeju Bank, Daegu Bank and IBK have the highest exposure to these sectors," said Sophia Lee, Moody's Investors Service's senior credit officer, financial institution's group.






Shares of Vodafone Idea zoomed up to 48% intraday on reports that government is unlikely to invoke the telecom firm's bank guarantees to recover AGR dues. Traders said Vodafone Idea shares also rallied on hope that government may announce some measures pertaining to AGR (adjusted gross revenue) dues for the telecom sector, in the Cabinet meeting scheduled today.

Commenting on the broader market, Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services said, "Positive cues were witnessed in the market on hopes that the government is planning to consider some relief measures for the ailing telecom players."

Vodafone Idea share price opened with a gain of 5.61% today and later rose 48.18% to Rs 4.49 from its previous close of Rs 3.03. With this rally, Vodafone Idea share has recovered past 2 days of decline.

Vodafone Idea stock traded in a wide range of Rs 1.36 today. Volume-wise, 1,432 lakh shares and 10,155 lakh shares changed hands on BSE and NSE, both above 5,10 and 30-day average volume traded.

Vodafone Idea stock has gained after 7 days of consecutive fall.

AGR dues: Who hurts if Vodafone Idea goes down?

After today's rally in Vodafone Idea's stock, market capitalisation of the company rose to Rs 12,040.13 crore compared with Tuesday's close of Rs 8,707 crore. Market depth data on BSE indicates 65% buyers bidding compared to 35% sellers offering the stock by closing bell.

Vodafone Idea stock price trades higher than its 5-day moving averages but lower than 20, 50, 100 and 200-day moving averages. The stock has eroded value worth 7.1% in mere one week, 7% in one month, 31% year-to-date and 77% in one year.

Vodafone Idea chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla on Tuesday met Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash amid growing concern the government was considering the possibility of invoking bank guarantees of telcos to recover statutory dues. Vodafone Idea had earlier urged the court the bank guarantee deposited with the government should not be encashed.

After the apex court order on Friday slammed telecom companies for not completing the process of recovering AGR dues, Vodafone Idea paid Rs 2,500 crore on Monday and said it would pay another Rs 1,000 crore before the end of this week. The government has estimated Vodafone Idea's AGR dues at Rs 57,000 crore.

Infographic: How Vodafone Idea, Airtel got into trouble

Due to heavy trading volumes traded today, the exchange has sought clarification from Vodafone Idea with reference to significant movement in stock price.

The company replied to the exchanges," We wish to inform you that there is no such announcement or price sensitive information, which is pending to be intimated by the company. We wish to reiterate and clarify that all the information furnished is in public domain and Vodafone Idea will comply with SEBI Regulations, and duly keep the stock exchanges informed of all the price sensitive information."


Two years ago this month, a 19-year-old American shot and killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Fourteen of the victims were students; the other three were teachers. The gunman was a former student at the high school.

On this anniversary, as with other anniversaries of school shootings, Americans continue debating how to make sure students are safe in schools.

On February 11, a group called Everytown for Gun Safety released a report on one method for reducing gun violence at schools in the United States. Everytown is a not-for-profit organization. It joined with two labor unions in writing the report on school safety drills for active shootings. The two are the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA).

What is an active shooter?

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation defines an active shooter as an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. To increase preparedness for such an event, many schools now hold active shooter drills for students and their teachers.

The new report notes the possible harmful effects of such exercises. It urges school administrators to look for better ways to make schools safe and to prepare children for an active shooter.

U.S. Department of Education numbers show how rare gun violence at schools is: Only 0.2 percent of about 36,000 gun deaths a year happen on school grounds. But almost all schools hold drills designed to prepare their employees and students for an active shooter. In fact, 40 states require such exercises.

Real or not real?

The report says one problem with the way schools carry out active shooter drills is how much they frighten students. When a school fails to inform parents and students about plans for a drill, parents cannot prepare their children, and the children may think that the attack is real.

In some communities, the report says, schools deploy individuals who are told to act like masked gunmen. Students as young as three or four years old may be told to stay quiet in a small space for a long period of time. Experts on mental health say these experiences can have both short- and long-term effects on how well the children behave in school, as well as on their physical and mental health.

For example, after one drill in New Jersey, an eighth-grade student reportedly said, I was genuinely not sure if I would finish the day alive.

Melissa Reeves is a former president of the National Association of School Psychologists. She said the drills may trigger either past trauma or trigger such a reaction that it actually ends up scaring the individuals instead of better preparing them to respond in these kinds of situations.

There has been little research on how well the exercises prepare students for an active shooter. In 2007, one study found it better to prepare students for an intruder, rather than a shooter. Another study noted the value of announcing drills in advance and following them with discussion. Students in that situation felt better prepared to handle possible violence.

Surprise drills, on the other hand, can result in trauma to children. One woman in Arizona described the effect drills at her sons school had on him. He started biting his fingernails and refused to go anywhere alone, even to his room or a bathroom at home, she said.

Laurel Williams is chief of psychiatry at Texas Childrens Hospital in Houston. She warned about the worry active shooter drills can create in children: Its not clear to them that the drill is not real. The younger the child, the less likely they are to understand that an act of violence is not occurring during a drill.

Other steps are needed

Everytown, AFT, and NEA point out that active shooter drills alone will not prevent gun violence. Last year the three organizations announced their own plan to end school shootings. The plan calls for better laws on keeping guns out of the hands of possibly dangerous people. The groups also support raising the age to buy semiautomatic weapons and requiring background checks on gun sales.

The Everytown plan also includes safer storage of firearms, as children sometimes bring guns from home to school.

Everytown, AFT, and NEA oppose any shooter drills for students. Aside from the trauma they may cause, another reason is to keep any detailed planning among adults secret from students. That is because of this troubling fact: almost all mass school shooters are either former or current students who show signs of trouble before the attack. The groups instead urge schools to watch for students who may become the next shooter and provide them the social support and mental health care they need.

Im Jill Robbins.

Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English based on the Everytown/NEA/AFT and U.S. Department of Education reports. George Grow was the editor.

How do schools in your country prepare students for an emergency (perhaps a natural disaster if not an attack) on school grounds? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

Quiz: Mental Heath Experts, Educators Call for End to School Shooter Drills Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

drill  n. an exercise done to practice military skills or procedures

psychology  n. the science or study of the mind and behavior

trigger  n. something that causes something else to happen

trauma  n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time

scare  v. frighten, to cause (someone) to become afraid

intruder  n. a person who is not welcome or wanted in a place

in advance  n. before something happens
The European Space Agency will pay volunteers 12,500 to lie down in bed for two months to test the effects of space travel on the human body.

The study simulates aspects of spaceflight by placing volunteers in bed for long periods of time with their dropped to a six degree angle.

It involves two groups of people staying in bed for 60 days, and will be carried out by two different teams of researchers working in France and Slovenia.

It's not just lying down though, one shoulder has to touch the bed at all times - even when eating, going to the toilet and washing throughout the two months.

Volunteers will also be put spun in a centrifuge to replicate the effects of 'artificial gravity' on the body - both while lying down and exercising after the bedrest.

Scroll down for video

Throughout the study participants eat all their meals in bed as they are not allowed to get up for the entirety of the five day study

ESA is looking for a total of 48 volunteers from a mix of men and women to take part and they will be split into four groups - two going to Slovenia and two in France.

Scientists running the study say it sounds appealing but caution the pleasure soon wears off thanks to regular tests and questions from researchers.

'We get many requests to be a volunteer for these studies but they are no joke, lying in bed sounds fun but the pleasure wears off very quickly,' said Jennifer Ngo-Anh.

'We constantly salute the volunteers that sacrifice their daily lives for the benefit of human exploration.'

Volunteers are able to watch television and play games during the course of the studies - some of which involve water beds and others a traditional bed

A range of organisations and researchers are able to bid for access to data from the study, or to have their own specific tests carried out on volunteers.

The results from this type of research don't just go to help people leaving the planet and spending time in space, but also those bedridden on Earth for long periods.

In weightlessness, astronauts' bodies lose muscle and bone density, eyes change, fluids shift to the brain and more.

Finding ways to stay healthy in orbit is a large part of human spaceflight research and the 'bedrest' studies are part of that process.

'The more test subjects the better, but sending people into space is expensive and hard,' ESA said.

There are three sites used by ESA for spaceflight bedrest studies - one in France, one in Germany and a new one in Slovenia.

The Slovenia site is at a higher altitude with less atmospheric pressure, so will be used in part for research into future lunar habitation.

FACTS ABOUT THE BEDREST STUDY Strict head down tilt of -6 throughout the 60 days in bed Two campaigns of 12 subjects each, 24 subjects in total at each site Balanced gender distribution The groups: Head down tilt (control group) Head down tilt and daily artificial gravity Head down tilt, daily artificial gravity and exercise on bike ergometer The difference between the two is that in the French study they will be in a normobaric, normoxic environment. In Slovenia they will be in a normobaric, hypoxic environment Advertisement

'The goal is to definitively test measures that reduce the unwanted effects of living in weightlessness,' said ESA science coordinator Angelique Van Ombergen.

'We have a long history at ESA of conducting bedrest studies and this round will put all our knowledge gained towards fine-tuning and working out the best techniques.'

The centres, particularly the higher-altitude facility in Slovenia, allow researchers to tweak environmental conditions, such as oxygen levels in the room.

Testing volunteers in low oxygen levels, or hypoxia, is relevant for future space missions where the confined environment of spacecraft and space habitats could contain less oxygen.

In the centrifuge volunteers will be spun to recreate gravity pulling towards their feet while laying down to see how artificial gravity could be used to counteract some of the changes in the human body during space exploration.

Special exercise machines will be mounted on the centrifuges for the participants to use to test the impact of exercise in artificial gravity environments.

A range of experiments are carried out on the volunteers before, after and during bed rest to find out how their body copes with different conditions. All of the research facilities used by ESA have a centrifuge

Other studies aim to simulate lower oxygen, pure oxygen and different atmosphere environments - replicating what an astronaut might experience in space

The effect of centrifuge spinning alone will be compared to spinning and exercise, and to control groups, to prepare for exploration to the Moon and beyond.

The space agency is also working with the Medes clinic in France to study the impact of 'dry-immersion' baths - floating beds - on the female body.

Volunteers are supported and suspended evenly in the tub - mimicking the floating experienced by astronauts on the International Space Station.

They want female volunteers as they have almost no data on the impact the 'floating' has on women - but do have data on men.

'We will collect data to better understand the dry immersion model and how the women react to assess these studies for more extensive investigations in the future,' said Ngo-Anh from the ESA Human Spaceflight research team.

In the study the head is tilted at 6 degrees below horizontal and a single shoulder must touch the bed at all times, even during washing and eating

They want female volunteers are they have almost no data on the impact the 'floating' has on women - but do have data on men

Dry immersion is designed to mimic spaceflight in terms of the monotonous environment, posture-motion limitations and other effects it has on the body.

ESA says this means simulation by dry immersion has great potential to investigate detrimental effects of spaceflight and to design and validate countermeasures against changes occurring in microgravity and hypokinesia.

'However, to date, no controlled studies have actually compared the same measurements to spaceflight.'

They are looking for 20 all female test subjects to spend five days at the Medes facility in Toulouse France late in 2020.

It's designed to test and validate the dry immersion model and to get a better understanding of the changes that occur in the body.
An Acme will replace the Fresh Grocer, located at 4100 Walnut Street, after it closes next month. Read more

University City will be down a grocery store, but not for long. After Fresh Grocer closes its Walnut Street location next month, an Acme will fill its place.

The closure of Fresh Grocer, which was first reported by the Daily Pennsylvanian on Sunday, follows a nearly four-year legal battle with its landlord, the University of Pennsylvania.

It has long been rumored that an Acme would eventually fill the Fresh Grocers space. Penn spokesperson Jennifer Rizzi confirmed the rumor for the first time Wednesday afternoon.

Acme is committed to developing and operating a first class urban grocery store, Rizzi wrote in an email. We look forward to the opening of the new supermarket later this year.

Acme is still working on a timeline for renovations, and it does not yet have a target opening date.

The potential for a vacancy started in April 2016 when Penn said that Fresh Grocer did not renew its lease in a timely fashion. Penn asked Fresh Grocer to leave the site before its lease expired in March 2017.

Fresh Grocer countered by filing a lawsuit against Penn in December 2016, accusing the university of wrongfully terminating its lease. The suit failed, and now Fresh Grocer has until March 31 to move out.

With the forthcoming closing of the Fresh Grocers 40th and Walnut Streets location, we remain committed to the community and look forward to providing a first-class supermarket experience and source of local employment via our other nearby Fresh Grocer locations, Fresh Grocer spokesperson Karen OShea stated in an email Monday.

Fresh Grocer has five other locations in Philadelphia.
COVID-19: Unease and uncertainty

During the AAAS conference, infectious disease experts signaled their deepening unease of coronavirus COVID-19.

This is one of the most threatening outbreaks that I have seen in my career, said Dr. Scott Dowell, deputy director for surveillance and epidemiology at the Gates Foundation, where he has been advising the organization on the outbreaks global health implications.

In a special session devoted to the disease, Dowell said it is apparent that the virus is readily transmissible, will be difficult to contain and could have a major impact on low-income countries.

Often it is the poor, the most marginalized, who get hit the hardest, he said.

One of the uncertainties is how many people who come down with severe illness will die of this new disease. The signs are not reassuring. Currently in China, this case fatality rate is about 2.5%, but that number could move up or down as more is learned about the outbreak.

Dowell told session attendees that in China, the typical time from exposure to death has been 18 days. Because so many patients are newly diagnosed, it is still unknown how lethal this new disease may be.

At this stage of a rapidly expanding outbreak, to put it bluntly, most people havent had time to die, he said.

However, the case fatality rate could fall dramatically if it turns out that most infections are mild. Unfortunately, patients with mild illness are more likely to be out and about, and thus more likely to silently spread it.

Columbia University epidemiologist Dr. Jeffrey Shaman described a complex disease forecasting model that takes into effect travel patterns, such as the movement of millions of people between cities during the Lunar New Year.

It suggests that as much as 85% of coronavirus cases in China are undocumented by medical authorities  patients whose cases have not been recorded, or people who were not sick enough to seek medical attention.

I think we are looking at something with great pandemic potential, he said. Undocumented infections contribute substantially to this outbreak, and that means it will be difficult to control.

 Sabin Russell
[February 19, 2020] Veeam Appoints Gil Vega as Chief Information Security Officer

Veeam Software, the leader in Backup solutions that deliver Cloud Data Management, today announced that Gil Vega has been appointed Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Vega, whose previous experience includes serving as Managing Director and CISO at CME Group, Inc. and as the Associate Chief Information Officer & CISO for the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement in Washington, DC, will be responsible for establishing and maintaining Veeam's vision and strategy to ensure its information assets and solutions are adequately protected, and will be pivotal in driving strategies to help customers protect their critical data across multiple environments and ensure regulatory compliance. He has held various cybersecurity leadership posts within the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Intelligence Community. Vega will report to Bill Largent, Veeam Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and will be part of the company's executive management team. "Data is the most critical asset in any organization, but protecting it [data] against threats - both external and internal - is becoming more complex," said Bill Largent, CEO at Veeam. "Cyber-security is a top concern for business leaders, which is why they look to Veeam to ensure that their data is managed and protected no matter where it resides. To ensure that we continue to pioneer this space, and help build out our offerings across all sectors, I am delighted that Gil has joined our executive team. His experience is second-to-nne, and I know that under his leadership we will take our data security, governance and compliance strategy and policies to the next level to continue to lead the industry."



With more than 22 years of experience, Vega is a security expert through and through. Before joining Veeam, Vega was Managing Director & CISO responsible for global cybersecurity, technology risk & compliance at CME Group Inc., based in Chicago. CME Group is the world's leading exchange operator and most diverse derivatives marketplace - handling 3 billion contracts worth approximately $1 quadrillion annually. Prior to his career in financial services, Vega was a member of the U.S. Federal Government's Senior Executive Service and served as the Associate Chief Information Officer & CISO for the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement in Washington, DC. "I am thrilled to join Veeam, not only because it is the leader in Cloud Data Management, but being in a position to have examined the vision of where the company is going I firmly believe Veeam will continue to transform the industry," commented Gil Vega, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Veeam. "Veeam's DNA revolves around delivering the ultimate customer experience and ensuring that data is protected irrespective of its location. Veeam's vision and strategy is unchallenged in the market, and has an exceptionally solid roadmap through 2020 and beyond. I am excited about leading Veeam's effort for taking internal data security, governance and compliance strategy and processes to the next level."

Vega holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Information Systems & Information Assurance, is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia and a proud veteran of the U.S. Army, having participated in combat operations in Operations Just Cause, Desert Shield and Desert Storm. For more information, please visit www.veeam.com. About Veeam Software Veeam is the leader in Backup solutions that deliver Cloud Data Management. Veeam provides a single platform for modernizing backup, accelerating hybrid cloud and securing your data. With 365,000+ customers worldwide, including 81% of the Fortune 500 and 66% of the Global 2,000, Veeam customer-satisfaction scores are 3.5x the industry average - the highest in the industry. Veeam's global ecosystem includes 70,000+ partners, including HPE, NetApp, Cisco and Lenovo (News - Alert) as exclusive resellers. Veeam has offices in more than 30 countries. To learn more, visit www.veeam.com or follow Veeam on Twitter (News - Alert) @veeam. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005474/en/

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A sex offender beat a man with a wooden bed post Tuesday inside a Syracuse apartment, leaving the injured man in critical condition, police said in court records.

Ross McKinney, 36, was arrested by the Syracuse Police Department after a foot chase on the citys North Side, police said. He has been charged with breaking into an East Belden Avenue apartment and seriously assaulting a man inside the home, police said.

The assault happened around midnight, police said in a felony complaint filed in Syracuse City Court.

Without invitation, McKinney opened the unlocked front door of 202 E. Belden St., Apt. 2, and walked inside, police said in court records. He entered the apartment intending to assault a man inside the home, police said.

McKinney got into a fight inside the apartment and threatened to use a knife, police said. He then used a wooden bed post to repeatedly hit a 39-year-old man in the head, police said -- leaving the man with severe head trauma and cuts.

The wounded man was rushed to Upstate University Hospital, where he was intubated, police said in court records.

As of Wednesday, the man remained in critical condition, said Sgt. Matthew Malinowski, police spokesman.

After the assault, McKinney sprinted away from officers, darting between buildings on the North Side as he tried to flee from officers, police said. He was taken to the ground in the 300 block of North McBride Street, police said, and arrested after a short struggle.

McKinney has been charged with first-degree assault, first-degree burglary, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree menacing and resisting arrest. He is being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center without bail.

Tuesday does not mark the first time McKinney has been accused of inflicting a serious head injury.

Ross McKinney

McKinney was previously charged with beating a homeless man in November 2018 in a homeless encampment off Bear Street near Interstate 81. The man, who was in his 50s, was beaten so badly that fragments of brick or stone were lodged in his brain.

McKinney was acquitted of the beating. An Onondaga County found him not guilty of assault after a trial in 2019.

In 2002, McKinney was convicted of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl, according to the state sex offender registry. The abuse happened in 2001 when McKinney was 17 years old.

McKinney is registered as a level two sex offender, according to the registry, and has been rated to pose a moderate risk of reoffending.

Three years after he was convicted of sex abuse, McKinney started his first of two stints in prison.

McKinney was convicted of attempted first-degree robbery in Onondaga County in 2005, according to state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision records. He was released onto parole after serving close to three years in the Auburn Correctional Facility.

In 2012, McKinney was convicted of attempted second-degree assault in Chenango County, prison records show. He was released from the Livingston Correctional Facility in 2016.

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WASHINGTON - The Justice Department revealed Tuesday that law enforcement officials running Ukraine-related investigations must seek approval before expanding their inquiries - a move that could have implications for Rudy Giuliani as President Donald Trump's personal attorney pushes for scrutiny of the president's political foes while facing a federal probe into his own conduct.

The directive from Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen was disclosed in a response to Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., after the House Judiciary Committee chairman demanded clarity on how the Justice Department is reviewing information from Giuliani, who has urged law enforcement to investigate former vice president Joe Biden and his family for their dealings in Ukraine.

Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd wrote to Nadler that the department had tapped two U.S. attorneys to assist in the process - Scott Brady in Pittsburgh, to receive and assess new information, and Richard Donoghue in Brooklyn, to help coordinate personnel throughout the Justice Department involved in Giuliani's case and others with a focus on Ukraine. An accompanying internal memo, circulated by Rosen in January, says he and Donoghue must approve expansions of any inquiries.

Such a move could be viewed as putting another layer of approval in place if prosecutors wanted to widen their Giuliani probe, though Rosen wrote in his memo that the aim was to "avoid duplication of efforts."

In his letter to Nadler, Boyd defended the moves as normal and asserted that they do not give anyone special entry to the department.

"The Department regularly assigns U.S. Attorneys to coordinate or focus on certain matters," Boyd wrote. "Nor do these procedures grant any individual unique access to the Department. Indeed, any member of the public who has relevant information may contact the Department and make use of its intake process for Ukraine-related matters."

Attorney General William Barr faced criticism from congressional Democrats and former Justice Department officials when he acknowledged last week having created an "intake process in the field" to accept Giuliani's information, which may be designed to damage Biden's political prospects as he seeks the Democratic nomination for president. Barr said at that time that the department had an "obligation to have an open door to anybody who wishes to provide us information that they think is relevant."

Taking information from Giuliani is particularly fraught for the department because the president's personal lawyer is under investigation by federal prosecutors in Manhattan in a case that already has led to campaign finance charges against two of Giuliani's associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman. The pair helped Giuliani try to conduct investigations in Ukraine and lobbied for the ouster of Marie Yovanovitch as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Prosecutors have in recent weeks contacted witnesses and sought to collect additional documents in that case.

Separately, federal prosecutors in Chicago have a long-standing case against a Ukrainian gas tycoon accused of bribery, Dmitry Firtash, who they suspect of having significant ties to Parnas and Fruman. And federal prosecutors in Cleveland have been investigating Ihor Kolomoisky, a Ukrainian oligarch, for possible financial crimes. He has sparred publicly with Giuliani.

Trump and Giuliani have pressed the Ukrainians to investigate Biden and his son Hunter, who worked on the board of a Ukrainian energy company while his father oversaw the Obama administration's Ukraine policy. In a phone call in July, Trump personally appealed to his presidential counterpart in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to work with Barr on the matter. That call, coupled with Giuliani's efforts, formed the basis of House Democrats' decision to impeach the president.

Kerri Kupec, a spokeswoman for Barr, said in a September statement issued after the White House disclosed a rough transcript of Trump's call with the Ukrainian president that Trump had not spoken with Barr "about having Ukraine investigate anything relating to former Vice President Biden or his son."

"The President has not asked the Attorney General to contact Ukraine - on this or any other matter," Kupec said. "The Attorney General has not communicated with Ukraine - on this or any other subject."

Boyd wrote in the letter to Nadler that the September statement "remains accurate," and that Barr "has not discussed matters relating to Ukraine with Rudolph Giuliani."

The Justice Department in the Trump administration has turned repeatedly to U.S. attorneys outside Washington to handle politically explosive cases, and current and former officials have said they worry the moves are meant to help Trump politically.

Two top federal prosecutors - John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, and Jeff Jensen, the U.S. attorney in St. Louis - have been tasked with exploring aspects of the FBI's 2016 investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the election. Durham is examining the probe's origins; Jensen is reviewing, among other things, the case prosecutors on that investigation made against former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn for lying to the FBI.

Another federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney John Huber in Utah, was tasked by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate old corruption allegations against Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and Trump's opponent in the 2016 campaign. His inquiry, though, ultimately found nothing.
Leading Internet of Things event Honors Best of Show Award Winners in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Shelton, CT  February 19, 2020  TMC and Crossfire Media recently announced the Best of Show Winners from IoT Evolution Expo 2020: The Thinking IoT Arrives, held February 11 to 14, 2020 at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward Country Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. IoT Evolution is squarely focused on growing the IoT ecosystem through education, networking, solutions and partnerships and helping improve operations, business intelligence, new product development and revenue generation for industry players. The Best in Show Awards program recognizes IoT Evolution exhibitors demonstrating creative and technologically innovative solutions or services.

TMC & Crossfire Media awarded the following innovative companies with a 2020 IoT Evolution Best in Show Award:

IoT Evolution Best in Show:

Best IoT Use Case or Full Stack Implementation of the Year

Losant

NimbeLink

Best Smart City Solution

Tech Data

Losant

Best Intelligent Edge Solution

RAD

Axis Communications

Best LPWAN or Wireless Innovation

GetWireless

NimbeLink

Best Industrial IoT (IIoT) or M2M Implementation

Yubox

GadgEon

Best IoT-Specific Code or Development Solution

ShopVue by CAI Software

TagoIO

These awards recognize our IoT Evolution Expo sponsors and exhibitors that are demonstrating real growth and innovation each year, and those that have presented new and innovative solutions at the IoT Evolution Expo, said Ken Briodagh, Editorial Director, IoT Evolution. Were really impressed with the range and versatility of the solutions and companies that competed this year.

IoT Evolution thanks all its sponsors and exhibitors for an amazing year. Please visit them here.

IoT Evolution Expo will return to Florida in 2021, at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

For the latest IoT Evolution Expo news, updates and information, follow the event on Twitter at @IoTEvolution and at #IoTEvolution and join our LinkedIn Group: IoT Evolution & IoT Time Community.

About TMC

Through education, industry news, live events and social influence, global buyers rely on TMC's content-driven marketplaces to make purchase decisions and navigate markets. As a result, leading technology vendors turn to TMC for unparalleled branding, thought leadership and lead generation opportunities. Our in-person and online events deliver unmatched visibility and sales prospects for all participants. Through our custom lead generation programs, we provide clients with an ongoing stream of leads that turn into sales opportunities and build databases. Additionally, we bolster brand reputations with the millions of impressions from display advertising on our news sites and newsletters. Making TMC a 360-degree marketing solution, we offer comprehensive event and road show management services and custom content creation with expertly ghost-crafted blogs, press releases, articles and marketing collateral to help with SEO, branding, and overall marketing efforts. For more information about TMC and to learn how we can help you reach your marketing goals, please visit www.tmcnet.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, @tmcnet .

About Crossfire Media

Crossfire Media is an integrated marketing company with a core focus on future trends in technology. We service communities of interest with conferences, tradeshows, webinars and newsletters. Crossfire Media has a partnership with Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) to produce events and websites related to disruptive technologies. Crossfire Media is a division of Crossfire Consulting, a full service Information Technology company based in New York.

Media and Analyst Contact:

Michelle Connolly

Marketing Manager

203.852.6800 ext.262

[email protected]

Ken Briodagh is a storyteller, writer and editor with about two decades of experience under his belt. He is in love with technology and if he had his druthers would beta test everything from shoe phones to flying cars.Edited by Ken Briodagh
Egypt's Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad announced yesterday that around 470 tonnes of high-risk pesticides that were abandoned in a warehouse in El-Saff city, Giza have been safely removed.

The minister explained that the hazardous substances had been a time-bomb for the past 30 years and that their removal was necessary.

The pesticides will be transported to Sweden and France where they will be incinerated in special ovens, according to a statement released yesterday by the environment ministry.

The statement added that the warehouse in El-Saff has been completely purged.

According to Minister Fouad, the ministry has taken special safety measures to ensure the safety of the citizens in the area where the pesticides are currently being stored pending disposal.

The minister also said that the late environmental scientist Mostafa Kamal Tolba was the first to raise attention to this issue.

Fouad said that the ministry is currently working on finalising its integrated hazardous waste management strategy to abide by Egypt's international commitments stipulated in the Stockholm and Basel conventions.

She asserted that the strategy aims to abide by international commitments as well as preserve the health of Egyptian citizens.

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First graders and their teacher alike were shocked as their story time was interrupted with an entourage of adults coming into their classroom bearing gifts and celebrating.

H-E-Buddy and Katy Independent School District and H-E-B officials greeted Mrs. Kathryn Mills and presented her with cookies, flowers and $2,000  $1,000 for herself and $1,000 for her school  because she had been chosen as a finalist for the 2020 H-E-B Excellence in Education Award.

Selected from thousands of educators across the Houston area as one of eight finalists, Mills held back tears explaining that she is just doing what she loves.

I am lucky enough to get to do something that I have dreamed of doing my entire life, and I get to do that, Mill said. And not a lot of people get to go to work every single day, saying that that is something that theyre passionate about and love doing.

After the huge check was presented to her, Mills received a big group hug from the young students that she says love her unconditionally. Then, they posed for the cameras in celebration.

MCE Principal Felicia Sheedy said she and Mills have known each other for years professionally, so she asked her to join her at MCE when she moved schools.

She is an excellent educator and has a passion for her students and this profession, said Sheedy in a news release. It is an honor to work with her each day, and the entire MCE Gator family is extremely happy and proud of her recognition.

H-E-Bs Excellence in Education is Texas largest monetary awards program for educators and is one of the largest in the United States. It was started in 2002 together with the Texas Association of School Administrators as one way to support Texas public education.

Mills was invited to San Antonio to represent Katy ISD on May 2, for the statewide title and compete against other Texas educators for additional prizes ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. Taken back by all the excitement, it was still clear that Mills teaches for her students and the love of education.

They are the reason I come in here every single day, Mills said. They leave telling me that theyre gonna miss me, and they come in saying they missed me from the night before. And I miss them just as much.

tracy.maness@hcnonline.com
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ophthalmic Instrumentation market worldwide is projected to grow by US$2.7 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 4.9%. Ophthalmic Disposables, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 4.3%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$3.4 Billion by the year 2025, Ophthalmic Disposables will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05442585/?utm_source=PRN



- Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 3.8% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$94.3 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$79.4 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Ophthalmic Disposables will reach a market size of US$164.7 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the world's second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 7.7% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$774.7 Million in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies.



- Competitors identified in this market include, among others,

Abbott Medical Optics Inc.

Bausch & Lomb Inc.

Ellex Medical Laser Limited

Huvitz Co. Ltd.

Lumenis Ltd.

Nidek Co. Ltd.

Topcon Medical Systems Inc.

Kowa

Haag-Streit Surgical

Leica Microsystems

Visionix Ltd.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05442585/?utm_source=PRN



I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE



II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



1. MARKET OVERVIEW



Ophthalmic Instrumentation - Market Snapshot

Factors Underpinning Demand for Ophthalmic Instrumentation

Current and Future Analysis

Recent Market Activity

Developing Markets Drive Momentum

Focus on Preventative Healthcare to Improve Demand for

Diagnosis Devices

Ophthalmic Disease Statistics

Introduction of Advanced MIS Procedures to Drive Market

Cataract Treatment & Opportunities

Vision Correction - An Expanding Market

Laser Vision Correction - Key Benefits Ranked in the Order of

Relative Importance to Patients

Myopia Control - An Expanding Opportunity

Global Competitor Market Shares

Ophthalmic Instrumentation Competitor Market Share Scenario

Worldwide (in %): 2020 & 2029

Growing Incidence of Diabetic Retinopathy





2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS



Abbott Medical Optics, Inc. (USA)

Alcon, Inc. (Switzerland)

Bausch & Lomb, Inc. (USA)

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (Germany)

Ellex Medical Laser Limited (Australia)

HAAG-STREIT Holding (Switzerland)

Huvitz Co., Ltd. (South Korea)

Huvitz Co., Ltd. (South Korea)

Kowa Company Ltd. (Japan)

Lumenis Ltd. (Israel)

Nidek Co. Ltd (Japan)

Optovue, Inc. (USA)

Topcon Corporation (Japan)

Topcon Medical Systems, Inc. (USA)

Visionix Ltd. (Israel)





3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS



OCT Angiography - A Growing Market with High Potential

OCT - Continues to Maintain Progress

Intraoperative OCT Gains Importance as Valuable Tool

for Image-Guided Surgical Care

New Generation of Optical Biometry Devices Gain Prominence

Surgical Microscopes Evolve into Highly Advanced Instruments

Innovations in Fundus Cameras Space

Mobile Technology based Diagnosis and Communication Tools Gain

Ground

Technologies in Corneal Topography

Viewing Beyond the Conventional Visual Boundaries

New Tonometer Probes to Eliminate Risks of Cross-Infection

Perimeters Embrace Improved Functionalities

Innovations in Slit Lamp Techniques

Lensmeters Focus on Improved Functionality and Better Accuracy

Latest Surgical Tools to Propel Ophthalmic Equipment Sector

FLAK - Better Graft Strength Compared to PKP

Femtosecond Lasers Garner Demand Led by Better Visual Outcomes

Femtosecond Lasers from Leading Players

SMILE to Address Demand for Quality Refractive Procedure

ORA Systems Eliminate the Wait Periods

Integration of Ophthalmology and Material Science





4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE



Table 1: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Global Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 2: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Global Retrospective Market

Scenario in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 3: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share Shift across

Key Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 4: Ophthalmic Disposables (Type) World Market by

Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025

Table 5: Ophthalmic Disposables (Type) Historic Market Analysis

by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017

Table 6: Ophthalmic Disposables (Type) Market Share Breakdown

of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 7: Ophthalmic Lasers (Type) Potential Growth Markets

Worldwide in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025

Table 8: Ophthalmic Lasers (Type) Historic Market Perspective

by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017

Table 9: Ophthalmic Lasers (Type) Market Sales Breakdown by

Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 10: OCT Systems (Type) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide

in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025

Table 11: OCT Systems (Type) Region Wise Breakdown of Global

Historic Demand in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017

Table 12: OCT Systems (Type) Market Share Distribution in

Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 13: Fundus Cameras (Type) World Market Estimates and

Forecasts by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025

Table 14: Fundus Cameras (Type) Market Historic Review by

Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017

Table 15: Fundus Cameras (Type) Market Share Breakdown by

Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 16: Ophthalmic Surgical Microscopes (Type) World Market

by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025

Table 17: Ophthalmic Surgical Microscopes (Type) Historic

Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017

Table 18: Ophthalmic Surgical Microscopes (Type) Market Share

Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS

2025

Table 19: Optical Biometers (Type) World Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018 to 2025

Table 20: Optical Biometers (Type) Market Worldwide Historic

Review by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017

Table 21: Optical Biometers (Type) Market Percentage Share

Distribution by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 22: Perimeters (Type) Market Opportunity Analysis

Worldwide in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018 to 2025

Table 23: Perimeters (Type) Global Historic Demand in US$

Thousand by Region/Country: 2009 to 2017

Table 24: Perimeters (Type) Market Share Distribution in

Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 25: Slit Lamps (Type) World Market by Region/Country in

US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025

Table 26: Slit Lamps (Type) Historic Market Analysis by

Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017

Table 27: Slit Lamps (Type) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide

Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 28: Auto Refractors/Keratometers (Type) Potential Growth

Markets Worldwide in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025

Table 29: Auto Refractors/Keratometers (Type) Historic Market

Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017

Table 30: Auto Refractors/Keratometers (Type) Market Sales

Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 31: Diagnostic Ultrasound Equipment (Type) Geographic

Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025

Table 32: Diagnostic Ultrasound Equipment (Type) Region Wise

Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Thousand: 2009 to

2017

Table 33: Diagnostic Ultrasound Equipment (Type) Market Share

Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS

2025

Table 34: Tonometers (Type) World Market Estimates and

Forecasts by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025

Table 35: Tonometers (Type) Market Historic Review by

Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017

Table 36: Tonometers (Type) Market Share Breakdown by

Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 37: Other Types (Type) World Market by Region/Country in

US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025

Table 38: Other Types (Type) Historic Market Analysis by

Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017

Table 39: Other Types (Type) Market Share Distribution in

Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025





III. MARKET ANALYSIS



GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS

UNITED STATES

Market Facts & Figures

US Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share (in %) by Company:

2020 & 2025

Market Analytics

Table 40: United States Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market

Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 41: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in the United

States by Type: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 42: United States Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

CANADA

Table 43: Canadian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 44: Canadian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic Market

Review by Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 45: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Canada:

Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and

2025

JAPAN

Table 46: Japanese Market for Ophthalmic Instrumentation:

Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Type

for the Period 2018-2025

Table 47: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Japan: Historic

Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Type for the Period 2009-2017

Table 48: Japanese Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

CHINA

Table 49: Chinese Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Growth

Prospects in US$ Thousand by Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 50: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic Market Analysis

in China in US$ Thousand by Type: 2009-2017

Table 51: Chinese Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market by Type:

Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025

EUROPE

Market Facts & Figures

European Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market: Competitor Market

Share Scenario (in %) for 2020 & 2025

Market Analytics

Table 52: European Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Demand

Scenario in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 53: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Europe: A

Historic Market Perspective in US$ Thousand by Region/Country

for the Period 2009-2017

Table 54: European Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Shift by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 55: European Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Type: 2018-2025

Table 56: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Europe in US$

Thousand by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017

Table 57: European Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

FRANCE

Table 58: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in France by Type:

Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the Period

2018-2025

Table 59: French Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic Market

Scenario in US$ Thousand by Type: 2009-2017

Table 60: French Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

GERMANY

Table 61: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Germany: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Type for

the Period 2018-2025

Table 62: German Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Thousand by Type: 2009-2017

Table 63: German Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ITALY

Table 64: Italian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Growth

Prospects in US$ Thousand by Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 65: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic Market Analysis

in Italy in US$ Thousand by Type: 2009-2017

Table 66: Italian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market by Type:

Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025

UNITED KINGDOM

Table 67: United Kingdom Market for Ophthalmic Instrumentation:

Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Type

for the Period 2018-2025

Table 68: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in the United

Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Type for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 69: United Kingdom Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market

Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

SPAIN

Table 70: Spanish Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 71: Spanish Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic Market

Review by Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 72: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Spain:

Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and

2025

RUSSIA

Table 73: Russian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Estimates

and Projections in US$ Thousand by Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 74: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Russia by Type:

A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 75: Russian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF EUROPE

Table 76: Rest of Europe Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Type: 2018-2025

Table 77: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Rest of Europe

in US$ Thousand by Type: A Historic Review for the Period

2009-2017

Table 78: Rest of Europe Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market

Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ASIA-PACIFIC

Table 79: Asia-Pacific Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country:

2018-2025

Table 80: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Asia-Pacific:

Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 81: Asia-Pacific Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Analysis by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 82: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Asia-Pacific by

Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the Period

2018-2025

Table 83: Asia-Pacific Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic

Market Scenario in US$ Thousand by Type: 2009-2017

Table 84: Asia-Pacific Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

AUSTRALIA

Table 85: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Australia:

Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by

Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 86: Australian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Thousand by Type: 2009-2017

Table 87: Australian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

INDIA

Table 88: Indian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 89: Indian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic Market

Review by Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 90: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in India:

Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and

2025

SOUTH KOREA

Table 91: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in South Korea:

Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by

Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 92: South Korean Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Type: 2009-2017

Table 93: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share Distribution

in South Korea by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC

Table 94: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Ophthalmic

Instrumentation: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$

Thousand by Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 95: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Rest of

Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Type

for the Period 2009-2017

Table 96: Rest of Asia-Pacific Ophthalmic Instrumentation

Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

LATIN AMERICA

Table 97: Latin American Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market

Trends by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2018-2025

Table 98: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Latin America in

US$ Thousand by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the

Period 2009-2017

Table 99: Latin American Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market

Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019,

and 2025

Table 100: Latin American Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market

Growth Prospects in US$ Thousand by Type for the Period

2018-2025

Table 101: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic Market Analysis

in Latin America in US$ Thousand by Type: 2009-2017

Table 102: Latin American Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market by

Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025

ARGENTINA

Table 103: Argentinean Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Type: 2018-2025

Table 104: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Argentina in

US$ Thousand by Type: A Historic Review for the Period

2009-2017

Table 105: Argentinean Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

BRAZIL

Table 106: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Brazil by Type:

Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the Period

2018-2025

Table 107: Brazilian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic Market

Scenario in US$ Thousand by Type: 2009-2017

Table 108: Brazilian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

MEXICO

Table 109: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Mexico: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Type for

the Period 2018-2025

Table 110: Mexican Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Thousand by Type: 2009-2017

Table 111: Mexican Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF LATIN AMERICA

Table 112: Rest of Latin America Ophthalmic Instrumentation

Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Type: 2018

to 2025

Table 113: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Rest of Latin

America by Type: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for

2009-2017

Table 114: Rest of Latin America Ophthalmic Instrumentation

Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

MIDDLE EAST

Table 115: The Middle East Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country:

2018-2025

Table 116: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in the Middle East

by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 117: The Middle East Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market

Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 118: The Middle East Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 119: The Middle East Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic

Market by Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 120: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in the Middle

East: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009,

2019, and 2025

IRAN

Table 121: Iranian Market for Ophthalmic Instrumentation:

Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Type

for the Period 2018-2025

Table 122: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Iran: Historic

Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Type for the Period 2009-2017

Table 123: Iranian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ISRAEL

Table 124: Israeli Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Type: 2018-2025

Table 125: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Israel in US$

Thousand by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017

Table 126: Israeli Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

SAUDI ARABIA

Table 127: Saudi Arabian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market

Growth Prospects in US$ Thousand by Type for the Period

2018-2025

Table 128: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Historic Market Analysis

in Saudi Arabia in US$ Thousand by Type: 2009-2017

Table 129: Saudi Arabian Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market by

Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Table 130: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in the United Arab

Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$

Thousand by Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 131: United Arab Emirates Ophthalmic Instrumentation

Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Type: 2009-2017

Table 132: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share Distribution

in United Arab Emirates by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF MIDDLE EAST

Table 133: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Rest of Middle

East: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand

by Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 134: Rest of Middle East Ophthalmic Instrumentation

Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Type: 2009-2017

Table 135: Rest of Middle East Ophthalmic Instrumentation

Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

AFRICA

Table 136: African Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Estimates

and Projections in US$ Thousand by Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 137: Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market in Africa by Type:

A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 138: African Ophthalmic Instrumentation Market Share

Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025





IV. COMPETITION



Total Companies Profiled: 91

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05442585/?utm_source=PRN



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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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Bhatnagar International School in Vasant Kunj had four polling booths (34, 35, 36 and 38) for the Mehrauli assembly constituency (AC) in Delhi. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won from each of these booths in the recently concluded assembly elections. However, the winning margins were very different. The AAP had a lead of 1.2, 10.4, 24.1 and 52.8 percentage points over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in terms of vote share from booth numbers 35, 34, 36 and 38 respectively.

What explains this drastic difference in support levels in such close proximity?

A Hindustan Times analysis of booth-wise votes suggests that the answer could be the class background of voters. Booth number 38, where AAP had the biggest lead, has voters from only Bandhu Camp, a slum cluster in what is otherwise an upper middle-class locality. Booth number 35, where AAPs victory margin is the smallest comprises 272 DDA flats in Vasant Kunj. This micro level data point gives a clear idea about how the AAP got re-elected with such a big majority.

Sure, it had support from all sections of Delhis population, but it is the city-states poorest voters, who gave it the biggest lead vis-a-vis the BJP.

The analysis is based on results from all of Delhis 13,747 polling booths correlated with the localities these booths serve. The booths have been classified into different kinds of localities such as authorized, planned and unauthorized colonies by Shamindra Nath Roy, a senior researcher at the Centre for Policy Research, and Anirvan Chowdhury, a PhD candidate at the University of California, Berkeley. This classification is based on the most prominent form of settlement in the locality.

At least 50% of Delhis booths fall in rural or urban villages, unauthorized colonies, resettlement colonies and slum clusters. About one-third are located in planned and regularized localities, which are most likely to have well-off voters. The remaining localities have mixed settlements or are part of Delhis old settlements. To be sure, because the classification is based on the most prevailing settlement that a booth caters to, it does not account for small slums or colonies inside the localities that may be of a different kind. For example, the Bandhu Camp named above is only a small part of Vasant Kunj locality, so its booth has been classified as planned, rather than as a slum cluster.

With this caveat in place, an analysis of booth-level data using this dataset shows that the AAP performed the best in terms of both vote share and the share of booths won in slum clusters and resettlement colonies.

The party won 97% and 90% of the booths in these respectively. But this does not play a significant role in the partys overall performance because only about 6% booths fall in these localities. On the other hand, the partys lead in unauthorized colonies, villages and mixed localities played a significant role in its overall performance. It had a lead in more than 60% booths in these types of localities. These localities comprise about 54% of the booths in Delhi.

The partys performance was relatively poor in planned and regularised colonies even though it managed a lead in a majority of booths there as well.

Even within the planned and regularised colonies, anecdotal evidence suggests that BJPs support increases with opulence levels. For example, the AAP had a lead of only 3.2 and 3.7 percentage points in booth number 112 and 113 of the R K Puram AC, which has voters from D-Block (Vasant Vihar) and E-Block, Poorvi Marg (Vasant Vihar), among the most posh areas in Delhi. This difference increases to 25.7 and 34.7 percentage points for booth numbers 27 and 80, which have voters from Sector 10 and Sector 1 of R K Puram, who are most likely to be government employees. In R K Purams booth number 49, which has voters from only Sonia Gandhi camp, a jhuggi-jhopri in Sector 7 (R K Puram), the AAP got 58.8% votes, nearly 35 percentage points more than the BJP, while the Congress got just 3% votes.

To be sure, the AAP could not have managed to win Delhi with the support of the poorer sections of the society alone. Unauthorized colonies, villages and slum clusters account for at least 50% booths in only 30 ACs and AAP won 27 of them. There are also 17 ACs where these types of settlements account for less than 10% booths and AAP won 15 of them.

This is not to say that class alone can explain the Delhi results. For example, the AAP won every single booth in unauthorized colonies in seven ACs, while it won less than 30% booths in such colonies in 10 other ACs. Similarly, it won all booths in regularized colonies in seven ACs and less than 30% booths in regularized colonies in six other ACs. This is because voting trends tend to vary within the same class group with other factors such as socio-religious demographic composition and local developmental issues.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday released the India 2020 yearbook that highlights the flagship programmes of the government and important events of the year.

"The book is a complete reference manual for all people including those appearing for competitive examinations," Javadekar said at the launch of the book.

The minister congratulated the Publications Division for coming out with the publication and said the book is becoming popular by the day.

Javadekar also released the e-version of the publication.

The e-version can be accessed on a variety of devices such as tablets, computers, e-readers and smart phones.

The book will be priced at Rs 300 and the e-book will be available at Rs 225. The book can be purchased online from February 20, 2020, from the website of the Publications Division.

Brought out jointly by the Publications Division and the New Media Wing of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, it is the 64th edition of the compilation.

'India/Bharat -2020' carries exhaustive and comprehensive information about India and the activities, progress and achievements of various government ministries/departments/organisations during the year, a statement said.

The book deals with all aspects of country's development -- from rural to urban, industry to science and technology to human resource development, it added.

The volume give a glimpse of the flagship programmes of the government and important events of the year.

Over the years the book has earned well-deserved praise from researchers, planners, policy makers, academics, media professionals, and job seekers, the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In 1997 Albert shared the recipe for his Curry Chicken with The Stars Mary McGrath in response to a request from reader Sam Rosenbaum of Toronto.

She wrote: Owner/chef Albert Wiggans interest in cooking dates back to the family kitchen in Jamaica where he copied his mother. At 14, he began helping the cooks in private homes, then became one himself at 19. In 1984 Chef Wiggan opened this restaurant and specializes in his mothers kind of traditional Jamaican cooking.

Curry Chicken

2 lbs (1 kg) boneless chicken

3 tbsp margarine

1 tbsp oil

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp seasoning salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1-1/2 cups warm water

2 small carrots, optional

Heat margarine and oil in a large saucepan. Cut chicken into 2-inch pieces and combine in saucepan with curry powder, thyme, seasoning salt (without MSG), pepper, garlic powder and onion.

Cook until chicken browns then pour in 1 cup warm water. Cover and cook on medium-high for 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup warm water. Simmer covered over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.

Stir in carrots sliced in 1/2-inch diagonal slices. Cook covered until tender, about 15 more minutes, adding more water if needed.

Remove from heat and serve with steamed rice and a tossed green salad. Makes 4 to 5 servings.
Cristina Martinez, the well-regarded Mexican chef and immigrants rights activist from South Philly Barbacoa, has a new restaurant three doors up Ninth Street. Also this week, a stop at a new mid-priced bar option in Rittenhouse and a Japanese restaurant from a Morimoto alum in the northern burbs.

If you need food news, click here and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Email tips, suggestions, and questions here. If someone forwarded you this newsletter and you like what youre reading, sign up here to get it free every week.

 Michael Klein

South Philly Barbacoa goes upstyle with Casa Mexico

Cristina Martinez, the James Beard semifinalist and champion of immigrants rights, has just opened a second restaurant a few doors from her South Philly Barbacoa. Its the sunny-bright Casa Mexico (1134 S. Ninth St.), with a considerably more expansive menu and more polished airs.

Unlike the lineup-for-food situation at Barbacoa (on the corner of Ninth and Ellsworth Streets), Casa Mexico is full service. But no reservations, its cash-only, and for now is closed Wednesdays.

Martinez is working with chef Dionicio Jimenez (El Rey) on this project. The other night, I spotted El Rey chef Jimena Cuellar at the stove, making tacos.

Weekday lunch (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) is comida corrida  a $13 deal with guisados (stews), soup/salad, and main course. Dinner (5-10 p.m.) is a la carte, and includes such dishes as shrimp ceviche ($14), black mole with soft cheese and purslane ($13), a salad of clementine, tomato and grilled avocado ($10), braised chicken legs, potatoes, bacon, and scallions ($17), grilled whole branzino with frijoles puercos ($24), and braised pork shank with plantain pure ($26). Theres a $15 buffet brunch (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) on weekends.

Aguas frescas and fresh orange juice are made in the window, as are fresh tortillas.

Its been a long journey since early 2014, when Martinez and husband Ben Miller started selling lamb tacos and chickpea-lamb consomme out of a cart parked on the sidewalk near their home at Eighth and Watkins Streets. In 2015, they quit the cart and went the brick-and-mortar route with a location elsewhere in South Philadelphia. Bon Appetit named South Philly Barbacoa as one of the 10 best new restaurants of 2016.

This Weeks Openings

Casa Mexico | South Philadelphia

See above

Dim Sum House | Rittenhouse

Jane Gs at 20th and Chestnut Streets has been reconfigured into a dim-sum specialist, along the lines of Jane Guos Dim Sum House at 3939 Chestnut St.

Miles Table | South Philadelphia

Popular South Street West bruncherie opens a branch Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Bok Building, 821 Dudley St.

Williams Sonoma store | King of Prussia

Not a restaurant, of course. The kitchen-supply retailer will open its store at the King of Prussia Town Center on Friday, Feb. 21 with an appearance by Top Chef winner Kevin Sbraga, who will serve comp hot chicken sandwiches from noon-2 p.m.

This Weeks Closings

The Poke Spot | Rittenhouse

Poke eatery lasted about a year and a half at 1804 Chestnut St.; the Health Department shutdown last fall was no help.

House of Tea | Queen Village (future)

Long-running tea salon at 740 S. Fourth St. says its closing at the end of April.

Where were enjoying happy hour

Valanni, 1229 Spruce St., 5-7 p.m. weekdays and 10 p.m.-midnight Friday

If I see one more wing, or gravy fries, or fried pickle... Ordinary happy hour fare is not the case at George Annis coolly elegant Mediterranean in Washington Square West. Theres a Spanish bent, especially in the form of the mini-paellas (vegetable $10, meat $15, seafood, $15) that are on offer. Menu includes $5 tapas such as spicy pulled chicken empanadas, mussels (red or white), and buffalo chicken croquettes.

The $5 drink specials are generous, too: four cocktails, an Aperol spritz. red, white, and rose wines, sparkling brut, and even a draft beer.

Where were eating

The Goat, 1907 Sansom St.

Seems like a reasonable aim: Fergus Fergie Carey and Jim McNamara, his business partner at Fergies in Wash West, set out to reach an underserved middle-of-the-road audience in Rittenhouse with their quirky new bar in the former Oh! Sheas. And by early indications, they are succeeding.

By the numbers: 2 bars, 118 seats, 2 fireplaces, 8 draft beers and a cider, plus nearly two dozen beers by the bottle and can, cider by the can, a hard seltzer, and a dozen wines by the glass. Decor includes a nonfunctional push-button pay phone labeled ye olde antique (with a dinosaur painted beneath it, no less) and an R-rated light fixture resembling a skateboard, carved into a female form, whose on-off switches resemble nipples.

Hits: the Reuben burger ($15), whose Angus beef patty is topped with pastrami, Swiss cheese, Napa cabbage, and red onions, plus Russian dressing on sesame brioche; the angry mussels ($12), simply seething in Cajun-style kielbasa, jalapenos, tomatoes, and roasted garlic on toasted garlic flatbread; and a crispy honey hot chicken sandwich ($12) that layers chicken, lettuce, ranch dressing, and sweet-and spicy-pickles on a sesame brioche bun.

Hours: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Monday to Friday, noon-2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Hachi, 4275 County Line Rd., Chalfont

Not to get all alliterative, but suburban sushi surprise is the line on Hachi, a sleek Japanese-with-a-couple-other-cuisines BYOB tucked into a shopping center off County Line Road in Chalfont, in central Bucks County.

Thats where Morimoto alum Benshun Yu reaches high with cooked and raw dishes, including intriguing soups and salads. The tuna sampler ($16) has pepper tuna, toro tartare with a quail egg, and bluefin toro sashimi, with fried shiso leaf wrapped around spicy tuna and nori. Try to snag a seat at the sushi bar to chat with the chefs.

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Friday; noon-10:30 p.m. Saturday; and noon-10 p.m. Sunday.

Dining Notes

Three restaurant weeks to put on your radar: Chestnut Hill runs one Feb. 23-28. East Passyunk does one Feb. 24-March 6. Haddonfield offers one March 3-8.

The James Beard Foundation is bringing a Taste America pop-up dinner to Philly. Jennifer Carroll and Billy Riddle will host chef Vishwesh Bhatt of Snackbar in Oxford, Miss., at Spice Finch on April 20.

Fishadelphia and Philly high schoolers are making local seafood more accessible. The students manage the community-supported fishery that connects New Jersey fisheries with Philly customers.

What happens after a restaurant goes viral? Taqueria Morales, a South Philly family spot, is building a customer base after an initial bump from the internet.

Cook with a date or a crowd date: Hudson Table brings its hands-on cooking classes to the Piazza in Northern Liberties.

Craig LaBans question-and-answer feature does not appear this week.
[February 18, 2020] 5G Equipment Market 2019-2023 | The Adoption of 5G Networks for Smart Cities to Boost Growth | Technavio

Technavio has been monitoring the 5G equipment market and it is poised to grow by USD 16.28 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of 71% 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/20200218005722/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global 5G Equipment Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) The adoption of 5G networks for smart cities has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Request a free sample report 5G Equipment Market 2019-2023: Segmentation 5G Equipment Market is segmented as below: Product Macrocell

Small Cell

Others 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=IRTNTR30474



5G Equipment Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our 5G equipment market report covers the following areas:

5G Equipment Market Size

5G Equipment Market Trends

5G Equipment Market Industry Analysis This study identifies growing focus on developing unified 5G standards as one of the prime reasons driving the 5G equipment market growth during the next few years. 5G Equipment Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the 5G equipment market, including some of the vendors such as Huawei Technologies, Nokia, Samsung Electronics, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (News - Alert) and ZTE. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the 5G equipment market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform 5G Equipment Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist 5G equipment market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the 5G equipment market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the 5G equipment market

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

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of 5G equipment market vendors 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200218005722/en/

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Highlights Oppo is working with OnePlus and Realme on custom chips.

Oppo says it does not want to compete with Qualcomm and MediaTek with its chips.

Samsung, Huawei, Apple and Xiaomi develop custom chips for their phones.

Huawei had a bad year in 2019 after the United States government imposed a trade ban with the Chinese phone maker. The move was expected to wipe off Huawei from the smartphone market as most of Huawei's component suppliers who were American were obliged not to do any trade with the company. However, Huawei started working on its own operating system to keep selling its phones while its custom chips were sort of like a lifeline for the company to sustain in that situation. It seems that the whole episode made other companies start working on their own hardware.

According to a recent report from CNBeta, Oppo is the latest one to commence its own chipset development and to help with its cause, it is reeling in development teams from OnePlus and Realme. There's no further information on how these chips will function and what will be the performance credentials - all we know that the company is working on custom chips.

Oppo, OnePlus and Realme have largely relied on Qualcomm chipsets and MediaTek chipsets for their phones in the last few years. Both Qualcomm and MediaTek chipsets are based on technological advances from ARM. While Oppo hasn't given any reason behind the development of these custom chipsets, it seems that these BBK Electronics brands want to keep themselves ready if they ever have to face a Huawei-like situation.

However, these custom chips are not going to compete with those from Qualcomm and MediaTek. Oppo says in the report, "Our ultimate goal of making chips is to serve our customers well. This is a long-term investment, not to compete with our partners."

OnePlus could be one of the bigger gainers with a custom chip. OnePlus has been lately leaving the affordable flagship territory and slowly moving towards the full-blown flagship territory. It now competes in the same segment as Apple and Google, both of which rely on custom chips for their products. Google uses custom chips for superior camera performance whereas Apple builds its iPhone completely around its custom A-series chips.

Chances are that OnePlus could start using custom chips initially to improve its camera performance or some other parameter, and maybe later, we could see a OnePlus phone relying completely on custom developed chipsets. We could see the same for Oppo and Realme, but nothing is confirmed for now.

Currently, some of the top phone makers in the world rely on custom chips. Samsung uses its own Exynos chips for most of its phones around the world while Huawei uses its Kirin series chips to power its phones. Xiaomi also developed its Surge S1 chip, which was essentially a midrange chip but it never saw a successor.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A small instrument inside the drones that targeted the heart of Saudi Arabias oil industry and those in the arsenal of Yemens Houthi rebels match components recovered in downed Iranian drones in Afghanistan and Iraq, two reports say.

These gyroscopes have only been found inside drones manufactured by Iran, Conflict Armament Research said in a report released on Wednesday. That follows a recently released report from the United Nations saying its experts saw a similar gyroscope from an Iranian drone obtained by the U.S. military in Afghanistan, as well as inweaponsshipmentsseized in the Arabian Sea bound for Yemen.

The discovery further ties Iran to an attack that briefly halved Saudi Arabias oil output and saw energy prices spike by a level unseen since the 1991 Gulf War. It also ties Iran to the arming of the rebel Houthis in Yemens long civil war. Iran denies it had a hand in that assault but has increasingly promoted its influence over the Houthis and launched a ballistic missile attack on American troops in Iraq after a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad last month.

This gyroscope ... weve seen it now enough times in Iranian-manufactured material to be able to confidently say that the presence of it in a Houthi-produced item suggests that the material was supplied from Iran, Jonah Leff of Conflict Armament Research told The Associated Press.

Irans mission to the U.N. declined to immediately respond to queries from the AP.

Media officials from the rebel Houthis, who hold Yemens capital, Sanaa, and have been battling a Saudi-led coalition since March 2015, declined an interview request. A U.N. Security Council resolution prohibits arms transfers to the Houthis.

A gyroscope is a device that helps orient and guide a drone or missile to its target. The gyroscopes in question bear no manufacturers name and come in at least two versions labeled as V9 and V10, according to the reports. Their four-digit serial numbers also appear sequential, suggesting the same manufacturer had built all of those found.

The Houthis Qasef-1 drone carries the V10 gyroscope, which is identical to one found in an Iranian-made Ababil-3 drone, which Islamic State group fighters reportedly recovered in Iraq, Conflict Armament Research said. Weapons experts found the V9 version of the gyroscope in drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, used in the September attack on Abqaiq, home of a crucial oil processing facility for Saudi Arabia, the U.N. report said.

According to UAV experts familiar with this technology, such vertical gyroscopes have not been observed in any UAVs other than those manufactured by Iran, Conflict Armament Research said in its report, which was funded by the European Union and the governments of Germany and the United Arab Emirates.

The U.N. report simply said that the manufacturer of the gyroscope remains unknown. However, it noted finding similar V10 gyroscopes among the debris of both Samad and Qasef UAVs, which have been used by the Houthi forces.

The U.N. also said its experts saw a V9 gyroscope on display in Washington at a military display showing an Iranian Shahed-123 that American officials say they recovered in Afghanistan in October 2016, after it crash-landed.

Images of the gyroscopes match those in the Conflict Armament Research report. A similar gyroscope could be seen inside a cruise missile seized by the U.S. Navy in a November raid on a traditional dhow shipping boat in the Arabian Sea. A computer terminal also seized with the missiles, likely used with the weapons, bore Farsi characters on its keyboard.

The U.S. Navy announced a new weapons cache find aboard a dhowin the Arabian Seathis month.Lt. Col. Earl Brown, a spokesman for the U.S. militarys Central Command, told the AP on Wednesday that American sailors found similar gyroscopes in that seizure as well.

The U.S. and the Saudi-led coalition have long said that Iran supplies weapons to the Houthis, ranging from assault rifles to the ballistic missiles fired into the kingdom.

Drones used by the Houthis have done everything, from crashing into Patriot missile batteries to exploding overhead and showering deadly shrapnel on targets. An exploding Houthi drone in a January 2019 attack on a military parade near Aden killed at least six people, including the commander of military intelligence for Yemens internationally recognized government.

Iran, in turn, has long denied arming the Houthis, but that veil slowly lifted after the January U.S. drone strike killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, whose expeditionary Quds Forces led Irans work with allied proxy forces in Yemen and elsewhere. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh of the Guards aerospace program recently gave a speech in front of a Houthi flag, as well as those of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Hamas and others in an effort to project Irans power.

But previously, Irans murky arming of militant groups gave it plausible deniability and an ability to strike at opponents without being directly blamed, analysts say. While the wider confrontation with the U.S. since President Donald Trump pulled out of Irans nuclear deal with world powers has seen Tehrans military claim launched attacks, other claims still could come from Tehran-allied militants.

That makes tracing weapons important, Leff said. The Conflict Armament Research report also said some components used in Houthi drones had been seen in homemade explosives recovered on the island nation of Bahrain as well.

For them to line up with many of the components that were seeing in these UAVs for us suggests that there are some well-established supply lines, he said. Theres another research question that would be drilling down to, you know, who are the parties involved in actually trafficking these items into Yemen. That we have less information on.

___

Associated Press writer Ahmed al-Haj in Sanaa, Yemen, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Thursday, Feb. 20, the Fraser Institute will release a new study on personal income taxes in Alberta.



Albertas Lost Advantage on Personal Income Tax Rates spotlights how personal income tax rates have changed in the province, and compares Albertas rates to other energy-producing jurisdictions such as Texas, Wyoming and Alaska.

A news release with additional information will be issued via GlobeNewswire on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 5:00 a.m. (Mountain).

MEDIA CONTACT:

Ben Eisen, Senior Fellow

Fraser Institute

Tegan Hill, Policy Analyst

Fraser Institute

To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact:

Bryn Weese, Fraser Institute

(604) 688-0221 ext. 589

bryn.weese@fraserinstitute.org

Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter | Become a fan on Facebook
Jurors in the Nia Wilson murder trial on Tuesday heard another side of defendant John Lee Cowell: a seemingly lucid, cheerful nephew catching up with his aunt and asking for small favors.

This version, played via audio recordings from jailhouse phone calls, stood in stark contrast to the confused and at times belligerent man jurors saw tossed from the courtroom last week. In the recordings, Cowell asks his aunt, Saundra Ferriera, to buy him books and specific foods from the jail canteen, and the two make small talk about their family and her car.

Everythings looking really good, Cowell said in a call last month, when he and Ferriera briefly discussed his case. I think Im headed on the right path.

Prosecutor Butch Ford played the recordings as part of his cross-examination of Ferriera, who returned to the witness stand Tuesday after first testifying last week.

Cowell, 29, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the July 22, 2018, double stabbing that killed Nia Wilson and injured her sister, Letifah. Defense attorney Christina Moore has acknowledged that her client was the attacker, meaning the case turns on Cowells mental state at the time of the stabbings.

Throughout the trial, Moore has painted Cowell as a man incapable of understanding reality, pointing to a long history of mental illnesses and illustrating examples of his delusions. A forensic psychologist called as a defense witness diagnosed Cowell as a schizophrenic paranoid type. A medical doctor who saw Cowell a month before the attack recalled how Cowell spent the majority of his time talking about his nonexistent breast implants.

When testifying on his own behalf, Cowell said he believed that Nia, Letifah and middle sister Tashiya Wilson  who was also on the train but not attacked  were aliens, members of a gang, and had kidnapped his grandmother.

While he often appeared confused during questioning by his own attorney, Cowell became markedly more combative under cross-examination with Ford. Cowell on Thursday was removed from the courtroom after yelling and cursing at the prosecutor and refusing to answer more of Fords questions.

Cowell refused to come to court Tuesday. If he continues to do so, and fails to finish his cross-examination, Judge Allan Hymer said he would entertain a motion to strike all of his testimony, meaning jurors could not consider it in their deliberations.

Ford has worked to poke holes in the defenses theory, and has suggested Cowell is putting on a show to avoid prison. Hes pointed to instances when Cowell exhibited goal-oriented behavior, such as when, just after the attack, he ditched his knife and backpack, changed clothes and pointed police away from him and in the direction of the crime he just committed.

Ford will continue his cross-examination with Ferriera on Wednesday. Prosecutors have rested their case, and defense attorneys will likely call at least one more witness before closing arguments are scheduled to begin next week.

But the trial may not be over after the jurys first verdict. In California criminal cases, when a defendant pleads not guilty by reason of insanity there are two stages of the trial.

Cowells current proceedings are part of the first, guilt phase, which operates like any other trial. The jury hears evidence and then finds the defendant guilty or not guilty of the crimes with which hes charged. If the defendant is found not guilty, there is no second phase.

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If hes found guilty of any of the crimes, the second, sanity phase begins, and the jury must determine whether he was sane at the time he committed the crimes for which he was found guilty. Here the burden rests on the defense to prove Cowell was insane, according to Jeff Chorney, a spokesman for the Alameda County public defenders office.

According to California law, a defendant is insane if, because of a mental disease or defect, he was incapable of knowing the nature of his act, understanding the nature of his act, or distinguishing between right and wrong at the time the crime was committed.

During the sanity phase, jurors may hear new evidence and can consider already-presented evidence, Chorney said.

If the jury finds Cowell not insane, he will be sent to prison. Because of Cowells previous convictions, his sentence will be so high that it will effectively be life in prison. If jurors find him guilty of first-degree murder plus the special circumstance that he killed Wilson by lying in wait, he faces an automatic sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

If jurors find Cowell insane, then he will be committed to a locked state hospital for an indefinite term, and he likely will never be released, Chorney said.

If found insane, the idea that he would ever get out of the locked state hospital is ludicrous, Chorney said.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
The Indian Great Plains is vast: Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Idaho and Utah. Tribal Governments there are generally not affluent, having few resources such as huge Casinos or manufacturing outfits to bring in mega bucks, although some have highly coveted water resources.

What they have is grass supporting cattle, horses and wildlife. Thus, ranchers are the backbone of those tribal economies leasing grass from the Tribes and individual landowners. At Northern Cheyenne, for example, annual grazing fees make up the vast part of general fund monies, the rest being Federal or State grants, highly restricted.

Most ranchers there are tribal members now third and even fourth generation. It takes time, sweat, blood and tears, occasional good luck and surviving bad luck. Many got started in the early Reservation era when government encouraged Indians to become farmers. While that was not appealing, many tribal members quickly took to ranching, raising cattle, and especially good horses, a trait they are still well known for today. They have, by sheer will and love of the lifestyle, hung on through both the good and bad years. Others did not.

NILE Lou Taubert Ranch Outfitters Cattle Drive & Parade on Facebook: Clara Caufield

One of my best friends is a lady rancher, Chris a tall, well sun-tanned white lass, cowgirl to the bone. Born and raised at Rotten Grass, very remote in the mountains of the Crow Reservation to a hard scrabble ranching family, she was seriously tutored by her father and several older brothers about cowboying. Until the first grade, she thought she was a Crow! So, did they. Not much difference  all poor.

As a young woman, Chris ventured off the reservation: Big Horn County deputy sheriff, secretarial school and then Washington, D.C. working for the Pentagon. That lifestyle did not suit, so she returned, meeting and marrying the love of her life, Butch Small, bulldogger, roper and full-of-himself kind of feller. The perfect ticket and apparently a good match as they now go on 50 married years. Butch is a hard scrabble Cheyenne rancher on Kirby Creek, where she has been his partner and will now no doubt die in the saddle there  a pretty good way to go, she thinks. And now, many Cheyenne think that Chris is one of us, lobbying her for votes when running for Council.

Some people believe ranchers have the life of Reilly, no doubt because they drive big 4-wheel drive pickups, ride nice horses with good saddles, wear 10X Stetsons and expensive boots. Those are just necessary tools of the trade, and except for the hat and boots, everything else is generally mortgaged to the hilt.

Thus, I get a kick out of hearing the daily adventures of Chris, 71, but still cowgirling. Butch, Vietnam Vet, suffers serious health problems, still game, but when it comes to saddling up to get those darned bulls back where they belong, or contortionist to clean out the swather after a hot day of haying, it now falls to Chris, who regularly gets herself into some kind of "fix. She sees the humor in it  an absolutely essential attitude for ranchers.

The feeder pickup never breaks down in the summer, she recently laughed, but yesterday, the 4-wheel drive went out.

Clara Caufield can be reached at acheyennevoice@gmail.com

Copyright permission Native Sun News Today

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Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has invited American companies to invest across key sectors in the state as his government focuses on diversifying from core industries such as mineral and steel to strategically important areas like agro and food processing, IT and defence.

Baghel, currently on a multi-city visit to the US, highlighted his state's investor-friendly and ease of doing business policies as he met representatives of various sectors and members of diaspora from the state inviting them to visit and invest in Chhattisgarh.

"We are a mineral rich state and have several mineral based-industries. We invite companies and investors from America to come and explore core sectors as well those sectors and regions where there is untapped potential, Baghel told PTI in an interview.

Baghel, accompanied by a high-level official delegation, had over the weekend addressed students at the India Conference at Harvard. He addressed a business lunch Tuesday organized by the Consulate General of India in New York and the US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).

Baghel said over the next few years his government will focus on strengthening the purchasing power of people in his state.

The state government is also committed to poverty eradication and diversifying from core sectors such as minerals, steel, power to sectors of strategic importance such as agro and food processing, IT, bio ethanol, electronics, textile and apparel, engineering and defense, higher education, pharma and automobile and electric vehicles.

My target is to see how to increase the purchasing power of the people. No matter how many industries we set up, if people do not have money to buy the products, then what is the benefit of the industries, he said.

Baghel said that in order to maintain this balance, it is very important to increase the purchasing power, which will in turn benefit businesses and industries.

He underlined that the state government will work towards strengthening the purchasing power of the people, which will ensure demand and then the wheels of the industry will start turning and production will take off.

The state government is looking at making the citizens economically self-sufficient, create demand and let the industry move in to fulfill that demand.

He noted that Chattisgarh is rich in natural resources such as dense forest cover, water and mineral resources yet poverty is still prevalent in some areas.

Poverty eradication is most important. Sectors such as health, education and agro-based industries will help generate new job opportunities as well as increase people's income, he said.

The state, which has a strong presence of several core sectors industries, is focussed on diversifying from the core areas to non-core areas.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MBABANE- Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi has advised emaSwati wishing to travel to Mainland China to at least postpone their trips until the corona virus is fully controlled.



Many emaSwati travel to China for various reasons but mostly for business. Some travellers include students who have enrolled for different courses in the Chinese universities. There are also businesspeople who purchase their stock in China while others travel to the Asian country for holiday.



The minister issued the advice in her capacity as a concerned liSwati in an interview yesterday.

She stated that currently, there was no directive to ban travel from the World Health Organisation (WHO). As a result, the minister said her ministry had not issued any directive concerning a ban.



Outbreak



Minister Nkosi acknowledged that there were countries which had decided to ban travels to China following the outbreak of the virus that has killed thousands of people.



My advice is that people should postpone their trips to China until the virus is fully controlled. The next option is to look for safe places before they can travel to China, she said.

Nkosi assured emaSwati that the ministry was doing all it could to manage the virus. She stated that they made sure that people travelling to Eswatini were examined before leaving China.



The minister mentioned that travellers were also examined when they arrived in South Africa to ensure that the virus was detected early. She said the ministry always made sure that suspected people were monitored on a day to day basis.



We will continue to be vigilant. I cannot be sure when the virus will be fully controlled but we hope it wont take long, she said. Recently, emaSwati heaved a sigh of relief after the country was cleared of the corona virus.



The relief came after results of a suspected case, which was indentified last Friday, came out negative for Covid-19.

Meanwhile, if there is one group of people more likely to contract the coronavirus should a case be detected in the country, it is health maintenance officials who are also responsible for cleaning and removing waste.



According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), CoV is a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

A novel coronavirus is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.



Eswatini, just like many countries around the world, is on high alert to ensure that people coming in from any other country, especially China, Taiwan and Singapore are screened.



However, at the Piggs Peak Government Hospital, maintenance officials who normally do the cleaning of the hospital fear that they have not been informed enough about how to prevent contraction of the disease.



Many of them claimed they were not fully aware of how exactly the virus was transmitted and that they needed expert training on this from medical personnel, as opposed to receiving pieces of paper informing them.



Notices



All that they have given us are notices which are not easy to read, they said.

They admitted that some of them still struggled to read or write, especially when complicated medical terms were used.

The officials said they wanted to have open sessions such as workshops where they could ask relevant questions as opposed to just having memos placed on walls.



An official who asked not to be mentioned said the situation was scary because some of the officials were scared of contracting the disease.

He said in the case of tuberculosis (TB) they had been trained on how to prevent its transmission or contracting it.

It appears they are not treating the coronavirus with the same urgency, he said.



Another official also complained that this was also the case in places like Mkhuzweni Health facility, which is one of the busiest in the country.

The cleaners complained that the only information they received from the Ministry of Health was a notice stating that all health facilities need to be prepared for patients with the suspected or confirmed 2019 novel coronavirus .

Yesterday, when the facilities were visited, notices had been placed at the gate with the words, Coronavirus alert. This was addressed to the members of the public.



Screening



The notice was further described as a screening tool to detect possible coronavirus infection.

Also, the notice further states; Give a mask to any patient presenting with cough, sneezing symptoms.



Attempts were made to reach the Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula and the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health Dr Simon Zwane, but their cellphones rang unanswered.
A New Jersey man was sentenced Wednesday to serve at least 39 years in prison for running a human trafficking scheme in Pennsylvania that officials said coerced young women into the sex trade using drugs and threats.

Kenneth James Crowell, of Blackwood, was convicted in November in Lancaster County of numerous charges, including six counts of trafficking individuals, involuntary servitude and promoting prostitution, authorities said. The 35-year-old was given a maximum term of 78 years and eight months for his role in the trafficking ring that operated in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Crowells co-conspirator, Barry Charles Schiff, 52, of Galloway, was also convicted in the case and was scheduled for sentencing next month. The men recruited women for the human trafficking ring, and Schiff lured some of the victims with drugs, according to authorities.

Crowell and Schiff exploited vulnerable young women for nearly three years in a sex trafficking organization, said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Im proud of the work that the Pennsylvania State Police and our office have done to liberate and reunite these women with their families. My Office is determined to protect victims of human trafficking and put those who perpetrate it behind bars.

State troopers working undercover responded to several ads on websites known for sex trafficking to arrange encounters with the women, authorities said. Several women sought help to escape sexual servitude with the ring.

This is a horrible case where women were lured into prostitution by the false promise of easy money, Shapiro said at the time of the arrests. When the victims tried to leave, these criminals used violence and threats of violence to keep them working as prostitutes against their will."

One victim told troopers she didnt feel safe and wanted to get out of the sex ring, the Attorney Generals Office said after the arrests. She told investigators Crowell and Schiff recruited her from a Pennsylvania gentlemens club to work as an escort, and Schiff bragged about selling opioid pills and heroin to women who worked at the club.

When she confronted Schiff about his drug sales, he threatened her with a knife, according to authorities. State police praised victims who came forward to speak before sentencing.

We were proud to be in the courtroom today to support the brave women who detailed the unimaginable harm these defendants caused, Corporal Gregg Kravitsky, of the state police criminal investigations bureau, said in a statement. Thanks to their courage, and with the support of our law enforcement partners, we were able deliver justice for the victims of this sex trafficking operation.

Crowell and Schiff were arrested in November 2017 after a grand jury probe.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
(Newser)  For someone who says he doesnt like talking with people, Robert Durst has shown a propensity to open up to strangers. It has not done him any favors. The New York real estate heirs lengthy interviews with filmmakers led to a damning documentary on his suspected role in three killings. Before the final episode aired, he was arrested on charges of killing his best friend to silence her from telling authorities what she knew about the 1982 death of his wife. While behind bars, Durst spent nearly three hours talking with the prosecutor who had been on his tail for two years. All of that led to a Los Angeles courtroom where jury selection began Wednesday for Dursts trial on murder charges in the slaying of his friend, the AP reports. If youre going to be a juror, this is a fascinating case," Superior Court Judge Mark Windham told prospective jurors, who have been screened to make sure they can serve for up to five months.

story continues below

"If youre going to have one trial where youre going to be a juror, this is the trial. These are the best lawyers Ive ever seen," he continued. "This case is very, very interesting. ... Youre never going to have an experience like this." Durst, 76, has pleaded not guilty to charges he shot Susan Berman in the back of the head in December 2000. Prosecutors contend Durst silenced Berman to stop her from telling investigators what she knew about the 1982 disappearance of his wife, Kathleen, in New York. They plan to tell them Durst also killed a neighbor in Galveston, Texas, in 2001 while he eluded investigators in his wifes death. He was never charged in his wife's presumed killing and was acquitted of killing and dismembering Morris Black in Texas, claiming he shot Black in self-defense. With little physical evidence, prosecutors will be leaning heavily on Dursts own words he allegedly said to friends and in recorded interviews he gave to the makers of the documentary The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, as well as to Deputy District Attorney John Lewin.

(Read more Robert Durst stories.)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.19

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

Kazakhstans citizens who are currently aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship where coronavirus outbreak has been detected will soon return to Kazakhstan, Kazakhstans Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tleuberdi said, Trend reports with reference to Kazakh media.

Tleuberdi noted that Kazakh citizens aboard the ship are not infected with virus.

First of all, Kazakh citizens are not sick which was proven by the tests. The quarantine has now been lifted. Starting today the passengers are starting to disembark the ship. Additional tests will be carried out when on the land. In the case that the tests are negative well work on bringing them home as soon as possible, the minister said.

He added that the transportation will be carried out by plane and at the passengers own expenses.

Tleuberdi also added that in the case that coronavirus tests will come back positive Kazakh citizens will most likely undergo treatment in Japan.

Two women and two children aged 8 and 12 from Kazakhstan are aboard the Diamond Princess ship where coronavirus is spreading.

The Diamond Princess cruise ship was quarantined after a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong was confirmed to have the disease. Based on the latest data, the total number of passengers infected with coronavirus is 542 people, making the ship the biggest cluster of cases outside mainland China.

The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. Since then over 2,000 people have died and over 75,000 people have been confirmed as infected.

Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The symptoms include cough, headache, fatigue, fever, aching and difficulty breathing. It is primarily spread through airborne contact or contact with contaminated objects.



Chinese health authorities say that the majority of the people who have died were either elderly or had underlying health problems.



Aside from Mainland China, the cases of coronavirus spreading have also been confirmed in Japan, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, Germany, the US, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Macau, France, Canada, the UAE, India, Italy, Russia, Philippines, the UK, Nepal, Cambodia, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Sweden and Sri Lanka.

---

Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
Kolkata, Feb 19 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in West Bengal criticised Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo, for "playing politics" while paying the last respects to actor-politician Tapas Paul, here on Wednesday.

Condoling Paul's death, Banerjee blamed the BJP-led central government's "political vengeance" for his demise. She alleged three persons, including a Trinamool MP and the wife of another Lok Sabha member, died in recent years as they couldn't withstand the central agencies' pressure.

Paul passed away on Tuesday. His mortal remains were kept at the Rabindra Sadan cultural complex for the people to pay homage.

Condemning Banerjee's comments, Union Minister Babul Supriyo accused the TMC chief of indulging in "dirty politics" over Paul's death.

Stating that he had no words to condemn Banerjee's remark, Supriyo said, "Only Didi (as Banerjee is called) is capable of this." He also raised the question why she didn't call on Paul when she could go to Bhubanaeswar to see arrested TMC Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandopadhyay.

Both Paul and Bandopadhyay had been arrested in connection with the Rose Valley ponzi scam by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and taken to Bhubaneswar.

Supriyo said people were raising questions about how a simple and straight-forward man like Paul got involved in the TMC brand of politics. "They also want to know to what extent he could cope with such politics," the BJP leader said.

Castigating Banerjee, former Bengal Congress chief Pradip Bhattacharya said one shouldn't talk politics standing before the body of a deceased. "Death is the end of a life. Standing before a deceased, one should only pay respects. That's the right principle. The Chief Minister should have known that she can comment on the Centre and express her political thoughts from a rally ground.

"But the sort of comments she made before the mortal remains of a person, it's nothing but political perversion".

He alleged Paul's death had again shown how his life had become terrible due to pressure mounted by central agencies. "He had become a mental and psychological wreck." Paul was arrested by the CBI on December 30, 2016, in connection with his association with the Rose Valley Group, one of the companies under investigation in the ponzi scam. He was released on bail after spending 13 months in prison in Bhubaneswar.
On Tuesday, the White House named the individuals whom President Trump pardoned or to whom he had granted clemency. People on both sides of the aisle were confused by the list, but they shouldn't have been. Trump was making a point about government overreach in prosecutions, as well as reminding people about his First Step Act, which brings reformed (mostly minority) prisoners home.

Here's a short rundown of the pardons and clemency grants.

Pardons

Eddie DeBartolo, Jr., former owner of the San Francisco 49ers, who was "convicted for failing to report a felony regarding payment demanded for a riverboat casino license," resulting in two years' probation.

Michael Milken, a brilliant financier whose innovations made capital available to people who ordinarily would never have benefitted from it.

In 1989, at the height of his finance career, Mr. Milken was charged in an indictment alleging that some of his innovative financing mechanisms were in fact criminal schemes. The charges filed against Mr. Milken were truly novel. In fact, one of the lead prosecutors later admitted that Mr. Milken had been charged with numerous technical offenses and regulatory violations that had never before been charged as crimes. Though he initially vowed to fight the charges, Mr. Milken ultimately pled guilty in exchange for prosecutors dropping criminal charges against his younger brother. As a result, Mr. Milken served 2 years in prison in the early 1990s.

Ariel Friedler, an entrepreneur who built a successful technology company and who "pled guilty to conspiracy to access a protected computer without authorization and served 2 months in prison."

Bernard Kerik, the commissioner of the New York Police Department during its response to the 9/11 attack. "In 2010, Mr. Kerik was sentenced to 4 years' imprisonment for tax fraud and for making false statements."

Paul Pogue, the owner of a successful construction company:

An audit by the Internal Revenue Service discovered that Mr. Pogue had underpaid his taxes over a 3-year period by approximately 10 percent. Immediately upon learning of the tax deficiency, Mr. Pogue paid restitution, interest, and penalties. To avoid the cost and burden of fighting the charges, which could have put at risk the jobs of the 150 people employed by his company, Mr. Pogue agreed to plead guilty and was sentenced to 3 years of probation.

David Safavian, who was "convicted of making false statements and of obstructing an investigation into a trip he took while he was a senior government official."

Angela Stanton, an African-American woman and Trump-supporter who, following a challenging childhood, was part of a stolen vehicle ring, which earned her six months of house arrest.

Commuted sentences

Rod Blagojevich, a model prisoner who was nine years into a 14-year sentence for a variety of political corruption charges.

Tynice Nichole Hall, a model prisoner who "served nearly 14 years of an 18-year sentence for allowing her apartment to be used to distribute drugs."

Crystal Munoz, a model prisoner who "spent the past 12 years in prison as a result of a conviction for having played a small role in a marijuana smuggling ring."

Judith Negron, a model prisoner and "a 48-year-old wife and mother who was sentenced to 35 years in prison for her role as a minority-owner of a healthcare company engaged in a scheme to defraud the Federal Government."

What's the thread tying all of these pardons and commutations together? In fact, there are a few threads, and they're all important.

DeBartolo, Milken, Kerik, Pogue, and Safavian all fell into federal traps. Each was entangled in the federal justice system because the government went after them for violating rules that relate solely to the government itself. Their situations parallel what happened to Trump associates caught in Mueller's net.

In Milken's case, he gave up fighting an esoteric allegation only because prosecutors threatened his brother  which mirrors the way Mueller's team threatened Mike Flynn's son.

Trump reminds us that the government writes the laws and regulations, and then uses those laws against people whom the government wants to destroy, whether righteously (e.g., Al Capone, brought down on tax fraud) or not (e.g., the people Trump pardoned). These pardons remind us that while Trump survived, many of his associates did not.

David Safavian reminds us that McCabe walked free. Blagojevich reminds us that Trump not only doesn't prosecute people because of their ideology, but will also reach across party lines to grant clemency.

The pardons and commutations for lesser-known people emphasize Trump's outreach to black and Hispanic communities through his First Step Act.

Trump is a very sane genius.
Patna: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who has dedicated the last five or six years of his political life targeting the members of the Lalu Prasad Yadav family, has now find a new punching bag in former Janata Dal-U leader Prashant Kumar who he continues to bash for speaking against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Registration of Citizens (NRC), the two BJP-sponsored law that has polarized the nation for the last several months.

Speaking at a press conference in Patna on Wednesday, Modi said Kishor was unable to come to terms to the fact that Bihar was once again being ruled by the NDA and not by Lalu-led Mahagathbandhan in the state.

"PK (Prashant Kishor) is secretly working for the 'Lalten Party' (RJD). On one hand, he calls Chief Minister Nitish Kumar a father-like figure and on the other hand, he calls him 'Pichhlaggu' (a sycophant). What kind of a person does that?" the BJP leader asked.

Modi reminded Kishor that Nitish Kumar broke the relationship with the RJD due to rampant corruption within the Yadav family and not because of his alleged lust for power.

"Nearly every member of the Lalu family is facing corruption charges which led Nitish Kumar to leave the alliance. Till date, Tejaswi Yadav has not given any satisfactory answer to the corruption charges against him. In 2017, the BJP gave unconditional support to the JD-U so Bihar avoids an unnecessary mid-term election while at the same time, has a leadership under the NDA that is capable of keeping corruption at bay," he said.

Once again, training his gun at Prashant Kishor, Modi said that the former JD-U leader was unhappy with the return of the NDA government in Bihar so he began hobnobbing with Lalu Prasad Yadav to broker a deal with Nitish Kumar.

"When that did not work out, Prashant Kishor began targeting while hiding behind the excuse of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Registration of Citizens (NRC)," he said.

Meanwhile, PK responded to Modi by saying that the BJP needs to decide who was there hero - Mahatma Gandhi or his killer Nathuram Godse.

"Yes, I am troubled by the JDU-BJP alliance in Bihar. Nitish Kumar once was a fierce critic of the supporters of Godse but now the JD-U maintains a total silence in the parliament when Godse's supporters openly speak favorably about him. To form a coalition government is one thing but to completely surrender to one party is another. This is what bothers me about the current leadership in the JD-U," the political strategist-turned-politician said.
ANSAmed - Tomorrow's events in the Mediterranean

(ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 19 - These are the main events scheduled in the Euro-Mediterranean for tomorrow: MARRAKECH - African Contemporary Art Fair (until 23/2). BELGRADE - International Tourism Fair with Egypt as partner country (until 23/2). PARIS - Tenth inter-professional day of strikes and demonstrations against pension reform. LISBON - Parliament will be examining several legislative proposals on euthanasia. RIYADH - Visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (until 21/2). BARI - Meeting for reflection and spirituality entitled 'Mediterranean, Frontier of Peace' promoted by the Italian Episcopal Conference, CEI (until 23/2). (ANSAmed).




SPRINGFIELD - A 45-year-old Springfield man was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison after being found guilty of the 2015 murder of his ex-girlfriend as she sat in her car near the White Street School.

A Hampden Superior Court jury found Pedro Vasquez guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Yahaira Hernandez on Jan. 5, 2015. With the conviction, he was sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole until after he serves 25 years.

Hernandez, 30, was found dead in her car parked near the Scott Street entrance to White Street Elementary School on the morning of the first day of school after Christmas vacation. Students arriving at school that morning could see police detectives processing the crime scene.

1-5-2015 - School children are ushered into the White Street School while Springfield Police detectives look over a black SUV parked on Scott Street where a woman was found shot to death ( MARK M. MURRAY / THE REPUBLICAN )

Vasquez and Hernandez had been romantically involved but broke up prior to the shooting. He was arrested a few hours after her body was found.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni issued a statement praising the work of the Springfield Polices homicide unit that led to a swift arrest and now successful prosecution.

He also thanked assistant district attorneys Max Bennett and Kate McMahon.

The tireless work of our police and prosecution team secured justice for Yahaira and her family, he said.

Vasquez originally went on trial in 2017, but the prosecution was made complicated when Judge John Agostini ruled Vaquezs statement to police and cellphone records could not be used as evidence because police did not properly inform him of his Miranda rights. Vasquez did not admit to the killing in his interview with police, but prosecutors planned to use his statement to demonstrate his alibi was not true.

Agostini ruled detectives read the Miranda warning to Vasquez in Spanish, but did so in such a fragmented and confusing manner so as to be incoherent.

The decision was appealed to the state Supreme Judicial Court, which in August August upheld Agostinis ruling that the statement and cellphone records were not permissible for the trial.
While two of three Supreme Court appointed interlocutors reached Shaheen Bagh on Wednesday, the third interlocutor former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah skipped the meet with protesters for reasons unknown.

The Supreme Court on Monday had appointed a team of three interlocutors to be led by senior advocate Sanjay Hedge to talk to the Shaheen Bagh protesters with regard to shifting the protest site, and file report in the court.

Former CIC, Habibullah was part of this team along with senior lawyers Sadhna Ramachandran and Sanjay Hegde.

Habibullah on Tuesday had claimed that he had not got any official word for his inclusion in the team of interlocutors, which is being seen as a reason for his absence from the meet.

Though he was unavailable for comments, as calls made to him went unanswered.

A bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice K.M. Joseph on Monday citing replication of protests involving blocking of public roads, had said: "We are concerned, what will happen if people start hitting the streets and blocking the roads while protesting... it is a concern."

The court had suggested that the Delhi Police may also offer an alternative site to the protesters at Shaheen Bagh.
When I first met Marc Chivers, the man who murdered my mother, I admit I found him charming. Mums new boyfriend seemed generous and confident.

He was physically unimposing: bespectacled; meagre. I did not for a second consider him threatening.

Mum was captivated. She had met him a couple of months earlier while walking her West Highland Terrier Lila. Chivers had approached her; soon they were chatting. Then a bouquet of roses arrived  and my beautiful mum was ensnared.

Chivers, like so many evil sociopaths, was accomplished at reeling in his victims. He seemed plausible and personable. But once he had trapped his prey his real character emerged.

Celia Peachy (pictured right with the Duchess of Cornwall) reflects on the death of her mother Maria, as she campaigns against domestic abuse

A few months after they began a relationship  which, I now know swiftly became violent and abusive  my mum was dead; strangled with Lilas lead, her body dumped under a pile of coats in her cloakroom.

I first told this harrowing story to the Duchess of Cornwall four years ago. It moved her to tears and since that day, not only do I count her as a friend, but she has also joined me in supporting the domestic abuse charity, Safelives.

Last week I was at Clarence House, her London home, to celebrate the strength and resilience of thousands of survivors of domestic abuse as Safelives marks its 15th anniversary.

The Duchess was warm and empathetic: she told me the meeting had given her a deeper level of understanding and an ability to relate to abuse survivors. She, in turn, has helped lift the shroud of shame that surrounds the subject and given those who have endured abuse the courage to speak out.

When Chivers singled out my mum, Maria Stubbings, as a victim I suspect he detected her vulnerability. Single since her divorce from my step-father eight years earlier, she was living in her neat and orderly house in an Essex village with my then 15-year-old brother Richard.

He would have found her endearing  anyone would  because she was so unaware of her beauty and charisma. Her sweetness and openness would have made her susceptible to the hard luck story he spun. Hes had a tough time, said my mum, without elaborating.

But it was not long before I saw the dark side to him. I phoned Mum on her mobile one day and she told me she and Chivers were in London, not far from my home. Why didnt you tell me you were coming? I asked, surprised  because she would usually have arranged to meet me.

She sounded guarded but agreed we should all have dinner together in the West End. However, when we met, she was nervous, restless and evasive. She was smoking, which she hadnt done for years. I was very concerned.

Celia last saw her mother alive just before her 50th birthday, she said at the time Maria (pictured) looked like a shadow of her former self

Then Chivers compounded my worries by showing me an assortment of illegal drugs, including cannabis, he had bought. I did not hide my disgust and anger. I told him sharply not to involve my mum in his seedy habits. I was alarmed by his behaviour. One minute he was claiming to care for my mum; the next he was laughing about buying drugs.

I took Mum to one side and said she should sever links with him immediately. Actually, she agreed. But even then I suspected she was trapped; so fearful of him she couldnt break away.

From that moment Chivers regarded me as the enemy and I sensed him controlling every conversation Mum had with me.

As the months passed my fears grew. Id phone her and she would seem distant; unsure of herself. When she talked to me I felt as if he was behind her, like a malevolent shadow, directing her answers.

And it caused a rift between us. Wed been so close, but we spoke less and less because I could not understand why she was in thrall to him.

Then a few months later she rang to tell me the relationship was over. I felt utter relief.

I saw her just before her 50th birthday as I was due to go away to a retreat for ten days. I was glad our temporary estrangement had been healed before I left.

But when I saw Mum that day  how could I have known it would be the last time Id see her alive? She looked a shadow of her former self; as small and frail as a hunted animal. She winced as she walked and told me she had slipped on some oil in the kitchen and hurt her side. Only later did I learn that Chivers had hit her with such force he had broken several ribs.

Maria met Marc Chivers (pictured) while walking her Terrier Lila, months later he strangled her using Lilas dog lead

I did not stay long that day, but I promised Mum Id buy her tea at the Ritz as a birthday treat. As she kissed me goodbye she said, I love you Celia. I wish you were around more because I feel stronger when youre with me, and she hugged me as if she didnt want me to go.

I now know, looking back, that she was scared for her life.

For the ten days after that I had no phone. When I turned on my mobile there were 40 messages.

The first was from the police. They said my mum had gone missing but I should not be alarmed. But already panic was rising. Then there was one from Mums best friend Jackie. She was distraught, crying. Please call me, and I knew instantly something awful had happened. I imagined Mum was in hospital. I didnt for a moment think shed been murdered.

I wanted to be alone when I called Jackie, so my friends stopped the car. I walked into a field. And then there was Jackies voice on the end of the line sobbing.

Celia, Im so, so sorry, she repeated and I said, Tell me, tell me. Whats going on? and that was when she said, Your mums dead. Shes been murdered.

I remember screaming. I said, Who did it? Who? and she said, Its him. Marc. I sank to my knees.

In the four-hour journey home I was a ball of neurotic, restless energy, my thoughts and heart racing. Then I got to my flat and the hard fact clicked into place. Mum had gone. I slumped against the wall and cried my heart out.

After her mother's death, Celia (pictured) discovered that Chivers had already served 15 years in prison for murdering his girlfriend in Germany

I wanted answers. I wanted to know how she had died. The police said they couldnt tell me. I was choked with anger. I thought: Im entitled to know.

A few days later, on Christmas Eve 2008, my brother read in the paper that Mum had been strangled with Lilas dog lead. It was horrendous to learn the details from a newspaper report. But this was only the start of an escalating nightmare. We later learned that Chivers was already a convicted killer when he met my mother in April 2008.

In 1993 he had strangled his then girlfriend in Germany and served 15 years in prison for her murder. Then he had been deported to Britain, where he had been allowed to live, unsupervised and unchecked. He had only been back in the UK for 11 months when he singled her out to be his next victim. What haunts me still is the fact that my mum would be alive if the police had not made a series of errors.

For I learned, too, that shortly after they met, Chivers had physically and sexually assaulted her, but she was so terrified of him she hadnt dared tell me.

He spent four months in Chelmsford prison for the offence  in fact he served only half his sentence, which was astounding in view of his record  and Mum was given a panic alarm. This was deactivated after he was released  leaving Mum vulnerable  and although she broke off their relationship, he continued to terrorise her.

Had police made rudimentary checks on Chivers after his first assault on my mum they would have known how dangerous he was. Had they been trained to recognise the signs of domestic abuse they could have saved her.

At one point he broke into Mums home and stole a Cartier watch. She informed the police but they vacillated, and when they did call at her house Chivers himself answered the door. Although my mothers car was on the drive, he convinced them Mum had gone on holiday with friends.

Celia (pictured) who supports Safelives, is campaigning to improve police training, to ensure that they recognise domestic violence

Officers chose to believe the word of a convicted killer as he stood on the doorstep of a woman whom he had assaulted. They did not search the house.In fact they went away, giving him licence to escape had he chosen to.

Meanwhile, my mum was already lying dead, just feet away from them, under a pile of coats in her cloakroom.

The catalogue of errors, negligence and misjudgements is nothing short of criminal. It was a day before the police searched the house and arrested Chivers. He is in prison for life now.

I consider myself a pioneer rather than a victim. I work with the charity Peaceful Solutions, promoting non-violent communication and healthy relationship education. My aim is to prevent others from suffering  and dying  needlessly as my mother did.

I do it because I feel we must elevate and empower one another so we do not fall prey to abusers. Prevention is the cure.

So I campaign to help improve police training; to ensure they recognise cases of domestic violence and deal with them. It also gives me an outlet for my grief.

I support Safelives because they have provided a light in a dark tunnel for me and many others.

More than 11 years after she was murdered, not a minute goes by when I dont think of Mum. I still hear her laughter and it comforts me. I hear her voice, too, telling me she loves me.

I wake up each morning wanting to make a difference to people ensnared by violence and threats as she was. If, through my efforts, just one life is saved, my mums death will not have been in vain.

For support and information on domestic violence contact the National Domestic Abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit www.safelives.org.uk

As told to Frances Hardy
New Delhi, Feb 19 : The Centre has approved the appointment of a UN expert, a retired Army officer and a former Coast Guard Director General as members of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), apart from extending member Kamal Kishore's term by another five years.

The names of Krishna Vatsa, Policy Adviser, Disaster Recovery, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Rajendra Singh, former Coast Guard DG; and Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd) as NDMA members have been approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is ex-officio chairperson of NDMA.

The three new members were chosen from a list of over 50 candidates after the Home Ministry had invited applications from subject experts.

The government had scaled down the rank of NDMA members from Minister of State to Secretary in the central government in 2014.

Kishore's fresh tenure would be from the date of assumption of charge, a government order has said.

Kishore has worked on disaster risk reduction and recovery issues for over 22 years at various levels. He was appointed as NDMA member in 2014.

Prior to joining the NDMA, Kishore worked with the UNDP for nearly 13 years in New Delhi, Geneva and New York. At UNDP headquarters, he led the global advocacy campaigns to address disaster risk reduction concerns in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the post-2015 development agenda.
San Antonio police are searching for three people who attempted to break into an ATM on the West Side on Wednesday morning.

Police were called to the Chase Bank at 10800 Pontranco Road just before 4 a.m. for three individuals trying to break into the machine. A security guard at the bank said the suspects pulled up in a blue pickup truck with paper plates and pulled down the ATM with a chain before breaking into it with crowbars, according to police.
The Interior Ministry has played a vital role in suppressing the Iranian peoples nationwide uprisings in November 2019 and January 2020, as well as previous uprisings.

Irans Minister of the Interior Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, who called for the violent crackdown on the peaceful November 2019 uprising, thanked the State Security Force and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) for the massacre of the unarmed, mostly young, protesters.

His remarks about the state-ordered massacre of 1,500 people, which also left 4,000 wounded and 12,000 arrested, are about as chilling as it is possible to be.

On December 17, 2019, Mahmoud Sadeqi, the regime parliaments deputy from Karaj, asked Rahmani Fazli why protesters had been shot in the head.

This is a perfectly legitimate question because in most countries, the only people shot disqualifying by security forces are suspected terrorists wearing what looks like suicide vests. The goal here is to stop the bomb from being activated and causing further loss of life, but what harm were unarmed protesters doing? Who were their chants going to kill? What damage were their signs causing?

Rahmani Fazli callously responded: Well, they were shot in the leg too.

The Interior Ministry is also responsible for organizing the mullahs sham parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for Friday, February 21.

These elections, more so than ever before, have been accused of astronomical fraud and vote-rigging because the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has done his level best to disqualify any candidates from the rival faction in order to consolidate his power and keep the regime in power for that little bit longer.

The Guardian Council, which is directly or indirectly appointed by Khamenei, has made sure that in allbut 30 seats, Khameneis candidates are the only ones standing, which even means disqualifying 90 sitting MPs.

In related news, the defiant Iranian youth, attacked the Iranian primary center for torture and suppression in Isfahan Province in the early morning of Sunday, February 16, setting it ablaze, according to the Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

They wrote that the local Office of Government Punishments has played an active role in the arrest and torture of Iranian people and youth, particularly during the November 2019 uprising.

Read more:

Resistance Units Celebrate Solemanis Death
Up until now, Democrats have been focused on finding the right candidate who can Get Trump.

For a while, many were gravitating toward Joe Biden for this very reason, citing his Scranton roots and supposed common man demeanor. It wasn't based on any authentic affection for Biden. It was who could Beat Trump. As Biden fell apart over impeachment, with revelations about how he amassed wealth for himself and his relatives in public office, some moved over to Pete Buttigieg or Amy Klobuchar.

Then Michael Bloomberg came on the scene, scarfing up a large part of the collapsing Biden vote by pouring money into the presidential race. He hired staff at exorbitant salaries. He spent so much on TV ads that he drove rates up, leaving the remaining Democrats with just scraps. Bloomberg's effectively bottomless pit of money and his tactical history of bribing activists to keep quiet about him were effectively a leveraged buyout of a down-and-out Democratic Party.

Yet he was everything Democrats hated: he was a billionaire, Mister 0.00001%. He was politically incorrect. He was as sexist and racist as they came. He was a phony, paying "influencers" to booster for him, which is about as inauthentic as it gets. He also was an unpopular mayor who neglected New York City with no preparations as Hurricane Sandy hit and turned Manhattan into a sea of glass skyscrapers and empty storefronts. Not even lefties like this stuff. Then he got the DNC to bend the rules to allow him onto the Democratic debate stage, his first appearance today, which was something Cory Booker and Kamala Harris could not do. All this, through the miracle of money. To the Democrats who moved to Bloomberg from Camp Biden, that made him the guy who could beat Trump.

But something else happened, and the timing was pinpoint: Bernie Sanders rose to first place in several polls, and by a massive double-digit margin. Sanders broke out.

BREAKING: Bernie Sanders is soaring and Joe Biden has crashed in national preference for the Democratic primary, new @ABC News/WaPo poll findswhile Iowa and New Hampshire helped clear room for a candidate not yet on the ballot: Mike Bloomberg. https://t.co/I2ciI4bOim pic.twitter.com/lsynMaYn1q  ABC News (@ABC) February 19, 2020

Politico and Slate have more.

That's despite Sanders's age, his ten tons of political positively communist baggage, and his unworkable plan to "transform" America into Venezuela, all things that pretty well kept him from rising to the top earlier. He's an old, old, old radical whose communist views have never mellowed, as Megan McArdle noted here. But somehow he's now the Democratic frontrunner, and that's despite the conventional wisdom, probably correct, that he can't Beat Trump.

And most important, that's despite this issue described by NPR:

Poll: Sanders Rises, But Socialism Isn't Popular With Most Americans

People, including Democrats, despise what Sanders stands for. But they're still signing up for Bernie.

Coming at this time, it's a sign that what Democrats really don't like is Michael Bloomberg's cynical takeover of their party, based on his big money.

There are actually two pieces of circumstantial evidence to suggest that this scurry to Bernie is being propelled by Bloomberg's rise.

One, there's the extreme negativity on Twitter on Bloomberg  and most of it's coming from the left. Here's a random sample from the past few hours:

Op-Ed: Michael Bloomberg is an oligarch trying to buy the presidency. Heres why thats a problem pic.twitter.com/Zvdnjx4hlP  NowThis (@nowthisnews) February 19, 2020

For an apparent real estate mogul and incredible businessman, @realDonaldTrump sure is allowing a lot of people to live rent free in his head.



I hope Pelosi, Schiff, Warren, Bloomberg, Clinton, Biden, Nadler, and Mueller dont mind residing in such a sh*tty neighborhood.  Hamish Mitchell Photography (@H_MitchellPhoto) February 19, 2020

New @intercepted: Mike Bloomberg ran Stasi-style police and surveillance operations against Muslim Americans https://t.co/S8OAyvAVyo  The Intercept (@theintercept) February 19, 2020

2.18: Bloomberg qualifies for NV; Protester rips Bloomberg; Top issues for Black women voters https://t.co/lLV6lZSxf7  rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) February 19, 2020

Two, there's Chris Cillizza's CNN analysis of why Bloomberg has risen, which is actually a more important story about why Sanders has risen.

He describes the breakup of the Biden campaign as benefiting Bloomberg among various Democratic groups, contributing to shifts in the Democratic nomination dynamic. Bloomberg is up, yes. But look more closely at what this Biden breakup has done for Sanders.

First, Cillizza cites this demographic:

1) Moderates: Bloomberg has emerged as the top choice for Democratic voters who view themselves more in the ideological middle of the party. He takes 29% among moderates as compared to 23% for Sanders, 14% for Biden and 13% for Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Twenty-three percent of moderates have moved to Sanders? Over the arguably moderate Bloomberg? That's the strongest sign that Bloomberg is a problem even for lefty voters who think Sanders is too extreme.

2) Non-college whites: This was one of the pillars of Biden's support going into this race  he's from Scranton!  but no longer. Among this group, it's Sanders who leads with 34% followed by Bloomberg at 24% and Biden at just 10%. (Among all white voters, Bernie leads with 29% followed by Bloomberg at 18% and Warren at 15%. Biden takes just 9%.)

Memo to Chris: These voters are going to Trump, not Bloomberg.

3) Old(er) voters: While Sanders has a massive lead over the field among voters younger than 45 (he's at 54%!), it's Bloomberg whose the top choice of the 45 and older crowd. He takes 27%, to 22% for Biden and 13% for Sanders.

Beating Trump is strong with this crowd, so off to Bloomberg it is. Plus, the older voters would remember how well communism worked out the last 40 or 50 times it was tried. Likely no gains there.

Then there's this demographic:

4) Small-town/rural voters: Yes, it's not exactly the most obvious fit: the guy who spent more than a decade running New York City performing well among people who lives in small towns and rural areas. But here we are! Sanders leads among these voters with 28%, but he is followed closely by Bloomberg at 24%. Biden takes 13%.

Rural voters, even lefty ones, are keenly aware of being shut out of pretty much everything by the contemptuous elites, which would explain their broad support for President Trump. On the leftside, though, this dynamic holds, too, so they're moving to Bernie, not Bloomie, too. Plus, Bernie didn't insult farmers the way Bloomberg did, the percentage since that came out for Bernie is now likely even higher.

Now Sanders is soaring to the top bigtime as Bloomberg gains traction. It's almost as if Bloomberg is driving the Democrats into the arms of Bernie Sanders whose chief virtue now is that he's Not Bloomberg. It's a battle for the soul of the Democratic Party. And it's like Beating Trump no longer even matters, Sanders voters on some level must know that Bernie can't beat Trump. But they're still in his corner. They just don't want to be in a party that's run by a vulgar, racist billionaire who can call any shot he wants with the power of his money, and every lefty activist group that takes it will be happily dancing to his tune.

Nice work, Mikey. You've now driven the Democratic Party into the far-left abyss.

As Lenin once said: "When it comes time to hang the capitalists, they will vie with each other for the rope contract." As voters flock to Bernie, and Democratic elites, establishmentarians and beat-Trump fanatics move to support Bloomberg, that's what we have now. With guys like Kyle Jurek still on Bernie staff, you can bet the Bernistas are noticing.

Image credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Open source

NSDC Deputy Secretary Serhiy Kryvonis asked the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky not to sign the State Defense Order and send it for revision. He wrote about this on his Facebook page.

Yesterday at the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council, two extremely important issues were considered: adoption of the National Security and Defense Strategy, as well as the State Defense Order. Our independence and independence depend on these two strategic documents. In my opinion, it was necessary to tell the media and the public in more detail that we will have for the state after their adoption," - it was informed.

He noted that the National Security Strategy of Ukraine is the main document of defense planning, that is, it is the basis for planning the activities of state authorities in the field of national security.

As for the State Defense Order. Its coverage was incomprehensible. What I saw and know caused me outrage and misunderstanding of the proposed solutions. Based on my experience, I ask the president not to sign it, but to send it for revision, - the NSDC deputy secretary added.

According to him, this document raises questions for the competence of managers and those responsible for its preparation.

Adopting it in this form will lead to the disruption of key defense programs and initiatives, which in the future can lead to weakening of our defense capability instead of building up. The most important thing is the missile program. It interests the Russians. We are for the development of the program, and they are for phasing out. For these are our missiles, like a bone in the throat. For the previous years, the missile program was a priority. Today I havent heard that," - Kryvonis explained.

The NSDC deputy secretary also called on the president to take a very balanced approach to strategic planning, the possible development of events and decide exclusively in favor of the state, its defense and security

As we reported before, Today, on January 19, Secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Oleksiy Danilov held a meeting with Coordinator for Counterterrorism within the U.S. Department of State Nathan Sales.
Pune : , Feb 19 (IANS) Lobbing a surprise political googly, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party should have allied much earlier for the benefit of the people of Maharashtra.

"Why did we, Ajit-dada (Pawar) and me (the Sena) unnecessarily stay apart all these years? We should have united much earlier. But now that we are together, I assure the people that we (the Maha Vikas Aghadi government) will not rest till we develop the state," Thackeray said as several NCP leaders smiled broadly and the crowds responded enthusiastically.

The CM was speaking at the 390th birth anniversary celebrations of the great Maratha warrior king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, at his birthplace in the historic Shivneri Fort, built on the hills in Junnar, Pune district.

Thackeray was joined by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Ministers of State Aditi Tatkare and Dattatray Bharne and NCP MP Amol Kolhe and MLA Atul Benke, other leaders and activists.

Thackeray's statement came a day after the Sena-NCP-Congress appeared to be veering around to an uneasy truce after the recent fracas over the Centre's decision to hand over the sensitive Elgar Parishad Koregaon-Bhima case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

In a significant assertion, Thackeray said on Tuesday that the Elgar Parishad and Koregaon-Bhima cases are separate and while the first has gone to the NIA, the second will not be transferred to the Central probe agency, sending relief among the three ruling partners.

Virtually endorsing the CM's statement, NCP President Sharad Pawar raised the matter at his media briefing with similar comments made by Congress.

Addressing the Shiv Jayanti function, Ajit Pawar took a swipe at the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party saying: "We are witnessing a unique feeling today that a peoples' government has truly come to power in Maharashtra. This is the first time we are seeing so much enthusiasm, especially from the youth, on this occasion." Both Thackeray and Ajit Pawar reiterated that there are no tensions among the MVA partners, scotching speculation to the contrary.

When someone from the crowds shouted - "Pay attention to the Shivaji Memorial," Thackeray laughed and replied: "Yes.. Don't worry... This is the peoples' government and we are looking at everything." He announced a Rs 23-crore fund for the urgent preservation and development of the Shivneri Fort to different departments like the forest, archaeology and PWD to take up the works.

"This amount will be cleared today itself. When Uddhav Thakeray assumed responsibility as CM, his first decision was to allot Rs 20 crore for the preservation of Raigad Fort, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's capital," said Ajit Pawar.

Referring to the recent simmering spat among the three allies, the DCM said that the leaders of all parties carefully weigh every issue before taking decisions intended to maintain peace and communal harmony in the state.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A "large fire" consumed the Porterville Library Tuesday evening.

PORTERVILLE, Calif.  Two 13-year-olds have been arrested and booked on suspicion arson and manslaughter charges in a deadly fire on Tuesday that destroyed the Porterville Library.

Tuesdays blaze started shortly after 4 p.m. and killed one firefighter and left another missing.

The man killed has been identified as Fire Capt. Raymond Figueroa, 35. He started with the department in 2007. Additionally, firefighter Patrick Jones, 25, is still missing. Hes been with the department since 2017.

The teens have been booked in the Tulare County Juvenile Detention Center.

Tulare County Fire Capt. Joe Rosa is leading the arson investigation. Fresno City Fire is also lending its K9 to help with the investigation and recovery.

Porterville is about 30 miles southeast of Visalia and 150 miles north of Los Angeles.

Porterville Library caught fire on Tuesday, February 18, 2020.

Fire crews from Tulare County and Porterville were called to Main Street and Thurman Avenue where the library was ablaze, just steps from City Hall and the fire department. The 1953 building was deemed historic by the city.

There were no sprinklers inside. A library full of books also presented challenges for first responders.

Typical a library of this size and magnitude has a significant fuel load, Tulare County Fire Chief Charlie Norman said.

Witnesses said there was heavy black smoke and "fireballs" shooting from the windows as firefighters doused the flames from all angles.

City Librarian Vikki Cervantes is "heartbroken" from the "devastating loss" her community faces as the library she headed for more than 25 years went up in flames.

There are roughly 77,000 books housed in the library, Cervantes said.

"My heart is in my stomach right now," the Porterville native said as she watched the tragic scene unfold from a safe distance.

Cervantes staff called 911 as soon as they noticed the fire in the childrens section of the library. The library, located in the heart of downtown, is surrounded by at least four schools.

"Porterville is resilient," she said. "We are a strong community and we will come together to figure out the next steps."

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Porterville, California library fire: Teens charged in deadly fire
Peter Ueda, intern physician and postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Medicine in Solna at Karolinska Institutet. Credit: Stefan Zimmerman

The financial burden on health systems would drastically increase if new European expert guidelines for cholesterol-lowering treatment were implemented, according to a new simulation study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the European Heart Journal. The findings highlight an urgent need for cost-effectiveness analysis given the current cost of the proposed treatment for very high-risk patients, the researchers say.

In August 2019, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) recommended that low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (LDL-C), often described as the "bad" cholesterol, should be substantially lowered to prevent cardiovascular disease, especially in very high-risk patients. The guidelines carry significant weight for clinicians and authorities and are often used as a reference point for treatments in Europe and elsewhere.

For patients with a very high risk of cardiovascular disease, such as those with a recent heart attack, the new guidelines recommend both lowering the LDL-C level by at least 50 percent and having a LDL-C level of less than 1.4 millimoles per liter of blood (mmol/L). This is a sharp reduction compared to previous guidelines presented three years earlier. To reach these targets, the organizations recommend combining lifestyle modifications with the low-cost, cholesterol-lowering statins and ezetimibe. If the LDL-C goal isn't reached despite the use of these therapies, adding a new type of high-cost cholesterol-lowering drug known as a PCSK9 inhibitor is recommended.

In this study, the researchers predicted the implications of the new guidelines by calculating how many patients would be eligible for expanded therapy. Using Sweden's national registry for heart disease patients, SWEDEHEART, the researchers studied more than 25,000 people who suffered heart attacks between 2013 to 2017 and whose cholesterol levels were measured during follow-up visits after six to 10 weeks.

The researchers found that more than 50 percent of the patients would be eligible for PCSK9 inhibitors as they would not have reached the LDL-C targets with only high-intensity statins and ezetimibe. When use of two currently approved PCSK9 inhibitor drugs (alirocumab or evolocumab) was simulated in those patients, around 90 percent of all patients attained the LDL-C target. The annual cost of treating a patient in Sweden with PCSK9 inhibitors is more than 4,500 euros compared to only around 30 euros with statins or ezetimibe.

"PCSK9 inhibitors are clearly effective cholesterol-lowering drugs that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, but they come at a substantial cost," says Ali Allahyari, resident physician in cardiology and doctoral student at the Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, and first author of the study. "If half of the patients with heart attacks were eligible for this drug, the financial burden on health systems throughout Europe and other countries using the ESC/EAS guidelines could be substantial unless the cost of treatment is reduced."

Using previous analyses, the researchers explored to what degree lowering bad cholesterol can reduce the risk of another severe cardiovascular episode. They estimated that using the PCSK9 inhibitor drug alirocumab to prevent one major adverse cardiovascular event, such as another heart attack, would cost around 846,000 in Sweden (8.9 million Swedish kronor).

"Many new therapies are being tested and introduced in cardiovascular medicine today," says Peter Ueda, intern physician and postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Medicine in Solna who led the study. "Our analyses highlight yet another situation for which we need to consider what we deem reasonable in terms of the number of patients being treated, the expected health gains and cost."

Explore further Heart attack patients with diabetes may benefit from cholesterol-lowering injections

More information: Ali Allahyari et al, Application of the 2019 ESC/EAS dyslipidaemia guidelines to nationwide data of patients with a recent myocardial infarction: a simulation study, European Heart Journal (2020). Journal information: European Heart Journal Ali Allahyari et al, Application of the 2019 ESC/EAS dyslipidaemia guidelines to nationwide data of patients with a recent myocardial infarction: a simulation study,(2020). DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa034
Kamikazes

Your article Death Before Dishonor [by Jon Guttman, January 2020] was very good. I was surprised you didnt mention SS John Burke, a Liberty ship hit by a kamikaze on Dec. 28, 1944. An ammo ship, it was obliterated when struck. My father, Lt. Thomas J. Woods, was an officer aboard LST-395 when Burke was hit. He told us about how rough that particular convoy run was and about the Burke explosion. Two of his men were hit by debris when it exploded. You can watch a video of the attack on YouTube.

Just info only and a tribute to the men of SS John Burke, so they will not be forgotten.

Lisa Woods

Upland, Calif.

Editor responds: Unfortunately, given space limitations, we couldnt expound on every ship struck and/or sunk by kamikazessomething better left to a book-length examination. That said, it is worth relating the story of SS John Burke, one of three Liberty ships sunk by kamikazes during the war. In December 1944 it was one of 100 ships in the Uncle Plus 15 convoy sent from Guam to support landing operations on the island of Mindoro in the Philippines. On the morning of December 28, hours after having left the Leyte Gulf, the convoy came under attack from a flight of six Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter planes flown by kamikaze pilots, one of whom crashed his aircraft into Burkes munitions-packed cargo holds. The resulting blast was among the largest nonnuclear explosions ever recorded. Burkes 40 merchant mariners and 28 naval armed guards were killed outright, and the explosion severely damaged several nearby ships. It must have been a devastating sight when its cargo went up, particularly given the loss of so many men in that split second. The rest of the Uncle Plus 15 convoy reached Mindoro two days later.

You reference a number of kamikaze pilots by name. How do you know who the pilots were?

Tom Parks

Modesto, Calif.

Jon Guttman responds: Among other present-day sources is the Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots, in Kagoshima Prefecture, while a plaque in Tokyos Yasukuni Shrine lists the names of 5,843 kamikazes who died attacking Allied shipping during World War II. Another plaque commemorates the pilots thus: The suicide operators, incomparable in their tragic bravery, struck terror in their foes and engulfed the entire country in tears of gratitude for their outstanding loyalty and selfless service.

Given the sacred nature of the missions, kamikaze units recorded the names of its pilots on scrolls for future enshrinement. In many cases officers aboard the Allied ships the kamikazes hit preserved their remains with some sort of documentation to enable intelligence officers to determine their identities. The crews of the U.S. aircraft carrier Enterprise, battleship Missouri and at least one of the escort carriers, among other vessels, ceremoniously committed the remains of kamikaze pilots to the sea.

Still another source of deductive identification has been derived from poetry the suicide airmen wrote before embarking on their missions (a practice often performed during formal acts of seppuku), discovered among the papers of their units after the war.

14th Colony

[Re. The Fight for the 14th Colony, by Dana Benner, January 2020:] Nova Scotians are proud to consider themselves the 14th American colony and have some reason for that claim, although the Crown colony of Jamaica actually predates the Treaty of Paris by eight years. That treaty also established two other British colonies in North America: East and West Florida. (As a sixth generation Floridian, I tend to be a bit touchy about the Floridas being ignored in discussions of the American Revolution.) Which of these four was actually the 14th, 15th, 16th or 17th is open to debate. Certainly oneWest Floridawas the 14th to be conquered during that war by hostile forces. It was seized by the Spanish in 1782.

L.G. Gramling

Gainesville, Fla.

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[February 19, 2020] Udemy Secures $50 Million Investment from Long-time Partner, Benesse Holdings

Udemy, the largest global marketplace for learning and teaching online, announced today that the company's long-time partner in Japan, Benesse Holdings, Inc., has agreed to invest $50 million in Udemy with a valuation of $2 billion. "Benesse is an important strategic partner for Udemy, and this investment is a testament to the strength of our relationship and the opportunity ahead of us," said Gregg Coccari, CEO of Udemy. "Udemy is on a mission to improve lives through learning, and so is Benesse. 2020 will be a milestone year where we serve millions more students and enable thousands of businesses and governments to upskill their employees. This growth wouldn't be possible without our expert instructors who partner with us every step of the way as we build this business." "Access to the latest workplace skills is crucial for success everywhere, including Japan; and Udemy is the world's largest marketplace enabling professional transformation. With this partnership, we envision a world where more people can continue to learn continuously throughout their lives," said Tamotsu Adachi, Representative Director, President and CEO of Benesse Holdings Inc. "Udemy and Benesse are incredibly synergistic businesses. This investment is the next progression in our business relationship and demonstrates our confidence in what we can accomplish together." The funding round follows a year of considerable growth for the company globally. Udemy celebrated its ten-year anniversary in January 2020 and also marked over $350 million in lifetime payments to instructors sharing their knowledge on the global platform. The company plans to further invest in markets around the world and will expand its San Francisco headquarters as well as grow its offices in Denver, Colorado; Dublin, Ireland; Gurgaon, India; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Ankara, Turkey. In 2019, Udemy also grew its Udemy for Business subscription-based corporate learning product internationally with a fully localized product experience and new course collections in Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and German, taught by native instructors. In addition, LearningPaths were introduced, enabling organizations to build personalized learning experiences to achieve specific outcomes, such as employee onboarding and career development. In 2019, Udemy for Business reached the milestone of serving over 5,000 corporate customers globally. Customers choosing to upskill their employees with Udemy for Business include Adidas, Booking.com, Pinterest, Toyota, and Wipro (News - Alert), among others.



About Udemy With a mission to improve lives through learning, Udemy is the world's largest online learning destination that helps students, businesses, and governments gain the skills they need to compete in today's economy. Millions of students are mastering new skills from 57,000 expert instructors teaching over 150,000 online courses in topics from programming and data science to leadership and team building. For companies, Udemy for Business offers an employee training and development platform with subscription access to 4,000+ courses, learning analytics, as well as the ability to host and distribute their own content. Udemy for Government is designed to upskill workers and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow. Eighty percent of Fortune 100 companies trust Udemy for employee upskilling. Udemy is privately held and headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Denver, Brazil, India, Ireland, and Turkey. Udemy investors include Insight Partners, Prosus (Naspers (News - Alert) Ventures), Norwest Venture Partners, and Stripes.

About Benesse Benesse Group is guided by a corporate philosophy of "Benesse = Well-Being." Benesse conducts business in the fields of domestic and global education, senior nursing care and childcare, and gives customers the support to make the best lifestyle choices - the ones that lead to the long-term betterment of their lives. In the 60 plus years since the founding in 1955, Benesse has accumulated knowledge in the fields of education and senior nursing care and has provided such services by developing close ties to the customers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005239/en/

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Protestor Saul Brown speaks to other demonstrators outside the Business Development Bank of Canada at 1515 Douglas Street as part of a protest against the Coastal GasLink pipeline, in Victoria on Feb. 14, 2020. (Kevin Light/Reuters)

Trudeau Urges Patience, Promises Reconciliation in Face of Anti-Pipeline Protests

OTTAWAPrime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to redouble reconciliation efforts with Indigenous Peoples on Feb. 18, as he sought to ease tensions over nationwide blockades erected in opposition to a British Columbia pipeline project.

Even as Trudeau called for patience, questions abounded over how he planned to make good on his promise. He faced demands from the Opposition Conservatives to crack down on protesters who have disrupted large parts of the countrys transportation network.

Several First Nations leaders agreed in their own news conference in Ottawa that the dispute speaks to broaderand longstandingconcerns from Indigenous communities, but they also appeared uncertain over how the current crisis can be truly resolved.

Trudeau delivered his most extensive remarks yet on the blockades and the $6.6billion naturalgas pipeline protesters oppose in an address to the House of Commons, where MPs were preparing to hold an emergency debate on the standoff.

What we are facing was not created overnight, Trudeau said. It was not created because we have embarked upon a path of reconciliation recently in our history. It is because for too long in our history, for too many years, we failed to do so. Therefore, finding a solution will not be simple.

Trudeau said many Indigenous people feel betrayed by the federal government after decades of empty promises, as he added that Canadians across the country are suffering because of the blockades.

Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters CEO Dennis Darby, for instance, said the crisis is beyond serious and estimated some $425 million in goods is becoming stranded every day the blockade continues.

It was in this context that Trudeau called for trust and patience from all sides to resolve not only the current crisis, but to also work on reconciliation to ensure similar disputes dont erupt.

The opportunity is there on the table right now, he said. We are in this together: the worker, the senior, the Indigenous leader, the protester, and the police officer. Let us have the courage to take this opportunity and take action together and so to build a better path for all Canadians.

How Trudeau and his Liberal government might take that opportunity wasnt apparent.

Bloc Quebecois Leader YvesFrancois Blanchet compared the prime ministers speech to the promises Trudeau made to Indigenous people during the 2015 federal election campaign.

Trudeau noted the federal governments offer to have CrownIndigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett meet with hereditary chiefs of the Wetsuweten First Nation, whose opposition to the Coastal GasLink pipeline crossing their land sparked the current crisis.

However, a hereditary chief said Tuesday afternoon they wont meet until the RCMP leave the area where they arrested 28 people this month while enforcing an injunction.

A man with a sign stands near the site of a rail stoppage on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, as part of a protest against British Columbias Coastal GasLink pipeline, in Tyendinaga, Ont., on Feb. 15, 2020. (Carlos Osorio/File Photo via Reuters)

The RCMP have operated a mobile detachment off a logging road outside Houston, B.C., since January 2019, after they enforced a similar injunction in the area.

While the RCMP have said their major operations in the region this month have concluded, theyve also said the mobile unit will remain in place and continue patrols of the corridor to ensure everyones safety.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer pointed out that Trudeaus address didnt include a plan to end the blockades that have halted train service to parts of the country for more than a week and temporarily closed bridges and highways.

Describing Trudeaus speech as the weakest response to a national crisis in Canadian history, Scheer blasted the protesters as radical activists and demanded immediate action to end the blockades, which he said were holding our economy hostage.

The Conservative leader suggested many of the protesters have little connection to First Nations and are opposed to all oil and gas pipelines.

The prime ministers elevation of these protesters to the same level as the thousands of men and women in First Nations communities across our country who have in good faith been trying to right the wrongs of Canadian history does a disservice to the spirit of reconciliation, he said.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, who has been critical of Trudeaus response to the blockades, tweeted hes convened a conference call Wednesday of premiers as Chair of the Council of the Federation due to what he called a lack of federal leadership in addressing this ongoing illegal activity.

There was no immediate word on which premiers would be taking part.

VIA Rail trains are seen parked at Via Rails Toronto Maintenance Centre after CN Rail said it will halt operations in eastern Canada and VIA Rail cancelled its service, as its rail lines continue to be blocked by anti-pipeline protesters, at Union Station in Toronto on Feb. 14, 2020. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)

Scheer, whom Trudeau later barred from a meeting he called with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Bloc Quebecois Leader Blanchet, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, suggested most people in the Wetsuweten First Nation support the project, pointing to TC Energy as having signed an agreement for its Coastal GasLink pipeline with 20 elected band councils, including the Wetsuweten band council.

By Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press
Date -night turned into just another day at work for a US cop couple who happened to foil a robbery while having dinner at a restaurant.

Being married for six months, Chase and Nicole McKeown, both officers at the Elizabethtown station, were having a quiet dinner at Raising Cane's, a popular restaurant chain in Kentucky on Saturday night when the mundane night took a turn. A man in a makeshift white mask entered the restaurant and approached the counter.

While the off-duty cops first assumed the mask could be a health precaution, they soon realised that something was not right. It was only after the employee at the counter raised his hands that the cops realised the masked man had the former on gunpoint. At this point, the McKeowns also drew their weapons and chased the man out of the store, local news channel WDRB reported.

VIDEO: Married off-duty Elizabethtown Police officers recognized for catching robber on 'date night' https://t.co/r3x0CJZrCR pic.twitter.com/fUUmvS5QfW WDRB News (@WDRBNews) February 18, 2020

The alleged robber, who dropped his gun during the chase, was caught by the cops and apprehended to officers from the Louisville Metro Police department.

LMPD's robbery unit deputy Dan Mason said that that "heroic actions" of the two off-duty cops helped save the day and prevent any crimes from taking place.

A video of the incident captured from CCTV cameras was also posted on Facebook.
US taxpayers will pay an additional $3.8 billion to build more than 177 miles of new border fencing  Trumps big, beautiful wall  along the countrys southern border with Mexico, it was recently revealed. The new funding includes $1.6 billion from the Overseas Contingency Operations fund, a war account used for emergency requirements, including the budgets for the National Guard, National Reserve and special funding for deployed troops. That fund includes imminent danger pay, family separation allowance and hardship duty pay, among others. The rest of the $2.2 billion will come from the from money allocated by Congress to the military for vehicles, aircraft, ships and other equipment.

Ranging between $20 and $30 million dollars a mile, and with a price tag of $11 million and rising, Trump has managed to build the most expensive wall in the world. And everyone else is paying the price.

This isnt the first time the President has dipped his hand into the militarys spending jar to try and make good on his racist political promises. After Trumps declaration of a national emergency in February of last year, the Secretary of Defense, Dr Mark Esper, authorized the diversion of $3.6 billion from nearly 130 domestic and overseas military construction projects, including K-12 schools on domestic and international military bases and funding for Hurricane Maria relief, to build the border wall.

Pentagon officials hoped that those projects would be backfilled by Congress, but that hasnt happened yet.

And thanks to a controversial and obscure federal statute, Trumps declaration of a national emergency at the southern border allows the Pentagon to circumvent Congressional approval for the ongoing, massive spending project. At a press conference last week, Sec. Esper addressed criticisms that the President and the Department of Defense were violating the Separation of Powers doctrine by encroaching on Congresss spending authority, saying, Border security is national security and national security is our mission.

When I asked a spokesman for the Pentagon, Lt. Colonel Chris Mitchell, about whether the military would be involved in building the wall, he told me, The US Army Corps of Engineers will be facilitating the construction They will oversee the contracting process, and the actual construction will be carried out by contractors, not the US military. Trump has promised that nearly 500 miles of border barrier will go up by the end of his term this year, but only 110 miles have been built so far.

 Trumps US-Mexico border wall falls down in high winds

The top-ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, publicly disagreed with the continuous tapping of military funding already allocated by Congress. In a statement, he said, Congress has the constitutional responsibility to determine how defense dollars are spent the final decisions are contained in the bills passed by Congress and signed into law. Once those choices have been made, the Department of Defense cannot change them in pursuit of their own priorities without the approval of Congress. Attempts to do so undermine the principle of civilian control of the military and [are] in violation of the separation of powers within the Constitution. The re-programming announced today is contrary to Congresss constitutional authority, and I believe that it requires Congress to take action.

Reynosa and Matamoros, cities in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, sit right on the other side of the Texas cities of McAllen and Brownsville  where the attempt to build more miles of Trumps barrier has caused problems for businesses and landowners near the border towns. I spoke with Francisco Galvan of the Texas-Tamaulipas Trade Office. He told me that Trump can build walls 10 meters, 20 meters or 30 meters high, but if there arent public policy strategies to generate infrastructure and employment for towns and the marginalized cities in southern Mexico, even more so than Central America  he can build the tallest wall in the world but you still wont be able to stop the migratory influx without that kind of investment. Seasonal visa programs for farm workers, for example, would be a much better way to control migration and it would be a win-win for everybody.

Galvan is right. For starters, the wall wont keep irregular immigrants and illegal narcotics out of the country. Most illegal narcotics  including fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine  are smuggled through legal ports of entry, rather than via irregular border crossings. As for irregular migration by Mexican nationals, it fell by two million people between 2007 and 2017, according to the Pew Research Center. And thats not even a good thing. American farms have been left without the help that they need to keep their businesses going: from Maryland to Florida to Louisiana and California, farm owners have a labor shortage that Mexican and Central American workers are content to fill if given the chance.

Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Show all 30 1 /30 Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Members of the Proud Boys, a fascist group, jeer at anti-Trump protesters outside of the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A supporter dressed as Uncle Sam poses at Uncle Sam Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A baby blimp rears its head amidst a group of anti-Trump protesters outside the president't campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam President Trump addresses supporters at the launch event of his 2020 election campaign in Orlando, Florida Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Proud Boys have adopted Fred Perry polo shirts as their uniform and many members have the name of the group tattooed on their arms Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A line of police officers separate opposing groups of protesters outside the launch of President Trump's 2020 campaign launch Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A protester hits a Trump punching bag during a protest outside Trump's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Twin Trump supporters pose for a photo at the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A protester dressed as a caricature of Donald Trump stands outside the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AP Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A Trump supporter faces off against a protester outside the president's campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AFP/Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A Proud Boy shouts across the police line at anti-Trump protesters outside the president's campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A Trump supporter poses for a photo at the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A Proud Boy jeers at anti-Trump protesters who are separated from the president's supporters by a police line outside the president's campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A man dressed as Uncle Sam poses at President Trump's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam An anti-Trump protester faces off against a supporter outside the president's campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AFP/Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Members of the Proud Boys, a fascist group, jeer at anti-Trump protesters outside of the president's 2020 campaign launch Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A child holds a 2020 US "dollar bill" that features Donald Trump's face at the president's 2020 campaign launch EPA Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Anti-Trump protesters rally outside the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Anti-Trump protesters rally outside the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Numerous baby Trump balloons are raised in protests outside of the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A supporter wears a T-shirt depicting Trump as a hero at the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam President Trump addresses supporters at the launch event of his 2020 election campaign in the Amway Centre in Orlando, Florida AFP/Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam An anti-Trump protester calls for the president to be impeached outside the launch event for his 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Supporters of Donald Trump face off against protesters outside of the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AP Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A baby blimp rises behind a group of anti-Trump protesters outside the president's campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AP Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A supporter dressed as Uncle Sam poses at President Trump's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AP Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A member of the Proud Boys, a fascist group, holds a sign up outside of the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AFP/Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A supporter bears a Trump flag at the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Protesters hold baby Trump balloons in the rally outside of the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam An anti-Trump protester holds a sign accusing the president of being a traitor Getty

Build that wall was one of the hallmark slogans of Trumps election campaign, but lawsuits from private landowners affected by the construction, as well as civil society groups opposed to the barrier, have impeded the administrations efforts to build the additional miles of border barrier. And while Trump promised that Mexico would pay for the wall, our neighbor to the south hasnt actually spent a dime on the construction.

Whats remarkable is that die-hard Republicans dont seem to understand, or care, that hes making a mockery of our constitutional system of government, their authority as elected officials and our service members. Because its the US military and those that give service to this nation, rather than Mexico, that are footing the bill for Trumps wall. And that shouldnt be good enough for the military-supporting Republicans who seem to be turning a blind eye for Trump.
The Delhi High Court Bar Association expressed shock on Wednesday over the transfer of Justice S Muralidhar to the Punjab and Haryana High Court and said lawyers will abstain from work on Thursday as a mark of protest.

The bar association condemned the decision to transfer Justice Muralidhar and said such transfers were detrimental to the institution and also dislodged the faith of litigants in the justice dispensation system.

"The Delhi High Court Bar Association also resolves to request its members to abstain from work tomorrow, February 20, 2020, as a token of protest as the said transfer is a rarest of rare case, the majesty of our revered institution is at stake," a resolution adopted by the bar association said.

In an emergent executive committee meeting held in the afternoon, the bar association hoped that the Supreme Court Collegium would recall the transfer of Justice Muralidhar to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

"Unequivocally and in the strongest possible terms, the Delhi High Court Bar Association condemns the said transfers.

"Such transfers are not only detrimental to our noble institution but also tend to erode and dislodge the faith of the common litigant in the justice dispensation system. Such transfers also impede free and fair delivery of justice by the bench," the resolution read.

Justice Muralidhar began his law practice in Chennai in September, 1984 and in 1987, shifted to the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court.

He was active as a lawyer for the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee and was its member for two terms.

His pro bono work included the cases for the victims of the Bhopal Gas Disaster and those displaced by dams on the Narmada river.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 04:20:28|Editor: mingmei

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GENEVA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced Tuesday the resumption of the intra-Libyan Joint Military Commission (JMC) talks in Geneva, saying that the participants came with the sense of responsibility and the serious and constructive spirit.

"We hope that this spirit is carried into the fully inclusive Libyan Political Forum scheduled to start on 26 February and urge all parties to seize the opportunity to respond positively," the UNSMIL said in an announcement.

Ghassan Salame, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and head of the UNSMIL, told a press briefing here that he is happy to be back in Geneva to moderate the second round of the military talks.

"The two delegations arrived yesterday, and we started our meetings today at 10 a.m., and we hope to be able, in this second round, to come to some kind of consensus about what a lasting ceasefire could look like in Libya," he said.

Saying that situation on the ground remains a situation where the truce is very fragile, he said that nobody has so far reneged on the principles of accepting the truce and the political process is trying to find a way to go forward.

He added that three tracks needed to be pushed together in a contemporary way: the economic track, the military track and the political one.

The first round of the intra-Libyan Joint Military Commission talks started on Feb. 3 and concluded on Feb. 8 in Geneva.
Boeing said it had found debris in the fuel tanks of several undelivered 737 Max aircraft.

An official said that a range of Foreign Object Debris was recently found in the fuel tanks of several 737 Max airplanes in storage.

The US planemaker built around 400 Max jets before it temporarily halted production in December. Some of them are currently stored in car parks.

The doomed jet was grounded last March following two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, which claimed 346 lives.

Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures Show all 6 1 /6 Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures Boeing 737 aeroplanes are parked in the employee car park of Boeing's Seattle factory King 5 Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures Seen above the car park is the full storage area for planes at Boeing's Seattle factory D. Permadi Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures Six 737s are currently being stored in the car park as they have not been delivered from the factory due to the model being grounded following two major crashes Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures Boeing has incurred first quarter losses of around $1 billion following the crashes and ensuing controversy King 5 Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures The company grounded their 737 model in March following their second deadly crash in months King 5 Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures Seen above the car park is the full storage area for planes at Boeing's Seattle factory

The memo, from Mark Jenks, the general manager of the 737 programme, said Boeing had already updated its processes for eliminating debris, including extra checks before fuel tanks are sealed.

The fuel tank debris was discovered during maintenance on parked planes, and Boeing said it immediately made corrections in its production system to prevent a recurrence. Those steps include more inspections before fuel tanks are sealed.

Recommended Boeing swings to loss amid 737 Max crisis

Mr Jenks said that customers and the flying public are counting on us to do our best work each and every day, adding that times were challenging for Boeing.

For the past 11 months, Boeing has been seeking to fix anti-stall software known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). In both fatal crashes the system forced the nose of the aircraft down despite the pilots efforts to overcome it.

The planemaker is currently testing the updated software for the Boeing 737 Max, but the plane is not expected to be back in service until mid-2020 at the earliest.

A Boeing spokesperson told The Independent: Safely returning the 737 Max to service is our top priority. While conducting maintenance we discovered Foreign Object Debris (FOD) in undelivered 737 MAX airplanes currently in storage. That finding led to a robust internal investigation and immediate corrective actions in our production system. We are also inspecting all stored 737 MAX airplanes at Boeing to ensure there is no FOD.

We have already recommended to our customers with airplanes in active storage for more than one year to inspect the fuel tank for FOD as part of their procedures. We continue to have conversations with our customers about the best approach for inspections of their stored airplanes prior to return to service.
A fizzy drink addict who could guzzle 30 litres of the sweet stuff every week has swapped Coca-Cola for water and lost 63 kilos.

Carissa Santiano, based in Sydney, Australia, weighed 127 kilos before she decided to overhaul her life and cut out soft drink for good, halving her weight in the process.

The 37-year-old says the significant drop in kilos has helped 'cure' her depression and given her confidence back, even finding love with a new partner in the process.

Carissa Santiano, based in Sydney, Australia, weighed 127 kilos before she decided to overhaul her life and cut out soft drink for good, halving her weight in the process

'People never gave me the time of day when I was big, I was called ugly and fat every day,' she said.

'It makes you feel absolutely worthless and you start to believe what everyone is saying, I had almost given up on myself.'

Carissa would frequently start her day with soft drink and sip on four litres over the course of the day. On top of that she was eating calorie-laden chocolates, chips and takeaway.

'I would have takeaway for lunch every day but when I stopped doing that, I still wasn't losing any weight,' she said.

Carissa would frequently start her day with soft drink and sip on four litres over the course of the day before she cut out some of her salty snacks

'My doctor advised me to cut out fizzy drinks because although I was eating bad, it was the amount of sugar in the drinks I was having that was doing the most damage.

'Once I stopped drinking fizzy drinks everything changed, I could still eat sandwiches and junk food, as long as I didn't drink fizzy drinks I still lost weight.'

But she did tidy up her plate as a result of her new, healthier body, cutting out a few salty snacks along with the soft drink she had relied on.

'I think it's something we overlook as people trying to lose weight. You just think it's always food that's the problem but I'm living proof that you can enjoy the food you love and still remain healthy,' she said.

'Once I stopped drinking fizzy drinks everything changed, I could still eat sandwiches and junk food, as long as I didn't drink fizzy drinks I still lost weight,' she said

'I never thought I would ever look the way I wanted and can't begin to describe how much better I am now that I stick to water.'

Carissa had suffered for years from low confidence - which pulled her into a depression - as a result of her size.

Although the process was often difficult she stressed that it's possible to have 'cheat days' or 'take time off' and still make progress.

'I was unknowingly drinking double the amount of sugar I should've had per day,' she said.

Carissa had suffered for years from low confidence - which pulled her into a depression - as a result of her size

'I still eat all the food I love, I eat three takeaway meals a week, crisps and chocolate, I just eat less, it's not about what you drink and eat it's about the size of what you drink and eat.'

Carissa is sharing her story in the hope it inspires others to just make the first step and kick their bad habits, without taking things to the extreme.

'Anyone can do what I have done, it's a huge battle. But once you know what's causing it, everything gets easier,' she said.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- RedDress, a privately held, Israel and U.S. based company, today announced the U.S. launch of ActiGraft, the first wound treatment that transforms  in real time  a patient's blood into an autologous whole blood clot tissue. Once applied, ActiGraft serves as a protective covering, biologic scaffold and wound microenvironment to promote the natural wound healing processes of the body. ActiGraft recently received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"We're incredibly proud to introduce ActiGraft to the wound care community," said Alon Kushnir, Founder and CEO of RedDress. "There's an estimated 6.5 million people in the U.S. suffering from severe, debilitating wounds and ulcers; the development of a treatment that replicates one's own natural healing process was our solution to address the community's unmet need and transform the way health care providers, patients, and their caregivers, manage hard-to-treat wounds and ulcers."

ActiGraft supports each stage of the wound healing process and delivers significant benefits in terms of comfort, effectiveness, and cost. These benefits include:

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ActiGraft can be used for a wide variety of hard-to-treat chronic and acute wounds, including but not limited to:

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RedDress is a privately held, Israel-based company with a U.S. subsidiary, RedDress Inc., located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Founded in 2009 with the goal of developing more effective, natural and economically viable treatments for chronic wounds, RedDress is committed to improving the health and lives of patients around the world with its latest innovation  ActiGraft.

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An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Tuesday transferred two terror financing cases against Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed to Lahore on his request.

Saeed, a UN designated terrorist whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty on, was arrested on July 17 in the terror financing cases. The 70-year-old fiery cleric is lodged at the high-security Kot Lakhpat jail here.

Lahore High Court Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh held the hearing on the petition of Saeed and his close aide Zafar Iqbal, who is the secretary of Al-Anfaal Trust.

Saeed in his petition requested the court to transfer two terror financing cases against him from Multan and Sahiwal cities of Punjab to Lahore so that the anti-terrorism court in Lahore could hear all such cases against him.

The court accepted his plea after prosecution raised no objection on it.

On February 12, Saeed and Iqbal were sentenced in two terror financing cases registered against them in Lahore and Gujranwala cities on the application of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab police.

Anti-terrorism court Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta sentenced Saeed and Iqbal to five and a half years each and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 in each case. A total of 11 years sentence will run concurrently.

Saeed's counsel Imran Fazal Gill alleged that his client was convicted on the pressure of the Financial Action Task Force. "We are disappointed over the ATC verdict and will challenge it in the LHC," he said.

Saeed will undergo imprisonment at Kot Lakhpat jail where he has been detained since July last.

The CTD had registered 23 FIRs against Saeed and his accomplices on the charges of terror financing in different cities of the province.

The ATC had indicted Saeed and others on December 11 in these two terror financing case in day to day hearing. Saeed had recorded his statement before the court pleadeding "not guilty".

Saeed-led JuD is 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 named 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. He was listed as a terrorist under the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008.

The US welcomed the conviction of Saeed and described it as an "important step forward" for Pakistan in meeting its international commitments to combat terror financing and not to allow non-state actors to operate from its soil.

The crackdown on Saeed's outfit last year followed a warning by the international terror financing watchdog to Pakistan to deliver on its commitments to curb terror financing and money laundering.

The FATF in October last decided to keep Pakistan on its 'Grey List' for its failure to curb funnelling of funds to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

If not removed off the list by April, Pakistan may move to a blacklist of countries that face severe economic sanctions, such as Iran.
Applications for a major industry bursary for the research of a topic of interest in farming is now open and will close on 31 July.

Approximately 20 Nuffield scholarships are awarded each year, providing successful applicants a substantial bursary toward travel and research.

Nuffield Farming Scholars come from across farming, land-based, food or agriculturally-associated industries.

The findings of scholars studies have brought a relevant and meaningful impact to UK farming that continue to resonate long after a study is completed.

Adam Banks, a 2018 Nuffield Scholar and founder of insect farming business Instar Farming, credits his scholarship with helping him grow his business.

My Nuffield Scholarship gave me the opportunity to travel around the world building relationships with people who I probably would never have had the opportunity to meet otherwise, he said.

Trying to launch a business in an emerging and niche industry like insect farming can feel daunting at times, however, Nuffield introduced me to a global community of entrepreneurs all working towards similar goals.

Since completing my Scholarship I have gone on to develop my business and speak at a range of events, from a local farmer buying group to an international conference at the Natural History Museum."

Mike Vacher, Director of the Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust, added that what Scholars learn as part of their study and travels is important not only to the individuals themselves, but UK food and farming industry.

Food and farming industries in the UK are looking at major changes in the coming years. Nuffield Farming Scholars are ideally suited to contribute their leadership skills and specialist knowledge as our nation looks to improve its food supply and agricultural practice, he said.

The Nuffield Farming legacy is evident with multiple generations of Scholars leading across all sectors of our industry. We are also very proudly celebrating 2020 as the Year of the 1000th Scholar, an important milestone in our history.

He added: Every year, applicants impress us with their innovative ideas and passion for their proposed topics of inquiry.

We welcome all driven individuals from across the food, agriculture, horticulture and rural industries to apply and encourage those interested to reach out to our main office for support.

Those interested in applying for a Nuffield Scholarship are encouraged to begin the process ahead of the 31 July deadline.

Who can apply?

 Applicants must work within the farming, food, horticulture, rural and associated industries or are in a position to influence these industries.

 Applicants must be aged between 22 and 45 years (the upper age limit is 45 on 31st July in the year of application).

 There is no requirement for academic qualifications, but applicants will already be well-established in their career and demonstrate a passion for the industry they work in. They must also be three years post-tertiary education.

 Candidates must be resident in the UK and hold a UK passport or be working directly for UK agriculture.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has made a motion to President Armen Sarkissian recommending granting Armenian citizenship to a 105-year old Italian-Armenian.

Today Ive signed a very memorable document: I recommended the President to grant citizenship to our compatriot 105-year old N.J., in accordance to the latters request, the PM said on Facebook, referring to Nourhan Josephovich, the 105-year old Italian-Armenian who made headlines in Armenia after requesting citizenship. He is a citizen of Italy and has said he wants to spend the rest of his life in Armenia.

Each Armenian of the world should have Armenian citizenship. Proud citizen of the Republic of Armenia, the prime minister said.

Earlier in February, ARMENPRESS had the chance to sit down with Josephovich for an interview, and he said he plans to visit Lake Sevan, enjoy the Armenian cuisine and attend concerts.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela and opposition leader Juan Guaido speaks at a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020. Guaido returned this week from an international tour seeking support to oust President Nicolas Maduro, violating a travel ban. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

LISBON, Portugal (AP)  Venezuelas decision to suspend TAP Air Portugals flights to Caracas is completely unfounded and unjustified, Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said Tuesday.

I can't see any kind of justification for the 90-day suspension, Santos Silva said.

Venezuelan authorities took the step Monday after TAP last week carried opposition leader Juan Guaido and his uncle home from an international tour aimed at ousting President Nicolas Maduro.

Guaido's uncle was arrested upon landing and accused of trying to bring a small amount of explosives into Venezuela. Portugal ordered an official investigation into that allegation, and Santos Silva said it hasn't finished yet.

The suspension is a hostile act against Portugal, Santos Silva told national news agency Lusa, in comments published by online newspaper Observador.

Portugal is in a coalition of European and Latin American nations, called the "International Contact Group," that has backed Guaido against Maduro. Thousands of Portuguese immigrants live in Venezuela.

Santos Silva said the suspension would also hurt Venezuelans because the Portuguese flag carrier is one of the few international airlines still serving Caracas, with twice weekly flights.

TAP said in a statement it meets all the legal and safety requirements demanded by authorities in both Portugal and Venezuela.
Afghanistan's incumbent Ghani declared winner of presidential poll

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 18 February 2020 3:35 PM

Afghanistan's electoral body has declared incumbent President Ashraf Ghani the winner of the September 2019 presidential vote after months of a bitter dispute and delayed results.

Ghani secured 50.64 percent of the votes and a second term as president of Afghanistan, according to the final results of the September 28, 2019 poll, announced by Independent Election Commission chief Hawa Alam Nuristani on Tuesday.

The results from the poll were initially scheduled to be released on October 19 last year, but the announcement was delayed multiple times, with IEC officials citing various technical problems.

Ghani's leading challenger, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, had also made allegations of vote-rigging and forced a recount.

The vote was held last year amid a record number of Taliban attacks intended to undermine the election.

The election saw by far the lowest turnout in any Afghan poll. The turnout has been unofficially estimated at a little over two million. Nearly a million of the initial votes were purged owing to irregularities, and about 300,000 more votes had problems, with only about 1.8 million valid votes from a total of 9.6 million registered voters in a population of around 37 million people.

Earlier this week, Abdullah's camp said it would not accept the results. His supporters have accused Afghanistan's electoral authorities of favoring Ghani and threatened to form a parallel government if the commission announced results that did not satisfy their grievances.

Current Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ally of Abdullah's, has also threatened to form a parallel government if what he called fraudulent election results are announced.

Abdullah was seeking the presidency for the third time, after losing in 2009 and 2014.

The ongoing uncertainty raises the possibility that the country may head for a repeat of the power crisis that followed the last presidential election, in 2014. Then, Ghani and Abdullah fought a close and angry race that sparked widespread allegations of fraud and saw the United States step in to broker an awkward power-sharing agreement between the rivals under a unity government.



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SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The second opinion , a nonprofit offering free multidisciplinary, comprehensive second opinions to adults diagnosed with new or recurrent cancers, announced today it is hosting Dr. Robert M. Sapolsky one of the worlds leading neuroscientists and acclaimed best-selling author, stress expert and biologistat its 6th Annual Benefit event.



The breakfast and book signing will be held on Friday, May 1, 2020, from 8:15 to 10:30 a.m. at the Jewish Community Center in San Francisco (3200 California St.). Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available by visiting www.thesecondopinion.org . All proceeds will benefit cancer patients and their families.

Dr. Sapolsky, who has been referred to as the worlds funniest neuroscientist by Salon.com, is well-known for his gift for storytelling. He will be speaking about Stress and Disease, and the strong link between them, based on his extensive research, including a stint living with baboons, which he found to be an ideal environment for learning about stress and stress-related diseases in humans.

About Dr. Sapolsky

Dr. Robert Sapolsky is world-renowned for studying animals to find what they can tell us about human behaviors. As a boy in New York City, Dr. Sapolsky dreamed of living inside the African dioramas in the Museum of Natural History. By the age of 21, he made it to Africa and joined a troop of baboons. Although the life of a naturalist appealed to him because it was a chance to get the hell out of Brooklyn, he never really left people behind.

In fact, he chose to live with the baboons because they are perfect for learning about stress and stress-related diseases in humans. Like their human cousins, baboons live in large, complex social groups and have lots of time, Dr. Sapolsky writes, to devote to being rotten to each other. Just like stressed-out people, stressed-out baboons have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and hardened arteries. And just like people, baboons are good material for stories, as seen in A Primates Memoir, Dr. Sapolskys account of his early years as a field biologist.

The uniqueness of Sapolskys perspective on the human condition comes from the ease with which he combines his insights from the field with his findings as a neuroscientist. For more than 30 years Sapolsky has divided his time between field work with baboons and highly technical neurological research in the laboratory. As a result, he can effortlessly move from a discussion of pecking orders in primate societies (human and baboon) to an explanation of how neurotransmitters work during stressand get laughs doing it.

The problem for people, as Dr. Sapolsky explains in his book Why Zebras Dont Get Ulcers, is that our bodies stress response evolved to help us get out of short-term physical emergenciesif a lion is chasing you, you run. But such reactions, he points out, compromise long-term physical health in favor of immediate self-preservation. Unfortunately, when confronted with purely psychological stressors, such as troubleshooting your computer, modern humans turn on the same stress response. If you turn it on for too long, notes Dr. Sapolsky, you get sick. Dr. Sapolsky regards this sobering news with characteristic good humor, finding hope in our own capacity to prevent some of these problemsin the small steps with which we live our everyday lives.

In addition to A Primates Memoir, which won the 2001 Bay Area Book Reviewers Award in nonfiction, Dr. Sapolsky has written The Trouble with Testosterone, Why Zebras Dont Get Ulcers, and Monkeyluv and Other Essays on our Lives as Animals. His most recent book, Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst, is a Washington Post Best Book of 2017, and also received the Los Angeles Times book prize. Dr. Sapolsky was awarded Rockefeller Universitys Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science for 2008. His articles have appeared in publications such as Discover, The Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal.

Dr. Sapolsky is a MacArthur Genius Fellow, a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University, and a research associate with the Institute of Primate Research at the National Museum of Kenya. In 2008, National Geographic & PBS aired an hour-long special on stress featuring Dr. Sapolsky and his research on the subject. The humor and humanity he brings to sometimes-sobering subject matter make Dr. Sapolsky a fascinating speaker. He lectures widely on topics as diverse as stress and stress-related diseases, baboons, the biology of our individuality, the biology of religious belief, the biology of memory, schizophrenia, depression, aggression, and Alzheimers disease.

About thesecondopinion

Thesecondopinion is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving the California cancer community since 1969. The organization was founded by surgeon William Lester Rogers, MD, and a group of pioneering Bay Area physicians who recognized the need for multidisciplinary cancer consultations. Since its inception, thesecondopinion has provided free consultations to more than 10,000 adults in California diagnosed with new or recurring cancers. The diverse experiences in cancer diagnosis and treatment of our board-certified physicians, allow us to provide an unbiased and patient-centered service not duplicated by any other agency in California. Find out more at www.thesecondopinion.org, connect with us on facebook.com/thesecondopinion501c3, @SecndOpinion.
A Hindu jatha (group of pilgrims) comprising 24 members will leave Amritsar for the Katas Raj temple in Pakistans Punjab province Wednesday afternoon, official said.

The group, which is being led-by Sunil Kumar Khanna, a leader of Pratinidhi Sabha Punjab, will cross over to Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border.

We are going to Katas Raj temple especially to celebrate Mahashivratri, said Hari Om Verma, one of the pilgrims.

The pilgrims had arrived in Amritsar on Tuesday and stayed at the Durgiana Temple here. The jatha will stay in Pakistan for seven days. The Pakistan high commission had issued visas to 25 Indian pilgrims to visit Katas Raj temple, also known as Qila Katas or complex of Katas temples, in Chakwal district of Punjab from December 19 to 25. One woman opted out of the pilgrimage due to poor health.

Under the Pakistan-India protocol on visits to religious shrines of 1974, a large number of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to observe religious festivals every year.

The Katas Raj Temple also known as Qila Katas is a complex of several temples connected to one another by walkways. The pilgrims members said besides paying obeisance at the Katas Raj, and taking part in the religious festivities there, they will also visit other Hindu temples in the vicinity.

Last November, thousands of Sikhs had travelled to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistans Punjab province through the Kartarpur Corridor which was opened to facilitate the pilgrimage to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev

The Kartarpur Corridor connects Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Indias Punjab with Darbar Sahib -- also called Kartarpur Sahib -- the last resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, in Narowal district in Pakistan.

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A truck driver from Texas admitted Tuesday he trafficked more than 46 pounds of heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine after federal agents caught him with a shipment of drugs in New Jersey last year, authorities said.

Juan Macias Prieto, 53, of El Paso, Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute drugs.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents learned Marcias Prieto was driving a shipment of drugs in a tractor-trailer and approached the vehicle on Sept. 17 at a truck stop in Bloomsbury in Hunterdon County, according to the complaint filed by federal authorities. He agreed to a search of the trailer and the drugs were discovered, authorities said.

Marcias Prieto admitted he knew the truck was loaded with drugs and told investigators it was destined for distribution around New Jersey.

The charges each carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.

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Polls indicate that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is increasing his lead in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. A nationwide poll of Democratic voters released Tuesday by National Public Radio, PBS NewsHour and Marist University showed Sanders increasing his support to 31 percent, a rise of nine points since the last poll in December. He holds a double-digit lead over his nearest rival.

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, speaks at a campaign event in Tacoma, Washington, February 17, 2020 [Credit: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren]

Other polls show him winning this Saturdays Nevada caucuses with 35 percent of the vote. The NPR/Marist poll, moreover, shows Sanders with broad support across many demographics. Besides leading among those under 45, among city voters and those without college degrees, he also leads among women, college graduates and both suburban and rural residents. He comes in second to former Vice President Joe Biden among black voters, within the margin of error.

In recent days, Sanders has held rallies that attracted thousands of supporters, including a turnout of 17,000 in Tacoma, Washington; 6,000 in Richmond, California; 11,000 in Denver, Colorado and over 5,000 in Mesquite, Texas.

The poll showed Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York, who has thus far spent $418 million on campaign ads, rising 15 points to 19 percent, supplanting former Vice President Joe Biden in second place. Bloomberg is skipping the first four primary contests and using his estimated $60 billion fortune to blanket the airwaves with ads before he competes in the March 3 Super Tuesday contests in 14 states, which will award two-thirds of the 1,990 delegates needed to win the nomination.

Over 17,000 attend Sanders rally in Tacoma [Credit: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren]

Biden, who finished a dismal fourth in the Iowa caucuses and fifth in last weeks New Hampshire primary, is at 15 percent, a decline of nine points from December.

Elizabeth Warren is at 12 percent, a decline of five points. She is matched by Amy Klobuchar, whose support rose by 5 points since the last NPR/Marist poll. Significantly, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who has been heavily promoted by the media and the party establishment after essentially tying with Sanders in Iowa and narrowly losing to him in New Hampshire, registered only 8 percent, a five-point decline since December.

There are growing concerns within the party apparatus and much of the corporate elite that wins for Sanders in Nevada and South Carolina could set him up for victories on Super Tuesday that would make his nomination unstoppable. The response of the corporate media and the party establishment has been twofold: to promote the candidacy of Bloomberg and launch new political provocations aimed at derailing the Sanders campaign.

Because the Democratic National Committee (DNC) changed the criteria for qualifying for the nationally televised debates in order to accommodate Bloomberg, the pro-war, pro-corporate billionaire will participate in tonights event, marking his first appearance alongside his rivals. He was assured a place in the debate, to be broadcast by NBC from Las Vegas, by his poll numbers in Tuesdays NPR/Marist poll.

Bloomberg is increasingly being promoted by the media and sections of the Democratic Party as the best hope for denying the nomination to Sanders, given the virtual collapse of the Biden campaign. This is despite the emergence last week of tapes and newspaper accounts documenting his racist defense of the stop and frisk policy he employed during his twelve-year stint as mayor of New York to terrorize mostly minority workers and youth. Also made public was his statement from 2008 that the ending of the racist redlining policy of the banks led to the Wall Street crash of that year, and the fact that he has been accused by a large number of female employees of making sexist and profane remarks and encouraging a hostile work environment for women.

The mainstream media has by and large downplayed these damning revelations and boosted his claim to be the best candidate to defeat Trump and get things done as president.

Simultaneously, a new political provocation has been unleashed against Sanders, following last months attacks by Hillary Clinton and the smear campaign organized by CNN and Elizabeth Warren at the time of the Iowa debate to brand Sanders as a male chauvinist who does not believe a woman can win the presidency.

The timeline of events strongly suggests that the latest scandal has been coordinated between the corporate media, the Democratic National Committee, the Biden campaign and a section of the trade union bureaucracy in an effort to blunt Sanders margin of victory in Nevada.

The smear campaign was launched on February 11 during MSNBCs coverage of the New Hampshire primary, when commentator Chuck Todd quoted a diatribe against the senator that compared his online supporters to a digital brown shirt brigade.

This was followed the next day by a statement by Culinary Workers Union Secretary Treasurer Geoconda Arguello-Kline claiming that Sanders supporters had viciously attacked the union and working families in Nevada on social media after the union distributed a leaflet to members saying Sanders would end Culinary Healthcare if elected president. The union controls a health care trust providing insurance for 130,000 members and is adamantly opposed to Sanders call for Medicare for All.

On Saturday, February 15, the New York Times published an Editorial Observer comment by Michelle Cottle, who called Sanders supporters rabid and added, The so-called Bernie Bros have a nasty reputation on social media for abusing those who dare to criticize their guy, spewing invective and issuing threats against offending organizations and individuals.

The same day, Biden, speaking in Las Vegas, denounced Sanders for his followers alleged online threats against the Culinary Workers Union. He repeated the same attacks in television interviews on Sunday and Monday.

The Bloomberg campaign took the operation to a new low on Monday, releasing an ad that makes an amalgam between Sanders and Trump, flashing a series of tweets from apparent Sanders supporters. One tweet condemned by the Bloomberg campaign as unacceptable is from the Sanders campaigns national press secretary, Briahna Joy Gray, in which she called the former New York City mayor a racist authoritarian.

The surging support for Sanders reflects a broad movement to the left among workers, students and young people, who are disgusted with the political establishment and attracted by Sanders talk of democratic socialism and his promises to address social inequality and the political domination of the billionaire class.

This has frightened the Democratic Party establishment. It does not so much fear Sanders himselfa longtime political ally of the Democrats and defender of American imperialism, whose function is to corral the growth of social opposition into the safe confines of the Democratic Partybut rather the growth of anti-capitalist sentiment and the class struggle that is fueling his popular support.
One more Indian aboard a quarantined cruise ship off Japans coast has been found to be infected by the new strain of coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the total number of affected Indians on the ship to seven, said the Indian Embassy.

As many as 621 out of the 3,711 people on board the ship have tested positive for the novel coronavirus including 88 on Wednesday and 99 on Tuesday. A total of 138 Indians are on the ship, including 132 crew and 6 passengers.

1 Indian crew who tested positive for COVID19 among 88 new cases on Diamond Princess shifted to hospital for treatment, said a tweet by the Indian embassy.

1 Indian crew who tested positive for #COVID19 among 88 new cases yesterday on #DiamondPrincess taken to hospital for treatment. Indians receiving treatment responding well. From today, disembarkation of passengers only started, likely to continue till 21 Feb. @MEAIndia  India in Japan (@IndianEmbTokyo) February 19, 2020

The mission said that infected Indians were responding well to the treatment.

The cruise ship arrived at the Japanese coast earlier this month and was quarantined after it was found that a passenger who had got off the ship in Hong Kong in January was infected with the deadly virus that has led to an international alarm and over 2000 deaths in China alone.

ALSO WATCH | FM Nirmala Sitharaman on Coronavirus economic impact on India

Passengers on the ship have begun to leave with the first bath of 500 scheduled to de-embark on Wednesday alone after a two-week quarantine period failed to stop the spread of the virus.

About 500 passengers were expected to leave Wednesday, and Japanese officials will spend several days staging the high-stakes evacuation of about 2,000 others, PTI said quoting the Japan Today newspaper.

The Indian Embassy had said that it was in discussions with the Japanese government and the ship management company to affect de-boarding of all the Indians after the end of the quarantine period.

The US evacuated its 340 nationals from the ship two days ago on Monday and they have now been quarantined for another 14 days.

Deaths of 136 more Coronavirus victims were reported on Wednesday from China.

The virus outbreak started in Chinas Hubei province in December and has spread to more than 25 countries, including India.

Major airlines have suspended flights to China and banned arrivals from the country in the effort to contain the spread.
New York, February 18, 2020 -- Authorities in Cameroon should immediately release journalist Martinez Zogo, drop all charges against him, and reform the countrys penal code to decriminalize defamation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

On January 17, judicial police officers in Yaounde, the capital, arrested Zogo at the offices of Radio Amplitude FM, a privately owned broadcaster where he works as editor-in-chief, Zogos lawyer, Joseph Kenmoe, told CPJ in a phone interview.

Authorities charged him with criminal defamation following a complaint filed by Sylvie Biye Essono, the ex-wife of a government official, which alleged that Zogo had spread false information about her in a January 8 broadcast, Kenmoe said. On January 25, Zogo was transferred to Yaoundes Kondengui prison, where he remains in detention, Kenmoe told CPJ.

In Cameroon, defamation carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a fine of 2 million Central African francs ($3,447), according to the countrys penal code . Zogo is due in court on February 27, Kenmoe said.

Martinez Zogo should be released immediately and the legal proceedings against him dropped, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator. Cameroons maintenance of defamation as a criminal offense signals its disrespect for basic press freedom and unwillingness to align its laws with international standards on freedom of expression.

In her complaint, filed on January 14, Essono alleged that Zogo insulted her and said she had used her ex-husbands name when applying for government contracts, Kenmoe said. He said that her original complaint accused Zogo of cybercrime, blackmail, and defamation, but authorities only filed the defamation charges against him.

CPJ called Essonos lawyer, Tchoungang Charles, for comment but he did not answer the phone. CPJ sent text messages to Charles that were marked as read, but which did not receive any response.

Joyce Ndjem, the national communications chief for the Cameroonian police, told CPJ in a phone interview that it was not possible to answer questions about Zogos case unless a CPJ representative came to see her in person, and then the line disconnected. CPJs follow-up calls went unanswered.

When CPJ called Cameroonian Minister of Information Rene Sadi for comment, he said the call quality was poor and then the line disconnected. He did not answer follow-up phone calls.

Cameroon is the second worst jailer of journalists in sub-Saharan Africa, according to CPJs 2019 prison census , which found seven journalists in jail as of December 1, 2019.
Big Time Adolescence is due to arrive on Hulu and in select movie theaters in March, and with the date fast approaching, the films first official trailer has been released. Check it out:

The movie stars Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson, rapper Machine Gun Kelly and Griffin Gluck (American Vandal). It was filmed at locales in the Syracuse area. Its the story of a suburban teenager coming of age under the destructive guidance of an aimless college dropout.

Hulu purchased Big Time Adolescence for $4 million after the film was nominated for the grand jury prize at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and certified 90 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It is one of three films produced by the Liverpool, NY-based film company, American High, that are all due for release in March on different platforms.

The films cast also includes Syndey Sweeney (The Handmaids Tale), Emily Arlook (Grown-ish), Thomas Barbusca (The Mick), Oona Lawrence (Petes Dragon), and Jon Cryer (Pretty in Pink, Two and a Half Men).

The film releases on Hulu on March 20, 2020, and will arrive in select theaters one week before that on March 13.

Davidson stirred up controversy around the shoot when he called Syracuse trash" and accused Manlius Police of targeting him for his celebrity status when he was pulled over in August 2018; Davidson was not arrested, but his friend Joey Gay was charged with marijuana possession in the incident.

What is Hulu?

Hulu is a subscription, on-demand TV, movie and video streaming service that hosts recent episodes of popular, current TV series as well as full past seasons of numerous shows. It also has movies and produces its own line of original TV series, such as The Handmaids Tale" and Shrill.

How much does Hulu cost?

The basic service has ads throughout its content (like TV commercials, although typically shorter) and cost $5.99 per month. Subscribers can also purchase an ad-free subscription for $11.99 per month.

Subscribers can also bundle Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus for $12.99 per month, for access to all three services, a savings of about $5 vs. paying for all three individually.

Can I watch live TV?

The basic and ad-free Hulu subscriptions do not include live, cable TV programming, however, Hulu offers an over-the-top cord-cutting service, Hulu with Live TV, which includes live streaming cable TV programming from dozens of channels, from news and entertainment to sports, local and premium channels for $54.99 per month. It includes the all the basic Hulu programming as well.
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- Suspected gunmen have killed 2 soldiers of OPSH in Plateau state

- More than 100 houses were said to have been burnt during the unfortunate incident

- The leader of MACBAN in Barikin Ladi local government area of the state, Shuaibu Bayero, however, alleged that their houses were burnt by the soldiers

A report by Daily Trust indicates that two soldiers with Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) were on the night of Sunday, February 16, killed by gunmen around Gindin Akwati village of Barikin Ladi local government area of Plateau state.

Legit.ng gathered that following the killing of the soldiers, about 150 houses were on Tuesday, February 18, said to have been set ablaze in Plateau and some parts of Bauchi and Kaduna states.

According to the report, the chairman Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), in Barikin Ladi LGA, Shuaibu Bayero, alleged that operatives of OPSH in four Toyota Hilux and 11 motorcycles arrived Dogo, Yelwa, Hayi and Junction Gindin Akwati villages of Barikin Ladi LGA and set their houses ablaze.

He said: About 6 am on Tuesday (yesterday), OPSH operatives in four Hilux and some on motorcycles arrived our villages, set them ablazed one after the other.

The troop fighting Boko Haram insurgents in the north.

Source: UGC

He added that the action was surprising because the group and community leaders around Gindin Akwati were invited on Monday, February 17, by the commander of Gashis district, one Major Gado, over the killing of the two soldiers wherein the leaders were told that the perpetrators must be fished out by members of the community.

He asked us to cooperate with them and bring out all suspected criminal elements. And we all agreed to work with them to ensure peace but to our surprise, we started seeing our houses being burnt by men of the operation, Bayero added.

The newspaper said that when contacted on the two developments, Major Ibrahim Shittu, OPSH media, and information officer said he was not aware of the incident but promised to get back to 'our reporter' when information became available.

However, sources among the personnel of OPSH in Gindin Akwati confirmed that two of their colleagues were indeed shot dead on Sunday, February 16, by gunmen but kept mum over the alleged burning of hamlets.

On the burning of houses, the police spokesman said he could not confirm that as at the time of filing this report.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the Korongilum community in Chibok local government area of Borno state was being attacked by suspected Boko Haram insurgents.

It was reported that the insurgents came into the community around 6 pm, shooting sporadically and setting many houses on fire.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng Same great journalism, upgraded for better service!

Buhari inducts combat helicopters to fight insurgency, says he wont fail Nigerians | - on Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
A Pennsylvania man admitted Tuesday that he conspired to distribute drugs as part of a ring that peddled large amounts of heroin and cocaine around Central Jersey.

Guy Jackson, 47, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Trenton to charges of conspiring to distribute heroin and cocaine in the Bayshore-area of Monmouth and Middlesex counties, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said in a statement.

Jacksons wife, Lashawn Mealing, 48, of Manchester, also on Tuesday pleaded guilty to obstructing and attempting to obstruct justice in her husbands drug case while she was free on pretrial release from narcotics charges, officials said.

The former Effort, Pennsylvania, couple were among 15 people charged in a November 2018 federal probe that targeted drug trafficking in and around the Bayshore region.

Investigators intercepted phone calls and text messages, used informants, and conducted undercover buys of cocaine and heroin to discover that Jackson regularly received large amounts of the drugs for distribution by a co-defendant, Gregory Gillens, according to court filings. Mealing also joined in the scheme.

Working at her husbands request after he was charged, Mealing orchestrated the break-in of a rental vehicle that was used in the drug trafficking ring in order to remove evidence, authorities said.

Federal and local law enforcement found members of the scheme sold drugs to a network of other conspirators, lower level drug dealers and users, according to authorities. Some of the heroin contained the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl.

Gillens previously pleaded guilty in the case and he and Jackson and Mealing are scheduled for sentencing in June.

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She may have packed her bags on Monday's episode, but Poppy Jennings actually returned to Married At First Sight several times after splitting from Luke Eglin.

The 38-year-old photographer, who has publicly blasted the experts for pairing her with Luke, rejoined the cast for a girls' night on November 26, eight weeks after quitting during Intimacy Week.

She then saw her ex-'husband' once again during the reunion episodes, which were filmed on January 15 and 16.

She's back! She may have packed her bags on Monday's episode, but Poppy Jennings (right) actually returned to Married At First Sight several times after splitting from Luke Eglin (left)

In Daily Mail Australia's exclusive footage, Poppy can be seen crying during a tense conversation with a producer at the girls' night in Glebe, Sydney.

'Poppy stormed off in tears after all hell started breaking loose between the women,' an onlooker said.

'She spent time alone away from the cameras making a phone call, before a producer sat with her and calmed her down. Things got quite tense.'

Is everything okay? Poppy, who has publicly blasted the experts for pairing her with Luke, rejoined the cast for a girls' night on November 26, eight weeks after quitting during Intimacy Week. Pictured on set with a producer (right) in Glebe, Sydney

Emotional: 'Poppy stormed off in tears after all hell started breaking loose between the women,' an onlooker said

Tense: 'A producer sat with her and calmed her down,' the source added

It wasn't until the MAFS reunion on January 15 that Poppy and Luke came face to face for the first time since splitting up in September.

Luke looked downcast as he arrived at the studio, where all of the season's couples were welcomed back for a debrief with the relationship experts.

On Tuesday, Poppy claimed that an incident had occurred with Luke during filming in September but she 'isn't allowed to talk about it'.

Showdown: It wasn't until the MAFS reunion on January 15 that Poppy and Luke came face to face for the first time since splitting up in September

Return: Luke looked downcast as he arrived at the studio, where all of the season's couples were welcomed back for a debrief with the relationship experts

Hours after their final scenes aired on Monday night, Poppy accused Luke in a lengthy Facebook post of making her feel 'uncomfortable'.

She claimed that something had happened during filming that was 'too controversial' to be shown on television.

'Why is Luke crying when I left? What really happened that he was crying over! You don't know because I wasn't allowed to say! It's too controversial!' she wrote.

'He's scared s**tless I will tell the truth. I was afraid to speak up! But f**k this s**t, I'm going to tell everything! It's not what you see, it's what you don't see! Go and ask Luke why I was so uncomfortable? Why the f**k did I really leave?

'He's petrified I'm going to talk. He knows he's f**ked up. Those tears from him are for his reputation and job!'

Unhappy ending: Hours after their final scenes aired on Monday, Poppy (left, on the couch) accused Luke (right) in a lengthy Facebook post of making her feel 'uncomfortable'

Luke has since responded to Poppy's extraordinary claims about their break-up, saying he wishes her well and won't be taking part in a public slanging match.

He told The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday: 'I am not going to make any comments because, honestly, the best way to react is not to react.

'To be honest, Poppy is a good person and the best of luck to her. I am not going to comment on anything because it is not worth it, it really isn't.

Dignified response: Luke has since responded to Poppy's extraordinary claims about their break-up, saying he wishes her well and won't be taking part in a public slanging match

'Honestly, she just needs to move on like I have and that is it. We are finished on the show and that is as far as it goes.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment.

Married At First Sight continues Wednesday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 23:22:37|Editor: huaxia

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President Xi Jinping inspects the center for disease control and prevention of Chaoyang District in Beijing, on Feb. 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has called for great attention to the protection and care for medical workers to make sure they are healthy and stay focused on winning the battle against the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a recent instruction on protecting the medics participating in the COVID-19 prevention and control.

Medical workers check patients' information at Jiangxia temporary hospital that mainly adopt Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) to treat the patients in Wuhan, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

The following are highlights of Xi's instruction:

-- Medical workers are the backbone force in defeating the epidemic, and it must be ensured that they get full support.



-- More efforts are needed to relieve the stress on medical workers, and provide them with adequate daily necessities, ensure they have necessary rest, and get encouragement.

-- It must be ensured that medical teams in Hubei and Wuhan can carry out their work in a safe, orderly, coordinated, effective and swift manner.

Medical workers inject medicine for Li Zuofan(R) at an intensive care ward of the novel coronavirus infection cases at a branch of Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, Feb. 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Yuguo)

XI'S PARTICULAR CONCERN

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, medical workers have worked day and night on the frontline. Some were infected or even sacrificed their lives while saving lives.

President Xi is particularly concerned about their wellbeing.

-- On Jan. 25, the first day of the lunar New Year, he expressed sincere gratitude to the medical workers at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on the epidemic prevention and control work.

-- On Feb. 5, he called for a severe crackdown on violence against medical workers, at a meeting of the Commission for Overall Law-based Governance of the CPC Central Committee.

-- On Feb. 10, he extended regards to medical personnel during his inspection of the epidemic prevention and control work in Beijing, making arrangements to address their difficulties and problems. He talked to doctors in Wuhan via a video-link and spoke at length about the protection and care for medical workers during the inspection.



-- On Feb. 14, at a meeting of the central committee for deepening overall reform, he again called for strengthening the building of public health teams and improving the mechanisms for the training, employment, benefits, performance evaluation and incentives for medical practitioners.



President Xi Jinping checks the treatment of hospitalized patients at the monitoring center and talks to medical staff on duty via a video link at Beijing Ditan Hospital in Beijing, on Feb. 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Since the outbreak, more than 30,000 medical workers, including military medics, have been sent from across the country to Hubei and Wuhan to fight the epidemic around the clock.

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, Feb. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

Lauding these medical workers, President Xi said,

-- They embody the great revolutionary spirit of forging ahead without fear of difficulties.

-- Racing against time to fight the virus, they have shown a keen sense of responsibility to the Party and the people. 


CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Arctic Energy Services Inc. ( HWO.TO ) (High Arctic or the Corporation) announces the departure of its Chief Financial Officer, Jim Hodgson effective February 14th 2020. The Board would like to take this opportunity to express its gratitude to Mr. Hodgson for his efforts and contribution during his tenure with the Company. We wish him the best with his future endeavors.



High Arctic is pleased to announce that Mr. Christopher (Chris) Ames, has agreed to accept the appointment of Vice President of Finance and Interim Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Ames is a CPA, CA and previously held a number of senior finance positions at Precision Drilling over a 20-year period before he left to become an independent financial consultant assisting companies with financial, strategic planning and analysis, and merger and acquisitions.

Mr. Bailey, Chief Executive Officer of High Arctic, said: We are very pleased Mr. Ames will be joining the High Arctic team. Chriss diverse experience in oil field services in both the domestic and International markets will be an invaluable asset to the Company as we continue to grow in our core markets and examine opportunities in other areas.

About High Arctic

High Arctic is a publicly traded company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol HWO. The Corporations principal focus is to provide drilling and specialized well completion services, equipment rentals and other services to the oil and gas industry. High Arctic is a market leader providing drilling and specialized well completion services and supplies rig matting, camps and drilling support equipment on a rental basis in Papua New Guinea. The North American operations provides well servicing, well abandonment, snubbing and nitrogen services and equipment on a rental basis to a large number of oil and natural gas exploration and production companies operating in Western Canada and the United States.

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YEREVAN.  We have to go by way of widespread declaration income. Former governor of the Central Bank of Armenia, economist Bagrat Asatryan, said this during a press conference today, when asked about his view on level taxation in the country.

He emphasized that the real income is not the salary, but the income from all sources in general.

"When we talk about leveling, progressive taxation, this should be about earnings, in general, not the earnings in the form of a specific salary," Asatryan said. Taxation should be based on declaration; the salary will be one of the sources here. Only a thousand people were receiving more than 3 million [drams per month in Armenia]. We have a great retreat in this regard, too. The sharpest level of income polarization in the ex-USSR republics is in Armenia."

The economist added that it is due to Armenia's overall tax system, including the progressive taxation system, which seemed. "I am now looking forward to the application of the property tax law, which is one of the fairest types of taxes," he emphasized.

Asatryan noted that the shadow economy is manifested behind real estate, too, so the income that was not collected at the time should be collected today in the form of property tax.
SACRAMENTO  Nearly eight decades after the United States incarcerated more than 100,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, California lawmakers are expected to apologize for the Legislatures role in discriminating against people of Japanese descent before and during the conflict.

Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance (Los Angeles County), is carrying a resolution to formally apologize to all Americans of Japanese ancestry for the Assemblys past actions in support of the unjust exclusion, removal, and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, and for its failure to support and defend the civil rights and civil liberties of Japanese Americans during this period.

Those injustices include a state law that prevented Japanese immigrants from buying land, efforts to persuade them to forfeit their U.S. citizenship, and the firings of hundreds of Japanese American state employees as the war broke out.

Muratsuchi said he was disturbed by the striking parallels between the treatment of Japanese Americans during the war and President Trumps warnings about the alleged danger posed by caravans of Central American migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. While California has provided legal assistance to those migrants, Muratsuchi noted that the state discriminated against people of Japanese descent and other Asian Americans in past decades. He said his resolution would be an opportunity to acknowledge that historical racism.

We like to talk about how California leads the nation in so many ways, Muratsuchi said. But I was reminded by how California before and during World War II led the prejudice and immigrant-scapegoating against Japanese Americans.

HR77, which was jointly introduced with Democratic Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon of Lakewood (Los Angeles County) and Assembly Republican leader Marie Waldron of Escondido (San Diego County), is scheduled to be voted on Thursday. That is one day after the 78th anniversary of President Franklin Roosevelts Executive Order No. 9066, ordering Japanese Americans removed from the West Coast in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

About 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry  most from California and two-thirds of them American-born  were moved to 10 concentration camps throughout the country, including two in Californias interior. Upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, the order was not rescinded until 1945, and the last camp was not closed until the following year.

Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill apologizing for the mass removal and providing restitution to people who had been incarcerated.

Commemorating the internment of Japanese Americans has become an annual tradition in the California Legislature. In 1982, the state provided up to $5,000 in reparations to more than 300 state employees of Japanese descent who were fired in early 1942. The Assembly formally apologized to those employees in 2013.

Muratsuchis resolution provides a much broader apology to Japanese Americans targeted by official state actions, starting with the California Alien Land Law of 1913, which prohibited immigrants from Japan and other Asian countries from purchasing agricultural land.

The Assembly also approved resolutions in 1943 urging Congress to outlaw dual U.S.-Japanese citizenship and encouraging Japanese Americans to renounce their citizenship, and asking Congress to make personal property left behind by internees available for other Americans to use.

A parallel resolution to Muratsuchis, introduced by state Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, apologizes for the similar actions of the state Senate.

Although his own family was not incarcerated during World War II, Muratsuchi said he has heard many stories over the years from camp survivors. He said their need for an apology is urgent, as they see images from the southern border that recall their own experiences, with migrant children and families detained in cages.

Its bringing back a lot of bad memories, Muratsuchi said.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has appointed Beatrice Maser as its new director for the Middle East and North Africa region, based in Cairo, the IFC announced in a statement.

Maser will drive the organisations long-term strategy to create markets, offer new solutions for the private sector and attract more private investment to help MENA countries grow, provide jobs, and increase shared prosperity, according the statement.

The MENA region is a priority for the IFC, and Beatrices leadership will help us play an even greater role in catalysing private investment here, said Sergio Pimenta, the IFCs vice president for the Middle East and Africa.

Pimenta added that the IFC's goal is to work with the private sector and governments to create markets, including in fragile situations, to provide more opportunities and jobs, especially for MENAs young people and women.

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  February 19, 2020  Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Apple Inc. AAPL, Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. EBMT, Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. ONTX, Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc. PTI and Abeona Therapeutics Inc. ABEO.

Here are highlights from Tuesdays Analyst Blog:

Coronavirus to Hit Apple Sales: Invest in Domestic Producers

Apple Inc. recently warned its investors of the impact of the deadly coronavirus outbreak on its business. Notably, the iPhone maker has been affected more than previously anticipated as the number of iPhones it can manufacture and sell in China will be limited. The iPhone maker announced that it is trimming sales expectations for this quarter. After all, demand for its products has declined in China, thanks to the outbreak.

Apple has closed all 42 of its stores in the country last month and many are yet to reopen. Management added that we are experiencing a slower return to normal conditions than we had anticipated. As a result, we do not expect to meet the revenue guidance we provided for the March quarter.

Needless to say, that the iPhone maker is heavily dependent on Chinese factories and consumers. Apple CEO, Tim Cook has been working with several Chinese telecom providers in introducing the iPhone in the country over the last 10 years. Following these committed initiatives, iPhone sales did take off, and now China is Apples second largest market after the United States.

By the way, Apple also assembles products in China. For instance, a Taiwanese company named Foxconn makes iPhones and other gadgets on behalf of Apple. However, concerns regarding the impact of coronavirus impact on the global economy and subsequently on corporate profits have been on the rise. The deadly virus has now infected over 72,000 people and claimed 1,800 lives, according to official reports. Whats more, nearly three-quarters of a billion people are already locked down in China, per a New York Times analysis.

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Further, with the crisis deepening, not just Apple but a host of big companies have indicated that productions may be hurt, which in turn will have a bearing on their financial results. While Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has recently shut down several factory outlets in China, European aerospace giant Airbus, General Motors and Toyota have begun to limit production in China.

Starbucks and Ikea have shut down many stores, while deserted shopping malls in China are expected to adversely impact sales for retailers including Nike and others. Travel related stocks have been hit hard too. Notably, Lufthansa and British Airways have cancelled flights to China. To top it, after a recent breathtaking run, Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) is looking vulnerable following the coronavirus outbreak. The electronic car maker did acknowledge risks that the coronavirus threat poses to output and overall business.

Coronavirus Threat Escalates! Grab These 4 Stocks Now

With the coronavirus threat increasing, its quite evident that companies having significant exposure to China and the global economy are vulnerable. However, domestic producers of goods should remain unaffected. Due to their limited international exposure, they offer higher protection than their large- and mid-cap counterparts against any economic upheaval. These stocks also have solid growth narratives as their promising outlook remains unfazed by the coronavirus outbreak.

We have, thus, selected four such stocks that should make meaningful additions to your portfolio. These stocks flaunt a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy).

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc.operates as the bank holding company for Opportunity Bank of Montana that provides various retail banking products and services in Montana. The company, currently, has a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increased 1% over the past 90 days. The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current quarter and year are 9.1% and 6.2%, respectively.

Onconova Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on discovering and developing small molecule product candidates to treat cancer. Onconova Therapeutics was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Newtown, PA. The company, currently, has a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increased 42% over the past 60 days. The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current quarter and year are 94.1% and 57.7%, respectively. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc. engages in the discovery and development of various small molecule therapeutics to treat cystic fibrosis (CF) and other diseases caused by dysfunctional protein processing. Proteostasis Therapeutics was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Boston, MA. The company, currently, has a Zacks Rank #1. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increased 0.8% over the past 60 days. The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current quarter and year are 19.4% and 25.5%, respectively.

Abeona Therapeutics Inc. develops cell and gene therapies for life-threatening rare genetic diseases. Abeona Therapeutics was incorporated in 1974 and is based in New York. The company, currently, has a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increased 2.6% over the past 60 days. The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current and next quarters are 19.4% and 30.8%, respectively.

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.



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The textiles ministry on Wednesday said the domestic industry should take advantage of the huge USD 20-billion space vacated in the global apparel market by China, which is going through a tough time following outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.

Addressing a symposium on emerging opportunities for Indian textiles, Textiles Secretary Ravi Capoor said domestic textile exports have plateaued during the past 5-7 years, which is a "very worrying proposition for the government".

"India should step in at this stage to take the advantage although not a good way to project ourselves but every crisis has its own silver lining and I think while we are with China with all our emotions and financial, political and diplomatic help but still there appears to be a big economic opportunity which is coming up our way," he said.

In this background, Capoor said it would be the right time to bring the industry together and have a small dialogue to "see how the industry associations are prepared for this opportunity".

As the exports have plateaued, he said the government understood that one of the major issues is that "take up the space that has been vacated by China other than this present crisis (coronavirus)".

The secretary said USD 20 billion worth of apparel space, mostly in the man-made fibre, has been vacated by China in the past three years and taken away by Vietnam.

"Now is a situation where we are in a position and the (textile) minister has just spoken to Finance Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) also this morning. We are working towards seeing that the GST inversion on man-made fibre is also taken care of.

"With all the efforts, if we are able to succeed in the removal of the inversion, then man-made fibre itself becomes a huge opportunity wherever China cedes space. India should step in a very big way," Capoor said.

Textile minister Smriti Irani was also present at the symposium.

The domestic textile and apparel industry, including handicrafts, stood at USD 140 billion in 2018, of which USD 100 billion was domestically consumed, while the remaining portion worth USD 40 billion was exported to the world market.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
OTTAWADeputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says the United States and Canada have a responsibility to be joint stewards of sensitive border waters and Canada has engaged with the U.S. on the risk that a proposed copper mine project could pollute one of this countrys largest fresh watersheds.

Freeland, who oversees Canada-U.S. relations, told reporters Tuesday she was very aware of the issues raised in a Star exclusive story last week.

The Star reported on growing cross-border opposition to a proposed copper-nickel sulphide mine planned in northeastern Minnesota which critics say threatens the Rainy River drainage basin that feeds rivers and lakes all the way from the U.S. through Ontario all the way to Hudson Bay and Nunavut.

We have a very long shared border and that means we have land and waterways of which we are the joint stewards, Freeland said, adding the behaviour of each country has a real impact for people in both Canada and the U.S. and so managing that shared water is a very important issue in the Canada-U.S. relationship.

More effective management of shared waters and lands, she said, was definitely an issue on the agenda when I was in Washington 10 days ago, she said, adding that she and Canadian officials are very engaged in the Twin Metals Mine proposal.

Her office said later that the reference to talks in Washington 10 days ago was a more general discussion about shared waters.

But Freeland declined to say whether Canada had taken a stand for or against the project.

Its a proposal for a future project and its something that Canada definitely is involved in and will continue to work with our American partners on, she said.

The Star has learned officials at Canadas embassy in Washington met on Feb. 7 with one of the projects key congressional opponents: Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Betty McCollum.

McCollum is spearheading a drive to force the U.S. administration to protect the boundary waters. Last month she introduced a bill entitled The Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act.

McCollum was also key to inserting language in a U.S. government spending bill that required the U.S. State Department to report by Tuesday to Congress and Canada on the environmental impact of the proposed mine on international waters.

However by late Tuesday McCollums office still had not seen the report. An aide said McCollum was travelling and unavailable to comment.

But in a statement her staff confirmed the meeting with Canadian embassy officials on the topic.

Canadas diplomats were well-versed in the bilateral water issues and the shared obligations of the U.S. and Canada under the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty, said McCollums office.

Rep. McCollum stressed the point that the prime minister and the entire government of Canada has a significant interest in protecting its waters and its national sovereignty from toxic transboundary pollution.

The U.S. State Department press office did not respond to the Stars requests for information and comment.

Freeland declined to clarify whether the Trudeau government has expressed a position to the U.S. on the mine.

She said only that the Trudeau government is working with stakeholders in Canada and talking about the issue with the U.S. We have some timeI absolutely agree this is an important issue for Canadians and its definitely something that the government is focused on and working on.

Twin Metals is owned by the Chilean mining giant Antofagasta. For about a decade, it has been testing at the site in Minnesota and putting its plans together. It submitted the plans to state and federal regulators in December. The next step is environmental review and permits.

The company plans a copper-nickel underground ore mining operation that would be located within a national forest, a few kilometres from a popular American wilderness area known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, which spills into Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario near Thunder Bay.

McCollum wrote Trudeau to enlist his support against the project, but her office told the Star she hadnt received an official letter from the prime minister in response.

It is another potential source of friction between the Trudeau government and the administration of Donald Trump, which have clashed over free trade negotiations, softwood lumber tariffs, and Canadas defence spending.

Freeland addressed the issue after testifying to a Commons committee where she urged parliamentarians to ratify NAFTA quickly.

The deputy prime minister extolled stronger labour and environmental protections in the new agreement, as well as labour provisions, which she said address many long-held concerns of progressives in both countries.

When pressed by the Bloc Quebecois whether she won any support from Mexico or the U.S. to give the same protections to Canadas aluminum sector as the steel producing sector, Freeland said that Canadas negotiating partners might be open to further discussions but only after Canada had done the work of ratifying the agreement, as the U.S. and Mexico has already done.
The Delhi Police on Wednesday served notices on 10 Jamia Millia Islamia students asking them to appear before it for questioning in connection with the December 15 violence during an anti-CAA protest and alleged police crackdown at the university subsequently.

A team of the Delhi Police Crime Branch visited the university campus on Wednesday and handed over the notices to the students, a senior police officer said.

The students who have been called for questioning included some of those detained on the night of the incident, some identified through CCTV video clips that surfaced recently, and some of those suffering injuries on that day, the officer said.

On Tuesday, some other members of the Crime Branch team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rajesh Deo had visited the campus for the first time after December 15 when the police allegedly cracked down on students studying in the library.

The team members had spoken to Mohammad Minhajuddin, a student who had lost vision in one of his eyes in the police action.

Meanwhile, the university administration has submitted to the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry an estimate of damage caused to the property due to the alleged police action.

It has cited damages worth Rs 2.66 crore to its property and also said that it happened due to the police barging inside campus without permission.

The majority of the damage happened to the libraries where the students were studying.

The damage occurred to CCTV cameras, which were allegedly broken, tubelights, AC units, doors, glass windows and library tables.

According to a varsity official, the repair work in the new reading block has begun and it might be opened for students in a few days. However, the repair work in the old reading block will take time and it might not be opened for students soon.

Four videos have surfaced online of the incident, the latest being on Monday.

In a video that emerged on Sunday, paramilitary and police personnel can be seen thrashing students in the library. Two other videos, which appeared hours later, showed some youths with covered faces entering the library.

In the latest video, police personnel can be seen raining batons on students who were trying to escape. Women students can be seen moving out while pleading with the police and one of the policemen is seen breaking a CCTV camera.

On December 15, police had used batons and teargas shells to disperse a violent mob during a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). They entered the university campus, saying that rioters had taken shelter there.

However, Jamia students had denied that they were involved in the violence and had alleged police brutality.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MEXICO CITY and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AliveCor, the leader in AI-based, personal ECG technology, and provider of enterprise cardiology solutions, announced approval from the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk (COFEPRIS), to launch KardiaMobile in Mexico. AliveCor is partnering with Inpharamo , a Mexico based medical solutions company, to deploy the medical-grade ECG across the country, and to further expand AliveCor's global footprint.

Mexico is the second largest health-tech market in Latin American and Inpharamo has a notable record in successfully launching digital health solutions in this marketplace. According to the World Health Organization, heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Mexico behind diabetes. Arrhythmias, like atrial fibrillation (AFib), affects an estimated one and a half million people in Mexico and are leading indicators of heart disease and stroke. The population that can be positively impacted by at-home ECG is growing given the amplifying effect of diabetes and obesity on heart health.

"Our goal at AliveCor is to deliver affordable, accessible, easy to understand ECG data to as many people as possible," says AliveCor Chief Commercial Officer, Ira Bahr. "KardiaMobile offers consumers medical-grade, real-time reports on their heart activity, which can help them and manage heart health in a completely new way. We're thrilled to receive the COFEPRIS approval and to partner with Inpharamo to get KardiaMobile in the hands of millions of Mexicans who need it."

KardiaMobile captures a medical-grade ECG in 30 seconds anywhere, anytime and stores each reading on your smartphone, which can then be shared with your doctor with the press of a button. The device can detect three of the most common heart arrhythmias, including AFib, bradycardia, tachycardia and normal heart rhythm. KardiaMobile is used by the world's leading cardiac care medical professionals and patients. It is the most clinically validated Personal ECG in the world.

"With a pulse on Mexico's health market and needs, we've seen first-hand the direct impact innovative digital health technologies can have on patients and doctors," said Dr. Ricardo Marquez, Medical Director and Founder of Inpharmo. "We're confident that with our help, AliveCor will make an impact on the overall health of the citizens of Mexico."

KardiaMobile will be available for purchase for $3,300 pesos at Inpharamo's website: https://inpharamo.com/producto/kardiamobile/ and on Amazon https://www.amazon.com.mx/ . For more information about AliveCor's KardiaMobile, please visit: www.alivecor.com .

About AliveCor

AliveCor, Inc. is transforming cardiological care using deep learning. The FDA-cleared KardiaMobile device is the most clinically validated personal ECG solution in the world. KardiaMobile provides instant detection of atrial fibrillation, bradycardia, tachycardia, and normal heart rhythm in an ECG. Kardia is the first AI-enabled platform to aid patients and clinicians in the early detection of atrial fibrillation, the most common arrhythmia and one associated with a highly elevated risk of stroke. AliveCor's enterprise platform allows third party providers to manage their patients and customers' heart conditions simply and profitably using state-of-the-art tools that provide easy front-end and back-end integration to AliveCor technologies. AliveCor was named the No.1 artificial intelligence company in Fast Company's Top 50 Most Innovative Companies. AliveCor is a privately-held company headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. "Consumer" or "Personal" ECGs are ECG devices available for direct sale to consumers. For more information, visit alivecor.com .

About Inpharamo:

Inpharamo is a Mexican-based company specialized in connected medical devices. The team has many years of experience in marketing and selling foreign medical devices on the Mexican market. Inpharamo's experienced team consists of regulatory affairs, sales, marketing and logistics experts.

SOURCE AliveCor
Found rings  In a Facebook post Tuesday morning, Longview police said the agency is looking for the owner of a wedding ring set turned in last week. It was found by a woman in the entry way of a Longview grocery store. The owner has until April 11 to claim the rings by providing an accurate description of them to the police department.
Warren has been supported by other independent groups so far in the campaign, including the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which is a PAC that operates within certain fundraising and spending restrictions and that has an affiliated nonprofit that can take unlimited amounts of money from donors not disclosed to the public.
A lawyer for Julian Assange said the WikiLeaks founder will tell a judge during his extradition hearing that he was offered a pardon by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump in exchange for publicly saying that Russia was not involved in the leak of Democratic National Committee e-mails.

Assange, who was arrested last year in London at the request of the United States on charges of spying dating back to 2010, is seeking to fight his extradition. A court will hear his case next week.

During the preliminary hearing on February 19, Assanges lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said that in 2017 former U.S. congressman Dana Rohrabacher (Republican-California) visited Assange, who was holed up in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London amid fears of arrest.

Fitzgerald told the judge that another Assange lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, recalled that Rohrabacher said he was visiting on instructions from Trump and that the United States would be willing to pardon Assange or offer another means to set him free if he would say that Russia was not involved in the DNC leaks.

In 2016, as Trump and Hillary Clinton were vying for the U.S. presidency, WikiLeaks dumped thousands of embarrassing e-mails from the DNC.

Responding to the lawyer's claims, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said, "This is absolutely and completely false."



Trump barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than hes an ex-congressman. Hes never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject," Grisham said. "It is a complete fabrication and a total lie. This is probably another never-ending hoax and total lie from the DNC.



Rohrabacher, in a statement linked on his Twitter account, said he never spoke with Trump about Assange and was not directed by the president or anyone else connected with him to meet with Assange.

U.S. Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, who investigated Russian meddling in the 2016 election, determined that members of Russias military intelligence, known as the GRU, hacked into the DNC server as part of a larger Kremlin campaign to sow discord and support Trump.

Russian meddling in the 2016 election cast a cloud over Trumps victory and has dogged him throughout his term, even after Mueller concluded in March 2019 following his two-year investigation that their was insufficient evidence to conclude that Trump colluded with the Kremlin.

Trump, who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and said he wants better relations with Moscow, has called the probe an attempted coup and an illegal investigation.

Assange has been called a tool of the Kremlin as his WikiLeaks has never published damaging information about Putin or his government. He has denied that Russia was the source of the DNC e-mails.

The 48-year old began publishing archives of secret American military and diplomatic documents in 2010 after they were given to him by former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

The U.S. charges against Assange claim he tried to help Manning break the pass code to retrieve classified material. He is not charged with publishing the material.

Assange, who calls the charges politically motivated, faces up to 175 years in prison.

With reporting by Politico, AP, and Al-Jazeera
California officials would be able to appoint someone new to control Pacific Gas and Electric Co.s operations or reconsider the investor-owned companys operating license under a new enforcement process that the states top utility regulator proposed on Tuesday.

Marybel Batjer, president of the California Public Utilities Commission, laid out a six-step set of increasingly extreme consequences PG&E could face if it continues endangering the public after emerging from bankruptcy protection.

The steps described by Batjer include additional reporting requirements, greater commission oversight, appointment of an independent monitor and appointment of a new restructuring executive. The most severe steps would allow the commission to appoint a receiver, subject to state court approval, to run PG&E and potentially revoke the license that allows the company to provide electricity and natural gas to 16 million people.

Batjers enforcement measures echo an idea described in December by Gov. Gavin Newsom. She proposed the six steps alongside other reforms that collectively indicate that the commission intends to be tougher on PG&E and keep a closer eye on the company after the bankruptcy case ends.

PG&Es placement on the six-step sequence would be triggered by specific events such as failing to implement corrective actions or causing fires that destroy at least 1,000 buildings because of the companys misconduct.

One of Batjers other proposals would have PG&E withhold a material portion of executive performance bonuses if the company starts another catastrophic fire. Another proposal would allow PG&E to cancel severance payments if the company is convicted of felonies that occurred on a particular executives watch. She also said PG&E should completely replace its board of directors.

Investor-owned utilities have an enormous privilege in serving as a unique provider of essential services to the public  and with that privilege comes great responsibility to those they serve, Batjer said in a statement.

She said she was very concerned about PG&Es pattern of safety-related failures, exemplified most recently by the way it handled turning off power to millions of Californians in October. Batjer said the companys mismanagement during those extended shut-offs calls into question its ability to effectively plan and execute on decisions and actions within its control.

Most importantly, it raises questions about how well this utility understands the privilege it has been given and its commitment to following through on its responsibilities, she said in the statement.

She acknowledged that the commission is working under an aggressive timeline to wrap up its review of PG&Es bankruptcy plan in the next three and a half months. The company must resolve the case by June 30 in order to benefit from a wildfire fund created by a new state law.

Despite the urgent deadline, the commission needs to consider the best way for PG&E to be run after the case is over, Batjer said.

It must be clearly demonstrated that mechanisms are in place to ensure that the utility has emerged as a fundamentally changed company that has a commitment and ability to provide safe and reliable service at reasonable rates and can simultaneously continue needed improvements to mitigate wildfire risk and achieve the states climate goals, she said in the statement.

PG&E will have a chance to formally respond to Batjers proposals at a later date. The company already outlined its own ideas to improve its business coming out of bankruptcy, including bringing in new board members, dividing its business into regional units and committing to stricter safety standards.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

We welcome President Batjers input regarding our plan for emerging from Chapter 11 and building a re-imagined PG&E, spokesman Andy Castagnola said in an email.

He said the company looks forward to continuing to be involved in the commissions open and transparent public process and it is still receiving feedback about its bankruptcy plan, including from Newsoms office. The governor, who appointed Batjer to helm the commission last year, has been sharply critical of PG&Es bankruptcy and has at multiple points threatened a state takeover of the San Francisco energy company.

PG&E believes its current plan complies with both the letter and spirit of AB1054, the law that set the June 30 deadline, Castagnola said. He said the company has already made substantial progress toward emerging from its bankruptcy as a financially stable company positioned to continue prioritizing safe operations and customer focus while meeting Californias energy needs and clean energy goals in a changed climate.

Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network consumer group, said his organization has long advocated for the commission to embrace the kind of steps Batjer outlined  particularly in regard to appointing a receiver and reconsidering PG&Es license.

No matter whos in charge, theyre going to be held accountable for their future actions in a way that they have not in the past, Toney said of PG&E leaders. This is a new step for the CPUC.

The commission is set to begin public hearings about PG&Es emergence from bankruptcy next week.

J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris
Srinagar, Feb 19 : Former finance minister Altaf Bukhari on Wednesday urged the Union Health Ministry to bring the medical assistants of Jammu and Kashmir within the ambit of the Central Pharmacy Act (CPA) and do away with the discrimination faced by them.

He said that the career of around 30,000 medical assistants of J&K was at stake as the Central Law only caters to the degree and diploma holders like Bachelors in Pharmacy and Diploma in Pharmacy.

"Restricting the issuance of pharmacy licenses to aspirants with B. Pharma and D. Pharma has jeopardised the careers of medical assistants, who have studied the same subject with same syllabus from government recognised institutes," the former finance minister observed.

"But, unfortunately, the new pharmacy law made applicable to J&K has made their future bleak. The government of India and the concerned ministry must take all the concrete measures to address the genuine grievances of this section of qualified professionals," Bukhari said, while demanding necessary amendments to the CPA as soon as possible.

Bukhari said that there seems to be no rationale behind exclusion of medical assistants from the CPA, which was made applicable to Jammu and Kashmir after October 2019.

"Exclusion of J&K youth with government recognised medical assistant courses is unjustifiable and the issue needs to be addressed on priority basis," Bukhari advocated.
Ms Badhe in her petition before CAT has alleged that she has been facing complete seclusion in her workplace in Kolkata ED office.

A senior officer attached to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Kolkata zone, who has furnished legal opinion in some sensitive cases of national importance being monitored directly by the Supreme Court, has alleged that she has not been assigned any official work since December 2018.

New Delhi: A senior officer attached to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Kolkata zone, who has furnished legal opinion in some sensitive cases of national importance being monitored directly by the Supreme Court, has alleged that she has not been assigned any official work since December 2018.

The officer in question, Sonali Badhe, currently working as deputy legal advisor (DLA) in Kolkata zone of ED, has further alleged that despite there being a suitable vacancy in EDs Mumbai office, she was transferred to Kolkata in May 2018 from Ahmedabad.

Apart from her claim of being suitable for the post available in Mumbai, the senior legal officer  who has been selected through UPSC and had secured first rank in her doctorate in cyber laws  had cited personal reasons like taking care of her ailing mother who resides alone in Maharashtras Akola, as another ground to be sent to Mumbai.

However, she has alleged that while her request for transfer to Mumbai was not considered, in the past one year, some of her colleagues have, enjoyed suitable office locations as per their choices.

In her plea before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), she has sought a stay on the operation of the order on the basis of which her colleagues were given transfers allegedly of their choice.

Ms Badhe in her petition before CAT has alleged that she has been facing complete seclusion in her workplace in Kolkata ED office, soon after she had furnished legal opinions in some sensitive cases in December 2018.

She has alleged that no legal work has been assigned to her since the past 14 months, and that she has made repeated requests to the department of revenue in the union ministry of finance under which ED falls, to save her self respect and dignity at workplace, where she alleges lack of equal treatment and biased behaviour.

In her petition before CAT bench of New Delhi, Ms Badhe has said that the transfer orders on whose basis her colleagues were transferred, are patently illegal and arbitrary. Also, she has said further in her petition that they are in total violation of the DOPT, as the posting orders are required to be issued in accordance with the seniority and preference and also in violation of their own guidelines.
The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has added another entity of Russian oil shipper Rosneft to its growing list of sanctioned companies that continue to conduct business with the Maduro regime of Venezuela.

Specifically, OFAC placed Russian-controlled oil brokerage Rosneft Trading S.A., based in Geneva, along with the company's chairman, Didier Casimiro, on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List.

U.S. individuals and companies are generally prohibited from conducting business with individuals or entities on the SDN List. Additionally, any entities owned 50% or more in the aggregate by these listed individuals or entities are blocked.

"Rosneft Trading S.A. and its president brokered the sale and transport of Venezuelan crude oil," said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin in a statement on Tuesday. "The United States is determined to prevent the looting of Venezuela's oil assets by the corrupt Maduro regime."

Rosneft Trading S.A. is a subsidiary of the Russian global energy giant Rosneft Oil Co. (OTCMKTS: RNFTF) and, according to OFAC, helps the parent company with foreign projects.

"The core activities of Rosneft Trading S.A. are marketing and distribution, including the trading, processing, and transport of raw materials, in particular unrefined petroleum and petroleum products," OFAC said.

In recent years, Rosneft Trading has conducted business with Venezuelan state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela (PdVSA), which is also on the SDN List for providing financial support to President Nicolas Maduro.

OFAC noted in January that Rosneft Trading managed the shipment of 2 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil to West Africa. PdVSA planned to ship 55 million barrels through Rosneft Trading between September and December 2019, the agency said.

"U.S. sanctions need not be permanent and are intended to change behavior," OFAC said. "The United States has made it clear that we will consider lifting sanctions for those who take concrete, meaningful, and verifiable actions to support democratic order in Venezuela."

Story continues

Current U.S. sanctions against Venezuela, especially targeting its transportation and energy industries, have already taken a heavy toll on the South American country's economy.

The Trump administration said it would lift the sanctions against Venezuela once Maduro steps down and Juan Guaido, who reportedly won the country's vote in January 2019 to be the next president, is in power.

Image Sourced from Pixabay

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PHILADELPHA -- Machine learning is helping Penn Medicine researchers identify the size and shape of brain networks in individual children, which may be useful for understanding psychiatric disorders. In a new study published today in the journal Neuron, a multidisciplinary team showed how brain networks unique to each child can predict cognition. The study--which used machine learning techniques to analyze the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans of nearly 700 children, adolescents, and young adults--is the first to show that functional neuroanatomy can vary greatly among kids, and is refined during development.

The human brain has a pattern of folds and ridges on its surface that provide physical landmarks for finding brain areas. The functional networks that govern cognition have long been studied in humans by lining up activation patterns--the software of the brain--to the hardware of these physical landmarks. However, this process assumes that the functions of the brain are located on the same landmarks in each person. This works well for many simple brain systems, for example, the motor system controlling movement is usually right next to the same specific fold in each person. However, multiple recent studies in adults have shown this is not the case for more complex brain systems responsible for executive function--a set of mental processes which includes self-control and attention. In these systems, the functional networks do not always line up with the brain's physical landmarks of folds and ridges. Instead, each adult has their own specific layout. Until now, it was unknown how such person-specific networks might change as kids grow up, or relate to executive function.

"The exciting part of this work is that we are now able to identify the spatial layout of these functional networks in individual kids, rather than looking at everyone using the same 'one size fits all' approach," said senior author Theodore D. Satterthwaite, MD, an assistant professor of Psychiatry in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "Like adults, we found that functional neuroanatomy varies quite a lot among different kids--each child has a unique pattern. Also like adults, the networks that vary the most between kids are the same executive networks responsible for regulating the sorts of behaviors that can often land adolescents in hot water, like risk taking and impulsivity."

To study how functional networks develop in children and supports executive function, the team analyzed a large sample of adolescents and young adults (693 participants, ages 8 to 23). These participants completed 27 minutes of fMRI scanning as part of the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (PNC) a large study that was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Machine learning techniques developed by the laboratory of Yong Fan, PhD, an assistant professor of Radiology at Penn and co-author on the paper, allowed the team to map 17 functional networks in individual children, rather than relying on the average location of these networks.

The researchers then examined how these functional networks evolved over adolescence, and were related to performance on a battery of cognitive tests. The team found that the functional neuroanatomy of these networks was refined with age, and allowed the researchers to predict how old a child with a high degree of accuracy.

"The spatial layout of these networks predicted how good kids were at executive tasks," said Zaixu Cui, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow in Satterthwaite's lab and the paper's first author. "Kids who have more 'real estate' on their cortex devoted to networks responsible for executive function in fact performed better on these complex tasks." In contrast, youth with lower executive function had less of their cortex devoted to these executive networks.

Taken together, these results offer a new account of developmental plasticity and diversity and highlight the potential for progress in personalized diagnostics and therapeutics, the authors said.

"The findings lead us to interesting questions regarding the developmental biology of how these networks are formed, and also offer potential for personalizing neuromodulatory treatments, such as brain stimulation for depression or attention problems," said Satterthwaite. "How are these systems laid down in the first place? Can we get a better response for our patients if we use neuromodulation that is targeted using their own personal networks? Focusing on the unique features of each person's brain may provide an imporant way forward."

###

Additional co-authors on the study include Hongming Li, Cedric H. Xia, Bart Larsen, Azeez Adebimpe, Graham L. Baum, Matt Cieslak, Raquel E. Gur, Ruben C. Gur, Tyler M. Moore, Desmond J. Oathes, Aaron Alexander-Bloch, Armin Raznahan, David R. Roalf, Russell T. Shinohara, Daniel H. Wolf, Christos Davatzikos, Danielle S. Bassett, and Damien A. Fair.

The study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH113550, R01EB022573, R01MH107703, Q12 RF1MH116920, R01MH112847, P50MH096891, R01MH11186, K01MH102609, R01MH107235, R01NS085211, RC2MH08998, RC2MH089924).

Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $7.8 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top medical schools in the United States for more than 20 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $425 million awarded in the 2018 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center--which are recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report--Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Medicine Princeton Health; and Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Home Care and Hospice Services, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.

Penn Medicine is powered by a talented and dedicated workforce of more than 40,000 people. The organization also has alliances with top community health systems across both Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey, creating more options for patients no matter where they live.
There are major fears of an escalation in the Drogheda feud after part of a highly-sensitive Garda document fell into criminal hands.

The Irish Independent can reveal gangsters on one side of the bitter rift have obtained confidential personal information on some of their rivals.

The partial document contains details on lower-tier members of the anti-Maguire faction and female associates of some of the leading gang members.

While it is not believed the leak was deliberate, a major probe is now under way to determine how the information ended up in the wrong hands.

The document contains personal information including photographs of five people allegedly involved in the Drogheda feud.

One of those is a woman with a north Co Dublin address - the other four people in the file are men with addresses in Drogheda.

"This is a serious matter and it is causing a headache for gardai - it is the subject of a major internal investigation," a senior source said.

"At this stage there is nothing to suggest there was any malicious intent on how this got out or any suggestion of criminal wrongdoing," the source added.

It is unclear whether gardai have to provide extra security for the people who feature in the file or whether there is a threat to their lives as a result of the leak.

It is also not known where the photo of the leaked file was taken. The document has been on social media but has not been widely circulated, according to sources.

There have been a number of leaks of confidential Garda information over the years. Last March, a major investigation was launched after a restricted Garda bulletin board of major criminals was leaked from a Dublin garda station.

A photo of the notice board, which also included images of an Islamic extremist banned from a mosque, sex offenders and members of a west Dublin crime gang, was taken in a Dublin station.

It is understood an investigation established no garda was responsible for the leak on that occasion and an outside civilian contractor was responsible.

Gardai regularly prepare intelligence files on criminal gangs so that officers are aware of where gang members live, what they look like and what they drive.

The files help gardai determine relationships between different gang members and the mob's pecking order.
SHANGHAI, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Instead of queuing outside pharmacies or joining in the shopping frenzy online, foreigners in Shanghai scrambling to buy masks to fight coronavirus could make orders in a more convenient way -- dialing a "mask hotline."

By calling the Shanghai Call Center at 962-288, a hotline dedicated to providing information for foreigners in Shanghai with a history of over 10 years, foreigners can make inquiries about masks, current coronavirus containment efforts and other information concerning the epidemic.

Statistics showed around 100,000 foreigners stayed in Shanghai despite the coronavirus outbreak, with no cases of the novel coronavirus among them reported so far.

During the Spring Festival holiday, the hotline received thousands of inquiries, most of which were about buying masks.

"When communicating with foreigners, it is very important to speak accurately," said Sarah Leanne Sharman, a British who has worked in Shanghai for five years.

As Sharman can speak both English and Chinese, she is responsible for helping call center agents when they have difficulties in English language communication and understanding. The 36-year-old has been busy explaining to her Chinese colleagues the proper nouns about coronavirus used by the World Health Organization in the past few days.

Apart from 24-hour English services, the hotline also provides services in French, Japanese, German, Russian, Spanish and Arabic. Agents receiving calls will teach foreigners how to make appointments for buying masks at home and how to prepare for materials required for the appointments.

It has been a tough job for a cosmopolitan city like Shanghai to take virus containment measures such as providing citizens with enough masks, considering its population of 24 million.

Local government, enterprises and residents have made great efforts to increase the capacity of mask production.

Shanghai government encouraged local mask factories to resume operations and expand capacity, offering financial support such as rent reduction and tax incentives for enterprises that have contributed to the fight against the epidemic.

Some Shanghai citizens volunteered to work night shifts for mask factories while enterprises of other industries, including soybean product manufacturers and repurposed workshops, have added new mask production lines.

But instead of scrambling to buy masks and watching TV flooded with coronavirus-related news, what people affected by the epidemic really want is for the fight against the coronavirus to see a turnaround, life to return to normal and to finally enjoy a deep breath outdoors without masks.

China's daily new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection outside Hubei, the epicenter province of the outbreak, have dropped for 14 consecutive days, but experts remained cautious, calling for continuing efforts on strengthening coronavirus research and containment.

Like many foreigners in Shanghai, Sharman's life was also disrupted by the epidemic. She now works one in every three days and cooks for herself as most places nearby are closed. Because of the epidemic, she also has not been able to walk her dog as much as before.

"For me, the first thing I will do after the epidemic is to go out for dinner and take my dog to the park," said Sharman.
South Korean actor Song Kang-ho, left, and South Korean director Bong Joon-ho speak during a press conference for the movie of Parasite in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 19, 2020. EPA-Yonhap



South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho of "Parasite" said Wednesday that the monthslong Oscar campaign in the United States was driven by the passion and dedication of his staff and cast.



The black comedy thriller about two extreme families won four Oscar titles at the Academy Awards last week, becoming the first non-English language film to capture best picture in its 92-year history.



Bong led the film's awards season campaign, which started in August and ran through the Oscars ceremony on Feb. 9, along with its U.S. distributor Neon and its production houses Barunson E&A and CJ ENM.



"All films did their best to win an Oscar," Bong said in a press conference in Seoul. "But our team has to fight a guerrilla war with less budget, compared with big-name studios and Netflix."



He said he and actor Song Kang-ho, who played the father of a poor family in "Parasite," did more than 600 media interviews and held special screening sessions with film buffs more than 100 times.





South Korean director Bong Joon-ho poses with the cast and crew members of the film Parasite during a press conference in Seoul on Feb. 19, 2020, after his film won the Oscar for Best Picture. AFP-Yonhap
Elida Cervantes-Stranahan didnt wear a long white dress with beads and lace when she married for the second time. Her wedding topper wasnt a bride and groom in traditional gown and tux. And the reception wasnt awash in white tablecloths and crystal wine glasses.

Instead, the ceremony and reception had a Dia de los Muertos theme that included an embroidered pants outfit and train she designed herself, a skeleton bride and groom topper and papel picado banners reading Elida and Chad for her new husband Chad Stranahan.

We liked the idea of celebrating friends and relatives whove died, not making it a sad thing, she said. It was Chads idea. Even though hes from Indiana, he thinks hes Hispanic. He loves the culture.

Like Cervantes-Stranahan, most people planning a second wedding want to do things differently than they did the first time. They generally are more mature, they dont sweat the details and they know what they want.

Cervantes-Stranahans second wedding was a lot different from her much more traditional first, which took place in Mexico.

I wore a long white gown, got married in a church and had my sister and three nieces as bridesmaids. But I was only 22 years old at the time, said the 44-year-old.

Everyone wants a happily ever after. But with about 40 percent of all first marriages ending in divorce, thats not in the cards for many walking down the aisle for the first time.

Yet optimism still reigns. The percentage of married people who had been married before has increased from just 13 percent in 1960 to about 23 percent today, according to the Pew Research Center. In 40 percent of all weddings, at least one person has been married before; in 20 percent both previously have said I do.

And with experience comes a different perspective the second time around.

Theyre usually more laid-back and not as wishy-washy, said Joanne Doll, owner of the San Antonio wedding and special event planning company Lasting Impressions by Design. Its not so much about making the day perfect as it is doing what they truly want to do.

Here are some ideas for doing that second wedding right.

Make it smaller: The first time Gigi Heyland got married, her parents footed the bill for the 200-plus-person reception. For her recent Valentines Day wedding on the beach in Port Aransas, she and now-husband Jay Franklin invited about 30, most of them family. Instead of 12 bridesmaids, she had her five granddaughters, ages 1 to 13, stand in for her. And the $25 dress she bought used on Facebook Marketplace was only a fraction of what the traditional white gown cost the first time.

Like a lot of couples marrying for the second time (or third, or...), Heyland and Franklin are long past the point of worrying what others might think of a more stripped-down wedding ceremony and reception.

You realize its not about how many people are there, the food and what you look like, she said. Its about that youre marrying someone and starting a new life together.

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Maureen Riebel, owner of the wedding planning company Elegant Events in San Antonio had a bride tell her she wanted to invite only as many people who could fit in one big group photo.

Not that smaller is always cheaper. A photographer is going to charge the same whether theyre shooting a wedding of 300 or 30. Same with a band.

But you can save money by downscaling here, too, Riebel said. Book a smaller photo package  one photographer instead of two  or keep the two photographers but hire them for two hours instead of eight. Hire a DJ instead of a live band, which will cost much more.

Make it more intimate: The wedding reception doesnt have to be a party with music and dancing. Many second-time couples opt just to serve a nice dinner, either at a restaurant or at home, said Lauren Chumbley, owner of Austin-based Eclipse Event Co.

And if you do want a party, it doesnt have to be a rave. Chumbley once worked a wedding for 45 in a small room with a U-shaped table.

They had a mini dance floor at the center, and I was the DJ playing music on an iPod, she said. It was lovely and a lot of fun.

Ignore the traditions: Theres no law saying you have to have favors, a bouquet toss, toasts and the like. Do what you want and not what people expect. At the end of the day, youll be just as married.

Or put your own twist on things. Instead of a traditional, multitiered wedding cake, Riebel has seen couples serve everything from tres leche cakes and pies to Bundt cakes and doughnuts.

And frozen treats such as ice cream sandwiches and Popsicles are really popular, especially with the grooms, Riebel said.

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Be ready to compromise: Britney and Jake Georges wedding was his first, her second, so they initially disagreed about how big to go with the ceremony and reception.

After doing it once, I knew that no one was going to know whether you had hydrangeas or peonies in your bouquet, said Britney, who works in real estate. Jake wanted to do it up  more people, more flowers, the works.

He also had his heart set on wearing a bespoke tuxedo.

It cost thousands of dollars, she said. That was almost as much as my dress, but then I said, doesnt he deserve it, too?

She was able to talk Jake out of his plan to rent boats to take their guests out onto Horseshoe Bay the day before the wedding. But they invited more people than Britney originally would have, and the vast majority who came were his family and friends.

But thats because it wasnt as important for some of the people on my side to come, she said.

As much as she tried to rein in Jake, the couple still spent about $60,000 on the wedding and reception. Almost two years later, she has no regrets.

In the end I loved everything about it, she said.

Go big if you want: Second weddings dont have to be smaller and more intimate. Riebel, recalls clients John and Janet whod both had relatively small first weddings.

He wanted to provide her with her lifes dream, Riebel recalled. So when she said she wanted a wedding where she could see the ocean but that she didnt want her toes in the sand, we found a beautiful place in the Pebble Beach area in California. John paid for everything, including flying the family out there.

Richard A. Marini is a features writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | rmarini@express-news.net | Twitter: @RichardMarini
State forest minister Sanjay Rathod on Wednesday announced a probe into the ambitious tree plantation drive undertaken by the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government from 2016 to 2019, under which they claimed to have planted 33 crore saplings.

Rathod, also a Shiv Sena leader, told HT that he had directed the forest secretary to investigate whether there were any irregularities in the tree plantation drive conducted in the past five years of the Devendra Fadnavis-led government. The forest department then was headed by BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar. I have directed the secretary, forest department to conduct a probe to check if there were any irregularities in the tree plantation campaign conducted by the previous government as my office received complaints, Rathod said. Im not saying there were irregularities or a scam took place. The directives were issued after receiving complaints. If anything is found anything wrong, action will be taken against the guilty.

Mungantiwar, in response, sent a letter to the forest minister, demanding a probe by a retired judge high court, instead of an inquiry just by the forest secretary. Rathod, however, clarified that he was not casting aspersions on his predecessor, stating Mungantiwar is a senior leader and it was a good initiative. A minister doesnt go to plant trees. The ground work is done by officials concerned, he clarified.

The tree plantation drive planned as a bid to tackle several challenges, from climate change to deforestation, was our ambitious programme. More than 32 government agencies and 40 organisations contributed in this programme to plant 33 crore saplings. I welcome a probe if there are any doubts about the drive, but I think it should be done by a retired high court justice and not by forest secretary, said Mungantiwar. The probe will look at how many species were planted and how many of them survived. One of the complainants was Rathods ministerial colleague and relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar. Wadettiwar, a senior Congress leader, said he had filed the complaint as not even half the saplings survived. After receiving many complaints I decided to follow up the matter with the forest minister. It needs to be investigated, Wadettiwar said.

The probe will look at how many species were planted and how many of them survived. One of the complainants was Rathods ministerial colleague and relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar. Wadettiwar, a senior Congress leader, said he had filed the complaint as not even half the saplings survived. After receiving many complaints I decided to follow up the matter with the forest minister. It needs to be investigated, Wadettiwar said.

Of the 307 lakh hectares of total area in the state, 61.35 lakh hectares (20%) comprises forests. The forest department had intended to increase the green cover to 33% through the scheme, which means planting a total of 400 crore trees.

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Unable to use her hands, arms, or legs, Afghan artist Robaba Mohammadi has defied unlikely odds in a country that routinely discriminates against women and disabled people. Denied access to school, as a child she taught herself to paint by holding a brush in her mouth, clenching it between her teeth to create elaborate and colourful portraits. Today, the 19-year-old's works sell and exhibit internationally, and she is so accomplished that she has launched a dedicated centre to help train other disabled artists. "I do paintings mostly about Afghan women, women's power, the beauty of women, the beauty of paintings, love, and the challenges women face," Mohammadi said. Some 50 students attend classes at her centre in Kabul, which she opened last year and funds herself with money from selling her paintings. According to a 2015 national survey, about 1.5 million of Afghanistan's approximately 35 million population has some form of disability, including tens of thousands of people suffering from landmine injuries. But despite this, the impoverished country still stigmatises those that are not able-bodied. Mohammadi was born with a permanent physical disability that means she cannot use her limbs, and now suffers from a degenerative condition called arthrosis. "Because of my disability, I was never even able to go to school," Mohammadi said, adding that she had looked on enviously as her siblings went to get an education. But with the help of her family, she eventually taught herself to read and write, and can now use social media on her mobile phone as adeptly as any other teenager -- by typing with her tongue. "We are so proud of Robaba, she is an inspiration for other disabled people," said her brother, 24-year-old Ali Mohammadi, who hopes to create a literacy course for people with disabilities who have been unable to go to school. - Double prejudice - Ultra-conservative Afghanistan, long considered one of the world's worst places to be a woman, still often forces disabled women to stay hidden away, even in the comparatively progressive capital Kabul. "I was feeling tired and sick of not being able to leave home," Mohammadi said. "I felt really upset. When our relatives would visit, they would whisper that my parents committed some kind of sin that they delivered a disabled girl." Benafsha Yaqoobi, commissioner at the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, said such treatment was because there was often double the prejudice, "due to womanhood and due to disabilities". "All these are the results of discrimination, caused by negative attitudes towards females as so-called, 'second sex', and disability, looked (at) not as a diversity, but as a shame and stigma," Yaqoobi said. Noor Ahmad Azizi, a 22-year-old disabled student at Mohammadi's painting centre, said he had been unable to attend school because of his disability. "I love to do painting," Azizi said. "I would love to learn to paint professionally, and I also want to become famous like Robaba." Ziaul Haq Fazli, a spokesman for the Afghan ministry for martyrs and disabled people, said more than 320,000 disabled people and relatives of those killed in the war were registered with the ministry, which helps provide jobs and educational opportunities. For Mohammadi, art was a way to release her frustration. She first started drawing by holding a pencil loosely in her mouth, but then realised she could improve details in her sketches by clenching the pencil between her teeth. "It was very difficult and I cried several times," she explained as she coloured a vibrant scene featuring a large tree. "It was hard to do the lighting and shading of the paintings, then my dad encouraged me," she added. Unable to use her hands, arms, or legs, Afghan artist Robaba Mohammadi has defied unlikely odds in a country that routinely discriminates against women and disabled people Robaba Mohammadi works sell and exhibit internationally, and she is so accomplished that she has launched a dedicated centre to help train other disabled artists in Afghanistan According to a 2015 national survey, about 1.5 million of Afghanistan's approximately 35 million population has some form of disability, including tens of thousands of people suffering from landmine injuries
In Karnataka, several employees of the state transport undertakings, including the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), are likely to go a 24-hour hunger strike on Thursday.

However, the bus services are not likely to be hit as All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)-backed KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation has kept distance from the hunger strike.

The employees are likely to stage their protest at the Freedom Park and demand that the Karnataka government treat them as government employees.

Their demand gained momentum after the government of Andhra Pradesh in a recent move merged Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) thus making the bus corporation staff as government staff. The employees seek benefits, retirement and medical, like those of the government staff.
Alabama

Sandhill cranes fly into the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Decatur, Ala., in 2015.

Montgomery: About 300 sandhill cranes were killed during the states first hunting season for the birds in more than a century, the state conservation agency said. A news release from the agency said about 400 people bought permits to hunt the large birds, which some people like to eat. While not everyone with a permit got a bird, migratory game bird coordinator Seth Maddox said the final numbers will probably be in line with other states that have hunting seasons for sandhill cranes. The state last allowed sandhill crane hunting in 1916 after hunting nearly wiped out the species. A hunting ban allowed the birds populations to recover enough to allow a season. Warm winter temperatures caused diminished duck numbers in Alabama this season and also affected the sandhill population, Maddox said. Officials estimated a population of roughly 12,000 cranes, down about 3,000 from average.

Alaska

Juneau: Hundreds of Alaskans gathered over the weekend to celebrate one of the states civil rights icons, whose image will soon appear on a U.S. gold dollar. The Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood sponsored the event in Juneau on Sunday to honor Elizabeth Peratrovich, The Juneau Empire reports. The U.S. Mint announced in October that the member of Tlingit Nation will become the first Alaska Native to appear on U.S. currency. The collectible coin is scheduled to go on sale this year as part of the mints Native American $1 Coin program. The Elizabeth Peratrovich Day event at the Juneau Tlingit and Haida Community Council marked the 75th anniversary of a famed speech by Peratrovich before the territorial legislature of Alaska in support of the Anti-Discrimination Act, which was designed to outlaw discriminatory practices against Alaska Natives across much of the territory.

Arizona

Phoenix: A state House panel voted along party lines Monday evening to advance a proposal barring new fees on ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. The 4-3 vote came after a lengthy hearing of the House Regulatory Affairs Committee. Majority Republicans backing the proposal say it will prevent Phoenix and other airports from raising ride-hailing service fees that they contend violate a voter-approved ban on new taxes or fees on services. Phoenix says the airport charges fees or rent to everyone who does business on the city-owned property. Other companies that pay to use Sky Harbor say barring the new fees on Uber and Lyft rides will shift the costs to them. They include companies that run parking lots and Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, the two biggest operators at the airport.

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Arkansas

Jasper: The 400-acre property in Newton County that was once home to the Dogpatch USA theme park will be auctioned off on the courthouse steps next month, according to a legal notice published in the Newton County Times. A notice filed in January in the Newton County Circuit Court said Great American Spillproof Products had 10 days to pay a little more than $1 million owed on the property. It that wasnt paid, the property was to be advertised for sale at auction. Dogpatch opened in 1968 with rides and other attractions. At its peak, it drew 9,000 visitors a day. The theme was the characters of the Lil Abner comic strip, which began in 1934. The hill-folk-filled strip  featuring the likes of Lil Abner, Daisy Mae, Mammy and Pappy Yokum  found an enthusiastic audience in the Ozarks. The park closed in 1993. The action will be held at 9:30 a.m. March 3 outside the courthouse in Jasper.

California

Lee Vining: Federal firefighters have set fire to invasive non-native weeds on an island in the Sierra Nevadas Mono Lake in an effort to clear space for California gulls to build their nests on the ground. The burn Friday cleared nearly half of 11-acre Twain Island, the Los Angeles Times reports. The lake is an important nesting ground for gulls, but the recent arrival of a Eurasian bush known as five-horn smotherweed has left little room for nesting. About 32,000 gull nests were counted at Mono Lake in the early 1990s. A gradual decline began in 2004, then steepened when the weed arrived in 2016 and quickly covered about 70% of the breeding grounds. Last year, there were 11,705 nests, the lowest number in 34 years of study. Biologists will now wait to see if the decline in the gull breeding population will be reversed.

Colorado

Pueblo: Colorado State University will offer a cannabis-related degree program after receiving approval from the state. The university is expected to launch the program this fall at its Pueblo campus about 115 miles south of Denver, The Denver Post reports. The Cannabis, Biology and Chemistry program would focus on the science necessary to work in the cannabis field and emphasize natural products and analytical chemistry, officials said. The curriculum would be similar to double-majoring in biology and chemistry, they said. The natural products coursework would place students in a lab setting to learn about the genetics of cannabis or other plants with additional courses in neurobiology, biochemistry and genetics, university officials said, and the analytical chemistry coursework would have them learn about the chemical compounds, such as determining what kind of cannabidiol concentration should exist in a product.

Connecticut

New Haven: A group of students at Yale University has set up a drone delivery service on campus. Kiki Air promises to deliver candy, snacks and other small items to students who place orders through an app. The service is currently being tested using a small group of student customers before being launched campuswide. Developers told the Yale Daily News that users order items from a menu on their phones and receive them at one of several drop locations around campus in a padded envelope attached to a drone. Kiki Airs founder, Yale senior Jason Lu, says his company grew from a class project and has won a $150,000 grant from Y Combinator, a California-based investor in startups. The newspaper reports a Kiki Air drone fell last week onto a campus walkway, but nobody was injured. Orman describes the incident as a controlled landing and says the company has increased training and changed drop locations after the incident.

Delaware

Odyssey Charter School board president Josiah Wolcott resigned from his position on the board during a special meeting of the Odyssey Charter School board Sunday night at the lower school.

Wilmington: Odyssey Charter School board President Josiah Wolcott resigned from his position at an emergency board meeting Sunday night. But leaders at neighboring Academia Antonia Alonso Charter School dont think his resignation is enough. Leaders at the school who felt targeted by jokes made during a January board meeting are demanding that two other board members, along with a school administrator, step down. If not, the Spanish immersion school that rents space from Odyssey will seek a new location, Maria Alonso, Academia board president, said in a statement Monday. Odyssey has been under fire for weeks. It was placed under state investigation, prompted by two recorded exchanges among board members in the past two months on issues of race  jokes targeting Academia, a majority Hispanic school, and ruminations on whether a black woman would be a token if hired.

District of Columbia

Children participate in the White House Easter Egg Roll in 2018.

Washington: The online lottery has begun for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, WTOP-FM reports. The lottery, which is free to enter, is open until Monday morning at 10 a.m. The White House has said it will notify winners via email by March 4. The April 13 event is held the morning after Easter Sunday. Families with children ages 13 and younger are invited to join President Donald Trump and the first lady for a day of festivities on the South Lawn, where children use wooden spoons to roll dyed hard-boiled eggs. The Easter Egg Roll is an annual tradition dating to 1878 and the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes. Easter is April 12 this year.

Florida

Fort Lauderdale: Fewer of the states manatees died in 2019 compared with the year before. Manatee deaths statewide decreased to 606 deaths last year, down from 824 in 2018. Experts say it appears the main cause of the decline in deaths is the reduced effect of red tide algae on manatees. Twenty-one manatees died of red tide in 2019, compared with 288 in 2018, said Jaclyn Lopez, a spokeswoman for the Florida Center for Biological Diversity. The Sun-Sentinel reports that boats and other watercraft were the biggest cause of manatee deaths last year, causing at least 136 of the fatalities  or about 22% for the year. According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data, 129 of the gentle giants were not recovered. A cause of death hasnt been determined in 119 cases. Broward and Miami-Dade counties saw fewer deaths, although manatee deaths increased slightly in Palm Beach County.

Georgia

Atlanta: Budget writers in the state House want to preserve money for mental health, substance abuse, public defenders, agricultural research and diverting people away from prison. While overall spending wont rise above the cuts proposed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, the House Appropriations Committee voted Tuesday to shift tens of millions to protect programs lawmakers have been trying to build up. The amended document makes midyear changes to Georgias current state budget, which will spend more than $27 billion in state money and billions more in federal money by June 30. The full House is scheduled to debate the spending plan Wednesday. Lawmakers grabbed money from other places to shore up their priorities, including $11 million meant to implement electronic health records in the state prison system and $2.7 million more cut from the Department Public Safety.

Hawaii

Hilo: The University of Hawaiis new administrative rules governing Mauna Kea could take up to a year before they are fully implemented, officials said. Democratic Gov. David Ige approved the rules in January. But it is likely to be six to 12 months before they are put into effect on the states highest mountain, The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports. The rules codify what activities are permitted on the Big Island lands managed by the university, but a framework for action has not yet been finalized, officials said. The rules prohibit littering, speeding, noise disturbances, fires, drugs, alcohol, drones and camping. They are also intended to regulate commercial activities, tours and motorized traffic, including off-road driving. Demonstrators blocked access to Mauna Keas summit to prevent construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope from July through December. Demonstrators said the project could damage land considered sacred by some Native Hawaiians.

Idaho

Hamer: The state Department of Fish and Game is reporting an additional 32 pronghorn have been killed in a second train accident in eastern Idaho. A train collided with 64 pronghorn Feb. 3, killing 45 on impact and severely injuring another 19 in the same area near Hamer, Idaho. KBOI reports that authorities gave a second update Friday that an additional 32 were struck by a train in a second incident. Fish and Game staff were in the area on a continued search for pronghorn that were hung up in a fence the evening before officials made the discovery. Five pronghorn had severe injuries and were put down by an officer. Another 27 appeared to have been killed on impact. All salvageable meat was donated to needy families around the region.

Illinois

The gypsy moth feeds on more than 300 species of trees.

Springfield: State officials plan to combat infestations of the gypsy moth will be the focus of several upcoming meetings in northern Illinois. The state Department of Agriculture has planned nine open houses to discuss treatment strategies at infested sites, including the use of a naturally occurring type of bacteria and a pheromone specific to gypsy moths that prevents males from breeding. Officials say theres no danger to humans, pets or other wildlife. The non-native pest eats more than 250 species of trees and shrubs but particularly feeds on oak leaves. Officials say large populations can strip plants bare, making them vulnerable to other insects and disease. Trees also can die because of severe defoliation. More information on the treatment sites in DuPage, Jo Daviess, Kendall, Ogle and Will counties is available at the departments website, along with information about the open house events.

Indiana

Indianapolis: The Eiteljorg Museum is continuing a year of exhibits honoring the 100th anniversary of womens suffrage with a feature on quilts and the stories they tell. The exhibit opening March 7 highlights quilts made by women from the early 1800s to the present day. Johanna Blume, the museums curator of Western art, history and culture, said quilts have long been a way to document history. Quilts embody personal stories and symbolize community relationships, Blume said. They document people, places and events and serve as visual records  ones created largely by women  that help us study and understand Western art, history and culture. The quilts featured showcase a variety of artists from different background and time periods. The exhibit runs until Aug. 9 and is included with regular admission to the museum in downtown Indianapolis.

Iowa

Des Moines: Cities could not prevent landlords from turning away tenants who use public assistance to pay rent under bills that advanced Monday in the state Senate and House. Proponents said they believe so-called legal source of income laws are an issue of property rights and can burden landlords who dont want to accept federal housing choice vouchers. Des Moines, Iowa City and Marion have ordinances requiring landlords to accept the vouchers, according to the Poverty & Race Research Action Council. But opponents of the legislation said such ordinances help ensure those using federal housing choice vouchers and other assistance can secure housing in their communities. The bills had enough Republican support to pass through subcommittees Monday, but lawmakers in both chambers said they want to investigate the bills more thoroughly to work through some of the details.

Kansas

Wichita: An effort to have a Kansas priest who died in a North Korean prison camp reach sainthood could take an important step forward next month. The Wichita Eagle reports a panel of archbishops and cardinals will meet March 10 to vote on whether Emil Kapaun is worthy of the title of Venerable, which is the second step in the process toward sainthood in the Catholic Church. Pope Francis will make the final determination. Kapaun was named a Servant of God, the first step toward canonization, by the church in 1993. If the Venerable title is bestowed, the church would begin the process of investigating alleged miracles attributed to Kapaun. The Diocese of Wichita has long championed the cause of sainthood for Kapaun, who was raised on a farm in the town of Pilsen.

Kentucky

Grand Rivers: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was on hand Monday to witness a massive harvest of invasive Asian carp from Kentucky Lake, after an experimental roundup that wildlife officials say could be the first of many. The roundup began Feb. 3, with state and federal fisheries officials working in boats to methodically drive the fish with electricity and noise through a series of nets. The technique was designed to leave most native fish unharmed. McConnell watched as dozens of fish jumped about the water in a large netted area where they were driven days earlier. Crews in small boats Monday worked to reduce the size of the area to guide the fish toward a large vacuum hose, which discharged the fish into a net pen where they would be removed from the lake. McConnell, who was joined at the lake by Gov. Andy Beshear, recently helped secure $25 million in federal funding to implement the Asian carp national management plan first developed in 2007.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: A Louisiana State University geology professor now has a scientific namesake in a newly discovered variety of tourmaline. Barbara Dutrow said shes surprised and thrilled by the honor. A lifelong passion has been to discover and decode the geologic information embedded in tourmaline; this recognition is a highlight of our discoveries! she said in a news release from LSU. The statement said Italian researchers named dutrowite for her because of her contributions to mineral sciences, especially her research showing that tourmalines  a family of gemstones  hold evidence of their geological history. The International Mineralogical Association accepted the name in December. Christian Biagioni of the University of Pisa and other researchers in Italy, Sweden and Austria recommended the name in October, papers provided by Dutrow showed.

Maine

Bangor: Some biologists and hunting enthusiasts believe the states stable population of grouse could help tourism at a time when other parts of the country are seeing declines of the popular game birds. Grouse are ground-feeding birds that belong to the same order as turkeys and chickens. State game bird biologist Kelsey Sullivan said Maine is home to abundant habitat for the animals, and their population is in good condition. Meanwhile, the number of the birds has fallen elsewhere in the U.S., where West Nile virus and habitat loss are among the factors hurting populations. Wisconsin cut its grouse hunting season short last year, and New Jersey canceled the season for the foreseeable future. People who would normally hunt in the Midwest or elsewhere are now looking to come to Maine to pursue the birds, Sullivan told the Bangor Daily News.

Maryland

Annapolis: Voters would no longer be required to decide whether to allow gambling expansion in the state, under a measure approved by the state Senate on Tuesday. The Senate voted 46-1 for the constitutional amendment. If the House approves, Maryland voters would still have the final say about whether they want to take themselves out of the process in November. It takes a three-fifths vote by both chambers of the General Assembly to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot. Under the proposed change, lawmakers would decide whether to expand gambling. The law requiring lawmakers as well as voters to decide on any further gambling expansion was part of the constitutional amendment voters approved in 2008 to allow casinos. State analysts project Marylands six casinos will generate about $1.8 billion in gross gambling revenue in fiscal year 2021. That includes $542 million for the states Education Trust Fund.

Massachusetts

Eastham: One of the jurors who convicted notorious crime boss James Whitey Bulger says she regrets her decision after learning that he was an unwitting participant in a covert CIA experiment with LSD. Bulger terrorized Boston from the 1970s into the 1990s with a campaign of murder, extortion and drug trafficking, then spent 16 years on the lam after he was tipped to his pending arrest. In 2013, Janet Uhlar was one of 12 jurors who found Bulger guilty in a massive racketeering case, including involvement in 11 murders, even after hearing evidence that the mobster was helped by corrupt FBI agents. But now Uhlar says she regrets voting to convict Bulger on any of the murder charges. Her regret stems from a cache of more than 70 letters Bulger wrote to her from prison. In some, he describes his unwitting participation in a secret CIA experiment with LSD. The agency dosed Bulger with the powerful hallucinogen more than 50 times  something his lawyers never brought up in his federal trial.

Michigan

Detroit: The citys Animal Care & Control office wants a live release rate next year of at least 90% for animals coming through its shelter. Live release rates include adoptions, animal transfers and returning stray dogs to owners. The average monthly rate by the end of last year was 77%, according to the city. Changes to how the office operates were announced last year. Animal care, under the citys Health Department, handles sheltering, treatment licensing and adoptions. Animal control is under the General Services Division and responds to citizen complaints, strays and ticketing owners violating city ordinances. Animal Care has hired two new veterinarians for its shelter. The city also is investing $3 million to expand the shelter to help house 250 dogs. Currently, it can house 150 dogs.

Minnesota

St. Paul: With the threat of spring flooding looming, Gov. Tim Walz asked lawmakers Tuesday to approve $30 million to replenish a state disaster aid fund that was drained by a string of disasters last year. Walz said an updated flood forecast from the National Weather Service is expected in early March, but there are flashing yellow lights already due to the incredibly wet fall that left soils saturated in many parts of the state heading into the winter, as well as the heavy snowpack since then. It would be irresponsible not to assume that were going to have a pretty wet spring and the potential for flooding as there was last year, the governor said at a news conference. Rep. Gene Pelowski, of Winona, who created the states Disaster Assistance Contingency Account, is sponsoring the proposal and plans to hold a hearing on it Monday.

Mississippi

Biloxi: A 12-year-old-girl received a black doll with beads forming a noose around its neck at a Mardi Gras parade, and officials said Monday that police were investigating the incident as a hate crime. Nicole Fairconeture of Pass Christian said she and her family were attending the Krewe of Nereids parade Sunday when a man riding on one of the floats called her daughter to get a Mardi Gras throw. She grabbed the item, put it to her chest, and was coming back and he called her back, Fairconeture told The Sun Herald newspaper. When she turned around, he said, Thats you.  The doll was black and was dressed like a slave, Fairconeture said. The upset mother found police and handed the doll to the officers; her uncle later filed a police report. Waveland Mayor Mike Smith said the incident is being considered a hate crime, with both Waveland and Bay St. Louis police working on the investigation.

Missouri

Jefferson City: State House lawmakers on Monday advanced a bill that would allow doctors to track prescription drugs in an effort to combat the opioid epidemic, but there are still significant roadblocks to making Missouri the final state to adopt such a system. All other states have adopted a prescription drug monitoring program, which is a database that provides physicians and pharmacists with a patients prescription history so they can intervene with medical help for those who could be struggling with addiction. At least six Republican senators in the newly formed Conservative Caucus oppose the measure, citing privacy concerns and saying theyre not convinced a database would stop overdoses. House lawmakers voted 98-56 to pass the bill Monday. It now heads to the state Senate, where Republican Sen. Cindy OLaughlin said she and other members of the Conservative Caucus are prepared to stand and speak against the bill for hours.

Montana

Bozeman: State officials say the livestock disease brucellosis has been found in elk in the Ruby Mountains, the latest evidence that the disease slowly continues to spread among wildlife in the Yellowstone region. Two elk tested positive for exposure to the disease during recent sampling by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. State Veterinarian Marty Zaluski says its the first time brucellosis has been found in the mountain range east of Dillon. The two infected animals were among 100 elk that were tested. The bacterial disease can infect cattle, bison and elk. It causes female animals to prematurely abort their young and can spread through infected birth tissues and fluids. Its been essentially eradicated in U.S. livestock herds but persists in wildlife populations in and around Yellowstone National Park.

Nebraska

Omaha: Results from new tests for the COVID-19 disease on 13 people evacuated to an Omaha hospital from a cruise ship in Japan await confirmation from federal experts, a hospital spokesman said Tuesday. Taylor Wilson with Nebraska Medicine said results from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention arent expected for several days. The 13 were part of a larger group of American citizens whod been aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship and flown back to the U.S. One of the 13 was placed in a biocontainment unit at Nebraska Medical Center to receive a higher level of care because he had a cough and other symptoms in addition to a chronic illness that places him at higher risk for complications. The other 12 are in the National Quarantine Unit nearby on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus, officials said.

Nevada

Revelers pose at the "Storm Area 51" spinoff event Alienstock on Sept. 20, 2019, in Rachel, Nev.

Rachel: The Alienstock festival could attract thousands of extraterrestrial fans to the area for a second consecutive year if county commissioners grant permission. The owners of restaurant and motel Little ALeInn in Rachel announced plans to host Alienstock 2020 for three days beginning Sept. 10, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Last years event was conceived after a viral Facebook meme urged people to storm the gate of the secretive Air Force base commonly known as Area 51, which has long been rumored to house extraterrestrial technology. The prospective gate-crashers were urged to head to the site to see them aliens. The first Alienstock  featuring music acts, food vendors and other activities  saw a peak attendance of about 3,000 visitors. Little ALeInn owner Connie Wests request to host a second Alienstock is expected to be heard at a future Lincoln County Commission meeting.

New Hampshire

Manchester: The state has been chosen as the site of a new public-private partnership focused on biotechnology. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is launching the nations first Foundry for American Biotechnology in Manchester, led by inventor Dean Kamens Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute. The goal is to develop technology and products that will allow Americans to recover faster from natural disasters and other public health emergencies. The foundrys first project will focus on small devices that could be brought to disaster locations to make medicines on-site. The consortium will include the federal Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response as well as representatives from industrial pharmaceutical and industrial automation sectors.

New Jersey

Morristown: NJ Transits next phase of positive train control testing has the green light from the Federal Railroad Administration as the agency races to complete the mandated safety project before Dec. 31. The first line scheduled for revenue service demonstration, or testing when passengers are on the trains during normal service, is the Morristown Line between Summit and Denville. Field testing without passengers has recently expanded to other lines, NJ Transit CEO and President Kevin Corbett said at last weeks board meeting, and that testing will continue. Positive train control is technology that involves installing software and transponders to communicate about how fast trains should be going on certain areas of track. The system, once fully installed, will automatically slow or stop a train if a locomotive engineer does not.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: The state has moved to phase out medical cannabis cards for nonresidents starting at midyear, under a bill approved by the Legislature on Monday and supported by the governor. More than 600 people from Texas, Arizona and beyond have enrolled as patients in New Mexicos medical marijuana program since September based on a change in state statute signed into law last year by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. State health officials backtracked and said the residency requirement was dropped unintentionally from that legislation. They urged legislators this year to reinstate the requirement, arguing that opening up the program to states without legal marijuana might prompt federal intervention and tempt out-of-state patients to illegally transport marijuana across state lines. House lawmakers voted 44-19 on Monday to restore the residency requirement.

New York

Albany: Retailers have begun giving up single-use plastic bags as the state prepares for the March 1 implementation of a ban aimed at reducing pollution, but many of those who support a move away from plastic are worried the new law doesnt go far enough. The law bars many types of businesses from using the thin plastic bags that have been clogging up landfills, getting tangled in trees, and accumulating in lakes and seas. Single-use paper bags will still be allowed, but counties have the option of imposing a 5 cent fee. As the deadline to drop plastic bags nears, though, some environmentalists worry the states new regulations include a loophole that could allow stores to skirt the ban by handing out plastic bags thick enough to be considered suitable for multiple uses. It is a giant loophole which they should close in the future, said Judith Enck, a former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency who now leads the environmental advocacy group Beyond Plastics. Its not good for the environment if you go from thinner plastic bags to thicker plastic bags.

North Carolina

Raleigh: A state trooper shouldnt have been fired for losing his hat and lying about it, an appeals court ruled Tuesday in a case thats spanned a decade and multiple trips through the courts. The case of the lost hat began in 2009 when former Trooper Thomas Wetherington mislaid his signature round-brimmed hat during a traffic stop and later told a supervisor it had blown off his head. The matter has gone all the way to the state Supreme Court once before and generated more than 1,000 pages of legal briefs, rulings and evidence. It is unlikely so many lawyers have ever before written so many pages because of a lost hat, wrote North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge Donna Stroud in an opinion joined by the two other judges. The hat was eventually found by a motorist and returned.

North Dakota

Fargo: A former officer in a labor union is accused of embezzling from the organization. An indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Fargo accuses Chad Michael Waldoch of stealing more than $107,000 from the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, Transportation Local 980. Court documents say the assets were embezzled between January 2012 and October 2017 while Waldoch served as the unions secretary-treasurer. KFGO reports Waldoch was arrested Friday in Fargo. A trial is scheduled to begin March 31.

Ohio

Portsmouth: A judge has dismissed a professors lawsuit against a small, public university that rebuked him for not addressing a transgender student using the students preferred gender terms. Nicholas Meriwethers federal lawsuit alleged that Shawnee State University officials violated his rights by compelling him to speak in a way that contradicts his Christian beliefs. Schools officials contended that such language was part of his job responsibilities, not speech protected by the First Amendment, and that the case should be dismissed. U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott dismissed it last week, agreeing that the manner in which Meriwether addressed the student wasnt protected under the First Amendment. Meriwether had received a written warning for violating the schools nondiscrimination policy and unsuccessfully challenged his reprimand in a grievance process. Meriwether said he treated the student like other biologically male students.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: A state panel led by Gov. Kevin Stitt certified a relatively flat budget for the upcoming fiscal year Tuesday, and the governor urged the Legislature to use caution while drafting a state spending plan. The State Board of Equalization certified the Legislature will have about $8.2 billion to spend on the upcoming budget, about 1% less than current spending levels. But the governor cautioned that included in that spending level is about $310 million in one-time cash that wont be available next year. That money is left over from a 5% cushion thats built into each years state budget, but is unlikely to be available next year. As a result, Stitt urged lawmakers to spend that money on one-time items, like technology upgrades or building construction, and not build it into the base for state agency spending.

Oregon

Salem: Experts say the big one is coming to the Pacific Northwest  a massive earthquake that will cause buildings and bridges to collapse and unleash a tsunami that will devastate the coast. But, doubling down on its decision last year to allow the construction of critical facilities in tsunami inundation zones, the Legislature appears headed to approve building standards for those facilities, like police and fire stations. The House Committee on Natural Resources last week approved the measure 6-1, sending it to the House floor for a vote. A leading earthquake expert, the lone dissenting voter, says lawmakers are making a big mistake. I dont think that we should have ever opened up tsunami inundation zones to important infrastructure like police, fire stations and so forth. So thats why Ill be voting no for the bill, Rep. Chris Gorsek, a Democrat from the Portland suburb of Troutdale, told the committee.

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia: The former president of a now-suspended Temple University fraternity has been convicted in an attempted sexual assault case but acquitted of sex assault charges in another case. Jurors convicted 23-year-old Ari Goldstein of attempted sexual assault and indecent assault of a woman who was a freshman at the north Philadelphia university in February 2018. But jurors acquitted the Wrightstown resident of sexual assault and indecent assault of a woman in the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house in November 2017. Jurors deliberated for about two hours Friday and resumed deliberations Tuesday morning. Goldstein, who did not visibly react to the split verdict, was taken into custody pending a sentencing hearing in May. Defense attorney Perry de Marco Sr. argued that the encounters were consensual and that one of the women had engaged in a sustained sexual relationship with his client.

Rhode Island

Providence: Legislation is advancing in the General Assembly to draw more movie and television productions to the state. The House of Representatives passed a motion picture tax credit bill, sending it to the state Senate. The bill was sponsored by House Finance Committee Chairman Marvin Abney, a Newport Democrat, to amend the current program by allowing productions to use tax credits even if the majority of filming isnt done within the state, as long as at least $10 million is spent in Rhode Island within a year. Currently, a production must shoot the majority of its project within Rhode Island to qualify for the program. Abney said this stipulation has caused larger productions to bypass the state. If you want to see James Bond running through the Newport mansions or perhaps your favorite Marvel superhero on the streets of Providence, you should support this much-needed bill, Abney said in a statement.

South Carolina

Orangeburg: Racist graffiti tagged on all four sides of a black-owned business is being investigated as a hate crime. The owners of Cloud 9 Hookah Lounge and Bistro painted the outside of the business Monday to cover up the graffiti found by an officer Sunday night, The Times and Democrat reports. Symbols including an inverted cross, 666 and KKK were spray-painted on the outside of the building. Were treating it as a hate crime until the investigation shows otherwise, said Col. Ed Conner of the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. Dean Gillespie, who owns the business with his brother, Aaron, says they decided to keep pressing on despite the graffiti. Theres a multitude of emotions when you see it. Theres everything from sadness, hurt, anger, Dean Gillespie said. Regardless of who did it, its up there, and we have to accept it, and we have accept all of the emotions that come with it and be willing to have those tough conversations, those sensitive conversations, that nobody likes to have.

South Dakota

Pierre: A proposal to start schools that focus on teaching Native American language and culture has gained a key ally in Gov. Kristi Noem. Noem has found herself at odds with many of the tribes in South Dakota as she pushed revamped laws to punish the urging of riots ahead of expected construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The Republican is looking for common ground with the tribes on things like law enforcement, meth addiction treatment and education. After initially opposing the proposal for Oceti Sakowin schools that teach Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota language and culture, Noems office helped present a revamped bill to a Senate committee Tuesday. The schools would attempt to address the low rates of high school graduation and college attendance in some Native American communities in the state.

Tennessee

A person using a metal detector found a mortar round in Lebanon, Tenn., on Monday that experts said was live and dates back to World War II.

Lebanon: A person using a metal detector found a mortar round Monday that experts said was live and dates back to World War II. The mortar, estimated at 10-12 inches long, was found behind Hartmann Plantation apartments, according to the Lebanon Police Department. The mortar is believed to have remained from when Wilson County was used for World War II training, police said. A Tennessee Highway Patrol bomb technician liaison and Fort Campbell personnel confirmed the mortar was live. The apartment complex was aware of the mortar discovery and Monday nights detonation, Lebanon Police Department Sgt. PJ Hardy said. The mortar was too unstable to move a long distance and was moved to a safe area and detonated, according to police.

Texas

A Przewalski filly is the second Mongolian horse to be born at El Paso Zoo as part of conservation efforts.

El Paso: The El Paso Zoo staff is celebrating the birth of a Przewalskis horse, the second Mongolian horse to be born at the zoo. The good news comes after the recent death of an aging male Mexican gray wolf. Officials said the fillys birth is part of vital conservation efforts for the endangered species. Przewalskis horses are an endangered species that are managed in North America via an Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan program. The filly is the second for parents Brianna and Vitalis. The first filly, Misha, was born in 2018 and has recently been transferred to a facility in Minnesota to acclimate to winter conditions before making another journey to the Orenburg Reserve located in the Preduralskaya Steppe in Russia.

Utah

Draper: Nearly 200 of the 540 positions at Utah State Prison are vacant, forcing state corrections officials to fill the shortage by busing in officers from another prison twice a day, officials said. Eight corrections officers travel more than 100 miles from the other state-run prison in Gunnison to the prison in Draper each morning, then another eight are sent there in the evening, KUTV-TV reports. The staffing shortage also has led to scheduled and mandatory overtime for officers, sometimes adding up to 63 hours of overtime or more a month, said former state legislator and current Fraternal Order of Police lodge director Chad Bennion. It takes a toll, Bennion said. He called the prison working conditions pretty dire and a matter of public safety. Corrections department officials confirmed the staffing shortage and their use of officers from the Gunnison prison, KUTV reports.

Vermont

Manchester: The public may weigh in on an environmental assessment of a proposed U.S. Forest Service project on 71,000 acres in southern Vermont near the Somerset Reservoir. The land is mostly in Dover, Glastenbury, Searsburg, Somerset, Stratton, Wilmington and Woodford, with small sections in Sunderland and Wardsboro. The proposal includes activities to improve wildlife and fish habitat, restore soil and water conditions, increase recreation and scenery viewing opportunities, and improve the trail and road network, the Forest Service says. Timber harvesting is also included to provide wood products, improve forest health and diversity, and make more diverse plant and wildlife habitat, the Forest Service says. Written comments will be accepted until March 16.

Virginia

Richmond: The General Assembly is moving to ban the discredited practice of conversion therapy for LGBTQ children. Conversion therapy is a practice used to try to change sexual orientation or gender identity. The Virginia Senate voted Monday to ban licensed therapists and counselors from subjecting minors to the practice. The bill now heads to Gov. Ralph Northam, who is expected to sign it into law. The American Psychological Association has said conversion therapy is not based in science and is harmful to mental health. Many people who have been through it say it deepened feelings of depression and increased thoughts of suicide. Several Republican lawmakers have joined Democrats in passing the measure.

Washington

A male steelhead swims in a side channel on the Elwha River near Port Angeles, Wash.

Sultan: Despite concerns from scientists and conservationists, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife says fishing does not make a large enough impact on wild winter steelhead to delay the fishing season. The season is scheduled to open May 23, The Everett Herald reports. The wild winter steelhead population in the Snohomish watershed has dropped by thousands since the 1980s, earning the fish a threatened designation under the federal Endangered Species Act in 2007. State biologists counted 28 steelhead in 2018 and 55 in 2019 on the Sultan River, a tributary of the Snohomish River. Some biologists and anglers argue the state has not seized an opportunity for an easy fix to the population decrease by delaying the start of the fishing season.

West Virginia

Charleston: The state Senate on Monday passed a bill to give pay raises to judges statewide. The bill, passed on a 29-3 vote, now goes to the House of Delegates. The West Virginia Judicial Compensation Commission recommended the raises in August, saying judges in the state are among the lowest-paid in the country. Supreme Court, circuit and magistrate judges would get 18.3% raises. Supreme Court justices would be paid almost $161,000 under the commissions recommendations. Circuit judges would be paid $149,000, while magistrates would be paid $68,000. Family court judges would receive a more than 20% pay increase to bring their salaries up to nearly $114,000. The commission said the raises would bring West Virginia in line with national pay scales. The last judicial pay increase occurred in 2011.

Wisconsin

Madison: A group of parents filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging that the city school districts transgender-student policy is unconstitutional because it prohibits teachers and staff from informing parents that their children want to switch sexes. Conservative law firm Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the lawsuit on the parents behalf in Dane County Circuit Court. According to the lawsuit, Madison schools adopted a policy in 2018 that says a persons gender identity can be male, female, a blend of both or neither and is determined by persons sense of self. The policy says that the district is committed to affirming each students self-designated gender identity and that the district will strive to disrupt the gender binary with books and lessons stating that everyone has the right to choose their gender. The policy allows students to pick new names and pronouns they can use at school regardless of whether they have a parents permission.

Wyoming

Cheyenne: State officials have discussed purchasing land to improve public land access and generate new revenue, and Republican Gov. Mark Gordon has announced two pieces of legislation that would allow him to enter into negotiations to purchase more than 1,560 square miles of land, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. The bills would authorize the State Loan and Investment Board to appropriate funding from multiple state saving accounts to make the purchase in southern Wyoming along Interstate 80, officials said. The proposal also would ease land swaps between the government and the public, giving the state more flexibility to exchange public lands for private lands. Both bills are necessary to begin negotiations on the purchase, which the state hopes to close by the end of summer, Gordon said. It is unclear how much the purchase would cost.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Return of Alienstock, Mardi Gras hate crime: News from around our 50 states
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) -Japan Gold Corp. (TSXV:JG) (OTCQB: JGLDF) (the "Company") announces results for the 2019 exploration program at the Kitano-o Gold Prospect ("Kitano Prospect"), including assays from six Phase 1 scout diamond drill holes, a controlled source audio-frequency magnetotellurics (CSAMT) geophysical survey, a detailed ground-gravity survey and extensive surface sampling (also see Company news release 7/29/2019). The Kitano-o Prospect, which includes the Kitano Mine, is located within a 7 by 4 kilometre gold district which hosts seven additional gold prospects (Figure 1). The Kitano-o Mine produced more than 96,000 ounces of gold at an average grade of 5.9 g/t Au1 primarily from shallow open-pits along a 3 kilometre alteration corridor, prior to the government-imposed closure in 1943.

Conclusions from Phase 1 Drilling, Surface Sampling and Geophysics

The surface geochemistry (Table 1), CSAMT and gravity geophysics collected over the Kitano-o Prospect, along with the Phase 1 drill hole data (Table 2), have refined Japan Gold's understanding of the geology of the Kitano-o hydrothermal system and give strong vectors to the eastern side of the prospect. It is now interpreted that the western part of the Kitano-o Prospect represents the 'lateral outflow' of a large epithermal system, developed at depth in the eastern part of the 3 kilometre long prospect (Figure 2).

Phase 1 drill testing of the western side of the Kitano-o Prospect was completed in late December 2019 with 6 diamond drill holes, totalling 2,837 metres. Drilling targeted depth extensions of the western end of a well-defined vein-corridor exposed within extensive shallow open-pits and geophysical anomalies (Figure 3). Significant zones of quartz veining were intersected corresponding to those mapped at surface, however, the low tenor of gold reported from drill core assays does not adequately reflect the >96,000 ounces of gold mined from the exposed paleosurface sinter deposits in the open pits.

John Proust, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer commented: "The Phase 1 scout drilling at the Kitano-o Prospect has provided us with a clearer understanding of this large epithermal system. In combination with the newly acquired CSAMT and gravity geophysical data, and previously announced high-grade gold and antimony results in surface sampling, we are now focussed on drilling targets in the eastern part of the Kitano-o Prospect to discover the source of the Kitano-o Mine gold."

Phase 2 Drilling Planned over the Eastern Side of the Kitano-o Gold Prospect

The eastern side of the Kitano-o Prospect has now been identified as a key target area for Phase 2 drilling. Gold historically mined at surface at the Kitano-o Mine is interpreted to have been deposited at the paleosurface during deposition of a silica-sinter apron through lateral outflow. Silica rich fluids which formed the sinter, also carrying gold, flowed upwards then laterally out from hot spring vents connected to a deep epithermal boiling zone. Rock samples collected in the eastern side of the Kitano-o Prospect show high gold and antimony values potentially indicating higher temperatures of deposition and closer proximity to the 'upflow' or 'boiling zone' where gold was precipitating. Figure 2 represents Japan Gold's current interpreted geological model for the Kitano-o Prospect.

The CSAMT geophysical survey (Figure 4) shows the presence of larger contiguous resistors at depth in the eastern side of the Kitano-o Prospect, underlying and adjacent to historic workings. It is inferred that these anomalies represent silicification and quartz veining at depth. Detailed gravity data collected over the prospect has been processed to highlight rapid changes in gravity gradient, interpreted as off-sets or faults in the underlying basement, and also marking the graben-margin faults (Figure 5). Several east-west oriented basement offsets are co-incident with mapped CSAMT resistive zones, potentially defining the plumbing for a large epithermal system.

Large structural movements required for robust vein development and repeated, focussed fluid flow are more likely to be found on or near major structural intersections. A combination of strong gold and antimony geochemistry at surface with coincident resistive features at depth, close to the graben margin, provide compelling drill targets. The basement unconformity shallows towards the graben-margin faults and provides an excellent structural environment for gold deposition, as is seen at the Hishikari Mine in Kyushu. High-priority drill targets now defined in the eastern part of the Kitano-o Prospect are currently being permitted with the aim of drilling them in the second half 2020.

Surface Sampling Results from the Eastern Side of Kitano-o Prospect

Work to refine drill targets in the eastern part of the Kitano-o Prospect has included detailed geological mapping of the historic workings and the majority of samples taken were sourced from mine dumps and vein sorting areas located around these workings. Samples of quartz vein dump, sub-crop and float material were collected along an 800-metre east-west section. Quartz vein samples show well-developed colloform-crustiform textures containing bands of disseminated fine-grained black sulphide mineralization, termed 'ginguro'.

Of the 75 rock chips collected from east Kitano-o, 16 mine dump samples gave gold assay results greater than >=2.5 g/t with a peak assay of 60.8 g/t. Noteworthy results include:

Table 1: Selected surface sample results from the east side of the Kitano-o Prospect

Sample_No Gold g/t Silver g/t Antimony g/t Ag:Au

Ratio SAMJ10594 60.8 89.6 51.7 1.5 SAMJ10598 33.3 78.4 48.8 2.4 SAMJ12139 23.2 8.6 35.7 0.4 SAMJ10616 21.9 7.6 35.3 0.3 SAMJ10585 20.0 40.8 44.9 2.0 SAMJ10592 11.9 8.4 35.2 0.7 SAMJ10614 9.9 11.2 142.1 1.1 SAMJ10621 8.2 16.4 36.0 2.0 SAMJ10596 8.1 14.2 47.5 1.7 SAMJ10597 5.7 5.2 52.4 0.9 SAMJ10617 4.8 2.1 30.3 0.4 SAMJ10588 4.2 6.8 46.3 1.6 SAMJ10605 4.0 79.1 143.4 19.8 SAMJ10589 3.8 39.0 239.0 10.2 SAMJ10604 2.5 32.2 103.7 12.8

Previously reported - Japan Gold News Release dated 7/29/2019

Details of the Phase 1 Drilling at West Kitano-o Prospect

The Phase 1 drilling consisted of six inclined drill holes located at the western side of the 3 kilometre long Kitano-o Prospect, on approximately 300 metre spaced fences, over a 750 metre strike length. The shallowly inclined holes targeted extensions of a well-defined vein system below extensive shallow open-pits, and geophysical anomalies.

Drill intersections include the following intervals:

Table 2: Anomalous drill hole intercepts.

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) KTD001 109.60 110.60 1.00 1.2 1.3 KTD002 No significant result KTD003 45.40 45.75 0.35 1.5 1.7 KTD004 85.83 89.10 3.27 1.1 1.2 incl. 85.83 86.40 0.57 4.6 2.1 KTD005 99.35 101.50 2.15 1.0 6.4 incl. 101.30 101.50 0.20 6.2 5.1 KTD006 No significant result

Geological Summary

Drilling at the western end of the Kitano-o Prospect confirmed the presence of a large, up to 200 metre thick rhyolite flow-dome complex high in the stratigraphy. The flow-dome is coherent and flow-banded in its core, with complex brecciated margins. The rhyolite dome thickens to the east and north towards the outcropping Maruyama dome, a prominent circular hill located NE of the drilled area. A sedimentary marker horizon underlying the rhyolite has been intersected at a similar elevation in all drill holes.

The upper brecciated margin of the rhyolite flow-dome and thin veneer of overlying breccia and volcanic sediments, host an up to 100 metre thick zone of horizontal, water-table controlled silicification which was intersected immediately below the sinter in all drill holes. CSAMT has also mapped this horizontal-tabular silicified zone at western end of the Kitano-o Prospect. Like the dome itself, this alteration zone thins to the west and south, and appears to map outflow of the hydrothermal system in these directions. The bulk of the mineralised structures intersected in the drill holes occur within this rigid body of silica alteration.

Drill Holes: KTD001-KTD004-KTD006

Drill hole KTD001, inclined at 50 to the south-southwest (200) tested the down-dip extension of a vein zone mined from surface within a large, shallow, open-pit originally excavated on gold-bearing eluvium, located in the central west of the Kitano-o Prospect (refer to Figure 2 for drill hole locations). Quartz veins and multiple phases of stockwork quartz veinlets and hydrothermal brecciation were intersected between 115 and 160 metres down hole, or 85 to 125 metres below surface. Individual veins up to 1.05 metres (down-hole intervals) were intersected. A one metre interval of stockwork veining returned a peak assay of 1.2g/t gold and 1.25g/t silver from 109.60 metres down hole. The vein zone was consistently anomalous in arsenic and antimony (pathfinder) geochemistry.

Drill hole KTD004, drilled to the north (000) inclined at 40 from the same pad as KTD001, targeted coincident CSAMT and gravity anomalies located below, and north of surficial gold workings. An extensive network of stockwork veins were intersected between 70 and 145 metres down hole, or 60 to 95 metres below surface. A 3.27 metre zone of stockwork vein and hydrothermal breccia-hosted mineralisation intersected from 85.83 metres down hole assayed 1.1g/t gold and 1.2g/t silver.

Drill hole KTD006, inclined at 55 to the north-northwest (020), targeted the inferred western extension of the vein zone intersected in hole KTD001, 75 to 125 metres further down-dip of the level tested in hole KTD001. The targeted extension located below the central Kitano-o Mine open-pit coincides with a subtle gravity anomaly. Hole KTD006 intersected further quartz veining and stockwork veinlets between 125 and 180 metres down hole. These structures contain a similar tenor of precious metal mineralisation and trace element geochemistry to those intersected in hole KTD001 and KTD004.

Drill Hole: KTD003

Drill hole KTD003, inclined at 40 to the north-northeast and collared 350 to 400 metres west of section KTD001-004-006 and 300 metres east of section KTD002-005, targeted the down-dip extension of structures mined from surface between the western and central Kitano-o Mine open-pits. Numerous, 10's of centimetre wide, banded crystalline quartz veins and surrounding stockwork veinlets intersected between 29 and 47 metres down hole in hole KTD003 returned a low tenor of precious metal mineralisation, with a peak assay of 35cm @ 1.47g/t gold and 1.7g/t silver from an oxidised quartz-sulphide vein zone.

Drill Holes: KTD002-KTD005

Hole KTD002, inclined at 45 to the north-northwest (340), targeted the down-dip extension of veins inferred to have been mined from surface in a second series of adits located to the south of the workings targeted in hole KTD005. This hole intersected near surface silicification but no significant precious metal results.

Hole KTD005, inclined at 42.5 to the north (355), targeted the down-dip extension of mineralised structures historically mined from surface along multiple, sub-parallel adits developed down the western side of the Kitano-o Mine. A composite vein zone intersected in hole KTD005 between 72.2 and 75.6 metres down hole comprising multiple phases of crystalline quartz veining gave a peak assay of 0.35 metre @ 0.92g/t gold and 7.4g/t silver. Weakly deformed rhyolite cut by millimetre scale oxidised, quartz-sulphide stockwork veinlets between 99.35 and 101.5 metres downhole assayed 2.15 metres @ 1.0g/t gold and 1.6g/t silver and 20cm @ 6.2g/t gold and 5.1g/t silver.

References:

1 Garwin, Hall, Watanabe, (2005). Tectonic Setting, Geology, and Gold and Copper Mineralization in Cenozoic Magmatic Arcs of Southeast Asia and the West Pacific. Economic Geology 100th Anniversary Volume, pp. 891-930.

Sampling Techniques and Assaying

The drilling results discussed in this news release are from drill core samples obtained by PQ, HQ and NQ-size triple-tube diamond core drilling using a PMC700 and PMC400 man-portable drill rigs owned and operated by the Company. The drilling program was fully supervised by Company senior geologists at the drilling site.

Drill core was collected in plastic core-trays at the drill site and transported by road in Company vehicles to its core shed storage facility in Ikutahara Township, located next to the project area. The drill core was carefully logged, photographed and sample intervals marked-up along predicted mineralized and selected unmineralized intervals by Japan Gold KK senior project geologists.

Sample lengths varied from 0.2 to 1.0 m; depending on the positions of geological contacts and variations in vein texture and composition. The core was split by diamond rock saw by project geologists. Half-core sample was collected from the entire length of each designated sample interval and placed into individual-labelled, self-sealing calico bags for secure packaging and transport to the laboratory. The half-core samples weighed between 1 to 8 kg depending on the sample length and core size. A Chain-of-Custody was established between the Company and receiving laboratory to ensure the integrity of the samples during transportation from site to the lab. The samples were sent in batches to Intertek Testing Services (Manila) for sample preparation and assaying.

Samples were crushed, completely pulverised and assayed for gold 50 g charge Fire Assay/ AAS Finish (FA50/AA; 0.005 ppm lower detection limit) and silver by 4-acid digest with ICP-OES determination (4A/OMS-MS; 0.05 ppm lower detection limit).

Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) were inserted by Japan Gold KK at every 20th sample to assess repeatability and assaying precision of the laboratory. In addition, the laboratory applied its own internal Quality Control procedure that includes sample duplicates, blanks & geochemical standards. They report these results with the certified Assay Report. Laboratory procedures and QAQC protocols adopted are considered appropriate. The CRMs and internal QC-QA results fall within acceptable levels of accuracy & precision and are considered to lack any bias. External assay checks from 214 of the core samples in this drill program, including both sample residue and coarse reject splits were sent to ALS Global in Vancouver to test for repeatability of the Intertek results. All results fell within acceptable repeatability ranges.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Japan Gold's President & Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Mike Andrews, PhD, FAusIMM, FSEG, who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

On behalf of the Board of Japan Gold Corp.

"John Proust"

Chairman & CEO

About Japan Gold Corp.

Japan Gold Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused solely on gold exploration across the three largest islands of Japan: Hokkaido, Honshu and Kyushu. The Company holds a portfolio of 24 Gold Projects which cover areas with known gold occurrences, a history of mining and are prospective for high-grade epithermal gold mineralization. Japan Gold's leadership team represent decades of resource industry and business experience, and the Company has a strong operational team consisting of geologists, drillers and technical advisors with experience exploring and operating in Japan. More information is available at www.japangold.com or by email at info@japangold.com.

Japan Gold Contacts

John Proust

Chairman & CEO

Phone: +1 778 725-1491

Email: info@japangold.com

Cautionary Note

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the Private Placement. These statements are forward-looking in nature and, as a result, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that include, but are not limited to, general economic, market and business conditions; receipt and timing of regulatory approvals; new legislation; potential delays or changes in plans; and the Company's ability to execute and implement future plans. These forward-looking statements include completion of the Private Placement and the use of proceeds from that financing. Actual results achieved may differ from the information provided herein and, consequently, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein speaks only as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking information or to explain any material difference between such and subsequent actual events, except as required by applicable law.



Figure 1: Ikutahara Project, simplified geology and historic mines & workings, highlighting the Kitano Gold Prospect.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5665/52564_93afa859e42728da_001full.jpg





Figure 2: Conceptual model of the Kitano-o Gold Prospect.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5665/52564_93afa859e42728da_002full.jpg



Figure 3: Kitano-o Gold Prospect, Phase-1 drill hole locations, surface gold-antimony geochemistry and historic surface workings and proposed area for Phase 2 drilling.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5665/52564_93afa859e42728da_003full.jpg



Figure 4: Kitano-o Prospect Stacked CSAMT sections with Phase 1 drill holes and historic surface workings.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5665/52564_93afa859e42728da_004full.jpg





Figure 5: Kitano-o Prospect processed Gravity with Phase 1 drill holes and historic surface workings.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 5, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5665/52564_93afa859e42728da_005full.jpg

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52564
Washington, Feb 19 : Three foreign journalists of The Wall Street Journal were on Wednesday ordered to leave China within five days over an opinion piece on the country's handling of the coronavirus outbreak which the Chinese government termed "racist", reports said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that it had asked the newspaper to apologise several times for the February 3 article but it had declined, the BBC reported.

The WSJ said that none of the three expelled journalists had written the opinion piece, which called the authorities' initial response "secretive and self-serving" and said global confidence in China had been "shaken".

The BBC said that this was the first time in more than two decades that journalists holding valid credentials have been ordered to leave China.

It said that China's decision came a day after the US State Department tightened rules on five Chinese state media organisations operating in the US, including state-run Xinhua news agency and the China Global Television Network, classifying them as foreign missions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the article was "racist" and "denigrated" the efforts to combat the outbreak that has killed more than 2,000 people in the country.

"The Chinese people do not welcome media that publish racist statements and maliciously attacks China," Geng said, without naming the journalists being expelled.

The WSJ identified the reporters as two US citizens -- Josh Chin, who is the deputy bureau chief, and Chao Deng -- as well as Australian citizen Philip Wen.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the expulsions, while WSJ publisher, William Lewis, said in a statement that he was "deeply disappointed" with the decision and emphasised the "complete separation" between the outlet's opinion and news departments.
Amazing thermal images show how a colony of bees survived being swept away and submerged in a storm-swollen river.

The recovered wooden hive was photographed with a heat sensitive camera which revealed the insects had endured the worst nature could throw at them.

A glowing orange blob in the remarkable picture is actually 1,000 bees huddling together for warmth - and to protect their queen.

This thermal image showed the heat generated by a beehive owned by GP Dr Darren Lloyds, who thought his apiary had been destroyed by Storm Dennis

His beehives had been washed away in Mathern, Monmouthshire on Sunday

Despite the deluge, many of his bees survived and managed to protect their queen

It is believed the bees even used the mass of their bodies to block a ventilation hole in the top of the hive to prevent water coming in.

Beekeeper and GP Darren Lloyds lost six of his 18 hives when Storm Dennis lashed Mathern, Monmouthshire, on Sunday.

The hives were washed away by a flooded stream and the populations of five of them completely wiped out.

Dr Lloyds said today: 'Then I spotted this one bobbing along. I had recently bought myself the thermal camera and thought the best way to check on them would be to use that.

'It means you dont have to open up the hive or let any heat out. When it goes even a degree colder, the bees will huddle up together to keep warm.'

He added: 'I couldnt believe how many were in there still alive. I would imagine there were still about 1,000 in there.

The bees, pictured in happier times, were victims of Storm Dennis on Sunday

'They huddle together and the queen will be right in the middle of them while they protect her.

'Theres a ventilation slot at the top so they must have huddled together and sealed it up.

He added: 'They are very resilient and clearly very clever.

'I just couldnt believe it. I have never seen anything like it.'

In Derbyshire, farmer Faye Russell, 26, tied a rope around her waist and handed the end to a neighbour and members of her team before entering the flood water to save her lambs.

The farmer from Derbyshire was one of a number of people who rescued animals caught out by last weekend's deluge, including a staff and a veterinary surgery who had to rescue pets at risk inside their rapidly flooding building.

Farmer Faye Russell, pictured, from Derbyshire had to enter freezing floodwaters to rescue her stranded lambs from drowning

The 26-year-old farmer tied a rope around her waist before entering the floodwaters to rescue the stranded lambs

Valley Veterinary Hospital in Gwaelod y Garth, Wales had a five-foot flood after the nearby River Taff burst its banks. Emergency services had to rescue animals from the building

The animal hospital, which was opened seven months ago, will be closed for the next six months after the water destroyed much of the high tech equipment such as this CT Scanner

Ms Russell was forced to act after the torrential rains brought by Storm Dennis started flooding her fields which had already been soaked by Storm Ciara.

She told The Metro: 'I said Im going to have to go first. I didnt fancy filling out the accident book for anybody else. If I got in a bit of danger they could pull me out. There were two people on the end of the rope because the current was so strong. It was fierce.

'It got quite choppy. I was swimming and had lambs under my arms trying to keep them above water. I had clothes and wellingtons on and they were full of water.'

On Saturday, Ms Russell and her border collie Tom moved her 300-strong flock to higher ground but she did not anticipate the sudden deterioration in the weather.

She said: 'The water came at such a force. At 8am we were fine. The sheep had plenty of high ground. But it was really driving rain. The wind and the rain cut me in two. So the sheep took themselves behind the floodbank and effectively watched the tide come in around them.'

At its height, the flood waters reached more than seven feet in height and presented a major danger to the sheep.

She continued: 'You just do it, dont you. I said to somebody duty calls. You put your life on the line for your animals, you really do. They come first in any farmers life. Any farmer will agree they come above yourself and above anything.'

The River Taff burst its banks after a month's worth of rain fell in less than 48 hours

Inside the surgery, equipment including computers in the office were destroyed by the floods

Across much of the UK, Storm Dennis saw flood waters rise as the land was already soaked thoroughly by Storm Ciara

Ms Russell said she and her team had just completed the busy lambing season and said farmers haven a close relationship with their animals.

She said: 'We know them by name. One of them is actually called Pebbles but she was like a big hippopotamus as she swam beside me. They will follow their lambs but you have to give them the confidence to get going. Sheep arent very good in water but they were pleased to see me when I got across to them.'

Ms Russell said she would especially like to praise her neighbours and the team on her farm for helping her save the lambs.

In Gwaelod y Garth, Wales, the Valley Veterinary Hospital was hit by five-foot deep flood waters after the River Taff burst its banks.

The 2 million animal hospital - which had recently been completed - was destroyed by the floods.

The state-of-the-art veterinary hospital is the most high-tech facility of its kind in Wales and opened just seven months ago, with hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of equipment - including a CT scanner, digital x-ray machines and ultrasounds - all destroyed when a month's worth of rain fell in less than 48 hours.

All pets were moved to the building's first floor by staff once river levels rose but soon had to be rescued by firefighters - with one photo showing Border Collie Shadow being floated out of the practice on a sofa cushion.

Now householders and businesses are preparing for the arrival of Storm Ellen

Such was the power of the flood water it managed to move this hydrotherapy treatment centre

The flood water inside the vet surgery will have been infected by sewage

Mark Evans, VetPartners Business Development Director for South Wales, said: 'The crew from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service that attended were incredible.

'They had to smash their way through glass panels at the front of the building to gain access.

'The team was evacuated on boats and dogs were floated out of the building on cushions.

'Our out-of-hours team reacted very quickly, moving patients upstairs as soon as they were aware the river was rising.

'They also moved equipment onto work surfaces, but such was the speed of the flooding that the counter tops were eventually submerged as the whole hospital was under 5ft of water in less than an hour.

According to staff at the surgery, the water level rose by five feet in less than an hour

Luckily no one was hurt by the flood in Wales and all of the animals were rescued safely

'This was a disaster but we will bounce back strongly. It has been harrowing for everyone involved, but the morale of the team has been incredible.'

No one was hurt, and all staff and pets are now recovering from the ordeal with the animal patients being cared for at one of four branch surgeries elsewhere in Wales.

The damage is currently being assessed and the two-storey hospital, which was opened in an empty warehouse in July, will not be fully functional again for six months.

Valley Vets is part of UK veterinary group, VetPartners.

VetPartners CEO Jo Malone said: 'The team at Valley Vets have shown such bravery and commitment in the last few days.

'They are determined to continue providing outstanding care to their patients and that is and always has been their primary focus.

'They have been through a harrowing time over the past few days, and the entire VetPartners family will help them in any way we can.'
Big Gurnee did the same. The building was turned into Pick N Save and then Country Market in the 1980s by then Gurnee Mayor Richard Welton, the former supermarket king of Lake County, as The News-Sun described him back in the day. The building at Grand and Belle Plaine Avenue now houses a Salvation Army thrift store and a Habitat for Humanity ReStore, among other operations.
China is one of the prime drivers of relationship between India and the United States the two largest democracies of the world not only in the last two decades but since India's independence, a top Indian-American scholar has said in her latest book.

"Today, it is almost a truth almost universally acknowledged that China drives and shapes US-India relations. Indeed, broad convergence on China has been a key driver of US-India relations for the last two decades across US administrations and across Indian governments," Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow at Foreign Policy and the director of India Project at the Brookings Institute told a Washington audience.

In her latest book Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped US-India Relations During the Cold War, she argues that China's influence on the US-India relationship is neither a recent nor a momentary phenomenon.

Drawing on archival documents from India and the US, Madan traces how American and Indian perceptions of, and policy toward, China significantly shaped US-India relations during the Cold War.

China's role in shaping the U.S.-India relationship was not just a recent phenomenon restricted to kind of the last few decades. Indeed, what I found and this book lays out was that China's influence went back the early years of Indian independence," Madan said during a discussion on her new book.

Through extensive archival research in India and in the US, Madan disentangles how American and Indian perceptions of and policy toward China shaped the US-Indian relationship throughout the Cold War, said Suzanne Maloney, interim vice president and director, Foreign Policy, Brookings Institute.

The book that starts post-independence refers to the first US visit by India's first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1949. When he came in 1949, he received a warm welcome on his arrival. President Truman, indeed, went to the airport to receive him taking along three cabinet members and an honor guard. You had the US Congress host Nehru for a speech. Why all this fanfare behind the visit of this Indian leader, she asked.

A major was what had happened just before Nehru's visit to Washington. What American policymakers saw as the loss of China to communism. And this had happened just a few days before on October 1, 1949 when Mao Zedong establishes the People's Republic of China. The establishment in the US now saw in that context a democratic India as the hope of Asia and believed it could serve as a counterbalance and contrast to Soviet backed communist China, Madan said.

But during the course of this kind of visit that Nehru takes with much fanfare, it became quite clear that India did not share the same view of or the same approach to China as the US did. And so, instead of convergence in China pushing the US and India together, over the next few years what you really see in the US-India partnership and between the two countries is divergence on the subject of China, she added.

They've disagreed about a number of different things. Whether to recognize the People's Republic of China or not. What to do about the Chinese takeover of Tibet. China's role in the Korean War and the reasons for its intervention in that war. China's role in Southeast Asia. They also disagreed about the approach to take to China, she said.

According to Madan, China has adverse impact on US-India relations. Now just in the Truman and Eisenhower administrations but also on Capitol Hill where these differences on China negatively affected decisions to aid India which needed aid at that time. And this, in turn, caused resentment in India that thought the US was holding back because of these differences on China, she said.

But things changed late 50s. The US and India didn't just agree on a perception of China now. They also agree on what to do about this threat. Primarily, in their minds, that meant a partnership with each other. Now this came, this agreement on what to do about it came with a lot of American economic assistant to India which is better known. But also, military assistance that eventually culminates and, of course, US direct assistance during the 1962 China-India war, she said.

Historical baggage, she said, to this day, affects and shapes how the two countries see each other in the context of a rising China. To give you one example, you cannot understand Indian concerns about a G-2 or a US-China condominium without understanding India's sense that in 1971, essentially overnight, much like the Japanese called it Nixon shock. India had to face going from having a US partnership against China to the prospect of a US-China-Pakistan, facing a US-China-Pakistan partnership against it, Madan said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
For more than a week, the president has been publicly open about his view of the case against his longtime friend and adviser Roger J. Stone Jr. And the notion that Mr. Barr might leave his post over Mr. Trumps commentary did not appear to quiet the president.

Mr. Stone was convicted in November of seven felonies for obstructing a congressional investigation into whether the Trump campaign had ties to Russia. At the time, Mr. Trump said his friends conviction was evidence of a double standard in the justice system.

Last week, a day after prosecutors filed a routine recommendation for Mr. Stones sentencing, Mr. Trump called it horrible and very unfair. Hours after that, Mr. Barr intervened to lower the sentencing recommendation, drawing public praise from the president while spurring fears that the Justice Department was bowing to White House influence.

This led four prosecutors to quit the Stone case, drawing a lashing from Mr. Trump who said they cut and run and were part of the special counsel teams investigation that was illegal.

Amid outrage over the prosecutors departures, Mr. Barr took the extraordinary step of going on national television to send a message to the president: Its time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases.
A electrician already in state prison in New Jersey for installing a hidden camera in the shower of family who had hired him to do work has been sentenced in New York for doing the same thing to a woman.

Joseph J. Krenicky, 49, of Vernon, received a one to three year sentence on Tuesday, the Orange County, New York District Attorney said in a statement.

Krenicky is currently serving three-year sentence at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton after being convicted in Sussex County in September of invasion of privacy and endangering the welfare of a child.

The New York sentence will run concurrently with the New Jersey sentence, authorities said. In addition, Krenicky will have to register as a sex offender in New York.

In the New York case, Krenicky admitted he installed a hidden camera in the Chester home of a woman who hired him to do electrical work.

Krenicky, who recorded the woman in the shower, pleaded guilty to unlawful surveillance last year. New Jersey State Police recovered the files from Krenickys computer after executing a search warrant at his house.

State prison sentences are the best deterrent to those who might be tempted to use technology to invade the privacy of others," Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said in announcing Krenickys sentence. Homeowners must necessarily allow contractors and others into their home to perform work. Those who abuse their ability to access homes to use technology to invade the privacy of unsuspecting victims deserve incarceration."

In the New Jersey case, a Wantage man taking a shower in November 2018, discovered a small camera in the bathroom, officials said. The device was on his sink, concealed among other tools left by Krenicky and pointed at the shower stall.

The man turned it over to State Police, who looked at the footage. It showed Krenicky using the camera, aiming it at the shower, as well as footage of the resident and three of his family members, officials said. One of the family members was under the age of 18.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The day after the Battle of Iwo Jima started during World War II, on Feb. 20, 1945, the Associated Press reported in The Patriot that the battle is fierce and is costing considerable lives.

In the days leading up to one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history, the Associated Press wrote, Iwo Jimas coastal defenses were further shattered Sunday in the third straight day of bombardment of the invasion-menaced island, 750 miles south of Tokyo, Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz announced today. He made no mention of Tokyo claims that three Yank invasion attempts had failed.

Nimitz said heavy United States Fleet units had the tiny but strategic island under fire all day Sunday, knocking out three more strongly-defended coastal guns and probably damaging three others.

The United States launched an amphibious invasion on the island that was defended by about 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops.

After more than a month of fighting, the United States was victorious - giving rise to well-known photo by photographer Joe Rosenthal of U.S. Marines raising the United States flag over Mount Suribachi. It was taken on Feb. 23, 1945.

The United States had been clearing land for air bases for the new B-29 Superfortress bombers. Japanese fighters taking off from Iwo Jima were intercepting the bombing runs. For that reason, the United States decided to take Iwo Jima.

According to the National World War II Museum, "The Japanese defenders of the island were dug into bunkers deep within the volcanic rocks. Approximately 70,000 U.S. Marines and 18,000 Japanese soldiers took part in the battle.

In 36 days of fighting on the island, nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines were killed. Another 20,000 were wounded. Marines captured 216 Japanese soldiers; the rest were killed in action. The island was finally declared secured on March 16, 1945. It had been one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history. After the battle, Iwo Jima served as an emergency landing site for more than 2,200 B-29 bombers, saving the lives of 24,000 U.S. airmen. Securing Iwo Jima prepared the way for the last and largest battle in the Pacific: the invasion of Okinawa."

According to the museum, 27 Medals of Honor were awarded for action on Iwo Jima - more than any other battle in U.S. history.

This is a March, 1945 photo of U.S. Marines digging graves in the cemetery of the Fifth Marine Division for their buddies who died while taking the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during World War II. (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS

From the newspaper report, Broadcasts today from Guam all agreed a costly and savage battle is raging on the tiny island in the volcano group.

Vice Adm. Richard Kelly Turner, viewing the island from the flagship said that Iwo Jima looked like a garbage scow  serviceable but without charm.

On the second day of fighting, it was reported that the hard-fighting Devildogs had cut a curving line across the south end of the island giving them control of one-third of Iwos eight square miles.

Soldiers were making gains battling tough opposition every yard of the way.

On Feb. 22, 1945, the newspaper reported, A Third Marine Division, increasing the invasion force to possible 45,000 men, has been thrown into furious battle for Iwo to fill gaps caused by casualties already exceeding 3,600.

Japanese resistance rose to such a high pitch Wednesday afternoon, third day of the invasion, that the hard-fighting Devildogs virtually were stopped in their tracks. The reinforced Leathernecks holding a wedge across the south third of the island, stormed the slopes of a volcano on the south tip with flamethrowers and tanks.

On Feb. 23 - The Iwo Jima fighting, ranking with the toughest Marine Corps in history, had taken a toll of 4,553 Leathernecks up to late afternoon Thursday  385 killed and 4,168 wounded.

While the photo of the Marines raising the flag at Mount Suribachi was taken on Feb. 23, it would be several days until it began to appear in newspapers.

U.S. Marines of the 28th Regiment, fifth division, cheer and hold up their rifles after raising the American flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, a volcanic Japanese island, on Feb. 23, 1945 during World War II. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal)AP

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Egypt's Assistant Foreign Minister for Human Rights and International Humanitarian and Social Affairs Ehab Gamal El-Din held a meeting on Wednesday with several representatives of Egyptian civil society organisations at the headquarters of the foreign ministry.

According to a statement by the foreign ministry, the meeting tackled the recommendations Egypt received in the third round of the Universal Periodic Review mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council.

"Egypt's stance on such recommendations was also discussed, considering that civil society is a key partner for the government in developing a unified national position regarding the recommendations and in the process of implementing them," the statement said.

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Gov. Ned Lamont has introduced legislation to reduce government bureaucracy by eliminating paperwork, moving some processes online such as payment and identity proofing, and eliminating language that requires certain documents to be delivered by outdated snail mail or fax.

The idea, Lamont said, is to make government more business-friendly and accessible to everyone.

Its a goal pursued by virtually every head of a state government for decades, with mixed success. Former Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, for example, was able to eliminate thousands of state jobs by using a philosophy of lean management with inside and outside consultants, but the number of state forms and steps for transactions remains large.

Ive found working with state government just exhausting, Lamont said. I havent had to use a notary since I got married ... What were trying to do is have a state government that is responsive so that you know that were here, were listening and were trying to make it easier for you to do business with the state of Connecticut.

The changes would help the state save time and money, though its unclear when and how much.

We have enormous opportunity to use technology to improve how we serve our citizens and businesses, said Josh Geballe, commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services. These simple changes will have wide ranging, positive effects on how the state interacts with its citizens in a more modern, customer-focused approach.

Geballe said the legislation would eliminate more than 90,000 forms by eliminating six separate affidavits businesses must print, notarize, sign and upload in order to work with the state. State staff are currently required to audit and process the physical copies of those forms, which would be combined into a single master contract as a result of the legislation.

With more than 10,000 state employee retirements expected in the next five years, Geballe said, positions could ultimately be eliminated. The state is bringing in an outside consultant to help evaluate and classify positions ahead of those expected retirements, and taking steps to remove bureaucracy now could help that process.

The legislation would also eliminate the states evaluation process for determining whether a company qualifies as a small business, and instead move the state toward using the federal standard set by the U.S. Small Business Adminstration. Geballe said thats fairer to businesses because it factors in a companys industry.

State agencies aim to use Connecticut small businesses in at least 25 percent of contracted work.

Lamont and Geballe unveiled a similar proposal in the spring, which passed unanimously in the House, but was never called for a vote in the Senate.

kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 12:52:11|Editor: ZD

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NEW DELHI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Three militants were killed Wednesday in a fierce gunfight with government forces in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The gunfight broke out in Tral area of Pulwama district, about 44 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"In a fierce gunfight in Tral today early morning, three militants were killed," a senior police official posted in Pulwama said. "The operation was carried out jointly by the army, paramilitary and police."

According to police, the gunfight erupted after government forces cordoned off the area on specific intelligence information suggesting the presence of the militants.

"No sooner the joint contingents of the army, paramilitary and police reached near the suspected area, the militants present there fired upon them, thereby triggering a gunfight," the police official said.

The slain militants were identified as local cadres.

A guerrilla war is going on between militants and Indian troopers stationed in the region since 1989.
A group of Russian and German palaeontologists have described a previously unknown genus and species of prehistoric salamanders. The new amphibian is named Egoria malashichevi -- in honor of Yegor Malashichev a talented scientist and associate professor of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at St Petersburg University, who passed away at the end of 2018. Credit: Pavel Skutschas

A group of Russian and German palaeontologists have described a previously unknown genus and species of prehistoric salamanders. The new amphibian is named Egoria malashicheviin honor of Yegor Malashichev a talented scientist and associate professor of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at St Petersburg University, who passed away at the end of 2018.

The palaeontologists found the remains of the ancient amphibian at the Berezovsky quarry, a fossil locality in the Krasnoyarsk Krai near the town of Sharypovo. Fossils of ancient fish, various reptiles, mammals, herbivorous and predatory dinosaurs have been previously found there. The research materials were collected on field expeditions in the mid-2010s. In these expeditions the scientists from St Petersburg University worked alongside experts from the University of Bonn (Germany), the Tomsk State University, the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Sharypovo Museum of Local History and Nature.

Four vertebrate fossils enabled the scientists to declare the finding of a new genus and species. These were: three trunk vertebrae and the atlasthe first and, in the case of the salamander, the only cervical vertebra. Since the atlas is a highly specialised vertebra, providing for attachment and rotation movements of the skull, it has a rather complex structure, the scientists explain. It is therefore most suitable for describing a new species as it provides much information for analysis. The amphibian proved to have belonged to the geologically oldest stem salamanders.

It was not the first time that remains of ancient salamanders had been found at the Berezovsky quarry. One of thema basal stem salamander Urupia monstrosa, named after the nearby Uryup Riverwas about 50-60 centimetres long. Another oneKiyatriton krasnolutskiiwas named after a local historian Sergei Krasnolutskii, the discoverer of the fossil locality Berezovsky quarry. By contrast, this one was quite small in size (about 10-15 centimetres) and looked more like modern Hynobiidae. The newly discovered salamander, judging by the size of the vertebrae, was of medium length (about 20 centimetres).

A group of Russian and German palaeontologists have described a previously unknown genus and species of prehistoric salamanders. The new amphibian is named Egoria malashichevi -- in honor of Yegor Malashichev a talented scientist and associate professor of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at St Petersburg University, who passed away at the end of 2018. Credit: Vadim Glinskiy

"Salamanders first appear in the fossil records in the Middle Jurassic, including representatives of both the present-day salamander families and the most primitive ones," said Pavel Skutschas, associate professor of St Petersburg University, doctor of biology, expert in Mesozoic vertebrates. "When they had just appeared, salamanders made efforts to occupy different ecological niches. Thus, the stem salamanders filled the niche of large water bodies; while those close to the present-day salamanders found their niche in small water bodies. As for the newly discovered salamander, it occupied a middle position, although morphologically, it is closer to the primitive."

The scientists not only described the external characteristics of the specimens, but were able to look inside the fossils. In this they were assisted by the experts from the "Centre of X-ray diffraction studies' at the Research Park of St Petersburg University, where the specimens were scanned on up-to-date microtomography scanners. Based on the obtained data, the palaeontologists created 3-D reconstructions of the vertebrae and described their internal structure. As expected, it proved to be very similar to that of the large stem salamanders.

A group of Russian and German palaeontologists have described a previously unknown genus and species of prehistoric salamanders. The new amphibian is named Egoria malashichevi -- in honor of Yegor Malashichev a talented scientist and associate professor of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at St Petersburg University, who passed away at the end of 2018. Credit: Pavel Skutschas

The ancient amphibian received the name Egoria malashicheviin honour of Yegor Malashichev, associate professor of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at St Petersburg University, who, among other things, studied the morphology of caudate amphibians. "Yegor Malashichev was a wonderful person and a very talented scientist. He supported aspiring palaeontologists and did everything to help them to stay in scientific research," remarked Pavel Skutschas. Additionally, Malashichev studied the phenomenon of lateralisation (body asymmetries associated with the functioning of the nervous system), as well as other asymmetries in motor performance and visual perception. Yegor Malashichev's professional career was almost exclusively connected with St Petersburg University. In 1996, he graduated from the Faculty of Biology and Soil Science. In 2000, he began to teach there, and in 2003, he defended his dissertation and was awarded a Ph.D. in biology. Sadly, in late 2018, he passed away unexpectedly.

The next step for the palaeontologists is to compare the bones of the 'Berezovsky' salamanders with the fossils from Great Britain: the 'Kirtlington' salamanders which were found at the Kirtlington quarry in Oxfordshire. The Siberian and British faunas of the mid-Jurassic time were very similar. Besides, the palaeontologists are aware of similar amphibians that lived in the territory of present-day England. "They may be representatives of the same genera. However, to ascertain this, a detailed comparison of the palaeontological collections is required. In the coming spring, our colleagues from England will come to St Petersburg to study our research materials. We may discover that Urupia and Egoria used to have a very wide habitat, extending across Europe and Asia," said Pavel Skutschas.

Explore further A Jurassic world of salamanders
The Supreme Court appointed mediation panel went to Shaheen Bagh on Wednesday in an effort to come to an understanding with the protesters who have been holding sit-in protests at a public road for over a month now

The Supreme Court-appointed mediation panel went to Shaheen Bagh on Wednesday in an effort to come to an understanding with the protesters who have been holding sit-in protests at a public road for over 60 days now. However, the difficult process of trying to communicate with a leaderless protest that has now burgeoned into a massive movement, hit several speed bumps on the way.

The Supreme Court had mandated the panel to ensure that the protesters allow regular traffic to pass through the Kalindi Kunj road, one of the arterial roads connecting Delhi to Noida. The mediators will again try to break the ice with the protesters tomorrow (Thursday), as the panel has time till Sunday before the next hearing of the Supreme Court.

At the onset, senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, who is also a member of the panel arrived hopeful of reaching a solution through dialogue. "We have come here on the orders of Supreme Court. We hope to speak to everyone. We hope to resolve the matter with everybody's cooperation. We hope to speak to everyone. There are no favorites and we hope to resolve the matter inside with everyone's cooperation," Hegde said. He said that the Wednesday's discussions were just a start and the process will continue on a daily basis till Sunday, 23 February.

In a statement released on Twitter, Shaheen Bagh organisers said, "We are grateful to senior advocates Sadhana Ramachandran and Sanjay Hegde for starting the mediation process in the Shaheen Bagh main tent. As per their guidance, we look forward to continuing this dialogue over the coming days."

Sadhna Ramachandran, secretary of the arbitration department at Delhi High Court and also a member of the panel said that she remains hopeful of a mutually acceptable solution to the issue.

The mediators hit their first roadblock when they approached the protest site in the midst of a huge commotion. Several attempts to interact with the crowd appeared to fall short as the interlocutors were unable to communicate due to the noise.

This was also because of the unorganised nature of the protests; Shaheen Bagh became the epicentre of protests against Citizenship Amendment Act not on the behest of any leader or political party but because individual housewives, mothers and grandmothers grabbed media attention because of their unique peaceful protest.

After several appeals for silence, the interlocutors were able to command the crowd's attention. Hegde started off by reading out the Supreme Court's order for the protesters while Ramachandran translated the order in Hindi.

She said that she hopes that the protesters and mediators can come to a common ground. "We will find a solution that will be an example for not just India but the entire world," she added.

Ramachandran said, "We are here hear you out. We wish to hear everyone out. But it is important for us to tell you that whatever may happen your right to protest will remain protected. However, we are here because one person's right to protest should not hinder another person's right to commute."

The protesters were opposed to this point as they asserted that school buses and ambulances have been allowed to pass, but their "protest is also important".

Another sticking point in their efforts to interact with the protesters was when the interlocutors tried to get the media to vacate the tent so that the mediation process can proceed in private. However, the protesters told the interlocutors that they want to speak to them in the presence of media.

In the ensuing confusion, most media channels shut out the live feed but reporters were still able to send out updates via social media.

Once the dialogue process started, the women of Shaheen Bagh spoke at length about their plight and their grudges. Some complained that the simple housewives who were speaking up for their rights were being name called by the ruling party leaders and pro-CAA voices. Others were disappointed because the government had made no efforts to engage with them.

Emotional scenes at #ShaheenBagh. An elderly woman BREAKS DOWN while talking to SC's interlocutor Sanjay Hegde. "Government called us names. We are called anti national. Hum is desh ke liye JAAN DE SAKTE HAIN"  Saahil Murli Menghani (@saahilmenghani) February 19, 2020

Meanwhile, the protesters resolutely defended their points and refused to vacate the protest site. When Hegde suggested that they should reach a solution in which Shaheen Bagh can be opened, without, ending the protest, he was met with a huge and resounding 'No' from the protesters.

One of the women in the cried responded, "If we get up, who will protect us from assaulters. While we are here, nobody tried to engage with us, if we vacate this area the government will forget us completely."

Hegde was touched by the points raised by protesters. "After listening to you, I am reminded of one line, liberty lies in hearts of people like you who walk holding constitution. You are hope for freedom to live," he said.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohios governor, attorney general and dozens of local governments are nearing agreement on divvying up proceeds of a potentially huge settlement with the opioid industry, hoping to avoid mistakes made with the national tobacco settlement.

The so-called One Ohio agreement, still not final, would give local governments much of the control of the purse strings  all but cutting out state lawmakers remembered fordiverting tobacco settlement money at one point that had been intended to cover smoking-related health care costs to pay for other things.

No other state has announced plans for dividing settlements over the toll of opioids. And so far no national opioid settlement has been finalized. One with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is being worked on in bankruptcy court, and a group of three drug distribution companies and two manufacturers are working on a settlement intending to resolve all litigation against them.

Communities in Ohio would receive 30% of the money up front  double the 15% reserved for the state, and hold some long-term sway over a network of regional boards reporting to a non-profit foundation that would manage the remaining 55%. The number of opioid deaths suffered by a community would be among criteria for determining its share.

People agreed the Legislature really shouldnt have access to this, said Kent Scarrett, executive director of the Ohio Municipal League.

Still, attorneys are working to address significant divisions that remain after a meeting of the parties last week. Large cities and counties, mostly controlled by Democrats, sat side-by-side at the gathering with largely GOP-led smaller cities and counties, and Gov. Mike DeWine and Attorney General Dave Yost, also Republicans.

Everyone recognizes the value of presenting a unified front to a federal judge in Cleveland handling thousands of opioid-related cases, said those privy to the discussions.

Opioids, including both powerful prescription painkillers and illegal drugs such as heroin and illicit fentanyl, have been linked to more than 430,000 deaths in the U.S. since 2000. The drug industry is facing about 3,000 lawsuits over the toll of the drugs, including from 49 states and thousands of municipal, county and Native American tribal governments.

The sprawling litigation is among the most complex ever in the U.S., and if Ohio could hammer out a unified plan for spending any settlement dollars, if would save both time and money.

The 1998 master settlement agreement between Ohio and more than 40 other states and territories and Big Tobacco companies is a cautionary tale. Intended to cover states health care costs related to smoking, Ohios share, estimated at $10 billion a year for the first 26 years, was diverted over time to cover K-12 and higher education construction projects  and eventually cashed in to pay for a tax exemption and other programs.

But tensions between Ohios smaller and larger communities  as well as between all the municipalities and the state  prompted requests that the ultimate Ohio deal provide more legal assurances to cities and counties about the 55% share proposed to go to the foundation.

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, a Democrat planning a run for governor, said DeWines outline for the foundations structure is dubious.

It was very unclear how it would be governed, very unclear how it would distribute funds and no guarantee it would get back to local governments, Cranley said.

The draft plan, obtained from Yosts office, calls for the foundation to be overseen by a 25-member board of state and regional appointees, including four lawmakers, 10 non-metropolitan representatives and five from metropolitan areas.

The document calls for the foundation to hire an executive director and an expert panel and to spend no less than 10% of its annual payout to support evidence-based substance abuse/misuse prevention efforts.

Cranley called that insulting, saying cities and counties are the experts.

This isnt about creating some huge bureaucracy in Columbus to study the issue when we have real people dying on the streets, real people needing recovery beds, needle exchanges, harm reduction, Suboxone, Narcan, he said, referring to an addiction treatment drug and overdose antidote. This isnt make-believe stuff. This is real local needs that have not been paid for in the past and are going to be necessary for many years to come.
A Washington state mother says she now has to sleep with a knife under her pillow after a baby photographer allegedly drugged her with a laced cupcake and tried to kidnap her newborn daughter.

Elysia Miller told The News Tribune that she doesn't let her two daughters out of her sight ever since Juliette Parker, a former Colorado mayoral candidate and her 16-year-old daughter, allegedly posed as photographers in an attempt to steal her baby.

'I carry a machete, a knife and pepper spray in the house and in my car,' Miller said on Tuesday.

The emotional mother spoke to reporters and broke down as she described the incident.

'Just because she is behind bars doesnt mean that I have peace of mind,' Miller said.

Video courtesy of QFOX 13

Washington state mother, Elysia Miller (right) says she now has to sleep with a knife under her pillow after a baby photographer allegedly drugged her and tried to kidnap her newborn daughter

The emotional mother spoke to reporters and broke down as she described the incident. 'Just because she is behind bars doesnt mean that I have peace of mind,' Miller (pictured) said

Parker (pictured in court on Tuesday) pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to drugging Miller after authorities say she posed as a photographer in a complex plot to kidnap the woman's newborn baby

The 38-year-old entered her plea to attempted kidnapping and assault in Pierce County Superior Court. Parker posted $50,000 bail over the weekend and was released. New bail of $150,000 was set after prosecutors described her as a flight risk

Parker pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to drugging Miller after authorities say she posed as a photographer in a complex plot to kidnap the woman's newborn baby.

The 38-year-old entered her plea to attempted kidnapping and assault in Pierce County Superior Court.

Parker posted $50,000 bail over the weekend and was released.

New bail of $150,000 was set Tuesday after prosecutors described her as a flight risk and she was booked again into jail.

Parker moved to Washington last year after losing a mayoral election in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

On Friday, deputies arrested Parker, who lives south of Tacoma, and her 16-year-old daughter. The teen was expected to be arraigned at a juvenile detention center on the same charges.

A release from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department stated that Parker and her daughter were arrested following an extensive investigation.

Parker connected with mothers through a Facebook group and offered to do free photo shoots of newborns to build her portfolio, according to court documents.

Miller said she also met Parker through a post in the Facebook group.

Investigators said at least a dozen women have contacted them with stories of interacting with Parker, who also has gone by the names 'Juliette Noel' or 'Juliette Gaines'.

Parker (left in 2019 and right, in her mugshot) - who ran for Colorado Springs mayor in 2019 - was charged with multiple felonies after she and the unidentified minor were detained Friday

Parker connected with mothers through a Facebook group and offered to do free photo shoots of newborns to build her portfolio, according to court documents. Parker is seen being led away by officers on Tuesday

Parker is said to have gone to Miller's home on three occasions to take photos of her newborn.

The third visit occurred on February 5 when Parker arrived at Miller's Spanaway with her daughter.

Parker's teenage daughter allegedly gave the victim a cupcake and as soon as she ate the treat, the woman immediately felt drowsy.

Miller then asked Parker and her daughter to leave, documents said.

They left but wiped down the drinking glasses they'd used and stole the victim's house keys, according to court documents.

When Miller texted Parker to ask if she had the keys, Parker said she'd found the keys in her yard and offered to have them delivered, documents show.

Miller said she called 911 and requested medical assistance because she was feeling numbness, drowsiness, instability on her feet and she was vomiting.

She told fire fighters that she believed that she had been drugged, authorities said.



Investigators said at least a dozen women have contacted them with stories of interacting with Parker, who also has gone by the names 'Juliette Noel' or 'Juliette Gaines'

Miller told deputies that the woman had been at her home on three occasions, drugging her on the third visit and taking her house keys. Deputies paid for Miller to have her locks replaced and window guards installed

Miller also 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.

Miller urged other parents looking for photographers to have someone with them and to check references, business licenses and reviews.

'Be very careful and trust your instincts,' Miller said.

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.

Detectives said they've found text messages between Parker and an ex-boyfriend dating back to November, when Parker 'talked about how they should get a kid from a homeless person and raise the child together in a nice house,' records said.

The ex-boyfriend joked about kidnapping a baby and Parker said she'd marry him immediately if he could find her a baby girl in the next five weeks, documents said.

Parker notably ran for Colorado Springs Mayor in 2019, coming in second behind incumbent John Suthers

Parker received 11.9 per cent of the vote (roughly 11,453 votes)

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 US District Court with larceny and trespassing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

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.
(Natural News) In light of the recent coronavirus outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges the public to thoroughly and frequently wash their hands with soap and water, highlighting the fact that proper hand hygiene is a tried and tested practice of preventing the spread of infection. However, what you might not know is that among all types of healthcare providers, physicians are the least likely to wash their hands while caring for their patients.

This is a complete step back from what Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis first observed back in 1846. Semmelweis analyzed two maternity wards in a hospital where he worked and discovered that death rates saw a significant drop when physicians, who were working with cadavers or assisting in births, washed their hands regularly. Unfortunately, doctors at the time did not take the findings kindly, angry for being blamed for the deaths of their patients.

Even today, it can still be difficult to convince some healthcare professionals to regularly wash their hands in between patient interactions. According to a study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, only about 57 percent of 163 doctors washed their hands between patients. Lead researcher Didier Pittet observed that doctors with busy workloads were even less likely to wash their hands. However, if they thought that they were being observed, the doctors were more likely to follow proper hand hygiene.

Another study, presented at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology conference, attributed hand hygiene habits to the Hawthorne effect. The researchers found that hygiene compliance differed significantly depending on whether or not the health professionals knew they were being evaluated.

Negative effects of poor hand hygiene

Poor adherence to hand hygiene has been a longstanding issue. The CDC reports that healthcare providers only wash their hands less than half the time that they should. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also observed an average adherence of as low as 40 percent.

Hand-washing for healthcare practitioners is important to avoid the spread of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) that is commonly linked to poor hand hygiene. Microbes that can spread by hand contact include Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA), Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Strep), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Clostridium difficile, Candida, Rotavirus, Adenovirus, Hepatitis A virus and Norovirus.

According to the CDC, about one in 31 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection on any given day. In 2015, it was estimated that there were 687,000 HAIs in US acute care hospitals  and about 72,000 of these patients died during their hospitalizations. (Related: 247 Americans die every day from doctors not washing their hands.)

Practicing good hand hygiene, like washing hands every so often, is the simplest means of reducing the prevalence of these infections, which are often acquired in certain healthcare settings. This is important because HAIs can prolong recovery time and hospital stays, and can result in disability, increasing medical costs and even life-threatening complications for some patients.

A study published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases investigated whether an improvement in hand hygiene compliance to an even higher level can lead to a decrease in HAIs. After a 17-month period following a hand hygiene program that resulted in a 10 percent improvement in hand hygiene, researchers from the University of North Carolina noted a six percent decrease in overall HAI incidents, supported by 197 fewer cases of infections and an estimated 22 fewer deaths overall. These reductions resulted in an overall savings of about $5 million.

Keep your hands washed and clean as often as possible to prevent the spread of potential diseases. Read more studies and stories about healthcare-associated infections at Infections.news.

Sources include:

HealthImpactNews.com

CDC.gov 1

CDC.gov 2 [PDF]

CDC.gov 3

CDC.gov 4

NPR.org

Annals.org

ABCNews.go.com

Apps.WHO.int [PDF]
Jeremy Christian is an angry, violent and bigoted person. And when he boarded a rush-hour MAX train with a knife in his pocket and started spouting racist beliefs, he had a plan for anyone who challenged him: Stab them.

A prosecutor drew the portrait of Christian as he made closing arguments Wednesday to a packed downtown Portland courtroom on the 13th day of Christians trial, now in the hands of jurors.

The day before the attack, Christian had said: 'Im about to stab some (expletives)," prosecutor Jeff Howes told jurors. "... A racist white supremacist, large former prisoner who got into many, many fights in prison says that statement undaunted, out of nowhere.

Seventeen hours later, Howes said, Christian went on a rampage.

Ladies and gentlemen, this case is about a person who at some point in late May 2017 decided he was going to go out with a bang, Howes said.

The sole stabbing survivor and relatives of the two men Christian killed were among those filling the courtrooms public gallery. Some had not attended earlier parts of the trial. Muted gasps and crying could be heard from their section of the courtroom as the prosecution once again showed jurors a video of the stabbings recorded by another commuter.

Christian watched the video, as he had many times during the trial. Christians mother, seated in the front row, turned away and closed her eyes.

Its hard to look at," Howes told jurors. Its hard to think about.

Defense attorney Greg Scholl said the events of that afternoon on May 26, 2017, might have turned out much differently had Micah Fletcher, who tried to get Christian to leave the train, had not approached Christian so aggressively.

We live in a world where confronting a loud and annoying and obnoxious person in the wrong way can lead to catastrophic results. And that is what happened in this case," Scholl said.

Christian hasnt disputed that he stabbed the men but said he was acting in self-defense and shouldnt be found guilty of any crimes.

In this case theres a lot of evidence, Scholl said. ... But theres not very much evidence as to why it happened. And that goes to the question ... what was this persons intent? And intent is a crucial part of my argument here to you today.

Taliesin Namkai-Meche grew up in Ashland and graduated from Reed College. (Submitted photo)

Multnomah County Circuit Judge Cheryl Albrecht sent the case to jurors to begin deliberations shortly after 5 p.m. But given the hour, jurors were sent home about 10 minutes later, with instructions to return Thursday morning. The jury is made up of five women and seven men. One juror is black, the rest appear to be white.

Christian is charged with the first-degree murders of Taliesin Namkai-Meche, 23, and Ricky Best, 53, and the first-degree attempted murder of Fletcher, then 21.

Christian stabbed all three about 4:30 p.m. on the Green Line train that had traveled from Portland State University and was heading to Clackamas Town Center. The bloodshed began as the train pulled into the Hollywood Transit Center in Northeast Portland.

Christian also is charged with the hate crime of second-degree intimidation for allegedly targeting two teenage girls -- one who is African American and the other who is from Somalia and was wearing a hijab. According to witnesses as well as video, Christian spoke of beheadings and yelled (Expletive) Saudi Arabia! and Go home, we need American here! His 6-minute diatribe included called for Muslims, Christians and Jews to die.

The stabbings, as well as the moments before and after, were caught on TriMet surveillance video and videos recorded by passengers using their cellphones.

A police detective said about five minutes before Christian started stabbing, he looked toward the two teens and made a slicing motion across his neck.

Howes, the prosecutor, told jurors that even 3-year-olds know what that means: Ill cut your head off. Ill slit your throat. He said of the teen girls: Theyre rightfully scared.

The prosecution said Christian sat about 12 feet from the girls.

"A 250-pound man yelling this stuff at two 16-years-old, making threatening gestures, holding up religious books, Howes said, referring to the Book of Mormon that Christian was carrying during the train ride.

The teens said when the train stopped, they ran into a nearby health club and hid because they thought Christian might follow and hurt or kill them. Walia Mohamed, who immigrated from Somalia when she was about 5, testified that she stopped wearing a hijab a few weeks later because she lives in fear shell be targeted again.

Christian also is charged with intimidating an African American woman about 11:30 p.m. the previous night. That woman, Demetria Hester, testified that Christian shouted racist words and said he was going to kill her while she rode a Yellow Line train on May 25, 2017. Hester said she maced him in the face and he threw a half-full drink container at her face.

She was subjected to a racist barrage," Howes said. "She was threatened with death and she was struck squarely in the eye with a 32-ounce Gatorade bottle.

A photograph of Demetria Hester, taken after she was hit in the eye with a Gatorade bottle, is shown to jurors. Beth Nakamura, The Oregonian/OregonLive/Pool

Defense attorneys said Christian was exercising his free speech, however unpopular it might have been received.

People are not allowed to just shut a person down, Scholl said. In fact, we protect speech that we dont like. ... A person, if they dont like your speech, can just walk away, although its a little more difficult to do that on a MAX car. A person can ignore the speaker."

Christians attorneys have described the three men on the Green Line train as attackers and said Christian needed the knife to defend himself because he was outnumbered.

They faulted Namkai-Meche for walking up to Christian with his phone and declaring, Youre about to become an internet sensation and Fletcher for, as a defense expert testified, pouring gasoline on the confrontation by shouting and pushing Christian.

But Howes called it a myth that Namkai-Meche stuck his phone in Christians face. "Thats a mischaracterization at best. His arm might be extended a bit. ... No one could reasonably think that phone could be in Jeremy Christians face, the prosecutor said.

The defense also claimed in opening statements more than three weeks ago that Best was wrestling with Christian before he was stabbed but his lawyers presented no evidence and called no witnesses who supported that theory.

Ricky Best was fatally stabbed on his way home to Happy Valley from his job as a technician for Portlands Bureau of Development Services. He was married and had three boys in their teens and a 12-year-old girl. Best was a 23-year Army veteran. (Submitted photo)

The only interaction Best appears to have had with Christian can be seen in videos of Best raising his arms or trying to push Christian away as Christian plunged the knife into his neck and face three times.

Christians defense contended Wednesday that when Fletcher pushed Christian, Christian looked up and saw three faces -- those of Fletcher, Namkai-Meche and Best, all lined up in the aisle in front of him.

This turns into two against one, or even three against one, Scholl said.

Christian, Scholl said, is not a cold hearted villain.

What happened on MAX Car (No.) 415 is horrific," he said. "And the deaths are beyond tragic. And it cant be fixed.

But Scholl said Christian went into fight-or-flight mode and he chose to fight for his own safety.

The prosecution presented a dramatically different picture, much of it captured on the videos.

Christian was the first to get physical, by grabbing Namkai-Meches cellphone and throwing it to the floor, then by shoving Fletcher and Namkai-Meche in the chest as Christian yelled Do something, (expletive)! over and over. Fletcher responded by grabbing or pushing Christian three times and telling him to get off the train.

Namkai-Meche and Best dont appear in the videos to have laid a hand on Christian before he started stabbing.

(Namkai-Meche) was stabbed in the neck while holding his phone in one hand, his leftover lunch in the other hand," Howes said.

Best can be seen on the videos standing directly behind Namkai-Meche, before Christian moves in on him. Although its not easily audible on the videos, Howes said Best can be heard saying, Just sit down.

This is not (Christian) defending himself against Ricky Best," Howes said. "This is just flat out cold, Im going to kill this person now, and thats what he did.

Fletcher testified that he walked up to Christian after Christian threw Namkai-Meches phone to the floor. Fletcher thought Christian was about to beat up Namkai-Meche and Fletcher didnt think Namkai-Meche looked as if hed ever been in a fight. So Fletcher, who said he had been bullied and pummeled in middle school because of his autism, stepped in.

Micah Fletcher, who was stabbed by Christian but survived, testified on February 4, 2020. Beth Nakamura, The Oregonian/OregonLive/Pool

Howes said after Christian shoved Fletcher and then Namkai-Meche and repeatedly yelled Do something, (expletive)! in their faces, Fletcher used reasonable force in pushing Christian away as Fletcher told Christian to Go on, git off the train. Christian was trying to provoke a fight, especially when he yelled Hit me again! Fletcher gave him a push and then Christian began stabbing.

You cant claim self-defense if youre the initial aggressor, Howes said, adding that the degree of force Christian used in response to Fletcher was unjustifiable and unreasonable.

(What) the defense wants to do, they want to blame the victims, Howes said. ... Blame the victims? No. No. Reject it.

In addition to claiming Christian was acting in self-defense, his lawyers also called on psychologists who said Christian has autism spectrum disorder, has mental deficits that alter his perception of social situations and went into auto-pilot and wasnt aware of what he was doing at the time he started stabbing.

They said Christians world was imploding because one or both of his parents had told him he was going to be kicked out of the family home -- and that meant he was in jeopardy of losing his extensive comic book collection, which he stored there.

He was in crisis, Scholl said.

A psychiatrist called by the prosecution countered many of the findings by the defense psychologists, saying Christian doesnt have autism and doesnt have any major mental illness. That psychiatrist diagnosed Christian with antisocial personality disorder, which is characterized by violence, aggression, lack of compassion for others and criminal thinking.

The prosecution argued that although Christians inhibitions might have been loosened because of the wine he had been drinking from a plastic bladder on the train, he had the mental capacity to fully understand what hed done.

In a recording taken from the back seat of a police car after Christians arrest, he ranted about race, repeatedly used a derogatory term to describe African Americans and said he was defending his right to free speech when he stabbed the men.

Hope they all die, Christian said. I hope everybody I stabbed dies.

But Christians defense argued his mind was in a state of chaos and he was saying a lot of things that didnt make sense -- including about outer space and Star Trek.

Did he say that he meant for someone to die? Yes, Scholl said. He also raved about Saturn. ... These horrifying words were not meant and they were taken from a dysregulated person.

The prosecution noted that Christian was aware enough of his surroundings that he looked out the police car window, saw a bumper sticker and made a joke. At another point on the ride, Christian had the clarity of mind to recall that Fletcher was wearing a Deadpool superhero T-shirt, Howes said.

This is a person who knows exactly what he did, why he did it and hes proud of it, the prosecutor said. He wants to brag about it. He has no sorrow for the victims.

Christians defense told jurors they have a big decision ahead of them.

Maybe its in the top five decisions that you are going to make in your life," Scholl said. Maybe its in the top three.

-- Aimee Green

agreen@oregonian.com

o_aimee

Keep up with key trial events and takeaways by signing up for The Oregonian/OregonLives Jeremy Christian trial newsletter at oregonlive.com/newsletters.

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F lood-hit communities are braced for further heavy rain over the next 48 hours as river levels continue to threaten to breach barriers, with 1,200 homes so far left underwater in the aftermath of Storm Dennis.

Rain was starting to build up in the west this morning, the Met Office said, with up to 4in (100mm) set to fall in north Wales and up to 2.5in (60mm) in the south.

The rain will then move north, with Cumbria and Yorkshire likely to be most affected by the weekend, with the Met Office issuing yellow weather warnings.

Kate Marks of the Environment Agency (EA) said while Storm Dennis had passed, well be feeling the impacts for a few more days.

Storm Dennis: UK Flooding aftermath - In pictures 1 /33 Storm Dennis: UK Flooding aftermath - In pictures PA A rainbow appears over flooded fields in the Wye Valley Getty Images A Land Rover wades through flooded roads in the Wye Valley Getty Images A dog takes a drink from flood water as water levels in the River Ouse in York Getty Images South Wales Fire and Rescue personnel fit an outboard motor to a Rigid Inflatable Boat AFP via Getty Images A man cycles through floodwater after the River Ouse burst its banks in York AFP via Getty Images PA PA Getty Images Getty Images AFP via Getty Images A taxing time: Firefighters rescue people from a care home in Whitchurch on the banks of the River Wye after flooding from Storm Dennis. A proposal has been put forward to increase council tax and use the proceeds for a ring-fenced climate fund Getty Images A man walks through flood water, as pumps and flood barriers help to keep the water from flooding homes in Gloucester Road in Tewkesbury PA A section of road that has been closed off due to flooding in Monmouth PA Flooding in Ironbridge PA Residents picking up sandbags in Gloucester Road in Tewkesbury PA Authorities have warned that the current levels of flooding are unprecedented PA Temporary flood barriers hold back the river Severn in Ironbridge PA Residents bail out their homes in Ross-on-Wye AFP via Getty Images Swamped: rescuers help two women after the River Wye burst its banks in flood-hit Hereford Getty Images A man uses a plank of wood to paddle a kayak on flood water after the River Wye AFP via Getty Images A resident is rescued from a home in a boat by the emergency services amid flooding in Hereford on Monday AFP via Getty Images An aerial view showing flooding from the River Wye on Monday following Storm Dennis Getty Images A bin floats in flood water in a street in Tenbury AFP via Getty Images A man wades through flood water towards an ambulance in a flooded street in Tenbury Wells AFP via Getty Images

Theres a lot more water in the river systems. In particular we are worried about the Rivers Severn, Teme and Wye, Dr Marks said.

At-risk areas have been evacuated across England and Wales after downpours this week, with 599 properties flooded across England and 800 homes in Wales hit.

Six severe flood warnings remained in place today after levels in the Rivers Wye and Severn broke records this week.

Temporary flood barriers hold back the river Severn in Ironbridge / PA

The River Wey in Surrey broke its banks overnight, with water lapping at the doors of homes in Londons commuter belt.

On Tuesday, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said owners of flood-hit homes will be able to apply for a 500 emergency grant and exemption from paying council tax.

West Mercia Police said an estimated 384 properties had been significantly impacted by the floods across Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire.

Drone footage reveals damage of Storm Dennis

Asked if it would have helped if the emergency funding had come earlier than Tuesday night, Mark Garnier, Tory MP for Wyre Forest, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Yeah, look  if theyre running an overdraft and it gets paid off in a weeks time then I can live with that.

He added: Yes, absolutely, but, look, I think, as long as the money comes, thats whats really important to me. What I dont want to find is my local authority has had to run up some overdraft or, actually, just as importantly is not delivering the emergency responses that we need because of funding, but I dont get any sense that thats happening.

Residents in the Shropshire towns of Ironbridge and Bridgnorth were urged to evacuate their properties, while residents in Bewdley near Kidderminster were warned flood barriers at Beales Corner might not be able to withstand the rising water levels.

Deputy Chief Constable Julian Moss said: Water levels have been unprecedented in many places and the impact of such high-levels of flooding has been substantial across all the agencies, but more significantly to members of the public affected in any way.

PA

More than six kilometres of temporary flood barriers have been erected across the country and flood defences have protected nearly 25,000 properties from the impacts of the storm, the EA said.

But record-breaking river levels and continued rainfall means further flooding is possible across much of the country, said EA executive director of flood and coastal risk management John Curtin.

We expect further disruptive weather into tomorrow and Thursday, bringing a significant flood risk to the West Midlands, and there are flood warnings in place across much of England, he said.

Drone images of Storm Dennis hitting Crickhowell in Wales 1 /10 Drone images of Storm Dennis hitting Crickhowell in Wales An aerial view of the Welsh village of Crickhowell which has been cut off as the river Usk bursts its banks at Crickhowell bridge near the Bridge End Inn, Wales Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for persistent rain in Wales and north-west England for Wednesday and Thursday, and the north of England on Friday into Saturday.

EA manager for Herefordshire and Worcestershire Dave Throup said the level of flooding had left affected parts in uncharted territory.
A man has been sentenced to death for murdering a GrabBike driver before stealing the victims motorcycle in Ho Chi Minh City in late 2018.

The municipal Peoples Court on Tuesday tried Nguyen Van Ho, 23, who hails from the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang.

Ho received a seven-year jail term for robbery and capital punishment for murder.

According to the indictment, Ho arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in 2015 to start his job and stayed at a tenanted house in Binh Chanh District.

As he often traveled to work by motorbike taxi, he became acquainted with Pham Van Hung, a GrabBike driver.

The two also exchanged their phone numbers.

In early December 2018, Ho planned to rob Hung of his motorbike in order to sell it and use the money to pay off his debts.

On the early morning of December 4, 2018, Ho called Hung and asked him to take him to a location for some business.

As they reached a secluded area near Rach Cau Suoi Bridge in Binh Chanh District, Ho told Hung to pull over, before threatening the driver with a knife.

Hung tried to resist and ended up being stabbed multiple times in his body and neck.

Ho then took his phone, about VND100,000 (US$4.2) worth of cash, and fled the scene on the victims motorbike.

Hungs body was found later the same morning.

Meanwhile, Ho managed to sell the motorbike for VND8 million ($343) to someone he met on social media.

The man then returned to his hometown in An Giang Province, located in the Mekong Delta, where he stayed until his arrest on March 29, 2019.

Ho told police officers he was heavily indebted and had only intended to rob Hung, not murder him.

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Democratic presidential candidate former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg delivers remarks during a campaign rally in Nashville, Tennessee, on Feb. 12, 2020. (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

Democratic Contenders Ready to Confront Bloomberg in Person at Nevada Debate

Democratic presidential contenders are prepared to attack former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the Feb. 19 debate in Nevada, a state in which the billionaire isnt even on the ballot.

The debate, which starts at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, will be the first including Bloomberg.

Its a shame Mike Bloomberg can buy his way into the debate. But at least now primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we each take on an egomaniac billionaire, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), 70, said in a statement on Tuesday after Bloomberg, 78, qualified for his first debate.

The qualification wouldnt have happened if the Democratic National Committee kept the same rules in place. But the committee axed a donor requirement, paving the way for Bloomberg, who is self-funding his campaign, to make the stage.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), 78, and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, 48, foreshadowing the debate, attacked Bloomberg at a CNN town hall on Tuesday night.

He said I dont have to do that, Im worth $60 billion,' Sanders told the audience, mimicking Bloomberg as he referred to the former mayors unconventional bid that features avoiding the early voting states. Ill buy the presidency.

Asked if Bloomberg is trying to buy the nomination, Buttigieg said Yes.

(L-R) Democratic presidential candidates Andrew Yang, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Tom Steyer stand on stage at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Feb. 7, 2020. Neither Yang, who dropped out of the race, or Steyer, who failed to qualify, will be on the stage in Nevada on Feb. 19. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

I mean, what else do you call it, Buttigieg said. What else do you call it when you dip into your reserves of millions and billions and dont go through the process of campaigning in states like Nevada, Iowa, or New Hampshire, going into the diners and the backyards, looking eye to eye?

And Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), 59, said shes glad to see Bloomberg qualify for the debate. I actually thought he should be on the debate stage because I dont think you should just be able to buy your way to the presidency, she said.

We want to make sure that you have the best candidate to lead the ticket, and I dont think that when people look at Donald Trump, they automatically say, Hmm, can we get someone richer? she added.

Bloomberg has said hes the best candidate to take on President Donald Trump but also said hed support whoever wins the Democratic nomination.

Sanders did not answer a question about whether, if he is the nominee, hed accept donations from Bloomberg. Buttigieg, though, said hed accept financial support from the billionaire. Klobuchar was not asked if she would accept support from him.
Centennial Resource Development, Inc. CDEV is expected to beat estimates when it reports fourth-quarter 2019 results on Feb 24, after the closing bell.

In the last reported quarter, the company came up with earnings of a penny, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 2 cents per share due to lower commodity price realization and increased lease operating expenses.

The firm beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate once in the last four quarters, as shown in the chart below.

CENTENNIAL RES Price and EPS Surprise

CENTENNIAL RES Price and EPS Surprise

CENTENNIAL RES price-eps-surprise | CENTENNIAL RES Quote

Lets see how things have shaped up prior to the announcement.

Trend in Estimate Revision

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter earnings of 5 cents per share has seen four upward revisions and one downward movement in the past 30 days. The figure suggests a year-over-year decline of 58.3%.

Further, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $241.9 million for the quarter, indicating a rise of 8.7% from the year-ago reported figure.

What the Quantitative Model Suggests

Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Centennial this time around. This is because it has the right combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold).

Earnings ESP: Centennial has an Earnings ESP of +14.87%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate of 6 cents is pegged higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 5 cents per share.

You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: It currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.

Factors Driving the Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Centennial has a huge acreage position in the Delaware Basin, part of the prolific Permian Basin, which is likely to have enabled it to generate strong fourth-quarter production. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter production is pegged at 76,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (Boe/d), indicating an increase from 69,609 Boe/d in the year-ago period.

Story continues

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter crude production is pegged at 43,110 barrels per day (Bbls/d), indicating an increase from 39,978 Bbls/d in the year-ago period. Crude oil constituted the majority of the companys production.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for average crude sales price is pegged at $53 per barrel, suggesting an increase from the year-ago quarters $47.95. The potential increase in oil production and realized price is expected to have boosted the companys bottom line.

Other Stocks to Consider

Some other energy stocks with the perfect mix of elements to beat on earnings in the upcoming quarterly release are:

EQT Corporation EQT has an Earnings ESP of +34.32% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is set to release quarterly earnings on Feb 27. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

EOG Resources, Inc. EOG has an Earnings ESP of +0.18% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is set to release quarterly earnings on Feb 27.

Matador Resources Company MTDR has an Earnings ESP of +0.11% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is set to release quarterly earnings on Feb 25.

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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
The security service of Kyrgyzstan said on Tuesday that it had detained three men while they were attempting to sell counterfeit U.S. dollars in the southern city of Jalal-Abad, Trend reports citing Reuters.

The counterfeit bills with a denomination of 100 dollars totaled 30,000 dollars, the press service of the State Committee for National Security reported.

The counterfeit banknotes were purchased in a neighboring country and transported illegally across the border, the report added.

Currently, an investigation is being carried out to identify others involved in the production chain and sale of counterfeit banknotes.
Actress Jo Yeo-jeong said she was overwhelmed when Parasite won four Oscars, noting she was so proud of being part of the movie. / Yonhap



By Kang Hyun-kyung



The Oscar-winning film "Parasite" doesn't have any clashing heroes or villains, which makes it easier for audiences sympathize with each and every character.



Han Jin-won, a screenwriter who, together with director Bong Joon-jo, won the Best Original Screenplay Award at the 92nd Academy Awards last Monday, said he believes these traits enabled overseas movie fans to easily follow the plot of the Korean film.



"The movie broke a dichotomy of the clashes between good and bad. Audiences find it easier to follow each character and each side of the story is more convincing," he said during a news conference at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul, Wednesday.



Han said the entire filmmaking process was enjoyable because his shared background with certain characters enabled him to sympathize with them.



"I myself was born into a working-class family. So I was closer to Ki-woo. To me, Mr. Park's luxury house was a sort of fantasy," he said.






Born in Dakshina Kannada district, Ballal made acting debut with 1960's Ivalentha Hendathi and in her five-decade-long career, she worked in over 75 movies across different languages such as Kahi, Hani Hani, Suryakanthi, Carry On Maratha and Quick Gun Murugun.



"I've always maintained that as an actor, I think my job is done before the release of the film. Because my job is to do what my director asks me to do with complete conviction and honesty, and I think that I have done that. Beyond that, it's for the audiences to love and the media to love, and I hope that they do," she was quoted as saying by News18 when she was asked about the response to her latest release Love Aaj Kal.



"Kenan and Hasan are two of the most engaged and engaging entertainers in America. Im thrilled theyll help us celebrate the role of a free press in our democracy," said Jonathan Karl, Chief White House Correspondent for ABC News and president of the WHCA.



Rakhi Sawant posted a new video to her 677k Instagram followers where she calls out Shehnaaz Gill for copying her show, 'Rakhi Sawant Ka Swayamvar'. And not just Gill, Rakhi also blames the show producers for stealing the concept of her show.



Reuters

From attending the Cannes Film Festival with Bong to being on the center stage for making history as the first South Korean film to take home the Palme dOr, Choi's grin was infectious.


[February 19, 2020] HST Pathways Among Most Prestigious Companies Recognized in The Inc. 5000 Series: California

Inc. magazine revealed HST Pathways is number 239 on its inaugural Inc. 5000 Series: California list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing California-based private companies. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the California economy's most dynamic segment-its independent small businesses. "We are proud to have been recognized both nationally as part of the Inc. 5000 list for 2019, and once again in 2020 as one of the top businesses in California," said Tom Hui, CEO and Founder of HST Pathways. "HST Pathways has experienced tremendous growth over the past several years, both in our client volume and staff capacity. Our growth is reflective of our track record of success, and we look forward to serving even more customers as we roll out our newest cloud-based solutions across the nation." The companies on this list show stunning rates of growth across all industries in California. Between 2016 and 2018, these 250 private companies had an average growth rate of 422% and, in 2018 alone, they employed more than 49,000 people and added $5.6 billion to the California economy. Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Series: California, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/inc5000-series-california-2020 stating February 19, 2020.



"The companies on this list demonstrate just how much the small-business sector impacts California's economy," says Inc. editor in chief Scott Omelianuk. "Across every single industry, these businesses have posted revenue and growth rates that are beyond impressive, further proving the tenacity of their founders and CEOs." The Inc. 5000 Series: California Summit & Awards event to honor the companies on the list will take place on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, at The LINE Los Angeles.

About HST Pathways. HST Pathways offers specialized software solutions to help ambulatory surgery center (ASC (News - Alert)) organizations achieve efficiencies with surgical scheduling, supply chain management, electronic health record (EHR) clinical workflows, medical coding, insurance and patient billing, revenue cycle management, and accounts receivable collections. For more information, visit www.hstpathways.com. About Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regional Series The 2020 Inc. 5000 Regional Series is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2018. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent-not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies-as of December 31, 2018. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2018 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. About Inc. Media The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005135/en/

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A computer algorithm from Leiden University in the Netherlands has spotted eleven asteroids that could eventually hit Earth and cause 'unprecedented devastation'.

All were missed by NASA software thanks to their chaotic orbits, which are difficult for current techniques to predict and identify as being potentially dangerous.

Each are more than 328 feet (100 metres) in diameter and will pass closer to our planet than ten times the distance between the Earth and the moon.

For comparison, the Tunguska object which flattened 772 square miles of forest in Siberia had a diameter of around 164262 feet (5080 metres).

However, these space rocks won't pose a threat in our lifetime, however  for they will only get worryingly near to Earth between the years 2131 and 2923.

Scroll down for video

A computer algorithm from Leiden University in the Netherlands has spotted eleven asteroids that could eventually hit Earth and cause 'unprecedented devastation'

In their study, astronomer and simulation expert Simon Portegies Zwart and colleagues trained a so-called neural network  an algorithm modelled on the human brain that can study patterns  to hunt for potentially dangerous asteroids.

To do this, they first modelled the orbits of the Sun and its planets over the next 10,000 years, tracking the relative positions of the different bodies.

Next, they gradually 'rewound' this simulation, while modelling what would happen if they 'threw' asteroids off of the Earth and out into space.

When run forward again, this created a database of imaginary asteroids of known orbits that eventually collide with the Earth  and let the team study the distribution of these asteroids at the equivalent of today's date in the simulation.

The researchers then used this library of imaginary hazardous asteroids to train the neural network in how to identify possibly dangerous asteroids in the real world.

The first set of calculations  modelling the solar system and the artificial asteroids  were all undertaken using Leiden's powerful new supercomputer, ALICE.

However, once trained in the art of asteroid watching, the neural network itself can be run on just a simple laptop.

The team have dubbed their system the Hazard Object Identifier, or 'HOI'  which means 'hello' in Dutch.

When put through its paces, the researchers found that HOI can spot well-known hazardous near-Earth asteroids  proving 90.99 per cent accurate when tested against a NASA database of 2,000 space objects.

Furthermore, it was also able to pick out the eleven new asteroids that had previously not been classified as a potential hazard.

The researchers used a library of imaginary hazardous asteroids to train the neural network in how to identify possibly dangerous asteroids in the real world

'We now know that our method works, but we would certainly like to delve deeper in the research with a better neural network and with more input,' said Professor Portegies Zwart.

'The tricky part is that small disruptions in the orbit calculations can lead to major changes in the conclusions.'

Despite this, the researchers hope that in future artificial neural networks might be used to detect potentially hazardous objects in space  and do so far faster than the methods used by space agencies today.

Identifying asteroids that are on a collision course with the Earth earlier would allow humanity to develop a strategy to prevent an impact, the team said.

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
[February 19, 2020] HITN's Inaugural Tu Cuentas! Cine Youth Festival Announces Call for Entries

HITN TV announced today that entries are officially being accepted for the first edition of the Tu Cuentas! Cine Youth Festival to debut from April 15 - May 15, 2020. The online film festival will inform, inspire and elevate the voices of young Latinx in film, by creating new pathways for their stories to be heard. Presented under the theme The Past meets The Present and Moves into the Future, the Tu Cuentas! Cine Youth Festival is designed to support emerging Latinx filmmakers in their creative endeavors, embracing a wide range of film genres that showcase the talents, vision, history and culture of historically underrepresented communities. It seeks to champion the voices of those who are currently struggling for visibility on screen and behind the camera by providing a platform for young changemakers to express themselves through art, creativity and innovation. "We wanted to showcase the unique perspectives and experiences of young Latinos, and we decided the best way to do this was to give young Latinos a platform to express their perspectives through film," said Michael D. Nieves, President and CEO of HITN. "Films are one of the most powerful forms of storytelling. They are highly effective at raising awareness, improving understanding and inspiring action and these are precisely our goals with this inaugural film festival," added Alejandro Molina, Tu Cuentas! Cine Youth Festival Coordinator. "The upcoming 2020 Census and elections are pivotal moments for Latinos. This year's inaugural theme speaks to what brought us to this moment in time and invites us to imagine a future where we are all seen and heard. Whether you are an amateur filmmaker in college or a high school student who aspires to make movies one day, we want to hear your story." The Tu Cuentas! Cine Youth Festival is looking for short films that feature a Latinx in a creative lead position either in front or behind the camera. High school and college students are invited to direct, shoot and create their own short films to enter into the festival. English or Spanish-language wrks of fiction or nonfiction are welcome.



Filmmakers are invited to submit their short films for one of the following categories: Technology

Arts & Culture

Environment

Education

Social Empowerment Qualified filmmakers can submit their entries on CineYouthFest.org through Film Freeway.

The submission period opens Monday, February 10, 2020 and runs through Sunday, April 5, 2020. Eligibility Criteria Entries are selected by submission only. Short films must be 30 minutes long or less in length. All film genres, including documentary, drama, animation, comedy, and narrative, are eligible. Filmmakers must be 16 years of age or older to be eligible to enter. Only films completed between January 1, 2017 and January 31, 2020 are eligible for this festival. Visit CineYouthFest.org for a complete list of rules and eligibility criteria. Awards The list of selected videos for the Tu Cuentas! Cine Youth Festival will be announced on Wednesday, April 8th and the selection will be screened on CineYouthFest.org from April 15 - May 15, 2020. An independent jury will evaluate all entries based on a variety of factors, including awareness of subject matter, creativity in approach of subject matter, technical aspects such as directing, acting, cinematography and editing, originality, and inspirational and storytelling impact of the piece. Judges will select two winners from a pool of finalists. A grand prize winner will be selected to receive a cash prize of $3000. An additional student scholarship of $2,000.00 will be awarded to the outstanding work submitted by a student. Winners will be announced on May 22, 2020. To date, the Tu Cuentas! Cine Youth Festival is being presented in collaboration with Northeastern Illinois University, Roberto Clemente Community Academy and Philadelphia Latino Film Festival. For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Lina Sands, director of marketing, at [email protected]. HITN-TV is a leading Spanish-language media company that offers educational and cultural programming for the whole family. It reaches more than 44 million viewers in the US and Puerto Rico via DIRECTV, DIRECTV NOW, DISH Network, AT&T (News - Alert) U-verse TV, Verizon FiOS TV, Comcast, Charter Spectrum, Mediacom, CenturyLink Prism and Altice. For more information, please visit www.hitn.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005891/en/

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(Adds study, number of Hubei cases deducted, Qantas Airways detail)

* New infections fall to 349 in Hubei province

* Scientists warn coronavirus like flu, may spread easily

* U.S. CDC says Japan's effort not enough

* Experts say too early to tell if China outbreak contained

By Linda Sieg and Ryan Woo

TOKYO/BEIJING, Feb 20 (Reuters) - China reported a dramatic drop in new cases in the province at the heart of the coronavirus outbreak, while scientists reported the new virus may spread even more easily than previously believed.

China's central Hubei province had 349 new confirmed cases on Wednesday, down from 1,693 a day earlier and lowest since Jan. 25. The death toll rose by 108, down from 132 the previous day, bringing to total in China to over 2,100 deaths and 74,000 cases.

The new figures include subtracting 279 cases in the province that were not confirmed, a larger-than-usual number. No explanation was given. Excluding the deductions, the number of new cases on Wednesday stood at 628, still a large drop.

China is struggling to get its economy back on track after imposing severe travel restrictions to contain a virus that emerged in the central province of Hubei late last year.

Beyond mainland China, six people have died from the disease, and governments around the world are trying to prevent it from spreading into a global pandemic.

Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd said on Thursday it will ground the equivalent of 18 planes, freeze recruitment and ask its 30,000 staff to use up annual leave as it grapples with falling demand from Asia due to the coronavirus epidemic.

Scientists published on Wednesday preliminary findings in the New England Journal of Medicine that suggested the virus spreads easily, including through patients who have no symptoms.

"If confirmed, this is very important," said Dr. Greg Poland, a virologist and vaccine researcher with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who was not involved with the study.

Story continues

HEADING HOME

Hundreds of passengers trundled off a cruise ship in Japan on Wednesday after being held on board in quarantine for more than two weeks, as criticism mounted of Japan's handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

Even as passengers rolled their luggage off the Diamond Princess cruise liner, Japanese authorities announced 79 new cases had been discovered on board, bringing the total to at least 620, well over half of the known cases outside mainland China.

The Diamond Princess has been quarantined near Tokyo since Feb. 3, initially with about 3,700 people aboard. The rapid spread of the disease on board led to criticism of the Japanese authorities just months before Japan is due to host the Olympics.

From Wednesday, passengers who tested negative and showed no symptoms were free to leave. Around 500 were expected to disembark on Wednesday, with the rest of those eligible leaving over the next two days. Confirmed cases were to be sent to hospital, while those who shared cabins with infected passengers may still be kept on board.

Around half of the passengers and crew are Japanese, and are free to go home once cleared to leave. Other countries, including Canada, have said they will fly passengers home and quarantine them on arrival. The United States flew more than 300 passengers to air bases in California and Texas this week.

"I am very keen to get off this ship," Australian passenger Vicki Presland told Reuters over a social-media link. She was among a group of Australians catching an evacuation flight back to 14 days of quarantine in the city of Darwin.

"COMPLETELY INADEQUATE"

Infectious disease specialist Kentaro Iwata of Japan's Kobe University Hospital, who volunteered to help aboard the ship, described the infection control effort as "completely inadequate" and said basic protocols had not been followed.

"There was no single professional infection control person inside the ship and there was nobody in charge of infection prevention as a professional. The bureaucrats were in charge of everything," he said in a YouTube video.

Health Minister Katsunobu Kato defended Japan's efforts.

"Unfortunately, cases of infection have emerged, but we have to the extent possible taken appropriate steps to prevent serious cases," Kato said in a report by state broadcaster NHK.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Japan's efforts "may not have been sufficient to prevent transmission among individuals on the ship."

Clyde and Renee Smith, 80-year-old American cruise passengers hospitalised in Japan since testing positive for the virus on Feb. 3, learned on Wednesday they were still positive.

"We are very happy here," Clyde said from the couple's hospital room in western Tokyo. "They're taking excellent care of us. This is the newest, fanciest hospital I've ever seen."

From the start, experts raised questions about quarantine on the ship. Passengers were not confined to rooms until Feb. 5. The day before, as passengers were being screened, events continued, including dances, quiz games and an exercise class.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo and Sophie Yu in Beijing; Linda Sieg in Tokyo; Additional reporting by Se Young Lee in Beijing, Brenda Goh and Samuel Shen in Shanghai; Jamie Freed and Colin Packham in Sydney; Sarah Wu in Hong Kong; Krishna Das in Kuala Lumpur; Josh Smith and Sangmi Cha in Seoul; Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Jan Strupczewski in Brussels and Peter Graff in London Writing by Robert Birsel, Peter Graff and Lisa Shumaker Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Nick Macfie, Bill Berkrot and Lincoln Feast.)
A recent raise for the states teachers, along with a requested raise again this year, is a good reason Rio Rancho High School Principal Sherri Carver believes fewer good teachers are leaving the profession.

Still, finding qualified teachers and keeping them is a challenge for her. Like most administrators, her days in education began as a teacher.

And she knows the meaning of determination: My first year in an English classroom with ninth-graders was definitely not what I was expecting  its so true what they say, just having a degree/certificate does not prepare you to be a successful teacher.

I hung in there  learned how to manage students, build relationships, learned some Shakespeare  and here I am 30 years later, she said.

Hence, her backing for Educators Rising, led by veteran teacher Amanda Gutierrez. The program is designed to not only get students interested in the profession, but also get them the proverbial hands-on experience.

Educators Rising is both a club and thee classes, Gutierrez began. We have a club for students who are not able to be in the class and for extra activities. The club volunteers at the evening activities at local elementary schools. We worked at several of Ernest Stapleton Elementarys parent/ student nights this year. We also will be going to the Dr. Seuss day at Stapleton, and students in the club participate in competitions at state if they are interested. I sponsor the club along with co-sponsor Pam Flores.

Educators Rising began four years ago with two students. It doubled to four the next year, then 20 and currently has 50.

She has really gotten kids interested in the program, sold it to the elementary principals and goes out to monitor the students at the elementaries who are doing teaching with guided supervision, Carver said. Students are loving the program  and I expect the numbers will grow more next year.

Theres no deterring RRHS senior Daisy Boyer, whos won Educators Rising acclaim at the state and national competitions, from someday becoming a teacher. She has enjoyed three years in the RRHS Teachers Academy classes and where they have taken her.

Next year, she plans to be a student at Eastern New Mexico University, where scholarship aid is available for future teachers who pledge to teach in New Mexico.

Your job is to teach these students, not only whats going to be on the next test, but how to prepare for the rest of your life, Boyer said. Its not just about the material that youre teaching them; its about teaching them how to live life, how to love  that you care about who they are.

I want to do something with my life that is impactful, Boyer said. Thats why I want to be a teacher  because I am impacting the next generation; I am being there for students who dont have someone else there for them.

Thats why its so hard to be a teacher right now: Because these students have such difficult backgrounds, she said. This generation is a lot different than what it used to be, because there are so (many) things going on in their world today.

Kids just bring so much more to the school house now, Carver agreed. Its not get up, eat breakfast with your mom and dad, and throw on your clothes and you get on the bus. Now, theyre just coming with so much that is happening in their lives  and at such a young age.

Carver has learned educators can be defined in several ways.

I used to say a highly qualified teacher is one that had a state teaching license, had at least a bachelors degree and demonstrated that they could teach their subject matter  so, an experienced teacher, Carver explained. In 2020, my thoughts of highly qualified have changed.

I hired a person about three years ago who had a masters, worked as an engineer at one of the labs, but had never taught in a high school classroom; she wasnt classified as HQ, but she was a heck of a teacher from day one  one of the best I have seen, Carver said. She has since obtained her teaching license through the alternative licensure route and she continues to grow into one of our teacher leaders.

In 2020, teachers can be considered highly qualified if theyre in an alternate-certification program, hold a bachelors degree and can show subject-matter competency.

But, Carver added, I also have outstanding teachers who struggle to pass the state academic test in their area  you may say that doesnt sound like an outstanding or HQ teacher if they cant pass a state test, but I promise you, there are situations. Two examples  people with test anxiety; science teachers required to pass all areas of the science test, including competency in biology, chemistry, physics  thats a wide area of required knowledge.

Given that, she said shes currently full, but had a math teacher recently resign because he found a job closer to home with Albuquerque Public Schools.

Carver, the salutatorian of Melrose High Schools Class of 1981, began her teaching career in 1990.

I just taught English, and I really concentrated on what I was delivering, Carver recalled. But now, I think the relationship piece is just 100 times more important, because you really have to know where those kids are coming from and what theyre dealing with so you can get them in the frame of mind to even learn English.

Its getting tougher and tougher to be a teacher in the 21st century, Carver has found out, and better relationships with the parents would help. Educators often have trouble communicating with or even reaching parents of students who are getting in trouble.

(Some teachers) just dont feel comfortable just talking one-on-one with a parent, because they dont get the respect; they get talked down to, they use profanity at them; they blame, they accuse; they make excuses for their students, she said.

Given all that, Gutierrez is happy to have students still willing to become educators.

This program was designed to help fix the (teacher) shortage, Gutierrez said. This is part of what Educators Rising passion is: To bring effective teachers into the classroom; that they are well aware of what is going to happen, that they are knowledgeable about the fact that it is not going to be the easiest job.

She said an eighth-grade teacher she had got her thinking about becoming a teacher, and that teacher gave her confidence that she could become successful in the field. That teacher knew what Gutierrez was dealing with: Gutierrezs mother had passed away that year.

She grew up in Florida, where she taught her first 7 years; she then got a teaching job in Magdalena, which led to the job in Rio Rancho, where shes been the last five years.

It is a challenging job, Gutierrez acknowledged. You have to answer 40 emails a day; at the same time take attendance; at the same time meet each childs needs.  Are you feeling OK? and I have to teach you this.'

I think its still the same old goal, Carver added. We want to make a difference in peoples lives, and what more-rewarding way to do that than to affect young peoples lives?
As a result of Russias attempted annexation of Crimea, the peninsula has been turned into a human rights ghetto and a huge military base used by Russia even for its Syria intervention.

The number of political hostages skyrocketed, Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars repressed. A wall of silence was built around the peninsula, repelling any international scrutiny in violation of UNGA resolutions, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Serhiy Kyslytsya said at the United Nations Security Council briefing on Ukraine on Tuesday.

According to the UN Secretary-Generals report on Crimea, and regular reports by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Russia pursues the covert demographic change, bringing more than 130,000 military and civil servants in and pushing the local population out, the Ukrainian diplomat noted.

Militarization of the occupied Crimea is in full gear, as Russia brings additional troops and sophisticated weapons, including nuclear delivery capabilities (submarines, warships, combat aircraft  you name it). The overall number of Russian militaries there has increased almost three-fold. Such actions pose a serious threat to the Black Sea region and far beyond, Kyslytsya added.

As a reminder, by launching the so-called Crimean Bridge, Russia has not only violated international law and bilateral treaty obligations grossly, but also caused enormous economic losses for Ukraine and created an environmental threat to the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

ol
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday, February 17, 2020, the Youth Mayor of the City council of Amsterdam Mrs. Avianka Aventurin-Denloye paid a courtesy visit to the President of Parliament, Mr. Rolando Brison at the Parliament building in Philipsburg. During the meeting both parties discussed succinctly the following topics; Governments plans for the youth challenges being faced with the youth, preparations for the youth traveling abroad for higher education and brain-drain.



During the meeting, the Honorable President of Parliament, Mr. Rolando Brison was asked to share information about the youth of Sint Maarten. Mr. Brison expressed that Sint Maarten is a very multicultural society where there are over 100 nationalities living on the island creating that melting pot. He further described the young people of Sint Maarten as open-minded and highly multicultural friendly people.



Mr. Brison expressed his appreciation to the Youth Mayor of Amsterdam, Mrs. Avianka Aventurin-Denloye for the courtesy visit to the House of Parliament and encouraged Mrs. Aventurin-Denloye's proposal in collaborating with the Government in efforts to contribute towards the development of Sint Maarten.
Offloading operations for fuel vessels in a port in Tripoli have been halted, Libyas National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced on Tuesday, according to Reuters, as military forces led by Khalifa Haftar were responsible for projectiles striking near a highly explosive LPG tanker.

Fuel vessels have evacuated urgently from Tripoli port today after projectiles struck meters away from a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) tanker discharging in the port, a statement on NOCs website read.

The LPG tanker and a gasoline tanker have since left the port and relocated to safer waters.

NOC is now looking for alternative ways to supply fuel to its capital.

Haftar forces said earlier in the day that they attacked a sea port in Tripoli as the violence escalates and the timing of getting its oil industry back on its feet in doubt. The total losses so far resulting from the mess that is the current blockade of oil ports and oil pipelines is in excess of US$1.7 billion, with production below 125,000 bpd, according to NOCa figure that is a far cry from the 1.2 million bpd Libya was producing in early January.

The blockade is the latest in the long-hard fight for control of the country and its oil revenues between the Libyan National Army, affiliated with the eastern government, and the Government of National Accord, which has been recognized by the UN. All oil revenues go into accounts controlled by the GNA and NOC, but the LNA is looking to change that with the blockade.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister of the UN-recognized Government of National Accord said that Libya is facing a financial disaster if Haftars Libyan National Army does not lift the oil port blockade.

NOCs chairman Mustafa Sanalla warned that if the blockade is not soon lifted, Libya could lose all of its oil production.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads from Oilprice.com:
New Delhi, Feb 20 : The Supreme Court appointed interlocutors on Wednesday reached Shaheen Bagh to meet the protesters. Interacting with the interlocutors, protesters said that if the government is ready to revoke the Citizenship Amendment Act, then we are ready to end out protest.

The protesters also lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. After listening the protesters Sanjay Hegde and lawyer Sadhna said they will come again on Thursday for further talks.

The protesters were waiting for the interlocutors since morning and women were fully prepared to put their issues before the panel. Their collective demand was the revocation of the CAA and National Register of Citizens. Also, they were demanding compensation or pension for the people who got injured during the scuffle with police.

According to the source, the protesters had called a meeting at 3 a.m. to discuss that how to put things before the panel.

Before the interlocutors reached the spot, the administration called media persons to meet the protesters. However, the journalists later came to know that the panel does not want to interact with the protesters before the media but the protesters announced it from the stage that they will talk only in presence of the media persons.

However, the protesters put a condition before the media that no one will ask any question but will only listen the conversation between them and interlocutors. Thereafter, lawyers Hegde and Sadhna reached the spot.

Hegde started the conversation by reading the Supreme Court's order. Following the reading, Sadhna told the protesters that we are here to find out a solution and create an example for the country.

"We are not here to take any decision but to hold a dialogue as it is you right. We will listen every 'grandmother', child and woman," Sadhna said.

"Just revoke the law, untill then we won't open the road," an old woman replied. The police have closed the road from three sides, she added.

"When we are here and no one is ready to listen us, and if we shift from here than who will listen to us," a woman protester questioned. "Now the conditions is that we are not allowed to sit on even roads," she added.

The woman said: "If we quit this protest it will weaken the protesters across the country. It will weaken their strength." "We have responsibilities of our families, still we are here to save the Constitution and our rights," the protester said. "If we are supposed to come on roads to save the Constitution so we are here on roads".

The protesters also targeted Shah and Modi.

"Our Home Minister says that press the button (EVM's button) to deliver current to Shaheen Bagh. The Prime Minister says that we could be identified with our cloths. Are we not that worthy that the government should talks to us? We have example of Assam where a person gave 37 years of his life to the Army and his name was excluded from the list," a protester said.

Another woman said: "Is this not happening for the elections and increase the votes? Is Amit Shah not playing with us? Earlier, he used to say that I am ready to meet but we did not get time to meet".

A woman protester got emotional saying that we could not sleep, we could not study. Whenever we open the TV, someone seen raising question on us and calling us terrorists.

On the question of opening the road, a woman said: "People are facing a traffic jam only for two hours but if we open the road and quit the protest then our whole future will be put on stake. Our next generation would spend their whole life proving themselves Indian." "The government says 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' (all together, grow together) but we could see only 'sabka vinas' (everyone's destruction). We will say that if people are facing problem because of us so the Supreme Court should give us death as per the Constitution," a protester said.

"They are trying to defame us by saying that we take Rs 500 everyday to sit here, we eat biryani. I would just say that we are protesting but not sitting on hunger strike. We would eat what we wish," said another woman.

After holding a long conversation, the panel said that we are inspired of you. If your kind of "daughters" are there then how India will be in danger. After listening you, now we are returning, we have time till Sunday. We will come tomorrow (on Thursday) again.

Soon after Hegde and Sadhna left, former Chief Election Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah reached the site. Talking to the protesters he said I am here as your well wisher. You can put you grievance before both the Supreme Court lawyers and me as well. I will forward it to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court on Monday had appointed a team of three interlocutors to be led by senior advocate Sanjay Hegde to talk to the Shaheen Bagh protesters in connection with shifting the protest venue, and file a report in the court.
A grieving baby monkey was filmed trying to wake up their dead mum after she was electrocuted.

The baby Golden Langur monkey is seen crying over its mums lifeless body and nudging her in a futile attempt to revive her.

The heartbreaking footage was was shot on February 12, at around 3pm, by teams at the Kakoijana reserve forest near the city of Bongaigaon, in Assam, India, according to local reports

The baby langur, indigenous to Assam and some parts of neighbouring Bhutan, appears to be very distressed and nuzzling its head against its mums fur.



Reports indicate that the adult monkey had been electrocuted but that doesnt stop the baby from frantically circling its mum in case she wakes up.

Later in the clip two humans scoop the monkey mum up in a piece of fabric to take her away for burial.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
When David Steele sat at Cafe Gratitude in the eastern part of San Franciscos Mission District a dozen years ago, he looked across Harrison Street at a down-and-out building at the end of a sleepy residential block. Somehow, as his future restaurant partner Thomas McNaughton tells it, Steele saw potential in that particular building.

Today that location is the contemporary Italian restaurant Flour + Water, one of San Franciscos most popular restaurants since Steele, McNaughton and partner David White opened it in 2009. The steadfast, constantly packed restaurant has arguably taught Bay Area diners more about different pasta styles than any other restaurant in the region, but it also has been a game changer in a more under-the-radar way.

McNaughton, Steele and White soon went on to found Ne Timeas Restaurant Group, one of roughly two-dozen small, local restaurant groups  which well define as those with between three and 10 restaurant locations  that have emerged in San Francisco in recent years. These groups are responsible for some of the citys most popular restaurants, managing to endure the steep challenges of opening and keeping afloat a mid-priced to upscale restaurant in San Francisco.

All of our restaurants have a different personality, says McNaughton, when asked about what he thinks works in their model, yet they all still feel mom-and-pop.

The groups tend to follow a pattern. After finding success with a debut restaurant, the restaurateurs expand with new restaurant concepts or open in a different neighborhood, which frequently leads to forming a small restaurant group. As groups, restaurants can have a more formal business structure and provide a more stable, desirable work environment  something that is critical as San Francisco restaurants struggle to attract workers.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

The idea of growing a small restaurant group seems to be a relatively new phenomenon in the Bay Area, although there are some predecessors to the current batch, such as Lark Creek and Left Bank. Many chefs start getting restless after many years in the same kitchen and want a new challenge, and restaurateurs generally agree that a more approachable second restaurant is really where restaurants start seeing a profit. But, lately, restaurant owners are realizing its the pivotal third restaurant that seems to be when their business formalizes and enters new territory.

Restaurant owners often realize at this point that the casual organization that might work as a small restaurant needs to become a professional organization with rising budgets and rising numbers of employees.

Three was where things got crazy, says Tim Stannard, founder and president of Bacchus Management Group, which includes San Franciscos Spruce and the Saratoga and the Village Pub in Woodside. The gaps in your structure become very apparent on your third restaurant.

Three is when a chef no longer can be at each restaurant nightly and has to extensively delegate kitchen responsibilities. There can be over 100 employees spread across three restaurants. At this point, independent restaurants generally need to start taking a few corporate-world cues, with the likes of human resources, accounting, employee benefits, mentorship and clear paths to promotion that might be assumed in most professions, but not the restaurant industry.

McNaughton estimates that around 400 people showed up when he did an open call for prospective employees prior to Flour + Waters opening. Now, in the new economic climate, he would expect to receive about 10 responses if he posted an ad seeking a new kitchen staff member.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

Because of this competition in the San Francisco labor pool  especially with the temptation of benefits-filled tech jobs lurking around every corner  McNaughton knows its vital for employees to enjoy working at his restaurants and to feel like they are truly a key player in the restaurant team. Ne Timeas tries to attract employees with programs to help their wellness and further their careers, whether its through field trips to meet farmers and producers or grants to help outside-work art projects or academic studies.

Thats true of other restaurant groups, too. Bacchus offers benefits not common in the industry, such as a 401K plan and financial planning assistance, as well as a reimbursement for language classes if English is not a first language. Hi Neighbor Restaurant Group, which includes San Franciscos Trestle and Corridor, gives employee perks like a build-your-own wine cellar program for wine studying, in addition to paid vacation, medical, dental and vision benefits.

Many restaurant owners say that Michael Minas high-powered international restaurant group, which includes over 30 locations, and the local Greek rotisserie fast-casual concept, Souvla, are leading examples of how best to operate in todays pricey San Francisco.

Souvla has a concise, satisfying menu of wraps and salads; an order-at-the-counter format that saves on labor costs; and prime locations for foot traffic. At the other end of the glitz spectrum, the Mina Group collaborates with the likes of Ayesha Curry and Marc Benioff; has restaurants from Dubai to Boston to Levis Stadium, as well as a splashy flagship in downtown San Francisco where tasting menus start at $165.

Most small restaurant groups fall somewhere in the middle of these two benchmarks by not being so focused on one fast-casual concept and not having such a vast and diverse collection of restaurants.

But as these small restaurant groups expand in the Bay Area, they face the challenge of maintaining a semblance of being the underdogs and the little guy as McNaughton describes the type of restaurants San Francisco diners root for. Those are restaurants that have a personal, mom-and-pop feel; where the head chef is always (or almost always) in the kitchen, where the menu either changes constantly based on farmers markets or has so many signature dishes that it can never change; and where the restaurant feels like a part of the day-to-day life of its neighborhood. They are the restaurants that many residents think of as being core to San Franciscos restaurant scene identity: down-to-earth, with high-quality ingredients, and a unique personality that cant be replicated elsewhere.

Thats where it seems the small restaurant groups can work best: start with a hit debut, then tweak that concept through careful, thoughtful expansion.

Ne Timeas realized what a juggernaut Flour + Water is for homemade pastas and beautifully charred Neapolitan pizzas, and then pivoted from there with its three other restaurants, Salumeria, Central Kitchen and most recently, Flour + Water Pizzeria. All of them are unique, yet share a common idea of being part-rustic Italian, part-imaginative, and all are located in the Mission District.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

Hi Neighbor finds success by serving different renditions of contemporary American food within distinctly different settings and neighborhoods and by being willing to try different service formats. Its Mid-Market restaurant, Corridor, weathered early turbulence as a fast-casual service concept, and now its a bustling table service restaurant day and night.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Trestle, a charming prix-fixe restaurant at the edge of Chinatown and Jackson Square, has a fervent fan base for its high-quality three-course menu at a non-steep price ($39). The groups newest restaurant, the Vault, is slightly more ambitious and flashy for its Financial District audience, but rooted in the same market-driven cooking mentality as its siblings.

For his restaurant group, the Avenues, Boris Nemchenok specifically seeks out underserved neighborhoods and existing restaurant locations; the latter helps lower construction and permitting costs, and reduces opening delays.

Nemchenok also creates restaurants with menus that have broad appeal, like Korean BBQ grilled oysters and green tea buttermilk-brined fried chicken at Violets in the Outer Richmond; or potato and guanciale pizza and Sicilian stewed octopus at three locations of Fiorella.Were in the middle ground, explains Nemchenok. People can still come in and get a $15 to $16 margherita (pizza), get a pint of beer and walk out at a reasonable price. Or you can come in and have a full meal, have a Barolo and have that experience. What weve seen is that we kind of hit a lot of those price points and a lot of different diners that we can reach out to.

Kash Feng founded his Omakase Restaurant Group in 2015 after commuting between Potrero Hill and South of Market, the locations of his two Live Sushi Bar restaurants, and seeing a vacant bike shop and hair salon in San Franciscos Design District. A deal was signed and the group now has a staggering five restaurants in that immediate area, plus a butcher shop.

Brittany Hosea-Small / Special to The Chronicle 2018

Fengs group has been built upon timing: first, in terms of finding a location ready for a huge surge in residents and office workers, and second in terms of the right food focus at the right moment. Omakase arrived just before San Franciscos surge of chefs choice sushi counters. The group opened the nearby Dumpling Time in 2017 with a menu of photogenic, often colorful dumplings, right as Instagrams influence on diners choices was rapidly growing.

Finding success in the restaurant industry is, of course, not a precise science. Many longtime local stalwarts either have never expanded (Zuni Cafe, Outerlands, House of Prime Rib) or have followed the well-traveled path of being an upscale restaurant that opens only one casual sibling several years after the original opened.

But it is certainly notable how these small restaurant groups are able to expand locally, while also finding and keeping employees and retaining that beloved underdog status McNaughton referred to.

As for maintaining success, it will be a tension between growth and creativity, according to Stannard of Bacchus. As we grow, it is important for us to have systems in place to keep everything running smoothly, but we try to make sure that those systems do not become so large or unwieldy that they strangle the joy and creativity out of the restaurants.

More Information Bay Area restaurant groups Here are some examples of small Bay Area restaurants groups. Some have more established names, while others are less formal. Absinthe Group: Absinthe Brasserie & Bar, Arlequin Wine Merchant, Barcino, Bellota, Comstock Saloon Altamirano Restaurant Group: Parada in Walnut Creek; Paradita Eatery in Emeryville; Piqueo's, Mochica, Barranco in Lafayette; La Costanera in Half Moon Bay Bacchus Management Group: The Village Pub, Spruce, Selby's, the Saratoga, three suburban Pizza Antica locations; the Village Bakery in Woodside; Mayfield Bakery & Cafe in Palo Alto Big Night Restaurant Group: Marlowe, Petit Marlowe, the Greenwich, Leo's Oyster Bar, the Cavalier, Park Tavern, Marianne's Brandon Jew's group: Mister Jiu's, Moongate Lounge, Mamahuhu Burma Inc.: Burma Club, Burma Love, B. Star Bar and three Burma Superstar locations in S.F., Alameda and Oakland Corey Lee's group: Benu, Monsieur Benjamin, In Situ Crenn Dining Group: Atelier Crenn, Bar Crenn, Petit Crenn Delfina Restaurant Group: Delfina, Locanda, five Pizzeria Delfina locations in S.F., Burlingame and Palo Alto Fort Point Beer Co.: Taproom in the Ferry Building, Fort Point Valencia, Mill Valley Beerworks Jeff Hanak's group: Liholiho Yacht Club, Louie's Gen-Gen Room, Dear Inga, Nopa, Nopalito Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group: Trestle, Corridor, the Vault Ne Timeas Restaurant Group: Flour + Water, Flour + Water Pizzeria, Salumeria, Central Kitchen Omakase Restaurant Group: Omakase, Okane, Dumpling Time, Dumpling Time Express, Niku Steakhouse, Live Sushi Bar, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Butcher Shop by Niku Steakhouse Quince Pacific Avenue: Quince, Cotogna, Verjus Slanted Door Group: The Slanted Door in S.F. and San Ramon, two San Francisco locations of Out the Door, Rice and Bones in Berkeley, Hard Water The Avenues Hospitality Group: Uva Enoteca, three Fiorella locations, Violet's Traci des Jardins' group: The Commissary, Arguello, Transit, School Night, Public House -Trevor Felch See More Collapse

That just might be the secret recipe for these small restaurant groups: the intersection of growth and creativity. Maybe that intersection is by Fourth and Market, or in Noe Valley or across the Bay Bridge. Or maybe its in all three locations.

Trevor Felch is a San Francisco freelance food & drink writer. Email food@sfchronicle.com
Iranian Defence Minister Amir Hatami adjusts a headphone during the annual Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS) in Moscow, Russia, on April 4, 2018. (Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters)

Iran Wont Hand Over Damaged Black Box of Ukraine Plane: Ministers

The black box of a Ukrainian passenger plane accidentally shot down over Iran last month is damaged but Iran will not hand it over to another country despite pressure for access, top Iranian ministers said on Feb. 19, according to state media.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week he had impressed upon Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that a complete and independent investigation into the shooting down of the airliner had to be carried out.

Many of the 176 who perished in the disaster were Iranians with dual citizenship, which is not recognized by Iran. Canada had 57 citizens on board.

Members of Montreals Iranian community attend a vigil to mourn victims of the Iranian air crash in downtown Montreal, Canada , on Jan. 9, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Andrej Ivanov)

We have a right to read the black box ourselves. We have a right to be present at any examination of the black box, Zarif said.

If we are supposed to give the black box to others for them to read it in our place then this is something we will definitely not do, he said.

Defense Minister Amir Hatami said the flight data recording box had sustained noticeable damage and the defense industry has been requested to help in reconstructing (it).

This undated photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, shows the wreckage of the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 at the scene of the crash in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

The reconstruction of the black box is supposed to take place first and then the reading, Hatami said.

All 176 passengers aboard the plane were killed when the Revolutionary Guards, Irans most powerful military force, fired missiles at the plane after mistaking it for a hostile target.

Iran is in discussions with other countries, particularly Ukraine, about the investigation, foreign minister Zarif said.

By Babak Dehghanpisheh
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will begin their new life outside the royal inner circle at the start of April, their spokeswoman said Wednesday, as Buckingham Palace said it was reviewing the couple's use of the "Sussex Royal" label. The couple will formally step down as senior royals from March 31, the spokeswoman said, and will no longer carry out duties on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II after that date. They will no longer have an office at Buckingham Palace -- the queen's London residence -- and will instead be represented through their British charity from April 1, she added. Harry, the 35-year-old second son of the heir apparent Prince Charles, will remain sixth in line to the throne, with no change in the line of succession. The former army officer will also keep his military ranks of major, lieutenant commander and squadron leader in the army, navy and air force, the spokeswoman announced. He and Meghan, 38, will continue to be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as the Earl and Countess of Dumbarton in Scotland, and Baron and Baroness Kilkeel in Northern Ireland. - Royal review - Harry and US former actress Meghan stunned the family last month by announcing that they wanted to step back from front-line royal duties. The couple cited wanting financial independence as one factor in their decision. But they could be dealt a blow after it was reported that the queen could ban them from using the "Sussex Royal" brand. The couple use the name for their popular Instagram account and a website set up after their shock announcement. They also have made dozens of trademark applications for various products. But future use of the name "needed to be reviewed" and talks were continuing, an unnamed royal source was quoted as saying by Britain's domestic Press Association news agency. "As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are stepping back as senior members of the royal family and will work towards financial independence, use of the word 'royal', in this context, needed to be reviewed," the source said. The Daily Mail newspaper reported on Wednesday that senior officials had already agreed it was no longer "tenable" for the couple to keep the word "royal" in their branding. Harry and Meghan have been living in a luxury mansion on Canada's Pacific west coast with their baby son Archie since the New Year. Meanwhile, the National Theatre -- of which Meghan is a patron -- denied claims it was angered by the couple's decision to move to Canada. Its artistic director Rufus Norris told The Daily Telegraph newspaper that Meghan's patronage was expected to be "business as usual" and reports to the contrary were "a complete fiction". Harry and Meghan first used the Sussex Royal name when they created their own household following a split from brother Prince William. Harry said in October that he and his brother were on "different paths".
A Mid and East Antrim Borough Council civic visit to China has been cancelled due the Coronavirus outbreak

A Mid and East Antrim Borough Council civic visit to China has been cancelled due the Coronavirus outbreak.

A local authority delegation, including Mayor Maureen Morrow and Borough Growth committee chair Councillor Gregg McKeen, had been planning to travel to Donghai and Anshan in April.

The local authority has been exploring a number of initiatives to develop international relations with China.

Last May, Mid and East Antrim welcomed_the new Chinese Consul General, Madame Meifang Zhang and her delegation_for key meetings in a bid to strengthen business and trade links.

Members of the council's Borough Growth Committee were told on Monday night: "Given the Coronavirus outbreak in China, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has updated travel advice suspending all non-essential travel to China. As a result, the civic visit to Donghai and Anshan will not go ahead in April as originally planned."

Nicola Rowles, head of economic development, said: "The visit to China is now cancelled due to Coronavirus. We will be keeping in touch with China and we will relook at it. It is a growth area we want to look at."

Meanwhile, concern has been expressed over a potential downturn in tourism amid concern over a decrease in Chinese visitors to the borough during the coming months. The mayor said: "I can see a lot a gaps appearing in the borough in hotels and activity bookings."
India is set to finalise a long-pending defence deal with the United States during President two-day visit to India from February 24, a senior official has told ANI.

Trump will arrive in India on his maiden visit, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, Senior Advisor to the President of the United States Jared Kushner or daughter Ivanka Trump, along with United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Secretary of Energy Dan Brouille.

The US President will reach Gujarat's Ahmedabad around the noon of February 24 and will address a mammoth crowd of more than 100,000 people which is expected to turn up for an event at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on the lines of the 'Howdy Modi' function that was addressed by the US President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Houston in September last year.

"The fact that a US President is going outside New Delhi to other cities -- and if you look at the reception that he will receive -- shows the admiration that the people of India have for the United States. And that's the biggest message that will come back to Washington," the senior official said.

The President is also likely to visit the Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati.

The senior official reiterated that POTUS and FLOTUS are most likely to make a quick pit stop at Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, however, the trip is subjected to change, considering the short time frame of the travel.

On 24th February itself, POTUS will arrive in the evening to attend talks in New Delhi. On Tuesday morning, the US President will first receive a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhawan as per protocol. Prime minister Modi could then accompany the US leader to the Gandhi Ashram (subjected to time availability if the Sabarmati ashram cannot be visited). The two leaders will then meet at the Hyderabad house and will call on official state meetings.

Both countries are separately working on a limited trade agreement ahead of the trip, after earlier imposing tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's imports. While there have been reports that a possible trade deal appears unlikely, the official conveyed, "the leaders are likely to discuss and possibly finalize not a complete but maybe a 'part' of a bilateral trade deal during the visit."

On Tuesday President Trump will meet with executives of Indian companies -- with business interests in the United States during his visit to the capital -- at an event organized by the US embassy in New Delhi. The companies expected to be represented at the meeting include the Indian oil and gas company Reliance Industries, Tata Sons, Bharat Forge, Mahindra and Mahindra.

POTUS's visit will conclude with an early banquet dinner, following which he will depart for Washington.

When asked about speculations of POTUS visiting Pakistan, Afghanistan or any other country in the South Asia region, the official said it's POTUS's 'stand-alone India visit.
Hitting out at the Central Government for making elaborate arrangements for US President Donald Trump's first visit to India later this week, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday asked what is the need of congregating 70 lakh people to welcome Trump, "Is he God".

Speaking to ANI, the Congress leader said, "Is Trump God that 70 lakh people will gather around to welcome him. He is coming here for his own interests. Trump is not doing the trade deal. He just wants to work for the benefit of America and is not coming to make us happy... (Trump kya Bhagwan hai kya? 7 million log khada karne ki kya zaroorat hai? Vo trade deal nai kar raha hai, uske liye America first hai, vo sirf America ka dhandha karna chahta hai, hamko khush karne nahi aa raha)"

President Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump will be visiting India on February 24 and 25.

On his first day, he will visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat and take part in a roadshow with Prime Minister Modi. He will also address the Indian crowd at the "Namaste Trump" event in Ahmedabad.

This will also be the first visit of a US President to Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati situated in Gujarat.

Chowdhury also slammed Union Minister Piyush Goyal for alleging that the 'Congress tried to raise the false bogey of Hindu terror' post 26/11' and said, "There was a different background when 'Hindu terror' word was coined. Mecca Masjid blast had taken place and Pragya Thakur, others were arrested then. Terrorists always camouflage. They do not carry out attacks with their actual identity.

"It was the UPA government which revealed everything about the attack. Ajmal Kasab was later hanged during UPA rule," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Linkedin Ardila Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 13:03 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206567a4d 1 National Karimun,Catholic-church,intolerance,Religious-Affairs-Minister,Riau-Islands,renovation,building-permit Free

The Religious Affairs Ministry has insisted that the protests against the renovation of Santo Joseph Catholic Church in Karimun, Riau Islands, are not an act of intolerance.

I went to Karimun. The point is there is no intolerance issue there. The problem [with the renovation] is merely regarding its building permit [IMB], Religious Affairs Ministry special staff member Ubaidilah Amin Moech said on Tuesday.

He added that the churchs renovation committee had agreed to wait for the Tanjungpinang State Administrative Court (PTUN) in Batam to issue its ruling on a lawsuit regarding the renovation. The Karimun Regency Caring Alliance (APKK) previously sued the Karimun One-Stop Integrated Service for granting the building permit for the church renovation.

Ubaidillah denied that a number of people had been reported to the police amid the protests. The churchs renovation committee was not reported to the police. The force only questioned them to clarify information disseminated on social media.

Read also: Jokowi calls for firm action against intolerance while pointing finger at regional administrations

Coordinating Legal, Political and Security Affairs Minister, Mahfud MD, claimed on Monday that the case had been settled, as all related parties agreed to refrain from doing anything that would raise tensions.

The renovation of the church has been halted since Feb. 6, after members of the APKK and local United Muslim Forum (FUIB) protested against the work. They also reportedly objected to the churchs location in Karimuns capital of Tanjung Balai.

The church, which was established in 1928, obtained a building license (IMB) for the renovation in October last year.

Read also: Renovation of 92-year-old Catholic church in Riau Islands halted after protests

The renovation committee had started working on the permit to renovate the church since May 2012, when they wrote a letter to ask for support from the local community. They eventually collected 107 signatures of non-Catholic residents in Tanjung Balai who supported the work.

The signatures were required according to a 2006 joint ministerial decree on procedures to build places of worship, requiring a congregation to get 90 signatures from its members and another 60 from other residents prior to the construction.

The Tanjung Balai district office issued a recommendation letter on the renovation on July 2, 2012. (hol)
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Srinagar, Feb 19 : Three terrorists were gunned down by security forces in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Wednesday, police said.

The encounter started on Tuesday night in the Awantipora area in Pulwama.

Among the slain terrorists was a dreaded top terror commander.

The terrorists were identified as Jehangir Rafiq Wani, Raja Umer Maqbool Bhat and Uzair Ahmed Bhat.

Sources said that a team of Special Operation Group (SoG) of the police had got a specific information about the terrorists after which the operation was launched in Awantipora.

A joint team of police and Army conducted cordon and search operation (CASO) after which an encounter broke out with the terrorists. Three weapons and ammunition were recovered from encounter site.

The module, which was earlier with Hizbul Mujahideen, had recently joined Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH).

Jehangir Rafiq Wani was the second-in-command to Hizbul Mujahideen commander Hammad Khan in Tral in the Pulwama district. Sources said Jehangir joined AuGH shortly before the death of Hammad in January 2020.

The killed terrorist group was involved in a series of terror acts, including the killing of civilians, setting a truck on fire in November 2019, pasting of threat posters in September 2019 in Tral.
TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lydian International Limited (Lydian or the Company) announced today that the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia (MOE) has granted Lydian Armenia (the Companys principal operating subsidiary) a permit to draw water from the Arpa River at a volume of 11l/s.



The Company had previously sought permission to draw water from the Arpa River on two prior occasions with higher level flow rates (in excess of 40l/s) to support long term operations, both of which were denied by the MOE. On December 23, 2019, the Company applied to the MOE to draw water at the lower flow rate, which is estimated to be enough to support completing construction of the Amulsar Project.

The Company had also previously applied to draw water from the Darb River at a volume sufficient to support longer term operations. That application was also rejected by the MOE in October 2019. The Company is disputing the MOEs rejection in the Administrative Court of Armenia.

Edward Sellers, Interim President & CEO of Lydian International, said today: We recognize that the Government of Armenia has granted Lydian Armenia a water use permit that would allow the Company to recommence construction. However, the Company is still deprived of access to its property by illegal blockades and has been unable to raise financing to complete construction of the Amulsar Project as a result.

We call on the Government of Armenia to take immediate action to address the continuing illegality around the Amulsar Project. The restoration of the rule of law will serve the interests of thousands of Armenian citizens, including community members, employees, contractors and suppliers, as well as thousands of investors who invested in Armenia in good faith and with the hope that their legal rights would be protected.

All inquiries regarding the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act (the CCAA) proceedings should be directed to the court-appointed monitor, Alvarez & Marsal Canada Inc. (email: lydian@alvarezandmarsal.com or telephone: +1 416-847-5158). Information about the Companys CCAA proceedings, including all court orders made and the monitors reports, are available on the monitors website, at: http://www.alvarezandmarsal.com/Lydian.

For further information regarding the Company, please contact:

Edward Sellers, Interim President & CEO

+3 741-054-6037 Bill Dean, Chief Financial Officer

+1 720-307-5089

Or: moreinfo@Lydianinternational.co.uk

Caution regarding forward-looking information

Certain information contained in this news release is forward looking. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events, results, outcomes or developments that the Company expects to occur are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects, is expected, intends, anticipates or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, will, would, should, or occur or the negative or other variations of such terms. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements with respect to: the ability of the Company to resume construction and/or gain access to the Amulsar Project, of which there can be no assurances; the Companys ability to restart construction and operate the Amulsar Project; that the amount of water permitted to be drawn by the MOE from the Arpa River is sufficient to support completing construction of the Amulsar Project; that the Company has the ability to draw the amount of water permitted by the MOE from the Arpa River; and the ability of the Company to dispute the decision of the MOE regarding the application to draw water from the Darb River.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include, without limitation: changes in gold and silver prices; adverse general economic, political, market or business conditions; failure to achieve the objectives of the future exploration and drilling programs; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; risks associated with obtaining and maintaining the necessary licenses and permits and complying with permitting requirements, including, without limitation, approval of the Armenian government and receipt of all related permits, authorizations or other rights, regulatory changes; as well as "Risk Factors" included in the disclosure documents filed on and available at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results and future events could materially differ from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All of the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Princess Diana was forced to act like a teenager in the wake of her divorce from Prince Charles. The pair finalized their divorce in 1996 after being separated for four years. But before the divorce became official, Diana was required to keep her romantic life tightly under wraps to avoid any further scandals.

Princess Diana | Bettmann / Contributor Getty Images

Princess Diana moves on from Prince Charles

Diana and Charles tied the knot in a gorgeous ceremony in 1981. Their union was considered a fairytale romance, though it wasnt long before Diana discovered that Charles had never gotten over his former love, Camilla Parker Bowles.

A few years into their marriage, Charles and Diana both cheated on each other, and the pair officially separated in 1992. Although they tried to make things work, it was readily apparent that Charles and Diana were not meant to be together.

8 royal marriages that have ended in divorce including Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson https://t.co/XWqFChWzTd  HELLO! (@hellomag) February 18, 2020

By 1995, Princess Diana had moved on and was dating a man named Hasnat Khan, who was a surgeon in Pakistan. Diana knew that her marriage with Charles was over, but the fact that they were still married meant that she had to keep things out of the public eye.

The same was true for Prince Charles, who was still with Parker Bowles. Camilla had filed for divorce in 1994. She eventually married Charles in 2005 and the two have been going strong ever since.

The Princess of Wales acted like a teenager

Because she was required to keep her romance with Khan private, Diana reportedly felt like a teenager. According to Express, Diana and Khan were forced to sneak around and could not date out in the open.

There was really a sort of teenager feel to it, royal expert Emma Forbes explained. There would be cigarettes leftover, Kentucky Fried Chicken packets  youd never imagine Princess Diana having take out or doing those king of teenager-in-love things.

Forbes added that Princess Diana felt normal for the first time since she married into the royal family. Diana tied the knot with Charles at a very young age and never experienced what it was truly like being a teenager.

This explains why she felt a sense of normalcy return, despite being under strict orders about her romance. In fact, Forbes believes this is one reason why Diana fell for Khan, who actually treated her like a normal human being.

It also helped that Khan was a handsome man and a successful surgeon. At the end of the day, Khan checked every box for Diana, who was all about helping people.

Khan and Princess Diana break things off

Diana and Khan continued their romance following her divorce from Charles in 1996. When she visited Pakistan in 1996, Diana reportedly asked British television host, Jemima Khan, about how she adapted to life in the area.

The reports led to speculation that Princess Diana was thinking about moving to Pakistan so that she could be with Khan. Less than a year later, however, the two parted ways.

They both knew it couldnt really happen, she couldnt go and live in Pakistan, Forbes shared. Be the surgeons wife and still be a mother to Harry and William and still keep her public commitments. It just tragically couldnt happen.

Princess Diana's ex Hasnat Khan slams a new biopic  and says the movie got their romance "completely wrong": http://t.co/5V55dOoRuj  Us Weekly (@usweekly) August 26, 2013

Khan and Diana officially parted ways in June of 1997. Diana quickly moved on and was dating a man named Dodi al-Fayed when she was tragically killed in a car accident in Paris that summer.

Following her shocking death, Khan released a statement about he thought that he and Princess Diana would have remained friends throughout the years. Khan had nothing but good things to say about Diana and was clearly heartbroken over the loss.

Queen Elizabeth urged Diana to divorce Charles

Diana shocked the royal family when she revealed in a 1992 interview that there were three of us in her relationship with Charles. The bombshell interview was a clear reference to Camilla, though Princess Dianas former butler, Paul Burrell, says that Queen Elizabeth urged her to end her marriage weeks before the interview.

It is a myth that the Princess wanted a divorce. She never wanted a divorce, but just a separation, Burrell stated. Princess Diana showed me a letter one day which was sent by The Queen. It was a letter that Royal crest of Windsor Castle. It was very obvious to make out that was from the Queen. It was in the Queens hand and her writing was shocking.

Royal Heartbreak: Did Queen Elizabeth II FORCE Princess Diana to Divorce Prince Charles? https://t.co/JwMCHOdK3w pic.twitter.com/70zMlvzQZT  ENSTARS (@EnStars) February 17, 2020

Burrell claims that Queen Elizabeth wrote about how she met with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the prime minister, both of whom thought she should get a divorce.

But Princess Diana apparently wanted to make things work with Charles. That changed, of course, after Diana received the letter, which proved to be the catalyst for their separation. After the divorce was finalized, Diana lost HRH title and was referred to as Diana, Princess of Wales.
Were taking our solutions from Wall St. to Main St., meaning the same tech that our Fortune 500 clients are using will be available to businesses of all sizes.

IDScan.nets latest solutions in identity verification and information gathering will take center stage at ISC West, Booth 22134 in Las Vegas on March 17-20. In addition to showcasing its suite of solutions, IDScan.net will be unveiling a new partner program, IDPartner, that makes its technologies available to resellers.

Since our solutions can benefit virtually any industry, we want to make them available to select partners in discrete sectors. We will give them the tech, resources, and expertise to meet their clients unique needs, said Denis Petrov, the CEO of IDScan.net. Were taking our solutions from Wall St. to Main St., meaning the same tech that our Fortune 500 clients are using will be available to businesses of all sizes.

Petrov continued, Our solutions can be found at point-of-entry to verify identity, at point-of-purchase to verify age, at registration to collect data, and in many other instances that enhance environments and experiences. Theyre being deployed in schools, hospitals, stores, banks, casinos, bars, and beyond. IDPartner will help us expand in these various markets and empower partners to offer more and better solutions.

The IDPartner program is designed to expand the companys capacity to serve communities across the country with an emphasis on IDScan.nets Stand Alone Solutions. IDScan.net also allows for its technology to be integrated into other applications though ID Parsing SDKs and Web Services APIs.

WhiIe IDScan.net has successfully sold its solutions through resellers, but the establishment of IDPartner allows the company to build on this success. In addition to generous commissions, resellers receive sales and marketing materials, onboarding and training, and access to IDScan.nets support team.

IDScan.net representatives will be available at ISC West to share information on IDPartner, and appointments can be made in advance by contacting sales@IDScan.net.

Also a highlight of ISC West will be IDScan.nets Visitor Management Solutions, which are popular among security professionals for: ensuring safety and security and enhancing user experiences. The solutions are powered by IDScan.nets l ID scanning technology In an instant, the information is gathered, verified, and stored in a secure, easy-to-use database, which can be queried at any time to control access to premises. With IDScan.nets mobile version, all this can happen virtually anywhere with the use of a rugged handheld device.

IDScan.nets solutions can be enriched with a variety of add-ons, including its Facial Recognition technology, which was named New Product of the Year by Security Today Magazine in 2019. By integrating video cameras, the automated solution allows users to detect, identify, and verify individuals on and around their premises using a cutting-edge human analytics platform.

About IDScan.net

IDScan.net is a leading developer of identity verification and information gathering technologies. With a mission of creating a safer and smarter world, the company has enhanced environments and experiences for over 6,000 clients including IBM, Shell, AMC Theaters, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Dave & Busters, and many more of the worlds most trusted brands.

Since 2003, the companys international team of industry specialists has pioneered technology that anticipates the rapidly evolving needs of leaders across all industries  from gaming and hospitality, to retail, finance, and education  developing more than 300 custom applications and the industrys leading and most up-to-date library of global ID formats. The companys technology has been approved by the TSA.


PITTSBURGH, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "I trim my own hair and have always found it difficult, if not impossible, to trim the back of my head without assistance," said an inventor from Aniak, Alaska. "This inspired me to develop an improved hair trimmer which would offer a view of the hair for ease when trimming."

He developed the WIRELESS VIEW SHAVER to more effectively and independently shave or trim the hair in the back of the head. This invention eases the task of viewing and reaching the back of the head. Additionally, it offers users confidence and independence when cutting or trimming the hair.

The original design was submitted to the Saskatchewan sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 18-SKC-520, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

Related Links

http://www.inventhelp.com


Raphael tapestries in Sistine Chapel for anniversary fest Brought together 500 years after Urbino genius's death

(ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 19 - Raphael's 10 magnificent tapestries on the Acts of the Apostles have been brought into the Sistine Chapel for the first time in 400 years in a special showing marking the 500th anniversary of the Renaissance master's death.



The tapestries are usually only displayed on rotation in the "Raphael Room" at the Vatican Museum, according to the Vatican.



But from this week until Sunday, they are being brought together to mark the anniversary of the Urbino genius's death.



"We wanted for the celebration of 500 years of Raphael's death to give the opportunity to share the beauty that is represented by the tapestry together in this beautiful, universal place that is the Sistine Chapel," said Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums.



Pope Leo X commissioned Raphael to design the tapestries in 1515. Michelangelo had just finished his elaborate work on the ceiling and the pontiff wanted to ensure the lower walls weren't bare.



Raphael painted 10 intricate images that depicted the lives of Saints Peter and Paul, now known as the Raphael Cartoons. The cartoons were then sent to the workshop of master weaver Pieter van Aelst in Brussels to be woven into tapestries.



At Aelst's workshop, they were cut into vertical 90 centimeter-wide strips so the weavers could place them under their looms to recreate the image in thread.



The first tapestries were delivered to the chapel in late December 1519, however, Raphael died months later and did not see all the tapestries completed and together.



After Pope Leo X's death in 1521, some of the tapestries were even pawned to pay off Leo X's debts.



Centuries later, and after a decade of restoration, the tapestries will hang this week where they were intended, below Michelangelo's famous Sistine Chapel ceiling and near his "The Last Judgment." Raphael and Michelangelo were rivals for the Vatican's commissions. Michelangelo was known to accuse Raphael, nearly a decade his junior, of plagiarizing his style.



Only seven of the original cartoons exist and are held at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London, where they have been preserved since 1865. (ANSAmed).




WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has ousted the Pentagon's top policy official who had certified last year that Ukraine had made enough anti-corruption progress to justify the Trump administration's release of congressionally authorized aid to Kyiv in its conflict against Russian-backed separatists.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2008. file photo, John Rood, then U.S. Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, answers questions from the media during a press conference at the Cernin's Palace in Prague, Czech Republic. Rood, a senior Defense Department official who spoke in favor of providing aid to Ukraine is resigning. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has ousted the Pentagon's top policy official who had certified last year that Ukraine had made enough anti-corruption progress to justify the Trump administration's release of congressionally authorized aid to Kyiv in its conflict against Russian-backed separatists.

John Rood resigned Wednesday, saying he was leaving at Trump's request.

The Trump administration's delay in releasing the aid to Ukraine was central to the president's impeachment by the House on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate voted to acquit the president. But in the wake of the Senate trial, an emboldened Trump has gone after officials he has perceived as being disloyal.

Rood is the latest official to be purged. His forced resignation comes as Democrats on the Hill express concerns that Trump is on a vendetta in the wake of his acquittal. Just days after the Senate vote, the White House reassigned an Army officer, Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, a key witness in the impeachment inquiry, from the National Security Council, and pushed his twin brother, an NSC lawyer, out with him. Gordon Sondland, Trump's ambassador to the European Union who also was a key witness before House investigators, was recalled from his post.

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2018, file photo, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, John Rood, speaks during a news conference on the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review, at the Pentagon. Rood, a senior Defense Department official who spoke in favor of providing aid to Ukraine is resigning. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Trump tweeted Wednesday that he wanted to thank John Rood for his service to our Country, and wish him well in his future endeavours!

Rood, in his letter to Trump, did not mention Ukraine. ``It's my understanding from Secretary (Mark) Esper that you requested my resignation," Rood said. Rood said he will step down as of Feb. 28.

Rood wrote in a May 23 letter to Congress that the Pentagon had made a thorough assessment of Ukraine's anti-corruption actions and other reforms. And he said that, "I have certified that the government of Ukraine has taken substantial actions to make defence institutional reforms for the purpose of decreasing corruption" and making other improvements."

Rood wrote that his certification, legally required before the aid could be released, was based on insights gained in "persistent U.S. engagement" with Ukraine, including meetings between the U.S. defence secretary and his Ukrainian counterpart.

Asked about Rood's resignation, chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman declined to speculate on the reason for Trump's decision.

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The president has the opportunity and the ability to have the team that he wants to have in policy positions, Hoffman said at news conference. He said Rood's resignation letter spoke for itself.

Rood last year told reporters that, In the weeks after signing the certification I did become aware that the aid had been held. I never received a very clear explanation other than there were concerns about corruption in Ukraine. He also spoke in favour of releasing the aid, suggesting that withholding it would hurt America's defence priorities.

Pentagon press secretary Alyssa Farah said James Anderson, who is currently serving as the deputy for policy, will take over the job until a permanent replacement is appointed by the President and confirmed.

Esper said Rood played "a critical role'' on issues such as nuclear deterrence, NATO, missile defence and the National Defence Strategy.

Rood has served as undersecretary for policy since January 2018, but also had worked in various government agencies including the State Department, the CIA and the NSC for more than 20 years. He held senior policy jobs mainly during Republican administrations and also served as a senior policy adviser to Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

Rood also was a senior vice-president at Lockheed Martin International.
Four suspects have been charged in the quadruple homicide that occurred Feb. 5 at an east side apartment complex.

Cameron Banks, 19, Desmond Banks, 17, and Lasean Watkins, 19, are charged with four counts of murder, four counts of felony murder and four counts of robbery resulting in serious bodily harm.

Rodreice Anderson, 19, is charged with four counts of felony murder and four counts of robbery resulting in serious bodily harm.

The four victims were Kimari Hunt, Braxton Ford, Jalen Roberts and Marcel Wills.

According to the probable cause affidavit, the murders occurred when the group attempted to rob Roberts apartment on the 4100 block of Shady Oak Drive.

Initial hearings for the four defendants are scheduled for 1 p.m. Feb. 20 in Criminal Court 3.

Mayor Joe Hogsett released a statement applauding Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department for quick action and thoughtful investigatory work.

While nothing can bring back the four young people whose lives were cut much too short by senseless violence, he said, these charges serve as a meaningful step toward delivering justice to the impacted families.

News In Brief
Social media users are today embroiled in a fiery debate after it was revealed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex must drop their 'Sussex Royal' label.

Talks involving the Queen and senior officials are ongoing about the couple's use of the brand following their decision to step down as working royals.

But the news has divided members of the public, with some agreeing they should not be able to keep using the word 'royal' in their 'branding'.

Others have made light of the situation, joking the pair could instead ask to use the title, 'H&M', in reference to the popular High Street store.

Harry and Meghan's popular Instagram account uses the name Sussex Royal, as does a website set up by the couple after their decision to quit the monarchy in favour of financial freedom.

One social media user made light of the situation, joking the pair could instead ask to use the title, 'H&M', in reference to the popular High Street store

The news has divided members of the public, with some agreeing they should not be able to keep using the word 'royal' in their 'branding'

Harry and Meghan have spent tens of thousands of pounds on a new Sussex Royal website, sussexroyal.com, to complement their hugely popular Instagram feed. It has now been made clear that they will need to 're-brand'

The Sussexes are living in Canada with their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor as they prepare to drop their HRH styles and quit the monarchy.

Following lengthy and complex talks, the Queen and senior officials are believed to have agreed it is no longer tenable for the couple to keep the word 'royal' in their 'branding'.

Harry and Meghan have spent tens of thousands of pounds on a new Sussex Royal website to complement their hugely popular Instagram feed.

They have also sought to register Sussex Royal as a global trademark for a range of items and activities, including clothing, stationery, books and teaching materials.

In addition, they have taken steps to set up a new charitable organisation: Sussex Royal, The Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

It has now been made clear that they will need to 're-brand'.

As reported by the Daily Mail, amid what has been described as a 'complex' situation, the 'fine detail' is still being thrashed out.

The Sussexes pictured days ago in Canada, where they are living with their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor as they prepare to drop their HRH styles and quit the monarchy

Talks involving the Queen (pictured today opening the new premises of the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals in London), and senior officials are ongoing about the couple's use of the brand following their decision to step down as working royals

However, it is understood the couple have accepted that, as part of their new working arrangements, they will not be able to use the Sussex Royal name as they had hoped.

The development is thought to represent a major blow to the Sussexes, who now face starting again and re-registering everything from their website to their charity under a new label.

Harry and Meghan first began using the Sussex Royal branding this time last year, after they split their household from that of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge  known as Kensington Royal.

The Sussexes' Instagram page, @sussexroyal, has amassed 11.2million followers  the same number of fans as William and Kate's account.
An asylum seeker has suffered two broken bones in separate altercations with immigration detention guards in the space of four months, sparking concerns about the way staff are handling some detainees.

Mustapha Jdid, 37, suffered a broken collarbone at the Melbourne Immigration and Transit Accommodation (MITA) centre on August 19 last year. He claimed he was pinned down by about seven guards after threatening to harm himself. Home Affairs and security contractors Serco declined to comment on the incident.

Mustapha Jdid's left collarbone was broken in August last year. Credit:Mustapha Jdid

The Lebanese man was not taken to hospital until a day later - even though he said that he immediately complained of being "in full pain". A subsequent X-ray showed he had a fractured left clavicle.

He was treated at the Northern Hospital and was discharged with a drip in his arm, which he later removed himself on his return to detention and bled. He complained about this to the Health Complaints Commissioner, and the hospital has now apologised.
Dubai-based flydubai is participating in the first edition of the Uzbekistan Aviation Airports Logistics Forum in Tashkent, providing the airline with an opportunity to mark its first successful year of operations to the Uzbek market.



The airline has carried more than 70,000 passengers between the Uzbek capital and Dubai since it launched flights in March 2019.



Flydubai was the first national carrier from the UAE to provide direct flights and operates five times a week from Tashkent to Dubai.



Commenting on flydubais participation in the exhibition Jeyhun Efendi, senior vice president, commercial operations and e-commerce at flydubai, said: We are pleased to see growing demand for travel in our first year of operations to Uzbekistan. Our passengers from Tashkent are principally enjoying the benefit of direct flights to Dubai. They can however seamlessly connect onwards to flydubais network of 94 destinations and with our codeshare partnership with Emirates there is the opportunity to explore a further 143 destinations. Members of the travel trade industry attending the forum would be welcome to visit our stand and hear more about the opportunities to explore the world as flydubai continues to change the way people travel whether flying in Business or Economy Class.



Passengers from Tashkent connect on flydubais network through Dubai to Madinah and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and with the codeshare partnership with Emirates, flydubai has seen passengers connect onwards to Cairo in Egypt and Dhaka in Bangladesh.



The Uzbekistan Aviation Airports Logistics Forum is a meeting point for transportation authorities, airports, airlines, travel agencies and tour operators from Central Asia, Caucasus, Middle East and Europe. The event is currently being held at the Uzexpocentre in Tashkent from February 19 to 20. Flydubais stand number is O6, it is located in Pavilion 1 of the exhibition venue. - TradeArabia News Service
TWENTY nine people have been nominated for the 2019 Offaly Person of the Year Award.

The nominees come from all walks of life and are scattered throughout the county.

The award, together with the Unsung Hero of Offaly honour, will be presented at a gala dinner in the Bridge House Hotel on Saturday, March 28 next.

The award, organised by the Offaly Association [Dublin], is generously sponsored by Coolderry native, Noel Tynan, Le Bon Crubeen Restaurant, Talbot Street, Dublin.

This is the 61st dinner dance to be hosted by the Offaly Association, Dublin.

Tickets for this prestigious event are 40 and will be on sale in the coming weeks.

Details of the first 14 nominees are published below while the remaining will be published in next week's edition of the Tullamore Tribune.

CANON RUTH GILL [RTD]  SHINRONE/ KILCORMAC

For her work in the parish and community and in particular her guidance for the Shinrone Heritage Group WW1 project.

FIONA MITCHELL - TULLAMORE

For her contribution to journalism nationally and internationally, especially her work as RTE correspondent in London.

JUDY BRYANT - KILLOUGHEY

For her inspirational work with young people and her commitment to badminton in Killoughey and Offaly over four decades.

CHARLENE DELANEY - TULLAMORE

For having the courage to step forward and address the barriers to reproductive healthcare and her role in the abortion rights campaign.

CHARLIE FINLAY - CAPPINCUR

For his work with Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society, the Order of Malta, Civil Defence and other voluntary groups in Tullamore.

VINCENT CLEARY - KILLEIGH

For his contribution to local business and his development of the Glenisk brand as a world leader in its field.

HENRY HEALY - MONEYGALL

For his work locally, nationally and internationally to promote all things connected with Moneygall.

PAUL GALVIN - TULLAMORE

For his tireless and energised humanitarian work for the under-privileged and for all those touched by his generosity of spirit.

JOHN MCDONALD - TULLAMORE

An outstanding businessman, blessed with creativity and inventiveness, who has given employment to so many in the county.

ANNE STARLING - TULLAMORE

For her dedicated and passionate support of business through her work with Tullamore Chamber of Commerce allied to her work with Special Olympics, Dochas, homeless etc.

SHANE LOWRY - CLARA

For his commitment to promoting all things Offaly and his amazing victory in the British Open in Portrush.

JOHN O'CONNOR - DURROW

He has given a lifetime of commitment to a large number of organisations in his native Durrow and in Tullamore including Civil Defence, St Patrick's Day Parade committee, Durrow Hall and Graveyard committees, Tullamore Show, Suicide Awareness and many more.

HUMPHREY O'CONNOR - TULLAMORE

For his dedication and commitment to the health services and his work for Offaly Hospice and Dochas.

LEXIE DELANEY - EDENDERRY

Despite just being aged 11 years, she has raised awareness as well as huge sums of money to buy much-needed supplies for the homeless.
New Delhi: The Nykaa Femina Beauty Awards, hosted on Tuesday evening in Mumbai, was attended by some A-listers of Bollywood who walked on the red carpet in their stylish best. Actresses like Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma, Katrina Kaif, Ananya Panday, Alaia Furniturewalla, Aditi Rao Hydari, Rakul Preet Singh, Shruti Haasan and many more added to the glamour quotient of the star-studded event.

Deepika Padukone was a femme fatale in a black off-shoulder gown by Yanina Couture. The outfit had a plunging neck and a mermaid cut, which added to the oomph. She paired her OOTD with statement diamond jewellery.

Deepika dedicated her award to Laxmi Agarwal and all the acid attack survivors, "who on the most incredible journey have shown what beauty truly means."

Anushka Sharma picked a black and golden metallic outfit with a plunging neckline, ruffled sleeves and asymmetrical cut for the award night. She accessorised her look with a pair of earrings.

Katrina Kaif was a sight to behold in a white thigh-high slit dress by Alex Perry. Her sparkling earrings added to the style statement.

Ananya Panday was dressed to impress in a lavender short dress by Amit Aggarwal. She won the 'Exciting Fresh Face' Award.

Here's what the other stars wore at the event.

(Images Courtesy: Yogen Shah)

Whose look did you like the most tell us in the comments section below.
OTTAWAJustin Trudeau issued a public appeal for patience Tuesday, warning that Canada faces a critical moment as behind the scenes, cabinet ministers held hour-by-hour discussions with Indigenous leaders to end the crippling demonstrations that have stopped rail traffic.

In an address to the House of Commons, Trudeau acknowledged the frustrations caused by the snarled rail traffic since Feb. 6 but warned against force to get the trains moving again.

We need to resolve this through dialogue and mutual respect, he said.

There are those who would want us to act in haste, who want us to boil this down to slogans and ignore the complexities, who think that using force is helpful. It is not, Trudeau said.

Part of the prime ministers strategy is to win over opposition politicians and premiers to the governments strategy of negotiation in a bid to dampen political rhetoric that could inflame tensions.

That strategy unfolded Tuesday when Trudeau and several of cabinet ministers met with opposition leaders  Bloc Quebecois Yves-Francois Blanchet, Green Party Parliamentary Leader Elizabeth May and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, to explain the governments approach to obtain a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer  the leader of the Official Opposition  was pointedly excluded from the Parliament Hill meeting. Trudeau said that Scheer disqualified himself from the meeting because of his unacceptable speech in the Commons just hours earlier.

In that speech, Scheer condemned Trudeaus handling of the crisis as a complete abdication and branded those responsible for the blockades as radical activists.

He later dismissed Trudeaus meeting with other leaders as smoke and mirrors and a communications exercise.

That is the real story, the lack of action, the weak response that we saw from this prime minister, Scheer told reporters.

Trudeau has been trying to defuse the political rhetoric in recent days during his outreach to provincial leaders including Quebec Premier Francois Legault, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and frequent talks with B.C. Premier John Horgan as he buys time for Ottawa to negotiate a lifting of the blockades.

We are creating a space for peaceful, honest dialogue with willing partners, the prime minister told the Commons Tuesday.

In a Sunday call with Ford, for example, Trudeau discussed the significant impacts of the blockades and agreed on the need to restore rail service while ensuring that the situation is resolved in a peaceful manner and that dialogue can take place to address underlying issues, according to a summary of the call released by Trudeaus office.

For his part, Ford said he pressed Trudeau for a clear plan on how to clear the blockade but one that found common ground to achieve a resolution.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said that she has been speaking to the premiers. I think it would be fair to say that all Canadian leaders, whether they are federal leaders, whether they are provincial leaders, whether they are mayors, whether they are Indigenous leaders, we have a shared interest in de-escalation, she said Tuesday.

Yet Trudeaus comments Tuesday also betrayed his own frustration on a day when CN announced temporary layoffs, driving home the mounting economic toll of stalled trains and raising the question how much longer the blockades can remain.

I know that peoples patience is running short. We need to find a solution and we need to find it now, he said.

Sensitive to the optics, Trudeau scrapped plans to attend a meeting of Caribbean leaders this week in Barbados and instead spent the weekend in private meetings and on the phone calls. That included a meeting of cabinets ministers Monday and Tuesday and a fresh sense of urgency to find a fix.

The task of negotiating a resolution has fallen to Carolyn Bennett and Marc Miller.

Bennett, a veteran cabinet minister who has held an Indigenous portfolio since 2015, is leading the federal governments approach with the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs, whose opposition to the construction of the $6.6-billion Coastal GasLink pipeline set in motion sympathy demonstrations.

She was in Victoria over the weekend and, together with Scott Fraser, B.C.s minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation, were ready to meet with the hereditary Wetsuweten leaders at the soonest opportunity.

Bennett said Tuesday that she has talked to two of the chiefs and efforts are underway to schedule a meeting with the broader leadership.

We are now trying to establish again a conversation with other hereditary chiefs and eventually be able to have an invitation to have a meeting in the community with the hereditary chiefs, Bennett said.

There is not a lot of trust and there is an ongoing difficulty, Bennett said.

The leaders proposed a meeting at the end of the month but Bennett said one is sought as soon as possible.

We are waiting for their invitation to have that meeting, she said.

Bennett confirmed later in the day that she had an Important conference call with several of the Wetsuwet'en hereditary chiefs. I listened to their concerns and reiterated that I remain committed to coming to their territory as soon as they are available, Bennett said on Twitter.

Miller is the governments point person in talking with the Mohawk First Nation, where activists have set up a camp beside a main CN rail line east of Belleville, stopping freight and passenger service.

The Montreal MP, who speaks some Mohawk, held a lengthy meeting Saturday with Mohawk leaders and emerged saying there had been modest progress.

They have grievances that stand in solidarity with the people of Wetsuweten and therefore we are trying to establish the conditions for defusing, Miller said Tuesday.

Later, Miller told CBC News that he has an open line of communication, whether its text, email, phone, with the Mohawk leadership.

Miller said the urgency of the situation puts us on an hour-by-hour conversation, not a day-to-day conversation. These are ongoing discussions.

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The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini has lashed out at President Akufo-Addo to account for all items seized in the fight against illegal mining.

Already, various bodies have called on the government to provide details on the progress or otherwise made on the fight against galamsey, with the National Democratic Congress (NDC), demanding for a public exhibition of the seized excavators.

Alhassan Suhuyini, on the Floor of Parliament on Tuesday, said: His Excellency the President who boldly put his Presidency on the line to demonstrate how much this course meant to him, if for nothing at all, Mr. Speaker, has his Presidency to save and it will be important that he starts by accounting for and to the people of Ghana all equipment, vehicles, weapons, ammunition and gold which were seized and kept by officers he commissioned to help end illegal mining and if necessary, penalize all who have proven to be negligent or complacent in what may have gone wrong.

He also urged the House to probe the amount of money released for the fight against illegal mining and whether it was used for the right purpose.

Mr. Speaker, in the face of what is clearly less than a successful campaign, I suggest humbly that your Parliament also shows more interest in how funds approved for this exercise to the various institutions have truly be expended and the results attained. Because these are funds belonging to the people whose interest we in all humility represent, he added.

Similar calls

The NDC has asked the government to account for all excavators and ammunition seized during the Stop Galamsey Campaign.

According to the Communications Director of the party, Sammy Gyamfi, the government had seized 900 excavators during the campaign.

He cited figures in the 2020 budget presented in Parliament to support his claim.

Addressing a press conference on the banks of River Pra at Twifo Praso in the Central Region on Sunday, Mr. Gyamfi challenged the government to make a public presentation on the state of the items.

Calls for probe

A former Minister for Environment, Science and Technology under the erstwhile Mahama administration, Akwasi Oppong Fosu, has called for an intensive investigation into the missing excavators case.

Mr. Fosu in an interview said an intensive investigation into the matter will bring some finality to the issue.

The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council has also thrown its weight behind calls for Akufo-Addo to take a keen interest in the alleged missing excavators and gold saga.

The latest call comes on the back of a similar one made by the Concerned Small Scale Miners.

In an interview with Citi News, General Secretary of the Council, Rev. Emmanuel T. Barrigah said the Council expects that people found culpable in the ongoing investigations will be dealt with.

Meanwhile, the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) has petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate alleged corruption in the enforcement of small scale mining laws.

ASEPA wants the Inter-Ministerial Committee against Illegal Mining and the anti-illegal mining task force, Operation Vanguard, to be the focus of the probe by the Special Prosecutor.

In the petition, it highlighted the need for full investigations into the misappropriation of seized items such as excavators, mining equipment, gold and weapons by the IMCIM through the fight against illegal mining. Background

The missing excavators brouhaha began when Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and also Chairperson for the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), disclosed recently that some of the excavators which were seized from illegal miners between 2017 and 2018 had vanished.

Some members of the Concerned Small Scale Miners Association subsequently revealed that they knew the whereabouts of the missing excavators, with claims that they were being used for galamsey in parts of the country.

The suspended NPP Central Regional Vice Chairman, Ekow Ewusi who was contracted by the government to cart excavators and other vehicles and pieces of equipment seized by Operation Vanguard to designated areas for safekeeping was then seen as a suspect to the case.

A letter sighted by Citi News revealed that Prof. Frimpong-Boateng wrote a letter to the Police CID to investigate him over his alleged involvement in the missing earth-moving equipment.

---citinewsroom
A quirk of the calendar introduced by an Italian pope 438 years ago may prevent Australia posting its first quarter of negative growth in almost a decade.

Pope Gregory XIII introduced the leap year in 1582 to restore the timing of the Catholic Church's celebration of Easter and this year it could restore the Australian economy's fortunes.

The extra day of economic output on February 29 could be enough to offset the impact of bushfires and the coronavirus outbreak, which is hurting tourist operators, shopping malls and the nation's universities.

February's extra day may be enough to prevent Australia from recording a negative quarter of growth. Credit:

Some economists have warned the combined impact of the bushfires and coronavirus will result in the economy contracting in the March quarter. It would be the first time the Australian economy has suffered a quarter of negative growth since March 2011.
Quorum Software, a Houston, TX-based digital transformation company for the oil and gas industry, EnergyIQ, a Denver-based provider of well master data management software applications.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

The acquisition expands and strengthens Quorums oil and gas software and services portfolio with the leader in well lifecycle data management for upstream exploration and production (E&P) companies.

EnergyIQs master data management solutions enable E&P companies to operate efficiently by providing insights from integrated data. Powered by a SaaS-based platform, the companys solutions have been used by midsized to large E&P companies alike.

Led by Steve Cooper, CEO and founder, EnergyIQ synchronizes proprietary and public data across all systems of record and stages throughout the lifecycle of a well. The platform creates a comprehensive picture of a well that expands the usage of data throughout an organization, providing value to users across all departments by de-risking decision making through information.

Led by Gene Austin, chief executive officer, Quorum provides integrated solutions for its customers core processing demands across the upstream, midstream and downstream segments of the oil and gas value chain. The companys portfolio of innovative software addresses a broad spectrum of energy companies needs, from operations to accounting, plant management, and financial forecasting. Quorum provides its solutions to the largest oil and gas producers in the United States, and its technology powers 80,000 miles of pipeline and accounts for 80% of all natural gas processed in the U.S.

FinSMEs

19/02/2020
Sealed containers of oil that pose an environmental threat if spilled discovered on board a ghost ship beached on rocks in Ballycotton may have to be helicoptered off the ships top deck.

That's according to Kevin Morey, engineer with Cork County Council, who was speaking following the completed assessments to the grounded MV Alta yesterday.

The 77m-long ghost ship spent 18-months adrift at sea before it ran aground this weekend following Storm Denis.

"We're happy to say that assessment is complete," Mr Morey said.

"They found that there isn't any diesel in the main fuel tanks. There's a small quantity of fuel in around the engine room, which we'll have to pump out to there, but that's not a huge task."

The council has also identified sealed drums of oil and other materials that pose an environmental threat if spilled on board the ship, Mr Morey added.

"We've engaged our contractor to develop a plan for removing that material off the ship to mitigate the risk of water pollution," he said.

"That's our primary concern. And we share that concern with the Coast Guard who also have responsibility for pollution on the water. We continue to liaise on that but we are organising the contractor on that."

Wreck of the ghost ship MV Alta which was driven aground during Storm Dennis near Ballycotton, Co. Cork.

A plan is in development. Mr Morey said that the most effective way to remove the material could be via helicopter.

"We're looking at a couple of options, but at the moment that looks like the most likely prospect, and we'll need to get a weather window to do that," he said.

"In the meantime, our contractor will be busy gathering those materials together, bringing them all up to the top deck because these barrels are distributed throughout the ship and that's quite a task."

Mr Morey reiterated the council's warning to members of the public who are trying to approach the wreck.

"This is not a ship berth at a dock. This is a dangerous and unstable structure on a rocky shoreline in a remote location. So stay away," he said.

"If you want to see what the ship looks like go on the internet. You'll see it on TV.

"There's plenty of pictures of the ship out there that can give you a better sense of what's there than trying to go down there and get a vantage point and, certainly, it is not safe to approach the vessel."

Wreck of the ghost ship MV Alta which was driven aground during Storm Dennis near Ballycotton, Co. Cork.

Meanwhile, an individual claiming to represent the owner of the MV Alta, which had been last seen six months ago off the African coast, has made contact with Revenue.

Revenue, acting as receiver of the wreck, is responsible for trying to establish ownership of salvage or wreck landed in Ireland.

"The legislation states that a person may establish a claim to ownership within one year from the time the wreck came into the receivers possession," a spokesman said.

"This process may take some time."

Revenue's immediate priority is to allow the relevant agencies to manage any environmental risks, he added.
To stay in Grey List or downgrade to Black List: Key FATF decision on Pak this week

Pakistan will implement FATF's new action plan in 12 months: Minister after country retained on 'grey list'

FATF recommends continuation of Pak in grey list: Final decision on Friday

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 19: A sub-group of the global terror financing watchdog FATF on Tuesday recommended continuation of Pakistan in the ''Grey List'' for its failure to check terror funding and a final decision will be taken on February 21, sources said on Tuesday.

The decision was taken at the meeting of the FATF''s International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG), held at the ongoing Paris plenary.

"The ICRG meeting, sub group of the FATF, has recommended to retain Pakistan in the ''Grey List''. A final decision will be taken on Friday when the FATF takes up issues concerning Pakistan," a source said.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 7:35 [IST]
FREDERICTONThe CEOs of New Brunswicks two regional health authorities are defending a plan that would have seen a reform of the provinces health-care system, including the overnight closure of emergency departments at six community hospitals.

The two executives appeared before a committee of the New Brunswick legislature Wednesday to face questions about the plan that was halted Sunday night by Premier Blaine Higgs.

Higgs said there were gaps in the plan that prompted him to reverse course and has since vowed to visit the six communities and hold a health summit in June.

The backlash against the plan resulted in one government member saying he couldnt support it and the resignation of the deputy premier to sit as an Independent. It has left the minority Progressive Conservative government in the precarious position of facing a confidence vote on its March 10 budget or possibly calling an early election.

Vitalite CEO Gilles Lanteigne said Wednesday health reforms are always difficult.

In Canada for as long as I can remember, in every province, I dont think there has been a reform that has been received with open arms, he said. People are concerned. Health services are very emotional. They are very personal.

He defended the aborted plan as based on serious reflections on data and evidence .... I think there are going to be further changes in these hospitals, but I think the plan is solid.

While the premier complained of gaps in the planning, Lanteigne said there was a rollout plan to implement the changes.

Horizon CEO Karen McGrath said that implementation plan never got off the ground.

What we started was in fact notification of our staff impacted by workforce adjustment. This plan has been in the works since September of last year, McGrath told the committee.

Under questioning, McGrath said she didnt believe the changes would put patients at risk.

If youre asking me if I would forward a plan to government when I believed that people would die as a result of my plan? That would never happen, she said.

If the plan had gone ahead, effective March 11, emergency departments in Sussex, Sackville, Perth-Andover, Ste-Anne-de-Kent, Caraquet and Grand Falls would have closed from midnight to 8 a.m.

The six communities would have received added mental health services, and 120 acute care beds would have been converted to long-term chronic care beds, mainly for seniors awaiting a nursing home bed.

Officials said the changes would allow physicians and nurse practitioners to see more patients in the daytime.

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To honor Joe, and the 4.7 million other Americans who served in uniform in World War I, Lilly Endowment, one of the largest charitable foundations in the world, has given a $5 million grant to the United States World War I Centennial Commission in support of the campaign to build the first-ever National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The Memorial, located near the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue at 15th Street NW, will include a 58-foot-long freestanding high-relief bronze sculpture telling the story of America's involvement in the war through the experience of a single soldier. Based on the average visitation of nearby D.C. memorials and landmarks, it is anticipated that the Memorial will receive a minimum of 1,500,000 visitors per year.

Including the new Lilly Endowment grant, the Commission has raised more than $44 million toward its $50 million campaign goal, and has begun renovation of the Memorial site, the initial phase of construction.

"This is a transformative moment in our campaign," said Dan Dayton, Executive Director of the Commission. "Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Lilly Endowment and many others, we are now within striking distance of finally honoring the veterans of the First World War in the heart of our nation's capital."

J.K., Jr. enlisted in the medical department of the United States Army in 1917, went overseas with the American Expeditionary Forces on September 12, and by the end of the war was a captain in the Medical Supply Service. Stationed at Is-sur-Tille, France, he was in charge of seven million dollars' worth of medical supplies and three hundred officers and men. After the fighting ended, he returned from France on March 20, 1919. After eighteen months of service, he returned from France in March 1919 and received an honorable discharge and a commission as major at the age of twenty-five.

"This grant to support the creation of the National World War I Memorial, honors the 4.7 million Americans who served our country a century ago in this war, including J.K. Lilly Jr., one of Lilly Endowment's founders. His experiences in the war had a profound effect on his personal and professional life," said N. Clay Robbins, chairman, president and CEO of Lilly Endowment. "We are pleased to support the Commission's efforts to educate visitors to our nation's capital about the extraordinary sacrifices of those who served in this war and encourage greater public awareness about how its impacts continue to shape our nation and world today."

With this grant, Lilly Endowment joins the Commission's lead sponsors at $5 million and above  the Pritzker Military Museum & Library and the Starr Foundation. Other leading foundation and corporate supporters to the Memorial include Walmart, FedEx, General Motors, the Marriott Foundation, the NFL, the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, the Richard Lounsbery Foundation, and Carnegie Corporation of New York among many others. http://ww1cc.org/donor

The completion of the National World War I Memorial is the capstone project of the Commission, which was created by Congress in 2013 to lead commemorative programs across the country in recognition of the 100-year anniversary of America's involvement in the First World War. The Commission is supported by its Senior Advisors  including Admiral Mike Mullen, Secretary Leon Panetta, General Barry McCaffrey, and 30 former U.S. Ambassadors  who are actively working to raise the remaining funds needed to complete the Memorial in the coming months.

The Memorial is being built under the Commission's authority by the Doughboy Foundation.

For more information about the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC, please visit http://ww1cc.org/memorial.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation based in Indianapolis. The Endowment was created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders' wishes, it supports the causes of community development, education and religion. It funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, though it maintains a special commitment to the founders' hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.

Media Contact: Chris Christopher. Email: [email protected] . Phone: 202-796-2805.

More information about the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission is available here: http://ww1cc.org .

. Founding sponsor for the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission is the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago . www.pritzkermilitary.org

. Key sponsor for the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission is Lilly Endowment Inc. https://lillyendowment.org

Key sponsor for the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission is the Starr Foundation www.StarrFoundation.org

The Doughboy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of "Keeping Faith with the Doughboys." The Foundation is working with the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission to build the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC. More information about the Foundation is available here: http://doughboy.org .

SOURCE Lilly Endowment Inc.

Related Links

http://lillyendowment.org


One of Victoria's most senior policemen has blamed rank and file officers for failing to stop the Bourke Street massacre.

The stinging criticism comes as the coroner releases an explosive secret report into the forces action on the day.

Assistant Police Commissioner Steve Fontana has blamed rank and file officers for failing to track Bourke Street murderer James Gargasoulas. Credit:Simon Schluter

On Wednesday, Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontana told an inquest into the tragedy that St Kilda police officers, whod laid charges against Gargasoulas in the days before he killed six people, failed to fully escalate his risk of offending, create an adequate arrest plan or raise their concerns up the chain of command after he was bailed.

They had no real plan around bail management, he said.
Lesotho's ruling party gave its embattled prime minister an ultimatum to resign by Thursday after his wife was charged in connection with the murder of her rival.

Thomas Thabane's current wife Maesaiah Thabane, 42, appeared in court Tuesday over the murder of the prime minister's previous wife, who was gunned down two days before the premier was sworn into office in 2017.

The supreme decision-making body of Thabane's All Basotho Convention (ABC) party met on Monday and agreed on a deadline for the 80-year-old Thabane to step down.

"We... have decided that the PM should leave office by Thursday," Montoeli Masoetsa, the party spokesman said.

"We cannot afford to have him any longer in office and we think it's only for the best," he told AFP.

The party had last month urged the premier to resign, after police investigations linked his mobile number to communication records from the scene of the murder of his estranged wife.

Lilopelo Thabane, who was 58, was gunned down by unknown assailants on the outskirts of the capital Maseru in June 2017.

The prime minister promised to leave on grounds of advanced health, but did not give a timeline for his resignation.

"This is no longer about waiting for him to give us a date but it's the decision of the (party) that he should go by 20 February," said Masoetsa.

The prime minister was also questioned by police last month over his estranged wife's murder.

The long unresolved murder of the prime minister's previous wife has stunned the small southern African kingdom surrounded by South Africa.

Opposition parties in the country of 2.2 million people, also want Thabane gone.
The Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown. In a court filing the county's public defender lamented a dysfunctional bail system plagued by the many of same problems that are already the subject of litigation in Philadelphia. Read more

A teenage mother with no criminal record was still nursing when she got into a fight and was held on $50,000 bail in the Montgomery County prison with no access to a breast pump. An impoverished elderly woman was locked up on $5,000 bail for stealing a bottle of wine. A mentally ill indigent man was jailed on $250 bail for shoplifting Oil of Olay products.

These, according to the Montgomery County public defender, are the results of a dysfunctional bail system plagued by many of the problems that are already the subject of litigation in Philadelphia.

The systemic failures found in Philadelphias current cash bail practices are ubiquitous throughout the state, the defender wrote in a Feb. 3 court filing. Montgomery County is one of many in which the judicial decision-makers of minor courts frequently fail to consider alternatives to cash bail, do not take into account the accuseds ability to pay, and impose excessive bail for the purpose of ensuring pretrial incarceration.

The strongly worded brief was written in support of a lawsuit filed last year by the ACLU of Pennsylvania against Philadelphias bail magistrates over what it called a "broken and illegal system.

As a result of that lawsuit, Philadelphias court leadership has agreed to changes that could lead to many more people being released before trial. Now, its up to the state Supreme Court to decide whether those changes go far enough, in a ruling that advocates hope could have consequences far beyond Philadelphia.

But if the response in Montgomery County is any indication, a far-reaching Supreme Court ruling may trigger resistance in local courts. The defenders brief was abruptly withdrawn eight days after it was filed. Chief Defender Dean Beer referred questions to a county spokesperson, who did not respond to questions except to say that studies cited in the brief may require clarification. The court administrator and the president judge did not return phone calls.

As bail reform inches forward in Pennsylvania, its playing out cautiously and quietly. Advancing through litigation rather than legislation, it bears little resemblance to sweeping changes in New Jersey and in New York, which in January became the latest state to eliminate money bail for most nonviolent offenses  and has since faced intense backlash.

In Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court noted at the outset of its review: Any attempt to advocate for the abolition of cash bail will not be entertained. And the special master appointed to oversee the review, Senior Judge John Cleland, declined to even use the phrase bail reform in his December report to the court, arguing the system is fundamentally sound. Accordingly, I have described my assignment as one to suggest bail system improvements, rather than to suggest bail system reforms. 

The changes Philadelphias First Judicial District has already agreed to make include starting with the presumption that a defendant can be released before trial; requiring that magistrates consider their ability to pay before imposing money bail; and, for the first time, ensuring that defendants have a chance to speak confidentially with a lawyer before the preliminary arraignment. (Currently, defendants appear via video monitor and are frequently warned not to speak during their bail hearings, which last on average less than three minutes, according to the ACLU.)

The changes also require a Municipal Court-level review hearing within three days for anyone who is denied bail or who is unable to post bail.

That should mean that many more people will be released before trial, Cleland noted. The Philadelphia courts have already instituted early bail review hearings for nonviolent cases in which bail was less than $100,000; more than half of people who received those hearings were released. About 90% of them reliably showed up for court.

 READ MORE: Philly DA Larry Krasner stopped seeking bail for low-level crimes. Heres what happened next.

ACLU lawyer Nyssa Taylor said that though many of the improvements described are specific to Philadelphia, such changes are needed in most other counties.

Its pervasive, she said. Except for Allegheny and Philadelphia, the 65 other counties, there is no representation at arraignment court for the most part. In some counties, its actually really difficult even for private defense attorneys to actually get into arraignments.

A growing body of research has found that pretrial incarceration correlates to higher conviction rates, longer sentences, economic destabilization, and an increased likelihood of future arrests.

In Montgomery County, where most defendants are not represented at a preliminary arraignment, it can take a month or longer for bail-modification requests to be heard. According to the defenders since-withdrawn brief, the effect is coercive: Its routine in the county for bail to be reduced in exchange for waiving the right to a preliminary hearing.

Peter Kratsa, a West Chester-based lawyer and president of the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (PACDL), said a similar lack of due process is seen in counties around the state.

A lot of times, bail is used as punishment," he said. "Bail is used to ensure incarceration prior to a determination of whether someone is actually guilty or not, which is at odds with the presumption of innocence.

PACDL was one of more than a dozen groups to file amicus briefs supporting changes. Those included law schools, arguing for public access and improved record-keeping; former federal prosecutors, who say unfair bail practices sow distrust in law enforcement; and technology experts urging the court not to mandate use of a risk-assessment tool, as suggested by Cleland, the special master.

 READ MORE: Will controversy over risk assessments break Phillys touted criminal-justice reform collaboration?

Taylor, of the ACLU, said the Supreme Courts ruling may be broad enough to have a substantial impact across the state. But given that there are around 500 district judges setting bail in courtrooms and offices with no records, few lawyers present, and virtually no scrutiny, further litigation may be necessary.

Almost no one is actually following the rules as theyre written, she said. So how do we encourage people to follow the rules is the larger question.
Described by Tom Wolfe as the original laconic cutup, Mr. Portis was an expert raconteur, although he routinely declined interviews and avoided all publicity, drawing comparisons to literary hermits like Thomas Pynchon and J.D. Salinger. While he was not quite a recluse, appearing at Little Rock bars to make small talk with the regulars, he made headlines after attending a 2010 gala to accept a lifetime achievement award from the Oxford American, a Southern literary magazine. He reportedly sat in the 14th row, as far from the stage as he could manage.
The first of the federal governments planned cooperative housing initiative to reach the informal sector in the country came on stream Monday as the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, commissioned the AKACARE Cooperative Housing Scheme, the Woodhill Estate, at Kuje, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

President Muhammadu Buhari had, in his address at the Ministerial Retreat held in September 2019, declared that one of his administrations NEXT LEVEL commitments was to deepen access of Nigerians to affordable housing and consumer credit.

In his keynote address at the event, Mr Fashola said the federal governments choice of cooperative associations as means to reach the informal sector in its housing development was based on their traditionally proven successes in the areas like transportation, agriculture, trade and commerce, market associations and other large groups in the informal sector.

At the event which also had in attendance the representative of the Head of Service of the Federation and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, among other top government functionaries and dignitaries from both public and private sectors, Mr Fashola said by using cooperatives as anchor, the federal government hoped to reach the large members of the informal sector and scale up construction of houses with its multiplier effects on the economy.

According to him, such multiplier effects on the nations economy would include the boosting of cottage industries which make building materials like paints, doors, roofing materials, nails and electrical fittings, to mention a few, adding that the scale of construction by the associations would also ramp up employment and income for artisans who would build the houses.

Mr Fashola said the Ministry of Works and Housing, as the policy-making arm of the government, had assigned the responsibility of implementing the policy to the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), a parastatal of the ministry, to partner with the cooperatives, adding that the FMBN had also recorded modest successes in its partnerships with some cooperatives.

Noting that such boost in employment and economy of the most vulnerable would represent Ministry of Works and Housings contribution to President Buharis commitment to raise a 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in a decade, Mr Fashola recalled the testimonies of artisans during his recent inspection tour of South-South road and housing projects where masons testified to earning as much as N126,000 and labourers N84,000 per month while food vendors made as much as N140,000 profit per month.

The minister, who defined cooperatives as an autonomous association of persons united VOLUNTARILY to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned enterprise, pointed out that the word voluntary was critical in the formulation of governments policy of partnership with the cooperatives as a means of overcoming the problem of acceptability and affordability that has stood in the way of access to housing.

He said the importance of this stemmed from governments past experiences, investigations and observations which had revealed the existence of hundreds of thousands of unoccupied houses in major cities across the country adding, They are empty and unoccupied because they are either over-built, in being too big, or under-built in being too small and, therefore, unacceptable to those who need them.

The reason for the unacceptability, Mr Fashola further stated, was because in many instances no consultations took place between the builders and the consumers they build for, adding that because of the lack of consultation and the attendant acceptability problem, the problem of affordability also creeps in.

This is why we are undertaking a pilot scheme based on our studies to build in 34 states who provided land, what the people we consulted said they will find acceptable, the Minister said adding, Our policy development team finds the voluntary nature of cooperatives very useful because members will be expected to design and build according to their needs and their income, as they find affordable.

Expressing confidence in FMBN for successful implementation of the policy, Mr Fashola said, As in other sectors, when cooperatives have been successful, we can point to modest successes of partnerships with FMBN with some cooperatives in the formal sector that currently has 52 housing projects under construction to deliver 4,624 units in 2020.

He said in flagging off the policy through the commissioning of Woodhill Estate of AKACARE Cooperative Housing Scheme, government seeks to multiply the above number in many fold by unleashing the power of cooperatives and empower their voluntary will to act together in pursuit of the common desire to access housing and credit.

Listing the requirements for the eligibility of cooperatives to include registration, acquisition of land with title and building permit from the government of the respective states where their land is located, Mr Fashola said the last requirement was instructive because it seeks to eliminate incidents of unapproved buildings and slums which governments later seek to demolish.

The minister, who recalled that all the state government agencies in charge of land were briefed at the National Council launch meeting held in Abuja on November 7th 2019, added. The Mandate and role of the FMBN is to then provide construction funding to the cooperatives to build the houses and to provide mortgage finance to the individual members to buy the house and pay back in instalments at a rate not exceeding 10 per cent per annum.

Commending AKACARE Cooperative for embracing the NEXT LEVEL initiative of the government, Mr Fashola declared, As every cooperative chooses what it desires and can afford, the FMBN, representing the Federal Government of Nigeria, will be your partner, providing financial support to enable you act voluntarily to choose and build what you accept and your income can afford.

Earlier in his opening remarks the Managing Director/Chief Executive of FMBN, Ahmed Dangiwa, said under the first phase of the Woodhill Housing Estate which was being commissioned, FMBN delivered 77 housing units comprising of 40 units of 2-bedroom semi-detached bungalows and 37 units of 3-bedroom detached bungalows.

According to the chief executive, the basic infrastructure already built to fully service the estate include an internal road network, electricity and water works to create a conducive and liveable environment adding that five of the completed units were already occupied by subscribing members of AKACARE Multipurpose Cooperative Society who were also present at the occasion.

The second phase of the project, he said, has already commenced and is expected to deliver an additional 77 units to make a total of 154 houses in all adding that to improve accessibility to the Estate, FMBN was providing an additional loan to complete the 2.1 kilometre access road from the major junction as its socio-economic contribution to open up that area of Kuje for other real estate developments.

Expressing appreciation to the minister for driving the vision and the passion for the model of affordable housing delivery through cooperative societies, the FMBN boss added that already, at about 17 jobs per unit, the project has created 1,309 direct jobs to the local environment adding that the Bank would continue to strive to keep positively impacting the Nigerian economy through its business.

Also present at the event were the Chairman, Board of Directors of FMBN, DAdewale Adeeyo, Managing Director/Chief Executive of FMBN, Ahmed Dangiwa, Managing Director, Perfect Estate Developers Limited, Dayo Babatunde among others.

Source: Hakeem Bello

Special Adviser, Communications to Mr Fashola

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After eight years, the city's international airport reopened to flights. The reopening of the highway to the capital has been marked with street celebrations. Archbishop Audo sees "positive" signs, but stresses the importance of reconstruction, territorial integrity and international support. Christians want to contribute to reconstruction.

Aleppo (AsiaNews)  Change is in the air in Aleppo as people seem to show greater confidence" following the advance of the Syrian army, which is now in full control of the highway that connects the city to Damascus, said Chaldean Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo.

The prelate, who is a former president of Caritas Syria, noted that control of the crucial road, the reopening of the airport and the flight of the last jihadis are "positive signs.

In the city, "parties and celebrations are taking place in the streets and squares; an atmosphere of joy can be felt everywhere. The feeling of change, he emphasises, is real. Now it will be essential to speed up reconstruction.

Using the roads is a fundamental step in that direction. But we are still waiting to see the end of the war across the country, the rediscovery of its unity and territorial integrity, and the departure of all foreign armies.

Aleppo, Syrias old economic and commercial capital, was fought over for years until it was liberated in December 2016. Opposition groups and jihadi militias were still close enough that they could shell the city, using chemical weapons as well.

Recently, the Syrian government announced the liberation of the region to the west of the city after eight years, and the reopening of the international airport, which was celebrated with the arrival of the first plane from the capital.

Some planes landed yesterday; others, today; in a few weeks, regular flights will be possible. All this provides great hope for change. Generally speaking, there is greater confidence, despite the still bad economic situation.

Aleppo is going through "a new stage, but for us it is not yet the end of the war" because the Turkish army and extremist groups "are a few kilometers from us" in the Idlib area.

With any luck, international aid can help Syria truly regain its unity and freedom," a hope shared by Christians who, like all other citizens, are happy with the latest developments in the city.

At the same time, explained the prelate, we hope change can give even more confidence and encourage people to stay and rebuild. This is even more so for Christians who, despite their small number, want to help rebuild the future. The main difficulties are economic, such as the near impossibility of transferring money.

"Starting again will be difficult without help" from the world community and, from this point of view, "it is always good to feel the closeness of Pope Francis who has never stopped speaking out for Syria and its people.

The pontiff prays so much for us and really makes everyone feel how important Syria is, including for regional stability in the Middle East.

Moreover, the Christian presence is important as testimony of the Christian role in the region and in view of a relationship (of dialogue) with Muslims.

Lastly, Bishop Audo calls on Christians to Pray for peace and stability in the region, for the protection of Syria and the Christian presence in the region, because, in this context, not only are economic and political interests at stake, but so is very essence of our community.
Officers in Jackson, Mississippi, worked together on February 17 to free a deer trapped in a fence as floods hit the city.

While on patrol Police Detective Jonathan Ridgley and his colleagues noticed two deer trapped in a fence and decided to free them as water levels were anticipated to rise further. This video shows the effort to release one of the deer.

Mississippis Governor Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency on Saturday, February 15, as the Pearl River was expected to rise to levels that had not been seen in at least 35 years.

Reeves urged locals not to return to their homes until authorities determined it safe. Credit: Johnathan Ridgley via Storyful
President Donald Trump has again said he might commute the prison sentence of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. This time, the president made one motive clearer. Its about revenge.

I thought he was treated unbelievably unfairly; he was given close to 18 years in prison, Trump said to White House reporters aboard Air Force One, misstating Blagojevichs 14-year sentence. And a lot of people thought it was unfair, like a lot of other things  and it was the same gang, the Comey gang and all these sleazebags that did it.

Comey, of course, is a reference to former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired. That firing led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The firing also resulted in Comey becoming a high-profile critic of Trump. Oh, Comey is also a friend of former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who oversaw the prosecution of Blagojevich.

So look at any compassion expressed by Trump toward Blago as a reflection of the presidents blinding bitterness toward Comey.

Also know this: The Comey gang did not overzealously prosecute the former governor. The former governor overzealously abused his position in state government and got caught. Not only did he threaten to hold up government projects until he could squeeze their proprietors for campaign contributions, he used a U.S. Senate seat, which belonged to the citizens of Illinois, as a bargaining chip to try to enrich himself.

Keep in mind that Blagojevich ran for office on a platform of ethics reform after replacing a disgraced former governor, George Ryan, who was convicted on charges he ran state government like a criminal enterprise. Keep in mind, too, that Illinois is the state that grows corrupt governors like it harvests soybeans: in vast numbers. Blagojevich, Ryan, Otto Kerner and Dan Walker all went to prison.

Blagojevichs 14-year sentence on myriad corruption charges was harsh but deserved. Sending him back to Illinois would be a gut-punch to the law-abiding, frustrated, fed-up electorate here, more than 2 million of whom voted for Trump in 2016 based in part on his drain the swamp attitude toward sleaze in government.

Several high-ranking Democrats including U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin have supported commuting Blagojevichs sentence. He has served long enough, they say. But mostly, Democrats in Illinois were glad to get rid of Blagojevich. His obsession with fundraising, with squeezing state government for his own personal benefit, took priority over his actual job of governing. He hardly showed up for work. Democrats led his House impeachment. Democrats led the Senate trial that led to his ouster from office. He was sent to prison for trying to extort campaign cash and other benefits for himself.

Trump wants to sell a possible Blagojevich commutation as righting a wrong committed by the Comey gang.

Wrong. Rod Blagojevich was not the victim.

The people of Illinois were.

 Chicago Tribune
The SMM recorded a marked spike in the number of ceasefire violations in the area.

The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine has said it recorded over 2,300 explosions during yesterday's enemy attack in Donbas.

"In the morning of February 18, from approximately 05:30 to 11:30 hrs, while on patrol in the area of Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) and at its forward patrol bases in Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, non-government-controlled, 50km west of Luhansk) and Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk)  and with its cameras  the SMM recorded a marked spike in the number of ceasefire violations in the area, including over 2,300 explosions," the OSCE SMM said in a spot report on February 18, 2020.

"At about 12:00, the SMM diverted a long-range unmanned aerial vehicle over the area. Its footage is currently being analysed," reads the report.

Read alsoDonbas escalation: Russian occupation forces attack Ukrainian troops, try to penetrate line of contact (Video)

It is noted the SMM is following up on the security situation in the area.

"All relevant observations will be included in the SMM daily reports," the monitors said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian occupying forces on Tuesday morning attacked Ukrainian defense positions in Donbas, using 120mm mortars proscribed by the Minsk agreements. Under fire cover, the Russian invaders began their offensive operation and attempted to advance across the contact line. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another five were wounded amid the fight.

The enemy's casualties included four killed and six wounded.
DRAPER, Utah, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NRP Stone closed its acquisition of Rare Metals and Gems Investors (RMGI) on schedule. The acquisition includes an exclusive worldwide marketing agreement for white diamond and gold products. Its products will include raw and cut white diamonds, as well as gold bullion, nuggets, jewelry, and coins. Each raw diamond is to be cut by NRP or supplier sources and will be marketed and distributed through NRP wholesale and retail outlets, including the NRP Stone website. Each cut diamond will be graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

The transaction included GIA-graded loose diamonds and colored diamonds set in beautiful Luxium rings, in addition to one ton of Luxium ore concentrate. The ore was appraised by a third party in a Technical Assessment and Valuation Report dated August 30, 2019 and valued at $1.5MM per ton. The ore will be used to produce granulated solid and Luxium nanoparticles for industry.

Luxium is .999 fine silver and is atomically engineered combining silver with other trace elements. The result is a precious metal that has the natural finished look of chrome, though it can be colored and brushed for jewelry. Its workability is similar to silver, but is tarnish resistant. Luxium also has conductive properties like silver, the world's best-known natural conductor of electricity. Therefore, Luxium has many potential industrial uses including electrical transmission, integrated circuitry, aeronautics, solar, and medical devices. Moreover, Luxium has the potential to fill the price gap between gold and silver, as well as changing, replacing, and enhancing many industrial applications.

NRP's Luxium and diamonds are derived from Mother Earth's natural processeswith a technological twist. Most diamonds mined in the world remain unfinished by Mother Earth. They are yellow to brown in color because they were not given the time, heat, and pressure required, finishing them into white and rare colored gemstones. As a result, these brown diamonds are typically crushed and used for industrial purposes, including diamond drills, saws, or abrasives. Only recently, these yellow or brown diamonds have been promoted as jewelry. However, with proprietary technology, yellow and brown diamonds can be finished to their highest and best potential: white and colored gemstones. NRP diamonds are considered by the GIA to be "naturally processed diamonds," because the technology used to finish them replicates the earth's natural processes, only in a shorter timeframe. Using these proprietary processes, brown diamonds can become white, as well as all colors of the rainbow, depending upon their organic makeup. This can be done without using dyes and radiation, or without synthetically growing them in labs.

The acquisition sets the stage for possible additional acquisitions and has opened negotiations for funding, joint manufacturing, and other products. If successful, this would position NRP into becoming a vertically integrated company. What was initially conceived as purely a marketing operation for diamonds and Luxium has expanded into gold products and negotiations for funding jointly-owned operations of minting gold and Luxium coins, for raw colored diamond finishing, and for producing Luxium for jewelry and industry.

NRP Stone, Inc. is engaged in marketing and distribution of unique precious metals and gems. SYM: NRPI (NRPI.PK) U.S.: OTC; CUSIP: 62940J200. Website: https://nrpstone.co. Email: [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter @nrpstone.

Disclosures and Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements: This release contains forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Expressions of future goals and similar expressions reflecting something other than historical fact are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the timely development and market acceptance of products and technologies, economic and market factors, successful integration of acquisitions, the ability to secure additional sources of financing, the ability to reduce operating expenses and other factors. The actual results that the company achieves may differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to such risks and uncertainties. The Company, its management, or affiliates, undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.

SOURCE NRP Stone, Inc.
A French probe into former Renault SA Chairman Carlos Ghosn that was handed over to elite investigators will focus on interactions with an Oman distributor as well as spending on trips and events.

Prosecutors from Nanterre, near Paris, gave the case to investigative judges with wider probing powers. The judges will examine suspected misuse of corporate funds, aggravated breach of trust, document forgery and money laundering, according to a prosecutors statement Wednesday.

The accusations relate to transfers between Renault SAS and Oman car distributor Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, Nanterre prosecutors said. They also concern spending on events and trips that may have been personal. Several million euros in costs for the trips and events were covered by Dutch subsidiary Renault-Nissan BV, or RNBV.

While Ghosns 2016 wedding party at the Versailles palace isnt specifically mentioned in Wednesdays statement, the year-old probe had focused on whether the former auto executive had improperly used a Renault sponsorship deal to cover the cost of that private event.

Jean-Yves Le Borgne, a lawyer for Ghosn, didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Ghosn has previously denied allegations related to the Oman distributor and said the former Renault chairman would repay the marriage-related expenses.

Arrested in November 2018 in Tokyo on charges of financial misdeeds and then freed on bail, Ghosn made a dramatic escape to Lebanon in December with the help of a former Green Beret. He has denied the Japanese charges, saying they were part of a conspiracy to prevent further integration between Nissan Motor Co. and Renault.

Probes run by investigative judges can last for years before reaching a conclusion. Prosecutors typically hand over only the most complex probes to the elite teams.

In France, Ghosn is also entangled in a separate probe into fees paid to consultants by the Amsterdam-based joint venture.
A Danish social worker has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for stealing 117m Danish kroner (13m) of government funding intended for vulnerable people.

The case against Britta Nielsen has shaken the self-image of a state that has for years been regarded as having the lowest rate of corruption in the world.

State prosecutor Kia Reumert called the case one of the gravest instances of financial crime in Danish history.

Nielsen was employed for 40 years as a case worker at Socialstyrelsen, Denmarks social services board, distributing funding to people in need. As recently as 2017 she was rewarded for her faithful services with the countrys silver medal of merit.



Allegations that Nielsen had siphoned away funds amounting to more than 121m kroner over the course of 25 years first emerged in August 2018.

After being sacked from her job, Nielsen fled to South Africa but was arrested and extradited to Denmark in November 2018.

During the course of her trial it emerged that Nielsen had embezzled funds by creating fictitious projects  one of them called help for self-help  that she had then linked to her own bank accounts.

Her defence has argued that the safeguards around welfare were too lax, and that both management and her colleagues knew how easy it was to siphon off money. Nielsen reportedly told the court: It was a standing joke that you could easily add your own account number and then be off to the Bahamas.

On Tuesday she declined to appeal after being read the courts verdict. The prosecutor had called for a sentence of eight years, while the defence had argued for a sentence of four to six years.

Retrieving the millions Nielsen embezzled has turned out to be a complicated task. Out of 117m kroner the social worker is accused of having stolen, Denmarks chamber of advocates has so far only retrieved 5m, by seizing her bank accounts, luxury properties in Denmark and South Africa, and a television.

Nielsen has three adult children who have been charged with gross robbery for each receiving funds amounting to several million dollars from their mother. They have all pleaded guilty.

One of the daughters is believed to have spent the money on purchasing expensive showjumping horses, making it difficult for the Danish treasury to retrieve the money.

The case against Nielsens children is scheduled to start at Glostrup court outside Copenhagen on 4 March. It is unclear whether Nielsen will testify in the case. She has argued in court that her children were unaware of the scam from which they were benefiting.

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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Hong Kong  Wed, February 19, 2020 12:20 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206563124 2 World coronavirus,Hong-Kong,Wuhan-coronavirus,outbreak,health-issues,death-toll Free

Hong Kong reported its second death from the new coronavirus on Wednesday as authorities drew up plans to fly home hundreds of city residents stranded on a virus-stricken cruise ship in Japan.

The 70-year-old man who died had underlying illnesses and was one of 62 confirmed cases in the Chinese-ruled city, a Princess Margaret Hospital spokeswoman said.

In addition to those cases, 52 Hong Kong residents have tested positive for the coronavirus on the cruise ship Diamond Princess in Japan. There are 352 Hong Kong residents on the ship.

The ship has been quarantined in the port of Yokohama since Feb. 3 after a man, who disembarked in Hong Kong before it travelled to Japan, was diagnosed with the virus.

More than 540 people have tested positive for the virus on the liner - the biggest concentration of infected people outside China.

Speaking in Hong Kong's Legislative Council, Security Secretary John Lee said 200 out of the 352 Hong Kong residents on the ship, which is operated by Carnival Corp, were willing to take free, government charter flights home.

The government was trying to convince the rest to board the flights, he said. Those coming back would be required to undergo 14 days of quarantine upon arrival.

"We've urged the Japanese government to prioritize our cases," Lee said.

"We wouldnt rule out the possibility of sending more charter flights but we'll try our best to handle all of them in one day."

The flights are expected to return to Hong Kong on Thursday.

The United States evacuated more than 300 nationals on Monday on two chartered flights and six South Koreans and one Japanese spouse flew to South Korea on Wednesday on a chartered flight.

Australia also plans to evacuate 169 people to its northern city of Darwin, where they will be quarantined for 14 days.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has urged both Hong Kong people on the cruise ship and those at home to accept the government's quarantine plans.

There has been opposition in some Hong Kong neighbourhoods to government plans to set up quarantine centres. Hundreds of people marched in different places over the weekend to voice opposition to the proposed centres.

The crisis over the virus comes after months of anti-government demonstrations in the former British colony over the perceived erosion of freedoms by Beijing, which China denies, and the virus has opened up a new front for protesters.

In addition to the opposition to quarantine centres, many members of the public have been calling on Lam to shut the entire border with mainland China. Some medical workers have been on strike to press that demand.

But Lam has said the full closure of the border would be impractical, inappropriate and discriminatory and the government's response to the outbreak was based on scientific advice and World Health Organization guidelines.
New Haven had among the highest amount of residents who died of overdoses in 2019, according to figures released by the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Hartford had the most with 96 residents dying of a fatal overdose in 2019  an increase of more than 30 percent compared to the 62 who died in 2018. With 91 resident deaths in 2019, Waterbury also had a marked increase in fatal overdoses, up by about a third from 2018 and more than twice as many residents than the 44 who died in 2017.

New Haven had 58 residents die of a fatal overdose in 2019, up from 41 in 2018 and in 2017. The statistics are based on the number of residents who died of accidental fatal overdoses in 2019 and are not necessarily reflective of the amount of people who died of overdoses in each town that year.

Other large cities remained fairly constant in the number of resident overdose deaths with Bridgeport seeing 60 deaths in 2019 compared to 59 in 2018. New Britain, which had 43 overdose deaths in 2018, saw a decrease of 36 resident deaths in 2019.

The figures come as no surprise since there were 1,200 fatal drug overdoses statewide in 2019  the highest number since deaths caused by opioids began climbing in 2012. The number of people who have died annually has since more than tripled, according to Dr. James Gill, the states Chief Medical Examiner.

There are likely multiple factors as to why some cities are seeing dramatic spikes in the number of overdoses, Gill said. It could be related to more fentanyl being sold or mixed with other drugs and more people using, he said. He wasnt sure why the geographical changes were occurring, but said it could be related to drug suppliers in those areas not properly dosing drug packets.

Fentanyl, an opioid 50 to 100 times more powerful than heroin or morphine, was involved in 82 percent of the deaths in 2019, Gill said. By comparison, fentanyl was involved in 4 percent of the accidental drug deaths in 2012.

Gill had predicted midway through 2019 that the total number of accidental overdose deaths would rise to 1,088  a record  after deaths decreased slightly in 2018. In the first six months of 2019, 544 people died of accidental drug overdoses, according to Gills data.

The total for 2018 was 1,017 deaths  down 21 from 2017 when it was believed that deaths had peaked at 1,038.

Smaller cities and towns also felt the impact of increased deaths. West Haven jumped from 13 resident deaths in 2018 to 20 in 2019. Norwalk saw 19 resident deaths in 2019, up from 9 in 2018. The city had a series of five overdose deaths in the span of less than a week from Aug. 28 to Sept.5. A Bridgeport man was recently charged in one of the Norwalk deaths, which occurred on Aug. 31.

East Haven saw 16 resident deaths in 2019, compared to seven in 2018. Torrington had a slight increase from 25 resident deaths in 2018 to 27 resident deaths in 2019, as did Danbury, which had 14 resident deaths in 2018 and 16 in 2019.

Larger cities with hospitals also saw an increase in the number of overall overdose deaths, according to the data. Bridgeport had 78 deaths total in 2019, up from 69 in 2018. Hartford had 168 deaths up from 134 in 2018. New Haven had 89 in 2019 compared to 105 in 2018.

Waterbury is trying to combat the deaths with a new Warm Hand-Off Program, with police and the citys health department working together to give people immediate access to clinicians after they survive an overdose, according to Lt. David Silverio.

The city has put a lot of energy into it, Silverio said of the opioid problem.

Police and firefighters carry Narcan, a drug that can reverse an opioid overdose and they have hosted public events to teach people how to use it, he said.

You cant arrest yourself out of an addiction problem, Silverio said.
She said the main reason is volatile and explosive disenchantment and discontentment among the Iranian people, something the mullahs have no solutions for. She further advised that there have been five rounds of anti-regime uprisings since 2018, as well as countless protests by multiple sectors of society, from government workers to defrauded investors to students.

Rajavi said: Regime authorities admit that 96% of Iranian society is opposed to the regime. Support for the religious dictatorship is shaky even among the remaining few percents of regime sympathizers.

She further explained that the dire state of the economy, huge environmental disasters, and the regimes inability to export oil due to international sanctions are only making the problem more pronounced, citing the November uprising as proof.

Rajavi said: The regime finds itself at a dead end. Whatever path it takes, it undermines its own existence. For example, the regime has an urgent need to increase its revenues.

She also spoke about the assassination of Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, who was essentially the second-in-command in Iran and was behind their most heinous crimes in the Middle East; especially attacks Iranian dissidents.

Rajavi said: Qassem Soleimani has no substitute in the regime and with his death, the strategy of exporting terrorism and war, which is one of the pillars of the regimes survival, received an irreversible blow.

She noted that the Iranian people had celebrated his death and ripped down his posters, which is a far different story to the one the mullahs have been presenting of millions mourning the loss of this murderer.

Rajavi further dismissed the idea that the failed policy of appeasement of the Iranian regime, which has been followed by Western countries, has produced any positive results or improved human rights, explaining that the Iranian people have suffered greatly under the regime and continue to do so. But Western governments and even the United Nations have failed to act appropriately.

She said: The problem is that despite all this, governments, and most importantly the UN Security Council, have ignored the dire human rights situation in Iran in the name of their economic and diplomatic interests.

We call on the governments of Europe and the United States to make their relations with the mullahs regime contingent on putting an end to the arrest of protesters and the release of thousands of those detained during and after the uprising in November 2019.

Rajavi advised that the Iranian Resistance has a solid infrastructure to bring about its specific and concrete plans for the future and is the best guarantor of popular sovereignty after the downfall of the mullahs regime.

Read more:

Rajavi on Fox News: Irans People Want Regime Change
TUKWILA, Wash., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Washington Schools Risk Management Pool (WSRMP) has been selected for a prestigious Award for Excellence in Performance by the Association of Governmental Risk Pools (AGRiP) for its innovative approach to reducing sexual abuse and molestation risks in Washington state schools.

"I'm honored that our work is being recognized nationally," said Deborah Callahan, the WSRMP's Executive Director. "WSRMP prides itself as forward-thinking and a strong advocate for students. This award is a testament to that and the importance we have placed on proactively reducing the incidents of sexual abuse and molestation in our schools."

By providing school districts with risk identification and mitigation tools that emphasize appropriate training, policies and practices, WSRMP's multipronged enterprise risk management (ERM) program puts student safety as the number-one goal.

In an effort to share this innovative tool, WSRMP has shared its initiative with other public entity pools outside Washington for the benefit of students across the country.

"This innovative program has helped schools of all kinds create a safe learning environment for students," said Brett Davis, AGRiP's board president. "We're thankful WSRMP is sharing it with the broader pooling and education communities."

AGRiP's Award for Excellence in Performance is given to a public entity risk pool that has developed and implemented a creative, efficient and effective idea, approach or program  especially one that can be shared with or transferred to other pools. WSRMP will receive its award at AGRiP's Governance Conference on March 2 in Orlando, FL.

ABOUT WSRMP:

Founded in 1986, Washington Schools Risk Management Pool (WSRMP) is a member-owned and member-governed risk pool for public school districts in Washington. WSRMP partners with its members to provide strong financial protection, education-based coverage, and customized risk management services which all work together to create safe educational environments and communities. For more information please visit our website at www.wsrmp.com.

ABOUT AGRiP:

The Association of Governmental Risk Pools is a multinational organization for public entity risk pools with over 200 members from the United States, Canada and Australia. By providing support in the fields of education, intelligence, advocacy, networking and best practices, AGRiP energizes the power of pooling, making member organizations more effective, collaborative and informed. For more information about AGRiP and the public entity pooling industry, visit www.agrip.org .

SOURCE Washington Schools Risk Management Pool

Related Links

https://wsrmp.com/


By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Amid concerns over India's Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), UN chief Antonio Guterres has said it is necessary to do everything to prevent "statelessness" when a nationality law is changed.

Guterres, who was on a three-day visit to Pakistan, when asked whether he was concerned about new laws in India during an interview, said, "Of course (I am concerned). Because this is an area in which the relevant UN body is quite active."

"The present High Commissioner for Refugees is quite active to this situation like many others like this. Because there is a risk of statelessness created by those national laws," the UN Secretary-General told Dawn News TV.

"It is absolutely essential when a nationality law is changed, the statelessness is prevented. Because when the basic right of anyone anywhere is to have a country that a person calls his, then everything should be done in order to avoid statelessness," he said.

ALSO READ: Pakistan must withdraw from occupied Kashmir as per UNSC resolutions, hints Guterres

The new citizenship law passed by the Indian Parliament in December 2019 offers citizenship to non-Muslim persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

After the enactment of the law, protests erupted across the country over fears that it may marginalise the minority Muslim community.

The Indian government has maintained that the CAA is an internal matter of the country and stressed that the goal is to protect the oppressed minorities of neighbouring countries.

The NRC has been prepared to identify genuine Indian citizens living in Assam since March 24, 1971, or before, and identify illegal Bangladeshi migrants in the state.

Out of 3.3 crore applicants, over 19 lakh people were excluded from the final NRC published on August 30.

On Kashmir, Guterres said two reports by the UN High Commissioner on Kashmir played an important role in "clarifying exactly what is happening" there and "it is essential that these reports are taken seriously".

Guterres on Sunday said in Islamabad that he was concerned over the situation in Kashmir and that he was ready to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve the long-pending issue.

ALSO READ: Opening of Kartarpur Corridor proof of Pakistan's desire for peace, says UN chief Guterres

Reacting to his offer, India said the real issue needed to be addressed is to vacate territories "illegally and forcibly" occupied by Pakistan.

"India's position has not changed. Jammu and Kashmir has been, is, and will continue to be an integral part of India.

The issue that needs to be addressed is that of vacation of the territories illegally and forcibly occupied by Pakistan," the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi.

"Further issues, if any, would be discussed bilaterally. There is no role or scope for third-party mediation," it said.

India revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status on August 5.

Reacting to India's move, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian High Commissioner.

When asked why the UN has failed to constitute a high-powered inquiry commission to go to Kashmir and investigate alleged rights violations, the Secretary-General said: "Only the governing bodies of the UN or the Security Council can make that decision, but these reports are credible, relevant and very important."

He acknowledged that the current structure of the UN and the veto power to only its five permanent member states were hampering the ability of the UN to deliver the very objective it was created for "conflict resolution."

In order to ensure increased efficacy of the UN, he felt the body had to be reformed to be made "more democratic, more open and more effective" and to be more representative of today's multilateral world.

"We lived in a bipolar world, the rules were relatively clear. Today it is no longer bipolar, not yet multipolar, it is a kind of a chaotic world. Power relations are unclear so we see situations of conflict to which many spoilers can do whatever they want because there is no way to create a minimum of order," he added.

When asked about the position of the UN on the Palestinian question, Guterres responded that "our position has not changed", asserting that he remained committed to the two-state solution, with the "two states living side by side".

Guterres also affirmed that the UN stood ready to facilitate a dialogue between Israel and Palestine "based on international law and principles".

Guterres during his three-day visit to Pakistan met officials, attended a conference on Afghan refugees, visited Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib and saw cultural places in Lahore.
Oregons House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill Tuesday that seeks to eliminate a state policy where residents could have their drivers licenses suspended for failing to pay a traffic ticket, in some cases for up to 20 years if they didnt pay up.

HB 4065 passed the House with bipartisan support 42-16.

If approved, Oregon would join California, Montana, Mississippi and Idaho in passing similar legislation.

The Oregon Law Center, a nonprofit legal rights group, estimates that 334,338 such suspensions have been issued in the past decade.

Rep. Chris Gorsek, D-Troutdale, said losing driving privileges can be a serious detriment to Oregonians way of life and means to make a living. Suspending a license deprives people of reliable, lawful transportation necessary to get to and from work, or to their critical obligations, Gorsek said in a statement. A system that relies on debt-based driver license suspensions creates a vicious cycle of increasing debt and wastes state resources. Public safety should not be tied to debt collection, and this bill is an important move to create a public safety system where everyone can thrive.

Proponents pushed for the bill because they argued the long-held state practice also disproportionally affects people of color and low-income residents.

The issue brought together politicians from both sides of the aisle, who argued that the punitive measures under existing state practice were unfair.

Driving privileges would still be suspended or revoked for reckless driving and drunken driving, or if a ticketed driver fails to show up to court. The previous suspension rules kicked in if ticketed drivers failed to pay within 60 days after ordered to do so. A Democratic spokesman said the rest of the process is still the same: Fines can be sent to a collections agency, or a payment plan can be initiated, or wages could be garnished -- the only difference being is that you wont also have your license suspended.

A similar bill failed in the 2019 session.

In documents supporting the bill, Lincoln County Commissioner Claire Hall argued that the policy was another example of criminalizing being poor in Oregon, and this is one of the more insidious ones.

She also noted that nearly three-quarters of Oregonians over the age of 16 drive to work, and much of the state doesnt have access to public transit.

Suspending drivers licenses for inability to pay fines further traps individuals in the vicious, downward spiral of poverty and should be abolished, she wrote.

If approved, the bill would be effective Oct. 1, but it first heads to the Senate.

-- Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen

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He was an actor before and after the iconic sitcom Friends became the defining moment of his career. But even though its not the only role hes ever played, most fans will only see Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing.

Its not always a bad problem to have. Even more than 15 years after the show ended, people still light up with recognition whenever they see Perry, catapulting his status from little-known actor to international TV star. But theres more than one reason that the 50-year-old Canadian-American entertainer sometimes wishes Friends never happened.

Matthew Perry | Chris Polk/FilmMagic

Friends brought Matthew Perry into the mainstream

Before Friends, Perry had zero name recognition in Hollywood. Perry moved from Canada to California when he was 15 to pursue an acting career. He played a few small parts before landing the role of a lifetime with Friends in 1994.

The sitcom about six twenty-something friends living in New York City became a cultural phenomenon. Perry was even nominated for an Emmy in 2002 for Outstanding Lead Actor on the show. Youd think Perry would be thrilled by the success that Friends brought him  but instead, hes wary about the effect the show had on his life.

Matthew Perry on Friends | Hulton Archives/Getty Images

Perry spent time in rehab for drugs and alcohol

All the cast members got along on set. But even so, not everything was perfect behind the scenes. Perrys addiction to painkillers and alcohol made life more complicated during filming. Mostly, his coworkers were worried about him.

I was on Friends from age 24 to 34, Perry said during an interview with People. From an outsiders perspective, it would seem like I had it all. It was actually a very lonely time for me because I was suffering from alcoholism. It was going on before Friends, but its a progressive disease.

After being prescribed painkillers, Perry said he felt better than I ever felt in my entire life. I had a big problem with pills and alcohol, and I couldnt stop.

In one interview, the Friends alum said he cant remember three seasons of the show because he was never sober. It wasnt the shows fault Perry was suffering  but hell always associate those dark times with being on Friends.

Matthew Perry and Courteney Cox Arquette | David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images

He cant move past the legacy of Chandler Bing

Most Friends cast members will never find that kind of crazy success again. But Perry had one of the worst times trying to stay relevant in Hollywood. After several failed projects, Perry seemed to accept that he would always count Chandler Bing as his biggest career achievement.

Perrys ABC comedy Mr. Sunshine was canceled after nine episodes. The dramedy Go On, which was about a grief support group, lasted for just 22 episodes before suffering the same fate. Next, Perry tried a remake of The Odd Couple in 2015, which ran for 38 episodes.

Some directors refuse to cast Perry because they can only see him as Chandler Bing. Then there are people who cant get over how different Perry looks now. Either way, the actor isnt finding meaningful work in a post-Friends world.

Perry doesnt want to participate in a Friends reboot

Friends cast | Reisig & Taylor/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Youd think that someone like Perry would want to recapture some of the original fame by joining a reboot of Friends. But so far, only the female cast members are into the idea.

I have this recurring nightmareIm not kidding about this. When Im asleep, I have this nightmare that we do Friends again and nobody cares, he said during a Variety interview. We do a whole series, we come back, and nobody cares about it. So if anybody asks me, Im gonna say no.

He continued, explaining his position on the matter. The thing is: we ended on such a high. We cant beat it. Why would we go and do it again?

Friends days are officially over for Matthew Perry. And it sounds like hes just fine with that.
As social beliefs and values change over time, scientists have struggled with effectively communicating the facts of their research with the public. Now, a team of researchers from the University of Missouri and the University of Colorado believe scientists can gain trust with their audience by showing their human side. The researchers say it can be as simple as using "I" and first-person narratives to help establish a personal connection with the audience.

The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE, one of the world's leading peer-reviewed journals focused on science and medicine.

Traditionally, scientists might not always consider the audience evaluating them when sharing the facts of their research, said SiSi Hu, a graduate instructor and research assistant in the Missouri School of Journalism and corresponding author on the study.

"Most of the time the public understands what the scientist is presenting to them, but each person understands in their own way," Hu said. "Therefore, there needs to be a sense of mutual understanding -- the scientist must trust the audience as much as the audience trusts the scientist with his or her message."

After completing a literature review of perceived authenticity, the team did not find any appropriate measures relating to science communication. Therefore, based on existing literature, they created a theory of perceived authenticity in science communication -- a scientist is someone with their own belief system beyond institutional affiliations, and their messaging reflects those values.

Study participants tested the theory by completing a 19-question survey on authenticity. Survey questions were based on a description of published plant science research and a group of randomly assigned narrative messages attempting to explain that research. The group of messages included a story drawn from the real-life experiences of J. Chris Pires of how he became interested in plant science. Pires is a Curators Distinguished Professor in the Division of Biological Sciences in the MU College of Arts and Science, and an investigator in the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center.

Researchers found that if a scientist shares the story of the development of the origin of his or her interest in the subject through a first-person narrative -- without use of institutional affiliations -- people are more inclined to perceive him or her as authentic. Additionally, if a scientist only uses a first-person narrative, people are more inclined to perceive a scientist as authentic based on a feeling of connection.

The team also found the narrative qualities of perceived authenticity align closely with existing literature on benevolence and integrity, two personality traits that can help an audience build trust with the person delivering the message.

"We hope our findings will provide some wisdom, guidance and tools that scientists can use to enhance their communication of their research -- that is also accessible and will be trusted by the public," said Lise Saffran, director of the Master of Public Health program at the MU School of Health Professions, and lead author on the study. "People want to know the person talking to them is a human being with their own values and point of view, and that the message they share reflects those values."

###

The study, "Constructing and influencing perceived authenticity in science communication: Experimenting with narrative," was published in PLOS ONE. Other authors include Amanda Hinnant and Susan Nagel at MU; and Laura Scherer at University of Colorado. Funding was provided by a grant from the MU Research Council. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies.

Pronunciation key: SiSi Hu is pronounced "See-See Who"
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.

If you dont already have neck pain, consider yourself lucky. Also doomed. With all the Instagram scrolling and single-shoulder-work-bag carrying we do, its probably only a matter of time. Unless youre ready to throw away your phone (which were not) or switch to a backpack (to be fair, there are some nice-looking, grown-up styles out there), theres another step the chiropractors we spoke with said you can take to soothe your aching neck: Swap out your pillow.

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According to Karen Erickson, a chiropractor and American Chiropractic Association spokesperson, your neck muscles should rest at night and recover from the strain of texting, computer work, and the other forward-head position tasks we all do during the day. Below, Erickson and four other chiropractors share their recommendations for pillows that ease neck pain, ranging from a totally organic option to an orthopedically designed one for more severe cases.

Best overall pillows for neck pain

Tri-Core Cervical Pillow All the chiropractors we spoke with agree that the best pillows for neck pain are ones that maintain proper alignment of the vertebrae in your neck, also known as the cervical spine. You want to see the center of your head line up with the center of your sternum and the center of your pelvis, says chiropractor David Perna of Back & Body Medical. Its easiest to achieve this alignment while sleeping on your side or your back. This pillow, recommended by chiropractor Randi Jaffe, allows you to do so in either position by supporting the neck without causing it to flex too far forward or bend to one side. It gives you a little bit of that arch into the neck, so it gives you nice support, says Jaffe. One end of the pillow is firmer than the other, so you can choose which option feels best. Strategist contributor Alison Freer swears by the Tri-Core. It stopped my neck and shoulder pain cold  and transformed my sleeping life, she says. $23 from Amazon



Tempur-Pedic Ergo Neck Pillow Firm Support With a pronounced roll to cushion your neck whether youre on your side or your back, this pillow is one of Pernas top picks. He likes Tempur-Pedics dense memory foam because, as he says, if youre going to place your body weight on a pillow, you want to make sure it has some resistance to hold you in the proper position. It hits the sweet spot of being firm enough to fill the space between your head and your shoulders while maintaining the natural curve but isnt so stiff that it forces your neck into an unnatural position. Its also available in a small size for those with smaller frames. $70 from Amazon



Best adjustable pillows for neck pain

Pancake Pillow Adjustable Layer Pillow While the two pillows above come in different sizes, if you fall somewhere in between (or want to occasionally change up the feel of your pillow), adjustable options like this one allow for more customization, Perna says. For example, those with narrower shoulders need less pillow under their neck, especially when side-sleeping. The Pancake pillow lets you achieve the just-right level of support with multiple layers that can be added or removed based on your size. $70 from Amazon



Core Products Double Core Select Foam Cervical Support Pillow Rudy Gehrman, a chiropractor and the founder and CEO of Physio Logic, has a less-is-more approach to reducing neck pain. He personally sleeps in one of two ways: If hes on his back, he puts a rolled-up towel under his neck; when hes on his side, he uses a thin pillow that just fills the gap between his head and shoulders. He acknowledges that this approach isnt for everyone, but if you do want to give it a try, he recommends easing into it. For the transition, he likes this adjustable pillow with four interchangeable support rolls that let you gradually move down in plushness. I have had one of these before and recommend them for someone trying to go from multiple pillows down to [a thinner pillow], and, in some cases, down to what I personally sleep with, he says. $39 from Amazon



Best personalized pillow for neck pain

Pillowise We all have drastically different shapes and sizes to our bodies, so its just not possible that one size of pillow will fit all people well, says chiropractor Jan Lefkowitz of Body in Balance Chiropractic. Thats why he likes Pillowise, which uses an algorithm, based on your neck and shoulder measurements, sleeping position, and mattress firmness, to determine the best pillow for you. Lefkowitz uses one himself and says, I cant live without mine now, and Ive also seen amazing results for my patients. Jaffe tells us Pillowise is also a favorite among her colleagues. $139 from Pillow Plaza



Best pillow for severe neck pain

Therapeutica Orthopedic Sleeping Pillow Like a supercharged version of the standard cervical-spine pillow, this extra-firm option adds a wedge for upper-back support. Jaffe likes this option for people with more severe neck pain as well as anyone who suffers from migraines or tension headaches. She says its really, really structured, and it helps to really support the neck. $93 from Amazon



Best water pillow for neck pain

Mediflow Water Pillow Water-filled pillows are really big in our profession, Jaffe says. Water is an appealing choice if you want to avoid synthetic fillings and have allergies to down. Because the water pillow is also adjustable (you can fill the insulated pouch with more or less water, depending on the level of firmness you like), Gehrman is also a fan and recommends it for someone moving toward less pillow. Erickson sleeps on a pillow with a water base and with hypoallergenic filling on top, like this one, which she calls supportive yet supercomfortable. $45 from Amazon



Best organic pillow for neck pain
By Nichola Saminather and Fergal Smith

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada on Tuesday announced a change to a three-year-old financial stress test designed to reduce risky mortgage lending, potentially reigniting housing markets the measure was meant to cool, and posing a challenge for the nation's central bank.

The change, shifting away from banks' advertised rates that tend to be higher than actual market rates to determine the minimum qualifying rate, could allow consumers to borrow more even as Toronto and Vancouver, Canada's two biggest housing markets, rebound.

James Laird, co-founder at Ratehub.ca, which compares rates on mortgages, insurance and credit cards, said the move will increase the central bank's concerns about stimulating the housing market.

"If they cut rates, fixed-rate mortgages will drop and... everyone will qualify for more and higher mortgages," he added.

While the stress test did help cool housing markets, a supply shortage is already lifting prices again.

The Bank of Canada warned this month that the coronavirus outbreak could hurt Canada's economy, after saying last month that a rate cut was possible if a slowdown in domestic growth persists.

A home buyer whose maximum monthly mortgage is C$3,000 can now afford a $519,000-home, from $503,000 previously, according to Stephen Brown, senior Canada economist at Capital Economics.

The new benchmark for home loans with downpayments of less than 20% will be the weekly median five-year fixed insured rate calculated from mortgage insurance applications, the finance department said in a statement. Taking effect on April 6, it replaces the Bank of Canada's five-year benchmark rate, based on banks' public rates.

Borrowers will still need to show they can afford a rate two percentage points higher than the benchmark.

Five-year market fixed rates are a little less than 3%, making the qualifying rate below 5%, Laird said. The Bank of Canada's posted five-year mortgage rate is 5.19%.

Story continues

Canada introduced the stress test for high-ratio mortgages, which are insured by the government housing agency, in October 2016.

The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) is also considering the same change to its stress test, introduced in January 2018, for mortgages with downpayments of more than 20%, Canada's main financial regulator said in a separate statement.

Canada's biggest banks did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

"Banks in Canada share the goal of ensuring that housing remains stable and well-regulated, while being accessible to those looking to buy homes across Canadas diverse housing markets," the Canadian Bankers Association said in a statement.

(Reporting by Nichola Saminather and Fergal Smith; Editing by Tom Brown and David Gregorio)
Australian parliamentarians Andrew Wilkie and George Christensen visited WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange yesterday afternoon in Londons Belmarsh Prison. The aim of their visit was to examine the conditions of his detention and express opposition to his threatened extradition to the US.

At a press conference outside the maximum-security facility afterwards, both stated their agreement with the finding of United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer that Assange has been the victim of psychological torture. Coming from two elected officials, this is a damning indictment of the arrogant dismissals of Melzers assessment by the governments responsible for Assanges decade-long persecution, including Britain and Australia.

Wilkie, an independent MP, and Christensen, a representative of the Liberal National Party (LNP), which is in a governing coalition, travelled to Britain to see Assange at their own expense. They did so in the lead-up to British extradition hearings beginning February 24 that will determine whether Assange is dispatched to the US, where he faces Espionage Act charges and life imprisonment for exposing American war crimes.

George Christensen, Andrew Wilkie (centre), and John Shipton speaking to the media outside Belmarsh Prison

The visit was preceded by meetings with Melzer and Assanges lawyers. It was the first major action of the Australian cross-party parliamentary grouping formed last October and chaired by Wilkie and Christensen, which is a calling for the extradition to be blocked and Assange to be returned to his native Australia.

After emerging from the prison, dubbed Britains Guantanamo Bay, Wilkie described Assange as clearly a man under a lot of pressure. While noting that he was not a doctor, Wilkie said that his hour-long discussion with Assange had left him with no reason to doubt the assessment of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer when he said that Julian exhibits the signs of someone who has undergone psychological torture.

Wilkie addressed claims that Assanges conditions had been eased after he was moved out of solitary confinement in the prisons medical ward last month. The MP revealed that Assange remains alone in a cell for more than 20 hours per day. For all intents and purposes, a reasonable person would say that is still solitary confinement, Wilkie said.

The MPs pointed to the continued undermining of Assanges rights by the authorities at Belmarsh, even in the days before his extradition hearings. They had booked a visit with Assange long in advance for last Sunday, but this was cancelled without reason, forcing them to reschedule to yesterday. Since his arrest by British police last April, Assanges lawyers have complained about having extremely limited access to their client, while his social visits have been restricted to a bare minimum.

Wilkie declared, I walk out of Belmarsh in absolutely no doubt that he has become a political prisoner of this country and that the US is determined to extradite him to the US, to get him This is madness that the UK is even entertaining having a court case. The UK should be saying to the US president, Back off.

Wilkie demanded that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison intervene in defence of Assange, who had committed no crime. The WikiLeaks founder was being persecuted solely for having acted as a journalist and exposed hard evidence of American war crimes.

The MP concluded by stating: There was no espionage. There was no hacking. It was just a person doing the right thing and publishing important information in the public interest and frankly it is an international scandal that he is locked up in there in those conditions as a political prisoner.

In a pointed criticism of the support for Assanges persecution by the Labor Party opposition and its leader Anthony Albanese in Australia, Wilkie said, The fact that I dont know Mr Albaneses position is telling.

Christensen added that it was evident that Assanges protracted detention had taken its toll... It was clear that his mental state was not good and that his health was not good. When I asked him how he was doing, he said straight away Not good.

Christensen said that Assange had spoken about his family, including his mother Christine, who was affected by Australias recent bushfire crisis, and his children. In a thinly veiled rebuke to the gathered media representatives, he stated that Assange was not the caricature he has been made out to be, but a real person whose rights had to be respected.

The LNP MP said that the government, of which he is a member, had to take action to ensure that Assange was not extradited. His statements follow repeated declarations by Morrison, who has close ties to US President Donald Trump, that Assange must face the music and that he will not be given special treatment.

Both visiting MPs stressed the broad popular sympathy that exists for Assange.

Wilkie stated, Please understand that Julian has a great many supporters around the world and a lot of them are in Australia. The number is growing day by day. As people learn more about the facts of the case, when they are able to see beyond the innuendo, allegations, the misinformation and disinformation, they are almost universally coming to the conclusion that a great injustice is being done. I expect that there will be protests around the world. Politicians need to pay attention to that.

John Shipton, Assanges father, who was also present, thanked the MPs for their visit.

The formation of the Australian parliamentary group was a response to the mounting popular support for Assange. It marked a breach in a years-long conspiracy of silence on Assanges plight, enforced by the countrys entire media and political establishment, including members of the grouping itself.

Every Australian government, beginning with the Greens-backed Labor administration of Julia Gillard, has refused to defend Assange, who is an Australian citizen. Instead they have thrown him to the wolves and supported the US-led vendetta against him. This is in line with Australias support for the American military alliance and their own crackdown on democratic rights in response to mounting social opposition.

Gillard summed this up by falsely declaring that Assange and WikiLeaks were guilty of an illegal act by publishing evidence of war crimes, at the same time as her government was aligning Australia with a massive US military build-up directed against China.

The record is a stark demonstration of the fact that an Australian government will fulfil its obligations to defend Assange only if it is compelled to do so by mass pressure from workers and young people. The Socialist Equality Party is holding rallies in Sydney and Melbourne this weekend to contribute to the building of such a movement, while the SEP in Britain has called a public meeting in London on Sunday that will demand an end to the extradition proceedings and Assanges freedom.
The death toll from the coronavirus epidemic in China crossed the 2,000-mark on Wednesday with the death of 136 more people, while the overall confirmed cases climbed to 74,185, authorities said.

The National Health Commission said in its daily report that 2,004 people had died of the disease known as COVID-19. NHC said 1,749 new cases of novel coronavirus infection have been confirmed.

Of the new deaths, 132 were reported from the worst-hit Hubei Province and one each from Heilongjiang, Shandong, Guangdong and Guizhou.

Another 1,185 new suspected cases have been reported. On Tuesday, 236 patients became seriously ill, while 1,824 people were discharged from hospital after recovery.

The commission added that 11,977 patients remained in severe condition, and 5,248 people were suspected of being infected with the virus, the state-run Xinhua agency reported.

By Tuesday, 62 confirmed cases including one death had been reported in Hong Kong, 10 confirmed cases in Macao and 22 in Taiwan including one death.

China's daily number of newly recovered novel coronavirus patients has surpassed that of new confirmed infections for the first time, according to NHC.

So far, 14,376 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery, NHC said.

On Tuesday, Dr Liu Zhiming, president of Wuhan Wuchang Hospital in Hubei, died of the novel coronavirus pneumonia highlighting the risks posed by virus to the medical staff.

Liu was a leading neurosurgeon in Wuhan.

Last Friday, the NHC said a total of 1,716 medical workers had been confirmed contracting the infection. As of February 11, six medical workers were killed while treating patients. This included the whistle-blower ophthalmologist, Dr Li Wenliang who was reprimanded by police for alerting about the virus over the social media in December.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister on Wednesday defended police over the deaths of anti-CAA protesters, saying they were shot by other rioters and nothing can be done to save someone with a death wish.

Wrapping up the discussion in the state assembly on the Governor's address, Adityanath said the role of the police in dealing with rioters during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act should be appreciated.

In hard-hitting remarks, the chief minister said his government supported democratic protests but will maintain law and order by dealing strictly with those indulging in violence.

Jo jis bhasha main samjhega, usey uss bhasha main samjhayenge (We will talk to them in the language they understand), he warned.

About 20 people died of gunshot wounds during violent protests in several parts of Uttar Pradesh in December.

If someone is coming with an intention to die, how can he remain alive? Adityanath said.

If someone comes out to kill an innocent person and he is challenged by police, then either he or the policemen have to die, he added.

The CM said nobody died of a police bullet during the protests.

Rioters died of rioters' bullets, he said, repeating the claim made earlier by police.

He claimed that the anti-CAA protests revealed terror funding by Popular Front of India, which is said is another name for banned terror group SIMI.

"Any sympathy for them means, support to the PFI and SIMI. Those who do treason with country, will die an anonymous death (gumnam maut)," he said.

He said criminals don't want their sons and daughters to become criminals, but some big leaders had sent their daughters amidst those who raise anti-national slogans.

The chief minister claimed that azadi slogans were being raised during the protests.

What kind of 'azadi'? We have to see whether we want to fulfil the dreams of Bapu or Jinnah," he said, referring to the founder of Pakistan.

During his two-hour speech, Adityanath trashed the opposition charges against him on crime and women empowerment.

In an indirect reference to the Samajwadi Party, he recalled how in the past MLAs "used to throw paper balls" at the podium during the Governor's customary address to the House.

"Those who insulted the Constitution are today trying to preach us about the Constitution. It's better they keep off or they will be badly exposed," he said.

Without naming former chief minister and Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, Adityanath recalled his controversial boys will be boys remark and mocked the opposition for speaking on women empowerment.

While opposing capital punishment for rape, Mulayam Singh Yadav had sparked an outrage by saying "ladke, ladke hain... galti ho jati hai (boys will be boys... they commit mistakes)."



Adityanath cited the police firing on 'kar sevaks' gathered in Ayodhya on October 30, 1990, when Mulayam Singh Yadav was the chief minister.

He also trained his guns at the Congress, referring to the infamous "tandoor case" in which former Youth Congress leader Sushil Sharma spent 23 years in Tihar Jail for killing his wife Naina Sahni and then trying to dispose of her body in a restaurant tandoor.

"These parties have the cheek to call themselves champions of women empowerment," he said.

The chief minister said when the governor spoke on 'Ramrajya' in her address, it did not have any religious connotations.

He said Ramrajya does not mean governance through religion. The country needs Ramrajya' not 'Samajwad', the chief minister said.

"My government is determined on Ramrajya, which means governance for public welfare, he said.

He listed his government's achievements during the past three years. "It takes time to cleanse the system, age-old garbage cannot be removed overnight," he said.

Using a computer tablet, he cited data to claim that the crime rate has come down during his term.

The House passed the motion of thanks on the Governor's address by voice vote.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 29F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 29F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 08:04:43|Editor: ZD

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A worker of Stonington Lobster Coop examines a lobster at a dock in Stonington of Maine, the United States, Feb. 4, 2020. Lobster dealers from the northeastern U.S. town of Stonington, Maine, were excited to learn that the China-U.S. phase-one economic and trade deal came into effect on Feb. 14. According to the deal, China promises to purchase more agricultural products from the United States, and lobster is highlighted in the sector. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

NEW YORK, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Hugh Reynolds, a lobster dealer from the northeastern U.S. town of Stonington, Maine, was excited to learn that the China-U.S. phase-one economic and trade deal came into effect on Feb. 14.

"I hope to resume business with China soon," said Reynolds.

According to the deal, China promises to purchase more agricultural products from the United States, and lobster is highlighted in the sector.

Having been in the industry for more than 20 years, Reynolds' company, Greenhead Lobster, is one of the largest lobster wholesalers in Stonington, a town long-known for its rich and historic tradition of lobstering.

"Our Stonington, Maine Lobsters are fresh caught by local fishermen, delivered daily to the Greenhead Docks, promptly prepared, packed and shipped," the company said on its website.

His Chinese partners in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and many more cities loved his products. More than 200 boats used to go out lobstering for Greenhead Lobster every day, with an annual harvest of 10 million pounds of live lobsters, of which more than 30 percent had been shipped to China.

Reynolds remembered that in July 2018, China imposed 25 percent additional tariff on imported U.S. lobsters in response to the U.S. threat of an additional 25-percent tariff on Chinese imports worth about 50 billion U.S. dollars.

"That's when all of our exports to China stopped," he told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.

Many wholesalers like Greenhead Lobster faced the same difficult situation.

China imported about 128 million dollars worth of live lobsters from the United States in 2017, according to WISERTtrade, a database that tracks international trade.

Annie Tselikis, executive director of the Maine Lobster Dealers' Association, said China accounted for 15 percent to 20 percent of the export value of U.S. lobsters at the time.

The figures dropped drastically after the additional tariffs took effect.

Data showed U.S. lobster exports to China in the first half of 2019 dropped by 80 percent compared to the same period in 2018.

There were roughly 4,500 licensed lobster catchers in the state of Maine and about 10,000 to 12,000 people are directly employed in the industry in June 2018. But then some lobster dealers in Maine had to lay off workers to make ends meet.

Meanwhile, business is booming in Canada, where cargo planes are flying out of Halifax to China. Canadian fishermen catch the same species of lobster as American lobstermen do, who are based mostly in Maine.

Soon after China and the United States signed the phase-one deal that includes a lobster provision, U.S. Senator Susan Collins called it a significant victory for Maine lobster in a press release.

Collins had been lobbying for the Maine lobster industry ever since the additional tariffs were imposed.

In the press release, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer was quoted as saying "this trade agreement will provide lobstermen and women a more level playing field and stabilized access to China's rapidly growing market for imported seafood products."

Tselikis said in the statement that "China presents incredible opportunity for the coastal Maine economy and regaining access to that market is essential for our long term growth."

While the Maine lobster industry is looking forward to re-entering the Chinese market, industry insiders know it is very difficult to regain its lost market share quickly.

Reynolds said for the past one year and a half, U.S. lobster industry not only lost export volume to China, but also import volume from Canada -- something he had never seen in his whole career.

Now that Canada has taken most of the U.S. share and the whole supply chain has been moved, it will not be easy to get it back, Reynolds said, adding that he does not support tariff hikes as such measures only hurt business.

Ronnie Trundy, manager of Stonington Lobster Co-op, said, "I think it's going to take a year for the American companies... to get their fair share of the market back."
A quick-thinking manager of a Washington marijuana shop managed to stop three robbery suspects using bear spray that he had on Saturday night.

Chris Vincent was closing up the shop - Marijuana Club 99 located in the Everett area - when he noticed the suspects on surveillance footage.

'They got scared since they saw I pushed the button so I thought it was going to be over, but then they came back a second time,' Vincent explained to Q13.

Scroll down for video

Three suspects tried to rob store Marijuana Club 99 on Saturday night and were stopped by store manager Chris Vincent

'He was ordering me to open the register, but I couldn't. I noticed the guy was a little bit away from me so I grabbed the bear spray, I came after the second guy. They were so confused they couldn't even get the doors open.'

The footage shows the suspects carrying guns as they storm inside the store.

Just eight days prior to the attempted robbery, burglars rushed in and held employees at gunpoint.

Footage shows the suspects carrying guns as they storm inside the store but Vincent pulls out his bear spray. A burglary occurred at the same store just eight days prior

Vincent shared that he felt he needed to take a stand and protect his business

They managed to steal thousands in marijuana products.

For this particular incident, Vincent shared that he felt he needed to take a stand and protect his business.

Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound have offered a $1,000 reward for any information pertaining to the suspects.
Trump added to the sense of legal disarray Tuesday by granting executive clemency to a group of 11 people that included several political allies and others convicted of corruption, lying and fraud. Among the recipients of Trumps largesse was Rod R. Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor who was convicted on corruption charges in 2011 related to trying to sell Obamas vacated Senate seat. His sentence was commuted. Financier Michael Milken, who was charged with insider trading in the 1980s, and Bernie Kerik, the former New York police commissioner jailed on eight felony charges, including tax fraud, were pardoned.
The fire brigade should respond to heart attack emergencies in Waterford until a 24/7 cardiac care facility is developed.

A motion before the Regional Health Forum will tomorrow call for members of the full-time Waterford fire service to respond to cardiac arrest emergencies outside normal working hours.

Jody Power, a Green Party councillor on Waterford City & County Council, is seeking support from other members of the Regional Health Forum to implement the measure which, he said, is crucial for the 520,000 people of the south-east.

In his motion, he said, "Currently, there is a sporadic Cardiac Care facility at University Hospital Waterford due to the on-going maintenance programme now underway.

The proposed 12-hour Cardiac Care facility is currently in a planning stage and not due on stream until Q1 2021. The required 24/7 Cardiac Care unit, much sought after and necessary, is but an unattainable aspiration at this stage."

He said that urgent attention should be given to the "recommendation to allow the full-time Waterford Fire Service respond to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest emergencies exclusively."

The required training and resources are at hand - all thats required is the leadership for its attainment," he added.

He has also called on the South/South West Hospital Group to employ more staff at University Hospital Waterford.

"Officially there are over 200 vacancies at University Hospital Waterford (UHW), he said.

"In reality, the situation is much more stark. UHW is the most under-staffed large hospital in the country according to HSE figures."

He called for the establishment of a working group to "correct the glaring imbalance in medical care" in the south-east.

Meanwhile, an emergency motion is also to be raised at the meeting in connection with the sexual assault of the 17-year-old patient at CUH in 2018.

Member Ted Tynan wants Cork University Hospital chiefs to explain what they have done to make sure this doesnt happen again.

Mr Tynan said that so far, the response from the hospital has been entirely unsatisfactory.

The Cork City councillor said, "People need to know that their daughters are safe at this hospital."
[February 19, 2020] NEC Achieves ISO 9001:2015 Certification for its Biometric Center of Excellence

NEC (News - Alert) Corporation of America (NEC) announced today that its Advanced Recognition Systems division has achieved ISO 9001:2015 certification for its Biometric Center of Excellence in Rancho Cordova, California. This International Standard is the current version of the Quality Management Systems (QMS) framework, and certification was awarded by one of the world's leading ISO management system registrars, National Quality Assurance (NQA). "NEC is committed to delivering the highest level of quality to its customers, and this certification reaffirms that commitment," said Raffie Beroukhim, Senior Vice President, Advanced Recognition Systems, NEC Corporation of America. "While the process to obtain ISO certification was extremely rigorous, it doesn't end there. NEC will continue to improve processes to ensure we are consistently exceeding the quality expectation and requirements for our customers." As a leader in advanced biometrics and a provider of more than 1,000 public safety systems globally, NEC is committed to providing customers with best-in-class quality control and management. This certificate confirms NEC's ability to develop and integrate biometric identification solutions for law enforcement and public safety agencies, as assessed and approved by the NQA. Key to ISO certification is the scope - the boundaries that govern the applicability of the certification to an organization's business. The scope includes, among others, three critical attributes: the processes, staff, and locations which comply with the standard. The scope of an organization's certification is critical to properly inform industry and customers what's included within the certified Quality Management System. NEC's Multi-Modal Identification System (MBIS) project development lifecycles are certified ISO 9001:2015 and directly relate to NEC's Integra ID and NeoFace Biometric Identification Platforms. The key process owners and their team, as well as supporting corporate liaisons of NEC Corporation of America's Advanced Recognition Systems (ARS) Division, and Biometric Center of Excellence in Rancho Cordova, California, all completed the staff and location requirements. All of the ARS team has been trained in the QMS and are encouraged to contribute to the ongoing improvement.



"NEC is proud of this accomplishment and the quality we provide to our customers," said Mark Ikeno, President and CEO, NEC Corporation of America. "At NEC we value the process of continual improvement and always strive to raise the bar higher for our customers to deliver best-in-class biometric solutions." ISO 9001:2015 is the most widely used QMS standard in the world. The standard is based upon a number of quality management principles, including a strong customer focus, the motivation and involvement of top management, the process approach, and continual improvement. To obtain certification, NEC underwent a stringent evaluation procedure, including internal and external audits of its processes, risk and change management, and evidence-based decision making. A testament to NEC's dedication to the process was the award of certification without a single non-conformity during the certification audit.

Additionally, NEC received two commendations within its final certification audit for areas where its work exceeded the standard. Throughout the certification process NEC defined and validated a highly effective cross-functional organization to enhance customer satisfaction and mitigate risk. The audit also praised NEC's critical self-evaluation and improvement processes, resulting in a heightened customer focus. NEC information: www.necam.com

Blog: www.NECToday.com

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Twitter (News - Alert): @NEC About NEC Corporation of America NEC Corporation of America (NEC) is a leading technology integrator providing solutions that improve the way people work and communicate. NEC delivers integrated Solutions for Society that are aligned with our customers' priorities to create new value for people, businesses and society, with a special focus on safety, security and efficiency. We deliver one of the industry's strongest and most innovative portfolios of communications, analytics, security, biometrics and technology solutions that unleash customers' productivity potential. Through these solutions, NEC combines its best-in-class solutions and technology, and leverages a robust partner ecosystem to solve today's most complex business problems. NEC Corporation of America is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, a global technology leader with a presence in 160 countries and $25 billion in revenues.  2020 NEC Corporation. NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Other product or service marks mentioned are the trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005137/en/

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UN Special envoy to Yemen says latest violence could spread, reverse gains after lull in fighting over past year.

The United Nations envoy for Yemen is warning of a marked increase in violence in the country after reports of hundreds of civilian casualties as a result of fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition.

Martin Griffiths told the UN Security Council that normally quiet frontlines in several areas are now being attacked, and women and children are suffering the most.

Al Jazeeras Mike Hanna reports from the United Nations in New York.
In this Aug. 30, 2017 photo, North Koreans walk through a village on the banks of the Yalu river across from the Chinese border town of Linjiang northeastern China's Jilin province.

Police in North Korea earlier this month issued a decree that warns of stronger punishments for smugglersincluding the death penalty-- amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic in China and several of its immediate neighbors, RFA has learned.

Sources in the country say that residents think that the decree is absurd because smuggling is important to the livelihoods of many living in areas near the Sino-Korean border.

Authorities have been working hard to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, so they issued a decree in the name of the police that threatens to harshly punish those who violate the national quarantine effort, a resident of Ryanggang province told RFAs Korean Service Monday.

[The decree] says violators will be punished for national treason and could even be executed by firing squad, the source said.

Authorities spread the word of the new decree in community meetings in every region of the country from the beginning of February.

At the meeting, they said the new coronavirus is spreading wildly in foreign countries and is a very dangerous epidemic. This is why they banned illegal cross-border traffic and smuggling activities until the end of this situation, said the source.

While technically all illegal cross-border traffic is banned, North Koreans involved in smuggling activities can get around regulations through bribery or using professional and personal connections. Those caught are often given the opportunity to bribe their way out of trouble, but classifying smuggling as national treason is a new development that has arisen due to fears of the virus spreading in North Korea.

It was pointed out [at the meeting] that those who violate this decree by continuing to cross the border for smuggling are the main culprits behind the spread of the new coronavirus, the source said.

To date North Korea has not publicly announced a single confirmed coronavirus case, but several media outlets, citing a report from South Koreas Dong-a Ilbo have reported that Pyongyang executed a trade official who broke quarantine by utilizing a public bath.

According to the New York Post, many South Korean media outlets reported multiple coronavirus cases in North Korea, including some that resulted in deaths, but officials of the World Health Organization in North Korea told RFA that they were not notified of any confirmed cases.

Still, the unverified Dong-a Ilbo report, if true, would align with the new decree against smuggling.

When the defined smuggling as a crime against the state, and mentioned possible execution, residents of the border area who make their living by smuggling became anxious, said the source.

Another source, a resident of North Hamgyong province, told RFA on the same day that the decree is a strict ban on movement of people and goods across the border with China until the global epidemic wanes.

They said those who violate the decree could be executed by shooting for national treason, so the people are scared, the second source said.

They are already worried that the virus might spread to North Korea, but because the decree talks about execution, they fear that it might already be here, said the second source.

The second source added that the draconian decree is unprecedented. Even in cases where deadly diseases did infiltrate North Korean territory, no decree this harsh had ever been issued.

In the past, when cholera, measles and SARS killed many [in North Korea], authorities never issued a decree [like this]. Some residents here are complaining that the new coronavirus is impeding the livelihood of residents who make money by smuggling.

According to a report by the World Health Organization published at the end of Dec. 2003, after SARS had been declared contained, North Korea did not report a single confirmed case of that disease.

Reported by Jieun Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Kremlin continues to pursue a strategy of escalation in Donbas in flagrant violation of Russias obligations they have undertaken as a party to the Minsk agreements.

The attack perpetrated today, on the fifth anniversary of the Debaltseve tragedy, is particularly cynical. The Ukrainian armed forces provided an adequate response to this offensive, committed by the Russian occupation forces with the use of the Minsk-proscribed weapons, exercising Ukraines inherent right for self-defense, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Serhiy Kyslytsya said at the United Nations Security Council briefing on Ukraine on Tuesday.

As the diplomat noted, the Ukrainian leadership confirmed: that commitment to ending this war and to adhering to the reached agreements remains unshaken  as does our resolve to repel any acts of armed aggression against Ukraine.

In total disregard of the agreements reached in Paris in December last year by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany, over the last two months our positions have been shelled more than 400 times. Since the beginning of this year, 13 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and almost 60 wounded.

Can anyone call this a frozen conflict? Or perhaps a low-intensity conflict?

It is a war. The only ongoing war in Europe. The full-scale war waged by the Russian troops and its mercenaries, with weapons and ammunition supplied by the Russian Federation, the Ukrainian deputy foreign minister stressed.

That is exactly why OSCE SMM monitors, as we learn from the SMM reports, are still restricted of freedom of movement, as well as deprived of proper access to the Russian-Ukrainian border, he noted.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 19:46:07|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- China has released a set of measures to stabilize employment, including accelerating business resumption, encouraging online hiring and providing financial support for small firms, to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the economy.

This came as the outbreak disrupted businesses, and led to travel restrictions in some cities and the cancelation of on-site job fairs amid efforts to curb the spread of the virus, which has killed more than 2,000 people on the Chinese mainland.

The country pledged more proactive "employment first" policies, and raced to resume business activities to increase employment while providing support for small companies, which make substantial contributions to the country's job market.

Subsidies were offered by some local governments to institutions that provided employment services and to enterprises that hired more staff, Song Xin, an official with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, told a press conference Wednesday.

Song said more targeted measures will be unveiled to help college graduates, the number of which is expected to hit a record 8.74 million this year, find jobs.

The ministry has worked with relevant institutions to arrange online job fairs, provide employment guidance and consulting services, and encourage public employment service providers to facilitate college graduates in contract signing, he said.

On Tuesday, the government decided to temporarily exempt social insurance payments and defer the collection of housing provident funds to mitigate the impact of the epidemic outbreak on enterprises and ensure stable employment.

With the effects of the supportive measures gradually filtering through, the country's employment situation would maintain general stability, said Gui Zhen, another ministry official.
Tuesday, February 18, 2020

The objective of the Death Cafe is to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives. Its an interesting, unstructured conversation with no specific agenda. The Death Cafe offers a relaxed, confidential and safe setting to discuss death. We drink coffee, tea or water and eat delicious cookies. We also provide options for those avoiding gluten and added sugar.

The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will take place on Sunday, March 22, 2020, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. We meet in the Fifth Floor Lounge at Manzano del Sol Village, 5201 Roma NE, Albuquerque, NM. The building is located just south of Lomas Blvd. and just west of San Mateo Blvd.

As always, refreshments will be provided. There will be gluten-free and low-sugar options. The event is free and donations are welcome. Send a note to Gail [at] AGoodGoodbye.com to RSVP.

The Death Cafe concept was started in the United Kingdom by Jon Underwood. He was influenced by the ideas of Swiss sociologist Bernard Crettaz, who started holding Cafe Mortel events in France and Switzerland. Albuquerque was the first city in the U.S. west of the Mississippi to hold a Death Cafe. Gail Rubin hosted it in September, 2012.

For more information about Death Cafes, visit this page at AGoodGoodbye.com or visit www.DeathCafe.com. Join the Albuquerque Death Cafe Meetup group to be kept apprised of upcoming events. Click here to go to the Meetup page.

[embedded content]

Your Death Cafe Host

Gail Rubin, CT, The Doyenne of Death

Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist, hosts the Albuquerque Death Cafe. She is a pioneering death educator. Rubin is a public speaker, a published author of three books, host of a TV interview series and podcast, a blogger, a funeral industry trade journalist, a Certified Funeral Celebrant, and an innovator in the funeral business.

She created a conversation-starting game called The Newly-Dead Game, introduced the Death Cafe movement in the United States, and held the first Before I Die Festival west of the Mississippi in 2017. Albuquerque Business First named her one of their 2019 Women of Influence.

Learn more about Gail and the Before I Die New Mexico Festival here.

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China is expelling three Wall Street Journal reporters, accusing the newspaper of publishing a racist headline about the country's battle with coronavirus.

On February 3, the Journal had published an op-ed by a foreign-affairs academic titled "China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia."

The "sick man of Asia" is a 19th-century term that referred to a time when China was internally divided and exploited by foreign powers  a period that still deeply humiliates the country's leadership.

And on Wednesday, China's foreign ministry gave deputy bureau chief Josh Chin, reporter Chao Deng, and reporter Philip Wen five days to leave China.

The expulsions come amid high tensions between the US and Chinese media. On Tuesday, the US labeled China's five largest news outlets as government operatives.

China has refused to renew visas for US news reporters for publishing negative coverage in the past.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

China is deporting three Wall Street Journal reporters after the newspaper published a headline about the novel coronavirus that invoked a humiliating time in the country's history.

Deputy Bureau Chief Josh Chin, reporter Chao Deng, and reporter Philip Wen were given five days to leave China by the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, according to The Journal.

The expulsions were a direct result of a February 3 op-ed titled "China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia," in which foreign-affairs academic Walter Russell Mead wrote that China was struggling to control the coronavirus outbreak, and could suffer economic downfall as a result.

A man wears a mask while walking in the street in Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus in China.

Getty

The headline prompted widespread criticism  including in comments published by The Journal itself  that the headline was "derogatory" and "discriminatory."

The Chinese government called it "racist."

"The Chinese people do not welcome media that publish racist statements and maliciously attacks China," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

Story continues

"In light of this, China has decided to revoke the press cards of the three Wall Street Journal correspondents in Beijing starting today."

The state-run Global Times tabloid also cited Chinese foreign ministry calling it a "racist headline."

The opinion and news-reporting sections are typically kept separate in American media outlets.

William Lewis, CEO of Dow Jones and publisher of the Journal said: "We are deeply disappointed with today's announcement from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expel three Wall Street Journal news reporters."

"This opinion piece was published independently from the WSJ newsroom and none of the journalists being expelled had any involvement with it."

"We enforce a complete separation between our News and Opinion departments," he said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing in March 2017.

AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

The phrase "sick man of Asia" is generally used to describe China's domestic and foreign affairs in the late 19th and early 20th century, when it was internally divided, exploited by colonial powers like Japan, and struggling in the aftermath of the Opium War.

It was a period that continues to deeply humiliate the country's ruling Communist Party.

The phrase is a spin off of the term "sick man of Europe," a moniker for the declining Ottoman Empire in the 1850s but has since been applied to a number of European countries experiencing a downturn in fortunes.

Shortly after The Journal op-ed was published, Mead  the author  tweeted that "at American newspapers, writers typically do NOT write or approve the headlines. Argue with the writer about the article content, with the editors about the headlines."

Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects coronavirus prevention and control work at Anhuali Community in Beijing, China, on February 10, 2020.

Xinhua via REUTERS

The Journal reporters' expulsions also came as tensions between the US government and Chinese media outlets operating in the US reached new heights.

On Tuesday, the US State Department told five major Chinese state-run news outlets operating in the US that they would now be considered Chinese government operatives.

Xinhua, CGTN, China Radio, China Daily and The People's Daily were told to submit a list of all their employees, and will in future need US government approval to buy property in the country.

"There is no dispute that all five of these entities are part of the [Chinese] party-state propaganda news apparatus and they take their orders directly from the top," an unnamed US official told Agence France-Presse.

"We all know these guys have been state-controlled forever, but that control has gotten stronger over time, and it's far more aggressive," the official said.

The offices of the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency in Hong Kong.

Associated Press

Many reporters working for foreign media outlets in China have also been sanctioned for their coverage in the past.

Wen and Chin, two of the three reporters expelled on Wednesday, have reported extensively for the Journal on the forced detention of more than one million Uighur Muslims in the western region of Xinjiang. Deng has also published numerous articles scrutinizing China's economy.

In August 2019 another Journal reporter, Chun Han Wong, was denied a visa and forced to leave after authoring a negative news story about Xi Jinping's cousin. Wong was the first China-based Journal reporter to have his credentials denied since the newspaper opened a bureau in Beijing in 1980, The Journal said.

In August 2018, BuzzFeed's then-China bureau chief Megha Rajagopalan also had her visa discontinued by Chinese authorities, meaning she too had to leave. She had published a number of articles exposing the plight of Uighurs in internment camps, and has continued to do so from outside the country.

Read the original article on Business Insider
China High Speed Transmission Equipment Group Co., Ltd. (HKG:658) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 12% in the last quarter. But that doesn't help the fact that the three year return is less impressive. Truth be told the share price declined 47% in three years and that return, Dear Reader, falls short of what you could have got from passive investing with an index fund.

Check out our latest analysis for China High Speed Transmission Equipment Group

While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

China High Speed Transmission Equipment Group saw its EPS decline at a compound rate of 37% per year, over the last three years. This fall in the EPS is worse than the 19% compound annual share price fall. So the market may not be too worried about the EPS figure, at the moment -- or it may have previously priced some of the drop in.

The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

SEHK:658 Past and Future Earnings, February 19th 2020

Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. In the case of China High Speed Transmission Equipment Group, it has a TSR of -44% for the last 3 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

Story continues

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that China High Speed Transmission Equipment Group shareholders are down 33% for the year (even including dividends) . Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 1.0%. Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 1.6%, each year, over five years. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand China High Speed Transmission Equipment Group better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with China High Speed Transmission Equipment Group (including 1 which is shouldn't be ignored) .

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on HK exchanges.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
The 'ultimate' souvenirs to buy in capital cities across the world have been revealed.

And they include a miniature house in Amsterdam, a Hamleys teddy bear in London and a White House-endorsed Christmas ornament in Washington DC.

Researchers, commissioned by loveholidays, asked tourist authorities in 50 capitals around the globe what holidaymakers should buy as a memento of visiting their city.

Suggestions also included lemon-scented soap in Dublin and lavender oil in Budapest.

Plus peeing statues in Brussels.

Scroll down to see the buys in 12 of the most popular capitals on the list that no self-respecting mantelpiece should be without...

According to research, tourists in Copenhagen should buy one of these figures by Danish design firm Hoptimist. They were first created in the 1960s as part of a 'happiness movement'

In Brussels tourists should pick up a miniature figure of the city's famous Manneken Pis statue. The statue, of a little boy peeing into a fountain, is one of the most popular attractions in the Belgian capital

In London, researchers say that the best souvenir is a teddy bear, left, from the famous toy shop Hamleys. The store has been located on London's Regent Street since 1881. When visiting Amsterdam, researchers found that the top souvenir is a mini grachtenpand (canal house), pictured right. These historic houses line the city's canals and have become a symbol of the Netherlands

Worry beads with evil eye pendants have been recommended as the best souvenir in the Greek capital. The beads are said to ward off negative energy and can be bought at flea markets

The Eiffel Tower is the most instantly recognisable sight in Paris and researchers found the best souvenir to pick up in the French capital is a small model of it, left, from the Les Parisettes store. Buddy Bear statues first started appearing across Berlin in 2001 as symbols of friendliness and optimism. Researchers found that miniature figurines of the bears, with a Brandenburg Gate design, pictured right, are the best souvenirs to purchase in the German capital

According to the study, the best souvenir to pick up in Dublin is a bar of lemon-scented soap from Sweny's Pharmacy. The pharmacy, which is now a second-hand bookshop, features in the James Joyce novel, Ulysses

The El Oso y el Madrono statue (Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree) is one of the most popular sights in Madrid. A miniature version of the statue, left, is the best souvenir to purchase in the Spanish capital, according to the research. Pictured right is lavender oil, which is the best souvenir to buy in Budapest. Hungary has many lavender fields

The best souvenir from Washington D.C. is the Christmas ornament commissioned each year by the White House Historical Association, according to the research. They can be purchased at the White House Visitor Center or in any of the city's gift shops. Pictured is the 2019 version of the ornament

While in Helsinki, tourists should buy a Finnish-made mug as a souvenir, researchers found. The mugs are long-lasting and traditionally passed down through families. This mug is decorated with the mischievous Moomin character Stinky
Carlisle Representative oversees hands-on training stations at the Boak & Sons warehouse The roofing industry is continuously changing, said Boak. This training allows us to grow our skill sets to continue providing the best quality service at all of our job sites."

Boak & Sons, Inc. is a residential and commercial exterior contracting company in Youngstown, Ohio. Their services range from roofing to siding, insulation, gutters and sheet metal, but a large portion of their services come from their commercial roofing department. Friday, January 31, President and Founder of the company, Sam Boak, hosted representatives from Carlisle SynTec, a leading commercial roofing material supplier in the United States, to conduct hands-on training with the Boak & Sons flat roofing employees.

The morning started off with a presentation on new technology and installation methods that will help improve installation for contractors like Boak & Sons. Later on, the employees got the chance to use the training in a simulated environment right in their own warehouse with sample materials and setups. Representatives from Carlisle demonstrated using the materials and helped the Boak employees practice, giving helpful tips to get the best use out of the materials.

The roofing industry is continuously changing, said Boak. This training allows us to grow our skill sets to continue providing the best quality service at all of our job sites. We are always looking for opportunities to stay up to date in the latest technology and techniques in our industry, and with Carlisles knowledge and expertise we are able to do so with this training.

Boak & Sons, Inc. is a leading applicator of Carlisle products. The company was awarded the Perfection Award in 2017, 2018 and 2019 as well as the Perfection Council Award in 2018. This award is given to the top 5% of all US and Canadian applicators who have the fewest call-backs after installation is completed as well as perfect scores on their post-installation inspections.

During training, Carlisle explained why the right temperature and application techniques are so important when installing these roofing materials. Boak & Sons employees were able to discuss and plan how to make the best use out of the materials which can help the company and the client save money on future projects.

Efficient use of the products we use is key to a successful roofing project, said Chris White, vice president of operations at Boak & Sons. Its always good to see our crews getting some great training to expand their skill set so that we can continue to grow and provide our customers the highest quality in roofing services. Were extremely grateful to Carlisle for taking the time to show us their new materials and give our employees the opportunity to network and learn with each other.

For a full list of the 2019 Carlisle Perfection awardees or to learn more about Carlisle SynTec, click here. To learn more about Sam Boak, the Boak & Sons company and their commercial roofing services, visit http://www.boakandsons.com or call their office at 330-793-5646.

# # #

About Boak & Sons:

Boak & Sons, Inc. was founded by Sam Boak in 1974 as an insulation contractor. With the high energy costs of the 70's, Boak & Sons expanded early on into the roofing business. They offered economical roof installations through cutting edge technology and equipment, allowing customers to recoup even more in energy savings. Today, Boak & Sons is a residential and commercial contractor for roofing, insulation, sheet metal, siding, and gutters. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, the company serves customers in surrounding areas from Cleveland, Akron, and Canton to Cranberry and Pittsburgh. For more information on Boak & Sons, visit their website at: https://www.boakandsons.com/


Leanne and Ian Neeland (pictured) have been ordered to change the name of more than 20 of their confectionery

A family-run chocolate company has been forced to rename dozens of its products by confectionery giant Nestle over the trademarked term 'freckle'.

Leanne and Ian Neeland, from Yarra Glen in Victoria, were told by the multinational company to stop using the word to sell their sweets at their Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery stores.

In July last year, Nestle issued a legal notice giving the couple three months to 'cease all use' of the term in their packaging because it was trademarked and might confuse customers.

The business owners must rebrand more than 20 products in their three stores across the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Great Ocean Road.

'How can you own freckles? Weve got freckles on our faces and weve been eating freckles for many, many years,' Ms Neeland told A Current Affair.

'We did think about taking Nestle on, but what chance do we have?'

'We felt really sad that a big multinational company like that could actually own something that we all love so much.'

In the wake of the bushfires and the coronavirus, Ms Neeland said small businesses have suffered as tourism has dwindled.

Fearing the initial time frame would put them at risk of losing more than $50,000 worth of labelling, the Neelands wrote to Nestle requesting a 12 month extension to make the transition but they never received a reply.

Even with an additional nine months, the couple expect to lose $5000 in labels.

Nestle have held the trademark for the term 'Freckle' since the 1950's, which are sold through their confectionery brand Allens

The seven-year-old business, which now employs 220 staff, has decided to rename its products 'polka dots'.

Swiss corporation Nestle is the world's largest food company with a presence in 187 countries world wide.

Last year alone, the company, which has more than 2000 brands, made a profit of 10.4 billion.

A Nestle spokeswoman said in a statement that the company was willing to work with Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery to help minimise their cost and inconvenience.

'Freckles were originally created in 1955, with a registered trademark in place on the name Freckles to describe these hundreds-and-thousands-coated chocolates ever since,' the statement said.

'Its important for companies to protect their trademarks by preventing unauthorised use, as if they dont, they can lose the right to their brand names forever.'

'This is why when we became aware that Yarra Valley Chocolaterie was using our trademark, we asked them to stop using it.'
George Zimmerman, who shot and killed Trayvon Martin in 2012, filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Democratic presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren, alleging that they slandered him as a racist in order to garner votes in the black community.

The lawsuit, filed in the 10th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, accuses Warren and Buttigieg of defaming Zimmerman with malice or at a minimum a reckless disregard for the truth by suggesting he is a racist and white supremacist. Zimmerman seeks a damages award of $265 million.

The two candidates issued separate statements on Twitter on February 5, which would have been Martins 25th birthday, expressing regret over his death and calling for an end to racism.

My heart goes out to [Martins mother] and Trayvons family and friends. He should still be with us today, Warren wrote. We need to end gun violence and racism. And we need to build a world where all of our children-especially young Black boys-can grow up safe and free.

Buttigieg tweeted, Trayvon Martin would have been 25 today. How many 25th birthdays have been stolen from us by white supremacy, gun violence, prejudice, and fear?

Zimmerman, at the time a coordinator for his neighborhood watch, shot and killed 17-year-old Martin on February 26, 2012 in Florida during a physical altercation. His initial release triggered national protests and backlash, and he was eventually charged with second degree murder and manslaughter. He was acquitted of both charges by a jury.

Zimmermans lawsuit also takes issue with both Warren and Buttigiegs use of the term gun violence, saying the phrase refers more often to reckless and indiscriminate use of illegally owned firearms to kill innocent people, as well as Buttigiegs implication that Zimmerman experienced fear arising from his prejudice.

The only fear Zimmerman experienced, as established in the 2013 trial and well-covered in the media, was in the context of Zimmerman believing he might go unconscious and die from the repeated beating of his head against the sidewalk pavement or by choking to death from the blood going down his throat due to his broken nose during the beating by Martin, the lawsuit states.

Story continues

Warren and Buttigieg have struggled to garner support in the black community. Both are polling at under 10 percent among African-Americans, well below their 2020 rivals.

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ROSH PINA, Israel, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wine Water, Ltd.'s award-winning portfolio of O.Vine branded wine grape-infused waters are now available in full-size, 700ml bottles for the American beverage sector. They arrive in perfect time to serve the burgeoning "Sober Curious" movement.

O.Vine new line of 700 ml bottles next to personal 350 ml bottles.

The new, larger bottles of the startup's exclusive non-alcoholic beverage will be launched in the US, at health food retailers, as a menu feature in high-end restaurants, hotels, and They stand to serve a growing American population of more discerning drinkers seeking alcohol-free beverages that still provide the flavor and social experience of alcoholic beverages. The startup will launch the new line at Natural Expo West, March 3-7, 2020 in Anaheim, North hall, booth #N413.

With the introduction of the new range of designer 700ml bottles, O.Vine sets its eyes on America's social scene and business aviation sector. O.vine is a comprised of a unique concert of purified water and flavorful, antioxidant-rich upcycled wine grape skins and seeds.

The exciting new beverage will also take to the sky, as the company recently sealed an arrangement with Air Culinaire to be featured on the company's new lifestyle menu for its private jet service on the New-York, New Jersey route.

Wine Water currently serves its portfolio of single serve 350ml bottles designed to be enjoyed at home or social gathering They currently serve the upscale US food retail sector under a national marketing contract with UNFI, a world-leading natural food distributer. O. Vine is available also in selected natural food stores as well as on Amazon.

Food Intelligence experts at Innova Market Insights report a growing global trend for moderating alcohol consumption. A recent Innova poll (US, UK, France, Germany, China, and Brazil) revealed that 1 in 4 consumers have cut down on their alcohol consumption in recent years in pursuit of healthier lifestyles.

The Wall Street Journal reports of a slump in wine sales for the first time in 25 years as new substitutes enter the market. The Beverage Strategist points to an up and coming "Sober Curious" movement characterized by a new generation of consumers seeking novel beverage experiences with "healthier-for-you" attributes. Individuals who identify as "sober curious" are seeking to reduce alcohol consumption. The Dry January campaign has been attracting more year-on-year recruits opting to abstain from alcohol consumption throughout January in pursuit of a healthier and more moderate lifestyle.

"Sobriety is trending now in the US, with millennials in particular seeking value-added waters and beverages imbued with functional benefits. The younger generation are practicing more mindful drinking," notes Bill Sipper, Managing Partner at Cascadia Managing Brands, O.Vine's US Brand Management Company. "These segments still very much want the social experience but not the alcohol and are more than ready for innovative alternatives."

Wine Water created its chic line of still and sparkling red and white wine grape infused waters, shaping a new category in alternative waters that sent waves across the food and beverage landscape.

Unique to the O.Vine formula is that it is composed of upcycled fruit residue from the traditional winemaking process reusing the intrinsically polyphenol rich skins and seeds from the remains of a choice blend of wine grape varieties.

The result is a refreshing, wholly sustainable beverage that can be savored at a soiree or business lunch without any intoxicating effects, yet at the same time it delivers antioxidant benefits naturally present in wine grapes.

"We have noted a drop in wine sales this year and the US consumer market of alcohol drinkers is evolving. They are more health conscious, sophisticated and sobering up somewhat and zero-booze bars are popping up across the country," says Anat Levi, CEO and Founder of Wine Water. "Americans are expressing a desire for specialty crafted beverages that can gives the same experience of enjoying an adult beverage but with a wellness and sustainable twist. It is a gap in the market that has long awaited to be filled and O.vine does that."

The elegantly bottled and aromatic line of O.Vine infused water beverages are natural, non-alcoholic, clean-label, contain no preservatives, added colours, or sulfites, and their blush and cream tones are naturally drawn from the raw material of the wine grape pomace.

Visit us at Natural Expo West, March 3-7, 2020 in Anaheim, North hall, booth #N413

For further information, please contact:

SOURCE O.Vine, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.o-vine.com/


The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday presented a Rs 5,12,860.72 crore budget for FY 2020-21, which also includes Rs 500-crore allocation for constructing an airport in Ayodhya.

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday set aside Rs 500 crore for an airport in Ayodhya and Rs 200 crore for the beautification of Varanasi's Kashi Vishwanath temple in a budget that is also big on road and metro rail projects.

The Budget presented in the state assembly by Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna provides Rs 2,000 crore for the new airport project at Jewar near Delhi.

The Kanpur Metro Rail Project gets Rs 358 crore and Rs 286 crore has been allocated for the metro rail in Agra. It has earmarked Rs 200 crore more for metro rail projects in Gorakhpur and other cities.

The 2020-21 Budget sets a target for the construction of four lakh houses for the weaker sections within a year and lists schemes to help the youth make a living. New universities will come up in Aligarh, Azamgarh and Saharanpur.

Addressing reporters later, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called the Budget - the fourth presented by his government - historic, growth-oriented and people-friendly. Opposition parties, however, termed it directionless and a farce.

The Rs 5.12 lakh crore Budget is bigger than the one presented last year by Rs 33,159 crore. It has provisions for new schemes worth Rs 10,967 crore, Khanna said. Among the major allocations is Rs 500 crore for an airport at Ayodhya, where the construction of a Ram temple is expected to begin in the next few months.

In addition, the state government will spend Rs 85 crore for the development of the pilgrim city as a tourist spot. Another Rs 10 crore will go on the renovation of the Tulsi Smarak Bhawan, dedicated to the author of Ramcharitmanas.

The Budget allocates Rs 200 crore for the expansion and beautification of Kashi Vishwanath temple in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Varanasi constituency. Another Rs 180 crore will go on setting up a cultural centre in the holy city.

The government announced two new schemes to provide employment for the youth -- the Chief Minister's Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (CMAPS) and the Yuva Udhyamita Vikas Abhiyan (YUVA). Under CMAPS, the Centre and state government will pay a combined stipend of Rs 2,500 per month.

The Budget lays emphasis on developing metro networks, airports and expressways.

Besides the allocation for the metro projects, it provides Rs 2,000 crore for the 637-km 'Ganga Expressway' from Meerut to Allahabad, which the government says will be in the longest in the country.

The Noida International Greenfield Airport at Jewar near Delhi has been allotted Rs 2,000 crore, which is about half of the estimated cost of its first phase of construction.

"The airport is expected to go operational by 2023," Khanna said in his speech.

The Budget estimates total receipts of 5,00,558 crore -- Rs 4,22,567 crore through revenue and Rs 77,990 crore through capital receipts. It estimates a deficit of Rs 12,302 crore.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the Budget focused on the youth.

"The Budget will play a major role in achieving the goal of one trillion dollar economy for the state and meet the target of making India a dollar five trillion economy," he said. But opposition parties slammed the exercise.

"The government is betraying all sections -- be they youth, farmers or women. The BJP says it wants to make the state a trillion dollar economy but it is not saying from where the investment will come," Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav told reporters. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati called it a farce.

"The promises and claims made in the Budget appear hollow and are only on paper," she said. UP Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu said the Budget is "directionless" and a mere "jugglery of figures". "The Budget has nothing for the youth, farmers, women and the poor," he said.
Iran's foreign minister said Wednesday that he believes his recent meeting with a U.S. senator had spooked the Trump administration because it was an opportunity to talk directly to ``the American nation.''

Mohammad Javad Zarif met last week with Sen. Chris Murphy on the sidelines of an international security conference in Germany. The Connecticut Democrat defended the meeting on Tuesday after his actions were questioned in conservative media, and as President Donald Trump suggested they may have violated U.S. law. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped anyone who meets with Zarif would be reflecting the U.S. position with Iran.

``Trump and Pompeo are afraid of a senator hearing facts from the Iranian foreign minister,'' Zarif said, speaking to reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting. He said this wasn't his first face-to-face chat with an American lawmaker in the last 20 years. It was not immediately clear which senators he'd met with.

Murphy said meeting Zarif was important because it is ``dangerous not to talk to one's enemies,`` adding: ``I have no delusions about Iran _ they are our adversary.``

Tehran and Washington came close to an open conflict in January, when a U.S. drone strike in Iraq killed Iran's top general. Iran retaliated with missile strikes on a base housing U.S. troops in Iraq.

Tensions have been escalating steadily since 2018, when Trump pulled the U.S. out of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. The Trump administration reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran as part of its ``maximum pressure campaign'' on the Islamic republic.

On hearing of Saturday's meeting, Trump said it sounded as though Murphy had violated an obscure, little-used federal law known as the Logan Act, which bars private citizens from conducting official diplomacy.

Pompeo said the U.S. has long designated Iran a state sponsor of terrorism, and pointed out Iran's recent accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger jet over Tehran. Pompeo has criticized other Americans for meeting with Zarif, including his immediate predecessor, John Kerry.

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EASTHAMPTON  There are vacancies on 14 boards and committees in the city, and Mayor Nicole LaChapelle is seeking volunteers to serve on them.

The openings are on the following:

Affordable and Fair Housing Partnership Committee

Agricultural Commission

Aquifer Protection Committee

Board of Public Works

Charity Funds Committee

Commission on Disability

Contributory Retirement Board

Council on Aging

Easthampton City Arts Advisory Committee

Energy Advisory Committee

Manhan Rail Trail Committee

Nashawannuck Pond Committee

Veterans Council

Zoning Board of Appeals

Interested residents can send letters of interest to: Nicole LaChapelle, Mayor, 50 Payson Ave., Easthampton, MA 01027 or mayor@easthamptonma.gov.
Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister has stressed governments commitment to invest in Technical Vocational, Education and Training (TVET) in the country, to create efficient and formidable human resource base required for sustainable national development.



He said it was imperative to harness talents, develop and effectively manage the skills of artisans to form a strong cohort of human resource, which would be leveraged to aid national development both within and outside the country.



The Regional Minister was addressing a durbar held at Nkwanta, a farming community in the Sekyere Kumawu District of Ashanti.



The occasion coincided with the sod-cutting for the construction of a number of infrastructure projects for the Kumawuman Institute of Skills Training (KIST), established in the community since 2003.



The projects, worth over GH3,000,000.00 (three million Ghana Cedis), is being funded by the Government of Ghana (GOG).



They consist of an administration and a classroom block, a workshop as well as girls' and boys' dormitories.



Mr Osei-Mensah said the KIST projects added up to other government investments of over 500,000,000 (five hundred million Euros) in the countrys technical education sector.



These comprised the expansion and upgrading of the Technical Universities, two Polytechnics and 17 Technical Institutes across the country and cited these as a vivid demonstration of the current governments commitment to the TVET cause.



Advising the students and the public on the value and necessity of TVET, he said artisans or those with TVET training such as Auto mechanics, Masons, Carpenters, Electricians, among others, were always financially independent.



The reason for this was that during their working stage, after receiving training, the sector always provided access to job contracts and revenue mobilization.



I believe it is about time to change our mindset about TVET and motivate our children to accept education and skill training in the artisanal sector, he added.

Source: GNA









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Three Pakistani militants and nine Taliban members have been killed in an attack in the Momandra district of the Afghan eastern province of Nangarhar, the local governor's office said in a statement on Wednesday

KABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2020) Three Pakistani militants and nine Taliban members have been killed in an attack in the Momandra district of the Afghan eastern province of Nangarhar, the local governor's office said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the Nangarhar governor's office, the militants were killed in the Ghoraki area of the Momandra district on Wednesday morning.

Afghanistan has long been suffering from an unstable security situation. The government has struggled to contain the Taliban movement, which has been waging a war against Kabul for almost two decades.
If its Saturday night, it must mean a new episode of The Incredible Dr. Pol will be airing on NatGeo WILD.

Dr. Jan Pol of The Incredible Dr. Pol | Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

This Saturday, however, Pol Veterinary Services will be saying goodbye to a fan favorite vet: Dr. Emily. Although we all knew this moment was coming, it still wont be easy to say goodbye to the unflappable Dr. Emily (hey, NatGeo, show idea right there!).

Heres what we know about her departure, plus her husbands take on life at Dr. Pols office.

Why fans love Dr. Emily so much

Dr. Emily is beloved by fans for her humor, her easygoing nature, and how easy she makes it look to handle large farm animals. Although she is quiet, the mother of three has some pretty spot-on and funny observations when she opens up.

The Georgia-born-and raised vet writes in her blog about working her first veterinary job after completing an internship and having to tell her scary first veterinary boss that she was pregnant with her first child.

Hey there #drpol fans, #natgeowild has found enough footage of me to have me in at least 7 more episodes! So, even though I'm not working for @thedrpol anymore, you will still see me on the show for a little while! #veterinarymedicine #veterinarian #showbiz #moviemagic #realitytv pic.twitter.com/xGNiWDzTUF  Dr. Emily (@DrEmilyThomas) February 13, 2020

I finally got up the courage to tell him and he was visibly disturbed, but, to my astonishment, did not fire me on the spot. . . He did, however, warn me that the farmers around there (rural South Carolina) would not like a pregnant lady working on their cattle. . .

. . . [A]t some point, you just get to the point where you cant hide that belly anymore. The farmers did notice. They were shocked, surprised, but not one of them told me not to come back or act like they were unwilling to allow me to work on their animals. They were, maybe, a little more careful with restraining their large animals.

What Dr. Emilys husband, Tony, had to say about working with Dr. Pol

Dr. Emilys husband, Tony, also worked in Dr. Pols office in a support capacity, helping out with administrative duties, helping check clients in and out, plus on a daily basis, he would, as he noted in his guest post on Dr. Emilys blog restrain patients, clean rooms between appointments, fill prescriptions, run blood work, fecal floats, . . . run urinalyses in the lab, and work in radiology.

Anyone in the #smellingsalts business? Today was my weekly ammonia crystal harvest from the toilets/walls/floors the boys use. And since Tony said he cleaned the bathrooms last, we have double the harvest  today only! #boyscantaim #pottytrainingboys #itriedtopassoutbutcouldnt pic.twitter.com/JcHC7niLno  Dr. Emily (@DrEmilyThomas) February 11, 2020 Dr. Emilys husband, Tony, and their three children

He was, in Dr. Pols office, one of the people who mostly stayed just to the side of the cameras screen, but kept the clinic together.

Working at Pol Vet was frantic, . . . claustrophobic at times, he wrote. The clinic is small, and it was hard at times fitting the office staff, with the camera crew, and the clients into that building.

But, it was also fun. I loved being with the people I worked with. I enjoyed being a part of something that helped a lot of people in the community. The guys on the film crew became some of my best friends in Michigan. I dont miss the chaos that Pol Vet brought into my family, but I do miss the people (both clients and coworkers) there.

Finding her way to Dr. Pols

Getting a job with Dr. Pol was a literal answer to prayer for Dr. Emily. Her friend had seen an ad Dr. Pols office had placed looking for a new veterinarian. Dr. Emily submitted her resume and information and became discouraged because she had not heard from his office, but soon the call she was waiting for came.

Thanks for watching and tweeting with us tonight! You won't want to miss next week's episode when we bid farewell to Dr. Emily #DrPol pic.twitter.com/TTaOqTTsZV  Dr. Pol (@DrPol) February 16, 2020 Tweet from Dr. Pol announcing Dr. Emilys final episode on Sat., Feb. 22

. . . [W]e were driving home from the Atlanta airport. We had stopped for gas somewhere along the Atlanta Highway for gas when my phone rang and it was Dr. Pol.

I had not watched the show at all and only knew of it through news articles. I was still star struck, knowing this famous vet wanted me to come interview. I hung up the phone and knew that God had shown me the way.

Watch Dr. Emilys final episode on The Incredible Dr. Pol this Saturday, Feb. 22 at 9:00PM on NatGeo WILD

Read more: The Incredible Dr. Pol: Dr. Emily Gets Brutally Honest About Being a Woman in the Veterinary Field
HURON COUNTY  The Detroit office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects to receive $181 million for district civil works projects in the 2021 federal budget, which includes funds for a project on the Sebewaing River.

The funding is part of $5.9 billion in discretionary funds for the nationwide Civil Works programs of the Army Corps of Engineers.

Among that, $137,000 is set for a flood reduction management project for the Sebewaing River, which would clean up debris in the river, cut down trees along the south side of the river, put in stoplogs, and anything else to reduce the risk of flooding.

The Sebewaing River runs near Unionville, through Sebewaing Township and the village of Sebewaing before emptying in the Saginaw Bay.

Among the other projects expected to receive funds include ones for the Soo Locks, the Detroit River, the St. Clair River, the Saginaw River, Lake St. Clair, and the Rouge River.

The Detroit District budget reflects the administrations commitment to investing in the Great Lakes, said Lt. Col. Greg Turner, a district engineer, in a statement. We stand ready to deliver the program and continue the momentum that we are making towards improving the regions infrastructure. Detroits robust mission promotes economic growth, quality of life, environmental health and national security.

Steven Rose, the Detroit Area Engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers, said the project was identified now due to the increased water levels in the Great Lakes and the need for flood risk management.

Theres not much we can do, Rose said. We can only deal with the issues of each project.

The federal budgets fiscal years run from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.

Rose said that just because an item is requested in the federal budget does not mean it will end up in it. There is still plenty of negotiating to take place between the executive and legislative branches of the federal government in order to pass the budget.

You could see all, you could see more, you could see less, Rose said. Its just a starting point.
Education

Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu.

Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu.

Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events:

International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu.

EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu.

Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale  an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s  will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets  June Homecoming: Participant  $18 per person; Sustainer  $25 per person; Benefactor  $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler  Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events:

SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available  for information call 610-275-1960

Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above)

SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.

Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.  4 p.m.  computers are available during those hours.

Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863.

Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376.

Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com.

The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes:

Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at

other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020.

CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313.

The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events:

Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.

Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30.

Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301.

For Kids & Families

The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443.

Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950.

Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required.

The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950.

Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus.

Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage.

Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun.

Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train.

Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world!

Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class.

Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org.

Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583.

Community Events at the Ambler Y:

-YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register.

Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org.

Health

Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot.

The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information.

Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245.

Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net.

Spring Aquatic Programs  UDHS Pool:

-Summer is just around the corner  Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required.

 Shallow Water Aerobics  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR.

 Adult Swim Instructions  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR

-Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21.

-Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday  Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m.

-Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons.

-Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates.

Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994.

SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com.

Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org.

Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs:

FITNESS CLASSES

Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month.

Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30  9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000.

Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30  7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047.

New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m.  12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30  4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931.

Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325.

Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes.

Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com.

Librarytalk

Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744

www.upperdublinlibrary.org

APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS:

Storytimes: Please register in the library.

o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.

o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m.

o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.

o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6.

APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS:

North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee

APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS:

NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org.

One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register  contact info above.

Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744.

o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register.

Meetings:

Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m.

Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m.

Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org.

For children and teens at Blue Bell:

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m.

* May 14  Despicable Me

* June 11  Alpha and Omega

* Special Events

* April  watch for date of spring/Easter events

* April 14 at 4:30 p.m.  Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children.

* April 14 at 7 p.m.  Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided.

* April 16 at 1 p.m.  Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King.

* April 16 at 1:30 p.m.  Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes?

* April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button.

* April 30 through May 3  Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults.

* May  sign up for Science in the Summer

* June  sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children

* June  sign up for Summer Reading, all ages

For adults at Blue Bell:

* Daytime Book Discussion Group  fourth Tuesday, Jan  April at 1:30 p.m.

* April 26  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Night-time Book Discussion Group  third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

o April 19  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges

o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked?

*Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs

* Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class.

* Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class.

* Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m.

* Giant Book Sale, April 29  May 3

o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults!

o Held during library hours.

o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m.

o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join.

* Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series

o May 11 at 1 p.m.  Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society

* Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room.

* Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read.

* Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome.

* Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome.

*Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older.

* Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours

* Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours

* Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday!

Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library.

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* For adults:

* Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn.

* Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net

* Special Events:

* April 14 at 1:30 p.m.  Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.

* April 19 at 7 p.m.  Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m.

* April 21 at 7 p.m.  Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades.

*May 2 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

*May 10  Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*May 12 at 1:30p.m.  Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

*May 17  Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*June 13 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

Meetings and Lectures

The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833.

The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200.

The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/.

LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings.

Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org.

Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org)

-Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them.

The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter.

For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps.

Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin.

Special Events

The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County.

The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065.

Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members.

Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex.

The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com.

The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348.

The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org.

Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163.

The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu.

The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com.

The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net.

Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages.

13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries.

Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family.

The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler.

JPRN  Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them  Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike.

Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.

Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately.

Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways.

Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table.

Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp  Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall:

-Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store.

Music and Theater

The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220.

Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html.

Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free.

The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org

Religious News

The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276.

Reunions

St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net.

Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572.

Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779.

Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net

Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net

The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411.

Support

New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149.

PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931.

The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296.

Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656.

Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group  every other Wednesday, 7  8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support  second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner  Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers  Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information.

CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7  8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich,
The poll is among the first to emerge from delegate-rich California since Sanderss strong showings in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two nominating states. The Democrats are competing in Nevada and South Carolina on the next two Saturdays before the contest goes national on March 3, with voting in California and 13 other states.
Priti Patel and Boris Johnson are aiming to reduce the 'levels of people coming to the UK with low skills' (PA)

The government has announced its future vision of immigration in which low-skilled workers will not be able to move to the UK.

Under a new points-based system, home secretary Priti Patel said the government is looking to welcome people with the right talent.

Overseas citizens will need to accrue 70 points to work in the UK, based on passing thresholds such as a minimum 25,600 salary, having qualifications and the ability to speak English.

It feeds into Boris Johnsons general election narrative of reducing unskilled immigration. Labour labelled it a hostile environment, with the Lib Dems saying it is xenophobic.

How does Britain feel about immigration?

Recent polling would suggest the publics attitude to immigration has softened  at least when compared to other issues.

Research published by Ipsos MORI earlier this month found just 14% of Brits named immigration as a big issue for the country.

Priti Patel at Imperial College London in South Kensington, London, where she announced plans for a new points-based immigration system (PA)

Eight other issues  such as the NHS (55%), crime (19%) and the environment (18%)  had more mentions than immigration.

This compares to a survey carried out by the same company before the 2016 EU referendum, in which immigration (33%) was the most commonly named issue for voters. It was as high as 56% in September 2015.

However, a YouGov survey on Wednesday also found 48% of respondents, when specifically asked about immigration, said it was too high. Some 33% said it is about right, with 6% saying it is too low.

Will this softening trend continue?

Eric Kaufmann, a politics professor from Londons Birkbeck University, believes this will be the case among Labour and Remain voters.

Attitudes have softened substantially, he told Yahoo News UK.

That part of the electorate has become more liberal. In 2010, almost 70% of Labour voters wanted a reduction.

The YouGov survey on Wednesday found only 33% of Labour voters think immigration is too high.

What about Tory and Leave voters?

Prof Kaufmann believes immigration could return as a key issue, even under Johnson and Patels vision of reducing the levels of people coming to the UK with low skills.

Story continues

When we are talking about what issue is most important, this is affected by other issues, he said.

Post-Brexit, the economy has quite naturally become a concern. But if Brexit is a success, the numbers [of people concerned about immigration] wont come down.

These other issues [such as the economy] will drop down the agenda and that will mean immigration remains an issue among Leave and Tory voters.

With Brexit not in the news, immigration will immediately start to rise again.

Nigel Farage could still influence the immigration debate, according to Prof Kaufmann (Hollie Adams/Getty Images)

Prof Kaufmann said this could particularly happen if a new populist party led by Nigel Farage emerges. Farage has previously promised to change his Brexit Partys name to the Reform Party.

He also questioned whether immigration numbers will decrease under the governments new system: We will have more PhD students, more immigrants from Asia rather than Europe.

When you look at the politics of New Zealand and Canada [which both use points-based immigration systems], the discussion is still over powerful concerns about immigration.

This is to do with culture rather than the economy, and we might just get a change in narrative. I just cant see how the UKs points-based system will satisfy the kind of people who voted for the Conservatives.

Government sets out plans for a new points-based immigration system
Were nearing the one-year anniversary of the mammoth extension the Rockies awarded superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado last February. The club gave Arenado a franchise-record $234MM over seven years on a deal that wont take effect until this season. There have already been trade rumors centering on Arenado, though, as well as a rift in the two sides relationship.

Arenado said last month theres a lot of disrespect from people there that I dont want to be a part of, and its not because his name has surfaced in trade talks. Rather, Arenado is reportedly annoyed that the Rockies havent made a clear attempt to better themselves after going from back-to-back playoff berths in 2017 and 18 to a 71-win showing last season. The 28-year-old five-time All-Star remains a Rockie, however, and he assured last week that he wont do anything behind the scenes to disrupt the team if he does stay in place.

Arenados beef is largely with general manager Jeff Bridich, who discussed the relationship he has with his franchise player Tuesday at Cactus League media day (via Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post). Bridich and Arenado havent sat down to clear the air yet, But I trust that we will, Bridich said.

The GM added that hes hoping he and Arenado will get past their issues through communication. Regardless, Bridich emphasized that the goal is for the team to put together a much better year in 2020. Whether Arenado will be a part of it may be in question, but with seemingly no clubs making strong pushes to acquire him or his enormous contract (which includes an opt-out after 2021), it does seem hell at least start the upcoming season in Colorado.
The man accused of murdering Hollywood sex therapist Amie Harwick has been released from prison on a $2 million bond.

Gareth Pursehouse, 41, was bailed out of prison on Tuesday evening, according to CBS, just three days after he was arrested and charged with throwing Harwick, 38, from the balcony of her third-floor apartment.

No details about Pursehous's bail conditions have been released by police, and it is currently unclear when he will return to court.

It comes on the same day that a video from the alleged killer's Instagram account was uncovered, showing him joking about an eerily similar scenario to the one that took place on Saturday morning.

The clip, posted to Instagram last May, shows Pursehouse standing shirtless in a yard as he laughs about a scene from Game of Thrones in which character Bran Stark is pushed from a tower window by Jamie Lannister.

Several disturbed viewers have now claimed that Pursehouse's video is a 'foreshadowing' of the murder he is alleged to have committed.

Gareth Pursehouse (left) was bailed out of prison on Tuesday evening, just three days after he was arrested and charged with throwing Harwick (right) from the balcony of her third-floor apartment

Pursehouse states: 'Okay, Game of Thrones, first season. The brother and sister (Cersei and Jamie Lannister) are up in the castle and then the kid (Bran Stark) sees them through the window and the brother has to throw the kid off to kill him. Even though it's evil, I feel kind of bad for the brother, because even though he doesn't want to do it, his sister incest-ed'.

The alleged murderer is then seen cackling at his pun before the camera cuts off.

It's unclear why Pursehouse uploaded the clip talking about the episode, or whether it served as some kind of inspiration for his alleged killing.

'Foreshadowing?' one follower wrote on Tuesday.

'Wow,' remarked another, struck by the similarities.

Pursehouse is seen in a May 2019 video in which he jokes about a person being pushed to their death from a window

In a statement Drew Carey, picture with Amie, said: 'Amie and I had a love that people are lucky to have once in a lifetime. She was a positive force in the world, a tireless and unapologetic champion for women, and passionate about her work as a therapist'

Harwick, who was recently engaged to comedian Drew Carey, was found unconscious on the ground at around 1.15am on Saturday after officers responded to a report of a 'woman screaming' in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood.

She had been thrown from her third floor apartment's balcony, according to police, with the coroner confirming on Tuesday that she died of blunt force injuries to her head and torso.

It s not known how Pursehouse allegedly knew where Amie was now living, but the pair had shared a home together ten years ago. Harwick first got a temporary restraining order against Pursehouse in 2011 and a second a year later.

Friends say it was the former couple's chance meeting last month at an event he was photographing that 'reignited his obsessive preoccupation with her'.

Beverly Hills sex therapist Hernando Chaves told The LA Times: 'It was the absolute worst possible luck.' Friend Vera Duffy added: 'She said that when he saw her, he just went ballistic. He lost it. He made a scene.'

Hollywood sex therapist Amie Harwick, left, had requested a second restraining order against the ex-boyfriend accused of murdering her. Gareth Pursehouse, right, has been arrested and charged with murder, according to the Los Angeles Police Department

Chaves added: 'She was very scared. She said, 'What am I going to do? I let my roommate know, I have home security'. '

Harwick first got a temporary restraining order against Pursehouse in 2011. After she did not attend a follow-up hearing the order was reportedly dismissed 'for lack of prosecution'.

Then in April 2012 a judge granted her request for protection after she got another temporary restraining order. That order expired two weeks ago.

Harwick had previously told friends she feared he would hurt her.

Friend Eric Breslow told KTLA: 'This was a constant thing that she talked about, that she was afraid of this particular guy and it was always something that kind of followed her. It scared her enough to tell friends that, gee, I think I should get some mace or pepper spray.'

The doctor's roommate told police that after Pursehouse broke in, they ran out of the apartment to get help for her.

By the time officers arrived at the property, she had been thrown from the balcony.

Amie's ex-fiance Drew Carey paid tribute to Harwick Monday. The Price Is Right host said: 'I would like to thank you in advance for giving myself and everyone who loved Amie privacy while we try to work through this tragic situation.'

His statement came after it was announced that the show has cancelled this week's tapings.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Pursehouse has worked as a photographer as well as a software engineer and developer. His most recent job was as lead architect at Internet Brands.

Hours after Harwick died and before his arrest, Pursehouse, who is active on Twitter, posted messages on the site.

'You can't get fit without that new gym clothing,' he wrote at 9.07am on Saturday. 'But they won't give you that gear until you're fit. Soo  Tough t***ies bucko.'

Hours before the alleged murder, Pursehouse tweeted about politics. 'I can't figure out why gerrymandering isn't a federal crime,' he wrote.

His Twitter page is full of tweets critical of President Donald Trump.

'Reminder... Once Trump is not president, the FBI can prosecute him for all the Mueller report findings,' he wrote on Wednesday.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Pursehouse, pictured, has worked as a photographer as well as a software engineer and developer. His most recent job was as lead architect at Internet Brands. Hours after Harwick died Pursehouse posted messages on Twitter

Harwick was found unconscious after falling from a third-floor balcony in her home, pictured

Carey and Harwick first made their relationship public in June 2017. They were engaged in January 2018.

Wendy Williams, 55, has come under fire for making a tasteless joke about her death, telling viewers: 'She was killed... not by Drew, but by the ex... come on down,' using Carey's catch-phrase from The Price Is Right.

Harwick, the author of The New Sex Bible for Women, and Carey split in November 2018 after dating for more than a year.

Harwick is a well known sex and family therapist in the Hollywood area.

She received her degree in psychology from California Polytechnic University in Pomona, California.

Harwick also earned her masters of arts in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University.

In 2015, Harwick appeared in the popular online documentary titled Addicted to Sexting.

A year later, she made an appearance on the reality television show Braxton Family Values.

The show, which airs on WE tv, follows the lives of the Braxton sisters - Toni, Tamar, Traci, Towanda, and Trina - as well as their mother, Evelyn.

Harwick also published articles in various online news and advice sites. According to her web site, she worked out of an office on Santa Monica Boulevard.

She offered weekly therapy sessions at $200 per session, according to her site.
University of Miami researchers Anthony Zanesco, Amishi Jha, Ekaterina Denkova, and Scott L. Rogers. Credit: University of Miami Communications

Using mindfulness training as a cognitive enhancement tool, two new studies from University of Miami researchers show that firefighters and soldiers who participated in short-form mindfulness training programs tailored for their respective professional contexts, benefited from improved attention and resilience. These benefits, the researchers argue, better equip these professionals to manage stressors on the frontlines of their high-demand occupations.

Acknowledging the similarities faced by first responders and active-duty military service personnel in high-stress, high-demand environments, Amishi Jha, a cognitive neuroscientist and associate professor of psychology in the University's College of Arts and Sciences, built upon previous research utilizing Mindfulness-based Attention Training (MBAT)an innovative program co-developed in 2013 by Jha and Scott L. Rogers, director of the Mindfulness in Law Program at the University of Miami School of Law .

The MBAT program was developed by Jha and Rogers for delivery to psychologically and physically healthy individuals in high-demand, time-pressed workplace environments and comprises four central themes: concentration, body awareness, open monitoring and connection.

"For firefighters, soldiers, as well as medical professionals, business leaders and many otherssuccess matters, not only for themselves but for all they serve and lead," Jha said. "Many of our participants are highly motivated to learn how to gain a 'mental edge' so they can succeed in very demanding circumstances. In these projects, we contextualized our training to highlight why and how mindfulness training offered in the MBAT program provides tools and skills to succeed, even under Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) circumstances."

"Is Resilience Trainable? An Initial Study Comparing Mindfulness and Relaxation Training in Firefighters," published in the journal Psychiatry Research, investigated the effectiveness of offering short-form mindfulness training to bolster firefighters' resiliencean important factor known to mitigate the damaging effects of occupational stress on the mental health of first responders.

Ekaterina Denkova, the first author on the firefighter study and research assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, together with Jha, Rogers, and post-doctoral researcher Anthony Zanesco, wanted to know if resilience is trainable. And if so, how mindfulness training, which emphasizes present moment attention and nonreactivity, might compare to a well-matched comparison program involving relaxation (i.e., visualization and progressive muscle relaxation).

Partnering with the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, the researchers examined resilience, mood, and attention in 121 Miami-Dade firefighters who were assigned to one of three groups. Two groups received either mindfulness training or relaxation training, respectively, while the third received no training and served as a control group. For both training programs, Jha and Rogers consulted with Gary Gonzalez, a retired Battalion Chief from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, to ensure that the programs would resonate with firefighters.

Findings from the firefighter study include:

Psychological resilience showed a greater increase over time in firefighters who received a four-week mindfulness training compared to those who received relaxation training, or no training at all.

Self-reported positive mood and objective attentional performance also showed a greater increase over the 4-week study interval in participants from the mindfulness group who spent more days per week engaging in guided mindfulness exercises.

"We have recently experienced fires in Australia unlike any we have ever encountered," said Dennis Smith, senior station officer for the Country Fire Authority in South Warrandyte, Victoria, Australia. "It has been a dangerous and exhausting season for our firefighters. Since the intensity and frequency of fires is unlikely to abate, we need better training for our readiness and recovery. The results from Dr. Jha's study give us hope. As firefighters, we can train our minds to be more attentive, positive, and resilient with mindfulness training. We can practice a proven method that will help our first responders with the unrelenting demands of this job, so we can operate at our best and focus on rebuilding our damaged communities."

A second study, "Bolstering Cognitive Resilience via Train-the-Trainer Delivery of Mindfulness Training in Applied High-Demand Settings," published in the journal Mindfulness, investigated train-the-trainer delivery of MBAT by trainers who were highly experienced in mindfulness or novices. The novice trainers were military trainers and thus, highly familiar with soldiers' professional challenges. A total of 180 active-duty soldiers from the U.S. Army were recruited to participate in the study and assigned to be in one of three groups. Two of the groups received training from the experienced or novice trainers, respectively, and the third received no training.

Jha and her team wanted to test whether mindfulness-naive, context-familiar military trainers could successfully deliver MBAT to soldiers after being trained for just 12 weeks.

Findings include:

Intensive military field training designed to prepare soldiers for deployment can degrade cognitive capacities, such as their attention skills.

Soldiers who received MBAT from military trainers had less cognitive decline than those in the other two groups.

These results provide a cost-effective and time-efficient strategy for rapid dissemination of short-form mindfulness training to military cohorts.

"While mindfulness training is growing in popularity, accessibility to training is limited, especially for groups where the professional climate is time pressured with its own unique culture, challenges, and demands," Jha said of the train-the-trainer research approach.

The findings from both studies suggest that it is possible to improve accessibility of mindfulness training programs for such high-demand professionals.

"What we learned here is that in addition to ensuring that mindfulness training is contextualized for participants' professional lives, trainers' context familiarity is key, perhaps even more so than having extensive mindfulness expertise. We also learned that trainers can be 'trained up' to effectively deliver mindfulness training in as little as 12 weeks. Knowing this should help empower those who wish to make mindfulness training more accessible for specialized professions."

In their ongoing work, Jha, Rogers, and the university-based research team are working with military spouses who have been trained in peer-to-peer delivery of MBAT with encouraging results, Jha said.

Explore further Building mental toughness off the fieldit's all about practice

More information: Ekaterina Denkova et al, Is resilience trainable? An initial study comparing mindfulness and relaxation training in firefighters, Psychiatry Research (2020). Journal information: Psychiatry Research Ekaterina Denkova et al, Is resilience trainable? An initial study comparing mindfulness and relaxation training in firefighters,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112794
China's authorities revoked the press credentials and ordered the expulsion of three Wall Street Journal reporters Wednesday in retaliation for a headline on an opinion column about coronavirus that Beijing said was racist.

The Journal identified the journalists as Josh Chin, its deputy bureau chief in Beijing, and reporter Chao Deng, both U.S. nationals. Another reporter, Philip Wen, is an Australian citizen. All three were ordered to leave the country within five days.

At a regularly scheduled news briefing Wednesday, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said China objected to an essay published in The Journal's editorial pages earlier this month with the headline "China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia."

Anthony Fauci: Coronavirus risk is 'low for the American public'

"The editors used such a racially discriminatory title, triggering indignation and condemnation among the Chinese people and the international community," said Geng Shuang, the ministry's spokesman. He said China demanded The Journal apologize, investigate and punish those responsible for the story.

China's foreign affairs spokesman Geng Shuang answers a question during a briefing in Beijing on November 28, 2019.

The column is a coronavirus-related piece by Walter Russell Mead, a professor at Bard College. It was published Feb. 3 and argued that "Chinese authorities are still trying to conceal the true scale of the problem" of the virus that has now sickened tens of thousands and killed more than 2,000 people. "Chinas initial response to the crisis was less than impressive," Mead wrote. He could not be immediately reached for comment.

Like many American newspapers, including USA TODAY, the opinion pages of The Journal are run separately from the news department. This means that none of The Journal's news staff would have been involved in commissioning or editing Mead's column or writing the headline. Like most foreign media, The Journal is not available in China, and its website and stories are blocked by its so-called Great Firewall: censors.

Story continues

"Our opinion pages regularly publish articles with opinions that people disagree  or agree with  and it was not our intention to cause offense with the headline on the piece," said William Lewis, CEO of Dow Jones, which publishes The Journal.

"Mature, responsible countries understand that a free press reports facts and expresses opinions. China should not restrict #freespeech," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted.

Death toll passes 2,000: Coronavirus 20 times more lethal than the flu?

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China issued a statement on Twitter expressing deep concern and strong condemnation of the Chinese move. It pointed out that none of the three reporters had any involvement with the opinion piece or its headline.

Chinese authorities have declined to issue or renew credentials for international journalists before, but this appears to be the first time in recent years that it has actively revoked credentials, effectively expelling the journalists from the country.

The incident comes a day after the Trump administration said it would begin treating five major Chinese state-run media entities with U.S. operations  Xinhua, CGTN, China Radio, China Daily and Hai Tian Development  as foreign embassies. It will require them to register their employees and U.S. property with the U.S. State Department. A similar U.S. Justice Department measure is in place for some Russian state-backed media working in the U.S. such as Russia Today, an English-language TV network.

Tensions between Beijing and Washington have fluctuated since President Donald Trump took office three years ago. The world's two largest economies have been locked in difficult trade talks that have precipitated on-and-off trade tariffs, and each side has accused the other of espionage. China is concerned about U.S. support for Taiwan, an island off China's southern coast that is governed independently but that Beijing claims as part of its territory.

The U.S. has expressed frustration about what it says it a lack of access to information about the spread of the coronavirus. The virus has infected more than 75,000 people in China and 1,000 outside mainland China.

Guide to coronavirus:Everything to know about COVID-19, virus alarming the world

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: China expels Wall Street Journal reporters over 'racist' headline
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel (Image: Twitter/@Bhupesh_Baghel)

As Chhattisgarh government focuses on diversifying from core industries such as mineral and steel to strategically important areas like agro and food processing, IT and defence Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has invited American companies to invest across key sectors in the state.

Baghel, currently on a multi-city visit to the US, highlighted his state's investor-friendly and ease of doing business policies as he met representatives of various sectors and members of diaspora from the state inviting them to visit and invest in Chhattisgarh.

"We are a mineral rich state and have several mineral based-industries. We invite companies and investors from America to come and explore core sectors as well those sectors and regions where there is untapped potential, Baghel told PTI in an interview.

Baghel, accompanied by a high-level official delegation, had over the weekend addressed students at the India Conference at Harvard. He addressed a business lunch Tuesday organized by the Consulate General of India in New York and the US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).

Baghel said over the next few years his government will focus on strengthening the purchasing power of people in his state.

The state government is also committed to poverty eradication and diversifying from core sectors such as minerals, steel, power to sectors of strategic importance such as agro and food processing, IT, bio ethanol, electronics, textile and apparel, engineering and defense, higher education, pharma and automobile and electric vehicles.

My target is to see how to increase the purchasing power of the people. No matter how many industries we set up, if people do not have money to buy the products, then what is the benefit of the industries, he said.

Baghel said that in order to maintain this balance, it is very important to increase the purchasing power, which will in turn benefit businesses and industries.

He underlined that the state government will work towards strengthening the purchasing power of the people, which will ensure demand and then the wheels of the industry will start turning and production will take off.

The state government is looking at making the citizens economically self-sufficient, create demand and let the industry move in to fulfill that demand.

He noted that Chattisgarh is rich in natural resources such as dense forest cover, water and mineral resources yet poverty is still prevalent in some areas. Poverty eradication is most important. Sectors such as health, education and agro-based industries will help generate new job opportunities as well as increase people's income, he said.

The state, which has a strong presence of several core sectors industries, is focussed on diversifying from the core areas to non-core areas.
Barings promoted longtime executive Michael Freno to president, the Charlotte-based asset manager said Wednesday.

He was previously head of global markets at the firm, which oversees about $340 billion in assets and is owned by the insurance giant MassMutual. In the new role, he reports to the firms chairman and CEO Tom Finke.

Mike has a strong record of driving strategic growth and developing relationships with key clients, Finke said in a statement.

The move cements more Charlotte-based leadership at the global firm.

Freno, a Clearwater, Fla.-native, attended Furman University in Greenville, S.C., and Wake Forest Universitys executive MBA program in Charlotte. Prior to joining Barings in 2005, he worked at the hedge fund Mangan & McColl and at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

In 2016, MassMutual joined Charlotte-based Babson Capital Management with three other firms it owned, one of which was a former unit of the defunct British concern Barings Bank, to create a new Barings. The combination created one of the largest investment-management firms in the country. The combined institution opened its new Charlotte headquarters at 300 South Tryon St. in 2017.

As a financial services firm in Charlotte, Weve had the blessing to tap the financial services talent here, Freno said in an interview after his promotion. We do check a lot of boxes for a desirable place for people to come to work, to raise families, and to grow in their career.

Thats borne out in Barings top executives, most of which spent time at other Charlotte firms.
TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Peeks Social Ltd. (TSX.V: PEEK) (OTCQB: PKSLF) announces that further to the Companys press release dated February 13, 2020, there was an error in the number of units being issued to Mark Itwaru, Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The number was reported as 41,141,340 and should have been 39,141,340.

On February 13, 2020 it was announced that, an additional $310,000 of financing had been further arranged to the Companys January 13, 2020 announcement regarding a non-brokered private placement. Management and Insiders have subscribed for $300,000 of the total amount of this second $310,000 tranche.

$200,000 of the final tranche was being contributed by Chief Marketing Officer Rick Padulo and an additional $100,000 from Chief Executive Officer Mark Itwaru was contributed on top of Mr. Itwarus previously announced $1,857,067 from January 13, 2020 for a total of $1,957,067.

In total, the Company issued an aggregate of 39,141,340 units at a price of $0.05 per units to Mark Itwaru, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company for gross proceeds of $1,957,067. The Company is relying upon available exemptions from Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions in connection with the subscription for securities by its CEO as the transactions constitute related party transactions.

Each unit consists of one common share and one common share purchase warrant of the Company. Each warrant is exercisable to purchase one half of one additional common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.075 per share for a period of 12 months from the date of issuance. The common shares and warrants will be subject to a four month hold period. The Company has obtained final acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange.

Following the closing, Mark Itwaru, Chief Executive Officer, together with Riavera Corporation (Riavera) beneficially owns or has control and direction over an aggregate of 186,756,517 common shares of the Company or 57.97% of the Issuers outstanding common shares on a non-diluted basis. Mark Itwaru, the President and CEO of the Company, is the sole director and officer of Riavera (but does not beneficially own Riavera) and accordingly has control and direction over the common shares of the Company held by Riavera. The total holdings are comprised of: (a) Mark Itwarus beneficial holdings of 124,797,657 common shares, warrants to purchase 22,325,940 common shares at $0.10 per share, warrants to purchase 19,570,670 common shares at $0.075 per share, and options to purchase 350,000 common shares at $0.30 per share and options to purchase 150,000 common shares at $2.00 per share and options to purchase 14,492,800 at $0.05 per share; and (b) 61,958,860 common shares of the Company and options to purchase 300,000 common shares at a price of $1.12 held by Riavera (63.8% on a partially diluted basis, after giving effect to the conversion of all convertible securities held by the two parties). Neither the Company, nor to the knowledge of the Company after reasonable inquiry, Mr. Itwaru, have knowledge of any material information concerning the Company or its securities that has not been generally disclosed.

The private placement proceeds will be used for ongoing for general corporate purposes.

In addition, the following information is being provided pursuant to Part 3  Early Warning Requirements of National Instrument 62-103.

Early Warning Report under National Instrument 62-103

Mr. Mark Itwaru issues the following disclosure pursuant to Part 3  Early Warning Requirements of National Instrument 62-103 with respect to the Company.

Further to the foregoing disclosure above and as a summary, on January 13, 2020, Mark Itwaru (Chief Executive Officer of the Company) acquired 37,141,340 units of the Company at a price of $0.05 per unit pursuant to the private placement. On February 13, Mark Itwaru acquired 2,000,000 units at a price of $0.05 per unit pursuant to the private placement. In total, The Company issued an aggregate of 39,141,340 units at a price of $0.05 per unit to Mark Itwaru, for gross proceeds of $1,957,067 to the Company (the Share Acquisitions). Prior to the Share Acquisition, Mark Itwaru together with Riavera beneficially owned or had control over 147,615,177 common shares of the Company and after the Share Acquisitions, Mark Itwaru together with Riavera beneficially owns or has control and direction over an aggregate of 186,756,517 common shares of the Company or 57.97% of the Issuers outstanding common shares on a non-diluted basis.

An early warning report will be filed by Mr. Itwaru in accordance with applicable securities laws. To obtain a copy of the early warning report, please refer to the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

In the future, Mr. Itwaru may acquire additional securities of the Company, dispose of some or all of the securities he now owns or controls, or may continue to hold its current position.

The Common Shares of the Company are listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the trading symbol "PEEK".

For further information on this early warning disclosure, please contact Mark Itwaru at (416) 815-7000.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this Release.
Elderly pastor brutally beaten, mocked by Hindu extremists: 'I am ready to die for Christ'

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Hindu extremists in Andhra Pradesh, India, brutally beat an elderly pastor and verbally abused his wife amid escalating tension over the presence of a Christian church in their community.

Morning Star News reports that Pastor Eswara Rao Appalabattula was attacked by a group of Hindu extremists after he pleaded with them to stop building a wall meant to block people from attending worship services at his home in L.B. Patnam village, Andhra Pradesh.

They wanted to build a wall right in front of the church and ban us from using the path, Appalabattula told Morning Star News. I pleaded with them to not do so. But the group of at least six neighbors, both male and female, punched me in my stomach several times and pushed me to the floor.

They picked up a wooden pole and started beating his hands repeatedly with it, he said. Doctors later told him his hand had been fractured.

I was lying there on the floor screaming for help, he said. My wife came running and begged them to stop beating me  it was traumatic.

That same month, a Hindu priest led a group of extremists to the pastors home, where they threatened to kill his wife, Karuna Appalabattula, as she was doing chores outside.

I did not go to fight with them but I was panicked, Karuna Appalabattula told Morning Star News. I did not know what to do. I asked them, What is this you are doing? Why are you after us?

The Hindu priest picked up a large log of wood and came running toward her, she said.

He kept screaming that he would kill me, she said. I was crying for help. But their priest abused me in extremely foul language. They called me names they would never use for a mother, wife, sister or any female member of their families. He called me a Christian prostitute and warned me that he would kill my husband.

When the pastor informed a police official of the abuse his family had endured, he was told to resolve the matter himself.

They told me that, Your God has to protect you  when your God is not protecting you from your attackers, what can we do staying here? the pastor said. I told them that it was my God who had been protecting me, if not I would not have been alive in front of you.

The Hindu extremists were reportedly angered by the presence of a church in their village and intimidated worshipers to discourage them from gathering. Pastor Appalabattula said the Hindu villagers had stopped worshipers from coming to services throughout January.

They would threaten and abuse them in foul language and not let them even park their motorbikes in the area, he said. Even before they stop at the church, they are chased and sent away.

My wife and I witnessed drug and alcohol addicts, and the sick, come to Christ, and then they had refused to be a part of Hindu rituals in the village.

Because of the ongoing persecution, youths and Christians from neighboring villages who used to come to their home daily for worship and hours of fellowship are too fearful to come now, the pastor said.

They were like our own children, she said. I would prepare meals and feed them. We sang and worshiped together  We both are very old and weak and are in need of prayers and support.

Pastor Appalabattula said they are going through a very difficult time.

I am ready to die for Christ. But the ministry we had started here has come to a sudden halt, he said. Not even four members are gathering for Sunday worship. The believers have been very scared, and nobody dares to come and see us.

India is ranked 10th on Christian support organization Open Doors 2020 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

Over 1,400 incidents of persecution against Christians in India have been reported since the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party rose to power, according to an initiative of ADF India.

Recently, it was reported that Hindu extremists in southern India beat Christian children during a worship service before filing a false police complaint against the congregation.

International Christian Concern, an advocacy organization based outside of Washington, D.C., said it often receives reports of rapes, communal violence, forced conversion charges and other abuses committed against Christians in the Hindu-majority country.

Cases such as these are becoming commonplace in India and are largely fueled by rhetoric of BJP and other [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] officials, ICC Advocacy Director Matias Perttula said. They show a clear indication of the decline of religious freedom and an increase in the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities.
[February 19, 2020] Accomplished Scientific Leader and GSK Veteran, Dean Edney Joins Sai Life Sciences

HYDERABAD, India, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sai Life Sciences, one of India's fastest growing Contract Development & Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs), today announced the appointment of Dr. Dean Edney as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Process Research & Development. An accomplished scientific leader and industry veteran with over 25 years of experience in small molecule pharmaceutical process and product development, Dean Edney will split his time between the company's R&D centre in Hyderabad, India and the new R&D facility in Alderley Park, Manchester, UK. Making the announcement, CEO & Managing Director of Sai Life Sciences, Krishna Kanumuri said, "We are delighted to welcome Dean on board Sai Life Sciences as we open our new Process R&D facility in Manchester, UK. His joining strengthens our vision of creating a world-class, global process R&D organization that applies cutting edge scientific approaches and technology to rapidly deliver high-quality scientific output irrespective of the geographical location." As part o its organization-wide transformation initiative, Sai Nxt, the company aspires to enhance its Process Research & Development (PR&D) capability allowing customers to accelerate their research and development programs and deliver commercial products through the rapid application of high quality science to all areas of API process research, development and manufacturing. It will achieve this by combining expertise in rapid, cost effective, process optimisation and scale-up in Hyderabad with expertise in application of new technology and parallel & statistical approaches to process development in Manchester into a single global PR&D organisation.



Commenting on his appointment, Dean Edney said, "I am incredibly excited to be joining Sai Life Sciences at a time of significant investment and growth. My aim is to ensure that the investment in facilities and technology is matched by investment in people and capability, thereby accelerating our clients' ability to deliver new medicines to patients." Previously, over a 25-year career at GlaxoSmithKline, Dean demonstrated a strong track record of cross-functional leadership to deliver projects and develop capability across all phases of API process research & development, from early non-clinical supply and route scouting through to validation of commercial control strategies. Dean received his BSc in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of Nottingham, UK.

About Sai Life Sciences Sai Life Sciences is a full-service CDMO driven by a vision to support the launch of 25 new medicines by 2025. It works with innovator pharma and biotech companies globally, accelerating the discovery, development and manufacture of complex small molecules. A pure-play CDMO, Sai Life Sciences has served a diverse set of NCE development programs, consistently delivering value based on its quality and responsiveness. Today, it works with 7 of the top 10 large pharma companies, as well as several small and mid-sized pharma & biotech companies. Sai Life Sciences is privately held and backed by global investors, TPG Capital and HBM Healthcare Investments. www.sailife.com Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1092322/Dean_Edney_Sai_Life_Sciences.jpg

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A woman who felt like she 'didn't have anyone' after losing three family members in five years was convinced to write letters to a 'lonely' incarcerated man - and the pair are now engaged.

Laura Belmer, 30, from New York, confessed she 'felt completely alone' and even considered taking her own life after she lost her mother, father and sister in a short space of time.

But her life took an unexpected turn in December 2018, when her closest friend suggested she start writing to Stephen - who had been incarcerated in upstate New York for three years.

Laura, who lives in Staten Island and is choosing not to reveal what Stephen is in prison for, said: 'I felt completely alone. My friend said that Stephen was also feeling very alone and she thought we might be able to help each other.'

Laura Belmer, 30, from New York, was convinced to write letters to 'lonely' incarcerated man Stephen (pictured together) after she lost her mother, father and sister in five years

'She thought that building a friendship with him might help me with the depression I was feeling.'

In December 2018, Laura wrote her first letter to Stephen, 29.

The pair would learn about each other through questions Laura would find in self-help books, which she would answer then send to Stephen to do the same.

As they continued their correspondence, an unlikely romance blossomed.

'Getting those letters was the only thing that made me feel alive,' said Laura.

'Without him I probably would have committed suicide. I felt like I didn't have anyone... like everyone around me felt bad for me, but he didn't act like he felt sorry for me. He kept it real with me.'

Laura confessed she 'felt completely alone' and even considered taking her own life after she lost her three family members in a short space of time

Pictured: Stephen proposes to Laura during one of her many prison visits in June last year

Laura explained she would wait for the mailman to arrive with Stephen's letters - and she now keeps their past correspondence in two binders.

'I have two binders of letters between us now, so there must be at least 100 of them,' she said. 'Some letters are five to six pages back and forth.'

By last June the pair were engaged, and in December Laura got a tattoo on her forearm which reads: 'L&S forever.'

Four months later they began corresponding by email.

In Stephen's first email to Laura, he wrote: 'You're my wife who can make anything work. So I'll be waiting anxiously for your response.

'Baby please stay strong with me out there OK? All of this is going to pass and be so worth it, and our life is going to be so beautiful when I come home to you.

'Be my Queen forever and I'll forever remain your King. I love you with everything in me - the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on. Write me back babe. 3-11-19 till forever...'

The pair would learn about each other through questions Laura would find in self-help books, which she would answer then send to Stephen to do the same

Laura visits Stephen every weekend or every other weekend (pictured), based on her work schedule

The pair soon began corresponding by email (pictured: Stephen's first email to Laura) as it was 'faster than a regular letter'

Laura visits Stephen every weekend or every other weekend, based on her work schedule.

She endures a six-hour drive to reach his prison, leaving Staten Island at midnight to arrive there at 6am in order to be the first visitor in line.

'I've stood in snowstorms for him,' admitted Laura, who does not own a car so Stephen pays for her to rent a vehicle for each visit.

'The prison staff don't let people in until 8 or 8:30am, at that point I get processed and go into the visiting area.

'I get to see him for six hours and then I drive back home. We are able to hold hands but the correctional officers also let us kiss sometimes.

'We have to sit across from one another but if I go with his mom I get to sit next to him.

Laura endures a six-hour drive to reach his prison, leaving Staten Island at midnight to arrive there at 6am in order to be the first visitor in line

In December, Laura got a tattoo on her forearm which reads: 'L&S forever' (Pictured: Laura's tattoo)

'On the days I can't visit we speak on the phone for 30 minutes every day.'

They have taken dozens of photos in the prison together, which cost $2 each. The backdrops of the photos are painted by prison inmates, who also take the photos.

Laura said she cannot imagine herself without Stephen anymore.

'He gave me a new family. His mother is so good to me as well as his sister and grandmother, and they talk to me everyday,' she said.

'I didn't think about kids before, or a family, now we both want it so badly. It feels so right. I feel so grateful. I might not be here today if it were not for him.'

Laura hopes that sharing her unusual love story will inspire others in their times of need.

'I want people to be more open minded about meeting other people and falling in love,' she said.

Stephen will be released in 2023, or sooner if he is granted parole.
WASHINGTON  Traffic problems in Fort Lee are the worst in the country.

The stretch of Interstate 95 where it meets Route 4 continues to be the most congested stretch of highway in America, according to a report issued Wednesday.

North Jersey commuters are as familiar with this bottleneck and its traffic jams as the sun rising up on a spring day," said Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-9th Dist., whose district includes Fort Lee.

Increased demand for truck deliveries and a multiyear effort to rehabilitate the George Washington Bridge and its access roads are keeping Fort Lee atop the congestion list.

Fort Lee earned its dubious distinction for the second straight year. The I-95/Route 4 intersection also was No. 1 in 2014 before flopping positions with the intersection of Interstates 85 and 285 north of Atlanta.

At the end of the day, we are in the Northeast and we are dealing with a very aging infrastructure, said Gail Toth, executive director of the New Jersey Motor Truck Association. Were so old, our streets were built many, many year ago and we built right next to those roads. Expansion becomes almost impossible.

The study by the American Transportation Research Institute, an industry research group, relied on GPS data from more than 1 million trucks at 300 locations during 2019.

Traffic moved through the Fort Lee road at an average of 22.4 miles per hour during rush hour and during off-peak hours increased to 32.4 mph during off-peak hours.

You have a tremendous population base that drives the need for consumer goods that are delivered by truck, and you have limited ways for trucks to get in and out of New York City, said Rebecca Brewster, president of the institute.

A stretch of I-287 in Piscataway was the only other New Jersey location on the top 100. It ranked 70th.

Texas had the most congested intersections in the top 100 with 11. New York had seven and Pennsylvania six.

The report was released in the midst of congressional efforts to write a new transportation bill to replace current legislation expiring Sept. 30.

This report should sound the alarm for policymakers that the cost of doing nothing is too high and provide a roadmap of where to target investments to really solve our nations mounting infrastructure crisis, said Chris Spear, president and chief executive of the trucking trade group.

President Donald Trump, who promised to make infrastructure a priority, instead turned his attention to other issues. His earlier proposal would set aside $200 billion in federal funds for construction, relying on local and private sources to fund the rest of a $1.5 trillion plan.

One possible way to reduce congestion would be to get people out of their cars, but the problems plaguing NJ Transit means that commuters have no choice but to drive, Toth said.

Theres really no alternative thats attractive enough to get people out of their cars, Toth said. Until they make it attractive enough, were not taking anybody of the road."

Here are the nations top 10 most congested intersections.

1. Fort Lee: I-95 and Route 4

2. Atlanta: I-285 at I-85 (North)

3. Nashville: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East)

4. Houston: I-45 at I-69/US 59

5. Atlanta: I-285 at I-75 (North)

6. Chicago: I-90/I-94 at I-290

7. Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (West)

8. Cincinnati: I-71 at I-75

9. Los Angeles: Route 60 at Route 57

10. Los Angeles: I-710 at I-105

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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KYODO NEWS - Feb 19, 2020 - 19:51 | World, All, Coronavirus

A North Korean public health expert said no person has been infected with a new pneumonia-causing coronavirus in the country so far, as the nation has stepped up measures to prevent an expansion of it.

In an attempt to detect possible infection in an early stage, North Korea has conducted screening for all citizens, Pak Myong Su, president of North Korea's State Hygienic Control Board said in a recent interview with Kyodo News.

(People wearing masks walk near Pyongyang Station on Feb. 18, 2020.)

Pak said that large-scale gatherings have been also restricted in the country, given that people may become infected as they come into contact with others.

North Korea marked the anniversary of the founding of its army on Feb. 8 and the birthday of late leader Kim Jong Il on Sunday, respectively, but it is believed to have refrained from holding major events on the days unlike previous years.

Following the spread of the virus, North Korea has cut off traffic to and from China and Russia since earlier this year. At home, citizens have been urged by the nation's health authorities to wear masks when they go outside.

Spreading worldwide, the new coronavirus, first detected late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has infected more than 70,000 people and killed over 2,000 in China.

North Korea is vulnerable to infectious diseases against the backdrop of chronic food and medical shortages triggered by economic sanctions aimed at thwarting Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions, foreign affairs experts say.

In the past, North Korea barred foreigners from entering the country during the 2002-2003 epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014.
Press Release

February 19, 2020 Sponsorship speech of Sen. Pia Cayetano on CITIRA

as of 19 February 2020 (Note: Please check vs. delivery) Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, today, I rise to sponsor and seek your support for Senate Bill No. 1357, per Committee Report No. 50, also known as the CITIRA bill, which has 2 main objectives: (1) lowering the corporate income tax rate; and

(2) modernizing the tax incentive system, making it more fair, efficient, and accountable. Mr. President, from the onset let me clarify a major issue. A major source of resistance to this bill is the fear that incentives will be removed once this measure is enacted. This will not be the case, Mr. President. In truth, what we intend to do is [to] continue a sound incentives scheme, the details of which this representation will explain as we go along. Having said that, allow me to start with a bit of history. I am sure that both Senate President Sotto and Senate Minority Leader Drilon, the leaders of both sides of this chamber, would also know from their experience that since a bill on rationalizing tax incentives was first proposed in 1995, the Department of Finance and the Department of Trade and Industry have urged Congress to finally make this crucial reform happen. But even further down memory lane, when I was a college student in the school of Economics in the University of the Philippines, my father, the late Senator Rene Cayetano, was a member of the Batasan and was appointed as the Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry Administrator of the Export Processing Zone Authority OTHERWISE KNOWN AS EPZA [(EPZA)]. I had the opportunity to visit the export processing zones in Bataan, Baguio, and Cebu. In fact, my thesis was on fiscal incentives. This was in 1985. BUT HERE WE ARE TODAY IN THE YEAR 2020. Mr. President, in the series of hearings and meetings we conducted, we gave members of the business community, civil society, the academe, government, and business associations the opportunity to share their views in depth. The DOF and the DTI also held their own briefings with key stakeholders. The bill before us is a new and fairer deal between businesses and the Filipino people. So Where Are We Now And What Are We Doing? We are cognizant that Philippine enterprises are the backbone of the economy and that they contribute to national development by supplying much-needed employment and livelihood. And yet, companies doing business in the Philippines are slapped with a 30 percent corporate income tax rate, the highest in the region. MAY I DIRECT THE BODY'S DIRECTION TO THE SCREEN X X X X To address this, we will bring down the Corporate Income Tax rate from 30% to 20% over the next ten years. This should result in some 1.5 million more jobs, a feat I am certain WE [they] can accomplish, as SO FAR WE [they] have already provided millions of jobs to the economy. We believe that the reduction of 1% per year, is the pace that does not compromise the country's vital fiscal resources. However, Mr. President, we cannot talk about the corporate tax regime without earnestly discussing the tax regime for companies that have received unreviewed, and almost unconditional special tax treatment for decades. From 2015 to 2017, the Philippine government granted more than one trillion pesos in tax incentives in the form of exemptions and tax discounts to VARIOUS companies. In 2017 alone, the government granted billions of pesos to a select group of SOME 3,150 businesses. These companies pay an effective rate of 6 to 13 percent of Corporate Income Tax as opposed to other enterprises that pay the regular 30 percent Corporate Income Tax. Let me make this clear again, I mention the amount of incentives, Mr. President, not to say that we will scrap THEM [incentives]. All we want to do is rationalize them. Incentives should not be given out to any corporation without the proper conditions. They should be performance-based and targeted, and granted in such a way that would benefit the public - by way of providing employment, boosting needed industries, and promoting the growth of less developed areas in the country. When we give out incentives on behalf of the people, then we are duty bound to ascertain that [they] WE get what is rightly due to them. That is the essence of this bill: a fair deal for all, and the best deal for Filipinos. My point, Mr. President, is that true incentives yield results, like the situation with our neighbors, Singapore and Malaysia. If a tax perk is given, without a clear set of conditions, without a time limit, [and] without adequate oversight, it's not an incentive. [It's] IT IS a giveaway, and this country cannot afford corporate giveaways. The billions of incentives we granted are equivalent to more than 10 percent of our 2020 national government budget, around 80 percent of [the Department of Education's] DEPED budget, and more than four times the amount allocated to the Department of Health. SO LET'S DISCUSS Tax Incentive Principles With billions of pesos on the line, we need to ensure that the incentives which the government provides are in accordance with the following principles based on international good practices: Performance-based: There should be clear attainment of actual investment, job creation, export, country-side development, and research and development commitments, else incentives will only be wasted. Parang scholarship grant, dapat may resulta, pasado sa exam at maka-graduate. Targeted: To minimize leakage and to avoid spreading our scarce resources too thinly, tax incentives should be given to activities with significant positive contribution to the economy, or those that really matter for the future, as specified in a strategic investment priority plan [(SIPP)], to be determined by the [Board of Investments] (BOI); Time-bound: There should be a reasonable timeframe for the enjoyment of incentives, and an extension period for companies that perform and contribute to the economy. Parang allowance na binibigay ng magulang sa anak, hindi -pwedeng habang buhay; and Transparent: Monitoring and evaluation of tax incentives should be institutionalized and reported by the government to the public. Yung pinaghirapang buwis ng ordinaryong taxpayer ang ginagamit nating pampondo sa incentives, kaya nararapat lamang na alam ng taumbayan kung saan napupunta ang buwis niya. AND Let me add another principle: the incentive system should also be governed well. Currently, there are 13 different investment promotion agencies, or IPAs, each with its own charter and mandate, that offer different menus of incentives to various industries, sometimes not in line with national priorities, and often without the DOF or DTI knowing. As a result, there is no one simple set of incentives that the country may promote to potential investors. This can be very confusing and definitely not investor-friendly. Another concern is that the number of industries that could potentially get incentives from these IPAs, which is some two-thirds1 of the economy, also makes our incentive system indiscriminately open to just any activity, and thus open to abuse. This representation thus proposes that there be: (1) a set of incentives for different projects or activities, depending on the location and industry and (2) incentives that shall be based on the Strategic Investment Priority Plan [(SIPP)], which will be determined by the BOI, in coordination with the Fiscal Incentives Review Board, IPAs, government agencies administering tax incentives, and THE private sector. We also propose to expand the functions of the Fiscal Incentives Review Board, a body that currently grants incentives to government-owned or controlled corporations, to also approve all incentives given to private companies, as recommended by the IPAs. We also recommend THIS BOARD [the Fiscal Incentives Review Board] to oversee the IPAs. This much needed governance reform is at the heart of the CITIRA bill. Before I proceed with more details of the proposed bill, allow me to acknowledge the work of some of our predecessors such as Senator Recto, who filed the first Fiscal Incentives Review Board expansion bill in 2001 and Senator Drilon, who authored the Tax Incentives Management and Transparency Act, or the TIMTA Law, passed in 2015. The law mandates companies to provide the government with data to estimate the tax incentives they receive, which is now being used to objectively assess our tax incentives. Both senators, along with Senators Lacson and Villar, have also filed in previous congresses bills on fiscal incentives rationalization. We are now building on their ideas to move the reform forward. I would also like to put on record that our team painstakingly took the time to ease the transition period for investors and minimize the drastic changes the new incentive scheme could bring to their businesses. Let me now discuss the salient points of the reform as proposed by this representation. Reduction in the corporate income tax rate As mentioned earlier, the corporate income tax rate shall be lowered gradually by one [percentage] PERCENT point every year, from the current 30 to 20 percent by 2029. We have made the reduction of corporate income tax automatic in our version for the first five years to ensure predictability. By 2025, the reduction can be suspended by the President upon recommendation of the Secretary of Finance, if the projected deficit target as a percent of GDP exceeds the programmed deficit. Modernization of the fiscal incentive system The centerpiece of the country's current tax incentives regime is the income tax holiday or ITH for 4 to 6 years, and the special 5 percent tax on gross income earned, or GIE, in lieu of all taxes, both national and local. The 5 percent tax on GIE is granted forever without conditions, even if the firm does not contribute to the economy in terms of jobs and exports at a level commensurate to the amount of incentives given. COLLEAGUES, No other country gives incentives forever. X X X Dear colleagues, it is time to end a regime that distributes costs to the many, and concentrates benefits to the few. Sunset Provisions After listening to the concerns and apprehensions of existing investor groups that will be affected by this bill, we came up with terms that address their request for a smoother transition period. This addresses our objective, which is to keep companies and investors here in the country while rationalizing the incentives that we give them. Granted ITH only Existing registered activities granted the income tax holiday shall be allowed to complete the remainder of their INCOME TAX [ITH] period. FOR THOSE Granted 5% GIE But Not Yet Enjoyed THESE ARE THE [For] firms with unfinished ITH and a succeeding Gross Income Earned (GIE) of 5%, IN THEIR CASE, their ITH will be allowed to expire on schedule and will be followed by A 5% GIE, with a maximum OF 5 years. If the firm has no ITH but is about to go into 5% GIE, they will also enjoy 5% GIE, for a maximum of 5 years. Granted and Currently Enjoying 5% GIE forever Existing registered activities that were granted the 5 percent tax on GIE, in lieu of all taxes, will be allowed 2 to 7 more years as a transition period, while paying the same rate of 5 percent GIE. The duration of the proposed transition period is as follows: 2 years for those who have been receiving the GIE incentive for more than 10 years;

3 years for those who have been receiving the GIE incentive for between 5 and 10 years;

5 years for those who have been receiving the GIE incentive for below 5 years, and

A special 7 years for those that meet any of the following conditions: a. Exporting 100 percent of their goods and services,

b. Employing at least 10,000 Filipino workers, or

c. Engaging in highly footloose activities. AND IN ADDITION MR PRESIDENT After the sunset period, they will still be allowed to apply under the NEW incentive package where they will be assessed [under the new incentive package created] by virtue OF THE NEW PACKAGE of this bill. What is the New Incentives Package Under our version of CITIRA, a registered activity may be granted an income tax holiday of 2 to 4 years, followed by a Special Corporate Income Tax ("SCIT") rate, that is based on Gross Income Earned (GIE). The Special Corporate Income Tax Rate will be equivalent to 8% GIE for 2020, 9% for 2021, and 10% for 2022 and onwards. Like the current system, this shall be in lieu of all other taxes, and can be availed for 3 to 4 years, depending on the location and activity. This provision preserves the one-stop shop nature of present incentives. We hear the concernS of investors that they do not want to deal with many government agencies when paying taxes. [That] THIS is why we retained the "in lieu of" provision and one-stop-shop. Based on my discussion with the firms, this particular provision already addresses 90 percent of their concernS. The initial availment of tax incentives, which includes INCOME TAX HOLIDAY [ITH] plus the Special Corporate Income Tax (SCIT) Rate is from 5 to 8 years, depending on the category of the registered activity as indicated on the screen. There are three categories: basic, enhanced, and advance. This is our response to the need to make incentives more targeted to locations that need them and industries that we want to promote. [To be shown on the screen] Duration of income tax holiday (ITH) and Special Corporate Income Tax (SCIT), per category CATEGORY ITH

DURATION

IN YEARS SCIT

DURATION

IN YEARS TOTAL

IN YEARS A basic 2 3 5 B enhanced 3 4 7 C advance 4 4 8 There is more good news in our version. The availment of Special Corporate Income Tax may be extended by 3 to 4 years at a time or more than once, up to a maximum of 12 years, depending on the category, so long as the firm remains true to its performance commitments. In lieu of the Special Corporate Income Tax, the registered activity may instead be granted [the] enhanced deductions shown on the screen subject to the regular prevailing Corporate Income Tax rate. These enhanced deductions incentivize good behavior, such as local job creation, exports, and investment in hi-tech. As proposed by the DTI, our enhanced deductions menu was expanded to include deductions for power costs to account for the country's challenges in this area. The expanded deductions list is shown on the screen. [List to be flashed] Like the ITH and Special Corporate Income Tax (SCIT), the availment of enhanced deduction may be extended also for up to 12 years. To attract the biggest investors, like what Vietnam did with Samsung, the President may give incentives for a longer period of up to 40 years for highly desirable projects, provided that the benefit that the public could derive from such investment is clear and convincing and far outweighs the cost of incentives that will be granted. Governance of Fiscal Incentives To ensure that incentives granted are performance-based, time-bound, targeted, and transparent, the present Fiscal Incentives Review Board's function is expanded so that it can provide proper oversight over the IPAs, in the same way that the GCG law of 2011 created the Governance Commission on GOCCs to oversee the GOCCs and ensure better performance and accountability. Under our proposal, the Board will be chaired by the DOF and co-chaired by the DTI, with representatives from the OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT [OP], DBM, and NEDA. Let me assure all the officials and employees of the IPAs that we are not abolishing your agencies or cutting down YOUR jobs. IPAs will continue to perform their function of promoting investments in the Philippines, receive and process applications, and recommend to the Fiscal Incentives Review Board worthy incentives for approval by the Board. None of you [should] SHALL lose your jobS because of this reform. Sec. 9 of Senate Bill No. 1357 provides: The IPAs shall maintain their functions and powers as provided under the special laws governing them except on the approval of incentives. Mr. President, esteemed colleagues, allow me to underscore one final point, and this is the urgency of our task ahead. Let us end the uncertainty. As an economics graduate, Mr. President, I was trained to think of resources, including our fiscal space, as limited. With limited fiscal resources, derived from the hard work of our countrymen, we must ask ourselves the following questions as we deliberate on this measure: 1. Should we cut taxes for the many, or should we keep conditions loose for the few?

2. Should we move incentives towards PHILIPPINE [Filipino] labor and PHILIPPINE [Filipino] products, or should we continue privileges that have gained our economy little value-added?

3. When we spend our country's fiscal resources, do we prefer more accountability, or less? On these basic questions of principle, I trust that this Senate of the People has seen the merits of this reform. Further, as part of our commitment to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, all efforts must be exerted to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals [(SDGs)] by 2030. This is the ideal future, a future where there is no poverty, and where our people and economy thrive. Rationalizing incentives and lowering the corporate income tax will bring in more investments and provide more jobs for Filipinos. This ensures we remain on target with SDG 8, which promotes decent work and economic growth; SDG 9, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation; and of course, SDG 1, which calls for ending poverty in all its forms. This is only the beginning, as working on just one SDG creates a ripple effect on all the other SDGs, especially on hunger, health, education, and equality. A flourishing economy driven by the Filipino people will safeguard the country's future, even beyond 2030. Dear colleagues, you have appointed me to be chair of the ways and means committee and trusted this representation to study the matter and make recommendations. I humbly ask that you review these proposals, keeping in mind that the greater majority will benefit from the lowering of the corporate income tax and that a rationalized incentives scheme that rewards investments that are result based will lead to greater prosperity for our nation. Thank you, Mr. President. ________________________ 1 how did these becomes two thirds of the economy? The current IPP broadly covers most industry sectors. Two-thirds is based on estimated value-added (or share in total output of economy) of all industries listed under the current IPP.
Attorney General William Barr and his cheerleaders from the Federalist Society embody this frightening development. Donald Ayer, former U.S. deputy attorney general under George H.W. Bush, writes that Barr advocates the need for a virtually autocratic executive who is not constrained by countervailing powers within our government under the constitutional system of checks and balances.

For whatever twisted reasons, Ayer adds, Barr believes that the president should be above the law, and he has as his foil in pursuit of that goal a president who, uniquely in our history, actually aspires to that status. And Barr has acted repeatedly on those beliefs in ways that are more damaging at every turn. ... Bill Barrs America is not a place that anyone, including Trump voters, should want to go. It is a banana republic where all are subject to the whims of a dictatorial president and his henchmen.

In some sense, know-nothingism and authoritarianism are mutually reinforcing. Know-nothingism and contempt for elites mow down alternate sources of information and discredit critics as perpetrating fake news or hoaxes, thereby empowering the executive as the sole guardian of reality.
To see a glimpse into the lives of Japanese Americans who were interned during World War II, click or swipe through the gallery above.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  Les Ouchida was born an American just outside California's capital city, but his citizenship mattered little after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States declared war. Based solely on their Japanese ancestry, the 5-year-old and his family were taken from their home in 1942 and imprisoned far away in Arkansas.

They were among 120,000 Japanese Americans held at 10 internment camps during World War II, their only fault being we had the wrong last names and wrong faces, said Ouchida, now 82 and living a short drive from where he grew up and was taken as a boy due to fear that Japanese Americans would side with Japan in the war.

On Thursday, California's Legislature is expected to approve a resolution offering an apology to Ouchida and other internment victims for the state's role in aiding the U.S. government's policy and condemning actions that helped fan anti-Japanese discrimination.

President Franklin D. Roosevelts executive order No. 9066 establishing the camps was signed on Feb. 19, 1942, and 2/19 now is marked by Japanese Americans as a Day of Remembrance.

More for you Executive Order 9066 - which sent my family to a concentration camp - turns 75

Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi was born in Japan and is one the roughly 430,000 people of Japanese descent living in California, the largest population of any state. The Democrat who represents Manhattan Beach and other beach communities near Los Angeles introduced the resolution.

We like to talk a lot about how we lead the nation by example, he said. Unfortunately, in this case, California led the racist anti-Japanese American movement.

A congressional commission in 1983 concluded that the detentions were a result of racial prejudice, war hysteria and failure of political leadership. Five years later, the U.S. government formally apologized and paid $20,000 in reparations to each victim.

The money didn't come close to replacing what was lost. Ouchida says his father owned a profitable delivery business with 20 trucks. He never fully recovered from losing his business and died early.

The California resolution doesnt come with any compensation. It targets the actions of the California Legislature at the time for supporting the internments. Two camps were located in the state  Manzanar on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada in central California and Tule Lake near the Oregon state line, the largest of all the camps.

I want the California Legislature to officially acknowledge and apologize while these camp survivors are still alive, Muratsuchi said.

He said anti-Japanese sentiment began in California as early as 1913, when the state passed the California Alien Land Law, targeting Japanese farmers who some in California's massive agricultural industry perceived as a threat. Seven years later the state barred anyone with Japanese ancestry from buying farmland.

The internment of Ouchida, his older brother and parents began in Fresno, California. Three months later they were sent to Jerome, Arkansas, where they stayed for most of the war.

Given their young ages at the time, many living victims such as Ouchida dont remember much of life in the camps. But he does recall straw-filled mattresses and little privacy.

Communal bathrooms had rows of toilets with no barriers between users. "They put a bag over their heads when they went to the bathroom for privacy, said Ouchida, who teaches about the internments at the California Museum in Sacramento.

Before the last camp was closed in 1946, Ouchida's family was shipped to a facility in Arizona. When the family was freed, they took a Greyhound bus back to California. When it reached a stop sign near their community outside Sacramento, I still remember the ladies on the bus started crying, Ouchida said. Because they were home.

The resolution, co-introduced by California Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldron of Escondido, makes a passing reference to recent national events and says they serve as a reminder to learn from the mistakes of the past.

Muratsuchi said the inspiration for that passage were migrant children held in U.S. government custody over the past year.

Ouchida said Japanese families like his always considered themselves loyal citizens before and after the internments. He holds no animosity toward the U.S. or California governments, choosing to focus on positives outgrowths like the permanent exhibit at the California Museum that provides an unvarnished view of the internments.

"Even if it took time, we have the goodness to still apologize," he said.
Consumers are becoming much more aware that businesses are using and monetizing their data, and are concerned that they have very little idea or input on how that data is being used. Bruce Phillips is the SVP and chief information security officer at WFG National Title Insurance Company, and said that originators need to be able to articulate what theyre doing with their clients data beyond just using it for their loan process. If originators cant explain it, then thats a red flag for the consumer.

Your systems now have to be able to be flexible enough to allow a consumer to say, I dont want you to collect that information, I dont want you to use that information, and I want you to delete everything you know about me, Phillips said. Business systems were never built with that concept in mind. So thats the struggle were all going to have in this new generation of consumer privacy rights: how do we get to where we can easily meet those requirements that weve never had before?

Apart from consent to collect and use data, mortgage companies will have to understand the kind of data that they need and are required to keep. Phillips says that if you dont need to have it, then get rid of it.

Following CCPA in California and some others that are close to being on the books, the big trend that were going to see for the next few years across multiple states is about privacy, and the key takeaway for that is two things: understand what it is you collect about a consumer and what are you using it for. If the answer is, Im not using it for anything, youre best off getting rid of it because its a risk, he said.

For the information that is kept, owners have to figure out a way to not only protect the data, but make it difficult for someone else to access and misuse it. Once you have a good idea of what the regulatory requirements are, you can create an appropriate records retention policy and follow it religiously, Phillips said.
Russia on Wednesday objected to the UN Security Council adopting a statement that would have called for a ceasefire in northwest Syria, diplomats said, after a tense closed-door meeting. "We tried very hard to have a press statement calling for cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access to Idlib," Nicolas de Riviere, French ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters. "Basically Russia said no, which is very painful." "There is no statement ... It was not possible," confirmed his Belgian counterpart, Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, the current council president. One diplomat said that during the meeting, Russia had angrily criticized Western nations for not understanding its position. "The council is completely paralyzed," the diplomat said. Russia's opposition to the statement was backed by China, diplomats said. The UN envoy to Syria said earlier the country was on the brink of worsening violence after an exchange of fierce threats between key players Turkey and Russia. "I cannot report any progress in ending the current violence in the northwest or in reconvening the political process," Geir Pedersen told the council in New York. "Russian and Turkish delegations have met intensively in recent days ... but no understanding has yet emerged," he said. "To the contrary, public statements from different quarters, Syrian and international, suggest an imminent danger of further escalation." - Regime onslaught - Syrian aid workers are calling for an urgent ceasefire and international help for nearly a million people fleeing the regime's onslaught in Idlib -- the biggest wave of displaced civilians in the nine-year conflict. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday warned that Turkey would launch an offensive into Syria unless Damascus pulled its forces back by the end of the month. "We are counting down, we are making our final warnings," Erdogan said in a televised speech. He called for Syrian forces to retreat behind Turkey's military posts in Idlib, which were set up under a 2018 deal with Russia designed to hold off a regime advance. Russia quickly responded to Erdogan's threat, warning that any operation against Syrian forces would be "the worst scenario." Turkey, a supporter of some rebel groups in Idlib, has been pushing for a renewed ceasefire in talks with Russia, which backs the Syrian regime. Ankara is eager to prevent another flood of refugees into its territory adding to the 3.7 million Syrians it already hosts. The UN said 900,000 people had been displaced in "horrendous conditions" since December 1, more than 500,000 of them children. At the segment of the Security Council meeting that was held in public, German ambassador Christoph Heusgen said it was time for UN chief Antonio Guterres "to step up to the plate." "We have an immense responsibility that we face here as the United Nations, as the Security Council, to stop what is happening," Heusgen said. A Turkish military convoy in Syria's Idlib province, where the UN fears current violence could worsen
FILE PHOTO: A worker checks the temperature of a passenger arriving into Hong Kong International Airport with an infrared thermometer

By Julia Payne, Dmitry Zhdannikov and Ahmad Ghaddar

LONDON (Reuters) - The list of parties at London's International Petroleum Week, one of the world's biggest oil industry gatherings, continues to shrink as hosts such as ExxonMobil and Azerbaijan's SOCAR cancel events due to the coronavirus outbreak, trading sources said.

IP Week is a key annual oil traders' gathering that takes place in February. Oil majors, national oil companies and trading firms host receptions for networking throughout the week, which is scheduled this year for Feb. 24-27.

Spooked by the outbreak, several oil companies based in Asia said last week they would skip IP Week.

Oil major BP then cancelled all events along with storage company Vopak and inspection company Bureau Veritas.

Others are now following suit.

ExxonMobil, SOCAR, Royal Dutch Shell and PetroChina joint venture PetroIneos, and Polish refiner PKN Orlen are the latest to cancel receptions this week.

SOCAR's event typically draws more than 1,000 people.

Shell hosts several receptions, and so far only its fuel oil event has been cancelled, traders specified.

"IP Week reception scheduled for February 25 at the Savoy (hotel) is cancelled due to recent developments concerning the spread of the coronavirus," SOCAR said in a note to attendees.

A spokesman for Exxon said one part of its business had cancelled IP Week-related activities, without providing details. A spokesman for Shell did not immediately comment.

IP Week organiser, the Energy Institute, said the main conference was "full steam ahead", but added that "common sense precautions are being taken at the venue as regards coronavirus" and delegates should follow UK government advice on the virus.

Commodities pricing agency Argus, which also runs a series of events as part of IP Week, said it was planning to go ahead with them, though a spokeswoman added: "It's a developing situation and things could change."

S&P Global Platts, another IP Week event organiser, will proceed with its oil and energy forum as planned, but "will continue to monitor government advice in the coming days, and will adjust plans if necessary", a spokeswoman said.

Story continues

China reported its fewest new coronavirus infections since January on Tuesday and its lowest daily death toll for a week, but the World Health Organization said data suggesting the epidemic had slowed should still be viewed with caution.

Among others, Spain's Repsol has decided not to send a delegation, traders said. Repsol did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"The avalanche is rolling down the hill," one source said, referring the lengthening list of cancelled meetings and parties.

(Reporting By Julia Payne, Ahmad Ghaddar and Dmitry Zhdannikov; additional reporting by Olga Yagova and Shadia Nasralla, Editing by Jan Harvey and Mike Harrison)
Juba, South Susan (PANA) - Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday that South Sudan's National Assembly should urgently enact reforms of the National Security Service (NSS) to end arbitrary detention and abuse of detainees
Hours after the apex court asked the Rajasthan government to take immediate action against illegal mining, Jaipur BJP MLA Ashok Lahoti welcomed the decision, saying the sand mafia has unleashed terror in the state.

He alleged that the state government and the sand mafia were working "in an alliance" for the past one year.

Earlier reacting to the order, state Revenue Minister Harish Chaudhary said the government will submit a report and other information sought by the Supreme Court regarding sand mining.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday took strong note of rampant illegal sand mining in Rajasthan and directed the state government to take immediate steps to stop it.

Seeking an action taken report from the state government within four weeks, the bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said illegal sand mining is likely to "damage the environment irreparably".

"The Supreme Court's direction is a welcome step. The sand mafia has written a new chapter of terrorism in Rajasthan. Every night, 2,000 trucks transport sand illegally. This is a very serious matter. The mafia attacks the media and police. An organised crime is flourishing," Lahoti told reporters.

Meanwhile, Naveen Sharma, president of All-Rajasthan Bajri Truck Operators' Welfare Society, said illegal sand mining has been continuing in the state ever since it was banned in November 2017.

Sharma said the ban was imposed as the operators did not have the environment clearance.

"We have made several representations to the government to make proper efforts to get the clearance from the Centre but our grievances remained unaddressed," Sharma said, adding that the illegal mining was rampant in Tonk, Sawaimadhopur, Dholpur, Bhilwara, Sirohi and Jalore districts.

Earlier, there have been cases when the sand mafia targeted police and people in areas like Tonk, Sawaimadhopur and Jaipur when they tried to stop vehicles used in illegal transportation of sand.

Four policemen, including an SHO, were injured when the mafia attacked them during a checking in Tonk last year.

In Jaipur last year, an elderly man was crushed to death outside his house by a dumper when he tried to stop the speeding vehicle from ferrying sand.

Police were also accused of helping the sand mafia.

In Dholpur district last year, action against five policemen was taken for their alleged involvement in facilitating transportation of illegally mined sand.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Cancer patients who turn to the internet for answers about their diagnosis are often left feeling anxious, depressed and confused, a charity has warned.

Macmillan Cancer Support has expressed its concerns about the mental health of more than a quarter of a million people with cancer in Britain who look for information online.

The charity, which conducted a survey of 2,004 adults, found that 39 per cent of cancer patients said they had looked online for information about their diagnosis, of which more than a quarter (27 per cent) reported it having a detrimental impact.

This figure increased to two in five (39 per cent) of those who turned to the internet within moments of their diagnosis.

Overall, one in 10 of the cancer patients involved in the study (11 per cent) said they had been negatively affected by looking up their diagnosis online.

When the results are scaled up to reflect the UK cancer population, it suggests more than 300,000 people could have experienced similar feelings.

As a result of the findings, Macmillan has issued a stark warning against looking up cancer diagnoses online, which it states could be due to understaffing and unmanageable workloads hindering frontline staff.

Dr Rosie Loftus, chief medical officer at Macmillan Cancer Support said: In todays digital society, it is understandable that people look up their diagnosis online when theyre told they have cancer.

However, it is extremely concerning that such a high number of people who turn to the internet for support are presented with such a seemingly negative outlook.

It is vital people with cancer are supported from day one. This not only depends on the cancer workforce having the time and capacity to fully explain what a diagnosis means, but also signposting people to reputable sources to ensure they start their cancer experience on the right foot.

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Among those surveyed, the top reasons for looking up their condition online were to look for more information and to find out about their prognosis, Macmillan said.

Five per cent of respondents said they had found bogus cancer cures online, with the same number adding that they thought they were going to die after searching the web.

When put in context of the UK cancer population, this could be more than 50,000 people for each scenario, Macmillan said.

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS clinical director for cancer, said: Going online is a quick and popular way to find information, but it is vital that internet and social media platforms help people find reliable sources of information, and not those promoting myths and miracle cures which at best dont help, and at worst put peoples lives at risk.

As part of our long-term plan we are rolling out a faster diagnosis standard so that people get certainty sooner, and investing in more clinical nurse specialists and other professionals to ensure people get more personalised cancer care, including information they can trust.

Macmillan Cancer Support provides an Online Community for people who find it hard to talk to those close to them.

You can also speak to one of the charitys cancer support specialists on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week, 8am to 8pm).

If you have been affected by this article, you can contact the following organisations for support: mind.org.uk, nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth, mentalhealth.org.uk, samaritans.org.
Post-stabilisation Announcement

19.02.2020

Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank /ISIN XS2021173922

Stabilisation Notice

Further to the pre-stabilisation period announcement dated January, 15th 2020, Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg (contact: Torsten Zittlau; telephone: +49 711 127 74640) hereby gives notice that no stabilisation (within the meaning of Art. 3.2 (d) of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU/596/2014) or the rules of the Financial Conduct Authority) was undertaken by the Stabilising Manager(s) named below in relation to the offer of the following securities.

Issuer: Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank (Aaa/AAA/AAA (Moody's/S&P/Fitch; all stable) Guarantor (if any): Federal Republic of Germany Aggregate nominal amount: EUR 400 Mio. Tap,

new outstanding amount: EUR 1.000 Mio Description: Tap of 0.05% 18-December-2029 EUR 600 Mio BMK, RegS, Listing: Luxembourg Stock Exchange, regulated market Stabilising Manager(s) BNP Paribas, LBBW, Morgan Stanley Offer price: 100.069%

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction.

This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities referred to above have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. There has not been and will not be a public offer of the securities in the United States.
President Trump confirmed in a tweet Wednesday night that he will install Richard Grenell, the current U.S. ambassador to Germany and a staunch defender of the president, as the acting director of national intelligence.

Why it matters: The role, which was originally vacated by Dan Coats in August 2019, is one of grave responsibility. As acting DNI, Grenell will be charged with overseeing and integrating the U.S. intelligence community and will advise the president and the National Security Council on intelligence matters that concern national security.

Trump has made no secret of his deep suspicion of and antipathy toward the intelligence community  which he has told advisers is populated by "Deep State" operatives who "hate Trump."

In Grenell, Trump will have an unwavering loyalist overseeing the 17 U.S. intelligence agencies. Grenell supported Trump during his 2016 campaign and has close ties to Trump's inner circle and the political network surrounding the White House.

Grenell will also be the first openly gay Cabinet secretary.

Between the lines: Before being confirmed as ambassador to Germany, Grenell spent much of the previous two decades as a political adviser to Republicans, as the longest-serving U.S. spokesperson to the United Nations, and as the founder of Capitol Media Partners  a media and public affairs consultancy. Grenell has never worked for an intelligence agency.

A regular on Fox News, Grenell has been aggressively pursuing Trump's agenda in Germany, earning high praise from Trump and impassioned complaints from some German politicians.

Grenell has already been Senate-confirmed as ambassador to Germany. It's not yet clear whether Trump will ultimately nominate him for the permanent DNI position, which would require another Senate confirmation. Trump has told people he likes putting people in "acting" positions because it gives him flexibility.

On Trump's behalf as ambassador, Grenell has pressured German companies to cut business with Iran, urged Germany to hike its NATO contributions and warned the Germans against participating in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline with Russia.

And on Sunday, Grenell tweeted: ".@realDonaldTrump just called me from AF1 and instructed me to make clear that any nation who chooses to use an untrustworthy 5G vendor will jeopardize our ability to share Intelligence and information at the highest level."

Some German politicians objected to this Twitter diplomacy, but Grenell doubled down. "No one is threatening you," he tweeted. "I could say you are threatening the US that we must continue as usual even when you make dangerous mistakes. We get to have our own policy too."

The big picture: Trump had a fraught relationship with previous DNI Coats and blocked deputy DNI Sue Gordon from becoming acting director upon Coats' departure in August 2019.
PHOENIX, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tom Price, MD, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, U.S. Representative from the 6th Congressional District, and orthopaedic surgeon, will speak on February 26th and 27th at an event to launch AFMC Doctors Choice health plans for the Arizona medical community.

AFMC Doctors Choice health plans, beginning open enrollment February 1st will be offered by AHPA (American Health Plans Association) and endorsed by the Arizona Foundation, a preferred-provider organization with over 17,000 medical provider members.

Association Health Plans (AHPs), such as AFMC Doctors Choice, are possible through groundbreaking Federal regulation changes supported by Dr. Price during his tenure as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services for President Donald J. Trump. The new rules allow industry groups to aggregate their purchasing power resulting in lower cost high quality health plan coverage.

AFMC Doctors Choice is available exclusively to Arizona medical professionals, including medical, surgical, dental, chiropractic, physical therapy, medical technicians, and other medical professional practices and their employees. Doctors Choice is targeted to small to mid-sized businesses that would like to offer health benefits to their employees, but think they can't afford it. Our national research shows that only about 50% of the United States' 30 million small businesses offer health benefits  almost 100% wish they could. It is the number one benefit among all employees, everywhere.

"It's a tremendous honor for us to host Secretary Price at our launch event in Phoenix," said Tracy Mitchell, Executive Vice President, Arizona Foundation. "We believe the association health plan regulation that Secretary Price authored in Congress is a game-changer for the medical community, and we're very excited about the availability of AFMC Doctors Choice health plans that the Arizona Foundation fully endorses."

"From the very beginning, we saw the tremendous potential of association health plans like AFMC Doctors Choice ," said Mike Dendy, President and CEO of CarynHealth. "AHPs were envisioned by Dr. Tom Price for the express purpose of bringing high value, lower cost plans to the small and mid-sized employers that need them most, and we are launching here in Arizona, through AHPA."

About Secretary Tom Price

Dr. Thomas E. Price, an orthopaedic surgeon, most recently served as the 23rd Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). He brought to the Department a lifetime of service and a dedication to advancing the quality of health care in America  both as a physician and policymaker. As a U.S. Representative for Georgia's 6th Congressional District from 2005 to 2017, Dr. Price served in various leadership roles in the U.S. House of Representatives, including Chairman of the House Budget Committee, Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee, and Chairman of the Republican Study Committee.

About the Arizona Foundation

The Arizona Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit Preferred Provider Organization. Originally established in 1969, it has grown into Arizona's largest statewide, independent network by providing highly accessible, quality care. Our network currently includes more than 17,000 professional providers in over 102,000 locations and is contracted with 77 hospitals throughout Arizona including outpatient surgery centers, dialysis clinics/centers, convenience clinics, urgent care centers and numerous other specialty facilities.

About AHPA

American Health Plans Association, Inc., a Georgia not-for-profit entity (AHPA), is a national organization with various state chapters, including Arizona, that aggregates the purchasing power of America's small and mid-sized employers.

SOURCE Arizona Foundation for Medical Care

Related Links

www.azfmc.com


FLINT, MI  A former candidate for the U.S. Senate was sentenced to prison for human trafficking on Tuesday.

It was the first case from a sting being conducted by the Genesee County Sheriffs Office to reach an outcome.

George E. Huffman, 43, of Perry Township, was sentenced Tuesday, Feb. 18 by Genesee Circuit Judge F. Kay Behm to a minimum of three years and a maximum of 20 years in prison on a single count of child sexually abusive activity.

He was found guilty by a jury in January on the count.

The jury also found Huffman not guilty on single counts of of accosting, enticing or soliciting a child for immoral purpose and use of internet or computer system to communicate with another to commit a crime.

Truck driver who ran for U.S. Senate found guilty in human trafficking case

The case was part of a sting operation by the Genesee Human Oppression Task Force, or GHOST, which was started by former Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell.

Jurors deliberated over a period of three days before coming to their verdict against Huffman, who previously ran for the U.S. Senate as part of the U.S Taxpayers Party. He was also identified as a truck driver by police.

Nicholas Robinson, Huffmans attorney, argued during the trial that police never confirmed his client believed the person he was chatting with on a dating app was 14 years old.

Hundreds of messages read aloud in court between Genesee County Sheriffs Detective Sgt. Curt Harrington, who played the role of a 14-year-old girl on the app, and Huffman included sexual details and photos.

This was a case that the jury convicted not based on the fact that Mr. Huffman believed that he was talking with an underage individual but based on the fact that he did not take reasonable precautions, said Robinson. The jury didnt believe that he believed he was going to see a 14-year-old.

He requested a sentence of 365 days in jail for Huffman, asking the judge to base the time on deterrent rather than retribution as there was no actual victim involved in the case.

The idea behind all of this your honor, I believe, the idea behind the GHOST cases, the publication of the GHOST cases, broadcasting these, doing broadcasts after each arrest, is the idea that they dont want anybody else to do this in the future, Robinson said. I think the sentence is going to send a message to everybody, including Mr. Huffman, that this is not OK."

New police team to target human trafficking in Genesee County

Addressing the court prior to sentencing, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Janet Janetsky cited a message left by the officer chatting with Huffman on the app identifying the person he believed he was chatting with as a 14-year-old girl.

Theres no indication from this (message) chain that he disbelieves that in any way, said Janetsky, arguing he made no effort to find out if it was true or not. At the other end of this particular text chat was the GHOST team, but that didnt have to be the case.

On the other end of this particular chat could have been a 14-year-old girl and the defendant would have shown up just the same, with his flavored beer and his condom ready and willing to have sex with whoever was on the other side of that door, Janetsky said.

She asked for a minimum of 50 months in prison for Huffman, referencing three previous felonies and 10 misdemeanors on his record.

Behm said given the felonies were more than 10 years old, they wouldnt be taken into account when determining the sentencing guidelines.

She did factor in items including punishment, rehabilitation, protection of society and deterrence while rendering her final decision.

The defendant denies his role in the conviction and takes no responsibility for his actions, said Behm. Mr. Huffman almost tried to portray himself as a victim in this matter which I find incredibly disturbing.

Having heard the testimony and read through the messages, Behm said: I do believe that he fully intended to have sex with a 14-year-old if a 14-year-old opened that door.

Huffman, who did not speak during the sentencing, was given credit for 37 days of time served. He has 42 days to file an appeal in the case.

An appellate attorney for Huffman was present at the sentencing.

Attorney says claims simply false against 3 suspects charged in trafficking sting
The Thackeray family has traditionally wielded authority without being part of formal power structures.

Hence, in 1995, when the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance came to power in Maharashtra, late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray stayed away from assuming any position in the government. He instead nominated Manohar Joshi and later Narayan Rane as the chief ministers of Maharashtra.

This strategy had multiple benefits. The Shiv Senas first family could exercise authority sans any responsibilities. Much before Congress president Sonia Gandhi listened to her inner voice in 2004, the Thackerays maintained an angelic halo  by portraying themselves as ones who renounced the ultimate temptation  power.

But, while nominating his party leaders as chief ministers, the Sena supremo used a term that has since embedded itself in the states political lexicon. Bal Thackeray said he would be the remote control of the regime, indicating he would call shots from outside the government.

When the Shiv Sena joined hands with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, Sena president Uddhav Thackeray made a transition into representative politics to become the chief minister. Then, it seemed that the tables had turned in favour of NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

Pawar was seen as the architect of this disparate alliance and had also staved off a short-lived rebellion by nephew Ajit Pawar, who is Uddhavs deputy chief minister. It seemed that the remote control would now be kept at Silver Oak at Breach Candy, which is Pawars residence in Mumbai.

However, two recent developments indicate that Uddhav may not be eager to part with that remote control, at least so far.

While the Congress and NCP oppose the National Population Register (NRC), Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Population Register (NPR), the Shiv Sena has supported the CAA and NPR. Reports said overlooking the opposition of the Congress and the NCP, the state government had launched preparations to implement the NPR.

Uddhav has maintained that NPR is akin to the population census that is conducted every 10 years. Speaking to the media on the issue, Pawar has acknowledged differences in the coalition but denied it would affect the fate of the government.

The second issue may create a more potent fault line for the regime.

The state government has handed over investigations into the 2018 Bhima-Koregaon violence to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from the state police.

The case pertains to the allegedly inflammatory speeches at the Elgar Parishad conclave at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31, 2017, which triggered violence the next day against Dalits at Bhima-Koregaon. Every year, on January 1, lakhs of Dalits pay their respects at the Bhima-Koregaon memorial where the largely Dalit detachment of the British Army held off a larger force of the Brahmin Peshwas in 1818.

Later, the Pune police controversially arrested Leftist and Dalit activists claiming that the Maoists had a hand in the conclave. Pawar has been openly critical of the Pune police for its handling of the probe.

While Uddhav was in favour of the probe being taken over by the NIA, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh publicly expressed his resentment about the chief minister overruling him to transfer the investigation to the central agency. Pawar has spoken of setting up a parallel Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe these cases.

On Tuesday, a carefully-worded statement by Maharashtra Congress chief and revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat has slammed the Narendra Modi-led regime for handing over the probe to the NIA.

What has set the alarm bells ringing in the NCP and the Congress are reports of two senior officials approaching the Union Home Ministry to seek that the probe be taken over by the NIA.

This was all the more pertinent as the powerful home department in Maharashtra is seen as a preserve of the NCP, which controlled it for 15 years from 1999 to 2014 when it was in power with the Congress.

In fact, Pawars first ministerial assignment was as minister of state for home in the Vasantrao Naik ministry in the 1970s. Compared to his party colleagues like Chhagan Bhujbal, RR Patil and Jayant Patil, who have held the portfolio in the past, Deshmukh is seen as a relatively lightweight home minister.

The NCP has earlier accused two Hindutva activists  Milind Ekbote of the Samasta Hindu Aghadi and Sambhajirao Bhide Guruji of the Shivaprathisthan Hindustan  of being involved in the violence. NCP leaders like housing minister Jitendra Avhad have been going hammer and tongs at the Bhide-Ekbote duo.

While Ekbote comes from a family with strong roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and had contested the 2014 assembly elections from Pune as a Shiv Sena nominee, the more controversial Bhide represents a bigger predicament for the Sena.

Known for his austere lifestyle and exercise regime involving 150 suryanamaskars (sun salutations), push-ups and sit ups, the nonagenarian Bhide, a former RSS man, commands a following across Maharashtra.

Bhides Shivaprathistan Hindustan has a strong base in parts of Western Maharashtra. His ideological opponents grudgingly admit that his influence spans a wide expanse from Gadchiroli in Vidarbha to Sindhdurg in the Konkan, and also parts of neighbouring Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Bhide is also said to be close to some Congress and NCP leaders in Sangli, where he is based.

Bhides emotional yet polarising personality has helped the BJP, and partly, the Shiv Sena, rally militant youth, especially those from the Bahujan communities for the cause of Hindutva.

After much drama, the Sena has snapped ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its Hindutva ally of almost three decades standing to break bread with the Congress and NCP. With the Shiv Sena finding itself at odds with the BJP, fringe Hindutva groups like those led by Bhide may be used to catch the Sena in a bind on the issue of majoritarian pride. Also, the Shiv Sena cannot be seen as being at odds with issues of Hindutva identity.

After the Bhima-Koregaon riots, Prakash Ambedkar, who is Dr Babasaheb Ambedkars grandson, had launched a statewide bandh in protest and emerged as a pan-Maharashtra leader by channelising the anger among Dalits.

In the subsequent Lok Sabha elections, Ambedkars Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) secured around 41 lakh votes and was blamed for the defeat of the Congress and NCP in eight seats. This included seats like Solapur and Nanded, where former chief ministers Sushilkumar Shinde and Ashok Chavan were defeated.

The NCP, which is trying to expand beyond its traditional zone of influence in the dominant Maratha-Kunbi community, is looking at tapping into an auxiliary vote base among Dalits, especially the militant Buddhist Dalits. This may explain some of Pawars indignation in the Bhima-Koregaon case.

Straws in the wind suggest a rising undercurrent of discord between the Shiv Sena and the NCP, especially on issues related to the home department.

So, is this sabre rattling over the NPR and Bhima-Koregaon a serious dispute between the ruling coalition? Or is it yet another example of the three parties indulging in a round of noora kushti to satiate their respective target constituencies? Some say the truth may lie somewhere in between.

A Congress minister in the Uddhav Thackeray government recently recalled his tenure in the previous Congress-NCP dispensation. Ministers from the two parties would often be at odds and sparks would fly, almost literally, during cabinet meetings. However, eventually the two parties would make up and ensure that their government survived for another day. After all, power is a balm that can heal many differences, he noted.

Will this history repeat itself again or will the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) head for choppy waters?

(Dhaval Kulkarni is a Mumbai-based journalist and author of The Cousins Thackeray: Uddhav, Raj and the Shadow of their Senas. Views are personal).
In the Surinamese capital, Paramaribo, are as follows: Monday, thousands of people take to the streets incorporated, to protest against the policy of the government of president Desi Bouterse.

in The independence square is covered with protestors, who respond to the call of the activist is Stephano 'Pakittow' Biervliet, two weeks ago, on Facebook. "Everything is flat! Down with the NDP! Surinam. this is your chance. Come and fight for your rights, an all-or-nothing at all!"

in Particular, the financial and economic policy of the government to Bouterse and his political party, the National Democratic Party (NDP) have to pay for it. The Surinamese Dollar has been in place since 2010, the year of Bouterse as president, it was a lot less now. Also, the government has $ 100 million of the cash reserves of the commercial banks ' and savings of the population, to be used for government spending, without which the banks knew it.

The group is supported by a large number of political parties and various trade unions, from nurses to school teachers. More than one hundred companies and their staff permission to attend.

'Let's make people aware of the elections,'

this is not meant to be a revolution and the right of the supervisory board of Bouterse to the requirements of said Biervliet in the Suriname-Herald. "We, the people, to raise awareness of the elections by the year 2020."

On the 25th of may, there are national elections in the country. Desi Bouterse, has been stated simply as the leader of the NDP in the elections, with the intention to continue as president. He has, since 2010, the second time as the president's house.

In december of last year, Bouterse by the Suriname court martial to twenty years in prison sentenced to death for his involvement in the December murders in 1982. He's going to go against this conviction to a higher court.

Updated Date: 17 February 2020, 20:00
A 24-year-old Wisconsin man is facing multiple charges after allegedly shooting kids who threw snowballs at his car in January, say authorities.

On Jan. 4, a group of seven children was playing outside in Milwaukee and throwing snowballs at passing cars, a criminal complaint states, multiple outlets including local station WTMJ4-TV report.

When William Carsons car got hit, he turned his car around, got out and allegedly began shooting at the children, the complaint says, CBS58 reports.

Three of the seven children were hit by bullets, the complaint says.

One child was shot in the arm. A 13-year-old was shot in the thigh. A bullet grazed the jacket of a third child who was not injured.

Carson allegedly jumped back into his car and fled the scene.

On Jan. 12, Oak Creek police arrested Carson, who allegedly tried to flee the officers, the complaint says.

When officers were able to catch him, they determined he was allegedly driving under the influence and found a loaded gun in his car, Fox6 Milwaukee reports.

After it was tested, it was determined that it was highly probable that it was the same gun used to shoot at the children, WTMJ4 reports. Its bullet casings matched those left behind at the scene, the complaint states.

The U.S. Department of Justice investigated and determined that Carson bought the gun on Dec. 23, 11 days before the alleged shooting, CBS 58 reports.

Carson told police he was the only one who ever had access to the gun, WTMJ4 reports.

He was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree reckless injury, use of a dangerous weapon and five counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, use of a dangerous weapon.

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He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 25.

It is unclear whether he has entered a plea or retained an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

The Oak Creek Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment.
Britain's first acid attacker killer launched a copycat jihadist attack on prison staff threatening officers with a sharpened instrument in his cell as officials fear an upsurge in 'jail extremism'.

Xeneral Imiuru was locked up in 2018 after being convicted for an acid attack.

Downing Street has already been urged to confront the threat of extremism in jails up and down the country.

He had previously assaulted officers at another jail and it has now been revealed that he attempted a jihadist attack at Winchester jail.

The 20-year-old is believed to have faked a suicide attempt in order to lure officers into his cell.

Xeneral Imiuru (pictured above) was jailed in 2018 for the first ever acid attack killing

Once they were inside the cell they found Imiruru on the floor. Three officers entered and the inmate lunged at them with a weapon that had been strapped to his arm, before being restrained.

The Times reported that he told officers that he was attempting a jihadist attack, despite the fact he was not in prison for terrorist offences.

The Prison Service confirmed to The Times that the attack had taken place and that it was being investigated.

The incident last Thursday comes after the inmate had been segregated from other inmates because he was assessed as a threat.

Prisoners posing as jail emirs in jails across the UK have been forcing some to convert to their Islamic ideology.

The incident happened at Winchester prison (pictured above) where officers had to restrain Imiuru

Since terrorist Sudesh Amman was released early from his sentence last month, going on to stab two people in Streatham, London, Downing Street has been urged to confront the threat of extremism in jails.

It is believed that Imiurus attempt to copy jihadist methods will be a concern to those in the prison service.

Speaking to the Times, former prison governor Ian Acheson said the attack was disturbing.

Mr Acheson had conducted an official review of prison extremism in 2016 and said the attack suggested careful pre-meditation at the least.

The attack could well have been inspired by recent violent extremism inside and outside the prison walls.

Its extremely important that the police investigation is speedy and transparent and that a terrorist motive is thoroughly investigated.

London Bridge attacker Usman Khan used the method of strapping weapons to his arm, it was also used in the 2017 attack.
A number of U.S.-invested firms in Vietnam suffering supply chain complications have deep concerns about the economic impact of the novel coronavirus, or Covid-19, a survey of American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) members indicated.

Visitors take a rest at an office building in HCMCs District 1. They wear face masks to protect themselves from the Wuhan coronavirus

The AmCham in Hanoi conducted a survey on February 13 and 14 about the business impact of the coronavirus on business operations in Vietnam.

The survey focused on quantitative issues, such as the coronavirus expected impact on corporate revenues and Vietnams gross domestic product (GDP) as well as workplace issues such as travel and work-from-home policies.

Most members stated it is too early to gauge the impact of the coronavirus on their estimated 2020 revenues. However, of companies that are able to estimate the impact, some 70% said the coronavirus is expected to reduce their revenue by 10% or less this year.

One-quarter of respondents predicted Vietnams GDP growth will be slashed by more than 1.5 percentage points due to the viral outbreak. Another quarter of them expect little or no change in the GDP growth, while half fall between the two expectations.

More than half of our members in the manufacturing sector are experiencing difficulty sourcing supplies/materials due to disruptions from the coronavirus, AmCham executive director Adam Sitkoff noted in a statement, citing the AmCham survey.

Some 35% of respondents indicated that current supply chain disruptions are already seriously affecting their companys global operations.

The greatest challenges lie in securing alternative materials and goods supplies, along with inventory management.

Supply chain disruptions and travel restrictions are having and will continue to have an impact on many business sectors, Sitkoff said.

The survey also found that some 60% of companies responding now allow staff to work from home and almost all members offer hand sanitizer in the workplace.

A quarter of respondents are restricting staff travel within Vietnam, while three-quarters are restricting travel to some or all countries abroad.

Half of the respondents are experiencing difficulty getting people to come to Vietnam from abroad, and almost 80% of member firms have cancelled or postponed meetings or events due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

Gareth Leather, Senior Asia economist at London-based think tank Oxford Economics, remarked in a note on February 13 that factory shutdowns in China are starting to have significant knock-on effects on the rest of the region as companies struggle to source intermediate goods.

The garment and electronics sectors are likely to experience the worst of the disruption, while Vietnam and Malaysia are set to be the hardest hit countries, explained Leather.

According to the economist, some firms should be able to source inputs from elsewhere, just as they managed to reroute supply chains during the U.S.-China trade war, but this will be a tall order in many cases.

He pointed out it will be difficult for alternative foreign suppliers to make up for the shortage of intermediate goods across numerous sectors in Vietnam, where 40% or more of imported manufacturing inputs come from China.

The new coronavirus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, which has claimed the lives of more than 1,700 people in mainland China. Vietnam has confirmed 16 cases of infections so far, with 11 being from the northern province of Vinh Phuc. SGT

Pham Nhat

What will happen if Vietnam reduces tariffs on American farm imports? The US has proposed to reduce the import tax on some of its agricultural products, including chicken, some fruits, wheat, potato, pork and dairy products.
26-year-old Female from India

CGPA - 7.8 on a scale of 10

GMAT1 - 720 (Q48, V41)

GMAT2 - 730 (Q50, V39)

Work experience - 5 years total, 3 years as senior corporate trainer

2 years as PLM Consultant in a Swedish MNC

freelance nutrition consultant

volunteered in an NGO here for a year

reach out to impoverished children in the slums and teach them about nutrition and nourishment

organized one of the biggest community feeding project

Extra-curriculars -

Strengths:

Post-MBA Goals:

Schools I am looking at:

Hello,Can you please provide an honest for me? I am really a novice when it comes to b-school admissions, and would love to get some professional advice from you(in which I worked with the Program governance council to supervise the training of 600 employees, and trained 3000 professionals from entry to Project Manager level in wide range of technologies such as Database, Python, Java and Mainframes with top feedback of 4.8/5, ensuring efficient delivery for the projects worth USD 60 Million.)(I have worked closely with developers and business consultants. The primary goal has been to provide effective PLM solutions to our customers, managing the product's bill of material and documentation, and developing software as a part of the delivery team. Have spearheaded one of the largest projects of our organization(worth USD 2 million), and have developed an entire application from scratch to delivery, working closely with our customers and international clients)Apart from this, I have also been a; I have worked with clients in my city and in India, consulting them in Nutrition and lifestyle changes. Have, where our biggest mission was to. We had, where we cooked "millet porridge" for around 500 children because we believed that a well-nourished child has the potential to solve so many other problems.I was always very good at communication. I won a lot of awards in declamation and debate contests (State and National Level). Had represented my college at inter-university Inter-University Chancellor's Cup Group Discussion contest, and had been rewarded by the Chief Minister and the Governor of a state.Excellent communication and people handling skills. Always a quick learner who likes to challenge herself.I wish to hone my skills further. I have always liked dealing with clients, brainstorming ideas and discussing the best market strategies. I wish to join a reputed firm as a Market Analyst and use my skills to research and help in the best marketing of products.Please advise on how to project this in a better manner. Deep down, I know that this is what I wish to do, but articulating in industry terms is toughThe top 20 (US, UK preferably). Need help here. Some schools I really look forward too are Yale SOM, NYU Stern, Tuck, Fuqua. Are these achievable? What can I highlight in my profile? Please advise on these schools.Your help is much appreciated.Thank You.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkeys export of cement to Kazakhstan dropped in January 2020, Turkeys Ministry of Trade told Trend on Feb. 19.

In January 2020, Turkeys export of cement to Kazakhstan dropped by 3.14 percent compared to January 2019, and amounted to $518,000.

In 2019, export of cement from Turkey to Kazakhstan increased by 15.01 percent compared to 2018 and exceeded $6.7 million.

In the meantime, Turkeys export of cement increased by 17.8 percent and reached $3.5 billion.

In 2019, export of cement from Turkey amounted to 1.9 percent of the country's total export.

Turkey's export increased by 2.1 percent in 2019 and amounted to $171.5 billion compared to 2018. In the meantime, Turkey's import dropped by 9.1 percent and amounted to $202.7 billion.

Turkeys foreign trade turnover in 2019 exceeded $374.2 billion.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
China on Wednesday expelled three Wall Street Journal correspondents, the largest expulsion of overseas media personnel from the country in more than three decades, after the newspaper declined to apologise for a column which Beijing criticised as "racist" and tarnishing its efforts to combat the deadly coronavirus epidemic.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China made repeated representations to the US newspaper over the opinion piece which had the headline: China is the real sick man of Asia, but regretted that it had not offered a public apology.

The move comes less than one day after United States officials announced they would be treating five major Chinese State-run media companies as effective extensions of the Chinese government.

A senior US state department official said on Tuesday that Xinhua, China Global Television Network, China Radio International, China Daily and People's Daily will be designated as "foreign missions", effective immediately.

Without directly linking the expulsions to the US move, Geng said China has decided to revoke the press cards (accreditation) of three WSJ journalists as the daily has not apologised to racist headline it carried recently.

"On February 3, the Wall Street Journal published an article titled China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia by Professor Walter Russell Mead of the Bard College, which smears the efforts of the Chinese government and people on fighting the epidemic.

The death toll from the coronavirus epidemic in China crossed the 2,000-mark on Wednesday with the death of 136 more people, while the overall confirmed cases climbed to 74,185, according Chinese health authorities.

Earlier, the Chinese foreign ministry asked the WSJ to apologise for the article.

"The editors (of WSJ) used such a racially discriminatory title, triggering indignation and condemnation among the Chinese people and the international community," Geng said.

"The Chinese side has lodged stern representations (protest) with the WSJ and made our solemn position clear. China demands the WSJ recognise the severity of its mistake, make an official apology and hold the persons involved accountable. Meanwhile, we reserve the right to take further actions, he said.

"The Chinese people do not welcome those media that speak racially discriminatory languages and maliciously slander and attack China. As such, it is decided that from today, the press cards of three WSJ journalists will be revoked," he said.

The Wall Street Journal said its deputy bureau chief Josh Chin and reporters Chao Deng and Philip Wen had been given five days to leave the country.

The Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC) in a statement expressed deep concern and strong condemnation over China's decision to cancel the visas of three WSJ journalists.

"The action taken against WSJ correspondents is an extreme and obvious attempt by the Chinese authorities to intimidate foreign news organisations by taking retribution against their China-based correspondents, it said.

Simultaneously revoking press credentials of three correspondents is an unprecedented form of retaliation against foreign journalists in China. China has not outright expelled a foreign correspondent since 1998, the FCCC said.

The FCCC is now aware of nine journalists either expelled or effectively expelled (through non-renewal of visas) from China since 2013. China has evicted fair and talented journalists who have worked hard to bring unbiased, informative reports to their audiences and to understand China, it said.

"FCCC member correspondents and their colleagues in China are suffering from an increasing frequency of harassment, surveillance and intimidation from authorities. The expulsion of these three WSJ reporters is only the latest, and most alarming, measure authorities have taken," it said.
Half a century ago the poet laureate Bob Dylan offered some sage advice for the leaders of the day: when the old road is rapidly aging, get out of the new one if you can't lend a hand in building it. It's advice that today's leaders, and especially the National Party, would do well to heed.

Scott Morrison is finally flirting with the idea of leading  rather than delaying and deflecting  on climate change. Yet many members of the Coalition, and especially the National Party, are still emphasising the costs of climate action: "What it will mean for their electricity prices, what it will mean for their jobs."

Much of the growth, jobs and cost of living improvements will be concentrated in the rural regions that are most hard-hit by the changing climate and the fading of the old industries. Credit:iStock

The choice before us, however, isn't between risky action on climate change and a risk-free status quo. When the times are a-changing, the status quo is not necessarily the lowest risk approach.

The changing of the times can be seen in the massive movements of capital by super funds and institutional investors away from coal. It is evident in the worldwide rush of insurers to revamp their models and investment strategies as the cost of extreme events rises precipitously. It is written in the changing policy regimes of China and the EU, and of US and Australian cities and states.
NASA's Juno mission has provided its first science results on the amount of water in Jupiter's atmosphere.

Published recently in the journal Nature Astronomy, the Juno results estimate that at the equator, water makes up about 0.25% of the molecules in Jupiter's atmosphere -- almost three times that of the Sun. These are also the first findings on the gas giant's abundance of water since the agency's 1995 Galileo mission suggested Jupiter might be extremely dry compared to the Sun (the comparison is based not on liquid water but on the presence of its components, oxygen and hydrogen, present in the Sun).



An accurate estimate of the total amount of water in Jupiter's atmosphere has been on the wish lists of planetary scientists for decades: The figure in the gas giant represents a critical missing piece to the puzzle of our solar system's formation. Jupiter was likely the first planet to form, and it contains most of the gas and dust that wasn't incorporated into the Sun.



The leading theories about its formation rest on the amount of water the planet soaked up. Water abundance also has important implications for the gas giant's meteorology (how wind currents flow on Jupiter) and internal structure. While lightning -- a phenomenon typically fueled by moisture -- detected on Jupiter by Voyager and other spacecraft implied the presence of water, an accurate estimate of the amount of water deep within Jupiter's atmosphere remained elusive.



Before the Galileo probe stopped transmitting 57 minutes into its Jovian descent in December 1995, it radioed out spectrometer measurements of the amount of water in the gas giant's atmosphere down to a depth of about 75 miles (120 kilometers), where the atmospheric pressure reached about 320 pounds per square inch (22 bar). The scientists working on the data were dismayed to find ten times less water than expected.



Even more surprising: The amount of water the Galileo probe measured appeared to be still increasing at the greatest depth measured, far below where theories suggest the atmosphere should be well mixed. In a well-mixed atmosphere, the water content is constant across the region and more likely to represent a global average; in other words, it's more likely to be representative of water planetwide. When combined with an infrared map obtained at the same time by a ground-based telescope, the results suggested the probe mission may have just been unlucky, sampling an unusually dry and warm meteorological spot on Jupiter.



"Just when we think we have things figured out, Jupiter reminds us how much we still have to learn," said Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. "Juno's surprise discovery that the atmosphere was not well mixed even well below the cloud tops is a puzzle that we are still trying to figure out. No one would have guessed that water might be so variable across the planet."



Measuring Water From Above



A rotating, solar-powered spacecraft, Juno launched in 2011. Because of the Galileo probe experience, the mission seeks to obtain water abundance readings across large regions of the immense planet. A new kind of instrument for deep space planetary exploration, Juno's Microwave Radiometer (MWR) observes Jupiter from above using six antennas that measure atmospheric temperature at multiple depths simultaneously. The Microwave Radiometer takes advantage of the fact that water absorbs certain wavelengths of microwave radiation, the same trick used by microwave ovens to quickly heat food. The measured temperatures are used to constrain the amount of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere, as both molecules absorb microwave radiation.



The Juno science team used data collected during Juno's first eight science flybys of Jupiter to generate the findings. They initially concentrated on the equatorial region because the atmosphere there appears more well-mixed, even at depth, than in other regions. From its orbital perch, the radiometer was able to collect data from a far greater depth into Jupiter's atmosphere than the Galileo probe -- 93 miles (150 kilometers), where the pressure reaches about 480 psi (33 bar).



"We found the water in the equator to be greater than what the Galileo probe measured," said Cheng Li, a Juno scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. "Because the equatorial region is very unique at Jupiter, we need to compare these results with how much water is in other regions."



Northward Bound



Juno's 53-day orbit is slowly moving northward, as intended, bringing more of Jupiter's northern hemisphere into sharper focus with each flyby. The science team is eager to see how atmospheric water content varies by latitude and region, as well as what the cyclone-rich poles can tell them about the gas giant's global water abundance.



Juno's 24th science flyby of Jupiter occurred on Feb 17. The next science flyby takes place on April 10, 2020.



"Every science flyby is an event of discovery," said Bolton. "With Jupiter there is always something new. Juno has taught us an important lesson: We need to get up close and personal to a planet to test our theories."



NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASA's New Frontiers Program, which is managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The Italian Space Agency contributed the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper and the Ka-Band translator system. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built and operates the spacecraft.

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
NSW Health is urgently seeking more information from the federal government on two Australians who returned from Cambodia over the weekend and who need to remain in self-isolation due to coronavirus fears.

The request for more information comes after the department was informed that 22 Australians who had travelled on a cruise ship - which had one confirmed case of COVID-19 - had arrived back in Australia only two days after they landed in Sydney.

All passengers from the Westerdam, docked in Cambodia, have now been cleared of coronavirus. Credit:Getty Images

There were at least 79 Australians on the MS Westerdam, a Holland America Lines ship that docked in Sihanoukville last week after being turned away from several Asian countries.

Of that 79, 39 were initially taken to the Sokha Phnom Penh hotel, 10 were left on the Westerdam but were allowed off the vessel on Wednesday to head to the same hotel and 30 appeared to have left Cambodia before an American passenger, who had been on the ship, tested positive for coronavirus in Malaysia.
Turkey and Russia exchanged warnings on Wednesday after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened an "imminent" operation in Syria to end the regime's brutal assault on the last rebel enclave.

Syrian aid workers called urgently for a ceasefire and international help for nearly a million people fleeing the regime onslaught in the country's northwestern Idlib province -- the biggest wave of displaced civilians in the nine-year conflict.

Turkey, supporter of some rebel groups in Idlib, has been pushing for a renewed ceasefire in talks with Russia, which backs the Syrian regime. Ankara is eager to prevent another flood of refugees into its territory adding to the 3.7 million Syrians it already hosts.

The Syrian NGO Alliance said displaced people are "escaping in search of safety only to die from extreme weather conditions and lack of available resources".

"We have hundreds and thousands of people who are fleeing... not just from bombardments but from lack of insulation, from the weather, a lack of heating. It feels like doomsday," Razan Saffour, of the Syrian Expatriate Medical Association, told AFP at the press conference in Istanbul.

The group said a total of $336 million was needed for basic food, water and shelter. Education resources were also needed for 280 million displaced school-aged children.

Erdogan said talks with Moscow over the past fortnight had so far failed to achieve "the desired result" and warned that Turkey would launch an offensive into Syria unless Damascus pulled its forces back by the end of the month.

"An operation in Idlib is imminent... We are counting down, we are making our final warnings," Erdogan said in a televised speech.

He called for Syrian forces to retreat behind Turkey's military posts in Idlib, which were set up under a 2018 deal with Russia designed to hold off a regime advance.

The Kremlin quickly responded to Erdogan's threat, warning that any operation against Syrian forces would be "the worst scenario".

With Turkey moving large numbers of reinforcements into Idlib in recent weeks, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar emphasised that it was "out of the question for us to withdraw from our observation posts".

"If there is any sort of attack against them, we will retaliate in kind," he told reporters in Ankara.

- 'Indiscriminate' violence -

Earlier this week the United Nations said the displaced were mainly women and children and warned that babies were dying of cold because aid camps are full.

The Syrian NGOs called for the warring parties to allow safe access for humanitarian groups and for a "complete ceasefire and end to human rights violations".

The regime offensive has killed more than 400 civilians since it began in December, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"The violence in northwest Syria is indiscriminate. Health facilities, schools, residential areas, mosques and markets have been hit," the UN head of humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, Mark Lowcock, said earlier this week.

Moscow has repeatedly vetoed Security Council resolutions.

The head of the World Health Organization said Tuesday that out of nearly 550 health facilities in northwest Syria, only about half were operational.

"We repeat: health facilities and health workers are not a legitimate target," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists in Geneva.

Syrian troops have reconquered swathes of Idlib and retaken the key M5 highway connecting the country's four largest cities as well as the entire surroundings of Aleppo city for the first time since 2012.

According to the Observatory, government forces made new gains in western Aleppo province on Tuesday and were pushing towards the Sheikh Barakat mountain.

That would give them a vantage point over large parts of Idlib and Aleppo provinces, including sprawling camps housing tens of thousands of displaced people.

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The chief of Armenias military police and another army general were dismissed on Wednesday following a spate of non-combat deaths of soldiers.

President Armen Sarkissian fired Major-General Artur Baghdasarian and Major-General Aleksan Aleksanian in separate decrees requested by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

Baghdasarian has headed the military police since May 2017. He was promoted to the rank of army general as recently as on January 24.

For his part, Aleksanian was the chief of an Armenian army department tasked with monitoring and maintaining military morale. He had been appointed to that post last November.

Pashinian promised major personnel-related decisions after meeting with Armenias top military and law-enforcement officials on Monday to discuss recent weeks increase in the number of soldiers dying in non-combat circumstances.

The Armenian military has reported 13 such deaths since the beginning of this year. Eight of these soldiers have died in accidents and other circumstances not related to their military service.

The five other victims are believed to have committed suicide or been shot dead by other servicemen in separate incidents investigated by law-enforcement authorities. The shootings have caused outrage in Armenia and cast a renewed spotlight on the chronic problem of hazing and other abuses in the army ranks.

The chief of the armys General Staff, Lieutenant-General Artak Davtian, on Tuesday briefed lawmakers on ongoing efforts to root out the criminal subculture and strengthen discipline in the army ranks. Speaking after that meeting, he confirmed that personnel changes within the top army brass are imminent.

Davtian also said that a number of other officers have already been demoted or discharged from the armed forces this month because of the non-combat fatalities. He expressed confidence that military investigators will identify those directly responsible for them.

Pashinian stressed on Tuesday that the number of non-combat deaths among Armenian military personnel fell to a historical low last year. Our objective is to maintain this dynamic, he wrote on Facebook.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese says the approval of Adani's controversial central Queensland mine has been a "good thing".

Mr Albanese was speaking at a Queensland Media Club lunch in Brisbane on Wednesday when asked whether he would stop beating around the bush and say whether he supported the mine or not.

Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese addresses the Queensland Media Club in Brisbane on Wednesday. Credit:Glenn Hunt/AAP

"In terms of the Adani mine that has been approved, that is a good thing that those jobs have been created," he said.

"I support jobs regardless of where they are, and that is a very good thing, and I support those jobs and the economic activity that will arise from it."
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - Alternate Health Corp., (CSE: AHG) (OTCQB: AHGIF) ("Alternate Health" or the "Company"), an international leader in CBD product development and distribution, announced today that the Company has signed a binding distribution agreement (the "Agreement") with Safe Harvest LLC ("Safe Harvest"), a Texas-based producer of CBD and CBG products, including isolate, distillate and gummies. The Agreement includes a CAD $2.1 Million (USD $1.6 Million) strategic investment in Alternate Health.

"This Agreement represents an important step forward in our CBD business model and a strong show of confidence from a leading industry player," says Howard Mann, CEO of Alternate Health. "Our agreement expands our FDA-compliant testing and packaging division, while adding to our product offering, including high quality CBG, or cannabigerol."

Under the Agreement, Safe Harvest appoints Alternate Health as its exclusive distributor of FDA-compliant, stamped and packaged hemp products. And Alternate Health appoints Safe Harvest as the Company's exclusive provider of CBD and CBG isolate, distillate and gummies.

"We are excited to partner with Safe Harvest and work closely to capture the rapidly developing CBG market," says Howard Mann. "We see excellent potential to build on our complementary capabilities and drive revenues for both businesses."

Agreement Terms

Under the terms of the Agreement, which closed today, Alternate Health will issue 13,333,333 common shares to Safe Harvest, at a deemed price of USD $0.12 (CAD $0.16) per share, in return for a USD $1.6 million (CAD $2.1 million) strategic investment. The investment consists of USD $800,000 (CAD $1,054,000) in cash payments and USD $800,000 (CAD $1,054,000) in prepaid inventory, including CBD and CBG isolate, distillate and gummies. Alternate Health will also issue 833,333 common shares to Safe Harvest, at a deemed price of USD $0.12 (CAD $0.16) per share as consideration for $100,000 in initial inventory, including CBD and CBG isolate and CBD gummies.

Private Placement of Units

Alternate Health also announces that the Company has closed a non-brokered private placement of 13,645,044 units at a price of CAD $0.15 (USD $0.11) per unit for aggregate gross proceeds of CAD $1,981,800. Each unit is comprised of one common share and one share purchase warrant at an exercise price of CAD $0.30 for an 18-month term.

"The Company is pleased to receive a strong show of support from a key insider, demonstrating confidence in Alternate Health's strategic plan," says Howard Mann. "These investments position us for success as the CBD industry continues to mature and transition in the United States."

The common shares and warrants issued under the private placement are subject to a four month and one day hold period in accordance with Canadian securities laws. In addition to funding expansion opportunities in wholesale CBD distribution, the private placement proceeds will be used in expanding Alternate Health's CBD product line and for general working capital purposes.

One of the purchasers in the private placement is a director of the Company. Participation of an insider of the Company in the Private Placement constitutes a related party transaction as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions. Because the Company's shares trade only on the Canadian Securities Exchange, the issuance of securities is exempt from the formal valuation requirements of Section 5.4 of MI 61-101 pursuant to Subsection 5.5(b) of MI 61-101 and exempt from the minority approval requirements of Section 5.6 of MI 61-101 pursuant to Subsection 5.7(b) of MI 61-101.

About Alternate Health

Alternate Health is an international leader in the hemp-derived CBD industry, including extraction, product development and distribution. Through Alternate Health's subsidiary, Blaine Labs, the Company has 23 years of experience in FDA-registered and cGMP medical product manufacturing and distribution, with over 50 product SKUs available from major retailers, including Walmart, Amazon, CVS and Walgreens. For more information about Alternate Health Corp., visit www.alternatehealth.com.

Investor Contact

Scott Holtby | Investor Relations

Jim Tykoliz | Company Director

1.416.607.5757

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Statements included in this announcement, including statements concerning our plans, intentions and expectations, including with respect to the closing of the letter of intent, which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "expects" and similar expressions. The Company cautions readers that forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.

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Senior author Jian Xiao, M.D., Ph.D.

A new study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine is the first to illustrate the presence of oxygen-deprived clusters throughout the damaged site of a compressed spinal cord. It is also the first to show how transplanting basic growth factor with the use of a viral vector to target the oxygen-deprived sites enhances the injured spinal cords recovery.

The study, conducted on a rat model that the studys researchers developed just for their investigation, could eventually have great implications for cellular treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) in humans.

Every year, according to the World Health Organization, between 250,000 and 500,000 people suffer a spinal cord injury, most due to trauma from accidents. The initial blunt force damages or kills spinal nerve cells, setting in motion a cascade of secondary events that include loss of an adequate oxygen supply at the tissue level  a condition called hypoxia. The results could lead to complete paralysis, depending on the severity of the injury and where along the spinal cord it occurs.

There is currently no effective way to repair the damage. A better understanding of the events of secondary injury would provide a target to optimize pharmacological and cellular therapies, the timing of surgery and early rehabilitation, said Jian Xiao, M.D., Ph.D. He served as senior author of this new study, conducted with his colleagues at Wenzhou Medical University in Zhejiang, China.

The team focused on the hypoxia aspect of an SCI. To begin, they established a compressive rodent model of SCI. We then investigated the SCI using this rat model and found that areas of hypoxia were unevenly interspersed throughout the injured sites, Dr. Xiao said.

Armed with this new knowledge, the team generated embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs) expressing basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), under the regulation of five hypoxia-responsive elements. They then used a lentiviral vector (LV-5HRE-bFGF-NSCs) to specifically target the oxygen-deprived locations. A number of growth factors have been shown in previous studies to reduce the harmful effects of an SCI while improving neuronal survival and regeneration, Dr. Xiao explained. However, controlling the release of these factors has been a significant challenge. Thats why we introduced the lentiviral vector. We suspected it might ensure the bFGF made it to the hypoxia-targeted sites.

Results showed their suspicions were correct. At 60 days after SCI, the rats showed a reversal of the hypoxic microenvironment, paralleled by a decrease in cellular autophagy (a process that can lead to cell death) and reduced glial scar formation (glial scars can set up a barrier that interferes with delivering a therapy to the injured site). The team also saw an increase in axon regeneration and better locomotor function in the treated animals.

This approach allows bFGF to target the right place at the right time and has the therapeutic potential to treat SCI via a timely improvement in the microenvironment, said Sipin Zhu, M.D., the papers first author.

These findings led us to propose that LV-5HRE-bFGF-NSCs might, therefore, be a good candidate to evaluate cellular SCI therapy in humans, Dr. Xiao added.

This study, focusing on spinal cord injury, shows that recovery is possible in a preclinical model, said Anthony Atala, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The use of growth factor-modified stem cells is promising and warrants further investigation.

The full article, The repair and autophagy mechanisms of hypoxia-regulated bFGF-modified primary embryonic neural stem cells in spinal cord injury, can be accessed at https://stemcellsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/sctm.19-0282.

About STEM CELLS Translational Medicine: STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM), co-published by AlphaMed Press and Wiley, is a monthly peer-reviewed publication dedicated to significantly advancing the clinical utilization of stem cell molecular and cellular biology. By bridging stem cell research and clinical trials, SCTM will help move applications of these critical investigations closer to accepted best practices. SCTM is the official journal partner of Regenerative Medicine Foundation.

About AlphaMed Press: Established in 1983, AlphaMed Press with offices in Durham, NC, San Francisco, CA, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, publishes two other internationally renowned peer-reviewed journals: STEM CELLS (http://www.StemCells.com), celebrating its 38th year, is the world's first journal devoted to this fast paced field of research. The Oncologist (http://www.TheOncologist.com), also a monthly peer-reviewed publication, entering its 25th year, is devoted to community and hospital-based oncologists and physicians entrusted with cancer patient care. All three journals are premier periodicals with globally recognized editorial boards dedicated to advancing knowledge and education in their focused disciplines.

About Wiley: Wiley, a global company, helps people and organizations develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. Our online scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals, combined with our digital learning, assessment and certification solutions, help universities, learned societies, businesses, governments and individuals increase the academic and professional impact of their work. For more than 200 years, we have delivered consistent performance to our stakeholders. The company's website can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com.

About Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF): The non-profit Regenerative Medicine Foundation fosters strategic collaborations to accelerate the development of regenerative medicine to improve health and deliver cures. RMF pursues its mission by producing its flagship World Stem Cell Summit, honouring leaders through the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Action Awards, and promoting educational initiatives.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian signed a decree on dismissing Chief of the Military Police of the defense ministry Artur Baghdasaryan, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The President signed the respective decree based on the Prime Ministers proposal.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
T hree bear cubs appeared to dance together in a fairytale moment captured by an amateur photographer.

Valtteri Mulkahainen, a PE teacher from Sotkamo, Finland, was out walking in a forest near his home when he noticed a mother bear with her three cubs.

Hiding himself 50m away from the family, he began watching them with interest and was soon amazed to see the cubs behaving like little children.

Mr Mulkahainen told the Standard: They walked on their hind legs, climbed trees and tried to push each other over.

And then they started to move in a circle - just as if they were dancing.

Luckily, its a moment I managed to capture.

He shared the images, which he capture in June 2013, on his social media pages this week - with viewers pointing out the "magical" quality of his work.

Mr Mulkahainen said he spent all evening photographing the playful group and was amazed by their human-like interactions.

Cubs are very similar to people, he said. They have fun like little children in a sandbox.

They play, fight, fight, and then play again  its so interesting to watch their games.
After an inquiry and suspension lasting several days, it was reported Feb. 17 that journalist Erel Segal will be returning to his show "Kalman and Segal" on the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation Kan. The public channel announced, Segal was notified that as a journalist working for public broadcasting, he is expected to maintain the journalistic code of ethics and standards.

Segals suspension came as a result of his appearance in a propaganda video for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alongside two other right-wing journalists, Yinon Magal and Shimon Riklin. Neither of those two men make any effort to hide their blind admiration for the prime minister. This particular video, which appeared on Netanyahus Twitter account Feb. 13, shows the three journalists singing Avihu Medinas famous song Praise Jerusalem, together with Netanyahu. On social media, the video came to be known by the moniker, Bibi [Netanyahu] and the Shofars [mouthpieces].

There is not enough space here for a detailed account of how Segal, Yinon and Riklin became the modern-day equivalent of medieval town criers for Netanyahus public messages. As part of their alleged work as journalists, these three men serve as spokesmen of a sort, not only justifying but praising just about everything Netanyahu does, without the slightest hint of criticism. They had no criticism of the prime minister, when he dragged Israel into three successive election campaigns, or when he was indicted in district court. They believe that any criticism of Netanyahu is nothing more than the result of provocation by the media and the left, with the intent of removing the prime minister from power.

As usual, Netanyahu depicted the suspension of his minion Segal as another battle in the war between light and darkness. In Netanyahus mind, Segal was a casualty of the left, which is trying incessantly to defeat him. At Kan they never show any sympathy, on the left they dont have that. Nevertheless, he [Segal] was suspended. What a joke! Its disgraceful! said Netanyahu at an election rally. It is well known that Netanyahu is obsessed with the media. It was responsible for Case 2000 (allegedly plotting with Yedioth Ahronoth publisher for positive coverage) and Case 4000 (on Netanyahus ties with communication tycoon Shaul Elovitch), which led to his indictment for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Over the years, and especially since the 2015 election, he has been striving to install a more submissive, sycophantic Israeli press, which praises everything he does. He wants a press similar to the newspaper Yisrael Hayom (Israel Today), which was created for him by billionaire Sheldon Adelson. Often, that newspapers headlines toed in line with Netanyahus official talking points.

According to Netanyahu, any unflattering or critical reports in the mainstream media result from the glaring hatred of the left. Remarks such as this trickle down to his admirers and supporters, who are convinced that the mainstream media is conspiring with the left to bring Netanyahu down. When Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit decided to indict Netanyahu for committing grave offenses in three separate cases  as aforementioned, two of them involving the media  Netanyahus supporters argued that the attorney general was unable to withstand the intense pressure being applied by the media and the left.

Netanyahus persecution complex has led him to terrorize the Israeli press, with particular emphasis on electronic media. He cut off the flow of oxygen to Channel 10 because of the bold investigative reports of its journalists, particularly Raviv Drucker, who first uncovered the submarine scandal, as well as the scandal surrounding the gifts that Netanyahu received. Netanyahu responded by introducing changes to the regulatory structure of the commercial networks in an effort to terrorize them. Having no other choice, and out of a desire to ease the pressure being applied to their oxygen pipes, various media outlets began to employ a crew of reporters, who can only be considered court journalists. One of the most prominent of these is political activist Yaakov Bardugo, who is not a journalist at all but who was appointed to the position of political commentator for Army Radio. He sits in the studio every evening, praising the leader and attacking the leaders rivals, in what can only be compared to government propaganda in a banana republic.

But even that is not enough for Netanyahu. It seems as if there is no way to satiate his hunger for deferential and ingratiating media. He is disgusted when the media does its job, and he has no qualms about lashing out against senior journalists. (For instance, see the January 2019 right-wing billboard campaign, They will not decide, targeting four journalists.) Concerns that certain journalists could be attacked physically are so severe that media outlets have been forced to hire special security services. Furthermore, Netanyahu considers almost every trip abroad to be historic, meaning that he has no problem reprimanding journalists who accompany him and demanding extensive coverage.

Now, with the singing of Praise Jerusalem and the feigned innocence of the performers  who claim that they were singing the praises of the Holy City and nothing more  Netanyahu and his court journalists have ratcheted their propaganda campaign up a notch. More than just making do with blind admiration, they are actually taking part in Netanyahus reelection campaign.

It happened completely by coincidence, but just before I finished writing this article, I took a walk in Tel Aviv, where I suddenly ran into Magal and Riklin. They had just shot another interview on the street for their show on the right-wing Channel 20. It is worth noting that this channel began as a niche outlet for shows about Jewish heritage. All that changed when Netanyahu granted them a license to broadcast news and current events. As soon as the two journalists saw me, they identified me as a representative of the hostile and alienated left-wing media. In the argument that broke out between us, Magal boasted that he was the only person to fight back against Netanyahus interference in the Walla website, when he was its senior editor. It is also worth noting that Magal is scheduled to testify in Netanyahus upcoming trial over Case 4000, i.e., the bribery case. I was the only person to fight back against Netanyahus efforts to influence Walla, he proudly told me, and nevertheless, I still support him. Riklin then added, It is impossible to bridge the differences between us.

How interesting! Even after Magal personally witnessed Netanyahus incessant efforts to destroy the Israeli media, he continued to praise him. Even worse, Magal ignored the indictment facing Netanyahu. That is how blind he has been. The "survey" that Magal and Riklin conducted on the street was intended to heap praise on Netanyahu just two weeks before the March 2 election. The two men wanted to show their viewers how wonderful life in Israel is, and how much the leftists in Tel Aviv love to complain, even though everything is great. Netanyahus admirers believe that he built up Israel and brought it to where it is today, as if there was nothing here before him. The logical conclusion to be drawn from this is that if Netanyahu fails to win the election, or if he is arrested, Israel itself could come crashing down.

As far as the media promoting Netanyahu is concerned, there is no incitement in Israel. There is no neglect or marginalization either, no divisiveness, no hatred of the other and no government corruption. As for what lies ahead on the political horizon and Israels future, everything is rosy and bright. Annexation of West Bank territories is the best thing for Israel  the stuff of dreams, if you will. Even if Netanyahu has said, We will forever live by the sword, his court journalists continue to cheer him on and sing his praises.
"Small businesses are not immune to cyber attacks and data breaches and are often targeted specifically because they often fail to prioritize security," said Paul Lipman, CEO of BullGuard. "Caught between inadequate consumer solutions and overly complex enterprise software, many small business owners may be inclined to skip cybersecurity. It only takes one attack, however, to bring a business to its knees."

The study also revealed some glaring discrepancies between what SMB owners believe versus what is actually occurring in the market. Nearly 60% of SMB owners believe their business is unlikely to be targeted by cyber criminals, however the results revealed that 18.5% of SMB owners have suffered from a cyber attack or data breach within the past year. Unfortunately, while securing data can be simple, remediation is not. Companies that fall victim to a cyber attack often experience significant downtime that seriously impacts productivity, data privacy, and even revenue. Once breached, 25% of SMB owners stated they had to spend $10,000 or more to resolve the attack, which could be devastating for a small company. As for time lost, 50% of SMB owners said it took 24 hours or longer to recover from a breach or cyber attack, while 25% reported they lost business as a result, and almost 40% stated they lost crucial data.

Despite these numbers, many SMB owners are overly confident in the safety of their company and customer data. One in five SMB owners surveyed stated their organization has zero vulnerabilities, however 50% of SMB owners stated their employees do not receive any cybersecurity training.

A significant number, 65%, of SMB owners report managing their cybersecurity in-house, but less than 10% say they have a dedicated IT staff member. The right solution makes it simple and extremely cost-effective for SMBs to manage their own cybersecurity, ensuring their business is secure and protected.

Conducted in January 2020, the BullGuard-commissioned survey queried a total of 3,083 small business owners in the UK (1,532) and the US (1,551) with 50 employees or less.

About BullGuard

BullGuard is an award-winning cybersecurity company focused on providing the consumer and small business markets with the confidence to use the internet in absolute safety. We make it simple for users to protect their data, identity and privacy  at home, in the office and on the go. The BullGuard product portfolio extends to PC, Mac, tablet and smartphone protection, and features a comprehensive product suite, including internet security, mobile security, identity protection, an easy-to-use VPN with military-grade encryption and BullGuard Small Office Security, a dedicated, cloud-managed endpoint service designed specifically for small offices. BullGuard released the world's first IoT vulnerability scanner, real-time Home Network Scanner and unique Game Booster delivering the most secure and optimized gaming experience for PC Gamers. Today, BullGuard continues to lead the cybersecurity industry in providing innovations. All BullGuard customers enjoy expert live 24/7 customer support and a no-logs policy.

Follow us on Twitter @BullGuard , like us on Facebook at BullGuard , or learn more at https://www.bullguard.com .

All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE BullGuard

Related Links

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Flood-hit residents and workers praised the 'Dunkirk spirit' in Britain following Storm Dennis as communities rallied to help those worst affected today and played a waiting game over river levels.

Among the worst hit areas was Ironbridge in Shropshire where residents are beginning the clear up after the River Severn peaked last night, with the town's flood defences holding firm against the onslaught

Up to 1,500 properties have been flooded in the past few days with thousands more evacuated  but spirits were high in the former industrial town near Telford today with the river level expected to go down.

Vic Haddock, 60, in his canoe in Ironbridge today, said: 'I've lived here for 17 years and this has been the worst it's ever been'

Pictured are donations, including heaps of children's cuddly toys, for flood victims at Treforest community centre in Wales

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford (centre) and Member of the Welsh Assembly for Pontypridd, Mick Antoniw (right), with resident Caroline Jones inspecting flood damage at her house in Oxford Street, Nantgarw, in south Wales, on Monday

Ironbridge resident Pete Andrews, 50, with his dog Pippin, said today: 'It was a lot better last night. We weren't scared at all'

Mike Perks, manager of Cleo's wine and cocktail bar said: 'We got told we would have to be here all through the night. Then we were told that the water had dropped.

'Yesterday we were full of people and the council workers who were here seemed relieved that the water was going down. The community has really pulled together.

'It would have been awful if it had been a tragedy. The next step is the clear up. We just hope everyone is alright.'

Mr Perks has had as many as 40 people in at the busiest point to take shelter and refuel with complimentary teas and coffees.

He said yesterday: 'We've got people drinking teas and coffees and having bacon sandwiches and everything else - the old Dunkirk spirit.'

Dr Ann Henshaw, 73, lives in a cottage directly next to the River Severn by the eponymous Ironbridge. She said today: 'We've been fine. I've had lots and lots of calls and offers of help from friends. It was touch and go last night.

Vic Haddock outside his canoe hire business in Ironbridge today while neighbour Pete Andrews pumps out water

Appliciances have been placed on stools in Vic Haddock's house in Ironbridge today as the flooding problems today

Flooded homes on the banks of the River Severn in the Shropshire former industrial town of Ironbridge today

Furniture has been moved off the floor in Vic Haddock's home in Ironbridge today as the area faces flooding chaos

Among the worst hit areas is Ironbridge where residents are beginning the clear up today after the River Severn peaked

'I had to disable all the downstairs electrics which meant it was a bit cold. It hasn't been great, it's been the worst it's been since 2000.

'I'm just relieved the water has gone down. My garden is flooded. The water isn't bad for it at all, in fact it's probably good for it with all those minerals.'

Residents in Ladywood which is directly next to River Severn and the iconic Ironbridge are beginning the clear up after their homes flooded. Pete Andrews, 50, said: 'It was a lot better last night. We weren't scared at all.'

Residents in the area hit out at the council for not installing flood defences on their side of the river.

Vic Haddock, 60, said: 'I've lived here for 17 years and this has been the worst it's ever been. Nobody can control the weather and if you live by a river then you can expect to get wet.'

He added that despite the flood barriers put in by the council on the nearby Wharfage, residents in Ladywood had been given no such protection.

Robert Price, 53, faces a bill of thousands after his grade-II listed 15th century cottage Ironbridge was flooded today

Robert Price in Ironbridge claimed that the water had peaked higher than the Environment Agency had predicted at 21ft

The flood-hit interior of Rob Price's home on the banks of the River Severn in Ironbridge today

DVDs and electrical equipment has been stacked as high as possible at Robert Price's home in Ironbridge today

He said: 'Over here were not told anything. We don't have flood barriers over here. I had to spend last night with my family in Wolverhampton. Right now we have no gas, no electricity and no amentities. It's going to cost thousands to put it right.'

Robert Price, 53, faces a bill of thousands after his grade two 15th century cottage was flooded.

He claimed that the water had peaked higher than the Environment Agency had predicted at 6.52 metres and that the flood would cost him thousands of pounds in damage.

He said: 'This is the worst it's ever been without a doubt. I feel like we've been let down. The frustrating thing is that this is a grade 2 listed building and we have to go through hoops to get anything done.

'Since we've lived here we knew that something like this would happen. The council put up flood defences on the other side of the river, not here. It's going to cost us thousands to repair.'

Debbie Kane said: 'Last night was OK. Monday night was terrible. We were up all night manning the pumps. We're a nice little community down here, we look after ourselves.

'We were told it was be five metres high and we were updated by text and checked hourly. We had sandbags and pumps ready.'

Flooded cottages in Monmouth in the aftermath of Storm Dennis yesterday

Some 30 properties were evacuated on the Wharfage in Ironbridge yesterday morning as a danger to life warning was issued.

Elsewhere in the country, Pontypridd in Wales was battered by Storm Dennis over the weekend, but as families were left without homes, strangers were quick to offer their help, and a small community centre was overwhelmed with donations to help those affected.

A small group at Treforest Community Centre, dubbed the 'unsung heroes', put together plans to get people aid.

Secretary of the centre, Cheryl Jarman, 58, explained they decided to ask people who were willing to donate unwanted items to help those who had lost everything in the floods.

A post was published on social media and the centre has had thousands of donations including household items, food, toiletries, and stuffed toys for displaced children.

Mrs Jarman said: 'We have had a back up of bags this week as donations keep coming through the door.

'I've never seen anything like this at all. We've had things for babies, prams, clothes, toiletries - anything you can think of.

'We have been overwhelmed by the reaction here.'

People have even donated beds, TVs, and Sky boxes. Transit vans were delivering toiletries and baby supplies, along with boxes of fresh fruit and daffodils.

On Monday Mrs Jarman opened up at around 9am thinking she'd be there for 10 minutes to speak to an electrician.

She didn't leave until 10.20pm because people kept arriving bringing donated goods through the door.

A member of the public wades through floodwaters after flooding in Nantgarw, Wales as Storm Dennis hit on Sunday

A man rides a bike through flood water, as pumps and flood barriers help to keep the water from flooding homes in Gloucester Road in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, today

The centre has received so much it's sending some to other venues like Trallwn Community Centre and Hapi Hub in Rhydyfelin to make sure all communities have enough to go around.

'We just want to say how thankful we are,' said Mrs Jarman. 'Can we just say how grateful we are for the generosity of others.

'There was a two-year-old here this morning and it broke her little heart - she has nothing.

'We are trying to help people and they're saying 'give it to someone who needs it', and they have nothing.

'People are proud and they don't want to take anything.'

Churches in Pontypridd also opened their doors to offer refuge to those left stranded by the deluge.

Families living along the River Severn were evacuated from their homes as a city braced itself for its highest flood levels since 2014.

A woman and child enter a cottage today in Gloucester Road in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, as pumps and flood barriers help to keep the water from flooding the properties

Aerial view of Upton-upon-Severn this morning where residents are still on high alert as the town sits surrounded by water

Residents in Hempsted and Alney Island, Gloucester, were told they were 'at risk' from the rising river levels, with some choosing to pack up and spend the night in a rest centre.

Red flood warnings remain in place along the Severn with new predictions that water levels could top 4.5m in Gloucester, just 42cm shy of the 2007 peak.

In 2014, the last time homes were evacuated, flood defences held and the area on the far side of Westgate Bridge was not flooded.

Councillor Dawn Melvin has spent part of the evening in her ward as residents prepare for high tide at 3am.

She said the people of Alney Island have either 'hunkered down' or evacuated their homes.

Cllr Melvin said: 'People were evacuating, but all I will say is many of those people are the salt of the earth. They are so resilient, it's frightening.

'Even ones with small babies have been putting their furniture on anything they could to get it off the ground or moving everything to the first floor.'

Aerial view of Upton-upon-Severn this morning where residents are still on high alert as the town sits surrounded by water

Gloucestershire Police said officers had been out in at risk areas offering advice to residents.

A force spokesperson said: 'People have been advised that they are at risk of flooding.

'The neighbourhood team have been around advising and have told them they can go to the rescue centre at the GL1 Leisure Centre.'

Cllr Melvin added that 'en masse people have been hunkering down' and the community have been helping each other to move furniture and the like.

She went on to commend the 'level of community in that area' while the Environment Agency were pumping water out of the River Severn.

Cllr Melvin, who represents Westgate on Gloucester City Council, said: 'People have been bringing out cups of tea and checking the Environment Agency have sandwiches.

'Some of these people, God-willing, they will have lost nothing but they might and they probably all know that they might.'

Red flood warnings were issued for Alney Island, Gloucester, Hempsted, Minsterworth and Stonebench, Sandhurst and Maisemore, and Trigworth and Longford.
Bhopal: Amid mounting pressure from a powerful faction in ruling Congress to reject National Population Register (NPR), which is scheduled to begin on April 1, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Tuesday sought to play safe indicating that he would take the call on it after reviewing the whole issue.

Talking to reporters here, Nath said, We will examine the issue. We have no plan to implement it now.

The Chief Minister has sought to play safe on NPR even as he had earlier categorically said that the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would not be implemented in MP under Congress regime.

Opposition BJP on Tuesday slammed the Chief Minister for showing reluctance to implement NPR, saying, The Chief Minister is succumbing to pressure by a section in Congress to dump NPR

The Chief Minister is not hesitating to take anti-constitutional step (by declaring not to implement NPR) to save his minority government, BJP spokesman here Deepak Vijayvargiya said.

Earlier, Congress MLA Arif Masood threatened to quit party if the NPR would be implemented in the state.

What is the use of remaining in Congress if NPR will be implemented in MP where there is a Congress government, he told reporters here.

Sources said a powerful factional leader in Congress in MP was behind Masoods move to force the Chief Minister not to execute NPR in the state.

The Kamal Nath government which has strength of 114 in 230-member state Assembly, one less than majority mark, survives by support from two Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs, one Samajwadi Party (SP) legislator and 5 Independents.

BJP has strength of 109 in the House.
A new case of coronavirus was confirmed among people evacuated from a cruise ship to a California military base, authorities said Tuesday.

The patient, who tested positive for the virus in Japan but had no symptoms, was placed in isolation Monday at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa after being evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.

Another evacuee who tested negative for the virus but then showed symptoms is also being monitored at the same hospital, according to a statement from representatives of the hospital and Napa County.

Both had been in quarantine at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of San Francisco.

The two are among more than 300 American cruise ship passengers who were quarantined at military bases in California and Texas after arriving from Japan on charter flights Sunday night and Monday.

A passenger evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship back to the US tested positive for coronavirus in California on Tuesday, becoming the sixteenth American infected, pending confirmation from CDC officials

The infected person is in isolation at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa Valley, California, where another person who developed symptoms after testing positive is also isolated

The US said it arranged for the evacuation because people on the Diamond Princess were at high risk of exposure to the new virus thats been spreading in Asia.

The evacuation cut short a 14-day quarantine that began aboard the cruise ship Feb. 5.

The State Department announced later that 14 of the evacuees received confirmation they had the virus but were allowed to board the flight because they had no symptoms.

Meanwhile, nearly 350 Americans who fled the coronavirus zone in China completed a 14-day quarantine at California military bases and were cleared to go home Tuesday, officials announced.

Among the passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess were the Jorgensens (left) and Carl Goldman and Jeri Searatti-Goldman (right). Jeri says her husband, Carl, was the patient rushed into a biocontainment unit after landing in Nebraska

Evacuees from the cruise ship are being quarantined in rooms on Travis Air Base (pictured)

A group of 180 people at Travis and 166 others at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego were medically cleared to leave, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

'These people being released from quarantine pose no health risk to the surrounding community, or to the communities they will be returning to,' the agency said.

Two other groups that arrived in government-chartered flights from virus-stricken areas of China are expected to be released from the military bases in California later this week.

At Travis, the cruise ship evacuees from Japan are being housed away from those who arrived from China, officials said.

Jeri Seratti-Goldman says her husband, Carl Goldman, has tested positive for coronavirus and has been placed in a special biocontainment unit in Nebraska. Pictured: Carl arrives in Nebraska and is placed on a stretcher to be taken to Nebraska Medicine

The newest American patient is among more than 75,000 global cases of coronavirus

More than 300 American passengers, including the California patient, were evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship before the end of its 14-day quarantine period in Japan

On Tuesday, shuttles were ferrying the evacuees from a hotel at Travis to the base's visitors center, where anxious relatives waited to take them home.

'I have no words to describe it. It was a really hard time,' Abdullah Alamoudi said of waiting to reunite with his wife and two young daughters.

Alamoudi told KTVU-TV he was separated from his family in China after he went to Shanghai on a business trip and his wife and children went to visit family in Wuhan, the city in China that is the epicenter of the outbreak.

'We just contacted the (US) embassy and thank God, they picked them up,' Alamoudi said.

One person who arrived with the group at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar tested positive for the virus and is doing well at a hospital, the CDC said.

'Today marks an end to a long, stressful journey for these 166 passengers,' said Dr. Erin Staples, who was leading efforts for the CDC at Miramar.
Midland ISD officials said Tuesday night one water sample tested slightly higher than EPA recommended drinking standards for arsenic at Fannin Elementary.

In an email to residents who brought forth concerns and testing results that showed higher-than-recommended levels for lead, arsenic and iron, Midland ISD officials stated, All lab samples results indicated levels of arsenic, iron and lead below EPA-recommended levels. Except for sample No. 1 collected from a water cooler (or fountain) in teachers lounge (before a water flush).

The email showed an arsenic level at 0.011 milligrams per liter before the water flush and 0.0023 mg/L after a water flush. EPA drinking water standard for arsenic is 0.01 mg/L, according to the email.

School district officials stated Tuesday in the email that 10 samples were collected from inside Fannin and two from city water taps outside Fannin.

At the school district meeting Tuesday evening, Chief Operations Officer James Riggin addressed the water testing and brown water concerns at Fannin Elementary. He said water clarity issues had been resolved.

A consultant recommends that this water cooler (fountain) be replaced, which will occur, MISD reported. The water at that location will be tested again after a new cooler is installed.

Next steps, according to Riggin, include testing water sources on campuses district-wide to determine if the district is providing clean water to students.

Board members asked about getting reverse osmosis water systems on all campuses. RO units cost around $40,000 each, he said. Midland ISD Superintendent Orlando Riddick said RO systems are being talked about in next years budget.

Riggin told board members that even RO water units need to be tested.

Midland ISD officials said there have been 47 water-related work orders at Fannin this year and 14 remaining to be done. There are no more work orders related to water quality (color, taste and metals).

A consultant told board officials the number of samples taken is sufficient to determine all water is safe.

Last week, a group of Midland residents sent an email to city and school district officials that water study results showed 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 than the standards set by the EPA.

Not long after the discussions between the concerned residents and Fannin principal, city and school district officials announced they would conduct their own investigations.

Midland ISD communicated with the public that it was being proactive after learning about the water study findings. In addition to conducting a water study, Midland ISD reported last week that it was delivering bottled water to the campus for student and staff consumption and notified parents of the concern and actions being taken.

City of Midland official repeatedly urged Midland residents to go to the TCEQs Texas Drinking Watch database to see results of every water test that has ever been done in Midland.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 19)  The Securities and Exchange Commission has approved the plan of San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc. (SMFB) to raise 15 billion through bonds.

The regulator said Wednesday that it has given the green light for the company to issue fixed-rate debt notes, which will mature in five or seven years.

The listed firm revealed its plan to float bonds in November. These papers have been given the highest credit rating by the Philippine Rating Services Corporation, vouching for SMFB's ability to pay its dues.

SMFB, which is the food unit of conglomerate San Miguel Corporation, said the offering would yield around 14.8 billion for the company, which it will use to settle maturing loans by March 12.

The bonds can be availed through a minimum 50,000 investment plus increments of 10,000, and will be listed on the bond trading platform Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp.

BDO Capital & Investment Corp., BPI Capital Corporation, China Bank Capital Corporation, Philippine Commercial Capital, Inc., PNB Capital and Investment Corporation, RCBC Capital Corporation and SB Capital Investment Corporation have been tapped as joint lead underwriters and bookrunners for the offer, the SEC said.
Tomballs new dangerous animal ordinance was initially passed without much discussion two weeks ago, but more than a dozen people showed up to protest its final approval this week.

Community Development Director Craig Meyers said the ordinance was initially proposed after inquiries from residents and it is based on the ordinance the city of Houston has. The ordinance bans numerous animals like lions and tigers, but also many reptilesincluding alligators, crocodiles, all venomous reptiles and any snakes that grow longer than 8 feet.

Alok Khanna, a school teacher, protested the ordinance, as he has kept a python in Tomball for several years.

Ive had them in my classroom as a teacher  no kids have been bitten, Khanna said. Just three weeks ago in Tomball, two dogs attacked somebodys cat and killed it. When was the last time an exotic animal injury happened inside Tomball city limits?

Related: Five stories to watch in Tomball this year

Adrian Berg, Vice President of the Texas Association of Reptile Keepers, lives in Katy but came to the meeting with several other members of the association to oppose the ordinance.

We face so much pressure with communities trying to outlaw the pets we have, Berg said. A lot of these rules get put into place because of fear and misunderstanding of these animals.

Berg said following Houstons lead is the wrong course of action because people come to Tomball to avoid big city regulations.

Most people have their own property, and I dont think most people want to be told what they can keep in their own house, Berg said.

Berg called the ordinance a loss of privilege for Tomball reptile owners.

Normally, when a kid loses a privilege, its because they did something, Berg said. As of this point, the citizens of Tomball have not done anything in order to lose the privilege of keeping these awesome animals.

Matthew Fank, of Tomball, also opposed the ban, and said he owned thousands of reptiles.

As a Tomball resident, it is my intention to open an exotic pet shop, Fank said. I chose Tomball because of its ordinances.

Related: Greater Tomball Area Chamber releases The Spirit of Tomball Texas 2020 Community and Business Guide

Fank said the reptile industry was regulated, requiring annual permits and said irresponsible owners could be fined $2,500 and have their animals confiscated.

Position 3 Council Member Chad Degges said he wanted to table the vote on the ordinance until more council members were in attendance. Council Members Mark Stoll and Lori Klein Quinn were absent from the meeting. But Position 1 Council Member John Ford made the motion, which led to the ordinance passing, and said many citizens had voiced their opposition to having exotic animals in the city.

Whether its perceived or real, we have to go with what the citizens feel, and that is that they do not want those types of animals in the city limits, Ford said.

Mayor Pro Tem Derek Townsend Sr. said he understood the protesters passion, and could see somebody having a single snake in their home, but couldnt see someone having tens or hundreds or thousands of them.

If they were not dangerous, you would not keep them under lock and key 24/7, 365 days a year, other than when youre handling them, Townsend said.

Townsend also said he heard about pythons and anacondas turned loose in the Everglades and destroying the ecosystem there, eating pigs and deer in the area.

You can shake your heads all you want, Townsend said to protesters at the meeting. The deer are disappearing, pigs are disappearing, the coyotes, the foxes, the rabbits.

After the ordinance was passed, Berg said the passage was disappointing.

Its obvious they still have a lot of misconceptions and fear and thats something we battle all over the place, Berg said.

Fank said he still has reptiles that fall within the guidelines of the ordinance, so he can still open his pet shop, albeit limiting the animals he can have there.

Anyone found violating the ordinance could be fined an amount up to $2,000, with each day the violation continues considered a separate offense, the ordinance states.

paul.wedding@hcnonline.com
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last Friday announced a travel ban on army commander, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, who is also the countrys acting Chief of Defence Staff.

Pompeos statement claimed that the action was taken in response to credible information of his [Silvas] involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely extrajudicial killings during the final phase of Sri Lankas Civil War in 2009. The bans have also been imposed on his immediate family members.

These actions by the USa consistent violator of human rightshave nothing to do with human rights in Sri Lanka. The ban is a direct and threatening message to Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapakse that Washington will use the war crimes committed during the final phase of the conflict against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to force Colombo to commit to US war preparations against China. Washington will not tolerate any attempt by the new Sri Lankan government to balance between the US and China.

Last July, Washington stepped up its demands on Colombo for the renewal of a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), first signed in 1995. The proposed SOFA will allow free access of US military forces throughout Sri Lanka and its use as a US base in war against China. The Rajapakse government has put on hold, at least for the time being, any discussions of this military agreement.

Washington has also voiced its concerns over delays in signing the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) deal. The project was approved last October by the previous Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government. Last week the White House said that the Rajapakse government should express its intention to proceed with the MCC project and the $US480 million allocated by the US.

The Sri Lankan government has not rejected the offer but has appointed a committee to review the program. During last Novembers presidential campaign Gotabhaya Rajapakse, for his own electoral purposes, sought to exploit public opposition to the US agreements.

The US ban on Sri Lankas army commander is clearly aimed at the new president and his brother, Mahinda Rajapakse, who was president during the final phase of the war against the LTTE. At the time, Gotabhaya Rajapakse served as the Defence Secretary.

Shavendra Silva was one of the military leaders who brought the war to a bloody end in May 2009. According a UN expert panel, the Sri Lankan military was responsible for slaughtering an estimated 40,000 unarmed Tamil civilians, including by shelling no-fire zones where civilians had been told by the government to take shelter. It also worked with death squads that carried out the extra-judicial murder of thousands of people.

Silva commanded the infamous 58th Division, which played a major role in these operations. The Rajapakse brothers are also implicated in these crimes.

The Rajapakses, the military hierarchy and every faction of the ruling elite continue to insist that the Sri Lankan military was not involved in any human rights violations and to hail its forces as war heroes who liberated the country from LTTE terrorism.

President Gotabhaya Rajapakse is heavily dependent on support from the military and has, under conditions of increasing social demands by workers, promoted retired officers into key government positions in preparation for authoritarian methods of rule.

Rattled by Pompeos actions against Army Commander Silva, the Rajapakse government immediately directed the foreign ministry to oppose the travel ban. On February 16, Foreign Affairs Minister Dinesh Gunawardena summoned Alaina Teplitz, the US Ambassador in Colombo, to convey his strong objection to the ban and urge its review.

US concern over human rights in Sri Lanka is utterly bogus. Washington fully backed the war against the LTTE and turned a blind eye to the atrocities carried out by the Sri Lankan military. Washington only began raising human rights issues in the months prior to the LTTEs defeat in May 2009 as a means of exerting pressure on Colombo to distance itself from China.

When Mahinda Rajapakse failed to respond, the US engineered a regime-change operation to oust him. Maithripala Sirisena, one of Mahindas senior ministers, with behind the scenes support from former President Chandrika Kumaratunga and others, quit the government and ran for president. Elected in January 2015, Sirisena claimed that he would fight for good governance and human rights and promised to improve living conditions.

After coming to power, Sirisena, with the support of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe Minister, moved Sri Lankas foreign policy back into line with the geo-political aims of the US and its strategic ally in the region, India. The Sri Lankan military, particularly its navy, were closely integrated with the US Indo-Pacific Command and its military plans against China. In return, the US effectively dropped the human rights issue.

With the election of Gotabhaya Rajapakse last November, Washington is determined to ensure that Sri Lanka remains committed to US war plans. In his congratulatory message, Pompeo pointedly raised the issue of human rights, effectively putting the new president on notice.

Gotabhaya Rajapakse has not heeded the warning, declaring that Sri Lanka as an independent nation will not be subordinate to any country. In foreign policy, he has attempted to balance between the US and Chinaa stance that the US will not tolerate. The latest travel ban makes explicit the US threat to once again exploit the issue against the Rajapakses.

Neither of the Rajapakse brothers has responded officially to Pompeos travel ban. However, replying to a question from the media, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse claimed that the ban was a result of Tamil parties propaganda against Sri Lankas war heroes. The Colombo media quickly fell into line with this provocative attempt to again whip up anti-Tamil chauvinism and whitewash the military.

Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said the ban on Silva was regrettable and unfortunate and hailed the military chief. Silva is one of the heroic field commanders who spearheaded the national effort to eradicate terrorism, he declared.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) praised Washingtons travel ban. M. A Sumanthiran declared: Our people have been waiting for justice for over a decade, and they are finally beginning to see the first moves by the international community to hold government officials accountable for crimes committed during the war.

Like all other Tamil parties, the TNAs rhetoric is yet another signal that it is ready to serve the US geopolitical interests in return for power-sharing arrangements with Colombos ruling elite.

The US ban amounts to a demand that every faction of the Colombo elite must fall into line with its agenda. It underscores the advanced stage of the US war preparations against China which could rapidly deteriorate into a conflagration between the two nuclear-armed nations.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 23:09:35|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LONDON, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- In just three weeks, Britain's new Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak will make one of the most anticipated speeches in the country's political calendar, the budget for the new fiscal tax year starting in April.

The budget will be unveiled on March 11 as planned, said Sunak Tuesday, who was appointed last week following the resignation of his predecessor Sajid Javid in a cabinet reshuffle.

According to the English newspaper The Times, Sunak is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Boris Johnson Wednesday for further talks about the budget.

As Britain's first post-Brexit budget, it is followed closely by leaders of industry, financiers, economists as well as the public.

Britain's main business organization, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has already made its contribution to the budget process.

"At the start of this new decade, firms are feeling more optimistic and want to invest. This historic budget offers the chance to turn rising optimism into a surge in investment across the UK. Backed by a pro-enterprise budget for skills, infrastructure and innovation, business can help kick-start a new decade of UK growth and job creation," said its Director General Carolyn Fairbairn.

"It will put the UK on track to lead the world in innovation, clean growth and the industries of the future, from AI and robotics to agri-tech and life sciences," said Fairbairn.

The CBI's budget suggestions include a comprehensive review of Britain's business rates system which it says puts many parts of the country's economy at a competitive disadvantage.

A number of popular brand names have disappeared from British high streets last year, blaming their departures on high rates and on-line shopping.

A joint letter to the chancellor signed this week by 50 leading retailers, ranging from supermarket store chain Asda to posh clothes shop Harvey Nichols, called for reforms to business rates in the budget.

The CBI also wants the chancellor to unlock capacity and transport connections across northern England, and to allocate funds to a wide range of strategic infrastructure projects, including the Midlands Engine Rail, the East Coast Main Line and Crossrail.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), which holds its annual meeting just days before the budget is revealed, said Tuesday that latest figures show employment levels in Britain are continuing to rise despite a stalling economy, with strong headline figures underlying concerns.

"The budget must seize the opportunity to spark growth," said the BCC.
ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Transportation Research Institute today released its annual list highlighting the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America, and six Washington locations made the top 100.

The 2020 Top Truck Bottleneck List assesses the level of truck-involved congestion at 300 locations on the national highway system. The analysis, based on truck GPS data from over 1 million heavy duty trucks uses several customized software applications and analysis methods, along with terabytes of data from trucking operations to produce a congestion impact ranking for each location. ATRI's truck GPS data is also used to support the U.S. DOT's Freight Mobility Initiative. The bottleneck locations detailed in this latest ATRI list represent the top 100 congested locations, although ATRI continuously monitors more than 300 freight-critical locations.

"Washington's vibrant economy moves in our state's trucks," said Washington Trucking Association Executive Vice President Sheri Call. "As our economy grows, as our trade relationships with Canada and across the Pacific improve, congestion will be a threat to put the brakes on our economic prosperity unless we address our crumbling infrastructure. Congestion ultimately impacts the cost of goods being hauled on trucks held up by needless delays  the cost of doing nothing is one we all pay."

The six bottlenecks in Washington are:

No. 34 Vancouver: I-5 at Columbia River

No. 35 Tacoma: I-5 at I-705/SR 16

No. 39 Federal Way: SR 18 at I-5

No. 44 Seattle: I-5 at I-90

No. 60 Auburn : SR 18 at SR 167

: SR 18 at SR 167 No. 76 Seattle: I-90 at I-405

"ATA has been beating the drum about the continued degradation of our infrastructure, and thanks to ATRI's research we can see exactly how decades of ignoring the problem are impacting not just our industry but our economy and commuters everywhere," said American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear. "This report should sound the alarm for policymakers that the cost of doing nothing is too high, and provide a roadmap of where to target investments to really solve our nation's mounting infrastructure crisis."

For access to the full report, including detailed information on each of the 100 top congested locations, please visit ATRI's website at TruckingResearch.org.

ATRI is the trucking industry's 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation's essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.

SOURCE American Transportation Research Institute

Related Links

http://TruckingResearch.org


The theatre world is in mourning, with four-time Tony-winning actress Zoe Caldwell passing away at the age of 86.

Caldwell's son, Charlie Whitehead, confirmed that the actress passed at her home in Pound Ridge, New York from Parkinson's disease complications (via Deadline).

The actress was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1933, but she would go on to make her mark on the stage in the U.K., on Broadway and beyond.

R.I.P.: The theatre world is in mourning, with four-time Tony-winning actress Zoe Caldwell passing away at the age of 86

Caldwell began her acting career in the 1950s, performing with the Union Theatre Repertory Company before she was asked to join the Royal Shakespeare Company leading to her moving to the U.K.

She was invited by Charles Laughton, who was putting on a production of King Lear, joining a new crop of actors at the Company including legends-to-be such as Vanessa Redgrave, Eileen Atkins and Albert Finney.

During her time at the Royal Shakespeare Company she played Bianca in Othello in and Helena in All's Well That Ends Well before she moved to America.

Career: Caldwell began her acting career in the 1950s, performing with the Union Theatre Repertory Company before she was asked to join the Royal Shakespeare Company leading to her moving to the U.K.

She was one of the original cast of actors under Tyrone Guthrie's direction at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, which opened in 1963 and also featured Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy.

During her time at the Guthrie, she played Ophelia in Hamlet and Natasha in Three Sisters before heading east to Broadway.

She joined the Actors' Studio in New York City and made her Broadway debut in 1965 as a replacement player in The Devils.

Guthrie: She was one of the original cast of actors under Tyrone Guthrie's direction at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, which opened in 1963 and also featured Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy

She won her first Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in 1966 for Slapstick Tragedy, and then in 1968 for playing the title character in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

Perhaps her most well-known role was Maria Callas in Master Class, her final Tony win in 1996, and she also won for Madea in 1982.

Other notable Broadway performances include The Creation of the World in 1972, Dance of Death in 1974, Lillian in 1986 and The Play I Wrote in 2003.

First Tony: She won her first Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in 1966 for Slapstick Tragedy, and then in 1968 for playing the title character in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

She also directed Broadway plays as well such as An Almost Perfect Person in 1977, MacBeth in 1988 and Park Your Car In Harvard Yard in 1991.

Caldwell was also featured in a number of movies as well, including voicing the Grand Councilwoman in Lilo & Stitch, playing Mrs. Hill in Birth and her final role as Oskar's Grandmother in the 2011 film Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

The actress is preceded in death by her husband, Broadway producer Robert Whitehead, who she married in 1968 until his death in 2002, and survived by their two sons, Charles and Sam Whitehead.
SAN FRANCISCO  California Gov. Gavin Newsom broke from tradition Wednesday and dedicated his entire State of the State speech to one problem vexing the state: homelessness.

"Let's call it what it is, a disgrace, that the richest state in the richest nation, succeeding across so many sectors, is failing to properly house, heal and humanely treat so many of its own people," Newsom said. "Every day, the California Dream is dimmed by the wrenching reality of families, children and seniors living unfed on a concrete bed."

Among a variety of proposals highlighted in the governor's speech, Newsom said he would deploy trailers for the homeless to half a dozen counties, reduce street homelessness through emergency actions, and help homeless people who are mentally ill get the help they need.

All California, all the time: A newsletter that wraps up all things on the Golden State. Sign up here.

"The public has lost patience, you have all lost patience, and so have I," said Newsom.

The governor's focus on homeless came a day after President Donald Trump blasted California's homeless crisis while in Los Angeles. Although the president's visit was mainly for fundraising events and 2028 Summer Olympics talks, he made time to reiterate his previous warnings that if the state didn't address its homelessness issue, federal officials would step in and "clean it up."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom meets with constituents during his homelessness tour in Grass Valley, California, in January. Newsom focused his entire State of the State speech Wednesday on the state's surging homelessness crisis, outlined a variety of ways he says the government will step in to tackle the issue.

California is home to roughly 140,000 people living on the streets  about a quarter of the nation's homeless population.

For Newsom, 52, homelessness is fast emerging as a critical crucible, one that threatens to potentially derail his re-election hopes in 2022 if tangible solutions are not found. To date, Newsom's administration has allocated $1.5 billion to help local governments tackle homelessness, but evidence of big changes remain elusive.

CA Republicans eager for change

The speech drew optimistic if cautious kudos from both sides of the political aisle.

Story continues

State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said Newsom's remarks "give me hope that we will see real change this year. Too many Californians are suffering, and we have an obligation to move the dial by making deep structural change."

Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldron of Escondido)applauded the governor's singular focus while citing Democratic resistance to some measures meant to alleviate the problem.

The governor is right that building more housing is needed," Waldron said in a statement. "Unfortunately, Democratic policies have stood in the way of housing production for years. That needs to change."

Waldron added that "well-intentioned environmental laws have been hijacked by special interests to tie up badly needed new homes," while rent control in cities such as San Francisco has "discouraged new construction and mandates have driven costs through the roof."

Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor and state lieutenant governor, was elected to California's top post in 2018, inheriting not only a $7 billion budget surplus but also a powerful supermajority in the state's Legislature.

His tenure has quickly come to be defined not just by constant sparing with Trump  whose administration California has sued more than 60 times over issues ranging from immigration to the environment  but by a trio of pressing problems: homelessness, housing and income inequality, as well as a wildfire-fueled public utility quagmire.

In his speech Wednesday, Newsom said his administration would get even more aggressive about getting more Californians off the streets. He also said the problem predates him, with previous politicians ignoring the problem.

Newsom said that although in 2005, there were some 35,000 more homeless people in the state than today, officials from both parties over the years had abdicated their responsibility to help their fellow citizens.

"Every homeless Californian living on a boulevard of broken dreams is a casualty of institutional failures, a person who has fallen through every possible hole in the safety net," he said.

Newsom noted that often minorities and people of color suffer the most, with black Californians making up 8% of the state's population but 42% of its homeless. He also cited a recent poll that noted nearly half of Latinos are afraid they or their families will fall into homelessness.

Solutions: Trailers, mental health care

As to solutions, Newsom said travel trailers of the kind already deployed to Oakland and Los Angeles County would be headed to Santa Clara, Riverside, Contra Costa and Sonoma counties, as well as the city of Stockton.

In January, Newsom ordered 15 trailers to Oakland to provide supplementary housing for the homeless. In February, 30 trailers made their way to Los Angeles.

Tents are shown in front of a Caltrain commuter rail in San Francisco. The city has a surging homelessness problem across California has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom used his second State of the State speech to lay out measures that will be used to provide help to the homeless.

Newsom said the state will immediately make 286 state properties, ranging from vacant lots to armories, available to local governments at no cost for the purpose of housing the homeless. The governor also proposed that shelters and permanent supportive housing locations statewide be exempt from time-consuming environmental review, an expansion of a bill that currently applies only to shelters in Los Angeles.

"We need more housing, not more delays," Newsom said.

Housing or the lack of it continues to plague the state. Senate Bill 50, an effort to force cities to allow for more building around dense urban cores in order to put people closer to jobs and reduce commuter-car traffic, was the subject of fierce debate for more than a year before it ultimately failed to pass.

Newsom proposed Wednesday that the Legislature agree to invest $750 million into a new California Access to Housing Fund, which would go towards solutions such as financing innovative housing models and providing temporary rent subsidies so people don't fall into homelessness.

"It's time to muster the political will to meet this moment," Newsom said.

While many of today's homeless are victims of soaring housing costs and staggering income inequality issues  in tech-centric San Francisco, the richest earn 12.2 times more than the poorest, according to the Public Policy Institute of California  others have chronic mental health issues that keep them on the streets.

Noting that 25% of California's 40 million residents "suffer from some type of behavioral health condition," Newsom said his $695 million budget request to boost that state's Medi-Cal health care system is designed specifically to address the mental and physical health care needs of the homeless, children and those in the criminal justice system.

Newsom also said conservatorship laws need to be reviewed to make it easier for city and county governments to provide the mentally ill with help.

Governor Gavin Newsom is shown here speaking to reporters at the end of a week-long homelessness tour in January, during which he visited shelters across the state. California is home to around 140,000 homeless people, or about a quarter of the nation's total.

The state should do this "all within the bounds of deep respect for civil liberties and personal freedoms, but with an equal emphasis on helping people into the life-saving treatment that they need at the precise moment they need it."

Newsom stands to secure valuable political points for tackling an issue that is increasingly important to voters across the political spectrum.

In a poll last fall, the Public Policy Institute of California found a majority of Republicans, Independents (both 61 percent) and Democrats (59 percent) said they were very concerned about homelessness in their communities. That sentiment echoed across the Golden State, with concerned voices found in the Bay Area (63 percent), Los Angeles (60 percent), Inland Empire (58 percent), Orange County and San Diego (55 percent) and the Central Valley (52 percent).

Newsom picked up on that universality toward the end of his speech.

"After all," he said, "homelessness isn't a blue or red issue. It's an everyone issue, a blight on the soul of America."

Follow USA TODAY national correspondent Marco della Cava: @marcodellacava

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Homelessness a 'disgrace,' CA governor says in speech vowing change
PERTH, Western Australia, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Perseus Mining Limited (Perseus or the Company) (TSX & ASX: PRU) has updated its estimates of the Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves at its Edikan Gold Mine in Ghana as at December 31, 2019. An executive summary is provided below. Full details of the Edikan Gold Mine resource and reserve updates are included in the Companys market release dated February 20, 2020 which is available for download from www.perseusmining.com, www.asx.com.au and www.sedar.com.



Estimated Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources total 2.699 million ounces of gold at December 31, 2019, and Inferred Mineral Resources were estimated at 0.348 million ounces of gold.



All Mineral Resource estimations were based on a US$1,800 per ounce gold price.



Proved and Probable Ore Reserves were estimated at 1.608 million ounces of gold, calculated as follows:

Proved and Probable Reserves as at June 30, 2019 1.390 million ounces Plus: Net Additions 0.303 million ounces Less: Depletions 0.085 million ounces Proved and Probable Reserves as at December 31, 2019 1.608 million ounces

Represents a 22% increase in Proved and Probable Ore Reserves before depletion relative to last reported Ore Reserve estimate or a 16% increase after depletion.



The Ore Reserve estimates were based on a gold price of US$1,300 per ounce.



Details of Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves are as follows:

Edikan Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources as at December 31, 20199, 10, 11

Project Type Measured Resources

Indicated Resources

M & I Resources

Quantity Grade Gold Quantity Grade Gold Quantity Grade Gold Mt g/t gold koz Mt g/t gold koz Mt g/t gold koz AF Gap 1, 2, 3 Open Pit 10.2 1.00 326 21.8 0.92 645 32.0 0.94 971 Esuajah North 2, 3, 4 Open Pit 3.3 0.80 85 4.8 0.74 114 8.1 0.77 199 Fetish 1, 2, 3, 5 Open Pit 7.7 1.00 248 14.1 0.92 418 21.8 0.95 666 Bokitsi South 2, 3, 6 Open Pit 1.3 1.81 73 1.6 1.30 65 2.8 1.53 139 Sub-Total 22.5 1.01 732 42.2 0.91 1,242 64.7 0.95 1,975 Esuajah South 7 U/ground 0.0 0.0 0 9.0 1.8 530 9.0 1.8 530 Heap Leach 2, 8 Stockpile - - - 3.6 0.6 75 3.6 0.6 75 Stockpiles Stockpile 5.9 0.63 119 - - - 5.9 0.63 119 Total 28.4 0.93 852 54.8 1.05 1,848 83.3 1.01 2,699

Notes:

1. Based on January 2017 Mineral Resource models constrained to US$1,800/oz pit shells. 2. Depleted to December 31, 2019 mining surfaces. 3. 0.4g/t gold cut-off applied. 4. Based on June 2019 Mineral Resource model constrained to US$1,800/oz pit shell. 5. Includes Bokitsi North lode. 6. Based on November 2019 Mineral Resource model constrained to US$1,800/oz pit shell. 7. Based on July 2019 Mineral Resource model, 0.8g/t gold cut-off applied. 8. At zero cut-off grade. 9. All Mineral Resources are current as at December 31, 2019. 10. Mineral Resources are inclusive of Ore Reserves. 11. Rounding of numbers to appropriate precisions may have resulted in apparent inconsistencies.

Edikan Ore Reserves as at December 31, 20193, 6, 7



Project Type Proved

Probable

Proved and Probable

Quantity Grade Gold Quantity Grade Gold Quantity Grade Gold Mt g/t gold koz Mt g/t gold koz Mt g/t gold koz AF Gap1, 4 Open Pit 6.8 1.14 248 11.9 1.05 402 18.6 1.09 650 Esuajah North1, 4 Open Pit 0.4 0.91 11 0.6 0.86 17 1.0 0.88 28 Fetish1, 4 Open Pit 4.4 1.18 165 7.1 1.09 248 11.4 1.13 414 Bokitsi South1, 4 Open Pit 0.9 2.11 58 0.4 1.70 24 1.3 1.97 82 Subtotal 12.3 1.22 482 20.0 1.08 690 32.3 1.13 1,173 Esuajah South U/ground - - - 3.8 1.96 241 3.8 1.96 241 Heap Leach5 Stockpile - - - 3.6 0.6 75 3.6 0.6 75 Stockpile2 Stockpile 5.9 0.63 119 - - - 5.9 0.63 119 TOTAL 18.3 1.02 601 27.4 1.14 1,007 45.7 1.10 1,608

Notes:

Based on December 2019 Mineral Resource estimate which is depleted to December, 31 2019. Based on stockpile balance as at December 31, 2019. All Ore Reserves current as at December 31, 2019. Variable gold grade cut-off based on recovery of each material type in each deposit: Oxide 0.35  0.40 g/t, Transition 0.50  0.70 g/t and Fresh 0.50  0.55 g/t. Based on 0.40 g/t gold grade cut-off. Inferred Mineral Resource is considered as waste, t : t. Rounding of numbers to appropriate precisions may have resulted in apparent inconsistencies.

Perseuss Managing Director and CEO, Jeff Quartermaine, commented as follows:



Since the last release of Edikans Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves in June 2019, the gold price has consolidated at a higher level than that recorded in prior years and several key operating initiatives identified as part of ongoing continuous improvement programmes, have been successfully implemented at Edikan, including a revised mining strategy and initiatives to improve processing plant throughput and performance reliability.



Perseus has identified that at the slightly higher gold price of US$1,300 per ounce and lower cost base than previously assumed, two of its open pits, namely the AFG and Fetish pits can be significantly increased in size and provide the cash margin consistent with our overall strategy of cash generation.



The reconciliation between contained metal forecast by our block models and the metal we recover continues to be robust and is certainly within the limits of normal operating practice. The demonstrated predictive reliability of our Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve models continues to provide a sound basis on which to plan our future.



The Esuajah South deposit has been included in previous Ore Reserve estimates, but not in prior Life of Mine forecasts for Edikan. Following an update of the Feasibility Study for the deposit, the Ore Reserve estimate has been updated and risks associated with mining of the deposit have now been sufficiently reduced for the underground mine to proceed with development and therefore an underground mining operation at Esuajah South will be included in the next Edikan Life of Mine forecast.



The inclusion of the increased open pit Ore Reserves and the Esuajah South Underground Mine will result in an increase in the expected mine life of the Edikan Gold Mine. Details of the updated Life of Mine Plan for Edikan are planned to be released by the end of the March 2020 quarter.

To discuss any aspect of this announcement, please contact:

Managing Director: Jeff Quartermaine at telephone +61 8 6144 1700 or email jeff.quartermaine@perseusmining.com ; General Manager BD & IR: Andrew Grove at telephone +61 8 6144 1700 or email andrew.grove@perseusmining.com Media Relations: Nathan Ryan at telephone +61 4 20 582 887 or email nathan.ryan@nwrcommunications.com.au (Melbourne)

Competent Person Statement:

The December 2019 re-estimate of Esuajah South underground Mineral Resources at Edikan was undertaken by Mr Gary Brabham, FAusIMM, MAIG. Mr Brabham is Group Geologist for Perseus Mining Limited and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code 2012 and a Qualified Person as defined in NI43-101. Mr Brabham consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on this information in the form and context in which it appears and has approved the inclusion of technical and scientific information in this report. Mr Brabham also compiled and reviewed the consolidated information in this report concerning the Mineral Resources at the Edikan Gold Mine.

The December 2019 estimate of Bokitsi South open pit Mineral Resources at Edikan was undertaken by Mr Nicolas Johnson MAIG, of MPR Geological Consultants Pty Ltd. Mr Johnson has sufficient experience, that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person, as defined in the JORC Code 2012 and a Qualified Person as defined in NI43-101. Mr Johnson has no economic, financial or pecuniary interest in the company and consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on this information in the form and context in which it appears.

The December 2019 estimate of Esuajah South underground Ore Reserve at Edikan was undertaken by Mr Andrew Gasmier BEng (Mining) MAusIMM, of Mining Plus Pty Ltd. Mr Gasmier has sufficient experience, that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person, as defined in the JORC Code 2012. Mr Gasmier has no economic, financial or pecuniary interest in the company and consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on this information in the form and context in which it appears.

Mr Paul Thompson FAusIMM and an employee of Perseus Mining Limited has compiled and reviewed the consolidated information on the Ore Reserves of the Bokitsi South, Fetish and AFG deposits at the Edikan Gold Mine in this report. Mr Thompson has sufficient experience, which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he has undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code 2012 and a Qualified Person as defined in NI43-101 and consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on this information in the form and context in which it appears and has approved the inclusion of technical and scientific information in this report. Mr Thompson also compiled and reviewed the consolidated information in this report concerning the Ore Reserves at the Edikan Gold Mine.

The information in this report that relates to Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves for the Esuajah North deposit was first reported by the Company in compliance with the JORC Code 2012 and NI43-101 in a market announcement entitled Perseus Mining Updates Mineral Resources & Ore Reserves released on 29 August 2019. The information in this report that relates to the Mineral Resources for the Edikan deposits (other than the Bokitsi South, Esuajah North and Esuajah South deposits) was first reported by the Company in compliance with the JORC Code 2012 and NI43-101 in a market announcement released on 29 August 2018. The information in this report that relates to Ore Reserves for the Edikan deposits (other than the Fetish, AFG, Bokitsi South, Esuajah North and Esuajah South deposits) was first reported by the Company in compliance with the JORC Code 2012 and NI43-101 in a market announcement entitled Perseus Mining Updates Mineral Resources & Ore Reserves released on 29 August 2018.

This report includes an update for mining depletion as at 31 December 2019. The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affect the information in those market releases and that all material assumptions underpinning those estimates and the production targets, or the forecast financial information derived therefrom, continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company confirms that material assumptions underpinning the estimates of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves described in Technical Report  Central Ashanti Gold Project, Ghana dated 30 May 2011 continue to apply.

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Information:

This report contains forward-looking information which is based on the assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management of the Company believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made by the Company regarding, among other things: the price of gold, continuing commercial production at the Edikan Gold Mine and the Sissingue Gold Mine without any major disruption, development of a mine at Yaoure, the receipt of required governmental approvals, the accuracy of capital and operating cost estimates, the ability of the Company to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner and the ability of the Company to obtain financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used by the Company. Although management believes that the assumptions made by the Company and the expectations represented by such information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking information will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, the actual market price of gold, the actual results of current exploration, the actual results of future exploration, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents. The Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the Companys ability to carry on its exploration and development activities, the timely receipt of required approvals, the price of gold, the ability of the Company to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner and the ability of the Company to obtain financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Perseus does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
MONTREAL - Ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools operating north of Montreal are illegal and their religious curriculum for boys is so onerous the students have little time to study anything else, a lawyer told a Montreal courtroom on Wednesday.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Clara Wasserstein, left, and Yochonon Lowen arrive at courthouse in Montreal on February 10, 2020. The lawyer for a couple who left their ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community is telling a courtroom that the Jewish schools operating north of Montreal are illegal and leave no time for secular education. In his closing arguments today, Bruce Johnston told Superior Court Justice Martin Castonguay that the judge can push the Quebec government to do something to fix that situation. Johnston is representing Yochonon Lowen and his wife Clara Wasserstein, who have filed legal action against the Quebec government and ultra-Orthodox Hasidic schools in Boisbriand, Que. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL - Ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools operating north of Montreal are illegal and their religious curriculum for boys is so onerous the students have little time to study anything else, a lawyer told a Montreal courtroom on Wednesday.

Bruce Johnston, who is representing an ex-Hasidic couple in their claim that the province and ultra-Orthodox schools in Boisbriand, Que., failed to ensure they were properly educated, said the court has a chance to remedy the situation.

"How could a boy going to religious classes at six in the morning and coming back at 9 p.m. have any time for school?" Johnston asked Superior Court Justice Martin Castonguay during his closing arguments.

Yochonon Lowen and Clara Wasserstein are seeking a ruling declaring the province and the Hasidic schools violated provincial education laws. The couple, who have left the Boisbriand Tash community, accuse the schools and the Quebec government of leaving them unprepared for a life within mainstream society.

"They aren't asking for damages, because they want to maximize the chances of changing the situation," Johnston told the court.

Eric Cantin, a lawyer for the Quebec government, said in his closing arguments that the province has recently instituted new rules governing the Boisbriand Hasidic schools. He said there have been many improvements in schooling in the Hasidic communities since Wasserstein and Lowen lived there.

The community's children now need to be registered as home-schoolers, Cantin said, giving the government the ability to monitor their academic progress. Cantin said the new rules ensure all children who aren't in government schools or in certified private schools can be properly educated.

"We are able to track all the 830 children in Boisbriand," Cantin said. "Those children will be evaluated. This is good news. It wasn't always like that."

David Banon, lawyer for the Tash community, said Lowen and Wasserstein "are attempting to put the blame for their misfortunes on a community they left in 2007."

Since then, he said, many steps have been taken by the Education Department, the province's child welfare services and by schools boards to ensure parents of Hasidic children are registering their children and following the law.

"Things are going well," he said, reminding the court that the Hasidic community is not on trial. "We aren't here to validate the beliefs or the lifestyles of these people."

Lowen has testified that when he left the Tash Hasidic community 10 years ago, he spoke little English and no French, had never heard the words "science'' or "geography'' and had never spoken to a woman who was not a member of his family.

The girls' schools make more time for secular education, the court has heard, but Wasserstein testified that at the age of 13 it was judged she had enough secular knowledge and she was exempted from the courses to help her mother.

Johnston's legal argument against the Boisbriand schools is two-pronged. He says the girls' schools are "illegal" because they lack the necessary licence to provide secular education, and he says the requirement that boys study religion at least 20 hours a week leaves insufficient time for the secular home-schooling they are supposed to receive.

Castonguay noted that recent changes to provincial laws have allowed more government oversight of education in the community and suggested more time is needed to see the results of those legal reforms. He also said he's seen no evidence the boys have no time in the week for secular courses.

"You seem to want me to set a time limit on religious courses, and I won't do that," the judge told Johnston.. "That's not my role."

Cantin said he hasn't seen evidence of illegality in the schools. "I conclude that there aren't any real and actual difficulties that the court needs to take action on," he said.

Johnston is scheduled to deliver his reply in court to Cantin and Banon's closing arguments Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2020.
Zimbabwe is investing US$6 million into improving rural connectivity.

POTRAZ (Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe) has launched the Passive Telecommunications Infrastructure Project, which will see 20 shared base stations deployed across eight of Zimbabwes regions.

The initiative is receiving support from the Universal Services Fund, and will deploy network equipment in the provinces of Manicaland, Masvingo, Midlands, Matabeleland North and South, and Mashonaland Central, East and West.

In a statement, POTRAZ representative George Manyaya said: The project aims to bridge the digital divide as witnessed by the upsurge in the countrys mobile and internet penetration rates. We expect, upon completion of the project, mobile telecoms firms will share the infrastructure and the facilities.
At least four people were shot in broad daylight in North Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon  two were hit in the head.

The shooting occurred at about 3.30pm near Temple University's main campus, at the intersection between 11th and Thompson Streets.

Police sources have told 6ABC that a 19-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man sustained gunshots wounds to the head. The man is said to be in critical condition, the condition of the teenage girl is unknown.

Two other men, aged 23 and 25 were also injured and are said to be in a stable condition. All four are being treated at a local hospital.

A suspect has been detained but a motive is so far unknown.

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There is a large police presence in the area and the intersection is blocked off.

Bullet holes can be seen on both the front and back of a parked vehicle, and residents report hearing rapid gunfire, with some saying they heard up to 20 shots.

A nearby elementary school was dismissing pupils for the day when the incident occurred.
Children's shadows at an elementary school outside of L.A., in Calif., on Feb. 8, 2019. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

Minors May Get Sex Changes Without Parental Consent, if Californias Teachers Union Has Its Way

SANTA ANA, Calif.The California Teachers Associations recent position statements suggest that students should be able to receive hormone therapy to change their sex without parental consent.

Although this CTA belief does not directly change regulations on the matter, it indicates the kind of legislation the powerful union will support.

On Jan. 26, CTA changed an existing policy to explicitly include transgender and non-binary youth among the students who can leave class without parental permission to receive birthcontrol, abortions, and other such services.

While the updated policy does not include hormone therapy explicitly, the rationale discussed by CTAs civil rights committee in making the policy change indicates thats the final goal.

Concerned teachers showed The Epoch Times the policy change, which is not publicly available. CTA spokesperson Claudia Briggs confirmed the new belief statement.

The policy now reads: CTA believes comprehensive school based health care clinics are needed to bring caring and responsive services to young people. The clinics shall provide cisgender, transgender and non-binary youth equal and confidential access to decision-making rights for students and their families.

The rationale behind this policy change was printed in a CTA Report of Board of Directors, Committees, and Items of New Business in June 2019.

The rationale states: Current interpretation of California state law does not allow trans students to begin gender identity confirming hormone therapy without the consent of both legal guardians, however it does allow for cis minors to receive hormones (e.g. birth control) without the barrier of parental permission.

This inequity of decision-making forces some children to go through the wrong puberty and can negatively impact the childs mental health.

Briggs told The Epoch Times via email regarding the new belief statement, Teachers and others public school educators adopted this policy, belief statement, to ensure that all students have equal rights regardless of zip code, skin color, language they speak and who they love. The intent of the policy is not to circumvent parents or guardians.

She also emphasized that the policy represents the associations belief and it has nothing to do with school districts or mandating school districts to do anything.

A file photo of California Teachers Association supporters demonstrating in favor of public employees having to pay union dues, in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 11, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Jenny Hernandez, a parent in Santa Ana, said during a Feb. 5 Orange County School Board meeting that shes worried schools are teaching our kids that gender is a decision based on emotions.

Even though it seems very peaceful here in the United States, she said, there is a war currently in the minds of our kids.

Gender in Schools

Two previous pieces of legislation are brought together by this new CTA policy. One is Family Code 6925, which has been in place since the 90s and allows minors to receive birthcontrol or abortions without parental consent. Students are also allowed to leave classes for these reasons without parental consent.

Currently, 57 clinics have been established on school properties in Santa Ana, Orange County, alone to facilitate this.

Another is AB 1266, approved in 2013, which states school employees are not allowed to inform parents about a childs gender identity, unless the child gives consent.

Some parents and community leaders expressed concerns to the Orange County Board of Education on Feb. 5 regarding the treatment of gender in schools.

Our children are being taught new definitions of gender, said Shaykh Mustafa Umar, director of education and outreach for the Islamic Institute of Orange County. Like most parents, Muslims love their children very much, we are very concerned about what our kids learn in school. Whatever curriculum is taught should take scientific facts and family values into consideration, he said.

The California Healthy Youth Acts educational framework published last year allows parents to opt their children out of sex education. But it forbids them from opting their children out of materials that discuss gender, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.

According to the framework, its aim is Dispelling myths, breaking down stereotypes and linking students to resources can help prevent bullying, self-harm, feelings of hopelessness, and serious considerations of suicide.

If anyone is concerned about bullying and discrimination, its the Muslim community, Umar said. So, we totally understand that.

But theres a very clear line between stopping and preventing bullying, versus an ideology which is just going to brainwash and normalize a certain type of behavior and encourage a certain type of behavior, he said. Theyre two totally different things, and whats happening with this curriculum, its pretty clear to me that the latter is happening.

The San Francisco Unified School District has led the way in California in regards to providing reproductive health services and gender education. It launched the states first clinics on school property and created a LGBTQ Family and Gender Diversity teaching guide beginning at the kindergarten level.

But, some parents are critical of the material being taught, saying it goes against their family values.

Stephanie Yates, a parent in Santa Ana and Founder of Informed Parents of California, is frustrated with the direction California education is going. She removed her son from the public system. Instead, she enrolled him in a private school within the district.

The Santa Ana School District offices in Santa Ana, Calif., on Feb. 12, 2020. (Jamie Joseph/The Epoch Times)

In addition to establishing many school clinics, or wellness centers, the Santa Ana School District has had a standing partnership with Planned Parenthood since 2019, reinforcing minors access to reproductive health services.

Informing Parents

With the many changes in how gender is treated in schools, some parents in Santa Anaa primarily Hispanic cityare concerned that the Orange County School Board isnt informing non-English speaking guardians of the changes.

While there are limited translating services readily available to non-English speaking families in the district, Umar is making an effort in his community to inform parents about Californias curriculum and policy changes.

Through informational sessions at the Islamic Institute of Orange County, Umars goal is to make sure parents, despite language barriers, can make informed decisions about their childrens schooling.

Teaching children about sexual and gender identities is a very serious responsibility, Umar said. Its going to affect who they become, its going to affect their relationship with their parents, and its going affect society as a whole. Big changes are taking place in the curriculum, yet there doesnt seem like theres much transparency of how these decisions are being made.
Minister of Justice of Armenia Rustam Badasyan today received the delegation led by USAID Armenia Mission Director Deborah Grieser, as reported the Department of Information and Public Relations of the Ministry of Justice.

The minister expressed gratitude for the fruitful cooperation and attached importance to the activities of the Center for Legislation Development and Legal Research Foundation of the Ministry of Justice, which is supported by the USAID and makes essential contributions to the implementation of strategic reforms.

Deborah Grieser also highly appreciated the Foundations work and the current cooperation with the Ministry of Justice in the anti-corruption field and reaffirmed the willingness to assist the Armenian government in the fight against corruption.

During the meeting, Minister Badasyan also presented the ministrys priorities (creation of an Anti-Corruption Committee and Anti-Corruption Court and police reforms) and discussed the opportunities for cooperation with the USAID in the mentioned directions.
Sen. Chris Murphy on Tuesday defended a weekend meeting he held with Iran's foreign minister in Europe, after his actions were questioned in conservative media and as President Donald Trump suggested they may have violated U.S. law.

The Connecticut Democrat said his Saturday meeting with Mohammed Javad Zarif was important because it is 'dangerous not to talk to one's enemies.'

Murphy said he wanted to see Zarif because there has been no U.S. diplomatic channel with Iran since Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal two years ago.

'I have no delusions about Iran - they are our adversary, responsible for the killing of thousands of Americans and unacceptable levels of support for terrorist organizations throughout the Middle East,' he wote in a Medium post. 'If Trump isnt going to talk to Iran, then someone should,' he also said.

Sen. Chris Murphy is defending a weekend meeting he held with Iran's foreign minister in Europe. The Connecticut Democrat said Tuesday his meeting with Mohammed Javad Zarif was important because it is dangerous not to talk to one's enemies

On hearing of the meeting, Trump said it sounded as though Murphy had violated an obscure, little-used federal law known as the Logan Act that bars private citizens from conducting official diplomacy.

The 1799 law makes it a felony for unauthorized Americans to negotiate with governments in disputes with the U.S. Logan Act charges have only been filed against two people, both in the 19th century, and neither were convicted.

'Is there anything that I should know because that sounds like to me a violation of the Logan Act,' Trump said, recalling his reaction when he was told of the meeting. 'Did you hear about Sen. Murphy met with the Iranians? Well, they ought to find out about it - if it's true. I don't know.'

Murphy's meeting with Zarif was first reported in the conservative publication The Federalist.

Asked about that report, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters Tuesday during a trip to Ethiopia that he hoped anyone who meets with Zarif would be reflecting the U.S. position with Iran.

'If they met, I don't know what they said. I hope they were reinforcing America's foreign policy, not their own,' Pompeo said, noting that the U.S. has long designated Iran a state sponsor of terrorism and that it had recently shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet over Tehran.

Pompeo has criticized other Americans for meeting with Zarif, including his immediate predecessor, John Kerry.

Perhaps expecting criticism for the meeting from the administration, Murphy wrote that he 'cannot conduct diplomacy on behalf of the whole of the U.S. government, and I dont pretend to be in a position to do so. But if Trump isnt going to talk to Iran, then someone should.'

Murphy said he raised numerous contentious issues in his conversation with Zarif on the sidelines of an international security conference in Munich, Germany.

The meeting came as the Trump administration seeks to increasingly isolate Iran through the re-imposition of sanctions under its 'maximum pressure campaign' on the Islamic republic.

Murphy has been a harsh critic of the administration's policy toward Iran.

He said in a Medium post that he had raised the U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian general in Iraq and told Zarif that despite differences, Congress and the administration are united in sending a message that any Iran-backed attack on American troops in Iraq would be 'an unacceptable escalation.'

The senator also said he had raised Iran's support for Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen and Americans held prisoner in Iran.
Sri Lanka has stopped releasing seized boats

The Indian Government has told the Madras High Court that since 2015 Sri Lanka had stopped releasing boats of Indian fishermen apprehended on charges of trespassing into foreign waters for illegal fishing, particularly through the banned method of bottom trawling, The Hindu newspaper reported.



Justices Vineet Kothari and R. Suresh Kumar were told that the decision to not release the boats was taken as a measure of deterrence and that the Sri Lankan government had also amended its laws in July 2017 and January 2018 to prevent illegal fishing and bottom trawling by foreign vessels too.



''The Sri Lankan government has been prosecuting the fishermen arrested for fishing in Sri Lankan waters before the Magistrate courts concerned and also the Sri Lankan courts have been ordering the presence of the owners of the boats for the release of the fishing vessels,'' the counter affidavit read.



It was filed in response to a public interest litigation petition filed by Fishermen Care, a non-governmental organisation represented by its president L.T.A. Peter Rayan, accusing the Centre of not having provided sufficient funds for the rehabilitation of Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.



Assuring the court that the Centre had been taking continuous efforts to get the boats as well as the arrested Indian fishermen released, the counter stated that the issue had to be sorted out only through diplomatic channels, since the jurisdiction of the Indian courts would not extend to a foreign country.



In so far as allocation of funds for rehabilitation of fishermen was concerned, the Centre said that that it had released .184.93 crore in the last five years to the State government for the implementation of the Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries scheme.



Further, another .300 crore was allocated for providing assistance for deep sea fishing and constructing a fish landing centre at Kunthukal in Ramanathapuram district. A specific advice had also been issued to the State government to give priority to fishermen, who had lost their boats while granting assistance, it said.



The scheme was being implemented specifically for the benefit of the fishermen belonging to Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram and those who fish in the Palk Bay region. They were being provided financial assistance for provision of housing, drinking water and construction of community halls.



The fishermen were also being trained in deep sea fishing, long lining and on-board processing of fish and the Centrally sponsored scheme provides for conversion of trawlers into resource specific deep sea fishing vessels through 100% subsidy with a ceiling of 15 lakh per vessel, the Centre said.



After taking the counter affidavit, filed through senior central government standing counsel J. Madhanagopal Rao on file, the judges directed the petitioner''s counsel L.P. Maurya to file his rejoinder in two weeks.

 2000 MENAFN. All rights reserved.

Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods.
A 12-member Sikh delegation, led by Akal Takht head Harpreet Singh, crossed over to Pakistan on Wednesday to pay obeisance at various Sikh shrines in the country.

A Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) official said during his stay in Pakistan, the Akal Takht Jathedar would visit different gurdwaras, including Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh guru, where he spent the last days of his life.

The Akhal Takht is the highest temporal seat for Sikhs.

The Sikh delegation will return to India on February 21, the SGPC official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
/ -- Social Finance Global Network (SFGN) and The Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG) today announced that Shantanu Ghosh will be the new CEO and Ashish Dhawan the new Chair for the non-profit company. Social Finance India (SF-IND), part of the pioneering Social Finance Global Network and established with the support of The Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, is a catalytic impact investment intermediary designing products for improved social outcomes in India. In 2018, the initiative was incubated along with a marquee board and advisory council to oversee its operations.

Shantanu brings three decades of business and leadership experience, with previous roles at Genpact, GE, Unilever and PricewaterhouseCoopers. On being asked about his motivation to leave a significant corporate role and transition to the Social Sector, Shantanu mentioned, "I sincerely believe that there is need and the environment is opportune to mobilize non-philanthropic capital at scale to help accelerate the journey to the Sustainable Development Goals. It will require intensive collaboration and diverse talent from all sectors - governments, non-profits, for-profit enterprises, philanthropic foundations, and impact investors - to scale outcome-focused and SDG-aligned impact programs. SF India can play a significant catalyst role and am personally thankful to have the opportunity to give back to the community, the desire for which led me to the social sector."



Ashish Dhawan, Founder of Central Square Foundation and Co-Founder of Ashoka University, said, "I am personally very excited by the prospect of improving the delivery of social outcomes in India through innovative financing instruments. We welcome Shantanu and I will work with him to drive the organization to deliver impact at scale."



Sir Ronald Cohen commented, "The GSG warmly congratulates Ashish and Shantanu on their important new roles and looks forward to supporting their efforts to develop Social Finance India. The potential for impact investment to play a major role in improving lives in India is huge. Their gifted leadership will help to make this a reality."SF-Ind's initial focus will be on Education in India. The India Education Outcomes Fund (IEOF), announced in October 2018 is a pooled-structure for commissioning Impact Bonds at scale. An Impact Bond, or a Pay-for-success contract as it is known in the US, is a mechanism that harnesses private capital for social services by making repayments contingent upon achievement of pre-agreed outcomes as validated by a rigorous and independent evaluation. The IEOF, along with the Middle East & Africa Education Outcomes Fund, are the world's first outcome funds. The initial outcome funding for IEOF will be provided by philanthropic organizations, international aid organizations, and CSR contributions as allowed under existing legislation. These outcome-focused interventions in the education sector will lead to improved learning and educational outcomes across government and affordable schools in India. The first impact bond of SF-IND is under execution.

To date, three impact bonds have been contracted in India (185 bonds globally). None of these have been able to direct the $2bn of CSR spends into an outcomes-based financing construct. Social Finance India has designed and convened the first-ever pay-for-outcomes project using CSR funding that will impact literacy outcomes of Grade 1 and 2 students in Haryana. The $2.5mn project is under execution and will improve foundational reading skills of ~110,000 students in more than 3,200 Government Schools across 7 districts of the state.

The SF-IND Board includes Ashish Dhawan, Founder, Central Square Foundation and Ashoka University; Rajiv Lall, Non-Executive Chairman, IDFC Bank; and Vikram Gandhi, Founder, ASHA Impact, a Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Business School and Amit Bhatia (CEO, GSG). The SF-IND Advisory Council include Sir Ronald Cohen, Chairman, Global Steering Group (GSG); Brace Young (Chair of the Social Finance Global Network and Chair of Social Finance USA); David Hutchison, CEO, Social Finance UK; Tracy Palandjian, CEO and Co-Founder, Social Finance USA; Yaron Neudorfer, CEO of Social Finance Israel, Vivek Pandit, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company; and Nishith Desai, Founder and Managing Partner, Nishith Desai Associates.

Notes for Editor



SHANTANU GHOSH: Shantanu spent three decades in business and finance leadership roles with Genpact, GE, Unilever and PricewaterhouseCoopers (in reverse chronological order). In the first half of his career he was a finance specialist with the last stint as CFO for GE in India. During his stint with Genpact, he took on business leadership roles helping build multiple global market leading business including process innovation consulting and was part of the core leadership team that created a USD 9 Bn market value corporation from scratch. In 2019 he decided to focus all his energies on the Indian social sector to give back to the community (as a culmination of a few years of self-discovery and belief in both the need and potential of India to move the needle in SDG goals) and began mentoring and advising diverse organisations in that sector. He is a believer in the thesis of organizing risk capital in the development sector not just for the additional funding capacity but equally for the rigor it brings to focus and measurement of impact and creation of sustainable competences in the delivery organization.

ASHISH DHAWAN: Chair, Social Finance India, Founder and Chairman of Central Square Foundation (CSF) and a Founding Member of Ashoka University. Prior to this, he worked for twenty years in the investment management business and ran one of India's leading private equity funds, ChrysCapital. In June 2012, he left his full-time role at Chrys Capital to start CSF to pursue evidence driven and innovation led system reform in school education. Ashoka University is a not for profit university that aims to offer an Ivy League-quality undergraduate programme in India, based on the US liberal education system.

About Social Finance India



A member of the Social Finance Global Network, Social Finance India was launched as a platform to create and bring innovative financial facilities to India targeted at achieving social outcomes at scale. Website link - https:ocialfinance.org.in



Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1092334/Ashish_Dhawan_Chair_SF_IND.jpg



Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1092335/Shantanu_Ghosh_CEO_SF_IND.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NASCAR driver Ryan Newman has been released from a Daytona Beach hospital after a horrific crash on Monday during the final lap of the Daytona 500.

"Ryan Newman has been treated and released from Halifax Medical Center," a tweet from Roush Fenway Racing said.

Roush Fenway Racing released a statement earlier Wednesday morning saying Newman is showing "great improvement" and walking around the hospital.



"The veteran driver is fully alert and walking around Halifax Medical Center. True to his jovial nature, he has also been joking with staff, friends and family while spending time playing with his two daughters," the statement said.

The 42-year-old Newman's car flipped, rolled and was hit on the drivers side by another car before it slid across the finish line upside down.

Newman was taken to Halifax Health for treatment. For roughly two hours after the crash, race fans anxiously awaited an update on Newman's condition. NASCAR officials eventually read a statement from Roush Fenway Racing that said Newman would survive.



"Safety has come a long way in this sport," four-time NASCAR champion and Fox NASCAR announcer Jeff Gordon said Monday after Newman was taken to the hospital. "But sometimes we are reminded that it is a very dangerous sport."

Drafting, blocking and bumping are essential elements of racing on NASCAR's fastest tracks.

When Ryan Blaney pushed fellow Ford driver Newman in the final lap of the Daytona 500, it was something both men have done hundreds of times on superspeedways. The maneuver is delicate, and a few inches can turn victory into chaos.

Blaney's push sent Newman angling back into traffic, setting off the most violent wreck in Daytona since Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001.

During the wait Monday night for an update on Newman's condition, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to express his concern. Trump a day earlier attended the race as the grand marshal, gave the command for drivers to start their engines and made a ceremonial pace lap around Daytona International Speedway before rain washed out the race.

Praying for Ryan Newman, a great and brave @NASCAR driver! #PrayingForRyan, Trump tweeted. Newman was one of several NASCAR drivers who attended a 2016 rally for Trump in Georgia when he was a candidate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Nationwide customers that opt into the new service can purchase Notions Wi-Fi enabled smart home monitoring system at a special discount. The system can be used by homeowners to track real time instances of water pipe bursts or CO2 alarms through their mobile device.

By opting into the program and purchasing Notions monitoring system, Nationwide customers also enjoy savings on their homeowners insurance policy.

A release said that the program will initially be available to customers in Alabama, Arizona and Illinois, with additional states to be added in the months ahead.

Smart home solutions will help our policyholders have more control in protecting their home, said Nationwide AVP of product development Teresa Scharn. From water leaks to sounding alarms, the homeowner can be notified if something happens, even when they are not there.

Were thrilled to be selected as the IoT partner for Nationwide to launch their smart home technology program to its customers, said Notion CEO and co-founder Brett Jurgens.

Jurgens added that as the insurance industry moves towards an Internet of Things-oriented future, an insurers ability to offer smart home connectivity with policy incentives will become one of its biggest advantages.
Chinese students at Honam University in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul, enter a school dormitory, where they will be quarantined for 14 days, Tuesday. Yonhap



By Bahk Eun-ji



Medical experts and university officials called on the government Wednesday to ban Chinese students from entering Korea amid mounting fears that they could bring the coronavirus with them.



The Korea Medical Association (KMA), the nation's largest doctors group, which has been calling for the controversial entry ban, stepped up its calls after the health authorities confirmed 22 more cases of COVID-19 Wednesday. It said the contagious virus has been spreading rapidly in local communities.



Universities are also struggling to find ways of managing their Chinese students as nearly 70,000 students are set to return to South Korea for the spring semester. Although health authorities and the Ministry of Education announced a series of initiatives to better manage and prevent the possible spread of the novel virus, the KMA said that restrictions on entry from China is the most urgent action from the government needed right now.



"We believe it will be the last chance to contain the virus as the most effective methods because stopping the inflow of carriers is necessary to contain the spread of COVID-19," KMA spokesperson Park Jong-hyuk said. "It is utterly unreasonable for the universities to take all the responsibilities of managing more than 70,000 Chinese students under the current situation."



Park said the country has faced a great risk of community transmission as many of the new confirmed cases are presumed to be domestic transmission despite the government's quarantine efforts.





Campuses feared to become virus hotbed Korea overwhelmed by rapid spread of coronavirus IBK, DGB most vulnerable to virus outbreak According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the country's 31st patient is believed to have infected at least 11 others in Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province.



"In this situation, the health authorities should take stronger measures such as an entry ban from China as more citizens unwittingly have been in contact with those who have been infected but freely moved for days and weeks," he said.



The KMA also said quarantining the Chinese students for two weeks in a dormitory building will eventually infringe upon their freedom of movement.



"If the government implements the restrictions on entry from China, they can just stay at home there instead of being locked in a quarantine environment. The education ministry should think twice about which way is better for the Chinese students," he said.



Although the education ministry announced a plan to strengthen preventive measures to deal with the possible spread of the contagious virus on university campuses, school officials are still complaining of the difficulties in managing the Chinese students.



The ministry has suggested students take a leave of absence for the first semester this year, and pushed universities to prepare facilities to quarantine them after they enter Korea. A number of universities such as Chung-Ang, Hanyang and Kyung Hee universities have designated separate dormitories to quarantine Chinese students, but the problem is not all Chinese students have applied to stay at dormitories.



An official at one of the top universities in Seoul said the education ministry's guideline has done nothing but shift its responsibility to protect students onto university officials.



"For those students who are not staying in the dormitory, staff members of universities will check their health and whereabouts by phone during the two-week quarantine period, but we are wondering how effective it will be, because there are no ways to control them outside the campus," said the official who declined to be named.



He also said universities simply do not have the room to quarantine all of their Chinese students.




New Delhi, Feb 19 : The Union Budget for 2020 contains direct tax proposals in the Finance Bill to tax the retirement fund of an employee, which has been called a retrograde step by experts.

The budget proposals seeks to limit the exemption of contribution of Employer to retirement funds to the retirement fund kitty of an employee, which would be tax exempt to an arbitrary figure of Rs 7.50 lakh.

To date, contribution of employer to retirement funds of employee was tax exempt all through till withdrawal. The amendment in Income tax provisions seeking to levy tax on contributions to retirement funds, in excess of Rs 7.50 lakh per annum, is a retrograde measure, according to experts.

There is a demand now to roll back this proposal as the post retirement, period, constitutes 25 per cent to 30 per cent of life-time. Private sector employees are deprived of any social security and they have no choice but to "earn to retire" so that post-retirement he is free from want, with decency, independence and self-respect.

They also must provide adequately to take care of old age related health problems and well-being. Taking into account the pathetic conditions prevailing in the contemporary society with deteriorating human relations between parents and children, even a single pie of pension amount will provide a valuable support to the pensioner.

Experts point out that Right to life is guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. The provision for retirement has been statutorily recognised under the Provident Fund Act, 1952. While working a person need to make adequate provision post-retirement for a decent living and self-respect, and it is a well-recognised financial principle that a person should save more than 10 per cent of earnings to sustain post-retirement.

Provident fund by statue have laid down 12 per cent of earnings as contribution to retirement fund. A person's retirement needs are always expressed as a percentage of his earnings so that post retirement he can maintain a decent life of self-respect.

In addition, an employee contributing to Provident fund has a little access to the amounts of fund and accumulations for the simple reason that the fund is a provision for retirement.

With no social security from government post-retirement, the only reasonable expectation from the government is that the present exempt status of retirement fund should be retained as a private sector employee does not have any government funded social security.

At most, the exemption may be allowed for only one retirement fund up to 12 per cent of salary, experts said. Contribution of 12 per cent of salary is a statutorily recognised parameter of retirement fund under Provident Fund Act. To put a value cap on exemption would be very harsh on the private sector employees, as retirement fund is necessity and not a luxury, for people from all walks of life and from all economic background.

It is also true that retirement fund can be accessed only post retirement and not earlier. The government has already levied heavy tax with surcharge (10 per cent to 37 per cent) on higher incomes. However, contribution to retirement fund is not a current earning, but it is an "Earning for retirement" as there is no government funded social security benefits post-retirement.

The contribution do not accrue to the benefit of an employee during his prime period of life. It is a fund to secure his post-retirement life. Experts have said that 12 per cent of salary is a sound financial principle to contribute to retirement funds, and hence measure to cap the exemption at Rs 7.50 lakh is an extremely harsh measure. More so when on current incomes an employee is already paying high taxes. At the most, exemption may be restricted to only one retirement fund up to a contribution of 12 per cent of salary.
Two people have died in Iran after testing positive on Wednesday for the new coronavirus, the health ministry said, in the Islamic republic's first cases of the disease.

State agency IRNA quoted Kianoush Jahanpour, a ministry spokesman, as saying the virus was detected in two elderly people with immunity problems in the holy city of Qom, south of the Iranian capital.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The number of trips commuters took on trains on one line rose by nearly 40 per cent last year, prompting experts to warn of the risk of more delays to services due to the pressure on public transport.

Passenger numbers on the North Shore rail line surged by 38 per cent to 61 million trips last year, from a year earlier.

The figures come as overall usage of NSW trains and buses reached long-term projections more than a decade early, with 93 million more trips than what was forecast for 2031 taken last year.

The number of trips taken on inner west bus routes jumped 9.5 per cent between 2018 and 2019, with 60 million trips logged, Transport for NSW figures show.
The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper is incensed over how properties were demolished by the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited (GTFCL) over the weekend.



The company demolished properties of its tenants at the Trade Fair Centre in Accra on February 16, 2020, to pave way for the redevelopment of the site.



According to them, the tenants were duly notified.



Kwesi Pratt speaking to this issue expressed outrage at the fact that no apathy was shown in the demolition.



"What is this . . . What is the sense in this, I can't believe this . . . and this is happening in Ghana and we can justify this," outraged Kwesi Pratt said.



According to him, even if the tenants ignored the notification, the properties could have been preserved.



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
An Indian priest born with a massive facial tumour is worshipped by local villagers as a god.

Dabul Mishra, 32, from Shahjehanpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh, was born with a condition that caused his face and lips to grow to outsized proportions.

He has almost exhausted his savings trying to get the tumour removed and now works in a local temple to support his family - because he refuses to beg.

Indian priest Dabul Mishra, who was born with a massive facial tumour, is worshipped by local villagers as a god

Dabul Mishra, 32, from Shahjehanpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh, was born with a condition that caused his face and lips to grow to outsized proportions. Pictured: Women bowing their heads as Dabul sits on the floor

But some villagers in Shahjehanpur actually see the deformity as a blessing - believing him to be an incarnation of the god Lord Jambavantha, who is depicted with a bear-like face.

Dabul currently lives in poor conditions with his blind wife and children - but has not lost hope.

He said: 'I was born with this condition but never took to begging because of my self-respect.

He has almost exhausted his savings trying to get the tumour removed and now works in a local temple to support his family - because he refuses to beg. Pictured: Dabul with this three children

But some villagers in Shahjehanpur actually see the deformity as a blessing - believing him to be an incarnation of the god Lord Jambavantha, who is depicted with a bear-like face

'Although I consider this as a curse, the people have now found a god in me and worships me as an incarnation of Lord Jambavantha.

'I tried visiting many hospitals but no one could find me a proper cure, I almost exhausted my savings but then stopped going to the hospitals with a hope of cure.

'The government officials are aware of my condition but have not offered any help.

Dabul currently lives in poor conditions with his blind wife and children - but has not lost hope

His wife, who has not been named, said: 'It is a tough life for us as I am blind and he is suffering from this condition

Dabul's job involves collecting donations from devotees and singing songs at religious gatherings

'I will keep fighting till the end and find a cure of it, it is just that at the moment I am not in the condition to afford my expenses.'

Dabul's job involves collecting donations from devotees and singing songs at religious gatherings.

His wife, who has not been named, said: 'It is a tough life for us as I am blind and he is suffering from this condition.

He said: 'I was born with this condition but never took to begging because of my self-respect'

'I will keep fighting till the end and find a cure of it, it is just that at the moment I am not in the condition to afford my expenses,' he added

Dabul said he has given up going to hospitals in the hope of finding a cure

'It is good that I cannot see else it would have been more tough for me after seeing my husband in this condition.'

Lord Jambavanta originated in epic Indian poetry and is popularly found in the Ramyana, an epic of ancient India, which is written in Sanskrit.

The character is traditionally a black bear or sloth bear, but has been described as a monkey in other scriptures.
[February 19, 2020] Semiconductor IP Market 2020-2024|Complex Chip Designs and Use of Multi-core Technologies to Boost Growth | Technavio

Technavio has been monitoring the semiconductor IP market and it is poised to grow by USD 1.43 billion during 2020-2024, 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/20200219005451/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled global semiconductor IP market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Complex chip designs and use of multi-core technologies has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, heavy investment due to increased complexity of IP core design might hamper market growth. Request a free sample report Semiconductor IP Market 2020-2024: Segmentation Semiconductor IP Market is segmented as below: Application Mobile computing devices

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Automotive

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IDMs

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APAC

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MEA



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=IRTNTR40521 Semiconductor IP Market 2020-2024: Scope

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Semiconductor IP Market Industry Analysis This study identifies proliferation of wireless technologies as one of the prime reasons driving the semiconductor IP market growth during the next few years. Semiconductor IP Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the semiconductor IP market, including some of the vendors such as Arm Ltd., Cadence Design Systems (News - Alert) Inc., CEVA Inc., eMemory Technology Inc., Imagination Technologies Ltd., Lattice Semiconductor Corp., Rambus Inc., Siemens AG, Synopsys Inc. and Xilinx Inc (News - Alert). Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the semiconductor IP market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Semiconductor IP Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist semiconductor IP market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the semiconductor IP market size and its contribution to the parent market

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Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of semiconductor IP market vendors 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005451/en/

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As a brand dedicated to improving the lives of pets, Heelr is committed to supporting animal welfare and shelters. Heelr's hemp-infused tinctures and chews for dogs and cats may help pet-owners keep some pets calm and promote relaxation during separation, travel, motion sickness and tension caused by changes in a pet's daily routine.

"At the heart of the Heelr brand is providing well-being to animals, which can mean ensuring safe environments or offering daily relief whether at home or in a shelter," said Drew Stoddard, the President of Hemp at Parallel. "Animals undergo many stresses throughout their lives, particularly pets in a shelter environment. By supporting the exceptional efforts of Best Friends Animal Society, we hope to promote a sense of calm and relaxation for many of the animals in their care, as they await new homes."

"Best Friends' aim to make all shelters no-kill by 2025 would not be possible without the generous contributions from like-minded partners like Heelr," said Dr. Erin Katribe, DVM & Medical Director, Best Friends Animal Society. "Heelr hemp-infused products have certainly had a positive impact on many of the animals in our care."

Using Heelr products means supporting its "pawtnerships" with Best Friends and animal rescue organizations, such as:

Big Dog Ranch Rescue  The largest cage-free, no-kill dog rescue in the United States . It is the inaugural sponsor of the Miracle Fund (Fund), which helps dogs like Miracle  the nationally followed dog rescued in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian  get emergency medical attention and cover the costs of their care while recovering at Big Dog Ranch Rescue. Miracle's story was featured on the Today Show in 2019. Heelr provided sponsorship of the Fund and supplies its CBD pet products to Big Dog Ranch Rescue's anxiety ward.

Danny & Ron's Rescue  A rescue organization that saves dogs from puppy mills, dog-fighting rings and shelters  often moments away from euthanasia, and care for them until they are ready for adoption. In addition, they deliver pet food and supplies to more than 48 elderly people living in poverty and pay for their dogs' medical bills. Heelr provides its CBD products to the rescue dogs in its home. In 2018, Danny & Ron's remarkable story was featured in the critically acclaimed Netflix documentary "Life in the Doghouse."

About Heelr

Heelr is a line of hemp-infused chews and tinctures for dogs and cats, that may help promote calm, relaxation, and mobility. All Heelr products are made with natural ingredients, high-quality, broad-spectrum hemp oil and hemp powder, and are independently tested. All Heelr products are available for purchase online at Heelr.com.

About Parallel

Parallel (formerly Surterra Wellness) is a leading, global company that is pioneering human well-being and improving the quality of lives of humanity through the benefits of cannabinoids. Parallel has vertical operations in Florida, Texas, Nevada, and Massachusetts, a developing international footprint in the European Union (EU), South America and Asia, a global retail brand Goodblend, and a diverse portfolio of high-quality, proprietary consumer brands, including Surterra Wellness, Coral Reefer, Endless Summer, and Float. Parallel's business also includes Massachusetts' New England Treatment Access (NETA), a leading vertical cannabis operation with regional retail dispensaries and consumer brands; Molecular Infusions (Mi), a cannabis-based biopharmaceutical company; and Nevada's The Apothecary Shoppe, a vertical cannabis dispensary. Parallel's integrated footprint includes 42 retail dispensaries across the United States (US), including 39 in Florida; almost one million total square feet of cultivation and manufacturing operations across the platform; R&D facilities in Massachusetts, Florida, and Budapest, Hungary; and an exclusive partnership with global biotechnology company Intrexon to drive its science and technology-led innovation. Parallel follows rigorous operations and business practices, values quality, safety, consistency and efficacy and is building a business positioned to be the gold standard for the industry. For more information, visit liveParallel.com.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 15:08:26|Editor: xuxin

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SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- A South Korean appellate court on Wednesday sentenced former President Lee Myung-bak to 17 years in jail over a set of corruptions, including bribery and embezzlement.

The Seoul High Court handed down the ruling on Lee, who served as the country's head of state for five years from early 2008, fining him 13 billion won (10.9 million U.S. dollars).

It was heavier than the verdict by the lower court, which sentenced Lee to 15 years in prison. Prosecutors demanded a 20-year imprisonment with the fine of 15 billion won (12.6 million U.S. dollars).

Lee was taken to a prison again after being released on bail in March last year.

The former president was convicted of embezzling tens of millions of U.S. dollars from DAS, a lucrative auto parts maker that is believed to be owned by Lee under the borrowed names.

He was found guilty of receiving millions of U.S. dollars in bribes from Samsung Group, the country's biggest family-controlled conglomerate.

The bribe was offered to pay lawyer fees for the auto parts company, which faced a legal case in the United States, in return for Lee's presidential pardon to Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-18 23:06:54|Editor: mingmei

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Demonstrators take part in a march during a nationwide strike in Athens, Greece, on Feb. 18, 2020. Public services in Greece were paralyzed on Tuesday as the umbrella Civil Servants Trade Union (ADEDY) staged a 24-hour nationwide strike against social security reforms proposed by the government. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Public services in Greece were paralyzed on Tuesday as the umbrella Civil Servants Trade Union (ADEDY) staged a 24-hour nationwide strike against social security reforms proposed by the government.

Hundreds of thousands of commuters were left stranded as public transport services were disrupted, from buses and the metro to ferries, which remained docked at ports as seamen's unions joined the strike.

Thousands of protesters, including members of All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) and other labor unions, marched in central Athens chanting slogans against the draft bill that was submitted to parliament on Monday.

The bill foresees, among others, pension hikes for current retirees, who have suffered many rounds of cutbacks in recent years under the bailout programs (2010-2018). It would also bring under a unified national social security agency all civil service staff, together with private sector employees and the self-employed.

From now on, freelance professionals would be able to choose the level of their monthly contributions, which would determine the level of their future pensions.

Presenting the principles of the bill at a meeting of the Athens Chamber of Tradesmen, Greece's Labor and Social Affairs Minister Giannis Vroutsis said the bill had a social orientation, national news agency AMNA reported.

The new social security reform will help increase employment, boost entrepreneurship and reduce tax evasion, the minister argued.

Critics among demonstrators on Tuesday said that the bill falls far short of ensuring standards for a decent life for all current and future retirees, increases contributions disproportionately and shifts more burdens to employees, reducing the state's role in securing a minimum safety net for all.

"We stand against the government's plans aimed at the privatization of the insurance system, the further cutbacks (on pensions) and increases in age limits. Social insurance is a right. We will not allow private interests taking over control," Costas Catarahias, a doctor and president of the union of employees at the Agios Savvas state hospital, told Xinhua during the march.

Public hospitals operated on skeleton staff on Tuesday, as the unions of hospitals workers joined the labor action.

"Social insurance will be a private issue. There will be a sort of money box, which will not be enough though to cover your needs," noted Alexandra S., a pensioner who used to work at the National Bank of Greece.

She is among the 17,000-odd pensioners of the bank who have struggled in the past three years to receive their auxiliary pensions.

"The bank's administration has cut our auxiliary pensions for several months. This is a sample and part of the ongoing attack against insurance rights, which is orchestrated by the European Union and executed by the previous government of SYRIZA and the current government of New Democracy," she claimed.

The two sides have gone to courts to resolve the dispute over whether the bank should cover deficits of the employees' auxiliary pension fund.

Employees argue that it is the obligation of the bank and the state to cover gaps caused by the mismanagement of employee contribution funds.

Maria Xifara is a member of the Board of Directors in the union of current employees of the National Bank. "Substantially this (draft bill) deprives us of the right to get a pension. It (insurance contribution) is a part of our salary and we want to make sure it will not go to waste, it will not be stolen," she told Xinhua.

"We demand that they return to our insurance funds all this money that was stolen. This is our property and we have paid for this through contributions for years," she added.
The 'billionaire boys' club' behind Glencore is set to rake in more than 400million in dividends  despite the mining giant posting its first loss in four years.

Chief executive Ivan Glasenberg, division bosses Daniel Mate and Tor Peterson, and former executives Telis Mistakidis and Alex Beard will reap the $0.20 (15p) per share dividend announced yesterday, which is worth about 2billion overall.

The tycoons, who collectively own more than a fifth of shares, are part of a close-knit group who became fantastically wealthy when Glencore floated in 2011.

Windfall: Chief executive Ivan Glasenberg and other executives, will reap the $0.20 (15p) per share dividend announced yesterday, which is worth about 2bn overall

The latest dividend announcment came as Glasenberg said he was speeding up preparations to promote a new generation of executives this year.

The 63-year-old is expected to stand down and hand over the reins by 2023.

Glasenberg, Glencore's second-biggest shareholder with a 9 per cent stake, will receive about 181.8million through the proposed dividend.

Mate, who owns 3.39 per cent, will get 68.1million and Mistakidis, who has 3.36 per cent, will get 67.5million. At the same time Peterson and Beard, who both own 2.5 per cent, will get about 50million each.

Finance chief Steven Kalmin, who became a multi-millionaire through the Glencore float, also stands to get 12million.

The enormous payouts come after the FTSE 100 firm reported an annual loss of about 310million for 2019, its first since 2015.

That was down from a profit of 2.6billion a year previously.

Glencore largely blamed the drop on 2.2billion of charges it had taken over the closure of a copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the end of licences for its Chad oil operations and weak coal demand in Europe.

After the announcement, shares fell 4.5 per cent, or 10.55p to 226.1p.

The company's stock has already fallen by 25 per cent in the past year as it battles bribery and corruption probes by UK and US authorities over its operations in Nigeria, Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

That has increased pressure for a major leadership shake-up, after Glasenberg had previously said he would go within five years of 2018.

Yesterday the chief executive, who has been in charge since 2002, said he wanted a 'smooth generation change'.

Of the original 'billionaire boys' club', the long-time copper boss Mistakidis retired in 2018, while head of oil Beard stepped down last June.

Mate remains boss of the zinc division, however, and Peterson is still in charge of coal, with Glasenberg noting they were 'the last of the older crew left'.

Glasenberg added: 'Once the new generation is in place and ready to move on, then it will also be the time for me to move on.'

Asked if he could step down this year, he replied: 'Don't know. Let's first get these other management changes in place and we'll move from there.'
WATERLOO  MidAmerican Energy has found higher ground to relocate a flood-prone electrical substation near Gilbertville.

Members of the Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a special permit for the utility company to build the new substation on 5.25 acres of land on South Raymond Road north of Gilbertville.

The current substation on Washburn Road, west of Gilbertville and the Cedar River, has flooded in the past and had to shut down. Its location in the flood plain also made it infeasible to expand.

The company has been searching for a new location for some time.

This projects been ongoing for two years, said Seth Hyberger, county zoning administrator. They previously had a new location but neighbors opposed it.

MidAmerican Energy had looked at a location south of Gilbertville in 2017 and asked the city to consider annexing the property. That site, which would have required fill to raise it above the flood plain, was rejected by the county planning and zoning board.

Hyberger said the zoning panel endorsed the new site, which is out of the flood plain and southwest of 4410 S. Raymond Road, on a 6-1 vote. There was one neighbor opposed at the zoning hearing but no one spoke against the permit at the supervisors hearing.

Another reason they selected this location is because its right next to the power lines so it allows them to build the substation right there, Hyberger added.

The special permit also needs approval from the countys board of adjustment.

Iowa law puts the final decision over special permits with boards of adjustment, but Black Hawk Countys zoning ordinance gives the power to the Board of Supervisors. The county is working to change its ordinance to comply with state law but chose to run the substation permit through both boards to avoid legal complications in the future.

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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM / ACCESSWIRE / February 18, 2020 / A recent survey, which included over 15,000 traders globally, has revealed that the automated cryptocurrency trading platform Bitcoin Trader, was voted as the most trusted platform online, allowing investors to benefit from AI-optimized decisions without lifting a finger.

There are many platforms online that claim to allow investors to trade cryptocurrency; however, a recent survey showed that sophisticated global investors use only a few of the tools. 87% of investors that have exposure to cryptocurrencies use the platform Bitcoin Trader for its simplicity and auto-trading functionality. It uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make decisions in nano-seconds allowing investors to utilize the set-and-forget functionality.

The software was developed using machine learning, and it scans hundreds of thousands of cryptocurrency price movements daily. Based on this information and an extensive database of historical data, it can make predictions more accurately than a single individual. As a result, the tool knows the direction of the price movement before it happens in the market. Over 97% of the surveyed individuals named the automated advanced analysis function as the most impressive feature allowing them to gain profits daily.

In an interview with one of the investors, a new online trader from London, Paul Camden stated, "I have never traded online before, but I have read so many stories about everyday people making so much money trading Bitcoin. I wasn't one of those lucky ones who invested in Bitcoin when it first came out, but thanks to Bitcoin Trader, I am now able to make money trading this digital currency and other assets." Paul went on to explain, "When I first heard about Bitcoin Trader, I was a little hesitant. After I started using it, I quickly saw that it analyses the markets and even opens and closes my trades profitably. I started to understand just how effective it is. It also gave me a good insight into how the trading world works. I highly recommend Bitcoin Trader to anyone who wants to make profits trading Bitcoin."

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We contacted one of the developers at Bitcoin Trader, Steven Lupen, and he explained the technology further, "We understand that market analysis is the core component of successful trading. You need to know what to trade and when. Based on this, we ensured that the algorithm of Bitcoin Trader was able to consider huge amounts of historical data and to apply it to the existing market conditions. We have also ensured that the market analysis happens quickly and accurately. Once the market conditions match the set trading parameters of the software, a trading signal will be released." Steven went on to say, "We were excited to hear that we had been recognized as the most trusted app in the crypto space. It makes all our hard work worthwhile, and now we are even more driven to make Bitcoin Trader even better."

About Bitcoin Trader

Bitcoin Trader is an automated trading software solution, designed specifically for the cryptocurrency markets. Its powerful and intuitive algorithm can quickly and accurately scan the financial markets and to find trading opportunities. With the automated functionality of this software, trades can then be opened and closed without any human intervention. The ease of use of the Bitcoin Trader platform makes it an ideal software system for both new and advanced traders.



If you would like more information about Bitcoin Trader, please visit here.

Media Contact:

Company Name - Bitcoin Trader System

Company Email - info@bitcoin-trader-system.com

Website - https://bitcoin-trader-system.com/

SOURCE: Bitcoin Trader Systems





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https://www.accesswire.com/576903/Bitcoin-Trader-Becomes-1-Trusted-Crypto-Trading-Platform




In Ukraine, they will be placed under quarantine for at least 14 days.

A Ukrainian aircraft chartered by the Ukrainian government to evacuate 48 Ukrainians and 29 foreigners has already landed in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

"The Ukrainian plane has just landed in Wuhan, the province of Hubei; it will bring back 48 Ukrainians and 29 foreign citizens," Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov said on Facebook on February 19.

According to Danilov, a team of experienced doctors are on board the plane.

Read alsoPolice to cordon off quarantine site set to host Ukrainians evacuated from Wuhan

"I'm sure the [return] flight will be comfortable and calm. We look forward to seeing [the evacuees] on our native land," Danilov said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the outbreak was first reported late in December 2019. In China, the death toll from the coronavirus climbed above 2,000, but the tally of newly reported cases fell for a second day to the lowest since January.

Ukraine's government allocated UAH 4.5 million, or nearly US$184,120, from the national budget's reserve fund for the evacuation of Ukrainians from China. They will be placed under quarantine for at least 14 days.

Ukraine's Health Ministry said that only those who do not have symptoms of acute respiratory infection are subject to evacuation.

Nationals of other countries seeking help, namely from Norway, Israel, Belarus, Spain, Montenegro, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama and others, will also be brought to Ukraine by the charter flight.
Fuelling Vienna's golden age before being driven out by the Nazis, the Rothschilds seemed to have closed the Austria chapter of their Jewish banking family's saga. That is until Thursday when Geoffrey Hoguet, a member of Europe's most famous banking dynasty, marches into court in Vienna. His suit revolves around a foundation set up in 1907 with the funds of his great-great uncle Nathaniel Freiherr von Rothschild who left the equivalent of about 100 million euros ($110 million) when he died in 1905 to provide psychiatric help for the needy. Hoguet, a 69-year-old New York investor, is accusing the city of appropriating the foundation in breach of its founder's will and "perpetuating" Nazi-era laws. At stake is, among others, a neurological hospital dating from 1912 whose elegant period architecture makes it stand out in a 230-hectare (300-acres) park on the capital's outskirts. The lawyer for Vienna argues that the 1956 restoration of the foundation was done "in agreement and according to the initial wishes" of Nathaniel von Rothschild following its dissolution by the Nazis in 1938. But Hoguet -- a financial supporter of Democratic Party presidential nominee Pete Buttigieg -- sees this differently and wants to "honour the legacy" of his great-great uncle, according to his entourage quoted by the press. He wants to annul the sale of one of two sanatoriums in the early 2000s -- a late-baroque palace that was reportedly one of the world's earliest centres of mental health treatment -- and aims to nullify a 2017 clause that determines that if the foundation were dissolved its wealth would go to the city of Vienna. - Ghetto to palaces - The dispute re-casts the spotlight on Austria's ambivalent relationship with the Jewish banking family, whose history goes hand-in-hand with the former Habsburg Empire's financial and commercial success. "The history of the Rothschilds has been repressed" from Vienna's collective memory, said Austrian historian Roman Sandgruber, who authored a 2018 book on the history of the Rothschilds' Austrian branch. In the early 1800s, the Rothschild patriarch, Mayer Amschel, originally from the Jewish ghetto in Frankfurt, had sent his five sons to develop family affairs in Europe's major capitals. His second son Salomon Mayer von Rothschild set up the first bank in Vienna in 1820 and his son Anselm founded Credit-Anstalt in 1855 -- Hoguet served on the executive of the bank before it disappeared in the 1990s. As in London and Paris, the Rothschild bank of Vienna quickly became a crucial partner for those in power. It helped to finance wars as well as big urban and industrial projects, including mines and railroads -- and effectively propped up the monarchy. "When Emperor Franz-Joseph held protracted discussions with Albert Rothschild, the rumour was that the monarchy was crossing a bad financial stretch," writes Georg Markus, a journalist and specialist on the Austrian monarchy. In 1887, the emperor gave Albert Rothschild the right to frequent the imperial court, a rare honour for a Jewish person. Upon his death in 1911, he was considered "the richest man in Europe", according to Sandgruber. It was also during this period that Nathaniel, one of Albert's brothers, a philanthropist more focused on art than finance, made the largest individual donation in Austrian history to create the foundation bearing his name to set up psychiatric hospitals, which were well ahead of the times. - Wild theories - But as much as financial success, anti-Semitism too shaped the family saga with the Rothschilds pushed out of Austria when Nazi Germany annexed it in 1938. "The name Rothschild was both the target of those who stirred crowds with hatred of the Jews, as well as of the anti-capitalists," Sandgruber told AFP. Long before the internet age, the wildest theories about the family circulated: one of them claimed that the first of the Viennese Rothschilds, Salomon, was Adolf Hitler's grandfather, prompting the chancellory at that time to open an investigation. After the war, the sumptuous family palaces in the centre of Vienna, a Rothschild hospital and a train station funded by the banking establishment were all demolished to make way for modern constructions. "Not only did the fighting itself damage this heritage, but it was also a story with which Austria was not comfortable," said Michaela Feurstein-Prasser, author of the "Jewish Vienna" guide. It was not until 2016 that a Rothschild square was inaugurated in Vienna at the headquarters of the banking group UniCredit Bank Austria, which absorbed Credit-Anstalt in the 1990s.
VANIX expands open internet exchange in the region's largest network neutral data center

DENVER, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cologix, a network-neutral interconnection, ecosystem and hyperscale edge data center company, today announced that the Vancouver Internet Exchange (VANIX), a network-neutral, independent internet exchange based in Vancouver, will deploy a core node in Cologix's new Vancouver facility (VAN3) at 2828 Natal Street. VANIX is an open, participant-run, not-for-profit exchange, serving as a key technology portal in Vancouver, Canada and across the globe.

Adding this new node enables VANIX participants to peer on the exchange within Vancouver's newest and largest network neutral data centre (VAN3) that offers 5MW of power across 42,000 square feet of data center space for customers. VANIX peering participants will appreciate the space, power and connectivity at VAN3 with ample room to scale.

"We are excited to be expanding our reach with an additional core node in Cologix's new state-of-the-art facility," said Chris Murray, VANIX Board Chair. "Today, VANIX interconnects over 55 IP networks and offers participants low latency, fast network performance with robust connectivity in a safe and reliable environment. Vancouver has become a tech hub with a flourishing tech-start-up community, supported by strong government incentives and a large talent pool. Over the last year, growth continues as major technology giants have set up outposts in and around the city. Reliable, faster and less expensive access to the internet has never been more important to British Columbia to support the community. We are thrilled Cologix continues to invest in Vancouver and supports VANIX's continued growth in the peering community. VAN3 showcases Cologix's commitment to British Columbia with the largest available capacity in the market, supporting explosive growth in tech-based businesses including SaaS, AI, content, fintech, film and television, gaming, healthcare and more."

Cologix has been a supporter of the Internet exchange since its inception in 2015. The company initially supported VANIX's expansion at its VAN2 data center at 1050 West Pender Street, donating resources and connectivity between VAN2 and the VANIX infrastructure at 555 W. Hastings Street (VAN1). The ongoing support at VAN3 reinforces Cologix's commitment to VANIX and the economic development value it provides to businesses and end users of the internet.

"Cologix continues to invest in Vancouver to support increasing demand for unfettered connectivity at the digital edge," said Cologix's Chief Technology Officer Matt Spencer. "We are strong supporters of VANIX and its mission to provide an open, independent exchange for Vancouver's peering community. We are happy to continue this support of VANIX by contributing valuable resources and connectivity at our new VAN3 facility. VAN3 is a highly redundant, concurrently maintainable Tier III designed and constructed facility. Cologix invested $5 million in seismic upgrades to protect customer's infrastructures and harnesses green, renewable energy to reduce our carbon footprint. We look forward to our continued partnership and enabling VANIX to grow through Cologix's robust ecosystem of customers and partners."

Key VAN3 highlights include:

Best available network neutral connectivity : VAN3 is a purpose-built data center enabling access to 20+ unique networks, the Vancouver Internet Exchange (VANIX) and all the major cloud providers

: VAN3 is a purpose-built data center enabling access to 20+ unique networks, the Vancouver Internet Exchange (VANIX) and all the major cloud providers Central location : In Vancouver, 7KM from VAN1 & VAN2 and directly linked to both data centers via a diverse fibre ring

: In Vancouver, 7KM from VAN1 & VAN2 and directly linked to both data centers via a diverse fibre ring Powerful infrastructure : 5 MW of capacity for high-density customer needs and up to 40 kW per cabinet with concurrently maintainable by line-up distributed redundant four to make three power and cooling systems

: 5 MW of capacity for high-density customer needs and up to 40 kW per cabinet with concurrently maintainable by line-up distributed redundant four to make three power and cooling systems Green Technology: Designed for ultra-efficiency with hot air containment system. Cologix has implemented highly efficient chillers with oil-free magnetic bearing compressors with built-in free cooling coils that enables the outside climate to cool the data center for the majority of the year

Designed for ultra-efficiency with hot air containment system. Cologix has implemented highly efficient chillers with oil-free magnetic bearing compressors with built-in free cooling coils that enables the outside climate to cool the data center for the majority of the year Top certifications and security : SOC 1, SOC 2, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS compliant

: SOC 1, SOC 2, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS compliant Environmental risk investments: $5 million in seismic upgrades to help protect customers in the event of an earthquake in the Tier III constructed facility

Additional resources

Learn more about VAN3

Learn more about the Cologix Platform

Learn more about the Vancouver Internet Exchange

For more information or to request a tour of Cologix Vancouver data centers, please contact [email protected]

For more information on VANIX, please contact [email protected]

About Cologix Inc.

Cologix provides reliable, secure, scalable Hyperscale edge data center solutions from 28 prime interconnection hubs and 5 Hyperscale Capacity facilities across 9 strategic North American markets. Over 1,600 leading network, managed services, cloud, media, content, financial services and enterprise customers trust Cologix to support their business critical infrastructure and connect them to customers, vendors and partners. Our dedicated, experienced local teams and scalable solutions enable us to provide industry-leading customer service and the ability to successfully support customers at the Internet's new edge. For a tour of one of our data centers in Ashburn, Columbus, Dallas, Jacksonville, Lakeland, Minneapolis, Montreal, New Jersey, Toronto or Vancouver visit www.cologix.com or email [email protected] . Follow Cologix on LinkedIn and Twitter .

About VANIX

VANIX is a not-for-profit corporation that operates an Internet exchange led by an experienced group of network and business professionals from prominent businesses throughout Canada. VANIX provides Internet and network-based businesses the ability to connect confidently to a professional and responsive local Internet exchange.

The VANIX community of peers is a strong, dependable, and diverse group of companies and organizations that are dedicated to improving the Internet in Canada through collaboration and cooperation. This makes the exchange an oasis of neutrality within the competitive landscape, a key technology portal between Canada and the world and a pivotal network meeting point on the west coast of North America. Visit https://vanix.ca or follow VANIX on LinkedIn and Twitter .

SOURCE Cologix Inc.

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Downing Street was engaged in an extraordinary war of words with the EU on Wednesday night after Brussels warned Boris Johnson he would not get the Canada-style trade agreement he craves.

A key aide to the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said Brussels would not budge from its insistence on a 'level playing field' on environmental protections and workers' rights.

Stefaan De Rynck said this meant the EU would not agree to any trade deal giving the UK free rein to diverge from European standards, such as the one granted to Canada. But yesterday No10 pointed out Mr Barnier had previously said the UK could have exactly that type of Canada-style trade agreement.

A key aide to the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier (pictured on Tuesday) said Brussels would not budge from its insistence on a 'level playing field' on environmental protections and workers' rights

Downing Street was engaged in an extraordinary war of words with the EU last night after Brussels warned Boris Johnson (pictured last week) he would not get the Canada-style trade agreement he craves

Officials published a slide they said Mr Barnier had used in presentations, apparently offering up the prospect of such a deal. In a tweet they said: 'In 2017 the EU showed on their own slide that a Canada-type FTA [free trade agreement] was the only available relationship for the UK. Now they say it's not on offer after all. Michel Barnier  what's changed?'

Trade minister Greg Hands accused Mr Barnier of having had a 'change of heart'. He told Sky News: 'If you look back right to the very beginning what the EU was offering the UK was a Canada-style deal. So that is what the Government...is looking to get.

'Obviously, there will be a bit of posturing from Brussels as there always is. But our mission is clear.'

Earlier this week, the Prime Minister's negotiator David Frost warned that the UK would never give up the right to set its own rules after the end of the Brexit transition period this year.

Responding yesterday in a speech in London, Mr De Rynck warned the EU views negotiations with the UK as a 'different ball game' to trade talks with Canada.

He said the UK's closeness to the EU in terms of both distance and trading relationships meant the level playing field conditions were more important than in other trade deals struck by Brussels.

Stefaan De Rynck (pictured last year) said this meant the EU would not agree to any trade deal giving the UK free rein to diverge from European standards, such as the one granted to Canada

He stressed: 'Some in the UK now seem to want to become Canadians, but Dover is much closer to Calais than Ottawa is. Proximity matters, distance matters in trade. What also matters is the interconnectedness between our economies. So, in terms of zero tariff, zero quota access, this brings a lot of benefits to the UK economy  and with benefits come obligations.'

Brussels claims it has to ensure Britain sticks to EU rules to protect its industry. But it emerged last night that the EU's trade commissioner had argued that Canada's Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was more than enough to protect EU interests.

The Canada deal does not commit the country to EU regulations and there is no role for the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

Brussels claims it has to ensure Britain sticks to EU rules to protect its industry. But it emerged last night that the EU's trade commissioner had argued that Canada's Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was more than enough to protect EU interests

In a letter to the Dutch government, commissioner Phil Hogan said: 'I would like to emphasise that CETA's rules on environment and labour are solid and anchored in a vast network of underlying international conventions and agreements.' He stressed: 'These provisions are legally binding and enforceable through a dedicated dispute settlement mechanism.'

A UK source close to the trade negotiations last night said: 'Given that the EU is praising the level playing field commitments in CETA in this way, it's surprising they've suggested they would not be willing to accept similar provisions in a trade deal with the UK.' In response to the No10 tweet, Mr Barnier said: 'I have no time to lose in polemics right now.

'I recommend, on both sides, that we remain calm and face the reality, the truth and the economic, social and human consequences of Brexit.'

The British Museum yesterday vowed to fight off any attempt by the EU to take back the Elgin Marbles. Brussels has threatened to demand the return of the 5th century BC Parthenon sculptures as part of a free trade deal.

Downing Street has insisted it is 'just not happening'. Museum director Hartwig Fischer told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'They were shipped to the UK completely legally.'
People are spending more time in acute mental health units than they need to, according to the Mental Health Commission of Ireland.

This is because there is an almost total absence of community mental health support services across the State, it stated.

Access to acute beds is being restricted as a result  leading to overcrowding in acute adult mental health services. It has also led to more people with mental health problems being treated in the general hospital population.

Regulator John Farrelly said this is an inappropriate setting in which to treat mental health patients, pointing out that the agreed public policy that should be in place to cover his concerns has simply not been implemented.

The policy document, A Vision For Change, was published in 2006, but little or nothing ever came of it.

Very few of the support services  including so-called crisis houses, intensive high-support hostels, specialist rehabilitation units, and psychiatric intensive care units  even exist.

The HSE is responsible for implementing public policy, but it simply hasnt done its job and I dont think anybody is being held to account, said Mr Farrelly.

The Vision For Change policy was signed off and agreed in 2006. I am aware there is yet more mental health policy coming down the tracks, but why on Earth dont we implement the policy that we already have?

The only way this is going to work is if more buildings are built and for there to be a serious recruitment drive.

Unfortunately, while politicians love talking about mental health, it is absolutely the Cinderella service of the health service. It is just so wrong on so many fronts that people are being left in acute mental health units who simply do not need to be there.

When it was published, A Vision For Change promised that every citizen should have access to local, specialised, and comprehensive mental health service provision that is of the highest standard.

Its publication came nearly three years after the 2003 Expert Group on Mental Health Policy was set up to formulate a blueprint for a world-class service to meet the mental health challenges facing our society.

Two years ago, the chairwoman of that expert group, Joyce OConnor, said there were issues with implementing the policy.

The big problem has been in implementation, she told members of the Joint Committee on Future of Mental Health Care in 2017.

The Mental Health Commission report warns: Where a lack of specialised supports exist, many immediate and long-term consequences ensue for acute mental health beds.

Last night, the HSE said in a statement: We provide a wide range of community mental supports across the state. Nationally, there is a total of 111 general adult community teams, 32 psychiatry of later life teams and 71 child and adolescent community teams. These teams support people to remain in their homes and in the community where possible in line with Slaintecare.

The HSE added that it seeks to enhance our comprehensive range of community mental health supports and specialist services on an ongoing basis.
China is one of the prime drivers of relationship between India and the United States  the two largest democracies of the world  not only in the last two decades but since India's independence, a top Indian-American scholar has said in her latest book.

"Today, it is almost a truth almost universally acknowledged that China drives and shapes US-India relations. Indeed, broad convergence on China has been a key driver of US-India relations for the last two decades across US administrations and across Indian governments," Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow at Foreign Policy and the director of India Project at the Brookings Institute told a Washington audience.

In her latest book Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped US-India Relations During the Cold War, she argues that China's influence on the US-India relationship is neither a recent nor a momentary phenomenon.

Drawing on archival documents from India and the US, Madan traces how American and Indian perceptions of, and policy toward, China significantly shaped US-India relations during the Cold War.

China's role in shaping the U.S.-India relationship was not just a recent phenomenon restricted to kind of the last few decades. Indeed, what I found and this book lays out was that China's influence went back the early years of Indian independence," Madan said during a discussion on her new book.

Through extensive archival research in India and in the US, Madan disentangles how American and Indian perceptions of and policy toward China shaped the US-Indian relationship throughout the Cold War, said Suzanne Maloney, interim vice president and director, Foreign Policy, Brookings Institute.

The book that starts post-independence refers to the first US visit by India's first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1949. When he came in 1949, he received a warm welcome on his arrival. President Truman, indeed, went to the airport to receive him taking along three cabinet members and an honor guard. You had the US Congress host Nehru for a speech. Why all this fanfare behind the visit of this Indian leader, she asked.

A major was what had happened just before Nehru's visit to Washington. What American policymakers saw as the loss of China to communism. And this had happened just a few days before on October 1, 1949 when Mao Zedong establishes the People's Republic of China. The establishment in the US now saw in that context a democratic India as the hope of Asia and believed it could serve as a counterbalance and contrast to Soviet backed communist China, Madan said.

But during the course of this kind of visit that Nehru takes with much fanfare, it became quite clear that India did not share the same view of or the same approach to China as the US did. And so, instead of convergence in China pushing the US and India together, over the next few years what you really see in the US-India partnership and between the two countries is divergence on the subject of China, she added.

They've disagreed about a number of different things. Whether to recognize the People's Republic of China or not. What to do about the Chinese takeover of Tibet. China's role in the Korean War and the reasons for its intervention in that war. China's role in Southeast Asia. They also disagreed about the approach to take to China, she said.

According to Madan, China has adverse impact on US-India relations. Now just in the Truman and Eisenhower administrations but also on Capitol Hill where these differences on China negatively affected decisions to aid India which needed aid at that time. And this, in turn, caused resentment in India that thought the US was holding back because of these differences on China, she said.

But things changed late 50s. The US and India didn't just agree on a perception of China now. They also agree on what to do about this threat.

Primarily, in their minds, that meant a partnership with each other. Now this came, this agreement on what to do about it came with a lot of American economic assistant to India which is better known. But also, military assistance that eventually culminates and, of course, US direct assistance during the 1962 China-India war, she said.

Historical baggage, she said, to this day, affects and shapes how the two countries see each other in the context of a rising China. To give you one example, you cannot understand Indian concerns about a G-2 or a US-China condominium without understanding India's sense that in 1971, essentially overnight, much like the Japanese called it Nixon shock. India had to face going from having a US partnership against China to the prospect of a US-China-Pakistan, facing a US-China-Pakistan partnership against it, Madan said.
JetBlue Girds for Airline Hub War in Boston

JetBlue Airways Chief Financial Officer Steve Priest on Wednesday chided aviation pundits who are asking if the nations sixth-largest airline can maintain its dominant position in Boston as two larger carriers  American Airlines and Delta Air Lines  boost their presence at the airport.

He said JetBlue would be fine. Commentators talk about Boston, they talk about Fort Lauderdale, he added during the Barclays Industrials Select Conference in Miami. We are 20 years old now. We are very used to competitive incursions.

Its true JetBlue so far has withstood competition in Fort Lauderdale amid a challenge from Spirit Airlines. But what is coming to Boston may be unlike anything the airline has faced. In the past six months, Delta and American have signaled they will expand significantly in Boston, which accounts for about 30 percent of JetBlues capacity, according to airline analyst Joseph DeNardi of Stifel.

Delta moved first, saying last summer it planned to build a hub in Boston, with executives suspecting they could win share from JetBlue in a key U.S. business market. JetBlue may not have welcomed this news, but it made sense. Boston is a lucrative, growing market, and Delta was making a rational decision to expand against a weaker competitor.

In recent weeks, however, the situation has become juicier. American, which had shrunk in Boston since it merged with US Airways, decided it wanted back in, adding new routes to non-hub cities, including Austin, Texas, and Indianapolis.

American is spinning the new flights as a response to demand, and while that might be true, the airline in recent weeks has been engaging in spirited competition with Delta, adding new routes from Deltas focus cities. Its a strategic change for American, which for the past five years almost exclusively has grown only in its biggest hubs.

This yen for adding non-core routes comes roughly four months after Delta poached Americas largest partner in Latin America, Latam Airlines. American executives say otherwise, but some new routes from Boston could be designed as much to thwart Deltas ambitions as to make money.

Story continues

This may put JetBlue in an uncomfortable position. American and Delta are global mega-carriers, capable of losing money short-term to achieve long-term strategic objectives. By comparison, JetBlue is tiny, and it has made clear to Wall Street it wants to boost margins now, not in five years.

In a report, analyst Jamie Baker of JP Morgan noted competition could hurt JetBlues near-term fortunes. JetBlue is growing head-to-head with Delta in the Boston market, and any near-term oversupply could result in unit revenue headwinds, he said.

JetBlues Argument

Speaking to investors on Wednesday, Priest said JetBlue is betting it can escape Deltas wrath  and the Delta-American skirmish  by focusing on flying Boston travelers everywhere they want to go, nonstop.

Unlike the bigger airlines, JetBlue is predominantly a point-to-point carrier, with few customers making connections.

Eighty-five percent of our business is point-to-point, Priest said. The high-value geography that we have really lends itself to point-to-point business. Think about Boston from a geographical standpoint. It doesnt really lend itself to a hub-and-spoke city.

JetBlue is also counting on its brand equity, built up over two decades. JetBlue moved into Boston as its competitors, who had been larger there, retrenched to bigger hubs after Sept. 11. With limited competitive response, JetBlue built up a franchise as Bostons key business airline.

With that relevance comes stickiness, Priest said. We are very well-loved brand in Boston. When you get that, you can drive the ancillary benefits, like our loyalty program and everything that goes with it.

Alaska Airlines has been able to withstand similar competition from Delta in Seattle because its brand it so revered in the Pacific Northwest. Its not clear whether corporate customers will stick with JetBlue in the same way.

Transatlantic Expansion

By next year, JetBlue plans to plug one major hole in its Boston network, when it begins flights to London. It should also fly elsewhere in Europe next year, though it has not divulged markets.

Priest on Wednesday argued that London, along with further transatlantic expansion, is vital to making the airline relevant in Boston because corporate customers demand it.

In Boston, we fly 40 of the top 50 routes, he said. Of the remaining 10, five of them are in Europe. By far the biggest is London. Adding London to the network gives us a greater level of stickiness with corporate clients that enjoy flying JetBlue.

The problem is that most of its competitors fly to London. Delta already serves Heathrow and will start Gatwick this spring. Meanwhile, American relaunches Heathrow service next month.

But Priest said the airline, which is expected to introduce a new business class seat for transatlantic, will make it work.

We welcome the competition, he said.

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In the six years since Jay Reno started college and finished his masters' degree, he had moved seven times. Each time, he says, the load felt more punishing. The bed frame seemed to get heavier, and things got damaged. Reno, who grew up in New Hampshire and now lives in New York City, knew there had to be a less headache-inducing way to get stuff from A to B. Or better yet, he thought: What if he didn't even own stuff in the first place?

Reno figured he surely wasn't the only Millennial thinking along those lines. So, in 2017, he founded Feather, a New York City-based furniture rental subscription service. Furniture rentals is not a new idea: The 800-pound gorilla in the industry is Rent-a-Center, founded in 1986 with a rent-to-own model that last year was expected to bring in around $1.8 billion in U.S. revenue. Reno says unlike Rent-a-Center, Feather is targeting higher-end customers: people who can afford to buy but just choose not to. Convincing a critical mass of affluent customers to forgo new furnishings in favor of renting used items will be no easy task. Still, Reno has a pitch he's confident will be persuasive.

"Buying things upfront doesn't make sense when your space is constantly changing," says the 32-year-old founder, who graduated from Columbia University in 2012 with a master's degree in environmental studies. "Owning things ties you to a physical place. It grounds you in a way that you don't want to be grounded."

The price of flexibility.

To be sure, swapping the burden of ownership for the flexibility of renting comes at a cost. Feather members pay a monthly $19 subscription fee plus the cost to rent each individual item. For instance, a living room package that includes a sofa, lounge chair, coffee table, and floor lamp will set you back $90 to $167 a month. Members can swap out items for free once a year, depending on their changing needs or tastes. Subsequent swaps will trigger a $99 delivery fee. Non-members can also rent from Feather, though they pay a $99 delivery fee each time and higher per-item fees. A Deco Weave West Elm "Eddy" sofa that runs $39 a month for members costs $134 a month for non-members.

A key part of Feather's pitch to customers is positioning furniture rental as a more environmentally friendly alternative to buying furniture you may one day discard. Reno suggests the same consumers that, say, buy sustainably manufactured clothing at Everlane, or cleaning products in reusable packaging from Grove Collaborative, will appreciate Feather's sustainability angle. The company says it cleans and refurbishes all items, save for mattresses, which don't get reused between renters, to extend their lifespan. Mattresses and furniture that are no longer usable get donated.

Should customers want to buy an item after renting, Feather says it can be purchased for the retail value, minus whatever they already have paid in rental fees. At some rent-to-own companies, like Rent-a-Center, items cost more than they would if customers had purchased them directly from a retailer. Rent-a-Center doesn't argue with this point. "Yes, there is a premium paid for the flexibility for the service, which includes free set up, delivery, and repairs," says Michael Landry, vice president of franchise development at Rent-a-Center. Feather charges repair fees, which vary depending on the item, if damages go beyond regular wear and tear.

Millennials are increasingly opting for renting versus buying homes, says Michael Brown, a partner in the retail practice of global strategy and management consulting at A.T. Kearney. Going into the third quarter of last year, only about a third of Americans 35 and younger owned homes, according to a February 2019 report by financial services firm Legal & General. "Renting a home; leasing a car; taking an Uber; renting the runway are all manifestations of this trend," adds Brown. He notes further that rented furnishings are expected to account for 25 percent of the total U.S. furniture market this year. Overall, U.S. furniture-industry sales in 2019 were expected to increase by 2.8 percent to $114.5 billion from the year before, says Jerry Epperson, managing director at research firm Mann, Armistead, and Epperson.

Investors too are on board with rentals. On February 19, Feather announced a $30 million series B round of funding led by Cobalt Capital, with participation from prior investors including Spark Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Bain Capital Ventures, and others. It had previously raised $16 million from investors. The company says it is using the new funds to expand to additional markets and build its 60-person team.

Feather isn't the only startup aiming to reimagine the furniture rental industry. Los Angeles-based competitor Fernish also launched in 2017. Last year Fernish raised $30 million from early-stage investor fund Real Estate Technology Ventures, Intuit's co-founder Scott Cook, and Amazon's head of global e-commerce and retail operations, Jeff Wilke.

It's early days for Feather. Its service currently is available only in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Orange County, California. Reno declined to comment on its number of members or annual revenue, beyond saying the latter is in the "eight digits."

The true test for Feather--and by extension, Fernish--is whether it can make the product more widely appealing, beyond early-adopter Millennials. Kevin Thau, a general partner at Feather investor Spark Capital, is convinced it can. "Today's consumers demand fast and reliable products and services that make their lives easier," he says. "Feather delivers on just this by allowing consumers to easily rent furniture and skip the enormous hassle of purchasing and inevitably moving their furniture from one place to the next."

Reno says even legacy retailers are starting to respond to the idea that ownership is less popular among certain customers. Feather offers Williams-Sonoma brand West Elm and Joy Bird furniture in its inventory, along with mattress firm Leesa. Crate and Barrel partnered with Fernish to offer its collections to renters in 2018. And in a related sign of the times, in November 2019, Nordstrom announced it would include exclusive products available for both purchase and rental through Rent the Runway.

"We're already starting to see consumers shift away from ownership as a default," Reno adds. "And we believe this behavior is only going to grow."

EXPLORE MORE Rising Stars COMPANIES
Agartala, Feb 19 : Despite economic slowdown and affect in the industrial growth due to the coronavirus outbreak in China and other countries, the business and investment of the Government-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) did not affect, ONGC CMD Shashi Shanker said on Wednesday.

Shanker said the economic slowdown and the coronavirus outbreak in no way affected the business and investment of the Maharatna company.

"Our investment is constantly increasing. This year ONGC is investing over Rs 32,000 crore. Next year it would be more," Shanker accompanied by the top officials and directors told the media.

He said the gas exploration in the northeastern region would be further augmented and the ONGC is considering setting up new gas based power plants and other industrial units in the region.

"To better utilise the natural gas found in the northeastern region, the Rs 10,000 crore project -- North East Gas Grid project of Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited - would be completed in the next financial year (2021-22)," the CMD said.

He said besides ONGC, four other Central Public Sector companies including Indian Oil Corporation and Gas Authority of India Limited are also involved in the North East Gas Grid project of Indradhanush, which has been laying 1,656 KM gas pipeline to supply natural gas among the eight northeastern states.

The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month has given approval to the North East Gas Grid project of Indradhanush, which would make availability of natural gas across the region and expected to boost industrial growth without impacting the environment and would offer better quality of life to the people in general due to use of cleaner and green fuel.

The ONGC CMD accompanied by Directors of the company arrived in Tripura on Wednesday and visited several gas exploration sites and reviewed the performance of the activities of the company in the northeastern state.

He said the ONGC has been working in Tripura for five decades and has successfully found and explored huge gas and the northeastern state has become the highest gas producing onshore asset.

The ONGC has set up a giant 726 MW power plant in southern Tripura and the power project meeting 30 per cent power requirement of the seven of the eight northeastern states. The ONGC also facilitates setting up of many power projects in Tripura and other northeastern states.

"The (ONGC-supplied) gas-based power projects in Tripura provided electricity also to Bangladesh besides the northeastern states. The ONGC's gas is also used in running thousands of vehicles as Compressed Natural Gas. It also provides Piped Natural Gas to thousands of households and industries for cooking purposes," he said.

The largest crude oil and natural gas company in India, ONGC contributes 75 per cent to India's domestic production with a consolidated turnover Rs 453,461 crore for FY19 (up 25 per cent from Rs 362,246 crore in FY18).
New York-based Ghanaian artiste, Jamillah Adwoa Adjei known in showbiz as Jamilla is ready to escalate Afrobeats to higher heights.

Her latest freestyle single 'Make You Mine' is making waves across New York City and the rest of the world.

Born, in Syracuse NY, she started singing at the age of 3 when she discovered her passion for music.

Highlife music in particular since her father constantly had classic highlife songs always on rotation in their home.

It's no wonder her music possesses the depth and richness that is lacking in a lot of songs today. Jamilla is as beautiful as she is talented, and she contested and won many Beauty pageants.

An ambitious young woman, Jamilla is burning the candle on both ends; focusing on her budding music career while also pursuing a degree in nursing.

She is currently based in New York City where she's working hard to finish her maiden album which has features from some Afrobeats superstars.

She mentions the musical maestro Kojo Antwi g as her idol and her biggest influence and is looking forward to working with him soon.

Watch her Make You Mine freestyle video below:
A row has broken out between two warring Suffolk villages over the name of one of the biggest Roman treasure hoards of all time.

The world-renowned Mildenhall Treasure was discovered in the 1940s by a man ploughing a field in East Anglia.

It is made up of more than 30 pieces of silverware dating back to the 4th century AD and is kept safely inside the British Museum.

But residents of the nearby village of West Row claim the artifacts originate from where they live three miles away and should be renamed.

One even launched a petition calling on the British Museum to reconsider the name.

A row has broken out between the warring Suffolk villages of Mildenhall and West Row over the name of a treasure hoard that dates back to the 4th century AD

The Mildenhall Treasure includes some of the most valuable Roman objects artistically and by weight of bullion in Britain.

Among the items are a Great Dish, which depicts a myth of Bacchus and 1st 3lb.

The collection also includes two pedestalled dishes, five round-bowled ladles or spoons, a flat serving platter with a diameter of 556mm and a deep fluted bowl with two small swing handles.

The campaign comes after West Row broke away and created its own parish council separate from Mildenhall, with residents keen to reinforce their independence by renaming the treasure.

Campaigner John Smith, said: 'It is not about the treasure, it is about our independence.

'There is no mention of West Row in the British Museum. We don't want it back, we just want it to be recognised as ours.'

Mr Smith added that changing the name to West Row Treasure could attract tourists to the area.

It is made up of more than 30 pieces of silverware dating back to the 4th century AD and is kept safely inside the British Museum

He continued: 'If the British Museum called it (West Row Treasure) or said it was found in West Row, that would suffice.

'The museum has been dismissive about it and they still call it the Mildenhall Treasure. We would like to do a public campaign to set this right.

'It's quite simple, we'd just like it to be called the West Row Treasure. This is what we are.

'This is a Roman heritage village and this represents to us something very, very important.'

But Ruth Bowman, from Mildenhall High Town Council, said that West Row's proposal was 'ambitious.'

The Mildenhall Treasure includes some of the most valuable Roman objects artistically and by weight of bullion in Britain

She added: 'No one locally would dispute where it was discovered but given the original designation more than 70 years ago it seems unlikely history will be rewritten.'

Norma Chapman, Trustee at the Mildenhall Museum, blasted Councillor Smith's comments and said: 'No, you can't change that and the hundreds - probably thousands - of archaeological publications that mention it.

'It would make it a nonsense. Are they thinking of changing the name of the airbase as well?'

The Mildenhall treasure contains pieces that undoubtedly belong to the first rank of Roman art and craftsmanship recognised on an international scale of excellence.

The British Museum has been contacted for comment.
St. John also widened its demographic target beyond the stereotypical Vogue reader. For its influencer campaign, the company teamed up with a transgender model, a queer woman who runs a mens wear blog and disability activists including Lauren Spencer (Lolo) and the late Mama Cax, among others. Essence magazine covered the release of Ms. Turners capsule collection; Vogue did not. (Mr. Cohen said that St. John has always been inclusive.)

I want every woman to be able to see themselves in St. John, Ms. Turner said. She exalts both femininity and tailoring, which shouldnt be a surprise given her near decade working at Christian Dior, under John Galliano and Raf Simons. (She hasnt yet fully relocated from Europe to St. Johns headquarters in Irvine, Calif.)

St. Johns campaign seemed to pay off. On Nov. 20, weeks after the release of the capsule collection, Zendaya, who emerged last year as a young fashion powerhouse, was pictured on Instagram wearing a pleated white evening dress from the collection. It was not a sponsored post.

She and her stylist, Law Roach, had selected the dress for a dinner celebrating her recent Garage Magazine cover, a collaboration with the artist Simone Leigh.

Mr. Roach said that when his team came across photos of Ms. Turners designs, they were surprised.

For the most part, St. John has always been what your chic grandmother wears, he said. If youre not a Chanel girl, youre a St. John girl. This feels new, this feels fresh.

Mr. Roach said the dress chosen for Zendaya was artsy, Grecian  theres emotion to it. The waist was slightly cinched with a belt of large gold knitting loops. The silhouette, he said, felt like something she had never worn before  simple, but it was still a statement.
Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam has rebuked the Quang Ninh government for turning away an Italian cruise ship carrying more than 1,000 tourists because of fears of the coronavirus and told the local authorities to draw lessons from the experience.

The Aida Vita cruise ship at sea. The Quang Ninh government has been rebuked for rejecting the cruise ship - PHOTO: COURTESY OF AIDA VITA CRUISE SHIP

On February 13, the provincial government prevented Italys Aida Vita cruise ship from docking at a port in Halong City, keeping more than 1,000 tourists from visiting tourist sites in the province.

The cruise ship later had to cancel its entire journey to Vietnam, including plans to dock in Danang on February 15, Nha Trang on February 17 and HCMC on February 19.

All passengers on the Aida Vita cruise ship were from Europe. The cruise ship departed from Bali in Indonesia on January 17, visiting nine ports, excluding those in mainland China and Hong Kong.

Deputy PM Dam has also asked other localities not to repeat this issue, while closely controlling the entry of foreign tourists.

Localities plans to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19 should be executed effectively but must not affect tourism activities, Dam added. SGT

Lan Nhi

Coronavirus: Are cruise ships really 'floating Petri dishes'? Millions go on cruise ships each year - but are they more likely to make people sick?
ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Transportation Research Institute today released its annual list highlighting the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America, including seven in California.

The 2020 Top Truck Bottleneck List assesses the level of truck-involved congestion at 300 locations on the national highway system. The analysis, based on truck GPS data from over 1 million heavy duty trucks uses several customized software applications and analysis methods, along with terabytes of data from trucking operations to produce a congestion impact ranking for each location. ATRI's truck GPS data is also used to support the U.S. DOT's Freight Mobility Initiative. The bottleneck locations detailed in this latest ATRI list represent the top 100 congested locations, although ATRI continuously monitors more than 300 freight-critical locations.

"Trucks deliver all of life's essentials  including food, fuel, clothing and medicine  to California's 40 million residents every day, said California Trucking Association CEO Shawn Yadon. "However, the congestion nationwide, and in our state, is threatening our industry's ability to do that safely and efficiently  leading to delays that cost trucking and consumers billions of dollars. As we look to solve these challenges, ATRI's bottleneck analysis gives us a roadmap of where investment is needed to make sure freight, and our economy, keeps moving."

The seven bottlenecks in California are:

No. 9 Los Angeles: SR 60 at SR 57

No. 10 Los Angeles: I-710 at I-105

No. 12 San Bernardino: I-10 at I-15

No. 36 Oakland: I-880 at I-238

No. 41 Corona: I-15 at SR 91

No. 63 Los Angeles: I-110 at I-105

No. 75 Oakland: I-80 at I-580/I-880

"ATA has been beating the drum about the continued degradation of our infrastructure, and thanks to ATRI's research we can see exactly how decades of ignoring the problem are impacting not just our industry but our economy and commuters everywhere," said American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear. "This report should sound the alarm for policymakers that the cost of doing nothing is too high, and provide a roadmap of where to target investments to really solve our nation's mounting infrastructure crisis."

For access to the full report, including detailed information on each of the 100 top congested locations, please visit ATRI's website at TruckingResearch.org.

ATRI is the trucking industry's 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation's essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.

SOURCE American Transportation Research Institute

Related Links

http://TruckingResearch.org


Lex Frieden vividly remembers when businesses, universities and politicians vigorously defended their right to deny services and employment to people with disabilities.

For Frieden, it was Oral Roberts University denying him admission because he required a wheelchair. He still chokes up over the despair he felt for his future more than 52 years ago.

It was the first time in my life that Id ever been told that I couldnt do something  that I knew I could do  on the basis of a characteristic for which I had no control, Frieden told me. I immediately thought about what the civil rights people had experienced.

Frieden joined the civil rights fight and in the 1980s became the executive director of the National Council on the Handicapped. He was one of the chief architects of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which Congress passed 30 years ago in July.

The ADA bans unreasonable discrimination based on physical ability and requires a reasonable accommodation in public places.

Tomlinsons Take: Bosses can fire you for your politics, the First Amendment does not apply

Friedens journey began with a car crash that broke his neck when he was a freshman in college. He had been a good student, worked hard at rehabilitation, and was excited to return to school a year later when he received the rejection letter from the college closest to his parents home.

Tulsa University later admitted Frieden, and he eventually earned a masters degree in psychology at the University of Houston. Frieden took his fight literally to the streets.

When Houston Mayor Fred Hofheinz and invited Houstonians to ride public buses for free one day in 1978, Freiden and 30 of his friends showed up.

The mayor disappeared real fast because the press was really interested in seeing all these people getting out of their wheelchairs, onto the ground and dragging themselves up the steps of the buses, Frieden said.

Hofheinz eventually agreed to install lifts in the citys buses, and Frieden became a national figure. He began working with Congress in the 1980s.

His most prominent opponents were business interests, who did not want to change their operations, hiring practices or buildings.

Frieden and other activists stressed that the law would require only reasonable accommodation. And by making it easier for people with different abilities, businesses could expand their employee and customer base. After years of work and public pressure, the tide shifted.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce flipped, and the big companies said, We can afford this, this is not an issue for us, he explained.

Small businesses led by the National Federation of Independent Businesses took a while longer to convince. But today, the regulations no longer are considered an exceptional burden. The fight, though, is far from over, and business owners remain the biggest hindrance.

Were living 30 years later, and Uber says theyre not subject to the ADA. That theyre not obliged to carry people with disabilities, Frieden said. Several class-action lawsuits are underway.

The unemployment rate among the disabled remains between 75 percent and 80 percent, the same as before the law, he added.

Employers have changed their strategy. They no longer say, Were not hiring you because youre disabled. Now they say,Weve found a more talented applicant, Freiden said. Last year, we discovered the city had dozens of job descriptions that required people to have drivers license. If your job doesnt require you to drive, you dont need a drivers license.

Property owners still skirt ADA rules. A major shopping district redesigned its sidewalks a few years ago, and despite complaints, refused to comply with the ADA. Frieden called the U.S. attorney, and only then did management make the necessary adjustments.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Bigot bills would damage Texas economy

Looking back, the business communitys opposition to the ADA appears cruel and misguided. No business person still thinks its OK to discriminate against the disabled. But many harbor unconscious biases or do not recognize the barriers they allow to persist.

If you dont see people with disabilities in your business, then you ought to look at it and see whats wrong because youre missing 20 percent of the public, Frieden advised. If youre sponsoring a meeting and you dont see people with disabilities widely represented among your group, ask, Whats the problem here?

The ADA offers lessons for the fight to end discrimination based on other unalterable characteristics. Texas and the nation still lack laws protecting Americans against discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation. Some businesses are still defending their right to discriminate.

Americans are still perfecting our commitment to liberty and justice, but only because Lex Frieden and others like him are reminding businesses that fairness is as important as profits.

Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and policy.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
WASHINGTON  Members of President Donald Trumps reelection team and some of the GOPs biggest fundraisers are discussing a new goal of raising an extra $1 billion to compete with Michael Bloombergs record campaign spending, according to two bundlers who have been part of the discussions.

Bloombergs pledge to spend up to $1 billion to defeat Trump regardless of whether he wins the nomination is spurring Republicans to consider ways to keep up, including getting conservative billionaires to make much larger donations to Trump-related super PACs.

Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and White House adviser who is a senior adviser to the campaign, and Tommy Hicks, co-chairman of the Republican National Committee, have taken part in the discussions, the fundraisers said.

Kushner, the RNC and the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bloomberg, a former New York mayor, has blanketed the airwaves with more than $400 million in advertising, helping him climb in national polls. He qualified for his first debate of the cycle Wednesday in Las Vegas, and hes third in the RealClearPolitics average of national polls, trailing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden. (Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)

Trumps campaign and the RNC have boasted about their strong fundraising, regularly declaring record hauls and comparing their numbers to those of former President Barack Obamas 2012 reelection. But the prospect of facing an opponent with far more money at his disposal has forced Trumps reelection team to consider ways to level the playing field.

Republicans will look to super PAC donors to give more, raise more money at high-dollar events headlined by Trump, and expand other efforts to bring in additional money.

One way to match Bloombergs spending is to raise more money from a handful of billionaires, the people said. They speculated that casino owner Sheldon Adelson, Oracle Corp. co-founder Larry Ellison, Blackstone Group Inc. Chief Executive Officer Stephen Schwarzman and Continental Resources Inc. founder Harold Hamm could be asked to up their donations.

The big donors or their representatives were not involved in the talks. Campaign and Republican National Committee officials cannot solicit multimillion donations to super PACs.

The purpose is not to solicit donations but to discuss strategy, the people said.

Incumbent presidents usually enjoy a financial advantage over their opponents. Trumps reelection committees and the Republican National Committee said they have combined to raise $525 million so far in the election cycle, and ended January with more than $200 million cash on hand. Thats far more than the $121 million that Sanders, the top Democratic fund-raiser, has taken in.

If Trump is outspent by Bloomberg and the Democrats, it wouldnt be the first time. In 2016, Hillary Clinton raised $564 million to Trumps $333 million.



Bill Allison of Bloomberg News wrote this story. Jordan Fabian contributed to it.

2020 Bloomberg News

Visit Bloomberg News at www.bloomberg.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In light of the "biggest humanitarian horror story of the 21st century" according to the United Nations, a group of human rights, civic, faith-based organizations, and the last American Ambassador to Syria, Ambassador Robert Ford, will hold a news conference tomorrow (Thursday, February 20) on the Hill in Washington, D.C., to bring attention to the Syrian humanitarian crisis in Idlib and urge for increased pressure on Russia and the Syrian regime to stop the bombings and the displacement of Syrian civilians.

News conference participants will call on the Trump administration to apply all diplomatic pressure to stop the bombing, provide humanitarian assistance, protect civilians and urge UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to visit the 900,000 newly-displaced civilians and discharge his responsibilities.

UN: Syrian government offensive displaces more than 900,000 in Idlib

These people are begging the world to listen to their plight (CNN)

WHAT: Humanitarian, Civic, Human Rights, Faith-Based Groups, and Ambassador Robert Ford to Demand Attention to and Action towards the Humanitarian Crisis in Idlib, Syria (#SaveIdlibChildren).

WHEN: Thursday, February 20, 11 A.M.

WHERE: House Triangle, United States Capitol, Washington, DC 20016. (Located in the grassy triangle on the House side of the Capitol's East Front.)

WHO: Representatives of Civic and Faith-based Organizations and Syrian-American Humanitarians Returning from Idlib

CONTACT: CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; Dr. Zaher Sahloul, President and Cofounder for MedGlobal at [email protected]

Speakers scheduled to address the press conference include:

Former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford (2010 to 2014)

(2010 to 2014) Dr. Zaher Sahloul , President and Cofounder of MedGlobal (Dr. Sahloul recently returned from Idlib)

, President and Cofounder of MedGlobal (Dr. Sahloul recently returned from Idlib) Wa'el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage Action, former U.S. Department of State Middle East expert

Matthew Chrastek , Programme Coordinator of the American Relief Coalition for Syria

, Programme Coordinator of the American Relief Coalition for Nihad Awad , National Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations

, National Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations Andrea Prasow , Acting D.C. Director of Human Rights Watch

, Acting D.C. Director of Human Rights Watch Hoda Hawa , Director, Washington D.C. Office of the Muslim Public Affairs Council

, Director, Office of the Muslim Public Affairs Council Dr. Zaki Lababidi , President of the Syrian American Council

, President of the Syrian American Council Mouaz Moustafa, Executive Director of the Syrian Emergency Taskforce

Organizations sponsoring the press conference include:

American Relief Coalition for Syria

Council on American-Islamic Relations

Emgage Action

Human Rights Watch

MedGlobal

Muslim Public Affairs Council

Syrian American Council

Syrian Emergency Taskforce

Syria Faith Initiative

BACKGROUND

Some three million Syrian civilians in Idlib are suffering in catastrophic conditions. More than 900,000 people, 80 percent being women and children, have been displaced in northwest Syria - with most of them stuck in a small area on the border with Turkey.

This represents the largest exodus of civilians since WWII and the biggest humanitarian horror story in the 21st century according to Mark Lowcock, UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs. Turkey presently hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees and reports that it cannot absorb any more.

On February 17, Lowcock publicly stated: "The crisis in northwest Syria has reached a horrifying new level" and that the "biggest humanitarian horror story of the 21st Century will only be avoided if Security Council members, and those with influence, overcome individual interests and put a collective stake in humanity first. The only option is a ceasefire."

"Tens of thousands of women and children are cramped in rudimentary camps that don't have the most basic services. They are facing the harsh winter forgotten by the rest of the world," said Dr. Zaher Sahloul, founder of Syria Faith Initiative and president of MedGlobal, a Chicago-based organization providing emergency medical care in crisis areas around the world.

He called on President Donald Trump to increase the humanitarian assistance to the displaced Syrians and to apply all diplomatic pressure on Russia to stop the bombing in Idlib.

"The United Nations and its Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have been slow in their response to the catastrophic situation. They should make ending this crisis a priority," said Sahloul. "It is incumbent on us to pay attention and use our moral and political power to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people and bring an end for one of the worst humanitarian disasters in our lifetime."

CONTACT: Syrian American Council Media Contact Michelle R. Taylor, at [email protected], 312-919-2124; Dr. Zaher Sahloul, President and Cofounder for MedGlobal at [email protected]

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

Related Links

http://www.cair.com


A lack of regulation allows some public workers to abuse unused sick time and taxpayer dollars, according to a new report by New Jerseys top corruption watchdog.

The State Commission of Investigation said Wednesday that cities have had to divert money from park cleanups and issue unnecessary bonds to cover payouts for sick time and other benefits.

It is simply absurd that, more than 20 years after the Commission first sounded the alarm about excessive compensation and questionable perks for public employees, these practices remain the norm in many areas," the report said, adding that taxpayers should not have to fund outsized retirement bonuses.

None of the flagged practices are illegal. For example, a retiring employee is allowed to use unused sick time and other leave to stay on the payroll for months after leaving the job. Its called terminal leave. In recent years some police chiefs have cashed in their unused comp and vacation days for as much as $400,000 and $500,000.

Investigators reviewed 50 towns and agencies.

Jersey City paid $8.1 million in terminal leave to retiring employees last year, the report said, forcing them to issue millions of dollars worth in bonds.

In Paterson, officials cancelled plans to clean a local park and buy new vehicles because of tens of millions owed in terminal leave.

Lodi paid more than $800,000 from 2013 through 2018 to employees cashing in their unused sick time.

The report called on lawmakers to outlaw terminal leave and create limits that apply to all local governments, among other recommendations.

Officials in Jersey City and Lodi responded to the report.

In an effort to end such abuse, Jersey City no longer issues any bonds like this, although it was a past practice, Kim Wallace-Scalcione, a spokesperson for Mayor Steven Fulop, wrote in an email. She said that while previous union contracts forced the city to make some payouts, the mayor had introduced a proposal to lower the health benefit waiver for new employees, among other efforts to reduce costs.

Vincent Caruso, Lodis administrator, wrote that the borough was committed to stamping out waste and abuse and applauds the commissions report, but he cautioned that a desire to save money needed to be weighed against the need to properly compensate officers. An earlier effort to reduce severance pay was blocked by a police union, he said, and eliminating some of these practices would likely require a change in law.

A message left with the mayors office in Paterson was not immediately returned.

The agency has written about this before, including in 2009, when it flagged more than $39 million worth of excessive cash benefit payouts to public employees in just a handful of local governments.

The legislature did later cap the amount of accumulated sick time that some retiring employees could receive at $15,000. Then-Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a related measure that would have gone further because he wanted to end sick time payouts completely.

The report noted that selling sick time back each year allows workers to go around that $15,000 end-of-career cap set by the legislature. (One 2017 news report calculated that public workers statewide had amassed almost $2 billion in unused sick time.)

Some public employees receive extra money the longer they work, and that longevity pay can increase pensions by up to 18% every year, the report said. The commission recommended banning longevity pay from being used to calculate pensions.

Pat Colligan, president of the state Police Benevolent Association, pushed back against the idea that longevity pay was harming taxpayers.

If you want to make it harder to recruit qualified police officers in this state, keep chipping away at these benefits, he said.

Contracts that allow these perks were collectively bargained, he said, and one benefit may have replaced another, like a pay raise.

Regina Wilder, a spokesperson for state Assembly Democrats, said they would thoroughly review the findings and recommendations of the report.

Investigators did praise towns that have adopted stricter measures than the law requires, including the Borough of Seaside Park, which they said eliminated sick time payouts altogether.

The report was SCIs first since it named a new director in December.

Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN.

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Google Cloud today announced that its new Seoul region, its first in Korea, is now open for business. The region, which it first talked about last April, will feature three availability zones and support for virtually all of Google Cloud's standard service, ranging from Compute Engine to BigQuery, Bigtable and Cloud Spanner.

With this, Google Cloud now has a presence in 16 countries and offers 21 regions with a total of 64 zones. The Seoul region (with the memorable name of asia-northeast3) will complement Google's other regions in the area, including two in Japan, as well as regions in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but the obvious focus here is on serving Korean companies with low-latency access to its cloud services.

"As South Koreas largest gaming company, we're partnering with Google Cloud for game development, infrastructure management, and to infuse our operations with business intelligence," said Chang-Whan Sul, the CTO of Netmarble. "Google Clouds region in Seoul reinforces its commitment to the region and we welcome the opportunities this initiative offers our business."

Over the course of this year, Google Cloud also plans to open more zones and regions in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Jakarta, Indonesia.
Oppo has set out to expand its product portfolio, including its first smartwatch that has been headlining the brand-related rumours. Dubbed Oppo Watch, the brand's first smartwatch was first teased by Oppo vice president and president of global marketing Brian Shen, revealing the design that is uncannily similar to that of Apple Watch. Shen has now poured in some more material to build the hype around the Oppo Watch. According to his new teaser, the Oppo Watch will sport a curved display protected by a 3D glass on top.

In a tweet, Shen said - "Here's another look at the forthcoming OPPO Watch. The curved screen and 3D glass will be a game-changer." A teaser image of the Oppo Watch accompanies the tweet, shedding light on what the smartwatch would look like. It has a curved design with side contours and a metal rim, almost similar to those on Apple Watch. Moreover, there will be interchangeable straps on the watch, as revealed by the teaser image.

Even the previous teaser shared by Shen pointed out at similarities between the Oppo Watch and Apple Watch on many levels. But one thing will be conspicuously different - a previous teaser by Shen shows that there will be two physical buttons on the smartwatch's right side whereas Apple Watch has one digital crown only.

Earlier, rumours have suggested that the Oppo Watch will come with support for Electrocardiogram, or ECG. Apple Watch has had ECG since the Series 4 models - something that manufacturers such as Samsung also employed on its smartwatches later. If ECG is something that will feature on the Oppo Watch, we can expect high pricing but still less than what Apple Watch costs.

The Oppo Watch is said to be launched alongside the Find X2 next month, but the timelines are not concrete at this point. At the Oppo's Inno Day conference in December last year, the company announced it has plans to launch a smartwatch sometime in the first quarter of this year. Since Oppo's flagship phone Find X2 is rumoured to arrive sometime next month, Oppo Watch could tag along. To recall, the Oppo Find X2 was previously set to be launched at the now-cancelled MWC 2020 in Barcelona.
John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Too much of a good thing is just enough for Mardi Gras.

French for fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras caps off the carnival season by busting out a celebration of gluttony, revelry and debauchery with masks, beads, booze and chow-downs.

In France, fat oxen are cheered as they parade through town. In Brazil, the fattest man in town is proclaimed King of Carnival. In New Orleans, Hurricanes and Huge Ass Beers (yes, there are such things) flow all night as throngs of partyers go bonkers on Bourbon Street.

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

Bourbon Street on a Sunday morning, after a night of partying in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

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Courtesy Justin Clemens

Cleveland might not seem as crazy, but Have you checked out the Crawfish Eating Competition?

The annual display of food sport and gluttony gets the party started on Fat Tuesday at Bourbon Street Barrel Room in Clevelands Tremont neighborhood. It pits 10 or so contestants who gobble up crawdads like ravenous otters.

Two years ago, we had a contestant from Louisiana who was a true pro  he ate more than three pounds of crawfish in two minutes, says Bourbon Street Barrel Room owner Justin Clemens. He was tearing them apart and sucking out heads and eating them for good measure.

Bravo.

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

The Bourbon Street Barrel Room is one of countless bars and restaurants hosting Mardi Gras parties and a chance to live it up the Hedonists Way. Many of the parties are Tuesday, but there are also events taking place on Friday and Saturday.

Raise a glass and a barrel of laughs, and then four more of each, to these soirees

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

5th Annual Mardi Gras Bar Crawl at the Flats East Bank, Cleveland: You'd have to guzzle down a while lot of Hurricanes to think that you're by Lake Ponchartrain. But the Flats East Bank is promising to roll out the party-hearty spirit of the Big Easy when it hosts this annual bar crawl  noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. A $10 "passport" gets you into a dozen bars and eateries in the area and access to masks, beads, food and drink specials. Most joints in the area will roll out menus and music for the event. Go to facebook.com/FlatsEastBank.

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Bourbon Street Barrel Room, 2393 Professor Avenue, Cleveland;216-298-4400: This spot serves up a taste of the Big Easy year-round. It goes all out on Mardi Gras when it breaks out 30 classic NOLA cocktails and a wide range of Creole and Cajun favorites. (Love the Pimm's Cup and Sazerac.) BSBR will start early, at 11 a.m. Tuesday, with its annual Crawfish Eating Contest. The bash also rolls an array of Abita beers and Mardi eats, a king cake, 10,000 beads, masks, hats.

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Courtesy TropicalCleveland

Cleveland's Brazilian Carnaval 2020 at The Music Box, 1148 Main Avenue, Cleveland; 216-242-1250: This bash  9 p.m. Saturday -- celebrates Brazil and Latin culture. Now in its 17th year, it boasts samba, elaborate outfits and live performers. The Paulo Costa Band will play a mix of traditional and modern Brazilian music. Brazilian group Samba Joia will roll out drumming displays. The evening also features Afro-Brazilian martial arts performers Capoeira Exhibition and Rumbamena  a New York group of dancers performing in elaborate feathered and jeweled costumes. DJ Fabrizio Dongo will spin. Yes, there will also be Caipirinha specials running all night, to go with beads and masks. $20.

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

Carnaval at Paladar, 28601 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 900, Woodmere; 216-896-9020: The Nuevo Latino cafe that boasts a delightful menu and feels warm even when it's freezing outside. Come Tuesday, the restaurant-bar will host Carnaval 2020. The celebration features deals on themed food (available all week leading up to Mardi Gras) along with beads, masks and live music.

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

Mardi Gras Party with Daddy Longleg's Homegrown Revival at Brothers Lounge, 11609 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland; 216-226-2767: Yes, there will be beads  not to mention New Orleans-themed eats and drinks. Daddy Longleg's Homegrown Revival will roll out its brand of roots, jazz, Latin, Afro-Funk and soul. Also on the bill are the Original Waysiders. $5. 8 p.m. Tuesday.

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Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer

Fat Tuesday at the Parkview NiteClub, 1261 West 58th Street, Cleveland; 216-961-1341: The annual Mardi bash will serve up themed food, masks, face painting, beads, dancing and live music by Cats on Holiday. 6-10 p.m. Tuesday.

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Mardi Gras Bar Crawl, in downtown Cleveland: Get an early jump on the indulgence with this Saturday bar crawl. It runs 3-10 p.m. and romps through downtown bars, including Dive Bar, Bar Louie, Barley House, City Tap, Velvet Dog, Wilbert's and Wild Eagle. The $13-18 ticket gets you beads, a mask, a drink cup and drink and food specials at participating bars.

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

House of Blues, 308 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, 216-523-2583: HOB's Cajun-themed restaurant is doing Mardi Gras daily food and drink specials all day on Tuesday. Zydeco Kings will play at 6-9 p.m.

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

Flat Tuesday 2020 at Flat Iron Cafe, 1114 Center Street, Cleveland; 216-696-6968: One of Cleveland's oldest pub will roll out a classic Mardi Gras bash that features Cajun and Creole food and Big Easy cocktails. Live music courtesy of Jimmy O. The party includes complimentary King Cake, beads and balloons. 5 p.m. to midnight.

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

Annual Mardi Gras Party at Soho, 1889 W 25th Street, Cleveland; 216-298-9090: The Ohio City eatery boasts a Southern-themed food and drink list year-round. It zeroes in on the Big Easy one day in the year : Yup, Mardi Gras. "We'll have a special food and drink menu built around New Orleans  everything from po' boys to jambalaya to drinks like the Sazarac, Pimm's Cup and Hurricanes," says Soho chef and owner Nolan Konkoski. Soho will also host the Revolution Brass Band (7-10 p.m.), which channels New Orleans jazz through a contemporary setting. The party starts 5 p.m. Tuesday.

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John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer

Mardi Gras Weekend Masquerade Ball at Southern Tier, 811 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland; 440-484-4045: The Mardi Gras partying gets started Friday at Southern Tier. The brewery will host a masquerade party that includes, yes, masks but also a themed menu, dancing and DJs. 7 p.m.

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Annual Mardi Gras party at Southeast Gears & Cheers, 23333 Aurora Road, Bedford Heights; 440-232-0029: The good-time-Charlie of biker bars will serve Louisiana-themed food and drinks and a complimentary French Quarter dessert. 7-10 p.m. Tuesday.

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Fat Tuesday with Swingbone at the Standard, 779 East 185th Street, Cleveland; 216-531-9643: It's a New Orleans party with themed eats and drinks and jazz music by Swingbone.

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Paczki Fur Pets at Goldhorn Brewery, 1361 East 55th Street, Cleveland; 216-465-1352: This bash celebrates Mardi Gras and World Spay Day. For $20, you get all-you-can-eat pizza, one paczki and a draft beer. All proceeds benefit the Neighborhood Pets Spay/Neuter Fund. 6-9 p.m. Tuesday.

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Eustacio Humphrey, The Plain Dealer

Mardi Gras at The Galley, in Ohio City Galley, 1400 West 25th Street, Cleveland; 216-525-9933: Kitchens in the food hall will celebrate Mardi Gras by offering a taste of New Orleans cuisine and elixirs. 5-10 p.m. Tuesday

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Eustacio Humphrey, The Plain Dealer

Carnival at Windows on the River, 2000 Sycamore Street, Cleveland; 216-861-1445: The North Coast Men's Chorus will host and perform at its Brazilian-themed annual fundraiser  6:30-11 p.m. Saturday. It features a Latin menu buffet, samba dancing, games and an auction. $75. Go to ncmchorus.org for more info.

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Latest News Sydney property prices might not drop yet, as planning problems persist NSW planning approvals have fallen off a cliff since October, showing that the supply crisis might yet continue

The key trends for property investment in 2022 analysed The key trends for property investment in 2022 analysed, with rentvesting and borderless investing likely to surge

An SME lender has appointed a state sales manager to lead the teams in Western Australia and South Australia.

Scottish Pacific has welcomed Richard Waldman into the role, to manage and support the sales teams in Perth and Adelaide in helping ensure local businesses have access to the funds they require to grow.

Ive seen very viable, solid businesses not be able to find funding with the banks. Business owners have so much more than a bank overdraft at their disposal when it comes to funding their enterprises  but so many are still not aware of their options, said Waldman.

SMEs are the lifeblood of the Australian economy and if we can introduce more businesses in WA and SA to better funding options, its a win for the sector and the whole economy.

Waldman will work alongside business owners and their advisers to tackle working capital problems using invoice finance, trade finance, import finance, asset finance and bad debt protection.

Im looking forward to working with SMEs and their accountants and commercial brokers in showing them a broader range of workable funding options, he said.

Waldman joins Scottish Pacific following a career in the UKs more mature invoice finance industry. His previous positions include being in senior management at the Royal Bank of Scotland, regional managing director with Aldermore Invoice Finance and national sales leader with Ultimate Finance.

In Richard we have someone with extensive industry expertise who can help local businesses with the right funding, said Scottish Pacific head of client acquisition Wayne Smith upon announcing the new appointment.
CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

Performance

During the year the total return on the net assets of Temple Bar was 27.9%*, outperforming the total return of the FTSE All Share Index of 19.2%. While it is always welcome to report on good performance over the year the Board attaches greater significance to the longer term performance and in this context I am pleased to report that on the same basis Temple Bar continues to outperform its benchmark over ten years.

Dividend

There have been three interim dividend payments during the year each of 11.0p per share and the directors are now recommending a final dividend payment for the year ended 31 December 2019 of 18.39p per share to be paid on 31 March 2020 to those shareholders on the register as at 13 March 2020. The ex-dividend date for this payment is 12 March 2020. If approved, this would give an increase in the total dividend payment for the year of 10.0%. In spite of this significant increase the dividend is fully covered by this year's earnings and has not required recourse to the Company's significant revenue reserves. Shareholders will note that the final dividend is lower than that paid in the previous year, reflecting the rebalancing exercise between the size of the final and interim dividends that was highlighted during the year. This will be the 36th consecutive year in which the Company has raised its annual dividend payment, such consistency being reflected in Temple Bar's status as one of The Association of Investment Companies' 'Dividend Heroes'.

Gearing

At the year end, gearing (calculated net of cash and related liquid assets) was 8.0%*. The Company's 38m 5.5% debenture stock matures in April 2021. During the year the Board will carefully consider all the available options for managing the Company's borrowings going forward.

Culture and Purpose

It is a new requirement for all companies to set out their culture and purpose. It is perhaps more difficult for a conventional investment trust such as Temple Bar to articulate these matters given certain unique factors, such as an absence of any employees. Our defined purpose is relatively simple; it is to deliver attractive long term returns from a diversified portfolio of predominantly UK listed investments. Board culture promotes a desire for strong governance and long term investment, mindful of the interests of all stakeholders.

The Board

As highlighted in my Statement last year, Sir Richard Jewson will be retiring from the Board at the AGM and will not, therefore, be seeking re-election. Sir Richard has provided outstanding service to the Board over the 19 years that he has served, particularly in his capacity as Senior Independent Director and Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee. We will greatly miss his wise counsel and wish him the very best for the future. Lesley Sherratt will succeed Sir Richard as Senior Independent Director and Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee.

In October 2019 we appointed Sonita Alleyne and Shefaly Yogendra to the Board pursuant to the refreshment process to which I referred last year and both have already made strong contributions to Board discussion. It was very unfortunate that in January this year Sonita felt compelled to resign from the Board due to a conflict of interest in allowable investment categories between Temple Bar and one of her other portfolio positions.

The Board does not believe that long service should automatically render a director to be considered as non-independent. However, in recognition of the importance attached to tenure in the various corporate governance codes it has been agreed that a director will ordinarily serve on the Board for a maximum of nine years. This month I will have been on the Board for nine years and accordingly under normal circumstances I would be looking to stand down. However, a significant percentage of the Board has only recently been appointed, and indeed following Sonita's resignation we will have to appoint another new director. Therefore, in the interests of optimising Board balance in terms of experience it has been proposed that I should continue to serve for a further three years.

Every year the Board undertakes a thorough evaluation of each director, including myself as Chairman. In addition, in line with best practice in this regard, all directors are subject to annual re-election by shareholders.

Secretary

Our company secretary, Martin Slade, will be retiring from this position after the AGM. Martin has provided the Company with exemplary secretarial services for over 26 years. He has kindly agreed to act as a consultant for the next 12 months to provide an orderly transfer of responsibilities. The Board would like to express its sincere thanks for everything Martin has done for the Company over this period and to wish him a long and happy retirement.

Share Capital Management

Temple Bar's shares traded at a modest discount throughout most of the year but at the year end they stood at a small premium of 0.9%*. The Board is prepared to undertake share buy backs if the discount widens excessively, either in absolute terms or relative to the Company's peer group. While no share repurchases took place during the year, the Board nonetheless recommends that the existing authorities to issue new ordinary shares and to repurchase shares in the market for cancellation or to hold in Treasury be continued. Accordingly, it is seeking approval from shareholders to renew the share issue and repurchase authorities at the forthcoming annual general meeting.

Investment Policy

As signaled in my statement last year, the Board consulted with shareholders as to whether they would support the Trust declining to invest in companies whose very business model was arguably unethical. Feedback suggested there was little support for this measure among shareholders, so at the present time the Board is not proposing to change policy in this regard. Shareholders should note, however, that the Manager does not invest in certain categories of stock, such as companies involved in cluster munitions.

.

Annual General Meeting

The AGM this year will be held at the offices of our Manager at Woolgate Exchange, 25 Basinghall Street, London EC2V 5HA on Monday 30 March 2020 at 11am. Please note that this is a different building to that where the AGM was held last year.

In addition to the formal business of the meeting the portfolio manager will, as usual, make a presentation reviewing the past year and commenting on the outlook. He will also be available to answer questions, as will the directors. Shareholders who are unable to attend are encouraged to use their proxy votes.

Auditor

Regulations on compulsory auditor rotation mean that Ernst & Young LLP, the Company's auditor, is stepping down to be replaced, following an audit tender, by BDO LLP. Ernst & Young LLP has audited the Company since 2003 and I should like to record our thanks for its service to the Company over this period.

Outlook

The current year has not started well for value investors, with January seeing a return of investors' appetite for momentum stocks. Time will tell whether this situation will continue for an extended period. Nonetheless, with our experienced, well-resourced management team we believe that Temple Bar is well placed to generate significant returns for shareholders over the longer term.

_____________

Arthur Copple

Chairman

*Alternative Performance Measure - please see glossary of terms

Twenty Largest Investments

as at 31 December 2019

Company Industry Place of listing Valuation

'000 % of portfolio Capita Industrials UK 85,282 7.8 GlaxoSmithKline Healthcare UK 74,573 6.9 Travis Perkins Industrials UK 71,010 6.5 Royal Dutch Shell Oil & Gas UK 56,336 5.2 BP Oil & Gas UK 47,458 4.4 Grafton Group Industrials UK 46,474 4.3 Tesco Consumer Services UK 41,843 3.9 Barclays Financials UK 41,234 3.8 Royal Bank of Scotland Financials UK 39,654 3.6 SIG Industrials UK 35,371 3.3 HSBC Holdings Financials UK 29,698 2.7 Kingfisher Consumer Services UK 29,150 2.7 Forterra Industrials UK 29,005 2.7 easyJet Consumer Services UK 28,486 2.6 Marks & Spencer Consumer Services UK 27,561 2.5 TP ICAP Financials UK 24,236 2.2 Citigroup Financials USA 23,411 2.2 Lloyds Banking Group Financials UK 21,680 2.0 Land Securities Group REIT Financials UK 21,473 2.0 McCarthy & Stone Consumer Services UK 20,027 1.8 793,962 73.1

Statement of Comprehensive Income

For the year ended 31 December 2019

2019 (unaudited) 2018 (audited) Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total '000 '000 '000 '000 '000 '000 Investment income 39,750 - 39,750 37,258 - 37,258 Other operating income 51 - 51 26 - 26 39,801 - 39,801 37,284 - 37,284 Profit/(losses) on investments Profit/(losses) on investments held at fair value through profit or loss - 188,920 188,920 - (131,528) (131,528) Total Income/(loss) 39,801 188,920 228,721 37,284 (131,528) (94,244) Expenses Management fees (1,555) (2,244) (3,799) (1,503) (2,168) (3,671) Other expenses (585) (533) (1,118) (559) (1,427) (1,986) Profit/(loss) before finance costs and tax 37,661 186,143 223,804 35,222 (135,123) (99,901) Finance costs (1,966) (2,976) (4,942) (1,962) (2,968) (4,930) Profit/(loss) before tax 35,695 183,167 218,862 33,260 (138,091) (104,831) Tax (172) - (172) (161) - (161) Profit/(loss) for the year 35,523 183,167 218,690 33,099 (138,091) (104,992)

Earnings per share (basic & diluted)

53.12p 273.90p 327.02p 49.50p (206.50p) (157.00p)

The total column of this statement represents the Statement of Comprehensive Income prepared in accordance with IFRS. The supplementary revenue return and capital return columns are both prepared under guidance issued by the Association of Investment Companies. All items in the above statement derive from continuing operations.

No operations were acquired or discontinued during the year.

The Company does not have any income or expense that is not included in profit for the year. Accordingly, the

profit for the year is also the Total Comprehensive Income for the Year, as defined in IAS1 (revised).

Statement of Changes in Equity

for the year ended 31 December 2019 (unaudited)

Ordinary Share Capital Capital Retained Total share premium reserves reserves earnings equity capital account realised unrealised '000 '000 '000 '000 '000 '000 Balance at

1 January 2018 16,719 96,040 642,322 147,845 33,440 936,366 Unclaimed dividends - - - - 51 51 Profit/(loss) for the year - - 29,890 (167,981) 33,099 (104,992) Dividends paid to equity shareholders - - - - (29,243) (29,243) Balance at

31 December 2018 16,719 96,040 672,212 (20,136) 37,347 802,182 Unclaimed dividends - - - - 8 8 Profit for the year - - (4,912) 188,079 35,523 218,690 Dividends paid to equity shareholders - - - - (35,757) (35,757)

Balance at

31 December 2019 16,719 96,040 667,300 167,943 37,121 985,123

Statement of Financial Position

as at 31 December 2019

31 December 2019

(unaudited) 31 December 2018

(audited) '000 '000 '000 '000 Non-current assets

Investments held at fair value through profit or loss 1,085,844 905,125 Current assets Cash and cash equivalents 11,149 9,005 Receivables 3,245 3,231 14,394 12,236 Total assets 1,100,238 917,361 Current liabilities Payables (1,066) (1,208) Total assets less current liabilities 1,099,172 916,153 Non-current liabilities Interest bearing borrowings (114,049) (113,971) Net assets 985,123 802,182 Equity attributable to equity holders Ordinary share capital 16,719 16,719 Share premium 96,040 96,040 Capital reserves 835,243 652,076 Retained revenue earnings 37,121 37,347 Total equity attributable to equity holders 985,123 802,182 Net asset value per share 1,473.13p 1,199.56p

Statement of Cash Flows

for the year ended 31 December 2019

2019 (unaudited)

'000 '000 2018 (audited)

'000 '000 Cash flows from operating activities Profit/(loss) before tax 218,862 (104,831) Adjustments for: (Gains)/losses on investments (188,920) 131,528 Finance costs 4,942 4,930 Purchases of investments (152,237) (513,298) Sales of investments 160,040 512,712 Dividend income (39,465) (36,728) Interest income (313) (545) Dividends received 39,578 36,115 Interest received 336 1,365 Decrease in receivables - 25 Increase/(decrease) in payables 106 (199) Overseas withholding tax suffered (172) (161) (176,105) 135,744 Net cash flows from operating activities 42,757 30,913 Cash flows from financing activities Unclaimed dividends

Equity dividends paid

Interest paid on borrowings 8

(35,757) (4,864) 51

(29,243)

(4,877) Net cash flows from financing activities (40,613) (34,069) Net decrease/(increase) in cash and cash equivalents 2,144 (3,156) Cash and cash equivalents at the start of the year 9,005 12,161 Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year 11,149 9,005

Notes

The figures set out above are prepared on the same basis as set out in the previous year's annual accounts and are derived from the audited accounts of Temple Bar Investment Trust Plc for the year ended 31 December 2018 and the unaudited accounts for the year ended 31 December 2019 . The 2019 accounts will be sent to shareholders shortly. The financial information contained in this announcement does not constitute full accounts within the meaning of Section 434 of the Companies Act 2006. The 2019 accounts, on which the report of the auditors is expected to be unqualified, will be filed with the Registrar of Companies in due course. The audited accounts for the year ended 31 December 2018 on which the report of the auditors was unqualified and did not contain a statement under Section 498 of the Companies Act 2006, have been filed with the Registrar of Companies.

19 February 2020

Contact:Alastair Mundy

Telephone 020 7597 2000

Investec Fund Managers Limited

Glossary of Terms

Discount

The amount by which the market price per share of an investment trust is lower than the net asset value per share. The discount is normally expressed as a percentage of the net asset value per share.

Net Gearing

In accounting terms, gearing is the amount of a company's total borrowings divided by its share capital. Net gearing adjusts this amount by any cash and cash equivalents. High gearing means a proportionately large amount of debt, which may be considered more risky for equity holders. However, gearing also entails tax advantages. In investment analysis, a highly geared company is one where small changes in sales produce big swings in profits. Also known as leverage.

The gearing ratio as at 31 December 2019 is calculated as the ratio of the Trust's net assets of 985,123,000 (2018: 801,182,000), divided by a sum of the total assets of 1,100,238,000 (2018:  917,361,000) less current liabilities of 1,066,000 (2018: 1,208,000), less cash and cash equivalents (including gilts) of  27,927,000 (2018:  33,521,000).

Premium

The amount by which the market price per share of an investment trust exceeds the net asset value per share. The premium is normally expressed as a percentage of the net asset value per share.

Return on Net Asset Value

As at 31 December 2019, the difference between the Trust's opening and closing NAV stood at 182,941,000 (2019: 985,123,000; 2018: 802,182,000); adding the dividend paid in the current year of 35,757,000 results in a total return of  218,698,000 for the purposes of this calculation. Dividing this return by the opening NAV of the Trust results in the return of 27.9%.
Curious just how far your dollar goes in Houston?

We've rounded up the latest places for rent via rental sites Zumper and Apartment Guide to get a sense of what to expect when it comes to scoring affordable apartments in Houston if you don't want to spend more than $900/month on rent.

Take a look at the listings, below. (Note: Prices and availability are subject to change.)

Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions.

9801 Meadowglen Lane (Westchase)

Listed at $802/month, this 758-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment is located at 9801 Meadowglen Lane.

In the apartment, you can expect hardwood flooring, a dishwasher and a fireplace. The building offers on-site laundry and secured entry. Pet lovers are in luck: The property is both dog-friendly and cat-friendly.

Walk Score indicates that the surrounding area requires a car for most errands, is relatively bikeable and has good transit options.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

5219 Richmond Ave., #311 (Greater Uptown)

Next, there's this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment situated at 5219 Richmond Ave., #311. It's also listed for $802/month for its 725 square feet.

The building has a swimming pool. The unit also offers a dishwasher, a walk-in closet and hardwood flooring. Good news for animal lovers: The property is both dog-friendly and cat-friendly. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee.

Walk Score indicates that the surrounding area is moderately walkable, has minimal bike infrastructure and has good transit options.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

6505 Westheimer Road (Mid West)

Located at 6505 Westheimer Road, here's a 706-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment that's listed for $798/month.

In the unit, the listing promises a balcony and a dishwasher. The building boasts a swimming pool and garage parking. Good news for animal lovers: This property is both dog-friendly and cat-friendly. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee.

Per Walk Score ratings, the surrounding area is quite walkable, is bikeable and has good transit options.

(See the complete listing here.)

This story was created automatically using local real estate data from Zumper and Apartment Guide, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Additionally, if youre an agent or a broker, read on for real estate marketing ideas to promote your local listing.

Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 15:32 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206572406 1 Business Indonesia,price,stabilization,Bulog,sugar,imports,fasting-month Free

The State Logistics Agency (Bulog) is seeking the governments approval to import 200,000 tons of sugar to stabilize prices during this years Ramadan, which will begin in late April.

The agencys director for operations and public services, Tri Wahyudi, said in Jakarta on Wednesday that the sugar price, which had exceeded the governments current price ceiling, was expected to further increase during the fasting month when food consumption is far higher than on normal days.

Imports, he said, were needed in order to increase the supply in the market because the sugarcane in the country could only be harvested after Idul Fitri, a celebration that comes after a full month of fasting.

"The sugarcane can be harvested after Idul Fitri. So we propose an import of 200,000 tons. It is sugar for consumption, not raw sugar for industries," Tri was quoted by Kompas as saying.

Tri acknowledged that the agency had received requests from various parties to import sugar because they feared the price increase would continue if Bulog did not increase the supply in the market.

"We have submitted our proposal to import sugar to the coordinating economic minister. We need to import to stabilize the price, he added.

At present the sugar price has reached Rp 4,000 per kilogram, exceeding the governments price ceiling of Rp 12,500 per kilogram.

In 2018, Bulog did not import sugar because it had around 400,000 tons of sugar stocks ahead of Ramadan. (hen)
LONG BEACH, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Long Beach Collective Association ("LBCA"), cannabis business owners, policy advocates, patients, consumers, and city officials came together to support the city's legal cannabis business community to lower taxes. In December 2019, Long Beach City Council voted to lower the city's tax rate from 6% to 1% for cannabis manufacturers, distributors, cultivators, and laboratories. On January 7, 2020, the council voted to formally amend the city's cannabis tax ordinance reflecting the revised 1% tax rate which took effect on February 13, 2020.

"There's no question that high tax rates drive people to the cheaper illicit market increasing public safety concerns," said Adam Hijazi, President of the LBCA. "Lowering the tax rate will also help keep more jobs in Long Beach because it helps keep prices competitive. We believe in #BuyLegal."

The successful effort to lower taxes was a grassroots, community effort to effect change in Long Beach. While healthy competition exists, there is an esprit de corps that unites Long Beach's cannabis business owners from cultivators to dispensary owners. In supporting the common good and serving as a strong, credible public voice, the LBCA helps the community thrive and keep a positive perspective.

This local effort could be the model to effectuate change at the state. The regulated cannabis market is hurting across the state and the sales numbers reflect it. In 2018, legal cannabis sales in California amounted to $341 million in tax revenue, far below the projected $1 billion. To make matters worse, effective January 1, 2020, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) implemented a required tax rate increase. Its website states "An analysis of statewide market data was used to determine the average mark-up rate between the wholesale cost and the retail selling price of cannabis and cannabis products. Based on this analysisthe mark-up rate will be set at 80 percent." Bipartisan industry advocates throughout California feel it's exactly the wrong move at the wrong time.

In a November 25, 2019 letter to the CDTFA, State Assemblyman Tom Lackey (R-36th District), wrote: "With the increased availability of purchasing power through websites and delivery services, the illicit market is able to substantially outsell the legal market due to the ever-growing price disparity."

Government officials are paying attention. California Governor is not only proposing a structural change to the state's cannabis regulatory agency's structure, but he's also considering tax policy changes as well. On January 10, 2020, Newsom's administration proposed "we will consider other changes to the existing cannabis tax structure.to support a stronger, safer legal cannabis market."

The Long Beach Collective Association is a non-profit trade association advocating for sound cannabis policy affecting businesses, patients, and consumers at the local and state level.

If you would like more information please call Pam Chotiswatdi, MPH, LBCA Community Education Director, at 714-293-8043, or email [email protected]

SOURCE Long Beach Collective Association

Related Links

thelbca.com


DUBAI, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf's record as a Revolutionary Guards air force commander, a war veteran and a national police chief has endeared him to Iran's supreme leader and boosted his chances of becoming the next speaker of parliament after Friday's election.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose grip on power is being challenged by mounting pressure from Washington and by growing discontent at home, is seen by analysts as counting on security hawks like Qalibaf to form a loyal and compliant parliament.

The Guardian Council, a hardline body that vets candidates, has all but ensured the parliamentary vote will usher in a majority of Khamenei loyalists by disqualifying moderates and leading conservatives from standing.

"Today our problem is the economy and we need jihadi managers like Qalibaf to overcome economic problems," Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the Guards aerospace unit, said in a strong video message of support posted on Iranian websites.

The vote for the 290-seat assembly - the first since Washington quit an international nuclear pact with Iran and reimposed crippling sanctions - will test support for the clerical establishment ahead of presidential elections next year.

Qalibaf's chances of becoming speaker hinge on gaining the trust of hardliners, who struggled for days to reach consensus on a single slate for Tehran. Hardliners could still nominate a rival as speaker in coming months.

"Hardliners are very divided ... moderates and independent candidates will not vote for Qalibaf," said a former reformist official on condition of anonymity. "It will be a very chaotic parliament with different groups of hardliners."

A NO-NONSENSE CANDIDATE

Ahead of the election, Qalibaf has tried to win over middle- and lower-income voters by focusing on the economic hardships caused in large part by U.S. sanctions and by promising to tackle vested interests.

Some doubt that parliament is capable of bringing about change as Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guards determine the overall direction of the country by controlling the media, the armed forces, the intelligence services and most financial resources.

"Nothing can change under this establishment. It does not matter who wins this election," said Ramin Sardari, 28, a jobless university graduate in Tehran.

Story continues

Qalibaf, who ran unsuccessfully in two presidential races and was forced to drop out of a third to avoid splitting the hardline vote, has revived his political ambitions by standing for parliament.

In 2005, he resigned from the military to run for president. He was seen as a strong contender but lost in the final days when Khamenei and his allies switched allegiance to hardline populist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Qalibaf went on to win Ahmadinejad's job as mayor of Tehran, a post he held for 12 years. He won a reputation as a pragmatic problem-solver, tackling Tehran's acute infrastructure crisis and improving public transport.

But the capital's stubbornly chaotic traffic, his alleged involvement in a corruption case in 2016 and the deaths of 50 firefighters in a building collapse the next year damaged his popularity.

Despite that, many voters in Tehran still view the charismatic 58-year old, who leads the hardliners' list of candidates for Tehran's 30 parliamentary seats, as a no-nonsense candidate who can get the job done.

TOUGH ON DISSENT

Qalibaf's strong military credentials are expected to win over hardline candidates who share his background. At age 19, he first served in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a Guards general within three years and eventually commander of its air force in 1998.

A year later, when a bloody crackdown on protesting students precipitated nationwide unrest and forced the national chief of police to resign, Khamenei appointed Qalibaf to the post.

To civil rights activists and reformers he is known as someone who crushed protests and personally beat demonstrators in 1999, and also played an active role in repressing unrest in 2003.

Qalibaf was among a group of Guards commanders who sent a letter to then-president Mohammad Khatami, a reformist, threatening a coup unless he moved to end demonstrations.

In 2009, Qalibaf took credit as Tehran mayor for helping suppress months of bloody unrest that rocked the establishment after a presidential vote that opposition candidates said was rigged to secure Ahmadinejad's re-election.

Qalibaf has however sometimes upset his anti-Western hardline backers.

He ran a flashy campaign in the 2005 presidential race, wearing a Western-style white linen suit and calling himself a "Hezbollahi Reza Shah" in reference to the father of Iran's shah, who was toppled in the 1979 Islamic revolution.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Giles Elgood)
Six bodyguards to Yemen's defence minister were killed Wednesday when their vehicle hit a landmine east of the capital Sanaa, in a blast that left the official unhurt, a ministry source said.

The Yemen government -- backed by a Saudi-led military coalition -- has been battling Iran-bached Huthi rebels since 2014, when the insurgents seized control of Sanaa.

Defence Minister General Mohammed Ali al-Maqdishi was in Marib province on Wednesday visiting one of the main frontlines.

"A vehicle accompanying that of the defence minister was struck by an explosion," a defence ministry source told AFP, adding that six of his guards were killed.

"Nothing happened to the minister," the source said.

Loyalist military officials said late January that the Huthis had made gains against government troops north and east of the capital, seizing a strategic road.

The road connects Sanaa to the provinces of Marib, to the east, and Jawf in the north.

Before the latest upsurge in fighting, Jawf province had been mostly controlled by the Huthis, with its capital still in the hands of the government.

Marib province, including its capital, is under government control.

The renewed fighting, which erupted several weeks ago, included a January 18 missile strike on a loyalist military camp that killed 116 people.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed and millions been displaced in the war that the United Nations has termed as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Phil Hogan, the European trade commissioner, has warned that Europes ties with the UK will undergo a massive change when the post-Brexit transition period ends  regardless of whether both sides reach a trade deal by their year-end deadline.

Speaking at a European Parliament committee hearing, Mr Hogan urged EU governments to do more to make businesses aware of the changes they face at the end of the year.

Because London plans to leave the single market and customs union, any free-trade agreement would only limit the economic damage, he said. On January 1, things will change anyway  even if we reach a deal, said Mr Hogan.

It will be much worse without a deal, but even with a deal, there is going to be a massive change in terms of logistics, in terms of how we trade with each other, how we travel.

Businesses face the prospect of additional customs declarations and delays at the border even if the two sides reach an agreement on their future relationship.

If those talks fail, the UK would default to trading with the EU on World Trade Organisation terms  meaning tariffs and quotas would also return for the first time in a generation.

Earlier this month, British cabinet minister Michael Gove warned logistics firms to brace for strict border controls. Negotiations between the UK and EU about their future relationship have already become fraught even before formal talks begin.

Britain is seeking a tariff and quota-free agreement on goods trade similar to one Canada signed with the EU.

Bloomberg
"We're thrilled for Scott and Angela, and very excited that the Ultimate Road Trip Sweepstakes grand prize winner is a Wisconsin local and loyal customer of the Northside Plaza CITGO," said Luke Garrow, President of local CITGO marketer, Garrow Oil and Propane.

The Ultimate Road Trip Sweepstakes ran from August 7 to November 12, 2019 and encouraged CITGO customers to enter and participate in the exciting sweepstakes through their Club CITGO app. Customers who registered in the app received one entry and were able to increase their chances of winning the grand prize by "checking in" on the app up to one time per day from their local CITGO. Winners were randomly selected from all eligible entries received during the sweepstakes period.

CITGO promoted the sweepstakes through a mix of social media, digital display, point-of-purchase collateral posted at CITGO-branded retail locations, and on its FuelingGood.com website.

In addition to the grand prize winner, two first prize winners were awarded gas for a year and fourteen second prize winners each won a $250 CITGO Gift Card.

To learn more about Club CITGO and current promotions, visit fuelinggood.com/club-citgo.

About CITGO:

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, CITGO Petroleum Corporation is a recognized leader in the refining industry with a well-known brand. CITGO operates three refineries located in Corpus Christi, Texas; Lake Charles, La.; and Lemont, Ill., and wholly and/or jointly owns 48 terminals, nine pipelines and three lubricants blending and packaging plants. With approximately 3,400 employees and a combined crude capacity of approximately 769,000 barrels-per-day (bpd), CITGO is ranked as the fifth-largest, and one of the most complex independent refiners in the United States. CITGO transports and markets transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products and supplies a network of approximately 4,700 locally owned and operated branded retail outlets in 30 states and the District of Columbia. CITGO Petroleum Corporation is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc. For more information, visit www.CITGO.com .

SOURCE CITGO Corporation

Related Links

www.CITGO.com


Controversial and popular Indian-American stand-up comedian Hasan Minhaj, who has been critical of both US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would perform at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents Association.

Minhaj, whose parents come from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, will serve as the entertainer at the event. Kenan Thompson, the actor, and longest-tenured Saturday Night Live cast-member will serve as the host for the annual White House Correspondents Association's (WHCA) dinner on April 25.

"Hasan Minhaj, the Peabody award-winning host of Netflixs Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, will return to the dinner as featured entertainer," the WHCA announced.

"Kenan and Hasan are two of the most engaged and engaging entertainers in America. Im thrilled theyll help us celebrate the role of a free press in our democracy," said Jonathan Karl, Chief White House Correspondent for ABC News and president of the WHCA.

"We're looking forward to a lively evening honoring the most important political journalism of the past year," he said. President Trump who has skipped the WHCA dinner for the last three years is unlikely to attend this time as well. Minhaj has hosted his Netflix show since 2018, drawing critics raves, including a Peabody award in 2019, for his humorous and informed examination of issues of domestic and global import. He was the entertainer at the 2017 WHCA Dinner when he was a senior correspondent on The Daily Show.

His one-hour Netflix comedy special Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King was released in 2017, for which he won his first Peabody Award in 2018. Thompson began his career as a member of Nickelodeons sketch series All That.

Thompson is currently in his 17th season on SNL where he has set a record for the most celebrity impressions performed on the show. In 2018, he received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics and a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

At its annual dinner, WHCA will be presenting two new awards at the 2020 dinner: The Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability and the Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage by Visual Journalists.

These are in addition to the longstanding Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage and Merriman Smith Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure.

This years dinner will also include the inaugural presentation of the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability, administered by the University of Floridas College of Journalism and Communications to recognize outstanding statehouse reporting.
After being sanctioned by the European Union, Wasim Qattan has said that he is proud to be sanctioned and that it only stiffens his resolve writes Jesr.

Yesterday, the European Union issued a new list of sanctions that included Syrian businessmen and Syrian entities. Among these names was businessman Wasim Qattan, who said the inclusion of his name was a badge of honor and that it makes him proud.

Qattan responded to the inclusion of his name on the sanctions list in a post on Facebook: I had the honor of my name, Wasim Qattan, being included in the list of businessmen under European sanctions. I will not go into refuting the false justifications presented by the European Union to explain the issuance of its new list, because the EU is serving as a main party to the US-led blockade of my country, Syrianot to mention the political and humanitarian cover it provides to terrorism in Syria.

Qattan said that the EU measure was inhumane because he was an, honorable Syrian patriot, bound to the Syrian state and its wise leadership, in a relationship of citizenship, vigor, steadfastness, and a national loyalty that takes pride in itself.

Qattan stressed the need to take action to confront the unprecedented terrorist and economic war, adding that the sanctions, only increase his commitment to Syria, its steadfast people and its leader. adding that he had a just cause.

On Monday, the European Union added eight businessmen and two entities to its list of sanctions imposed on Damascus.

According to lists published by Russia Today, the people are: Yasser Aziz Abbas, Maher Burhanuddin al-Imam, Wasim Qattan, Amer Foz, Saqr Rustom, Abdel-Qader Sabra, Kheder Ali Taher, Adel al-Olabi, the Qaterji Group, and Damascus Cham Holding.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Pompeo Faces Uphill Battle to Win Over African Leaders

By Simon Marks February 18, 2020

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the African Union chairman Tuesday in Addis Ababa at the end of a whirlwind Africa tour that included Senegal and Angola.

Pompeo's first official visit to Africa aims to strengthen commercial ties and revamp America's presence on the continent. But political analysts say restoring U.S. influence will be a challenge.

A key question for the U.S. secretary of state was how the U.S. can overcome Chinese dominance in Africa. China surpassed the U.S. as the continent's number one trading partner over a decade ago and Beijing is investing heavily in African infrastructure.

But convincing African leaders to look to the U.S. at this juncture is proving a challenge, say analysts.

"I think that many African leaders are going to be quite skeptical," said London University School of Oriental and African Studies professor of international relations Stephen Chan, speaking via a messaging app. "They're dealing increasingly now with very sophisticated people, who basically want to know where the proof in the pudding is. They've noticed President Trump's volatility in the past and they've particularly noticed comments that they would interpret as racist."

Trump reportedly used a vulgar term to describe African countries during a 2018 closed-door meeting.

Just days ahead of Pompeo's arrival, Trump expanded a travel ban that restricts immigrant visas on citizens from Eritrea, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania.

The administration argues the countries have not met U.S. security requirements and information sharing and that the ban would not affect tourist, business, or student visas.

But the European Center for Development Policy Management's Alfonso Medinilla says the timing on the visa restrictions sends the wrong message. He spoke via a messaging app.

"These are things that African countries are looking at quite closely," he said. "This idea of visa facilitation has always been very high on the agenda and has very significant symbolic value. So, going in the other direction is problematic. To me, what it shows is also this is not necessarily about Africa. It's more about American internal issues and internal struggles."

Murithi Mutiga is the Horn of Africa project director for the International Crisis Group. He says Americans have an outdated view of Africa.

"For a long time, American policymakers have viewed Africa essentially as a problem to be solved, while Beijing perceived the continent as an area that abounds with opportunity," he said. "The Chinese, at least for the last two decades, have been much more strategic in their engagement with the continent and you get the sense that America is essentially playing catch up."

If the U.S. wants to catch up with China, says Mutiga, it should focus on new realities in Africa, where economies and populations are growing, and people are becoming more educated.

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Appraisal Foundation is pleased that Congress announced it has requested the Government Accountability Office conduct a study pertaining to the 1989 law that set up appraisal regulations, Title XI of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA). That study, which will focus on federal practices that exempt many real estate transactions from appraisals, is a first step to help protect taxpayers and homebuyers.

"Thirty years ago, Congress passed FIRREA to protect homeowners and the federal deposit insurance fund from the impacts of inaccurate and inflated property valuations," said David Bunton, president of The Appraisal Foundation. "Over the years, however, federal agencies have created loopholes that exempt 90 percent of residential real estate transactions from the appraisal requirement."

The study was requested by Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Congressman William Lacy Clay, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development and Insurance. They have asked GAO to look into federal agencies' implementation of Title XI of the FIRREA.



"We applaud Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Congressman William Lacy Clay for requesting the GAO study. Their leadership on this issue will help Congress determine whether the law is being implemented as intended and is effectively protecting homebuyers, taxpayers and the economy," he said.



In the letter requesting the study, Waters and Lacy asked GAO to address the four issues of threshold increases, regulatory exemptions, appraisal waivers and evaluations. All four practices have resulted in a significant decrease in the number of transactions when appraisals are required.



Exemptions occur when a federal financial regulatory agency carves out a category of transactions from FIRREA's appraisal requirements. For example, the de minimis threshold for residential real estate, which sets the transaction amount under which an appraisal is not required, has increased from $50,000 to as much as $400,000 since the law's enactment.

The Appraisal Foundation has expressed concerns about the implementation of FIRREA to Congress on several occasions. Over the past year, Bunton has testified before Clay's subcommittee and followed up with two letters.



"The thirtieth anniversary of FIRREA provides a fitting backdrop for a comprehensive GAO study of the original intent of Congress in enacting Title XI versus the impact of Title XI today," said Bunton.

Media Contact:

David Greer

(202) 624-3048

[email protected]

SOURCE The Appraisal Foundation
KALAMAZOO, MI  The Career Life Expo will be back to connect job seekers with employers and additional support services to tackle the full spectrum of work and life needs, according to one organizer.

Employers at the expo will be recruiting for hundreds of job openings in the region. There will also representatives from a number of local service agencies to help attendees address needs that come alongside employment, such as affordable child care and transportation, according to a news release from United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region. The event has been held for the past three years.

The Career Life Expo is a unique approach that supports the whole person, Eric Stewart, a Michigan Works Southwest representative, said in the release. We know that, for many people, a good-paying job is just one step on the journey to financial stability.

The event will take place from 1-4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 2900 Lake St.

More than 60 employers are registered to be at the expo. Examples include Ascension Healthcare, Bronson Healthcare Group, the city of Kalamazoo, the city of Portage, FireKeepers Casino Hotel, Landscape Forms, Michigan State Police and Southwest Michigan Building Trades. A full list is available online.

There are options for free transportation from Michigan Works locations. The Kalamazoo location, 1601 S. Burdick St., offers pickup at 12:30 p.m. and dropoff at 3:15 p.m. The Battle Creek location, 200 W. Van Buren St., offers pickup at 1:30 p.m. and dropoff at 4:15 p.m.

At the event, service agency representatives will greet attendees to make sure they have everything they need for their job search process, such as help with resumes and child care, the release said.

The event is hosted by United Way, Michigan Works Southwest, AmeriFirst Home Mortgage, Fabri-Kal and Midwest Communications.

One barrier, such as lack of experience interviewing or lack of stable housing, can limit someones ability to get hired and maintain employment, the release said.

Linking employment and support services can help people achieve financial stability, according to Jamie Rugg, director of engagement and operations for the regional United Way office.

These are hard-working people who have jobs, yet it takes just one car repair or one sick child to cause them to miss work, get behind on rent or utilities, maybe even cost their employment, Rugg said in the release.

In Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties, around 26% of households fall into the poverty population or the ALICE population. ALICE stands for asset limited, income constrained, employed, Rugg said in the release. This means that even though people are working, there could still be some gaps or barriers preventing them from becoming financially stable, Rugg said.

"By helping them resolve those problems, we help create a financially stable community and help local businesses be successful, she said.

For more information about the expo, contact Michigan Works Southwest at 269-383-2536 or careerservices@miworkssw.org.

Also on MLive:

DNR accepting applications for 70 summer jobs in Wildlife Division

City bus fare increase, first in 17 years, proposed in Battle Creek

See median income, poverty rates in 12 Kalamazoo County school districts
Photograph: Simon Dawson/Reuters

Donald Trump offered Julian Assange a pardon if he would say Russia was not involved in leaking Democratic party emails, a court in London has been told.

The extraordinary claim was made at Westminster magistrates court before the opening next week of Assanges legal battle to block attempts to extradite him to the US, where he faces charges for publishing hacked documents. The allegation was denied by the former Republican congressman named by the Assange legal team as a key witness.

Assanges lawyers alleged that during a visit to London in August 2017, congressman Dana Rohrabacher told the WikiLeaks founder that on instructions from the president, he was offering a pardon or some other way out, if Mr Assange  said Russia had nothing to do with the DNC [Democratic National Committee] leaks.

Related: Julian Assange: Australian MPs call on UK to block US extradition

A few hours later, however, Rohrabacher denied the claim, saying he had made the proposal on his own initiative, and that the White House had not endorsed it.

At no time did I talk to President Trump about Julian Assange, the former congressman wrote on his personal blog. Likewise, I was not directed by Trump or anyone else connected with him to meet with Julian Assange. I was on my own fact finding mission at personal expense to find out information I thought was important to our country.

At no time did I offer Julian Assange anything from the president because I had not spoken with the president about this issue at all. However, when speaking with Julian Assange, I told him that if he could provide me information and evidence about who actually gave him the DNC emails, I would then call on President Trump to pardon him, Rohrabacher added.

At no time did I offer a deal made by the president, nor did I say I was representing the president.

White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told reporters: The president barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than hes an ex-congressman. Hes never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject.

Story continues

It is a complete fabrication and a total lie, Grisham said. This is probably another never-ending hoax and total lie from the DNC.

Trump, however, invited Rohrabacher to the White House in April 2017 after seeing the then congressman on Fox TV defending the president.

In September 2017, the White House confirmed that Rohrabacher had called the then chief of staff, John Kelly, to talk about a possible deal with Assange, but that Kelly had not passed on the message to Trump. Rohrabacher confirmed that version of events on his blog on Wednesday.

I told him that Julian Assange would provide information about the purloined DNC emails in exchange for a pardon. No one followed up with me including Gen Kelly and that was the last discussion I had on this subject with anyone representing Trump or in his Administration, he wrote.

Even though I wasnt successful in getting this message through to the President I still call on him to pardon Julian Assange, who is the true whistleblower of our time.

Assange appeared in court on Wednesday by videolink from Belmarsh prison, wearing dark tracksuit bottoms and a brown jumper over a white shirt.

Before Rohrabachers denial, district judge Vanessa Baraitser, who is hearing the case at Westminster, said the claim of a deal was admissible as evidence.

Until he was voted out of office in 2018, Rohrabacher was a consistent voice in Congress in defence of Vladimir Putins Russia, claiming to have been so close to the Russian leader that they had engaged in a drunken arm-wrestling match in the 1990s. In 2012, the FBI warned him that Russian spies were seeking to recruit him as an agent of influence.

The publication of emails hacked from the Hillary Clinton campaign helped perpetuate an aura of scandal around the Democratic candidate a few weeks before the 2016 election.

WikiLeaks put them online hours after Trump had suffered an apparent public relations disaster with the emergence of a tape in which he boasted of molesting women.

Assange is wanted in America to face 18 charges, including conspiring to commit computer intrusion, over the publication of US cables a decade ago.

He could face up to 175 years in jail if found guilty. He is accused of working with the former US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to leak hundreds of thousands of classified documents.

The extradition hearing is due to begin at Woolwich crown court on Monday, beginning with a week of legal argument. It will then be adjourned and continue with three weeks of evidence scheduled to begin on 18 May.

The decision, which is expected months later, is likely to be appealed against by the losing side, whatever the outcome.

Assange has been held on remand in Belmarsh prison since last September after serving a 50-week jail sentence for breaching his bail conditions while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

He entered the building in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sex offence allegations, which he has always denied and were subsequently dropped.

Assanges claims of a deal emerged a day after Trump granted clemency to a string of high-profile figures convicted on fraud or corruption charges, including the former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and the junk bond king Michael Milken. Trump has not excluded pardoning Roger Stone, a former aide who was convicted in November of obstructing a congressional investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race, and in particular for lying to investigators about his relationship with Assange and WikiLeaks.

Stone once boasted that he had dinner with Assange but later said the claim was a joke.
Suspected Maoist rebels blew up a school building in Bihar's Gaya district and left behind pamphlets denouncing the CAA, NPR, NRC and the 'fascist BJP government'

Gaya: Suspected Maoist rebels blew up a school building in Bihar's Gaya district and left behind pamphlets denouncing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Population Register (NPR), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the "fascist BJP government", a senior police official said on Wednesday.

Rajeev Mishra, the Senior Superintendent of Police of Gaya, said nobody was injured in the blast that razed the empty school building in Bankey Bazaar police station area late Tuesday night. A CRPF contingent was stationed there till recently.

"A team of 153 Battalion of CRPF had been camping in the area since 18 March last year when naxals had carried out an attack ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. They had been putting up at Sonedaha High School and shifted to their own camp in the thick of the jungle nearby on 8 February," Mishra said.

Hand-written pamphlets have been recovered from the site which bear slogans against "Brahmanvadi, Hindutvavadi fascist BJP government," and question "occupation" of school buildings by security forces.

The pamphlets also urge people to "unite against draconian measures like CAA, NPR and NRC", the SSP added.

"We have inputs about Maoists active in the area lending their support to the protests against CAA-NPR-NRC. On Sunday last, nine women suspected of Naxal links were rounded up in Gaya town while they were on their way to Shanti Bagh where a round-the-clock demonstration has been under way," he said.

The SSP claimed that during interrogation one of the women confessed to being an active member of the banned CPI (Maoist) and others said they had received Rs 300-400 each for attending the Shanti Bagh protest.

Joint search operations by CRPF, Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) and STF of Bihar police were on to track down the perpetrators, Mishra said.
Educational institutions utilising e-learning courses

In order to protect students health amid the current coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, the Ministry of Education and Training decided to allow students at all levels to have three weeks off until February 23. If the health emergency lasts longer, the layover might be even longer.

However, the current situation offers a chance for e-learning to show off its qualities as many universities, schools, and educational centres already apply this platform.

Le Viet Thuy, director of the Information Technology Application Centre under the National Economics University, said that the university has just trained more than 800 lecturers on applying IT and learning management systems (LMS), as well as other blended learning methods for the over 25,000 students of the university.

Vu Trong Nghia, head of the Communication Department at the university, also said that on February 10, 220 teachers of the university used blended teaching methods to interact with over 15,000 students via 1,200 online classes.

Elsewhere, British University Vietnam (BUV) has extended its use of the Canvas LMS to include virtual classes and recorded lectures, so that students may follow their usual timetable from their homes.

Lecturers record their lectures using the studio facilities within Canvas and then upload these into the relevant week of the students course.

Lecturers are then present in a virtual classroom to discuss the lecture with students, answer questions, and provide further insights into the lecture material.

However, not only universities apply online classes. Wellspring International Bilingual School has offered an online curriculum for all of its three school levels, by using different services such as email, Google Classroom, Facebook Social Learning, Microsoft Office 365 Team, or Edmodo.

This curriculum upholds the students learning manner similar to the way they normally would in school, develops their self-study skill, and at the same time, supports parents to have a structured and healthy schedule for their children.

Online classes are becoming a new method that attracts the curiosity of students and inspires them to discover more.

Lecturers and students are enthusiastic to participate. The number of students asking for lectures has increased sharply. As opposed to studying in class, where students are often very shy to ask questions, when they learn online, they appear more confident to ask questions. The interaction between lecturers and students is very good, Nghia said.

Le Tue Minh, head of Wellspring Hanoi, told VIR, The major advantage of online learning is the flexibility of time and location, which allows for a large quantity of knowledge, various learning approaches, and unlimited and diversified sources. However, the most important requirement for online learners is a high level of activeness and willingness.

However, managing the interaction and self-awareness of students taking online classes is still a challenge of this learning method.

Le Duc Long, director of the Informatics Centre at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, said, It is difficult to replace face-to-face learning with e-learning methods. The key issue that determines the quality of an online course is its design.

Since e-learning has its pros and cons, universities, schools, and other educational institutions often flexibly combine online and face-to-face methods.

Ta Huy Hoang, director at JOLO English Centre, told VIR, Practical learning has remained an important principle over the past 12 years at JOLO. The e-learning programme will be a useful support tool for students during their time away from the centre. At our institutes, students can learn directly with their teachers in the classroom and use the online platform to supplement their knowledge.

According to Raymond Gordon, vice chancellor and president of BUV, blending learning with both face-to-face and virtual classes is the most effective learning environment and will continue to be used by BUV as part of our student-centric pedagogy in the future.

As soon as the COVID-19 epidemic is under control and the students are back to school, e-learning platforms, and online classes would still be used as a support tool along with face-to-face classes.
Tourist attraction: The Aqua Dome in Tralee, above left and main, is the most popular paid-for tourist facility in Co Kerry.

The directors of Tralee Aqua Dome are warning that if insurance claims against the attraction grow, it could lead to the closure of the facility.

The warning was contained in new accounts which show the Aqua Dome company, Tralee Waterworld, recorded pre-tax profits of 73,511 in the 12 months to the end of April last year.

Revenues at the attraction - owned by local shareholders - last year increased by 5pc from 1.17m to 1.23m.

The directors' report attached to the accounts said "insurance claims against the company are an ongoing concern which if they continue to grow could eventually lead to the closure of the facility".

The report said the main risk facing the company was the rise in insurance claims against the company.

Chief executive of the attraction Kieran Routledge said it was a continuing battle to keep the Aqua Dome open.

He said the Aqua Dome was loss-making for eight months of the year and was only profitable during the summer months.

The centre plays an important role in attracting domestic tourists to Co Kerry.

Mr Routledge said the Aqua Dome faces a significant problem from the high level of personal injury awards given for minor injuries.

"The judiciary has a case to answer in terms of the scale of awards they make. It needs to stop," he said.

The cost of dealing with claims has prevented the Aqua Dome from developing further. The chief said: "We could be twice the size or we could drop the admission prices but for the insurance costs."

He said the Aqua Dome's insurance premiums last year totalled 90,000, an increase on premiums of around 50,000 five years ago.

The facility's current annual excess on claims is 150,000.

The directors' report warned "successful claims up to the excess amount for a number of consecutive years would pose a significant risk to the business".

Mr Routledge said he has seven "live" personal injury claims on his desk.

"Accidents happen. If someone trips on a step, where is the negligence on our part? If something is our fault, we have no problem paying out," he said.

Mr Routledge said because of the public stance the Aqua Dome has taken over the impact personal injury claims are having on the business "we have become the poster boys for small business in the whole area".

While the Aqua Dome is the most popular paid-for tourist facility in Co Kerry, Mr Routledge said its profits are "always modest".

The pre-tax profits recorded last year were a 16.5pc increase on 2018's 63,106 in pre-tax profits.
Algerias newly elected government suffers from scant legitimacy as pro-democracy Hirak continues its pressure, which has been ongoing for a year in favor of a genuine change.

Meanwhile, the Algerian regime is seeking desperately to make its voice heard in its immediate neighborhood to no avail as it comes to terms to the reality that its diplomatic influence is intricately linked to the price of oil revenues, which have dwindled in recent years.

Faithful to obsolete cold-war era rhetoric, Algeria has depicted itself since independence as a North Africas linchpin using oil mantra to buy support for causes including separatism in Western Sahara while seeking to contain Morocco.

The Arab Spring took the country by surprise bringing regime change in Tunisia and Libya while Morocco surfed safely on the wave through a constitutional reform. Algeria instead opted for oil money handout via wage hikes and a generous subsidies policy that is now backfiring.

After a year of pro-democracy protests, the ruling elites, known as le pouvoir, pushed forward a co-opted elite recycled from old regime figures promising to break away with Bouteflika era.

So far, no real policy shift has been introduced by the newly appointed and highly contested government a part from promises to end dependence on oil, which would require money that Algeria has squandered.

Meanwhile, the regime is trying to sell diplomatic roles in the region as victorious to whitewash itself to a disenchanted youth fed up with cold-war era slogans.

Few weeks after it was installed, the new Algerian government geared attention to Libya where insecurity spillover cost the country a devastating and humiliating attack on one of its key oil fields in Ain Amenas in 2013 leaving 40 workers dead.

As Libyan civil war becomes internationalized with the UN-recognized government in Tripoli allied to Turkey and Qatar and the east-based rival government backed by the UAE, Egypt and Russia, Algeria should earmark more resources to secure its western borders. Meanwhile it hosted a meeting of the countries bordering Libya, which ended in no deal as conferences on Libya multiply.

International observers consider that Algeria is too busy handling its domestic unrest issues and economic red lights making any mediation in Libya a burden that it cant afford to carry.

Arguably Tebbounes greater challenge is the resurrection of the Algerian economy, a task not aided by low oil prices. His Prime Minister, Abdelaziz Djerad, has described the health of the economy as delicate, noting that public debt has risen from 26% of GDP to 45% in the past two years, according to an analysis by Bobby Ghosh on Bloomberg.

Djerad may be right that all this is the disastrous legacy of Bouteflika, but undoing the damage will be doubly difficult as oil prices remain stubbornly low.

Hydrocarbon revenues of $30 billion in the first 11 months of 2019 represented a 14.5% drop from the same period a year earlier. Foreign exchange reserves fell by $10.6 billion in the last nine months. Deep cuts in spending are unlikely: Djerad cant touch subsidies for foodstuffs, fuel and medicine to avoid social unrest for fear of setting off another spasm of protests.
MEXICO CITY  The gruesome murders this month of a woman and a girl in Mexico have shocked the nation, triggering a groundswell of outrage punctuated by near-daily street protests, unbridled fury on social media and growing demands for incisive government action against gender-based violence.

The woman, Ingrid Escamilla, 25, was stabbed, skinned and disemboweled, and the girl, Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett, 7, was abducted from school, her body later found wrapped in a plastic bag. The outcry over their deaths is forcing a reckoning in a country that has long wrestled with violence against women, analysts and activists say.

It is also amounting to a major leadership test for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador  and critics, who have called his response at turns anemic, insensitive and condescending, say he is falling far short.

Xochitl Rodriguez, a member of Feminasty, a feminist activist collective, said she has been deeply disappointed by the response of Mr. Lopez Obrador, who campaigned as a transformative figure who would defend marginalized populations.
In 2019, we ran a piece about why American men dont take paternity leave, even when its on offer to them. While 90 percent of fathers take some time off after their children are born, the majority of them take less than 10 days away from the job. Nathaniel Popper, an NYT Parenting contributor, said one reason is that new dads fear they might be stigmatized by their employers and miss out on future opportunities.

Another reason: Theyre not taking leave because its not fully paid.

According to a white paper from the Boston College Center for Work & Family, men who were given parental leave at their full salaries took a lot more of it. The study, which was not published in a peer-reviewed journal, surveyed more than 1,200 employees from four different companies that allowed parents of all genders to take between six and 16 weeks of fully paid leave after welcoming a new child into their families. Its worth noting that this sample is not nationally representative: Almost all of these workers are college educated, and more than half of them make over $100,000 a year.

More than 60 percent of men surveyed took the full amount of available parental leave, and those who did not take the full amount took most of it. Men who were eligible for eight weeks of leave took an average of 7.2 weeks, while men who were eligible for 16 weeks took an average of 12.8 weeks.

Compare that with men in California, where a state policy provides paid leave for its citizens, but that leave is not fully paid. Depending on how much you earn, the payment is capped at 60 or 70 percent of ones wages for up to six weeks, with the maximum benefit topping out at $1,300 a week. While the amount of leave women took increased by five weeks after California started providing paid family leave, the amount of leave men took increased by only a few days.
One of the remaining USS Arizona crew members who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor has died.

Donald Stratton passed away at his Colorado Springs home in his sleep Saturday with his family in attendance.

The 97-year-old veteran had been in poor health since contracting pneumonia in October.

"He was a very humble, very quiet hero," said his son, Randy Stratton. He didn't want or seek the attention he received.

Stratton was one of the survivors of the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese aerial attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii. More than 1,100 crew members died on the battleship.

Nearly 2,500 Americans died as a result of the Pearl Harbor attack that prompted America's entry into World War II.

One of Donald's final wishes was that people remember Pearl Harbor and the men aboard the USS Arizona. Share their story and never forget those who gave all for our great country, a post on Stratton's Facebook page said.

Following Stratton's death, Lou Conter and Ken Potts remain the last living members of the Arizona's crew.

Stratton attended many of the annual Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremonies and was the author of the bestselling book, All the Gallant Men."

Related video: Veterans and fallen soldiers honored on the 78th anniversary of Pearl Harbor


Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion curated for you. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

BJP MLA, nephew and 5 others accused of raping a woman, forcing abortion

A woman has accused seven people, including sitting BJP MLA from Bhadohi, Ravindranath Tripathi, his nephew Sandip Tripathi and their five family members, of raping her repeatedly between 2016 and 2017.

Uttar Pradesh student threatened to blow up school if not paid ransom, booked

A class 10th student of a school in Uttar Pradeshs Bareilly was detained on Tuesday for allegedly threatening to blow up his school if he was not paid Rs 2 lakh as ransom.

IIT Kanpur to help UP forest department in wildlife conservation

The forest department in Uttar Pradesh is set to undertake a project to conserve wildlife and strengthen their habitat. Helping them in the endeavor will be the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K).

2020 Hyundai Creta SUV to launch on March 17, interior details out

The company had unveiled in India, at Auto Expo 2020. But the interiors of the SUV was not disclosed at the event, leaving enthusiasts waiting longer for a full picture.

Ex-Amazon employee says he turns off Alexa in his private moments

A former Amazon employee has made a startling revelation on user privacy. He said he switches off Alexa speakers at home when he wants to have a private moment.

A surgical error became a silver lining for this blast survivor

Dr. Malvika Iyers story is of courage, endurance, and determination. She was only 13-year-old when a gruesome bomb blew her arms off. Undeterred by the tragedy, she, however, showed the strength to become a PhD scholar and an international motivational speaker.

Femina Beauty Awards 2020: Katrina Kaif stuns in white, Adah Sharma fails to impress

Anushka Sharma, Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Ananya Panday, Alaya F, Kartik Aaryan, Rakul Preet Singh, Adah Sharma put their most fashionable foot forward (mostly) at the Femina Beauty Awards 2020 on Tuesday night.

India vs New Zealand: Virat Kohlis team on the cusp of huge record ahead of Wellington Test

Apart from a victory in the 1968 series, Indias first tour of New Zealand, the team has lost four matches and drawn two over the years. But this team under Kohli will look to change that.
Canadas economic strength has historically been powered by our abundant natural resources. But the global economy is changing and the value of these commodities is in decline. Todays economy is increasingly fuelled by intangibles like data, intellectual property and computing-power.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Canada is not yet equipped to compete in this new reality. We need to undertake fundamental change if we want to maintain the strength of our economy and protect the digital rights of citizens. There is no time to wait.

Here is a wish list of five digitally driven assets that Canada needs in order to fully compete, protect, and thrive in this century  a blueprint for a Canadian digital economy.

A National Digital Identity Program: Over the past several decades, countries like Estonia and India have been deploying national digital identities to better serve their citizens, protect individual rights in a digital age, and increasingly grow their economies. Canada should explore appointing a minister who is held accountable to deliver on a national digital identity program.

Digital Rights for the Digital Age: Canada recently formed a National Digital Charter, which is a great first step, but that is just one of the many steps needed. To better serve our people, I believe our privacy and copyright laws should be re-examined, and basic internet access needs to be equally available throughout Canada.

Basic Connectivity for Canadians: For every dollar we invest in roads or bridges, we should invest an equivalent amount in basic internet connectivity for all Canadians. We should ensure our citizens can actively participate in all the benefits this new digital economy offers. Otherwise, we risk having too many segments of the population cut-off from modern economic development.

Machine-Enabled Infrastructure: Machines move data faster than humans ever will. Yet, we continue to move information via fax machines and humans. To increase economic productivity, Canada needs a national digital exchange platform in order to move data securely and swiftly across and between sectors. Such an exchange would dramatically increase our ability to share and analyze data, driving better and faster solutions. This would produce significant benefits to not only business but also to the health care and government sectors.

Increased Computing-Power: We need to consider increasing investments in 5G, in supercomputing and other upcoming computing infrastructures. If we dont, we risk putting our global competitiveness on the line.

These suggestions are a starting point and can serve as the draft blueprint for the Canadian digital economy. Canada is making progress in some of these areas, but we need to continue to work with technological advancements to better support our economy and serve our citizens. We should look to countries such as Estonia, Denmark, Malta, South Korea and other smaller economies that continue to accelerate their production in a world increasingly dominated by a new digital economic model.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 04:39:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JUBA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The UN humanitarian agency on Tuesday condemned the brutal killing of an aid worker in South Sudan's Pibor County.

"I strongly condemn the killing of aid workers and ask that those responsible for this act be brought to justice," Matthew Hollingworth, humanitarian coordinator ad interim in South Sudan, said in a statement issued in Juba.

He called on the government, all parties and communities to step up efforts to protect humanitarians who are working tirelessly to provide much-needed assistance and improve the lives of people living in isolated areas.

Pibor County was heavily affected by the 2019 floods emergency and has recorded severe humanitarian needs over the past years.

According to the UN, at least 116 aid workers have been killed since the start of the conflict in December 2013. Most have been South Sudanese nationals.
Food delivery company Waitr plans to layoff some 490 drivers in Alabama as the company makes the move to contract workers.

The Louisiana-based company filed a federal WARN Act notice that it plans to layoff a total of 2,300 delivery drivers effective April 8, with most being in Waitrs home state. Waitr drivers are currently hourly employees.

Amy Behne, Waitrs vice president of human resources, said in a Feb. 3 letter to Louisiana officials that the layoffs are happening to company drivers in all markets nationwide.

It is anticipated that this will be a permanent layoff, Behne wrote. There are no bumping rights to other jobs or locations.

Company spokesperson Dean Turcol said drivers will have the opportunity to stay on the job but only as independent contractors.

Waits currently serves about 700 small-to-mid-sized cities across the U.S., including Birmingham, Hoover, Huntsville, Montgomery, and Mobile, as well as Auburn University and the University of Alabama.
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Many customer experience initiatives struggle to create business impacts, such as improving customer retention, innovation, cost efficiencies, sales, and the like (see here, here and here). To address this when business objectives are urgent, a slimmed-down approach to improving the customer experience is emerging organicallyoften spurred by resourceful managers who run customer communities, advocacy programs, advisory boards and the like.

2020 Summit on Customer Engagement Bill Lee

"These 'customer experience agile' initiatives are improving CX where improvement is needed most, while achieving significant business impacts relatively quickly," says Bill Lee, author of several Harvard Business Review publications on the subject.

Lee will announce the "CX Agile" approach and provide supporting case studies in his opening keynote on March 3 at the 2020 Summit on Customer Engagement (March 2-4, in Burlingame, CA). He will also lead a deeper dive discussion on the emerging CX Agile at the invitation-only Advanced Practices Pre-Summit Workshop on March 2. "We'll have some of the top practitioners in the world for that one," says Lee.

"When addressing a major business objective for which the firm isn't getting traction," says Lee, "one of the best things you can do is ask, 'Can our customers help with this?' That question is opening up a lot of creativity."

Major C-Suite Issues Addressed By Engaged Customers

Customer Retention

After considering an expensive marketing campaign to reverse a serious decline in customer retention, SAS Canada's customer advocacy manager persuaded leadership that defecting customers were more likely to listen to other (successful) SAS customers. The manager's team recruited more than 300 SAS "Customer Champions" to form 13 executive committees that established and ran regular, live events in more than 20 major cities. The events drew 2,000 customers and prospects per year, and the Champions stayed in touch with attendees afterward via online forums and a newsletter that grew to 5,000 subscribers. Business Impact: Retention rates were fully restored.

"Companies are similarly engaging their customers to address a wide variety of C-Suite objectivesand are often surprised at the enthusiasm of their co-creating customers," says Lee.

Innovation

3M engaged "lead user" customers to try and improve on disappointing innovation results in its Medical-Surgical Division. The lead user innovations created 8x the projected 5 yr. revenue (average of $146M vs. $18M) and 2x the market share (68% vs. 33%) as the innovations from the internal team.

Market Awareness

When its rebranding initiative began to falter over disagreements on critical customer issues, BMC's rebranding team (including the CMO) engaged the firm's top customer advocates, who brought confidence, clarity, and acceptance of the new brand both by customers and the market.

Cost Reduction

Facing a serious threat from free, crowdsourced software Linux, Microsoft successfully engaged its customer community to take support requests, diverting them from its expensive support center. The community would eventually achieve savings of $100s of millions in support costs as well as a net increase in customer satisfaction.

C-Suite Objective: SALES WINS

Salesforce discovered, quite by surprise, that 80% of the prospects who attended its early live events would become customers. The driving factor was the ability of prospects to have transparent conversations with existing customers. These early events laid the foundation for the firm's sales generator par excellence: Dreamforcewith its heavy emphasis on creating conversations between customers and prospects.

"At this point we have some three dozen CX Agile examples and case studies," says Lee. "These are filling a major need for C-Suites who understand quite well the importance of competing on the customer experience but have urgent business objectives that need solutions quickly. We're going to provide specific, evidence-based guidance to enlist customers for such needs."

About Bill Lee

Bill Lee is the Founder of the Center for Customer Engagement. Many of the top B2B firms in the world such as ADP, Adobe, Amazon, CA Technologies, HubSpot, Finastra, LinkedIn, Oracle, Rackspace, Red Hat, SAS and dozens of others participate in its educational offerings, consume its research and/or use its advisory services.

Bill's passion is helping firms to build high-mutual-value, long-term relationships with today's connected customers. He's the author of 20 publications with Harvard Business Review including his book, The Hidden Wealth of Customers."

His Summit on Customer Engagement, now in its 16th year, is the longest-running, most respected educational conference in the world for customer engagement professionals.

"Bill has built one of the most interesting communities of customer-focused pros I've seen. His annual Summit on Customer Engagement is fantastic."

Don Peppers, Founder of the CRM movement

"It's probably the most educational and inspirational conference among those that I attend on a yearly basis," Martin Haering, CMO, Finastra

MEDIA CONTACT:

Bill Lee

214.907.5600

[email protected]

SOURCE 2020 Summit on Customer Engagement
A new version of Kate's polka dot dress is now available to buy. (Getty Images)

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Back in May 2019, the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out in a blue polka dot dress and weve been lusting after it ever since.

The royal style icon wore the dress, from designer Alessandra Rich, to visit the Bletchley Park D-Day Exhibition, which marked the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Though the dress doesnt come cheap - 1,570 to be precise - it still sold out pretty sharpish after its regal outing, and set our sights firmly back on the dotty trend as a viable fashion choice.

Now, almost a year on, the polka-dot midi dress has returned to luxury shopping website Net-A-Porter, but its had a bit of a makeover.

The Duchess of Cambridge at Bletchley Park on May 14, 2019. (Getty Images)

Rather than the blue version we saw on the Duchess of Cambridge, this latest version is a demure black hue and features fringing detail on the collar.

Part of the '80s-themed Spring '20 collection on the website, the dress is cut from silk crepe de chine with puffy sleeves and has a sequin-embellished collar and cuffs.

Its the perfect party dress, as well as brilliant for the office, and can be dressed up with heels for a wedding or glamorous event too.

However, not everyone (us included) can stretch the budget enough to add this gorgeous piece to their shopping cart so weve found five alternatives that pick up on the polka dot vibe but not the price tag.

5 polka dot dresses to channel Kate Middleton

Contrast Collar Self Belted Polka Dot Shirt Dress | 13.49 from Sheln

Bubble Crepe Polka Dot Dress | 45 from Joe Browns

Ensor Navy Polka Dot Shirt Dress | 180 from LK Bennett

Polka Dot Relaxed Midi Dress | 29.50 from Marks & Spencer

Kendall Dress | 119 from Baukjen

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HOLYOKE  Work to convert a residential property at 11 Yale St. into a group home for people in recovery is set to resume after a state agency on Tuesday rescinded a cease-and-desist order.

Officials with the state Department of Labor Standards issued the order Friday, saying the contractor failed to follow state laws regarding the safe removal of lead and asbestos.

The contractor and a spokeswoman for the Mental Health Association, the nonprofit converting the house into a 16-bed treatment facility, each said on Tuesday the shutdown order was the result of miscommunication and misunderstanding.

Officials with the state agency, which is part of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, did not return calls for comment.

But Kim Lee, vice president of resource development and branding for MHA, forwarded a photo to The Republican showing what she described as a Labor Standards official pulling down the cease-and-desist orders from the side of the Yale Street property.

Lee said electrical workers have already resumed work inside and other contractors are due back as soon as Wednesday.

A photo submitted by Kim Lee of MHA shows an official with the state Department of Labor Standards removing a shut-down order from the Yale Street property, clearing the way for work to resume.

Contractor Michael Pietras, of Engineering & Land Solutions Inc., said he contacted the Labor Standards inspector who issued the order and they were able to resolve the issue over the phone.

According to state regulations, Massachusetts requires contractors follow precise steps in projects involving the removal, demolition, renovation or any other activity involving asbestos-containing material  or waste material that has the potential to result in a condition of air pollution.

Asbestos is a known carcinogen, but it was commonly used in construction through the 1970s. If it is not handled properly, microscopic fibers can be released into the air and inhaled. Exposure can lead to lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Pietras said the misunderstanding involved the scope of the work being done at the Yale Street property. None of it involves the removal or disturbance of any materials that potentially contain asbestos, he said.

Asbestos is typically found around pipes, in floor tiles and in window sashes, he said. But workers at Yale Street are not working on any pipes and have not torn up any tile floors, he said. They have removed wood flooring on the third floor, he said.

A subcontractor is scheduled to replace window sashes later but has already taken steps to follow state regulations, Pietras said.

Contractors have not done any extensive demolition inside the house, Pietras said, and much of the work to this point involves the installation of framing for new walls and doorways.

Massachusett law requires the removal or control of lead paint in houses with children under 6. Lead paint was commonly used in houses prior to 1978. But Pietras said the requirement is not applicable because 14 Yale St. will not be occupied by any children.

The renovation is expected to be completed by April, Lee said, and the facility should open as a residential treatment facility by the end of that month.

Pietras said that when the cease-and-desist order was issued on Friday, he had to call up his subcontractors to tell them the work was on hold. He said he was spending Tuesday calling them to let them know things were back on. He said he does not expect everyone to be back at work until early next week, but he does not expect that will cause them to miss their projected completion date.

The property is a 1919 Tudor-style single-family home in the citys Highlands neighborhood. MHA purchased the property last April. The group home will be one of three such facilities that the Springfield-based nonprofit will operate for the state.

MHA and the city of Holyoke entered into a 10-year agreement in July where the agency will pay the city $8,000 per year in lieu of taxes.

The project has not been without controversy.

Four abutters to the project in January filed suit in Massachusetts Land Court seeking to overturn the Holyoke Zoning Board of Appeals vote that allowed use of 11 Yale St. as a group home. Also, a group called Citizens for Holyoke has been vocal in its opposition to the project.
Maharashtras Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar Wednesday announced a financial assistance of 23 crore for the conservation and the development of the Shivneri fort, the birthplace Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, founder of the Maratha Empire.

The announcement came on the occasion of Shivajis 390th birth anniversary.

Pawar, who is also the finance minister of the state, said that the proposal prepared by various departments including the Archaeological Survey of India, Public Works Department, Forest Department, local district administration will be given the nod with immediate effect.

We are holding a high level committee meeting in the evening to sanction the proposal. We will ensure that the fort is restored to its original historical form of the Shivaji era with the help of experts in the field, he said.

The conservation plan will include a museum at the foot of the fort, restoration and beautification of the fort, among other plans. Pawar said that the state government is also planning a state-of-the-art museum at the foot of the fort.

I have directed the collector of Pune to present a detiled plan for the conservation of the fort including the museum at the entrance of the fort, he said.

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Ajit Pawar had visited Shivneri fort at Junnar in Pune on Wednesday morning and participated in the cradle ceremony at the fort and reviewed development work at the site.

In the first cabinet meeting of the three-party Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi on November 28, Uddhav Thackerays government had announced 20 crore for the conservation and development of the Raigad fort which was Shivajis capital in the 17th century.
Lacy Atkins / The Chronicle 2019

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, recently unveiled his plan to convert PG&E from an investor-owned utility to a ward of the state. Those paying close attention quickly noticed that Wieners plan bears striking similarities to another well-known publicly owned utility, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) in New York. Similar to LIPA, Wieners bill creates a Finance Authority to issue bonds, and two public entities to operate the utility.

LIPA started in the late 1980s as a state agency serving Long Island and the Rockaways portion of Queens. It had problems from the outset and, despite earnest attempts to fix them, they kept getting worse. By the mid-2000s, LIPA customers rates were the highest in New York state by 22% (and were some of the highest in the country). Management attempted to cut costs by limiting maintenance and reducing the workforce, which did not help. In 2013, the state tried to take over by enacting legislation to stabilize rates, and improve service and accountability. But they were not successful, and the New York Comptroller subsequently issued a report outlining these failures.
The RBI governor said that the coronavirus outbreak appears to be larger than SARS and this time China's share in world GDP and world trade is much higher.

New Delhi: The coronavirus outbreak will have a limited impact on India but the global GDP and trade will definitely get affected due to the large size of the Chinese economy, RBI governor Shaktikanta Das has said.

Only a couple of sectors in India are likely to see some disruptions but alternatives are being explored to overcome those issues, he said.

The deadly virus has brought a large part of the world's second-largest economy China to a standstill and its impact has been felt across industries.

India's pharmaceutical and electronic manufacturing sectors are dependent on China for inputs and they may be impacted, Das told PTI in an interview here.

"It is definitely an issue which needs to be closely monitored by every policymaker whether in India or any other country. Every policymaker, every monetary authority needs to keep a very close watch. So coronavirus issue needs to be closely watched," he said.

A similar problem, perhaps on a lower scale, occurred last time during the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, he said adding that the Chinese economy had slowed down by about 1 percent during that time.

At the time of SARS outbreak, China was the sixth-largest economy and accounted for only 4.2 percent of the world's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). While, the Asian giant is now the world's second-largest economy, accounting for 16.3 percent of the global GDP, therefore, any slowdown in the Chinese economy would impact the global economy.

The RBI governor said that the coronavirus outbreak appears to be larger than SARS and this time China's share in world GDP and world trade is much higher.

"So, the coronavirus will definitely have an impact on the global GDP and global trade," he said adding that every major economy today will have to be very careful and must monitor the situation closely.

For India, China is an important trading partner and policymakers both in the government and the monetary authority "are very watchful of the developments that are taking place," he said.

If the Chinese authorities are able to contain the problem, the impact on the global economy and on India will be minimised, Das said.

On the impact on India, he said the pharmaceutical sector is sourcing raw materials from China.

"Most of the large pharma companies, according to information that we have, always keep stock for three-four months. So, therefore, they should be able to manage and also those provinces from where these pharma intermediates are sourced have not been impacted by the virus outbreak. Therefore, there is an expectation that the supply of pharma raw materials will be maintained," he said.

The other areas where India is dependent on China are mobile handsets, TV sets and certain other electronic products. "There again it is important that our manufacturers are able to develop alternative places of sourcing these raw materials."

"So, I think there is evidence that already our manufacturers are discussing with other countries in the Asian region. So, if they are able to quickly access raw materials from these other countries, then to that extent the problem on our manufacturing will be contained," he said.

He noted that the critical thing to be watched and monitored now is how quickly Chinese authorities are able to contain the problem. For India, he said, the important aspect is manufacturer should be able to quickly develop alternative sources.

India exports iron ore to China and it could be impacted, he said. "But in economics, something negative in one place always works positive elsewhere. So if your iron ore exports are impacted, then perhaps the raw material supply to our local domestic steel manufacturers will be at reduced costs. So their cost of production may go down."

Das said coronavirus is a big human tragedy and the focus has to be on containing this menace.

China's GDP has risen dramatically since SARS outbreak in 2003. In 2002, China contributed 23 percent to the world GDP growth, in 2019 China contributed an estimated 38 percent of world growth.

The 11 Chinese provinces have announced an extended holiday period.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the coronavirus epidemic in China crossed the 2,000-mark on Wednesday with the death of 136 more people, while the overall confirmed cases climbed to 74,185, authorities said.
(Natural News) Over the past few days, over 40 inches of snow have fallen on the province of Gilan, which sits in the northern regions of Iran, hugging the Caspian sea and bordering Azerbaijan to the northwest. The unprecedented snowstorm has been so difficult that cars, homes, people and herds of animals have been buried deep in a thick layer of snow.

In other rural regions of Gilan, many farmers woke up to the sight of a heavy layer of snow burying their herds of sheep. Videos captured show people working tirelessly together to free the poor, trapped animals. Luckily, according to the people who took the videos, all the sheep seem to have survived.

However, this extreme snowstorm is expected to continue and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other farmers in the province of over 2.5 million people who now not only have to worry about feeding their animals, but also providing them with adequate shelter from the harsh elements. (Related: Dramatic cold spell sweeping across half the USA is already causing catastrophic food crop failures.)

Damage caused by snowstorm exacerbated by incompetency

The snowstorms currently engulfing Iran have been going on for at least a week now, with some relatively lighter snowfall occurring all over Iran since the beginning of the year. In the province of Gilan alone, at least eight people have already been killed by the terrible weather, with another 145 people injured and as many as 80 still missing. The snowstorm has reportedly hit 50 of Gilans 52 major towns and cities. The heavy snowfall has blocked many roads and over 250,000 people in the region have been left freezing without power as electricity, water and natural gas supplies all across northern Iran have been cut off in response to the dramatic weather.

Apparently, weather stations and government broadcasts have been warning the region of the impending snowstorm. However, many Iranians were distrustful of the state media apparatus, with some believing that the government in Tehran merely did not want to have people traveling all over the country to keep many city streets clear. Similarly, many local government units did not respond to the warnings and did not undertake any necessary preventative measures that could have prepared their citizens and could have prevented deaths and injuries due to the snowstorm. Iranians have taken to social media to complain about how their local crisis management officials did not take the warnings issued by other government ministries seriously.

In the capital of Gilan, Rasht, a city of over 700,000 people, the snowstorm has left over 100,000 homes and small businesses not just without power, but also without any access to telephone or mobile communications.

According to Irans Minister of Energy, this may be one of the heaviest snowstorms that Iran has ever experienced. The heavy snowfall began as the country ended its celebration of the Iranian Revolution, which culminated in the overthrow of the Shah and the downfall of the Imperial State of Iran on February 11, 1979.

The snowstorms have also hit other parts of Iran and the whole region in the Middle East, with other parts of the western portion of Iran, with heavy snows falling on everywhere from the northern province of Ardabil to down south near the Persian Gulf in the Khuzestan province. The snow has even shut down schools and delayed flights in the countrys capital city of Tehran, located southeast of Gilan.

Sources include:

TasnimNews.com

StrangeSounds.org 1

IranDataPortal.Syr.edu

AccuWeather.com

StrangeSoudns.org 2

GulfNews.com
I love Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She has done more in her first year in Congress to transform politics, to get young people involved, than any freshman member of Congress that I can remember, Sanders (I-Vt.) told CNNs Anderson Cooper. But my view is that Medicare-for-all, the bill that we wrote, is in a sense already a compromise. It is a four-year transition period.
For the second time in as many years, Apple has had to temper its sales outlook because of unexpected shifts in China.

First, a trade war with the US and now the coronavirus outbreak have called into question China's role as a reliable market and supply chain partner for the world's most valuable maker of consumer electronics.

The coronavirus that has stifled China's meticulously orchestrated production and logistics has hit both Apple's supply and demand - factories are resuming work more slowly than expected, the company announced, and most of its 42 stores in the country lie dormant. This illustrates how heavily exposed its business is to disruptions in the world's most populous country.

A fall in sales within China is likely to be the most immediate impact this quarter, while widespread production bottlenecks risk hurting global iPhone revenue in subsequent months.

Amid its coronavirus troubles, Apple has been preparing to launch a new low-cost iPhone at around $400 (370), Bloomberg News has reported.

The model is still on track to launch in March, though the plans are still fluid, according to people familiar with the matter. Apple has also been preparing updated iPad Pro models with a new camera system for the first half of 2020, and the virus may yet impose delays or constraints on those plans.

On joining the company in the late 1990s, CEO Tim Cook transformed Apple's supply chain into the efficient juggernaut that has been the long-time envy of the industry. Products are manufactured in China with the help of low-cost, but skilled, labour and shipped around the world in days, relying on Taiwan's Foxconn to run on-the-ground operations and China's investment in transport to ensure logistics.

Apple has also garnered enough goodwill with the Chinese government to gain access to its market that is unmatched among US tech heavyweights. It has indicated that its overall business is still strong, saying that it remained on track revenue-wise in regions outside of China for both products and services.

Bloomberg
But many of the people who cause problems are likely the ones who could benefit from a long-term city partnership with a mental health service provider.
New Air Force dress code makes it easier for Muslim, Sikh airmen to live out their faith

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The U.S. Air Force has created a more efficient process to ensure that Sikh and Muslim Airmen are allowed to wear sacred garments and grow out hair in accordance with their faiths.

The Air Forces dress code was updated last week to provide an approval process for Sikh and Muslim service members to receive religious accommodations, allowing them to wear turbans, hijabs, beards and other items of religious expression.

Under the new guidelines, Airmen can request a waiver permitting them to wear neat and conservative religious apparel. The Air Force defines neat and conservative as discreet, tidy, and not dissonant or showy in style, size, design, brightness, or color.

The new guidelines provide a concrete process for approval and as well as a timeline for requests to be processed. Under the Air Forces previous policy, accommodations would be granted in a slower case-by-case process.

Under the new guidelines, a final review for the accommodation must take place within 30 days for cases arising within the U.S. and 60 days for all other cases.

According to the policy, there are strict limitations on exception for exigent circumstances.

Exceptions to policy of dress and personal appearance for religious accommodation will be approved when accommodation would not adversely affect mission accomplishment , the policy reads.

However, the policy explains that accommodation may be denied in cases when the religious accommodation would adversely affect mission accomplishment. Accommodations may only be denied when the military policy, practice or duty furthers a compelling governmental interest and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.

The change to the Air Forces dress code was celebrated by religious freedom advocates as well as Muslim and Sikh rights groups.

We support these new guidelines as a step toward religious accommodation and inclusion for military personnel of all faiths, Ibrahim Hooper, the national communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement. Thousands of American Muslims and members of other minority faiths serve in our nations military and should be able to practice their faith while serving.

The Air Forces new policy follows in line with the U.S. Army, which has also altered its rules in recent years to allow for the religious accommodation.

Airman 1st Class Gurchetan Singh became the first Sikh American to secure a religious accommodation to serve in the Air National Guard, according to the Sikh Coalition. Sing was born in India and came to the U.S. in 2012 after his father was granted asylum in 1984.

No Sikh American should have to choose between their religious beliefs and their career ambitions, Sikh Coalition attorney Giselle Klapper said in a statement.

Sikhs have served honorably and capably in the U.S. Armed Forces and other militaries around the world, and while we are eager for a blanket proclamation that all observant Sikh Americans can serve in every branch of the military without seeking accommodations, this policy clarification is a great step forward towards ensuring equality of opportunity and religious freedom in the Air Force.

In 2014, the Pentagon relaxed rules on religious headwear, beards, piercings, and tattoos with a religious significance in an effort to better accommodate religious beliefs on a case-by-case basis.

In November 2018, the U.S. Army altered its policy to lay out a more efficient process for which service members can request religious accommodations. Then-Army Secretary Mark Esper, the current secretary of defense, signed two memos laying out the process to soldiers to wear religious symbols.

The Air Forces new guidelines were also praised by the Becket Fund, a religious liberty legal nonprofit that often defends Christian clients in religious freedom cases.

This is critical progress for religious servicemembers who simply ask that their religious freedom be respected as they bravely serve our country, tweeted Becket Senior Counsel Eric Baxter.

Becket teamed up with the Sikh Coalition to represent Capt. Simratpal Simmer Singh, a decorated Army captain who filed a lawsuit in his quest for an accommodation to wear a beard and turban.

Singhs case helped pressure the army to issue the new regulations in January 2017, stating that soldiers will not be forced to give up their turbans, beards or unshorn hair.
On Thursday 27 February, five schools from Co. Kildare will participate in an EU debate to solve the climate crisis.

These schools are St Farnan's Post Primary School in Prosperous representing the Netherlands; St Mary's

College in Naas representing Germany; Cross and Passion College from Kilcullen representing Bulgaria; Ardscoil Rathangan representing Ireland and Maynooth Post Primary School representing Cyprus.

The event will provide young people from across the country an opportunity to engage deeply with the defining political issue of our era from a variety of different national perspectives.

In addition to discussing the social and economic implications of increased emissions reduction targets, participants will debate the support mechanisms required to ensure that the green transition is managed in a just and equitable fashion.

The European Green Deal is Europe's new growth strategy. It is the green thread that will run through all our policies  from transport to taxation, from food to farming, from industry to infrastructure. With our Green Deal we want to invest in clean energy and extend emission trading, but we will also boost the circular economy and preserve Europes

biodiversity.

The Model Council of the European Union debate for secondary schools will take place at the Printworks Building in Dublin Castle on 27 February and will be broadcast subsequently on Oireachtas TV.
OTTAWA - An Alberta woman sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting her husband and setting her home on fire will get a new trial.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Supreme Court of Canada is seen, on January 16, 2020 in Ottawa. An Alberta woman sentenced to life in prison for killing her husband and setting her home on fire will get a new trial. The Supreme Court of Canada today allowed an appeal for Deborah Doonanco. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - An Alberta woman sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting her husband and setting her home on fire will get a new trial.

Deborah Doonanco was found guilty in November 2016 of second-degree murder, arson and interfering with human remains. Kevin Feland's body was found in Doonanco's home in Glendon, northeast of Edmonton, in 2014.

She appealed her conviction to the Alberta Court of Appeal, which dismissed it. However, a dissenting opinion by one of the three judges gave Doonanco an automatic leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

That appeal was granted by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

"We are all of the view that the appeal must be allowed and a new trial ordered on all counts," said Justice Michael Moldaver as he read the unanimous decision.

Doonanco's lawyer, Brian Beresh, was in Ottawa for the hearing.

"They decided that Ms. Doonanco's trial was unfair in a number of aspects, were very critical of how the case was prosecuted and decided the only just result would be a new trial," Beresh said in a phone interview with The Canadian Press.

"They were very critical of the majority of the Court of Appeal in its analysis."

Doonanco's convictions came after the shooting death of her domestic partner. Court documents say their relationship was characterized by verbal, physical and sexual abuse.

On May 24, 2014, Feland fired a rifle in the direction of Doonanco's bedroom before leaving the house to obtain crack cocaine, the documents say. He returned 40 minutes later and Doonanco later confronted him about his behaviour and told him he was no longer welcome in her house.

The documents say he responded with a verbal threat and reached for a gun on a nearby table, but Doonanco grabbed the gun first and shot Feland twice in the chest.

After the shooting, she set a fire close to his body and left the house to call 911.

Defence lawyers put forward the theory of battered women syndrome at the trial, but noted that the Crown failed to produce an expert report it had on the issue.

"They hid and suppressed a very important report, which the Criminal Code requires be disclosed whether it's ever going to be used or not," said Beresh. "The reasons given for that suppression ... were very superficial and simply did not satisfy the (Supreme) court.

"They were very extremely concerned ... as to why this occurred and what was the motive behind it."

Doonanco has been out on bail pending the decision.

"She's elated that finally justice has met what she's always expected of it," said Beresh. "The court decided that there were some rules of fairness which simply were not followed here and that that's what causes miscarriages of justice, which we have to avoid.

"So I think it's a great day for justice."

No date for the new trial has been set.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2020

 By Colette Derworiz in Edmonton
While fear memoryor the ability to remember contexts in which to be afraidis important for survival, too much of it, and an inability to forget contexts that no longer apply, hinders daily activities. Recently, scientists from Japan found that a certain opioid drug can help mask some fear memory without causing undesirable side effects. This could make new therapies possible for anxiety disorders like phobias or PTSD.

Anxiety disorders such as phobias and PTSD are fairly common problems in society. One of the prime causes of anxiety disorders is the inability to overcome the fear for certain contexts when they no longer apply. Attempts to facilitate this process of overcoming fear, therefore, has been the focus of recent efforts to treat anxiety disorders. These efforts have culminated in the discovery that certain opioid compounds, called delta opioid receptor (DOP) agonists, assist in masking fear memory. Consequently, DOP agonists have been at the center of clinical explorations in this area over the last decade.

In the thick of such clinical explorations, scientists from the Tokyo University of Science and the University of Tsukuba, Japan, led by Professor Akiyoshi Saitoh, first discovered the depression- and anxiety-relieving effects of DOP agonists. Subsequently, in a new study published in Neuropharmacology in 2019, they explored the potential of these agonists to help in the fear memory masking process.

We looked at the effects of DOP agonists on anxiety and fear memory, which have not been sufficiently studied so far." Professor Akiyoshi Saitoh, Tokyo University of Science

Prof Saitoh and team applied the "fear conditioning test" to mice in their laboratory. On day 1 of their experiment, they placed the mice in conditioning chambers and inflicted footshock on them at regular intervals. This was designed to induce fear for the chamber in the mice, who would henceforth associate the chamber with painful footshocks. On day 2, the mice were given either saline ("control" group), KNT-127, or SNC80 (both DOP agonists) and released into the conditioning chamber once again. They were not given any more footshocks. On day 3, they were given no drugs or saline but re-exposed to the conditioning chamber, to test their fear memory--or whether they remembered to be afraid. When mice are afraid, they freeze. On day 2, the mice on both drugs showed significantly less "freezing" behavior. On day 3, the mice on KNT-127 showed reduced freezing behavior, but those on SNC80 did not.

The scientists also examined the effects of these drugs on the activities of enzymes and pathways in the brain that are known to drive the masking of fear memory. They found that KNT-127 increased the levels of "phosphorylated" (or activated) molecules of an enzyme called ERK, which is involved in the ability to overcome fear conditioning in certain parts of the brain.

Taken together, these results suggest that although both KNT-127 and SNC80 reduce conditioned fear, only KNT-127 helps suppress contextual fear memory. Further, KNT-127 performs this role by increasing the levels of phosphorylated ERK in certain parts of the brain. So, both drugs reduce anxiety in the case of conditioned fear but do so via different pathways in the brain.

These observations and inferences are based on mice in a laboratory, but they clearly suggest new therapeutic possibilities for people. Prof Saitoh and Dr. Yamada say, "the fear conditioning test used in this study is also a model of PTSD. PTSD is a psychiatric disorder in which the memory (trauma) of anxiety and fear once experienced cannot be forgotten and thus impairs daily life, causing problems like insomnia and withdrawal. At present, the widely prescribed medication for PTSD takes several weeks to have therapeutic effects and is not satisfactory. There are also no potential breakthrough therapies for such disorders. Our study shows that DOP agonists, when used in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy, can enhance the efficacy of treatment for anxiety disorders. It offers hope for the realization of a safe and effective new mode of therapy for PTSD and other related psychiatric disorders."
A toddler who died in a childcare minibus had been waved off by his devastated family that morning, as insiders reveal the catalogue of failings at the centre of the tragedy.

The three-year-old boy was found dead after being abandoned in a Goodstart Early Learning daycare bus parked outside a primary school in northern Queensland on Tuesday.

Mystery surrounds why the tragedy took place, after the daycare company insisted they had strict safety procedures.

But sources close to the centre told Daily Mail Australia staff were 'ever-changing' and that the 'run down' centre had 'no consistency'.

It is also understood that protocol, which dictates a child must be signed in and out of the bus, may not have been followed - leaving the toddler to swelter for up to six hours.

Among a catalogue of potentially fatal errors, insiders said:

Children are supposed to be strictly checked in and out of the minibus

checked in and out of the minibus The minibus is understaffed with just one carer, who is also the driver

carer, who is also the driver If the child does not arrive at daycare, family should be immediately contacted

contacted Head checks are supposed to be done every 30 minutes, as well as eating records

Yard checks must also be undertaken to ensure every youngster is accounted for

The toddler was found in the daycare minibus (pictured) outside a primary school in Edmonton, Queensland, on Tuesday

The boy was found in a bus outside Hambledon State School, just 1.7km from his daycare, Goodstart Early Learning, in Edmonton (pictured)

Head checks are supposed to be done every 30 minutes, with records taken of what youngsters eat and drink, which would have alerted staff that the toddler was missing.

It is not known if these procedures were not followed, but the young boy was eventually found by the 'distraught' driver at 3.15pm - having been picked up from his home at 9.15am.

This means the defenceless toddler could have been trapped in the bus for up to six hours, as temperatures in the area reached 34C.

Such blistering heat can quickly turn a stationary vehicle into a death trap.

His family are believed to be Aboriginal, and are being supported by Indigenous family liaison officers.

The driver was said to be in such a 'distraught' state that he was taken to hospital suffering from shock, and has not yet been able to speak to police.

It it understood tragedy struck when the little boy was left alone in the bus outside Hambledon State School in Edmonton after older children were dropped off.

But police insisted on Tuesday afternoon that the investigation was in its early stages, and that they didn't know if the boy had been in the bus all day.

Previous incidents at Goodstart Early Learning A similar incident took place on the Gold Coast in 2018, when a little girl was left in the back of a bus. The toddler, Violet, was abandoned by staff for more than an hour as temperatures soared to 30C. Luckily, she was found in time and rushed to hospital with dehydration. She had been left on a bus outside Goodstart Early Learning in Parkwood. Advertisement

A source explained the toddler was often picked up by the bus in the mornings, alongside other daycare children and young school students, and should have been monitored.

'The little boy was supposed to be at care all day,' the source said.

'He uses the bus service. The childcare also does before and after school care, hence it was at the school.

'It appears after morning pick up and school run he was forgotten until the afternoon run.'

The centre was closed on Wednesday following the tragedy, with an ominous sign in its car park reading 'do not leave babies and children in parked cars'.

The Goodstart Early Learning centre in Edmonton (pictured) was closed on Wednesday following the tragedy

A sign outside Goodstart Early Learning (pictured) in Edmonton advises staff and visitors to not leave children in parked cars

An insider explained that, as per procedure, the toddler should have been signed into the bus and then signed off again when he was safely at daycare.

If he was then not seen at daycare, it would be correct protocol for carers to contact his family and check his whereabouts.

'A lot of procedure seems to not be followed,' they explained.

'It's there for a reason. And if just one of those policies and procedures above had been followed, would it be different?

'The centre is closed today, and that one already has a bad name. How would anyone want to leave their baby there now little own let them get on a bus?'

The five-room centre, which usually has around 12 members of staff, can cater for 70 children.

But it is understood that the centre wasn't full at the time of the tragedy.

It comes as Julia Davison, the CEO of Goodstart Early Learning, admitted on Sunrise her team 'don't know what happened'.

Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the child's death (pictured) outside a primary school in Queensland

'All of our 15,000 educators are devastated and shocked,' she said.

'It is every familys worst nightmare that something might happen to their child and it is every educators worst nightmare something might happen to a child in their care.'

The source added that ongoing staffing changes at the centre made it less safe.

'When the new Childs World Centres opened, it was a lot of competition and they lost a lot of families and staff, as you do,' they said.

'The staff that stayed were ever changing, new educators in the room all the time and no consistency.

Julia Davison, CEO of Goodstart Early Learning, called the incident 'every parent's worst nightmare' (pictured) on Sunrise

'And as you know, that's never good for little kids being left.

'It's also a bit run down. When there's a new educator all the time, it's not nice to leave your babies there.'

The centre's CEO, Ms Davison, said that it would now stop both its morning pickup and afternoon drop-off services,

'We don't know what happened, all we know is that something went badly wrong yesterday,' she said.

'We have decided that with effect from today, we will cease our pickup and drop-off service. That has been a very difficult decision for us to make.

Emergency services were called to the scene on Tuesday afternoon (pictured) after the boy's body was found

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'We are going to see cease temporarily and we know that without our pickup and drop-off service, many children are not able to access high-quality early learning.

'But we feel that we need to just pause for a few days whilst we think about whether there are other things we can do to improve the safety of our transfers.

'We usually had lots of procedures and processes in and training in place anyway, but we want to look at what we can do to strengthen that. And we will no doubt have learnings from the investigation, but at this stage we don't know what happened yesterday.'

She insisted the centre 'always have an adequate number of staff on the bus', and that there was a procedure for checking children off the list.

The incident is being investigated by police.

Children are seen arriving at Hambledon State School (pictured) on Wednesday, hours after the toddler was found dead nearby

'It's early days and a number of factors could be at play here and we'll investigate all possibilities,' Detective Inspector Jason Smith told Nine.

'The death of any child is an awful thing which is why it's so important for us to get to the bottom of this.'

In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, Ms Davison said: 'Goodstart Early Learning sends its deepest condolences to the family of a small boy who died in our care in Cairns yesterday.

Hambledon State School wrote on social media that it was postponing a scheduled parents' meeting following the tragedy (pictured) outside its gates

'It is a great responsibility to care for a child and each day tens of thousands of families entrust their precious children to us. It is not a responsibility we take lightly.

'While we dont yet understand the circumstances of yesterdays tragedy, we will of course do everything in our power to assist the authorities with their investigation.

'On behalf of every Goodstart centre across Australia and our 15,000 team members I want to extend our deepest condolences to the family who have suffered such a tragic loss.

'We will of course offer them all possible assistance.'

The company is providing counselling for staff and families.
Luis Martinez-Lemus (right) discusses research findings with Lauren Park (left) and Jaume Padilla at the University of Missouri's Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center. Credit: University of Missouri

First be a human, then be a scientist.

As social beliefs and values change over time, scientists have struggled with effectively communicating the facts of their research with the public. Now, a team of researchers from the University of Missouri and the University of Colorado believe scientists can gain trust with their audience by showing their human side. The researchers say it can be as simple as using "I" and first-person narratives to help establish a personal connection with the audience.

The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE, one of the world's leading peer-reviewed journals focused on science and medicine.

Traditionally, scientists might not always consider the audience evaluating them when sharing the facts of their research, said SiSi Hu, a graduate instructor and research assistant in the Missouri School of Journalism and corresponding author on the study.

"Most of the time the public understands what the scientist is presenting to them, but each person understands in their own way," Hu said. "Therefore, there needs to be a sense of mutual understandingthe scientist must trust the audience as much as the audience trusts the scientist with his or her message."

After completing a literature review of perceived authenticity, the team did not find any appropriate measures relating to science communication. Therefore, based on existing literature, they created a theory of perceived authenticity in science communicationa scientist is someone with their own belief system beyond institutional affiliations, and their messaging reflects those values.

Study participants tested the theory by completing a 19-question survey on authenticity. Survey questions were based on a description of published plant science research and a group of randomly assigned narrative messages attempting to explain that research. The group of messages included a story drawn from the real-life experiences of J. Chris Pires of how he became interested in plant science. Pires is a Curators Distinguished Professor in the Division of Biological Sciences in the MU College of Arts and Science, and an investigator in the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center.

Researchers found that if a scientist shares the story of the development of the origin of his or her interest in the subject through a first-person narrativewithout use of institutional affiliationspeople are more inclined to perceive him or her as authentic. Additionally, if a scientist only uses a first-person narrative, people are more inclined to perceive a scientist as authentic based on a feeling of connection.

The team also found the narrative qualities of perceived authenticity align closely with existing literature on benevolence and integrity, two personality traits that can help an audience build trust with the person delivering the message.

"We hope our findings will provide some wisdom, guidance and tools that scientists can use to enhance their communication of their researchthat is also accessible and will be trusted by the public," said Lise Saffran, director of the Master of Public Health program at the MU School of Health Professions, and lead author on the study. "People want to know the person talking to them is a human being with their own values and point of view, and that the message they share reflects those values."

The study, "Constructing and influencing perceived authenticity in science communication: Experimenting with narrative," was published in PLOS ONE.

More information: Lise Saffran et al, Constructing and influencing perceived authenticity in science communication: Experimenting with narrative, PLOS ONE (2020). Journal information: PLoS ONE Lise Saffran et al, Constructing and influencing perceived authenticity in science communication: Experimenting with narrative,(2020). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226711
A Washington woman and her teenage daughter are suspected of drugging a new mother after posing as photographers in an elaborate plot to kidnap the mother's newborn baby, authorities say.

Detectives for the Pierce County Sheriff's Department believe the woman wanted to steal a baby to raise as her own, The News Tribune of Tacoma, Washington, reported Saturday.

On Friday, Pierce County sheriffs deputies arrested a 38-year-old who they say goes by several names, including Juliette Parker, and her 16-year-old daughter on suspicion of attempted kidnapping and assault.

The investigation began Feb. 5 after a new mom called 911 and told dispatchers she believed shed been drugged. The victim reported she was vomiting, feeling numb, drowsy and unstable on her feet.

After receiving medical treatment, the mom filed a police report saying Parker drugged her after posing as a baby photographer, the newspaper reported.

Shes terrified but physically shes OK, sheriffs spokesman Ed Troyer said.

TODAY, product courtesy of merchant site

The two women met on a newborn baby Facebook group.

The suspect advertised free baby photos as a way to bolster her portfolio and save new moms money on newborn portraits, Troyer said.

The suspect came to the victims home three times to photograph her 5-week-old daughter and was seen taking selfies with the baby and wiping her fingerprints off items she touched, Troyer said.

During the third visit, police say the suspect and her teenage daughter gave the victim a cupcake.

The victim felt drowsy after eating it and told the two to leave her home.

Immediately after the woman and her daughter left, the victim noticed her house keys were gone.

Deputies bought the victim new locks and window guards and installed them in her home while investigating the attempted kidnapping, the sheriff's office said. A patrol car was also placed outside her house.

Investigators have identified additional victims, and said evidence suggests the woman was was planning to steal a newborn baby to raise as her own, the Sheriffs Department said.

Story continues

The sheriff's department said the woman in the past posed as a photographer under the names Juliette Parker, Juliette Noel or Juliette Gaines, and asked that anyone who had interacted with the woman call them.

Meanwhile, The Gazette of Colorado Springs reported that a Juliette Parker, who appeared to be the same woman arrested in Pierce County, ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Colorado Springs last year.

Parker, running as an advocate for the homeless and affordable housing, came in a distant second in April 2019 with 10,718 votes in a four-way race for Colorado Springs mayor, The Gazette reported.
A phone call can change your life. Well, little did Sharon Choi, the translator of Oscar-winning movie Parasite thought that one such phone-call will change things for her. Sharon Choi, Bong Joon Hos translator and has had some victorious months.

From attending the Cannes Film Festival with Bong to being on the center stage for making history as the first South Korean film to take home the Palme dOr, Choi's grin was infectious.

After series of awards, the awards-season ended on another high note when she took the center stage at the Dolby Theater as Bong received Oscars for Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, Best Director, and Best Picture.

"My eyes are still puffy from the tearful goodbyes that punctuated a historic night, one that ended with six Oscar trophies but surprisingly no karaoke. That night was already far gone for sleep, so I mindlessly went to the beach hoping to watch the sun come up  as if the cosmic win of Parasite could make the sun rise from the west.", wrote Sharon Choi, in an essay, summing up her feelings of being associated to a film that is on a spree of making history.



AFP

The film made history and proved that people behind the camera are equally heroic in making history. From Cannes to Oscars, Choi's journey of hopping in and off with Bong to various festivals and award ceremonies made her respect and adore him and the film Parasite.

The translator and also an aspiring filmmaker wrote a first-person essay, which has been published on Variety, which she describes her journey of being a part of one of the most successful films in the history of world cinema. Read an excerpt here:



"The rest of my year is all on YouTube. Truth is, there is no time to reminisce when youre interpreting. Its all about the moment that exists now, and I have to wipe away each memory to make room for the next. I had to rely on the films Id watched my whole life to soothe my insomnia, to maintain my grasp on Eastern and Western cultures, and on the clarity of director Bongs articulate words. My job was made easy by his consideration, and it helped that I was already familiar with his language as a filmmaker and a thinker, having written college papers about him. Yet I was constantly battling impostor syndrome and anxiety that I might misrepresent the words of someone so beloved in front of people Id grown up admiring. The only cures for stage fright were ten-second meditations backstage, and knowing that I was not who they were seeing. There is no medium I love more than cinema, but I constantly had to tell myself something I overheard a French publicist shout to her stressed peers: Its just cinema!



Summing up her future plan after soaking in the sun, the glory of success and all the validation, she now wants to get back to her another dream-of making a film. She concluded her essay by writing,

"Itll just be me and my laptop for a while, and the only translating job I have now is between myself and the language of cinema."


Appointment

19 February 2020

Now fully settled into its role as the only full-service, luxury hotel serving the Texas Medical Center, the InterContinental Houston - Medical Center has made a key hire as its opening team transitions to permanent staff. New to the sophisticated, 354-room property, which formally debuted in March 2019, is General Manger Jorge Landa.

Responsible for daily operations of the AAA Four Diamond hotel featuring 18,000 square feet of premier meeting and event space, stylish chef-driven Safina restaurant and The Naturalist lounge, plus rooftop pool, Landa brings more than three decades of international hospitality management experience to his position - the past nine spent with InterContinental Hotels & Resorts as a two-time General Manager of the Year Award recipient.

Prior to relocating to Houston, Landa was an Area General Manager based in Cleveland, where he oversaw a portfolio of three hotels all inside the Cleveland Clinic campus and totaling more than 700 rooms including the InterContinental Hotel Cleveland, the InterContinental Suites Hotel Cleveland and the Holiday Inn Cleveland Clinic. Before that, he served as the General Manager of 792 rooms InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile.

Over the course of his career, Landa's career has taken him to luxury hotels spanning the country and the globe from Dallas and New Orleans to St. Kitts, Quito, Curacao, Maracaibo and Aruba.
Vietnam partook last week in the UNSCs meeting on the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue

This is the second time that Vietnam has become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC). What are the differences in Vietnams priorities in this membership tenure compared to the previous one in 2008-2009?

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung

Over the past decade, the international community has been united in the pursuit of peace, co-operation, and development. However, burning issues remain today, such as the Iranian nuclear issue, the Korean peninsula, and contradictions in the South Asian region. Moreover, there have been challenges such as terrorism, trans-national crime, and unilateral actions which are challenging the role of the UN and international law, as well as peace and stability in several regions.

The prime target of Vietnam joining the UNSC remains unchanged. It is to protect the countrys benefits and enable the country to boost international co-operation, building up a stable and peaceful international climate that can facilitate Vietnam to develop further. If we perform this role well while keeping in mind other nations interests, Vietnams bilateral relations with nations and partners will also be able to further develop, with Vietnams status and prestige being increasingly pushed forward in the international arena. In the new 2020-2021 UNSC membership tenure, Vietnam has determined specific priorities.

Firstly, we will heighten multilateralism and the role and the effectiveness of the UNSC in maintaining international peace and security, and promote dialogue and reduced tensions, while seeking solutions for conflicts in line with international law and the UN Charter. Vietnam will promote co-operation and mutual support between the UNSC and regional and sub-regional organisations, including the ASEAN, in maintaining peace and stability in the region and also the wider world. Vietnam will also foster efforts on post-conflict reconstruction, especially overcoming the aftermath of landmines and unexploded ordnance, contributing to creating a safe environment promoting sustainable socio-economic development.

Furthermore, we will also boost issues regarding humanitarianism and the protection of children, civilians, and key infrastructure, while strengthening womens role in conflict. This is aimed at fostering sustainable peace and development.

Vietnam has concluded its key role as UNSC chair. What were the countrys achievements and benefits?

January was a special month. Normally, non-permanent member nations of the UNSC perform their membership for several months before they can undertake the councils chairmanship. However, Vietnam acted as chair in the very first month of joining. Vietnam reaped numerous successes in the role.

First, we have made practical contributions to the councils activities by promoting solutions considered by the UNSC in line with the UNSC Charter and international law. This has reaffirmed Vietnams foreign policy of peace and independence, and being a responsible member of the international community, contributing to enhancing the nations international prestige. During our meetings with UN leaders, nations, and international organisations, they highly appreciated Vietnams active role and major contributions.

Second, we performed our role as UNSC chair actively, positively, responsibly, objectively, and transparently in formulating a working agenda with other member states and relevant nations, monitoring meetings, and conducting negotiations on adopting UNSC documents. Vietnam has demonstrated its ability to monitor council activities smoothly and professionally. We have also attached importance to seeking consultancy from member states, stakeholders, and non-UNSC countries, especially those from the ASEAN and wider Asia. Vietnam has also had good relations with the media via providing intensive information about UNSC activities.

Third, last month, we succeeded in organising key events such as an open ministerial discussion on the 75th anniversary of the UNs establishment, and a meeting on co-operation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organisations in maintaining international peace and security, with the ASEANs role highlighted. The meeting manifested the close link between Vietnams role as UNSC non-permanent member for 2020-2021 and its role as ASEAN chair this year.

As the year takes shape, we still see many conflicts continue in Africa and the Middle East, among others. How has Vietnam demonstrated its role in settling these issues at the UNSC?

In January, the UNSC organised nearly 30 meetings and considered 12 issues. Most of the agenda focused on issues for Africa and the Middle East, with the UNSC organising a periodical open discussion on the peace progress of the Middle East region, considering the situation in Mali and Libya, and looking at operations of UN missions in West Africa and Lebanon.

The UNSC also adopted three resolutions on extending cross-border humanitarian assistance in Syria, extending the operations of the UN mission in Yemen, and extending measures on a weapons embargo in the Central African Republic.

Vietnam contributed to solving these issues through its role as chair objectively and transparently. It chaired meetings skilfully in order to dispel disagreements and foster consensus among nations.

Vietnam closely monitored developments and sought consultancy from nations via various channels such as embassies and the Vietnamese Delegation in the UN.

Based on consultancy and its own policy and principles, Vietnam could advance suitable solutions and proposals to partners  which were highly valued by other nations for being practical and responsible contributions.

What will be the role of the UNSC in the time to come, as regional and global situations are forecast to become more complicated, and what will Vietnam do to continue enhancing its international status as a major contributor?

The UNSC is a global multilateral body maintaining international peace and security. Thus, with regional and global conflicts reaching higher levels of complexity, the UNSC will have move with higher alacrity and drive.

On one hand, it is likely that the council may face some difficulties in dealing with issues involving big conflicts of interest, especially for permanent member states. On the other hand, the UNSC remains effective in advancing solutions to many issues related to peace and security, and more besides.

In addition, amid the trend of increasing co-operation among UNSC non-permanent nations including Vietnam, we do hope that there will be more contributions and solutions from these nations to the councils activities.

Vietnam has numerous favourable conditions to perform this task, because 192 UN member nations had cast votes in favour of Vietnam  this shows the world highly values Vietnams ability and policies, which are in line with the common view of the international community.

In the time to come, Vietnam will continue implementing its foreign policy of independence and self-reliance, being an active and responsible member of the international community, and showing responsibility in contributing to solving issues regarding international peace and security.

Another factor of great importance is that Vietnam reinforces principles of international law such as respect for national autonomy and sovereignty, peaceful resolution of all disputes, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

Vietnams message when joining the UNSC was is for it to be a partnership for sustainable peace. Thus, the country will further increase relations with partners and seek consultancy from nations to solve all issues. These principles fit the international communitys goals and agenda.
The first coronavirus affected patient of India undergoing treatment at Thrissur Medical College has been tested negative, told hospital administration.

The medical board of the College is slated to meet tomorrow to decide on matters pertaining to Coronavirus and will also consider the discharge of the patient.

Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja held a high-level meeting at Thrissur Medical College on January 31 after one positive case of coronavirus was detected in the state.She had said that the patient who tested positive for coronavirus is stable.

"The patient who had returned from China's Wuhan and had tested positive for coronavirus is stable. She may be shifted to Thrissur Medical College from Thrissur general hospital today," Shailaja had said.

The novel coronavirus disease, dubbed COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO), was first detected in Wuhan, China's Hubei Province, in late December 2019 and has since spread to more than 20 other countries.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
If you ever wanted to own property at the Jersey Shore, now you can  but not just any property. A whole island.

Theres a 19-acre private island for sale that costs less than some condos at the shore.

For $200,000, No Mans Island  just north of West Wildwood  can be yours. The completely undeveloped piece of land is located in the Grassy Sound in Middle Township between the mainland and the barrier island of the Wildwoods.

A video tour of the island, taken by boat and drone and posted online by its owner, shows an untouched, marshy oasis in the middle of the bay, just south of the North Wildwood bridge.

You know sitting on your own island and watching people go by, its just the most relaxing feeling in the world, said owner Omer Fahim.

Fahim, who describes himself as a land investor from Queens, New York, has owned the property since 2017.

"I was on an MLS listing site (Multiple Listing Service) Zillow, and I was just browsing through one day and I came across this island. And then, you know, I just knew I had to have it, Fahim said.

The views are amazing, he said, Its just gorgeous

The island has been up for sale for seven months but just recently interest has been picking up, he said.

If you love it, why sell it?

"Because I want to buy a mountain next," said Fahim. "I just want to really experience every type of land there is in the world."

And how does a little island in the middle of the bay end up on the market in the first place? Tai Menz said he put it there. Menz, a real estate agent with Coastline Realty, was the owner who sold it to Fahim. Tax records show Fahim bought it for $7,000.

Menz said his grandfather, Robert Menz of Cape May, bought the land and a few other islands just like it the Grassy Sound likely in the 40s or 50s, when the elder Menz was a teen.

He bought it with, I think, two other people and they ran a duck hunting business out there, Tai Menz told NJ Advance Media this week. He and his two brothers Albert and Franklin Menz were big duck hunters and bay men  hunting, fishing, clamming.

Robert Menz's duck hunting business card. (photo courtesy of Tai Menz)

Duck hunting was just one of the Menz familys business ventures. Robert Menz, who died in 2012, owned and operated the Marquis de Lafayette Hotel, the Top of the Marq and the Gold Whale Restaurants in Cape May, and for more than three decades the Menz family has operated the Inn of Cape May and Aleatheas Restaurant, according to Robert Menzs obituary.

When Robert Menz died, he left No Mans Island to his family. Tai Menz said the duck hunting business went by the wayside and rather than continue to maintain the land with posted signs to keep trespassers away, he opted to sell it. But he never expected anyone to buy it or even consider building on it.

I was hoping when I put it on (the market) the state would pick it up to preserve it.

No Man's Island in Middle Township, Cape May County is up for sale for $200,000. The land is located in the Grassy Sound in Middle Township between the mainland and the barrier island of North Wildwood. (photo courtesy of Omer Fahim)

Menz said a few islands in the sound are still in his grandfathers name. Tax records show two that are just about 14 acres each, and one thats only about a half an acre.

Menz said No Mans Island is completely under water during most high tides  which is what happened to another parcel his grandfather owned. That piece of land, located east of the land thats up for sale, used to be about the length of two cars, Menz said. Now, its barely a tuft of grass poking above the water.

Another island in Robert Menz name thats further to the north and identified as Anglesea Island was the best one for hunting, Tai Menz said. However, when a jug handle was constructed to connect Route 147 with Ocean Drive leading into Stone Harbor, it made hunting there too dangerous for anyone driving by.

Menz said his hope is that the land eventually becomes protected and reverts back to public use.

However, the real estate listing describes the island as having the potential to be built upon.

Though just 3 feet above water and lower in certain areas, the island can be raised with proper permits, allowing for a multitude of development scenarios, the listing says. "The island also features very low taxes, at less than $360 a year.

Middle Township and state Department of Environmental officials dont make it sound so easy, though. Kayt Keating, assistant zoning officer and land use administrator for Middle Township, said that approval from the DEP is the first step.

The privately-owned island located in Grassy Sound and to the west of North Wildwood is a highly environmentally-sensitive property, a spokesperson from the DEP said.

According to the DEP, the entire island is mapped as coastal wetlands and any development at the site would require a coastal wetlands permit, waterfront development permit and a tidelands instrument at the minimum. A threatened and endangered species review would also have to be conducted.

In addition to the permits and reviews, another stumbling block would be the sewer service. DEP said that sewer generating structures could not be built on the island because it is not in the sewer service area.

But even if it is approved, Middle Township requires road frontage in order to build, said Keating. Since the only way to get to the island is by boat, any approval would require many variances.

Jessica Beym contributed to this report.

Tim Hawk may be reached at thawk@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Tim on Instagram@photog_hawk and Twitter @photogthawk. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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YEREVAN.  A 16-year-old boy accused of killing a police officer in Yerevan was ruled to be sane, his defender Artur Harutyunyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

His brother also faces charges in the case.

The incident occurred when police officers noticed two persons near the entrance to Victory Park in the early morning hours last Octover. Both men fled the scene. The police officers pursued and caught them on an avenue. One of the men grabbed policemens pistol, shot at one of them, and hit the other officer of the law with the handle of this pistol.

Police officer Tigran Arakelyan, 38, died of the gunshot wound he sustained, while another police officer was injured. The two brothers who appeared to be 16 and 18 years old pleaded guilty.
The public health emergency of the novel coronavirus pneumonia exactly exposed the unhealthy mentality of certain country in handling international relations and cooperation.

The U.S. government was recently reported to have delayed a foreign aid fund it promised and announced to reduce financial support to the World Health Organization (WHO) when the world is at a critical moment in the combat against the epidemic.

Such practice further explained the role of the U.S. in international relations.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced recently on social media that Washington would offer up to $100 million to China and other countries affected by the coronavirus to combat its spread, saying "This commitment demonstrates strong U.S. leadership in response to the outbreak.

However, when asked about the implementation of the fund at a news conference held on Feb.10 in Washington, James Richardson, director of the Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources at the State Department, said the $100 million was just an upper limit.

Except for some assigned projects to help Laos, he didnt disclose further details about the fund.

Any constructive international cooperation shall be welcomed in this global public health challenge, including the assistance promised by the U.S. for Southeast Asian countries such as Laos.

However, people would question that the implementation of the assistance obviously doesnt match what Washington has promised. Whats more, the delayed aid is also not convincing enough to back the strong leadership claimed by the U.S. government.

From announcing a high-profile aid plan to being vague about concrete action, what on earth is the intention of the U.S. govement?

When this question is still confusing the world, it is followed by a 2021 budget proposal that says the White House seeks to halve U.S. funding for the WHO which is leading the fight against the coronavirus outbreak at this critical moment.

Washington explained that to offer direct aid funding to designated countries is a better way to deal with public health emergencies. However, this explanation further confused the world  if the U.S. believes direct aid is more effective, then what is it doing to make its promised $100-million aid effective?

What it has done is clear. The country was the first to announce a travel ban against China, which clearly violated the WHO's recommendation. Some U.S. politicians even took the lead in spreading conspiracy theories and used the epidemic to discredit China.

Such dark mentality and dangerous practices go against not only the U.S. claim of strong leadership, but also the bottom line of human civilization.

Its interesting that when most American health experts and citizens hope to work with the world to defeat the epidemic, Washington is politicalizing the matter and running counter to the voice of the masses.

In recent years, America, the leading country in the world, has shown decreasing enthusiasm for international cooperation and reduced support for global multilateral systems, which is the biggest concern of the international society over the countrys diplomacy. The arbitrary practices of the U.S. are constantly worsening the negative impacts on global governance, which is further indicated by the remarks and practices of the U.S. amid the current epidemic.

Countries are interconnected in todays world where one who tries to blow out others oil lamp will get his beard on fire. As a result, to strengthen cooperation remains the only right choice to cope with challenges.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by Peoples Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
Trung Nam solar and wind power renewable energy complex in Thuan Bac district, Ninh Thuan province. (Photo for illustration)



It also sets out the goal of providing stable and high-quality energy at reasonable prices for boosting rapid and sustainable socio-economic development, ensuring national defense and security, improving people's lives, and contributing to protecting ecological environment protection.



Under the resolution, the energy industry will be developed in harmony with synchronous and smart infrastructure, reaching the advanced level of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; building a competitive, transparent and efficient energy market which suits the socialist-oriented market economy institution; exploiting and effectively using domestic energy resources in combination with rational import and export of energy; completely saving and using energy economically and efficiently; proactively producing major equipment; and upgrading and building advanced and modern electricity transmission and distribution grids.

To obtain the goals, the Resolution sets out 10 groups of tasks and solutions, focusing on developing primary energy sources; quickly and sustainably developing the electricity industry to meet the requirements of national industrialization and modernization; restructuring energy-consuming industries and sectors in parallel with implementing policies on clean, economical and efficient use of energy./.
A Chinese security guard wears a protective mask as he stands on a commercial street in Beijing, China, on Feb. 18, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Exclusive: Chinese Regime Deploys 1,600 Online Trolls to Suppress Information on Coronavirus

The propaganda department in virus-stricken Hubei Province has engaged over 1,600 censors to scrub the internet of sensitive information relating to the coronavirus outbreak, according to an internal document obtained by The Epoch Times.

The internal report, dated Feb. 15, detailed the agencys efforts to ramp up censorship measures. It was drafted after a speech given by Chinese leader Xi Jinping via video link on Feb. 10 to frontline responders of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, where the virus first broke out.

The revelations come as the Chinese regime tightens information controls over the worsening outbreak, as netizens have increasingly turned to the internet to vent their frustrations about the authorities response, or document what is happening on the ground.

The illness has seen a steadily growing official list of infections and deaths on a daily basis. Experts and commentators, however, believe the actual number of infections to be far greater, due to underreporting and shortages in testing kits and hospital bedsmeaning many people are left undiagnosed.

Students studying car mechanics sit an exam in a computer room at a technical school in Jinan, in Chinas eastern Shandong province on Jan. 29, 2018. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

1,600 Trolls Deployed

According to the document, the department has hired more than 1,600 trolls, known as the 50-cent army in China, to regulate internet speech continuously, 24/7.

The trolls, through technological and manual screening, had identified as many as 606,800 posts online with sensitive or harmful information, it said.

Their approach, it said, was to timely dispel the online rumors and strike powerful blows offline.

As of Feb. 14, the online censors had deleted as many as 54,000 such rumors, and had social media influencers write nearly 400 commentary articles to shape the narrative.

The regimes propaganda efforts, the report said, should be directed toward promoting the effects of officials outbreak control measures and the moving deeds of volunteers, community workers, and the police.

Some professional internet commentators had also made 400,000 comments to counter the negative public opinions, according to the document.

Posts mourning whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang, who died of the virus he was warning about in December, quickly disappeared from the internet in the hours after the news of his passing was first announced. I want free speech, a phrase that became trending on Chinese social media following his death, was also swiftly erased.

People attend a vigil to mourn for doctor Li Wenliang in Hong Kong, China, on Feb. 7, 2020. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

Wuhan citizen journalists Fang Bin and Chen Qiushi also recently disappeared after posting regular videos online highlighting the severity of the outbreak.

As of Feb. 11, over 2,500 people had signed a joint online petition expressing anger over Lis death and criticizing the government for suppressing free speech during the outbreak. Several co-signees were subsequently summoned by local police. At least one was detained.

The department has also set up 11 work groups for the purpose of wartime propaganda work. The groups were communicating daily with propaganda officials from the central government to coordinate public opinion in real time on issues online and offline, inside the country and overseas, it stated.

Ousting Local Reporters

According to the leaked report, at least 60 reporters from 33 overseas news agencies came to Wuhan after the coronavirus outbreak began earlier this year. However, at least 47 of them agreed to leave, through the departments communication and persuasion.

As of the evening of Feb. 14, only five non-mainland outlets had reporters in Hubei.

Meanwhile, the propaganda department as of Feb. 4 has sent over 300 state-run media reporters to Hubei to promote positive media coverage.

To lead overseas media to objectively report on the outbreak information, the department has set up an international language section and have published 200 pieces on the outbreak from official channels in seven languages, the document said.

On Jan. 14, a group of reporters from at least four Hong Kong media were taken to a police station located within a hospital in Wuhan after trying to interview patients, according to local media.

The police searched their belongings and asked them to delete the videos taken around the hospital. They were only released after 1 1/2 hours of interrogation.

Censorship Overdrive

The Chinese regime has made the suppression of information about the virus a priority.

At a Feb. 3 meeting, the Chinese Communist Partys Politburo Standing Committee, the top decision-making body, called for authorities to strengthen internet and media control.

This has filtered down to local authorities cracking down on people for spreading rumors on the internet about the outbreak.

Chinese state-run media have warned people not to spread fake information about the coronavirus, lest they be in violation of Chinas Criminal Law.

A provision of that law states that anyone found fabricating and spreading false information on an epidemic, disaster, or police activity, can be sentenced to three to seven years in prison.

Washington-based nonprofit Chinese Human Rights Defenders documented 254 cases of arrests between Jan. 22 and Jan. 28, in which Chinese citizens were punished for spreading rumors relating to the virus. The forms of penalty included fines, verbal warnings, and forced confessions.

In a list of 167 cases of people punished for rumor-mongering published by U.S.-based website China Digital Times, the majority of the offenses were posts about confirmed or suspected cases in their city or neighborhood. Some included the number of deaths.

For instance, a man in Baoding City, Hebei Province, wrote on his blog: I truly believe the authorities have not revealed the true number of infected patients. I heard that in a village about 20 kilometers [12.4 miles] from ours, the number of confirmed cases was six on Jan. 26. All were sent to the hospital for quarantine. But I have not seen any official reports that included these six cases.

He received five days of administrative detention for this posting. Administrative detention refers to the arrest and detention of an individual without trial.

Click here to download the document.

Olivia Li contributed to this report.

Cathy He CHINA EDITOR Follow Cathy He is a New York-based reporter focusing on China-related topics. She previously worked as a government lawyer in Australia. She joined the Epoch Times in February 2018.
The new owner of two Wyoming coal mines has reached an agreement with Campbell County to pay millions of dollars in unpaid mineral production taxes left behind by the previous operator of the mines.

Campbell County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the payment plan with Navajo Transitional Energy Company, or NTEC. The Navajo Nation-based firm will pay over $40 million in outstanding production and property taxes accumulated by the former owner.

Wyomings county governments charge mining companies a tax for the natural resources they extract. NTEC inherited the unpaid taxes from bankrupt coal firm Cloud Peak Energy as part of a sales agreement established when it acquired the Antelope and Cordero Rojo mines on Oct. 24.

In the months leading up to its bankruptcy, Cloud Peak Energy failed to pay $8.3 million to the county in the 2018 tax year and $17.8 million in the 2019 tax year. The amount of production tax liability inherited by NTEC for coal mined between January and October of 2019 has yet to be determined, according to the agreement. But NTEC will ultimately assume responsibility for these unpaid taxes, too.

As part of the payment plan, the company agreed to pay $1 million at the time of signing the agreement. It will then pay an additional $1 million by the last day of each month throughout the rest of this year. Come 2021, any remaining taxes will be paid on a monthly basis until the end of 2026. If the company falls over 10 days behind on these payments, it will have 18 percent in interest applied to the overdue balance.

Were asking for a little bit of help, grace and leniency, so we can make those payments, Matthew Adams, senior tax council for NTEC, told commissioners Tuesday. As we know, the thermal coal market is not in the highest of times. We are much closer to a trough than we are to a peak.

The decision comes just days after NTEC reached an agreement with the state to waive its sovereign immunity.

The waiver allows state regulators to enforce environmental and mining laws at NTECs two coal mines in Wyoming. The contract also moves the company one step closer to becoming the official owner and operator of the pair of mines  some of the largest in the nation.

Late payment of production taxes has become a pressing problem for county governments in recent years. In the first half of 2019, counties faced over $32 million in mineral tax delinquencies, new data compiled by the Wyoming County Commissioners Association found. Thats on top of more than $86 million in mineral tax delinquencies at the county level since 2015.

The Wyoming Legislature is considering a bill to mandate county production tax payment on a monthly basis, as opposed to every 18 months. The bill also sets additional penalties for tardy tax payments. The legislation was introduced last week and referred to the Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee, where lawmakers planned to discuss it Wednesday.

Follow the latest on Wyomings energy industry @camillereports

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"The jokes come at you at a rapid-fire pace with little set-up and big punch lines as they mock Hollywood and the fickle nature of celebrity, but the comedy truly soars when they lovingly (and relentlessly) roast each other," a Nederlander Concerts news release says.
Russia on Wednesday warned Turkey against intervening in Syria as it blocked a UN bid to end the Damascus regime's brutal assault on the last rebel enclave. Syrian aid workers called urgently for a ceasefire and international help for nearly a million people fleeing the regime onslaught in the country's northwestern Idlib province -- the biggest wave of displaced civilians in the nine-year conflict. Turkey, supporter of some rebel groups in Idlib, has been pushing for a renewed ceasefire in talks with Russia, which backs the Syrian regime. Ankara is eager to prevent another flood of refugees into its territory adding to the 3.7 million Syrians it already hosts. The Syrian NGO Alliance said displaced people are "escaping in search of safety only to die from extreme weather conditions and lack of available resources". "We have hundreds and thousands of people who are fleeing... not just from bombardments but from lack of insulation, from the weather, a lack of heating. It feels like doomsday," Razan Saffour, of the Syrian Expatriate Medical Association, told AFP in Istanbul. The group said a total of $336 million was needed for basic food, water and shelter. Education resources were also needed for 280 million displaced school-age children. - Talks fail between Turkey, Russia - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said talks with Moscow over the past fortnight had so far failed to achieve "the desired result" and warned that Turkey would launch an offensive into Syria unless Damascus pulled its forces back by the end of the month. "An operation in Idlib is imminent.... We are counting down, we are making our final warnings," Erdogan said in a televised speech. He called for Syrian forces to retreat by the end of this month behind Turkey's military posts in Idlib, which were set up under a 2018 deal with Russia designed to hold off a regime advance. The Kremlin quickly responded to Erdogan's threat, saying that Turkey should instead act against "terrorist groups" in Idlib. "If we are talking about an operation against the legitimate authorities of the Syrian republic and armed forces of the Syrian republic this would of course be the worst scenario," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow. With Turkey moving large numbers of reinforcements into Idlib in recent weeks, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar emphasised that it was "out of the question for us to withdraw from our observation posts". "If there is any sort of attack against them, we will retaliate in kind," he told reporters in Ankara. - Russia objects to UN bid - Russia, which along with Iran backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has repeatedly vetoed UN resolutions on the conflict as it hopes for the triumph of the regime. At the United Nations, diplomats said they were unable to produce a statement on ending the fighting due to Russian objections. "We tried very hard to have a press statement calling for cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access to Idlib," said Nicolas de Riviere, the French ambassador to the United Nations. "Basically Russia said 'no', which is very painful," he told reporters. The UN envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, confirmed that no progress had been made either in several rounds of talks between Turkey and Russia held in Ankara and Moscow. "To the contrary, public statements from different quarters, Syrian and international, suggest an imminent danger of further escalation," he told the UN Security Council. Earlier this week the United Nations said the displaced were mainly women and children. It warned that babies were dying of cold because aid camps are full. The Syrian NGOs called for the warring parties to allow safe access for humanitarian groups and for a "complete ceasefire and end to human rights violations". According to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the regime offensive has killed more than 400 civilians since it began in December, adding to the toll of more than 380,000 who have died in the years of unrest. "The violence in northwest Syria is indiscriminate. Health facilities, schools, residential areas, mosques and markets have been hit," the UN head of humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, Mark Lowcock, said earlier this week. The head of the World Health Organization said Tuesday that out of nearly 550 health facilities in northwest Syria, only about half were operational. "We repeat: health facilities and health workers are not a legitimate target," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists in Geneva. Syrian troops have reconquered swathes of Idlib and retaken the key M5 highway connecting the country's four largest cities as well as the entire surroundings of Aleppo city for the first time since 2012. Oxfam said that two of the British aid group's local workers died in an attack on Wednesday elsewhere in Syria in the southern Daraa area. Syrian aid workers called urgently for a ceasefire and international help for nearly a million people fleeing the Syrian regime's onslaught in the country's northwestern Idlib province A displaced Syrian girl rides in the back of a truck on the way to Deir al-Ballut camp along the border with Turkey, which is eager to prevent another flood of refugees into its territory Map of Syria showing northwestern Idlib province where the Russian-backed regime offensive and bombardment has displaced nearly 900,000 people since December.
The Kerala Home Secretary



on Wednesday gave a clean chit to Kerala Police and DGP Loknath Behra, days after the CAG report said some rifles and cartridges were missing from the SAPB battalion here and there were irregularities in purchasing material for the department.

Additional Chief Secretary in-charge of Home, Vishwas Mehta, who was asked by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to file a report, gave a clean chit to the police force, saying it was not right to say there was a shortage of live cartridges and INSAS rifles as mentioned in the CAG report.

The CAG had found shortage of 5.56-mm INSAS rifles and 12,061 live cartridges in the Special Armed Police Battalion and had come down on the state police chief for purchasing bullet-proof vehicles for VVIP security, violating guidelines.

The Home secretary, in his report, pointed out that the Crime Branch had on February 17 done a public count of the rifles to demonstrate that none had gone missing.

"There were some lapses in keeping the record on count of the rifles. But it was not right to say that the cartridges and the rifles were missing and and there was a security threat," Mehta said.

The CAG report had said there were lapses on the part of the police department in the purchase of bulletproof vehicles and vehicle-mounted GPS communication system.

However, Mehta's report said the bulletproof vehicles cannot be purchased through open tender as, if done so, the blueprint of the vehicles would be out in public domain.

He said the CAG, which normally never mentions names,had named DGP Behra in its report, saying he has instructed police to purchase Panasonic Rugged 7 Tablet for the force.

The Home Secretary noted that "naming a particular company was a lapse" on the part of the police department,but Panasonic has 65 per cent of market.

The other two companies, with 13 per cent and 16 per cent market share, lack service centres in the country,he said.

Briefing reporters on the CAG findings,Accountant General (General and Social Sector Audit) S Sunil Raj had said that a joint verification on October 16, 2018, in the Bell-of-Arms of SAPB, along with the Assistant Commandant, revealed shortage of 25 5.56-mm INSAS rifles and 12,061 live cartridges.

Meanwhile, the Crime Branch has assigned a special team to probe the disappearance of bullets meant for the police forces.

The Home Secretary also dismissed the CAG charge of state-run Keltron floating open tenders for special orders, including traffic cameras.

The report noted that Keltron was a "total solutions provider" for many Public Sector Undertakings and the police force.

The Opposition Congress, however, rejected the report and said it seemed like the Chief Minister had dictated it to the secretary.

"It's the home secretary who approves all the purchases in the police department.

The same home secretary has given this report, whitewashing the DGP. He is trying to save the government. Crime Branch ADGP Tomin Thachankary is also trying to bat for the government.

The CAG had found that the rifles were missing.

Now Thachankary is saying that all the rifles are in place. So who where were those rifles? Who brought it back now?", Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala asked.

The LoP ed a delegation of opposition leaders to the location where construction is on for the purpose of accommodation for DGP and other senior officials.

The CAG had alleged that Behera diverted Rs 2.81 crore meant for construction of upper subordinate staff quarters for construction of villas for high-ranking officials.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Georgia Love has addressed persistent rumours she has false eyelashes, insisting they're all natural.

In a post on Instagram on Tuesday, the 31-year-old former Bachelorette maintained mascara was the secret to her dramatic eyes.

'I'm ALWAYS asked where I get my lashes done so I'm setting the record straight - I don't! I'm just obsessed with mascara!' she wrote.

They're real: Georgia Love has addressed persistent rumours she has false eyelashes, insisting they're all natural

It's not the first time Georgia has denied having false eyelashes, telling beautyheaven in November 2018 she has 'naturally long lashes'.

'I always accentuate them. A good mascara will always make me feel like I've had my face done... I would rarely leave the house without it,' she added.

And she admitted she has an interesting - albeit dangerous - way of achieving her lash look.

Secret weapon: In a post on Instagram on Tuesday, the 31-year-old former Bachelorette maintained mascara was the secret to her dramatic eyes

'I've got quite long lashes, so I put a lot of mascara on instead of ever wearing false lashes or anything, but to make sure they look nice and natural and separated, I get a safety pin or needle and separate my lashes,' she revealed.

'People are always so freaked out when I do that, they think I'm going to poke myself in the eye but I've always done it. Maybe after a couple of coffees I wouldn't do it.'

It's a trick legendary starlet Audrey Hepburn would also use to help achieve her iconic eye look, with Georgia previously admitting she's a fan of the actress.

'I'm ALWAYS asked where I get my lashes done so I'm setting the record straight - I don't! I'm just obsessed with mascara!' she wrote

And in a July 2017 interview with Who magazine, as reported by Beauty Crew, Georgia once again maintained her eyelashes were all hers.

She said people just automatically assumed they were fake because of the length.

'I focus on my eyes. I'm very lucky I have such long eyelashes... It's funny, years ago I used to get comments and now everyone just assumes they're false!' she said.
Ahead of US President Donald Trump's maiden India visit next week, an influential US Congressman on Wednesday expressed concern over the situation in Kashmir and agitations over the new citizenship law, saying the country must protect its minorities and not lose its secular democracy.

Ami Bera, Chair of House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific in the US Congress, said it was the desire of the US to see resolution of the Kashmir issue and return of normalcy in the region.

Bera, a democrat, and George Holding, the Republican co-chair of the India caucus, are on a two-day visit to India to "demonstrate" bipartisan support to India in the US Congress.

"We expressed our concerns over continued detention of political leaders in Kashmir," Bera told a group of journalists when asked whether he and Holding conveyed their concerns to Indian officials over situation in Kashmir.

"We do not want to India to lose secular democracy that is what sets it apart from countries in the region, that is what makes it such a valuable partner of the US," he said.

Bera also said he would like to take a Congressional delegation to Kashmir. "We did express our that we would like to take a delegation to Kashmir in some point of time."



The US lawmaker also hailed India's vibrant democracy where he said 800 million Hindus are living side-by-side with 200 million Muslims.

"Indian citizens are the ones that ultimately will control the outcome of where India heads to...We can offer that what we admire about India...is that it's this vibrant secular democracy and we would hate to see India lose or tarnish any of that reputation," said Bera.

On his part, Holding said economic development will bring prosperity to Kashmir, adding a stable and predictable political situation is going to attract investment into the region.

The special status of Jammu and Kashmir was withdrawn around six months back and it was bifurcated into two union territories. The government had imposed severe restrictions following the move including detaining sizeable number of political leaders.

Replying to a question on widespread protests against the new citizenship law in India, Bera said expressed concerns over it but at the same time added that the demonstrations reflected inherent strength of the democracy.

"It is important to keep lines of communications open," he said, adding India must protect its minorities.

India has witnessed massive protests against the citizenship amendment law which seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslims who came to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh facing religious persecution.

The protesters feel the law is discriminatory as citizenship will be granted based on religious identity.

Both the lawmakers also spoke about the bipartisan support to growing ties between India and the US in diverse areas including in trade and commerce, defence and strategic affairs.

Both the lawmakers hoped that India and the US will be able to seal the much anticipated trade deal.

Official sources said negotiations on the deal was not "stuck" and both sides mutually agreed "not to rush" into it, suggesting that it will not be signed during Trump's visit to India next week.

Trump, accompanied by wife Melania Trump and a high level delegation will arrive in India on February 24 for a little less than 36-hour-long trip. From Ahmedabad, he will travel to Agra before arriving at the national capital for main leg of the visit.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: Launching a scathing attack on opposition for allegedly playing 'messiahs of vandals' and siding with arsonists Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath reiterated that no trouble-maker would be spared and strictest action would be taken against them.

While responding to the Governors address in Assembly on Wednesday, Yogi said that every citizen had the right to peaceful protest but vandalism would not be tolerated and tough action would be taken in such cases.

In an oblique reference to the Popular Front of India (PFI), the CM said that the extremist organisation was backing anti-CAA protests across the nation. The complicity and connivance of PFI, which was an extension of banned Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), in funding the protests and fomenting violence were 'established' during the probe on the violence that broke out in December.

READ| Kin of Anti-CAA protest victims move court for FIR against UP police

Rebutting claim, Yogi said that none of the anti-CAA protestors was killed by the bullet of cops. He argued that they were rather killed by the bullets fired by them during the stir. Upadravi, upadravi ki goli se marey hain," (the trouble-makers died from bullet of other trouble-makers)," he explained.

"Terror funding of the PFI has been established now. Any sympathy for them means, support to the PFI and SIMI. Those who betray the nation, will have an unsung death," he said.

While attacking the Samajwadi Party leadership, CM Yogi said those, who tried to taint and tarnish the sanctity of Ayodhya by killing Kar Sewaks, were now questioning the BJP for taking action against anti- CAA vandals. He added that the Supreme Courts November 9, 2019 verdict on Ayodhya proved that firing on Kar Sewaks on October 30 and November 2, 1990 under the Mulayam Singh Yadavs regime,was unjustified.

While wrapping up his response to Governors speech, the CM tore into the Opposition by trashing their charges over crime rate and women empowerment. "Those (parties) who have been insulting the Constitution are trying to preach us the Constitution today. Better they keep off or they will be badly exposed," he warned while referring to the ruckus created by SP lawmakers by throwing paper balls and missiles at the chair and state Governor during his speech in the

house.

The CM said when the Governor spoke on 'Ram Rajya' in her address, it did not have any religious connotations. He shared data to buttress his claim that the crime rate had come down during his regime in the state.
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, we are living in the United States of Propaganda.

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HOWELL, MI -- Livingston County could be among a growing number of Michigan counties adopting resolutions to support gun rights.

The Livingston County Board of Commissioners will consider a measure at its Monday, Feb. 24 meeting to make the county a Second Amendment Sanctuary after a referral from the Public Safety and Infrastructure and Development Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

5 things to know about the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement in Michigan

If approved, the resolution says the Board of Commissioners will continue to honor our pledge to support the U.S. and Michigan constitutions, including amendments, and urges state and federal lawmakers to vigilantly preserve and protect those rights by rejecting any provision, law or regulation that may infringe, have the tendency to infringe, or place additional burden on the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms."

The committee voted 3-1 to refer the resolution to commissioners. Commissioner Gary Childs was the lone dissent. Commissioners Robert Bezotte, Carol Griffith and Dennis Dolan supported the measure.

The Sanctuary Counties movement is part of a national response to Virginias recent attempts to create stronger gun control, including red-flag legislation that would allow law enforcement to temporarily take someones firearms if a judge deemed them a danger do themselves or others.

Jackson Countys Board of Commissioners voted 6-2 to become a sanctuary county on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

Jackson becomes 2nd Amendment sanctuary county after tense 6-2 vote

MORE ON MLIVE:

Some lawmakers support making Michigan a Second Amendment sanctuary state

5 things to know about the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement in Michigan

You cannot have our guns: Group urges Jackson to be 2nd Amendment sanctuary county
Kellye Nakahara, the actress best known for her recurring role as Nurse Kellye Yamato on the hit television series M*A*S*H, died on Sunday at her home in Pasadena, Calif. She was 73.

Her son, William Wallett, said the cause was cancer.

Ms. Nakahara, who was later known as Kellye Nakahara Wallett, appeared in 167 episodes of M*A*S*H, the acclaimed sitcom set in a mobile Army hospital during the Korean War. The series ran from 1972 to 1983 on CBS.

She was originally an extra on the show. But, she said in a 2016 NPR interview, her role grew after she became friendly with the writers and crew.

I think I was in every scene, she said, because I put myself in every scene and nobody told me to get out.
European Union lawmakers have set out a first bundle of proposals for a new digital strategy for the bloc, one that's intended to drive digitalization across all industries and sectors -- and enable what Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has described as 'A Europe fit for the Digital Age'.

It could also be summed up as a "scramble for AI," with the Commission keen to rub out barriers to the pooling of massive European data sets in order to power a new generation of data-driven services as a strategy to boost regional competitiveness vs China and the U.S.

Pushing for the EU to achieve technological sovereignty is a key plank of von der Leyen's digital policy plan for the 27-Member State bloc.

Presenting the latest on her digital strategy to press in Brussels today, she said: "We want the digital transformation to power our economy and we want to find European solutions in the digital age."

The top-line proposals are:

AI

Rules for "high risk" AI systems such as in health, policing, or transport, requiring such systems are "transparent, traceable and guarantee human oversight."

A requirement that unbiased data is used to train high-risk systems so that they "perform properly, and to ensure respect of fundamental rights, in particular non-discrimination."

Consumer protection rules so authorities can "test and certify" data used by algorithms in a similar way to existing rules that allow for checks to be made on products such as cosmetics, cars or toys.

A "broad debate" on the circumstances where use of remote use of biometric identification could be justified.

A voluntary labelling scheme for lower risk AI applications.

Proposing the creation of an EU governance structure to ensure a framework for compliance with the rules and avoid fragmentation across the bloc.

Data

A regulatory framework covering data governance, access and reuse between businesses, between businesses and government, and within administrations to create incentives for data sharing, which the Commission says will establish "practical, fair and clear rules on data access and use, which comply with European values and rights such as personal data protection, consumer protection and competition rules."

A push to make public sector data more widely available by opening up "high-value datasets" to enable their reuse to foster innovation.

Support for cloud infrastructure platforms and systems to support the data reuse goals. The Commission says it will contribute to investments in European High Impact projects on European data spaces and trustworthy and energy efficient cloud infrastructures

Sectoral specific actions to build European data spaces that focus on specific areas such as industrial manufacturing, the green deal, mobility or health

Story continues

The full data strategy proposal can be found here.

While the Commission's white paper on AI "excellence and trust" is here.

Next steps will see the Commission taking feedback on the plan -- as it kicks off public consultation on both proposals.

A final draft is slated by the end of the year after which the various EU institutions will have their chance to chip into (or chip away at) the plan. So how much policy survives for the long haul remains to be seen.

Tech for good

At a press conference following von der Leyen's statement Margrethe Vestager, the Commission EVP who heads up digital policy, and Thierry Breton, commissioner for the internal market, went into some of the detail around the Commission's grand plan for "shaping Europe's digital future".

The digital policy package is meant to define how we shape Europe's digital future "in a way that serves us all", said Vestager.

The strategy aims to unlock access to "more data and good quality data" to fuel innovation and underpin better public services, she added.

The Commission's digital EVP Margrethe Vestager discussing the AI whitepaper

Collectively, the package is about embracing the possibilities AI create while managing the risks, she also said, adding that: "The point obviously is to create trust, rather than fear."

She noted that the two policy pieces being unveiled by the Commission today, on AI and data, form part of a more wide-ranging digital and industrial strategy with additional proposals still to be set out.

"The picture that will come when we have assembled the puzzle should illustrate three objectives," she said. "First that technology should world for people and not the other way round; it is first and foremost about purpose The development, the deployment, the uptake of technology must work in the same direction to make a real positive difference in our daily lives.

"Second that we want a fair and competitive economy -- a full Single Market where companies of all sizes can compete on equal terms, where the road from garage to scale up is as short as possible. But it also means an economy where the market power held by a few incumbents cannot be used to block competition. It also means an economy were consumers can take it for granted that their rights are being respected and profits are being taxed where they are made"

Thirdly, she said the Commission plan would support "an open, democratic and sustainable society".

"This means a society where citizens can control the data that they provide, where digit platforms are accountable for the contents that they feature... This is a fundamental thing -- that while we use new digital tools, use AI as a tool, that we build a society based on our fundamental rights," she added, trailing a forthcoming democracy action plan.

Digital technologies must also actively enable the green transition, said Vestager -- pointing to the Commission's pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Digital, satellite, GPS and sensor data would be crucial to this goal, she suggested.

"More than ever a green transition and digital transition goes hand in hand."

On the data package Breton said the Commission will launch a European and industrial cloud platform alliance to drive interest in building the next gen platforms he said would be needed to enable massive big data sharing across the EU -- tapping into 5G and edge computing.

"We want to mobilize up to 2BN in order to create and mobilize this alliance," he said. "In order to run this data you need to have specific platforms... Most of this data will be created locally and processed locally -- thanks to 5G critical network deployments but also locally to edge devices. By 2030 we expect on the planet to have 500BN connected devices... and of course all the devices will exchange information extremely quickly. And here of course we need to have specific mini cloud or edge devices to store this data and to interact locally with the AI applications embedded on top of this.

"And believe me the requirement for these platforms are not at all the requirements that you see on the personal b2c platform... And then we need of course security and cyber security everywhere. You need of course latencies. You need to react in terms of millisecond -- not tenths of a second. And that's a totally different infrastructure."

"We have everything in Europe to win this battle," he added. "Because no one has expertise of this battle and the foundation -- industrial base -- than us. And that's why we say that maybe the winner of tomorrow will not be the winner of today or yesterday."

Trustworthy artificial intelligence

On AI Vestager said the major point of the plan is "to build trust" -- by using a dual push to create what she called "an ecosystem of excellence" and another focused on trust.

The first piece includes a push by the Commission to stimulate funding, including in R&D and support for research such as by bolstering skills. "We need a lot of people to be able to work with AI," she noted, saying it would be essential for small and medium sized businesses to be "invited in".

On trust the plan aims to use risk to determine how much regulation is involved, with the most stringent rules being placed on what it dubs "high risk" AI systems. "That could be when AI tackles fundamental values, it could be life or death situation, any situation that could cause material or immaterial harm or expose us to discrimination," said Vestager.

To scope this the Commission approach will focus on sectors where such risks might apply -- such as energy and recruitment.

If an AI product or service is identified as posing a risk then the proposal is for an enforcement mechanism to test that the product is safe before it is put into use. These proposed "conformity assessments" for high risk AI systems include a number of obligations Vestager said are based on suggestions by the EU's High Level Expert Group on AI -- which put out a slate of AI policy recommendations last year.

The four requirements attached to this bit of the proposals are: 1) that AI systems should be trained using data that "respects European values and rules" and that a record of such data is kept; 2) that an AI system should provide "clear information to users about its purpose, its capabilities but also its limits" and that it be clear to users when they are interacting with an AI rather than a human; 3) AI systems must be "technically robust and accurate in order to be trustworthy"; and 4) they should always ensure "an appropriate level of human involvement and oversight".

Obviously there are big questions about how such broad-brush requirements will be measured and stood up (as well as actively enforced) in practice.

If an AI product or service is not identified as high risk Vestager noted there would still be regulatory requirements in play -- such as the need for developers to comply with existing EU data protection rules.

In her press statement, Commission president von der Leyen highlighted a number of examples of how AI might power a range of benefits for society -- from "better and earlier" diagnosis of diseases like cancer to helping with her parallel push for the bloc to be carbon neutral by 2050, such as by enabling precision farming and smart heating -- emphasizing that such applications rely on access to big data.

Artificial intelligence is about big data," she said. "Data, data and again data. And we all know that the more data we have the smarter our algorithms. This is a very simple equation. Therefore it is so important to have access to data that are out there. This is why we want to give our businesses but also the researchers and the public services better access to data."

"The majority of data we collect today are never ever used even once. And this is not at all sustainable," she added. "In these data we collect that are out there lies an enormous amount of precious ideas, potential innovation, untapped potential we have to unleash -- and therefore we follow the principal that in Europe we have to offer data spaces where you can not only store your data but also share with others. And therefore we want to create European data spaces where businesses, governments and researchers can not only store their data but also have access to other data they need for their innovation."

She too impressed the need for AI regulation, including to guard against the risk of biased algorithms -- saying "we want citizens to trust the new technology". "We want the application of these new technologies to deserve the trust of our citizens. This is why we are promoting a responsible, human centric approach to artificial intelligence," she added.

She said the planned restrictions on high risk AI would apply in fields such as healthcare, recruitment, transportation, policing and law enforcement -- and potentially others.

"We will be particularly careful with sectors where essential human interests and rights are at stake," she said. "Artificial intelligence must serve people. And therefore artificial intelligence must always comply with people's rights. This is why a person must always be in control of critical decisions and so called 'high risk AI' -- this is AI that potentially interferes with people's rights -- have to be tested and certified before they reach our single market."

"Today's message is that artificial intelligence is a huge opportunity in Europe, for Europe. We do have a lot but we have to unleash this potential that is out there. We want this innovation in Europe," von der Leyen added. "We want to encourage our businesses, our researchers, the innovators, the entrepreneurs, to develop artificial intelligence and we want to encourage our citizens to feel confident to use it in Europe."

Towards a rights-respecting common data space

The European Commission has been working on building what it dubs a "data economy" for several years at this point, plugging into its existing Digital Single Market strategy for boosting regional competitiveness.

Its aim is to remove barriers to the sharing of non-personal data within the single market. The Commission has previously worked on regulation to ban most data localization, as well as setting out measures to encourage the reuse of public sector data and open up access to scientific data.

Healthcare data sharing has also been in its sights, with policies to foster interoperability around electronic health records, and it's been pushing for more private sector data sharing -- both b2b and business-to-government.

"Every organisation should be able to store and process data anywhere in the European Union," it wrote in 2018. It has also called the plan a "common European data space". Aka "a seamless digital area with the scale that will enable the development of new products and services based on data".

The focus on freeing up the flow of non-personal data is intended to complement the bloc's long-standing rules on protecting personal data. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force in 2018, has reinforced EU citizens' rights around the processing of their personal information -- updating and bolstering prior data protection rules.

The Commission views GDPR as a major success story by merit of how it's exported conversations about EU digital standards to a global audience.

But it's fair to say that back home enforcement of the GDPR remains a work in progress, some 21 months in -- with many major cross-border complaints attached to how tech and adtech giants are processing people's data still sitting on the desk of the Irish Data Protection Commission where multinationals tend to locate their EU HQ as a result of favorable corporate tax arrangements.

The Commission's simultaneous push to encourage the development of AI arguably risks heaping further pressure on the GDPR -- as both private and public sectors have been quick to see model-making value locked up in citizens' data.

Already across Europe there are multiple examples of companies and/or state authorities working on building personal data-fuelled diagnostic AIs for healthcare; using machine learning for risk scoring of benefits claimants; and applying facial recognition as a security aid for law enforcement, to give three examples.

There has also been controversy fast following such developments. Including around issues such as proportionality and the question of consent to legally process people's data -- both under GDPR and in light of EU fundamental privacy rights as well as those set out in the European Convention of Human Rights.

Only this month a Dutch court ordered the state to cease use of a blackbox algorithm for assessing the fraud risk of benefits claimants on human rights grounds -- objecting to a lack of transparency around how the system functions and therefore also "insufficient" controllability.

The von der Leyen Commission, which took up its five-year mandate in December, is alive to rights concerns about how AI is being applied, even as it has made it clear it intends to supercharge the bloc's ability to leverage data and machine learning technologies -- eyeing economic gains.

Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, visiting the AI Intelligence Center in Brussels (via the EC's EbS Live AudioVisual Service)

The Commission president committed to publishing proposals to regulate AI within the first 100 days -- saying she wants a European framework to steer application to ensure powerful learning technologies are used ethically and for the public good.

But a leaked draft of the plan to regulate AI last month suggested it would step back from imposing even a temporary ban on the use of facial recognition technology -- leaning instead towards tweaks to existing rules and sector/app specific risk-assessments and requirements.

It's clear there are competing views at the top of the Commission on how much policy intervention is needed on the tech sector.

Breton has previously voiced opposition to regulating AI -- telling the EU parliament just before he was confirmed in post that he "wont be the voice of regulating AI".

While Vestager has been steady in her public backing for a framework to govern how AI is applied, talking at her hearing before the EU parliament of the importance of people's trust and Europe having its own flavor of AI that must "serve humans" and have "a purpose" .

I dont think that we can be world leaders without ethical guidelines, she said then. I think we will lose it if we just say no lets do as they do in the rest of the world  lets pool all the data from everyone, no matter where it comes from, and lets just invest all our money.

At the same time Vestager signalled a willingness to be pragmatic in the scope of the rules and how they would be devised -- emphasizing the need for speed and agreeing the Commission would need to be "very careful not to over-regulate", suggesting she'd accept a core minimum to get rules up and running.

Today's proposal steers away from more stringent AI rules -- such as a ban on facial recognition in public places. On biometric AI technologies Vestager described some existing uses as "harmless" during today's press conference -- such as unlocking a phone or for automatic border gates -- whereas she stressed the difference in terms of rights risks related to the use of remote biometric identification tech such as facial recognition.

"With this white paper the Commission is launching a debate on the specific circumstance -- if any -- which might justify the use of such technologies in public space," she said, putting some emphasis on the word 'any'.

The Commission is encouraging EU citizens to put questions about the digital strategy for Vestager to answer tomorrow, in a live Q&A at 17.45 CET on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn -- using the hashtag #DigitalEU

Do you want to know more on the EUs digital strategy?

Use #DigitalEU to share your questions and we will ask them to Margrethe Vestager this Thursday. pic.twitter.com/I90hCR6Gcz  European Commission  (@EU_Commission) February 18, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Platform liability

There is more to come from the Commission on the digital policy front -- with a Digital Services Act in the works to update pan-EU liability rules around Internet platforms.

That proposal is slated to be presented later this year and both commissioners said today that details remain to be worked out. The possibility that the Commission will propose rules to more tightly regulate online content platforms already has content farming adtech giants like Facebook cranking up their spin cycles.

During today's press conference Breton said he would always push for what he dubbed "shared governance" but he warned several times that if platforms don't agree an acceptable way forward "we will have to regulate" -- saying it's not up for European society to adapt to the platforms but for them to adapt to the EU.

"We will do this within the next eight months. It's for sure. And everybody knows the rules," he said. "Of course we're entering here into dialogues with these platforms and like with any dialogue we don't know exactly yet what will be the outcome. We may find at the end of the day a good coherent joint strategy which will fulfil our requirements... regarding the responsibilities of the platform. And by the way this is why personally when I meet with them I will always prefer a shared governance. But we have been extremely clear if it doesn't work then we will have to regulate."

Internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton
By Abdul Kerimkhanov

A small Azerbaijani girl named Nuray, who is a native of Armenian-occupied Shusha city, has made a heartfelt video about her hometown Shusha.

In a video circulated in social media, Nuray addressed the international community to help her go back to her hometown.

Speaking in English, Nuray says: I am very sad, because my mommy was crying. I asked my mommy why are you crying? She said I want my home, I want my city Shusha. But it is not possible now. 27 years ago when she was like my age, Shusha was occupied by Armenian troops. I cannot imagine how it was hard. I want [to] stop war. I want my home back. I want Karabakh."

Another Azerbaijani IDP from Shusha, Rovshana Guliyeva, who lived in this city before its occupation on 8 May 1992, called on the international community to put pressure on Armenia to leave the occupied lands of Azerbaijan. Guliyeva made her address in a video shared in the Twitter page of Head of Nagorno-Karabakhs Azerbaijani community Tural Ganjaliyev on February 15.

In her appeal to the international community, Guliyeva stressed Azerbaijani people's readiness for peaceful coexistence with the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh within the restoration of Azerbaijans territorial integrity and inviolability of its borders.

Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijans breakaway region which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. To this day, Armenia has not implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions.

---

Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
After reading Let Virginia pass good legislation to end gerrymandering in 2020, the Feb. 14 letter from Sherry Blanton, who leads the voting rights group Herndon-Reston Indivisible, I can only ask: Dont the progressive Northern Virginia activists understand that the pendulum swings? Ms. Blanton supports passage of legislation to reform redistricting in Virginia rather than the proposed constitutional amendment moving through the state legislature. It has taken decades to get to a point at which the political parties wont be able to use gerrymandering as their personal playground. Among the things the amendment would do is ensure that there wont be mid-decade redistricting if that pendulum does swing back in the next election or the one after that. The constitutional amendment will do what legislation cannot.
If you know you are seeing a play about the Bland case, you might have anticipated some of the above. But I doubt you will expect such beautiful monologues about love, and the diminishing of the soul that comes with its sudden absence. The relationship between Janelle and Brian is not only written with complexity but it takes on a kind of imperative quality that, in the theater, makes you pull for its perpetuation and fear for its loss. Many political writers struggle to dramatize romantic love; Graveyard Shift has both anger at what happens and the ability to articulate (to anyone who is listening) the profundity of the human loss. As with Sheepdog, this play would contribute greatly to officer education, if someone at the Chicago Police Department would only take that risk.
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(CNN)  The death toll from the novel coronavirus passed 2,000 on Wednesday, marking a grim milestone in the battle to contain the deadly outbreak, as countries across Asia registered an uptick in confirmed cases.

More than 74,000 people have now been infected by the virus in mainland China, with more than 1,000 other cases detected in 28 countries and regions.

On Wednesday morning, China reported an additional 136 deaths, bringing the total number of deaths there to 2,004, and the global death toll to 2,010.

There are now six deaths from Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, outside mainland China. Hong Kong reported that a second person had died in the semi-autonomous territory on Wednesday, according to local health authorities. The victim is a 70-year-old man who was diagnosed on February 14.

Though the vast majority of deaths continue to be centered in China, concern is growing over expanding outbreaks in Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong.

On Wednesday, the South Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced 15 additional cases, bringing the total number to 46  an increase of almost 50% in one day. Singapore has at least 81 cases and Japan has 68 cases and one death, not including the more than 500 cases aboard the virus-stricken cruise ship docked in the Japanese city of Yokohama.

Amid the sudden spike in numbers, Japan's health ministry has issued guidelines for people experiencing symptoms similar to the coronavirus in an effort to to prevent worried citizens from inundating hospitals by providing them with specific hotlines to call.

China praises virus response

In China, promising signs have emerged of a potential leveling off in the rate of infection. Outside of Hubei, the province at the epicenter of the outbreak, the number of new cases dropped for the 15th consecutive day, according to the country's National Health Commission.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a phone call with British Prime Minister Bros Johnson on Tuesday that China's measures to prevent and control the epidemic "are achieving visible progress," according to state news Xinhua.

Xi said, "the battle has reached a crucial time" and China had "mobilized the entire country, and adopted the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control measures," Xinhua reported.

"Thanks to those arduous efforts, the situation is witnessing positive changes," Xi said.

Headlines across Chinese state media on Wednesday morning were full of positivity, touting China's ability to get on top of the virus's spread. One commentary in Xinhua said the fight against coronavirus would "not stop China's march towards rejuvenation."

Meanwhile, Hu Xijin, editor in chief of the state media outlet Global Times, tweeted that the country was on its way to victory.

"Daily new infection cases outside Hubei fell below 100 for the first time according to data released on Tuesday. We are on the way to the victory," tweeted Hu.

But experts have warned that it is too soon to tell whether the virus is under control.

"This trend must be interpreted very cautiously. Trends can change as new populations are affected. It's too early to tell if this reported decline will continue. Every scenario is still on the table," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said during a press conference Monday.

Stringent and often draconian measures are also being ramped up in much of the country. CNN analysis found that on Chinese government orders, some 780 million people are still living under some form of restrictive movement, including all of Hubei, the northeastern province of Liaoning, and China's two most important cities, Beijing and Shanghai.

It comes as authorities make an effort to return to something like normality in many major cities and commercial hubs, with the long break forced by the outbreak taking its toll on the country's economy.

On Tuesday, Liu Zhiming, director of the Wuchang hospital in Wuhan, the city at the center of the outbreak, himself died of the virus, according to a statement released by local government authorities.

Liu was a neurosurgeon and the most senior health worker known to have died as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. His death could renew criticism that the government has not done enough to protect frontline medical workers, many of whom are overworked and overstretched.

Passengers start leaving Diamond Princess

Outside of mainland China, the worst single outbreak has been on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, under tight quarantine for two weeks in the Japanese port of Yokohama, south of Tokyo. More than 545 of the 3,600 people on board have tested positive for the virus so far. On Tuesday, 88 new cases were reported.

On Wednesday morning local time, passengers began to disembark from the ship after Japan's health ministry ended the quarantine period.

Questions have been raised, however, over the effectiveness of the isolation procedures onboard and whether disembarking passengers could pose a risk to the public as more test positive for coronavirus after leaving the ship.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a statement Tuesday criticizing the quarantine efforts taken on the Diamond Princess.

"While the quarantine potentially conferred a significant public health benefit in slowing transmission, CDC's assessment is that it may not have been sufficient to prevent transmission among individuals on the ship," the CDC said.

"CDC believes the rate of new infections on board, especially among those without symptoms, represents an ongoing risk," it continued.

All American passengers and crew will not be allowed to return to the US for at least 14 days after they leave the Diamond Princess, according to a US State Department spokesperson. There are more than 100 US citizens on board the ship or in hospitals in Japan.

Late Sunday, 328 American passengers were evacuated from the ship and are now in quarantine at two US bases. Of the 14 Americans who tested positive during final screenings, 13 are being treated at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and one patient who flew into Travis Air Force Base in Northern California, is currently under isolation at a Napa County medical center.

Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and the UK are also working to evacuated their citizens off the ship.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Xi Jinping says battle against coronavirus making "visible progress" as death toll passes 2,000"
LANSING, MI  A state commission is now looking into the circumstances around a man freezing to death inside his Tittabawassee Township mobile home.

The Michigan Public Service Commission, a division of the states Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (or LARA), has begun investigating the death of Arnoul Jaros, 62. Police have said they found Jaros emaciated and frozen body inside his 25-degree home at 9684 Mulberry Court the afternoon of Feb. 15.

Were looking into it from the regulatory side, said Matt Helms, public information officer for the Michigan Public Service Commission, adding the agency was notified of Jaros death by Consumers Energy. Utility companies general notify us of major incidents and this one would certainly qualify.

Autopsy results indicated Jaros cause of death was accidental hypothermia. Tittabawassee Police Chief Dennis Green told MLive on Wednesday that the date of Jaros death is unknown, but he last collected his mail on Jan. 18, so they estimate his death was shortly thereafter.

Green added he met with staff at the Saginaw County Prosecutors Office on Tuesday and they concluded Jaros death was not a criminal matter, thereby closing the police investigation.

The Michigan Public Service Commissions stated mission is to protect the public by ensuring safe, reliable, and accessible energy and telecommunications services at reasonable rates for Michigan's residents. It comprises three commissioners appointed by the governor to serve staggered six-year terms.

Police previously said Consumers Energy shut off Jaros electricity and gas in July. The overdue bill was paid in full on July 15, but Consumers was apparently not contacted to restore service to Jaros address within Falconview Estates, police have said.

There are limits at what we can do, Helms said. Were looking at any violations of billing rules or customer protections that are written into statute.

The investigation is in its early stages, he added.

The only things that we know about what is happening here is what Consumers Energy has told us and whats been reported in the media, he said. For whatever reason, Consumers says they did not receive a request to have services restored at the home. Thats all we know now.

A photograph of Arnoul Jaros who recently was found dead in his home. According to Consumers, his electricity has been shut off since July 2019 and Arnoul may have passed due to freezing to death. (Courtesy Karina Jaros)Courtesy Karina Jaros

We will be seeking documents from the utility company as appropriate and interviewing people involved to determine as best we can what happened in the case, he continued. Should Consumers be found at fault  and there is no early indication that they are  they could face fines, Helms said. Statutorily, that is up to $1,000, but there is some flexibility in the law and it could be higher than that.

Jaros family told police they had not had contact with him for at least two months. Police and firefighters went to Jaros house in the first place in response to a well-being check request, they have said.

Jaros sister-in-law, Karin Jaros, previously told MLive that when she entered her brothers home after his death, fluids in cups, toilet water, and dish soap were all frozen. Jaros appeared to have been eating cans of tuna fish, lunch meat and soup in the time leading up to his death; there was no other food in his house, Karin Jaros also said.

Jaros house did not have a phone line, nor did Jaros have a cellphone, police said.

Related:

Saginaw County man froze to death in home, police confirm

Man who may have frozen to death in his Freeland home never asked for help, family says

Man found inside Freeland home may have frozen to death

Facing gas or electric shutoff? Find help through these local organizations
JAKARTA, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Indonesian security forces shot dead an 18-year-old Papuan separatist during a shootout, a military spokesman said on Wednesday, though a separatist group disputed the account and said the victim was a civilian.

Remote Papua, the country's easternmost region, has been plagued by a simmering separatist conflict since the former Dutch colony was incorporated into Indonesia after a widely criticized, U.N.-backed referendum in 1969.

Eko Daryanto, a military spokesman, said in a statement the shootout erupted on Tuesday when a patrol of soldiers and police clashed with separatists.

"Not long after the shootout, the joint forces cleaned up the site and retrieved items of evidence," he said, adding the body of a separatist was found at the scene.

But Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the West Papua National Liberation Army, a separatist group, denied his members had been in the area at the time and said the victim was a civilian.

"There was no shootout ... the security forces cracked down on villages," he said.

Since coming to power in 2014, President Joko Widodo has pledged to speed up development and open up access in Papua, but in spite of a rise in investment and efforts to tackle some human rights problems, activists say abuses by the security forces persist.

This month, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) released its findings into an investigation of a five-year-old case, accusing the military of "gross human rights violations" in connection with the shooting dead of four teenagers in Papua in December 2014.

The four were killed when a protest over the alleged abuse of a child turned violent in the town of Enarotali and security forces opening fire on protesters after being attacked by the crowd.

Officials said at the time the government was striving to resolve rights issues in Papua but faced a five-decade accumulation of socio-economic and political problems.

Chief Security Minister Mahfud MD was cited by media on Wednesday as saying the government would follow-up on the findings of the report.

Amnesty International said in a 2018 report that Indonesian security forces in Papua have unlawfully killed at least 95 people in the eight years since 2010. (Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Writing by Stanley Widianto; Editing by Ed Davies and Robert Birsel)
Police wanting to raid a suspect's home must now clear significant extra hurdles in an attempt to avoid a repeat of Scotland Yard's VIP child sex abuse scandal.

In a major victory for the Daily Mail, rules have been tightened up to end the abuse of the search warrant system that led to war heroes and politicians wrongly having their homes turned upside down.

Under the new procedures  which have just been approved by law chiefs  senior officers will have to declare that detectives have assured them the reasons given for a raid are genuine.

They must also confirm that there is no evidence being hidden that would undermine the application for a warrant.

It is hoped that the added demands on authorising officers will stop any more cases of judges agreeing to unjustified searches of innocent people's homes.

The warrant overhaul is a significant victory for the Mail, which has led the way in exposing the scandal surrounding the Met's disastrous VIP paedophile inquiry, Operation Midland.

Nick Bramall with his father Lord Bramall and his mother Avril in 2000. The home of Field Marshal Lord Bramall was raided by police investigating Operation Midland

Former deputy leader of the Labour Party Tom Watson. Retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques report into Operation Midland found he had put pressure on detectives investigating the alleged paedophile ring

The inquiry was based on the testimony of 'Nick', real name Carl Beech, who claimed he was the victim of an Establishment paedophile ring.

His claims led to officers raiding the homes of D-Day hero Field Marshal Lord Bramall, the widow of former Home Secretary Leon Brittan and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor.

However, Beech was later exposed as a serial liar and jailed for 18 years for a string of offences.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has since ordered an inquiry into the Met's response to the case by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, MPs have announced an inquiry into the running of the police watchdog following its 'whitewash' inquiry, and the conduct of current Met chief Dame Cressida Dick  who sanctioned Midland  has been referred to police watchdogs.

Now the system for applying for search warrants, at the centre of the Nick scandal, is being overhauled.

Daniel Janner QC, founder and secretary of the pressure group Falsely Accused Individuals for Reform welcomed the decision to improve procedures.

The group's supporters include Sir Cliff Richard and BBC broadcaster Paul Gambaccini  whose reputations were shattered by bogus sex claims in other cases.

He said: 'This is an important development to ensure the law is tightened up so that judges are not misled by over-enthusiastic and often blinkered detectives, as was the case in Operation Midland.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has since ordered an inquiry into the Met's response to the Carl Beech (right) case that saw the homes of war heroes and politicians (including Leon Brittan, left) turned upside down

D-Day hero Field Marshal Lord Bramall was named in the inquiry based on testimony of 'Nick', real name Carl Beech, who claimed he was the victim of an Establishment paedophile ring

'Judges have a duty to interrogate the information provided to them by police and police have a duty to provide accurate details about the evidence they possess.' He said 'a man's home is his castle' which should only be intruded on by 'police in a lawful and proportionate way'.

Mr Proctor said of the search warrant crackdown: 'This is a positive development but I would call for even stricter rules. The system for making search warrant applications should be more transparent, including transcripts of what is said in court by officers seeking to raid someone's home.'

The search warrant system came under scrutiny after a devastating review into the 2.5million Midland operation, by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques, identified 43 major errors and found that the warrants had been 'obtained unlawfully'.

In a bombshell article in the Daily Mail last July, he said justice had been perverted and called for a criminal investigation into the conduct of a number of former Met officers.

Sir Richard said senior district judge Howard Riddle, who approved the search applications, had been misled because there were several factors which undermined Beech's account of abuse.

Last October, Mr Riddle said he believed he had been misled into granting the search warrants. The police watchdog cleared ex Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Rodhouse, who oversaw the debacle, of misconduct in a report branded a whitewash.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve House speaking to the media outside New Scotland Yard following the release of parts of a review into the 16-month long Operation Midland last October

But the Independent Office for Police Conduct did recommend that the process for obtaining search warrants be improved.

As a result, a little-known but powerful body called the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee has now approved important changes to the application forms.

Authorising officers will no longer simply agree: 'I have reviewed this application and I authorise the applicant to make it.'

Instead, they must now confirm that as well as having read the reasons for the raid, they 'have been assured by the applicant' that the declaration of the reasons for the warrant 'is true'.

And they must also declare 'to the best of my own knowledge, information and belief the application discloses all the information that is material  including anything that might reasonably be considered capable of undermining any of the grounds of the application'.

Further changes to the forms are expected following the 'imminent' publication of a report by the Law Commission into search warrants, so the steps agreed by the CPRC are on hold temporarily. Both the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice declined to comment.

The controversial Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is on course to cost more than 150million. Latest figures show it had cost 118.25million by last September but hearings are due to continue for the rest of the year.
The government on Wednesday approved major changes in the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) making it optional for with a view to plug loopholes in the farm insurance scheme.

Under the PMFBY, which was launched in February 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is mandatory for loanee to take insurance cover under this scheme.

Currently, 58 per cent of the total are loanee.

The Union Cabinet has approved many changes in the programme as farmers' body and states were raising some concerns, Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told reporters here.

The minister said the scheme has been made optional.

Highlighting the achievements of this scheme, Tomar said the insurance programme has covered 30 per cent of cultivable area.

The minister said insurance claims worth Rs 60,000 crore have been cleared, while Rs 13,000 crore premiums have been collected.
A TD's son has avoided prison and a criminal record after he became aggressive and spat at a garda during an "appalling incident" following a row over a taxi fare.

Student Fearghal O Snodaigh (24), the son of Sinn Fein TD Aengus O Snodaigh, pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court in November to assaulting Gda Niall Carolan.

It happened at Ballymun Garda Station last February 28.

The common assault offence can result in a conviction with a six-month sentence and a fine. Trinity College student O Snodaigh, of Naas Road, Dublin 8, also admitted obstructing Gda Carolan and using threatening, abusive and insulting words or behaviour during the drink-fuelled incident.

He had instructed his barrister, Emer Ni Chuagain, to apologise on his behalf.

O Snodaigh had also agreed to take part in a restorative justice programme through the Probation Service and to donate 500 to charity.

Judge Paula Murphy was furnished with the restorative justice report yesterday and noted it was "all positive" and that O Snodaigh had given the money to charity.

It was also confirmed that the student had not come to further attention.

Intoxicated

The judge struck out the case, sparing him a conviction and a sentence.

O Snodaigh, who was accompanied to court by his fiancee, did not address the court.

His politician father had come to court on a previous date to support him when he entered the guilty plea. O Snodaigh had no previous convictions.

Sgt Damian Beakey agreed with the defence barrister that it was unlikely he would come to garda attention again.

O Snodaigh had offered to give 500 to the charity Feileacain, which was nominated by the prosecuting officer.

Judge Ryan had said the restorative justice programme, which is aimed at first-time offenders, would give him time to reflect on his behaviour, and it was especially beneficial for cases like this.
The Associated Press

The U.N. secretary-general said Tuesday the virus outbreak that began in China poses a very dangerous situation for the world, but is not out of control.

Speaking in an interview with The Associated Press, Antonio Guterres said that the risks are enormous and we need to be prepared worldwide for that.

Guterres said his greatest worry was a spread of the virus to areas with less capacity in their health service, particularly some African countries. The World Health Organization is looking into how to help handle such a development, he added.

Egypt recently reported its first case of the virus, raising fears of its spread to the African continent.

The outbreak has infected more than 73,000 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.

China on Tuesday reported 1,886 new cases and 98 more deaths. That raised the number of deaths in mainland China to 1,868 and the total number of confirmed cases to 72,436.

Travel to and from the worst-hit central China region was associated with the initial cases of COVID-19 confirmed abroad. But Japan, Singapore and South Korea have identified new cases without clear ties to China or previously known patients, raising concern of the virus spreading locally.

A report saying the disease outbreak has caused a mild illness in most people raised optimism among global health authorities.

The war taking place around the world

The U.N. chief was in Pakistan for a conference on 40 years of refugees fleeing neighboring war-torn Afghanistan.

In his interview with the AP, Guterres said that todays world is a chaotic one beset by multiple crises.

He decried the horrors of Syrias 9-year-old civil war. U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock has warned that the most recent exodus of refugees there  nearing 900,000 people fleeing fighting in the northwest Idlib region  risks being the biggest humanitarian disaster of the 21st century.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has, however, vowed to fight rebels in the country to the bitter end. Backed by Iran and Russia, his forces are making rapid progress against the last rebel-held enclaves in northern Syria. Turkey backs opposition fighters there and has sent troops in to try to stop the Syrian advance.

Some three million Syrian civilians are sheltering in those last rebel-held areas and many of them have been forced out into make-shift shelters and camps amid harsh winter conditions.

The suffering of Syrians is horrible, Guterres said.

He called for an immediate cease-fire, urging Turkey, Russia and Iran to find a political solution.

Turning to the Libyan civil war, Guterres bemoaned the blatant violations of a U.N.-imposed arms embargo on the North African country.

Foreign powers have intervened in oil-rich Libyas conflict, apparently jockeying for control over its resources while supporting its rival U.N.-recognized government in the west and east-based government led by self-styled Gen. Khalifa Hifter, who launched an offensive in April 2019 to take the capital, Tripoli.

How many countries in Libya are interfering with the conflict and independent of an arms embargo, decided by the Security Council, they go on providing both personnel and equipment to Libya? he asked.

Hifters forces rely on military assistance from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as well as France and Russia. On the other side, Turkey, Italy and Qatar support the embattled Tripoli-based government in the countrys east.

The U.N. chief put some of the blame for the state of world affairs on the three leading powers, the United States, Russia and China, calling their relationship dysfunctional. He said it has paralyzed the U.N. Security Council.

It is clear that we live in the moment where chaos risks to transform our world in something much more unstable, he said.

The U.N. leader, however, said U.S.-Taliban peace talks presented a chance for ending one of the worlds longest-running conflicts, in Afghanistan.

We absolutely need to seize this opportunity for peace, Guterres said. Millions of Afghans are still living as refugees, he pointed out.

The second half of the peace deal between the U.S. and Taliban is expected to be signed on 29 February. It calls for Afghans on both sides of the conflict to begin negotiations over the countrys post-war future. Until now, the Taliban has refused direct talks with the Afghan government.

It is in the interest of everybody to do everything possible to guarantee that there is peace, that peace becomes a reality, that it is sustainable and that Afghanistan can be integrated into the international community, said Guterres.
At the 93rd International Selection Panel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the international jury of the non-governmental organisation honoured the two German founders and managing directors of the Nigerian solar energy company Daystar Power as High Impact Entrepreneurs. With this seal of approval and its network, Endeavor, based in New York, honors and supports entrepreneurial personalities worldwide.

The announcement of a total of 23 high-impact entrepreneurs from 11 markets took place on February 12 at the 93rd International Selection Panel (ISP) in Riyadh at the end of a long, multi-stage selection process. The two founders of Daystar Power, Christian Wessels and Jasper Graf von Hardenberg are the only selected entrepreneurs from Nigeria.

Endeavor is active in more than 35 markets and coordinates its activities from 20 offices worldwide. The aim of the NGO is to influence societies in a culturally, financially and socially sustainable way with the help of the commitment of high-impact entrepreneurs. Since Endeavor was founded in 1997, the organization has focused primarily on entrepreneurs in emerging growth markets whose companies are growing rapidly and exerting a positive influence on society.

Over the past two decades, Endeavor has screened more than 50,000 entrepreneurs in selection processes that examine their business model, social sustainability and development potential. Only about three percent of the entrepreneurs examined have so far been included in the series of high-impact entrepreneurs.

Christian Wessels and Jasper Graf von Hardenberg founded the solar energy company Daystar Power in Lagos in 2017 and have since installed more than 170 solar systems for schools, hospitals, banks, factories and other facilities in West African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Togo with a total capacity of 8 MW. This has already saved more than 800 tons of carbon dioxide. Daystar Power relies primarily on local workers and offers them above-average income as well as health insurance according to European standards and further training opportunities. Christian Wessels had already been named Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in 2012.

Christian Wessels, founder and CEO of Daystar Power, says: "A lack of electricity is the central obstacle to growth for the whole of West Africa. The chronically underserved regions here have so far been dependent on the operation of diesel generators, which is expensive, unreliable and environmentally harmful. We have set ourselves the task of equipping West Africa with sustainable solar energy, thereby creating the necessary basis for further investment. I see Endeavor's award as both a confirmation of our efforts and an incentive.

Jasper Graf von Hardenberg, founder and CEO of Daystar Power, says: We have been committed to managing the company according to leading international standards since Daystar Power was founded in 2017. These include adherence to European social standards in Africa, the advancement of women and continuous training and education of employees. Since the founding of the company, we have created more than 100 jobs at various locations in Nigeria and Ghana and the majority of our managers are women. In this way, we are already exercising a leadership role that has now been rewarded by Endeavor.

Eloho Gihan-Mbelu, Managing Director Endeavor Nigeria, says: We are excited to welcome Christian Wessels and Jasper Graf von Hardenberg, co-founders of Daystar Power, into our growing community of high-impact entrepreneurs in Nigeria. They join over 2,000 Endeavor Entrepreneurs scaling transformational companies in more than 35 growth and underserved markets globally. We look forward to supporting Daystar Power with access to capital, talent, new markets and experienced mentorship on their journey to scale. Christian and Jasper successfully passed through Endeavors rigorous selection process, designed to identify entrepreneurs that combine the potential to effectively leverage our unparalleled global network of support, with mindsets to multiply their impact on the next generation of entrepreneurs in their local ecosystems. Historically, less than 3% of Endeavor Entrepreneur candidates have successfully crossed this milestone. Endeavor focuses on companies that have successfully passed through the initial start-up phase, and demonstrate the potential for rapid expansion."

Daystar Power is a pan-African electricity company specializing in the generation of solar energy, with a focus on medium and small-scale solar systems (20kWp to 5 MWp). The plants are either sold or made available to customers in a service fee model. The user benefits from cost savings against payment of a monthly fee, from ensuring a stable power supply, emission-free energy production and the efficient energy management. Unlike many other international solar companies, Daystar Power has established local technical units that provide a high level of service.

Sunray Ventures is an African Venture Builder with locations in Lagos, Frankfurt and Dubai. Sunray Ventures is focusing on building and scaling high-growth companies which generate profit, whilst creating environmental and socio-economic impact in their respective industries. Sunray Ventures and their owners Christian Wessels and Jasper Graf von Hardenberg have founded Daystar Power in 2017.

Endeavor is a mission-driven, global organization leading the high-impact entrepreneurship movement. Endeavor was founded on the belief that job creation, innovation, and overall prosperity flourish where there is robust support for high-impact entrepreneurs. Launched in 1997, Endeavor has established a presence in nearly 40 markets across Latin America, Asia, Africa, Middle East, and underserved areas of Europe and the United States. Today, Endeavor supports over 1,800 high-impact entrepreneurs at the scale-up stage, offering them a best-in-class seal of approval, an unrivaled personal and professional network, frictionless co-investment capital, and peer-to-peer idea exchange in a truly global setting. In 2018, Endeavor companies generated over $20BN in revenues and created over 3MM+ jobs in their markets. Endeavors ultimate aim is a more equitable and prosperous future for everyone.
NEW HAVEN  Former Mayor Toni Harp is voicing her support for criminal justice initiatives proposed by Michael Bloomberg, the ex-New York City mayor now running for the Democratic nomination for president.

According to Bloombergs campaign, among other proposals, he plans to invest $22.5 billion to launch a Department of Justice reform hub to evaluate and fund state-level criminal justice reform efforts and $2.5 billion into the public federal defense system.

Bloomberg also plans to decriminalize possession and use of marijuana nationwide, along with commuting existing sentences and expunging records; to increase the standard to justify use of force by federal officers to ensure deadly force is used only when necessary to prevent serious injury or death and to seek to influence states to do the same; end federal cash bail; and establish a National Trauma-Informed Care Task Force to study the effects of early trauma, and to recommend practices to formalize the delivery of quality care across federal agencies that touch low-income families and justice-involved people, according to his campaign.

Bloombergs goals, if elected, would include halving the number of people in U.S. prisons by 2030 and cutting youth incarceration in half within four years.

Harp praised Bloomberg for recognizing that the incarceration rate in the United States is too high.

I think this is a very important plan and it underscores the experience that Mike Bloomberg has in solving major problems regarding our criminal justice system, Harp said in a statement.

His foresight and ability to assess what the problem coupled with his experience has helped him tackle this issue as a mayor, and it will help him tackle this problem as president, Harp said. We read about these things all the time and we know that it impacts our state, but our incarceration rate in this country is too high, and Mike has recognized that this is a real problem. There is a problem here and Mike has been able to recognize that and he is working to fix that problem.

Harp previously endorsed Bloombergs candidacy. Harp lost the New Haven mayors seat in the 2019 election.

Our criminal justice system is broken and unjust. As president Ill end the era of mass incarceration, ensure fairness and equality in our criminal justice system, and shift its focus from punishment to rehabilitation, Bloomberg said in a statement.

In New York City, our Administration reduced incarceration by nearly forty percent, and as president, I will work to cut incarceration in half by 2030 and cut youth detention in half by the end of my first term, he said. Well invest in community-led programs to rebuild trust in our justice system, prevent discrimination against Americans who have served time and help them access jobs and opportunity - while ending cash bail, court fees, and other unfair practices that disproportionately impact low-income Americans. The time for comprehensive criminal justice reform is long overdue, and as president, I will get it done.

In the release, Bloombergs campaign noted that, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, the United States incarcerates 25 percent of the worlds prison population, even though the country makes up just 5 percent, roughly, of the global population.

The Prison Policy Initiative, a Northampton, Mass.-based institution, reported that African Americans are 13 percent of the U.S. population overall, but, as of the 2010 census, represented 40 percent of those incarcerated.

Bloomberg has been criticized during his campaign for the New York City Police Departments stop-and-frisk program , which he endorsed as mayor, but apologized for in recent months.

According to the New York City government, under the stop-and-frisk policy, officers can temporarily detain, or stop, an individual if they have a reasonable suspicion that you are committing, have committed, or are about to commit a crime.

If, during a stop, an officer reasonably believes you have a weapon, he or she is permitted to pat down (frisk) your outer clothing, and, if they feel an object they reasonably believe to be a weapon, they can reach inside your clothing and grasp the object to determine whether or not it is.

The New York Civil Liberties Union, citing annual reports from the NYPD, reported that stops by New York City police officers rose during Bloombergs tenure in office from 97,926 in 2002 to a height of 685,724 in 2011, then decreased to 532,911 in 2012 and 191,851 in 2013.

In each of those years, between 82 to 89 percent of those stopped were not given a summons or arrested, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union.

According to the NCLU, black and Latino males between the ages of 14 and 24 accounted for 41 percent of stops between 2003 and 2013, despite making up 4.7 percent of the citys population. Just under 90 percent were neither arrested nor given a summons, according to the NCLU.

Bloombergs campaign has said he realized in May or June of 2012 the program was harming people of color in the city after speaking with advocates and leaders in the Black community, according to CNN.

The NYPD issued a memo in May 2012 reminding officers not to racially profile detainees, as Federal Judge Shira A. Scheindlin granted class action status to a suit challenging the policy in court, according to the New York Post.

In August 2013, Scheindlin found that the program violated the constitutional rights of people of color in the city, as officers routinely detained blacks and Hispanics who would not have been stopped if they were white.

Bloomberg said at that time that he hoped the appeal process would allow the current stop-and-frisk practices to continue through the end of his administration, according to the New York Times, as he wouldnt want to be responsible for a lot of people dying.

He apologized for the policy in November, according to the New York Times, saying he did not fully understand the impact that stops were having on the black and Latino communities.

Over time, Ive come to understand something that I long struggled to admit to myself. I got something important wrong. I got something important really wrong. I didnt understand that back then the full impact that stops were having on the black and Latino communities. I was totally focused on saving lives, but as we know, good intentions arent good enough, Bloomberg said during the speech, according to FactCheck.org. Now, hindsight is 20/20, but as crime continued to come down as we reduced stops, and has continued to come down during the next administration, to his credit, I now see that we could and should have acted sooner, and acted faster to cut the stops. I wish we had. And Im sorry that we didnt.

Harp told the New Haven Independent that stop-and-frisk was a mistaken policy, noting that Bloomberg had apologized.

She praised other aspects of Bloombergs plans in a Tuesday interview with the Independent, including investing $100 million annually to make the My Brothers Keeper Initiative a federal program focused on creating opportunity while preventing entry into the criminal justice system, according to his campaign.

The My Brothers Keeper initiative, founded by former President Barack Obama, works to aid young men of color in achieving five developmental milestones  a healthy early childhood, reading at grade level by the third grade, graduating from high school, post-secondary education and training and entering the workforce  and help keep them safe from violence and its ramifications.

Bloomberg plans to further invest in communities of color though his Greenwood Initiative, which would strive to deliver economic justice and create generational wealth for Black Americans by addressing systematic bias and making strategic investments in communities and businesses, including by investing $70 billion in 100 disadvantaged American neighborhoods and promoting homeownership.

Harp also praised the idea of ending cash bail and further investing in the public defender system.

The whole idea that if youre poor in America youre going to have a different interaction with the criminal justice than you would if you were rich is wrong, Harp said, according to the Independent. Bloomberg gets it.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
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Vodafone Idea share price surged as much as 48 percent intraday on February 19 after company's Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla met Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash on Tuesday.

On February 14, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) ordered Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea to clear their AGR dues before midnight.

Vodafone Idea on February 17 authorised an immediate payment of Rs 2,500 crore to the DoT as a part payment of dues and said I would pay another Rs 1,000 crore before the end of the week.

Care Ratings has downgraded the ratings of Vodafone Idea's long-term bank facilities and non-convertible debentures.

Also, India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra), has downgraded its rating to IND B/RWN of the non-convertible debentures of Rs 3,500 crore of Vodafone Mobile Services.

At 15:10 hrs, Vodafone Idea Limited was quoting at Rs 4.17, up Rs 1.14, or 37.62 percent on the BSE.
BAGHDAD  Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadrs sudden change of heart regarding the popular protests right before the appointment of Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as prime minister has caused his longtime alliance with the largely secular civil current to face a moment of truth. The mutual interests of the two sides appear to have hit a wall, with the protest movement demanding more radical change than the man once referred to as a "radical cleric" is willing to bear.

Sadr ordered his followers to withdraw from the protest squares Jan. 25 after demonstrators in Tahrir Square did not participate in a demonstration he called for that demanded the withdrawal of US troops from the country.

However, he later ordered his followers to return to the squares. This was before Allawi was named prime minister-designate Feb. 1, and their return was coupled with violent activity on the part of his Blue Hat units. These units were formed by Sadr to help security forces open roads and return the revolution to its peacefulness by expelling intruders, as Sadr put it. This caused violent confrontations with the demonstrators and led to the killing of dozens.

Sadrs recent moves have raised several questions and sparked a panoply of discussions in the media and on social media platforms, leading many in what is known as the civil current to change their opinions about him. For many in the civil current, Sadr was the most tolerated Islamic leader and an ally capable of bringing about political change. However, after Sadr's rapprochement with the blocs and parties close to Iran and his support for the appointment of Allawi, more and more civil current leaders started questioning the future of the alliance between the current and Sadr.

Even the most prominent civil ally of Sadr, the Iraqi Communist Party, has now announced that its orientation has become distant from that of the Sadrist movement.

Ali Mahdi, a member of the party's political bureau, told Al-Monitor this is especially true with regard to dealing with the protest movement and the relationship with the Allawi government that is being formed.

The alliance with Sadr was forged for the sake of the elections only, and the alliance was with the party he founded in 2018, which is the Integrity Party in the Sairoon Alliance, and we were able to obtain a good number of parliamentary seats, Mahdi said.

But after the Communist Party members of parliament resigned in October 2019 in protest against the brutal suppression of Iraqi demonstrations, the Sairoon Alliance practically died, as the parliamentary connection with the Sadrist movement came to an end and contacts stopped between the two sides, Mahdi added.

Asked about the reasons behind the disconnect in the protest squares, Mahdi said, Sadr's priorities now differ from those of the Communist Party. While the former is focusing on the withdrawal of the US forces and believes that supporting the nomination of Allawi is necessary to achieve this goal, one of our most important goals has been to implement the program that we agreed on with Sadr, which is to establish a civil state and limiting the right to bear arms to the state.

He said, Allawis candidacy is contrary to the conditions set by the protest squares, and we will strive to achieve the demands of the people.

In 2017, the Communist Party joined forces with Sairoon, which in turn caused the party's split from the Civil Democratic Alliance.

To comprehend the strange connection that has existed between secular civil organizations, including the Communist Party, and the Sadrist movement  a nationalist, Islamist grouping that believes in the need for religion in politics  one needs to first understand the weakness of secular parties in Iraq and their failure to participate in the governments that followed the overthrow of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003.

These parties needed a protector or guarantor to participate in political life, and they found this in the Sadrist movement.

Basem Khashan, a member of parliament for the Civil Democratic Alliance, said this formula changed after the Civil Democratic Alliance proved to be the strongest in the street.

He told Al-Monitor over the phone, The Sadrist movement has been granted several chances to be part of the political reform and change movement but it has repeatedly failed to grab these chances. Khashan added, Because of the [Sadrist] movements continuous work to only serve its interests and political goals, we, as a civil current, cannot continue with it, because our goals are fixed and will not change, as we work for the interests of the people.

He said, The separation between the civil and Sadrist currents is irreversible, as the truth has been exposed.

Khashan said that Sadr was late to join the protests that started on Oct. 1 and that Sadr asked his supporters to withdraw from the squares before "the goals of the revolution were achieved. The upcoming elections will prove the true size of each party if conducted with integrity.

Amid an ongoing crisis to define the concept of what constitutes the civil current in Iraq, which is used by non-Islamic parties as a reason to confront political Islam while avoiding disclosing their liberal or secular identities, some civil entities are now trying to distinguish between themselves and the Communist Party.

Zulfiqar Hussein, a leader in the civil current, told Al-Monitor that by turning his back on protesters, Sadr proved that he is not an ally of the civil movement, but an ally of the Communist Party alone for electoral reasons.

He said, The fact that Sadr declared his proximity to the civil current and that some civil figures support Sadrs directions does not mean that there is an alliance between the two currents.

Hussein added, The October Revolution proved that the civil current is larger and stronger than the Sadrist movement, especially after Sadr proved to be biased to the authorities and stood against the protests. Should Prime Minister-designate Allawi manage to form a government, clashes will continue in the street and Sadr's popularity will decline at the national level.

The next few weeks may put to the test the ability of civil currents to confront a government that Sadr may fully support. This time period may also test Sadr's willingness to sacrifice a large part of his popularity in exchange for government decisions that might include the removal of US forces from the country and implementation of the economic agreement with China, among other decisions.

In any case, the inevitable result of this separation between Sadr and civilians would be the birth of a new conflict (that is added to the large number of chronic conflicts in Iraq) between those who believe that the Sadrist movement is still a centrist current opposing Iranian influence, and those who believe that the 45-year-old Shiite leader has shifted to the other side and turned his back on yesterdays allies.
Rohingya Christian refugees abducted, attacked in Bangladesh

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At least 22 Rohingya Christian families were attacked, a Christian pastor and his 14-year-old daughter were abducted, and a Christian church and school were vandalized in Bangladeshs Coxs Bazar area, which is home to thousands of refugees who fled ethnic and religious persecution in neighboring Myanmar, according to Human Rights Watch.

A large group of men beat up residents, vandalized homes and looted personal property soon after abducting Taher, a Rohingya Christian pastor, and his daughter, in the Kutupalong Camp 2, the group said in a statement urging authorities in Bangladesh to provide protection.

The attack took place on Jan. 27 by machete-wielding Muslim Rohingya men on a Christian community, Radio Free Asia reported.

At least 12 Rohingya Christians were injured and hospitalized and the affected families were relocated to a United Nations transit center.

A police case has been filed against 59 alleged assailants. A group of Muslims also filed a separate complaint later, alleging that the violence was the result of Christians assaulting a Rohingya Muslim man.

Tahers wife, Roshida, said her husband may have been killed and her daughter converted to Islam. No one can give me any clear information, but my relatives told me that my daughter has been forced to convert to Islam and marry, she said, according to HRW.

Some camp residents suspect that the attackers are linked to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, an armed group whose representative denied and condemned the attacks on Christians, according to Benar News.

The ARSA  attacked us, the Christians. They looted our houses, and beat up many Christian members. At least 12 Christians have been undergoing treatment at different hospitals and clinics, a Christian identified only as Saiful was quoted as saying.

Saiful said most of the believers in the camp converted to Christianity in Myanmar and that he and his family crossed into Bangladesh from Baulibazar in Myanmars Maungdaw district in 2007.

About 1,500 Rohingya Christians have been living in refugee camps with more than 700,000 predominantly Muslim Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh after the Myanmar military began its campaign of ethnic cleansing in 2017.

A Christian Rohingya told HRW that camp officials try to avoid our queries. Another said a police officer told him that if they wanted to be safe they should go to the moon.

In a report on his visit to Bangladesh as the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee said in January that Rohingya Christians were in a most difficult position.

They told me they were persecuted due to their religion by the Myanmar Government while they lived in Rakhine, and now they face hostility and violence from a small number of other camp residents. This worries me.

HRW has urged the Bangladesh authorities to urgently locate Taher and his daughter and bring those responsible to justice.

The government should also act immediately to protect all vulnerable groups in the countrys refugee camps, including religious minorities like Rohingya Christians."
ABC / The View

Meghan McCain referred to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as the bogeywoman of the right before the two embarked on a tense exchange about capitalism.

The congresswoman appeared on The View on Wednesday morning to discuss her support of Bernie Sanders in the 2020 presidential campaign.

At one point, McCain, known to be the conservative voice of the show, asked Ocasio-Cortez about what McCain views as radical ideas put forward by Sanders.

I feel like youre the bogeywoman of the right and Im the bogeywoman of the left, so its interesting to be talking to you, McCain said.

Related Video: Whoopi Goldberg Challenges Ocasio-Cortez on The View

Because youre proposing and what Bernie Sanders is proposing, you said Fox was, like, ushering in the apocalypse with both of you  but to conservatives like me that think big government is very dangerous, it is like the apocalypse.

Its not just that Bernie is asking a lot of voters to buy into what I consider radical ideas like the public college, the Green New Deal, Medicare for All  hes advocating for a complete paradigm shift of the American system as we know it.

And its a huge ask for people like me and its a huge ask for a lot of people, the seismic shift from capitalism to socialism.

McCain then asked Ocasio-Cortez if voters might not be more comfortable with a more comfortable with a moderate candidate, the congresswoman responded: When you poll these abstract ideas, its one thing, but the majority of Americans would vote for Bernie Sanders.

And thats because of his record, of his commitment and his policies. But also, I think theres one story thats not really being told here. Its whats actually happening on the ground in America.

She added: I think that that reality, personally, does require a paradigm shift. This isnt working for us. A $2.1 trillion tax cut which has been deemed capitalism at its finest doesnt work for us.

Losing your husband because he couldnt afford insulin because Big Pharma cares about profits more than people as capitalism at its finest doesnt work for us.

Sanders is one of eight candidates still in the running for the 2020 Democratic nomination.
ROCKVILLE, Md. - A Maryland judge has ordered the daughter of a former U.S. diplomat to be held without bond following the first court hearing on a murder charge against her.

Sophia Negroponte, 27, was charged with first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of Yousuf Rasmussen, 24, of Bethesda, on Feb. 13. Negroponte is the daughter of former U.S. diplomat John Negroponte and one of five children that he and his wife adopted.

During the first hearing in the case on Tuesday, prosecutors argued that Sophia Negroponte stabbed Rasmussen in an unprovoked attack. The defence contended the stabbing was in self-defence.

Judge Patricia Mitchell said Tuesday that Negroponte should remain in jail without bond until her preliminary hearing in March, news outlets reported.

A witness who called 911 told Montgomery police they met up with Negroponte and Rasmussen at a Airbnb in Rockvilles downtown area where the pair had been drinking.

The witness told police that Negroponte and Rasmussen began arguing and wrestling on the floor. Rasmussen left the residence and when he came back to look for his phone, Negroponte stabbed him in the neck, charging documents said.

Police said when they arrived, Negroponte was on top of Rasmussen screaming, Im sorry. During the investigation, Negroponte told police she only remembers removing the knife from Rasmussens neck.

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.
STUTTGART, Germany, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Daimler AG proposes Timotheus Hottges for election to the company's Supervisory Board. On the basis of a recommendation by the Nomination Committee, the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG has decided to propose to the Annual General Meeting that Timotheus Hottges be elected to the Supervisory Board as a member representing the shareholders with effect from the end of the Annual General Meeting held on April 1, 2020 until the end of the Annual General Meeting that passes a resolution on the ratification of the actions of the Supervisory Board for the fourth financial year after the beginning of his term of office.

"Timotheus Hottges is an experienced CEO and a proven expert for digitization in the telecommunications sector. Deutsche Telekom AG has made great progress under his leadership. With his qualifications, he is an excellent fit in the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG," stated Manfred Bischoff, Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

Paul Achleitner will step down from the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG after ten years on April 1, 2020. In a letter to Manfred Bischoff, he announced at an early stage that he did not intend to stand for a third term of office. "After careful consideration, I have decided not to stand for reelection. The understanding of appropriate time limits for board memberships has changed a lot recently. At this point in time, I therefore cannot and do not wish to commit for a further five years," stated Achleitner.

On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board, Manfred Bischoff expressly thanked Paul Achleitner for his dedicated work in the Supervisory Board and his contributions, which were focused on the well-being of the company. "This decision deserves our respect. Over the past ten years, Paul Achleitner has enriched our board with his experience and expertise," said Bischoff.

Further information on Daimler is available at:

www.media.daimler.com and www.daimler.com

The figures in this document are preliminary and have neither been approved yet by the Supervisory Board nor audited by the external auditor.

This document contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current views about future events. The words "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "can," "could," "plan," "project," "should" and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties, including an adverse development of global economic conditions, in particular a decline of demand in our most important markets; a deterioration of our refinancing possibilities on the credit and financial markets; events of force majeure including natural disasters, pandemics, acts of terrorism, political unrest, armed conflicts, industrial accidents and their effects on our sales, purchasing, production or financial services activities; changes in currency exchange rates and tariff regulations; a shift in consumer preferences towards smaller, lower-margin vehicles; a possible lack of acceptance of our products or services which limits our ability to achieve prices and adequately utilize our production capacities; price increases for fuel or raw materials; disruption of production due to shortages of materials, labor strikes or supplier insolvencies; a decline in resale prices of used vehicles; the effective implementation of cost-reduction and efficiency-optimization measures; the business outlook for companies in which we hold a significant equity interest; the successful implementation of strategic cooperations and joint ventures; changes in laws, regulations and government policies, particularly those relating to vehicle emissions, fuel economy and safety; the resolution of pending government investigations or of investigations requested by governments and the conclusion of pending or threatened future legal proceedings; and other risks and uncertainties, some of which we describe under the heading "Risk and Opportunity Report" in the current Annual Report. If any of these risks and uncertainties materializes or if the assumptions underlying any of our forward-looking statements prove to be incorrect, the actual results may be materially different from those we express or imply by such statements. We do not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements since they are based solely on the circumstances at the date of publication.

Daimler at a glance

Daimler AG is one of the world's most successful automotive companies. With its Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans, Daimler Trucks & Buses and Daimler Mobility divisions, the Group is one of the leading global suppliers of premium cars and one of the world's largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. Daimler Mobility offers financing, leasing, fleet management, investments, credit card and insurance brokerage as well as innovative mobility services. The company founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history by inventing the automobile in 1886. As a pioneer of automotive engineering, Daimler sees shaping the future of mobility in a safe and sustainable way as both a motivation and obligation. The company's focus therefore remains on innovative and green technologies as well as on safe and superior vehicles that both captivate and inspire. Daimler continues to invest systematically in the development of efficient powertrains  from high-tech combustion engines and hybrid vehicles to all-electric powertrains with battery or fuel cell  with the goal of making locally emission-free driving possible in the long term. The company's efforts are also focused on the intelligent connectivity of its vehicles, autonomous driving and new mobility concepts. Daimler regards it as its aspiration and obligation to live up to its responsibility to society and the environment. Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly every country of the world and has production facilities in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa. In addition to Mercedes-Benz, the world's most valuable premium automotive brand (source: Interbrand study, 17 Oct. 2019), and Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and Mercedes me, its brand portfolio includes smart, EQ, Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, FUSO, Setra and Thomas Built Buses as well as the brands of Daimler Mobility: Mercedes-Benz Bank, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and Daimler Truck Financial. The company is listed on the Frankfurt and Stuttgart stock exchanges (ticker symbol DAI). In 2019, the Group had a workforce of around 298,700 and sold 3.3 million vehicles. Group revenues amounted to 172.7 billion and Group EBIT to 4.3 billion.

SOURCE Daimler North America - Corporate Communications
FOUR locally-based producers have been selected to join the Film in Limerick/ Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB) delegation to the European Film Market at the Berlin International Film Festival later this month.

Taking place on February 20-27, EFM (European Film Market) is the business centre of the Berlin Film Festival and one of the top international film markets in the world.

Attended by over 8,300 international industry professionals including 1,500 buyers and more than 480 exhibitors, the EFM is where independent film producers find partners and finance to make their projects a reality.

The initiative by Innovate Limerick in partnership with Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board will see local producers: Gemma OShaughnessy, Pete Moles, Ronan Cassidy and Zeb Moore travel to Berlin to experience a working film market and to attend structured training events.

Commenting on the new initiative, Regional Film Manager Paul C. Ryan said: The key to developing a successful and sustainable independent film scene in the Mid-West is to invest in developing our creative producers.

"They are the ones who will find and develop ideas and talent and realise new projects, and this initiative, with the support of LCETB will allow four of our local producers to begin to work at an international level and to build their networks and knowledge.
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beleaguered alternative asset firm, GPB Capital Holdings, has notified investors of its GPB Automotive Portfolio fund that it wont be delivering key tax documents, such as the Schedule K-1, to them in time for this years April 15th tax deadline. Our GPB investor fraud lawyers at Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas (SSEK Law Firm) have been hard at work filing broker fraud lawsuits against the brokerage firms and brokers that sold GPB private placements to thousands of investors. Unfortunately, while investors have lost money, broker-dealers and their financial representatives earned more than $160M in commissions, including $52.5M from the GPB Automotive Portfolio.



The GPB Automotive Portfolio is one of the companys two largest funds, having raised $622.1M alone from more than 6,500 investors, many of whom have suffered huge losses after the funds private placements dropped in value by 39%. This is not the first time that GPB has been unable to furnish promised documents. The firm has yet to provide required statements to regulators for years. While it continues to promise investors access to their audited statements, the company continues to renege on these promises.

With this latest document delay, GPB reportedly sent a letter on January 23rd to investors letting them know that it wouldnt be able to deliver their K-1 documents before tax day. A Schedule K-1 is a tax form that lets investors know how much money theyve made or lost, as well as the value of their investments. Investors not able to file their K1s along with their other tax documents by April 15th must file for an extension.

It is not too late to speak with an experienced GPB investor fraud law firm to explore your legal options. If you are a GPB investor or have a loved one who invested in any GPB-related funds and suffered losses, please contact SSEK Law Firm today for a free, confidential evaluation of your investments and legal options. We are expecting to represent a number of GPB investors before FINRA arbitrators this year, including a GPB fraud case against Arkadios Capital in April, which is expected to be the first claim against GPB to go before FINRA.

Contact Info  (800) 259-9010

Sam Edwards: sedwards@sseklaw.com
Six years ago, early on February 19, 2014, security forces launched an assault on anti-government protesters on Independence Square in Kyiv during the Revolution of Dignity.

After long scuffles on the evening of February 18, protesters were pushed back to the Maidan. The confrontation got even more fierce on the night of February 18 to 19. Earlier, Berkut riot police officers surrounded protesters from Instytutska Street and Yevropeiska Square. An assault began. Activists set fire to tires to protect themselves. After some time, they succeeded in creating a complete line of blaze that prevented law enforcers from passing. People were throwing everything they found into the fire.

Security forces brought water cannons to the Maidan, trying to extinguish the flames, but attempts were in vain. Maidan protesters repulsed the attack with bricks, fireworks and Molotov cocktails. At the same time, Berkut riot police officers tried to storm the barricades even on BTR armored personnel carriers, but it was in vain.

The Trade Unions House caught fire at 1 o'clock at night. The activists who ran out of the building said there were Berkut riot police officers inside the building who came in from the roof and the first floor and deliberately set fire to the building. When the flames covered most of the building, people still remained inside. They were rescued by means of a crane and a rope. The blaze was put out only on February 20.

On the morning of February 19, law enforcement officers again started assaulting the Maidan. As a result, eight people were killed on that day and 206 were injured, 35 of them seriously.

Kyiv remained in a transport collapse. People holding machine guns were on duty at the entrances to the city, and the subway did not work due to a so-called terrorist threat declared by the authorities. Railway services with Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions were suspended.

The deadly assault on the Maidan triggered mass protests in Ukraine's regions. As the authorities ignored the demands of the protesters, there was a large-scale seizure of government buildings in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, and Lutsk.
Many home buyers start out starry-eyed when they first embark on shopping for a house, with visions of a big backyard, a home office, a cute coffee shop down the blockand much, much more.

The problem? If budgets are tight (as they usually are), then all too soon, those dreams collide hard with reality. It can be a devastating mental adjustment for buyers who aren't prepared.

Worried your own home search standards might be too much of a stretch? To help, allow us to point out some top dream home hopes that experts say you should ditch.

Trust us, it's best you know these delusions upfront rather than down the road!

1. The hope that you won't have to settle

Yes, daydreaming about the house you'll own one day is fun. So is window shopping real estate listings online.

However, keep in mind that listing photos show a house in its best light, and the visions in your head are just a fantasy. The more you invest in these fantasies, the more jarring it can be to match those with a brick-and-mortar house.

So let's just break it to you upfront: Odds are, your dream home won't have everything on your wish list. OK? You'll almost certainly have to sacrifice something and settle.

To get a more realistic barometer of properties you might consider, stop daydreaming, stop window-shopping, and set foot in a few open houses sooner rather than later. This will help ground your dreams and keep them from veering too much into flights of true fancy.

2. The hope that your dream home will be right on (or under) budget

Lots of buyers run into trouble when they combine big expectations with small budgets. Jessica Edwards, a real estate broker in North Carolina, explains that the problem often comes from buyers zeroing in on one number: the home's purchase price.

Many buyers get caught up on the purchase number, she says, but the reality is that a home costs much more than just that.

A house is always more expensive than you think it will be, says Kevin Michels, a financial planner in Utah. You may have factored in the mortgage payments, insurance, and property taxes. But what about the cost of new furniture, home improvements, home maintenance, utilities, cable and internet, yard maintenance, and HOA dues?

Michels advises that buyers look at a home's PITI (principal, interest, taxes, and insurance) to get a better idea of how much it will cost. As a rule of thumb, he says, if your PITI cost is close to the budget you set for yourself, you're buying too much home.

3. The hope that your house will be huge

The thing about dream homes is that, in your imagination, they can get pretty large and luxurious. You might be fantasizing about lots of extra rooms for friends and family, a big backyard, a formal dining room, and maybe even a movie theater, but if you get too ambitious, you can run into problems.

Orell Anderson, president of Strategic Property Analytics, explains, With house upkeep, cleaning, landscaping, pools, and other amenities, the costs associated with a larger home can really add up. Too much is not always good.

While you may be thinking that you'd love a fabulous mansion with all the bells and whistles, that kind of home can be extremely pricy. And it will cost even more to maintain it.

Anderson suggests that you carefully consider what you truly need in your dream home, not just what you want.

Think about the how much space you need to live in, he says, Are you planning on having any kids? If so, how many? Do you really need a home that is 3,500 square feet?

4. The hope that your dream home will look just like houses on Instagram

After watching renovation shows on TV and following designers social media accounts, you may have high expectations for how your home should look.

In the world of reality TV and social media, it seems like everyone has the most amazing designer home with all of the bells and whistles, says "Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles" real estate agent James Harris. Expectations can become skewed for buyers.

So don't expect a home to look Insta-worthy the instant you walk through the door. It's likely to take time and your personal touch to bring it up to snuff.

5. The hope that your dream house wont need repairs

Many home buyers assume that as long as they conduct a home inspection on a house and it comes out OK, they won't have to do any major repairs for many years to come. That's just not true.

Home inspections really only point out the glaringly obvious problems that need to be fixed, and maybe not ones a few years down the road, says Tyler Drew, a California real estate developer. This can include siding and fascia degradation, trees growing through the main sewer or septic lines, or appliances, cabinetry, or windows nearing the end of their functional lives.

It can be difficult to step into the role of homeowner.

As Drew says, This is especially hard on long-time renters used to having landlords fix issues.

6. The hope that remodeling your home will be easy (and cheap)

Want to make over the home so that it's exactly to your liking? That's fine, just keep in mind that even small upgrades can add up. This is especially true if you hire a professional to get it done right. Thinking you'll dabble in a little DIY? That's fine, but Harris warns that you shouldn't get too excited.

It is important to set realistic goals for the entire process that are within your reach, he says.

In other words, go ahead and make your own cosmetic changes, but before you start knocking down walls or swapping out electrical components, do your research and make sure it's within your skill set, and safe. For guidance, here are six home improvement projects never to try yourself.

The post 6 'Dream Home' Hopes That Are Completely Delusional appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
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A new extortion scheme targets users of Googles AdSense program.

The scam threatens to flood a website with bogus traffic until Google suspends the sites AdSense account, unless the owner pays US$5,000 in bitcoin to avoid or stop the attack, security blogger Brian Krebs reported Monday.

The grifters appear to be exploiting a click-fraud crackdown Google launched last summer.

This year, were enhancing our defenses even more by improving the systems that identify potentially invalid traffic or high risk activities before ads are served, Andres Ferrate, chief advocate for ad traffic quality, explained at the time.

These defenses allow us to limit ad serving as needed to further protect our advertisers and users, while maximizing revenue opportunities for legitimate publishers, he wrote.

AdSense Nightmare

Krebs, a former Washington Post reporter, published portions of a ransom note provided to him by a reader of his Krebs on Security blog. In it, the extortionist warns the reader, who operates several websites, that he soon would be receiving ominous messages about his AdSense status.

This will happen due to the fact that were about to flood your site with huge amount of direct bot generated web traffic with 100% bounce ratio and thousands of IPs in rotation  a nightmare for every AdSense publisher, the note declares.

More also, it continues, well adjust our sophisticated bots to open, in endless cycle with different time duration, every AdSense banner which runs on your site.

Although the reader was skeptical of the threat, Krebs noted that when he checked his AdSense traffic statistics, they showed invalid traffic to his sites increased substantially month-over-month.

A Krebs reader writing in the comments section of the blog explained why suspension of an AdSense account would be a nightmare: Its actually a very effective threat, as anyone whos ever worked with Adsense will have noticed its more or less impossible to contact anyone at Google about problems with this, wrote Dave.

Theyll contact you to sell you more stuff, but if you try and contact them you get lost in a maze of web pages pointing to more web pages, none of which contain any way to contact them. Given that theres no means of recovery, I can see that the victims would take paying up as the easier option, he continued.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Thats exactly what we did with a billing error, Dave added. It was so hard to try and get it resolved that we just paid Google to make it go away.

Classic Sabotage Threat

The case sounds like a classic threat of sabotage, where an actor attempts to trigger an enforcement action against a publisher by sending invalid traffic to their inventory, Google said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by spokesperson Suzanne Blackburn.

We hear a lot about the potential for sabotage, its extremely rare in practice, and we have built some safeguards in place to prevent sabotage from succeeding, the company maintained. For example, we have detection mechanisms in place to proactively detect potential sabotage and take it into account in our enforcement systems.

Google noted that it has a help center on its website with tips for AdSense publishers and a contact form for publishers to use if they believe they are the victims of sabotage.

We encourage publishers to disengage from any communication or further action with parties that signal that they will drive invalid traffic to their web properties, Google advised.

If there are concerns about invalid traffic, they should communicate that to us, and our Ad Traffic Quality team will monitor and evaluate their accounts as needed, it said. We have extensive tools and processes to protect against invalid traffic across our products. In fact, most invalid traffic is filtered from our system before our advertisers and publishers are ever impacted.

Framing the Good Guys

Google has the resources to address this problem if it wants to, observed Sky Cassidy, CEO of MountainTop Data, a Canoga Park, California-based provider of data services to B2B marketers.

Google has a way to identify fake clicks, he explained, although in the past, the person cultivating those clicks usually was the AdSense account holder.

They would be trying to generate more money with the fake clicks, Cassidy told TechNewsWorld.

The scheme described by Krebs is a novel one, he continued, because the schemers are trying to frame AdSense users and make it appear theyre using their account for fraud.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

In the past, the schemers were probably being hired by AdSense account holders to commit ad fraud. Once Google shut that down, they decided to do it to people and make them pay to not do it, Cassidy speculated. Theyre taking their tools, pointing them at legitimate people, and making them look like the bad guys.

Before Google cuts off an AdSense account for abuse, the company should determine the source of the abuse, and not assume the account holder is at fault, he suggested.

If an AdSense user is attacked and gets an extortion email, they should be able to forward the email to Google and say, This isnt me,' Cassidy said. Its going to take a little more work on Googles end, but luckily theyve got billions of dollars so they can do it.

Tough Talk, Little Action

The AdSense extortion scam is similar to classic Distributed Denial of Service shakedowns, noted Jerome Segura, director of threat intelligence at Malwarebytes, a cybersecurity software maker based in Santa Clara, California.

In a DDoS attack, the criminal floods a site with bogus traffic. That prevents it from functioning. In the case of an e-commerce site, that means lost revenue, as customers desert the site when they cant land there.

These scams typically work best on sites that have a sizable amount of traffic, or in cases where an attacker is specifically targeting a victim, he told TechNewsWorld.

The breadth of the AdSense scam suggests it may be more social engineering than action, Segura said.

We saw this previously with sextortion spam campaigns claiming to have compromising pictures or videos of victims, when in reality attackers only had a password that had been exposed previously in a data breach, he explained.

Whether or not the criminals do follow up on their threat, victims are likely to be scared and pay up front, said Segura.

With traditional DDoS attacks producing dwindling revenues, criminals are turning to new approaches to reap ill-gotten gains, observed Deepak Patel, a security evangelist at PerimeterX, a Web security service provider in San Mateo, California.

The new wave of business logic attacks are using advanced bots that can mimic human behavior and use hyper-distributed IPs to cause serious disruptions, he told TechNewsWorld.

As more commerce shifts online, attackers will find ways to monetize, Patel added. Automated threats should be evaluated as a business risk, and every digital business should account for them and deploy bot management solutions to protect their users and proprietary content.
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TransPerfect, the world's largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business, today announced that it has donated $15,000 worth of website localization services and technology to Koltun Ballet Boston (KBB).

KBB is the premier ballet and dance school in the Boston area, and 40% of its students come from homes where English is a second language. As part of their efforts to attract and support international students, KBB chose to translate their website in Chinese, Japanese, and Russian.

Alexandra Koltun is the Co-Founding Director of KBB. She is a graduate of the Vaganova Ballet Academy and is a former soloist and principal dancer at Mariinsky/Kirov and Boston ballets. Koltun stated, "Our school has tripled in size over the last three years, and we continue to draw more and more Asian and Russian students. Even though all the students are expected to speak English, the website allows our students' extended families and friendsmany of whom do not speak Englishto understand and appreciate our school."

The site is localized and maintained using TransPerfect's GlobalLink OneLink website localization technology, which provides a user-friendly site localization process with virtually no IT involvement.

"TransPerfect's processes and technology are really smooth. We appreciate the collaborative nature of the relationship, as well as the ability to use their on-page editor to make changes in context. We worked closely with their teams to fine-tune very specific ballet terms that will now be remembered by their systems for future translation work," commented Alex Lapshin, Co-Founding Director of KBB, graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy and former soloist and principal dancer at Vienna, Montreal, and Boston ballets. "We're really pleased with the result and feel this investment will give KBB the international recognition that Alexandra and I are seeking."

Phil Shawe, President and CEO of TransPerfect, stated, "Koltun Ballet Boston is connected to some of the finest ballet professionals and has a history of producing and exporting bright talent to professional companies all over the world. We're grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the arts by donating our services and technology to help KBB achieve their international goals."

About TransPerfect

TransPerfect is the world's largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business. From offices in over 100 cities on six continents, TransPerfect offers a full range of services in 170+ languages to clients worldwide. More than 5,000 global organizations employ TransPerfect's GlobalLink Product Suite to simplify management of multilingual content. With an unparalleled commitment to quality and client service, TransPerfect is fully ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 certified. TransPerfect has global headquarters in New York, with regional headquarters in London and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit our website at www.transperfect.com.

SOURCE TransPerfect

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ADA, MI  Direct sales giant Amway is eliminating about 50 positions in its marketing and research and development departments, officials said Wednesday, Feb. 19.

In a statement, the company said the job cuts are the last in a series that began in 2018 as part of a comprehensive review of Amways global organizational structure to ensure resources are aligned with strategic priorities.

When including the job cuts announced Wednesday, Amway has eliminated 210 jobs in Michigan since May of 2019, the company said.

While Amway will always continuously evaluate global operations to ensure investments and resources are aligned for growth, these changes conclude this particular global structure review, the company said in a statement.

These changes are not easy, but Amway is committed to supporting employees throughout this difficult transition and is offering exiting employees severance pay, continued health insurance, career transition services, and counseling services.

Amway, a privately-owned family business, sells Nutrilite health supplements, Artistry cosmetics, home care products like soaps, and durable products such as individual water and air treatment systems through close to 3 million distributors.

The company, which employs about 3,000 people in West Michigan, celebrated its 60th anniversary last year.

Read more:

See which states (and country) send trash to Michigan landfills

See Grand Rapids-area tax, marijuana proposals on March 10, 2020 election ballot

Ballot language approved for proposal to change the culture of lobbying in Michigan
About 500 people expected to leave cruise ship on Wednesday while over 2,000 passengers and crew remain.

Hundreds of passengers began leaving the Diamond Princess cruise ship on Wednesday after the end of a much-criticised, two-week quarantine that failed to stop the spread of a new virus among passengers and crew.

Results were still pending for some passengers who have been tested for the coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands of people in China and more than 540 on the ship.

Some passengers said on social media that they received health check forms asking if they had symptoms such as a headache, fever or coughing.

Passengers who tested negative and had no symptoms still had to get their body temperature checked before leaving.

Japanese soldiers helped escort some passengers, including an elderly man in a wheelchair who wore a face mask and held a cane.





Some passengers apparently called taxis to get home; others got on buses to be transported to train stations. Some people still in their ship cabins waved farewell from their balconies to those who had already disembarked.

Im a bit concerned if Im OK to get off the ship, but it was getting very difficult physically, a 77-year-old man from Saitama, near Tokyo, who got off with his wife, told Kyodo News. For now, we just want to celebrate.

About 500 passengers were expected to leave on Wednesday and Japanese officials will spend several days staging the high-stakes evacuation of about 2,000 others who were kept on board the ship at the Yokohama port near Tokyo after one passenger who departed the Diamond Princess earlier in Hong Kong was found to have the virus.

The 3,711 people, including 1,100 crew members, on the Diamond Princess, went into quarantine off Japan on February 5, after it emerged that a former passenger had tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Perfect virus incubator

The ship, which some experts have called a perfect virus incubator, has become the site of the most infections outside of China, where the illness named COVID-19 emerged late last year.

As of Tuesday, 542 cases have been identified among the original 3,711 people on the ship.

Even though Japanese officials insisted the number of infected patients is levelling off, dozens of new cases on the ship continue to mount daily.

On Tuesday, 88 people tested positive; a day earlier 99 others were found to have been infected.

Crew members, who could not be confined to their rooms over the last two weeks because they were working, are expected to stay on the ship.

634 people on board the Diamond Princess have been diagnosed so far [Franck Robichon/EPA]

The ships operator, Princess Cruises, said in a statement on Tuesday that 169 people who tested positive recently were still on the ship as they waited for transportation to hospitals.

Over the weekend, the United States started evacuating more than 300 people who are now in quarantine in the US for another 14 days.

South Korea earlier on Wednesday returned seven people from the cruise ship, placing the six South Koreans and one Japanese family member into quarantine.

Other foreign passengers were to be picked up by chartered flights sent from Canada, Australia, Italy and Hong Kong.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga defended Japans handling of the quarantine.

In the beginning, the United States expressed gratitude for the Japanese side. And there are many Americans who chose to stay on the ship, Suga said.

Japanese health officials said the 14-day quarantine on the ship was adequate, noting that all but one of more than 500 Japanese returnees from the epicentre of the virus in China who initially tested negative were found to be virus-free at the end of their 14-day quarantine.

Michael Ryan, head of the WHOs health emergencies programme, acknowledged there has been much more transmission than expected on the ship.

But, he added, it is very easy in retrospect to make judgements on public health decisions made at a certain point.
Acting Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations Cherith Norman Chalet claimed this during the UN Security Council session

Cherith Norman Chalet bju.edu

Russia has been refusing to live up to its commitments within Minsk agreements, continuing the bloodshed in Donbas. Acting Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations Cherith Norman Chalet claimed this during the UN Security Council session. Ukrinform news agency correspondent quoted her as saying.

"Unfortunately, Russia has not shown a similar willingness to fulfill its commitments under the Minsk agreements. It continues to arm, train, lead, and fight alongside its proxy forces in eastern Ukraine. This stands in direct contravention of Russias commitments under the Minsk agreements, including to establish an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire", Chalet said.

She compared the February 18 attack on Zolote with Russia's obnoxious attack on Debaltsevo transport hub in Donetsk region five years ago. "Then, as now, Russian-led forces continue to contravene commitments made by President Putin and Russian officials, and to kill Ukrainians on Ukrainian territory", the diplomat stressed.

Chalet underlined that instead of constructive participation, Russia "stalls and disseminates disinformation to distract attention from its central, unmistakable, and unjustifiable role in fomenting this conflict". "Russia also continues its hybrid activities against Ukraine, wielding economic and political leverage", the official concluded.
Gardai are investigating reports that one of the chief suspects in the brutal murder of teenager Keane Mulready-Woods has fled to Istanbul.

The psychotic criminal, who is the chief suspect in the murder and dismemberment of Keane (17), has not been seen by gardai for several weeks. It is believed he had spent time in Northern Ireland and England in the week after the crime.

Last month, it was revealed that the criminal was seen by gardai strutting around close to the location where Mulready-Woods limbs were dumped in the Coolock area of the capital.

The gangster (35) spent a number of hours in the Darndale and Kilbarrack areas in a show of complete defiance just days after the murder.

He was walking around without a care in the world  he called into a couple of his associates in the area, a senior source said.

He was also observed going into a local pub but left very quickly.

"His presence in the area was quickly noted by some locals and passed on to gardai, who have confirmed that he was there after studying CCTV, the source added.

The criminal, who had been living in Co Meath before the murder, has not been seen back in the capital since and is now believed to be hiding out in Turkey.

Expand Close Last journey: Keane's coffin is carried out of the church. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin / Facebook

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Whatsapp Last journey: Keane's coffin is carried out of the church. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

The country is a popular location for Irish gangsters on the run. In fact, it is where a gangster wanted in relation to the murder of Gareth Hutch is hiding out, gardai believe.

Despite being out of the country, gardai are aware that he [the Keane suspect] is continuing to make threats to his gangland rivals back in Dublin, a source said.

It is not 100pc clear where exactly he is, but he was certainly moving around a lot in the weeks after the murder.

Gardai are aware his rivals in the Cornelius Price gang are desperately trying to find him as well but Price remains in self-imposed exile in Rochdale.

It is believed the Keane murder suspect is being funded by a crime lord, who detectives suspect the psychopathic criminal met with before and after the gruesome murder of Keane.

Armed detectives seized CCTV equipment and phones at his Co Meath home earlier this month as part of the probe into the savage murder of 17-year-old Keane.

The 35-year-old suspect in Mulready-Woods murder is believed to have visited his older associates home on several occasions around the time of the savage slaying.

This man, a 42-year-old originally from Donaghmede, is believed to be the link between the young Drogheda mob and larger crime groups in the capital.

He had been in control of more than 30 associates of the anti-Maguire mob involved in the Drogheda feud but is now struggling with drug addiction.

Expand Close Keane Mulready-Woods (17) was murdered earlier this month / Facebook

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Whatsapp Keane Mulready-Woods (17) was murdered earlier this month

Senior sources say that the net is continuing to close in on the mob that murdered Mulready-Woods but no arrests are expected for a number of weeks.

Gardai say that two brothers who are considered the Drogheda leaders of the gang who murdered Keane had fled to Spain.

The dangerous siblings, aged 25 and 22, are suspected to be hiding out after fleeing the country via the UK. They failed to show up for a court hearing in relation to a serious Drogheda feud-related charge this month but strangely a warrant has not been issued for their arrests.

Details of the charges they are facing cannot be published for legal reasons but the older brother survived two botched gun murder attempts last summer.

The brothers are not suspected of active involvement in Keanes murder but gardai believe they hold key information about the killing, suspected of being carried out by their associates.

Several properties linked to the brothers were searched in the aftermath of Keanes gruesome murder.

Another chief suspect in Keanes murder, who is suspected of active involvement in the barbaric act, is currently locked up in Mountjoy Prison on separate charges.

It has emerged that the thug, aged in his mid-20s, was quizzed in prison by gardai for several hours earlier this month. The criminal, a key member of the faction at war with the Maguire mob in the Drogheda feud, was not arrested but met with officers from the Louth division by appointment.
The Portuguese state has been ordered to pay a substantial sum for unfairly dismissing a cleaner at their embassy in Luxembourg.

The OGBL trade union revealed the fine in a press conference, detailing that the court had found the state guilty of unlawful termination. The woman was dismissed without notice in writing and without valid cause. The embassy must now compensate the woman coming to a total exceeding 20,000.

These include:

- severance pay of 9,566

- pay for outstanding leave of 96.63

- compensation for moral damages of 10,000

- procedural compensation of 500

The woman had worked at the embassy for more than 25 years. The OGBL reiterated that it was supporting the dismissed cleaner and would assist her with coming procedures.
Donald Trump challenged Bloomberg News to start investigating its boss and presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg, even though the newsroom vowed not to do so when the billionaire entered the race.

'Is corrupt Bloomberg News going to say what a pathetic debater Mini Mike is, that he doesn't respect our great farmers, or that he has violated campaign finance laws at the highest and most sinister level with 'payoffs' all over the place?' Trump questioned in a tweet Wednesday morning.

When the billionaire launched his campaign in November, his namesake media outlet announced it would be stepping back from covering Bloomberg and his political rivals.

'We will continue our tradition of not investigating Mike (and his family and foundation) and we will extend the same policy to his rivals in the Democratic primaries,' editor-in-chief John Micklethwait said in a memo.

'We cannot treat Mike's Democratic competitors differently from him,' he continued.

Trump's criticism of the outlet comes as Bloomberg said he would sell his multi-billion media company in the event he succeeds in his plan to win the Democratic nomination and beat President Trump in November, his campaign revealed.

Donald Trump dared Bloomberg News to investigate its boss and Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg

The president's comments came after Bloomberg announced he would sell his media empire if he won the White House in November

All eyes will be on the billionaire former New York City mayor as he will take on his Democratic rivals during his first on-stage debate appearance Wednesday

Bloomberg, whose net worth is above $60 billion, would sell the media empire he spent decades building in the event he wins, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Bloomberg had earlier discussed putting his holdings into a blind trust to seek to avoid potential conflicts.

Democrats have hammered Trump for maintaining and profiting off his real estate empire as president, and accuse him of leverage his office to haul in hefty rental and room fees at his D.C. luxury hotel property and other holdings.

The news comes hours before the former New York mayor is set to join the debate stage for the first time to meet the wrath of his rivals for the Democratic nomination  some of whom have accused him of trying to 'buy' the White House, and compared him to Trump.

Like the host city of the debate - Las Vegas, Nevada - the expectation is that the other five candidates will go big and bold with their critiques of Bloomberg, who has the capacity to outspend them and is rising in the polls.

Bloomberg has already come under fire from his fellow Democrats who charge him with trying to buy the election and there are no signs the bombardment will let up.

The Journal cites the Burton-Taylor International Consulting firm as putting a potential $60 billion value on the firm.

The Bloomberg campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how Bloomberg would execute a sale and what measures could be put in place to avoid potential conflicts with a buyer.

Several Democrats suggested taking on Bloomberg, a former Republican and an ex-New York City mayor, is good practice before getting to President Donald Trump, a Republican and a former New Yorker, in the general election.

Sen. Bernie Sanders is prepping to take on Mike Bloomberg on the debate stage in Las Vegas, Nevada, especially because Bloomberg's ascent comes as Sanders is finally cementing frontrunner status after two good showings in Iowa and New Hampshire

Sen. Bernie Sanders and his wife Jane walk with students to the early voting location on the University of Nevada's campus Tuesday. A campaign official told DailyMail.com that Sanders will go after Bloomberg for thinking he's 'entitled to the White House'

Former Vice President Joe Biden has to have a stronger showing in Nevada and South Carolina than he did in Iowa and New Hampshire in part because Mike Bloomberg is starting to gain steam

And they have previewed the attacks expected to come on the debate stage.

'It's a shame Mike Bloomberg can buy his way into the debate,' Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted Tuesday. 'But at least now primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we can take on an egomaniac billionaire.'

Warren will be on the Paris Theater stage alongside Bloomberg, former Vice President Joe Biden, ex-South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The Democrats' other billionaire candidate, Tom Steyer, didn't have high enough poll numbers to qualify this round despite appearing in the past two debates.

Neither did Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, the only remaining Democratic hopeful in the race.

Buttigieg has echoed criticism that the billionaire Bloomberg, who is self-funding his campaign, is trying to buy the White House.

'Yes. I mean, what else do you call it?,' the former South Bend mayor told CNN Tuesday night when asked if Bloomberg was trying to buy his way in. 'What else do you call it when you dip into your endless reserves of millions and billions and don't go through the process of campaigning in states like Nevada or Iowa or New Hampshire, humbling yourself, going into the diners and the backyards, looking eye to eye to voters?'

The former New York City mayor has spent $300 million on television and digital ads thus far, most of them designed to get under Trump's skin. Bloomberg has said he's open to spending up to $1 billion on the race.

And despite appearing on the Las Vegas debate stage, Bloomberg isn't participating in Saturday's Nevada caucuses. He has opted to skip the first four voting states to focus on Super Tuesday when 14 states vote on March 3 and one-third of the delegates need for the nomination are awarded.

Klobuchar also argued Bloomberg hasn't been heard by voters.

'I don't think you should just be able to buy your way to the presidency,' she told CNN Tuesday night. 'We've been answering questions. We have been going to states like Nevada and actually meeting the voters and having them quiz us and ask all kind of things, and put our policies out there. And I think that is what a presidential candidate should do. So, you know, I don't mind that he has this money, that's a great thing he made that money. But we want to make sure that we have the best candidate to lead the ticket.'

She added: 'I don't think that when people look at Donald Trump they automatically say, hmm, can we get someone richer?'

View of the debate stage ahead of the Democratic Debate at the Theater in the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and a top campaign official for Sen. Bernie Sanders both compared facing Mike Bloomberg to President Trump. Warren called Bloomberg an 'egomaniac billionaire' in a tweet Tuesday leading up to their meeting on the debate stage

Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar all qualified for Wednesday's debate in Las Vegas

Biden criticized the former mayor for some of his policies directed toward minorities from when he ran New York City. It's an area where the former vice president has strength among voters.

'Sixty billion dollars can buy you a lot of advertising, but it can't erase your record. There's a lot to talk about with Michael Bloomberg,' Biden told NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday.

'You take a look at the 'stop-and-frisk' proposals. You take a look at his ideas on redlining he's talking about. You take a look at what he's done relative to the African American community. I'm anxious to debate Michael on the issues relating to, you know, what we're going to face in Super Tuesday.'

'It's going to be awful hard to go out and win those  the base support of the Democratic Party, the African Americans, Latinos and working-class white folks  and put that coalition together. That's how you win an election. You put that coalition together,' Biden said.

Sanders, who has taken the lead for the nomination in several recent polls, said Bloomberg shouldn't be able to buy the election.

'Mr. Bloomberg has ever right in the world to run for president of the United States. He's an American citizen. But I don't think he has the right to buy this election,' he said Tuesday night at a CNN town hall.

The Vermont senator also indicated he'd attack his rival on more than money, however. He criticized Bloomberg for supporting policies such as 'stop and frisk' when he was mayor of New York.

'His policies humiliated and offended hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people. And I think that is something that is worthy of discussion,' Sanders said.

The debate comes as Sanders is trying to cement himself as the party's frontrunner, while Biden - long considered the frontrunner - has to prove that his campaign is back on track after fourth and fifth place losses in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser to the Sanders campaign, previewed how the Vermont senator would react to the addition of Bloomberg.

'In many ways running as Mike Bloomberg is like Donald Trump. Right? You know you have a sort of very wealthy New York business person turned political dilettante who believes he's entitled to the White House,' Weaver told DailyMail.com at a campaign event Tuesday.

'You know the contempt that Mike Bloomberg has shown for voters in this process is palpable,' Weaver continued.

Amy Klobuchar said voters don't necessarily want a candidate richer than Donald Trump

Pete Buttigieg and other candidates have attacked Bloomberg for not speaking to voters in Iowa and New Hampshire

The top Sanders adviser said Bloomberg shouldn't have been able to skip the first four contests to focus on Super Tuesday instead.

Weaver argued participating in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina is important because candidates are 'expected to stand in people's living rooms and go to diners and meet with small groups and small party clutches and what have you.'

'He's skipping all that because he just wants to put half a billion or a billion in TV and win the thing,' Weaver said. 'He is the epitome of sort of the entitled, elite ruling class and how they expect everybody else to bow and scrape for them,' Weaver added. 'And that's just not what's going to happen.'

Sanders has been hammering Bloomberg for weeks for trying to buy the election, though at a CNN town hall Tuesday night he wouldn't guarantee he wouldn't take Bloomberg's money, which the billionaire candidate promised to the Democratic nominee, should he not be chosen for the job himself.

'I don't think we're going to need that money,' Sanders eventually said. 'Because, interestingly enough, I think when you have an agenda as we have that speaks to the needs of working families, you're going to have millions and millions and millions of people chipping in 10 bucks apiece, 50 bucks apiece, and that's how you're going to raise the money you need to defeat Trump.'

Sanders has sprung to the lead for the nomination in the RealClearPolitics polling average on the race with Biden in second and Bloomberg in third.

The Democrats gather Wednesday night as the pressure increases for a break out moment, one that could bring in the donations and attention needed to keep their campaign going through the next round of voting.

And the debate will see one of the smallest gathering of candidates to date as the Democratic National Committee charged the qualifications needed to make the stage.

In the first eight debates, candidates had to meet polling and fundraising thresholds to qualify for the stage, but the DNC nixed the fundraising requirements for Wednesday night's meeting.

Some critics argue this was an establishment decision to let Bloomberg make the stage after the billionaire vowed not to take any contributions and solely fund his presidential campaign.

Candidates instead could qualify three different ways: by earning 10 per cent or more in four national, Nevada or South Carolina polls; getting 12 per cent or more in two Nevada or South Carolina polls; or by earning at least one delegate in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses or New Hampshire primary election.

Bloomberg made the stage by qualifying in the polls a day before the debate and Klobuchar qualified by earning six delegates in New Hampshire and one in Iowa.

All the other candidates qualified both in delegates and polling thresholds.
ELKO, Nev.  Former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg rallied a crowd of more than 300 people Monday afternoon at Adobe Middle School in Elko.

Before discussing issues, he spoke about the effort of Democratic candidates to defeat President Trump in November.

The Senate was the jury last week but we are the jury now, and the verdict on this president is going to be up to us he told voters, referring to Trumps impeachment trial.

The purpose of the presidency is not the glorification of the president, it is the unification and the empowerment of the American people, he said.

Buttigieg answered questions from the Elko Daily Free Press prior to his speech, explaining why he supported red flag gun laws and legalizing marijuana on the federal level.

What we know is that red flag laws can save lives, both from homicide and from gun suicide, and so can background checks, he said.

He said such laws are favored by most Democrats and Republicans, as well as most gun owners.

One of the things that is shocking is that an idea like that, that has 80 or 90% support across the board, still cant get done in Washington, he added. I think that shows you just how broken Washington has become.

He later told the crowd, The Second Amendment is not an excuse to do nothing whatsoever to protect our children against gun violence.

Buttigieg said he believed legalizing marijuana would be the right thing to do.

We have seen so many cases where the criminalization of marijuana and the incarceration that has followed has done far more harm than the offense it was intended to deal with. We need to move on from the failed War on Drugs strategy to one that recognizes that addiction is often a medical challenge, and that is science-based and evidence-based about what substances are really harmful and which are not.

Buttigieg told the crowd about his health care plan, which he calls Medicare for all who want it.

He said insurance companies dont want the competition but I think they should be forced to compete with a quality public plan  and I think eventually everyone would want it.

Premiums would be capped at 8.5% of income and out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs would never be higher than $250 a month.

A total of 312 people attended the campaign event, according to Adobe Principal Cody Krenka.

Im really glad that Pete has come to Elko to talk to us, said Spring Creek resident Linda Stahl. We need to understand what these guys are about.

K. C. Harrison said, I am so proud of the Democratic Party and let me tell you why. We have got top notch candidates. We are giving a selection of various points of view on how our government should run in prosperity. No matter what happens is that the tide within the party is going to stand for whoever we put up against our current president.

It is good that people arent hiding in the shadows, said attendee Terrie Anderson.

It wasnt always the case, she said. In 2012 I had some friends who had Obama stickers on their cars and they were keyed around town. One was parked in the driveway.

Im just excited to be here and be part of this excitement, said George MacLean as he waited for the doors to open. We need more youth. I think its time for a change.

McLean said he recently retired in Elko after moving here from Las Vegas.

The crowd included some small children, as school was not in session because of the Presidents Day holiday.

Buttigieg is leading in the number of delegates after the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary, although U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders won the popular vote in both states.

Sanders visited Elko on Dec. 8, and former vice president Joe Biden was here on Nov. 17.

It was Buttigiegs third event of the day, having already appeared in Reno and Carson City. He was also slated to speak Monday night in Salt Lake City, where a bigger venue was ordered because of growing interest in his candidacy there.

According to a Las Vegas Review-Journal poll, Sanders is expected to win Nevadas caucus, followed by Biden and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Early voting in Nevada began Saturday.

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Union Minister Nitin Gadkari who is representing India in a global road safety event in Sweden will hold bilateral dialogue with his Swedish counterpart for infrastructure Tomas Eneroth, the government said on Wednesday.

The Road Transport and Highways Minister is in Sweden to represent India at the "3rd High Level Global Conference on Road Safety for Achieving Global Goals 2030 being held in Stockholm from February 19-20.

During his stay in Stockholm, Gadkari will have bilateral dialogue with his Swedish counterpart for infrastructure Tomas Eneroth, Minister for Foreign Trade Anna Hallberg, Minister for Business, Industry & Innovation Ibrahim Baylan and also with the British Minister for Road Safety Baroness Vere.

Gadkari will also hold talks with the World Bank Vice President (South Asia) Hart Schafer, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said.

Also on Gadkari's itinerary will be a Sweden-India Transportation Safety and Innovation Partnership meeting to be attended by a number of CEOs.

Swedish and Indian businesses are likely to exchange several MOUs on this occasions.

Gadkari on Wednesday visited the Swedish Logistics Automotive manufacturer 'Volvo' in Gothenburg. The Minister was accompanied by Ambassador of Sweden in India Klas Molin.

Volvo is one of the world's largest manufacturers of heavy-duty trucks, construction equipment, buses and heavy-duty diesel engines as well as a leading supplier of marine and industrial engines.

The objective of the two-day conference is to bring road safety on the global agenda and renew the world community's commitment to safer roads.

Leaders from participating countries will draw up a roadmap for reaching the United Nation's goal set under the UN Decade of Action of reducing road crashes by 2030.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 35-year-old travel agent was



arrested on Wednesday for allegedly duping a man of over Rs 2.5 lakh on the pretext of arranging a Turkey visa, the police said.

South Mumbai resident Abbas Merchant got in touch with Hyderabad-based travel agent Zakir Zahiruddin after he came across the latter's website in October last year, an official said.

Merchant contacted the accused and paid him over Rs 2.5 lakh for a Turkey visa, which he never received, he added.

The victim approached the police after the accused stopped receiving his phone calls and failed to return his money, the official said.

Zahiruddin was finally traced under the jurisdiction of Panjagutta police station in Hyderabad, from where he was take into custody on Wednesday, he added.

"The accused has been arrested under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act, and has been sent to police custody till February 24," senior inspector Sandeep Bagdikar from Dongri police station said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Eddie Obeid twice lobbied the then premier Morris Iemma to promote Ian Macdonald to the planning portfolio, a Sydney court has heard.

Mr Iemma, who was NSW premier from August 2005 until September 2008, is the first of 53 prosecution witnesses to give evidence at the criminal trial of his two former parliamentary colleagues.

Former NSW premier Morris Iemma leaving the Supreme Court in Sydney on Wednesday. Credit:Renee Nowytarger

Mr Iemma explained in the Supreme Court on Wednesday that the NSW Labor Party had two factions - the Right and the Left. Although Obeid was the leader of the dominant Terrigal sub-faction within the Right and Mr Macdonald headed up the hard Left sub-faction, the two men were close and often spoke in support of each other, Mr Iemma said.

After the 2007 election, Obeid told premier Iemma that Mr Macdonald would make a good planning minister. He also lobbied him in 2008 when there was a re-shuffle of the ministry, Mr Iemma told the court.
Missing in the analysis of the Union Budget has been any serious debate on the impact of the Government of Indias precarious fiscal math on state finances. Yet, when it comes to government expenditure, Indias states and their fiscal health matter a great deal. Taken together, state expenditure as a share of GDP is today in the range of about 17%, while the Union governments share of expenditure is about 13.2% of GDP (2019-20 estimates). While state governments are big spenders, they depend significantly on New Delhi for revenue receipts. Between 2015 and 2020 (the period of the 14th finance commission), 47% of states revenue receipts came from central transfers. Thus, changes in the fiscal math in the Union Budget have an inevitable impact on state finances.

The headline figure that most post-budget analysis has focused on has been the inevitable shortfall in tax devolution, amounting to 0.75% of GDP to states when compared with the July 2020 budget, and a consequent overall fall of 0.5% GDP of total central transfers to states from 2018-19. This was perhaps inevitable, given the unrealistic revenue targets in the July budget, and the expected shortfalls in revenue receipts due to cuts in corporate taxes. But it is worth noting that in our fiscal federal architecture, critical taxation decisions like corporate tax cuts, which inevitably impact state finances given their dependence on central tax transfers, can be taken with minimal consultation with state governments. In the absence of effective consultation mechanisms, topped up by poor budget arithmetic and unrealistic revenue targets, and, lets not forget, lower than expected Goods and Services Tax compensation, effective budget management becomes near impossible. How can states plan and spend if there is uncertainty over nearly half their total revenue receipts?

But beyond headline figures, the full impact of the Union governments precarious fiscal math on State spending is only revealed through a closer look at the actual process of fund transfers and payments made through the financial year. Central transfers to state governments are made up of a combination of different fiscal transfers instruments  tax devolution, finance commission grants and central schemes. Of these, the central schemes are significant, amounting to nearly 2% of GDP in the current financial year. All the flagship schemes that readers would be familiar with  Swachh Bharat, Ayushman Bharat, PM-Kisan and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)  account for this 2% of GDP. State governments are expected to top up these transfers with an additional 40% contribution to scheme budgets. The real impact of the Centres expenditure compression is hidden in these transfers.

The full extent of expenditure compression is only revealed through an analysis of the actual release of funds from New Delhi to states. Data analysed by the Centre for Policy Researchs Accountability Initiative across flagship central schemes present a dismal picture for the current fiscal. The Centre has delayed moving money for most flagship schemes. Here are some examples  Samgra Shiksha, released only 58% of its total allocation by November 2019. The funds released for Jal Jeevan Mission were at 51%, PM Kisan at 57%, Ayushman Bharat at 32%, and the Poshan Abiyan at 31% of the total allocations by November/December 2019. These delays inevitably mean that total schemes transfers would see a significant reduction in the revised estimates.

But here is where the picture gets murky. For most of these schemes, the revised estimates (with a few exceptions such as Ayushman Bharat and PM Kisan, whose budgets were reduced) are not very different from allocations made in July. So either New Delhi is expecting a revenue windfall that will be passed on to states, or states are likely to be squeezed even further. My guess is it will be the latter.

Delays in scheme transfers are not unique to this fiscal year or this government. However, the extent of delay this year is greater than the last two years. Anyone familiar with the Indian governments public finance management system is well aware that it is notorious for delaying fund transfers and payments. This inevitably creates unpredictability in spending and delays in project implementation. These delays are a consequence of a combination of opaque and inefficient budgeting, complicated rules and bureaucratic red tape that make spending money difficult. But in times of sluggish revenue growth, and when tax devolution is lower than budgeted, these very problems become opportunities for clever budget jugglery that make the Union government look like they are managing their deficit targets and expenditure commitments even though the reality is far from it.

Economist Rathin Roy has long argued that the Union government is facing a fiscal crisis that is deepening every year. It now looks like the Centre may well be pushing states towards a crisis too. Of course, states too are notorious for poor fiscal math and bad budget management. This improved somewhat in recent years. But with growing uncertainties in central transfers, these gains may not last long.

Finally, the data highlighted here is a call for an urgent need to adopt 21st century public finance management systems and improve fiscal transparency. The finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, took an important step toward transparency by revealing the extent of off-budget borrowing in the 2020 budget. She must now turn her attention to and place much needed sunlight the fund transfer system.

Yamini Aiyar is president and chief executive, Centre for Policy Research

The views expressed are personal
The Opposition Congress and JD(S) mounted an attack on the ruling BJP in the Assembly on Wednesday, on the back of some recent High Court orders and observations on alleged police excesses.

The debate was so heated that Law Minister J C Madhuswamy, in a fit of pique, suggested removing Section 144 of the CrPC, on imposing prohibitory orders.

Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah lambasted the BJP government citing the recent High Court order that declared as illegal the imposition of Section 144 in Bengaluru in December last year. Any agitation or protest thats peaceful cant be stopped because it amounts to curbing a fundamental right, Siddaramaiah said.

Why dont we just remove it from the CrPC? an irked Madhuswamy said, since the Opposition raised a question on who really had the authority to decide on imposing prohibitory orders.

The Assembly then plunged into a debate on whether or not the legislature can discuss matters that are pending adjudication.

Siddaramaiah cited the Supreme Court decision in the Kedarnath Singh vs State of Bihar case to buttress his argument that the sedition law was misused.

A sedition case has been filed against (Congress leader) U T Khader, who only said that Mangaluru will burn if the NRC is rolled out, in the backdrop of nationwide protests. He didnt say Mangaluru will be set fire to. Theres a big difference, Siddaramaiah said, adding that false cases of sedition were filed.

Madhuswamy accused Siddaramaiah of trying to influence the court as Khaders case, for instance, was subjudice. If you want to defend this in the Assembly, why do we need courts? Were yet to file charge sheets and proceedings are still underway. Let the court decide if its wrong or not, he said.

Madhuswamy said the government will appeal against the bail order of the High Court. He also read out a SC observation that no judge can comment on whether a person is innocent or guilty and that granting bail should be confined to just that.

The Opposition also latched on to the High Courts observation while allowing a bail petition by those allegedly involved in violence during anti-CAA protests in Mangaluru. The HC said no evidence was produced to show their involvement. Doesnt that make them innocent? This clearly shows that what happened in Mangaluru was government-sponsored and a pre-planned police action, Siddaramaiah said.

H D Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) also pointed this out. The government advocates ensure bail plea is rejected in silly cases. But in this case, its the failure of the law department. Why do you have such advocates who bring a bad name to the government and police?
Telecom crisis in India is not limited to AGR (adjusted gross revenue) related issues, but instead it is much larger and deeper, says former finance secretary at the department of economic affairs, Subhash Chandra Garg in a blog post. He said the telecom crisis today is much bigger than it was in 1998.

"The saviour of 1998- the revenue sharing regime- is ironically proving to be the reason of their big woes now," Garg said.

The former bureaucrat, who worked closely with former finance minister Arun Jaitley, said that Indian telecom business (both voice and data) is headed towards becoming a duopoly (Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel) with the remaining two players - Vodafone Idea and BSNL-MTNL - hurtling towards eventual shutdown, which might as well be an abrupt collapse.

"This has enormous consequences for over 40 crore of the customers of Vodafone-Idea and BSNL-MTNL in terms of continuous availability of telecom services and also for competitiveness in the industry itself," Garg said.

According to Garg, Vodafone Idea, the country's second largest telco in terms of subscribers, is sitting on the edge of bankruptcy. The company reported consolidated net loss at Rs 50,922 crore in the September quarter following the AGR judgement virtually wiping out the entire net worth of the company.

"With Supreme Court sticking to the AGR judgement, it seems virtually the end of the road for the Vodafone-Idea," he added.

The Supreme Court's recent order on the AGR, asking the telecom major to pay Rs 53,039 crore to Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has put it in a tight spot. Currently, Vodafone Idea owes Rs 88,530 crore to the department of telecom (DoT) for the spectrum that it has bought in the previous auctions. This is in addition to the AGR liability of Rs 53,039 crore.

Garg believes that Vodafone Idea is quite unlikely to be able to pay-up the AGR related dues. Even if the company somehow manages to do so (making other capital contributing companies sick in the process), it has no money to make investment in 5G or even upgrading the 4G network, he said.

"Vodafone-Idea lost whopping 3.64 crore subscribers in the single month of November 2019. It has lost over 6 crore subscribers in first nine months of 2019. It would be no surprise if Vodafone loses a total of 10 crore subscribers in the year 2019-20. Very clearly, it is not going to survive unless something is done," he added.

"The duopoly of Jio-Airtel would not be in the interest of country. India needs a healthy and competitive telecom sector. It would be in national interest if Vodafone survives as a strong player. There are two options to ensure this," Garg said.

It is notable that all the companies, other than the three- Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea- have either shut shop or are in insolvency process or are fighting cases against the Government in Courts or international Tribunals. Erstwhile telecom majors like Anil Ambani's Reliance Communications and Aircel are in insolvency process.

By Chitranjan Kumar

Also Read: AGR crisis to haunt Modi govt just as 2G scam spooked UPA

Also Read: AGR dues: Who hurts if Vodafone Idea goes down?
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global aesthetic medicine market size is expected to reach USD 103.4 billion by 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of 8.9% during the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Some key market drivers are rise in aging population, disposable income, and awareness about the efficacy of aesthetic treatments.

Key suggestions from the report:

Non-invasive procedures segment is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. Growing preference for minimally or non-invasive cosmetic surgeries over invasive cosmetic surgeries attributed to various factors, such as lower costs, minimal trauma and incision, faster recovery, and low risk of complications is anticipated to fuel the segment growth

Botox injections, chemical peels, and soft tissue fillers are some of the most frequently performed non-invasive procedures to address some common issues, such as wrinkles, pigmentation, vascular conditions, loss of skin tone, and dull skin

Breast augmentation and nose reshaping in the invasive procedures segment are anticipated to witness rapid growth in the forthcoming years owing to availability of a rising number of advanced technologies and skilled surgeons

Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness rapid growth over the forecast period, owing to the presence of a large target population pool between 25 to 65 years in China and India and improving standards of living in the region

Some of the key players operating in the global market include Allergan, Inc.; Alma Laser ; Cynosure; Galderma S.A.; Lumenis; Johnson and Johnson; Solta Medical, Inc.; and Syneron Medical Ltd.

Read 130 page research report with ToC on "Aesthetic Medicine Market Size, Share and Trends Analysis Report By Procedure Type (Invasive Procedures, Non-invasive Procedures), By Region (North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, LATAM), And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2026' at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/medical-aesthetics-market

People aged between 25 and 65 years have prominent aging signs, such as wrinkles, fine lines, and dark spots. Rise in geriatric population is likely to boost the demand for aesthetic medicine due to significant rise in the number of target consumers. Moreover, the need for improved aesthetics in the working class population is likely to drive the demand over the forecast period. Improving employment rate, especially in the emerging markets, is anticipated to drive the demand for aesthetic medicine over the forecast period.

However, the presence of stringent regulatory framework to ensure product safety and efficacy is one of the primary factors limiting growth of the global aesthetic medicine market. Lack of skilled professionals required to perform surgical and minimally invasive procedures coupled with the growing overall treatment cost, is expected to hinder the market growth in the forthcoming years.

Grand View Research has segmented the global aesthetic medicine market based on procedure type and region:

Aesthetic Medicine Procedure Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026)

Invasive Procedures



Breast augmentation





Liposuction





Nose reshaping





Eyelid Surgery





Tummy tuck





Others



Non-invasive Procedures



Botox injections





Soft tissue fillers





Chemical peel





Laser hair removal





Microdermabrasion





Others

Aesthetic Medicine Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026)

North America



U.S.





Canada



Europe



Germany





France





U.K.





Italy





Spain



Asia Pacific



China





Japan





South Korea





India





Australia



Latin America



Brazil





Mexico





Argentina



MEA



South Africa





Saudi Arabia





UAE

Find more research reports on Medical Devices Industry, by Grand View Research:

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Credit: Javier Manteca

Say cheese.

Amateur astrophotographer Javier Manteca captured the International Space Station as flew in front of the moon on 5 February.

While most eyes were on the change of command ceremony taking place inside the Space Station ahead of ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano's return to Earth, Javier set up his gear to track the Station from the small town of Campo Real in Madrid, Spain.

Using a camera attached to a 150/750 telescope recording at 25 frames per second, Javier captured the 690 millisecond transit on video and composed this image made from 17 stacked frames.

For Javier, this was a moment two years in the making. He posted the image to his Twitter and Instagram, where you can find more of his work.

Luca returned to Earth the day after this photo, on 6 February, ending a record-breaking 201 days in space for his Beyond mission.

Highlights of his mission include four complex sorties that earned him the European record for most cumulative hours spent on spacewalks, remotely operating a rover in the Netherlands from space, and being the first Italian European commander of the Station.

Another European milestone was met this week. The Orion spacecraft that will fly around the moon on the Artemis-1 mission completed thermal-vacuum testing in the world's largest vacuum chamber at NASA's Plum Brook Station in Ohio, U.S..

ESA's contribution to the mission is the European Service Module that will power the vehicle as well as provide electricity, water, oxygen and nitrogen and keep the spacecraft at the right temperature and on course.

From 26 December until 9 February, the spacecraft was subjected to environmental temperatures varying from 175C to 75C to give it its first taste of space.
FOOD and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 7.6 per cent between October 2020 and October 2021, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) reported yesterday.

In a memorandum on the Index of Retail Prices (RPI) published for general information yesterday, attributed to the acting director of statistics, Andre Blanchard, the CSO noted that the All Items Index of Retail Prices increased by 3.9 per cent between October 2020 and last October.
Palestinian Foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki commended, on Wednesday in Brussels, the pivotal role played by King Mohammed VI, in his capacity as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, in protecting the holy city and supporting the resistance of its inhabitants.

Maliki made the remarks in a statement to MAP on the sidelines of his participation in a meeting of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee.

Maliki underlined the Kings unwavering support for Jerusalem and for the Palestinian question, noting that Morocco has always stood by the Palestinian people and their cause.

He added that the ongoing coordination between the Moroccan Monarch and President Mahmoud Abbas is of great importance in order to face the upcoming challenges, within the framework of solidarity between Arab and Islamic countries, especially States with regional influence such as Morocco.
Dozens of passengers stuck for nearly a week on a US cruise ship in Cambodia disembarked Wednesday, after being given the all-clear from a deadly coronavirus. The Westerdam made shore in Sihanoukville on February 13 after being rejected by five countries over fears its passengers could be carrying the new virus, which has killed more than 2,000 people. Hundreds were allowed off after basic health checks -- among them an 83-year-old American woman who was later diagnosed with the virus while in transit in Malaysia. That raised fears many other Westerdam passengers could be spreading the virus as they scattered, although no other cases have been recorded. Once the American woman's case was discovered, the remaining passengers on the Westerdam were ordered to stay on board, but they have now all been given a clean bill of health. The majority of the 1,455 guests were American, with Canadians, Brits, Ducth and Germans among the remaining passengers to take the re-routed cruise. Swabs from the more than 700 crew members aboard were still being collected, a Sihanoukville provincial spokesman told AFP. But the ship operator said late Wednesday that the boat was preparing to leave the port with the crew -- who have endured a torrid extended journey -- taking turns to rest on their onward trip. Cambodia's wily premier Hun Sen squeezed PR value from the arrival of the US-owned ship, greeting the first passengers to leave the ship with hugs and flowers. "Thank you very much Mr. Prime Minister," a jubilant passenger -- one among 230 who disembarked on Wednesday -- told local TV as she left the ship. "I didn't know him before so I am just grateful that he let us in." - 'A whirlwind' - The head of cruise operator Holland America said he was thankful for the help Cambodia provided. "It's been a whirlwind, and I want to take a moment to say how sincerely appreciative of each and every one of you we are," Orlando Ashford told a crowd of passengers and crew, later walking off to the Sister Sledge song "We are Family". In Phnom Penh, former passengers staying at a luxury hotel since Saturday rejoiced after Cambodia's health ministry said more than 700 people tested over the past two days have been cleared. "All passengers have normal health with no noticeable problems and no-one had high temperatures," the ministry said in a statement. American Christina Kerby said it was "great news", but she was worried about the stigma dogging Westerdam passengers -- especially once they return home. "I want people to remember that... there's a human behind each of these stories, and those who are ill deserve compassion," she told AFP. The news comes as Southeast Asian foreign ministers prepared for a summit in Laos on Thursday with their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the COVID-19 outbreak. Cambodia, like many of its regional neighbours, is a staunch ally of Beijing. It receives billions of dollars in soft loans, infrastructure, and investment from China. Diners have lunch in the foreground of the Westerdam cruise ship in Sihanoukville A young passenger from the Westerdam cruise ship holds up a sign on a bus after disembarking in Sihanoukville
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In an article in The Christian Post on whether the Flood of Noah covered the entire globe, Hugh Ross contended that the Flood was not global in extent but regional.

Taking Genesis as straightforward history, the reader of the text should have little difficulty understanding the account of the Flood in chapters 68. We are told that the fountains of the great deep burst open and poured out water onto the earth's surface for 150 days. The floodgates of heaven were open, producing torrential rainfall. These passages express a flood of global geographical extent. This view is confirmed by the words all and whole in Genesis 7:19: And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.

Furthermore, we read that all mankind was blotted out (except the eight people on the Ark). Genesis 6:713 tells us why God sent the Flood judgment: The Lord said, I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky. The Flood also came to destroy all land animals and birds wherever they were located, not just to kill sinful humans who were not on the Ark.

Furthermore, the Flood account is irreconcilable with a watery event being localized in the Mesopotamian Valley. As noted above, Genesis 7 teaches that all the mountains were covered. Because water will always seek its own level, how could the mountains be covered in only one region without also covering mountains in adjoining areas?

Likewise, there is no biblical or logical reason to assume that all humanity before the Flood lived only in the Mesopotamian Valley. Genesis 4 indicates that early man built cities, had nomadic herds of animals, and explored the earth (v. 1722).

In 2 Peter 3, the Apostle Peter warned of a future time when people would willfully forget that after the earth was created by God, it perished being flooded with water, and that the present earth is reserved for fire until the day of judgment. Three events are referred to: the creation of the world (Greek kosmos), the destruction of that world (kosmos again) by a watery cataclysm (the Flood), and the future destruction of the heavens and the earth by fire. In other words, Peter accepted the Flood was global because the creation of the world was global and the future judgment by fire is to be global. This passage leaves no doubt that Gods Word  including in the New Testament  teaches a global Flood.

If the Flood were only regional in extent, why would Noah have even had to take birds on board the ark (Genesis 7:8) when the birds could have simply flown away to safe, unflooded areas? Similarly, why would Noah have needed to take land animals on board the Ark when representatives of those same animal kinds would surely have survived in an unflooded area?

Furthermore, why would Noah have had to build the ark to an immense scale as specified in Genesis 6:15 (about 510 feet long, 84 feet wide, and 51 feet high)? With three decks, the Ark would have had a total area of about 125,000 square feet for all the needed animals (and supplies). Obviously, an Ark of such dimensions would only be required if the Flood were global in extent, which was intended by God to destroy all land animals and birds living around the world (except for those preserved on that Ark). Because the Bible teaches that Noah was warned of the Flood several decades before it came (Genesis 6:3), God could have simply told Noah and his family to migrate out of the region with any required land animals and birds before the Flood started.

Finally, God gave the covenant of the rainbow to remind people He will never again send such a Flood. If Noahs Flood was regional, then God has broken His promise over and over again because there have been multiple regional floods over the millennia.

Both the Old and New Testaments teach that the Flood of Noah was global. It could not be clearer. For the scientific evidence that confirms a global Flood, we have several articles by PhD geologists and others found on our website of www.AnswersInGenesis.org

This topic is ultimately one about the authority of God's Word, which plainly teaches a global Flood. Why should we accept the ever-changing opinions of fallible men as they reinterpret what the infallible God clearly communicated to us in Genesis?
BOSTON, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.s (NYSE: WH) Board of Directors are being investigated for a possible breach of fiduciary duty by Block & Leviton LLP ( www.blockesq.com ). Block & Leviton is a national securities litigation firm representing investors and whistleblowers nationwide.

If you are a shareholder of Wyndham and are interested in obtaining information regarding this investigation, you are encouraged to contact attorney Mark Delaney at (617) 398-5600, by email at mdelaney@blockesq.com , or by visiting https://shareholder.law/wyndham .

Block & Leviton LLP was recently ranked 4th among securities litigation firms by ISS for recoveries in 2017. The firm represents many of the nation's largest institutional investors and numerous individual investors in securities litigation throughout the country. Indeed, its lawyers have recovered billions of dollars for its clients.

This notice may constitute attorney advertising.

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The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday booked ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Ravindranath Tripathi, his nephew, and five other family members for allegedly raping a woman, in her 30s, from 2016 to 2017 and forcing her to abort her two-month pregnancy, two officer said.

Bhadohi superintendent of police Rambadan Singh said the accused have been charged under Indian Penal Codes Sections 376 D (gang rape), 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation). He identified the other accused as Sandip Tripathi, Nitesh, Prakash, Deepak, Sachin Tripathi and Chandrabhushan Tripathi. A team has been constituted to investigate the matter, he said.

Ravindranath Tripathi, who is a lawmaker from Bhadohi, denied the charges and said neither he nor his relatives have ever known the woman, who has registered the First Information Report at a police station in Bhadohi. He called the allegations baseless and said he and his family were being defamed at the behest of a sand mining mafia.

The SP said the woman has told police that the lawmakers nephew got into a relationship with her in 2016 after promising to marry her. She has accused him of sexually exploiting her, the SP said. The woman has alleged that she was put up at a hotel in Bhadohi, where the BJP lawmaker, his three sons, and two nephews also allegedly raped her during the 2017 Uttar Pradesh polls.

Bhadohi police superintendent Rambadan Singh said the woman has alleged Sandip Tripathi, who is the lawmakers nephew, met her on a Mumbai-bound train in 2014 when she was going to meet her parents. She claimed that Sandip took her mobile number and started talking to her. She alleged that MLAs nephew had established physical relations with her on the pretext of marrying her.

According to the SP, the woman claimed she told Sandip Tripathi about the Bhadohi hotel incident, but he asked her to keep mum and started ignoring her requests for getting married. He allegedly recently threatened her with dire consequences if she insisted on marrying him, the SP added.

Reacting to the development, Congress leader Ajay Rai sought strict action against the accused. The ruling party should explain what action it is going to take against its lawmaker, he said

The BJP in August last expelled another Uttar Pradesh lawmaker, Kuldeep Singh Sengar, two years after he was accused of raping a 17-year-old girl. The expulsion came after Sengar was booked for his alleged involvement in a crash in which the accuser and her lawyer were injured while two of her aunts were killed. A speeding truck had rammed the car in which the four were travelling. The BJP faced much criticism from the opposition for delayed action against Sengar.
Juan Figueroa, MBR / Associated Press

Just hours after the Nevada caucuses begin on Saturday, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is heading back to Texas to campaign in El Paso and San Antonio ahead of the states March 3 presidential primary.

The Sanders campaign announced he will be in El Paso at 3 p.m. for a free rally on Saturday. Then at 7 p.m., hell be in San Antonio for another free rally at the Cowboys Dance Hall.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 22:32:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KIGALI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda on Wednesday announced that it has terminated the prosecution of 17 Ugandan citizens that were arrested in the country, said Rwandan ministry of foreign affairs in a statement.

The move comes barely a day after the release of 13 Rwandans who were detained in Uganda, after the Ugandan government released nine Rwandan citizens last month.

"The government of Rwanda through its high commission in Kampala, Uganda, welcomes the release of 13 Rwandan nationals and the deportation of two terrorist suspects who were involved in October 2019 Kinigi attacks," said the statement.

"The government of Rwanda recalls that it has already terminated the prosecution of 17 Ugandan citizens and released three who have completed their sentences," said the statement.

The development by the two countries follows the third meeting of the Ad Hoc Commission on the implementation of the Luanda Memorandum of Understanding between Uganda and Rwanda held in Kigali, capital of Rwanda last Friday.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni are expected to meet on Friday this week at Gatuna at the border between Uganda and Rwanda under the Quadripartite Heads of State Summit, which also includes the leaders of Angola and DR Congo.

The meeting is expected to come up with tangible solution to the current bilateral standoff between Rwanda and Uganda, according to the Rwandan ministry of foreign affairs.

The government of Rwanda remains fully committed to meet its obligations in the implementation of Luanda Memorandum of Understanding.

The release came in the wake of negotiations by the two neighboring countries to end close to a year of misunderstandings.

Last year, Rwanda closed its common border with Uganda alleging that the latter was incarcerating its citizens. Uganda denied the allegations.
(Reuters) - Beijing threatened to retaliate against Czech companies with operations in China if a senior Czech lawmaker went ahead with a planned visit to Taiwan, according to a diplomatic letter seen by Reuters.

The Jan. 10 letter, which was sent by Chinas embassy in Prague to the Czech presidents office, suggested that Czech companies operating in mainland China, such as Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) subsidiary Skoda Auto or lender Home Credit Group, would suffer if Senate speaker Jaroslav Kubera visited the self-ruled island.

Kubera died unexpectedly on Jan. 20, before his trip had been due to take place, but the letter, written in Czech, reveals how explicit Beijing was about the possible consequences if the visit had gone ahead.

Czech companies whose representatives visit Taiwan with Chairman Kubera will not be welcome in China or with the Chinese people, the letter said.

Czech companies who have economic interests in China will have to pay for the visit to Taiwan by Chairman Kubera, the letter added, noting, China is the largest foreign market for many Czech companies like Skoda Auto, Home Credit Group, Klaviry Petrof and others.

The Czech presidents spokesman confirmed the letter had been received but did not comment on its content.

Asked about the letter, Chinas foreign ministry said it did not know where the information had come from.

I want to emphasize that China resolutely opposes a country that has established diplomatic relations with China having official exchanges with Taiwan authorities in any form. This stance has been consistent and clear, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a fax.

The Foreign Ministry in Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province, criticized Chinas warning to Prague.

Chinas business pressure on the Czech Republic proves that one belt one road is a predatory policy tool, bringing only counter-effects to the global business order, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said.

SERIOUS BREACH

As speaker of the Czech Republics Senate, Kubera was the countrys second-most senior official after President Milos Zeman.

Zeman and Prime Minister Andrej Babis had expressed concern that Kuberas plans to visit Taiwan would lead China to retaliate against the Central European countrys business community.

The Senates office said Kubera had been aware of the letter and its content after receiving a copy at a regular meeting of top Czech foreign policy officials.

The Chinese letter warns that Kuberas trip would be seen as a serious breach of the so-called one China policy on Taiwan, under which Beijing insists it is the sole representative of China.

Babiss government, which has the main say on foreign policy, has repeatedly said it adheres to the one China policy.

However, diplomatic ties cooled last year when city authorities in Prague showed support for Tibet and demanded changes to an intercity partnership agreement with Beijing over a reference to Chinas policy on Taiwan.

The agreement was eventually canceled, and Prague instead signed a cooperation deal with Taiwans Taipei, further infuriating Beijing.

Another dent in bilateral relations came in December 2018 when the Czech cyber-security watchdog warned about the risks of using network technology provided by Chinese telecoms equipment makers Huawei and ZTE .

A Home Credit spokesman said he had not been aware of the letter, while Skoda could not be reached immediately for comment.

Czech senators elected a replacement for Kubera as speaker on Wednesday.
In a tragic turn of events, renowned sex therapist and womens abuse advocate, Dr. Amie Harwick, died after falling off a third-story balcony. Details are still infolding but authorities arrested Harwicks ex-boyfriend, Gareth Pursehouse on suspicion of murder. He was released Tuesday on $2 million bail. Grieving fans of Dr. Harwick say she was so much more than an ex-fiance of The Price Is Right host, Drew Carey. Heres what we know.

What happened to Dr. Amie Harwick?

Dr. Amie Harwick attends the Rock To Recovery benefit at The Fonda Theatre | Paul Archuleta/Getty Images

Dr. Amie Harwick, who served as a family and marriage therapist, died by blunt force injuries to her head and torso, with evidence of manual strangulation, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The injuries sustained were consistent with a fall.

Police responded to reports of a woman screaming Saturday night. Harwicks roommate said Harwick was being assaulted inside of her residence. When officers found Harwick, she was unresponsive. Harwicks body was found at her Hollywood Hills home, at the bottom of the three-story balcony.

Harwicks ex-boyfriend, Gareth Pursehouse, was arrested Feb. 15 on suspicion of murder. Harwick previously had a restraining order on him after several incidents of alleged abuse but they had expired.

He has suffocated me, punched me, slammed my head on the ground, kicked me, Harwick stated in court documents, per The Los Angeles Times. This has resulted in bruises, inability to walk, bleeding, broken blood vessels around face, whiplash, sore neck, and back.

Pursehouse has a court date scheduled for March 10.

A chance reunion reignited Pursehouses obsession

Harwick and Pursehouse were in a relationship nearly a decade ago, with the first restraining order in 2011, and another following in 2012. Friends of Harwick referred to Pursehouse as a stalker who wouldnt leave Harwick alone, per KABC.

Pursehouse ran into Harwick at a recent event which reignited his obsessive preoccupation with her. The restraining order against him became null and void two weeks before Harwicks death. In that time, sources say she began to fear for her life.

A previous post to Pursehouses Instagram page alludes to a scene from Game of Thrones in which someone is thrown from the top of the castle. The haunting video adds to an already heartbreaking ending for a woman adored by so many.

Ex-Fiance Drew Carey overcome with grief

Harwick dated The Price Is Right host, Drew Carey, in 2017. They announced their engagement in 2018 but split a year later. Carey issued a statement via Us Weekly after news of Harwicks death.

Amie and I had a love that people are lucky to have once in a lifetime. She was a positive force in the world, a tireless and unapologetic champion for women, and passionate about her work as a therapist. I am overcome with grief, he said.

I would like to thank you in advance for giving myself and everyone who loved Amie privacy while we try to work through this tragic situation.

The star also took to Twitter to speak of Harwick saying, I hope youre lucky enough to have someone in your life that loves as much as she did.

Carey is taking time off hosting duties to grieve. Filming has been pushed to the week of Feb. 24, or later.

Fans want Dr. Harwicks legacy to live on

Former and past clients want Harwick, who had a masters degree in clinical psychology and a doctorate in human sexuality, to be remembered for her extensive work in helping others  not only as someone connected to Carey. The therapist appeared in the 2015 documentary Addicted to Sexting and is the author of the 2014 book, The New Sex Bible for Women.

F*cking enraged to hear this newsshe was my therapist. we spoke in detail about my past history w domestic abuse. She dedicated her LIFE to helping women like me. feels unreal. RIP dr.amie, this heartbroken person wrote.

I was so saddened to receive this news today. Dr. Amie Harwick was my therapist. Her work changed my life. Its truly heartbreaking that she passionately dedicated her life helping others heal from trauma and live freely. This shouldnt have happened to her, another wrote.

When will we stop contextualizing womens lives and deaths with their relationships to men. This is not a story about the Price is Right. Its a story about Amie Harwick. Drew Carey should be a footnote here, not the lead, this fan added.

A friend created an online petition to change laws for domestic violence victims

Clearly Harwick made a huge impact on the lives of many. Diana Arias, a friend of Harwick, started an online petition in hopes of getting laws changed so that restraining orders remain valid for five years.

Harwicks death came as a result of poor laws not protecting the victims and treating the offenders.

I refuse to let her death be in vain, Arias said via USA Today.

Modifying the laws would also expand the rights of domestic violence victims by not having them testify in the same room as their alleged abusers in court.

Arias added, We want to push for laws to be changed in her honor so this doesnt happen to anyone else.

Carey also boosted the petition saying, Please sign this petition and chip in if you can. #JusticeForAmie. Thank you and bless you

May Dr. Harwick be remembered for her life, and those she helped through the years. And, may her death serve as a stark reminder that there is more work to be done to better protect those in domestic abuse situations.

How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
China has ordered three journalists from the Wall Street Journal to leave the country within five days, the first time in decades that China has expelled multiple reporters from the same outlet simultaneously.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the move came after the Journal refused to apologize for publishing a headline China deemed offensive. The headline, China is the Real Sick Man of Asia, is for a column by Bard College professor Walter Russel Mead on the shaky financial foundations of Chinas economy.

China has demanded that The Wall Street Journal recognize the seriousness of the error, openly and formally apologize, and investigate and punish those responsible, while retaining the need to take further measures against the newspaper, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Wednesday. Regrettably, what the WSJ has done so far is nothing but parrying and dodging its responsibility.

The Chinese people do not welcome media that publish racist statements and smear China with malicious attacks, Geng added.

The expelled reporters are Deputy Bureau Chief Josh Chin and reporters Chao Deng and Philip Wen. The three work for the Journals news division, which operates separately from the opinion section.

The expulsion comes a day after the U.S. State Department said it would treat Chinas five main state-run news agencies as foreign government functionaries. State Department officials said that while reporters from China Radio, Xinhua, China Daily CGTN, and The Peoples Daily will be allowed to operate in the U.S., the agencies must report names and personal details of employees to the U.S. government.

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The quarantined ship Diamond Princess is pictured through barbed wire at Yokohama port in Yokohama, near Tokyo. Photo: Mayuko Isobe/Kyodo News via AP

Two Irish citizens who were on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus.

They were among 15 citizens trapped on board two virus-stricken luxury cruise ships at the centre of a quarantine alert.

The pair - who live in Germany - are now being treated in a Tokyo hospital after contracting the virus while in isolation on one of the liners.

The news came as it emerged that two more Irish citizens who were on board another cruise ship, locked in quarantine amid a coronavirus scare, flew home last weekend without being screened.

Docked

The pair were holidaying on the Westerdam cruise ship, which is now docked indefinitely off the Cambodian coast.

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Seven other Irish people are being tested for the virus, along with other passengers and crew, in Cambodia.

The ship had been stuck at sea for days after Japan, the Philippines and Thailand turned it away over concerns that it had passengers who could have been infected.

Last Friday Cambodia finally let it dock and some passengers were allowed to leave.

However, on Saturday an 83-year-old American passenger tested positive for the coronavirus during a stopover in Malaysia on her way home.

Now questions are being raised over how the woman was infected.

About half of the more than 2,500 passengers have already left the ship.

The Herald has established that by the time the woman was diagnosed, two citizens were already travelling home.

Sources said they have followed all health protocols since landing back in the country - and Ireland remains free of the virus. Of the seven other Irish on board the ship, only two are normally resident in this country.

A total of 13 Irish citizens have been trapped on board the two coronavirus-stricken luxury cruise ships.

Some nine other Irish were passengers on the Westerdam cruise ship, off the coast of Cambodia, which was also struck by the coronavirus.

Seven of these remain in Cambodia and are being screened for the virus, along with other passengers and crew.

Foreign Affairs officials said they are liaising with the two groups and hope to arrange transport for them out of Japan and Cambodia if they want to leave.

Nearly 3,000 people are still on board the Diamond Princess and were originally told their 14-day quarantine would end today.

It was planned for disembarkation to begin at around 10.30am local time - but Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said the process of leaving the ship could last two to three days. A couple from Co Meath were still on the Diamond Princess yesterday, along with two Irish crew members.

Treated

Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the two Irish citizens who tested positive for the virus are "being treated in hospital in Japan".

"These citizens share dual citizenship with another EU member state and are not normally resident in Ireland," he said.

"Our embassy in Tokyo is in ongoing contact with them regarding their consular needs.

"We are also in close contact with those who remain in quarantine on the ship.

"We are working with our EU partners and other like-minded countries regarding options for their return."

The Westerdam Cruise Ship is currently docked off Sihanoukville, Cambodia and some of the Irish passengers are ashore in a hotel.

Mr Coveney added: "Seven are currently being screened, along with other passengers and crew."
Mr. Bloomberg gave a long answer about his support of stop-and-frisk during his mayoralty, saying he was embarrassed by it in hindsight.

I thought that my first responsibility was to give people the right to live, he said, while arguing he did begin phasing out the police tactic by the end of his administration.

Ive talked to a number of kids who have been stopped. Im trying  was trying to understand how we change our policy so we can keep the city safe. The crime rate did go from 650 down to 300. We have to keep a lid on crime, but we cannot go and stop people indiscriminately, he said.

The apology, which Mr. Bloomberg looked uneasy delivering, did not satisfy his rivals.

Its not whether he apologizes or not. Its abhorrent, Mr. Biden said of the policy, adding, Lets get something straight. The reason that stop and frisk changed is because Barack Obama sent moderators to see what was going on.

Ms. Warren spoke next.

This isnt about how it turned out, Ms. Warren said to Mr. Bloomberg. This is about what it was designed to do to begin with. It targeted communities of color. It targeted black and brown men from the beginning. And if you want to issue a real apology, then the apology has to start with the intent of the plan as it was put together.

She accused him of willful ignorance, day by day by day as he defended the policy.

You need a different apology, she concluded
It's part of the reason why we've got record low wage growth is because working people can't get jobs I can count on. These workers are only being guaranteed 20 hours a week. You can't survive on 20 hours a week. You cant support a family on 20 hours a week. You can't afford a Jetstar flight to take your family on holiday on 20 hours a week. The Jetstar strike at Melbourne Airport on Wednesday morning. Credit:Scott McNaughton Jetstar chief executive Gareth Evans said at a press conference that the airline had made a strong offer but the TWU had shown it was not interested in making a deal. "This is part of their 2020 year of action against airports and against airlines and unfortunately were first cab off the rank," he said.

"The fact that theyre using our employees as pawns in this game is frankly outrageous. Mr Evans said only about a third of union members rostered on Wednesday morning walked off the job. The Transport Workers' Union told the airline on Friday that about 250 of its members would walk off the job at Sydney, Melbourne, Avalon, Brisbane, Cairns and Adelaide airports, starting Wednesday morning. Jetstar on Monday confirmed it had cancelled 48 domestic flights - out of about 200 it operates daily - to "minimise the impact" of the stop-work action. Other flights have been consolidated and some passengers have been moved onto flights operated by its parent airline Qantas.

Mr Evans said about three quarters of passengers travelled within three hours of their original booking on Wednesday, while all passengers would arrive at their destination on the same day. International flights have not been affected. ACTU secretary Sally McManus at Melbourne Airport on Wednesday morning. Credit:Scott McNaughton Passengers booked to travel on Wednesday have been able to cancel their flight for a full refund or move their booking forward to an earlier date at no extra cost. A Jetstar spokesman said its operations had been largely unaffected and, as of mid-afternoon Wednesday, 51 ground crew rostered on to work had taken action.

Wednesday's strike is an escalation of industrial action by the Transport Workers' Union, after it held two-hour work stoppages in December, which caused 28 flight cancellations. The TWU and Jetstar are at loggerheads over a new wage agreement. A passenger watches Jetstar workers and union officials at Melbourne Airport. Credit:Scott McNaughton The union says its members face irregular working hours and a key sticking point has been its demand for a guaranteed minimum of 30 hours of work each week. Jetstar has said it has made an offer that included a 3 per cent pay rise, with a year's backpay, as well as roster benefits.

TWU national assistant secretary Nick McIntosh said some of the striking workers took home just over $400 a week. How can you pay off a mortgage? How can you pay your bills? How can you put food on the table? he asked. Loading Mr McIntosh said a survey showed 80 per cent of Jetstars workers were struggling to pay bills and 45 per cent of these had defaulted on their bank loans. Ninety per cent of workers wanted more hours. Its not good enough that a company the size of Qantas, making $1.3 billion in profit, is only prepared to offer 20 hours a week to its workers when there's plenty of work that it outsources that could be done, he said. The attitude of the company is just contemptuous."
The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on



Wednesday approved Film Tourism Policy-2020, offering incentives to filmmakers and those setting up related infrastructure in the state.

The state cabinet, chaired by the Chief Minister Kamal Nath, approved the policy to promote private investments and make Madhya Pradesh an attractive destination for film shoots, an official from the public relations department said.

Under the policy, the state government will offer grants to films, TV serials, web series, documentaries etc that are shot in Madhya Pradesh, the officer said.

Special grants will be given to filmmakers who offer screen time to tourist destinations in the state, he added.

Apart from this, investment in film-related infrastructure will be encouraged with grants and land, the official said.

A film facilitation cell will also be set up for the implementation of this policy, he said.

As per the policy, land will be allotted for film studios, post-production centres, VFX centres, skill development centres, film institutes etc, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ABC News(LAS VEGAS) -- Amy Klobuchar's presidential campaigns push to expose the Minnesota senator to the diverse slate of Nevada voters in the critical days before the caucuses will get a boost with the release of two more 15-second TV ads in the Silver State focusing on health care and lowering prescription drug prices.



The two fairly short ads are part of what the campaign told ABC News Saturday is a seven-figure ad investment in just Nevada alone, and includes one Spanish-language ad released two days ago.



This brings her to five total ads in this state since the day after the New Hampshire primaries.



The push on the airwaves comes just days after Klobuchar herself announced on ABC News' This Week that her campaign had fundraised $12 million in the week. The money flowed in following her standout performance on the ABC News debate stage in Manchester, New Hampshire, and since her surprising third place finish in New Hampshire.



Klobuchar called her race for the White House a happy, scrappy campaign, at her New Hampshire primary night party. Since then, she has experienced a surge in fundraising.



However, her momentum could be tested in Nevada which is nearly 30% Latino, over 10% black and encompasses one of the nation's fastest-growing Asian-American and Pacific Islander populations. She is at 0% among black voters in a recent national poll from Quinnipiac University. And she is at 1% among black, Latino and Asian American voters according to a recent Monmouth University poll.



By contrast, she fared solidly in similar polls leading up to the first-in-the-nation states of Iowa and New Hampshire where more than 90 percent of Democratic voters are white.



Her campaign has 50 paid staffers and two field offices in the entire state of Nevada.



Klobuchar told a crowd in Henderson, Nevada, Saturday that an increase in money would allow her to run ads in places her opponents have been in for some time.



We were not able to put TV ads like some of my more well-funded opponents until just recently, and the reason we were able to start big time running ads in Nevada is because after that first -- that last debate, we started to literally get in, I think in two days, from regular people online, Klobuchar said.



And yet, Klobuchars record might be her biggest hurdle once voters, specifically voters of color, get to know her.



Interviewed by ABC News Rachel Scott this past weekend, Klobuchar said she regrets voting for a bill that included an amendment to make English the official language of the U.S more than a decade ago.



I think I once took a vote on English as the official language, that I wouldn't take that vote again, Klobuchar said.



Looking beyond Nevada and into a number of other diverse states, Klobuchar said of voters of color who might be skeptical of her record, including her time as a former prosecutor who sought to project a tough on crime image, that its on her to share her record.



I need to get to know them because my name ID wasn't very high -- my bank account, not as big. And so it's on me now to share with people my record, Klobuchar said.



Klobuchars blitzing of the Nevada airwaves also comes as she, along with four of her Democratic opponents, will finally face multi-billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on a debate stage in Las Vegas, Nevada Wednesday night.



In recent days, and since Bloomberg made the debate stage, Klobuchar has been saying she would still not be able to compete against Bloombergs ad buys, but would push to compete on the debate stage itself.



I actually welcome the mayor to that stage because I think it's really important that someone not just be out there on the TV because I'm not going to be able to compete with that with the billions that he has, but that he's got to be on the debate stage, and I do and I also I mean, honestly, the way I look at it I don't think people look at the guy in the White House and sink thing to themselves. We need someone richer, Klobuchar said at a Las Vegas event Tuesday.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Recovered Historic Data Boosts Rose Hill Gold Project

Perth, Feb 19, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Horizon Minerals Limited ( ASX:HRZ ) is pleased to announce additional drilling data and mining information from the Rose Hill gold project, located near Coolgardie, 35km west of Kalgoorlie in the heart of the Western Australian goldfields (Figure 1*).Commenting on the additional Rose Hill information, Horizon Managing Director Mr Jon Price said:"Horizon has now received additional drilling data and mining information from Rose Hill and we have certainly found some hidden gems. The high grade open cut and underground potential is clearly demonstrated with more work already completed than first thought saving the Company time and money.""We now look forward to incorporating the data into a new resource model and updating the open pit and underground mine designs with up to date operational and economic parameters for inclusion into the reserve generation work and Feasibility Study."The Rose Hill tenement (M16/652) and Brilliant North tenement (M15/1204) were acquired under an asset swap with Northern Star Resources Limited ( ASX:NST ) as announced to the ASX on 12 September and 20 December 2019. Northern Star acquired the project as part of the purchase of Westgold Resources Limited's ( ASX:WGX ) South Kalgoorlie Operations as announced to the ASX on 8 March 2018.Further review of the historical information highlighted a significant amount of additional drilling, mine optimisation and open pit and underground mine design work had been completed by previous owners. This mining information has now been retrieved with the assistance of Northern Star, through WAMEX and discussions with previous mine operators and consultants.Rose Hill Project GeologyRose Hill is located 0.5km southeast of Coolgardie and lies on the western margin of the Archean Norseman-Menzies Greenstone Belt. Mineralisation is hosted within the main Rose Hill porphyry, adjacent to the hanging wall ultramafic and an eastern porphyry unit. The mineralised porphyry is believed to have dioritic affinities.The drilling data has now been reviewed, validated and incorporated into the drilling data base together with the latest drilling results completed by Horizon in January and released to the ASX on 4 February 2020.The following plan, cross sections and drilling data tables provide an updated picture of the project demonstrating the high grade open pit and underground potential. Consistent width and grade starting at surface enables an initial open pit to be assessed to reach the primary hard rock zone at depth for a potential portal location to enable decline development and underground mining.Next StepsThe updated resource will form part of the consolidated Feasibility Study due for completion in the December Quarter 2020. The aim of the Study is to generate a minimum 4-5 year mine plan underpinning the construction of a stand-alone processing plant at the Boorara mine site, 10km east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Core advanced projects under evaluation for reserve generation and the initial production profile includes the 507,000 ounce base load Boorara project, the Binduli gold project area including the 74,000 ounce Crake discovery, the 289,000 ounce Teal gold camp and the Rose Hill open cut and underground gold project. In order to further de-risk the large scale Boorara development and improve grade predictability, the Company plans to mine and toll mill a small stage of Boorara in coming months as announced to the ASX on 10 February 2020. With the current high Australian dollar gold price, Boorara Stage 1 generates cash to support the Company's growth plan.*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Horizon Minerals Limited

Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed.

Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline.

Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 06:50:39|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Despite multiple challenges, the parties to the conflict in Yemen should strive to implement the United Nations-led political process at an early date, a Chinese envoy on Tuesday told the Security Council meeting on the situation in Yemen.

"All parties in Yemen should strive to restart the UN-led comprehensive political settlement process at an early date," said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

"The conflict in Yemen has been dragging on for five years, in which all parties have paid a heavy price in the past two years. After difficult negotiations, the parties reached the Stockholm Agreement and the Riyadh Agreement. These outcomes should be cherished, and political commitments should be fulfilled by all parties to maintain the momentum of political settlement," he said.

Noting that the situation in Hodeidah remains tense, he said that "we support the United Nations in facilitating the work of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) in monitoring the ceasefire and performing its duties," said Zhang.

"All parties should be encouraged to cooperate with the mission," he said.

China commends the United Nations for vigorously advancing the political process and improving the humanitarian situation in Yemen, the envoy said.

He added that the past period has seen fighting on several fronts in Yemen and the escalation of military operations, which are worrying.

"China has been following closely the security, political, and humanitarian situation in Yemen," he said.

Talking about the deal on the first large-scale prisoner exchange since the start of the five-year conflict in Yemen recently reached between the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels in the Jordanian capital, Amman, Zhang said that "this shows that both sides are willing and able to ease tensions in Yemen."

"China welcomes these developments and appreciate the efforts by the two sides, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross," he said.

"We hope that the prisoners release will take place as soon as possible. We also encourage all parties to the conflict to engage in extensive dialogue and consultations, so as to achieve new breakthroughs in ceasefire, cessation of violence, and enhancement of mutual trust, among others," he noted.

"We hope that all signatories of the agreement will implement the consensus in military security and other key areas," said Zhang, adding that in this process, it is imperative to pay attention to the views of the regional countries and leverage their roles.

The envoy called on parties to the conflict in Yemen to set store by the future of the country and interests of the people, avoid escalation of hostilities, and jointly safeguard the country's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.

Noting that the humanitarian situation in Yemen is grim and deserves great attention, the ambassador said that all parties in Yemen should fully cooperate with the humanitarian relief operations of the United Nations and relevant agencies, and prevent civilian casualties in military operations.

The humanitarian situation in Yemen has affected people's lives in all aspects. The currency and prices are unstable. Food and drinking water supplies are insufficient. Diseases such as cholera are not effectively prevented and treated.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 04:37:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese UN envoy on Tuesday called on the international community to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism in the context of rising unilateralism and protectionism.

Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the remarks at the General Debate of the 2020 Session of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization.

"This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the UN, as well as the victory of the Second World War," said Wu. "A revisit to the spirit of the UN Charter and an exploration of the UN's role in international affairs are the best way to commemorate the anniversary, and are of great relevance today."

The Chinese envoy noted that "maintenance of international peace and security" is one of the purposes for the UN and is also "a solemn pledge by the member states under the Charter."

However, he said, at present, unilateralism and protectionism are rampant, regional hotspots and conflicts keep popping up; non-traditional threats to security continue to spread.

"We still have much to do and a long way to go for maintaining world peace and stability," he stressed.

In response to these challenges, Wu proposed the world should reaffirm the commitment to multilateralism, safeguard both the international system with the UN at its core and the international order based on international law.

He also proposed that the international community should facilitate the development of a more just and effective system of global governance.

On the question of UN sanctions, Wu maintained that UN sanctions are only a means, not an end in itself, and should serve the political solutions of relevant problems.

"The sanctions should be predicated upon the exhaustion of other peaceful means, be consistent with the Charter and the relevant principles of international law in order to minimize the impact on the general population and the third states," he stressed.

Calling on the international community to abide by and implement the sanctions resolutions of the UN Security Council, he voiced opposition to the imposition of additional unilateral sanctions in contradiction to the UN Charter.

On "peaceful settlement of disputes," an important agenda item before the committee, Wu said China has always stood for the proper settlement of dispute through peaceful means.

The selection and application of the method for dispute settlement should conform to the principle of "state consent," he said, explaining that the right to autonomously choosing the method for dispute settlement by all countries should be fully respected.

The Chinese envoy maintained that as a founding member of the UN and a permanent member of the Security Council, China has always devoted itself to facilitating the peaceful settlement of international disputes and carried out relevant work, holding the position of objectivity and impartiality.

"We have played an active role in addressing regional and international hotspot issues," he said.
Industries LogiMAT 2020 in Stuttgart: DENSO WAVE EUROPE showcases innovative Solutions for the IoT

At this years LogiMAT, DENSO WAVE EUROPE will showcase the modern Device Management System (DMS).

19.02.2020 16:13:42 - At this years LogiMAT in Stuttgart, DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group, showcases modern solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) at their booth F64. The solutions offer various advantages for the logistics sector.



Further information about the solutions for mobile data collection and data management in logistics, modern scanners and handheld terminals, RFID and NFC, the QR Code, and DENSO WAVE EUROPE can be found at https://www.denso-wave.eu.



(live-PR.com) - Dusseldorf. DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group, is one of the markets leading providers for mobile data collection and offers various advantages for logistics and warehouse management. Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) are becoming increasingly important not only for the inventors of the QR Code, but also for the logistics sector. At this years LogiMAT, - Dusseldorf. DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group, is one of the markets leading providers for mobile data collection and offers various advantages for logistics and warehouse management. Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) are becoming increasingly important not only for the inventors of the QR Code, but also for the logistics sector. At this years LogiMAT, the leading trade fair in logistics, the experts for mobile data collection and data management will showcase their Device Management System (DMS) for DENSO handheld terminals, as well as their data management platform ORiN. They will be at booth F64 at the LogiMAT in Stuttgart.



More information on the Device Management System from DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group, and its advantages for logistics and warehouse management is available at



Overview of all Handhelds with the Device Management System from DENSO



At the LogiMAT, particular focus will be on the DMS, the Device Management System, from DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group. The experts for mobile data collection and data management developed this modern device management system for the efficient use of DENSO handhelds. With the DMS, which can be tested at the LogiMAT, all the handhelds used within a company or group can be managed from just one computer. That is a great advantage in the logistics sector, as the administrator can see the status of every individual handheld at a glance.



Updates for one or more handhelds can easily be planned with the Device Management System from DENSO WAVE EUROPE. Hence, downtimes in logistics and warehouse management, can be kept to a minimum.



The DMS from DENSO can also be used to solve errors: The administrator can send a message to the faulty device, while another employee, for instance in logistics and warehousing, tests the solution on the handheld terminal simultaneously.



Thanks to the integrated theft protection, the administrator can even use the Device Management System to block a stolen handheld or set it back to its factory settings.



In addition, the handheld terminals BHT-1700 and BHT-1800 from DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group, are compatible with the DMS. These handhelds will also be presented at the LogiMAT in Stuttgart. This way, DENSO offers the matching software to their hardware. This full-service and support is an important virtue, since many of DENSOs clients, for example from the logistics sector and warehouse management, emphasize that it is one of the reasons why they have been using DENSOs devices for mobile data collection for more than 20 years.





The Data Management Platform ORiN will also be shown at the LogiMAT



ORiN, the data management platform from DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group, was developed to modernize supply chains, for example in logistics. As a result, new products, such as handhelds and scanners, but also processes can be integrated quickly and easily.



The data management platform ORiN records the exact sequence of the production processes, including all delays and errors. Processes in logistics can thus be optimized and errors can be corrected.



What is special about ORiN is the fact that it enables the forwarding of data between all devices and applications, leading to a high degree of flexibility and offering advantages in logistics.



In order to use ORiN optimally for data management in logistics and warehouse management, DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group, offers additional IoT products, such as the IoT Data Server. The IoT Data Server combines a highly reliable industry computer and the data integration software IoT Data Share. It will also be showcased as one of DENSOs newest products at the LogiMAT.



Further information about the LogiMAT, solutions for mobile data collection, modern scanners and handheld terminals, RFID and NFC, the QR Code, and DENSO WAVE EUROPE can be found on the companys website:



Innovative DENSO Devices for mobile Data Collection at the LogiMAT



In addition to the innovative solutions for the IoT, the SF1 Wearable scanner will also be presented at DENSOs booth F64. Users in logistics and warehouse management can wear the combination of scanner and glove mount comfortably on the wrist, which allows one to work freely with both hands, leading to more safety and efficiency.



While the smart glove from DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group, is highly robust, it is also very light  the wearable only weighs 80 grams.



The SF1 Wearable scanner from DENSO is compatible with all smart devices and can easily be connected via Bluetooth. The SF1 Wearable scanner can be tested at the LogiMAT as well.



For the European market, DENSO WAVE EUROPE is the contact point for all enquiries on QR Codes, mobile data collection, handheld terminals, and scanners. The durable and robust terminals and scanners manufactured by DENSO are to be found in storage, logistics, at the POS, in production, and field & sales automation applications. Short and informative video clips about the terminals, scanners, and solutions from DENSO WAVE EUROPE can now be viewed on YouTube. The clips include the 20th anniversary of the QR Code, a company presentation, and introductions to the various devices for mobile data capture such as the BHT-1500, BHT-1400 and the GT20 scanner. For more information, click on the link below:





QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.





DENSO WAVE EUROPE GmbH



Managing Director:

Katsuhiko Toji

Keiichi Yamazaki



Press Contact:

PPR Hamburg

Rafael R. Pilsczek, M. A.

Sinstorfer Kirchweg 18

D-21077 Hamburg

Phone +49 (0) 40 32 80 89 80

Fax +49 (0) 40 65 58 43 58

Mobil: +49 (0) 170 310 79 72





DENSO is one of the worlds largest manufacturers of mobile data devices. We follow one mission: Driven by Quality  maximum quality in mobile data collection. Decision-makers in the fields of retail, logistics, and production rely on DENSO for their business requirements and in implementing the Internet of Things.



DENSO is a member of the Toyota Group and is exclusively represented in Europe by DENSO WAVE EUROPE:

the leading trade fair in logistics, the experts for mobile data collection and data management will showcase their Device Management System (DMS) for DENSO handheld terminals, as well as their data management platform ORiN. They will be at booth F64 at the LogiMAT in Stuttgart.More information on the Device Management System from DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group, and its advantages for logistics and warehouse management is available at www.denso-wave.eu/en/denso-products/software/device-management-system-dms-for-bht-terminals.html Overview of all Handhelds with the Device Management System from DENSOAt the LogiMAT, particular focus will be on the DMS, the Device Management System, from DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group. The experts for mobile data collection and data management developed this modern device management system for the efficient use of DENSO handhelds. With the DMS, which can be tested at the LogiMAT, all the handhelds used within a company or group can be managed from just one computer. That is a great advantage in the logistics sector, as the administrator can see the status of every individual handheld at a glance.Updates for one or more handhelds can easily be planned with the Device Management System from DENSO WAVE EUROPE. Hence, downtimes in logistics and warehouse management, can be kept to a minimum.The DMS from DENSO can also be used to solve errors: The administrator can send a message to the faulty device, while another employee, for instance in logistics and warehousing, tests the solution on the handheld terminal simultaneously.Thanks to the integrated theft protection, the administrator can even use the Device Management System to block a stolen handheld or set it back to its factory settings.In addition, the handheld terminals BHT-1700 and BHT-1800 from DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group, are compatible with the DMS. These handhelds will also be presented at the LogiMAT in Stuttgart. This way, DENSO offers the matching software to their hardware. This full-service and support is an important virtue, since many of DENSOs clients, for example from the logistics sector and warehouse management, emphasize that it is one of the reasons why they have been using DENSOs devices for mobile data collection for more than 20 years.The Data Management Platform ORiN will also be shown at the LogiMATORiN, the data management platform from DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group, was developed to modernize supply chains, for example in logistics. As a result, new products, such as handhelds and scanners, but also processes can be integrated quickly and easily.The data management platform ORiN records the exact sequence of the production processes, including all delays and errors. Processes in logistics can thus be optimized and errors can be corrected.What is special about ORiN is the fact that it enables the forwarding of data between all devices and applications, leading to a high degree of flexibility and offering advantages in logistics.In order to use ORiN optimally for data management in logistics and warehouse management, DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group, offers additional IoT products, such as the IoT Data Server. The IoT Data Server combines a highly reliable industry computer and the data integration software IoT Data Share. It will also be showcased as one of DENSOs newest products at the LogiMAT.Further information about the LogiMAT, solutions for mobile data collection, modern scanners and handheld terminals, RFID and NFC, the QR Code, and DENSO WAVE EUROPE can be found on the companys website: www.denso-wave.eu Innovative DENSO Devices for mobile Data Collection at the LogiMATIn addition to the innovative solutions for the IoT, the SF1 Wearable scanner will also be presented at DENSOs booth F64. Users in logistics and warehouse management can wear the combination of scanner and glove mount comfortably on the wrist, which allows one to work freely with both hands, leading to more safety and efficiency.While the smart glove from DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group, is highly robust, it is also very light  the wearable only weighs 80 grams.The SF1 Wearable scanner from DENSO is compatible with all smart devices and can easily be connected via Bluetooth. The SF1 Wearable scanner can be tested at the LogiMAT as well.For the European market, DENSO WAVE EUROPE is the contact point for all enquiries on QR Codes, mobile data collection, handheld terminals, and scanners. The durable and robust terminals and scanners manufactured by DENSO are to be found in storage, logistics, at the POS, in production, and field & sales automation applications. Short and informative video clips about the terminals, scanners, and solutions from DENSO WAVE EUROPE can now be viewed on YouTube. The clips include the 20th anniversary of the QR Code, a company presentation, and introductions to the various devices for mobile data capture such as the BHT-1500, BHT-1400 and the GT20 scanner. For more information, click on the link below: www.youtube.com/channel/UCHp4Yboj7IccPlSeRxQ6yBQ QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.DENSO WAVE EUROPE GmbHManaging Director:Katsuhiko TojiKeiichi YamazakiPress Contact:PPR HamburgRafael R. Pilsczek, M. A.Sinstorfer Kirchweg 18D-21077 HamburgPhone +49 (0) 40 32 80 89 80Fax +49 (0) 40 65 58 43 58Mobil: +49 (0) 170 310 79 72DENSO is one of the worlds largest manufacturers of mobile data devices. We follow one mission: Driven by Quality  maximum quality in mobile data collection. Decision-makers in the fields of retail, logistics, and production rely on DENSO for their business requirements and in implementing the Internet of Things.DENSO is a member of the Toyota Group and is exclusively represented in Europe by DENSO WAVE EUROPE: www.denso-wave.eu Contact information:

DENSO WAVE EUROPE GmbH



Parsevalstrasse 9 A

40468 Duesseldorf





Contact Person:

Kaber Kolioutsis

Marketing Communication Specialist

Phone: Phone +49 (0) 211 540 138 40

eMail: eMail



Web: http://https://www.denso-wave.eu

Author:

Rafael Pilsczek

e-mail

Phone: 04032808980 19.02.2020 16:13:42 -

Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this article please contact the author. Please do not contact Live-PR.com. We are not able to assist you. Live-PR.com disclaims content contained in this article. Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party.
Already, Ori is expanding its reach in Chicago. In the record-setting NEMA Chicago  which also has a joke-telling robotic greeter named Charley  Studio Suites are available for tenants to rent for an additional $350 per month, on top of their lease, although no one has taken advantage of the offering yet. Studio apartments in NEMA start at $1,926 per month.
(Alliance News) - Donald Trump offered WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a pardon if he said Russia was not involved in the leak of Democratic National Committee emails, a court has heard.

The claim emerged as Assange appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court ahead of an extradition hearing next week.

His barrister Edward Fitzgerald highlighted evidence alleging former US Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher had been to see Assange, while he was still in the Ecuadorian embassy in August 2017.

He said a statement from Assange's lawyer Jennifer Robinson shows "Rohrabacher going to see Assange and saying, on instructions from the president, he was offering a pardon or some other way out, if Assangea said Russia had nothing to do with the DNC leaks".

A series of emails embarrassing for the Democrats and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign were hacked before being published by WikiLeaks in 2016.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said the evidence is admissible.

Assange is wanted in America to face 18 charges, including conspiring to commit computer intrusion, over the publication of US cables a decade ago.

He could face up to 175 years in jail if found guilty.

He is accused of working with former US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to leak hundreds of thousands of classified documents.

The extradition hearing is due to begin at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, beginning with a week of legal argument.

It will then be adjourned and continue with a three weeks of evidence scheduled to begin on May 18.

The decision, which is expected months later, is likely to be appealed against by the losing side, whatever the outcome.

Assange has been held on remand in Belmarsh prison since last September after serving a 50-week jail sentence for breaching his bail conditions while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

He entered the building in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sex offence allegations, which he has always denied and were subsequently dropped.

Assange appeared in court on Wednesday by videolink from Belmarsh prison, wearing dark tracksuit bottoms and a brown jumper over a white shirt.

He spoke to confirm his name and date of birth, and sat holding a stack of papers during the hearing.

The hearing came after Australian MPs George Christensen and Andrew Wilkie called on Tuesday for Boris Johnson to intervene and stop the extradition hearing.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell is expected to become the first British MP to see Assange behind bars in a visit to Belmarsh on Thursday.

At a press conference on Tuesday it emerged that fellow inmates at the high-security prison successfully lobbied for his release from solitary confinement.

Speaking after the press conference, Assange's father John Shipton said his son's condition had improved, but said the extradition going ahead would be akin to a "death sentence".

By Henry Vaughan, PA

source: PA

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he planned to raise U.S. concerns about human rights during a visit to Saudi Arabia, in particular the case of a Saudi-American doctor facing trial there who was barred from leaving the kingdom and allegedly tortured.

Pompeo was scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and will remain there until Friday, before departing to Oman, a close U.S. ally that has ties with both Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Pompeo said that during his time in Saudi Arabia, he will speak with the kingdoms leadership about security issues, threats posed by Iran, the economic relationship between the two countries, and issues of human rights.

When asked by a reporter whether he would specifically raise the case of Saudi-American doctor Walid Fitaihi, Pompeo said: Im sure Ill bring up that issue and a wide range of human rights issues, as well.

In each of the visits Ive had to the kingdom during my time both as CIA director and as secretary of state, we raised these important issues, these issues that matter a lot to the American people, Pompeo said.

A day before Pompeo was scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia, the two lead Congressmen in the House Foreign Affairs Committee wrote to Pompeo to urge him to raise the case of Fitaihi with Saudi government officials.

Fitaihi, a Boston-area physician, was detained in Saudi Arabia in November 2017 during an unprecedented anti-corruption crackdown initiated by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that targeted senior princes, ministers and businessmen. Some 200 people were detained in the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh for weeks, and even months, and forced to sign over billions of dollars in assets to the government during the shakedown, which helped the young crown prince consolidate power.

Fitaihi was released from detention last summer, but he and seven members of his family, all of whom are U.S. citizens, have been barred from leaving Saudi Arabia while he stands trial, the congressmen said. It is unclear what specific charges Fitaihi faces.

Democratic representative Eliot Engel of New York and Republican representative Michael McCaul of Texas said in their letter that Fitaihi was held without charge for almost two years.

Ahmed Fitaihi has told members of Congress that his father was beaten, electrocuted and subjected to other forms of torture and allowed little contact with his family during his detention. Fitaihi returned to his native Saudi Arabia in 2006, where he helped found a hospital built by his family and became a popular motivational speaker on television.

Saudi Arabia has come under increased scrutiny for its alleged human rights abuses under the crown prince.

The princes reputation was tarnished internationally after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. A critic of the crown prince, Khashoggi was living in exile and writing about the princes crackdown on critics and activists when agents who worked for the Saudi prince killed and dismembered him inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Sex And The City star Chris Noth and his wife Tara Wilson have welcomed their second son.

In a sweet Instagram post, the actor, 65, uploaded an image of his newborn baby bundled in a snug hat and blankets from the hospital on Tuesday evening.

Screen star Chris, who also shares Orion Christopher, 12, with his long-term partner, 37, revealed the couple have named their son Keats, as a tribute to English poet John Keats.

'A thing of beauty is a joy forever': Sex And The City star Chris Noth and his wife Tara Wilson have welcomed their second son, Keats

'Down from the heavens comes our second son- Keats!' A thing of beauty is a joy forever'', the Law & Order actor captioned the adorable image with a quote from the famous writer from the 1800s.

Chris and Canadian actress Tara embarked on a relationship in the early Noughties, before tying the knot in April 2012.

On flirting up a storm in a bar, the media personality recalled the embarrassing encounter with News.com.au in 2014: 'I fell over on my stool and I was about to get thrown out when I saw this bartender.

'She worked there. In a way, it's tough to have a bar, because first of all your friends want to drink there for free, and second of all it can become a habitual place to hang out  and if you like to drink, as I do, you can find yourself there an awful lot.'

Loved-up: The actor, 65, and his Canadian partner, 37, embarked on a relationship in the early Noughties and tied the knot in April 2012 (pictured in January 2019)

Family first: Screen star Chris and the actress also share Orion Christopher, 12 (pictured in December)

The couple previously admitted they'd frequently break-up and make-up in the early stages of their relationship.

Tara reflected to journalist Rebecca Eckler in 2008: 'At the beginning, I'd say we broke up every two weeks. Then it was every two months. Then it was every six months.'

Echoing her comments, The Good Wife actor added: 'We'd break up so often and I'd be like, ''That's it! It's over!''

Bundle of joy: The couple have named their son Keats, as a tribute to John Keats - an English poet from the 1800s (pictured in September)

'It got to be too much of a hassle to be apart': The couple previously admitted they'd frequently break-up and make-up in the early stages of their relationship (pictured in 2016)

'Then a few weeks later I'd be like, 'Why am I missing her so much? Get over it goddammit!' It got to be too much of a hassle to be apart.'

When former beauty queen Tara was pregnant with their child, doctors feared she'd suffer from a miscarriage as they couldn't detect a heartbreak.

Just months after his birth, Chris shared the first-time parents named their baby Orion after the warrior constellation after defying the health professionals' findings in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

'He's a warrior the way I look at it': Chris named his eldest child after the warrior constellation as he defied doctors' findings when they couldn't detect his heartbeat (pictured in 2017)

He said at the time: 'They basically said, ''You're not going to have this baby. You're going to have a miscarriage".

'She went home and talked to the baby all night long, and the next day, [there was a] heartbeat. They said, ''You're having that baby.'' So he's a warrior the way I look at it.'

Doctor Who star Chris rose to prominence as Mr Big on Sex And The City from 1998 until 2004, when he served as Carrie Bradshaw's (Sarah Jessica Parker) on-off love interest.
Sakthikumar of Avudayarkovil near Arantangi in Pudukkottai district, it may be recalled, was enterprising enough to run a hotel in China.

Seeking to put to rest the controversy over the suspected death of a China returnee in Tamil Nadus Pudukkottai district due to the novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection, the public health authorities here on Tuesday that 42-year-old Sakthikumar died of renal failure.

PUDUKKOTTAI: Seeking to put to rest the controversy over the suspected death of a China returnee in Tamil Nadus Pudukkottai district due to the novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection, the public health authorities here on Tuesday that 42-year-old Sakthikumar died of renal failure.

Sakthikumar of Avudayarkovil near Arantangi in Pudukkottai district, it may be recalled, was enterprising enough to run a hotel in China, but had recently returned to his village after a attack of jaundice.

Sakthikumar was forced to fly back to China to run his hotel, following anxieties over lack of sufficient number of people to take care of his eatery there. When his jaundice turned severe, he had no other option but to again return home on February 4. Subsequently, he was admitted to a private hospital in Madurai on Friday last and died on Saturday, not responding to treatment, sources in his family said.
[February 19, 2020] BioOhio to Host Regional Bioscience Career Fairs Throughout Ohio

As another example of Ohio's commitment to attracting top talent and public-private partnerships (P3), three cities: Gahanna, Mason, and Mentor, in partnership with BioOhio, Ohio's bioscience trade association, announced each city will host a Regional Bioscience Career Fair during the week of February 24th, 2020. Career Fair Dates, Times, & Locations: Central Ohio Regional Career Fair - Gahanna Monday, February 24, 2020, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools (located at Gahanna Lincoln High School), Clark Hall, 380 Granville St., Gahanna, OH 43230

Regional Career Fair - Southwest Ohio Regional Career Fair - City of Mason Tuesday, February 25, 2020, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mason Municipal Center, 6000 Mason Montgomery Road, Mason, OH 45040

Regional Career Fair - Northeast Ohio Regional Career Fair - City of Mentor Thursday, February 27, 2020 , 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mentor Civic Ice Arena, 2 nd Floor, 8600 Munson Road, Mentor, OH 44060

Regional Career Fair - Designed to match job seekers to positions within Ohio's growing biomedical organizations, these Career Fairs feature top employers in the biotech, pharmaceutical, R&D, and medical device industries. Each Career Fair anticipates 150+ attendees including recent and soon-to-be graduates, as well as seasoned industry professionals who are open to new possibilities within the bioscience industry. Each Career Fair is unique and each will host a variety of hiring companies. Hiring Representatives from Abeona, AtriCure, American Regent, BioEnterprise, Charles River, MedPace, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Matrix Medical Devices, Nationwide Children's Hospital and many more will be on site to meet job seekers! The event is coordinated by BioOhio, a key strategic partner with Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools, the City of Mason, and the City of Mentor, with its initiative to promote careers in biosciences and STEM. BioOhio is the lead organization for the bioscience community and the Ohio affiliate for global bioscience associations AdvaMed, BIO, MDMA and PhRMA, and represents 300+ member organizations and individuals employing over 100,000 Ohioans - from Ohio's largest employers to emerging start-ups, schools and universities, research institutions, students and individuals. "These Regional Career Fairs, now in their 14th year, have proven successful for the bioscience community," said BioOhio President and CEO John F. Lewis, Jr. "Ohio's leadership in the bioscience sector and its engagement with BioOhio is proven not just by known companies like Cardinal Health and Abbott Nutrition, but by growing companies uch as CoverMyMeds, Updox, Olive, Veeam Software, CMD Medtech, and Nanofiber Solutions, among many others. BioOhio is proud to see a commitment from the public and private sectors to fostering wellness and economic growth in Ohio."



"We love having BioOhio here on the Eastland-Fairfield campus," said Kelly Lewis, Program Instructor, Bioscience Technologies, with Eastland-Fairfield. Each year BioOhio shares Clark Hall with Gahanna Lincoln High School, it brings both employers and job seekers with an interest in science and research. "Our students have the opportunity to meet bioscience companies and learn about internships and the diversity of careers within the bioscience industry," Lewis concluded. "We have taken a holistic approach to growing a bioscience hub in the City of Mason," said Michele Blair, City of Mason Director of Economic Development. "Our partnerships with companies like Myriad Neuroscience and AtriCure are part of our strategy to ensure our science community is growing and has the right talent resources to do so."

"The Ohio Bioscience Career Fair is a phenomenal opportunity for those seeking employment in our growing regional biomedical ecosystem to meet face-to-face with hiring representatives," said Mentor Economic Development Director Kevin Malecek. To register as a job seeker or exhibitor, please visit http://www.bioohio.com/events/career-fairs/ ABOUT BIOOHIO: BioOhio connects and serves Ohio's bioscience community to drive success in improving global quality of life. Founded in 1987, BioOhio is a member-guided service supporting Ohio's bioscience community through networking, advocacy, events, talent, information, and cost savings. BioOhio represents 300+ member organizations that employ over 100,000 Ohioans - from Ohio's largest employers to emerging start-ups, schools and universities, research institutions, students, and individuals. Learn more at BioOhio.com. ABOUT EASTLAND-FAIRFIELD CAREER AND TECHNICAL SCHOOLS: Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools serves 16 school districts in Franklin, Fairfield, and Pickaway counties. It covers an area of 700 square miles, and is the seventh largest career and technical district geographically in the state. Students in 11th and 12th grade are eligible to attend. The District has two main campuses - Eastland Career Center in Groveport and Fairfield Career Center in Carroll, with satellite locations at five of its associate high schools: Gahanna Lincoln, Groveport Madison, New Albany, Pickerington North, and Reynoldsburg. ABOUT THE CITY OF MASON: Mason, Ohio, is an established hub for bioscience innovation and includes an extensive business portfolio, including advanced manufacturing, healthcare and technology industries, among others. As the largest city in Warren County and part of the Greater Cincinnati region in southwest Ohio, Mason's economic development mission is focused on attracting and supporting the growth of top companies and creating jobs in these key sectors, while leveraging partnerships to also attract foreign direct investment. Ranked the seventh best place to live by CNN/Money Magazine in 2013, Mason is nationally-recognized for its low cost of living, award-winning schools and its intentional culture of wellness. For more information, visit ImagineMason.org. ABOUT THE CITY OF MENTOR: Mentor, Ohio, was named to the "100 Best Places to Live" by Money magazine in 2006 and 2010, and to Smart Money's "Best Places to Retire in Ohio" in 2012. We're sure you'll find that Mentor's a great place - to live, work, play, or visit! While some longtime Mentorites may wish for the simpler days when Mentor was a quiet, rural town dotted with nurseries and two-lane roads, most would agree that it's still the best place to live in Northeast Ohio. This is largely due to an excellent quality of life, which means: location; excellent schools; attractive, affordable housing; responsive city services; 1,200-acre park and recreation system; low crime rate; and spirit of cooperation. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219006030/en/

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The expansion of the Canadian government-owned Trans Mountain oil pipeline advanced to a new construction stage, in Acheson, Alberta, Canada December 3, 2019. REUTERS/Candace Elliott

Rising costs associated with expanding the Trans Mountain pipeline are weighing on public support for the controversial government-owned energy project, according to a new poll from the Angus Reid Institute.

The group found 55 per cent of those surveyed earlier this month said they supported tripling the capacity of the pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby, B.C. to about 890,000 barrels of diluted bitumen, lighter crudes and refined products per day.

That support slipped to 48 per cent after participants were informed of the bigger taxpayer burden associated with the latest cost projection.

Days prior to the survey, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced a 70 per cent increase to the projects three-year-old price tag - from $7.4 billion to $12.6 billion.

For seven per cent of respondents who were initially supporters, that extra cost is enough for them to jump ship, Angus Reid said in a news release on Wednesday. A corresponding seven per cent increase in opposition suggests that most of that group changed their opinion outright, from support to opposition.

Morneau said the new projected cost is in the range of the considerations the government looked at when it purchased the pipeline from Houston-based Kinder Morgan (KMI) in 2018 for $4.5 billion, following a series of major setbacks.

"The project will deliver $1.5 billion of available cash flow once it's finished, which means it remains commercially viable and, I think, very interesting for the eventual commercial buyers that we're going to be seeking, because we don't intend on keeping this in government hands," Morneau told reporters on Feb. 7.

Trans Mountain, the federally owned company managing the project, has spent $2.5 billion, leaving an additional $8.4 billion needed to complete the project, plus $1.7 billion of financial carrying costs. Ottawa has also been advised to set aside an additional $600 million for unforeseen expenses.

Angus Reid found opposition to the project remains strongest in Quebec, at 61 per cent of those surveyed. Alberta continues to have the highest levels of support, at 85 per cent of those surveyed.

The survey was conducted online from February 10  12, among a representative randomized sample of 1,508 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. A probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points.

With files from The Canadian Press
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday paid tribute to Bengali actor and former Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal here at Rabindra Sadan.

She blamed the BJP and the Centre for Tapas Pal's deteriorating health, which resulted in his death.

"The Central government's pressure has claimed so many lives. Three people died due to this pressure by the agencies -- Sultan Ahmed, former TMC MP, TMC MP Prasun Banerjee's wife, and now Tapas Pal," she said.

She further said: "This wasn't the time and age for Tapas Pal to die. He died because of pressure. People are being jailed but the agencies have not been able to prove their involvement or conclude what crime they committed."

She further questioned the government and said: "If someone commits a crime, they must face action. We still don't know what crime did Tapas Pal and others commit.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Archbishop Nelson J. Perez sits in the Cathedra, the bishop's seat, for the first time as Archbishop of Philadelphia as part of the Installation Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul on February 18, 2020. Read more

The Tuesday Mass and ceremony that included the installation of Nelson J. Perez as the Philadelphia Archdioceses new archbishop was the big story out of the city yesterday, with thousands gathered at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul. In other news, my colleagues analyzed properties that Philadelphia sold for $1, only to have them be resold for millions. And, theres a bunch of political stories highlighted in todays newsletter, including pieces on Mike Bloombergs support of a Republican candidate in Pennsylvania in 2016, new anti-President Donald Trump TV ads, and why Pennsylvanias April 28 primary is so late on the election calendar.

 Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

The thousands of people who gathered in the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul erupted in cheers and applause for the new leader of the Philadelphia Archdiocese. Nelson J. Perez was installed yesterday as the 10th archbishop of Philadelphia. Perez is the first Latino to lead the five-county archdiocese and at 58 is the youngest serving archbishop in the United States. His appointment marks his return to Philly after he served for nearly three decades in local parishes in West Chester and in the Olney and Lawncrest sections of the city.

Less than a half-hour into the Mass, a group of Philadelphia police surrounded the man known as Philly Jesus as he stood to the side in a white robe. After repeatedly asking him to leave, the police took him by the arms and escorted him from the building, handcuffed him, and gave him a ticket for trespassing.

In terms of a measuring stick for a presidential campaign, Pennsylvania has a lot to offer: two diverse big cities, populous suburbs, and vast rural areas. It combines the Acela corridor with the Rust Belt. Plus, its politically balanced, as Republicans and Democrats both regularly win statewide offices.

But Pennsylvanians wont weigh in on the presidential primary until April 28, after 37 other states have already voted (plus Democrats living abroad). And for a variety of reasons, the state appears unlikely to move its primary date from the fourth Tuesday in April. So for now, those in Pennsylvania will just have to watch and wait.

Philadelphias $1 land parcels are meant to revitalize blighted neighborhoods, create affordable housing, and bring properties back onto tax rolls. In the 1990s and early 2000s, giving away properties for $1 made sense in order to revitalize a hollowed-out city. As Philadelphias population fell, tens of thousands of homes were abandoned, giving the city 40,000 vacant properties.

But theyve actually enriched people and organizations over the years, with little oversight or accountability. Of the 2,314 properties that the city has sold for a buck since 2000, about 800 have been since resold for a total of $54 million, according to my colleagues analysis of property transfer data. Their reporting reveals the multifaceted issues facing the citys vacant properties, from councilmember prerogative to how the city can protect itself when a $1 property is flipped for a profit.

What you need to know today

Through your eyes | #OurPhilly

Speaking of Chinatown, here are our restaurant critics picks for the spots you need to check out in the neighborhood. Thanks for the pic, @theliamgordon.

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and well pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!

Thats interesting

Opinions

Thus began my 55-year journey through cancerland. I lived there as a patient, a survivor, a person living with cancer. Now I face death from another cancer caused by the treatment that saved me all those years ago. Am I still a survivor?  writes Gene Bishop, a retired physician, about how radiation cured her cancer 55 years ago, only to give her another cancer.

Car-free streets are a nice idea, writes the Inquirer Editorial Board, but they wont solve all of Phillys traffic and pedestrian problems.

The elimination of library fines in Philadelphia might also mean the end of personal responsibility, writes Linda A. Kerns, an attorney, in a piece adapted from Broad and Liberty.

What were reading

Four Pennsylvania companies were named to Fortunes 100 Best Companies to Work For list.

Bookmarking this: Philadelphia Magazine has a list of where you can get free WiFi in Philly.

SpaceX is taking over a tiny Texas neighborhood, with Elon Musks rocket company buying homes from retiree-age homeowners. Itll be the place where SpaceX hopes to develop its next-generation technology that could get rockets to Mars, Business Insider reports.

Your Daily Dose of | Fishadelphia

Fishadelphia is a community-supported fishery founded by Talia Young, a former South Philly teacher and Princeton post-doc fellow who has devoted much of her academic career to studying fish, fisheries, and food supply chains. The goal is to connect New Jersey fisheries with Philly customers. Now, Fishadelphia is run by students at Mastery Charter School Thomas Campus and its North Philadelphia counterpart, Simon Gratz High School. With help, the students package the fish, balance the books, seek new customers, and manage the programs social media and community outreach.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 19:42:06|Editor: xuxin

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JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- A total of 12 militants have been killed as fighting planes struck Taliban hideouts in Mohmandara district of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province on Tuesday, said an army statement on Wednesday.

No security personnel and civilians were hurt during the airstrikes, said the statement.

Taliban militants who are active in parts of Nangarhar and the neighboring Kunar and Nuristan provinces have not commented.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : The health and future of every child and adolescent worldwide is under immediate threat from ecological degradation, climate change and exploitative marketing practices that push fast food, sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco at children, said a new report on Wednesday.

No single country is adequately protecting children's health, their environment and their futures, according to the report by a commission of over 40 child and adolescent health experts from around the world.

The commission, convened by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations children's agency, Unicef, and medical journal the Lancet, found that while the poorest countries need to do more to support their children's ability to live healthy lives, excessive carbon emissions --disproportionately from wealthier countries -- threaten the future of all children.

"Despite improvements in child and adolescent health over the past 20 years, progress has stalled, and is set to reverse," said former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Co-Chair of the Commission, Helen Clark.

"It has been estimated that around 250 million children under five years old in low- and middle-income countries are at risk of not reaching their developmental potential, based on proxy measures of stunting and poverty. But of even greater concern, every child worldwide now faces existential threats from climate change and commercial pressures," Clark said.

The report, titled "A Future for the World's Children?", includes a new global index of 180 countries, comparing performance on child flourishing and sustainability, with a proxy for greenhouse gas emissions, and equity, or income gaps.

India ranked 131 among the 180 countries in the index.

The index shows that children in Norway, the Republic of Korea, and the Netherlands have the best chance at survival and well-being, while children in the Central African Republic, Chad, Somalia, Niger and Mali face the worst odds.

However, when the authors took per capita CO2 emissions into account, the top countries trail behind: Norway ranked 156, the Republic of Korea 166, and the Netherlands 160.

Each of the three emits 210 per cent more CO2 per capita than their 2030 target.

The US, Australia, and Saudi Arabia are among the ten worst emitters.

If global warming exceeds 4 degree Celsius by the year 2100 in line with current projections, this would lead to devastating health consequences for children, due to rising ocean levels, heatwaves, proliferation of diseases like malaria and dengue, and malnutrition, said the report.

The only countries on track to beat CO2 emission per capita targets by 2030, while also performing fairly (within the top 70) on child flourishing measures are: Albania, Armenia, Grenada, Jordan, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Uruguay and Vietnam.

The report also revealed the distinct threat posed to children from harmful marketing. Evidence suggests that children in some countries see as many as 30,000 advertisements on television alone in a single year, while youth exposure to vaping (e-cigarettes) advertisements increased by more than 250 per cent in the US over two years, reaching more than 24 million young people.

Children's exposure to commercial marketing of junk food and sugary beverages is associated with purchase of unhealthy foods and overweight and obesity, linking predatory marketing to the alarming rise in childhood obesity, said the report.

The number of obese children and adolescents increased from 11 million in 1975 to 124 million in 2016 - an 11-fold increase, with dire individual and societal costs.
It's the end of the road for three network series this week, including one of the longest-running shows on television.

"Criminal Minds" will end a fifteen-season run tonight on CBS. The crime drama first aired on CBS on September 22, 2005, and after tonight's two-hour series finale, it will have aired 324 episodes, making it one of the longest-running primetime series of all time.

The series originally starred Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson, Lola Glaudini and Shemar Moore. However, the cast has undergone a number of changes, and the series now stars Paget Brewster and Joe Mantegna. In tonight's finale, the team hunts down serial killer Everett Lynch and celebrates David Rossi's retirement.

On Friday, ABC's comedy "Fresh Off the Boat" is set to end after six seasons. The family sitcom which premiered in 2015 was the first TV sitcom in over 20 years to feature an Asian-American family, and this season became the first series with a primarily Asian cast to air more than 100 episodes. Over the course of its run, it was nominated for a number of awards, including the Critics' Choice Awards, Television Critics Association's Awards and NAACP Image Awards. Constance Wu, one of the stars of the series, created a bit of controversy when the series was renewed for a sixth season when she tweeted her disappointment, writing, "So upset right now that I'm literally crying." She later apologized for her tweets. The series ends with a one-hour finale that will feature Wu's character contemplating her sons' futures.

"Almost Family," a Fox dramedy starring Brittany Snow, Megalyn Echikunwoke and Emily Osment as women who discover they are half-siblings, will end on Saturday night in a two-hour finale. Though Fox has not officially announced that the freshman series has been canceled, the network moved the series from its regular Wednesday night time slot to Saturday for its final two episodes, a move which typically signals a series will not be renewed.

For more TV series that will end in 2020, please check out the gallery above.

Therese Odell writes about television at FoolishWatcher.com.
[February 19, 2020] BJ's Charitable Foundation Donates $50,000 to Support the Connecticut Food Bank's Child Hunger Impact Program

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE: BJ), a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States, today announced a $50,000 donation to Connecticut Food Bank, a Feeding America member food bank. The donation from the BJ's Charitable Foundation is part of the retailer's initiative to help end hunger in New England. "BJ's is dedicated to nourishing our communities and helping families thrive by improving access to basic essentials including fresh, nutritious food," said Kirk Saville, executive director, BJ's Charitable Foundation. "We're thrilled to donate $50,000 to Connecticut Food Bank to support its Child Hunger Impact Program. This grant will help increase access and feed more families in food insecure communities." BJ's grant to the Connecticut Food Bank is part of its recent $1 million donation to Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. The donation will support programs that expand direct access to food, including the School Pantry, mobile market, and BackPack programs. With these programs, families facing food insecurity will be able to more easily access fresh, nutritious food to help put meals on the table. "One in nine people in Connecticut face food insecurity, including one in six children," said alarie Shultz-Wilson, CEO of Connecticut Food Bank. "With BJ's generous support, we will be able to increase the amount of fresh, healthy food that is delivered through our Child Hunger Impact Program to children and families in need."



BJ's donation supports the Connecticut Food Bank's Child Hunger Impact Program (CHIP), which seeks to ensure that children and households struggling with food insecurity have access to a reliable, monthly resource of fresh product, healthful grains, dairy products, and proteins. CHIP focuses on different programs, including Mobile Farmers Markets and School Pantries, to best serve families in need and make a meaningful difference in their lives. BJ's grant marks the third yearly $1 million donation to the Feeding America network from the BJ's Charitable Foundation. Since 2011, BJ's has provided ongoing support to the Feeding America network through the BJ's Charitable Foundation and BJ's Feeding Communities program, helping local food banks successfully expand their programs to reach wider audiences.

BJ's Feeding Communities program is a food rescue partnership, where the company donates all unsold produce to Feeding America member food banks in its footprint, helping to get wholesome food onto the plates of more families. To date, BJ's has donated more than 100 million pounds of food including meat, produce, dairy and bakery items - which equals more than 84 million meals* - to Feeding America member food banks. To learn more about BJ's Wholesale Club, visit BJs.com. *Based on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines, a meal is equal to 1.2 pounds of food and grocery product. About BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.

Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, BJ's Wholesale Club is a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States. The company currently operates 217 clubs and 144 BJ's Gas locations in 17 states. The Company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BJ). About Connecticut Food Bank

Connecticut Food Bank is committed to alleviating hunger in Connecticut by providing food, raising awareness of food insecurity, and advocating with and for people in need. Connecticut Food Bank partners with the food industry, food growers, donors, and volunteers to distribute nutritious food through a network of 600 partners and programs in Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, and Windham counties, where nearly 270,000 people struggle with hunger. Last year, Connecticut Food Bank distributed food to help provide almost 22.5 million meals. Visit us on the web at www.ctfoodbank.org and follow @CTFoodBank on social media. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005167/en/

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Super PACs must operate independently of candidates, and their donors are eventually disclosed, though that disclosure will come long after Nevada holds its caucuses on Saturday.

At the last Democratic debate, in New Hampshire, Ms. Warren had used the fact that neither she nor Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota had a super PAC as a cudgel to hit the rest of their opponents. Everyone on this stage except Amy and me is either a billionaire or is receiving help from PACs that can do unlimited spending, she said then.

On Tuesday, a super PAC supportive of Ms. Klobuchar, which calls itself the Kitchen Table Conversations PAC, also began reserving more than $400,000 in television time in Nevada and South Carolina. The first ad focuses on Ms. Klobuchars advocacy for women who have been kicked out of hospitals after giving birth.

The Klobuchar campaign stood by its opposition to super PACs while not explicitly calling for the new group to pull its ads.

With the two new super PACs, every candidate who will be on the debate stage in Las Vegas on Wednesday is either a billionaire (former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York) or supported by super PACs that are not subject to campaign contribution limits (former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont). Tom Steyer, another billionaire, is competing aggressively in Nevada but did not qualify for this debate.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  As evidence begins to show that the deadly novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) can survive on surfaces, we should all be employing everyday precautions to reduce the chance of infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The best way to avoid being infected with the coronavirus is to avoid being exposed to it, the CDC says, as there is currently no vaccine to prevent the disease, recently named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization.

The virus appears to survive for at least several hours on surfaces, according to the World Health Organization. Yet, simple disinfectants can kill the virus before it infects people, the organization says.

In China, new measures  including the deep cleaning and destruction of paper money -- were announced by the Peoples Bank of China, aiming to contain the spread of the virus, which has infected more than 71,000 people globally and killed 1,775, the majority in China.

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses common among animals. In rare cases, they are what scientists call zoonotic, meaning they can be transmitted from animals to humans, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And while currently more than 150 million Chinese are under Coronavirus lockdown, in the United States, there is nowhere near that level of infection numbers.

In the U.S., 15 cases have been confirmed since the first, when a Washington state man was diagnosed with it upon his return Jan. 15 from the region around Wuhan, China. Cases have also been reported in California, Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin, Illinois and Massachusetts. No cases have been confirmed in New York metropolitan area, though a handful of people have been tested when they presented with suspicious symptoms.

Questions about prevention will be addressed during a public lecture and question-and-answer session about COVID-19 to be hosted by Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) on Monday, Feb. 24, in its Sipp Auditorium, West Brighton.

U.S. officials have announced that they will deny entry to foreign nationals who have recently traveled in China, and some airlines have announced that they will cancel flights to China.

Nonetheless, to avoid potential infection, the CDC stresses these everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of all respiratory diseases:

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe or bleach.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Stay home when you are sick.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash hands.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

Follow CDCs recommendations for using a face mask:

CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. Face masks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The use of face masks is also crucial for health workers.

People who think they may have been exposed to COVID-19 should contact their healthcare provider immediately, the CDC says.
Many Americans underestimate the value of a pension. A pension provides monthly income for life. Whether the monthly income is enough to live on or simply supplement other sources of income, the value the pension provides is undeniable. Pensions make it easier to budget your spending, avoid market risks and can help your savings last through retirement.

Unfortunately, earning a pension is not always easy. Fewer than 5% of public sector companies still offer pensions. Most pensions today are available to government sector employees. That's the bad news.

The good news is that your active duty military service puts you in a better position to earn a pension, even if you count yourself among the 83% (roughly five out of six) of active duty veterans who didn't remain on active duty long enough to retire from the military to earn military retirement pay.

And if you are lucky enough to count yourself among the 17% of military members who retire from active duty, you may be able to apply some of your military service toward a second pension.

Let's take a look at some of the ways you can use your military service toward a pension.

Continued Military Service in the Guard or Reserves

Your active duty service will apply directly toward retirement from the Reserve Component. Even though retired Guard members and Reservists don't receive their military retirement pay until age 60, their pensions and other retirement benefits are still plenty valuable.

Add in the facts that serving in the Guard or Reserves gives you the opportunity to continue your service, earn pay and benefits during your working years and expand your skills, and you can make a case that more veterans should take a longer look at joining the Guard or Reserves when they leave active duty.

If you want to take this to the next level, then consider coupling your service in the Reserve Component with joining a federal agency or another governmental agency. Members of the Guard and Reserves have the unique benefit of being able to apply their active duty military time toward a Reserve retirement as well as toward a civil service retirement.

Let's look at those opportunities in more detail.

Buy Military Service Credits with the Federal Civil Service

Active duty veterans can buy back their military service time when they join the federal civil service. Each year of active duty service you buy back counts toward one year of civil service time under the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS).

Purchasing your military service credits will cost 3% of your active-duty base pay at the time you served, not your final pay grade, with the exception of military service during 1999-2000, which has a slightly higher buyback rate (more info).

This works in your favor, since you will be buying back service credits from the years in which your income was probably at its lowest, and receiving retirement benefits from the average of your three highest years of pay under the FERS system.

Applying your military service toward your civil service employment also provides other valuable benefits. To begin with, it counts toward your Service Computation Date for Leave, meaning you will accrue vacation days more quickly than if you joined the civil service without any previous military service.

Your military service may also earn you Veterans Preference Points, protect you during a Reduction in Force event, or possibly allow you to retire earlier. You can learn more about the benefits of serving in the civil service after leaving the military.

Military Service Credits for State and Local Careers

The federal government isn't the only organization that offers military service credits. In fact, they are common with many state, county and municipal jobs.

Some examples include state employees; certain county and city jobs; some teaching organizations and college careers; and first responder organizations, such as police departments, sheriff's offices or fire departments.

Opportunities vary by location, so it's not possible to provide a thorough list of jobs that offer military service credits. Be sure to inquire about applying your military service toward a new job if you are looking for any kind of government-funded career.

Some of these organizations may require you to purchase these credits, while some of them may simply offer some service credit. Some organizations may also place a cap on the number of years of service you can buy back toward your new pension.

In short, expect to do some leg work to track down the details to be able to understand the full impact of buying into a pension plan.

Can You Use Your Military Service to Earn More than One Pension?

That depends on the organization, but often, the answer is "yes." However, there is one big exception. Federal law allows active duty military veterans to buy back their active duty time from the FERS system and earn additional credits toward a FERS retirement. If you retire from the Guard or Reserves, you can even use this service toward both military retirement and a FERS retirement. That's a perk active duty retirees don't get -- federal law prohibits active duty retirees from using their active duty service time toward both active duty retirement and a FERS retirement.

However, many other non-federal agencies allow all military veterans to apply their military service toward their new pension plan, regardless of their military retirement status. Just keep in mind that some organizations either limit the number of years you can buy back or they require the member to serve a certain number of years in the civilian organization to be eligible for retirement.

It is very common for Guard and Reserve members to work toward multiple pensions -- their military pension and a second pension under the FERS system, or with another government agency.

With a little planning, you can set yourself up for a steady retirement.

Get the Latest Financial Tips

Whether you're trying to balance your budget, build up your credit, select a good life insurance program or are gearing up for a home purchase, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com and get the latest military benefit updates and tips delivered straight to your inbox.
Agitators carrying placards against CAA, NRC and NPR, converged at Chepauk as part of their original plan to lay siege to the TN Assembly

A large number of anti-CAA protesters, majority of them Muslims, held a massive protest against the amended Citizenship Act at Chepauk here, even as agitations were held across Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

The protest call here was given by a collective of Muslim outfits. Agitators carrying placards against CAA, NRC and NPR, besides the Indian flag, converged at Chepauk as part of their original plan to lay seige to the Tamil Nadu Assembly, located inside the state Secretariat, and raised slogans against the amended law.

Scores of Muslim women joined the agitation here.

The Muslim outfits in the state have demanded that the state Assembly adopt a resolution against the controversial legislation in the ongoing session, concluding tomorrow.

The Madras High Court had on Tuesday restrained the Muslim outfits from going ahead with their seige protest.

Earlier, protesters converged at Chepauk here, resulting in traffic congestion at key points on the arterial Anna Salai. Security had been beefed up in and around the Secretariat.

Anti-CAA protests were held elsewhere in the state, including Madurai and Tirunelveli, with members of the Muslim community hitting the streets against the Citienship Amendment Act.
TransUnion TRU reported solid fourth-quarter 2019 results, wherein its earnings and revenues surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

Adjusted earnings of 75 cents per share outpaced the consensus mark by 5.6% and improved 13.6% year over year. The reported figure exceeded the companys guided range of 69-71 cents.

Total revenues of $685.6 million beat the consensus mark by 1.7% and increased 11.8% year over year on a reported basis, 12% on a constant-currency basis as well as on an organic constant-currency basis.

Adjusted revenues (excluding the impact of deferred revenue purchase accounting reductions and other adjustments to revenues for the companys recently acquired entities) came in at $685.6 million, up 10% year over year on a reported basis, at constant currency and at organic constant currency. The reported figure exceeded the companys guided range of $667-$672 million.

We observe that shares of TransUnion have gained 55.5% over the past year, outperforming the 38.9% growth of the industry it belongs to.

Revenue Growth Across All Segments

The U.S. Markets revenues of $415 million increased 12% year over year on a reported basis as well as on an organic basis. Within the segment, Financial Services revenues of $222 million increased 16% year over year on a reported and organic basis. Emerging Verticals revenues, including Healthcare, Insurance and all other verticals, were $193 million, up 8% year over year on a reported basis and 7% on an organic basis.

International revenues rose 18% year over year on a reported basis and 19% on a constant-currency basis to $166 million. Adjusted revenues also came in at $166 million, up 10% year over year on a reported basis and 11% on a constant-currency basis. Revenues from Canada, United Kingdom, Africa, India and Asia Pacific increased year over year on a reported as well as constant-currency basis.

Revenues at the Consumer Interactive segment improved 2% from the prior-year quarter figure to $123 million.

Story continues

Operating Results

Adjusted EBITDA was $275 million, up 11% year over year on a reported basis, constant-currency basis and organic constant-currency basis. Adjusted EBITDA margin came in at 40.2% compared with 39.9% in the prior-year quarter.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

TransUnion had $274.1 million in cash and cash equivalents at the end of fourth-quarter 2019 compared with $235.9 million at the end of the prior quarter. Long-term debt was $3.59 billion, compared with $3.65 billion in the prior quarter. The company generated $196.3 million in cash from operating activities and CapEx was $66.4 million. The company paid out $14.2 million in dividends in the quarter.

TransUnion Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

TransUnion Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

TransUnion price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | TransUnion Quote

Q1 Outlook

For the first quarter of 2020, TransUnion expects adjusted revenues between $681 million and $685 million, suggesting an improvement of 9-10% year over year.

Adjusted EPS is expected between 69 cents and 70 cents, indicating a rise of 15-17% year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the same is 69 cents.

Adjusted EBITDA is anticipated in the range of $261-$264 million, suggesting an increase of 9-10%.

2020 View

TransUnion unveiled its 2020 guidance. The company now expects adjusted revenues between $2.857 billion and $2.872 billion, indicating year-over-year increase of 7-8%.

Adjusted EPS is anticipated in the band of $3.14-$3.18, suggesting improvement of 13-14%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.12 lies below the guided range.

Adjusted EBITDA is expected in the range of $1.141-$1.151 million, indicating year-over-year increase of 8-9%.

Zacks Rank & Upcoming Releases

Currently, TransUnion carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Investors interested in the broader Zacks Business Services sector are awaiting fourth-quarter 2019 earnings of key players like Stericycle SRCL, ICF International ICFI and ServiceMaster SERV, each slated to release their results on Feb 27.

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This pioneering tech ticker had soared to all-time highs and then subsided to a price that is irresistible. Now a pending acquisition could super-charge the companys drive past competitors in the development of true Artificial Intelligence. The earlier you get in to this stock, the greater your potential gain.

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Russian intelligence recruited a Mexican citizen to track down the whereabouts of an FBI informant in Miami who previously provided the U.S. government with information on Russian operations implicating national security interests of the United States.

The Mexican man, Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes, was arrested on Monday after being recruited by a Russian official last year, according to The Miami Herald and the Justice Department.

After renting out a specific Miami property at the direction of the official, Fuentes allegedly traveled to Moscow earlier this month for more instructions. At this meeting, Fuentes was given the description of the informants car, was told to locate it, to obtain the license plate number, and to take note of the physical location of the vehicle.

The informant was described only as a confidential human source for the FBI counterintelligence division who had provided information on Russian espionage activities in the state, the Herald reports.

Fuentes and the official planned to meet again in April or May 2020 so Fuentes could share what he found out about the informant's vehicle, federal prosecutors say.

But the plan was foiled when Fuentes and his Mexican wife arrived in Miami from Mexico City on Feb. 13, and he took a Chrysler sedan rental car to the residence of the informant the following day. He tried to enter the condominium complex by tailgating behind another vehicle.

The sedan drew the attention of a security guard, who approached the vehicle. As the guard was making the approach, Fuentes wife allegedly exited the car and took a photo of the license plate on the informants car.

The guard questioned the pair about their business at the building, and Fuentes gave the name of someone he claimed to be visiting. The guard didnt recognize the name, and told him to leave.

Two days later, Fuentes and his wife were preparing to board a flight to Mexico City at Miami International Airport when a Customs and Border Protection agent inspected the wife's phone. The agent discovered the license plate photo in her recently deleted folder.

Story continues

Fuentes admitted to asking his wife to take the photo, and a review of Fuentes phone showed that his wife had sent the picture to him via WhatsApp message. He later admitted to officials that a Russian official had tasked him with the operation, and messages on his phone showed the official initiated and directed their meetings.

It was not immediately clear where Russian intelligence recruited Fuentes, but he reportedly resided in Singapore and had ties to other parts of the world as well.

In his first court hearing on Tuesday, he told the judge, None of my family knows Im here.

Fuentes admitted to having a second family in Russia: a wife and two daughters. He said he had visited them while he was in Russia having meetings with the official. The official allegedly told Fuentes he could help get his Russian family out of the country.

We can help each other, the agent is said to have told him.

Its possible the confidential human source targeted by Fuentes and the Russian official was a defector. In 2017, a CIA source with access to Russian President Vladimir Putins inner circle and files reportedly defected after alerting the U.S. about Putins plans to meddle in the 2016 election. Reports said the former Russian foreign policy official ended up in the Washington area.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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T he Living With Beauty paper published at the end of last month made 45 recommendations to improve the design of residential schemes, championing beauty as an essential condition for planning permission.

The aim is to see beautiful homes fast-tracked through planning, with the addition of an urban orchard particularly recommended.

The report was written as part of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission, set up to advise the Government on how to stop the spread of shoddy new housing.

Some major housebuilders and leading architects have complained that the report is unrealistic in its demands and claim that implementing its recommendations will, paradoxically, slow the planning process further.

Bob Weston, founder of Weston Homes, says: It is not acceptable to build poor-quality homes but the Government should be wary of anything that could stifle delivery.

London architect Matthew Lloyd wades in, too: The report has not had a favourable reaction. Architects dont set out to design pretty houses so much as solve urban problems.

Among the reports recommendations is the appointment of a placemaking housing minister to sit in the Cabinet  an irony given that only last week the 10th housing minister in as many years, Esther McVey, was sacked in the Cabinet reshuffle.

The report recommends reliance on classical and traditional architectural styles, suggesting glass and steel skyscrapers be avoided, says Peter Murray, chairman of New London Architecture.

As well as the Georgian influences the report favours the new London vernacular that is emerging, says Murray, referring to modest, low-rise brick schemes which he describes as rational and elegant.

From 695,000: three-bedroom family homes at Chobham Manor, at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford

The new-build homes schemes getting it right

Beechwood Mews is a 97-home scheme in Barnet designed by Peter Barber Architects for developers Kuropatra on an old Transport for London site.

Construction is under way on this contemporary take on the terrace street. Once completed it will have a cafe and a corner shop and half of the homes will count as affordable.

A similar scheme by the same team was so popular there is only one home left. Ninety Five Peckham Road is a modern mansion block of 33 apartments. The remaining two-bedroom apartment costs 555,000 (visit acorngroup.co.uk or call 020 7089 6566).

Though the use of the term beautiful in the report has sparked debate as to what beauty is and how it is defined, underneath sits a sensible tick-list for new schemes, from placemaking, to building with nature, to consulting the community.

New homes for King's Cross

Much-admired Kings Cross regeneration has a strong sense of place.

The 67 acres of abandoned canalside warehouses now has 2,000 new homes and 20,000 people work in the area.

The retail centre Coal Drops Yard showcases emerging brands, cafes and bars, while children play in the Granary Square fountains leading down to the canal.

Big-name companies are on their way, too. Google, Universal, Nike and Sony are all setting up headquarters at Kings Cross, bringing even more bustle.

Next week will see the launch of the first new homes to be sold on site for two-and-a-half years.

The six-sided Cadence building has a striking terracotta facade with homes above viaduct-style arches and a colonnade of shops. Its apartments and balconies overlook a rectangular pond. Prices start from 585,000. Call 020 3691 3966.

A new neighbourhood for Ladbroke Grove

The creation of a new neighbourhood is under way at Ladbroke Grove. The 200 million 1,000-home Portobello Square will regenerate the Sixties Wornington Green estate.

The 10-year scheme comprises three phases and includes social rental homes, replacing those lost in the demolition of the estate.

Homes in phase two, Bond Mansions, went on sale last month, next to a public park which is being upgraded and replanted. Shops, cafes and a community centre will follow.

Bond Mansions, part of Ladbroke Grove's new neighbourhood

The apartment blocks are built from soft brick with deep windows, a nod to the classical architecture highlighted in the report.

The new neighbourhoods streets are being linked to Portobello Road and its lively market scene. One-bedroom apartments start from 645,000.

Preserving landmarks

The report recommends VAT relief on abandoned buildings to encourage developers to bring derelict structures that are often antisocial eyesores, back to life.

Battersea Power Station is one of the best examples of safeguarding heritage as set out in the Living With Beauty paper.

Extra care was taken to preserve views of chimneys at Battersea Power Station / Kilian O'Sullivan/VIEW

The restoration of the four chimneys that powered London from the Thirties to the Eighties is the cherished centre of the 4,000-home Thames-side village, and the surrounding apartment buildings have been designed to preserve views of the towers.

Prices of homes inside the power station building start from 870,000. Visit sales@bpsdc.co.uk or call 020 7501 0678.

Arts and Crafts style for Camden

The Edwardian Bourne Estate in Camden features in the report as being of beautiful design.

Matthew Lloyd Architects on behalf of Camden council was tasked with adding two new residential blocks that would complete and complement the area.

They worked to a tight budget but added Arts and Crafts styling such as glazed tiles, double-height ceilings and arched entrances. Playing fields and playgrounds have been created.

The new Bourne Estate project ticked another box for the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission which recommends community consultation and stewardship for new developments.

There was a public exhibition and the community appointed us as architects, says Lloyd.

Eco-conscious living

The pressure is on for developers to ditch gas boilers in the drive towards making new homes carbon neutral.

Eden House at Crouch End by Mood London Design for Fornacelli Homes is almost there. The nine-home block is 90 per cent carbon neutral.

The building has a living roof and walls and an electric car pool for residents, and is powered via solar panels. Prices start from 855,000 through Savills on 020 3227 0481.

New homes for outdoorsy types

Chobham Manor is the 880-home Taylor Wimpey development at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with the areas sporting culture running through the scheme.

The new streets all face parkland and there are cycle and walking routes linking the site to the former 2012 Games Velodrome.

Three-bedroom family homes start at 695,000. Call 020 3504 3638.

Buying at Kidbrooke Village, Greenwich

Happy buyers: Craig and Lulu Bull applaud the design of Kidbrooke Village in SE3

Craig Bull and his wife Lulu, 39, bought a two-bedroom apartment in Greenwichs Kidbrooke Village, the 1 billion development set in 136 acres of wetlands and meadows.

Natural playgrounds have been dotted across the site which now has a wide variety of birds including herons and kestrels.

What I really liked about Kidbrooke Village was that it reminded me a bit of home, because it does feel like a village, says Craig, 40, originally from Leicestershire.

Its landscaped and green, with lakes and wildlife. There is also a mix of housing and the overall architecture looks attractive.

Homes are on sale in Birch House, a thoughtful and luxurious build at the centre of Kidbrooke.

The block has a sky lounge for morning yoga with views of Canary Wharf. Three-bedroom apartments start from 1,045,000.
A British Airways flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger's mobile phone overheated and started smoking.

Holidaymakers in the business class section alerted cabin crew when they saw smoke coming from under one of the reclining seats.

The BA 2167 flight from Gatwick to Tampa in Florida flight was diverted to Bermuda and the Boeing 777 was met by fire crews on the runway.

All passengers were ordered off the plane leaving their luggage behind and fire crews boarded the plane to remove the phone.

British Airways flight 2167 from Gatwick to Tampa in Florida on Saturday was forced into an emergency landing after a passenger's mobile phone overheated and started smoking

Later when the plane took off a member of the crew jokingly announced 'The phone will never work again'.

A source on board Saturday's flight told MailOnline: 'We were about two hours from landing.

'A passenger sat in business class didn't know their phone had slipped down the side of his seat and they had pressed a button to automatically recline the seat. Their phone was crushed in the mechanism and began smoking.'

'It was obviously quite terrifying because we didn't know if the phone was going to explode.

'But the captain was very calm, very assured and said that we were only 60 miles from Bermuda so we diverted there.

'It was all sorted out pretty quickly and we arrived in Tampa only three hours later than expected.'

Lithium-ion batteries that are used in almost all mobile phones and laptops have the potential to overheat and catch fire.

The airline confirmed the captain followed airline protocol for such incidents and land the plane as quickly as possible.

A BA insider said part of the reclining seat had to be removed so the overheated phone could be made safe.

A former BA captain told Mail Online: 'Any fire on board during flight is the most dangerous event that can happen. The priority is to get the plane on the ground as quickly as possible and this is what the captain has done.'

The flight was diverted to Bermuda 60 miles away where it was met by fire crews who retrieved the phone. Passengers arrived in Tampa only three hours later than planned

A spokesman confirmed the incident, but added: 'Safety is at the heart of everything we do, and we are very sorry for the delay to our customers' travel plans.

'We did everything we could to minimise the delay after our flight diverted to Bermuda as a precaution after a mobile got stuck in a seat and overheated.

'Our customers were looked after and offered refreshments.'

The phone incident is the latest mid air scare involving a British Airways flight.

MailOnline told last month how a captain had to don an oxygen mask moments from landing when his co-pilot was overcome by fumes in the cockpit.

The captain radioed the control tower when his co-pilot was unable to continue flying the A320 jet from Athens to request an immediate landing at Heathrow Airport.

BA said the incident was due to a 'fume event' with aviation insiders saying toxic fumes from the engine had seeped into the cockpit.
Lithium reserves found in Mandya district of Karnataka

In a welcome development, a survey by the Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) has established the presence of lithium in Karnatakas Mandya, although the reserves are estimated to be small.

The Atomic Minerals Directorate, a unit of the Atomic Energy Commission, has estimated that around 14,100 tonnes of lithium reserves are present in the small patch of land in southern Karnataka.

The discovery of lithium reserves in India, although in small quantities, could be a big boost to local manufacturing of Electric Vehicle batteries.

Mandya is 100 km from Bengaluru in Karnataka.

"The present data provides a total estimation of available Li2O as about 30,300 tonnes over an area of 0.5 km x 5 km, which works out to about 14,100 tonnes of lithium metal," said N Munichandraiah, Emeritus Professor at the Indian Institute of Science and an expert on battery technologies.

The discovery also comes at a time when the Indian government has been pushing for an electric vehicle ecosystem. India imported lithium batteries worth $1.2 billion in 2019, up from $384 million in FY17.

In the first eight months of fiscal 2019-20 India's lithium battery imports stood at $929 million, according to minister of science and technology Harsh Vardhan.

The lithium reserves discovered in Mandya, however, are insignificant compared to deposits in countries like Chile, Australia and Argentina.

Since India has not made much effort to explore local lithium reserves, it currently relies on mines located in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.

India is also yet to estimate its requirements - both current and future - of lithium. It has also not formulated a comprehensive plan to map local reserves of lithium. India has set up Khanij Bidesh India Ltd to source and acquire mines in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.
MONTCALM COUNTY, MI -- A 45-year-old man was camping in Montcalm County when he was shot in the head.

The Belding man is expected to survive after having bullet fragments removed from his head, Michigan State Police said in a news release. He was released from Greenville United Hospital after being treated.

Police were dispatched around 7 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 to a report of a shooting in the area of West Colby Road and M-66 in Sidney Township.

The 911 caller was a male, who indicated he had been shot. Officers arrived to find the man with an injury to his head.

Police said the man was camping at the time of the incident. They didnt disclose additional details about the incident, but said state police are investigating the incident as a suspicious shooting.

Troopers are asking anyone with information, or who may have been hunting in the area, to contact Michigan State Polices Lakeview Post at 989-352-8444.

Read more:

1 dead, 1 critically injured in head-on crash

Man accused in estranged wifes 2006 slaying gets additional felony charge

Finding their voices: Michigan residents confront mental health
The Wall Street Journal is shown on sale at Hudson News in Grand Central Terminal in New York, on May 1, 2007. (Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijing to Expel Three Wall Street Journal Reporters Over Coronavirus Coverage

China announced that it revoked the press credentials of three Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporters on Feb. 19, marking the countrys largest expulsion of foreign media in decades.

Beijing made the decision in retaliation over the publications Feb. 3 column headlined China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Wednesday.

In a Wednesday press conference, Geng said the Chinese side has lodged repeated stern representations to WSJ over the article, which he said contains a racially-discriminatory title and discredits the Chinese government. He said the publication did not make an official apology as the Chinese regime demanded, and threatened to take further measures if necessary.

We do not welcome media that speak racially-discriminatory languages and maliciously slander, he added.

The agencys deputy bureau chief Josh Chin, and reporter Chao Deng, both U.S. nationals, as well as reporter Philip Wen, an Australian, were told to leave the country in five days, according to WSJ. The outlet noted that none of the three reporters had any involvement with the commentary piece.

The expulsion came just hours after the U.S. State Department designated five Chinese state-run media outlets as foreign missions and operatives of the Chinese government. These include state broadcaster CCTV; its overseas subsidiary China Global Television Network (CGTN), China Radio International; China Daily Distribution Corporation; and Hai Tian Development USA, the U.S. distributor for the Chinese Communist Partys mouthpiece, Peoples Daily.

The new designation will require the companies U.S. operations to register with the State Department on personnel changes and their current real estate property holdings, as well as obtain prior approval before purchasing or leasing any new office spacein the same way foreign diplomatic missions do.

Geng did not make a link between the new State Department designations and the expulsions, but said that China deplores and rejects the wrong decision.

William Lewis, the publisher of WSJ, said in a statement that the company was deeply disappointed with the Chinese foreign ministrys move.

But he also said the publication regretted that the aforementioned article had clearly caused upset and concern amongst the Chinese people.

Our opinion pages regularly publish articles with opinions that people disagreeor agree withand it was not our intention to cause offense with the headline on the piece, he said.

U.S. State Department Secretary Mike Pompeo criticized the decision, saying the correct response [to the article] is to present counter arguments, not restrict speech.

Mature, responsible countries understand that a free press reports facts and expresses opinions, he said in a statement on Wednesday. He said the United States hopes to see Chinese people have the same access to accurate information and freedom of speech that Americans enjoy.

A total of at least nine reporters were forced to leave China since 2013, although the country has not outright expelled a foreign correspondent since 1998, according to the Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC).

A Chinese police officer wears a protective mask as he stands guard outside the Qianmen Gate during a snowfall in an empty and shuttered commercial street in Beijing, China, on Feb. 5, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

In 1998, China expelled a Japanese and German journalist for allegedly possessing state secrets.

In a statement, the FCCC strongly condemned Chinas move to cancel the reporters visas and press cards, saying it was an unprecedented form of retaliation against foreign journalists in China.

The action taken against The Journal correspondents is an extreme and obvious attempt by the Chinese authorities to intimidate foreign news organizations by taking retribution against their China-based correspondents, it said.

Chun Han Wong, a Singaporean reporter who was working at WSJs Beijing bureau, was also effectively expelled out of China in August 2019 after authorities refused to renew his press credentials. Weeks earlier, Chun had written an investigative report detailing an Australian probe into the money laundering activities of Ming Chai, a cousin of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) on Wednesday also rebuked Beijing for the decision, noting that the newspaper, like many other foreign media, is blocked by Chinas internet firewall and therefore unavailable to Chinese audiences.

Heres the proof that Beijing is sick: the same Chinese Communist Party that sat on the sidelines for weeks while coronavirus plagued Wuhan sprang to action when Chairman Xis feelings were hurt by a headline that nobody in China had the freedom to read, he said in a press release.

The Wall Street Journal owes the Chinese Communist Party nothing. Chairman Xi owes the Chinese people an apology for his coronavirus cover-up.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday expressed his government's resolve to carry forward the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Thackeray visited the Shivneri Fort in Junnar tehsil of Pune district in the morning to pay tributes to Shivaji Maharaj on his birth anniversary, and announced Rs 23 crore assistance for the development of the fort.

He also said that cases filed against protesters during the Maratha quota agitation in 2018 will be withdrawn.

Shivaji Maharaj was born in Shivneri in 1630.

"The poor and needy feel this is their government. That is the reason people have come for this 'Shiv Jayanti' function in large numbers. Our government is committed to carry forward the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," Thackeray said after attending some programmes, including a 'cradle ceremony', and reviewing the fort's development works.

He said Rs 23 crore have been sanctioned for the development of the Shivneri Fort.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and others also attended the birth anniversary function of Shivaji Maharaj.

Thackeray said, "Both myself and Ajit dada (Pawar) have come together for doing some good constructive work, and I vow that I will not rest till I achieve the goal."

On the occasion, the chief minister told Pawar that they "should have come together long ago".

Thackeray further said that all steps will be taken to preserve Chhatrapati Shivaji's forts and memorial.

"We will ensure that works are not hampered for lack of funds," he said.

He also said that cases filed against protesters during the Maratha quota agitation will be withdrawn.

The Shiv Sena president earlier took to Twitter to pay tributes to Shivaji Maharaj, and extended greetings to the people of the state on the occasion of Shiv Jayanti.

Though February 19 is the official date of Shiv Jayanti, the Shiv Sena believes the birth anniversary of Shivaji Maharaj should be observed as per the Hindu calendar.

Earlier, state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat and senior party leader Ashok Chavan, both ministers in the Thackeray Cabinet, also paid their respects to Shivaji Maharaj in their Twitter posts.

NCP president Sharad Pawar also paid tributes to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and tweeted that his bravery and administrative excellence is incomparable.

Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Devendra Fadnavis extended greetings to the people of the state on the occasion of Shiv Jayanti.

"Salutations to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his birth anniversary," he tweeted.
Texas should fare well as a result of the 2020 Census.

If we dont, itll be because a bunch of politicians based in Austin decided to shoot themselves, and the rest of us, in the foot by failing to fund the decennial counting effort.

The Lone Star State has experienced significant population growth over the past decade. The 2010 Census found the state had a population of 25.1 million people. The bureaus most recent estimates show that by the end of 2019, the state had nearly 29 million residents.

That being the case, Texas is in line to pick up at least two seats, and possibly three, in the U.S. House of Representatives as a result of the 2020 Census and the reapportionment that will follow. The census also kicks off the highly political process of redrawing political boundaries, or redistricting.

Texans can also expect to see a boost in federal funding for education and Medicaid, among other programs, as a result of population growth.

But measuring that growth precisely is no easy task, says Victoria deFrancesco Soto, assistant dean for civic engagement and a lecturer at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin.

Getting people to fill out any survey takes effort, Soto told me this week.

And state leaders have decided to leave that effort, in this case, largely to civic organizations and local governments. The latter, to their credit, are stepping up to the plate: in Houston, for example, city and Harris County leaders are partnering with more than 50 organizations in pursuit of a complete count. Harris County set aside up to $4 million for this initiative last year, and the city of Houston is chipping in an additional $650,000.

In neighboring Fort Bend County, officials are allocating $300,000 for census outreach.

An inaccurate count means less resources for the residents of Fort Bend  over $2.3 billion dollars in federal funding is at stake for the next decade, said KP George, the Democratic county judge. Thats new schools, new hospitals and roads for our communities.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston, Harris County working together to complete census count

State leaders, however, have declined to pony up for any sort of census outreach initiative. Some Republicans consider promoting the census to be the natural purview of the federal government, of course. But its also true that the states population growth likely favors Democrats, knowing what we know about demographics; that might have dampened the GOPs enthusiasm for a process that historically had bipartisan support.

Whats just so frustrating, Soto said, is that an undercount in a census hurts everybody.

A small undercount  perhaps 1 percent of the population  could cost Texas nearly $300 million per year in federal funding for Medicaid alone, according to a study from George Washington University. And were at risk of such an undercount under the best of circumstances.

Roughly a quarter of Texas residents live in hard to count areas, according to the Center for Public Policy Priorities, meaning areas that had a low response rate in the 2010 Census. The various challenges that complicated the census a decade ago are well-known, and havent been adequately addressed.

Researchers have found that young children are at risk of being undercounted, especially if they live in low-income households; thats a major concern in Texas, which is home to roughly 10 percent of the nations kids. Renters often miss out on the long-form questionnaire, if its mailed to a previous address. Homeless Texans are often hard to locate in the first place. And although the census counts all residentsregardless of their citizenship or legal statusits often difficult to muster responses from those living in the country without legal permission, or people in mixed-status households.

This year, experts anticipate additional challenges in getting an accurate count of immigrant households. After President Donald Trumps election, the U.S. Department of Commerce sought to ask about citizenship status on the 2020 Census. The courts ultimately blocked the plan, but confusion about the citizenship question persists. A new survey from the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) finds that 48 percent of Latino respondents believe there will be a citizenship question on the census.

State funding for a coordinated public-information campaign might have helped alleviate those concerns. But the battle over the citizenship question seems to have yielded a politicization of the entire process.

Texas isnt the only state in which leaders have decided to leave the effort to volunteers; lawmakers in GOP-led Florida, for example, also decided not to pony up for any initiatives that might ensure a more complete count. California, by contrast, is spending $187 million in an effort to ensure that the states population is accurately counted.

I reached out to state Rep. Cesar Blanco of El Paso, who authored a measure that would have established a statewide Complete Count Commission. The bill didnt even get a hearing in the Republican-led Texas Legislature. I asked him why not.

Politics, said Blanco, a Democrat.

Thats the best explanation available, but for Texans, it shouldnt be a satisfactory one. The census isnt about ideology, just arithmetic. A statewide effort to ensure an accurate count would have been beneficial for all of us, especially since Texas is likely heading into some lean budget cycles over the next decade.

Whats done is done, though. Or not done, in this case. So local leaders and advocates with various organizations are gearing up for a herculean and high-stakes challenge. The Census Bureau will mail out its long-form questionnaires in mid-March, and will start gathering responses April 1.

Ramiro Fonseca, the community engagement manager for Project GRAD, a nonprofit that provides college access and career advice to low-income students, said he believes Houston is doing what it can to obtain an accurate count given its limited resources. He wishes state officials had also made it a priority.

Said Fonseca: I feel its everyones responsibility to spread the word.

erica.grieder@chron.com
School districts are in a situation now where we need to do a lot of training, he said. A bright light has been shined upon a really dark corner and we will do a great amount of work to make sure students are safe in schools and that the practices that were identified in these articles are not continuing in inappropriate ways, he said.


WTC continued strong growth, revenue up 31%, EBITDA up 29%

-------------------------------------------------- $m 1H19 1H20 % change -------------------------------------------------- Total revenue 156.7 205.9 +31% Gross profit 129.0 169.4 +31% Operating profit 35.9 42.0 +17% NPATA 27.5 33.5 +22% Net profit attributable to equity holders 23.1 59.9 +160% Earnings per share (cents) 7.6 18.8 +147% Dividend per share (cents) 1.50 1.70 +13% --------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------- $m 1H19 1H20 % change ---------------------------------------------------- Total operating expenses (80.4) (106.9) +33% EBITDA* 48.5 62.5 +29% EBITDA margin 31% 30% (1)pp Free cash flow 30.7 28.0 (9)% ----------------------------------------------------

Sydney, Feb 19, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - WiseTech Global Ltd ( ASX:WTC ) ( FRA:17W ) ( OTCMKTS:WTCHF ) Continued Strong Growth, Revenue up 31%, EBITDA up 29%.Key results 1H20 vs 1H19- Total 1H20 revenue of $205.9m, up 31%- NPATA(1) of $33.5m, up 22%- Net profit attributable to equity holders of $59.9m, up 160%- EBITDA $62.5m, up 29%- Fully franked interim dividend of 1.70 cents per shareKey performance indicators 1H20 vs 1H19- Recurring revenue 99% for CargoWise platform- <1% annual attrition rate for CargoWise customers- Strong organic CargoWise revenue growth +24%- EBITDA margin 30%, EBITDA margin excluding acquisitions 49%- Customers: 15,000 logistics organisationsStrong growth in revenues while investing in growthFounder and CEO, Richard White, said "We continued to deliver high quality growth in 1H20 with revenues up 31% to $205.9m and EBITDA up 29% to $62.5m, a reflection of the strength of our CargoWise business and strategic actions, along with increased adoption by the world's largest logistics organisations while we continued to expand our technology platform and grow our global footprint.""We are investing to grow. In the last 5 years alone, we have invested over $360m in product innovation, adding 3,500 product enhancements to our global platform. All while also securing over 40 strategic assets with 1,200 leading experts, technologist and logistics industry people across 35 countries, thus capturing centuries of hard-to-access capability and significant development capacity to further resource our technology pipeline for future growth.""We made significant progress in global rollouts with DHL Global Forwarding, DSV's integration of Panalpina and top 10 logistics leader, Bollore. We continue to deepen and diversify our customer base so that our top 10 customers are now only 19% of revenue and none are more than 5%. Now, 40 of the top 50 global 3PLs and all of the top 25 global freight forwarders are using our solutions somewhere in the world.""With the addressable market in technology for global logistics in the hundreds of billions, and the spend on digital transformation itself hundreds of millions more again, we are moving fast to build out our technology lead. We are investing in simultaneously expanding out from the CargoWise of today capturing new customers and markets, along with increasing usage and scope of our technology solutions."Organic revenues from our existing and new CargoWise customers delivered $24.3m of growth on 1H19. Growth in organic revenue from existing and new CargoWise customers was 24% and driven by:- continued increased usage of the CargoWise platform by existing customer organisations - adding transactions, users, new sites, moving into new modules, and consolidating operations;- transition of customer licensing to standard transaction-based licensing;- revenue from new products and features; and- onboarding of new sales and increased usage by new CargoWise customers.Revenue from customers on acquired platforms increased by $24.9m, primarily driven by the full period impact of acquisitions completed in FY19. We buy strategic assets in the form of software companies and specialist technology teams. These bring additional skills, increase speed to market and access to IP to converge with our own technology.We delivered EBITDA of $62.5m for 1H20 (almost doubled since 1H18) with a healthy margin of 30% including our acquisitions. EBITDA margin excluding acquisitions was stable at 49%, as we continue to see the benefits of our disciplined and highly efficient commercial model for our core CargoWise business.Highlights from execution of strategic growth initiatives- We delivered significant revenue growth of 31% driven by continued strong organic growth across our global business, the addition of over 450 internally developed product enhancements and features to our CargoWise One platform, and the acquisition of small strategic assets in new geographies and adjacent technologies which we will utilise in resourcing our future growth.- Strong organic CargoWise revenue growth with revenues from existing and new customers up $24.3m, 24% yoy. Importantly, every CargoWise One customer cohort, as measured in the last 12 years, once again grew revenue in 1H20.- Overall, 40 of the top 50 global 3PLs(3) are now customers, as are all 25 of the top 25 Global Freight Forwarders(4) with 23 of those on CargoWise, yet global penetration is still in the early stage with significant runway for years to come. Additionally, we now have 10 of the world's largest logistics providers in global rollout with current rollouts for DHL Global Forwarding, DSV/Panalpina and Bollore Logistics progressing well.- We have since signed a further multi-year freight forwarding and customs global rollout to commence from FY21 with UAE-based Aramex International for 35 countries.- The attrition rate for the CargoWise One platform continued to be extremely low, at under 1% per annum, as it has been for the previous seven years since we started measuring. Our customers stay and grow their transaction usage due to the productivity of our platform.- EBITDA overall has nearly doubled since 1H18 while our EBITDA margin (excluding acquisitions but including M&A costs) rose to 49% - as we continue to see the benefits of our disciplined and highly efficient commercial model in our core operations.- We progressed product development in China, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Ireland, the US, and Australasia and across our global adjacencies including global rates management, border compliance, transport management solutions and landside logistics.- We invested resources into machine learning, natural language processing, process automation and guided decision support, driven by vast volumes of transactional and border agency data sets to enable enhanced compliance, due diligence, risk assessment and risk mitigation.- We drove forward the integrations of our strategic assets across key geographies and adjacent technologies. Our businesses are performing well through various stages of operational integration, product and technology development, and reshaping their commercial foundation, while managing their day-to-day operations. Once fully embedded over the coming years, these businesses will expand the functionality, scope and value of our industry-leading technology and provide a strong base for further accelerating our long-term organic growth.- In addition, since 1 July 2019, we have completed a further 4 valuable geographic and adjacent acquisitions across North America, South Korea and Switzerland.- Overall our net profit for the half year grew 160% to $59.9 - reflecting both the strong growth in profit, year on year, to $27.2m, and a required P/L adjustment of fair value gain this period of $32.7m, resulting from reduced contingent consideration liabilities in relation to acquisition earnouts. Each period, we gain a clearer picture of the operational performance and potential of our acquired businesses. This allows us to update our assessment of the contingent consideration payable pursuant to performance conditions. In this period, these reassessments resulted in a fair value gain of $32.7m.Delivery on our growth strategyThe key strategic focal points, investment areas and developments in 1H20 were:Expansion of our global platformIn 1H20 we invested $73.3m and 49% of our people in product development, further expanding our pipeline of commercialisable innovations, and delivered over 450 product enhancements and upgrades seamlessly across the CargoWise platform. We are accelerating our development capability within our development teams in over 20 countries.The hundreds of 1H20 product enhancements and upgrades included initiatives such as:- implemented enhancements to container and air waybill automation, including additional air and ocean carriers;- extended localisation of our comprehensive accounting solution to further countries and a focus on EU and LATAM high tax-complexity countries;- increased rates shopping functionality and increased functionality of hubs and gateway operations, rating and billing;- completed air advance reporting for the United States and Brazil;- launched web-based international fulfilment ecommerce integrated solution for 3PLs in Australia and New Zealand; and- delivered regulatory upgrades for a myriad of government changes including UK regulatory CDS platform replacement, China Trade Single Window, US Air Cargo Advance Screening and Automated Commercial Environment consolidated express filings, and German customs ATLAS release.We progressed our larger pipeline components including:- web-based international fulfilment ecommerce managing shipments from origin to door with Shipper Portal, export consolidation warehouse and import deconsolidation warehouse;- comprehensive global port integration direct to CargoWise for largest trading ports. France is currently in development ahead of the Bollore Logistics rollout;- next-generation accounting functionalities such as automated Hubs, Gateway billing and universal transaction messaging;- additional predictive machine learning and assistive natural language models that process myriad integrated data sources across the supply chain that are monitored, retrieved and processed automatically;- expansion of the Universal Customs Engine designed to deliver complex, multi-year localisations;- design and development ahead of Brexit customs implementation;- progress in the development of CargoWise 'neo' (formerly nexus), the platform for users of logistics services to engage with their logistics solutions provider in a fully digital process. Early beta release on track for select customers by the end of calendar year 2020;- integration of acquired adjacencies and our innovation developments to build out the cargo chain ecosystem for rates, schedules, contracts, quoting and bookings; and- ongoing scaling of database models (including new SQL and non-SQL database structures), additional scaleout of WiseCloud infrastructure, increasing redundancy and expanding performance capacity.Within our acquired strategic assets, development work is progressing to address new customer segments or expand regional presence. A sample of activities includes:- simultaneous build-out of embedded customs for acquired geographies;- integration with our specialist Transport Management Solutions ("TMS") adjacencies;- expanding adjacent technology developments in ratings, classifications and messaging;- Containerchain launch of Notifications, vehicle booking system ("VBS"), to Australian depots and VBS rollout for European customers; and- utilising our local acquired operations to build out regional components for our global engines.Greater usage by existing customersWe experienced continuing existing CargoWise customer revenue growth of $17.0m in addition to:- our large CargoWise customer base increasing its use of the platform, adding transactions, users and geographies and moving into more modules;- increasing usage by many of the world's largest freight forwarding groups. Across the Group, we have 25 of the top 25 global freight forwarders as customers, with 23 of the top 25 using CargoWise. Additionally, 10 large global forwarders have completed or are in the process of completing global forwarding rollouts in CargoWise, including DSV/Panalpina, DHL, Toll, Bollore and Yusen. The DHL Global Forwarding rollout for sea freight and air freight continued to make significant progress in 1H20;- continued transition of customer licensing (excluding acquisitions), with 99% of CargoWise revenues generated from On-Demand licensing, an access-as-needed, monthly payment based on usage licence. STL now accounts for 95% of CargoWise revenues (1H19: 71%);- further growth in revenue from larger multi-region customers with 40 of the top 50 global 3PLs now customers, yet even our global relationships are still in early penetration and our top 10 customers contribute only 19% of revenue (1H19: 25%); and- each cohort of CargoWise customers from FY06 to FY20 grew revenue in the period.Increasing the number of new customers on the CargoWise technology platformWe continue to bring new customers onto the platform across domestic, multi-region and global commitments. New wins in 1H20 included Shanghai Coil Dragon International Logistics, Green Worldwide Shipping and PT Yamato Indonesia. Since period end, we have also secured a further freight forwarding and customs global rollout with UAE-based Aramex International.New CargoWise customers take time to roll out and then transaction revenue grows over time. Our Delta sales team builds relationships with global 3PLs and international freight forwarders. As we increase our global penetration, we also continue to sign new deals with customers where we have a pre-existing CargoWise relationship, which add to our existing customers' revenue. We are seeing larger potential global logistics organisations engaging with us and we expect to see this trend expand into further major new customer contracts. However, we are still in early penetration of both new and existing customers.In addition, through industry consolidation, CargoWise is capable of capturing large global rollouts without further sales activity, as is the case with DSV's acquisition of Panalpina during 2019 creating a joint global operation, no. 4 in the world. DSV(5) has announced strong integration progress with acquired operations transitioning onto CargoWise over FY20 and FY21.Stimulated network effectsWe harness important natural network effects that exist because of the necessarily collaborative nature of supply chain execution and the inherent effect of our deeply integrated global software platform. We further stimulate these effects with targeted partner programs through CargoWise Partners, CargoWise Certified Professional and deeper CargoWise Industry programs for freight forwarding network groups globally.We now have over 280 external CargoWise Partner organisations across the world, actively referring, promoting or implementing our platform. In 1H20, we certified over 3,700 CargoWise practitioners, who work within the logistics industry across our customer or partner organisations. We have completed over 19,000 certifications of practitioners who utilise or promote the features of our platform. We now have 48 partner networks with a member base of ~9,000 logistics service professionals.In addition, each new geography and adjacency we acquire adds a valuable point on our strategic map, accelerates the network effects and has the potential to make CargoWise even more compelling to local and global logistics providers and their customers. In 1H20, we continued to leverage our acquired business relationships with key global customers and explored connections between the adjacent acquisitions, CargoWise and geographic footholds.Our reach now extends out from international freight forwarding and 3PL , making inroads into the 2PL, 1PL and domestic transportation globally. During 1H20, we implemented development pilots with select customers for key technological expansions of our CargoWise technology platform capabilities, designed to drive product value and network effects across the customer base.Strategic acquisitions: securing valuable resources and market entryIn expanding geographically, we buy into market positions that would take years to build, and we then integrate the acquired industry and developer talent and customers over time to accelerate our growth. We further utilise acquisitions in key adjacent technologies to facilitate our development of globally scalable innovations, to fuel the convergence of technologies that add to our next generation of automations and machine learning, and to grow and enhance our extensive global data and transaction sets.In 1H20, we have progressed product development in key geographies including Australasia, Brazil, China, Taiwan, Europe, and the United States and across our global adjacencies. In addition, since 1 July 2019, we have completed a further four valuable geographic and adjacent acquisitions across North America, South Korea and Switzerland.Since 1 July 2019 to date, our acquisitions for geographic expansion comprised:- on 31 December 2019, we completed the acquisition of Ready Korea, a leading customs, bondedwarehouse and trade compliance solutions provider in South Korea; and on 3 February 2020, we completed the acquisition of SISA Studio Informatica SA, a leading customs and freight forwarding solutions provider in Switzerland.Since 1 July 2019 to date, our acquisitions for adjacencies and technologies convergent with our innovation pipeline comprised:- on 16 September 2019, we completed the acquisition of early-stage machine-learning classification technology developer, Cypress; and- on 1 October 2019, we completed the acquisition of Depot Systems, a leading US-based container yard and terminal management logistics solutions provider.Our acquisitions are at various stages of integration and, once fully embedded over the coming years, they will expand the functionality, scope and value of our industry-leading technology and provide a strong base for further accelerating our long-term growth.Outlook FY20WiseTech Global Founder and CEO, Richard White, said "The predicted early 2020 recovery from the end of 2019 trade volume softness within the logistics industry (as a result of US-China trade war), was in effect in early January. However, the unexpected outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the effective shutdown of China, a critical driver of the global manufacturing supply chain and a ~16% contributor to global GDP, is creating negative flow-on effects to manufacturing, slowing supply chains and economic trade across the world. While we have a diversified array of revenue drivers that provide resilient organic revenue growth across our global platform, we do anticipate that the manufacturing slowdown will delay execution of logistics activities by logistics service providers.""The speed of recovery of China manufacturing, replenishment of inventories worldwide and restoration of supply chain volumes, once started, will likely create a significant rebound in volumes and logistics transactions, however, the interim delay may cause some transactional revenues to move into the next reporting period and potentially delay the launch of new products planned for 2H20.""Despite this, what has not changed throughout this period is the accelerating adoption and continued rollout of the CargoWise solution among our customers. While these short-term challenges represent immediate headwinds for industry and the world economy, they in no way diminish the rising demand drivers for our platform among logistics providers. Our success has been founded on a long-term focus and strategy which has enabled us to make deep investments to cement our technology and product leadership. We will continue to focus on delivering on our five levers of growth as we build the operating system for global logistics.""We have delivered strong progress in 1H20 across our technology and operations, which will create long-term value for our shareholders, and we will continue to drive the business through 2020 and beyond in the uncompromising execution of our strategy."Guidance for FY20 revenue and earningsFounder and CEO, Richard White, said "In considering adjustment to our guidance for FY20 we have prudently taken into account the potential impact of COVID-19 on manufacturing and export trade, along with the continued growth of the Group during 1H20, the power of the CargoWise platform, drivers of organic growth, annual customer attrition rate of less than 1% and continued relentless investment in innovation and expansion across our global business. Together, these give us the basis to expect, subject to currency movements(6):FY20 revenue of $420m - $450m, revenue growth of 21% - 29%,EBITDA(7) of $114m - $132m, EBITDA growth of 5% - 22%.""We appreciate and have regard to the human impact of COVID-19 across families and communities. WiseTech has four offices in China and customers throughout the country. We have long-established connections in the region and share the hope of a near-term resolution and containment for the country and its people."Investor PresentationPlease refer to the WiseTech Global 1H20 Results Investor briefing materials released today for detailed financial data and analysis.Analyst BriefingThe results presentation webcast to discuss WiseTech Global's 1H20 financial results will be held at 10.30am (Sydney time) today. The webcast and briefing audio will be available at http://webcast.openbriefing.com/5711 Forward looking statementsForward-looking statements in this release are based on information and assumptions known to date and are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Actual results, performance or achievements could be significantly different from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of WiseTech Global. These factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the statements contained in this announcement.Notes:1 NPATA - net profit after tax attributable to equity holders of the parent before: acquired amortisation net of tax, contingent consideration interest unwind net of tax and fair value changes on contingent consideration.*If AASB 16 Leases had been applied in 1H19 this would have increased reported EBITDA by $3m.3 Armstrong & Associates: Top 50 Global Third Party Logistics Providers List, ranked by 2018 logistics gross revenue/turnover.4 Armstrong & Associates: Top 25 Global Freight Forwarders List, ranked by 2018 logistics gross revenue/turnover and freight forwarding volumes.5 DSV Public Market Briefing 7 February 2020.6 Our revenue is invoiced in a range of currencies, reflecting the global nature of our customer base and as a result is impacted by movements in foreign exchange rates. Our FY20 guidance is based on rates provided within the Investor briefing materials released to the ASX on 19 February 2020.7 The application of AASB 16 Leases brought into effect from 1 July 2019, is expected to add $6m to EBITDA for FY20, with no change to revenue. The total is reflected in the guidance provided.To view tables and figures, please visit:About WiseTech Global Ltd

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX:WTC) is a leading developer and provider of software solutions to the logistics execution industry globally. Our customers include over 17,000 of the world's logistics companies across 160 countries, including 41 of the top 50 global thirdparty logistics providers and all of the 25 largest global freight forwarders worldwide2. Our flagship platform, CargoWise, forms an integral link in the global supply chain and executes over 50 billion data transactions annually.

At WiseTech, we are relentless about innovation, adding over 4,000 product enhancements to our global platform in the past five years while bringing meaningful continual improvement to the world's supply chains. Our breakthrough software solutions are renowned for their powerful productivity, extensive functionality, comprehensive integration, deep compliance capabilities, and truly global reach.

For more information about WiseTech Global or CargoWise, please visit wisetechglobal.com and cargowise.com
Death was everywhere, and in his most terrific and disgusting aspects.The flow of blood might be likened to the outbreaking of a torrent

James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans

One early morning in August 1757 a column of some 2,300 Redcoats, provincials and rangersfollowed by a smattering of civilians, including women, children, servants and slavesformed up outside Fort William Henry at the south end of Lake George in the British province of New York. Under French military escort they began what promised to be a tedious 16-mile slog through dense woods along the military road to Fort Edward.

After a six-day siege punctuated by heavy bombardment Lt. Col. George Monro, commanding the forts British garrison, had acceded to the French terms of surrender. In accordance with Brig. Gen. Louis-Joseph de Montcalms terms of parole, Monros soldiers were allowed to keep their weapons and one small fieldpiece. It was a symbolic gesture only; their weapons were unloaded.

Montcalms white-uniformed soldiers watched in silence as their defeated foes passed. Such niceties of war, however, were completely lost on Montcalms allies1,800 armed and painted warriors from various tribes. To them this was not how battles were won or celebrated. The fighting had always been about plunder, trophies and prisoners, and about avenging slain friends and loved ones. Now the victorious French expected them to stand by empty-handed as les Anglais, scalps intact, simply walked away. Within minutes the warriors would demonstrate in bloody terms their unwillingness to do so.

In the late 1740s the European conflict known to history as the War of the Austrian Succession ended with an uncomfortable peace between hereditary enemies Britain and France. It would not last. Soon enough they would be at each others national throats over their respective claims in North America.

Both countries owned vast tracts of land in the New World, and each wanted more. While Britains 13 colonies stretched from Georgia north to Maine, France claimed everything from Cape Breton Island west to the Great Plains and south to the Gulf of Mexico. The more after which both nations lusted was the Ohio River Valley, andignoring the fact various Indian tribes considered the vast region homeeach claimed it.

The victorious French expected their Indian allies to stand by empty-handed as les Anglais, scalps intact, simply walked away

By 1753 tensions had reached the breaking point, as Britain and France each began building forts and clearing roads to defend their respective claims. In May of the following year fighting began in earnest when a young Virginia lieutenant colonel named George Washington ambushed a French scouting party in southwest Pennsylvania, killing some and capturing others.

That sparked a conflict referred to in the United States as the French and Indian War, regarded in Europe and Canada as a precursor to and part of the Seven Years War. In North America the no-holds-barred war stretched nine years, ranging up and down the Eastern seaboard from Virginia north into Canada.

The regular armies of the two great world powers predictably fought in the traditional European mode. The French and British also employed provincialsinexperienced colonial volunteers who tended to stray from the rules of war and act with considerably less discipline. To scout the unfamiliar country, both armies relied on the services of frontiersmen who knew and could function reliably in the wilderness. The French drew on allied tribal warriors and men from their provincial militia (milice), while the British formed companies of rangersirregulars trained to fight and thrive in the backwoods.

Although both sides sought accord with the regions various Indians, most tribesincluding the Abenaki, Huron, Onondaga, Algonkian, Micmac, Nipissing, Ojibwa and Ottawa lived alongside and sided with the French, who retained their loyalty through trade and Christian outreach. It was essential to their own survival the French maintain strong relations with their tribal allies, for while the land area encompassed within New France far exceeded that of their rivals, the British colonials in North America numbered between 1.5 and 2 million, as compared to only around 75,000 French.

The first few years of the war favored the French, though in September 1755 the British triumphed in battle at the southern end of Lake George, a crucial gateway to New France to the north and the Hudson River farther south. Both sides swiftly set about erecting forts in the vicinity. The northernmost British installation, Fort William Henry, was designed and built by military engineer Capt. William Eyre on the lakeshore near the site of the recent battle. The French, meanwhile, raised Fort Carillon on the portage between the north end of Lake George and south end of Lake Champlain.

Initially, it seemed no one but the British high command really wanted to build Fort William Henry. On-site commander Maj. Gen. Sir William Johnsons own officers refused, instead voting in a council of war to erect a simple stockade capable of commodiously garrisoning 100 men. The undisciplined colonial troops responsible for actually raising the structure also balked at the prospect, refusing to lift ax or adze. The provincial soldiers, historian Ian Castle writes, were reluctant builders at the best of times. Johnson was more forgiving of the men. It would be both unreasonable and, I fear, in vain, the general wrote in the aftermath of the battle theyd just fought, to set them at work upon the designed fort.

But build it they did. When ready for occupancy in November 1755 the earth-enforced log palisade was surrounded on three sides by a dry moat 30 feet wide and 10 feet deep, while the fourth side sloped down to the lakeshore. The fort featured four French-inspired corner bastions, while platforms and embrasures along the interior walls allowed for the placement of artillery and firing positions for the soldiers. Enclosed within its palisade stood a hospital, a magazine, a two-story barracks and brick-lined casements for storage. The only way in or out was across a bridge that spanned the dry moat.

Although the fort itself was built to accommodate a maximum of 500 soldiers, over the next several months the garrison fluctuated between 400 and 2,500 men. The additional troops, rangers and colonials were assigned to an entrenched camp some 750 yards to the southeast.

Montcalm sent an aide to demand the forts surrender, threatening Monro with his Indians, the cruelty of which a detachment of your garrison have lately too much experienced

In August 1756, while the British were formulating plans to attack forts Carillon, Saint-Frederic and Frontenac preparatory to a campaign against the city of Quebec, Montcalm captured Fort Oswego, near present-day Oswego, N.Y. After the British garrison surrendered, Montcalms Indian allies plundered the fort, slaughtered several of the sick and wounded in the hospital, and carried off women and children as captives. Although Montcalm successfully bribed them to cease, it was a harbinger of what was to come.

Montcalm then laid plans to attack Fort William Henry. Its defenders were far from prepared, many having succumbed to smallpox and scurvy. As stated in an officers report to Gen. John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun, the recently arrived commander of British forces in North America, the garrison comprised some 2,500 men, 500 of whom were sick. They bury from five to eight daily, the report to Lord Loudoun read. The fort stinks enough to cause infection; they have all their sick in it. Conditions at the neighboring camp were even worse. Their camp [is] nastier than anything I could conceive, their necessary houses [outhouses], kitchens, graves and places for slaughtering cattle all mix through their encampment.

The state of construction presented its own problems. The fort itself is not finished, the report noted, one side being so low that the interior is seen into (in reverse) from the rising ground on the southeast side; also the east bastion has the same defect from the grounds from the west. Rotting timbers framed the interior casemates, the powder magazine was perpetually damp, the well water undrinkable. The report went on to condemn the condition of the artillery and concluded with urgent recommendations for improvementsfew of which were followed.

With the coming of winter the provincials enlistment term expired, and they returned home. This left some 100 rangers and 400 men of the 44th Regiment of Foot under the command of Captain Eyre, who soon earned promotion to major and continued to oversee construction. Lord Loudoun, who planned to use Fort William Henry as a springboard for his forthcoming campaign against the line of French forts to the north, ordered the wintering troops to build scores of boats, from flat-bottomed bateaux to sloops, with which to transport men and materiel.

Standing as it did on the frontier between British New York and New France, Fort William Henry was fated to attract considerable attention from the French. The first assault came in late March 1757. Some 1,200 men from the various French armed services, accompanied by 300 Abenaki and Caughnawaga warriors, marched south under the command of Maj. Francois-Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil, son of the governor of New France. Along with their weapons his men carried 300 scaling ladders.

When sentries spotted Rigauds force approaching across the lake ice, Eyre immediately brought the men at the encampment into the fort. Though only 346 of the British regulars and rangers were fit for duty, they foiled French attempts to storm the fort. Rigaud offered Eyre the chance to surrender; but given the Indian outrages at Oswego the previous year, the officer wisely refused, whereupon the French set fire to the outbuildings and boats. Finally, after a heavy snow, Rigaud departed, having suffered seven killed and nine wounded.

Eyres casualties numbered just seven wounded, but the French and Indians had destroyed 350 bateaux, four sloops, two longboats and the forts supply of firewood. Lacking enough vessels, Eyre had to curtail lake patrols, and Lord Loudoun was unable to launch his campaign.

A week later Eyre was relieved by Lt. Col. George Monro, and the 44th by six companies of the 35th Regiment of Foot and two companies of rangers. As the weather cleared, some 800 provincials arrived from Fort Edward, as did two New York companies, and Monro established his headquarters at the encampment.

Lord Loudoun, still determined to launch an all-out attack on Quebec, placed Brig. Gen. Daniel Webb in charge of the New York frontier, basing him at Fort Edward, 16 miles south of Fort William Henry. Loudoun had received false intelligence that Montcalm was gathering in his forces to defend Quebec. In fact, the French commander intended to foil Loudouns plans by preemptively destroying Fort William Henry.

In late July Monro sent out a reconnaissance in force350 men in 22 whaleboats that had survived Rigauds attack. They were ambushed by a superior force mainly composed of Indians, who slaughtered nearly 100 men and took another 150 prisoner; only four boats escaped. The carnage was horrific. Some were cut to pieces, recalled Father Pierre Roubaud, a French Jesuit missionary accompanying the Abenakis on expedition, and nearly all were mutilated in the most frightful manner.

The day after the survivors return Webb dispatched an additional 1,000 men and six cannons to Fort William Henry, boosting Monros strength to 2,351 men, though many remained seriously ill. The transfer left Webb with only 1,600 men at Fort Edward.

By then Montcalm had assembled more than 6,200 regulars, provincials and milice, as well as 1,800 warriors from 18 Indian nations. Having heard of the British trouncing at Oswego, some had traveled more than 1,500 miles on the promise of scalps, prisoners and plunder.

Montcalm split his force in two, sending one 2,500-man party down Lake George by boat and personally leading the other by land along the western shore. On the night of August 12 the parties reconnected, and Montcalms main force boarded the lake vessels. Among its hundreds of bateaux and canoes, the huge fleet included 21 double-bateaux pontoons on which to ferry the armys 45 cannons and assorted mortars.

The next morning Montcalm camped within 5 miles of the fort. Monro was alerted to the enemy presence when two British boats patrolling the lake came under attack. He wrote Webbhis first of three dispatches to Fort Edward that dayseeking reinforcements. Meanwhile, Montcalm sent an aide to demand the forts surrender, threatening Monro with his Indians, the cruelty of which a detachment of your garrison have lately too much experienced.

Assuming Webb would send reinforcements, Monro refused. Meanwhile, Webb, having been duped by a French prisoner into believing some 11,000 to 12,000 Frenchman had arrived at Fort William Henry, chose to remain behind the walls of his fort. He sent a response to Monro, advising surrender: You might be able to make the best terms as were left in your power.

The message was intercepted; Monro would not learn for three days that Webb wasnt coming. Instead, Webb wrote to Albany for reinforcements, little considering the time it would take for the messenger to reach his destination and for a relief party to return.

In the interim the French extended their artillery batteries around the fort, while the Indians kept up a constant harassing fire. Monro had only 17 cannons, three mortars, a howitzer and 13 swivel guns, and within a short time the overtaxed barrels of his three most powerful cannons burst. The French gunners had yet to answer.

On August 7, the fourth day of the siege, Montcalm had an aide deliver to Monro the intercepted letter from Webb, advising surrender. Whether out of disbelief or defiance, Monro again tried to stir Webb to action, writing, Relief is greatly wanted. Holed up in Fort Edward, Webb continued to dash off dispatches to various militia colonels and provincial governors, begging them to send soldiers, without whom this whole country must be deserted and given up to the enemy.

As Montcalms aide regained his lines, the French artillery opened up on Fort William Henry. The bombardment took a terrible toll, as French shells pulverized the walls and burst within them, killing and injuring many. At the same time the French staged attacks on the encampment, taking British lives Monro could ill afford to lose. Still he stubbornly held on, issuing an order that any man showing cowardice or proposing surrender should be immediately hanged over the walls.

The outcome was inevitable. Shortly after daybreak on the sixth day Monro hoisted a white flag and sued for terms. He had lost 45 men killed and 70 wounded, as compared to the enemys 13 dead and 40 wounded. Only five of his original 17 cannons remained serviceable. His vastly outmanned and outgunned garrison had acquitted itself well.

Following the British surrender Montcalm granted Monro and his men the full honors of war. Permitted to keep their weapons and personal possessions, as well as one symbolic cannon, the British officers and men would be escorted to Fort Edward. In exchange Monro agreed neither he nor his men would take up arms against France for 18 months.

Convincing Montcalms Indian allies to adhere to the terms was another matter. They had not traveled this far to leave empty-handed. Although Montcalm elicited a promise that the Indians would exercise restraint, he had seen them in action on at least two recent occasions and would have been naive to expect obedience.

Parties of warriorsall of whom, one Massachusetts officer recalled, carried a tomahawk, hatchet or some other instrument of deathroamed the fort looking for plunder. Finding little, they turned their weapons on the sick and wounded while the French and Canadian troops looked on. The Indians then dug up several corpses in the cemetery, taking scalps and clothing from the remains as prizes. Among the bodies disinterred was that of Capt. Richard Rogers, brother of famed ranger commander Maj. Robert Rogers. My brother, wrote the latter, died with the smallpox a few days before this fort was besieged, but such was the cruelty and rage of the enemy after their conquest that they dug him out of his grave and scalped him. Ironically, in addition to scalps and clothing, the Indians would carry the smallpox virus back to their respective villages, with catastrophic results.

When the column, which included civilian carpenters as well as women and children, walked out of the fort and the encampment, hundreds of Indians stalked them, at first offering to buy their baggage and then simply taking it. When Monro complained to the French officer in charge of the 250-man escort, he was advised to surrender all baggage and packs in hopes that would placate the Indians. It did not.

A more aggressive contingent of Abenakis was next to attack the column, at first stripping the men of their clothing and guns, then dragging them off singly to beat, hack and stab them to death. This butchery, the French missionary Father Roubaud recalled, which in the beginning was the work of only a few savages, was the signal which made nearly all of them so many ferocious beasts. They struck, right and left, heavy blows of the hatchet on those who fell into their hands.

They struck, right and left, heavy blows of the hatchet on those who fell into their hands

The vastly outnumbered French escorts did nothing to stop the mayhem, some officers advising the British to take to the woods and shift for yourselves. Fortunately, the attack soon ran out of steam. The massacre was not, Father Roubaud noted, so great as such fury gave us cause to fear. The number of men killed was hardly more than 40 or 50.

The French troops eventually regained some control over their allies. Montcalm himself, noted Father Roubaud, fought with authority and with violence to reclaim prisoners from the Indians. Hundreds, however, were dragged off to be sold or taken into their captors tribes. By days end most of the Indians had returned home with their prizes, fewer than 300 remaining in French service. In the absence of most of his Indian allies, as well as the 1,300 milicewho returned home for the harvestMontcalms campaign was finished.

Over the next several days some 600 panicked survivors from Fort William Henry wandered into Fort Edward, their versions of the attack exaggerated with every telling. Word spread throughout New York and New England of women horribly abused, babies dashed against rocks and men scalped alive. The rumored number of those killed or taken prisoner soared as high as 1,700. Then, on August 14, Montcalmwho had realized his objective by demolishing Fort William Henrysent word to Webb he was holding Monro and 500 soldiers and civilians for their own protection and would shortly have them escorted to Fort Edward.

While a precise tally proves elusive, somewhere between 50 and 174 unarmed soldiers and civilians were massacred in the march from Fort William Henry. Such atrocities were not uncommon on the frontier, as evinced by the Oswego attack and Lake George ambush. And they were perpetrated by both sides. Two years after the Fort William Henry massacre Robert Rogers himself staged an attack on a sleeping Abenaki village, killing its occupants indiscriminately, though the desecration of his brothers body doubtless served as motivation.

A year after the razing of Fort William Henry the British succeeded in taking Quebec, and in 1763 the war ended in their favor. For nine years the frontier had been soaked in the blood of soldiers, civilians and Indians alike. Yet more than two and a half centuries later popular belieffueled by oral tradition, James Fenimore Coopers The Last of the Mohicans and Hollywoods sensationalist versions of the siegehas singled out the massacre at Fort William Henry as the most egregious event of that bloody war. MH

Ron Soodalter is a frequent contributor to Military History. For further reading he recommends Fort William Henry 175557: A Battle, Two Sieges and Bloody Massacre, by Ian Castle; The Legacy: Fort William Henry, by David R. Starbuck; and Betrayals: Fort William Henry and the Massacre, by Ian K. Steele.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, smiles while taking a look at its science street in Pyongyang, in this file photo taken on October 2015. Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung



North Korea is bracing for the possible opening up its socialist economy by pushing ahead with internal reform, a study showed Wednesday.



According to a study by the Bank of Korea (BOK), North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is making preparations for the possible opening of its market, even if the country remains closed and isolated externally.



The study was based on analysis from big data collected from the North's academic journals on its economy. A macroeconomic prediction team at the central bank analyzed 2,757 subjects from the journals between January 1988 and December 2018.



The team found out that the early phase of the Kim Jong-un regime, which falls between 2012 and 2016, focused on accepting the fundamental rule of the market economy by enhancing trade activities.



But the North failed to continue engaging in active exports and imports during the latter phase between 2017 and 2018 due to intensifying sanctions from the United Nations Security Council, according to the study.



The study also revealed the difference in economic policies between the Kim Jong-un regime and his predecessors, his grandfather and the North's founder Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-un's father Kim Jong-il.



"During the time of the Kim Il-song regime, agriculture and criticism of capitalism were the major topics of the journals," Kim Soo-hyun, a BOK researcher of the team said. "The Kim Jong-il regime focused its economic studies on production increases, colonial plunder and criticism of capitalism."



But since the third-generation dictator took power in 2012, a variety of pieces on the global economy began surfacing, according to the researcher.



They include foreign banking policies, currency circulation, exchange rates and trade theories, the study showed.



Unlike his predecessors, Kim Jong-un has made an attention-grabbing international debut in diplomacy in June 2018 by holding the North's first historic summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.



He has since held another summit with Trump in February 2019, which ended up with a breakdown. But the young leader is known to have expressed his willingness to partner with overseas nations for economic growth during the meetings with Trump.




The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed its keenness to interact with the Union Minister to deal with the issue of gradual conversion of all public transport and government vehicles into electric vehicles (EVs) to curb air pollution.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde enquired from Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni as to whether the minister can come over for an interaction to assist this court.

"Can minister come to Supreme Court and explain proposal to introduce non-polluting vehicles run on electricity/hydrogen," the bench asked the law officer.

Nadkarni raised objection, saying the appearance of the minister can be misused for political purposes.

However, the law officer said that there was nothing wrong in politicians appearing before the court.

"We understand that Mr Prashant Bhushan is a political person but he is not going to argue with the minister," the bench said.

During the hearing, Bhushan, appearing for NGO CPIL, said there was a scheme, National E-Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP), 2020 and as per it the electric vehicles were to be procured by the government.

The authorities were also required to provide charging points for electric vehicles at public places like malls and petrol pumps.

Bhushan also said that under the scheme the authorities were required to promote sale of electric vehicles by providing subsidies.

The bench adjourned the hearing for four weeks and ordered that in the meantime all issues relating to electric vehicles be considered by the government with the assistance of an authority empowered to take decisions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jose Mourinho does not anticipate following Barcelona's lead and trying to sign an emergency striker for Tottenham as he joked former Spurs forward Peter Crouch would be his first port of call.

Crouch the Spurs lifeline, jokes Mou

It was confirmed on Tuesday that Son Heung-min had joined fellow Tottenham attacker Harry Kane on the sidelines after he fractured his arm in Sunday's 3-2 win over Aston Villa.

Mourinho revealed he does not expect Son to play again this season, while Kane also faces a battle to return from a torn hamstring injury sustained in January.

LaLiga giants Barcelona are thought to be pursuing signing an emergency striker outside the transfer window due to Ousmane Dembele's long-term injury, though Mourinho does not think Spurs could attempt to do likewise as he quipped Crouch could fill the void.

"I didn't [explore that possibility]," Mourinho said of signing an emergency striker.

"I was not aware of that possibility. I don't think it's possible, honestly, I don't think it's possible.

"[Maybe] Peter Crouch!"

Crouch spent two seasons with Spurs between 2009 and 2011 and he scored seven times in 10 games during their 2010-11 Champions League campaign.

No Son, no Kane

Without Son and Kane, Mourinho may have to resort to playing one of Lucas Moura, Steven Bergwijn or Dele Alli in an unfamiliar central-attacking berth.

Tottenham do have one striker in their senior squad in 18-year-old Troy Parrott.

Yet, with a Champions League last-16 clash against RB Leipzig preceding a Premier League showdown against fellow top-four hopefuls Chelsea this week, Mourinho is not prepared to roll the dice on a teenager who has played only 71 minutes across all competitions this term.

"My thoughts are that Parrott is not ready and [Ryan] Sessegnon is not a striker," Mourinho added in a news conference with reporters ahead of the home leg against Leipzig.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission announced Tuesday it suspended a Midland bars liquor license for seven days following a shootout between rival motorcycle gangs that left one person dead and three others injured Sunday night.

Your Places license will remain suspended until Monday as TABC agents and Midland police investigate the incident.

The seven-day suspension, also known as a summary suspension, was requested by the Midland Police Department and was served by TABC on Monday afternoon, according to TABC Executive Director Bentley Nettles.

RELATED: MPD: 1 person dies, 3 injured in suspected gang shootout

The goal of the suspension is to allow TABC agents and local police the opportunity to safely investigate the scene of a deadly incident without fear of retaliation or additional violence, Nettles said. TABCs investigation will seek to determine whether the bars actions or policies played any role in the incident. We will also examine the bars security policies and procedures to find out whether appropriate steps were taken to ensure guests safety.

All alcohol retailers who operate under a TABC-issued license or permit are required to ensure the safety of their premises and guests, according to a press release from the agency. As Texas sole regulator of the alcoholic beverage industry, TABCs law enforcement agents frequently investigate violent incidents that take place at licensed businesses such as bars, clubs or liquor stores.

While Your Place, 3704 West Wall St., will be able to resume normal operations on Monday, its likely the investigations by TABC and MPD will continue for several weeks.
The Board Chairman of the Ghana Trade Fair Company, Dan McKorley (McDan), has refuted claims being made by Raymond Archer to the effect that his US$10 million business enterprise has been razed down by the demolition exercise undertaken by the Ghana Trade Fair Company.



In an interview with Paul Adom-Otchere on his Good Evening Ghana show on Metro TV, McDan dismissed Raymond Archer's claims, saying the journalist-turned entrepreneur is being economical with the truth on what exactly happened.



"Only the roof and a small part of Archer's place was destroyed", he said.



The Board Chairman of the Ghana Trade Fair Company was emphatic that the claim by Archer that machinery he had just installed had been completely walked over by the heavy machines used in the demolition exercise.



"No machinery or computer was destroyed in Archer's place. I have gone there myself" Mr. McKorley stated.



He also read a document that showed that Raymond Archer rented the place for warehousing, not the business he later channeled his energy into.



McDan explained the rationale behind the demolition exercise carried out by the company.



According to him, a South African company is teaming up with the Ghanaian company to put up a 25,000 capacity edifice that will help Ghana host the World Economic Forum and other equally important events which will rake in billions of cedis to the country.



The 25,000 capacity convention centre will be completed by the end of 2022. Other projects, including two hotels, will also be constructed.



Thousands of jobs will be created as a result of this development path the Ghana Trade Fair Company is charting, he said.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video


By Andrew Hammond





Boris Johnson has postponed his planned trip to see Donald Trump next week in the midst of U.K.-U.S. policy spats, from Huawei to digital taxes. With Johnson fighting on several foreign fronts, including Brexit, he is therefore consolidating his power at home after December's landmark election.



Indeed, the last week, which saw several big domestic policy announcements, has been the most important in U.K. politics since mid-December's Conservative victory. And Johnson may now enjoy greater power today as prime minister than any of his predecessors since at least Margaret Thatcher, with his ambitions to be in Downing Street for much of the 2020s.



With the largest Tory majority in the House of Commons since Thatcher in the late 1980s, Johnson is likely to now be at the height of his powers. Unlike Tony Blair, for instance, there is no obvious big counterweight to him in government like a Gordon Brown figure so he dominates the political scene, for the immediate future at least.



The latest step in Johnson's consolidation of power came at the end of last week when he dealt a major ministerial reshuffle. This was billed as promoting the next generation of talent. However, it is no coincidence that cabinet ministers sacked, including Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom and Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith, tended to the ones who have shown most independence from Johnson.



Moreover, the shock departure of Sajid Javid as chancellor came after he refused Johnson's request to exert more control over him by firing all his special advisers.



Javid is replaced as chancellor by another ex-banker  39-year-old Rishi Sunak who only entered the House of Commons in 2015, and just a year ago was the most junior minister in the Housing, Communities and Local Government Department.



Accompanying the changes in government personnel, the prime minister has begun to map out a multi-year governing agenda, including his "infrastructure revolution" to "level-up" the economy across England with the Tories having won in December a significant number of previous longstanding Labour strongholds in the Midlands and North.



This agenda includes construction of a high-speed train line from London to Birmingham, which could cost over 100 billion pounds, and ultimately be extended into North England.



Sunak's first budget as chancellor is expected March 11 (although this could now be postponed following last week's dramatic departure of Javid from the Treasury).



Whenever it comes, the budget is likely to double down on the theme of the infrastructure revolution with Johnson proposing the largest increase in day-to-day public spending in this Parliament, compared to the last one, in relative terms of any Tory prime minister since the late 1950s and early 1960s.



At the same time that Johnson is consolidating his power within the government, Shadow Cabinet Minister Keir Starmer has emerged as the early favorite to become the next Labour supremo and leader of the opposition, replacing Jeremy Corbyn. Starmer is seeking to play a "safety first" campaign and has made a series of key pledges to try to win over internal support from the left of the party.



On the economic front, he has proposed increases in income tax for the top 5 percent of earners, reversing the Tory cuts in corporation tax and clamping down on corporate tax avoidance; plus proposed nationalization of rail, mail, energy and water.



A standout foreign policy measure is his proposed introduction of a "Prevention of Military Intervention Act" to put "human rights at the heart of foreign policy" and reviewing all U.K. arms sales to make the nation "a force for international peace and justice."



In terms of devolution from Whitehall, he wants regional investment banks and stronger control over regional industrial strategy. He also favors abolishing the House of Lords and creating an elected chamber of regions and nations.



However, while Starmer is the early favorite, he is by no means guaranteed of success in the face of challenges from Corbyn's preferred successor, Rebecca Long-Bailey, while the "wild card" contender is Lisa Nandy who is the only candidate not in the shadow cabinet. The election will not be decided until April meaning that much of Labour's attention will be focused internally for several weeks to come.



While Johnson consolidates power at home, it is not just the relationship with the United States where storm clouds are gathering. Negotiations, for instance, will commence next month on a potential EU-U.K. trade deal.



The 10 months period from March to December is not likely, however, to be nearly long enough to agree more than what chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier has called a "bare bones" U.K.-EU trade agreement.



Yet, few in London nor Brussels have so far talked openly about the need for a transition extension, threatening what even Nigel Farage has called the likelihood of a new Brexit crisis by the summer at which time both sides need to decide if there will be an extended transition period into 2021.



This underlines that problems are brewing for the prime minister on the foreign policy front that could yet see his agenda stymied. While he seems politically impregnable, for now, his good fortune will not last indefinitely.





Andrew Hammond (andrewkorea@outlook.com) is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.


Hong Kong: More gov't staff fly to Japan

A second batch of 36 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government officers has flown to Japan to help Hong Kong residents quarantined for the novel coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

They were deployed to join the advance team of 30 officers led by Under Secretary for Security Sonny Au and Director of Immigration Erick Tsang who arrived in Tokyo on February 17 to prepare for today's operation to bring the Hong Kong residents home on free chartered flights.

The Hong Kong SAR Government said it attaches great importance to this operation which is personally led by Mr Tsang with the support of 50 Immigration Department officers.

A total of eight medical and nursing professionals from the Department of Health (DH) and the Hospital Authority (HA) have joined the operation to ensure that it goes smoothly and that the Hong Kong residents' health needs are being well taken care of during the journey.

The advance team met representatives of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office (ETO) in Tokyo and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Japan to discuss collaboration for the operation.

The Hong Kong SAR Government also met cruise operator and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan representatives to learn more about the arrangements and schedule for disembarking the passengers.

It also relayed concrete demands to the Japanese authorities, including seeking early confirmation on whether the Hong Kong residents who tested negative for the virus can be released as a whole group on February 19, and the list of Hong Kong residents who are the confirmed cases' close contacts and thereby subject to an extended quarantine period, as well as their quarantine dates and arrangements.

In the event that the concerned Hong Kong residents cannot leave as a whole group on February 19, the Japanese authorities have been requested to prioritise those who have opted to take the chartered flights back to Hong Kong for disembarkation on February 19.

Mr Tsang said: "Colleagues of the Immigration Department together with the Tokyo ETO, DH and HA have prepared, and the two chartered flights arranged by the HKSAR Government would be ready today. However, up till now, there are still many uncertainties on the arrangements of the Japanese side, including whether the Japanese authorities can have the results of the virus tests for all passengers ready by today as planned, and whether the Hong Kong residents on board are permitted to disembark as a whole group on February 19.

"We have made our demands to the Japanese authorities and are pending their response. In the meantime, we are preparing for different possible scenarios. We will make our best effort to bring the affected Hong Kong residents back to Hong Kong as early as possible and provide support to those who cannot leave for the time being."

As of February 18, a total of 542 passengers onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japan have been confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus.

There are 352 Hong Kong residents onboard, including 260 Hong Kong SAR passport holders and 92 holding a foreign passport, among them 50 are confirmed novel coronavirus infection cases.

Upon arrival in Hong Kong, transport will be arranged to transfer the passengers from Hong Kong International Airport to the quarantine centre.

For any individual who does not take a chartered flight to Hong Kong, the person will be referred to the Port Health Division for assessment as soon as they return to the city and may be subject to a maximum of 14 days' quarantine in a designated quarantine centre depending on the situation.

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 17:33 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206579a25 1 Business Freeport-Indonesia,smelter,project,mining,downstream-business,capital-expenditure,Gresik,East-Java Free

Gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia will spend US$600 million in capital expenditure (capex) this year for the construction of a smelter in Gresik, East Java, as part of Indonesias downstream efforts for the mining industry.

Freeport Indonesia president director Tony Wenas told the House of Representatives Commission VII overseeing energy and mining affairs that the company would increase the capex to $1.1 billion to continue the smelters development.

Our [capex] for this year and the next will be huge, Tony told lawmakers in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Freeport Indonesia, which operates the worlds second-largest copper mine Grasberg in Papua, estimates that it would require $3 billion to develop the Gresik smelter, which would have a processing capacity of 2 million tons

The facility would also produce 550,000 tons of copper cathodes alongside anode slime treatments, which can produce 40 tons of gold per year.

The smelter will be located within the Java Integrated Industrial Port Estate (JIIPE) managed by publicly listed distributor of basic chemical and petroleum AKR Corporindo and state port operator Pelindo III.

Tony said the progress of Freeport Indonesias Gresik smelter stands at 4.88 percent as of February and assured lawmakers that the smelters construction would be finished on time at the end of 2022. This compares to the projects 3.21 percent completion rate reported in July 2019.

Its true that initially, progress was slow. However, when physical construction starts in August, [the progress] would increase significantly.

Read also: Freeport Indonesia spends $150m on smelter

Law No. 4/2009 on coal and mineral mining requires mining companies to build smelters so they will export refined mineral products instead of unprocessed minerals, hence drawing more value out of the countrys mineral wealth.

Smelter construction was one of four stipulations agreed on by the central government and Freeport Indonesia for the miner to continue operating in the country, in addition to the former acquiring a 51 percent stake in the company.

The government expects to see $7.75 billion in mining investments this year, the highest projected amount between 2015 and 2024, fueled by a tidal wave of smelter development projects.

Read also: Indonesian mining investments to reach five-year high in 2020

Tony warned that the downstream industries must step up their performance to fully absorb the drastic increase of copper supply once the Gresik smelter was completed, as currently only 30 percent of PT Smeltings products were absorbed by local industries.

If the downstream industry stagnates, all of our second smelters end products would be for exports, he said.

A wave of smelter constructions began a few years ago in anticipation of the governments ban on mineral ore exports. The worlds leading nickel producer set a ban on exports of nickel ore starting in 2020 and will do so for all other mineral ores in 2022. The ban enforces the governments aim of extracting more bang for its buck from the countrys mineral wealth.

Freeport Indonesia spokesman Riza Pratama said earlier this month that the mining giant would pour this years investments into developing the Gresik smelter as well as an underground mine in Timika, West Papua, where the United States-based miner operates the worlds largest gold mine.

The capex spent on the Gresik smelter project would be primarily used for the facilitys physical construction, Riza told The Jakarta Post following the Houses hearing on Wednesday.

[Most of the budget] allocation will be used for engineering, procurement and construction, Riza said. (mpr)
The African Development Bank (AfDB), has earmarked $500 million loan for the development of four agro-industrial zones across the country.

AfDB President, Akinwunmi Adesina, made this known during a courtesy visit on the Chairman Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debt, Clifford Ordia, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mr Adeshina, represented by his Senior Special Adviser on Industrialisation, Oyebanji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, said discussions with the federal government started in April 2019 on the loan.

Known as Special Agro Industrial Process, he said it would be similar to the free trade zone, where thousands of direct and indirect jobs would be created for Nigerians across the country.

We have been engaged with the federal government since April 2019. One of the standout issues in the discussion is the issue of agriculture.

There is something called Special Agro Industrial Process. Its similar to the free trade zone. We are in 15 different countries.

The idea of the zone is for dedicated agribusiness. Africa is lagging behind. Farmers work hard, but they get very little. When the President of the bank was the Minister of Agriculture, he started about 14 of these zones. A lot was spent. Since he left as minister, nothing has happened since then.

The bank has advanced $500 million to beef up these zones in the next few years. The private sector and others are pledging support. These funds will be used to provide roads and other infrastructure.

We are tired of people laughing at us in Nigeria. This project is working in other countries. It can also work here. The AfDB is there to support Nigeria.

Our goal is that, in the next two years, we will begin to see results. Every state will be affected. Nigeria shouldnt be importing food. We should be at the forefront of exporting food to other parts of the world, he said.

Responding, Mr Ordia urged AfDB to carry every stakeholder along.

For us in the Senate, its a laudable programme. This programme ought to have started 10 years ago. As a Senate and as a Committee, we will support you.

The agencies that are supposed to be the main drivers of this programme should be carried along. All the stakeholders should be carried along.

You ought to have carried us along. You only come here when you need a loan request. Once we have this done in Nigeria, the value chain will be good, he said.

(NAN)
This view from above demonstrates the valve retaining its essential shape at various states of diametric expansion (from 1x to 1.8x). The prototype was created by Sophie C. Hofferberth in the lab of Pedro J. del Nido, M.D., at Boston Children's Hospital. Credit: Sophie C. Hofferberth, Boston Children's Hospital

Current prosthetic heart valves for children with congenital heart disease are fixed in size, requiring repeated open-heart surgeries during childhood to replace the valve with a larger version. But a surprising new design created at Boston Children's Hospital could allow children to keep the same prosthetic valve until adulthood, and could also benefit adults with heart valve defects. The new device is described in Science Translational Medicine, published online February 19.

Benchtop studies, computer simulations and extensive testing in large animal models demonstrate that the new prosthetic valve design works across a wide range of sizes, and that the valve retains its functionality when expanded via a minimally invasive balloon catheter procedure.

"We hope to bring this new device into clinical testing fairly rapidly," says Pedro J. del Nido, MD, Chairman of Cardiovascular Surgery at Boston Children's Hospital and senior author on the paper. "If our preclinical results hold up in human testing, this could transform the field."

Less is more: Two valve leaflets versus three

More than 330,000 children worldwide are born with a heart valve defect, and millions of others develop rheumatic heart disease requiring early valve replacement. Current prosthetic heart valves are fixed in diameter, so typically need to be replaced every few years; children receiving their first replacement before age 2 will need as many as five high-risk open-heart operations before reaching adulthood.

Commercially available prosthetic heart valves have three leaflets, tiny flaps that provide a one-way inlet or outlet for blood to keep it flowing in the right direction. The new design was inspired by human venous valves, located in the deep veins of the leg. Unlike our hearts' native outflow valves, our venous valves have just two leaflets, and a geometry that is optimized to maintain closure and one-way flow even when the veins expand in diameter to accommodate larger volumes of blood passing through.

The scientists used computational modeling to predict how their valve replacement expanded to deal with the stress of blood flow. Credit: S.C. Hofferberth et al., Science Translational Medicine (2020)

The valve replacement expanding to accommodate different lengths in implanted sheep. Credit: S.C. Hofferberth et al., Science Translational Medicine (2020)

Artistic rendering of human venous valve geometry at rest and during expansion under volume load. Credit: Sophie C. Hofferberth, Lara Tomholt

"Veins carry approximately 70 percent of our blood volume," says Sophie C. Hofferberth, MD, a surgical resident at Brigham and Women's Hospital who led the research in del Nido's lab at Boston Children's. "The vein dimensions can change dramatically depending on body position, yet the valves must remain functional. We mimicked the geometric profile of the human venous valve to design a bileaflet valve of programmed dimensions that is adaptable to growth without loss of one-way flow control."

In multiple rounds of testing, in both benchtop and large animal models, valve prototypes with the biomimetic two-leaflet design were able to expand to accommodate growth and structural asymmetries within the heart. The valves remained fully functional across a wide range of dimensions, at a range of pressure and flow rates.

Biomimetic geometrically adaptable valve at various states of expansion. Credit: Sophie C. Hofferberth, Lara Tomholt, Matheus C. Fernandes

Because the valve is designed to expand without requiring the frame and leaflet to stretch or enlarge, it is compatible with a range of off-the-shelf materials, the researchers say. The study showed the device could be effectively expanded at multiple timepoints in a growing animal model, using a minimally invasive balloon catheter approach.

Potential for fewer blood clots

The researchers also observed that their "geometrically adaptable" design encourages a favorable blood flow profile through the valve, potentially reducing the risk for blood clot formation often seen with existing valve replacement devices. In the growing sheep model, there was no evidence of blood clot formation over 10 weeks of observation, even without the use of blood-thinning medication typically given to prosthetic valve recipients.

Biomimetic bileaflet heart valve replacement with adjustable dimensions to accommodate growth of a childs heart. Credit: Sophie C. Hofferberth, Lara Tomholt, Matheus C. Fernandes, James C. Weaver

"A shortcoming of many existing devices is the presence of flow disruptions that lead to blood clot formation and early valve deterioration," says Hofferberth, who is first author on the paper. "Our design achieves a favorable flow profile that seems to facilitate effective valve washout and minimize flow stagnation, which is likely to be an important determinant of long-term device durability."

The research team believes their data support initiation of a clinical study within one to two years.

Explore further Heart valve invented in Minnesota allows new kind of heart treatment
How To Cultivate Community In The Music Industry

In this piece, Janette Berrios highlights the importance of fostering community an in often cut-throat industry, and the value of establishing a strong support system between artists.

Guest post by Janette Berrios of the Symphonic Blog

In this fast-paced (oftentimes, cut-throat) industry, we want to be more than just the website where you upload your music. In a time where everything and everyone is online, we want to foster a deeper connection with our local music and creator scenes. Social media can only get you so far, and lets face it. Were in this together.

Fostering Community in the Music Industry

Why is this community so important to us?

The music industry is a relationship fueled industry. We all need contacts, referrals and creative influences to thrive in this business. We all need a reliable team thatll have your back through thick and thin. What better way to do this than to connect face-to-face?

Music Industry Sessions // Puerto Rico

Music in almost all its forms is a collaborative process. When the music industry grows, other sectors of the economy grow with it. It fuels job creation, economic growth, tourism development, artistic growth and strengthens a citys brand. A strong music community attracts highly skilled, young workers in all sectors of the community for whom quality of life is a priority. This, in turn, attracts business investment.

Aside from all this, a strong community provides many other things, such as:

A Strong Support System

Having a community of people who understand what youre going through can be a major source of comfort when you need it.

When anything happens to you or one of your comrades, someone will be there to help you through it. Whether you need advice on managing your work/life balance, youre looking for a gig in your area or your tour bus breaks down, members of your community will be there to guide you through whatever it is and offer support.

Infinite Resources

Everyone has to start somewhere. Nobody comes into this industry knowing absolutely everything about it, which makes networking in this industry that much more important. Your local community can be an amazing resource for learning from others mistakes, as well as triumphs.

Having strong connections within your community also provides you with personal accounts of things to try, places to avoid or anything else about the local scene that theyve encountered before you. Absorb as much information as you can and learn from the mistakes of others.

Better Mental Health

In an industry full of rejection, random misfortune and even bullying, having a community of people who will support you throughout all the ups and downs promotes a sense of belonging that is extremely important for consistent self growth. Community involvement has been proven to provide a higher sense of self-worth, a healthier mindset and helps reduce the risk of mental illness.

As most of us have experienced, we wouldnt be who we are without music. This love for music and its creative landscape has shaped our lives in ways we might not even realize, so why not share this grand experience with those who have the same appreciation for it as we do?



Sharpen your skills:

The Art of Networking in the Music Industry

Music Business Facebook Groups You Should Join

2020 Checklist for a Kickass Year



To help connect this amazing community, well be hosting meet-ups in the following cities:

Tampa, Florida

Brooklyn, NY

Nashville, Tennessee

Denver, Colorado

Bogota, Colombia

New Orleans, Louisiana

Austin, Texas

Miami, Florida

Detroit, Michigan

Chicago, Illinois

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Dominican Republic

Heres how you can get involved:

Join our mailing list to stay up to date. // When the time comes, youll be the first to know when, where and how to get in on the action.

Follow our socials! // Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Share on:
Two women are dead after the car they were in plunged off a Miami ferry into the waters off an exclusive island with a members-only club.

Miami Fire Rescue and the Coast Guard responded Tuesday after the operator of the Fisher Island ferry reported that a vehicle had fallen off the boat, the agencies reported.

Dive crews found the vehicle near Fisher Island within hours, according to the Coast Guard. Two unresponsive women were discovered inside.

The vehicle, a blue 2019 Mercedes Benz, and the bodies were recovered overnight, a statement from the Miami-Dade Police Department said Wednesday. The victims were identified as Fisher Island resident Emma Afra, 63, and Viviane Brahms, 75, of New York.

Police and the Coast Guard are investigating, and a medical examiner will determine the causes of death.

The Fisher Island ferry shuttles people and their vehicles between Miami Beach and Fisher Island, a "private luxury community ... consistently ranked as one of the wealthiest zip codes in the U.S.," which also "boasts a beach club with one of the country's only truly private beaches" and a luxury hotel, according to the club's website.

"To board the ferry, hotel guests require pre-arranged security clearance, guaranteeing security and exclusivity," the site says. "From the moment you board the ferry, a wave of calm overtakes you, as you know the luxury, beauty and ultimate lifestyle that await you." The ferry is the only way to get between Fisher Island and the mainland.

Download the NBC News app for breaking news

Roberto Sosa, president and CEO of the Fisher Island Community Association, said in a statement that island staff were cooperating with investigators and that counseling would be available to all residents, guests and employees.

"It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the tragic loss of life of Emma Afra and Vivian Brahms who perished on Tuesday, Feb. 18, when the car they were riding on the ferry ended up in the water for reasons still to be determined," the statement said. "The entire Fisher Island community mourns their loss and our hearts and prayers go out to their families and loved ones at this very difficult time."
Social media giants are taking advantage of users for trillions of dollars and must be subject to oversight, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said during a town hall meeting Tuesday in Syracuse.

Theyre literally taking advantage of all of us just to make money, she said.

Gillibrand last week introduced legislation that would create a new Data Protection Agency, an independent federal agency with the authority to enforce data protection rules created by itself or Congress.

Gillibrand held her second-only town hall meeting in Syracuse since she took office in 2009. Her last town hall was in July 2017 at Syracuse University.

On Tuesday, a friendly crowd teed up questions on health care, student loan forgiveness and foreign affairs.

Linda Brown-Robinson, president of the Syracuse-Onondaga chapter of the NAACP, moderated the event at the Southwest Community Center, 401 South Ave., in Syracuse. Audience members asked about a dozen questions. They were not vetted in advance. About 100 people attended.

Gillibrand promised, among other things, to protect residents who would be displaced by the reconstruction of I-81.

One audience member asked for a status update on the project and Gillibrand said she did not have new information.

But they really need to get moving, she said, adding that it is essential for economic development.

She has been a vocal supporter of a proposal to replace the elevated portion of Interstate 81 in Syracuse with a street-level community grid. Gillibrand has called the existing I-81 viaduct a planning mistake.

On Tuesday, she also called for the expansion of Medicaid and Social Security benefits and a student loan forgiveness program for public servants.

Gillibrand was a congresswoman in eastern New York when she was appointed in 2009 to the Senate seat vacated when Hillary Clinton was named secretary of state. She easily won election in 2010 to serve the remainder of Clinton's term, and took 72 percent of the vote in 2012 to win a full term.

Gillibrand was elected to her second full term in 2018. Last year, she launched a campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Gillibrand ended her presidential bid in August after polling under 1% nationally.

Contact the author: mbreidenbach@syracuse.com | 315-470-3186.

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.
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Enterprises' use of emerging technologies is on the rise around the world, but many are failing to capitalize on its benefits, according to the 2019 Global CIO Survey from Logicalis, a global provider of IT solutions. The study, which questioned 888 CIOs from around the globe, found that 61% of businesses are now using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, while only 9% believe their organization realizes the benefits in some areas of the business. The results emphasize an underlying opportunity for business to capitalize on these untapped resources by leveraging strategic partnerships to develop digital transformation strategies prioritizing emerging technologies.

The survey revealed that IoT technologies are becoming more mainstream within the enterprise, but there is still opportunity for growth. Usage increased by 33% in the last year as enterprises leverage the technology to improve several different processes crucial to achieving their business goals. The most common uses are for creating new products or services (26%), creating operational efficiencies (23%), and enhancing existing products (22%).

Businesses can also leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive their digital transformation strategies. Logicalis found that 41% of organizations are currently using AI in some way, which has doubled from just 19% last year. However, just under one in 10 (9%) respondents believe that their organization is very successful at comprehending the advantages of AI technology in some areas of business, whereas 44% believe their organization is not very successful at all.

"The data tells us that while enterprises are implementing AI and IoT, they are not capitalizing on the benefits of these technologies," said Vince DeLuca, CEO of Logicalis US. "Emerging technologies can have a dynamic effect at every level of a business, from product development to sales, yet businesses have more work to do to ensure they're maximizing their ROI when it comes to AI and IoT."

The areas in which businesses are having the most success deploying AI technologies are IT (35%), marketing and sales (29%), and information security and compliance (28%).

Mark Rogers, CEO at Logicalis Group, added: "Overall, it's great to see emerging technologies such as AI and IoT coming to the mainstream. However, it's clear that despite the growth in the use of IoT and AI, enterprises are still unsure of the business benefits of the technology. These technologies have the potential to shrink the gap between customer data and actionable insight, providing a strong competitive advantage to businesses that choose to invest in them. Businesses that fail to embrace these technologies and digital transformation will struggle to remain competitive in the modern world. One of our primary objectives at Logicalis is to help ensure that our customers fully understand the benefits these emerging technologies offer, and help them navigate the complex landscape of implementing them."





"The results of our annual CIO survey underscore the importance of leveraging a partner to drive digital transformation strategies," DeLuca concluded. "Teaming with an expert in emerging technologies like IoT and AI can provide businesses with the expertise they need to generate valuable insights that could lead to significant growth."

About Logicalis

Logicalis is an international solutions provider of digital services currently accelerating the digital transformation of its 10,000 customers around the world.

Through a globally connected network of specialist hubs, sector-leading experts (in education, financial services, government, healthcare, manufacturing, professional services, retail and telecommunications) and strategic partnerships (including Cisco, Microsoft, HPE, IBM, NetApp, Oracle, ServiceNow, and VMware), Logicalis has more than 6,500 employees focused on understanding customer priorities and enhancing their experience.

As Architects of Change, Logicalis' focus is to design, support, and execute customers' digital transformation by bringing together their vision with its technological expertise and industry insights. The company, through its deep knowledge in key IT industry drivers such as Security, Cloud, Data Management and IoT, can address customer priorities such as revenue and business growth, operational efficiency, innovation, risk and compliance, data governance and sustainability.

The Logicalis Group has annualized revenues of $1.7 billion, from operations in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Africa. It is a division of Datatec Limited, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, with revenues of over $4.3 billion.

For more information, visit https://www.logicalis.com/

Cisco and the Cisco logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

SOURCE Logicalis

Related Links

https://www.logicalis.com


About 300 ethnic Karens have been displaced by armed conflict in Hpapun district of southeastern Myanmars Kayin state following hostilities in early February between government forces and rebel soldiers, an official from an ethnic armed group said Monday.

Padoh Saw Tar Doh Moo, secretary of the Karen National Union (KNU), whose soldiers are engaged in combat with Myanmar forces despite a cease-fire pact, said hundreds of villagers fled because of heavy artillery fire by the government army into KNU-controlled areas during the first week of February.

They fired heavy shelling indiscriminately, and the people were terrified and fled, he said. It happened more than three times. Its even happened despite the cease-fire agreement.

In some places, they have burned farms, he said of Myanmar forces. In a way, they are launching an operation similar to that of the four-cuts strategy.

The strategy is a Myanmar military counterinsurgency tactic designed to deny armed opposition groups access to food, money, information, and recruits.

Padoh Saw Tar Doh Moo said the military fired at least 100 mortar shells into Hpapun district, forcing residents to flee to remote jungles where soldiers cannot reach them.

He said the displaced civilians are now at risk of a food shortage.

Myanmar military spokesperson Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun confirmed the armed fighting in the region but denied the KNU's accusation that government soldiers had fired mortars into villages without provocation.

We didnt fire heavy artillery or burn property, he said. There has been no such thing. We only fired into areas where [rebels] fired at us first.

Refusal to compromise

Relations between the KNU, Myanmars oldest ethnic rebel group, and a Myanmar military front-line battalion suffered a blow after the killing of a Myanmar officer by a landmine explosion in late January in an area where the KNUs 5th Brigade is active.

Myanmar accused the KNU of targeting government soldiers tasked with road construction activities in territory controlled by the 5th Brigade, which the rebel force agreed to allow.

After the landmine explosion, the military blamed the officer's death on KNU, which in turn said that the blast could have occurred because the soldiers did not adhere to the agreed upon route for the roadwork.

The KNU then accused Myanmar forces of surveilling its headquarters with drones, though Zaw Min Tun said the unmanned aerial devices were being used for ground surveys for the road construction work.

Myanmar political analyst Maung Maung Soe said the two sides must focus on ending the fighting and get back on track with the nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA) they signed in 2015.

The NCA prevents military deployment, surveillance activities, reinforcements, armed fighting, the use of landmines and violence, and the damage of physical properties in all cease-fire territories.

For now, both sides refuse to compromise, Maung Maung Soe said. Mainly, they cant settle on the construction of a new road, which has led to armed fighting.

A commanding officer from the military has already been killed, he added. They are still firing artillery, and hundreds of displaced people have fled. Those who are responsible for the NCA should be more flexible.

KWO issues statement

The Karen Womens Organization (KWO), a civic group with more than 60,000 members, has meanwhile called for a boycott of Myanmar companies with connections to the military, saying that the army uses profits from the businesses to buy weapons and to finance government army operations.

The militarys duty is to protect the country, but the military is engaging in business and purchasing weapons with money earned from the businesses, said KWO vice chairwoman Naw Alice. Their businesses are financing armed conflict in ethnic areas, so we would like to urge a boycott of the products from the military-owned businesses.

A statement issued by the KWO warned international aid agencies and embassies to avoid financing or doing business with military-owned companies.

Myanmar military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun said profits from such companies are used for the benefit of service members and their families.

Military-owned businesses like the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd. and the Myanmar Economic Corporation are intended only for the well-being of military members, he said. They are not intended to finance weapons purchases.

Ethnic Chin villagers carry food supplies in baskets to their homes in a village in western Myanmar's Chin state in an undated photo. RFA video screenshot Rice shortage in Paletwa

Ethnic minority civilians displaced by a spillover of armed conflict from western Myanmars Rakhine state meanwhile are feeling the pinch of dwindling food supplies amid ongoing clashes between Myanmar troops and the rebel Arakan Army (AA).

The fighting, which has spread into neighboring Chin state, has affected residents of Paletwa township, where the government army has imposed restrictions on the transport of rice in an effort to cut off food supplies to AA forces based there.

Fighting occurs on an almost daily basis along the Kaladan River between Rakhines Kyauktaw township and Paletwa, for which the government recently rationed 1,000 bags of rice for displaced civilians, said Salai Aikzet Khin, a former Chin state government minister.

We will have a shortage of rice if no more rice supplies arrive in Paletwa in the next four or five days, he said. Rice is the most important staple food, and the government needs to act urgently to supply it through a secure channel.

More than 30 villages in Paletwa's Darlat Chaung village tract are facing rice shortages since Myanmar soldiers stationed in Rakhine's Ann township restricted the transport of rice.

Local ferries stopped operating along the Kaladan River in early February, while the main motorway has been closed since the last monsoon and during nearly two weeks of fighting along the stretch between Kyauktaw and Paletwa, limiting the movement of people and goods to and from the area.

Now more than 100,000 people in Paletwa depend on rice supplies shipped from Kyauktaw township, said Chin state government spokesman Soe Htet.

We have presented all our problems to the Union government, he said. It has been five days. We learned that the Union government is going to help to some extent.

At the same time, scores of travelers and visitors are stranded in both Paletwa and Kyauktaw townships.

I heard that over 100 people from Paletwa are stranded in Kyauktaw, including government staffers and nurses, said Paletwa resident Peter Lwel Luu who is currently in Yangon. There are also 100 people from Rakhine state and other parts of Myanmar stranded in Paletwa.

Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun blamed the AA for confiscating rice supplies being transported into the area.

The military isnt preventing them from transporting rice, he said. AA troops inspect every motorboat going upstream. They steal the rice bags and cash from the passengers.

AA spokesman Khine Thukha denied the accusation.

We dont steal the property of civilians, but we do confiscate property and food supplies belonging to the Myanmar military, he said. We do so only when we can confirm they are indeed military property.

Paletwa is also one of five townships in the region where internet access has been reblocked since Feb. 3 on account of the armed conflict, and landline phones only operate in the main town.

The internet shutdown was first imposed by the Myanmar government in June 2019 for security requirements and the public interest, but was lifted in September during peace discussions between the Myanmar military and ethnic armed groups.

UN experts speak out

On Monday, independent experts appointed by the U.N.s Human Rights Council expressed serious concerns about the killing and displacement of civilians during fighting between the military and the AA amid the information blackout in northern Rakhine and Chin states.

Civilians, including children, continue to bear the brunt of this escalating conflict, said the group of experts which included Yanghee Lee, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar; Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons; David Kaye, special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; and Fernand de Varennes, special rapporteur on minority issues.

We are especially fearful for them as violence has increased in the areas where an internet shutdown was recently reimposed, they said in a statement. It is well known that human rights violations and abuses occur during security operations in Myanmar.

Reports out of the region indicate that in the last 10 days up to 1,100 people have been displaced, including 600 civilians from We Ma Kya village in Kyauktaw, they said.

The statement also said that at least seven civilians had been killed, including three Rohingya in Buthidaung township, and up to 50 injured, including 21 ethnic Khami children hit by gunfire in a village in Buithdaung on Feb. 13.

It also cited the death of a Rohingya boy from Kyauktaw township who died of injuries sustained during shelling, and seven civilians who were reportedly wounded.

We are gravely concerned that children are being killed and injured, and that reports suggest weapons are being used indiscriminately, and precautions are not being taken to protect civilians and civilian objects such as schools and monasteries, in violation of international humanitarian law, the experts said.

We call on all parties to the conflict to abide by international humanitarian law and international human rights law and protect civilians at all times, they said.

Reported by Aung Theinkha, Waiyan Moe Myint, and Wai Mar Tun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
[February 19, 2020] CGI Inaugurates Health and Education Learning Program for the Underprivileged Students in Mumbai, India

MUMBAI, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CGI has partnered with Vivekanand Seva Mandal, an organisation that promotes youth education for rural areas, to launch the Health and Education Learning Program (HELP), for the students of Swami Vivekanand Adivasi Ashram Shala, a residential school of 500 students, located in a remote area 125kms from Mumbai, India. Through HELP, CGI aims to promote digital literacy and provide access to basic healthcare to the students. As part of this project, a website was developed by CGI professionals, which gives students access to self-learning apps and helps track their online and offline learning. Apart from onsite Doctor consultation, the website will maintain the online medical records of the students and an inventory of medical supplies at the school. In addition to the website, CGI will also upgrade the school's existing computer infrastructure. The project will significantly increase literacy, good hygiene and healthy eating practices among students, thereby improving their basic health parameters and enhancing proficiency in English and digital literacy skills. "CGI is committed to help and improve the digital literacy and the overall well-being of the communities in which we live and work. Through the HELP website, we want to create a platform where underprivileged students get access to quality education and basic healthcare," said George Mattackal, President of Asia Pacific Global Delivery Centers of Excellence, CGI. "We hope that this access will empower and inspire them to be a part of the digita workforce and take up careers in technology."



"We are pleased to collaborate with CGI to provide these students access to digital learning and infrastructure facilities. HELP will help us bridge a gap today in education, this will encourage and equip these students to pursue their education and find suitable opportunities in our society," said Ketan Rajaram Bondre, Chairman, Vivekanand Seva Mandal, Dombivli. In India, CGI employs more than 14,000 consultants across major cities who provide global delivery support to clients around the globe, ensuring close collaboration, accountability, flexibility, superior service and, most importantly, expected business results.

About CGI Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 77,500 consultants and other professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. With Fiscal 2019 reported revenue of C$12.1 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at https://www.cgi.com/en About Vivekanand Seva Mandal Vivekanand Seva Mandal (VSM) is an apolitical youth organization inspired by the 'Seva' (service) philosophy propagated by the great warrior monk Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902). VSM is primarily engaged in the areas of youth education and empowerment and development of underprivileged sections of the population.



Learn more at vsmandal.org/ For more information:

Lindsay Ang

Director, Communications

[email protected]

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The wind and hail insurance carrier of last resort for counties along the Texas coast has determined that its 1-in-100 probable maximum loss (1:100 PML) for the 2020 catastrophe year is $4.2 billion.

At a quarterly meeting in Austin on Feb. 18, the board of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association directed staff to bring the associations 2020 catastrophe funding up to the $4.2 billion mark through a combination of catastrophe bonds and traditional reinsurance. Together, the cat bonds and reinsurance would total $2.1 billion, the association reported.

As authorized by the board, TWIA will also ask the state insurance commissioner to approve the expenditure of $45 million of the associations 2019 net earnings to partially redeem the Series 2014 bonds used for paying Hurricane Harvey losses.

Hurricane Harvey struck the Texas coast in late August 2017. At its Dec.10, 2019, quarterly meeting, TWIAs board voted to assess member insurance companies an additional $90 million for Harvey losses. Member insurers had previously been assessed $282 million due to Harvey losses. Most property insurers authorized to do business in Texas are required to be association members.

At the Dec. 10 meeting, the insurer also raised its ultimate loss estimate for Harvey to $1.7 billion from a previous estimate of $1.61 billion.

Prior to the December 2019 quarterly meeting, staff had recommended a 5% increase in rates for both residential and commercial properties. That recommendation received intense negative feedback from policyholders, coastal legislators, governmental boards and businesses along the Gulf Coast.

Related:

Topics Mergers Carriers Catastrophe Natural Disasters Texas Windstorm
Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday recalled the time he tried to use his foreign language skills to help a family caught up in the middle of a protest.

Buttigieg speaks eight languages -- "some better than others," he said at a CNN town hall -- including Norwegian, Maltese, Arabic, Spanish and Dari.

The day President Donald Trump's 2017 travel ban went into effect, Buttigieg said he went to a protest at a Houston airport. In his first month in office, Trump issued an executive order banning entry for 90 days by citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The order also indefinitely halted refugees from Syria. Mass protests erupted at airports across the United States in opposition to the ban.

Within a few hours, Buttigieg said there were hundreds of people at the protest.

Buttigieg, who at the time ran unsuccessfully to be the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said he had heard a rumor there was an Iranian family that was not being allowed through because of the ban.

"This family started coming through, and they were being mobbed by TV reporters, and I realized that they may not have had any idea of why there were all these protesters or cameras or anything," Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg went up to the family and tried to communicate with them in Dari, which he likened to Farsi. He said he learned Dari when he was deploying to Afghanistan.

"I see this man emerge, kind of Middle Eastern appearance, his wife is in a hijab, they've got three or four little kids, a bunch of suitcases, they look exhausted," he continued. "And I went up to them and started to ask, you know, are you OK? Do you know what's happening? Do you need any help? Everybody's here to support you."

"And the more I tried to say this in Farsi, the clearer it became that he didn't understand me at all," Buttigieg said. He then realized the man spoke Arabic, which Buttigieg studied in college, so the former mayor tried to communicate with him in that language.

"He had no idea what was going on. He was actually Jordanian, and he just wanted to go home," Buttigieg said.

"Because I'm wearing a tie, the reporters from one of the local TV stations think that I'm his lawyer, and they start interviewing me. And one of them was from Telemundo, which was in Spanish, and they were asking me to try to ask him questions in Arabic, which I'm not that good at, and they were asking me in Spanish, and it was a real mess," he said.

In the end, actions worked better than words: Buttigieg said he grabbed the luggage cart and helped the family get out of the protest and to the garage, where someone was waiting to pick them up.
Judge Chetty hands over award to well-deserving student

By Luvo Mnyobe, fourth-year BJourn student

On Monday, 17 February, the Rhodes University Faculty of Law held its opening ceremony for the 2020 academic year. For the event, the Faculty invited respected, retired Judge Dayalin Chetty to deliver the keynote speech. Among the guests at this event were the Dean and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law at Nelson Mandela University, Professor Avinash Govindjee and Dr Lynn Biggs, and members of the Rhodes University community.

In his speech, the judge spoke of his long association with Makhanda and Rhodes University. In 1971, Chetty had applied and was accepted to study at the University. However, due to Extension of Universities Act, which sought entrench the racial segregation of the Apartheid government at South African universities, he could not commence his studies at the university.

According to apartheid legislation in force at the time, 'non-white' students had to get formal permission from the Minister of Internal Affairs in order to study at formerly open institutions, such as Rhodes University. The Minister denied Chetty entry to Rhodes University and instead designated him a position at a university designated for Indian students. Thus Judge Chetty completed his undergraduate and LLB studies at the University of Durban-Westville.

His activist spirit made him aware of the injustices of apartheid from an early age. This awareness, sharpened by his legal education, set him on a career path fighting the injustices of the Apartheid system. At the very beginning of his career, he represented families facing forced removals from Alexandria to the homeland of Ciskei. This forced removal in terms of the Group Areas Act was aimed at removing all black inhabitants from white South Africa to their ethnic homelands. This baptism of fire, and his dedicated representation of many anti-apartheid activists all over South Africa, shaped the lawyer, and ultimately, the judge he became.

Despite all of the adversity you are yet to go through, if you put your mind to it, you can make it very far, said Judge Chetty. This was a sobering reminder that a career in law and justice would not come without challenges. Overcoming challenges and being successful require hard work and commitment, the judge urged.

Deputy Dean of the Nelson Mandela Faculty of Law, Dr Lynn Biggs, said that the biggest lesson from Judge Chetty is his commitment to be a life-long student of the law, even when he was a practicing judge with over 20 years at the bench.

The evening also served as an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of students in the Law Faculty. Judge Chetty presented certificates to students who achieved academically by being placed on the Deans list for academic merit for 2019, and handed over a number of prizes to students in various years of study.

Judge Chettys lecture and reflection of the history of the law throughout his career was a refreshing way for us to learn outside the confines of the lecture hall, said Assandra Ogle, a student at the Faculty.

Source: Communications

Please help us to raise funds so that we can give all our students a chance to access online teaching and learning. Covid-19 has disrupted our students' education. Don't let the digital divide put their future at risk. Visit www.ru.ac.za/rucoronavirusgateway to donate
A security guard working in a Costa Rica resort has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for stabbing a Florida woman to death while she was on vacation to celebrate her 36th birthday.

Carla Stefaniak, an insurance agent from Hallandale Beach, was killed by Bismark Espinoza Martinez, 33, when she took a trip with her sister-in-law to stay in an Airbnb at the Villa Le Mas hotel in Escazu.

Stefaniak's family, who had wanted the maximum term of 50 years in prison, expressed their outrage at the sentence delivered at the court in Pavas. Costa Rican prosecutors had asked for an 18-year sentence

The family of Carla Stefaniak, who had wanted her killer to be jailed for 50 years, expressed their outrage at the sentence

Bismark Espinosa Martinez, 33, tried to rape Stefaniak and stabbed her when she tried to fight back, prosecutors said

Martinez, who was also ordered to pay $50,000 in damages to Stefaniak's family, was found to have taken advantage of his position to enter the rooms where Stefaniak was staying and to kill her, CBS Miami reported.

Blood was found in her room when it was searched by investigators.

A witness testified that Martinez had confessed to the crime and he was also accused by police of lying over when the Stefaniak had left the hotel.

Stefaniak vanished one day before she was due to fly home on November 28th in 2018, NBC Miami reported.

Martinez at his sentencing, where he was handed 16 years for second-degree murder

Stefaniak's father has spoken out Carlos Caicedo, saying the sentencing equated to 'another day of frustration, sadness and pain'

Stefaniak's body was found half-naked and covered in plastic bags near the San Jose vacation rental she was staying in

Prosecutors said Martinez tried to rape Stefaniak and stabbed her when she tried to fight back.

Her partially-buried body was found half-naked and covered in plastic bags by sniffer dogs 200feet away from her Ainbnb. She suffered a blunt force wound to the head and stab wounds.

Stefaniak had taken her sister-in-law, who was flying home early, to the airport on November 27 before returning to the Airbnb alone. Her family last heard from her that day.

Stefaniak suffered a blunt force wound to the head and stab wounds. She had been celebrating her 36th on the trip before it ended in tragedy

Traces of blood were found left behind in the Airbnb, which she described as 'sketchy'

Stefaniak had told friends that she thought the accommodation was 'sketchy' and that there was heavy rain and no power. She said in a FaceTime call that she might ask a security guard at the Airbnb to buy her water because of the storm.

'For me, this is another day of frustration, sadness and pain,' Stefaniak's father, Carlos Caicedo, told CRHoy.com.

'The family & friends are devastated by the news and they will need some time,' a Finding Carla Facebook page said on Tuesday.

'This has been a long exhausting year and to end up here is heartbreaking all over again.'

Stefaniak was last on WhatsApp at 8:20pm on the night of her disappearance - before her phone died at 9pm.

Stefaniak's family sued Airbnb and the Villa Le Mas resort in December 2018 for failing to conduct a background check on Martinez, who they say immigrated illegally to Costa Rica from Nicaragua.


The crash happened around 10:13 p.m. on the southbound side of the parkway at the ramp to MD 202 in the Bladensburg area.
The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz Announces Investigation on Behalf of Fluor Corporation Investors (FLR)

The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz announces an investigation on behalf of Fluor Corporation ("Fluor" or the "Company") (NYSE: FLR) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click hre to participate.







On February 18, 2020, Fluor disclosed an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC (News - Alert)") into Fluor's accounting and financial reporting "related to projects for which the Company recorded charges in the second quarter of 2019." As a result, Fluor "does not expect to complete and file its annual report on Form 10-K prior to the end of February."

On this news, the Company's stock price fell $4.70, or over 24%, during intraday trading on February 18, 2020, thereby injuring investors.

Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert): twitter.com/FRC_LAW.

If you purchased Fluor securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Frank R. Cruz, of The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-914-5007, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.frankcruzlaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200218006158/en/
Company wants to open facility in KC that could house immigrant children separated from family KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A new juvenile detention center proposed in Kansas City could also be used for immigrant children separated from their families. One metro attorney said it's a potential "stain on the community" and could stir up protest in the metro.

A look at some locals hoping to assist youngsters caught up in a human rights crisis whilst others argue to enforce immigration law against tots. You decide:
New Delhi, Feb 19 : In a major judgement, the Supreme Court has set aside the company law appellate tribunal's order directing the freezing of assets of Punjab National Bank's (PNB) former MD and CEO Usha Ananthasubramanian for allegedly not taking preventive steps to prevent the fraud perpetrated by Nirav Modi.

Senior advocates C.S. Vaidyanathan and Meenakshi Arora, representing Ananthasubramanian, had contended before the top court that the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) passed sweeping orders freezing the assets of an individual (appellant herein) which is confiscatory in nature. "The confiscation/freezing of the properties of the appellant (Ananthasubramanian) is unconstitutional and violative of Article 300-A of the Constitution." Gitanjali Gems promoter Mehul Choksi and his relative Nirav Modi are wanted in connection with the alleged multi-crore nearly $2 billion PNB fraud. Modi, 48, currently lodged in a prison in London, is wanted in India in connection with this fraud and proceedings for his extradition are ongoing.

The senior advocates contended there is no provision in the Companies Act, 2013 empowering a court/tribunal to confiscate or freeze the assets of a person "such as the appellant (who has no connection with the company) for a fraud allegedly perpetrated by the company".

This led to extreme hardship for the former top official of PNB, who was unable to meet daily expenses, they said. The order only permitted Ananthasubramanian to withdraw an amount of Rs 1 lakh per month towards the subsistence of her family.

"She was deprived of enjoying her legitimate income/earnings," the counsel said.

Advocate-on-record Anirudh Sharma and instructing counsel Vikrant Singh Negi, partner DSK Legal, contended in the petition that the provisions of Sections 221, 222, 241, 242, 246 and 339 of the Companies Act, 2013 does not authorise/permit the freezing of assets of an individual.

A three-judge bench, headed by Justice R.F. Nariman and comprising Justices S. Ravindra Bhatt and V. Ramasubramanian, said it is clear that powers under these sections (invoked against the appellant) cannot possibly be utilised in order that a person who may be the head of some other organization be roped in, and his or her assets be attached.

"This being the case, we set aside the impugned order passed by the NCLAT and well as the NCLT. The appeal is allowed in the aforesaid terms," it added.

The top court observed that Section 337 refers to penalty for frauds by an officer of the company in which mis-management has taken place. Likewise, Section 339 refers to any business of the company which has been carried on with intent to defraud creditors of that company.

"Obviously, the persons referred to in Section 339(1) as persons who are other than the parties to 'the carrying on of the business in the manner aforesaid' which again refers to the business of the company which is being mismanaged and not to the business of another company or other persons," the apex court ruled.

The counsel for the appellant contended at the highest even the criminal case against Ananthasubramanian is only that she omitted to take precautions or preventive steps to prevent the fraud perpetrated by Nirav Modi and thereby committed mis-conduct and conspiracy with other accused persons.

Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, appearing for the Centre, supported the orders passed by the NCLT and the NCLAT in the appellant's case citing Sections 337 and 339 of the Companies Act. He submitted where a person is liable for fraudulent conduct or business, the jurisdiction under Section 339, "if very wide and would include freezing the assets of any person who was knowingly a party to the carrying on of the fraudulent conduct of business".

Meanwhile, the top court clarified that nothing stated in this judgment will have any effect insofar as the investigation conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation or the investigation by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office is concerned.

On January 31, 2019, the NCLT's Mumbai bench had made Ananthasubramanian a party in the ongoing matter of PNB-Nirav Modi fraud case by accepting the Centre's request to implead her. In July 2019, the NCLAT passed the order for freezing of her assets.

(Sumit Saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@ians)
Attorney General William P. Barr was criticized for his statement that the Justice Department accepts Giulianis information

If law enforcers want to expand their inquiries on Ukraines issues, they should ask for approval of the Justice Department as The Washington Post reported.

Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen provided such a directive as the measure for avoiding duplication of efforts. However, it could be also provided for the extension of the investigation of Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Assistant Attorney General Stephen E. Boyd specified:

The Department regularly assigns U.S. Attorneys to coordinate or focus on certain matters. Nor do these procedures grant any individual unique access to the Department. Indeed, any member of the public who has relevant information may contact the Department and make use of its intake process for Ukraine-related matters, he said.

Besides, Attorney General William P. Barr was criticized for his statement that the Justice Department accepts Giulianis information and it seems to be the campaign against Joe Biden, while he is the candidate for presidency from Democrats.

Meanwhile, Giuliani himself is under investigation as he is suspected in the holding of investigations in Ukraine and sought for dismissal of former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch with the assistance of Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman.

Earlier, Rudi Giuliani, the lawyer of U.S. President Donald Trump, promised to publish the evidence proving that there was the assassination attempt on ex-prosecutor general of Ukraine Viktor Shokin as the main witness of corruption of ex-president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and former U.S. vice president Joe Biden.

As it was reported, Donald Trump wanted Ukraine's government to launch investigations he thought might help him in the 2020 election, including one into alleged impropriety by the Bidens. Trump froze military assistance for Ukraine for a period of weeks last year, then restored it; Ukraine's leaders did not open the investigation he wanted.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Applications are now being accepted to replace Kent County Commissioner Jim Saalfeld, who announced last week he is resigning effective March 15.

Those interested in representing the 11th District - Ada Township, Grand Rapids Township and a portion of East Grand Rapids - on the Board of Commissioners for the remainder of Saalfelds term must apply by 5 p.m. Thursday, March 5.

Saalfeld, who was first elected to the board in 2010, current two-year term expires Dec. 31, 2020. State law requires the Board of Commissioners fill the vacancy within 30 days.

The Board of Commissioners Executive Committee will review the applications, interview candidates and make a recommendation to the full board on who should replace Saalfeld. All committee and board meetings will be publicly noticed and open to the public.

Saalfeld said he would have preferred to serve out the last nine months of his term, but his job would have forced him to miss a number of meetings this year.

He is CEO of Church Extension Fund, a non-profit entity in Ann Arbor that helps finance Lutheran churches and schools in Michigan. He took that job in late 2016.

Related: Longtime Kent County Commissioner Jim Saalfeld resigning

The only stated requirements for applicants is that they must reside within the represented district, District 11, and be registered to vote.

The applications can be completed online on the countys website. Questions about the process can be directed to the office of the Kent County Board of Commissioners at 616-632-7580.

In the online application, applicants are asked to submit a cover letter, resume, employment and education history and more.

Applicants are also asked to write why they are applying for the seat and what experience they have serving on governmental boards, or the boards of civic and other similar organizations.

A map of the Kent County Board of Commissioner's District 11 outlined in blue. (Kent County)

Per a timeline provided by the county, the executive committee will evaluate the candidates on Wednesday, March 12 and narrow down a list of those they want to interview.

On March 17, the committee will interview the selected candidates, deliberate on a finalist and put that recommendation to the full board.

Then, on March 26, the Board of Commissioners will vote on the recommended candidate. If the candidate fails to secure a majority of votes, the committee and board will have until April 13 to repeat the process.

Read more on MLive:

Kent County chairman no less accessible with new job in Ann Arbor

Rare Bob Dylan photos part of Michigan photographers collection donated to GVSU

MLives comment sections are going away, and here are the reasons why

Michigan rocket launch site selected at Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 22:30:30|Editor: xuxin

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Released Rwandan nationals and deported terror suspects wait at Kagitumba border post between Rwanda and Uganda on Feb. 19, 2020. The Rwandan government on Wednesday welcomed Tuesday's release of 13 more Rwandan nationals and the deportation of two terror suspects who were incarcerated in Uganda. (Xinhua/Cyril Ndegeya)

KIGALI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Rwandan government on Wednesday welcomed Tuesday's release of 13 more Rwandan nationals and the deportation of two terror suspects who were incarcerated in Uganda.

"The government of Rwanda welcomes the release of 13 Rwandan nationals and the deportation of 2 terrorist suspects who were involved in the October 2019 Kinigi attacks," the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a statement.

It was referring to the attack in Kinigi sector, in northern Rwanda's Musanze district, in which 14 people were killed.

The 15 arrived in Rwanda early Wednesday.

Rwanda has also terminated the prosecution of 17 Ugandan citizens and released three who have completed their sentences, the statement said.

On Jan. 8, Uganda released nine Rwandan nationals who were freed by a military court-martial after prosecution lost interest in several cases they were facing, including illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

Sam Kutesa, Uganda's minister of foreign affairs, told reporters in Kampala that the 13 who were released on Tuesday faced similar charges as those released earlier.

Last August, Uganda and Rwanda signed a memorandum of understanding aimed to normalize their relations.

Early last year, Rwanda closed its common border with Uganda, alleging that the latter was incarcerating its citizens, claims Uganda denied.

Since a meeting of the two countries' leaders in Luanda, Angola, both sides have held meetings to normalize ties.

Uganda President Yoweri Museveni and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, are set to meet Friday at the common border at Gatuna to further ease the tension.
US warns Iraqi govt on their attacks against protesters

In a statement released on Tuesday, its been highlighted the importance of relations with Baghdad.

The US has called on the Iraqi government to put an end to attacks against peaceful protesters in Iraq, amid ongoing demonstrations against poor living conditions in the country.

"IRAQI PROTESTERS EXERCISE THEIR DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS"

In a statement, the US Embassy in Baghdad said Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, David Schenker, held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi, President Barham Salih and parliament speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi in Baghdad on Tuesday.

Schenker "highlighted the importance of the relationship between the United States and Iraq and the continued cooperation to support a prosperous, stable, and democratic Iraq," the statement said.

He denounced "the ongoing attacks against peaceful demonstrators who exercise their democratic rights to freedom of expression including their demands for political and economic reform".





The US diplomat, however, underlined "the strong US partnership with the Iraqi security forces that safeguard and enhance Iraq's sovereignty and help achieve the common goal of defeating extremist terrorist organizations like [Daesh/]ISIS".





Iraq has been rocked by mass protests since October against poor living conditions and high unemployment, forcing Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi to resign.

Over 600 people have been killed and 17,000 injured since the protests erupted in October, according to an Iraqi human rights group.
by Sumon Corraya

The late archbishop of Dhaka was a cultured and affable man. He received a gold chain for his deeds during Bangladeshs liberation war. Believers venerate him as a saint, and wait for the miracle needed for beatification to happen.

Dhaka (AsiaNews)  The Catholic Church of Bangladesh celebrated 100 years since the birth of Archbishop Theotonius Amal Ganguly of Dhaka who died in 1977.

He was declared Servant of God in 2006 and is much loved by the Catholic community, which invokes his protection and venerates him as a saint for blessings received.

In a message, Card Patrick DRozario, current archbishop of the capital, noted that Before taking on the responsibility as archbishop of Dhaka archdiocese, I held Archbishop Theotonius Amal Ganguly as my ideal.

For the prelate, his predecessor was his ideal in thoughts, behaviour and lifestyle. I always try to evaluate myself by looking at him. I know I could not be as saintly as him, but I am proud of him. For his wisdom, behaviour and service life, he is our pioneering spiritual leader.

Thousands of people took part in the special Mass marking the 100th birth anniversary of Bangladeshs first native bishop.

Cultured and affable, T A Ganguly spoke five languages. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's first prime minister, gave him a gold chain in recognition of his commitment to the liberation of Bangladesh.

He was a man of pure character, said Card DRozario. Inside he had love, forgiveness, tolerance and sacrifice. He was kind and led a simple life. Nobody ever saw him angry. He never hurt anyone. As a servant leader, he accepted all kinds of hostile situations.

The Church has started his canonisation process. To this end, the prelate calls on the faithful to pray to God for the mercy to prove the miracles. Miracles will help make him a saint.

Fr Patrick Simon Gomes, who leads the case in the local ecclesiastical court, urges everyone "to collect photos, garments and objects that belonged to the bishop and bring them to us".

Polin Francis, a Catholic who works in family outreach, said that she prayed to the late archbishop on behalf of a couple that could not have children because of physical ailments. My prayers have been heeded and now that couple has a child. I thank T A Ganguly from the bottom of my heart for his mercy.

Fr Proshanto Reberio, president of the "Archbishop T A Ganguly Memorial Trust", reports that no one has yet been healed by praying to the archbishop, but many have solved their problems.
Three days before the eastern part of the state was drenched by the biggest rain event in decades, the NSW Water Minister Melinda Pavey met a group of irrigation industry players at a Japanese restaurant near Wynyard. It was Tuesday, February 4. They were dining al fresco and a light rain was falling.

In the telling of Ian Cole, a former cotton grower and Bourke councillor who represents water users on the Barwon-Darling, discussion turned to the river flows that were expected to result from the predicted downpour. He asked the minister how she intended to manage them while a new water sharing plan was yet to be approved.

Water flows over Brewarrina Weir on Sunday. Credit:Getty Images

"And she said, 'How would you like to handle it?'," Mr Cole said.

"And I said, from the Barwon-Darling point of view, I would like to see the water come down the river unassisted, like the 'first flush rule' proposed in the new plan, and human critical needs looked after before irrigation is allowed."
How long have issues such as property tax reform, equitable school funding, traffic and transportation problems, and environmental issues been kicked around in Harrisburg? It seems like forever! Look at education. We are 47th in the nation in equitable school funding. Our state higher education funding ranks 50th, and we lead the nation in premature deaths due to air pollution.

We each have an issue that is of most importance, but to begin to solve these problems, we need to choose the abolishment of gerrymandering as the first thing we need to do. Numerous studies have proven that special interest money in campaigns and gerrymandering are the major reasons why little gets done in Harrisburg. Other research tells us Pennsylvania is one of most gerrymandered states in the nation!

When a state is gerrymandered, incumbents are re-elected because they are from safe districts that have been drawn to protect them, so they are not as motivated to work hard to solve problems. Gerrymandering feeds partisanship, as we retreat to our party corners and tend to fight more than compromise. Problems get solved when legislators come to the middle and work together.

Creating a citizens independent redistricting commission is the first step in creating more fairly drawn districts. Please ask your state legislator to support HB 22 and HB 23 now, or we face 10 more years of gridlock and dysfunction! Please go to www.FairDistrictsPA.com to learn more.

Mary C. Erdman

Vice president, League of Women Voters, Lehigh County

Public speaker, Fair Districts PA

Orefield
Farming organisations have asked for an urgent relaxation of the three crop rule as thousands of farmers battle floods after Storm Dennis.

The UK Farming Roundtable, which met yesterday (18 February), has called for the government to grant a derogation from the rule.

The three crop rule requires farmers to have three crops in the ground on their farm between 1 May and 30 June.

They have asked the government to broaden the extent of the Farming Recovery Fund to help flood-hit farmers with any uninsurable losses as a result of flooding.

The roundtable, which consists of groups such as the NFU, Country Land and Business Association and the National Sheep Association, highlighted how farmers are facing an 'unprecedented situation'.

A statement said: Relentless rain has meant some farmers wont have been able to get on their land since the autumn.

A significant area of farmland is currently underwater following two storms in two weeks, compounding the already wet ground conditions from this winter.

Many farmers were unable to plant winter crops and are now facing great difficulty planting spring crops.

Farmers are struggling with the immediate impacts of the current flood water and also the knock-on effects of damage to farmland and buildings, as well as significant impacts to this seasons cropping.

The group said farmers will be looking to the government to be practical: We are urging them to grant a derogation from the three crop rule, which is completely unworkable for farmers across the country this year, the statement added.

We are also urging the government to broaden the Farming Recovery Fund for flood-hit areas to help with any losses they have had from this difficult situation.
Crab business pays the toll in Bangladesh

February 19,2020 | Source: The Third Pole

The coronavirus outbreak in China has started taking its toll on crab farmers and exporters in Khulna region as its export to the worlds second economic giant remained suspended since January 25 last. Several thousand crab farmers, traders and other people involved in the business are now passing their days in great worries following the suspension of the crab export to China which is fighting the deadly coronavirus that originated from its Hubei province, infecting over 44,138 people globally and claiming the lives of 1,107 as of yesterday.



According to Khulna office of the Export Promotion Bureau, Bangladesh exports crab and kuchia worth Tk 700 crore every year. China alone accounts for 90 percent of the export. Bagerhat correspondent of the news agency reports: Crabs in farms in Sharankhola uapzila have started dying as famers could not sell those timely following the suspension of the export. Farmers said there are about 30,000 tonnes of crabs in over 300 small and big farms in the upazila.



If they cannot export these crabs within the next two weeks, they will have to count a loss to the tune of Tk 5 crore, they said. Talking to the news agency, Md Polash Mahmud, a crab farmer of Sonatala area, said over 250 kgs crabs have already died in his farm. Crabs become saleable in three months, but those die if not sold in time, Mahmud said, adding that no-one is buying crabs from them under the present circumstances. Md Al Amin, a local crab exporter, said they export 95 per cent of crab to China. I havent yet got Tk 40 lakh against exporting 7 tonnes of crabs to China. Binoy Kumar Roy, upazila senior fisheries officer, said a small amount of crabs have died in different farms as the export remained halted since the last week of January.



Traders and farmers should find new markets for exporting crabs, he added. Dr Md Khaled Kanak, district fisheries officer of Bagerhat, said some crabs died as those were cultivated in less water. He suggested that farmers shift crabs to other places for lessening the losses. In Khulna, hundreds of crab farmers in Koyra, Paikgachha, Dacope and Botiaghata upazilas are also counting huge losses as crab prices have already fallen in local markets. Md Alauddin Hossain, Koyra upazila fisheries officer, said the number of crab farmers have increased in the region as they earned huge profit in the past years but all of them have now become frustrated after the sudden export halt.



Md Abu Sayeed, Khulna district fisheries officer, said farmers cultivated crabs on 28,546 hectares of land this year in the district. According to the Khulna office of Export Promotion Bureau, crabs worth US$ 26.81 lakh were exported from July to October in 2019. The country earned US$2.691 lakh from crab export in June while US$3.97 lakh in July, US$5.63 lakh in August, US$9.25 lakh in September and US$5.94 lakh in October last year, the sources said.



Satkhira Correspondent of the news agency said thousands of crab and kuchia farmers are passing days amid anxiety following the suspension of the export. Alauddin, a crab farmer of Shyamnagar upazila, said livelihood of thousands of families in this area is under threat as they depend on crab farming. Md Badiuzzaman, Satkhira district fisheries officer, said exporters should find out alternative markets for crab export.
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Permanent supportive housing is a proven approach to reducing homelessness, and in Los Angeles, Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) is speeding development of much-needed homes. NFFs $10 million Accelerating Permanent Supportive Housing Fund provides flexible financing to support developers critical work increasing the number of projects in development.

Investors include the California Community Foundation (CCF), the Weingart Foundation, and UniHealth Foundation. Additional grants provided by CCF, CIT Bank, and the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) support the project.

Nonprofit housing developers face substantial predevelopment costs; as they increase the number of projects, the gap between easily accessible pre-development funds and costs grows. This Fund will provide flexible loans that developers can use and reinvest in multiple projects over an extended period of time.

Existing financing sources havent fully addressed barriers to housing production; nonprofits doing this work need more flexible early stage funds to support the dramatic increase in home construction currently underway, said Ann Sewill, Vice President for Health and Housing, of CCF. NFFs deep understanding of the specific financial needs of housing developers informed this Fund and our collaboration.

This investment will help end homelessness for hundreds of people with disabilities who need safe, supportive, homes, said Dora Leong Gallo, President and CEO of financing recipient A Community of Friends. This funding allows us to significantly expand the number of projects were able to move forward simultaneously, making the most of our resources during the complex predevelopment phase.

NFF is working to address homelessness in Los Angeles on several fronts, in partnership with foundations, nonprofits, and City and County agencies. This includes supporting developers with capital, as well as delivering financial consulting services to community-based permanent supportive housing providers.

NFFs recent report, Strengthening Los Angeles Permanent Housing Developers, includes additional information about market needs and opportunities.

The Los Angeles community has resoundingly supported the creation of permanent supportive housing to alleviate the homelessness crisis, said Jennifer Kawar, Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of NFF. Weve launched this fund to help developers remove barriers and accelerate construction of critically-needed housing.

The Accelerating Permanent Supportive Housing Fund was launched to support a pre-identified group of housing developers. Based on the strong market need, NFF may expand the Fund pending additional investor and philanthropic support.

About Nonprofit Finance Fund

Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) works toward a more equitable, responsive, and valued social sector. We provide financing and consulting to help nonprofits and their funders better connect money to mission results. We are a community development financial institution (CDFI) applying 40 years of experience to todays toughest social challenges, and we share what we learn to speed progress. NFF manages over $352 million. Since 1980, we have provided almost $890 million in financing and access to additional capital in support of over $2.8 billion in projects for thousands of organizations nationwide. Learn more at www.nff.org.
Corporators of the Congress and



BJP exchanged barbs and raised objectionable slogans over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, NRC and NPR at a meeting of the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) on Wednesday.

As soon as the house assembled for a session, the opposition corporators raised objections against the CAA, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR), angering BJP corporators.

The situation worsened when members of the treasury and opposition benches rose from their seats and entered into a heated argument with saffron party members.

Two Congress corporators had come to the house wearing protest badges, following which BJP members demanded that the removal of the badges.

However, the two corporators did not budge and instead walked out of the meeting.

Terming the CAA as "unconstitutional", Congress corporators said they will oppose it everywhere.

The BJP corporators, on the other hand, said as both the houses of Parliament had passed the CAA, opposing the new law was worthless and absolutely unjust.

In the midst of the ruckus, BJP corporators shouted "Vande Matram" and "Bharat Mata Ke Jai".

In an audio-video clip of the session, which was put up on social media, some corporators are heard shouting "desh ke gaddharon ko, baahar nikalo *** ko" (banish traitors from the country).

Meanwhile, the five-year tenure of 85 elected corporators expired on Wednesday and the state election commission has initiated the process for holding the civic body polls.

At present, the state government has appointed Indore divisional commissioner Akash Tripathi as the administrator of the IMC.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


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MANILA, Philippines  Images of workers in complete protective suit conducting a disinfection process in Pasig City went viral on social media.

The said images posted by a certain Bridgette de Leon caused a stir among netizens especially amid serious efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Along with the images, De Leon posted a message saying: Mag-ingat. Nasa Pasig City General Hospital na ang coronavirus. May nag pa checkup na chinese taga Greenwoods. Nag positive siya. Sinabi lang sa amin kaninang 3pm. Ingat ingat.

(Be careful. Coronavirus is now in Pasig City General Hospital. A Chinese from Greenwoods tested positive. We were told about it earlier around 3:00 p.m. Be careful.)

The Pasig City Information Office on its social media account clarified that the images were from a decontamination exercise held in the city in preparation for a possible COVID-19 case.

The PCIO tagged De Leons post as fake news.

Meanwhile, the Pasig City General Hospital in a statement maintained that it has NO CONFIRMED cases of COVID-19 (nCoV-ARD) and has NO Persons Under Investigation (PUI)..

The hospital admitted, however, that they had one case assessed last February 13 but the person was transferred to San Lazaro Hospital a few hours after.

The test sent at RITM revealed negative results for COVID-19, the hospital said of the person.

Our hospital and the City of Pasig is prepared in dealing with these cases. We assure you that we will be able to identify and isolate such cases, the PCGH said.

The post Pasig City General Hospital debunks claims of COVID-19 case appeared first on UNTV News.
The Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali, has failed to appear before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts despite several summons.

Asides previous invitation over the Customs audit report, Mr Ali was again summoned by the committee last week following an indictment of the Customs by the auditor-generals report.

The report stated that the Nigerian Customs Service and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) violated the Pension Reform Act 2014 which requires them to remit five per cent of their contributory pension to the National Pension Commission (PenCom).

The report by the auditor-general had among other things called on the accountant-general to provide his investment ledger meant for the funds, explain the reason the two agencies failed to comply with the provisions of the act while also sanctioning them as due.

Last week, the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, explained on behalf of the two.

The noncompliance of the remittance of 5 per cent of the contributory pension (by the custom service, for instance) was as a result of insufficient funds. Also, I wish to state, as funding improves, the service will comply accordingly, he said last week.

There was however, no representative from the Customs  hence the reason they were summoned again.

Reacting to his non-appearance, the chairman of the committee, Matthew Urhoghide, said the panel will do a letter to the CG Customs that we are going to hold him responsible for the testimony given by the Accountant General.

His deliberate refusal to appear, (we) will take it that the accusations are correct and (we) are going to hold him responsible, he said.

Ecology fund

Meanwhile, the panel on February 13 also queried the Central Bank of Nigeria and the office of the Accountant General Federation for deducting N596 billion from the Federation Account and transferring it to the ecological fund between 1999 and December 2015.

The Secretary General of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, was also summoned over matter.

Habiba Lawal, permanent secretary of the Office Ecological fund, located in the Office of the SGF, appeared before the committee on behalf of the SGF.

She explained that over the years, from 1984, there have been several ratios for allocations to the ecological fund from the federation account.

But presently, she explained, the ratio from the federation account is: federal government 1 per cent, state government 0.72 per cent, local government 0.60 per cent, a total of 2.32 per cent.

She said the allocations to state and local governments do not come directly to the ecological fund office but is shared directly at Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) every month.

Speaking on how accruals to the federal government are spent, she said the only thing the ecological fund office knows is what is in 1 per cent accruable to the federal government  of which our office is part of.

Within the one per cent meant for the federal government, the act setting up NEMA, gives them 20 per cent of the accruable of monthly basis from the ecological fund to NEMA to discharge its functions in addition to whatever appropriation they are given from the National Assembly.

Also, the national agency for the great green wall also had an act that gives them 15 per cent of federal share from the ecological fund.

The third layer which is new is the North East Development Commission which will start taking from the month of January and they will take 10 per cent of the federal government share of the ecological fund, she said.

Ms Lawal also told the panel that the federal governments allocation is not housed in the ecological fund office, but in the CBN under the custody of the office of the Accountant General of the Federation and the office of the Minister of Finance.

So what comes to the ecological fund office in SGFs office is the fund meant for the specific projects the president has approved. So if the president says the road from that door to that door should be done by the office of the ecological fund at the cost of N10.

That approval is what I will send to the minister of finance who will process and send to the account general and then the SGFs ecological fund account in CBN also will then be credited with the project funds. The ecological fund office cannot answer for the whole federation funds because it is not in our custody and our job is to implement these projects.

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The representatives of the office of the accountant general who appeared before the panel, requested for more time to prepare the necessary documents.

They were given two weeks by the committee.
Wits team and industry closer to final LVPS prototype

Team visits Jemstech to view progress on first SA-made prototype for Tile Calorimeter of the ATLAS Detector at CERN.

A team of scientists from Wits Universitys High-throughput Electronics Laboratory within the Institute for Collider Particle Physics (ICPP) recently visited Jemstech, a turnkey Electronics Manufacturing Services provider, to discuss the production of the second and close-to-final prototype of the Low Voltage Power Supplies (LVPS).

Jemstech has populated the electronics boards for the first prototype made in South Africa of the LVPS for the upgraded Tile Calorimeter of the ATLAS Detector at CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, where the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the worlds largest and most powerful particle accelerator, is housed. (*)

The LVPS will power the future on-detector electronics of the Tile Hadronic Calorimeter  one of components of the ATLAS calorimetry system  that is being designed for the Phase-II upgrade of this detector.

South Africa is responsible for the production of over 1000 of these boards, where the printed circuit boards (PCBs) designed at Wits are manufactured by Trax Interconnect in Cape Town and then passed to Jemstech for population.

The Wits team in charge of the South African production is composed of Edward Nkadimeng, Nkhosiphendule Njara, Thabo Lepota, Ryan McKenzie, Charles Sandrock, Roger van Rensburg and Bruce Mellado. They are part of the ICPP in the Wits School of Physics.

We discussed quality control issues, details of the bill of materials and other components as well as the implementation of Artificial Intelligence in the process of quality control assessment, says Professor Bruce Mellado, Director of the ICPP.

The Wits Institute of Collider Particle Physics (http://hep.wits.ac.za) leverages activities to deliver world-class training to South African post-graduate students and to provide technology transfer to the country in areas that are badly needed. It develops projects in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence with the CERN, and with industry.

(*) Calorimeters measure the energy a particle loses as it passes through the detector. It is usually designed to stop entire or absorb most of the particles coming from a collision, forcing them to deposit all of their energy within the detector.
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a series of measures to combat what he calls 'Islamist separatism' in the country. These include limiting the number of foreign imams and stricter controls on the financing of mosques.

Macron spent Tuesday afternoon in the working class district of Bourtzwiller in Mulhouse, a city in eastern France which is one of 15 areas participating in a programme to tackle islamist separatism.

Macron laid out the national strategy designed to combat foreign influences on Islamic culture in France, insisting that it was "not in any way a plan against Islam itself".

Firstly, France will gradually phase out its programme of hosting of imams sent by other countries such as Turkey and Algeria.

Instead, the number of imams trained in France will be increased.

"Those in France already will be allowed to stay to finish their term," explained Macron.

Laws of the Republic

"We will train imams in France so that they will be able to master the French language and the rules of the Republic," he explained.

"Moving away from an insular form of Islam is extremely important to help reduce foreign influences and insure that each person respects the laws of the republic."

On top of this, the hosting of the 300 or so people who come to chant psalms at ramadan, the annual period of fasting will also be suspended.

A close eye on funding

One of the other key measures announced is a stricter control of foreign financing of religious buildings and mosques to avoid suspicious projects.

"We need to know where the money is coming from, who is receiving it and what they are doing with it, " the President said.

The grand mosque of An-Nour in Mulhouse is a case in point.

The construction of a huge complex complete with pool, schools and shops, funded in part by an NGO in Qatar, is currently suspended due to an inquiry.

Native language and culture programmes to go

Finally, the other key measure is the cancellation of a foreign language and culture programme known under the acronym Elco - the teaching of native language and culture (enseignement de langue et de culture d'origine), which according to Macron is a mechanism which favours forms of separatism.

Nine countries would be affected by this - Algeria, Croatia, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Serbia, Tunisia and Turkey as early as September 2020.

The teachers in these programmes are chosen by the governments of the respective countries, a system which exists in France since 1977 and serves some 80,000 students annually.
COLUMBIA, S.C.  A 6-year-old South Carolina girl was killed by asphyxiation not long after disappearing from her front yard, authorities said Tuesday.

Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher told reporters Tuesday that Faye Marie Swetlik died just a few hours after she was abducted.

The loss of Faye, an innocent child, who was simply playing in her own yard ... has been extremely difficult to all of us, Fisher said. She added that out of respect for the girls family, she would release no information about the condition of her body.

The girl got off the school bus and was last seen playing in her Cayce front yard on Feb. 10. More than 200 officers searched over three days for her, knocking on every door in her neighborhood and checking every vehicle going in and out.

Investigators have said they found a clue about her disappearance in a neighbors trash can Thursday.

They soon found the girls body in woods that had been searched previously, and then found the neighbor, 30-year-old Coty Scott Taylor, dead in his home.

Cayce Public Safety officers said the girls death is being investigated as a homicide.
Two students from Gujarat, who



have returned to India from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan, on Wednesday said initially they did not take reports about the outbreak seriously.

Shreya Jaiman (18) and Vrund Patel (19), both classmates, were among the the hundreds of Indians who were airlifted from Wuhan last month after the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in China.

On return from China, they were quarantined for nearly 17 days at a facility at an ITBP camp in Delhi from where they have now come back to their homes in Vadodara.

Jaiman and Patel were studying in a medical universityin Wuhan, the capital of central Chinas Hubei province, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.

Talking to PTI tonight, Jaiman and Patel described their experience in the coronavirus-hit Wuhan city in days leading to their departure.

The two students said initially they took lightly reports about surfacing of the deadly virus in the Chinese city.

The duo said they realised the gravity of the situation only in mid-January, days after the first case of the virus was reported in December-end.

They thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for evacuating them from Wuhan and reuniting with their family members, who were worried about their wellbeing after outbreak of the deadly disease, which has killed more than 2,000 people in China till now.

The students said their university has extended the winter vacation.

"The Wuhan city went into lockdown on January 23. All students were restricted to their rooms and homes. It was difficult for even Indian embassy officials to come there," they said.

They somehow managed to communicate with their families, Jaiman and Patel said.

The family members of both the students were happy to seen them come back home.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
OTTAWA - Fleeing Venezuelans  all 1.4 million of them  will always be welcome in his country, says Colombia's ambassador to Canada, but his real hope is that they are able to one day return to their own free and democratic homeland.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Venezuelan migrants camp in a park near the main bus terminal in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, Sept. 7, 2018. Colombia's ambassador to Canada says Venezuela's 1.4 million refugees will always be welcome in his country but his true hope is that they are able to one day return their own free and democratic homeland. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Fernando Vergara

OTTAWA - Fleeing Venezuelans  all 1.4 million of them  will always be welcome in his country, says Colombia's ambassador to Canada, but his real hope is that they are able to one day return to their own free and democratic homeland.

That overarching goal must drive Thursday's meeting of the Lima Group that Canada is hosting, said Colombian envoy Frederico Hoyos.

Hoyos is calling on the Lima Group to make a renewed push for a new presidential election in Venezuela, one that he says would likely end in the defeat of the country's dictator president, Nicolas Maduro.

"We're certain that people would like to go back to their homes once there is stability. Venezuela is one of the richest countries in Latin America and the world," Hoyos said in an interview.

"We don't see a reason for this happening again once the regime is gone. People will go back to their homes."

The United Nations estimates that six million Venezuelans will have fled their country by the year's end, as its economic, health and education systems collapse, and no country is feeling the effects of the exodus more than neighbouring Colombia.

The exodus has fuelled concern among some UN officials that the migration out of Venezuela and into neighbouring countries might be irreversible as new migrants start new lives and Maduro clings to power in their hollowed-out country. Some fear that Venezuela, once oil-rich and prosperous, might be on a slide towards becoming a failed state.

Hoyos flatly rejects that assessment and maintains Venezuela's decline can be reversed with a peaceful and democratic transition  one that Thursday's Lima Group meeting must back with a powerful declaration.

"He has already been defeated once  the last presidential election was a fraud and he lost," said Hoyos.

Canada and dozens of other countries recognize opposition legislator Juan Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate leader, and view Maduro as an illegitimate president who stole his country's last election in 2018.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is hosting the gathering of foreign ministers from the coalition of Western Hemisphere countries, minus the United States, in Gatineau, Que., near Ottawa. Guaido, who was recently in Ottawa as part of a multi-country tour of Europe and the U.S., is not expected to attend the meeting.

Canada last hosted the Lima Group one year ago, and that meeting resulted in a call to Venezuela's military to peacefully switch sides.

That never happened and the pro-democracy momentum appeared to stall.

So how is a peaceful, free and fair democratic election, monitored by the outside world, likely to take place with Maduro still clinging to power?

Hoyos and others, including Champagne, are counting on the broader international backing that Guaido was able to win, especially in Europe, whose countries are not part of the Lima Group coalition, to eventually persuade the Venezuelan people and a reluctant military to force a new presidential election.

"It's critical that the military is backing this internal process," Hoyos said.

"We understand this might be frustrating for people because that might take time, and this might look like it's going on forever," he said. But getting dozens of countries to back the Venezuelan opposition was a painstaking process, and Thursday's meeting will be another step in keeping the momentum moving forward.

Colombia has suffered the brunt of the crisis but has not turned its back on its Venezuelan brethren, said Hoyos.

The government has extended Colombian citizenship to fleeing Venezuelan children so they can go to school and access health care, he said.

But that generosity has come with a cost: Colombia is coping with rising unemployment, poverty and crime.

"If Venezuela regains democracy and stability and Colombia once again starts trading with Venezuela as we have been in the past  it's our first and most important trading partner in the world  the Colombian economy will have important growth," said Hoyos.

"Despite the challenges, Colombia is still growing."

Canada has also been an important partner in the effort to oust Maduro and bring stability to the region, he added.

"Canada has been a strong ally, a steady partner," he said. "(We are) proud to stand with Canada in this struggle together."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2020.
Media covering dialogue between the Supreme Court appointed interlocutors and Shaheen Bagh protesters was told to leave protest site on Wednesday after the interlocutors refused to speak in front of them.

The decision came after a brief argument between the interlocutors and protesters over the presence of media during the dialogue, as protesters weighed in on having conversation in presence of the media.

"Jo baat hogi sabke saamne hogi" (Talks will take place in front of everyone), women protesters at Shaheen Bagh shouted as senior lawyer Sadhna Ramachandran announced that interaction will not start before video recordings were stopped.

Addressing the protesters, senior lawyer said, "If you (protesters) want to talk before media, you can speak. But we will not speak." Ramachandran said.

"We have 4 days to talk, after that we will have other ways for dialogue," Ramachandran added.

The senior lawyer had maintained since the start of her address that media should not be allowed inside the protest site during the talks.

While protesters wanted media to stay and record the dialogues, however, eventually it was decided that media will have to leave the protest site and the protesters will provide minutes of the interaction with Interlocutors to the media after the meeting.
Politics can be a most thankless and cruel business. This became brutally clear to Julian Smith over the past week. Despite his mighty achievement in restoring a power-sharing Executive to Stormont, Smith was sacked by an ungrateful Boris Johnson from his position as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

His dismissal was vindictive and ruthless. He certainly wasn't sacked for failing in his office, but perversely because he was too successful and a Remainer, and therefore a potential threat to the Prime Minister.

Within seven months Smith, in an active partnership with Tanaiste Simon Coveney, had achieved more than any other Secretary of State had in the previous seven years.

Not only had he restored Stormont, which had been a zombie parliament for three years, but had wrapped up a whole series of outstanding issues, including the Irish language and legacy issues.

It was a remarkable achievement for a British minister with little experience of politics here. In short, he was that rarest of things - an Englishman who understood Irish politics.

Naturally, his previous experience as a bone crunching chief whip at Westminster helped him to both bludgeon and delicately persuade our politicians into a comprehensive agreement, for which we all should be grateful.

While Smith could not, and did not, outshine the most popular and most effective of all Secretaries of State, the late Mo Mowlam, incredibly he managed in his very short tenure in office to really engage with people.

By dint of his own talent and personality he was able to empathise with ordinary people like the survivors and victims of institutional abuse.

They regarded him as the most effective and most compassionate Secretary of State they had ever met.

It was he who at long last ensured that the necessary legislation for a compensation scheme for victims, as recommended by Judge Sir Anthony Hart, was pushed through the Commons in the absence of the power-sharing Assembly at Stormont. No wonder victims' campaigner Margaret McGuckin good humouredly and appropriately nicknamed him our Guardian Angel!

Compare his record with the combined records of the calamitous Karen Bradley, the clueless Theresa Villiers, the do-nothing James Brokenshire and the partisan Owen Paterson.

None of these former ministers achieved anything positive, and indeed made matters worse by failing to act as neutral guarantors (as obliged under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement) to address outstanding issues such as legacy, which was well within the legislative competence of the office of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Paterson notably made matters worse by ending 50/50 Catholic recruitment to the PSNI. The Policing Board is now trying to address the inevitable consequences of his ill-judged and premature decision. If he had let 50/50 continue, the problem of Catholic recruitment would not now have become such a pressing issue.

The fact that Smith's sacking united our usually disparate parties into criticising the Prime Minister's decision says much in favour of a politician who all parties here recognised as someone who could do - and did do - the business of politics well.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood in particular said that his dismissal was "a strategic error".

Alliance leader Naomi Long bluntly stated that she was: "hugely disappointed to see a truly engaged SoS removed from office at a time when continuity is needed around a still fragile political agreement".

But does his sacking represent a strategic change, or simply a tactical manoeuvre on Johnson's part to make his Cabinet fully Brexit-proof and absolutely loyal to himself?

What would be alarming is that Smith's departure might indicate the Prime Minister and his new appointee Brandon Lewis will not hold to the New Decade, New Approach commitments made by Smith on behalf of the British Government.

If that were to come about, the Assembly could be in for a very bumpy ride, especially if Lewis reneges on the commitment to legislate at Westminster on legacy issues within 100 days. Lewis must also produce the much needed financial assistance promised by the British Government to the newly-formed Executive to urgently tackle outstanding issues.

If these matters are not honoured, they will add to the shock of the success of Sinn Fein in the Republic and will inevitably put serious strain upon relations within the Assembly, especially if Sinn Fein ends up in government in Dublin.

This undesirable outcome may be prevented if the current speculation of a grand coalition between Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens materialises.

Such a coalition is long overdue and will bring to an end the absurdity of Civil War divisions in 21st century Ireland.
The Ariane-5 rocket carrying the 3.4-ton Chollian-2B takes off a space station in French Guiana on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Arianespace TV screen capture



The world's first geostationary environment-monitoring satellite, built by South Korea, has been successfully launched, the country's state-run aerospace research institute said Wednesday.



The Ariane-5 rocket carrying the 3.4-ton Chollian-2B, tasked with monitoring the movement of fine dust and other air pollutants, as well as tides, in the East Asian region is on course to reach its fixed orbit 36,000 kilometers above the Earth's equator after lifting off from French Guiana at 07:18 p.m. (local time), according to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).



The satellite separated from the rocket 31 minutes after lift-off and made first contract with a ground tracking station in Yatharagga, Australia. The Chollian-2B has also deployed its solar panels and is generating power to operate its systems.



The Chollian-2B is expected to reach its final geostationary orbit in about two weeks and begin carrying out its marine environment mission in October, with all systems to be fully operational by 2021.



The multipurpose satellite will observe and track fine dust and 20 types of air pollutants, including ozone, sulfur dioxide and formaldehyde, KARI said.





Employees at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's satellite control room celebrate after the 3.4-ton Chollian-2B was successfully separated from the Ariane-5 rocket. Yonhap
Grant said he dislikes presidential pardons, regardless of which party controls the office, because they largely benefit those with political connections and dont afford everyone the same shot at freedom. There are thousands of prisoners with stiff sentences who are missed by their families, but unlike Rod Blagojevich, they never appeared on reality television or had Patti Blagojevich pleading their case on the presidents preferred news channel, Grant said.
FILE PHOTO: The Huawei logo is seen on a communications device in London, Britain

By Karen Freifeld

(Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors overlooked apparent violations of U.S. sanctions against Iran by HSBC Holdings in exchange for the British bank's cooperation with a government investigation of Huawei Technologies, lawyers for the Chinese telecoms giant said.

"The government agreed to overlook HSBC's continued misconduct, electing not to punish the bank, prosecute its executives or even extend the monitorship," Huawei's lawyers wrote in a Feb. 10, 2020 letter filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York. The letter was seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

In return, "HSBC agreed to cooperate with the government's efforts to depict Huawei as the mastermind of HSBC's sanctions violations and supply witnesses to the government's stalled investigation of Huawei," the lawyers wrote.

In an indictment unsealed last year, Huawei was charged by the United States with bank fraud and violating sanctions against Iran. Federal prosecutors added more charges to the case this month.

The indictment accuses Huawei and its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, of conspiring to defraud HSBC and other banks by misrepresenting Huaweis relationship with Skycom Tech Co Ltd, a suspected front company that operated in Iran.

The new claims by Huawei relate to a five-year deferred prosecution agreement HSBC agreed to in 2012 for disregarding rules designed to prevent money laundering and processing transactions that violated sanctions.

Huawei's lawyers say that, after HSBC obtained the deferred prosecution agreement, the bank continued to process Iran transactions through its New York branch and concealed the conduct from a court-appointed monitor. It also failed as late as 2017 to implement compliance measures it had promised in order to secure the agreement.

"The Justice Department determined that HSBC met all of its obligations, including its sanctions obligations, under its 2012 Deferred Prosecution Agreement," the bank said in a statement.

Story continues

Huawei has pleaded not guilty. Meng, the daughter of Huawei's founder, was arrested in Canada on a U.S. warrant in connection with the case. She has said she is innocent and is fighting extradition.

Reuters exclusively reported last February that HSBC conducted an investigation into Huawei's connections with Skycom that helped lead to the charges against the Chinese company.

Huawei is seeking documents from the HSBC investigation of the company and reports from the monitor, which it says "appear certain" to contradict the allegations in the indictment.

A spokesman for federal prosecutors in Brooklyn declined to comment.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Editing by Tom Brown)
NEW YORKThe FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) has begun an investigation into China-related cases of economic espionage across the country. The Bureau reports that the Chinese regime is using non-traditional collectors, such as professors, researchers, and front companiesas opposed to traditional undercover spiesto acquire sensitive technology from the United States.

This comes after the FBI arrested a Harvard University professor for allegedly lying about receiving funding from the Chinese regime to open a research lab in Wuhan, China. Additionally, a researcher at Boston University was indicted after allegedly failing to disclose that he was a lieutenant in the Chinese army and a Chinese national allegedly attempted to smuggle biological materials from a Boston medical center to China. They have all been indicted on federal charges.

Former FBI undercover agent Marc Ruskin explained that the Harvard professor, Charles Lieber, was arrested for economic crimes, as opposed to stealing classified information which would be considered a type of traditional espionage.

[Hes] been arrested and charged with economic crimes. Either with accepting payment for contracts for doing research, in those cases for China, or for accepting grant money or for not revealing to the university that [he] worked for that [he was] accepting grant money from the U.S. and at the same time accepting money for the research [he was] doing from a hostile power, Ruskin told NTD in an interview, which can be seen below.

According to the court complaint (pdf), Lieber is accused of receiving $1.5 million to open a research lab at the Wuhan University of Technology. The complaint also accuses Lieber of making materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements about his involvement in Chinas Thousand Talents Plan.

In 2008, China launched its Thousand Talents Plan to attract top talent from overseas to China to enhance the countrys high-tech industries. Ruskin says the Chinese regime uses money to lure professors into sharing their research with China.

Its coercion in the sense that the professors are being enticed with economic, financial incentive to work in China for Chinese research institutes, Ruskin said. That in itself is not espionage. Espionage would be, to the extent that I understand it, obtaining classified information thats classified in the United States and then passing it to Chinese authorities or to Chinese researchers. That would be espionage.

While these individuals may be committing espionage, the utilization of a research contract may fall in a different area. It still will constitute potential violations of federal criminal law in the U.S., but its a different type of crime, essentially playing on the greed of the professors in order to have them. So essentially serving two different masters. But I suggest that one has to look at the specific areas that are being researched to make a determination of whether or not the materials are classified or not, he said.

Lieber received over $8 million in grants from the Department of Defense, in part from the Office of Naval Research and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, according to the court complaint. Special agent Ruskin noted that there is a high risk if defense-related research falls into the wrong hands.

If its utilized for a military purpose by a power thats not sympathetic but the hostile to democratic countries, then theres a big risk, he said. The interest in intelligence gathering comes from the ability in part to circumvent doing ones own research or their own research, which can be very high-cost and very resource-intensive.

It certainly can be a lot more cost-effective to steal someone elses research, and then either reverse engineer it or apply it to ones own research activities. So its very important for agencies like the Bureau to be very active and aggressive in counterintelligence activities to prevent other powers from obtaining information which we dont want to share with them, Ruskin said.

Lieber was also the principal investigator on a project that studies injectable mesh electronics that can integrate with the brain, according to federal prosecutors. The National Institutes of Health provided about $1.1 million to fund this project, which addressed impairment or dysfunction of motor control, memory and cognitive capability related to aging and Alzheimers disease.

According to Ruskin, China uses legal, yet unethical means to acquire sensitive research. FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a speech on Feb. 6 that the Chinese regime has shown that it is willing to steal [its] way up the economic ladder at our expense.

Ruskin also mentioned that the Chinese regime is very proactive at acquiring U.S. research before it becomes classified.

One thing to keep in mind with western democracies and in the U.S. in particular, is that a lot of information thats of use is not classified. This is a vulnerability thats significant. That theres a lot of research thats conducted domestically in the U.S., which either has not yet been classified but should be classified. And arguably the intelligence services, which are not sharing the same interests as we have, and the Chinese are very good at this, will be on top of it so that they can access this data before it becomes classified.

So essentially theyre obtaining vast amounts of data and information essentially legally, but because they are being very active and proactive, they access it either before it becomes classified or they access obscure information which has not been classified and probably wont be classified, but can still be of use in terms of doing research and developing other technologies, he said.

Ruskin added that there is a tendency for academics to downplay the seriousness of the threat of sharing sensitive information with a hostile power.

The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation into Harvard and Yale for apparently failing to report hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign gifts and contracts.

Last year, a U.S. Senate report found that from January 2012 to June 2018, 15 U.S. schools reported receiving around $15 million from Hanban, which is a propaganda arm of the Chinese regime, affiliated with their Ministry of Education. However, upon investigation of the financial records of over 100 U.S. schools, the Senate subcommittee found that Hanban directly contributed over $113 million (pdf) to U.S schools, which is over seven times the amount the schools reported.

Follow Mark Ruskin on Twitter: @mhruskin

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KRHogan_NTD
ST PAUL  Legislators and advocates say it's "time to stand up for victims" with a new bill that would require Minnesota's state crime lab to test all unrestricted rape kits.

Unanimously passed out of the Minnesota House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform committee on Tuesday, Feb. 18, House File 2983 would require law enforcement to test every rape kit, the only exception being if it were "restricted," meaning the survivor did not consent to its testing. The bill would also require the state crime lab to store untested rape kits at a central location for more than two years after collection, and record data from the kits in a centralized database.

With recent reports of hundreds of backlogged, untested rape kits being discovered in Minneapolis, the bill's prime author state Rep. Marion O'Neill, R-Maple Lake, said at a Tuesday, Feb. 18, news conference that the bill sends the message that "finally, victims will have justice" after not always being taken seriously by law enforcement.

"The more I dig into this, the more I hear that as kind of a pervasive permeation through the whole system, that they weren't taken seriously," O'Neill said. "That culture absolutely needs to change. We are here collectively (...) saying its time to stop. We are ready to move forward and test all the kits."

With over 400 unique law enforcement agencies in the state, O'Neill said the bill will also allow agencies to pick up on patterns and repeat perpetrators throughout the state that may have otherwise gone undetected.

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And if a survivor doesn't want their kit to be tested right away, the bill gives them time, requiring the state crime lab to store untested kits for 30 months. The database formed through HF 2983 would allow survivors to unrestrict their kit for testing, and keep up with their kit's status.

Artika Roller, the executive director of the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said the bill's provisions on storage and allowing survivors to track their case help to eliminate potential biases, and make law enforcement accountable, transparent and consistent  with an end goal of increasing survivors' faith in the system.

"Anytime a victim can track whats going on with their kit, it allows them an opportunity to be empowered and also to understand that the system is actually moving forward," she said. "Theres not a mystery about whats going on."

The bill does not yet have a fiscal note, but O'Neill said Thursday that one should be completed within one or two days. More testing and storage means the state would need to add more staff at its crime lab. The bill is making its way to the House Ways and Means committee.

Dubbing Tuesday Survivor Advocacy Day, the public safety committee passed three additional bills regarding sexual assault investigation and victims services: House File 3218 requiring alleged sexual misconduct by peace officers be investigated, House File 3070 increasing penalties for human traffickers and House File 464 funding rehabilitative services for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Many of the legislators and advocates wore teal, the color for sexual violence awareness. HF 3218 prime sponsor Rep. Kelly Moller, D-Shoreview, said at Tuesday's committee hearing that working against sexual violence is not a partisan issue.

"Today, were not red. Were not blue," she said. "Were teal."
Iran's Khamenei Calls For Large Turnout in Upcoming Elections to Hinder US's 'Evil Intentions'

Sputnik News

13:32 GMT 18.02.2020

Iran's upcoming legislative elections, which are set for 21 February, have previously been slammed by some members of the opposition and US officials as fictitious, something Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was eager to denounce.

Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called on the nation's citizens to participate in upcoming parliamentary elections despite America's and Israel's "evil intentions" and Washington's alleged pressure to divide the Iranian people from the government.

"These elections are the response to the chicanery and deception of Iran's enemies", Khamenei said on Tuesday during a meeting devoted to the anniversary of the 1978 Tabriz uprising, as quoted by PressTV.

The supreme leader of Iran also recalled how millions of people took to the streets across the country to celebrate the 41st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution last week, as well as earlier to mourn the death of General Qasem Soleimani, insisting that the same kind of turnout should be expected on 21 February.

"The same thing should happen in the elections, meaning that the enemies should see for themselves that, in spite of their persistence in attempting to drive a wedge between the people and the establishment, people receive the elections well, which is reason for pride for the Islamic establishment", Khamenei stated..

He went on to say that the parliamentary elections would be watched closely by Iran's enemies, who were trying too hard to exert economic pressure on Iran's population.

Khamenei's remarks follow comments by US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook, as well as some representatives of the Iranian opposition that the 21 February elections would be nothing but a "sham". Khamenei didn't mince words during the gathering, denouncing "the first-class idiots in the US" for saying "nonsense" about Iran.

The Iranian government has faced strong criticism by protesters, who took to the capital's streets after Tehran admitted to mistakenly shooting down a Ukrainian plane in January. Donald Trump later revealed that he and his administration were watching the protests "closely" and expressed his support for the demonstrators in January.

The 21 February election will see the 290-seat Islamic Consultative Assembly being occupied by 285 directly elected members from 196 Iranian constituencies. The interim elections for Iran's Assembly of Experts will also be held on the same day.



A Sputnik

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NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pawar Law Group announces that a class action lawsuit on behalf of shareholders who purchased shares of Qudian Inc. (NYSE: QD) from December 13, 2018 through January 15, 2020, inclusive (the Class Period). The lawsuit seeks to recover damages for Qudian Inc. investors under the federal securities laws.



A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than March 23, 2020. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

To express an interest in the class action, go here or call Vik Pawar, Esq. toll-free at 888-589-9804 or email info@pawarlawgroup.com for information on the class action.

According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) regulatory developments in China threatened to negatively impact Qudians fiscal full year 2019 (FY19) financial results; (2) Qudians business was unprepared to mitigate the risks associated with these regulatory changes; (3) as a result, Qudians loan portfolio was plagued by growing delinquency rates; (4) all of the foregoing made Qudians repeated assertions concerning its FY19 financial guidance unrealistic; and (5) as a result of the foregoing, defendants statements about its business and operations were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

No class has been certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you hire one. You may hire counsel of your choice. You may also do nothing at this time and be an absent member of the class. Your ability to share in any future recovery is not dependent upon being a lead plaintiff. Attorney advertising.

Pawar Law Group represents investors from around the world.

-------------------------------


By Park Jae-hyuk



The gap in earnings between large and small credit card firms widened in 2019, as the latter was hit harder by the government policy to cut transaction fees to alleviate the burden on small business owners, according to analysts, Monday.



Last year, Shinhan, Samsung and KB Kookmin managed to post solid earnings as before.



In contrast, Woori and Hana suffered worsening profits, because of the unfavorable policy.



Given the smaller card firms have relied heavily on profits from transaction fees, unlike larger ones that have minimized their revenue losses through business diversification, analysts expect the "income gap" to become wider among the domestic card issuers.



"Due to tightened government regulations, the nation's card industry will be reorganized, giving large companies more controls over the market," Shinhan Investment analyst Kim Soo-hyun said.



Business bellwether Shinhan Card, for example, has made efforts to earn more from leasing and installment financing to offset declining profitability.



As a result, it posted a 508.8 billion won ($430 million) net profit last year, only a 2 percent decline from 519.4 billion won in2018.



Samsung Card posted a 344.1 billion won net profit, down 0.3 percent year-on-year.



Its 2019 earnings were initially expected to be sluggish, because its long-term partner Costco formed a new exclusive partnership with Hyundai Card.



The credit card arm of Samsung Group, however, offset its revenue loss by joining hands with E-mart, a domestic discount chain that also runs its own warehouse store, Traders.



KB Kookmin Card became the only card firm that showed a growth in net income last year.



Its net income grew 10.4 percent to 316.6 billion won in 2019.



KB Financial Group said interest income from its installment financing business and its efforts to cut costs resulted in the strong earnings of its credit card unit.



Hyundai Card, another major card firm that will announce its 2019 earnings in April, is also assumed to have performed well last year.



Its accumulated net income during the first three quarters of 2019 was 151.8 billion won, up 18.7 percent from a year earlier.



Smaller firms, on the other hands, suffered rapid declines.



Hana Card, which has shown higher dependence on transaction fees, posted 56.3 billion won in net profit, suffering a 47.2 percent decline year-on-year.



The net income of Woori Card dropped 10 percent to 114.2 billion won.



Lotte Card, another small credit card firm that will announce its 2019 earnings in March, is also assumed to have faced sluggish earnings, because it has relied heavily on profits from transaction fees.



Its accumulated net income during the first three quarters of 2019 was 41 billion won, down 40.7 percent from a year earlier.



The card firm turned a loss during the third quarter of last year, immediately after it was sold to MBK Partners from Lotte Group.



Back then, it attributed the loss to compensation paid to its employees and the disposal of its overseas assets.


SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ColorCoat, Inc., the largest exterior coatings applicator serving the U.S. window and door industry, announced today an investment in the company from Vopne Capital, a Bay Area-based private equity firm.

ColorCoat, founded in 2003, specializes in applying coatings for vinyl window and door manufacturers at its nine facilities located across the U.S. Jim Bloom, Managing Partner of Vopne, stated, "ColorCoat is the trusted partner to the leading window and door manufacturers in North America. The company has maintained the highest standards of quality and customer service while growing from a single facility to a nationwide operation over the past 17 years. We are enthusiastic about partnering with the ColorCoat team to invest in the growth and continued success of the business."

"This is a hugely positive step for our company," said ColorCoat co-founder Mario Bekeris. "Vopne shares our commitment to providing excellent customer service and product quality, and they bring capital to help us continue our expansion."

ColorCoat President David Whisenhunt added, "We are enthusiastic about Vopne joining the ColorCoat team and are excited about this new chapter for our company. Our partnership with Vopne allows ColorCoat to further invest in our people, systems, and plant locations while continuing to provide exceptional quality and service to our customers."

About ColorCoat, Inc.

ColorCoat, Inc., founded in 2003, is a third-party coatings applicator based in West Sacramento, CA. ColorCoat provides services nationwide to window and door manufacturers in nine facilities throughout the U.S. For more information, visit www.colorcoatinc.com.

About Vopne Capital

Vopne Capital is a Bay Area-based private equity firm investing in growing, profitable companies in the lower middle market. Vopne undertakes investments, recapitalizations and acquisitions of manufacturing and industrial services companies with experienced management teams, engineered and differentiated products, and a focus on providing the highest quality products and customer service. Vopne is currently investing its second fund, Vopne Fund II, LP. For more information, visit www.vopne.com.

Contact: David Whisenhunt

ColorCoat, Inc.

(916) 371-4000

SOURCE Vopne Capital

Related Links

http://vopne.com


Georgia Love was given a health scare while holidaying in Bali on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old former Bachelorette was heading out to dinner during her holiday when she was forced to stop and have her temperature checked for the coronavirus.

Dressed casually in a pair of coral-coloured shorts and a white frilly sleeveless top, Georgia was prompted to stop in front of a table covered with a clinical blue cloth.

Checking in: Georgia Love was given a health scare while holidaying in Bali on Tuesday, when she was forced to stop and have her temperature checked for the coronavirus

A woman, most likely a nurse, then held a device up to the former reality star's forehead to check her temperature for a fever, one of the tell-tale signs of the virus.

Clearly not taking any risks, the woman was dressed in a blue medical uniform with a lime green surgical mask covering the bottom half of her face.

After checking the device, the woman then turned it to show Georgia, giving her a small nod to indicate that she was fine.

In the clear: After checking the device, the woman then turned it to show Georgia, giving her a small nod to indicate that she was fine

The nervous TV journalist looked visibly relieved, as she gave the woman a small appreciative nod in return.

'Pre dinner coronavirus temperature check (spoiler alert: I passed),' she captioned a video of herself being checked, which was posted to her Instagram Stories.

Georgia is a frequent visitor to Bali, having also visited the popular holiday destination in August last year.

'Pre dinner coronavirus temperature check (spoiler alert: I passed),' she captioned a video of herself being checked, which was posted to her Instagram Stories

But her visit this year took on a more serious tone, with the deadly coronavirus instilling fear in people throughout the world.

On Wednesday, it was reported more than 2000 people had died from the highly contagious virus, with over 75,000 infected.

The disease originated in China's Wuhan back in December, with bats believed to be the original carrier.
CLEVELAND, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- University Hospitals (UH) has appointed Alejandro Rivas, M.D., to be Division Chief of Otology/Neurotology in the UH Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

He joins UH on June 1, 2020 from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., where he is Director of Endoscopic Ear Surgery

Nicole Maronian, MD, Chair, UH Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, said, "Dr. Rivas is one of the foremost pioneers of endoscopic ear surgery in the world. Dr. Rivas has performed and taught endoscopic ear surgery and cochlear implant surgical approaches across the globe, including Colombia, Italy, Argentina, Japan, and Australia. This type of surgery results in less invasive procedures for patients with chronic ear disease. He is an excellent addition to our department and will allow us to deliver state of the art care across the spectrum from pediatrics through seniors."

Dr Rivas' extensive experience in cochlear implantation, treatment of single-sided deafness, congenital aural atresia, bone conduction implantation, acoustic neuromas and other skull base surgeries will further expand opportunities for patients with the most comprehensive otologic care in the region.

"His research portfolio will bring new clinical trials to UH along with CME and simulation courses with invited national and international faculty," said Dr. Maronian. "He will be joining our talented division which includes Dr. Sarah Mowry, Dr. Cliff Megerian, Lindsey Means, CNP, Era Fedak CNP, and Gail Murray PhD Aud. Dr. Nauman Manzoor, will be returning to NE Ohio, also from Vanderbilt University, to further expand our neurotology team."

His research endeavors in endoscopic ear surgery and hearing loss target the use of less invasive and less morbid management options in order to improve auditory outcomes for hearing-impaired patients. On this subject he has contributed more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters; and has edited several books.

Dr. Rivas is a Fellow of the American Neurotology Society, American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, and Triological Society. He also serves as a reviewer for a number of academic journals and is the general secretary of the Iberoamerican Cochlear Implant Group (GICCA). He is also a board member of the International Working Group on Endoscopic Ear Surgery (IWGEES).

Most recently, Dr. Rivas received the Honor Award in 2018 for distinguished service from the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Foundation and in July 2020 he will be inducted as member of the Collegium Oto-Rhino-Laryngologicum Amicitiae Sacrum, one of the highest honors in Otolaryngology.

He earned his medical degree from the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, School of Medicine in his hometown of Bogota, Colombia. He completed a research fellowship and his residency in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at John Hopkins University in Maryland, and subsequently finished an ACGME accredited Neurotology fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

About University Hospitals / Cleveland, Ohio

Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 18 hospitals, more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system's flagship academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, located in Cleveland's University Circle, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The main campus also includes University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children's hospitals in the nation; University Hospitals MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, a high-volume national referral center for complex cardiovascular procedures; and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, transplantation and urology. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including "America's Best Hospitals" from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals - part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with 28,000 physicians and employees. Advancing the Science of Health and the Art of Compassion is UH's vision for benefitting its patients into the future, and the organization's unwavering mission is To Heal. To Teach. To Discover. Follow UH on LinkedIn, Facebook @UniversityHospitals and Twitter @UHhospitals. For more information, visit UHhospitals.org.

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.

SOURCE University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

Related Links

http://www.uhhospitals.org


State-owned Hemisphere Properties India Ltd's board has approved issuance of shares to Tata Communications under an agreement between them in connection with transfer of surplus land during the disinvestment of erstwhile VSNL in 2002.

Hemisphere Properties India is a special purpose vehicle and custodian of 773.13 acre land that was owned by then state-owned telecom firm VSNL.

"HPIL at its board meeting held on February 18, 2020 has approved allotment and issue of shares to the shareholders of the company as on record date, September 18, 2018, as defined in the scheme in the ratio of 1:1," Tata Communications said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday.

In February 2002, the government sold majority stake in VSNL, now known as Tata Communications.

At the time of disinvestment, VSNL's 773.13-acre of surplus land in four cities -- Pune, Kolkata, New Delhi and Chennai -- was kept out of the disinvestment process. These land parcels were then transferred to HPIL.

VSNL had a total of 1,230.13 acres of land.

In 2005, HPIL was set up under the telecom ministry to execute the transaction related to the surplus VSNL land.

Under the proposed scheme, HPIL had to issue fully paid-up equity to shareholders of Tata Communication in the ratio of 1:1. This issuance has now been approved by the HPIL board.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP via Getty Images

Oil climbed to the highest level this month as sanctions on Rosneft Trading and escalating tensions in Libya threatened global crude supply.

Futures rose as much 2.5% in New York on Wednesday. The U.S. sanctioned a unit of Russias Rosneft PJSC for maintaining ties with Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro and the state-run oil company, putting Venezuelas ability to export crude in jeopardy. Meanwhile, cease-fire talks were suspended in Libya after the capitals port was shelled by forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Haftar, who has forced a blockade of the countrys exports.
A father who torched his estranged wife's car with their three children inside escaped the inferno and stabbed himself to death as he watched his kids die.

Rowan Charles Baxter's three children, Aaliyah, six, Laianah, four, and Trey, three, all died when the family's white SUV was set alight at Camp Hill, in Brisbane's south east, at about 8.20am on Wednesday.

Hannah Baxter, the children's mother, 31, died late on Wednesday night from horrific burns. She had leaped out of the Kia Sportage in flames and was extinguished by neighbours before being rushed to hospital.

Baxter, a 42-year-old former NRL player, jumped in the car as Ms Baxter strapped the children in to do the school drop off while parked down the road from her parents' home.

Aaron Snell, a neighbour who witnessed the horror said he initially thought he was watching a road rage attack before he realised the gravity of the situation.

By the time he reacted, Ms Baxter had escaped from the car and was rolling on the footpath in an attempt to smother the flames. A Good Samaritan was also trying to hose her down to stop the fire.

Witnesses said they heard her shouting 'he's poured petrol on me' at the time.

Baxter was also still alive.

Inferno family: Hannah and Rowan Baxter, with their three children (from left to right) Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey, 3

Baxter flooded his Facebook site with photos and videos of his children, describing them as 'my world' - but is now suspected of killing them in a murder-suicide

Pictured: Rowan and Hannah Baxter. Hannah died in hospital suffering serious burns after Rowan torched the car she was in with their children

The Baxters separated last year and the business they ran - Integr8 Fitness - reportedly closed its doors at the end of 2019

The blaze occurred in Camp Hill, described as an upmarket, family-oriented suburb in Brisbane's east

BRISBANE MURDER-SUICIDE: HOW COWARDLY RAMPAGE UNFOLDED JANUARY, 2020 Queensland Police officers are called to a family violence incident that allegedly involved the couple. WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 19 - EARLY MORNING: Rowan Charles Baxter, 42, is spotted filling a jerry can with fuel at a local service station. 8.20AM: Baxter dives into his estranged wife Hannah Clarke's white Kia Sportage as she was preparing to do the school drop off on Raven Street, Camp Hill, a wealthy suburb of Brisbane. He douses Ms Clarke, 31, and their three children - Aaliyah, six, Laianah, four, and Trey, three - in petrol and sets the car alight. Neighbours hear an explosion which sounded like a 'gas bottle' blast. At least four explosions followed. Baxter grabs a knife from the SUV and stabs himself in the chest. He tries to stop neighbours from saving his wife and children before dying in the street. Ms Clarke escapes the burning car and screams: 'He's poured petrol on me.' Horrified witnesses see her skin peeling off her body. One heroic neighbour hoses her down in an attempt to save her life and suffers burns himself. She is rushed to Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a critical condition. WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Ms Clarke dies in hospital from the horrendous burns she suffered in the quadruple murder suicide. Advertisement

He was across the road, but returned to the car to salvage a knife. He then stabbed himself in the chest, Mr Snell said.

Mr Snell, who is trained in CPR, said he was trying to assess whether he could perform it on Baxter because he was 'just in all matter of states,' he told The Courier Mail.

'As I came to the front after calling Triple-0, I saw her (Hannah). She was smoking, her body was smoking and on fire,' Mr Snell said.

By this point, others were on the scene and trying to put out the fire in an attempt to save the children, who were still trapped inside.

Mr Snell believes Baxter attempted to stop them helping his children in his final moments.

'He was so angry and just going absolutely crazy. It appeared like he wanted [the car] to burn,' he said.

Queensland Police officers were called to a family violence incident allegedly involving the couple just last month

Baxter described himself as an accomplished body weight trainer, while his wife said she 'was an enthusiastic, passionate mother of three'

Burned-out wreck: Rowan Charles Baxter, 42, and his three children, Aaliyah, six, Laianah, four, and Trey, three, all died when the family's white SUV was set alight at Camp Hill

Baxter, an ex-New Zealand Warriors player, stabbed himself with a knife during the horrific attack on his family.

The couple had recently separated and shut down the business they ran together, Integr8 Fitness, based at Capalaba.

The car blaze occurred just metres from Hannah's parents' house.

In recent months, Baxter flooded his Facebook site with photos and videos of his children, describing them as 'my world'.

'T-R-E-Y, love you to the moon and back,' he posted six days ago.

'Goodnight my babies, Daddy loves you,' he posted a month ago.

A police photographer is pictured at the Baxter home in the neighbouring suburb of Carindale following the horrific inferno in Camp Hill

A policeman is pictured at the brick-and-tile Carindale residence where the father and his family had lives. A friend described the Baxters as a 'beautiful family'

Bodies were seen being loaded into the back of a funeral van on Wednesday afternoon, the family's burnt-out Kia Sportage can be seen in the background being examined by police

On December 30, Baxter posted a photo of his three children saying 'I miss you all' .

Friends were worried.

Weightlifting friend Joey Abraham wrote to Baxter four days ago: 'Chin up brother everything will work out just hang in there my bro.

'A lot of people care about you and the situation you're facing.'

A reeling Mr Abraham told Daily Mail Australia after the incident: 'Rowan was in a real bad place there for a bit because of the separation.

'If you knew Rowan when he at his best and to see him like last week then you know how far he'd fallen.

'T-R-E-Y, love you to the moon in back', Rowan Baxter wrote - before he was suspected of killing his children and himself. A friend, Joey Abraham, told him 'chin up, everything will work out'

Baxter's New Years' Day post: The killer dad brought in the new year with this post of his children in the shallows. 'Goodnight ratbags always in my heart,' it was captioned

A weightlifting friend said Baxter 'was in a real bad place' because of the separation from his wife

Sporting past: Rowan Baxter, right, during a New Zealand national premiership match in 2008, with Kelvin Wright and Anthony Swans. He also played for the NZ Warriors in the NRL

The family business: Rowan Baxter, Hannah Baxter and their three children pose in front of the company logo

Fitness coach: Mum Hannah Baxter managed to clamber out of her SUV but later died of her injuries in hospital. Above, she holds her son Trey in a beach snap

Wreckage: This is the white Kia Sportage SUV that went up in flames in Camp Hill, in Brisbane's south east, at about 8.20am on Wednesday

'He was just a shadow of the person he used to be.

'It's just unbelievable that he could do this.

'They were beautiful kids, they were a beautiful family.'

Queensland Police officers were called to a family violence incident that allegedly involved the couple just last month, The Courier-Mail reported.

But the family were not involved in any Family Court or Federal Circuit Court proceedings.

Rowan Baxter's business website described him as an accomplished body weight trainer for NRL and AFL rugby league teams.

Social media photos showed Baxter training with Brisbane Broncos staff and posing with WWE's The Undertaker and All Black Nathan Harris.

Meanwhile, Ms Baxter described herself as 'an enthusiastic, passionate mother of three'.

She proudly told how she trained through each of her pregnancies and has won gold and silver medals for trampolining at international events.

For 24/7 confidential support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14

Ms Baxter proudly told how she trained through each of her pregnancies and had won medals at international trampolining events

A devastated woman, Jemimah Black, lays flowers at the scene of the inferno

Brisbane's Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner rests a teddy bear at a growing vigil in Camp Hill
P.E.I. Emergency Measures Organization says it's keeping a close watch over rail disruptions across the country.

In British Columbia some Indigenous protestors and sympathizers have shut down a key rail line in Northern B.C. because they oppose the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline on the grounds that it would run through the hereditary land of the Wet'suwet'en people.

Another group has blockaded another key rail line near Belleville, Ont., in solidarity with the B.C. protest.

Those actions have broken the supply chains for manufacturers, who rely on rail service to bring in parts and components but also to ship out finished products to customers.

In a statement emailed to CBC News on Tuesday, the P.E.I. Emergency Measures Organization said it was discussing the situation with provincial departments to understand the degree of potential commodity disruptions including propane.

Superior Propane CEO Greg McCamus said the company will begin to curtail deliveries to non-essential customers, in a statement emailed to CBC News.

McCamus said some customers can expect service disruptions in the coming days.

"We are working to increase propane transportation by road in order to continue meeting the needs of our customers but if the rail shutdown continues, Superior and other propane companies will soon be unable to keep up with demand given reduced rail capacity," he said.

Brian McInnis/CBC

Reliance on rail

Propane is not the only industry experiencing disruptions.

Island exporters are also starting to look at alternative means of distribution should the rail shutdown continue.

Truck transportation can be challenging at best of times.  Greg Donald, P.E.I. Potato Board

P.E.I. Potato Board General Manager Greg Donald said the board is starting to hear concerns from local producers about the movement of seed potatoes between eastern and western Canada.

"That would be really important, that they get to where they're needed in time for planting season," Donald said.

Story continues

In addition to the short-term problem of moving seed potatoes and other planting season essentials like fertilizers, he said having to find alternative ways to ship goods across the country could be a long-term obstacle.

"Truck transportation can be challenging at best of times," Donald said.

The infrastructure shutdowns are a result of some of the many demonstrations occurring across the country backing the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs.

In P.E.I., demonstrations happened at Province House on Saturday and on the P.E.I. side of the Confederation Bridge on Sunday and Monday.

More from CBC P.E.I.
Allison Laurence, a health and physical education teacher who helped set up the Legacy Center at Pinelands Regional Junior High School, folds donated items available for people that need them at the school in Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J. Read more

A South Jersey school has eliminated a reason for some students not to come to school: that they dont have anything to wear.

Pinelands Regional Junior High School in Little Egg Harbor Township has a laundry on campus for students unable to wash their clothes at home. Students drop off their dirty laundry in the morning and school officials wash, fold, and return it the next day.

The Legacy Center opened in November and is also available twice a month to residents, said principal Eric Pschorr. Although the median household income for the district is about $66,000, the area was devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the economic downturn in Atlantic City, Pschorr said. The center fills a desperate need in the Ocean County community of about 21,000, Pschorr said.

Theyre coming in with bags of clothes, he said.

Located in a wing of the school, which enrolls about 550 seventh and eighth graders, the center is meticulously organized, with clothes on hangers or neatly folded. A row of cabinets is lined with toiletries. There also are a food pantry and a refrigerator stocked mostly with pizza and rolls.

The washers are in a former darkroom, while the dryers are across the hall in a former office, which has a collection of free books that visitors can take. There is also an area where students, who may be homeless, can freshen up and wash their hair.

 READ MORE: Thanks to a school custodian, Ambler students are getting the homework help they need

Its modeled after a center created in 2018 by Akbar Cook, principal at Newarks West Side High School, who noticed some students were skipping school because they were bullied for wearing dirty clothes. He converted an old locker room into a laundry room.

Cooks story went viral, and donations of laundry supplies poured into his school. He caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey, who made a $500,000 contribution during a visit. Cook also appeared on Ellen DeGeneres show, and she donated $50,000.

The Social Conscience Project, a newly formed nonprofit inspired by Cook, has since launched two centers in East Orange and Little Egg Harbor Township schools. A fourth is scheduled to open in March in Asbury Park, and a fifth there in September.

The idea is to give all students a level playing field, said Michael Levine, the projects executive director. The project, composed of volunteers, raised about $10,000 to purchase the appliances for each center, he said. Plans call for at least five more centers in underserved districts in the state.

Like the other centers, the Pinelands Regional facility has a Dress for Success wardrobe available for parents returning to work. There are also two computers, where they can work on resumes or compile employment applications.

Three teachers help operate the center with assistance from students, who sort clothing donations and learn life skills.

So far, the center has fulfilled about 50 requests for laundry services, toiletries, and food, said Daniel Grasso, a social studies teacher. The center is open to the community after school on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, he said.

On a recent morning, a student came in to get a new book. Another ripped her pants in gym class and got a new pair. Teachers say students wearing sneakers that are too small have gotten new ones.

We love being teachers, but we are constantly in this room because it gives us such joy, said English teacher Cathy Schaffer.

Schools in Camden and Philadelphia have washers and dryers to help needy students, too.

Almost every school in Camden has a washer and dryer, said Superintendent Katrina McCombs. More than half of the children in New Jerseys poorest city of almost 74,000 live in poverty.

Weve got to do what we can, McCombs said. Some students, self-conscious about their appearance, may skip school to avoid bullying or teasing, she said.

 READ MORE: Amid changing educational landscape, Camdens eighth graders are weighing high school options

In Philadelphia, the Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School installed a washer and dryer about a year after opening in 1999, said founder Veronica Joyner. Staff wash students uniforms or send laundry detergent and tokens home for families without access to laundry services, she said.

The school, which enrolls more than 1,000 students in grades first through 12th, has a room filled with clothing to dress students from head to toe, Joyner said. She will even help with fresh hairdos.

Im just very determined to see that these children are learning and pulling themselves out of poverty, Joyner said. I want them to look good and be proud.
Rep. Heo Yun-jung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea smiles during an interview with The Korea Times at her office in the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul









By Jung Da-min







The government needs to monitor English media on epidemics with greater scrutiny, including the current 2019-nCoV (COVID-19) outbreak, as it reflects the government's actions to the world, which could have diplomatic, economic and social influence in the globalized era, a health expert-turned-lawmaker has said.







Thus the government should offer accurate information through trusted media channels that target foreigners here or abroad, to prevent false information from spreading, she said.







"As today's world is one market, South Korea's issue is not merely a domestic issue but a global issue. The government should pay particular attention how foreign media and domestic media targeting foreigners report our country's issue to the world," Rep. Heo Yun-jung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said during an interview with The Korea Times at her office in the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday.







"The current monitoring systems of government departments for such English-language media, however, seem very weak. The government is urged to improve it so that it could give detailed feedback to their reports through thorough monitoring."







Heo was a health professor who held expert member positions with the government and the ruling party and headed the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Research Institute under the government-run Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. She recently became an Assembly member of the DPK after succeeding a proportional representative seat from Kim Sung-soo, who resigned to join Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun's office as his chief secretary.







The lawmaker also said the government and media should pay more attention to foreigners living in the country as their numbers are growing, so as not to create discrimination towards them.







"The issue of an epidemic has a strong social impact. If we show sensible responses when overcoming an epidemic, it could have positive effects on our diplomatic relations with foreign countries as they would think we can be trusted," Heo said. "In that way, how to respond to an epidemic has diplomatic, socio-economic and cultural effects."







She also stressed the need to prevent the spreading of false information and fake news, which would render quarantine efforts difficult.







Rumors and false information on the COVID-19 have been creating social turmoil here. False information relating to where coronavirus patients had visited spreads quickly through social media channels, resulting in a drop in the number of visitors to the places and financial losses to businesses in those locations. Incorrect information has stigmatized all people from China, where the virus originated.







"The spread of fake news is as deadly as the spread of the virus itself as it threatens the safety of people in that it could put the stigma on those infected with the virus, making them reluctant to reveal their illness and thus reduce the effect of quarantine efforts," Heo said.







"Anyone could come down with viruses like anyone could catch a cold, and it is not a crime or sin. But when false information stigmatizes the patients and makes them hide their condition, it could threaten the safety of all people."







Heo said the fundamental solution to end false information on the virus epidemic is the government winning people's trust by offering correct information through trusted channels, and said, in that respect, the Korean government's dealing with the COVID-19 has been efficient so far, being highly recognized by the international community as seen through the good ratings given by the World Health Organization or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.







After the government raised the infectious disease alert level by one notch from the second "yellow" to the third "orange" level on the four-tier system and set an emergency headquarters led by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in late January, it has been holding meetings and briefings every day to offer updated information on the virus to people.


Patel says points-based system will cut businesses reliance on cheap labour

Businesses will be forced to end their reliance on cheap low-skilled migrants and recruit more British workers under a new points-based immigration system, the Government will announce on Wednesday. Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, will introduce new laws next month aimed at limiting migration to skilled workers from the EU and rest of the world who have a job offer, speak English and command a salary of 25,600 a year or more. Ministers claim it will lead to a significant reduction in migration with advisors saying up to 70 per cent of EU workers allowed into the UK since 2004 would not have qualified under the points system. Businesses can no longer rely on cheap migrant labour to do low-skill work as has been the case for the last 20 to 30 years, said a Government source.  Daily Telegraph

Outline of points system unveiled  The Sun

UK to close door to non-English speakers and unskilled workers  The Guardian

Brexit visa changes to hit sectors in need of low-skilled labour  FT

Labour:

Shadow Home Secretary sparks Twitter row on immigration comments  Daily Express

David Goodhart: At last, this is what we voted for

The post-Brexit shake-up to Britains immigration system, unveiled today by Priti Patel, should be welcomed on the grounds of politics, economics  and general fairness. I would go further. This new, points-based labour migration policy represents the re-establishment of a national social contract with the British workforce  a contract that was ripped up when we adopted an open-door policy to EU migrants. The Governments new system is much fairer because it works on merit, not nationality. We will no longer be forced to discriminate against a migrant from, say, New Zealand, over a Slovenian who enjoys an unambiguous right to come here. The new approach is democratically appropriate, too. It was for this sort of policy that many voted in the Brexit referendum of 2016, a sentiment that also may have swept Boris Johnson to his landslide election victory.  Daily Mail

We cautiously welcome Patels commonsense plan for immigration  The Sun

EU nations prepare tougher conditions on Brexit trade talks

EU nations are preparing to toughen the conditions they will attach to any tariff-free trade deal with the UK, reinforcing demands from Brussels on regulatory alignment and access to fishing waters that Britain has already rejected. But even as national ambassadors prepare to review the EUs draft negotiating mandate in a meeting on Wednesday, Britain is advancing a clear vision of what it wants from the trade talks. The UKs position under Boris Johnson is in stark contrast to that of his predecessor Theresa May, whose premiership was plagued by her inability to rally her party behind a shared vision of Brexit. Now, Britain says, it is the EU that is being inconsistent in its demands.  FT

Frost insists Britain will not budge on escaping EU rules  The Sun

Barnier rejects UK call for Canada-style trade deal  The Guardian

More:

Fears raised that EU will back Greece over return of Elgin Marbles  Daily Telegraph

EU to seek UK promise on fighting illegal trade in historical objects  FT

France dangles no deal Brexit threat ahead of crunch talks  Daily Express

>Today: ToryDiary: The Johnson adviser with the most power

>Yesterday:

Johnson accused of hampering flood recovery effort

Boris Johnson has been accused of hampering the recovery effort from the worst winter storms in a generation as flooded towns were evacuated and parts of Wales were braced for more downpours. MPs and council leaders in flood-stricken areas said the governments refusal to call an emergency Cobra meeting had obstructed the response in some towns and delayed the release of vital funds to recover from Storms Ciara and Dennis. Holly Lynch, the Labour MP for Halifax, said that more than 1,000 homes, businesses and schools had been damaged by the hurricane-force winds and flooding last week yet there had been no support from government beyond the Bellwin scheme, which reimburses some of the costs faced by local authorities.  The Guardian

We need dams not trees to protect villages, say scientists  The Times

>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Cameron noted the Environment Agencys flawed approach to flooding. But the problem has still not been dealt with.

Senior Tories speak out against cutting pensions tax relief

Cutting pensions tax relief for higher earners will make the Tories look like socialists and hit nearly four million people, senior Conservatives have warned. Boris Johnson will meet Rishi Sunak, his new chancellor, today for their first detailed discussions on plans for the budget on March 11. The Treasury has drawn up plans to cut the rate of relief for higher earners from 40 per cent to 20 per cent in a move that would raise 10 billion a year. They are also expected to discuss plans to loosen the governments fiscal rules to enable more public spending. Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, warned that targeting pensions tax relief would be a tax on aspiration.  The Times

Millions set to lose up to 2,500 a year if Treasury goes ahead  Daily Telegraph

Budget will happen on March 11  The Sun

>Today: Ryan Bournes column: The real Budget question on borrowing is not could we? but should we?

as Sunak grapples with the Governments manifesto pledges

Rishi Sunak, the new chancellor, has confirmed that the Budget will go ahead as planned on March 11, shutting down speculation that it would be delayed. The question now is whether Mr Sunak will diverge from his predecessor Sajid Javids strict fiscal rules in order to meet Number 10s demands to open the spending taps. Economists warn that Mr Sunak will find it difficult to rewrite the rules in a way that allows for any significant increase in spending  unless he also ditches the governments manifesto pledges. Under Mr Javids rules, the government has ample room to spend more on infrastructure without hitting a cap on investment of 3 per cent of gross domestic product. But unless the chancellor raises taxes or makes cuts elsewhere, he has virtually no room to raise day-to-day spending without breaking a pledge to balance the current budget by 2023.  FT

Chancellor urged to legislate to protect cash  FT

Johnson bounce as employment hits record high  The Sun

Comment:

Dont let lazy assumptions about the Red Wall lead the Government astray  Madeline Grant, Daily Telegraph

We should cherish DfID, not scrap it  Andrew Mitchell MP, Daily Telegraph

Editorial:

Sunak should resist the temptation to launch a fresh raid on pensions  The Times

Resignation of No 10 adviser puts focus on Johnsons governance

Thank God was how one senior British government official described the news that Andrew Sabisky, the self-proclaimed superforecaster with a history of deeply controversial views, had opted to leave Downing Street. Mr Sabisky had signalled his apparent support of eugenics, questioned whether black people had lower IQs and suggested that universal contraception might be a way to prevent the existence of a permanent underclass. In a resignation tweet, he said the media hysteria about his old stuff online had become a distraction for the government. His abrupt exit, after just a few days in Number 10, has raised questions about Boris Johnsons approach to governing  particularly the influence of Dominic Cummings, the prime ministers most important adviser who has vowed to shake up the centre of power by hiring weirdos and misfits.  FT

Eugenics row adviser Sabisky was not vetted  The Times

>Today: Nadhim Zahawi in Comment: In defence of Cummings. Hes focused on delivering for those we serve. Isnt that for the best?

>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Beware the Eye of Johnson

Heappey urges military to think outside the box

The military should come up with quirky ideas such as plankton-powered rubber duck bombs to develop the next generation of defence technology, the armed forces minister has said. James Heappey told senior personnel yesterday that they should not be afraid to think the ridiculous. Speaking in London at the inaugural conference of the cross-service strategic command, Mr Heappey suggested that the forces needed to move away from being like the Blockbuster video chain, focusing on physical platforms such as ships and jets, and be more like Netflix to concentrate on cybercapabilities. Special forces would move away from crawling through the ditch with their dagger in their teeth ready to plunge it into the heart of the enemy commander and instead plant malware in the heart of enemy servers, he said.  The Times

First woman ever passes brutal Paratrooper training  Daily Mail

UK to invest in making time hack-proof  The Times

China:

US delegation to urge Downing Street to change course on Huawei  Daily Telegraph

Trump chief of staff to meet Cummings  The Guardian

Murray quits as adviser to Corbyn

One of Jeremy Corbyns most influential advisers has resigned in a sign of the internal changes facing the Labour party ahead of the conclusion of its leadership contest in April. Andrew Murray, who has advised the Labour leader on a part-time basis since February 2018, stepped down on Tuesday. Alongside his role with the party, he is also chief of staff at the Unite trade union. He will return full-time to that role. As one of the four Ms advising the leader  along with union leader Len McCluskey, communications director Seumas Milne and chief of staff Karie Murphy  Mr Murray has exerted significant influence over the party. He was praised by one colleague as an experienced leader who brought skills to an often inexperienced team.  FT

Setback for Long-Bailey as Labour members appear to be abandoning the hard left  Daily Express

Khan urges EU to offer Britons associate citizenship

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has implored EU negotiators during a visit to Brussels to offer free movement for Britons through associate citizenship, as the next best thing to membership. With the backing of the former prime minister of Belgium Guy Verhofstadt, Khan called for the idea to be at the the heart of the negotiations over the future relationship. Khan said that rejoining the EU was not foreseeable in the short to medium term but that associate citizenship of the bloc could be one way to make the best of Brexit. The idea had been first raised in late 2016 by Verhofstadt, who was then the European parliaments Brexit coordinator. The offer would include continued freedom of movement and residence around the bloc for those who wished to retain such rights.  The Guardian

>Today:

Steel could be expelled from the Liberal Democrats

Lord Steel is set to be the first politician singled out for censure by the national child sex abuse inquiry and faces expulsion from the Liberal Democrats, The Telegraph can reveal. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) is set to publish the conclusions of its investigation into allegations relating to Westminster next week, and the Telegraph has learned that it is set to castigate Lord Steel. Friends of the peer, one of the towering political figures of the 1970s and 1980s, fear he will be made a scapegoat over his admission that he failed to pass on his suspicions about Liberal MP Sir Cyril Smiths abuse of boys to the authorities.  Daily Telegraph

Alan Rusbridger: Abolishing the licence fee will only make Britain more divided

Within weeks of being told that the Johnson Government intends to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee  thereby (in the worst fears of BBC supporters) making it a voluntary payment  we were told that the licence fee itself would be abolished. We will whack it, was the mob-style threat attributed to a senior Government source. I think we can all guess who. There was some rowing back on that incendiary revelation this week when it was suggested that Boris Johnson and his consigliere Dominic Cummings are at odds on the issue but, if such a bold step were to be taken, it would spell the end of the BBC as we know it.  Daily Mail

No 10 is wrong to declare war on judges  Daniel Finkelstein, The Times

>Yesterday: James Fraynes column: The BBCs growing problem isnt public hostility. Its apathy. Fewer people see the point of it.

News in Brief:
Khanh Hoa is eligible to declare itself free of the Covid-19, while Thanh Hoa is speeding up procedures to announce the end of the coronavirus, stated Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chairs a regular Government meeting on February 17. Khanh Hoa is eligible to declare itself free of the Covid-19, while Thanh Hoa is speeding up procedures to announce the end of the coronavirus, stated Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen - PHOTO: TNO

Speaking at a regular Government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on February 17, Tuyen noted that the meeting of the National Steering Committee for Disease Prevention and Fighting on the morning of February 17 centered on a plan to announce the end of the coronavirus in some localities.

The committee has instructed the localities to conduct procedures for the declaration, the local media reported, citing Tuyen.

There have been no new cases of the Covid-19 in Khanh Hoa Province over the past 30 days, proving it is eligible to announce being free of the virus, Tuyen remarked.

Meanwhile, Thanh Hoa Province will be eligible within the next five days to declare it is free of the virus, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, he added.

Vietnam has yet to face any coronavirus infections among its medical workers and the country has seen some success in treating coronavirus-infected patients.

Among a total of 16 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Vietnam, including three in HCMC, one in Khanh Hoa, one in Thanh Hoa and 11 in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, seven patients have been discharged from hospital, while the remaining nine patients are undergoing treatment, showing multiple positive signs.

Addressing the meeting, PM Phuc lauded the health authorities and the competent agencies and localities for their efforts in the prevention and control of the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus as well as in the treatment of patients infected with Covid-19 and in bringing home Vietnamese citizens.

The prime minister also stated that Vietnams business climate and living environment are safe for residents, international tourists and foreign investors. SGT

Vietnam lengthens school closure to prevent COVID-19 spread The mandatory closing may be closed until the end of February or more depending on the evolution of the epidemic.
One-year-old boy recovered and discharged, 4 more COVID-19 cases confirmed

Five more cases of COVID-19 infection are fully recovered and have been discharged from hospital on Tuesday, February 18, including a one-year-old boy (case 76) who was confirmed earlier this week.

As of 12pm on February 18, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed four additional cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore. Of these, three are linked to the Grace Assembly of God and one is linked to a previous case.

This brings the total number of infection cases to 52. Most are stable or improving; four are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Photo courtesy: NCID

Case 78: A 57 year-old female Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China, and is linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God.

The woman reported onset of symptoms on February 9 and had sought treatment at two general practitioner (GP) clinics on February 10 and 17. She was conveyed to NCID on 17 February.

Prior to hospital admission, she had gone to work at a community hospital. She performs an administrative function at the community hospital, and had not interacted with patients since onset of symptoms. She stays at the Dairy Farm area.

Photo courtesy: Grace Assembly of God

Case 79: A 35 year-old female Malaysian national who is a Singapore Work Pass holder, and has no recent travel history to China. She is a family member of Case 72.

The woman reported onset of symptoms on February 12. As she had been identified as a close contact of Case 72, she was placed under home quarantine from February 15.

Before she was served a Quarantine Order, she had gone to work at FoodXchange @ Admiralty (8A Admiralty Street). Her job function at FoodXchange does not entail handling of food. She stays at Woodlands Crescent.

Case 80: A 38 year-old female Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. She was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on February 18, and is linked to Case 66. She works at NUH in an administrative function, and had not interacted with patients since onset of symptoms.

Case 81: A 50 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on February 18, and is linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God.
A man accused of cannibalizing his Grindr date in Michigan passed out in jail on Tuesday because he hadnt been eating, police say.

Mark Latunski, 50, was taken to a local hospital after he was found unresponsive in his jail cell just after 5 p.m., Michigan Live reported.

Mark Latunski, 50, is charged with open murder and mutilation of a human body, Michigan police say.

Latunski was breathing normally when a trooper responded to his cell, but officials had to use smelling salts to wake him up, according to WJRT.

Michigan State Police Special First Lt. David Kaiser said Latunski hadnt been eating.

It appears he has not been eating since he was lodged, Kaiser told the Detroit Free Press, adding that his food consumption had been down since Friday.

Latunski was accompanied by a trooper when he was taken by ambulance to an area hospital, WJRT reported. Hes since returned to jail.

On Dec. 28, police found the body of hairstylist Kevin Bacon, 25, in Latunskis home, McClatchy News previously reported. Bacon went missing after a Christmas Eve date with Latunski, who hed met on the dating app Grindr.

Police said they found Bacon hanging naked from the rafters by his ankles in Latunskis house. Latunski confessed to killing Bacon by stabbing him in the back then slicing his throat, also telling police hed cut off Bacons testicles with a knife before eating them, according to the report.

On Jan. 8, Latunskis attorney submitted an insanity defense, Michigan Live reported. A competency evaluation can take between 60 and 90 days, and court proceedings are on hold until the evaluation is complete.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 01:16:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. government announced on Tuesday that it had imposed sanctions against a subsidiary of Russian oil producer Rosneft and its president due to their alleged support for Venezuela in sanctions evasion.

The designated targets were Rosneft Trading S.A., a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled Rosneft Oil Company, and its President Didier Casimiro, according to a statement issued by the Department of the Treasury.

"Rosneft Trading S.A. and its president brokered the sale and transport of Venezuelan crude oil," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in the statement.

The statement noted that all property and interests in property of the blacklisted targets are blocked. Meanwhile, the Treasury also issued a general license that allows companies to wind down their transactions with Rosneft Trading S.A.

The United States has been pursuing a policy of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation against the Maduro government in support of opposition leader Juan Guaido.

The sanction came amid increasing competition between the United States and Russia over the Venezuela issue. U.S. President Donald Trump's reception of Guaido at the White House earlier this month was closely followed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to Venezuela.

"We have agreed on our path of future work, to deepen economic cooperation of investments in other areas, despite illegitimate sanctions," Lavrov said after meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Feb. 7.
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A coalition of U.S. companies representing more than 2 million workers has come together for a nonpartisan movement called Time to Vote. The goal is to increase voter participation in the Nov. 3, 2020 general election.

There is no shortage of hurdles to voting, but no one should have to choose between earning a paycheck and casting a ballot. Time to Vote companies have an important role in supporting their employees' ability to make sure they are registered to vote and have time to study their ballots and perform their civic duty.

By joining Time to Vote, CEOs and business owners commit to making accommodations for workers that help enable them to vote, such as paid time off on Election Day, making Election Day a day without meetings or providing resources for mail-in ballots and early voting. Time to Vote is nonpartisan and there is no cost for companies to join.

To date, 383 companies employing workers in every state in the country have signed up for Time to Vote. Time to Vote members include Best Buy, DICK'S Sporting Goods, Farmers Insurance, Gap Inc., Glossier Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Kaiser Permanente, Levi Strauss & Co., Lyft, PayPal, Patagonia, REI Co-op, Target, VF Corporation, Walmart, Warby Parker and hundreds more.

"When the business community comes together to take a stand on issues that affect all Americans, it sends a powerful message," said Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice, a leading nonpartisan voice on voting rights and elections. "Ultimately, a culture shift will meaningfully boost voter participation, and business leaders can help drive that shift."

The Time to Vote movement began ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, when 411 companies representing all 50 states and a variety of industries joined. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 53% of eligible voters cast ballots. This was the highest turnout for a U.S. midterm in four decades. But 53% is not enough.

This year, the Time to Vote movement aims to more than double in size and again contribute to an increase in voter participation. Even with local election offices offering a variety of ways for citizens to vote, including mail-in ballots and early voting, time to vote and taking the time to learn what's on the ballot can still be an issue for many American workers.

Businesses interested in joining Time to Vote can visit maketimetovote.org.

To see the list of Time to Vote companies, click here.

Press Contacts

Corley Kenna, Patagonia: [email protected]

Kelly Mason, Levi Strauss & Co.: [email protected]

Tiffany Peng, PayPal: [email protected]

Alexandra Ringe, Brennan Center for Justice: [email protected]

Below is a list of quotes from Time to Vote companies.

Arabella Advisors

"Arabella Advisors is deeply committed to civic engagement and participation, and since our founding 15 years ago, we have always given our employees the time they need to vote. This is informed by our service to the philanthropic community, our commitment to social justice and our fundamental belief in every individual having their voice be heard and their vote be counted." Sampriti Ganguli, CEO, Arabella Advisors, Washington, DC

Avocado Green Brands

"At Avocado, we know our visiona world united by sustainability and social responsibilitycan only be furthered by action. We encourage our employees and our customers to vote for the change they want to see, and we'll do whatever we can to support that goal." Mark Abrials, cofounder and CMO, Avocado Green Brands, Hoboken, NJ

Burton Snowboards

"Burton's values of social and environmental responsibility are woven throughout our company and culture. We strive to improve our impacts on the world across the businessincluding employment, operations, product sourcing and community engagement. However, our impacts are limited by the regulatory environments we face. Burton provides employees with the time and tools necessary to vote for their own values in order to effect systemic solutions to issues challenging people and our planet." Jenn Swain, global senior sustainability manager, Burton Snowboards, Burlington, VT

by Humankind

"We've become addicted to the convenience of single-use plastic in our daily lives, and it's wreaking havoc on our planet. It's going to take leadership from elected officials, corporations and citizens to move toward a future without single-use plastic. It's our duty as citizens (and concerned consumers) to exercise our right to vote, and we as founders must empower our employees to take the time to vote in the upcoming election." Joshua Goodman, cofounder and CMO, by Humankind, New York, NY

Clare V.

"The bedrock of our society is democracy and the sanctity of our democracy relies upon the expression of the individual by voting. In a time of extreme inequity, it is a moment when we are all truly equalsone person, one vote. As a business owner, I'm happy to encourage everyone in our community of Clare V. to do so." Clare Vivier, founder + CEO, Clare V., Los Angeles, CA

Direct Agents

"From day one, Direct Agents team members are empowered to use their voices to collaborate, innovate and make an impact. But we don't believe this should be limited to the workspace. One of the most impactful ways you can use your voice is by voting, and that is why we are proud supporters of the Time to Vote movement." Sara Martinez-Noriega, director of HR, Direct Agents, New York, NY

Farmers Insurance

"Farmers Insurance places a high value on our people's ability to exercise their civic duties and participate in the democratic process. We believe everyone at Farmers should feel empowered to make a difference in their communities across the country and should not have to choose between earning a paycheck and voting, which is why we give our employees up to two hours of paid time to vote." Jeff Dailey, CEO, Farmers Insurance, Woodland Hills, CA

Gap Inc.

"One of the most important rights that Americans have is the right to vote. Getting more Americans to exercise that right is the best way we can support a strong and healthy democracy. At Gap Inc., we're proud to promote awareness campaigns to encourage our employees and customers to register and vote." Stephanie Lester, senior director of government affairs, Gap Inc., San Francisco, CA

Ginger

"At Ginger, we work with people around the world who are experiencing stress and anxiety every day. In 2016, we saw over twice the utilization of our mental health services during the election and in the aftermath. As we head toward the next election, simply finding the time to get to the polls shouldn't have to create stress and anxiety. By reducing barriers to voting by giving the day off, companies have an incredible opportunity to help strengthen our democracy by enabling their employees to get to the polls." Russell Glass, CEO, Ginger, San Francisco, CA

Glossier Inc.

"At Glossier, we believe deeply in the power of self-expression and personal choice. Voting is a powerful and important way to use your voice, and we will be encouraging and mobilizing the people in our community to make their voices heard in this election, starting with our team at Glossier." Emily Weiss, founder and CEO, Glossier Inc., New York, NY

Guayaki Yerba Mate

"From day one, Guayaki has focused on leveraging the power of business to drive progressive change. We believe that every person matters and every action matters. Whether you vote with your dollar for products you believe in or vote at the ballot box, the actions we take ripple out with multiplying effects. That is why it is so important that our teams recognize their civic duty and we make the time to vote on election day." Chris Mann, managing partner, Guayaki Yerba Mate, Sebastopol, CA

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

"Making sure that our team members have the time and information necessary to exercise their most fundamental rights as citizens is the right thing to do and consistent with our culture that promotes making an impact in our communities. We are proud to encourage participation and lend our individual voices to the democratic process." Antonio Neri, CEO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, San Jose, CA

Johnson Controls

"There is nothing more sacred or important in our civic life than the right to vote and to have a voice in how our country is run. We believe our employees should have the support and encouragement to vote in all elections and that is why we are a proud supporter of Time to Vote." George Oliver, CEO, Johnson Controls, Milwaukee, WI

La Colombe

"At La Colombe, we aspire to make the world better through every action we take. We've seen at home and around the world that one of the most important ways to effect change is by voting, and that is why we do everything we can to ensure that everyone at La Colombe has ample opportunity and support to vote on election day." Todd Carmichael, cofounder and CEO, La Colombe, Philadelphia, PA

Participant Media

"Our name says it all. We fundamentally believe that everyone can participate in advancing our society and that everyone must be given equal opportunity to do so. We are proud to join Time to Vote in creating a platform for greater voter participation in this important election year." David Linde, CEO, Participant Media, Beverly Hills, CA

Levi Strauss & Co.

"For a democracy to thrive, we must make our voices heard, and we do that through our vote. The very act of voting is a hard-won right, and as business leaders we have a responsibility to make sure that our workplace allows and encourages people to exercise that right. We are proud to recommit to the Time to Vote movement and ensure that all our employees have the time and support they need to do their civic duty." Chip Bergh, president and CEO, Levi Strauss & Co., San Francisco, CA

Lyft

"Voting is the bedrock of a healthy democracy and a critical form of civic participation. It's exciting to see so many companies committed to ensuring their team members can take the time they need to vote on or before election day, and Lyft is proud to be part of this growing movement." Emily Nishi, chief people officer, Lyft, San Francisco, CA

Patagonia

"There's an adage, 'the world is run by those who show up.' Only about 60 percent of Americans vote, despite billions of dollars spent trying to get people to the polls. Time to Vote CEOs have an ability to reach the largest voting bloceligible nonvotersby ensuring their employees have the time they need to learn their ballot and cast their vote. No worker should have to choose between earning a paycheck and voting, and it is on all of us as responsible business leaders to contribute to the culture shift needed to increase voter participation in our elections. Let's all show up and vote this November." Rose Marcario, CEO, Patagonia, Ventura, CA

PayPal

"I believe that the most important constituency for any company is its employeesand at PayPal we work to put our employees first. Time to Vote is a nonpartisan initiative through which companies like ours support the ability of their employees to participate freely in the electoral process. This is fundamental for our employees and for our democracy. As a founding member of the Time to Vote campaign, we are committed to ensuring that all our employees in the United States have the time and ability to participate in local and national elections." Dan Schulman, president and CEO, PayPal, San Jose, CA

Ralph Lauren Corporation

"Ralph has always been inspired by the dreams and imaginations of women and men around the world, and the idea that you can be whatever you want to be. This inspiration is reflected not only in our brands, but in how we operate our business and engage our teams. It is also part of the fabric of democracy, which is why we are proud to join the non-partisan Time to Vote initiative and encourage our employees to exercise their right to vote and have a voice by participating in city, state and federal elections." Patrice Louvet, president & CEO, Ralph Lauren Corporation, New York, NY

REI Co-op

"The right to vote is one of our most important freedoms, and every election gives us an opportunity to cast our vote to influence the issues that matter most to us. If we want to shape our future in meaningful ways, like ensuring climate-positive policies and actions, it's important that we engage as citizens and show up to participate in every election. For us, that starts with our employees, which is why we're proud to join the Time to Vote coalition." Ben Steele, executive vice president and chief customer officer, REI Co-op, Kent, WA

sweetgreen

"At sweetgreen, we believe small acts lead to big changes. That's why we're proud to be a part of the Time to Vote campaign. We want to encourage each and every person at sweetgreen, and across the country, to take one small act to have their voices heard and vote." Jonathan Neman, CEO and cofounder, sweetgreen, Los Angeles, CA

The North Face

"The North Face was built on a love of the outdoors, and we have a responsibility to act as a leader on important environmental concerns. This election is imperative for addressing one of the most pressing issues of our timethe climate crisisand we are proud to once again be part of the Time to Vote mission. We encourage everyone to take the time to become informed on the issues important to you, and prioritize making your voice heard so that future generations will be able to continue exploring." Arne Arens, global brand president, The North Face, Denver, CO

Timberland

"Since 1992, Timberland has offered employees paid time to serve their communities, and we view voting as a vital element of that service. We support our employees in being informed voters by hosting town halls with candidates at our New Hampshire headquarters in advance of our first-in-the-nation primary. While we don't endorse particular candidates or parties, we support the democratic process and we admire Time to Vote's scaled efforts to do the same. We are proud to be a part of the Time to Vote movement with VF Corporation to enable our colleagues across the nation to embrace their right to vote." Colleen Vien, sustainability director, Timberland, Stratham, NH

VF Corporation

"Across VF and our brands, we believe that strong democratic processes enhance society and individual lives, and that no one should have to forgo financial income to exercise their constitutional right to vote. We are proud to once again be part of the Time to Vote initiative and support this important movement to encourage US workers to engage in our democratic process and let their voices be heard." Steve Rendle, chairman, president and CEO, VF Corporation, Denver, CO

SOURCE Time to Vote

Related Links

https://www.maketimetovote.org


However, this is a disturbing trend that is hindering international trade activities and the important process of economic integration, also resulting in international investments being seriously affected.

Trade protection is increasing

Vietnam has signed, enforced and is currently negotiating seventeen more free trade agreements (FTAs), in which ten FTAs have been signed and enforced, two FTAs have been signed and yet to be put into effect, two FTAs have just wound up negotiations while three more are currently under negotiations. Vietnam's openness in welcoming FTAs is very high, especially two new generation FTAs such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and Vietnam-EU FTA (EVFTA).

FTAs within ASEAN have committed to cut 98% of tariff, with CPTPP cutting 100% of tariff and EVFTA around 99%. Vice versa, other countries as well have a high openness towards Vietnam in FTAs. Many key export sectors such as textiles, footwear, seafood, tea, and coffee are expected to completely eliminate tariffs within seven years, same as in EVFTA. With CPTPP, some member countries have pledged to completely eliminate tariffs for Vietnam after four years of implementation after signing of agreement.

In the process of opening and integrating the economy, Vietnam has been a success story. However, in recent years, the trend towards protectionism has become increasingly clear, and in some cases it has become a trade war between entities. This is proving to be an obstacle in import-export activities and integration of Vietnams economy.

These days commercial insurance is carried out in very many relatively diverse forms. Many methods are being applied such as the direct method of raising taxes, imposing anti-subsidy duties, anti-dumping duties, retaliatory tariffs, non-tariff measures such as import quotas, regulations on administrative procedures or technical barriers, and in some cases changes in monetary values, all of which affect the flow of international trade. In addition to technical barriers and changes in monetary values, there are currently three forms of commercial insurance being applied, namely, anti-dumping tax, anti-subsidy tax, and safeguard tariff (retaliatory tariff).

It is a fact that in recent years, Vietnam has been continuously subjected to anti-price taxes on some items such as steel, catfish and shrimp in big potential markets such as the US, Canada, India, EU countries and many partners that signed FTAs with our country. According to statistics of the Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam in the Ministry of Industry and Trade, there were only thirteen lawsuits on trade remedies in 2017, but by October 2018 this number had increased to sixteen cases. In addition, many Vietnamese exports are subjected to investigation of trade remedies such as on seafood (1%), tyres (2%), footwear (6%), fibers (9%) and 50% on many other products.

In the last few years, countries have been inclined to use anti-dumping measures, which now account for 70% of all tax cases related to trade remedies. Some countries, which are long-term partners of Vietnam, have also shown signs of abuse of trade remedies to over-protect their domestic manufacturing industry, thereby directly affecting import-export activities of enterprises in Vietnam.

Understand basics of trade law

Vietnam has developed quite a complete legal framework to implement a law on trade remedies in accordance with WTO regulations. However, most Vietnamese businesses still do not fully understand all the regulations to protect their legitimate rights and interests. Therefore, in the event of an international lawsuit, an enterprise will struggle to find ways to tackle it, or even lose the market under weight of high taxation and may not even compete.

Hence, parallel with the integration process for exports, Vietnamese enterprises should be well-versed in the necessary knowledge and regulations on trade remedies. At the same time, businesses must regularly update information so as to respond promptly to related lawsuits right from the very start, when investigating authorities of importing countries send such lawsuits.

Enterprises need to be well prepared with knowledge of all required regulations on trade remedies, and regularly update information to respond promptly to any trade lawsuit right from the very first stage.

It is vital that businesses understand the basic knowledge of trade law, especially the provisions of the target markets that they will export to. In order to support businesses in such matters, the authorities need to upgrade the early warning systems in assessing export of goods before application of trade remedies, and help enterprises actively adjust production plans and export as per schedule. On the import-export business side, it is necessary to actively explore, survey, penetrate and build trade networks in other markets such as the United States, Japan, EU countries, and South Korea, so as to have diversity, avoid risks and dependency on any one market.

In fact, over the last few years, Vietnam has gradually diversified in many import and export markets, but not as much as it could have. With an active participation in CPTPP, it is time for Vietnamese enterprises to meet the highest standards of production required for export of goods, achieve high efficiency in business standards, join production networks, both regional and national distribution networks, and participate in the global value chain.

In recent years, several enterprises, especially SMEs, have imported too much volume of intermediary goods from China to produce domestic consumer goods for export. However, the added value of these goods produced by such businesses is not high enough because in order to enjoy tariffs and non-tariff preferences, the goods must originate from CPTPP, where China is still not a participant. The development of support industries to grow the economy has thus become more urgent. This is very important and decisive for Vietnam to reduce trade deficit in import and export with China, which is a traditional market.

Translated by Francis



Asso.Prof. Dinh Trong Thinh, Economic Expert at Financial Academy
(TNS)  Genesee County, Mich., has dropped its local rules on the possession or use of drones on park land , but an official says there are still concerns about how the change could affect other park users.Genesee Circuit Court Judge Joseph Farah granted an injunction Monday, Feb. 10, forbidding enforcement of the countys old drone ordinance, a ruling tied to a lawsuit filed by the Michigan Coalition of Drone Operators.Soon after Farahs ruling, the park system added an amendment to its rules, allowing unmanned aircraft as the injunction required, but specifying specific no-fly zones, including Thread Lake and Chevy Commons.Now, after members of the Parks & Recreation Commission met with their attorney Thursday, Feb. 13, the rule on drones was changed to allow them so long as the operation is in accordance with federal and state laws and does not violate any criminal laws.County Board Coordinator Josh Freeman said parks officials enacted rules initially to protect other park users from drones and to preserve the atmosphere of park land like Crossroads Village.The drone folks arent the only users of the parks, Freeman said. We have a pretty diverse parks system.Dean Greenblatt, an attorney for the drone operators, said counties dont have the authority to restrict fly-zones like the Federal Aviation Administration does.The initial list of no-fly areas issued by the county were not in compliance with the court order," Greenblatt said.In a news release on its Facebook page, MCDO has called Farahs ruling a victory that will likely have a nationwide impact" in states that currently have local restrictions on the operation of drones.
Former President John Drama(ni) Mahama (JDM) is crisscrossing all over the place: from cities to towns, to villages, to churches, to mosques, to palaces, and of course,to some media houses and anywhere he and his NDC's 2020 campaign machine decide to go to enable JDM let loose one of his deadly political weapons:Pretense!

For all Ghanaians who genuinely know and understand what effective governance and people-centered leadership entail, it is long settled ex-President Mahama doesn't belong in that league. Indeed, millions of Ghanaians have no question about the fact that the current National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate's inept and venal leadership as the nation's president in the time past are beyond comparison.

At the same time, too, many Ghanaians seem to be fully aware of former President John Mahama's unique skills in playacting, coupled with his nimble ability to often spice up his pretentious political acts with smooth-talking. The Bole Bamboi area Bruce Lee is such smooth talker that if one isn't fast enough or quick on his/her feet in terms of focusing more on the subtext of JDM's political and socioeconomic pronouncements or positions, most likely the listeners will get caught up in the ex-president's pranks.

The point is, why are some Ghanaians entertaining the thought of Mahama's return to power? If it's not aristocratic pretentionsrepackaged as contrition; sweet talks of I-feel-your-socioeconomic-pains, including misrepresentation of the true facts on the grounds, what else could it have been? Here is a former president (Mr. Mahama) who turned his country's economy upside down in a miserable conditions. Now he is presumptuously running around the country again, claiming he has all the right answers to the messy mess he created.

The sad reality of Comrade Mahama's campaign theatrics is that there are unbelievable number of people incapable of figuring out that theex-president is telling tall tales as part of his grand campaign strategies to manipulate his way back into power to put finality to his unfinished business.Our honest hypothesis here is that if at this point in Ghana's checkered history someone seriously buys into Mr. Mahama's feigned remorsefulness and sometimes patronizing stories of I told you President Akufo-Addo can't do it, but give me, Mahama, another chance to do it better this time then whoever is believing this tale is one of the reasons this nation is still orbiting around mediocrity.

Oftentimes, some of us have reason to ask why and accordingly, try to make sense of our thought processes as proud people of Ghanaian descent, irrespective of where each of us lives. Admittedly, owing to the introduction of the information superhighway or the social media revolution, Ghanaians have experienced some forms of cultural shift in the sense that a lot of us think and behave almost the same way as the social media operates.

That is to say, millions of Ghanaians today use every information they are fed with and run away with it without paying attention to the source, context, or the subtext of the message. If many of us are not forgetful and truly appreciate the significance of a story's context and its subtext, Ghanaians will find out there are pretty lot of things the NDC's flag bearer is telling Ghanaians that do not square with the truth. One classic example is that Mr. Mahama presided over a government that was booted out of power while it was still hiding under the dictatorial wings of the IMF's highly indebted poor countries (HIPC) program. The HIPC program is a distress call.

In other words, the subtext of the preceding latter point is that ex-President Mahama mismanaged Ghana into swallowing debt and economic misery. This means there is no whisper of credibility in the story parleyed by the proverbial naked individual promising he/she has the sole means to provide cloth for someone else.

Let any Ghanaian of good conscience denies that Ghana was not in solid shape, economically, when Nana Addo-led administration assumed the reign of power in January 2017. Certainly, none of us, including ex-President Mahama himself, can say with the straight face the country was well managed few years prior to 2017. All the standard economic metrics at the time indicated that JDM-led administration was a flop, yet his then government was in denial.

As one of his trademark capers, former President Mahama and his core followers hardly accept responsibility for anything that happened under their leadership both in and outside power. The tale of the Airbus bribery saga is a typical example, here.To understand how smoothMr. Mahama can be,although he cannot morally look into his inner soul and disclaim tacit knowledge/approval of the plethora of mobs actions which have become shameful part of the NDC culture, for some obvious reasons it is often difficult to pinpoint the ex-president's fingerprints of his party's escapades.

Obviously, a bulky number of Ghanaians are not really good at peeling off the layers of the onions to reach the part useful for the preparation of the main course meal. Context matters in every human story or eventful situations. They say those who look down on history are most likely bound to repeat the errors of the past. Former President Mahama had had is chance at the presidency and blew it up; he has no business trying to sweet talk and seek comeback to do some more damage.

In any event, the disappointing aspect of all these so-called ex-President Mahama's fairy-tale 2020 election comeback is the extent to which many Ghanaians, including the well-educated class, as well as some media practitioners who are supposed to understand the solemnity of social contract(presumably) but behaving otherwise.

The social contract as envisaged by Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, and others assumes that every good government derives its sole powers from the consent of the governed in that the popular sovereignty or the ultimate power resides with the people. John Locke even goes further to say that if at any point in time the government becomes tyrannical or fails to meet the needs of its citizens, these same people have every right to get rid of that government. Mr. John Mahama as then president unquestionably broke his (social) contract with Ghanaians on December 2016 when he was massively voted out of office for not meeting his part of the contract. Why then go back to bring a person who can't execute the terms of his contract? Wake up, Ghana and stop sucking up to former President Mahama's tall tales of the century.Mahama will still be Mahama but this time with vengeance!

Bernard Asubonteng is a US-based writer and a political science lecturer

By Bernard Asubonteng
According to point 2 of part 14 of Article 17 of the Constitutional Law On referendum, employees of state institutions or organizations, community institutions or organizations, employees of organizations of state or local self-government bodies with 20 percent or more participation in statutory capital, while performing their duties or acting ex officio. This is what one of the initiators of the NO campaign headquarters for the constitutional amendments referendum, human rights activist Arsen Babayan wrote on his Facebook page.

I notice that representatives of the staffs of regional governors, the Government and the National Assembly are violating this rule and are expressing themselves by advocating YES to the Referendum in their profile pictures on Facebook, Arsen Babayan wrote.
MANILA, Philippines  The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) expressed concern that African Swine Fever (ASF) has already reached even remote barangays in the country.

BAI suspects that the ASF virus that reached Davao Occidental may have been brought through pasalubongs of food gifts in the form of processed pork or pork dishes prepared during the holidays last December.

Likewise, food leftovers or swills from these gatherings may have been contaminated by ASF.

Kasama sa mga pasalubong na iyan mga processed na karne na maaring nanggaling doon sa lugar na may African Swine Fever (Among these food gifts may have been processed meat from areas infected by African Swine Fever), Domingo said.

Siguro iyong mga tira-tirang pagkain ay naipakain sa mga alagang baboy. After several weeks lumitaw na iyong sakit sa mga lugar na hindi natin inaasahan (Leftover foods may have been fed to pigs. After several weeks, the virus emerged in areas we did not expect to be infected), he added.

Domingo said it would be difficult to detect such food items at checkpoints especially if they were skillfully concealed in bags and containers.

Ang problema natin kapag ang byahero ay inilagay niya sa personal bag niya na maliit iyong karne o kaya sa private vehicle (One problem is when a traveler places the pork dish inside his or her personal bag inside a private vehicle), Domingo noted.

O kaya ang may dala-dala ng paninda, ang bag, hindi naman pinapara iyan sa mga checkpoint (Or the pork meat were concealed inside a bag, they are not flagged down in checkpoints), he added.

The official calls on the public to ensure that they are purchasing pork meat and pork-based products with certification from proper authorities such as the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) and the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

Disinfection efforts, meanwhile, are ongoing on transporting vehicles at BAI checkpoints in the country.

BAI already accounted about 230,000 pigs that were culled and have died due to ASF but only 20% of this was directly infected by ASF. MNP (with details from Rey Pelayo)

The post BAI warns pork dishes may spread African Swine Fever appeared first on UNTV News.
Update: Angi Renna will also run on the Republican line in the special election, which is April 28.

Syracuse, N.Y.  Republican Angi Renna will compete with Democrat John Mannion in April for an open state Senate seat in Central New York.

Renna has secured spots on the April 28 ballot on the Independence and Conservative party lines, according to her campaign manager, Kevin Ryan.

Theres no decision yet from the Republicans. We are currently working on that, said Roberta Massarini, the chairwoman of the Cayuga County Republican Committee.

The deadline for deciding whether to designate Renna for the special election 50th Senate District seat is Thursday.

Renna, 45, of Manlius, has won the GOP designation for the November election for the seat, which includes Auburn, four towns in Cayuga County, and about half of Onondaga County.

But theres a special election in April for the same seat because its currently vacant. Republican Bob Antonacci won the seat in 2018 but ran for a judge position, and won, in 2019.

Mannion, 51, of Geddes, lost to Antonacci in that 2018 race by about 2 percentage points. Mannion has secured the Democratic designation for both the special and the general elections.

April 28 is also New Yorks presidential primary. The general election is Nov. 3.

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Mervin Alexander

The importance of global warming and the subsequent climate change needs no reiterating. Yet again we were reminded of it, this time by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos who on February 17 announced the Bezos Earth Fund, a $10 billion-worth initiative to fight climate change. India has been in the forefront of initiatives to give up dependence on fossil fuels and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a good example of this.

Developing countries in Asia and Africa, as against the developed nations in Europe, do not often have global warming and climate change on the top of their list. This could be because there are more pressing real-time concerns that need to be prioritised  however, the harmful effects of climate change know no national boundaries. This is seen is extreme weather-related events, such as the intense storms in the Gangetic Plains and the Mekong and Pearl River Deltas, the wildfires in Australia and South America, etc.

The UN intergovernmental panel on climate change has suggested some measures for tackling the problem. It recommends a focus on renewables, such as wind and solar power to provide between 59 and 97 percent of the total electricity by 2030. It has also proposed a focus on nuclear energy to augment wherever possible, and up to 28 percent.

It is here  in the quest to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels  that India must pay more attention to nuclear energy. Currently India produces only around 6,250 MWs of nuclear power which is just around 6.3 percent of the power production in the country. India operates 22 nuclear power plants, a bulk of them pressurised hard water reactors (PHWRs), and has ambitious plans for capacity expansion. In this line, news reports that India and the United States are back to efforts to resolve the issues surrounding the stalled six nuclear power plants is good news.

Even if India were to achieve 450 GW of power from the twin renewables of solar and wind, the key issue here would be storage. India has no natural lithium or cobalt and other rare metal reserves, which are the most critical in the storage of renewable energy generated. This would make us perennially dependent on other countries for meeting our energy needs.

Here, nuclear energy has an advantage. Not only has India acquired mastery over the construction and operation of the PHWRs at competitive international costs, but it has a mature supply line and does not have to depend on imports to meet fuel needs.

At a recent event, former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Anil Kakodkar, said that Indias energy future depended on its rapid growth of nuclear power. This (climate) crisis is becoming deeper and deeper.So implementation of the atomic energy programme will become more and more aggressive with time  There is a need to do things faster, he said.

Nuclear waste is a major concern globally and dissuades many countries from relying on this technology. Reprocessing of this waste helps reduce the quantum of waste generated in the reactor that needs to be disposed of through safe storage.

For this, India has a well laid out, long term, 3-stage nuclear programme. India has invested large resources in its recycle programme through the Integrated Nuclear Recycle Plant (INRP). India is considered as one of the leaders in recycle technology. In addition to Thorium, India also has large reserves of Uranium in the eastern and southern parts of India. This would mean that fuel would not be a constraint in future.

Another factor frequently quoted against the civilian use of nuclear power is the consequences of accidents. It must be remembered that of the three major nuclear reactor accidents (based on cost), Chenobyl was entirely attributed to human error, while the other two, the Three Mile Island and Fukushima accidents, too had significant human errors involved. The solution to this is not to shun the technology altogether, but to use technology to counter the problems caused by technology.

To our advantage, when it comes to nuclear power, India has established a good safety culture. Thus India has a lot going in its favour when it comes to replying on nuclear power generation.
Photo: Angus Reid Institute

For the first time in five years, polling suggests more B.C. residents oppose to the Trans Mountain pipeline than support the project.

Support for the $12.6 billion TMX pipeline has dropped from 55 per cent to 48 per cent across Canada, due to residents learning the rising costs.

Canada-wide, support sits below majority for the first time in almost two years after taxpayers have discovered the costs associated with building the pipeline, according to a new study from the Angus Reid Institute.

TransMountain announced Feb. 7 that the company's pipeline expansion between Edmonton and Burnaby would now cost about $12.6 billion, a large jump from the $7.2 billion the federal government initially estimated, or the previous owner Kinder Morgan's estimation of $5.4 billion.

Before initially learning of the new estimated costs, 55 per cent of Canadians supported the TMX expansion. But since the increased costs were revealed, that support has dropped to 48 per cent.

Canadians are now nearly divided with 48 per cent in support of the expansion and 45 per cent in opposition.

Other findings suggest 61 per cent of Quebec residents and 47 per cent of Ontario residents are now in opposition of the project  the highest levels for both provinces since the start of 2018.

The new cost estimate does little to sway public opinion in Alberta. Support drops marginally, from 88 per cent to 85 per cent in that province.

Older Canadians aged over 55 still offer majority support for the project while those aged 35 to 54 are divided. Younger Canadians between 18 and 34 are leaning towards opposition as a result of the cost changes.
Indonesia is planning to outlaw sadomasochistic sex and homosexuality as part of a sweeping 'Family Resilience' bill that has been leaked online.

Under the proposed law, anyone 'suffering' from 'sexual deviations' including incest, sadomasochism and homosexuality would be required to report themselves to rehab facilities for treatment.

Those who fail to report themselves risk having their children taken away, either temporarily or permanently.

The bill would also outlaw surrogacy with a penalty of seven years in jail, and legally define the roles of a father and mother within the home.

Indonesia is planning to ban 'sexual deviations' including homosexuality, sadomasochistic sex and incest under a new 'Family Resilience' bill that has been leaked (file)

New laws would require fathers to protect their household from 'threats' including alcohol and pornography, while mothers would be legally obligated to 'take care of household-related matters.'

The bill has caused widespread outrage since being leaked, including from LGBT groups and those who accused politicians of interfering in private matters.

Politicians from four Indonesian parties are backing the bill as the world's most-populous Muslim-majority country shifts towards greater conservativism.

One of the bill's proponents, Ledia Hanifa of the opposition Prosperous Justice party, a conservative Islamic party, said in a statement posted on parliament's website that the proposed bill was intended to foster 'family-based development.'

According to the law, the family is defined as the smallest unit of society composed of married couples, married couples with children, and single parents.

The bill has been included on parliament's priority list for the 2020-2024 period, though proponents have yet to discuss it with the government's related ministries.

The law would also make surrogacy punishable with up to seven years in jail, and legally define men and women's roles within the home (file image)

Parties supporting President Joko Widodo currently control 74 per cent of seats in parliament so any bill would likely need government blessing to gain traction.

Supratman Andi Agtas, a member of parliament who heads a body overseeing the agenda of lawmakers, said a draft would be sent to the president before any deliberation between MPs and related ministries could start.

Fadjroel Rachman, a spokesman for the president, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Discussion about the bill has been trending on social media in Indonesia this week with many of the posts critical of the draft, which has also been condemned by rights groups.

'It's a very patriarchal bill and it will set back progress in gender equality and women's rights protection,' Usman Hamid of Amnesty International Indonesia told Reuters.

Tunggal Pawestri, a gender rights activist, said the bill would be harmful for anyone who did not have a marriage certificate.

'What about those who hold traditional beliefs who can't register their marriages?' she said. 'And also people who can't afford to register the marriages?'
US President Donald Trump has said he is "saving the big deal" with India for later and does not know if it will be signed before the presidential election in November, signalling that a bilateral trade pact may not materialise during his maiden visit to New Delhi next week.

Trump, forcefully pursuing his 'America first" policy, has previously described India as a "tariff king" for imposing "tremendously high" tariffs on American products, also expressed dissatisfaction over the US-India trade ties.

"Well, we can have a trade deal with India, but I'm really saving the big deal for later on," Trump, who is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25, told reporters at the Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on Tuesday when asked whether he expects a trade deal with India before the visit.

The US and India could sign a "trade package" during the visit, according to media reports.

Asked whether he expects a trade deal with India before the visit, Trump said, "We're doing a very big trade deal with India. We'll have it. I don't know if it'll be done before the election, but we'll have a very big deal with India."

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the point-person for trade negotiations with India, is likely to not accompany Trump to India, sources said. However, officials have not ruled it out altogether.

In an apparent dissatisfaction over US-India trade ties, Trump said, "We're not treated very well by India." But he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he is looking forward to his visit to India.

"I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot," Trump said.

"He told me we'll have seven million people between the airport and the event. And the stadium, I understand, is sort of semi under construction, but it's going to be the largest stadium in the world. So it's going to be very exciting... I hope you all enjoy it," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum in a report said the latest quarterly data depict continuation of overall positive bilateral trade trends. The third quarter data reflects some downslide in growth rates.

"It may be due to several reasons, including the unexpected economic slowdown in India's economic growth, impact of US-China trade war, GSP withdrawal from the US side and retaliatory tariffs on specific US goods from the Indian side," USISPF said.

According to the report, the data available for the first three quarters of 2019 (January-September) pulled the overall growth rate in cumulative bilateral trade down to 4.5 per cent from 8.4 per cent registered for the first two quarters.

Goods and services trade performance in third quarter was dismal at -2.3 per cent, in contrast with the impressive 9.6 per cent growth witnessed for the first two quarters of the year; while trade in services was up 2 per cent goods trade dropped five per cent, the report said.

The cumulative US-India trade in goods and services ($110.9 billion) for the first three quarters of 2019 increased 4.5 per cent with US exports and imports growing at four per cent and five per cent respectively.

The US exported $45.3 billion worth of goods and services to India in the first three quarters 2019, up 4 per cent from the corresponding period in the previous year; and the US imported $65.6 billion worth of goods and services from India, up five per cent from the previous year's $62.5 billion level for the same period, it said.

The USISPF has projected that the total bilateral trade can touch $238 billion by 2025 if the current 7.5 per cent average annual rate of growth sustains; however, higher growth rates can result in bilateral trade in the range of $283 billion and $327 billion.

The US remains the top trading partner for India in terms of trade in goods and services, followed by China. While the bilateral trade between US and India is approximately 62 per cent in goods and 38 per cent in services, the bilateral trade between India and China is dominated by goods.

India's trade with China grew 13 per cent in 2018, while India's goods trade with the US increased 18 per cent.

China had a huge trade surplus of $58 billion with India, indicating Beijing's strength in the Indian market, especially in sectors, such as electronics, machinery, organic chemicals, plastics and medical devices.

The US goods exports to India, in comparison, were mainly concentrated in mineral fuels, precious stones, and aircraft. The US faces tough competition with China in the Indian market in areas such as electronics, machinery, organic chemicals and medical devices.
Photo: courtesy of the vendor

I was at a friends house recently, when another friend needed to charge her iPhone. Our host was a Samsung user, but she knew she could help. Like all of us, in her years of new phones, tablets, and other electronic devices, she had accumulated nearly every different type of charging cable, in various lengths and colors, which she brought out in a shoebox-sized plastic tub  a tangle of black and gray and white Lightning, micro-USB, and USB-C cables. She even had a 30-pin connector in there, from the first few years of iPhones, I guess in case someone showed up in a time machine.

Why do we do this to ourselves? We usually replace one piece of technology with another, but the cord it comes with always seems to remain, just in case. I used to bring my own version of this mess with me every time I traveled. My laptop, phone, Kindle, and a small bluetooth speaker all needed their own cables, one of which I would inevitably forget, leading me to buy  yet another cable.

But then I found Outdoor Technologys Calamari Ultra. The brand is better known for making durable power banks and bluetooth audio for snowboarding and other outdoor activities, but when I got a speaker from them several years back, they tossed in the earlier version of this three-in-one connector cable. The newest iteration is even better: It has your standard male USB plug on one end. At the other are Lightning (for anything Apple), Micro USB (for most Android phones and other accessories like tablets and point-and-shoot cameras) and USB-C (used by the latest MacBooks and quickly becoming the new standard).

Anker, another excellent power bank manufacturer, makes a similar cable, but I trust Outdoor Tech and its deserved reputation in the adventure space. With most cables tendency to fray and break  especially cables used as often as I use this one  I need to know that the one I carry can stand up to anything. The Ultra has accompanied me to Machu Pichu, paddle boarding along the coast of Maine, and on multiple visits to see family in Detroit. On a road trip across the Everglades, l plugged the Ultra into the car dashs USB connection to charge a power bank via Micro USB and seamlessly switched over to play music through my iPhone using the Lightning connector  without having to fumble in my bag for another cord.

With the Ultra, instead of traveling with three cords or digging through a box of 30, now I have only one. Well, two. I bought one that stays in my bag for travel and one that floats around the house.

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Mr. Robert Ahomka-Lindsay, a Deputy Ministry of Trade and Industry, has filed his nomination forms to contest in the New Patriotic Partys (NPP) parliamentary primaries in the Kumawu Constituency of the Ashanti Region.

The Deputy Minister who is a first timer in the parliamentary race is the first to submit his forms, out of the four contestants who picked forms for that position in the area.

Presenting his nomination forms at a brief ceremony at the Party's Constituency office at Kumawu in the Sekyere Kumawu District, he pledged to implement pro-poor interventions and bring progress to the area, when given the nod.

Mr Ahomka-Lindsay, a native of Aninagya, a farming community in that District, said leadership based on improving on the economic fortunes of the people through the establishment of industries, was a powerful tool to create gainful employment for the people and thus lift them out of poverty.

If you give somebody a job, the person has the liberty and the ability to pursue his or her lifetime dreams without hindrance, he explained.

Mr. Ahomka-Lindsay called on the constituents to unite and rally behind him for a massive win, adding that, it was through unity that progress could be made.

The governing NPP has scheduled April 25, 2020, as the date to hold parliamentary primaries in all 169 constituencies where the Party has sitting MPs.

The polls would be held to elect the parliamentary candidates the ruling NPP would field for the upcoming 2020 general elections.

Mr. Joseph Danso, the Kumawu Constituency Chairman, having gone through the documents presented by the deputy Minister, urged the constituents to continue to uphold peace and unity with the aim of re-electing President Akufo-Addo, for a second term.

Mr. Ahomka-Lindsay used the occasion to donate a television set and a modern office shelf to the Kumawu Constituency Office.

citinewsroom
President Trump has ousted the Pentagon's top policy official who had certified last year that Ukraine had made enough anti-corruption progress to justify the Trump administration's release of congressionally authorized aid to Kyiv in its conflict against Russian-backed separatists.

John Rood resigned Wednesday, saying he was leaving at Trump's request.

The Trump administration's delay in releasing the aid to Ukraine was central to the president's impeachment by the House on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

John Rood, the Pentagon's top policy official who had certified last year that the Defense Department had seen enough anti-corruption progress in Ukraine to justify releasing congressionally authorized aid, has resigned at President Trump's request

John Rood said he will step down as of February 28 and said he did so at President Trump's request as the president continues to purge government officials tied to his impeachment in the House of Representatives

The Senate voted to acquit the president.

But in the wake of the Senate trial, an emboldened Trump has gone after officials he has perceived as being disloyal.

Rood is the latest official to be purged.

Trump tweeted Wednesday that he wanted to 'thank John Rood for his service to our Country, and wish him well in his future endeavors!'

Rood, in his letter to Trump, did not mention Ukraine. 'It's my understanding from Secretary (Mark) Esper that you requested my resignation,' Rood said.

Rood said he will step down as of Feb. 28.

Rood wrote in a May 23 letter to Congress that the Pentagon had made a thorough assessment of Ukraine's anti-corruption actions and other reforms.

And he said that, 'I have certified that the government of Ukraine has taken substantial actions to make defense institutional reforms for the purpose of decreasing corruption' and making other improvements.'

Rood wrote that his certification, legally required before the aid could be released, was based on insights gained in 'persistent U.S. engagement' with Ukraine, including meetings between the U.S. defense secretary and his Ukrainian counterpart.

Asked about Rood's resignation, chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman declined to speculate on the reason for Trump's decision.

'The president has the opportunity and the ability to have the team that he wants to have in policy positions,' Hoffman said at news conference. He said Rood's resignation letter spoke for itself.

He later told reporters that, 'In the weeks after signing the certification I did become aware that the aid had been held. I never received a very clear explanation other than there were concerns about corruption in Ukraine.' He also spoke in favor of releasing the aid, suggesting that withholding it would hurt America's defense priorities.

Pentagon press secretary Alyssa Farah said James Anderson, who is currently serving as the deputy for policy, will take over the job until a permanent replacement is appointed by the President and confirmed.

Esper said Rood played 'a critical role'' on issues such as nuclear deterrence, NATO, missile defense and the National Defense Strategy.
Australia's major universities have built cash reserves of more than $12 billion and significant borrowing power, putting them in a strong position to weather the immediate blow of the coronavirus without the need for a government bailout.

While many universities face heavy financial losses as 100,000 international students remain barred from entering the country for the start of first semester, the 10 institutions that host the vast majority of the Chinese students have reserves ranging from $48 million to $3.9 billion, according to government figures.

The Group of Eight elite research universities along with RMIT University and the University of Technology Sydney account for over 75 per cent of Chinese students in Australia and stand to lose the most from the ongoing travel ban.

The university regulator and federal government believe the institutions' financial positions mean it is unlikely they will need to turn to government for emergency intervention. The institutions are also looking to cut costs  including by postponing capital works  in response to the coronavirus crisis.
Trump has long bristled at the U.S. intelligence communitys high confidence conclusion, revealed publicly in January 2017, that Moscow was behind the hacking and releasing of Democratic emails in the 2016 presidential contest, and that it was part of an effort ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin to undermine Hillary Clintons campaign and aid Trumps. The president has suggested that the hacker could have been some guy in his home in New Jersey or the work of the Chinese.
Forecasters expected more heavy rains in parts of the flood-ravaged South on Tuesday, prolonging the misery in neighborhoods surrounded by water.

Some of the hardest-hit areas were under a flash flood watch, as the National Weather Service said as much as 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain, and even more in some spots  was expected to fall in a short amount of time in central Mississippi.

The national Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, projected the greatest likelihood of heavy rains in a band from eastern Louisiana across central parts of Mississippi and Alabama and into far west Georgia.

Around Mississippis capital city of Jackson, authorities warned hundreds of residents not to return home until they get an all-clear following devastating flooding on Monday.

The receding flood left muddy water marks on the sides of cars at the Harbor Pines Mobile Home Community in suburban Ridgeland, not far from where managers of the Ross Barnett Reservoir have been trying to contain the swollen Pearl River. A few inches of water still surrounded dozens of trailer homes on Tuesday, but the water level had fallen 2 feet or more since Monday.

Crews were going lot-to-lot to check the duct work beneath mobile homes to determine how many had been inundated by water. The power remained off as a precaution and it wasnt clear when residents would be allowed back home.

A near-record rainy winter led to agonizing choices for the managers of these reservoirs, who have had to release water that worsens flooding for some people living downstream while saving many other properties from damage.

The intensity and frequency of extreme rain events that fuel major flooding have increased in the Southeast, according to the most recent National Climate Assessment, released by the White House in 2018. Southern states are particularly vulnerable to increasingly heavy rains, according to the quadrennial report, which cites four floods that each did more than $1 billion in damage between 2014 and 2016.

In the Savannah, Tennessee, area, two houses slid down a muddy bluff just below the Pickwick Dam on Saturday as the Tennessee Valley Authority released more than 2.5 million gallons per second, adding to the anguish for owners of about 75 flooded properties downstream.

Hardin County Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Melvin Martin said the landslide claimed not only two houses, whose residents got out safely, but also about 100 yards of the blufftop road. Meanwhile, most of the homes whose ground floors have been under water down by the river are vacation homes that were built on stilts, Martin said.

Boat captain Sam Evans, who lives in a historic riverboat on Pickwick Lake, says this years flooding is among the worst hes seen. Navigating the Tennessee River by boat, hes watched the banks gradually erode, and said it was only a matter of time before the bluff gave way.

It has slowly been eroding and it finally let go, Evans told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The area suffered a devastating flood in 2003, but then about 14 years passed without a catastrophe, and developers got busy selling riverfront properties, Evans said. He thinks the buyers werent fully aware of the danger.

Out-of-towners came in that didnt do their homework, he said. Here comes a flood and it wipes them out Buyer-beware when you buy below the dam. 

Things changed about three years ago, he said. Weve had three floods in the last three years, about the same time every year, Evans said.

Darrell Guinn, a manager at the TVA River Forecast Center, said Tuesday that the river system is now at level where it can absorb more rain without further impacting flooded areas.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Flood Mississippi Tennessee
A worker moves medical waste at a hospital in Beijing treating coronavirus patients.  AFP/VNA Photo

BEIJING  The death toll in the outbreak of a new pneumonia-causing coronavirus has exceeded 2,000 in China, health authorities said Wednesday, with Hong Kong recording a second death in the territory.

Besides being notified of 136 new deaths  taking the total to 2,004  authorities said they received reports of 1,749 new infection cases on Tuesday, bringing the tally in mainland China to 74,185.

The vast majority of new deaths and infections have been reported in Hubei, the central Chinese province at the center of the epidemic.

Although the number of new infections has fallen below 2,000 for a second day, Tuesday's death toll was higher than Monday's 98.

Hong Kong witnessed its second coronavirus-related death on Wednesday, according to local media, making it the sixth death reported outside mainland China. Japan, Taiwan, France and the Philippines have each reported one death.

Local reports described the latest fatality as a 70-year-old Hong Kong resident who collapsed at his home on February 12.

On Tuesday, President Xi Jinping held separate telephone calls with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron. Xi stressed China has reached a critical stage in its fight against the epidemic, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

"The impact of the epidemic on China's economy is temporary," Xi told Macron, while assuring Johnson that China is still "confident and capable" of achieving this year's economic and social development goals, the ministry said.

With the number of infections in China growing daily, Russia is to temporarily ban Chinese people from entering the country for employment, education or tourism, Russian media reported Tuesday.

The measure, signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, will take effect Thursday, and is aimed at protecting the health of Russian people, according to media.

Russia has already barred Chinese group tours and suspended passenger trains connecting the two countries.  KYODO
Two large homes were plunged into the Tennessee River by a landslide over the weekend as seen on a video uploaded by Hardin County Department's Facebook page.

There were no reported casualties in the said landslide happened just north of Savannah, Tennessee and sent 60 feet down an embankment along Glendale Road.

One of the two houses that collapsed made cracking and snapping sounds; and also showed sparks of electricity as it plummeted into the river.

Fortunately, according to rescuers, one of the homes was already unoccupied after the homeowners evacuated ahead of time, but the other home was still occupied when the threat of the impending landslide happened.

Per Fox, amid the first hour of evacuation one of the two homes had collapsed into the river Saturday night, while the other two-storey house followed suit mid-morning on Sunday.

The names of the homeowners are yet to be announced by the fire department.

Also read: Saudi-Led Military Coalition Send Air Strike over Yemen, Kills 31 Civilians

On the other hand, the department also shared photos showing a large section of Chalk Bluff riverfront, which has dropped into the river, leaving behind a mess of debris. The aftermath of the landslide left the contents of the homes spread on the hillside.

The landslide came after the county's fire department warned that the river already reached flood stage after days of heavy rainfall across the Southeast of the United States. The continuous rain has been blamed for a series of land, rock and mudslides across North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

According to Melvin Martin, Emergency Management Director of Hardin County, the residents of the houses were to salvage some of their personal belongings but most of their things were lost along with their house. He further added that the residents are currently staying over in some of their friends' houses.

Moreover, he said that this is not the first time that a landslide happened along Chalk Bluff. He said that approximately eight years ago, a smaller landslide happened due to the river flooding and heavy rains.

While there is already an eight-inch drop in the water level of the Tennessee River, officials say that more damage along Glendale road is to be expected since the landslide is still actively sliding down the side of the hill. They also advised that the road is gonna be closed permanently until a solution or fix has been found.

In addition, the County's Facebook Page also share photos of the cracks along Glendale road which resulted from the continuous sliding of land in Chalk Bluff. Watch a vide of the landslide here:

Related article: Storm Dennis to Bring a Month's Worth of Rain, Disrupts Half Term Travel Plans

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Eight persons, including the deputy manager of a public sector bank, were arrested by the Sector 49 police on Wednesday for allegedly perpetrating a fraud of 1.77 crore on the electricity department. Another deputy manager is on the run, after the power department noticed discrepancies in remittances to its account last month and filed a police complaint.

According to police, the fraud was done by the employees of the Bulandshahr branch of the bank, former and current contractual employees of the electricity department and their accomplices. They siphoned off bill payments in demand drafts and cheques to another account and then withdrew the amount.

The suspects were identified as Sachin Kumar (Ghaziabad), the mastermind, Vishal Sharma (Sector 76 Noida), Manish Kumar (Ashok Nagar Delhi), Ankur Bhaskar (Bulandshahr), Karan Singh, (Sector 20 Noida), Jai Subhash Vishwakarma (Sector 24 Noida), Yatendra Chaudhary (Ghaziabad) and Brajesh Kumar (Sector 58 Noida).

Sachin worked as contractual employee at a power house 15 years ago and Jai had taken over his work in 2010. In 2019, they met Karan and came up with the plan to defraud the power department. They shared the plan with Manish, who works with the agency responsible for depositing demand drafts (DDs) of customers into the bank account of the power department. They also roped in Anand, a deputy manager of the public sector bank, deputy commissioner of police, zone 1, Sankalp Sharma said.

Police said the power department has an account at the Sector 50 branch of a private bank, where the agency deposits the DDs and cheques. The departments initial complaint was against the bank itself, but police said the bank had no role in the fraud.

The suspects got Brajesh make a fake Aadhaar card using which they opened a bank account in the name of an electrical firm.

Manish would remove high value DDs from the bundles going to the departments bank account and replace them with those of lower values. They would then remove the stamp on these DDs and replace it with that of Brajeshs account. The DDs would be deposited into the bogus account and Ankur would withdraw the money in Bulandshahr and distribute it among the gang members, the DCP said.

Vishal and Yatendra were tasked with depositing the DDs, police said.

This is how they duped the department of 1,66,50,000 of which 1,66,14,000 was withdrawn. A search is on for the other deputy manager of the bank, Sharma said.

Police recovered 12 lakh from the suspects along with DDs worth 10.23 lakh. Property worth 45 lakh was also seized and 15 lakh was seized from their bank accounts. In addition, three fake stamps and a phone were also recovered from them.

Sachin and the bank managers took a 20% commission while Jai and Manish took 10% each. The rest of the money was divided among the others, police said.

The suspects were produced before a magistrate and later sent to jail.

The account was opened in February 2019. They have been defrauding us since then. We lost 1.77 crore and it is good that the case was worked out, thereby preventing further loss to the department, VN Singh, chief engineer, Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PVVNL), said.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court-appointed panel, which reached Delhi's Shaheen Bagh on Wednesday (February 19) to hold talks with anti-CAA protesters to persuade them to shift their agitation to an alternate venue, failed to break the deadlock. After interacting with the protestors at Shaheen Bagh, mediator Sadhana Ramachandran said they will hold talks with the protestors on Thursday also.

Ramachandran told media, "We met them and listened to them. We asked them if they want us to come back tomorrow as it`s not possible to complete the talks in one day. They said they want us to come back tomorrow, so we will."

Ramachandran told protesters that their right to protest should not affect the right of others to use public road and services while interacting with them at Shaheen Bagh.

"The Supreme Court has said that you have the right to protest. The law (CAA) has been challenged in the Supreme Court. But like us, others too have their rights, like the right to use roads, open their shops, students reaching their schools. Your right to protest should not affect the right of others to use these services," Ramachandran said.

She told protestors that she will hear them out and together they will find a solution that will set an example for not only the country but for the world, adding "It will tell the world that we think about everyone and not only ourselves."

Earlier, senior advocate Sanjay Hegde read the Supreme Court order to the protestors. Ahead of the interaction, he told media persons, "We have come here according to the order of the Supreme Court. We hope to speak to everyone. We hope to resolve the matter with everybody`s co-operation."

On Monday, the Supreme Court had appointed senior lawyers Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran besides former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah to go and talk to protesters at Shaheen Bagh area to convince them to hold the agitation at an alternative site. The top court has fixed the matter for further hearing on February 24.

Thousands of people, including a large number of Muslim women, have been staging a sit-in protest at Delhi`s Shaheen Bagh area since mid-December last year against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The PIL, filed by Nand Kishore Garg and Amit Sahni through their lawyer Shashank Deo Sudhi last week, sought appropriate directions to the Centre and others concerned for removal of protestors from Shaheen Bagh near Kalindi Kunj.

The petition said that people in Shaheen Bagh are illegally protesting against the CAA by blocking the common and public road connecting Delhi to Noida.
When Twitter first implemented its hide replies function last year I published an article warning that it could be used by establishment narrative managers to marginalize dissident voices and diminish the relatively egalitarian nature of the platform. When I wrote it I was imagining the function being used by overt manipulators like cable TV pundits and Washington Post columnists, and think tank operatives like Neera Tanden who vocally supported the implementation of the function.

What I absolutely was not expecting, as paranoid and conspiracy-minded as I am, was a highly regarded UN-associated international chemical watchdog group using the function for that purpose.

As of this writing, if you go to the Twitter account for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), youll see this tweet at the second from the top:

If you log on to Twitter and go to that tweet and click this little button, it will take you to a section of hidden replies which arent visible on the main tweet.

You will not be surprised to learn that the tweet which the OPCWs Twitter account has chosen to hide is critical of the organization:

That #wikileaksdoumareport hashtag in the hidden tweet refers to the leaks which have been pouring out from the OPCW adding to the mountain of evidence that the US, UK and France bombed the Syrian government in 2018 as a retaliation for a chemical weapons attack in the town Douma which did not occur. Whoever is in charge of the OPCWs Twitter account does not like the lowly commoners talking about this on their page.

Heres an OPCW tweet from a week ago which has the same issue:

Click the same little button to view hidden replies and youll see three of them on this one, again all discussing the scandal-ridden Douma investigation:

It doesnt seem to happen if youre not logged on to your account, and seems to express differently on different browsers, but if you log in and scroll through the OPCW Twitter page youll find many tweets with hidden replies, almost all of which directly pertain to the Douma scandal.

The OPCW tweet which appears to have the largest number of replies is the smear job they released earlier this month attacking the whistleblowers whose leaks poked giant holes in the official Douma narrative. This smear job has been ripped to shreds in an article by Grayzones Aaron Mate, who in his trademark style systematically debunks the organisations attempts to spin the whistleblowers as incompetent outsiders who tried to manipulate the Douma investigation for no clear reason.

If you go to that OPCW tweet and scroll down youll see dozens of spaces where replies ought to be, with the message This reply was hidden by the original Tweet author, meaning hidden by the author of the initial top tweet by the OPCW. Ive archived screenshots of the entire thread here as it looks from my account as of this writing, but heres a small sample of what the top of the replies section looks like on that tweet:

I myself posted the reply that got the most likes and retweets back when the OPCW first shared its smear job, but in a strange twist on Twitters hide replies function it doesnt show up in the main thread or in its hidden replies section. Other users also say they cant see it in either section. So as things are right now it looks like some posts in threads with a large number of hidden replies are just disappeared entirely, which is all the more incentive for narrative managers to use it.

There are already many users in the comments objecting to the OPCW yet again making use of opacity to silence dissident voices, and understandably so. Ever since the first Douma leak in May 2018 this organisation has been stonewalling journalists, refusing to answer crucial questions, smearing its own investigators and denying them a platform to speak, all after hiding from the public the fact that there had been large amounts of internal dissent regarding its Douma investigation. This dissent included unanimous agreement between four toxicologists that no chlorine attack occurred in Douma, and reports that some 20 OPCW inspectors had voiced objections to the way the Douma investigation was taking place.

The OPCW had no business hiding all this information from the public about an event which led to an act of war against a sovereign nation, and it has no business hiding the publics attempts to demand more information be brought into the light.

These deliberate acts of obfuscation make no sense if you look at the OPCW as an independent international investigative body whose sole interest is truth and the elimination of chemical weapons, but they make perfect sense if you see it as a narrative management apparatus of the US-centralized empire. The US government already has an established history of manipulating the OPCW into facilitating the advancement of pre-existing regime change agendas in the Middle East, and not one but two whistleblowers have separately attested that US government officials were brought in by OPCW leadership (in violation of the organisations supposed independence) to persuade them that the Syrian government had committed a chemical weapons attack.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is acting like a narrative management operation because that is what it has become: a tool to help the US-centralized empire spin narratives favorable to pre-existing regime change agendas like the one it has long had for the Syrian government. Thats how it behaves, so we should ignore all narrative spin and assume that thats what it is until its behavior changes. As long as it continues walking like a duck and quacking like a duck, we should continue to assume that its a duck.

The OPCW has been hiding replies on Twitter, yes. But at least it has stopped hiding what it is.

_______________________________

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Wednesday, January 22, 2020 - OPCW investigator testifies at UN that no chemical attack took place in Douma, Syria

In testimony before the United Nations Security Council, former OPCW inspection team leader and engineering expert Ian Henderson stated that their investigation had suggested no chemical attack took place in Douma, Syria, but their findings were suppressed. His appearance punched a gaping hole in the narrative the US and UK used to justify military action.

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Crazy, stupid conspiracy theorists believe that powerful people sometimes make immoral plans in secret. Smart upstanding citizens believe the TV always tells the truth and the CIA exists for no reason.

Saturday, December 28, 2019 - Medias Deafening Silence On Latest WikiLeaks Drops Is Its Own Scandal

WikiLeaks has published yet another set of leaked internal documents from within the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) adding even more material to the mountain of evidence that weve been lied to about an alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria last year which resulted in airstrikes upon that nation from the US, UK and France.

Wikileaks has published shocking leaked documents from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in which they covered up a dissenting report that concluded chemical weapons were not used in the Syrian city of Duoma last year.

Thursday, December 19, 2019 - The 12 Strongest Arguments That Douma Was A False Flag - Activist Post

There have been many US military interventions that were based on lies. This is not a conspiracy theory. It is not some kooky bloggers opinion. It is an extensively documented and indisputable fact.

Sunday, December 15, 2019 - Deluge Of New Leaks Further Shreds The Establishment Syria Narrative

Its been a bad last 24 hours for the war propagandists.

A journalist describes why he resigned when his outlet suppressed his reporting about manipulations within the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Sunday, December 8, 2019 - Newsweek Reporter Resigns After Accusing Outlet Of Suppressing OPCW Leak Story

A Newsweek journalist has resigned after the publication reportedly suppressed his story about the ever-growing OPCW scandal, the revelation of immensely significant plot holes in the establishment Syria narrative that you can update yourself on by watching this short seven-minute video or this more detailed video here.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019 - As The OPCW Is Accused Of False Reporting U.S. Propaganda Jumps To Its Help

An international organization published two false reports and got caught in the act. But as the false reports are in the U.S. interests a U.S. sponsored propaganda organization is send out to muddle the issue. As that effort comes under fire the New York Times jumps in to give the cover-up effort some extra help.

Friday, November 29, 2019 - Understand The OPCW Scandal In Seven Minutes

One of the annoying things about continuing to write about the OPCW/Douma scandal in the near-total absence of mainstream media coverage is the fact that its difficult for a new reader to just jump in on this developing story without having followed it from the beginning. There are a lot of details to go over to introduce someone to the story, and if I repeat them every time I write an article on the subject Im twelve paragraphs in before I get to the new developments, and by that time Ive bored all the readers who didnt need the introduction. Im sure other alternative media figures commenting on this story have encountered the same problem.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019 - Narrative Managers Faceplant In Hilarious OPCW Scandal Spin Job

Imperialist propaganda firm Bellingcat has published a response to the ever-expanding OPCW scandal, and its got to be seen to be believed.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019 - Surprise! MSM Spins OPCW Leak As Russian Disinfo

So, you might want to sit down for this, but believe it or not the mainstream media is behaving in a way that seems somewhat untruthful. I know! I know. Im just as astonished as you are.
(Newser)  A 6-year-old girl who disappeared from her front yard after school was strangled by a neighbor who then killed himself, authorities said Tuesday. Faye Marie Swetlik died just hours after she was abducted, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher told reporters, per the AP. Her body was found nearly three days later in woods near her home and had been put there just hours earlier, Fisher said. Between that time, investigators had spoken with the suspect. Coty Scott Taylor let them search his home a few doors down from the girl. They saw nothing to suggest the girl was ever there, Cayce Public Safety Director Byron Snellgrove said. Shortly after the girl's body was found, authorities said, they were called to Taylor's home where he was found dead on his back porch, covered in blood.

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Taylor, 30, slit his own throat, Fisher said in a statement released after Tuesday's news conference, in which the coroner only wanted to talk in front of cameras about the girl. Fisher also refused to release any details about the condition of the girl's body or disclose any other way she might have been injured out of respect for her family. Snellgrove also didn't talk about why Taylor, with no criminal record, would have kidnapped the girl. He said last week that Taylor did not know the girl or her family. The girl was last seen alive playing in her Cayce front yard after getting off the school bus on Feb. 10. The clue that cracked the case came from a trash can. Investigators followed a trash truck going around the neighborhood Thursday and sifted through every can as it was emptied. Inside Taylor's can, Snellgrove said, they found a rain boot matching one Faye was wearing and a ladle full of dirt.

(Read more missing child stories.)
U.S. government investment in Africa has tended more toward less flashy sectors such as health and education, and it totals in the billions of dollars every year. In his speech, Pompeo acknowledged a common truism that aid money is very unlikely to drive economic growth, but he said the United States would be with Africa every step of the way in a process of economic liberalization. He particularly emphasized entrepreneurs  those people who are willing to go out and just crush it every day  as his hoped-for beneficiaries of U.S. private investment.
What prompted your interest in the Santa Muerte phenomena?*I am a specialist in the religious landscape of Latin America and was conducting research for a book project on the Virgin of Guadalupe when in March 2009 I saw the news that the Mexican army had demolished 40 Santa Muerte altars on the border with Texas and California. I have more than 3 decades of experience in Mexico so I was already familiar with the Mexican folk saint of death but had no idea that she had become religious enemy number one for the then Calderon administration. I saw that very little had been published on Santa Muerte, particularly in English, so I decided to put the Guadalupe book project on hold and write the first book in English on Saint Death, which I did. Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint was first published in 2012 and the second edition in 2017.You note that it is the fastest growing religious movement in the West  why do you think it is so appealing to so many?With an estimated 12 million devotees, the majority in Mexico but also large numbers in the US and Central America, Santa Muerte has become the fastest growing new religious movement in the West for several reasons. Most importantly she has the reputation for being speedy and efficacious in performing miracles, the great majority of which are related to health, wealth, and love. Over the years I dont know how many times Ive heard devotees tell me they had been asking a Catholic saint for a miracle, often Saint Jude in Mexico, but their petition was ignored. In that context a friend or relative recommends they try Santa Muerte and within a week or so the saint of death grants the miracle in question, such as a better job or healing of a sick family member.A second important reason is her reputation for being nonjudgmental, the saint who never discriminates. Thus for those who have suffered discrimination, such as LGBTQ folks, a supernatural figure who accepts them as they are is most appealing. Another signficant factor in her meteoric growth is the paroxysm of violence in Mexico since 2006 which has resulted in more violent death, more than 200,000 victims, than any other country except Syria. In the context of the bloody Drug War many turn to Santa Muerte for a few more weeks, months or years in the iconic hourglass that she holds. The idea is who better to turn to for more life than Death herself? On the flipside, other devotees, particularly narcos, ask her to visit death upon their enemies, rival cartel members and law enforcement. Here I must point out that Santa Muerte also has a robust following among Mexican law enforcement, especially municipal police who are on the front lines of the interminable Drug War.Do you feel Santa Muerte may eventually supplant Our Lady of Guadalupe among Latin Americans, particularly Mexicans, as a devotional icon? If so, what does this mean for Catholicism as a whole among Latin Americans? Between the rise of evangelical Christianity among Latin Americans and the rise of this, is mainstream Catholicism on its way out?I dont see that happening in the near future. The rise of Santa Muerte must be seen in the context of the growth of religious pluralism in Mexico and Latin America in which ones religious identity is no longer necessarily inherited but actively chosen among scores of alternatives which include New Age groups, Pentecostalism, African Diasporic faiths or increasingly no religious affiliation at all, which is a major trend across the Americas.The Catholic Church has condemned Santa Muerte, but the Churchs pronouncements seem to have little effect  why do you think this is the case? And are there clergy or vowed religious who youve found secretly embrace Santa Muerte?The Churchs condemnations have not put the brakes on rapid growth primarily because most devotees, especially in Mexico, are nominal Catholics who have only infrequent contact with the institutional Church, so many dont care or know about the Churchs rejection. Theres also the issue that several Catholic saints, as my research partner Dr. Kate Kingsbury and I have documented, also serve as narco-saints for Mexican drug traffickers, such as the Holy Child of Atocha for El Chapo Guzmans son, Ovidio Guzman. No, I have not come across Catholic clergy who venerate her, though Ive heard unconfirmed rumors.What do you think is the most misunderstood aspect of the Santa Muerte phenomena?The most misunderstood aspect of Santa Muerte devotion is that the majority of devotees are narcos and that shes nothing but a narco-saint. Most of her devotees are working class folk trying to make ends meet and believe that the Skeleton Saint helps them do that. It is true that she has a significant following among narcos but several Catholic saints do as well.What do you think the Catholic Church can learn from all this, if anything? The Church has a complex history of both incorporating pre-Christian practices into its own as well as crushing them  why do you think this particular practice has drawn such strong condemnation?Santa Muerte devotion has drawn such rapid and frequent condemnation because of both religious competition and theological reasons. The Church in Mexico and across Latin America was already in a state of panic over stiff Pentecostal competition and now has to contend with what it views as a heretical folk saint. The theological argument is that veneration of death is anathema to the promise of eternal life made possible by the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Moreover only human beings can be saints which means its heretical to consider death a saint.Here, however, I must point out that the other translation of Santa Muerte is Holy Death, which derives from the Good Death of Christ. I believe the Church would do better to explain why it views Santa Muerte devotion at odds with Catholic beliefs rather than issuing acerbic denunciations that only serve to alienate, and as we see have had no effect in slowing growth of the fastest growing new religious movement in the West.How much of this phenomena is rooted in Indigenous people wanting to reclaim their spiritual roots from Western Christianity, which suppressed many pagan practices?Yes, thats part of it as Dr. Kingsbury is documenting in research for her book on Zapotec female devotees in Oaxaca . However veneration of Santa Muerte is even more prevalent among Mestizo Mexicans who constitute approximately three-quarters of the Mexican population. Many devotees in Mexico view Santa Muerte as the reincarnation of the Aztec death goddess, Mictecacihuatl who presided over the Aztec month of the dead before the Spanish conquest and colonization in which the Church imposed All Saints and All Souls Days, the current Days of the Dead in Mexico. Some of these devotees reject Catholicism as a faith imposed by the Spanish colonists and thus try to detach Santa Muerte devotion from its roots in folk Catholicism.Is the Church and the Mexican government making a mistake trying to suppress this devotion?Since 2012 the Mexican state has been more tolerant of devotion. However since 2005 all Santa Muerte temples and associations that have applied for legal recognition have been rejected. Continued suppression of the fastest growing new religious movement in Mexico by Church and State will not put a damper on growth and will only increase its appeal among the criminal element. Because there is greater freedom of worship in the US there is more institutional space here for expansion.*The journalist who interviewed me several months ago didnt publish my interview.
I dont know that thats a big issue, Lightfoot said. "But there have been instances where people are about to get a ticket and they drive off, so all this does is essentially allow the ticketer the ability to take a photograph and use that as evidence in support of a ticket.
19.02.2020 LISTEN

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has described as the bizarre and capricious" the application of state power by the Akufo-Addo government in the victimisation of political opponents.

This follows particularly in the recent case of the midnight demolition of Raymond Archers industrial printing press and that of a few others at the Trade Fair, La.

The $10-million factory was one of 21 companies bulldozed by the Ghana Trade Fair Company to pave the way for a redevelopment project.

Mr Archer has claimed there was an impending injunction served on the company as of the time of the demolition exercise.

In a statement signed by the General Secretary of the NDC, the party said: The offices and factory of Color Planet Ltd, one of the largest industrial printing firms in Ghana owned and operated by ace investigative journalist Mr Raymond Archer, formerly of the Enquirer newspaper, was razed by an excavator operated by heavily armed national security operatives and uniformed police officers.

The party said: This is clearly an act of cowardice driven by Akufo-Addos insatiable desire for vindictiveness and nepotistic totalitarianism, adding: This demolition exercise constitutes an act of economic brutality targeted at a hardworking young businessman.

It is our considered view that this demolition forms part of a grand scheme targeted at destroying all businesses with some form of perceived leanings to the National Democratic Congress, the NDC said.

The party noted: We have witnessed the unlawful closure of financial institutions, radio stations, media houses, construction companies and several other local businesses.

This follows a similar application of impunity in the unlawful demolition of a 4-bedroom house belonging to Mr Mustafa Gbande, a former NDC Deputy Regional Secretary of the Volta Region by a team of national security and police operatives and a host of other such heartbreaking socio-economic rapture of peoples livelihood, the statement mentioned.

At this point, we are convinced these various acts of impunity by the Akufo-Addo government constitute an act of provocation against the National Democratic Congress and its entire membership. As a matter of urgency, we demand an immediate cessation of these acts of provocation and intimidation of innocent citizens.

President Akufo-Addo must be reminded that when injustice and impunity become law, resistance becomes an inevitable duty of the people, it warned.

---classfmonline
The state cabinet on Wednesday raised the limit of the contingency fund by Rs 10,000 crore to allow for immediate disbursement of loan waiver for farmers with an outstanding amount of upto Rs 2 lakh. Contingency fund is used for governments unforeseen expenditure and its limit is Rs 150 crore. It will now be hiked to Rs 10,150 crore for payment of the loan waiver.

The state government requires an estimated Rs 29,712 crore for the waiver, announced for over 35 lakh farmers.

Out of these, the government has almost completed the verification of 28 lakh farmers and wants to start the disbursement of the waiver from February 22.

The disbursement has to begin from February 22 and the immediate need is of Rs 10,000 crore until March 5. Since the session begins from February 24, the process in the house would have delayed the disbursement. Hence, we decided to release the amount from contingency funds, said an official from the cooperation department.

The state government has decided to complete the disbursement by May 15.

The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had made the announcement of the loan waiver in the winter session in December. The government has also promised to bring a special scheme for the farmers with the pending loan of over Rs 2 lakh. It also announced the launch of an incentive scheme for farmers who have been regularly paying off their loans.

The previous Fadnavis government disbursed about Rs 18,800 crore to more than 48 lakh farmers under its loan waiver scheme.

Ahead of civic polls, MVA govt grants Rs 152.24 crore for road works in Aurangabad

Eying the forthcoming municipal elections in Aurangabad, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government approved the proposal of sanction of Rs 152.24 crore for construction and repairs of the roads in the city. The Aurangabad municipal corporation had demanded Rs 263 crore for the road works. The roads will be constructed by the municipal corporation, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation and Maharashtra Industrial Development.

State to provide free specs to students

Mumbai The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government made an allocation of Rs 25 crore on Wednesday to provide free spectacles to students in government and aided schools. According to the decision taken in the state cabinet meeting, around 9.5 lakh students in the age group of 6 to 18 years will be distributed free spectacles. In the annual health check-up conducted under the National Health Program for Children in India, it was found the number of students with weak eyesight is on rise. Of the total 1.21 crore students studying in these schools around 8% were found affected with weak eyesight and providing them free spectacles will help in their studies, said school education minister Varsha Gaikwad. Each spectacle would cost Rs 200. Gaikwad said that the scheme will be implement by the public health department as they have the machinery and expertise in the field.

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9 Harrisburg Catholic Diocese announces bankruptcy filing

Saying the move will help it to better atone for the sins of the past, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg filed for Chapter 11 federal bankruptcy protection Wednesday, seeking financial breathing room as it deals with hundreds of complaints of child sex abuse by predator priests.

Diocese officials claim in the U.S. Middle District Court filing that they must erect that legal shield from creditors, including those who claim they were molested by priests as children, in order to continue acting as a religious and social welfare institution.

They say they are following the lead of other diocese across the nation that have been besieged by child sex abuse claims.

A widening of Pennsylvanias legal window for prosecuting child-sex abuse claims and the reluctance and in some cases outright refusals of the dioceses insurers to provide coverage for settlement payments of abuse claims is a driving force behind the Chapter 11 filing as well, diocese leaders say.

A tragedy contrary to every teaching and tradition of the Roman Catholic Church has unfolded in the (church) as a whole and within the diocese in particular  that is, a small number of clergy and others took advantage of positions of trust and respect to sexually abuse children, the Chapter 11 petition states. It adds that the diocese is committed to providing for all survivors of abuse, known and yet to be known, in a fair, just and equitable manner.

The diocese, which covers 15 counties and around 275,000 Catholics in central Pennsylvania, lists assets of between $1 million and $10 million and estimated liabilities of $50 million to $100 million. Its estimated creditors total from 200 to 999, the petition states.

In court filings, diocese officials list efforts they say they have made to date to compensate victims financially. More than $12.5 million worth of settlement agreements have been reached with about 110 priest abuse survivors to date, they state.

The diocese has made  and continues to make  assistance to survivors and their families in their journey toward healing its top priority, the petition states.

It states that the diocese is aware of five active civil lawsuits by clergy abuse survivors and that there are approximately 200 survivorsassociated with the diocese.

Diocese officials say they have been largely unsuccessful in attempts to secure insurance coverage to pay claims. They vow to mount legal actions against their insurers after filing for bankruptcy in an effort to force insurance payouts.

At this stage, though, diocese faces the prospect of being hit with claims exceeding (its) economic ability to pay, the petition states.

Such a scenario would not only short-change some abuse survivors financially, but could cripple the dioceses ability to maintain the spiritual and social programs for the tens of thousands of Catholics and non-Catholics who need that support as a necessary, stable and enriching element in their lives, diocese officials contend.

Approval of the Chapter 11 request would give the diocese protection from their creditors, including those with unresolved clergy sex abuse claims, along with breathing space to pursue financial reorganization.

More from PennLive:

Pa. ends time limits for future child sexual abuse charges

Clergy sex abuse report delivers a scathing rebuke on Catholic Church officials: overview

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The Old Testament has always been an easy target for critics of Christianity. On the surface, its harsh moral codes and ancient cultural norms come across today as obsolete at best, barbaric at worst. While this is hardly new, it has led recently to louder calls to downplay its significance, such as when prominent pastor Andy Stanley suggested in 2018 that Christians should unhitch the Old Testament from their theology. But many Bible experts disagree. This is the first in a six-part series of essays from a cross-section of leading scholars revisiting the place of the First Testament in contemporary Christian faith.

The Editors

Already in the second century, the arch-heretic Marcion pressed this question and came to the conclusion that the Old Testament offered almost nothing to Christianity. He was excommunicated for his views. In the 20th century, the Nazis enacted a remarkably successful elimination of the Old Testament from Christian faith and countless German Christians followed suitto horrific ends. In more recent days, preachers from micro-congregations to multi-campus megachurches struggle with what to do with the Old Testament. Many do their best, many less than that. Some see no way forward but to unhitch the two testaments of the Christian Bible.

All of this difficulty with the Old Testament is unfortunate because every page of the New Testament depends on itextensively, almost exclusively. The very first verse of Matthew is a case in point: The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham (ESV). Without the Old Testament, readers have no clue what Christ means, who David and Abraham are, or how all these figures are related. The original text is even more suggestive: The book of the genealogy is biblos geneses in Greeka rather obvious allusion back to the Book of Genesis.

But the New Testaments dependence on the Old goes beyond mere informationin some passages, the New Testament suggests that the Old Testament is fully sufficient all by itself for a saving knowledge of God. Consider Jesus parable about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), where Abraham informs the rich man that no one will be sent back from the dead to warn his wayward brothers because, If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead (v. 31).

Texts like Matthew 1 or Luke 16 are everywhere in the New Testament and no doubt give rise to well-meaning statements like: You cant understand the New Testament without the Old Testament, or, per the adage from St. Augustine: In the Old Testament the New lies concealed, in the New Testament the Old is revealed. There is nothing wrong with such truisms, but they seem mostly ineffective in completely solving the problem because, in point of fact, many Christians continue to wonder about the Old Testament in a way that they simply dont (and never will) about the New Testament. And so the question remains: What does the Old Testament offer to Christianity today?

My own answer is: Much. Maybe everything.

There are at least four significant gifts the Old Testament offers to Christian faith. If these gifts are not unique to the Old Testament, they are nevertheless far more present in the Old than in the New, and so constitute precious aspects of the whole counsel of God.

Honesty

The Old Testament is candid, even brutally so. The often arresting, occasionally off-putting candor of the Old Testament frequently offends modern sensibilities. Think, for example, of the vicious sentiments about enemies found in various psalms, even in a much beloved one like Psalm 139. That is my mother-in-laws favorite psalm (except for verses 19-22). But this honesty is a gift, not cause for alarm. If we ourselves are candid, we must admit we have occasionally thought or wished similar things on our own enemiesand not always in prayer! Throughout the ages, it has been the brutal honesty of the psalms, especially in hard times, that has led to their popularity.

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But it is not only the psalms; the whole Old Testament is honest in a way that, to be frank, many Christians simply are not. Stories of Israels disobedience and sin come to mind at this point. These are often grist for homiletical moralizing, even Christian disparagement of the Old Testament (and biblical Israel). But we must remember that these accounts are only preserved in the Old Testament because of its candor. Christians only know these stories because Israel was honest enough to relay them. Honesty about sin and suffering are two of the many ways the Old Testament sets us an example of being honest before God and the world and being honest about God and the world. Israels history is no more full of failure than the churchs, which is also pockmarked with failings of the most egregious sort. Israels history is full of honesty. That is a gift to be emulated.

Poetry

It is not surprising that a book as honest as the Old Testament abounds in poetry since, as Garrison Keillor puts it, good poems matter because they offer a truer account than what were used to getting. Fully a third, maybe more, of the Old Testament is poetic in form. Contrast this with the New Testament, which offers us precious little poetry. Moreover, the little that is found thereparticularly in Revelationis typically steeped in the language and symbolism of the Old Testament.

The Old Testaments poetry lives especially in the psalms, but also in the prophets who sought (to quote Mark Twain) the right word as opposed to the almost right word, since that is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug. If the psalms offer the poetry of praise and pain in prayer, the prophets offer us poetry that is the very Word of the Lord.

As the rain and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower

and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out

from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for

which I sent it. (Isa. 55:10-11)

Poetry is a key feature in other books as well, where it becomes an ideal medium for discussing wisdom for life (Proverbs), suffering (Job), death (Ecclesiastes)even love and sex (Song of Songs). But the topics are not limited to these; neither are the books. Wherever it is found, poetry seems preferred whenever the subject matter is trickyand what could be more difficult to discuss than God and Gods ways in the world?

Speaking of the daring imagery of the Old Testament, Walter Brueggemann wrote that no easy language will ever get this God said right. Poetry is not easy language, and so is far better when speaking of the infinite God than flat prosecertainly superior to straightforward proposition. Poetry alludes even as it eludes; it evokes and reveals even as it obscures and remains reticent. In its reticence and in its revealing, poetry communicates and protects the holiness of God, the Lord ofand the Lord aboveall language. Christians learn from the Old Testaments poetic penchant a deep respect for the mystery of God, who should never be spoken of lightly.

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Theology

The third giftclosely related to the secondis theology, narrowly defined in this case as speech about God. A quick concordance search of God in the Common English Bible gives 1,109 hits in the New Testament, but 3,189 in the Old Testament. Those statistics are hardly surprising. The 39 books of the Old Testament comprise 78 percent of the Protestant Christian Bible (even more in Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican canons). But there is more going on in this third gift than simply the length of the Old Testament relative to the New.

The Old Testament has long been considered a primary repository for the doctrine of Godmore specifically, of the first member of the Trinity. Here is where one learns first, foremost, and most extensively of the One whom Jesus called Father. In light of the incarnation recounted in the Gospels and the giving of the Spirit in Acts, the Old Testament is the place that affords special insight on God the Father Almighty, though Christians are quick to confess that these Three are One. But divine oneness is missed whenever Christians side with Marcion in pitting the Old Testament God against Jesus in the New.

Image: Illustration by Matt Chinworth

Such sentiments reveal as much ignorance about the New Testament as they do about the Old, especially since this distinction is typically drawn with reference to the wrath and judgment of God. These topics abound in the New Testament as much as the Old, and not just in Revelation. They are common in Jesus preaching, as his forerunner John the Baptist saw so clearly (Matt 3:7-12). So on this matter too, no less than others, Jesus and the Father are one (John 17:22).

This unity of the Testamentsand among the members of the Trinitydemonstrates that God indeed displays his wrath every day (Ps. 7:11b). But it also explains what such wrath is for: It is in service to justice, since God is a righteous judge (Ps. 7:11a). Despite the divine standard of justice, God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but wants all to change their ways and live (see Jer. 18:7-8; Ezek. 18:32; Jonah 3:10). Throughout the BibleOld Testament and NewGods judgment has an object: sin and injustice. When those are set right, wrath disappears.

The People of God

The Old Testament teaches Christians something crucial about ecclesiologyabout being the people of God. One such thing would be to love righteous deeds exactly like the righteous Lord (Ps. 11:7). But that is only the tip of the iceberg. The list of what the Old Testament teaches about what Gods people must do and who they must be would take many pages. The point at hand is not the details of all that but the simple fact of all that.

The New Testament, of course, does much the same thing. The term ecclesiology derives from Greek ekklesia, used in the New Testament for the church (e.g., Matt. 16:18). But ekklesia also appears in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, where it reflects the Hebrew word qhl (assembly), a term that conveys much the same idea: the community of faith. Be that as it may, this fourth gift concerns the nature of Israel as a group: a family, then a people, then a nation with landone that stands together in covenant with God (Ex. 19:8), united in prayer and praise, rewarded and, yes, sometimes even punished as a group. The New Testament, too, reflects corporate understandings, sometimes in ways that are shocking (see, e.g., Acts 5:1-11).

Nevertheless it is quite common, especially in the individualized, industrialized West, to read the New Testament as mostly a privatized affairJesus and meand to leave politics and social justice out of it. The King who judges among the sheep and goats in Matthew 25:31-46 knows better, and the severity and the criteria he uses to make his determination there sounds exactly like the Lord who legislates care for immigrants, widows, and orphans in Exodus 22:21-24yet another instance of the unity of the Testaments.

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This fourth gift of the Old Testament teaches Christians that the life of faith is rarelyperhaps nevera matter of solitary, personalized piety. It is, instead and at root, a communal matter, extending beyond matters of the heart alone. To be sure, the Lords words must be inscribed on the heart in Deuteronomy 6, but it doesnt stop therethe external body must also bear the Lords instruction, where it is in constant view on hands and forehead, and then written on houses, on the city, and even on the body politic (Deut. 6:6-9).

The Marks of the Old Testament

To conclude: We cant understand the New Testament without the Old is true as far as it goes, but it doesnt go nearly far enough, since the Old Testament is, all by itself, indispensable for Christian faith. Augustines famous statement, too, while accurate, is also insufficient. Much in the Old Testament is revealedall of it, in fact, according to Christian theology, not to mention the testimony of 2 Timothy 3:16 (where Scripture refers to the

Old Testament).

As that verse and the next go on to specify, the Old Testament is eminently useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). This is true because everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope (Rom. 15:4).

Imagine a Christianity marked not by cover-up and denial but by honesty; a Christianity that spoke of God humbly and artfullypoeticallybecause the divine mystery dwells beyond all language; a Christianity attuned to the theology of the Three-in-One, one in mercy and judgment so as to free the world of sin and injustice; a Christianity unified as the corporate people of God, ransomed from every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:9). That would be a Christianity adorned with the gifts the Old Testament provides.

Brent A. Strawn is professor of Old Testament at Duke Divinity School. He is the author of The Old Testament Is Dying: A Diagnosis and Recommended Treatment.

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A digital forensic analysis conducted by Anthony Ferrante of business advisory firm FTI Consulting concludes with medium to high confidence that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos smartphone was hacked through a malicious file sent from the WhatsApp account of Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The malware was in an MP4 file attached to a WhatsApp message.

FTI Consulting forwarded its findings to United Nations special rapporteurs who released technical elements of the report.

Rapporteurs investigate the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression, among other things.

FTI Consulting declined our request to comment for our story, stating that all client work is confidential.

Saudi Arabias embassy in the United States has denied the allegations.

Element of Uncertainty

The reason FTI qualified its conclusion likely is because computer forensics isnt always an exact science, and the experts might be limited by the data and evidence they have in hand, said Tim Erlin, VP of product management and strategy at Tripwire.

There may also be unanswered questions or alternatives to consider, he told TechNewsWorld.

FTIs conclusion suggests they have a sequence of events that makes it likely that the video attachment carried malware, but they either didnt prove causality or cant be sure the crown prince created the hack as opposed to his just forwarding a compromised email, suggested Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

It rarely gets stronger than this unless the alleged perpetrator confesses, or the intelligence organization gets access to the entire chain of evidence, he told TechNewsWorld.

The malware appears to have had a self-destruct built in, making it impossible to have 100 percent concrete proof, noted Liz Miller, principal analyst at Constellation Research.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

FTIs investigators did not find even remnants of the malware code on the device, but did find a file with an encrypted downloader that had been delivered with the video, she told TechNewsWorld.

WhatsApp, which hosted the downloader, has end-to-end encryption, which prevents investigators from accessing the downloaders contents or code, Miller pointed out.

Chain of Events

The prince initiated a WhatsApp messaging conversation with Bezos on April 28, 2018, after they met at a dinner in Hollywood.

On May 1 Bezos received a message with a video attachment from the princes WhatsApp account.

Within hours, the volume of data transmitted from Bezos phone skyrocketed by 30,000 percent, FTI found. Data spiking continued over several months, at rate as much as 106 million percent higher than before the video was received.

How did it take months for this to be noticed? wondered Constellations Miller.

FTI found that on two later occasions the prince sent messages to Bezos that suggested he had knowledge of his private communications:

One, on November 8, 2018, included a photo of a woman strongly resembling Lauren Sanchez, whom Bezos was dating;

The other was sent February 16, 2019, two days after Bezos had participated in phone conversations about the Saudis alleged online campaign against him.

The UN special rapporteurs have linked the hack of Bezos smartphone to stories in his newspaper, The Washington Post, about the role of the Saudi prince and the Saudi government in the murder of Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Pegasus Threat

I cant remember how many times in the past decade Ive read something about a critical security flaw in WhatsApp that allows access to users phones, remarked Oliver Mnchow, founder of security awareness and training company Lucy Security.

Im surprised no one told Jeff not to use it after its history of epic security fails, he told TechNewsWorld.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The malware used was most likely mobile spyware such as NSO Groups Pegasus, or, less likely, Hacking Teams Galileo, FTIs analysis suggests.

The Saudi Royal Guard acquired Pegasus-3 spyware from NSO Group, an Israel-based firm, FTI found. The spyware also was used against Saudi dissidents.

Pegasus spreads through malicious links often sent through chat apps like WhatsApp and Messenger, said Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate at Comparitech.

Once on a device, the malware jailbreaks iPhones so that it can track phone calls, texts, keystrokes and location, and access the phones microphone and camera. It also affects Android phones, he told TechNewsWorld.

Consumers must maintain a healthy sense of paranoia when it comes to links and attachments, said Rosa Smothers, senior VP of cyber operations at KnowBe4.

Think before you click on any links or attachments sent to you, she told TechNewsWorld. Were you expecting the email or attachment? If your spidey sense tingles, call the sender and confirm they sent it.

That said, security always ranks high on surveys of the things consumers want, but no one is ever willing to pay for it, remarked Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research. As a result, its never a priority.

Security also is challenging because of the rapid pace of technology, he told TechNewsWorld. Artificial intelligence should eventually improve security, but nothing will ever be 100 percent secure.

Aftermath of the Hack

The UN rapporteurs have called for an investigation into the hack and said the use of WhatsApp as a platform to enable installation of Pegasus onto devices has been well documented.

Meanwhile, Facebook and WhatsApp have filed suit against NSO Group Technologies in a U.S. federal court, and a court in Israel has begun hearings to determine whether the NSO Group should have its export license revoked.

NSO has denied allegations against it.

If someone with Bezos power and position is a target, it doesnt bode well for anyone who doesnt have that level of protection, Enderle observed. It makes you wonder how many other U.S. citizens are being spied on like this by a hostile state.
It was around 2013, the era of offshore processing. The turn-back-the-boats narrative dominated public and political discussion. But it took many years to find partners brave enough to look beyond the political aspects of the story to the human side of the story, Blanchett says. And so during the process of developing this, it was like a rolling stone. It was like we were watching Australia and the rest of the world going down an inhumane rabbit hole, and it became increasingly important to make the work but perhaps harder and harder to have it realised.

It was a there but for the grace of God go I situation, how could an Australian woman end up in onshore detention and criminalised? Blanchett says.

When Cate Blanchett began working on what would become the six-part ABC drama Stateless, one story in particular compelled her: that of Cornelia Rau, a German citizen and Australian permanent resident who was unlawfully detained for a period of 10 months between 2004 and 2005.

The series knots together a handful of character stories: an airline stewardess Sofie Werner (Yvonne Strahovski), who has escaped a cult run by Pat (Blanchett) and Gordon (Dominic West); a young father-of-two Cam Sandford (Jai Courtney), who takes a job as a detention centre guard; the centres new general manager Claire Kowitz (Asher Keddie), and an Afghan refugee Ameer (Fayssal Bazzi), fleeing persecution with his family.

When the script landed in Bazzis lap, he says he was struck most by how it gave a voice and representation for a group of people that hasnt been there before. Were talking about human beings here that sometimes are reduced to buzzwords and political fodder. So in that sense, I thought it was something I had to be a part of".

Jay Courtney plays a young father of two who has taken a job at a remote detention centre, with Clarence Ryan. Credit:Lisa Tomasetti

Bazzis own familys experience  they had come to Australia from Lebanon in the wake of war  found commonality in the experience of many of the extras who worked on the series while it was filming in remote central Australia. Listening to them after every take, running up to me and saying they could identify with the scene I was doing, telling me their stories, it just became so evident to me how important the story was to share, Bazzi says.

The result is stunning. Stateless is compelling not just in its larger, political notes, but in its minutiae. It is beautifully cast: Ameers indefatigable friend Farid (Claude Jabbour), the centres optimistic chief officer Brian (Darren Gilshenan), and senior officers Harriet (Rachel House) and Sully (Clarence Ryan). In one touching scene, which seems to get to the heart of the story, Ameer tells his daughter Mina that in Australia you can be anything you want to be.
Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed Hemp, Inc. (OTC Pink: HEMP) ("the Company"), a company that seeks to build a business constituency for the American small farmer, the American veteran, and other groups experiencing the ever-increasing disparity between tapering income and soaring expenses. CEO of the Company, Bruce Perlowin, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly.

"Why is reselling CBD to manufacturers the best source of action for your company right now?", asked Jolly to begin the interview. Perlowin explained that while the Company plans to develop their own product line, their primary goal is to focus on building a B2C pipeline. "We see ourselves as a backup for the big companies; We want to position ourselves to be part of the supply chain," said Perlowin, adding that the Company is also looking to service start-ups and small companies. "I took a pretty radical step when I said, 'I will sell one kilo for the same price as I sell ten thousand kilos'," said Perlowin. "We're supporting the start-up American entrepreneur."

Jolly then asked how the role as a major part of the CBD supply chain will benefit the Company, and inquired about their distribution strategy. Perlowin explained that the Company is receiving a 30% discount on CBD orders and will be offering a 20% off discount when resold. "We'll make 10% for being in the middle. That's an enormous amount of revenue for the company, it's a great deal for both the big manufacturers and the start-ups, and I'm happy with 10% just from brokering it and being part of the supply chain," said Perlowin, noting that the revenue potential could represent around $200,000 in monthly sales.

The conversation the turned to the Company's pre-roll sales. Perlowin explained that pre-roll sales were previously delayed due to changing regulations, but with the development of blended pre-roll products the Company has been able to move forward in compliance with FDA regulations. "The King of Hemp pre-roll is actually being sold now in Las Vegas and other places where we know it is compliant," explained Perlowin, adding that the Company is also taking pre-orders.

"We're launching the King of Hemp store in Kingman, Arizona," shared Perlowin. "This will have everything hemp," he added, noting that the store will grow to include a wide variety of hemp brands and products. "I have a very unrealistic goal, I'll admit that upfront, of trying to open 200 of these stores in 8 months," said Perlowin before elaborating on the Company's strategy to target bank buildings for these locations.

Jolly then asked about the Company's financials, as well as their stop sign with the OTC market. Perlowin explained that the Company filed a lawsuit against the OTC for preventing them from posting financials through the market due to a civil case with the SEC, which has been resolved. "We do post our financials, but we post them on our website," said Perlowin. "I think we will win that lawsuit," added Perlowin.

To close the interview, Perlowin expanded on the potential of the Company as they begin to produce revenues. "Our whole focus right now is marketing and revenues, and we have the infrastructure to support huge marketing and sales operations," closed Perlowin.

To hear Bruce Perlowin's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7508910-ceo-of-hemp-inc-bruce-perlowin-discusses-aggressive-growth-strategy-with-the-stock-day-podcast

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/

WHAT IS HEMP, INC.?

What is Hemp, Inc.? With a deep-rooted social and environmental mission at its core, Hemp, Inc. seeks to build a business constituency for the American small farmer, the American veteran, and other groups experiencing the ever-increasing disparity between tapering income and soaring expenses. As a leader in the industrial hemp industry with ownership of the largest commercial multi-purpose industrial hemp processing facility in North America, Hemp, Inc. believes there can be tangible benefits reaped from adhering to a corporate social responsibility plan.

SOCIAL NETWORKS

http://www.facebook.com/hempinc (Facebook)

https://www.facebook.com/KingOfPot (Bruce Perlowin's Facebook Page)

https://www.hempincpresents.com (Hemp, Inc.'s YouTube Channel)

FORWARD-LOOKING DISCLAIMER AND DISCLOSURES

This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. To clarify the issue of OTC placing a stop sign next to Hemp, Inc.'s stock trading symbol, that symbol indicates Hemp, Inc. does not report their financials. As a non-reporting pink sheet company, Hemp, Inc. is not required to report. The company does, however, choose to publicly report its quarterly and yearly financials on its website. According to the company's CEO, the OTC stop sign is a misrepresentation of that reporting fact. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties.

Contact Information

Hemp, Inc.

855-436-7688

ir@hempinc.com

About The "Stock Day" Podcast

Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America. Stock Day recently launched its Video Interview Studio located in Phoenix, Arizona.

SOURCE:

Stock Day Media

602-441-3474

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52569




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The 2021 Kia Sorento was shown in official photos a few days ago, but we were missing all of the meaty details. Today, Kia has begun the process of parceling this information out, feeding us powertrain information and a few other interesting features of note.

In North America, we can expect at least two engine options: a hybrid and a traditional gasoline-only engine. The latter is slated to be ready at launch  itll consist of a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, matched with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. We imagine its the same powertrain that we got a taste of in a pre-production Sonata N-Line not too long ago. In the Sorento, output is 277 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. Thats the same amount of torque as Hyundai said the Sonata N-Line will have, but its down 13 horsepower compared to the semi-performance sedan.

The hybrid powertrain, which is confirmed for the North American market, consists of a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and single electric motor. Combined output amounts to 227 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Kia promises low emissions with high levels of performance, and with those power figures, we imagine the Sorento Hybrid wont be a total bore to drive.

Thats it so far as North America powertrain news is concerned for now, but Kia promised more to come  were told to expect additional gasoline engine options and a powerful new plug-in hybrid variant.

Kia teased out a few details about the new platform this Sorento is riding on, too. The wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer than before, but the vehicles overall length is only extended by 0.4 inch. Kia claims better packaging strategies will give the Sorento class-leading cargo space. The new platform also allows Kia to put the hybrids battery pack underneath the floor, claiming it has zero impact on passenger or cargo space.

There were a few easter eggs at the end of Kias release, too. The Sorento will be the first Kia to feature the companys new multi-collision brake system that automatically applies the brakes when the airbags have been deployed after the initial collision. It also has a new remote smartphone surround view monitor. This will allow folks to look at the vehicles surroundings on their smartphone through an app, in addition to seeing it in the infotainment screen. Looking at a phone while driving has never been a good idea, but the feature could be useful if it allows you to check a parked car's surroundings while you're away. Either way, Kia hasnt confirmed the feature for the U.S. market yet; well have to wait and see if we get it or not. Look out for the rest of the details on the new Sorento in Geneva on March 3.

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Bhubaneswar, Feb 19 : Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has requested Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to send a proposal to the Centre for establishment of a medical college in Bhadrak district under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakaram (PMJVK).

In a letter to the Chief Minister, Pradhan requested to send a proposal to the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs to set up a medical college in Bhadrak.

"Bhadrak district does not have any tertiary medical facility as of now. Having a medical college in the district would be extremely helpful in providing the required medical facilities for people in and around the district," the Union Minister wrote in the letter, which was released to media on Wednesday.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakaram (PMJVK) is being implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA).

The Minister said the state may forward duly approved proposal in consultation with the state Health Department to MoMA for setting up the medical college.

The Central Government will bear 60% of the capital cost of the project while recurring expenditure including manpower will be provided by states, he added.
(TNS)  California police agencies are making use of automated license plate reading technologies, but arent doing enough to protect the privacy of those affected, reported the state auditor last week.There is often a tension between law enforcements use of novel technologies to gather information that might help hold lawbreakers accountable and the civil liberties of Americans  especially but not only those who have done nothing wrong but who routinely find themselves swept up in overly broad data collection and retention efforts.According to the auditor, a majority of California police agencies utilize automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, mounted on both stationary objects as well as police vehicles.Software then extracts the license plates caught up in the images captured by the ALPR cameras, saves the information along with data on dates and locations and automatically is matched against lists of vehicles law enforcement is interested in.As civil liberties advocates have long cautioned, such data, if poorly managed, could allow those with such information to track the location and movements of people who did nothing other than cross paths with ALPR cameras.To evaluate how the technology is being handled by law enforcement agencies in practice, the auditor reviewed four local agencies: the Fresno Police Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Marin County Sheriffs Office and the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office.Since such matters rarely come under sufficient scrutiny, its unsurprising that the auditor observed that the handling and retention of ALPR images and associated data did not always follow practices that adequately consider an individuals privacy.According to the auditor, for example, the LAPD has collected and stored over 320 million images over the years, with 99.9 percent of those images being images made of vehicles that werent on a hot list.However, despite collecting so many images, the auditor notes that the LAPD doesnt even have a written policy governing the retention period of the data, though the lieutenant who administers the ALPR program stated that its protocol is to retain the images for at least five years.Overall, the auditor observed that the agencies reviewed have few safeguards and that instead of ensuring that only authorized users access ALPR data for appropriate purposes, the agencies have left their systems to abuse by neglecting to institute sufficient oversight.Obviously, it is untenable for any state or local law enforcement agency to collect so much data while neglecting to balance the trust and power granted to law enforcement with the privacy interests of the people of California.Fortunately, the auditor has come up with some simple tweaks. This includes actions that can be taken by the Legislature and local agencies alike.At the state level, the auditor recommends the state Department of Justice take the simple step of drafting and making publicly available a policy template local agencies can use to model their own ALPR policies on. The state could also specify maximum data retention periods and the frequency with which ALPR systems should be audited.And of course, local agencies dont have to wait on the state to do better. They can develop or reevaluate their own ALPR policies, reevaluate their own data retention policies and ensure data is handled responsibly.A combination of those fixes, and more, merit further debate and discussion among civil liberties advocates and law enforcement alike, and ultimately action taken at the state and local level.
A Public Policy Institute of California survey on Tuesday showed Mr. Sanders with a lead of 32 percent to 14 percent against Mr. Biden, putting him in position to claim a clear majority of delegates from the nations largest delegate prize.

Mr. Bloomberg has shown more strength in recent state polls in the South, where he has been tied or ahead in recent polls of North Carolina, Virginia, Oklahoma and Arkansas. But Mr. Sanders has been highly competitive in these states and would still amass a meaningful number of delegates there.

The recent polls results also undermine the argument that Mr. Sanders has a hard ceiling on his support. He claimed a lead over Mr. Bloomberg, 57 percent to 37 percent, in a hypothetical one-on-one race in the NBC/WSJ poll, suggesting that his opposition might not inevitably coalesce around a single candidate, if one ever emerged.

Instead, the growth in Mr. Sanderss support makes it easy to imagine how he could run away with the nomination over a divided field. Many of his opponents have an incentive to attack one another, rather than Mr. Sanders. And Mr. Bloomberg has been a focal point of attack this week, leaving Mr. Sanders relatively unscathed. Mr. Bloomberg might also be the focal point of the debate tonight.

The primary calendar offers Mr. Sanderss rivals few natural opportunities to consolidate their support. Instead, he is heavily favored in Nevada, a state full of working-class, urban and Hispanic voters  the type who have generally preferred Mr. Sanders in the early states and national polls. And while South Carolina, with a large proportion of African-American voters, is less favorable to Mr. Sanders, the state could wind up further fracturing the field by propping up a faltering Mr. Biden or elevating an additional candidate, Tom Steyer, who held a mere 2 percent in the recent national polls.

For many candidates, the debates represent their only realistic opportunity to fundamentally improve their position. If anything, the effect of Mr. Bloombergs colossal ad spending  including the possibility that it could be turned to attack Mr. Sanders  looms as the single likeliest factor to reshape the trajectory of the race in the final two weeks ahead of Super Tuesday.

Yet at the same time, the polls suggest that the Democratic path to the presidency may be tougher than ever against President Trump, whose approval ratings have improved to well within striking distance of re-election. They have reached 45.8 percent among registered voters in the FiveThirtyEight tracker, while his disapproval has fallen to 50.1 percent.
Investment of more than Rs 19,200 crore is proposed as on January 2020 in the state through MoUs signed during the Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership Summit - 2015 organised by the previous government, Industries Minister Parsadi Lal informed the assembly on Wednesday.

The then state government had signed 295 memorandums of understanding (MoUs)of Rs 3.21 lakh crore to bring investment in the state through the summit, Lal said.

Replying to a question raised by Congress legislator Panachand Meghwal, the minister informed the House that a total of Rs 52.57 crore was spent on the event.

While Rs 20.53 crore was spent on advertisement and publicity, the event partner was paid Rs 29.53 crore, he said.

Similarly, Rs 2.31 crore was paid to the knowledge partner of the event and the money spent on meetings and seminars held during the event was Rs 1.11 lakh.

Another Rs 2.90 lakh was spent on conveyance and miscellaneous expenses accounted for Rs 4.49 lakh, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Parents are overwhelmingly concerned that the web is watching their children, but many don't realize the scale of the problem or know how to take action. That's according to new research revealed today by Startpage , the world's most private search engine, which questioned 1,000 parents in the U.S. with children between five and sixteen.

The survey found 98% of parents are concerned about their children's privacy online. Despite regulations like COPPA designed to protect children, there are still many examples of data breaches and data misuse on the news, so parents' concerns are real.

Given data privacy for children often fails at the federal and company level, parents believe that the majority of the responsibility for protecting their children online falls to them. But over two thirds (68%) admitted to not feeling able, or only sometimes feeling able, to control their children's privacy online. Keen to be a part of the solution, 61% of parents take it into their own hands to teach their children about online safety. Yet this survey suggests many parents aren't knowledgeable enough about the dangers, and steps to combat them, themselves.

Parents unanimously said they know dangerous individuals lurk on the web and fear those people contacting their children. But, a surprising number are unaware of other day-to-day dangers from exposing their children's data:

36% said they didn't know companies could exploit their children's data for commercial gain

33% said they didn't know companies could use their children's digital footprint to target inappropriate ads at them

39% said they didn't know cybercriminals could be selling their children's information on the dark web

Without full knowledge of the repercussions, families innocently hand over personal data that threatens their online data privacy every day. Half of all parents admit to using non-private search engines to search for their children's health symptoms or conditions online, for example.

"With awareness building, people are increasingly making changes to their daily online routines to protect themselves. Parents, myself included, deserve simple and easy-to-implement privacy tools to protect their children," said Robert E.G. Beens, CEO of Startpage.

Non-private search engines and social media platforms use children's online data for their own gain every day. Through tracking cookies, an innocent search using a non-private search engine exposes more and more information about children to advertisers, which can result in retargeted ads - annoying at best, manipulative at worst. Parents only need to consider the auto-complete function on non-private search engines to realize how much companies already know about their children.

When it comes to taking steps to protect their children on the web, the survey results highlight parents aren't aware of all the options and which to prioritize:

Over half (58%) of parents say they try to avoid the problem entirely by restricting their children's access to laptops, tablets and smartphones

Two thirds (69%) would update browser security safeguards and content filters for language, nudity, sex and violence

Yet less than half (47%) would install a private search engine on desktop and mobile to decrease their children's digital footprints

Beens continued: "We don't believe in restricting people when it comes to privacy; young people will tend to find a way to do what they please regardless. For Startpage, it's about creating choice and tools to empower anyone to take back control of their data. A simple fix to decrease children's digital profiles is defaulting to private search. Installing a private search engine extension takes seconds and is an effective solution for search."

Startpage partnered with Pollfish to survey 1,000 adults in the U.S. with children between the ages of 5 and 16 on Friday, January 31.

About Startpage

Startpage is the world's most private search engine. Founded in the Netherlands in 2006, the company has grown to become the preferred choice of anyone who cares about accurate search results as much as they care about their privacy. Startpage doesn't track, log, share or sell user data or search history. The company offers an exclusive feature - "Anonymous View" - which allows users to browse other websites without being tracked. Startpage partners with Google for best-in-class search results and applies its proprietary anonymizing process to protect users' online privacy. The company delivers completely un-profiled search results and protects consumers from annoying ads and price trackers. Startpage protects its world-wide users by adhering to the stringent Dutch and EU privacy laws, including GDPR. To find out more about how to change to the world's most private search engine, read installing the Startpage browser extension or setting Startpage as your default homepage . Follow the company on Twitter @startpage or sign up for its newsletter Privacy Please! at https://www.getrevue.co/profile/Startpage .

Media Contact

Vito Gallo

[email protected]

415-591-8403

SOURCE Startpage

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by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, February 19, 2020

The European Union on Wednesday released a plan to create one market for all EU data that shapes Europes digital future and helps companies to compete not only in Europe, but in the United States.

The EU collectively will invest between 4 and 6 billion to develop common data spaces and a European federation of cloud infrastructure and services by 2025.

Industrial and commercial data are key drivers of the digital economy, according to the site. The European Data Strategy will make more data available for use in the economy and society, while keeping those who generate the data in control.

During the next five years, the Commission will focus on three objectives to promote technological. The announcements note the objects as technology that works for people, a fair and competitive economy, and an open and democratic sustainable society.

As part of this focus on data, the EU claims it will provide residents with a trusted digital identity.

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This means increased personal privacy, less fraud and more rapid intersections with government and businesses.

The plan also promises longer-lasting electronics, access to diverse and reliable media content, and better food with fewer pesticides, fertilizers, fuel and water thanks to artificial intelligence, data and 5G technology.

The data would become available to citizens and organizations. Some of the data for the industrial and commercial sectors would include sensor information on jet engines, real-time notifications of delayed trains, and wind-farm data to reduce the visual impact and optimize power.

The framework also encompasses artificial intelligence (AI).

Along with the new framework, the EU published a white paper that details why the member companies aims to attract more than more than $20 billion (20 billion) of total investment in AI annually in the EU during the next decade.

The EU will fund the proposals on AI and data through investments from the Digital Europe program (DEP), the Connecting Europe Facility 2 and Horizon Europe.
The Land Trust of North Alabama says it wont be buying a rare piece of property for sale on Monte Sano mountain overlooking Huntsville. But it does have another tract on the same mountain in its sights.

Earlier this year, a 49-acre tract on the mountains north end along Bankhead Parkway went on sale for an asking price of $995,000. The land is directly across from the land trusts Bankhead Parkway parking lot and trail head, and the trust immediately got calls asking if buying the land was possible.

It would in fact be a valuable addition to preserved land on Monte Sano, the land trust has now said on its website. However, we always strive to allocate member and donor funds in the best possible way. At the current selling price of $995,000, we are unable to consider purchasing this property.

But we are thrilled to share that were currently raising funds to purchase another, larger property on Monte Sano - 122 acres on the northeast corner of the mountain, the land trust said. This acquisition would protect a popular portion of hiking trails (part of the State Park trail system - Panthers Knob and Logan Point Trails).

The Land Trust of North Alabama is raising money to buy the tract of land in violet on the side of Monte Sano mountain. This acquisition would protect a popular portion of hiking trails and ensure the preservation of valuable wildlife habitat.

The property the trust wants is adjacent to Monte Sano State Park and another piece of land the trust acquired recently. The tract for sale has trails across it that are linked to the state park trails.

We are really excited about being able to preserve that trail network specifically for Logan Point, Land Trust Executive Director Marie Bostick said Tuesday. Its very important to the trail system and that whole preserved area on Monte Sano.

Bostick said the land trust has been in talks with the family that owns the property for literally 15 years and now has an agreement to purchase if it can raise $305,000 by February 2021. It is about a third of the price of the other property, Bostick said. Its on the other side of the mountain, and I understand theres a difference there. Wed love to have that property thats for sale across from the Bankhead trailhead, but its just a little out of reach right now.

Unless something changes, that means the property on the front of the mountain could become sites for new homes on the mountainside.

The Land Trust of North Alabama is a 33-year-old nonprofit with 2,200 members, Bostick said. It expanded from Madison County a decade ago and now preserves and maintains 7,500 acres of land, seven nature preserves and more than 70 miles of trails across 10 north Alabama counties.
A Nigerian prince has given up a life of royalty at home to spend his days hunting leaks for Thames Water in London - in a story reminiscent of the Eddie Murphy comedy Coming to America.

Akeem Adenuga, 62, comes from near Lagos in Nigeria where his brother - King Asunmo Aderibigbe - is The Paramount Ruler of Odo-Ayandelu.

The prince took a break from royal duties in 1994 to study in the UK and fell in love with the country, taking a job as a trainee leakage technician at Thames Water in 2000 - and he has worked there ever since.

Eddie Murphy's 1988 film depicted a fictional Prince Akeem, the crown prince of a made-up African country, who travels to the US in the hope of finding a woman he can marry.

The real-life Akeem now leads a team of 24 engineers who find and fix hidden subterranean leaks across the city.

Father-of-five Akeem said: "I really look forward to coming to work, and I'm always raring to go out and get stuck into work in the streets of the capital.

"I love my job, and the people I work with really make it special.

"That's why it's so important to me that I look after my team - health and safety is my top priority.

"It gives me joy every day when they all get home safely."

Despite moving thousands of miles away, Akeem remains deeply connected to his hometown of Agbowa-Ikosi - a small town a two-hour drive from the city of Lagos.

He and five friends donated $25,000 for an ambulance in 2017, so that locals could take patients to the nearest hospital - an hour away.

Akeem, who is a massive Arsenal fan despite living in Tottenham, said: "As a prince back home, my family gets a wonderful welcome every time we visit.

"But I always remember the advice my late father gave me many years ago - be humble, kind and productive.

"That's a really good way to live and has always carried me through."

His brother is Royal Majesty Oba Asunmo Ganiyu Aderibigbe Balogun, Jamade 1, the Paramount Ruler of Odo-Ayandelu.

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But before taking up his role he studied Block Laying and Concreting at a technical college.

He then went on to be a masonry officer and union leader at the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) in Nigeria.

Thames Water is now uncovering a record number of leaks, with more than 70,000 repaired in the last financial year.

It is spending more than 1 million a day to help reduce leaks on an underground network of pipes that's almost long enough to circle the Earth.

Recent successes include plugging a leak that was losing three million litres per day in Guildford Street, near Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Danny Leamon, Thames Water's head of water networks, said: "We have dozens of teams working around the clock to find and fix an average of around 1,400 leaky pipes every week right across our region.

"We're determined to drastically reduce the amount of water that escapes from our pipe network to help protect customer supplies and the environment for now and future generations."
Libyan govt denies Turkish ships attacked in Tripoli

UN-recognized government denies reports claiming the presence of a Turkish ship at Tripoli port.

Libya's UN-recognized government denied the presence of any Turkish ship at Tripoli's port which was bombed by militias of renegade commander Khalifa Haftar on Tuesday.

"PORT WAS USED ONLY FOR CIVILIANS"

The Government of National Accord's Ports Directorate stated that Haftar's forces struck the Port of Tripoli with missiles on Tuesday, according to Libyan Panorama TV channel.

Also, Mustafa al-Mujie, spokesman for Operation Volcano of Anger, a military campaign launched by government forces, said the Haftar attack left a number of commercial vessels and goods in flames, denying reports that claimed a Turkish ship or ammunition warehouse was targeted.

It added that the port was used only for civilian purposes, and that it did not contain any military equipment when it was bombed.

T.V. channels affiliated with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates claimed that the bombing targeted a Turkish ship while it was transporting weapons to Libya.
Though Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan are scheduled to sign a final agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam later this month, some issues still need to be resolved

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that it could be "months" before the dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is resolved.

Pompeo's statements came as a surprise considering that only a few days before, following the conclusion of the latest round of negotiations in Washington on 12 and 13 February, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a joint statement issued by Egypt, Ethiopian and Sudan, the US Department of the Treasury and the World Bank had said that The United States, with technical support from the World Bank, has agreed to facilitate the preparation of the final agreement for consideration by the ministers and heads of state for conclusion by the end of the month.

Pompeo, speaking at a press conference Tuesday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, said "a great deal of work remains, but I'm optimistic that over the coming months we can resolve this". Pompeo was on a three-nation Africa tour that also included Senegal and Angola before he was scheduled to head to the Middle East.

The talks in Washington saw a serious attempt to reach a final agreement. But it is obvious there are still differences, something the Ethiopian minister of irrigation underlined when he stated more work is needed for the agreement to be ready by the end of this month, said a diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity.

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan are scheduled to fly back to Washington by the end of this month to sign the final agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

During the most recent round of talks the ministers of the three countries reviewed progress achieved by their technical and legal teams and reaffirmed the importance of transboundary cooperation in the development of the Blue Nile and their commitment to concluding an agreement.

A statement issued by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the final agreement would be prepared by the US and the World Bank and presented to the three countries. It is expected to include details of the filling of the dam and its operating process in times of drought.

In earlier talks, scheduled in Washington for 28 and 29 January but which were extended for two extra days, the participants had agreed that the technical and legal committees should continue to meet to hammer out outstanding differences and prepare a final agreement to be approved by the parties foreign ministers and ministers of irrigation on 12 and 13 February and signed by their governments by the end of the month.

The two most controversial points in negotiations have been the timetable for filling the dams reservoir and its operating protocols. Ethiopia wanted a four-year timetable for filling the dam, Egypt said this would be too short, especially in the event of drought, and argued that a minimum amount of water reaching Sudan and Egypt must be set.

When tripartite negotiations failed to produce an agreement in October Egypt reiterated its calls for international mediation. Ethiopia initially resisted the idea: it was only when Washington stepped in and offered to host the talks that Addis Ababa agreed.

A roadmap was drawn with the three countries which provided for four meetings to be attended by the US Treasury and the World Bank as observers. It set mid-January as the deadline for an agreement.

On 15 January the US Treasury Department announced that the three countries had reached a consensus on principles. After three days of intensive talks in Washington the ministers also agreed the filling of the reservoir should be executed in stages during the wet season, generally from July to August, and undertaken in a cooperative manner that takes into account the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and potential impact of the filling on downstream reservoirs.

They also agreed to include mitigation measures for Egypt and Sudan during dry years, periods of drought and prolonged drought.

Issues that the parties still need to agree include details of the dams operation during periods of normal rainfall, precise mechanisms to guarantee the implementation of the final agreement and a mechanism to resolve disputes.

The operation of the dam will be an ongoing process for years to come. It is important to agree a mechanism for resolving differences that might occur over the implementation of the agreement in the future. Given the role that they have recently played, the US and the World Bank are widely considered as suitable arbiters, said the diplomat.

Disputes over the filling and operation of the dam began in 2011 when Cairo expressed fears that GERD would restrict the flow of Nile water on which Egypt is almost entirely dependent.

Addis Ababa repeatedly denied the dam would harm Egypt though no impact studies were undertaken, and insisted GERD was essential to Ethiopias economic development.

A number of historic agreements protect Nile water rights. A 1902 agreement obliges Addis Ababa not to construct or allow any work to be constructed across the Blue Nile which will arrest the flow of water except in agreement with Britain and the government of Sudan.

A 1959 treaty stipulates Egypts share of Nile Water at 55.5 billion cubic metres and Sudans at 18.5 billion cubic metres. The treaty reaffirmed Egypts right to veto any construction projects that could impede the flow of Nile water.

In 1993 Ethiopia pledged not to harm Egypts water interests and in 2015, following a series of tripartite talks between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, the three countries signed the Declaration of Principles stating they will cooperate to reach an agreement on guidelines for filling the dams reservoir and its annual operation.

Following yet more rounds of talks, Egypt declared negotiations had failed in October last year.

The dam will begin partial operation by July this year. Ethiopia hopes to complete the dam by 2022.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 20 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The impacts of the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak on China's trade will be temporary, according to experts at two of China's economic institutions.



Liu Yingkui, director of the International Investment Research Department of the Academy of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, told China.org.cn that this is because of China's trade heft and its irreplaceable role in the global market.

Though having confidence in China's long-term economic performance, Liu noted various immediate impacts the epidemic has on trade. He listed labor shortage, interrupted supply chain, as well as impeded trade negotiations, fairs, and international travel, among others.

On Jan. 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus outbreak in China a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, as certain countries started to close borders and restrict trade to China, and as airlines halted some flights. According to the International Air Transport Association, more than 50 countries and regions have imposed travel restrictions on China and tightened visa requirements.

Hong Junjie, head of the School of International Trade and Economics at the University of International Business and Economics, told China.org.cn that the short-term impacts are mainly on the supply side and the movement of people between countries. He said he expects to see a "compensatory" rebound of trade after the outbreak ends.

However, Hong said the rebound may not be as strong as the one after the 2003 SARS outbreak, because China's high trade volume and its core position in the global value chain today allows not as much room for the trade to surge as in 2003, two years after China's WTO entry.

During the SARS outbreak, the growth of China's foreign trade slowed significantly in the second quarter, but grew rapidly in the second half of the year after the outbreak ended. China's total volume of import and export in 2003 increased 37.1% over the previous year.

"Different from the 2003 SARS outbreak, while going all-out with more stringent measures to combat the virus, more attention has been paid to supporting companies this time," Liu said, adding that the impact will not last long, especially when the government and various organizations are making swift and effective responses to support businesses.

So far, the government has taken measures including promoting paperless customs clearance, improving services of export rebates, and increasing support for financial lending.

To address the dilemma of trade companies unable to perform international trade contracts as scheduled due to the epidemic, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) opened online services to provide them with proof of force majeure to the companies. Otherwise, a default would cause financial loss and credibility crisis of a company, Liu said.

The CCPIT is also sharing trade information with the companies after communicating with chambers of commerce, business associations, and companies in other countries.

China's Ministry of Commerce said on Feb. 11 that it will closely monitor the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak on foreign trade and actively help foreign trade firms to resume operations.

As the government takes actions amid the epidemic, Liu said there are opportunities to push forward fiscal, tax, and financial reforms, such as lowering taxes and piloting measures for low- or zero-interest loans, helping to get small and micro enterprises more access to convenient financial services.

Hong also said separately that he sees opportunities for companies to increase their degree of digitalization and IT application, a move that will be conducive to the long-term development of the country's trade.

With companies gradually resuming work, Hong said it not only helps to guarantee the supplies for epidemic prevention and control, but also is of great significance to the economy.

He suggested the government take appropriate measures to help companies in less affected areas to resume work as soon as possible, while tackling the epidemic with vigorous efforts.

"But various localities should adopt science-based policies suitable for local conditions, instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach," Hong said, adding that even a small county may face a different situation from the neighboring one.

Liu said his advice for the anticipated trade rebound is for trade companies to maintain contact with clients and business partners while weathering this difficult time. He said the companies should take advantage of well-developed internet capabilities to facilitate their effort to maintain contact with trade partners.

The government should strike a balance between its epidemic prevention and control efforts and helping businesses to resume work and production, Liu said. It should also offer guidance to the companies that are resuming work on ways to keep the staff healthy and safe, he added.

"China is much stronger than it was before," Liu said, adding that he looks forward to seeing trade to go back to normal, and the order in life and production to be restored as soon as possible.
The long-awaited result of Afghanistans bitterly disputed presidential election was expected to end months of uncertainty.



Instead, President Ashraf Ghanis reelection has triggered a political crisis that has threatened to spill over into violence and derail a historic peace deal between the United States and the Taliban.



Though Ghani was finally declared the winner of the September 28 vote, main challenger Abdullah Abdullah, the country's chief executive officer, has rejected the result, declared himself the winner, and vowed to form his own government.

He then slammed the result as a coup and vowed to form an all-inclusive government. He also accused election authorities of favoring Ghani.



Ghani's vice president, the powerful former warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, called on his supporters on February 19 to take to the streets to celebrate what he described as a victory for Abdullah.

The international community has remained unusually silent following the release of the final result on February 18, despite contributing millions of dollars into the election process.



It is unclear if the United States is willing to try to mediate a solution to this new standoff.



In 2014, when both Ghani and Abdullah alleged massive fraud, Washington brokered a power-sharing deal that produced a deeply unpopular and fractured national unity government.



With Ghani and Abdullah representing rival communities, the dispute has exposed the ethnic fault lines in Afghanistan, where Ghani is viewed with suspicion by many members of the countrys ethnic Tajik, Uzbek, and Hazara groups.

Afghanistan could be headed for a fresh political crisis at a critical moment, when the nation is in need of a united front to chart a path towards peace, said Michael Kugelman, South Asia associate at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington.



'All Bets Off'



The political infighting in Kabul has threatened to disrupt a proposed U.S.-Taliban deal on the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, a major step toward ending the nearly 19-year war.



Following 18 months of grueling negotiations, the United States and the Taliban have agreed to a seven-day reduction of violence ahead of signing the deal, expected at the end of the month.



The Afghan Interior Ministry said on February 18 that the temporary truce would begin in the next five days.

It is unclear to what extent the United States would mediate or intervene, but it is a safe bet that it will be much less publicly and openly involved than in 2014."



As part of the deal, the Taliban is obliged to launch direct negotiations with the Western-backed Kabul government and other Afghans over a permanent cease-fire and a power-sharing agreement.



The effect of this emerging crisis on the country and the peace crisis will depend on how far Abdullah goes in carrying out his threat of setting up a separate government, said Kugelman.



If he decides that its best to back down for the sake of peace and stability, then the damage would be limited. But if he digs in, then all bets would be off, he added.



Given that Abdullah believes he has been wronged electorally three times in a row -- he also claimed to have won the 2009 and 2014 votes -- Kugelman said he was unlikely to back down in the immediate term.



But Andrew Watkins, a senior analyst for Afghanistan at the International Crisis Group, said he believes the political crisis would not necessarily derail the peace process.



It has been widely understood that the pro-government side of intra-Afghan negotiations will include some political opposition figures as well as government officials, he said.



Political figures may calculate that limiting their responses to the election results and ensuring that the intra-Afghan negotiations move forward is actually the best route to securing the interests of their supporters and communities, Watkins added.
NEWARK, NJ, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report published by Fior Markets, the global microgrid controller market is expected to grow from USD 19.56 Billion in 2017 to USD 58.23 Billion by 2025 at a CAGR of 14.6% during the forecast period from 2018-2025

A device that permits microgrid creation by controlling distributed energy resources and loads in a pre-defined electrical system to maintain acceptable frequency and voltage. A microgrid network connects to the network at a common coupling point that maintains voltage at the same level as the main network unless there is some kind of network problem or some other reason to disconnect. The adapter can separate the microgrid from the main network automatically or manually, then act as an island.

The microgrid control unit is a tool that enables the establishment of a microgrid by controlling the transmitted biological assets and in a preset electrical system to keep up with the required amount of frequency and voltage. Without a doubt, microgrid may be described as generating, storing and loading resources within limits managed by the controller. It helps distribution network operators integrate and improve energy assets in order to reduce the total energy cost of the local distribution network.

The global market for controlling microgrid networks is expected to grow rapidly during the expected period, due to the increasing necessity of backup solutions, it is a major factor driving the market. Also, the increased use of renewables and high government spending on microgrid projects are also fueling market growth. The high cost of installing and maintaining a microgrid control system may hinder market growth. However, the growing demand for microgrid control systems in industries and improvement in IOT as well as communication technologies will drive the growth of the microgrid controller.

DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT AT https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/376032/request-sample

Key players in the Microgrid Controller market are ABB Group, Siemens AG, Hitachi Ltd, Eaton Corporation PLC, Princeton Power Systems, General Electric Corporation, Pareto Energy Ltd, Honeywell International Inc., Northern Power Systems Corporation, and Exelon Corporation among others. To strengthen its market position in the microgrid controller market, key players are now focusing on adopting strategies such as recent developments, product innovation, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, cooperation, and partnership. Major firms are increasingly investing on research and development activities and development of newer products.

For example, in September 2016, GE and National Instruments (United States) collaborated to work on USAID small and solar network projects in Africa and India.

In June 2017, ABB partnered with Aruba. ABB, a well-known microgrid technology company, is providing power to Aruba. Aruba Island plans to cover half of its annual energy needs with renewable energy and the other half with alternative fuels by 2020. ABB WEB Aruba's software, automation and control technologies will help integrate solar, wind and forecasting, better planning and optimization of operations in real time, in While meeting the growing demand in Aruba for electricity.

The private ownership section held the largest market share of 57.80% in 2017

The ownership segment is divided into private and public. The private ownership division is controlling the microgrid controller market in 2017. High energy consumption and increasing governments monetary incentives to set up power microgrid control systems have motivated the private players to enter the market.

The hardware segment held the largest market share of 61.20% in 2017

The component segment is classified into segments such as hardware and software. The hardware segment dominated the market in 2017. Rising number of microgrid plans in large power plants and increasing petition from process industries has determined the hardware section of the microgrid control system market.

Off-grid segment valued around USD 12.57 Billion in 2017

The grid type segment is divided into on-grid and off-grid. Off-grid segment is dominating the market with the highest share in 2017. The off-grid section is predictable to hold the largest market share by 2023. The rising electrification of rural and remote zones across the globe has led to the high acceptance rate of remote/islanded microgrid control system.

The industrial division valued around USD 7.56 Billion in 2017

The end user segment is classified into utilities, campuses and institutions, commercial, and industrial. The industrial section conquered the market with the highest share in 2017. Industries are ranking more on energy consumption to decrease functional costs. This has resulted in many companies opting for microgrid systems to increase efficiency while reducing energy costs and carbon emissions.

Browse full report with TOC at https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-microgrid-controller-market-by-ownership-private-public-376032.html

Regional Segment Analysis of the Microgrid Controller market

North America (U.S. , Canada, Mexico)

Europe (Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of the Europe)

Asia-Pacific (China, Japan India, Rest of APAC)

South America (Brazil and Rest of South America)

Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA)

The regions analysed for the market include North America, Europe, South America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. Asia-Pacific region dominated the global microgrid controller market with USD 7.76 Billion in 2017 where as the North America region is growing rapidly in the market. The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest increasing region due to countries such as China and India which are deeply capitalising in electrification projects, moderation & upgradation of existing electric systems so as to meet the growing demand for electricity. North America is dominating the market as the replacement and refurbishment of the existing infrastructure is the major requirement in the local utility grid scenario in this region. Micro grids are existence employed in remote sites to facilitate power and communication capabilities.

About the report:

The global microgrid controller market is analysed on the basis of value (USD Billion), volume (K Units), imports (K Units) and exports (K Units). All the segments have been analyzed on global, regional and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each segment. The report offers an in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining the key insight of the market. The study includes porters five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution and marketing channels analysis.

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Asked if she saw a future for herself in politics, Iltija replied that she had no plans as of now, but could not commit about the future.

New Delhi: Days after former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti was slapped with the Public Safety Act while remaining under detention, her daughter Iltija on Tuesday said she felt Kashmir was looking at a very bleak future. She also indicated the possibility of suing the Central government and demanding compensation from it.

Talking to reporters at the Indian Womens Press Corps here, she said: I think the Indian government should be sued. We should demand compensation.

On being questioned again, she said: Where else can we go (but the courts). Who else can we go to? Iltija, who also questioned the Internet shutdown in Kashmir for over seven months since the abrogation of Article 370 in August, as well as the continued detention of three former chief ministers, including her mother, said while she was a proud Indian, this was not the country she grew up in. I am a proud Indian, we are now becoming a Hindu Pakistan. I have full respect for the Prime Minister. Either he is being misled or is wilfully misleading the country.

She further added: I am not anti-India because I am speaking against the BJP, my loyalty lies with the country, it is not mortgaged to the BJP. I am not at all popular. Kashmiris are angry with my mother, I dont claim I represent Kashmiris.

Asked if she saw a future for herself in politics, Iltija replied that she had no plans as of now, but could not commit about the future.

Jammu and Kashmir is a political problem. Wounds need to heal. I am doing this because when history is written, I do not want to be on the wrong side, she said.

Questioned on the perceived unpopularity of existing politicians like Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, she said just like it was not possible to hold elections in India without the BJP and the Congress, it was not possible to hold elections in J&K without the PDP and the National Conference.

When it was pointed out that it was her party that had allied with the BJP in the state, she said: When my grandfather allied with the BJP five years ago, my mother wasnt happy. But after his death, they kept on sending feelers to her. And the agenda of governance had said they would not tinker with the special status of Kashmir.

On the Pakistan question, Iltija said: It is true that Pakistan has fished in troubled waters. If you think that Kashmir is gravitating towards Pakistan, what have you (the Indian government) done?
The Maritime and Dockworkers Union (MDU), Trades Union Congress (Ghana) and Ghana Ports and Harbor Authority (GPHA) local union have kicked against a proposal by the Meridian Port Services (MPS) to grant 20% container business to GPHA on a continuous reduction formula for a four-year term.

According to the unions, the MPS proposal to grant the 20% container business to GPHA is not sustainable as it only favours MPS.

They are therefore calling for the stakeholder decision reached in Dubai in November 2019 to be implemented and not the new deal being proposed by MPS.

Our position is that the Dubai decision of granting 20% container business to GPHA should be implemented in the contract period of the MPS terminal-3 agreement.

We are seeking immediate implementation of the 20% container business to GPHA, a statement signed by Daniel Owusu Koranteng the General Secretary of the MDU and other executives of the GPHA local Unions indicated.

The unions said the contract agreement which is very favourable to Meridian Port Services took effect in July 2018, indicating that whilst MPS is continuously reaping the benefits of the MPS Terminal-3 agreement, GHPA is experiencing dwindling revenue each day.

GPHA has since then been losing huge revenues from the loss of container business to MPS in addition to other streams of revenue from port dues, reefer container business, port dues, royalties etc, the statement said.

It would be recalled that in 2019 the MDU, TUC (Ghana) and the workers of GPHA developed a campaign for the review of the contract agreement of the MPS Terminal-3 because of its negative effects on the revenues of GPHA and other maritime operators.

The campaign and the collective agitation of the MDU, TUC and workers of GPHA resulted in the President recommending a tripartite approach for the review of the MPS Terminal-3 agreement.

The unions are therefore likely to revive the suspended campaign in the hope that immediate steps will be taken to implement the 20% container business to GPHA's decision.

---Daily Guide
The Oakland City Council voted Tuesday to approve Mayor Libby Schaafs appointment for interim city administrator  a man who previously served as the Lafayette city manager for 22 years before resigning because of residents refusal to build more housing.

Steven Falk was confirmed by a unanimous vote.

His appointment comes after Sabrina Landreth, the current city administrator, announced last year that she would step down from her position in March.

Her announcement followed a tumultuous year with the City Council due to disagreements over the citys biennial budget. Two weeks before her resignation, Landreth accused City Council members of being complicit when audience members yelled at a staff member at a public meeting. Landreth denounced the elected leaders for remaining silent during the incident.

Her last day is March 11. She has not announced what she will be doing next.

Falk said he doesnt have any grand plans to complete major programs as the interim city administrator, but said he hopes to keep the city afloat until the position is filled permanently. Falk said he is not in the running for the permanent position and will be the interim for up to four months. He will be paid $24,087.42 per month.

Ill do my best to execute the mayors and the City Councils goals, to encourage the professional staff in any way that I can and to help Oakland become the best version of itself during my limited time in the chair, he said. When (Schaaf) asked me to serve as the interim, she made it clear that she would like the interim to not be an applicant for the permanent position so as not to give an unfair advantage to that person.

Vice Mayor Larry Reid welcomed Falk, but said he was concerned about who the mayor might choose for the permanent job.

My problem is with the mayor and trying to get her to make the correct decision, Reid said, while criticizing the hiring of a headhunter to find Landreths replacement.

Other council members also welcomed Falk and listed their priorities to address during his stay, particularly housing and homelessness.

Welcome to Oakland, Councilman Noel Gallo said during the Tuesday night meeting.

Most recently, Falk served as the interim Richmond city manager for six months, during which he hired the citys first African American female interim police chief. Chief Bisa French was appointed after former Chief Allwyn Brown resigned.

Prior to that, Falk was the city manager in Lafayette, but in September 2018 he announced that he could not stay in the role he held for three decades when his views diverge so sharply from the communitys.

All cities  even small ones  have a responsibility to address the most significant challenges of our time: climate change, income inequality and housing affordability, Falk wrote in his resignation letter. I believe that adding multifamily housing at the BART station is the best way for Lafayette to do its part, and it has therefore become increasingly difficult for me to support, advocate for or implement policies that would thwart transit density. My conscience wont allow it.

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.

Falk said his resignation came after two ballot measures that he spearheaded were quashed by voters. One, in 2016, would have enacted a 1% sales tax to pay for downtown parks, restoring a historic theater, protecting open spaces and increasing police patrols.

The second ballot measure would have authorized a project with up to 44 homes and new recreational facilities.

After those two measures failed, I concluded that I was no longer in touch with where the community wanted to go and that Lafayette should have a city manager that is more aligned with the people, Falk told The Chronicle last week. And so I moved on.

On Tuesday, one Oakland resident warned Falk to brace himself for the new job. Asada Olugbala, who attends council meetings regularly and speaks during public comment, said the city is a deceptive and corrupt place.

Youre going to be challenged, sir, on that record of integrity youre going to bring, she said.

Falk will start as Oaklands interim city administrator on March 12.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
Konnie Huq has shared a photo of her son using a 'iPad viewer' he created from a cardboard box, joking that it was like a 'disturbing Black Mirror Blue Peter crossover'.

The London-born star, 44, who is best known for presenting Blue Peter from 1997 to 2008, is married to Charlie Brooker, the creator of Black Mirror - a dystopian drama about the dangers of technology

Taking to Twitter, the presenter wrote: 'My five-year-old has just made a hands-free iPad viewer out of an empty box. Disturbing Blue Peter/Black Mirror crossover.'

Scroll down for video

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, the presenter wrote: 'My 5 year old has just made a hands free iPad viewer out of an empty box. Disturbing Blue Peter / Black Mirror crossover [laughing emoji]'

Alongside the tweet, she posted a picture of her son Huxley, lying on a wooden floor with his head inside a cardboard Amazon box, which he'd presumably cut a hole in.

He'd placed an iPad on top of the box, allowing him to relax on the floor, arms akimbo.

Konnie's tweet clearly amused many Twitter users, as it quickly racked up more than 30,000, with many replying saying their children had done the same.

The official UK Netflix account joked: 'Considered it commissioned' before one eagle-eyed user asked 'even though it's an Amazon Prime box?'

The star, 44, who is best known for presenting Blue Peter from 1997 to 2008, is married to Charlie Brooker, the creator of Black Mirror. They are pictured together earlier this week at the Upstart Crow press night at the Gielgud Theatre in London

The official UK Netflix account joked: 'Considered it commissioned' before one eagle-eyed user asked 'even though it's an Amazon prime box?'

Others said their children did the same, while some even mocked up 'Blue Peter' in Black Mirror's logo.

'Are they watching a box set?' one said.

'It's all in the genes!!!' added another.

'My son used to do the same!! Had to live with this box in the living room for weeks!' shared one Twitter user.

Konnie's tweet clearly amused many Twitter users, as it quickly racked up more than 30 thousand likes, with many replying saying their children had done the same.

A fourth wrote: 'My daughter also. Didn't know whether to congratulate her on invention or be horrified.'

While others added they may try it themselves.

'Oh yes, I remember being a kid. When all you needed to have fun was an empty box and an imagination' wrote one.

Another wrote: 'Perfect way to watch in bed. I may try this later. Also fine if you fall asleep watching.'

'For Gods sake dont tell Amazon! Theyll be selling their boxes for 50 each if they see this' joked a third.

Earlier this year, Konnie's husband paid tribute to the TV star and their two sons, revealing his whirlwind romance with her as he said becoming a parent changed him for the better.

The talented writer told BBC 4's Desert Island Discs that marrying Konnie in a Las Vegas ceremony after just nine months was 'the best decision' he had ever made.

The pair also share Covey, seven, and wed in 2010.

Of the loved-up pair's marriage Charlie said: 'That was absolutely the right time. It was weird because, for years, I'd not known if I'd wanted kids or a family, that seemed like something that other people did, I couldn't perceive of that as a future.

'And then Konnie came along and quite early on she said "I want kids and a family" and this sort of thing, and I heard myself going "OK", and sort of thought, "oh, right, why have I said that?" It was the best decision I ever made.'
EUGENE, Ore.  A jury trial began Tuesday into the alleged wrongful death of Brian Babb, who was killed by Eugene police in March 2015.

Babb was an Afghanistan war veteran with physical and mental health issues.

His family is seeking $7.5 million from the city of Eugene due to what they believe was an unreasonable use of deadly force.

"Day one going into the trial has been a long, long awaited time," Stephanie Babb, his sister, said. "Being there for my family and being supportive of them is really what's important right now."

According to the lawsuit Babb called his therapist, telling her he had fired his weapon into the floor to see how it sounded. She told him to unload it and store it in his truck. Fearing Babb was in a crisis, she called 911.

In the response that followed the situation escalated and a Eugene officer shot and killed Babb, who had reportedly opened his front door and pointed a rifle at the officer.

"His absence is felt every single day," Babb said. "It doesn't go away. It just doesn't. There's no grieving. We didn't get the grieving process."

The lawsuit claims the killing was wrongful and says that the therapist had only asked for a welfare check.

Among the defendants are officers who were involved in the incident, the City of Eugene, and 911 dispatch employees.

"We don't forget," Babb said. "We have this every day, and we live with this every day."

An eight-member jury was selected, and opening statements began today.
E. Jean Carroll, the longtime Elle magazine advice columnist who last year accused Donald J. Trump of raping her before he was elected president, said on Tuesday that she was fired by the publication because of Mr. Trumps repeated insults against her.

Ms. Carroll, the author of the Ask E. Jean column, announced her departure from the magazine on Twitter and blamed it on Mr. Trump, who she said had sexually assaulted her in a dressing room at an upscale New York department store more than 20 years ago.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly denied Ms. Carrolls accusation.

Because Trump ridiculed my reputation, laughed at my looks, & dragged me through the mud, after 26 years, ELLE fired me, Ms. Carroll wrote on Twitter. I dont blame Elle. It was the great honor of my life writing Ask E. Jean.

Ms. Carroll sued Mr. Trump for defamation in New York State Court in November, saying that Mr. Trump had damaged her reputation and her career when he denied her allegation last June and called her a liar.
A young mother-of-two has admitted to using social media platforms to sell a range of drugs and was even caught dealing when she was supposed to be in court.

Samantha Dillon from Narara on the NSW Central Coast pleaded guilty to the ongoing supply of drugs, with another six drug and proceeds of crime charges to be reviewed at her sentencing.

The 26-year-old appeared in Gosford Local Court on Friday, where agreed facts stated that a warrant was issued for her arrest after she failed to attend Wyong Local Court on April 11, 2019.

Dillon and another man were caught fleeing through bushes behind the Bon Bon Fire Chocolate factory in Gosford five days later, with the young mother carrying two bags of drugs and stolen goods.

Samantha Dillon from Narara on the NSW Central Coast pleaded guilty to the ongoing supply of drugs in Gosford Local Court on Friday

Her stash included two packages of methylamphetamine, a green balloon she told police contained 20 Buprenorphine tablets, cocaine, one Oxazepam tablet and three diazepam tablets, with no script for the prescription medication.

Officers also found an extendable metal baton, another person's NSW driver's licence and stolen Medicare cards.

Dillon's phone was reviewed by officers, where they discovered the scope of her drug dealing through her Facebook account, which revealed she was selling drugs instead of attending her April court date.

'A review of the accuseds mobile phone established the accused was in fact, supplying prohibited drugs in West Gosford on the date (of her court appearance),' the police facts read, as reported by the Central Coast Express Advocate.

Police reviewed Dillon's phone and found that she was dealing drugs when she was supposed to be in Wyong Local Court on April 11, 2019

'It was apparent that the accused was largely using this service to facilitate the purchase and supply of prohibited drugs and prescribed restrictive substances.'

When police examined Dillon's phone they found she was selling large quantities of methylamphetamine, as well as Xanax, ice, opioids and the 'date rape' drug GHB.

Dillon sold her drugs for cash and exchanged them for goods including a GoPro Hero 4 camera, a gold Adina Oceaneer watch and a Calvin Klein jumper, which were all found in her possession.

She will receive her sentencing date in Gosford District Court on Thursday.
The Norwalk Public Schools have made extraordinary progress over the last seven or so years. One of us chaired the Board of Education for five of those years, during which the Norwalk schools steadily rose to become the highest-performing urban school system in the state. The other of us served on the Board of Estimate & Taxation, which funded those successes.

Our terms ended last November, so we havent been involved in this years budget process. But we have looked on in appalled astonishment at the behavior of the citys new Finance Director as he has made unprecedented attacks on the school system, the schools Finance Director, and the Board of Education over this years budget request. There isnt even a partisan aspect to this; while we are both Republicans, all of the people involved in the dispute over this years budget are Democrats. And our Democratic Mayor has sat silently by while his Finance Director accuses the staff of the school system and its all-Democrat board of being liars and frauds.

The mayor has certainly agreed with our assessment that the schools have improved dramatically. In his campaign statements last fall, among other things the mayor stated that he supported increases in operational spending to support school improvement and curriculum development. Norwalk public schools ranked #1 on the state education report card  ranking first among peer districts including Stamford according to the 2019 CT Accountability Report. Significantly outperforming the state average, and that Norwalk now has a top-flight public school system. We agree. So why the sudden blistering attacks on that school system by the city Finance Director?

We believe that this is a diversionary tactic  an unnecessary and counterproductive approach to the school budget, partially based on the directors rank ignorance of Connecticut law and local budgetary practices. For instance, the director complained that school budgets are not allowed to be reduced from year to year under state law; that is indeed a highly questionable state policy, but the directors apparent ignorance of it is extraordinary.

His accusations that the board has made misleading budget requests and comparisons with spending on schools in other cities demonstrated yet more ignorance (he is apparently unaware that state calculations of school spending do incorporate local spending that isnt directly appropriated to the school budget). The director says it is almost impossible to determine the schools headcount; this is a ridiculous falsehood, as Norwalk Public Schools accounting system has all of that data, easily accessible. He also said [What] are they [Norwalk schools] spending their money on? We have no idea. If he has no idea, then hes been asleep at the switch, because all of that information is included in the NPS budget books submitted to the BET. Similar criticisms from him are equally ill-informed.

Furthermore, the directors personal attacks on schools Finance Director Tom Hamilton  one of the most respected public servants in Norwalk  are unconscionable. Tom served for years with distinction as Norwalks Finance Director before coming over to run finance for the school system. When his replacement at the city, Bob Barron, departed right in the middle of last years budget season, Tom agreed to manage preparation of the citys budget along with the school systems, serving as interim CFO for Norwalk without pay. Through all his time with the city and the school system he was totally without controversy and received high marks from all; and he was always accessible to the BET, BOE and the Council to back-up his budgets. Toms talents were recognized by his fellow finance experts when he was elected President of the Government Finance Officers Association of Connecticut.

Since the new City Finance Director (despite these examples of ignorance) isnt a fool, how does one account for these unprecedented personal attacks on good people working to continue our progress in improving our childrens education? As noted, it appears that the City Finance Director has been set loose to disparage the educational leaders in Norwalk in order to justify the administrations desire to provide far less funding to the schools than has been requested. The mystery is why these budget issues werent worked out in private Democratic caucuses (legal under the FOI Act) instead of being fought out in public with nasty personal attacks and false accusations.

It is perfectly appropriate for the city to closely question the school budget and to reduce it if fiscally responsible; it is not appropriate to accuse the school system of fraud for making a bigger request than the city leaders like.

The needs of both our school children and our taxpayers are too important to be submerged under a name-calling barrage. In every one of his campaigns the Mayor has emphasized his insistence on civility in the operation of the city government. Its time for him to remind his Finance Director of that policy.

James Feigenbaum is a former member of the Board of Estimate & Taxation; Michael Lyons is a former chairman of the Norwalk Board of Education.
This article was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba  A military judge responded on Wednesday to a defense lawyers request to be released on health grounds from the case of the accused plotters of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, ruling that the 75-year-old lawyer would no longer have to return to Guantanamo for the proceedings but would have to continue working on the case from afar until a replacement had been hired.

The request by the lawyer, James P. Harrington, had threatened to complicate plans to begin the trial of five men accused of conspiring in the Sept. 11 attacks in January. But the judge, Col. W. Shane Cohen, postponed a decision on whether to delay or split up the trial.

Mr. Harrington had told the war court on Tuesday that he had multiple surgeries in 2018 and had consulted with a cardiologist before asking to be released from the defense team. He joined the case in 2012.

Prosecutors objected to his request, saying he was not facing a medical emergency and that his departure could slow the effort to bring the men accused of conspiring in the 9/11 plot to justice.
New Delhi/Washington, Feb 19 : President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that though India's treatment of the US has not been flattering but he is willing to compromise because of his fondness for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Trump was alluding to one of his favorite peeves, India's high tariffs on US imports and the US trade deficit with India. He has repeatedly called India "the tariff king" and has been complaining about the $25 billion trade gap, which is just a tiny fraction of the deficit the US has with China.

On Tuesday, while grumbling about it indirectly, the US President told reporters at Air Force One's Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, a week ahead of his two-day visit to India, "We're not treated very well by India, but I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot." The US and India have been negotiating over a limited trade deal which Trump and Modi may sign during his upcoming trip. But "the big trade deal" with India, Trump said, is being saved for later and may not necessarily happen before the US presidential elections. He attributed the US concession to his preference for Prime Minister Modi.

The two leaders have shared an exceptional chemistry ever since they first met. Last year, during their four meetings, Trump and Modi made it obvious to the world that they go beyond the strategic relations between the US and India. While President Trump graced the 'Howdy Modi' event in Houston last year, Prime Minister Modi lionised him and his leadership before 50,000 Indian Americans.

Trump, Modi said, was a household name and very popular even before he went to occupy the highest office in the US. "From CEO, to commander-in-chief, from board rooms to the Oval Office, from studios to the global stage, from politics to the economy and security, he has left a deep and lasting impact everywhere," he said in his honor.

On the other hand, President Trump called him the "father of India" who had brought a "torn" country together. "Like a father would bring it together. Maybe he is the father of India. We will call him the father of India. He brought things together, you don't hear that anymore," Trump had said at the event.

The pictures and videos of a Prime Minister Modi guffawing and high-fiving President Trump splashed across news portals, when the latter praised him in front of the American media.

This personal chemistry, many in the bureaucracy in New Delhi, believe has helped India to get several exemptions and concessions from the US. Even as US imposed penalties on its trading partners for buying oil from Tehran with which it has strenuous relations, it exempted India from certain sanctions for development of Chabahar port in Iran. The US also granted a limited waiver to India under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act or CAATSA for buying the Russian S-400 air defence missile system.

"The personal rapport between the two leaders has been remarkable," a top official said underlining that it comes from sharing a common world view and philosophy. Both Trump and Modi are seen as right-wing disruptors in their own distinctive ways, to the entrenched systems established by the Left-liberal political parties in the US and India, respectively.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Annual net operating cash flow of $9.7 million and net loss of $9.4 million

Q4-2019 net operating cash flow of $6.9 million and net income of $0.6 million

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amerigo Resources Ltd. (TSX: ARG) (Amerigo or the Company) announced financial results for the year 2019. The Companys 100% owned operation, Minera Valle Central ("MVC") located near Rancagua, Chile posted an annual net loss of $9.4 million or $0.05 loss per share (LPS). Annual net operating cash flow was $9.7 million. The Companys cash position at year end was $7.2 million.

Annual financial results were negatively impacted by lower metal prices, decreased production from fresh and Cauquenes tailings, and higher tolling and production costs.

2019 operational and financial results were disappointing. 2020 has kicked off with major external challenges including an extreme water drought in Chile and a depressed copper price. On the positive side, we have made progress identifying concrete areas of opportunity to stabilize plant performance at MVC and our cost structure will benefit from important reductions to the two major components of MVCs cash cost: power and treatment charges, said Aurora Davidson, Amerigos President and CEO.

Amounts in this news release are reported in U.S. dollars except where indicated otherwise.

Amerigo reported annual net loss of $9.4 million in 2019 and net income of $0.6 million in Q4-2019

2019 net loss was $9.4 million (2018: net income of $10.5 million) due to lower metal prices, lower production from fresh and Cauquenes tailings and higher tolling and production costs.

Annual LPS was $0.05 (2018: earnings per share (EPS) of $0.06).

The Company generated annual operating cash flow of $9.8 million before changes in non-cash working capital (2018: $27.8 million). Annual net operating cash flow was $9.7 million (2018: $27.2 million).

In Q4-2019 Amerigo returned to profitability with net income of $0.6 million (Q4-2018: $5.1 million), $nil EPS (Q4-2018: $0.03) and net operating cash flow of $6.9 million (Q4-2018: $7.8 million). Tolling and production costs in Q4-2019 included $2.3 million in collective agreement signing bonuses to MVC workers. Normalized net income in Q4-2019 excluding signing bonuses was $2.9 million.

MVC produced 69.8 million pounds of copper (2018: 65.0 million pounds) at a cash cost of $1.82/lb ($1.56/lb)

2019 production was 69.8 million pounds of copper (2018: 65.0 million pounds), including 38.9 million pounds from Cauquenes (2018: 43.7 million pounds), 19.3 million pounds from fresh tailings (2018: 21.3 million pounds) and 11.6 million pounds from slag processing (2018: nil).

Molybdenum production was 1.4 million pounds (2018: 1.9 million pounds).

Cash cost (a non-GAAP measure equal to the aggregate of smelting and refining charges, tolling/production costs net of inventory adjustments and administration costs, net of by-product credits) increased to $1.82 per pound (/lb) (2018: $1.56/lb). In the computation of cash cost, by-product credits include molybdenum and slag processing revenue.

Total cost (a non-GAAP measure equal to the aggregate of cash cost, Codelcos Division El Teniente (DET) notional copper royalties and DET molybdenum royalties of $0.62/lb and depreciation of $0.30/lb) increased to $2.74/lb (2018: $2.47/lb).

MVCs average copper price in 2019 was $2.73/lb (2018: $2.92/lb)

MVCs copper price was $2.73/lb (2018: $2.92/lb) and MVCs molybdenum price was $10.64/lb (2018: $11.84/lb).

Revenue was $119.8 million (2018: $136.8 million), including copper tolling revenue of $103.6 million (2018: $118.4 million), molybdenum revenue of $10.6 million (2018: $18.4 million) and slag processing revenue of $5.5 million (2018: $nil).

Copper tolling revenue is calculated from MVCs gross value of copper produced of $158.7 million (2018: $188.6 million) and fair value adjustments to settlement receivables of ($0.3 million) (2018: $5.3 million), less notional items including DET royalties of $33.8 million (2018: $41.1 million), smelting and refining of $19.8 million (Q4-2018: $21.5 million) and transportation of $1.8 million (2018: $2.2 million).

MVCs financial performance is very sensitive to changes in copper prices. At December 31, 2019, MVCs provisional copper price was $2.76/lb and final prices will be the average London Metal Exchange (LME) prices for January ($2.74/lb), February and March 2020. A 10% increase or decrease from the $2.76/lb provisional price would result in a $4.3 million change in copper revenue in 2020 in respect of 2019 production.

Amerigo remains fully leveraged to the price of copper.

MVC refinanced its debt facilities in 2019, debt repayments in the year were $11.3 million

In Q3- 2019, MVC refinanced its debt facilities which included amending principal payments from five remaining semi-annual payments of $11.3 million each to 7 new semi-annual payments of $4.7 million each (payable on March and September) and a final payment of $23.5 million in September 2023. The new debt structure provides additional flexibility to MVC in the current low copper price environment.

In 2019, MVC made debt repayments of $11.3 million, reducing total debt at year end to $55.9 million (December 31, 2018: $66.2 million).

At December 31, 2019, the Companys cash balance was $7.2 million (December 31, 2018: $21.3 million).

The Company had a $15.1 million working capital deficiency (December 31, 2018: $16.9 million).

The Company expects that it will continue to be able to meet obligations for the next 12 months from operating cash flows, assuming copper prices in 2020 average at least $2.60/lb and the Companys 2020 production and cost outlook is met.

2020 Outlook

MVCs production results in 2020 will be heavily influenced by water supply to MVC and by the timing and success rate of MVCs programs to improve plant performance.



While without any question MVCs sources of water, most significantly water contained in the DET fresh tailings, have been affected by current severe local drought conditions, there is a changed environment with respect to water usage in Chile. Most mining organizations, including DET, are implementing aggressive plant initiatives to permanently reduce water consumption. In addition to continuing to implement its own projects to improve water recirculation, MVC will also need to adjust its own plant to efficiently operate with higher density fresh tailings on an ongoing basis.



MVCs 2020 Budget was prepared assuming average 2020 recoveries of 20% for fresh tailings and 37% for Cauquenes tailings and daily processing rates of 112,500 tonnes per day (TPD) for fresh tailings and 62,500 TPD for Cauquenes, which would result in annual production of 19.6 million pounds of copper from fresh tailings and 46.2 million pounds of copper for Cauquenes tailings.



However, in response to drought conditions and to prevent operational shutdowns should these continue in 2020, MVC has reduced Cauquenes tonnage processing and currently forecasts to continue to do so through H1-2020. In January Cauquenes tonnage processing averaged 48,267 TPD and fresh tailings processing averaged 119,618 TPD. For the balance of H1-2020, MVC is forecasting processing rates of 125,000 TPD for fresh tailings and 40,000 TPD for Cauquenes (going up to 50,000 TPD for Cauquenes in June if rain levels normalize in April and May, the start of the local rain season). MVC has also faced various stoppages at its plant and at Cauquenes YTD in connection with downtime of one or more of its water thickeners in connection with work carried out to improve water recovery and to adjust the mechanisms to deal with higher density contents.



Under the conditions described above, annual production from fresh tailings and Cauquenes would be approximately 55 to 60 million pounds, excluding any effect from plant optimization initiatives. Cash cost would be $1.87/lb in Q1, $1.65/lb in Q2, $1.51/lb in Q3 and $1.57/lb in Q4, for an annual average of $1.63/lb.



Slag processing was suspended in January 2020 as DET started commissioning its own slag processing plant. Slag production in January was 1.2 million pounds.

Investor Conference Call on February 21, 2020

Amerigos quarterly investor conference call will take place on Friday February 21, 2020 at 11:00 am Pacific Standard Time/2:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

To join the call, please dial 1-800-273-9672 (Toll-Free North America) and let the operator know you wish to participate in the Amerigo Resources conference call.

The analyst and investment community are welcome to ask questions to management. Media can attend on a listen-only basis.

About Amerigo and MVC

Amerigo Resources Ltd. is an innovative copper producer with a long-term relationship with Corporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile (Codelco), the worlds largest copper producer.

Amerigo produces copper concentrate at the MVC operation in Chile by processing fresh and historic tailings from Codelcos El Teniente mine, the world's largest underground copper mine. Tel: (604) 681-2802; Fax: (604) 682-2802; Web: www.amerigoresources.com ; Listing: ARG:TSX.

The information and data contained in this news release should be read in conjunction with the Companys Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, available at the Companys website at www.amerigoresources.com and at www.sedar.com .

For further information, please contact:

Aurora Davidson, President and CEO (604) 697-6207

Klaus Zeitler, Executive Chairman (604) 697-6204

2019 and 2018 Annual Key Performance Metrics

ANNUAL KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS Years ended December 31, 2019 2018 Change % Copper produced (million pounds)1 69.8 65.0 4.8 7 % Copper delivered (million pounds)1 69.9 63.9 6.0 9 % Percentage of production from historic tailings 56 % 68 % (12 %) Revenue ($ thousands) 2 119,803 136,833 (17,030 ) (12 %) DET notional copper royalties ($ thousands) 33,828 41,088 (7,260 ) (18 %) Tolling and production costs ($ thousands) 119,400 111,855 7,545 7 % Gross profit ($ thousands) 403 24,978 (24,575 ) - Net (loss) income ($ thousands) (9,413 ) 10,495 (19,908 ) - (Loss) earnings per share (0.05 ) 0.06 (0.11 ) (183 %) Cash flow from operating activities before changes in working capital ($ thousands) 9,845 27,794 (17,949 ) (65 %) Cash flow paid for purchase of plant and equipment ($ thousands) (10,016 ) (35,957 ) (25,941 ) (72 %) Cash and cash equivalents ($ thousands) 7,164 21,338 (14,174 ) (66 %) Borrowings ($ thousands)3 55,897 66,212 (10,315 ) (16 %) MVC's copper price ($/lb) 4 2.73 2.92 (0.19 ) (7 %) MVC's molybdenum price ($/lb) 5 10.64 11.84 (1.20 ) (10 %)

1 Copper production conducted under tolling and slag processing agreements with DET.

2 Revenue reported net of notional items (smelting and refining charges, DET notional copper royalties and transportation costs).

3 At December 31, 2019, comprised of short and long-term portions of $10.1 and $45.8 million respectively.

4 MVCs copper price is the average notional copper price for the period, before smelting and refining, DET notional copper royalties, transportation costs and settlement adjustments to prior quarter sales.

5 MVCs molybdenum price is the average realized molybdenum price in the period, before roasting charges and settlement adjustments to prior quarter sales.





Summary Consolidated Statements of Financial Position December 31, December 31, 2019 2018 $ $ Cash and cash equivalents 7,164 21,338 Property plant and equipment 198,582 208,729 Other assets 27,916 27,546 Total assets 233,662 257,613 Total liabilities 131,030 148,403 Shareholders' equity 102,632 109,210 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity 233,662 257,613 Summary Consolidated Statements of Loss and Comprehensive Loss Year ended December 31, 2019 2018 $ $ Revenue 119,803 136,833 Tolling and production costs (119,400 ) (111,855 Other expenses (5,303 ) (5,230 ) Finance expense (7,846 ) (4,306 ) Income tax recovery (expense) 3,333 (4,947 ) Net (loss) income (9,413 ) 10,495 Other comprehensive income (loss) 854 (1,089 ) Comprehensive (loss) income (8,559 ) 9,406 (Loss) earnings per share - basic (0.05 ) 0.06 (Loss) earnings per share - diluted (0.05 ) 0.06 Summary Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows Year ended December 31, 2019 2018 $ $ Cash flows from operating acitivities 9,845 27,794 Changes in non-cash working capital (133 ) (642 ) Net cash from operating activities 9,712 27,152 Net cash used in investing acitivities (10,585 ) (35,957 ) Net cash (used in) received from financing acitivites (13,173 ) 3,665 Net decrease in cash (14,046 ) (5,140 ) Effect of foreign exchange rates on cash (128 ) (1,046 ) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year 21,338 27,524 Cash and cash equivalents, end of year 7,164 21,338

Cautionary Statement on Forward Looking Information



This news release contains certain forward-looking information and statements as defined in applicable securities laws (collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or the Companys future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "should", "believe" and similar expressions is intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Companys control, the Company cannot assure that it will achieve or accomplish the expectations, beliefs or projections described in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. These forward-looking statements include but are not limited to, statements concerning:

forecasted production, reductions in operating costs and an increase in recoveries;

water supply risk to MVC as a result of extreme drought conditions in Chile;

our strategies and objectives;

our estimates of the availability and quantity of tailings, and the quality of our mine plan estimates;

our estimates in respect of annual 2020 sustaining capital expenditures;

the timing of completion of MVCs projects to improve water recirculation;

prices and price volatility for copper and other commodities and of materials we use in our operations;

the demand for and supply of copper and other commodities and materials that we produce, sell and use;

sensitivity of our financial results and share price to changes in commodity prices;

our financial resources and our expected ability to meet our obligations for the next 12 months;

interest and other expenses;

domestic and foreign laws affecting our operations;

our tax position and the tax rates applicable to us;

our ability to comply with our loan covenants;

the production capacity of our operations, our planned production levels and future production;

potential impact of production and transportation disruptions;

hazards inherent in the mining industry causing personal injury or loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property and equipment, pollution or environmental damage, claims by third parties and suspension of operations

estimates of asset retirement obligations and other costs related to environmental protection;

our future capital and production costs, including the costs and potential impact of complying with existing and proposed environmental laws and regulations in the operation and closure of our operations;

repudiation, nullification, modification or renegotiation of contracts;

our financial and operating objectives;

our environmental, health and safety initiatives;

the outcome of legal proceedings and other disputes in which we may be involved;

the outcome of negotiations concerning metal sales, treatment charges and royalties;

disruptions to the Company's information technology systems, including those related to cybersecurity;

our dividend policy; and

general business and economic conditions.

Inherent in forward-looking statements are risks and uncertainties beyond our ability to predict or control, including risks that may affect our operating or capital plans; risks generally encountered in the permitting and development of mineral projects such as unusual or unexpected geological formations, negotiations with government and other third parties, unanticipated metallurgical difficulties, delays associated with permits, approvals and permit appeals, ground control problems, adverse weather conditions, process upsets and equipment malfunctions; risks associated with labour disturbances and availability of skilled labour and management; fluctuations in the market prices of our principal commodities, which are cyclical and subject to substantial price fluctuations; risks created through competition for mining projects and properties; risks associated with lack of access to markets; risks associated with availability of and our ability to obtain both tailings from Codelcos Division El Tenientes current production and historic tailings from tailings deposit; risks with respect to completion of all phases of the Cauquenes expansion, the ability of the Company to draw down funds from bank facilities and lines of credit, the availability of and ability of the Company to obtain adequate funding on reasonable terms for expansions and acquisitions, including all phases of the Cauquenes expansion; mine plan estimates; risks posed by fluctuations in exchange rates and interest rates, as well as general economic conditions; risks associated with environmental compliance and changes in environmental legislation and regulation; risks associated with our dependence on third parties for the provision of critical services; risks associated with non-performance by contractual counterparties; title risks; social and political risks associated with operations in foreign countries; risks of changes in laws affecting our operations or their interpretation, including foreign exchange controls; and risks associated with tax reassessments and legal proceedings. Many of these risks and uncertainties apply not only to the Company and its operations, but also to Codelco and its operations. Codelcos ongoing mining operations provide a significant portion of the materials the Company processes and its resulting metals production, therefore these risks and uncertainties may also affect their operations and in turn have a material effect on the Company.

Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Such statements are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to, assumptions about:

general business and economic conditions;

interest rates;

changes in commodity and power prices;

acts of foreign governments and the outcome of legal proceedings;

the supply and demand for, deliveries of, and the level and volatility of prices of copper and other commodities and products used in our operations;

the ongoing supply of material for processing from Codelcos current mining operations;

the ability of the Company to profitably extract and process material from the Cauquenes tailings deposit;

the timing of the receipt of and retention of permits and other regulatory and governmental approvals;

our costs of production and our production and productivity levels, as well as those of our competitors;

changes in credit market conditions and conditions in financial markets generally;

our ability to procure equipment and operating supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis;

the availability of qualified employees and contractors for our operations;

our ability to attract and retain skilled staff;

the satisfactory negotiation of collective agreements with unionized employees;

the impact of changes in foreign exchange rates and capital repatriation on our costs and results;

engineering and construction timetables and capital costs for our expansion projects;

costs of closure of various operations;

market competition;

the accuracy of our preliminary economic assessment (including with respect to size, grade and recoverability) and the geological, operational and price assumptions on which these are based;

tax benefits and tax rates;

the outcome of our copper concentrate sales and treatment and refining charge negotiations;

the resolution of environmental and other proceedings or disputes;

the future supply of reasonably priced power;

rainfall in the vicinity of MVC returning to normal levels;

average recoveries for fresh tailings and Cauquenes tailings;

our ability to obtain, comply with and renew permits and licenses in a timely manner; and

our ongoing relations with our employees and entities with which we do business.

Future production levels and cost estimates assume there are no adverse mining or other events which significantly affect budgeted production levels.

We caution you that the foregoing list of important factors and assumptions is not exhaustive. Other events or circumstances could cause our actual results to differ materially from those estimated or projected and expressed in, or implied by, our forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements or the foregoing list of factors, whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise.
 Close Brexit briefing: How long until the end of the transition period?

Home secretary Priti Patel is facing fresh accusations of bullying, as former ministers and civil servants allege aggressive and vile conduct when she was in charge of the Department for International Development (Dfid).

The union representing civil servants called for a new process for raising complaints and investigating ministers behaviour, while the Home Offices permanent secretary Sir David Normington said the department was facing tropical storms.

It comes as MPs warned Boris Johnsons government not to water down a report into the Windrush scandal after it was reported a section branding the Home Office institutionally racist was stripped out.

This liveblog has now closed
With regulations and remote ID technology on the way, the floodgates are effectively open for government use of drones, and use cases are multiplying. In California, drones are doing public safety reconnaissance and delivering emergency supplies . North Dakota is building a statewide network for drones to handle air traffic control . In Florida, drones are performing utility inspections A new company in Atlanta is building a different kind of drone for a new use case  waterway cleanup and data collection.The company is RanMarine USA , and its the result of a collaboration between co-founder and CEO Doug Shumway  now starting his fourth gov tech company, after previous startups FOIA Systems, SuiteOne Media and BoardSync were acquired by larger entities  and a company in the Netherlands, RanMarine Technology.A relatively small drone company of fewer than 10 employees, according to Crunchbase , RanMarine came on Shumways radar when he was looking for a new gov tech project. The company had developed hardware and was in the early go-to-market stage when Shumway joined up with them, he said, drawn by the potential for two things: fast results and the addition of data collection to the basic premise of water cleanup.(RanMarine) started in 2016, and its been a three-year voyage of testing, building, repeating. They went to market in limited capacity around the middle of last year, he said. A lot of times I feel like smart cities projects are not successful because theyre so long, so capital intensive. I wanted a way of doing smart city initiatives cost-effectively, and being able to show the results they want.Nicknamed a WasteShark, Shumways drone resembles a miniature catamaran with a sieve-like basket under it. The drone measures about 3 feet by 4 feet, weighs about 150 pounds and trolls along the surface of the water scooping up litter, biomass, microplastics and other detritus, powered by a battery that lasts up to 10 hours, depending on conditions.Shumway said the drones will be equipped with lidar to avoid collisions from up to 60 meters away, along with up to 15 customizable 4G IoT sensors for measuring factors such as temperature, pH, depth, green algae, or hydrocarbons in oil. The drones will use GPS waypoints and autonomous software to follow set pathways collecting waste and data, selected by RanMarine staff according to where currents and tide pools deposit the material. He described the drones capacity for autonomous operation at the Society of Automotive Engineers' level 2 out of 5, meaning the vehicle is human-supervised but can control its own steering and velocity. He expects the WasteShark will achieve level 4, near-complete autonomy, by the end of the year.Shumway said his target customers will be city and county governments with smart city tech and some kind of water nearby, along with water districts and special districts that might need to clear out biomass like grass or duckweed from clogging turbines or other equipment. As another example, he said hes also working with a commercial company that wants to remove pipe-clogging flowers from a retention pond.Shumway laid out his business model with three options: (1) buy the drones as a capital purchase, and RanMarine USA will help maintain them; (2) hardware as a service, by which the customer pays an annual fee and RanMarine takes care of everything; or (3) contract with local service providers who will operate the drones.Precedent in American markets for a water-cleaning drone is hard to come by. Shumway mentioned Mr. Trash Wheel in Baltimore, but it stays in one place and doesnt collect water-quality data in real time. Hes banking on the uniqueness of his latest gov tech venture, and the fact that public agencies may become interested in learning about whats in their water while cleaning it.We remove trash from our city parks. We remove trash from our streets, he said. Why dont we remove trash from our water?
Chennai/IBNS: Several anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protesters are marching towards the state secretariat here on Wednesday.

The march started from Walajah Road to protest against the CAA along with National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).

The country has been witnessing widespread protests against the CAA-NRC and also NPR over the last couple of months.

Several states including Kerala, Punjab, West Bengal have passed anti-CAA resolutions in their respective assemblies.

#WATCH Chennai: People march towards the State Secretariat from Walajah Road to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens & National Population Register. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/LOQsaTlSsJ  ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2020

Majority of the opposition-ruled state have declared that they won't implement NRC.

Interestingly, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is ally of the country's ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said there was no need for the NRC.

However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a recent statement said 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, will not be rolled back.

In a U-turn from their previous positions, Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have said the central government never discussed NRC since 2014 when the Hindu nationalist party BJP was voted to power for the first term.

(Image Credit: Screenshot grab from video)
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BERLIN  For the last six years, for Europes movie community at least, the most famous political prisoner in the world was the Ukraines Oleg Sentsov. Arrested on trumped-up charges of terrorism in 2014  Amnesty International compared his court case to the show trials of Stalin  Sentsov was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment as a pawn in a larger game of realpolitik via which Vladimir Putin attempted to dissuade Crimeas Ukrainians from dissidence.

Behind bars in a Northern Siberia penal colony, in 2018 Sentsov went on a hunger strike in 2018 demanding the release of Ukrainian political prisoners and, remarkably, began to direct a movie. That film, Numbers, world premieres Tuesday Feb. 18 as part of the Berlinales 70th anniversary celebrations. Sold by Latino Films, it then screens in the festival on Feb. 21, as a Berlinale Special.

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Variety has had access to the films trailer and to Sentsov himself, freed last summer in an exchange of prisoners, in the build up to the festival.

In many ways, its a remarkable interview. He directed the film not to waste time in prison, and because it made sense. He has no advice to give about his incarceration: he always knew he would be freed; directing from a high-security gulag during a hunger strike did make him somewhat tired, he admits. And the character he most identifies with in the film is the lily-livered Seventh, one of ten track-suited inmates of a dystopian society who, known by their numbers, compete against disqualification in a world where they largely mope around a concrete courtyard with concrete terrace seating rehashing the same inane regulation, eating while jogging overseen by the Great Zero, their God-like ruler who, bored to hell, watches on from a balcony in his dressing gown, taking frequent naps and eating trash food. The film is based on a play Sentsov wrote years before imprisonment. Given that, it still seems remarkably prescient about what would happen to him. Heres the interview, with hardly a word missing.

Story continues

Incarcerated, with no idea of your future, you determine to direct a film. Was this a gut act of rebellion, a decision that authorities could deprive you of your physical freedom but not of something you must hold dear: Your creative self?

Oleg Sentsov: I always knew Id be freed. I never doubted such a happy end to my fate. I simply tried not to waste my time in prison: Books, short stories, screenplays, and when there was an idea  to carry out filming of my play, I started participating in it as a co-director. Obviously, there was hope that I would be freed by the beginning of the shoot, but it didnt happen. Thats why we asked [Akhtem Seitablaiev] to help us and he gladly came on board. Im grateful to everyone for all theyve done. Id rather consider it as a social project aimed at helping me, so to say, to prevent me from fading away in jail, by keeping me busy with something interesting, so it was a kind of support action for a director who is imprisoned but nevertheless can continue his creative work.

You say in a directors statement written from prison that when you closed your eyes, the play came to you. Was this why you choose to adapt it? Or because of its relevance to your circumstances? Or was there another reason?

I wrote this play long ago, its been ten years now, and it has nothing to do whatsoever with the revolution, because at that time it didnt exist. Its a kind of manifesto of my standpoint of a human being, a citizen, and an artist towards any regime, firstly, towards dictatorship, and secondly, towards society. The play expressed my views exactly. And then, afterwards, when the situation in our country started to develop in such a way that it became possible to defeat the felonious regime, I started to act openly, like a citizen and not an artist.

Could you explain briefly what were the crux mechanisms by which you were able to direct a film from a jail? How did you get the directions out? Were you ever able to see any images?

I knew everything off by heart so, though I didnt have a written text, I could be kept perfectly up-dated on everything. I exchanged letters with practically all the members of the team, the co-director in Moscow, casting director, assistant director, storyboard artists and costume designers. In principle, I was able to maintain direct contact with all of them by mail. Everything went perfectly well in pre-production. There are the so-called electronic letters  e-mails  which got through here and there within a week. But that was somewhat insufficient, also, because it happened to be simultaneous with my hunger strike. My lawyer visited me frequently and during these prison meetings he kept showing me the images through a glass. Having looked at them, I immediately wrote some comments. He also showed me letters from the creative team. Id answer and hed send my answers the same day to my group. So communication was even faster. Naturally, it was really tough physically because all this took place during my hunger strike. My brain worked pretty poorly. I was altogether weary and it was psychologically hard. But this work helped me keep a grip on myself, because it made sense, because during the hunger strike time hung heavily on my hands. It was psychologically unbearable to run such a marathon for so long. The work sustained me, made me switch on my thinking. Thats why it was really good.

Does the film substantially change the 2011 play, or the screenplay adaptation which I believe you wrote before being jailed?

I always work on the final version of a screenplay with great care, in this case it was a play, because the play is very similar to the screenplay in its dramaturgy, in its timing. The final version is the version in which I do not change anything. This is true of my screenplays and my play. So no changes were introduced since 2011, because I finalized it and it was filmed in such shape. Neither the prison nor any other circumstances changed it.

Your letters with directions suggests a large energy in their exclamation marks and rapid handwriting. What were your feelings when directing? A sense of catharsis? Or community with your fellow filmmakers, actors and crew? That you were not alone?

I never feel lonely, even in a prison single-seater cell. Those are different things. I didnt experience any catharsis. I dont know how one could experience a catharsis stemming from your own work; you can only experience a catharsis from somebody elses work  from a show. Of course, I felt united with the team and that was marvelous, because I personally knew many people participating in the shoot. However, I was not a full-fledged director. Rather O provided advice, set directions, because after all, there, on site, everything was clearer. Also, letters were often delayed, a week, even 10 days. So I could write a letter in which I suggested something and a letter came to me from my team which suggested exactly the same, which meant that we were on the same wavelength, speaking of the same things, feeling each other and the material so well. We were expressing exactly the same things in parallel, which meant that we were working as a team, understanding each other perfectly well.

You dont film a performance of the play but rather get the camera on stage close to the actors, as in cinema. But what were your main decisions as a cinema director when adapting the play?

Initially, the idea was to make a film of a performance which was staged in Kiev, we wanted to record the performance and make its video version, and then, based on this original idea, a new idea was born to make a feature film, i. e. it somewhat degenerated from that first idea. Because I wanted the spectacle to be recorded not like a movie, but exactly as a spectacle. I wanted to maintain some staginess  theatricality  and not import a cinematographic flavor to the work. It is very important, anyway, in this play it is so important to save this sense of the grotesque, of the absurd in such a theatrically-distorted manner, because film doesnt contemplate such a language but for theatre its fine.

And I wanted to preserve this style to make it suit the viewer best, and that was the original idea. I am a film director, mainly write screenplays have many ideas of cinema. But I write of course some literary things that are impossible for cinema, where the idea clashes with the material. Here theres just one play, totally mine. Initially, I thought it would be impossible make a film out if it. Once we transformed it into a film, I was inclined to maintain the theatrical language. There were not so many shoot days. One idea to rehearse the whole film like a spectacle, and then record with filmmaking tools. So the picture was shot with very long takes, to preserve the theatrical space of action, the stage space and this specifically theatrical spirit. Thats why it wasnt shot in short shots, but as long scenes, whole episodes.

Is there any character you feel closer to in the film?

The seventh question , and the answers Seventh. I really believe every author writes about himself. Every character has a bit of me because all of them have been generated from me. But Seventh is obviously the closest to me of them all, which isnt to say that he is me. Naturally he is not a servile copy of myself, but some things are reflected in your main heroes. It is always the case with me in all my films. I transfer a bit of myself to every main hero of my screenplays, it is not possible to be otherwise, otherwise you will not feel him. How can you give birth to him, [unless] hes a part of yourself.

A film which sees a revolution which ends up as as worse as the past. Could that be read in any way as an allegory for current day Russia?

This play was written neither about Ukraine nor about Russia. It was all written about our society, about people, because the psychology of people is very similar everywhere, in all the revolutions they are very much alike. Thats why I wrote about the fact that, as it always happens, any attempt to reform the society may lead to yet more severe failures, to yet more complex difficulties than those prior to the beginning of the revolution.

Now free, what would you urge people to learn from your experience?

I dont know, I do not appeal to the people regarding anything. I dont busy myself with such issues. I do what I consider important. If for anyone it gives an example, thats good, but I dont undertake to teach others. I am not a mentor nor a guru.

Could you talk briefly about the upcoming Rhino, and other film plans?

The film Nosorog [Rhino]. The screenplay for this film was also written as early as 2011. It is a biopic, but there is a real person which the screenplay was based on. Here again, a part has been taken from him, and another part from myself. This is a film about the 1990s in Ukraine. It is a crime drama about the era of flourishing thuggery. Appropriately, the main heros also involved in this kind of activity. Why Rhinoceros? Because everybody knows how a rhinoceros behaves: So strong, aggressive, not afraid of anyone, thick skinned, but whats to be found inside  no one knows. Those kids, the bandits [robbers] are known to everybody for their violent acts, but what if theres something inside, what makes them behave like that? What are their feelings  very few have ever thought of that. I want to show that because its important to me. I always make films about human beings. The environment, the theme itself is of least interest to me. We were working on this film in 2012. We started and won several pitching contests. At the Odessa Film Festival, one for our national fund as the best film project in Ukraine. We carried out pre-production in 2013 in Crimea. We were then ready to start shooting, but, unfortunately, the revolution began in our country, then came the war, prison, and in consequence the project was put on hold. Now we are reviving it, beginning again from scratch: New producers, co-producers, I myself am both a screenwriter, director and co-producer of this film. Theres also an Ukrainian producer, a Polish producer and a German one. Were now in pre-production, so if everything goes well, well start shooting in September.

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And Mr. Bloomberg has said in his ads that by self-financing his campaign, he is not doing the bidding of any donors  playing to voters who worry about politicians beholden to special-interest groups.

What viewers may see from Mr. Bloomberg

When he first ran for mayor, in 2001, Mr. Bloomberg looked bored, rolling his eyes and sighing as his opponent spoke at one of two debates in the general election. In his 2005 and 2009 debates, Mr. Bloomberg kept those gestures to a minimum.

How Mr. Bloomberg may explain his past

Mr. Bloomberg recently apologized for comments he made in 2015 about stop-and-frisk, the policing strategy that was found to be unconstitutional in the way it was practiced in New York City during his tenure.

He will be asked about those comments and other remarks hes made over the years.

In a 2001 debate, Mr. Bloomberg was asked about quotes attributed to him, including one that characterized domestic violence as a quality-of-life crime. Mr. Bloomberg, visibly upset, responded by saying the words were certainly said, but out of context.

Over the years, he has responded more calmly to such questions. For example, in 2005, he was asked about having said poor people get better health care than rich people. Do you honestly believe those words? his debate opponent asked.

Mr. Bloomberg took a breath and gave his original comment a different spin. What I was saying is I cannot tell you how proud I am of the progress our public hospitals, our 11 public hospitals, have made.

An early rival of Mr. Bloombergs will be watching

The first Democratic politician to debate Mr. Bloomberg  then a Republican  was Mark Green. At the time, he was the New York City public advocate, and they squared off in the 2001 mayoral general election.
Several Illinois congressmen are expressing their disappointment in President Donald Trumps decision Tuesday to commute the sentence of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Congressmen Darin LaHood, John Shimkus, Adam Kinzinger, Rodney Davis and Mike Bost issued a joint statement criticizing the move.

Blagojevich had six years remaining of a 14-year sentence.

We are disappointed by the presidents commutation of Rod Blagojevichs federal sentence, the congressmen said. We believe he received an appropriate and fair sentence, which was the low-end of the federal sentencing guidelines for the gravity of his public corruption convictions. Blagojevich is the face of public corruption in Illinois and not once has he shown any remorse for his clear and documented record of egregious crimes that undermined the trust placed in him by voters.

Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison on 17 counts, including an attempt to sell the Senate seat vacated when President Barack Obama was elected in 2008.

Trump announced the commutation Tuesday, calling the sentence a tremendously powerful, ridiculous sentence and citing good behavior and compassion for his fellow prisoners.

The congressmen argue Blagojevich should finish out his sentence.

As our state continues to grapple with political corruption, we shouldnt let those who breached the public trust off the hook. History will not judge Rod Blagojevich well, they said.

 Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree
Medical Teams International, which has provided humanitarian assistance in more than 35 countries, looks for PR firm to further its goals and build the brand of the Christian relief service.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced that it will speed up construction of the border wall before the 2020 election by ignoring a law it doesnt like. Thats nothing new: Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump has decried the lawless state of our southern borderbut his administration has repeatedly suspended the law to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. In less than three years, Trumps Department of Homeland Security has relied on a single federal law, the Real ID Act of 2005, to push aside nearly 50 statutes to put up portions of a border wall. This time around, DHS will disregard a rule that forces contractors to compete for funds (even though Trump campaigned on cutting waste by awarding contracts to the lowest bidder).

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Most Americans probably know the Real ID Act as the law that coerced states into adopting stricter standards for drivers licenses that take effect later this year. But Congress, which passed the statute with large bipartisan majorities, larded it up with massive grants of power to the Department of Homeland Security. Most notably, the act declared that the Secretary of Homeland Security shall have the authority to waive all legal requirements that she determines necessary to ensure expeditious construction of a border wall. In other words, any DHS secretary seeking to build a wall can cast aside all laws, state and federal, that might stand in her way.

Michael Chertoff, secretary of homeland security under George W. Bush, cited this provision on four occasions to build border fencing. Barack Obamas DHS secretaries never used it. Trumps DHS secretaries, by contrast, have cited the Real ID Act over and over again to override dozens of laws protecting the environment, Native American land, historic preservations, national monuments, and archaeological sites. The Sierra Club, which has challenged the wall in court, keeps a running tab of the roughly 50 laws that Trumps DHS has overridden. So does Kenneth D. Madsen, a professor at Ohio State University, who has laid out each waiver in a dizzying chart.

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The consequences of Trumps rushed construction have already been devastating. A Wall Street Journal investigation found that the wall imperils a mind-boggling array of species. More than 60 percent of species jeopardized by the border wall are already endangered, while 24 percent are threatened. Eighteen types of birds alone, including the bald eagle, will be affected by the wall, as will countless species critical to the regions biodiversity. The wall has already cut through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, as well as Quitobaquito Springs, home to an endangered pupfish that lives nowhere else in the world. Trumps wall replaces previous fencing that was wide enough for animals to pass through. Scientists have found that the wall will wreck migration patterns, bisecting the geographic range of 1,506 native animals and plants, including 62 critically endangered species.

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The lives of local communities and tribes will be upended by the wall. The new barrier will cause deadly flooding by trapping debris and turning into a dam that pushes the Rio Grande into border towns. As climate change exacerbates flooding in the region, border towns will suffer immense property damage. Contractors building Trumps wall have also blasted through sacred Native American sites, including ancient burial grounds where construction crews have found bone fragments.

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Since Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned in April 2019, this authority has been exercised by acting secretaries, who did not obtain Senate confirmation to lead the agency. Chad Wolf, the current acting secretary, is thus allowed to set aside any law enacted by the peoples representatives despite never being confirmed to his position by the peoples representatives.

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The Supreme Court has never ruled on the merits of this vast delegation of power to an unelected bureaucrat. And Congress decision to give a federal agency so much lawmaking authority is the kind of thing that sometimes incenses the conservative justices. But when conservation groups challenged the administrations authority to waive environmental laws, the lower courts threw out their case, and SCOTUS declined to hear it. The courts far-right bloc appears eager to let Trump forge ahead with his wall, legal roadblocks be damned. After Congress refused to fund construction, Trump declared a national emergency in 2019, then diverted billions of dollars in military funding to finance the wall. The courts initially halted construction, because federal law bars Trump from transferring money to fund an item that Congress already deniedand Congress denied funding for the border wall.

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In July 2019, however, the Supreme Court issued a 54 order allowing Trump to raid military funding and begin building the wall. The majority provided just one sentence of reasoning, declaring that the government had made a sufficient showing that the plaintiffsadvocacy groups led by the Sierra Clubhad no cause of action. This threadbare justification does not even hint that the government acted lawfully. Rather, it suggests that the courts conservatives do not believe federal law permits anyone to challenge the administrations misuse of federal funds to build the wall.

The ruling didnt address the Real ID Act, but once Trump got the green light to pour money into construction, his DHS amped up construction. The border wall is a testament to the presidents ability to sidestep Congress with the help of a pliant Supreme Court. If the southern border is, in fact, lawless, that is because Trump has eliminated the law there.
Yesterday (February 18, 2020) the trailer of Kiara Advani's next Netflix film, Guilty, hit the internet and at the trailer launch event, filmmaker Ruchi Narain revealed that she felt extremely angry when actors rejected her film just because she's a 'woman'.

While speaking to media at the trailer launch event, Ruchi said, "We were trying to cast for the film and a lot of the male stars said no. I was so angry. I was talking to Karan and he told me, 'There's really no reason for them to say no to you because the film is really good, you've got a body of work so they should be saying yes but I have a feeling it could be because they aren't comfortable working with a woman filmmaker'."

"I said, I love this film but I'm not going to have a sex change for it. The anger of fuelled me wanting to make this film. That really was the core basis," added Narain.

At the same event, Ruchi also asserted that experience helps one to deal with the gender disparity. She said, "It is different for a woman and for a man which you learn by observation. At the end of the day, when you want to do something, you find your own way to do it."

Kiara Advani: Lust Stories Was A Game Changer For Me

"I was always aware there's always going to be another side. If you talk to men, they also sometimes feel that women get an easy pass but we would be like, 'excuse me that doesn't happen'. There are always two sides to an argument, which I wanted to capture in this film," concluded Ruchi.

Guilty will stream on Netflix from March 6.
Although my church tells me that my music is a sin, Ive always thought of it as a gift from GodFor me, knowing the right words to pray is difficult but when I hear the music and put it on paper, I am praying in a language understood by God. My music is the way I pray and a song of praise to Him.

Praying to the Lord comes in many forms, as the clarity and loudness of ones voice are dependent on the sincerity of what they wish to say. Likewise, the way God responds to His children varies because signs from Him could be in the form of a person one meets, a Bible verse with a particular topic, or even in the littlest of things like road signs. He asks that people take time to quiet down and listen to Him.

In the case of young Elise Snow, it would be leukemia that puts her career on hold and puts her life on hold. Throughout Deborah Wyatts John the Beloved, the young musician must confront the emptiness in her lonely heart and other personal demons with help from inspiring musical pieces composed by a mysterious stranger who introduces himself as John. Elise also grows close to Marge, a kind-hearted fellow patient who takes care of her in the Cancer Center that she visits for chemotherapy. Despite Marges own pain in life, she takes Elise under her wing, which gives the latter hope and shows her how strong a woman and mothers love can be.

While exchanging letters and sharing his sheet music with Elise, John Yoder falls deeply in love with her even though the Amish church and community he grew up in would not allow them to be together. He forces himself to accept that he may have to marry the other girls in his community, but his heart says otherwise. Both musicians feel trapped by the circumstances of their lives, and even though they eventually find each other and confess their feelings, they have to overcome many challenges to keep their relationship.

Although my church tells me that my music is a sin, Ive always thought of it as a gift from God, John, an Amish man with an immense talent for music composition, was never able to hear his own creations until he gave the sheet music to Elise. Until then, he was never able to praise the Lord the way he wanted to. For me, knowing the right words to pray is difficult but when I hear the music and put it on paper, I am praying in a language understood by God. My music is the way I pray and a song of praise to Him.

Like the disciples from centuries ago, many of the Lords followers today still bear the burden of being possibly silenced while praising and teaching others about Him. Elise rekindles her faith in God with help from John as well as Marge, and she follows in her late grandparents footsteps as faithful Christians. He then brought His mighty healing hands on her, allowing the young musician to have a better appreciation of the life shes given. She learns that when the Almighty has already forgiven a persons sins, they must not let any shame linger, for it hinders them from praising Him.

The more I pray and the more I read the Bible, the more I love my God. When I first got saved, I began to look back on my life and some of the sins that I had committed began to haunt me and brought me much guiltGod no longer remembers my sin and if He doesnt hold my past sinswhich were forgiven and blotted out by the blood of Christthen why should I punish myself for things that God Himself has chosen to forget?
Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who oversaw a brutal end to a decades-long conflict with Tamil separatists, said Wednesday the country was withdrawing from a United Nations resolution investigating alleged war crimes.

Rajapaksa was president when Sri Lankan troops defeated Tamil Tiger guerrillas in 2009, but rights groups accused the army of killing at least 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final months of the conflict.

His brother Gotabaya, who is now president, was defence secretary at the time.

Premier Mahinda said the government would no longer abide by a 2015 resolution calling for accountability for alleged excesses carried out by Sri Lankan troops and reparations for victims.

That agreement was only accepted by the government that took over after the Rajapaksas first stint in power.

Rajapaksa said Washingtons recent decision to ban current Sri Lanka army chief Shavendra Silva from visiting the US was because Colombo had signed up to the resolution.

It is because of the historic betrayal in co-sponsoring UN Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1 in 2015 that other countries are able to name members of our armed forces as violators of human rights, he said in a statement.

Before winning the presidency, Gotabaya had pledged he would not honour the previous governments commitments to the UN.

Mahinda Rajapaksas administration was on the verge of international sanctions because of its refusal to investigate the alleged war crimes when he was defeated at the January 2015 elections.

aj/grk/fox

RESOLUTION
AUBURN, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ClipperCreek, the leader in electric vehicle charging station manufacturing, announced today that ClipperCreek's President and Founder, Jason France, received the Electric Auto Association (EAA) Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 National Award.

ClipperCreek, the leader in electric vehicle charging station manufacturing, announced today that ClipperCreek's President and Founder, Jason France, received the Electric Auto Association (EAA) Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 National Award.

The awards program recognizes the EV entrepreneur who has had the most positive impact in the EV marketplace. France was nominated by EAA members and selected by a panel of four EAA directors. The distinction was unveiled at the EAA annual member's meeting on January 25, 2020 at the Center for Sustainable Energy in San Diego, CA. The awards ceremony highlighted several speakers and special guests including Chris Paine, the Director/Producer of Who Killed the Electric Car .

"In 1994 the roots were planted of what has now grown to be ClipperCreek, Inc.; back when there were two distinctly different and incompatible approaches to recharging battery packs in commercially available OEM electric vehicles. The copper-to-copper connections were better, faster, and less complex. So, with the California Air Resource Board calling the shots, they announced that after 2007, all charging of EV batteries would be done that way, said Tim Benford, Vice-President of the EAA. "Fast forward to today. Jason France's creation has made many tens of thousands of conductive units, some of which are over two decades old and still functioning as designed, thereby still filling an ever-growing demand for their products. As the Society of Automotive Engineers modified their J-1772 standard with a major physical update in 2010, ClipperCreek was ready to roll it out. Supplying many conventional auto OEMs with charging gear, the new Plug-In Hybrids all needed connections as well. By late 2018 there were 1 million plugin cars on US highways, including plug-in hybrids with their smaller packs. As it remains today, it's less expensive to recharge from a charger than to burn gasoline to replenish a battery pack. The team that Jason has assembled and nurtured has achieved much and done well for their Sierra Nevada-based community and nation-wide EV customers. His design acumen and managerial talent have helped this nascent industry get traction. We appreciate his tenacity as we award him with "EAA's EV Entrepreneur of the Year"."

"The EAA Entrepreneur of the Year award is one of the highest honors an EV entrepreneur can receive," said Suzanne Guinn, Director of Marketing and Communications at ClipperCreek. "Jason has created a highly transparent company culture where his infectious passion drives value and success for ClipperCreek's customers, partners and employees. I am continually impressed by his laser focus and unwavering commitment to provide the most reliable EV charging stations and the best working environment for his employees in the industry."

France began his career as a computer engineer and subsequently founded an engineering consulting company. He later joined EV charging pioneer, EVI, where he led the company's engineering and manufacturing efforts before rising to the position of CEO. After EVI, Jason served as an independent consultant offering a wide range of strategic business advisory services to startup companies, including guiding a company through a successful acquisition transaction. He holds a B.S. degree in computer engineering from Chico State University.

"I was pleasantly surprised to hear the news this week; this is quite an honor," said France, in a video acceptance speech to the EAA membership. "Back in 2006, when Tesla announced that they were going to make a Roadster, a pretty cool little car, the very next day I incorporated ClipperCreek and ever since then I've been building the business, inventing more charging stations and really having a fantastic time doing so. What has made that possible, is all the amazing staff that has joined the ClipperCreek team and with their help, not only have we come out with many generations of new products, but we have also exceeded the milestone of producing and delivering over 90,000 charging stations here in Auburn, CA. On behalf of all my staff, I am honored to accept this award."

France ensures a continuous culture of innovation at the company and this fuels his ability to attract top talent and encourage continuous learning. His stewardship leverages the success in his business to create purpose and opportunity for his family, employees, and local community. He mentors local entrepreneurs, and provides charitable donations to a variety of local and national non-profit organizations.

Other honorees included:

Doug Duke , EAA Oklahoma, Fastest Growing EAA Chapter

, EAA Oklahoma, Fastest Growing EAA Chapter Mark Bishop , Knoxville EVA, Road Tripper Ambassador

, Knoxville EVA, Road Tripper Ambassador Stan Skokan , Silicon Valley EVA, Lifetime Achievement Award

About EAA: The Electric Auto Association accelerates the widespread adoption of Electric Vehicles (EV) through education, infrastructure support and demonstration. The EAA mission is to promote, educate, and advocate regarding EV availability, alternatives, infrastructure, benefits, and legislation. Our EV Owner/Educator members act as a credible source of information for car shoppers. The EAA acts as a centralized information source and be a national advocate for owners on EV technology and infrastructure.

About ClipperCreek: Founded in 2006 by Jason France, ClipperCreek is a worldwide leader in Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), and globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance. The company offers a wide range of products designed to be the safest, most reliable, and grid-ready EV charging stations on the market. ClipperCreek advances the plug-in vehicle market and broadens the acceptance of the most exciting vehicle revolution in a century. The industry pioneers at ClipperCreek build more than 25 years of real world EV charging expertise into every EVSE they manufacture. All ClipperCreek products are Made in America. For more information, dial (877) 694-4194 or visit www.clippercreek.com. Connect with ClipperCreek on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Media Requests:

Suzanne Guinn 530-887-1674

Sales: 877-694-4194

[email protected]

https://www.clippercreek.com/

SOURCE ClipperCreek, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.clippercreek.com/


Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 13:27:14|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The headquarters of the Australian Space Agency (ASA) has been officially opened in Adelaide on Wednesday.

Prime Minister (PM) Scott Morrison, South Australian Premier Steven Marshall and Minister for Industry Science and Technology Karen Andrews on Wednesday joined Megan Clark, the inaugural head of the ASA, to formally open Space HQ.

The ASA was established in 2018 with the goal of tripling the annual value of Australia's space industry to 12 billion Australian dollars (8.02 billion U.S. dollars) and creating 20,000 new jobs by 2030.

The government has invested approximately 700 million Australian dollars (468.3 million U.S. dollars) in Australia's first-ever national space agency.

"The Australian Space Agency is central to my government's vision to secure more jobs and a larger share of the growing space economy," Morrison said on Wednesday.

"Space captures the imagination and inspires us all. It develops new technologies that improve life on earth and it offers huge economic and job opportunities."

Having opened its headquarters, the ASA is aiming to open its Mission Control and Space Discovery Centre to the public next year.

The center will offer visitors the opportunity to interact with astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) while the discovery center will act as an interactive educational facility.

South Australia was chosen as the headquarters of the ASA in December 2018, defeating bids from Canberra, Western Australia and New South Wales.

Marshall said the area is now the nation's space capital, where young people from across the state have the opportunity to seize incredible jobs across the sector.

"Young South Australians can look up at the stars and genuinely find opportunities right here in this state to pursue their dreams."
TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- North Bud Farms Inc. (CSE: NBUD) (OTCQB: NOBDF) ("NORTHBUD" or the "Company") is pleased to provide shareholders with an update on our U.S. operations, Bonfire Brands USA (Bonfire).

Salinas, California

To date, the Company has harvested approximately 400 lbs of various grades and strains of cannabis. As anticipated, the winter season yields were moderate with large flowers testing at approximately 19% THC. The Company has sold approximately 50% of the harvest in wholesale quantities. The Company expects its next harvest in 60 days and is looking for an incremental increase in quality and yield. The Company will provide revenue updates at the end of the quarter.

Licensing

The Company is pleased to announce it has received a California state processing licence in addition to the existing five cultivation, extraction and distribution licenses it acquired from the Qlora Group in 2019. This new licence will allow the Company to process, package and distribute cannabis and cannabis products acquired from other licensed producers in the state on a pay per use basis.

Maximizing revenue streams in California where established and highly regulated retail and distribution models exist has required new entrants to operate within all verticals, said Justin Braune, President, Bonfire Brands USA. This strategy requires significant capital expenditures and has historically proven very difficult to execute. By leveraging our strategic infrastructure into agreements with established operators, Bonfire expects to increase revenue streams and achieve profitability quicker with lower capital expenditure risks.

I am very pleased by the significant progress made by our California team in their short time since we completed the acquisition of the Qlora Group, said Sean Homuth, CEO of NORTHBUD. In an industry that has seen companies struggle to manage high infrastructure costs while navigating ever evolving distribution landscapes, the anticipated revenue from this model will be very crucial for the Company as we move towards achieving EBITDA positive operations.



Reno, Nevada

To date, the Company has harvested 40 lbs of high-grade cannabis testing at approximately 20% THC. This product is being sold under the NORTHBUD brand to select retailers in Reno and Las Vegas and represents the first revenue in Nevada for Bonfire Brands. The Company will update the market further at the end of the quarter.

The Company has begun construction of two additional cultivation and processing rooms which will increase annual revenue capacity by 40%. With recent cost cutting measures implemented post acquisition, the Company believes it is on track to bring the Nevada operation to cash flow positive in the first quarter of 2020.

The Company has entered into a third-party service agreement with LTH Logistics (LTH), a licensed third-party distribution and delivery company. As per the terms of the agreement, LTH will provide these third-party services under the distribution licence of Nevada Botanical Sciences with revenue generated being split 60/40 in favor of Bonfire Brands USA.

Similar to California, many Nevada licensees have been operating across all verticals, said Justin Braune, President, Bonfire Brands USA. Bonfire has chosen to reduce execution risk and minimize capital expenditures by working with established operators who seek to benefit from our strategic infrastructure, which will allow the company will expedite its progression towards EBITDA positive operations.

Corporate Name Change

As approved at our recent annual shareholder meeting, the Company will officially change its name to Bonfire Holdings Inc. The Company has reserved and will begin trading under the ticker symbol BURN in the near future. The Company believes this better represents the vision and structure of the Company moving forward. The Company owns brands such as NORTHBUD, California Bud Co., Live For The Day (LFTD) and Trichomic and manufactures and distributes Happiest Hour beverages in the state of Nevada.

About North Bud Farms Inc.

North Bud Farms Inc., through its U.S. subsidiary Bonfire Brands USA, has acquired cannabis production facilities in California and in Nevada. The Salinas, California 11-acre farm is actively cultivating cannabis in its 60,000 sq. ft. of licensed greenhouse production space. The Reno, Nevada property is located on 3.2 acres of land which was acquired through the acquisition of Nevada Botanical Science, Inc. a world class cannabis production, research and development facility with 5,000 sq. ft. of indoor cultivation which holds medical and adult use licenses for cultivation, extraction and distribution. Through its wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, GrowPros MMP Inc., the Company is pursuing a licence under The Cannabis Act, to cultivate in its state-of-the-art purpose-built cannabis production facility located on 135 acres of Agricultural Land in Low, Quebec, Canada.

For more information visit: www.northbud.com

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking statements

Certain statements included in this press release constitute forward-looking information or statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including but not limited to those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "should" and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect current expectations regarding future results or events. This press release contains forward-looking statements that include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the Companys California, Nevada operations and its corporate name change to Bonfire Holdings Inc. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and various estimates, factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the risk factors included in the Company's final long form prospectus dated August 21, 2018, which is available under the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

North Bud Farms Inc.

Edward Miller

VP, IR & Communications

Office: (855) 628-3420 ext. 3

investors@northbud.com


Washington levied sanctions Tuesday on a Rosneft subsidiaryRosneft Trading, in the latest round of The United States maximum pressure campaign on the Nicolas Maduro regime in Venezuela, according to senior Trump administration officials.

Today we sanctioned Russian-owned oil firm Rosneft Trading S.A., cutting off Maduros main lifeline to evade our sanctions on the Venezuelan oil sector. Those who prop up the corrupt regime and enable its repression of the Venezuelan people will be held accountable, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet.

Rosneft said of the new sanctions that they were an outrage.

The sanctions block all US assets of Rosneft Trading and its director, Didier Casimiro, and will extend to anyone doing businessany business--with Rosneft Trading.

The Trump administration referred to Rosneft Trading as the gravest violator of the imposed limits on Maduro as much of the Western world wants him oustedand fast. Specifically, the US is alleging that Rosneft has sent oil tankers to Venezuelan ports with the location tracking system disabled and has transferred Venezuelan oil in the middle of international waters to ship on to Asia and West Africa.

It is also possible that recent talks between Rosneft and Venezuela that would see Rosneft take over some PDVSA assets was enough to spook the Trump administration into further action.

The extra sanctions added today serve not only as a warning to Rosneft, but will apply even greater pressure on Maduro, who is desperately clinging to power no matter what painful economic measures the US throws his way. Maduros staying power is due in part to Rosnefts support.

The additional sanctions, which include a 90-day wind down period for companies doing business with Rosneft, received bipartisan support in the US.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Given Americas deplorable history of slavery and segregation, all Americans should be proud that their country had the courage to elect its first black president. With invaluable assistance from a cheerleading media, a young and charismatic Barack Obama was swept into the most powerful job in the world with the enthusiastic endorsement of a sizable majority of the American electorate. More than three years after leaving office, he remains one of the most influential political figures in America.

But is that plaudit warranted? These days, a look at his past suggests an exceptionally anti-American orientation, and as Obama's Democrats now swing even farther left, this history is worth a look.

Presenting himself in 2008 as a political moderate who fully embraced Americas two-party constitutional democracy and its free-market capitalist economy, Obamas ideological beliefs were never closely examined by the mainstream media. But as his presidency unfolded, serious questions began to pile up about who he really was, specifically how closely he was aligned with the oppressive theories of Marx and Lenin. Obama denied being a Bolshevik, but many objective people doubted that assertion based on the long trail of troubling circumstantial evidence.

Following are parts of his past pointing to the suspicion that despite promising to be the most transparent president ever, he carefully concealed that core ideology.

In his 1995 memoir, Dreams From My Father, Obama described the only six months he would ever work for a profit-making company as working for the enemy, adding that he felt like a spy behind enemy lines. Obama also acknowledged in Dreams an affinity he had for Marxist professors, yet he has refused to release his transcripts of his years at Columbia, a university known as a hotbed of Marxist professors and student groups. Release of those records could provide important clues about his true ideological leanings.

In Dreams, Obama made numerous admiring references to Frank Marshall Davis, arguably his single most influential adolescent mentor. The subject of a 600-page FBI file, Davis was a pro-Soviet, card-carrying member of the Communist Party USA. When Obama released a 2005 audio version of Dreams in anticipation of running for president, all references to Davis were quietly purged. In attempting to grind down the country he despised, Davis employed the class warfare tactics called for in The Communist Manifesto. Daviss communist views would later be adopted by his most famous protege, as evidenced by the class warfare strategy Obama used in his 2012 re-election campaign against Mitt Romney.

When Obama moved to Chicago two years after graduating from Harvard, he developed a close, 20-year association with Rev. Jeremiah God d--n America Wright. As pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church, Wright taught black liberation theology, a religious doctrine predicated on the perceived perpetual existence of an oppressor class (a predominately white society) vs. a victim class (people of color). Victim vs. oppressor ideology is classic Marxism. Obama had another important mentor from Chicago, Saul Alinsky. In his revolutionary book Rules for Radicals, the Marxist community organizer wrote, The despair is there; its now up to us to rub raw the wounds of discontent and galvanize them for radical social change. The radical change to which he referred is the transformation of America into a single-party socialist nation.

In 1995, Obama began his political career in the living room of Bill Ayers, a self-declared communist revolutionary who has worked his entire adult life toward the destruction of Americas capitalist system. To save his campaign, Obama dismissed Ayers as just a guy who lives in my neighborhood, not someone I regularly exchange ideas with. But as reported by The Wall Street Journal, an investigation showed otherwise. In 2001, a defiant Bill Ayers demonstrated his disdain for America by consenting to be photographed trampling on the U.S. Flag. Seven years later, during the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama revealed his own low regard for the Flag by refusing to wear a lapel pin bearing its image, a position he later was forced to reverse out of political necessity.

In an unguarded moment while speaking with Joe the Plumber on the 2008 campaign trail, Obama was recorded saying that he intended to spread the wealth around. Seven years earlier, he lamented that the Supreme Court was not structured to bring about major redistributive change. Wealth redistribution is the foremost command of communism.

As president, Obama appointed an assortment of people with extreme-left views to key positions in his administration, including: former White House green jobs czar Van Jones, a self-avowed communist; FCC chief diversity officer Mark Lloyd, who expressed admiration for Venezuelas communist strongman, Hugo Chavez; White House communications director Anita Dunn, who told a high school graduating class that Mao is one of her most admired philosophers; and, White House manufacturing czar Ron Bloom, who said he agrees with Mao that political power comes largely at the barrel of a gun.

During his eight years in office, Obama routinely exhibited contempt for America and its capitalist system. In referring to his You didnt build that! admonition directed at private sector job creators, The Wall Street Journal observed that rarely do politicians so clearly reveal their core beliefs. In September 2011, Obama showed his full-throated support of the anti-capitalist Occupy Wall Street protests by announcing, We are on their side. An influential group of hardened anti-capitalists known at the highest levels of the Democratic Party, OWSs behind-the-scenes leaders have long sought the total destruction of Americas capitalist system. In a pre-rally pep talk to Occupy protestors in Chicago, OWS inspiration Bill Ayers  the same Bill Ayers in whose living room Obama launched his political career  said this: I wake up every morning thinking that today will be the day I end capitalism.

In March 2016, when he no longer faced re-election, and with communist officials of Castros murderous regime standing beside him, Obama defiantly posed in front of a six-story statue of one of communisms most celebrated icons, Ernesto Che Guevara. To those who question Obamas true ideological beliefs, posing in front of a six-story likeness of Guevara is no different than posing in front of a massive likeness of Stalin. Eight years earlier, a Cuban flag bearing an image of Guevara was removed from Obamas Houston campaign office, but only after it was publicly revealed. The Guevara flag doesnt mean that Obama approves of the mass-murdering communist revolutionary, but does suggest his Houston campaign office had reason to believe he did.

Finally, five days before he was first elected, Obama made a statement that attracted little attention at the time, vowing to fundamentally transform the United States of America. Caught up in the euphoria of Hope and Change, many who voted for him never thought to ask themselves, Transform it into what? A long trail of compelling evidence leads to the unavoidable conclusion that his strategy from the beginning has been to carefully conceal his true ideology, while quietly working to transform America into a communist society, a total betrayal of the oath he took to protect and defend the Constitution from all enemies, including the hammer and sickle. Without cover from the corrupt mainstream media, he would never have been elected.

Is Obama a traitor for the ages? You decide.

In September 2018, American Thinker ran an article about another prominent Democrat who also has worked to subvert his country: John Kerry: A Traitor for the Ages by Frank Hawkins. Now retired, Mr. Hawkins is a former U.S. Army intelligence officer and an Associated Press foreign correspondent.

Image credit: Maria Rantanen, via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0
ANN ARBOR, MI - Its been 10 days since Ann Arbor Police Chief Michael Cox was put on administrative leave.

Members of Ann Arbors elected City Council and appointed police oversight commission say they still dont know why.

Council Member Jane Lumm, I-2nd Ward, told the commission Tuesday evening that soon-to-be separated City Administrator Howard Lazarus, who placed Cox on two weeks paid leave, is expected to tell council what led to the decision at a special session by Friday, Feb. 21, after an independent investigation is complete.

Ann Arbor city administrator fired in 7-4 council vote

City Council fired Lazarus on Feb. 18 in a 7-4 vote. His termination will take effect Feb. 29. The reasons for his ouster also remain unclear.

The lack of answers so far led to a sometimes-heated community forum held by the Independent Community Police Oversight Commission in a packed basement Tuesday night at Larcom City Hall in Ann Arbor.

City Council, oversight commission in the dark on Ann Arbor police chiefs leave

Commission Chair Lisa Jackson during a public question and answer session attended by about 60 people Tuesday night lamented the lack of transparency regarding the investigation into Cox.

Each of us has demonstrated commitment to enhance accountability and transparency in policing and build community trust through civilian oversight, Jackson said. We are very concerned about the way this process has been handled. Due to the lack of clarification, the public has been led to speculate what happened.

Jackson said she has not been promised by anyone on City Council or Lazarus that the commission will be able to review the investigations findings, but that she will be fighting for access to the report. Lazarus brought in law firm Miller Canfield to conduct the investigation.

Several community members and commission members intensely criticized Lazarus for revealing little information about the investigation. A handful of visitors expressed frustration that Lazarus seemingly has unilateral power to take action against the police chief.

Howard Lazarus works for City Council, Jackson responded. They dont work for him... Who works for whom?

The council vote to fire Lazarus took place later in the evening.

Lumm and Council Member Jack Eaton, D-4th Ward, sent the motion earlier Tuesday to fire Lazarus at the council meeting. Lumm said it was not related to Lazarus handling of Coxs leave.

Ann Arbor administrator gives speech ahead of council vote on firing him

Eaton contrasted Lazaruss handling of the incident with the University of Michigan placing Provost Martin Philbert on administrative leave for sexual misconduct last month.

The Board of Regents entered into a closed session to describe the charges against (Philbert), Eaton said. We did not have the benefit of that... After this process is done, were going to circle back around and were going to look at how this was done to this chief, because this speculation (into his character) is harmful.

Recent allegations against UM provost werent the first

Mohammad Othman, a commission member, described the investigation as havoc, and questioned how Lazarus has the power to place Cox on administrative leave while facing issues over his own job security.

That led David Santacroce, a commission member, to warn people to not prejudge Lazarus until details of the investigation emerge.

We dont know what happened, he said. I just dont want to hear a lot of speculation (about Cox or Lazarus). Until we do (hear more), I think we got to be patient. I do understand that is infuriating for some in this group.

Jackson said the lack of information on the investigation, from Lazarus or otherwise, causes speculation that can be weaponized.

We understand the confidentiality of investigations and that is appropriate, she said. The rampant speculation feels like weaponization... The secrecy surrounding Chief Coxs leave reflects badly on the city.

MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

Ann Arbor mobility committee proposal sparks controversy

Ann Arbor city administrator fired in 7-4 council vote

City Council, oversight commission in the dark on Ann Arbor police chiefs leave

Ann Arbor administrator cited friction with City Council as reason for seeking new job

Investigator finds Ann Arbor officials were in the dark about HR directors extreme, vile views

Proposed city email rules rooted in paranoia, Ann Arbor planning official says
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 20:29:13|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- China released on Wednesday a newly revised regulation for domestic and foreign currency exchange franchise businesses to better facilitate currency exchanges by individuals.

The revised regulation mainly focuses on further simplifying administrative approvals, optimizing business handling procedures, seeking innovations, improving the market entry and exit mechanism as well as strengthening oversight, said the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

It is expected to further reduce the costs of institutions operating the franchise businesses and will exert a positive effect on improving the business climate, forestalling financial risks and facilitating currency exchanges by individuals, said Wang Chunying, a spokesperson with the administration.

China started to pilot the franchise business scheme in Beijing and Shanghai in 2008 and expanded the scheme in 2012, which has acted as a supplementary system for currency exchanging through banks.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that to intimidate and convert someone forcefully is a sin. The defence minister was speaking at an event in Lucknow on Tuesday.

We believe that anyone who is following any religion has full freedom to do that, but trying to convert someone through fear or lure is the biggest sin, Singh said.

He said that no matter how stringent the laws are, the amount of success a movement can bring about, is unparalleled.

Many foreign powers are trying to break our country. They do not want a stable government in India, because they can see our future - the country is not only on its way to become a global superpower, but also a universal teacher/master, said Singh.

The main thing about becoming a universal master, said Singh, is that you dont feel scared. There are many superpowers in the world who instil fear in people, but India wants to be a teacher along with a superpower because you dont feel scared when you are with your master.

He also made it clear that mass conversions need to be checked across the country.

Ten states have so far made laws to check forcible conversion. The Uttar Pradesh Law Commission in November last year submitted a report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath proposing a new law to check forcible religious conversions in the state on the lines of Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The issue was at the centre during Jharkhand Assembly elections last year. The state government enacted a law in 2017 which provides for approval by a district official for conversion and prescribes a jail term of three years and a fine of 50,000 for those found guilty of religious conversion through coercion or allurement. Higher punishment has been provided for converting a minor, a woman, a person belonging to the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe communities.
Strange movements of toxic gas clouds have been observed by astronomers in the Milky Way galaxy that hints towards the existence of an enormous black hole. The rare supermassive black hole could be 100,000 times larger in size than the Sun, and the fifth such candidate in the galactic centre, confirmed reports.

According to a new study, this elusive species of a black hole might rank as the second in the Milky Way galaxy after the supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A which was discovered in the centre of Milky Way galaxy. Researchers tracked the gasses and found that the clouds were orbiting an unidentified object 10,000 times the mass of the Sun, that they concluded was a quiescent black hole at first, confirmed reports.

Read Scientists Reveal Extent Of Lima River Pollution

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Scientists suspected quiescent black hole first

A quiescent black hole is the one that does not actively feed and emits no detectable radiations. However, astronomers in Japan in their secondary research concluded that the object could be something else. They used a powerful telescope in the Atacama Desert in Chile to observe the strange movements of the gases in clouds.

It was then that the scientists found out that the gases in these clouds contained hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide, unlike interstellar clouds, and they moved at an exceptionally fast speed, said reports. Observations also showed molecules in the elliptical cloud which were 200 light-years away from Milky Way galaxy, and 150 trillion kilometres wide. They were pulled by strong gravitational force that indicated a black hole 1.4 trillion km across, as per the reports.

The scientists further confirmed that the observatory devices picked up radio waves signals indicative of a black hole coming from the centre of the clouds. Tomoharu Oka, an astronomer at Keio University in Tokyo told the media that this was the first detection of an intermediate-mass black hole candidate in Milky Way galaxy.

The discovery of the intermediate-mass black holes by the scientists is an essential turning point, as they could establish that unusual movement of clumps of gas and dust was one of the ways to detect a unique supermassive blackhole. Earlier, in 2003, the scientists had lost the tremendous flare of multi-wavelength radiation that had eventually died out over the decades that had indicated intermediate-mass black hole, confirmed reports.

The newly released observations about the swirling gas clouds around a black hole increases the chance for the scientists to study the black holes closely and figure how they were formed. It can help them find out how common or rare and how many across the galaxy these black holes were.

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The globe-trotting ceo of the IDA, Martin Shanahan, ran up a combined overseas hotel and flight bill last year of 45,137.

The 26,125 spend on flights and 19,012 spend on hotels arose as Mr Shanahan made multiple visits overseas as part of the IDA's remit of attracting inward investment from foreign companies.

Separate figures provided by Enterprise Ireland show that its own outgoing CEO, Julie Sinnamon, ran up a more modest combined overseas hotel and flight bill of 21,216.

The breakdown shows a spend of 13,957 on flights and hotel costs of 7,259.

In response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, the IDA's FOI unit confirmed that Mr Shanahan's overseas destinations last year included San Francisco, New York City, Zurich, Mumbai, Istanbul, Berlin, Tokyo and Hong Kong. The IDA's total spend on flights last year amounted to 855,702, and overseas hotel bills totalled 300,783.

Enterprise Ireland's FOI unit said the organisation's flight costs last year totalled 1.32m and overall overseas hotel costs totalled 728,991.

According to the IDA's FOI unit, "the nature of IDA Ireland's business is international. FDI [foreign direct investment] is won in the market and as such necessitates extensive travel by IDA executives, including the CEO, throughout the year".

The response continues: "A central part of Martin Shanahan's role is to meet with the decision-makers in existing and potential client companies across the globe."

The unit also states: "These face-to-face meetings play a vital role in building strong business relationships with leading international companies in order to win investment to Ireland."

The response says that IDA Ireland has strict travel policies in place to govern travel by executives in line with public sector policies. It adds: "The approved class of travel is dependent on a number of factors, including the length of flight and intensity of itinerary at the destination country."

The IDA declined to provide a breakdown of Mr Shanahan's flight and hotel details, "as this could indicate the frequency and duration of the CEO's visits to overseas locations and would be commercially sensitive to IDA Ireland, as we are competing for FDI in a global market".

The FOI division stated: "This information could also adversely impact the financial and economic interests of the State if it was released, as it would indicate locations of IDA focus when attracting and expanding FDI in the State."

Enterprise Ireland placed no such restriction on the information released concerning Ms Sinnamon.

The costliest overseas venture for Ms Sinnamon was a trade mission to New Zealand, where the cumulative cost of eight flights came to 6,589 and where hotel costs totalled 1,683.
Ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit here next week, the Cabinet Committee on Security on Wednesday approved a government-to-government deal to procure a batch of 24 MH-60 Romeo helicopters from the US at a cost of USD 2.6 billion.

The bilateral agreement to seal the deal is expected to be signed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's talks with US President Donald Trump on February 25, top sources said.

India is procuring the helicopters for the Indian Navy.

The sources said the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also deliberated on the procurement of a missile defence system from the US at a cost of USD 1.86 billion.

However, final approval to the deal has not been given yet, the sources said.

The US approved the sale of the helicopters to India in April last year. The helicopters are expected to boost the Indian Navy's anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare operations.

The chopper is designed to hunt down submarines. The fleet would replace aging British-made Sea King helicopters.

Ahead of Trump's visit, the US approved the sale of an Integrated Air Defence Weapon System to India (IADWS).

Defence and security ties between India and the US have been on an upswing in the last six years. The bilateral defence trade touched USD 18 billion mark in 2019, reflecting growing defence cooperation between the two sides.

There has been indication that two sides may announce further deepening of defence ties during Trump's visit on February 24 and 25.

Both sides have also been pushing for joint venture and collaboration between private sectors of the two countries in defence manufacturing.

In June 2016, the US had designated India a "Major Defence Partner", intending to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Bee minus: The number of pollinators is continuing to fall

Farmers should be made to prove their farms are bee-friendly before getting support payments, scientists have said.

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin are among teams from 18 countries who found existing EU schemes to encourage bee-friendly agricultural practices are failing.

That is despite agriculture's critical dependence on bumblebees, honeybees, hoverflies and other insects to pollinate 70pc of all crops.

The scientists said new initiatives and incentives should be introduced as part of the upcoming reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Since 1992 farmers have been encouraged to counteract the effects of intensive agriculture on pollinators by preserving hedgerows and ditches, growing trees and leaving fields or field margins to go wild.

"Unfortunately, the success and cost-effectiveness of such schemes at halting biodiversity declines remains debatable," the scientists concluded.

They said that, despite farm payments being conditional on compliance, there was little monitoring or quality assurance. Meanwhile, pollinator numbers continue to decline.

"The CAP post-2020 should focus on improving habitat quality, for example incentivising positive management via result-based payments," the researchers' report added.

Jane Stout, a botany professor at Trinity, said: "It's not just enough to protect areas for wildlife in farmland, but these areas also need to be managed appropriately. That means making sure there is a diversity of resources for bees and other pollinators to feed on right through the year, and places for wild pollinators to nest or lay their eggs."
(Natural News) A major auction was held in Botswana this month for licenses allowing big game hunters to kill elephants after the countrys president overturned a blanket ban on hunting the animals.

Botswana has the worlds greatest elephant population, but the majestic creatures are now under threat there as President Mokgweetsi Masisi revoked the moratorium put in place by his predecessor shortly after taking office.

The government sought to sell seven hunting packages that would take the lives of 10 elephants a piece in controlled hunting areas. Bidders were required to show appropriate elephant hunting experience as well as a lack of previous wildlife criminal convictions. To be eligible to bid, companies had to be owned by Botswana citizens or be registered in the country. The auction was held at the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism in the countrys capital, Gaborone.

The auction notice states that all elephant hunting expeditions must be accompanied by a professional guide at all times; collared elephants cannot be hunted. The hunting season for this year is expected to kick off in April and run through September, a period that covers the dry winter there, when thinner African bush makes it easier to spot the animals.

According to Reuters, just six bidders came up with the reserve fee of roughly $18,000. The buyers were all expedition operators who plan to sell the packages on to trophy hunters at a profit. Most of these trophy hunters hail from the U.S. and will be allowed to export the trophies.

Elephants under threat

More than one third of the African continents total elephants can be found in Botswana, whose elephant population exceeds 135,000. Many of them live within the Chobe National Park. While elephant numbers across Africa have dropped by more than a third overall since 1979, Botswanas elephant population has risen significantly since the late 1990s.

The Masisi government claims that legal hunting is needed to reduce conflict between humans and elephants, but conservationists believe that more hunting could encourage illegal poaching.

The government has issued a quota for the murder of 272 elephants in 2020, 202 of which will be directed toward foreign hunters.

Some local residents have expressed frustration with the elephants entering their villages and trampling their crops, accusing conservationists of being foreigners who are trying to take away the livelihood gained from wildlife tourism. However, studies have shown that the local communities there are not seeing the financial benefits promised by the hunting industry.

Botswana isnt the only place that hunters who want to kill elephants can carry out these heinous acts. This year, Zimbabwe is issuing 500 licenses to hunt elephants, while Namibia is issuing 90. Hunters generally have to pay several hundred dollars per day for the required professional hunter guide who must accompany them on the hunt, in addition to fees for accommodations and taxidermy. Most of the hunts last 10 to 18 days.

Last year, Natural News reported that elephant poaching rates have been on the decline since 2011, when more than 10 percent of the elephants in Africa were killed because of poaching. In 2017, that figure was just 4 percent, partly due to falling demand for ivory.

Nevertheless, its estimated that anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 of these beautiful animals are still being poached each year, and with roughly 350,000 elephants remaining in Africa, they could be headed toward extinction if the practice isnt halted.

Sources for this article include:

EcoWatch.com

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
Attorney General David Eby and Premier John Horgan look on as Minister of Finance Carole James delivers the budget speech from the legislative assembly at B.C. Legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Feb. 18, 2020. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press)

Top Earners in British Columbia to Pay Higher Taxes

VICTORIATop income earners and pop drinkers were hit with new taxes in Tuesdays B.C. budget, which continues the governments focus on capital spending for schools, hospitals and transit.

Finance Minister Carole James is introducing a new 20.5 per cent tax bracket that will cover the top one per cent of income earners in B.C., or those earning more than $220,000 annually.

James said the government will also start charging the provincial sales tax of seven per cent on sweetened carbonated drinks to help address the health and economic costs of the beverages.

As well, the government is bringing in a new grant program this fall for post-secondary school students that will provide up to $4,000 a year to offset tuition fees, with as many as 40,000 people being eligible for the $24-million program.

James said a record $22.9 billion will be spent on capital projects over the next three years including money for the new St. Pauls Hospital in Vancouver, student housing and schools for kids in kindergarten to Grade 12.

The budget forecasts three successive surpluses with the government finishing 202021 $227 million in the black.

James said the New Democrat governments third budget represents a balanced plan that continues its goals of controlling costs for families while giving everybody the opportunity to benefit from the provinces growing economy.

We had a plan when we were elected government to make life more affordable for families, James said. Thats really the focus of this budget.

Between 45,000 to 50,000 people will be caught by the new tax rate. Almost half of the revenue generated, estimated at $216 million in the 202021 budget year, will come from people who make more than $1 million a year, said James.

Were asking those at the top who benefit most from our economy to contribute a little bit more, she said.

The Business Council of British Columbia was critical of the governments new tax bracket, which it says pushes the federal-provincial personal tax rate above 50 per cent.

Higher personal taxes on a small slice of the population will generate less incremental revenue than the government is forecasting, and undermine efforts to foster a more innovative, entrepreneurial economy, Jock Finlayson, the councils executive vice-president, said in a statement.

Laird Cronk, president B.C. federation of Labour, backed the governments decision to increase taxes for the highest income earners.

Folks who make over $220,000 a year can afford to pay a little bit more, he said in an interview.

James said health officials and an all-party finance committee of the legislature called for a so-called sugar tax on drinks. The budget forecasts $27 million in revenue in 202021 from the tax, which goes into effect July 1.

Research shows that teens between the ages of 14 and 18 are the top consumers of pop, James said in her budget speech.

This is about keeping young people healthy while taking in a bit of revenue to continue to pay for enhanced health care services for everyone.

The B.C. Liberals said with gas prices up and insurance rates at sky-high levels, the NDP led by Premier John Horgan isnt keeping its promise to make life more affordable.

British Columbians arent getting ahead and life is less affordable than ever before, said Stephanie Cadieux, one of the partys finance critics. With 22 new or increased NDP taxes and no plan for economic growth, families across the province are going to keep feeling the squeeze under John Horgan.

James said the new BC Access Grant program for post-secondary students will be ready for the fall semester in September.

For the first time, provincial grants will be available to part-time students and students enrolled in programs of less than two years, James said. This will help people land good-paying jobs in high-demand fields like early childhood education, health care and the skilled trades.

She said there will be more than 800,000 job openings in health care, early childhood education, skilled trades and technology over the next decade, and more than 75 per cent of the jobs will require some post-secondary education or training.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives encouraged the government to do more on social issues facing the province, particularly in areas like poverty reduction and increasing access to child care.

This is a very cautious budget, Iglika Ivanova, the centres senior economist, said in a news release. We can afford to do more.

Interim Green Leader Adam Olsen said the budget makes incremental investments in areas where the party shares priorities with the minority NDP government, which it has supported to keep the New Democrats in power.

Olsen said the Greens like the grant for post-secondary students, is pleased to see funding maintained for the governments key environmental program CleanBC, as well as improving access to affordable early childhood education.

However, it isnt enough to make life more affordable, he said in a news release. Now is the time to go all-in on transitioning to a clean economy that has equity and sustainability at its core.

James said the financial bleeding at the Crown-owned Insurance Corp. of British Columbia is expected to be stemmed by the end of 202021, after losses of more than $2 billion over the past three years. The 201920 budget forecasts a loss of $91 million.

The government recently announced it will move to a no-fault system that will cut insurance rates by 20 per cent.
In the village of Walworth, the village board and its president took a lot of heat on social media for a proposal that would increase the fine for residents who fail to clear their sidewalks of snow.

We believe the village board was right to raise the fines, and we understand that this is probably an unpopular opinion.

It shouldnt be the job of the villages public works department to ensure that the community has safe walking paths immediately after a snowstorm. That responsibility, in communities throughout Wisconsin, falls on the individual property owners.

When sidewalks are left unclear, it limits the mobility of the elderly and the disabled. Not every person has a drivers license or a car, and some people need to walk to work or to the grocery store. When the sidewalks are covered in snow, it limits their ability to travel.

The village of Walworth isnt large and many of the areas school children walk to their classes each morning and then walk home in the afternoon. The day after a snowstorm hits, the kids should enjoy a clear path home.

It is Wisconsin, and our residents are used to snow, but we are also accustomed to hard work and personal responsibility. It frankly isnt the governments job to shovel your neglected sidewalk.

Under the previous ordinance, the village imposed a $50 fee on someone who didnt clear their sidewalk. That amount wasnt always enough to cover the cost of the work. Taxpayers shouldnt be forced to cover the difference.

After a snowstorm, a communitys public works department is responsible for clearing streets and alleys. This tasks often requires municipalities to incur taxpayer-funded overtime expenses. We dont need to add additional work to public works employees, nor do we need to increase the burden that local taxpayers face.

The village board initially raised the fine for a sidewalk that was left uncleared from $50 to $200. The goal was not to raise revenue, but to force compliance.

Walworth Village President Tom Connelly and the rest of the board members took a lot of grief over this proposal, and the reaction, albeit predictable, was absolutely ridiculous. If you want to avoid a fine, shovel your walk and dont expect someone to do it for you.

After all the unflattering commentary, the board revisited the issue. The compromise was to change the fine to $100 or the actual cost of clearing the snow, whichever amount is greater. This was a politically smart move by the board.

The $50 fine was too low, and it didnt provide enough incentive for people to abide by the law. Increasing the fine was necessary, and finding a middle ground was also important.

We would have cheered the board if it left the fine at $200. However, we understand that the members are elected officials, and they likely would have faced backlash from some voters. And with that hefty fine in place, the voters would enjoy clear sidewalks to the polls.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 17:34:46|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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Passengers arrive at the Aleppo International Airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, Feb. 19, 2020. The first flight from Syria's capital Damascus to the northern city of Aleppo took off on Wednesday for the first time in eight years. (Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The first flight from Syria's capital Damascus to the northern city of Aleppo took off on Wednesday for the first time in eight years.

Officials and reporters were onboard the flight, which had been suspended due to the presence of rebels in the western countryside of Aleppo, which threatened the international airport of Aleppo.

Over the past two months, the Syrian army launched a wide-scale offensive in Aleppo and the nearby Idlib province in northwestern Syria to secure the Damascus-Aleppo highway, known as the M5.

In the process, the army managed to secure the airport of Aleppo after taking much of the western and northwestern countryside of Aleppo, which is known as the industrial capital of Syria.

Following the first fight, the Aleppo airport will start flights to Damascus and Egypt's Cairo, before expanding to other destinations.
Makprogres is one of North Macedonias major confectioners, specialising in a wide assortment of sweets, snacks, grains and health food. This year, it celebrates 30 years of business, continuous learning and investment to keep up with its clients changing tastes and preferences. Together, the EBRD and the European Union (EU) supported Makprogres along its path to growth, competitiveness and success.

Small businesses think big

The Cvetanov family first established Makprogres as a food trading business in the small town of Vinica, North Macedonia, where terracotta-tiled roofs nestle between hills and fields. With a spoonful of ambition, a pinch of business acumen and a sprinkle of faith, the company invested a few years later in a cake factory to jumpstart its new food processing business.

Expanding its facilities allowed the confectioner to introduce new products and brands  including the sweets line Vincinni, for which it is best known.

But a growth model based on sustained innovation and investment presented management with new challenges. The company needed to address efficiency gaps in manufacturing and resource use to grow its exports and better position itself in the domestic market.

Innovating for success

With support from the EU, the EBRD assigned the firm an international expert to advise on operations, brand quality and design. The successful completion of the project saw Makprogres strengthen its productivity, introduce best practices in quality control and become one of North Macedonias biggest food exporters.

As an ambitious leader, Makprogres was awarded membership of the EBRDs Blue Ribbon  a support programme targeting firms with high potential for growth. Under Blue Ribbons guidance, the business scaled up with help from international experts specialising in an array of advisory areas from marketing to operations.

Promoting sustainable food production

Recently, Makprogres efforts to strengthen its energy efficiency have received support from the EBRD and the Enterprise Expansion Fund (ENEF), one of the pillars of the EUs Western Balkan Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility (WB EDIF). Joint financing will help the company install solar panels to reduce energy costs, along with new production equipment.

Were committed to increasing our export activities in the international market and continuing to invest in energy efficiency, productivity and automation to remain competitive, says Gligor Cvetanov, CEO of Makprogres.

Makprogres is now well-equipped to head straight to the sweets lab to concoct new ways of satisfying its clients insatiable taste buds.
Special Forces of the future should be planting malware in enemy servers rather than fighting wars with daggers, the new armed forces minister said yesterday.

James Heappey, a former Army officer, said the UK needed to develop the capability to 'switch off' other countries' infrastructure and 'mess around' with their systems.

Mr Heappey, handed the job in the reshuffle last week, also questioned whether the UK military was like 'Blockbuster' and about to 'go out of business' because of an adversary 'Netflix'.

He said the military needed 'to think the incredible' to win wars now and referred to the Alexa smart speaker as a model for innovation, adding: 'Alexa, fight my war.'

He said the military needed 'to think the incredible' to win wars now and referred to the Alexa smart speaker as a model for innovation, adding: 'Alexa, fight my war' (Stock image)

One of his self-confessed 'ridiculous' suggestions was developing 'plankton powered rubber duck bombs' to be used in their thousands to sink ships such as aircraft carriers.

Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) think tank, he said: 'We have commercial, consumer tech in our hands, in our homes, and that has informed our thinking and we started to look at how do we deploy that utility within defence.'

Mr Heappey said the role of Special Forces would change in future, adding: 'Their dream was crawling through the ditch with their dagger in their teeth ready to plunge it into the heart of the enemy commander.

'Now we want them to crawl in and plant malware in the heart of the enemy servers and it is so much less glamorous yet so much more devastating in the effect that it can have.' He said that the future of special operations was now about the 'ability to get in and access our opponent's data even when their system seems impenetrable from the outside through online accesses'.

'Clearly that is a capability that is surely at the heart of a future Special Forces capability', he added.

He said the UK needed to have a resilient home network but also needed to be prepared to use offensive cyber.

'We need to understand that if war is coming the first thing our opponents will try to do is to disrupt our first generation by switching stuff off before we've even left to fight the war.

'We need the capability to do exactly the same to them.

'We need to be able to thousands of miles in depth, switching stuff off, messing around with their digital architecture, their infrastructure back home, so they can't get to the start line in good nick either.'

He said this needed a 'total rethink of the sort of people with the sort of skills we need in defence'. He said cyber experts needed to 'exploit stuff thousands of miles away to defeat your enemy'.

His comments came as a major defence review is ongoing into the future of the armed forces.

He said it said 'absolutely right' that having a formidable offensive cyber force should be at the top of a strategic command shopping list.

Mr Heappey also said that servicemen and women needed to be 'emboldened' to 'think the ridiculous'.

He said: 'In order to embolden people to think the ridiculous, I was talking... last week about plankton powered rubber duck bombs, but why not?

'Who knows? If a million plankton powered rubber duck bombs crashed into the Queen Elizabeth, she might sink.

James Heappey MP (pictured) said the role of Special Forces would change in future, adding: 'Their dream was crawling through the ditch with their dagger in their teeth ready to plunge it into the heart of the enemy commander'

'We've got to think the incredible. It's right we challenge ourselves, we challenge every single last but of our thinking.' He went on: 'The challenge on sunset capabilities - what is the stuff we can soon do without.

'What is the challenge on sunrise capabilities - what will give us the edge in the future?.' He questioned whether the UK was like Blockbuster about to 'go out of business' because of Netflix.

He said: 'Are we in our platform centric military, Blockbuster, about to be disrupted by a future fight that is Netflix? In which case are we going out of business?

'Are we fundamentally just completely structured wrong in what we have got?

'Or it is a sort of disruption that is more Zip car, Uber, Deliveroo where the platforms the business model still look broadly the same but the battle winning bit is the speed in which everything flows....

'I don't know the answer. But strategic command clearly occupies a very big space in the answer to that challenge.'

Lieutenant General Rob Magowan added that senior officers and officials must be 'luddites no more'.

Vice Admiral Jerry Kyd, Royal Navy Fleet Commander, warned that the UK was slipping behind its enemies.

He said: 'We're not as good as we think are.

'And certainly we don't have the decadence of where we were back 20 or 30 years ago - particularly in tech, particularly in cyber, particularly in doctrine, training - across the board, actually.' He warned that the UK had become 'seriously pressed' by the Russians.

Remarking on operations in the North Atlantic and Arctic, Vice Admiral Kyd added: 'My word it's tricky work at the moment...The operational advantage [for Britain] in the Atlantic has gone. We are seriously pressed by the Russians at the moment.'

He said the UK was working to wrap in 'much more effectively the trans-agencies, special forces, maritime special operations, all the elements across Whitehall, all the levers we can get' to counter the threat from Russia in the region.
If you want to know what the Polar Vortex really should look like, stare at the video just below.

The Polar Vortex is a swirling circulation often times positioned near the North Pole. Occasionally this vortex will break up into pieces, and the pieces will move south into eastern North America.

But currently the Polar Vortex is really strong and a small, concentric circle. The Polar Vortex is also centered right at the North Pole. When you look at the animation above from earth.nullschool.net, North America is at the lower center of the image.

The purple colors signify stronger winds. So if you are imagining a swirling, nasty storm in the polar region due to the Polar Vortex, you have the correct vision.

But remember, the current near record strength Polar Vortex doesnt mean what you think.

Read More: Intense Polar Vortex has no sign of disruption; Put a fork in harsh winter weather?

When the Polar Vortex is really strong, the circulation keeps the very cold air bottled up in the arctic region.

The wind speeds modeled on the Earth.nullschool.net site show top wind speeds around 180 mph.

The wind on the Polar Vortex spins counter-clockwise, like any other storm system in the northern hemisphere. When the Polar Vortex gets disrupted, the swirling slows and the perfect circle vortex becomes oddly shaped. These lobes that develop on this new, odd shape are where pockets of extreme cold can develop.

While we may not have a complete Polar Vortex disruption, we may still have some cold air ooze south over the next few weeks.

There is a hint at some colder weather around the start of March.

Temperature forecast for February 26 to March 3, 2020

We can get cold weather without a Polar Vortex disruption. In that case the cold air tends not to last long. The cold that may be coming could be several degrees colder than average. But remember, by early March we have normal high temperatures around 40 south to 35 north. In other words, we have to be very cold to have temperatures stay in the 20s.
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Their two children are making headlines of their own these days.

But Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber appear to be taking it all in their stride.

The celebrity couple enjoyed an outing together in West Hollywood on Tuesday after treating themselves to a romantic dinner in Beverly Hills Monday night.

Empty nesters: Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber looked happy and relaxed as they strolled along side by side in West Hollywood on Tuesday

The supermodel, 53, and the tequila businessman, 57, were happy and relaxed as they strolled along side by side.

Crawford was dressed simply in a long-sleeve white top tucked into black jeans and added Birkenstock sandals and a pair of sunglasses.

Gerber was also casually attired in a dark green shirt buttoned up over a black t-shirt and blue jeans with black trainers.

The pair tied the knot in 1998 and are parents to son Presley, 20, and daughter Kaia, 18.

Relaxed outing: The supermodel, 53, and the tequila businessman, 57, were casually attired. They tied the knot in 1998 and share kids Kaia, 18, and Presley, 20, who are both models

On Tuesday, the couple's daughter Kaia took to Instagram to share a topless selfie which also showed off some of her tattoos.

The teen, who has been modeling during London Fashion Week, now has a bunch of inkings including two interlocking arms in the shape of a heart, a ladybug, an angel and her middle name Jordan in cursive.

She is now heading to Milan for that city's Fashion Week where she's expected to walk the runway for several designers.

Good genes: On Tuesday, the couple's daughter Kaia took to Instagram to share a topless selfie in which she showed off some of her tattoos. She was in London for Fashion Week

Meanwhile, her older brother Presley raised eyebrows when he unveiled his new face tattoo earlier this month.

He got the word 'misunderstood' inked right under his right eye.

He then took to Instagram to aggressively defend his decision.

'If I thought this was going to ruin my face or I didn't want this, I wouldn't have done it. I think that's a pretty obvious thing,' he told his social media followers.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan visited on February 18 the Amalienborg royal place where he had a private meeting with Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, the Armenian Parliament told Armenpress.

The Armenian Speaker of Parliament was accompanied by his Danish counterpart Henrik Dam Kristensen.

At the meeting with the Queen, Speaker Mirzoyan thanked for the reception and highlighted the importance of historical friendly ties between the two peoples, expressing hope that they will deepen.

The Queen of Denmark and Speaker Mirzoyan highlighted the role of two Danish missionaries Maria Jacobsen and Karen Jeppe during the Armenian Genocide in saving Armenian orphans which created a common spiritual connection between the two peoples.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark attached importance to the arrival of the Armenian high-level delegation and expressed hope that this visit will contribute to further deepening the ties between the two peoples, intensifying the cultural exchange and contacts. She wished success to Speaker Mirzoyan and the Armenian Parliament in fulfilling their functions for the benefit of Armenia.

Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and his delegation arrived in Denmark on an official visit.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
12:37 | Lima, feb. 19.

"We are seeking to achieve that goal, taking advantage of the situations and having a rapid response capacity. Besides, working together with the private sector will allow us to move forward," he stated.

Cortes noted that in light of the coronavirus outbreak, which affects China and, therefore, the flow of tourists from said country, Peru would place emphasis on attracting foreign tourists from North American and Latin American markets, in order to reach the 10% growth target.

Likewise, he explained Peru's actions to attract Chinese tourists have been focused on the high-consumption sector, and the luxury segment, rather than massive sectors.

The government official also claimed that, together with PromPeru, the Ministry of Foreign Tarde and Tourism is evaluating the latest trends in the market.

"Evidently, cancellations from Chinese tourists have been reported at this point, but we have to turn to markets that are not yet affected and where Latin America, and mainly Peru, are viewed as a safe destination that is not affected by the outbreak ," he explained.
Dublin, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "2019 North American Power Rental Market" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The North American Power Generation Rental market research report includes market size, growth rates, vertical end-user split, competitive market share data and revenue forecasts from 2018-2025 for the United States and Canada.



The study is a comprehensive analysis including market share splits by fuel type (diesel, natural gas, others), output power, application, end-user group, and rental provider. Furthermore, profiles of key companies, growth drivers, restraints, challenges, and quotations from industry participants are also included in this analysis of the temporary power opportunity.



The North American Power Rental Market is mature and competitive with the presence of regional and national market participants trying to get a strong foothold in the market. The market is projected to experience moderate growth during the next seven years driven by economic growth, an increase in infrastructure, and the continuing shift from ownership to rental and demand from events.



This study aims to provide a detailed analysis of the North American Power Rental Market along with competitive intelligence for the year 2019.



The market numbers included in this report represent revenues generated by companies operating in the North American Power Rental Market by country (United States and Canada). The base year for the study is 2018 and the forecast period is from 2018 until 2025.



This study captures the following information on North American Power Rental Market:

Market Size, Growth Rate, Revenue Forecasts (2018-2025)

Growth Drivers & Restraints

Market Data

Quotes by Key Industry Participants

Market Share Analysis

Market Trends

Based on the mode of operation, electric power generators can be classified into:

Prime Power - Prime power generators are designed to operate continuously for extended periods of time at variable load.

Prime power generators are designed to operate continuously for extended periods of time at variable load. Standby Power - Supplying emergency power during the duration of normal power interruption. Standby power is run only when there is an outage to the utility grid or there is a disruption in the main source of power.

Supplying emergency power during the duration of normal power interruption. Standby power is run only when there is an outage to the utility grid or there is a disruption in the main source of power. Peak-Load - Peak load is a period in which electrical power is provided at a significantly higher than average supply level. Peak Shaving is the process of reducing the amount of energy purchased during peak hours when the charges are highest.

Key Topics Covered



I. Research Scope



II. Methodology



III. Market Segmentation



IV. Executive Summary



V. Market Drivers

a) Economic Expansion

b) Urbanization Growth

c) Construction Spending

d) Continuing Shift from Ownership to Rental

e) Commodities' Prices

f) Demand from Events



VI. Market Restraints

a) Oil & Gas Prices Volatility

b) High Competition

c) Stringent Environmental Regulations

d) Reduced Margins



VII. Industry Challenges



VIII. Competitive Factors



IX. Technology Trends



X. Market Trends



XI. North American Market Analysis

a) Market Overview

b) Revenues Forecast

c) United States

d) Canada

e) Revenue by Segment

f) Market Participants

g) Distribution Trends

h) Market Share by Revenues

i) Quotes from the Industry



XII. Companies Profiled

a) Aggreko PLC

b) United Rentals Inc.

c) Caterpillar Inc.

d) Sunbelt Rentals Inc.

e) Herc Rentals Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/h3wxdn

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission plans to create a single European market for data, hoping that pooling the region's deep industrial expertise will help build technology powerhouses to catch up with Silicon Valley and state-backed Chinese heavyweights.

The plan proposed by the EU executive on Monday is part of a digital market policy shake-up that also includes steps to rein in the data controlling powers of companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon.

Having lagged the first wave of digital innovation, particularly in consumer markets such as social media, online shopping and smartphones, the EU is keen to make up lost ground and avoid its firms relying on data from U.S and Asian rivals.

It is hoping that tapping into the trove of industrial data held by companies such as Germany's Siemens and France's Alstom could push Europe to the forefront of the next wave of innovation as machines and industrial processes are connected up via the so-called "internet of things".

"The battle for industrial data starts now and Europe will be the main battlefield. Europe has the largest industrial base. The winners of today will not be the winners of tomorrow," EU industry chief Thierry Breton told a news conference.

He said a key element of the plan would be the creation of an EU cloud platform alliance, with the EU hoping to mobilize up to 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) for this. He did not give details of how the platform would work.

Alongside the single European data market, the Commission plans to create smaller data markets centered on key industries, it said. A final draft of its proposals, following feedback from interested parties, is expected by the end of the year.

The plans come alongside moves by some EU countries to introduce digital taxes on major U.S. tech companies, steps condemned by Washington as tantamount to protectionism.

TOUGHER RULES COMING

Other elements in the Commission's proposals include new rules covering cross-border data use, data interoperability and standards for manufacturing, climate change, the auto industry, healthcare, financial services, agriculture and energy.

Story continues

One possibly controversial proposal calls for doing away with EU rules against anti-competitive data sharing.

There is also a goal for data centers to be climate neutral by 2030.

In response to complaints about the power wielded by large online platforms, the Commission is also considering introducing rules to stop these companies from unilaterally imposing conditions for access and use of data or benefiting from this in a disproportionate way.

"We see some platforms as gatekeepers, that is not what we want for our internal market," Breton said.

European digital and antitrust commissioner Margrethe Vestager said she was looking into opening a wide-ranging inquiry into sectors using new technologies. Such inquiries have in the past triggered investigation into individual companies, leading to fines and other sanctions.

A discussion paper on artificial intelligence also aims to set up a framework to govern the use of the technology used by a growing number of companies, with the rules applying to high-risk sectors such as healthcare, transport and policing.

Vestager said she wanted a debate on the use of facial recognition technology in public spaces. The Commission has previously mulled a ban, but dropped the idea.

Telecoms lobbying groups ETNO and GSMA and the Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT), which have pushed for tech rivals to be subjected to the same stringent rules as they are, welcomed the Commission's proposals.

Tech umbrella group CCIA urged the Commission to assess its ideas with care and engage with stakeholders to ensure they boost investments and innovation.

More onerous EU rules known as the digital services act, which could force tech giants to take on more responsibilities for their actions and content hosted on their platforms, are expected to be announced towards the end of the year.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, additional reporting by Jakub Riha and Marine Strauss; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Mark Potter)
Here's the most recent top news you may have missed in Las Vegas. Cirque du Soleil performer falls during 'Beatles LOVE' show Read the full story on 10News  ABC San Diego KGTV. Hash House a Go Go to bring its twisted farm food to Summerlin Read the full story on Eater Las Vegas. At least 4 injured in 6-vehicle crash in east Las Vegas Read the full story on Las Vegas Review-Journal. Here are 7 places to celebrate National Margarita Day on Saturday Read the full story on Las Vegas Review-Journal. Elementary school on soft lockdown, while police searched for person who fled traffic stop Read the full story on Las Vegas Review-Journal. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.

A Cirque du Soleil performer fell Sunday night during a performance of "The Beatles LOVE" at The Mirage Casino. The aerial artist fell during the finale and was taken to a local hospital.

Hash House has been a TV and national media favorite since 2000 for its photo-ready menu of huge dishes.

At least four people were hospitalized, after a six-vehicle crash Tuesday night at Nellis Boulevard and Bonanza Road, authorities said.

Las Vegas mixologists put many spins on this classic cocktail, resulting in concoctions of many hues and flavors.
Former President Lee Myung-bak shakes hands with his supporters after arriving at the Seoul High Court, Wednesday, to attend a trial. The appellate court increased Lee's prison sentence to 17 years from 15 on bribery and embezzlement charges and took him back into custody after he was released on bail. He is also ordered to pay a 13 billion won fine. Yonhap
Amid the protests over the CAA, NRC and NPR, Karnataka Congress MLA UT Khader on Wednesday called out the Central government over the passing of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and stated that the act violates the Constitution.

While interacting with a news agency, Khader said, "The new citizenship amendment bill is unconstitutional. The citizenship cannot be given on caste and creed basis. Because of these things we are fighting against it."

Non-BJP states boycott CAA

Various non-BJP and opposition ruling states have decided to not implement the amended Citizenship Act. Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala, Punjab, and Rajasthan have refused to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed NRC in their respective states.

In a special assembly session held on February 12, the Puducherry assembly passed a resolution against the citizenship amendment act which was boycotted by the principal opposition party NR Congress and AIADMK MLAs.

READ | P Chidambaram calls CAA 'malicious and mischievous'

Congress calls CAA to be a 'malicious and mischievous' law

Earlier on February 8, former Home Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram had called CAA to be a "malicious and mischievous" law.

While talking at an event at Pune, Chidambaram said, "We are opposing the Act based on constitutional morality and constitutional legality. Right now, the ball is in the Supreme Court and we are confident that it will strike down (the law) and redeem the honour of the people of India." While talking about the alleged discrimination, he said, "We are just asking if persecuted Hindu minorities from these three countries are allowed, then why not Tamils and Hindus from Sri Lanka, Burma, and Buddhists from Nepal and Bhutan are allowed."

READ | Cong slams BJP for awarding cabbie for 'handing over poet to police' over anti-CAA talks

About CAA

The CAA seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Jains, and Parsis who had arrived in India by December 31, 2014, from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh to escape religious persecution. Opposition parties say the law is against India's Constitution as it makes religion a ground for citizenship.

The country has been witnessing protests against the legislation since its passage in Parliament in December 2019, with protesters arguing that the CAA in combination with other citizenship measures like the National Population Register and the National Register of Citizens can be used to discriminate against people. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has denied the charges.

READ | 'He should understand coalition dharma': Cong's Renuka Chowdhury on Uddhav's CAA remarks

READ | Goa Dy CM: 'Won't allow anti-CAA, other political messages on floats at Goa Carnival'
The proceedings of the annual Munich Security Conference always attract keen attention in Moscow, and last weekend (February 1416) was no exception. The discussions at this high-level forum are indeed highly consequential most years, but Russian interest continues to be stimulated by reflections on Vladimir Putins speech at the 2007 conference, which he likely to this day sees as his stellar moment on the world stage. In retrospect, the Kremlin leaders old complaints about insufficient attention in the West to Russias interests look rather banal; but at least before the August 2008 Russian-Georgian War, there had been a foundation of trust, which Moscow has since demolished. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov used the Munich conference to once more try to sell Putins initiative on staging a summit of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, but US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo showed scant interest.

Russian commentators reveled over the warnings presented in the report prepared by the Munich team of experts regarding the deepening discord among the Western states and societies, which they described as Westlessness. Every disagreement between European Union member states and every apparent inclination to resume business as usual with Russia, particularly from French President Emmanuel Macron, are eagerly amplified by official propaganda in Moscow. Of course, Russias incessant discourse about the ever-worsening crisis in Euro-Atlantic relations inherently clashes with the narrative about the alleged growing military threats toward the Russian Federation coming from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Nonetheless, Russian pundits easily switch from one to the other. The meeting of NATO defense ministers last week (February 1213) did show a remarkable degree of unity concerning building up capabilities to contain the multiple threats coming from Russia. This was reassuring for many participants in the Munich debates. However, the Russian media pounced on the evidence of declining popular support for NATO in Europe and the United States.

For the last six years, Russias aggression against Ukraine constituted the main focus of the deliberations on European security in Munich; and this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brought new energy and hope to these talks. However, his position was nearly undermined by a report drafted by Russia-friendly experts from the Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group, which carefully avoided using such descriptive terms as aggression or annexation. After a sharp Ukrainian demarche (backed by the Atlantic Council and other Washington-based think tanks and research institutes), the report was withdrawn from the set of documents distributed at the conference and removed from its website. Zelenskyy was able to make a strong case for revising the deadlocked Minsk agreements, which facilitate unchecked Russian support for separatists in Donbas. And the Ukrainian president forcefully called for the restoration of his countrys territorial integrity as integral to the collective work on upholding European security.

The problem the German hosts of the conference had hoped to bring closer to a resolution was Libya. The January 20 Berlin summit, which Putin also attended, produced some grounds for such hopes. But Russia refused to support the February 12 UN Security Council resolution 2510 formalizing the results of the previous months meetingwhich Moscow described as unfeasible. It does not take much to sabotage the delicate peace process. France is pulling in one direction and Italy in another, while Germany is in no position to lead without any commitment from the US. Russia, however, seeks to play multiple games at once: disrupting Western bargaining while providing direct support to the apparently winning party in the chaotic war.

This clandestine engagement brings Russia into conflict with Turkey, which has openly opted to back a different side to the conflict. Meanwhile, their clash over Libya adds intensity to the main target of Russian-Turkish quarrelsthe rebel-held Syrian province of Idlib. Neither frequent chats between the leaders nor military-to-military talks help in discharging these tensions, and risk assessments on both sides are distorted by political posturing. Moscow is irked by Washingtons statements in support of Turkey, but it still has to acknowledge the potentially disastrous consequences of trying to stop the looming Turkish counter-offensive against Syrian President Bashar al-Assads forces. Europeans are concerned about the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Idlib but are helpless to influence the Russia-Turkey power play.

One relevant point from the discussions in Munich was about Russia persistently aiming to punch above its weight and pretending to be far stronger than its Putemkin state really is. The strategic trap in Syria and the growing costs and casualties in Libya are inevitable consequences of this ambitious and reckless behavior, which grasps for short-term gains but denies the incurred losses. Putin seeks to secure for himself a position of absolute power and zero responsibility for temporary difficulties, but his authority is eroding, and the level of trust in him has fallen from 59 percent in late 2017 to a mere 35 percent today. His orders to ensure accelerated economic growth are proving impossible for the new government, and the hit from the coronavirus epidemic may tip the trajectory from stagnation to recession. Oil price, the single most important determinant of Russias economic health, is under strong pressure, while old-fashioned cartel deals in the OPEC+ format cannot compensate for the impacts driving it down.

The Kremlin may find comfort in the assessments of disarray in the West caused by the confluence of various security challenges, from Ukraine to Libya to pandemic diseases; and the Munich debates have provided plentiful evidence for such confusion. Putin may even presume that the quality of his leadership, capricious and ignorant as it really is, is superior to the constant change of Western politicianseven German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been unable to organize an orderly succession in her own party. Western societies are, indeed, struggling with multiple challenges, to which Russia is eager to add. But their democratic systems still look resilient and adaptableand attentive to the preferences of their citizenries. Dictatorships, to the contrary, abhor change and cling to rigid stability, expecting that denials of societal dynamics will be enough to preserve the status quo. Putin now faces the futility of autocratic control, perhaps much sooner than he imagines and with more unforgiving consequences than he may fear.
Defying any common sense or logic, the promontory alongside Nahr el-Kalb (Dog River), a unique, historical site of wild beauty that has been preserved since Independence, will be permanently disfigured by the construction of a series of buildings which will serve as headquarters for the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). This complex will be built in the immediate vicinity of the pathway, currently protected by fences, that runs alongside several hundreds of meters of steles, the oldest of which date back to the 2nd century BC.

This clear historical and environmental desecration is the result of authorization granted to the FPM by the former Minister of Culture, Ghattas Khoury. Rented on a long-term basis by the Maronite wakf, for a few months the exposed site has been home to the deafening noises of bulldozers and excavators. According to May Khoreiche, vice-president of the FPM, the construction will have "no negative impact on the site". "The preliminary studies of the construction operations have been approved by the General Planning Directorate as well as the relevant authorities. Proof of this is the approved construction permit", she told L'Orient-Le Jour. However, in 2003, the General Directorate of Antiquities (GDA), which was unable due to its limited means to purchase the surrounding land, had declared the area a non-buildable zone (non aedificandi). Moreover, the historical site of Nahr el-Kalb was classified by decrees N  166 / LR, of November 1933, and N  225 of September 28, 1934 and placed on the national list of historical monuments. In 2005, it was listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World register.





A definite impact

According to Jad Tabet, president of the Order of Engineers and Architects, the project "will certainly have an impact", contrary to what its promoters are saying. According to him, the project, which was presented to the Higher Council for Urban Planning two years ago, was located on ground much closer to the historical ruins. The GDA refused the permit, insisting that it be placed further away, behind the hill. However, the buildings will remain visible from Jounieh.

Asked by LOLJ to comment on the project, the vice-president of the Kataeb party, Salim Sayegh, supported the idea of having "an investigation committee that will prove if there is a real risk of damage to this historical heritage". But according to him, "there is no doubt that there will be". Mr. Sayegh asked for "an immediate freezing of the project until a serious study regarding its ecological impact" is established.





Witnesses to history

The site is home to writing, images and iconography engraved onto the stone steles, which are of crucial importance to the heritage, and to the history of Lebanon. It includes 22 steles, historical reliefs, and commemorative inscriptions dating from the 2nd millennium BC (the 13th century BC) to the 2nd millennium AD (20th century AD).

In 2003, a restoration of the site -funded by the National Heritage Foundation-, was carried out. The work included cleaning the steles, laying down the foot paths, closing part of the site, and putting up road signs as well as descriptions of the various artifacts.

On a strategic promontory that separates the Metn from Keserwan, and alongside the Nahr el-Kalb river, the source of which originates in the Jeita grottos, the steles -located 15 kilometers north of Beirut-, are witnesses to major events that have impacted the region, from Antiquity to the present day. It seems that every conqueror who passed through Lebanon insisted on leaving behind signs of their passage. Notably there are inscriptions from the Egyptian Pharaonic, Assyrian, Babylonian, Hittite, Greek, Roman, Arab, French and British eras, including one left by the Lebanese themselves (in the year 2000 and marking the withdrawal of the Israeli army).

The sites historic value is priceless, although some of the weather-worn steles have become indecipherable. Three Egyptian reliefs from the 13th century BC, including that of the pharaoh Ramses II, paint a picture of the Levants geopolitical situation during the second millennium BC. Five Assyrian reliefs display the expansionist policy of the Assyrian kings which brought them to the shores of the Mediterranean, including that of the Assyrian sovereign Esarhaddon, and of Nebuchadnezzar II (a Neo-Babylonian). There is also an inscription left by the Roman emperor Caracalla (211-217 AD), and another from the Mamluk period attributed to Sultan Barquq (1382-1399). Inscriptions commemorating events between 1860 and 2000, such as one bearing the name of General Henri Gouraud (July 25, 1920), are found nearby.

In addition to the various steles and inscriptions, other historical and archaeological remains include elements found in the Nahr el-Kalb valley: for example, the bridge built by the Mamluk sultan Saif el-Din Barquq. Its latest restoration dates back to the time of Emir Shehab II (1809). Unfortunately, today it is privately owned, and serves as the entrance to a restaurant!

On Monday, after denouncing a programmed campaign, and the spreading of rumors against it, the FPMs press office claimed to have obtained all the necessary approvals and permits from the relevant authorities, including the ministries of Culture and Environment, the Higher council for urban planning, the Order of Engineers, and the Metn Union of Municipalities. The party claims to have obtained these authorizations within the framework of the law, before starting the construction work.

The excavation work allowing the expansion of the construction area has been completed for a while now, and it has not spoiled the archeological and historical site. No damage has been recorded, added the FPM. Finally, the party clarified that it has planned to increase the distance between the complex and the historical site by an additional 20 meters.





(This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour on the 17th of February)




AMRITSAR: A 13-member Sikh jatha led by Giani Harpreet Singh, the acting jathedar of Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, left for Pakistan on Wednesday to take part in a function to observe the anniversary of the Nankana Sahib massacre on February 21.

On February 21, 1921, Sikhs were martyred in the struggle to liberate the gurdwara at Nankana Sahib. Their martyrdom anniversary is being commemorated by the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) and the Sikh sangat (community). Im leaving for Pakistan with 12 others to attend the function. Some members of the community will also come (to Pakistan) from Delhi on Thursday, Giani Harpreet Singh told reporters before leaving for the Attari-Wagah border.

The PSGPC and Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) have invited the jathedar for the function to mark the massacre, also called Saka Nankana Sahib, that took place at Gurdwara Janam Asthan, the birthplace of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak, in 1921, during the British rule.

Under the Gurdwara Reform Movement, more than 260 Sikh protesters were killed by the British-backed mahant (religious leader) and his mercenaries.

Besides taking part in the function, the jathedar will pay obeisance at gurdwaras in Pakistan.

Giani Harpreet Singhs visit comes in the backdrop of his recent statement expressing concern over a sense of fear and insecurity among minorities in the country (India). He said this while supporting Muslim groups protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens.

Delhi Minority Commission chief Zafarul Islam Khan, who called on Giani Harpreet Singh last week, said that the Akal Takht chief had assured Muslims of support, saying Sikhs always stood for the oppressed and would continue to do so.
Mexico City authorities identified Wednesday a couple who allegedly kidnapped and raped a seven-year-old girl who was later found dead inside a garbage bag over the weekend.

The Attorney General's office said Gladis Giovana Cruz Hernandez is the woman who appears on a surveillance video walking alongside Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett after the child was abducted outside her school on February 11.

The prosecutor's office added that Cruz Hernandez reportedly handed off a defenseless Aldrighett to her alleged boyfriend, Mario Alberto Reyes Najera, at the apartment they shared in the borough of Xochimilco where she was raped.

Ulises Lara Lopez, spokesman for the Mexico City's Attorney General's office, said investigators found finger prints, stains and personal documents belonging to both suspects at the apartment, which was searched Tuesday.

SEE VIDEO BELOW

Authorities are searching for Gladis Giovana Cruz Hernandez (pictured), one of the two suspects wanted in the kidnapping, rape and murder of seven-year-old Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett. The Mexico City prosecutor's office said Cruz Hernandez is the woman that appears on a surveillance video walking with Aldrighett after kidnapping her from a school last Tuesday, before she was found dead Saturday

Mexico City investigators found proof in a Xochimilco apartment that reportedly links Mario Alberto Reyes Najera (pictured) to the rape of Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett last week.

The Mexico City Attorney General's office identified Wednesday two suspects wanted for the kidnapping, rape and murder of Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett, who disappeared from a school February 11 and was found dead inside a garbage bag Saturday afternoon

Lara Lopez indicated that investigators also found Aldrighett's blood, jewelry abd clothes inside the dwelling but stopped short of confirming if Aldrighett was killed there.

Aldrighett was reported missing when her mother, Maria Magdalena Anton, showed up late to pick her up at Enrique Rebsamen Primary School in Tlalpan.

Anton's daughter's body was discovered Saturday inside a plastic garbage bag in Mexico City's Tlahuac neighborhood.

Mexico City law enforcement and the prosecutor's office got a lead in the investigation when on Monday it released security camera footage of Aldrighett's last moments.

Cruz Hernandez is seen holding on to Aldrighett with her right hand and at one point even turned around when she saw a van make a left turn near the alley.

According to Mexican newspaper El Universal, sources close to the investigation said Cruz Hernandez abandoned the home moments after her image was shared by local and international media outlets.

Cruz Hernandez lived 10 minutes away from Aldrighett's home and neighbors revealed that Cruz Hernandez and Anton were involved in a prior run-in.

Cruz Hernandez reportedly is the mother of two children that attend Aldrighett's former school.

Advocates of women's rights gathered Wednesday in Mexico City near a makeshift memorial set up in memory of seven-year-old Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett

Mexico City residents and advocates came together for a memorial service to honor the life of seven-year-old Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett

Cemetery workers lower the casket of seven-year-old Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett prior to her burial Tuesday

Initial reports indicated Cruz Hernandez was a snacks vendor outside the Mexico City school before residents and parents refuted the claims and told Mexican news outlet Grupo Formula that the only vendor was a male.

'She is not known. I would say she is not from here,' a resident said. 'If we knew or had found her, we would have already killed her. We would have executed her on our own'.

The latest details in the investigations come a day after Mexico's lower house of congress signed off on an increase in prison sentences for crimes of femicide and sexual abuse of minors amid a wave of protests following Aldrighett's murder.

Family members mourn next to the grave of Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett, a seven-year-old girl who was kidnapped, raped and murdered last week in Mexico City

Children sing next to the grave of Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett during her burial service Tuesday

Toys are seen above the coffin of Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett as it was lowered into a grave

Lawmakers voted to increase the sentence for femicide to 45 to 65 years in prison, up from a range of 40 to 60 years. They also have their approval to toughen penalties for sexual abuse of minors to 10 to 18 years, up from six to 13 years.

The proposals will be sent to the Senate.

Aldrighett disappeared two days after the murder of 25-year-old Ingrid Escamilla, also a resident of Mexico City.

Escamilla's boyfriend purportedly confessed to killing her with a knife, mutilating her body and flushing part of her corpse into the sewer.

Dozens of friends and family members gathered Tuesday for a mass under a tent to say their final goodbyes to Aldrighett before her tiny casket was buried at a local cemetery.

A woman consoles Maria Magdalena Anton moments after the casket carrying the remains of her daughter, Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett, arrived at her home Monday night

Friends and family members attend Tuesday's mass prior to the burial of Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett, the seven-year-old girl who went missing last Tuesday and was discovered dead Saturday
One of Britain's largest price comparison websites has announced its chief executive is to step down.

Mark Lewis will leave MoneySupermarket to 'pursue his career in a new direction,' according to a statement from the company.

His departure date has not been finalised, but the firm has begun their search for a replacement, and Lewis will leave once a new chief executive has been found.

Pole-dancing construction worker 'Colin' features in MoneySupermarket advert

Lewis joined MoneySupermarket.com, which also owns MoneySavingExpert.com, in April 2017 after spending four years as a retail director at John Lewis.

'The board is grateful for Mark's contribution to the Group,' said the company.

'In the three years since Mark became CEO, the Group has helped households save over 6billion, returned 250million to shareholders, launched new personalised customer experiences and developed new capabilities in B2B services and the digitisation of mortgage comparison under the Reinvent growth strategy.'

Lewis will still present the company's preliminary results for the last financial year tomorrow, along with chief financial officer Scilla Grimble.

MoneySupermarket says it expects to meet its market expectations for 2019, and in an analyst consensus published on its website, it predicts earning around 389million in revenue for last year.

The Chester-based firm recorded earnings of 100.9million in the three months to the end of September 2019, a year-on-year rise of 4 per cent, with particularly strong growth in its Home Services division of 21 per cent.

Income in this sector rose by an even more solid 40 per cent in the first nine months of 2019 though to 51.9million, helping the business to register revenues above 300million for that period.

Mark Lewis was previously the CEO of postal delivery service Collect+, which delivers packages on behalf of over 400 high street retailers including ASOS, Amazon, and House of Fraser.

MoneySupermarket earned 100.9million in the three months to 30 September 2019

Before that, the Cambridge University graduate spent six years at eBay and three years at the Boston Consulting Group, one of the 'Big Three' management consulting firms, the other two being Bain & Company, and McKinsey.

He joined MoneySupermarket almost a quarter of a century after its founding by Simon Nixon and Duncan Cameron.

Originally called Mortgage2000, Nixon started the dotcom firm after dropping out of his university accountancy course, which he found boring. It acquired its current name in 1999.

The business grew leaps and bounds during the 2000s, and before becoming listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2007, was handling just over half of all UK price comparison website traffic.

It acquired Martin Lewis' price comparison site MoneySavingExpert in 2012 and when Nixon sold his last remaining stake in the firm, he became a billionaire.

He moved to Jersey in 2013 and has since set up the holiday property company Simon Escapes, and invested in companies such as food delivery firm Deliveroo.

Shares in MoneySupermarket.com fell this morning by 1 per cent to 313.6p.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.  Take a mundane event like first day pitchers throw live batting practice to hitters, toss in umpires calling balls and strikes, and add the hyper-competitiveness of two old friends facing each other, and you have a good highlight for an early-camp afternoon.

Tuesdays featured Giants pitcher Dereck Rodriguez and outfield hopeful Jaylin Davis, who have been friends for five years dating to their days as Minnesota minor leaguers.

Davis drew Rodriguez in live BP, which under manager Gabe Kapler is now competitive with umps behind the plate and the sides mimicking real at-bats. Rodriguez fell behind 2-0, threw a fastball that was supposed to be middle-in and  when it leaked over the plate  watched Davis slam it over the center-field wall on the back field at Scottsdale Stadium.

Homers on the first day of live BP are rare. Even hard contact is rare. Some hitters just leave the bats on their shoulders to track pitches. That was Davis plan, at least going in.

I wasnt sure if I was going to swing, he said. I thought I might as well.

Rodriguez shrugged and said, He got good wood on it. I kind of grooved one there and he made me pay for it.

Davis will be a player to watch once Cactus League games begin Saturday.

The Giants acquired him from the Twins in July in the Sam Dyson deal because of the power he demonstrated in the minors. He has 77 minor-league homers, 35 of them last season at Double-A and Triple-A.

When he earned his call-up to San Francisco, he went 7-for-42 with 11 strikeouts and one extra-base hit, a Sept. 25 walk-off homer against Colorado reliever DJ Johnson.

That kind of disappointing debut can deflate a player and a teams fans, leading to an instant four-A player label. Davis might prove to be that. But the Giants still believe they have a major-league talent to tap, and Davis will get every chance this spring to prove it.

The new hitting staff has introduced some mechanical adjustments, but Kapler said he is more concerned with Davis mind than the position of his hands.

I think the main thing were working on with Jaylin is his confidence, Kapler said. He needs to know that he has a near-elite engine. His bat speed is tremendous and the rotation speed is tremendous. The way the ball comes off the bat is really impressive.

He didnt perform at his best last year at the major-league level, but we know its in there, and we want him to know that were not paying much attention to a 40-plate-appearance sample size at the end of the year. We really know what hes capable of and were going to let him know that every time.

Panda watch: Kapler did not see Davis homer. He did watch Pablo Sandovals first live BP and was surprised by something any Giants fan could have told him. Sandoval hates taking pitches.

Ive never seen an approach to live batting practice like Sandovals, Kapler said. It kind of demonstrates why hes so dangerous at the plate, because hes just prepared to drive every pitch. There just wasnt a pitch he didnt feel he was right on.

Sandoval faced right-handers Luis Madero and Tyler Cyr.

Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.
Countess Maria secretly recorded the dramatic events of her life in journals, and later, requested her daughter-in-law Angelic Tarasio to transform the "dry" data into a motivational story that can work as an effective cure for physical and mental breakdown, depression, fears and suicide. The readers transcend space and time joining Countess Maria in her happiness and heartbreaking sadness, life-saving love and devastating losses, terrible hardships and miraculous triumphs.

The trilogy encourages readers to discover the fastest way for re-enforcement of willpower, courage and commitment that are vitally important in the fight for a happy and successful life. The motto works for everyone, "If Maria could handle, I can handle."

Based on examples of the main character Countess Maria, all three books are related to vitally important topics of current life, such as:

Identification and acknowledgement of value of human life;

Choice to survive under any devastating life circumstances instead of suicide;

Upbringing the children with comprehension of importance of their life and responsibilities;

Understanding that the ideas of socialism and communism are utopic that was proved by history and miserable existence of population in many countries;

Importance of improving human relationships, such as friendship, love and care;

Strengthening the connection with the Divinity, as the source of eternal wisdom and miracles.

Author Angelic Tarasio was born in the Ukraine. She was blessed to study and work successfully in different fields. She obtained multiple diplomas and degrees in traditional and holistic medicines, teaching of foreign languages and literatures, as well as numerous certifications in hands-on therapies. Angelic believes, "It does not matter what you do, what matters is how you do it."

The author considers her friendship with Mother Maria, as the blessing from Above. Angelic's parents were military officers and atheists. Mother Maria brought Spirituality and Compassion into the life of her daughter-in-law. Philanthropy became part of Angelic's life.

The first book "Mother Maria" was published in 2008, at the time of Global economic, financial, real estate and ethical downturn. Millions of people bankrupted, lost their assets, companies, homes, job positions, as well as respect in their families. The number of suicides jumped up to the sky. Those readers who read the book "Mother Maria" attended the author's book-signings and expressed their gratitude for the support that the book gave them and their families during the Global crisis.

In 2009, Angelic Tarasio received the phone call from Mel Gibson, who read the first book of the trilogy and complemented the author's "vivid" imagination in descriptive writing. He saw the possibility to make a movie out of a book. At that time, Angelic was finishing with writing of the second part of the trilogy. She decided to complete the trilogy, and now, she hopes that the Universe will send her the right producers and financial sponsors, who will make mini-series movies out of her trilogy.

Author Angelic Tarasio lives and works in agreement with teaching: "Let us not grow tired of doing good." She looks forward to expanding her great relationships with readers, journalists, churches, bookstores, clubs, colleges and universities.

Book I: "Mother Maria" introduces the reader to a noble Ukrainian family in Eastern Poland at the beginning of the 20-th century. World War II destroyed peaceful life of Maria after graduation from Sorbonne University and engagement in France. She was pushed in the whirlpool of life-threatening events that brought her to concentration camp in Nazi Germany. Thanks to interference of the Divinity and the least likely ally, Maria was rescued from the fire of war by true love.

Book II: "Home-Coming" brings the reader to post-war illicit annexation of the territories of Eastern Europe by the red octopus - USSR. In 1946, mother-to-be Maria Kotyk-Kurbatov and her husband Alexander arrived in Ukraine to rescue Maria's family that was in annexed territory. Through illegal and criminal actions of NKVD/KGB that happened to the Kurbatovs, the reader discovers the cruelty of the communist regime, hardships of GULAG and exile to Siberia, as well as Divine Providence that continued to manifest itself.

Book III: "Bridge to the Sky" gives the reader the experience of unlawful continual persecution of Maria and her 3 children by KGB. After years of threat, losses of beloved, poverty and homelessness, the reader finds, how Maria's faith and courage led the woman to miraculous resolution of the unbearable life existence. Maria reached the Kremlin and met Leonid Brezhnev, a new leader of the country, and the miracle happened.

For more information about the author and book purchasing, please visit www.AuthorAngelicTarasio.com

To schedule the interviews, presentations and book-signings email: [email protected]

Media Contact:

Tatania Kurbatov, project manager for Author Angelic Tarasio

Phone: 561-596-7581

E-Mail: [email protected]

Website: www.AuthorAngelicTarasio.com

SOURCE Angelic Tarasio
Photo: Ray Bouknight/Flickr

Missed the most recent top news in Sacramento? Read on for everything you need to know. 2 horses shot with pellet guns at Sacramento Countys Gibson Ranch Read the full story on CBS13 CBS Sacramento. Sacramento leaders approve tiny homes plan for homeless young adults Read the full story on KCRA 3. Drone pilot suspected of dumping fliers in Sacramento fit to face trial, judge says Read the full story on The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento considering ban on leaf blowers during bad air days Read the full story on CBS13 CBS Sacramento. After weeks in quarantine at Travis Air Force Base, family reunites at Sacramento airport Read the full story on ABC Sacramento, KXTV. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.

Sacramento County Park Rangers are investigating after two horses were shot with pellet guns at Gibson Ranch.

For the first time in Sacramento history, the city will be building a tiny home community for homeless young adults after the city council unanimously approved the proposal Tuesday afternoon.

Tracy Mapes, the drone pilot suspected of dumping swastika-marked leaflets onto a Sacramento State University event and onto Golden 1 Center last year, was found competent to stand trial, a Sacramento judge ruled Tuesday.

City of Sacramento leaders will be considering a ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers when the air quality index exceeds moderate levels.
A bus carrying the passengers from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship leaves a port in Yokohama (Eugene Hoshiko/AP)

The first 500 passengers on the coronavirus hit Diamond Princess cruise liner, which has four Irish on board, are in the process of disembarking.

The liner, moored off the coast of Japan, has been quarantined since 3 February. A total of 542 cases of the virus were confirmed on board, this included two Irish citizens who were subsequently removed from the ship and hospitalised in Japan.

The four remaining Irish people, two passengers and two crew, had stayed on board as part of the quarantine process.

It is unclear if the two Irish passengers have left the ship yet today, the end of the quarantine period.

The two Irish crew are understood to have to remain until the last of the passengers have left.

Passengers will only be allowed leave today if they test negative for the coronavirus.

Read More

Some who test negative will have to stay longer because of potential exposure to infected passengers.

Originally around 3,700 passengers and crew were on the liner.

Hundreds of passengers and crew have tested positive as a result of the failed quarantine on the liner over the last fourteen days.

Princess Cruises, which runs the cruise ship docked in Japan said the Embassies of Canada, Australia and Hong Kong are coordinating the collection and transport of their respective citizens, guests and crew, via charter flights today.

It did not refer to the Irish embassy although foreign affairs officials said they are trying to arrange transport Irish nationals.

The Princess Cruises said that based on information provided by the embassies directly to their citizens, they will also require an additional 14 days of quarantine upon arrival in their country of origin.

A negative virus test following this quarantine will be required before being allowed to travel to their final destination.

We expect to receive confirmation of the exact numbers of those traveling on these charter flights after the flights have departed.

According to the Japanese Ministry of Health, the disembark process for those individuals who are not taking government repatriation flights will start today.

The disembark process will be undertaken over several consecutive days, since they will be tested, and the testing and results require two to three days to complete.

A certificate that indicates a negative COVID-19 test result is expected to be granted by Japanese health authorities to exit the ship.

Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president is back in Japan with other members of her team supporting our response operations and preparing for the disembarkation of our guests.

Working in coordination with the Japanese Ministry of Health, Princess Cruises will be monitoring the progress of guests who have contracted COVID-19 and will be offering travel assistance to these individuals upon their recovery and delivery of a heath certificate by Japanese health authorities).

Because of the extraordinary circumstances on-board Diamond Princess, the company is refunding the full cruise fare for all guests including air travel, hotel, ground transportation, pre-paid shore excursions, gratuities and other items.

In addition, guests are not being charged for any on-board incidental charges during the additional time on-board. Princess Cruises will also provide guests with a future cruise credit equal to the cruise fare paid for the voyage.

Meanwhile, another nine Irish citizens are believed to be passengers on the Westerdam Cruise Ship which is docked off Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

Seven of these are currently being screened for the virus. The two other Irish holidaymakers on this ship returned home over the weekend
Former NASCAR driver Candace Muzny has been discovered dead in her home in Oklahoma under suspicious circumstances, according to police.

Muzny, 43, was found unresponsive inside her residence in the 10100 block of Island View Drive in Oklahoma City at 5pm on Monday.

Investigators said there were no obvious signs that Muzny was the victim of a homicide.

Former NASCAR driver Candace Muzny, 43, on Monday was found dead at her Oklahoma City home under 'suspicious' circumstances. Last month, she was arrested for allegedly assaulting a manicurist (pictured in her mugshot, right)

Muzny was found unresponsive inside her residence in the 10100 block of Island View Drive in Oklahoma City

The Medical Examiner's Office will perform an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death, reported KOKH.

Police in Oklahoma City described Muzny's death as 'suspicious' but said there were no obvious signs of foul play

Muzny competed in two races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, one in 2011 and one in 2012, according to KFOR.

She also took part in NASCAR Late Model divisions and started her own team, CNM Racing, in 2009.

Muzny made headlines last month when she was arrested for allegedly slapping a nail salon worker and punching and threatening another with a knife because the manicurists were speaking Vietnamese instead of English.

Muzny was charged with of assault with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a police officer after the January 12 incident at the Creative Nail salon, said Oklahoma City police Sgt. Megan Morgan at the time.

Muzny was getting a pedicure when one employee began speaking Vietnamese to another, at which point Muzny began yelling at the workers and slapped one in the face, according to a police report.

When another employee tried to call police, she pulled out a pocket knife and punched him in the face, the report said.

When a police officer tried to take Muzny into custody, the woman's dog began biting the officer's leg, and Muzny struck the officer behind the ear with the pocket knife, leaving him with a small cut.

Muzny competed in two races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, one in 2011 and one in 2012. She also took part in NASCAR Late Model divisions and started her own team in 2009

In an interview with Heavy.com, Muzny defended her actions saying, 'I'm not racist. I have friends of all ethnicities.'

Muzny claimed she 'backhanded' the manicurist after repeatedly asking her to stop talking Vietnamese to her, because she was paying her with 'the American dollar.'

Court records indicate that Muzny's prior minor brushes with the law largely had to do with speeding and other vehicular violations.

In 2015, she was pulled over and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

On her Facebook page, Muzny described herself as a woman 'on a mission to change the world.'

Her final status update, which she posted just 12 hours before she was found dead, paid tribute to her fellow race car driver Katie Hagar, who passed away in December 2018

She wrote: 'I believe that everyone is capable of living the life of their dreams, but all to often we chose to settle for what life gives us versus going after what we really want. My life's goal is to help each person realize their full potential, by discovering what they really want in life and then getting out of their own way.'

Her final status update, which she posted just 12 hours before she was found dead, paid tribute to her fellow race car driver Katie Hagar, who passed away in December 2018, aged 32.

Muzny wrote in the post accompanying a photo of the two female drivers happily posing up together: 'Every 10th of every second of every minute of every hour of every day I miss this beautiful gorgeous racecar driver, Fabricator. Welder, funny as all get out, talented, loving & compassionate & beautiful woman! My Katie Hagar My Best Friend! My Heart Shatters the earth for this Woman! My Heart Bleeds Tears of sadness bc she was the most beautiful race car driver ever!'

Her previous post, from November 2019, also mourned Hagar: 'Remembering my BFF little sis today! Not a day goes by that I dont miss u beyond belief! Ur were a serious bad ass & amazing fabricator & the best friend a person could hope for! Ur n my heart to stay.'
Multiple award winner Melissa Leo will lead Fox's drama pilot "Blood Relative".

The role marks Leo's return to Fox after the network's drama series "Wayward Pines", reported Variety.

The series is based on "Beyond the Jungle of Bad: The True Story of Two Women from California Who Are Solving All the Mysteries," an article by James Renner.

Leo will play Louise Kelly, an expert in genetic genealogy.

Sarcastic and confrontational, Louise is the smartest person in the room, who only spares her little brother John.

As the sister-brother duo work together to solve the toughest cases they discover secrets from their past which start to come to the surface, threatening their relationship and their father's legacy as a respected lieutenant, community leader and all around good guy.

Chris Levinson and Renner will write and executive produce "Blood Relative".

Phillip Noyce will direct the pilot and executive produce.

Primarily a film actor, Leo also has TV credits which include shows such as "Homicide: Life on the Street", "I'm Dying Up Here", "Treme", and "Mildred Pierce".

She won best supporting actress Oscar for "The Fighter" (2010) and in 2013, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for her guest role on the TV series "Louie".

Leo will also star in the upcoming HBO miniseries "I Know This Much Is True" opposite Mark Ruffalo.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, right, shakes hands with US Ambassador to the African Union, Jessica Lapenn, as the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Vera Songwe, centre, looks on as he arrives at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa on Wednesday Feb. 19, 2020. Read more

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Capping a three-country swing across Africa, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a speech Wednesday in Ethiopia's capital in which he warned African countries to "be wary of authoritarian regimes and their empty promises" and said economic partnership with the United States was the path to "true liberation."

The secretary's thinly veiled barb toward China, by far Africa's biggest trading partner for more than a decade, came as he pitched American-style capitalism and economic liberalization as the only way to move forward after "failed socialist experiments of years past" in numerous African countries. Pompeo touted investments by American companies such as Chevron, Coca-Cola and Citibank on the visit, which included stops in Senegal and Angola as well as Ethiopia.

The trip concluded without an announcement of any major deal or new initiative, and it deepened a sense among African politics watchers that U.S. policy has moved from popular humanitarian programs and broad-based trade benefits to a near-singular focus on economic competition with China.

Given the vast gap between Chinese and American economic investment in Africa, cuts to many of those humanitarian programs and the impending expiration of the U.S. government's biggest trade benefit program in Africa, the lack of a big-ticket announcement also seemed to underline how the Trump administration has shifted the U.S. government's Africa policy toward the rhetorical as opposed to the tangible.

"The U.S. was and is a strong partner of Ethiopia," said Abel Abate, an analyst at the Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development in Addis Ababa. "But this talk of 'true liberation' is of course highly exaggerated."

Chinese investment, mostly driven by state-owned banks and companies, greatly outweighs American flows, and millions of Africans, rich and poor, depend on the trade in Chinese commodities for a living. Highly visible infrastructure projects across the continent are financed by China.

U.S. government investment in Africa has tended more toward less flashy sectors such as health and education, and it totals in the billions of dollars every year. In his speech, Pompeo acknowledged a common truism that aid money is "very unlikely" to drive economic growth, but he said the United States would be with Africa "every step of the way" in a process of economic liberalization. He particularly emphasized entrepreneurs - "those people who are willing to go out and just crush it every day" - as his hoped-for beneficiaries of U.S. private investment.

In public remarks during his trip, Pompeo chose not to address China by name in most cases. But his juxtaposition of American and Chinese terms of engagement were stark and obvious, for the most part.

"When we come, we hire Angolans," he said Monday at a meeting of business leaders in Luanda, the Angolan capital. "When we come to Angola, we show up with money that will benefit the Angolan people. . . . Not every nation that comes here to invest does that. There's no political objective."

One recent study on Chinese companies in Angola found that more than 70% of workers in construction and manufacturing projects were Angolan.

Recent decisions by the Trump administration have strained relationships with African governments, such as the imposition of visa bans on Nigerian, Tanzanian, Eritrean and Sudanese travelers, and the widely expected announcement of a drawdown of the U.S. military presence across an increasingly unstable swath of West Africa.

President Donald Trump's trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, recently announced the beginning of talks with Kenya on a free-trade agreement, but that would be the first in sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly 40 countries enjoy special trade benefits that are set to expire in 2025.

Meanwhile, top-level Chinese officials regularly travel to Africa, and nearly every African leader goes to China for an annual economic forum. Side-by-side comparison with China is a losing game for the Trump administration and one that risks alienating African leaders who resent the proposition that they have to choose sides, said Eric Olander, director of the China-Africa Project.

The secretary and other senior U.S. officials need to start deflecting questions about the Chinese in Africa and instead focus on their own positive agenda for the continent if they want to be taken seriously, he said.
Dublin, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "World - Cabbage and Other Brassicas - Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



This report provides an in-depth analysis of the global cabbage market. Within it, you will discover the latest data on market trends and opportunities by country, consumption, production and price developments, as well as the global trade (imports and exports). The forecast exhibits the market prospects through 2025.



Data Coverage

Cabbage market volume and value;

Per Capita consumption;

Forecast of the market dynamics in the medium term;

Global cabbage production, split by region and country;

Global cabbage trade (exports and imports);

Producer, export and import prices for cabbages;

Cabbage market trends, drivers and restraints;

Key market players and their profiles.

The global cabbage market revenue amounted to $39.4B in 2018, dropping by -3% against the previous year. This figure reflects the total revenues of producers and importers (excluding logistics costs, retail marketing costs, and retailers' margins, which will be included in the final consumer price).

The market value increased at an average annual rate of +3.1% from 2007 to 2018; the trend pattern indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2010 when the market value increased by 14% year-to-year. Global cabbage consumption peaked at $43.7B in 2016; however, from 2017 to 2018, consumption failed to regain its momentum.



Consumption By Country



The country with the largest volume of cabbage consumption was China (33M tonnes), comprising approx. 45% of total consumption. Moreover, cabbage consumption in China exceeded the figures recorded by the world's second-largest consumer, India (9.2M tonnes), fourfold. The third position in this ranking was occupied by Russia (3.7M tonnes), with a 5.2% share.



From 2007 to 2018, the average annual growth rate of volume in China was relatively modest. The remaining consuming countries recorded the following average annual rates of consumption growth: India (+4.7% per year) and Russia (+2.6% per year).



In value terms, China ($13.9B) led the market, alone. The second position in the ranking was occupied by India ($5.7B). It was followed by Japan.



The countries with the highest levels of cabbage per capita consumption in 2018 were Romania (57 kg per person), South Korea (46 kg per person) and Ukraine (39 kg per person).



From 2007 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in termins of cabbage per capita consumption, amongst the main consuming countries, was attained by India, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.



Market Forecast 2019-2025



Driven by increasing demand for cabbage worldwide, the market is expected to continue an upward consumption trend over the next seven-year period. Market performance is forecast to retain its current trend pattern, expanding with an anticipated CAGR of +1.4% for the seven-year period from 2018 to 2025, which is projected to bring the market volume to 80M tonnes by the end of 2025.



Production 2007-2018



In 2018, the amount of cabbage and other brassicas produced worldwide stood at 73M tonnes, picking up by 1.7% against the previous year. The total output volume increased at an average annual rate of +1.4% over the period from 2007 to 2018; the trend pattern remained relatively stable, with only minor fluctuations being observed in certain years.

The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2011 with an increase of 6.8% against the previous year. Global cabbage production peaked in 2018 and is expected to retain its growth in the near future. The general positive trend in terms of cabbage output was largely conditioned by slight growth of the harvested area and a relatively flat trend pattern in yield figures.



In value terms, cabbage production totaled $40.5B in 2018 estimated in export prices. In general, the total output indicated prominent growth from 2007 to 2018: its value increased at an average annual rate of +1.4% over the last eleven years. The trend pattern, however, indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period.

Based on 2018 figures, cabbage production decreased by -11% against 2016 indices. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in 2010 when production volume increased by 26% year-to-year. Global cabbage production peaked at $45.5B in 2016; however, from 2017 to 2018, production failed to regain its momentum.



Production by Country



China (34M tonnes) constituted the country with the largest volume of cabbage production, accounting for 47% of total production. Moreover, cabbage production in China exceeded the figures recorded by the world's second-largest producer, India (9.2M tonnes), fourfold. The third position in this ranking was occupied by Russia (3.6M tonnes), with a 5% share.



In China, cabbage production expanded at an average annual rate of +1.1% over the period from 2007-2018. The remaining producing countries recorded the following average annual rates of production growth: India (+4.7% per year) and Russia (+2.9% per year).



Harvested Area 2007-2018



In 2018, approx. 2.5M ha of cabbage and other brassicas were harvested worldwide; therefore, remained relatively stable against the previous year. The harvested area increased at an average annual rate of +1.3% over the period from 2007 to 2018; the trend pattern remained relatively stable, with somewhat noticeable fluctuations being recorded over the period under review. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2011 when harvested area increased by 5.6% against the previous year. Over the period under review, the harvested area dedicated to cabbage production reached its peak figure in 2018 and is likely to see steady growth in the near future.

Yield 2007-2018



In 2018, the global average cabbage yield totaled 29 tonne per ha, approximately reflecting the previous year. Overall, the cabbage yield continues to indicate a relatively flat trend pattern. The growth pace was the most rapid in 2008 with an increase of 2.2% y-o-y. The global cabbage yield peaked at 29 tonne per ha in 2014; however, from 2015 to 2018, yield stood at a somewhat lower figure.



Exports 2007-2018



In 2018, the global exports of cabbage and other brassicas totaled 2.5M tonnes, surging by 7.2% against the previous year. The total export volume increased at an average annual rate of +3.4% over the period from 2007 to 2018; however, the trend pattern indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded over the period under review. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2011 when Exports increased by 16% y-o-y. Over the period under review, global cabbage exports reached their maximum in 2018 and are likely to see steady growth in the near future.



In value terms, cabbage exports amounted to $1.7B in 2018. Over the period under review, the total exports indicated a resilient expansion from 2007 to 2018: its value increased at an average annual rate of +3.4% over the last eleven years. The trend pattern, however, indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. Based on 2018 figures, cabbage exports increased by +85.8% against 2007 indices. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2011 when Exports increased by 18% against the previous year. Over the period under review, global cabbage exports attained their peak figure in 2018 and are expected to retain its growth in the near future.



Exports by Country



China was the largest exporter of cabbage and other brassicas in the world, with the volume of exports reaching 990K tonnes, which was near 39% of total exports in 2018. The U.S. (220K tonnes) ranks second in terms of the total exports with a 8.7% share, followed by the Netherlands (8.3%), Spain (6.2%) and Mexico (5.7%). Canada (85K tonnes), Poland (84K tonnes), Italy (72K tonnes), Germany (66K tonnes) and Macedonia (57K tonnes) followed a long way behind the leaders.



Exports from China increased at an average annual rate of +7.0% from 2007 to 2018. At the same time, Macedonia (+11.5%), Spain (+9.3%), Mexico (+6.1%), Canada (+5.6%) and the Netherlands (+3.1%) displayed positive paces of growth. Moreover, Macedonia emerged as the fastest growing exporter in the world, with a CAGR of +11.5% from 2007-2018. The U.S. and Italy experienced a relatively flat trend pattern.

By contrast, Germany (-2.2%) and Poland (-3.7%) illustrated a downward trend over the same period. While the share of China (+21 p.p.), Spain (+3.9 p.p.), Mexico (+2.7 p.p.), the Netherlands (+2.4 p.p.), Macedonia (+1.6 p.p.) and Canada (+1.5 p.p.) increased significantly in terms of the global exports from 2007-2018, the share of Poland (-1.7 p.p.) displayed negative dynamics. The shares of the other countries remained relatively stable throughout the analyzed period.



In value terms, the largest cabbage markets worldwide were China ($398M), the U.S. ($344M) and the Netherlands ($194M), with a combined 54% share of global exports. Spain, Mexico, Italy, Canada, Poland, Germany and Macedonia lagged somewhat behind, together accounting for a further 32%.



Macedonia recorded the highest growth rate of exports, in terms of the main exporting countries over the last eleven years, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.



Export Prices by Country



In 2018, the average cabbage export price amounted to $682 per tonne, coming down by -5.4% against the previous year. Over the last eleven-year period, it increased at an average annual rate of +2.3%. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2008 when the average export price increased by 10% against the previous year. The global export price peaked at $722 per tonne in 2016; however, from 2017 to 2018, export prices remained at a lower figure.



Prices varied noticeably by the country of origin; the country with the highest price was the U.S. ($1,567 per tonne), while Macedonia ($391 per tonne) was amongst the lowest.



From 2007 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by the U.S., while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.



Imports 2007-2018



In 2018, approx. 2.3M tonnes of cabbage and other brassicas were imported worldwide; dropping by -10.3% against the previous year. The total import volume increased at an average annual rate of +2.4% over the period from 2007 to 2018; however, the trend pattern indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded over the period under review. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in 2015 with an increase of 24% y-o-y. Over the period under review, global cabbage imports reached their peak figure at 2.6M tonnes in 2016; however, from 2017 to 2018, imports stood at a somewhat lower figure.



In value terms, cabbage imports totaled $1.5B in 2018. Overall, the total imports indicated a conspicuous increase from 2007 to 2018: its value increased at an average annual rate of +2.4% over the last eleven years. The trend pattern, however, indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. Based on 2018 figures, cabbage imports decreased by -12.2% against 2016 indices. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2011 with an increase of 16% against the previous year. Global imports peaked at $1.7B in 2016; however, from 2017 to 2018, imports failed to regain their momentum.



Imports by Country



In 2018, China, Hong Kong SAR (546K tonnes), distantly followed by the U.S. (225K tonnes), Canada (189K tonnes), Malaysia (176K tonnes), Russia (113K tonnes), Germany (112K tonnes) and Thailand (105K tonnes) represented the main importers of cabbage and other brassicas, together mixing up 64% of total imports. Singapore (64K tonnes), Japan (60K tonnes), the Czech Republic (53K tonnes), France (50K tonnes) and the UK (42K tonnes) occupied a minor share of total imports.



Imports into China, Hong Kong SAR increased at an average annual rate of +6.3% from 2007 to 2018. At the same time, Thailand (+32.5%), Malaysia (+9.8%), France (+2.5%), the U.S. (+2.2%), Canada (+2.0%) and the Czech Republic (+1.2%) displayed positive paces of growth. Moreover, Thailand emerged as the fastest growing importer in the world, with a CAGR of +32.5% from 2007-2018. Singapore experienced a relatively flat trend pattern.

By contrast, Japan (-1.2%), Germany (-1.3%), Russia (-3.5%) and the UK (-5.5%) illustrated a downward trend over the same period. From 2007 to 2018, the share of China, Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia, Thailand, the U.S. and Canada increased by +12%, +4.9%, +4.3%, +2.1% and +1.6% percentage points, while the UK (-1.6 p.p.) and Russia (-2.3 p.p.) saw their share reduced. The shares of the other countries remained relatively stable throughout the analyzed period.



In value terms, Canada ($302M), China, Hong Kong SAR ($223M) and the U.S. ($167M) were the countries with the highest levels of imports in 2018, with a combined 47% share of global imports. These countries were followed by Germany, Malaysia, France, Thailand, Singapore, the UK, Japan, Russia and the Czech Republic, which together accounted for a further 30%.



Among the main importing countries, Thailand experienced the highest rates of growth with regard to imports, over the last eleven-year period, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.



Import Prices by Country



The average cabbage import price stood at $641 per tonne in 2018, approximately reflecting the previous year. Over the period from 2007 to 2018, it increased at an average annual rate of +1.1%. The growth pace was the most rapid in 2013 when the average import price increased by 18% y-o-y. Over the period under review, the average import prices for cabbage and other brassicas attained their maximum at $692 per tonne in 2014; however, from 2015 to 2018, import prices failed to regain their momentum.



There were significant differences in the average prices amongst the major importing countries. In 2018, the country with the highest price was Canada ($1,597 per tonne), while Russia ($315 per tonne) was amongst the lowest.



From 2007 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Canada, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/nhagyf

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JUNEAU, Alaska - Alaskas governor proposed Wednesday giving Alaskans an additional $1,304 from the states oil wealth fund on top of the roughly $1,600 they received last fall.

The Legislature last year approved an Alaska Permanent Fund dividend that amounted to $1,606. It would have been $2,910 had a formula in state law been followed, the state Revenue Department has said. Gov. Mike Dunleavys proposal would make up the rest of the 2019 amount.

Lawmakers have said paying a higher dividend as calculated under the existing formula is unsustainable.

Dunleavys proposal would cost $815.9 million and be paid with permanent fund earnings, according to his budget office. He additionally has called for a dividend in line with the formula for 2020, which the Legislative Finance Division has said would equate to checks of about $3,100 a person.

Traditionally, dividends have been paid using fund earnings, which lawmakers in 2018 also began using to help cover government costs amid a persistent budget deficit. The Legislature also passed a law seeking to limit withdrawals from earnings, heightening tension between how much should go to dividends and how much should go to government.

Dunleavy campaigned on a so-called full dividend and has sought to give Alaskans a say on changes to the program. Last August, he said he anticipated a special session to address a supplemental dividend payout; that special session didnt happen.

More than 630,000 residents have received 2019 dividends.

Responding to Dunleavys proposal, House Speaker Bryce Edgmon said there wasnt support for a larger dividend last year and he didnt think there would be support this year.

House Minority Leader Lance Pruitt said his Republican caucus hasnt taken a position on an additional payout. And I think right now its probably hard to take a position on that when were not even sure how this years going to come out, right? he said.

Pruitt said he believes there needs to be a dividend law thats followed. The state needs a long-term fiscal policy, and the back and forth on the dividend isnt helping with that, he said.

Many lawmakers have expressed interest in changing the dividend formula to work within the confines of an earnings withdrawal limit.

Senate President Cathy Giessel recently told reporters senators support the dividend program. But she said the state has a limited amount of money, critically needed services and services that are constitutionally mandated.

We will do what we can but we are not going to put this state into a precarious financial position, she said.

The Alaska Supreme Court, in upholding then-Gov. Bill Walkers 2016 veto of a portion of the money set aside for dividends, found that absent a constitutional amendment, the dividend program must compete for annual funding like other state programs.
A professor of medicine, Rasheed Balogun, says exposure to excessive heat as a result of climate change is contributing to rising cases of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Mr Balogun, a nephrologist at the University of Virginia, United States, disclosed this on Wednesday in Ibadan at the ongoing 32nd Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Association of Nephrology (NAN).

The nephrologist said that researches carried out in different countries have linked heatwaves associated with climate change to epidemics of CKD of unknown origin in otherwise healthy young people.

There is evidence across the world that climate change has contributed to increase in prevalence of CKD in young people.

These young men and women who appear to be healthy in all ways and do not have hypertension or diabetes, which are the two most common risk factors for CKD, are having kidney diseases which is claiming their lives.

The studies carried out revealed that this group of young people have some things in common, they turned out to be people who are working under harsh excessive heat conditions for long hours.

Such as what we would find in Nigeria today; anyone that works outdoors probably works in such condition, they are the bricklayers, agricultural workers, sugar cane workers and rice farmers.

This phenomenon of CKD in young healthy adults has been dubbed Chronic Kidney Disease of Uncertain aetiology (CKDu), he said.

According to him this group of people, who are likely farmers, are also exposed to toxins which is a predisposing factor of CKD.

It is possible these groups of people are also exposed to toxins from agricultural products that are used to kill pests.

More than 240, 000 people have died from this heat-related CKD and that is more than people who have died from Ebola virus disease, for instance, he said.

Mr Balogun advised people who work for long hours under excessive heat and high temperature, to ensure that they take regular breaks and engage in recurrent rehydration by drinking water often.

The International Society of Nephrology and other stakeholders have been trying to raise awareness on this condition.

This CKDu is common in people who are exposed to excessive heat in their work environment and very little access to cool or cold water.

So my suggestion is if you are a worker that works for long hours in high temperature, your employer should be able to provide you with cool or cold drinking water.

The employer should also provide enough breaks so that you dont work from 9 a.m till 3 p.m without getting out of the sun, he said.

The nephrologist appealed to government to take deliberate actions such as investment in renewable energy and less dependence on fossil fuels in order to reduce global warming and climate change.

There is need for consideration of alternative method of energy, burning fossil fuel cannot be the future of any country and we need to put more effort into alternative sources of energy, he said.

(NAN)
Multiple victims have been killed in a shooting outside of a Mississippi hospital on Wednesday morning, officials said, after witnesses reported shots fired near the Baptist Medical Centre in downtown Jackson.

The two victims included a male security guard and female employee of the hospital who were not immediately identified, according to local reports. Both were shot in the hospitals west end parking lot at about 6:30am local time, police said.

The incident was domestic-related, according to Police Chief James Davis.

He said the suspected gunman pulled out a gun and shot the female hospital employee after approaching her in the parking lot.

The suspect then shot the male security guard as he attempted to intervene, before fleeing in the female employees vehicle.

The hospital was not placed on lockdown at the time of publication, and a spokesperson confirmed to local news agencies that the Baptist Medical Centre campus was considered safe.

The suspected shooter was later found dead at a nearby cemetery from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, WAPT-TV reported.

Police have launched an investigation into the fatal incident, according to a statement issued by the Baptist Medical Centre.

The west end parking lot of the hospital is reportedly used by employees and medical staff. The identity of the suspected shooter was not made publicly available on Wednesday afternoon.

One witness said they saw the suspect open fire on a black vehicle, before later firing shots at a nearby witness in the parking lot, CBS 42 reported.

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One dead and several injured in mass shooting inside US nightclub
What is an actor's job? It is to portray a character so beautifully that audiences are convinced that he/she is living that life. But how does he know he/she has done a great job? Is it the sense of accomplishment that gives him/her the great satisfaction and motivation, or is it the director's approval that gives him/her motivation?

Saif Ali Khan's daughter Sara Ali Khan who is relatively new in the industry says that he job is done once the shooting is over.



"I've always maintained that as an actor, I think my job is done before the release of the film. Because my job is to do what my director asks me to do with complete conviction and honesty, and I think that I have done that. Beyond that, it's for the audience's to love and the media to love, and I hope that they do," she was quoted as saying by News18 when she was asked about the response to her latest release Love Aaj Kal.



AFP

A couple of days ago, Sara Ali Khan had revealed how she often gets into trouble because US authorities have been suspicious of her surname as well as her passport picture.



You know what happens is, because I was 96 kgs when I did my ID card picture, theres a bit of a problem. Because they are like, What? and then they put it together. Especially in America," she was quoted as saying in an interview with comedy group East India comedy.



For the unversed, Sara Ali Khan had studied at Columbia University and she underwent a big transformation when she had shed over 26kgs for her big bollywood debut in Kedarnath.



My regular visa, my student visa and me currently are all different. So, they are like, What is going on? This is a bit shady. My surname is Sultan and it is America, so you can just imagine, she said.



#LoveAajKal collapses on Day 4... The drastic fall in numbers doesnt come as a surprise, since the trending was evident during its *opening weekend* itself... Fri 12.40 cr, Sat 8.01 cr, Sun 8.10 cr, Mon 2.75 cr. Total:  31.26 cr. #India biz.  taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) February 18, 2020

Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aaryan's Love Aaj Kal, meanwhile, has received mixed reviews from the audiences.


Ryanair has asked the Court of Appeal to overturn a jury's decision that the airline had not been defamed in an email to pilots about its shares and the markets.

The appeal, before a three-judge court, arises out of a December 2017 High Court jury finding that three members of the Ryanair Pilot Group (RPG) had not defamed the airline in the email sent to 2,289 pilots.

It followed a seven-week trial which centred on a September 2013 email headed: "Pilot update: what the markets are saying about Ryanair".

The airline claimed the defendants were saying that, by innuendo or insinuation, Ryanair misled investors and knowingly facilitated insider dealing by management. It also wrongly meant the airline was guilty of market manipulation and conspired with management to abuse the markets, it claimed.

The three defendants - Evert Van Zwol, John Goss and Ted Murphy - members of the Ryanair Pilots Group (RPG), denied it was defamatory or had the meaning attributed to it by the airline.

They also argued qualified privilege which means a statement is protected once it is not motivated by malice and published to those with an interest in receiving it.

The jury, in a majority verdict, found the update did mean the airline was guilty of market manipulation, but found Ryanair had not proved malice. Defamation was therefore not proved.

Martin Hayden SC, for Ryanair, opened the appeal today. The defence will make its submissions in opposition on Thursday.

Mr Hayden said the backdrop of the case was a long campaign over trade union recognition in Ryanair.

Counsel said one of the main matters which infected the jury's decision was a determination by the trial judge to reject Ryanair's application to discharge the jury over an email that had not been divulged as part of the pre-trial discovery of documents process.

The judge, Bernard Barton, had made a ruling in the absence of the jury that it would be wholly disproportionate and unjustified to dismiss the jury on the 19th day of the case as a result of the failure of former Ryanair pilot Martin Duffy, who did consultancy work for the RPG, to produce the disputed email in advance of the trial.

Any mischief remaining as a result of that failure could be dealt with through cross-examination of defendants and their witnesses, Mr Justice Barton ruled.

It was Ryanair's argument the trial judge made an observation on a fact in the case which he was not entitled to do. That view expressed by the judge "infected beyond redemption (the possibility of) a fair trial", Mr Hayden said.

The Duffy email disclosed malice, he said.

Asked by one of the three appeal judges, Mr Justice Seamus Noonan, was it not open to counsel to deal with the issue of the undisclosed email through cross-examination of witnesses, Mr Hayden said there was no way his side was going to be able to do so once the trial judge had made his ruling.

Ryanair is also claiming in its appeal that the trial judge unfairly charged the jury before it made its decision.

The appeal continues.
ALBANY  More than 120,000 students across 144 school districts in New York will begin seeing more local farm products in their classrooms and cafeterias, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office announced this week.

That's thanks to $1.5 million in funding awarded to 16 Farm-to-School projects across the state.

The money will go toward hiring Farm-to-School coordinators, training food-service staff, purchasing food-preparation equipment and supporting the purchase of farm products like fruits, vegetables, dairy and beef to be used in school lunches.

The Capital Region's share accounts for more than $380,000 of the total.

Capital Roots was awarded $100,000 to connect under-served schools with local farmers and producers by enhancing an existing distribution center. The funds will also be used to buy a vegetable peeler.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County also received $100,000 toward the second phase of its farm-to-school project. The funding will allow the Saratoga Springs Central School District to process and freeze produce purchased from Pitney Meadows Community Farm. The project will benefit 2,000 students.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

In Warren County, $91,400 was allocated for the Cornell Cooperative Extension. The money will be used to buy a refrigerated truck to transport produce to six schools across the county, benefiting more than 13,000 students.

Washington County's Cornell Cooperative Extension also received $88,686 for its farm-to-school project. A farm-to-school coordinator will be hired to work with five districts to increase access to New York state produce. More than 3,000 students in Washington County will be given farm tours, taste tests and in-class lessons.

Michael.Williams@timesunion.com or 518-454-5018.
Faceless tax assessment can lead to errors, the Madras High Court noted in an order.

The system can lead to erroneous assessment, if officers are not able to understand the transactions and statement of accounts of an assessee without a personal hearing, the court said as quoted in a report by The Economic Times.

The court also praised the electronic tax assessment system, the report said.

The Finance Ministry introduced the faceless tax assessment system in October 2019. Under this system, 58,322 cases have been selected 48,000 people have been sent digitally-signed notices.

The observations were made while the court reviewed a writ petition filed by a Coimbatore-based Salem Sree Ramavilas Chit Company against certain additions made by an assessing officer.

The tax authorities had made the additions while assessing the chit funds cash deposits worth Rs 67.37 lakh made during demonetisation.

The assessing officer should have sought a written explanation from the assessee before declaring the cash deposits as unusual, the judge said, as quoted by the paper.

Since the assessment proceedings no longer involve human interaction and is based on records alone, the assessment proceeding should have commenced much earlier so that before passing assessment order, the respondent assessing officer could have come to a definite conclusion on facts after fully understanding the nature of business of the petitioner, the court said in the order.
Pakistan still in FATF's `Grey List' for terror financing

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global watchdog acting against terror financing, at its meeting in Paris, France today decided to retain Pakistan in its Grey List, despite attempts by the South Asian country to influence decision making through friendly countries.

Reports said a sub-group of FATF recommended that Pakistan should continue to remain in 'Grey List' for failure to check terror funding, pending a final decision on Friday, sources said.

FATFs week-long plenary session was to decide whether Pakistan would continue to remain in its 'Grey List' or put in the 'Black List'.

The UN anti-terror watchdog could also have decided to drop Pakistan from its lists had it been satisfied with the action taken by Islamabad against terrorist groups.

But Islamabad decided to keep fooling nations and the UIN instead. While of its terror head and Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed has been jailed in two terror financing cases, Islamabad has failed to prosecute LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and JeM chief Masood Azhar, hoping China, Malaysia and Turkey would bail it out.

During the FATF meeting, Turkey and Malaysia supported Pakistan and batted for it to be put in the 'White List'. However, that move failed with a majority of member states not being satisfied with Pakistan's efforts to curb terror funding.

India has maintained that terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen continue to operate from Pakistan and receive unwavering support from its establishment, including the Army. Stating that most of the activities of these terror groups are directed against it, India has asked FATF to act against Pakistan.

On Monday, the FATF did not name Pakistan but stated that several terrorist groups were using funds collected through illegal means and from supporters worldwide. The international anti-terror watchdog said terrorists have started to tap into new means of financing, including social media, which they were using to gain followers and other forms of material support.

"The FATF has tightened its standards on terrorist financing which has helped disrupt access to funds for groups such as ISIL and Al-Qaida. However, various groups still benefit from funds raised through illegal activity and from supporters worldwide," the Paris-headquartered FATF said.

"The FATF is also monitoring illicit financing via new payment methods, such as cryptocurrencies," it added.

The FATF had put Pakistan on its 'Grey List' in June 2018. It was then handed a plan of action with a deadline of October 2019 to complete the task, failing which the country would be placed on the 'Black List' which also has Iran and North Korea listed.

India doubts 'efficacy' of Mumbai-attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's conviction in Pakistan days before FATF meet. Hafiz Saeed, who is in the wanted list of global terrorists, will be released after FATF verdict.

The Pakistan courts sentencing had come just four days ahead of the FATF Paris plenary. Recently, Pakistan had informed the FATF that JeM chief Masood Azhar and his family were "missing". It has further claimed that the presence of 16 UN-designated terrorists in Pakistan was confirmed, out of which "seven are dead".

In the October 2019 plenary, FATF had said that Pakistan had completed only five out of the 27 tasks that had been given to the country to put a check on terror funding. The FATF had in categorical words asked Pakistan to meet its commitments under the action plan by February 2020.
PAN card, Voters Id, land and bank documents do not constitute proof of citizenship, the Gauhati High Court reiterated while dismissing the citizenship claims of two petitioners.

PAN card, Voters Id, land and bank documents do not constitute proof of citizenship, the Gauhati High Court reiterated while dismissing the citizenship claims of two petitioners.

Dismissing a writ petition filed by Jabeda Begum, a division bench comprising justices Manojit Bhuyan and PJ Saikia said that the documents submitted by her do not prove her linkage to her father and brother.

Begum submitted 14 documents, including her PAN card, ration card, two bank passbooks, the NRC details of her father Jabed Ali, voter lists where the names of her grandparents, parents and her along with her husband were published and several land revenue receipts. She also submitted two certificates by the Gaon Bura (village head). The first said that her father Jabed Ali was a resident of the village while the second recorded her marriage to one Rebak Ali, said a report in Outlook.

She had approached the high court, challenging a order of the Foreigners' Tribunal (FT).

The Foreigners' Tribunal in Baksa district had earlier issued a notice to her on the basis of a reference made by the Superintendent of Police (Border) to prove her Indian citizenship.

She appeared before the tribunal and filed her written statement along with the 14 documents, claiming to be a citizen of India by birth. The tribunal held that village headmen are not entitled to issue certificates supporting the citizenship of a person and also rejected the bank documents as proof of her citizenship. The tribunal held that the petitioner failed to file documents linking herself with her projected parents.

Through its 12 February ruling, the Gauhati High Court upheld the tribunal's direction and said that that she could not file any documents to link herself with her projected parents.The high court had already held in another case in 2016 that PAN card and bank documents are not proofs of citizenship, the division bench observed.

Certificates issued by a 'Gaon Bura' or village headman also cannot be the proof of citizenship as such a certificate can only be used by a married woman to prove that after her marriage she had shifted to her matrimonial village, the court ruled.

The court observed that the tribunal has correctly appreciated the evidence placed before it and dismissed her petition as being devoid of merit.

In another order on the same day, the high court dismissed the petition of Munindra Biswas, which challenged the verdict of a foreigners' tribunal in Tinsukia district. The tribunal had declared him a foreigner in July 2019.

Biswas claimed that his father had migrated to Tinsukia from Nadia district of West Bengal in 1965. He submitted that he had been born in Assam and was a resident of a town in Tinsukia. He furnished a registered sales deed, another sales deed and a copy of the voter's list of 1997 which had his name. He also submitted his Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) , said the Outlook report.

According to Bar and Bench, the high court, however, dismissed his petition, saying that the tribunal was correct in refusing to rely on sales deed of land, which are private documents and hence subject to verification. The division bench reiterated an earlier judgement of the court in which it had ruled that electoral photo identity card is not a proof of citizenship.

The court also observed that the Biswas had failed to prove that his name appeared in any voters list prior to 1971 and that his parents had migrated to Assam in 1965.

According to the Assam NRC, individuals had to prove that either they or their ancestors lived in Assam before 24 March, 1971, in line with the Assam Accord (1985) and Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955

With inputs from PTI
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 19:26:04|Editor: xuxin

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SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. business community here is optimistic about China's long-term economic prospect despite a temporary impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country, business leaders said.

The current novel coronavirus epidemic in China is disrupting some air and train services in the country, but the Chinese government is able to overcome the challenge in the long run, Del Christensen, chief of Global Business Development for the Bay Area Council (BAC) in San Francisco, told Xinhua.

"I'm confident that eventually they're gonna find a cure and they're going to figure out how to fight this terrible disease, so it's only a matter of time," Christensen said Monday evening when BAC, a non-profit group that promotes economic growth in the San Francisco Bay Area, was holding its celebration of Chinese Lunar New Year of the Rat.

The fact that the virus outbreak has halted some flights between China and the United States has shown that a connection from China to the Bay Area, California and the United States is going to be even more important, as it would give American companies access to the Chinese market in the future, he explained.

Compared with the epidemic in China, "I'm more concerned about the trade war (between China and the United States), to be honest, and I would like to have these markets open. I'd like to be selling California products to China," he said.

He hoped the trade tension between the two sides would "die down soon" so that Chinese investors could be brought into the Bay Area and California.

BAC President and CEO Jim Wunderman, who hosted the special event, hailed the council's 10th annual celebration of the lunar Chinese New Year as "a phenomenal experience" as BAC's link with China has grown a lot in the past 10 years.

He said the council has helped lots of home-grown American companies find business opportunities in China, citing its leading role in bringing those companies to the China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in Shanghai last year.

John Robins, project manager of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, which has a global office in the Silicon Valley, said he saw with much optimism the growing business opportunities in China.

"We see the innovation that is happening in China, it is expanding by leaps and bounds, and there is new technologies coming out from there," he said.

The coronavirus outbreak in China is not going to have a huge negative impact on the country's long-term development, he said.

"There are people who are scared and anxious, but I don't think that in the long term that disease will have a major impact on the economy itself in China," he said.

George Lee, president and CEO of Orient Bank Corporation, a San Francisco-based private bank, said the financial group has a subsidiary in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, and the virus epidemic is having a very limited impact on China's economy.

The Chinese government has done a superb job in containing the spread of the infectious disease, he said.

"No other countries except China in the world can build two large hospitals in just 10 days," he said. "It's really wonderful to see both the central government and local governments in China are working closely to fight together when a major disaster like the coronavirus emerges."
Partnering with CIBC means RE/MAX INTEGRA Brokers and Agents will have access to mortgage qualifications to help their clients know what they can afford before they start searching for a suitable home, the joint announcement added.

Buying a home is one of the largest financial decisions people make, according to Christopher Alexander, executive vice president and regional director, RE/MAX INTEGRA, Ontario-Atlantic. This partnership helps ensure all RE/MAX clients have access to trusted advisors to help make their homebuying decisions fit with their goals before they start their search.

Ontario is currently the epicentre of an immigrant-driven housing boom, with nearly half of all newcomers to the nation in the year ending September 30, 2019 going to the province, Statistics Canada data revealed.

This amounted to approximately 209,200 immigrants, compared to the 89,400 people that went to Quebec and the 65,000 newcomers that chose British Columbia.

The influx pushed Toronto towards having the largest urban population increase in 2019, with 127,575 new residents in just the last year alone. As of the end of December, the citys total population stood at 6,471,850 people.
Malaysia has never ruled out the possibility that flight MH370 was brought down deliberately by a suicidal pilot, the country's former prime minister said today.

Najib Razak said officials had considered the chance of a 'murder-suicide' but had not made their suspicions public because of a lack of evidence.

Former Australian leader Tony Abbott brought the claim into the spotlight yesterday when he claimed Malaysian officials were privately voicing the theory within days of the plane's disappearance.

Najib and Abbott were the leaders of their respective countries when the Malaysian Airlines jet vanished over the Indian Ocean in 2014 with 239 people on board.

The family of pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah has long rejected the claim that he might have downed the plane in a deliberate, suicidal act.

A report in 2018 found that the plane was manually turned around in mid-air, but investigators did not rule out 'intervention by a third party'.

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak (pictured in May 2014) has said his country never ruled out the possibility that flight MH370 was crashed deliberately

A Malaysian Airlines jet on the tarmac at Kuala Lumpur in March 2014, when flight MH370 vanished over the Indian Ocean with 239 people on board

'My very clear understanding from the very top levels of the Malaysian government is that from very, very early on here, they thought it was a murder-suicide by the pilot,' Abbott said in a Sky News documentary yesterday.

'I'm not going to say who said what to whom, but let me reiterate, I want to be absolutely crystal clear, it was understood at the highest levels that this was almost certainly murder-suicide by the pilot.'

Responding to Abbott, Najib told online news portal Free Malaysia Today that officials had chosen to keep their suspicions private during the investigation.

'It would have been deemed unfair and legally irresponsible since the black boxes and cockpit voice recorders had not been found and hence, there was no conclusive proof whether the pilot was solely or jointly responsible,' Najib was quoted as saying.

'Again I must stress that this possible scenario was never ruled out during the search effort and investigations, where no effort was spared.'

Najib said there were several reasons for authorities to suspect Zaharie's involvement.

They included his ownership of a home flight simulator and findings that MH370's transponders were switched off shortly after the plane left Malaysian airspace.

Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott claims he was told it was a mass murder-suicide just a week after the plane's disappearance

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah (pictured) was the pilot-in-command when the plane carrying 239 other passengers and crew vanished in March 2014

However, the deliberate crash theory is only one of a range of theories which were sparked by the plane's disappearance - some of them outlandish.

Zaharie's family and friends have long strongly rejected the 'murder-suicide' claims as baseless.

Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the former head of Malaysia's civil aviation regulator, criticised Abbott's remarks and said there was not sufficient proof.

'It is only a theory. You do this speculation and it will hurt the next of kin,' he said.

'The family of the pilot will also feel very bad because you are making an accusation without any proof.'

Most of the passengers were Chinese, while six were Australian.

The flight was on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it disappeared on March 8, 2014.

French gendarmes and police inspect a large piece of plane debris which was found on the beach in Saint-Andre, on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, July 29, 2015

A Boeing 777 flaperon cut down to match the one from flight MH370 found on Reunion island off the coast of Africa in 2015, is lowered into water to discover its drift characteristics by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation researchers in Tasmania

Malaysia, China, and Australia, called off a two-year, 100million underwater search in the southern Indian Ocean in January 2017 after finding no trace of the aircraft.

Abbott has now called for new exploration of the ocean, although the countries agreed in 2016 that an official search would only resume if there was credible evidence to locate the wreckage.

A second three-month search, led by American firm Ocean Infinity, ended similarly in May 2018.

The 2018 investigative report said there was no evidence of abnormal behavior or stress in the two pilots and none of the passengers had pilot training.

However, investigators say the cause of the disappearance cannot be fully determined until the wreckage and the plane's black boxes are found.

Their failure to come up with any firm conclusions in the 2018 report left relatives of presumed victims angry and disappointed at the time.

Najib was defeated in a general election in 2018, and is now facing corruption charges. He denies them.
Nashville, Tennessee--(Newsfile Corp. - February 18, 2020) - For those who are looking for a way to settle on a quick cash sale for a property in the Murfreesboro TN area there is a local based firm that provides solutions. The company promises that homeowners can sell their house fast in as little as 7 days because we buy houses and help you avoid any and all closing costs.

Sell My Nashville House Fast and Michael Shawn Anderson are pleased to announce that they ensure their website continues to be a local and national website or various information on the latest information about fast and easy sales of unwanted property. The we buy houses company specializes in fast closings, all-cash offers and as-is houses to purchase for a push button easy process. No matter the reason for getting rid of a property that too much to handle or unaffordable, the firm has solutions. The company can buy houses in as little as seven days, or even fewer.

At we buy houses if the seller's house qualifies and there is flexibility on price and terms for the home owner to sell fast then, the house can be purchased in a week or less. The buyers make it easy to work together in order to create a win-win sale which is great for all parties involved. The home gets sold quickly which benefits the seller, and the buyers can continue more to obtain more houses to provide quality homes for their customers.

The professionals at Anderson provide sellers with a fair, all-cash offer on their house within 24 hours of submitting the short property info form found on the website. Closing date can be set to suit the convenience of the seller. The purchase is made using cash, so there is no issue in the funding or relying on traditional bank financing. The goal is to help make life easier and to get out from under the property that is causing any stress for our customers.

Michael Anderson a corespondent for nashville home buyers spoke in an interviewer about his firm recently and said, "We know that there are many reasons why you may want to be free of a property. The reason doesn't matter to us. Likewise, the condition of the house is not an element in completing the transaction and setting yourself free of the frustration and expense. You won't have the costs of staging, renovation and agent's fees."

Contact Info:

Name: Michael Anderson

Organization: Sell My Nashville House Fast

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For more information, please visit http://www.webuyhousesnashville.us/

Additional Resources: Twitter Link: Anderson REI | Facebook: Anderson REI | Youtube: Anderson REI | Zillow: Anderson REI | Blog: Anderson REI

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52561
UCM inviting public to inter-island Skills Test 2020

University College Isle of Man has announced the dates for this years inter-island Skills Test 2020.

Between Wednesday 4th and Friday 6th of March, the event showcases the construction and engineering programme areas competing, but now also the hospitality and catering department too.

UCM will once again be welcoming construction students from Highlands College Jersey, making this an inter-island contest.

In this intense test of skills, students from all the construction, engineering and hospitality trades will go head-to-head to determine who is the best among them.

Schools, businesses and the general public are invited into UCMs live competition to see competitors demonstrate their excellent skills.

Chris Franklin, Hospitality and Catering Deputy Programme Manager is looking forward to having his students take part in the Hospitality and Catering Skills Test similar in design to the popular TV competition, Master Chef, where contestants have to prepare a dish within a specific timeframe using the ingredients provided.

He said: 'This is the first year of Hospitality & Catering Skills Test; we are particularly excited to see our students shine and show off their cookery skills.'

Construction students will be given a brief at the beginning of the day to create an item related to their trade; these items will be auctioned off and the proceeds will be donated to Reach Isle of Man.

Corelli Bentham, the Construction Programme Manager said: 'This year, we are very pleased to support Reach Isle of Man, the charity which helps those who suffer with mental health issues. As well as raising money for this excellent cause, we hope this will also help to raise awareness of mental health within the industry.'
Click here to read the full article.

Better Call Saul returns for its fifth season on February 23rd  but dont expect any current music to make it on to the soundtrack. If theres one word creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould would use to describe the sound of Saul, its wistful. And, to hit that note, the duo and their music team often turn to the vaults.

When we last left struggling lawyer Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), he had finally been granted permission to practice law again  and hes doing so under the name Saul Goodman (finally). Meantime, drug kingpin Gus meth-making operations are steadily underway, and former cop Mike Ehrmantraut has gone dirty, bringing viewers closer to the storyline of Breaking Bad.

More from Rolling Stone

As those familiar with both the Bad and Saul universes know, classic rock and even dustier tunes make up the bulk of the musical landscape of these shows  likely because, as the creators say, characters are always looking back at some bygone era for comfort or inspiration. On the brink of Jimmys transformation into Saul (which, for the uninitiated, comes before the advent of Bad), Rolling Stone spoke with Gilligan and Gould about some of their favorite musical moments from Better Call Saul.

Song: Deep Purple, Smoke on the Water

Episode 104, Hero (also appears in Episodes 110, 201, 308, and 506): We get a look back at Jimmys Chicago scamming days with his pals Stevie and Marco.

Peter Gould: We dreamed up this character from Jimmys past, Marco, who was played by Mel Rodriguez. They scammed together. We just thought about, What would he hum? What would Marco hum?

Vince Gilligan: This is one of the rare bits of music that was written into the script. Its baked in from the get-go. This would be the kind of song that a fellow like this might have spring to mind when hes lying there drunk in an alley.

Story continues

Gould: Vince is right. It is very rare [that a song be written into the script], because usually all our music comes from Thomas Golubic, our music supervisor, or Dave Porter, the composer for the show. Those guys, they know more music in any particle of their little fingers than I know in my whole body. [This song] is like the ultimate adolescent male riff. Fortunately, those guys agreed that would be a good idea.

In fact, in Season Three, Jimmy takes up rudimentary electric guitar and he starts playing this riff. Thats the one thing he knows how to play. It always strikes me as a bittersweet moment when he picks up that guitar and plays.

Gilligan: Trying to get his old mojo back.

Gould: Isnt that the truth? One of our producers, Thomas Schnauz, has an electric guitar in his office, and he often plays a little bit at lunch. I believe he was the one who sat with Bob and taught him how to play this particular riff.

Gilligan: Jumping ahead  not to say what happens in Season Five, but  it might make a brief appearance in the upcoming season.

Song: The Ink Spots, Address Unknown

Episode 101, Uno: Saul struggles with his empty new life post-Breaking Bad as Gene, the manager of a Cinnabon in Nebraska. We then flash back to when he was a struggling lawyer named Jimmy McGill, post-Bad.

Gilligan: This is the piece of music that opens the television series Better Call Saul, the very first teaser, the very first episode. I was fortunate enough to get to direct the episode. I wasnt thinking of any particular music. Peter, were you, when we were writing it?

Gould: Absolutely not. Although, its very suggestive when you start seeing these images in black and white. It started to seem to call for a different tone or maybe music from a different era.

Gilligan: Theres a nostalgia to it. Thomas finds the most interesting and most perfectly off-the-wall songs for when were doing what we call needle-drops. There is a certain nostalgia that it evokes, but also this wistfulness. That word will probably keep reappearing here, because theres something to me about this character, Saul Goodman  this feeling of bygone days, of better days that youve now passed.

I think a lot of the music around this series has a wistful undertone to it. Its a musical vibe that was not perhaps what we expected or what anyone expected, but we tried to take it musically in a different direction right from the first frame and the first episode.

Song: Herbie Mann, Battle Hymn of the Republic

Episode 104, Hero: Jimmy counts his ill-gotten gains from the Kettleman family, whom hed previously pursued as clients. Husband Craig Kettleman embezzled the money from his company, then bribes Saul to keep it a secret.

Gould: We have these meetings, its called a spotting session, where we sit with more or less a lot of the folks responsible for not just the music but all the sound on the show. I believe that Thomas was the one who said, Let me try something here. We both learned the lesson that if he says, Let me try something, the answer is always yes.

Gilligan: I would have never, ever thought of this. Personally, I wasnt even aware of this particular Herbie Mann track. The Battle Hymn of the Republic, you dont think of it turned into this mellow, jazzy piece of music. You think of it in terms of going to visit the museum at Gettysburg or something. Or you picture  as is often the case with Saul Goodman  some cheesy Muzak version of it playing in his lobby.

Song: Junior Brown, Sleep Walk

Episode 206, Bali Hai: Jimmy begins work at his new, very corporate job.

Gilligan: I love Junior Brown. My girlfriend Holly and I went to a Junior Brown concert back in the early Nineties  he was actually the opening band for John Prine in Richmond, Virginia. This guy opens for John Prine, and hes playing this contraption he called a guit-steel that he designed himself. We had never heard of this guy. My God, that was the best opening act ever.

John Prine was great, too. Unfortunately, I havent caught John Prine since, but Holly and I have been to about a dozen Junior Brown concerts. Hes a great guy. Got to know him personally when I put him on The X-Files as an actor. He played a sugar beet farmer [in Drive in 1998].

Gould: This scene called for music. Jimmy is by himself in his corporate apartment, and he doesnt feel that he belongs. He stays awake into the night just goofing around. Its interesting. It felt sad. Thomas, as he always does, came up with a lot of wonderful ideas. One was the original version of Sleep Walk by Santo & Johnny. It didnt quite fit the timing.

Vince said, Wouldnt it be great to hear what Junior Brown would do with this? Thomas immediately went out  and it was very much a last-minute thing  and called Junior, who recorded it in his own studio and sent it right back. It was, and is, perfect.

Song: The Bombay Royale, Henna Henna

Episode 206

Gould: This is an interesting moment in the show, because Jimmy is very frustrated. Hes working at a job that he doesnt particularly like. Hes not getting the things that he really wants in life. He feels constrained. In fact, he has this company car and his special coffee mug that [his on-again, off-again girlfriend] Kim has given him doesnt quite fit in the cupholders.

As soon as we knew he had a company car earlier in the season, we had this idea that we would end up having to break the metric cupholder to fit his cup. Finally, we got to the end of this episode, and in an act of frustration, he breaks this cupholder. Originally, this scene had no music; I thought it worked fine.

Thomas gave us a whole list of pitches for songs. We watched them one at a time. Henna Henna started. I will admit, the first few notes, I thought, Is this a mistake? This cant be right. Because suddenly theres this boisterous Bollywood song popping up on the soundtrack. As it went on, it just clicked. It had brightness. It gave the end of the episode this burst of energy.

Jimmy drove off and you saw: Wow, I dont know where hes going, but hes going there fast. Before Henna Henna came into our world, the end of the episode was a little bit ambiguous, and a little bit sad. The song really changes the end of the episode. It brings a lift and excitement to what comes next.

Gilligan: If you had given me a million years and access to every song ever recorded by different voices, I would never have come up with this one. Like Peter said, Im thinking, What, Thomas? Hes on crack. What is wrong with this guy? Then its like, the clouds parted, and I got it.

After we played it against picture, I think the room was silent. We all looked at each other and said, Where the hell did that come from? Shortly after that, we said, That was perfect.

Song: Dave Porter, Score for Chucks Search, Kilowatt Hours

Episode 310, Lantern: Jimmys brother Chuck is forced to resign from HHM, and his fear of electricity worsens.

Gould: This is pure Dave Porter score. I was lucky enough to direct this episode. The sequence that Dave was presented with is Michael McKeans character, Chuck, Jimmys older brother, breaking down bit by bit. It starts off with Chuck just being absolutely sure that theres some electricity leaking into his house. It ends with him having destroyed his house and really come to the bitter end of his life. During the sequence, he has an opportunity to reach out and get help, and he doesnt take it, in my mind because of pride. Its a very complicated sequence.

Michael McKean does a stunning transformation over the six minutes. Dave found a way to get under Chucks skin with this. His score is so mournful and sad and also energetic. He uses a single horn that really touches me. Its a wonderful piece of music, and it takes a sequence that is six minutes long  which is incredibly long for a television sequence  and creates a through-line that goes like a dagger right into your heart.

Gilligan: It couldnt be a more important cue, because [it accompanies] one of the very most important characters on the show, arguably as important as Jim McGill himself, because hes Jims brother. He helped create Jimmy. It seems to me itd be really easy to play crazy music. A lot of composers might go that way, amp up the discordance. Dave never does that. He never goes overboard. Instead, he keeps us in this characters headspace. I dont know how he does it, but its masterful.

Song: Tom Lehrer, The Elements Song

Episode 403, Something Beautiful: Gale Boetticher (David Costabile) makes his entrance as a postgrad student who finds his wares tested by drug kingpin Gus.

Gould: Vince, my memory tells me that you pitched this song for maybe the second or third episode of Breaking Bad, when Walt and Jesse are cleaning up Emilio. Is that right?

Gilligan: I think you are exactly right. Its amazing that we never got around to it for Breaking Bad. This is a wonderful, brilliant songwriter  one of the many things hes brilliant at; hes also a brilliant mathematician and a professor. This is a guy who was very important to me growing up.

Gould: David Costabile really brought it for this Elements Song. In fact, we shot a take where he did the entire song letter-perfect. Then we added the bouncing ball and the lyrics underneath it. Thats on the Blu-Ray, I believe.

Song: Lola Marsh, Something Stupid

Episode 407, Something Stupid: Kim and Jimmys relationship unravels.

Gould: Lola Marsh did a version of this that really hit us where we lived. Because its a duet between a man and a woman, and because Jimmy and Kim are in the scene. We were also able to mix it so that the male voice was coming out of Jimmys side of the frame, and the female voice was coming out of Kims side of the frame. It was just one of those great moments of collaboration and alchemy. Im so proud of that sequence.

I just love that version of the song. I know most people are familiar with the song from the Sinatra version. I will admit that I probably first heard the Chipmunks do it, so there you go.

Song: Burl Ives, Big Rock Candy Mountain

Episode 407

Gould: This is another Thomas story in my book. We had this sequence where [former cop/current criminal] Mike [Ehrmantraut] transported these German workers from their secret hideaway in a giant warehouse over to the building site where theyre building the superlab. Its an elaborate, exciting sequence, but it didnt have a lot of emotion. It felt very much like procedure in the cut. I thought it was great and visually really interesting. But why were we watching it exactly? What was the emotional impact? I wasnt quite sure. Thomas came in with this song, which is Burl Ives singing Big Rock Candy Mountain.

Folks who hear this may think its a kids song, but its decidedly not, originally. In fact, my understanding is that its actually about a starving homeless man more or less hallucinating about where hed rather be than starving and dying in the cold. Somehow, it gave soul to these Germans who are working on this illicit project deep under a laundry. It gave them a little bit of depth. No matter how well theyre being paid, its definitely a life of drudgery. I think that all came through so beautifully with that song.

Gilligan: Of course, you cant help but to think: big mountain of rock candy, crystal meth. I love that aspect of it, too. Thats a fun little cherry on top. Ill tell you, heres that word wistful again. Sometimes the music on this show feels wistful, except not in-your-face wistful. This song, the words are about how things ought to be instead of how they actually are. In Better Call Saul, characters wish for a better life, wish for things to be different, and yet dont seem to find a way there.

Song: Les McCann, Burnin Coal

Episode 408, Coushatta: Jimmys business associate Huell Babineaux assaults a police officer, and its up to the lawyer to keep him out of jail. To prevent Huell from running, Jimmy takes a bus trip to his friends native state of Louisiana, and begins sending mysterious postcards.

Gould: We had a sequence where Jimmy is riding a bus from New Mexico to Louisiana over the course of two days, and writing letters. In the context, you dont really understand exactly what hes up to, but theres this wonderful energy to the scene and excitement of moving across the whole country  especially in a show that generally stays mostly in Albuquerque.

We were looking for music that would reflect Jimmys forceful personality, his persistence, his bouncing back, his unwillingness to ever give up, because this is sort of a last-ditch plan. Les McCanns Burning Coal was just the perfect thing. That was one of Thomas picks. Its great, moving music.

Gilligan: Music to be on the road with, right?

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BERLIN  A week after Angela Merkels chosen successor threw her conservative party into disarray by announcing she would step down, the candidates who have emerged seem to represent the antithesis of the centrist chancellor from Germanys east.

All are men, all hail from the countrys former west, and all are pushing a new identity for the party, the conservative Christian Democratic Union. But they also offer very different visions of the future  some urging continuity with the Merkel era, others a clean break that could even shorten her tenure.

Coming at a time when Europe and the world are looking to Germany for renewed leadership, the choice of the next party leader is likely to have ramifications well beyond the party.

Uncertainty has enveloped the Christian Democrats since their current leader, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Ms. Merkels handpicked successor, announced last week that she would step down after a local chapter broke with party policy and voted with the far-right Alternative for Germany in electing the governor of the state of Thuringia.
Karnataka's Government plans floating fishing jetties to handle excessive boats

February 19,2020 | Source: Daiji World

Because of large number of mechanized fishing boats operating from the fishing ports here and at Malpe, there have often been complex traffic jams and accidents. The government has now envisaged a plan to introduce floating jetties to handle these problems. Accidents often happen when anchoring of mechanized boats and also when conducting fishing. Traffic jams are a regular phenomenon and unloading of fish often poses a huge problem for the boats. Both Mangaluru and Malpe ports suffer from paucity of space for constructing jetties. Therefore, the government feels that floating jetties could provide a lasting solution to the problems.



At present, 1,375 mechanized fishing boats conduct fishing at Mangaluru while Malpe has 1,742 boats. Both the places suffer from space crunch. Therefore the government wants to build two floating jetties at a cost of Rs 12.5 crore. The jetties, costing Rs 6.25 crore each, will be built on experimental basis in the form of pilot projects. Important meetings about the proposed project were held under the aegis of Karnataka Fisheries Development Corporation. Two delegations, one from here and another from Udupi, are preparing to go to Goa on February 14 to check the floating jetties there. However, in Goa, these jetties are used for tourism. Based on the report of the delegation, Karnataka Fisheries Development Corporation will take further action.



The jetties will take three to six months time to complete. They do not need concrete pillars at the bottom of the sea. The floating jetties can be installed at a spot with chains, and when needed, they can be shifted. They last 20 to 25 years, and have no side effects on environment. In some foreign countries, such floating jetties are functional.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The trade turnover between Turkey and Kazakhstan increased by over $68.5 million in 2019, compared to 2018, and exceeded $2.2 billion, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish Trade Ministry.

Total exports of Turkey to Kazakhstan amounted $806 million in 2019, while imports from Kazakhstan reached $1.4 billion.

According to the ministry, the Turkey - Kazakhstan trade amounted to over $133.8 million in December 2019, having increased by $491,252, compared to December 2018.

Turkey's exports to Kazakhstan amounted to just over $56 million in December 2019, while imports from Kazakhstan exceeded $77.7 million.

Turkey's foreign trade turnover exceeded $374.2 billion in 2019.

Turkish total exports amounted to over $171.5 billion in 2019, having increased by 2.1 percent compared to 2018.

Turkey's imports amounted to just over $202.7 billion in 2019, indicating a decrease of 9.1 percent compared to 2018.

Turkey's foreign trade turnover amounted to over $33.7 billion in December 2019.

Turkey's exports exceeded $14.6 billion in December 2019, having grown by 6.4 percent, compared to December 2018.

Turkey's imports slightly exceeded $19 billion in December 2019, indicating an increase of 14.9 percent compared to December 2018.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Actor Alexander Skarsgard is starring in a new campaign for Alfa Romeo. The award-winning actor ("True Blood," "Big Little Lies") will be featured in two commercials, one for the new 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia and one for the new 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio. The first "Type A" video featuring Skarsgard and the Alfa Romeo Giulia launches this week across television and the Alfa Romeo social channels, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

"Alfa Romeo's 110-year legacy has been fueled by the passion of the brand's Alfisti enthusiasts," said Tim Kuniskis, Global Head of Alfa Romeo and Head of Passenger Cars  Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA  North America. "This legacy continues on the new 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio, which offer consumers unique Italian style, now coupled with an even higher level of connectivity, premium interior design and Level 2 autonomous driving capabilities."

The marketing campaign supports the launch of the new 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia and 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio models.

Both vehicles receive a host of new standard and available content including an 8.8-inch touchscreen display, interior enhancements to key touchpoints such as upgraded steering wheel, center console, knobs, shifter and added storage. The newly available Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) with Level 2 autonomous driving capability brings new technology and convenience to the standard list of best-in-class standard performance claims including power, 0 to 60, and top speed, among others.

The Alfa Romeo marketing campaign was created in partnership with Doner.

2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia

The Alfa Romeo Giulia sets a new benchmark for performance sedans. As the first of a new generation of vehicles on an all-new platform, the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Giulia Ti models embody Alfa Romeo's La meccanica delle emozioni (the mechanics of emotion) spirit, delivering race-inspired performance with class-leading, standard 280 horsepower and 306 lb.-ft. of torque, allowing it to launch from 0-60 miles per hour (mph) as quickly as 5.1 seconds, and achieve a top speed of 149 mph. The combination of advanced technologies, seductive Italian style, a standard carbon fiber driveshaft, and the available Q4 all-wheel-drive system, Giulia offers an exhilarating driving experience in the premium midsize sedan segment. The Giulia is built for balance with superb handling on every drive with its near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution.

As the "halo" model in the lineup, the Giulia Quadrifoglio highlights Alfa Romeo's motorsports expertise with its best-in-class, 505-horsepower, 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine, capable of launching from 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds. Plus, the Quadrifoglio set a Nurburgring record lap time of 7:32, the fastest ever posted by a five-passenger vehicle.

2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio raises the bar for performance SUVs, taking a proven performance formula to the next level. Born from one of the world's greatest winding roads  the Stelvio Pass  the 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio delivers performance, design and technology in an SUV that only Alfa Romeo could create.

Infused with Italian passion, artisanship and innovation, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is designed to conquer the road for which it is named. The Stelvio lineup is a testament to Alfa Romeo's perfect balance of engineering and emotion, creating a premium midsize SUV for driving enthusiasts. The performance-inspired Stelvio Quadrifoglio also benefits from unique design features, including standard anodized brake calipers with red Alfa Romeo script and signature 20-inch, bright, five-hole forged aluminum wheels. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio lapped the Nurburgring in a record 7:51.7, making it the fastest SUV available in the U.S.

Alfa Romeo

Since its foundation in Milan, Italy, in 1910, Alfa Romeo has designed and crafted some of the most stylish and exclusive cars in automotive history. That tradition lives on today as Alfa Romeo continues to take a unique and innovative approach to designing automobiles. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio sets a new benchmark in performance, style and technology in an SUV. The award-winning Alfa Romeo Giulia delivers race-inspired performance, advanced technologies and an exhilarating driving experience to the premium midsize sedan segment. The Giulia Quadrifoglio and the Stelvio Quadrifoglio feature Alfa Romeo's most powerful production engine ever with best-in-class 0-60 mph times of 3.8 and 3.6 seconds, respectively. Rounding out Alfa Romeo's world-class lineup is the handcrafted Alfa Romeo 4C Spider. Alfa Romeo is part of the portfolio of brands offered by global automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. For more information regarding FCA (NYSE: FCAU/ MTA: FCA), please visit www.fcagroup.com.

Follow Alfa Romeo brand news and video on:

Website: www.alfaromeo.com

Newsroom: FCA US Media Website

Facebook: Alfa Romeo USA

Instagram: @alfaromeousa

Twitter: @alfaromeousa

SOURCE FCA
An engraving of a spear-wielding Pictish warrior wearing tight leggings and with 'pronounced buttocks' has been found in a Scottish 'cemetery of the elite'.

The warrior depicted in the engraving was likely from a warmongering Scottish society responsible for repelling the Romans in the first millennium AD.

The artwork was found on a 6ft tall monolith and shows the figure with an 'elaborate hairstyle' holding a spear with a 'pronounced doorknob-style butt' at the end.

Archaeologists from the University of Aberdeen spent months studying the engraving and say it was likely a 'sacred icon' for a warrior society.

The 'Tulloch stone' is one of three found in the area and was discovered by a group of road workers clearing land near McDiarmid Park in Perth, Scotland.

The image shows scans and a depiction of man from the Tulloch Stone which was discovered by road workers in Scotland

Archaeologists from the University of Aberdeen spent months studying the engraving (pictured)and say it was likely a 'sacred icon' for a warrior society

When the stone was found in 2017, the outline of the figure could be seen but the carving was faint in places and the surface damaged.

University of Aberdeen archaeologists created 3D images made from thousands of photographs of the large stone in order to clarify the design.

They then worked to compare it with other ancient monoliths to get a better idea of where in Pictish society sits and exactly what was in the engraving.

'The individual's distinctive head shape probably indicates an elaborate hairstyle rather than a helmet or other headgear,' the authors said in the report.

'The torso is robust and the buttocks pronounced; the naked appearance is ambiguous in that faint lines at the ankles may suggest footwear or tight leggings.'

The university's head of archaeology, Professor Gordon Noble, said the distinctive doorknob-butted spear was in use in the third to sixth century.

'He also has a very distinctive hairstyle, is wearing a helmet and necklace, and has a faint line around the left ankle which could suggest footwear or tight leggings.

'In line with the other stones, this is clearly a depiction of a warrior.'

It was found where the rivers Tay and Almond come together in an area where a possible Pictish royal centre once stood, said Noble.

SO WHO WAS THE WARRIOR WITH 'ELABORATE HAIR AND A PLUMP BOTTOM'? Researchers spent months studying the figure shown on the monolith including creating a 3D image. The 'Pict' warrior was found on a 6ft monolith They say he has an 'elaborate hairstyle' and he appears to have a beard. He's holding a spear with a 'kite-shaped blade and a doorknob-style butt' at the end. He may also be wearing leggings - as seen in faint lines by his ankles, according to the team behind a study into the engraving and its origins. They say it is also possible he was depicted as being naked and had a pronounced buttocks. It's not thought he represented a specific warrior, but rather would have been a 'spiritual icon' linked to warrior society generally. Advertisement

This suggests the stone may have been from a 'cemetery of the elite' and the images will have been of a sacred origin rather than of someone buried in the cemetery.

Noble says the discovery of the stone 'bridges a crucial gap in knowledge' about the region and about Pictish society, especially around their spiritual and warlike nature.

'We believe that the weapon-bearing individuals shown on these stones may represent a war-oriented social organisation that was integral to resisting the Roman Empire and to creating the overtly hierarchical societies of the post-Roman period.'

The team believe the engraving could depict a warrior god or religious figure within the war-like Pictish Ideology.

It was common across large parts of Europe but was usually represented by the burial of weapons with the dead - rather than through engravings and artwork.

This stone is one of three Pictish monoliths found in the area with carvings of warriors on them - suggesting that this area was home to a particularly war-like group within the society.

Other stones in other areas of Scotland are found with abstract or animal symbols and could be a way of representing names, said Noble.

The artwork was found on a 6ft tall monolith (pictured) and shows the figure with an 'elaborate hairstyle' holding a spear with a 'pronounced doorknob-style butt' at the end

The 'Tulloch stone' dates back to the first millennium AD and was discovered by a group of road workers clearing land near McDiarmid Park in Perth, Scotland

Mark Hall, archaeological curator at Perth Museum, praised the workers who made the discovery and said they did well to realise there was something on it.

He said the stone indicates the existence of a war lord or warrior ethos for which there was previously little evidence in Scotland.

'In Anglo-Saxon England, we have lots of examples of burials with weaponry and the poem Beowulf epitomises the warrior ethos of this period.

'This has not been evidenced in Scotland in the same way but here through the new Tulloch find and a reconsideration of long-known stones we can see that warrior ideology cast in stone.'

He said this means the martial values were conveyed in a very public way to be visible in the landscape and likely invoke a 'supernatural protection'.

The research team's report was published in the journal Antiquity.
KANESATAKE, Que. - An Indigenous leader in Quebec retracted comments Wednesday about the possibility of ongoing rail blockades coming down  words that didn't go over well with members of his own community.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The doors of the Kanesatake Mohawk band council office are padlocked in Kanesatake, Que., on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020 as Kanesatake Mohawks protest after comments by their grand chief regarding rail blockades. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

KANESATAKE, Que. - An Indigenous leader in Quebec retracted comments Wednesday about the possibility of ongoing rail blockades coming down  words that didn't go over well with members of his own community.

Kanesatake Grand Chief Serge Otsi Simon drew the ire of some community members when he suggested this week that the blockades have had their intended impact and should be lifted, at least temporarily.

"Bringing down the blockades doesn't mean that you surrender," Simon said Tuesday in Ottawa. "But it would show compassion along with the strength."

Just one day later, Simon told reporters it wasn't his place to make such comments, and he will let people on the ground decide what to do. The about-face came after discussions with a small group of community members who were upset with Simon's initial stance and began blocking access to Kanesatake band council offices Tuesday afternoon.

"After listening to criticism from my people and others, and after seeing how my recent remarks have been used by some  including in the media  in the service of trying to divide and conquer Indigenous Peoples across Canada, I wish to retract my comments yesterday about whether it is time for the blockade to come down," Simon said in a statement.

He told reporters there was a lot of "misunderstanding about the intent of what I was trying to do" by saying the blockade objectives had been met.

"Clearly they were not, so I made an error I guess in trying to bring some form of good faith. Maybe it wasn't the right timing, not yet," Simon told reporters in Kanesatake. "There's still some things that need to be done, the RCMP must be withdrawn from Wet'suwet'en Nation and let the talks begin with the feds and that nation."

The nationwide blockades have been erected in solidarity with the hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation in northern British Columbia, who oppose the construction of a natural gas pipeline through their traditional territory.

In the Montreal area on Wednesday, a new blockade forced the cancellation of commuter rail service linking the suburb of Mont St-Hilaire to the city.

The blockade was erected at the CN tracks in St. Lambert, south of Montreal, around noon.

Protesters said in a statement they are acting in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en and will remain in place until the RCMP leaves their territory.

In Kanesatake, the doors to the office remained chained Wednesday as Simon read from a prepared statement. He said he hoped to regain access later in the day and would pursue discussions with community members.

"We have some internal healing to be done and I'm hoping my statement I made today is going to be a start in that direction," Simon said.

The community northwest of Montreal was the site of the Oka Crisis, a tense 78-day standoff over disputed woods between the town of Oka and Kanesatake in the summer of 1990.

Asked about Quebec Premier Francois Legault's comments on co-ordinated police action becoming necessary if the blockades don't come down soon, Simon urged the premier to reconsider.

Legault "fancies himself a business man," Simon said. "If the eyes of the international community are on Canada right now  and Quebec  I don't think it makes good financial sense to take that approach at this time."

-by Sidhartha Banerjee in Montreal

This report from The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2020.
Harvey Weinstein rape case may turn on history of prior 'bad acts' Tarale Wulff, witness in the trial of film producer Harvey Weinstein leaves the courtroonm for a break in New York State Supreme Court in the Manhattan borough of New York

By Brendan Pierson and Tom Hals

(Reuters) - A Manhattan jury's verdict in the sexual assault trial of former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein may well hang on the testimony of three women whose accusations were not part of the underlying criminal case.

Deliberations began on Tuesday in the case of Weinstein, 67, who pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and raping Jessica Mann, a onetime aspiring actress.

During the six-week trial, the three other women - costume designer Dawn Dunning, model Tarale Wulff and actress Lauren Young - testified they were enticed into meeting Weinstein for professional reasons and then groped or raped.

They testified about encounters separate from the crimes Weinstein was accused of committing.

Prosecutors called the women as witnesses to try to establish Weinstein's motive and a signature pattern of behaviour that legal experts described as potentially powerful evidence that might bolster the claims of Haleyi and Mann.

The volume and number of witnesses like that make it really difficult for the defense to prevail, said Daniel Hochheiser, a New York criminal defence lawyer and former Bronx prosecutor.

New York law customarily prevents prosecutors from presenting testimony of "prior bad acts," as it is generally considered prejudicial to a defendant.

"You can't admit bad acts to show that this is the kind of person who does this a lot, and so probably did it on this occasion," said Deborah Tuerkheimer, a former Manhattan prosecutor who is now a professor at Northwestern Law.

'SIGNATURE' PATTERN

An exception to the law allowed prosecutors to call Dunning, Wulff and Young to show Weinstein "had a particular intention" or exhibited a "signature" pattern of behaviour when he invited women to meet and discuss professional opportunities.

Under New York state law, such witnesses are known as "Molineux" witnesses.

Story continues

A lawyer for Weinstein, Arthur Aidala, said it was "extraordinary to have three Molineux witnesses testify when there are only two complaining witnesses."

"It is often difficult for prosecutors to convince a judge to allow one Molineux witness," he said in an email.

Dunning testified that the producer groped her in 2004 and offered her movie roles in exchange for three-way sex with him and his assistant, which she refused.

Young, a model and actress, testified that the film producer trapped her in a hotel bathroom in 2013, masturbated in front of her while groping her breasts, and told her: This is what all the actresses do to make it.

On cross-examination, the defence challenged the women's credibility. In Dunning's case, Weinstein's lawyers pressed her about her decision to meet with Weinstein weeks after the alleged assault and the fact that she did not tell anyone about the encounter until years later.

But the sexual assault trial of comedian Bill Cosby suggests that the impact of prior bad acts testimony can be tough for the defence to overcome.

Pennsylvania prosecutors charged Cosby in December 2016 with a 2004 assault of Andrea Constand, a former Temple University administrator.

About 50 women accused Cosby, now 82, of sexual assaults going back decades. Cosby denied the accusations, insisting all the encounters were consensual.

A first trial, with evidence from one "prior bad acts" witness, ended with a deadlocked jury. A second trial included testimony from five other women who accused Cosby of drugging and sexual assault, even though some events occurred decades earlier and had no connection to Constand.

A jury convicted Cosby in 2018, and he was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. In January, Cosby asked Pennsylvania's highest court to overturn the conviction.

Cosby's lawyers said in court papers that in the #MeToo era, "one cannot imagine more prejudicial testimony" than a parade of women testifying about sexual misconduct, which his lawyers said had no connection to the crime.

"This also left him in the position of having six trials in one," they said.

(Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware, and Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Howard Goller)
- Megebe Temesgen, an Eritrean, and Shasitu Nigusse, an Ethiopian, are two perfect neighbours made from heaven

- During the border war that broke out between both countries, Megebe had to abandon her home in Ethiopia and flee

- In her absence for 20 years, Shasitu rented out her neighbour's house and kept the money for her until she returned

True neighbourhoods are like families. During the border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea 20 years ago, many lost their homes.

Megebe Temesgen had to leave her home and friends behind because she was Eritrean in Ethiopia.

Her neighbour, Shasitu Nigusse, had to help her look after the home and everything she had in it.

During Megebe's absence, Shasitu rented out the apartment and kept the money for her for two decades.

When her neighbour got back, she gave her the 20-year rent. Photo source: BBC News

Source: UGC

Whenever local administration officers came around to make enquiries about the house, she always stood in for her.

Megede was only able to return to her home in Ethiopia 20 years after peace had been restored and the borders were reopened.

In an interview with the BBC, the Eritrean said she was deeply moved by her neighbour's kind act.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that a man in the US, Micheal Gray, showed great love to his wife after he bought an abandoned house and renovated it to a great taste.

PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update

Gray, who lives in Detroit, bought the home from his nephew for $1500 (N545,250) and moved into it immediately.

Before the purchase, the man was living in the basement of his niece. A year after in 2010, the man started a 10-year renovation plan that would thoroughly transform the house.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better

Slum Chronicles: We pay 5k for houses without toilets, bathroom | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
A 46-year-old man died in hospital over a week after being shot in the head in broad daylight close to Queen's Park Tube station in west London.

Eraj Seifi, of Maida Vale, was shot inside a property on Bravington Road in the family-friendly residential area in the afternoon of January 29.

He was treated by medics at the scene of the incident before being rushed to hospital for urgent treatment, where he then died on February 7.

A post-mortem examination conducted at Westminster Mortuary on February 11 found the cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the head.

Eraj Seifi (pictured) of Maida Vale was found shot inside a home on Bravington Road at 2.44pm in the family-friendly residential area on January 29, and rushed to hospital. He died on February 7 after remaining in a critical condition for more than a week

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police have now confirmed that two male suspects were charged before Mr Seifi died of his injuries.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police have now confirmed that two male suspects were charged before Mr Seifi died of his injuries

Errol James, 51, was arrested two days after the incident on suspicion of attempted murder. He was further arrested on February 5 and charged later that day with attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

A second man, Romello Briggs-Leon, 25, was also arrested on February 3 and charged with attempted murder in the early hours of February 4.

Both suspects appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on February 6, where they were remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on March 3.

Following reports of the shooting last January, police imposed a Section 60 over parts of Westminster, Brent, and Kensington and Chelsea, giving them further powers to stop and search suspects in connection to the case.
LAS VEGAS - Terry Reece has long been skeptical that voters would back Bernie Sanders, a 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist who is just months removed from a heart attack. Then the Vermont senator essentially tied for first place in the Democratic Partys Iowa caucuses and won its New Hampshire primary.

That forced Reece to rethink his assumptions about who can win the nomination. After months of leaning toward former Vice-President Joe Biden, Reece filled out a preference card for Sanders during early voting this week in the Nevada caucuses.

I think that people are kind of wanting to turn the pages and get more radical, or switch from the status quo, said Reece, a 62-year-old African American who owns a small media company in Las Vegas.

Thats exactly the sentiment Sanders is counting on to carry him to victory in the battle to take on President Donald Trump. Since the early days of Sanders second presidential campaign, he and his supporters have sought to allay concerns that hes a fringe candidate whose call for political revolution would doom the party to another humiliating defeat. The strong showing in Iowa and New Hampshire gives him fresh evidence to make that case.

The reason that we are going to win here in Nevada, with your help, the reason that we are going to win the Democratic nomination, with your help, the reason we are going to beat Trump is we have an agenda that speaks to the needs of working families, not the billionaire class, Sanders told a crowd at the University of Nevada Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Sanders faces high expectations in Nevada, which formally holds its Democratic presidential caucuses on Saturday. He has a strong organization and has generated enthusiasm among younger and Latino voters. But there are plenty of hurdles that could dent his confidence in the weeks ahead.

Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg is expected to use his debate stage premiere on Wednesday to attack Sanders broad call for economic and political revolution as unworkable and too liberal for more mainstream voters who simply want to defeat Trump. Sanders hasnt fully united the partys liberal wing and was denied the most coveted union endorsement in Nevada. His trademark Medicare for All proposal could unnerve voters in both major political parties who worry about higher taxes and the loss of private health insurance.

And while Sanders has notched a win, he has yet to post a commanding victory. Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, essentially tied with Sanders in Iowa and finished closely behind him in New Hampshire, a state the senator won by more than 20 percentage points in 2016.

Campaigning in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Buttigieg again raised questions about whether Sanders could unify the party against Trump.

Sen. Sanders, I think, speaks to a lot of ideals that we all share, Buttigieg said. But right now we need to make sure were drawing as many people as we can into our coalition. And if the message goes out, Your choices are you either need to be for a revolution or you must be for the status quo, I dont think most of us see ourselves in that picture.

But as the Democratic contest unfolds, many voters may see a win as a win and make their decisions accordingly, said Tim Miller, a former strategist with Jeb Bushs failed Republican presidential campaign in 2016.

Voters want a winner, Miller said. Voters want someone who can win in November, and there is a sheen that comes from winning primaries.

Miller is one of several analysts in both parties who see parallels between the Republican contest in 2016 and this years Democratic primary. In both cases, a party outsider held a grip on a tight group of supporters while a bevy of centrists split the vote against him. As Trump kept scoring victories in the 2016 primaries, he eventually won backing from GOP voters who might not have liked him but were focused on defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The question for Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, is whether the party will similarly warm to him if he can pile up more victories. For now, much of the Democratic establishment thinks its impossible for him to win the presidency during a growing economy. Some House Democrats are openly expressing concern that a Sanders nomination could cost the party control of that chamber.

Miller said that argument may not resonate with Democratic voters who, like Trump supporters, are increasingly skeptical of political institutions.

A lot of voters have lost confidence in their ability to predict who will win, he said.

Sanders could have a challenging time finding a winning path against Trump. He is poorly positioned in the perennial swing state of Florida, with its older voters and population of Cuban immigrants, many of whom have a visceral dislike of socialism. Its unlikely that Sanders could flip growing Sun Belt states like Arizona, Georgia or Texas, because a Democratic victory in those places depends on both motivating the states expanding minority populations and converting moderate white Republicans.

That leaves Sanders clearest path through the trio of Rust Belt states that gave Trump his 2016 victory  Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Notably, Sanders has proposed banning fracking, which could be a liability in Pennsylvania, where the drilling process is a key part of the states economy.

But Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser to Sanders, said the senator has routinely been underestimated by election handicappers.

This electability thing has been greatly overblown by candidates who had a more traditional approach but havent proved that electable, Weaver said. I do think the American people are hungry for someone who will take on the political and economic elite.

Weaver said Sanders wins about one-quarter of Republicans in his home state in Vermont and noted that he won 23 states in the long 2016 Democratic primary against Clinton. He identified rural Western states like Montana and the Dakotas as places a Sanders campaign could contest in the general election, and added that Democratic gubernatorial candidates in the key Rust Belt states of Michigan and Wisconsin asked Sanders to campaign for them in 2016.

Some of the moderates say, Weve seen the polls and we want Bernie Sanders here in the general election, Weaver said.

Still, Sanders seems to be retooling his stump speech in ways that might ease concerns from some moderates. As he campaigned in Nevada over the past several days, he didnt call for political revolution or mention democratic socialism.

And when he attacks his rivals, Sanders is focusing less on ideological purity and more on what it will take to beat Trump.

In order to win in November, we are going to need a multi-generational, multiracial campaign of energy and excitement that creates the highest voter turnout in American history, he said at the Clark County Democratic Party dinner on Saturday.

Then he turned to Bloomberg, the billionaire who is emerging as a centrist foil to Sanders.

The simple truth is Mayor Bloomberg, with all of his money, will not create the sort of energy and excitement to have the voter turnout we must have to defeat Donald Trump, Sanders said.

Thats resonating among his supporters. Jeanette Kano, an information technology worker in Las Vegas, knows plenty of Trump Republicans from growing up in Kansas.

They say they would have voted for Bernie, she said.

She thinks Sanders can peel that sort of voter from the president.

Margaret Hines, a writer and artist in Reno, voted for Clinton in the 2016 primary but backs Sanders this time precisely because of the significant changes hes proposed.

I dont think vanilla is going to do it this time, she said.

___

Associated Press writers Jonathan J. Cooper in Las Vegas and Scott Sonner in Reno, Nev., contributed to this report.

___

Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game.
Seven Group chief executive Ryan Stokes says the industrial and energy-focused conglomerate still sees value in media despite its ailing television and publishing businesses weighing on a record half-year result.

The Stokes-family controlled Seven Group Holdings on Wednesday reported a significant uplift in half-year revenue and underlying earnings to record levels, driven by strong results in the conglomerate's industrial services and energy segments including WesTrac, Coates Hire and Beach Energy.

Seven Group chief executive Ryan Stokes. Credit:Nine

While underlying net profit after tax was up 3 per cent to $255.7 million, its statutory profit fell 26 per cent, dragged down by a $112 million writedown of its 40 per cent stake in the struggling Seven West Media.

Seven Group chief executive Ryan Stokes said the group was unhappy with the media company's $67 million loss for the six months to December as a weak advertising market hit the company's bottom line. "I think the reality is we took market share, revenue share was market-leading, but the revenue was just not there," he said.
A teenage schoolgirl who was allegedly raped repeatedly by the director and a teacher of a school in Rajasthan's Sikar has suffered brain damage after a botched abortion.

Reuters/ Representational Image

The victim was made to undergo an abortion at a clinic in Shahpura town after she became pregnant. "The girl was operated upon twice. No proper care was taken and because of lack of oxygen, her brain is damaged... It seems to be permanent damage," DS Meena, Superintendent of Jaipur's SMS Medical College, told NDTV.

According to reports the girl's parents were in the dark about the torture she had gone through until she revealed it to them after her condition worsened last week.

Screengrab

Police have arrested Jagat Gujjar, the teacher and the school's director, Jagdish Yadav in connection with the case. The duo sexually abused the girl multiple times after they made her to stay back in the pretext of extra class.
[February 19, 2020] Teslar Software Chooses William Mills Agency for Public Relations Services

William Mills Agency, an independent public relations and marketing firm specializing in the financial industry, has been chosen by Teslar Software for public relations services. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company is a provider of automated workflow and portfolio management tools to help community financial institutions thrive. After completing the Independent Community Bankers of America's (ICBA) ThinkTECH Accelerator program in Little Rock, Ark. and winning the Banker's Choice Award for Most Impactful Solution, Teslar received an investment from ICBA which brought its total seed capital raised to $2 million. The company was also recently selected as one of four companies to receive a grant from Association for Financial Technology (AFT). "Teslar is a great example of a company making strides in helping community banks compete with more efficient operations and better customer service. This market is ripe with innovation and the team at Teslar is making an impact that has been recognized by organizations such as ICBA and AFT," said Scott Mills, president, William Mills Agency. In addition to providing public relations services, WMA shared its marketing expertise with Teslar and developed an app iconfor the company's website and social media channels to reflect their messaging.



Joe Ehrhardt, CEO and founder of Teslar Software said, "William Mills Agency has the industry know-how and connections that bring fintechs to the next level, as we do for community banks. We're excited to work closely with WMA, as our relationship with them will enable us to bring Teslar into conversations with more community banks that are seeking enhanced efficiencies and a more competitive stake in the market." About?Teslar?Software?

Springdale, Ark.-based?Teslar?provides community financial institutions with automated workflow?and portfolio?management tools to streamline and improve?processes with easy access to relevant information needed to operate.?The?Teslar?platform integrates siloed systems, centralizes data and boosts efficiencies enterprise wide to optimize profits and make customer interactions more meaningful. Please visit www.teslarsoftware.com to learn more.? About William Mills Agency William Mills Agency is the nation's largest public relations and marketing firm serving the financial technology industry with an emphasis on fintech providers. The agency has established its reputation through the successful execution of media relations, marketing services and crisis communications programs. The company serves clients ranging in size from small start-ups to large, publicly-traded companies. For more information, please visit?www.williammills.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005671/en/

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Supplier News

19 February 2020

Samuel Braun, with three properties in Berlin, announced today that it is switching its core property management system (PMS) from a closed legacy system to apaleo, the most open, next-generation cloud-based PMS. The new system is already live in one property, about:berlin Hotel, with the intention to use in other properties.

about:berlin Hotel's lifestyle brand is meant to inspire a new breed of traveler - one that enjoys connecting with bright minds in a vibrantly designed lobby, one that wants to build memories of their journey, and one that is open to getting an insider view of the city. One thing was clear for about:berlin Hotel - catering to this new breed of traveler required an equally open, new breed of technology to keep up! After rethinking its digital journey and searching the market, about:berlin Hotel chose apaleo as its core technology.

"After working with Opera's legacy system for several years, Samuel Braun is excited to adapt to the next generation of guests," said Christoph Nuppenau of Samuel Braun. "With apaleo, about:berlin Hotel has removed obstacles like integration pains, long wait times, hidden interface fees which had held us back in the past, and we can now seamlessly connect new technology to best run the hotel. We are looking forward to taking apaleo live in other properties in the near future."

about:berlin Hotel connected several systems to apaleo's PMS with ease, including CRS, CRM, Booking.com Connect for distribution, Fairmas for revenue management, and Adyen to facilitate payments. With apaleo's API-first approach, all these systems work seamlessly together.

"Legacy systems have been holding hotel brands back for far too long. We built apaleo with the idea to remove all the pain points that hotels have with legacy systems and to allow hotels to move their technology into the future," said Philip von Ditfurth, co-founder of apaleo. "We are delighted to have partnered with Samuel Braun and their new concept about:berlin Hotel, and look forward to bringing it their other hotels - each with different concepts - live with apaleo and a custom set of apps to fit their business needs."

About about:berlin Hotel

At about:berlin Hotel you can feel at home with a good friend. The first thing you see when you step out of the elevator on the 5th floor is the heart of the hotel: the lobby - an open space for open minds. A relaxed living room where people from all over the world meet, connect and inspire each other. A vibrant space, created for extraordinary experiences and memories that last. With everything we do, we want to help you get the most out of your journey. We are your Berlin insider. We bring the city to you and take you to places you've never been before. Places to discover the most interesting food, the coolest music, the hottest nightlife, finest fitness and most inspiring art and culture in the city. about:berlin Hotel is a lifestyle hotel concept - inspired by Berlin and designed for you: A new breed of traveler! STAY INSPIRED.
Attorney General William Barr has reportedly said privately that he is considering resigning over President Trumps continued tweeting about Justice Department cases, three administration officials familiar with Barrs thinking told the Washington Post.

He has his limits, one person familiar with the situation told the Washington Post.

Rumors swirled about Barrs frustration after Trump refused to heed the attorney generals warning about the presidents public commentary on sensitive investigations.

I think its time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases, Barr said, adding that Trumps tweeting makes 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.

However, the president appeared to ignore Barrs complaints on Tuesday, when he again lashed out on Twitter about former special counsel Robert Muellers probe, which led to the arrest of his longtime associate, Roger Stone.

Everything having to do with this fraudulent investigation is badly tainted and, in my opinion, should be thrown out, Trump tweeted.

If I wasnt President, Id be suing everyone all over the place, he added. BUT MAYBE I STILL WILL. WITCH HUNT!

CNN and USA Today confirmed the Posts reporting but Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said in a tweet late Tuesday that the attorney general has no plans to resign.

Barr received flack last week for intervening in the case against Stone, with critics suggesting he was influenced by the White House to show Stone unwarranted leniency. After the president griped on Twitter that the prosecutors seven-to-nine-year sentencing recommendation for Stone was horrible and very unfair, his Justice Department submitted a revised filing stating that the lengthy sentence could be considered excessive and unwarranted.

Stone was convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the Houses investigation into the Trump campaigns connections to Russia. All four of the prosecutors who recommended Stones seven-to-nine-year sentence either resigned or quit the case after the DOJ intervened.

Story continues

Afterwards, more than 2,000 former DOJ employees signed a letter urging Barr to resign over the departments handling of the Stone case.

Trump agreed Tuesday with Barrs claim that his tweeting about ongoing DOJ cases makes the job of the attorney general more difficult.

I do make his job harder. I do agree with that. I think thats true, Trump said.

More from National Review
A doctor from Mumbai has sought help from the Indian government to get his mother's body back from China, which is hit by the coronavirus epidemic

Mumbai: A doctor from Mumbai has sought help from the Indian government to get his mother's body back from China, which is hit by the coronavirus epidemic. The body has been kept at the morgue of a hospital in Zhengzhou since 24 January, when Rita Rajinder Mehra died.

Dentist Puneet Mehra, 35, told PTI that the Embassy of India at Beijing informed him on Monday that the transportation of his mother's body has got delayed in view of the restrictions on movement of people and vehicles in China after the coronavirus epidemic in the neighbouring country.

The Bandra-based doctor has, thus, sought desperate help from the central government to get back his mother's body at the earliest so that her last rites can be performed with due respect.

According to the doctor, on 24 January, he and his mother were travelling from Melbourne to Mumbai via Beijing on Air China flight. After about nine hours of the flight take-off, his mother went to the lavatory. But, as she failed to return to her seat, Mehra alerted the crew. The lavatory door was later opened and Mehra's mother was found in an unconscious state, he said.

A doctor and a nurse, who were among the passengers, and the crew tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation and later the plane made an emergency landing at Zhengzhou Airport, but the woman died by then, he said. Puneet Mehra returned on 7 February, but his mother's body is still at the morgue of Henan Provincial Hospital in Zhengzhou.

The doctor has written to President Ram Nath Kovind, office of the External Affairs Ministry and the Ambassador of India in Beijing to help in getting back the body. "I have also written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and requested the government to facilitate the process of transportation of my mother's remains back to Mumbai at the earliest so that the last rites can be performed with due respect," Mehra said.

He said this situation has caused a lot of stress to him and my family. "It has been over 24 days now and we are extremely shattered and going through a lot of emotional stress in this helpless situation," he said.

He said the hospital in China initially issued a certificate mentioning the cause of his mother's demise as 'death before rescue'. After three days, the hospital gave Mehra another certificate mentioning the cause as "sudden cardiac death very likely". Later, another certificate was issued mentioning the cause as "sudden death", he said.

Mehra further said he got a reply from Arvind Kumar (Consular) at the Embassy of India in China, saying the embassy is also very concerned about the issue and has full sympathy with the family at this tragic time.

But, China is also facing an equally tragic situation. The outbreak of the new coronavirus epidemic has "completely derailed normal life" in China, particularly in Hubei and adjoining provinces, due to severity of the spread and number of deaths that have taken place so far, he said. In a bid to contain spread of the virus, the Chinese government has put up widespread and severe restrictions on the movement of people and vehicles.

This has resulted in hardest obstacles in inter-provincial movement of people and vehicles. Hence, there is a delay in transportation of the mortal remains of Rita Rajinder Mehra to India by the agency hired by Puneet Mehra, Kumar said in his reply. The consular also said that as per the existing regulations in China, funeral homes in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou only are authorised to carry out embalming and anti-sepsis procedures of mortal remains of a foreigner for air transportation.

As of now, the Chinese government has placed complete restrictions on the funeral homes from accepting a body from any place out of these three cities. It means these funeral homes can only deal with the body that pertains to the respective city, he mentioned.

Another major obstacle in transporting the mortal remains from the morgue of Zhengzhou to Beijing is severe restrictions on inter-provincial movements, he informed Mehra. "While it is going to be our earnest endeavour with the Chinese authorities to seek their indulgence in allowing the concession in the imposed regulations to allow the mortal remains to be transported to India, yet we cannot predict at this stage whether our pursuance would melt the Chinese authorities," Kumar said.

"However, we will try our hardest and hope as well as pray that we succeed. We will let you know any development or update in this regard the moment it comes to our notice," he told Mehra.
That's part of why we do it in the winter, why we do it overnight ... Those are the times that we should have enough shelter for everybody, Spoden said. And if you're out without shelter, that indicates a higher level of vulnerability. Those who we find, we're clearly not serving, either because we're not connecting well enough with them or we don't have enough space for them or whatever it might be.
Good morning.

(If you dont already get California Today by email, heres the sign-up.)

Recently, my colleagues Somini Sengupta and Chang W. Lee traveled to two very different cities, Manila and San Francisco, with one big thing in common: Theyve been forced to adapt to rising seas. They explored how in this expansive, beautiful and unsettling project.

We asked Somini to write about how the piece came together. Heres her dispatch:

Weve all read dire projections of how rising global temperatures are raising sea levels.

I wanted to better understand what that means for people in coastal cities right now. Not in the distant future, but right now. I chose sprawling, fast-growing Metropolitan Manila and the San Francisco Bay Area.

I grew up in California, though very far from the ocean, in the flat, inland suburb of Covina. Like many Californians, I thought living by the ocean would be dreamy, and until recently I had not really give much thought to the risks we have inherited by building right up to the waters edge. Houses, highways, sewer mains: Theyre now at risk. Saving them means building costly walls and barriers  or moving people and property out of harms way. Those are hard choices.

[Sign up for The Timess Climate Fwd: newsletter for all our coverage of climate change.]

Reporting this story sharpened three lessons for me. First, the hazards of the present are shaped by decisions of the past. According to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, more than 20,000 households and 13 miles of highway are at risk of permanent inundation with two feet of sea level rise.
Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg was recorded as recently as last year referring to transgender people as he, she, or it and some guy in a dress as he chided 2020 Democrats for focusing on transgender issues.

If your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress and whether he, she, or it can go to the locker room with their daughter, thats not a winning formula for most people, Bloomberg said on March 21, 2019 at a Bermuda Business Development Agency forum in Manhattan.

Bloomberg went on to argue that the Democratic Party has rapidly become more progressive and is now so far left that we are focusing on a lot of things that have little relevance to people.

And so you can understand where somebody like Trump comes from, Bloomberg said at the forum last year, which took place before he announced his presidential run. You can understand when you look at the Democratic Party, they are so far left that two years ago there was nobody on their side who would take these positions, and today virtually all the candidates for president of the Democratic Party are so progressive. I dont know what progressive means.

A spokesperson for Bloomberg said Tuesday that the former New York City mayor understands that the transgender community has been under attack for decades and the advance of rights has not been equal.

Mike is running to defeat Donald Trump and reverse the many policies he has implemented that attack the rights of the transgender community, the campaign representative said.

Three years before last years comments, Bloomberg made the point that voters in the Midwest are skeptical of transgender rights, such as being able to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify.

If you want to know if somebody is a good salesman, give him the job of going to the Midwest and picking a town and selling to that town the concept that some man wearing a dress should be in a locker room with their daughter, Bloomberg said in December, 2016 at an event at the University of Oxford in England.

Story continues

Bloomberg last month released his LGBT policy platform, which includes passing the Equality Act, ensuring health care for transgender individuals, and fighting violence against transgender women.

Two gay leaders in the fashion world, former Project Runway judge Tim Gunn and designer and television presenter Isaac Mizrahi, have endorsed Bloomberg and serve on the candidates National LGBTQ+ Leadership Council.

More from National Review
Authorities were searching Tuesday afternoon for a 76-year-old hiker who was reported missing in Marin County, officials said.

A search and rescue operation was underway around 3 p.m. near the Big Rock Ridge Trail, which is in the Lucas Valley Open Space Preserve near San Rafael, according to the Marin County Sheriffs Office.
As the early voting period began on Tuesday, the sheriffs race has taken an unexpected turn.

READ MORE: Congressional candidate claims censorship at WBCA air show in viral video

Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar criticized his chief opponent in the sheriff race for lying about being arrested in this weekends LMT 2020 Election Guide -- a charge which Ponce Coy Trevino attributes to a past mistaken arrest which has since been expunged.

On Tuesday evening, Priscilla La Gordiloca Villarreal posted to her thousands of followers on Facebook a statement she says is from Cuellar along with an alleged mugshot and police report from 1995. According to Villarreal, Cuellar said his opponent lied to LMT about being arrested and was a liar and a violent assailant.

He lied to the media. He lied to YOU. What else is he lying about? How can we trust someone who breaks the law (to) uphold the law? the post states.

In response, Trevino posted to his Facebook page that he would never deceive the families of Webb County. He later told LMT that he was arrested but it was a case of mistaken identity, he was cleared of all wrongdoing and the records were expunged.

Any person who has had their record expunged is not required to disclose that previous arrest. According to Nueces County online court records, Trevinos expungement case remains pending in court.

My career in law enforcement here in Webb County began in 2005 where I underwent a rigorous background check, he said. I would have never been able to obtain my Texas Peace Officers License had I been a criminal element.

That background had seemingly never been an issue while under Cuellars command prior to Trevino running for office. The sheriff said Wednesday to LMT that they didnt do backgrounds on Trevino because that background was done previous to me.

According to a document Trevino posted to his Facebook page, a letter from the Nueces County District Attorney allegedly states that Trevino was arrested for the offense of Assault by the Corpus Christi Police Department. This offense was No Charged by our office due to insufficient evidence.

READ MORE: Ethics violation report filed against Laredo councilman

Trevino stated on Facebook that he has an impeccable law enforcement record.

I stand by my achievements obtained under two administrations including the current administration, it reads.

On Wednesday morning, Cuellar doubled down on his criticism toward Trevino to LMT calling him a disgrace for law enforcement. He also reiterated that he felt he should have revealed the previous arrest even if it had been expunged.

He knew he was hiding this from the community, Cuellar said. As law enforcement officers, we take an oath and say that we would not lie. We have to say the truth. If Ponce Trevino was in court and he lied and they caught him lying, his career would be over.

He was caught on the simple question of, Have you ever been arrested? He tried to justify his means by saying, It was a mistaken identity; I had it expunged; I was never convicted. Its not saying that. The question is, Have you ever been arrested? And he lied.

Arrest

Trevino told LMT that the night of the alleged Aug. 4, 1995 incident there was a brawl inside a bar that resulted in a man that had been knocked to the ground unconscious.

When the barroom brawl goes down, I saw that everybody was fighting around him and they were trampling on him, Trevino said. I decided to pull the victim out, and I grabbed him and pulled him out.

According to Trevino, as he was walking the man out of the bar, he had the mans blood on his shirt. An officer then approached Trevino and accused him of being the one that assaulted the man.

Trevino said he was arrested and later transported to the Nueces County Jail where a family member posted his bond. Trevino said that on the day of his arraignment, They knew it was a case of mistaken identity, and they no charged it.

Trevino said he was never guilty and never convicted.

READ MORE: Off-duty Laredo officer found not guilty of assault of man in Austin sixth street bar district

He thinks he can bring it up and try to twist it and make it look like something Im not, he said.
Controversial contestant Victoria Fuller has been a central part of Peter Webers Bachelor season. Its clear the pilot is hooked on the medical sales representative, but their relationships been anything but smooth.

Peter Weber and Victoria F. | Francisco Roman via Getty Images

In the hometowns episode, Weber didnt get the chance to meet Victoria F.s family because they got into a heated argument. Webers ex, Merissa Pence, approached him during the date portion of Victoria F.s hometown and told him she knows the contestant and doesnt trust her.

The following day, Victoria F. showed up at Webers hotel room to tell him the ball was in his court (though didnt address what the pilots ex had said). As Bachelor Nation isnt soon to forget, Weber gave Victoria F. a rose and sent Kelsey Weier home.

Weber was recently interviewed by former bachelor Nick Viall on his podcast, The Viall Files (the interview went live just before hometowns aired), and they spoke about Victoria F.

Peter Weber finally figures Victoria F. out

Weber said it was tough for him to watch their Peru date back, watching her walk away. But he also said he eventually learns more about why Victoria F. is the way she is, and we will, too.

It was tough for me. Victoria F. was someone who ran hot a lot of the time. But I knew, deep down, there was a reason for that. And you guys will see that reason. And I knew that if I kept digging long enough Id kind of understand. So, yeah, Im happy I did, he said.

Nick Viall doesnt think Peter Weber picks Victoria F.

Viall weighed in on the controversial contestant and her communication skills.

I dont think Victoria F. seems to be good in the moment about processing her emotions. It takes her some time. What she seems like maybe is someone who has realized that about herself. I think they actually did her a favor by airingyou didnt really see her but you heard her saying itI dont know why I do this. He doesnt deserve this. I think they did her a favor by showing that because it at least showed a self-awareness, he said.

Viall continued: Im just guessing here, neither of them are ideal, but if the alternative of just getting up and removing yourself from the situation you dont know how to be poised in is to fight back and get defensive and potentially be mean, and Ive dated people like that, I think its a mature thing to know, I just need a moment. Do I think thats ideal and do I think thats what you like to see per say? No.

Ultimately, Viall predicts that Weber will not end up with Victoria F.

Before Webers interview ended, Viall asked the bachelor if there was anything hed like to add. There was. He wants Bachelor Nation to go a little easier on him and his contestants (including Victoria F.).

Try to spread some love. More love than hate. I know it probably gets said over and over again from leads and contestants, but no ones coming onto this type of environment to do bad or to do anyone dirty, he said. You know, people are lucky enough to get the opportunity to have an awesome experience and possibly go find love and theres a lot of hate out there that Im reading and comments, for not just me, for everyone, for a lot of the women involved, and I honestly dont think anyone deserves that.

Read more: The Bachelor Hometowns: That Wasnt Kelsey Weiers Family Home
Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes was charged with acting within the United States on behalf of a foreign government (Russia), without notifying the Attorney General, and conspiracy to do the same

Federal authorities have detained a Mexican doctor who was allegedly recruited by Russia to spy on a U.S. government officials in Florida.

A release from the Department of Justice's Office of Public Affairs states that Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes was charged with acting within the United States on behalf of a foreign government (Russia), without notifying the Attorney General, and conspiracy to do the same.

Court documents share that Fuentes was recruited by an unnamed Russian government officials in 2019 and instructed to rent a specific property in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Fuentes was told not to rent the apartment in his name and was also instructed not to tell his family of his meetings with the Russian official.

The Mexican citizen is said to have traveled to Russia to tell the official of the arrangements that were made, only to be told that he would meet again with the official when he made his return trip to the country.

Fuentes was recruited by an unnamed Russian government officials in 2019 and instructed to rent a specific property in Miami-Dade County, Florida

Fuentes would make his return trip to the country in February 2020, meeting with the official in Moscow. During the meeting, the official provided Fuentes with a physical description of a U.S. Government source's vehicle.

He was told to locate the vehicle and obtain its license plate number, while also noting where it was located. Fuentes was then told to meet the Russian official in April or May 2020.

Court documents also reveal that Fuentes traveled to Miami on February 13, from Mexico City. The next day, a rental car driven by Fuentes caught the attention of security where a U.S. government source resided.

The doctor made routine trips to Russia to meet with the official and get his next assignments

The security personnel noted that Fuentes' car had been tailing another vehicle to gain access to the premises. As the guard questioned Fuentes, a woman - who is legally married to Fuentes in Mexico - walked away from the car to go take pictures of the government source's license plate.

When asked why they were on the premises, Fuentes gave security a misleading name which prompted the individual to ask the pair to leave the area.

Fuentes and his travel companion arrived at the Miami International Airport on February 16, in hopes on making a flight back to Mexico City.

Fuentes' pretrial detention hearing is scheduled for February 21 at 10am while his arraignment is scheduled for March 3 at 10pm

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents inspected the phone that the travel companion had and discovered the photo in the 'recently deleted folder' on her phone.

Fuentes would eventually admit to tasking the woman with snapping the image. Authorities soon found a copy of the image in a WhatsApp exchange between Fuentes and the woman.

It was then that Fuentes then admitted to law enforcement that he was ordered by the Russian government official to carry out the operation.

Messages on Fuentes' phone revealed that the Russian official initiated and directed meetings.

Fuentes' pretrial detention hearing is scheduled for February 21 at 10am while his arraignment is scheduled for March 3 at 10pm.

According to website ESC 365 , Fuentes is a Mexican doctor who graduated with a master's degree in molecular biology from Kazan Federal University located in Kazan, Russia

According to website ESC 365, Fuentes is a Mexican doctor who graduated with a master's degree in molecular biology from Kazan Federal University located in Kazan, Russia.

Fuentes then obtained a PhD in 20212 at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Kazan Federal University before getting another at the Department of Biochemistry, Medical School, Justus-Liebig University Giessen in 2014.

As of August 2018, Fuentes was the head of the FEMSA Biotechnology Crentr of Tex de Monterrey, mexico.

He was tapped to be an assistant professor at SingHealth Duke-NUS in Singapore in October 2019.
A memo from Holden's head office to dealerships indicates they will slash prices on all cars by as much as $17,500 to clear stock ahead of the company's closure, according to reports.

Prices of new Trax SUVs and Astra hatchbacks will likely drop below $15,000 each, where Arcadia large SUVs and Colorado utes could be discounted by $17,500, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph





The discounts were expected to begin in March, with the mid-size Equinox to be cut by $10,000 and the Commodore, which was discontinued last year, to be reduced by $7500.

The Trax SUV will likely drop below $15,000 each after GM announced the collapse of the Holden brand

The discounts come after General Motors announced on Monday that the Holden brand will be discontinued after this year.

Dealers who spoke anonymously to Car Advice believe the discounts should help clear all remaining showroom models.

'It won't take long,' one car dealer said.

'I reckon everyone will be sold out of their Holden stock within weeks not months. No-one wants to hang onto them now, we want to get rid of them as quickly as possible or even put them on the used-car lot.'

The Holden Astra, which was discontinued last year, will also drop below $15,000

HOLDEN DISCOUNTS Holden Colorado Ute RRP: $47,180 Sale Price: $13,000 - $17,500 Holden Trax RRP: $23,990 Sale Price: $13,000 Holden Arcadia RRP: $43,490 Sale Price: $31,990 - $26,490 Holden Commodore RRP: $33,690+ (depending on model) Savings of up to $7500 Astra hatch and sedan RRP: $22,990 Sale Price: $14,490 Holden Equinox RRP: $27,990 Sale Price: $17,240 Source: Car Advice Advertisement

GM committed to providing compensation to Holden dealers to allow them to transition to other brands or close down.

While the discounts are good news for bargain hunters, or those seeking to buy a collectors' item, it could cause tension with those who had ordered a Holden at full price prior to the announcement.

Those buyers might be able to renegotiate prices, but one unnamed dealer told the publication that prices in orders are legally binding.

'If someone has ordered a car, a dealer can enforce it. After all, the dealer didn't do the wrong thing here.'

He also said many dealers would be unable to refuse the cash bonuses offered by GM.

'People have to put it all in perspective. Holden is saying this money has to cover any losses a dealer might have to wear on their used car stock, demonstration models or any trade-ins they've committed to.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted General Motors Holden for comment.

General Motors on Monday announced they were 'retiring' the iconic Australian brand by 2021.

General Motors on Monday announced they were 'retiring' the iconic Australian brand by 2021 after plunging domestic sales for Holden vehicles (stock)

It said servicing and parts would be available for a decade thereafter.

GM and Holden have pledged to work closely with all their workers offering generous redundancy packages to about 600 staff across Australia and New Zealand. Most will be gone by June.

'We are all hurting,' Holden interim Chairman and Managing Director Kristian Aquilina said in an open letter published in newspapers across the country on Tuesday.

The decision to close comes amid plunging domestic sales with demand for Holden vehicles down by almost 29 per cent to just 43,176 in 2019, in a total market down just eight per cent.

Holden vehicles sit at a dealership in Adelaide. On 17 February, General Motors announced that it would retire the Holden brand in both Australia and New Zealand

Car Advice have seen a confidential Holden bulletin which outlined the plans to 'move quite quickly'.

The Holden dealers would also be offered counselling alongside the compensation.

'We are concerned to ensure your personal and emotional wellbeing and will be making available counselling services should you require them,' part of the bulletin signed by Holden boss Kristian Aquilina said.
[February 19, 2020] QuintessenceLabs Secures Funding from In-Q-Tel

QuintessenceLabs, the leader in quantum-cybersecurity solutions, announced today that it secured an investment from In-Q-Tel (News - Alert), Inc. (IQT), the non-profit strategic investor that accelerates the development and delivery of cutting-edge technologies to the national security communities of the U.S. and its allies. This investment underscores the importance of quantum safe capabilities to support security communities in the US, UK and Australia. Australian-based QuintessenceLabs is a global leader in quantum cybersecurity recognized for its advanced quantum-safe data protection capabilities, including the world's fastest quantum random number generators, crypto-agile key management, data security policy enforcement, and second generation quantum key generation. The company has been widely recognized for its cybersecurity innovation, most recently through its selection as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and through the UK Department of International Trade Tech Rocketship awards. IQT's investment coincides with the release of QuintessenceLabs' qStream Plus Quantum (News - Alert) Entropy Appliance, integrating the power of high-speed quantum random number generation with entropy management software to ensure enterprise-level performance and security for applications requiring high-quality random numbers, also known as entropy. QuintessenceLabs founder and CEO, Dr Vikram Sharma said, "We are delighted to hav In-Q-Tel's backing, a valuable endorsement of QuintessenceLabs' quantum cybersecurity capabilities and their importance to the national security community. QuintessenceLabs' solutions offer a robust and powerful cybersecurity foundation for federal and defense agencies, and large enterprises - keeping them safe from today's cyber risks while preparing for the security challenge of quantum computers."



"QuintessenceLabs is successfully harnessing quantum physics to address hard security problems in both today's environment and in future environments that may well include a credible quantum computing threat," says Mike Ferrari, co-Managing Director of IQT Australia. About QuintessenceLabs | www.quintessencelabs.com

QuintessenceLabs is the global leader in quantum-enhanced cybersecurity solutions. We deliver unique products to deliver the strongest protection, integrating quantum technology with high-value security capabilities. These include the world's fastest commercial quantum random number generator, our crypto-agile key and policy manager, integrated encryption solutions, and second-generation quantum key distribution. These quantum-safe solutions help keep organisations secure today while building the strongest foundation for tomorrow's quantum computer security threat. The company is headquartered in Canberra, Australia. About In-Q-Tel, Inc. IQT delivers cutting-edge and critically needed technology capabilities that contribute to the national security of the United States and its allies. IQT achieves this through market and trend analyses, strategic investments, technology adaptation, and applied research. Founded in 1999 as the independent, not-for-profit strategic investor to the CIA, IQT's role and scope has since evolved, and IQT now partners with 10 U.S. government agencies. Its Sydney-based Australian subsidiary, IQT International Australia Ltd., collaborates with the Office of National Intelligence (www.oni.gov.au) on behalf of Australia's national intelligence community to support a partnership between the intelligence and national security communities of the U.S., UK, and Australia. Learn more at www.iqt.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005233/en/

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Sydney University vice-chancellor Michael Spence will step down in December to become head of the prestigious University College London, sparking an international hunt for his replacement.

Dr Spence has led the nation's oldest university for 12 years, presiding over its significant growth in size and influence, as well as a $1 billion philanthropy push.

Dr Michael Spence is departing Sydney University at the end of the year. Credit:Nick Moir

But his final year is likely to be the most challenging, as a ban on travel from China due to the coronavirus threatens to force thousands of the university's full fee-paying Chinese students to defer or seek other options.

University College London (UCL) is renowned for its research, especially in health. It was 15th in the Times Higher Education world university rankings, while Sydney University ranked 42nd.
The husband of a prison teacher exposed her affair with an inmate after finding 107 messages between the pair on a secret mobile phone SIM card, a court heard today.

Melissa Frost, 36, exchanged letters, phone calls and text messages with Darryl Young during their relationship at Wayland Prison near Thetford, Norfolk.

Her husband became suspicious that she was having an affair, possibly with a prison officer, and using a second mobile phone to contact her lover.

Norwich Crown Court heard how he searched their home and discovered the SIM card which he put into his own mobile phone, so he could read the messages sent and received by his wife.

Prison teacher Melissa Frost (left) pictured walking to Norwich Crown Court. She was jailed for four months after she admitted having a relationship with an inmate at Wayland Prison, Norfolk

Arsonist Darryl Young (pictured) who was serving a five year and four month sentence shared sexually explicit text messages and letters with Frost, which were found by her husband

The messages sent over two months in 2017 included expressions of 'loving and longing' between his wife and the inmate, saying how they were missing each other and hoping to be together soon, said prosecutor Martin Ivory.

Frost's husband immediately reported what he found to the prison's deputy governor who began an investigation in December 2017.

The mother-of-two made a 'full and frank confession' that she had been in a relationship with Young, 24, who set fire to the home of a mother and her two young daughters in a revenge attack.

Maidstone Crown Court heard how he carried out an arson attack on the home of young mother Scenty Lamb in Strood, Kent, on June 12, 2016.

He filled a can with 1.49 of fuel from a petrol station, poured it over the front door of her first floor flat and then set it ablaze in the early hours as she slept inside with her two daughters aged five and one.

She woke just after midnight to the sound of smoke detectors and saw smoke billowing under her front door.

When she opened her door, she saw flames in the porch area, which she bravely extinguished with pans of water.

Miss Lamb, her daughters and a friend staying overnight fled, and were unharmed but shaken. She was targeted by Young because she had allegedly been involved in a minor row with his girlfriend at the time.

Frost insisted that the pair had only indulged in kisses and cuddles, rather than full sexual activity.

Married Frost, 36, of North Walsham, Norfolk, (pictured on social media) admitted misconduct in a public office and wept in the dock as she was jailed for four months

Letters between them were recovered, along with evidence that he had called her from an official prison phone using his allocation of minutes for private calls, said Mr Ivory.

One of the letters was written in the names of Frost's two children, now aged five and seven, in which they thanked the inmate 'for making Mummy happy.'

The letters made clear that they were talking about having more sexual activity on the inmate's release from prison.

Mr Ivory said that Frost worked as a supply teacher at the prison on a zero hours contract, and had become friendly with the prisoner in July 2017, and they later began 'conversing.'

He added: 'Just to make things crystal clear, it is not the case that the prisoner was using an illicit phone. The contact was over the prison phone.

He added: 'She felt she was in love with him at that time, but she was not quite sure of her feelings for him at the time of the interview.

Frost's husband immediately reported what he found to the prison's deputy governor who began an investigation in December 2017

'She denied any sexual conduct, but was aware of her responsibilities for security being as she was a prison key holder. She had not discussed what was going on with any other prisoner or prison staff.

'At the time this was going on, there were difficulties in her private life.'

Frost of North Walsham, Norfolk, admitted misconduct in a public office and wept in the dock as she was jailed for four months.

Judge Stephen Holt told her: 'This sort of offending goes to the heart of the prison system. It opens up a prison to the danger of blackmail and contraband entering the prison system, which causes so much damage.

'I and most people have considerable sympathy for you, but this court has to give a clear message that anyone working in the prison system must expect an immediate custodial sentence for this type of offence.'

Judge Holt said he considered the letter from Frost's children to the prisoner was an aggravating factor in the case.

The court heard that Frost had now lost her career as a teacher, but had got a new job and was in a new relationship.

David Stewart, defending, said she had made full admissions and suffered stress, worry and sleepless nights while waiting for the case to come to court.

He added: 'There is no suggestion of illicit substances or items being brought into the prison which would compromise security. She was going through a rough patch at home with her former husband.

'But bearing in mind the animosity when they separated, he clearly thinks a lot of her, and speaks of her affectionately, and praises her mothering skills.

'You have to ask what the defendant has done. She had a relationship, but it was not of a sexual nature.'
A woman's body found in central Georgia has been identified as a college student last seen on Valentine's Day, authorities said Wednesday.

The Fort Valley Department of Public Safety said it received confirmation from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab that the body recovered Tuesday was that of Anitra Gunn.

The family of Gunn, 23, called police on Saturday because they had not heard from her in an 'unusual amount of time,' the Fort Valley Police Department said. Gunn attended Fort Valley State University, about 35 miles south of Macon.

Police said a woman's body was recovered Tuesday night near the Peach and Crawford county line.

Her car was found Saturday with a torn bumper near her apartment, and police said they wanted to speak to anyone who had the bumper. Police found the bumper near her body about 150 yards off a road and authorities said it looked as though someone had tried to hide the body with leaves and branches, CNN affiliate WSB reported.

Tuesday evening, Fort Valley police said they arrested DeMarcus Little, 23, for criminal damage to property belonging to Gunn in an incident on February 5. Her apartment windows were smashed and her vehicle tires slashed, police said, adding that more charges may be filed.

Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese said Little was Gunn's boyfriend, WSB reported. The station said she was from south Fulton County in metro Atlanta.

Before police confirmed the identity of the body, the university issued a statement saying Gunn was a senior majoring in agriculture.

'We, like many of you, are deeply saddened by these reports,' the statement said. 'We ask for the public's continued thoughts and prayers for her family, friends and other loved ones.'
" " There are 14 states plus American Samoa holding primaries on 2020 Super Tuesday. HowStuffWorks

It's the second-most important Tuesday in the American political process, after the general election. We're talking about Super Tuesday. And in the 2020 election, 14 states will hold primaries and American Samoa its caucus to determine their candidate for president.

The 2020 primary is also the first time Californians will vote on Super Tuesday, which means that the two most populous states  Texas and California  are included. Together these 14 states and American Samoa will select 1,345 delegates, or 34 percent of all Democratic convention delegates. Compare that to the first four states (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina) with a combined total of 155 delegates and you can see why Super Tuesday (March 3, 2020) is critical to the candidates.

While Super Tuesday is political tradition now, it wasn't always. So, when did it become such an important day in politics and what makes Super Tuesday, well, so super?

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History of Super Tuesday

The first Super Tuesday as we know it was in 1988, when 20 states  mostly Southern  held primaries on Tuesday, March 8. Southern Democratic governors worked with the Democratic National Committee to reassert the importance of the South's role in choosing the party's nominee. They had grown discouraged that the South had become insignificant in national elections.

"The motivation was two-fold: By creating a block of Southern states, those states hoped to increase their nominating power relative to the rest of the country. But the rest of the country was also seen as more liberal, too liberal for those Southern states," Christopher Beem, associate research professor and managing director at the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State University, explains via email. "By increasing their influence, and by putting that influence early in the election process, the organizers hoped to make it more likely that the Democratic Party would nominate someone who was more moderate."

Walter Mondale had already lost by a huge margin in 1984, and the Democratic Leadership Council  a moderate group within the Democratic Party  wanted to block the path of Michael Dukakis, who embraced the liberal label in 1988, Beem says.

"Many of those moderate candidates were from the South, e.g., Senator Sam Nunn from Georgia and Dick Gephardt from Missouri, and their Southern roots also made it more likely that they could win Southern states. Plus, the party was worried about losing Southern states to the Republicans (a worry that has now come to pass) and they thought that a Southern candidate would have a better chance to win those states and thereby the election," Beem says. "It didn't work in '88. However, [Bill] Clinton won in '92 as a moderate Southerner, so it is not right to say that the strategy was a complete failure."

Because the strategy didn't quite work in 1988, many Southern states left the Super Tuesday primary, but other states have entered and exited since then. The largest Super Tuesday was in 2008, when half of the total number of Democratic delegates was up for grabs as 24 states primaried and caucused. The Republicans party had 21 states in the 2008 Super Tuesday.

" " Supporters hold signs at a town hall with Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren in Los Angeles. This is the first time California will be part of Super Tuesday. Mario Tama/Getty Images

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Campaign Strategies on Super Tuesday

Why states join Super Tuesday is simple. "The incentive for any state to become part of Super Tuesday is the same: to have some influence in the election process by getting in early," Beem says. "Many states also look jealously at the money that Iowa and New Hampshire bring in by getting so much political and media attention, and by being part of Super Tuesday, states hope that they are raising the prospect that their state will matter in the selection process and that they might get some revenue as a result.

"More often than not, by late April-early May, the primary election becomes more of a coronation tour, and at that point there is not a lot of media or partisan interest."

Tradition and law dictate that Iowa and New Hampshire are the first states to vote in the primaries. In 2008 the Democratic Party added Nevada and South Carolina up front, in hopes of including racially and ethnically diverse electorates. The rest of the states and territories can choose when to primary and caucus, as long as the date falls within a time frame set by the party, which varies by election year. The 2020 window runs until the second week of June. But by Super Tuesday, everything about campaigning changes. The candidates spend tons of time in those first four states at campaign stops and meet-and-greets with voters talking about issues that matter to them. It's what's known as "retail" politics  touching on issues of local importance rather than the issues that might win the general election.

This style of campaigning is only possible in those first four states. That all ends at Super Tuesday because there are simply too many states. So, the strategy changes from retail politicking to delegate seeking. And that often leaves voters in states that primary after Super Tuesday feeling disenfranchised because Super Tuesday has the potential to determine a party's nominee early in the race. (Hence the ebb and flow of states participating in Super Tuesday.)

Despite all of this, states still choose not to participate in the Super Tuesday primary for various reasons, including an overcrowded field (as was the case after 2008) but also for reasons like smaller state budgets and even economic downturns. Small states with few delegates still might be ignored by the candidates, Beem says. Plus, moving the primary earlier usually is only of interest to one party each election because there is usually an incumbent on the ballot. There are also local elections to consider, as well.

But frontloading the primary vote can have its advantages, not so much for the candidates, but for their party. For instance, Beem says Super Tuesday voting can identify one nominee as having unstoppable momentum, which gives his or her party time to unite and concentrate its fundraising efforts on the general election. "The candidate and down ticket candidates have the chance to solidify and hone their messages," he says. "All of these can be very good things."

" " Democratic presidential candidate former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg delivered remarks during a campaign rally in Nashville, Tennessee. Bloomberg could be the Super Tuesday wildcard on March 3, 2020. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

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Super Tuesday 2020

With a third of the delegates up for grabs on one single day, Super Tuesday could seal the deal for a candidate who's leading the race in a tight field. Of course, the 2020 Democratic field is crowded and as of presstime there are still five or six viable candidates, so expect it to be different. "The entry of California in Super Tuesday will have a big impact," Beem says. "It is so big with so many delegates that it will take up most of the attention and money. And now that [Sen.] Kamala Harris, [D-CA] is no longer running, that race is wide open."

With so many delegates at stake in the 2020 Super Tuesday, the remaining primaries could be seen as less important. This is especially true if a clear victor emerges and garners nearly enough delegates to carry the party's nomination. On the flipside, it could signal the end of the campaign for candidates that don't do well in the crowded 2020 Democratic primary. A candidate with a poor showing on Super Tuesday might feel pressure from the party to drop out. But Beem says he's not so sure that will be the case this year.

"If the overall numbers are close, within a single digit percentage of each other, none of them will drop out. If that happens and [Sen.] Bernie [Sanders, I-VT] continues to draw 25 percent, it will be difficult for anyone to catch him," Beem says. "Of course, it is possible that the more moderate in the party will coalesce around one or two candidates and thus there would be three or four candidates going forward. Given the diversity of states and demographics, I find it unlikely that any one candidate or even two will clean up and therefore I do not expect that Super Tuesday will effectively end [any one] campaign."

The wildcard in this year's Super Tuesday could just be Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg. He officially skipped the primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, choosing to focus instead on the Super Tuesday states and those beyond. What his impact will be, though, is hard to know. "His entering the campaign at such a late date, and spending so much money, make it almost impossible to predict," Beem says. "Bloomberg is spending an unbelievable amount of money in those Super Tuesday states. That much money will have an impact. But it is so untraditional that I don't think anybody can be confident about how much of one."

Now That's Interesting In 2004, five states held primaries and two held caucuses on Feb. 3, to try to up their importance in the election results. The day was dubbed Mini-Tuesday, or Super Tuesday I, by political pundits because the traditional Super Tuesday was held a month later on March 2.
Sterlite Technologies (STL) on Wednesday said it has bagged orders worth Rs 1,500 crore in the New Year. These orders ranged from continued business development in optical connectivity solutions and network services to emerging areas such as software virtualisation, the company said in a regulatory filing.

The company has won multi-year multi-million dollar contracts from major European telecom players. It has also bagged projects in Middle East, Africa and South East Asia for solutions related to standard billing, digital engagement and AI based monetisation. The company, however, did not reveal the details of the contract.

"In early 2020, network creation capital expenditure has been accelerated by major European, Middle East, Africa and South East Asian network creators. As STL has strategically invested in these markets it has disproportionately benefited by this acceleration, driving over 65 per cent of connectivity revenues from these international geographies," the digital technology company said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

In India, the rural broadband projects are moving to the next phase of digital infrastructure, especially in states like Telangana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The company said it has been benefitted by this trend of fast deployment.

"STL has been building local expertise of deployment to bolster its technology led design process in key states of Central India," it said.

According to STL, more states are expected to accelerate their plans, especially given the enhanced budget outlay of Rs 6,000 crores for BharatNet, also known as Bharat Broadband Network.

BharatNet is a telecom infrastructure provider, set up by the central government, for the establishment of the National Optical Fibre Network to provide broadband connectivity to all 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country to improve telecommunications in India and achieve the goal of Digital India.

Commenting on the development, Anand Agarwal, Group CEO, STL said "We have been focused on creating solutions for our customers that overcome their end-to-end problem statements -rather than just delivering some components. This has taken significant investment in technology and talent."

"We are pleased to see that our customers across telcos, cloud companies, citizen network and large enterprises are realising the value in holistic solutions -a trend that is reaffirming our value add as end-to-end data networks innovator," Agarwal added.

Ahead of the announcement, shares of Sterlite Technologies closed Wednesday's trade at Rs 111 apiece, up 1.69 per cent, on the BSE.

By Chitranjan Kumar

Also Read: Mukesh Ambani is restructuring Reliance Industries-little by little

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Cabinet members, including Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun in the front row, look upset as Rep. Shim Jae-cheol, the floor leader of the main opposition United Future Party, delivers a speech critical of the Moon Jae-in administration, during an extraordinary session of the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. He said the last three years under the Moon administration were a disaster, calling on people to judge the current government at the April 15 general election. / Yonhap
 Close Buttigeig slams Trump and Limbaugh over family values

The six leading Democratic presidential candidates have have sparred on stage in Las Vegas last presidential primary debate before the Nevada caucuses, marking the most heated clash yet in the primary season

Finally joining the candidates who have been vying for a shot at unseating Donald Trump in the key early voting states is Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire White House hopeful who has gotten under the presidents skin in recent weeks thanks to a heavily-funded advertising spree. Mr Trump attacked the former New York City mayor as a pathetic debater ahead of tonights event, to which Mr Bloomberg replied: Impeached president says what?

But Mr Bloomberg's fellow Democrats all saw him as an apparent obvious target, and repeatedly attacked him for his wealth, and his decision to bankroll his own campaign and to skip the first few nominating states altogether (including Nevada).

Enjoying his status as front-runner, Bernie Sanders steered through the night with relatively few attacks on his campaign, and reliably stuck to his general message arguing against billionaires  including Mr Bloomberg.

It was Elizabeth Warren who may have stolen the show, though, with a heated attack on Mr Bloomberg early on for his use of NDAs in his business, which he refused to pull from women who might have accusations to be made against him.

Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Show all 18 1 /18 Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Jessica Canicosa, a precinct captain for Bernie Sanders, waits to greet caucus voters at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Hotel workers at the Bellagio in Las Vegas get to grips with voting papers during the Nevada caucuses AFP via Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A caricature of Bernie Sanders is projected on to a tree during a rally in Las Vegas EPA Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A woman waits to have a photo taken with Elizabeth Warren during a town hall meeting in Las Vegas REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures The threat of coronavirus and other germ-borne illnesses was on some voters' minds at the Democratic caucuses in Henderson, Nevada Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Former vice-president Joe Biden takes a selfie with a voter in Las Vegas ahead of the Nevada caucuses REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Amy Klobuchar changes her shoes backstage after giving a speech in Exeter, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A warmly-wrapped-up dog attends an Elizabeth Warren event at Amherst Elementary School in Nashua, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Bernie Sanders, who romped to victory in New Hampshire against Hillary Clinton in 2016, talks to the media in Manchester Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden was hoping to improve on his poor showing in Iowa in the New Hampshire primary Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren, renowned for giving time to supporters for selfies, works the crowd at the University of New Hampshire in Durham Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden takes a selfie with a supporter and his child outside a campaign event in Somersworth, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders quarrel after a confrontation in a TV debate in which Sanders claimed that Warren was not telling the truth about a conversation in which she claimed he had said a woman could not win the presidency on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Supporter Pat Provencher listens to Pete Buttigieg in Laconia, New Hampshire on 4 February Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire while awaiting the results of the Iowa caucus Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren is presented with a balloon effigy of herself at a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A Trump supporter rides past a rally for Amy Klobuchar in Des Moines, Iowa on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A man holds up a sign criticising billionaires in the presidential race in front of Michael Bloomberg in Compton, Califronia. The former New York mayor skipped the first caucus in Iowa and instead campaigned in California on 3 February Reuters

The president wasnt the only one lobbing attacks against Mr Bloomberg before the debate, either: as the Democrats prepared to spar, Ms Warren warned the billionaire she would use the debate to show how she handles an egomaniac billionaire", along with several other candidates who said they would take on the former mayor.

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Faced with rows of inaccessible shops and cafes, a German wheelchair user has devised a low-tech high-fun solution by building her own ramps made of Lego.

Rita Ebel was left in a wheelchair after a car accident 25 years ago and found getting in and out of shops around the German town of Hanau very difficult.

She has even been given the nicknamed 'Lego grandma' by other residents in her hometown.

Ebel started building the ramps almost a year ago to raise awareness for disabled people in Hanau.

Now dozens of stores use the ramps to help ease the entry of other wheelchair users.

Rita Ebel, nicknamed 'Lego grandma', testing out one of her wheelchair ramps built from donated Lego bricks in Hanau, Germany, on Monday

Ebel started to build the ramps almost one year ago to raise awareness for disabled people in her hometown of Hanau

Helped by her husband, the 62-year-old grandmother often spends two to three hours a day building the made-to-order ramps which contain several hundred of the small plastic bricks stuck together with up to eight tubes of glue.

'For me it is just about trying to sensitise the world a little bit to barrier-free travel,' Ebel said.

'Anyone could suddenly end up in a situation that puts them in a wheelchair, like it did me,' she added.

The bright colours of the Lego ramps stand out in town centres, Ebel said.

'Nobody just walks past a Lego ramp without taking a look. Whether it's children who try to get the bricks out or adults who take out their mobile phones to take pictures,' she said.

Ebel building a wheelchair ramp from donated Lego bricks in the living room of her flat in Hanau on Monday

Dozens of stores in her hometown of Hanau now use the ramps to ease the entry for wheelchair users

Local businesses are also enthusiastic about helping her by using the homemade ramps.

Malika El Harti, who got a ramp for her hair salon, said: 'It's a brilliant idea. Everyone who walks past is happy about the ramps. Finally you can see from afar that you can get in here without any problems.'

Reliant on donations, the biggest challenge is getting hold of bricks, said Eber, as many families can't bear to part with them.

The idea is even catching on abroad. Eber, who also has a part-time job, has sent ramp building instructions to Austria and Switzerland and there is interest from Spain and a school in the United States.
You cannot say pop and forget the smoke. Photo: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images

Up-and-coming rapper and leader in the Brooklyn drill movement, Pop Smoke, was killed Wednesday morning, his record label confirmed to the New York Times. The rapper, born Bashar Jackson, was in a Hollywood Hills home owned by Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave and her husband around 4:30 a.m. when an unknown number of men reportedly wearing masks and hoodies broke into the house. Per the Times, the men shot and critically wounded Pop Smoke. He was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead a few hours later, according to a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department. The suspects have not been caught or identified. Its unclear if Pop Smoke knew who they were. He was 20 years old.

We are devastated by the unexpected and tragic loss of Pop Smoke, Joseph Carozza, an executive vice-president at Republic Records, said. Our prayers and thoughts go out to his family, friends, and fans as we mourn this loss together.

Teddi Mellencamp extended her condolences on Instagram, confirming that the incident took place at her home. Early this am we were informed by a 3rd party leasing and management company overseeing a rental home we own in Los Angeles that a shooting had taken place at the property, she wrote in the caption. Foremost, we would like to extend our prayers and condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragic loss of life.

Pop Smokes hit Welcome to the Party, from his debut album Meet the Woo, achieved major success and was remixed twice with Nicki Minaj and grime artist Skepta. The Canarsie, Brooklyn native was one of the rappers on the forefront of the Brooklyn drill movement, a new version of the Chicago and London drill styles that came before it. His collaborations with U.K.-based producer 808Melo have earned praise from Nicki Minaj, Rico Nasty, and many more. Love from his collaborators, fans, and friends has already starting pouring in on social media.

We was in the lab last night comparing Pop Smoke to 50 when he came out. #RIP   Skinny Suge (@FreddieGibbs) February 19, 2020

R.I.P to my man Pop Smoke, No sympathy for winners. God bless him pic.twitter.com/5ZFa5ILUzl  50cent (@50cent) February 19, 2020

Dude.. Pop Smokes last tweet was 2 hours ago and now everyones saying RIP... smh   Justine Skye (@JustineSkye) February 19, 2020

Rip Pop Smoke ppl dont value life bruh they take so much for granted hope they catch them prayers to his family and friends and fans this is crazy  Big Freedia (@bigfreedia) February 19, 2020

Damn this so shit fuckin wack. You made the whole city proud. RIP Pop Smoke  Bas (@Bas) February 19, 2020

Pop Smokes childhood friend, who was photographed with the rapper hours before his death, has spoken out on Instagram denying any foul play on his part. Mike Dee writes, YALL DONT KNO WHATS GOING ON YALL COME ON HERE PLAYING INVESTIGATOR AND BASHING ME ON THE INTERNET, I WOULD NEVER IN MY LIFE SET MY BROTHER UP  JUST KNO I GOT YOU FOREVER BROTHER THE TRUTH WILL COME TO LIGHT UNTIL THEN SLEEP IN PEACE. His defense refers to an Instagram photo with Pop Smoke taken outside of the Mellencamp residence in which the house number is partially visible; Dee has since deleted that and all other Instagram posts. Speculation that Pop Smokes murder was the result of a setup has not been confirmed.

This is a breaking news post and will be updated accordingly.
Gomez: As a writer, my plays come out with a lot of urgency and theyre usually informed by trauma  mostly mine or that of my environment or my community. A lot of my writing is in service of Mexican women in particular, which is why the book spoke to me so profoundly and I hope to only be a vessel in that way. When I think about how present Mexican women were in my life and to see a lack of their presence in theater, TV and in film, its unsettling in really, really deep ways. When it comes to this play, so many friends have reached out to me saying they have organized an unofficial Latina mother and daughter night where like 80 moms and daughters are coming to see this because of how the book has spoken to them.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 10:28:58|Editor: huaxia

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BERLIN, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Borussia Dortmund has signed a four-year contract with Emre Can after activating the purchase option, the Bundesliga side confirmed on Tuesday.

Can moved to Juventus as a free agent from Liverpool in 2018 before joining BVB on loan in January with an option to buy for 25 million euros, which would become obligatory under certain circumstances.

The German midfielder has scored one goal in four appearances for Dortmund.
Guatemala said on Wednesday it will ask the United States to extradite former anti-corruption prosecutor Thelma Aldana, who fled to the US last year after a warrant was issued for her arrest over graft. Aldana was accused in March 2019 of the irregular purchase of a building for the public prosecutor and the creation of fake jobs during her tenure as prosecutor from 2014-18. She's denied the accusations and claims they were aimed at punishing her for fighting graft in the Central American country. Aldana won the Swedish Rights Livelihood Prize in 2018 for her work against corruption and abuse of power. Internal affairs prosecutor Marlon Pacheco told reporters that the "relevant and necessary steps" had been taken to submit a request to the US. Aldana left Guatemala for El Salvador after the accusations, which also forced her to abandon a run for president. She subsequently traveled to the US, Pacheco said. In 2017, Aldana allegedly approved the purchase of a building for around 10 percent more than its true value, according to investigators. Aldana says the accusations have been fabricated against her by the "system" as retribution for her collaboration with the UN's International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). The UN body's 12-year mission came to an end in September when then-president Jimmy Morales closed it down after being angered by its calls for his immunity to be lifted so he could be investigated over alleged illegal campaign funding. For his election in 2014, Morales had run on an anti-corruption platform. Following the extradition request, Aldana accused Attorney General Consuelo Porras of being "sent by the mafia for revenge." Guatemala's former anti-corruption prosecutor Thelma Aldana, pictured in 2010, has been awarded a Swedish rights prize for her fight against corruption in the Central American country
Armed assailants kill 22 villagers, including 14 children, in Cameroon: UN

Iran Press TV

Monday, 17 February 2020 9:39 AM

Armed men have killed 22 villagers, including over a dozen children, in the anglophone region of Cameroon, the United Nations says.

James Nunan, a local official of humanitarian coordination agency OCHA, said on Sunday that the attackers had massacred the villagers in Ntumbo in the restive northwest region of the country on Friday.

"Up to 22 civilians were killed, including a pregnant woman and several children," said Nunan, adding that 14 children  including nine under age five  were among those killed.

Eleven of the children were girls, said Nunan, who is head of OCHA's office for the Northwest and Southwest regions, which are home to the West African country's English-speaking minority.

Opposition forces linked to the separatists in the region, who have been fighting the central government for three years, claimed the army was behind the massacre of the villagers.

The Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon  one of the country's two main opposition parties  issued a statement, saying "the dictatorial regime (and) the supreme head of the security and defense forces are chiefly responsible for these crimes."

A key figure in the separatist movement, lawyer Agbor Mballa, in a Facebook post also accused "state defense forces" of carrying out the killings.

An army official contacted by AFP early Sunday denied the allegations.

The government has allegedly failed to give enough autonomy to the English-speaking population in the separatist regions, according to the opposition forces.

The conflict has claimed more than 3,000 lives and forced more than 700,000 people to flee their homes.

Cameroon's English-speaking minority make up about 20 percent of the population of the French-speaking country.

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Handwriting predicts homes design

LONDON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Award winning international interior designer, Nikki Bisiker, has joined forces with Emma Bache, a leading professional graphologist (hand-writing analyst) who recently published her book 'Reading Between the Lines'. Together they are to develop a fun yet revealing way to help clients understand their personality and therefore shed insight on their home lifestyle and design preferences.

A person's handwriting is as unique as a fingerprint and is ultimately controlled by the brain. Each time we write we are capturing a projection of our typical behaviours, emotions, habits and health. This age-old science will help reveal personality traits that are important to understand when designing personal living spaces.

Says Bisiker, "My ethos is to create homes that are personal and unique to the owner. Every client comes with their own practical and creative wishes so my personal style doesn't really enter into the designs. It's important to understand a client's lifestyle, likes, dislikes and emotional needs. Although I am creating an interesting backdrop as the base to their canvas, it is the client's personality that must find its expression and joy in the finished home."

Says Bache, "Our handwriting exposes how we interact with the world and the people around us, and also how we cope with stress and express emotions. It can help us make choices for our future, showing us what our desires are, and even what jobs, homes and partners may suit us best. This new collaboration will appeal to those who want to better understand themselves and how to best design the dream home in which to live."

Easy to manage, all Bisiker and Bache require is approximately four lines of handwriting - either a scan, photograph or hardcopy, ideally signed as well. And since Nikki's clients are located internationally this service is both easy to access as well as fun and enlightening. To request this service as part of an interior design project please email Nikki Bisiker at: nb@nikkibisikerinteriordesign.com. As this is a bespoke service, costs are quoted based on how detailed the handwriting analysis will be.

Editors Notes:

About Nikki Bisiker: The Head Designer and owner of Nikki Bisiker Interior Design, established in 2004. Nikki's award-winning practice is head-quartered in Dubai and provides design services from conception to installation for clients based in the Middle East and around the world. Nikki's passion for creating beautiful homes began at a young age and now, with over 30 years' experience, she heads a professional roster of architects, interior designers and an extended network of highly skilled craftsmen, suppliers and contractors. Her ethos is to create homes that are unique and personal to their owners. Definitely not formula or ego driven, but with a wealth of strategic thought processes within a structural framework, and a focus on creative, yet habitable style statements. Winner of many awards (Arabian Property Award 2016-17, Design et al Design & Architecture Awards 2015 and shortlisted for Designer of the Decade Award in UK ) she has designed a wide range of interiors from royal palaces, luxury homes and yachts to hotels and restaurants.

www.nikkibisikerinteriordesign.com

About Emma Bache: The UK's leading handwriting expert, Emma has worked as a graphologist since 1989, analysing handwriting in both the Corporate and private sectors. With additional qualifications in Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy, Emma has helped to solve cases of fraud for both private individuals and the corporate world, giving a valuable insight into the criminal mind. She has had her own columns in The Times and the Financial Times and has written for other major publications such as the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian and Cosmopolitan. She has made frequent TV and Radio appearances, including GMTV's This Morning, BBC's History Hunter and Radio 4's Today Programme.

www.emmabache.com

About Graphology: Graphology (the science of handwriting analysis) has been practiced for over two thousand years. Today it is used by companies and individuals looking to discover personality traits. It offers a forensic summary of personality. Every aspect of writing - the height of an 'h', the curliness of a 'g', the spacing of the words, slant of the lines - is a collection of signals that we are giving out without meaning to. The way we write can tell us a huge amount; sometimes more than the things we write about. It can divulge personality traits from timidity to ambition, from desire to please - to need to control. In fact, so revealing is your writing that in Japan all CVs are still written by hand.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1075785/Handwriting_Interior_Design.jpg

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1088254/Nikki_Bisiker_Design.jpg
"Serving in the military changes you. The shades and degrees of change vary for everyone, but no one is ever the same as...
Turkish official condemns Macron over Islamophobic remark

French President has earlier said that he will stop the practice of bringing in Muslim preachers from foreign countries.

Turkey's parliament speaker on Wednesday slammed French President Emmanuel Macron's Islamophobic remarks.

"FRANCE SHOULD CONFRONT ITS RACIST HISTORY"

"Macron's remarks on struggling with Islamic separatism are example of crude Islamophobia," Mustafa Sentop said in a tweet. "France should first confront its racist and massacrist history," he said, referring to its colonialist past.

Sentop's remarks came after Macron said he will end the system in which foreign countries send Muslim preachers to France -- in a crackdown on what he called "separatism".





He said the government has asked the country's Muslim body to train preachers in France and in the French language to prevent the spread of what he called political Islam.
Students in New Lisbon schools will have a spring break in the 2020-2021 school year for the first time in over 10 years.

The New Lisbon Board of Education approved the 2020-2021 school year calendar at a meeting Feb. 10. Students will receive a four day spring break from Mar. 29 through April 1, with students also having off April 2 for Good Friday.

Its been decades since weve had a spring break, said New Lisbon Superintendent Dennis Birr. With so many kids going on the music trip with band and choir lets try it this once, and if it works out, three years in our future, well try again, and if it doesnt we dont.

Students in the district participating in high school band and choir take an extended music trip once every three years. Birr said there are a significant number of students likely to participate in the trip, which makes it inefficient to have classes during a period when those students will need to make up the missed class work.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 15:10:26|Editor: huaxia

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LHASA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region called on citizens not to hold or participate in group activities during the Tibetan New Year, which falls on Feb. 24.

The city of Shannan in the region posted an initiative on its official account on WeChat, a popular Chinese social media platform, calling on its citizens not to visit relatives or friends, nor to hold gatherings during the Tibetan New Year.

The district-level governments under the administration of Lhasa suspended gathering activities during the festival.

Lhasa has set up 157 direct selling stores and vehicles for the convenience of citizens buying daily necessities during the festival.

"We decided not to visit relatives or friends nor to gather for dinner during the festival," said Migmar Trinley, a resident in the city.

The Tibetan New Year is a traditional festival of the Tibetan ethnic minority.

The only patient infected with the novel coronavirus in Tibet was discharged from hospital after an 18-day treatment on Feb. 12.
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In-depth method comparison by Dutch group shows that sphingotec's proprietary kidney function biomarker penKid(R) is currently the most accurate surrogate marker for true glomerular filtration rate in patients with renal impairmentData by PRONOBURNS group show that penKid(R) accurately predicts acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with burns, adding benefit on top of standard testingSince January 2020, an automated CE-marked IVD penKid(R) assay developed for sphingotec's proprietary point-of-care platform Nexus IB10 is available for use in critical care settingsHENNIGSDORF and BERLIN, GERMANY / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / Diagnostics company SphingoTec GmbH ("sphingotec", Hennigsdorf Germany) today announced the publication of two studies demonstrating that its kidney function biomarker Proenkephalin (penKid(R)) is the most accurate surrogate for assessing true glomerular filtration rate (true GFR) and is reliably predictive for acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with severe burns. Although AKI is a major complication in critically ill patients, current diagnostic standard methods do not properly and timely diagnose impaired renal function. The two recently published studies add to the rapidly growing body of evidence suggesting that penKid(R) can address this highly unmet diagnostic need.In Shock1, a team headed by Prof. Peter Pickkers from Radboud UMC (Nijmegen, The Netherlands) confirmed by in-depth diagnostic method comparison in patients with impaired kidney function that penKid(R) levels properly reflect kidney function. While today's standard of care uses estimations of the glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) to assess renal impairment, the current study shows that these methods overestimate true GFR with over 30%. The published findings demonstrate that penKid(R) can add value by properly reflecting true GFR that can otherwise only be measured using in vivo clearance of iohexol, an invasive method too laborious and time-consuming for clinical routine use.Another study published in the Journal of Burns2 reports for the first time that high penKid(R) plasma levels at admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) were associated with the risk for developing AKI in patients with severe burns, where mortality rates range from 30-70%.The new data suggest, that the current renal function- and AKI standard markers should be complemented with penKid(R) values for accurately quantifying the kidney function in critically ill patients. Dr . Andreas Bergmann, CEO of sphingotec, commented: "penKid(R) is an early renal function biomarker that is not biased by co-morbidities while reflecting true GFR. penKid(R) has been tested for the first time to identify ICU patients with severe burns that need rapid and aggressive intervention to prevent mortality caused by AKI." To support timely treatment decisions that are likely to improve patient management in critical care patients, sphingotec launched a fully automated CE-IVD-marked penKid(R) assay on its Nexus IB10 platform in January 2020. This new test complements a wide-range of assays for acute care settings that are already available on this widely used point-of-care platform that can be flexibly deployed in near-patient as well as laboratory settings.Beunders, R. et al., Proenkephalin compared to conventional methods to assess kidney function in critically ill sepsis patients, Shock,, doi:10.1097/ SHK.0001510 Depret, F. et al, PenKid measurement at admission is associated with outcome in severely ill burn patients, J.Burns, doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2020.01.002 About sphingotecSphingoTec GmbH ("sphingotec"; Hennigsdorf near Berlin, Germany) develops and markets innovative in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests for novel and proprietary biomarkers for the diagnosis, prediction and monitoring of acute medical conditions, such as sepsis, acute heart failure, circulatory shock, and acute kidney injury in order to support patient management and provide guidance for treatment strategies. sphingotec's proprietary biomarker portfolio includes Bioactive Adrenomedullin (bio-ADM(R)), a unique biomarker for real-time assessment of endothelial function in conditions like sepsis or congestive heart failure, Proenkephalin (penKid(R)), a unique biomarker for real-time assessment of kidney function, and Dipeptidyl Peptidase 3 (DPP3), a unique biomarker for cardio-renal pathway disruptions leading to acute organ dysfunction. In addition, sphingotec develops a portfolio of novel biomarkers, which predict the risks of developing obesity, breast cancer and cardiovascular diseases. IVD tests for sphingotec's proprietary biomarkers are made available as sphingotest(R) microtiterplate tests as well as point-of-care tests on the Nexus IB10 immunoassay platform by sphingotec's subsidiary Nexus Dx Inc. (San Diego, CA, USA) alongside a broad menu of IB10 tests for established biomarkers for acute and critical care.About penKid(R)sphingotest(R) penKid(R) measures proenkephalin (penKid(R)), a stable fragment of the kidney stimulating hormone enkephalin. penKid(R) has been demonstrated to be a real-time surrogate biomarker for glomerular filtration rate, the gold standard to assess renal function. Measuring penKid(R) blood concentrations allows for timely information on kidney function in critically ill patients. Early assessment of worsening and improving of renal function on intensive care units and in emergency departments allows adjustment of nephrotoxic drug administration and the initiation of kidney-protective strategies to prevent acute kidney injury and thereby improve outcomes.About Nexus Dx Inc. and the IB10 PlatformNexus Dx Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of sphingotec, headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA, is a global provider of a near patient testing system and advanced diagnostic solution. The company is improving patient care by providing the medical community with rapid and reliable information at the point of care (POC), delivering patient information when and where it is needed most. The company has invested over $160m to develop and market the IB10 analyzer system which, without the need for sample preparation, automatically separates plasma from whole blood with subsequent reliable and quantitative detection of biomarkers in the plasma by means of antibodies. With a hands-on-time of less than 3 minutes the easy-to-use system provides in only 20 minutes test results for biomarkers that are crucial in the management of critical care patients. The portfolio of IB10 assays includes tests for established critical care parameters suc
New Delhi: In order to persuade anti-CAA protesters to shift their protest from Shaheen Bagh to an alternate venue, the Supreme Court-appointed panel reached the south Delhi site on Wednesday (February 19) to hold talks. The interlocutors include advocates Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran.

Advocate Sanjay Hegde said, We have come here according to the order of Supreme Court. We hope to speak to everyone. We hope to resolve the matter with everybody's cooperation.

Prior to addressing the protestors, Sanjay Hegde read the apex court verdict and the gist of the court direction was related by Sadhana Ramachandran in Hindi. The senior advocate told them about their right to peaceful protest.

Sadhana Ramachandran told them, "Supreme Court has said that you have the right to protest. The law (CAA) has been challenged in the Supreme Court. But like us, others too have their rights, like right to use roads, open their shops."

The interlocutors persuaded media persons that they should evacuate the place so that they begin their talks with the protesters, who were not ready to hold talks before media.

Sadhana Ramachandran said that they would inform the media after their talks with the protesters.

Earlier on Monday, the top court had appointed these senior lawyers to go and talk to protesters at Shaheen Bagh area to convince them to hold the agitation at an alternative site. The court has fixed the matter for further hearing on February 24.

The Shaheen Bagh area of Delhi had lately gained nationwide attention due to a continued anti-CAA sit-in by people, especially Muslim women against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register and National Register of Citizens.

The PIL, filed by Nand Kishore Garg and Amit Sahni through their lawyer Shashank Deo Sudhi earlier last week, sought appropriate directions to the Centre and others for removal of protestors from Shaheen Bagh near Kalindi Kunj.

The plea stated that people in Shaheen Bagh are illegally protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019, by blocking the common and public road connecting Delhi to Noida.
A South Bethlehem restaurant and nightclub has abruptly closed in an apparent landlord/tenant dispute.

Revel Social, which opened in November 2018 at 217 Broadway, shut down about two weeks ago. All signs for the business were removed Wednesday. Signs posted on the buildings front door stated CLOSED. No trespassing. Video Surveillance Recorded. There also was a letter dated Oct. 23, 2019 from attorney Gary Brienza stating his client, Greg Salomoni, was taking possession of the building in a legal dispute with TBS Venture, LLC, which owns Revel Social.

Salomoni, who owned and operated the clubs predecessor, Broadway Social, told lehighvalleylive.com financial issues are plaguing future business with his tenant, Jay Patel, who is the current owner of Revel Social. Salomoni contends there was a default on the lease agreement.

Patel did not immediately respond to a message request on the business Facebook page for information. A female manager who answered the phone Wednesday afternoon at a number listed for Revel said the business could reopen but admitted there were issues that needed to be ironed out with Salomoni before they could move forward.

For now, she said, the club and restaurant remain closed to the public.

Salomoni said hes searching for a new tenant to occupy the space.

A sign posted on the front door of Revel Social Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020 indicates trouble for the South Bethlehem nightclub and restaurant.

The building was leased in 2018 to Patel from Salomoni once he closed Broadway Social, which was in operation since September 2013. Broadway Social at the time had to temporarily shut down in order to satisfy a Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board crackdown, which included a freeze on its liquor license. The property also was the scene of various arrests by police and Liquor Control Enforcement agents over the years; incidents included stabbings, weapons, fights, and alcohol service to minors, according to the conditional licensing agreement.

Salomoni said Wednesday he closed Broadway Social to spend more time with his family and disputes what is described in the conditional licensing agreement. He also wanted to avoid a lengthy court battle that would have derailed the sale to Patel. Broadway Social and the PLCB went on to sign an agreement that required the liquor permit be placed in safekeeping -- essentially putting it on hold -- until it was transferred to Patel.

Once Patel took over, he kept the nightclub mostly the same with DJs spinning and drinks pouring. The club remained known for its high energy, elevated atmosphere from after-work networking and late-night VIP reservations to social celebrations. The Morning Call reported patrons found the familiar exposed brick walls, DJ booth, and second-floor features including a bar, dance floor and VIP room. The food menu, however, was updated with casual, pub-style dishes," the report stated.

Revel Social, also listed as TBS Venture, had no recent PLCB violations listed Wednesday. The most recent incident involving city police was in December when an attacker almost killed a man in a stabbing outside the club.

In addition to Revel Social, Salomoni also owns a neighboring 5,000-square-foot building at 215 Broadway, which previously housed apartments and a hair salon. He once had a vision to develop it into a late-night diner concept, called B-24, where patrons could enjoy late-night breakfast food after Broadway Social closed for the day. Patel also had plans for that site.

Salomoni, who now is focusing his time on being a restaurant developer, said hes looking for someone with big plans to take on both buildings.

Its easy for someone to come in and build their dream," he said. Its going to be a little mecca down there of bars and restaurants. The Southside is definitely exploding."

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
PAAUILO, Hawaii, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative (HLRI) today announced that it has joined with The Veterans Movement Foundation (VMF) to create the Iwo Jima Memorial Legacy Forest. Its first planting will consist of 6,821 Koa Legacy Trees. Each tree planted will be dedicated to each specific soldier who died during that five week-long battle.



Who could forget the iconic image of six U.S. Marines raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi? This photograph was later memorialized in bronze by famed sculptor Felix de Weldon. This world-famous statue now stands outside of Arlington National Cemetery.

As part of this initiative, an original hand-signed graphite drawing of this Marine Corps War Memorial by Felix De Weldon is being donated to The Veterans Movement Foundation in honor of the 75th anniversary. This rare artifact is being paired with a koa framed display of military dog tags with the names of every soldier who perished during the battle. This massive 1,100-pound exhibit is mounted from the ceiling and will showcase each of the 6,821 dog tags that hang down from the display like an inverted forest. Both pieces will be donated to the nonprofit The Veterans Movement Foundation (VMF), a Honolulu-based nonprofit organization that represents hundreds of thousands of active duty service members as well as our U.S. military veterans.

Individuals can participate in honoring these soldiers by sponsoring a Legacy Tree in the Iwo Jima Memorial Legacy Forest. In doing so, each sponsor will receive a certificate in the name of the soldier, a memorial dog tag with the soldiers ID and an RFID chip number which will allow the sponsor to go online and see their tree from space over the trees entire lifetime. For each $90 Legacy Tree sponsorship, $30 of the proceeds will be donated to The Veterans Movement Foundation.

The inspiration behind this project is to honor these soldiers with a memorial representing life, growing grander year after year, said HLRI Executive Director Jeff Dunster.

In the Hawaiian language, the word koa means strong, brave, fearless. Koa is known as the warrior tree and is revered in Hawaiian culture. What better way to honor these brave soldiers than by planting a Hawaiian Koa Legacy Tree? said Carl Vincenti, Commander, The Veterans Movement Foundation Chairman.

For more information and to sponsor a Legacy Tree in the Iwo Jima Legacy Forest, visit legacytrees.org/veterans.

Each Legacy Tree has a story to tell, planted and sponsored as a living legacy to honor an individual or memorialize a loved one. Trees are individually tagged and can be tracked throughout their lifetime with a unique RFID (radio-frequency identification) number by visiting TreeTrackerTM at findmy.LegacyTrees.org.

About HLRI: Through state-of-the-art technologies and methodologies, HLRI works with landowners to establish and preserve economically viable and sustainable endemic Hawaiian forests, protect endangered species, sequester carbon and recharge watersheds. HLRIs Legacy Trees are sponsored by businesses and individuals, with a portion of proceeds donated to other charities worldwide. For more, visit LegacyTrees.org.

About VMF: The Veterans Movement Foundation is a Honolulu-based nonprofit organization that serves U.S. military veterans. As part of its HEAL mission, the organization works to ensure veterans with medical needs receive access to free high-quality healthcare, including mental health and specialized services, and live longer, healthier lives.

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HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday issued notices to convicts of the Samatha gang rape-cum-murder case, asking them to explain their contention against death punishment awarded to them by the special fast track court in Adilabad.

The High Court was dealing with the referred trial case filed by the state government for confirmation of death sentence given to the three accused convicts  Shaik Babu, Shaik Shaboddin and Shaik Mukhdum. The court adjourned the case to March 24 for further hearing, before which the convicts should file their contentions before the High Court.

Adilabad district jud-ge M.G. Priyadarshini who was in-charge judge of the designated special court, had pronounced the verdict on January 30, awarding capital punishment to the three in connection with the Samatha gang-rape and murder case. They were sentenced to death by hanging. The case was disposed of in record 67 days.

Before the death sentence is executed, confirmation by High Court is necessary as per provisions of Section 366 of the Criminal Procedure Code. It says when a sessions court passes a death sentence, the proceedings must be submitted to the High Court. The sentence cannot be executed unless it is confirmed by the High Court. The sessions court must commit the convicted person to jail custody under a warrant.

The High Court needs to satisfy itself both in terms of law as well as facts of the case before confirming the death sentence. In other words, the High Court must come to its own independent conclusion as to the guilt or innocence of the accused, independently of the opinion of the judge who has pronounced the death penalty.

The High Court may confirm the sentence or pass any other sentence warranted by law, or may annul the conviction and convict the accused under any offence the court of session might have convicted the accused, or order a new trial on the same on an amended charge, or may acquit the accused person or persons based on the inquiry it conducts.

This is provided that no order of confirmation is issued under this section until the period allowed for preferring an appeal has expired, or, if an appeal is presented within such period, till the time the appeal is disposed of.
French English

Paris, 19 February 2020  7.00 am CEST Pixium Vision (FR0011950641 - ALPIX), a bioelectronics company that develops innovative bionic vision systems to enable patients who have lost their sight to live more independently, announces that it has issued 875 warrants (the Tranche Warrants) giving access to convertible notes (Bonds) as agreed with the US-based, healthcare specialized investor, European Select Growth Opportunities Fund (ESGO) (the Investor). Pixium Vision has also issued a tranche of 1.25 million nominal value corresponding to 125 Bonds following its request to ESGO to exercise 125 Tranche Warrants out of the 875 issued.

The financing contract with ESGO specifies a maximum nominal amount of 10 million, without interest over a period of no more than 30 months announced on November 6, 20191, of which a first tranche of 1.25 million, drawdown on the same date, has already been executed. These 875 Tranche Warrants announced today may lead to a maximum number of 875 Bonds for up to 8,750,000 nominal value in case all the Tranche Warrants are exercised. This release is in accordance with the agreement which provided for the issuance of the Tranche Warrants five trading days following the transfer of listing of Company shares on Euronext Growth Paris.

This flexible financial instrument adds significantly to Pixium Visions financing options. It helps us actively pursuing the development of our Prima system which is on track with the recent important milestones of the first patient implanted in the US and the initially encouraging results from the patients equipped with second-generation Prima glasses. In the coming weeks we expect to announce the clinical results with the second-generation Prima glasses, which will serve as the basis of filing for PRIMAVERA, the pivotal trial, ahead of its start expected by year-end 2020. stated Lloyd Diamond, Chief Executive Officer of Pixium Vision. This accelerated request for the second tranche further demonstrates ESGOs confidence in Pixium Vision management to execute on its strategic commitments.

As a reminder, no share warrants are attached to the Bonds. Moreover, this financing does not grant any guarantee or security to the investor. The characteristics of the Bonds and the detailed terms and conditions of the transaction are set out in the appendix below and will also be available on the Companys website.

Bryan Garnier & Co acted as financial advisor of Pixium Vision.

Contacts

Pixium Vision

Didier Laurens

Chief Financial Officer

investors@pixium-vision.com

+33 1 76 21 47 68 Media relations



LifeSci Advisors

Sophie Baumont

sophie@lifesciadvisors.com

+33 6 27 74 74 49 Investor relation

LifeSci Advisors

Guillaume van Renterghem

gvanrenterghem@lifesciadvisors .com

+33 6 69 99 37 83

Pixium Vision is creating a world of bionic vision for those who have lost their sight, enabling them to regain visual perception and greater autonomy. Pixium Visions bionic vision systems are associated with a surgical intervention and a rehabilitation period. Prima System sub-retinal miniature photovoltaic wireless implant is in clinical testing for patients who have lost their sight due to outer retinal degeneration, initially for atrophic dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD). Pixium Vision collaborates closely with academic and research partners, including some of the most prestigious vision research institutions in the world, such as: Stanford University in California, Institut de la Vision in Paris, Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, Institute of Ocular Microsurgery (IMO) in Barcelona, University hospital in Bonn, and UPMC in Pittsburgh, PA. The company is EN ISO 13485 certified and qualifies as Entreprise Innovante by Bpifrance.

For more information: http://www.pixium-vision.com/fr



Follow us on @PixiumVision; www.facebook.com/pixiumvision



www.linkedin.com/company/pixium-vision

Appendix - Characteristics and terms and conditions of the transaction

- Legal framework of the transaction

Pursuant to its 6th resolution, the extraordinary general meeting of 12 December 2019 delegated to the Board of Directors, with the right to sub-delegate, the authority to decide to issue warrants conferring access to debt securities for a maximal nominal amount of debt of 8,750,000 and a maximal nominal capital increase of 8,750,000 in case of full conversion of the debt securities into ordinary shares, eliminating the shareholders pre-emptive subscription rights in favor of EUROPEAN SELECT GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES FUND (the Investor).

During its meeting of 18 February 2020, the Board of Directors (i) exercised the authority delegated to it, (ii) approved the issuance of 875 Tranche Warrants giving access to Bonds under the terms and conditions of the financing agreement signed on 6 November 2019 (the Agreement) authorizing the subsequent issuance of tranches as provided in the Agreement.

The Board of Directors requested ESGO to immediately exercise 125 Tranche Warrants leading to the issuance of 125 Bonds equal to a tranche of 1,250,000 nominal value (Second Tranche).

As a consequence, it remains 750 Tranche Warrants to be exercised at the Companys (or for some at the Investors) request provided that certain conditions are met, for a total nominal amount of up to 7,500,000. The issue of new tranches will be disclosed accordingly.

- Main characteristics of the Bonds 2

Subject to certain conditions3, the Bonds will be issued in several tranches, of which 125 Bonds were issued today following the exercise of 125 Tranche Warrants by ESGO following Companys request.

The 125 Bonds issued today have the same characteristics as the one issued on November 2019 from the first tranche. The Bonds to be potentially issued from the subsequent exercise of the remaining 750 Tranche Warrants, freely issued to ESGO, will have the same characteristics:

The Bonds will have a nominal value of 10,000 each, a maturity of 12 months from their issue date and will be subscribed at 97.5% of par. They will not bear interest.



The Bonds will be registered in the holders name in the securities registers kept by the Company and will be transferable without the Companys prior approval (i) to the Investors affiliates and, under certain conditions, (ii) to third parties. No application for admission to trading will be submitted for the Bonds.



The Bonds will entitle the holder thereof to receive, upon conversion, at the Companys election: (i) an allotment of new shares and/or (ii) a sum in cash equal to all or part of the amount whose conversion the Investor requests.

Payment in shares:



N = Vn / P

In which:

N: equals the number of ordinary shares of the Company to be delivered to the Investor;

Vn: equals the nominal value of the Bonds converted, i.e. 10,000;

P: equals 92% of the lowest volume-weighted average price of the Companys shares on the trading days on which the Investor does not sell any shares of the Company on the market, during the 10 trading days immediately preceding the date on which the Company receives a conversion notice, which must be at least equal to the minimum issue price of the new shares fixed by the combined general meeting4.

o Payment in cash:

M = (Vn / P)*C

In which:

M: equals the cash amount to be paid;

Vn: equals the nominal value of the Bonds converted, i.e. 10,000;

P: equals 92% of the lowest volume-weighted average price of the Companys shares on the trading days on which the Investor does not sell any shares of the Company on the market, during the 10 trading days immediately preceding the date on which the Company receives a conversion notice, which must be at least equal to the minimum issue price of the new shares fixed by the combined general meeting5.

C: equals the volume-weighted average price of the Companys shares on the date the Company receives a conversion notice.

The Bonds that have matured must be repaid by the Company to the Investor in cash.



If an event of default6 occurs, the Company must repay an amount equal to 107% of the nominal value of the Bonds in circulation.

- New shares created pursuant to the conversion of the Bonds

The new shares issued upon the conversion of the Bonds will carry immediate dividend rights. They will have the same rights as the Companys existing ordinary shares, will be listed on Euronext Growth Paris market on the same listing line (ISIN FR0011950641).

A table tracking the conversion of the Bonds issued pursuant to the transaction will be updated on the Companys website.

- Risk factors

The issuance of the Second Tranche does not materially change the Companys liquidity risks as described in Section 4 of its 2018 Annual Report released on April 18, 2019.

The Company draws the publics attention to the other risk factors to which the Company and its business are exposed, as described in section 4 of its 2018 registration document, which was published on 18 April 2019, and in section 2 of its half-year report, which was published on 25 July 2019, both of which are available free of charge on the Companys website.

- Theoretical impact of the issuance of the Bonds

For information purposes, if new shares are delivered and if (i) all 875 Tranche Warrants issued under the financing program are redeemed solely in new shares and (ii) all 125 Bonds issued today (Second Tranche) are exclusively redeemed in new shares, the impact of the issuance of the Bonds would be as follows7:

 on the investment of a shareholder currently holding 1% of the Companys share capital (based on the number of shares comprising the Companys share capital at the date of this press release, i.e. 24,948,074 shares):

Shareholders investment (%) Undiluted basis Diluted basis (after all dilutive instruments in existence to date are exercised) * Before the issuance 1.00% 0.92% After issuance of the new Pixium Vision shares resulting from the conversion of 125 Bonds (Second Tranche) 0.95% 0.88% After issuance of the new Pixium Vision shares resulting from the conversion of all 875 Bonds and subsequent exercise of all of the 875 Tranche Warrants 0.73% 0.69%

*: Dilutive instruments are unexercised warrants (BSA and BSPCE) as described in the 2018 Reference Document; as well as Bonds issued from the financing agreement

 on the equity per share (based on equity as of 31 December 2019 adjusted from capital increases resulting from conversion of 43 Bonds since January 1, 2020 and the number of shares comprising the Companys share capital at the date of this press release, i.e. 24,948,074 shares):



Share of equity per share () Undiluted basis Diluted basis (after all dilutive instruments in existence to date are exercised) Before the issuance 0.165 0.269 After issuance of the new Pixium Vision shares resulting from the conversion of 125 Bonds (Second Tranche) 0.204 0.301 After issuance of the new Pixium Vision shares resulting from the conversion of all 875 Bonds and subsequent exercise of all of the 875 Warrants 0.378 0.443

- Prospectus

It should be noted that no prospectus subject to AMF approval will be prepared for this transaction.







1 See Companys press release dated November 6, 2019

2 The detailed characteristics of the Bonds are available on the Companys website.

3 In particular, the conditions include the absence of any material adverse change, meeting the conditions relating to the liquidity of the Pixium Vision share, the share price and the number of Pixium Vision shares that may be held by the Investor.

4 Must be at least equal to the 3-day VWAP preceding the pricing date (i.e. date of the conversion notice), potentially adjusted by a maximum discount of 20 %).

5 See above

6 In particular, events of default include the delisting of the Pixium Vision share the impossibility of issuing the Bonds or new shares resulting from conversion requests, the non-payment of amounts due for financing, the cessation of the activities of the Company, failure to repay matured debts and the occurrence of a significant adverse change (i.e. an event having a significant adverse effect on the Companys assets, results or activity, the Companys ability to meet its obligations under the Bond issuance contract or the validity of the Bond issuance contract) which would not have been remedied within 15 working days. In the event of a takeover of Pixium Vision, the Investor may request redemption on the basis of the nominal value of the Bonds (without penalty).

7 Dilution and share of equity are calculated assuming a conversion price of 0.96 (based on a closing share price of 1.04 as of February 18, 2020). This dilution is not a confirmation of the final number of shares that will be issued or their issue price, which will be determined based on the market price, in accordance with the terms and conditions described in this press release.

Attachment
TICKERS: PGE; PGEZF; 5D32

Source: Maurice Jackson for Streetwise Reports (2/18/20)

Maurice Jackson of Proven and Probable talks with the president and CEO of Group Ten Metals about the company's latest news.



Maurice Jackson: Today, we will highlight an exciting value proposition in the prolific Stillwater district of Montana, which is known for high grade palladium, platinum, gold, nickel, copper and cobalt. Joining us today is Michael Rowley, the president and CEO of Group Ten Metals Inc. (PGE:TSX.V; PGEZF:OTCQB; 5D32:FSE).

We have some very intriguing news to share with audience members, but before we begin, sir, for someone new to the story, please introduce Group Ten Metals and the opportunity the company presents to the market.

Michael Rowley: Group Ten Metals is a growth-stage exploration company. We are pre-resource, resource however, as we will touch on in our conversation today, we are now modeling our first formal mineral resources at our most advanced target areas, and that's based on the quality of the database that we have with the project plus our drilling in 2019. We were actively acquiring high-quality, district-scale projects throughout the bear market cycle, and that has led us now to have 100% interest in three assets in North America that adjoin some of the best deposits and mines of their type and share geology with them. These are focused on palladium, platinum, nickel, copper, cobalt and also gold.

Our most recent acquisition is the Stillwater West project, and it quickly became our flagship as we were able to acquire half of one of the absolute best districts for palladium in the world. We did this in 2017, just before Sibanye Gold Ltd. (SBGL:NYSE) completed their purchase of the adjacent Stillwater mines for US$2.2 billion. Essentially, at Stillwater, we're the first to consolidate the district and bring in a world-class team to systematically explore the lower and basal portion of the Stillwater Complex for these Platreef-style deposits. We're bringing a model in from South Africa here, and it's bulk-mineable platinum group metals (PGMs) with nickel and copper of a type that you find in the north limb of the Bushveld Complex in South Africa.

The Platreef as a district has over 400 million ounces of platinum group metals, tens of billions of pounds of copper and nickel, and it hosts one of the absolute best mines in the world, full stop: Anglo American Platinum Ltd.'s (AMS:JSE) Mogalakwena mine, which is a 265 million-ounce platinum group nickel-copper mine. It produces platinum group elements (PGEs) below about $300 an ounce right now, and has a multidecade mine lifeit's a fantastic deposit and operation.

Right beside that in the Platreef district, you've got Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.'s (IVN:TSX; IVPAF:OTCQX) Platreef Mine, which is 112 million ounces, and that's soon to be in production. And then on the north end of the Platreef, you've got Platinum Group Metals' Waterberg project, which is the baby in the district with 26 million ounces of PGEs. These are staggering numbers, and if they were gold deposits, maybe they would get more attention. They're wonderful deposits.

Based on the known parallels between the Stillwater and Bushveld system, our target at Stillwater are those Platreef-style deposits: tens to hundreds of meters thick and kilometers in length in the lower and basal portions of the layered Stillwater Complex. We have a terrific database and our work to date, including our 2019 drill program, has confirmed that that potential is real.

We also have two other assetshigh-grade gold in Ontario and platinum group nickel-copper in the Yukon. Like Stillwater, we have 100% interest in all of these district-scale projects. We bought them during the bear market cycle and we have low carrying costs on them. We are looking to divest those noncore assets, being the Ontario and Yukon projects, when the right deals present themselves.

Maurice Jackson: It's a truly unique value preposition that Group Ten Metals presents to the market. Let me ask you this here: palladium and rhodium are at historical highs. How does this fit into the narrative for the shareholders of Group Ten Metals?

Michael Rowley: Palladium is central to our story. We are, of course, beside the highest-grade palladium mines in the world. The Stillwater mines run 17 grams per ton of combined PGEs, palladium-rich, and are 80 million ounces in size and open actually at those values. It's a fantastic district to be in for palladium. It's also one of our two biggest values in our part of the system in Stillwater, nickel being the other.

Rhodium is a valuable co-product that we are one of few in the world to have, and we're just now going to get some assays out to look at that potential in more detail. It's also worth noting that the U.S. has listed some of these metals as being strategic, and of course, we're in the U.S. at a time when the U.S. is looking to secure domestic supplies of these commodities.

Maurice Jackson: Speaking of nickel, we had an opportunity to interview Brent Cook (click here) last month, and he's really excited about nickel. Germane to the value proposition of Group Ten Metals is nickel, which may be the big elephant in the room that prospective shareholders may be overlooking. Michael, how does a $8$9 nickel price impact the value proposition of the company's flagship Stillwater West project?

Michael Rowley: Nickel is definitely of interest to the market, and perhaps more to the majors that we are in discussion with than with the retail audience to date, but as you've seen from our results, we have excellent grades and lengths of nickel sulfide in our core, and we're now planning to expand on that by stepping away from the past work and going after the potential we really see.

In terms of nickel prices, we have not put economics around our developing resources yet, but we know that we have nickel sulfide, which is, of course, the technical-grade/battery-grade nickel, and we've got long lengths of it. We're blessed with some really good metallurgical testing that was done by AMAX in the Camp target area in the 1970s, which shows the production of good quality nickel sulfide concentrates using conventional flotation techniques, including the recovery of the platinum group elements. So, we expect that nickel will continue to share the lead with palladium as a big value driver at Stillwater and that it will be recoverable, as well.

Maurice Jackson: In 2019, Group Ten Metals conducted an exploration program focusing on five priority target areas to test their proof of concept, and the results are coming in. Take us to the Iron Mountain target area, and what can you share with us regarding platinum and nickel intercepts?

Michael Rowley: We did our first drill program on the ground in 2019. We drilled at the Iron Mountain target area and also at Camp, and we reworked past core from a further three target areas, as well. At Iron Mountain, we drilled three holes. This was an important proof of concept for us. We proved that the Platreef potential is real. We hit long lengths of copper-nickel sulfide mineralization. The hit that we highlighted in the news release was hole IM-2019-03, which returned 272 meters at 1.9 grams platinum equivalent per ton, and that's at a half gram platinum cut- off, so that's a fantastic intercept, and it speaks to the sheer amount of metal and the size of this system at Stillwater.

If you apply a 1.5-gram platinum cutoff, perhaps in a more selective underground mining scenario, that intercept becomes 141 meters at 2.6 grams platinum equivalent. So again, really good metal tenors. Within that, you've got 27 meters that's running 1.2 grams 3E, 0.77 grams of that palladium, so that's a nice long intercept with palladium value plus copper and nickel. And that is the Platreef model that we're chasing here: tens to hundreds of meters thick, kilometers in length,0.30.4% nickel, 0.10.2% copper, and then a gram or two of PGEs on top of that. Very minable grade, and that's the target at Stillwater.

We confirmed that at Iron Mountain, and in addition to confirming the model, we expanded the mineralized zones very nicely. It's open at depth, and it's open along strike as well. It informs the block models that we are now developing internally and will become our maiden resources at three of these target areas.

Maurice Jackson: Take us to the Camp Target Area, where Group Ten just announced continuous mineralization of palladium, platinum, gold, nickel, copper and cobalt from surface. Please provide us with the highlights coming from the Camp target area.

Michael Rowley: Similar to Iron Mountain, we confirmed the concept and proved the Platreef potential and delivered some really nice intercepts. Again, the lengths are there, quantity of mineralization, and then the grade within these intervals. It's confirming the Platreef potential, again, tens to hundreds of meters in thickness, kilometers, and scale.

At Camp Zone, the mineralization was perhaps chunkier. We're seeing it bunched, which is kind of interesting, and in particular, 3.5 meters running, 3.5 grams 3E with 1.5% nickel within a broader intercept that you mentioned, 399 meters running 1.1 grams platinum equivalent. This is good stuff. Like Iron Mountain, we greatly expanded the mineralized zone. We actually overturned some of the earlier thinking about the area and opened up that whole area to the south for mineralized potential and room to expand.

Maurice Jackson: In relation to proximity, how close are the Iron Mountain and Camp target areas from one another?

Michael Rowley: These are about a kilometer apart. Iron Mountain is about a kilometer east of Camp, and they're just two of a total of eight Platreef target areas that we have across the 25 kilometer-wide project.

Maurice Jackson: Michael, how did the results from both of these press releases compare among Group Ten's peers?

Michael Rowley: Our peers are breeding like rabbits these days, aren't they? We're seeing a lot of interest in the palladium space. A few of those have real potential, and some of them, frankly, looked kind of opportunistic, at least on first blush.

In terms of comparing, it's important to note that we have 100% interests on all our projects, including Stillwater West, and a number of our peers are still completing expensive earn-ins on theirs.

Second point would be scale. The potential for scale and grade at Stillwater West is fantastic. We barely scratched the surface there. The fact that we've been able to accomplish what we have to date, working for past core and past drill pads, is quite remarkable and speaks to the potential there. As you know, we're working to table our maiden resources, and we're working those up now in our block models. In 2020, we'll move away from the past work and test the conductive highs that we've identified. You've seen that in our news releases, and we can really go after this Platreef model at Stillwater.

Maurice Jackson: Moving on to future news flow, what can we expect to hear from Group Ten Metals in the coming weeks?

Michael Rowley: Continued 2019 exploration results, including drill results from Chrome Mountain, where we re-assayed and re-logged past core and advanced our block model and developing resource. Plus, we completed some geological sampling and mapping work at Chrome Mountain. We did a soil survey across the western third of the property, and those results will be out in the next couple of weeks. Rhodium assays we now have in progress. We are going to do a news release to summarize past metallurgical results, and then, of course, announcing our plans for 2020 and the great things we have in store for the project. I will also make an announcement about our Kluane and Ontario projects, and of course, if we complete any deals, we'll announce those as they become available.

Maurice Jackson: In our last interview, we discussed a rock sample of rhodium grading almost six grams per ton, and the price of rhodium has doubled since October to $11,200. Can we expect to hear about more rhodium assays from Group Ten?

Michael Rowley: Those are in the lab now, and we look forward to reporting them in the coming weeks.

Maurice Jackson: Sir, allow me to congratulate Group Ten Metals on your successes, and in particular, on the company's proof of concept. How does the success from the proof of concept position the company for 2020?

Michael Rowley: It should be a very exciting year. We have proven the Platreef potential based on the past work and the past drill pads as complemented by our drill work in 2019, and then in 2020, we can move beyond that past work, and really go after this and what we see is there. It's important to note that the past workwe have 28,000 meters of core in the database, 12,000 meters in the core shack, plus our 2019 workwas done for different target commodities and different geologic targets over several decades. So, it should be a very formative and significant year for us as we step away from that and really go after what we see is there. The scale potential is fantastic, and of course, we have a supportive platinum group, especially palladium and rhodium, market and nickel as well.

Maurice Jackson: Speaking of drilling, you need to have permitting. Sir, can you confirm that Group Ten has been approved for permitting on some 40-plus drill pads?

Michael Rowley: Yes, we are indeed in very good shape with permits for 2020. In fact, it's a multiyear permit. I believe the current permit's for 45 pads, and we have some unused pads from past years, so we're now over 50 drill pads. Good to go, and that will assist us in really going after the potential that we see at Stillwater.

Maurice Jackson: Switching gears, Mr. Rowley, please provide us with an update on the capital structure of Group Ten Metals.

Michael Rowley: We're about a hundred million shares outstanding, and we have a number of warrants. In fact, all options and warrants are now in the money, which gives us access to up to $8 million. About$2 million of that is expected here in the month of February, as the last of the warrants from three years ago are coming in. Those are coming in nicely now and that, combined with the almost $2 million in the treasury right there, it gives us visibility to $4 million by early March, plus additional as the later tranches of warrants come in. We look to be in very good shape in terms of market structure and capitalization. Current market cap: CA$28 million.

Maurice Jackson: Speaking of being in good shape, when we last interviewed, the stock price was $0.14. Anyone listening to this interview, if you would have taken a position in Group Ten Metals, your position would have more than doubled. What can you share with us regarding the company's enthusiasm regarding the stock price considering that you have warrants out there?

Michael Rowley: It's brilliant timing. We took the ticker PGE four years ago, and we've suddenly got a PGE bull market, and we happened to be in probably the best district in the Western Hemisphere for exactly those metals. It's a perfect storm, and we did really good groundwork 20172018, we drilled in 2019, and really set the stage, proved the concept. Now, as we just discussed, we're permitted and well-funded for 2020 and beyond, so it's an exciting time, and we expect to add a lot more value.

Maurice Jackson: In closing, what keeps you up at night that we don't know about?

Michael Rowley: I think it's interesting to comment on conditions in South Africa. The CEO of Sibanye, Neal Froneman, just recently gave an interview in which he commented on what's going on in South Africa and how hard it is to operate a mine for a variety of reasons and his desire to expand further outside of South Africa. This is, of course, the guy who took Sibanye, a South African gold producer, and completed six or eight deals in six or eight years, including buying Stillwater to emerge as the world's biggest platinum producer.

He makes clear that he's looking for further acquisitions in the Americas in particular, and he also is interested in technology metalsbattery metals, which is music to our ears. There's a greater movement there from South Africa as well since we saw Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. (IMP:JSE) buy North American Palladium, the only other primary PGE mine in North America, just recently for $1 billion. I think that trend of South African wealth diversifying out of South Africa is an exciting one and could be very significant for Group Ten in the coming years.

Maurice Jackson: Last question, sir. What did I forget to ask?

Michael Rowley: Well, we should probably touch on the non-core assets, which as we mentioned the Yukon and Ontario projects are effectively up for sale at this point so that we can focus better on Stillwater.

These are terrific assets, high-grade gold in Ontario. We adjoin Treasury Metals Inc. (TML:TSX: TSRMF:OTCBB), who are now permitted to build a mill, and First Mining Gold Corp.'s (FF:TSX) Goldlund Project, which is an excellent high-grade gold project, 4 million ounces high-grade gold in the district. I think there's very real potential to get value there perhaps in a gold producing venture that we're not getting any recognition for in the market right now.

And our Kluane assets: We adjoin the largest undeveloped PGE nickel-copper project in the world, and I know that Nickel Creek Platinum (NCPCF:OTC.MKTS) is going sideways at the moment, but I think we can expect more from that district and the potential there. The interest in PGEs should certainly drive potential acquisitions of our Spy and Ultra project, for example. I look forward to updating on those as deal come forward.

Maurice Jackson: Sir, for someone readers to that want to get more information on Group Ten Metals, please share the website address.

Michael Rowley: The website is www.grouptenmetals.com.

Maurice Jackson: As a reminder, Group Ten Metal trades on the (TSX.V: PGE | OTCQB: PGEZF). For direct inquiries, please contact Chris Ackerman at (604) 357-4790, ext. 1; he may also be reached at [email protected].

As a reminder, Group Ten Metals a sponsor of Proven and Probable, and we are proud shareholders for the virtues conveyed in today's interview. Before you make your next bullion purchase, make sure you call me. I'm a licensed representative for Miles Franklin Precious Metals Investments, where we provide a number of options to expand your precious metals portfolio from physical delivery, offshore depositories, precious metal IRAs and private blockchain distributed ledger technology. Call me directly at (855) 505-1900 or you may email [email protected].

Finally, please subscribe to www.provenandprobable.com where we provide mining insights and bullion sales. Subscription is free.

Michael Rowley of Group Ten Metals, thank you for joining us today on Proven and Probable.

Maurice Jackson is the founder of Proven and Probable, a site that aims to enrich its subscribers through education in precious metals and junior mining companies that will enrich the world.

[NLINSERT]

Disclosure:

1) Maurice Jackson: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: Group Ten Metals. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: Group Ten Metals is a sponsor of Proven and Probable. Proven and Probable disclosures are listed below.

2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Group Ten Metals. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. As of the date of this article, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports has a consulting relationship with Group Ten Metals. Please click here for more information.

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by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, February 19, 2020

Hes essentially run an unopposed, over-the-top campaign, Democratic strategistJoel Payne quipped on Wednesday morning in anticipation of Mike Bloomberg making his first appearance in a Democratic debate.

Paynes observation should seem obvious to any media buyer, political or otherwise, because Bloomberg has effectively bypassed the normal political campaign process, including the inevitable media shakeout spin that happens in the early caucuses and primaries, even if they dont account for much in actual delegates.

Its a smart strategy if you can do it, but the truth is, no one has ever executed it to the degree Bloomberg has, or likely will going forward, mainly because budget is no concern.

And even though the incumbent Presidents 2016 race could have been called an OTT one, it was mainly done via earned media, not actual advertising and media buys.

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So the big question is whether there is anything wrong with this?

"You know, Mr. Bloomberg has every right in the world to run for President of the United States," rival Bernie Sanders said during a town hall hosted by CNN Tuesday night, adding, He's an American citizen. But I don't think he has the right to buy this election."

Why not? And why is it worse to buy an election with your own money than with money raised by donors, which Sanders has raised the most from to date?

If the issue is capping the amount of money candidates can spend on their campaigns, legislators like Sanders should work on legislation to do that. Otherwise, its a free marketplace, and at the very least, Bloomberg is being the most transparent candidate in terms of where his campaign financing is coming from: money he earned himself.

Ironically, even if he fails to win the nomination, Bloomberg has pledged to use it to back the Democratic candidate. Even if it's Bernie Sanders.
The violence during the anti-CAA protest in Mangaluru in December 2019, which left two people dead in police firing, rocked the Karnataka assembly on Wednesday, with Congress holding the ruling BJP responsible for it and demanding a judicial probe headed by a sitting High Court judge into the incident.

Terming the 'golibar' (firing) as "pre planned" and blaming the city police commissioner for it, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah questioned the government on the rule of law, as he expressed fears about the 'danger' to democracy and 'anarchy' taking over the system.

The debate on the law and order condition saw heated exchanges between ruling and opposition sides, even forcing an adjournment



Treasury and opposition benches clashed over LoP quoting the High Court's observations against police, while granting conditional bail to 21 people, who were allegedly involved in Mangaluru violence, stating that the matter was sub-judice.

"It was pre planned by police.The court itself has remarked about police excess. Even the complaint by the family of two innocent persons killed in the Golibar was not taken.

Twenty one people, mostly youths, were arrested in the case and sent to jail... This is police excess. Karnataka had never in the past become a police state," Siddaramaiah said.

Questioning whether there was rule of law in Karnataka, he said "we believe in rule of law. Without rule of law there will be anarchy and democracy will be in danger."



Stating that those killed did not belong to any party,he demanded to know how police had opened fire, despite instructions from the Chief Minister that there should not even be a lathicharge.

He suspected the role of some "unseen hand" behind the violence and police firing.

"I demand a judicial inquiry into the Mangaluru incident by a sitting judge of the High Court. The guilty should be punished," he said as he held the police department, Mangaluru police commissioner and state government directly responsible.

Two people were killed in police firing inMangaluruin December 19 as the protest against the CAA had turned violent, following which the city was brought under curfew and mobile internet service was suspended.

Siddaramaiah referred to the recent arrest of a parent and a school headmistress (now on bail) in the "sedition case" for their alleged involvement in staging a drama, portraying the Prime Minister in poor light over CAA and NRC and charged the government with using police to 'fix' political opponents and those opposing BJP's "divisive polices."



He said Congress leader U T Khader and a student from Mysuru were booked under sedition charges for opposing CAA and NRC and holding a 'Free Kashmir' poster, while no cases were filed against BJP leaders Somashekara Reddy, Anant Kumar Hegde and RSS strongman Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat for their "inflammatory speeches".

The discussion saw repeated arguments between Siddaramaiah and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy as the former often referred to the High Court's observations on the matter.

As Siddaramaiah tried to defend Khader,saying his alleged inflammatory statements did not amount to sedition, Madhuswamy pointed out that the case was before the court raised objections to it, leading to exchanges between both sides.

While senior Congress legislators like R V Deshpande and K J George came to the LoPs defence, Minister C T Ravi and many BJP MLAs targeted Khader and Congress for his alleged comments during the anti CAA protest.

Georges comment that police was working as per orders being received from higher ups on filing cases against political opponents and in the Mangaluru incident drew a rebuttal from Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who said police have worked efficiently to maintain law and order.

As Siddaramaiah charged Mangaluru police with high handedness and quoted the High Court's observations against police while granting bail to 21 people allegedly involved in the case and for lack of proof against the accused, Madhuswamy said the matter was sub-judice and raised a point of order.

Police was yet to file a chargesheet and produce evidence before the court. "This is not the final order for the LoP to repeatedly quote from it in the House, it is bail. Is it right to speak on matter that is still under adjudication?."



Despite the Speaker, after hearing the point of order, stating that the discussion should happen responsibly, considering that the matter was before the court, Siddaramaiah continued to make references to observations made in the bail order and Madhuswamy warned him of contempt.

This led to heated arguments between the ruling and treasury benches, following which Deputy Speaker, who was in the chair, adjourning the House for some time.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hillary Clinton yesterday said she would not be Michael Bloomberg's running mate if he asked after coyly brushing off questions about whether or not she'd accept the invitation.

Clinton was speaking at a Clinton Global initiative in Puerto Rico, when the moderator asked; 'Should Bloomberg win the nomination would you consider being his running mate?'

She shot back: 'Oh no! [laughter] No.

'I'm just waiting and watching as this plays out.'

Clinton, 72, replied as she laughed off the question. 'I will support whoever the nominee is, as for the all the reasons you can imagine ... we need to have a new president for our country.'

Last week, the 2016 Trump challenger refused to rule out the possibility when speaking to Ellen DeGeneres. Although Hillary conceded 'that's probably not going to happen,' she told the host, 'never say never.'

But in the last few days there has been rampant speculation that Bloomberg, 78, was considering Clinton after Matt Drudge of Drudge Report took the unusual step of putting his name on a story which states as much.

Neither party had made any attempt at denying the headlines.

Scroll down for video.

'Oh no! No. I'm just waiting and watching as this plays out.' Hillary, 72, replied as she laughed off the question at a Clinton Global Initiative event in Puerto Rico. 'I will support whoever the nominee is ... we need to have a new president for our country.'

'We are focused on the primary and the debate, not VP speculation,' Bloomberg Comms chief Jason Schechter said in a statement on Saturday.

Bloomberg is rapidly becoming the DNC's favorite, appearing strongly in polling and in the betting markets as the only candidate offering a real challenge to the firebrand socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Democratic presidential candidate former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg delivers remarks during a campaign rally in Nashville, Tennessee on February 12

Clinton and Bloomberg are both members of the New York elite and he gave her backing to her in 2016, saying the country must unite to 'defeat a dangerous demagogue (Trump.)'

Indeed, a Big Apple bout between Bloomberg and Trump looks set to be even more vicious and brutal than Clinton's lost battle in 2016 and both the former New York Mayor and former Secretary of State have personal vendettas against the president.

Adding fuel to the Bloomberg-Clinton fire, on Sunday it was reported that the former New York Mayor had recruited top Hillary ally, Capricia Marshall, for his 2020 campaign.

A source told PageSix that Marshall, who has worked under Bill and Hillary Clinton as well as former president Barack Obama, could help Bloomberg become more credible in numerous ways.

'Capricia is very connected to the Democratic political orbit and will give Bloomberg a stronger link to the Dem establishment, and therefore more credibility,' the source told the news site.

'She will help convince them Mike is not a quasi-Republican after he heavily backed GOP candidates in the past.'

Hilary Clinton and Michael Bloomberg are pictured taking part in a New York City pride parade in 2006

Former Secretary of State of the United States, Hillary Clinton (C), smiles with Paola Pagan (L) and Walter Meyer (R), of the Free Solar organization, during her visit to the nonprofit health center Women Helping Mothers (MAM) located in Isla Verde resort in Carolina, Puerto Rico on Tuesday

According to the source, Marshall will also be able to help Bloomberg reach women and the African American community, 'which remains unsatisfied with his apology over his stop-and-frisk policy as New York City mayor'.

It is unclear what position Marshall would be taking under the Bloomberg campaign.

'Hiring Capricia is a very smart move. Shes a big deal,' the source said. Marshall has previously served both Clintons and the Obama administration.

From 1997 to 2001, she worked as Bill Clinton's White House social secretary. In 2006, she served on then-Senator Hillary Clinton's re-election campaign. From 2009 to 2013, Marshall worked as the chief of protocol of the United States under Obama.

News of Marshall possibly joining the Bloomberg campaign comes just a day after it was reported that the former mayor may be considering making Hillary Clinton his running mate.

Polling found the Bloomberg-Clinton combination would be a formidable force to take on Trump in the race for the White House.

Bloomberg had endorsed Clinton over Trump in 2016, saying at the Democratic National Convention in July 2016 that though 'there are times when I disagree with Hillary,' the country must unite to 'defeat a dangerous demagogue'. The allies are pictured here with Vogue Editor Anna Wintour

Former New York City Mayor Bloomberg is said to be considering even changing his official residence from New York to Colorado or Florida because the electoral college makes it difficult for a US president and vice-president to reside in the same state

Bloomberg is said to be considering even changing his official residence from New York to Colorado or Florida - where he also has homes - because the electoral college makes it difficult for the president and vice-president to reside in the same state.

Under the Twelfth Amendment to the US Constitution, which provides the procedure for electing the president and vice-president, it states that the two people could not both inhabit the same state as the elector.

Former first lady Clinton previously said she faced calls to run for president in 2020 after she lost out to Trump in the 2016 election, but she has repeatedly said she won't join the race.

However, she stopped short of denying she was considering running for vice-president alongside one of the Democratic candidates earlier this month.

'I never say never because I do believe in serving my country, but it's not going to happen,' she told Ellen DeGeneres.

In January, President Donald Trump made the strange claim that Clinton had promised Bloomberg the job of secretary of state should she be elected president in 2016, to keep him from running four years ago.

'He had a deal with Hillary Clinton that he was going to become secretary of State. It was very simple. People knew that,' Trump said during an interview on CNBC filmed on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The president then suggested Bloomberg would have been double-crossed.

'Wasn't going to happen. It was going to go to Terry McAuliffe,' Trump said, name-dropping the former governor of Virginia who's been a close Clinton friend.

'I mean, so they were playing with Michael,' Trump alleged. 'And - it's too bad, but he's spending a fortune.'

Bloomberg had endorsed Clinton over Trump in 2016, saying at the Democratic National Convention in July 2016 that though 'there are times when I disagree with Hillary,' the country must unite to 'defeat a dangerous demagogue'.

'Let's elect a sane, competent person with international experience,' Bloomberg said at the time.

Last week was a busy one for Bloomberg after he was forced to apologize for a recording that was leaked online of him talking bluntly about his stop-and-frisk policies.

'Ninety-five percent of your murders - murderers and murder victims - fit one M.O. You can just take the description, Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops,' Bloomberg is heard saying in the recording.

'They are male minorities, 16 to 25. That's true in New York. That's true in virtually every city.'

'And that's where the real crime is. You've got to get the guns out of the hands of the people that are getting killed.'

Trump tweeted: 'WOW, BLOOMBERG IS A TOTAL RACIST!'

On Thursday, Bloomberg apologized for endorsing the stop-and-frisk policy.

'There is one aspect of approach that I deeply regret, the abuse of police practice called stop and frisk,' Bloomberg said.

'I defended it, looking back, for too long because I didn't understand then the unintended pain it was causing to young black and brown families and their kids.'

'I should have acted sooner and faster to stop it,' he continued. 'I didn't, and for that, I apologize.'
AN open house on affordable housing Tuesday gave voice to concerned citizens critical of the province for privatizing subsidized housing.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

AN open house on affordable housing Tuesday gave voice to concerned citizens critical of the province for privatizing subsidized housing.

"Everyone deserves the right to have an affordable, safe place to live, and we are definitely far away from that," said Carlos Sosa, who attended the discussion hosted by the Right to Housing Coalition at West End Commons.

"Especially in the last number of years, with the changes that have gone on with the current government."

Multiple speakers among the roughly 60 attendees said they were concerned by the privatization of subsidized housing in Manitoba and budget cuts to social housing, since the Pallister government was elected in 2016.

The province has sold 94 properties formerly owned by Manitoba Housing since 2016, according to documents gained through an access to information request submitted by the provincial Liberal party.

In 2017 and 2018, Manitoba sold 948 units to the private sector, including 373 to for-profit companies and 503 to non-profit companies, according to Shauna MacKinnon, chair of urban and inner-city studies at the University of Winnipeg.

Tristan Dreilich, a member of the provincial working group for the Right to Housing Coalition, said the main concern with Manitoba Housing properties being sold to private companies or not-for-profits is the province is no longer responsible for overseeing maintenance or the policies on who qualifies for housing.

It is also unclear what the province has planned for housing, and whether it plans on selling-off all publicly owned properties, Dreilich said. "We also dont know if there is a long-term plan to make sure these units remain affordable."

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Three-hundred affordable housing units were being built per year while the NDP was in power, and no new affordable or subsidized housing units have been created under the current Tory government, Dreilich said.

The wait list of eligible applicants to Manitoba Housing programs was at 6,851 in January 2019, according to an access to information request submitted by the Liberals.

Other topics discussed at Tuesdays meeting included a lack of Indigenous consultation in affordable housing decisions, unsafe and unclean living conditions, and difficult application processes causing barriers.

Dreilich said the feedback will be collected to help inform what the coalitions next steps will be, with a report to come.

"We want to start forming those solutions because were not confident that solutions are going to be coming from Broadway," he said.

melanie.ritchot@freepress.mb.ca
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A man suspected of threatening hospital security officers with a gun has been jailed on suspicion of assault and weapons misconduct.

Matthew D. Johnston, 23, was detained by University of Alaska Anchorage police and turned over to Anchorage police.

Police just before 11 a.m. Tuesday took calls from security officers at the Alaska Native Medical Center reporting a prowler in a parking garage. Security officers confronted the man but said he pulled a handgun from his waistband.

The man fled on foot and security officers followed at a distance. The man noticed he was followed and fired two shots into the air, police said. He continued down a trail and fired two more shots, police said. No one was injured.

Police officers set up a perimeter. As they searched, university police reported they had a suspect in custody less than a half mile west of the Alaska Native Medical Center. The man was identified as Johnston.

He was held on an outstanding warrant. Online court documents do not list his attorney.
Washington: Julian Assange's lawyers told a London court that they would provide evidence that US President Donald Trump was prepared to offer the WikiLeaks founder a pardon if he "played ball" about leaks of Democratic National Committee emails.

At a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, Assange's lawyer Edward Fitzgerald asked the court to allow more witness statements during the extradition hearing that will start next week.

The new information includes a witness statement by Jen Robinson, another of Assange's lawyers, that deals with the alleged offer made by then US congressman Dana Rohrabacher, he told the court.

The witness statement will address "Mr Rohrabacher going to see Mr Assange, and saying on instructions of the President, offering pardon or some other way out if Mr Assange played ball and said the Russians had nothing to do with" the leaks, Fitzgerald said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 22:17:28|Editor: xuxin

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TOKYO, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The former head of nationalist school operator Moritomo Gakuen and his wife were found guilty on Wednesday of illegally receiving subsidies from the central government to build an elementary school.

The pair were found by the Osaka District Court to have defrauded the central government out of 56.4 million yen (509,650 U.S. dollars) between March 2016 and February 2017 by inflating the costs to a construction company of building an elementary school on land purchased from the government in Osaka.

The court also found ex-Moritomo Gakuen chief Yasunori Kagoike guilty of illegally receiving local government subsidies, and sentenced him to five years in prison. His wife Junko was handed down a three-year jail term suspended for five years.

Kagoike and his wife were also charged with illegally obtaining 120 million yen (1.08 million U.S. dollars) in subsidies between fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2016 from the prefecture and the city of Osaka, by falsifying information regarding the number of teachers working at their preschool, saying there were more staff than was in fact the case.

Junko Kagoike, however, was not found guilty on this charge.

The pair were initially arrested in July 2017 after it was found that Moritomo Gakuen had purchased the land in Osaka a year earlier for a fraction of its actual value, triggering a lengthy scandal implicating Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie.

Before the scandal implicating the Abes became fully-fledged, Akie, who had been named honorary principal of the nationalist-leaning elementary school, stepped down from the contentious role.

Kagoike had said he met Akie through a mutual acquaintance around 2011 and went on to say that he had received 1 million yen (9,000 U.S. dollars) from her in 2015. He claimed Akie had said it was from the prime minister, although Abe has denied giving the money to Kagoike.

Japan's Finance Ministry eventually punished 20 officials for their involvement in the falsifying of documents connected to the controversial heavily-discounted sale of the state-owned land to Moritomo Gakuen.

Former top bureaucrat at the ministry at the time, Nobuhisa Sagawa, resigned over his alleged involvement in "setting the direction" of the protracted cronyism scandal and Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said he would repay his salary as a cabinet minister for one year to take responsibility for the drawn-out scandal.

Although Japan's Finance Ministry admitted to knowingly altering documents to do with the cut-price land sale, no government officials have been indicted over the scandal.
Controversy is broiling over a new pet store set to open in Katy. Petland, a national retailer that sells pet supplies, puppies, rabbits and other small animals, is opening a new location in the Fry Road Crossings shopping center at 1723 North Fry Rd. Puppies sold at Petland cost anywhere from $2,500 to $9,000, according to a representative for the Petland location in Dallas.

According to store manager Chris Stephens, the store is waiting on the final inspection from the fire marshal, and the store will open as soon as it passes the inspection. Stephens anticipates a time frame of two to three weeks until the opening.

Numerous animal welfare activists in Katy have spoken out in opposition to the new Petland location. A STOP Petland Katy Facebook page had almost 500 members as of Feb. 19. The activists claim that Petland sells puppies purchased from irresponsible breeders and add to the pet overpopulation crisis by selling puppies while millions of animals die in shelters each year. The activists also claim that ill puppies sold from Petland have spread zoonotic diseases to humans.

Elizabeth Kunzelman, director of public affairs for Petland, refuted the claims that Petland buys from irresponsible breeders. According to Kunzelman, Petland only purchases puppies from USDA licensed breeders and distributors with no complaints against them for two years, hobby breeders who raise their dogs in a humane manner and local rescue animals that are vet-checked. At Petland, we put the health and wellbeing of our pets first, she said. We visit our breeders. We provide full transparency to our customers. We have consulting veterinarians. We are passionate about the human-animal bond and passionate about consumer choice.

However, Petland has been the target of multiple accusations of animal cruelty by national advocacy organizations. The Humane Society of the United States has named Petland as a retailer for puppies purchased from the worst puppy mills in the United States each year since 2013. Our investigations into various Petland stores have revealed mistreatment of puppies and rabbits, and a disturbing trend of consumer deception, said John Goodwin, senior director of the Humane Society of the United States Stop Puppy Mills campaign.

In September of 2019, the HSUS investigated a Petland in Frisco. A press release from HSUS said, Between July and August 2019, a hidden-camera investigation conducted by the Humane Society of the United States in the Frisco, Texas, Petland store uncovered both animal mistreatment and rampant disease.

The release also claimed, Some puppies appeared to be noticeably underweight with their ribs showing, and many puppies routinely suffered from issues such as coughing, wheezing, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. Rather than take the puppies to a veterinarian for diagnosis, staff often attempted to treat them with guesswork home remedies such as probiotics and cough syrup, often at the direction of the store owner or kennel managers. Frail puppies so sick that they refused to eat were routinely force-fed, sometimes for a week or more, instead of being brought to a veterinary hospital for diagnosis and treatment.

Petland publicly denied the claims, calling the investigation irresponsibly inaccurate and clearly uneducated. Kunzelman explained, That undercover investigation ended up being just a paperwork issue, and our Frisco store worked with city council, and they just passed more regulations that our Frisco store is happy to go through.

According to Kunzelman, Petland regularly conducts thorough, third-party evaluated studies into the health of its puppies. Based on a report of more than 6,500 puppies sold in 16 stores from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019, less than 7 percent of puppies that went home incurred any kind of health issue. Additionally, less than 2 percent of puppies that went home developed any kind of hereditary or congenital issue requiring surgical correction or medical attention. And finally, only one-third of 1 percent of puppies that went home died of a health-related issue, she reported.

Local dog rescue groups have chimed in against the store, claiming that puppy retail stores contribute to a severe pet overpopulation crisis. Caroline Walker-Trulock is an animal rights activist and creator of the STOP Petland Katy Facebook page. We have dogs suffering and dying in our streets. (We have) dogs being euthanized in our shelters, Walker-Trulock said. Rescues are continually operating at maximum capacity. For every dog adopted out, theres 10 more waiting in the wings for help. Petland now wants to throw a bomb into an already struggling area.

According to the Harris County Animal Services website, 987 dogs were euthanized in Harris County Animal Services in 2019. Of the animals euthanized, 380 were labeled as healthy or with treatable illnesses. BARC, which serves as animal services for the City of Houston, reported a total euthanasia of 3,181 animals in 2019. Of those animals, 832 were listed as healthy or treatable.

Dr. Michael White, the director of the Harris County Animal Shelter, said, There is certainly no shortage of adoptable pets in our area - especially in our overcrowded animal shelters. Our Live Release Rate for 2019 was about 94 percent, which is good, but we still have to euthanize some for lack of space.

According to the HSUS, 1.2 million dogs are euthanized annually in the U.S.

Kunzelman, however, cited opposing statistics. Nationally, the country is actually facing a dog shortage, she said. There is an annual demand for new dogs/puppies of 8 million dogs. ASPCA states that 3.3 million dogs are entering the shelters each year, so that leaves a considerable gap.

Aaron Johnson, Montgomery County Animal Shelter director argued that Texas pet overpopulation is unlike any other state and does not follow national trends. I think the numbers speak for themselves, Johnson said. Were talking about 65,000 dogs coming into shelters in the Houston area alone.

Kunzelman encouraged consumers to look at local shelters as an indicator of whether or not there are enough adoptable pets in the area. There's a lot of misinformation that gets thrown around, said Kunzelman. I would say, Look at the shelter in that area. What kind of dogs are available? How many are available?

According to petfinder.com, a website that serves as a database for potential adopters to find a pet, there are more than 1,300 adoptable dogs within 25 miles of Petland Katy.

If pet stores want to help people find pets in their stores, they can hold pet adoption events and try to help people find a loving dog while saving a life in an animal shelter, Johnson said. Most pet stores in Houston do that, and I can tell you, the lives they save makes a huge difference.

Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP) is an animal shelter that serves the Katy area. It is located 2.9 miles from Petland Katy, making it the closest animal shelter to the store. Bianca Burrascano, marketing coordinator for CAP declined to comment on Petland, but she did discuss the pet population of the city. There's definitely not a shortage of adoptable pets in the Houston area. There are thousands that are euthanized every year because they don't have homes to go into. It's one of the most heartbreaking things to see someone willing to spend $2,000 or $3,000 for a dog when we have completely healthy animals that are getting euthanized in the city shelters, she said.

The adoption fee for a puppy at CAP is $129, which includes spay or neuter surgery and all vaccinations. The shelter also offers spay and neuter surgeries and low cost vaccinations to the public, Burrascano said.

Burrascano noted that shelters and animal rescues offer purebred animals in addition to mixed breeds. Sometimes people think they need to buy a dog if they want a certain breed or age. I can tell you that we have purebred puppies coming into shelters and rescues every day.

She concluded, If we had an under-population of pets, then the shelters wouldn't be spinning their wheels and trying to transfer pets to outside locations for adoptions. There's such an overflow of adoptable pets without homes.

Petland sells dogs, but Kunzelman stated that the company is still a proud supporter of rescue efforts. In just four years, we have provided more than $85,000 in gift cards to families in local areas who have adopted a pet from a shelter, Kunzelman said. Many stores work with shelters to provide food, donations and opportunities for adoption days. Nationwide we have also fulfilled more than 750 classroom grants so teachers can have pets in the classroom and educate students on responsible pet care.

Those in opposition to the Petland store also cited concerns over public health that have been associated with the retailer.

The Center for Disease Control has published literature warning of the dangers to humans associated with puppy retailers. In 2018, the CDC traced a strain of multidrug-resistant Camplobacter infections to Petland through microchips in the puppies. The report stated, Contact with puppies sold through Petland stores were a likely source of this outbreak.

According to the CDC, the Camplobacter bacteria, which causes severe diarrhea and vomiting, is spread to humans through contact with feces from infected animals. Consumers, employees, and clinicians should be aware of the risk for disease transmission from puppies, including the possibility of exposure to multidrug-resistant pathogens, the report said. Greater adherence to implementation of antibiotic stewardship practices in the commercial dog industry might be needed.

Burrascano reiterated that she was not speaking about Petland but said, Anytime a puppy store opens, shelters start preparing a special protocol for the severely sick puppies that we know will be surrendered to us. Historically speaking, they will come to us with deadly and highly contagious diseases, and we have to protect the animals that are already here.

Kunzelman defended Petlands care of the dogs it sells. They don't understand the quality of care that are given to these dogs, she said. Our puppies are seen by at least two, sometimes three veterinarians before being available for customers. Each store has a state-licensed consulting veterinarian who examines all of the puppies and establishes all protocols in the stores kennel. The veterinarian signs a Program of Veterinary Care which documents the extensive care provided to our puppies.

She added, So yes, sometimes puppies do get sick. Theyre just like babies; it happens. Unfortunately those stories are the ones you hear.

Kunzelman is confident that the store will offer the Katy area a valuable alternative to purchasing a dog directly from a breeder. The owners, she said, are experienced in puppy retail and have a strict adherence to health guidelines. The owners of the new location operate two other locations- one for seven and the other for 10 years- and are excited to bring a unique pet store experience to Katy. They will be launching their Facebook page soon and will be sharing breeder videos and pictures. Kunzelman said. We are excited to be a part of the Katy community and excited for people to visit us and see what we do in person.

claire.goodman@chron.com
The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a retired Army Major to pay interim maintenance of 20,000 per month to his estranged wife.

The ruling came in an appeal filed by the woman against a May 2019 ruling of the Telangana high court which had cleared the former Army officer of maintenance and domestic violence case on the ground that her first marriage to another person was yet to be dissolved.

The top court also allowed 1 lakh as a lumpsum amount towards arrears of maintenance.

The case was remitted back to the lower court for arriving at a final decision on maintenance claim.

The retired Army officer had married the woman in 2014. This was the second marriage for both.

Differences cropped up soon after the marriage and the woman left the retired Army officer house accusing him of torture and harassment for dowry. She filed cases against him for domestic violence and maintenance.

The ex-Armyman had produced documents which showed that the womans first marriage was still subsisting when she entered into wedlock with him.

In fact, the high court had noted that the womans appeal against a lower court decision which had granted a divorce decree with respect to her first marriage was still pending when she married the former Army officer.

The high court, taking note of the above facts, had allowed the retired Army majors plea on the ground that the woman was still validly married at the time of her wedding to him and had ruled that th e-Armyman is not liable to pay maintenance to the woman.

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Republicans in the Oregon House boycotted Tuesdays evening floor session to further slow the pace of lawmaking in the short 35-day legislative session.

Top Democrats, who command supermajorities in both chambers, had already announced on Monday that they would temporarily halt their highest priority bill, a plan to cap greenhouse gas emissions, in order to allow House Republicans more time to digest and weigh in on it. At House Speaker Tina Koteks request, a copy of the Senates climate change proposal, Senate Bill 1530, was introduced in the House Tuesday so that Republicans in the chamber could have hearings and comment on it.

But that did not satisfy House Republican Leader Christine Drazan of Canby, who announced during a briefing with reporters Tuesday afternoon that her caucus would not show up for a floor session scheduled for 6 p.m. Sure enough, when Kotek gaveled the session back into action at 6 p.m., only one Republican  Cheri Helt of Bend  was present, though five other Republicans were excused.

Democrats control 38 seats in the 60-member House, but even if all of them show up, they need at least two Republicans to achieve the two-thirds quorum necessary to conduct business. This includes reading bills, according to Koteks spokesman Danny Moran.

During the five-month session in 2019, it was Senate Republicans who twice shut down business in the upper chamber. They fled the Capitol, with at least some traveling to Idaho, in attempts to stall a $1 billion-a-year business tax to fund education and an earlier version of the cap-and-trade bill.

Democrats ultimately passed the business tax, after Gov. Kate Brown secured the Republicans return by killing a vaccine mandate and gun control bill. But top Democrats gave up on passing cap-and-trade last year after conceding they lacked support in their own caucus in the Senate.

On Twitter Tuesday afternoon, House Republicans said it was necessary for them to shut down the evening floor session to slow down the pace of session and allow time to fully vet legislation ...

Drazan told The Oregonian/OregonLive Tuesday night that her caucus members plan to return for the floor session scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday. This is just about pacing, Drazan said. "Well be back at floor sessions all week.

House Republicans are taking the evening to read over legislation and prepare for work tomorrow, and were committed to ensuring that Oregonians have full access to the process," Drazan said. And slowing the pace down in that building is the best way to make sure that happens.

Drazan repeated a frequent complaint of Oregon Republicans and some Democrats, that short legislative sessions held in even years were sold to voters as necessary to make budget adjustments and other tweaks. "Instead, it really has become a session of very, very, very large overhauls of our state, from a public policy perspective and a revenue perspective, Drazan said. And if that is going to be what we are facing in the short session, we need to have adequate time to thoroughly review those issues.

Oregonians deserve full access to the legislative process. In order to slow down the pace of session and allow more time to fully vet legislation, House Rs will not be attending tonights floor session. #orpol #orleg  OR House Republicans (@OregonHouseGOP) February 19, 2020

In a statement responding to the news, Kotek pointed out she had scheduled the evening session because Republicans insistence on reading bills in full had also slowed down House business. Kotek told reporters on Monday that reading all the bills scheduled for a floor vote Tuesday would take roughly 200 minutes.

To this point, I have respected the House Republicans desire to read bills in full. Doing so requires more floor time in order to meet the sessions deadlines and move bills over to the Senate, Kotek said in her written statement Tuesday. "Our deadlines require that we move bills that have passed out of policy committees off the House floor by Thursday.

If the House Republican Caucus wants to continue reading bills tonight, that alone will require nearly three hours on the floor, Kotek said.

One 53-page bill, which the House reading clerk began to read earlier in the day before lawmakers went into recess, would adopt protections of the federal Indian Child Welfare Act into Oregon law. The law, meant to ensure Native American children are raised within their families and cultures, sets out requirements for how foster care cases involving Native children are handled. The bipartisan bill has widespread support among tribes, as well as Oregons child welfare and legal systems.

Kotek noted that both bills that on the House agenda Tuesday evening were the product of six months of work and drew bipartisan support.

But without a quorum, bill reading could not proceed. Democratic House members mulled about on the floor for an hour but could conduct no business. So they adjourned.

House Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner, D-Portland, issued a statement calling on Republicans to return to work.

Unfortunately, the politics of obstruction seems to be more powerful to my colleagues across the aisle, Smith Warner said in a written statement. "What House Republicans are doing tonight is not about protecting anything, its not about process, its not about pacing - its about politics. Those members who refuse to show up for work tonight and do their job are saying to a large majority of Oregonians: your voice doesnt matter and your vote doesnt matter. Oregonians deserve much better.

 Hillary Borrud | hborrud@oregonian.com | 503-294-4034 | @hborrud

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Photograph: Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images

Lawyers acting for Chelsea Manning, the former US army intelligence analyst who leaked hundreds of thousands of secret documents to WikiLeaks, have renewed efforts to secure her release after almost a year of incarceration.

The former soldiers attorney, Moira Meltzer-Cohen, has lodged a motion with a federal court in the eastern district of Virginia calling for her to be set free more than 11 months after she was detained.

Related: Donald Trump 'offered Julian Assange a pardon if he denied Russia link to hack'

Manning is being held at the Alexandria detention center after she refused to testify before a federal grand jury investigating WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange.

In December the UNs special rapporteur on torture, Nils Melzer, denounced Mannings ongoing incarceration as itself a form of torture. In addition to being jailed the former soldier is also being heavily penalized financially.

For every day she refuses to testify, she is being fined $1,000. The total has already reached about $230,000.

In the motion for release, Meltzer-Cohen decries Mannings prolonged incarceration as a form of unlawful punitive sanction on the grounds that it is serving no purpose because the inmate will never be coerced into testifying.

As the motion puts it: Over the last decade Chelsea Manning has shown unwavering resolve in the face of censure, punishment, and even threats of violence. As Ms Mannings resolve not to testify has been unwavering, and as her moral conviction has become only more developed since her confinement, her incarceration is not serving its only permissible purpose.

Manning, who spent seven years in military prison for her massive intelligence dump to WikiLeaks in 2010, refused to testify to the grand jury on a point of principle.

In a statement she explained her position was based on my long standing belief that grand juries, as they function in the contemporary era, are often used by federal prosecutors to harass and disrupt political opponents and activists through secrecy, coercion, and jailing without trial.

Story continues

She added: No matter how much you punish me, I will remain confident in my decision.

Manning initially refused to testify before a grand jury in the eastern district of Virginia in March 2019. She was called to ask questions about WikiLeaks and Assange who had been the subject of a secret US government investigation for years.

Assange is now being held in Belmarsh prison in London. He faces extradition proceedings to the US after a grand jury returned 18 charges against him relating to receiving secret diplomatic and military documents.
Marburg hemorrhagic fever first became significant during an outbreak in Marburg and Frankfurt - Germany when infected monkeys brought for research purposes from Uganda caused an accidental spread among humans.

Marburg fever is caused by the Marburg viruses - Marburg virus (MARV) and the Ravn (RAVV) virus, which are animal viruses wherein the initial infection arises from an animal to human contact, after which it spreads through person-to-person contact. The Marburg virus is highly virulent, capable of setting off an outbreak with many fatalities.

Marburg and Ebola virus diseases are clinically similar and viruses that cause them belong to Filoviridae family (filovirus).

The virus is native to the African fruit bat Rousettus Aegyptiacus and the bat does not show any symptoms of the disease. Primates (monkeys and humans) when infected with the virus display severe symptoms.

From time to time sporadic cases of Marburg fever are seen in Uganda, mostly when workers from the Mining Industry come in contact with infected bats. Poor hygiene and personal care result in spread of the fever among the community.

Spread of the Virus from animals-to-humans occurs through:

Contact with body fluids : Contact with blood while killing the animals or while cooking or eating the infected animals will result in spread of the virus. Scientists who studied infected monkeys have also been found to contract the disease.

: Contact with blood while killing the animals or while cooking or eating the infected animals will result in spread of the virus. Scientists who studied infected monkeys have also been found to contract the disease. Contact with bat guano: Mine workers and tourists who come in contact with wastes from bat like urine and faeces also get infected.

Spread from person-to-person:

Although this virus originates from animals, person-to-person spread is very rapid and occurs when there is contact with the infected individual. An infected person does not become infectious nor will not spread the infection till the individual begins to display symptoms of the disease:

Caregiver - Relatives or friends who look after the infected person are often infected as they fail to protect themselves appropriately

- Relatives or friends who look after the infected person are often infected as they fail to protect themselves appropriately Doctors and other hospital staff - Doctors and hospital staff who treat patients may be associated with an accidental cut leading to spread of the disease

- Doctors and hospital staff who treat patients may be associated with an accidental cut leading to spread of the disease Re-using injections and syringes- Reusing injections or using the same syringe for multiple patients will result in the spread of the disease. Cash torn hospitals in Africa witness extensive spread of the disease due to reusing of the syringes.

Researchers - Research scientists who handle primates for their experiments are also at increased risk of infection.

- Research scientists who handle primates for their experiments are also at increased risk of infection. Preparing the dead for burial- The disease spreads when people prepare the body for burial without protective gear.

The incubation period of Marburg fever ( i.e. time interval from infection to onset of symptoms) varies from 2 to 21 days. Symptoms include the following:

Maculopapular rashes that develop in the head, neck and stomach

High fever

Severe headache

Chills

Nausea

Vomiting

Abdomen pain

Cramping

Muscle pain

Sore throat

Chest pain

Fatigue

Watery diarrhea

Joint pain

Excessive weight loss

Delirium

Jaundice

Severe haemorrhagic manifestations result in some form of bleeding from multiple areas like the nose, ear, gums and rectum. Death is largely due to severe hemorrhage.

The curious factor about this virus is though there is no cure or vaccination for this disease, some people survive while others do not. The reason behind this remains unknown. People who do recover from the fever, do so after a long period of time, sometimes even take months to regain their strength, They may exhibit the following signs:

Inflammation of the eye, liver or the testis, or all three

Loss of hair

Headaches

Excessive weight loss

Sensory changes

Hepatitis

Initially Marburg fever resembles malaria or typhoid, which makes diagnosis difficult. This is especially true when the case is unique and not part of an outbreak. The risk is determined by whether

The individual has travelled to Africa or Marburg fever prone areas in the recent past

The individual was associated with a person/animal infected with the virus

Marburg hemorrhagic fever is detected by a number of different tests:

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)

Reverse-Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) Assay

Isolating the virus by cell culture

Antigen detection tests

There is no specific anti-viral drug for the Marburg virus, nor is there any vaccination, though scientists are working almost overtime to find effective means of protection. Studies have shown that mutations in the glycoprotein of the virus are responsible for their successful evasion of the immune system. During infection, the host immune cells recognize certain regions of the virus which help them host an immune response. However, the Marburg virus has been found to have structural flexibility that prevents recognition by the hosts immune system, which results in the flourishing spread of the disease.

Treatment for Marburg fever, therefore, depends on the symptoms exhibited by the host.

Blood pressure monitoring and maintenance

Oxygen support

Fluid administration

Treatment of secondary infections

Blood transfusions

Though there are no specific treatment methods for Marburg hemorrhagic virus in humans, there are several studies that are being carried out on primates like monkeys and apes. Notable of those is the use of Si RNA. Sixteen monkeys were infected with the virus and injected with the Si RNA at varying stage of the disease progression, from 30 minutes after injection of the virus to 3 days. All monkeys that were injected with the Si RNA survived while the controlled monkeys which did not receive the Si RNA injection died.

Other studies detail the identification of new antibodies that are found to be effective against Marburg virus.

A disease of any kind is detrimental to health and more so with Marburg fever as there is no specific treatment while the virus is highly virulent. Therefore, it is better to be cautious to safeguard health.
US officials are set to give Boris Johnson a furious 'b******ing' over the UK's decision to allow Huawei a role in the UK's 5G network, it was reported today.

A delegation led by Donald Trump's acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney is due to meet key No 10 figures amid a transatlantic row over the the Chinese tech giant.

The Trump administration is furious that a company it believes is a security risk has been approved for a role in the advanced telecommunications network, with Mr Trump on Sunday warning that intelligence sharing could be put at risk.

And many backbench Tories angry about the controversial decision announced by Mr Johnson in the Commons are set to meet the US team.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith told The Telegraph: 'For the past two decades, we've cosied up to China in a way that is becoming an embarrassment.'

A delegation led by Donald Trump's acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney (above right) is due to meet key No 10 figures amid a transatlantic row over the the Chinese tech giant.

The Trump administration is furious that a company it believes is a security risk has been approved for a role in the advanced telecommunications network

On Sunday night Mr Trump conveyed a tough message to key allies including the UK and France over Huawei at a security conference in Munich.

The American ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, said the president told him to make clear 'any nation who chooses to use an untrustworthy 5G vendor will jeopardise our ability to share intelligence and information at the highest level'.

The rebuke came after Boris Johnson sparked fury from Mr Trump by announcing that the Chinese tech giant will be allowed a limited role in Britain's communications upgrade.

Australian MPs are also believed to have cancelled a visit to the UK next month amid the bitter row over Huawei. Canberra has also refused to allow Huawei involvement in its telecoms systems.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith told The Telegraph : 'For the past two decades, we've cosied up to China in a way that is becoming an embarrassment'

Mr Johnson gave the go-ahead for the company to help build 5G in January, despite concerns by allies including the US. It will be subject to tough restrictions, such as being barred from the 'core' network and a maximum 35 per cent market share.

Despite a relatively muted response in public, Mr Trump was said to have been 'apoplectic' with anger in a phone call to Mr Johnson.

Mr Grenell, who has been attending the high-profile security conference in Munich, said on Twitter last night: '@realDonaldTrump just called me from AF1 and instructed me to make clear that any nation who chooses to use an untrustworthy 5G vendor will jeopardize our ability to share Intelligence and information at the highest level.'

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the conference on Saturday that Huawei was a 'Trojan horse for Chinese intelligence.'

The tech firm has dismissed the US allegations and Beijing has complained of 'economic bullying.'
AP

Nebraska authorities have refused to pardon the girlfriend of a killer whose infamous murder streak inspired several films and a Bruce Springsteen song, immortalising Charles Starkweather's eight-day killing spree in 1958.

The Nebraska Board of Pardons denied a petition from Caril Ann Fugate, who was 14 years old when she joined her then-19-year-old boyfriend Starkweather on his violent crusade as they evaded police.

Her appeal was ultimately rejected on Tuesday despite relatives of some of the victims lobbying in her defence, claiming that she was held at the mercy of Starkweather.

The state's governor, attorney general and secretary of state sit on the three-person board.

Between 1957 and 1958, Starkweather killed 11 people total in Nebraska and Wyoming, including Fugate's mother, stepfather and half-sister, who was only 2 years old when Starkweather shot her after the family refused that Fugate leave with him.

The ensuing violence and panic in Lincoln, Nebraska prompted law enforcement to comb the streets and perform a house-by-house search as the state summoned the National Guard to join the manhunt.

Starkwearther's murder streak inspired director Terrence Malick's 1973 film Badlands, starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, as well as 1993's Kalifornia, 1994's Natural Born Killers, and 2004's Starkweather, among other film and television adaptations of the Starkweather killings.

On his stark, seminal 1982 album Nebraska, songwriter Bruce Springsteen sang the title track from the perspective of Starkweather, incorporating a a line from a letter he wrote in jail to his parents, saying "I can't say that I'm sorry for the things that we done / At least for a little while, sir, me and her we had us some fun."

Starkweather was 20 years old when he was executed by electric chair in 1959.

Fugate, now 76 years old, was the youngest person to be convicted of first-degree murder in the US, for which she spent 17 years in prison before her parole in 1976. She also had applied for pardon in the 1990s. That also was rejected.

In her latest pardon application, which would restore her rights as a felon if approved, Fugate said that the perception that she had willingly joined the killings was "too much" to bear.

She said: "Receiving a pardon may somehow alleviate this terrible burden."
A female security officer at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport who was sacked for being ''disrespectful'' to Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang , suffered a blow after her case was dismissed by the court on Tuesday, February 18.



Daizy Cherogony, 38, sued the authority for firing her on grounds of misconduct, for having the CS queue for a security check like other passengers at the international entry point.



On Tuesday, Justice Nzioki wa Makau dismissed Ms Daizy Cherogonys case, saying the improper handling of Dr Matiangi, then Education CS, was a sufficient reason for the Kenya Airports Authority to initiate disciplinary action against her. She was heard in terms of Section 41 and her rights under Article 41(1) safeguarded. Since there was cause for the dismissal and basis for a summary dismissal on account of gross misconduct, the suit is only fit for dismissal, the Judge said.



Cherogony's employment was terminated on May 11, 2017, for ''mistreating and humiliating'' the Education CS by requiring him to queue for a security check like other passengers, which almost led him to miss his flight. She was issued with a dismissal letter signed by Managing Director Jonny Andersen on the grounds of misconduct. The CS was flying to Kisumu on the evening of April 5, 2017 and was accompanied by his security guards.



Ms Cherogony had sued KAA, arguing that her sacking was unlawful. She said she was victimised by her former employer and wanted to be paid Sh2.4 million for the sack.



In her memorandum of claim filed at the Nyeri Employment and Labour Relations Court, Cherogony indicates that her dismissal was wrongful, illegal and an act that undermines the security of the Kenyan aviation industry.



She said that on the fateful day, April 5, 2017, passengers were shouting when she noticed Dr Matiangi whom she asked to queue for a security check. She argued that she did not violate any of the KAAs regulations and procedures.



Through Matundura Advocates, Ms Cherogony wanted the court to compel Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) to compensate her, explaining that she is entitled to damages for wrongful dismissal and unfair termination of employment.



Mr Matiangi, Ms Cherogony claimed, did not want to follow the queues and wanted special treatment despite the fact that it was raining and other passengers were complaining as the lines were increasing.



She indicated that according to the security manual Cabinet secretaries usually queue like normal passengers unless they have special passes that need them to have special arrangements before they arrive at the airport to board flights. She faulted the KAA, saying her sacking was an act of undermining the aviation regulatory framework and Kenyan and international law under which the authority operates.



Ms Cherogony said the KAA has refused to compensate her though several demands and notices to sue had been issued. She wants the court to declare that her right to fair labour practices under Article 41 (1) of the Constitution were violated by the employer. She also wants the court to rule that subjecting Mr Matiangi to security screening did not amount to gross misconduct since it was the normal procedures.



The dismissal does not only affect her but also all security personnel at the airports in Kenya who may be reluctant to follow the law and security procedures when dealing with VIP travelers and their escorts for fear of losing their jobs, argues Ms Cherogony.



She further contends that the KAAs move may expose the countrys security and the entire world to risks of attacks from terrorists and other extremist groups from within and outside the country. She added that for the 11 years she had worked at JKIA, she had never been subjected to any disciplinary proceedings, given any warning letters or committed any act of misconduct.



She said the airport management accused her of a wrongdoing that never existed since she was doing her job as a security supervisor, adding that she was never shown any complaint written by the Education CS, saying the dismissal was victimisation and discrimination by the employer.



She indicated that she has previously been assaulted and intimidated by VIPs who she said wanted to access the airport without going through security checks. I have always stood my ground and performed my job as per the security manuals and as required by both Kenyan and International law for the security of the travelers and the safety of all Kenyans, she noted.



In quick rejoinder, the KAA, through lawyer Lorraine Oyombe, said the sacking was justified since, as an employee, she was required to be disciplined, respectful and courteous to clients. But her actions caused a delay in departure of the flight by 32 minutes. She did not have any plausible explanation, the KAA said.



Ms Oyombe, said the complainant ignored the CS when he arrived that evening and presented himself at the glass door. She said that the CS was delayed for 24 minutes outside the terminal and that he almost missed his flight to Kisumu.



The lawyer said that upon investigation, Ms Cherogonys was found in breach of the corporations Human Resources Manual so disciplinary action was recommended as she handled Mr Matiang'i negligently and recklessly.

The claimant was issued with a show cause letter. She was informed that it had been reported that she had uttered the words I do not care who you are and you have to queue like all other passengers, even after the cabinet secretary introduced himself, Ms Oyombe said in the memorandum of defence.



She further said the guard was taken through the disciplinary process, during with the CCTV footage for the material date was produced.



The footage showed the claimant ignored the CS, who was right in front of her, and instead beckoned to passengers who were behind him. She said she was concentrating on other passengers thus she did not look up, added the lawyer.









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A member of the National Assemblys Legal Committee, Pham Van Hoa, said it is necessary to set up a mechanism which would supervise and severely punish the slaughter and trafficking of wildlife.

After local forest rangers could not find violators even though they were provided with information and proof, reporters decided to contact Do Quang Tung, director of the Department of Forest Protection.





Tung promised that he would send a taskforce to the sites to conduct investigation.



Later, Dong Xuan Hung, a member of the special mission unit of the Department of Forest Protection, informed reporters that the officers of the unit were not available because they are away on a mission and he will send staff to the site after several days.



Nearly one week later, Hung said the inspection still could not be carried out, but affirmed that the inspection will be implemented, and that he has asked for cooperation with relevant units to do this more effectively.

It is necessary to set up a mechanism which would supervise and severely punish the slaughter and trafficking of wildlife.

However, 1.5 months after the day, no progress has been made.



Explaining the tardiness, Hung said that examining the market areas is a very complicated work, and that it is necessary to do preparatory works to ensure the effectiveness of the inspections.



While waiting for the appropriate agencies to inspect illegal wildlife trafficking markets, more and more wild animals continue to be slaughtered and traded every day.



Regarding the responsibility of state agencies in protecting wildlife, Tung said controlling markets is the responsibility of local authorities. If the wildlife slaughtering and trading occur in localities, they have to report and request the cooperation of the police and forest rangers units to stop the trading. But in this case, local authorities did not do this.



Also according to Tung, wildlife trafficking is a violation of the law, therefore, appropriate agencies and local authorities, not only forest rangers, have to get involved in dealing with the violations.



When asked why no inspection result has been reported though the information about the wildlife trafficking was provided 1.5 months ago, Tung said the first thing the special mission unit needs to do after receiving the information is to send local forest rangers to the site to get more information and ask local forest rangers to deal with the case.



If local forest rangers cannot do this, they can ask for help from the department.



However, the staff of the department is modest, and Tung once again emphasized the responsibility of local authorities in the fight against wildlife trafficking.



Meanwhile, Bui Thi Ha, deputy director of the Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) said that illegal wildlife hunting and trading has increased rapidly, which is the major factor leading to the decline of wildlife population.

Linh Ha

Vietnam to keep close eye on wildlife import, sale The Vietnam Administration of Forestry has instructed province and city agriculture departments around the country to carefully monitor wildlife imports amid the public health emergency caused by the new strain of coronavirus.
However, these countries have the most prepared health systems in the continent and are least vulnerable.

Increased resources, surveillance, and capacity building should be urgently prioritised in African countries with moderate risk of importing cases of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as these countries are estimated to be ill-prepared to detect cases and limit transmission.

The new findings are from a modelling study published in The Lancet that estimates the preparedness (ie, health system capacity) and vulnerability (ie, demographic, environmental, socioeconomic and political conditions that could impact a country's ability to respond) of African countries, as well as their likelihood of importing COVID-19 cases from China. The authors note that their findings need to be interpreted in context, and they estimate that the overall risk of importing COVID-19 cases to Africa is lower than to Europe (1% vs 11% of people travelling out of China go to Africa or Europe, respectively) but that the response and reaction capacity is more limited in Africa.

Algeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Nigeria were included in the 13 top priority countries identified by the World Health Organization (WHO), based on their direct links and volume of travel to China [1]. The first case of COVID-19 in Africa was confirmed in Egypt on Friday 14 February 2020.

China is Africa's leading commercial partner with high volumes of travel between the two locations through which the novel coronavirus could reach the continent.

Several measures to prevent importing cases from China have already been implemented in many African countries. However, limiting and controlling transmission after importation requires additional measures (such as heightened surveillance, rapid identification of suspected cases, patient transfer and isolation, rapid diagnosis, contact tracing, and follow-up of potential contacts). These measures require technical and operational expertise and resources, which rely heavily on health systems, meaning that transmission in countries with weaker health systems is a major public health concern.

"African countries have recently strengthened their preparedness to manage importations of COVID-19 cases, including airport surveillance, temperature screening at ports of entry, recommendations to avoid travel to China, and improved health information provided to health professionals and the general public. However, some countries remain ill-equipped," says study author Dr Vittoria Colizza, Inserm, Sorbonne Universite, France. [2]

She explains: "While almost three-quarters of all African countries have an influenza pandemic preparedness plan, most are outdated and considered inadequate to deal with a global pandemic. In addition, despite efforts to improve diagnostic capacity from WHO, some countries do not have the resources to test for the virus rapidly, meaning that tests would need to be done in other countries. It is essential to train, equip, and strengthen the diagnostic capacities of hospital laboratories close to infectious disease and emergency departments to reduce the time to deliver results, manage confirmed cases and contacts more rapidly, and preserve strict infection control measures. Equally, increasing the number of available beds and supplies in resource-limited countries is crucial in preparation for possible local transmission following importation." [2]

In the study, the authors estimated the risk of African countries importing a COVID-19 case from China using data on the volume of air travel from infected Chinese provinces to Africa and the proportion of COVID-19 cases in the Chinese provinces as of 11 February 2020. The Hubei province was not included, given the travel ban introduced by Chinese authorities on 23 and 24 January 2020.

The authors estimated each country's potential capacity to detect and respond to cases based on two WHO indicators: preparedness (ie, functional capacity to manage emerging epidemics, using the WHO International Health Regulations Monitoring and Evaluation Framework State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting) and vulnerability (ie, ability to manage emerging epidemics based on demographic, environmental, socioeconomic and political conditions, using the Infectious Disease Vulnerability Index). The African countries at risk of importing cases were grouped by the Chinese provinces estimated to contribute most to their risk.

Egypt, Algeria and South Africa were at the highest risk of importing a COVID-19 case from China, but had moderate to high preparedness and low vulnerability.

There were several countries in the group with the second highest risk of importing a case from China, and their levels of preparedness and vulnerability varied. For example, Nigeria and Ethiopia had moderate preparedness, but high vulnerability, and their countries had substantially larger populations that could be potentially exposed. However, Morocco, Sudan, Angola, Tanzania, Ghana, and Kenya had similar importation risk and population sizes, but variable levels of preparedness and high vulnerability (except Morocco which had low vulnerability).

All other African countries had low to moderate importation risk with low to moderate vulnerability and mostly low preparedness, except for Tunisia and Rwanda.

The authors grouped the at-risk African countries by the Chinese provinces that could potentially lead to the cases being imported. Cluster number 1 (18 countries) was highly exposed to Beijing, and moderately exposed to Guangdong province and Shanghai, cluster number 3 (Botswana and Lesotho only) was exposed exclusively to the potential risk from airports in the Fujian province, and cluster number 2 (7 countries) was heavily exposed to risk from Guangdong province and weakly to Zhejiang province. [3]

The authors warn that although certain Chinese provinces potentially pose higher risk of importing cases to Africa, enhanced surveillance at airports should still consider possible importations from lower-risk provinces. In addition, shifts in local and widespread transmission in Beijing, Guangdong, and Fujian provinces could have profound implications for risk in Africa.

Dr Colizza concludes: "The aftermath of recent epidemics and pandemics (eg, severe acute respiratory syndrome, H1N1 pandemic, Middle East respiratory syndrome, and Ebola) have highlighted the need to reinforce national public health capabilities and infrastructure. These factors remain at the core of global health security, because they are the first line of defence in infectious disease emergencies. Crisis management plans should be ready in each African country, and involvement of the international community should catalyse such preparedness. We hope that our estimates help to inform prioritisation for intensified support in African countries expected to be at moderate to high risk of importation of COVID-19 cases and with relatively low capacity to manage the health emergency." [2]

The authors note some limitations in their study, including that it only used air travel data, and the risk of importation from other points of entry, such as seaports, was not evaluated. In addition, there was insufficient passenger data (reason for travel [tourism vs business], nationality, age, sex, and socioeconomic status) to allow the authors to assess differences in risk for different types of travellers.

###

Peer-reviewed / Modelling

NOTES TO EDITORS

This study was funded by the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020, Agence Nationale de la Recherche. It was conducted by researchers from Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifiques, INSERM, Sorbonne Universite, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidemiologie et de Sante Publique, Networks and Services Laboratory at Orange Experience Design Laboratory Chatillion, The Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Universite de Paris, Bichat Claude Bernard Hospital, Assistance publique-Hopitaux de Paris, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Treichville, Universite Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Maladies Infectieuses Dans Les Pays a Ressources Limitees, INSERM U1219, University of Bordeaux, University of Oxford, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston Children's Hospital.

The labels have been added to this press release as part of a project run by the Academy of Medical Sciences seeking to improve the communication of evidence. For more information, please see: http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/AMS-press-release-labelling-system-GUIDANCE.pdf if you have any questions or feedback, please contact The Lancet press office pressoffice@lancet.com

[1] https://www.afro.who.int/news/african-region-reinforces-preparedness-novel-coronavirus

[2] Quote direct from author and cannot be found in the text of the Article.

[3] The countries in each cluster are as follows:

Cluster number 1: Algeria, Angola, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Cluster number 2: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, and Tunisia.

Cluster number 3: Botswana and Lesotho.
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 19 : Leading Middle East-based business honcho Ravi Pillai, whose luxury hotel Raviz had provided the food at a diaspora meet held here in January, on Wednesday decided not to charge the state government the bill of Rs 60 lakh and bear it himself.

A controversy had broken out about the "extravagance" in the second edition of the Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS), that was held here over three days starting January 1.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Mullappally Ramachandran had cried foul on the extravagance. The total bill for food and accommodation provided to 351 delegates was Rs 83 lakh, which included Rs 60 lakh for food, and Rs 23 lakh for providing accommodation by various hotels in the state capital.

LKS is a global meet of the Kerala diaspora and was the brainchild of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

In a statement to the media issued here on Wednesday by the Raviz Hotel Group, it said "this was a needless controversy and hence it has been decided not to levy any charges at all".

"I was also a delegate at the diaspora meet and in our culture, we don't charge for food given to our brothers and sisters. What we generally do is after finalising a business, an advance payment for our services has to be remitted and once the function is over, we collect the remaining. In this diaspora meet, we never gave a bill even and all the controversy that erupted could have been avoided, had it been enquired with us," read Ravi Pillai's statement.

The bill for the diaspora event was made public last week and it was revealed that in the second edition of LKS, at least 351 delegates had participated and the bill was footed by the Kerala government.

The second edition of LKS drew attention when the Congress-led Opposition decided to boycott the event after they found that the Vijayan government failed to do anything on what they had promised when the first LKS was held.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump has ousted the Pentagons top policy official who had certified last year that Ukraine had made enough anti-corruption progress to justify the Trump administrations release of congressionally authorized aid to Kyiv in its conflict against Russian-backed separatists.

John Rood resigned Wednesday, saying he was leaving at Trumps request.

The Trump administrations delay in releasing the aid to Ukraine was central to the presidents impeachment by the House on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate voted to acquit the president. But in the wake of the Senate trial, an emboldened Trump has gone after officials he has perceived as being disloyal.

Rood is the latest official to be purged. His forced resignation comes as Democrats on the Hill express concerns that Trump is on a vendetta in the wake of his acquittal. Just days after the Senate vote, the White House reassigned an Army officer, Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, a key witness in the impeachment inquiry, from the National Security Council, and pushed his twin brother, an NSC lawyer, out with him. Gordon Sondland, Trumps ambassador to the European Union who also was a key witness before House investigators, was recalled from his post.

Trump tweeted Wednesday that he wanted to thank John Rood for his service to our Country, and wish him well in his future endeavors!

Rood, in his letter to Trump, did not mention Ukraine. Its my understanding from Secretary (Mark) Esper that you requested my resignation, Rood said. Rood said he will step down as of Feb. 28.

Rood wrote in a May 23 letter to Congress that the Pentagon had made a thorough assessment of Ukraines anti-corruption actions and other reforms. And he said that, I have certified that the government of Ukraine has taken substantial actions to make defense institutional reforms for the purpose of decreasing corruption and making other improvements.

Rood wrote that his certification, legally required before the aid could be released, was based on insights gained in persistent U.S. engagement with Ukraine, including meetings between the U.S. defense secretary and his Ukrainian counterpart.

Asked about Roods resignation, chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman declined to speculate on the reason for Trumps decision.

The president has the opportunity and the ability to have the team that he wants to have in policy positions, Hoffman said at news conference. He said Roods resignation letter spoke for itself.

Rood last year told reporters that, In the weeks after signing the certification I did become aware that the aid had been held. I never received a very clear explanation other than there were concerns about corruption in Ukraine. He also spoke in favor of releasing the aid, suggesting that withholding it would hurt Americas defense priorities.

Pentagon press secretary Alyssa Farah said James Anderson, who is currently serving as the deputy for policy, will take over the job until a permanent replacement is appointed by the President and confirmed.

Esper said Rood played a critical role on issues such as nuclear deterrence, NATO, missile defense and the National Defense Strategy.

Rood has served as undersecretary for policy since January 2018, but also had worked in various government agencies including the State Department, the CIA and the NSC for more than 20 years. He held senior policy jobs mainly during Republican administrations and also served as a senior policy adviser to Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

Rood also was a senior vice president at Lockheed Martin International.
Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Dinesh Sharma on Wednesday exuded confidence that the Ram Temple will be constructed in Ayodhya soon since the Central government-mandated trust for the holy site will hold a meeting later today to decide the future course of action.

"I would like to thank the Supreme Court and the Central government. Everyone wants the Ram temple to get constructed as soon as possible. The temple will now get constructed without any obstructions," said the deputy chief minister.

Shree Ramjanmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the trust mandated by the Central government to look after the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, will hold its first meeting on Wednesday evening in Delhi.

Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (Home), Awanish Kumar Awasthi will be present at the meeting.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NORRISTOWN  A Bucks County man was sent to prison after he admitted he was driving under the influence of drugs at the time he caused a two-vehicle crash in Hatfield Township that seriously injured occupants of the second vehicle.

Joseph James Morgan, 25, of the 400 block of Summit Avenue, Perkasie, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to one to five years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault by a vehicle while driving under the influence of controlled substances, DUI and possession of a controlled substance in connection with a Feb. 9, 2019, crash near Trewigtown and County Line roads in Hatfield.

Judge William R. Carpenter, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, said Morgan must pay $535.17 in restitution to a Souderton woman who was injured during the crash.

An investigation began about 12:15 p.m. when Hatfield Township police responded to the intersection for a report of a two-vehicle, head-on crash. Arriving officers found two vehicles with heavy front end damage in the southbound lane of County Line Road, one facing northbound and another facing southbound, according to court papers.

The investigation determined that a Subaru Crosstek operated northbound on County Line Road by Morgan crossed over the double yellow line and struck a Subaru Forester operated southbound by a woman whose passengers included her daughter and granddaughter, according to court papers.

A witnessindicated the vehicle Mr. Morgan was driving drifted into the oncoming lane of travel at full speed and did not appear to brake at all, Hatfield Police Officer Eric Geiger wrote in the arrest affidavit.

The three females in the second vehicle complained of pain in multiple areas of their bodies, police said. Court documents indicate one victim suffered a fractured clavicle and the child victim suffered an internal brain hemorrhage.

Police said Morgan complained of hip and chest pain and was treated at a local hospital after the crash. During the investigation, officers noted Morgan had droopy eyelids and very obvious puncture marks on the inside of his right elbow, conditions consistent with narcotic usage, according to the criminal complaint.

Morgan subsequently told investigators he had a drug problem and that he last used heroin several hours before the crash, according to the arrest affidavit. Morgan also directed investigators to his wallet where police found seven small wax paper bags containing suspected heroin, according to court documents.

Morgan agreed to submit to a blood test, telling investigators, I just wanna (sic) do what is right, according to the arrest affidavit. Test results found active ingredients and metabolites of marijuana and metabolites of the narcotic fentanyl in Morgans bloodstream, according to the arrest affidavit.

Based on the displayed driving by Mr. Morgan, his physical condition and the results of the blood test, it is my opinion that Mr. Morgan was under the influence of a controlled substance to a degree which rendered him unfit for safe driving, which was the direct cause of the crash and subsequent injuries sustained by the occupants of the other vehicle, Geiger alleged in the arrest affidavit.
The international community has only one option to restrain Russian aggression, which is to help Ukraine, Volker stresses.

Former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine negotiations, Kurt Volker, believes Russia's strategic mission in Ukraine is about regaining control.

In an interview with Europeiska Pravda, published in Ukrainian, Volker suggested Russia had not yet achieved its strategic goal, which is to ensure that the government emerges in Kyiv that would be obedient to Moscow or that Ukraine collapses.

At the same time, he stressed that the most preferable option for Russia is to seal control over Ukraine.

Volker added that nobody considers the possibility that Ukraine will return the temporarily occupied territories by force because it would be impossible to do so.

Read alsoUkraine's envoy at UNSC: Kremlin continues strategy of escalation in Donbas

The only option available, the former official believes, is to keep creating conditions for Putin to himself decide that he should withdraw from Ukraine.

This means helping Ukraine, Volker elaborated, enhancing the capability to resist Russian aggression, and to show the Kremlin that the occupation of Ukrainian territories does harm to Russia.

As UNIAN reported, Volker had been a U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine since July 7, 2017, until he stepped down following a U.S. intelligence whistleblower came forward, alleging that U.S. President Donald Trump pressured President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. The report also mentioned Volker as one of the officials aware of the developments in question.
A jury has retired in the trial of a man accused of the kidnapping and assault on his girlfriend who later died in a crash in the Bay of Plenty.

Jason Whetu Anaru-Emery, 19, had been on trial in the High Court in Hamilton charged with the kidnapping and assault of his then girlfriend Halayna Wagstaff, 17.

Halayna died when the car the pair were in crashed into Waiari Bridge, and down a bank, on the outskirts of Te Puke on July 21, 2018.

Anaru-Emery was also previously charged with manslaughter but that charge was dismissed on Tuesday by Justice Sarah Katz based on the lack of evidence.

She said in light of all the evidence, in particular from the ESR, it was her view that a properly "directed jury could not find that Mr Anaru-Emery is the driver of the fatal crash without reasonable doubt".

The Crown alleged that Anaru-Emery had assaulted Wagstaff at his home in Paengaroa and later taken her against her will before the car crashed that wintry night.

'He pushed her in'

In closing Crown Solicitor Anna Pollett told the jury that a witness gave a "full and frank" account of Halayna being assaulted by Anaru-Emery at his home. Raw CCTV footage shows Halayna was detained against her will and cannot be disputed, she said.

Halayna's friend Manaia Gourlay did not get it wrong when she described Anaru-Emery as grabbing Halayna around the neck and throwing her around the room and on the bed.

"This was the start of the defendant's aggressive conduct on July 21. It is consistent with what we see the defendant do on the CCTV footage after the party."

These were actions of an angry and jealous partner, Pollett said.

"The defence may say Manaia Gourlay cannot be relied upon. She was stoned."

"Although she was stoned, she gave a "frank" account and was able to recall what occurred."

When it comes to the kidnapping the CCTV footage cannot be disputed, Pollett told the jury.

Halayna was hindered in her movements - that is being detained by law, Pollett said. It was more than a trifling moment.

"The defendant held her and dragged her from the roadside of Jellicoe Street, across the opposing lane, across the grass median and the front of Toni Billing's vehicle.

"This CCTV footage could not be clearer. What you see is a woman who stopped for the sole purpose of retreating from that vehicle."

The defence argued the pair were "jogging" across the road.

"There is no evidence of them jogging, Pollett said.

Witnesses, who were reliable and sober, described seeing Halayna be pushed into the vehicle. She was resisting.

In closing defence counsel Andrew Dawson argued that there was no way the jury could say beyond reasonable doubt that Anaru-Emery had assaulted Halayna or kidnapped her that night.

"This is what it looks like when the Crown case falls apart. The judge has taken the most serious charge from you."

There was only one person who saw the alleged assault, he said, and she was "wrong".

What Gourlay wants to remember has been tainted by the death of her good friend later in the night. She'd drunk bourbon, had 20 cones of cannabis and later a shot and KGBs.

"You simply cannot rely on what she said.

It was obvious something was happening in the car when the pair stopped on Jellicoe St, Dawson said. Halayna was "mad" and not acting like her usual self.

He contended the pair were "jogging" across the road.

"The footage doesn't show her being bungled into the car and there is no illegal detention. You would expect to see her fighting more along the way."

In summarising the case, Justice Katz said it was the Crown's job to prove Anaru-Emery was guilty.

She urged the jury not to be influenced by sympathy or prejudice.

Did Anaru-Emery grab Halayna Wagstaff, throw her around the bedroom and onto the bed?

"Any one of these things done without consent would be assault."

When it came to the kidnapping charge, Justice Katz said the jury needed to decide whether Anaru-Emery took away or detained Wagstaff purposely.

For the actions to amount to kidnapping they must be more than trifling. Anaru-Emery must have known Wagstaff did not consent to being taken, and having regard to that Anaru-Emery's actions were unreasonable.

"Are you sure when taking away or detaining Miss Wagstaff, Anaru-Emery caused Halayna to be confined?"

The jury has retired.

-Stuff/Phillipa Yalden.
Today, we'll introduce the concept of the P/E ratio for those who are learning about investing. To keep it practical, we'll show how Orange Belgium S.A.'s (EBR:OBEL) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. Based on the last twelve months, Orange Belgium's P/E ratio is 35.28. That corresponds to an earnings yield of approximately 2.8%.

View our latest analysis for Orange Belgium

How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?

The formula for price to earnings is:

Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share  Earnings per Share (EPS)

Or for Orange Belgium:

P/E of 35.28 = EUR20.00  EUR0.57 (Based on the year to December 2019.)

Is A High P/E Ratio Good?

The higher the P/E ratio, the higher the price tag of a business, relative to its trailing earnings. That isn't necessarily good or bad, but a high P/E implies relatively high expectations of what a company can achieve in the future.

Does Orange Belgium Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

The P/E ratio essentially measures market expectations of a company. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (24.5) for companies in the wireless telecom industry is lower than Orange Belgium's P/E.

ENXTBR:OBEL Price Estimation Relative to Market, February 19th 2020

Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that Orange Belgium shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. Clearly the market expects growth, but it isn't guaranteed. So further research is always essential. I often monitor director buying and selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Companies that shrink earnings per share quickly will rapidly decrease the 'E' in the equation. That means unless the share price falls, the P/E will increase in a few years. Then, a higher P/E might scare off shareholders, pushing the share price down.

Orange Belgium increased earnings per share by 4.6% last year. In contrast, EPS has decreased by 4.7%, annually, over 5 years.

Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits

Story continues

It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.

While growth expenditure doesn't always pay off, the point is that it is a good option to have; but one that the P/E ratio ignores.

Is Debt Impacting Orange Belgium's P/E?

Orange Belgium has net debt worth 19% of its market capitalization. It would probably deserve a higher P/E ratio if it was net cash, since it would have more options for growth.

The Bottom Line On Orange Belgium's P/E Ratio

Orange Belgium trades on a P/E ratio of 35.3, which is above its market average of 17.4. With modest debt relative to its size, and modest earnings growth, the market is likely expecting sustained long-term growth, if not a near-term improvement.

Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. As value investor Benjamin Graham famously said, 'In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine. So this free visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.

Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Orange Belgium. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.

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.
State legislative sessions are in full swing this year and, with governors and legislators deciding what to do with budget surpluses, large coalitions of K-12 advocates have ramped up their efforts to overhaul key components of their states funding formulas.

Legislative fights have broken out in New Jersey and New York over districts spending caps, thousands of public school advocates in Florida, Indiana, and South Carolina have protested at state capitols to push through ambitious teacher pay proposals, and in Maryland on Monday, thousands rallied to completely overhaul that states funding formula as part of a sweeping K-12 policy initiative.

This week, the Albert Shanker Institute that advocates for the value of teacher unions, says in its latest report that most states school funding formulas fail to target resources at districts that need them the most. Its the second year that the institute has released the report, which ranks states based on how much they spend as a proportion of their total economic capacity, whether that amount is enough to meet common outcome goals, as defined by the institute, and whether states target funds at the districts that need it the most.

The idea that money doesnt matter in school quality is no longer defensible, the report said.

While experts suggest states replace their funding formulas once every decade, the average funding formula is more than 20 years old (several states funding formulas are more than 40 years old). This has led to an overreliance on local property taxes to pay for schools, wide disparities between wealthy and poor districts, and teacher shortages in many states.

Despite that, legislators, district superintendents, and state courts frequently disagree about what to replace funding formulas with. Wealthy districts dont want to lose funding, legislators dont want to increase property, sales, or income taxes, and district superintendents dont want to lose autonomy over how they spend their money. This has effectively led to political gridlock. While Texas, Massachusetts, and Illinois were successful last year in overhauling their funding formulas, aggressive efforts in Idaho, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina have struggled politically.

Bruce Baker, a researcher with the Albert Shanker Institute and one of the reports co-authors, has been absolute in his resolve that money can increase academic outcomes and that states spend far too little on its poorest students. (Hes previously said that most states should be spending around $20,000 on poor students, $7,000 more than states currently spend on students.)

Among the institutes latest findings, the typical state devotes about 3.5 percent of its gross state product to K-12 education. It found that in just six states spending on the highest poverty districts is adequate to achieve national average test scores, and in 28 states high-poverty districts receive less revenue than do affluent districts.

When you look at our results, coupled with states continuing to disproportionately label their highest-poverty districts as failures, it looks strikingly like a failure by design, Baker said in the report. Year after year, states are not providing their districts, particularly their high-poverty districts, with the resources they need, and thats not some accident or confluence of random events. Its a conscious, deliberate policy choice.

At least four Democratic presidential candidates this year have pushed to triple Title I funding for low-income students, which would fundamentally change the role that federal lawmakers have over school spending. (Candidate Elizabeth Warren has proposed to quadruple Title I school spending.)

Kimberly Jenkins Robinson, a law professor at the University of Virginia along with several other scholars argues in a recently released book that, considering the political gridlock in states and the existing and longstanding inequities in school spending, there should be a federal right to education. That would give the federal government legal backing to intervene when states fail to support schools.


China has revoked the press credentials of three journalists with the Wall Street Journal after the newspaper declined to apologise for a column with a headline calling China the "real sick man of Asia," the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Australian journalist Philip Wen has been given five days to leave China. Credit:John Woudstra

Spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing made "stern representations" to the paper over the February 3 column, which China criticised as racist and denigrating its efforts to combat a coronavirus epidemic, but the paper had failed to apologise or investigate those responsible.

"The Chinese people do not welcome media that publish racist statements and maliciously attack China," Geng told a daily briefing.

"In light of this, China has decided to revoke the press cards of the three Wall Street Journal correspondents in Beijing, starting today."
Top court says green cover must be valued and protected.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed concern over rapidly depleting green cover and the rising temperature as it emphasised on the alternatives to execute infrastructure projects instead of cutting trees.

Deforestation is happening at such a pace that even before we come to know about it, everything will be lost. The green cover needs to be valued and protected. The problem we are facing is that nobody wants to consider an alternative, a bench headed by

Chief Justice S.A. Bobde said.

The bench, which also comprised Justices B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant, favoured involving an economist along with an environment expert to assess the cost of a project by factoring in the value of a tree and the oxygen it emits.

The court said that the assessment of the cost of a project has to be a scientific exercise taking into account all the factors that would go including the cutting of the trees in executing a project.

The observation came while the bench was hearing a plea filed by Association for Protection of Democratic Rights objecting to the construction of five Road Overbridges (ROBs), which required cutting of over 400 trees, including 80 heritage trees that are around 70 to 80-years-old.

The top court in the last hearing of the matter on January 9, 2020, had set-up a four-member committee comprising Prof N.K. Mukherjee, Prof Soham Pandya Secretary of Wardha based Centre of Science for Villages, a representative each of the petitioner Association for Protection of Democratic Rights and that of West Bengal Government, to explore the alternatives to the construction of five ROBs in Kolkata.

The committee has since submitted its report to the court and a copy of the same would be made available to the petitioner Association for Protection of Democratic Rights.

In the last hearing, Justice Bobde had expressed concern over the cutting of the trees, at times of heritage trees, to pave way for the construction of infrastructure projects resulting in the loss of oxygen released by the trees.

While expressing concern over cutting of trees, it had observed, "When we cut a heritage tree, imagine the value of the oxygen the tree produced all these years".
Nigerian Ministry of Health publishes guidelines highlighting QIAGEN's gold standard blood test for latent TB as part of their "test and treat" strategy to fight the disease

Largest economy in Africa is the first country to recommend only QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus as standard IGRA

High-risk population will now be screened for latent tuberculosis

QIAGEN (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced that Nigeria, the country with the largest population in Africa and one of the world's 30 high-disease burden countries for tuberculosis (TB), has published guidelines recommending QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) in screening for latent TB infection (LTBI) as part of Nigeria's strategy to prevent the spread of tuberculosis. QIAGEN has partnered with Nigeria's National Tuberculosis Leprosy Control Program (NTBLCP) to adapt World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines and provide guidance to healthcare professionals on dealing with latent TB. Nigeria is the first high-burden country to exclusively embrace modern blood tests, called interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs), for latent TB screening of at-risk individuals in tuberculosis control programs.

"Nigeria is first in Africa to adopt the Global End TB strategy by incorporating TB prevention in their national TB guidelines. As a more comprehensive disease control approach, their new guidelines will take aim at the large silent reservoir of latent TB infection by testing and targeting those who are more likely to become tomorrow's cases." said Dr. Masae Kawamura, Senior Director, TB Medical and Scientific Affairs, at QIAGEN. "To finally provide both TB treatment and prevention for Nigerians is a major step forward towards global health equity and accelerating TB decline in Nigeria. We wholeheartedly congratulate Dr. Lawanson and Nigeria's Ministry of Health."

"We are proud to publish these new guidelines for LTBI screening for Nigeria, based on the WHO recommendation of 2018, as this is a crucial step to accelerate our efforts to fight latent and active tuberculosis in our country," comments Dr. Adebola Lawanson, National Coordinator of the TB Programme, Federal Ministry Of Health of Nigeria. "The creation of these guidelines, and the input from QIAGEN, was a great opportunity to innovate our approach to testing and treatment of TB with the inclusion of IGRA testing. With these guidelines our healthcare professionals now have a holistic protocol on managing at risk individuals with latent TB to avoid progression to active TB, followed by antibiotic treatment of infected individuals."

Please find the full press release here

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005761/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations

John Gilardi, +49 2103 29 11711

Phoebe Loh, +49 2103 29 11457

e-mail: ir@QIAGEN.com



Public Relations

Thomas Theuringer, +49 2103 29 11826

Robert Reitze, +49 2103 29 11676

e-mail: pr@QIAGEN.com
TAROM national airlines received the first aircraft from the series of nine ATR 72-600 airplanes, currently being the only airline in Romania which included in its fleet this type of aircraft, with this configuration, a release sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday informs.

This type of European airplane is able to land with independent and high accurate means, under low visibility conditions (Localizer performance with vertical guidance - LPV-200).The aircraft has an increased seat capacity compared to the existing ATR aircraft in the TAROM fleet, it can carry up to 72 passengers, on a maximum distance of approximately 1,500 km and it is meant to serve both the internal and regional markets.According to representatives of the company, TAROM has a significant experience in flying this type of airplane, which means the maintenance can be ensured by the Technical Directorate personnel within the company and the training of the flight crews and technical staff will be made with minimal costs, born by the manufacturer.The airplanes are purchased under an operational leasing, on a period of 10 years, they will be used for regional flights (internal and external) and will replace the ATRs which the company currently has in its feet."For TAROM, the development and modernisation of the fleet has been and is a major priority of the management team, this is why the starting of the delivery of the 9 ATR 72-600 aircraft pleases us a lot," the release mentions.TAROM - the National Airline of Romania - was established in 1954, operating under the authority of the Transport Ministry. In 1993, it became a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), while in 2010 it joined the SkyTeam Airline Alliance.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 19) A group of cable television operators in the country said it is opposing the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN, citing the media networks supposed lack of operation permits and irregularities in the license application process.

Federation of International Cable TV and Telecommunications Association of the Philippines (FICTAP) chair Estrellita Tamano on Wednesday slammed the company for allegedly seeking faster approval for a franchise from Congress.

Normally, it takes us five to six years before NTC (National Telecommunications Commission) can release a cable TV system. Then here comes ABS, they wanted to have a shortcut of applying, Tamano told CNN Philippines The Source.

Tamano added the group has already previously opposed the renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise back in the 16th Congress in 2014.

Because we believe that one channel, one frequency. It is in our law, the chairman added. ABS-CBN has this black box, and they included there, I think 13 channels. And one channel, one frequency. But they only have once franchise, ABS-CBN.

Tamano also questioned the networks pay-per-view services, alleging that ABS-CBN lacks permit to operate such system.

Kasi nagpe-pay-per-view din sila eh kami lang 'yung authorized to have, to collect pay-per-view. Kami lang ang pinapayagan because we are licensed, she stressed.

[Translation: Theyre doing pay-per-view, but we are the only ones authorized to have, to collect pay-per-view. We are the only ones allowed because we are licensed.]

FICTAP is a group of micro and medium cable TV operators from all over the country. It is composed of 600 member-operators, including Bohol Cable TV, Buenavista Cable in Antique, and Maguindanao Sky, among others.

ABS-CBN has earlier shrugged off the claims, saying their broadcast services have already secured green light from concerned regulatory bodies.

ABS-CBN complies with all pertinent laws governing its franchise and has secured all necessary government and regulatory approvals for its business operations," it said in a previous statement.

The franchise renewal case was highlighted anew following a quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida, who asked the Supreme Court to nullify the companys existing franchise.

Calida on Tuesday also ran to the High Court seeking a gag order on ABS-CBN and its representatives. He cited in his motion supposed propaganda videos aired by the network which he said may influence the resolution of the case.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A vessel M V Magnate with 19 Chinese crew has been quarantined near Chennai Port after a few Chinese crew showed symptoms of fever. The samples of the crew have been sent to the King Institute of Preventive medicine and results are expected soon, according to official sources.

The vessel had earlier visited several Chinese ports and was allowed to leave a port in that country on February 18 after the incubation period of 14 days. The ship was given the nod to sail after ensuring that the crew is healthy.

READ| Coronavirus outbreak: 56 Indians return home after quarantine in Chawla, Manesar

On berthing in Chennai, port health team including a public health specialist-cum-deputy health officer boarded the vessel and examined all crew members. The team collected blood samples after taking due precautions as per standard operating procedure (SOP).

"It was observed that two of the 19 crew members had mild fever without other respiratory symptoms. They were otherwise healthy in all respects," a press release said.

The crew members have been isolated in the ship which is kept away from access of anybody from shore side. No crew member is also allowed shore access, the release added.

Once the medical report is received, port authorities and health officials will take necessary measures as per the SOP, the release further said.
Of course, every suspect has an inherent right to the presumption of innocence. Suffice it to stress that it is the job of the investigative body to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, or to establish a prima facie case, and not a job for the suspect to prove his/her innocence.

Somehow, political observers believe that since NDC lost the 2016 election at the backdrop of incontrovertible gargantuan corruption scandals (Bus branding, SADA, SUBA, GYEEDA, NCA, SSNIT, STS Housing deal, NSS, the Brazilian aircraft deal, and Mahamas Ford Expedition Vehicle, amongst others), the loyalists of the party are doing everything possible to taint NPP with the same brush.

Of course, as I write, about 21 officials of the erstwhile Mahamas administration have been arraigned before the law courts in alleged bribery and corruption charges.

Take, for example, some officials from MASLOC, NCA, SSNIT, and Ghana Standards Authority, among others, have been arraigned before court for various charges of malfeasance.

If you may also remember, a few years ago, the NDC founder and the former president of Ghana, J. J. Rawlings, audaciously came out and revealed that a former NDC Deputy Minister extravagantly bought two luxurious mansions worth at a staggering $3 million with hard cash from an estate agent in Accra shortly after the Mahamas government exited power (see: NDC minister grabs two mansions; dailyguidenetwork.com, 12/06/2018).

It would be recalled that during the delivery of the June 4 address last year, His Excellency Ex-President Rawlings referred to the said Deputy Minister as small little character, who strangely paid hard cash to the utter dismay of the property owner.

Former President Rawlings was reported to have disclosed somewhat disappointingly: What did this small little character do? After we lost the 2016, I said he went and paid cash for two mansions, one for himself and one for his wife.

Ex-President Rawlings revealed: he (property owner) was very sad and he was very angry. Why do you think he was angry?

Because he has sweated to build these houses to sell for profit and instead of the money to come into his account or being given a cheque, he was being given physical cash!

What that meant was that he had to spend the whole night counting the $1.5 million each times two, the $3 million. Do you get me? (dailyguidenetwork.com, 12/06/2018).

Former President Rawlings lamented: The principles of June 4 are not alien or has never been alien to mankind. They are no different from the most basic religious or human values. Probity, accountability and social justice would on any day liberate the overwhelming majority of our people from the bondage or difficulties they find themselves in.

The fight against corruption, greed and avarice has however been at great cost. Noble soldiers have died; noble civilians have died for it and so many of the noble ones have suffered and continue to suffer all kinds of indignities for their principles and convictions.

I want to remind people that we could not have possibly forgotten that Generals were executed. The greed, corruption and injustice of today is a thousand times more than what these Generals were executed for, and if we are unable to restore a firm measure of integrity into our dealings, then the blood of many would have been shed in vain.

In fact, it is not only the founder of NDC, J. J. Rawlings, who has been expressing grave concern over the wanton bribery and corruption in the Mahamas administration, some NDC stalwarts have previously voiced out concerns on the reprehensible behaviour.

Take, for example, prior to the NDCs 2019 flagbearership contest, the Honourable Bagbin, the MP for Nadoli Kaleo and a contestant of the NDCs presidential race, attributed the humiliating defeat of Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2016 general elections to bad governance (See: Mahama's boys bought V8, built mansions in 4 years  Bagbin; myjoyonline.com/ghanaweb.com, 19/08/2018).

Mr Bagbin was reported to have quizzed somewhat dejectedly: Dont tell me that the boys that suddenly came closer to the president within four years can build mansions and buy land cruisers and you say there are no resources, where are they getting the money, their salaries?

The fact, though, remains that a large portion of Ghanas scarce resources, regrettably, went down the drain due to the unbridled sleazes and corruption perpetrated by the officials of the erstwhile Mahamas administration.

Take, for example, not long ago, a competent court of jurisdiction convicted two of the numerous corruption suspects in the erstwhile NDC administration and sentenced them to six and twelve years respectively.

In fact, some of us share in the sentiments of the concerned Ghanaians, who have been maintaining all along that the sins of the two convicts are meagre in comparison with the other scandalous corruption cases which took place in the erstwhile Mahama administration.

In addition, on 14th March 2018, the State filed a case of causing financial loss against the former Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD and the CEO of Zeera Group of Companies and Agricult Ghana Limited, who have been accused of embezzling over GH260 million under the watch of former President Mahama.

Moreover, credible sources have it that diligent investigations are underway in a number of suspected bribery and corruption cases, many of which are likely to end up in the law courts.

But in spite of the admissible evidence of uncontrolled sleazes and corruption in Mahamas government, the loyalists NDC supporters would want discerning Ghanaians into believing that the erstwhile NDC government provided exceptional governance.

Dearest reader, isnt it therefore bizarre that the same people would have the courage to accuse others of non-existent corruption? How pathetic?

Whatever the case, we hope and pray that the Special Prosecutor, Mr Martin Amidu, will, as a matter of urgency, work strenuously towards the insuperable battle against the pretentious enemies of the state, who are regrettably disguised in political clothing.

K. Badu, UK.

[email protected]
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / RESAAS Services Inc. (TSXV:RSS)(OTCQB:RSASF), a technology platform for the real estate industry, is pleased to announce that its shares have received The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") full service eligibility in the United States. The Company's identifier in the United States is "RSASF".

"Over 400,000 RESAAS agents are based in the United States. Until now they have been unaware that they could own stock in a company they use daily," said Tom Rossiter, CEO of RESAAS. "Being DTC eligible allows American real estate agents and investors to take advantage of the efficiencies created in the electronic method of clearing securities."

DTC eligibility enables RESAAS shares to be distributed, settled and serviced through DTC's automated processes. DTC settlement services provide a more efficient and lower cost settlement process for investors and brokers trading Canadian securities in the United States.

###

About RESAAS Services Inc.

RESAAS is a technology platform that enables real estate brokerages, franchises and associations to bring real-time communication, new business opportunities and unique data to their agents on a global basis.

Visit www.resaas.com for more information.

For further information contact:

Don Mosher

RESAAS Services Inc.

Tel: +1 (604) 685-6465 Email: don.mosher@resaas.com

The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The statements made in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that may involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results could differ materially from RESAAS Services Inc.'s expectations and projections.

SOURCE: RESAAS Services Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/576938/RESAAS-Announces-DTC-Eligibility-for-American-Investors
Qantas will make capacity cuts across its international and domestic network equivalent to grounding 18 aircraft until the end of May in response to the coronavirus outbreak, and says deeper cuts and job losses are on the cards if the health crisis is not contained.

The airline on Thursday said the coronavirus would deliver a blow of up to $150 million to its profit this year - almost twice the impact of the 2003 SARS on the carrier in today's dollars.

The coronavirus outbreak has hit Qantas. Credit:AAP Image/Peter Rae

Qantas will cut flights into Asia by 15 per cent until the end of May and perhaps longer, pulling back on flights to Hong Kong and Singapore and keeping flights to Shanghai suspended. Jetstar flights to Japan, Thailand and within Asia will be cut by 14 per cent.

With the loss of passengers feeding into the rest of its network, domestic flights will be cut by around 2 per cent and flights to New Zealand will be cut by 6 per cent, the airline said.
What youre seeing right now is really reminiscent of some of the kind of smear, kind of skepticism campaigns that have been run against a lot of different candidates in the past. Questioning where theyre from, aspects of their lineage, et cetera, et cetera, Gray said on CNN. Its really telling given that none of the same concern is being demonstrated for Michael Bloomberg, who is the same age as Bernie Sanders, who has suffered heart attacks in the past.
MAPLE HEIGHTS, Ohio  A 17-year-old boy who had last been seen on Sunday was found safe early Wednesday morning in Cincinnati.

Police had said the teen might be heading to Kentucky on a chartered bus. Officials did not say how he was located.

To comment on this story, visit Tuesdays crime and courts comments page.

Read more crime stories:

Mans body, hazardous materials found in Bay Village home, police say

Twinsburg High School student robbed by two juveniles, including classmate, district says

Man stabbed in head during robbery at Cleveland gas station, records say

Boyfriend of Brook Park mother grabbed childs neck, slammed his head into wall, court documents say

Man shot while leaving Cleveland strip club, police say
Armenias Minister of Finance Atom Janjughazyan today received Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin.

During the meeting, the parties discussed issues related to the EU-Armenia cooperation, including the course of implementation of the programs that Armenia is implementing with the support of the EU and the prospects for future cooperation.

Armenias finance minister attached importance to the EUs active participation in the reforms of the Armenian government, touched upon the current reforms in public finance management and attached importance to the EUs experience in this sector and the need for the EU to share it with Armenia.

The EU Ambassador expressed willingness to continue to support the reforms taking place in Armenia and highly appreciated the significant progress that has been made within the scope of the countrys strategy on the system of public finance management.

The parties also emphasized the importance of the conference organized for donor organizations in January 2020.
It was a modest wedding at Ottawa city hall. The bride wore a white lace dress and had her younger sister by her side. The groom was in a wheelchair, accompanied by two of his oldest friends.

When the short ceremony was over, the newlyweds kissed. They decided not to tell his children about the wedding until after the Christmas holidays.

That was December 2018. Now, more than a year later, the 91-year-old groom, who's worth an estimated $27 million, is locked in an extraordinary legal dispute with his son and daughter over his decision to marry a 55-year-old woman he'd met a few months earlier  and who is now set to inherit one-third of her husband's fortune.

"I want company. I want a woman that takes care of me, somebody who has a heart," Joe Overtveld said in an interview at his Ottawa apartment.

But his children believe their father lacks the mental capacity to make an independent decision to marry, and have filed an annulment application in family court on his behalf.

The legal documents contain bitter accusations from both sides  none of which has been proven in court  and lay bare a tragic family feud pitting an aging patriarch who believes he's still able to manage his own affairs, against his children who believe they're acting in their father's best interests.

While the case wends its way through the courts, Overtveld is living apart from his wife in a two-bedroom apartment under a set of "house rules" laid down by his children. Among those restrictions: he can only have visitors for 90 minutes each evening.

Francis Ferland/CBC

Built company from scratch

Gilles Jozias Overtveld, known to his friends as Joe, likes to say he arrived in Canada from the Netherlands in 1953 with $5 in his pocket.

The electrical engineer started investing in property in the 1960s, and now owns more than 100 rental units across Ottawa. Their value fluctuates, but according to court documents, Overtveld's real estate empire is currently worth about $27 million.

Story continues

As he tells it, there's a simple formula to amassing that kind of wealth.

"You buy one building, you improve it, you fix the roof, you fix the furnace and so forth. You get it to go, and then you buy the next one," he said in a still-thick Dutch accent.

But Overtveld no longer runs his own property company, Gilas Management and Maintenance. Three years ago, his children, growing concerned about their father's decision-making ability, invoked a continuing power of attorney agreement (POA) he had signed several years earlier when he was travelling and planned to be away from the business.

A POA allows signatories to make important decisions on behalf of someone who's physically or mentally incapable  for instance, by looking after their financial affairs. A continuing POA is left in place so it can be used immediately if necessary, or later on down the road.

Francis Ferland/CBC

According to Joy Overtveld's affidavit, her father had "started flying into sudden, inexplicable fits of rage" after a stroke in 2014. Her brother, Todd Overtveld, said their father became "significantly more short-tempered."

By 2017, Joy Overtveld said her father was "no longer able to understand business reports, [and the] financial statements" of his company.

'I haven't changed a bit'

Joe Overtveld disputes this. "I haven't changed a bit," he told CBC. "I find that my memory is better than most of the people I know."

He claims that in 2017, he argued with his daughter over large withdrawals of money he discovered had been made from his account while she was managing the company's daily operations.

Asked about that allegation by CBC, Joy Overtveld didn't directly comment, but in court documents she described her efforts to address the company's financial difficulties. She also said in an affidavit that her father was becoming "confrontational" toward her, complaining that in a single workday in July 2017, he inundated her with 26 emails, calls and texts on the same topic.

Jennifer Chevalier/CBC

In his affidavit, Todd Overtveld agreed that his father was "uncharacteristically mean" toward his sister and tried to micromanage her, even though her work was "crucial to the real revenue gains" the company made.

In their roles under the POA, the siblings decided to have a capacity assessment performed on their father.

The assessment found Joe Overtveld was incapable of managing either his property or his personal care, and Joy Overtveld assumed control of the business.

'Might as well just be dead'

Joe Overtveld still rails against the assessment, and the ensuing loss of control over his own affairs.

"You are a non-person, you might as well just be dead," he said. "I don't have a bank account. I can't transfer money. If that doesn't frustrate anybody, I don't know [what] would."

From August 2018, Joe's children assumed control of his finances, transferring his money into a trust they now manage. They also removed his passport and photo ID from his home because they were concerned their aging father could fall victim to identity theft.

I love my father and I am genuinely concerned for my father's well-being. - Todd Overtveld, in an affidavit

Overtveld appealed to his longtime friend, Tito Jurado, whom he'd met 35 years earlier while working as an engineer.

"He asked me, as a friend, to help him. As a matter of fact, he didn't ask  he begged me," Jurado recalled.

Francis Ferland/CBC

Jurado agreed to pay for a second capacity assessment that found Overtveld was "articulate" and "lucid," and capable of revoking the POA document he'd signed. Jurado also agreed to fund his friend's legal challenges.

In several legal documents, Overtveld's children accuse Jurado of trying to take advantage of their father financially.

They arranged for a third assessment, and it reiterated what the first one had found: that their father was incapable of managing his property or personal care, and therefore couldn't revoke the POA he'd signed leaving his children in charge of his property.

The assessment also concluded Overtveld was "vulnerable to exploitation," and may not have had the capacity to understand the implications of his marriage contract.

'He needed somebody'

Overtveld decided he would marry Rachida Youmouri as a way of challenging the POA by reassigning legal authority over his affairs to his wife. Jurado had introduced the two a few months earlier, and Overtveld decided to propose.

"I saw this was one way I could get the POA back," he said.

But something else happened along the way: since their wedding day at city hall, Overtveld believes their relationship has blossomed into something bigger.

"Things changed," Overtveld said. "Here's an excellent woman, and I knew she would take care of me. I love her."

Youmouri said she, too, cares deeply for Overtveld, despite the 36-year age gap.

"I love him as a father or a grandfather, and these are genuine feelings," she said, explaining that she wants to help improve her husband's quality of life in his final years.

Jennifer Chevalier/CBC

"I think he felt very lonely," Youmouri said. "He was by himself. He needed somebody to live with, and that's fair."

Youmouri did not want to be photographed for this story.

Protecting father from 'financial predators'

Overtveld's children don't see the relationship that way. In the annulment application they filed in October, they claimed their father "lacked the mental capacity to enter into a marriage contract" and claimed Youmouri, who they suspect "may not be a Canadian citizen," is "motivated by financial gain."

Todd Overtveld's affidavit details his concern for his father's judgment, claiming Joe Overtveld had already fallen victim to a Russian email scam and had also had money stolen from his apartment. Todd Overtveld also suspects his father was allowing a woman to "stay at his residence, eat his food and collect payment from him in exchange for escort services" in 2018. Joe Overtveld denies the woman was an escort.

The children claim in court documents that even before their father's marriage to Youmouri, they had tried to protect him from "the financial predators who were victimizing" him, which is why they transferred his money out of his bank account into a trust from which they now pay for his daily expenses and care.

They claim Youmouri was just one of a handful of women to whom their father was proposing marriage at the time, and they allege she neither spoke to their father on the phone nor visited him regularly before the wedding. Based on footage captured by a surveillance camera installed outside their father's apartment, they said they "found no evidence" of Youmouri visiting "until a few days prior to her purported marriage."

I'm not a gold digger. - Rachida Youmouri

In her response to the annulment application, Youmouri admits the relationship was what she called a "marriage of convenience" with mutual benefits.

"He wanted somebody to take care of him until he dies. He said if I stayed with him and protected him until he died, then I would benefit under his will."

But Youmouri told CBC that doesn't mean it was all about the money. "I'm there to help him as a human being whom I saw suffering and neglected and isolated. So I wanted  and I still want  to improve Joe's quality of life."

In court documents, she said her husband "expressed the particular concern that his daughter Joy not put him in a residential care facility," saying he "felt abandoned and was stressed."

Youmouri, who was born in Morocco, also dismissed allegations that she married Overtveld to obtain a Canadian passport.

"I've been a citizen for years, and I'm not there for his money. I'm not a gold digger," she said. "In my culture you don't mistreat or ignore [the] elderly, you take care of them. They took care of all the generations that's come down. So you take care of the person."

Joy and Todd Overtveld declined to be interviewed, saying in an email to CBC: "We have been trying to manage these very difficult and bizarre circumstances as best as we are able."

'Unusual' case headed to court

The courts have not yet ruled on either the annulment or the civil lawsuit Joe Overtveld launched to challenge the POA.

Overtveld's lawyer, Miriam Vale Peters, calls the annulment case "unusual," and believes it will be difficult for the children to win. She said even if someone is found to be incapable of managing property or personal care  the court has also yet to rule on the conflicting assessments of Joe Overtveld's capacity  there's a lower bar to consent to marriage.

"The threshold for marriage is low. So a person can marry another person without much understanding of all future financial consequences," Vale Peters said.

"People are allowed to marry people that are 20 years their junior, and allowed to give extravagant gifts. Children may not like that. But so long as a person knows what they're doing and understands what they're doing, it is all completely above board.

"I don't blame the children for being unhappy with what has transpired, but that unhappiness doesn't translate in an ability or a right to try to change what decisions their father has made."

In Ontario, a previous will is revoked when someone marries, meaning Youmouri would split his fortune with his two children unless the annulment succeeds. Other provinces including British Columbia have amended their marriage legislation to allow an existing will to continue even after a new marriage contract is signed.

Jennifer Chevalier/CBC

Visiting hours

For now, the newlyweds live apart, only seeing each other between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., when Youmouri brings Overtveld his dinner. If they want to visit outside those hours, Overtveld must provide his children with 48 hours written notice. Failure to abide by those house rules "will result in the police being notified," and could end the visits altogether, according to a lawyer's letter sent to Youmouri.

The couple alleges Overtveld's children have barred Youmouri from moving into another apartment in the same three-story Centretown house as her husband, an accusation the children deny.

Youmouri remains defiant. "I do not need anybody's authorization to visit my husband," she said.

Overtveld also bristles at the house rules, and the CCTV cameras installed outside his apartment.

"I have a camera sitting outside that watches who is coming in and who is coming out," he complained. "If anybody had been exposed to what I have, they'd end up in an insane asylum. Fortunately, I'm not one of those people."

Francis Ferland/CBC

The children said the rules were created to monitor their father's visitors so they could "promote his sleep and treatments schedule," and said the cameras had been installed years earlier at their father's request.

In his affidavit, Todd Overtveld said he only wants what's best for his father.

"I love my father and I am genuinely concerned for my father's well-being  However, it is time he comes to terms with his physical and cognitive limitations and allows us to take care of him."

But Joe Overtveld shows no signs of coming to terms with the situation. He believes the family rift can only be healed once he's given back control over his money, and said he cannot bear to think about what would happen if he were permanently separated from his wife and his friend, Jurado.

"It would be terrible," Overtveld said. "They are the only people who believe that I am not incapacitated  They say I'm just the same as I ever was."
Two high-ranking officials from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) expressed deep concern over the recent upsurge in fighting in eastern Ukraine that killed at least five combatants and wounded at least eight others near a front-line town from which the warring sides withdrew forces in November.



OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Edi Rama and Secretary-General Thomas Greminger said they regretted reports of casualties, while calling for "restraint and full respect" for the latest cease-fire that was brokered in Paris in December, according to a February 18 news release.

Ukrainian officials say one soldier from the government's forces was killed and four were wounded.



Yakov Osadchy, leader of a Russia-backed separatist militia in the Luhansk region, says four separatist fighters were killed and four others wounded.



"This latest incident is not isolated," Rama said. "Every day the cease-fire is violated, despite the undertakings set out in the Minsk agreements, and the explicit commitment to 'a full and comprehensive implementation of the ceasefire' agreed in Paris two months ago.



Greminger, meanwhile, urged "all sides to exercise maximum restraint," adding that "the positive steps" taken in recent months to de-escalate the conflict "should not be undone."



Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists exchanged accusations over the latest deadly clashes in the country's east on February 18. It was the most intense fighting the six-year war has seen in months and the heaviest since President Volodymyr Zelenskiy took office in May.

'Three-Pronged Attack'



Kyiv said enemy ground forces launched a three-pronged attack on Ukrainian positions following an intense artillery barrage that started around 5 a.m. local time in the Luhansk region near the town of Zolote.



A leading separatist, however, said the fighting started after an advanced Ukrainian military unit tried to enter nongovernment-controlled territory and found itself in a minefield.

Fighting died down around 10 a.m. after the Moscow-backed separatists requested a cease-fire to recover their wounded and dead, said General Ruslan Khomchak, chief of the general staff of the Armed Forces.

There was concern that Ukrainian forces lost ground in the five-hour battle.



At a briefing later in the day with the Ukrainian president, Khomchak said three forward observation posts came under heavy attack from shelling, tank rockets, and infantry rounds.



Ukraine was forced to swiftly mobilize a full-blown defensive operation in the affected areas, the general said.



Fighting was fiercest at the observation point code-named "the Bathhouse," from where Ukrainian forces withdrew.



"We naturally gave the order for our people to withdraw from [the Bathhouse] because we had to deliver a strike upon it, including with artillery," Khomchak said.



Neither side controls the abandoned observation post now, he added.



More than 13,000 people have been killed in the war, and another 1.5 million people internally displaced.



The Ukrainian soldier killed was later identified as Maksym Khitalylov, a 22-year-old grenade launcher with the 72nd Mechanized Brigade.



At least 14 Ukrainian service members have been killed since the beginning of the year.
Supplier News

19 February 2020

Shiji Group, a leading global hospitality technology provider, and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance (GFLA), Broward County's official partnership for economic development, announced the company is contributing to tech-focused job growth in the South Florida region with the addition of 70 new high-value tech jobs.

On Tuesday, February 18th Shiji and GFLA commemorated the announcement during the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Shiji Group's third corporate headquarters in the Americas, located in Hollywood, FL. The ceremony was attended by Commissioner Richard Blattner of Hollywood, FL, President, and CEO of GFLA, Bob Swindell, Shiji America's SVP, Dan Bell, and COO of Shiji Distribution Solutions, Greg Berman, amongst others. The company's growth is supported by the Alliance, the State of Florida and the City of Hollywood.

Founded in 1998, Shiji quickly grew to become a leading global technology provider, empowering the hospitality industry in over 15,000 cities and 177 countries around the world. When Shiji arrived in the Americas in 2016, it quickly became one of the fastest-growing hospitality technology companies in the US, with 57% of all hotels in the United States now utilizing Shiji technology, including 58% of the hotels in Miami, and almost two-thirds of the hotels in Orlando.

South Florida's diverse and highly educated workforce, access to 10 major airports, and competitive tax and regulatory base, make it an ideal location for Shiji's third corporate headquarters in the Americas. The partnership between GFLA and Shiji Group will bring more innovation, high-tech employment, and economic growth to the region. In expanding its local presence, Shiji will offer more support for its US and Florida customers, while simultaneously attracting more local talent in tech.

"The Alliance is thrilled to welcome Shiji to Hollywood and we're glad the company has chosen to add 70 new high-value tech jobs in Broward County," said Bob Swindell, President & CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance.

"We take great pride in being a city that is welcoming to innovative businesses by providing resources and opportunities to help them grow and prosper," says Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy. "The fact that our city attracted one of hospitality's leading global technology companies in Shiji, is a true testament to our region as a thriving technology hub."

Dan Bell, SVP of Shiji Group Americas, remarked, "We welcome the opportunity to partner with GFLA to help bring more technological and economic growth to South Florida. Shiji's goal is to connect the global business of hospitality, and our Hollywood office will allow us to bring increased resources, R&D, sales, and customer support to both our local clients and the regional tech and hospitality communities."

"With a thriving hospitality sector and talented hospitality and technology professionals, South Florida represents a unique opportunity for Shiji to be even more innovative and strengthen the level of service and support provided to our customers", said Greg Berman, COO of Shiji Distribution Solutions.

About the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance (www.gflalliance.org) is Broward County, Florida's official public/private partnership for economic development. Its mission is to lead Broward County in building a stronger and more diverse economy by stimulating the creation of new jobs and capital investment while facilitating the growth and retention of businesses in Broward County. Services offered by the Alliance include assistance with business relocation or expansion and site selection; incentive programs and information; market research; small, minority- and women-owned business assistance; and serving as a liaison for workforce development between CareerSource Broward, educational institutions and the business community. To learn more, call 954-524-3113.
Indian sugar baron is accused of borrowing $80m in the name of more than 24,000 farmers, some of them already dead.

Parbhani, India  Sadashiv Satpute, a farmer from a small town in the western state of Maharashtra, applied for a loan on March 27, 2014, according to bank records.

He subsequently received a sum of Rs 183,690 ($2,573) from Andhra Bank. But Satpute had died three months before his loan application, raising the question of how could he have applied for it in the first place.

His case came to light after a bench of the High Court of Bombay ordered the Economic Offences Wing of the state police to investigate an alleged fraud.

Sugar baron

The Enforcement Directorate, the economic intelligence unit of the central government, raided 10 locations, including properties belonging to sugar baron Ratnakar Gutte, in June 2019 in connection with the bank fraud.

Between the fiscal years of 2012-2013 and 2016-2017, his company Gangakhed Sugar and Energy Limited (GSEL), located in the town of Gangakhed, took out fraudulent loans worth Rs 578 crores ($80m) from seven public-sector banks in the name of more than 24,000 farmers, according to an audit accessed by Al Jazeera.

Farmer Ramesh Pawar says fraudulent loans amounting to Rs 5.5 lakhs ($7,704) were issued in his name [Parth MN/Al Jazeera]

Ratnakar Gutte, GSEL chairman, has been in jail since March 2019 for money laundering. A bench of the Bombay High Court is hearing the case.

Currently a member of the state legislature representing the constituency of Gangakhed, made up of farmers his sugar factory allegedly duped, Gutte managed to contest the October 2019 state elections from jail  and win.

In state elections five years earlier, his Rashtriya Samaj Party was publicly allied with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.

In the October 2019 elections, the public alliance was dropped but his campaign posters featured prominent photos of then-chief minister and BJP senior leader Devendra Fadnavis and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The BJPs official ally, Shiv Sena, had been contesting the constituency in the election too, but Guttes team consistently said that he was the real BJP ally throughout the campaign.

Guttes son, Vijay, directed the Bollywood film Accidental Prime Minister, which is said by many to be a hatchet job on the Gandhi family which heads the Indian National Congress, the BJPs main opposition.

Two top BJP functionaries refused to comment on Gutte. Anil Bonde, who was the agriculture minister in the previous BJP state government, and Ashish Shelar, the BJPs chief whip in the state assembly, said they were not in a position to speak about him.

Al Jazeera also sent a request to Fadnaviss assistant for a comment from the former chief minister. He replied, inquiring about the exact subject on the comment being sought. A clarification was sent, after which the assistant stopped responding.

Political observers say defending Gutte could land a politician in trouble.

Fraudulently availed loans

After the raids last June, ED officials told the media that GSEL fraudulently availed loans from different banks in the names of thousands of farmers, on the basis of guarantee given by the company.

A handful of the farmers, like Satpute, were deceased. Those who were alive found themselves in a mess they did not sign up for.

Rajebhau Phad, Guttes son-in-law, calls the case politically motivated [Parth MN/Al Jazeera]

One day in December 2018, Sulochana Tale, 65, received an envelope on her doorstep.

It was a bank notice that asked us to pay up Rs 290,543 ($4,070), she says with an amused smile. A year later, she can laugh about it but at the time, her blood pressure shot up.

I checked with my husband and even he had no clue what its all about. At this age, we can do without such shocks. Her lawyer has responded to the notice, and the matter is under judicial consideration.

A few years ago, Tale, who owns five acres (two hectares) of farmland in a village near Gangakhed, had sold the sugarcane she harvested to Guttes factory.

The factory had gotten our details like the plot number, identity card and so on at the time, says her husband, Shankar, 71, a retired professor. We have no clue how they engineered the entire transaction.

Modus operandi

The companys modus operandi of using this information to secure fraudulent loans has been noted in the financial audit of GSEL conducted by the investigation and intelligence wing of the Maharashtra state police.





It was presented in court in May 2019. The farmers signatures, as well as the documents required to open their bank accounts and verify their authenticity, were forged, it says.

Immediately after the loan amount was credited to the farmers accounts, the audit adds, almost entire amounts were transferred to the bank account of GSEL with consent of farmers. Most of those funds, according to the audit, were used for GSELs own benefit.

The factory took the fraudulent loan money at a time when Maharashtra is going through one of its worst agrarian crises. At least 11,995 farmers have killed themselves in the state between 2015 and the end of 2018, largely in despair at being unable to repay loans they had taken, owing to droughts and unseasonal rains that impacted their crops.

The agrarian region of Marathwada  in which Parbhani falls  has accounted for 4,124 of the suicides.

According to 2016 data, the average monthly income of a rural household in Maharashtra is $125. To sustain their families, many farmers have sought extra employment as agricultural labourers, earning about $3.5 a day.

Several of the farmers in whose name loans have been drawn live in makeshift one-room thatched-roof huts.

In contrast, Gutte had assets amounting to $12.6m while his wifes wealth was worth $8m, according to his election affidavit.

Farmers file case

The scandal would have probably never been uncovered had Maruti Rathods father not fallen sick in August 2016.

Rathod, a small farmer in Gangakhed, needed money for his fathers treatment but the local branch of his bank refused him a loan, citing another crop loan he had secured from another bank.

Until that moment, I had not even visited the city where this branch was located, Rathod says. It is more than 400km away. Why would I borrow money from a bank that is so far?

Rathod took the train to Nagpur  where the other branch was  to get details of the loan issued in his name.

The bank officials initially refused to give me any details, he says. But when they realised he did not intend to leave without information, the bank gave him a letter stating his loan account had been repaid that month.

The incident raised Rathods suspicions and he kept digging, eventually finding others in the same situation.

Six of the farmers filed a case against Gutte in the high court in June 2017 with the support of a local politician associated with the rival Nationalist Congress Party. Investigations that ensued slowly revealed there were more than 24,000 farmers like Rathod who had no idea they had loans in their names.

Politically motivated

Guttes lawyer, Milind Kshirsagar, denies the charges of fraud against his client.

Rajebhau Phad, Guttes son-in-law and his campaign manager, calls the case politically motivated.

If my father-in-law had done anything wrong, he would not have been able to win an election from jail, he says. He was a sugarcane farmer himself. Nobody would procure the sugarcane he harvested. That is when he made a promise to start his own factory so no farmer in Gangakhed would face what he had to.

Professor Shankar from Gangakhed wonders how a loan was taken in his name [Parth MN/Al Jazeera]

However, Pralhad Bachate, the lawyer representing the farmers in court, says it is an open and shut case.

All the papers prove Gutte has committed a fraud, he says. Yet, it takes two years for the agencies to arrest him. He has been close to the establishment.

People in the constituency of Gangakhed think twice before speaking about Gutte, Al Jazeera has been told. Several farmers refused to share details of how they were duped. Those who did only opened up after moving out of a tea stall into a private space.

Guttes clout extends not only to his constituents but also to bank officials, without whom he could not have run the loan swindle, said Devidas Tuljapurkar, joint secretary of the All India Bank Employees Association.

At least seven lower-ranked bank officials told the court they sanctioned the loans because there were orders from higher up the ladder and that they had not seen the farmers when they opened the accounts.

In July 2017, the auditors of Syndicate Banks Parbhani branch wrote a letter, which Al Jazeera has seen, to its general manager pointing out the officers who were involved in the suspected fraud.

The staff was tampering with loan files, the letter observed. It further claimed that the sugar factorys staff accessed the banks computers and LAN. The letter concluded by listing GSELs sister companies through which the bank officials might have been bribed.

Tuljapurkar, the joint secretary of the All India Bank Employees Association, says most sugarcane factories are owned by people close to politicians, which is why the bank officials are under pressure to release their loans.

It is a clear nexus that has farmers at a disadvantage, he told Al Jazeera.

Until the case is resolved in court, the farmers are at a disadvantage, their records showing unpaid loans, making it difficult to access new loans for emergencies or to keep their farms running.

Moreover, they have been pressured by the banks to pay loans.

Ramesh Pawar, 47, another farmer from Gangakhed, in whose name fraudulent loans amounting to Rs 5.5 lakhs ($7,704) have been issued from two banks, wanted a home loan to build a concrete house. But the bank refused to release money, he says.

When ordinary farmers want to access a loan, adds Pawar, banks scrutinise their past and current assets and credit histories. Not so the influential figures who were able to secure loans with no trouble.

The bigwigs even get loans on behalf of farmers that are long gone, he says. At least the ones that are dead dont have to endure the stress. I never thought I would envy a dead farmer.
Secretary General welcomes NATO Parliamentary Assembly to NATO Headquarters

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

17 Feb. 2020

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg chaired the annual meeting between the Standing Committee of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NPA) and the North Atlantic Council on Monday (17 February 2020) in Brussels.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meets with the Acting President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Attila Mesterhazy

Welcoming the NPA members, the Secretary General said that the meeting shows the importance of NATO for parliamentarians, and the importance of parliamentary support to NATO in its work in keeping one billion people safe across Europe and North America. Reflecting on the successful NATO leaders' meeting in London last December, Mr. Stoltenberg underlined the Alliance's ability to adapt to changes in the international security environment as one of the key reasons for Alliance's enduring success.

Ahead of the meeting, the Secretary General met with the Acting President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Mr. Attila Mesterhazy for an exchange of views. They discussed the work of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and ways to continue the successful cooperation between the two organizations.

The NPA brings together legislators from NATO Allies and associate countries to consider security related issues of common interest and concern. The annual joint meeting is part of the regular consultations between NATO and the NPA.

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Doctors in medical masks and protective suits at the Munsu-dong diplomatic compound in North Korea amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

There are no indications that there are cases of the new coronavirus in North Korea, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said, despite South Korean media reports suggesting the outbreak had spread to the isolated country.

"At the moment there are no signals, there are no indications we are dealing with any COVID-19 there," Dr. Mike Ryan, head of WHO's emergencies program, told a news conference in Geneva on Tuesday.

COVID-19 is the name of the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

WHO officials had "no reason to believe that there are any specific issues" going on in North Korea, and would be providing authorities in the North with more laboratory supplies to conduct diagnostic tests, Ryan said.

Some South Korean media outlets have reported multiple cases and possible deaths from the virus in North Korea, but there has been no independent verification.

On Tuesday, Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea's ruling party, quoted a public health official reiterating the country had "no confirmed case of the new coronavirus so far."

An outbreak of the disease  which has killed more than 2,000 people in neighboring China  could be devastating for the under-resourced health system in North Korea, experts said.

Last week the U.S. State Department said it is "deeply concerned" about the possible impact of a coronavirus outbreak in North Korea and is prepared to facilitate efforts by U.S. and international organizations contain the spread of the virus there.

Aid organizations have called for exemptions from sanctions that restrict most trade and business with North Korea.

Already one of the most closed-off countries in the world, North Korea has stopped flights and train services with its neighbors, established month-long mandatory quarantines, suspended international tourism, and imposed a near-complete lockdown on cross-border travel.

The WHO has prioritized aid for North Korea, and a shipment of protective equipment and supplies was due to be shipped there this week, Ryan said.

"The government is very anxious as you can imagine, as all governments are, to make preparations and are seeking our technical and operational assistance to help them get ready," he said.
Atopic dermatitis, a chronic inflammatory disorder, affects some 30 million Americans every year. It is the most common cause of eczema, a condition marked by unbearably itchy, flaky patches of skin.

A new Tel Aviv University study identifies the precise receptor chain involved in the development of atopic dermatitis. The researchers hope to develop an antibody based on this research to create a therapeutic drug.

Research for the study was led by Prof. Ariel Munitz of the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology at TAU's Sackler School of Medicine and Prof. Itai Benhar of the School of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology at TAU's George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and their PhD students Almog Bitton and Shmuel Avlas. It was published in Science Immunology on February 14.

"Atopic dermatitis is a serious, chronic condition that is usually detected in childhood. It's also associated with the development of such allergic diseases as asthma," Prof. Munitz explains. "We have now identified the chain of receptors involved in the pathology of this chronic condition that places such a burden on so many millions of people, not to mention health systems worldwide."

The clinical symptoms of atopic dermatitis are caused by two proteins, which are associated with multiple allergic diseases: interleukin 4 (IL-4) and interleukin 13 (IL-13). "The role of these proteins is so important that many pharmaceutical companies have targeted them for drug development for atopic dermatitis and for asthma," Prof. Munitz says. "In fact, recently the FDA has approved the use of an anti-IL-4 receptor antibody for the treatment of this condition."

While IL-4 and IL-13 mediate atopic dermatitis, the precise contribution of each of these proteins to the development of the disease was unknown. Both proteins use a complicated, often overlapping and complex set of receptors to mediate their activities.

In an attempt to better understand the pathology of atopic dermatitis and to identify new drug targets for treatment of the condition, the TAU researchers set out to identify the precise contribution of IL-4 versus that of IL-13 in atopic dermatitis. To do so, they harnessed mouse models that lacked the specific receptor chain: IL-13 receptor  1, as well as various preclinical mouse models of atopic dermatitis.

"We identified that the IL-13 receptor alpha chain plays a critical role in atopic dermatitis," Prof. Benhar says. "In fact, we show that IL-13R1 mice that lack the IL-13 receptor  1 do not develop the disease at all.

"Finally, we showed that a newly generated antibody was capable of reducing atopic dermatitis in mice. To translate our findings into human atopic dermatitis, we generated a novel antibody targeting the human IL-13 receptor  1 and demonstrated that this antibody may serve as a prototype to treat the disease as well as other allergic diseases such as asthma or eosinophilic esophagitis," Prof. Benhar concludes.

###

American Friends of Tel Aviv University supports Israel's most influential, comprehensive and sought-after center of higher learning, Tel Aviv University (TAU). TAU is recognized and celebrated internationally for creating an innovative, entrepreneurial culture on campus that generates inventions, startups and economic development in Israel. TAU is ranked ninth in the world, and first in Israel, for producing start-up founders of billion-dollar companies, an achievement that surpassed several Ivy League universities. To date, 2,500 US patents have been filed by Tel Aviv University researchers -- ranking TAU #1 in Israel, #10 outside of the US and #66 in the world.
Legislators and advocates pledged Wednesday to combat human trafficking, calling for increased prevention efforts and services to support women and children who are vulnerable to exploitation.

This session in particular, were looking to broaden Connecticuts definition of sex trafficking, to include in exchange for anything of value, Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, said. Under current Connecticut law, sex trafficking involves sexual conduct in exchange for a fee.

Often, the exchanges involve drugs, rent, food or other forms of payment, rather than actual money, said Erin Williamson, U.S. Programs Director for Love146, an organization that works to end human trafficking and provides direct services to child trafficking victims. Money is not changing hands in the way it maybe was when that law was initially written.

The Connecticut Trafficking In Persons Council is also advocating to allow affirmative defense so that kids who are victims of trafficking cannot then be charged with trafficking if their trafficker made them groom and recruit other kids, Williamson said.

Gilchrest also lauded the creation of a new task force announced Wednesday, which is focused on combating trafficking and prostitution at illicit massage businesses. She and Rep. Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, will co-chair the group.

More than 200 massage parlors selling illicit sex services operate around the state at any given time, and a CT Insider investigation found that police, health and labor officials struggle to control the problem.

A large component of that is demand. When you talk about illicit massage businesses, inevitably you have to ask why do they exist? Its because there are men in our communities who are going into those businesses, Gilchrest said. It challenges us as a state and a culture to question why human trafficking exists.

She, Williamson and other legislators and advocates spoke Wednesday at a form on race and child trafficking in Connecticut.

From 2016 to 2018, there were more than 200 children each year referred to the state Department of Children and Families as high-risk or confirmed victims of human trafficking, most often sex trafficking, said Yvette Young, co-chair of Connecticut's Human Anti-trafficking Response Team.

Victims of human trafficking, both adults and children, are disproportionately people of color, she said. Children of color account for 43 percent of the youth population in Connecticut, but account for 64 percent of human trafficking referrals to DCF from 2015 to 2017, Young said. In 2018, children of color made up 73 percent of the DCF referrals.

Children of color are more likely than white children to experience the factors that can make them more vulnerable to child trafficking, Young said. Those include poverty, homelessness, a history of sexual or physical abuse, community or family instability or dislocation, involvement with the child welfare system, and disconnection from the education system.

Race can also be a pivotal factor that traffickers are using in the recruitment of children, Williamson said. They target kids who are ostracized, who are vulnerable because of immigration policy, and who are disconnected, offering them a safe place, she said.

In addition to legal changes, officials need to look at the systems that children are involved in before they become trafficking victims, and at the availability of services for victims, panelists said.

Childrens trauma first becomes visible in schools, where mental health and services should be made available rather than criminalization, Williamson said.

We have to tackle systemic issues that are leading to the victimization of children of color, Young said, including the school-to-prison pipeline. When you have these children not in the system, not being educated, not being supported, the reality is theyre out in the community and going to be lured by traffickers.

Prior sexual abuse and running away are the two primary red flags for trafficking, Williamson said, and children who have experienced those should receive preventative education about trafficking.

Williamson said legislators should also look at decriminalizing running away, especially when research shows us that kids run away because of sexual abuse, poverty and homophobia.

We really do need to be looking at other laws, that might not say trafficking but with a trafficking lens, Williamson said. How do we address trafficking preventatively in schools, how do we make sure that kids who are coming into our school system with trauma are not being criminalized and are instead getting the services they need?

Liz.Teitz@hearstmediact.com
On Wednesday, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray followed the set tradition of the Maharashtra government and paid homage to the warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji on his 390th birth anniversary at Shivneri Fort in Junnar, Pune district, the birthplace of Shivaji.

This, even though the Shiv Sena has always opposed February 19 as the birth anniversary of Shivaji, saying that the anniversary should be observed in March as per the Hindu calendar.

When asked about this apparent flip-flop on the part of Thackeray, former Shiv Sena MP from Shirur, Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, said, Today Uddhav Thackeray, being the chief minister of the state attended the celebrations at Shivneri and we were all present there. But the Shiv Sena will celebrate Shiv Jayanti this year on the tithi day (as per the Hindu calendar) which is on March 12.

On previous occasions, although the Sena had opposed the BJP-led state governments celebration of the Shiv Jayanti on February 19, Sena ministers had participated in the event so as not to embarrass the alliance partner.

The controversy over the correct date for Shiv Jayanti was set to rest, when in 1995, Manohar Joshi as chief minister of the Shiv Sena-BJP government, had appointed a committee of historians and academicians to resolve the issue. The committees submission that February 19 be declared as the official birth anniversary of Shivaji was finally accepted by the subsequent Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) government led by Vilasrao Deshmukh.

Thus, while the state government has accepted February 19 as the official birth anniversary, Shiv Sena is among those organisations which celebrates the anniversary as per the Hindu calendar.

On Wednesday, Thackeray, accompanied by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar visited Shivneri Fort and attended several programmes at the fort, including the cradle ceremony to pay homage to Shivaji.

While Thackeray said a sound and light show would be introduced at the fort as a part of tourist attraction, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar announced an allocation of Rs 23 crore for the development of the fort.

At the Shivneri celebrations, Thackeray said, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has always been a source of inspiration to me and to all of us and so I am extremely happy to be here as the chief minister of the state. Everyone is saying that parties with different ideologies have come together to form a government. But what all of us have in common is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his teachings.

He said after seeking blessings of Shivaji and his mother, Jijau Masaheb, he has pledged to run a government like Shivaji did in his era.

Our government is strong and will not go away, he said.
Authorities in Florida have announced charges against 10 members of a sophisticated Miami burglary ring, who they say used Instagram and high-tech surveillance to target the rich and famous, including New York Yankees star Aroldis Chapman.

According to investigators in Miami-Dade County, the linchpin of the entire criminal enterprise was 30-year-old Xandi Garcia, who was already facing separate charges for allegedly stealing a safe containing valuables worth up to $1.7million from the hotel room of celebrity jeweler Eric Mavashev on the day of Super Bowl LIV.

The 10 alleged members of the ring, eight of whom have been arrested as of Tuesday, are facing a slew of charges, including racketeering, conspiracies, burglary, and grand theft.

Garcia's Instagram model girlfriend, Maybel Sanchez, 32, faces counts of racketeering, conspiring to racketeer and dealing in stolen property.

According to police Sanchez stalked potential targets on Instagram, paying special attention to photos showcasing their valuables.

Police in Miami have charged 10 people, among them convicted felon Xandi Garcia, 30, and his Instagram model girlfriend, Maybel Sanchez (right), with operating a sophisticated burglary ring

Garcia is said to be the leader of the criminal enterprise, which also included his mother, Mirta Lora, and his friend Daniel Pacheco

An arrest affidavit alleges that Sanchez (pictured left and right) used Instagram to stalk potential marks, paying close attention to photos showcasing their valuables

The accused ringleader'a 58-year-old mother is accused of laundering money for her son's criminal enterprise.

The Miami case calls to mind the infamous California 'Bling Ring,' which made headlines a decade ago and inspired an eponymous film directed by Sophia Coppola about the exploits of fame-hungry teenage thieves who used the Internet to track the whereabouts of celebrities, and then burglarize their mansions.

The Bling Ring's criminal enterprise netted $3million in cash and valuables, much of it coming from the home of socialite Paris Hilton.

Miami cops began investigating Garcia in July 2018, when he was arrested for allegedly operating a marijuana growhouse.

Garcia ended up pleading guilty and was sentenced to probation, but the investigation continued.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Garcia's role as the leader of a well-organized burglary ring came to light after the lead investigator assigned to his case searched through his phone, which was found to contain 'volumes of information' related to both past burglaries and plans for future burglaries.

The data discovered on the device included, among other things, photos and videos of Garcia and his team casing future victims and their homes; images of GPS tracking devices; photos of cars and tag numbers, as well as text message exchanges discussing burglaries,

This message from Garcia to one of his associates shows Instagram photos of a potential target. The text reads in Spanish: 'Look at the next victim. Look him up on Instagram so that you can see the watches he has. He is really doing well'

Mark: Sanchez and his associates allegedly had their sights set on the Davie, Florida, home of New York Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman, who has been known for flashing his watches and jewels on Instagram (left and right)

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle (pictured at a press conference on Tuesday) said Sanchez's operation was highly organized and relied on GPS trackers to keep tabs on the movements of their victims

'Social media was an important tool in the gathering of information by this criminal enterprise prior to the burglaries,' Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle stated. 'They extensively reviewed social platforms to determine what valuables, such as jewelry, expensive watches, designer handbags & designer shoes may be on-site.

Police say Sanchez also stored some of the stolen items at her home, including a gold and diamond necklace, designer shoes and sunglasses, and even posted photos of herself wearing them on her Instagram page.

When confronted by a detective during a search of her home last month, Sanchez claimed she did not know the origins of the jewelry and high-end accessories, and said they were gifted to her by Garcia.

The warrant states that the rightful owners of the luxury goods flaunted by Sanchez recognized the items, saying they were stolen from their Northwest Miami home in July 2018, along with a black Mercedes Benz S63 and a gun.

Burglary victim Lazaro Hernandez, who knew Garcia, contacted him after the heist and accused him of being behind the break-in, but the suspect insisted he was innocent and offered to help him find the real burglar in exchange for $10,000.

Hernandez paid up, but Garcia's ruse unraveled when his girlfriend began showing off her new baubles on her social media page, according to the document.

Fernandez Rundle said after identifying a target, Garcia and his crew then would place GPS tracking devices on the person's car to monitor their whereabouts and mark the locations of their homes for future burglaries.

Investigators say that the group had their sights set on the Davie, Florida, home of New York Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman, who has been known to flaunt his expensive watches on his Instagram page, which is followed by more than 620,000 users.

The criminals allegedly kept tabs on the Instagram accounts of Chapman and his wife to find out when the family were out of town.

According to police, Garcia went so far as to send two of his henchman to reconnoiter and videotape the baseball star's $2.6million mansion.

On the night of Super Bowl LIV, Garcia allegedly broke into the South Beach hotel room of celebrity jeweler Eric Mavashev and stole a safe containing up to $1.7million worth of baubles

But for an unknown reason, the group never followed through with the Chapman burglary.

While Garcia was under surveillance in early February, investigators learned that he was spotted at the Seybold jewelry marketplace in Miami, trying to offload a custom-made ring.

Before long, detectives learned that the ring had been stolen on February 2 from the Mondrian South Beach Hotel room of Eric Mavashev, known professionally as 'Eric the Jeweler,' along with other high-end adornments and a large amount of cash that were stored in a safe.

Garcia has been charges with racketeering, conspiring to racketeer, six counts of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, six counts of grand theft, grand theft of a firearm, money laundering grater than $20,000 and structural financial transactions.
Computer maker Apple is warning investors that it will not meet its three-month financial goal because of the coronavirus outbreak in China.

The company said Monday that all of its iPhone factories are outside Hubei province, where the outbreak began. It also said that all of the factories have reopened, but production is moving slowly.

The healthof every person who helps make these products possible is ourpriority, Apple said in a statement.

The number of people who died from the virus reached at least 1,770 by Monday. The new coronavirus causes a disease called COVID-19.

Apple says demand for iPhones has fallen in China because many of Apples 42 stores there have been closed or have reduced hours. China is Apples third largest market for iPhones, after the United States and Europe.

One person told the Reuters News Agency that Apples supply chain was affected by the outbreak. Apples suppliers and other smart phone makers are expected to face financial difficulties in the future.

If onefactory stays closed and theyre the only supplier, then everyone has to stop and wait. And if there are two suppliers and one is shut down, then we need the other to do more, said the person who did not have permission to speak about the company and did not want to be identified.

Stacy Rasgon is a financial expert with Bernstein, a business advising company. He said Apples problems also mean fewer chips will be sold for cell phones because most chips are made in China.

The research company Canalys estimates that Apple and competitor Huawei receive 99 percent of their production from China.

Every electronic supply chain runs through China in a big way, Rasgon said.

Outside of China, Apple said iPhone demand has been strong. The company expects to meet its sales goals for the rest of the world, but it is unclear if difficulties with supplies will affect sales in the future.

Late last month, Apple said it expected revenue between $63 and $67 billion for the three-month period ending on March 30.

Im Susan Shand.

The Associated Press and the Reuters News Agency reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

outbreak - n. a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease

priority - n. something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first

chip - n. a very small piece of hard material (called silicon) in a computer or other device that contains many electronic circuits

revenue - n. money that is made by or paid to a business or an organization

supply chain - n. the movement of goods from one factory to another
A case brought to Colombias top court by anti-abortion campaigner Natalia Bernal Cano could transform the countrys abortion law when the verdict is announced in the next few weeks  but perhaps not in the way she hoped.

Since a 2006 ruling by Colombias powerful Constitutional Court, women have been allowed to terminate a pregnancy in cases of rape or incest, fatal fetal abnormality, or danger to the physical or mental health of the mother.

Those three exceptions put Colombia in a middle-of-the-road position among Latin American and Caribbean countries exceptionally strict regimes on abortion. Six countries in the region, including El Salvador and the Dominican Republic, ban all abortions, whatever the circumstances. Only Uruguay, Cuba and Guyana allow all elective abortions in early pregnancy.

Last year Bernal, a lawyer, filed two legal actions in the Constitutional Court, hoping to push Colombia back into the former camp. She argues that the three exceptions are unconstitutional, on the grounds that all abortions carry health risks for both the woman and her unborn child.

But one of the nine judges examining the case, Alejandro Linares Cantillo, argued that the court should consider why abortion is illegal in the first place. On Feb. 19 he issued a formal proposal for the other judges to consider legalizing all abortions in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.

Between them, Linares and Bernal have revived a tense debate in Colombia, where almost three quarters of the population are Catholic. The ruling, expected by early March, will be closely watched in Colombia, and the rest of Latin America.

A National Controversy

Opponents of abortion say Colombian authorities have become too permissive about the procedure since 2006. Conservative politicians expressed outrage at the case of a woman in the western city of Popayan, who had a legal abortion in January at seven months pregnant as a result of mental-health problems.

Story continues

The womans ex-boyfriend, who had not wanted her to get an abortion, waged a widely-reported campaign against her decision, staging protests and later threatening to sue her.

Bernal argues that exceptions like the one used by the woman in Popayan cause immeasurable harm to the people of Colombia, she told national newspaper El Espectador, including post-traumatic stress and serious depressions for women who have abortions.

Bernal has issued several unsuccessful requests for Linares to be recused for the case, arguing the judge, known for liberal leanings, is biased.

Status Quo

Abortion-rights groups say the Popayan case is an illustration of how hard it is to even get a legal abortion. Family-planning nonprofit Profamilia said the woman had been seeking a termination since her first trimester, but health officials refused her. The organization says 94% of women who seek an abortion do so within the first 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Paula Avila Guillen, a human rights lawyer and the Latin America director at the New Yorkbased Womens Equality Center, says the current law discriminates against poorer women who rely on the public health system where the three-exceptions law is patchily implemented, while rich women can access abortions more easily from private doctors.

Advocates argue that legalizing all abortions in Colombia would prevent women from facing lengthy bureaucratic delays and free them from fear of arrest or prosecution if they seek medical help; data released by Colombias attorney general last year showed that between 2005 and 2017, 2,290 women were prosecuted for having an abortion  including 502 minors.

Uncertain Outcome

The court is unlikely to reverse the 2006 decision, local media report, since it has already upheld the constitutionality of the three exceptions on several occasions.

But its less clear what the outcome will be for Linares proposal for legal abortions up to 16 weeks. According to daily El Tiempo, four of the nine judges, including Linares, are likely to support the proposition and three are likely to oppose it. The two judges that are most likely to be swing votes are both women, according to Guillen.

Regional Impact

Despite a wave of protests across the region in recent years, no Latin American country has legalized abortion since Uruguay in 2012. Argentine activists attempt to pass a legalization law failed in 2018, when the senate narrowly rejected the bill after the lower house approved it. Argentine legislators who support abortion are expected to try again soon, after new president Alberto Fernandez vowed to legalize abortion during his term.

Guillen says the last three years have felt like a turning point for abortion rights in the region. It feels like we are taking back control and starting to move forward again, after a lull. The verdict in Colombia could turn the tide, she says, particularly if Bernals attempt to reverse liberalization backfires. With abortion debates all over the region, that would be a very good precedent to have.
Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Wednesday announced March 31 as the date of their formal exit as frontline royals following discussions with on formalising their new financially independent roles.

Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will no longer have an office at in as they stop carrying out formal royal duties for from April 1, with the formal arrangements of the split to be assessed after 12 months.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will formally step down as senior royals from March 31," a spokesperson for the couple said.
State Question 788 is aptly touted as the most open medical marijuana law in the nation. But for that reason, it is also criticized by many as just a recreational marijuana program in disguise.

There are no medical criteria for receiving a patient license; anyone can get a license irrespective of need. In one regard, this is as it should be: Let medical decisions be made solely between physician and patient. But in another regard, many feel that patient licenses are granted without any salient medical need. This, as we understand it, is the core point of controversy, and why many of the powers of the state treat our program as recreational.

The concern we would like to raise is that despite the impression our program is open to everyone, that is not quite so: Patients under the care of pain management physicians, oncologists and others who prescribe scheduled medications are commonly terminated if they get a medical marijuana license. So, despite the fact that many Oklahomans voted for SQ 788 as a means to help address the opioid crisis, the doctors who prescribe these opioids generally refuse to allow their patients the opportunity to use cannabis.
David Brown became the CEO of The Go-Ahead Group plc (LON:GOG) in 2011. This report will, first, examine the CEO compensation levels in comparison to CEO compensation at companies of similar size. Next, we'll consider growth that the business demonstrates. Third, we'll reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. This method should give us information to assess how appropriately the company pays the CEO.

View our latest analysis for Go-Ahead Group

How Does David Brown's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

According to our data, The Go-Ahead Group plc has a market capitalization of UK953m, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth UK1.3m over the year to June 2019. We think total compensation is more important but we note that the CEO salary is lower, at UK571k. We looked at a group of companies with market capitalizations from UK768m to UK2.5b, and the median CEO total compensation was UK1.4m.

So David Brown receives a similar amount to the median CEO pay, amongst the companies we looked at. Although this fact alone doesn't tell us a great deal, it becomes more relevant when considered against the business performance.

You can see a visual representation of the CEO compensation at Go-Ahead Group, below.

LSE:GOG CEO Compensation, February 19th 2020

Is The Go-Ahead Group plc Growing?

The Go-Ahead Group plc has reduced its earnings per share by an average of 13% a year, over the last three years (measured with a line of best fit). Its revenue is up 10.0% over last year.

Sadly for shareholders, earnings per share are actually down, over three years. The fairly low revenue growth fails to impress given that the earnings per share is down. So given this relatively weak performance, shareholders would probably not want to see high compensation for the CEO. Shareholders might be interested in this free visualization of analyst forecasts.

Has The Go-Ahead Group plc Been A Good Investment?

Story continues

The Go-Ahead Group plc has generated a total shareholder return of 16% over three years, so most shareholders would be reasonably content. But they would probably prefer not to see CEO compensation far in excess of the median.

In Summary...

David Brown is paid around the same as most CEOs of similar size companies.

The company isn't growing earnings per share, and nor have the total returns inspired us. We wouldn't say the CEO pay is too high, but we'd venture the company should look to improve its business metrics (and share price) before paying any more. Whatever your view on compensation, you might want to check if insiders are buying or selling Go-Ahead Group shares (free trial).

Arguably, business quality is much more important than CEO compensation levels. So check out this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Technavio has been monitoring the peptide therapeutics market and it is poised to grow by USD 16 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of 9% 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/20200219005442/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled global peptide therapeutics market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire)

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Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar is still sulking over the handing over of the Elgar Parishad investigation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Justifying his demand for a parallel probe by a state agency, Pawar on Tuesday claimed that the Devendra Fadnavis government had misused the Maharashtra police machinery in the case.

The Congress also voiced its opposition after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray agreed to hand over the case to the agency.

Pawar made it clear that his party had misgivings regarding the conduct of the police, especially the Pune police, and the then-officials and officers in the government.

We have been continuously demanding the setting up of an SIT (Special Investigation Team) comprising a retired judge of the Supreme Court, retired police officer and an IAS officer. The SIT should probe the investigation and evidence that has been collected in the case and bring the truth before the people, Pawar said.

The NCP chief exuded confidence that if an independent investigation were conducted, the truth pertaining to those who have been behind bars would come out.

According to him, the probe will reveal that injustice had been done to them. In addition to this, those who have misused power will be exposed, he claimed.

Pawar, who was a chief architect of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), wrote a letter to the state government, demanding the setting up of an SIT in January 2020. After this, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and home minister Anil Deshmukh held a review meeting with the Maharashtra DGP Subodh Jaiswal, state Intelligence commissioner Rashmi Shukla and the Pune police in cases related to the Bhima Koregaon and Elgar Parishad violence.

After this meeting, the Centre decided to transfer the case to the NIA.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress president and revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat alleged that the decision to transfer this case to the NIA was an attempt of the Central government to label people who are associated with progressive, Dalit and pro-Ambedkar movements Naxalites.

It is wrong to take action against them only because they have spoken out against the government. This is an attempt to gag progressive, and pro- Ambedkar voices, he said.

Meanwhile, after handing over the investigation into the Elgar Parishad case to the NIA, Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said his government would not hand over probe in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case to the Centre.

Elgar and Bhima-Koregaon are two separate topics. The issue facing my Dalit brothers is about Bhima-Koregaon and I will not give it to the Centre. I want to make it clear that there will be no injustice to Dalit brothers, Thackeray tweeted.

It may be recalled that the violence at Bhima-Koregaon was a result of the alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31, 2017.
A federal judge's ruling that the flooding of homes and businesses downstream of two Army Corps reservoirs during Hurricane Harvey was an act of God, not a failure of humans, has dealt a blow to the thousands affected by the 2017 storm.

"This is frustrating and disappointing for those who were impacted," said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. "For over two years, these survivors have been waiting for some semblance of compensation from the federal government for the heartache they've endured."
Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.

On an 80-degree Saturday in early January, the photographer Jason Henry showed up at a home near Tampa, Fla., on an assignment for The Timess Food section and found one of his subjects, Jayson McMullen, sitting on the porch playing guitar and singing his heart out.

Mr. McMullen was also completely naked.

As soon as I saw that, I knew it was going to be a great shoot, Mr. Henry, 35, said.
Flipping his car in a violent Sunday night crash is now the least of a veteran police officers worries.

As CBSPhilly.com reports, the Philadelphia Police officer behind the wheel was driving drunk and now faces DUI charges in the off-duty crash.

Police tell CBSPhilly, Officer John Sears was off-duty and driving drunk Sunday night when he flipped his car at Roosevelt Boulevard and Bustleton Avenue in the city.

In the process, Sears also crashed into another car, police said.

There was no immediate word on what the DUI charges would mean for the 13-year veteran officers career with the police department.

READ MORE:

Pa. man accused of killing his dog with ax for refusing to go outside

Pa. 2nd grader dies from flu complications; his teacher also sick with flu

Boy, 14, stabs fellow student with art room knife at Pa. high school

Popular sex therapist from Pa. killed in balcony fall; ex-boyfriend arrested

Woman set on fire during hibachi dinner for her 26th birthday: 'Im on fire

DUI trucker crashes cattle carrier into Italian restaurant: Pa. cops

Pa. high school in mourning after girl dies in mysterious crash

Someone is shooting and killing cows in Pa.: state police

Pa. woman faces aggravated DUI charges after hitting girl, 12, getting on school bus

Pa. district attorney under investigation by children and youth refuses drug tests, home inspections

Pa. man out to beat drug test is foiled when young sons bottled pee drops from his pants
The Flagbearer and founder of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), Akua Donkor is wild in search of a running mate for the upcoming 2020 general elections.

Madam Akua Donkor says, The person must be ready to pay 50,000 Ghana cedis before he or she can be considered for the slot.

The Ghana Freedom Party was founded by Akua Donkor, a farmer with its national headquarters at Kebu in the Akuapem North Municipality. It was largely to help her ambitions to become the first female President of Ghana.

She was disqualified by the Electoral Commission of Ghana from contesting in the 2012 general elections as an independent candidate.

Madam Akua Donkor was in court recently for fraud and was granted bail in the sum of Gh12,000.00 by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) Court.

She is believed to have sold a 33-acre parcel of land, belonging to her family, at the cost of GH10,500.00 to one Faustina Yeboah.

Faustina Yeboah later found out that the property does not belong to her, but she has refused to pay back the money.

She is expected to appear before the Court presided over by Miss Mary Nsenkyire on March 10.

---First1news.com
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska hailed Moroccos cooperation, which helped his country to reduce by 50 pc the arrival of illegal migrants.

At a meeting held Monday in Madrid with vice-president of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas and Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, Mr. Fernando said prevention policy works. He affirmed that his country has succeeded in reducing by 50 pc the arrivals of illegal migrants in 2019 thanks to Moroccos input in the fight against smugglers and human trafficking.

He called for a harmonized EU migration policy, stressing the need to enhance cooperation with the countries of origin and transit of migrants.

In 2019, Morocco prevented 74,000 people from illegally crossing to Spain and foiled 89,000 illegal migration attempts the previous year.

The degradation of security conditions in Libya pushed many migrants to opt for Morocco as a transit point. Last year, Moroccan authorities busted 208 migrant trafficking networks, seized 3021 fake passports and captured 505 persons specializing in human trafficking and smuggling of migrants.

Besides being a transit country, Morocco is also a destination country and was the first in Africa to launch a migrant regularization campaign offering legal residency status to some 56,000 migrants mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress boss Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the Centre while paying tribute to former party MP Tapas Paul who died in Mumbai on Monday.

Central governments pressure has claimed so many lives. Three people died due to this pressure by the agencies. Sultan Ahmed (former TMC MP), TMC MP Prasun Banerjees wife passed away and now Tapas Paul, said Banerjee.

People are being jailed but central agencies have not been able to prove their involvement or conclude what crime they committed. If someone commits a crime, they must face action. But we still dont know what crime did Tapas Paul and others commit, she added.

ALSO WATCH | Bengali actor and former TMC MP Tapas Paul dies of cardiac arrest

Paul, who was elected to the Lower House of Parliament from Krishnanagar constituency in 2009 and 2014, passed away following a cardiac arrest in Mumbai. He was 61.

The last few years of his life were riddled with controversies. In 2015, Paul was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Saradha chit fund case. In 2016, the agency arrested him in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund scam. He was in custody for 13 months before a court in Odisha gave him bail.

The Bengali actor-politician was a board member of Rose Valley Marketing India Ltd and Idea Projects Ltd - two companies of the group - for brief periods over two financial years since 2009.

The Trinamool Congress held the Centre guilty of mentally torturing him and pursuing political vendetta against him, a charge rejected as baseless by the BJP, which said the actor paid for the sins of his party who had used him as a scapegoat.

Several top Trinamool leaders have either been jailed or named in the multi-crore Saradha scam that has allegedly defrauded millions of people - mostly poor - by promising returns higher than what banks offer.
What The Study Did: Researchers compared treatment and survival rates between African American and white women following early detection with mammography of triple-negative breast cancer. African American women have a higher rate of death from breast cancer compared with white women, a disparity partly explained by a higher rate of this aggressive breast cancer.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

Authors: Lisa A. Newman, M.D., M.P.H., of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, is the corresponding author.

(doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2019.6032)

Editor's Note: The article includes conflict of interest and funding/support disclosures. Please see the articles for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflicts of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

###

Media advisory: The full study is linked to this news release.

Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article This link will be live at the embargo time https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/10.1001/jamasurg.2019.6032?guestAccessKey=59a72eed-668c-4a2f-9f51-c4ecefb7c5f0&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=021920
Theres a key moment at the beginning of Suspiria, Dario Argentos outrageous 1977 Italian horror cinema masterpiece. As American ballet student Suzy (Jessica Harper) arrives in Freiburg, Germany, to attend an elite ballet school the airports automatic doors slide open  and eerie, urgent music bleeds in from the street, pulling her into a world beyond her control.

Just about everything about Argentos 1977 Suspiria is extreme, from the gothic designs to the vivid primary colours and the stylised violence. Murder. Witches. Blood and whispers. And then theres the score: Italian prog-rock stars Goblin drenched every blood-curdling moment in chaos. Over the decades Suspiria has been analysed, decoded and remade (a 2018 misfire by Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino), but the original lost none of its lurid potency.

Horror film Suspiria's soundtrack is to be reimagined by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.

A screening next month adds a new layer of sonic terror. A supergroup comprising about half of psych-rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and a smattering of Melbournes best independent artists will reimagine that score, performing it to a screening of the film.

King Gizzard frontman Stu Mackenzie, who frequently plays the original Goblin score on his headphones while he cleans his house, revels in Suspirias frenzied atmosphere.
A group of protesters gathered outside of Gov. Tom Wolf's Philadelphia office in 2018 to call for the closure of the Berks County migrant detention center. Demands to shutter the center continue. Read more

A coalition of Pennsylvania immigrant-justice groups has sued to shutter the Berks County detention center  but not by attacking the federal authorities who confine families there.

Instead, the groups filed against the administration of a putative ally, Gov. Tom Wolf, who has often stated his desire to end family incarceration in the state.

The lawsuit asserts that once the state Department of Human Services revoked Berks license in 2016, it had no authority to let the center continue to operate during an appeal. For four years, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has confined men, women, and children at a facility that has no current, valid license, the suit said.

The groups ask Commonwealth Court to make DHS rescind its legal stipulations that allow Berks to operate, which they say would leave the center without state permission to function.

This lawsuit will help expose the hypocrisy of the governors position, said David Bennion, a Philadelphia immigration attorney and the executive director of the Free Migration Project, which promotes freedom of movement as a basic human right. His public position is that he wants Berks to be closed, but he has refused to take steps within his power to actually shut it down.

DHS spokesperson Erin James said the agency cannot comment on pending litigation.

 READ MORE: Tibetans in Philly dream of a place of their own  and work to make it real

Wolf has called the detention of families at Berks immoral, inhumane, and wrong but says his administration lacks power to act  the center operates under a contract between the county and the federal government. His administration has rejected demands to evacuate families via an emergency removal order, saying that can be done only upon a finding of immediate and serious danger to life or health.

DHS has said that as long as the agency retains power to inspect the center, it can ensure it is safe and providing proper care. A removal order would not free families from federal custody but would end the departments ability to monitor conditions, the agency has said.

I am happy to keep looking for things I can do to shut it down, but I havent been able to come up with anything at this point, Wolf said last year.

On Thursday in Center City, activists plan to rally outside the DHS branch office, marking the four-year anniversary and again calling for the centers closure.

The suit was filed against the DHS and Secretary Teresa Miller by attorneys and organizations including the Free Migration Project, the Sheller Center for Social Justice at Temple University Law School, and ALDEA  The Peoples Justice Center.

We feel we do have a sympathetic partner at the state level, but theyre not pushing in ways that they could be, said Jennifer Lee, who directs the Social Justice Lawyering Clinic at the Sheller Center. They should be taking a stand.

The complainants in the suit are two migrant families, both seeking asylum, a legal means of staying in the United States.

One family is a father and 9-year-old daughter from Honduras, held at Berks since September 2019. The other is a mother and 18-year-old son from El Salvador who were confined between 2015 and 2017.

Both families say theyve suffered physical and psychological harm at Berks.

 READ MORE: An 8-year-old girl in U.S. legally to fight cancer might see her mom deported, and no one will explain why

The case filings include a 2015 letter from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which warned that families fleeing Central America suffer high rates of trauma  death threats, physical harm, sexual abuse  and that their subsequent detention is associated with mental-health problems and suicide risk.

Across the U.S., the incarceration of migrant children, with or without their parents, is driving an emotional national debate over immigration. The Berks center has become a focal point in Pennsylvania.

Berks is one of three places in the country where the government confines migrant families, a 96-bed lockup set about 75 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Generally, families at Berks are seeking asylum.

Critics deride the center as a baby jail.

ICE officials describe Berks as effective and humane, with play rooms, educational services, and access to legal counsel and medical care.

 READ MORE: A Mexican boy turned 18 at the Berks detention center. His birthday meant handcuffs.

Advocates say theyre suing DHS because of its "failure to protect children despite its own recognition that the facility does not meet the requirements for a state license.

In 2016, DHS revoked Berks 2016-17 license for failure to meet requirements for child facilities under state law, the suit stated. Specifically, the state found the center was not operating as a child-residential facility but as a place for the detention of migrant families, including adults, according to legal filings.

Because state licenses for child facilities are only valid for one year, Berks applied for new licenses for 2017-18 and 2018-19. DHS neither granted nor denied them, the suit noted. When Berks County sued for a response, DHS stipulated that the center could operate without a license while it appealed, the suit said.

But for those held at Berks, the suit said, that has the same effect as the issuance of a license.

DHS has the duty to grant or deny each one-year license application," the suit said. "DHS has chosen to circumvent this duty.
Mutual funds (MFs) may still be hesitant to take on India Inc head-on but their share of votes against shareholder resolutions has seen an uptick in the last calendar year. The percentage of against votes rose to 4.23 per cent in 2019, the highest in the past five years for which data was analysed. It was 3.4 per cent in 2018.

In developed markets, institutional investors typically vote against 5-10 per cent of shareholder resolutions floated by companies. Only 3.3 per cent of the votes of the top 10 fund houses, however, were cast against managements. Six of ...
1 of 2

RSMSSB Patwari Recruitment 2020: Apply for 4421 Posts, last day today



The registration process for RSMSSB Patwari Recruitment 2020 began on January 20, 2020, by Rajasthan Subordinate and Ministerial Service Selection Board on the official website, rsmssb.rajasthan.gov.in. As per the official notification, today i.e. February 19 is the last date for candidates to apply for the recruitment drive. Candidates who wish to apply for the Patwari post can visit the official website of RSMSSB at rsmssb.rajasthan.gov.in. This recruitment drive aims to fill 4,421 posts of Patwari.



Vacancy details:-

Non-TSP Area: 3815 posts

TSP Area: 606 posts



Eligibility criteria:-

-Candidates who want to apply should have completed their graduation from a recognised University and O or

-Higher Level certificate course OR

-Certificate course on computer concept by NIELIT.



The age limit of the candidate should be between 18 to 40 years to apply for the post. Read More...


The idea that an oil or gas pipeline could be positive news for the environment is completely alien to those who believe we should put an end to the fossil fuel era once and for all. Yet if you ask someone who happened to be close when two oil trains in Canada derailed recently about their opinion, they might disagree about the pipelines.

The disagreement could be even sharper when gas pipelines are concerned, because more gas pipelines mean less gas flaring.

Gas flaring is the practice of burning associated gas that comes out of an oil well with the oil. In 2018, the shale boom drove the amount of gas flared in the United States up 48 percent, and the global total up 3 percent to 145 billion cubic meters, according to data from the World Bank.

But flaring means emissions, so thats a rise in emissions, tooa rise necessitated to a large extent by the lack of adequate gas transportation and storage infrastructure.

But this is changing: Kinder Morgan just got cleared by a court to build a 2-billion-cu-ft pipeline that will carry natural gas from the Permian to Houston. Thats 2 billion cu ft of gas that will not be flared. From an environmentalist point of view, the pipeline should be, if not good, then at least a lesser evil than the alternative.

Yet the construction of the pipeline is not yet guaranteed. The project was challenged in court on the grounds that it would affect wildlife in the area where it will pass, including some endangered species. Last week, a district judge in Austin rejected the opponents request for a temporary restraining order on the grounds that they had failed to provide sufficient proof of the negative effect the pipeline would have on local wildlife. Related: Chinese Refinery Run Rates Fall To 6-Year Low

Yet opponents have vowed to continue fighting, The Houston Chronicles Sergio Chapa reported this week. They will be fighting against the perceived environmental impact of the pipeline on local wildlife and against eminent domain legislation that allowed Kinder Morgan to buy land for the pipeline, angering some landowners.

The final routing decision should be made by public officials accountable to all the citizens of Texas, said the executive director of an advocacy group representing the landowners suing the pipeline operator. Kinder Morgan executives should not have the unilateral power to decide where to build an industrial highway that affects thousands of landowners and dozens of communities.

The issue seems like it will be settled in court in yet another round of the decades-long match between landowners and pipeline builders. The wildlife issue seems to have been settled by Kinder Morgan agreeing to buy a ranch to replace the part of an endangered songbirds habitat that the pipeline route will pass through.

In all of this, the flaring debate seems pushed to the backgroundbut it should be the focus of attention.

Last year, during the first quarter, gas flaring in the Permian reached a record-high of over 660 million cu ft daily. According to the World Bank, total global gas flaring stands at around 140 billion cubic meters annually. This translates into some 200 million cubic meters of carbon dioxide. Two billion cu ft is equal to around 57 million cubic meters: thats a sizeable portion of the global total that will not be flared, reducing CO2 emissions substantially enough to matter.

While there is more than one reason for various stakeholders to oppose an oil or gas pipeline project, including the zeitgeist, flaring is drawing more attention from the industry, and this is good news. Related: Three Innovations To Upend The Energy Storage Market

Occidental Petroleum, for instance, just became the first U.S. company to join the World Banks Zero Routine Flaring initiative, committing to end all routine flaring at its wells by 2030. Pioneer Natural Resources, EOG Resources, Conoco, and Chesapeake Energy, for their part, were recently named top performers in gas flaring in Texas by a state energy regulator. At the other end of the scale, the worst performers were led by Endeavor Energy Resources, Surge Operating, and Jagged Peak Energy.

The industry is definitely on board with reducing flaring. After all, flared gas is wasted gas. and even in the current depressed price situation for natural gas, its better to store it than to burn it. Burning it doesnt just emit carbon dioxide: thats the best-case scenario.

To flare what some call waste gas and other associated gas, companies add natural gas to help it burn, and steam. If the mixture of gas and steam is not just right, the process of flaring could lead to the release of methane, propane, and other constituent gases of what we collectively call natural gas, which are more harmful than CO2. Reducing flaring will reduce these emissions, too.

Thats why environmental activists should welcome the Permian Highway. It will reduce flaring in one of the United States biggest oil-producing regions where companies focus on the oil and have little interest in the gas, so they burn it. Land acquisition disputes aside, it might be worth weighing the small risk of the pipeline route crossing the golden-cheeked warbler habitat (it will affect less than 1 percent of the habitat, says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) against the 2 billion cu ft of gas that will not be flared thanks to the pipeline.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The BJP has been out of power in Delhi for the last 21 years and it couldn't win since 1998, after the fall of Sushma Swaraj-led government on the issue of rising onion price. Absence of a credible chief ministerial face and local leadership, lack of grassroots connect, among others have contributed to the poor show by the BJP in Delhi year after year.

The fact that the Bharatiya Janata Party's Delhi unit was able to bag only under-10 seats in two consecutive Assembly elections has become a major matter of concern not just for the saffron party, but also for its ideological mentor the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The RSS has found faults in Delhi BJP's poll strategy that led to the saffron party's debacle in the recently-concluded Assembly elections in Delhi.

Despite an increase of 6.21 percent in its vote share from 32.3 percent in 2015 to 38.51 percent in 2020 elections, the BJP managed to win only eight seats  five more that it had won in the last elections. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept the polls with 62 seats in the 70-seat Assembly. Notably, the AAP witnessed a marginal drop in its vote share from 54.3 percent in 2015 to 53.57 percent in 2020.

The Delhi RSS feels that the BJP had been contesting Assembly elections in Delhi for the last 21 years with the same old single formula, which led to party's electoral defeat in 2015 and 2020 in spite of the Narendra Modi wave. The party failed to convert Lok Sabha gains into state elections this time.

The BJP has been out of power in Delhi for the last 21 years and it couldn't win since 1998, after the fall of Sushma Swaraj-led government on the issue of rising onion price. Absence of a credible chief ministerial face and local leadership, lack of grassroots connect, among others have contributed to the poor show by the BJP in Delhi year after year. The BJP was in power in Delhi from December 1993 to December 1998 under three chief ministers  Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma and Sushma Swaraj.

"Delhi BJP has been contesting Assembly elections on a single formula for the last 21 years, without nurturing local leadership. The BJP doesn't have a credible local face to counter opposition," Rajiv Tuli, state executive member, RSS Delhi told Firstpost.

He added, "After tall leaders like Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma, Vijay Malhotra, etc, where's the second line of leadership? It was neither built nor projected. The Delhi BJP needs overhauling; it should be revamped with a long-term vision."

When asked whether communal and controversial slogans raised by BJP leaders like Anurag Thakur in the run-up to the election campaigning caused the dent, Tuli said, "They (BJP leaders) are the best judge and right people to respond. The party has witnessed 6 percent increase in vote share."

Another RSS functionary, however, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said, "It was too low. Sangh never approves such kind of language. It's uncalled for from leaders who're at such senior positions."

Echoing these observations made by the RSS, last week Home Minister Amit Shah, too, condemned the "hate speeches" made by BJP leaders while campaigning for the Delhi election. Shah said that statements like 'goli maaro' and 'India vs Pakistan match' shouldn't have been made and these might have cost the BJP the Delhi election.

Organiser, the national English weekly of the RSS, in its editorial of the latest issue (23 February, 2020) has accused the BJP of failing to revitalise the organisational structure at the grassroots. "Though BJP tried to respond back by legalising about 1,700 unauthorised colonies benefitting about 40 lakh people, the apparent failure of the BJP to revitalise the organisational structure at the grassroots level after 2015 and building up of the campaign in the last leg of the election -were the two major reasons for defeat in the well-fought out battle," the editorial noted.

The editorial has also flagged BJP's over-dependence on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah.

It further said, "Narendra Modi and Amit Shah cannot always help out in the Assembly-level elections and there's no option but to rebuild the organisation in Delhi to address the local aspirations of the masses is the clear message." In another opinion-editorial titled 'No lessons learnt', the Organiser said that the BJP lacked a credible face to project as the chief minister, while the AAP had a "suave and smooth-talking Arvind Kejriwal who managed to connect with the electorate".

"The BJP's intemperate verbal diarrhoea was horrific to say the least. 'Desh ke gaddaron ko, Goli maaron saalon ko' has no place in a state election," the article further added.

On building of a narrative, the article said, "Election after election, the BJP has managed to confuse national issues with state elections. The CAA is done and dusted, and passed by the Parliament. Don't even talk about it. The plank should have been  how Delhi would develop seamlessly, if BJP came to power and a few concrete and creative proposals to buttress the claim."

The BJP, whether it is the Lok Sabha elections or state Assembly elections, has always benefitted from the unmatchable grassroots connect that the RSS provides across the country. It's here that the Congress has lost out to the BJP. With ear to the ground, the Sangh cadre provided feedback to the saffron party on the basis of which successful strategies have been formulated.

One may recall that it was the RSS that took a lead in strategy formulation in Chhattisgarh ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections  starting from contact programme to campaigning in Chhattisgarh.

In December 2018, Chhattisgarh was swept by the Congress in the Assembly elections, ousting the 15-year-old BJP-led government. At the time, there was a wedge drawn between the RSS and the BJP. A section of the Sangh had decided not to support "corrupt and arrogant" BJP leaders. RSS was also disgruntled after BJP dismissed their suggestion to replace some sitting MLAs.

But things changed post-February 2019, when the top BJP leadership gave the Sangh its nod to take over the election strategy. The objective was to divert the common man's anger against the previous BJP-led Chhattisgarh government, and create a narrative around Modi and nationalism. One of the first moves was choosing fresh candidates for all 11 Lok Sabha constituencies. Ten of these candidates came from a Sangh background, and were trained in shakhas. Rest is history. The BJP bagged nine seats out of 11.
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Maven, the leading women's and family digital health company, today announced it has closed $45 million in Series C funding, led by Icon Ventures, with participation from existing investors Sequoia, Oak HC/FT, Spring Mountain Capital, Female Founders Fund, Harmony Partners, and individual strategic investors Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Mindy Kaling, and Anne Wojcicki.

Over the last twelve months, Maven has expanded rapidly, driven by adoption of its family benefits platform among individuals, employers, and health plans seeking better solutions for women's health, family planning, and diversity in the workforce. The latest round of funding will be used to support Maven's growth, deepen investment in its core digital programs across fertility, maternity, return-to-work, and pediatrics and expand into adjacent areas.

"Maven is addressing critical gaps in care by offering the largest digital health network of women's and family health providers," said Tom Mawhinney, lead investor from Icon Ventures, who will join the Maven board of directors. "With its virtual care and services, Maven is changing how global employers support working families by focusing on improving maternal outcomes, reducing medical costs, retaining more women in the workplace, and ultimately supporting every pathway to parenthood."

This past year, Maven's client base tripled driven by partnerships with clients from over 100 companies globally, across the Fortune 50 and representing every industry. Maven's women's and family telehealth network expanded to include 1,700 providers across more than 20 specialties, filling in critical gaps in a broken healthcare system. With the recent launch of Maven Walleta new feature designed to help members better manage receipts and expenses associated with fertility, egg freezing, adoption, and surrogacy reimbursementMaven is the only end-to-end care solution for the entire family journey.

"We believe that women's and family health is not just a vertical, but the core of a functional healthcare system," said Kate Ryder, Founder & CEO, Maven. "With this latest round of funding, Maven will continue to double down and invest in the long term to drive meaningful, sustained change."

About Maven

Maven is the leading women's and family healthcare company, disrupting how the market and employers are approaching healthcare for working families. By offering high-tech and high-touch support through Maven's award-winning platform, global companies are able to attract and retain talent while improving the health and economic outcomes of their employees.



Named one of Fast Company's "10 Most Innovative Healthcare Companies," Maven advances women's health, family planning, and diversity in the workforce by empowering parents to plan or start a family while growing their careers. Maven offers three core elements of quality healthcare through their virtual clinic: Care Advocates who advocate for members throughout their experience, on-demand access to the largest custom network of women's and family health providers in over 20 specialties via video chat or messaging and a community of providers offering information, expert support and resources. Maven's custom programs support every path to parenthood including: egg freezing, fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, pediatrics, adoption, surrogacy, return-to-work, breast milk shipping, and reimbursement management.

Founded in 2014 by Katherine Ryder, Maven has raised $88MM, and is backed by Icon Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Oak HC/FT, Spring Mountain Capital, 14W, 8VC, The Box Group, and Female Founders Fund, among others. Learn more at www.mavenclinic.com.

SOURCE Maven Clinic

Related Links

http://www.mavenclinic.com


In Syria's Idlib, there's no escaping the war, so Abdullah al-Mohammed says the only way he found to reassure his daughter Salwa was to turn the shelling into a game. A video in which she laughs every time an explosion goes off was widely shared on social media in recent days as a heartening but grim reminder of Idlib residents' daily lives. "Is it a plane or is it a mortar?", he asks, as a whizzing sound grows in the background. "A mortar," the three-year-old answers. "When it comes, we will laugh." In another video, Salwa is standing on her father's lap in their living room and her hearty laugh is set off by the sinister thunder of a bomb dropped by a warplane. "Tell me Salwa, what did the plane do," the father asks his daughter. "The plane came and I laughed a lot. The plane just makes us laugh, it tells us: Laugh at me, laugh at me," she says. An AFP reporter met the 32-year-old father in Sarmada, a town in Syria's last rebel pocket, which Russian-backed regime forces are trying to crush. He and his family fled from Saraqeb, another town in Idlib which has already been retaken by regime forces and has been partly levelled by air raids. Now as the regime presses its northwards offensive and continues to push civilians ever closer to the Turkish border, the air strikes are back. Mohammed explains that when Salwa was still 12 months old, she started crying when she heard fireworks in the neighbourhood. He had to explain that it was only the sound of children playing for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. "After that, whatever was coming to us from the air, I would take out my phone and tell her: 'Come, let's laugh together, these are children playing for Eid," he says. "I try not to show her that what is happening as a bad thing but rather show it as something funny," he explains. - 'Decent life' - "One day, she will know that this is a sound of death but by then, she will have understood who we are and what our story is," Mohammed says. The north of the province of Idlib is a dead end for hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced from other former rebel bastions across Syria. It has been described by aid groups as the world's largest de facto open-air displacement camp. Hundreds of people, many of them children, have been killed in recent weeks as pro-regime bombardment spares nothing, from homes to hospitals. According to the United Nations, 900,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and shelters since December alone. Tens of thousands of them are left to sleep rough in the thick of winter, with temperatures dipping to minus 7 degrees Celsius (around 19 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas last week. More than half of the displaced are children and at least seven of them have died from the cold and the bad living conditions. For those who have a shelter, the trauma of the intensive shelling is an issue that overwhelmed health services and relief organisations can scarcely address. After nearly nine years of a conflict that has killed more than 380,000 people, Salwa's father says he no longer has dreams or hope. "We are tired of sending messages, we have no aspirations. We just want these children to have a decent life," he says. Abdullah al-Mohammed turned the sound of shells raining down on northwest Syria into a game for his three-year-old daughter The family fled from the town of Saraqeb which has been battered by air strikes Mohammed says he no longer has dreams for himself but just wants a better life for his daughter Hundreds of thousands of people have fled the violence in northwest Syria
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has issued a sharp new response to comments about his sexuality from right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh.

Speaking at a televised CNN town hall, Mr Buttigieg said: One thing about my marriage is its never involved me having to send hush money to a porn star after cheating on my spouse with him or her.

Referring to Mr Limbaugh and Donald Trump, he continued: So they wanna debate family values? Lets debate family values. Im ready.

Mr Limbaugh has been the target of bipartisan criticism since he argued on air that the US is not ready for a gay president, and that many voters would not react well to the sight of a gay candidate kissing his husband on stage.

After his comments were met with outrage, he claimed that Mr Trump had told him in a private phone call to never apologise, and that low-information voters probably hadnt known about Mr Buttigiegs sexuality until he talked about it on his show.

Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Show all 18 1 /18 Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Jessica Canicosa, a precinct captain for Bernie Sanders, waits to greet caucus voters at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Hotel workers at the Bellagio in Las Vegas get to grips with voting papers during the Nevada caucuses AFP via Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A caricature of Bernie Sanders is projected on to a tree during a rally in Las Vegas EPA Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A woman waits to have a photo taken with Elizabeth Warren during a town hall meeting in Las Vegas REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures The threat of coronavirus and other germ-borne illnesses was on some voters' minds at the Democratic caucuses in Henderson, Nevada Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Former vice-president Joe Biden takes a selfie with a voter in Las Vegas ahead of the Nevada caucuses REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Amy Klobuchar changes her shoes backstage after giving a speech in Exeter, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A warmly-wrapped-up dog attends an Elizabeth Warren event at Amherst Elementary School in Nashua, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Bernie Sanders, who romped to victory in New Hampshire against Hillary Clinton in 2016, talks to the media in Manchester Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden was hoping to improve on his poor showing in Iowa in the New Hampshire primary Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren, renowned for giving time to supporters for selfies, works the crowd at the University of New Hampshire in Durham Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden takes a selfie with a supporter and his child outside a campaign event in Somersworth, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders quarrel after a confrontation in a TV debate in which Sanders claimed that Warren was not telling the truth about a conversation in which she claimed he had said a woman could not win the presidency on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Supporter Pat Provencher listens to Pete Buttigieg in Laconia, New Hampshire on 4 February Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire while awaiting the results of the Iowa caucus Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren is presented with a balloon effigy of herself at a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A Trump supporter rides past a rally for Amy Klobuchar in Des Moines, Iowa on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A man holds up a sign criticising billionaires in the presidential race in front of Michael Bloomberg in Compton, Califronia. The former New York mayor skipped the first caucus in Iowa and instead campaigned in California on 3 February Reuters

Mr Limbaugh, who has a long history of making homophobic remarks, has long been a supporter of Mr Trump. He is currently married to his fourth wife, having been divorced three times.

Mr Buttigiegs reference to paying a porn star describes Mr Trumps alleged affair with actress Stormy Daniels, who received $130,000 from Mr Trumps then-lawyer Michael Cohen in 2016 as part of a nondisclosure agreement. Mr Buttigieg has alluded to the Daniels affair before, once calling vice-president Mike Pence the cheerleader of the porn star presidency.

Mr Trump also stands accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and assault.

The fracas over Mr Limbaughs comments comes as Mr Buttigieg tries to retain his frontrunner status in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination.

While he claimed victory in the Iowa caucuses and ran a close second in the New Hampshire primary, national polls put him well behind Bernie Sanders heading into the next contest in Nevada.
A 41-year-old man on Wednesday surrendered before police in northeast Delhi's Bhajanpura after allegedly strangling his wife in front of his two children following a fight, police said.

Rajesh Goyal, a resident of West Ghonda, used to work in a footwear company but was unemployed for the last three months, they said.

On Wednesday morning, he had an heated argument with his wife Lalita (37) over some issue that escalated into a fight and he strangled her, a senior police official said.

The couple's nine-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son were present in the house at the time of the incident, he said.

The man later reached the police station at 1.30 pm and confessed about killing his wife, he added.

A police team went to their house and recovered the body, he added.

A case of murder was registered and the accused arrested, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Ved Prakash Surya said.

The body was sent for post-mortem, he said.

The couple, who were married for 10 years, shared a strained relationship and used to fight often, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Contributed photo

ESSEX  RiverQuest and the Connecticut River Museum are teaming up again this year to cruise on the lower Connecticut River for Winter Wildlife Eagle Boat Cruises. Cruis departures are from the museums Steamboat Dock. Passengers also receive a pass to the museum including the special Eagles of Essex exhibit along with other events and activities.

Eagles have made a huge comeback over the past few decades, more eagles than ever are being sighted in Connecticut, according to the museum. The CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) reported record numbers here in the state, with 64 nesting territories and 81 chicks fledged in 2019. On past cruises, we have spotted dozens of Bald Eagles, three types of grebe, swan, and merganser, Golden Eagle, many different gull and hawk species, loons, coyote, fox, deer, three types of seal, and even a bobcat.
Married At First Sight's Natasha Spencer has been granted an interim apprehended domestic violence order (ADVO) against her boyfriend, Steven Cook.

The ADVO was taken out on February 15 and prevents Cook from approaching or contacting Spencer, according to NSW local court records.

The matter is expected to be heard at Manly Local Court on February 24.

Legal matter: Married At First Sight bride Natasha Spencer (pictured) has been granted an ADVO against her boyfriend, Steven Cook

The 26-year-old financial analyst, who is paired with Mikey Pembroke on Married At First Sight, was pictured kissing Cook in Sydney on February 10.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that Cook has behaved in a way so as to warrant an ADVO, just that an interim ADVO has been granted.

The interim ADVO against Cook orders him to avoid threats, intimidation, harassment or stalking of Spencer.

As seen on TV: The 26-year-old financial analyst, who is paired with Mikey Pembroke on Married At First Sight, was pictured kissing Cook in Sydney on February 10

Restrictions: The interim ADVO against Cook orders him to avoid threats, intimidation, harassment or stalking of Spencer

The court document also states: 'The defendant must not intentionally or recklessly destroy or damage any property that belongs to or is the possession of Natasha Spencer.'

Cook was not present in court when the order was made.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Natasha Spencer and Steven Cook for comment.

Unrelated: Last week, Spencer reported a 'revenge porn' attack to NSW Police

Last week, in an unrelated circumstance, Spencer reported a 'revenge porn' attack to NSW Police.

The footage in question was apparently filmed last year and involves Spencer and an unidentified male.

A NSW Police spokesperson said: 'Officers from Surry Hills Police Area Command are investigating a report made on Tuesday 11 February 2020, by a 26-year-old Lane Cove woman concerning an incident that occurred last year.'

The video is believed to have emerged on February 4, the day Spencer's TV wedding to Mikey Pembroke was watched by more than a million Australians.

It is not believed that Cook is involved in the circulation of the video.

Married At First Sight continues Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel Nine
On February 18, the armed formations of the Russian Federation violated ceasefire in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in Donbas 22 times.

The enemy used 152mm and 122mm artillery systems, 82mm and 120mm mortars banned under the Minsk agreements, weapons on tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms to shell Ukrainian positions, the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

In the zone of action of tactical force East, Russian-occupation troops used heavy machine guns and other small arms to shell Ukrainian troops near Berezove (31km south-west of Donetsk); hand-held antitank grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and other small arms  outside Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol); 82mm mortars, hand-held antitank grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and other small arms  in the area of Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol).

In the zone of action of tactical force North, the enemy fired 120mm and 82mm mortars, weapons on infantry fighting vehicles and mounted antitank grenade launcher on Ukrainian positions near Krymske (42km north-west of Luhansk); 152mm and 122mm artillery systems, 120mm mortars, tank weapons  outside Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk); 152mm and 122mm artillery systems, 82mm and 120mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems  in the area of Orikhove (57km north-west of Luhansk); 122mm artillery systems, 82mm and 120mm mortars, automatic mounted grenade launchers and heavy machine guns  near Khutir Vilnyi; 120mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems and heavy machine guns  outside Zolote-4 (59km west of Luhansk); 122mm artillery systems, 82mm mortars  in the area of Popasna (69km west of Luhansk); 82mm mortars  near Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk); 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems and small arms  outside Novoluhanske (53km north-east of Donetsk).

In addition, near the village of Orikhove, the enemy attempted to take by storm Ukrainian observation posts. As a result of the fighting, Ukrainian defenders put down the enemy fire and stopped the enemy's sabotage group. The positions of Ukrainian defenders were not lost.

The Joint Forces gave an adequate firing response to the enemy attacks and controlled the situation. Subsequently, the enemy requested ceasefire.

One Ukrainian soldier was killed, four more soldiers were wounded and another two were injured on February 18.

According to Ukrainian intelligence data, four invaders were killed and six more were heavily wounded.

Today, the Russian-occupation troops have already opened fire from 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms on defenders of Lebedynske (16km east of Mariupol).

ol
YEREVAN -- Armenias former President Serzh Sarkisian is scheduled to go on trial on February 25 to defend himself against large-scale corruption charges he rejects as politically motivated.

The Special Investigative Service (SIS) charged Sarkisian in early December with coordinating an embezzlement scheme worth 489 million drams (more than $1 million) in government funds allocated in 2013 for the provision of subsidized diesel fuel to farmers.

The SIS alleged that Sarkisian rigged a government tender for the fuel supplier in favor of a company belonging to his longtime friend, businessman Barsegh Beglarian, rather than another fuel importer that offered a lower price.

It also indicted Barseghian, former Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetian, his former deputy Samvel Galstian, and another former government official.

All five suspects deny wrongdoing. None of them has been held in pretrial detention.

Galstians lawyer, Vachagan Kosian, said on February 19 that during the trial he will petition the court to throw out the accusations leveled against his client. He said his client is being unfairly prosecuted for only relaying a verbal order issued by Karapetian to another Agriculture Ministry official.

Karapetian headed the ministry during the alleged embezzlement scheme. The high-profile criminal case is reportedly based on his incriminating testimony against Sarkisian and Beglarian.

According to the businessmans lawyer, Nikolay Hakobian, the ex-minister stood by his testimony when he and Beglarian were brought face to face and questioned by SIS earlier this month.

Speaking to reporters on February 18, Hakobian described as baseless investigators claims that his client prodded Sarkisian to have the fuel supply contract awarded to his firm.

Sarkisians lawyers and the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) still headed by the 65-year-old ex-president deny the embezzlement charges. They say that he is being prosecuted in retaliation for his public criticism of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

Sarkisian, who ruled Armenia from 2008 to 2018, accused Pashinians government of jeopardizing democracy and stifling dissent in a November 20 speech at a congress of the European Peoples Party held in Croatia. He had kept a low profile since resigning in April 2018 amid mass protests led by Pashinian against his continued rule.

Pashinian has repeatedly implicated Sarkisian, his family, and political entourage for corruption both before and after coming to power during the countrys Velvet Revolution.

Another former Armenian president, Robert Kocharian, who served two five-year terms from 1998 to 2008, is currently on trial on charges stemming from his alleged role in a 2008 postelection crackdown on the opposition, as well as for taking bribes.

Kocharian, who is also highly critical of Pashinians government, denies the charges, describing them as politically motivated.

Unlike Sarkisian, Kocharian is in custody. Since being arrested in July 2018, he had twice been released from detention by court decisions, but in both cases he was rearrested after prosecutors won appeals.
The acting principal of St Kevin's College has been forced to step aside less than 24 hours after being promoted to the position, due to an allegation that she pressured a former school counsellor not to report a grooming allegation involving a teacher and a schoolboy.

School parents were already reeling from the news, revealed by the ABC, that the school's headmaster and sports dean had given references to volunteer athletics coach Peter Kehoe, who was convicted of grooming year 9 student Paris Street in 2015.

The Catholic school's governing body, Edmund Rice Education Australia, also announced a shake-up of the college board on Thursday, appointing a new chairman Paul O'Malley, in an attempt to rebuild the school's reputation in the wake of the fallout from the Four Corners expose.

These changes came the day after the school's headmaster Stephen Russell resigned over his handling of the case and the dean of sport, Luke Travers, who staunchly defended former volunteer coach and convicted child groomer Peter Kehoe, was formally stood down.

John Crowley, former principal of St Patrick's College in Ballarat, replaced Mr Russell as headmaster of the college on Thursday.


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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Donald Trump will hold talks on February 25 to deepen cooperation in a range of key sectors including defence and trade, foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Wednesday.

Trump, who is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25, will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, Shringla said.

India and the US have an unprecedented level of convergence, he said.

Shringla said the Namaste Trump event in Ahmedabad will be similar to the Howdy Modi event that was held in Houston last year.

Trump and Modi will hold extensive talks on February 25 on a range of issues, including defence and trade, he said.

Modi will host a lunch for Trump, while President Ram Nath Kovind will host a banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary, he said.

Sources said India and US do not want to rush in finalising a trade deal and both sides will take a decision on it considering a long-term view.

Some defence deals may fructify during Trump's visit, the sources said.
STOCKHOLM, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Notice is given to the Shareholders of Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA ("SCA") of the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on Tuesday 31 March 2020, at 1.00 p.m. at Hotell Sodra Berget, Sundsvall (registration from 11.30 a.m.)

Registration and notification of attendance



Shareholders who wish to attend the annual general meeting must



- be recorded in the shareholders' register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB on Wednesday, 25 March 2020,and



- give notice of their intention to attend the meeting no later than Wednesday, 25 March 2020.



Notification may be given in any of the following manners:





- by telephone +46 60 19 33 00, weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.- on the company's website

www.sca.com

- by mail to Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA, "Annual General Meeting", c/o Euroclear Sweden AB, Box 191, SE-101 23 STOCKHOLM.

The following applies to shareholders who have their shares registered through a bank or other nominee in order to be entitled to attend the meeting. A part from giving notice of attendance, such shareholders must have their shares registered in their own names. Such registration in the shareholders' register must have been completed with Euroclear Sweden AB at the latest on Wednesday, 25 March 2020. Shareholders should in such case inform their bank or nominee of this in due time before Wednesday, 25 March 2020. Such registration can be temporary.

Name, personal identity number/corporate registration number, address and telephone number, and number of assistants, if any, should be stated when notification is given. Shareholders represented by proxyholder must issue a power of attorney to the proxyholder. Proxy forms in Swedish and in English are available upon request and on the company's website www.sca.com. A power of attorney is valid one year from its issue date or such longer time period as set out in the power of attorney, however not more than five years. Anyone representing a legal entity must present a copy of the registration certificate, not older than one year, or equivalent authorization documents, listing the authorized signatories. In order to facilitate the registration at the annual general meeting, powers of attorney in original, registration certificates and other authorization documents should be sent to the company at the abovementioned address, well in advance of the meeting.

Proposed agenda

Opening of the meeting and election of chairman of the meeting. Preparation and approval of the voting list. Election of two persons to check the minutes. Determination of whether the meeting has been duly convened. Approval of the agenda. Presentation of the annual report and the auditor's report and the consolidated financial statements and the auditor's report on the consolidated financial statements. Speeches by the chairman of the board of directors and the president. Resolutions on

a) adoption of the income statement and balance sheet, and of the consolidated income statement and the consolidated balance sheet,

b) appropriations of the company's earnings under the adopted balance sheet and record date for dividend,

c) discharge from personal liability of directors and president for 2019. Resolution on the number of directors and deputy directors. Resolution on the number of auditors and deputy auditors. Resolution on the remuneration to be paid to the board of directors and the auditor. Election of directors and deputy directors.

Re-election of

i. Charlotte Bengtsson ,

ii. Par Boman,

iii. Lennart Evrell,

iv. Annemarie Gardshol,

v. Ulf Larsson,

vi. Martin Lindqvist ,

vii. Lotta Lyra,

viii. Bert Nordberg ,

ix. Anders Sundstrom,

x. Barbara M. Thoralfsson. Election of chairman of the board of directors. Election of auditors and deputy auditors. Resolution on guidelines for remuneration for the senior management. Closing of the meeting.

Proposal for resolution under Item 1

The nomination committee proposes Carl Svernlov, attorney at law, as chairman of the annual general meeting.



Proposal for resolution under Item 8 b)

The board of directors proposes a cash dividend for the financial year 2019 of SEK 2.00 per share and that the record date for the cash dividend is to be Thursday, 2 April 2020. Provided that the annual general meeting resolves in accordance with this proposal, payment of the dividend through Euroclear Sweden AB is estimated to be made on Tuesday, 7 April 2020.



Proposals for resolutions under Items 9-14

The nomination committee proposes the following:

- Item 9: The number of directors shall be 10 with no deputy directors.

- Item 10: The number of auditors shall be one with no deputy auditor.

- Item 11: The remuneration to each director elected by the meeting and who is not employed by the company shall be SEK 645,000 and the chairman of the board of directors is to receive SEK 1,935,000. Members of the remuneration committee are each to receive an additional remuneration of SEK 115,000, while the chairman of the remuneration committee is to receive an additional remuneration of SEK 140,000. Members of the audit committee are each to receive an additional remuneration of SEK 270,000, while the chairman of the audit committee is to receive an additional remuneration of SEK 370,000. Remuneration to the auditor is to be paid according to approved invoice.

- Item 12: Re-election of the directors Charlotte Bengtsson, Par Boman, Lennart Evrell, Annemarie Gardshol, Ulf Larsson, Martin Lindqvist, Lotta Lyra, Bert Nordberg, Anders Sundstrom and Barbara M. Thoralfsson.

- Item 13: Re-election of Par Boman as chairman of the board of directors.

- Item 14: Re-election of the registered accounting firm EY AB, in accordance with the audit committee's recommendation, for the period until the end of the annual general meeting 2021. If elected, EY AB has announced its appointment of Fredrik Norrman auditor-in-charge.



Proposal for a resolution on item 15



These guidelines shall apply to remuneration to Board members, the President, vice President as well as other members of the senior management. The guidelines do not apply to remuneration resolved by the general meeting.



Principles for remuneration



A prerequisite for the successful implementation of the company's business strategy and safeguarding of its long-term interests, including its sustainability, is that the company is able to recruit, motivate and retain qualified personnel through competitive remuneration in line with market levels. To this end, the total remuneration is to correspond to market practice and be competitive on the senior manager's field of profession, as well as be linked to the manager's responsibility, authority and performance. Remuneration may consist of fixed salary, variable salary, other benefits and pension, jointly referred to as total remuneration. The company's business strategy can be found in the company's annual and sustainability report.



Variable remuneration



Variable remuneration shall aim at promoting the company's business strategy and long-term interests, including its sustainability. Variable remuneration shall be based on the outcome in relation to short-term and long-term goals, respectively, comprising financial goals, goals that contribute to such, or to the value development of the company's share. It shall be linked to the fixed annual salary and be maximized. Variable remuneration is to be paid as cash remuneration and shall not qualify for pension benefits. The short-term portion shall not exceed 50 percent of the fixed annual salary and the long-term portion shall not exceed 50 percent of the fixed annual salary.



Short-term performance goals may include, for example, organic growth, profit, cash flow, capital efficiency, return, health-safety-environment, individual targets, or a combination thereof.



Long-term performance goals shall be linked to the value development of the company's Class B share, measured as TSR-index (Total Shareholder Return) compared with a weighted index composed of OMX Stockholm 30 and the shares of a number of identified peer companies over a three-year period, where the maximum outcome requires a 5 percent stronger outcome for the SCA share compared to the peer group index over the multiple-year period. Payment of remuneration for the satisfaction of long-term performance goals shall further be linked to a requirement of a certain investment by the manager in the SCA share, with a three-year minimum holding requirement.



Additionally, variable remuneration in the form av project bonuses may be awarded in individual cases. The performance goals shall, in such case, be linked to the project (e.g. Capex or production volume) in order to promote the completion of the project. The satisfaction of goals may be measured, and bonus may be paid, after one or several years. Such project bonus shall not exceed 40 percent of the total fixed annual salary during the relevant period.



The company shall be able to refrain from paying variable remuneration when required and possible under applicable law, if there is special cause and withholding the payment is necessary to serve the company's long-term interests, including its sustainability. The company shall also have the possibility to, under applicable law, reclaim variable remuneration paid on incorrect grounds.

Pension and other benefits



Pension benefits shall solely contain defined premium pension benefits, unless the manager is subject to defined benefit pension under applicable collective agreement provisions. The planned retirement age is 65 years. The defined premium pension shall total a maximum of 50 percent of the fixed annual salary.



Other benefits may include, for example, health insurance, company car and wellness allowance.



In the event of termination of employment, a notice period of two years shall typically apply if the termination is initiated by the company, or one year, if termination is initiated by the manager. Severance pay shall not occur.



Decision-making process and reporting

Issues regarding remuneration to senior managers shall be dealt with by the Board of Directors' remuneration committee and, in case of the President, be decided by the Board of Directors. The remuneration committee's tasks shall also include preparing the Board of Directors' decision to propose guidelines for remuneration to senior managers, as well as monitoring and evaluating the application of these. The senior managers shall not participate in the Board of Directors' nor the remuneration committee's processing of and resolutions regarding remuneration-related matters in so far as they are affected by such matters.

In the preparation of the remuneration guidelines, salary and employment conditions for the company's other employees in Sweden shall be taken into account, including information on the employees' total income, the components of the remuneration and increase and growth rate over time, as well as the company's equality policy.



The Board of Directors shall prepare a remuneration report.



Application of and derogation from the guidelines

The Board of Directors may temporarily resolve to derogate from the guidelines, in whole or in part, if in a specific case there is special cause for the derogation and a derogation is necessary to serve the company's long-term interests, including its sustainability.



The guidelines do not take precedence over mandatory provisions under applicable employment regulation or collective agreements. They are also not applicable to agreements already signed.



For more information about the company's application of current remuneration guidelines, please see the company's annual and sustainability report, note "Remuneration of Senior Executives".



These guidelines apply from the annual general meeting 2020 and until further notice.



The nomination committee



The nomination committee is composed of Karl Aberg, AB Industrivarden (chairman), Petter Johnsen, Norges Bank Investment Management, Anders Oscarsson, AMF Forsakring & Fonder, Mikael Hallaker, Handelsbankens Pensionsstiftelse and others, and Par Boman, chairman of the board of SCA.

Additional information



The financial statements, the auditor's report, the auditor's statement pursuant to Chapter 8, section 54 of the Companies Act regarding remuneration to the senior management, and the board of directors' statement pursuant to Chapter 18, section 4 of the Companies Act, as well as other documentation, which, according to the Companies Act, shall be made available at the annual general meeting, as well as proxy forms, will be available at the company and on the company website, www.sca.com, no later than Tuesday, 10 March 2020, and will be distributed free of charge to shareholders upon request and notification of postal address.

The board of directors and the president shall, if any shareholder so requests and the board of directors believes that it can be done without material harm to the company, provide information regarding circumstances that may affect the assessment of an item on the agenda, and regarding circumstances that can affect the assessment of the company's or its subsidiaries' financial situation or the company's relation to other companies within the group.

The total number of shares in the company amounts to 702,342,489 shares, of which 64,587,672 are series A shares and 637,754,817 are series B shares, representing a total of 1,283,631,537 votes. The series A share carries ten votes and the series B share carries one vote. The information pertains to the circumstances as per the time of issuing this notice.

Processing of personal data

For information on how your personal data is processed, please visit

https://www.euroclear.com/dam/ESw/Legal/Privacy-notice-bolagsstammor-engelska.pdf.

Sundsvall in February 2020

SVENSKA CELLULOSA AKTIEBOLAGET SCA (publ)

The board of directors

For further information, please contact

Jan Svedjebrant, Secretary of the Board, +46 (0) 60-19-31-23

Bjorn Lyngfelt, Senior Vice President Communications, +46 (0) 60-19-34-98



The core of SCA's business is the forest, Europe's largest private forest holding. Around this unique resource, we have built a well-developed value chain based on renewable raw material from our own and others' forests. We offer paper for packaging and print, pulp, wood products, renewable energy, services for forest owners and efficient transport solutions.

2019 the forest products company SCA had approximately 4,000 employees and sales amounted to approximately SEK 19.6 bn (EUR 1.9 bn). SCA was founded in 1929 and has its headquarters in Sundsvall, Sweden. For more information, visit www.sca.com



This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/sca/r/notice-of-the-sca-annual-general-meeting-2020,c3039045

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/600/3039045/1196614.pdf Notice of the annual general meeting (PDF)

SOURCE SCA
The chief executive of Hospitality Ulster has warned that the hospitality industry in Northern Ireland will contract if tough new immigration laws are introduced by the British Home Office.

Colin Neill described the proposed laws as a crippling blow to our sector.

The British Home Office proposal is part of a firm and fair post-Brexit crackdown that will replace free movement with a minimum salary threshold of 25,600 for most workers.

The new immigration laws could shut the door on 140,000 workers from the European Union and citizens from the continent may have to provide their fingerprints.

In Northern Ireland we simply do not have the bodies here that we need to work in the sector, Mr Neill told RTE radios Morning Ireland.

The number of EU nationals working in Northern Ireland is declining which means that the hospitality sector is suffering with one restaurant deferring its opening because they cannot find staff, he said.

We are looking to double the number of jobs in the sector to 25,000, but we just wont have the people to fill them.

Mr Neill warned that its not just the hospitality sector that will be impacted.

He said: Some sectors can be automated, hospitality cannot. You cant have people coming into a bar and being fed from a vending machine. We need people, if we dont get them the sector wont grow, it will contract.

Mr Neill also pointed out that it was inaccurate to describe such workers as unskilled just because their qualification was not formal.

The proposed new immigration laws did not elaborate on the position of frontier workers (people who live in the Republic of Ireland, but work in Northern Ireland), he said.

Christopher Morrow, Head of Policy at Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber), agreed that the new law will hit some sectors more than others.

Mr Morrow said: Policies need to make the UK an optimal locational choice for skilled people but also to ensure that Northern Ireland is placed on an equal footing to take advantage of the top talent available internationally to help develop and grow our economy.

Unfortunately with this policy, only some sectors will be able to cope, and others such as hospitality, tourism and healthcare will struggle due to shortages of staff and full employment here.

With no route for low-skilled, temporary employment and no time for businesses to adapt, the speed and scale of these changes will require significant adjustment by businesses and have implications for a region where access to skills and low productivity are already serious concerns.
MIAMI  Joslyn Jane toplines the cosplay fantasy release Power Gurl vs Revenge Crew vol 2 - No Hard Feelings for Cory Chase and Luke Longlys Cory's Super Heroine Adventures.

Jane, the 5 9 blonde with natural 34G breasts who appeared as Officer Jane on Black Patrol before going on to headline scores of indie titles, stars opposite JMac in the scene.

Revenge Crew boss, Mr. Tropical (Luke Longly) and his top henchman, High Frequency (JMac) are plotting revenge on Harley Quinn (Cory Chase). High Frequency has tracked her down, recovered her famous bat, and given the boss a map to her location.

Then Power Gurl (Jane) flies into the hideout. She has a dossier on Harley Quinn with specific details on her one and only weakness. The Revenge Crew is excited and thanks Power Gurl for the intel. When Mr. Tropical leaves to verify the dossier, Power Gurl is left alone with High Frequency.

It turns out that her boyfriend, Mr. Terrific, has not been satisfying her and she wants some good D! High Frequency is happy to curb her craving, and offers his tool to Power Gurl! The buxom beauty knows exactly what to do, and the two go to town on Mr. Tropical's couch.

I love working with content producers who have creative ideas and get as excited about shooting as I do, said Jane. Playing a superhero for them has definitely been my favorite role so far, and JMac and Luke make it such a pleasure.

Power Gurl vs Revenge Crew vol 2 - No Hard Feelings is now available in digital release here.

Explore more titles from Corys Super Heroine Adventures at the studios Clips4Sale store.

Follow Joslyn Jane on Twitter @xxxjoslyn and Instagram @josjane6996.
Buenos Aires, Argentina--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - Centaurus Energy Inc. (TSXV: CTA) (OTCQX: CTARF) ("Centaurus" or the "Company") announces that, effective February 18, 2020, Leonardo Madcur has resigned as a director of the Company due to growing business commitments that will no longer allow him to dedicate sufficient focus on the activities of Centaurus. The Company wishes to thank Mr. Madcur for his valuable contributions to the Company.

About Centaurus Energy

Centaurus is an independent upstream oil and gas company with both conventional and unconventional oil and gas operations in Argentina. The Company's shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol CTA and on the OTCQX under the symbol CTARF.

For further information please contact:

Jose David Penafiel

Chief Executive Officer

email: info@ctaurus.com

phone: (403) 262-1901

Ezequiel Martinez Ariet

Chief Financial Officer

Email: info@ctaurus.com

Phone: (403) 262-1901

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service 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/52555
PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs attended the Leonald Connor Primary School 100th Year Anniversary celebration earlier this past week. The event was held at Praise Tabernacle Church in Cole Bay and was celebrated by many current and past students of the primary school. Under the tenures of principal Camille Bally and MP William Marlin, Prime Minister Jacobs was a student in the 1st through 6th grade of the Leonald Connor primary school from 1974 until 1980.

It was an honor for me to be at the 100th year Anniversary celebration. I wish the Leonald Connor Primary School 100 years more and that we can continue to produce some of the best and highest ranking persons on St. Maarten, stated Prime Minister Jacobs.

The Leonald Connor Primary School also served as a home to Prime Minister Jacobs upon her return to the island after her tertiary studies abroad. Prime Minister Jacobs, at the young age of 23, began teaching at the school in 1992 and did so for 16 years. She then became the student Care Coordinator for 3 years before leaving her 19 years of dedication and service to the students, staff and parents of the Leonald Connor Primary School. Prime Minister Jacobs is honored to have worked under the leadership of MP William Marlin & Mrs. Glenda Mathew-White both whom served as principal of the Leonald Connor Primary School during her tenure as a teacher.

I honor teachers such as Mrs. Patricia Scott, Mrs. Gloria Duzong, the late Mrs. Mavis Brooks-Salmon and Member of Parliament William Marlin, whom served as my most memorable teachers at the Leonald Connor Primary School. They have all unselfishly paved the way for me, my colleagues and many others and for this I am grateful. Congratulations to all whove made Leonald Conner Primary School a place of nurture, education and a force for the best levels of our students. Congratulations are also in order for all students, teachers, staff and parents over the 100 years of existence, concluded Prime Minister Jacobs.
Excelerate Technical Management receives Interim Documents of Compliance from Marshall Islands and Belgium

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Government of Belgium have awarded Interim Documents of Compliance (DoC) under the International Safety Management (ISM) Code to Excelerate Technical Management (ETM), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Excelerate Energy L.P. (Excelerate). The ISM DoC authorizes ETM to operate as ship manager for Excelerate's entire fleet of floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs). The Interim DoC is the result of an audit of ETM's safety management system, confirming compliance with ISM standards which ensure the safe operation of its crew and vessels.

"Excelerate has achieved a company milestone with the successful launch of our ship management services. The Compliance certification is tangible evidence of the forward-thinking, dedicated effort of our team. We are pleased to offer our clients the advantages of integrated service as a fully independent provider of floating LNG solutions," stated Excelerate President and Managing Director Steven Kobos. "As the largest and most reliable provider of FSRU-based services in the world, Excelerate has built a track record of delivering creative and timely energy solutions for over 15 years. We have endeavored over the past several years to integrate the components of our business that have the greatest impact on our ability to provide flexible and seamless service to our clients."

Excelerate's FSRU Experience is the first of its vessels under ETM ship management. The vessel recently left Navantia dry docks in Fene-Ferrol, Spain, on February 6, 2020, where she underwent scheduled maintenance and upgrades. Also, while in dry dock, the FSRU was rebranded and painted in Excelerate's brand colors and design, the first of the fleet. Excelerate will transition its entire fleet to ETM ship management by the end of 2020.

"The physical rebranding of the fleet in our own colors reinforces the Excelerate fleet as part of one effort and one culture committed to our core values," Mr. Kobos explained. "The new livery identifies our assets across the world as uniquely Excelerate."

The fleet will be repainted in the new colors as part of scheduled maintenance.

About Excelerate Energy L.P.

Excelerate Energy L.P. is a US-based LNG company located in The Woodlands, Texas. Excelerate is owned by George B. Kaiser and is part of his energy group that also includes Kaiser Francis Oil Co, an E&P company with production in the U.S. and Canada along with significant midstream assets, and Cactus Drilling Co, the largest private drilling company in the US. Excelerate is the pioneer and market leader in innovative floating LNG solutions, providing integrated services along the entire LNG value chain with an objective of delivering rapid-to-market and reliable LNG solutions to customers. Excelerate offers a full range of floating regasification services from FSRU to infrastructure development to LNG supply. Excelerate has offices in Abu Dhabi, Buenos Aires, Chittagong, Dhaka, Doha, Dubai, Rio de Janeiro, Salem, Singapore, and Washington, DC.

Media Contact:Denise Madera, denise.madera@excelerateenergy.com, +1 832-813-7617

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1092143/EXCELERATE.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/460792/excelerate_energy_logo.jpg
Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Lifes Fundamental Bond

By Lydia Denworth

Norton. 297 pp. $26.95

Reviewed by Barbara J. King

Spending time with others improves our health, emotionally and physically. Our risks of depression and early mortality are reduced. The effects are so robust that social connection with others, good friends or casual acquaintances, is now recognized by scientists as a public health issue of equal importance to eating well and not smoking.

We humans are biologically built to seek friends, and we can see suggestions of our evolutionary past in the social behavior of some animals.

In Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Lifes Fundamental Bond, journalist Lydia Denworth explores the science behind friendship. In an accessible and enlightening style, she takes us with her on her journeys to primatology research sites in Puerto Rico and Kenya, and to cutting-edge biology and neuroscience laboratories in the United States. She discovers that female baboons in Kenya who establish stable social bonds with friends and kin have more babies and live longer. Numerous species of animals, ranging from elephants to zebra fish, show evidence of friendships as measured by the degree of the long-term cooperation between pairs of individuals.

In a human study, researchers drew on a group of graduate students connected by social networks. They put each of the 42 participants into a brain scanner (an fMRI machine) and had them watch video clips. The scientists discovered that they could predict which participants were good friends and which were not by matching up the way their brains perceived and responded to the world around them. The findings suggested that friends neurons fire more similarly than the neurons of more distant acquaintances. That result posed the question: Does the brain change as friendships develop, or do friends with similar brain patterns come together in the first place? Preliminary results suggest it may be the former: that friends brains gradually align.

Denworth reports on the connection between loneliness and health. One long-running study of 229 older Chicago residents found that loneliness, determined through physical exams and extensive interviews, was associated not only with poor sleep and greater social withdrawal but also with increased mortality and depression. Blood analysis of 14 participants revealed that genes in the loneliest people were more inclined toward inflammatory responses than antiviral responses.

Denworth introduces us to Paula Dutton, a woman whose life became one of near-isolation after her parents died, her marriage broke up, and she retired from her job. After a severe panic attack, she realized she had to make some social connections. She joined a group called Generation Xchange that brings volunteers into underresourced South Central Los Angeles schools. Dutton volunteered most weekdays in a first-grade classroom. Denworth describes how Dutton lights up as students joyfully share their work with her. UCLA epidemiologist Teresa Seeman conceived and runs Gen X, as its known. It is an educational nonprofit, writes Denworth, wrapped in a community health initiative with a loneliness intervention program beating quietly but steadily at its heart.

In a chapter titled Digital Friendship, Denworth asks whether connections forged on social media amount to real friendship. She avoids knee-jerk railing against social media and its overuse. She contends that if Facebook is used to enhance connection with those we spend time with in person, or to share aspects of our lives with people who live far away, it may support rather than undermine intimacy.

I found one aspect of Friendship to be disturbing. Denworth describes a variety of cruel animal experiments mostly without comment. We read of rats "subjected to blaring light, deafening noise, and extremes of hot and cold, kittens whose eyes were covered to disrupt the development of normal vision, monkeys that were prevented from ever being able to see another face, human or nonhuman. Of the monkeys treatment, Denworth writes: For the record, the animals had lots of attention, activity, and toys. They were well-nourished, and lovingly bottle-fed as infants. The only thing their worlds lacked was faces. Clearly, the science that Denworth witnesses in pursuit of understanding friendship is at times brutal.

By highlighting the importance of human connection, Denworth has crafted a worthy call to action. "Friendship is not a choice or a luxury;" she tells us, "it's a necessity that is critical to our ability to succeed and thrive." Embrace friendship, invest in it, work at it, she urges. Your life will be the better for it.

King is professor emerita at the College of William & Mary and the author of How Animals Grieve and five other books on anthropology and animals.
President Trump's clemency philosophy is clearly go big or go home.

After pardoning ex-San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. and commuting the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday, Trump turned around added some more high-profile people to the list. Former New York Police Department Commissioner Bernard Kerik and prominent financier Michael Milken are among those Trump pardoned Tuesday, while also bringing nonviolent drug offenders into the mix.

The White House statement announcing Trump's clemency decisions homes in on the positive things these convicted offenders have done. Trump highlights how Kerik "courageously led the New York Police Departments heroic response to the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001," and how after receiving a 4-year sentence for tax fraud, became a "passionate advocate for criminal justice and prisoner reentry reform." Milken is similarly honored as "one of America's greatest financiers," and the statement characterizes his violations of U.S. securities laws as "innovative financing mechanisms."

Trump also highlights a few lesser-known convicts in his Tuesday clemency spree, namely nonviolent drug offenders Tynice Nichole Hall and Crystal Munoz. They were pardoned with support from Alice Johnson, another drug offender who Trump similarly pardoned in 2018 with backing from Kim Kardashian-West. Former George W. Bush official David Safavian and author Angela Stanton, both advocates for criminal justice reform, were also pardoned.

More stories from theweek.com

Mike Bloomberg is not the lesser of two evils

Has Trump solved his biggest 2016 campaign problem?

Bernie Sanders aide denies report he considered a primary challenge to Obama


Commentary

By Joseph Quesnel

Last January, a group of breakaway hereditary chiefs from Wetsuweten First Nation in the interior of British Columbia erected a blockade at a remote forestry road in protest of the proposed Coastal Gaslink pipeline to Kitimat, BC.

Eventually, the issues were addressed and the barricade came down and work on the site resumed. Observers worried about the potential for police intervention and an escalation in an already tense situation.

In 2014, the elected First Nation leadership of Wetsuweten signed a multi-million-dollar LNG pipeline benefits agreement with the Province of British Columbia. At the time, the hereditary chiefs had claimed that they were not adequately consulted as they asserted responsibility for the lands in question.

Fast forward to January 2020 and the situation has flared up again. Hereditary chiefs from the community had once again erupted in protest over their claimed lack of consultation. At present, the chiefs are demanding an audience with the BC Premier. So far, the Premier has been adamant in stressing that proper consultation occurred and that the project will proceed.

There is much at stake here beyond the interests of the Wetsuweten and TC Energy (at the time called TransCanada). British Columbia and Canada have an interest in the orderly development of natural resources and getting natural gas to Asian markets (as Coastal GasLink will do) will enhance Canadas position in terms of LNG competitiveness and will help wean Asian countries off of coal, which is good for the environment.

First, some clarification. The duty to consult and accommodate Indigenous communities is a legal requirement for the Crown  through private parties  to engage in good faith negotiations with Indigenous communities if their rights and interests are affected and if they are affected negatively in some way, to help mitigate those effects. The duty to consult is not a requirement to obtain unanimity of support from all parties involved. In other words, the Crown does not have to get full or even majority approval from the parties involved to proceed. The federal government and all the provinces and territories have their own duty to consult framework, but often they are patchwork of incomplete and interim policies.

These policies require the Crown through resource proponents, to engage with the community through its legal government, but it does not specify exactly whom or which parts of government they need to consult with. So, in this case, the policy framework does not clarify which part of the Wetsuweten government or faction they need to satisfy to meet the legal duty. The internal governing processes of Indigenous communities is not the purview of the Crown or the private parties involved.

The issue of hereditary chiefs is more specific to British Columbia where many Indigenous communities are made up of houses and titles of hereditary chiefs that are passed down through families. Conflicts between elected Indian Act band councils and hereditary chiefs have always occurred and they are getting more pronounced with more members of communities being active in opposing the Indian Act and arguing for more traditional forms of governance.

In this era of Indigenous reconciliation, these demands will likely increase.

The underlying issues also became more conflicted with BCs passage of legislation aimed at implementing the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into provincial legislation. In particular, critics are concerned over how the province will implement certain provisions related to obtaining consent. Although legal experts have been clear that these provisions do not amount to a veto over projects, often Indigenous leaders become more emboldened in their actions and interpret the provisions as amounting to a de facto veto.

British Columbia should have been clear on what the provisions of UNDRIP were in the law, clarifying that consultation was not a veto.

Indigenous communities clearly need to do much work internally in resolving governance issues and ensuring that various bodies and factions are being satisfied. They need to do this prior to consultation with companies. The provinces and territories can also better clarify consultation protocols in their duty to consult frameworks.

Resolving these Indigenous governance issues as well as cleaning up duty to consult policies is good for the First Nations involved as well as Canada. Progress on these files can also be linked to Canadas international economic strategy of becoming a leader in supplying natural gas to Asia and Europe. Both regions are eager to transition out of coal and use much more natural gas because of its lower emissions. Canada has become one of the lowest shipping costs of the two LNG hubs. This means Canada can ship LNG through the West, via British Columbia coast or through the east coast, via Nova Scotia.

But, in the meantime, First Nations and governments need to work out these critical governance and consultation matters.

Joseph Quesnel is a research associate with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. www.fcpp.org.

Chronology of a conflict

Coastal GasLink is building a 670-kilometre pipeline from British Columbias northeast to the coast, which will supply the $40-billion LNG Canada export facility in Kitimat. Hereditary clan chiefs of the Wetsuweten nation say the project has no authority without their consent and are attempting to block its progress.

April 5, 2010  Indigenous group led by Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs set up a cabin on the planned route for the Coastal GasLink pipeline. The spot becomes a fixture of the groups opposition to the pipeline being built through their territory. A bunkhouse was added a few years later.

November 23, 2018  Coastal GasLink files for an injunction against the blockade, and Wetsuweten people camped at the location are served notice about the filing.

December 14, 2018  Coastal GasLink is granted a temporary injunction against the blockade. Wetsuweten members and their allies camped at the blockade are given 72 hours to clear the area. Indigenous leaders and allies set up a second checkpoint further down the road to prevent the company coming into the area.

January 7, 2019  RCMP officers move into Wetsuweten territory to enforce the injunction. Nation members and allies positioned at the checkpoint retreat to the more permanent blockade camp as 14 were arrested by heavily armed police.

January 8, 2019  Rallies take place in solidarity with the Wetsuweten in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and other Canadian and American cities.

December 31, 2019  B.C. Supreme Court grants an injunction against Wetsuweten blockades.

January 5, 2020  Talks between Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs and the B.C. government do not result in an agreement over the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

January 6, 2020  Coastal GasLink says it will start work on the pipeline as Wetsuweten territory hereditary leaders assert the company is trespassing on their land.

January 8, 2020  Organizers at the Wetsuweten blockade send out a call for solidarity protests across the country. Protests at railways across Canada, ferry terminals, major roads, and government offices ensue.

January 9, 2020  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refers to arrest of Wet'suwet'en protesters as "not an ideal situation" in interview with CBC.

February 2020 - RCMP begins to enforce the injunction against the blockades. Up to 28 people have been arrested as of Feb. 10
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.
AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Austin-based Eventus Systems, Inc., a multi-award winning global trade surveillance and market risk software platform provider, announced that the firm has just raised $10.5 million of growth capital in a Series A investment round. Investors included a range of venture capital and financial services organizations, led by Chicago-based Jump Capital and Austin-based LiveOak Venture Partners.

The funds will enable Eventus to further enhance its technology, significantly increase its sales, development and service staff globally and continue to grow its customer base. Also participating in the round were existing customers and investors, including Coinbase Ventures and Chimera Securities.

Peter Johnson, Principal of Jump Capital, and Krishna Srinivasan, Founding Partner of LiveOak, have joined the Eventus Board as part of the financing. Rosenblatt Securities served as an advisor to Eventus on the funding round.

"Eventus is disrupting the trade surveillance space, and its innovative technology, scalable model and seasoned leadership position the firm to be the unparalleled market leader in the coming years," said Johnson. "Jump Capital is excited to utilize our resources and deep fintech and capital markets experience to help further accelerate Eventus' impressive growth."

Srinivasan said: "We look for Texas-based firms that can grow into world-class, category-dominating companies, and we believe that talent and domain experience are the critical ingredients for that success. The team at Eventus has many decades of hands-on experience as market practitioners with an intimate knowledge of the challenges that clients face. Its track record in just over five years in business  addressing mission-critical challenges of numerous top firms in the financial services industry  is impressive."

Eventus CEO Travis Schwab said: "We have embarked on an aggressive growth strategy following our third straight year of doubling both customers and revenue, and we're looking to add a wide range of talented, experienced sales, development and service professionals to our team to take the firm to the next level. Our plans include growing our emerging presence and client base in Europe  where we have strong tools for addressing MiFID II and related regulatory requirements  and in Asia, where we have tailored our platform to meet the needs of multiple regional jurisdictions. We have an extraordinary roster of clients, Board of Directors and team, and we are truly honored to welcome our new investors and gratified that existing customers and investors have reaffirmed their confidence in us."

Eventus has earned four major global recognitions in the past year for its Validus platform, including an FOW International Award for best Market Surveillance product and a Risk Technology Award for Market Surveillance Product of the Year. The firm also garnered a Best Trade Surveillance Solution award from A-Team's RegTech Insight Awards and a spot for the second year running on the global RegTech 100 list.

Validus helps firms monitor for all trading surveillance requirements including market manipulation such as spoofing, layering and wash trading. The software platform features hundreds of pre-built surveillance procedures and in real time processes billions of trade lifecycle messages per day across diverse asset classes spanning equities, equity options, futures, fixed income, foreign exchange, cryptocurrencies and others. It is the only trade surveillance solution to offer both machine learning and a procedural approach in one seamless package to not only reduce alert noise but also assist customers in intelligent issue resolution.

About Eventus Systems

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, and serving clients globally, Eventus Systems, Inc. offers one of the leading global trade surveillance and market risk platforms. Available as a cloud-based or real-time enterprise on-premise solution, the Validus platform provides sophisticated market surveillance and financial risk capabilities, enabling clients to solve some of the most pressing regulatory challenges. Validus combines multiple technology stacks including artificial intelligence (AI) to generate the optimum number of actionable alerts across equities, equity options, futures, foreign exchange (FX), fixed income and digital asset markets. Clients include Tier 1 banks, brokerages and futures commission merchants (FCMs), proprietary trading firms, exchanges, corporates and buy-side firms. Visit www.eventussystems.com. Follow Eventus Systems on LinkedIn and on Twitter @EventusSystems.

About Jump Capital

Jump Capital is a thesis-led venture capital firm specializing in series A/B and growth-stage investments ranging from $2 million to $20 million. Jump focuses on data-driven software companies across the fintech, information technology and data infrastructure, enterprise Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and media sectors. Investing with an operating-centric approach, Jump provides advocacy and support for entrepreneurs, complemented with institutional level resources. Visit http://www.jumpcap.com for more information or follow us @jumpcapital.

About LiveOak Venture Partners

LiveOak Venture Partners is a venture capital fund based in Austin, Texas. With 20 years of successful venture investing in Texas, the founders of LiveOak have helped create nearly $2 billion of enterprise value. While almost all of LiveOak's investments begin at the Seed and Series A stages, LiveOak is a full life cycle investor focused on helping create category leading technology and technology-enabled service companies headquartered in Texas. LiveOak Venture Partners has been the lead investor in about 30 exciting high-growth Texas-based companies in the last seven years including ones such as CS Disco, Digital Pharmacist, OJO Labs, Opcity and TrustRadius.

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Man detained for hunting endangered wildlife in China - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Police in southwest China's Yunnan Province recently cracked a case of illegally hunting endangered wildlife, seizing 27 wild birds and detaining one suspect.

A large number of migratory birds travel across Shidian County in the city of Baoshan between October and April every year. The local forestry police have intensified patrols in those areas in an effort to protect wild birds amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, according to the forestry police of Shidian.

Police officers found that a flock of birds had not taken off again after landing on a mountain during a patrol on Feb. 3. They rushed to the landing area and found a man dealing with those birds captured by a hunting net.

The police detained the suspect on-site and seized 19 Himalayan vultures from the net. Meanwhile, police also found seven Himalayan vultures in a large steel cage and one golden eagle bound with a rope, which are all species under state protection.

Feathers of Himalayan vultures, other animal products and hunting tools were also found by police in the suspect's home.

Investigation into the case is underway. The seized wild birds will be released back into the wild, according to the police.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 54-year-old man from New Brighton sold drugs in broad daylight at a busy intersection in Tompkinsville, authorities allege.

Thomas Morgan, of the 400 block of Jersey Street, is accused in an incident on Feb. 12 at about 1:40 p.m. at the intersection of Victory Boulevard and St. Marks Place, according to the criminal complaint and police.

Cops allegedly saw Morgan hand a green glassine envelope of heroin to a 39-year-old man in exchange for money.

Morgan was arrested within minutes and police recovered a green glassine envelope of heroin from a pocket on the right side of his jacket, the complaint alleges.

The suspect has been charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal sale of a controlled substance.

Morgan has been released without bail but is required to meet certain conditions. He is due back in Criminal Court on March 18, according to public records.

An attorney for the defendant declined to comment.
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VATICAN CITY - Catholic bishops from the 19 countries with Mediterranean shores will gather in Bari starting on Wednesday for a sort of Mediterranean "synod" on issues facing the region, such as conflicts, migration, the gap between rich and poor countries, and the situation of Christian minorities.

The event, titled "Mediterranean: Frontier of Peace", is organised by the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI), and will bring together churches from North Africa to Italy, France, Spain, the Middle East, the Balkans, Malta, and Cyprus.

Pope Francis will speak at the conference on Sunday and celebrate Mass, in his second visit to Bari following the one on July 7, 2018.

Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, CEI president, began imagining the conference two years ago, based on the 1960s model of Florence Mayor Giorgio La Pira's "Mediterranean Colloquies"

"The objectives are the ones that La Pira suggested: the Mediterranean must go back to being what it was, a meeting of civilisations, the development of Christianity, and therefore a frontier of peace," Bassetti said.

He said the event will take place in "synod" style, with the formulation of a shared proposal for a final document that will be given to Pope Francis on Sunday.

About 60 bishops representing the Catholic church in the Mediterranean will gather starting at 4 p.m. on Wednesday for the opening of the conference.

Thursday's topic will be "Delivering the Faith to Future Generations" and Friday's theme will be "Relationship Between Church and Society: Mobility, Citizenship, Religious Freedom, Inequality".

Both days will include morning roundtable discussions followed by assembly discussions and afternoon conclusions.

On Saturday an assembly will be held for general conclusions that will be condensed into the final document, followed by the public event "In the Same Boat" at Teatro Petruzzelli at 3:30 p.m. Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at the Basilica di San Nicola on Sunday at 10:45 a.m., followed by the Angelus.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella is expected to attend, as well as Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte.


ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI -- State police are investigating a death in Allegan County.

On Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 19, police announced that the body of a deceased person was found at a residence in the 6000 block of Forest Beach Drive in Laketown Township.

Officers were called to the scene around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18.

Police did not immediately provide details related to the identity of the deceased person or the suspected cause of death.

A state place sergeant declined to say if the death was considered suspicious, but indicated that the public announcement was made to explain the extended police presence at the scene.

Troopers were assisted on scene by personnel from the Michigan State Police Grand Rapids Forensic Laboratory. Officers have since cleared the scene.

The incident remains under investigation.

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Click here to read the full article.

The footwear industry continued to mourn the death of Bob Campbell, the prolific founder and CEO of BBC International.

Campbell, who founded the company in 1975 and grew it into a licensing powerhouse, died Feb. 17, 2020.

More from Footwear News

Remembered for his competitive spirit, willingness to mentor and give advice, and his charitable endeavors, Campbell spent more than 60 years in the footwear business impacting the lives of others.

Here, some of his closest peers reflect on Campbells remarkable life and why theyll miss him on a deeply personal level.

Donald Wilborn

Vice chairman & CFO of BBC International

Bob and I have been best friends for 63 years and business partners for 45 years. Every day was an exciting experience. Bobs energy and vibrancy for life was amazing and a wonderful example for so many people. Bobs motto was Sell the Sizzle, which is what he did throughout his life. We will all miss him.

Rick Mina

President of WSS

Bobby Cambell has been my friend for 40 years. He was one of the most amazing men I have ever known. He loved and lived life to the fullest. He was a great family man, businessman and, most of all, always there when you called or needed him. I was able to see him in Boca Raton a few weeks ago  I told him I loved him and he told me he loved me too.

Sonny Shar

Retired executive of Pentland Group

I feel like I lost a brother. He was one of the finest, kindest human beings I have ever met in my life. He wasnt just someone who liked to compete  he mentored so many of us in ways that are hard to describe. Our friendship goes back 40 years. He loved his family, and I know in the closing days one of his greatest joys was to see how Seth matured. I believe the BBC legacy will go on. I am truly heartbroken.

Story continues

Diane Sullivan

CEO, president and chairman of Caleres Inc.

While we knew he wasnt well, it still hits you like a freight train. Its a loss for his family first, and the industry too. He was an amazing, creative, innovative force in the industry for an extended period of time. Thats the thing I dont underestimate  it wasnt for a year or five or 10, but for an extended period of time. He was always learning and growing and continually improving himself as person and business executive. He brought the same energy into everything he did, even when he started to do more on the philanthropic side. I could see that firsthand with what he did at the Two Ten board. His giving to that organization was best in class. He brought his love of life  that energy, caring and intensity  into everything he did. When I was the chair of Two Ten, I would be chatting away, talking to everyone and he would say, OK, Sullivan, its 8, lets start the meeting.

Debbie Ferree

Vice Chairman & President, Designer Brands

Bobby was the ultimate visionary, pioneering ideas and creating excitement in the kids footwear space, making him one of the most transformational leaders in the industry. His heart for philanthropy and for providing opportunities to those less fortunate was perhaps his greatest accomplishment. He, very simply, cared deeply for the footwear industry. He loved so much and gave generously to the shoe people that truly needed help. His big smile, energy that filled the room and his caring heart will be missed, but will stay with us forever.

Joel Oblonsky

President of Anne Klein and Blondo

Ive known Bob since I was about 20 years old. Its been a better part of 30 years. If you think hes had energy the past 10 years, you should have seen him in his 50s. He was full of energy, so inspired by the industry and he just wanted to do really well. I had the fortunate opportunity to spend time with him then and during the decade I was at Ralph Lauren. We spent a lot of time together as I ran footwear and accessories and he was our childrens licensee. We grew the business to the level that was unheard of and, frankly, that hasnt been experienced since. It was a phenomenal time to rekindle a long-standing relationship and spend a decade together as business partners. Im going to miss him. He was like a father-figure to me. He was a great man. So benevolent, so philanthropic, so interested in developing the next generation of successful business people in the shoe industry. That passion for all those things is going to be missed. There will never be another Bobby Campbell.

Jim Issler

President and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Shoe Holdings

Bobby and I knew each other since the early 1970s when he worked at Kinney Shoes. There were a few early pioneers who moved into Asia, [much] like Lewis and Clark, and it served him well in his career. He was extremely affable, energetic, passionate, and a sharing person. What I respected more than anything else was his compassion, which led to his charitable endeavors. I dont know anybody that was more giving or charitable than Bobby. His charity [came] in all shapes, sizes, colors and creeds. He had no particular bent on any one thing. He was a giving person across the board. The charity I started in China  Fashion Association Charity Event  frankly, if it werent for Bobby and a couple of others, it never would have happened. It affected the lives of so many children in China over the last 15 years. He was a trusted friend of mine and a confidant, and it went both ways. We were on the phone a lot over the last couple of years. On the boards we served on, we were pretty much in lock step with our opinions about what was right for the industry. He was somebody I had a dear relationship with and I will deeply miss him. I was fortunate to call him a friend and have him call me a friend.

Gilbert Harrison

Chairman of Harrison Group; Founder of Financo

Bob was a legend in the business, and he was both a friend and a client. His ability to understand the needs of his licensees to grow the business was tremendous. What he did is only something a titan and merchant can do. He will be sorely missed, but the training of his son, Seth, along with longtime partner Don Wilborn will allow the business to grow and prosper.

Sam Edelman

Founder of Sam Edelman

Bob was a visionary who lived without fear. A loyal leader and partner. A proud father and loving husband. A lesson to Americas youth that Horatio Alger lives on.

Joe Ouaknine

Co-founder and chairman of Titan Industries

This is a man that I know better than most. We were partners. I learned how he was in business and personally. The thing that struck me the most, he was very funny, and he was just a good guy. He had authority and resources and he was using them for everyones advantage. At board meetings, when there were maybe 20 or 30 of us and he didnt like something, he would stop people from talking. He didnt want bullst. There was no one as straight as he was. He went straight to the point to what he said and what he meant, and thats what I liked the most. And whenever we needed money for the Two Ten Foundation, we could always count on him. Youre not going to find a heart like his.

Bob Goldman

Founder and CEO of Cels Enterprises

What I remember him most for was being a great marketer, a great guy. He was charitable. I go back with him when he was a buyer at Woolworth. Its been a long time. He was always respectful, always cheery and willing to communicate no matter what the situation was. He made a great impression on the industry regarding charity and keeping charity organizations and structures in place. He got involved and worked for organization to keep them in order. I learned many lessons from him in business. He was an icon in our industry, with manufacturing and development in new countries overseas, China specifically  he was one of the pioneers.

Matt Feiner

President and CEO of SG Companies

Bob was a special guy who had a profound impact on my career. He had a passion for our industry that truly blew me away. When I met Bob, I was a young product guy at Reebok and we had a lot to learn about how to make kids shoes. We partnered with BBC  and within five years our Reebok kids business tripled. Bob mentored me in the process and showed me what hard work and a relentless drive could do. Whenever I told Bob I thought a concept or idea his team presented wasnt possible, hed quickly show me how we could get it done. I will miss him. Whenever I saw Bob, he gave me a big hug and made me feel good. He was a one-of-a-kind guy who did so much for our industry.

Want more?

How BBC International CEO Bob Campbell Built a Shoe Empire With Heart & Determination

How BBC Boss Bob Campbell Inspired a Night of Giving to Two Ten

Footwear Legends Bob Campbell & Sonny Shar Get Candid About Life & Business

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After Bernie Sanders said that his campaign would not be sharing any further medical records following three letters from doctors showing the presidential candidate in good health, his campaign's national press secretary has compared demands for additional records to the discriminatory "birtherism" that dogged Barack Obama's campaign in 2008, when his opponents demanded to see his birth certificate.

Asked whether voters deserve to learn more about the Vermont senator's health after a heart attack late last year, Briahna Joy Gray told CNN that "people deserve to know exactly as much as every other candidate has released in this race currently and historically", then called the push for records part of a "smear" and "skepticism campaign."

She compared that campaign to the kinds of questions about where candidates are from and about "aspects of their lineage". Other candidates have released doctor's notes in the same format as ones provided by Mr Sanders's physicians.

Ms Joy argued that "it's really telling" that the same level of scrutiny hasn't been placed on billionaire former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who she incorrectly claimed had experienced a heart attack. Both candidates are the same age; Mr Bloomberg had heart stints placed in 2000, a procedure that Mr Sanders also had.

She later apologised, saying that she mispoke: "Rather, he underwent the same stent procedure as Bernie. Bernie released [three] detailed medical reports in December  just like the other candidates."

Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Show all 18 1 /18 Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Jessica Canicosa, a precinct captain for Bernie Sanders, waits to greet caucus voters at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Hotel workers at the Bellagio in Las Vegas get to grips with voting papers during the Nevada caucuses AFP via Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A caricature of Bernie Sanders is projected on to a tree during a rally in Las Vegas EPA Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A woman waits to have a photo taken with Elizabeth Warren during a town hall meeting in Las Vegas REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures The threat of coronavirus and other germ-borne illnesses was on some voters' minds at the Democratic caucuses in Henderson, Nevada Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Former vice-president Joe Biden takes a selfie with a voter in Las Vegas ahead of the Nevada caucuses REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Amy Klobuchar changes her shoes backstage after giving a speech in Exeter, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A warmly-wrapped-up dog attends an Elizabeth Warren event at Amherst Elementary School in Nashua, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Bernie Sanders, who romped to victory in New Hampshire against Hillary Clinton in 2016, talks to the media in Manchester Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden was hoping to improve on his poor showing in Iowa in the New Hampshire primary Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren, renowned for giving time to supporters for selfies, works the crowd at the University of New Hampshire in Durham Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden takes a selfie with a supporter and his child outside a campaign event in Somersworth, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders quarrel after a confrontation in a TV debate in which Sanders claimed that Warren was not telling the truth about a conversation in which she claimed he had said a woman could not win the presidency on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Supporter Pat Provencher listens to Pete Buttigieg in Laconia, New Hampshire on 4 February Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire while awaiting the results of the Iowa caucus Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren is presented with a balloon effigy of herself at a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A Trump supporter rides past a rally for Amy Klobuchar in Des Moines, Iowa on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A man holds up a sign criticising billionaires in the presidential race in front of Michael Bloomberg in Compton, Califronia. The former New York mayor skipped the first caucus in Iowa and instead campaigned in California on 3 February Reuters

The "birther" movement, promoted by Donald Trump, relied on xenophobic and racist tropes to insist that former president Obama prior to his first election was not from the US. His opponents and critics demanded to see a "long form" birth certificate and drew other conspiracies after he had already provided proof of his birth in Hawaii.

Ms Gray suggested the Bloomberg campaign, which is climbing polls ahead of the Nevada caucus, is leading the latest "smear cmapaign" against Mr Sanders, who is the current frontunner in that state after winning the New Hampshire primary and virtually tying in Iowa.

She said: "If they were honest with themselves, [they] don't support Bernie Sanders for other reasons, largely, for the same reasons that millions of working Americans do support Bernie."
Federal House of Representatives Committee on Defence, on Wednesday, arrived Maiduguri, Borno State, on a fact-finding mission into the worsening spate of insecurity in the northeast.

The committee arrived at Maiduguri around 10.30 a.m. They were received by the Theatre Commander Lafiya, Olusegun Adeniyi, a Major General, at the Air Force base, the headquarters of the Theatre, Maimalari Barracks. They had a meeting there, which excluded journalists.

At the end of the closed-door meeting which lasted for about an hour, the legislators paid a courtesy call to the governor of Borno State, stating their mission to the state.

We are here to carefully listen, take note and go back with valid notes on actions to be taken, said the chairman of the Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson.

The attack last week by Boko Haram insurgents on stranded travellers, which claimed the lives of over 30 people, has raised a general concern over the deteriorating state of security in the country.
Kylie Jenner paid tribute to the late rapper Pop Smoke on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old wrote on Twitter: 'rest in peace pop smoke,' and less than a minute later added: 'ive had enough of 2020'.

Pop was only 20 when he was shot by two masked intruders in his Hollywood Hills home in the small hours of Wednesday morning.

Dearly departed: Kylie Jenner paid tribute to the late rapper Pop Smoke on Wednesday

Heartbroken: The 22-year-old wrote on Twitter: 'rest in peace pop smoke,' and less than a minute later added: 'ive had enough of 2020'

Kylie shares her two-year-old daughter Stormi with her amicable ex Travis Scott, who worked with Pop on the 2019 song Gatti.

The suspects in Pop's murder are still at large and it is currently unknown whether law enforcement have discovered their identities or motive.

It was roughly 4:30am when the home invaders arrived at the property and shot Pop, who was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood.

Some fans speculate that his killers were able to find him because of a Facebook Story clip this Tuesday in which he included his address.

Music video: Kylie shares her two-year-old daughter Stormi with her amicable ex Travis Scott (LEFT), who worked with Pop (right) on the 2019 song Gatti

Real Housewife Of Beverly Hills Teddi Jo Mellencamp and her husband Edwin Arroyave own the $2.5 million property, which Pop was reportedly renting.

Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times that there have been many break-ins over the past few years at homes musicians are renting.

Teddi wrote on Instagram: 'Foremost, we would like to extend our prayers and condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragic loss of life.'

She added: 'We aren't aware of any of the details beyond what we've been told or seen reported on the news and at this time we would like to refrain from commenting further as we wish for the focus to remain on the law enforcement officers who are diligently doing their jobs.'

As seen last month: Pop was only 20 when he was shot by two masked intruders in his Hollywood Hills home in the small hours of Wednesday morning

Celebrities paid tribute to the late rapper, with Nicki Minaj writing: 'The Bible tells us that jealousy is as cruel as the grave. Unbelievable. Rest in Peace, Pop.'

Chance The Rapper, Quavo, 50 Cent and Ice T are among the other famous figures who have honored Pop on social media.

Last month Kylie was also rocked by the death of Kobe Bryant, who perished in a helicopter crash with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.

Kylie revealed on her Insta Stories that Kobe was in 'the helicopter i would fly on from time to time with that pilot, Ara [Zobayan],' who also died in the crash.
19.02.2020 LISTEN

Former MP for the La Dadekotopon constituency, Nii-Amasah Namoale has accused President Akufo-Addos fight against illegal mining as a sham.

Namoale revealed that the national campaign against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey was a coy to enrich members of the ruling party.

He said: This galamsey scandal is the result of a grand scheme set up by President Akufo-Addo himself to enrich NPP officials to finance the New Patriotic Party.

It was quite shocking, the video was damning. the task force was set up to provide cover for some persons to continue engaging in illegal mining.

These latest revelations of corruption in the fight against galamsey show that the whole fight against illegal mining was a sham and a plot to get licensed small-scale miners out of business so that some elements in government can take over small-scale mining in the country.

Nii-Amasah Namoale told Kwame Tutu on Anopa Nkomo on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7.

He continued, "Akufo-Addos so-called fight against galamsy is ruse calculated to expropriate the illicit galamsy trade for NPP government officials. It is now clear that there was no fight, it was a sham, it was all a ploy to enrich themselves."

The claim follows the hundreds of missing excavators that were seized from some illegal small-scale miners as revealed by Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation.
Pedestrians walk by a large Adidas logo inside the German multinational sportswear shop. Miguel Candela | SOPA Images | LightRocket via Getty Images

German sportswear firm Adidas warned business activity in China has fallen dramatically in recent weeks, citing a material negative impact from the coronavirus outbreak. It comes at a time when many in the sporting goods industry are deeply concerned about the potential economic impact of China's fast-spreading virus. The world's second-largest economy is a key sourcing hub for the industry, with many sneakers produced in China and other Asian countries. The outbreak has prompted Adidas, which attributes roughly one-third of its sales to Asia, to close a "significant" number of stores in China. Since Lunar New Year on Jan. 25, the company said Wednesday that a "pronounced traffic reduction within the remaining store fleet" had seen business activity tumble roughly 85% when compared to the same period a year earlier.

'Too early' to assess full-year impact

Adidas said it had also seen some traffic declines in other markets, predominantly Japan and South Korea, but it had not yet observed any major business impact outside mainland China. "As the situation keeps evolving on a daily basis, the magnitude of the overall impact on our business for the full-year 2020 cannot be quantified reliably at this point in time," Adidas said in a statement. Adidas has said it will provide more details about the financial impact of the coronavirus when it releases full-year results on March 11. Shares of Adidas were up around 1.5% Wednesday morning. Earlier this month, Adidas had warned investors it was currently experiencing a negative impact on its operations in China. It has since reaffirmed its position that it is "too early" to assess the magnitude of the financial impact of the outbreak.

Puma warns of coronavirus hit to China business

Separately, German sportswear maker Puma reported that the coronavirus had "negatively impacted our business since the beginning of February." "This is especially true in China where more than half of both own and operated and partner stores are temporarily closed due to restrictions of the local authorities," the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

Source: Puma
New Delhi, Feb 19 : India and US may seal a large crude oil supply deal during the visit of President Donald Trump later this month, with diplomatic sources indicating that American oil companies are coming with offers to make it attractive for Indian firms to increase oil imports from US despite long distance and high freight.

According to sources, big oil producers from the US are willing to step up shale oil supplies to India by offering importing companies a discount of up to $5 per barrel over global benchmarks.

This is expected to make US oil attractive even over Dubai crude that makes up for most of Indian oil imports now.

Also on the table would be freight discounts and a higher credit period of 60-90 days to Indian importers on the lines of what Iran used to offer India before sanctions squeezed oil supplies from the gulf nation.

"We expect to increase oil imports from the US in the next fiscal and sweetened deals would help us increase the quantum of buys. The hope is that few contracts may be signed during the visit of the US President or later next month," said an executive of PSU oil company, asking not to be named.

Another government official said that the idea is to more than double the country's oil imports from the United States next year and contracts would be facilitated if better concessional terms are offered.

"The shipment of US oil to India has already increased over the past two years and we may end up importing close to 10 million tonnes (mt) in the current fiscal. This would be doubled in FY21 if official and company level negotiations taking place for some time yield positive results," said the official.

If this level of oil imports is doubled in FY21, the US will reach close to meeting India's 10 per cent oil import needs, the same as Iran was meeting prior to the supply squeeze post the sanctions.

In the current fiscal (FY20), oil imports from Iran have dipped to 1.97 mt, down from 23.9 mt in FY19.

Iran used to account for more than 10 per cent of country's total oil imports. However, since the last fiscal, the Iran oil squeeze is being compensated through higher supplies by Iraq, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

During the period, imports of US oil have also increased to 6.2 mt in FY19 from a level of mere 1.9 mt in the previous year.

In the April-December period of this fiscal, import of US oil has already crossed last year's import figures.

Diplomatic sources said the talks between Indian and US officials on increased oil support by US has progressed smoothly since last year during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's US visit.

In fact, the 'Howdy Modi!' event was also used to negotiate possible deals with US oil companies to meet the growing needs of the world's third biggest oil importer. That time too, the US had indicated its intent of supplying increased quantities of oil and gas to India on a short notice to prevent the country from facing any shortages.

Though Indian oil companies have started importing oil from the US for past couple of years, the quantity remains miniscule and forms just about 3 per cent of country's total oil imports.

But the quantity can now grow with US shale oil market becoming relevant again at current crude levels and an increase in total rig count again in December-January period in the world's largest oil-guzzling nation.

"The rig count in US had slowed in the second half of FY20 but has again picked up in last few weeks. The domestic rig count will be largely stable, at least through the first six months of the year, as companies spend their drilling budgets for the year and prepare the field to quickly execute on their budgets for the first half of the new year. This would ensure production of larger quantities of US oil for exports," said an oil sector analyst who did not wish to be named.

India's shift to US would not be sudden as gas transportation company GAIL, oil marketing firm Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and country's largest oil refiner Indian Oil Corporation have sealed deals for supplies of the US crude earlier as well. The shale oil price there has also become very competitive in comparison to Middle-East and Gulf crude.

(Subhash Narayan can be contacted at subhash.n@ians.in)
Kale Logistics Solutions, a provider of IT solutions for the global logistics industry, is all set to play a key role at the Air Cargo India, to be held next week in Mumbai, India.



The event, an annual event to facilitate knowledge sharing and setting new benchmarks for the air cargo industry stakeholders across the globe, will be held from February 25 to 27, at the Grand Hyatt, in Santacruz West.



Amar More, CEO of Kale Logistics Solutions, will be participating in a panel that will discuss The Indian subcontinent, the most promising air cargo export region of the world.



Global players in the airline and air cargo industry such as Cathay Pacific, Boeing, Etihad Airways, Emirates, Changi Airport, Sharjah Airport to name a few are showcasing their capabilities. Over 2000 professionals representing the airline and air cargo space are expected to participate in this event. Historical data suggests, delegates over 2000 across the globe have come to attend this event.



With its strategic geographical presence connecting east and west, India has the potential to emerge as the most prominent hub for air freight operations. The Indian national air cargo policy seeks to make India among the top five air freight markets by 2025, besides creating air transport shipment hubs at all major airports over the next six years.



Spearheading these innovations rapidly will be the utilisation of digital platforms using technologies such as Blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive capabilities. Blockchain and AI have been playing a key role in simplifying complex processes. Kale has been pioneering the concept of building solutions such as Cargo Community System, Single Window System for clearance and approvals as well as Port Community System.



More said: It gives me immense pleasure to be a part of the panel that talks on digitalisation and rolling out outstanding digital solutions for global air cargo companies.



Our company has been playing a key role in building Cargo Community Systems for airports and developing solutions specific to freight forwarders. Ample number of innovations are happening in this space and the demand for it is surging high year after year, he said.



The air cargo industry requires support in terms of digitalisation and Im happy to be part of a forum that resonates the vision of Kale, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
A woman wearing a protective face mask cycles along a street in Shanghai on Feb 18, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Noel Celis)

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China to 74,185.

The death toll rose to 2,004, with most of the deaths in central Hubei province, where the virus first emerged in December before spiralling into a nationwide epidemic.

In its daily update, the National Health Commission reported 1,749 new cases of people infected with the virus nationwide, the lowest number of new cases this month.

The new infections were overwhelmingly in Hubei.

Outside the epicentre, there were only 56 new cases reported, falling for the 15th day in a row.

A study released by Chinese officials said most patients have mild cases of the illness, and health officials have described the slowing numbers as an indication that the outbreak is under control.

President Xi Jinping, in a phone call with the British prime minister, said China's measures were achieving "visible progress", according to state media on Tuesday.

However, the World Health Organization has cautioned that it is too early to tell if the decline will continue.

On Tuesday the director of a hospital in the central Hubei city of Wuhan became the seventh medical worker to succumb to the COVID-19 illness.
Could Agricultural Bank of China Limited (HKG:1288) be an attractive dividend share to own for the long haul? Investors are often drawn to strong companies with the idea of reinvesting the dividends. Yet sometimes, investors buy a popular dividend stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations.

With a nine-year payment history and a 6.1% yield, many investors probably find Agricultural Bank of China intriguing. We'd agree the yield does look enticing. When buying stocks for their dividends, you should always run through the checks below, to see if the dividend looks sustainable.

Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis

SEHK:1288 Historical Dividend Yield, February 18th 2020

Payout ratios

Dividends are usually paid out of company earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. As a result, we should always investigate whether a company can afford its dividend, measured as a percentage of a company's net income after tax. Agricultural Bank of China paid out 29% of its profit as dividends, over the trailing twelve month period. This is a middling range that strikes a nice balance between paying dividends to shareholders, and retaining enough earnings to invest in future growth. One of the risks is that management reinvests the retained capital poorly instead of paying a higher dividend.

We update our data on Agricultural Bank of China every 24 hours, so you can always get our latest analysis of its financial health, here.

Dividend Volatility

One of the major risks of relying on dividend income, is the potential for a company to struggle financially and cut its dividend. Not only is your income cut, but the value of your investment declines as well - nasty. Looking at the last decade of data, we can see that Agricultural Bank of China paid its first dividend at least nine years ago. It's good to see that Agricultural Bank of China has been paying a dividend for a number of years. However, the dividend has been cut at least once in the past, and we're concerned that what has been cut once, could be cut again. During the past nine-year period, the first annual payment was CN0.077 in 2011, compared to CN0.17 last year. Dividends per share have grown at approximately 9.5% per year over this time. Agricultural Bank of China's dividend payments have fluctuated, so it hasn't grown 9.5% every year, but the CAGR is a useful rule of thumb for approximating the historical growth.

Story continues

Dividends have grown at a reasonable rate, but with at least one substantial cut in the payments, we're not certain this dividend stock would be ideal for someone intending to live on the income.

Dividend Growth Potential

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share (EPS) are growing. Why take the risk of a dividend getting cut, unless there's a good chance of bigger dividends in future? Agricultural Bank of China has grown its earnings per share at 2.9% per annum over the past five years. A payout ratio below 50% leaves ample room to reinvest in the business, and provides finanical flexibility. However, earnings per share are unfortunately not growing much. Might this suggest that the company should pay a higher dividend instead?

We'd also point out that Agricultural Bank of China issued a meaningful number of new shares in the past year. Trying to grow the dividend when issuing new shares reminds us of the ancient Greek tale of Sisyphus - perpetually pushing a boulder uphill. Companies that consistently issue new shares are often suboptimal from a dividend perspective.

Conclusion

To summarise, shareholders should always check that Agricultural Bank of China's dividends are affordable, that its dividend payments are relatively stable, and that it has decent prospects for growing its earnings and dividend. We're glad to see Agricultural Bank of China has a low payout ratio, as this suggests earnings are being reinvested in the business. Unfortunately, earnings growth has also been mediocre, and the company has cut its dividend at least once in the past. While we're not hugely bearish on it, overall we think there are potentially better dividend stocks than Agricultural Bank of China out there.

Earnings growth generally bodes well for the future value of company dividend payments. See if the 18 Agricultural Bank of China analysts we track are forecasting continued growth with our free report on analyst estimates for the company.

Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of dividend stocks with a yield above 3%.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Texas hunters snagged a nearly 500lb hog on Saturday night as they downed six more in an effort to curb the 'pig bomb' that has taken over the area.

Joel Dudley, owner of Nuisance Wildlife Removal, and Mike Huckabay shot and killed the 488lb feral hog in The Preserve - formerly known as Cypress Lakes in Liberty County.

The other six hogs killed each weighed roughly 250lbs each.

'We were in there doing hog eradication because they have become so overpopulated,' Dudley said to Bluebonnet News. 'They have been tearing up the whole dang subdivision.'

Joel Dudley, owner of Nuisance Wildlife Removal, and Mike Huckabay shot and killed the 488lb feral hog in The Preserve - formerly known as Cypress Lakes

Dudley and Huckabay used thermal imaging, nighttime vision scopes to hunt - a method that differs from the popular methods of using traps or dogs.

Using the scopes allows them to see hogs at a period when they are more active.

'We saw this big boar standing around one of the ponds. Even at the distance, we could tell he was massive. We went toward him and couldn't find him, so we got back on the ATV and went down another road. That's when Mike got within 20 yards of him and shot him,' Dudley added.

'There was another big one that I was watching with my thermal scope. He got within 10 yards of me. I had to shoot him because he was coming right at me.'

'We were in there doing hog eradication because they have become so overpopulated,' Dudley said. 'They have been tearing up the whole dang subdivision.'

The other six hogs killed each weighed roughly 250lbs

Dudley, who has been hunting in southeast Texas for more than 15 years, said that Saturday's haul was the largest hog he has ever gunned down.

Dudley and Huckabay used thermal imaging, nighttime vision scopes to hunt - a method that differs from the popular methods of using traps or dogs

With homes in close proximity, Dudley claims that hunting the hogs can prove to be extremely difficult.

'I think the thermal vision makes it a lot safer because we can get within 5-10 yards of the feral hogs. It works in subdivisions and places like that. Sometimes the last thing you want to do is try trapping hogs in your community. You don't want to put bait out and draw more pigs to what is already a nuisance area,' he continued.

'That's why we go in with thermal scopes. We also use low-caliber ammunition so it won't blow through the pigs. It just drops them where they are standing.'

In Southeast Texas, feral hogs are becoming an increasing problem.

A Liberty County woman, 59-year-old Christine Rollins, was fatally mauled by wild hogs in November 2019 just steps away from her home.

Dr Jack Mayer, a zoologist who has been researching wild pigs for 40 years, told The Daily Beast he blames global warming for increasing the survival rate of newborn piglets and producing more acorns, bulbs, roots and tubers for them to eat.

They can start reproducing at three months old and do so twice a year.
GREECE, N.Y. -- A Rochester-area man, upset about the impeachment of the president, threatened to murder U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, according to federal prosecutors.

Salvatore Lippa II, 57 of Greece, was arrested and charged with threatening to assault or murder a federal official on account of the performance of their official duties and interstate communication of a threat.

The charges carry a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to 10 years in prison.

According to court papers, Lippa left a threatening voicemail for at Schiffs Washington D.C. office on Jan. 23 at 8:20 p.m.

Schiff, Shifty Schiff, youre the biggest [expletive] scumbag [expletive] who ever lived. I dare you to come, I dare you to come to New York, because I will put a bullet in your [expletive] forehead. You [expletive] scumbag piece of [expletive]. You got that? And you can look up my phone number. And you think Im [expletive] joking? Ill come to Washington and kill you, you [expletive]"

On Feb. 4, prosecutors say Lippa called Schumers Albany office left another threatening message.

Hey Schumer, you and Nancy Pelosi are two [expletive] biggest scumbags who ever lived. And let me tell you something, somebody wants to assassinate you, Im going to be the driver. And hell shoot you from 200 yards away. I [expletive] promise you, you [expletive] totally little [expletive] Democrats scumbag [expletive].

Both calls came from the same number, which was traced to Lippas address and registered to him through Verizon, prosecutors said.

Special agents from the U.S. Capitol Police found and questioned Lippa. Lippa admitted to making the threatening calls because he was upset about the impeachment of President Donald Trump, according to U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy.

The rights secured in our Constitution carry with them certain responsibilities, Kennedy said in a press release. When it comes to the First Amendment, that responsibility includes the obligation not to threaten to kill others. This Office will remain vigilant in our effort to uphold the rule of law and to reinforce the ideal that in America the entire concept of self-governance is fundamentally predicated on the responsibility that each of us has to control and govern our own behaviors.

Schiff is a Democratic Congressman from California who led the team of prosecutors arguing for Trumps impeachment. The president nicknamed him Shifty Schiff" and attacked him almost daily on Twitter throughout the impeachment process.

The U.S. Senate acquitted Trump earlier this month.

Lippa was due to appear in federal court Wednesday afternoon.
A second forensic voice analyst yesterday supported claims that a covert recording of three alleged IRA dissidents, as compared with known recordings of the men, provided strong to moderate support they are indeed the suspects in a failed police murder bid. (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

A second forensic voice analyst yesterday supported claims that a covert recording of three alleged IRA dissidents, as compared with known recordings of the men, provided strong to moderate support they are indeed the suspects in a failed police murder bid.

The undercover MI5 recordings allegedly captured the trio - 52-year-old Colin Duffy, 51-year-old Henry Fitzsimons and 58-year-old Alex McCrory - discussing a failed attempt to murder police in December 2013.

Last week, voice analyst Prof Peter French, with over 35 years experience, told Mr Justice O'Hara that a review of his findings, including analysis of other materials, "provided modest to strong support" in the cases of Mr Duffy and Mr Fitzsimons, while it allegedly provided "very strong support" for Mr McCrory.

On Tuesday, Dr Christin Kirchhubel, a former associate of Prof French, told the Diplock-style no-jury trial that her findings provided similar support given her own analysis of the various alleged recordings.

Dr Kirchhubel, with over seven years' experience and who now operates her own private practice, said the recordings ranged from "very poor, some of it was average, and some of it was very good in places" and despite some low-level background noises, the materials were "good enough for analysis".

In her conclusions, she claimed comparison recordings of Mr Duffy provided "moderately strong support" he was one of the three suspects, and in Mr Fitzsimons analysis, it was "moderately supportive", while in that of Mr McCrory, "there is strong support" that he was also one of the speakers.

While agreeing there were differences in findings made by defence experts, Dr Kirchhubel claimed they could be explained because, in some cases, the analysis was carried out using a difference analytical "approach" from that adopted by her.

She said voice analysis was opinion-based, and her findings were made with regard to her training, her ongoing professional development and the amount of case work in which she has been involved.

However, she discounted the suggestion that to have properly carried out her work, she would have needed access to the actual recording devices used in the undercover operation. Dr Kirchhubel said that the limitations of the recordings were apparent from the recordings themselves.

The trio, whose addresses cannot be given at this time, deny preparing and directing terrorism, and membership or professing to be members of the IRA. Fitzsimons and McCrory are also charged with and deny attempting to murder police on December 5, 2013, and possessing the two AK47 rifles and ammunition used in the attack.

They were allegedly covertly recorded and videoed in an MI5 operation "codename Op Idealistic", carried out in Demesne Park, Lurgan the day after the gun attack on the police convoy in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast, during which two gunmen fired 14 shots at the three-vehicle patrol.

The court has already heard that it was these recording which were compared and analysed against recordings made during press conferences allegedly given by Mr Duffy and Mr McCrory, together with custody records and, in the case of Mr Fitzsimons, from telephone conversations and from recordings made when he was stopped at a vehicle checkpoint.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 15:03 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206570c65 1 National arson,Tasikmalaya,fire,West-Java,village-fund,village-funds,village Free

The village head of Neglasari in Jatiwaras district of Tasikmalaya, West Java, has been arrested after allegedly setting fire to the Neglasari village administration building in an attempt to avoid a financial audit.

Tasikmalaya Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Doni Eka Putra said Wowon Gunawan had been arrested along with his brother, Budiman, based on the results of tests conducted by the National Polices forensics laboratory.

The two suspects are now in custody and have been proven to have set fire [to the building] using some kind of fuel. They have been charged under Article 187 of the Criminal Code [on arson], which carries a maximum punishment of 12 years of imprisonment, Doni said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Doni alleged that Wowon and Budiman committed the crime to destroy evidence of potential financial malfeasance in the office.

The village heads elder brother, Budiman, was the one who came up with the idea, because his younger brother [Wowon] always complained that he was scared to be examined by the audit team regarding how he used village funds during his term, Doni said.

Separately, Sani Junan Hudaya, head of the Neglasari Society Forum, said villagers had staged several rallies demanding budget transparency from Wowon's administration between 2015 and 2019.

Many development projects valued at as much as Rp 2.1 billion [US$153,301] were not reported properly, Sani claimed.

Many of the documents that may have proven the villagers suspicions were reportedly destroyed in the fire, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday.

In recent years, village heads have assumed responsibility over increasingly large sums of money transferred to villages through President Joko Jokowi Widodos village funds program.

Around Rp 257 trillion (US$18.4 billion) was distributed to villages during Jokowis first term, and the amount is set to increase to Rp 400 trillion for the 2019-2024 period.

Mishandling of village funds has become a matter of concern, with Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) data showing that 141 village heads have been involved in graft cases related to village funds since 2015. (gis)
Banning sunbeds could prevent 10million cases of skin cancer, saving people's lives and avoiding billions of pounds in healthcare costs, a study has found.

Researchers estimated that number of cancer diagnoses could be avoided during the lifetimes of all people currently aged between 12 and 35.

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the UK, with more than 160,000 cases diagnosed every year.

And numbers are expected to rise by nearly 10 per cent over the next 15 years.

Brazil, Iran and Australia are the only countries to have an outright ban on tanning beds, but other countries following suit could save their citizens' lives.

The UV rays produced by the machines are extremely strong and close to the skin, and regularly exposing the body to them leads to burns and permanent skin damage.

A poll of dermatologists in the UK last year found that three quarters of them would welcome a ban on tanning beds and the British Skin Foundation advises people not to use them.

Sunbeds are known to be damaging for the skin and researchers suggested banning them could save people's lives by cutting skin cancer levels

The author of the new research, Dr Louisa Gordon of the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane, Australia, said: 'UV radiation emissions from indoor tanning devices are carcinogenic.

'Banning indoor tanning may be associated with reduced skin cancer burden and health care costs.'

The team collected information on people aged 12 to 35 living in North America and Europe who frequently used indoor tanning beds.

They also considered current rates of skin cancer and looked at how many were linked to using sunbeds.

This allowed them to predict how the numbers would change in the future if tanning beds were banned and the young people didn't use them.

HOW TO STAY SAFE IN THE SUN Sunburn increases a person's risk of skin cancer. It can happen abroad or in the UK. To stay sun safe, experts recommend people: Seek shade between 11am and 3pm, which is when the sun's rays are typically strongest

Wear at least SPF 30 sunscreen

Apply sunscreen 30 minutes, and again just before, UV exposure

Opt for water-resistant sunscreen if necessary and reapply after swimming, sweating or using a towel

Cover up with protective clothing, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses

Be extra careful with babies and young children. Infants under six months should be kept out of direct sunlight

Do not use sunbeds or sunlamps

Checks moles and skin for any changes Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

Banning the beds would reduce the number of skin cancer cases in North America and Europe by around 10million, they estimated.

Non-melanoma skin cancers, the most common and least dangerous types, could be avoided in a staggering 9.7million cases within the lifetimes of under-35s alive today.

And 450,000 cases of melanoma, a more dangerous type of cancer which can spread through the body, could be stopped.

The ban could also save an estimated 4.4 billion in health costs and 30billion in lost work, the study predicted.

Dr Gordon said: 'On the basis of recent international estimates of indoor tanning prevalence and burden of skin cancers, our findings suggest that regulating indoor tanning may be associated with decreases in public harm and the burden on health care systems.'

There are more than 7,000 sunbed salons in Britain, with some offering sessions for as little as 50p a minute.

Indoor tanning has decreased across Europe since 2009 by 20 per cent, whereas in North America it has remained constant.

Dr Gordon added: 'In Australia and Brazil, buy-back schemes were implemented in which commercial operators received compensation from governments that enabled safe environmental disposal and minimised device transfer into private homes.'

A survey of dermatologists in the UK last year found that three quarters of them would support a ban on sunbeds.

Nine out of ten skin of them said they believed sunbeds on the high street are leading to a rise in skin cancer cases and deaths.

Statistics show cases of melanoma - a deadly type of skin cancer - has soared in the past decade, particularly in younger people.

Cases of melanoma skin cancer in the UK have increased from 17 cases per 100,000 in 2004 to 26 per 100,000 in 2004 (pictured)

The survey of 245 dermatologists found 91 per cent of them agreed the age at which people are legally allowed to use sunbeds should be increased from 18 to 21.

And 94 per cent said there should be stricter enforcement of age restrictions on sunbeds in the UK.

British Skin Foundation spokesperson Lisa Bickerstaffe said: 'The dermatologists' opinions appear to support research stating the potential to get skin cancer, including melanoma, is increased in those who have also used sunbeds.

'We know that there is no such thing as a safe tan from UV rays, therefore, the BSF, in line with other health organisations does not recommend sunbed use.'

Gill Nuttall, founder of the charity Melanoma UK, told MailOnline at the time: 'Anyone who uses social media should check out the photographs of youngsters who post pictures of themselves having been burned on sunbeds.

'It is frightening. They are tomorrows burden on our already overstretched NHS.

'Seven people die of melanoma in the UK every day. Some of them used sunbeds. We have to follow the lead of Australia and Brazil and ban them completely.'

The findings were published in the journal JAMA Dermatology.
Will credit unions receive more guidance and clarity related to providing financial services to marijuana-related businesses (MRBs) this year? NAFCU Regulatory Affairs Counsel Kaley Schafer, in a new Compliance Blog post, reviews the current landscape and provides insights into how the presidential election could impact the possibility of federal legislation.

In conjunction with this blog, NAFCU has released an updated issue brief that provides credit unions with comprehensive, up-to-date information on federal legislative efforts and state-level marijuana laws.

Schafer notes that the House last year passed the bipartisan Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, designed to provide a safe harbor for credit unions and other lenders that serve MRBs in states that have legalized the drug. In addition, the NCUA was the first financial services regulator to issue interim guidance allowing federally insured credit unions to provide certain financial services to legally-operating hemp businesses as hemp-derived products became legal at the federal level under the 2018 Farm Bill. Other banking regulators later released similar guidance after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued an interim final rule in October that outlines provisions for legal hemp production.

Despite this movement, the future of a federal safe harbor to bank MRBs remains hazy (pun intended), Schafer writes. Given the Senates current stance on House-passed legislation, the fact that 2020 is an election year, and there may be bigger fish to fry, we may not see the successful passage of legislation. But, if we see a shift in Democratic control of the Senate, then it is very possible that legislation may be passed in 2021.
15 people hospitalised as ammonia gas leaks from cold storage plant in Kurukshetra

India

oi-PTI

Kurukshetra, Feb 19: Fifteen people have been hospitalised and 45 others were affected after inhaling ammonia gas leaking from a cold storage unit at Shahbad Markanda, about 20 kms from here, police said on Wednesday.

The leakage started at the cold storage at about 9 pm on Tuesday when all employees had stepped out for dinner. The gas spread to the nearby 'Baajigar dera' where 40 families reside.

The residents there complained of suffocation and many of them started vomiting and some were rushed to a nearby hospital.

A doctor said 15 persons were admitted to the hospital at Shahbad while two were sent to Kurukshetra.

A few were discharged after treatment. All of them were stable, he said. Deputy Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh said the leakage was plugged with the help of the Fire Department personnel late in the night.

1984 Bhopal gas tragedy activist Abdul Jabbar passes away

He said 15 persons were admitted to the hospital while about 25 others were discharged after first aid. He said no case has been registered as police have not received any complaint.
Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - The Mauritanian and Senegalese governments Tuesday signed a series of agreements and treaties aiming to promote and strengthen cooperation between the two countries, an official source told PANA here
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Nearly a decade ago, while working on a special reporting project examining how Cleveland police for years had marginalized sexual assault victims -- failing to test evidence or follow through on investigations -- this cynical thought occurred to me: If men, rather than women and girls, were the primary victims of those crimes, rape would be considered a true public health epidemic, and every available government resource would be committed to addressing it.

Since then, a statewide DNA testing initiative has gone far toward resolving massive backlogs of untested sexual assault evidence kits. And the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have ushered in a national reckoning with the prevalence of sexual assault in America and the ways in which trauma, social stigma and other forces conspire to prevent victims from coming forward, sometimes for many years.

In short, there was reason to believe that, as a society, we were finally evolving.

But the unfair way in which the male-dominated Ohio Statehouse is handling two proposed bills dealing with statutes of limitations in sexual assault cases, has renewed my belief that sexism and a lack of empathy for women and girls continue to guide public policy when it comes to sex crimes.

In May, an Ohio State University investigation concluded that former university physician Richard Strauss had sexually abused at least 177 young men between 1979 and 1998. Strauss was never charged with a crime and killed himself in 2005. But as a result of the report, more than 350 men sued OSU, saying they had been abused. And Gov. Mike DeWine and Attorney General Dave Yost, both Republicans, rightly called on the GOP dominated Ohio House and Senate to eliminate Ohios arbitrary statute of limitations for rape and sexual assault victims.

Two House bills emerged in the aftermath.

One, Republican-sponsored House Bill 249, would waive the statute of limitations specifically so victims could sue OSU and recover financial damages. Since the bills introduction in May, Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder has thrown his full support behind it, and the Houses Civil Justice Committee has held six hearings on the legislation.

A second bill introduced by House Democrats in June, House Bill 279 seeks to waive the statute of limitations for all criminal sexual assault and rape cases, not just those at OSU, while also closing a medieval loophole in Ohios law that bans the prosecution of spousal rape when no threat of force or violence occurred. (In other words, under the current law, one could use drugs to incapacitate a spouse and engage in sex with them without consent.)

Although the Senate is expected to hold a hearing on a companion piece today, not a single hearing has been held on the House bill.

Strausss victims have suffered in silence long enough and certainly deserve justice. But the differences in the way the two House bills are being treated are impossible to reconcile. To push forth a proposal to eliminate the statute of limitations for a set of male victims while completely ignoring legislation that would support all survivors of rape  most of whom are women and girls  smacks of sexism.

When confronted about the disparity at a forum organized by the Associated Press of Ohio earlier this month, Householder said he prefers not to retroactively change laws. He added that hes sensitive to the plight of victims and the difficulty they face in coming forward, but that statutes of limitations are important because memories can fade over time.

I know that people, particularly women, are in a position sometimes that they dont feel like they can step out, Householder said. ... Thats one of those things that makes our job very difficult at times, and we have to balance the scales constantly and try to keep things as fair as we can.

Im not entirely sure what Householder is trying to say in that epic dodge of a reporters question. But his argument about the fallibility of memory collapses when one considers that the accusations against Strauss are between two and four decades old, and no one -- including me -- is making the case that those men might be misremembering their encounters with him or questioning whether they were consensual.

No, that skepticism seems to be reserved for another set of victims: Women, whose credibility apparently expires after 25 years, though their trauma and suffering do not.

Advancements in DNA testing technology provide perhaps the strongest argument for abolishing the statute of limitations. If properly stored and handled, the crime-solving power of DNA can be accessed for decades. Today, law enforcement can better identify suspects or exonerate defendants through DNA analysis. And, as we saw when thousands of previously untested rape kits throughout Ohio were finally entered into offender databases, DNA can help investigators bring serial rapists to justice after years at large. Preserving an arbitrary deadline on the prosecution of those cases by letting HB 279 stagnate in the Criminal Justice Committees queue only makes Ohio less safe.

It may take a victim years to overcome the many psychological and social barriers to reporting an attack. But every survivor of sexual assault should have confidence that the system will support them when they do  regardless of whether men who lead the Ohio Statehouse can identify with them or what theyve been through.

Note to readers: Soon I will be taking a break from my column to embark on maternity leave that will last through the spring. But I will continue to check email regularly. You can reach me at: latassi@cleveland.com.
Australia is expected to extend its China travel ban for another week amid ongoing fears over the spread of the coronavirus, locking out hundreds of thousands of students and tourists from entering the country.

The move, which will be debated by cabinet's national security committee on Thursday or Friday, is set to compound the economic impact of the virus and frustrate the Chinese government as it looks to bring the fall-out from the virus under control.

The extension is expected to last another week from Saturday, taking the time of the travel ban out to a month and preventing all non-Australian residents travelling from China from entering the country until February 29.

Chinese customers wear protective masks as they line up single file to buy dumplings at a popular local shop in Beijing, China. Credit:Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

The escalation comes as all but 15 of the 200 Australians stranded for two weeks on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship are expected to be evacuated from the vessel in Yokohama, Japan, by 6pm on Wednesday after Australian health officers tested hundreds of Australians on the ship.
Having survived rocket attacks and bombings in their native Syria, Samr Chehab Abdulkarim and her children finally felt safe in Canada.

But for a few tense moments on a recent Saturday, the Toronto mother of five feared she was about to lose her daughter in what the family believes was a racially charged encounter with a TTC driver, triggered by the fact Abdulkarim wears a hijab.

The family has filed a complaint with the transit agency. Toronto Transit Commission spokesperson Hayley Waldman said the agency has received the complaint and is looking into it.

I can confirm that we are investigating, but cannot comment on the specifics of the investigation, Waldman told the Star in an email.

At around 12:45 p.m. on Feb. 1, 40-year-old Abdulkarim picked up Lulu, 10, and Abdul, 8, from Victoria Park Collegiate Institute where the kids take their weekly Arabic-language class. They got on the southbound route 24 bus at Victoria Park Avenue and Cassandra Boulevard and headed for their home in Thorncliffe Park.

Grateful for Canadas warm welcome to the family after they came here as refugees in 2015, Abdulkarim said she always encourages her children to smile and be friendly to strangers. That day, Lulu and Abdul greeted the bus driver with a smile and said thank you, but they said they were met with a sneer by the white female behind the wheel.

When the bus arrived at Lawrence Avenue East, Abdulkarim and her children made their way to the rear exit, but as soon as she and Abdul disembarked, the mother said the doors closed, with Lulu still on the bus.

For a split second, Abdulkarim said watching her daughter being driven away sparked memories of life in the war-torn Syrian city of Homs, from which they fled, and her constant fear of her children being kidnapped.

I banged and banged on the doors. The bus was stopped at a red light, but the driver would not open the door to let Lulu off, said a still shaken Abdulkarim. I was horrified. I had no idea where she was taking my daughter and if I would ever see my girl again.

Inside the half-full bus, Lulu said other passengers started shouting at the driver as she ran to the front and begged her to stop the bus.

People were yelling, The kid is still on the bus. Open the doors, said Lulu, a Grade 4 student at Thorncliffe Park Public School. But the driver said to them my mom left me on the bus. She turned to me, smiled and said, Nice mom. She left you here.

Back on the sidewalk, Abdulkarim said she chased the bus with Abdul in tow to the next stop, hundreds of metres away, where a frightened Lulu had been let off earlier through the front door when the driver stopped to pick up a passenger.

TTC policy says drivers have the discretion to stop a bus between regular stops for riders expressing a genuine need to exit the vehicle, regardless of the time of day, provided it is safe to do so.

Immediately after the incident, Abdulkarim said she called her husband, Khalil Aldroubi, who was in Vaughan at the time for a training workshop to become a security guard.

Aldroubi, 43, said he and his wife are still rattled.

I was shocked. I couldnt believe what happened (on the bus), said Aldroubi, whose family  including three adult children  all use the TTC to get around the city.

He said back in Syria, he and his wife were very protective of the children, clung to them all the time and had to keep them out of school because of the violence, bombings and kidnappings.

We came from war and we are not here to fight Canadians, Aldroubi said. But my two young kids are so afraid and anxious to take the bus now.

In their complaint to the TTC, the family said they believe the incident was racially motivated due to the fact Abdulkarim wears a hijab.

The animosity the driver felt towards (Abdulkarim) caused the driver to inappropriately use her power as a TTC driver to separate her from her child and try to implicate Samr as being a bad mother, said the complaint, filed Feb. 3, two days after the incident, with help from a family friend.

While the TTC confirmed it is probing the familys complaint, it would neither reveal the identity of the driver nor release any video footage during the investigation. Abdulkarim and her kids said they didnt have a description of the bus driver, other than that she was a white woman, because everything happened so fast.

According to TTC policy, members of the public can request video footage from all subway stations, trains, buses, streetcars and LRT vehicles, but the footage is only stored for 72-hours and an official freedom of information request must be made within that time frame.

Aldroubi said he has not been told by the TTC if the footage of his familys experience on the bus was preserved and is hoping passengers who witnessed the incident will come forward. Since that day, the family has stopped taking the route 24 bus and has not been back to the Arabic class. It was only the second time they had taken that route along the busy thoroughfare.

Omar Khan, the friend who helped the family with their complaint, said what happened to the mother and her children was unacceptable.

I have young nephews myself. I cant imagine how scared Lulu must have felt (being) stuck in that bus and separated from her mother, said Khan, who has known the family since 2016. Its just incredulous that itd even happen in the city.
The text of the appeal notes that the hospital does not have conditions and special departments to protect medical personnel from the threat of coronavirus infection

Members of Hostomel local council signed an appeal to the regional council and the Kyiv mayor on preventing the hospitalization of people evacuated from Wuhan in the Kyiv hospital No. 2 amid the spread of a new deadly coronavirus. The press service of the Hostomel local council reported.

"On February 18, members of the Hostomel local council signed an appeal to the leadership of state institutions and the mayor of Kyiv to prevent the hospitalization of those evacuated from Wuhan for quarantine amid the massive spread of coronavirus in China," reads the message.

Thus, the appeal notes that this hospital doesn't possess there are no conditions and special departments that would protect medical personnel from the coronavirus infection hazard.

"Many medical workers of the medical facility live in Hostomel, and they are concerned that they may become carriers of the disease among the residents of the village," the statement says.

As we reported earlier Ukraine is evacuating Ukrainian citizens from China, the airplane to land in Kyiv on February 20. Ukraine will also evacuate citizens of the Russian Federation, Germany, Belarus and other countries from the Chinese city of Wuhan.

In the Ternopil region, western Ukraine, people set up the roadblocks and protest against hospitalizing people evacuated from Chinese Wuhan at local Medobory sanatorium.

It is known that the roadblocks were built at the entrance to Konopkivka village, Terebovlia district, where Medobory sanatorium is situated. 15 people are on duty at the roadblocks; the police officers stay with them.

In the morning on February 18, the protest was held in Mykulyntsi, not far from Konopkivka. About 300 people gathered there.

All of them stood against the accommodation of Ukrainians evacuated from China to Medobory sanatorium as people are afraid of the possible infection with Chinese coronavirus and believe that the establishment is not suitable for such purposes.

The local mass media began spreading information that the evacuated people will be transferred to this region for quarantine. Ternopil regional state administration could not provide any particular information and did not confirm or refute the information.

The locals stated that the representatives of the control authorities came to the sanatorium to check whether it is ready to host over 90 people.
The Harrisburg Diocese on Wednesday became the latest member of the worldwide Catholic Church to face financial reckoning for misdeeds involving child sexual abuse.

Speaking before members of the media, Bishop Ronald Gainer announced that 15-county Harrisburg Diocese filed for Chapter 11 protection. He explained the reasoning for the filing.

Our current financial situation is unsustainable going forward, Gainer said.

"This is the correct path forward for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, he said.

The filing comes two years after a statewide grand jury investigation found that priests in the diocese and five others in Pennsylvania had sexually molested generations of minors.

The 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, which was led by Attorney General Josh Shapiro, also found that church leaders had covered up the crimes.

The Harrisburg diocese becomes the first Catholic diocese in Pennsylvania to file for bankruptcy. Last fall, an attorney representing the Catholic diocese in Pittsburgh raised the possibility of a bankruptcy filing, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Bankruptcy means that scores of victims who are time-barred from the legal process because they passed the statute of limitations are now eligible to seek compensation in a bankruptcy settlement. Almost all the abuse cases documented by the grand jury investigation fell out of statute.

Harrisburg last year paid out $12 million in settlements with more than 100 survivors as part of their victims compensation fund. The average payout to those accepting the Harrisburg dioceses offers was about $114,000. An attorney who represented clergy sex abuse survivors described the Harrisburg dioceses settlements as a little light.

Victims who already settled with the Harrisburg diocese through its victims compensation fund are barred from taking additional legal action against the diocese.

In filing for Chapter 11 protection, Harrisburg joins the ranks of about two dozen Catholic dioceses across the country that have sought bankruptcy protection amid the clergy sex abuse scandal.

Dioceses have widely opted for bankruptcy protection amid crushing financial strains from legal action, including the latest, the Diocese of Rochester in New York, which has seen a deluge of lawsuits after New York last year enacted wide reforms to statute of limitations. The new law allows victims with claims dating back decades to seek legal action.

Harrisburg, along with the other seven dioceses in the state (including the Philadelphia Archdiocese) face looming changes with regards to state law.

Gov. Tom Wolf and state lawmakers last year approved measures to reform child sex crime laws, including a measure that abolishes criminal statutes for child sex crimes going forward.

The new law gives future victims of child sexual abuse more time to file lawsuits and to end time limits for police to file criminal charges. Victims also have more time to file lawsuits under the law; they can puruse civil claims up to age 55, as opposed to age 30 previously.

Two companion pieces of legislation invalidates secrecy agreements that keep child sexual abuse victims from talking to investigators. The other increases and clarifies penalties for people who are required to report suspected child abuse but fail to do so.

A separate measure would revive the expired statute of limitations, but it is tied to a constitutional amendment. The amendment, if approved, would allow victims to pursue claims in court even if they are well beyond the statute of limitations. But amending the state constitution is a lengthy process.

Lawmakers must approve a constitutional amendment in two consecutive sessions, so the General Assembly would have to pass the amendment again in the 2021-22 session. Then it would go to voters for approval. The earliest it could appear on a ballot is 2021.

However, the November election could potentially factor into the mix. Pennsylvanias General Assembly could look much different after the election.

All the seats in the state House - and half the seats in the Senate - are on the ballot in the November election. Now under Republican control, the Legislature could see a major change to its political makeup come November. Across the country, reforms to child sex crime laws, in particular statute of limitations, have come about after political shifts in statehouses. New Jersey and New York, for instance, have more recently gone under Democratic control, an outcome that have led to the reform of child sex crime laws.

Additionally, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, long an ally of Catholic Church interests, has announced his retirement. House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, also said hes not seeking re-election.

The clergy sex abuse scandal has over the years dealt a financial blow to Catholic dioceses across the country, forcing scores of them to shutter schools and even churches. The Associated Press has estimated that the deluge of suits nationwide against Catholic dioceses could surpass anything the nations clergy sexual abuse crisis has seen before, with potentially more than 5,000 new cases and payouts topping $4 billion.

In December, the Associated Press reported that Pennsylvanias Catholic dioceses have paid nearly $84 million to 564 victims of sexual abuse, a number thats expected to grow.

The Harrisburg Diocese in December was named in a lawsuit in New Jersey, which also recently reformed its statute of limitations. To date, the average payout across all seven dioceses has exceeded $148,000.

Two members of a Dauphin County family of five sisters who were sexually abused as children by a trusted family priest are seeking to bring to court the two Catholic dioceses at the heart of their abuse, including the Harrisburg Diocese.

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There are some mysteries that will never be solved. What is the third secret of Fatima? Who killed Shergar? What is the difference between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael?

Most of us know both parties emerged from the ashes of the Civil War nearly 100 years ago, but the trail goes cold shortly after that.

Jackie Healy-Rae, when he was still a card-carrying member of Fianna Fail, made a valiant attempt at explaining the distinction. "Them that know don't need to ask, and them that ask will never know," was his cryptic response.

The problem for the two former great beasts of Irish politics is that, these days, 'them' that don't know vastly outnumber 'them' in the know.

Around the time the late Healy-Rae patriarch was ruminating on the origins of the Irish political species, the combined Fianna Fail and Fine Gael vote hovered at 80pc. In 1977, Fianna Fail alone secured a whopping 51pc.

Earlier this month, their combined support had withered to just 43pc, with many within Fianna Fail and Fine Gael blaming Confidence and Supply for their evisceration at the hands of the electorate.

They may be right about that. The illusion, enthusiastically maintained by dyed-in-the-wool stalwarts for decades, that there was a significant difference between the Civil War parties was dealt a hammer blow when the public saw their ability to happily work together for the past four years.

Defanged in opposition by their pledge to prop up the outgoing administration, Fianna Fail developed an easy rapport with its Fine Gael colleagues. They huffed and puffed a bit around budget time, but these spats quickly fizzled out.

In fact, as Micheal Martin himself routinely points out, the arrangement lasted a lot longer than cynical commentators, like this one, thought possible.

Regrettably for Mr Martin, repeatedly highlighting the surprising longevity of his deal with Fine Gael doesn't do much to support a contention that there is any great ideological disparity between them.

In truth, the real divergence between the old enemies, turned frenemies, is that Fianna Fail was always more successful at the ballot box. In the nearly 80 years between 1932 and 2011, the Soldiers of Destiny spent 62 years in office.

These prolonged periods in power meant Fianna Fail had more opportunity to make mistakes and beggar the country, which it did on three separate occasions - most spectacularly a decade ago.

Fine Gael, traditionally, has been on hand to mop up Fianna Fail's messes, at which point power usually reverts to Fianna Fail and the whole Laurel and Hardy routine starts all over again.

For the first time, during this month's election, something different happened. A significant proportion of the electorate said to hell with the old parties and decided to try something new. So they voted for Sinn Fein.

We have seen surges in Irish politics before, the 'Spring Tide' in 1992 when Labour won 33 seats and the 'Gilmore Gale' in 2011, when Labour romped home with 37. But, in 1992, Fianna Fail secured 68 seats and Fine Gael 45. In 2011, when Fianna Fail was almost annihilated and returned with only 20 seats, Fine Gael was close to an overall majority with 76.

Never before have we had a situation in which each party simultaneously - Fianna Fail with only 38 seats and Fine Gael with 35 - was at such a low ebb.

So, what should they do?

Micheal Martin and Leo Varadkar, while they refuse to accept their parties are centre-right carbon copies of each other, agree on at least one thing - Sinn Fein can't be trusted in office.

Their obvious next step then, one would have thought, would be to marshal the troops as a matter of urgency to prevent Sinn Fein from forming a government.

Surprisingly, they have failed to do so. While they have separately held their noses and refused to countenance a coalition with Sinn Fein, they seem happy to sit back and let it try to perform a mathematical miracle by conjuring up a left-wing government.

Mr Martin and Mr Varadkar know the numbers do not exist for such an administration, but conceding this would mean they had to face the reality that the only other credible option is a coalition between their own enfeebled parties.

The good news, for those wary of such an arrangement, is that both parties would be entering a formal coalition as equal partners. Fianna Fail may have three more seats than Fine Gael, but it's hardly a sizeable difference - and will be even less if Fianna Fail TD Sean O Fearghail is re-elected Ceann Comhairle later this week.

The biggest obstacle to such an arrangement is trying to convince a sceptical electorate, along with smaller parties, that a formal Fianna Fail and Fine Gael coalition represents the change they voted for when it looks suspiciously like what went before.

In reality, a Fianna Fail and Fine Gael coalition could be even more of a seismic shift than a Sinn Fein-led government.

Not in terms of policy choices, but in its long-term implications for the Irish political system.

To celebrate the centenary of the Civil War, our old political system could be blown up. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael coalescing in government would upend a 100-year fiction - that the parties represent a real choice for Irish voters.

It would allow a left-right divide to develop in Irish politics, with the centre-right offering voters one distinct option and parties on the left something entirely different.

Fine Gael and Fianna Fail may not be thrilled at the decline in their share of the vote, but maintaining the nonsense that the parties are demonstrably different hasn't stopped the rot. Persisting with it won't rehabilitate them either.

In a vastly changed political landscape, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael now have to answer some tough questions.

Do they really want a stable government and who is best placed, with the current Dail arithmetic, to provide that?

If they really believe their policies can solve the housing and health crises, and Sinn Fein would only exacerbate them, why are they so loath to go into government together and put those policies into action?

If the parties are so concerned with the national interest, and believe Sinn Fein is such an existential threat, then why are they so reluctant to hold formal talks in an effort to form a government?

Political science may not be able to provide an explanation for the difference between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, but psychology can.

The narcissism of small differences - the smaller the difference between two tribes, the larger it looms. After 100 years, it is now finally time that conceit was acknowledged and extinguished.
Musa Shey Nfor, Mayor of Nkambe Facebook

Musa Shey Nfor is the new Mayor of Nkambe, a municipality in Donga-Mantung Division of Cameroons North West region. He replaces Ngabir Paul Bantar.

The emblematic president of the board of directors of both the Bamenda Police Cooperative Credit Union League, BAPCCUL and the Cameroon Cooperative Credit Union League, CamCCUL, Havard-trained Musa Shey Nfor, was voted Tuesday, February 18, 2020 during the maiden council session as of right following the February 9, 2020 municipal elections.

Deputy Mayors respectively include Hajara Danjuma, Ngala Mbaya Tamfu, Nsah Chrysantus Yembe, and Nformi Elvis Kwa .

Musa Shey Nfor is a household name in Cameroon and a man of international reputation for his capability in handling issues with a lot of dexterity. In fact few have ever fitted in the above description like Musa Shey Nfor the present President of CamCCUL whose innovative ideas have gradually transformed the microfinance sector in Cameroon.

Musa Shey was naturally born a leader, because he clutches with the God given charm that flows along with success. His talent at the helm of the Credit Union Movement has not only improved on social values but has galvanized financial support for the microfinance movement nationwide to the point that he was elected the National President of ANEMCAM.

Integrity as they say is another essential quality a leader must have in order to do well in office. Musa Shey Nfors actions have had the same feelings inside. This is a kind of person who can be trusted because he never veers from inner values, even when it might be expeditious to do so. He displays integrity in order for his people to trust him because within him lies honesty and dedication.

Musa Shey Nfor is very intelligent. Since intelligence is a factor in leadership he makes sure that all actions amplify advantages and nullify disadvantages, as well as knowing when to act offensively and defensively.

From being self-confident to having strong initiatives, Musa Shey Nfor has all the characteristics that make up a leader which are vast and different depending on whom he leads. In Musa Shey Nfors case, self-confidence is what enables him to complete his goals successfully. He takes advantage of timing to strike when the challenger is puny, and recoil when they are brawny.

Trustworthiness, intelligence, fairness, humility and compassionate are the pillars on which Musa Shey Nfors leadership skills stand and as a matter of fact trustworthiness is what allows his followers to know they are acting usefully and without harm. Intelligence is what enables him to plan and strategize, carefully and patiently in order to implement with diligent every resolution of the General Assembly. Fairness also enables him to put discipline and hard work while humility enables Musa Shey Nfor to strive in challenging situations which are very complicated and challenging. Since a leaders skill is measured through concrete realizations, his presence at the helm of CamCCUL can easily be assessed even by the common man.

Contemporary society, sociologists say is nothing without people with extra abilities, genius. In fact, role models are people whose examples can be emulated. To say that Musa Shey Nfor is a role model is a fact. A critical analysis of his achievements has proven that he is a multifaceted dynamo. In CamCCUL for example, he is celebrated for the numerous programmes and projects he lobbied and obtained both at national and International levels.

The Agrifin project, the FIMAC loan scheme and the collaboration with MTN are tangible examples. Beside that the construction of CamCCUL head office in Bamenda also corroborates the greatness in him. Under his reign, he has succeeded in giving almost all CamCCUL Chapters befitting buildings that reflects his vision as a leader. Anyone who has had the good fortune to be in Bamenda should praise Musa Shey Nfor for the construction of the CamCCUL head quarter (seven storey building).

This is just one of his legacies and defines the leader he is. To conclude, Musa Shey Nfor is also North West Delegate for the Chamber of Agriculture where within a very short time, he has injected hope in the sector.

His election as Mayor of Nkambe may well be a new dawn for the community.
Oil and gas production may be responsible for a far larger share of the soaring levels of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, in the earths atmosphere than previously thought, new research has found.

The findings, published in the journal Nature, add urgency to efforts to rein in methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry, which routinely leaks or intentionally releases the gas into air.

Weve identified a gigantic discrepancy that shows the industry needs to, at the very least, improve their monitoring, said Benjamin Hmiel, a researcher at the University of Rochester and the studys lead author. If these emissions are truly coming from oil, gas extraction, production use, the industry isnt even reporting or seeing that right now.

Atmospheric concentrations of methane have more than doubled from preindustrial times. A New York Times investigation into super emitter sites last year revealed vast quantities of methane being released from oil wells and other energy facilities instead of being captured.
BEIJING - As the rate of new coronavirus cases appears to be slowing in China, thousands of cruise ship passengers who have been exposed to the virus in Japan and Cambodia are posing logistical and public health challenges as officials try to send them home while prioritizing containment.

The U.S. government evacuated hundreds of Americans on Sunday night from the Diamond Princess cruise liner, docked in Tokyo and quarantined since Feb. 5, and flew them out of Japan on two chartered planes bound for U.S. military bases - a carefully monitored process that will include another quarantine once they land.

Another 44 Americans aboard the Diamond Princess tested positive for coronavirus and will stay at hospitals in Japan as they recover, Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told The Washington Post on Sunday.

At the same time, public health officials scrambled to determine whether passengers onboard a different cruise ship, the Westerdam, were exposed to the virus after an 83-year-old woman tested positive days after disembarking in Cambodia. The unexpected finding upended a basic assumption by several governments, including the United States, that the ship was virus-free, which motivated local and U.S. officials to allow passengers to disembark and depart for other cities and countries around the world.

As these cruise passengers and other travelers fan out across the globe, infectious-disease experts say the dynamic illustrates how the virus could be introduced into new communities in quiet ways. Until now, officials have been aggressively monitoring those who traveled to China and those who have had close contact with an infected person. But the Westerdam oversight demonstrates how travelers without obvious symptoms could slip through screening processes.

"This illustrates there is transmission occurring in unexpected places that we're not aware of," said Jeff Duchin, health officer and chief of communicable disease epidemiology section at Seattle and King County health department. "The virus is moving very quickly and silently and presents a real challenge to containment."

Duchin noted, however, that the reported cases occurring in places outside China are not large-scale yet. Health officials still need to focus on where they can have the greatest impact on controlling the outbreak, he said, which is in China.

"But increasingly, we are seeing it pop up in other parts of the world and in other settings, and that makes it difficult for us as a country to know when someone who may have been exposed outside of China enters the United States," Duchin said.

Health experts have warned that the coronavirus is difficult to contain precisely because symptoms are often mild and the coronavirus could replicate inside the human body and infect others for up to 14 days before showing symptoms at all.

As of Sunday, the World Health Organization has reported cases in 26 countries, the majority of which remain in mainland China. Chinese officials have tallied about 70,500 cases of the illness and 1,770 deaths. Outside of China, the WHO reports about 680 confirmed cases and three deaths.

Chinese officials said Sunday that they believed measures taken across the country to control the epidemic were paying off. Several cities in the central region have declared strict "wartime measures" that allow residents to leave their homes only several times a week and upon approval from neighborhood authorities.

Guards in Hubei are required to check identification 24 hours a day at the entrance to residential compounds, and driving is banned for all nonessential purposes under new regulations released Sunday.

The number of new cases across China, including in Hubei, has been falling, said Chinese National Health Commission spokesman Mi Feng, who noted that doctors in the hardest-hit province had broadened their diagnosis criteria for patients suspected of suffering from the disease and were able to treat them more quickly.

"The effects of our counter-coronavirus measures in every part of the country are already becoming apparent," Mi said.

In Taiwan, authorities reported the first death Sunday, a man in his 60s with diabetes and hepatitis but no recent history of overseas travel, according to the state-run Central News Agency. Officials said they were still investigating how the man contracted the virus while living in the central part of Taiwan, which has so far recorded 20 confirmed cases across the island.

On Saturday, Cambodia's health minister issued a statement urging the public to "not be overly afraid" but to take protective measures. That night, charter flights that were originally scheduled to take Westerdam passengers to Kuala Lumpur were canceled by Malaysian authorities.

The Westerdam was believed to have no infections onboard among the 2,200 crew and passengers who were stranded at sea for weeks as countries rejected their entry after a stop in Hong Kong, where they took on hundreds of new passengers.

The 83-year-old American woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, was among the relieved passengers who were let off the Westerdam on Friday and welcomed and embraced by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has downplayed the epidemic's threat and described the decision to bring them onshore as an act of humanitarian goodwill. The ship had been stranded at sea for nearly two weeks and was running low on provisions after it was denied entry to Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and the U.S. territory of Guam.

U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Patrick Murphy brought his family onto the cruise ship and posed for pictures on Saturday with American passengers. Murphy and other passengers did not appear to be wearing masks in photos shared on the embassy's Twitter account.

Holland America, the cruise operator, said in a statement Sunday that no other passengers or crew who were on the ship have reported any symptoms of the coronavirus. About 1,000 people remain on the ship, with the rest on their way home.

Grant Tarling, Holland America's chief medical officer, said in the statement that the company was working with health experts to contact national health authorities around the world to investigate and follow up with individuals who may have come into contact with the American woman found to carry the virus.

In Japan, U.S. passengers were faced with a difficult decision. They could stay on the Diamond Princess until Feb. 19, when the original quarantine is scheduled to lift, but risk being stuck in Japan and bound by commercial flight restrictions, or leave on the chartered flights to military bases in Texas and California - only to face another 14-day quarantine.

About 400 Americans were on the cruise ship when it docked in Japan, and the Japanese Defense Ministry said 300 of them disembarked Sunday night, The Associated Press reported.

The number of coronavirus diagnoses has continued to rise sharply among the 3,700 passengers and crew members originally on board. Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said early Sunday that the quarantined ship floating near Tokyo has 355 confirmed cases, or about 30% of the 1,219 people who have been tested. That represents one of the highest infection rates in the world.

"The degree of transmissibility on that cruise ship is essentially akin to being in a hot spot," Fauci, who is also a member of the White House task force for the coronavirus, told CBS.

Canada, South Korea, Italy and Hong Kong announced Sunday that they would also arrange charter flights.
 Flash

A group of 27 international scientists have signed an "open letter" in the Lancet to support Chinese scientists, public health and medical professionals fighting the outbreak of COVID-19. The group strongly condemned conspiracy theories and warned that misinformation could "jeopardise our global collaboration in the fight against this virus."







Since the outbreak, conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin have spread, despite pushback from experts and officials.





"Scientists from multiple countries have published and analysed genomes of the causative agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and they overwhelmingly conclude that this coronavirus originated in wildlife," write the scientists.





The scientists also cited further support from a recent letter by the presidents of the US National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Marcia McNutt, (National Academy of Sciences), John L. Anderson, (President National Academy of Sciences) and Victor J. Dzau (National Academy of Engineering National Academy of Medicine).





"Conspiracy theories do nothing but create fear, rumours, and prejudice that jeopardise our global collaboration in the fight against this virus," write the doctors.





They warned that such misinformation could undermine the rapid, open, and transparent sharing of data regarding the outbreak.





The scientists hope that the letter can help "promote scientific evidence and unity over misinformation and conjecture," and act as a message of encouragement and solidarity to their colleagues in China. "We want you, the science and health professionals of China, to know that we stand with you in your fight against this virus."





The doctors conclude with an invitation for others to, "join us in supporting the scientists, public health professionals, and medical professionals of Wuhan and across China. Stand with our colleagues on the frontline!"




A lobbying firm that made a fortune promising Gulf Arab clients access to President Donald Trump is looking to ever more controversial work amid a dizzying turnover of customers and staff.

The Sonoran Policy Group stopped working for Kuwaiti oil magnate Saud Abdul Aziz al-Arfaj on Dec. 31, making him one of more than a dozen clients terminated since the firm took off in the wake of Trumps election. The termination follows the end of other lucrative contracts with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and a shift toward clients that are radioactive in Washington, as firm founder Robert Stryk seeks to keep the money flowing after making almost $14.5 million over the past three years.

Last month, Sonoran drew bipartisan condemnation after getting paid $2 million as a subcontractor to Foley and Lardner representing the government of Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro. Foley ended the contract under pressure, but there is no indication Sonoran returned the money.

Just weeks before that, Sonoran signed two contracts worth a total of $2.2 million to represent Isabel dos Santos, Africas richest woman and the daughter of Angolas former president. Dos Santos turned to the firm just one day after being contacted by journalists investigating allegations that she siphoned millions of dollars from the continent.

It does certainly appear that [Sonoran has] a certain clientele that tends to gravitate toward them, particularly at a time of crisis, said Jodi Vittori, a defense industry research and policy manager for Transparency International's Defense and Security program. Clearly it seems to be on a number of countrys shortlists when theyre in significant crisis.

Sonoran did not respond to multiple requests for comment. But public records paint a picture of a firm in turmoil.

Lobbying disclosures show that six of the eight lobbyists who have worked for Sonoran's foreign clients have now left the firm, leaving only Stryk and CEO Christian Bourge. And at least 15 foreign clients have ended their relationship with the firm, leaving only six active accounts, including Maduros regime and dos Santos.

Meanwhile, Accelerant Studios, a Sonoran contractor, sued the firm in a District of Columbia court last year, claiming nearly $200,000 in unpaid fees, including proposals to represent Egypt and the Kurdistan Regional Government, neither of which ended up signing contracts with Sonoran. Sonoran has denied the allegations.

Also, at least one of Sonorans former employees has not been shy about criticizing the firm.

This is what happens when you get desperate for money, Andrew Nehring tweeted in response to Sonorans $2 million payout involving Venezuela. You take money from Maduros brutal regime to get him off lists he deserves/should be on.

Even in Trumps tumultuous Washington, Stryks rise from unpaid West Coast adviser for the presidents 2016 campaign to the lobbying high life has stood out.

This is what happens when you get desperate for money, Andrew Nehring tweeted in response to Sonorans $2 million payout involving Venezuela. You take money from Maduros brutal regime to get him off lists he deserves/should be on.

After an auspicious start helping connect New Zealands prime minister with the president-elect, Sonoran scored an improbably lucrative contract with Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry in May 2017.

Stryk personally signed the deal with the ministry, which was then under the control of the then-crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, on May 5. Two months earlier rival prince Mohammed bin Salman had met with Trump at the White House, and Nayef realized that he needed to improve his game, Simon Henderson of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy told CNN at the time.

Six weeks later, however, a palace coup toppled bin Nayef and effectively ended the lobbying contract before it ever really began. Sonoran pocketed $5.4 million up front on May 12, 2017 and has never disclosed returning any of it in subsequent lobbying filings or in response to queries from multiple news outlets since then.

In February 2018, Sonoran signed a $500,000-a-year contract with the Embassy of Bahrain in Washington to lobby Congress and the Trump administration. Bourge met with a dozen House members and two senators until the contract ended in October 2019, with most of that activity taking place in the first year of the contract.

And in February 2019, the firm signed a $1.2 million deal to provide promotion and counsel to al-Arfaj regarding a disputed oil region between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Sonoran reported no lobbying activity  and only $600,000 in payments  before the contract was terminated at the end of last year.

The pattern of high payments for little lobbying work has continued since then. In its latest lobbying disclosure, which covers the second half of 2019, Sonoran reported $1.1 million in payments from seven clients but just two meetings with members of Congress, both on behalf of Bahrain, along with a handful of phone calls on behalf of an Albanian political party.

Despite the firm's paltry record of lobbying sitting US officials, Stryk has remained in Trump's orbit.

Stryk helped organize a visit to Bahrain by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani in December 2018, The New York Times reported, during which the former New York mayor sought to land a security consulting contract with Manama.

Sonoran has also reportedly been involved in helping Giuliani in his quest to win a similar contract with the Democratic Republic of the Congo through Israeli firm Mer Security and Communication Systems. Sonoran signed a $1.25 million contract with Mer in July 2018 to lobby on behalf of the Congolese government as it faced the threat of US sanctions for huamn rights abuses and corruption.

As recently as last year, Stryk was mentioned (along with former Trump Florida lobbyist Brian Ballard) as someone Giuliani associate Lev Parnas thought could help with efforts to dig up dirt on Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden in Ukraine. Parnas' handwritten notes mentioning Stryk were made public by House Democrats during Trump's impeachment last month.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi relishes 'Litti Chokha' during his visit to the 20th Hunar Haat in New Delhi on Feb 19, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Feb 19 : Twitterati were left impressed on Wednesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to 'Hunar Haat' on Delhi's Rajpath, where he interacted with artisans and relished 'litti-chokha' and 'kulhad' tea.

Taking to his Twitter handle, Modi shared the photos of his surprise visit and tweeted, "Had tasty Litti Chokha for lunch along with a hot cup of tea... #HunarHaat".

In the shared post, Modi can be seen enjoying a plate of the traditional dish 'litti-chokha', which is popular in Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. He later had tea served in a 'kulhad' or earthen cup.

For the uninitiated, 'litti-chokha' is a traditional dish where the litti is made of whole wheat flour, stuffed with sattu (powder made out of black chana), herbs and spices and baked over coal or cow dung cakes and then finally drizzled with desi ghee, while chokha is a mashed relish that is served with litti.

Modi also shared the same picture on his Instagram account with the caption, "Had excellent Litti Chokha for lunch. Have you tried this delicacy?" So obviously, his tweet went viral and Twitterati have flooded the social media with their reactions. A user wrote, "Our country is blessed with wide range of culture...Enjoy the diversity! Enjoy traditional food of different geographical regions!" Another wrote, "Sir, Litti Chokha ka maza Bihari ke saath khane mei hi hai...Kabhi humare saath khaiye." A post read, "Thank you Modi Ji for promoting regional cuisine as well as for supplying new meme material." "Chalo Bihar elections ki tayyari shuru," a user remarked.
U.S. Marines of the 28th Regiment, 5th Division, raise the American flag atop Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, on Feb. 23, 1945. The Pacific island became the site of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II against Japan.

On Feb. 19, 1945, a small island in the Pacific Ocean was etched into history and the tides of World War II were altered when U.S. Marines launched an amphibious invasion on Iwo Jima, Japan, kicking off one of the war's pivotal battles.

The island, a stronghold for Japanese forces, played an important role in facilitating air travel above the vast Pacific Ocean and represented a stepping stone for Allied fighters. Taking the island would open the door for potential attacks on mainland Japan.

More than 80,000 Marines were tasked with taking control of the island, according to the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

On Feb. 23, 1945, Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal snapped one of the most iconic pictures in American history as Marines hoisted an American flag on top of Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi.

The battle waged on for 36 days in total, and the death toll was immense.

More than 6,000 U.S. service members died, making it one of the bloodiest encounters in Marine history, according to the National WWII Museum. Out of about 20,000 Japanese troops, only about 200 survived the battle, according to the museum.

Rosenthal's picture lives on, 75 years later, but it's far from the only one. Here are other stunning pictures from the battle.

U.S. Marines of the 4th Division charge ashore at the start of the Iwo Jima invasion, running for cover in shell holes and bomb craters made by pre-invasion bombardments, on Feb. 25, 1945, during World War II. Warships offshore gave heavy gun support.

A Marine demolitions man hugs the ground to escape flying debris after setting off a high-explosive charge to blast a Japanese pillbox on Iwo Jima on March 2, 1945. After their capture, many Japanese positions had to be destroyed lest the enemy return to the shelters and fire on Marine flanks.

A U.S. Marine driving an ambulance jeep struggles for traction on the sandy beach at Iwo Jima during the American advance on the strategic Japanese Volcano Island stronghold on Feb. 26, 1945.

U.S. Marines of the 5th Division captured Japanese battle flags at Iwo Jima on March 2, 1945.

In the Pacific theater of World War II, U.S. Marines hit the beach and charge over a dune on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands Feb. 19, 1945, the start of one of the deadliest battles of the war against Japan.

U.S. Marines kneel in prayer before they receive communion during a pause in the fighting for Motoyam Airstrip No. 1 on Iwo Jima on March 1, 1945.

Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal, left, and Lt. Gen. Holland Smith, commander of Marines in the Pacific, watch the bitter fighting on Iwo Jima from a ship offshore Feb. 23, 1945.

You can follow USA TODAY's Jay Cannon on Twitter: @JayTCannon

Contributing: Emily Johnson

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iwo Jima 75th anniversary: Iconic WWII pictures from Marines' invasion
Police have arrested members of a criminal organisation with ties to the UK in three Hungarian locations.

The suspects are charged with extorting millions of forints and jewellery from elderly people in Hungary.



Police took coordinated action in three localities, arresting men in Budapest, Izsofalva (NE Hungary) and Mako (S Hungary).



Two members of the gang from England phoned Hungarian elderly, claiming to be contacting them on behalf of family members who were in trouble and needed money.



The suspects told the elderly people that they would send a trusted friend for money, adding that jewellery would also suffice.



The gangs members in Hungary then turned up at the relevant addresses. Some of the people contacted were already aware of the scam, having received crime-prevention information.



These people called their relatives to check the story and then refused to pay. Some however gave away their savings and jewellery worth millions of forints.



The investigation has so far found that the men in Budapest and Izsofalva committed crimes in seven counties near Budapest.



Police in Gyula have arrested six men and they are investigating their two partners in England, the police statement said.



Photo credit: police.hu
The first meeting of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on Wednesday (February 19) and it is expected that date for the beginning of the construction of Ram temple would be finalised during the meeting.

Sources confirmed Zee Media that the crucial meeting will begin around 5 pm at the residence of K Parasaran, who is the first member of the trust. All members of the trust have already arrived in Delhi for the deliberations. Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the head of the Ram Janmbhumi Nyas and the most respected seer in Ayodhya, has also been invited for the meeting.

Two prominent people, who shall be practising Hindus, wou;ld also be nominated by the board of trustees during the meeting. Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, who is also a member of the trust, had earlier said that the members will also discuss the inclusion of Ram Mandir Nyas chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das in the trust.

A bank account will also be opened in the name of the trust for accepting donations for the construction of Ram temple will be accepted.

Speaking in Lok Sabha, PM Modi had announced the setting up of an independent trust to finalise the details for the construction of a Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. Sources asserted that the trust will comprise a total of 15 members - 9 permanent and 6 nominated members. The body, to be called Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust, has been formed as per the directions of the Supreme Court, pointed out the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha.

K Parasaran was appointed as the first member of the trust and Ayodhya District Magistrate (DM) Anuj Kumar Jha was named the convening member. The seven other permanent members of the trust are - Shankaracharya Vasudevanand Maharaj, Parmanand Jimaharaja Haridwar, Swami Govindgiri Ji Pune, Vimalendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, Dr Anil Mishra Homeopathic Ayodhya, Dr Kamaleshwar Chaupal Patna, and Mahant Dhinedra Das Nirmohi Akhara. The six nominated members will be selected by the board of trustees in due course of time.
Washington

President Donald Trump renewed his attacks on law enforcement Tuesday, denouncing the prosecutors, the judge and the jury forewoman in the case of his longtime friend Roger Stone only days after Attorney General William Barr warned that the president's criticisms were making it "impossible" for him to do his job.

Undeterred, Trump kept up his running commentary on the department's criminal cases on Twitter and in comments to reporters before leaving for the West Coast. He reasserted that he had the right to intervene in individual criminal cases but had not done so, appearing to draw a distinction between opining publicly and outright ordering law enforcement officials to take specific actions.

"I chose not to be involved," he said before boarding Air Force One. "I'm allowed to be totally involved."

He told journalists that he understood that his remarks were making Barr's job harder but that social media had helped catapult him to the White House and had given him a worldwide megaphone. "Everybody has the right to speak their mind," he said. "Social media for me has been very important because it gives me a voice. Because I don't get that voice in the press."

The president said he believed Stone, a former campaign adviser, had "been treated very unfairly" as had his former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn. Both have pending federal criminal cases. Stone was convicted in the fall of seven felonies for obstructing a congressional inquiry and will be sentenced Thursday. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI but wants to withdraw his plea.

On Twitter, Trump cited a "Fox & Friends" legal analyst, Andrew Napolitano, who has insisted that the president "has every right" to intervene in a criminal case. He quoted Napolitano's calls for Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to reconsider Stone's case. After a trial in November, a jury speedily found Stone guilty of all charges.

"Judge Jackson now has a request for a new trial based on the unambiguous & self outed bias of the foreperson," Trump tweeted, quoting Napolitano.

Jackson ruled Tuesday morning that Stone's sentencing will go on as planned Thursday despite last-ditch motions by his defense lawyers. She said she would allow the defense to file an amended motion for a new trial, give the government a chance to respond with its own filing and schedule a hearing if warranted. Defense lawyers are trying to argue that juror misconduct led to an unfair trial.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The Justice Department has opposed their motion, a decision that Barr approved after prosecutors consulted more senior department officials, according to a Justice Department official.

The handling of Stone's case has generated tumult in the Justice Department and grabbed the attention of Washington's broader legal establishment, including an association of federal judges. After Barr scrapped the prosecution team's sentencing recommendation in favor of a much lighter one, four government lawyers withdrew from the case, and one resigned from the department entirely.

As the president has pointed out, two of the four prosecutors had worked for the special counsel, Robert Mueller, whose investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 election dogged Trump for nearly two years. The president attacked Mueller's team anew Tuesday, saying if he were not president, he would sue it.

Stone, 67, was convicted of tampering with a witness, lying under oath and obstructing a congressional inquiry into whether the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to influence the 2016 election. Mueller's inquiry ultimately found insufficient evidence to charge anyone associated with the campaign of conspiring with the Russians.

Trump tried Tuesday to distance himself from Stone, saying he only worked for his presidential campaign briefly in 2015, before it gained momentum. Witnesses in Stone's trial, however, testified that he remained in contact with Trump and top campaign officials throughout the presidential race as an unofficial political adviser.

In a court filing last week, the prosecutors who handled Stone's jury trial recommended that he be sentenced to seven to nine years in prison. But Barr, blaming the court filing on a miscommunication, said that punishment would be unduly harsh.
Tim Hortons is revamping its Roll Up the Rim contest. (Photo by Tara Walton/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Tim Hortons is revamping its iconic Roll Up the Rim contest, pushing a portion of the program online while rewarding the use of reusable cups.

The contest, which begins March 11 and lasts four weeks, will still include physical Roll Up the Rim cups, but only for the first two weeks. During the remaining two weeks, customers will be able to participate online or through the Tim Hortons app.

The revamp comes after the company saw waning interest in the contest, as well as public backlash over issues of sustainability.

Hope Bagozzi, Tim Hortons recently hired chief marketing officer, said in a statement Wednesday that the changes are a result of feedback from customers, who wanted the program to be modernized.

The contest will allow for a combination of paper, digital and sustainable play  and of course still fun with millions of exciting prizes available to be won, Bagozzi said.

How the contest will work

Over the first two weeks, customers who purchase a hot beverage without using the Tim Hortons app will receive one roll on a physical cup. Those who do use the app will receive two rolls  one on the physical cup, and one in the app.

During the final two weeks, customers will receive rolls only through the app. Throughout the duration of the contest, anyone who brings in a reusable cup and uses the app will receive three rolls on the app.

The company also said that on the digital app, anyone who doesnt win a prize will be entered into a weekly draw to win $100,000. Other prizes include:

17 million coffee and food prizes

45,000 $25 Tim Cards

200 Samsung 55 NU6900 Smart 4K UHD TVs

150 $1,000 CIBC Prepaid Cards

100 40,000 Air Miles Reward Miles

10 2020 Hyundai IONIQ Electric or Hybrid Vehicles

We have a lot of guests coming through our restaurant and they all care deeply about sustainability and giving back to the community, just like we do, Hugo Ouellet, a Tim Hortons restaurant owner in Quebec, said in a statement provided by the company.

Story continues

I think they are really going to embrace the changes we made to highlight and reward the choice to use a reusable cup.

To kick off the contests relaunch, Tim Hortons will give out 1.8 million reusable cups for free, a move the company says is part of its 10-year commitment to change consumer perceptions and habits towards using reusable cups.

Tim Hortons announced this summer that it would revamp the Roll Up the Rim contest after the brand had reported weak sales in the first quarter of 2019. While the chief executive of Tim Hortons parent company, Restaurant Brands International (QSR), said in August that the program has very high awareness, it had recently seen a decline in effectiveness. RBI had tried to build more excitement about the contest by adding more prizes, but it didnt manage to bring in more customers.

Its become clear to us that it needs a modern and fresh approach to engage our guests in a stronger way, CEO Jose Cil said.

Last year the Roll Up the Rim contest faced some criticism after three young Canadians launched a petition asking Tim Hortons to invest in compostable or recyclable paper cups.

Tim Hortons saw sales fall in 2019, prompting RBI to announce last week that the company will refocus on its coffee, baked goods and breakfast business after a year that saw dozens of product launches and promotions.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android and sign up for the Yahoo Finance Canada Weekly Brief.
U.S. largest state actor of spying in cyberspace: FM spokesperson

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:37, February 18, 2020

"Facts have proven once again that as the largest state actor of spying in cyberspace, the U.S. is worthy of the name of the 'empire of hackers.' The sky is the limit with the U.S. when it comes to spying," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang.

BEIJING, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Facts have proven once again that the United States is the largest state actor of spying in cyberspace, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said Monday, urging the United States to clarify to the international community on relevant affairs.

Reports have emerged that from the Cold War into the 2000s, the U.S. intelligence used the Swiss company Crypto AG's encoding devices to spy on other countries while pocketing millions of dollars.

The company sold the devices to foreign governments and companies, and the machines were encrypted but the U.S. intelligence had rigged the devices so they could crack the codes and intercept thousands of messages from more than 120 governments worldwide, according to reports.

Geng told an online press briefing that the U.S. government and relevant departments have conducted large-scale, organized and indiscriminate cyber theft, surveillance and espionage on foreign governments, businesses and individuals, which is "a fact already well-known to all."

It is a tawdry trick that the United States, on the one hand, has been collecting nearly 5 billion mobile phone call records across the globe every day, spying over German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone for more than 10 years, controlling more than 3 million computers in China every year, and implanting Trojan Horse in more than 3,600 websites in China, and on the other hand, enjoys playing victim of cyber attack, just like a thief crying "stop thief," said Geng.

The U.S. hypocrisy on the issue of cybersecurity could not be clearer, the spokesman said, stressing that the U.S. has no honor and credibility to speak of in front of other countries.

"Facts have proven once again that as the largest state actor of spying in cyberspace, the U.S. is worthy of the name of the 'empire of hackers.' The sky is the limit with the U.S. when it comes to spying," said Geng.

The spokesman called on the United States to clarify the issue to the international community, noting that an explanation concerning the WikiLeaks and Snowden incidents is still owed.

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Current tests for male fertility include measuring the concentration and motility of spermatozoa. However, other characteristics of sperm, such as their ability to follow a chemical trail to the egg, can influence the likelihood of fertilization. Now, researchers reporting in Analytical Chemistry have devised a quick and convenient microfluidic chip to assess this chemotactic response of spermatozoa, which could help provide a more complete picture of a man's fertility.

Sperm use chemotaxis, or movement toward increasing or decreasing concentrations of a substance, to guide their journey through the fallopian tube to the egg. Progesterone is present at high concentrations in the fluid that surrounds the egg, and previous studies have indicated that the hormone can attract and activate spermatozoa of some mammalian species. Scientists have used microfluidic devices -- plastic or hydrogel chips with tiny channels through which liquids flow in a highly controlled manner --to study sperm chemotaxis. But the devices have had various limitations, such as the need for pumps to drive the flow of fluid, which could affect sperm motility. Loes Segerink, Johanna Berendsen and colleagues wanted to develop an improved, pump-free microfluidic device that could quickly identify small differences in the chemotactic behavior of sperm.

The researchers designed a microfluidic chip about the size of a postage stamp. The chip, which they made with an agarose/gelatin material, contained various channels and side chambers. The researchers created a concentration gradient of progesterone in the device from left to right, and saw that more boar spermatozoa added to the device swam to the right side chambers (high progesterone) than the left (low progesterone), which shows chemotactic movement. In addition to fertility testing, the device could be used to investigate other substances that could also contribute to sperm's guidance mechanism, the researchers say.

###

The authors acknowledge funding from the University of Twente and the Dutch Technology Foundation STW.

The study is freely available as an ACS AuthorChoice article here.

For more research news, journalists and public information officers are encouraged to apply for complimentary press registration for the ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Exposition in Philadelphia.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS' mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people. The Society is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a specialist in scientific information solutions (including SciFinder and STN), its CAS division powers global research, discovery and innovation. ACS' main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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Modesty and the Scandalous Culture

The world screams sex and licentiousness  on billboards, in magazines, television and movies. The growth of the pornography and sex trafficking industries, teen sexting, and increasingly seductive fashions are just three examples.

The church frequently mirrors the values of the world instead of promoting believers identity in Christ and solid biblical values. Modern, Western culture has clearly influenced and desensitized Christians, but Gods standard for moral purity is still high (Matthew 5:27-29; Job 31:1; 1 John 2:15-17; Romans 14:13).

Sexual lust is not just a mens issue, but because of the Fall (Genesis 3), men are more prone to lust via visual temptations, especially regarding sexual images. Because of this struggle, men are usually addressed in Scripture regarding self-control, sexually. Women are usually addressed regarding modesty. Sadly, many women today are not taught modesty in the home or at church.

Modesty and the Sinful Human Heart

Modesty can be tricky because our hearts deceive us (Jeremiah 17:9). People can be technically modest, but have proud, immodest hearts. People might wear scant clothing to cover up heart issues: insecurity, seeking attention or affirmation, or self-gratification. Young or immature Christians may not understand how immodest dress can make others stumble into sin (Romans 15:1-2; 1 Corinthians 8:9-13).

An important point that women should understand is their bodies, in and of themselves, are not evil. The solution to lust is not totally covering up a womans body. The solution is both genders using self-control and discretion, seeking to please and honor God, and serving others in purity and wisdom.

Should church leaders address modesty?

Modern culture promotes, As long as I dont hurt anyone, I can do what I wantno matter what you think, but Christians know behavior impacts others. Godly modesty is born from a humble sense of justice to not stir up desires in others that cant be fulfilled righteously (Micah 6:8; Song 3:5). If church members dont care about their immodesty and how it affects others, church leaders can rightly call them to repent.

Many church leaders fail to speak up about immodest dress and behavior because they fear their congregations will label it legalism. Perhaps they fear offending those who are comfortable wearing provocative clothing, even in church. Others might fear negative responses that reflect on them personally. Leaders might even be concerned about transcultural differencesmodesty can look different in other cultures.

But the church cant afford to be silent on this issue because modern culture continually drives an immodest agenda. Theres no need to go to extremes regarding addressing modesty, which can become legalism or idolatry; but whether from the pulpit or in special classes or small group studies, leaders must not avoid the topic.

Biblical Truths about a Believers Body:

With those truths in mind, Pastors might ask heart searching questions: Does your clothing and behavior reflect who you worship? What kingdom are you representing? and Are you displaying the gospel or detracting from it?

Modesty in dress and attitude begins in church leadership and then, as it is biblically taught and modeled, modesty should become evident throughout the church congregation.

Design Credit: Bethany Pyle

How should church leaders teach modesty and address immodesty?

1. Call the Church to Holiness

A clear difference should be made between biblical suggestions and Gods clear commands. As a first step, pastors and church leaders might build a foundation in their churches for loving and studying Scripture (Hebrews 4:12) because it is the authority of Gods Word that matters most.

God says much about the church being holy (set apart) because He is holy (1 Peter 1:16), and leaders must speak up for holiness too.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, Gods special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9)

Spiritually immature and immodest church members may not fully understand the gospel or how to live it out in all matters of holiness. Leaders have a wonderful opportunity to create and cultivate a culture of modesty in the church founded in the gospel message itselfthe practical outworking of sanctification in Gods redeemed children.

Leaders can help church members examine their hearts with sober judgment (Romans 12:3), and help them place their identity in Christ rather than their ability to attract attention to themselves (Philippians 2:3-4).

2. Call the Church to Humility

Modesty, like all of life, is not essentially about us. Christians do not belong to themselves; they are bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 14:8) and are meant to bring glory to God (Psalm 115:1).

The Apostle Paul gave instructions to the early church regarding modesty (1 Timothy 2:9). His context was the over-the-top dress, hairstyles, and jewelry of wealthy women in the churchpossibly a reflection of immoral lifestyles. Because of the poorer women and slave women in the congregation, Paul asked rich women to dress modestlyin simplicity and respectabilityand to preoccupy themselves with generosity and good works. It was a call to Christian humility.

Christians are never to judge motives or treat people differently (favoritism) on the basis of what they wear, which would be judgmental and self-righteous (James 2:1-5). Rather, Christians should all be taught to be clothed in humility (1 Peter 5:5-6), righteousness, dignity and love. Modesty isnt a dress code, but rather character. Its about values, not rules.

3. Approach Individuals with Compassion

Matthew 18:15-20 gives insight into how to confront sin in the church, but sometimes its necessary to share the truth about immodesty with individuals directly.

Before confronting anyone over immodesty, its wise to ask, Why? Why do people feel its necessary to draw attention to themselves by how they dress? What are they covering up in their heart by what they are exposing in their bodies? Immodest behavior is typically a symptom of a deeper heart issue.

Whether its someone in authority who makes the decision to confront, or a mature believer the immodest person respects who takes the lead, whenever confrontation is necessary, it must be approached in a biblical waywith love, truth and grace (Ephesians 4:15; 4:29; Colossians 4:6), never with personal opinions, judging or shaming. Certainly, its never accompanied by gossip (Proverbs 11:12-13; 21:23).

Jesus is our example. In John 8:3-11, a woman was caught in the act of adultery and likely wasnt modest at the time. Jesus approached her in lovewith truth and grace. But He also said, Go and sin no more (v. 11). He expected change.

Confrontation must begin and end with compassion. Once a person has repented and renounced immodesty, that person needs encouragement and friendship to encourage further growth. Learning biblical modesty is best accomplished in loving community.

4. Address Individuals in Loving Community

Titus 2:1-8, 12-14 calls mature men and women in the church to speak to younger members about practical matters. In regard to modesty, men can be challenged to be self-controlled, and women can be challenged to evaluate whether they are sending a wrong message to men.

Its been said, If you have to ask, Am I showing too much?you probably are. For what is not specified in Scripture, Christians can be taught to prayerfully seek the Lord and seek out caring authorities in the church.

Mentors can remind women that, while frumpiness does not equal godliness, true beauty is internal (1 Peter 3:3-4; 1 Timothy 2:8-10). The Bible never says it is sinful for women to look beautiful or wear lovely, modest clothing. A key word to understand is adorn, which refers to arranging or putting in order, to fit the occasion in a humble and modest mannernever extreme, overdone, or flaunting.

Mentors can help other women and girls consider modesty in practical matters, and perhaps even take them shopping to look for beautiful, respectable apparel. Always, mentors should encourage mentees to be righteous Christ-followers, not judgmental rule-followers.

Dawn Wilson and her husband Bob live in Southern California. They have two married sons and three granddaughters. Dawn assists author and radio host Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth with research and works with various departments at Revive Our Hearts. She is the founder and director of Heart Choices Today, publishes Upgrade with Dawn, and writes for Crosswalk.com and Christianity.com. Dawn also travels with her husband in ministry with Pacesetter Global Outreach.

Photo Credit: Getty/JanetRhodes
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari who is representing India in a global road safety event in Sweden will hold bilateral dialogue with his Swedish counterpart for infrastructure Tomas Eneroth, the government said on Wednesday.

The Road Transport and Highways Minister is in Sweden to represent India at the "3rd High Level Global Conference on Road Safety for Achieving Global Goals 2030 being held in Stockholm from February 19-20.

During his stay in Stockholm, Gadkari will have bilateral dialogue with his Swedish counterpart for infrastructure Tomas Eneroth, Minister for Foreign Trade Anna Hallberg, Minister for Business, Industry & Innovation Ibrahim Baylan and also with the British Minister for Road Safety Baroness Vere.

Gadkari will also hold talks with the World Bank Vice President (South Asia) Hart Schafer, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said.

Also on Gadkari's itinerary will be a Sweden-India Transportation Safety and Innovation Partnership meeting to be attended by a number of CEOs.

Swedish and Indian businesses are likely to exchange several MOUs on this occasions.

Gadkari on Wednesday visited the Swedish Logistics Automotive manufacturer 'Volvo' in Gothenburg. The Minister was accompanied by Ambassador of Sweden in India Klas Molin.

Volvo is one of the world's largest manufacturers of heavy-duty trucks, construction equipment, buses and heavy-duty diesel engines as well as a leading supplier of marine and industrial engines.

The objective of the two-day conference is to bring road safety on the global agenda and renew the world community's commitment to safer roads.

Leaders from participating countries will draw up a roadmap for reaching the United Nation's goal set under the UN Decade of Action of reducing road crashes by 2030.
Atlantic Casualty Insurance Co., a national provider of commercial insurance products, will create 83 jobs and invest more than $11.8 million through an expansion of its Wayne County, N.C., headquarters, according to a statement from the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

The project in Goldsboro will include a significant expansion of the companys existing 28,850 square foot facility by constructing a new 30,000 square foot office building.

Atlantic Casualty Insurance Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Auto-Owners Insurance Group, is a specialty provider of commercial insurance for hard-to-place risks. Headquartered in Goldsboro with offices in Glastonbury, Connecticut, Richmond, Va., and Scottsdale, Ariz., the company operates in 49 states and has earned an A rating from A.M. Best.

Atlantic Casualty will bring more jobs and investment to Wayne County, which is good for eastern North Carolinas people and our economy, said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. When companies choose to expand in North Carolina, we know our state is doing the right things to grow our workforce.

Salaries for the new jobs will vary by position but the average annual wage will be $54,398. The Wayne County average annual wage is $35,485.

We are excited to be expanding our home office here in Goldsboro. Our business was founded 37 years ago and we look forward to continuing our support in this great community and in the State of North Carolina, says Bret Strickland, president & CEO of Atlantic Casualty.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce led the states support for the company during its site evaluation and decision-making process.

A performance-based grant of $250,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help facilitate Atlantic Casualtys expansion in North Carolina. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All One NC grants require a matching grant from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.

Atlantic Casualty is a valued employer in Goldsboro and Wayne County, said North Carolina Senator Jim Perry. We welcome this new expansion and will work with the company and its employees as they grow. This announcement is good for Wayne County, but it also helps eastern N.C. Countless studies have shown economic impact is regional, and does not stop at imaginary county lines.

In addition to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, other key partners in the project include the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Duke Energy, the Golden LEAF Foundation, North Carolinas Southeast, Harry & Mollie, LLC , Wayne County, the City of Goldsboro, and the Wayne County Development Alliance.

Source: North Carolina Department of Commerce

Topics Talent North Carolina Casualty
The average asset under management (AUM) of overnight funds has grown five times over the last nine months, according to the data available on the Association of Mutual Funds in India.

In the last 10 months, the AUM of overnight funds has increased to Rs 52,524.98 crore as on January 31, 2020, from Rs 11,566.84 crores as on April 30, 2019.

Not only AUM, but even the number of investor folios under Overnight Funds has more than doubled to 46,763 as on January 31, 2020, from 21,363 as on April 30, 2019.

After the default of IL&FS hit liquid schemes in September 2018, mutual fund houses went on a spree of launching overnight funds that are perceived to be less risky.

Overnight Funds are ideal for the first time investors, new to Mutual Funds. Although investments are market-linked, this category is considered to be a good start towards building a financially sound Mutual Fund portfolio, said NS Venkatesh, Chief Executive Officer of AMFI.

The fact that Average AUMs in Overnight Funds have grown five times and commensurate Folios too, growing more than two times, is a very good indicator of the growing affinity of the investors towards Overnight Funds," Venkatesh added.

Overnight funds invest their assets in CBLO (collateralised borrowing and lending obligations) and repo/reverse repo instruments that mature in one day, while liquid funds invest in treasury bills, commercial paper and certificate of deposit that have a maturity of up to 91 days.

Since the IL&FS crisis surfaced, a slew of fund houses capitalised on the demand for the overnight fund and launched the scheme.

Yes Mutual Fund, Edelweiss Mutual Fund, HSBC Mutual Fund, Tata Mutual Fund, DHFL Mutual Fund, Mahindra Mutual Fund, BNP Paribas Mutual Fund, Axis Mutual Fund, ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, DSP Mutual Fund, Reliance Mutual Fund, and IDFC Mutual Fund, among others have floated overnight funds in the last one year.

Why overnight funds?

Over the last year, overnight funds have delivered a 5.5 percent average return, while liquid funds gave 6.09 percent during the same period.

Mutual fund experts said the rate of return on overnight securities may be lower than that of the instruments having 91-day duration, but overnight funds provide better capital protection.

Investors have become extra cautious after the IL&FS default surfaced in September 2018. The presence of IL&FS and its subsidiaries in the portfolios of liquid funds led to a sharp fall in their NAVs.

Back then, the firm and some of its subsidiaries' credit ratings were downgraded. Debt funds that had invested in these scrips got impacted. Some fund houses that had invested in these scrips took a hit as they wrote down their investments resulting in a fall in net asset values.

Investors were caught off-guard by the overnight drop in the net asset values (NAV) of these schemes. Those who panicked and withdrew had to do so at a loss.

In the IL&FS saga, some schemes lost as much as 5 percent in a single day, wiping out half a year worth of gains. A few schemes wrote off the IL&FS exposure completely, resulting in the NAV taking a hit to that extent. Many schemes faced heavy redemption in the wake of the default.

According to the Association of Mutual Funds India (AMFI), a record Rs 2.1 lakh crore worth of outflows was witnessed in liquid and money market schemes in September.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 01:45:13|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TEHRAN, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- An Iranian official said on Tuesday that Iran may enact punitive measures against Samsung after the company decided to impose restrictions on Iranian users, the Press TV reported.

Iran could refuse the entry of Samsung executives and staff and even impose a partial ban on the registry of Samsung mobile phones on the Iranian mobile phone network, Na'nakar was quoted as saying, said Mohammad Jafar Na'nakar, who heads the legal department at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

He said that the ICT had urged Samsung to revise its bans on sale of applications to Iranian users on the Galaxy Store.

"If this is not reconsidered, there are legal tools on our side that would enable us to counter this measure," the Iranian official added.

Na'nakar said that Samsung's restrictions on Iranians' access to the Galaxy Store, which is due to be enforced in early March, would create massive difficulties for app developers and businesses in Iran.

Local reports said that Samsung and LG Electronics pulled down their last advertisement banners in Iran on Friday. The two ROK companies have recently cut their trade relations with Tehran over U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran.

Samsung currently holds more than a half of the Iranian mobile phone market.

On Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry decried what it called "compliance" of foreign companies with the U.S. sanctions.

The foreign companies leaving the country over the U.S. sanctions would not be able to return to the country's market easily, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.
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Salisbury Cathedral has kicked off its 800th anniversary celebrations with a mesmerising five-day light display that transports viewers through its history.

The cathedral, which is in Wiltshire, has been lit up both inside and out as part of the immersive installation titled Sarum Lights that will run until Saturday.

The historic building was first founded on a site at Old Sarum in the 12th century before it was relocated more than three kilometres (two miles) to its current site in 1220, where it quickly became a major centre of ecclesiastical government.

Sarum Lights has been commissioned by Salisbury Cathedral and produced by Luxmuralis as part of a year-long programme of events designed to celebrate Salisbury 2020: City On The Move.

Speaking to the Salisbury Journal, the Very Reverend Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury, said: 'We have been looking forward to this for a long time.

'Here in Salisbury we have the great stories of medieval England. Our predecessors moved the cathedral and built this city around it.'

Salisbury Cathedral has marked its 800th anniversary with a mesmerising five-day light display that transports viewers through its history. Pictured: Ushers admire the interior of the cathedral

The cathedral, which is in Wiltshire, has been lit up both inside and out as part of the immersive installation titled Sarum Lights. Pictured: The projection on the exterior of the West Front

The historic building was first founded on a site at Old Sarum in the 12th century before it was relocated more than three kilometres (two miles) to its current site in 1220. Pictured: The light projection on to the ceiling

It was quickly established as a major centre of ecclesiastical government after its relocation. Pictured: The exterior of the historic building

Sarum Lights has been commissioned by Salisbury Cathedral and produced by Luxmuralis as part of a year-long programme of events designed to celebrate Salisbury 2020: City On The Move

Speaking to the Salisbury Journal, the Very Reverend Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury, said: 'We have been looking forward to this for a long time'

He added: 'Here in Salisbury we have the great stories of medieval England. Our predecessors moved the cathedral and built this city around it'

The spectacular itself is thought to take about one hour to view in full and thousands of visitors are expected to descend on the site over the five-day period

The projection on the front of the building (pictured) is on a repetitive loop. Tickets for adults cost 5 and for children cost 4

Salisbury Cathedral itself commissioned the installation. Pictured: The striking light projections of the date it was founded were reflected boldly in the water
A 42-year-old medical shop owner



claiming proximity to senior police officials has been arrested for allegedly cheating and extorting Rs 5 lakh from a man whose brother was booked in a separate extortion case a few days ago, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, Jayesh Kasat, was arrested on February 15 and is currently in police custody, they said.

A complaint against Kasat was registered by a doctor, Hemant Adsul, brother of one Manoj Adsul, who was booked by the city police a few days ago for allegedly extorting money and blackmailing a medical practitioner, Deepak Rasne, in an alleged molestation case in which his son Sahil, who is also a doctor, was accused.

According to the police, when Kasat, who is also a member of the Vighnaharta Nyas Trust, an outfit through which police does social activities, came to know that Manoj Adsul is blackmailing Deepak Rasne and has extorted Rs 75 lakh from him to "settle" the case against his son, he approached him.

Kasat asked Manoj Adsul to return all the money to Deepak Rasne and warned of dire consequences if he did not do so, the police said.

"Kasat told him (Manoj Adsul) he is a member of Pune police's Vighnaharta Nyas Trust and has proximity to senior officials and some journalists in the city.

"The complainant (Hemant Adsul) and his brother (Manoj Adsul) then gave Rs 5 lakh to Kasat," said an officer attached to the Vishrambuag police station.

The complainant (Hemant Adsul) told the police Kasat kept asking for more money over the phone. The Adsuls recorded all the conversation with Kasat and later approached the police and registered a case.

Acting on the complaint of Hemant Adsul, Kasat was booked for cheating and extortion.

As far as the second case is concerned, the police said a woman patient had alleged Sahil Rasne, the doctor-son of Rasne, had molested her in his clinic.

"When Manoj Adsul got to know about the alleged molestation he approached Deepak Rasne and told him the woman belongs to an SC community and his son can be booked under the Atrocities Act and would be unable to obtain bail," the officer said.

Manoj Adsul then demanded Rs 1.30 crore from Deepak Rasne to "settle" the case, he said.

Of this amount, Manoj Adsul took Rs 75 lakh from Deepak Rasne - Rs 54 lakh through cheques and Rs 21 lakh in cash, said the officer.

Manoj Adsul kept demanding the remaining money from Deepak Rasne, he said.

"Deepak Rasne approached the police and registered a case against Manoj Adsul under IPC sections 420 (cheating) and 384 (extortion ), among others, the officer said.

Manoj Adsul is currently at large and has approached a local court for anticipatory bail.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The enemy engaged Ukrainian troops with proscribed 152mm and 122mm artillery systems, 120mm and 82mm mortars, tank weapons, cannons installed on infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms.

Russia's hybrid military forces on February 18 mounted 22 attacks on Ukrainian Army positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA) and another six as wounded in action (WIA).

"The armed forces of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire 22 times on February 18. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another six were wounded as a result of enemy shelling," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters said in an update posted on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on February 19.

The enemy engaged Ukrainian troops with proscribed 152mm and 122mm artillery systems, 120mm and 82mm mortars, tank weapons, cannons installed on infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms.

Read alsoDonbas escalation: Russian occupation forces attack Ukrainian troops, try to penetrate line of contact (Video)

Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the town of Popasna, and the villages of Berezove, Shyrokyne, Pyshchevyk, Krymske, Novotoshkivske, Orikhove, Khutir Vilny, Zolote-4, Luhanske, and Novoluhanske.

In addition, the enemy attempted to storm the Ukrainian observation posts near Orikhove. Ukrainian defenders suppressed enemy fire and forced the enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group to retreat. Ukraine ultimately lost no ground in the area. The enemy requested a ceasefire, the report says. According to intelligence data, four invaders were killed and another six were seriously wounded as a result of the clash.

"Since Wednesday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions near the village of Lebedynske, using 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and rifles," the update said.

No casualties were reported among Ukrainian troops Wednesday morning.
CalPERS gave another display of its signature brazenness and dishonesty on Tuesday at its Finance and Administration Committee meeting. Then, the staff presented to the board their proposals for how to conduct the next set of board elections.

Even though the security and accuracy of voting methods has become a regular news topic, thanks to worries about Rooskie hacking and fiascoes like Iowa caucus app meltdown demonstrating the risks of Internet tabulation, CalPERS staff served up nonsensical justifications for doubling down the failure of having phone and Internet voting along with paper ballots. The rationale for this much more costly approach was to increase participation, when the reverse has happened, with turnout continuing to slide. To add insult to injury, the new methods are also more tamper and manipulation friendly. For instance, the Internet channel has no paper trail.1

Yet the subcommittee voted to stick with a newfangled turkey rather than revert to a cheaper and more successful approach. The full CalPERS board is set to approve or reverse the Finance and Administration Committee today.

Despite going through the pretense of having formal criteria for evaluating which approach to prefer, its clear the real driver is to help union leadership to influence the elections. Union leaders were clearly behind the CalPERS decision to add these insecure methods; Operations Chief Kim Malm even thanked the two union officials who have long had considerable clout at CalPERS, Dave Low of CSEA and Terry Brennan of SEIU, for their help in getting the additional methods approved.2

As well show, the staff presentation and many board member remarks were nonsensical and even blatantly dishonest. They added up only when SEIU Californias Terry Brennan cleared its throat in public comments, pushing hard for current methods to stay in place and contending that CalPERS needed to throw even more money at them than in their forecast, when sticking with the bad new normal pencils out at $8.5 million versus $5 million for going back to paper ballots only.

Brennan tried to present online voting as a success when the percentage of online voting was 34.7% in the 2018 election, which had the pathetic turnout of 6.4%, and a mere 16,200 votes. The next year, in the ugly and bitterly contested 2019 election, online voting was only 17.4% of the 117,600 votes cast, a lower ratio than in 2017 and 2018 elections.

To the extent that Brennan has a bona fide claim, his argument is that restricting access to voting will reduce turnout. In fact, three years of CalPERS experimentation, including ever-more aggressive outreach, shows the reverse, that these additional channels cause voter confusion and among the ones who can parse the now-demanding ballot package, complacency about voting. Both lead to fewer votes being cast.

SEIU wants them to assure that CalPERS board seats remain under their, as opposed to beneficiary, control. Thats why they poured unprecedented amounts of dark money into the retiree election last fall and even ran a phone bank out of New York, despite the fact that this seat has never been one of theirs. Only a trivial number of CalPERS retirees are active union members.

History of CalPERS Election Chicanery

For those of you new to this sorry tale, in the 2017 board election, CalPERS changed its voting method for the six board members (out of a total of 13) elected by various beneficiaries.

Since the mid-1990s, CalPERS used voting by mail. That change was forced on CalPERS to keep the heavy hand of union pressure out of CalPERS elections.

Until the 1994 board election, the unions were able to exercise a great deal of influence over the vote. Ballots were distributed at work, either by the shop steward or with the steward close on the heels of the responsible party, telling voters who they should pick.

A court ruling invalidated this procedure and forced CalPERS to implement mail-in ballots.

The unions, led by SEIU, are now seeking to turn the clock back and reassert control over the election.

For the 2017 election, CalPERS added voting by phone and voting by Internet. The ostensible purpose for introducing these new ways to vote was to increase turnout. You can see how well that has worked:

Another, not explicit rationale but one that the board and staff kept invoking was because technology as in more must be better. That has proven not to be the case. CalPERS beneficiaries have complained of unacceptably long hold times, confusing and biased instructions, and sometimes inaudible audio for voting by phone.

We also found out that at least some and likely all of the support staff for voting by phone and Internet were temps working out of their homes, which is not exactly encouraging since each temp had access to the database of eligible CalPERS members.

And the vendor had a meltdown in 2018. For hours, the since-defunct vendor Everyone Counts was locked out of their own voting data:

Showing that CalPERS is concerned this sort of fiasco could happen again, the pension fund since set a huge time buffer compared to its past timetable for report the election results. Why dont they get a better process instead? The global gold standard of hand counting paper ballots in public would take vastly less time.

Moreover, if you scroll down in this post, youll see a video from this tally showing that one of the election vendors workers inserted a thumb drive into the computer making the count. Needless to say, this how lax CalPERS is about making sure the count is done correctlywhich may be the point.

So much for technology being more efficient.

In fact, as weve also written at length, virtually no expert regards Internet voting as secure (save the experts working for Internet voting firms). The State of California agrees. It explicitly disallows voting by Internet in its election code. That also means the Secretary of State has never certified any vendor for online elections.

One might ask how CalPERS gets to thumb its nose at state law. The answer is, and I am not making this up, is that CalPERS maintains it is not subject to the state election code. CalPERS is relying on the fact that no one has the energy and firepower to sue over that.

So even though the Secretary of State still certifies the CalPERS election, the certification is form over substance. If you read the text, it effectively says that records provided by CalPERS say the declared winner won, and he says he does not certify the method of voting:

Why More Voting Methods Arent Better

Before we turn to CalPERS often falsified defenses of its recommendation to carry on with insecure and big ticket voting gimmickry, its worth dwelling on why introducing new voting channels has suppressed participation.

What isnt at all from the presentations and discussions is that the ballot packages, which were once simple, have become daunting. In addition to candidate statements, which are a staple of voting in California, plus the ballot proper, a short instruction sheet or checklist and a return envelope, the multi-channel mailer is complicated. It describes the voting options, where to log in or call in, and provides a PIN on top of the candidate statements and instructions for the mail-in ballots.

Complexity is off-putting and dampens participation.

And even for those not put off by needing to understand the options, having more choices winds up encouraging voter procrastination and misplacement of materials.

Consider: How would you behave if you knew the only way you could vote was with a mail-in ballot? If you were seriously or even casually interested, youd make sure to either to fill it out and send it in pronto, or put it someplace where you could find it so you could send it in comfortably before the deadline.

Now think of what happens if you get a mailer that tells you that you have other ways to vote. That booklet becomes less critical. Fewer people will send the ballot back right away or make sure they keep tabs on the package.

Yet that same mailer contains the PIN needed for online and phone voting. And if you cant find that mailer (and why not just fill in the ballot and send it back in the paid envelope if youve bothered to find it?), you have to call and be verified to get your PIN again. Thats a nuisance and takes time even if the prospective voter doesnt run into long hold times.

So in fact, contrary to the image CalPERS wants to project, the need to validate votes by phone and Internet with a PIN creates friction and makes voting harder, not easier. And they create the dangerous perception that voters can wait till the very end, when that procrastination alone can lead beneficiaries to miss the cutoff. And waiting till the end means they are more likely to run into delays in getting a new PIN if they need one.

CalPERS Strained and Dishonest Justifications for Failed and Costly Voting Methods

CalPERS continued in its bad habit of trying to sell big lies. And the board too often is too clueless or too cowed to take issue with them, with Betty Yee a noteworthy exception, but disadvantaged yesterday by having to speak from the floor (Yee is not on the Finance and Administration Committee) and thus not being able to offer motions or vote. She was refreshingly direct:

Board Member Betty Yee: Ive been troubled by this conversation because its all being framed within the context of cost savings and I think it really should be framed within the context of improved voter participation. And from that perspective and given kind of the context in which were all operating in terms of voting methods, I guess I would concur with Ms. Brown and Mr. Perez that I think moving away from mail-in ballots is a real mistake at this point.

Admittedly, some of the misleading staff arguments were merely artful data cherry-picking. Dallas Stone, a deputy to operations chief Kim Malm, flogged, as SEIUs Terry Brennan later did, the relatively high level of online voting by public agency employees in 2018. That was 5,600 votes when CalPERS has 1.9 million beneficiaries. The fact that a small subpopulation is amenable to online voting and made even greater use of it in the 2019 election does not mean you can generalize that propensity to beneficiaries as a whole.

But then Stone showed CalPERS true cards, trying to argue that the cost saving method of eliminating the ballot package, and critically, the candidate statement, would improve participation. This claim is an insult to intelligence. Mailed candidate statements are required for California state and local elections. The idea that people will be more likely to vote when CalPERS makes it harder to make a decision by forcing them to go online to search and find a candidate statement is ludicrous.

Kim Malm started fielding questions, and the truthfulness of the responses took a dive. From the rough transcript:

Finance and Administration Committee Chairman Theresa Taylor: And then second, my second question, second question was on the Internet votes, I know weve talked about this before, is there a paper trail that can be created? Operations Support Services Division Chief Kim Malm: So the vendor handles this entire election, right, CalPERS does not. And they have, are required to have auditable trails and theyre not audits performed by CalPERS but CalPERS can request an audit of the election and that third party would then have to come in and do an audit of their election process. Taylor: So they have some kind of trail. Malm: Yes, and certified by Secretary of State and they have  that one.

Help me. There is no paper trail. And Malm has zero idea of what if anything the vendor could provide to substantiate its Internet votes in the absence of one. Ditto the phone channel. The contract doesnt specify what is needed to satisfy an audit, so all it does in practice is allow CalPERS to root around in the vendors underwear. Theres no basis for thinking CalPERS would find reasonable substantiation.

And as for the certification, thats flat out false. Board member Margaret Brown cornered Malm and got her to admit that the only certification the vendors had was for ballot printing, which is irrelevant to running an election.

There was also the peculiar addition of sustainability as a criterion as another argument against mail-in ballots. Margaret Brown pointed out that getting rid of the other channels would allow CalPERS to reduce the size of its mailer, and CalPERS could also use recycled paper.

Malm also blathered on about non-existant accreditations from the Department of Defense, and we shredded those claims earlier. Or you can read The Internet Is No Place for Elections from the MIT Technology Review, which points out that vendor use of terms like military-grade encryption are red flags that suckers like Malm fall for, demonstrating how out of their depth they are.

As CalPERS-watchers know too well, the giant pension funds big problem is its lack of adult supervision. The general counsel to the previous Secretary of State has told us his boss would not have certified a CalPERS election with Internet voting. But the incumbent, Alex Padilla, is all too willing to let CalPERS have its way. Similarly, most board members are all too willing to abdicate their jobs and let staff call the shots, and ones who are responsible enough to take their fiduciary duties seriously, like JJ Jelincic and Margaret Brown, are on the receiving end of abuse and smears. For an institution with a history of corruption, the rejection of transparency and integrity is a great way to assure another round of institution-endangering scandals.3

_____

1 CalPERS staff points out that its contract with its election vendor calls for CalPERS to be able to audit the election results. However, CalPERS has claimed that it does not receive vote by candidate by voting channel, which is a bare minimum metric to check for anomalies that might point to systematic tallying errors or tampering. CalPERS has maintained that it cannot get this information, which in turn indicates its election vendors have sorely deficient records. In keeping, CalPERS past Internet vendors have said they dont have a paper-based backup, which experts regard as essential to assure the accuracy of Internet voting.

2 From a 2017 post:

Consider this section of a transcript from a CalPERS board meeting in August 2016, when the first version of the change in CalPERS voting procedures was presented to the board (emphasis ours): Operations Support Services Division Chief Kim Malm: At this time, Id like to take a minute of personal privilege, Mr. Chair. Is like to thank the staff that have worked really hard on this over the last couple of years. Anthony Martin, Christina Nutley, Nina Dinsdale, and Dallas Stone from my staff. Also Erin Lopez and Renee Salazar from the Legal Office, and also Public Affairs. We would not have been able to do this without them, in addition to the constituents that have been extremely supportive over the last couple of years. And especially Dave Low and Terry Brennand who kind of got this in front of some people  important people to help us push this forward. So Id like to say thank you to all of them, in addition, of course, to my Executive, Doug Hoffner and the Board.

3 Im late to debunk Board President Henry Jones counterfactual claim that he supports transparency.
Weve learned in other areas of development to be more sophisticated in our use of financial instruments, Dr. Dercon said. Somehow in the humanitarian space we just never embraced this. The humanitarian sector has lots of really good people, but its built around the emotion of helping people in need.

How we react to disasters matters more than ever. This year, 168 million people will need disaster assistance, a record high. Mr. Lowcock said that in two years, that could rise to 200 million people. He said the main reasons for the increase are droughts and floods related to climate change, large outbreaks of infectious disease (often related to climate as well) and protracted violent conflicts  which are increasingly killing children, he said.

New research shows that how we respond  or not  to a disaster can follow people for the rest of their lives. A 2017 World Bank report found that prosperous countries are the ones lucky enough to avoid crises that set them back. Just as a fall can permanently damage the health of an older person, conflict, drought or epidemic can permanently make a country poorer.

Drought, particularly, is crippling, because it creates lasting malnutrition, leading to permanent cognitive and physical damage. Researchers found that without relief, a drought causes a 4 percent drop in the income of affected people  for the long term. And a speedy response is crucial. A response time that is one month quicker has a benefit of 0.8 percent of income per capita in the long run, the study says.

There is wide agreement on the value of having money set aside, a plan for what to do and agreement on what triggers action. But whats needed to get that done isnt always present. Mr. Lowcock gave the example of drought in Somalia: Its not enough to predict hunger and famine. We need to know at the village level who are the most vulnerable, he said. Were trying to build models to answer that question for us.

U.N. agencies are getting creative with the challenge of knowing when to help. Rebeca Moreno Jimenez, the U.N. refugee agencys first data scientist, recently traveled to Ethiopia to interview Somali refugees, hoping to identify something measurable that can signal relief is needed. What she found was the price of goats. Refugees told her that before people flee, they sell their goats, which are too fragile to make the trip. So the crash in goat prices that would accompany a mass sell-off means people are getting ready to move. We know they will end up in Ethiopia several days later.

This work is still experimental. We are bothering our colleagues in the Food and Agriculture Organization, she said. Every month, were asking for goat prices in Somalia. Her program has now established an interagency dashboard where everyone can track the prices F.A.O. posts.

Cynical people think politicians are prompted to action only when they see the starving kid in the street, Mr. Lowcock said. But when I talk to politicians and confront them with the fact that we can anticipate problems better than that, they get it. Thats why my fund is bigger this year than last and we are able to fund more experiments. No one wants to see a starving kid on the street and think, If wed done something earlier, we might have been able to stop that.

Tina Rosenberg won a Pulitzer Prize for her book The Haunted Land: Facing Europes Ghosts After Communism. She is a former editorial writer for The Times and the author, most recently, of Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World and the World War II spy story e-book D for Deception.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that a military operation in the northwestern Syrian region of Idlib was a "matter of time" if President Bashar al-Assad's forces fail to withdraw behind Turkish military positions -- prompting criticism from Moscow.



The Syrian Army's offensive, backed by Russian air support, has triggered the biggest wave of refugees in the nine-year conflict.



Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party on February 19 that talks with Russia, which has been the main backer of the Assad regime, were far from meeting Ankara's demands.



He said Turkey, which supports rebels who want to remove Assad from power, was determined to make Idlib a secure zone "no matter the cost," even as it continues its dialogue with Russia.



"Turkey has completed preparations for the implementation of its plan on Idlib, just like we did with previous operations. Frankly speaking, an operation in Idlib is only a matter of time. Turkey wont leave Idlib to the [Assad] regime," Erdogan said.



"We are counting down, we are making our final warnings."



In reaction to Erdogan's remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow was strongly opposed to such an operation, but that Russia and Ankara were staying in contact to try to prevent tensions in Idlib escalating further.



Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that no agreements have been reached during Russia-Turkey talks held in Moscow on February 17-18.



Meanwhile, Syrian aid workers have issued an urgent call for a cease-fire and international help for the hundreds of thousands of people fleeing Idlib.



The Syrian NGO Alliance told a news conference in Istanbul that existing camps are overcrowded and civilians are forced to sleep in the open as more than 900,000 people had fled the violence.



The regime offensive has killed more than 400 civilians since it began in December, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and TASS
A Tomball man arrested in December has been indicted by a Montgomery County Grand Jury on a capital murder charge in an 18-year-old cold case surrounding the death of a gas station owner.

Thanks to DNA and a LinkedIn profile, Martin Tellez, 43, was arrested Dec. 10 for allegedly shooting and killing Subir Chatterjee who was found dead Feb. 15, 2002 in his Oak Ridge North gas station by an employee.

BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: Get your Houston breaking news alerts delivered to your Inbox

According to Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon, Tellez is eligible for the death penalty but declined to provide any further information.

The determination of whether to seek the death penalty will come at the appropriate time, Ligon said. Today we remember the victims and thank the grand jury for its service in reviewing this case and returning the indictment.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: DNA, social media lead to arrest in 2002 murder of Oak Ridge North gas station owner

Tellezs court appointed attorney, Jerome Godinich, could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.

According to Oak Ridge North Police Chief Tom Libby, on Dec. 4, he received information from the Texas Department of Public Safety that Tellezs DNA was a match to evidence found at the scene. After securing a warrant Dec. 6 for Tellezs arrest, Libby said his department along with the Texas Rangers and the Federal Bureau of Investigation began trying to locate Tellez.

MORE FROM CATHERINE DOMINGUEZ: Conroe Councilman arrested, charged with DWI

It was just as simple as a Google search on the name, Libby said adding Tellez, who is married with three children, had recently updated with new employment information. We compared his LinkedIn photo with his (drivers license) photo and it was a complete match.

Detectives went to Tellezs job, where he had just started working, and arrested him as he returned from lunch.

MORE FROM CATHERINE DOMINGUEZ: 2 Houston men arrested in connection with November attempted armored truck robbery in Willis

Chatterjee was found dead Feb. 15, 2002 by a fellow employee. He had been shot twice  in the head and neck at close range. The store, a Coastal service station, served as a convenience store and check-cashing business where he often had tens of thousands of dollars on hand. Chatterjee had owned the business since 1997.

When police arrived on the scene, investigators found more than $160,000 was missing from the store. The money was kept inside a brown briefcase that customers said Chatterjee would often bring to the store on Fridays to cash checks.

In July 2018 in an effort to help advance the case, Lt. Kent Hubbard reported to the Oak Ridge North City Council that the department would be using money from a combination of seizure funds, funds from the Montgomery County District Attorneys office and the cases reward fund to purchase DNA testing of evidence found at the scene.

The new method of testing, which Hubbard told the council was developed within the last four to five years, cost $5,830.

Assistant District Attorney Donna Berkey credit Libby and his force with the arrest.

Chief Libby and Lt. Hubbard have worked tirelessly on this, she said in a previous article.

For Libby, who was on the force that chilly February day when Chatterjee, 58, was found gunned down inside his business, the arrest of Tellez is a major victory in getting justice for Chatterjee and his family.

When you have a cold case, especially a murder, it just shows the family of the victim that we as a police department and the criminal justice system still doing everything they can to bring justice for the family and lost family member, Libby said. This is a prime example we were never going to give up.

cdominguez@hcnonline.com
President Trump and Rudy Giuliani, Esq. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

President Trumps impeachment over extorting Ukraine for domestic political gain has played out in the headlines as a setpiece episode of his presidency, the sequel to the Russia investigation. But when historians look back at the case, they will probably see the affair not as a separate incident but a continuation. Trump formed a political alliance with Vladimir Putin, and exploited it in both his election and reelection campaigns.

For the better part of a decade, a faction of Republicans has been operating in Ukraine in tandem with Russians and their allies, for mutual profit, both financial and political. From Russias end, its agenda can be traced through the work of its oligarchs, who are tasked with financing certain kinds of political work on behalf of Putin. Oligarchs like Oleg Deripaska and Dmytro Firtash, who owe their fortunes to Putins blessing, have made money off Ukrainian corruption and cultivated friendly politicians there to maintain it.

Paul Manafort is the first major American to join in this effort. Starting in 2004, the Republican campaign strategist turned lobbyist for various global kleptocrats was hired by Russian oligarchs to guide the campaign of the Russophilic Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort was still indebted to Deripaska when he went to work, gratis, in the same role for Donald Trump.

Trumps interest in Ukraine began during the 2016 campaign, when Manafort began spreading the alibi that Democratic emails had been stolen by Ukrainians, not Russians. According to this conspiracy theory, the emails were smuggled away on a secret server to Ukraine by CrowdStrike. Whoever originated it, the false theory was promoted both by Russian intelligence and by the American right, because it conveniently absolved both Trump and Putin of any wrongdoing during the campaign.

When he took office, Trump reportedly explained to flummoxed White House officials that he accepted this theory because Putin told me. During Trumps first year, Rudy Giuliani functionally took over for Manafort, who was by this point under FBI investigation. Giuliani immediately recognized the value of Russias claim that Ukraine had stolen the emails. I knew they were hot and heavy on this Russian collusion thing, even though I knew 100 percent that it was false, he told Glenn Beck. I said to myself, Hallelujah. Ive got what a defense lawyer always wants: I can go prove someone else committed this crime.

Trumps efforts to absolve Russia were not limited to requests that Ukraine locate the imaginary missing server. The New York Times reported in 2018 that Ukraine halted all cooperation with the Mueller investigation at the same time Trump released a previous round of military aid his administration had held up. Ukrainians also allowed Konstantin Kilimnik, Manaforts partner and an alleged Russian intelligence agent, who had received 75 pages of detailed polling from Manafort during the 2016 campaign, to slip away to Russia, beyond the reach of Robert Mueller.

Over the last year, Giulianis network in Ukraine has expanded. The ultimate source of his financing appears to be Firtash, who prosecutors say gave a million dollars to Lev Parnas, one of the hustlers who paid Giuliani. Firtash has been described by most reporters as an oligarch with criminal ties, but his influence is much deeper than that. American reporters who have studied Firtash describe him as a Kremlin proxy agent. The apparent trail of payments from Firtash to Parnas to Giuliani suggests Trumps diplomacy in Ukraine was outsourced to figures whose loyalty is not to the United States, or even merely the narrow political interests of its president, but a putatively hostile foreign power.

Firtash has brought other figures into his circle: Republican lawyers Victoria Toensing and Joseph diGenova, funneling his propaganda through conservative journalist John Solomon and Representative Devin Nunes. The Russian-Republican partnership in Ukraine has advanced a wide array of benefits to all parties involved. Some of the benefits were financial. They have sought to roll back the Zelensky governments reforms of its notoriously corrupt energy sector, with the goal of reinserting themselves as profitable middlemen. Control of Ukraines energy sector is also a key lever Moscow has used to manipulate its smaller neighbor.

One of Trumps demands to Volodymyr Zelensky on their July 25 phone call was the reinstatement of Ukraines notoriously corrupt prosecutor Viktor Shokin (I heard you had a prosecutor who was very good and he was shut down and thats really unfair.) The partnership undermined reforms in Ukraine, weakening the government and allowing Putin to question its legitimacy. And it generated a stream of pro-Trump, anti-Biden propaganda that has been absorbed into messages for American audiences.

This is not a case of Putin pulling the strings and making Trump dance. It is an alliance of mutual interests, political and financial, that have grown so intertwined it is difficult to tell them apart. Republicans and Russians alike both wish to discredit Ukraines reformers and restore its corrupt, Russophilic old regime; to smear the figures who supported those reforms, like Joe Biden, Marie Yovanovitch, and international pro-democracy nongovernment organizations; and to absolve Russia of hacking Democratic emails. There is a plain-English word to describe this arrangement: collusion.
Saving 'big trade deal with India' for later, says Donald Trump US President Donald Trump has said he is "saving the big deal" with India for later and he "does not know" if it will be done before the presidential election in November, clearly indicating that a major bilateral trade deal during his visit to Delhi next week might not be on the cards.

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Lt. General Charles "Chuck" Pitman passed away this past Thursday at age 84. His career spanned over 40 years, including three combat tours in Vietnam. He also was involved in Operation Eagle Claw, the attempted rescue of the American hostages in Tehran in 1980. He commanded an Air Wing and was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Marine Corps Aviation. He earned the Silver Star, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. But for all his achievements in uniform, Pitman is better known for ignoring military protocol and breaking a bunch of regulations so he could save lives.

That was the thought process of then, Lieutenant Colonel Pitman. On Jan. 7, 1973, Pitman was the commander of the Marine Air Reserve Training in Louisiana. Pitman had turned on the television to see a horrible scene unfolding. A gunman had taken position on top of a hotel and was shooting and killing police officers. The sniper had a full view of all on comers, and any attempt to enter the hotel was met with murderous gunfire.

Pitman didn't even think twice about asking permission to help. He grabbed another pilot and two crew members and jumped in a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter and headed toward New Orleans.

The incident Pitman was flying into actually started several days earlier on New Year's Eve. Mark Essex was a Navy vet who had been kicked out due to behavior issues. He had ended up in New Orleans, where he fell in with radical groups. One of those groups was the Black Panthers. Essex had grown angrier over time with what he perceived to be injustices he faced in the Navy and now as a civilian. After learning of a civil rights protest in which two students from Southern University were killed by police, Essex lost it.

He went to New Orleans police headquarters, where he shot and killed an African American cadet; shooting him from behind. He then fled and tried to break into a warehouse. When police arrived, unaware that he was linked to the shooting at HQ, Essex ambushed them, mortally wounding one. By the time backup arrived, he had vanished into the night.

On Jan. 7, Essex reappeared, and entered a Howard Johnson hotel in downtown New Orleans. As he made his way to the roof, he murdered a newlywed couple and the hotel's manager and assistant manager. He then set fires in several rooms and made his way to the roof.

Essex had set an ambush. The shooting and fires would draw first responders to the scene. Then he would carry out his horrible plan to kill more cops.

As the police and firefighters arrived, they attempted to enter the hotel. Essex killed three police officers and wounded several more. He was able to pin down anyone that attempted to move toward the hotel and was completely concealed from return fire by concrete barriers on the roof.

By this time, the TV cameras had shown up. Broadcasting over the airwaves, they told viewers of the horrible situation unfolding in downtown New Orleans.

One of the viewers was Lt. Colonel Pitman.

Pitman flew the CH-46 toward the hotel without any idea what he was actually going to do. He just knew he had to do something. When he arrived on site, Pitman located an empty parking lot next to the hotel. He landed, headed to the command center, and quickly became apprised of the situation. The cops on the scene sought his advice, and his years of service in Vietnam kicked in. Essex had the high ground, so Pittman would go higher.

He put several New Orleans police officers on the helicopter and took off. He started flying passes over the roof of the hotel, slowing down and turning so that the police could get a good shot. They could not. Essex would take shots at the aircraft from afar but would take cover the minute they closed in. Pitman noticed this and kept making passes to lure Essex into thinking this was his routine. Finally, after one pass, he turned immediately around and caught Essex in the open. The police in the helicopter unloaded on the sniper.

When all was said and done, Essex was found with over 200 rounds in his body.

Pitman was lauded as a hero by the police and citizens of New Orleans and just about everybody...except the United States Marine Corps.

It turns out that Pitman (kind of sort of) violated a few rules and regulations when he took the helicopter. He wasn't allowed to use military personnel or aircraft for anything other than a rescue mission (like evacuating flood victims).

You would think that the Marine Corps would look at the badassery that Pitman just pulled off and call it a public relations coup. But, they didn't (of course) and started the process of a court-martial.

It was only due to the intervention of Democratic Congressman and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Edward Herbert that the issue was dropped.

Pitman would continue his amazing career, retiring in 1990 as a Lt. General.

Lt. General Pitman, rest easy, and Semper Fidelis.

MORE POSTS FROM WE ARE THE MIGHTY:

10 things you don't know about the Battle of Iwo Jima

The hidden truth: military families face financial insecurity

One of Pearl Harbors last survivors dies at age 97

We Are The Mighty (WATM) celebrates service with stories that inspire. WATM is made in Hollywood by veterans. It's military life presented like never before. Check it out at We Are the Mighty.
As coronavirus spreads around the world, small business owners who import from China are on edge. Kyle Kirshner, who has been doing business in China for several years, knew to stock up on supplies ahead of the Lunar New Year. The owner of Kyndley sells outdoor products via Amazon and imports 90% of his goods from China. He has about three months' supply of items but is unable to order more of his most popular product, a backpack cooler. "We're a little worried about that, because we are one of the best sellers on Amazon in that category," Kirshner said. "I contacted my manufacturer today and their factories are closed right now." Kirshner expects his supply will be impacted within a month if things don't turn around. And if he doesn't have product to list on Amazon, his rankings may drop. "If we don't have product, and we lose our ranking, then nobody can see our product and we won't have any sales," he said.

Anne Harper, CEO of OMG Accessories, says many of the products she sells are made outside of Wuhan, where the coronavirus has been heavily concentrated. CNBC

Charlene Anderson finds herself in a similar position. The owner of the Anderson Group works with distributors who import the products she sells on Amazon from China. She's been selling arts and crafts supplies on the site for nearly two decades, working as a solo entrepreneur. She keeps just 30 days' supply stored in Amazon's warehouses, due to costs, and an additional 30 days' worth in her office. But in two months, if she can't access imported goods from China, she's going to have to get creative. "I am getting information now from my distributors in the U.S. that they will be delayed in importing from China  if we can't get more, we can't get more," Anderson said. "I am in a better situation than many Amazon third-party sellers in that I source products from many places besides China, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, India, Israel and more. If I had only products from China, I would be in a much more precarious situation." Like Kirshner, her main concern is running out of product to list on Amazon. "You lose ranking and momentum if you go out of stock  there's no mechanism to say I am backordered until a certain date," she said. "This is my whole income stream, and I'm not in big trouble yet. But if I can't reorder, it will be a bit worrying." The coronavirus outbreak comes at a time when small business optimism, by several measures, has been strong. In fact, the National Federation of Independent Business cited coronavirus concerns in its latest read on small business optimism released last week, noting that the biggest risk to the record run of optimism being experienced right now nationwide is the global implications of the deadly outbreak. The Federal Reserve is monitoring the situation, as are advocacy groups like the NFIB.

Kyle Kirshner, owner of Kyndley CNBC
[February 19, 2020] World of Hyatt Extends Tier Status and Benefits, Advancing Care for Members During COVID-19

In response to the COVID-19 situation, World of Hyatt today announced that it will be offering members residing in the Asia Pacific region a series of tier status and benefits extensions, including: Qualifying World of Hyatt Discoverist, Explorist and Globalist members will now have a new tier expiration of February 28, 2022 - rather than February 28, 2021 - to maintain their elite tier status and benefits.

Currently valid Suite Upgrade Awards, Club Access Awards and Free Night Awards that expire in 2020 for qualifying members will be extended through December 31, 2021. World of Hyatt is also working to evaluate tier and benefit extensions for global members who travel frequently to the Asia Pacific region. "Now more than ever, it's a priority for us to stay close to our World of Hyatt members, understand how their lives are impacted and help," said Amy Weinberg, senior vice president, World of Hyatt. "Extending the expiration of elite tier status and benefits for our members is one of the ways we can care for our most loyal guests, so they have one less thing to worry about during this incredibly difficult time." World of Hyatt is actively working to update qualifying members' accounts to reflect the extension of elite tier status and award validity and expects these changes to be made by March 31, 2020. Qualifying members will receive information regarding these updates through email, My Hyatt Concierge, WeChat communications and more. Members with questions regarding their tier status can contact the nearest Hyatt Global Contact Center, reach Hyatt via WeChat (WeChat ID: HyattHotels) or email [email protected]. Hyatt remains committed to caring for its colleagues, guests and customers, as well as the communities in which Hyatt hotels operate. To further care for communities impacted by the current global health crisis, Hyatt has made a meaningful donaion to the China Women's Development Foundation, a national public foundation that has been actively working to support the emergency relief works, including donation of medical equipment and care programs for frontline medical members and their families during this crisis.



Hyatt locations globally will continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation, remain vigilant and follow recommended procedures and protocols from various health organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local authorities - in an effort to ensure the continued safety and wellbeing of guests and colleagues. For more information, please visit hyatt.com.

The term "Hyatt" is used for convenience in this release to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates. About World of Hyatt World of Hyatt is Hyatt's award-winning guest loyalty program uniting participating locations in the Park Hyatt, Miraval, Grand Hyatt, Alila, Andaz, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Destination, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Thompson Hotels, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt House, Hyatt Place, Joie de Vivre, Hyatt Residence Club and Exhale brands on a global scale. Members who book directly through Hyatt channels can enjoy personalized care and access to distinct benefits including Guest of Honor, confirmed suite upgrades at time of booking, diverse wellbeing offerings, mobile key and exclusive member rates. With more than 16 million members, World of Hyatt offers a variety of ways to earn and redeem points for hotel stays, dining and spa services, wellbeing focused experiences through the FIND platform, offerings through Hyatt's wellbeing brands Exhale and Miraval; as well as the benefits of Hyatt's strategic loyalty collaborations with American Airlines AAdvantage, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Lindblad Expeditions and MGM Resorts International. Travelers can enroll for free at world.hyatt.com, download the World of Hyatt app for android and IOS devices and connect with Hyatt on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005507/en/

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ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, Feb. 19

By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend:

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged views over telephone on priority issues of interstate relations, built on the principles of strategic partnership, Trend reports referring to the Turkmen Dovlat Habarlary (TDH) state news agency.

The commitment of Turkmenistan and Russia to full-scale cooperation on a long-term basis is clearly demonstrated by the agreement reached at the highest level and the established solid legal base.

At the same time, the presence of impressive potential for further enhancing and diversifying the trade and economic partnership and increasing the volume of mutual trade turnover, which grew 2.6 times in 2019, stimulating investment activity, and entering new mutually beneficial projects, was noted.

A significant role in this is assigned to the joint intergovernmental commission and regular business contacts.

President Vladimir Putin expressed gratitude to his Turkmen counterpart for his active attention to enhancing regional ties that meet mutual interests, TDH said.

One of the topics of discussion was the practical implementation of the agreements reached within the framework of the chairmanship of Turkmenistan in the Commonwealth Independent States (CIS) in 2019, and the documents adopted during this period, including the Declaration on Strategic Economic Cooperation.

About 190 companies with Russian capital operate in Turkmenistan. After a three-year hiatus, Russian Gazprom resumed purchases of Turkmen gas in 2019. On the basis of a signed production sharing agreement in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian, ARETI Holding (formerly ITERA) has been operating since 2009.

In addition, Russia and Turkmenistan initiate further cooperation in the Caspian. In particular, it is planned to launch a cargo line that will connect Makhachkala, the capital of Russias Dagestan Republic, with the port of Turkmenbashi.

The priority vectors of interaction are the fuel and energy complex, shipbuilding, automotive industry, shipping in the Caspian Sea, agriculture, including the supply of food products to the Russian market.

In recent years, Turkmenistan has been actively establishing business relations with the Russias Tatarstan as well as with Sverdlovsk and Astrakhan regions and the St. Petersburg city.
My deep worry has been that we are essentially condemning [people on board] to infection because of the close quarters in which theyre staying, said Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore. And to what end are we doing this? Is it because were trying to keep the virus out of the country? Japan already has local transmission.
Hospitals in Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province have been making urgent pleas to the Chinese people for three weeks as the new coronavirus ripples through the country: Send more protective gear

Hospitals in Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province have been making urgent pleas to the Chinese people for three weeks as the new coronavirus ripples through the country: Send more protective gear.

Supplies are close  and yet frustratingly out of reach. Medical supplies donated to the Red Cross Society of Chinas Wuhan branch sit in warehouses. Individuals who try to organise relief supplies face violating the countrys strict charity law.

Beijing has shown the world that it can shut down entire cities, build a hospital in 10 days and keep 1.4 billion people at home for weeks. But it has also shown a glaring weakness that imperils lives and threatens efforts to contain the outbreak: It is unable to work with its own people.

The coronavirus outbreak has exposed the jarring absence in China of a vibrant civil society  the civic associations like business groups, nonprofit organisations, charities and churches that bring people together without involving the government.

Think of it as the nervous system that helps a society move smoothly and briskly  something Benjamin Franklin recognised over 200 years ago when he organised Philadelphias first volunteer fire department, first public library and first charity hospital. It is prodigious the quantity of good that may be done by one man, if he will make a business of it, he wrote in 1783.

The traditional management mechanism of big government is no longer efficient, and is even failing, Duan Zhanjiang, a management consultant, wrote in an article about managing the epidemic. The government is very busy but not effective. The social forces arent being utilised because they can only stand on the sideline, watching anxiously.

Duan suggested that the government restrain its urge to be in charge of everything and focus more on supervision.

The Communist Party has never liked or trusted civil society. It is suspicious of any organisation that could potentially pose a challenge to its rule, including big private enterprises. It has cracked down on non-government organisations like rights groups and charities as well as churches and mosques. The party wants nothing to stand between its government and Chinas 1.4 billion people.

Big Chinese corporations and wealthy individuals have been donating, many generously. But they also try to keep low profiles for fear of offending a government that is eager to take credit for any success and quick to suspect outside groups of challenging it.

Those gaps are evident on the front lines of the outbreak, where workers have lacked the proper equipment to keep themselves safe. Doctors and nurses wear disposable raincoats instead of protective gowns. They wear ordinary, and inadequate, surgical masks while conducting dangerous throat swab tests. They wear adult diapers because, once they take off their one-piece protective suits, the suits will have to be thrown away. They get only one per day.

Authorities said Monday that more than 3,000 medical workers had been infected, though not all got the virus from work.

Ordinary Chinese people have set up social media groups to help patients find hospital beds, get volunteers to drive them to hospitals and scavenge the world for protective gear. In coordination with the government, they could do much more.

Were just a small boat with very limited capacity, said Panda Yin, a designer in Beijing who organised a WeChat volunteer group of about 200 people to help find protective supplies for front line medical workers. People came to us because they know the highway thats supposed to move fast has a big black hole on it.

That big black hole is the Red Cross Society of China. Unaffiliated with the Red Cross elsewhere, the Red Cross Society is one of two government-controlled organisations through which Beijing monopolises philanthropy. The Wuhan government has insisted that all donations go through the local chapter.

The Red Cross Society is notorious for corruption and inefficiency. The Chinese news media has reported on many of its scandals, including one nine years ago when a person who reportedly held a senior position there shared pictures of her opulent lifestyle online.

The Red Cross Society has been slow in giving away masks and other supplies, according to analyses by people in China based on incomplete data. Buttressing those claims, the Central government on Friday told it to speed up donations.

When the society did give out masks, it gave the best and the most directly to local government agencies instead of to frontline hospitals, according to its own data.

On 11 February, the Wuhan governments epidemic-fighting central command, which counts top city officials among its members, received nearly 19,000 N95 medical masks, considered among the most effective in filtering particles. Union Hospital, one of Wuhans biggest public hospitals, received only 450. It was one of only four hospitals that received masks. On Thursday, all N95 masks went to local heath commissions. None went to hospitals.

Three Red Cross officials in Hubei were disciplined this month. The Red Cross in Wuhan said this week that it was only one part of the citys resource supplying team and that city officials were in charge of allocating supplies.

If the Red Cross Society is a bottleneck in distributing medical supplies, the local and Central governments can sometimes become obstacles in private efforts to make, buy and distribute these supplies.

The Communist Party does not trust the countrys businesses, either.

In Xiantao, a city 70 miles from Wuhan and one of the worlds biggest manufacturing centres for protective supplies, the local government shut down all but 10 of its protective-gear factories on 3 February.

A local official told the Peoples Daily newspaper last week that the city had made the decision for quality control reasons. Out of 113 sizeable companies in the city, the official said, only two have the certificates to sell medical protective gowns in China because the majority of Xiantaos non-woven fabric products are for export only.

Nonsense, said a factory owner in Xiantao who asked to be identified only by his surname, Wang, for fear of retribution. The protective suits he makes for his British and American clients have to meet standards that are equal to, if not higher than, those of China. Many are sold back to China anyway, he said. Xiantao officials did not respond to requests for comment.

The real reason is that Xiantao officials do not want to be held responsible if factory workers become infected or if quality problems emerge, said Wang and two other factory owners who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, a contention backed by local media reports in China. They agreed that in this extraordinary time the government should set prices and scrutinise quality closely. But it can set rules and supervise them, Wang and others said, instead of shutting them down.

The city allowed 73 more companies back to work by 9 February, the local official told the Peoples Daily, after getting approval from the provincial government, giving it political cover in case anything goes wrong. But most of the factories remain idle, Wang and others said.

Xiantao also cut off private efforts to secure supplies.

Earlier this month, Xiantao city officials blocked volunteers from Jingzhou, a city in Hubei 100 miles to the west, from getting the supplies it needs. Xiantao authorities tried to confiscate their gear at a checkpoint as they were leaving, according to one volunteer, and they were kicked out of the city. The volunteer asked to be identified by the surname Zhang because he is a government employee and is not authorised to speak to the news media.

Zhang said he and other volunteers had to step in because the Jingzhou health commission was overwhelmed and too bureaucratic to move fast enough to provide supplies to local hospitals.

Photos and videos he shared on social media showed that volunteers had delivered protective clothing, goggles and medical alcohol to hospitals. He almost cried, he told a chat group, when he saw that doctors and nurses at a local fever clinic had nothing for protection except ordinary surgical masks. The head of the clinic was so grateful, he said, that she gave him four watermelons.

Volunteers like Zhang raise money for supplies through social media. One of his chat groups is made up mostly of entrepreneurs like Liu, a tech entrepreneur in his 50s who wanted only his surname used for fear of retribution.

One of the topics the group has debated is whether it can post its fundraising statements on WeChat Moments, a social media feature similar to Facebooks timeline. China has strict rules regulating individuals raising money from the public.

The business owners in Lius group have experience dealing with the government. Some of them are wary of stepping on the toes of public health authorities, who can go after them for any potential violation of public fundraising rules.

If they have to stay clear of a very murky line, Liu argued, they probably wont be able to do anything.

Human lives should come above everything else, he said.

Li Yuan c.2020 The New York Times Company
reports that the US will start requiring five Chinese state-run media entities with US operations to register their employees and US properties with the State Department.According to two senior state department officials, the decision was made because China has been tightening state control over its media and president Xi Jinping has made more aggressive use of them to spread pro-Beijing propaganda.The State Department informed the five entities of its decision by letter on Tuesday, the official said. The Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Read the full report here
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath created a controversy on Wednesday in the Uttar Pradesh assembly by saying that not much could be done to save someone who was intent on dying.

His comments came in the context of the opposition parties raising the issue of 24 people dying in anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in the state in December.

Agar koi marne ke liye aa raha hai to woh zinda kahan se ho jayega [If someone is coming with the intention to die, then how will that person remain alive], he said.

He also repeated an initial claim the states police has since walked away from -- that none of the protestors died from police firing.

When someone comes out on the street with the intention to shoot people, then he dies or the policeman dies, the chief minister said, speaking on the motion of thanks to governor Anandiben Patels joint address to the legislative assembly and legislative council.

Leader of Samajwadi Party legislature party Ram Govind Chaudhary said, under democracy people have rights to organize protest and demonstration on the public issues. The Samajwadi Party has raised the issue of police atrocities on the protestors on the floor of the assembly. Instead of ordering inquiry and taking action against the policemen the Chief Minister is provoking them to suppress the agitation, he said.

Leader of Bahujan Samaj Party, Lalji Verma said, Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath statement against the anti-CAA protest on the floor of the legislative assembly was irresponsible. It clearly shows that state government is functioning in authoritarian manner. Rather than holding talks with the protestors the state government is threatening to suppress them. The Allahabad High Court has issued notice to the state government over the police atrocities as well, he said.

Alleging that people involved in violence during the anti-CAA protest enjoyed political protection, he said children of a senior opposition leader also joined the mob that raised anti-India slogans. His reference was to Samajwadi Party chief Akilesh Yadavs daughters presence at an anti-CAA rally in Lucknow.

Azaadi (freedom) slogans were raised by the protesters. The people know what azaadi they want. The protesters wished to realise the dream of Jinnah whereas we have work to fulfil the dreams of Gandhi, he said.

Hitting out at the Opposition in his two-hour-long speech, Adityanath said the state government was not against demonstrations as long as they are peaceful. He claimed the anti-CAA protests in the state were planned.

Asserting that the state has not witnessed communal violence since the BJP came to power in 2017, he said, If anyone tries to vitiate the atmosphere then we will reply them to in their language [wah jis bhasa mein samjhega, us bhasha main samjhayenge].

The Popular Front of India (PFI), an avatar of the banned SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) was funding the protest, he said, adding that the Opposition parties should not have sympathy for anti-national elements.

Adityanath said he failed to understand why there were protests against the CAA.

What is wrong with the Act? The BJP has not drafted CAA, but the Act was framed in 1955 after the Nehru-Liyaqat pact. The Partition pained people and a large population suffered, he said.

The act fast-tracks Indian citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from three Muslim-majority countries, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. It has provoked protests across the country and also been legally challenged. In the North-east the protests are from the fear that the act will legitimise the claims of outsiders. Elsewhere, people are protesting the laws non-inclusive and non-secular nature. Some of the protests are also because of the suspicion that the government will use the CAA in tandem with a National Register of Citizens. An NRC in Assam left out 1.9 million people, both Hindus and Muslims, and in that state the CAA is seen as a way out for the Hindus left out of the list. The government has since clarified that there are no immediate plans for a nationwide NRC.

Earlier, the Opposition parties demanded a judicial probe by the sitting judge of the Supreme Court or high court into the violence during anti-CAA and alleged police atrocities on the protesters.

Leader of opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary (Samajwadi Party) said 24 innocent people were killed in police firing in various districts.

Anti-social elements joined the protesters and indulged in violence, he said, adding that sit-in protests have continued for over a month but no one from the state government held talks with the protesters.

Public interest litigation petitions that alleged police atrocities during the anti- CAA protests will be taken up in the Allahabad high court on March 18.

In a hearing on February 17, the state government told the high court that 22 people died during the anti-CAA violence in the state. FIRs were lodged against 883 people on the charge of arson and destroying public property.

The state government provided the figures to a high court bench comprising chief justice Govind Mathur and justice Siddhartha Varma hearing a bunch of petitions against police action during the anti-CAA protests.

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Andy Parker, activist, author, and father of slain journalist Alison Parker, will announce a new FTC filing in his case against Google, at a National Press Club Headliners newsmaker event Thursday, February 20 at 10:00 a.m.

Parker's daughter Alison was 24 years old and working as a journalist with CBS affiliate WDBJ in Roanoke, VA when she was assassinated on live TV by a disgruntled former co-worker. The murderer filmed the killing and then posted that video to YouTube before taking his own life. That video has been viewed and shared tens of thousands of times, with some consumers reposting, editing, and using the video to harass and threaten Parker and his family.

In the four years since the shooting, Parker has attempted to get the videos of his daughter's murder removed from YouTube. Google, YouTube's parent company, originally instructed Parker to search for and review each video of his daughter's death and flag the specific portion of the video that violates the company's terms and conditions. In more recent communications with Parker and his legal team, Google cited Section 230 of the CDA as grounds to claim that they are not legally required to remove the content.

Parker will be joined by Spencer Myers, Rachel Guy, and Aderson Francois of the Georgetown University Law Center's Civil Rights Clinic, who represent him in this matter.

This press conference will take place in the Club's Bloomberg Room, and is open to credentialed media and members of the National Press Club free of charge, with advance registration required. Please email the National Press Club's Lindsay Underwood to register.

The National Press Club is located on the 13th Floor of the National Press Building at 529 14th St., NW, Washington, D.C.

Press Contact: Lindsay Underwood for the National Press Club; [email protected] , (202) 662-7561.

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Columbia, CA  Two men and a woman were handcuffed after a probation compliance check uncovered drugs and evidence of their sales.

Members of the Tuolumne County High-Risk Supervision Team knocked on the door of the home of 29-year-old James Romano and 24-year-old Jalynne Castro, located in 23000 block of Italian Bar Road in Columbia recently. Both were on probation. Also, at the home was 28-year-old Wayne Stuckey of Sonora.

A search of the property was conducted by deputies that found methamphetamine, heroin, prescription pills and other evidence related to drug sales. Romano, Castro, and Stuckey were all arrested without incident. They were booked into the Tuolumne County Jail for possession of narcotics and methamphetamine for sales while operating a drug house and conspiracy to commit a crime. All three were each given a $20,000 bond.

In January of 2017, Romano was arrested for felony evading after leading deputies on a chase in the Jamestown area, as reported here. That same year in February, as detailed here, Castro was also arrested after a traffic stop where she was a passenger in the vehicle and admitted to having illegal weapons and drug paraphernalia for marijuana and meth.
FLORENCE, Ore. -- A dispatch record from Oregon State Police describes a fatal shooting in the Florence area as an attempted "murder and suicide."

Trooper Sheets responded to 90826 Southview Lane at 6:23 a.m. on Tuesday.

RELATED: ONE DEAD AFTER SHOOTING IN FLORENCE AREA

Sheets said he found "the husband" in bed with a gunshot wound to the back of the neck. A female, whom Sheets described as the "shooter," was dead in bed next to him.

The Lane County Sheriff's Office said the woman was 71 and the injured man was 75.

Sheets said the husband was taken to Peace Harbor Hospital in Florence.

"There is a lot of heartache involved, a lot of wishes for prayers for the family members, and it's just a really hard thing," said Florence resident Linda Adcox. "It's never good when something like this happens so close to home."
More than a year after she testified at a state legislative hearing about accusing an adviser to Gov. Phil Murphy of rape, Katie Brennan is proposing more than two dozen ways New Jersey can reform its policies to treat sexual assault victims more fairly.

Brennan released a list of 27 proposed changes to state laws and regulations Tuesday that would overhaul how sexual assault allegations are handled by police, prosecutors, judges, political campaigns and employers.

Since the day I came forward about my own experience, Ive said that justice in my own case would only be a partial step  and that what we truly need is an overhaul of the systems that have failed me and so many other victims, Brennan said.

Brennan and her attorney, Katy McClure, said they plan to present the list of reforms at the next public meeting of the newly-formed Workgroup on Harassment, Assault and Misogyny in New Jersey Politics in March.

The workgroup was founded by state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, last month in response to an NJ Advance Media report on sexual harassment and sexual assault in New Jersey politics. The group is looking for ways to improve the toxic culture for women in politics.

I have completed extensive research over several months to compile these recommended reforms, and I hope legislators, the workgroup and the Murphy administration will give them the strong consideration they are due. Their implementation will help ensure that no one ever has to go through the pain, trauma and lack of justice that I have endured," Brennan said.

Brennan, a volunteer on the Murphy campaign, said she was raped by former campaign adviser Albert Alvarez in 2017. The accusation, made public in 2018, and allegations of an ensuing cover-up led to legislative hearings and a scathing legislative report detailing the ways Brennans case was mishandled.

Alvarez denied any wrongdoing, was never arrested and two county prosecutors who reviewed the case declined to prosecute. He resigned from his state job.

Brennan, now chief of staff to the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, filed suit against Alvarez and the state last year alleging the Murphy campaign and the state failed to properly investigate her case.

Among the reforms Brennan is proposing:

Require training every two years for prosecutors, police and judges on how to interact with victims of trauma, including sexual assault victims.

Require prosecutors to send a written letter and meet with alleged sexual assault victims before they announce they are declining to prosecute a case.

Police would be required to review any police report about a sexual assault with the alleged victim before it is filed. Victims should also be given a packet of information, including details about their legal rights, access to victims advocates and a phone number to call for updates on their case.

Create a statewide portal where sexual assault victims can report inappropriate comments or conduct by judges, prosecutors, police, forensic nurse examiners and advocates. A portal could also be used for people to report sexual harassment and sexual assault by elected officials, police officers, doctors and others in power.

Implement new rules for political campaigns that will require training for all staff and volunteers on sexual harassment. New procedures should be created for victims to file complaints either to a campaign official on large campaigns or a statewide hotline or ombudsman on smaller campaigns.

Brennan attended the first meeting of the Workgroup on Harassment, Assault and Misogyny in New Jersey Politics in Fort Lee earlier this month. But she did not speak. Several women came forward to share their experiences with sexual harassment and misogyny in politics and government.

The Murphy administration also separately proposed reforms Tuesday for how sexual harassment is handled in public and private workplaces.

Murphy said he would support new laws to require all employers to provide anti-harassment training developed by the state. The Democratic governor also said he would sign legislation that one act of sexual harassment would be enough for someone to file a complaint, even if there is no physical contact.

Tell us your experiences with allegations of sexual harassment in New Jersey: Heres how to share your story.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook.
A person diagnosed with the new coronavirus has been isolated in a Napa County hospital, public health officials said Tuesday.

The individual tested positive for coronavirus in Japan, where he or she was quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship before being flown to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, according to a news release from Napa County officials. The patient, who has not experienced symptoms, is under isolation in Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa.

A second cruise ship passenger, who tested negative for coronavirus in Japan but is experiencing symptoms of infection, is at the same hospital. That case is still under investigation.

The individuals are not residents of Napa County. Officials did not say where they are from or provide other information about them.

The new case brings to five the number of people treated for the new coronavirus in the Bay Area. Two people tested positive in Santa Clara County and a couple from San Benito County who were infected were moved to UCSF for treatment.

All of the Bay Area people who have tested positive were infected outside the United States except for the woman in San Benito County, whose husband had recently been to China and was infected there before passing the virus to her.

Dr. Karen Relucio, Napa County public health officer, said in a statement that the individuals at Queen of the Valley are receiving medical care and testing in isolation.

There is minimal risk for Napa County residents from the arrival of these two patients at the Queen of the Valley, she said.

The hospital is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and county health officials, said Dr. Amy Herold, chief medical officer at Queen of the Valley.

Our hospital is equipped to handle the virus. Our caregivers are well prepared; they have received training, have practiced for these scenarios and are wearing protective equipment to minimize their risk of exposure. No hospital operations are impacted, Herold said in a statement.

On Sunday, 178 people arrived at Travis after being evacuated from the cruise ship, said Jason McDonald, a CDC spokesman. Ten of those people were sent to Bay Area hospitals with symptoms, and six were sent to the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

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.

All of the hospitalized patients are undergoing CDC testing for the new coronavirus, McDonald said. He added that anyone who tested positive for the virus outside the United States will need to be retested by the CDC to confirm the diagnosis.

Federal authorities said Monday that 14 cruise ship passengers who were tested in Japan learned they were positive while in transit to the United States. It wasnt clear Tuesday if those passengers were part of the groups being treated in Nebraska and the Bay Area.

In all, 328 Americans on the cruise ship, which had been stranded off the shore of Japan since Feb. 4 after infected individuals were found onboard, have been flown back to the U.S. They will be quarantined for 14 days at either Travis or a military base in Texas.

Worldwide, the coronavirus, which causes an illness called COVID-19, has killed more than 2,000 and sickened upward of 75,000 as of Tuesday. The vast majority of cases and deaths are in mainland China.

There have been 15 cases reported in the United States, not including any of the cruise ship passengers who arrived on Monday.

Anna Bauman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: anna.bauman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @abauman2
BEIJING - China revoked the press credentials of three reporters for The Wall Street Journal over a headline for an opinion column the government said Wednesday was racist.

The expulsions come after the Trump administration on Tuesday designated five state-run Chinese news outlets that operate in the United States as foreign missions, requiring them to register their properties and employees in the U.S. China said it reserves the right to respond to what it called a mistaken policy.

The headline on the Journals opinion column referred to the current virus outbreak in China and called the country the Real Sick Man of Asia.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the Feb. 3 op-ed by Bard College Professor Walter Russel Mead smears the efforts of the Chinese government and people on fighting (the virus) epidemic.

The editors used such a racially discriminatory title, triggering indignation and condemnation among the Chinese people and the international community, he said in a statement.

He said the expulsions came after the Journal refused demands to make an official apology and hold the persons involved accountable.

The term sick man of Asia was originally used to describe China more than a century ago when it suffered internal divisions and was forced to accept unequal treaties with Western powers.

Like most foreign media, The Wall Street Journal is unavailable within China and its website and stories are blocked by online censors.

Wall Street Journal Publisher William Lewis said in an emailed statement that the company is deeply disappointed with the reporters expulsion. Lewis reiterated the separation between the newspapers News and Opinion departments.

This opinion piece was published independently from the WSJ newsroom and none of the journalists being expelled had any involvement with it, Lewis said in his statement. The need for quality, trusted news reporting from China is greater than ever; todays decision to target our News department journalists greatly hinders that effort.

Lewis also said it was not the papers intention to cause offence with the headline.

However, this has clearly caused upset and concern amongst the Chinese people, which we regret, he said.

The Foreign Correspondents Club of China issued a statement expressing deep concern and strong condemnation of the Chinese move.

The action taken against The Journal correspondents is an extreme and obvious attempt by the Chinese authorities to intimidate foreign news organizations by taking retribution against their China-based correspondents, the statement said. It said the expulsions are the latest case of growing harassment, surveillance and intimidation from authorities.

China has in recent years refused to issue or renew credentials for foreign journalists, but this is the first time in decades that it has actually revoked their documents, effectively expelling them from the country.

That reflects a new hard line in foreign affairs in which China has sought to exact economic and diplomatic costs from companies and countries that dont follow its policies over Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, human rights and other sensitive issues.

President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has repeatedly stated that China will make no concessions when it comes to national territory, sovereignty or dignity.

In one recent case, China cut commercial ties with the National Basketball Association after an official with the Houston Rockets team tweeted support for Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters whom China has derided as separatists.

The Journal identified the three journalists as Deputy Bureau Chief Josh Chin and reporter Chao Deng, who are both Americans, and reporter Philip Wen, an Australian. They have been given five days to leave the country, according to Jonathan Cheng, the Journals China bureau chief.

Last fall, Chinese authorities declined to renew the press credentials of Beijing-based Journal reporter Chun Han Wong, a Singaporean, one month after he and another Journal reporter wrote a story detailing an Australian investigation into the alleged links of Xis cousin to high-stakes gambling, money laundering and suspected organized crime.

We resolutely oppose certain foreign journalists evil intention to smear and attack China, Chinas foreign ministry said in a response to questions about Wongs status at that time.

Following the publication of Meads opinion column this month, a foreign ministry spokeswoman lashed out at him, saying he should be ashamed of your words, your arrogance, your prejudice and your ignorance.

In an opinion piece on its website, the Global Times newspaper published by the ruling Communist Party said the expulsions and Washingtons actions against the five Chinese media outlets were not entirely coincidental and implied a strong connection between the two.

Taken together, they reflect that the ideological clash between the U.S. and China is intensifying, the newspaper said.

Washington said it determined the five outlets are directly controlled by the Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party, according to two State Department officials.

The five are Chinas official Xinhua News Agency, China Global Television Network, China Radio International, the China Daily Distribution Corporation, which distributes the newspaper of the same name, and Hai Tian Development USA, which distributes the Peoples Daily newspaper, the officials said.

Xinhua and China Global Television were directed two years ago by the Justice Department to register as foreign agents in the United States, although it is not clear if either ever did. Several Russian news outlets, including the Russia Today television network, face similar directions from the Justice Department.

Chinas foreign ministry responded to the move by demanding the U.S. immediately cease its wrongful actions and said it reserves the right to make a further response.
Mark Zuckerberg has been on a road trip of sorts to promote Facebook's idea for how to regulate the tech industry. Interestingly, most of those regulations conveniently match Facebook's practices, meaning they would have no tangible effect on how the company operates.

Facebook has released a white paper on the subject, which includes steps the company believes governments should take regarding user privacy, stating that the company has "therefore joined the call for new regulatory frameworks for online content."

The company's proposal concludes by essentially positioning itself as the good guy in conversations around privacy and regulation:

"We hope that this paper contributes to the ongoing conversations among policymakers and other stakeholders. These are challenging issues, and sustainable solutions will require collaboration. As we learn more from interacting with experts and refining our approach to content moderation, our thinking about the best ways to regulate will continue to evolve. We welcome feedback on the issues discussed in this paper."

Reuters is reporting that the European Union (EU) has already shared its feedback and that it isn't interested at all in Facebook's perspective on the matter. EU industry commissioner Thierry Breton told Reuters that "It's not for us to adapt to this company, it's for this company to adapt to us,"

This a bit of a "pot calling the kettle black" moment, with Facebook, arguably the company most in need of regulation, proposing said regulation in a way that essentially exempts it from any further regulation. (Yes, I just used that word far too many times in one sentence, if only to stress how absurd the entire thing really is.)

Of course, in a way, it's perfectly on brand for Facebook and Zuckerberg. I wrote last month about Facebook's assertion that everything it does is built with "privacy by design." When a representative from the company said that phrase out loud, the audience actually laughed.

No one outside of Facebook believes the company does anything with privacy by design. Instead, everything it does seems to be with only one design: profit. I mean, to its credit, it's very good at making those profit as the world's second-largest advertising platform, behind only Google.

And it's those profits that have Facebook's CEO traveling across the globe to steer the conversation around regulation. Zuckerberg doesn't really want tech companies to be regulated, but if it's going to happen, he wants to set the terms. And those terms are going to essentially outline exactly how Facebook already behaves, and force other companies to play by its rules.

Tech companies are facing increased scrutiny on several fronts, including how they handle personal data of users, as well as anti-competition concerns. In many cases, Facebook has been at the top of the list of targets for investigation and regulation.

Just in the past year, the company agreed to a $5 billion settlement over privacy violations, and another $550 million settlement with Illinois residents to end a class-action lawsuit over its facial-recognition technology.
One in two aspiring teachers are failing to finish their degree within six years, and the number of students accepted into education courses with ATARs lower than 50 has grown fivefold over the past decade.

Yet many of those studying teaching are of an "unknown academic standard" because they are not using an ATAR or past study results to enter the degree, a report by Sydney University academic Rachel Wilson has found.

However, universities say Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks for teaching degrees will not rise until the profession is held in higher regard.

Half of the students studying education at university do not finish their degrees within six years, a report has found.

Dr Wilson, whose study, The Profession at Risk, was commissioned by the NSW Teachers Federation, found 65 per cent of students who began their undergraduate degree in 2005 finished within six years.
By Paul Sandle in London, Alexander Cornwell, Reuters | Feb. 19, 2020

Qatar Airways has bought a US$600 million stake in British Airways-owner IAG to increase its holding to 25.1%, advancing its strategy of building a global portfolio of international carriers.

In an endorsement of the Anglo-Spanish group just weeks before its founder Willie Walsh steps down, Qatar said that increasing its stake was evidence of its support for the company and its strategy.

Qatar previously held 21.4% of IAG, which also owns Spanish carriers Iberia and Vueling and Ireland's Aer Lingus. IAG's share price has risen by 52% in the last six months.

The state-owned Qatar Airways, one of the Middle East's biggest, has said its investments in other carriers were mostly for financial purposes.

It bought some of its holdings after the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia banned it from their airspace after a regional political dispute, which Qatar Airways has blamed for its recent losses.

It has minority holdings in international carriers Cathay Pacific and China Southern, and said earlier this month it was interested in doubling its holding in LATAM Airlines Group to 20% and was in talks to buy a 49% stake in Africa's RwandAir. The airline also owns 49% of Air Italy, whose investors this month said was being placed into liquidation because of "persistent and structural market problems".

IAG was created by a merger between the British and Spanish flag carriers in 2011, overseen by Walsh, who will step down next month.

Luis Gallego, who was led Iberia since 2014, will succeed Walsh, an appointment that analysts said signaled little change of direction for the group.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: "Our investment to date has been highly successful and the announced increase in our shareholding is evidence of our continued support of IAG and its strategy."

The cost of increasing its IAG holding is 465 million pounds (US$604 million), based on the closing price of IAG's shares on Tuesday.

Qatar first invested in IAG in 2015, buying 9.99% of the company, and has steadily increased it since then.
Howard Brown has seen gay men who requested pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP  medication that prevents people from getting HIV  but didnt get it because they were told it was only for promiscuous people. And Howard Brown has seen transgender patients who described past experiences at other clinics where staff members were invited into the room to see their genitals, he said.
According to Dr. Doucette, anorexia continues to be a difficult-to-treat disorder and RODBT offers a new approach to treatment.

Radically Open DBT (RODBT), a new, transdiagnostic treatment that targets maladaptive overcontrolled coping, will be the featured discussion on opening day of the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp) 2020 Symposium, scheduled for March 26  29 at the Omni at ChampionsGate in Orlando.

Wear a Hawaiian Shirt and Eat Dessert First! Introduction to and Lessons from RODBT: A Novel Treatment for Eating Disorders, presented by Danielle Doucette, PsyD, CEDS and Abigail Brown, PsyD, will be one of more than 70 presentations and workshops during the iaedp 35th annual conference.

During the discussion scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, Drs. Doucette and Brown will address how eating disorders, in particular, anorexia nervosa, are often accompanied by excessive overcontrolled (OC) coping strategies, loneliness and isolation.

Rigid rule-governed behaviors, a restricted range of emotions, a need for sameness and risk aversion are not uncommon in this population. These features require specific interventions because they impact not only ones relationship to food, but also ones interpersonal relationships. Treatment requires an approach different from traditional impulse control strategies often taught to individuals with eating disorders.

According to Dr. Doucette, while those strategies have been found to be effective in treating bulimia nervosa or binge-eating disorder, those difficulties tend to be less associated with excessive overcontrol, found in anorexia nervosa. Anorexia continues to be a difficult-to-treat disorder and RODBT offers a new approach to treatment.

Dr. Doucette is a Clinical Psychologist and Director of Eating Disorder Treatment at Midwest Counseling and Diagnostics in Chicago. She has earned the designation of a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and is trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention and Radically-Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Dr. Doucette has completed an intensive training with the treatment developer of RODBT and receives supervision from an RODBT-approved supervisor to ensure that she is adherent to the treatment.

Dr. Brown is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, specializing in eating disorders, anxiety, depression and body image concerns. She practices at Cityscape Counseling in Chicago and Evanston. Dr. Brown earned her doctorate from Adler University. She has received intensive training in Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (RODBT) and is a 2019 recipient of an RODBT Clinical Scholar Award in order to further advance her RODBT training.

More information about this and other presentations, as well as events, at the 2020 iaedp Symposium can be found at iaedp.com.

About the iaedp Foundation: Since 1985, the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals has provided education and training standards to an international and multidisciplinary group of various healthcare treatment providers and helping professions. MemberSHARE.iaedp.com is an iaedp business journal and online member resource to learn about noteworthy member achievements, continuing education webinars and U.S. and international chapter activity and events; for more information, visit MemberSHARE.

The Presidents Council provides iaedp support and includes: Center for Change; Center for Hope of the Sierras; Center for Discovery; Eating Recovery Center; Willow Place; Laureate Eating Disorders Program; McCallum Place Eating Disorder Centers; The Meadows Ranch; Rogers Behavioral Health; Rosewood Centers for Eating Disorders; Selah House; The Renfrew Center; Timberline Knolls; Veritas Collaborative; Alsana Eating Disorder Treatment & Recovery Centers; Silver Hill Hospital and Walden Behavioral Care.

The 2020 iaedp Symposium is proud to announce Bronze Sponsors: ViaMar Health, Eating Disorder Recovery Specialists, Simple Practice, Transcend ED, Fairwinds Treatment Center and Monecatini.
Attorney General William Barr is taking aim at a legal shield enjoyed by companies such as Alphabet Inc.s Google and Facebook Inc. as the provision comes under increasing fire from both liberals and conservatives.

Barr has accused social media companies of hiding behind a clause that gives them immunity from lawsuits while their platforms carry material that promotes illicit and immoral conduct and suppresses conservative opinions.

The attorney general convened a workshop Wednesday, featuring many of the tech companies critics, to explore potential changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which was passed in 1996 and has been credited with allowing the then-fledgling internet to flourish.

The Justice Department is concerned about the expansive reach of 230 immunity, Barr said in his opening remarks. But were not here to take a position, were here to convene a discussion.

Barr said 230 liability is relevant to the Justice Departments ability to combat lawless spaces online. He could instruct his Justice Department to explore ways to limit the provision, which protects internet companies from liability for user-generated content.

The technology platforms warn that any changes in their legal shield could fundamentally alter their business models and force them to review every post, making it impossible for all but the biggest companies to operate.

Barr and lawmakers from both political parties have blamed Section 230s sweeping legal protections for allowing what they see as irresponsible behavior by the big technology companies.

Earlier: Justice Department Eyes Changes to Legal Shield Prized by Tech

The shield has allowed internet giants to absolve themselves completely of responsibility for policing their platforms, while blocking or removing third-party speech  including political speech  selectively, and with impunity, Barr said in a December speech to a gathering of state attorneys general.

FBI Director Christopher Wray is also addressing the workshop, along with a range of lawyers, academics, child advocates, tech critics, and trade groups. Some of the speakers, such as a representative from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, have expressed concerns about how the law is currently written, or called for changes.

Others argue that the law should be left alone, including the Computer & Communications Industry Association, a tech trade group that counts Google and Facebook as members. The Justice Department also plans to host private listening sessions.

Representatives from Google and Facebook didnt respond to questions about whether theyd received invitations. A spokeswoman for Twitter Inc. declined to comment.

Liberal groups say internet platforms dont do enough to stop the spread of hate speech or police political disinformation from foreign and domestic operatives. Conservatives say the tech companies censor right-wing viewpoints.

Both groups seek changes to the shield that would increase companies liability as a solution. Lawmakers and tech policy experts from both sides of the aisle worry about childrens safety online as well as drug sales, harassment and stalking, among other issues.

A lot of people are angry for different reasons at the large platforms, said Jeff Kosseff, a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy who has written a history of the law and is also scheduled to address the workshop. Section 230 is a pretty attractive proxy for that anger.

While the Justice Department can make recommendations, only Congress can change the law. Some legal experts say they are perplexed by the departments role in the Section 230 debate, which doesnt tie the governments hands in prosecuting violations of criminal law.

DOJ is in a weird position to be convening a roundtable on a topic that isnt in their wheelhouse, said Eric Goldman, a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law and longtime defender of Section 230, who is also set to speak.

Lawmakers are exploring an array of possible changes to the law, looking to use it to make companies police content in a politically neutral manner, rein in use of the shield by short-term home-rental companies or protect voters from misinformation. Democratic presidential hopefuls including former Vice President Joe Biden have weighed in with calls to repeal or change the law.

When it comes to cases where online material exploits children, a draft bill from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a top Trump ally, would only allow the companies to keep the liability shield if they follow a set of best practices. For example, they would be required to report and delete the material, but also preserve it for law enforcement. Critics worry that the measure would also undermine encrypted communications because encoded platforms cant see what material the law would prompt them to report.

In 2018, in the first successful effort to chip away at the shield, Congress eliminated the liability protection for companies that knowingly facilitate online sex trafficking.

The critics propose a range of changes  from raising the bar on which companies can have the shield, to carving out other laws, to repealing Section 230 entirely. Uniting them, however, is the belief that the provision enables an online environment rife with political misinformation, drug dealing, child abuse and other ills.

Technology companies counter that Section 230 allows social media startups to flourish because they dont have to monitor postings and protects free speech. It also fosters their efforts to remove offensive content because the law allows them to take down material without facing penalties.

Section 230 encourages services to fight misconduct and protect users from online harms by removing disincentives to moderate abusive behavior, Matt Schruers, the president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, said in an excerpt from his prepared remarks.

David Chavern, president of the News Media Alliance, a trade group representing publishers, doesnt favor repealing the law but proposes limiting the exemption for just the very largest companies, who both derive the most benefits from Section 230 and have the greatest capacities to take legal responsibility, according to a copy of his remarks obtained by Bloomberg.

Chaverns group blames the advertising practices of Google and Facebook for the decline of journalism and advocates for policies to rebalance the relationship.

With assistance from Naomi Nix.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
The Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo has appointed Quentin Skip Lockwood III as its interim executive director while it embarks on a national search for a new President and CEO.

The non-profit partner of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo is seeking a new leader after former Friends President and CEO Janet Agostini retired after 13 years at its helm early this year.

Friends of the Zoo Board Chair Heidi Holtz said Lockwood was the boards first choice for an interim because he has many years of experience with non-profits and is skilled at leading organizations through transition periods.

Skip has a reputation for uniting and motivating the staff and board members of non-profits to accomplish ambitious goals, Holtz said. We know he will go beyond the task of launching a national search for a new leader and will also do some serious leading in the interim.

Friends of the Zoo is the non-profit partner of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo that manages business operations and financially supports the zoo by raising funds and awareness of the zoo as a civic gem and top tier zoo in the nation. It was founded as a small group of zoo supporters in 1970, and is marking its 50th year this year.

Lockwood has inherited a couple of capital projects including the Friends of the Zoos construction of a new habitat for the zoos Amur leopards and a new Animal Health Center to start construction this year.

Lockwood, a native of North Syracuse, is a graduate of William Jewell College in Liberty, MO, where he was an Oxbridge Honors student who spent his junior year at Cambridge University in England undertaking honors studies in history, geography and political science.

He then earned his masters degree in American Government from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He ran his own consulting firm in Washington, D.C. providing government relations services relative to the evolving legal framework around the then-new Internet to corporations, nonprofits, academic organizations, trade associations, and consumer groups.

In 2001, he was tapped to lead a nearly bankrupt cancer nonprofit, ZERO  The End of Prostate Cancer  and transformed it into an award-winning, multimillion dollar, best-in-class organization while serving as President and CEO five years, COO four years, Board member four years, and Chairman of the Board two years.

He now owns and operates a boutique consulting firm  QL3 Strategies -- that provides nonprofits with the technical, ethical, strategic, and operational expertise necessary for fulfilling their missions.

Lockwood said he jumped at the chance to help Friends of the Zoo transition to new leadership, and that his three sons  a 7-year-old and 5-year-old twins  are jealous of his zoo gig.

While he has no prior zoo experience, Lockwood said he and his wife, Julie, care for many pets including a pencil urchin, two clownfish, a guinea pig named Snickers, a parakeet, three chickens, one guinea hen, a turkey named Tom and a Golden retriever named Piper.

Lockwood and his family reside in Skaneateles.
On a recent blustery weekend, the gallerist Robert Diament and the actor Russell Tovey, co-hosts of the British podcast Talk Art, had a deliberately untouristy agenda as they darted between three New York boroughs: recording upcoming episodes of their show, which has become one of the fastest-growing art-focused podcasts on the internet.

Since its first episode in October 2018, Talk Art has steadily built up a substantial following, with more than half a million downloads. But in spite of that popularity  and prestigious guests like the curator Hans Ulrich Obrist and artists such as Grayson Perry, Vik Muniz, and Toyin Ojih Odutola  the program has lost none of its initial unaffected, homespun feel. Mr. Diament, 39, and Mr. Tovey, 38, interview their guests with a wide-eyed gusto, whether they are captivated by gallery owner Sadie Coles talking about working with John Currin, or are listening intently to how Tracey Emins grief over her mothers death inspired her recent show at White Cube in London.

The pair will be recording more episodes here over the next few months. Mr. Tovey is currently in New York to perform in a Broadway production of Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf that opens in April. Mr. Diament is planning several visits for podcast tapings; in May, his trip will include recording three episodes in front of an audience at Symphony Space.

Although hes not an art world professional, Mr. Tovey has been a passionate collector ever since he earmarked part of his pay from the 2006 film The History Boys to buy a print by Ms. Emin, who later became one of Talk Arts first guests.
Concerns are mounting about how long the novel coronavirus may survive on surfacesso much so that Chinas central bank has taken measures to deep clean and destroy its cash, which changes hands multiple times a day, in an effort to contain the virus.

It is unknown exactly how long the novel coronavirus can linger on contaminated surfaces and objects with the potential of infecting people, but some researchers are finding clues by studying the elusive behaviors of other coronaviruses.

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses common among animals. In rare cases, they are what scientists call zoonotic, meaning they can be transmitted from animals to humans, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Officials do not know what animal may have caused the current outbreak of novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. But previously, studies have suggested that people were infected with the coronavirus MERS, or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, after coming in contact with camels, and scientists have suspected that civet cats were to blame for SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

These human coronaviruses, such as SARS and MERS, have been found to persist on inanimate surfacesincluding metal, glass or plastic surfacesfor as long as nine days if that surface had not been disinfected, according to research published earlier this month in The Journal of Hospital Infection.

Cleaning with common household products can make a difference, according to the research, which also found that human coronaviruses can be efficiently inactivated by surface disinfection procedures with 6271 percent ethanol, 0.5 percent hydrogen peroxide or 0.1 percent sodium hypochlorite or bleach within one minute.

The new research involved analyzing 22 previously published studies on coronaviruses, which researchers hope can help provide insight into the novel coronavirus.

Based on the current available data, I would primarily rely on the data from SARS coronavirus, which is the closest relative to the novel coronaviruswith 80 percent sequence similarityamong the coronaviruses tested. For SARS coronavirus, the range of persistence on surfaces was less than five minutes to nine days, said Dr. Charles Chiu, an infectious disease professor at the University of California, San Francisco, and director of the USCF-Abbott Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center, who was not involved in the new study.

However, it is very difficult to extrapolate these findings to the novel coronavirus due to the different strains, viral titers and environmental conditions that were tested in the various studies and the lack of data on the novel coronavirus itself, he said. More research using cultures of the novel coronavirus are needed to establish the duration that it can survive on surfaces.

The CDC has noted that coronaviruses are thought to spread most often by respiratory droplets, such as droplets in a cough or sneeze, and coronaviruses in general have poor survivability on surfacesbut there is still much to learn about the novel coronavirus disease, named COVID-19.

It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, according to the CDCs website.

While there are some similarities between other coronaviruses and the novel coronavirus, there are some differences emerging, too.

Remain informed, but do not panic, Chiu said.

If you do have concerns, my recommendations would be frequent hand-washing, avoiding contact with people who are sick, follow home quarantine recommendations according to the latest public health agency guidelines if you have recently traveled from China or were in contact with a known or suspected infected patient, he said.

According to the CDC, the flu virus can live on some surfaces for as long as 48 hours and potentially infect someone if the surface has not been cleaned and disinfected.

The-CNN-Wire

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Hitting out at the Centre for making elaborate arrangements for United States President Donald Trump's first visit to India, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday asked what is the need of congregating 70 lakh people to welcome Trump.

The Congress leader said, "Is Trump God that 70 lakh people will gather around to welcome him. He is coming here for his own interests. Trump is not doing the trade deal. He just wants to work for the benefit of America and is not coming to make us happy... (Trump kya Bhagwan hai kya? 7 million log khada karne ki kya zaroorat hai? Vo trade deal nai kar raha hai, uske liye America first hai, vo sirf America ka dhandha karna chahta hai, hamko khush karne nahi aa raha)".

US President Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump will be visiting India on February 24 and 25.

On his first day, he will visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat and take part in a roadshow with Prime Minister Modi. He will also address the Indian crowd at the "Namaste Trump" event in Ahmedabad.

This will also be the first visit of a US president to Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati situated in Gujarat.

Chowdhury also slammed Union Minister Piyush Goyal for alleging that the 'Congress tried to raise the false bogey of Hindu terror' post 26/11' and said, "There was a different background when 'Hindu terror' word was coined. Mecca Masjid blast had taken place and Pragya Thakur, others were arrested then. Terrorists always camouflage. They do not carry out attacks with their actual identity.

"It was the UPA government which revealed everything about the attack. Ajmal Kasab was later hanged during UPA rule," he added.
The total number of infected onboard the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess has risen to 621 after Japan recently announced 79 more confirmed cases on the ship. According to reports, Japan's health ministry was carrying out tests on passengers and crews that are quarantined on board the ship. The Diamond Princess is currently docked in Yokohoma, a port city close to Tokyo and the passengers on the cruise ship began leaving after being tested negative for the coronavirus.

According to reports, around 500 passengers were allowed to leave the ship after the 14-day quarantine period came to an end. The passengers leaving the ship also received an official certificate stating that the concerned individuals did not pose any threat and had tested negative for the infection of the virus. As per reports, a few countries were also not happy with the quarantine process onboard the Diamond Princess and started bringing back their citizens on board chartered planes.

READ: Chinese President Xi Jinping Calls For Greater Protection Of Medical Staff As Coronavirus Death Toll Crosses 2,000

On February 17, more than 300 US nationals were evacuated even though 14 of them had tested positive for the virus. South Korea also evacuated six citizens to Seoul. Canada, Australia, Hong Kong have also announced that they will evacuate all of their citizens from the ship.

The death toll for the novel Coronavirus has surpassed 2,000 in mainland China. Over 136 new fatalities in mainland China have been confirmed in the past 24 hours, Chinas state health committee officials confirmed. The confirmed cases of COVID-19 have soared by 1,749 and the total global figure has reached 74,185 as of February 19.

READ: Coronavirus: Govt Panel Recommends Ban On Export Of 12 Drug Formulations, Ingredients

Coronavirus cases in 20 countries

First detected in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei Province of China, the virus outbreak has now spread across 20 countries since December 2019. About 1,701 people have recovered from the disease, whereas, a total of 12,552 coronavirus patients have by now been discharged from hospitals. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dubbed the virus as COVID-19.

The death toll for n-Coronavirus has surpassed the tolls from the SARS epidemic of 2002-03. The origin of the virus has been linked to the local seafood market of Wuhan, which is the capital of Hubei province in central China. Few of the countries currently affected by the virus include Singapore, Thailand, Japan, India, and the United States.

READ: Indian On Coronavirus-hit Ship Thanks Arijit Singh For Bringing Hope Through His Songs

READ: Coronavirus Impact China''s Trade: India To Benefit In Apparel
(Natural News) Japans global suicide mission has now begun. Hours ago, Japans Ministry of Health (which should be called the Ministry of Suicide) authorized the release of thousands of cruise ship passengers onto the streets of Tokyo, even though previous testing has found that up to 26% of tested people on the ship are infected with the coronavirus.

The justification for the release was that passengers spent 14 days in quarantine on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship. However, as we have repeatedly pointed out, the Diamond Princess quarantine was a non-quarantine quarantine because passengers were sharing the same air and suffering from cross infections of the airborne coronavirus pathogen. Its not a quarantine if youre sharing air with other people in the middle of an airborne pathogen epidemic, but apparently the health officials in Japan have no clue how infectious disease really works.

Just yesterday, for example, 79 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed among the passengers, even as those very same passengers were being prepped for de-boarding, reports Channel News Asia.

An additional 79 cases of coronavirus have been reported aboard the infection-ravaged Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan  as an expert called the lack of disease control on the vessel completely chaotic,' reports NYpost.com.

The number of infections confirmed on the ship has skyrocketed to a new total of 621, even as Japan is releasing other passengers from the so-called quarantine. As NYpost.com reports:

Meanwhile, in a scathing video uploaded to YouTube Tuesday, Kentaro Iwata, an infectious disease expert at Kobe University, who spent time on board the Diamond Princess, said the vessels infection control measures leave much to be desired.

The cruise ship was completely inadequate in terms of the infection control, Iwata said. There was no distinction between the green zone, which is free of infection, and the red zone, which is potentially contaminated by the virus.

I was so scared of getting COVID-19 because theres no way to tell where the virus is, he said. No green zone, no red zone, everywhere could have the virus.

He said he also observed crew members, some wearing full protective gear and some not, wandering around and potentially cross-contaminating different areas of the vessel. Some ate lunch with their medical gloves on and used their phones while wearing their protective suits, he recalled.

Insane. But this is what we get from incompetent government health officials, which seems to be a universal phenomenon.

A giant floating incubation vessel is not a quarantine

The thousands of people being released by Japan are now moving through the Tokyo airport, boarding commercial flights and potentially contaminating thousands of other people in airports and cities all across the world. Its already too late to stop them. By the time you read this, hundreds of such passengers are probably already in the air, flying toward dozens of major cities around the world.

Its almost as if Japan wants the virus to spread.

Every doctor knows that a quarantine in which participants are allowed to cross-contaminate each other doesnt count as a quarantine. The Diamond Princess cruise ship is not a level-4 biohazard facility, and it does not have airtight rooms with sub-micron air filtration that would remove viruses from the circulating air. Cruise ships are, in fact, giant floating incubation vessels where airborne pathogens easily spread from passenger to passenger.

Thats why half of all non-China infections documented across the world have taken place on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Yet we still live in a world dominated by what I call pandemic denialists. Listen to this podcast to understand why I increasingly feel like Sarah Connor as I observe societys self-induced suicide via the coronavirus:

Dr. Anthony Fauci: The quarantine process failed people were getting infected on that ship.

If the quarantine was working, there would have been only a handful of infections on that ship. Instead, there are now over 600. By any rational standard, this proves the quarantine failed.

If you dont believe us, listen to the words of Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the NIH. On Monday, he said:

The quarantine process failed Id like to sugarcoat it and try to be diplomatic about it, but it failed. People were getting infected on that ship. Something went awry in the process of the quarantining on that ship. I dont know what it was, but a lot of people got infected on that ship.

Dr. Fauci states the obvious, which is itself an incredible accomplishment for anyone working in government. Yes, the Diamond Princess turned into a viral smorgasbord buffet and was not, amazingly, an effective level-4 biohazard quarantine containment vessel, even though various health officials liked to imagine it so.

Once again, we can state truth here over and over again, but truth doesnt seem to matter once politicians and propaganda get involved. Japan has declared all passengers to be symptom free, which means nothing when dealing with a pathogen that spreads for up to 24 days during its symptomless incubation period. Thus, declaring people to be symptom free is pointless and stupid.

2,000+ passengers to be offloaded over 72 hours

The first 500 passengers were released hours ago. Over 1,500 additional passengers are being released over the subsequent 72 hours, free to walk through the streets of Tokyo and travel on commercial flights back to their home countries. Yesterday, the CDC declared that no passengers from the Diamond Princess would be allowed to fly back to the USA until March 4th, but there are no such restrictions being announced by other nations.

This means cross-infected passengers who are currently in the asymptomatic incubation period (during which they show no symptoms) are allowed to fly to London, Toronto, Sydney, Mexico City or hundreds of other destinations around the world.

Its nothing short of a global suicide mission thats now being activated by Japan.

The consequences of this foolish decision may end up costing millions of lives around the world over the next few years.

Incompetent government officials in Florida, Washington and Hawaii are also making the same kind of negligent decisions

Japan isnt alone in its criminal negligence concerning the handling of coronavirus infections, of course. For even more accomplished incompetence and cover-ups, I give you the State of Florida, where the state Surgeon General there declared that the coronavirus wasnt airborne, making him the only health official in the world who hasnt yet learned how this pathogen spreads.

Hes also concealing the number of Floridians who have been tested for the virus, falsely claiming he cant release aggregate numbers because it would violate patient privacy. Yes, hes lying. There is no privacy violation in stating simple integers like, Yes, we tested 200 people.

In Hawaii, state health officials there are instructing potentially infected people to continue walking around society, waiting for symptoms to develop. Gotta protect tourism, right? On top of that stunning realization, Hawaiian Airlines recently announced they had flown an elderly couple that was later confirmed positive for the coronavirus. Did they bother to disinfect the airplane? Of course not. Why bother, since thousands of additional passengers have already flown on the same airplane over the subsequent days.

And in Seattle, the Washington State Dept. of Health Stupidity has publicly posted proof that they are refusing to test over 700 people for the coronavirus, even though they are high-risk individuals who recently returned from China or who came into close contact with other infected people. Its pure genius: You can achieve a zero infection rate by simply refusing to test the people who might be infected!

Hawaii, Seattle, Florida guess what all three of these places have in common? They are tourist destinations with strong tourism-oriented commercial interests to protect. In fact, the large number of tourists visiting these destination is probably how the coronavirus started spreading in these areas in the first place. After all, most of the non-China infections weve seen around the world come from tourist-oriented destinations such as ski resorts and cruise ships.

So now we enter the chapter of global government incompetence and criminal cover-ups which we are now labeling a global suicide mission of stupidity and mass death. This seems to be where our incompetent governments are leading us all.

This is certainly not a great time to take a vacation to Hawaii:

Catch more daily updates from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.
Priti Patel has been branded clueless after claiming that labour shortages caused by her tough new immigration plans could be filled by 8.5 million economically inactive people in the UK.

The home secretary was speaking as sectors from care homes to construction to farming warned that they will face difficulty recruiting enough staff after the points-based system comes into force at the end of the year.

But official figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the 8.5 million 16- to 64-year-olds currently not seeking work include around 2.3 million students and 2.1 million long-term sick, as well as more than 1.1 million who are retired and 1.9 million who are looking after their family or home. Fewer than 1.9 million of the total were recorded as wanting a job.

The IPPR think tank calculated that Ms Patels immigration plans  which replace free movement with a requirement for most migrants to have a job offer worth 25,600 or more  would rule out around 70 per cent of EU workers currently in the country, delivering a shock to key sectors of the economy.

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

Those excluded would include 90 per cent of EU nationals in the transport and storage sector, 85 per cent in hotels and restaurants, 66 per cent in health and social care and 59 per cent in construction, the think tank said.

Boris Johnson said the changes would mean the UK welcoming the best and brightest from around the world whilst maintaining full control of our borders. And Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage hailed them as a very big step in the right direction.

But Unison assistant general secretary Christina McAnea said they spelt absolute disaster for the care sector, which has not been granted an exemption from the minimum pay threshold.

And the Federation of Master Builders said closing the door on low-skill workers would stand in the way of Mr Johnson achieving his promises of massive infrastructure investment and 1 million new homes. Brian Berry, the trade associations chief executive, said: Its simply unrealistic to assume the domestic workforce will fill this gap in the next nine months.

Dame Sara Thornton, the anti-slavery commissioner, warned that the protection of vulnerable people needs to be front and centre of the debate on the changes, as people-traffickers will seek every opportunity to abuse new immigration policies during a period of significant upheaval in the system.

Meanwhile, Ms Patel conceded that her own parents  who set up a chain of newsagents after arriving in the UK in the 1960s  would not have been allowed into the UK under her new rules, though she suggested that they might instead have qualified under arrangements for refugees, having faced persecution in Uganda.

Challenged over fears her plans will leave gaps in the workforce, the home secretary told Sky News: It is about time businesses started to invest in people in this country.

We have over 8 million people  that is 20 per cent of the workforce  aged between 16 and 64 that are economically inactive right now.

It is down to businesses to work well with the government and join us in investing in people, levelling up across the UK so we can have wage growth across the entire country.

Frances OGrady, the general secretary of the TUC, said it was not credible for ministers to expect millions of pensioners, students and carers to enter the workforce.

Precarious youth and seasonal visas arent the answer either, she said. The governments plans will make it easier for bad bosses to exploit migrant workers and drive down pay and conditions for everyone.

Frances OGrady has warned of reduced pay and poorer conditions (PA)

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said: Priti Patel is clearly clueless about the labour market. Not only has she unveiled an immigration policy that potentially devastates our social care sector  detrimentally impacting on some of the most vulnerable in society  shes also justifying it by saying that those who are carers, sick or retired should take up these jobs.

Yet again, the Tories are putting dogma ahead of the needs of the economy and its the vulnerable paying the price.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine said that Ms Patels comment was evidence that the Conservative government does not care a jot about peoples lives.

Rather than allowing people to travel to the UK and contribute to our economy by working, Priti Patel would rather drag people out of education, out of retirement and out of hospital beds and set them to work, said Ms Jardine.

Social care providers were loudest in their warnings about the blow the new immigration rules would deal to their sector.

Migrants make up around 17 per cent of staff in adult social care  40 per cent in London  and there are currently more than 120,000 unfilled vacancies across the country.

The Nuffield Trust health think tank warned Ms Patels proposals risked pushing the sector over the edge, while Nadra Ahmed from the National Care Association said the government were either not listening or closing their eyes to the fact that social care needs to be on the shortage occupation list.

Farmers welcomed changes to increase the number of seasonal workers they can recruit from outside the EU from 2,500 to 10,000 for the coming harvest.

But the National Farmers Union urged the government to commit to a full scheme for 2021, so growers can recruit the 70,000 seasonal workers needed on fruit, vegetable and flower farms.

NFU president Minette Batters said that failure to provide an entry route not only for fruit-pickers, but also packers, meat processors and vets, would severely impact on their ability to deliver high-quality, affordable food for the public.

And Martin Emmett of the Horticultural Trades Association said that a significant increase in numbers of seasonal agricultural worker places would be needed if the industry was to help Mr Johnson deliver his manifesto pledge to plant 75,000 acres of trees a year as part of the UKs fight against climate change.

The ornamental horticulture sector, along with other sectors, relies on a seasonal workforce for its essential operations, he said.

We stand ready to support government targets on tree planting, import substitution, biosecurity and UK production, but the government needs to support the industry in how the shortfalls in labour are to be fulfilled in 2021 and beyond.
The State Department told China on Tuesday that its five foremost news agencies will officially be treated as foreign government functionaries, subject to similar rules as diplomats stationed in the United States

Washington: For years they have operated as news organisations in the United States, deploying scores of journalists to cover the major events of the day and to report back to their readers and viewers at home, even if the most important of those was the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

Now, the Trump administration has declared them not practitioners of journalism, but rather operatives of the Chinese State.

The State Department told China on Tuesday that its five foremost news agencies  Xinhua, CGTN, China Radio, China Daily and The Peoples Daily  will officially be treated as foreign government functionaries, subject to similar rules as diplomats stationed in the United States. The new action was described Tuesday afternoon by two senior State Department officials.

The decision  debated in Washington for years but never carried out, in part because of concerns over restricting the freedom of the press  comes at a time when the administration has moved aggressively on multiple fronts to fight what officials describe as extensive Chinese influence and intelligence operations in the United States.

In the past month alone, prosecutors have brought cases against Chinese intelligence operations involving scientific research at Harvard and the 2017 hacking of Equifax, one of the United States largest credit reporting agencies. They also charged Huawei, the telecommunications company, and two of its subsidiaries with federal racketeering and conspiracy to steal trade secrets.

The legal assault on Chinese entities has unfolded even as bilateral tensions have flared over Chinas handling of the coronavirus epidemic, which prompted the evacuation of US diplomats and other citizens from Wuhan, the city in central China at the source of the outbreak. It is part of a concerted effort to put new pressure on Chinas government barely a month after President Donald Trump signed a temporary truce in the trade war he started.

Some of Chinas critics in Washington have long called for action against the countrys state media. The senior State Department officials described the new restrictions as part of the Trump administrations strategy to confront great power adversaries. The officials would not discuss whether Russian media working in the United States would face similar designations.

The State Department officials, who briefed reporters only on the condition of anonymity despite requests for public comment, said the new designation would not impede the five Chinese news agencies ability to report, broadcast or carry out other journalistic activity.

Instead, the officials said, it requires the five organisations to provide names, personal details and turnover of staff in the United States to the State Department. The news organisations would also need to report whether they own or lease property in the United States.

The officials would not comment on how the new registration requirements would be enforced. Nor would they predict what backlash foreign journalists in China might face as a result of the designations.

One State Department official cited an already tough working environment for journalists in China, where he said that freedom of the press is under a severe siege. He also described the five Chinese news organisations as part and parcel of the PRC propaganda apparatus, using an abbreviation for the Peoples Republic of China.

Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, echoed a suspicion held in national security circles that the decision could lead to retaliation against American journalists who work in China  especially those affiliated with the US government, like Voice of America.

China has long masked intelligence operations with journalistic credentials, Turley said. The danger is China could reciprocate against our journalists.

He added, The difference is our journalists in China are actually journalists.

The two State Department officials and a third Trump administration official said the restrictions against the Chinese news employees  similar to those required by diplomats in the Chinese Embassy in Washington or in consulates around the United States  were extended because they were substantially owned and effectively controlled by Chinas government.

The US government has already targeted some of the news agencies under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires anyone lobbying on behalf of foreign governments to submit regular reports on their activities to the Justice Department.

Partly in response to Russias interference in the 2016 election, the administration has forced parts of Chinas official propaganda apparatus to register. They included CGTN, the English-language channel of China Central Television, Beijings main domestic network, which was forced to register beginning last year. One of the others, China Daily, has been registered as a foreign agent since 1983.

The new action treats the news organisations as part of Chinas diplomatic missions whose activities are regulated under the Foreign Missions Act. Enacted in 1982, the law is a legal tool intended to ensure equitable treatment for American diplomats serving in countries around the world, often under onerous government restrictions. It deals with such things as providing visas, acquiring property and extending diplomatic immunity in matters of criminal wrongdoing.

Last autumn, for example, the State Department began requiring Chinese diplomats to give notice before they have any meetings with local or state officials and with educational and research institutions. That move came in retaliation for similar Chinese government rules imposed on American diplomats. But the five Chinese news agencies whose employees are working in the United States will be exempted from that requirement, the State Department officials said.

American officials have become much more suspicious of the activities of Chinese diplomats and have increased scrutiny of their travels and meetings. In September, the State Department secretly expelled two Chinese Embassy officials in Washington after they were caught driving on a sensitive military base in Virginia with their wives. The expulsions appear to be the first of Chinese diplomats suspected of espionage in more than 30 years.

It was not clear why the Trump administration decided to act now on the Chinese news organizations, although the administration official said the move reflected long-simmering frustration over the forbearance shown to Chinese official media in the United States, despite evidence that the organisations serve as a front for intelligence agencies.

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a congressionally-mandated agency, warned in its report in 2017 that Chinese intelligence-gathering and information-warfare efforts are known to involve staff of Chinese State-run media organisations.

In recent years, a growing number of American officials have discussed imposing strict visa reciprocity on Chinese news organisations after Beijing increasingly began limiting visas and residence permits issued to foreign journalists and curtailed the lengths of those documents.

Unlike Russias information campaigns in the United States, which have been artfully tailored to sow distrust in the US government and the democratic system, Chinas media efforts in the United States have tended to reflect more traditional forms of government propaganda. Reports on CGTN or in China Daily, for example, are more likely to extol the countrys economic and diplomatic achievements than to denigrate American democracy.

Xinhua, which is Chinas main news agency and serves as a channel for most major announcements, maintains bureaus around the world, with its largest in Washington and New York. It is common practice for many of them to produce internal documents, intended for consumption not by the public but by high-ranking officials.

Some disagreed with the action. I dont see any evidence that they are doing anything nefarious that would warrant this response, said Maria Repnikova, an assistant professor at Georgia State University and the author of Media Politics in China: Improvising Power Under Authoritarianism.

China Daily, the English-language version of one of the main state newspapers, regularly publishes advertising supplements in newspapers around the country, including The New York Times. They generally offer an informative, if anodyne, view of world affairs refracted through the lens of the Communist Party.

The China Daily advertisement insert is clearly labeled and meets our advertising acceptability standards, said Ari Isaacman Bevacqua, a Times spokeswoman. The New York Times covers China thoroughly and aggressively, and at no time has advertising influenced our coverage.

However, some experts on China say China Daily pushes insidious propaganda onto foreign readers, especially in its attempts to whitewash vast human rights abuses against Uighurs, Tibetans and other ethnic minorities.

Sophie Richardson, the China director for Human Rights Watch, has repeatedly denounced China Daily. The paper, she said on Twitter last year, was nothing more than a mouthpiece for a government that conflates peaceful criticism with terrorism, crushes peaceful protests, and arbitrarily detains shocking numbers of #Uyghurs and other #Muslims.

One issue in particular drew the attention of the White House in 2018. An advertisement placed in The Des Moines Register highlighted the benefits of free trade for Iowas farmers at a time Trump was excoriating what he called Chinas unfair trade practices.

Trump, in typical fashion, responded on Twitter: China is actually placing propaganda ads in the Des Moines Register and other papers, made to look like news. Thats because we are beating them on Trade, opening markets, and the farmers will make a fortune when this is over!

Lara Jakes and Steven Lee Myers c.2020 The New York Times Company
Get out the worlds tiniest violin while I tell you about one of the few downsides of being paid to eat out for a living. Yeah, I wish there were 10 pounds less of me, and sure, it would be nice to be at home for dinner more than a few nights a year. But the scenario I look forward to most (way) down the road is the opportunity to be a regular in a few places  to slide into my table, banter with a waiter I know well enough to send a birthday wish, and order exactly what I want, even if its chicken for the nth time.
Terrax Minerals Inc. Changes Name to Gold Terra Resource Corp.

Posted by Publisher Internet

TerraX Minerals Inc. (TSX-V: TXR; Frankfurt: TX0; OTC Pink: TRXXF) is pleased to announce a corporate rebranding and name change to Gold Terra Resource Corp. (?Gold Terra? or the ?Company?) to reflect a renewed focus on the development of its wholly-owned Yellowknife City Gold (\YCG\) Project, located in the Northwest Territories, Canada.

The new name Gold Terra comes? with? a refreshed energetic team led by Gerald Panneton, Executive Chairman (founder of Detour Gold) and a new focused approach to unlock the ?under-explored potential of the YCG Project.

The name change to Gold Terra is effective immediately; however, the Company will begin trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under its new name and new trading symbol (YGT) at the opening of trading on or about February 19, 2020. The Company?s website has changed to www.goldterracorp.com. ??Any visitors to the Company?s current website and any communications to the Company?s current email addresses will be redirected automatically.

Executive Chairman, Gerald Pannerton stated, ?The name change reflects a reset for the Company towards expanding the current gold resources and defining the potential for new discoveries on our district-scale land position, located next to the city of Yellowknife where the Con and Giant mines have produced over 14 million ounces of gold.?

About Gold Terra Resource Corp

Gold Terra owns a 100% interest in the YCG Project, encompassing 790 sq km of contiguous land within 10 kilometers of the city of Yellowknife. The Company announced an inferred mineral resource estimate of 735,000 ounces of gold in November 2019, (News release November 4th 2019). The YCG Project which is located in the same archean belt where the former high-grade Con and Giant gold mines? have produced over 14 million ounces of gold. The YCG project is located north and south of the city and along the same mineralized district scale as the past producer Con and Giant Mines.

For more information on the YCG project, please visit our website at www.goldterracorp.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements made and information contained in this news release constitute ?forward-looking information? within the meaning of applicable securities legislation ( ?forward-looking information?). Generally, this forward-looking information can, but not always, be identified by use of forward-looking terminology such as ?plans?, ?expects? or ?does not expect?, ?is expected?, ?budget?, ?scheduled?, ?estimates?, ?forecasts?, ?intends?, ?anticipates? or ?does not anticipate?, or ?believes?, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events, conditions or results ?will?, ?may?, ?could?, ?would?, ?might? or ?will be taken?, ?occur? or ?be achieved? or the negative connotations thereof.

All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information regarding the anticipated timing for the commencement of trading under the Company?s new name and trading symbol and the anticipated development of the Company?s YCG Project. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as the Company\-\-s actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of the factors discussed in the ?Risk Factors? section in the Company\-\-s most recent MD&A and annual information form available under the Company?s profile at www.sedar.com.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that would cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on information available to the Company as of the date of this news release. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. All of the forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. Except as required under applicable securities legislation and regulations applicable to the Company, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information.
U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy acknowledges that Sen. Ed Markey has been a good senator whos made an important contribution to Massachusetts and the country during his four decades in Washington, D.C.

But in their first 2020 Senate primary debate hosted by WGBH, Kennedy, a 39-year-old congressman who came into the race in September with huge name recognition, strong polling and fundraising, said hes got the leadership chops and political will help swing American policy toward progressivism.

Asked why hes bothering to run against a longtime champion of progressive causes, Kennedy said in the age of President Donald Trump and in a Senate led by Mitch McConnell, voters need a senator who will be a constant presence in Massachusetts who will fight for folks victimized the most by the administration.

This is not about whether (Markeys) made an important contribution, Kennedy said. We have to do everything we can to restore power to the Democratic party, flip the senate and flip the presidency. That is the leadership I can bring to the seat.

Kennedy cited a number of efforts hes undertaken in Congress, including working on bipartisan negotiations on immigration, fighting to protect communities most impacted by climate change, pushing for the repeal of Authorization of Use of Military Force in the early 2000s and directly challenging Trump on a host of issues.

Markey, a 73-year-old Malden Democrat who served in Congress for 37 years before his election to the Senate in 2013, checked off a list of accomplishments on Capitol Hill and emphasized that he fights for the future, particularly young people.

Markey cited the Green New Deal, which he introduced alongside progressive New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez last year. He noted that his 2007 fuel economy standards called for the single largest reduction of greenhouse gases passed of any law of any country.

He also noted that he fought the National Rifle Association for decades and successfully pushed through legislation, signed by Trump in December, that calls for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to spend $25 million to research gun violence in America.

Another bill last year will see $350 million go toward finding a cure for Alzheimers disease before 2025, Markey said.

Ive fought the fossil fuel industry and beat them. Ive fought the gun industry and beat them, Markey said, arguing that hes already been leading and passing laws on the big issues of today.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao listens to his son and minister K.T. Rama Rao during a meeting in Hyderabad on Tuesday. (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao said on Tues-day that the term municipality has become synonymous with drainage, dirt and garbage. Baldia (municipality) has become synonymous with corruption. It is often referred to among people that Baldia khaye, peeya, chaldiye (municipality staff came, ate, drank and left), Mr Rao said.

He appealed to newly elected urban bodies representatives to remove this slur and adopt transparent policies and try to put an honest system in place.

At the state-level municipal conference held here on Tuesday, Mr Rao said the onus and responsibility of making towns and cities in Telangana state ideal in the country is on newly elected mayors, chairpersons, counsellors, and corporators.

Having power and position is like walking on a thin razors edge. Public life is not an easy one. Dont lose your balance while discharging your duties, he warned.

We got Telangana state with a lot of difficulty, sacrifices and hard work. We fought a relentless battle believing that we will benefit from having our own state, he said.

He said that for him politics was up to the level of fighting elections and there was no politics after that. If you closely watch the implementation of government programmes and schemes, you will understand this, he said.

He advised the newly elected public representatives not to indulge in false talk.

Dont make false promises to people that you will get all the work done overnight. Do proper planning before undertaking any work or task. Have proper awareness of the subject. Prepare a comprehensive action plan before plunging into the execution, he said.

The Chief Minister told his audience to develop towns and cities with peoples participation and have less photo-ops, and concentrate on executing the work.

In the end, the Chief Minister quoted a poem, Subhshita Trisati by the Sanskrit poet Bhartrhari to the effect that a person who is not confident in himself will not do any work, afraid of the difficulties he may come across.
South Korean presidential airplane arrives at Haneda airport in Tokyo Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, to evacuate some passengers on a quarantined cruise ship docked in Yokohama, near Tokyo. AP



A South Korean presidential plane with six nationals and a Japanese spouse onboard arrived back from Japan on Wednesday, completing the mission to evacuate them from a coronavirus-hit cruise ship.



The Air Force VCN-235 arrived at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul at 6:27 a.m. after departing from Tokyo's Haneda Airport at 2:23 a.m.



The evacuees, excluding the Japanese, were among 14 South Koreans who were aboard the Diamond Princess. The ship has been quarantined at the port in Yokohama since an outbreak of the COVID-19 aboard the ship early this month.



Upon arrival, they went through about an hourlong health check at a business terminal shut off from other general passengers. None of them showed signs of virus symptoms, airport authorities said.




Khaled Heeba was shot dead in US city earlier this month after fleeing war in Syria more than three years ago.

A Syrian refugee who fled to the United States more than three years ago has become one of the city of Baltimores latest gun violence victims, US media reported this week.

The Baltimore Sun reported on Tuesday that the killing of Khaled Heeba remains unsolved nearly two weeks after he died in Baltimore, Maryland. Heeba, 31, was on his last delivery route of the night before he was shot in the chest on a sidewalk.

More:

According to a crowdfunding page in his memory, Heeba planned on attending Friday prayers after his last delivery.

He was always concerned with our pleasure before his own. Hed work a long day and then come back and kiss my hands and feet and say Mama  be happy with me. Wallahi I was always happy with him, Heebas mother was quoted as saying on the crowdfunding site, which added that the 31-year-old was the sole provider for his family in the US.

Khaled Heeba, 31, was shot and killed Feb. 7 while out on his pizza delivery route. Heeba fled Syria seven years ago and spent four years in Egypt before resettling here in Baltimore. pic.twitter.com/SRLddH0BEJ  Paul Gessler (@PaulGessler) February 18, 2020

Heebas death is one of more than 40 homicides the city has seen so far this year.

He reportedly came to the US in 2016 after escaping Syrias civil war with his parents.

He left his own country because it was a war-zone in Syria, just for him to end up getting murdered here, Theresa Birmingham, a coworker, told the Baltimore Sun, He was just really a sweet guy.

Police in a tweet described the suspect as about five feet, nine inches tall (1.75 metres) with a slim build and wearing all black clothing.

On Feb. 7, 2020, 31 year-old Khaled Heeba was fatally shot in the 1300 blk of W. Franklin St. Detectives need your help identifying the suspect. Call detectives at (410)396-2100 or call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7 Lock up if you know his identity. https://t.co/qVW6Lt4PED pic.twitter.com/mfHNe9bL7L  Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) February 18, 2020

Baltimore has been plagued by gun violence for years.

The city witnessed 348 homicides in 2018, according to the Baltimore Sun newspaper. That was up from 309 in 2018.

Of the 43 homicides documented by the newspapers homicide database this year, at least 17 took place in February.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TILT Holdings Inc. (TILT or the Company) (CSE: TILT) (OTCQB: TLLTF), a foundational technology cannabis platform comprised of assets to support brands worldwide, announced today that its board of directors (the Board) has appointed Mark Scatterday as the Companys Chief Executive Officer, removing his interim title, and Tim Conder as President and Chief Operating Officer, adding the title of President, effective immediately.



In the last few weeks weve seen a lot of cannabis companies making changes at the CEO level, said Gary Smith, independent Board member. The Board is encouraged to have appointed senior leaders who have successfully demonstrated their ability to stabilize operations and build a fiscally responsible business. This move demonstrates our support of their leadership and the teams that they have built. We believe that TILT will continue to be a market leader in technology and innovation through its assets Jupiter and Blackbird and are excited about our positioning in the cannabis landscape.

We made progress last year as we cut costs, drove revenue, and worked towards profitability. There is still lots of work to do and I am excited to remove the 'interim' from my title and move forward as our CEO. I am firmly committed to growing our business around a refined strategy of technology and innovation that powers the cannabis industry, said Mr. Scatterday. We are currently one of the largest revenue-generating public cannabis companies in the U.S. and, between our combination of assets, we are positioned for growth across the global cannabis supply chain. I would like to personally thank our team for their efforts and I look forward to the continued work ahead as we now build upon the foundation that we have established.

Mr. Scatterday, who previously served as TILTs interim Chief Executive Officer for the past eight months, is a lifelong entrepreneur and operator, having built a number of successful businesses. Prior to being appointed interim Chief Executive Officer of TILT, he was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Jupiter Research , LLC (Jupiter), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TILT that is a leading provider of vaporization and inhalation technology for the cannabis industry.

Mr. Conder, President and Chief Operating Officer of TILT, joined TILT through the acquisition of his company Blackbird Logistics Corporation (Blackbird) in January 2019. The addition of the title of 'President' further enables him to execute on the vision that he established at Blackbird and brings to TILT  providing technology and services products at each touchpoint in the cannabis supply chain.

Its been a pleasure to work alongside Mark. I am very excited to continue to build this business with him well into the future and am privileged to work with such a talented and driven team, said Mr. Conder. We are going to continue to innovate and lead the industry with new products and technologies that support cannabis operators, aggregating valuable and actionable data to support the rapid growth of the cannabis industry as a whole.

About TILT

TILT Holdings serves cannabis brands worldwide through a strong network of portfolio companies committed to technological innovations that support long-term success. TILT services more than 2,000 brands and cannabis retailers across 33 states in the U.S., as well as in Canada, Israel, Mexico, South America and the European Union. As a market leader in cannabis technology and related products and services, the Companys core assets include wholly-owned subsidiaries Jupiter, a company that focuses on the vast potential of inhalation through innovative design, development and manufacturing, and Blackbird, a company that provides operations and software solutions for wholesale and retail distribution. The Company also owns cannabis operations in states including Massachusetts, led by Commonwealth Alternative Care, Inc.; and in Pennsylvania, led by Standard Farms, LLC. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with offices throughout the U.S., and London, TILT has over 350 employees and has sales in the U.S., Canada and Europe. For more information, visit www.tiltholdings.com.

Contact Information:

Joel Milton

SVP of Business Development

Phone: (303) 872-7255

Media Contact:

Brian Price

CMW Media

Phone: 858-264-6600

tiltholdings@cmwmedia.com

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations. Forward-looking information is provided for the purpose of presenting information about managements current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward looking information may include, without limitation, the opinions or beliefs of management, prospects, opportunities, priorities, targets, goals, ongoing objectives, milestones, strategies and outlook of TILT, and includes statements about, among other things, future developments, the future operations, strengths and strategy of TILT. Generally, forward looking information can be identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. These statements are based upon certain material factors, assumptions and analyses that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including TILTs experience and perceptions of historical trends, the ability of TILT to maximize shareholder value, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that are believed to be reasonable in the circumstances.

Although such statements are based on managements reasonable assumptions at the date such statements are made, there can be no assurance that they it be completed on the terms described above and that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information. TILT assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by applicable law.

By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to risks and uncertainties, and there are a variety of material factors, many of which are beyond the control of TILT, and that may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements.

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.
ALBANY, New York, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The new study by Transparency Market Research enlists a matrix of drivers responsible for the growth of global baby care packaging market. AS per the study, market is anticipated to grow substantially during the tenure of 2019 to 2027. Moreover, some experts at the organizations states that the market is projected to witness a robust 5.5% CAGR during the estimated time frame. Expanding at this rate, the global baby care packaging market is expected to generate approximately US$ 3.5 bn in terms of revenue by 2027-end, says the report.

"With growing awareness about the health of the babies in various countries, the parents are looking for best baby care products. Packaging of these products plays a crucial role in widespread acceptance, hence baby care packaging has emerged as a lucrative business since past few years. With the growth of pediatric health care industry, the global baby care packaging market is expected to witness a substantial growth during the tenure of 2019 to 2027." Transparency Market Research

Key Findings in Global Baby Care Packaging Market Report

To provide a clear picture of the global baby care packaging market, the report categorizes the market into various segments. The insight on these segments help the readers to understand trends momentum of the global baby care packaging market. The insights also help the players to deduce strategies that can help them avail a sustainable future in the global baby care packaging market. Some of the segments are mentioned below:

The pouch packaging segment is expected to be the largest grossing segment in the global baby care packaging market. The dominance of the segment is the result of growing demand for convenient pouches that are easy-to-carry. The dominance of the segmented can also be evaluated by looking at its past records. The report states that the pouches packaging segment accounted for approximately 57% of overall share of global baby care packaging market in 2019.

is expected to be the largest grossing segment in the global baby care packaging market. The dominance of the segment is the result of growing demand for convenient pouches that are easy-to-carry. The dominance of the segmented can also be evaluated by looking at its past records. The report states that the pouches packaging segment accounted for approximately 57% of overall share of global baby care packaging market in 2019. The plastic packaging segment shall emerge as the biggest segment in the material category. This growth of the segment is the result of massive demand for tubes and cans for the baby care products. Moreover, plastic packaging can keep the products usable for a longer duration of time. This also helps the segment to hold its dominance in the global baby care packaging market.

shall emerge as the biggest segment in the material category. This growth of the segment is the result of massive demand for tubes and cans for the baby care products. Moreover, plastic packaging can keep the products usable for a longer duration of time. This also helps the segment to hold its dominance in the global baby care packaging market. A baby's skin is soft as a quill. This means it is extremely important for the parents to take care if the baby's skin. Due to this factor, the skin care products shall dominate the application category of global baby care packaging market.

Explore the actionable insights from the report on global baby care packaging market available under the title: Baby Care Packaging Market (Packaging: Pouches, Bottles, Tubes, Cans, and, Others; Material: Plastic [Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polyethylene Terephthalate, and Others], Paper & Paperboard, Glass, and Metal; and Application: Hair Care Products, Skin Care Products, Sanitation & Hygiene Products, and Others) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2019  2027 at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/baby-care-packaging-market.html

Key Drivers of Global Baby Care Packaging Market

The insight about the drivers helps the players to understand the momentum of the market which further helps the players to take necessary steps to have a successful future in the global baby care packaging market. Some of the drivers that are influencing the growth of the global baby care packaging market are:

The design of the packaging materials help the businesses to attract new customers. It is because of this reason, the businesses dealing in baby care products are investing massively in the packaging of the products. These investments by the businesses are the major factors that are boosting the growth of global baby care packaging market during the tenure of 2019 to 2027.

E-commerce industry is growing with a rapid pace in the recent times. The industry has expanded the reach of the players to various regions without being physically present. Owing to this benefit, the baby care products developers are using e-commerce to make their product available in various regions of the world. With the development of online retail and e-commerce industry, the global baby care packaging market is expected to witness a substantial growth between 2019 and 2027.

View Detailed Table of Contents at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/70863

Global Baby Care Packaging Market: Regional Analysis

On the basis of the geography, the global baby care packaging market is dominated by Asia Pacific. The dominance of the region is the result of growth in the number of baby care products in India and China. Moreover, due to high demand for improving the shelf life of the baby care products in the region accelerates the growth of Asia Pacific in global baby care packaging market during the tenure of 2019 to 2027.

Download PDF Brochure  https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=70863

Competitive Landscape

The global baby care packaging market is highly competitive and is largely fragmented. This means that the dynamics of the global baby care packaging market are dominated by various prominent players. However, this scenario poses various challenges for the new players who are willing to enter the global baby care packaging market.

To overcome these challenges the new players are indulging into strategies such as mergers, and collaborations. These strategies help the new players to withstand the competitive landscape of the market and have a successful future in the global baby care packaging market.

Analyze baby care packaging market growth in 30+ countries including US, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Russia, Poland, Benelux, Nordic, China, Japan, India, and South Korea. Request a sample of the study.

The global baby care packaging market is segmented on the basis of:

Baby Care Packaging Market, by Packaging (Revenue, USD Million 2019-2027)

Bottles

Pouches

Tubes

Cans

Others

Baby Care Packaging Market, by Material (Revenue, USD Million 2019-2027)

Plastic

o Polyethylene



o Polypropylene



o Polyethylene Terephthalate



o Others

Paper & Paperboard

Glass

Metal

Baby Care Packaging Market, by Application (Revenue, USD Million 2019-2027)

Hair Care Products

Skin Care Products

Sanitation & Hygiene Products

Others

Baby Care Packaging Market, by Region (Revenue, USD Million 2019-2027)

North America

U.S.



Canada

Latin America

Mexico



Brazil



Argentina



Chile



Peru



Rest of Latin America

Europe

Germany



Italy



France



U.K.



Spain



Benelux



Nordic



Russia



Poland



Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific (APAC)

China



India



ASEAN



Australia & New Zealand

&

Japan



Rest of APAC

Middle East & Africa (MEA)

GCC Countries



Turkey



North Africa



South Africa



Israel



Nigeria



Rest of Middle East & Africa

Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the Global Packaging Industry:

Healthcare Packaging Market  The healthcare packaging market is expected to witness robust growth during 2019-2027. The market is expected to garner 5% CAGR over the forecast period and reach a total evaluation of $137 bn by 2027 end.

Skin Care Packaging Market  The Japan skin care packaging market is also expected to witness positive growth during the forecast period. Regions such as Eastern Europe and Latin America are projected to expand with a positive CAGR during the forecast period.

Nail Care Packaging Market  Rising disposable income of the middle class population and increased emphasis being put on enhancement of looks are the two factors expected to drive the growth of the global nail care packaging market.

Lip Care Packaging Market  Cosmetics packaging manufacturers are devising ways to provide packaging solutions that address the diverse product range in lip care market segment. Lip care packaging has to focus their attention on product showcasing, information, specification and brand value communication to enhance the product visual appeal on store shelves.

Gain access to Market Ngage, an AI-powered, real-time business intelligence that goes beyond the archaic research solutions to solve the complex strategy challenges that organizations face today. With over 15,000+ global and country-wise reports across 50,000+ application areas, Market Ngage is your tool for research on-the-go. From tracking new investment avenues to keeping a track of your competitor's moves, Market Ngage provides you with all the essential information to up your strategic game. Power your business with Market Ngage's actionable insights and remove the guesswork in making colossal decisions.

About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.

Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

Contact

Transparency Market Research

State Tower,

90 State Street,

Suite 700,

Albany NY - 12207

United States

USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

SOURCE Transparency Market Research
For years, consumers have turned to Amazon to buy stuff, watch movies and shows, and have all but made Alexa a member of the family. But a new Frontline documentary asks questions about how American life is being transformed by Amazon, and its seemingly invulnerable founder.

Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos quickly sketches how Bezos went from his early days working on Wall Street to him relocating to Seattle and founding Amazon, a company that has made Bezos the richest person on the planet.

Though Bezos appears in vintage and contemporary clips, Amazon Empire explores the company and its impact by combining news footage, interviews with reporters, authors, consumer advocates, activists and past and present Amazon staffers.

Written and directed by Anya Bourg and James Jacoby, Amazon Empire tells the story of how Bezos led the drive to make Amazon a dominant player in online commerce, and how its reach has kept growing, to the point where Amazon is collecting mind-boggling amounts of data from its customers.

The two-hour documentary traces Amazons expansion, and some of the controversies that followed, including reports of hazardous working conditions at its warehouses, accusations that Amazon is a tax-avoiding monopoly that kills brick and mortar stores, and that Amazon is wielding unregulated power, in areas ranging from Washington, D.C. lobbying to law enforcement technology.

Amazon Empire raises the point that Amazon is, on one level, following the rules of capitalism and succeeding, on a massive level. From the start, Bezos clearly had vision, which has remained wide-ranging. Amazon has become a key player in cloud computing services, a home for streaming movies and original TV series, and an innovator in artificial intelligence devices. Bezos has helped invigorate The Washington Post, announced plans to invest in space exploration, and made a $10 billion pledge to fight climate change.

The documentary also includes concerns about some of Amazons enterprises, including artificial intelligence devices that may be spying on us, or opening us up to hackers.

Most troubling is the section detailing complaints about working conditions in Amazons fulfillment warehouses, which have come under fire for excessive heat, a punishing pace, and emphasizing speed over worker safety.

As a 2019 story from The Atlantic and Reveal: From the Center for Investigative Reporting, notes, an Amazon warehouse in Troutdale, for example, had a high rate of serious injury among employees.

In the documentary, an Amazon employee says that worker safety is a company priority, and that warehouse workers enjoy generous benefits. But a group of former warehouse workers, who appear on camera, dont seem very satisfied by such rebuttals.

Amazon Empire ends on a note that illustrates the complicated feelings that Amazon can inspire. Democratic presidential candidates are calling out the company for not paying taxes, and calling for a break-up of big tech. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is on Twitter, attacking Bezos for his ownership of The Washington Post, and accusing Amazon of undermining the U.S. Postal Service.

In this politically divided era, Amazon is, among its other notable qualities, a subject both sides can get worked up about.

Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos airs at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 on PBS; it repeats at 2 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 20; 11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21; and 2 a.m. Monday, Feb. 24, on OPB.

-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Traffic stops and car trouble may not seem like the most dangerous situations for police, but photos and videos tell a different story.

Pennsylvania State Police and departments across the country are reminding drivers of the Steer Clear or Move Over" law, to slow down and move over when they see emergency responders on the side of the road.

In Pennsylvania, the Move Over law requires drivers to move over or slow down for all emergency responders, including police, fire department, EMS, tow trucks, PennDOT personnel, and other roadside assistance vehicles.

But the message isnt getting through to some. In early January, Rostraver EMS supervisor Matthew Smelser was at a crash on I-70 in Westmoreland County, when the ambulance he was in was struck by a tractor trailer.

Smelser was killed. Hundreds of EMS officials, police and fire departments from the surrounding areas attended his funeral, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

#BREAKING: Rostraver EMS confirms supervisor Matt Smeltzer was hit by a car and killed exiting an ambulance at scene of multi vehicle crash on I-70 in Smithton, Westmoreland County. @KDKA https://t.co/DrbSgY2dsN pic.twitter.com/RQFOaPXjUa  Ian Smith (@ismithKDKA) January 5, 2020

Locally, troopers based in the Fogelsville barracks made a stop Jan. 29 on Interstate 78 near mile marker 44.3, Weisenberg Township, Lehigh County. A box truck driving by struck the drivers side mirror, troopers said.

Drivers who fail to move over face a $250 fine the first time, a $500 fine for a second offense, and $1,000 after a third or subsequent offense. Repeat offenders face a suspended license. Driver who cause injuries or death of an emergency responder face additional license suspensions and fines of up to $10,000, state police said.

But its the human toll that worries law enforcement most. Departments across the country have posted dash cam videos and photos of what happens when other drivers dont move over.

New York state:

Troop F- State Police are reminding the public to move over for emergency vehicles. On February 10, 2020, a trooper from... Posted by New York State Police on Tuesday, February 11, 2020

This is why you move over. Our Trooper suffered minor injuries Wednesday morning when investigating an accident on State Route 370 in Salina. No injury to other driver. Posted by New York State Police on Wednesday, January 22, 2020

THIS HAPPENS WHEN VEHICLES DO NOT MOVE OVER:::an Indiana State Troopers vehicle was struck by a passenger vehicle while on a traffic stop on I-74 EB in Ripley County. The trooper was uninjured & occupants of the 2nd vehicle (not pictured) sustained non-life threatening injuries. pic.twitter.com/P1xcNlCjj0  Pierceton Police (@PierINPolice) February 16, 2020

TERRIFYING VIDEO: A reminder to move over when passing a police cruiser with its lights on.



An Ohio trooper's dashcam captured the scene when a U-Haul struck his cruiser while he was fixing a tire on a disabled car. https://t.co/we7gPbtGXs pic.twitter.com/yxhfA0UTK8  WLWT (@WLWT) September 9, 2019

Cedar Rapids, Iowa:

NEW VIDEO: The @iowadot has released video of Tuesday morning's crash on I-380 that sent a @CR_Police officer to the hospital.

Please MOVE OVER and give emergency responders room to work. pic.twitter.com/3WrTSggSrK  Nick Stewart (@NStewCBS2) December 18, 2019

Arizona:

Officers stress Arizona's 'Move Over' law after police video released showing chaotic crash. https://t.co/GYqyqKV7bX pic.twitter.com/Es1UYUfrNb  azcentral (@azcentral) February 14, 2019

Texas:

An SUV is seen in police dashcam slamming into a tow truck on a Texas highway.



Thankfully, all victims are in "good condition." Police shared the video to remind drivers of the "move over" law involving emergency vehicles. https://t.co/EdMzUJ7bKu pic.twitter.com/CBp0VF8L3k  ABC News (@ABC) May 14, 2018

Utah:

One of our Sergeant's vehicles was struck this morning at around 0630 in Sardine Canyon. No life-threatening injuries, he's being checked out for injuries consistent with whiplash.



When you see emergency lights please expect trouble...slow down and give room for our Troops . pic.twitter.com/SUBJXj3zbq  Utah Highway Patrol (@UTHighwayPatrol) February 7, 2020

As a driver, YOU play a critical role in keeping emergency personnel safe.

When you see flashing lights, SLOW DOWN & MOVE OVER. https://t.co/g0WWIDCdra#MoveOver pic.twitter.com/LaDO73A6jT  Utah Highway Patrol (@UTHighwayPatrol) November 13, 2019

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A holidaymaker was left feeling 'claustrophobic' in her own skin after a holiday black henna tattoo left her with foot-long horror chemical burns.

Amanda Drish-Adolf, 30, decided to get the large intricate design while visiting Bangkok during an action-packed 'bucket list' trip to Thailand with husband Nick Adolf, 30, last month.

Violinist Amanda had a half-sleeve mandala-style design inked on her left arm - from the top of her shoulder down to her elbow.

Hours later the black pigment flaked off and thrilled Amanda flaunted the dark design on her arm as she and IT programmer Nick explored the capital.

Amanda Drish-Adolf's arm is pictured after she got a black henna tattoo during a bucket list trip to Bangkok, Thailand last month. Hours later the black pigment flaked off, Amanda flaunted the dark design on her arm as she and her IT programmer husband Nick, 30, explored the capital

Amanda Drish-Adolf, 30, from Des Moines, Iowa, is pictured before the trip to Thailand holding a violin. Amanda, who works as a musician, had a half-sleeve mandala-style design inked on her left arm - from the top of her shoulder down to her elbow

Amanda is pictured getting the tattoo from a street vendor in the Thai capital Bangkok last month

But two days later Amanda spotted she had developed a chemical burn on her arm that erupted in countless oozing blisters, leaving her needing hospital treatment.

Amanda was left with a 13-inch x five-inch chemical burn that staff treated by popping the blisters and then scrubbing off the top of the fluid-filled bumps.

Concerned medics then applied antiseptic cream, bandaged the affected area and asked her to return for two follow-up hospital appointment, which in total cost $692.

Amanda's black henna tattoo is pictured immediately after the process and with the surrounding skin beginning to redden (left and right). But two days later, Amanda spotted she had developed a chemical burn on her arm that erupted in countless oozing blisters, leaving her needing hospital treatment

It's believed that the burn was caused by Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) - a chemical commonly found in black henna and dark hair dyes.

Amanda, who is also a manager of education and community engagement manager at an orchestra, was forced to cancel plans they had to rock climb, swim, snorkel and kayak and instead sat on the beach or in their hotel room watching Netflix.

Amanda, from Des Moines, Iowa, said: 'We'd really looked forward to it, it was a bucket list trip we'd picked specifically because of the beaches.

'Looking at all those crystal clear waters and knowing I couldn't swim and do the things I wanted to do was heartbreaking, this was our big Asia trip we were taking before having kids.

'I was hoping to go rock climbing, snorkelling and kayaking on our trip but couldn't. Nick got to go snorkelling and kayaking while I sat on the beach or in the hotel watching Netflix.

Amanda is pictured posing with her new henna tattoo, unaware that she would need to visit a Bangkok hospital soon after. Two days later, Amanda spotted she had developed a chemical burn on her arm that erupted in countless oozing blisters

The tattoo can be seen scabbed up and blistering after Amanda's allergic reaction in Bangkok last month. Musician Amanda said it felt as though her skin was 'burning' as the intricate design was painted onto her skin, but was assured it was a normal sensation

The tattoo is pictured blistering after the tattoo (left) and once scabbed up (right) in Bangkok, Thailand last month. Concerned medics then applied antiseptic cream, bandaged the affected area and asked her to return for two follow-up hospital appointment, which in total cost $692

'He felt guilty but I still wanted him to experience everything he could.

'I got full-on anxiety looking down at my arm and seeing what it looked like, it was disgusting.

'I've had anxiety in the past and luckily I had the forethought of bringing my meds with me.

'I was also having a lot of claustrophobic issues. Because my skin was so swollen I was claustrophobic in my skin and then having my arm wrapped tightly was making me very anxious.

Thai medical staff had to scrape the tops of the blisters on Amanda's tattoo last month (pictured)

'Also you want to have special holiday times with your husband and when you feel disgusting that doesn't really happen.'

Amanda visited a pop-up vendor near their hotel on Friday January 24th and paid 1,000 Thai Baht ($30USD) for the intricate design that took an hour to complete.

Musician Amanda said it felt as though her skin was 'burning' as the intricate design was painted onto her skin, but was assured it was a normal sensation.

Amanda is pictured sitting as a medical worker provides treatment to her arm in Bangkok last month

Amanda said: 'I've had large henna, both true henna and black henna, tattoos two or three other times, but I've never had this reaction before.

'It felt like it was burning as it was being painted on, like the gel you put on when you have a sore muscle that feels hot and cold at the same time.

'I used Google Translate on my phone to tell the person painting it on that it was burning and was told 'that's normal', the tingling stopped after it dried.

'Later that night I flaked off the paint and it looked great, I loved the piece, but it was really dark.

'Most of the time when henna is done it stains your skin red or light brown but this was black.

After the treatment, Amanda's arm was wrapped in a bandage for the rest of her trip to Thailand

'It was fine for 24 hours, I had no reaction, but the next day my arm started feeling hot to touch and little blisters popped up.

'I was concerned as I thought maybe I'd got sunburn on it, and when I popped the blisters clear liquid came out of them.

'In the evening the larger part of my arm that was coloured started to blister and that's when I started to do my research about skin reactions to black henna.

'That's when I realised we had a problem.'

That evening the couple visited a pharmacy and picked up saline solution, anti-itch cream and a steroid cream to treat the area.

Amanda diligently washed the area in bottled water, applied the creams and wrapped the affected areas in bandages for two days.

Despite taking care of the affected area, the couple realized Amanda needed hospital treatment on Tuesday night when her hands, feet and arms started swelling up.

Amanda said: 'I was washing the thing constantly, keeping it wrapped and out of the sun.

'My hands and feet were swollen and when I was letting my arm air on the Tuesday evening I looked down and on the underside of my elbow there was a grapefruit-sized swelling.

'It was massive and it had a hard core in the middle.

'Once we saw that specific localized swelling we knew we had to go to the emergency room.'

The couple went to a nearby hospital at 10.30pm where Amanda's arm was cleaned and dressed in bandages that would help draw out the infection.

The following day Amanda's blisters were popped and cleaned using cotton pads and antibiotic solution and then carefully wrapped in bandages.

Amanda said: 'I was pretty freaked out by it all. Everyone likes their arms, but I'm also a musician so I really need my arms to be highly functional.

Amanda, a violinist, sits on the beach after receiving treatment on her arm in Bangkok last week. 'I was hoping to go rock climbing, snorkelling and kayaking on our trip but couldn't. Nick got to go snorkelling and kayaking while I sat on the beach or in the hotel watching Netflix,' she said

Amanda, pictured here paddling in the sea, said that she regretted having spent so much time of their holiday in hospital last month

Pictured: Amanda's arm swelling up after she bought a black henna tattoo in Bangkok

'I was told the swelling was a symptom of the infection and that the blisters were going to be popped.

'Not only did she pop the blisters but she scrubbed all the tops of the blisters off with saline and antibiotic solution.

'It took about half an hour to do, the pain was just awful and I was crying.

'Every time she took a cotton pad off my arm it was covered in black, my body was rejecting the dye.'

After three appointments at the hospital staff, told her to keep the wound bandaged and dry until the infection had cleared up.

Amanda is pictured with her husband Nick Drish-Adolf, 30, in Thailand

Now home, Amanda is urging people to avoid black henna and only get natural henna artwork providing the artist can tell you the ingredients in it.

Amanda said: 'Before this happened to me I didn't know what PPD was.

'Natural henna should smell nice and you should be able to ask what ingredients are in it, if you can't then I wouldn't recommend getting it done on vacation.

'It's doing amazing now. Right now it looks like the opposite of a black henna tattoo - instead of black, it's white.

'I've been taking really good care of my arm by putting vitamin e oil, coconut oil and other really high quality serums and moisturisers on it.

'I've also been taking omega 3 fish oils and vitamin d, so I'm also doing internal stuff that's good for my skin - it doesn't look like it's going to be a long-term scar.

'This story is one that will be told every time we talk about Thailand, which is a bummer.

Pictured: Amanda's arm as the red markings begin to fade

Pictured: Amanda's armed is pictured almost healed back in the US

'I felt guilty that I monopolised our time and we weren't able to do some of our activities because of my arm.

'At the end of the day we got to see what a Thai hospital looks like - and not many people can say that.'

British Skin Foundation spokesperson Lisa Bickerstaffe said: 'Tourists don't always realize that 'black henna' temporary tattoos contain para-phenylenediamine (PPD) - a substance found in hair dye - which can lead to blistering, burns, scarring and even severe allergic reactions when used on the skin in this way.

'In 2018, three quarters of people surveyed by the British Skin Foundation were not aware that 'black henna' contains PPD and that when used on the skin it can be dangerous, as well as drastically increasing the risk of allergic reactions to hair dye in the future.

'The British Skin Foundation strongly recommends avoiding 'black henna' temporary tattoos at all costs.

'It's not worth risking your skin health now or in the future, in addition to ruining your holiday.'
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was elected to power for the third consecutive term, has not taken charge of any ministry yet again.

The national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will continue being the only minister in Delhi Cabinet who would not hold any portfolio, reported NDTV. In the year 2017, he had headed the Water Ministry after the party had promised cheaper water supply to Delhi households.

Speaking on the sidelines of his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he said on February 19, that his commitment to serve the people of Delhi has stopped him from taking charge of any ministry.

Addressing the media, Kejriwal said: People keep asking me why I dont have a ministry. The answer is my primary commitment made to Delhiites. It is a huge responsibility and I must fulfill that properly. This is the only reason why I have not kept a portfolio.

He added: It will help me monitor the functioning of all the ministries and make sure I dont lose sight of the bigger picture. Being too invested in a particular ministry involves keeping track of small details, due to which other things might get neglected.
Tough immigration laws could shut the door on 140,000 workers from the European Union and citizens from the continent may have to provide their fingerprints.

The Home Office has floated the hardline proposal as part of a firm and fair post-Brexit crackdown that will replace free movement with a minimum salary threshold of 25,600 for most workers.

However, ministers are unable to estimate the overall level of future migration  after relaxing salary and skills rules for non-EU migrants  despite insisting they will reduce it.

And the proposals laid bare how Boris Johnson has abandoned his pledge to introduce an Australian-style points system, other than for a small number of the most highly-skilled arrivals.

Australia awards points for age, qualifications and work experience, allowing entry without a job offer  but, in the UK, only arrivals with a PhD, or in a shortage profession, will skirt the salary floor, and all but the most talented must have a job to go to.

The plans have already been branded a disaster by social care leaders, fearing a deepening recruitment crisis, although the social care sector could yet be added to the shortage list.

Ministers have also rejected any regional variation in the proposed 25,600 floor, despite business leaders warning of problems for companies in poorer parts of the UK.

Priti Patel, the home secretary, hailed the shake-up as a historic moment for the whole country, bringing immigration policy back under UK control for the first time in decades.

It will mean that we will have a global immigration system that doesn't discriminate between EU and non-EU, and itll basically mean that the brightest and the best will be able to come to the United Kingdom to bring their real talents, she said.

Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Show all 66 1 /66 Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A message projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover Sky News/AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The Union flag is taken down outside the European Parliament in Brussels PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU EU Council staff removed the Union Jack-British flag from the European Council in Brussels, Belgium EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to 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Saemann, left, and her seven-year old sister Katie hold a placard during a rally by anti-Brexit protesters outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Europe supporters gather on Brexit day near the British embassy in Berlin, Germany EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit protester hugs a man while holding a placard REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A decorated, old fashioned fire pump in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit Elvis impersonator performs at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexiteers stands with his dog in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Paddy from Bournemouth wears Union colours as he sits next to an EU flag decorated bag in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-EU activist plays a guitar decorated with the EU flag during a protest organised by civil rights group New Europeans outside Europe House, central London AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People celebrate Britain leaving the EU REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Pro Brexit supporter has a Union Jack painted onto his face at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Men hold placards celebrating Britain leaving the EU REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters dance in the street draped with Union Jack flags at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexit demonstrator spreads his wings during a gathering near Downing Street AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters display a banner ' Here to Stay, Here to Fight, Migrants In, Tories Out' from Westminster bridge EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit supporters burn European Union flags at Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses for a picture on Parliament Square in a 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goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU French newspapers PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald with a Border Communities Against Brexit poster before its unveiling in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU National growers organisation British Apples & Pears has renamed a British apple to EOS, the Greek goddess of dawn, to commemorate Brexit day AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Britain's departure from the European Union was set in law on January 29, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. After half a century of membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (23.00 GMT) on January 31 Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses with paintings on Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People sporting Union Flags gather in Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man walks with a St. George's flag at Westminster bridge on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs at a souvenir store Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British pro-brexit Members of the European Parliament leave the EU Parliament for the last time Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Jonathan Bullock waves the Union Jack as he leaves the European Parliament EPA

But Diane Abbott, Labours shadow home secretary, said: This isnt an Australian points-based system, which is a meaningless government soundbite.

Its a salary threshold system, which will need to have so many exemptions, for the NHS, for social care and many parts of the private sector, that it will be meaningless.

The new system, to be introduced in January  and still described by the Home Office as points-based  will:

* Require most migrants, from inside or outside the EU, to have a job offer worth 25,600  lower than the 30,000 proposed under Theresa Mays premiership.

* Require them to speak English to B1 level, enabling someone to, for example, open a bank account, or cope with most situations at home, work or leisure.

* Allow workers with PhDs, or in shortage occupations  the NHS, but also vets, web designers and architects, for example  to enter with a salary as low as 20,480.

* Rule out a route for low-skilled migrants, other than seasonal workers, arguing there are already huge numbers of EU citizens and 170,000 recently-arrived non-EU citizens for such jobs.

* Lower the skill level required to A-level, rather than graduate, standard, although migrants must still earn the salary threshold.

* Include students, who must be able to support themselves, but will be able to stay on in the UK and work for two years after graduation.

* Charge migrants around 1,200 for a work visa, or 900 in a shortage occupation  the same fee as paid by non-EU migrants currently.

The document says migrants will apply for visas online, with EU citizens issued with an e-visa while their family members, and workers from outside the EU, will continue to be given physical evidence.

It states: Most EU citizens will enrol facial biometrics using smartphone self-enrolment: fingerprints will not initially be required.

The Independent understands fingerprint-taking  first mooted in 2017 and the requirement for non-EU migrants, but thought to have been dropped  will be brought in later, if deemed necessary.

Around 70 per cent of the current 200,000 EU migrants coming to the UK each year are expected to be excluded by the new rules, officials believe, which would mean around 140,000.

The document points to the urgency of the shake-up, with little more than 10 months to go to the end of the post-Brexit transition period.

Employers not currently approved by the Home Office to be a sponsor should consider doing so now if they think they will want to sponsor skilled migrants, including from the EU, from early 2021, it states.
By Abdul Kerimkhanov

The distorted map of Azerbaijan has been removed from Russias Tula State Weapons Museum, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow told local media.

As was noted, a number of news sites disseminated information that a distorted map of Azerbaijan was hung up in the Tula State Weapons Museum.

"Immediately after the embassys intervention and the explanaiton to the museums administration about the unacceptability of violation of the territorial integrity of our country, the mistake was quickly eliminated. The embassy was informed about this," a source within the embassy said.

Thus, another Armenian provocation had been neutralized.

Earlier, Azerbaijans territories occupied by Armenia were indicated as a separate international entity called "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" in the "Country Profiles" section on the official website of the EU Horizon 2020 Program.

The official website of the EUs research and innovation program, EU Horizon 2020, removed the distorted map of Azerbaijan after Bakus interference.

Azerbaijans map was also distorted on the website of the National Geographic Kids magazine by the world-famous scientific and educational organization National Geographic, as the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of the country was painted in a separate color.

The Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan jointly with the U.S. Embassy took immediate measures as a result of which the mistake with regards to the Azerbaijani map was corrected on 7 August 2019.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region, which along with seven other regions were occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. Around one million Azerbaijanis were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities that were started by the Armenian forces due to territorial claims against Baku.

A temporary cease-fire agreement was signed between the countries in 1994, however, a final peace deal has not been reached yet. Peace negotiations mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have yielded no results to this date.

Since 1992, negotiations have been underway for a peaceful settlement of the conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. In 1993, the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. However, due to the unconstructiveness of Armenia, they still remain on paper.

---

Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The former superintendent for Limestone County Schools is under investigation over questions regarding his education.

Tom Sisk, who led Limestone County Schools from 2012 to 2019, has typically used Dr. in his bio in Alabama as well as his new school system, Bristol City Schools in Tennessee. Sisks doctorate in numismatics  the study of coins and currency  is from Ashwood University, an unaccredited online school based in Pakistan. Ashwood is considered a diploma mill, advertising that it offers life experience degrees for a few hundred dollars without having to attend classes or take tests.

The Bristol (Tenn.) Herald Courier was the first to report on Sisks degree after concerns were raised by community members.

Sisks application in Limestone County did not include his PhD but he was listed as Dr. on the systems website and his official Twitter page. Bristol City Schools website has him listed as Tom Sisk, Ph.D., NCSS. NCSS is a title given to Nationally Certified School Superintendents.

Sisk said he was unaware his PhD was not valid and claims his mentors filed for it on his behalf. The mentors are now deceased, according to WHNT News.

Bristol School Board chair Nelson Pyle said the boards attorney is investigating the matter and will provide a report. Once that has been received we will reconvene and address (Sisks) future with Bristol Tennessee City Schools.

Limestone County Schools voted this week to hire Dr. Randy Shearouse of Springfield, Georgia. Shearouse received his PhD in educational leadership from Capella University.
A money exchanger in Amritsar was arrested for allegedly receiving Rs 75 lakh from one of the accused in a 194-kg heroin haul case, police said on Wednesday.

Harnit Singh alias Honey, who is running a currency exchange office at Landa Bazaar, has been arrested, said a police official of the anti-drug Special Task Force.

According to investigations conducted by the STF, Harnit was allegedly given Rs 75 lakh as drug money by an accused Ankush Kapoor who had been arrested in the 194-kg drug seizure case.

After receiving money from Ankush, Harnit transferred Rs 75 lakh, which was part of drug money, to some people last month. We are trying to find out who Harnit gave this money to, the police official, who is part of the investigation in the case, said.

Investigations are underway, the official said while adding that Harnit has been booked under relevant sections of the the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

On January 31, the STF of Punjab police had seized194 kg heroin and other contraband from a rented house in Akash avenue in Sultanwind village of Amritsar district after the arrest of six persons, including an Afghanistan national and a woman.

In addition to heroin, 38 kg dextromethorphan, 25 kg caffeine powder probably used to cut and mix the heroin and six drums of chemical composition weighing 207 kg were also recovered from an illicit laboratory inside the house.

Simranjit Sindh Sandhu, a proclaimed offender, and Ankush Kapoor, a cloth merchant, were the alleged kingpin of the drug racket busted by the STF.

Earlier this month, the STF had seized three kg heroin from the residence of Ankush.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has challenged the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Mahama to tell Ghanaians his alternative in the fight against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.



According to the ruling party, galamsey, largely affected water bodies under the Mahama administration, but the NPP does not believe the issue should be politicized, and therefore charged the largest opposition party to rather commend the Akufo-Addo government for its bold decision to tackle the issue head on instead of inciting Ghanaians against the government.



"Fighting galamsey effectively is also a national security, peace and stability issue. The NPP is challenging John Mahama to justify the explosion in galamsey activities in his tenure, with two ministers giving up on the fight, one of them citing orders from above....



"....whatever action NPP administration has taken against the menace is an attestation to the fact that it is bent on ending this destructive activity once and for all...



"We are yet to hear candidate Mahama on the galamsey fight, what exactly is the NDC going to do about the galamsey, we want to know because we dont know, Communications Director of the NPP, Yaw Buaben Asamoah, said these remarks at a press conference in Accra today.



Addressing the media at the partys Headquarters, the NPP Communications Director accused the NDC of beating the war drums ahead of the December 7, 2020 general elections instead of engaging in a campaign of ideas and policies.



The NDC leadership has refused to commit themselves to peaceful elections. They refused to sign the National Peace Council road map towards eliminating vigilantism. Instead, they keep bombarding this beautiful country with threats of violence if the electoral process is not done according to what they dictate.



Whilst a clear and large majority of Ghanaians want a credible election with the support of a new clean register, the NDC leadership are threatening to burn the country down, if all of us do not bow to their desire to go back to a register that has been declared by the service provider as technically unsound and can be restored only with inbuilt risk at a cost higher than a new one...



As we are all aware, Candidate Mahama has waded into that debate on the side of violence. He threatens the country with consequences, obviously violent, if his personal desire to run the country without clear defined policies is not granted....



Let the NDC and John Mahama understand and accept finally that this country will not go back to their days favouring violence as a political solution. We have had seven elections under the 1992 Constitution and the pending eighth one will be peaceful, free and credible. We the NPP are committed to that," he said.







Hon Buabeng Asamoah, who is also the MP for Adentan Constituency, challenged the NDC flagbearer to channel his energy into responding to allegations against him such as the Airbus bribery scandal and other key national issues among others rather than engaging in selectivity.



Whilst the NDC have the right to pick and choose what they will talk about, it is only fair that they respond to issues of deep concern to the country if they genuinely seek to rule. They refuse to acknowledge the enhanced performance of the cedi, with international investment predicted to be the highest this early 2020.



We are yet to hear John Mahama on the Western Togoland issues. We are yet to hear John Mahama on the impact of the new regions. We are yet to hear John Mahama on the inter-operability contract. We are yet to hear John Mahama on the disastrous and dangerous state of the eastern corridor road, torn apart less than five years after he received a Ford vehicle in appreciation from his favourite contractor. We are yet to hear John Mahama on the success of the Year of Return. We are yet to hear John Mahama on the Government settling the full arrears due OMCs. We are yet to hear John Mahama on the impact of the closed fishing season, remember he rather chose to distribute head pans. We are yet to hear John Mahama on the successful completion of the IMF programme that he led us into. We are yet to hear John Mahama on his galamsey control policy.



Indeed, we are yet to hear John Mahama on an international scandal the size of Airbus. In a widespread pattern of bribery to secure sales, in which court documents point to his complicity and the NPP has named him, he hides behind weak denials from his party," the NPP Communications Director charged.

Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected]









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The Hill, in its review of 14 Solomon columns and related videos about Ukraine, found multiple flaws in his reporting and in the Hills own presentation of his work. It said it has attached editors notes to the columns to provide context and/or disclosure that should have been included at the time of his writings or to highlight what has been learned since Solomons columns were published.
By ANI

JANGAON: A die-hard fan of United States President Donald Trump, Bussa Krishna, has put forth an appeal to the Central government to fulfill his wish of meeting his idol during his upcoming India visit.

"I want India-America relations to remain strong. Every Friday I fast for Trump's long life. I also carry his picture and pray to him before commencing any work. I wish to meet him, I request the government to make my dream come true," Bussa told ANI here.

Bussa, however, is not just any fan but considers himself to be a devotee of the POTUS. He has even installed a 6-feet statue of the US President near his house and offers prayers daily.

"I also carry his (Trump's) picture and before any work, I pray to him. He is like a God to me that is the reason I had his statue built. It took almost a month and 15 labourers to build this statue," he said.

Donald Trump's superfan Bussa Krishna

sitting near the statue of the US President . (Photo | ANI)

His friends told ANI that the villagers have started referring to him affectionately as 'Trump' Krishna, due to his devotion to the POTUS.

"Although his real name is Bussa Krishna after he started praying to Trump all villagers started calling him Trump Krishna. Krishna's residence is known as Trump House here. The villagers never objected to it but appreciated his devotion," Ramesh Reddy, Bussa's friend said.

The village head of Konnay, in which Bussa lives, Venkat Goud too approved of his beliefs and urged the government to fulfill his dream of meeting the POTUS.

Accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, the US President will arrive on a two-day visit to India on February 24.
Published on 2020/02/18 | Source

TvN drama "Crash Landing on You" actor Kim Jung-hyun, who played Goo Seung-joon, said a few words about the drama's finale.

Advertisement

He posted on his Instagram on the 17th saying, "I have received so much love for this drama and now it's over. I've discovered so much reflection and hope through it".

"This drama is the textbook example of my life and it will help me become a better person and a better actor. Thank you".

Along with his remarks, the actor revealed a picture of himself smiling big with a bouquet of flowers in his arms.

Meanwhile, Kim Jung-hyun played Goo Seung-joon, a businessman who ran away to North Korea after embezzling a great deal of business funds from Yoon Se-ri's (Son Ye-jin) brother.

___________

"Crash Landing on You" is directed by Lee Jeong-hyo, written by Park Ji-eun, and features Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye, Kim Jung-hyun, Kim Sun-young, Kim Jung-nan. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2019/12/14~2020/02/16, Sat, Sun 21:00 on tvN.
The Peace Tower is seen from the front gates of Parliament Hill in Ottawa in a file photo. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

Unhealthy Partisanship: Move Afoot to Improve the Workings of Parliament

Canadas Parliament is increasingly moving away from forming decisions based on debates, with decisions instead largely dictated by parties or party leaders, says a veteran MP.

A recent report backs up this view, showing the majority of MPs believe that unhealthy partisanship has become more prevalent in Parliament, with democratic practices declining, particularly in the areas of MP independence and debates.

In the current minority Parliament, some MPs are working toward modernizing the House in order to increase efficiency and eliminate parliamentary dysfunction, among other issues that have long plagued the legislative body.

Engaged in the discussions is Conservative MP Michael Chong, who has been committed to democratic reform ever since he was elected in 2004.

In his view, Parliament has increasingly gravitated toward conformity to the point that new ideas are more difficult to pursue, let alone get a vote on. Consequently, the members autonomy has been eroded.

Parliament is the heart of our democracy and it should be a place where the peoples representatives come together and have real debate and decide on the outcomes of the vote, Chong said in an interview.

The debate today is often perfunctory because the outcome of the vote is predetermined. Its not an environment where alternative and individual views can be heard. It is mostly dictated by parties and party leaders.

The report by the Samara Centre for Democracy shows that this sentiment has become common among MPs. Assessing the democratic practices of the 42nd Parliament (Dec. 3, 2015Sept. 11, 2019), the report found a decline in the areas of MP autonomy and parliamentary debate; the average MP voted with his or her party 99.6 percent of the time, with the most rebellious MP voting with his or her party 96.6 percent of the time.

In addition to this is a 10 percent growth in bill length, which makes it more difficult to scrutinize the government since larger bills come with increased restrictions on the time allowed for debate. The report also noted a hardening partisanship, with a rise in hostility between members of different parties and deliberative spaces such as caucuses being turned into instruments of the leader and the staff instead of a place where leaders can be held to account.

Chong says the centralization of power in parties can be attributed to the changes that have taken place over several decades, one being leadership offices budgets. The Official Opposition Office has a budget of around $10 million for its operations, while the Prime Ministers Office is around three times as much. Along with this is a change in the dynamic between member and party dating back to the 1960s and 1970s, resulting in a situation in which party discipline collides with the members ability to champion his or her constituents interests.

Before the 1960s, you could have had several hundred MPs that were standing primarily as individuals, and party affiliation was secondary. Right now, party is primary. As a result, the constituency theyre elected to represent is also secondary to the party, he explains.

What weve done in terms of the structure is put leaders over top of our parliamentary democracy, he adds, noting the existence of a list system that was put in place decades ago as a way to coordinate who would get to speak in Parliament, giving the leader de facto control.

Those who speak are chosen from a computer screen. I know from first-hand that members are told theyre not allowed to get up to speak.

Spearheading efforts to improve how Parliament works is Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux, who says that based on conversations hes had with MPs, most are open to change.

Changes Lamoreaux would like to see include allowing MPs more time in their ridings by reducing the amount of time spent travelling to and from Ottawa for votes, and a dual chamber to allow for more rigorous debate.

In his view, the current minority government provides a perfect opportunity for establishing the consensus needed for change to happen.

There is an opportunity for us to work with all political parties, he told the Hill Times.

In a minority situation, I see that as a positive, because then people are a little bit more at ease because they realize that no party can make it happen, its going to have to be done on a consensus. So, I think that in itself is a good incentive for individuals that truly care about how things proceed in the House of Commons in terms of rules to get together and see if we can get some changes.

Both Conservative and Liberal governments have contributed to the institutional problems, says Chong, with the current situation being decades in the making. And with discontent bound to intensify if things remain how they are, he says its imperative that politicians take reform seriously.

Our Western democracies are one of the great inventions. And its not just the right to vote, its the ability to hold leaders accountable and enforce checks and balances. Good social outcomes and future prosperity rely on a properly functioning system, he says.

If we dont respond to these frustrations, theres always a chance that well see more populist-type forces if there is a sense our democracy isnt working well. As elected officials, we have to acknowledge these concerns and try to come up with solutions.
Kabul: Ashraf Ghani won a second term as president of Afghanistan, the country's independent election commission announced Tuesday, but his closest opponent refused to recognize the results, declaring himself winner and potentially endangering peace negotiations with the Taliban.

The Taliban also rejected Ghani's win, further putting into question a US peace plan that calls for a reduction in violence followed by a more permanent agreement expected to be signed Feb. 29, between Washington and the Taliban. That agreement would pave the way for U.S. troops to return home, ending America's longest war, and trigger negotiations between Afghans on both sides of the conflict.

The bickering in Kabul and Ghani's surprise suggestion that the Taliban participate in elections would seem to throw a wrench into peace plans announced last weekend at the Munich Security Summit.

The election commission said Ghani garnered 923,592 votes, or 50.64%, in the troubled election that took place last Sept. 28. The country's chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah received 720,841 votes, or 39.52%.

Ghani and Abdullah head a fragile national unity government that was put together under U.S. pressure after both leaders claimed victory in Afghanistan's 2014 elections.

Following the announcement of the results, Ghani appeared among supporters in Kabul, where he emphasized the importance of peace talks with the Taliban, saying his winning team will bring peace to the country.

Its time to make Afghanistan united," he said, urging the insurgent group to participate in the democratic process without referencing the peace agreement he supported in Munich.

Ghani pointed to candidate Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who received 3.5% of the vote as an example of a former militant to has embraced democracy. Hekmatyar was a U.S.-declared terrorist until he signed a peace agreement with Ghani in late 2016.

I congratulate him and he did a good job. We ask the Taliban as well to come and participate in elections, Ghani said.

Abdullah, in comments to supporters broadcast by media outlets, said he considered the election results legal." We are going to establish an inclusive government," he said.

Election results were repeatedly delayed amid accusations of misconduct, fraud and technical problems with counting ballots. The final vote tally was originally to be announced Nov. 7.

Hawa Alam Nuristani, head of the national election commission, said previously that 1.8 million Afghan citizens voted in the election out of some 9.6 million eligible voters.

On election day, many Afghans found incomplete voters' lists, unworkable bio metric identification systems aimed at curbing fraud, and in some cases hostile election workers.

In Kabul, it was rare to see a crowded polling center. Afghans who had patiently lined up before voting centers were opened, in some locations found that election officials had yet to arrive by opening time.

The election commission tried to launch a ballot recount in November but Abdullah halted the attempt, saying he wouldn't let his observers participate. Thousands of his supporters rallied against what they said were fake ballots and the controversial recount had seemed set to favor Ghani.

In December, however, Abdullah agreed to allow a ballot recount in provinces where his supporters had stopped the process.

The government's push to hold the vote in itself had been controversial. In an interview with The Associated Press before the election, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai warned the election could be destabilizing for the country at a time of deep political uncertainty.

Tuesday's election results came days after US Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced a truce agreement between the United States and the Taliban that could lead to the withdrawal of American troops from the country.

The Taliban in a statement called the election a fraud" and has maintained that the Afghan government is a puppet of the United States.

After the end of the invasion the Muslim people of Afghanistan will decide about their internal issues and will adopt their political faith," the statement said.

Ghani first ran for president in 2009, capturing barely a quarter of the votes. He ran again in 2014 in what was considered a deeply flawed and corrupt exercise.

Ghani, from central Logar province, was born May 19, 1949. He holds a doctorate in Anthropology from Columbia University and first went to the U.S. as a high school exchange student.

Except for a brief teaching stint at Kabul University in the early 1970s, Ghani lived in the United States, where he was an academic until joining the World Bank as a senior adviser in 1991.

Ghani returned to Afghanistan after 24 years when the Taliban were ousted by the U.S.-led coalition. He was head of Kabul University until he joined President Hamid Karzai's government as finance minister. In 2010 he led the lengthy process to transfer security of the country from U.S.-led coalition forces to the Afghanistan National Security Forces, which took effect in 2014.
Eleven couples will get the chance to receive treatment to help them have a baby as a result of a collaboration between an online support network and some of the world's top fertility clinics with the results announced in Johannesburg, South Africa next month.

Couples have been invited to enter a competition to receive a free cycle of IVF by IVF Babble, the go-to source of information, support and advice for anyone struggling with fertility or undergoing treatment.

There is still time for couples to put their names forward in a simple process through the www.ivfbabble.com website.

Among the worldwide clinics backing the give-away is the Hart Fertility clinic in Cape Town, South Africa.

The giveaway was the idea of mums Tracey Bambrough and Sara Marshall-Page, who struggled with their own fertility issues and founded IVF Babble to provide the online support and help they felt was missing when they were trying to get information.

They will be announcing the winners of the 11 treatments at the first-ever Fertility Show to be held in Africa on March 6 and 7 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Gauteng.

Said Tracey Bambrough: There is a lot of help and support out there for people who have difficulty conceiving children but there are also a lot of barriers. Some of those barriers are cultural and to do with men and women not being able to talk openly about their problems.

We have created support and community online where people can see what is happening around the world and through celebrities and real-life stories find out what they need to know. The other big barrier is affordability.

In many areas, it is expensive to have IVF treatment and that is why we have launched the giveaway scheme. IVF clinics are giving something back to the world and it highlights the whole issue of cost.

It is the third IVF Babble giveaway to be announced. Previously 27 treatments from leading clinics around the world have been provided. They have resulted in five babies being born and a further four pregnancies currently underway.

IVF Babble, which has 3.5m readers worldwide in just three years, is sponsoring the Support Zone at Fertility Show Africa aimed at helping African men and women break the taboo about talking about infertility

Twenty of the fertility experts speaking at the event are taking time out to visit the Support Zone where there is a full programme of help and advice on a whole range of topics for those on their fertility journey.

You can find all the information about the ground-breaking show here:

https://fertilityshowafrica.co.za/.

You can enter the free IVF giveaway at www.Ivfbabble.com.

Social media:

Website: www.fertilityshowafrica.co.za

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FertilityShowAfrica/

Twitter: @fertility_show

Instagram: @fertilityshowafrica
Mumbai, Feb 19 : Shares of Tata Motors fell as much as 5 per cent on the BSE before closing 2 per cent lower on Wednesday following JLR boss Ralf Speth's comment on the adverse impact on business due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Jaguar Land Rover CEO Speth reportedly said that the company does not have enough parts from China to maintain its British production post two weeks from now. Speth's comments came after Apple on Monday revised down its target for iPhone sales due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"We are safe for this week and we are safe for next week and in the third week we have ... parts missing," Speth reportedly said.

The death toll due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in China rose to over 2,000 on Wednesday as 136 new deaths from the disease were reported, while the confirmed cases stood at 74,185, Chinese health authorities announced.

With several industries in China on a standstill due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said that the revenue of Indian companies operating in China is likely to fall by 15-20 per cent in the first two quarters of 2020 and may revive only in the third quarter.

An assessment report by the industry body said that extended holidays have reduced productivity which has a direct impact on revenues and growth. Businesses have been closed since January 24, 2020 and are expected to resume operations only by February 20, which is not certain, it added.

"Overall, companies foresee a dip in revenue by 15-20 per cent in Q1 and Q2 over the previous year. It is expected that businesses will get normalised only by Q3," it said.
Paris, February 19, 2020 - Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today announces its new Group Management Committee replacing the former Group Executive Committee. These changes reflect the transformation, initiated in 2020, aimed at reshaping the Group's portfolio of offerings, reinforcing its go-to-market approach and setting-up an Industry-led organization.

Effective today, in addition to Elie Girard, CEO, the Atos Group Management Committee is formed by:

Eric Grall, Head of Manufacturing and Chief Operating Officer

Adrian Gregory, Head of Financial Services & Insurance and Head of Atos|Syntel (supported by Rakesh Khanna, CEO Atos|Syntel)

Pierre Barnabe, Head of Public Sector & Defense and Head of Big Data & Cybersecurity

Jean-Philippe Poirault, Head of Telecom, Media & Technology and Head of Southern Europe

Giuseppe Di Franco, Head of Resources & Services

Robert Vassoyan, Head of Healthcare & Life Sciences and Head of Unified Communications & Collaboration

Simon Walsh, Head of North America

Ursula Morgenstern, Head of Central Europe

Peter 't Jong, Head of Northern Europe

Nourdine Bihmane, Head of Growing Markets and Head of Public & Regional

Jo Debecker, Head of Infrastructure & Data Management

Enguerrand de Ponteves, Head of Performance

Uwe Stelter, Chief Financial Officer

Philippe Mareine, Chief Digital & Transformation Officer and Head of CSR

Paul Peterson, Head of Human Resources

Sophie Proust, Chief Technology Officer

Alexandre Menais, General Secretary

Gilles Arditti, Head of Investor Relations and Internal Audit

Marc Meyer, Head of Executives and Head of Marketing & Communications

Elie Girard, CEO, said: "Composed of the Heads of the newly created Industries and Regional Business Units (RBUs), as well as the Heads of Divisions and Heads of Functions, the Group Management Committee's role is to execute the Group strategy and to ensure value is delivered to our customers, and to all our stakeholders. The team will be fully focused on delivering Spring, the Group's Industry approach, developing and attracting the highest level of expertise in each Industry, reshaping its portfolio of offerings and go-to-market, to serve our customers even better and drive our culture of customer obsession even further ."

****

About Atos

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 110,000 employees in 73 countries and annual revenue of over  11 billion. European number one in Cloud, Cybersecurity and High-Performance Computing, the Group provides end-to-end Orchestrated Hybrid Cloud, Big Data, Business Applications and Digital Workplace solutions. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos|Syntel, and Unify. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea), listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index.

The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information technology space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education as well as multicultural and pluralistic approaches to research that contribute to scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers, employees and collaborators, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably and confidently in the information technology space.

Press contact:

Sylvie Raybaud - sylvie.raybaud@atos.net - +33 6 95 91 96 71 - @Sylvie_Raybaud

Attachment
Commentary: Proposals for postponing "two sessions" provide time to fight COVID-19 outbreak

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:09, February 18, 2020

Monday's proposals to postpone China's "two sessions" conform to the reality that China has entered the most crucial stage of fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic and must prevent any risks of rendering the previous sacrifices of the entire nation in vain.

BEIJING, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The proposals to postpone China's "two sessions," a key event in the country's political calendar, came out Monday in a timely and responsible manner, as the latest evidence that China is trying its best to buy time for the world to contain the outbreak of novel coronavirus or COVID-19.

The openings of the annual sessions of the National People's Congress, China's highest organ of state power, and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body, had been held on March 5 and March 3, respectively, since 1998.

Monday's proposals conform to the reality that China has entered the most crucial stage of fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic and must prevent any risks of rendering the previous sacrifices of the entire nation in vain.

Through arduous efforts, the epidemic overall is generally under control. Outside the hardest-hit Hubei Province, the number of confirmed cases had been declining for 13 consecutive days across China by Sunday. China contains 99 percent of COVID-19 cases within its borders.

Among nearly 3,000 national lawmakers and more than 2,000 political advisors, many of them are fighting at the frontlines. Any lax efforts at this time will cause huge losses, both for China and the world.

The announcement demonstrates a responsible and transparent attitude toward epidemic control work. The proposals will gain wide public endorsement and boost national confidence.

By postponing the sessions to an appropriate time, decision-makers will have more time to examine the current situation and roll out measures more precisely and effectively to restore normal economic and social activity.

At the two sessions, national lawmakers and political advisors are expected to review and discuss a series of work reports which cover every aspect of China's development and the people's wellbeing. Growth targets and reform goals need to be set. Budgets, development plans and laws need to be reviewed and put to vote.

All these should be done on the basis of full awareness about the virus, what the impacts are, how to minimize them and boost development accordingly. The decisions and measures will also be significant to the world as China contributes nearly one-third of global economic growth.

China has given its top priority to ensure the safety and health of the Chinese people and has created a window of opportunity for other countries to intensify preparedness.

The window is still open and the best way to make up for the loss is to tackle the epidemic with speed, determination and unity.

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Unnecessary vitamin D testing dropped dramatically in Canada after payment stopped, but Choosing Wisely guidelines also had an impact in both U.S. and Canada

The old story of a farmer trying to get a stubborn mule to pull a wagon by dangling a carrot in front of its nose, or hitting its rump with a stick, may not seem to have much to do with the practice of medicine.

But a new study suggests that when it comes to making the best use of health care dollars, it will take a combination of carrots and sticks to move things forward.

The study looks at the effects of two initiatives that aimed to reduce the use of two blood tests that experts consider "low value" for most patients: Routine vitamin D tests, and an unnecessary thyroid test for tracking thyroid hormone levels.

After an organization that advises the health care system in Ontario, Canada reported in 2010 that population-based Vitamin D screening does not improve outcomes, the province's health plan for all residents declared it wouldn't pay for low-value vitamin D tests.

Soon after, the rate of testing dropped nearly 93 percent, the study shows. Patients who had a condition or medication that might lower their vitamin D levels could still get tested.

But in the U.S., where no such payment change took place, 2.6 million unnecessary vitamin D screening tests happened in just one year, according to the researchers from the University of Michigan, University of Toronto and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System who published the new findings in JAMA Internal Medicine.

A few years later, as part of an education campaign called Choosing Wisely, physician professional societies issued recommendations on when not to use Vitamin D and T3 testing. And while use of the test in Ontario dropped an additional 4.5%, the use in U.S. patients covered by Veterans Health benefits or commercial insurance dropped about 14%.

"Our study found small reductions in the use of unnecessary vitamin D screenings in response to recommendations from the Choosing Wisely campaign, but much greater reductions in Ontario when recommendations were complemented by policy change," says Eve Kerr, M.D., M.P.H., senior author of the new paper and a professor in the U-M Department of Internal Medicine. "The biggest lesson is that while recommendations alone can work to reduce low value care, recommendations have greater impact when they are reinforced by changes to policy and practice."

Improving value

Kerr heads a program at the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation called the Michigan Program on Value Enhancement. She and her colleagues used the same Choosing Wisely guideline to build an alert for clinicians who had ordered a vitamin D test of low potential value into the electronic health record at Michigan Medicine, U-M's academic medical center.

In 2018, they reported that this guideline-based "carrot" had led to a positive and sustained change in orders for low-value vitamin D tests.

James Henderson, Ph.D., the first author of the new paper, assistant director of MPrOVE and a data science consultant at U-M's Consulting for Statistics, Computing and Analytics Research unit, notes that the new paper's findings show that Choosing Wisely recommendations for T3 testing did not appear to have had the desired impact.

T3 testing, which is no longer recommended for patients with known thyroid issues because a test called TSH is more accurate, did not decline in either the U.S. or Canada after Choosing Wisely guidelines were issued. In fact, in the study population of U.S. patients with private insurance, the rate of testing actually went up slightly.

Handle with care

Kerr, Henderson and their colleagues from IHPI and the VA Center for Clinical Management Research note that policy decisions for low-value care - including payment changes - must be made with care, to avoid problems with access to that type of care for patients who could benefit.

For instance, the Ontario payment change exempted patients who have bone or digestive disorders that can change vitamin D levels, and patients who take certain medications that can change vitamin D absorption from food and supplements.

"Payment policies are not the only effective means for reducing low-value care," says Kerr. "Indeed, sometimes restricting payment may be too blunt an approach and could lead to underuse."

She adds, "Other effective policies that can be coupled with recommendations include population based education programs, communication approaches to help patients and physicians make more patient-centered decisions, decision support for doctors about low-value care, and most importantly, culture change initiatives that emphasize the responsibility of health care institutions, clinicians, and patients to provide and seek high-value, evidence-based care while avoiding low-value services."

###

In addition to Kerr and Henderson, the study's authors are; Rob Holleman, M.P.H. and Mandi L. Klamerus, M.P.H. of the VA CCMR, and Zachary Bouck, M.P.H., Cherry Chu, MSc; Robin Santiago, MSc and R. Sacha Bhatia, MD, MBA of the Institute for Health Systems Solutions and Virtual Care at Women's College Hospital in Toronto, which is affiliated with the University of Toronto, where Bouck is a student and Bhatia is an associate professor of medicine.

Reference: JAMA Internal Medicine, doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.7143
DES MOINES  Legislation recognizing out-of-state licenses for several occupations was approved Tuesday by the House State Government Committee.

The change is one of Gov. Kim Reynolds priorities. One-quarter of Iowas workforce requires some kind of professional license  second highest in the nation, Reynolds said  but theres no uniform standard for licensure.

The bill was backed by a broad coalition of lobbying interests  schools, builders, Department of Corrections, Economic Development Authority, chambers of commerce and ACLU-Iowa. Many interest groups were undecided, and the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO was the only group registered in opposition.

There were some concerns with the bill, said Rep. Karin Derry, D-Johnston, who served on the HSB 647 subcommittee. Legislators wanted to make sure that licensees coming in from out-of-state would meet the same standards as people licensed in Iowa.

Drew Klein of Americans For Prosperity, which has pushed for occupational licensing changes, called it a great day because lawmakers cooperated to move legislation that will tangibly improve the lives of thousands of Iowans one step closer to passage.

Outdated and unnecessary occupational licensing laws are a barrier for Iowans seeking work and trying to maximize their potential, he said.

Iowa employers repeatedly have told legislators that they could grow their businesses if they could find workers with the right skills.

Its good to see lawmakers taking steps to remove barriers and enable more individuals to work, Klein said.

Among the barriers addressed in the bill are criminal convictions. Those would not automatically disqualify a person from being licensed. State licensing boards could disqualify applicants based on a criminal conviction, but boards must provide a list of which convictions could disqualify applicants. In cases of an applicant who otherwise would be disqualified, HSB 647 would require the issuing board to make an exception if it determines the applicant is rehabilitated and an appropriate candidate for licensure.

Committee members liked another provision in the bill to waive the application fee for an applicant if their household income is less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

The bill now is eligible for consideration by the full House.

Pat Grassley becomes Speaker of the House

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As metric tons of Vietnams dragon fruit are barred from being exported to China in light of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic, a local baker has debuted new type of bread that uses the fruit as one of its main ingredients to roaring success.

Prices of dragon fruit have continuously plunged since China began suspending imports of Vietnamese goods, including farm produce, via the Lao Cai International Border Gate in the namesake province from January 30.

Most transport activities with China  Vietnams largest trading partner  in the northern province of Lang Son were also briefly halted for a week this month.

Weeks into the cross-border trade suspension, metric tons of Vietnams dragon fruit now face being wastefully disposed of as local demand struggles to match the excess supply.

To support farmers, a local baker has come up with the idea of adding dragon fruit to their bread in a bid to enhance flavor while also helping to buy off the unsold fruit.

ABC Bakery, run by famed baker Kao Sieu Luc, was arguably the first to introduce the specialty bread on the market.

Customers queue to buy dragon fruit bread at an ABC Bakery store on Nguyen Trai Street in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, February 16, 2020. Photo: Cong Trung / Tuoi Tre

Luc told Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper he and his staff spent three days researching and testing the unique recipe for the dragon fruit bread, which has been well-received by customers since its introduction.

The idea occurred to him during a recent field trip to the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, where he saw many ripe fruits left unharvested at local dragon fruit farms.

After many trials and errors, Luc found the perfect recipe for delicious loaves of dragon fruit bread by replacing 60 percent of the water used in making the dough with a dragon fruit smoothie.

The result is bread that appears darker in color with a natural flavor and fragrance, without being overpowered by the fruits sweetness.

An employee is busy selling dragon fruit bread to customers at an ABC Bakery store on Nguyen Trai Street in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, February 16, 2020. Photo: Cong Trung / Tuoi Tre

He now shares his recipe publicly, hoping that other bakeries would join hands in supporting local farmers during these difficult times.

We will also make offers to sell dragon fruit bread to giant fast-food enterprises, Luc told Thanh Nien.

ABC Bakery now sells two types of dragon fruit bread, an original recipe that comes at VND6,000 (US$0.26) per loaf and a special recipe with added taro that fetches VND18,000 ($0.78) apiece.

Despite a wait of 20-30 minutes, its unique dragon fruit bread still attracts a large number of customers daily. Eager customers are seen eating their newly bought bread on the spot to give it a taste test.

Many customers describe the bread as having a crunchy crust and a slightly sour taste with a beautiful color, which makes it stand out from the normal bread.

Customers queue to buy dragon fruit bread at an ABC Bakery store on Nguyen Trai Street in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, February 16, 2020. Photo: Cong Trung / Tuoi Tre

The bakery has moved from producing 300 loaves of bread on its launch day on February 8 to making about 20,000 loaves daily due to overwhelming demand, an ABC Bakery representative told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Even with increased production, the stores dragon fruit bread remains one of its fastest selling products  to a point that it has had to limit the number of loaves a customer can buy.

Its location on Nguyen Trai Street in District 5 has been picked as the hub for distributing dragon fruit bread due to its being close to other districts in the city, ABC Bakery said.

"Consumers can buy dragon fruit bread at other ABC Bakery stores, but the quantity available there is not as much," the representative said.

ABC Bakery owner Kao Sieu Luc is set to introduce the dragon fruit bread at the upcoming international cereal and bread congress held in New Zealand in April.

The baker is already working out more recipes using Vietnamese farm produce such as durian, watermelon, avocado, and more.

A baker brings freshly baked dragon fruit bread from the oven at an ABC Bakery store on Nguyen Trai Street in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, February 16, 2020. Photo: Cong Trung / Tuoi Tre

Customers react as they taste dragon fruit bread at an ABC Bakery store on Nguyen Trai Street in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, February 16, 2020. Photo: Cong Trung / Tuoi Tre

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The elections for the 22 seats in



the Maharashtra Legislative Council that will be falling vacant during April-July this year will present an interesting scenario against the backdrop of the changed political equations in the state after the 2019 assembly polls.

The opposition BJP currently dominates the 78-member Upper House.

After the assembly elections held in last October, the Shiv Sena fell out with its ally BJP and joined hands with the ideologically opposite NCP and Congress to form Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

Shiv Sena president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is currently not a member of either of the two Houses, is likely to take the Council route to become a member of the state legislature.

Of the total 22 seats, eight vacancies will be created in the MLA quota. Among others who will be retiring are 10 members who were appointed by the state governor, besides a member each from the Aurangabad Graduates, Nagpur Graduates, Amravati Teachers and Pune Teachers constituencies.

While the tenure of the eight members from the MLA quota is ending on April 24, 2020, the term of the 10 appointees from the governor quota will expire on June 6 and June 15. The four MLCs from the teachers and graduates constituencies will retire on July 19.

As per the party-wise break-up, eight MLCs of the NCP and six of the Congress will be retiring. The lone member of the Shiv Sena who will retire is deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe. Similarly, the term of four MLCs- three from the MLA quota and one from the Nagpur graduates- from the BJP is coming to end.

The members from the from Amravati teachers constituency whose tenure is coming to end are Jogendra Kavade of the Peoples Republican Party (PRP), and Srikant Deshpande (Independent) and Dattatraya Sawant (Independent) from the Pune Teachers constituency.

In the 288-member Legislative Assembly, the opposition BJP has a total of 105 MLAs. On the ruling side, the Sena has 56 MLAs, the NCP 54 and the Congress 44.

According to political observers, the ruling parties will vie to win a chunk of the eight seats from the MLA quota by trying to enlist the support of smaller parties and Independents.

In the current Legislative Council, the BJP has the maximum 22 members, followed by the NCP (15), the Congress (13), the Shiv Sena (13). The Lok Bharti, the PWP and the RSP each has one member besides six Independents.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Democrats plan to focus their attention on attacking newcomer Mike Bloomberg Wednesday as he makes his first on-stage debate appearance.

The billionaire qualified for his first debate after jumping into the race in November  and was only able to make the stage after the Democratic National Committee got rid of the fundraising threshold for the ninth debate.

Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, said in an interview with NBC Nightly News Tuesday night that Bloomberg has to answer for how he has treated individuals and groups in the past.

'I think he has to answer for his treatment of others, for his language and above all for an attitude that seems to have dismissed the humanity of a lot of people,' Buttigieg said of what Bloomberg will have to prove on the debate stage.

Candidates are making it clear that they will have a common enemy at the debate Wednesday night: Mike Bloomberg

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said the billionaire was trying to buy the election, and likened him to fellow billionaire Donald Trump

'Its a shame Mike Bloomberg can buy his way into the debate,' she lamented on Twitter

Pete Buttigieg said at the debate he will have to 'answer for his treatment of others, for his language and above all for an attitude that seems to have dismissed the humanity of a lot of people'

Bloomberg has spent millions more than his fellow presidential candidates on ads to increase exposure, mostly focusing on the 14 Super Tuesday states and largely ignoring the four early primary contest states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

He has been criticized by the remaining seven other Democrat contenders, and Republicans, for trying to buy his way to the presidency.

The former Republican-turned-independent New York City mayor has said he is willing to spend 'whatever it takes' of his own money to defeat Donald Trump in November.

After qualifying Tuesday for the Wednesday's debate in Las Vegas, Nevada, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren went on the attack against Bloomberg, likening him to fellow billionaire Trump.

'It's a shame Mike Bloomberg can buy his way into the debate,' she accused in a tweet Tuesday.

'But at least now primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we each take on an egomaniac billionaire,' Warren said.

Warren and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders have been highly critical of their competitors, especially Buttigieg, for taking money from billionaire donors, and now they will have the chance to face off with a billionaire Wednesday night.

Although Buttigieg has come under fire for his swanky fundraisers and big-money donors, he has his own criticisms of Bloomberg, but not so much for his deep pockets.

Six of the eight Democrats left in the once-crowded field will take stage Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

Bloomberg, Buttigieg, Warren, Sanders, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and former Vice President Joe Biden will get their chance to make their case days before Nevada will hold its caucuses.

Bloomberg will make his first on-stage debate appearance Wednesday after entering the race in November. He only was able to qualify after the DNC changed the rules

Only Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard and billionaire Tom Steyer will be missing from the debate stage.

In the first eight debates, candidates had to meet polling and fundraising thresholds to qualify for the stage, but the DNC nixed the fundraising requirements.

Some say this was an establishment decision to let Bloomberg make the stage after the billionaire vowed not to take any contributions and solely fund his presidential campaign.

Candidates instead could qualify three different ways.

Either they could make the stage by earning 10 per cent or more in four national, Nevada or South Carolina polls or getting 12 per cent or more in two Nevada or South Carolina polls.

They could also reach the stage by earning at least one delegate in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses or New Hampshire primary election.

Bloomberg made the stage by qualifying in the polls a day before the debate and Klobuchar qualified by earning six delegates in New Hampshire and one in Iowa.

All the other candidates qualified both in delegates and polling thresholds.

While Democrats have sparred with different candidates in the past debates, Wednesday is sure to be a uniting moment for the other candidates as all focus is turned to a common enemy: Bloomberg.
When planning a wedding, budgeting for photography and videography can quickly raise eyebrows.

Certainly, many couples make time for wedding photography. Some couples might tap a friend or family member to shoot photos for free or a discount. Theres nothing wrong with hiring a photo booth, or putting a disposable camera on every dinner table. Sometimes those make for the best candids.

But when it comes to professional photography or wedding filmmaking, its easy to feel wary of high costs, multiple photographers hovering over your vows, or video shooters trying to turn your wedding into a Wes Anderson set.

But in this episode of Weddings 101, we spoke to two high-end wedding visual professionals based in Upstate New York, who shared why its worth including professional wedding photography and videos in your budget.

Wedding photographer/educator Kerri Lynne Cole said hiring your shooter is one of the most important decisions of wedding planning, because your photos will help you remember this important day, and they become keepsakes for your family for years to come.

Finding a wedding photographer is like finding a friend, said Cole. This person is beside you the entirety of the wedding day, for 10-12 hours. You want someone who will calm you down, and help you relax.

She also says its worth spending money on an experienced photographer, who can handle shooting in dark places (say, in a church), in rainy weather, or any other tricky visual situations.

Instagram makes it look like wedding photography is this ideal environment...with this bright, airy, gorgeous natural lighting all the time," Cole said. "That actually is not so. You need someone that is skilled and can solve problems.

Kerri Lynne Photography services range from $3,900 to $5,300. Her base package includes engagement photos, so the couple can build a relationship with Cole as their photographer, and to help them get comfortable in front of [the] camera before the day.

15 Wedding photography

Wedding filmmaker Gabrielle Fordham works for Live Oak Films, a company which shoots wedding videos across Upstate New York and Virginia.

Something video captures that photography cant are really the words that people say to you," said Fordham. "Youre sharing vows with each other which is the foundation on which your marriage will stand. Being able to capture that and watch it back is so valuable and beautiful.

When shopping for a wedding videographer, she recommends really getting to know the person or people youre hiring, so they dont feel like strangers" following you around all day.

The mistake would be hiring the wrong person, she said. You want someone whos going to be able to chat with your mom and have a good time. Its worth spending a bit of extra money to hire someone you trust.

Packages with Live Oak Films range from $4,000 to $6,000, and can include a day or an entire weekend of shooting.

Next time on Weddings 101: Cakes

For our next episode (Feb. 26), well talk to local wedding cake experts to learn everything you need to know when shopping for a baker and preparing for your cake tasting. Just like in any marriage, were in this together. Happy wedding planning.

Find new Weddings 101 videos every Wednesday on syracuse.com. Katrina Tulloch shoots videos for Syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Contact her: Email | Twitter | Facebook

More from Weddings 101:

 Compare wedding dress prices, styles  go big or affordable?

 Compare prices, amenities for CNY country venues

 Comparing prices, amenities, styles for downtown venues

 First steps to wedding planning (video)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 14:55:24|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua writers Lyu Qiuping, Wang Junlu and Yin Xiaosheng

HANGZHOU, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Since 2010, the coastal city of Wenzhou in east China has provided funds, goods and personnel to support the development of the inland city of Golmud in the west, part of a national effort to pair up the two regions in aiding less developed areas.

Ten years on, with Wenzhou as one of the worst-hit cities by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Golmud volunteered to give back, reversing the aid route to help its pairing city pull through.

Traversing 3,600 km of the country, 18 trucks loaded with disinfectant and local specialties arrived at Wenzhou on Monday, applauded by local residents who treated the delivery team with noodles and donated goods like brown sugar worth 65,000 yuan (around 9,300 U.S. dollars).

"To race against time, we drove from 7 a.m. to midnight every day, slept in the trucks in the service area and never drove off the expressway," said Tuo Xiucai, one of the 43 team members.

The entire trip covering six provinces took six days and five nights.

Wang Hao, an official with the Wenzhou city government in charge of the pairing-up aid, said the goods were a symbol of the 10-year friendship of the pair. They would be distributed to the frontline in the fight against the epidemic as soon as possible.

Wenzhou, a commercial hub in Zhejiang Province, is one of the most affected cities in terms of the number of COVID-19 cases apart from those in the hardest-hit Hubei Province.

According to health authorities, the overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 74,185 by the end of Tuesday, including 504 cases in Wenzhou.

Golmud is not the only area in west China making donations.

In Xinjiang's Aksu, where Wenzhou has poured 350 million yuan into dozens of projects, hundreds of fruit handlers and farmer volunteers loaded 1,631 boxes of apples, 890 boxes of pears, 400 boxes of dates and 320 boxes of walnuts onto trucks and had them delivered to Wenzhou on Sunday.

Qingchuan County in Sichuan Province, where Wenzhou supported the reconstruction of three townships following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, donated 300,000 yuan. Fuling District of Chongqing Municipality delivered 10 tonnes of pickles and 35,000 boxes of traditional Chinese medicine.

To date, Wenzhou has received 3.14 million yuan and 540 tonnes of goods from its pairing areas.

Pairing-up assistance plays an important role in China's development. The pairing of developed and underdeveloped, disaster-hit and other areas is almost ubiquitous in the country. Under such a framework, capital, skilled workers and other resources have been channeled to the country's vast western regions including Tibet and Xinjiang, to help the reconstruction of quake-stricken areas in Sichuan, and anti-poverty campaigns across China.

After the outbreak of the novel coronavirus that was initially reported in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, provincial-level regions paired up with cities across Hubei to provide medical aid, with a massive influx of medics, equipment and supplies pouring in.

This ability to "concentrate resources to solve major problems," as Chinese often describe it, is a notable advantage of China's socialist system that has helped the country overcome major challenges over the past several decades.

Apart from donations, a letter on behalf of the Qingchuan county government was delivered to Wenzhou.

"Like the mountain and the sea looking at each other, Wenzhou and Qingchuan are like loving brothers. We believe Wenzhou people will definitely defeat the epidemic," it said.
Global Drugs of Abuse Testing Market - Opportunities & Forecast

PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-19 21:18:38

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Drug of abuse testing is used for screening or identification of illicit drugs consumption in a persons sample such as urine, hair, breath, blood, etc. Drug of abuse testing is extremely complex and proper interpretation requires a specialized device, kits, and expertise. Drug of abuse testing is used increasingly as a deterrent to illicit drug use and as an objective means to document drug abuse among patients, job applicants, employees, athletes, and students. Several illicit drugs such as opioids, cocaine, LSD, amphetamines, alcohol are commonly used as the drug of abuse. According to the CDC Wonder database, in 2017, in the United States, more than 72,000 deaths were from a drug overdose which included illicit drugs and prescription opioids. Drug of abuse testing is routinely performed in the healthcare facilities such as diagnostic lab, hospitals, and mobile clinics.For Additional Insights, Click to Access Complete Report - https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-drugs-of-abuse-testing-market-by-product-type-instruments-consumables/ Factors such as growing drug abuse population, increasing demand for a drug of abuse testing from the public and the companies and rising drug-related mortality rates are few of the factors that are driving the growth of the drug of abuse testing market during the forecast period. In addition, rising government programs to overcome or control the drug of abuse and rise in government funding also act as a driver for the growth of drug of abuse market. For instance, the US government has recently funded more than 60 inpatient and outpatient drug treatment centers across the country. In addition, stringent laws, growing adoption of drug testing at the workplace, and an increasing number of toxicological laboratories are some of the factors that are anticipated to boost the market. However, legalization of illicit drugs, social issues associated with the drug of abuse testing, inability to detect low-dose designer drugs, and lack of a global standard definition of a problem drug user are some of the factors which are hindering the growth of the drugs of abuse testing market.Request for Sample Report  https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-drugs-of-abuse-testing-market-by-product-type-instruments-consumables/sample-request Various notable players operating in the market, include F. Hoffmann La-Roche Ltd, Siemens Healthineers (Siemens AG), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Quest Diagnostics, Alere, Inc., Shimadzu Corporation, Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Randox Testing Services, Biomedical Diagnostics, BioMerieux, Bio-Rad, among others.Request for Customization  https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-drugs-of-abuse-testing-market-by-product-type-instruments-consumables/request-for-customization The global drugs of abuse testing market is segmented on the basis of product type, drug type, technique type, end user and key geographies. Based on product type, the market comprises instruments and consumables. The research report global drugs of abuse testing market provides in-depth analysis of global drugs of abuse testing market based on product type, drug type, technique type, end user and major geographies for the forecast period from 2018 to 2025. The report also highlights the major market drivers propelling the growth as well as challenges faced by market participants. The research report provides market size and forecast for the global drugs of abuse testing market. In addition, the report also analyses the competitive landscape, major players and their strategies in 2018. The competitive landscape section of the report captures and highlights the recent developments in the market.Key questions answered in this research report:1. At what pace is drugs of abuse testing market growing? What will be the growth trend in the future?2. What are the key drivers and restraints in the current market? What will be the impact of drivers and restraints in the future?3. What are the regional revenue and forecast breakdowns? Which are the major regional revenue pockets for growth in the drugs of abuse testing 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: Ireland
Berry & Associates Blue Ridge Office Its great to be able to offer assistance to the local community and make a positive impact on an area that means a lot to our family.

The law firm of Berry & Associates has completed their move into a new office at 116 West Main Street in Blue Ridge, Georgia. The office space was designed to provide a comfortable, relaxing, and private environment for prospective clients as well as those currently working with the firms attorneys.

Creating a convenient and pleasant experience for visitors was one of the primary goals set forth by the firms founder, Matt Berry. We strive to be different than your average law firm in many ways, said Berry. One of those is a very strong commitment to making clients feel better about their legal situation each and every time they visit our office. I believe our Blue Ridge office furthers that effort and will serve as an asset to the community.

Located in the heart of Blue Ridge at the intersection Messer and West Main Streets, the new office is also convenient for those clients using US-76 as a thoroughfare between adjacent counties. The choice of location also has a more personal significance for Berry and his wife, Andrea, who serves as one of the firms department managers. Andrea grew up and has many family members in Fannin County, said Berry. Its great to be able to offer assistance to the local community and make a positive impact on an area that means a lot to our family.

Berry & Associates is planning a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting that will take place in the coming months.

About Berry & Associates: With 12 offices across north Georgia and a team of experienced attorneys, Berry & Associates is uniquely positioned to provide convenient legal services throughout the state. The firms attorneys have earned a reputation for obtaining excellent results on behalf of clients in the areas of debt relief, social security disability, and fair debt collection matters. The firm is AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been providing high quality legal services in Georgia since 1989.
The students union election at the Jadavpur University which is scheduled for today (February 19) will a closely fought contest between Students' Federation of India (SFI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The students' election in JU is being held after a gap of three years.

The CPI(M)-backed SFI has put up candidates for all eight central panel posts and 40 general seats, and are confident that it will win the elections by a huge margin.

While, the RSS-affiliated ABVP fielded candidates for several 'general' category seats and eight central panel posts  four in arts and four in engineering faculties, for the first time.

Meanwhile, Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das recently issued a statement appealing students to "remain calm and maintain peace" during students' union polls on February 19.

Das called upon all members of the university - students, teachers, researchers, non-teaching staff, officers and others - to work together to "preserve the spirit of democracy and the sanctity of the great institution".

While SFI leader Debraj Debnath was confident of the candidates winning the election this year. "Students in the university would re-elect SFI candidates - who stand for secularism and democratic values," he was quoted as saying by PTI.

The AISA and the Trinamool Chatra Parishad (TMCP) have also fielded candidates in the election.

The results of the student polls will be announced on Thursday, February 20.
A man beaten by a Bethlehem woman, after the womans daughter reported he tried to kiss her, is now facing his own criminal charges.

Eldis Manuel Rivera-Rodriguez, of Atlantic Street in Bethlehem, was arraigned Wednesday morning on two counts of indecent assault of a child under the age of 13. The 39-year-old Rivera-Rodriguez was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $7,500 bail.

Bethlehem police say on Jan. 2, Rivera-Rodriguez kissed the two girls, ages 7 and 9, and groped them. When Rivera-Rodriguez left the house, one of the girls went to their mother and told her what happened, police said.

Police said the girls mother attacked Rivera-Rodriguez, following him to his home.

Officers were called for the assault at about 8 p.m. Jan. 2 and found the mom and Rivera-Rodriguez at his home. Rivera-Rodriguez was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries; on the way to the hospital he lost consciousness, police said.

The mother, whose name is being withheld by lehighvalleylive.com in order to protect the identity of her children, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment. She has been free on $25,000 unsecured bail.

The mother is due in court March 14, and is confident her charges will be dropped.

Its just emotional, the mother said of the night, her criminal charges and the media reports, in addition to the investigation into Rivera-Rodriguez. I was so in shock for a couple weeks. I just felt more overprotective of the children ... It just makes me want to put a lock and key around my kids, want to keep my family in a bubble."

The mother, who has suffered anxiety attacks, said she is relieved Rivera-Rodriguez has been charged; her family has seen him as police investigated.

I already know that justice will be served on it, she said of his case.

People who learned of her criminal charges would tell her Hes lucky I wasnt there, or It would have been a worse situation.

I did what I was supposed to do in protecting my kids, she said.

The mother, who has an attorney, is currently raising money for her legal costs via a GoFundMe campaign here.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
LANSING, MI -- Supporters of a ballot initiative to regulate how lobbyists interact with lawmakers hope to start collecting signatures by the March 10 presidential primary following approval from a state board.

Michigans State Board of Canvassers voted to approve a 100-word summary of the initiative backed by the Coalition to Close Lansing Loopholes, which allows the group to begin printing and circulating petitions for signature gathering. The Coalition to Close Lansing Loopholes was formed by progressive nonprofit Progress Michigan, a group of volunteers called Michiganders for Fair and Transparent Elections and other parties that have yet to be disclosed.

Read the full ballot initiative here. The approved summary language reads:

A proposal to amend the Michigan Constitution by adding Article 3, Section 9 to prohibit lobbyists and clients from giving gifts to state government public officials and their immediate families; prohibit the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and members of the Michigan Legislature from working as lobbyists for 2 years after leaving office; prohibit lobbyist compensation contingent on the result of lobbying; require lobbyists and public officials to disclose all attempts to influence official actions of public officials; require any person to disclose public communications encouraging others to influence official actions of public officials; and require secretary of state implementation.

The proposal aims to change the Michigan Constitution to make lobbying efforts more transparent and curb the influence lobbyists have on the legislative process, said Progress Michigan Executive Director Lonnie Scott. Though Scott came short of calling the behavior of lobbyists and lawmakers corrupt, he referenced a Michigan Campaign Finance Network report that found lobbyists supplied half a million dollars worth of food and drinks for state officeholders during the first half of 2019.

Theres a lot of talk right now about who is really pulling the strings here and so if you want to want to consider that corruption, that certainly could be the case," Scott said. "But we think that this actually takes away some of the lobbyist influence and puts that power back with the people. The people of Michigan should be driving the legislative agenda here and right now thats not whats happening.

Attorney and former Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer served as the petitioners legal counsel. He said, if enacted, the ballot proposal will require a change in culture in this city and this government," but said similar proposals have been successfully implemented in other states.

Michigan has the worst lobbying laws and ethics laws across the country," Brewer said. "This will bring Michigan into conformity with the rest of the country.

Other public officials covered under the proposal include university presidents, the highest-ranking employee in the office of each state senator and representative, members of state boards and commissions, heads of principal departments, and executive branch staff exempt from civil service.

The proposal also requires Michigan residents who make paid public communications on legislative issues to file a report with the Secretary of State. This does not apply to constituents who communicate with their legislators.

The inclusion of people who arent lobbyists or public officials caused some disagreement among the Board of State Canvassers Wednesday. The board unanimously approved the petition summary after making several revisions to the original language presented.

Republicans on the board said the ballot summary language should be revised to alert the general public that they would be affected too. Two additional drafts were created after Republicans expressed concerns that the language didnt reflect how the proposal regulates the speech of Michigan residents.

This goes beyond regulating lobbyists, dont you think the public should know that? said Republican board member Aaron Van Langevelde.

Republican board member Norm Shinkle also questioned whether the proposal is overly broad, saying it would apply to many obscure state boards and commissions.

Brewer argued Michiganders have a right to know whenever a lobbyist tries to contact a public official.

Board members said the language changes reflect how difficult it was to reduce a nearly 8,500-word proposal to just 100 words.

The measures would put Michigan in line with other states in some respects, Scott said, and ahead of other states in requiring interactions between lawmakers and lobbyists be disclosed. Sections of the ballot initiative were modeled after other states, he said.

Ohio is among several states that ban lawmakers from accepting gifts, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In Michigan, lawmakers can accept gifts of $25 or less and lobbyists are allowed to pay for meals, as well.

Scott said the signature collecting process will start within the next few weeks.

To get on the ballot in 2020, a petition needs to gather 425,059 signatures. All signatures must be collected 180 days before the petition is filed with the office of the secretary of state.

Scott said the group will likely pay signature-gatherers for this effort. He previously said the group expected to spend more than $1 million on the campaign because he anticipates a lot of opposition.

We have had an overwhelming amount of support from folks contacting us, asking how they can get petitions to get started, so we expect that to start soon, Scott said.

The Coalition to Close Lansing Loopholes joins other groups trying to get various measures on the ballot in 2020, including two abortion-related ballot initiatives and one to expand the states civil rights act to cover sexual orientation and gender identity.
Younger voters are being encouraged to take time now to make sure they are enrolled and ready to vote in this years election and referendums.

The Electoral Commissions enrolment teams will be at orientation events at universities, polytechnics and wananga as students return for the academic year.

If youre a student, the start of the year often means moving to a new city, residential hall or flat. One of the things you need to sort out is updating your address on the electoral roll, and well be there at orientation events to help, says chief electoral officer Alicia Wright.

This is a big year when we will have a direct say on who represents us in Parliament making laws and decisions that affect our everyday lives.

Dont miss out on enrolling and voting and having your voice heard in 2020.

The 2020 General Election will be held on Saturday 19 September. Referendums will also be held on whether the recreational use of cannabis should become legal and whether the End of Life Choice Act 2019 should come into force.

The Electoral Commission is helping people get ready for this years election and referendums by making it easier to enrol online.

People can now use a New Zealand driver licence or New Zealand passport, as well as a RealMe verified identity, to enrol or update their address at www.vote.nz.

Younger voters have taken to our improved online enrolment service with speed and ease. In fact, they are the fastest at using it, says Alicia.

On average it takes voters under the age of 25 just 4 to 5 minutes to enrol online using their driver licence.

For more information on enrolling to vote, visit www.vote.nz.
Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers has established a Joint Commission on political prisoners held captive in the Russian Federation. Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk said this during a government session.

According to him, the commission will be engaged in protection of our political prisoners in the Russian Federation, whereas earlier two commissions were doing it. In addition, the commission will help in a timely manner to assist Ukrainian citizens returning from captivity and to coordinate the interaction of the relevant authorities.

The work of a unified commission will provide the highest quality and timely assistance, including material assistance, to those who have returned from captivity. It will also effectively coordinate the interaction of state authorities responsible for helping those who have been deprived of their freedom, Honcharuk said.

Earlier, the SBU submitted for approval the list of the convicted Crimean Tatars drawn up by the leader of the Crimean Tatar people and the MP Mustafa Dzhemilev. According to him, those who are under house arrest and recognizance not to leave should be exchanged last, since they suffer much less than those who are in camps.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-20 01:11:52|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on Feb. 19, 2020. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday vowed to launch an operation into the Idlib province of Syria if the Syrian government does not retreat by the end of February. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Deadly Russian-backed Syrian government attacks on Turkish forces in rebel-held stronghold of Idlib in Syria have triggered a cautious rapprochement between quarreling NATO allies Turkey and the United States.

U.S. officials were swift to address messages of support and solidarity to Ankara which has lost 13 servicemen in two attacks in the northwestern province of the war-torn country since the beginning of the month.

Following the Syrian attacks, Turkey has sent thousands of troops, tanks and armored vehicles in Idlib to reinforce its observations posts which were established in accordance with a 2018 de-escalation zone agreement with Russia, while tensions remain high on the ground.

On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that it is "only a matter of time" before it launches an operation to stop the Syrian offensive on Idlib that has killed scores of civilians since last December.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared a message on Twitter last week, expressing condolences over the loss of Turkish soldiers and dispatched U.S. Special Envoy for Syria James Jeffrey to the Turkish capital for talks.

Jeffrey offered strong messages of support and sympathy in front of journalists.

The deterioration in Turkey's ties with the U.S. and other Western allies over the recent years has resulted in further convergence between Ankara and Moscow.

The Brunson crisis, a U.S. pastor released from jail following intense U.S. pressure which ultimately caused a currency meltdown in Turkey, U.S. sanctions over Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 missiles, and continuous U.S. support to Syrian Kurds, have seriously disrupted ties between the two NATO allies.

This environment has led to a deep mistrust in the Turkish public opinion, boosting anti-American sentiment across the country.

Observers have speculated that the U.S. administration is now sensing an opportunity to rebuild the relationship with Ankara after years of disagreement over Turkey's evolving relationship with Russia.

Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on the phone with his Turkish counterpart and thanked him for his efforts in preventing a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Idlib, the White House said.

Over the years, analysts have pointed out that by engaged in a close relationship with Turkey, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been seeking a strategic objective to undermine Erdogan's relationship with NATO.

However, nearly 60 percent of Turks think that their country should definitely remain in the alliance, according to a survey conducted by the Istanbul Kadir Has University published on Tuesday.

"For many, the ongoing tension between Turkey and Russia over Idlib would pave the way for a normalized relationship between Turkey and the U.S.," political analyst and journalist Serkan Demirtas told Xinhua.

"Some think that it would be time for Turkey to re-calibrate its foreign policy in a way to turn its face to the West by ending its cooperation with Russia," he pointed out.

Erdogan's growing discontent with Putin in Syria resulted in calls by some government aligned experts and columnists for more engagement with NATO and the European Union.

Another reason for Turkey to remain its military presence in northwestern Syria is to prevent a dreaded refugee exodus towards its borders.

Over 800,000 displaced civilians from Idlib fleeing shelling and air raids have settled near the Turkish border, international monitors said.

Idlib is the last stronghold of the Syrian rebels and extremists who have been trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since 2011.

Meanwhile, Turkish-Russian talks in Moscow during this week have been inconclusive, raising the risk of further tensions between the two nations.

However, some analysts argued that after years of bitter differences with Washington, Ankara is not ready yet to soften its stand with its ally.

"Ankara welcomes support from the U.S., but it will not lead to a drastic change in its foreign policy, at least for now. Instead, it will try to capitalize on the latest U.S. engagement in its efforts for more balanced diplomacy between Russia and its Western allies," Demirtas said.

"Turkey only acts according to its national interests and we have been wrongfully and unjustly accused of shifting from the West, but recent developments have shown that Turkey is engaged in a balanced foreign diplomacy," a Turkish diplomatic source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Kentucky to pay atheist over $150K for rejecting 'IM GOD' license plate

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A federal judge ruled last week that the state of Kentucky violated the First Amendment by denying an atheist a license plate saying IM GOD, and has ordered the state to pay more than $150,000 in legal fees to the attorneys who represented the lawsuit.

Freedom From Religion Foundation and American Civil Liberties Union-Kentucky attorneys represented Kenton County resident Ben Hart, a Postal Service retiree, and an atheist, and they will be paid for the work they performed for the lawsuit.

Groups such as ours have to put in a lot of work to ensure the constitutional rights of ordinary folks, FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said in a statement. We truly appreciate that the court recognizes this.

Last November, a federal judge allowed Hart to obtain the personalized license plate, ruling that the Transportation Cabinets denial of that plate violated the First Amendment. To allow such plates as IM4GOD AND LUVGOD but reject IMGOD belies viewpoint neutrality, U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove said.

According to FFRF, Hart was raised in a religious family but began questioning religion as a child and now identifies as an atheist.

Hart moved to Kentucky in February 2016, and in March, he received a letter from Kentuckys Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing about the rejection of his application for the "IM GOD" plate. According to the letter, the IM GOD plate was considered in violation of laws against vulgar or obscene license plate messages.

Senior Counsel J. Todd Ship of the Kentucky's Office of Legal Services had said in a letter that the use of IM GOD is not in good taste and would create the potential of distraction to other drivers and possibly confrontations.

FFRF and ACLU of Kentucky member Hart sued the secretary of the states Transportation Cabinet in November 2016 over being denied the vanity license plate.

The Defendants acts, practices and policies constitute an impermissible infringement of Plaintiff's right to free speech, as-applied to Plaintiff's intended future speech in the form of a personalized license plate stating IM GOD, read the lawsuit.

[T]he threat of repeated enforcement by Defendant ... to deny Plaintiffs future application impermissibly discriminates against Plaintiffs speech on the basis of content and/or viewpoint, and has chilled and continues to chill Plaintiff's protected speech, thereby depriving him of rights secured by the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.

In an earlier statement, Hart said, I simply want the same opportunity to select a personal message for my license plate just as any other driver There is nothing obscene or vulgar about my view that religious beliefs are subject to individual interpretation.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect that Kelso will not support a "no-barrier, unsanctioned, unhosted campsite."

The Kelso City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to deny any payments for any unregulated homeless encampments in the county.

The matter was not on the council meeting agenda. But Councilwoman Lisa Alexander asked the council to officially state that the city would refuse to help finance another "no-barrier, unsanctioned, unhosted" campsite. She serves on the Cowlitz County ad hoc committee currently researching alternative campsites.

Kelso has not yet been officially asked for financial support. However, Alexander said the expectation has been clear from the start that Longview, Kelso and the county would share the costs of another site. Costs have not yet been spelled out.

If we vote on this motion and it passes, when I go to the next ad hoc committee, I can make it perfectly clear that Kelso is not okay with low-barrier, Alexander told the council.

Longview City Manager Kurt Sacha on Wednesday said he was bitterly disappointed with Kelsos decision.

Homelessness is a societal problem, he said. Its one that will take all of us to come together to try to resolve. I dont believe sticking your head in the sand and hoping it will all go away is a solution to resolving homelessness. As a community, we all need to come together and try to develop a solution.

Cowlitz County Commissioners Joe Gardner and Arne Mortensen said Wednesday the board is waiting to see what the ad hoc committee decides but they are willing to entertain ideas. However, Mortensen said whatever site that moves forward has to be managed with rules.

Commissioner Dennis Weber, whos on the committee, said he agreed with Alexander that just moving the encampments around without adding services for the campers is almost cruel, but he said the Kelso Councils vote was a bit premature.

Kelso Mayor Nancy Malone Tuesday night said campers at Longviews designated homeless site off Alabama Street and Oregon Way are living in squalor, and no one should have to live like that.

Kelsos denial to put money into additional camps will send a message that we need to look further, she said. For those who are breaking the law, I would rather have my tax dollars keep them in jail than running the streets and robbing neighborhoods.

Longview City Councilwoman Ruth Kendall, who also serves on the ad hoc committee, said she was alarmed to hear Malones comments.

Shes not being realistic because putting people in jail doesnt solve the problem. Its not a solution at all and its not even a cost-effective Band-Aid, Kendall said Wednesday.

Kendall, however, said Kelsos decision didnt surprise her because Alexander spoke loud and clear at the last ad hoc meeting about her concerns with Longviews campsite.

Alexander on Tuesday cited several problems with the temporary homeless campsite that Longview established in December to get homeless campers away from City Hall.

What were doing now (at that campsite) isnt helping these folks, Alexander said. All you have to do is step one foot into the encampment and see how wrong it really is.

Citing Longview police statistics, Alexander said there have been 226 police calls in the past five weeks to Longviews homeless camp. Crime rates in general have increased 19% in that area, she said. Alexander said after the meeting that she is concerned the same thing would happen in Kelso and there wouldnt be enough police officers to handle the increase in calls.

Longview Manager Sacha, however, said crime rates in the city havent changed between last year and this year.

What that means is, has crime really gone up in Longview because theres an encampment? The numbers dont appear to support that. What they do maybe show is (crime) is a little more concentrated, he said.

In a jab towards Kelso, Sacha added that Longview responded to 146 emergency calls in Kelso city limits last year.

Thats the community working together for the betterment of all citizens, he said.

The committee last week narrowed the list for potential new homeless campsites to two locations: one located next to the Cowlitz County Jail and another near the Coal Creek Boat Launch off Ocean Beach Highway in West Longview. Neither location is in Kelso, but the site near the jail is on the edge of West Kelso.

Several Kelso council members said they didnt want to have the same problems the city experienced when Love Overwhelming operated an emergency homeless shelter near the Cowlitz County Administration Building in Kelso. They said the current encampment is unsafe and unsanitary.

Councilman Mike Karnofski was the only council member to raise any objection to Alexanders motion. He said there have been fewer homeless campers out at Longview City Hall and on the streets since Longview established the camp. Nonetheless, he still voted for the measure.

Mayor Malone responded that instead of sleeping by City Hall, the campers are now getting what they want from residential areas.

Sacha said he hopes the ad hoc committee will select a second campsite at its meeting on Friday and then begin developing that site. Because one of the proposed sites is located in Longview and the other is next to city limits, Sacha said he expects Longview to contribute funds to the sites. How much money is hard to determine, he said.

The next ad hoc committee is at 1 p.m. Friday at the County Administration Building.

Reporter Katie Fairbanks contributed to this report.

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A 27-year-old man arrested in connection with the murder of Malcolm McKeown has been released.

The man was arrested in Belfast on Wednesday. He has been released pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service.

McKeown, a career criminal, was gunned down in broad daylight outside a filling station in Waringstown in August.

He was shot six times in an attack minutes after he left the shop at the petrol station. His body was found slumped in his car at the side of the garage.

A car believed to have been used by the murderers was later found burnt out on the edge of the Mourneview estate in Lurgan.

There have been a number of arrests in connection with the police investigation.

Two men, Jake O'Brien (25) and Andrew Martin (24) have been charged with McKeown's murder. Both deny the charge.
FILE PHOTO: Shipping containers are seen at a port in Tokyo, Japan

By Tetsushi Kajimoto

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's machinery orders tumbled at their fastest pace since 2018 while exports posted a 14th straight month of decline as the world's third-largest economy grappled with the widening impact of the coronavirus outbreak and a recent sales tax hike.

Government data out on Wednesday showed exports fell 2.6% year-on-year in January, smaller than a 6.9% decrease expected by economists and dragged by U.S-bound shipments of cars and construction and mining machinery. It followed a 6.3% fall in December.

Separate data on Wednesday showed core machinery orders, a highly volatile data series regarded as an indicator of capital spending in the coming six to nine months, fell 12.5% month-on-month in December, bigger than a 9.0% drop seen by economists.

The data underscores the challenge Japan faces in overcoming external and domestic pressures, with little room left for policy maneuvering and the economy teetering on the edge of a recession.

While new year holidays in Japan and China were likely a bigger drag on exports in January than the virus, analysts expect China-bound shipments to weaken as the outbreak hits demand from February.

"The spreading new virus has prolonged the suspension of China's factory operations and declines in capacity utilisation," said Koya Miyamae, senior economist at SMBC Nikko Securities. "That will cause ripple effects on Japanese exports from February."

Ministry officials said they were not yet sure how the coronavirus had affected shipments to China.

TOURISM, SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS

Data on Monday showed the economy shrank the most since 2014 in the last quarter as domestic demand took a hit from an October tax hike.

The virus has killed more than 2,000 people in mainland China and already taken a toll on China's economy - Japan's largest trading partner - hampering supply chains for car manufacturers to smartphone makers and disrupting tourism.

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In terms of volume, Japan's exports declined 1.6% year-on-year in January in a sixth straight month of decline.

By region, Japan's exports to China fell 6.4% in value year-on-year January, dragged down by chemicals, car parts and electronics parts.

Exports to Asia, which account for more than half of Japan's overall exports, fell 3.2% year-on-year in January, marking the 15th straight month of decline.

U.S.-bound shipments, a key destination for Japanese cars and electronics, fell 7.7% in January, posting a sixth straight month of decline, led by a 18.5% fall in automobiles due to softening demand for passenger cars, the officials said.

Reflecting weak domestic demand, Japan's imports fell 3.6% year-on-year in January, versus the median estimate for a 1.3% decrease, dragged down by demand for liquefied natural gas, mobile phones from China and coal.

Manufacturers surveyed by the Cabinet Office forecast core orders, which exclude those for ships and electricity, to drop 5.2% in January-March after a 2.1% fall in the previous quarter, dashing policymakers' hope for domestic demand to offset weak exports.

In December, manufacturers' orders rose 4.3% as gains in electrical and general production machinery offset a drop in automobiles, while those from the service-sector fell 21.3%, dragged down by telecommunications and goods leasing.

(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; additional reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Sam Holmes)
Almost 30,000 letters containing medical information of NHS patients were not sent by a private firm.

The health service has launched an inquiry after 28,563 letters due to be sent from hospitals to GPs were not dispatched following a blunder by IT company Cerner.

The Guardian reported that the letters related to outpatient appointments for 22,144 patients at Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals in north London, from June 2019 to last month.

A 'clinical harm review' is under way after it was found they had not been dispatched.

Almost 30,000 letters containing medical information were not sent to patients by a private firm (stock photo)

A leaked memo detailing the error, seen by The Guardian, was sent on February 7 by Caroline Clarke, chief executive of the Royal Free London group of hospitals which include Barnet and Chase Farm.

It blamed the mistake on a 'technical error' and has reported the blunder to NHS England.

Rachel Power, of the Patients Association, said: 'Patients who have attended these two hospitals will now be very worried about whether their care might have been compromised by this IT bungle.

'We know sharing information to join up patient care is a major weakness of the NHS, so it is very disappointing to see that this failure took over six months to be detected. All affected patients must be told what this means for them as soon as possible.'

A spokesman for the Royal Free said: 'This was declared a serious incident due to the possibility of harm being caused and because of the number of letters involved. No harm has been discovered to date.'
Sky Scoops Innovation Award at the Medilink North of England Healthcare Business Awards 2020

DARESBURY, England, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sky Medical Technology, a UK-based medical devices company and manufacturer of the geko device, has today announced its pride in being crowned winner of the Innovation Award at the prestigious Medilink North of England Healthcare Business Awards 2020.

The Medilink Innovation Award recognises Sky's successful partnership with the NHS Royal Stoke University Hospital in generating compelling real-world data that has reported a zero VTE incidence (venous thromboembolism) in immobile acute Stroke patients prescribed the geko device alone - data that has changed clinical practice at the Royal Stoke, driven wider NHS adoption across multiple acute Stroke units and critically, helped Sky achieve FDA 510(k) clearance in the US, making geko the first device of its kind to be cleared by the FDA for VTE prevention across all patients, including non-surgical patients - and a first new approach in 20 years

With VTE proving a major risk to hospitalised patients - estimates put the number of deaths at 40,000 in England annually, 62 per cent of which are preventable given proper management - acute Stroke patients are a high at-risk population due to reduced mobility.

Collecting the award, Sky CCO Andrew Thelwell said, "I would like to thank Medilink for recognising excellence in technology deployment achieved through outstanding industry and NHS partnering. Partnership makes us who we are and we are enormously proud to bring to market an innovative therapy that completely redefines the way VTE prevention and vascular related conditions can now be treated and to have achieved this in partnership with the Royal Stoke Hospital acute Stroke team."

Commenting on the award, Sky Founder and CEO Bernard Ross said, "Thank you Medilink. We are extremely proud to again be recognised, this time with the prestigious Innovation Award. Not only does it celebrate world-class design and our mission to make prevention easy in stopping life threatening blood clots, it also recognises the high priority we place on partnering with our NHS colleagues who, on top of their full-time jobs, and in a challenging environment, are willing to give-up additional time in pursuit of innovation for the improvement of patient care. It is to the Royal Stoke acute Stroke team that we owe our sincere thanks for the compelling data they have generated to prove geko device efficacy. It is to them we dedicate this award."

The investigators, led by Dr. Indira Natarajan, Consultant Stroke Physician and Clinical Director for Neurosciences and Professor Christine Roffe, qualified that 30% of their acute Stroke patients are contraindicated or became intolerant to SCDs (sequential compression devices). It is to this unmet need cohort they fitted the geko device, reporting a zero VTE incidence at 90 days and good patient tolerance. Their findings have accelerated geko device adoption across multiple NHS trusts and international markets, as well as expanded FDA clearances for the prevention of VTE.

Sky will now go forward to the Medilink UK Healthcare Business Awards, with the hope to be crowned national winner at the prestigious awards ceremony on the 1st of April 2020, at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, located in the NEC. Hosted annually, in association with Med-Tech Innovation (MTI), the Medilink awards celebrate the outstanding business achievements, international successes and innovative breakthroughs made across the Life Sciences and Healthcare Technology sectors in the past year.

At the Med-Tech Innovation EXPO, which hosts the Medilink Awards ceremony, Sky will present how the geko device was conceived and the R&D processes and challenges in bringing innovation to market, on the HealthTech stage, D80, at 1.00pm - 1.30pm, as part of the conference track dedicated to wearables. https://med-techexpo.com/event/en/node/biringing-to-market:-the-geko-device.

MTI EXPO is a showcase for medical design and manufacturing technology, taking place 1-2 April 2020 at the NEC, BirminghamMed-Tech Innovation Expo.

About the geko device

Through its innovative mechanism of bioelectronic neuromuscular electrostimulation, the geko device gently stimulates the common peroneal nerve activating the calf and foot muscle pumps, resulting in increased blood flow in the deep veins of the calf. The size of a wrist-watch and worn at the knee, the easy-to-use geko device operates without external pressure to the leg and allows complete patient mobility.

About Sky Medical Technology Ltd and Firstkind Ltd.

Sky Medical Technology Ltd, is a UK-based medical devices company and parent company of Firstkind Ltd, the marketing arm of Sky. Through its innovative mechanism of non-invasive neuromuscular electrostimulation, the Company has developed a ground-breaking bioelectronic technology platform, OnPulse, embedded in its industry-leading brand, the geko device. The company develops a range of wearable therapy devices tailored to the needs of different medical application areas, selling through strategic partnerships and distributors in each application area. Clinical areas of interest include DVT prevention, oedema management and wound healing. The goal in each pathway is to partner with healthcare professionals to improve clinical outcomes and patient care whilst saving health system resources.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1092665/Andrew_Medlink_Photo.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1092666/The_geko_device_T3.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1092667/The_geko_device_on_leg_T3.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1026919/Sky_Medical_Technology_Logo.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1092668/The_Medilink_Awards_Logo.jpg

Media Contact:

Sue Davenport

VP Marketing Communications

Sky Medical Technology Ltd

Hawk House

Peregrine Business Park

High Wycombe

Buckinghamshire

Bucks

HP13 7DL

+44 (0)149-457-2044

www.gekodevices.com
BALTIMORE, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC), the country's first fellowship program dedicated to meeting immigrants' needs for high-quality legal counsel, announced today a two-year Access to Counsel Initiative in partnership with the Capital Area Immigrants' Rights (CAIR) Coalition that will provide representation to all Prince George's County, Maryland, residents detained in immigration custody.

The initiative will extend quality legal counsel to all residents of Prince George's County who are detained without representation in detention centers across Maryland. There is no right to appointed counsel in immigration proceedings, but immigrants with representation are nearly six times more likely to have a successful outcome than those without representation. In Maryland, as many as 81 percent of detained immigrants proceed unrepresented in immigration court. On any given day, there are at least 300 Prince George's County residents detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Maryland.

"High-quality legal assistance is the most direct intervention available to support immigrant families facing the risk of detention and deportation. We are confident that together with CAIR Coalition, this two-year pilot in Maryland will show how access to counsel, regardless of the merits of the case, results in better outcomes for immigrants, their families and for justice and due process," said Jojo Annobil, Immigrant Justice Corps' Executive Director.

Starting in September 2020, six Immigrant Justice Corps Justice Fellows (immigration attorneys), and three Community Fellows (immigration advocates) will be assigned to CAIR Coalition to assist in providing legal representation to every single unrepresented detained person in Prince George's County. This is the largest ever cohort of IJC Fellows assigned to one host site and will significantly expand access to lifesaving representation in the area.

"Immigrant Justice Corps, by providing true universal representation to all Prince George's County residents detained by ICE, is shining a beacon of light for all of our communities at risk of immigration detention," said Eric Lopez, CAIR Coalition's Managing Attorney.

CAIR Coalition has taken on 52 unrepresented cases in the Prince George's County jurisdiction. The average length of residence of individuals in the area is 11 years, with some individuals residing in the U.S. for decades. Of the cases that CAIR Coalition has represented at a merits hearing, 65 percent had a successful outcome. The Access to Counsel Initiative with IJC will close the representation gap for the remaining 200-220 immigrants who are unrepresented and detained in the county.

The initiative will also be supported by $300,000 in funding from Prince George's County, which builds on the county's existing support of immigrants and families through its investment in the Immigration Services & Language Assistance (ISLA) Initiative .

"Prince Georgians benefit when all our residents have the opportunity to thrive and civically engage in our communities," said Prince George's County Council Member Deni Taveras. "With the support of the Immigrant Justice Corps, the ISLA initiative will offer legal counsel and support to all Prince Georgians detained. The expansion in services will keep our communities' diverse tapestry intact and minimize the social and economic impact caused by family separation."

Background

Founded in 2014, Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC) identifies promising lawyers and advocates passionate about immigration, places them with organizations where they can make the greatest difference and supports them with training and expert insights as they directly assist immigrants in need.

To date, more than 200 IJC Fellows have provided representation in over 25,000 legal matters and assisted more than 70,000 low-income immigrants and their families with a success rate of 92 percent on cases completed. There are currently 82 Fellows serving in 11 states and 33 cities.

The Capital Area Immigrants' Rights (CAIR) Coalition strives to ensure equal justice for all immigrant adults and children at risk of detention and deportation in the Capital region area and beyond through direct legal representation, know your rights presentations, impact litigation, advocacy, and the enlistment and training of attorneys to defend immigrants.

SOURCE Immigrant Justice Corps

Related Links

http://justicecorps.org/


Girls Leadership Summit for middle and high school girls will be held at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the University Center from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. Topics will range from Confidence, Self-Awareness, Self-Care, Support Systems/Resources and more.

"In order to create sustainable engagement and continued community collaboration, we are committed to continuing the work by meaningfully interacting with the attendees throughout the year," organizers said.



GLS is designed to kick-start a movement of leadership workshops and skills training, while also offering opportunities for continued social and emotional growth, said Shawanna Kendrick, GLS Steering Committee co-chair.



GLS is free and open to any middle and/or high school girl. Registration is underway, but space is limited. In addition, sessions specifically for parents will be offered during the day.



"In May of 2019, a group of diverse, professional women in the community met with a common goal and mission of educating, empowering and preparing young girls for success in school, at home and in life. Since that time and in collaboration with dozens of women from multiple sectors of the community, these women have been hard at work planning GLS with tomorrows female leaders in mind," officials said.



To register, go to GLS2020.Eventbrite.com.



For more information, email tngirlsleadership@gmail.com.
Using mindfulness training as a cognitive enhancement tool, two new studies from University of Miami researchers show that firefighters and soldiers who participated in short-form mindfulness training programs tailored for their respective professional contexts, benefited from improved attention and resilience. These benefits, the researchers argue, better equip these professionals to manage stressors on the frontlines of their high-demand occupations.

Acknowledging the similarities faced by first responders and active-duty military service personnel in high-stress, high-demand environments, Amishi Jha, a cognitive neuroscientist and associate professor of psychology in the University's College of Arts and Sciences, built upon previous research utilizing Mindfulness-based Attention Training (MBAT)--an innovative program co-developed in 2013 by Jha and Scott L. Rogers, director of the Mindfulness in Law Program at the University of Miami School of Law .

The MBAT program was developed by Jha and Rogers for delivery to psychologically and physically healthy individuals in high-demand, time-pressed workplace environments and comprises four central themes: concentration, body awareness, open monitoring and connection.

"For firefighters, soldiers, as well as medical professionals, business leaders and many others--success matters, not only for themselves but for all they serve and lead," Jha said. "Many of our participants are highly motivated to learn how to gain a 'mental edge' so they can succeed in very demanding circumstances. In these projects, we contextualized our training to highlight why and how mindfulness training offered in the MBAT program provides tools and skills to succeed, even under Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) circumstances."

"Is Resilience Trainable? An Initial Study Comparing Mindfulness and Relaxation Training in Firefighters," published in the journal Psychiatry Research, investigated the effectiveness of offering short-form mindfulness training to bolster firefighters' resilience--an important factor known to mitigate the damaging effects of occupational stress on the mental health of first responders.

Ekaterina Denkova, the first author on the firefighter study and research assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, together with Jha, Rogers, and post-doctoral researcher Anthony Zanesco, wanted to know if resilience is trainable. And if so, how mindfulness training, which emphasizes present moment attention and nonreactivity, might compare to a well-matched comparison program involving relaxation (i.e., visualization and progressive muscle relaxation).

Partnering with the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, the researchers examined resilience, mood, and attention in 121 Miami-Dade firefighters who were assigned to one of three groups. Two groups received either mindfulness training or relaxation training, respectively, while the third received no training and served as a control group. For both training programs, Jha and Rogers consulted with Gary Gonzalez, a retired Battalion Chief from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, to ensure that the programs would resonate with firefighters.

Findings from the firefighter study include:

Psychological resilience showed a greater increase over time in firefighters who received a four-week mindfulness training compared to those who received relaxation training, or no training at all.

Self-reported positive mood and objective attentional performance also showed a greater increase over the 4-week study interval in participants from the mindfulness group who spent more days per week engaging in guided mindfulness exercises.

"We have recently experienced fires in Australia unlike any we have ever encountered," said Dennis Smith, senior station officer for the Country Fire Authority in South Warrandyte, Victoria, Australia. "It has been a dangerous and exhausting season for our firefighters. Since the intensity and frequency of fires is unlikely to abate, we need better training for our readiness and recovery. The results from Dr. Jha's study give us hope. As firefighters, we can train our minds to be more attentive, positive, and resilient with mindfulness training. We can practice a proven method that will help our first responders with the unrelenting demands of this job, so we can operate at our best and focus on rebuilding our damaged communities."

A second study, "Bolstering Cognitive Resilience via Train-the-Trainer Delivery of Mindfulness Training in Applied High-Demand Settings," published in the journal Mindfulness, investigated train-the-trainer delivery of MBAT by trainers who were highly experienced in mindfulness or novices. The novice trainers were military trainers and thus, highly familiar with soldiers' professional challenges. A total of 180 active-duty soldiers from the U.S. Army were recruited to participate in the study and assigned to be in one of three groups. Two of the groups received training from the experienced or novice trainers, respectively, and the third received no training.

Jha and her team wanted to test whether mindfulness-naive, context-familiar military trainers could successfully deliver MBAT to soldiers after being trained for just 12 weeks.

Findings include:

Intensive military field training designed to prepare soldiers for deployment can degrade cognitive capacities, such as their attention skills.

Soldiers who received MBAT from military trainers had less cognitive decline than those in the other two groups.

These results provide a cost-effective and time-efficient strategy for rapid dissemination of short-form mindfulness training to military cohorts.

"While mindfulness training is growing in popularity, accessibility to training is limited, especially for groups where the professional climate is time pressured with its own unique culture, challenges, and demands," Jha said of the train-the-trainer research approach.

The findings from both studies suggest that it is possible to improve accessibility of mindfulness training programs for such high-demand professionals.

"What we learned here is that in addition to ensuring that mindfulness training is contextualized for participants' professional lives, trainers' context familiarity is key, perhaps even more so than having extensive mindfulness expertise. We also learned that trainers can be 'trained up' to effectively deliver mindfulness training in as little as 12 weeks. Knowing this should help empower those who wish to make mindfulness training more accessible for specialized professions."

In their ongoing work, Jha, Rogers, and the university-based research team are working with military spouses who have been trained in peer-to-peer delivery of MBAT with encouraging results, Jha said.

###

Other groups who may benefit from this method of mindfulness training include medical students, human resources professionals, and business leaders. Jha and Rogers recently partnered with medical school faculty at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University to offer MBAT to medical students, and HR professionals at Lennar Corporation to deliver MBAT in their offices nationwide.
A chilling 911 call captured a desperate mother's pleas for help after she alleged she was drugged with a tainted cupcake by a woman posing as a baby photographer in an attempt to snatch the victim's newborn daughter.

"I'm telling you something is wrong with me. I don't feel good," the mom, Elysia Miller, tells a Pierce County, Washington, emergency dispatcher in the 911 call she made this month. "I'm super spacey like it's hard to talk. And like my hands and my feet, and my arms are super numb. I feel like my breathing is jacked up, too."

Miller made the call shortly after she kicked Juliette Lelani Parker and Parker's 16-year-old daughter out of her Tacoma home when police say a photography session with Miller's newborn daughter took a disturbing twist.

Parker, 38, who last year ran for mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado, is accused of showing up at the victim's home with her own teenage daughter earlier this month and drugging the victim with a tainted cupcake.

PHOTO: Elysia Miller makes a statement to the press on Feb. 18, 2020. (KOMO)

"I was fine and then I ate a cupcake," Miller said in the 911 recording released by the Pierce County Sheriff's Office. "I ate one, I was fine. I ate another one, and then my face started instantly going numb."

The mother-daughter team abandoned their alleged abduction attempt once Miller became ill and ordered them to leave, according to a probable cause affidavit filed on Tuesday in the bizarre case.

Parker, who also goes by several aliases, was arraigned in Pierce County Superior Court on Tuesday where her attorney entered not guilty pleas to charges of second-degree attempted kidnapping and second-degree assault.

Parker's daughter was also arrested and charged with the same crimes. She was expected to appear in juvenile court on Wednesday.

Prosecutors said the attempted kidnapping of Miller's infant occurred on Feb. 5 after Miller answered an ad Parker placed on a mommy group's Facebook page, offering to take photos of newborn babies for free, saying she was attempting to build a portfolio.

Story continues

Miller said that after she answered the Facebook post in January, Parker made two visits to her home. On a third visit, Parker arrived with her 16-year-old daughter and offered Miller wine and cupcakes that Parker said she had baked.

She said that once she ate the cupcakes and started to fill violently ill, she noticed Parker wiping down her wineglass and other items in her house in an apparent attempt to erase her fingerprints.

PHOTO: Juliette Parker appears in Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma, Wash., Feb. 18, 2020. (KOMO)

Miller said that after Parker and her daughter left, she noticed her house keys were missing and that she started to vomit uncontrollably.

After making the 911 call, Miller went to a hospital, where blood tests were taken and doctors told her she was experiencing symptoms similar to someone exposed to the drug GHB, also known as the date-rape drug, Miller said.

Parker and her daughter, whose name has not been released because she is a juvenile, were initially arrested on Feb. 14. Parker was released after posting $50,000 bail.

MORE: 'She violated my safety,' victim in baby kidnapping plot says as suspect appears in court

On Tuesday, a judge increased her bail to $150,000 and ordered her to be immediately remanded to the custody of the Pierce County Sheriff's Office after ruling Parker was a threat to children in the community if she remained out on bail. According to online records, Parker remained in Pierce County Jail on Wednesday afternoon.

Parker's attorney, Ephraim Benjamin, dismissed the prosecution's case as "a lot of smoke."

MORE: Woman posed as baby photographer before drugging new mom to steal her child: Authorities

"She is maintaining her innocence and she intends to fight these charges to the best of her ability," Benjamin said at Tuesday's hearing.

MORE: 19-year-old pregnant woman found dead in Chicago had baby cut from her womb: Police

Miller issued a warning to anyone thinking about hiring a baby photographer via social media.

"Just yesterday I saw someone posting on social media looking for a baby photographer," Miller said on Tuesday. "Please, if you do that have somebody with you at all times. Check the website reviews. Check to see if they have a business license, ask for references, just be very careful and trust your instincts."

'Something is wrong': chilling 911 call captures mom drugged in baby kidnap attempt originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
You could inflict punishment more directly, no doubt, by talking to the roofers boss. Here, youd be using your power as a consumer to get this guy in trouble with his employer. But what would you want the employer to do  fire him? Tell him he couldnt bring a car with a flag on it to work? Neither would have been a contribution to civic discourse.

When John Stuart Mill defended freedom of expression in On Liberty, he was not just making a case against government censorship but also in favor of a society whose members exchanged not threats but arguments. Getting people in trouble with their bosses  who in Maine, as in almost all states, can fire employees at will  because their ideas are misguided undermines the ideal that we should combat bad ideas with better ones.

Theres another objective you might seek thats slightly different from position-taking, persuasion or retribution. In order to discourage people from displaying this flag, you might want to raise the social costs of doing so. This can be accomplished with a modicum of courtesy. Youd inquire: Whats up with that flag? Simply being asked to give an accounting is a cost, especially in the face of skepticism. Its not that youll have changed his mind about anything significant. He may think its wrong that people get worked up over it. But  assuming that his intention isnt to provoke  theres a chance hell think twice about keeping that flag on display.

In Percival Everetts mischievous short story The Appropriation of Cultures, a black guitarist in South Carolina has his gig disrupted by white fraternity boys who yell at him to play Dixie. He surprises himself by playing it straight and from the heart, as he was claiming Southern soil, or at least recognizing his blood in it. His was the land of cotton and hell no, it was not forgotten. Soon he buys a truck with a large Confederate flag decal. When white people react with puzzlement or consternation, he calls them brother and explains to them that the rebel flag is, in fact, the black-power flag. Before long, black people start displaying it  and white-pride types quietly stop. I doubt that the rebel flag will really go the reversed-polarity way of queer (well, maybe if Kendrick and Kanye really put their backs to it), but when we argue over symbols, we should make sure that our victories are, in the end, more than symbolic.

My teenage daughter attended a birthday party at the home of one of her best friends. The friends family is Asian, and per the custom in their home, all the attendees were asked to take their shoes off and leave them by the front door. There were several dozen teenagers, many of whom the birthday girl didnt know, coming and going at will. Apparently word had spread about a great party in an upscale home, and the parents were not monitoring who came and went to be sure that only invited guests were let in.

When my daughter was leaving, she discovered that her nearly new boots, a popular brand that I bought for her birthday for $200, were missing. The host family helped her search but did not find them. They concluded that one of the uninvited attendees must have stolen them. My daughter did not ask the friends parents, nor did the parents offer, to pay for the boots or to file with their insurance for reimbursement. My daughter doesnt want to bring it up, nor does she want to report the theft to the police, for fear of straining her relationship with her friend.
FEBRUARY 19, 2020 UTSAs Institute for Law and Public Affairs is now accepting applications for its 2020 Summer Law School Preparation Academy, a leading prelaw program designed to help students hone the skills needed for success in law school and on the Law School Admission Test while learning if law school is fit for them. Applications are due by April 20.

The academy is offered in two five-week sessions with students taking two three-credit courses during each session. The course curriculum prepares students for law school and the LSAT by emphasizing quality analytical and critical thinking, logic reasoning, reading and writing skills. During the first five weeks the program is supplemented by plenary sessions in which students hear from law school professors, admissions directors and deans, and panels of legal practitioners. During the second five weeks the program includes LSAT workshops in addition to the regular coursework.

Students who participate in the Summer Law School Preparation Academy at UTSA will:

receive up to 12 hours of undergraduate credit, which is transferrable to most accredited universities;

hone the analytical, logic, critical thinking, reading and writing skills needed for law school and the LSAT;

attend mock law classes by law school professors from Texas and across the country;

learn how to build a successful law school application and finance their legal education, write a strong personal statement, and learn from and network with attorneys in different legal areas;

attend free LSAT workshops; and

have academy participation acknowledgment in transcripts.

I overall feel so much more prepared for law school than I thought I would because of things I learned through SLSPA, said Emily Lee, a 2016 alumna of the program who is a second-year student at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. I had an understanding of the legal system and how to perform legal analysis that helped me stay ahead during the first few months of the semester. Instead of stressing about building a basic foundation for understanding legal concepts and trying to determine what is important in a case, I can just focus on mastering the topics.

 To learn more and apply, visit UTSA's Institute for Law and Public Affairs online.

The SLSPA Summer I session runs May 26 to July 1. Summer II runs July 2 to Aug. 7. Admittance is on a competitive basis.

In addition to hosting SLSPA, ILPA provides prelaw advising to all students considering law school, and hosts the annual Law School Fair, which will be held Oct. 13.
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Linkedin Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Jambi  Wed, February 19, 2020 11:19 693 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20655e1a5 1 National Burung-Indonesia,bird,conservation,endangered-species,IUCN-red-list,sumatra,forest Free

Dozens of bird species endemic to Sumatra Island are closer to extinction because of habitat loss from land use change as well as illegal hunting.

According to bird conservation NGO Burung Indonesia, 42 bird species have been listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. Meanwhile, nine species are listed as critically endangered.

Most of the species in the critically endangered category are losing their habitat [and are] illegally hunted, Burung Indonesia spokesman Achmad Ridha Junaid said on Tuesday.

For example, cucak rawa (straw-headed bulbuls) were often hunted to be sold as pets, despite their limited number remaining in the wild, Achmad went on to say. The IUCN red list in August 2018 estimated the number of cucak rawa in the wild at 600 to 1,700.

Some experts believe the species is extinct by now.

Similarly, the rangkong gading (helmeted hornbill) is often hunted for its bright red and yellow solid casque. The species has been included in the critically endangered category.

Read also: Man nabbed in Riau for allegedly slaughtering, cooking hornbill

Achmad said the rangkong gading had been considered vulnerable until 2015, but its status had been increased to critically endangered ever since, because of rampant hunting.

Such a case, in which a bird species jumps by two [categories on the endangered species] lists in a very short time is very rare, he said. It is regrettable that we have little to no information on the exact helmeted hornbill population in Sumatra, as that would require a large-scale field study.

Changes in forest cover across Sumatra have contributed to the vulnerability of these bird species. According to environmental group Warsi Indonesian Conservation Community (KKI Warsi), the total forest cover on the island was around 11 million hectares in 2015  down vastly from 20 million ha in 1990.

Meanwhile, the areas of plantations as well as industrial forest have increased by 141 and 381 percent, respectively, KKI Warsi director Rudi Syaf said.

He added that Sumatra was predicted to lose another 9 million ha of forest cover within 25 years if no action was taken to preserve the forest. (dpk)
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - Buffalo Coal Corp. (TSXV: BUF) (JSE: BUC) ("Buffalo Coal" or "the Company") announces the resignation of Mr. Graham du Preez as Interim Chief Financial Officer and is leaving the Company to pursue other endeavours. The Company would like to thank Mr. du Preez for his service and wishes him all the best in the future

The board of directors of Buffalo Coal ("the Board") is finalizing the process of identifying and appointing a permanent successor for Graham du Preez.

The management team will continue to focus on executing the Company's strategy.

About Buffalo Coal

Buffalo is a coal producer in South Africa. It holds a majority interest in two operating mines through its 100% interest in Buffalo Coal Dundee, a South African company which has a 70% interest in Zinoju. Zinoju holds a 100% interest in the Magdalena bituminous mine and the Aviemore anthracite mine in South Africa. Buffalo Coal has an experienced coal-focused management team.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Craig Wiggill

Chairman

Email: craig@wiggill.co.uk

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52578
A total of 647 Indians and seven Maldivians brought back from Wuhan after the outbreak were kept at the two quarantine facilities.

All 248 people at an Army camp in Manesar and another batch of 100 at an ITBP facility, quarantined at these two places after being evacuated from coronavirus-hit Wuhan earlier this month, were discharged on Tuesday, officials said, even as more Indians will be brought back from China by an IAF aircraft.

The remaining people housed at the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp will be released by Wednesday morning, the officials

A total of 647 Indians and seven Maldivians were brought back from Wuhan on 1 and 2 February in two 747 Boeing Air India aircraft after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China and kept at the two quarantine facilities.

On Monday, a batch of about 200 people were discharged from the ITBP camp, which housed a total of 406 people, including seven Maldivians.

All 248 persons, mostly students, who were quarantined at the Army camp left for their homes after being declared fit on Tuesday.

"All of them have tested negative for the respiratory virus in the subsequent tests after the completion of the 14-day quarantine period," an official source said.

Military sources said India will send a C-17 military aircraft to Wuhan on February 20 to evacuate more Indians from Wuhan.

The C-17 Globemaster, the biggest military aircraft in the Air Force, will carry a large consignment of medical supplies to China and bring back more Indians from Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic, the sources told PTI.

Last week, India had announced that it will send medicines as well as other medical supplies to China.

As the inmates left the quarantine facility on Tuesday, they thanked the Indian Army for the arrangements made at the camp, particularly the food, and raised slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', sources said.

"Due to the fear of coronavirus spreading rapidly, we appealed the Indian embassy in China to rescue us. Our university also provided support to us. The documentation process took around eight days after which Indian Army evacuated us on 1 February on an Air India flight," said a student wearing a mask after being discharged.

So far 317 people out of total 406 have left the ITBP centre after being declared free of novel coronavirus by the doctors.

All those who were discharged have been provided with conveyance till airport, railway stations, or bus stands.

Among those who will leave the facility on Wednesday are a few families. All released persons were advised to remain self isolated for the next 14 days at their respective places, ITBP spokesperson Vivek Kumar Pandey said.

They were also advised the dos and don'ts during the period.

On Monday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had also visited the ITBP facility and interacted with the evacuees. India has so far reported three confirmed cases of the virus, all in Kerala. Two of the three medical students who had tested positive for novel coronavirus infection have now been discharged, Vardhan said on Monday.

The condition of the third one is stable, he said.

China's National Health Commission on Tuesday said the death toll due to the outbreak has climbed to 1,868 while the total number of confirmed cases jumped to 72,436.
A San Diego County Fire Department unit saved a man from potentially harming himself when he suffered a panic attack and got stuck at the top of United States-Mexico border fence.

Images released by the fire department shows the moment a firefighter from Station 38 Otay climbed up a ladder to the top 35-foot international border wall in Otay, California, on Tuesday morning at sunrise.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol spokesman Fabian Carvajal told DailyMail.com on Wednesday that the 37-year-old Mexican national unlawfully entered the U.S. after scaling over an 18-foot wall that divides Mexico and San Diego.

The undocumented migrant then attempted to climb over a second wall, 30-foot high, but became frightened when he reached the very top.



San Diego County Fire Department assisted U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Otay, California, in helping a frightened Mexican migrant climbed down from a 30-foot wall. CBP said the 37-year-old man suffered a panic attack on Tuesday after scaling over a second wall near the Mexico-United States border

A fireman assists a 37-year-old man from Mexico climb down from the top of a 30-foot wall he attempted to scale over after unlawfully entering the United States from Mexico on Tuesday

On its Facebook account, the San Diego County Fire Department wrote that personnel from Truck 38 used a 35-foot ladder to help the Mexican descend back to the ground before he was taken into custody by agents from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

The CBP spokesman could not confirm if the migrant had previously entered the United States illegally and would not say if he had any previous deportations on file.

The man received medical treatment. No injuries were reported during the daring rescue mission.

The 1,954-mile southwest border has been a contentious issue for President Donald Trump since he first took over the reigns of the White House in January 2017.

CBP announced last week that apprehensions at the southwest border decreased in January

CBP says the migrant man was taken into custody. The immigration agency would not confirm to DailyMail.com if the Mexican man had been previously deported from the United States

Trump's domestic goal since entering office has been to build close to 450 miles of border fencing.

A CBP report released February 11 showed that the immigration enforcement agency's action along the southwest border decreased by 10% in January in comparison with December, 'representing a 74.5% decrease since the peak of the humanitarian and border security crisis in May 2019.'

On the Southwest border, CBP conducted 29,200 arrests and 7,479 inadmissibility decisions in January compared with a total of 40,621 apprehensions and inadmissibility decisions in December.

'We continue to see positive results because of the steps taken by the Trump Administration to control the border and uphold the rule of law,' said CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan.

'We hope that Congress will finally act to address the ongoing crisis on the Southwest border and pass meaningful legislation to strengthen our immigration system.'
Rasta Flex has sat at the corner of Oakwood Avenue and Eglinton Avenue West for 30 years.

But you wouldnt know its there. The shop has been tucked behind tall fencing that lines the street since construction started on the Eglinton Crosstowns Oakwood station a few steps away. Nobody can see my sign, behind the thick barriers, store owner Debbie Edwards told the Star. She said her business went down the drain after construction started on the Eglinton LRT.

The project was previously scheduled to open in 2020, but in 2015 the province announced it would be delayed until 2021. Recently, the Crosstown suffered a setback that will delay completion until 2022.

Edwards is behind on rent payments, relying on a foodbank once a week because she has exhausted her savings trying to keep her business running. Everybody around here is suffering, she said.

Even if customers could see the sign advertising the Jamaican clothing store, its difficult to get to. The sidewalk nearby is closed, forcing pedestrians to cross a busy intersection twice if they want to get around the fence and visit Rasta Flex. I need this thing to move, Edwards said of the construction fence. Its unfair, she said. Were going to ... leave and go someplace else.

Before the construction started, business was good, Edwards said. Its hard to see when you have your (store) and nobody comes to look at it. Edwards noted people used to travel from as far as Hamilton and Kitchener to shop with her, but a lack of accessible parking has driven away those willing to commute to her.

Im so desperate. I need money to pay my bills, she said.

Sometimes her son and daughter lend a hand, but Edwards is reluctant to take it. My son will help me, but I dont want to take things from him every time, because he has kids, Edwards said.

Shes not alone. All along Eglinton, there is evidence of shops that have been abandoned by their owners. Many said the same to the Star that despite their best efforts, foot traffic has decreased and with it their businesses.

You could definitely see that (business) is slow, Sharon Walker, owner of Shanor Hair and Beauty, told the Star from her salon near the corner of Eglinton and Marlee Avenue. You dont get the walk-ins at all, she said, stressing that she worries pedestrians dont feel safe walking in the area.

I think its going to take a much (bigger) toll on us then we anticipated, Walker said. Her salon has not always been located on Eglinton. At one point, she was located on St. Clair Avenue and weathered the construction of the dedicated streetcar track.

Im hoping that things get better. The change will come, but at the same time, its affected us, Walker said.

And people will leave if you cant afford to pay your rent.

Councillors Josh Matlow (Ward12 Toronto-St. Pauls), and Mike Colle (Ward 8 Eglinton-Lawrence), who both represent wards where work for the crosstown is taking place, held a press conference at the corner of Yonge st. and Eglinton Ave. on Tuesday evening, calling on the province to compensate businesses that will be affected by the delay.

Today was the breaking point, said Colle, claiming that he knows of 100 businesses that have closed as a result of the construction disruption and delays, which he blamed on Metrolinx and the province.

Because they cant get their act together more businesses might go under, he said, adding that tens of millions of dollars are needed to compensate businesses.

Matlow said that local residents are also being kept awake and inconvenienced by construction noise.

We know that improving transit is the dream...(but) the construction is a nightmare, said Matlow, adding that the delays send a bad message to Toronto residents living in areas where other developments are planned.

The councillors also want to see sidewalks and streets freed from as much construction materials as possible.

Don Peat, spokesperson for mayor John Tory, told the Star in a statement, The Mayor has certainly made it known that businesses along Eglinton Avenue need this finished and commuters need the transit. He is confident the Premier and the Minister understand this, Peat said.

I unreservedly apologize to the community for the delay. It was unforeseen and I am doing my level best to ensure we get this project open as soon as possible, Metrolinx president Phil Verster said Tuesday.

In a statement, Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins told the Star the Crown company completely understands that the construction has an impact on people travelling along Eglinton Avenue (vehicles, transit users, pedestrians, cyclists), adjacent residential neighbourhoods and on the businesses, most especially the small local shops who may have already been living through difficult times.

Building massive projects like the Crosstown is no doubt difficult for all during the construction but the community will have a huge benefit when it is finished, said Aikins.

Metrolinx is working with the community to ensure they have updated information on the project and its impacts, Aikins said, noting that signage has been implemented to direct the public to local businesses that may not be visible due to fencing.

Aikins also noted that a delay in the project would not necessarily result in a delay on the work being done at street level.

With files from Francine Kopun and Ben Spurr

Read more about:
Job Title: Child Development Officer in charge of

Sponsor Donor Relations -SDR

Organization: Full

Gospel Churches of Uganda

Duty Station:

Uganda

Reports to: The

Project Director

About US:

The full Gospel Churches of Uganda, is the first Pentecostal

Church in Uganda, Founded in 1960 by Glad Tidings Missionary Society of

Vancouver, Canada.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

The Child Development Officer in charge of

Sponsor Donor Relations SDR will be responsible for timely and quality child

to sponsor correspondence.

Sponsor Donor Relations SDR will be responsible for timely and quality child to sponsor correspondence. He/she will be a witness for Christ to children, keep office

and child development records. He/she will be responsible for child development

programming and carrying out child home visits and follow-ups.

and child development records. He/she will be responsible for child development programming and carrying out child home visits and follow-ups. Be in charge of children and sponsor correspondence &

ensure monitoring and tracking of children attendance.

ensure monitoring and tracking of children attendance. Ensure timely update of children information and documents.

.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:



The ideal

candidate should have at least a Degree in Social Work and Social Administration,

Education, Nursing, Development studies, Community Psychology, Child Ministry

and any other related field.



Age: 25  35 years



Christian maturity characterized by a strong

Christian testimony, a heart for ministry and knowledge of the scriptures.



Strong interpersonal relationship skills.



At least two years experience in community

related work especially dealing with children.



Must be able to use a computer,



Ability to learn new things and work beyond

normal working hours as need may arise.

How to Apply:

All candidates Hand deliver your handwritten application

letter together with a copy of your CV with three referees, copies of Academic

documents, LC1 Letter, A signed Letter from your Local Church Pastor to,

The National Overseers office,

Full Gospel Churches of Uganda Makerere Full Gospel Church,

P.O. Box 2560

Kampala.

Only Shortlisted Candidates Will Be Contacted For Further

Engagement

Deadline: 28th

February 2020 at 5:00pm

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/19/2020 -- Advance Market Analytics released a new market study on Global Off Road Tires Market with 100+ market data Tables, Pie Chat, Graphs & Figures spread through Pages and easy to understand detailed analysis. At present, the market is developing its presence. The Research report presents a complete assessment of the Market and contains a future trend, current growth factors, attentive opinions, facts, and industry validated market data. The research study provides estimates for Global Off Road Tires Forecast till 2025*. Some are the key players taken under coverage for this study are Bridgestone Corporation (Japan), Continental AG (Germany), Pirelli & C. S.p.A (Italy), Michelin (France), The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (United States), Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (Japan), Madras Rubber Factory Limited (India), The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (Japan), JK Tire & Industries Ltd. (India), CEAT Ltd. (India), Sumitomo Rubber Industries (Japan), Zhongce Rubber Group Co., Ltd. (China) and Nokian Tyres (Finland)



Off-road tires refer to vehicle tires with a deep tread to deliver more traction on unpaved surfaces such as sand, mud, and loose dirt. Manufacturers are focusing on the new product launch in the off-road tire market. For instance, JK Tyre launches a new variant for off-the-road tire, my Champion for the Wheel loaders and tipper trucks used in mining applications. Moreover, rising demand from the end-use industries including construction, mining, agricultural, and others further propelling the market demand.This growth is primarily driven by Increasing Demand for Electric Warehouse Truck and Growing Demand for Agricultural Tractors and Equipment.



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Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report:



1) What all companies are currently profiled in the report?

Following are list of players that are currently profiled in the report Bridgestone Corporation (Japan), Continental AG (Germany), Pirelli & C. S.p.A (Italy), Michelin (France), The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (United States), Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (Japan), Madras Rubber Factory Limited (India), The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (Japan), JK Tire & Industries Ltd. (India), CEAT Ltd. (India), Sumitomo Rubber Industries (Japan), Zhongce Rubber Group Co., Ltd. (China) and Nokian Tyres (Finland)

** List of companies mentioned may vary in the final report subject to Name Change / Merger etc.



2) Can we add or profiled new company as per our need?

Yes, we can add or profile new company as per client need in the report. Final confirmation to be provided by research team depending upon the difficulty of survey.

** Data availability will be confirmed by research in case of privately held company. Upto 3 players can be added at no added cost.



3) Can we get more level of segmentation to meet our market intelligence objective?

Yes it can be provided, however ETA would vary and final confirmation would be given only after checking data in data repository.



4) Can inclusion of additional Segmentation / Market breakdown is possible?

Yes, inclusion of additional segmentation / Market breakdown is possible subject to data availability and difficulty of survey. However a detailed requirement needs to be shared with our research before giving final confirmation to client.



** Depending upon the requirement the deliverable time and quote will vary.



Enquire for customization in Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/14463-global-off-road-tires-market



Market Drivers

- Increasing Demand for Electric Warehouse Truck

- Growing Demand for Agricultural Tractors and Equipment



Market Trend

- Rise in Adoption of Radial Tires

- Emphasizing On the Development of Manufacturing Process of Tyres



Restraints

- Fluctuating Raw Material Prizes



Opportunities

- Increasing Demand from Mining and Construction Industries and Rising Demand from the Developing Economies



To comprehend Global Off Road Tires market dynamics in the world mainly, the worldwide Off Road Tires market is analyzed across major global regions. AMA also provides customized specific regional and country-level reports for the following areas.



- North America: United States, Canada, and Mexico.

- South & Central America: Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.

- Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Egypt and South Africa.

- Europe: UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Russia.

- Asia-Pacific: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia.



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Major Highlights of TOC:

Chapter One: Market Overview

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Market Drivers, Market Challenges, Market Trends, Restraints & Opportunities

Chapter Four: Market Factor Analysis ------ USD400

Supply/Value Chain, Porters Five Forces, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent & Trademark Analysis, Bargain Power

Chapter Five: Global Off Road Tires, by Market Segmentation and Geography (value, volume**) (2013-2018) ------ USD1400



Global Off Road Tires

By Type: Radial, Bias

Sales Channel : Original Equipment Manufacturer, Aftermarket

End-Use Industry : Construction and Mining (Excavator, Loader, Dozer, Articulated Dump Truck, Rigid Dump Truck, Motor Scrapper, Motor Grader), Agricultural (Tractors, Agricultural Equipment), Industrial (Electric Rider Trucks, Electric Warehouse Trucks, IC Trucks)



Global Off Road Tires Region

North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Nordic, Others)

Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, Australia, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Middle East & Africa, Others)

Chapter Six: Global Off Road Tires - Manufacturers/Players Analysis ------ USD1200

Competitive Landscape, Comparative Market Share Analysis (2017-2018), Peer Group Analysis (2018), BCG Matrix, Company Profile, Product/Service Offering Matrix

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Chapter Nine: Methodology/Research Approach, Data Source, Disclaimer

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Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full Report.

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Our Analyst is tracking high growth study with detailed statistical and in-depth analysis of market trends & dynamics that provide a complete overview of the industry. We follow an extensive research methodology coupled with critical insights related industry factors and market forces to generate the best value for our clients. We Provides reliable primary and secondary data sources, our analysts and consultants derive informative and usable data suited for our clients business needs. The research study enable clients to meet varied market objectives a from global footprint expansion to supply chain optimization and from competitor profiling to M&As.



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[February 19, 2020]

Tizona to Present at The Cowen and Company 40th Annual Healthcare Conference

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tizona Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage, privately held company developing first-in-class cancer immunotherapies, announced today that Scott Clarke, Chief Executive Officer, will present at The Cowen and Company 40th Annual Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, March 4th at 2:00pm ET in Boston, MA.



The corporate presentation will be made available on the news section of the Tizona website at www.tizonatx.com .

About Tizona Theraputics, Inc.







Tizona is a privately held, clinical-stage immunotherapy company that develops first-in-class medicines to deliver transformational benefits for people with cancer. Tizona translates scientific breakthroughs into therapeutics that stimulate the immune system and counter immune suppression. Tizonas lead program, TTX-030, a first-in-class anti-CD39 antibody, is being developed in collaboration with AbbVie. It is currently being studied in a phase 1/1b clinical trial as a monotherapy and in combination with an approved anti-PD-1 agent and standard chemotherapy in adults with advanced cancer (NCT03884556).

Contact:

Investors:

Shari Annes, Annes Associates

[email protected]

650-888-0902

Media:

Janet Graesser

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A court here on Wednesday directed the Delhi government to file a status report till April 3 on the issue of sanctions to prosecute former JNU Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in a sedition case.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Purushottam Pathak also directed the Delhi Police to send a reminder to the city government seeking requisite sanctions to prosecute Kumar.

The court passed the directions after police submitted that permission to prosecute Kumar and others has not been granted yet and the letter requesting sanction is pending with GNCTD.

On January 14, the police had filed a charge sheet in the court against Kumar and others, including former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, saying they were leading a procession and supported the seditious slogans raised on the campus during an event on February 9, 2016.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kate Middleton is stepping up her game in the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan Markles exit. Over the past few months, Kate has been taking on more duties as the royal family continues to deal with the fallout from Megxit. While Kate is doing her part to pick up the slack, Meghans family claims that she has always been jealous of the Duchess of Cambridge.

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton | Clive Mason/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markles exit opens the door for other royals to shine

Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step down as senior members of the royal family at the beginning of 2020. Since then, the two have largely remained out of the spotlight and are currently living in Canada.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning on setting up a second home in North America, though it is unclear if Canada or Los Angeles will be their final destination.

Showbiz Cheat Sheet: Kate Middleton Is Happy With Her Role After Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Exit, Royal Source Claims.https://t.co/3ZVogEjM8s



via @GoogleNews  Ben Jeffrey (@BenJeffrey18) February 19, 2020

With the couple living a quieter life across the ocean, the royal family has been doing their best to move forward. Harry and Meghan were expected to do a lot for the monarchy this year, and now that they are gone, other royals are having to step up in their place.

This includes Kate Middleton and her husband, Prince William, who already had a full schedule to begin with. Although they will take on most of the new responsibilities, sources claim that Kate has been embracing the challenge with open arms.

Kate Middleton enjoys a more prominent role in the monarchy

One thing Kate is worried about in the wake of Megxit is the chance that her relationship with Harry will suffer. But there is one thing the Duchess of Cambridge is looking forward to in the new year.

According to Yahoo, an inside source claims that Kate is so happy to be taking on more responsibilities in the royal family. This includes taking on more charitable projects and working more with her and Williams organization, the Royal Foundation.

Kate is extremely passionate about the work the foundation does, and she has ideas and plans for how she believes it can be used to help some of the causes which she is particularly passionate about, the insider stated.

Prince William and Kate Middleton Are Taking a Break From Royal Duties to Be With Their Kids https://t.co/KYLR43rBfh  E! News (@enews) February 13, 2020

The insider added that Kate Middleton has been taking on her extra duties with loads of enthusiasm. This includes visiting several towns throughout the UK and promoting her new early childhood initiative.

Kates level of involvement is expected to ramp up as the year goes on. With Harry and Meghan out and Prince Andrew being forced into early retirement, the royal family could definitely use the added help.

When is the Duchess of Cambridge happiest?

As if Kate has not already proven that she is the perfect role model, she recently revealed that she is happiest when she is hanging out in the great outdoors with her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

The Duchess of Cambridge just took part in a rare personal interview with Giovanna Fletcher for her podcast, Happy Mum, Happy Baby. Kate spoke about a lot of things during the podcast, including how much she adores motherhood.

Why This Photo of Princess Charlotte Smelling a Bluebell Flower Means So Much to Kate Middleton https://t.co/OUl0UedhbU  People (@people) February 15, 2020

As children, we spent a lot of time outside, and its something Im really passionate about, Kate Middleton stated. Im happy when Im with my family outside in the countryside and were all filthy dirty.

Following the interview, Kate posted an adorable photo of Charlotte smelling a flower during a walk in the country. The royals may be experiencing a lot of turmoil at the moment, but Kate is clearly doing her best to move forward.

Is Meghan Markle jealous of Kate Middleton?

While Kate embraces her increased role in the monarchy, Meghans family continues to bash her in the media. This month, Meghans half-sister, Samantha Markle, slammed her for being jealous of Kate.

Samantha even claims that Meghan announced her exit in January just to deflate Kates birthday. Meghan and Harry made the announcement on January 8, one day before Kate Middletons birthday.

Sad she would do that on Kates birthday  I believe she was jealous of beautiful Kate, Samantha stated. She could never compare  Kate is iconic!

If she and Meghan have not spoken since Meghan and Harry married how does she know this? There is a special place in Hell for greedy people.

Meghan Markle was 'jealous' of Kate Middleton, estranged half-sister Samantha Markle claims https://t.co/uvg1uKwDLA #FoxNews  Carole Breedlove (@CaroleBreedlov9) February 18, 2020

Samantha went on to heavily criticize Meghan for trying to land a contract with Disney at the premiere of The Lion King last summer. She is not against Meghan returning to her career in Hollywood, but she does believe the former actress should have waited until after announcing her exit.

Unfortunately, the criticisms did not end there. Samantha also blasted Meghan for using the royal family as a launchpad to boost her career following her days on the hit legal drama, Suits.

Meghan has not said anything about her familys behavior the past few years and likely wont as she enjoys her time out of the spotlight. Kate Middleton also has not commented on Harry and Meghans exit.
As schools in most provinces and cities in Vietnam are closed until at least the end of February in light of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic, English teachers at local language centers who are paid by the hour are starting to feel the impact.

COVID-19, which first surfaced in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 75,100 people and killed 2,009 globally as of Wednesday morning, according to the South China Morning Post.

Vietnam has so far confirmed 16 infections, including 13 Vietnamese, two Chinese, and one Vietnamese American. Eleven of them had recovered and been released from the hospital as of Tuesday evening.

The administrations of dozens of provinces and cities have announced schools would remain closed until the end of February, extending an already weeks-long break since the end of January, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Peoples Committee of Ho Chi Minh City is even seeking approval from the government and the Ministry of Education and Training regarding its wish to prolong the break to the end of March.

Although the closure is applied to public schools, private language centers have also followed suit in allowing their students to stay home due to parents concerns over their childrens risk of contracting COVID-19 from classmates.

Tuoi Tre News reached out to some teachers at local language centers to understand how the nearly month-long break has affected them personally.

A worker disinfects a classroom in Thua Thien - Hue Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngoc Minh / Tuoi Tre

'I may have to go home'

Gianna Liccio from the U.S., who has been teaching in Ho Chi Minh City for one and a half years where she works full-time for a small language center, says the month-long break is taking "a massive toll" on her income.

"Thankfully, I still work for another center, which is not closed. Some of the work I do is school-based, but I only work for them approximately 2-4 hours per week," she told Tuoi Tre News.

"Its something, but obviously not enough."

Outside of education, Liccio said she has also picked up work at a friends bar to try to get the day-to-day expenses paid and considers herself "very lucky" to have such an opportunity.

She spends her free time trying to figure out how to calculate her next step as well as finding other opportunities to make some extra cash.

With her visa expiring at the end of March, she has considered leaving the city.

"If the closure continues, I dont think I can justify staying -- although I dont know exactly where Ill go otherwise," Liccio said, adding that she "may just go home."

The American teacher said most parents she has heard from have expressed their desire to have their children back in school, as many students she works with struggle with the in-home curriculum.

"Its clearly not the best way to assure the quality education they deserve. It is also very difficult for parents, as many of them now need to find nannies for the time that they work," Liccio said.

Students wear face masks while attending class at Marie Curie School in Hanoi, February 1, 2020. Photo: Vinh Ha / Tuoi Tre

Yusef Tahiru, another Ho Chi Minh City-based teacher from the U.S., said he has never seen a school closure of such nature during his three years working at a local language center.

His center has been closed for about two weeks after Tet, or the Lunar New Year holiday, and will be closed for two more weeks.

After traveling home for two weeks prior to Tet, Tahiru thought he would be able to return from his trip and work to recover the financial losses. He now finds himself struggling to find a source of income as many other teachers do.

"Personally, I have some money saved, but that money is running out, so I've been looking for other jobs such as voice acting and voice-over work," Tahiru said.

With a bachelor's degree in exercise science, the man is also working as a personal trainer for a few friends to supplement his income.

Impacts beyond students and teachers

Breandan Clements from South Africa has been living in Vietnam since July 2017 and now teaches English at a center in Ho Chi Minh City that has remained closed until at least the end of February.

"These preventative measures have affected our language center severely as lessons will now have to be taught at a later date with no extra cost to students," he said.

"Unfortunately, this places the school in an awkward position as many of the administrative and security staff are still working, so the school is still incurring expenses."

Similarly, he said, the teachers are affected as most language centers operate on an hourly payment system, and "no class means zero income."

Expenses like rent, water, electricity, and food are eating up the life savings of teachers like Clements. His colleagues who have to financially support their families back in their home countries are among the most profoundly impacted by the closure.

"Unfortunately, many teachers will really suffer as they do not have sufficient funds to last much more than a month," he said.

Clements said he possibly needs to consider moving to cheaper accommodations and greatly reducing his spending on food and other leisurely activities should there be a longer suspension of lessons.

"If parents were to take extreme measures of prevention by not sending their children to school for the rest of the semester, my partner and I would have to strongly consider finding other revenue and income sources such as online or private tutoring," he said.

If all else fails, the COVID-19 epidemic may cause Clements to "leave Vietnam entirely" and find jobs in other countries, which he considers "both frustrating and deeply saddening."

A worker fumigates a kindergarten in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, February 12, 2020. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre

Tough times

Erin Michael from the Republic of Ireland has been teaching English in Hanoi since March 2019, after having worked in Ho Chi Minh City between 2015 and 2018.

His center in the Vietnamese capital has been shuttered since February 3, and it seems that it will remain closed at least until the end of February.

"As I get paid per hour and am working zero hours this month, I will receive absolutely no pay during this time," Michael said, adding that around ten other teachers at his campus and numerous others at the center's four campuses in Hanoi are similarly affected.

The Irishman considers himself "one of the luckier teachers" with a full-time contract, as teachers with part-time agreements are most likely to have significantly fewer classes.

Michael said the timing of this closure could not have been worse as the period after Tet is already usually the toughest time of the year for teachers working at language centers, with student numbers going down after the weeks-long holiday.

"I really have to budget closely and try not to spend too much at the moment," he said.

Dong Nguyen Thanh Trung, a Vietnamese teacher at an English language center in Ho Chi Minh City, told Tuoi Tre News morale among teachers has turned sour quickly despite initially welcoming the closure as a much needed break for overworked teachers.

"At first it was a happy situation for most of the teachers, I believe, including me, since we'd had only 7 days off for Tet," Trung said.

"But after the second week off of work, the struggle dawned upon us, financially and emotionally."

Being paid hourly, Trung said he does not have a fixed salary for every month, so a day off means a day unpaid, and a month off means being "constantly financially unstable" for teachers who do not have other jobs.

"I want to get back to school as much as the students do, but since the choice is not for me to make, I guess we'll have to wait, but hopefully not for long," he said.

Moving classes online

Nguyen Hong Nam, general director of the Yola English center with locations in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, said the current closure affects nearly 10,000 students, 600 classes, and more than 350 teachers across its campuses.

As a solution, Yola launched an online learning platform and was able to register and prepare over 3,000 of their current students to be online within 24 hours of the school shutdown, so there was "minimal disruption" to their learning.

"Over the past two weeks, this number has grown to over 6,000 students, and we expect it to continue to increase," Nam said.

Nguyen Hong Nam, general director of the Yola English center. Photo: Yola

Thanks to the system, all of Yola's centers are staffed as if they were delivering traditional classes, and parents and students can contact them for any concerns, the general director said.

Nam admitted some teachers felt unstable and decided to go back to their countries, but "most decided to stay."

"That being said, there has absolutely been disruption to our teachers income because the shutdown of schools was so sudden," he said, adding that teachers have had to lose teaching time to attend training on how to operate the online platform.

A teacher delivers a lesson via the Yola English centers online platform amid a school closure due to COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Yola

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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday inaugurated the Indian pavilion at the Berlin International Film Festival for which three feature films and one documentary from the country have been selected.

The Information and Broadcasting ministry in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is participating in the 70th edition of the festival.

"If film-makers from across the world especially from Germany could come to India for their films, we have established a single window for film shooting. We intend to offer incentives for shooting in India," Jaishankar said after inaugurating the pavilion.

This year in Berlin, three Indian feature films -- Pushpendra Singh's "Laila Aur Satt Geet", Prateek Vats' "Eeb Allay Ooo!", Akhsay Indikar's "Sthalpuran" as well as one short documentary film -- Ekta Mittal's "Gumnaam Din" -- have been selected.

The Indian delegation, through various interactions, will seek to promote the ease of shooting films in India through the Film Facilitation Office (FFO) that facilitates Single Window Clearance for filmmakers and provides the platform for 'Cinematic Tourism' in India, the I&B ministry had said in a statement.

The Indian delegation has meetings scheduled with officials from countries including Israel, South Africa, New Zealand, Spain, Brazil, Portugal, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, United States of America and Rwanda.

It will also meet officials from Locarno Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Annecy International Animation Festival among others.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Egyptian-Jordanian Fajr for Natural Gas Transport and Supply Company said on Wednesday that the export of Egyptian natural gas "will be resumed to Jordan within 48 hours and in the same quantities agreed upon earlier," according to the Jordanian state-funded Al-Mamlaka (The Kingdom) TV channel.

The flow of Egyptian natural gas to Jordan was halted six days ago, the Egyptian-Jordanian joint venture said.

The general manager of the Jordanian National Electricity Company, Amjad Al-Rawashdah, said in press statements that the interruption of Egyptian gas during the past few days was "purely due to technical reasons."

Jamal Qmoh, rapporteur of the Energy Parliamentary Committee in Jordan, was quoted by Sputnik News Agency as saying, "Egypt provides Jordan with daily quantities ranging from 35 to 70 million cubic feet of natural gas."

"Jordan depends on Egyptian gas for 15 percent its electricity, which is a small percentage. We seek to raise this percentage, but the issue is related to cost," the Jordanian PM said.

Jordan suffered great losses due to the interruption of Egyptian gas imports, a cost of 3 to 4 million dinars daily, Qmoh said.

The flow of Egyptian natural gas to Jordan was returned in trial quantities in September 2018 after repeated stoppages since 2011 due to attacks on the pipeline that linked the two countries.

In April 2019, after the nine-year halt, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding according to which Jordan resumed purchasing and selling natural gas with Egypt.

As per the signed agreement, Egyptian gas supplies were planned to be increased to cover 50 percent of Jordans natural gas needs instead of only 10 percent in 2018.

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The Supreme Court has asked if the Union minister for environment Prakash Javadekar can appear in the court to apprise it of the governments thoughts on the issue of a gradual replacement of existing government and public transport to electric vehicles, said a news agency.

The courts suggestion came during a hearing on related matter on Wednesday.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde asked Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni if the minister, Prakash Javadekar, could appear before the court to assist in the matter.

Can environment minister come to Supreme Court and explain proposal to introduce non-polluting vehicles run on electricity/hydrogen, PTI quoted the bench asking the Central law officer.

Nadkarni said while there was nothing wrong in politicians appearing before the court, the ministers appearance could be misused for political reasons.

The bench offered assurance that the minister was unlikely to be quizzed or questioned in the court.

We understand that Mr Prashant Bhushan is a political person but he is not going to argue with the minister, PTI quoted the bench as saying.

Prashant Bhushan, a noted rights activist and senior lawyer is appearing for NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) in the hearing.

Bhushan said according to the National E-Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP), 2020, electric vehicles were to be procured by the government.

Bhushan added that the authorities are required to provide charging points for electric vehicles at public places like malls and petrol pumps.

Bhushan also said that under the scheme, subsidies on sale of electric vehicles were to be provided for its promotion.

The bench has adjourned the hearing for four weeks and ordered that the government considers all issues related with the electric vehicles in the interim with the assistance of an authority empowered to take decisions.
Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwrights trip down the aisle hit a speed bump on Tuesdays episode of Vanderpump Rules.

Two weeks before their wedding, word spreads that the Christian pastor theyd asked to officiate had posted things on social media about not supporting homosexuality. When Lisa Vanderpump  an outspoken advocate for gay rights  hears this, she phones the couple, who agreed to fire him, despite the fact that he is Brittanys family friend. They tap NSYNCs Lance Bass to do the honors instead.

In L.A., we kind of live in like this bubble, so whenever I go back home, there are people who believe all kinds of different things, Brittany explains of her Kentucky town in a confessional. Some people believe in way different politics than we do. Theres just so much you dont really talk about, so whenever something like this gets brought up, it makes it very difficult, because I dont want to disappoint anybody in my life.

The issue? Best man Tom Sandoval and bridesmaid Ariana Madix are certain Jax and Brittany had known of the pastors homophobic remarks six months before they axed him. And Ariana, who came out as bisexual last season, feels especially triggered by his words.

RELATED: VPRs Ariana Madix Fires Back as Jax Taylor Says She Likes Women: Its Called Being Bisexual

Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix | Casey Durkin/Bravo

Nobody has said anything about it to either Jax or Brittany because I think everybody is just afraid of upsetting them, she says.

Resolved to clear the air, Tom pulls Jax aside at Peters birthday party later.

You know, Ive read a lot about this pastor that you guys were gonna have, he begins. Im wondering why it took Lisa coming to you guys about this guy  

No, no, no, Im not talking about this, he interrupts, walking away angrily. Im done. And it didnt take Lisa. Im not talking about this.

Story continues

Brittany, already tearful after seeing people making fun of her Disney princess-themed bridal shower on Instagram and Twitter, hits her boiling point.

Casey Durkin/Bravo

Brittany Cartwright (left) and Lisa Vanderpump

You do not know what Ive been going through, she tells Tom.

Why are you fing trying to do something like this to somebody? Why are you trying to hurt somebody like that? Jax demands.

Stassi Schroeder accuses Tom of trying to make them look bad.

How dare you? Brittany yells, denying Toms allegation that she chose to turn a blind eye to the pastors comments. I chose to believe him, okay? This is my friend. Im so sorry that I didnt go back and look at comments from five fing years ago.

Lala Kent, who was equally troubled by the pastors anti-gay stance, says its still disgusting for Tom to dredge things up after theyve fired him and moved on.

I just feel like its dangerous to have a group of friends where people are not allowed to speak up when they feel like somethings wrong, he tells the camera. It just pissed me off that Jax wasnt standing up for his friends, for my friends, for the community that were a part of.

But Stassi isnt having it. Youre making yourself look like a martyr, she tells him.

RELATED VIDEO: Vanderpump Rules Jax Taylor Marries Brittany Cartwright: Inside Their Fairy-Tale Wedding

Meanwhile, Jax and Ariana are hashing it out.

This is a topic thats very sensitive, he says.

Its also a topic thats very sensitive to me, as a bisexual woman, she replies.

Brittany is still furious with Tom. I did nothing wrong, so f you! she cries.

Brittany Cartwright (left) and Lala Kent | Casey Durkin/Bravo

Finally, Jax threatens to kick Tom out of the wedding party  again. Brittany has a more drastic solution. I hope Jax knocks him out, she says. Knock him the f out. Im about to knock him the f out.

Despite the drama, it seems the group finds a way to put their issues aside: Tom stood by Jaxs side when he wed Brittany last June.

Vanderpump Rules airs Tuesdays (9 p.m. ET) on Bravo.
Iowa news anchor Dan Winters reveals wife of pastor in double murder-suicide was his sister

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Dan Winters co-anchor of Channel 13 News in Des Moines, Iowa, revealed Saturday that he is the brother of Diana Logan, the wife of Richard Logan, a former pastor and CEO of Attack Poverty, who fatally shot himself after killing his wife and their young son in their family home.

Some of you have asked about my absence from work and last nights fundraiser. All I can say is that this has been the worst week of our lives, Winters began in a Facebook post that has since been widely shared.

On Tuesday evening, we received the devastating news that my dear sister and sweet 11-year-old nephew were killed by her husband, who then took his own life. Praise God our 22-year-old niece survived. She is nothing short of remarkable. Our family is stunned, heartbroken, and confused... but our faith sustains us. We feel the prayers raining down on us in the form of Gods love, peace, and comfort. We are so grateful for the support of countless family, friends, and co-workers. The days ahead will be difficult, but we know God is bigger than even this. Psalms 18:2, he ended.

Authorities in Sugarland, Texas, are still investigating the motive for Richard Logan's actions but the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner said Logan shot his wife, Diana, 48, multiple times and then shot their 11-year-old son, Aaron, once, KHOU reported.

He then drove to San Marcos where his daughter, Ambrielle, is in her final year at Texas State University and tried to strangle her before taking his own life, police said.

Police believe Richard Logan shot and killed his wife and son in their home before driving to San Marcos in Guadalupe County, physically assaulting his adult daughter and committing suicide. The handgun recovered at the scene of the suicide is believed to be the same weapon that was used to kill Logans wife and son. Forensic testing results are pending, Sugar Land Police said in a statement, noting that Logans daughter did not report the physical assault.

In an August 2017 interview with his sister during Hurricane Harvey, Winters revealed that he once lived with her and her family in Sugar Land which is southwest of Houston.

Once upon a time I worked in Houston. I lived with them in the suburb of Sugar Land, Winters explained before interviewing his sister about how they were coping amid the disaster.

Authorities said Logans wife and son were killed sometime over the weekend of Feb. 8-9. The familys pastor at River Pointe Church said he last saw them together on Saturday about 5 p.m. They believe Logan tried to strangle Ambrielle on Monday evening and then sometime between that night and Tuesday around 8 a.m. he fatally shot himself.

According to news station KPRC, police officers went to the family's home 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.

More than $67,000 has been raised in a GoFundMe campaign to help support Ambrielle Logan.
Good morning and welcome to On Politics, a daily political analysis of the 2020 elections based on reporting by New York Times journalists.

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Michael Bloombergs candidacy has been riding a jet stream lately, propelled by Joe Bidens decline and an aggressive advertising campaign  into which Bloomberg has poured hundreds of millions of his own dollars. But many of the voters considering him have hardly heard Bloomberg speak for himself. That will change tonight when he joins his Democratic rivals on the debate stage for the first time.

Beating up on the former New York mayor  for his policy record, for his status as a self-funding billionaire, for only recently having become a Democrat  is the other candidates new favorite team sport. The big question tonight is this: When those attacks come at him in real time, how will Bloomberg fight back?

Bloomberg has not been in a televised debate in over 10 years, and he has a history of offering seemingly flat-footed and stubborn responses to critical questions. His campaign is the most well-funded and robust of any Democrats in the race  but onstage, all that will matter is how convincingly he makes his case.

Biden, whose own debate performances have mostly failed to inspire confidence, sounded eager last week in New Hampshire to take on Bloomberg. Lets get into the debates, he said. We got a lot to talk about.

While his opponents are most likely to press him on his record, Bloomberg will have a slate of new policy proposals to promote. On Tuesday, he rolled out a package of financial regulations that would restore Obama-era rules jettisoned by President Trump, and would increase the capital requirements for large banks. Bloomberg also proposed setting up a new team within the Justice Department to prosecute individuals  not just institutions  for regulatory infractions. This could open the door to sending financial executives to jail for violations, something former President Barack Obama was reluctant to do, despite the fact that public opinion generally favored the prosecution of bankers after the 2008 financial crisis.

Bloomberg wont be competing in Nevadas caucuses on Saturday, or in the South Carolina primary the next week. So those contests will present a seemingly solid last chance for his moderate rivals to establish some momentum before he joins the fray on Super Tuesday, March 3. But polling data looks grim for those candidates  particularly Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, who enjoyed surprisingly strong showings in Iowa and New Hampshire. They are both expected to take a hit in Nevada, where their apparent weakness among voters of color may prove consequential, and where a recent poll found them each at 10 percent. Separate polls of Virginia and New Jersey, both released on Tuesday, showed Buttigieg and Klobuchar far below the top tier.

Two new polls of Latino caucusgoers in Nevada offer slightly conflicting views of the presidential race. A poll by Univision News and the Latino Community Foundation showed Sanders ahead of Biden by 11 points among Nevadas Latino Democratic caucusgoers, with 33 percent of the vote. But a separate Telemundo/Mason-Dixon poll gave Biden more of a fighting chance: It showed him with 34 percent of Latino Democrats, to Sanderss 31 percent. Hispanic people are expected to make up roughly a quarter of the vote in Saturdays caucuses.
Bernie Video

 Our campaign believes we need to unite to defeat Trump in November and thats why Mike has been traveling across the country and meeting with voters to make his case.

 But the kind of divisive energy being displayed by Bernie Bros is not going to get us there.

 Thats why we created this video to highlight the divisive nature we are seeing from other campaigns and the need to unite and focus on beating Trump.

 Watch the new video taking on Bernie Bros here.





Farm Comments

 This video was edited by the Trump team to be something its not. The Trump team cut off the first part of Mikes sentence where he said, if you think about the agrarian society [that] lasted 3000 years, we could teach processes.

 Mike wasnt talking about todays farmers at all, and Team Trump is deliberately misleading Americans because Donald Trumps erratic policies have devastated American farms, including a 20% increase in US Farm bankruptcies last year.

 Donald Trump inherited his [wealth] yet bankrupted businesses in cities around the world. As President, hes hurting American farms, and he knows that Mike Bloomberg has the skills to fix the problem.

 Here is the full context of Mikes remarks:

More and more, if you think about the agrarian society [that] lasted 3000 years, we could teach processes. I could teach anybody, even people in this room so no offense intended, to be a farmer. Its a process. You dig a hole, you put a seed in, you put dirt on top, add water, up comes the corn, you could learn that [then]. Then you have 300 years of the industrial society. You put the piece of metal on the lathe, you turn the crank in the direction of the arrow and you can have a job. And we created a lot of jobs. At one point 98% of the world worked in agriculture, today its 2% in the United States. Now comes the information economy and the information economy is fundamentally different because its built around replacing people with technology.





Women in the Workplace

 Virtually all of this has been reported over the past two decades. In any large organization, there are going to be complaints  but Mike simply does not tolerate any kind of discrimination or harassment, and hes created cultures that are all about equality and inclusion.

 His opponents tried to use these same attacks against him when he ran for office in 2001. He won that race  and Im glad he did, because he appointed people like Patti Harris, the first woman to serve as first deputy mayor, and people like Fatima Shama, Janette Sadik-Khan, Rose Gill [Hearn], Carol Robles Roman, Diahann Billings-Burford, Amanda Burden, Linda Gibbs, Kate Levin, and many others.

 He unquestionably improved life for women in New York. Under Mikes leadership, New York City brought down the rates of domestic violence by 30%. Mike increased the number of certified MWBEs. He worked to increase access to reproductive healthcare. All while creating jobs, improving access to healthcare and fighting climate change.

 Now, his campaign is led by women like Chair Patti Harris and Senior Advisor Brynne Craig and many others.

 His record and agenda for our country are also why he has earned the endorsements of women leaders across the country, including Governor Gina Raimondo; Congresswoman Haley Stevens, Lucy McBath, Stephanie Murphy and Mikie Sherrill, Mayors Breed, [Muriel Bowser], Brown, and women whove long been activists on causes like reproductive rights like Jill Lafer.

 Throughout his entire professional lifeas a colleague, mayor, business leader, and philanthropist, Mike has sought counsel from women, elevated women, supported women candidates for office, and supported policies that benefit women. I know he cares deeply about these issues because hes actually worked on them. Hes pro-choice, he supports paid family leave, and believes in and practices equal pay. This isnt lipservice for Mike, its something he prioritizes and he will be a president who will continue to take on these fights.

 Heres what I know: Mike will be a fantastic president for women, while Donald Trump poses an urgent threat to women. We have to defeat Trump in 2020, and Mike is the candidate to do that.





Specific Response to Washington Post allegations

 As we told the Washington Post, Mike simply did not say the things somebody wrote in this gag gift, which has been circulating for 30 years and has been quoted in every previous election Mike has been in.

 He did not make any of the statements alleged in the Sekiko Garrison lawsuit. In his testimony in the case, Mike said: I never said those words and there would be no reason to do so, its ridiculous and an outrage.

 As we told the Post, Mike openly admits that his words have not always aligned with his values and the way he has led his life and some of what he has said is disrespectful and wrong.





LGBTQ

 Mike understands that the transgender community has been under attack for decades and the advance of rights has not been equal.

 In April 2002, during his first year as mayor, Mike signed a sweeping transgender civil rights bill into law. His company provides comprehensive healthcare coverage for his transgender employees.

 As president, he has a comprehensive plan to secure rights for transgender Americans, including passing the Equality Act, ensuring transgender people have access to affirming healthcare and working to end the crisis of violence against transgender women.

 Mike is running to defeat Donald Trump and reverse the many policies he has implemented that attack the rights of the transgender community.
American Express Chief Financial Officer to Participate in KBW Fintech Payments Conference

American Express (News - Alert) Company (NYSE:AXP) Chief Financial Officer, Jeffrey C. Campbell, will participate in the Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW) Fintech Payments Conference in New York City, on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. (ET). Mr. Campbell will participate in a question-and-answer session relating to the Company's business strategy and financial performance.

A live audio webcast will be accessible to the general public through the American Express Investor Relations website at http://ir.americanexpress.com. An audio replay of the presentation will be available after the event at the same website address.

About American Express

American Express is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, instagram.com/americanexpress, linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress, and youtube.com/americanexpress.







Key links to products, services and corporate responsibility information: charge and credit cards, business credit cards, travel services, gift cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, Accertify, InAuth, corporate card, business travel, and corporate responsibility.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005684/en/
Joo Chiat conservation shophouse for sale at indicative price of S$4.5 million

CBRE on Feb 18 announced that it has been appointed as the sole marketing agent for a freehold two-storey conservation shophouse at 452 Joo Chiat Road. The sale is via an Expression of Interest exercise and interested parties are invited to submit their offer by 18 March 2020 at 3pm.

Sitting on a freehold site of about 1,100 square feet, the shophouse has a total existing built-up area of about 2,100 square feet. Strategically located in the heart of the bustling Joo Chiat/East Coast enclave, the subject property enjoys high visibility with a prominent 5-meter road frontage along Joo Chiat Road.

Under the 2019 Draft Master Plan, the Joo Chiat conservation shophouse is zoned Commercial with a plot ratio of 3.0 within the Joo Chiat Secondary Settlement Conservation Area, and a maximum allowable gross floor area of approximately 3,200 square feet, subject to the relevant authorities approval.

Joo Chiat conservation shophouse

Indicative price for the Joo Chiat conservation shophouse is S$4.5 million, which translates to about $2,140 per square foot on the existing built-up area of 2,100 square feet.

Mr Clemence Lee, Senior Director of Capital Markets at CBRE says, At a quantum of S$4.5 million, we expect interest for this unique and palatable asset to be well-received. This is on the back of several ongoing plans to rejuvenate the neighborhood which will also aid in increasing footfall to the asset; one of which will be the targeted completion of Marine Parade MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast line by 2023.

Mr Lee adds, The shophouse is currently fully tenanted which will provide the successful buyer with an immediate rental income. In the near future, the buyer can also consider maximizing the plot ratio by carrying out Additions and Alterations (A&A) works that will then further increase the assets appeal to command higher rents and price.

There will be no additional buyers stamp duty or sellers stamp duty imposed on local or foreign buyers of the Joo Chiat conservation shophouse.

Story continues

The Joo Chiat conservation shophouse enjoys a readily large residential catchment from Marine Parade housing estate. Nearby commercial developments include I12 Katong, Katong Point and Parkway Parade. Accessibility to the shophouse is easily available via East Coast Parkway and major trunk roads such as Marine Parade Road, Still Road, Joo Chiat Road and East Coast Road, as well as the upcoming Marine Parade MRT station.

Joo Chiat Road is an arterial road and a residential conservation area in the eastern part of Singapore, and is located between Geylang Serai and Marine Parade Road. In 2011, the vicinity surrounding Joo Chiat Road was declared Singapores first Heritage Town. It is chosen, in part, because of strong efforts to promote its Peranakan culture.

In 1993, the area around Joo Chiat Road was gazetted as a conservation district. As a result, shophouses and bungalows reflecting the typical architectural styles of the turn of the twentieth century have been preserved, as well as many unique and straits eclectic style Chinese shophouses which give the area its true flavour. The area is also known for eateries specialising in Peranakan delicacies.

There are famous eateries which contribute to Joo Chiats popularity as a dining spot. There are various Vietnamese, Chinese and western restaurants, a multicultural food enclave, not just a Peranakan enclave. The restaurants and various eateries along the street are of varied cuisines but perhaps one particular cuisine stood out  Vietnamese. Joo Chiat has been known for being a Little Vietnam. There is cluster of Vietnamese restaurants, as well as Vietnamese grocery store, which were opened to serve the Vietnamese community in Singapore.

As the Kampongs in Geylang made way for HDBs, a museum to showcase the life of Malays was proposed in the 70s. This museum, Geylang Serai Malay Village, was completed in 1989 and located at the start of Joo Chiat Road. The period also saw many more buildings for retail purposes such as Galaxy Complex, Katong Mall, Roxy Square and Paramount Shopping Centre. During the late 90s and early 2000s, more schools and churches were built at the outskirts of Joo Chiat area, presumably for the larger community there.

The biggest gainers following the 2018 property cooling measures is likely be owners of strata portfolio of offices and shophouses approved for commercial use said one research. The property cooling measures affected almost all categories of buyers and is predicted to achieve its intended objectives of cooling demand and moderating price growth.

One report said investors looking for alternatives to park their money in the wake of property cooling measures, would divert their attention to the strata office and shophouse markets as they are not subjected to this round of purchase or sales restrictions and encumbrances.

Properties such as the Joo Chiat conservation shophouse pair may be bought under personal name, but total debt servicing Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) will apply on the individuals income on such purchases. To buy a commercial or industrial property under company name, total debt servicing ratio TDSR also applies on the individual directors income if the company is an investment holding company or an operating company that is loss-making or does not have sufficient cash flow to servicing the repayment.

Buyers or investors who are interested in the Serangoon Road freehold two-storey shophouses pair should consider approaching a mortgage broker who will be able to guide them through the best commercial loans that are available for the purchase of the prime properties.

The post Joo Chiat conservation shophouse for sale via Expression of Interest appeared first on iCompareLoan Resources.
MOSCOW  In October 2016, the head of Russias largest oil company traveled to the birthplace of Hugo Chavez, in the empty, sweltering plains of Venezuela, to unveil a giant bronze statue of the late socialist leader that he and his longtime friend, Russian President Vladimir Putin, commissioned from a prominent Russian artist.

It was a turning point in the relationship between Russia and Venezuela, and Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin brought with him a 600-year-old choir from a Moscow monastery to celebrate. Speaking to throngs of red-shirted government supporters in fluent Spanish gleaned from his days as a Soviet military translator in Africa, Sechin praised Chavez as a leader of multi-polarity and a symbol of an entire era.

We have no choice between victory or death, said Sechin, quoting a Venezuelan independence hero to describe the deepening ties between the two U.S. adversaries. We must achieve victory.

Now the Trump administration wants to break up that blossoming alliance as part of its campaign to oust Chavezs successor, Nicolas Maduro.

On Tuesday, the Treasury Department blocked U.S. companies from doing business with Rosneft Trading SA, accusing the Geneva subsidiary of the Russian state-owned oil giant of providing a critical lifeline to Maduro as he seeks to bypass U.S. sanctions.

For months, U.S. officials have been warning foreign companies that they could face retaliation if they continue to do business with Maduro. Those admonishments have been aimed primarily at Russia, which U.S. officials say handles about 70% of Venezuelan oil transactions that have been rerouted since the Trump administration a year ago made it illegal for Americans to by crude from Venezuela.

Francisco Monaldi, a Venezuelan oil expert at Rice University in Houston, said the latest actions should send a chill through companies in Spain, China and elsewhere that continue to partner with state-run oil monopoly PDVSA. It could also foretell the ending of a special license for Chevron that has so far exempted the San Ramon, California-based company from having to pull out of the country, where its a partner in joint ventures with PDVSA that produce about a quarter of the OPEC nations total production.

Its no longer the dog barking, said Monaldi. Its biting now.

PDVSA in a statement condemned what it called economic assassination by the U.S. aimed at taking control of Venezuelas oil industry. Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said the new actions would bolster Venezuelas lawsuit filed against the Trump administration at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

Rosneft operates with PDVSA several oil fields that it acquired after U.S. drillers were forced out by Chavezs nationalization drive.

But as the new, go-to supplier of the countrys pariah crude it wins two ways, according to analysts. First, Rosneft purchases Venezuelas premium Merey 16 crude at a steep discount. It then uses the proceeds from its sale to pay down $6.5 billion lent to PDVSA since 2014 for the purchase of Russian-made weaponry and other goods.

Meanwhile, refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast that used to depend on Venezuelas heavy crude have nearly tripled their imports of unfinished Russian petroleum products in the year since sanctions have been in place, according to U.S. Energy Department data.

To avoid complications for customers in China and India, Rosneft has been hiring tankers that try to hide their cargo by turning off their mandatory tracking systems and carrying out risky ship-to-ship transfers off the coast of west Africa and other distant locations.

In the short term, he expects Maduro will have to pay more to find another intermediary to take on the added risk of moving the countrys oil. That means his cash-strapped government will have even less money to import scarce food and medical supplies as well as repair the countrys crumbling electricity infrastructure. And with storage facilities already at capacity, production that is already at a seven-decade low is likely to fall even further, he added.

Still, short of a U.S. naval blockade of Venezuelan ports  a military option that the Trump administration has refused to rule out but has shown no sign of pursuing  nobody expects oil sales from the nation sitting atop the worlds largest petroleum reserves to dry up completely.

They can find always find ways to sell it, but its much harder, said Monaldi.

Even less clear is the impact on the U.S. goal of engaging Russia to find a solution to Venezuelas year-old political impasse.

The U.S. leads a group of now nearly 60 nations that recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuelas rightful leader following what it considers Maduros fraudulent 2018 re-election. In turn, Russia has accused the Trump administration of spreading false information to engineer a coup, needling the U.S. in what has traditionally been considered Washingtons backyard as the two sides wage proxy battles for influence in Syria, Ukraine and other global hot spots.

Richard Nephew, an energy researcher at Columbia University, said that in sparing Rosneft itself, and only going after one of its many units, the impact on Russias continued political support for Maduro is likely to be more muted.

The bulk of Rosnefts long-term supply contracts are arranged directly by the parent company in Moscow, with the Swiss-based trading unit handling spot sales, he said. The sanctions also include a three-month winding down period, which should give the company  and ravenous oil traders  plenty of time to redirect transactions, including with Venezuela.

In addition, Rosneft and Sechin were already partially sanctioned in 2014 in retaliation for Russias annexation of Crimean peninsula in Ukraine. As a result, many U.S. companies had already been steering clear of the company.

This seems more like a warning shot designed to look bigger than it actually is, said Nephew, who helped design U.S. sanctions policy while at the State Department under President Barack Obama. Its shooting someone who is Russian sounding without really punishing the Russians themselves.

Several pro-Putin lawmakers were dismissive of the actions, saying they would appeal to the World Trade Organization to remove what they described as unilateral, unlawful U.S. actions.

I think this issue can be resolved, Vladimir Dzhabarov, a member of Russias upper house of parliament, told RIA Novosti news agency. Theyre smart over there (in Rosneft) and they will find a way to get around it.

But even if Putin maintains outward support for Maduro, its unclear if hell double down and lend even more money to the bankrupt country.

At the height of unrest in 2018, anti-government protesters tried to destroy the Chavez statue dedicated by Russia. Today, its under heavy guard, pointing to the uneasy calm that prevails in the normally pro-government Venezuelan countryside, where power outages are an almost daily occurrence and misery widespread.

While Venezuela has stayed current on its debt to Russia, and is expected to pay off the last remaining amount in the coming weeks, its defaulted on almost all other lenders and investors in the countrys bonds. Meanwhile, its debt with Russia is backed by a lien on 49.9% of PDVSAs American subsidiary, Houston-based CITGO, control of which the Trump administration has handed to a board named by Guaido.

The Russians are nothing if not good chess players, Russ Dallen, the Miami-based head of Caracas Capital Markets brokerage, wrote in a recent report. Rosnefts choice here will be an important tell for us about the future direction of their policy.



Goodman reported from Miami.
A salamander species that roamed the Earth alongside dinosaurs has been discovered by scientists in Russia.

Remains of the amphibian that lived some 168 million years ago were found at an archaeological site in Western Siberia.

Paleontologists believe the species, named Egoria malashichevi, belong to the worlds oldest group of salamanders known as stem salamanders.

The researchers excavated the fossils from the Berezovsky quarry during various expeditions in the mid-2010s.

Fossil bone analysis of the Egoria malashichevi salamander species which lived around 168 million years ago / PA

With the data gathered from their finds, the team was able to create 3D reconstructions of the species and describe its internal structure.

Based on their analysis, the team believe the E. malashichevi to be around 20cm long.

While it is the most recent species to be found in the quarry, other ancient stem salamanders such as Urupia monstrosa and Kiyatriton krasnolutskii were also unearthed at the site.

Dr Pavel Skutschas, of St Petersburg University, detailed the exciting new find in the journal Plos One, describing how the newly discovered species differed to modern-day vertebrates.

Salamanders first appear in the fossil records in the Middle Jurassic, including representatives of both the present-day salamander families and the most primitive ones, he said.

When they had just appeared, salamanders made efforts to occupy different ecological niches.

Thus, the stem salamanders filled the niche of large water bodies; while those close to the present-day salamanders found their niche in small water bodies.

As for the newly discovered salamander, it occupied a middle position, although morphologically, it is closer to the primitive.

The next step, Dr Skutschas said, will be to compare the bones from the Berezovsky site with the salamander fossils from the Kirtlington quarry in Oxfordshire.

The UK archaeological site is the worlds richest for mammal fossils from the Middle Jurassic age, about 172 million years ago.

Dr Skutschas believes the salamander fossils from both sites may be representatives of the same genera.
Weve all seen those downtrodden folks who stand on busy street corners with makeshift cardboard signs that say things like Anything will help.

I usually try to pull out a dollar or two to give them before the light changes. My friend Gary has a different approach. He talks with them, offers them energy bars, offers to buy their signs, and gives them cardboard and markers to make new ones.

He has gathered all of these signs and mounted them collectively onto a large frame with the American flag in the background. The result is a very moving piece of art that makes a statement about how many of these folks are out there.

I learned how they spent their day going to where food was given out. How they spent their nights in shelters or sleeping in the woods or in outside corners of buildings.... some were wasted... Some were extremely lucid and just had a hardship story.

The Weekly Calistogan ran a letter a couple of weeks ago from Yvonne Baginski, director of Share the Care, in which she pleaded on behalf of a needy portion of our senior population right here in Napa Valley. Its bad enough to have to live in your car, but imagine youre a senior with medical needs and possible memory failure, and nowhere to go and no one to look after you.

Every community has its share of homeless. For three years I commuted from Calistoga to Santa Rosa to work. Daily, I passed under the Sixth Street bridge, which had been transformed into a wall-to-wall homeless campground. Occasionally, the city would clear out the area and hose it down, but soon, and without fail, the homeless would return.

Its hard to see people living this way. Im told there is a portion of the homeless community that, for various reasons, prefer to live on the street rather than abide by the rules of living in a shelter. So what can you do about that?

There are economic theories that argue if all the wealth in the world was divided equally among everyone, over time, most of the wealth would wind up back in the hands of the few.

Indeed, the disparity between the rich and the poor has always been with us. The rich and the poor are mentioned in the Bible. There were probably cavemen who had bigger, better, warmer caves than others, and with more art on the walls.

Speaking of the wealthy, I once nearly got stepped on  literally  by Imelda Marcos. This was in Waikiki, back in the early 1990s. Her husband, Ferdinand Marcos, was an oppressive dictator of the Philippines. Together, they eventually fled into exile to Hawaii. Its a long story, but as their country struggled with extreme poverty, the couple amassed a fortune in jewelry, gold bullion, and Imeldas 3,000 of pairs of shoes.

My brother and I were sitting on the curb at a hotel, waiting for our car, and a limousine pulled up. The driver got out of the other side, opened the back passenger door, and the first thing I saw was this pair of nice shoes stepping out of the car...

The movie Parasite just won a bunch of Oscar awards including Best Picture. Its a modern re-telling of the age-old story of class struggle, master versus servant.

But I digress.

The global picture can be overwhelming. But there are things we can do on an individual basis, and within organizations that make a difference. Here in the Napa Valley, each year we have several events, including the Napa Valley Vintners Auction Napa Valley, that raise millions of dollars that go toward helping those less fortunate in our community.

We have nonprofit organizations that help buttress our community every day like the UpValley Family Centers, OLE Health, Mollys Angels, Girls on the Run, The Boys & Girls Clubs, Rotary and Soroptimist clubs, to mention a few. Ive been with Boys & Girls Clubs of America for three years and have an 11-year old sister I spend time with once or twice a month. She lives in Napa, in a very small affordable housing apartment, with four siblings and her single mom. Its made smaller by the disorganization and lack of cleanliness, but thats another story.

There are individuals like Greg Lake, a Vietnam veteran who drives for Mollys Angels, and was featured in last weeks Weekly Calistogan. There are also many who work behind the scenes, quietly giving and making a difference because they feel its the right thing to do. As Greg said, Doing good makes you feel good.

Will the poor and disenfranchised always be with us? Maybe a better question is can we imagine a world where they are not?

You can reach Cynthia Sweeney at 942-4035 or csweeney@weeklycalistogan.com.

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A woman revealed how she bought her dog a 3.50 baby bathrobe to stop him rubbing his wet fur against her newly painted walls.

Christina Thygesen, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, told how her beloved pup would often shake his wet fur after having a shower, so she thought of a creative way to stop him ruining her recent DIY work.

Taking to Facebook group Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK, she shared an adorable snap of the pooch snuggled into the Tesco bathrobe.

Christina Thygesen, from Stevenage, revealed she bought her Terrier a 3.50 baby bathrobe (pictured) from Tesco in order to keep him from rubbing his wet hair against her walls

Other bargain enthusiasts loved the idea and thought the pup looked adorable in his F&F robe

And pet lovers across the nation were quick to take to the comments section, with one writing: 'This is the most precious photo. What a great idea.'

Christina explained how she bought a baby-sized bathrobe adorned with tiny antlers - giving the illusion of a deer.

She had also added that she had to tie the petite belt into a small knot on the pup's belly.

The dog, whose name is unknown, looked snug as a bug in the F&F robe - despite not seeming entirely convinced by his post-bath attire.

Christina (pictured) explained the pup loved to rub himself against her walls straight out of the shower but she wanted to find a way to make him stop

The pet owner explained she was in the middle of redecorating her house, and she did not want to risk her pup damage the new walls

The adorable snap received over 8, 600 likes and garnered an impressive 845 comments.

Members of the group swooned over the 'precious' picture, with some saying they would be doing the same for their own pups.

'Aww how cute I cant believe how a baby robe fits yourr dog,' enthused one, while a second gushed: 'Omg good idea thank will be doing this.'

Members of Extreme Couponing swooned over how cute the pup looked, even thought some pointed out the pup did not look impressed himself

A third added: 'Love it I'm going to do the same for my little yorkie Elliot as he does the exact same thing after a bath,' while a fourth commented:

'This is the most precious photo what a great idea.'

Another joked: HE doesn't look too impressed with it!'
To the consternation of big business and the corporate media, much of Canadas railway network remains shut down by blockades established by First Nations people in support of the Wetsuweten Hereditary Chief-led opposition to the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline.

Almost two weeks ago, heavily-armed RCMP dismantled a barricade on an access road to a CGL worksite on traditional Wetsuweten land in northeastern British Columbia and arrested two dozen protesters. Solidarity protests across Canada soon followed.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened a meeting Monday of the governments secretive Incident Response Group (IRG). Established in 2018, the IRG is officially described as a dedicated, emergency committee that will convene in the event of a national crisis or during incidents elsewhere that have major implications for Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau [Credit: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite]

In a brief interaction with reporters at the meetings conclusion Trudeau said, I understand how worrisome this is for so many Canadians and difficult for many people and families across the country. We are going to continue to focus on resolving this situation quickly and peacefully.

Big business is livid that Trudeau has not acted on Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheers demand he immediately order police to dismantle the illegal barricades, which are now in their 13th day.

The heads of the Business Council of Canada, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters addressed a joint letter to Trudeau yesterday afternoon demanding immediate action. The damage inflicted on the Canadian economy and on the welfare of all our citizens mounts with each hour that these illegal disruptions are allowed to continue, the letter asserted.

Most of the provincial premiers, including Quebecs Francois Legault and Ontarios Doug Ford, are also publicly pressing the federal Liberal government to deploy the police against the protesters forthwith. Calling the rail blockades unacceptable, the Quebec premier said Monday there have to be limits to negotiations.

No one should be taken in by the Liberal governments promises of dialogue. It similarly avowed its commitment to workers collective bargaining rights, while preparing legislation to outlaw the fall 2018 postal strike.

The governments convening of the IRGeffectively a declaration that the blockades constitute a national crisisand its repeated pledges to uphold the rule of law are unmistakable signs it is preparing state violence if the native protesters cannot be persuaded to dismantle their barricades.

Trudeau has yet to issue an ultimatum or publicly declare a date after which he will order police action. But following Mondays IRG meeting his aides suggested to reporters the government has a secret deadline of the end of this week.

CN Rail has obtained multiple court injunctions against the barricades, but for the most part police have not acted on them. This is because they, and above all, their political masters fear the violent state suppression of yet another native protest will inflame the already fraught relations between the largely impoverished indigenous population and the Canadian state.

A violent, potentially fatal, clash with First Nation protesters would be particularly politically damaging to the minority Liberal government. It would shatter whatever popular credence remains for the Liberals much-ballyhooed native reconciliation agenda. While cloaked in social justice rhetoric, this agenda has been aimed from the outset at advancing the interests of Canadian big business. In the name of establishing a nation to nation relationship between the Canadian state and the native peoples, it seeks to promote a petty bourgeois indigenous elite that can provide social license for energy and other resource extraction projects on traditional native lands, and be used to defuse mounting social opposition among native workers and youth.

More generally, the resort to state violence would undermine the Liberals efforts, strongly promoted by the unions and NDP, to cast themselves as a progressive alternative to the hard-right Conservatives. It would also radicalize workers, as growing numbers enter into struggle, such as the 200,000 Ontario teachers and school support staff set to hold a one-day province-wide strike Friday.

The truth is, the Liberals have used a corporatist relationship with the unions, identity politics, and hollow rhetoric about social inequality as a smokescreen for implementing right-wing, anti-worker policies.

Especially noteworthy is how the purportedly pro-dialogue, feminist, and pacific Liberal government is ruthlessly pursuing the interests of Canadian imperialism on the world stage. Under Trudeau, Canada is carrying out a massive rearmament program, spending tens of billions on new warships and fighter jets. Moreover, Canada is ever more deeply integrated in Washingtons military-strategic offensives against nuclear-armed China and Russia, and in the oil-rich Middle East, as well as in its regime-change intrigues in Latin America.

The Liberals phony native reconciliation policy is bound up with its drive to increase Canadian oil and natural gas exports and its posturing on climate change.

The CGL pipeline, which is to transport natural gas from northeastern BC to the Pacific coast port of Kitimat, is critical to realizing the plans of the federal Liberal and BC NDP governments to make Canada a major exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Asia. Trudeau has repeatedly boasted that the $40 billion Kitimat LNG project would be the largest ever single investment in Canada.

Speaking in parliament yesterday, Trudeau cautioned against those who would want us to act in haste, effectively appealing to the ruling class to give his government more time to enlist the leaders of the Assembly of First Nations and other government-recognized indigenous groups in seeking to shut the blockades down.

Scheer, in reply, mocked Trudeau, calling his speech the weakest response to a national crisis in Canadian history. He denounced Trudeau for failing to condemn the illegal actions of the radical activists, and charged that the prime minister has emboldened and encouraged this kind of behaviour.

Like CN Rail management, Scheer demagogically tried to rally support for police action by invoking the hardships facing the workers that CN and other companies are laying off because of the crippling of freight traffic.

For its part, the NDP called Monday for an emergency House of Commons debate on the blockades. The prime ministers refusal to take more substantive and timely action has allowed tensions to rise, put significant pressure on the Canadian economy and threatened jobs across the country, wrote NDP House leader Peter Julian in his request.

Yesterday, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh joined the leaders of the Bloc Quebecois and Greens in a closed door meeting with Trudeau to discuss how to end the protests.

Canadas social democrats, in the form of British Columbia Premier John Horgan, sanctioned the polices initial violent crackdown on the Wetsuweten barricade on February 6 and 7 as necessary to maintain the rule of law.

The numbers participating in the blockades and other solidarity protests are comparatively small. Nevertheless, broad sympathy exists in the population for the protesters due to the widespread recognition that the Canadian state has perpetrated manifold historic injustices against the native peoples. There is also strong hostility toward the Liberals sham climate change policy, not to mention mounting opposition toward the ruling elite as a whole under conditions of growing working class struggles against austerity, job and pay cuts, and attacks on pensions and other social rights.

The politicians and medias invocations of the rule of law to back their demands for police action to snuff out the indigenous protests are utterly hypocritical. Canadas ruling elite has rewritten, and outright violated, the law on countless occasions to seize land from the native peoples and condemn them to poverty and misery.

With its law-and-order rhetoric the elites are whipping up the most reactionary political forces. Media commentary has exhorted Trudeau to model himself after Margaret Thatcher in her use of mass police violence to break the 1984-85 British coal miners strike and his own father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who imposed martial law in Quebec in the fall of 1970, on the pretext that two Front de Liberation du Quebec kidnappings constituted an apprehended insurrection.

Working people must emphatically oppose any move to violently crush the indigenous blockades. Such a development would not only represent a frontal attack on democratic rights. It would set a dangerous precedent for the violent state suppression of mass protests and other forms of opposition from all sections of the working class.

That being said, the protesters politics, based on a native nationalist perspective that seeks to secure self-government within the Canadian capitalist state on the basis of appeals to the establishment for a nation-to-nation relationship, offer no way forward. Were such an initiative to be realized, it would result in the consolidation of a tiny privileged political elite within the Native population tasked with policing impoverished indigenous workers and youth both on and off reserves.

The historic oppression of the Native peoples and the myriad social ills this has produced can be overcome only through the mobilization of the working class as a whole, native and non-native, in the fight to put an end to capitalism and establish socialist equality for all.
Cambodia's strongman premier defended on Tuesday his decision to allow a US cruise ship to dock despite at least one passenger later being diagnosed with the deadly coronavirus, while authorities scrambled to track down hundreds that came in contact with her. The Westerdam was turned away by several Asian ports before Cambodia agreed last week to allow its more than 2,000 passengers and crew to disembark. But jubilation dimmed over the weekend when an 83-year-old American woman was stopped at a Malaysian airport and diagnosed with the virus that originated from China and has now killed over 1,800 people. By the time she was diagnosed, scores of fellow passengers had moved through different countries -- including Singapore and Thailand. Four are currently being monitored in Bangkok. Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen remained defiant Tuesday. "Some people say it brings the virus to Cambodia, but Cambodia has not had the disease (among its people)," he said in a speech. Cruise operator Holland America said tests for 406 passengers now at a Phnom Penh hotel were negative, and they could continue their journeys home. For those who've made it to the United States, local health departments -- working with the US Centers for Disease Control -- are following up with passengers who might have had contact with the infected American, it added. Three hundred passengers in Phnom Penh would fly to Dubai, Hun Sen said, while 100 others would take a chartered flight to Japan. Authorities are also arranging another flight for passengers remaining in Sihanoukville -- the southern coast where the Westerdam is docked -- though Hun Sen did not say where that was headed. The bombastic premier had greeted disembarking passengers on Friday with embraces and flowers. As countries in the region scrambled Monday to restrict access to Westerdam's passengers, those in Phnom Penh were taken on a tour of the capital under the glare of state-aligned media. Almost a thousand people remain onboard the Westerdam, barred from leaving until they have been tested. Passenger Lorraine Oliveira told AFP she is apprehensive about the results. "I'm worried what the outcome will be if anyone on board tests positive -- what will happen to us then?" she said. Cambodia only has one confirmed case of the virus -- a Chinese tourist who has since recovered. The country, a staunch ally of Beijing, received billions of dollars in soft loans and investment from China, and Hun Sen travelled there earlier this month in a show of solidarity. burs-dhc/fox
Samsung has said it will comply with the requirements of a controversial Russian law, which stipulates that smartphones and other computer devices must have government-approved, pre-installed software on them.



"Samsung Electronics will be ready to meet the requirements of the Russian legislation provided by the regulator and adapt the company's activities in accordance with the adopted regulations," The Moscow Times reported on February 18.



The South Korea-based electronics company said in a statement cited by RIA Novosti the previous day that it already works with Russian application developers and sells products with Mail.ru's mail application and Yandex search functionality preinstalled on devices.



"The amendments to the law will not affect the company's plans to continue working in Russia," Samsung said.



Its decision is at odds with U.S.-based rival Apple, which has said it will not sell devices with third-party apps while adding that the law could force it to reassess the extent of its presence on the Russian market.



Last year, Russia's parliament passed the new rules but is still finalizing which applications will have to be preinstalled on smartphones, tablets, and computers that are sold inside the country.



They are set to come into effect this summer.



Fines for noncompliance are currently set at 50,000 to 200,000 rubles ($784-$3,137).



According to the RBK business news site, Samsung is Russia's second most popular smartphone brand, with 28 percent of market share, whereas Apple controls less than 10 percent of the market.



Last week, a Moscow court fined U.S.-based Twitter and Facebook 4 million rubles ($63,336) each for failing to comply with a law that requires social-media companies to store customer data on servers located inside Russia.

Based on reporting by The Moscow Times, RIA Novosti, and RBK
More than 1,000 military veterans have criticised Donald Trump for his attacks on Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, saying the president has prioritised a personal vendetta over our national security.

President Trump fired Lt. Col. Vindman from the National Security Council after being acquitted in his Senate impeachment trial. He was one of the key witnesses in the impeachment inquiry, along with ambassador to the EU Gordon Sonland, whom the administration has also fired.

In an open letter, the veterans write that the presidents dismissal of Lt. Col. Vindman is an assault on the military and all who have served in it, as well as on the foundation of the US itself.

We consider president Trumps sustained attacks on an active duty army officer, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, to be an affront to the Constitution that we have all sworn to uphold.

President Trump believes that he can assail Lt. Col. Vindman with impunity, knowing that the latter is, by law, barred from speaking out. The president should know, however, that, despite taking aim at one Army officer, he has targeted anyone who currently wears  or has worn  the uniform.

Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Show all 26 1 /26 Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Donald Trump Accused of abusing his office by pressing the Ukrainian president in a July phone call to help dig up dirt on Joe Biden, who may be his Democratic rival in the 2020 election. He also believes that Hillary Clintons deleted emails - a key factor in the 2016 election - may be in Ukraine, although it is not clear why. EPA Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal The Whistleblower Believed to be a CIA agent who spent time at the White House, his complaint was largely based on second and third-hand accounts from worried White House staff. Although this is not unusual for such complaints, Trump and his supporters have seized on it to imply that his information is not reliable. Expected to give evidence to Congress voluntarily and in secret. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal The Second Whistleblower The lawyer for the first intelligence whistleblower is also representing a second whistleblower regarding the President's actions. Attorney Mark Zaid said that he and other lawyers on his team are now representing the second person, who is said to work in the intelligence community and has first-hand knowledge that supports claims made by the first whistleblower and has spoken to the intelligence community's inspector general. The second whistleblower has not yet filed their own complaint, but does not need to to be considered an official whistleblower. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Rudy Giuliani Former mayor of New York, whose management of the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001 won him worldwide praise. As Trumps personal attorney he has been trying to find compromising material about the presidents enemies in Ukraine in what some have termed a shadow foreign policy. In a series of eccentric TV appearances he has claimed that the US state department asked him to get involved. Giuliani insists that he is fighting corruption on Trumps behalf and has called himself a hero. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Volodymyr Zelensky The newly elected Ukrainian president - a former comic actor best known for playing a man who becomes president by accident - is seen frantically agreeing with Trump in the partial transcript of their July phone call released by the White House. With a Russian-backed insurgency in the east of his country, and the Crimea region seized by Vladimir Putin in 2014, Zelensky will have been eager to please his American counterpart, who had suspended vital military aid before their phone conversation. He says there was no pressure on him from Trump to do him the favour he was asked for. Zelensky appeared at an awkward press conference with Trump in New York during the United Nations general assembly, looking particularly uncomfortable when the American suggested he take part in talks with Putin. AFP/Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Mike Pence The vice-president was not on the controversial July call to the Ukrainian president but did get a read-out later. However, Trump announced that Pence had had one or two phone conversations of a similar nature, dragging him into the crisis. Pence himself denies any knowledge of any wrongdoing and has insisted that there is no issue with Trumps actions. It has been speculated that Trump involved Pence as an insurance policy - if both are removed from power the presidency would go to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, something no Republican would allow. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Rick Perry Trump reportedly told a meeting of Republicans that he made the controversial call to the Ukrainian president at the urging of his own energy secretary, Rick Perry, and that he didnt even want to. The president apparently said that Perry wanted him to talk about liquefied natural gas - although there is no mention of it in the partial transcript of the phone call released by the White House. It is thought that Perry will step down from his role at the end of the year. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Joe Biden The former vice-president is one of the frontrunners to win the Democratic nomination, which would make him Trumps opponent in the 2020 election. Trump says that Biden pressured Ukraine to sack a prosecutor who was investigating an energy company that Bidens son Hunter was on the board of, refusing to release US aid until this was done. However, pressure to fire the prosecutor came on a wide front from western countries. It is also believed that the investigation into the company, Burisma, had long been dormant. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Hunter Biden Joe Bidens son has been accused of corruption by the president because of his business dealings in Ukraine and China. However, Trump has yet to produce any evidence of corruption and Bidens lawyer insists he has done nothing wrong. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal William Barr The attorney-general, who proved his loyalty to Trump with his handling of the Mueller report, was mentioned in the Ukraine call as someone president Volodymyr Zelensky should talk to about following up Trumps preoccupations with the Bidens and the Clinton emails. Nancy Pelosi has accused Barr of being part of a cover-up of a cover-up. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Mike Pompeo The secretary of state initially implied he knew little about the Ukraine phone call - but it later emerged that he was listening in at the time. He has since suggested that asking foreign leaders for favours is simply how international politics works. Gordon Sondland testified that Pompeo was "in the loop" and knew what was happening in Ukraine. Pompeo has been criticised for not standing up for diplomats under his command when they were publicly criticised by the president. AFP via Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Nancy Pelosi The Democratic Speaker of the House had long resisted calls from within her own party to back a formal impeachment process against the president, apparently fearing a backlash from voters. On September 24, amid reports of the Ukraine call and the day before the White House released a partial transcript of it, she relented and announced an inquiry, saying: The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Adam Schiff Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, one of the three committees leading the inquiry. He was criticized by Republicans for giving what he called a parody of the Ukraine phone call during a hearing, with Trump and others saying he had been pretending that his damning characterisation was a verbatim reading of the phone call. He has also been criticised for claiming that his committee had had no contact with the whistleblower, only for it to emerge that the intelligence agent had contacted a staff member on the committee for guidance before filing the complaint. The Washington Post awarded Schiff a four Pinocchios rating, its worst rating for a dishonest statement. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman Florida-based businessmen and Republican donors Lev Parnas (pictured with Rudy Giuliani) and Igor Fruman were arrested on suspicion of campaign finance violations at Dulles International Airport near Washington DC on 9 October. Separately the Associated Press has reported that they were both involved in efforts to replace the management of Ukraine's gas company, Naftogaz, with new bosses who would steer lucrative contracts towards companies controlled by Trump allies. There is no suggestion of any criminal activity in these efforts. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal William Taylor The most senior US diplomat in Ukraine and the former ambassador there. As one of the first two witnesses in the public impeachment hearings, Taylor dropped an early bombshell by revealing that one of his staff  later identified as diplomat David Holmes  overheard a phone conversation in which Donald Trump could be heard asking about investigations the very day after asking the Ukrainian president to investigate his political enemies. Taylor expressed his concern at reported plans to withhold US aid in return for political smears against Trumps opponents, saying: It's one thing to try to leverage a meeting in the White House. It's another thing, I thought, to leverage security assistance -- security assistance to a country at war, dependent on both the security assistance and the demonstration of support." Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal George Kent A state department official who appeared alongside William Taylor wearing a bow tie that was later mocked by the president. He accused Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trumps personal lawyer, of leading a campaign of lies against Marie Yovanovitch, who was forced out of her job as US ambassador to Ukraine for apparently standing in the way of efforts to smear Democrats. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Marie Yovanovitch One of the most striking witnesses to give evidence at the public hearings, the former US ambassador to Ukraine received a rare round of applause as she left the committee room after testifying. Canadian-born Yovanovitch was attacked on Twitter by Donald Trump while she was actually testifying, giving Democrats the chance to ask her to respond. She said she found the attack very intimidating. Trump had already threatened her in his 25 July phone call to the Ukrainian president saying: Shes going to go through some things. Yovanovitch said she was shocked, appalled and devastated by the threat and by the way she was forced out of her job without explanation. REUTERS Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Alexander Vindman A decorated Iraq War veteran and an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, Lt Col Vindman began his evidence with an eye-catching statement about the freedoms America afforded him and his family to speak truth to power without fear of punishment. One of the few witnesses to have actually listened to Trumps 25 July call with the Ukrainian president, he said he found the conversation so inappropriate that he was compelled to report it to the White House counsel. Trump later mocked him for wearing his military uniform and insisting on being addressed by his rank. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Jennifer Williams A state department official acting as a Russia expert for vice-president Mike Pence, Ms Williams also listened in on the 25 July phone call. She testified that she found it unusual because it focused on domestic politics in terms of Trump asking a foreign leader to investigate his political opponents. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Kurt Volker The former special envoy to Ukraine was one of the few people giving evidence who was on the Republican witness list although what he had to say may not have been too helpful to their cause. He dismissed the idea that Joe Biden had done anything corrupt, a theory spun without evidence by the president and his allies. He said that he thought the US should be supporting Ukraines reforms and that the scheme to find dirt on Democrats did not serve the national interest. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Tim Morrison An expert on the National Security Council and another witness on the Republican list. He testified that he did not think the president had done anything illegal but admitted that he feared it would create a political storm if it became public. He said he believed the moving the record of the controversial 25 July phone call to a top security server had been an innocent mistake. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Gordon Sondland In explosive testimony, one of the men at the centre of the scandal got right to the point in his opening testimony: Was there a quid pro quo? Yes, said the US ambassador to the EU who was a prime mover in efforts in Ukraine to link the release of military aid with investigations into the presidents political opponents. He said that everyone knew what was going on, implicating vice-president Mike Pence and secretary of state Mike Pompeo. The effect of his evidence is perhaps best illustrated by the reaction of Mr Trump who went from calling Sondland a great American a few weeks earlier to claiming that he barely knew him. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Laura Cooper A Pentagon official, Cooper said Ukrainian officials knew that US aid was being withheld before it became public knowledge in August  undermining a Republican argument that there cant have been a quid pro quo between aid and investigations if the Ukrainians didnt know that aid was being withheld. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal David Hale The third most senior official at the state department. Hale testified about the treatment of Marie Yovanovitch and the smear campaign that culminated in her being recalled from her posting as US ambassador to Ukraine. He said: I believe that she should have been able to stay at post and continue to do the outstanding work. EPA Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Fiona Hill Arguably the most confident and self-possessed of the witnesses in the public hearings phase, the Durham-born former NSC Russia expert began by warning Republicans not to keep repeating Kremlin-backed conspiracy theories. In a distinctive northeastern English accent, Dr Hill went on to describe how she had argued with Gordon Sondland about his interference in Ukraine matters until she realised that while she and her colleagues were focused on national security, Sondland was being involved in a domestic political errand. She said: I did say to him, Ambassador Sondland, Gordon, this is going to blow up. And here we are. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal David Holmes The Ukraine-based diplomat described being in a restaurant in Kiev with Gordon Sondland while the latter phoned Donald Trump. Holmes said he could hear the president on the other end of the line  because his voice was so loud and distinctive and because Sondland had to hold the phone away from his ear  asking about the investigations and whether the Ukrainian president would cooperate. REUTERS

Our service members and veterans deserve the confidence of knowing that our elected leaders will come to their defense, just as they remain vigilant for ours.

After Lt. Col. Vindman was fired, president Trump suggested that the army should take further disciplinary action against him, accusing him of saying horrible things and claiming he violated the chain of command.

However, army secretary Ryan McCarthy then said that there would be no further investigations into his conduct.

The veterans letter concludes by stressing that the singatories will not be cowed by the presidents conduct, and says that while Lt. Col. Vindman and his active-duty colleagues cannot defend themselves in public, they will use their voices to defend the military.

Lt. Col. Vindman and all of his colleagues should know that we stand with them even when their commander-in-chief does not. For all of us, right still matters, just as we know it does for them, too.
Actor Ajith Kumar suffered a minor injury while shooting a bike chase sequence for his upcoming Tamil film Valimai. The latest schedule of the film was wrapped up on Monday in Chennai.

Ajith was shooting for a bike-chase sequence in the city when his vehicle skidded. In the process, he bruised his arms and legs. The actor took a break of about 20 minutes and continued shooting for his portions. Only after he wrapped up the shoot did he visit his family doctor. The actor should recover in the next few days and will join the team for the next schedule soon, a source was quoted in a report by Times of India.

Being directed by H Vinoth, who had recently helmed Nerkonda Paarvai, the Tamil remake of Pink; the film is tipped to be an action-thriller. International stuntmen have been roped in to supervise the action sequences in the film. Recently, Ajith was seen sporting a Zapata style mustache and his avatar immediately went viral. It is rumoured to be his look for the film.

The rest of the cast and crew are yet to be officially announced, but it has already been confirmed that Yuvan Shankar Raja will compose music while Nirav Shah will crank the camera. Huma Qureshi is tipped to be playing the leading lady.

In a recent award ceremony, producer Boney Kapoor revealed that Ajith plays a cop in the film. Sources have confirmed that an international stunt choreographer has been roped in to supervise certain action sequences.

Also read: Javed Akhtar threatened Kangana Ranaut, asked her to apologise to Hrithik: Rangoli Chandels latest claim

Boney Kapoor made his southern debut Nerkonda Paarvai, the Tamil remake of Pink. The film starred Vidya Balan, Shraddha Srinath, Andrea Tariang and Abhirami Venkatachalam in crucial roles. It had music by Yuvan Shankar Raja.

The project was materialized to honours Ajiths promise to Sridevi. It was late Sridevis wish that her husband produces a film with Ajith, who had shared screen space with the veteran in English Vinglish in a cameo.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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GENEVA (Reuters) - Nearly 300 civilians have been killed in attacks this year in northwest Syria, 93% of them caused by strikes by the Syrian government and its ally Russia, the top United Nations human rights official said on Tuesday.

In a statement expressing "horror at the scale of the humanitarian crisis", Michelle Bachelet denounced direct hits on or near camps of displaced civilians, as well as on medical and education facilities, including two hospitals on Monday. She has previously said such acts could be war crimes.

Her spokesman Rupert Colville, asked whether Syria and Russia were deliberately targeting civilians and buildings protected under international law, told a Geneva briefing: "The sheer quantity of attacks on hospitals, medical facilities, and schools would suggest they cannot all be accidental."

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Alex Richardson)
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has ousted the Pentagons top policy official who had certified last year that Ukraine had made enough anti-corruption progress to justify the Trump administrations release of congressionally authorized aid to Kyiv in its conflict against Russian-backed separatists.

John Rood resigned Wednesday, saying he was leaving at Trumps request.

The Trump administrations delay in releasing the aid to Ukraine was central to the presidents impeachment by the House on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate voted to acquit the president. But in the wake of the Senate trial, an emboldened Trump has gone after officials he has perceived as being disloyal.

Rood is the latest official to be purged. His forced resignation comes as Democrats on the Hill express concerns that Trump is on a vendetta in the wake of his acquittal. Just days after the Senate vote, the White House reassigned an Army officer, Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, a key witness in the impeachment inquiry, from the National Security Council, and pushed his twin brother, an NSC lawyer, out with him. Gordon Sondland, Trumps ambassador to the European Union who also was a key witness before House investigators, was recalled from his post.

Trump tweeted Wednesday that he wanted to thank John Rood for his service to our Country, and wish him well in his future endeavours!

Rood, in his letter to Trump, did not mention Ukraine. ``Its my understanding from Secretary (Mark) Esper that you requested my resignation, Rood said. Rood said he will step down as of Feb. 28.

Rood wrote in a May 23 letter to Congress that the Pentagon had made a thorough assessment of Ukraines anti-corruption actions and other reforms. And he said that, I have certified that the government of Ukraine has taken substantial actions to make defence institutional reforms for the purpose of decreasing corruption and making other improvements.

Rood wrote that his certification, legally required before the aid could be released, was based on insights gained in persistent U.S. engagement with Ukraine, including meetings between the U.S. defence secretary and his Ukrainian counterpart.

Asked about Roods resignation, chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman declined to speculate on the reason for Trumps decision.

The president has the opportunity and the ability to have the team that he wants to have in policy positions, Hoffman said at news conference. He said Roods resignation letter spoke for itself.

Rood last year told reporters that, In the weeks after signing the certification I did become aware that the aid had been held. I never received a very clear explanation other than there were concerns about corruption in Ukraine. He also spoke in favour of releasing the aid, suggesting that withholding it would hurt Americas defence priorities.

Pentagon press secretary Alyssa Farah said James Anderson, who is currently serving as the deputy for policy, will take over the job until a permanent replacement is appointed by the President and confirmed.

Esper said Rood played a critical role on issues such as nuclear deterrence, NATO, missile defence and the National Defence Strategy.

Rood has served as undersecretary for policy since January 2018, but also had worked in various government agencies including the State Department, the CIA and the NSC for more than 20 years. He held senior policy jobs mainly during Republican administrations and also served as a senior policy adviser to Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

Rood also was a senior vice-president at Lockheed Martin International.
Danilov says Ukraine authorities will not allow participation in joint patrolling to those who had been killing Ukrainians.

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov has said border patrolling in Donbas is necessary for local elections to be held there according to Ukrainian law on Ukrainian territory, and for the war to eventually end.

According to him, border guards must control the border, the National Guard of Ukraine must control the adjacent territory, while residents from local communities could take part in joint patrolling.

"There are residents of local communities who, according to the Croatian example, could also take part in joint patrolling. But this doesn't mean there will be occupiers [as part of patrols]. We are not talking about those who had taken up weapons," he told Ukraine 24 TV channel.

Danilov says Ukraine authorities will not allow participation in joint patrolling to those who had been killing Ukrainians.

Read alsoPrystaiko on joint patrols in Donbas: "We haven't even come close to this"

"There are representatives of local communities who live in those territories. People with Ukrainian registration, who are local, have the right to take part in such patrols. We will see what kind of person they are, what they were doing during the occupation. I emphasize once again these can't be the people who have been killing Ukrainians," he said.

Danilov added the process of joint border patrolling would be carried out in approval with the OSCE or other international organization.

As UNIAN reported on February 15, President In Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that joint patrols, consisting of Ukrainians, representatives of the occupied territories, and OSCE SMM observers, ensure security in the temporarily occupied territories during preparations for local elections.

Ukrainian authorities earlier said they aimed to hold local elections throughout the country in October 2020, including the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas and Crimea.
[February 19, 2020] Capstone Presents a Robust Cobalt Production Option to the Santo Domingo 2019 Technical Report With a 2020 Preliminary Economic Assessment

Capstone Mining Corp. ("Capstone" or the "Company") (TSX:CS) releases positive updates on its Santo Domingo copper-iron-gold project ("Santo Domingo" or the "Project") in Region III, Chile. Updates to the Feasibility Study-level Technical Report, published on January 3, 20191 ("2019 Technical Report" or "Base Case") includes a higher level of CAPEX/OPEX certainty, additional key permits and the development in Section 24 of a Preliminary Economic Assessment with respect to cobalt production ("2020 PEA Opportunity"). The 2020 PEA Opportunity contains pricing updates to the economic model for the Base Case and a potential investment decision for producing battery-grade cobalt sulfate. Santo Domingo is owned 70% by Capstone and 30% by Korea Resources Corporation ("KORES"). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005791/en/ Figure 1. Santo Domingo: Quick Payback for the Copper-Iron-Gold Base Case and 2020 PEA Cobalt Opportunity, Even in a Lower Commodity Price Environment. See Capstone Mining's news release of February 19, 2020 for full details. (Graphic: Business Wire) "The 2020 PEA Opportunity for cobalt adds significantly to the already robust copper-iron-gold Base Case. We are very excited as it aligns perfectly with our vision for growth in assets that can deliver strong cash flows in all price environments," said Darren Pylot, President and CEO of Capstone. Opportunity to Build a Low Cost, Vertically Integrated Cobalt Business in Chile 2020 PEA Opportunity outlines potential for a copper-iron-gold mine with battery-grade cobalt sulfate production, resulting in a net present value at an 8% discount rate ("NPV 8% ") of $1.66 billion after tax.

") of $1.66 billion after tax. Base Case copper-iron-gold project has a NPV 8% of $1.03 billion.

of $1.03 billion. Incremental construction costs for a cobalt refining complex of $0.67 billion, for a combined $2.18 billion, timed to begin two years after construction begins for the copper-iron-gold plant.

Production of an average of 10.4 million pounds of cobalt per annum in the form of 22,600 tonnes per annum ("tpa") battery-grade cobalt sulfate, at incremental operating costs of $3.70 per pound of cobalt production costs and incremental C1 cash costs2 of -$4.11 per pound of cobalt production (including by-product sulfuric acid produced in the cobalt operation). Mr. Pylot added, "If Santo Domingo was in operation today, refined production of 4,700 tonnes of cobalt per year would make Capstone the fourth largest battery-grade cobalt producer outside of China, and the largest in the Americas. It would also be one of the lowest cost producers in the World. It is exciting to think about what this refining complex could do to open Chile's vast potential in cobalt. For financial flexibility, we have structured the cobalt recovery option as a delayed investment decision, timed to begin approximately two years after construction begins on the copper-iron-gold concentrator. When a strategic partner is selected, we could look to advance cobalt production earlier." SANTO DOMINGO HIGHLIGHTS







Base Case (no cobalt processing) 2020 PEA Opportunity3 (incl. cobalt processing) Life of Mine ("LOM") (years) 18 18 Cobalt production period (years) n/a 3-18 Initial capital cost (US$ billions) $1.51 $2.18 Net Present Value ("NPV") (after-tax, 8% discount) (US$ billions) $1.03 $1.66 Internal Rate of Return ("IRR") (after-tax) (%) 21.8% 23.0% Payback period (after-tax) (years) 2.8 3.5 First Five Years of Full Production Average annual contained copper ("Cu") production4 (million pounds) 259 263 Iron concentrate (65% Fe) ("Fe") (million tonnes) 3.3 3.3 Gold ("Au") (ounces) 35,000 39,000 C1 cash costs per pound of payable copper produced (by product basis) $0.475 ($0.02)6 Average Annual for LOM Copper (million pounds)7 137 140 Iron concentrate (65% Fe) (million tonnes) 4.2 4.2 Gold (ounces) 17,000 17,000 Cobalt ("Co") (million pounds) n/a 10.4 Sulfuric acid (million tonnes) n/a 1.4 C1 cash costs per pound of payable copper produced (by product basis) $0.025 ($1.56)6

Dr. Albert Garcia PE, Vice President of Projects commented, "Our concept for cobalt recovery in the 2020 PEA Opportunity is based on its association with pyrite which is preferentially concentrated in the flotation process at the copper cleaners/scavengers as outlined in the 2019 Technical Report, and then further upgraded to a 0.7% cobalt concentrate. The concentrate is fed through a five-stage process consisting of roasting, leaching, copper precipitation, cobalt solvent extraction, and crystallization to yield battery-grade cobalt sulfate heptahydrate. Overall, recoveries for cobalt will be approximately 78%, with additional benefits in the form of increased copper recovery, sulfuric acid production and energy generation. The flowsheet is simple and uses a series of conventional technologies that have been previously used in the mining industry." BASE CASE - COPPER-IRON-GOLD ("Cu-Fe-Au") MINE (NO COBALT PROCESSING) Santo Domingo's Base Case economics does not include the capital to build the cobalt processing facilities nor any of the revenues from cobalt recovery. Since the completion of the 2019 Technical Report, there has been confirmation of certain capital and operating costs with the negotiation of a power purchase agreement ("PPA"), indicative offers for desalinated water purchase from third parties, firm-fixed-price (lump sum) proposal for the plant and mine facilities and firm actionable quotes for key process equipment. Approximate 18 year mine life with operations expected to commence two years after a final construction decision.

Nominal average LOM plant throughput rate of 60,000 tonnes per day ("tpd") and a maximum throughput of 65,000 tpd the first five years.

Initial construction costs are estimated to be $1.51 billion which includes a $197 million contingency on total costs.

On a co-product basis, total C1 cash costs 8 for LOM is estimated at approximately $1.40 per pound of payable copper produced and $38.88 per tonne of magnetite iron concentrate produced.

for LOM is estimated at approximately $1.40 per pound of payable copper produced and $38.88 per tonne of magnetite iron concentrate produced. Sustaining capital over the LOM is estimated to be $378.6 million.

Total LOM operating costs are estimated to be $5.57 billion.

The LOM average production is 206,000 dry metric tonnes ("dmt") of copper concentrate per year over a period of approximately 18 years, at a 29% copper grade. The LOM average production is 4.2 million dmt of iron concentrate per year over a period of approximately 18 years, at a 65% iron grade.

Metal price assumptions used for the Base Case were a constant $3.00 per pound of copper, and a consensus long-term price of $69 per tonne for 62% iron fines, to arrive at an effective $80 per tonne magnetite iron concentrate at a 65% iron content FOB Santo Domingo port (which incorporates several value-in-use adjustments to reflect the specific quality of iron-ore expected to be produced by Santo Domingo), and $1,280 per ounce of gold. 2020 PEA OPPORTUNITY - PHASED COBALT PROCESSING The 2020 PEA Opportunity considers a conceptual plan to mine and process copper, iron-ore and gold at the onset of the mine. Subsequent to the decision of building the copper-iron-gold mine, Capstone would undertake as an alternative, a follow-on phase to initiate engineering and permitting for a cobalt recovery circuit. The 2020 PEA Opportunity assumes a delay of two years for additional permitting and detailed engineering. During this development period, the cobalt laden pyrite will be stockpiled as a high-density slurry. Copper, iron and gold are mined for the 18-year mine life and processed over 18 years, and cobalt is mined for 18 years but processed over the last 16 years. The initial capital costs, NPV, IRR and payback period shown below is in consideration of the cobalt circuit as a subsequent and independent investment decision. Approximate 18-year mine life with operations expected to commence two years after a final construction decision. Cobalt plant construction beginning in the first year of full production (2 year period) with cobalt production from years 3 to 18.

Nominal average LOM plant throughput rate of 60,000 tonnes per day ("tpd") and a maximum throughput of 65,000 tpd for the first five years.

Initial capital costs are estimated to be $2.18 billion, $1.51 billion related to the copper-iron-gold open pit mine and processing facility and $665 million related to the additional cobalt plant. This includes a contingency of $197 million on total costs for the copper-iron-gold mine and a contingency of $133 million for the cobalt opportunity, resulting in a total contingency of $330 million.

The infrastructure design which includes a PPA and indicative price for desalinated water purchase.

On a co-product basis, total C1 cash costs 9 for LOM is estimated at approximately $1.02 per pound of payable copper equivalent ("CuEq") produced, $27.07 per tonne of magnetite iron concentrate equivalent produced.

for LOM is estimated at approximately $1.02 per pound of payable copper equivalent ("CuEq") produced, $27.07 per tonne of magnetite iron concentrate equivalent produced. Sustaining capital over the LOM is estimated to be $442.9 million.

Total LOM operating costs are estimated to be $6.18 billion.

The LOM average production is 209,000 dmt of copper concentrate per year over a period of approximately 18 years, at a 29% copper grade. The LOM average production is 4.1 million dmt of iron concentrate per year over a period of approximately 18 years, at a 65% iron grade.

Commodity price assumptions used for the 2020 PEA Opportunity were a constant $3.00 per pound of copper, and a consensus long-term price of $69 per tonne for 62% iron fines, to arrive at an effective $80 per tonne magnetite iron concentrate at a 65% iron content FOB Santo Domingo port (which incorporates several value-in-use adjustments to reflect the specific quality of iron-ore expected to be produced by Santo Domingo including low alumina content), $20 per pound of cobalt, $70 per tonne CIF Mejillones for sulfuric acid and $1,280 per ounce of gold. Figure 1. Santo Domingo: Quick Payback for the Copper-Iron-Gold Base Case and 2020 PEA Cobalt Opportunity, Even in a Lower Commodity Price Environment. Refer to the Additional Price Sensitivities section below for additional price sensitivities. After Tax Cumulative Free Cash Flow Inclusive of Capital Expenditure - Sensitivity Analysis (US$ million) Year 5 Year 10 End of Mine Life Base Case: Cu-Fe-Au Mine Base Case pricing $855 $1,774 $3,250 Base Case pricing +10% $1,210 $2,347 $4,129 Base Case pricing -10% $496 $1,197 $2,363 2020 PEA Opportunity: Phased Cobalt Recovery PEA Opportunity pricing $957 $2,792 $5,293 PEA Opportunity pricing +10% $1,403 $3,587 $6,579 PEA Opportunity pricing -10% $504 $1,984 $3,988 Project Valuation Metrics - Price Sensitivities NPV (after-tax,

8% discount)

(US$ billions) IRR (after-tax)

(%) Payback

period (after-

tax) (years) Base Case: Cu-Fe-AuMine Base Case pricing $1.03 21.8% 2.8 Base Case pricing +10% $1.43 26.4% 2.3 Base Case pricing -10% $0.63 16.8% 3.4 2020 PEA Opportunity: Phased Cobalt Recovery PEA Opportunity pricing $1.66 23.0% 3.5 PEA Opportunity pricing +10% $2.21 27.4% 3.1 PEA Opportunity pricing -10% $1.10 18.4% 4.0 Summary of Results Base Case

(no cobalt processing) 2020 PEA Opportunity

(incl. cobalt processing) LOM (years) 18 18 Cobalt production period n/a Years 3-18 Initial capital cost (US$ billions) $1.51 $2.18 NPV (after-tax, 8% discount) (US$ billions) $1.03 $1.66 IRR (after-tax) (%) 21.8% 23.0% Payback period (after-tax) (years) 2.8 3.5 First Five Years of Full Production Average annual contained copper production10 (million pounds) 259 263 Iron concentrate (65% Fe) (million tonnes) 3.3 3.3 Average annual gold production (ounces) 35,000 39,000 C1 cash costs per pound of payable copper produced $0.4711 ($0.02)12 Average Annual for LOM Copper (million pounds)10 137 14013 Copper equivalent9,14 (million pounds) 242 311 Iron concentrate (65% Fe) (million tonnes) 4.2 4.2 Gold (ounces) 17,000 17,000 Cobalt (million pounds) n/a 10.4 Sulfuric acid (million tonnes) n/a 1.4 C1 cash costs per pound of payable copper produced (by product basis) $0.0215 ($1.56)16 C1 cash costs17 (co-product basis) Copper (per pound of payable copper equivalent produced) $1.40 $1.02 Magnetite iron concentrate (per tonne of iron equivalent production) $38.88 $27.07 Average annual operating expenses (US$ millions) $304 $337 Cumulative free cash flow inclusive of capital (after tax) (US$ billions) $3.3 $5.3 Life of Mine Summary Total tonnes milled (million tonnes) 392.3 392.3 Strip ratio (waste to milled tonnes) 3.3:1 3.3:1 Head Grade Copper (% Cu) 0.30 0.30 Iron (% Fe) 28.16 28.16 Gold (g/t Au) 0.04 0.04 Cobalt (parts per million ("ppm")) n/a 241 Recovery Copper18 93.4% 93.5% Iron mass 19.1% 19.1% Gold 60.1% 62.1% Cobalt n/a 78.3% Commodity Price Assumptions Copper (per pound) $3.00 $3.00 Magnetite iron concentrate at 65% iron content CFR Santo Domingo port (per tonne) $80 $80 Cobalt (per pound) n/a $20 Gold (per ounce) $1,280 $1,280 Sulfuric Acid CIF Mejillones (per tonne) n/a $70 KEY DEVELOPMENTS OVER PAST YEAR Received all critical permits to start construction, including approval of the Mine Closure Plan.

Negotiated Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), quotes for desalinated water supply.

Additional metallurgical test work improving confidence in metal recoveries and confirming the process design criteria of 29% copper concentrate and 65% iron concentrate.

Developing additional optionality for shared infrastructure development.

Received a firm-fixed-price proposal for the EPC of the processing plant.

Firm and actionable quotations for major processing equipment.

Excluding port and slurry pipeline, approximately 75% of direct initial capital costs are certain. BASE CASE and 2020 PEA OPPORTUNITY The Base Case and the 2020 PEA Opportunity are being completed using engineering and consulting firms experienced in the Chilean mining industry (Amec Foster Wheeler Ingenieria y Construccion Limitada, a Wood company, Blue Coast Metallurgy Ltd., BRASS Chile S.A., Knight Piesold S.A., NCL Ingenieria y Construccion Ltda., Aminpro Chile, Sunrise Americas and Roscoe Postle Associates Inc.), with the authors named below in "Qualified Persons". The report is being compiled by the Wood Group's Santiago office. The Base Case and the 2020 PEA Opportunity includes development of two open pit mines using conventional drilling, blasting, loading with diesel hydraulic shovels, and truck haulage, and a copper-iron concentrator designed to process a maximum 65,000 tpd to a nominal capacity of 60,000 tpd (throughput is reduced in the latter years as the ore becomes slightly harder) using Semi-Autogenous Grinding ("SAG") and ball milling, with conventional flotation utilizing desalinated water to produce a copper concentrate. Magnetite iron will be recovered from the copper rougher tailings using Low Intensity Magnetic Separation. The planned infrastructure in both the Base Case and 2020 PEA Opportunity include a tailings storage facility ("TSF"); an iron concentrate pipeline and a third party desalinated water supply pipeline; a port-located magnetite iron concentrate filter plant and stockpile; a port-located copper concentrate storage building; a desalination plant; ship loading facilities; and on-site and off-site infrastructure and support facilities. The mine is located 50 kilometres southwest of Codelco's El Salvador copper mine and 130 kilometres north-northeast of Copiapo, near the town of Diego de Almagro, in Region III, Chile. The elevation at the site is approximately 1,000 metres above sea level ("masl") with relatively gentle topographic relief. Access to the property is one kilometre off the paved highway C-17 from Diego de Almagro to Copiapo. The magnetite filter plant and stockpile, the copper storage building, the desalination plant and other port infrastructure will be located in Punta Roca Blanca, 41 kilometres north of Caldera. The name of the proposed port development is Puerto Santo Domingo. For the first five years of full operation, Santo Domingo will have an annual average copper production of approximately 259 million pounds (approximately 117,500 tonnes). The LOM average production is 137 million pounds of copper (approximately 61,000 tonnes) per year over a period of approximately 18 years. The total LOM copper production is estimated at 2.4 billion pounds (approximately 1.1 million tonnes). For the first five years of full operation, the annual average iron-ore concentrate production is estimated to be 3.3 million dmt. Over the LOM, the iron-ore concentrate production will increase to an annual average of 4.2 million dmt, with a total estimated production of approximately 75.1 million dmt. MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE Following is the current Mineral Resource Estimate as at February 13, 2020 prepared by David W. Rennie, P. Eng., of Roscoe Postle Associates Inc. ("RPA"). Mineral Resource Estimate as at February 13, 2020 Category Deposit Mt CuEq (%) Cu (%) Au (g/t) Fe (%) S (%) Co (ppm) Measured 66 0.81 0.61 0.081 30.9 2.3 254 Indicated SDS/IN 416 0.49 0.24 0.033 26.4 2.2 239 Estrellita 55 0.40 0.38 0.039 13.7 0.0 125 Sub-Total 471 0.48 0.26 0.034 25.0 1.9 225 Total Measured and Indicated 537 0.52 0.30 0.039 25.7 2.0 229 Inferred SDS/IN 42 0.42 0.18 0.024 25.0 2.4 208 Estrellita 5 0.32 0.31 0.030 12.3 0.0 108 Total Inferred 48 0.41 0.19 0.025 23.6 2.2 197 Mineral Resource Estimate Notes: Mineral Resources are classified according to CIM (2014) definition standards. Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. The Qualified Person for the estimates is Mr. David Rennie, P. Eng., an associate of Roscoe Postle Associates Inc. Mineral Resources for the Santo Domingo Sur, Iris, Iris Norte, and Estrellita deposits have an effective date of 13 February 2020. Mineral Resources for the Santo Domingo Sur, Iris, Iris Norte, and Estrellita deposits are reported using a cut-off grade of 0.125% CuEq. CuEq grades are calculated using average long-term prices of US$3.50/lb Cu, US$1,300/oz Au, and US$99/dmt Fe conc. Only copper, gold, and iron were recognized in the CuEq calculation. Mineral Resources are constrained by preliminary pit shells derived using a Lerchs-Grossmann algorithm and the following assumptions: pit slopes averaging 45; mining cost of US$1.90/t, processing cost of US$7.27/t (including G&A cost); processing recovery of 89% copper and 79% gold; and metal prices of US$3.50/lb Cu, US$1,300/oz Au and US$99/dmt iron concentrate. Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in apparent summation differences between tonnes, grade and contained metal content. Tonnage measurements are in metric units. Copper ("Cu"), iron ("Fe") and sulfur ("S") are reported as percentages, gold ("Au") as grams per tonne and cobalt ("Co") parts per million. The estimate was carried out using a block model constrained by three-dimensional wireframe envelopes. The wireframes were constructed primarily from lithological boundaries. The principal rock types used for these models were the manto-hosting volcanic and sedimentary units which were clipped against fault boundaries and wireframe models of post-mineral dykes or sills. Eight domains were created within the deposit and three of these (Zones 1, 2 and 3) were further subdivided into magnetite-rich and magnetite-poor variants. Much of the geological interpretation had been done for the 2009 and previous estimates. For the current estimate the wireframe modelling consisted of updating the earlier work with the latest drilling results. RPA notes that only minor modifications to the interpretations were required. Grades for copper, gold, total iron and magnetic susceptibility ("MS") were estimated into the blocks using Ordinary Kriging ("OK"). Estimates of recoverable iron ("Fe_rec") and bulk density were carried out from the estimated iron and MS grades using linear regression relationships. CuEq grades were calculated from the estimated copper, gold, and Fe_rec, using recoveries estimated from recent metallurgical testing. The Mineral Resources for SDS/IN were reported at a cut-off grade of 0.125% CuEq, which is consistent with the previous estimate. Readers are advised that Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral Resource estimates do not account for mineability, selectivity, mining loss and dilution. These Mineral Resource estimates include inferred Mineral Resources that are normally considered too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves. Even though test mining has been undertaken in areas with Measured and Indicated class Mineral Resources, there is no certainty that Inferred Mineral Resources will be converted to Measured and Indicated categories through further drilling, or into Mineral Reserves, once economic considerations are applied. BASE CASE MINERAL RESERVE ESTIMATE The current Mineral Reserve estimate of November 14, 2018, prepared by Carlos Guzman, (FAusIMM of NCL Ingenieria y Construccion Ltda.) for the Base Case, remains current and is summarized below. Based on the Mineral Resource estimate, a standard methodology for pit limit analysis, mining sequence, and cut-off grade optimization, including application of mining dilution, process recovery, economic criteria and physical mine and plant operating constraints, has been followed to design the open pit mines and determine the Mineral Reserve estimate for each deposit. The Mineral Reserves are summarized in the following table. Mineral Reserve Estimate as at November 14, 2018 Reserve Category Ore Grade Contained Metal Ore

(Mt) Cu

(%) Fe

(%) Au

(g/t) Cu

(Mlbs) Fe Conc.

(Mt) Au

(koz) Proven Reserves 65.4 0.61 30.9 0.08 878.5 8.2 169.9 Probable Reserves 326.9 0.24 27.6 0.03 1,694.2 66.9 336.8 Total Reserves 392.3 0.30 28.2 0.04 2,572.7 75.1 506.7 Mineral Reserve Estimate Notes: Mineral Reserves have an effective date of 14 November 2018 and were prepared by Mr. Carlos Guzman, CMC, an employee of NCL. Mineral Reserves are reported as constrained within Measured and Indicated pit designs and are supported by a mine plan featuring variable throughput rates and cut-off optimization. The pit designs and mine plan were optimized using the following economic and technical parameters: metal prices of US$3.00/lb Cu, US$1,290/oz Au, and US$100/dmt of Fe concentrate; average recovery to concentrate is 93.4% for Cu and 60.1% for Au, with magnetite concentrate recovery varying on a block-by-block basis; copper concentrate treatment charges of US$80/dmt, U$0.08/lb of copper refining charges, US$5.0/oz of gold refining charges, US$33/wet metric tonnes ("wmt") and US$20/wmt for shipping copper and iron concentrates respectively; waste mining cost of $1.75/t, mining cost of US$1.75/t ore, and process and G&A costs of US$7.53/t processed; average pit slope angles that range from 37.6 to 43.6; a 2% royalty rate assumption, and an assumption of 100% mining recovery. Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in apparent summation differences between tonnes, grade and contained metal content. Tonnage measurements are in metric units. Copper and iron grades are reported as percentages, gold as grams per tonne. Contained gold ounces are reported as troy ounces, contained copper as million pounds and contained iron as million metric tonnes. BASE CASE MINE PRODUCTION SCHEDULE The cash flow model is supported by a mine plan developed to an annual level of detail, which is available in the Santo Domingo section of our website at www.capstonemining.com. Approximately 45 million tonnes of material would be pre-stripped in the year prior to start-up of operations and used in the construction of the TSF starter dam, handling material only once. The overall strip ratio for the LOM is 3.3:1. The plan developed for the 2019 Technical Report mines higher copper grades in the first five years of the mine life with progressively lower copper grades and higher iron grades for the remaining 13 years. BASE CASE and 2020 PEA OPPORTUNITY PROCESS DESCRIPTION The copper and magnetite recovery plant and associated service facilities will process run of mine ("ROM") ore delivered to a primary crusher feeding a conventional process of crushing and grinding of the ROM ore, copper flotation, and magnetite recovery from copper rougher tailings. Copper concentrate will be produced and dewatered at the process facility for trucking to (and stockpiling at) the port. Magnetite concentrate will be thickened on site prior to being pumped via a concentrate pipeline to the port. At the port, the magnetite concentrate will be dewatered and stockpiled. Both the copper and magnetite concentrates will be loaded onto ships for transportation to third-party smelters. Iron recovery was determined from magnetic separation testing on the copper flotation rougher tailings. The Base Case does not consider any process to recover the specular hematite portion of the iron. Therefore, iron recovery is presented in terms of the total mill feed mass recovery. For the life of the mine, this averages 19.1%, and ranges from a low of 10.1% in year five of the Project to a high in excess of 25% in the last four years of the mine life. Testing via pilot plant indicates that a magnetite concentrate grading 65% to 67% iron can be maintained throughout the life of the mine. For the cobalt opportunity, cobalt was estimated for the Mineral Resources and the existing mine plan. The cobalt flowsheet would begin with the tails from the copper cleaner/scavenger, where cobalt is naturally concentrated, to about 0.24% Co and further enriched in a pyrite flotation to about 0.7% Co. It is then processed via a roast, leach, purification, solvent extraction and crystallization. A detailed Mine Production Summary and Plant Feed Production Schedule showing tonnes processed, grades and recoveries is available in the Santo Domingo section of our website at www.capstonemining.com. The tailings storage system will consist of a TSF located east of the proposed mine. The TSF is designed to store approximately 314 million tonnes of conventional thickened tailings, which is sufficient capacity for the approximately 18 years of the mine life. Storage of both desalinated and process water is proposed in lined ponds near the plant site. Water make-up is proposed to be desalinated water. Based on the conventional thickened tailings disposal method, the estimated water make-up will be approximately 1,260 m3/h (~350 L/s). BASE CASE OFFSITE INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES The Level 3 Capital construction estimate for this Technical Report included 100% of the capital requirements of a greenfield port in the Punta Roca Blanca area (Puerto Santo Domingo) on the coast 41 kilometres north of Caldera in the Atacama Region (Region III). Included in the cost estimates is the terminal station of the concentrate pipeline, storage tanks and filter plant for magnetite concentrate, a copper concentrate storage building, a magnetite concentrate stockpile, integrated building (offices, laboratories, change house and lunch room), guard checkpoint, workshop and warehouse; and ancillary facilities to support the operation. The port facility is designed to accommodate the maximum throughout requirements of 5.4 million tpa. Access to the mine site is six kilometres south of Diego de Almagro on Highway C-17. This section is paved and in good condition. Due to the location of the planned Iris Norte pit, process facility and tailings storage facility, approximately 18.7 kilometres of the existing C-17 road will require relocation. The existing C-17 road will remain in service during the relocation effort. In addition, a new bypass road will be built around Diego de Almagro to minimize traffic impacts from the Project. The Diego de Almagro bypass is approximately 4.7 kilometres in length and will be built in the early stage of the Project. BASE CASE WATER AND CONCENTRATE TRANSPORT Santo Domingo Project uses desalinated water which will be pumped to the mine/process site. Capstone has received indicative proposals for the supply of desalinated water from third-party local suppliers with proven record of delivery. Desalinated water was adopted due to several compelling considerations, including confirmed gold and copper recoveries, and lower desalination costs due to lower electricity prices secured through a PPA. A magnetite concentrate pipeline will transport magnetite concentrate from the process plant to the filter plant at the port via a pipeline starting at an elevation of 1,027 masl and ending at the port at an elevation of 16 masl. The copper concentrate will be trucked from the site to Puerto Santo Domingo. Both the water and the concentrate pipelines will use the same right-of-way and will run parallel to existing roads for the majority of the distance from the mine area to the port. The pipeline route will largely follow the valleys with the single route high point located approximately 45 kilometres from the mine site near Mantos Copper's Mantoverde mine operation. BASE CASE POWER Santo Domingo's mine and port sites will be connected to the national grid system at local substations near the facilities. The necessary mine-area connection permit has been approved. The 2019 Technical Report assumed a price of $72 per MWh, including all system-related charges, for electricity delivered to the nearest electrical substations to the mine site and the port site. In 2019, a request for proposal for a PPA was advertised, adjudicated and awarded. The estimated of this price is based on: negotiated (energy) price plus estimated system charges, resulting in $66 per MWh, which is lower than the value in the economic model. This PPA did not require a "Take of Pay" clause nor a parent guarantee and is subject to Capstone issuing a Full Notice to Proceed for construction. The estimated peak demand for the mine and port is 112 MW. BASE CASE INITIAL CAPITAL COST ESTIMATE The initial capital costs for the Base Case (Cu-Fe-Au Mine) has been confirmed and estimated at $1.51 billion as shown in the following table. This estimate is based upon a constant foreign exchange rate of 600 Chilean Pesos ("CLP") to US$1.00 during the development period and for the LOM. Base Case: Cu-Fe-Au Mine INITIAL CAPITAL COST ESTIMATE (US$ millions) Mine Equipment 106.77 Mine Pre-Production Stripping 57.12 Crushing 43.40 Grinding 114.96 Flotation 57.97 Magnetic Separation 40.08 Thickening and Tailings Handling 52.98 Reagents 9.39 Copper Concentrate 12.02 Tailings Storage Facility 23.66 Plant/Mine Infrastructure 156.72 Magnetite Concentrate Pipeline 89.09 Port - Process 25.73 Port - Concentrate Handling/Loading 121.64 Port - Infrastructure 21.89 Total Direct Cost 933.40 Development - Indirects (includes EP and CM costs) 156.84 Construction Admin Costs 112.37 Owner Costs 111.83 Contingency (15% of total costs) 197.85 Total Indirect Costs 578.88 TOTAL INITIAL CAPITAL COSTS 1,512.28 Mine pre-production stripping costs are estimated at $57.1 million and are included in the initial capital cost estimate. LOM sustaining capital, estimated at $378.6 million over the approximately 18 year mine life, is not included in the above figure. Mine closure costs have been estimated at $102 million and have been included in the financial model. In 2019, the Closure Plan was formally approved by the Chilean authorities. The updated closure cost has been used for the PEA assessment as $110.4 million. 2020 PEA OPPORTUNITY INITIAL CAPITAL COST ESTIMATE The initial capital costs for the additional cobalt circuit has been estimated at $665 million as shown in the following table. This estimate is based upon a constant foreign exchange rate of 600 CLP to US$1.00 during the development period and for the LOM. 2020 PEA Opportunity INITIAL CAPITAL COST ESTIMATE (US$ millions) Civil & Earthworks 39.57 Mechanical, Supply & Install 186.21 Structural 34.92 Platework 25.60 Piping 23.28 Electrical & Instrumentation 38.79 Buildings 53.30 Total Direct Cost 401.67 Indirect Costs 130.62 Contingency (25% of total costs) 133.07 Total Indirect Costs 263.69 TOTAL INITIAL CAPITAL COSTS 665.35 The updated closure cost has been used for the PEA assessment as $110.4 million. SUMMARY OF OPERATING COST ESTIMATE3 Base Case: Cu-Fe-Au Mine As shown, the estimate total C1 cash costs19 over LOM are estimated at $0.02 per pound of payable copper produced, when including gold and iron credits. The co-product LOM C1 cash costs20 are estimated at approximately $1.40 per pound of payable copper and $38.88 per tonne of magnetite concentrate produced. BASE CASE: Cu-Fe-Au Mine Total Project Operating Costs21 LOM Total

(US$ millions) LOM Average

(US$/t milled) LOM C1 Cash Costs22

(US$/lb payable Cu) Mining 2,619.57 6.68 1.13 Process 2,547.56 6.49 1.10 G&A 402.84 1.03 0.17 Sub-Total 5,569.97 14.20 2.40 By-Product Credits (2.70) Treatment and Refining Charges and Selling Costs 0.31 TOTAL C1 cash costs23 per pound of payable copper produced 0.02 PERMITTING In July 2015, Capstone received approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment ("EIA") for the mine as described in the Base Case. The EIA will require minor modifications as a result of improvements assessed in the 2020 PEA Opportunity. The Maritime Concession was approved in March 2016. In July 2017, long lead-time permit applications required to start construction were submitted, and they have all since been received, including formal approval of the Mine Closure Plan received in 2019. The permits received include Mine Development, Plant, Tailings Storage Facility, Waste Rock Storage, Flora and Fauna Rescue, Change of Land-Use and High Voltage Connection. IRON-ORE PRICING The 2020 PEA Opportunity uses a constant metal price assumption of $80 per tonne of magnetite iron concentrate. This assumption reflects a long-term benchmark price of 62% iron of $69 per tonne. Included in the evaluation are premiums for 65% iron magnetite product and low alumina content. Based on a long-term analysis of trans-oceanic chartering costs, a shipping cost of $20 dmt was assumed over the life of the mine. The $80 per tonne figure is expressed FOB Santo Domingo port. The $80 per tonne figure is expressed FOB Santo Domingo port. ADDITIONAL COMMODITY PRICE SENSITIVITIES Figure 2: Santo Domingo: Cumulative Free Cash Flow Sensitivities, Commodity Prices +/- 30% for the Copper-Iron-Gold Base Case and 2020 PEA Cobalt Opportunity. NATIONAL INSTRUMENT 43-101 A National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") Technical Report will be prepared to summarize the results of the Base Case by the Qualified Persons and will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days of this news release and will include a 2020 PEA Opportunity study of an alternative development option that summarizes the Cu-Fe-Au circuit at a conceptual level and adds a cobalt recovery circuit, based on Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources only. Readers are cautioned that the conclusions, projections and estimates set out in this news release are subject to important qualifications, assumptions and exclusions, all of which will be detailed in the 2020 technical report. To fully understand the summary information set out above, the 2020 technical report that will be filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com should be read in its entirety. QUALIFIED PERSONS The following Qualified Persons ("QPs"), as defined by NI 43-101 are independent from Capstone (except as noted below) and have reviewed and approved the content of this news release that is based on content from their respective portions of the 2020 technical report: Joyce Maycock, P. Eng., Amec Foster Wheeler Ingenieria y Construccion Limitada, a Wood company

Antonio Luraschi, CMC, Amec Foster Wheeler Ingenieria y Construccion Limitada, a Wood company

Marcial Mendoza, CMC, Amec Foster Wheeler Ingenieria y Construccion Limitada, a Wood company

Mario Bianchin, P. Geo., Amec Foster Wheeler Ingenieria y Construccion Limitada, a Wood company

Roy G. Betinol, P. Eng., BRASS Chile S.A

Carlos Guzman, CMC, FAusIMM, NCL Ingenieria y Construccion Ltda

Roger Amelunxen, APEG, Aminpro Chile

Tom Kerr, P. Eng., Knight Piesold S. A.

David Rennie, P. Eng., Roscoe Postle Associates Inc.

Michael Gingles, MMSA, Sunrise Americas

Gregg Bush, P. Eng. (Non-Independent)

Lyn Jones, P. Eng., MPlan International ABOUT CAPSTONE MINING CORP. Capstone Mining Corp. is a Canadian base metals mining company, focused on copper. Our two producing mines are the Pinto Valley copper mine located in Arizona, USA and the Cozamin copper-silver mine in Zacatecas State, Mexico. In addition, Capstone has the large scale 70% owned copper-iron Santo Domingo development project in Region III, Chile, in partnership with Korea Resources Corporation, as well as a portfolio of exploration properties. Capstone's strategy is to focus on the optimization of operations and assets in politically stable, mining-friendly regions, centred in the Americas. We are committed to the responsible development of our assets and the environments in which we operate. Our headquarters are in Vancouver, Canada and we are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). Further information is available at www.capstonemining.com. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This document may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this document and Capstone Mining Corp. (the "Company") does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required under applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect Company management's expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the conversion of mineral resources to mineral reserves, the ability to successfully complete the strategic review process, the ability to further enhance the value of the project, the expected timing for commencement of construction of the Santo Domingo project, the market for project debt, Capstone's ability to raise its equity contribution to the project, the realization of mineral reserve estimates, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital and construction expenditures, success of mining operations, environmental risks, the timing of the receipt of permits, the timing and terms of a power purchase agreement, unanticipated reclamation expenses, title disputes or claims and limitations on insurance coverage. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "outlook", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. In this document certain forward-looking statements are identified by words including "explore", "potential", "will", "scheduled", "plan", "planned", "estimates", "estimated", "estimate", "projections", "projected", "await receipt" and "expected". Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions which may prove incorrect, including, but not limited to, the development potential of the Santo Domingo project and current and future commodity prices and exchange rates. By their very nature forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; future prices of commodities; possible variations in mineral resources and reserves, grade or recovery rates; accidents; dependence on key personnel; labour pool constraints; labour disputes; availability of infrastructure required for the development of mining projects; delays in obtaining governmental approvals, financing or in the completion of development or construction activities; objections by the communities or environmental lobby of the Santo Domingo mine and associated infrastructure and other risks of the mining industry as well as those factors detailed from time to time in the Company's interim and annual financial statements and management's discussion and analysis of those statements, all of which are filed and available for review on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements. ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE MEASURES "C1 Cash Costs" and "Total Project Operating Cost" are Alternative Performance Measures. These performance measures are included because these statistics are key performance measures that management uses to monitor performance. Management uses these statistics to assess how the Company is performing to plan and to assess the overall effectiveness and efficiency of mining operations. These performance measures do not have a meaning within International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and, therefore, amounts presented may not be comparable to similar data presented by other mining companies. These performance measures should not be considered in isolation as a substitute for measures of performance in accordance with IFRS. CAUTIONARY NOTE TO UNITED STATES INVESTORS This news release contains disclosure that has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of Canadian securities laws, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Without limiting the foregoing, this news release refers to a technical report that uses the terms "measured", "indicated" and "inferred" mineral resources. U.S. investors are cautioned that, while such terms are recognized and required by Canadian securities laws, the SEC under Industry Guide 7 does not recognize them. Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of measured or indicated resources will ever be converted into reserves. U.S. investors should also understand that "inferred resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined legally or economically. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of "inferred resources" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Therefore, U.S. investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of inferred resources exist, or that they can be mined legally or economically. Accordingly, information concerning descriptions of mineralization and resources contained in this news release may not be comparable to information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements under Industry Guide 7 of the SEC. 1 See Capstone News Release dated November 26, 2018 titled "Capstone Mining Releases Positive Technical Report and Launches a Strategic Process for Santo Domingo" and the Technical Report published January 3, 2019 for full details.

2 These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release.

3 Increase from Base Case numbers due to updated metal algorithms and not related to the cobalt opportunity. No Inferred Mineral Resources are included in 2020 PEA Opportunity. Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.

4 Contained production includes recovery loss.

5 C1 cash costs are net of magnetite iron and gold by-product credits and selling costs. These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release.

6 C1 cash costs are net of magnetite iron, cobalt, sulfuric acid, and gold by-product credits and selling costs. These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release.

7 After recovery loss.

8 These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release.

9 These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release. C1 cash costs per pound of copper on a co-product basis includes the value of iron and cobalt production as copper equivalent production using relative values based on pricing used the 2020 PEA Opportunity. C1 cash costs per tonne of iron on a co-product basis includes the value of copper and cobalt production as iron equivalent production using relative values based on pricing used in the 2020 PEA Opportunity.

10 After recovery loss.

11 C1 cash costs are net of magnetite iron and gold by-product credits and selling costs. These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release.

12 C1 cash costs are net of magnetite iron, cobalt, sulfuric acid, and gold by-product credits and selling costs. These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release.

13 Integrated copper production considering contribution of concentrator plant plus the copper recovery from the cobalt circuit as precipitate.

14 Includes the conversion of magnetite iron (and cobalt for the 2020 PEA case) production into copper equivalent units based on relative values using technical report pricing assumptions.

15 C1 cash costs are net of magnetite iron and gold by-product credits and selling costs. These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release.

16 C1 cash costs are net of magnetite iron, cobalt, sulfuric acid, and gold by-product credits and selling costs. These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release.

17 Includes gold (and sulfuric acid for the 2020 PEA Opportunity case) as by product credits. These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release.

18 Copper recovery is for the copper concentrator only.

19 C1 cash costs are net of magnetite iron and gold by-product credits and selling costs. These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release.

20 These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release.

21 These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release.

22 These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release.

23 C1 cash costs are net of magnetite iron and gold by-product credits and selling costs. These are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this news release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005791/en/

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Chairing the BioAsia 2020 CEO Conclave in Hyderabad, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said that the goal of USD 5 trillion economy needs to have the happiness of the people at its core.

"The USD 5 trillion economy also has as its leg, a very important component of happiness of the people of India. One must recognize there are several dimensions to India. The power of India is defined as the power of democracy, demography, talent, leadership, and opportunity," Goyal said at the event moderated by Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao.

"The speed in which India is offering intellectual property protection has significantly been ramped up. We are looking to ensure that our applications get cleared faster than anywhere else in the world," he added.

The Union Minister further urged the states to work together with the Centre for timely resolving the issues faced by the entrepreneurs.

Speaking about price controls in India, Goyal said, "Price control has worked immensely in India. Looking at two of the medical devices, knee implants and heart stents, the volume of operations have grown drastically. People in India can now afford the procedure."

"Price controls are here to stay. They are needed in an emerging economy, an economy which is trying to take healthcare to the vast masses, who were earlier remaining untreated," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Several organisations on Wednesday held 'Road Roko' protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, Population Register and Register of Citizens here.

Earlier today in Chennai, members of various Muslim outfits took out a massive protest march against CAA, NPR and NRC.

Madras High Court had on Tuesday ordered an interim stay on the blockade without the proper sanction of the enforcement authorities. It had also ordered Muslim outfits not to go ahead with its proposed agitation 'to lay siege at the Secretariat and the District Collector's office'.

Protests have erupted across the country against the contentious CAA since Parliament gave its nod to the Bill last year.

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.)
Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend Brian Hickerson was arrested after he allegedly 'punched her in the face' during an argument at a home in Wyoming on Valentine's Day.

Now friends of the 30-year-old are privately admitting they fear she 'is in danger with Brian,' a source told Us Weekly. 'Add impairment issues from drinking too much and it will have a tragic outcome if she continues the relationship.'

The altercation comes just nine months after he was arrested in for domestic violence after the couple had an argument at 2am in May 2019.

Hayden Paettiere 'is in danger with Brian,' a source told Us Weekly . 'Add impairment issues from drinking too much and it will have a tragic outcome if she continues the relationship.'

Hayden 'believed he would never hit her again' which is why she chose not to 'materialize as a witness against him' in the 2019 case.

Brian has 'isolated Hayden from friends and family' since their relationship started in fall 2018, the source added.

'Don't blame the victim. She sadly fell in love with a man that hits women He is violent but incredibly charming. It's unlikely this will be enough for Hayden to break it off, permanently,' the Us Weekly insider said.

Brian was arrested on Friday around 2:30am after allegedly punching her face with a closed fist during a fight on Valentine's Day.

Brian was booked for domestic battery and a second charge of interfering with a police officer, after he allegedly would not identify himself to authorities, according to TMZ.

He was released on a $5,000 bond in the afternoon, just hours after his early morning arrest.

Mugshot: On Friday, her boyfriend Brian Hickerson was arrested after he allegedly 'punched her in the face' during an argument at a home in Wyoming

The Nashville star's boyfriend was found by cops from the Teton County Sheriff's office on the driveway in Jackson Hole, Wyoming after someone called the police to report it.

The caller was reported to have said that there was an 'intoxicated male' that was 'locked out of the home' because 'he punched his girlfriend in the face,' according to the outlet.

Brian allegedly 'struck' the Hayden 'with a closed fist on the right side of her face' during their fight in their bedroom, where he also 'threw' her around.

Police noted that she had a 'red and swollen face' and 'a scrape and swelling on her left hand' which she believed came from his watch during their fight.

When authorities arrived on the scene, Brian was in the driveway and he allegedly told them that Hayden was inside the home 'saying he beat the f**k out of me.'

He said that he hired a private chef to stay around that night so he 'wouldn't be accused of bulls**t' while avoiding their question on whether or not he punched the star.

The police called the chef, who left their residence a little after 1 am (1.5 hours before he was arrested) and said he saw the couple arguing earlier in the evening.

Throwback: Brian has 'isolated Hayden from friends and family' since their relationship started in fall 2018; pictured August 2, 2018, the first time they were seen together as they left Craig's restaurant in LA with Hayden barefoot

The couple first began dating in August 2018 after she was spotted walking barefoot out of a restaurant with Brian by her side.

Prior to their outing, it was believed that Hayden was still with her then-fiance Wladimir Klitschko, who she shares five-year-old daughter Kaya.

The little one has been living with Wladimir, 43, in his home country of Ukraine and Hayden reportedly travels often to see her.

It had been reported in 2019 that Hayden hadn't 'had much time with her daughter'.

'She really hasn't had much time with her daughter,' a source told Us Weekly. 'She knows the child being with her is not best for [Kaya right now]. It's a sad situation.'

Hayden's mom Lesley Vogel said in 2018 that her daughter does visit Kaya in Europe while Wlad 'travels a great deal' to keep some normalcy for their little girl.

'It's heartbreaking and challenging,' an insider said. 'They didn't spend the holidays together. It's disturbing, and she'll have to figure out how to manage this. It's not an easy scenario.'

Hayden's lawyer revealed the actress still 'regularly' sees her daughter, People reported in July 2019.

Happier times: Brian was arrested on Friday around 2:30am after allegedly punching her face with a closed fist during a fight on Valentine's Day; pictured December 1, 2018 in LA

Hayden and Wladimir were in a relationship from 2009 until they split in May 2011; they reunited in April 2013 and got engaged in October of that same year.

In December 2014, the duo welcomed daughter Kaya; she revealed on Live With Kelly and Michael in September 2015 that she experienced postpartum depression.

One month later, Hayden voluntarily checked herself into a facility for postpartum depression and for a second time in May 2016.

Soon after Hayden was seen leaving Craig's with Brian while barefoot, her mom confirmed she split from Wladimir, who is a Ukrainian former professional boxer.

Though their relationship was over, they remained friends.

'We're still respectful of each other, and we still have that friendship with each other,' Hayden told Us in February 2019. 'It's not a situation that you find yourself in all that often, so it's a new one. But I think we've done a really good job.'

In October 2018 - just two months after they were first seen together - Brian allegedly assaulted his father David with Hayden present, according to TMZ.

The incident occurred in South Carolina at a home; cops responded to a call for assault and battery.

Another domestic violence call was placed on May 2, 2019; He was arrested for domestic violence after a drunken argument with the actress turned physical at 2 am in LA, TMZ reported.

The way they were: Prior to their outing, it was believed that Hayden was still with her then-fiance Wladimir Klitschko, who she shares five-year-old daughter Kaya; seen together on December 7, 2013

Police reportedly discovered 'redness and marks' on Hayden's body; after he was book for felony domestic violence, he was released after posting a $50,000 bond.

The felony complaint said that he 'willfully inflicted corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition upon Hayden P.'

He was later charged with one count of felony domestic violence on May 23, 2019 and pleaded not guilty to the charge, which could have seen up to four years in prison; the case was dismissed in September 2019.

'Our office was unable to proceed because we could not secure a material witness. The protective order also was dismissed,' a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

In a weird twist of events, Hayden was spotted holding hands with Brian's brother Zach in September while out and about in New York.

A source told People at the time that the display had nothing to do with affection: 'Hayden and Zach are friends and have been for a while.'

Hayden's family still doesn't 'approve of the relationship' due to many past aggressions.

'They are not fans of Brian,' a source told People magazine. 'It's clear that he has issues of his own, not to mention the anger issues, which is obviously a big one.'

At the time, Hayden's attorney Andrew Brettler told the publication: 'Hayden is a strong, intelligent woman who is capable of making her own decisions.'

They were last seen together in November 2019 while walking through LAX airport together.

'It's disturbing to family and friends that Hayden and Brian may not be following the court order. There is not one single person out there who isn't concerned about Hayden,' a source told Us Weekly.

'What Brian did to Hayden is unacceptable behavior, and it's not to be tolerated.'
Kuldip Kumar

While presenting the Budget 2020, Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman proposed taxing employers contribution towards Provident fund (PF), the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and superannuation funds, where such contributions exceed Rs 750,000 (in aggregate) during a financial year.

The FM said that even the interest earned on such excess contribution will be taxable, though the method to calculate the taxable interest has not yet been specified. The move has been undertaken to discourage organisations from structuring the salary packages of highly paid executives in such a manner that they park much of their funds in these retirement schemes to save taxes.

The governments rationale in general has been that those who can afford to pay taxes should pay their fair share so that the money collected can be utilised for the benefit of the economically weaker section of the society. Ever since the current government came to power in 2014, tax relief benefits have mostly gone to the middle or lower-income group taxpayers. Those in the higher or super-rich category of income earners have started paying higher taxes.

Taxing retirement benefits

This new proposal has raised the question as to whether there is a need to pay taxes on retirement savings, which are intended for the future of taxpayers when they stop working. In the absence of any social security system in India, unlike in other developed countries, the savings in these retirement schemes are the most secure and reliable means of generating income post-retirement, and levying taxes on such savings would dent their returns.

Section 10(12) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (Act), provides for the exemption of withdrawal of accumulated PF balance as long as it is in accordance with Rule 8 of Part A of the Fourth Schedule to the Act. Rule 8 provides for tax exemption on such withdrawal if an employee has rendered continuous service of five years or more, and under certain other circumstances. If the amount is withdrawn before the completion of five years of service and does not come under any other exempted categories, the same, excluding the employees own contribution and interest thereon, is taxable under section 17(3)(ii) of the Act. If your employer has contributed beyond Rs 750,000, you will pay tax on the excess amount contributed and also on the interest accrued on the excess amount, in accordance with the proposal.

When you withdraw the PF amount and where the same is taxable, Rule 9 of the fourth schedule empowers the assessing officer to compute the tax liability as if the contribution in those respective years was made to an unrecognised provident fund. While doing so, whether the assessing officer will also reverse the tax levied on the contribution exceeding Rs 750,000? Technically, yes. But, if it is disputed, you may end up paying tax again on the amount of excess contribution and interest thereon and getting it resolved through appellate authorities will involve time and cost.

Expatriate employees who come to work in India and qualify as international workers face a more challenging situation. Their contribution towards their PF is much higher in the absence of any structured package and the contribution goes on the full salary. Employers dont have the choice of reducing the amount of contribution, as they need to comply with the provisions of the Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provident Act, 1952. However, expatriate employees who come from countries with which India has totalisation agreements and have obtained the certificate of coverage from their home countrys social security authorities, are not impacted by the recent government proposal, as they are not required to contribute towards PF.

Only time will tell whether the government will try and address these aspects or rather use them as a further deterrent for discouraging highly paid executives from parking higher savings in these retirement schemes. Corporates hiring the expatriates do expect a relaxation for such employees, as such expatriate employees are generally tax equalised and, tax and the related gross up will only increase their costs.

(The author is Partner and Leader Personal Tax, PwC India. Views are personal)
[February 19, 2020] CGTN: Opportunities and Challenges as Lessons Go Online Amid China's Coronavirus Outbreak

To prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, China's Ministry of Education (MOE) in late January decided to postpone the 2020 spring semester for schools and later halted offline extracurricular trainings, resulting in a surge in the demand for online teaching. Under these circumstances, China Global Television Network (CGTN) carried out an investigation on how the country's educational institutions are coping with the change. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005763/en/ Closed school gate of China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China, February 14, 2020. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo Switching to online Taking advantage of the situation, online educational companies have started taking action. EF Education First, an English language training provider, has canceled or postponed all offline lessons and put them online. Many private education and training institutions besides the Lucerne-based education giant, such as New Oriental, TAL Education, and Offcn Education, have successively shifted their focus to online lessons. To attract students and their parents, they provided free online lessons. Even the elevators of many residential buildings are bombarded by dazzling ads about online education. How does it work? To transfer real classrooms into online lessons is not easy. Server crashes, unstable networks, endless registration on various apps and lots of WeChat groups, the online classroom as led a heated debate on Weibo, a Twitter (News - Alert)-like social media platform in China.



On the first day of the free live course on Zuoyebang, which has over 400 million users now, there were 5 million users online at the same time, causing the server to overload. Other traditional education institutions, which have to use a third-party platform, face problems like bandwidth limitations, online surveillance and difficulty in choosing the proper equipment.

Yu Minhong, Founder of New Oriental, pointed out three difficulties companies face in his WeChat post. First, the online system is not ready for the sudden transformation. Second, some teachers lack online teaching experience. Third, students and parents are not well prepared. Competition everywhere Traditional tutoring agencies are involved in the fierce contest with other online competitors. "Traditional tutoring institutions have fewer students at this time. Meanwhile, online lessons are cheaper, causing a reduction in the teachers' payment," said Sun Jian, marketing executive of a Beijing Campus of Youwin Education. The MOE has issued a guideline for universities to organize online classes, with 22 online platforms offering 24,000 courses to students and will launch more in the future. It will also start uploading K-12 courses to a national public service education platform next Monday to provide students in elementary and secondary schools with education resources covering all major school subjects. Bai Jiaoyu, president of Kids & Teens at EF Education First China firmly agreed that online teaching can be a supplement to the traditional offline education, rather than a replacement. "But we firmly believe that the online and offline blended teaching will be the winning methodology in the future," Bai cited. Challenge and opportunity "The epidemic is both a challenge and an opportunity for private educational institutions," said Zhang Guoqing, co-founder and senior executive of Zhuge Academy. "Online education is a new trend as modern technologies like AI have been employed in the educational industry. Back in 2003 when SARS broke out, the e-commerce business and delivery services took the opportunity to develop quickly, so this special time also provides new opportunities for online education," Zhang observed. According to the China Education Development Report 2018 released by Deloitte (News - Alert) China in 2018, the overall market size of K12 will exceed RMB 500 billion (about USD 71.64 billion) in 2020, with a compound growth rate of 9.2% in the next three years. "Only those companies who invest more on product research, training of teachers, improvement of services and fast adoption of new technologies can be the winners in the end," Bai said. Read more: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-02-14/School-lessons-move-online-amid-the-coronavirus-outbreak-O58WBz7oZ2/index.html About CGTN Headquartered in Beijing, CGTN is a multi-language and multi-platform media organization. CGTN operates on television and online. It has an international team of professionals based around the world with production centers located in Nairobi, Washington D.C. and London. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005763/en/

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Phuket Town steams ahead with 22nd Phuket Food Festival

PHUKET: The 22nd Phuket Food Festival 2020 will get underway on Feb 27 and continue through to Mar 4, Phuket Town Deputy Mayor Kawee Tansuktanon announced yesterday (Feb 18).

tourismeconomics

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 19 February 2020, 04:42PM

Attendees at the press launch for the 22nd Phuket Food Festival yesterday were treated to samples of some tasty dishes. Photo: PR Dept

Attendees at the press launch for the 22nd Phuket Food Festival yesterday were treated to samples of some tasty dishes. Photo: PR Dept

Attendees at the press launch for the 22nd Phuket Food Festival yesterday were treated to samples of some tasty dishes. Photo: PR Dept

Attendees at the press launch for the 22nd Phuket Food Festival yesterday were treated to samples of some tasty dishes. Photo: PR Dept

The fair, to be held at Saphan Hin Park from Feb 27 to Mar 4, will have chairs set for 1,000 diners, Phuket Town Deputy Mayor Kawee Tansuktanon announced yesterday (Feb 18). Photo: PR Dept

Attendees at the press launch for the 22nd Phuket Food Festival yesterday were treated to samples of some tasty dishes. Photo: PR Dept

Attendees at the press launch for the 22nd Phuket Food Festival yesterday were treated to samples of some tasty dishes. Photo: PR Dept

Attendees at the press launch for the 22nd Phuket Food Festival yesterday were treated to samples of some tasty dishes. Photo: PR Dept

The fair will be held at Saphan Hin Park, with chairs set for 1,000 diners, Mr Kawee told a press conference held in Phuket Town.

The event is being held to boost the support and promote local restaurants, and to attract foreign tourists and local residents to try local dishes and delicacies  and to uphold Phuket Towns status as a City of Gastronomy as bestowed by Unesco in 2015, Mr Kawee added.

Phuket Food Vendors Association President Sucha Liewrungroj explained that the annual fair will get underway with a grand opening ceremony at 6:30pm.

Mr Sucha also said that special efforts were being made to make this years event environmentally friendly by having different bins set out to separate different types of trash  and banning the use of foam and plastic containers.

Some stalls will give customers who bring their own containers a B5 discount, he said.

There will be more than 100 booths offering interesting foods at the festival, such as local Phuket dishes, fresh seafood and healthy foods. More than 1,000 seats will be also arranged for people to sit down and enjoy their food, he explained.

During the seven-day festival, a large board will be installed for people to write messages of support for Chinese people struggling to cope with the outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), Mr Sucha added.
Leading industry player to implement task management, auditing and reporting solutions across 70 stores and 10,000 employees

DEDHAM, Massachusetts and LONDON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Reflexis Systems, the leading provider of intelligent workforce management and execution solutions for multi-site businesses in retail, food service, hospitality and banking, is pleased to announce a partnership with Saudi Arabian supermarket and hypermarket retailer BinDawood Holding.

BinDawood Holding will implement three key Reflexis systems across its store operations: Real-Time Task Manager, Q-Audit and Q-Forms. The introduction of these systems will improve BinDawood Holding's operational efficiency by enhancing management control and increasing visibility around tasks and reporting.

BinDawood Holding, which sits within BinDawood Group, is one of Saudi Arabia's leading supermarket and hypermarket groups. BinDawood Holding manages 70 stores in 15 cities through its two retail brands, BinDawood and Danube. It offers the widest selection of in-store and online products in Saudi Arabia and employs more than 10,000 people.

The Reflexis ONE intelligent work platform is used by retailers across the globe to simplify execution, improve communication and optimise labour decisions.

"We are excited to be working with such a well-respected retailer with more than 35 years in the industry," said OP Choudhary, Managing Director EMEA, Reflexis. "BinDawood Holding is a leading private retail brand in Saudi Arabia with clear strategic growth initiatives that we are excited to support with our intelligent store operations solutions."

"BinDawood Holding is committed to superior customer experience, and that is enabled by operational excellence," said Ahmad BinDawood, CEO, Danube & BinDawood, BinDawood Holding.

"The partnership with Reflexis will help us function even better and continue to meet the high standards of quality and service which our customers have come to expect."

About Reflexis Systems, Inc.

Reflexis Systems is the leading provider of intelligent workforce management, execution and communication solutions for multi-site organisations in retail, food service, hospitality and banking.

The Reflexis ONE intelligent work platform is used by our customers across the globe to simplify execution, improve communication and optimise labour decisions. Today, over 275 leaders in retail, food service, hospitality and banking are leveraging Reflexis ONE to achieve measurable benefits.

Reflexis Systems is privately held and headquartered in Dedham, Massachusetts and has offices in Atlanta, Columbus, London, Dusseldorf, and Pune (India), with additional sales presence across Europe and Latin America. For further information, please visit www.Reflexisinc.com

Reflexis: Unleash the Power of Your Store Associates. Learn more at www.reflexisinc.com

Follow Reflexis on: LinkedIn | Blog | Twitter | YouTube

About BinDawood Holding

With a heritage spanning over 50 years, over 35 of which in grocery retail, BinDawood Holding has two unique retail banners, BinDawood and Danube, with a nationwide grocery retail footprint of 70 stores in 15 cities across Saudi Arabia.

We are the first retail grocery operator in Saudi Arabia to offer online sales through Danube Online and the Danube App, a mobile phone application and online platform launched in 2017, with the BinDawood App and online platform in 2019.

BinDawood Holding strives to be one of the most sought-after employers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and beyond. We believe that our success over the years reflects the people who work with us. Our vision is to cement our leading position in the grocery retail market across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to become a leading retail brand within the GCC.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/967455/Reflexis_Logo.jpg
A 18-year-old man has been charged as part of an investigation into the fatal shooting of a teenager in Sydney's west.

Omar Elomar, 18, was gunned down outside a park on Cabramatta Avenue in Miller, in Sydney's west, around 11.10pm on Saturday.

He was shot in the chest in a playground before dying in a pool of blood next to his silver Lexus despite the best efforts of a local who tried to perform CPR.

An 18-year-old was arrested man at his home in Cartwright, near Liverpool, on Wednesday afternoon.

Omar Elomar (pictured) was gunned down in a western Sydney park on Saturday night after he intervened in an argument between his younger cousin and rival schoolboys

Omar was farewelled by hundreds of mourners at Lakemba Mosque, in Sydney's west

He was taken to Liverpool Police Station and charged with conceal serious indictable offence.

He was refused bail to appear at Liverpool Local Court on Thursday.

NSW Homicide Squad detectives also executed a search warrant to conduct a raid of the property, where they seized 'various items' relating to the investigation.

Detectives are continuing to canvass the local area, and speaking with Mr Elomar's family, friends, and associates.

They are also seeking dash cam footage of vehicles travelling in the area at the time of the shooting.

Police confirmed on Monday inquiries into Mr Elomar's death were still ongoing as the shooter remains on the loose.

Hundreds of mourners turned out at Lakemba Mosque in western Sydney to farewell the teenager on Wednesday.

Tributes have flowed for him in the days since his death, with relatives telling how he desperately wanted to become a lawyer and leave the notoriety over his family name behind him

Omar's relative Mohamed Elomar (pictured) was infamously pictured holding severed heads in his hand while fighting for ISIS in Syria, before later dying in a drone strike in 2015

Tributes have flowed for him in the days since his death, with relatives telling how he desperately wanted to become a lawyer and leave the notoriety over his family name behind him.

The teenager's death gained additional attention because of his relation to a number of criminals including former ISIS fighter Mohamed Elomar.

Daily Mail Australia understands Omar is a direct relative of Ibrahim Elomar, an uncle to Mohamed and Ahmed Elomar.

Mohamed was infamously pictured holding severed heads in his hands while fighting for Islamic State in Syria.
Ireland and the EU have played down moves by London to harden its stance in forthcoming talks about post-Brexit relations between Europe and the UK.

Ireland risks being caught in the crossfire between Brussels and London as tough stances being adopted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his EU counterparts threaten to jeopardise ongoing trade free of tariffs and quotas between both islands, worth a cumulative 1.6bn a week.

Formally, the EU has toughened its stance ahead of negotiations on a new deal with Britain, which left the trade bloc on January 31.

Brussels has again stressed demands for fair competition guarantees that would "stand the test of time" on things such as labour law, product standards, environmental rules and state aid to public and private enterprise.

Draft negotiation guidelines, likely to be approved by the European Union's 27 member states within weeks, have doubled down on key demands that the UK adopts "a level playing field".

The EU's renewed position emerged after Mr Johnson's Brexit adviser, David Frost, said London would never be bound by EU rules because this was the whole point behind UK voters' decision on June 23, 2016 to vote Leave. "To think that we might accept EU supervision on so-called level playing field issues simply fails to see the point of what we are doing," Mr Frost said in a lecture in Brussels.

"That isn't a simple negotiating position which might move under pressure - it is the point of the whole project."

But EU diplomats, well informed on Ireland's stance, last night sought to downplay "these strong words" ahead of the opening negotiations.

"We always knew these talks would be extremely hard. But these are opening statements on a negotiating position which inevitably involve a deal of rhetoric," an EU source said.

The two sides are due to launch negotiations on their future relationship in early March. They aim to agree by the end of the year a deal that would cover a raft of issues from trade to security to fishing to space and environmental co-operation.

The Cabinet met for the first time since the election last night, with Tanaiste Simon Coveney briefing ministers on the next phase of Brexit. Ministers were told all Brexit scenarios bring a range of changes and adverse impacts to citizens and business and no set of arrangements will be able to replicate the status quo.

The Government will continue preparedness and contingency work across all sectors to ensure that Ireland is ready for changes and to meet the "significant challenges" Brexit will bring.

Ministers were told the European Commission published its draft negotiating mandate for the EU-UK future relationship on February 3.

The European Commission is negotiating from the EU side and national ambassadors of the EU27 states will discuss the updated mandate in Brussels today.
Department of Justice Building

REUTERS/Mary F. Calvert

A Mexican national was arrested by the FBI on allegations of spying on behalf of the Russian government, the Department of Justice said in a Tuesday news release.

Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes, who lives in Singapore, was arrested in Miami with another person who was travelling with him. The pair were allegedly caught with pictures of the license plate of a US government source, the DOJ said.

The Miami Herald reported that the travel companion was actually one of Fuentes' wives, whom he was married to in Mexico.

Fuentes and his companion travelled from Mexico City to Miami last week, according to court documents cited by the DOJ. The next day, Fuentes is alleged to have tailed another car to get into a secured building where the source lived, according to the DOJ. He was then spotted by security and told to leave, but his companion had already taken the picture of the license plate, the DOJ release claimed.

The two were flagged at Miami International Airport on Sunday when US Customs and Border Protection agents found a close up image of the license plate on Fuentes wife's phone, according to the Herald. Fuentes reportedly told law enforcement that he asked her to take the photo.

His phone showed that he was communicating with a Russian handler who told him to get the license plate number, the DOJ alleged. Fuentes is alleged to have travelled to Moscow earlier this month to meet with the Russian official, according to the press release.

According to the Herald, the source Fuentes was spying on provides information on Russian spying in South Florida to the FBI's counterintelligence division.

Story continues

In 2019, a Russian government official reportedly told Fuentes to rent a condo next to the sources under a different name to spy on him, according to the DOJ's news release. He is alleged to have later travelled to Russia to meet with the official in person and tell him of what he was going to do. When Fuentes returned to Moscow this month, the Russian official allegedly gave him specific information on the source and told him to find the car, tell him where the car was located and its license plate number, the DOJ said in their release.

He was charged with "acting within the United States on behalf of a foreign government (Russia), without notifying the Attorney General, and conspiracy to do the same," and he has a pre-trial hearing on February 21.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(CNN)  One of the enduring images of the current coronavirus outbreak is a space-age looking thermometer pointed at an airplane passenger.

Eleven airports in the United States are using these temperature checks as part of expanded screening for novel coronavirus, and those measures might seem reassuring. If someone doesn't have a fever, it seems like they're fine  right?

Not so fast.

While the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has screened more than 30,000 passengers in the past month, not a single US coronavirus case has been caught by airport temperature checks, according to a CNN investigation.

There has long been debate about the usefulness of airport temperature checks, but this recent experience at US airports, plus a new European study, seem to point in the direction that they don't work.

Earlier this month, British researchers published a study showing that temperature checks will fail to detect a coronavirus infection nearly half the time.

At least one country has found airport temperature checks so unhelpful that it decided not to do them during the novel coronavirus outbreak. Israel used them in previous years for Ebola, SARS and H1N1, but found that they didn't work.

"It is ineffective and inefficient," said Dr. Itamar Grotto, associate director general of Israel's Ministry of Health.

Grotto said the problem is that a normal temperature gives "false assurance." Passengers with normal temperatures could still be in the incubation period, which means they're infected, but have yet to develop a fever.

In addition, a small number of patients with the novel coronavirus don't have fever, according to published studies.

Some experts are convinced that for these reasons, temperature checks at airports are useless.

"I don't think airport temperature checks have any major effect on stopping or even slowing down transmission," said Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist and professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. "We just don't have any good data to support that."

Since mid-January, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been employing temperature checks at selected airports, at first on people flying in from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, and now on all passengers who've been anywhere in mainland China in the past 14 days.

The temperature checks are part of an overall screening effort that includes giving passengers cards telling them to watch out for fever, cough and trouble breathing, all symptoms of the novel coronavirus disease, also called COVID-19.

"Finding sick people who are at risk for COVID-19, alerting asymptomatic travelers who may develop COVID-19 symptoms after arrival, and rapidly responding to any suspect COVID-19 illness, we can most effectively protect the health and safety of the American public," said Dr. Martin Cetron, director of CDC's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine.

Some experts say it's that card  a simple card listing symptoms in English and Chinese  that holds the key to detecting coronavirus infection  not a thermometer.

Temperature checks for US coronavirus cases

CNN reviewed statements by local, state and federal health officials, and emailed and spoke with officials, to determine how many people eventually diagnosed with coronavirus went through airport temperature checks.

Ten passengers flew into US airports on commercial airliners and were later diagnosed with coronavirus.

CNN's investigation shows that four of those 10 passengers went through temperature checks and were found not to have a fever or any other symptoms of the virus. Two of those passengers flew into Los Angeles International Airport and two flew into San Francisco International Airport.

Previously, a CDC spokesperson had told CNN that two of the passengers were symptomatic during flight, but the spokesperson later said they were asymptomatic while flying.

Another 4 out of the 10 passengers were not screened because they flew into airports that did not have screening at the time. Those cases are in Illinois, Washington state, Massachusetts and California.

It's unclear whether the final two passengers went through temperature checks because health officials at the CDC and in Wisconsin and Arizona refused to say when asked by CNN.

When human nature gets in the way

There's another reason why airport temperature checks don't always work: human nature.

Let's say someone's on a long-haul flight to the United States and starts to have a scratchy throat or feel tired or achy. The passenger might attribute those feelings to jet lag or dry air on the plane. Maybe they would take a pain relief medicine such as Advil or Tylenol and try to forget about it.

"That's just human nature," said Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

When the person lands, they might not have a fever because, in addition to relieving pain, Advil and Tylenol also treat fever.

"That's why for this type of screening, there's no evidence it has any measurable impact on the ultimate course of the outbreak," Osterholm said.

What does work

While airport temperature checks haven't caught any coronavirus cases, the information cards have helped catch US cases of the virus at least twice.

On January 24, a man flew into San Francisco "and was found to be totally healthy and asymptomatic," according to Dr. Martin Fenstersheib, interim health officer for San Benito County, California.

As part of the screening routine, the passenger was given a card -- technically called a Travel Health Alert Notice -- that explained he should take his temperature twice a day and call his local health department if he developed a fever or cough or had difficulty breathing.

The next day, the man had symptoms.

"So he looked back at [the card] and said, 'Oh, we need to stay at home, per this information, and contact our local health department,' which they did. So it's good that they were screened, and he abided by that information, so that's good," Fenstersheib said at a press conference.

In the other case, a man flew from Wuhan to the Los Angeles airport in mid-January, where he was screened and did not have a fever or other symptoms of coronavirus. He was given the traveler alert card and flew immediately to Mexico.

After a few days in Mexico, the man had a family emergency in China and flew back to the Los Angeles airport with plans to immediately board a flight to Wuhan. But at the Los Angeles airport he felt ill, and while wearing a mask, he presented himself to health officials there.

"He had the card and he remembered," a health official told CNN.

US travel restrictions to stop the spread of coronavirus

The CDC has taken other steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

On February 3, the CDC announced that most foreign nationals who've been in China in the past 14 days will be barred from entering the United States.

According to the new policy, US citizens, lawful permanent residents and their families who have been in China in the past 14 days will be allowed to enter the United States only through one of the 11 airports that have health screenings.

Those 11 airports include the San Francisco and Los Angeles airports as well as John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York; Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Washington Dulles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

After screening, passengers who are found to be symptomatic for coronavirus will receive further medical evaluation.

Passengers who are asymptomatic are handled differently depending on their travel history. If they've been in Hubei province in the past 14 days, they're not allowed to continue their travels, and must be quarantined at a location near the airport for 14 days.

If they've been elsewhere in mainland China, they can continue their travels and are asked to stay home as much as possible and monitor their health.

The lesson of Ebola

On September 19, 2014, Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian citizen, flew to the US to visit family. By official accounts, he left Liberia a healthy man.

Days later, he fell ill and went to an emergency room in Dallas, Texas. Doctors there missed his Ebola infection, and later he was admitted to that hospital, where he subsequently infected two nurses and then died.

Five years later, that's exactly the scenario the CDC wants to avoid with the new coronavirus.

To that end, the CDC has put out guidance to doctors on how to handle possible coronavirus infections, and to hospitals on infection control for the new virus.

"They're doing a great job at this," said Osterholm, the epidemiologist in Minnesota.

These are the measures -- information to travelers, doctors and hospitals -- that can help stop the outbreak, Osterholm said, and less so the temperature screening.

"But everybody around the world is doing it, so I guess if we didn't do it, we would look like we were being derelict in our duty," he said.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020

With land expensive and hard to get and house prices rising in Jakarta, accommodation issues remain a challenge with many people shifting to tiny-space living for the sake of getting a roof over their head.

The need for affordable living space, even if small, is seen as an opportunity with some property firms starting to develop smaller apartments, and studio units, of around 20 square meters.

Wendy Haryanto, executive director of the Jakarta Property Institute (JPI), which mediates a dialogue between the government and real-estate players, said there was a growing business to provide apartment units of smaller size.

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About 40 cases have been confirmed in Europe, but people and places associated with the illness face stigmatization. The New York Times in the article In Europe, Fear Spreads Faster Than the Coronavirus Itself writes, that the coronavirus outbreak is far less serious in Europe than it is in China, where more than 2,000 people have died and the fight to contain the virus has taken on the trappings of a wartime campaign.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, warned on Saturday of the dangers of letting fear outpace facts. We must be guided by solidarity, not stigma, Dr. Tedros said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference, adding that fear could hamper global efforts to combat the virus. The greatest enemy we face is not the virus itself; its the stigma that turns us against each other.

In the United States and elsewhere, people of Asian heritage have faced intense public scrutiny over their health. In Europe, the handful of people confirmed to have been infected have also found themselves in the public glare.

In Britain, where there are nine confirmed cases, news outlets swiftly labeled a businessman at the center of a cluster of transmissions at a French ski chalet a super spreader even before the man returned to Britain and tested positive for the virus.

The businessman, Steve Walsh, later came forward to say that he did not know he had contracted coronavirus when he joined friends in France after a business trip to Singapore. He said he had contacted the health authorities as soon as he discovered that had been exposed to the virus and that he had been in isolation at a hospital after testing positive. When Mr. Walshs name and photograph were released, broadcasters breathlessly speculated about his movements. Others mapped his trail, while some residents of Brighton and Hove, where Mr. Walsh lives, wondered if it was safe to go outside. Only five cases have been confirmed in the area.

Peter Kyle, a lawmaker who represents the area, said that the fear around the virus was understandable, particularly as the outbreak in China grows. But he said the use of the term super spreader was irresponsible. The connotation of that term is that he was proactively passing it, that he was willingly transmitting it, Mr. Kyle said. Whereas we know for a fact that the moment he became symptomatic, he did everything by the book.

Part of the problem, Mr. Kyle said, is that people try to reconcile what is happening in China  where more than 70,000 people have tested positive for the virus and tens of millions have essentially been on lockdown for weeks  with what they are seeing nearer to home. Mr. Kyle said that because the British authorities had not articulated the response strategy clearly to the public, people are filling in the gaps themselves, driven in part by misinformation online.

He said that some constituents had asked him to confirm the identities of coronavirus patients and provide a detailed account of where they had been before they went into isolation. It just shows there is misunderstanding, he said. When there is misunderstanding, prejudice and behavior that is not acceptable.

The anxiety has also impacted local businesses, like The Grenadier, a pub in Hove where the health authorities determined Mr. Walsh had spent time before he learned he had the virus. An employee confirmed by phone that the restaurant had been inundated with calls about the coronavirus. In an effort to dispel rumor, the staff posted a statement on Facebook: You are not in any risk by coming into the pub.

A spokesman for the British Department of Health and Social Care cautioned against using the virus as an excuse to stigmatize groups and individuals. The health department also emphasized that doctors did not discharge patients believed to represent any threat to public health.

The French Alpine ski village of Les Contamines-Montjoie has also had to deal with the fears of a coronavirus outbreak. At least six British citizens who stayed in a chalet in the village, including a 9-year-old boy, tested positive for the virus and are still in France. We were all spooked, said Melanie Boidard, 34, a resident of Les Contamines-Montjoie. Lets not pretend otherwise.

No new cases have been confirmed in the village since the initial cluster, but fears persist. The village of 1,200 usually increases more than tenfold this time of year with the influx of tourists, many of them Britons, coming to the ski resort. But businesses have suffered from rumors of coronavirus contamination. Philippe Gerault, 65, who runs a ski club in Les Contamines-Montjoie, said about a dozen British clients had canceled reservations for this week. Its panic, said Eric Paris, the only pharmacist in the village. Mr. Paris said he had received 300 to 400 calls from people asking for information about the coronavirus. People call me and ask Im coming next week, should I cancel my trip? he said. Its absolutely ridiculous.

Of the 16 confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany, 14 are linked to the car parts manufacturer Webasto, which reopened its headquarters in Stockdorf last week. A Chinese employee of the company who is based in Shanghai had visited the Bavarian headquarters for meetings in mid-January. The employees parents had visited her from Wuhan , the center of the epidemic, just before she traveled to Germany, and she began showing symptoms on her return flight to China. That same evening, a German employee became ill and was the first German person diagnosed with the coronavirus. The next day, with three infections reported, the company closed its headquarters  where about 1,000 managers, designers and engineers work  for two weeks in an effort to stop the virus from spreading further.

But outsiders avoided the village, associating it with the coronavirus, local leaders said. Ludwig Harter, who runs a local cafe, says his business was down 50 percent since news of the local outbreak made national headlines. Its everyone  older ladies and gentlemen, young mothers  many of our customers stopped coming, said Mr. Harter.

Employees of Webasto said that schools and day care centers were reluctant to take their children, according to Nadine Schian, a spokeswoman for the company. Others reported that their partners had to be tested for the virus before they could go to work. In one widely reported case, a man who brought his car to his regular mechanic was refused service because he worked for Webasto. Its a small village, Ms. Schian said. Everyone knows everyone.
Presidency University Dean of Students Arun Maity left the campus on early Wednesday morning after being gheraoed by a section of students for over six consecutive days.

A varsity official said Maity, who was gheraoed since 3.30 pm on February 13, left the campus around 3 am on Wednesday while the 30 agitating students were sleeping on the corridor.

He boarded his car parked in the portico and left, the official said.

Doctors inspected Maity and declared him fit but he is stressed due to the gherao, he said.

The dean did not take calls despite repeated attempts.

The agitating students said they will continue the sit-in outside the dean's office till they get a concrete assurance that the issues will be addressed on an urgent basis.

Students had gheraoed him demanding immediate handing over of the three under-renovation wards of Hindu Hostel and proper sanitation facilities for girls' hostel in Salt Lake, one of the agitating students, Debnil Paul said.

The dean of students was only prevented from leaving the campus during the period but he was not harassed and was free to go outside the chamber whenever he wanted, he said.

"We had urged him to stay with us and understand our situation at hostel," Paul said.

Another agitating student, Subho Biswas, said, "Dean sir had refused to acknowledge our problems and always maintained that only the vice chancellor is the competent authority to give concrete assurances on the issues, which made us think he is not serious in solving them."



The students had on February 3 and 4 gheraoed Lohia due to which she fell ill and was hospitalised.

The VC, who was later discharged from hospital, has not come to the campus since then.

The superintendent and assistant superintendent of the two hostels had offered to step down citing inability to work in the wake of protests but their resignations have not been accepted yet, a Presidency official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senator Panfilo Lacson

MANILA, Philippines  Senator Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday revealed that at least P80 billion in congressional realignments have been withheld by President Rodrigo Duterte and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

In a statement, Lacson said some lawmakers tried to realign at least P80 billion from the Duterte administrations Build, Build, Build program to their districts pet projects under the P4.1 trillion 2020 national budget.

But instead of exercising his veto power over the line items which could stall the approval of the budget, the lawmaker said Duterte decided to just block the release of the budget by way of a DBM circular now called for later release, which has the same effect of a veto.

I support the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte and the Department of Budget and Management to withhold the release of these congressional realignments, he said.

This is one reason why I continue to support the leadership of President Duterte in spite of some disagreements with him over some policy issues: He has time and again displayed the strong political will, even against many self-proclaimed allies in Congress whose loyalty clearly lies where the money lies, he added.

Lacson advised the president to always be wary of these so-called allies who have the propensity to praise him to high heavens and never criticize him but with self-aggrandizement and greed as their only motivation and nothing else.

The House of Representatives has yet to issue a comment on Lacsons claim.  RRD (with details form Correspondent Harlene Delgado)

The post Lacson backs govt move to block release of P80-B congressional realignments appeared first on UNTV News.
Yoga instructor Hilaria Baldwin celebrated her relationship with Alec Baldwin in the most candid way, throwing it back to nine years ago when she first met her husband.

The mom of four took to Instagram to share a throwback picture of her and Alec that still hangs on display in their Greenwich Village home. But while she could have gone the conventional route with a photo of them smiling on a red carpet, Hilaria decided to post a more relatable snap - one of her and Alec after their first fight.

Met you nine years ago today  I dont have a photo from then, but I do have a photo of our first disagreement, Hilarias caption began.

You got frustrated with someone on the red carpet and walked away. I had to waddle in this mermaid tail dress after you and didnt like being left behind, she recalled, adding a laughing emoji.

It wasnt very dramatic, but I think it was my first Hilaria glare that I gave you, she continued, presumably referencing the stern look she can be seen giving Alec in the photo.

The photographer that took this photo was a super-nice woman who printed it out for me and we have it hanging by our entryway as a reminder for him to behave, she joked before wishing Alec a happy nine years.

Alec and Hilaria Baldwin attend the American Museum Of Natural History 2019 Gala / Getty Images

Hilarias Instagram feed is full of sweeter moments with Alec (plus, plenty of adorable photos of their kids and yoga videos), and many fans pointed out that it was refreshing to see her post something less filtered.
Roger Stone will be sentenced on Thursday and President Trump can do nothing about it.

That's the message U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who's overseeing the criminal case against Trump's longtime adviser, sent Tuesday when she confirmed the date of Stone's sentencing hearing. Despite receiving threats from Trump to delay the sentencing for a second time, that "would not be a prudent thing to do under all the circumstances," Jackson said.

Uproar surrounding Stone's upcoming sentencing arose last week when prosecutors in the case recommended a 79 year prison term for Stone's crimes of lying to Congress and witness tampering. Trump tweeted to complain about the suggestion, and Attorney General William Barr intervened, with the DOJ eventually recommending a lighter sentence for Stone. Trump then repeatedly attacked Jackson's handling of the case, including in Twitter threads Tuesday morning where he cited Fox & Friends to call for her to delay Stone's sentencing.

.....existence of these tweets in which you were so harshly negative about the President & the people who support him. Dont you think we wanted to know that before we put you on this jury. Pretty obvious he should (get a new trial). I think almost any judge in the Country.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2020

Despite the presidential controversy, "I'm willing to make sure there are no consequences that flow from the announcement of the sentence at the sentencing hearing," Jackson said in a Tuesday scheduling call.

More stories from theweek.com

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[February 19, 2020] White Ops Announces Application Integrity to Protect Enterprises from Fraud & Abuse

White Ops, the global leader in bot mitigation, today announced the release of Application Integrity, a new offering designed to protect enterprises from sophisticated bot-based threats including account takeover, automated account creation, and web scraping. Leveraging the industry leadership the company has fostered with its Advertising Integrity and Marketing Integrity products that today verify the humanity of more than 1 trillion interactions per week, Application Integrity enables security teams to best protect their applications from sophisticated bot attacks. "Based on our leadership in disrupting the economics of advertising and marketing fraud, enterprise security teams have pulled us in to help them fight against account takeover, automated account creation, and web scraping attacks," said Tamer Hassan, Co-founder and CEO at White Ops. "Our new Application Integrity product provides enterprises with the protection they need and insight into the tactics and origin of the sophisticated bots that target them, significantly reducing their security risk." According to the 2019 Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report, web application attacks are the second largest cause of data breaches, behind only phishing-based attacks. Today's fraud and security teams share the same challenge: distinguishing real users from impersonating fraudsters, especially when they come from millions of malware-compromised devices. Sophisticated bots can mimc human behavior by hijacking browser history and activity when visiting websites, and more. Since these bot attacks look and act just like humans, they evade and overwhelm current bot detection methodologies.



Leveraging White Ops' scale and accuracy, real-time prevention and takedown capabilities, and multilayered detection methodology, Application Integrity offers the highest level of protection to enterprises against sophisticated bot attacks. By incorporating technical evidence, machine learning, continuous adaptation of detection techniques, and threat intelligence (courtesy of White Ops Satori Threat Intelligence and Research Team), this methodology enables Application Integrity to identify and block bot traffic with the highest degree of accuracy and speed to stay ahead of adversaries. "White Ops takes a unique approach to detecting sophisticated bots. Their success in reducing advertising and marketing fraud has positioned them to be super helpful to security teams at stopping application fraud and to best protect against sophisticated bot attacks," says Ed Amoroso, CEO of TAG Cyber LLC and former (retired) Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer of AT&T (News - Alert). "We have learned so much from the White Ops team this past year in the research supporting our TAG Cyber Security Annual."

White Ops Application Integrity offers protection to enterprises beyond what current application security products are providing. The key benefits of White Ops Application Integrity include: ? Best-in-class detection of sophisticated bots: White Ops' multilayered detection methodology enables Application Integrity to identify bots with the highest degree of confidence, even in low signal environments. ? Minimized fraud and losses: Secure user accounts against unauthorized access, and prevent fraudulent new accounts from being created. ? Full transparency into each detection: Provides rationale behind each detected sophisticated bot, gaining better insight and context into the origin and tactics of the bot attacks on the applications. ? No impact on application operation: The solution's bot decision engine completes assessments and renders decisions in milliseconds, leaving no practical impact on users' experience with applications. "Current bot solutions in the market sometimes succeed in stopping isolated and simple bot attacks, but they infrequently get to the root cause and the threat actors associated with these attacks," says Michael Tiffany, Co-founder and President at White Ops. "The result is that criminals simply move on to their next target until they find another enterprise that is vulnerable. White Ops plays the long game by disrupting the economics of cybercrime, bringing about real consequences to fraudsters. These efforts enable us to protect our customers and the industry as a whole and stay ahead of and win against a very smart and well-funded adversary." White Ops Bot Mitigation Platform can detect, prevent, and outwit bot populations of every level of sophistication. One example is 3ve, the largest botnet ever defeated in which White Ops played a lead role in a massive takedown that had infected 1.8 million devices that were sending 12 billion fake requests per day causing tens of millions of dollars in fraud. To learn more about White Ops Application Integrity, visit: https://www.whiteops.com/products/application-integrity White Ops is also offering an Application Integrity Special Access Program to companies who want the industry's best sophisticated bot mitigation capabilities. To inquire and apply, visit: https://whiteops.com/contact. Visit us at RSA (News - Alert) at booth 2251 South Hall in San Francisco February 24th-27th. About White Ops White Ops is the global leader in bot mitigation. We protect more than 200 enterprises - including the largest internet platforms - from sophisticated bots by verifying the humanity of more than one trillion online interactions every week. The most sophisticated bots look and act like humans when they click on ads, visit websites, fill out forms, take over accounts, and commit payment fraud. We stop them. To learn more, visit www.whiteops.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005196/en/

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President Trump agreed Tuesday with Attorney General William Barrs claim that his incessant tweeting, particularly as it relates to ongoing DOJ cases, makes the job of the attorney general more difficult.

I do make his job harder. I do agree with that. I think thats true, Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Everybody has the right to speak their mind. I use social media. I guess I use it well because here I am, Trump said. I probably would not have gotten here without social media, because I certainly dont get fair press.

The attorney general expressed frustration last week after Trump complained on Twitter that the prosecutors seven-to-nine-year sentencing recommendation for his longtime adviser Roger Stone was a horrible and very unfair situation.

Afterwards, the Justice Department submitted a revised filing stating that the prosecutors recommended lengthy sentence could be considered excessive and unwarranted, sparking allegations that Trump was influencing Barr.

I think its time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases, Barr said, but added that he is not being bullied or influenced by anyone regarding any DOJ cases.

Stone was convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the Houses investigation into the Trump campaigns connections to Russia. All four of the prosecutors who recommended Stones seven-to-nine-year sentence either resigned or quit the case after the DOJ weighed in.

Despite Barrs criticism of the presidents public remarks, Trump insisted Tuesday that he still has total confidence in Barr, whom he added has incredible integrity.

Trump added that he never spoke to Barr about the Stone case.

Hes a very straight shooter. We have a great attorney general, and he is working very hard, Trump said. And hes working against a lot of people that dont want to see good things happen, in my opinion. Thats my opinion, not his opinion. You will have to ask what his opinion is.

Story continues

Social media for me has been very important, the president added. Im allowed to have a voice.

More from National Review
A controversial chain of Dublin creches is looking to hire new staff.

Hyde and Seek was ordered to close its four branches last year.

Hyde and Seek, which was at the centre of an RTE Investigates programme, last week placed ads for permanent positions for early years practitioners and Montessori teachers.

Last November, Tusla ordered the chain's four creches on Tolka Road, Shaw Street, Millbourne Avenue and Glasnevin to close by the end of the year, however they remain open.

The company and its owners are to go on trial for regulatory offences under the Child Care Act.

The District Court has granted a stay on the de-registration of the creches meaning they can still operate for the time being.
As the war of words continues between Moscow and Ankara on the situation in north west Syria, regime forces supported by Russia have continued their attacks on Turkish soldiers in the region

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened military strikes against Syrian regime troops in Idlib and Aleppo if they do not withdraw before the end of February to the boundaries outlined in the Sochi Agreement signed between Russia and Turkey.

This would mean their withdrawing from all the areas the regime has taken in recent weeks in north-west Syria, especially the Damascus-Aleppo highway.

In response to Erdogans demands, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad said that Erdogan wants to take control of all of Syria and accused enemies of the Syrian people of attempting to protect terrorists.

As a result of recent attacks by regime forces supported by Russia against opposition factions in north-west Syria, the Turkish army has begun to step up the deployment of troops and armoured vehicles as well as additional observation outposts in the area to obstruct the advance of regime forces.

Syrian forces were not stopped by the Turkish military presence, however, and they bombed Turkish observation outposts and injured or killed Turkish soldiers. Ankara has threatened serious retaliation, with Erdogan retorting that regime forces will pay a steep price.

This war of words coincides with disputes between Moscow and Ankara. Turkish officials have been surprised by Russias persistence in supporting the advance of regime forces in the north-west of Syria, while Iran has also provided support for the attack.

The Russians were also surprised by Ankaras determination to halt the advance of the Syrian troops. But Turkey views Idlib as vital to its national security, wanting to control the risk of a possible influx of refugees across its borders. Both Russia and Turkey have accused each other of not upholding the Sochi Agreement, and more seriously for Turkey, the Russian army did not stop the Syrian army from killing Turkish soldiers.

The developments in north-west Syria are due to a quarrel between Russia and Turkey regarding the Sochi Agreement and the difference between Russias approach to its influence in the region and Turkeys standpoint on national security. The dispute has been demonstrated by Turkeys troop reinforcements as if preparing to invade Syria and its direct involvement in supporting Syrian opposition groups. Meanwhile, the Russian army has been contributing air and land support to regime forces.

Moscow claims Ankara has not implemented two articles in the Sochi Agreement pertaining to separating moderate opposition groups and terrorists and solving the problem of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), formerly known as the Al-Nusra Front. Russia also insists on opening the two international thoroughfares (Aleppo-Damascus and Aleppo-Latakia) and ending attacks on Russias Hmeimim military base in Syria.

Meanwhile, Turkey asserts that Syrian regime forces must return to their previous positions. No progress has been made between the two viewpoints, and the only breakthrough has been that both sides have agreed on holding a new round of talks in Moscow before the end of the month.

But agreeing to meet has not stopped the war of words between the two sides. Erdogan has once again threatened retaliation in response to any attacks on his soldiers and has declared four red lines: the return of government forces to Sochi military lines before the end of the month; resorting to the use of Turkish firepower to force this if the deadline passes; stopping air strikes on residential areas in Idlib; and retaliating with deadly air strikes in response to any attacks on Turkish soldiers.

Syrian commentator Saeed Moqbel told the Weekly that the anticipation was that Russia would be more flexible in the face of Turkeys doggedness, in order to avoid a clash between its two allies, the regime on the one hand and Turkey on the other. However, Moscow was stubborn in talks with Turkey in continuing battles to take control of the two international highways, presenting a new map of the de-escalation zone, and terminating the issue of HTS by Turkey.

These demands were initially rejected by Ankara, but it seems that Turkey may be responsive to Russia on HTS since Erdogan and Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar have said they will deal with any Syrian opposition groups, especially radical ones, that obstruct a permanent ceasefire deal.

Observers expect HTS to dissolve within days to avoid any further embarrassment of Turkey and eliminate the pretext used by the regime and Russia to justify their repeated attacks on Idlib. It is unknown, however, if these predictions will be realised in fact.

Despite the military and diplomatic escalation by Turkey against the regime and its forces in Idlib, the facts on the ground are in favour of the regime forces due to their advances on the ground under Russian cover. These troops will soon be able to besiege all the opposition groups that remain in the area.

Meanwhile, the US has demanded an end to the barbaric attacks on cities in north-west Syria and to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered. Washington has blamed the regime, Iran, Hizbullah, and Russia for escalating attacks against residents of the area, and it has promised to prevent the Al-Assad regime from rejoining the international community until it abides by all the stipulations of UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

These include a ceasefire across the country, including in Idlib. The position of the US is what Turkey needs in its efforts to neutralise Russias position.

Turkey is focused on the regime crossing the red line of killing Turkish soldiers, sending a message to Moscow that this will not be tolerated and that the arrival of waves of refugees on its borders is a danger it cannot contain.

If Russia cannot put pressure on the Al-Assad regime, this means it does not have the right to object to retaliation against the regime, Turkey is claiming. Ankara needs more tangible support from Washington, but it is not clear if the US would be willing to provide more than words in support of Turkey in its ongoing escalation with the Al-Assad regime and Russia.

The future of north-west Syria is contingent on measures taken by Erdogan, the willingness of Russian President Vladimir Putin to take a risk with a NATO member, and how much support the US is willing to provide Turkey beyond just words.

The upcoming talks between Turkey and Russia will shed light on whether the honeymoon between Ankara and Moscow is now over, or if the two will craft a new version of the Sochi Agreement that better protects Turkish interests.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 20 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Fort Bend County has made steps to enhance services for residents needing to get into Harris County and back home for commuters in the county.

According to a news release, Fort Bend County Judge KP George announce two enhancements for commuters in the county: as of Feb. 3 there is a new schedule, and additional pick-up and drop-off times now at the Fairground Park and Ride off Highway 36 in south Rosenberg north of Pleak.

We continue to work hard for our residents by enhancing transit services and identifying mobility needs of the future, George said in the release. Better mobility means a better quality of life for Fort Bend County residents, and these additional pick-up and drop-off times will allow riders to get to their destinations faster thus allowing them to go on with their day.

County officials report the additions will be particularly beneficial for commuters in Richmond, Rosenberg, Pleak, Needville and other surrounding communities.

Transit riders now have the choice to use the Fairgrounds Park and Ride to commute directly into Harris County, the county reported. The Fairgrounds Park and Ride will provide 18 total weekday trips to the Greenway Plaza, Galleria, and Texas Medical Center, along with 19 trips each evening.

Fort Bend County Public Transportation was formed in 2005 to provide Fort Bend County residents with safe and efficient public transportation services while maintaining service quality and customer satisfaction.

Fort Bend Transit reports that it provides more than 380,000 passenger trips annually to residents in an 875-square-mile area.

Current, Fort Bend Transit is conducting a feasibility study for the Fulshear area seeking input to improve the daily travel experience over the next 20 years.

As population increases are expected in the western parts of Fort Bend County, the commuter experience is hoped to be improved.

Fulshear area residents that commute daily to jobs in Katy, Energy Corridor, Westchase, Texas Medical Center, and downtown Houston, Fort Bend Transit As population growth continues at a significant pace, the current figure of 4,000 daily commuters will also increase.

Comments can be submitted to transit@fortbendcountytx.gov, or Fort Bend Transit, Tennille Jones, Community Relations Manager, 301 Jackson St., Richmond, TX 77469.

For more information, visit FBCTransit.org or by call 281-633-RIDE (7433).

rkent@hcnonline.com
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazars, the international audit and advisory firm, and OMFIF, the independent think tank for central banking, economic policy and public investment, today reveal how central banks and regulators are responding to the climate crisis.

70% of central banks and regulators see climate change as 'major threat' to financial stability

Inclusion of climate considerations in stress tests set to soar

Central banks split on where responsibility for action lies

"Four years after the Paris agreement the climate change debate continues to proliferate. Climate change will impact all financial institutions and the topic is high on the agenda of supervisors and regulators around the globe," says Rudi Lang, partner, Leader Financial Institutions Group at Mazars, and sponsor of the Mazars-OMFIF report, "Tackling climate change: The role of banking regulation and supervision."

A Threat to Stability

The report, based on research and surveys with 33 central banks and regulatory authorities, finds that 70% of respondents consider climate change a 'major threat' to financial stability.

Recognition  But What Reaction?

Just over half of central banks (55%) say they are monitoring climate risks. But there is disagreement over responsibilities, with 12% overall saying that, while they see climate change as a major risk, action should come from other policy institutions, such as government departments.

Regulatory Approaches to Climate Risks

Central banks and regulatory authorities are increasingly integrating climate risks into their activities. Moving ahead, top measures expected are:

1. Assessing climate risk as a financial risk in stress tests

2. Encouraging or mandating climate-related financial disclosures

3. Setting sustainability criteria standards for green finance/lending by regulated banks

While 'market-fixing' initiatives  which involve correcting market failures in financial markets  are gaining traction, central banks report being wary of using more interventionist 'market-shaping' prudential and monetary tools for climate purposes.

Obstacles

Almost all respondents highlighted the lack of appropriate analytical tools, methodologies and data as major problems. Data availability and quality are the key concern for 84% of respondents.

Fragmentation of climate-risk frameworks is also deemed a key challenge, with 31% of respondents concerned about the comparability and consistency of supervisory frameworks.

More Climate Stress-testing Expected

The inclusion of climate-related considerations in stress tests is still at an early stage with only a minority (15%) of respondents currently including them in their routine stress tests of financial institutions. But this is set to soar, as nearly four-fifths (79%) say they intend to do so in the future.

Facing the Future

'The success of any policy response will rely on the engagement of market participants who will be expected to assess, disclose and mitigate their climate change risk and continue to change some of their practices,' highlights Leila Kamdem-Fotso, partner, financial services, Mazars, and contributor to the report. 'Encouragingly, collaboration has already started between regulators and the private sector through various initiatives.'

About Mazars USA

Mazars USA LLP is a high-performing accounting, tax and consulting firm with significant national presence in strategic U.S. geographies. Since 1921, our dedicated professionals have leveraged technical industry expertise to develop customized solutions for clients, create value, and Optimize their performance. We offer a broad array of industry specialists providing services to growth-oriented enterprises and individuals. As the independent US member firm of Mazars Group, we deliver seamless access to the expertise of 24,000 professionals in 90+ countries. At local and global levels, we are proud of our value-added services, building lasting relationships with our clients and communities. For more information, visit us at www.mazarsusa.com.

About the research

The Mazars-OMFIF "Tackling climate change: The role of banking regulation and supervision" report is based on research and survey responses from 33 central banks from across six regions, representing 77% of global GDP. Most respondents are members of the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS). The survey was conducted by OMFIF between August and December 2019.

About the report

The full report can be downloaded on https://www.omfif.org/tacklingclimatechange/ . Visit www.mazars.com/TacklingClimateChange to hear more from report contributors Rudi Lang, Mazars, Danae Kyriakopoulou, OMFIF, and Leila Kamdem-Fotso, Mazars.

About OMFIF

OMFIF is an independent think tank for central banking, economic policy and public investment, providing a neutral platform for public and private sector engagement worldwide. With teams in London, Singapore and the US, OMFIF focuses on global policy and investment themes relating to central banks, sovereign funds, pension funds, regulators and treasuries. Global Public Investors with investable assets of $37.8tn are at the heart of this network.

www.omfif.org

For more information on Mazars USA, contact:

Mazars USA LLP | Beth More, 732-205-2012 | [email protected]

Makovsky | Ben Jaffe, 212-508-9646 | [email protected]

SOURCE Mazars USA LLP

Related Links

http://www.mazarsusa.com


Two other students from Kerala, who had tested positive for the coronavirus in China's Wuhan, were discharged last week after two consecutive test results came back negative.

The final test results of the first Indian student diagnosed with coronavirus have returned negative, said the Thrissur Medical College, where she was admitted. This marks the recovery of all three coronavirus patients from India.

The last test result of the student who had been kept in the isolation ward at the college has come back negative, ANI quoted the Thrissur Medical College as saying. The decision regarding the patient's discharge, who was diagnosed with the virus on 30 January, will be taken after the medical board's meeting on Thursday, said the college.

On 11 February, the patient's blood test results had come back negative from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) testing centre at Alappuzha. However, authorities at the college had said that they were awaiting a confirmation from NIV, Pune before taking a decision regarding the patient's discharge.

Two other students from Kerala, who had tested positive for the deadly virus in China's Wuhan, were discharged last week after two consecutive test results came back negative. While the patient from Kasaragod was discharged on 11 February, a student from Alappuzha was discharged on 6 February. Following their discharge, the students had been placed under home quarantine for 10 days.

Both the discharged students, studying in a university in Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly virus that has claimed over 2000 lives in China, had earlier tested positive for the infection and were treated in isolation wards set up in medical college hospitals in Alappuzha and Kasaragod.

According to a report in Manorama, 2,246 people are under observation in the state, of which 2,233 have been home-quarantined while 13 have been admitted in various hospitals.

Earlier, after the three students tested positive, the Kerala government had declared the coronavirus as a state calamity, but withdrew it after effective quarantine measures were taken and no fresh cases were reported.

With inputs from agencies
(Refiling to fix garble in story tag, no change to headline or text)

By Katanga Johnson

WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. securities regulator on Wednesday said it was pushing the Big Four accountancy firms to ramp up internal controls on audits of U.S.-listed Chinese companies, especially in light of growing business risks posed by the coronavirus.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has been locked in a decade-long struggle with the Chinese government to inspect audits of U.S.-listed Chinese companies. The regulator's accounting oversight arm, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, is still unable to access those critical records, it said.

That has become a greater worry as the coronavirus outbreak poses a threat to New York-listed Chinese companies as well as to Chinese suppliers of other U.S.-listed firms.

The SEC said on Wednesday it had been pressing the largest accounting firms, which audit roughly 140 U.S.-listed Chinese companies, to ensure they are scrutinizing how firms are managing and disclosing the risks.

The regulator said it had also asked the firms to keep an eye on the impact of the virus on audit quality, since the coronavirus had caused personnel disruptions in mainland China and Hong Kong.

"How issuers plan and respond to the events as they unfold can be material to an investment decision, and we urge issuers to work with their audit committees and auditors to ensure that their financial reporting, auditing and review processes are as robust as practicable," the SEC chair Jay Clayton said in a joint statement with the chairman of the accounting board.

The PCAOB, which was set up by the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act as a private-sector nonprofit corporation overseen by the SEC, is tasked with policing the accounting firms that sign off on the books of the nation's listed companies.

The audit-quality issue has been festering since 2011, when scores of Chinese firms trading on U.S. exchanges were accused of accounting irregularities.

Story continues

On Wednesday, Clayton said the SEC would extend some flexibility to companies whose disclosure filings cannot be completed as scheduled, with appropriate auditor review, due to business disruption by the coronavirus.

"The staff will determine whether to provide additional guidance and relief as appropriate for affected parties," Clayton said. "Relief may be made available on a case-by-case or broader basis as circumstances merit."

Reuters reported earlier this month that auditors for listed Chinese companies will likely struggle to complete their work by stock exchange deadlines because of travel bans and other restrictions designed to limit the spread of the new coronavirus. (Reporting by Katanga Johnson Editing by Michelle Price and Tom Brown)
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.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 20:58:18|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai in Vientiane, Laos, Feb. 19, 2020. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

VIENTIANE, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- China and Thailand pledged here on Wednesday to cooperate in their joint fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai ahead of a special China-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting on COVID-19 on Thursday.

Wang said since the outbreak of the epidemic, the Thai royal family, the Thai government and the Thai society have extended a helping hand to China, reflecting the friendship between the Thai and Chinese peoples.

"In particular, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha posted a video clip showing his support to people in central China's Wuhan," he noted, adding that China appreciated the reasonable and appropriate measures taken by Thailand in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak suggested by the World Health Organization.

At the crucial juncture of China's fight against the epidemic, both countries supported the special China-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting on COVID-19, demonstrating their solidarity and determination to battle the epidemic and tide over the difficult times, Wang said.

He believed that the foreign ministers' meeting will be a success for contributions to the regional public health.

For his part, Don said he first wanted to say "Stay strong Wuhan!" Thailand and China have been understanding and supporting each other in jointly fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic, he noted.

The special foreign ministers' meeting on COVID-19 is the first multilateral event on public health since the outbreak of the epidemic, said the Thai minister.

He said China has achieved progress in combating the outbreak and the patients in Thailand are also recovering.

Noting that the epidemic is a common challenge for the region, Don believed that Thursday's meeting will help cement solidarity and cooperation between ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and China, and contribute to the cause of regional and global public health.
Dana Mitchell Strunk, 86, passed away peacefully at home on February 15, 2020, in Red Bank.

She was born in Fayetteville, Tn. on Sept. 9, 1933. Chattanooga was her adopted hometown, and she loved singing its praises to all who would listen. She retired from First Tennessee as the presidents secretary in 1999. She was an active member of Scenic City Friends and served as secretary for the last 20 years. She loved to travel and spent her retirement years going to all the places she ever wanted to go to, especially places involving a casino! She loved her church where she was Sunday School Superintendent for 10 years, as well as serving on various committees.



She was preceded in death by her parents, R.O. and Lucy Warren Mitchell and sister, Bettye Simmons.

Survivors include her daughters, Leslie Lockard (Overland Park, KS) and Sandra Cunningham (Chattanooga); grandson, Chris Lockard (Kansas City, MO); granddaughter, Betsy Peters (Chattanooga); great-grandchildren, Kaci and Brooks; as well as her wonderful sons-in-law, Jim Cunningham and Don Lockard (Overland Park, KS); and various cousins.



The family will receive friends from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20, with funeral services beginning at 5 p.m. at White Oak Methodist Church, 2232 Lyndon Avenue, Chattanooga 37415.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to White Oak Methodist Church in her name.



Arrangements have been entrusted to Lane Funeral Home, 601 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, Tn. 37415, www.lanefh.com, 423 877-3524.


Gandhinagar, Feb 19 : There's a good news for wildlife enthusiasts, especially marine, that dugongs, feared to have gone extinct along the Gujarat coast, might be there in decent numbers. It was earlier estimated to be around a dozen or so.

According to a fresh assessment, based on live sightings and other indicators, the number of dugong or sea cows along the Indian coasts could be 250-350, said a senior government official on the sidelines of the 13th Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CME COP13) at the Mahatma Mandir, here on Wednesday.

Even along the Gujarat coast there numbers could be double the earlier estimate of 10-12. In a 2012 survey, less than 250 dugongs were estimated to exist along the Indian coasts.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) red list of threatened species has placed dugong as 'vulnerable to extinction'.

With the support of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands governments and the Indian Coast Guard, the National Dugong Recovery Programme was launched by the Union Environment Ministry a few years back, said K Shivakumar, Head of Department of Endangered Species Management, Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

"The programme brought to light some indicators of their number being more than what was estimated earlier," he said.

"We thought the population of this endangered marine mammal had declined in Gujarat. But then we had a live sighting and a lot of foraging sites were discovered along the Gujarat coast, raising the hopes. We think there may be 20-30 dugongs along the Gujarat coast, mainly around the Bet Dwarka island," Sivakumar said.

"In India, dugong is considered a holy as Lord Krishna's cow. It also works like a marine sanitation worker and feeds on sea grass. It's habitat becomes a breeding ground for prawns, fish," Sivakumar said.

The WII is training the forest officials to come out by 2021 with a new estimate of dugong, which is listed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and declares its habitats as protected areas.

These areas are the Gulf of Mannar National Park, the Gulf of Kutch National Park and the Mahatma Gandhi National Park in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The White House on Wednesday angrily denied a courtroom claim by the lawyer for Julian Assange that the WikiLeaks founder was offered a Donald Trump presidential pardon if he would provide evidence that Russia wasn't behind the 2016 hacking of Democratic emails.

Assange, 48, is on trial in London, and is wanted in the U.S. for allegedly conspiring with Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to expose military secrets between January and May 2010.

He has been indicted on 18 charges  17 of which fall under the Espionage Act  including conspiracy to receive, obtain and disclose classified diplomatic and military documents.

But Assange's lawyer Edward Fitzgerald, QC, said former Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher told the WikiLeaks founder he would be pardoned if he denied Russian tampering. He said Rohrabacher made the offer on 'instructions of the president'  a claim the White House has previously denied.

White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham condemned the claim.

Julian Assange's (he is pictured in a prison van in January left) lawyer today claimed Donald Trump (right) will offer him a pardon if he says the Russians had nothing to do with his election victory

'The President barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than hes an ex-congressman,' she told the Daily Beast. 'Hes never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject. It is is a complete fabrication and a total lie. This is probably another never ending hoax and total lie from the DNC,' she said.

Rohrabacher described what he termed as a potential 'deal' in an interview with the Wall Street Journal after visiting Assange when he was holed up in the Ecuadoran embassy.

It would involve a presidential pardon or similar action if Assange furnished information that Russia wasn't the source of hacked Democratic emails. 'He would get nothing, obviously, if what he gave us was not proof,' Rohrabacher said at the time.

A Trump administration official confirmed to the paper at the time that Rohrabacher had spoken to then-White House chief of staff John Kelly about the matter, but said Trump didn't know the details of the proposed deal.

Longtime Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) wears a 'Make Surfing Great Again' hat after dropping off his ballot at his polling place on November 6, 2018 in Costa Mesa, California

Congressman Dana Rohrabacher attends the "Death Of A Nation" Premiere at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live on July 31, 2018 in Los Angeles, California

President Donald Trump and Congressman Kevin McCarthy walk to greet supporters after arriving on Air Force One at LAX Airport on February 18, 2020 in Los Angeles, California

Rohrabacher issued a statement where he denied ever talking to Trump about Assange  but where he did not deny talking to Kelly or other officials who might have spoken on Trump's behalf.

'At no time did I talk to President Trump about Julian Assange. Likewise, I was not directed by Trump or anyone else connected with him to meet with Julian Assange. I was on my own fact finding mission at personal expense to find out information I thought was important to our country,' Rohrabacher said.

'At no time did I offer Julian Assange anything from the President because I had not spoken with the President about this issue at all. However, when speaking with Julian Assange, I told him that if he could provide me information and evidence about who actually gave him the DNC emails, I would then call on President Trump to pardon him,' Rohrabacher said.

'At no time did I offer a deal made by the President, nor did I say I was representing the President. Upon my return, I spoke briefly with Gen. Kelly. I told him that Julian Assange would provide information about the purloined DNC emails in exchange for a pardon. No one followed up with me including Gen. Kelly and that was the last discussion I had on this subject with anyone representing Trump or in his Administration,' he said.

The 48-year-old appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court via video-link from Belmarsh Prison wearing a brown jumper and white shirt with black jeans and trainers. He seemed calm as he rifled through court documents.

The Australian national is being held at the maximum-security prison, also home to terrorists and serial killers, before his four-week extradition hearing begins on February 24.

But the court was told today the case will be split into two parts, the first for one week beginning February 24 and the second for three weeks beginning May 18.

A search Wednesday turned up a single image of Trump and Rohrabacher together, with the former California congressman giving a thumbs up while Trump points to him from a distance in the East Room of the White House.

McCarthy was famously caught on tape joking that then-candidate Trump and Rohrabacher, who was considered the most pro-Moscow lawmaker during his tenure,

The White House responded while Trump was on a West Coast campaign swing. On Tuesday, he appeared with House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California.

'Theres two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,' McCarthy said during a closed GOP leadership meeting, prompting laughs. 'Swear to God.' McCarthy in 2017 after the Washington Post reported on the exchange called it a 'attempt at humor gone wrong.'

Edward Fitzgerald, QC, representing Assange, said a witness statement would refer to 'Mr Rohrabacher going to see Mr Assange and saying on instructions of the President offering pardon or some other way out if Mr Assange said the Russians had nothing to do with the DNC leaks.'

He also revealed he would rely on Manning's case to argue for Assange to stay in the UK.

Manning is a former US soldier who was court martialed after disclosing to WikiLeaks nearly 750,000 military and diplomatic documents.

She was imprisoned from 2010 until 2017 when her sentence was commuted, but Manning is currently in jail for her continued refusal to testify before a grand jury against Assange.

'Chelsea Manning's plea and mitigation to the military commission has key passages which we will be relying on so we would seek to extract that and key press reports so the court has key materials.'

Mr Fitzgerald said: 'What we say is it is an abuse to seek extradition for a political offence so that is really part of the abuse argument.'

The 48-year-old appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court (protestors pictured outside) today via video-link from Belmarsh Prison

The public gallery was packed to capacity with supporters as the court heard Assange's four-week extradition hearing will start next week.

Assange went into hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden for sexual offence allegations which he has always denied.

He was jailed for 50 weeks last April after breaching his bail conditions when the asylum period he was given expired.

In November Swedish authorities dropped the rape allegations made against him in 2010.

Assange has been in custody since he was dramatically removed from Ecuador's embassy building in central London last April.

He will next appear at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court on February 24.
Trump was being pushed by some in the intelligence community to nominate the current acting intelligence director, Joseph Maguire, to take the job permanently, but the president has been fixated on appointing people he believes are loyal to him, according to White House officials who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Tuesday said it will begin treating five major Chinese state-run media entities with U.S. operations the same as foreign embassies, requiring them to register their employees and U.S. properties with the State Department.

Two senior state department officials said the decision was made because China has been tightening state control over its media, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has made more aggressive use of them to spread pro-Beijing propaganda.

The control over both the content and editorial control have only strengthened over the course of Xi Jinpings term in power, said one official. These guys are in fact arms of the CCPs (Chinese Community Partys) propaganda apparatus.

Beijing was not informed in advance of the decision and would be notified on Tuesday afternoon, one official said.

Beijings control of Chinas state-owned media has become more and more draconian, the second official said.

Both officials spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.

Tensions between the two superpowers have escalated since President Donald Trump came to office three years ago, with disputes ranging from trade tariffs to accusations of Chinese spying in the United States and to U.S. support for Taiwan.

Tuesdays decision, the officials said, is not linked to any recent developments in Sino-U.S. relations and has been under consideration for some time.

The new determination is being applied to the Xinhua News Agency, China Global Television Network, China Radio International, China Daily Distribution Corp. and Hai Tian Development USA, Inc., the officials said.

China Daily is an English-language newspaper published by the Chinese Communist Party. Hai Tian Development USA distributes the Peoples Daily, the official newspaper of the partys Central Committee.

The five entities U.S. operations will have to disclose their personnel rosters and hiring and firing decisions and register properties in the United States that they rent or own with the State Department, the officials said.

They also will have to seek advanced approval before they lease or purchase new U.S. properties, they said.

Asked if there are concerns that Beijing will retaliate against Western media based in China, one official noted that foreign news outlets there already work under strict rules and that the new disclosure rules impose no restrictions on the five state-owned Chinese entities U.S. operations.

These guys operate in a far more liberal environment here in the United States than any foreign press enjoy in the Peoples Republic of China, the official said.
International marriages allow families in Dai Hop Commune, northern Hai Phong City to thrive on remittance, but at a cost.

In the coastal commune, daughters are prefered over sons. Many families here believe they can ensure a comfortable life because of remittances received if their daughters marry foreigners.

Adjoining two- and three-storied villas line the road leading to Dai Hop Commune in Hai Phong's Kien Thuy District.

Chatting with her neighbors on a street corner in Quan Moi 4 Village of Dai Hop, a woman said she received Taiwanese dollar remittances worth over VND20 million ($860) from her daughter to spend during Tet (Lunar New Year). Adding to the boast, her neighbor spoke of receiving $1,000 while another said his daughter had sent him money from South Korea to buy a city house.

Nearby stands the two-storied, over 60-meter-square home of Pham Luong Thuc, 73. Inside, the husband and wife were glued to Facebook.

Pham Luong Thuc and his wife distract themselves with a smartphone bought by their daughter in 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Nga.

Thuc has four daughters and one son. The third and fourth daughters married foreign husbands and are both enjoying "a good life, a loving husband, and stable job."

"Both are tour guides. One even competed in a beauty pageant for Vietnamese in Taiwan," he said proudly.

This year, each sent home $1,000, which Thuc and his wife placed into a savings account.

In the past, Thuc's family was considered poor and struggled to make ends meet. But just one year after their 19-year-old and 20-year-old daughters married Taiwanese, each sent home over VND10 million (over $430) per month, five times the average fishing commune income.

In 2010, his family was able to build a VND1.2 billion (nearly $52,000) house next to their old shack.

"If my two eldest daughters had not passed their prime at the time, my family would probably have had Taiwanese sons-in-law all round."

Both older girls married Vietnamese husband, while Thuc's granddaughter married a South Korean, providing another source of support.

In Quan Moi 4 Village, there are about 120-150 households with daughters married to foreigners.

According to Thuc, only three poor households are left.

"One includes an HIV-infected couple, another a disabled child and the third a single mother with two daughters, who unfortunately also passed their prime. If they could have gone abroad, they could have changed her life."

Nguyen Van Tan, head of Quan Moi 4 Village, married off his daughter to a Taiwanese, 15 years older, via a marriage broker. But they divorced a few years later.

"About 70 percent of Vietnamese brides will divorce their first Taiwanese husband and later marry another. At the time of divorce, my child was in great crisis, but she never intended to return to home. She married another man only four years older," Tan said.

Remittances from Taiwan helped Tan repair his tile house built nearly 30 years ago and snap up a three-storied home over 100-meters-square costing nearly VND3 billion ($130,000).

"I knew my daughter might suffer by marrying a foreigner. Taiwanese are not as affectionate as local men. But if I had another daughter or niece, I would still support them moving abroad," the village head admitted.

About 100 meters from Tan's house stands the one-story house of Nguyen Tien Hung, 53.

Hung and his wife hoped their second daughter would change their lives via international marriage, though their dream was thwarted. The couple sometimes feels sad as they watch the neighborhood sprout with new villas.

Houses along a road in Quan Moi 4 Village, Dai Hop Commune, Hai Phong City. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Nga.

Nguyen Van Thien, chairman of Dai Hop Commune, said over 70 percent of allegeable women have married Taiwanese or South Korea husbands, subsequent remittances boosting the Dai Hop economy. Daughters can even sponsor their parents to move abroad themselves and find better jobs.

Serving Dai Hop Commune as judicial officer for 10 years, Hoang Van Dong said he has signed thousands of applications to certify single status women across the commune so that they could get married.

"In 2017 it was 50 girls and in 2018 it was 27. Without the knowledge of their parents, many are very miserable and flee back to Vietnam, though not to their own village in order to protect their familys dignity."

After dealing with many painful cases, he often visits households to propagate not letting children get married abroad.

"If we do not let our daughters marry foreigners, would the government create jobs that allows me to build big and spacious homes like these?" Dong asked.

On a bus trip to Dai Hop, three people sitting next to each other discussed how much their daughters sent home in Tet remittances.

Next to them, Nguyen Van Thanh, 55, sat quietly while holding VND2 million ($86) in his hands.

He also had a daughter that married a Taiwanese husband. But instead of sending remittances home, she handed him two grandchildren instead. One is currently in first grade while the other is learning to walk.

After divorcing her husband, she brought her children back to their grandparents in Vietnam, returning to Taiwan to work.

In addition to income earned from selling construction lime, the single grandfather draws an average allowance of over VND2 million per month from his daughter to help raise her children.

"There are many cases like my daughters in this village," he said after a sigh.
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Bloomberg Has Never Debated Quite Like This Before

He last debated in 2009, and not with 5 rivals alongside him
Gardai have released a man and a woman they were questioning in relation to the fatal shooting of Wayne Whelan in Dublin.

The 42-year-old was found in a burning car in Lucan last November.
ALTON  As National FFA Week approaches, Alton High School FFA Advisor Amelia Raymond is eager for students to participate as she did herself while attending Highland High School.

Raymond said that whenever her high school FFA advisor told her she would someday teach agriculture, she always replied that she would not.

One day I just kinda woke up and said, You know what  I really do need to teach agriculture, Raymond said. From very early on I have been involved in FFA and in ag, but I never thought I would be teaching.

Raymond said the Alton FFA chapter does a little bit of everything while teaching skills such as agricultural business, animal science and horticulture.

Our motto is very true: Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, and living to serve, she said. The organization teaches the kids how to apply those topics learned in class to real-world life.

Raymond said Career and Leadership Development Events  known as CDE and LDE  are where students get the opportunity apply those skills. The national FFA website goes into even further detail. CDEs and LDEs challenge FFA members to develop critical thinking skills and effective decision-making skills, foster teamwork and promote communication while recognizing the value of ethical competition and individual achievement, according to the FFA website.

The Alton FFA is currently building a greenhouse which Raymond expects to be completed by the start of the next school semester. The group will also set up plants at the school on Wednesday, April 22, to celebrate Earth Day.

Currently, there are 25 members in the Alton FFA chapter, including Emily Carter who just applied for the Illinois State Degree awarded to members who have demonstrated the highest level of commitment to the FFA.

More Information FFA Week set Feb. 22-29 The national organization was formed in 1929. In Illinois, the FFA reached its peak in 1949 with 464 chapters. Currently there are 19,099 members in Illinois FFA. There are five FFA districts in Illinois and 25 FFA sections. Greene County is in Section 13 while Madison, Macoupin, Jersey and Calhoun counties are in Section 15. Daily ideas for National FFA Week are online at https://www.ffa.org/national-ffa-week/. See More Collapse

Carters main focus is zoology, but she is open to opportunities in the agricultural field.

If I do plan on doing something agricultural related, it would probably be ag ed, she said.

Carter began her FFA journey as a freshman in Marissa before moving to Alton her sophomore year. She described the Alton FFA as a big family.

All we have is love and respect for each other, she said.

FFA member Cadence Nickel describes herself as a plant person fascinated about how beneficial they can be to the ecosystem. FFA has many beneficial programs, she said, such as the 212 Degrees Conference which focuses on the development of an individual student.

There was a lot of hands on activity, a lot of physical activity, and a lot of different FFA members to meet and communicate with, she said.

Some of the Alton students plan to use the skills they learn in FFA in fields unrelated to agriculture. Wyatt Smith, for example, wants to study criminal justice in college and eventually become a police officer. He believes what he has learned in FFA can transfer to the world of criminal justice.

You learn how to show compassion for each other,  Smith said. Itd make you a better cop if youd show compassion.
Combination will create market-leading financial services company with over $4 billion in receivables

TORONTO and MONTREAL, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Duo Bank of Canada ("Duo Bank"), a Toronto-based financial services provider supported by Stephen Smith, Centerbridge Partners L.P. and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan ("Ontario Teachers'"), has reached a definitive agreement to purchase all outstanding shares of Fairstone Financial Holdings Inc. ("Fairstone" or "the Company"), which includes all operating subsidiaries, from an investor group led by J.C. Flowers & Co. LLC and Varde Partners, Inc. Headquartered in Montreal, Fairstone is Canada's leading non-bank provider of responsible credit solutions for near-prime borrowers with over $3 billion in assets on a consolidated basis.

"Duo Bank's mission is to provide value-driven financial products that are clear and simple, enabling Canadians to focus on what matters to them. Fairstone's close to 100-year history of providing near-prime borrowers with access to responsible credit is perfectly aligned with this mission," said Stephen Smith, Chairman of Duo Bank.

"We're very pleased to be joining forces with a Canadian financial services institution that shares our customer-focused commitment and community-driven approach to helping everyday Canadians access financial solutions that fit their needs," said Scott Wood, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fairstone. "We look forward to enhancing the complementary growth potential of both businesses."

"Duo Bank specializes in turnkey and customizable financial services solutions designed to deepen customer loyalty and grow sales," said Trudy Fahie, Chief Executive Officer of Duo Bank. The bank's growing complement of products and services includes credit cards, rewards programs, retail sales financing, deposits and related protection services.

Fairstone has two key business lines: lending directly to consumers through its branch network and online platform, and financing consumer retail and vehicle purchases through retailers and automobile dealerships. J.C. Flowers and Varde Partners acquired CitiFinancial Canada from Citi in 2017 and rebranded the company as Fairstone.

"Throughout Fairstone's growth and expansion, it has maintained a laser focus on the customer experience as well as a strong compliance and controls environment from its former legacy under bank ownership. We are excited to partner with the Fairstone team through Duo Bank to support their combined next phase of growth," said Miriam Tawil, Managing Director at Centerbridge.

"This transaction creates a strong and diversified Canada-based financial services entity that has robust finances, operational excellence and a history of delivering topline and earnings growth. We look forward to working with our partners, Stephen Smith and Centerbridge, to support the combined company's future success," said Jane Rowe, Executive Managing Director, Equities at Ontario Teachers'.

The agreement includes all of Fairstone's operations as well as all the Company's 1,400+ employees. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020 and is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

RBC Capital Markets and CIBC Capital Markets acted as financial advisors and Torys LLP and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer US LLP were legal counsel to Duo Bank of Canada in connection with the transaction. Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP acted as legal counsel to Centerbridge Partners L.P. Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP acted as legal counsel to Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.

About Fairstone Financial Holdings Inc.

Fairstone is Canada's leading non-bank provider of responsible lending solutions for near-prime borrowers with over $3 billion in assets on a consolidated basis. Fairstone, including through its predecessors, has close to a 100-year history of providing Canadians with access to responsible credit. The Company has two key business lines: lending directly to consumers through its branch network and online; and financing consumer retail and car purchases through retailers and dealerships. Headquartered in Montreal, Fairstone is privately held by an investor group led by funds managed by affiliates of J.C. Flowers & Co. LLC and Varde Partners. More at Fairstone.ca.

About Duo Bank of Canada

Duo Bank is a Schedule I Canadian Bank founded on a mission to provide value-driven financial products that are clear and simple, to help Canadians focus on what matters to them. Duo Bank specializes in turnkey and customizable financial services solutions designed to deepen customer loyalty and grow sales. The growing complement of products and services includes credit cards, rewards programs and related protection services and deposits. With a value-driven approach to financial services, robust sales channels and innovative and efficient operational solutions, Duo Bank partners with industry leading service providers to deliver financial solutions for its customers. Headquartered in Toronto, Duo Bank is privately held by an investor group led by funds managed by affiliates of Stephen Smith and Centerbridge Partners, L.P. More at www.duobank.com.



About Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith, one of Canada's leading financial services entrepreneurs, is the Chairman, CEO and Co-founder of First National Financial Corporation, Canada's largest non-bank mortgage lender with $110 billion of mortgages under administration. He is the Chairman of Canada Guaranty Mortgage Insurance Company, which he owns in partnership with Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and is the largest shareholder in Equitable Bank, Canada's leading alternative lender and the country's ninth largest bank. In 2015, Queen's University announced the naming of the Stephen J.R. Smith School of Business at Queen's University in honour of Mr. Smith and his historic $50 million donation to the school.

About Centerbridge Partners, L.P.

Centerbridge Partners, L.P. is a private investment management firm employing a flexible approach across investment disciplines  from private equity to credit and related strategies, and real estate  in an effort to find the most attractive opportunities for our investors and business partners. The firm was founded in 2005 and as of December 2019 has approximately $27 billion in capital under management with offices in New York and London. Centerbridge is dedicated to partnering with world-class management teams across targeted industry sectors and geographies to help companies achieve their operating and financial objectives. For more information, please visit www.centerbridge.com.

About Ontario Teachers'

The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (Ontario Teachers') is Canada's largest single-profession pension plan, with $201.4 billion in net assets at June 30, 2019. It holds a diverse global portfolio of assets, approximately 80% of which is managed in-house, and has earned an annual total-fund net return of 9.7% since the plan's founding in 1990 (all figures as at Dec. 31, 2018 unless noted). Ontario Teachers' is an independent organization headquartered in Toronto. Its Asia-Pacific region office is located in Hong Kong and its Europe, Middle East & Africa region office is in London. The defined-benefit plan, which was fully funded as at December 31, 2018, invests and administers the pensions of the province of Ontario's 327,000 active and retired teachers. For more information, visit www.otpp.com and follow us on Twitter @OtppInfo.

SOURCE Fairstone Financial Holdings Inc.

Related Links

https://www.fairstone.ca/


S hips and cars could be powered by ammonia in fertiliser rather than diesel within the next few decades, scientists have said.

In a bid to tackle climate change and C02 emissions, the key ingredient in manure can be harnessed to burn in a ships engine or get mixed with a fuel cell to produce energy in a car.

Although creating ammonia itself produces CO2, a report by the Royal Society new technology can create zero-carbon ammonia.

One way to do this is by trapping the emission when they are produced and burying them in underground rocks.

An ammonia tank in Israel (Getty) / AFP via Getty Images

Alternatively, ammonia can be created CO2 free by using renewable energy.

One of the biggest questions however is whether there is enough clean energy to make large amounts of ammonia.

The report said the ingredient can be used as a transport fuel, by direct combustion in an engine or through chemical reaction with oxygen in the air in a fuel cell to produce electricity to power a motor.

It added: Over the coming decades, ammonia has the potential to make a significant impact through enabling the transition away from our global dependence on fossil fuels and contributing, in substantial part, to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Ammonia tanks at an industrial plant at the Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia / AFP via Getty Images

Already designer Man Energy Solutions said it is making an ammonia powered ship engine which it hopes will be ready by 2024.

Spokesman, Peter Kirkeby said he expected the fule to match the price of other alternatives such as liquefied natural gas or methanol.

We see a very big interest from the market in ammonia as a fuel  even though there are challenges, he told the BBC.

We expect the first ships fuelled with ammonia will be existing tankers that are already transporting ammonia for fertiliser. They know how to handle it.

Greener fuels are less efficient meaning that ships powered by ammonia will need more or it to complete the same journey.
The district administration is pulling out all the stops to give a facelift to Agra ahead of US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trumps visit here, but local officials are worried about the presidents car, nick-named The Beast, which has already arrived in Agras Kheria airport, and is waiting to ferry the couple to the Taj Mahal and back.

Their worry arises from two factors: one, will the car be allowed to drive up to the Taj Mahal, as the Presidents security detail, the US Secret Service wants it to? After all, a Supreme Court order of 1998 bars the use of anything but electric vehicles in close proximity to the 16th century monument.

Two, will the car, which is expected to be part of a convoy that is at least several dozen cars, and which weighs 6.4 tonnes, be able to traverse a railway overbridge which is around a kilometre from the airport and meant only for light vehicles?

Also Watch | I like Prime Minister Modi a lot: Donald Trump ahead of his visit

President Trump and the First Lady are scheduled to visit the Taj Mahal on February 24 evening.

There is no clarity on the first issue yet.

Officials in Agra are tight-lipped over details regarding the vehicle to be used by the visitors but superintending archaeologist (Agra circle), Archaeological Survey of India, Vasant Swarankar, maintained that the Supreme Courts guidelines will be complied with.

The issue about the vehicle in which the VVIPs enter the Taj premises is something to be looked at by the Agra administration, said Swarankar, distancing himself from the issue.

Meanwhile, the Agra Development Authority has prepared a well-furnished, battery-operated, bus which can be used in an exigency. However, there is no confirmation on its deployment on February 24.

However, a former government official said that this issue will likely be sorted out.

He cited then US President Barack Obamas planned visit to Taj, which was cancelled at the eleventh hour because he had to fly to Saudi Arabia to express condolences on the death of King Abdullah in January 2015.

The restriction on his vehicle, Beast, from entering the Taj forecourt was not the primary reason. The issue was raised, but we could have sorted it out. The Saudi Kings death made him fly to Saudi Arabia, said a retired official (now) who was in service in Agra in 2015.

As for the second, local officials are hoping it is just a scare.

The Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD) has declared a railway over bridge , a kilometre from the airport, unfit for heavy vehicles.

The bridge, which passes over a track of Agra Cantt railway station, is maintained by the PWD and Indian Railways, and has a board stating that it is not fit for heavy vehicles .

To be sure, 6.5 tonnes is heavy for a car, or SUV, even van, but it is definitely less heavy than a bus or truck, which are typically classified as heavy vehicles.

This notice was placed about eight months ago when it was found that the over bridge was not fit for heavy vehicles. We have informed the Agra administration about this and the final decision on the route selection rests with them. On our part, we have initiated the process for repairing the bridge, for which sanction has been sought. Work will start after the sanction, said Yogesh Pawar, superintending engineer, PWD.

Commissioner (Agra Division), Anil Kumar, said the US Advance teams know of the route and the bridge and have not raised any concerns. .

Details about route to be taken, including this bridge, have been given to the Advance teams. But experts from US have not raised objection, said Kumar.

The retired government official cited in the first instance said that this too should not be an issue.

During his visit in 2000, Bill Clinton travelled from the airport to Taj Mahal in his own heavy car. This car, along with his cavalcade, entered the forecourt of the Taj premises, he recalled.

However, two years later, when he was no longer President, he had to use a special battery-operated bus, although he was still accorded VVIP treatment.

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EDMONTONSupporters of Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs stood arm-in-arm around their railway barricade just outside Edmonton Wednesday afternoon as a man approached each of them with copies of legal documents from CN rail.

Youve been served, he told them.

Moments later, as the blockade of about 40 people began to be dismantled, gleeful cheers erupted from counterprotesters, some of whom had spent the past few hours arguing and yelling at the protesters.

The blockade popped up in early Wednesday morning just west of Albertas capital city and lasted for about 10 hours. It was the latest addition to protests aimed at shutting down Canadas railways in support of Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs in British Columbia, who have been opposing a natural gas pipeline.

And here, in the heart of Canadas oil country, the scene had at times been tense.

City police and officers with the CN police watched as a group of 15 counterprotesters derided the Wetsuweten supporters and swore at them, calling them lawbreakers and Liberal paid friggin protesters, and trying to break down the barricade the demonstrators had set up.

Some passersby honked their horns in support, while others hurled insults from their car windows.

The demonstrators said they wanted to stay until Prime Minister Justin Trudeau intervened and the RCMP vacated Wetsuweten territory in British Columbia.

The group is acting in solidarity with thousands of people across Turtle Island (North America) who are calling on the RCMP and Coastal GasLink (CGL) to leave Wetsuweten territory immediately, a statement from the protesters said.

Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs have said they will do everything they can to stop Coastal GasLink from building the pipeline, claiming they hold the title and right to determine what happens in their traditional territory, not the elected band councils responsible for decisions on reserves.

Coastal GasLink has maintained it has the support of every elected body on its proposed pipeline route, which is meant to supply natural gas to the B.C. coast, where it would be converted to liquefied natural gas for export. The project would span 670 kilometres from Dawson Creek to Kitimat and is expected to create between 2,000 and 2,500 jobs.

Tents, supplies and food were brought in to the Alberta blockade throughout the day.

As actions against the Coastal GasLink pipeline on Wet'suwet'en territory continue, it is useful to understand the difference between Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs who oppose the pipeline, and the band council members who have supported it.

A 20-year-old student, who wore a black balaclava and would only identify himself as Poundmaker, said that he was ready to stand by my convictions.

Making sure that we have freedom, justice and peace, he said. But, yeah, Im ready to get arrested for that, so thats how it is.

He said he knew there would be opposition, but stressed that the protest wasnt only about pipelines.

This is about Indigenous sovereignty and Indigenous rights, he said. The RCMP forcefully removed Indigenous people from their lands  its disturbing.

But after they were served with the lawsuit notice from CN  and a short conversation amongst themselves about who was prepared to get arrested  most began to pack up so they could leave.

The copies of the CN notice said that the rail protesters were being sued for unlawfully obstructing the railway and that the company was seeking an injunction against them. An Edmonton judge granted CN Rail a 30-day injunction for all of Alberta on Wednesday.

Lawyers said the blockade had held up 14 trains by lunchtime.

Guy Simpson, an oil industry worker, was at the scene for several hours arguing with the protesters. He eventually started grabbing plywood, pallets and barrels, attempting to tear down the main barricade. He said he was simply trying to clean up litter.

Hanging above the makeshift blockade was a red dress, symbolizing missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada.

Other counterprotesters, who said theyd all just met that day, joined Simpson at the site and helped him as he took barrels and wood away, even dragging a wood pallet down the road lined with vehicles. There were insults thrown, yelling and tears as the two sides debated the situation.

But in the end, the counterprotesters backed a trailer right up to the barricade and began hauling the blockade materials over and throwing them in.

Two of the counter protesters carried away a large sign made out of scrap wood which read, No consent. Land back and threw it into a heap in the trailer.

The Wetsuweten supporters didnt try to stop them after they received the court papers from CN rail.

Peter MacKay, currently running for leader of the federal Conservatives, lauded the counterprotesters on Twitter, writing in a now deleted tweet: Glad to see a couple Albertans with a pickup truck can do more for our economy in an afternoon than Justin Trudeau could do in four years.

Peter MacKay, currently running for leader of the federal Conservatives, lauded the counterprotesters on Twitter, writing "Glad to see a couple Albertans with a pickup truck can do more for our economy in an afternoon than Justin Trudeau could do in four years." Twitter

Over the past week, blockades across the country in protest of the pipeline have ground many rail services to a halt.

The number of rail workers who have received temporary layoff notices as a result of the ongoing blockades is now approaching 1,500.

First, CN rail said Tuesday it had given notices to 450 of its employees. On Wednesday, Via Rail said it would be doing the same with close to 1,000 of their employees. Although the public passenger rail service plans to resume partial service Thursday between Quebec City, Montreal and Ottawa, and regular service in southwestern Ontario, most other routes remain blocked.

In a statement, Cynthia Garneau, president and chief executive officer called the current situation unprecedented in the companys history.

We have done everything to mitigate the impact on our employees and our passengers. At this point, we believe we have made the fairest and most reasonable decision with the proposed temporary suspension plan.

The rail blockade near Edmonton on Wednesday drew quick fire from the provinces justice minister, who said online that residents of Alberta will not be economic hostages to law-breaking extremists.

Alberta Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer sent a message to the protesters on Twitter: The blocking of economically critical infrastructure such as rail lines is an offence and will not be tolerated.

He added that the province supported an injunction.

It is my expectation that law enforcement will take all appropriate action to enforce the law.

Some protesters said it was only the beginning, but Simpson said hed be back if another blockade popped up.

Its not gonna happen in our backyard, they will not win. We will win every time, he said.

One blockade at a time, Ill clean it up.

Simpson and other opponents of the protesters said they saw the blockades as a threat to the economy and jobs in Alberta, which has seen its share of hardships in the past several years due to a downturn in the oil and gas industry.

With files from Joanna Chiu, Tonda MacCharles and The Canadian Press

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Da Long Yi restaurants are usually buzzing. Source: Getty

Chinese restaurant owners in Sydney and Melbourne have revealed to Yahoo Finance theyve seen a 60 per cent drop in sales on weekends and an 80 per cent hit on weekdays as a result of the coronavirus.

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in mainland China has surpassed 2,000 according to the latest figures, with 72,436 infections confirmed.

Australia currently has just 15 confirmed cases, but that hasnt stopped Aussies opting to dine away from Chinese restaurants.

Sales have been dramatically dropping - 60 per cent on weekends and 80 per cent on weekdays, Orlando Sanpo, business development manager for EFC Group, revealed to Yahoo Finance.

Sanpo, who looks after Da Long Yi, Gotcha Fresh Bubble Tea and JiYu in Sydneys Chinatown, said due to the sales drop, casual staff have had their hours cut too.

It affects the economy and the dining environment in Chinatown as its looking like a dead town, he said.

Restaurants like JiYu and Da Long Yi - all ingredients are sourced freshly local, and Australia has one of the highest standards in terms of food safety and hygiene practices.

Da Long Yi, based in Dixon Street in Sydney, is famous for its Sichuan hot pots, and is usually highly successful, Sanpo said.

Da Long Yi. Source: Supplied

Gotcha Fresh Bubble tea brought 10 stores to Australia just last year after a successful 2018, but the 2020 coronavirus outbreak could threaten their progress.

And the situation is just as dire in Melbourne, with Vivian Yang of Nanjing Story also revealing a 60 per cent drop in sales.

Weve lost most of the local people and regular customers, and of course some international students because most of them are trapped in China because of the virus and arent allowed to return, Yang said.

Our ingredients are all from Australia, so visiting our store to dine is incredibly safe.

Story continues

Linda Lau of Cantonese restaurant, Jimmys Place, in Canberra told The Canberra Times that in the last 18 years of trade, this has been the worst time, and shes experienced a 30 per cent decline in business as a result of the coronavirus.

Another Sydney restaurant in Campelltown told Yahoo News it was losing thousands of dollars every week as fears surrounding the coronavirus escalate.

Our sales have dropped heaps. Other restaurants in Cabramatta, anything Asian, theyre either closed or not trading well, owner of Pho 76, Jenny Hua, said.

Kee Guan-Saw, principal of accounting firm KST Partners in Melbourne, said some of the firms food and beverage clients have been getting staff to take annual leave during the crisis.

We have clients in the food and beverage and tourism sectors that are already being impacted and while they are currently handling the situation...if this is a prolonged crisis, then the impact will become greater, he said.

Tour groups also feel the pinch

It isnt just restaurants that are feeling the pinch at this time, with tour guide Judith Treanor, from Sydney, having to suspend her tours to Vietnam amid the crisis.

My co-host Kerry and I were due to take a group of women to Vietnam in March for our Shop Eat Love Our Vietnam ethical shopping tour, Treanor told Yahoo Finance.

We were all set to confirm hotel bookings and details with our partners in Vietnam, but then the seriousness of the coronavirus spread across the world.

After some consideration Kerry and I decided to postpone the tour to September - but we can't wait to return and support the local businesses and the tourism industry in Vietnam. We know they are suffering terribly already in Vietnam with approximately 30 per cent of their tourism cancelled.

Treanor also said she was told a major hotel in Hoi An, a popular tourist destination on Vietnams coast, has shut until May.

Inbound tourism businesses have also been hit, according to Guan-Saw from KST Partners, with the coronavirus hitting one of his clients client base dramatically.

The business is trying to get back deposits worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from hotels and various attractions; if theyre successful they will be okay, but if not then the business will suffer, Guan-Saw said.

And looking forward, if the coronavirus endures and the federal government issues a full travel ban, many businesses like this will be devastated.

Coronavirus will have a lasting effect

According to Sydney-based insolvency company Jirsch Sutherland, the effect of coronavirus wont stop at slow restaurant sales.

There are a number of knock-on effects, such as falling demand for Australian produce like seafood, which affects food suppliers; local Asian restaurants being shunned (with some temporarily closed); and international university students delaying coming back to their courses, Jirsch Sutherland managing partner, Bradd Morelli said.

And while its unknown how long the coronavirus threat will be around, Morelli said it will have a lasting effect on many businesses.

Gotcha Fresh Tea. Source: Instagram

Fixed costs for businesses, such as wages, rent, utilities, financing costs and statutory liabilities are not affected by the sales decline, but the anticipated downturn in revenue will have a huge impact on working capital, and those businesses without sufficient reserves may find themselves suffering cash-flow issues, Morelli said.

Then theres the threat to supply chains.

The closure of factories and transport links for any period of time will inevitably lead to massive disruption and supply issues once existing stocks are exhausted, said Morelli.

For a small business, this can be catastrophic. Particularly if suppliers only have enough material or product to support some customers  that is, the larger customers.

SARS parallels

The drop in business caused by the coronavirus outbreak is something weve seen before: during the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in China and Hong Kong, Chinese and Asian restaurants reported severe sales hits.

Some US restaurants reported a 70 per cent drop in their business at the time.

"It spreads like wildfire," David Chin, manager of the Chung Wah Hong Market in Boston told the Sydney Morning Herald at the time.

Fears from the coronavirus outbreak have seen Chinese restaurant profits take a hit. Source: Getty

"All these things generated a kind of hysteria, if you will, and now I think even if someone gets a common head cold they're going to be rushing to the emergency room."

Everybody's afraid to come down to Chinatown."

Social media campaign springs to action

In a bid to boost tourism to Chinese restaurants across Australia, a new social media campaign has emerged urging customers to rally around their local Asian eateries.

The #IWillEatWithYou campaign asks Aussies to pledge to defeat baseless fears and support businesses during this time of need.

The #IWillEatWithYou campaign is urging Aussies to rally around their local Chinese eateries. Source: GetUp

As misinformation about Coronavirus spreads across social media, local Chinese restaurants and stores are paying the price - with some losing up to 50 per cent of their revenue, the campaigns site states.

That's not because of doctor's orders or common sense, it's because of fear.

While other restaurants and public spaces are still buzzing, it is the Chinatown restaurants and Asian grocers that stand empty. Panic around the virus is unfairly impacting Chinese and Asian communities.

Make your money work with Yahoo Finances daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, news and tech news.

Follow Yahoo Finance Australia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar on Wednesday demanded that the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case be investigated again in the backdrop of retired police commissioner Rakesh Maria's claim that the Lashkar-e-Taiba had planned to project the attack as the case of "Hindu terror".

In his memoir, Maria, who had headed the probe in the terror attack case, had also said that the LeT had planned to project terrorist Ajmal Kasab, who was captured alive and later hanged after a legal trial, as a "Hindu terrorist".

In a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Bhatkhalkar, who represents Kandivli constituency, said then Congress-NCP government had set up a probe committee headed by former bureaucrat Ram Pradhan, and that its report was not tabled in the state legislature.

"Ram Pradhan later said in an interview that (then Union Home minister) P Chidambaram had told him not to reveal the local connection (of the terror attack). I urge you to reinvestigate the case and take action against those who speak the Pakistan's line," Bhatkhalkar stated.

State Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant criticised the BJP for demanding re-investigation into the case.

"The BJP was in power in Maharashtra in the last five years. What did it do then? The BJP is insulting martyrs as well as the investigating agencies. They should apologise. The investigation in the Mumbai terror attack case is complete and Kasab was hanged (in November, 2012). Why the BJP wants reinvestigation?" he asked.

Sawant alleged that the BJP was trying to use Ram Pradhan to target Chidambaram.

"Ram Pradhan did not mention Chidambaram in the interview. It is Bhatkhalkar who is saying so," the Congress leader said.

He accused the BJP of helping the accused in the Malegaon bomb blasts case go scot free.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 19:22:53|Editor: huaxia

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Medical worker Feng Limin (C) and his team members cheer up for each other at the Diagnostics Virology and Transformation Center of the Guangzhou KingMed Diagnostics Group Co., Ltd. in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Feb. 18, 2020. To minimize the impact of novel coronavirus outbreak on the production, Chinese firms across the country cautiously resumed work after comprehensive measures taken to prevent and control the epidemic. Some entrepreneurs opted to nucleic acid tests to make sure their employees are safe. Thus the demand for the tests soars and the testing efficiency becomes critical. Feng Limin, a technical director of the Diagnostics Virology and Transformation Center and a PCR inspector at the Guangzhou KingMed Diagnostics Group Co., Ltd., is one of those "hunting" the virus in the lab. Clad in protective suit, Feng works at least eight consecutive hours each day at the lab and his team can complete about 900 samples of the novel coronavirus nucleic acid detection within 8 hours. When the epidemic came, Feng was in his Spring Festival holiday and volunteered to return to his duty to provide lab test services. "I was studying at high school during the SARS outbreak and then went to medical university. And now it is time for me to shoulder my responsibility," said Feng. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)
In 2017, the investigation established that on February 20, 2014, the Maidan participants were the first to open fire on the fighters of the Internal Troops and the Berkut special forces which provoked the bloodshed

February 18, Ukraine begins commemoration of the tragic events during Euromaidan - six years ago, a sharp aggravation of the confrontation began.

It resulted in a massacre on Instytutskaya Street on February 20, where dozens of people died. Then the next day, then-president Viktor Yanukovych signed an agreement with the opposition. The parameters of the settlement included the transition to the 2004 constitution, creating a new coalition and the Cabinet, and holding early presidential elections.

Obviously, the presidents decision was influenced by the bloodshed that had been arranged the day before. It also allowed Maidan not to comply with the agreements and announce the deposition of Yanukovych by parliaments decision on February 22. This, in turn, led to well-known events in Crimea, Donbas, and other regions of southeastern Ukraine.

But, we emphasize, the trigger of all these processes was pressed precisely on February 20 - at the time of the massacre on Maidan.

The official interpretation of this event is simple: the criminal regime of Yanukovych arranged for executions of peaceful protesters to spread fear among them and break the will to protest.

This theory also lives on a legal plane: the only people accused of murder are the Berkut special forces fighters. However, they cannot be proved guilty for several years. As well as the facts, which indicate that the first shots were sounded by the protesters, are not refuted. The Ukrainian political mainstream is simply dismissing them.

However, recently such facts have become more and more vivid. Moreover, the Ukrainian investigation itself gathered them. About them, in particular, it was mentioned Strana.ua article by Ukrainian lawyer Andriy Portnov and ex-Minister of Justice Olena Lukash about the total falsification of the list of Heavenly Hundred heroes.

Strana.ua has got the documents, collected back in 2017 by a group of Serhiy Horbatyuk, the head of the special investigations department of the Prosecutor Generals Office. However, Horbatyuk himself did not give a move to these documents.

For the first time, we will publish all the names of an organized group of Maidan activists, who, based on the investigation, are involved in the executions on February 20, 2014, in the center of Kyiv, the so-called "Parasyuk group."

Parasyuk is a Ukrainian public figure, former MP, he took part in the Euromaidan protests, where he was a sotnyk (commander) of a group of defenders of the Maidan. He became famous for his Euromaidan speech on February 21, 2014, in which he rejected the terms of an agreement between opposition leaders and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. In his speech, Parasyuk delivered an ultimatum, demanding Yanukovych's resignation and vowing his group would storm Yanukovych's Mezhyhirya residence at 10 a.m. the next day without it. The next morning, Yanukovych left the country

And also we will outline the plot of the investigation - what was their purpose.

Who started the massacre on the Maidan. Background

First, let's say a few words about the "activists" who shot at the police on the Maidan.

Ivan Bubenchyk, the Lviv resident, was the first of them, who made a coming-out. In 2016, he gave an interview in which he admitted that he shot at Berkut fighters from the building of the conservatory Kyiv downtown.

Two years later, law enforcers tried to arrest Bubenchyk for this, however, after the indignation of the Maidan activists, his article was retrained, and the man was brought under an amnesty.

In 2018, it became known about the second suspect in this case - Dmytro Lypovoi. But by then he was already abroad. As it turned out later, the investigation interrogated him and released him. And then put on the wanted list.

The video of the interrogation was published by blogger Anatoliy Shariy in 2019. During that interrogation, Lypovoi said that he owned the Saiga carbine, which he handed to Bubenchyk and father of the future MP Zynoviy Parasyuk. And both shot at the police. Bubenchyk, for example, fired all 60 rounds that Lypovoi handed over to him.

The fact that the father of MP Parasyuk shot from the conservatory became known in the summer of 2018 - before the publication of the interrogation of Lypovoi. Then the editor-in-chief of the Censor, sympathetic to Maidan, Yuriy Butusov, said that under the Parasyuk-Bubenchyk group included almost 30 people.

There was a group of 28 heroes who were on the third floor of the conservatory on February 20, 2014 - they had six hunting rifles and several small-caliber ones. Together with Zynoviy Parasyuk and Volodymyr Parasyuk, Ivan Bubenchyk. This group had the courage to return fire at Berkut. Berkut began to run as a result of the shootout on February 20. The history of Ukraine went along a new route," Butusov wrote.

At the same time, no evidence was given that it was precisely backfire.

On the contrary, in the same testimony, Lypovoi clearly said that no shooting was carried out by law enforcement officers then. That is, it was not a return fire. On the contrary  it was provocative.

So, in 2018, Heavenly Hundred lawyer Vitaliy Titych quoted an excerpt from the suspicion of Bubenchyk, which he was put forward after his arrest. It stated that the suspect was the first to start shooting in order to disrupt the truce between the government and the opposition reached on the eve.

In addition to Bubenchyk, Parasyuks (son and father) and Lypovoi (who does not know whether he personally shot at anyone), the name of Andriy Ivanov with the call sign Svyatoslav surfaced in 2018. He was remembered in connection with the death from a heart attack, which happened to him in the 53rd year of life.

"A heart attack, 53 years old ... He shot at Berkut on the Maidan, he shot at the Russian invaders at the front," Butusov reported.

And finally, sixth identified member of the group is Nazar Yuskevych. Last December, lawyer Olena Lukash called the last figurant during interrogation in court in the Berkut case.

According to her, in March 2015, Yuskevych was imprisoned for seven years for robbery. And he shot during this robbery from the same carbine that was used to kill Berkut fighters on the Maidan.

But the most important thing: in October 2017, the Prosecutor Generals Office prepared for Yuskevych a draft suspicion, received Strana.ua from sources in the Prosecutor Generals Office.

What the sixth shooter was suspected of?

The project of suspicion says that Nazar Yuskevych, born in 1985 "is suspected of committing on February 20, 2014 on Independence Square in Kyiv, the attempted murders of two or more law enforcement officers in a manner dangerous to the lives of many people and by prior conspiracy by a group of people."

He was charged with two articles - attempt on the life of a representative of a law enforcement agency (348 st) and intentional murder (115 st).

The motivational part of the suspicion is extremely interesting. It affirms the same thing as in suspicion of Bubenchyk: a group of shooters deliberately attacked Berkut fighters in order to disrupt the truce and lead to an escalation of violence on the Maidan.

That is, based on the text of the draft suspicion, the group was created BEFORE the exacerbation on the Maidan on February 18. It was created the day before - just in those days when certain agreements were really outlined between Yanukovych and opposition leaders (during which, for example, on February 16 the building of the Kyiv City Administration was liberated and Hrushevsky Street was unblocked).

In general, curiously, the investigation proceeds from the fact that the Maidan leaders did not want to overthrow Yanukovych and the confrontation. And Lviv residents themselves decided to shoot the police. Not receiving any orders from the then leaders of the opposition (that is, from Klitschko, Yatsenyuk, Tyahnybok, Poroshenko, and Lutsenko).

According to investigators, the criminal group was organized in mid-February - that is, just in the midst of a ceasefire. They got hunting rifles and arrived in the center of Kyiv. At the same time, Yuskevych had his own smooth-bore gun CIFSAN 555, for which he had permission.

Yuskevych and the rest of the arrows "were intended to provoke them (Berkut and internal troops - ed.) In response to the use of firearms against participants in peaceful mass protests, which would lead to an escalation of the confrontation in the central part of Kyiv." That is, the draft suspicion explicitly states that the purpose of this group of Maidan was to provoke bloodshed in Kyiv. As we see, it happened on February 20.

The group left for Kyiv on the evening of February 18. And on the morning of February 19, it was already based in the building of the conservatory. After observing, the "guests from Lviv" realized that there was no confrontation - law enforcement officers and Maidan participants were in previously occupied positions and were not conducting any aggressive actions.

The text of the project of suspicion indicates that on the morning of February 20  the day of the massacre  the police were lined up from Maidan to the Institutska streets and guns. Moreover, law enforcement authorities did not respond to provocations, the document says.

Although this could be done at any time. Nazar is currently serving a sentence in another case. Its plot became known to Strana.ua from a copy of the court decision.

In March 2014, the Maidan activist was caught in a robbery. Yuskevych and his accomplices, disguised as nut traders, made an appointment with the victims in Zhuravno village, Lviv region. They attacked those who arrived. It is noteworthy that Yuskevych had in his hands the same Cif San carbine with which he was operating on the Maidan. From it, Nazar shot the wheel of the car of the victims.

Having pulled the victims out of the car, the criminals threw them to the ground and robbed, taking money  120,000 UAH (4,900 USD)- and mobile phones. A year later, Yuskevych received seven years with the confiscation of property.

"Unidentified faces." Surname list of Maidan shooters

The rest of the members of the Lviv group, whose names reached us only in snatches, were released.

However, the investigation has long established all law enforcement officers involved in the executions. And only political considerations prevent them from using the materials of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, published by Strana.ua.

We had at our disposal a complete list of the "Parasyuk group." It includes 34 people. Potential members of the Parasyuk group are marked in italics.

Nazar Yuskevych (Komarno town, Lviv region) Mykhailo Kovaliv (Sambir, Lviv region) Ihor Yaroslavsky (Komarno town, Lviv region; Yuskevychs accomplice in robbery, for which he served a service in 2015 and Parasyuks relatives) Borys Zai (Lviv) Andriy Frydzhevych (Boryslav, Lviv region) Igor Fedyn Petro Sydorenko Volodymyr Depa Yuriy Paniv (Lviv) Hryhoriy Kobiv (Sambir) Bohdan Vilkhovy (Komarno) Petro Radovych (Komarno) Andriy Ivanov (Donetsk) Nazar Martsenyuk (Komarno) Stefan Bychkovyak (Buchaly, Lviv region) Andrian Hariluk (Lviv) Vitaliy Kryukov (Kyiv) Andriy Patraiko (Lviv) Oleksandr Nechyporuk (Lviv) Roman Franchyshyn (Lviv) Volodymyr Kovaliv (Mizhgaytsi, Volyn region) Oleksandr Krems (Komarno) Bohdan Dziub (Zholkva, Lviv region) Dmytro Dutko (Stebnyk, Lviv region) Mykola Zubrytsky (Boryslav) Dmytro Lipovoi (Kharkiv) Grisha (Odesa) Yaroslav Holub (Sambir) Zynoviy Parasyuk (Lviv) Volodymyr Parasyuk (Lviv) Ivan Bubenchyk (Lviv) Vasyl Pryima (Zhovkva) Bohdan Vysotsky (Zhovkva) Mykola Kotlyar (Kyiv)

Note that these materials of the case completely turn the whole picture of the events on the Maidan on February 20 - the day of the massacre.

It can be stated that, based on the materials of the investigation, the killings were provoked by shooting at law enforcement officers, which "Parasyuk's group" began from the building of the Conservatory, Kyiv downtown.

Read the original text on Strana.ua
A terrorist radiographer has been struck off after he petrol bombed one of Britain's oldest synagogues on a Holocaust memorial day.

Far-right extremist Tristan Morgan laughed after pouring petrol through a window of the 18th century building despite almost becoming engulfed in flames himself.

The incident was captured on CCTV and the force of the blast at Exeter Synagogue, Devon, sent Morgan flying back and set his hair on fire.

Far-right extremist Tristan Morgan (pictured) laughed after pouring petrol through a window of the 18th century building despite almost becoming engulfed in flames himself

Morgan, 52, was caught on CCTV attacking the synagogue, which dates back to 1763, in Exeter on July 21 last year. He is seen above hitting one of its windows 14 times with a small axe

Now Morgan, a radiographer at the department of nuclear medicine at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, has been struck off following a Health and Care Professions tribunal.

The tribunal was told Morgan, a white supremacist, had an obsession with 'abhorrent anti-Semitic material' as well as severe mental health issues.

He had no previous history of antisocial behaviour before the incident on July 21 in 2018 but the tribunal was told a search of his home found 24 knives and a racist handwritten note.

There was also a large volume of material 'which demonstrated a radical anti-Semitic, neo-Nazi mindset as well as hatred of non-white people'.

The attack on the synagogue coincided with a Jewish fast day commemorating disasters, including the Holocaust. The repairs totalled more than 23,000.

Far-right extremist Tristan Morgan laughed after pouring petrol through a window of the 18th century building despite almost becoming engulfed in flames himself

The incident was captured on CCTV and the force of the blast at Exeter Synagogue, Devon, sent Morgan flying back and set his hair on fire

As he calmly walked away he could be seen patting down his hair to extinguish the flames.

In April last year Morgan was detained indefinitely in a mental health institute after admitting arson and two terrorism-related charges at the Old Bailey in London.

The Health and Care Professions tribunal heard Morgan has shown little insight and no remorse.

It concluded: 'Morgan's views and convictions are fundamentally incompatible with remaining on the register.

'The nature and gravity of Morgan's conviction is such that only a striking-off order would be sufficient to protect the public and maintain and declare proper standards of conduct and behaviour, to maintain the reputation of the profession, and to maintain public confidence in the profession.'

At the Old Bailey, Judge Anthony Leonard QC, said: 'You currently present a high risk of future acts of violence which could result in serious and life-threatening harm.

'That risk is linked, say the psychiatrists, to your mental disorder, and exacerbated through your misuse of alcohol and illicit drugs*.. You are dangerous when affected by your mental condition.'
Ms Gardner hit out at certain councillors for being "more concerned about their own reputation rather than that of the City of Casey". She also raised the alarm over claims of bullying by some councillors, serious governance failures, a strong culture of avoiding difficult issues and a low level of transparency and accountability at council meetings. With this litany of issues, Ms Gardner called for the sacking of the councillors, which the state government was happy to support. It will be some years before Casey will have elected councillors again.

The sacking of Casey council on Tuesday came nearly 18 months after The Age first raised concerns about the influence developers were exerting over its councillors. Of particular interest was multimillionaire property consultant and developer John Woodman. Those concerns were subsequently bolstered by an Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission inquiry that revealed startling allegations of Mr Woodman handing over hundreds of thousands of dollars to councillors to help secure backing for his proposals. It was a damning demonstration of how vulnerable councils may be to corruption.

If only that were the end of it. The IBAC inquiry will continue this year, with more revelations sure to arise. Other councils in Melbourne's south-east may also find themselves in the firing line. The Mornington Peninsula Shire council is examining all projects linked to Mr Woodman and other figures alluded to in the IBAC inquiry, along with an independent review of every planning decision going back 20 years related to the $650 million Martha Cove development at Safety Beach, with which Mr Woodman was intimately involved. Kingston council has also backed a special audit of all development approvals from the past 15 years that involve Mr Woodman and his associates.

While there is good reason to focus on Mr Woodman, surely there needs to be a broader perspective on this issue. Do councils and the state government really think Mr Woodman is the only developer who may have curried favour? It took The Age's reporting to initially flush out the issues at Casey council. While IBAC has been tenacious in its pursuit of possible wrongdoing at Casey, we still don't know if the commission plans to broaden its investigations beyond those local government borders. At this point it is a handful of councils themselves examining possible past wrongdoing.

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In an attempt to clean up the mess, the state government is pushing through new laws to make councils more accountable. Among the reforms, councillors and election candidates will be given new mandatory training requirements to improve their competency, and new standards of conduct to guide behaviour and provide specific benchmarks on what is acceptable. These are welcome changes.

Melbourne is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. With that has come enormous demand for new developments to accommodate such a booming population. A council's tick of approval can translate into tens of millions of dollars in profit. As Casey council has shown, that can provide fertile ground for possible criminal activity. While The Age is hopeful the new reforms will provide enough clout to enforce integrity in the system, it has serious concerns that Casey is not the only council that needs to be sacked.
Seventy-three people were allowed on board.

The chartered plane sent by Ukraine's government to evacuate Ukrainians from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, has departed for Kyiv, having left three citizens of Ukraine and one female foreigner behind.

"We're ready to handle the evacuees. The plane has already departed. All have passed the required checks. People without symptoms of acute respiratory infection were allowed on board," the Ukrainian Health Ministry's press service quoted Deputy Health Minister Viktor Liashko as saying.

"At the stage of the checks, Chinese doctors did not let four people on board the plane, three of them are Ukrainians and one is a foreigner. After that, Ukrainian specialists, the doctors who are on this flight, conducted an additional final examination. Seventy-three people were allowed on board. On arrival, they will be placed under observation in a facility designated by the government. Those who were not allowed to be evacuated are under Chinese doctors' supervision and are in constant contact with the consular service," he said.

Read alsoPolice to cordon off quarantine site set to host Ukrainians evacuated from Wuhan

"I ask everyone not to cause a panic, to rely on common sense and have understanding that in any situation you have to remain humans. Every one of us or someone dear to us could be there. We are evacuating the people who have already been through a difficult period. Among the evacuated are a family with an eight-year-old son, a young couple, 20-year-old students," Liashko said.

"Our duty is to bring them back and create the most comfortable conditions," he said.

"This concerns not only the flight and their accommodation but also their reception by other Ukrainians. Is there really no place in such a big country for fewer than a hundred citizens who have found themselves in a difficult situation?" he asked.

As UNIAN reported, the flight is being carried out by SkyUp Airlines, the plane departed at 00:30 a.m. local time on February 20 and is scheduled to arrive in Ukraine at 07:45 a.m. Kyiv time on February 20.

On board the plane are also 29 foreigners, namely eight citizens of Argentina, five from the Dominican Republic and Ecuador each, four from El Salvador, two from Kazakhstan and Costa Rica each, and one from Israel, Montenegro, and Panama each. The two Kazakh citizens are expected to leave the plane amid a stopover in Almaty.

The evacuees who will arrive in Ukraine will be placed under observation in four locations, close to infectious diseases hospitals. The exact whereabouts are not to be disclosed not to cause a panic.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the top police officers of the country to deal with incidents affecting the vulnerable sections of the society such as the SCs, STs and women with alacrity and treat such threats on par with terror challenges.

According to the minutes of the 54th conference of the director generals and inspector generals of police, held in Pune on December 6-8, 2019, Modi made these observations before the top police brass of the country, apparently in consonance with his slogan -- "sabka sath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas".

"Emphasising the need to act with alacrity and sensitivity to incidents affecting vulnerable sections of the society, he directed the delegates to treat such incidents on par with CT (Counter Terror) threats," the minutes of the meeting read.

Addressing the valedictory session, the prime minister stressed on the need to disseminate the "spirit" of the conference to the police station level, including sharing of experiences and new approaches to existing challenges.

In this context, he suggested the creation of a mechanism for the deliberations of the conference to percolate down the police hierarchy within a period of three months.

Citing various instances suggestive of a changed public mindset, Modi exhorted the police department to be cognisant of the change and adapt accordingly.

On the issue of Left Wing Extremism (LWE), he underlined the need for coordination between the neighbouring police stations in the border districts of the Naxal-affected states and suggested that the narrative of development be conveyed through people from the LWE areas living outside.

Further, for the worst LWE-and-insurgency-affected blocks, the prime minister emphasised that all residents should have access to the government's individual benefit schemes through a "saturation" coverage mode.

Urging the police to adopt a scientific approach, he said a team of academically-inclined officers should study about 50-100 interrogation reports to analyse the modus operandi, means of radicalisation and possible avenues for reintegration.

Modi also recommended the creation of a mechanism, involving security agencies, police and border-guarding forces, for coordinating the security policy in the north-east.

He said this structure should identify and act against the potential security vulnerabilities arising out of the government's "Act East Policy" and the resultant improvement in connectivity.

Further, the prime minister exhorted the delegates to immediately ensure the complete utilisation of the "Nirbhaya" Fund for women's safety.

On the aspect of police image, he recommended various measures, including projection of core police functioning, proper turnout and consistent community outreach through micro-level initiatives.

Modi also told the police officers that whenever they face a professional dilemma, they should take a principled stand in the nation's interest.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 07:25:41|Editor: ZD

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is set to join his fellow presidential candidates for first time on Democratic primary debate stage in Nevada on Wednesday, his campaign manager Kevin Sheekey confirmed on Tuesday.

"Mike is looking forward to joining the other Democratic candidates on stage and making the case for why he's the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump and unite the country," Sheekey said in a statement.

Bloomberg did not meet the donor threshold to qualify for the past debates since he has been self-funding his campaign from the very beginning.

However, the Democratic National Committee in January eliminated the donor requirement to participate in debates and Bloomberg now qualifies for the debate with the Tuesday release of a new NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist poll showing that he is trailing only front-runner Senator Bernie Sanders.

The poll shows Bloomberg at 19 percent, while Sanders leads the field with 31 percent support. Former Vice President Joe Biden came third with 15 percent support, followed by Senator Elizabeth Warren at 12 percent support, Senator Amy Klobuchar with 9 percent and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 8 percent.

The poll was conducted Feb. 13-16 among 1,416 U.S. adults with a margin of error at 5.4 percentage points.

Bloomberg will be on the ballot for the Super Tuesday contests on March 3.
On a recent trip to France for a conference, three Santa Clara officials ignored the country's famous high-speed trains and instead spent $940 on a private car from Paris to Nantes, according to documents acquired by San Jose Inside.

In September 2019, Santa Clara city manager Deanna Santana and assistant city managers Nadine Nader and Ruth Shikada flew to France for the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation conference, which Santa Clara will host in 2021.

For three total days in France, the trip reportedly set taxpayers back $8,500.

San Jose Inside detailed all of the specific ways that Santana, Nader, and Shikada racked up those costs: waiting months to purchase their airfare (and possibly missing better deals), and rooming at a five-star hotel in Paris. (Santana paid for her share, but Nader and Shikada billed the city.)

After their night at Marriott Champs Elysees, the three officials hopped in a $940 private car for a (roughly) 240-mile drive instead of boarding the TGV, France's famous high-speed rail, which would've likely helped them reach their destination in a shorter period of time. The cost of the cheapest Paris-to-Nantes TGV ticket, if purchased a couple of months in advance of the ride, is roughly $18 for a single rider.

In a statement to SFGATE, Santa Clara's communications director Lenka Wright argued that the $8,500 spent is "far less than the economic impact that the conference will have" for the Bay Area when the conference comes to Santa Clara in 2021. She also said that the three travelers shared a room for their one night at the Mariott Champ Elysees.

"At the time of the travel, the cost of flying one way from Paris to Nantes, including ground transportation to and from the airport, was equivalent to the cost of obtaining a private vehicle," Wright wrote in a statement. "One way flights currently are running about $225/per person, which - when included with ground transportation for three people to and from the airport - is equivalent or relatively cost neutral."

Read the entire San Jose Inside story here.

Michael Rosen is an SFGATE digital editor. Email: michael.rosen@sfgate.com.
Hero MotoCorp has launched a new smartphone app called Hero Connect. This new app is currently launched for select Hero vehicles in 3 cities of India.

With growing customer preference for connected features, a number of manufacturers have launched these advanced systems across their cars and two-wheelers. Newest member to deploy connected tech is Hero MotoCorp, the largest two-wheeler manufacturer in India and globally as well. The company has launched Hero Connect, a cloud and app based system aimed at improving ride experience for customers.

Hero Connect will usher in a new era in connected mobility for two-wheelers, as it will enable a range of internet connected smart features. It will be powered by an inbuilt SIM that will be securely installed in the vehicle. The device will connect to the cellular network and use cloud services to access and store a wide variety of data. To access this data and reports as well as the connected features, customers need to use the App provided by the company.

According to the company, Hero Connect will significantly improve safety and security of customers. The system offers advanced connected features, quite similar to the ones that are available in new cars such as Kia Seltos, Hyundai Venue, MG Hector, etc. With Hero Connect, customers can access features such as real-time vehicle tracking, tow away alerts, topple alert, speed alert and geo fence alert.

Till now, we havent seen such a comprehensive range of connectivity features being offered in everyday commuter bikes and scooters. The company will initially offer Hero Connect with four of its two-wheelers  XPulse 200, Pleasure+, Passion XPRO and HF Deluxe. Later, this connected tech will be introduced in other bikes and scooters manufactured by the company.

Another useful feature of Hero Connect is that it can help users improve their riding. The app can process ride data and analyse it against the behavioural and riding patterns of the user. It will then give a specific score to the rider, indicating how good or how bad is their riding. The app also provides feedback in terms of things that may be lacking and can be improved.

For example, the app can clearly tell if the rider has been speeding, idling, or pushing hard on the accelerator or brakes. Users will also be able to access their ride data for the last six months. It will include various details such as starting and end points, total time, distance travelled, route, speed, etc.

Hero Connect is currently being offered at an introductory price of Rs 4,999 for a one-year subscription. It is available only at select dealerships in Delhi, Noida and Pune. More cities are expected to be covered in the future based on demand.
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi said on Wednesday he has put together a cabinet of political independents and called on parliament to hold an extraordinary session next week to grant it a vote of confidence.

Allawi said in a televised speech that if his government wins a confidence vote, its first act would be to investigate the killing of protesters and bring the perpetrators to justice.

He also promised to hold an early election free from "the influence of money, weapons, and foreign interference" and called on protesters to give his government a chance in spite of a "crisis of confidence in everything related to politics" that he blamed on the failures of his predecessors.

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ARLINGTON, VA / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / Cause of Action Institute ("CoA Institute") today filed a lawsuit on behalf of a group of New Jersey family fishermen to block a new regulation that would force them to pay for third-party "at-sea monitors." The industry-killing rule-which was designed by the New England Fishery Management Council and promulgated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Department of Commerce-will require certain boats in the Atlantic herring fishery to carry "at-sea monitors" and at their own cost.

The agencies are forcing this requirement on the fisherman despite no statutory authority to do so and in addition to a separate, federally funded observing program. The regulation also has the potential to modify other New England fishery management plans to allow for standardized implementation of additional industry-funded monitoring programs in the future.

"The herring trawl fishery and been vilified and over-regulated, with little demonstrated biological benefit to the herring resource, for too long. If our vessels are forced to pay these at-sea monitoring fees, it may drive some of us out of business, as several boats have already been forced out of the fishery through reduced quotas and burdensome regulation," said Jeff Kaelin, Director of Sustainability and Government Relations at Lund's Fisheries, Inc., and representative for the Plaintiffs. "The herring trawl fishery is heavily monitored and regulated already-with everything from exclusion zones covering hundreds of square miles of ocean where we have historically fished, to move-along rules enforced when a mechanical failure may occur. Monitoring New England's and the Mid-Atlantic's commercial fisheries is an inherent governmental function. Herring fishermen have worked with the Councils for years in advancing conservation and the sustainability of the herring resource and fishery. The Omnibus Amendment will not benefit those goals in any significant way and has been developed with no Congressional authority for doing so. This is the last straw."

At-sea monitoring is expected to cost over $700 a trip. Herring fishermen will suffer a drop in income projected as at least 20%, which will challenge companies to remain profitable and subsequently have the effect of driving up costs to lobster and crab fishermen throughout the region. Monitors are required to live with the fishermen at sea, observe their activities, check their compliance with federal regulations, and file reports upon return to the dock. This increased regulatory burden comes despite herring fishermen successfully complying with complex, multi-layered state and federal fishing regulations since the Atlantic herring fishery management plan was adopted in 1999.

As many stakeholders explained in the lead-up to the new regulation, regulators have no statutory authority to require these family fishermen to pay for their own policing. And the process by which the government imposed the new rule for the herring fishery is procedurally suspect. CoA Institute is stepping-in to stop this unlawful overreach. If the industry-funding requirement moves forward, it will imperil one of America's oldest and most-storied professions.

"The federal government finalized this regulation despite having no authority from Congress to do so. Commercial fishermen and their friends have been raising concerns about the inadequate legal basis for industry-funded at-sea monitoring for years," said CoA Institute Counsel Ryan Mulvey. "But regulators have ignored these arguments. We cannot let the administrative state push rules that go beyond its power and crush an already-beleaguered industry. We are proud to represent America's fishermen."

A copy of the Complaint can be found HERE.

Plaintiffs are represented by CoA Institute counsels Ryan P. Mulvey and Eric R. Bolinder.

Media Inquiries: Contact James Valvo at james.valvo@causeofaction.org or (571) 482-4182.

About Cause of Action Institute

CoA Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan government oversight organization that uses investigative, legal, and communications tools to educate the public about how government accountability, transparency, and the rule of law protect liberty and economic opportunity.

About Lund's Fisheries

Lund's Fisheries, Inc. is a family-owned company and primary producer of fresh and frozen seafood located in Cape May, N.J. Lund's purchases, produces and distributes nearly 75 million pounds of fresh and frozen fish annually. Its fresh and frozen domestic sales stretch nationwide while its frozen exports extend to markets around the world. Lund's has about 30 fishing vessels delivering a variety of seafood to its facility year round. Lund's is committed to developing and managing systems and practices to track seafood back to the harvest location to ensure it is sourced from fisheries that are well-managed, certified sustainable or actively working towards implementing more responsible and sustainable harvesting practices.

SOURCE: Lund's Fisheries Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/577038/Family-Fishermen-Challenge-Illegal-Industry-Killing-At-Sea-Monitoring-Rule-from-Department-of-Commerce
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 23:05:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WARSAW, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch legendary Ruud Gullit praised Bayern Munich attacker Robert Lewandowski and said he believes the young talent Joshua Zirkzee can be the Pole's successor one day at the Allianz Arena.

"Lewandowski is currently the best striker in the world. It will be difficult to replace him one day, but with Joshua FC Bayern has someone for the future. Hopefully he will get even more chances to prove his skills," said the European champion from 1988.

"Joshua can learn a lot from Lewandowski. He sees how it's done every day in training. I think he still has to improve his first contact, the ball control. Sometimes it jumps too far for him, but he must be able to hold the ball under pressure," added Gullit.

When Zirkzee got chances from Hansi Flick in the first team, he met the expectations by scoring the important goals against SC Freiburg and VfL Wolfsburg. However, the young attacker is still a player of the second Bavarian team and plays regularly in the third league.

"It's not the right place for him. If he can't get his minutes due to rivalisation in the Bayern attack, it would be better for him to play in another club on loan. The most important thing for him is to play on the highest level and spending as much time on the pitch as he can," said the former AC Milan player.
More purple than blue: Religiously unaffiliated vary in political beliefs

Lincoln, Nebraska -- For decades, research examining the intersection of religion and politics counted the religious "nones" -- or the unaffiliated -- as a small, homogeneous and liberal group, and conservatives have treated them as such.

But the number of religiously unaffiliated has grown exponentially to become one of the largest demographic groups in the United States, now reaching 23 percent of the population. This begs the question, do religious nones still cluster on the blue end of the political spectrum?

New research from University of Nebraska-Lincoln sociologist Philip Schwadel finds the unaffiliated are now much more varied in their political beliefs than previously believed. As this group grows, repercussions could be felt by political parties in the future.

Through survey data collected from Pew Research Center's American Trends Panel, Schwadel examined religious nones, further distilling the group into three categories --atheists, agnostics and "nothing in particulars" -- for the first time. When he measured their political activities and beliefs, he found agnostics and atheists were more likely to be liberal, while the largest group, the "nothing in particulars," was more likely to be conservative.

"As you would expect and as past research has shown, non-religious Americans as a whole are less likely to be Republican, more likely to be Democrat," Schwadel said. "But when we break it apart, it's really the atheists and agnostics who are especially likely to be Democrats, while those who are nothing in particular fall in between the (religiously) affiliated, who are significantly more likely to be conservative, and the atheists and agnostics."

Schwadel was surprised to find, however, that those who reported that their religion is "nothing in particular" seemed to shun politics altogether, being the least likely group to have voted in the previous election.

"They were also the least likely, even when compared to the religiously affiliated, to have talked about politics," Schwadel said.

The religiously unaffiliated have been largely ignored by the Republican Party, because it was thought to be a wholly liberal group, but these findings show an opening for conservative politics.

"It's possible that in the future, the Republican Party may be able to count on them as a constituency, but unfortunately, they're relatively uninterested politically," Schwadel said. "It would be up to the party to mobilize them."

The results raise questions for future prognostications about politics in America, too.

"Now that this group is one of the largest religious groups in our country, as political pollsters, political scientists, the media make political projections, I think it's important that they understand this group of non-affiliated Americans is not a monolithic group, they're not all the same," he said.

Schwadel noted the study also found that agnostics were the most politically active, more likely to vote, and reported that they feel politically isolated from their families, while atheists were politically active, too, but were more likely to have conflicts with others over politics.

###

Schwadel, who spent the 2018-19 academic year as a visiting senior researcher with Pew, is working on additional research regarding religion and politics, and recently published reports with Pew regarding teens and religion, as well as examinations of evangelical support for President Trump, and religiosity of lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans.

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
LONG BEACH, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Epson today announced two new A3 multifunction color printers, the WorkForce Pro WF-C879R and WF-C878R, strengthening its lineup of business printing offerings to meet the needs of the commercial office market. Powered by Epson's PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology, the new WF-C879R and WF-C878R offer the lowest total printing costs in their class1 and the lowest power consumption in their class,2 delivering speed, accuracy and cost-effective printing, and energy conservation for productivity-demanding and cost-conscious workgroups.

Epson today also introduced its free cloud-based printer fleet management tool, Epson Remote Services, providing partners with extensive insight into their Epson printing devices to help reduce their support cost by improving service support and operational efficiency. Its scheduled print usage reporting via emails can help partners simplify click-charge based customer billing. Engineered for dealers managing multiple printer fleets, Epson Remote Services makes it easy to remotely manage Epson printers and access customer printer details, including device status, consumables status, print usage, and more. With advanced alerts and email notifications for diagnosis of issues, preventative maintenance and device status, dealers can control maintenance functions offsite and track device status via the intuitive web interface.

"Businesses demand simple, reliable, economical, and futureproof solutions, and we strive to provide the resources and support that our partners require to stay competitive while continuing to grow their business," said Dennis Fan, product manager, Epson America. "The expansion of our product and service portfolio with the new WorkForce MFP models and Epson Remote Services demonstrate our relentless commitment to the growth and success of our partners."

Additional WorkForce Pro WF-C869R and WF-C878R Features

Providing low intervention and less hassle, the WF-C879R and WF-C878R with Replaceable Ink Pack Systems let users print up to 86,000 ISO pages (black) and up to 50,000 ISO pages (color).3 The WF-C879R offers fast output speeds of 26/25 ISO ppm (black/color) and rapid scan speeds of up to 100 images per minute (duplex),4 while the WF-C878R prints at speeds of 25/24 ISO ppm (black/color) and scans up to 45 images per minute (duplex).4 Both printers offer versatile media handling capabilities including auto duplexing and auto media size detection, and provide seamless integration with web-based enterprise applications such as Kofax Equitrac, Kofax eCopy, PaperCut, and others.

Additional Epson Remote Services Features

With remote maintenance functionality, Epson Remote Services can acquire printer status, reboot the device and clean the printhead.5 The dashboard gives a quick, concise overview, allowing dealers to easily locate devices that need attention. Usage reports can conveniently be produced weekly, monthly or quarterly. Multiple Epson networked devices can be registered simultaneously and access can be controlled with a specified range of IP addresses. Dealers also have access to monitor the status of printers connected via USB,6 rather than the Ethernet network.

Availability

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-C879R and WorkForce Pro WF-C878R will be available at the end of Feb. 2020 exclusively through authorized BusinessFirstSM resellers and backed by a one-year limited warranty. Epson Remote Services is available to Epson BusinessFirst Partners free of charge.

For more information and availability, please visit https://epson.com/business-printers. For more information about the BusinessFirst Partner Program, please visit https://epson.com/epson-partners-program.

About Epson

Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to becoming indispensable to society by connecting people, things and information with its original efficient, compact and precision technologies. The company is focused on driving innovations and exceeding customer expectations in inkjet, visual communications, wearables and robotics, and is underpinned by original microdevices. Epson is proud of its contributions to realizing a sustainable society and its ongoing efforts to realizing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than U.S. $10 billion.

Epson America, Inc., based in Long Beach, Calif., is Epson's regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/EpsonAmerica), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica).

 Black and color print speeds are measured in accordance with ISO/IEC 24734. Actual print times will vary based on factors including system configuration, software, and page complexity. For more information, visit www.epson.com/printspeed.

This product uses only genuine Epson-brand ink packs. Other brands of ink supplies are not compatible and, even if described as compatible, may not function properly.

1 Actual savings and costs will vary considerably based on print tasks, print volumes and usage conditions. Based on total costs of printing with the WF-C878R and WF-879R printers and highest-capacity replacement ink compared with the costs of printing equivalent ISO pages with the best-selling, similarly featured color laser and color inkjet multifunction printers with speeds of 35 pages per minute or less as of June 2019. Toner and ink costs based on manufacturer's highest-capacity yields and pricing; printer costs based on MSRP per industry-available data as of September 2019.

2 Compared to similarly featured color multifunction printers with speeds of 35 ppm or less based on industry-available data, June 2019. Actual power savings will vary by product model and usage.

3 Ink pack yields are estimated based on ISO/IEC 24711 test in Default Mode printing continuously. Ink pack yields vary considerably for reasons including printed images, print settings, temperature and humidity. Yields may be lower when printing infrequently or predominantly with one ink color. All ink colors are used for printing and printer maintenance, and all colors have to be installed for printing. For print quality, part of the ink from the included ink packs is used for printer startup and a variable amount of ink remains in the ink pack after the "replace ink pack" signal. For details, see www.epson.com/inkinfo.

4 Based on 200 dpi, letter-size, in Black-and-White or Color.

5 Excludes WorkForce Enterprise models.

6 Requires installation of USB agent. For Windows only.

EPSON, PrecisionCore and WorkForce are registered trademarks, EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark and PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. BusinessFirst is a service mark of Epson America, Inc. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2020 Epson America, Inc.

SOURCE Epson America, Inc.

Related Links

http://epson.com


The lack of government transparency from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in dealing with the coronavirus global public health emergency is contributing to the international communitys inability to resolve the crisis. The United States responded swiftly, bringing hundreds of Americans back from China on government-chartered planes while simultaneously establishing safeguards to limit the spread of the virus at home. Having toured Lackland Air Force Base, which was designated as one of the quarantine sites for these returning Americans, I have witnessed firsthand the exemplary efforts being made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and others to ensure the health and safety of all Americans.

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers this outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. However, what I saw at Lackland gave me confidence in our ability to effectively address the crisis. There are currently 15 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States. Americans returning to the U.S. are undergoing multilayered screening processes and a 14-day quarantine period where they are being carefully monitored. Generally, of the cases known, coronavirus has a mortality rate of about 2 percent, compared to the SARS and MERS outbreaks, which had mortality rates of around 15 percent and 35 percent, respectively. While the immediate risk to the U.S. public remains low, the outbreak continues to be a global problem of growing proportions.

Addressing this crisis must be a global effort, but Chinas record of opacity has hindered efforts aimed at understanding its origins and mitigating its effect. As the outbreak began, Chinese officials downplayed the severity of the virus and cracked down on doctors attempting to warn the public. The number of confirmed cases in China has skyrocketed to over 40,000, and the global death toll has risen to almost 2,000 with all but two of the deaths occurring in mainland China. The numbers have been rising so quickly that it is difficult to maintain an accurate count. In their response to this outbreak, the Chinese governments penchant for secrecy and total government control has threatened the lives of their own citizens and risked the safety of the world.

Instead of welcoming the global assistance available to them from the beginning, China has prevented health care workers from coming in and has criticized countries like the U.S. for not doing enough in response to the crisis. The U.S. first offered to send expert assistance and resources to China on Jan. 6, and it took the Chinese government over a month to allow a small advance team of WHO experts into the country. This lack of transparency has come even as the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine released a letter insisting that the scientific community needs more sequence data and samples to better understand the virus and its origins. Delaying an understanding of the virus has delayed the development of an effective global response.

While disappointing, the CCPs response to this crisis has not been surprising. Their lack of transparency and openness goes well beyond public health issues and extends to all areas of governance, including the business sector. For years, the Chinese government has sought to take advantage of U.S. companies and consumers, and the international community has allowed Chinas exploitative behavior to continue for too long, often with serious ramifications. For example, this week the U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against four members of the Chinese military in the 2017 breach of Equifax, in which hackers stole personal information of nearly 150 million Americans.

China has followed a pattern of exploiting foreign companies to advance their own innovation and advantage. For example, Amazon Web Services had to sell physical infrastructure assets to its China partner, Beijing Sinnet Technology, to comply with Chinese law in 2017. Last year, the CCP ordered all state agencies to remove foreign technology equipment within three years, which could be a major hit to U.S. companies like HP and Microsoft. The CCPs lack of transparency and openness threatens both the health and economic security of the U.S. and the international community. To force China to change its behavior, maybe its time to impose restrictions on Chinese firms operating in the U.S. service sector or sanction Chinese officials and enterprises that target American firms to create more economic reciprocity. The United States and China are intertwined and both countries can coexist, but this will only become a reality if the CCP starts being transparent not just with the United States and the global community but with its own citizens. Hopefully, the chaos created by the Chinese governments disastrous response to this latest global health threat is the wake-up call the CCP needs to realize they have to change their ways.

Hurd has represented Texas 23rd congressional district since 2015.
Boeing was hit by new safety fears on Tuesday after the company admitted that it had found debris inside the fuel tanks of some of its 737 Max jets.

The 'foreign objects' were found in the tanks of the planes that have been grounded at Boeing's production plant after the 737 MAX 8 was grounded last year following two deadly crashes that killed 346 people.

The planes were grounded after investigators found that the model's new flight software and a lack of training for pilots confused pilots and led to the crash of Lion Air flight 610 in Indonesia and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302.

A Boeing official said the debris was discovered in 'several' of the grounded planes, but did not give a precise number. Boeing built about 400 undelivered Max jets before it temporarily halted production last month.

The fuel tank debris was discovered during maintenance on parked planes, and Boeing said it immediately made corrections in its production system to prevent a recurrence. Those steps include more inspections before fuel tanks are sealed.

In this 11 December, 2019, file photo, a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max airplane takes off in the rain at Renton Municipal Airport in Renton, Wash.

Rescuers work at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight crash in March 2019 which caused Boeing to ground its popular 737 Max aircraft to investigate its link with the crash

A Boeing spokesman said that the issue would not change the companys belief that the Federal Aviation Administration will certify the plane to fly again this summer.

An FAA spokesman said the agency knows that Boeing is conducting a voluntary inspection of undelivered Max planes.

The FAA 'increased its surveillance based on initial inspection reports and will take further action based on the findings,' said spokesman Lynn Lunsford.

Metal shavings, tools and other objects left in planes during assembly can raise the risk of electrical short-circuiting and fires.

Mark Jenks, Boeings general manager of the 737 program, said in a memo to employees who work on the 737, 'During these challenging times, our customers and the flying public are counting on us to do our best work each and every day.'

Jenks called the debris 'absolutely unacceptable. One escape is one too many.'

The Federal Aviation Administration at 600 Independence Avenue in Washington,DC - messages released by Boeing appear to show employees deceiving the FAA over safety issues

A graphic shows the dimensions of the Boeing's 737 Max model

A graphic shows Boeing's 737 Max maneuvering characteristics augmentation system

The debris issue was first reported by aviation news site Leehamnews.com.

Max jets were grounded around the world last March after two crashes killed 346 people.

Boeing is conducting test flights to assess updates to a flight-control system that activated before the crashes on faulty signals from sensors outside the plane, pushing the noses of the aircraft down and triggering spirals that pilots were unable to stop.

While investigators examining the Max accidents have not pointed to production problems at the assembly plant near Seattle, Boeing has faced concerns about debris left in other finished planes including the 787 Dreamliner, which is built in South Carolina.
A n Australian fire service has thanked volunteer American firefighters with an ad-board display in New York's Times Square.

The New South Wales Rural Fire Service used a massive screen to pass on their thanks to their comrades from the US, as well as all to all those who donated from across the world.

More than 30 people were killed across Australia in the wildfires - including three American firefighters.

Around 90 percent of the firefighters who battled the flames were volunteers.

Australia fires - In pictures 1 /78 Australia fires - In pictures A firefighter hosing down trees and flying embers in an effort to secure nearby houses from bushfires near the town of Nowra in the Australian state of New South Wales in December AFP via Getty Images An aerial view of bushfires burning south of Canberra Getty Images Adelaide wildlife rescuer Simon Adamczyk is seen with a koala rescued at a burning forest on Kangaroo Island in January Reuters German tourists Julia Wasmiller and Jessica Pryor pose for a photo at Mrs Macquarie's chair, wearing face masks due to heavy smoke in December Getty Images A small aircraft dumps fire retardant behind houses at the foot of Mount Tennant as the fire front of the Orroral Valley fire creeps through the Namadgi National Park on January 30, 2020 in Canberra, Australia Getty Images A pyrocumulonimbus cloud is generated by the intense Orroral Valley bushfire buring to the south of Canberra. Getty Images Eugenie Bouchard of Canada takes a moment to catch her breath during her qualifying match against Xiaodi You of China during 2020 Australian Open Qualifying at Melbourne Park Getty Images Bernard Tomic of Australia receives medical attention in his match against Denis Kudla of the USA during 2020 Australian Open Qualifying at Melbourne Park Getty Images Massive smoke rising from wildfires burning in East Gippsland, Victoria in January AP Smoke looms over Sydney A kangaroo jumps in a field amidst smoke from a bushfire at Snowy Valley, Australia in January AFP via Getty Images Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison visits a resident's property in an area devastated by bushfires in Sarsfield, Victoria state in January POOL/AFP via Getty Images An injured koala rests in a washing basket at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park in January Getty Images A pedestrian wears a mask as smoke shrouds the Australian capital of Canberra, Australia in January AP A large smoke plume is seen over a sheep property in the Parndana region in January Getty Images NSW's National Parks and Wildlife Service staff prepare to air-drop carrots for animals in bushfire-stricken areas, in Newnes, Wollemi National Park, New South Wales in January via Reuters A wallaby eats a carrot after NSW's National Parks and Wildlife Service staff air-dropped them in bushfire-stricken areas around Wollemi and Yengo National Parks, New South Wales in January via Reuters Nurses feed an injured male koala at Adelaide Koala Rescue in January Getty Images A woodchip mill burnt by bushfires is seen as smoke rises in Eden in Australia's New South Wales in January AFP via Getty Images Kylie Minogue donates to the cause @kylieminogue Cars line up to leave the town of Batemans Bay in New South Wales to head north in January AFP via Getty Images HMAS Choules off the coast of Victoria, Australia in January Reuters The property of Lyle Stewart is razed to the ground at Nerrigundah, Australia in January AP Rural Fire Service firefighter Trevor Stewart views a flank of in Tumburumba, Australia Getty Images A plane flies in the tobacco-coloured skies over Auckland, New Zealand, as smoke from the wildfires traveled from Australia in January Getty Images An orange glow darkens the sky in Auckland city from the wildfires in Australia Getty Images Kiahan Bellchambers and her brother Jesse Bellchambers looking for belongings amongst the ruins of their house destroyed during bushfires in Batlow, in Australia's New South Wales state in January AFP via Getty Images Lieutenant Kynan Lang from the 10th/27th Battalion visits the scene where his uncle and cousin died in a bushfire to place a memorial on Kangaroo Island, Australia in January via Reuters A firefighters backs away from the flames after lighting a controlled burn near Tomerong, Australia AP Black ash and fire debris is washed up on Boydtown Beach and the banks of the Nullica River in Eden, Australia REUTERS Barb Copus holds a rescued baby brushtail possum at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park in the Parndana region on Kangaroo Island, Australia Getty Images A burnt car is seen after bushfire in Batlow, in Australia's New South Wales state in January AFP via Getty Images A burning gum tree is felled to stop it from falling on a car in Corbago, as bushfires continue in New South Wales, Australia in January Reuters General view of the Dunn Road fire in January Getty Images Australian Army CH-47 Chinooks from the 5th Aviation Regiment deliver hay bales to remote bushfire-affected farms on Kangaroo Island, Australia via Reuters Volunteer and carer Tracy Dodd holds a kangaroo with burnt feet pads after being rescued from bushfires in Australia's Blue Mountains area in December Reuters Thick smoke from wildfires shroud the Sydney Opera House in December AP A property burns from bushfires in Balmoral, 150km southwest of Sydney in December AFP via Getty Images A fireman fights a bushfire to protect a property in Balmoral, 150km southwest of Sydney in December AFP via Getty Images Helicopters dump water on bushfires as they approach homes located on the outskirts of the town of Bargo in December Getty Images Australian wildfires turn sky red in December brendanh_au/Twitter Firemen inspect a house recently destroyed by bushfires on the outskirts of the town of Bargo in December Getty Images Firemen prepare as a bushfire approaches homes on the outskirts of the town of Bargo in December Getty Images Monitoring the Tianjara fire from a helicopter in the Moreton and Jerrawangala National Park in December Getty Images People wear face masks to protect from the pollution over Sydney Harbour in December Getty Images A fire approaches the village of Nerrigundah, Australia in December AP An old car burns from bushfires in Balmoral AFP via Getty Images The remains of burnt out buildings are seen along main street in the New South Wales town of Cobargo in December AFP via Getty Images Wildfires rage under plumes of smoke in Bairnsdale, Australia in December AP A horse trying to move away from nearby bushfires at a residential property near the town of Nowra in the Australian state of New South Wales in December AFP via Getty Images Fire and thick smoke remains the village of Nerrigundah, Australia in December AP Gary Hinton stands amongst rubble after fires devastated the New South Wales town of Cobargo in December AFP via Getty Images A helicopter drops fire retardent to protect a property in Balmoral in December AFP via Getty Images The sky glows red as bushfires continue to rage in Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia in December via Reuters A fire and rescue team inspect the damage around Torrington in Glen Innes, Australia in November Getty Images Flames from an out of control bushfire seen from a nearby residential area in Harrington, Australia in November AFP via Getty Images Bushfires taken from a plane in over north eastern New South Wales in November AFP via Getty Images An Air-crane water bombing helicopter drops water on a bushfire in Harrington, Australia in November Reuters Haze blanketing Manly Beach, Sydney in November Sydney Coaches via Reuters

In a video posted to the NSWRFS Twitter account, the Australians said: This bushfire season has been one of the most challenging in our history.

Weve seen an incredible response from firefighters and the community.

We want to say thank you in the biggest way possible and take our message to the world.

The billboard itself bore the message: Imagine fighting a bushfire higher than this billboard.

Thank you to the brave Australian and US firefighters defending Australia.

And to the world for all your support.

New South Wales - home to around a third of the 25 million people in Australia - bore the brunt of the wildfires.

But recent rains have helped the authorities control the situation, and water use restrictions will be lifted.

A total of 400mm (15.8 in) has fallen in some parts of the country this month alone.

Millions of acres of land were incinerated in the blazes.
Indias premier medical institute the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, received organ donations from the families of two brain dead patients in a span of past 48 hours, hospital authorities confirmed on Tuesday.

The two hearts, four kidneys, two livers, four corneas and bones of a 26-year-old man from Kashganj in Uttar Pradesh, and a 61-year-old Delhi man have already been transplanted.

Sixty one-year-old Anil Mittal was a pledged donor with the Dadhichi Deh Dan Samiti, an organisation that works in generating awareness about and promoting organ donation in the country. His family in the past has donated cadavers for research purposes at AIIMS. Mittal was declared brain dead on Monday morning at AIIMS.

My parents had read stories about Saint Dadhichi, who had donated his body to save gods from the atrocities of demons. We all have been inspired by those stories and it is a sort of our family tradition to pledge a body post death of a loved one. This is the first organ donation in the family, said Parmod Aggarwal, maternal uncle of Mittal.

The other donation came from Sachin, 26, who was a daily wage labourer working in Delhi and was brought to AIIMS Trauma Centre after he fell from the second floor of a building on Thursday, February 13. Two days later, on February 15, he was declared brain dead. After extensive counselling, Sachins family agreed to donate his organs.

This is not the first time that two brain dead donations have happened at AIIMS in a span of 2 days. About 5 years ago there were similar donations at the hospital. But it is certainly rare to have back to back donations by families of brain dead patients, said Dr Aarti Vij, head, Organ Retrieval and Banking Organisation (ORBO) at AIIMS.

India faces an acute shortage of cadaver organs for transplantation, with barely 5% of the organs that get transplanted annually in India coming from deceased donors. There is a huge gap between demand and supply as India needs about 2.5 lakh kidneys, livers and hearts each year but does not do more than 6,000-7,000 transplants, owing to lack of organs.

At any given day, there are more than 10,000 patients in India in want of an organ for transplant, out of which more than 50% dont have a matching donors within the family, and are forced to rely on organ donations from the families of brain dead patients.

The Central government has also launched the National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Registry in 2015, to bridge the enormous demand and supply gap in organ donations in the country. However, the donation rates are still abysmal.

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan has been strongly emphasising upon the need to motivate individuals, families and organizations to pledge to donate organs after death, and to spread awareness about the importance of organ donation.

One donor can save life of 7-8 patients and can enhance the quality of life of 40-50 patients, had said during the organ donation day (February 14).
A Rabbi ran over two people and crashed into the front of a pharmacy while helping a woman to park her car, a court heard.

Ralph Berisch, 75, claims he mixed up the accelerator and brake pedals as he got behind the wheel of the Jaguar, sending the vehicle suddenly forward on to the pavement in Golders Green.

He is on trial at Harrow crown court accused of seriously injuring the two men who were struck in the incident in March 2018.

Nicholas Alexander, prosecuting, told the jury how victims David Richards, who had just visited his children at nursery, and 79-year-old Simon Elkouby were going about their business when the car suddenly lurched towards them.

Ralph Berisch arriving at Harrow Crown Court / Tony Palmer

[Mr Richards] describes hearing an extremely loud revving of an engine and being struck from behind, he said. He was on the bonnet of the car and thinking he was going to die.

Mr Elkouby, who was using a walking stick, is seen on dramatic footage shown in court spotting the Jaguar coming towards him but not having time to move to safety.

You will see on the CCTV he tried to move out of the way but the car is moving at speed, said Mr Alexander.

The car collides with him and he is carried into the front window of the pharmacy.

The scene in Golders Green in north London / PA

Both men ended up in the front of the wrecked pharmacy in Golders Green Road, with Mr Elkouby suffering serious injuries and Mr Richards sustaining 13 leg fractures.

Following the crash, Berisch, who lives in Golders Green, told police that he had been doing a good deed by helping a woman he knew to park her car.

I put the car in drive, I dont know what happened. It took off, I couldnt control it, he said.

This video contains footage some may find distressing.

Berisch, who also crashed into a rubbish bin and a metal bollard as he accelerated to 20mph on the pavement, denies two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
A man wearing a face mask prays during a mass prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City on 16 February. (PHOTO: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  Amid the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, Israel has imposed an entry ban on foreign travellers from Singapore as well as three other East Asian countries and territories.

According to Israeli media reports, the ban also covers non-Israeli travellers to Thailand, Hong Kong and Macau, and was announced by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri on Monday (17 February). This comes on top of an existing ban on foreign travellers who have been to mainland China.

The latest restrictions, which are expected to come into effect in the following week, apply to all non-Israelis who have been to the aforementioned areas in the past 14 days. The move is also a step up from the 14-day home quarantine requirements for such travellers that were unveiled on Sunday.

Israeli travellers who have been to the four areas have to quarantine themselves for 14 days upon their return.

Concerns over political fallout

A Times Of Israel report noted that officials at Israels Foreign Ministry had expressed concerns over the potential diplomatic fallout from the ban.

The online daily cited fears of revenge steps being taken by the countries and territories affected by the ban, such as lower degrees of economic cooperation or the issuing of more frequent travel warnings about Israel in the wake of terror attacks.

Meanwhile, Israels national El Al airline is mulling whether to temporarily suspend all its flights to Thailand, having already suspended flights to and from Hong Kong until Thursday.

Hong Kongs national carrier, Cathay Pacific, is also expected to announce a suspension of flights to Israel, stating that its employees would not be able to enter the country given the new entry restrictions.

Yahoo News Singapore has reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Embassy in Singapore for comment.

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Lindy Li/Twitter

A prominent Young Democrats member has stepped down from her position over claims she experienced bullying from "Bernie Bros", a name given to Bernie Sanders' supporters.

Lindy Li was the treasurer for Pennsylvania Young Democrats, but it was announced on Monday by the organisation's president that he had accepted her resignation.

"Tonight I accepted the resignation of our Treasurer and am proud to appoint Rob Collini to the post & announce his confirmation by the PAYD Executive Committee," President TJ DeLuca wrote in a tweet on the organisation's page.

Ms Li, who's running to be a convention delegate for former Vice President Joe Biden, is a vocal critic of Mr Sanders on her Twitter page, often condemening his socialist position within the party. Her critiques gained notice from some of the Vermont senator's supporters, and she claims this criticism encouraged the Pennsylvania Young Democrats to force her to resign, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

"This is like Bernie Bro behavior in real life," Ms Li told the newspaper, referencing "aggressive" attacks online. "I wasn't always like this. They drove me to this."

Previously, she shared an image of herself with Mr Sanders in May 2018. She praised the senator at the time, but her opinions have since changed. Her Twitter platform is now largely used to show support for Democratic candidate Mr Biden and criticise Mr Sanders.

Mr DeLuca, who was elected president of the Pennsylvania Young Democrats last month, shared a different side as to why the organisation asked for her resignation. He told the Philadelphia Inquirer many state Democratic Party officials raised concerns over what was shared on Ms Li's Twitter page.

Former Young Democrat treasurer Lindy Li (pictured with Joe Biden) claims she was ousted for her anti-Bernie Sanders tweets (Lindy Li/Twitter)

He reportedly contacted her to discuss her profile, but she would only respond to emails and text messages instead of agreeing to meet in person, he said.

"Lindy is putting that pressure on herself," Mr DeLuca said. "She said she would rather resign than talk to me about her Twitter account."

Story continues

One recent tweet Ms Li shared was a video of Mr Sanders from his visit to Russia, then part of the Soviet Union, in 1988. The clip shows him heaping praise on to the country.

"#BernieSanders lavishes praise on Communist Russia, preferring the Soviet Union to the American way of life," Ms Li wrote alongside the clip.

#BernieSanders, who praised Communist regimes and joined a socialist party that took Irans side during the hostage crisis, is a grave risk to American democracy.



Get at me, #BernieBros. Do what you do best: excel in hate.https://t.co/HTzJ0Co4Wq  Lindy Li (@lindyli) February 13, 2020

Nice try, Berners.



Sorry you cant handle the truth about #BernieSanders.



Sorry you have to traffic in hate and intimidation. pic.twitter.com/yYHwwB6BAU  Lindy Li (@lindyli) February 17, 2020

Another critical tweet read: "#BernieSanders, who praised Communist regimes and joined a socialist party that took Iran's side during the hostage crisis, is a grave risk to American democracy. Get at me, #BernieBros. Do what you do best: excel in hate."

Ms Li sparked critiscim last month for also reweeting a tweet that called Mr Sander's a "self-hating Jew". She later deleted the retweet and released an apology, which she now says was an action encouraged by her former organisation. The apology has since been deleted.

Her resignation on Monday was "at her own free will", Mr DeLuca told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Brexit Uncertainty Drives 78 Projects; Talks with 425 More Companies Ongoing

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In internationally challenging times, the Netherlands continues to be a country of choice for foreign companies, with Brexit helping to drive a record-breaking year for foreign direct investment in 2019.

The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), its regional partners in the Invest in Holland network and the Holland International Distribution Council assisted in the attraction of 397 foreign investment projects worldwide last year, totaling 4.3 billion euros in capital investment and the planned creation of 14,000 direct jobs in their first three years in the Netherlands.

U.S. and Canadian companies like Google, Bloomberg, Discovery, Fujifilm Irvine Scientific, FreshBooks and Rakuten Medical tallied 94 direct investment projects in the Netherlands in 2019, accounting for about one-third of the 268 foreign investment projects that NFIA was directly involved in worldwide. The North American projects generated 4,188 jobs in the Netherlands. Projects involved marketing and sales offices, European headquarters, distribution centers and manufacturing facilities in a range of industries from information technology to life sciences & health.

"North American companies choose to invest in Holland to capitalize on our country's pro- business climate, highly educated and multilingual workforce, world-class infrastructure, innovative culture and quality of life that makes it easy to attract talent," said Henny Jacobs, Executive Director of NFIA Americas. "The Netherlands is the America's best gateway to Western Europe and the UK."

Brexit Uncertainty Remains

Since the Brexit referendum in June 2016, 140 companies have opted for the Netherlands for the necessary EU permits, access to the European market and the ability to attract European talent. Of the 140 companies, 78 made their decision in 2019. Media companies Discovery and Ridley Scott, credit rating agency AMBest and life sciences & health manufacturer Shionogi were among the companies choosing the Netherlands because of Brexit. Together, these companies account for more than 4,200 direct jobs and 375 million euros in investments in the first three years.

The sustained uncertainty from Brexit has resulted in a growing number of companies considering moving to the Netherlands. The NFIA is in discussions with 425 companies considering moving to or expanding in the Netherlands as a result of Brexit. Many companies want to continue doing business on the European market without facing disruption or uncertainty.

According to NFIA Commissioner Jeroen Nijland, "2020 will be an important year for these companies. Much will depend on the specifics of an economic partnership between the UK and the EU. The impact of this will vary from sector to sector and the pressure to reach agreements will be high this year. We see that a lot of companies and investments are waiting for the impact of these new agreements before making a decision. On the other hand, more and more companies are not waiting. They opt for the certainty and security on the European Market that the Netherlands offers instead."

NFIA offers free, confidential assistance to companies looking to establish or expand operations in the Netherlands and has North American offices located in Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, San Francisco and Toronto. For more information, visit www.investinholland.com.

SOURCE Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency
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Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 08:31 693 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206549e0b 1 Editorial #Editorial,foreign-direct-investment,omnibus-bill,omnibus-law,investment,investment-policies,law-enforcement,government-regulation,Jokowi-administration,economy,FDI Free

Most of the headline stories about the 1,028-page omnibus bill on job creation have unfortunately singled out controversial and negative pieces of its thousands of provisions, contributing to hostile public opinion even before deliberation started. Many even cynically labeled it a bad-luck bill.

Headlines that seemingly proclaim the government will go all out to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) by liberalizing investment rules, even at the cost of domestic enterprise, may add to political and social turbulence in deliberations. Such negative impressions have arisen because most mass media has failed to adequately explain the matter in full.

In assessing the bill, we should look back to why the government chose to use an omnibus bill specifically. The 16 major reform packages the government launched between 2015 and 2019 to reinvigorate investment have remained largely ineffective because their enforcement is hindered by overlapping and contradictory rules stipulated in about 80 laws and thousands of presidential regulations and ministerial decrees.

It would take more than 10 years to revise the numerous laws and regulations through the conventional lawmaking process, and the economy badly needs huge sums of investment right now to increase economic growth and create jobs to thereby reduce poverty and income inequality. This is why the government chose to create an omnibus bill on job creation, supplemented by another omnibus bill on taxation.

The omnibus bill is designed to remove inefcient bureaucracy, opaque regulations, complex procedures and high transaction costs that undermine business competitiveness.

Needless to say, FDI brings potential benefits to the country through a variety of channels, including linkages with the local private sector. Linkages between foreign firms and local suppliers enable knowledge and technology transfer, including know-how and practices that allow domestic suppliers to upgrade the quality and efficiency of their production. Linkages also expand the multiplier effect on the local economy.

Fortunately, we see provisions in the bill that design investor-targeting policies that will not woo FDI indiscriminately but will focus on a defined set of investments in select categories of industries that the government wants to develop in line with the national objective to promote development with equity.

Such a strategy would allow the government to choose the kinds of investment it prefers in order to support national objectives related to employment, technology transfer, export competitiveness, skills development, the empowerment of local business competence and other development goals.

An investor-targeting concept will also help the government screen foreign investors by their different motivations: those who intend only to exploit Indonesias static comparative advantage (natural resources), those who want to benefit from the potential of the vast domestic market and those who seek a more efficient business landscape to improve their competitiveness in global value chains.

The government should make the country competitive in attracting FDI by offering a wide range of incentives while at the same time ensuring that the benefits will outweigh the costs.
WATERBURY  The family of a popular New Milford music teacher who died by suicide at Waterbury Hospital last March has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the hospital.

Waterbury Hospital failed to properly supervise James Filgate even though he had been diagnosed as being at risk for suicide, according to the lawsuit filed in state Superior Court in Waterbury.

The lawsuit does not state specific money damages it seeks against the hospital.

Waterbury Hospital failed Jimmy and failed his family, said the familys lawyer, Kathleen Nastri, of the Bridgeport firm Koskoff, Koskoff and Bieder. The hospital let him down at his greatest time of need.

The hospital is owned by Prospect Medical Holdings of Los Angeles, a for-profit hospital chain.

Waterbury Hospital takes patient safety very seriously and we are committed to continuing to work closely with our regulators, our physicians and our staff with the goal of providing the safest care possible to our patients. As a matter of policy, we do not comment on pending litigation, said hospital spokeswoman Lauresha Xhihani.

Filgate, 65, grew up in Ridgefield and was the owner of Apple Studios in New Milford, where he taught music, specifically guitar. He portrayed George Harrison in the cast of Beatlemania and gave benefit concerts around the area.

He was found hanging by his belt in the bathroom of his room at Waterbury Hospital on March 28 just hours after he told a hospital social worker he intended to kill himself by hanging, according to the lawsuit.

Police said they learned of the incident two days later when the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner called to report it to them, according to the police report. The state Department of Public Health later conducted an investigation.

According to the lawsuit, on March 23, Filgate was transported to Waterbury Hospital based on family concerns about his mental health. He was initially confined to the hospitals behavioral health department but on March 25, Filgate was transferred to a general medical floor at the hospital, the suit states. While a psychiatrist and social worker at the hospital questioned the move, they did not object, the suit states.

His belt was returned to him despite concerns that he was a suicide risk, the suit states.

At approximately 9 p.m., Jimmy locked himself in the bathroom of his hospital room and hung himself, according to the suit.
A security and defence expert says Australia should hike taxes on the resources sector to fund a scheme for enticing young volunteers to bolster the ranks of Australia's firefighting forces and other emergency services.

Australian National University Professor with the Defence Studies Centre John Blaxland said climate change is increasing bushfire risks and "we are giving our resources away for a song".

NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers working through the night in January to prevent a flare up from crossing the Kings Highway between Nelligen and Batemans Bay. Credit:Kate Geraghty

"We really need to think in a fresh way with the long term in mind about what we are facing because the past is not the future and the future is going to look very different," Professor Blaxland said.

"A lot of people are getting very very wealthy off our resources and Australia doesn't get very much for it. Maybe once we could have let that continue, but I'm sorry folks the clouds are getting darker."
Surveys of public opinion lead to cherry-picking of the results according to political preferences. Let me save partisans the bother and view Northern Ireland's largest general election face-to-face study, carried out by Liverpool University, from differing perspectives.

The most important finding is on the likely outcome of a Border poll, given that, via the Good Friday Agreement, public opinion informs whether the Secretary of State calls one. The survey indicates that republicans still have much work to do to persuade most voters to back Irish unity.

Unionists might be relieved by the raw figures. That only 29pc of respondents say they would vote for a united Ireland in a Border poll tomorrow, against 52pc saying they would vote for Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK, will provide a boost.

Take out the 'don't knows' and the figures break down at 65pc to 35pc in favour of Northern Ireland's current constitutional position. The data offers an antidote to excitable recent commentary concerning the imminence of Irish unity.

From a wildly different perspective, hard-line republicans might claim vindication in dissenting from Sinn Fein's acceptance of the Northern consent principle.

Yet the Sinn Fein leadership has not claimed a united Ireland is inevitable. The party's message, reinforced by recent success in the Republic, is that unity is to be striven for and preparations begun.

Detailed consideration of the data offers more hope to republicans. First, only a bare majority of Northern Ireland's citizens (52pc) support its maintenance, hardly a resounding endorsement.

Second, there has been a 2pc rise in support for Irish unification since the 2017 election. This looks modest but that rate of increase every 2.5 years would produce a majority for a united Ireland within two decades.

The pro-unity figure of 29pc is the highest so far from an interview-based, non-self-selecting survey.

Third, nearly 17pc of respondents said they didn't know how they would vote, giving lots of electors to work upon.

Fourth, when the results include only those who voted in the 2019 election - people we might reasonably assume would also show up on referendum day - things are tighter: 61pc back Northern Ireland staying in the UK, against 39pc wanting Irish unity.

Among 2019 voters, Sinn Fein needs to convert 12 in every 100 voters to back unity to bridge that 24-point gap.

Those identifying as neither unionist nor nationalist need to be won over, as only 27pc would back a united Ireland. That's a big chunk (40pc) of the electorate.

Beyond a Border poll, the survey shows some broad agreement but continuing electoral polarisation.

Overwhelming support for restoration of the Assembly and Executive, with only 2pc of electors dissenting, is evident.

The top three election issues were Brexit, the NHS and the constitution, although DUP voters put the NHS first, and Sinn Fein voters Brexit.

There is agreement on minimising Brexit fallout. Most DUP voters still back EU withdrawal but do not like possible consequences. Less than one-third view checks on goods travelling across the Border on the island of Ireland as acceptable.

Only one in five DUP voters accepts the trade-off, checks on goods travelling between Britain and Northern Ireland. Even though this might represent an economic united Ireland, only one in three Sinn Fein voters back such arrangements.

The election began with rows about pacts. For all the noise, only 22pc of DUP voters and 12pc of UUP backers are opposed, while a mere 29pc of Sinn Fein and 21pc of SDLP voters reject pan-nationalist pacts.

Only a minority of supporters of any of the five main parties support British or Irish political parties standing in the North. Has electoral spring arrived? No chance.

The percentage of Catholics saying they voted DUP or UUP was zero. Protestants voting Sinn Fein or SDLP? 0.2pc. What about Alliance's rise? Of those declaring 'no religion', support for Alliance was almost double that for any other party.

The grim hostility shows in attitudes to party leaders. Asked to rate Arlene Foster on a zero (bad) to 10 (good) scale, more than half (56pc) of Sinn Fein voters gave the DUP leader the lowest possible ranking and just 2pc rated her at six or above.

Then again, 40pc of those same voters gave UUP leader Steve Aiken zero - and on election day the poor bloke had been in the job for only 33 days. SDLP voters are hardly more generous: 91pc rate Foster and Aiken between zero and five out of 10.

On the other side, three-quarters of DUP supporters rate Foster at eight or above and the same amount place Michelle O'Neill at two or below. Only 1pc of unionist voters give Sinn Fein's Northern leader a positive rating (six or above). SDLP leader Colum Eastwood must feel positively loved in comparison, with 9pc of unionist voters rating him at six or above.

There is no consensus on some issues now under Assembly control.

Only 8pc of DUP and UUP voters think there should be an Irish Language Act. Just 3pc of Sinn Fein and SDLP voters believe there should not.

Good luck to the new commissioner.
Originally conceived and written as an autobiographical one-man show (1989) by actor, screenwriter, and producer Calogero Lorenzo Palminteri, AKA Chazz Palminteri, A Bronx Tale is now a full-blown stage musical after a 1993 stop as a major motion picture by the same title and directed by actor Robert DeNiro (directorial debut). Palminteri starred in both previous versions, and also handles acting duties in the current New York production of the musical.

Set in the Italian neighborhood of Belmont Avenue in the early 60s, the show opens (and closes) with finely-tuned, streetlamp doo-wop (Dion and the Belmonts-style), a cappella singing by a foursome, belting out beautiful four-part harmonies that set a nostalgic tone to the shows autobiographical origins.

With an on-stage narrator, a now 20-something Calogero (presumably Palminteri) played by Alec Nevin, we are taken through a series of events in his life, beginning at age nine, when he witnessed a murder on the street over an argument about a parking space, and what led him to admire (and fear) Sonny (Jeff Brooks), the neighborhood tough guy who committed the murder.

When questioned by the police, the nine-year-old Calogero (Trey Murphy and Anthony Gianni in some performances) lies when Sonny is presented to him as a suspect, saving the feared underworld figure from arrest and conviction. As payback for the boys loyalty, Sonny becomes somewhat of a street foster father to the boy who admires the respect and lifestyle that Sonny enjoys as the protector in the neighborhood.

In opposition to Sonnys lifestyle is the boys father, Lorenzo (Nick Fradiani-yes, the same one from 2015s American Idol!), a bus driver who instills honest values into young Calogero, and attempts to create distance between his son and the feared mobster who has taken the boy under his wing.

The aforementioned relationships and various fall-out from this seemingly unholy alliance is the premise of the dramatic tension that is further fired up by some intense choreography thats fueled by music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. Throughout the action, Nevin alternates between stage manager-style guide to the action and a fully-engaged, older Calogero who is participating in real-time scenes.

Even given the darker side of the street life, Palminteri, nevertheless, finds humor in the main characters reminiscences as a variety of characters are introduced who are associates of Sonnys from Rudy the Voice, to JoJo the Whale, to Frankie Coffeecake (because his face looked like the topping on a Drakes coffeecake), among others.

This finely tuned production fires up from the very beginning as the Young Calogero and ensemble sing and dance to the homage Belmont Avenue. Light as a feather on his feet, the youngster does notable vocal work, as well, as the ensemble moves across the stage with Broadway-style leg kicks in unison, ushering us into the Italian neighborhood of the time.

With some 19 musical numbers, the show is flush with all types of singing, from duets and ballads to rousing ensemble treats like Roll Em, Webster Avenue, and The Choices We Make.

Individual vocals throughout are outstanding, especially from principals Brooks (One of the Great Ones), Fradiani (Giving Back the Money), and Nevin (Hurt Someone). Kayla Jennerson, who plays Calogeros forbidden love interest, not only reaches for the sound barrier with a sweet, exquisite voice, but also does notable footwork on a well-trafficed stage.

Lighting and scenic design is worthy of a house show, let alone the fact that all this stuff has to be loaded into trailers for the next stop on the tour. With ascending and decending balconies and stairways, lighting to mimic the urban landscape, and sound reproductions from sirens, explosions, and gunshots, this Tale is a treat for the senses as well as the heart.

The Details

What: A Bronx Tale, presented by Famous Artists Broadway Series

Where: Crouse-Hinds Theater, Onondaga County Civic Center, Syracuse

When Seen: Opening Night, Tuesday, February 18

Attendance: Full House: Approximately 2100

Length of Production: Approximately 2 hours, including a 15-minute intermission

Family Guide: Adult themes and language; exploration of criminal lifestyle; considerable violence and gunfire and one huge explosion. Not for young kids

Runs Through: Thursday, February 20, 2020

Information and Tickets: 315-424-8210 and BROADWAYINSYRACUSE.COM

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YMCA writing center to present author Cheryl Strayed March 12

Berlin Philharmonic Piano Quartet to play in Syracuse Feb. 23
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020

Fewer corruption cases were brought to court in 2019, but total state losses incurred nearly doubled to Rp 8.4 trillion (US$614 million), the highest in five years, according to antigraft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW).

An ICW survey found that 580 individuals were prosecuted in 271 corruption cases investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the police and the Attorney Generals Office (AGO) last year, compared to 1,087 individuals and 454 cases in 2018.

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Y ou wont hear it from ministers, but lets remember that immigration is not a problem but a solution.

Indeed, the many ministers in this Government who, commendably, come from a minority ethnic background, and are the children of low and semi-skilled migrants, are the best advertisement for our open society.

They should know that an economy with near-full employment by definition does not have a large pool of unemployed people sitting at home waiting for work; so either the workers must come from elsewhere, or there will be labour shortages that lead to higher prices for consumers and a less successful economy.

What about the 800,000 Britons not in work or training? Cutting off the supply of employable people does not help the unemployable.

If you really want to support them into work then you need to continue with the difficult welfare, education and disability reform that has already driven their numbers down  but which this Government, so far, seems loath to touch.

Similarly, a society with an ageing population should be seeking a younger workforce to pay the taxes that will fund its ever-more expensive health and social care. That is because every serious piece of analysis commissioned by Whitehall shows that immigrants, because they tend to be young and working, contribute more to public finances than they consume.

Immigration also adds to diversity, which makes for a richer culture and a more productive society. Mono-ethnic countries that shun newcomers are the ones which history condemns to stagnation and irrelevance.

So how should we judge the Governments new immigration plans?

Lets not be fooled by slogans describing this as the Australian-style points-based approach. The points are a distraction  the key policy is the end to European free movement, and the real test, for an employment visa, is the salary threshold.

We should be highly sceptical that a committee of so-called Government experts will be able to set that threshold with any meaningful assessment of the needs of the economy.

The experts have no real idea what those needs are, any more than the architects of the Soviet Gosplan did. Even in the NHS, under state direction, forecasts of the number of nurses needed are often woeful.

How is government supposed to work out the needs of the burgeoning gig economy? A decade ago no department anticipated it might even exist  thats one of the beauties of private-sector innovation.

So should we be worried about the damage these plans will do  especially in London which has thrived on its immigrants?

No, because the points system will be quickly gamed. There will still be plenty of legal routes into the country for lower-paid people, through the increased post-study opportunities already announced and the expanded family route promised.

Expect these to become popular, and for illegal immigration sadly to grow.

We are an open society and economy and it will take more than a closed mind in Whitehall to shut it down.

The EU loses its marbles

After three years of impressive focus and discipline in its approach to the Brexit negotiations, Brussels is now engaging in the ill-disciplined cherry-picking that it used to snigger at London for.

Its draft negotiating mandate for a future trade deal includes demanding a return of unlawfully removed cultural objects.

Thats code for the Parthenon friezes, which Lord Elgin purchased (quite legally, with funds granted by Parliament) from the then-Ottoman government in Athens.

We wonder what the curators of the Venus de Milo at the Louvre, or the bust of Queen Nefertiti in Berlins Egyptian Museum, make of this self-defeating request.

Two things are certain: the friezes are staying put in the British Museum; while the British government has got its clearest sign that the EU no longer has its eye on the ball, marble or otherwise.

Listen to today's episode of The Leader:
A customer orders drinks and a muffin with the 'siren order' system on her mobile application at a Starbucks coffee shop in Seoul in this 2018 file photo. / Yonhap

By Kim Jae-heun







The National Assembly passed three bills related to data last month that allowed the open banking system used by local banks and FinTech firms to access the information.







This has opened a new world for many enterprises to use big data in collecting information about their customers, and Starbucks Korea is no exception. In fact, it is in a strong position to utilize big data and the open banking system to the fullest







Korea is the fifth largest market for the American coffee franchise, with over 1,380 outlets currently operating nationwide, and among them, 850 have been designated "no cash shops."







The global coffee chain adopted the program starting last April and it has been encouraging people to use its "My Starbucks Reward" system where customers charge their mobile application card to pay.







Customers have other options such as a credit card or Samsung Pay, but Starbucks Korea started its "siren order" system in 2014, allowing people to order coffee directly from the app on their mobile phone.







Customers order in advance and can take their purchase away on arrival. This has led to nearly 5 million customers registering for the service.







According to a 2018 Starbucks Korea report, the coffee company received 75 billion won in advance payments.







A Starbucks Korea official said this amount was not entirely cash customers charged on their mobile application as it included other money as well.







"We cannot reveal how much of the 75 billion won is from the cash our customers deposited through their mobile apps. Also, we cannot say what other money has been included in the advance received category in our audit report. It is a business secret," he said.







"The advance payment is not profit. It is literally prepaid money for the drinks that our customers want in the future. Obviously, we cannot freely use the funds," the official added.







Another Starbucks Korea official denied the franchise was paying more dividends to its headquarters in the United States from the increasing sales it is reporting annually.







Instead, he hinted that the company could invest the boosted profits into improving customer service utilizing big data.







The Korean branch not only launched the "siren order" system, but also began a "call my name" service in 2014. Staff call out the customer's name when their order is ready.







The company said this has earned a positive response from customers for its friendly communication service.







It also collects feedback from people online about new drinks it has launched.







"Starbucks Korea, in particular, has introduced many unique products that use local ingredients. The mungyeong omija fizzio, a five-flavor berry soda drink, is one of the most popular drinks that we began offering two years ago only in Korea," the official said.







Starbucks Korea said it has no plans for any new services in the near future, but for now it will continue with "My DT Pass" where customers can order a drink for a drive-thru pickup. The payment will be made online and license plate number recognition technology will help to identify customers who have registered their vehicle's information in the app.







"We adopted new technology that allows customers to order using their voice. Because it is not safe to use a mobile phone while driving, our application will can recognize a voice command and send an order to a designated drive-thru coffee shop," the official said.


Washington wants its allies to ban Huawei, the world's largest producer of telecoms equipment, arguing the use of its kit creates the potential for espionage by China - a claim denied by Huawei and Beijing

EU countries have no reason to use 5G mobile technology from Huawei because Sweden's Ericsson , Finland's Nokia and South Korea's Samsung are on par with the Chinese group in the field, a senior U.S. diplomat said.

Robert Strayer, deputy assistant secretary for cyber, international communications and information policy at the U.S. State Department, said on a visit to Lisbon it was "necessary to demystify" the notion that Huawei is more advanced in 5G.

Washington wants its allies to ban Huawei, the world's largest producer of telecoms equipment, arguing the use of its kit creates the potential for espionage by China - a claim denied by Huawei and Beijing.

Its stance has sparked tensions with allies such as Britain, whose Prime Minister Boris Johnson has granted Huawei a limited role in building a 5G mobile network.

Strayer said the United States is encouraging European countries to think carefully about the security and economic implications of rushing forward with using Huawei's technology.

"There is no way to fully mitigate any type of risk except the use of trusted vendors from democratic countries," Strayer told reporters.

"The good news is Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung all provide 5G technology that is on par with the one Huawei is providing today. They are leading the world in the type of technology they have."

Huawei says it spent $15 billion last year on research to help it achieve market leadership and has said the United States wants to frustrate its growth because no U.S. company could offer the same range of technology at a competitive price.

Strayer said Western vendors such as Ericsson and Nokia will use an open architecture with more functionality, creating opportunities for companies in the United States and Europe to provide compatible equipment.

American companies like Dell, Cisco, Juniper and VMware "want to play a future role", he said, seeing many European companies also getting involved.

The European Union has said it would allow members to decide what part China's Huawei can play in 5G networks.

Portugal last month approved guidelines for its 5G strategy and launched a working group to permanently monitor the risks and security of this network.

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A turf cutter has vowed he will be back cutting turf on EU protected bogs in East Galway next month - weather permitting - after efforts by the State to prosecute four men failed at Galway Circuit Criminal Court this week.

The four men who were in court this week said it was a great day for rural Ireland as they walked free from court moments after their trial collapsed due to lack of evidence.

All four were initially charged in 2013 with cutting turf on three EU protected bogs in the Woodford and Portumna areas of South-East Galway in 2012.

Following several adjournments in the intervening years, their trial finally opened before a jury today in Galway.

However, moments after it began, Judge Rory McCabe directed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty by direction of the trial judge, after the State conceded it could offer no evidence as a crucial prosecution witness was in Australia.

Moments beforehand, Anthony Porter(51), Bauntia, Woodford, pleaded not guilty to a single charge of using machinery on an EU site, to extract turf or peat, at Clonco bog, Woodford, on August 21, 2012, which would affect the integrity of the site in contravention of the European Communities (Birds and Habitats) Regulations 2011.

Co-accused, Michael Darcy(50), Ballycahill, Killimor, Ballinasloe, pleaded not guilty to cutting turf on protected bog at Derryvunlan, Portumna on May 23, 2012.

He also denied and second charge of cutting turf on Clonmoylan bog near Killimor on May 22, 2012.

Pat McDonagh(49), from Killeen, Ballyshrule, Ballinasloe, pleaded not guilty to cutting turf on August 21, 2012, at Clonco bog, Woodford.

His colleague, Padraic Byrne(64), Killimor, Ballinasloe, also denied cutting turf at Clonmoylan bog on May 22, 2012 and again at Derryvunlan bog the following day.

Judge McCabe told the jury panel earlier he had been told the trial would not be proceeding but he was required to follow the correct procedure and empanel a jury.

After a jury was empanelled, Galway East State solicitor, Ms Geri Silke, intimated there was a problem with a crucial State witness and she was not in a position to offer any evidence.

Judge McCabe then directed the jury to find the four accused not guilty.

A group of supporters, who had been holding a silent protest earlier outside on the steps of the Courthouse, clapped loudly at the back of the courtroom as the judge told the men they were free to go.

Several representatives across the political divide were also present in court to lend their support.

Afterwards, Mr Gearoid Geraghty, solicitor, who represented the men, said: Its been incredibly stressful for the men and their families. These are ordinary, country people and they have been here now on fourteen separate occasions awaiting trial.

They dont see themselves as criminals. Theyre just doing what theyve done all their lives and their parents and grandparents did before them.

Spokesman for the men, Michael Darcy added: Were delighted its all over because it went on for the last seven or eight years.

Its a great day for rural Ireland because now weve been vindicated and we can cut turf in our own bogs.

Were delighted its all over because it was very stressful. I could be going down the street and someone would say theres one of the criminals, so were delighted now that its finally put to bed.

From day one it was wrong, when two guards and two rangers came into the bog and told me I was cutting turf illegally on a European site. How can any property be a European site without even talking to the people who own it? And thats why I stood my ground and if I hadnt stood my ground and stayed cutting turf other people mightnt and it might be over.

So, we will be cutting turf again and we wont be stopped. We will be back out on the bogs in a months time, weather permitting, Mr Byrne said.
Turkey Denies Destruction of Its Vessel in Port of Tripoli

Sputnik News

17:43 GMT 18.02.2020

Ankara previously deployed military advisors and instructors to Libya to support the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) against the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Khalifa Haftar.

Ibrahim Kalin, the spokesman of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that Ankara can't confirm claims that its vessel has been destroyed in the port of Tripoli, Libya.

"The ship was fired at, but there was no hit. Multiple shots were fired in return. I can say that after this the situation calmed down," Kalin told reporters.

The statement comes hours after the Libyan National Army (LNA) said in an official statement on Facebook that its forces had destroyed a Turkish vessel, carrying weapons and ammunition that was docked in the port of Tripoli. According to the LNA, by delivering the cargo, Ankara has violated an international agreement banning arms sales to the country.

In the meantime, vessels at the port were evacuated after the attack, Reuters reported, citing port officials.

Commenting on the claims, the administrations of the port said that there was no Turkish vessel in the port.

The news comes just a day after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the LNA was constantly violating the ceasefire and that Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar "must be stopped". His statement was made on the 9th anniversary of Libya's revolution that ended the decades-long rule of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, dragging the country into civil war.

Turkish authorities earlier supported the UN-endorsed GNA, led by Fayez al-Serraj that controls the western part of the country. In the meantime, the Tobruk-based government, supported by the LNA, has accused Ankara of seeking to conquer the North African country.

While Turkey stated it is ready to deploy troops to protect the GNA, Haftar announced mobilisation to resist foreign intervention.

A Sputnik

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An Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers patrol along the border fence at an outpost along the India-Pakistan border in Suchit-Garh, 36 kms southwest of Jammu on Jan. 11, 2013. (Tauseef Mustafa/AFP via Getty Images)

IndiaPakistan Border Draws Attention as US Adjusts IndoPacific Strategy, Experts Say

The importance of the IndiaPakistan border has remained low for the United States for many decades, but experts say it is gaining new strategic meaning as part of its emerging Indo-Pacific strategy, which redefines U.S. resources and partnerships in the region.

The historically conflicted boundary between India and Pakistan also forms the territorial demarcation line between the U.S. militarys Central Command and its Indo-Pacific command and thus, places India and Pakistan into two separate strategic military zones, according to Kashish Parpiani, a Mumbai-based expert with the Observer Research Foundation.

Traditionally, India wasnt allowed to participate in Central Command even though it had concerns that transverse its western border in the region, but that has changed.

After its last 2-plus-2 Ministerial Dialogue, the United States decided that India would get increased access to U.S. Central Command. The 2-plus-2 Ministerial dialogue is the highest-level institutional mechanism between the two countries that allows for a periodic review of the security, defense, and strategic partnership.

That decision will provide more balance to the Indo-Pacific partnership, Richard M. Rossow, senior adviser of Indian policy studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in a commentary published Dec. 20.

Parpiani said that providing India more access to U.S. Central Command will mean giving India more than a keyhole view into the U.S. military developments in the regionwith respect to its allied relations with Pakistan.

Its a matter of [the] U.S. agreeing to more transparency on its relations with Pakistan. [It] can be seen as a gesture of providing an assurance to India.

Line of Control

India shares 2,065 miles of international land border with Pakistan, according to the Indian government (pdf). That includes 450 miles of disputed area known as the Line of Control, a de facto border that emerged as a cease-fire line between the two countries after their first war of 194748, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. It is one of the most militarized borders in the world.

India and Pakistan have fought four wars on that border and the region continues to be fertile ground for multiple non-state actors that operate against the Indian state from Pakistans soil. Many of them, such as the Hizbul Mujahideen, Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami, Harakat ul-Mujahidin, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Lashkar-e Tayyiba, are identified by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations, according to a CIA list.

Meanwhile, the border also has a substantial Chinese presence in the disputed Gilgit-Baltistan region and Chinas ambitious One Belt, One Road initiative (OBOR) passes through it, a major cause of worry for both India and United States, according to Alice Wells, the U.S. principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia.

A Pakistani army officer (3L) briefs Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing (4L) and Pakistani army Major General Asif Ghafoor (2L) and foreign diplomats during their visit at a cross border shelling affected area in Jura, a village of Neelum valley in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Oct. 22, 2019. (Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, China has invested in many projects near the Line of Control in the disputed territory held by Pakistan, and India perceives Chinas presence in the disputed territory as direct violation of Indias sovereignty over the region, said Ayjaz Wani, a research fellow at the Observer Research Foundation.

A Council for Foreign Relations report shares Wanis concerns and notes that Washington, under the Trump adminstration, has sounded the alarm over OBOR.

Meanwhile, the United States shares the concern of some in Asia that [OBOR] could be a Trojan horse for China-led regional development and military expansion, according to the report by Andrew Chatzky and James McBride.

Chatzky and McBride also say that India believes [OBOR] is a plan to dominate Asia and feels unsettled with Chinas decades-long embrace of Pakistan.

The United States views India as a counterweight to a China-dominated Asia and has sought to knit together its strategic relationships in the region via the 2017 Indo-Pacific Strategy, the report, released on Jan. 28, states.

As a major conflict theatre of global strategic relevance, the border is as important to the United States as it is for its global adversary, China, Parpiani says.

He believes that the Indo-Pacific strategy makes the IndiaPakistan border extremely important because without resolving the historical disputed border issues between the two South Asian rivals, a holistic view of the IndoPacific strategy isnt possible. Parpianis holistic approach would address all of Indias concerns and actually enable it to play the role it should as a strategic partner of the United States.

Addressing Indias Concerns

Indias concerns about its border with Pakistan arise out of the tense security situation in the region, and if the United States aims to cultivate India as a strong strategic partner in the region, it must address Indias concerns with Pakistan, Parpiani said.

Indias eastward commitment to the American calculus on the Indo-Pacific region stands impeded by Indias continued focus on its western frontier. Pakistans use of subversive statecraft to exacerbate the conflict in and over Kashmir, is the central reason, he said.

However, Indias threat perception vis-a-vis Pakistan is misplaced and distracts India from playing the role it ought to play as a U.S. ally, Kanishkan Sathasivam, a Massachusetts-based geopolitical analyst, said.

During the Cold War, the U.S. believed India should have been allied with the West against the Soviet Union, but [it] refused to do so because of its hostility with Pakistan, which was an ally of the West.

Now, in the post-Cold War era, again the U.S. believes India should stand with the U.S. and its other Asian allies against China, and treat China as Indias primary source of threat, he said. But India continues to be obsessed with Pakistan over any and all other issues.

Parpiani notes that the United States recently began to address this gap by cultivating India as a better strategic partner as part of a holistic Indo-Pacific strategy.

Indian soldiers inspect the remains of an Indian Air Force helicopter after it crashed in Budgam district, outside Srinagar on Feb. 27, 2019. (Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images)

US Versus China in the Region

Countering China is fundamental to the United States IndoPacific strategy, according to Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, a Washington-based geopolitical analyst. He says the significance of the India-Pakistan border should be viewed in this context.

Any area where China is present or has some type of interests is meticulously analyzed in Washington in the context of how it affects U.S. interests, including the security of its partners and allies, Sanchez said.

Obviously, Washington ideally wants there to be peace between New Delhi and Islamabad for a variety of reasons, including the fear of two nuclear powers having a war, and dealing with insurgency and instability out of Afghanistan. When it comes to China, Islamabad is a big recipient of Chinese investment.

Parpiani suggests the possibility of the zone near the IndiaPakistan boundary area as a strategic outpost between two like-minded partners. He said that because the United States and China are mostly sea adversaries and dont share any land borders, that area could be an ideal launchpad for U.S. forces, even though they have an alternative nearby in Afghanistan.

For China, the IndiaPakistan border is significant toward its connectivity projects (such the China Pakistan Economic Corridor) and mostly to keep Indias security calculus pegged on its northwestern frontieraway from India gradually assuming an activist role projecting south and definitely eastward, he said.

The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is Chinas largest OBOR project globally, with more than $60 billion committed to projects in Pakistan, according to Wells.

The Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing, has repeated the off-used characterization of CPEC as a game-changer for Pakistan. In fact, the ambassador has said that China wants to see its relationship with Pakistan serve as an example for its relations with other states, Wells said during remarks at the Wilson Center in Washington on Nov. 21, 2019.

Sathasivam said China wants to keep the disputed border between India and Pakistan alive because it gives leverage to China against India in multiple ways.

The fence erected within the Indian territory near the India-Pakistan International Border along with floodlights at Chak Changa village at Hiranagar, Jammu State, India, Oct. 2012. (Venus Upadhayaya/The Epoch Times)

One, given Pakistans alliance with China, if India wants Chinese help in containing any Pakistani ambitions in Kashmir, then China will expect that India keep out of any U.S. alliance as a quid pro quo (along with Indias acceptance of any and all Chinese actions in Tibet), he said.

In addition, India must try to maintain good relations with the Beijing regime because any future conflict with Pakistan might also draw China into the dispute, Sathasivam said.

And three, China gets to bypass India, and not have need for any Indian cooperation with respect to [OBOR], because Pakistan-controlled Kashmir creates a direct border between China and Pakistan, he said.
PANAMA CITY, Fl, Feb. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) and Chevron Lummus Global LLC (CLG) are working toward a more sustainable future by developing novel solutions to meet the global need for sustainable aviation fuels. The team is proud to announce that ASTM International has approved the new production pathway for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) called Catalytic Hydrothermolysis Jet, or CHJ.

Commercial volumes of competitively priced sustainable aviation fuel are in demand, said Chuck Red, ARAs Vice President of Fuels Development. The aviation sector is working hard to improve its carbon footprint and the approval of the CHJ pathway adds another great option. We are excited to play our part by accelerating the scaling of sustainable aviation fuels.

ASTM D7566 Annex A6 was approved on Dec. 15 and was published in the revised specification for Aviation Turbine Fuel Containing Synthesized Hydrocarbons, ASTM D7566-19b on January 29.

The new annex allows blending of up to 50 percent of ARA and CLGs ReadiJet with petroleum-derived jet fuel. ReadiJet is produced by the Biofuels ISOCONVERSION process, which is jointly developed by ARA and CLG. CLG serves as the single point of contact for licensing and engineering of Biofuels ISOCONVERSION.

Biofuels ISOCONVERSION technology consists of hydrothermal conversion and hydrotreating operations that convert waste fats, oils, and greases into jet fuel that is nearly indistinguishable from petroleum jet fuel. ReadiJet contains a uniform distribution of all hydrocarbon types observed in petroleum fuels including aromatic, cycloparaffin, isoparaffin, and normal paraffin compounds.

ReadiJet is a very clean, high-thermal-stability fuel that exhibits density and energy content equivalent to petroleum Jet A or Jet A-1. ReadiJet was the first sustainable aviation fuel to be flight tested neat, unblended, when it was flown in a National Research Council Canada Falcon 20 aircraft on Oct. 12, 2012.

Story continues

ARA, CLG, and their partners produced 70,000 gallons of ReadiJet that met the U.S. Navy procurement specification for renewable JP-5 (called CHCJ-5). The U.S. Navy successfully flew nine EA-18G Growler flights on 100 percent CHJ (no blending with petroleum) as part of its MILSPEC certification of the fuel in 2016.

This was a huge team effort to scale and commercialize the technology and achieve the certification of the jet fuel, said Ed Coppola, who led ARAs certification effort. We are thankful for the support of the original equipment manufacturers, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, and the FAA and its CLEEN program, who performed extensive analysis and testing of CHJ. We also appreciate the support of organizations such as the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) and Airlines for America, who continue to be strong advocates for commercial production of sustainable aviation fuels.

CLG is excited to be able to offer Biofuels ISOCONVERSION technology, along with our partner, ARA, to meet the growing demand of renewable fuels, said Thad Sauvain, CLGs Global Licensing and Sales Director. This ASTM certification is further proof of the viability of the products from our technology,

The Biofuels ISOCONVERSION technology is now poised for scale up in the United States and Japan. In the United States, multiple commercial projects are in engineering, and Euglena Corporation is working to start up its integrated Biofuels ISOCONVERSION demonstration facility in Japan with the intent to deliver CHJ for commercial flights during the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

For more information about Biofuels ISOCONVERSION, contact Chuck Red at cred@ara.com or Thad Sauvain at Thad.Sauvain@chevron.com.

About Applied Research Associates, Inc

Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) was founded in 1979, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to offer science and engineering research to solve problems of national importance. ARA delivers leading-edge products and solutions for national defense, energy, homeland security, aerospace, healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing. With over 1,400 employee-owners at locations in the U.S. and Canada, ARA offers a broad range of technical expertise in defense technologies, civil engineering, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, biomedical engineering, environmental technologies, and blast testing and measurement. For more information visit www.ara.com.

About Chevron Lummus Global



Chevron Lummus Global LLC (CLG), a joint venture between Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and McDermott, is a leading process technology licensor for refining hydroprocessing technologies and alternative source fuels, as well as a global leader in catalyst system supply. CLG offers the most complete bottom-of-the-barrel solution for upgrading heavy oil residues. Our research and development experts are continuously seeking advancements in technology and catalysts that will improve operating economics for your next project. For more information, visit www.chevronlummus.com.

Attachment

Chuck Red

Applied Research Associates, Inc.

(850) 914-3188

cred@ara.com


Odisha Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari on Tuesday presented the annual budget for 2020-21 with an outlay of Rs 1,50,000 crore, a rise of 11.1 in comparison to the previous fiscal. While Rs 65,655 crore has been allocated as administrative expenditure, Rs 74,000 crore is meant for programme expenditure, Rs 3,200 crore for disaster response fund and Rs 7,145 crore towards transfers from the state, Pujari said in the assembly, describing it as a revenue surplus budget.

The minister had presented a Rs 1.39 lakh-crore budget for 2019-20. Pujari said the outlay is proposed to be financed through revenue receipt of Rs 1,24,300 crore and borrowing and other receipt of Rs 25,700 crore. "The fiscal deficit is estimated to be 3 per cent of GSDP for the year 2020-21," he said. The total revenue receipt include the state's own tax of Rs 38,350 crore and non-tax revenue of Rs 17,650 crore, its share in central taxes for Rs 36,300 crore and grants from the Centre for Rs 32,000 crore.

The capital outlay in 2020-21 is Rs 26,513 crore, which is about 4.5 per cent of the GSDP. Additionally, loans and advances, grants for creation of capital assets and other expenditure for capital formation together account for Rs 10,000 crore, accounting for 1.7 per cent of the GSDP. For the first time, the Odisha government has switched to a digital method of budget presentation to reduce printing of papers for the exercise, Pujari said, adding, the e-budget format has saved about "1,000 large trees from being felled".

Pujari read out his budget speech from a tablet computer, while all MLAs, including Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, were provided with similar devices containing the budget document. The finance minister said nutrition budget, strategic budget and a climate code budget have been introduced this year. By separating specific sectors, focus has been given to environment, child and women and infrastructure development, he said. Pujari, like other years, presented the budget in two parts - agriculture and general.

For agriculture, he collocated Rs 19,408 crore for 2020-21 and said another Rs 12,000 crore is to be invested through extra budgetary resources. To increase income of farmers, the finance minister proposed a 'Samruddha Krishi Niti-2020' in the budget. He proposed an allocation of Rs 3,195 crore for the KALIA scheme.Pujari added that construction of in-stream storage structure in all major rivers with an investment of Rs 12,000 crore over five years is a step towards transformation.

Also read: 7th Pay commission: Odisha approves 10% arrears; increases 5% DA for govt employees

Also read: At 9.1%, India to see decade's lowest salary hike in 2020: report
A house-hunting mother has been left in shock after a potential landlord offered her discounted rent in return for breast pictures for his 'modelling business'.

Georgia Linehan, from Canterbury, who spoke to the homeowner while searching for a new house on Gumtree, posted a screenshot of the strange exchange to Twitter.

In the WhatsApp conversation, she began by discussing the details of a potential rental agreement in Whitstable, Kent, for both herself and her family.

But when she asked the price of monthly rent at the property, the landlord instead offered a 'disgusting' arrangement to help her save some cash.

Georgia Linehan (pictured), from Canterbury, was left horrified after a potential landlord offered to reduce her rent if she sent him pictures of her breasts for his 'modelling business'

Shocked Georgia posted a screenshot of the strange exchange to Twitter (pictured) on Monday following her conversation with the homeowner

'There is an option to reduce rent if you wanted to', the man commented. 'I own a modelling company, a couple of my tenants work for me doing boob work basically - breast pictures.

'For two pictures the rent gets reduced by 200'.

Taking to social media to share the forward conversation, a horrified Georgia asserted it was the 'last time' she would ever turn to classified advertisement and community website Gumtree when looking for a house.

She later added she 'cannot stress enough' how much she 'hates men' after the interaction.

In the WhatsApp conversation, the young mother can be seen discussing the details of a potential rental agreement in Whitstable, Kent, for her and her family

Following the inappropriate suggestion, a shocked Georgia said: 'I cannot stress enough how much I hate men' (pictured)

Earlier in the conversation, Georgia had thanked the homeowner for sending her photographs of a property, before asking him how much it would cost per month.

After confirming it would be 695, Georgia told the man she would have to think and get back to him in a couple of days.

It was then that he told the mother he could offer her an 'option to reduce rent,' before suggesting the bizarre arrangement.

Dozens of social media users were quick to take to the comments sections - with one branded the proposal 'disgusting.'

'What the actual f*** is wrong with people?' raged one, while a second penned: 'How disgusting'.

Dozens of social media users were quick to take to the comments section, with many branding the proposal 'disgusting'

A third added: 'That's absolutely awful', while a fourth commented: 'Can you report it to someone? What a disgusting individual but why on Earth are you sending him, a stranger, kisses?'

A Gumtree spokesperson said: 'Gumtree is committed to keeping the platform as safe as possible and this activity is a breach of our policy. We strongly encourage our users to report this type of behaviour so our dedicated safety team can investigate and take appropriate actions such as removing adverts and blocking offending users, like this advertiser, from the site.'

'We also urge our users to communicate via the app rather than other methods, as this makes it easier for us to take action. We provide comprehensive safety advice for prospective tenants on our website and we continue to invest in our platform as well as work closely with government and law enforcement agencies to make Gumtree a safe place to operate.'
SWINDON, United Kingdom, Feb. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sensata Technologies (NYSE: ST) today announced that Jeffrey Cote, President, Chief Operating Officer and incoming CEO, will present at the Barclays Industrial Select Conference, which is being held at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel on Wednesday, February 19th at 10:20 a.m. ET.



A live audio webcast of the presentation will be available on the Company's investor relations website at: http://investors.sensata.com.

About Sensata Technologies

Sensata Technologies is a leading industrial technology company that develops sensors, sensor-based solutions, including controllers and software, and other mission-critical products to create valuable business insights for customers and end users. For more than 100 years, Sensata has provided a wide range of customized, sensor-rich solutions that address complex engineering requirements to help customers solve difficult challenges in the automotive, heavy vehicle & off-road, industrial and aerospace industries. With more than 21,000 employees and operations in 11 countries, Sensatas solutions help to make products safer, cleaner and more efficient, more electrified, and more connected. For more information, please visit Sensatas website at www.sensata.com .

Investor Contact:
The Ukrainian judges are not scheduled to meet with Russian counterparts.

Delegates of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU), led by CCU Chairman Oleksandr Tupytskiy, will take part in an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Moldova.

"The delegation of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, led by Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Oleksandr Tupytskiy, (composed of) judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Viktor Kryvenko and head of the Secretariat of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Viktor Beschastny is going on a two-day official visit to the Republic of Moldova today," the CCU's media liaison and legal monitoring department said.

Read alsoConstitutional Court votes to appoint new chief: source

The Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to hold several working meetings on February 19 and to participate in an international conference on the 25th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Moldova on February 20, a spokesperson for the CCU's press service said.

"Our delegation has scheduled a meeting with Chairman of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova Vladimir Turcan and a number of other meetings," the CCU said.

At the same time, the CCU's press service said it could not inform in detail about the planned meetings, but promised to elaborate on them later. "We can't give the details now ... We will inform media representatives about this working visit," the CCU said.

Asked whether the Ukrainian delegation plans to participate in events together with the delegation of the Constitutional Court of Russia during the visit to Moldova, the spokesman for the press service replied: "I do not have information about the participation of the delegation of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation and, at least, our agenda does not have working meetings with representatives of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation."

Meanwhile, the head of the external relations department of the Constitutional Court of Moldova, Mihail Barbulat, told UNIAN that delegations from 14 countries, including that from Russia, would arrive to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Moldova.

According to him, all delegations will take part in the international conference organized by the Constitutional Court of Moldova.

"This is a standard international conference organized according to all the rules of the protocol provided for such an event. We would not have any new element ..., in any European country it would be held according to the same patterns," he said.

Read alsoNew bill on lifting parliamentary immunity challenged in Constitutional Court

When asked whether the Ukrainian and Russian delegations would both participate in the event, Barbulat answered in the affirmative, adding: "... along with the Georgian one, with the delegations of European countries, because this ... is not a bilateral visit of any of the delegations, this is participation in an international conference."

According to him, the Constitutional Court of Moldova has planned an official reception with the participation of delegations from all countries and Moldovan officials.

As UNIAN reported, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine in March 2018 reported the chairman and 18 judges of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation were suspected of involvement in the Russian occupation of Ukraine's Crimea.

The then Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko said that the judges of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation had been informed of suspicion in the wake of a probe conducted by the Ukrainian Chief Military Prosecutor as part of criminal proceedings under Part 5 of Article 27 and Part 3 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (aiding in deliberate acts committed with the aim of changing the borders of the territory and state border of Ukraine in violation of the procedure established by the Constitution of Ukraine, representatives of the authorities, by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, entailing grave consequences).

UNIAN memo. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea in March 2014 after its troops had invaded the peninsula. An illegal referendum was held for Crimeans to decide on accession to Russia. De-facto Crimean authorities reported that allegedly 96.77% of the Crimean population had voted for joining Russia.

On March 18, 2014, the so-called "agreement" on the accession of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to Russia was signed in the Kremlin.

The following day, the judges of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation unanimously declared the "agreement" between Russia and the so-called "Republic of Crimea" on its "admission" to the Russian Federation was in line with the Constitution of Russia.

The West did not recognize the annexation in response to which sanctions against Russia were introduced.

Ukraine's parliament voted to designate February 20, 2014, as the official date when the temporary occupation of Crimea began.

Judges of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation were denied participation in a number of events hosted by European institutions as the Russian judges were engaged in the legalization of Crimea's annexation.

In particular, it became known in December 2016 that Lithuania had decided not to let the judges of Russia's Constitutional Court who "legitimized" Russia's annexation of Crimea enter the country.

Russian judges were planning to go to the World Congress of Constitutional Courts in March 2017. However, as was proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, that country's Migration Department in November 2016 decided to add the judges of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation to the stoplist.

"The decision was made because in 2014 the Constitutional Court of Russia passed a court ruling that formalized the annexation of Crimea, and this is a gross violation of generally recognized norms of international law," Kestutis Vaskelevicius, the press officer of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, explained then.
Registered Republicans face a choice in the April 28, 2020, primary election on who to send into battle against incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild.

On Tuesday, the day nominating petitions were due to get on the primary ballot, a third Lehigh Valley Republican explained in a news release why he is running for Congress.

I am thrilled and excited by all the enthusiastic volunteers who went out with petitions in the cold and rain to help me get on the ballot," Matt Connolly says in the release. We are aligned in our conservative principles of keeping America prosperous and free, upholding life, reducing the tax burden, and reforming our broken health-care and immigration systems for all Americans.

Connolly, a professional race car driver from Bethlehem Township, joins former Lehigh County Commissioners Lisa Scheller and Dean Browning on the primary ballot. Wild is unopposed in the Democratic primary in her bid for a second two-year term representing Pennsylvanias 7th Congressional District.

The district covers all of Lehigh and Northampton counties, as well as southern Monroe County.

I am looking forward to meeting and speaking with many voters in our District to hear their American dream stories, and to discuss more ways in which we can make this dream accessible to every citizen in the Lehigh Valley," Connolly says in his news release. "I have watched the Federal Government throw regulatory obstacles in the way of everyday people, making it hard for them to reach their goals.

"We need to get government out of the way so we can increase our American dream success stories and Keep America Great.

Connolly invites voters to learn more about his campaign at MattforPa7.com.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
The UK has set out plans to stop relying on cheap labour from Europe with a post-Brexit immigration points-based system that prioritises access for highly skilled workers from across the world.

Workers will need to meet criteria including specific skills and the ability to speak English, the government said, and those applying will need to have a job offer.

The plans have led to outrage, with critics, members of the opposition and some business groups condemning them as unrealistic.

Concern over the impact of high levels of immigration from the European Union was one of the key drivers behind Britains 2016 vote to leave the bloc and the government has said it plans to bring overall migration numbers down.

The new system will assign points for specific skills, qualifications, salaries or professions, and only give visas to those who meet a score of 70.

It will come into force from January 1, 2021 and will treat EU and non-EU citizens the same.

[Courtesy: UK Home Office]

We have got a number of routes through the points-based immigration scheme that will enable people to come here with the right kind of skills that can support our country and our economy, said Priti Patel, the interior minister.

But business groups said that many firms relied on overseas labour and cautioned there might not be enough domestic workers to tend crops, care for patients and serve food  a deficit that could undermine the worlds fifth-largest economy.

EU citizens will not need a visa to enter Britain as a visitor for up to six months.

The Home Office said it would follow a recommendation made last month by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), an independent body which advises the government, to lower the minimum general salary threshold for skilled migrants to 25,600 pounds ($34,500) a year, from 30,000 pounds.

There will be no specific entry route for low-skilled workers, something the government hopes will help reduce the number of migrants.

We need to shift the focus of our economy away from reliance on cheap labour from Europe and instead concentrate on investment in technology and automation. Employers will need to adjust, the government said in a policy document setting out its plans.

The MAC estimated the impact of the governments planned salary and skills thresholds would mean around 70 percent of European Economic Area citizens who have arrived in Britain since 2004 would not have been eligible for a visa.

Students will be covered by the points-based system, the government said, while there will be separate initiatives for scientists, graduates, National Health Service workers and those in the agricultural sector.

National Farmers Union President Minette Batters said she had serious concerns about the plans.

As the UKs largest manufacturing sector, British food and farming is at the very core of our economy and any immigration policy must deliver for its needs.

For farm businesses, it is about having the full range of skills needed  from pickers and packers to meat processors and vets  if we are to continue to deliver high-quality, affordable food for the public. Failure to provide an entry route for these jobs will severely impact the farming sector, she said in a statement.

Jennifer Cassidy, a lecturer in politics at the University of Oxford, tweeted: I just cant get over that 25.6k is considered the cut-off point for low-skilled. Do they have any idea what the salaries are for most people in the country? Well, good luck filling any of the job sectors.

Maya Goodfellow, author of Hostile Environment: How Immigrants Became Scapegoats, said: The governments immigration plans include a dog-whistle demand that people speak English and entrenching class inequalities by going after people they call low skilled.
Northern Ireland sausage makers could see growth in exports to the Republic and beyond after claims that the EU has no provisions in place for the import of such foods.

Northern Ireland sausage makers could see growth in exports to the Republic and beyond after claims that the EU has no provisions in place for the import of such foods.

The Times has reported that manufacturers of sausages and some other meat products in Great Britain will have no legal basis to sell their products to the EU when the transition period ends.

According to the British Meat Processors Association, around 17m of sausage meat is sold to the EU by the UK every year, with 45% sold to the Republic.

Products leaving GB will require an EU export health certificate after Brexit. But as revealed in The Times, no EU certificate exists for goods termed a "meat preparation", such as fresh sausages or mince, which the EU has never before imported.

However, under the terms of the Northern Ireland protocol, producers here will be sticking to EU rules - giving them continued freedom to sell into the Republic and the rest of the EU.

Peter Hardwick of the British Meat Processors Association said the restriction on GB sausage meat - which will apply if there is no free trade agreement - may ultimately benefit producers here.

"This could be an opportunity for Northern Ireland," he said.

Major sausage producers in Northern Ireland include Finnebrogue Artisan, Cranswick plc and Karro Food, which makes Cookstown Sausages.

A spokesman for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said: "The implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol, which takes effect at the end of the transition period, will result in NI continuing to apply EU rules and continuing to have access to the EU's single market for goods.

"NI will, therefore, be able to continue to export fresh meat preparations to EU member states.

"In line with the Government's commitment to unfettered access, NI will also be able to continue to export fresh meat preparations to Great Britain."

A spokesman for Finnebrogue Artisan, which supplies sausages to supermarkets around the UK and in the Republic, said it retained confidence in its own products: "We won't be wasting energy worrying about Brexit over the next few months. We believe that if we innovate and blaze a trail, our business can be successful in almost any circumstances.

"The meat industry should spend less time expressing concerns about what politicians may or may not do - and more time producing the nutritious and sustainable products consumers are demanding and deserve ... The food and drink sector is a jewel in the crown of the Northern Irish economy."
ANKARA, Turkey - Turkeys president criticized on Wednesday the European Unions decision to launch a maritime effort focused on enforcing the U.N. arms embargo around Libya, accusing European nations that agreed to the operation of interfering in the region.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan also hailed a decision by Libyas U.N.-supported government  which he backs militarily  to withdraw from talks with rivals, following an attack Tuesday on the sea port of the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The U.S., however, called for the talks to be resumed quickly.

EU foreign ministers agreed earlier this week to end Operation Sophia, the blocs naval mission in the Mediterranean Sea. Instead, theyll concentrate on implementing the U.N. arms embargo around Libya, which is routinely being flouted.

Operation Sophia was set up in 2015 as tens of thousands of migrants headed across the sea from North Africa to Europe. Its aim was to crack down on migrant smugglers, but also to enforce the arms embargo in place since 2011. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said several European countries had offered to take part in the new operation.

I want to specifically mention that the EU does not have the right to make any decision concerning Libya, Erdogan said in a speech to legislators from his ruling party in parliament. The EU is trying to take charge of the situation and interfere.

The prime minister of Libyas Tripoli-based government, Fayez Sarraj, called for the arms embargo to include Libyas air, land and maritime borders.

Talking about maritime borders only is meaningless, he told reporters on Wednesday while visiting Tripolis port after the attack.

Libya has been in turmoil since 2011, when a civil war toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. Relentless turmoil subsequently engulfed the oil-rich country, which is now split between rival governments based in its east and west, each backed by an array of foreign countries apparently jockeying for influence to control Libyas resources.

Erdogans verbal attacks on the EU and its new initiative were unsurprising, said Jelal Harchaoui, a Libya expert at The Netherlands Institute of International Relations.

It will play well with Erdogans constituencies inside Turkey, he said.

The U.N.-supported government in Tripoli is backed by Turkey and Qatar. On the other side are the eastern-based forces of commander Khalifa Hifter, which rely on military assistance from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as well as France and Russia.

Hifter was in Moscow on Wednesday and met with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The parties noted the important role of talks that took place in Moscow on Jan. 13 in implementing a ceasefire and starting the process of normalizing the situation in the country. The statement also reiterated the need to comply with decisions made during a Berlin peace summit last month.

In the Berlin conference, world powers and other countries with interests in Libyas long-running civil war agreed to respect the much-violated arms embargo, hold off on military support to the warring parties, and push the sides to reach a full cease-fire.

The U.N. special envoy to for Libya, Ghassan Salame, however has accused some countries of stepping up weapons deliveries to Libyas warring sides in hopes of a military victory.

Fighting between the countrys factions has intensified over the past year. Along with weapons, Turkey recently sent hundreds of Syrian fighters, including militants affiliated with groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, to fight on behalf of the Tripoli-based government.

The Turkish leader also voiced support for Tuesdays decision by the Tripoli-based government to suspend participation in U.N.-brokered talks in Geneva, following an attack by Hifters forces on Tripolis port.

He added that Turkey would continue supporting the Tripoli authorities to establish dominance over the whole of the country.

Hifters forces claimed they hit a weapons and ammunition depot at the port on Tuesday to weaken the combat capabilities of the mercenaries who arrived from Syria to fight alongside Tripoli-allied militias.

Ahmed al-Mesmari, spokesman for Hifter forces, said they welcome all initiatives that could lead to peaceful solution the citizens in the regions of the Tripoli-based government.

But, there is no peace, no cease-fire with the extremist terrorist groups and the Turkish, he said at a news conference in the eastern city of Benghazi.

The Tripoli-based government said the attack killed at least three civilians and wounded five others.

U.S. Ambassador to Libya Richard Noland met Wednesday with Mustafa Sanalla, head of Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation, expressing the U.S. deep concern over the ports attack.

The U.S. urged all parties to commit to the military talks in Geneva, which should be resumed quickly in order to achieve progress towards the long-waited cease-fire, and the withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries, he said in a statement.

The U.N-brokered talks between Libyas warring sides had resumed earlier on Tuesday in a bid to salvage a fragile cease-fire in the North African nation. The current cease-fire was brokered by Russia and Turkey on Jan. 12 to deescalate the fight for control of Tripoli, but both sides have repeatedly violated the truce.

Libyas coast guard intercepted around 200 migrants and returned them to Tripoli hours after the citys main port was heavily shelled on Tuesday, the U.N. migration agency said in a statement.

The International Organization for Migration called for an alternative safe disembarkation mechanism for migrants returned to Libya.

Libya cannot wait, said IOM Libya Chief of Mission Federico Soda. It is time for concrete action to ensure lives rescued at sea are taken to ports of safety, and to end the system of arbitrary detention.

At least 1,700 migrants have been intercepted or rescued and returned to Libya since the beginning of 2020, the IOM said. Those migrants often land in detention centres rife with abuses and mistreatment.

___

Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser reported this story in Ankara and AP writer Samy Magdy reported from Cairo. AP writer Daria Litvinova in Moscow contributed to this report.
Defending his "pichhlaggu" (underling) barb at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, poll strategist-politician Prashant Kishor on Wednesday said he was upset with the JD(U) chief's "surrender" before the BJP just to cling to power without extracting any benefit for the state.

Facing flak for linking the BJP with (Nathuram) Godse, while having worked with the party in the past, Kishor asserted that public praise of Mahatma Gandhis assassin by a mainstream political outfit was "a recent phenomenon, seen in the last six to eight months".

He said in the seven decades since Independence only fringe elements extolled Godse here and there.

"It has been only after the last Lok Sabha polls that we have seen workers of a mainstream party chanting slogans in his praise, even a Member of Parliament doing the same on the floor of the House," he told a channel here, referring to the incident involving Bhopal MP Sadhvi Pragya Thakur.

The expelled JD(U) vice president lamented the pity was that, "those aligned with the BJP, did not muster the courage to even condemn the outrageous act".

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi had on Tuesday taken a swipe at Kishor, saying the man who had cut his teeth as an election strategist for Narendra Modi in 2014, was now accusing the BJP of following "Godse".

"As regards the controversy over picchlaggu remark, I have been expressing my reservations about people of the state accepting a leader who appears to be playing second fiddle (to the BJP). I might be wrong, but that is my view," the election strategist said.

"However, I was ready to accept the surrender before the BJP had it been for extracting benefits for the state from the party in power at the Centre. If the capitulation is just to ensure continuance in power in the state, that might be detested by the people", he added.

Former BJP president and Union Home minister Amit Shah has already announced that Kumar would be the face of the NDA in the Bihar assembly polls to be held later this year.

During his press conference the previous day, Kishor had refered to denial of special status to Bihar by the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi not entertaining Kumar's request for grant of central status to Patna University.

Kishor, however, disapproved of epithets like "kursi kumar" lobbed at the chief minister by the opposition RJD, saying "It is my personal belief that civility must be maintained in political discourse though all are entitled to their own convictions".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A marijuana buy went sideways when two men armed with a gun allegedly robbed another man of about $6,500 in cash and jewelry inside the victims New Springville home, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation.

Isaiah Santos, 18, of the 800 block of Columbus Avenue in Manhattan, was arrested on Feb. 6 at about 8:45 p.m. at the 120th Precinct stationhouse in St. George.

The robbery occurred on Feb. 3 at about 2:30 a.m. inside a home in the vicinity of Nome Avenue and Turf Road, according to the criminal complaint and police.

The incident allegedly began when a 52-year-old man invited Santos and another man to his New Springville home for the drug deal, according to one source. A dispute arose during the transaction and that sparked the robbery by Santos and his male accomplice, the source said.

Santos used an unknown object to strike the victim in the head, causing substantial pain and injury, the complaint alleges.

I should blow your f-----g head off, Santos allegedly said as he pointed a black gun at the 52-year-old man, according to the complaint.

Santos and his accomplice snatched about $2,300 in cash from the victims hand and also removed a digital camera and multiple jewelry items, the complaint alleges.

The total value of the loot was about $6,500, according to the source.

The accomplice remains at large.

Santos has been charged with robbery, grand larceny, petit larceny, criminal possession of a weapon, assault, menacing and harassment.

Bail has been set at $10,000/$2,500 in cash for Santos, who is due back in Criminal Court on April 7.

An attorney for the defendant did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Democrats Ask Judge to Move on Suit Seeking Trumps Tax Returns

Using arguments deployed by President Donald Trumps impeachment trial legal team, Democratic lawmakers are asking a federal judge to move forward with the House Ways and Means Committees lawsuit that seeks Trumps tax returnsthe same lawsuit that the judge paused a month ago.

The Trump administration responded in court documents, saying that arguments raised at the impeachment trial that ended in the presidents acquittal Feb. 5 arent germane to the lawsuit and that accelerating the processing of the case wasnt legally justified.

For years the presidents opponents have been trying without success to get their hands on his personal income tax returns. There are plenty of allegations swirling around but any evidence of legal wrongdoing that may or may not exist has not surfaced publicly. Federal law prevents the Internal Revenue Service from making such returns public, though Democrats on the committee argue the law requires the tax-collection agency to let the committee see the documents.

Trump has refused to give up the documents, saying his adversaries want the documents so they can go on the legal equivalent of a fishing expedition. Until such time as Im not under audit, I would not be inclined to do that, he said in April 2019 in a discussion about releasing the returns.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) has said little publicly about the lawsuit. The Epoch Times sought a comment on the lawsuit from his committee office and his congressional office but had not received any responses as of press time.

Last year, Neal was pressed about whether he would be willing to release his own personal tax returns, The Washington Times reported at the time.

Oh, sure  down the road, sure, thats nothing, Neal said. Ive done that in the past, by the way, he said without elaborating. Roll Call newspaper investigated the matter in 2017 and did not find records showing Neal previously released his returns.

The same year, New England Public Radio asked Neal for the documents on five occasions but failed to receive the returns from him. I think we should all jump together, Neal said at the time, adding it might happen in the future. I think thats the best way to approach it.

Washington-based U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden ordered the legal proceeding stayed Jan. 14 while awaiting the resolution of a dispute over whether former White House counsel Don McGahn can be subpoenaed. The administration argues communications between McGahn and Trump are protected by executive privilege.

Court stayed this proceeding more than four weeks ago on the expectation that the D.C. Circuit would imminently issue a ruling in Committee on the Judiciary v. McGahn, House counsel stated in legal pleadings dated Feb. 15 aimed at lifting the stay.

That expectation has proven inaccurate. Further delay of this proceedingincluding further delay of briefing of the meritsis unwarranted.

House general counsel Douglas Letter argues the presidents lawyers have performed a legal flip-flop, arguing during the impeachment trial that House impeachment managers had to go to the courts to enforce subpoenas, but now Trumps lawyers are arguing the opposite position by saying the longstanding constitutional doctrine of separation of powers means the executive does not have to comply with subpoenas.

[C]ounsel for President Trump in the Senate impeachment trial disavowed the position of Defendants (who include the President) in this case that the House is constitutionally barred from obtaining judicial enforcement of its subpoenas, the committee states in court documents.

In the lawsuit, the Trump administration says what was argued at the impeachment trial has no bearing on this case and denied its lawyers were disavowing the position taken at the trial.

[S]tatements made by counsel for the President in the course of the now concluded Senate impeachment proceeding have nothing to do with whether this Court should exercise its discretion to lift the stay order that it entered a mere two weeks before the Committee precipitously filed this motion, Trumps lawyers said in a Feb. 11 reply in opposition to the motion.

The lawyers also said this was the third time in six months that the committee had asked this Court to proceed immediately to briefing on the merits of this case without determining whether it has jurisdiction.

There are no compelling reasons to override the stay, and the Democrat-run committee is only playing politics, the lawyers said in the document.

The Committees only stated concern is that whatever political support may presently exist for its oversight and legislative agenda might wane if the Court permits this litigation process to unfold in due course.
SEATTLE, WA / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / GRN Holding Corporation (OTC PINK:GRNF, the "Company"), announced today that the Company has completed its due diligence in connection with the acquisition of One Source CBD.

The acquisition includes all One Source CBD inventory, assets, licenses, and intellectual property.

One Source CBD located in Renton, Washington is a division of GRN Funds and wholesales CBD isolate and distillate domestically and internationally. It deals in large block orders and has shipped to more than 100 customers globally.

One Source CDB purchases only sustainable, organic, domestic, and laboratory-tested product. It is one of the earliest large-scale suppliers of isolate, and it implements "Vendor Managed Inventory" systems for factories and processors. This Min/Max system controls inventory flow and just-in-time inventory so companies can maximize sales while controlling inventory cost and expense. The company donates a portion of its profits to various hemp business organizations.

About GRN Holding Corporation

GRN Holding Corporation (OTC Pink:GRNF) is a Nevada registered publicly-traded company.

For more information, please contact:

Deborah Pace

IR@grnholding.com

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" which are not purely historical and may include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the development, costs and results of new business opportunities and words such as "anticipate," "seek," intend," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "project," "plan," or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects, the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based products. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-k, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information, please visit www.sec.gov.

SOURCE: GRN Holding Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/577009/GRN-Holding-Corporation-Completes-Due-Diligence-Relating-to-Acquisition-of-Once-Source-CBD
TEMPE, Ariz., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, one of the highest-ranked business schools in the United States, announces a significant enhancement to its Master of Science in Global Logistics (MS-GL) program. Now designated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security as a STEM-eligible degree program, the MS-GL provides greater opportunities for international students to find employment in the U.S. for up to 36 months beyond graduation, as compared to 12 months for non-STEM degrees.

The longer work authorization term can help international graduates gain additional real-world skills and experience in the U.S. The designation also benefits employers, who do not have to sponsor OPT candidates.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that demand for STEM jobs will grow by 13% by 2027, with higher wages than non-STEM jobs: The national average for STEM salaries is $87,570, while non-STEM jobs earn roughly half as much, with an annual average of $45,700.

The certification means 2020 international graduates of the MS-GL program  more than three quarters of the class population  can enter the U.S. job market and pursue the OPT extension immediately. The nine-month MS-GL program is offered exclusively at ASU's West campus, and provides specialized knowledge to understand multicultural perspectives and solve global operations challenges. The program features curriculum and instruction from the W. P. Carey School's Department of Supply Chain Management, consistently ranked Top 5 in the country by U.S. News & World Report for undergraduate and graduate supply chain instruction.

"We work very hard to ensure that our degrees and programs provide tangible outcomes for our students," said Amy Hillman, dean of the W. P. Carey School. "Given the reputation of our supply chain department and faculty, the growing importance of logistics in the global economy, and the innovation we're known for here at ASU, the STEM designation for the MS-GL program adds incredible value students will get from their W. P. Carey degree  and it creates a necessary pathway for the next generation of logistics leaders from around the world."

Students interested in pursuing the Master of Science in Global Logistics at the W. P. Carey School of Business are encouraged to visit wpcarey.asu.edu/msgl to learn more about the program's curriculum and application deadlines.

About the W. P. Carey School of Business

The W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is one of the top-ranked business schools in the United States. The school is internationally regarded for its research productivity and its distinguished faculty members, including a Nobel Prize winner. Students come from more than 100 countries and W. P. Carey is represented by alumni in more than 160 countries. Visit wpcarey.asu.edu.

For more information, contacts:

Kim Steinmetz, W. P. Carey School of Business

[email protected]

480-965-5464

Shay Moser, W. P. Carey School of Business

[email protected]

480-965-3963

SOURCE W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University

Related Links

https://wpcarey.asu.edu


Pakistan Successfully Test Fires Air-Launched Ra'ad-II Cruise Missile- Video

Sputnik News

14:36 GMT 18.02.2020

New Delhi (Sputnik): The Pakistan Air Force used its single-engine Mirage III fighter jet to test the missile which hit the target at low altitude. India and Pakistan have been conducting missile tests for the past few months, claiming that they are part of operational preparedness.

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has tested a Ra'ad II cruise missile, with a range of 600km (373 miles), on Tuesday with the projectile having successfully engaged the target with high precision. The airforce released the video which was captured through the journey of the missile.

"The Ra'ad-II significantly enhances air-delivered strategic standoff capability on land and at sea," Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of the Pakistan armed forces, said, adding that the weapons system is equipped with state of the art guidance and navigation systems ensuring the engagement of targets with high precision.

Lt. Gen. Nadeem Zaki Manj, Director General Strategic Plans Division called the successful tests "a major step towards complementing Pakistan's deterrence capability".

The test was conducted on the backdrop of a series of missile tests including intermediate-range nuclear-capable K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missiles which have been tested by Indian defence scientists since November 2019.

The two nuclear-armed nations have been engaged in a persistent exchange of fire at the border since August 2019 when Indian government revoked the special status granted to the Indian side of Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir, divided between India and Pakistan by a Line of Control (LoC), has been a bone of contention for India and Pakistan for the past seven decades and the two countries fought three wars over the issue.

A Sputnik

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 22:04:27|Editor: xuxin

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JERUSALEM, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Israeli imports from China totaled 806.4 million U.S. dollars in January, according to a report released by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday.

According to data, Israeli imports from China in January decreased just 1.49 percent from a total of 818.6 million dollars recorded in January 2019.

Furthermore, compared to December 2019, when Israeli imports from China totaled 711 million dollars, the Israeli imports from China rose 13.4 percent in January 2020.
Zarif meeting with US Senator part of Iran's general diplomacy: Foreign Ministry

02/19/20

Source: Press TV

Iran's Foreign Ministry has said that a recent meeting between Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and an American senator in Munich took place within the framework of Iran's "general diplomacy." The ministry's spokesman Abbas Mousavi posted a tweet on Tuesday to comment on a Saturday meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference between Zarif and a delegation of Democratic congressmen headed by Connecticut's Senator Chris Murphy.

"Zarif has always said that he would meet with some members of the US Congress, who would ask to meet him, and detail the Islamic Republic of Iran's vantage points and the realities of the region," Mousavi explained.

"These measures are part of [Iran's] general diplomacy, which includes meetings with elites and think tanks as well as interviews and briefings with press representatives," the spokesman elaborated.

On Sunday, Zarif posted a tweet incorporating pictures of his meetings with foreign officials that took place on the sidelines of the conference, during which he engaged in "advancing the cause of peace and de-escalation in our region and beyond."

Wrapping up three days in Munich, where I met with my counterparts from across the globe, as well as many other officials, think tanks, NGOs and media representatives on the sidelines of the @MunSecConf. Advancing the cause of peace and de-escalation in our region and beyond. pic.twitter.com/fWgZM5MceL  Javad Zarif (@JZarif) February 16, 2020

US President Donald Trump, who has been enacting a policy of "maximum pressure" against Iran, however, came out critical of the meeting, while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo questioned Murphy's motives.

Trump said Tuesday, "Is there anything that I should know? Because that sounds like to me a violation of the Logan Act," referring to an obscure, little-used federal law that prevents "unauthorized American citizens" from negotiations with foreign governments having a dispute with the US.

"They ought to find out about that if it's true," Trump added.

In turn, Pomepo said, "If they met, I don't know what they said...I hope they were reinforcing America's foreign policy and not their own."

US conservative organizations and media outlets cited anonymous sources as saying that Murphy and other Democrats had met "secretly" with Zarif.

Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, however, confirmed the meeting and said, "Members of Congress meet with foreign leaders all the time, even when we disagree with the President's policy toward that nation, and even when that nation is an adversary. I met with the Iranian Foreign Minister to underscore the importance of protecting the safety of US troops in Iraq, releasing unlawful detainees, and delivering humanitarian aid in Yemen. These are all apolitical priorities."

"It's too bad the Administration isn't having these same conversations. Unfortunately, President Trump's Iran policy has been a total disaster. So I can understand that he wants to distract from his failures," the senator added.

"His policy is just making Iran stronger and more menacing in the region, and I wish he could have the guts to see what is right in front of his eyes - blind escalation, with no diplomatic pathway, isn't working," the senator bemoaned.

He noted that he had met with Zarif both under Trump and his predecessor Barack Obama "for years."

"They are our adversary...But I think it's dangerous to not talk to your enemies," the senator said, noting that the danger that is caused by the absence of any negotiation rises "esp amidst a cycle of escalation."

1/ Attached is my usual account of my latest trip abroad, this one to Ukraine and Munich.



I met w the Iranian Foriegn Minister in Munich. It's dangerous not to talk to adversaries, esp amidst a cycle of escalation.



Quick thread on what I told Zarif.https://t.co/2oYjiXfZ7J  Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 18, 2020

Murphy's office also said the senator had advised the US Embassy in Germany about his plans to meet with Zarif.

The senator has been critical of Trump's withdrawal from a historic nuclear accord with Iran and others in 2018. The departure was followed by the US's returning of the sanctions that the deal had lifted. Both the withdrawal and the snapback of the bans flew directly in the face of the deal's multi-lateral nature and the fact that it has been ratified in the form of a United Nations Security Council resolution.

Murphy went on to detail some of the subject matters that came up during his meeting with Zarif.

He said he wanted to meet the Iranian official for several reasons, including to "gauge whether he thinks the reprisals for the Soleimani assassination are over."

The US military assassinated Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) among others, in a drone strike that targeted their car near the Baghdad International Airport on January 3.

The IRGC shortly afterwards unleashed volleys of ballistic missiles at the US bases in Iraq. Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei later described the retaliatory strikes as "only a slap."

Murphy also said he wanted to raise with Zarif the issue of American prisoners held in Iran. "We spent a few minutes discussing how the situation could be resolved," the senator said.
Hyderabad: Less than two months after businessman Kalvak-untla Krishna Milan Raos overspeeding car flew of the newly inaugurated Bio Diversity flyover, killing a bystander underneath, the city witnessed a repeat on Tuesday, when a 27-year-old man was killed while his five friends suffered injuries when the car they were travelling fell down from the Bharatnagar flyover in Sanathnagar under the Cyberabad police commissionerate during the wee hours.

The injured persons were shifted to the Gandhi Hospital for treatment. According to police, the incident took place when six friends, including Mohd Sohel, were returning to Borabanda after consuming tea at a hotel.

Mr Sohel, a resident of Pandit Nehru Nagar in Boarabanda, runs a hotel along with his father Md. Shafi. On Monday, at around 10.30 pm, Sohel, along with his friends Irfan, Ashfaq, Ghouse and Sohail, all residents Boar-abanda area, and driver Sunil, went to Balanagar in a car (AP11 R9189).

At around 2 am, they were driving towards Bor-abanda with Sunil being behind the wheels of the car. At around 2.15 am, the overspeeding car, while going towards Erragadda, rammed into the cement barriers of the Bharatna-gar flyover and fell on the ground from at least 25 feet height, and landed in an upside-down position.

The incident of the car falling from the flyover was captured on a CCTV camera installed on the flyover. It captured the railing falling on the ground first, followed by the car.

Luckily, the labourers who were present under the flyover unloading vegetables from auto trolleys had a narrow escape. They immediately pulled out the occupants of the car, of whom, one of them was dead. The local people alerted the police.

Mohan Reddy, sub-inspector, Sanathnagar police, who was on night duty, went to the accident spot and shifted the five injured persons  Sunil, Irfan, Ashfaq, Ghouse and Sohail  to the Gandhi Hospital in an ambulance. The body of Sohel was shifted to the mortuary.

In a video, purportedly recorded after driver Sunil got admitted to the hospital, he was seen saying he steered the vehicle towards the left in order to not hit another vehicle while overtaking and lost control, resulting in the mishap.

Srinu, an auto trolley driver, who was on the spot, told media that he was waiting in the vehicle to unload tomatoes and had a lucky escape. We come here as a routine to unload vegetables. I was waiting for another vehicle to move so that I could park my auto and start unloading. Suddenly, a car fell down from the flyover above. I would have been under the vehicle in another few minutes and had a very providential escape, Srinu told media.

Sunil, who works as the driver of a lorry owned by the family of the deceased Sohel, said, When I parked the lorry and reached home, Sohel called me and informed me that we have to go to Mehdipatnam. Instead, we went towards Balanagar. His four friends were also present. While going, Sohel drove the car and they purchased cigarettes. In the return, I took over the wheels. In order to not hit a vehicle on the flyover, I pulled the steering to the left and lost control of the vehicle.

Meanwhile, Sanathn-agar police said that the accident appeared to be a result of overspeeding and rash driving.

A case was registered for investigation.

Sohels body was handed over to his family after the autopsy was conducted at the Gandhi Hospital mortuary, the police added.
Emily Burke, a junior sociology and justice and society double major from Milwaukee, said current events and continued pressure from students helped nudge administrators and board members to change course.

Georgetown University became the second Jesuit-linked institution to adopt a divestment strategy in early February, saying it planned to end its investments within the next decade. In 2018, Seattle University made a commitment to end its fossil fuel investments by 2023.

I think the pressure of Georgetown, which is a comparable institution, got to them, Burke said. I think that might have cracked them a little bit.

Since last Novembers vote, in which 86% of those who cast a ballot supported an 11-page referendum written by students calling on divestment, Burke said the Creighton Climate Movement has worked to keep students engaged and broaden its support.

The students have made and shared videos to raise awareness and participated in a January forum where divestment was discussed, Burke said.

But, she added, Creighton students are no longer interested in talking only.
Video transcript:

Why would people vote for Trump?

Even if they dislike racism, sexism, stupidity and greed, they often hate hypocrisy most of all.

Mike Bloomberg is the ultimate hypocrisy at the top of the Democratic party.

For many, Hillary Clinton was a repugnant candidate but she at least ran in the normal way, as did Trump, whos never said a kind word for democracy but also joined the electoral process.

Bloomberg still hasnt. Instead he spent hundreds of millions of his billion on TV ads to rise in the polls. Money is his politics.

His policies are optional: a little racism in policing, some elitism in education, some gun control and climate concern. The constant is always his money.

Hes an ad himself for the shabbiness of plutocracy over democracy. Now, in late career, hes looking to purchase the party that claims to speak for the poor and marginalized.

It may work. The party bosses have started to embrace him and tell everyone else to because theres no choice, hes their answer to Trump.

The Democrats long ago became one more party of big money but this is ridiculous.

If they nominate Bloomberg and some Democrats vote for Trump in disgust, would that really be hard to understand? Id be tempted.

Rick Salutin is a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. He is based in Toronto. Reach him on email: is a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. He is based in Toronto. Reach him on email: ricksalutin@ca.inter.net

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President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin fired Vladislav Surkov from the post of his assistant. The corresponding decree was published on the Kremlin's website.

"Dismiss Surkov Vladislav Yuryevich from the post of assistant to the President of the Russian Federation. This decree comes into force from the day it is signed," the decree says.

As we reported before, Deputy Head of the Administration of the Russian President Dmitry Kozak is appointed as the new representative for Ukraine-related affairs.

On February 11, during the communication with the journalists, Peskov was asked whether the recent contacts of Kozak on prisoners exchange issue means that the oversight of Ukrainian affairs was passed to him.

Previously, Assistant to Russian President Vladimir Putin Vladislav Surkov almost stopped his work in the Ukrainian direction after the Zelenskys victory in the presidential election in Ukraine.

One of the interlocutors of the agency said that work has not been carried out since 2018, but "after Zelenskys victory, everything stopped."

He noted that Surkov and his team stopped working with public opinion leaders in Ukraine to formulate an agenda on the need for federalization and protection of the rights of Russian speakers.
Chinese women wear a mask as they wait to cross a street in Beijing on Feb. 18, 2020. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Beijing Enacts Quarantine Measures in Military Regions

Beijing has put in place quarantine measures for its military personnel, in a sign that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak may be growing more severe in China.

On Feb. 18, Chinas military, the Peoples Liberation Army, reported on its official online video platform that 12 military officers, including a quartermaster named Li Yalei, have been placed under isolation management. They are responsible for providing safe food supplies and safe meals amid the outbreak for an air force unit stationed at Chinas Central Theater Command.

Among these officers tasks is ensuring the safety of food they order.

For the delivery of non-staple food, suppliers are now being asked to put the food outside the entrance of the air forces barracks in order to protect against potential virus contamination. Only after sitting outside for two full hours will the food be taken inside for meal preparation.

All utensils, cookware, and the cafeteria inside the barracks are to be disinfected by local health authorities before they can be used.

Central Theater Command, one of five theater commands in China, oversees two cities, Beijing and Tianjin, and the provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Hebei, and Hubei. The latter is where the city of Wuhanwhere the virus first broke outis located.

Health authorities in Wuhan have said they suspect the 2019-nCoV virus strain originated from a local wet market where wild animals were sold.

One day ago, on Feb. 17, Chinas state-run media Xinhua and Peoples Net reprinted a story by state-run media PLA Daily, about safety measures against the virus undertaken by the East Sea Fleet, which is under the command of the Eastern Theater Command.

Among the safety measures are putting returning sailors in isolation, and holding fewer meetings, while relying on telephone and teleconference for communication.

The article named Yu Songqiu, head of an unnamed Chinese frigate, as a person currently being observed while in isolation. Yu told PLA Daily that he returned to his military camp on Jan. 29, and had been in isolation since. It is unclear whether he will undergo diagnostic testing for the virus.

In 2018, 81.cn, PLAs official news website, reported that Yu was the head of one of Chinas Type 054 A frigates, named Changzhou.

While Chinas state-run media have not reported any confirmed cases of COVID-19 among its military personnel, the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy (ICHRD) has reported several confirmed cases among Chinese soldiers.

Last week, ICHRD reported that 10 PLA soldiers and 15 armed police officers have tested positive for the virus in Hubei.

The organization also reported that a Chinese soldier belonging to PLAs Navy Submarine Force, located in the island province of Hainan, is infected with the virus.

More recently, on Feb. 13, ICHRD reported that a soldier on Chinas aircraft carrier Shandong was infected with the virus in Sanya City in Hainan. As a result, about 100 soldiers who were stationed at that aircraft carrier are now being quarantined.

ICHRD added that it obtained confirmation of the infection case from an unnamed source in Jiyang District, Sanya.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said anti-Semitic and anti-science remarks by newly-elected TD Reada Cronin should trouble us all (Brian Lawless/PA)

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said tweets posted by a Sinn Fein TD before she was elected should trouble us all.

The newly elected TD for Kildare North, Reada Cronin posted that Israel had taken Nazism to a new level and suggested a picture of monkeys working on computers reminded her of the Israeli embassy, the Sunday Times Ireland reported.

The anti-Semitic & anti-science remarks of one of Sinn Feins new TDs should trouble us all. This is not the kind of change we need #themaskslipsagain #notanormalparty  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) February 19, 2020

Ms Cronins Twitter account has been made private since the tweets emerged and she issued a statement on Tuesday in which she unreservedly and wholeheartedly apologised and said the tweets were glib and off-the-cuff.

On Wednesday morning, Mr Varadkar said the anti-Semitic & anti-science remarks made by a newly-elected representative should trouble us all.

The language & ideas expressed by Ms Cronin are shocking especially when coming from an elected TD.They can only remind us of humanitys darkest hours. It's not only SF or the pple of Ireland that should be deeply concerned but also any decent human being.https://t.co/vPwFmiX28M  Israel in Ireland (@IsraelinIreland) February 19, 2020

Talks about government formation will also take place on Wednesday, with Sinn Fein set to meet some independent TDs and smaller parties.

The leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein are set to be nominated for the office of Taoiseach on Thursday when the 33rd Dail convenes.

However it is unlikely a Taoiseach will be elected so parliament will adjourn.
Three Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, including a commander, were killed in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmirs Pulwama district on Wednesday.

A joint party of security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation after receiving information about the presence of militants in the Sherabad area of Tral in Awantipora when the terrorists opened fire, triggering the shootout that left the three men dead, officials said.

In another successful anti-terror operation in Sherabad, Tral, three terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen were killed, said Jammu and Kashmirs director general of police (DGP) Dilbag Singh.

The slain terrorists were all locals and identified as Jehangir Wani, Raja Maqbool and Sadat. Wani and Maqbool were residents of Tral and Sadat from nearby Bijbehara, Anantnag. Arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain men, Singh said.

The DGP said that Wani was a dangerous terrorist who had taken command of the Hizb after the killing of Hamad Khan last month.

Jehangir was a dangerous terrorist ,a commander of HM, who along with Raja Maqbool has been involved in eight terror incidents which had created fear in the area, he said.

He said that the two were involved in the killings of two civilians, Mehrajjuddin Zargar and Ghulam Nabi ,in south Kashmir. Nabi was killed in February and Zargar in November in Tral.

Besides the killings they have been involved in burning a chemist shop, a truck, pasting threatening posters, setting a mosque in Amirabad Tral on fire. They also were involved in attacks on police and army jawans, Singh said.

On February 5, two terrorists of the Hizb and Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed at Lawaypora on the citys outskirts in a shootout with security forces in which a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper also died.

The DGP said 10 successful anti-terror operations had taken place in Jammu and Kashmir in 2020. In both these places 23 terrorists were neutralized  19 in Kashmir and four in Jammu, he said.

Apart from the encounters, he said, many terror modules had also been busted, citing the arrest of three persons involved in a grenade attack in Srinagars Pratap Park , a group of grenade throwers in Sherigadi and the arrest of five members of the Jaish-e-Mohammed in the city from whom the police recovered ammunition and a suicide vest.

DGP Singh the security forces have been also hitting out at the support structure of militants by arresting many over-the-ground workers, or OGWs.

Around 40 OGWs have been arrested. What is heartening is that many youths who leave home to join terrorists; we have been successful in bringing eight such youths back to their families, he said.

The official said the rate of local young men joining militancy had declined. Those joining militant ranks is also very negligible as compared to the past ,which is a good trend. Another good thing is that there has been no collateral damage during encounters and we want similar neat and clean operations, he said.
Boris Johnson has finalised a divorce deal with his estranged wife of more than 25 years in a move that paves the way for a potential marriage to Carrie Symonds.

During a hearing, a family court judge approved a settlement yesterday between the British prime minister and Marina Wheeler, signalling the end of a year-long financial dispute.

Details of the agreement were kept private but the former couple's assets are thought to include the 3.35m (4m) proceeds from the sale of a London townhouse they once shared.

Neither Mr Johnson nor Ms Wheeler, a prominent human rights barrister, were at the 10-minute private hearing in the Central Family Court in London but both were represented by lawyers. At the end of the hearing, Ms Wheeler was given permission to apply for a divorce decree to end the marriage.

The split could be confirmed within a week, clearing the way for a possible marriage between Mr Johnson (55) and Ms Symonds, the 31-year-old former Tory spin doctor who in December became the first girlfriend to move into No 10 with a prime minister.

Premature

The couple have been dating since last year. When asked about the prospect of marriage to Ms Symonds, Mr Johnson said then that the speculation was "a tiny bit premature".

But friends since revealed that he plans to marry her "after his divorce is finalised".

Ms Symonds has rarely been seen in public in recent weeks. One source suggested the divorce negotiations had been "dragging until quite recently".

It is not clear what agreement has been struck but experts suggested that any maintenance order will likely allow Ms Wheeler to go back to court in the future to renegotiate the settlement.

As prime minister, Mr Johnson earns a salary of 158,000 (190,000).

Assets are thought to include 3.35m from the sale of an Islington townhouse put on the market after announcing their separation in 2018.

The couple have four children - two boys and two girls.

Mr Johnson was previously married to Allegra Mostyn-Owen, from 1987 to 1993. ( Daily Telegraph London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Researchers at firmware security company Eclypsium on Tuesday released new research that identifies and confirms unsigned firmware in WiFi adapters, USB hubs, trackpads and cameras used in Windows and Linux computer and server products from Lenovo, Dell, HP and other major manufacturers.

Eclypsium also demonstrated a successful attack on a server via a network interface card with unsigned firmware used by each of the big three server manufacturers.

The demonstration shows the exposed attack vector once firmware on any of these components is infected using the issues the report describes. The malware stays undetected by any software security controls.

Unsigned firmware provides multiple pathways for malicious actors to compromise laptops and servers. That leaves millions of Windows and Linux systems at risk of firmware attacks that can exfiltrate data, disrupt operations and deliver ransomware, warned Eclypsium.

Unsigned firmware in peripheral devices remains a highly overlooked aspect of cybersecurity. Depending on the capabilities of the component, unsigned firmware can lead to the loss of data, integrity and privacy. It also can allow attackers to gain privileges and hide from traditional security controls, notes the report, titled Perilous Peripherals: the Hidden Dangers Inside Windows & Linux Computers.

Software and network vulnerabilities are often the more obvious focus of organizations security priorities, but firmware vulnerabilities could give adversaries full control over the compromised device, according to Katie Teitler, senior analyst at TAG Cyber.

This could lead to implanted back doors, network traffic sniffing, data exfiltration, and more, she told LinuxInsider.

Reporting factors

The Perilous Peripherals report is based on original research conducted by members of Eclypsiums research team. They include principal researchers Rick Altherr, Mickey Shkatov, Jesse Michael and CTO Alex Bazhaniuk.

Work on this research began more than18 months ago and was completed this February. The study was self-funded by the company, according to Jesse Michael, the reports principal researcher.

It is safe to assume that tens of millions  if not hundreds of millions  of systems have these specific unsigned firmware components, Michael told LinuxInsider.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

For example, annual server shipments are around 12 million, and annual laptop shipments number approximately 200 million units. While the specific vulnerabilities identified in this report affect only a portion of all shipped systems, unsigned firmware components are prevalent within the industry, he explained.

We have yet to find a system that does not include such components, Michael said.

Problematic Roots

The problem surrounding unsigned firmware surfaced five years ago. Security researchers found the Equation Groups HDD implants lurking in the wild. That was a wake-up call introducing the computer industry to the power of firmware hacking and the underlying dangers posed by unsigned firmware in peripheral devices, according to Eclypsiums report.

There have been pockets of progress in dealing with the problem in recent years. However, much of the industry continues to turn a blind eye to the risks of unsigned firmware, Elypsiums research indicates.

In carrying out four separate research projects, Elypsiums team found unsigned firmware in WiFi adapters, USB hubs, trackpads and cameras in a variety of enterprise devices. These issues can be devastating to the security and operation of the devices.

More often than not, [they] are very difficult to fix. Disruption to components such as network cards, drives and other peripherals can completely disable the device or provide attackers with ways to steal data, deliver ransomware and hide from security, the report states.

These weaknesses are widespread across components in laptops and servers, the new Eclypsium research shows. They offer multiple pathways for malicious attacks.

See Eclypsiums Know Your Own Device resource for an overview of some of the most common firmware-enabled components within devices today.

Slow Response, Few Solutions

Despite previous in-the-wild attacks, peripheral manufacturers have been slow to adopt the practice of signing firmware. When it comes to security, most of the attention goes to the most visible components of a system, such as the operating system and the applications.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

In response to the growing number of threats, many organizations have begun to add firmware to their vulnerability management and threat prevention models. However, these efforts are limited to the system firmware  the UEFI or BIOS resident on the main board of a device, explained Michael.

The lurking danger is underscored because virtually every component within a device has its own firmware and its own potential for risk, he said. That includes network adapters, graphics cards, USB devices, cameras, touchpads and trackpads, and more.

Unfortunately, this issue will be around for quite a while, and well most likely see improvements in next-gen products. But this will not happen all at once. As an industry, we need to pay more attention to hardware and firmware security, suggested Michael.

Some OEMs, such as HP and Lenovo, have been quick to acknowledge the problem and begin working on solutions with their device/component manufacturers. Signed firmware protections typically require changes within the hardware as well as the firmware. To do that, they must be introduced in a future device revision or model, he added.

Why the Risk

These internal components in peripheral devices are governed by firmware. The firmware may be burned into the integrated circuit of the device itself. Or the component may have its own flash memory where firmware is stored.

In other cases firmware may be provided dynamically by the operating system at boot time. However the firmware is stored, it can act like a miniature computer that governs the low-level behavior of that particular component. This code often is very susceptible to attack, residing in everything from laptops to servers to network devices, according to the report.

Protecting users from the dangers of unsigned firmware requires work by vendors throughout the industry. The original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs) need to work together to fix these issues.

By including these types of issues in their risk assessments, organizations can make informed decisions on which peripherals and products are secure and which are not, said Michael.

Daunting Struggle Ahead

Mitigating the problems unsigned firmware causes over such an extended period of widespread use means a speedy solution is unlikely to come soon  but it is essential to make progress toward that end.

Unfortunately, though, firmware vulnerabilities can be harder to detect and more difficult to patch, TAG Cybers Teitler said. Best practice is to deploy automated scanning for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations at the component level and continuously monitor for new issues or exploits.

The problem is that peripheral devices often lack the same security best practices that we take for granted in operating systems and in other more visible components, like the UEFI or BIOS, noted Michael. Specifically, many peripheral devices do not verify that firmware is signed properly with a high-quality public/private key before running the code.

This means that these components have no way to validate that the firmware loaded by the device is authentic and should be trusted. An attacker simply could insert a malicious or vulnerable firmware image, which the component would trust blindly and run, he cautioned.

No Clear Path Forward

These components are inside laptops and servers, but it is often up to the individual device/component manufacturers to introduce mitigations.

Most organizations do not have the mature processes needed to handle security flaws at this level or assign Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) reports, according to Yuriy Buygin, CEO of Eclypsium.

Often, aging hardware becomes a bigger part of the problem. Technical methods to provide robust fixes for fielded products are unavailable because of an old hardware design, he said.

So we will see these issues for years to come, and the only way to improve this is to keep finding vulnerabilities, alerting the public, and helping device vendors to establish better firmware security, Buygin told LinuxInsider.

Attack Vectors

Eclypsium researchers demonstrated how unsigned firmware can be abused as part of a real-world attack.

The companys report details how an attacker who gains control over a peripheral component can use the components functionality for malicious purposes. The attacker potentially can gain new privileges and even get control over the entire system.

The demonstration shows Eclypsium researchers attacking unsigned firmware in a network interface card (NIC) chipset. A malicious attack on the card can have a profound impact on the server.

That, in turn, compromises the operating system remotely. It provides the attacker with a remote backdoor for snooping and exfiltrating raw network traffic while bypassing operating system firewalls to extract data or deliver ransomware.

Such an attack could disconnect a server from a network upon a signal, the report warns. That can result in disrupting connectivity for an entire data center.
HYDERABAD: Senior Congress leader and MLC T. Jeevan Reddy has demanded that the ruling TRS government spell out as to when it will fulfil its promise of waiving off the loans of farmers.

Addressing a press conference here, he pointed out that farmers are in deep distress with non-implementation of loan waiver. They are also unable to get crop loans. He advised the newly elected PACS presidents and directors of ruling party to try and get funds for societies and extend loans to farmers, instead of continuing to celebrate their recent victory.

Jeevan Reddy appealed to government that it allocate sufficient budget for providing loan waiver to farmers in the upcoming 2020-2021 budget. He was critical that the ruling party is always trying to blame the Centre whenever farmers demand Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their products, stating that MSP is not under the purview of the state government.

He said if the state government asks banks to re-extend loans to farmers on 6 per cent interest, the farmers can get major relief. Otherwise, all farmers will have to pay interest for loans at commercial rates.

The senior Congress leader asked Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to learn from neighbouring CM Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who has offered Rs 6,850 as MSP for a quintal of turmeric. He ridiculed agriculture minister S. Niranjan Reddy for writing just a letter to centre seeking increase in the number of centres for purchasing red gram, instead of also following up on the issue.

Elsewhere, Congress leader and former MP V. Hanumantha Rao held the state government responsible for suicide by Narsaiah, a research scholar who could not find employment. He pointed out that all the unemployed had hoped that once Telangana becomes a separate state, they would get jobs. But their hopes had been dashed after TRS came to power in the new state.
LISTED holding company Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) announced Wednesday, February 19, that it has partnered with Dusit International of Thailand for the development of two hotels and three condominiums in the Philippines.

MPIC, which is led by chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, signed a P1.6-billion investment agreement with Dusit, a hotel management and development firm.

In a statement Wednesday, MPIC said its subsidiary Metro Vantage Properties Inc. and Dusit will start the development of hospitality and residential projects this year.

These projects will rise on existing properties of MPIC in Batangas province in Central Luzon.

Metro Vantage will lead the design, development, marketing and sales of the real estate properties, while Dusit Thani Philippines will oversee the hospitality and tourism side of the business.

The agreement will also cover the upgrading of existing Dusit properties in the country.

Melody Del Rosario, MPIC vice president for corporate communications, clarified that "the partnership between Dusit and MPIC relates to new hotels and developments only."

Dusit currently manages the Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu Resort, a luxury resort developed by Robinsons Land Corporation in Punta Engano on Mactan Island.

Dusit has also signed a contract with the Gaisano family's Grand Land Inc. for the management of the planned Dusit Princess Hotel as part of the Grand Tower Cebu at the Cebu City north reclamation area.

Pangilinan, for his part, said the joint venture will "seek to develop additional sites over time as demand grows for tourism and travel in the country".

We hope to play a significant role in changing the landscape of this thriving industry in the Philippines through our partnership with Dusit International, a company with over seven decades of experience in bringing hospitality all over the world, Pangilinan said.

This partnership comes at an ideal time as the tourism industry in the Philippines continues to expand. This is an opportunity for us to demonstrate our expertise in bringing distinct Thai hospitality and MPICs place in the Philippine market to deliver unique hotel experiences fulfilling the needs of our guests, said Dusit International Group chief executive officer Suphajee Suthumpun.

The agreement is subject to certain specific performance conditions precedent, including the approval of the Philippine Competition Commission. (MVI/SunStar Philippines)
An initiative to provide open innovation testbeds to accelerate MedTech innovations

HYDERABAD, India, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In order to provide a platform which can enable aspiring entrepreneurs to test their innovative ideas in the field of medical technologies, The Government of Telangana and MedTechConnect, a platform founded by Cyient and Xynteo's India2022 coalition have joined hands together to launch a new initiative called Project Tej. As part of BioAsia 2020, Asia's largest Biotechnology and Life-sciences forum, today Telangana State's Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH) and MedTechConnect have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in an endeavour to accelerate and support the indigenous innovations in medical technologies.

Through Project Tej, medical technology innovators and device manufacturers can validate the usability of their devices in public health settings and gain access to public health channels. Project Tej testbeds will complement Telangana state's infrastructure projects, which include the Telangana MedTech Park and ensure that Telangana becomes a favorable destination for MedTech investments. "Telangana state is now synonymous with innovation and technology. With this initiative, we want to use the expertise available in the state to ensure ground-breaking medical technologies can deliver quality healthcare for all," says Ajit Rangnekar, Director General, RICH.

Project Tej will accelerate the adoption of indigenous and cost-effective innovations in medical technologies in India's public health systems. This will be done by bringing together an alliance of industry, hospitals, start-ups, and ecosystem builders in the MedTech space. "Implementation of Project Tej will help provide real-world access for companies to test and commercialize their technologies. We hope this creates an encouraging environment for local start-ups to bring their products to the market," says Dr. BVR Mohan Reddy, Executive Chairman, Cyient.

These testbeds will give MedTech innovators access to real-world clinical settings for faster validation of innovative, affordable technologies and also provide access to industrial networks and markets.

The primary focus of Project Tej is to:

Launch testbeds for large scale clinical validation, usability assessment, and business model evaluation in real-world clinical settings for late-stage medical technologies Provide structured mentoring from the industry on design, manufacturing, and commercial access Facilitate market access to validated technologies in public and private healthcare channels.

Project Tej, a program managed by MedTechConnect, has the support of more than twenty-five institutions across India. On behalf of Telangana State - Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad and MedTechConnect partners Cyient and Xynteo have helped shape this initiative and are key partners in Project Tej."Innovations are usually born out of necessity, and MedTech innovations can solve some of our most challenging healthcare issues. We need collaboration to drive these innovations to market and we invite support from Telangana state's medical and technological fraternity to ensure the success of this endeavor," says Subhashini Chandran, Managing Director, Xynteo India.

About Cyient:

Cyient (Estd: 1991, NSE: CYIENT) is a global engineering and technology solutions company. As a Design, Build, and Maintain partner for leading organizations worldwide, Cyient takes solution ownership across the value chain to help customers focus on their core, innovate, and stay ahead of the curve. The company leverages digital technologies, advanced analytics capabilities, and its domain knowledge and technical expertise, to solve complex business problems.

With over 15,000 employees globally, Cyient partners with customers to operate as part of their extended team in ways that best suit their organization's culture and requirements. Cyient's industry focus includes aerospace and defense, healthcare, telecommunications, rail transportation, semiconductor, geospatial, industrial, and energy.

For more information, please visit www.cyient.com.

Follow news about the company at @Cyient .

About the India2022 Coalition

Xynteo catalysed India2022 - a purpose driven global business coalition committed to leverage the power of collaboration. Launched in March 2017, India2022 was given the blessings of the then, President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee who praised the coalition as "the need of the hour". The Coalition is working to unlock a new model of growth, in line with the 75th year of India's independence. Xynteo, together with the Coalition founding partners, The Aditya Birla Group, Hindustan Unilever, Cyient, Shell, GE, Tata Trusts, Tech Mahindra, TechnipFMC, State Bank of India and WPP is committed to advancing practical projects at the intersection of human need and commercial opportunity. The India2022 coalition is harnessing the combined strength of purposeful leaders in the areas of energy, waste, sanitation, healthcare and sustainable mining to support the momentum of growth in the country.

For more information, please visit www.xynteo.com.

Follow news about the company at @Xynteo.

For Further Media queries, please contact perfect Relations

Vishal Thapa @ 91 9701834446/ vthapa@perfectrelations.com

Sagar Kumar @ 7376406057 / sagar.kumar@perfectrelations.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/289359/cyient_logo.jpg
The Indian market is likely to reclaim 12000 levels on Wednesday tracking positive trend seen in other Asian markets.

Trends on SGX Nifty indicate a positive opening for the broader index in India, with a 40.50 points loss or 0.34 percent. The Nifty futures were trading around 12,059-level on the Singaporean Exchange.

Lets look at the final tally on D-Street on February 18  the S&P BSE Sensex fell 161 points to 40,894 while the Nifty50 closed with losses of 53 points at 11,992 on Tuesday.

Tracking the momentum, more than 200 stocks on the BSE hit a fresh 52-week low which includes names like Gillette India, Hero MotoCorp, IndusInd Bank, Sobha, ITC, Everest Industries, and Marico, etc. among others.

Sectorally, the action was seen in IT, oil & gas, public sector, capital goods, and healthcare stocks while profit-taking was visible in telecom, metals, auto, realty, FMCG and banking stocks.

Stay tuned to Moneycontrol to find out what happens in currency and equity markets today. We have collated a list of important headlines across news platforms which could impact Indian as well as international markets:

US Markets:

The Dow and S&P 500 fell on Tuesday after a sales warning from Apple left investors assessing the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on U.S. companies.

The worlds most valuable technology firm said it would fall short of its recently announced quarterly sales target because of slower iPhone production and weaker demand in China due to the virus. Its shares ended down 1.8% at $319, while its low of the session was $314.61, said a Reuters report.

Asian Markets

Asian shares and US stock futures edged cautiously higher on Wednesday as investors tried to shake off worries about the coronavirus epidemic following a slight decline in the number of new cases.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.01%. Australian shares were up 0.14%, while Japan's Nikkei stock index rose 0.61%.

SGX Nifty

Trends on SGX Nifty indicate a positive opening for the broader index in India, with a 40.50 points loss or 0.34 percent. The Nifty futures were trading around 12,059-level on the Singaporean Exchange.

The outbreak of the virus in China has hit Indias manufacturing and exports of medicines, electronic, textile and chemicals as China is the biggest source of intermediate goods, worth $30 billion a year, according to a presentation by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), seen by Reuters.

After being shown the presentation on Tuesday, Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government would announce measures in the coming days after discussing them with other ministries and the prime ministers office. She did not elaborate on the measures.

Sitharaman met more than 200 business leaders to assess the impact of the coronavirus and discuss plans to contain the damage.

Govt may give reprieve to solar projects delayed by coronavirus fallout

India will consider extending deadlines for completing solar energy projects to shield developers from stiff penalties after the coronavirus outbreak hit component supplies from China, a top government official said on Tuesday.

India buys about 80% of its solar modules from China, which has shut down some factories, restricted transport and implemented other measures to combat the spread of the virus that has killed 1,868 people in China and infected 72,436 others.

Market regulator Sebi on Tuesday levied a total fine of Rs 59 lakh on nine companies for indulging in fraudulent trading in the scrip of Turbotech Engineering Ltd. Radison Properties, Natural Housing, Topwell Properties, South Asia Portfolios, Kingfisher Properties, Janvi Tanvi Shares Traders, Safed Sales, Shivkhori Construction and Spice Merchants are the nine companies on whom the fine has been levied.

HDFC Bank, the most valuable Indian lender, completed 25 years on Tuesday. The bank observed the anniversary celebrations by committing to plant 25 lakh trees and also digitise 2,500 classrooms.

Shree Cement will replace private lender Yes Bank in the benchmark index Nifty 50 from March 27, NSE Indices, a subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), said on Tuesday.

Further, Vodafone Idea, Ashok Leyland, Indiabulls Housing Finance, L&T Finance Holdings and Shree Cement will be dropped from Nifty Next 50, NSE Indices said in a statement.

Mutual fund distributors, independent financial advisers (IFAs), and wealth managers are awaiting clarity on the Securities and Exchange Board of Indias (SEBI) decision on Registered Investment Advisers (RIA).

In a board meet held on February 17, SEBI ruled that IFAs and wealth managers will not be allowed to use nomenclature like independent financial advisers (IFAs) and wealth managers without registering with SEBI as RIAs.

The country's largest lender State Bank of India is likely to file a red herring prospectus for the IPO of SBI Cards and Payment Services with the Registrar of Companies (ROC) on February 18, according to a CNBC-TV18 report.

The report quoted unnamed sources stating the Initial Public Offering (IPO) is expected to be launched between March 2-5 , and the total dilution could be around 14 percent through public offer.

The Indian rupee tumbled by 24 paise to settle at 71.56 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday as concerns over the economic fallout from coronavirus outbreak continued to roil forex market sentiment. Besides, sustained foreign fund outflows and subdued equities also put pressure on the rupee.

On the institutional front, FPIs were net sellers in Indian markets for Rs 74 cr while the DIIs were also net sellers to the tune of Rs 309 cr, provisional data showed.
Travel plans hit by coronavirus as Thais shun Singapore, Japan after advisory

THAILAND: The Public Health Ministrys new travel advisory for Japan and Singapore is sparking concern among Thai tourists, many of whom are asking tour operators to refund their tickets.

tourismhealthSafetyCoronavirusCOVID-19

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 19 February 2020, 09:17AM

Travellers are seen at Suvarnabhumi airport. The Public Health Ministrys new travel advisory for Japan and Singapore is sparking concern among Thai tourists. Photo: Bangkok Post

The ministry yesterday (Feb 18) advised people to delay travelling to Japan and Singapore while the two countries grapple with deadly coronavirus (COVID-19).

Those who cannot avoid visiting the two countries should take measures to protect themselves and prepare to be screened for the virus on their return in line with standard practices, said Sopon Iamsirithaworn, head of the Disease Control Departments Communicable Disease Division.

Thai health authorities have extended coronavirus screening to cover visitors from Japan and Singapore after the countries reported local contagion cases.

Last year Thais paid more than 1.3 million visits to Japan, which scored high on their list of top destinations.

Sukhum Kanchanapimai, permanent secretary for public health, said that the virus outbreaks in Japan and Singapore had reached Stage 3, of domestic transmission between locals with no record of meeting Chinese people. Thais who had visited the two countries in the past 14 days, and have fever or exhibit other symptoms, must visit a doctor and would receive treatment free of charge, he said.

Since Feb 1, some 31,336 Thais have travelled via Don Mueang airport to Japan and 6,545 Thais to Singapore, the Immigration Bureau reported yesterday.

Travellers yesterday mulled cancelling trips to the two countries after the ministry advised tourists to stay away from high-risk countries.

Charoen Wangananont, vice-president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, said a large number of Thais mistakenly believed the ministry had banned travel to Singapore and Japan.

Actually, it simply urged the public to postpone their trips to at-risk destinations. Over 100 tour operators have received inquiries from people who planned their trips in advance, he told the Bangkok Post yesterday.

Mr Charoen said even though travellers are cancelling their trips, airlines and tour operators cannot refund their customers because they are still operating normally.

Since low-cost airlines are not refunding tickets, how can tour agents refund the money? Who will be responsible for damages? You cant let tour operators shoulder the financial burden, he said.

A tour operator who asked not to be named said 30% of her customers planning to visit Singapore and Japan have already asked for refunds after the ministrys announcement.

There are still Thais who want to visit Vietnam and South Korea. However, [the advisory] is dealing a heavy blow to other tour operators. I have not seen any government measures to help us yet, she said.

Meanwhile, the Thai embassy in Tel Aviv has issued an advisory for Thais to postpone trips to Israel until further notice after its health ministry imposed a 14-day house quarantine on visitors from Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau.

Organisers of the Thailand Health Expo yesterday decided to reschedule the event from March 4-8 to Sept 2-6.

Meanwhile, a 74-year-old Chinese woman who received a Thai cocktail of HIV and flu drugs was discharged from hospital yesterday after making a full recovery from severe COVID-19-related pneumonia.

Dr Narong Aphikulvanich, deputy director-general of the Department of Medical Services, said the cocktail of drugs was now being administered to three other Chinese people and a Thai patient.

Seventeen COVID-19 patients in Thailand have made a full recovery, while confirmed cases remained unchanged at 35 as of yesterday. Since Jan 3, a total of 817 patients have been placed under investigation for the virus and 82 hospitalised.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - NextEra Energy Inc. (NEE) said that it has agreed to sell $2.5 billion of equity units to J.P. Morgan, Wells Fargo Securities, and BofA Securities. It expects to close the deal on February 21, 2020.



The company noted that each equity unit will be issued in a stated amount of $50. Each equity unit will consist of a contract to purchase NextEra Energy common stock in the future and a 5% undivided beneficial ownership interest in a NextEra Energy Capital Holdings debenture due March 1, 2025, to be issued in the principal amount of $1,000.



The debentures will be guaranteed by NextEra Energy Capital Holdings' parent company, NextEra Energy Inc. Total annual distributions on the equity units will be at the rate of 5.279%, consisting of interest on the debentures and payments under the stock purchase contracts.



The company noted that each stock purchase contract will require the holder to purchase NextEra Energy common stock for cash, based on a per-share price range of $282.04 to $352.55. The higher end of this price range reflects a premium of 25% over the New York Stock Exchange closing price of NextEra Energy common stock on February 18, 2020, which was $282.04. The holders must complete the stock purchase by no later than March 1, 2023, and their purchase obligations may be satisfied with proceeds raised from remarketing the debentures that comprise part of their equity units.



The net proceeds from the sale of the equity units, which are expected to be about $2.42 billion, will be added to the general funds of NextEra Energy Capital Holdings.



NextEra Energy Capital Holdings expects to use its general funds to fund investments in energy and power projects and for other general corporate purposes, including the repayment of all or a portion of NextEra Energy Capital Holdings' outstanding commercial paper obligations.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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WASHINGTON - For Mike Bloomberg, the one-way conversation with Democratic voters is about to end.

By spending more than $400 million of his own money and largely bypassing his opponents by skipping the early primary states, Bloomberg has rocketed to double-digit support in enough national polls to qualifyfor both Wednesday nights Nevada debate and next weeks debate in South Carolina.

But as Bloombergs support has risen, so has the criticism from his Democratic foes as well as the broader scrutiny of his past comments and record as New York City mayor. As he faces his rivals onstage for the first time, theyve made it clear theyre eager to take him on.

On Tuesday, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren offered a preview of one line of attack the billionaire can expect face to face.

Its a shame Mike Bloomberg can buy his way into the debate, she tweeted, but at least now primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we each take on an egomaniac billionaire.

It will be the first time hes debated in over a decade. And the first time in this campaign that Bloomberg will have to answer before a national audience for racial and sexist comments hes made in the past. Mark Green, the former New York City public advocate who ran against Bloomberg for mayor in 2001, says that could be tough.

His insulting, wise-guyish comments on race and women and justice will not be easy to parry if the moderator or rival frames the questions correctly, he said.

A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll published Tuesday showed Bloomberg with 19% support nationally in the Democratic nominating contest, a striking figure for a candidate who has joined no debates and competed in no primaries.

The former New York City mayor, who launched his presidential campaign in November, will appear in Las Vegas alongside former Vice-President Joe Biden, Sens. Warren, Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Fellow billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is still hoping to qualify.

While Bloomberg is appearing on the debate stage in Nevada, he still is not participating in Saturdays state caucus. Hes skipping the first four voting states  Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina  in favour of focusing on the multitude of states that vote March 3, Super Tuesday.

Trying to keep expectations in check, aides have repeatedly noted in recent days that Bloombergs rivals have had multiple debates to hone their skills and talking points. On the campaign trail, hes still using a teleprompter to deliver his short stump speeches, and he rarely takes questions directly from voters.

His aides have also emphasized that the former mayor is expecting fire from all angles, particularly on his status as a billionaire self-funding his campaign and on the stop-and-frisk police practice he employed in New York.

But Tim OBrien, a senior adviser to the campaign, said the debate will be a chance to showcase Bloombergs focus and claims to deliver on key Democratic issues, like climate change and gun control.

The debates a chance for us to make it clear that this is a deeply compassionate and principled man who isnt just a rich guy on a vanity run, OBrien said.

Bloombergs opponents have telegraphed an array of attacks.

Biden has gone after him on issues relating to race, noting his past comments suggesting ending racist mortgage-lending practices known as redlining contributed to the financial crisis, and that Bloombergs ads often feature Obama prominently, though the businessman has been a critic of Obama in the past.

Klobuchar argued this weekend that voters wouldnt want another billionaire in the White House and that her blue-collar background makes her a stronger candidate than the former mayor. Buttigieg said that Bloomberg will have to answer for reports alleging he has a long history of sexist comments and behaviour in his business.

Warren and Sanders have perhaps been Bloombergs sharpest critics, as both see him as a useful foil to their populist campaign messages. At a campaign rally this weekend, Sanders derided Bloomberg for skipping the early primary states and mocked his riches, joking to the crowd that the businessman is struggling, hes down to his last $60 billion.

But Bloombergs aides say hes eager to take on Sanders, and theyve characterized the race for the presidency as a three-way contest  between Bloomberg, Sanders and President Donald Trump.

OBrien suggested Bloomberg will be doing more than just trying to withstand Sanders fire.

I think youre going to see us go toe-to-toe with Bernie Sanders on important issues, he said.

Bernies a millionaire, Bernies got a troubled record on criminal justice, he supported the 1994 crime bill, OBrien said. He said Sanders has previously voted to give gun makers immunity from lawsuits. Sanders has since changed his position.

Bloombergs other big challenge could be maintaining his cool on the debate stage amid whats certain to be a volley of attacks from rivals and tough questions from the moderators. The former mayor has a history of becoming short or testy during press conferences, and is known for his unfiltered comments behind closed doors.

To prepare him, aides have been holding mock debates with Bloomberg in a warehouse office in downtown New York, with some of his top communications advisers playing his opponents. Senior advisers Howard Wolfson and Marcia Hale are playing Sanders and Klobuchar respectively, while Marc LaVorgna and Julie Wood, two longtime mayoral aides who now serve as campaign spokespeople, are playing Buttigieg and Warren.

Bradley Tusk, who served as Bloombergs campaign manager in 2009, is running the debate prep.

Green, his former mayoral opponent, said that when he debated Bloomberg the former mayor was then what he really is now: apparently calm, confident, competent and able to memorize enough of an answer that hell get by,

With expectations low, said Green, no Bloomberg booster, the average voter will probably say well, he was OK.

___

Ronayne reported from Sacramento, California.

___

Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game.
The peak body for Australians with severe allergies is calling on pharmacists to stock up on life-saving EpiPens, blaming "complacent" chemist owners for failing to restock weeks after a national shortage was resolved.

Parents have been phoning Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia chief executive Maria Said to complain they cannot get their hands on an EpiPen Junior for their child, despite the distributor having "an abundance of stock", she said.

Global supply issues result in fluctuating availability of EpiPens, which are manufactured exclusively by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. Credit:AP

"Some pharmacists have become complacent," Ms Said told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. "During a crisis, they need to be calling wholesalers and placing an order every week - but many are not doing it unless pushed to by the consumer ... We're frustrated, customers are continuing to contact us."

She said ongoing shortages over many years had contributed to pharmacists presuming there are shortages even when we are told stock is plentiful and that a directive from the Therapeutic Good Administration could prompt a more proactive response.
New Delhi, Feb 20 : An accused in an attempt to murder case was shot dead by some unidentified men on Wednesday night in Rohini district, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Pawan alias Anchil, the police said.

The police officials said that Pawan was an accused in an attempt to murder case and was recently released from jail.

The victim was travelling in his Scorpio car in Ladpur Kanjhawala area of Rohini when some unidentified persons who were in a hyundai i20 car fired around 45 rounds of bullets at him, a senior police officer who was on spot said.

Pawan was a resident of Rohini's Karala village.
You say Ne-VAH-duh, I say Ne-VAD-uh. According to Nevadans, the latter is correct and the distinction is important. With the upcoming Nevada caucuses, presidential candidates and journalists will confront an important issue: how to pronounce the states name. In 2016, Donald Trump told the states constituents that they were using the wrong pronunciation at a rally in Reno. George W. Bush and Michelle Obama have also gotten it wrong. The television anchors Brian Williams and George Stephanopoulos have been criticized for botching the pronunciation. Michael Green, an associate professor of history at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, said using the wrong pronunciation was not a deal breaker for candidates, but using the right one could certainly help win friends and influence people. When a candidate says Ne-VAH-duh, it sets peoples teeth on edge because its reasonable to expect you to know something about your audience, Dr. Green said. The Spanish word nevada translates to snow-capped, a seemingly peculiar name for a state famous for its deserts and arid climate. The state was most likely named after the Sierra Nevada, a snow-capped mountain range, Dr. Green said. In Nevadans preferred pronunciation, the second vowel rhymes with bad instead of awed, defying the words original accent. Dr. Green said this was probably because the area was settled in the 1860s by mostly Northerners and Midwesterners who typically used a hard a as opposed to the softer a used by Southerners.

1 of 6 How do the majority of residents in Nevada pronounce the state's name? Ne-VADD-uh (VADD rhymes with BAD) Ne-VAH-duh (AH as in FATHER)

2 of 6 How do the majority of residents in Colorado pronounce the state's name? Colo-RADD-o (RADD rhymes with HAD) Colo-RAH-doe (RAH rhymes with AWE)

Nevadans learn how to pronounce their states name when theyre young. Dr. Green, who grew up in Las Vegas, said he remembered singing the state song, Home Means Nevada, in his elementary school years. Though there is no official pronunciation, Dr. Green said, Nevadans have a sense of pride and ownership over how the states name should be said. And it shouldnt be pronounced as if you were at the doctors office with a tongue depressor in your mouth, he added. Walter Wadiak, an assistant professor of English at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., said: I honestly think a lot of the variation in pronouncing place names is about identity. Its a way of marking yourself as an insider and others as outsiders. Politicians on the campaign trail are acutely aware of how important it is to say the right thing, but is there a right thing to say? Dennis Preston, a professor of linguistics at Oklahoma State University, said politicians would have to walk a tightrope when it came to mimicking local customs. They dont want to come across as fake or pandering, but they also dont want to seem ignorant, he said. The locals want you to do some things because it shows respect for the way they do things, Dr. Preston said. On the other hand, they dont want you to do things which are not your right because they dont belong to you. The debate around state pronunciations is not limited to Nevada. Theres also Oregon, Missouri, Florida, Texas and Colorado  to name a few. Though many residents of these states may emphatically disagree, linguists and language experts insist there is no such thing as a correct pronunciation. One thing any linguist will tell you is that place names dont change easily, Dr. Wadiak said. This is because people feel strongly about them.

3 of 6 How do the majority of residents in Florida pronounce the state's name? FLAW-rih-duh (FLAW rhymes with SAW) FLOOR-ih-duh (FLOOR rhymes with SORE) FLOOR-da

4 of 6 How do the majority of residents in Missouri pronounce the state's name? Mih-ZUR-ee (rhymes with HAPPY) Mih-ZUR-uh (like the last vowel in CANADA)

Pronunciations can vary for many reasons, according to experts. Many state names have Native American, Spanish or French roots, which can be interpreted in different ways, Dr. Preston said. Colorado, Texas, Montana and Florida are, like Nevada, derived from Spanish words, but are often said with American English intonations. The majority of Colorado residents say Colo-RAD-o, most Floridians say FLAW-rih-duh and Texans tend to end their states name with a z consonant, said Bert Vaux, a linguistic professor at the University of Cambridge who conducted the Harvard Dialect Survey and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Dialect Survey. The pronunciation of Missouri, a Native American word translated to mean town of the large canoes, was brought to the English language by French explorers and has long been debated among Missourians; is the states name pronounced Mih-ZUR-uh or Mih-ZUR-ee? The answer is influenced by the rural and urban divide, education levels and socioeconomic factors, according to KBIA, a radio station based in Columbia, Mo. Oregon is an odd case, Dr. Wadiak said. Residents prefer ORE-uh-gin  rhyming with win  instead of Ore-uh-GONE. Dr. Wadiak said that over time, it was very likely that the last vowel sound in Oregon shifted from GONE to GUN to GIN in a process that linguists call schwaification, which happens when vowel clarity gets lost. Some Oregonians even leave out the middle vowel altogether, and the states name sounds like the word organ, Dr. Wadiak said.

5 of 6 How do the majority of residents in Oregon pronounce the state's name? ORE-gin ORE-uh-GONE (GONE rhymes with LAWN) ORE-uh-gin (GIN rhymes with WIN)

6 of 6 How do the majority of residents in Texas pronounce the state's name? Tex-UZ (final consonant sounds like a Z) Tex-US (final consonant sounds like an S)
Take the case of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Post columnist who was murdered 16 months ago by an official Saudi hit team. Mr. Pompeo has said repeatedly that the United States was investigating the case and would hold accountable those responsible. Yet apart from denying visas to 21 people who would be unlikely ever to travel to the United States, the administration has done nothing. Last month, it failed to comply with a congressional mandate, included in defense legislation passed in December, that it submit a report to Congress identifying any Saudi implicated in the directing, ordering or tampering of evidence in the Khashoggi case. That, of course, would necessarily include the crown prince, whom the CIA concluded ordered the hit.
LUANDA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denounced corruption and touted American business on Monday during the second leg of an African tour in Angola, where the government is seeking to claw back billions of dollars looted from state coffers.

Pompeo is aiming to promote U.S. investment as an alternative to Chinese loans while assuaging concerns over a planned U.S military withdrawal and the expansion of visa restrictions targeting four African countries.

In Angola's capital Luanda, Pompeo met with President Joao Lourenco, who took office in 2017 promising wide-ranging economic reforms and a crackdown on the endemic graft that marked his predecessor Jose Eduardo dos Santos' four-decade rule.

"Here in Angola, damage from corruption is pretty clear," he told a group of businessmen following that meeting. "This reform agenda that the president put in place has to stick."

Portugal's public prosecutor has ordered the seizure of bank accounts belonging to Isabel dos Santos, the former president's billionaire daughter, who is a suspect in an Angolan fraud investigation.

Reputedly the richest woman in Africa, she has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Angola, with sub-Saharan Africa's third-largest economy and its second-largest oil producer is ranked as one of the world's most corrupt nations, in 165th place on a list of 180 countries, according to anti-corruption group Transparency International.

U.S. oil majors Exxon Mobil <XOM.N> and Chevron <CVX.N> have significant stakes in Angolan oil fields.

Last year, Chevron signed onto a consortium to develop Angola's natural gas assets alongside Italy's Eni <ENI.MI>, France's Total <TOTF.PA>, BP <BP.L> and Angolan state oil company Sonangol.

"We've got a group of energy companies that have put more than $2 billion in a natural gas project. That will rebound to the benefit of the American businesses for sure, but to the Angolan people for sure as well," Pompeo said.

Story continues

Despite U.S. investments, the bulk of Angola's oil production is destined for China, which holds the lion's share of Angolan foreign debt.

The Trump administration has accused China of predatory lending in Africa, where Beijing has loaned governments billions of dollars for infrastructure projects in exchange for access to natural resources. China rejects the criticism.

With a revamped International Development Finance Corporation and its new Prosper Africa trade and investment strategy, the administration is seeking to combat Chinese influence on the continent.

But the push comes as some governments are questioning U.S. President Donald Trump's commitment to Africa.

The White House last month tightened visa restrictions on nationals from Sudan, Tanzania, Eritrea and Nigeria.

West African governments are also worried about a proposed U.S. troop withdrawal from the region just as Islamist groups with links to Islamic State and al Qaeda are gaining ground.

During the first leg of his African trip in Senegal on Sunday, Pompeo sought to put some of those fears to rest.

"We have an obligation to get security right here, in the region. It's what will permit economic growth, and we're determined to do that," he told reporters.

(Reporting by pool; Additional reporting by Libby George; Writing by Joe Bavier: Editing by Angus MacSwan)
If you are worried about the chemicals in cosmetics, consult the Environmental Working Groups Skin Deep database, which rates specific cosmetics on their chemical content. On the go, you could carry EWGs wallet guide, which lists a dozen key ingredients to avoid. Alternatively, you could purchase your cosmetics at stores that have done some of the work for you. Whole Foods has banned more than 100 ingredients from its cosmetic products. Target vowed to exclude key chemicals of concern from all beauty products it sells by 2020. CVS and Rite Aid also pledged to remove certain ingredients by this year, but only from their store brands. Walgreens will implement a restricted-substances list for its store-brand beauty products by the end of 2021.
RTHK: Europe to push ahead with AI, but 'responsibly'

The EU unveiled its strategy for artificial intelligence on Wednesday as it seeks to catch up with China and the US and dispel fears of Big Brother-like control.

The EU said building trust would be a guiding principle, with higher-risk uses of AI in health, security or transport facing stricter demands on transparency and human oversight. Lower-risk applications would be largely left alone.

The other ambition will be to offer companies and universities access to the mountain of data that drives AI -- with the bloc considering forcing tech giants to share data or face sanctions.

"We want the application of these new technologies to deserve the trust of our citizens," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters.

"This is why we are promoting a responsible, human-centric approach to artificial intelligence."

EU officials are eager to define the rules of AI and push their champions, acknowledging that Europe and its companies have been outflanked by Silicon Valley's Google, Facebook and Apple, as well as Chinese players like Tencent.

"It's not us that need to adapt to today's platforms. It's the platforms that need to adapt to Europe," the EU's Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton told a news conference.

"The battle for industrial data starts now and Europe will be the main battlefield. Europe has everything it needs to be a leader."

The proposals are the first step in a long road to legislation, with Brussels hoping for draft laws by the end of the year.

But the far-ranging plans will face furious lobbying from corporate giants and governments and will require ratification by the European Parliament.

"Artificial intelligence is not good or bad in itself. It all depends on why and how it is used," said the EU Commission's executive vice president on digital policy, Margrethe Vestager.

The commission, the EU's executive arm, will seek to repeat the impact of GDPR -- its regulation on data protection that has become a global standard.

Corporate lobbies welcomed the hands-off approach to lower-risk applications of AI, relieved that Brussels was stepping back from blanket regulation.

"We support the targeted and risk-based approach," said Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, the head of DigitalEurope, a tech lobby.

"It will be important to keep new regulation focused and limited to truly high-risk cases."

Christopher Padilla, an IBM vice president, urged "precision regulation" that applied "different rules for different levels of risk".

This would ensure "businesses and consumers have trust in technology", he said.

EU officials refrained from asking for curbs on facial recognition, one of the most controversial examples of artificial intelligence.

For now, they said existing legislation already limits its uses, but the bloc will start a debate on the topic to determine where European citizens would accept it. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Australian company loses bid for Lady Crimea trademark

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

12:09 19/02/2020

MOSCOW, February 19 (RAPSI)  The Chamber for Patent Disputes has upheld an earlier Russian Federal Agency for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks (Rospatent) decision to dismiss a petition of Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) seeking to discontinue brand protection of a Russian firm, the agencys records read on Wednesday.

Earlier, Rospatent has registered trademark Lady Crimea as owned by Russian firm Krymskaya Fruktovaya Kompaniya (Crimea Fruit Company), the largest producer of fruits in the Republic of Crimea.

The claimant argued that the design of the trademark of the Russian company could mislead consumers, since its own exclusively owned brands Pink Lady (in English and in Russian) had such components as the word Lady, a graphic element in the shape of a heart, and rose color, used also by the Crimea Fruit Company.

APAL insisted that the registered trademark imitated its brand without its consent; however, Rospatent dismissed the claim citing the absence of any phonetic or semantic similarity between the trademarks, whereas the time of use and outreach of the brand of the Australian company across Russias regions were insufficient to form stable brand associations on the part of consumers so they could be confused by the brand similarities.
A police officer has been arrested for allegedly taking 10.35 gram heroin and six mobile phones as bribe and releasing five criminals from a jail here, police said on Wednesday.

Sub-Inspector Amandeep Singh, the station house officer of the police station 2 here, along with his personal driver who worked as a middleman, was held on Tuesday night, IGP (Special Task Force) R K Jaiswal told reporters.

The SHO released the criminals from the jail without taking any action, the IGP said.

Singh also kept the heroin and six mobile phones recovered from the criminals, he added.

Ludhiana Police Commissioner Rakesh Aggarwal said he has suspended the sub-inspector and ordered a departmental enquiry against him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The law ministry is finalising its note on Election Commission of India proposal to link Aadhaar with voters list, a move expected to weed out duplicate entries and help migrant voters exercise their franchise even when they live outside the constituency where they are registered as voters, people familiar with the development said.

The ministry communicated this to senior ECI officials during deliberations held on Tuesday with Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and election commissioners, Sushil Chandra and Ashok Lavasa.

At the meeting, the CEC Sunil Arora also stressed on the need to fast-track 40 proposals pending with the latter for electoral reforms, some date back to 2004-05.

On the proposal to link the electoral list with the 12-digit biometric number, the law secretary is said to have given a favourable opinion and assured the ECI that a cabinet note would soon be prepared to change the two laws - the Representation of Peoples Act and Aadhaar law.

No time-frame was stated by the ministry officials.

Once the legal process is over, ECI would then explore the technology to let people vote from a location, outside their registered constituency, under the guard of EC officials, a senior EC officer, in know of the development, said.

ECI had proposed the changes in 2015 to save migrants from what amounts to disenfranchisement. At present, a migrant voter cannot vote if he or she is living outside the constituency where he or she is registered. This provision leaves out several voters who are forced to relocate to cities for work reasons.

The other electoral reforms for which the ECI has pushed include making paid news and filing of false affidavit electoral offences. ECI had also pressed to make electoral laws gender neutral.

At present, an army mans wife can enrol as a service voter but a woman army officers husband cannot. A bill that proposes to replace the term wife with spouse, to make the provision gender-neutral had lapsed last year following the dissolution of the previous Lok Sabha.

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1. The passage is primarily concerned with

The passage does not advocate a theory that we know from the passage to be controversial. Eliminate.

While the passage does present the results of the study by Allen and Wolkowitz, it largely agrees with the results and does not challenge them. Eliminate.

The passage does not propose any solution. Eliminate.

Correct. The passage describes the research by Allen and Wolkowitz which opposes the widely held belief that "homework...is primarily a response to women workers' needs and preferences".

The passage does not discuss how correct or not the results of the study by Allen and Wolkowitz are - it merely presents the results. Eliminate.

2. According to the passage, which of the following has been generally believed about homework?

The question is about the beliefs about homework held prior to the study by Allen & Wolkowitz. The passage tells us that the belief at this time was that " homework...is primarily a response to women workers' needs and preferences" ie; it benefits the homeworkers themselves. Eliminate.

This finding of the study opposes the earlier held beliefs about homework ("Their findings disprove accepted notions about home workers..."), hence cannot be an earlier held belief. Eliminate.

Correct. The passage clearly states this in the first sentence.

Nothing in the passage suggests this. Eliminate.

This is the finding of the study which opposes the earlier held beliefs about homework, hence cannot be an earlier held belief. Eliminate.

3. The passage suggests which of the following about previous research on homework?

The passage states: "Their findings disprove accepted notions about home workers: that they are unqualified for other jobs...". Eliminate.

Correct. The passage states: "By focusing on a limited geographical area in order to gather in-depth information, the authors have avoided the methodological pitfalls that have plagued earlier research on homework." Therefore, it is evident that earlier research had been conducted over a large geographical area.

While this is described as an "accepted notion" about homework, we do not know from the passage whether this notion is backed by earlier research. Eliminate.

Nothing in the passage suggests this. Eliminate.

While this is true as per the passage, it is merely mentioned as a possible explanation for homework. We do not know if this is backed by previous research. Eliminate.

The OA gives (E) as the correct answer for Q3. However, I believe the correct answer should be (B), since it is 100% supported by information given in the passage about previous research . Option (E), while true (and will have been true even before Allen and Wolkowitz's research), is not stated to be supported by earlier research, which is what the question asks for. Hence, in my view, option (B) should be the OA for this question.



I would love to hear any opposing views on this, please.

A. advocating a controversial theoryB. presenting and challenging the results of a studyC. outlining a problem and proposing a solutionD. describing research that opposes a widely accepted beliefE. evaluating the merits of a study of a controversial topicA. The benefits of homework accrue primarily to employers rather than to home workers.B. Home workers do not differ drastically from other employed women.C. Home work is primarily a response to the preferences of women workers.D. Few home workers rely on homework for the majority of their family income.E. Lack of opportunity rather than convenience is the reason for women to work from home.A. It proved that home workers are unqualified for other jobs.B. It was conducted with home workers and companies over a large geographical area.C. It indicated that women home workers treated home work as a short term strategy to handle child care.D. It indicated that home workers usually work for companies that are close to their homes.E. It indicated that employing home workers was financially advantageous to large companies.Hope this helps._________________
The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on the Ghaziabad Municipal Commissioner and the executive officer of the civic body for their failure to remove encroachments in the green belts in compliance of its direction.

A bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore asked the municipal corporation to execute its order on removal of encroachments within 30 days.

"The facts and circumstances leaves no room of doubt that compliance of the order of the Tribunal have not been made so far, much less to say within a period of 30 days even from December 11, 2019. The tribunal has no option but to pass order is respect of the failure on the part of the officer of the Municipal Corporation to execute the order within 30 days," the bench said.

The tribunal said,"Consequences for such failure were already indicated in the previous orders and therefore, we are of the considered opinion that a cost of Rs 10,000 in equal shares, shall be deposited by the Commissioner as well as Executive Officer of Municipal Corporation, Ghaziabad, within one week, with NGT Bar Association".

In case of failure to do so, the said cost shall be recovered as arrears of land revenue by the Collector from the officers, in their individual capacity, the NGT said.

The tribunal directed the commissioner and the executive engineer of the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam to remain present on March 4, the next date of hearing.

It said the commissioner has made efforts to convince by submitting that steps for removal of the encroachment had been taken. "However, the fact remains that the encroachment at the site has not been fully removed and there cannot be any dispute about the fact that the time granted has expired long back," the NGT said.

The tribunal on December 11 had directed the municipal corporation to remove illegal encroachments in the green belts under its jurisdiction within a period of 30 days.

The tribunal's direction came after petitioner advocate Shariq Abbas Zaidi alleged that NGT's February 8 order directing the Municipal Corporation of Ghaziabad to take immediate steps for removal of encroachment from green belt has not been executed.

The petitioners had sought action against the encroachments in the green belt area and reckless dumping of waste by the municipal bodies.

The plea had alleged that Hotel Radisson Blu which is located at Kaushambi has destroyed the entire green belt situated along with the road solely for their parking purposes and even converted the area into a party lawn.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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A married man who was fatally struck by a 9kg gas bottle that fell from a Sydney building had been walking home with a friend when the 'freak accident' occurred.

The 37-year-old was walking in The Rocks shortly before midnight on Tuesday when the bottle struck him, causing severe injuries to his chest and hand.

He was taken inside a nearby hotel by witnesses where he went into cardiac arrest. Police performed CPR and he was rushed to St Vincent's Hospital where he died from his injuries.

Police detective inspector David El-Badawi told reporters on Wednesday the gas bottle had fallen 'from a great height' to strike the Chatswood man who had been having a drink with a friend in The Rocks.

'The friend is understandably not doing very well,' Det Insp El-Badawi said.

'It's a tragic event.'

A 37-year-old man was killed in The Rocks on Tuesday when a metal gas bottle fell from a building and struck him in the head amid a wild thunderstorm in Sydney. Pictured: Police at the scene

Police said the gas bottle had fallen 'from a great height' before fatally striking the man in a 'one-in-a-million accident'. The scene of the accident was cordoned off shortly after

The married Chatswood man was revealed to have been walking home with a friend after having drinks when the freak accident occurred

Rescue workers were called to 600 jobs in the Sydney metropolitan area since 9pm on Tuesday. Pictured: Bondi Beach on Tuesday night

Ausgrid said that 31,000 had power restored this morning with crews working around the clock and that 49,000 homes and businesses were still without power at 8am. Pictured: A car smashed by a tree in Bondi

NSW Ambulance Superintendent Kath Rallings said the death was a 'one-in-a-million' event.

'This is a freak accident and a tragedy for this man's family and friends,' she said in a statement on Wednesday.

'The man was unconscious when paramedics arrived and he then went into cardiac arrest.

'While this is appears to be a one-in-a-million accident, please do not underestimate these wild weather conditions.'

A crime scene has been established on Harrington Street and investigators have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

Some 80,000 Sydney residents woke up without power on Wednesday morning after the huge storm, which has been compared to a tornado, hit the city shortly before 11pm. It lasted about an hour before moving out to sea.

Residents were left stunned by the intensity of the electrical storm which lit up the night sky with frequent and bright flashes of lightning followed by deafening cracks of thunder.

Severe storms and lightning wreaked havoc in Sydney on Tuesday night causing power outages and commuter delays

Most requests for assistance related to downed trees and branches. Pictured: Bondi Beach on Tuesday night

A man was killed by a flying gas bottle as severe thunderstorm lashed Sydney overnight. Pictured: The storm hits the Harbour Bridge

A huge clean up operation (pictured in the CBD) was underway in Sydney on Wednesday morning after the storm caused carnage on Tuesday night

'Never seen a storm like this before,' one Twitter user from the city's west said. 'Non-stop lightning and thunder for over an hour. Power has gone off.'

Commuters were affected as a huge clean-up operation began. The North Shore Line was delayed by a fallen tree near Pymble and the Northern Line was held up by a fallen tree in Thornleigh.

Endeavour Energy said electricity cuts were affecting 24,000 of its customers after power lines were brought down in northwest Sydney and the Hawkesbury region on Tuesday night, with 270 electrical hazards needing repairs.

Ausgrid said its power network had also been damaged by the intense lightning storm in, with 72,000 properties left without electricity.

It said that 31,000 had power restored this morning with crews working around the clock and that 49,000 homes and businesses were still without power at 8am.

NSW SES spokesman Jason Simms told ABC radio that volunteers had been called to 600 jobs in the Sydney metropolitan area since 9pm on Tuesday, with most requests for assistance related to downed trees and branches.

Ausgrid warned residents not to go near powerlines as they may still be live and could cause electric shocks

Hundreds posted on social media in the midst of the storm. One woman in Sydney's east said: 'Some seriously wild weather here in Clovelly. Pictured: A tree fell on a car in suburban Sydney

A severe thunderstorm has barrelled into Sydney, bringing lightning, hail and damaging winds to the city after the same weather system lashed Melbourne

Emergency workers had ideal conditions as Sydney was sunny with a forecast top of 29C for Wednesday after the storm passed but in other parts of NSW cooler weather conditions are expected as a cold front moved up from from the southeast.

A dry air mass means southern parts of NSW could have temperatures drop below 20C, particularly in the Southern Ranges and South Coast region.

Western NSW regions were not expected to have any significant rainfall over the next few days.

Several flights coming into Sydney were also turned around, unable to land due to the chaotic weather.

The weather system had moved south from Melbourne, with a severe thunderstorm warning issued for that city's inner east on Tuesday afternoon lifted by about 9pm.

Flash flooding had earlier swept through parts of the city including Berwick, Officer, Pakenham, and surrounds.

The thunderstorms moved quickly, meaning rainfall totals have been quite low across the state, with 24 millimetres the highest recorded in Greenstead near the Hawkesbury River.

Orange recorded 12mm in 10 minutes, due to thunderstorm activity. Damaging winds of 90km/h pelted Nowra and Wollongong.

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for parts of the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury areas from a separate storm cell.
Morocco was maintained in the EUs tax haven grey list but could soon leave it this year as it implements reforms to conform to EU standards.

The grey list includes countries which are given time to reform their tax regimes and improve fiscal transparency.

Morocco could leave that list pending on the results of an OCDE review of the reform of the tax system of Casablanca Finance City.

Moroccos 2020 budget provides for a series of measures to fight tax fraud and evasion and encourage the repatriation of assets held abroad.

Morocco has also shown willingness to comply with tax standards alongside the EU.

Morocco sidestepped being listed in the EUs tax haven black list in March 2019 after promising reforms.

Blacklisted countries face difficulties accessing EU funding programs, while European companies doing business in those jurisdictions have to take additional compliance measures.
Dr Scott Sprenger to succeed Dr Richard Hodges as AUR President.

The American University of Rome (AUR) has named Dr Scott Sprenger as its new President, succeeding Dr Richard Hodges, who is retiring after more than a decade in the position.

President-elect Sprenger, who will assume the post of AUR President on 1 July, is currently Dean of the College of Arts & Humanities at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

Dr Sprenger was formerly Provost of The American University of Paris as well as associate dean of the College of Humanities at Brigham Young University (BYU).

The American University of Rome says that throughout his career Dr Sprenger has focused on "improving the student experience, advancing faculty research, and aligning the liberal arts with global career opportunities."

AUR hailed its President-elect as an "innovative, strategic leader" whose energy and vision uniquely qualifies him "to lead us beyond our 50th anniversary, which was celebrated this year.

Dr Sprenger said it was an honour to be chosen to lead "one of the most progressive English-speaking liberal arts universities in Europe - and the oldest American university in Rome."

Paying tribute to outgoing President Richard Hodges, Dr Sprenger said that as AUR President he would "continue to focus on improving both curriculum and the student experience and on ensuring that AUR continues to broaden the learning experience beyond its campus into the city of Rome and beyond."

Dr Sprenger received his advanced degrees at The Johns Hopkins University and Emory University, and was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholar Award from Frances National Center for Scientific Research and has held an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship at UCLA.

He is the author of over 40 peer-reviewed articles, essays and edited volumes, and his areas of writing and research are modern European literature and culture and current challenges in the world of higher education.
A 24-hour strike by Jetstar staff has thrown travel plans into disarray with the airline forced to cancel almost 50 flights.

Workers for the low-cost carrier Jetstar are walking off the job to demand better wages and conditions, with the strike resulting in the cancellation of 48 flights.

The budget airline has already cancelled 48 of its 200 domestic flights scheduled for Wednesday

Jetstar insists delays will be minimal as they scramble to get passengers onto Qantas flights and arrange other alternatives.

Jetstar Group CEO Gareth Evans said the airline has proactively cancelled flights in anticipation of the strike.

He said there are likely to be minimal delays and they will be offering full refunds for anyone affected.

'We have a strong plan in place to protect our customers' travel today. To minimise disruption we've consolidated some domestic services and moved other customers to Qantas flights,' he said.

'The majority of impacted customers will fly within a few hours of their original departure time and all customers will arrive at their destinations on the same day.'

One passenger says she's been stuck at an airport for eight hours due to the industrial action and has criticised the budget airline for 'royally messing her around'.

One passenger says she's been stuck at the airport for eight hours, criticising the budget airline for 'royally messing her around'

Airports across Australia have been flooded with strikers as part of a 24 hour protest by the Transport Worker's Union

Kim McIntosh told Daily Mail Australia she's been delayed at Sydney airport for eight hours after a last-minute flight cancellation overnight.

She said she received a text message saying her flight was cancelled at midnight because of bad weather, but didn't notice the message until it was too late.

She said she's 'p***ed off' and was offered a seat on the next flight to Ballina in northern NSW at 3pm, and was given a voucher for $8 to spend at the airport.

The union says 123 of the 126 rostered Jetstar staff will stop working at airports across Sydney, Melbourne, Avalon, Brisbane Cairns and Adelaide for 24 hours.

Jetstar is refuting the figure, saying only 29 people are part of the strike action, after failing to show up to their shift at 4am on Wednesday.

The union says 123 of the 126 rostered Jetstar staff will stop working at airports across Sydney, Melbourne, Avalon, Brisbane Cairns and Adelaide for 24 hours

The union says more than 250 people voted for the strike action, and more than 100 are part of the protest action at airports across the country on Wednesday- including Jetstar staff and supported by other airport employees.

The action was organised by the Transport Workers' Union and follows workers walking off the job in December last year as part of the same battle.

The TWU says Jetstar workers are the lowest-paid in the Qantas group with many guaranteed no more than 20 hours of work per week.

TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said the underemployment is making it tough for workers to survive.

'Jetstar workers do not take this decision lightly and we apologise to members of the public who will be unable to fly on Wednesday,' he said.

'But these workers are in the fight of their lives for a decent standard of living, to be able to put food on the table and to ensure they and their kids have a future. At the moment that future is bleak.'

The TWU says what's going on with Jetstar is an industry-wide issue.

'The problem at Jetstar is happening right across the fragmented aviation industry. Multiple airlines and aviation companies are in a race to the bottom, financially squeezing their workforces to make a profit. It means families are suffering. It means safety and security are being compromised at the airports every day,' he said.

In addition to better wages and guaranteed longer working weeks the union is raising concerns about the safety standards on the airline.

A survey of workers in the union found almost 80 per cent had been injured on the job, and 70 per cent have had to operate broken or faulty equipment on the job.

Another frustrated passenger took to Twitter to complain about their flight cancellation on Wednesday

The action was organised by the Transport Workers' Union and follows workers walking off the job in December last year as part of the same battle

Workers walked off the job on Wednesday to fight for better pay and conditions

An anonymous TWU Jetstar worker described the environment as high-risk for workplace injury because of staffing issues.

'I have seen more injuries than I can count, almost all are due to rushing which is an inflow effect from lack of staff. Staff are overworked. I've injured my wrist, my back, my knee, crushed my finger' they wrote.

'Injury rate is very high, in the past 6 months, over 20 people were on work cover due to high work load.'

Jetstar was adamant the claims of injury and faulty equipment were untrue.

A spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia in the year to January, around one per cent of workers had claimed an injury on the job.

They also refuted claims over broken equipment.

Wednesday's strike will affect Sydney, Melbourne , Avalon, Brisbane , Cairns and Adelaide airports

'We have a strong culture of maintaining airport equipment so it is safe to use and our operations are regularly audited by CASA,' the spokesperson said.

Jetstar Group CEO Gareth Evans said they have also been negotiating with staff for more than a year but they haven't been willing to play ball.

'The TWU needs to get in the real world. We've put on the table 3 per cent annual pay increases, a year's worth of backpay as well as rostering benefits. That's well above private sector wage growth and more than what most companies are offering,' he said.

'The TWU is completely out of touch on wages. And completely out of touch with what's happening to local tourism and the nationwide effort to get communities back on their feet after a very difficult summer.'
As the youngsters went on, if they went to community college or university level, some of the basic classes they have could fulfill those needs, or some of them will get those skills on the job, Sperling said. But it would be nice for them to have the skills before they got to the job.
China plans to take over HNA Group Co and sell off its airline assets, as the coronavirus outbreak has hit the Chinese conglomerate's ability to meet financial obligations, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The government of Hainan, the southern province where HNA is based, is in talks to take control of the conglomerate, the

report said. HNA directly controls or holds stakes in a number of local carriers, including its flagship Hainan Airlines.

HNA did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Bloomberg report.

HNA Group was once one of China's most aggressive deal making firms, spending $50 billion to build an empire that once spread from Deutsche Bank to Hilton Worldwide.

It began unwinding those bets two years ago to shift the focus to its core airlines and tourism businesses, after drawing

scrutiny from Beijing and other overseas regulators.
The first one, and one I recall as vividly as something that happened just now, goes back to November 1969.

I will be going to Calcutta in a few weeks to speak about China in the time of coronavirus. The Communists may have renamed it Kolkata, but it will always be Calcutta to me. It brings to fore an melange of memories.

The first one, and one I recall as vividly as something that happened just now, goes back to November 1969. I had just returned from England where I was training with a now many-times-gobbled-up company called Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, and was posted to Calcutta. Calcutta was in the midst of a huge turmoil then. Charu Mazumdar, Kanu Sanyal and Jangal Santhal and a few others had put a little village called Naxalbari on the national, if not world, stage. The Vietnam war was raging and the relentless bombing of North Vietnam by American warplanes, and the spraying of the defoliant Agent Orange over the jungles of South Vietnam and Cambodia, inflamed the youth all over the world. The Left Front government in West Bengal defiantly renamed the road on which the US consulate-general was located as Ho Chi Minh Sarai. The walls of Calcutta all had the most imaginatively written graffiti and slogans like amar bari, tomar bari, Naxalbari and amar nam, tomar nam, Vietnam blared and glared at you from every wall.

From London I went home for a few weeks in Secunderabad. When I left home, my father had gifted me an old Fiat 1100 that once belonged to his dear friend, the renowned forensics specialist and doctor, Dr I. Bhushan Rao. The car had a very special number APU 5566. My father told me this was all he had to give me, and now I was on my own. I loaded my portable radiogram set and my collection of LP records, including all the Bob Dylan LPs till then, a small suitcase of clothes and set off for Calcutta by road. It was a leisurely drive with stops wherever I felt like and wherever I had friends. Everyone I met was aghast that I was headed off to Calcutta to work. The car worked beautifully and I did not even have to fix a flat tyre on the journey.

But Calcutta was a seething cauldron. The intellectual ferment was visible on the pavement bookstores selling Marxist-Leninist tracts along with the works of Rabindranath Tagore. I got myself my own private copy of Maos Little Red Book. The ferment was heady. And the flames of revolt, rebellion and lawlessness singed you everywhere. Selling plastics while so much was going on seemed to be the most useless thing in the world then. But I was broke. And my father had more or less hinted that I shouldnt look to him for assistance since he had just retired as the first member of the AP Board of Revenue and the second topmost IAS officer in the state, by telling me more than once that his pension was going to be Rs 600 per month. My mother, who was a tightfisted rich lady, was as tightfisted as her mother and her mothers mother. They were from a very rich, matriarchal family from Vellore, and three generations of single daughters had ensured the family wealth remained intact and the good-looking daughters found highly educated and handsome men as husbands. My mother had an equally good-looking sister who married my fathers younger brother, a handsome Gurkha officer who later joined the IPS.

The possibility of obtaining any cash from my formidable mother appeared remote, and so I stuck it out selling plastic materials to industries. The big item was an epoxy material that was sold to foundries to bind together sand for their casts. Since I didnt know my way around Calcutta and didnt speak the language, I hired a local lad who was my manservant and guide. Both of us would go visiting factories and foundries in the grimier and grim industrial areas of Calcutta. I would go in while he would watch the car  my sole wealth. I lived very frugally, didnt have any friends and spent a good part of my time reading whatever I could lay my hands on. In about three months I had parleyed my salary and extra earnings into a goodly sum, mostly by charging cab fares (I was entitled to) and using my car for my sales calls. When my stash was enough to give some badly needed confidence, I decided I was ready to venture out into the world again, but couldnt decide when to do it.

My mind was made up one afternoon, as I was driving on Colootolla Street and stopped at a crossing. On my opposite there was a car in which a scuffle seemed to be taking place, and as the car was not moving, traffic began to back up and horns started blaring. Wondering what was going on, the lone policeman on duty walked up to the car to find out for himself what was going on. No sooner had he taken a few steps, the cars doors burst open and a bloodied man ran towards the cop, chased by two others. One was firing a pistol in the air and the other was waving a short stabbing sword. The man with the pistol then put his hands into a jhola he was also carrying and pulled out a country-made bomb, which he flung at their recent captive and the policeman.

Both were caught by the blast, and I saw one arm fly out. I was in the first car on the opposite side and all this unfolded in front of me as if in slow motion. For a brief moment the cacophony turned into a deathly silence. The two assailants then rushed back into their car and the car  it was a fawn-coloured and well-battered Ambassador  and the vehicle shot forward towards where I was in the front row of the grandstand. It hit my much-beloved Fiat 1100 (APU 5566), smashed its left headlight and a good bit of the fender, and raced off. The car was the most important thing in my life, as it was central to my future plans. Naturally my first reaction was to get out and assess the damage. But I couldnt move. The badly dented fender jammed the front wheel. With the option of taking off closed, I then turned to see if my fellow humans needed any help. The policeman was badly injured but the man who was being chased had lost his arm and was clearly dying.

A police van soon turned up and I volunteered to tell them what I saw. The cops heard me and made some notes. I gathered it was Presidency College internecine warfare between a Naxal faction and the official CPI(M) group. The police inspector, who was a very nice and genial person, then took me aside and said thank you very much. We know who did it and we know what to do. You better get moving before the Statesman reporter arrives and he gets your name and picture. He added, quite ominously, that after that I wouldnt be worth very much!

The cops helped me straighten the bent fender enough to make me mobile and I turned back with a dangling headlight to go to my company-provided apartment in Alipore. The first thing I did was to look for a garage to fix my car. By that time the insurance surveyor came and by the time the garage did its work a few more weeks had elapsed. In the meantime, I kept visiting foundries in a yellow beat-up Hindustan Landmaster. I was ready to hit the road in April, as summer was racing northwards.

It was during this car-less interregnum that I found a small Bengali eatery near my apartment, which I began to frequent. The food was always steaming hot and the fish curries delicious. The place, I forget its name, was functionally furnished and the walls had pictures of mystical looking Bengali gentlemen, and in my mind I referred to it as the Anushilan Samithy, It was great going till one day the owner recommended something special, which he assured me I would love. It was a dal with a fish head in it. The glazed look of the fishs eye was too much for a person who only saw fish before as a white chunk of delicately flaked flesh. Suddenly the fish acquired a personality. I couldnt handle it. Years later in Kabul, I was similarly offered a sheeps head placed in a bed of rice pilaf. I still couldnt handle a head on a plate.

My memories of those meals always make me crave for a Bengali thali meal, but as I moved up the ladder, my Calcutta visits had me ending up in the big hotels or state guesthouses. One Sunday I was at the Taj Bengal and went down with a friend to the trendy Sonar Bangla restaurant. I ordered the fixed course meal. But five-star fare is usually very disappointing. This one too was. I still miss my Anushilan Samithy. And one day I hope to find a place in Calcutta that serves simple and steaming hot khana with fish curry.

The writer, a policy analyst studying economic and security issues, held senior positions in government and industry. He also specialises in the Chinese economy.
Stating that Pakistan is leaving no stone un-turned to disturb peace in Jammu and Kashmir through social media, Director General Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh Wednesday said that action is being taken against those who are misusing Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).

We have evidence whereby social media was used through VPNs to tell militants to carry out attacks at certain places. On priority, we are targeting such misuse of social media, he told reporters, here.

Quoting examples of misuse of social media, the DGP said, The driver of the truck which was carrying militants at Nagrota (Jammu) sent a photograph to his handlers in Pakistan the moment his vehicle was intercepted at the naka.

We have to differentiate between use and misuse. When someone misuses the social media, there will be no room for leniency. You should be thankful that you are able to use it, Singh added.

For the last one week, police is cracking down on VPN apps used to circumvent a month-long ban on social media. Social networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram are still blocked, even after the government restored limited mobile data service and the internet in Kashmir, so residents use VPNs or proxy servers to bypass the restrictions.
A British couple diagnosed with coronavirus after being on board a cruise ship in Japan have said they doubt they will be put on the evacuation flight to the UK .

David Abel and his wife Sally have been posting video diary updates from the Diamond Princess while the cruise ship was under quarantine due to the virus outbreak.

In a video on Tuesday, Mr Abel revealed they had been diagnosed with coronavirus , also known as COVID-19, but appeared to cast doubt on the diagnosis when he described the situation as a "setup" in a Facebook post.

However, in a new YouTube video, he said: Weve since spoken to a doctor that speaks English, and weve had to really press hard for that, and it has been confirmed by him we are both positive."

The Foreign Office confirmed on Wednesday that it plans to fly the Britons back "later this week", but Mr Abel has said he does not believe he and his wife will be on the flight.

David Abel and his wife Sally / PA

We are going to a hostel because there isnt a hospital bed anywhere around," he added.

"So, were going to a hostel and in four or five days well be removed from the hostel and put into a hospital, where we will receive treatment.

So I cant see that theres going to be any way were on that flight to the UK.

Coronavirus: Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined 1 /32 Coronavirus: Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo AP Global interest: David Abel, who is on board Diamond Princess with his wife Sally, has been posting updates on social media David Abel Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), officials of the DFA-Philippines in Tokyo with Department of Health team wear protective suits as they prepare for the disembarkation of Filipino crew members on board the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship at Yokohama Port AP A man in a proctective clothing is seen on the sixth deck of cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama via Reuters A woman holds a Japanese flag that reads "shortage of medicine" on the cruise ship Diamond Princess Reuters Passengers disembarking from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama Port are pictured in Yokohama REUTERS/Kyodo Japan David Abel of the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined in Japan. PA David Abel being treated David Abel Workers in protective clothes stand before passengers disembarkating off the Diamond Princess AFP via Getty Images Quarantine operation on the eighth deck of cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama via Reuters An empty general view of Diamond Princess cruise ship PA The Diamond Princess cruise ship, in quarantine due to fears of new COVID-19 coronavirus, is seen at Daikoku pier cruise terminal in Yokohama AFP via Getty Images Sally Abel being treated David Abel/Facebook Men wearing protective gear are seen near the cruise ship Diamond Princess, Reuters The Diamond Princess cruise ship with around 3,700 people on board sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama after a number of passengers were confirmed to be infected with coronavirus Getty Images An empty general view of Diamond Princess cruise ship PA Medical workers in protective suits lead a passenger tested positive for a new coronavirus from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port AP Buses carrying passengers who have been under quarantine on a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship off the coast of Japan, the Diamond Princess, leave RAF Boscombe Down in Amesbury Reuters An empty casino on the Diamond Princess cruise ship PA Workers in protective gear are seen on the Japan Coast Guard boats in Yokohama Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images An empty atrium on the Diamond Princess cruise shi PA Workers in protective gear transfer a person under a blue sheet from the Diamond Princess cruise ship onto a Japan Coast Guard boat in Yokohama Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images Medical workers in protective suits carry belongings of passengers of the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port AP Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo AP

The couple have been using the videos to put pressure on the Government to rescue Brits who were stranded on the ship.

In his latest video, Mr Abel explained why there had been less frequent video updates, saying he was "distraught" after testing positive for the virus.

Following their diagnosis, Mr Abel wrote in a Facebook post: "There is going to be a time of quiet. We have been proved positive and leaving for hospital soon. Blessings all."

Mr Abel also used the latest post to quash online claims disputing that the couple are on board the virus-hit ship.

A bus carrying the passengers from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship leaves a port in Yokohama / AP

He said: "Everybody who has made a comment you don't believe it's me, unless you apologise publicly on Facebook you're going to be removed - I'm sorry. You are totally wrong.

"Everything that has appeared on my Facebook account is absolutely true, it was written by me."

He ended the clip by thanking those who had supported them and said they would no longer be posting regular updates as their reason for doing so - to get Brits evacuated - had been fulfilled.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Foreign Office said it hopes an evacuation flight for Brits on the ship will be scheduled for later this week.

A spokesman said: We are planning an evacuation flight from Tokyo to the UK as soon as possible for Britons who are on the Diamond Princess. We hope the flight will be later this week, subject to permissions from the Japanese authorities.

At 0700 local time on Wednesday, the Diamond Princess cruise operator and Japanese authorities allowed passengers to disembark from the cruise ship. However, there is a chance that people who disembark will not be able to join the evacuation flight.
Snake venom can kill breast and colon cancer tumours really quickly, scientists claim. But finding the correct dose is like 'panning for gold'.

A team of biologists at the University of Northern Colorado are testing the toxic venom of hundreds of snake in the search for a cancer cure.

They say it has potential to be therapeutic against human diseases after conducting preliminary research on lab-grown cancer cells.

Snake venom is highly toxic, and a singular bite can kill prey almost in an instant.

Scientists admit directing the venom to only destroy cancer cells without being fatal to humans will be a challenge.

Snake venom can kill breast and colon cancers really quickly, scientists claim. But finding the correct dose is like 'panning for gold'. Pictured, a king cobra

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and the discovery for new drugs is ongoing.

Snake venom, folk medicines used for centuries, has become an interest to some scientists because it contains a myriad of proteins and chemicals.

Venom from a single snake may contain hundreds of components. However, of the thousands of protein families currently known to exist in nature, only about 26 families are found in reptiles.

Captopril, a drug used for high blood pressure, was designed based on the structure of a peptide isolated from the snake venom.

It has been used in the US and UK for around 40 years, and has driven the search for more novel drugs using snake venom.

Dr Stephen Mackessy believes his lab at UNC's School of Biology is the first to investigate snake venom as a possible target for fighting cancer.

WHAT OTHER MEDICINES ARE MADE WITH ANIMAL PRODUCTS? Medicinal uses of animals, mainly of insects, has been used traditionally across the world and is still incorporated into modern medicine in some countries. Dung beetles have been recommended for constipation, for example, spider silk for healing wounds, and grasshoppers to relieve headaches. While many are now considered pseudoscience, some have been scientifically proven to have potential  such as bees' honey which has been found to have antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties in some studies. There has been little medical research conducted since the revolutionary invention of antibiotics. Numerous medicines do contain ingredients derived from animals, usually pigs or cows. These include some insulins, vaccines and pancreatic enzyme supplements. Other animals' natural bodily fluids are in research, such as the poisonous venom of the Colorado River toad. A psychedelic compound, called 5-MeO-DMT holds promise for treating anxiety and depression, researchers at Johns Hopkins University said. Advertisement

He told CBS Denver: 'These are compounds that have evolved to kill other animals, and kill things  in general, wreak havoc with living systems.

'It turns out they are actually a very logical place to look for therapeutics.'

Studies show venoms in different snakes can attack human cancer cells in unique ways, Dr Mackessy claims.

Students at UNC are given access to hundreds of snakes from around the world, from rattlesnakes to vipers, to study the compounds and proteins. New technology allows them to screen and extract components from the venom.

PhD candidate Tanner Harvey has specifically been researching viper venoms, finding each one uses a unique approach depending on its dose.

He said: '(One viper venom) kills breast cancer really quickly at low doses. And, it kills colon cancer at low doses. But, it doesn't kill melanoma.'

However, other venoms aggressively attack melanoma - a common form of skin cancer.

Research is still in preliminary phases, analysing venom on cancer cells in vitro. The cells are cultured in the lab; these are typically harvested from human cancers.

The team hope to one day move forward into clinical studies with humans, but they have a lot of work to do to find the right dose.

Snake venom is poisonous to humans and can be deadly, effecting the blood, muscles and heart.

But there are certain compounds that are believed to induce cells to go into what's known as apoptosis or 'cellular suicide'.

The challenge is to programme the snake venom to induce apoptosis in problematic cells like cancer but not affect other healthy cells in the body.

'(Finding the proper doses and mixes) is just like panning for gold,' Mr Harvey said.

When asked if students at UNC were capable of finding the cure to cancers, Dr Mackessy said there is 'no question they are contributing'.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Thomson Reuters

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to call a witness at his extradition trial who will allege that Assange was offered a presidential pardon if he denied Russia's involvement in hacking the Democratic National Committee before the 2016 election.

According to an Al Jazeera reporter, the person said to have made the offer to Assange was Dana Rohrabacher, a former US Republican congressman known for his pro-Russia stance.

The Daily Beast reported that lawyers for Assange said Rohrabacher told Assange he was acting on President Donald Trump's direct orders.

Assange and WikiLeaks  and their involvement in facilitating Russia's efforts to disseminate hacked Democratic emails to hurt Hillary Clinton's campaign  were at the center of the special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Lawyers for Julian Assange, the founder of the radical pro-transparency group WikiLeaks, told a London court on Wednesday that he plans to call a witness who will allege that Assange was offered a presidential pardon if he said Russia was not involved in hacking and stealing information from the Democratic National Committee before the 2016 US election.

James Doleman, a British court and technology reporter, tweeted that Assange's team said at a pretrial hearing related to the US government's extradition case against Assange that the witness would allege that Assange was offered a pardon if he would "play ball."

Sonia Gallego, an Al Jazeera reporter, also confirmed the news, tweeting that the person said to have made the offer was Dana Rohrabacher, a former US Republican congressman known for his pro-Russia stance.

The Daily Beast reported that lawyers for Assange said Rohrabacher told Assange he was acting on President Donald Trump's direct orders and offered a pardon if Assange said Russia had nothing to do with hacking the DNC.

Story continues

Vanessa Baraitser, the district judge overseeing the hearing, said the allegation would be admissible during Assange's extradition hearing, which is scheduled to start next week, the Daily Beast reported.

Lawyers for the WikiLeaks founder told the court that Assange should not be extradited to the US because the case against him is political in nature rather than criminal.

The Justice Department last year unveiled 18 charges against Assange, including conspiracy to hack classified US government computers and violating espionage laws. The charges are linked to his activities with Chelsea Manning, the former US soldier with whom he leaked a huge trove of state secrets via WikiLeaks in 2010.

The government characterized the leak as "one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States."

The DOJ has been investigating Assange since 2010 related to the obtaining and disseminating of sensitive information pertaining to US national-security interests, and the charges against him were not entirely unexpected.

Assange was staying at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London until it revoked his political asylum in April, alleging a litany of bad behavior during his yearslong stay.

Shortly after, British police arrested Assange and took him to court, where he was convicted of breaching bail conditions in the UK. The US has since been working to get Assange extradited to face trial.

Reuters reported that Assange appeared at his pretrial hearing on Wednesday via videoconference from prison and "spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth."

The charges against Assange do not relate to WikiLeaks' involvement in helping the Russian government disseminate stolen Democratic emails during the 2016 campaign.

Assange and WikiLeaks were at the center of the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 US election.

In an indictment charging 12 Russian intelligence officers with hacking into the DNC and disseminating stolen emails, Mueller's office described WikiLeaks  though not by name  as the Russians' conduit to release hacked documents via the hacker known as Guccifer 2.0, who is believed to be a front for Russian military intelligence.

WikiLeaks touts itself as an independent organization, but US intelligence believes the group to be a propaganda tool for the Kremlin. In 2017, while he was the CIA director, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo characterized WikiLeaks as a "nonstate hostile intelligence service."

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2018 that prosecutors were weighing whether to publicly charge Assange, as they did with the Russian intelligence officers, to force the Ecuadorian Embassy to turn him over to the US.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Yesterday the judge acquitted entrepreneur Osman Kavala to trial for (alleged) involvement in the protest. Activists and civil society celebrate a "historic" decision. But just after hours later a new warrent for his arrest is issued by the prosecutor in reference to the failed coup in 2016.

Istanbul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Turkish businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala, imprisoned and on trial for his (alleged) role in the 2013 Gezi Park protests, was arrested and taken to the police headquarters a few hours after the acquittal verdict issued yesterday. According to state media reports, behind the new detention order there are new allegations of involvement in the (failed) coup of summer 2016.

The movement represented the first major demonstration of dissent against the authoritarianism of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then Prime Minister and today president with full powers. The acquittal that arrived yesterday at the conclusion of the trial for Kavala and eight other defendants (the subject of repeated criticism from numerous western governments), was greeted with surprise.

Upon hearing the verdict issued by the Istanbul court, activists and members of civil society had spoken of a "historic" decision that could represent the prelude to a new course for Turkey. The entrepreneur and philanthropist had been in prison for two and a half years and was about to return to freedom; however, shortly before his release, the new arrest warrant issued as part of another investigation into the coup orchestrated (according to official Ankara propaganda) by the network of exiled Islamic preacher Fetullah Gulen arrived.

The news of the new arrest sparked amazement and frustration among pro human rights activists, opposition MPs and foreign observers. Nacho Sanchez Amor, special representative for Turkey of the EU Parliament, says that "there is no prospect of improvement" in the country if "the power of attorney" undermines every minimum "step forward". Emma Sinclair-Webb of Human Rights Watch speaks of an arrest "without legal basis" and based only on the criterion of "revenge".

Eyewitnesses report that the police arrested Kuvala shortly after his release from Siliveri Prison on the western outskirts of Istanbul, and then sent him to headquarters after conducting some routine health checks. In these hours he should appear in the prosecutor's office which will decide whether to confirm the arrest warrant and send him back to prison.

Even before the judges, Kavala had been accused by Erdogan of conspiring against him by financing the peaceful movement of 2013. Reading the indictment, it was immediately apparent that there was no evidence to support the prosecutor's thesis but theories without legal basis; all elements that had raised more than one perplexity regarding the respect of Turkish justice for international and European standards.
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Trump thinks that he is proving himself to be Americas top law enforcement officer, but he is actually revealing the depths of his corruption.

Trump deemed himself Americas top law enforcement official on Tuesday, but his clemency of Blagojevich is raising outrage from Republicans and all ugly stories the former governor of Illinois crimes.

The prosecutors who made the case against Blagojevich noted that he once extorted a childrens hospital:

The prosecutors who helped convicted Blagojevich issued a stern statement in response to the commutation, noting that while the President has to the right to commute his sentence, the former governor committed serious crimes. The prosecuting team reminded the public that the former governor extorted the CEO of a childrens hospital, withholding funds for sick children until he issued campaign contributions.

Trump is laying the groundwork for pardons of Mike Flynn, Roger Stone, Paul Manfort and others who were convicted in the Russia scandal.

Sometime after the 2020 election, win or lose, Trump will pardon all of his criminal co-conspirators in the 2016 election.

Donald Trump is showing that he will not uphold the laws of America. Convictions can be thrown out for the wealthy and those connected to Trump.

The President isnt righting wrongs. The pardons and clemency are backfiring and making the case for voters to rid the nation of Donald Trump.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

Follow Jason Easley on Facebook
World Superbike star Jonathan Rea has revealed how his family had been affected by the Australian bushfires after donating items to a charity auction.

The five-time world champion handed over gloves and boots for the auction in aid of BlazeAid.

Speaking in Melbourne yesterday, Rea told how the disaster struck a very personal note.

Relatives of Rea and his Australian wife Tatia own a house near Bright in the heart of north-east Victoria, and watched as the fires threatened their home.

"During the height of the fire, it got to within 5km of the house and Tatia's parents were told to leave," said Rea. "We were at home and keeping a constant eye on the emergency apps, and in the end we were very fortunate.

"It's great the WorldSBK paddock is doing something, as it would be easy to come here and then move on."
Israel has developed plans to build 9,000 settler homes in annexed east Jerusalem, the first such project in the city in more than 20 years, watchdog Peace Now said Tuesday. Details of the plan emerged a day after Israel's transport ministry approved a controversial proposal to extend a train line from Tel Aviv into Jerusalem's flashpoint Old City. Peace Now said the housing ministry had a week ago submitted plans to Jerusalem's Municipality to build the settlement units on the site of the former Atarot airport, between two Palestinian neighbourhoods. It said final approval of the project could take years. But if built, it would drive "a wedge in the heart of the Palestinian urban continuity between Ramallah and East Jerusalem, thus preventing the establishment of a viable Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem." It would be the first new settlement in east Jerusalem since a previous government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu built the Har Homa settlement near Bethlehem in 1997, Peace Now said. More than 600,000 Jewish settlers live in the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem, in communities considered illegal under international law. Peace now said the Atarot plan "also includes the demolition of dozens of Palestinian residential units that were built in the area without permits throughout the years." Palestinians regularly build without the required permissions because they are unable to obtain them from Israeli authorities. Jordan, the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, blasted the proposed rail extension as "a flagrant violation of international law". A Middle East peace plan unveiled last month by US President Donald Trump gave a green light for Israel to declare sovereignty over all of Jerusalem as well as settlements and other territory in the West Bank. The Trump proposal has been rejected by the Palestinians, who demand east Jerusalem as the capital of their state.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia is ready to work with Turkey on the Idlib issue.

We are ready to work at any level, including at the highest level. This was stated yesterday by Dmitry Peskov. So far, I have not seen concrete indications that a meeting of the presidents is being prepared, RIA Novosti cited him as saying.

The Russian foreign minister also said that Moscow and Ankara will continue to consider ways to implement their agreements. Moreover, not in terms of recreating the initial situation a year and a half ago, but rather in terms of achieving the results that I mentioned, Lavrov explained.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier today that Turkeys new military operation in the Syrian province of Idlib is only a matter of time. "An operation in Idlib is imminent," Erdogan told his party's lawmakers in parliament.

Senior Lecturer of the Department of Political Science at the Higher School of Economics of the National Research University, expert of the Russian International Affairs Council Grigory Lukyanov, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza earlier, said that Russia's politics in Syria will not change.

"Russia has always proceeded from the fact that the Syrian conflict can only be solved politically. It will continue to act as a mediator between Turkey and Syria and maintain the agreements that were reached in September 2018 by the presidents of Russia and Turkey," Lukyanov said.

"In this regard, the Idlib conflict has no military solution, it must be solved politically. The mechanisms created by Russia and Turkey were called upon to launch this political dialogue between Damascus and the opposition in Idlib. If a military solution prevails, it will only create new risks for the process of political settlement," the senior lecturer at the Department of Political Science said.
Three deaf survivors of clerical sexual abuse from Argentina say they want Pope Francis finally to live up to his promises of reform -- and they are taking their call directly to the Vatican this week. The three told AFP they were "tortured" by their abusers but now felt emboldened after a high-profile trial in their case last year that put two priests behind bars for decades in the pope's homeland. "In the world there are a lot of countries where these things continue to happen and there's silence," said Daniel Sgardelis, 45, speaking through a sign language interpreter during a visit to the UN in Geneva. Sgardelis was abused by Nicola Corradi, an Italian priest sentenced to 42 years in prison in Argentina in November for assaulting some 20 children at the Provolo Institute for children with hearing and speech disorders. An Argentine priest, Horacio Corbacho, was sentenced to 45 years in prison at the same trial -- one of several involving the school, some of which are still going on. The abuse scandal is one of thousands that have shaken the Catholic Church, mainly in Europe and the United States. The Church has been accused of covering up this abuse for decades by moving abusing priests between different parishes and countries -- a practice that Pope Francis has vowed to end. - 'Code of silence' - Claudia Labeguerie, 26, another survivor from the Provolo Institute, said she believed there were still abusive priests being protected by the Church. "The pope knows that they should be incarcerated but even so he doesn't do anything about it. I would like to know why there's nothing being done about it," she said. "There is still a lot of abuse, a lot of victims, victims just like us and it's necessary for the laws to change." The survivors have requested an audience with Pope Francis and are hoping to consult files relating to the Provolo Institute in the Vatican after the pope last year said he was lifting papal secrecy in abuse cases. "I want to tell the pope that we have power and strength and we have all the strength to continue fighting for justice," said 19-year-old Ezequiel Villalonga. The survivors said they would be travelling to Rome later this week after meeting the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva. The independent committee of experts issued a scathing report in 2014 on the Vatican's handling of abuse cases, accusing the Church of imposing a "code of silence". - 'It's still there' - Peter Isely, a founding member of Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA), a non-governmental organisation that is assisting the survivors' visit to Europe, said he believed many abuse scandals had simply not been uncovered yet. "It's going to explode again.... In Latin America, in Africa, in Asia this is still just beginning," Isely said. "We are a long ways from solving this problem. This case... demonstrates everything that's wrong still with this issue and what needs to change," he said. Gerald Staberock, head of the Geneva-based World Organisation Against Torture, said there had been promises from the Church to co-operate in abuse investigations but in many countries "this remains an uphill battle". "We're not talking about something that is past, it's still present. It's still there," he said. Isely said he had received no reply to the request for an audience with Pope Francis for the survivors. Still, for Villalonga, victory in last year's trial in Argentina has brought some respite after dark years. "I waited a long time and I thought that justice wasn't going to come and I cried a lot," he said. "But in the trial, I cried happiness and I stopped being a victim."
Jill Halfpenny, Jonas Armstrong and Rupert Penry-Jones head the cast in a new identity thriller for Channel 5, made by Noel Clarke and Jason Mazas Unstoppable Film & Television.

When Jodie catches sight of Daniel, a teenage boy, she is convinced she has found her missing son. Whether she is right or not, in that moment her spark of hope is ignited and she commits to a dangerous and transgressive path that will take her to the edge of reason. How far will she go? How far would any of us go to find a missing child?

Jill Halfpenny (Three Girls, Dark Money, Liar) plays Jodie. Since losing her son eight years ago she has been rebuilding her life but when she catches sight of Daniel it threatens to up-end the life that she has carefully pieced back together. Jonas Armstrong (The Bay, Ripper Street, Line of Duty) is Jason, Jodies only sibling, the only real support she has had in her life. Always in control, he is a practising lawyer, on the cusp of a huge promotion. Deborah Findlay plays Lynn, Jodies mother, with whom she has a fractious relationship. Cody Molko plays Daniel the boy Jodie becomes fixated with and Rupert Penry-Jones (Whitechapel, Silks, Stan Lees Lucky Man) plays his father Mark, an architect that keeps a tight rein on his emotions and on his sons life.

Filming will take place in Dublin and the four-part drama will transmit on Channel 5 later in 2020.

The Drowning is written by Tim Dynevor (Emmerdale), directed by Carolina Giametta (Vera) and is produced by Mary McCarthy. The executive producers are Noel Clarke (Bulletproof) Jason Maza (Bulletproof), Alexandra Stone, and Catriona Mckenzie. It is created by Francesca Brill (Cuckoo, The Bait) and Luke Watson (Britannia, Ripper Street). Sebastian Cardwell serves as the Commissioning Editor for Channel 5.

Noel Clarke and Jason Maza said: We are delighted to be working with the hugely talented Jill Halfpenny, Jonas Armstrong and Rupert Penry Jones on The Drowning, which is being lead by the brilliant director, Carolina Giametta. Working with Carolina and our wonderful writer, Tim Dynevor, the creative process has been a joy. We could not be more excited to collaborate with Channel 5 to bring this story to the screen.

Channel 5 Deputy Director of Programmes, ViacomCBS Networks International UK, Sebastian Cardwell said: We are thrilled to be working with the team at Unstoppable on this exciting addition to Channel 5s ever growing drama slate. We hope that audiences will be gripped across the series.

The Drowning is made by Unstoppable Film & Television for Channel 5, UK in association with all3media international.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev does have a very deep and rational understanding of the conflict and a clear strategy to move towards a peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, US expert, CEO of Caspian Group Holdings Rob Sobhani told Trend.

While talking about the recent panel discussions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Munich, the US expert said the fact that this debate was held at such a prestigious venue gives hope that maybe the international community is moving towards a more determined process to resolve the conflict.

Pashinyan came to power as a champion of the Armenian people who are in desperate need of economic growth, better job opportunities and hope for their future, Sobhani said. I believe that Pashinyan is aware that one of the best ways for Armenia to achieve economic stability and job creation is through peace with Azerbaijan.

I do believe that Pashinyan knows that there is something called a "peace dividend" and that if Armenia and Azerbaijan arrive at a peace agreement the economy of Armenia will improve, the expert said.

A recent poll of public opinion in Armenia showed that a majority of its population care more about their economic well-being and that they do see peace with Azerbaijan as a positive event that can help Armenia's economy, Sobhani said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Washington accused Rosneft of buying oil from Venezuela in circumvention of U.S. sanctions.

The United States has sanctioned Russian-owned oil firm Rosneft Trading S.A.

"Today we sanctioned Russian-owned oil firm Rosneft Trading S.A., cutting off Maduro's main lifeline to evade our sanctions on the Venezuelan oil sector. Those who prop up the corrupt regime and enable its repression of the Venezuelan people will be held accountable," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on Twitter on February 18, 2020.

It is reported Rosneft stock prices fell after the announcement of U.S. sanctions.

Today we sanctioned Russian-owned oil firm Rosneft Trading S.A., cutting off Maduros main lifeline to evade our sanctions on the Venezuelan oil sector. Those who prop up the corrupt regime and enable its repression of the Venezuelan people will be held accountable.  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) February 18, 2020

As UNIAN reported earlier, the United States announced its intention to impose sanctions directly against Rosneft in early February 2020. The U.S. State Department accused Rosneft of buying oil from Venezuela in spite of U.S. sanctions.
Technology has transformed almost every aspect of our lives, and now it seems that education systems around the world are due for an update, Visual Capitalist writes in the article How Technology is Shaping the Future of Education. Educators are tapping into the digital revolution and adopting new technologies to help students reach their full potential, but can they adapt quickly enough to prepare children for the changing future of work?

Children and young adults make up one-third of all internet users, so its no surprise that they are more hyper-connected and digitally savvy than their parents. The combination of evolving educational needs for children and a more uncertain future of work means that updating what children learn, and how they learn it, has become a crucial issue for schools and collegesbut what should be prioritized? In a survey of 1,400 educators, the majority of them say they believe that classrooms of the future will be centered around self-paced and personalized learning. This student-centric approach would allow children to choose their own pace and learning objectives based on individual interestsall of which could be guided by artificial intelligence, chatbots, and video-based learning.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence in education typically focuses on identifying what a student does or doesnt know, and then subsequently developing a personalized curricula for each student. The AI-powered language learning platform Duolingo is one of the most downloaded education apps globally, with more than 50 million installs in 2018. The platform single-handedly challenges the notion of traditional learning, with a study showing that spending just 34 hours on the app equates to an entire university semester of language education. AI-driven applications in education are still in their infancy, but Duolingos success demonstrates the growth potential in the sector. In fact, the nascent market for AI in education is expected to reach $6 billion by the year 2025. Over half of this will come from China and the U.S., with China leading globally.

Chatbots

Chatbots are also quickly becoming a fundamental tool in next generation education. Designed to simplify the interaction between student and computer, chatbots provide a wide range of benefits, including:

-Spaced interval learning: Uses algorithms and repetition to optimize memorization

-Immediate feedback: Papers can be graded with 92% accuracy and in a faster time than teachers

-Self-paced learning: Tracks a students performance and guides them based on their individual needs

This innovative technology is arming educators with new strategies for more engaged learning, whilst simultaneously reducing their workload.

Video Learning

Although video-based learning may not necessarily be considered as innovative as artificial intelligence or chatbots, 98% of educators view it as a vital component in personalized learning experiences. Most institutions report incorporating video into their curriculums in some way, but even higher demand for video-based learning may come from students in the near future.

This is due to the fact that video learning increases student satisfaction by 91%, and student achievements by 82%, which could be why educators are increasingly using video for tasks like:

-Providing material for student assignments

-Giving feedback on assignments

-Flipped instruction (blended learning) exercises

A flipped classroom overturns conventional learning by focusing on practical content that is delivered online and often outside the classroom.

The battle between traditional and tech

Flipping classrooms is a trend that has gained momentum in recent yearsand may be considered to be a radical change in how students absorb information. The relatively new model also eliminates homework, by empowering students to work collaboratively on their tasks during class time. Although new models of learning are disrupting the status quo of traditional learning, could the increasing amount of time children spend in front of screens be detrimental? Research has shown that children are more likely to absorb information from books rather than screens. There has also been an evident increase in low-tech or tech-free schools that believe that human interaction is paramount when it comes to keeping children engaged and excited to learn.

Creating first-class humans

Although we may not be in the era of iTeachers just yet, the benefits of technology as teaching aids are undeniable. However, what is more important is that these aids are used in tandem with developmental and educational psychologyultimately keeping students rather than technology at the core of education. The future will be about pairing the artificial intelligence of computers with the cognitive, social and emotional capabilities of humans, so that we educate first-class humans, not second-class robotsOECD, Trends Shaping Education report reads. After all, how children develop these skills is perhaps less important than their ability to navigate change, as that is the only thing that will remain constant.
China on Wednesday revoked the press credentials of three Wall Street Journal (WSJ) journalists in a rare decision to expel multiple journalists in one sweep as a response to what Beijing called a racial opinion piece published in the newspaper earlier this month.

The three expelled Beijing-based reporters, two of them US nationals and one an Australian citizen, are not known to have contributed to the piece titled China is the Real Sick Man of Asia, written by US-based professor, Walter Russel Mead.

Deputy bureau chief Josh Chin, reporter Chao Deng as well as reporter Philip Wen, have been ordered to leave the country in five days, according to a WSJ report.

The decision comes a day after Washington designating five Chinese state media outlets as foreign missions, requiring them to comply with rules meant for diplomatic missions and consulates.

On the journalists expulsion, the Chinese foreign ministry said it had asked WSJ to apologise for publishing the article but took action after the newspaper didnt comply with Beijings demand.

Announcing the decision to revoke the press credentials of the three journalists, the Chinese foreign ministry said the piece smears the efforts of the Chinese to fight the coronavirus (covid-19) outbreak.

On February 3, the WSJ published an article titled China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia by Professor Walter Russell Mead of the Bard College, which smears the efforts of the Chinese government and people on fighting the epidemic, ministry spokesperson, Geng Shuang, said at the online ministry briefing on Wednesday.

The editors used such a racially discriminatory title, triggering indignation and condemnation among the Chinese people and the international community, Geng said.

The Chinese side has lodged stern representations with WSJ and made our solemn position clear. China demands the WSJ recognise the severity of its mistake, make an official apology and hold the persons involved accountable, Geng said.

Meanwhile, we reserve the right to take further actions, it was conveyed to WSJ as a warning from Beijing.

However, regrettably, what the WSJ has done so far is nothing but parrying and dodging its responsibility. It has neither issued an official apology nor informed us of what it plans to do with the persons involved.

The Chinese side handles affairs related to foreign journalists in accordance with laws and regulations. The Chinese people do not welcome those media that speak racially discriminatory languages and maliciously slander and attack China. As such, it is decided that from today, the Press Cards of three WSJ journalists will be revoked, Geng added.

Earlier, Geng criticised the USs decision to designate five Chinese state media outlets (Xinhua, CGTN, China Radio International, China Daily and Peoples Daily) as foreign missions, requiring them to comply with rules governing foreign embassies and consulates.

US officials had said these outlets are owned and effectively controlled by the Chinese government and that each meets the definition of a foreign mission.

We deplore and reject the wrong decision of the US, Geng said.

Media play an important role like a bridge or bond facilitating communication and understanding between people of different countries. Chinese medias resident offices in the US have long been covering news following the principle of objectivity, impartiality, truth and accuracy, he said.

They have helped promote mutual understanding, communication and cultural exchange between our two countries.

Geng said the US was wantonly restricting the press freedom of the Chinese outlets.

The US takes great pride in its press freedom. However, it is wantonly restricting and thwarting Chinese media outlets normal operation there. This is unjustified and unacceptable, he said.

We urge the US to discard its ideological prejudice and Cold War zero-sum game mentality, and stop ill-advised measures that undermine bilateral trust and cooperation. We reserve the right to take further measures in response.
A Western New York man was arrested Wednesday on charges that he threatened to kill Rep. Adam Schiff and Sen. Chuck Schumer.

Salvatore Lippa, 57, of Greece, New York, was charged with threatening to assault and murder a federal official on account of the performance of their official duties.

MORE: Trump declares victory over impeachment: 'It was evil'

According to the criminal complaint, on Jan. 23, Schiff's Washington, D.C., office received a threatening voicemail that included a death threat.

Lippa started the threatening message by calling the congressman "Schiff, Shifty Schiff," invoking the nickname used by President Donald Trump for Schiff, the lead House manager during Trump's impeachment trial.

PHOTO: Rep. Adam Schiff, center, walks after speaking to the media in Washington, Jan. 27, 2020. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters, FILE)

Almost two weeks later, on Feb. 4, Schumer received a threatening voicemail at his New York office that also contained a death threat.

In the threat, Lippa paired Schumer with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying "Hey, Schumer, you and Nancy Pelosi are..." according to the complaint.

MORE: Sen. Chuck Schumer says President Trump's 'got to go' in election, if not removed by the Senate

When questioned by U.S Capitol Police, Lippa admitted to making the threatening calls to Schiff and Schumer because he said he was upset about the impeachment proceedings, prosecutors said.

PHOTO: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks at a press conference in Washington, Jan. 21, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images, FILE)

The rights secured in our Constitution carry with them certain responsibilities. When it comes to the First Amendment, that responsibility includes the obligation not to threaten to kill others, U.S Attorney James Kennedy said in a statement.

Lippa is due in federal court in Rochester on Wednesday afternoon. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

Man arrested for threatening to kill Schiff, Schumer over impeachment originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The global medical marijuana market is projected to grow at an annualized rate of nearly 18% through 2028, according to Data Bridge Market Research. Much of this growth will likely be in the U.S., where 35 states have already legalized medical cannabis. Medical cannabis products sold in the U.S. include dried flower, vaping concentrates, cannabis-infused edibles, and topical products such as lotion.

Investors who opt to buy individual medical marijuana stocks can choose among Canadian or U.S. companies. Canadian medical cannabis companies can legally list on U.S. stock exchanges, while U.S. medical cannabis companies operating legally at the state level can legally list on Canadian stock exchanges and over the counter (OTC).

Before you invest in medical cannabis companies, find out what you need to know about this growing sector.

Top medical marijuana stocks

These five medical marijuana stocks are top buys for 2021:

Medical Marijuana Stock Market Capitalization Description Canopy Growth (NASDAQ:CGC) $7.7 billion Grows, produces, and sells medical cannabis products primarily for the Canadian and European markets Valens (NASDAQ:VLNCF) $336 million Extracts cannabinoids from cannabis for use in both medical and recreational cannabis products Jazz Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:JAZZ) $10.6 billion Develops cannabis-based pharmaceutical drugs Trulieve Cannabis (OTC:TCNNF) $5.8 billion Grows, produces, and sells medical cannabis products in multiple U.S. states Innovative Industrial Properties (NYSE:IIPR) $5.1 billion Real estate investment trust with many U.S. medical cannabis companies as tenants

1. Canopy Growth

Canopy Growth serves the Canadian medical and recreational marijuana markets and distributes medical cannabis to international markets, including Germany. The company has strong global distribution channels with subsidiaries, joint ventures, and strategic partners that market its products around the world.

Canopy Growth can't yet compete in the huge U.S. medical cannabis market, but it is poised to quickly enter if cannabis is federally legalized. The company already has a deal in place to acquire Acreage Holdings (OTC:ACRGF), which operates cannabis dispensaries in 13 U.S. states.

Canopy Growth isn't consistently profitable because it's focused on growth. The company has a strong cash position as a result of a $4 billion investment from alcohol giant Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ). Its ties to Constellation, along with the cash from the deal, give Canopy a big advantage in the medical cannabis industry.

2. Valens

Valens is a Canadian company that provides extraction services for companies that make cannabis products, including medical cannabis products such as capsules, soft gels, topical ointments, and tinctures.

Valens contracts with top medical cannabis growers and claims to have the largest extraction capacity among its rivals. The extraction company has multiyear agreements with many Canadian growers, including Canopy Growth, HEXO (NASDAQ:HEXO), OrganiGram (NASDAQ:OGI), and Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY).

Extraction opportunities related to medical cannabis are growing substantially in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Latin America. The company's solid revenue growth is likely to be further boosted by its acquisition of Florida-based cannabidiol (CBD) products company Green Roads by providing valuable exposure to the U.S. cannabis market.

3. Jazz Pharmaceuticals

Jazz Pharmaceuticals became the largest cannabis-focused drug developer following its acquisition of GW Pharmaceuticals in May 2021. Sativex, developed by GW, is a medical cannabis drug that contains both the high-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the non-psychoactive CBD. It treats spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis. Epidiolex, also developed by GW, is a CBD drug and the company's most successful product. Sativex is approved in multiple countries, excluding the U.S., and Epidiolex is approved in both the U.S. and Europe.

Epidiolex, which generated sales of more than $510 million in 2020, is significantly boosting Jazz's revenue. Its sales growth should continue with the European Commission's approval in April 2021 of the drug (sold as Epidyolex in Europe) to treat seizures associated with tuberous sclerosis complex.

Jazz is not a pure-play medical cannabis company, and it also makes the sleep disorder drugs Xyrem, Xywav, and Sunosi, which account for more than two-thirds of its sales. Jazz also sells the cancer drugs Rylaze, Vyxeos, and Zepzelca.

4. Trulieve Cannabis

Trulieve Cannabis is a vertically integrated U.S.-based cannabis company that grows medical cannabis and distributes medical cannabis products to its own retail dispensaries. The company's primary operations are in Florida, where it runs more than 80 medical cannabis dispensaries and commands a market share of close to 50%. Trulieve also has operations in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Trulieve is acquiring Harvest Health & Recreation (OTC:HRVSF). After the deal closes, Trulieve will rank as the most profitable U.S. multistate cannabis operator. It will also be the largest U.S. cannabis company based on its combined retail and cultivation footprint.

Unlike most of its peers, Trulieve regularly delivers quarterly profits. The company's earnings growth remains strong, which gives Trulieve considerable financial flexibility to invest in expanding its business.

5. Innovative Industrial Properties

As a real estate investment trust, or REIT, Innovative Industrial Properties is the leading real estate provider for the U.S. medical cannabis industry. The company buys properties from medical cannabis operators and then leases the properties back to the operators, providing needed cash to growing cannabis businesses and stable income for Innovative.

Innovative Industrial Properties currently owns properties that are leased to tenants in 18 states. The company is increasing its customer base not only in the states where it already operates but also in additional states that legalize medical or recreational cannabis.

As a REIT, Innovative Industrial Properties distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to investors in the form of dividends. Innovative Industrial Properties' consistent profitability is due in part to its diversification across many tenants.

How to choose the best medical marijuana stocks

Investors should consider the same key attributes for medical marijuana stocks that they would for any stock:

Financial performance: Many medical marijuana companies aren't yet profitable, but the best companies have clear and defined plans for achieving profitability in the future. The safest companies also have plenty of cash, which creates financial flexibility and preserves the value of the stock.

Many medical marijuana companies aren't yet profitable, but the best companies have clear and defined plans for achieving profitability in the future. The safest companies also have plenty of cash, which creates financial flexibility and preserves the value of the stock. Growth opportunities: The patchy regulatory framework of the marijuana sector means that medical cannabis companies' growth prospects vary widely. The best companies are minimally limited by geographic constraints.

The patchy regulatory framework of the marijuana sector means that medical cannabis companies' growth prospects vary widely. The best companies are minimally limited by geographic constraints. Competitive position: Leading medical marijuana companies have high production capacity, plenty of distribution channels, and beneficial partnerships with established companies.

If you don't want to choose specific stocks, another way to gain exposure to medical marijuana stocks is to buy shares in a cannabis-focused exchange-traded fund (ETF). This confers instant diversification across the cannabis sector, although currently no pure-play medical cannabis ETFs are available.

Should you buy medical marijuana stocks?

Investing in the medical marijuana sector is relatively risky as long as cannabis remains federally illegal in the U.S. The plant's federal status also constrains the growth of the sector, and investors have no guarantee that the federal government will continue to allow states to treat cannabis as legal.

But the long-term prospects of the medical marijuana industry are excellent. More countries and U.S. states are recognizing the potential benefits of medical cannabis and legalizing the use and sale of medical cannabis products. More individuals and the broader medical community are also recognizing the plant's medicinal benefits, driving demand higher for medical marijuana. Risk-tolerant investors with long investing horizons are likely to profit by investing in medical marijuana.
Ms Westbrook fears Chowis is dangerous and could 'bash another woman'

Tania's mother Lynn Westbrook, 72, broke down at the thought of his release

A killer who strangled and bashed his wife to death with a candlestick holder will walk free from jail on Wednesday, but the victim's distraught mother and children think he should rot behind bars.

Stephen Chowis brutally murdered Tania Westbrook, 36, at their home in Kilkenny, Adelaide, on April 30 2005 while their two children were st school.

He then attempted to take his own life.

When faced with the prospect of her only child's killer walking free after spending 14 years behind bars, Tania's mother Lynn Westbrook, 72, broke down.

When faced with the prospect of her only child's killer walking free after spending 14 years behind bars, Tania's mother Lynn Westbrook, 72, broke down

'He should never have parole,' Ms Westbrook told 9 News on Tuesday.

'I don't want to face tomorrow.'

'It brings it all back and it's just so hard,' she cried.

Chowis' children also believe he should stay behind bars.

'Stephen is not allowed to contact [the children] so I'm really pleased about that,' Ms Westbrook said.

'They don't want him anymore.'

Ms Westbrook and her husband Clive wrote to Chowis in jail and asked why he viciously murdered Tania.

She said his response lacked remorse.

Ms Westbrook and her husband Clive wrote to Chowis in jail and asked why he viciously murdered Tania (pictured)

'If he gets released I know this man is going to bash another woman. That is my biggest fear,' Mrs Westbrook previously said, according to The Advertiser.

'If that woman decides to leave him like Tania wanted to I think he would kill that person too because he can't stand to lose control.'

The parole board told 9 News that neither the police, the attorney-general or the commissioner for victims' rights challenged Chowis' release.

Chowis was sentenced in 2006 but his name and the names of his children were suppressed from publication in a decision by Justice Margaret Nyland - a decision that was overturned seven years later.

Justice Nyland said the couple's 18-year marriage was plagued with devastation following the deaths of two of their children - one of whom was stillborn.

She said their problems were worsened after it was discovered that the Adelaide Womens and Childrens Hospital had taken body parts from their deceased infants without permission.

Stephen Chowis brutally murdered Tania Westbrook, 36, at their home in Kilkenny, Adelaide, on April 30 2005 while their two children were st school

In 2001 it was revealed that the hospital had been taking parts of dead children and adults for medical research without permission from families between 1957 and 1990.

The judge described the murder as a 'misplaced act of compassion'.

'Over a long period of time, your wife talked about killing herself and she raised this on a number of occasions in the week preceding her eventual death,' she said.

But Ms Westbrook denied her daughter ever suggested she wanted to die.

She claimed Tania tried to overcome the body part scandal but Chowis wouldn't let her.

In the letter he wrote from his cell in 2018, Chowis claimed he and Tania received no support after details of the scandal were brought to light.

He also said he did not believe anyone else could understand what he and his deceased wife went through.

The stricken mother said Chowis' claims were an act to appeal to the parole board.
A protesting guest lecturer -- Shahin -- here on Wednesday got her head tonsured as a mark of protest against uncertainty over the confirmation of their jobs.

Addressing the protesters, Shahin said: "We have been protesting for the last 72 days. The state government has no mercy for teachers. Chief Minister Kamal Nath is behaving like a dictator."

"This was the last resort to ask Kamal Nath to pay heed to our problems. Many of our friends have committed suicide," she told ANI.

Ruchi Tiwari, another protester, said: "Did we elect the Congress for this day? He calls us sisters. Still, he is not paying a visit to us."

The guest teachers are seeking the regularisation of their job by the state government.

Last week, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia told the agitating guest teachers that he would be their 'shield and sword' if all promises in the party's manifesto were not fulfilled.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day before a scheduled status conference that could result in the setting of a trial date for Leigh Corfmans defamation lawsuit against Roy Moore, the former Alabama chief justice is asking the judge to recuse himself from the case.

Among the reasons Moore cited in the motion filed Wednesday are that Judge John Rochester financially contributed to Sen. Doug Jones campaign in 2017, in which Moore was the Republican nominee, and the judge's "criticism and mocking of Christianity on his Facebook page with full knowledge of Judge Moore's belief in God," according to a press release from Moore.

Rochester, a retired judge in Ashland, was appointed as a judge in the 15th Judicial Circuit "on a temporary basis" by Lyn Stuart, chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, on July 11, 2018. Rochester replaced Montgomery Circuit Judge Roman Ashley Shaul, who had presided over the Corfman lawsuit. Shaul resigned from the circuit bench to become general counsel for the Alabama State Bar.

Rochester was to fill Shaul's vacancy in the 15th Judicial Circuit through Jan. 14, 2019.

"Well over a year later and contrary to the appointment order (by Stuart), Judge Rochester has chosen to continue to preside over this case," the motion from Moore said. "A copy of the appointment order was never made a part of the record in this case."

Rochester's contributions to Jones and the Facebook post to which Moore objected occurred while Rochester was retired as a judge in the 40th Judicial Circuit and before being appointed to fill Shaul's vacancy. Rochester does not appear to have posted on Facebook since returning to the bench.

In the motion, Moore attorney Melissa Isaak also again raised the issue that Rochester has not ruled on a motion for summary judgment Moore filed on July 1, 2019. A similar argument was made in recent weeks as Moore protested the scheduling conference set for Thursday, saying that its premature until a ruling is issued on the summary judgment motion. Rochester rejected the argument.

The motion said Rochester made two contributions to Jones' Senate campaign totaling $150 in the final month before the Dec. 12, 2017, special election in which Jones narrowly defeated Moore. And the motion said that Rochester is friends on Facebook with Jones.

"The Defendants are deeply concerned because the Courts extended delay in ruling on Defendants summary judgment motions dramatically contrasts with its alacrity in responding positively to a request from the Plaintiff to hold a hearing to set a trial date on the eve of the election.

The motion questioned Rochester's motive in remaining on the Moore case more than a year after his temporary assignment was to have ended.

The mere fact that Judge Rochester chose to preside over this case well over a year after the expiration of his temporary appointment demonstrates a motive to influence the outcome of the case, the motion said in its conclusion. It is undeniable that based upon the foregoing facts and arguments, a reasonable person would form a solid basis for questioning John Rochesters impartiality and a reasonable person would perceive potential bias or a lack of impartiality on the part of the Judge Rochester. The serious case delays in discovery as well as the refusal to rule on motions has prejudiced Judge Moores ability to defend himself against the false allegations launched by Leigh Corfman and unfairly prevented him from developing his case against her.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to launch operation in war-torn Idlib province of Syria if the regime forces fail to withdraw behind Turkish military positions. Speaking to his parliamentary group in Ankara, Erdogan warned Damascus that its just a matter of time that the Turkish troops launch operation in Idlib.

According to media reports, Erdogan said that an operation in Idlib is imminent and that they are counting down and making final warnings. Ankara, who supports several rebel groups in the region and wants to stop refugee influx in Turkey, has been furious after 13 Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack by Syrian regime forces backed by Russia. Erdogan had recently warned that his military would strike Russian-backed Syrian forces if another Turkish soldier gets hurt.

Immediately reacting to the warning, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reportedly said that if the statement regarding the operation was made against legitimate authorities of Syria and their armed forces, then this would be the worst scenario.

Accusations of violating Sochi agreement

Russia and Turkey have been accusing each other of the ceasefire violations and offensive in the Idlib province. In a conference call last week, Peskov had told the reporters that the Turkish side is carrying out strikes on Syrian forces and taking aggressive action against Russias military facilities. He added that it was unacceptable to the Sochi agreements in which the two parties had agreed to create a de-militarised zone in Idlib.

Read: Days After Truce Agreement, Erdogan Accuses Haftar Of Attacking 'with All His Resources'

Read: White House Says Donald Trump Has Discussed Syrian And Libya With Erdogan

Syrian NGO Alliance has been trying to draw the attention of the United Nations towards the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria. On February 10, the NGO alliance wrote to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to highlight the gruesome military attack from the Syrian regime and its Russian allies in northwest Syria that has killed hundreds of civilians.

Amid powerless on the part of the international community, what the area is experiencing seems as there is a green light for the war machine to carry on with impunity claiming the lives of children and innocent people, wrote the human rights advocacy group.

Read: India Rejects Turkey Poking Nose In J&K, Tells Erdogan 'Understand Pak Terrorism Facts'

Read: 'Situation In Idlib Will Only Be Resolved When Syrian Troops Withdraw': Turkey's Erdogan

(With agency inputs)
Not too long before people of PoK would want to be part of India: Rajnath Singh

Medical degrees from Pakistan occupied Kashmir not recognised: Why India passed this order

Protests erupt in PoK as allegations of polls being rigged emerge

Two Lashkar operatives from PoK charged by NIA

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 19: The National Investigation Agency has filed a chargesheet against two terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba from Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

The duo to be charged are Khalil Ahmad and Mohammad Nazeem.

The duo were arrested near the Nilkanth Nala approximately 700 meters in Indian side of LoC, in Gulmarg Sector of District Baramulla and recovery of arms, ammunition, Grenades, IED material including explosives & detonators, Pakistan made medicine and eatable items etc. from the forest area near LoC, at their instance by the Indian Army.

JMB in Bengaluru: NIA charges 11

It was revealed that the two were in contact with their handler and they were engaged in concealing arms and ammunition in the forest areas for the terrorists to use.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 7:26 [IST]
As India gears up for US President Donald Trump's visit to Ahmedabad and Delhi on February 24 and 25, there is a proposed roadshow with a lot of pomp and ceremony for the visiting leader. Trump's visit comes close to the heels of his impeachment process and days before campaigning begins for the next US presidential elections.

Here's a look at the times Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened doors of "incredible India" to the world while also hosting world leaders. From the Chinese president Xi Jinping to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Modi-led government has invited top leaders to almost every city across the length and breadth of the country.

Last week, Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was in India for a four-day visit attending the India Portugal Business Forum. Apart from signing multiple pacts for cooperation in areas of investment, transport, ports, culture and industrial and intellectual property rights, Sousa also took some time out to visit old churches in Goa.

The second informal summit between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Tamil Nadu's Mahabalipuram in October 2019 was quite a ceremony. The Chinese premier arrived in India on October 11 and 12, where India and China discussed a wide range of bilateral issues at the nearby coastal town of Mamallapuram, 50 km from Chennai and PM Modi took President Jinping on a guided tour of the UNESCO declared heritage monuments at Mahabalipuram.

Similarly, when French President Emmanuel Macron came visiting in the month of March 2018, the ancient city of Kashi extended a traditional welcome, complete with glimpses of rich Indian culture and heritage, to both PM Modi and President Macron during their visit to the ghats.

When South Korean President Moon Jae-in came to India in July 2018 and he inaugurated the world's biggest mobile factory in Noida. Another Make in India initiative that would make India the worlds second-largest manufacturer of mobile phones, said PM Modi.

For Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump, the red carpet was rolled out when she made came to Hyderabad to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit during in the year 2017. Ivanka reportedly went on a shopping spree to Hyderabad's famous bazaars and also a quick visit to the historic Charminar.

The Canadian prime minister's week-long visit to India in February 2018 was much talked about in national and international communities. He discussed a range of issues and proposals, including investment prospects in the service sector, dairy farming, agriculture and trade with the state of Punjab. While he dressed up in traditional Indian clothes wherever he went and participated wholeheartedly in rituals with family.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel had visited Bosch Research Centre in Bengaluru in 2015 for a first-hand view of its operations in India. At the Indo-German summit later, PM Modi made a strong 'Make in India' pitch calling for greater collaboration with Germany.

Several European Heads of States have attended the Make In India Week in Mumbai. Prime Ministers of Finland and Sweden and the deputy premier of Poland were also among the attendees.
3.4 million people in Donbas require humanitarian assistance and protection.

Civilians are paying the highest price in this crisis. 3.4 million people - including the elderly, the disabled and children - require humanitarian assistance and protection services, Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacekeeping Affairs, told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

She noted that the UN and its partners reached an estimated 1 million people annually since 2014 that constitutes less than one third of all those.

"With the 2019 humanitarian response plan having been severely underfunded, the 2020 plan will require $158 million, with the goal of reaching 2 million people," the diplomat said.

Water, education and health infrastructure are severely affected, with 50 incidents of damage to schools in 2019, a 200 percent increase from 2018, DiCarlo said.

In addition, there were 88 incidents targeting water networks near or on the contact line, she noted.

The diplomat urged to immediately stop the attacks on civilian infrastructure.

At 05:00 on February 18, the militants attacked the positions of Ukraines Joint Forces units near Novotoshkivske, Orikhove, Krymske, and Khutir Vilnyi.

The militants assault force under cover of massive artillery fire also captured one of the forward Ukrainian positions in the so-called "grey zone". As a result, one Ukrainian soldier was killed and four more soldiers were wounded.

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LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles judge made a sales pitch of sorts Wednesday to a panel of would-be jurors facing the prospect of serving five months in the murder trial of Robert Durst: this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Where some judges appeal to a sense of public duty and explain how the jury system is a bedrock of democracy, Judge Mark Windham told potential jurors that they would never have the chance to sit in judgment of a more interesting legal proceeding.

This is a fascinating case. If youre going to have one trial where youre going to be a juror, this is the trial Windham said. Youre never going to have an experience like this.

He may be right. The life of the eccentric heir to a New York commercial real estate fortune has been the subject of a feature film starring Ryan Gosling as Durst, a six-part documentary and countless news stories over four decades.

Durst, 76, is on trial in the killing of his best friend, Susan Berman. Prosecutors said she was one of two people Durst killed to cover up the slaying of his first wife, Kathleen, who vanished from New York in 1982.

Durst has pleaded not guilty to a single count of murder. His lawyer said he didnt kill Berman and doesnt know who did.

Durst has never been charged in his wifes presumed killing and was acquitted of killing and dismembering Morris Black in Texas, claiming he shot Black in self-defence.

He hardly looks the part of a man capable of knocking off three people. The wiry, frail, diminutive man sat hunched over as his lawyer introduced him to about five dozen prospective jurors in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Can you stand up Bob? defence lawyer Dick DeGuerin said as he and co-counsel David Chesnoff grabbed Durst under the arms and helped him to his feet from a wheelchair. This is my client, Bob Durst.

Windham played the part of a personal and cheery emcee, bantering with jurors about books and movies while explaining the law and pressing them for more details on answers they previously provided on a 25-page questionnaire.

There are 170 prospective jurors remaining from a pool of 414 who filled out the questionnaire earlier in the year. The first 57 were brought to court Wednesday for the first day of questioning by the judge. Twelve jurors and 12 alternates will be chosen in a process expected to last about two weeks.

Durst, dressed in khakis, white shirt, a plaid tweed blazer and bright white ankle-high sneakers, and wearing glasses and hearing aids followed along during the tedious process with the help of a screen in front of him that provided a real-time transcript of the proceedings.

Windham gushed with the first juror who was reading the Poldark books, noting that he and his wife were big fans of the PBS show based on the series.

Speaking of an evil character in the show, Windham said, When you see him interviewed, he seems like a nice guy. ... Its hard to imagine him as a villain.

He could have been talking about Durst, who comes across as a mild-mannered, if cranky, eccentric during the 20 hours of interviews he did with the makers of The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.

The juror, a singer-songwriter, said it was highly inconvenient to serve five months and would prevent her from writing songs.

You could write an album based on the case, Windham said. She said she would not write a book.

Not your genre, a true crime musical, Windham quipped.

Windham spent most of his time questioning a computer systems analyst on remarks she made on the questionnaire about defence lawyers being smug and arrogant.

Windham, who previously said the lawyers in the case were the best hed ever encountered, assured her that the defence team was very good and straightforward and not at all arrogant.

The woman also said that from what she knew of the case, she thought Durst sounded guilty and had committed other crimes.

She had noted that she wanted to do her own research on him. Such sleuthing for jurors during trial is strictly prohibited, the judge said and he added there was absolutely no need for that.

Youre going to hear so much, Windham said. Youre hearing it here, live, from the actual witnesses testifying. ... Youll hear the best version, youll hear right here.

Like the other jurors interviewed early in the process, she said she could be fair and remained on the panel for the time being.
Foreign correspondents are not allowed to work in China without credentials, which in turn are required for a residence visa that is typically valid for one year. In recent years, officials have taken to shortening the length of these visas to six months or less for some journalists, apparently in retaliation for reports by the individuals or their news organizations.

Beijings combative stance with the media has come into sharper focus in recent months as it tried to control the coverage of antigovernment protests in Hong Kong. In recent weeks, China has also cracked down on reporting about the coronavirus outbreak, in some cases stipulating that medical professionals must stop speaking to the reporters.

The action taken against the Journal correspondents is an extreme and obvious attempt by the Chinese authorities to intimidate foreign news organizations, the Foreign Correspondents Club said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.

It was unclear whether the Journal reporters named on Wednesday would be able to comply with Beijings order to leave the country this week. Ms. Deng is reporting in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak and the site of a lockdown that makes it nearly impossible for most people to leave.

Other Chinese cities have strict quarantines for those who have recently been to Wuhan. If Ms. Deng returned to Beijing, for example, she would be subject to a 14-day quarantine there.

Like other media organizations, including The New York Times, The Journal runs its news and editorial departments as separate operations, meaning none of the newspapers reporters in China would have had any involvement with the essay, including the writing of the Sick Man headline.
Anti-poverty groups are questioning the Ford governments decision to hire foreign companies to run pilot projects aimed at helping Ontario job seekers, including those on social assistance, find work.

They say similar experiments to reform employment services in the United Kingdom and Australia did not lead to better outcomes for people on social assistance and should not be repeated here.

We dont understand why the Ford government is embracing a model that seems to have failed everywhere else it has been tried and left a trail of broken lives, said Tom Cooper of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction.

The pilot projects were announced last year as part of an overhaul of Employment Ontario after scathing reviews by the auditor general found most people were not finding full-time work.

Currently, municipalities are responsible for helping people on social assistance find jobs while Employment Ontario helps everyone else. Together they contract with hundreds of local employment agencies, including many community-based non-profits.

A 2018 review concluded the systems high administrative costs could be cut through consolidation, prompting the governments plan to divide Ontario into 15 regions  each with its own publicly-tendered systems manager.

Last fall, the province tendered bids for three pilot contracts for that role in Peel, Hamilton and Muskoka. On Feb. 14, the labour ministry, which is overseeing the reforms, announced that a U.S.-based non-profit and a private Australian multinational were among the successful bidders, which will be responsible for deciding how money is spent in the three regions.

At the ground level, things will work better, move faster, Labour Minister Monte McNaughton said in a news release.

Social Services Minister Todd Smith said the reforms are part of the Ford governments overhaul of social assistance.

We are rethinking ways our government assists people, including those on social assistance and people with disabilities who are looking for employment opportunities, Smith said in the release.

Fedcap, a U.S. based non-profit employment services provider that has worked in the U.K., was selected as the service system manager for Hamilton-Niagara. It is partnering with several current Employment Ontario and social service providers including Community Living Toronto, Operation Springboard and the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work.

Fleming College, with campuses in Peterborough, Haliburton and Cobourg and a track record of helping 3,000 job seekers annually, was chosen as system manager for the Muskoka-Kawarthas region.

And WCG, a Canadian subsidiary of APM Group, an Australian private sector company that provides employment, health and rehabilitation services in 10 countries, was selected as the system manager for Peel.

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), which represents almost all municipalities outside Toronto, said it was disappointed none of their members were chosen as systems managers for the trial.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions, said Brian Rosborough, AMO executive director.

Going forward, AMO will be looking for a smooth transition for people who receive these important services, and fair treatment for municipal employees, who are dedicated to helping people in their communities, he said in a statement.

Catherine Fife, NDP critic for jobs and economic growth, said municipal governments know their clients and understand the local job market.

Hiring multinational firms owned by Australian and American companies to navigate local Ontario job markets is a recipe for failure, she said.

According to the Maytree Foundation, which released a research report on the changes last month, both U.K. and Australian efforts have been largely unsuccessful.

In Australia, the countrys fully privatized employment and training program  Jobactive  was the subject of a Senate inquiry in 2019, said Garima Talwar Kapoor, the reports author.

The program was not leading to improved outcomes for recipients, and saw many clients cycle on and off support, as the program did not reflect the precarity in the labour market the job seekers were facing, she wrote.

A similar program introduced in 2011 in the U.K. also struggled to reach its goals and was ultimately cancelled in 2017, added Kapoor, Maytrees policy and research director.

Incentives encouraged program providers to only serve clients closest to the labour market, while largely neglecting those in need of greater support, she noted.

Although she acknowledged Fleming College is a public sector entity, she said it was unfortunate that no municipality currently doing the job was chosen to pilot the new model as a comparison.

Pedro Barata, executive director of Future Skills Centre, a new institute focused on helping Canadians transition in a fast-changing labour market, said Employment Ontario reforms are long overdue.

But there are no simple and neat and tidy solutions to what are some deep barriers that people are facing, he said in an interview.

Although he would not comment on the successful bidders for the pilot projects, he said it will be crucial to ensure they are properly evaluated.

Lets make sure evidence is driving our decisions, he said. We need to be committed to taking a step back and asking how are we doing, what are we learning and what kind of calibration do we need to make?

With files from Sara Mojtehedzadeh

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President Akufo-Addo has stated emphatically that the peace and stability of the nation which is being enjoyed by the Ghanaian people will be maintained in the aftermath of the 7th December general elections.

President Akufo-Addo was speaking at the 20th-anniversary celebration of the founding of the Tertiary Students Confederation (TESCON), on Tuesday, 18th February, 2020, in Ho, in the Volta Region, in response to assertions made by former President John Mahama to the effect that there will strife, conflict and chaos in the aftermath of the December 7 elections.

Addressing a packed Ho Technical University auditorium, the President stated: I think that it is important for the credibility of our national public discourse that public persons are seen to be consistent in their views and advocacy.

He continued, It cannot be right that when you are President, you say one thing, and, when you become leader of the opposition, you say another.

President Akufo-Addo recounted how, when in opposition, and when agitations about the credibility of the current electoral register took place, some amongst us went on lawful, peaceful demonstrations, and some also went to court to ventilate their grievance and seek redress, in other words we took the lawful routes, the constitutionally sanctioned routes.

According to President Akufo-Addo, at the time, the President of the Republic, Mr John Dramani Mahama, met the agitation over the register with the following words: Some parties have made it a penchant to continuously attack the Electoral Commission for reasons I cannot understand. This is the time we need to give the Electoral Commission peace to do its work. Every little thing, they are at the Electoral Commission attacking the Commission our electoral process has inherent safeguards in it that any serious political party can ensure that it polices that election, and makes sure of the integrity of the election. I believe that our Electoral Commission continues to be one of the most experienced and the best not only in Africa but in the world, and has delivered very successful elections in the past, and, if we give it the encouragement and support that they deserve, they should be able to deliver us a successful election.

Fast-forward to 5 years later, former President Mahama, in the words of President Akufo-Addo, has made a complete volte-face, when he told fisherfolk recently that: If the Electoral Commission will not listen to us, and proceed to compile a new biometric register, then they will be held responsible for whatever happens. If strife and conflict occur, the EC should own up and accept responsibility for it.

The President, thus, had the following words for the former President.

Firstly, the exclusive constitutional responsibility of the Electoral Commission for compiling an electoral register has not changed. It has done so on three occasions since the inauguration of the 4th Republic. None of the registers compiled by the Electoral Commission  1995, 2004, 2012  the last two in election years, on one occasion when the NPP was in office, the other when the NDC was in office  led to any disturbance or upheaval in the country, despite whatever reservations any of the political parties of the time had over any of those registers. The people of Ghana registered in peace and tranquility, and voted accordingly, he said.

Secondly, President Akufo-Addo stated that former President Mahamas inconsistency is a matter for him and his conscience.

But I want to assure him that there will be no strife, there will be no conflict after the December 7 general elections. The good sense of the Ghanaian people, which has preserved the peace and stability of the 4th Republic for the last 27 years, will continue to prevail, and they will not permit any poor, desperate loser to plunge this country into chaos. Ghana is bigger than the ambitions of any of us, he added.

---classfmonline
John Ens was only nine years old when he boarded the Dutch passenger ship Volendam in 1947 for a voyage to freedom and safety.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

John Ens was only nine years old when he boarded the Dutch passenger ship Volendam in 1947 for a voyage to freedom and safety.

He had lived through a tremendous amount of fear and danger while growing up in a Mennonite family in Soviet-controlled Ukraine before escaping Europe. Before he was born, his father was taken by Soviet authorities and executed. The family faced poverty, hunger and persecution.

Then, the war came. For the Mennonites, the advancing German soldiers were greeted as liberators from Communist oppression.

When the war turned against the Germans, they retreated west. Johns family fled with them  mother and five children  by train and on foot, ending up in Munich after the war.

"I was quite young," says Ens of that time, noting he didnt fully understand the danger. But he still remembers the hunger  having nothing but a small handful of beans to eat each day.

The greatest fear was being forced to return to the Soviet Union because of an agreement between the western allies and the Soviets that required all former citizens of the Soviet Union to be repatriated without choice.

Ens and his family were able to escape being returned to exile and maybe death through help from the Mennonite Central Committee. In 1947, they boarded the Volendam together with over 2,000 other Mennonite refugees, and made their way to a new home in Paraguay.

"It was a miracle," says Ens, 81, who emigrated to Canada in 1954. "God was with us."

His story is one of many told in Volendam: A Refugee Story, a new documentary from Winnipeg filmmaker Andrew Wall of Refuge 31 Films that premieres Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Real to Reel Film Festival.

The documentary tells the story of Mennonite suffering in Ukraine before the war, their flight to the west, and how MCC helped nearly 4,000 of them escape to Paraguay after the Second World War. That included more than 1,000 Mennonites trapped in Berlins Soviet zone after the war.

"I wanted to give a voice to the Mennonite refugees who went through that experience," said Wall, who grew up Mennonite and is a member of a Mennonite Brethren church in the city.

"The starvation, the terror of Stalin, the war, the flight to safety. And I wanted to do it before all of them were gone."

He also wanted to chronicle "what was lost. Tens of thousands of Mennonites disappeared into exile and death," he said. "That story needs to be told."

Wall shot the 84-minute long documentary in Manitoba and Paraguay, with financial assistance from private donations and foundation grants.

"It was a real learning experience," he said of how he worked with many extras, animals and period locations such as the St. James-Assiniboia Historical Museum, the Ralph Connor House and the Prairie Dog Central Railway.

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.

His biggest regret is he couldnt include more stories in the documentary. "I didnt anticipate how much people would want to talk about those days," Wall said.

He said he hopes people will come away from the documentary with a deeper appreciation for what those people went through, and also a better understanding of what refugees are going through around the world.

"Maybe it will help some become more sympathetic towards refugees today," he shared. "They arent much different from those Mennonite refugees from long ago, just doing what they can for themselves and their families."

In its 10th year, the Winnipeg Real to Reel Film Festival is dedicated to showing films that will "encourage and inspire us to a greater understanding of the human journey." It started Tuesday and runs until Sunday at the North Kildonan Mennonite Brethren Church, 1315 Gateway Rd.

For more information, go to www.winnipegfilmfestival.com.

faith@freepress.mb.ca
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Caroline Flack was found hanged at her home in east London, an inquest into her death heard today.

The former Love Island host was found dead in her flat on Saturday afternoon, the day after she had been told that the CPS was pursuing the court case against her.

No members of her family were present as the inquest opened at Poplar Coroner's Court in east London this morning.

Coroner's officer Sandra Polson said police were driving through Stoke Newington, on Saturday February 15 when they were flagged down.

She said Ms Flack was found and police attempted resuscitation, which was then continued by paramedics, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Her body was identified by her twin sister, Jody Flack, the inquest heard.

The much loved TV star had pleaded not guilty to assault by beating at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in North London on December 23 and was due to go on trial at March 4.

A heartbroken Lewis Burton posted this photograph of his former girlfriend Caroline Flack after an inquest heard she had hanged herself

Mollie Grosberg, a TV producer, posted this picture of Caroline Flack in an Instagram story. It is be the last picture of Flack, taken on Valentine's Day

Lewis Burton posted a photo of himself and Caroline Flack on Instagram on Valentine's Day, despite a court ban on contact between the pair

Caroline Flack pictured leaving Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in North London in December 2019

Miss Flack took her own life at home in this building in Stoke Newington, East London, on Saturday

Why did the CPS pursue the assault charges when the alleged victim - her boyfriend - wanted them dropped? The Crown Prosecution Service is under obligation to investigate all domestic violence incidents if they believe they are in the public interest. For years there has been growing concern that too few domestic violence cases end in prosecution. Many involve women who have been attacked by their husbands who later withdraw their original accusations under duress or because they are simply living in fear. To try and address this, the CPS introduced reforms in 2014 aimed at greatly increasing prosecution rates. They issued guidance to police urging them to gather multiple sources of evidence rather than just relying on the victim's statement - which may be unreliable or change. One of the most important sources of evidence in domestic abuse cases is likely to be the original 999 call made by the victim shortly after the attack. Other evidence could include witness statements from neighbours, medical examinations or images from the scene captured on police bodycams or CCTV. Miss Flack was understood to be horrified by the prospect of a 'show trial' over the alleged assault on her boyfriend Lewis Burton and was worried she could not cope with the fallout. Advertisement

Her family and managers have since accused the CPS of a 'show trial' that put pressure on the troubled star in the days before her death.

This morning, her mother released an unpublished Instagram post the star wrote in the days before her death in which she said her arrest had meant her whole world had 'collapsed'.

The presenter insisted in the heart-rending message that she was not a domestic abuser and that her alleged assault on boyfriend Lewis Burton was an accident.

In the message, shared by her mother Chris, the former Love Island host explained how her 'whole world and future was swept from under my feet' in the 24 hours following her arrest.

The inquest heard the provisional cause of death was given as suspension by ligature. The hearing, which lasted four minutes, was adjourned until August 5.

In the post released by her family today, Flack revealed that she had been having 'some sort of emotional breakdown for a very long time' and that she and her family 'could not take it anymore'.

The 40-year-old had planned to post the message on social media and had shown it to her mother at the end of January, but was advised not to share it with her millions of followers.

Flack said she 'took responsibility for what happened that night' but said it had been an accident and she 'was NOT a domestic abuser'.

It was revealed yesterday how Flack had undergone two risk assessments to find out if her bail conditions of not being allowed to contact her boyfriend could be varied.

Under the Offender Assessment System introduced in 2001, there are two main risks considered - of future re-offending, and of serious harm to themselves or others.

But the court heard how, even though her risk factor had been downgraded from 'high' to 'medium,' she could not see him until at least after the March appearance.

At the court in December, prosecutor Katie Weiss said police had lowered the risk level against Mr Burton, but the CPS still opposed removing the bail conditions.

A 'medium' risk level means the offender is unlikely to cause serious harm unless there is a change in circumstances, such as relationship breakdown or drug misuse.

To contact the Samaritans, call 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org Advertisement

Former CPS chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal said prosecutors could halt proceedings if the risk to the defendant's health outweighed a public interest in them standing trial.

But Mr Afzal added that they were under pressure to pursue convictions for domestic violence amid concerns that too many prosecutions were dropped.

The former Love Island presenter killed herself just hours after she learned prosecutors had decided to press ahead with the court case, with her trial just over a fortnight away.

Flack's personal woes began when police were seen outside the presenter's residence, where she lived with Burton, during the early hours of December 14 after reports emerged that a man had been attacked

In a message, shared today by her mother Chris (pictured right), Flack explained how her 'whole world and future was swept from under my feet' in the 24 hours following her arrest

The presenter insisted that she was not a domestic abuser and that her alleged assault on boyfriend Lewis Burton, pictured together, was an accident

The full message that Caroline Flack wrote and was advised not to post on social media Flack's mother shared the message in her local paper, the Eastern Daily Press, in Norfolk where Flack grew up. For a lot of people, being arrested for common assault is an extreme way to have some sort of spiritual awakening but for me it's become the normal. I've been pressing the snooze button on many stresses in my life - for my whole life. I've accepted shame and toxic opinions on my life for over 10 years and yet told myself it's all part of my job. No complaining. The problem with brushing things under the carpet is .... they are still there and one day someone is going to lift that carpet up and all you are going to feel is shame and embarrassment. On December the 12th 2019 I was arrested for common assault on my boyfriend... Within 24 hours my whole world and future was swept from under my feet and all the walls that I had taken so long to build around me, collapsed. I am suddenly on a different kind of stage and everyone is watching it happen. I have always taken responsibility for what happened that night. Even on the night. But the truth is... It was an accident. I've been having some sort of emotional breakdown for a very long time. But I am NOT a domestic abuser. We had an argument and an accident happened. An accident. The blood that someone SOLD to a newspaper was MY blood and that was something very sad and very personal. The reason I am talking today is because my family can't take anymore. I've lost my job. My home. My ability to speak. And the truth has been taken out of my hands and used as entertainment. I can't spend every day hidden away being told not to say or speak to anyone. I'm so sorry to my family for what I have brought upon them and for what my friends have had to go through. I'm not thinking about 'how I'm going to get my career back.' I'm thinking about how I'm going to get mine and my family's life back. Advertisement

CPS DEFENDS DECISION TO DROP CHARGE AGAINST EX-FOOTBALLER BUT NOT CAROLINE FLACK The Crown Prosecution Service has defended its decision to drop an assault charge against former footballer Nicky Butt but pursue the case against Caroline Flack. Ex-Manchester United player Butt, 45, had been accused of beating his estranged wife Shelley Barlow last April, but the case was discontinued when prosecutors offered no evidence. It is understood that Mr Butt's defence was that he accidentally damaged her mobile phone, and did not know how she had sustained a cut to her hand. A spokesman said that the circumstances of the two cases were different, and that no more details could be revealed because they involved private family matters that had not been discussed in open court. When deciding whether to pursue a case, prosecutors must consider firstly whether there is enough evidence, and secondly whether it is in the public interest to do so. Ms Barlow did not want to give evidence against her estranged husband, and Ms Flack's boyfriend Lewis Burton had said he did not support the prosecution against her. Advertisement

CPS lawyers decided to prosecute Miss Flack even after Mr Burton asked police not to proceed. A court was told she hit him over the head with a lamp.

Known as an 'evidence-led prosecution', it would have relied not on his testimony but on material gathered by police such as bodycam footage taken at her home.

Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court heard that, in the aftermath of the alleged incident, Miss Flack told police 'I did it' then warned she would kill herself.

But Miss Flack's management company criticised the CPS for pressing ahead with what it called her 'show trial' even after Mr Burton said he did not support it.

The hearing at Poplar Coroner's Court was brief, with the coroner adjourning proceedings to allow the police investigation to continue.

Flack's death, confirmed on Saturday evening, was the latest connected to the ITV2 show and prompted a tidal wave of grief from celebrity friends and members of the public.

Flack stepped down from presenting the current winter series of Love Island after an alleged assault on boyfriend Lewis Burton.

The TV star pleaded not guilty at a court hearing in December and was released on bail.

But she was ordered to stop having any contact with Burton ahead of a trial which had been due to begin in March.

The dating show did not air on Saturday or Sunday as a mark of respect to her family and returned on Monday with a tribute to Flack, who started hosting the programme in 2015.

To contact the Samaritans, call 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
Malibu, CA, United States, Feb 18, 2020 - (ABN Newswire) - Join Ellis Martin for a conversation with Geologist and Manager of Operations Scot Evans of ReconAfrica trading (VAN:RECO.V - News) (OTCMKTS:LGDOF - News). Mr. Evans is an energy industry leader with a combined 35 years of experience with Exxon, Landmark Graphics and Halliburton.

In his last position, Mr. Evans served as Vice President of Halliburton's Integrated Asset Management and Technical Consulting organizations, where he grew production from 20K to over 100K barrels of oil equivalent per day, creating the equivalent of a Mid-Cap upstream oil company. ReconAfrica is a junior oil and gas company engaged in the development of the newly discovered Kavango Sedimentary Basin, in northeast Namibia, where the Company holds a 90% working interest in petroleum licenses, comprising approximately 6.3 million contiguous acres. In this segment Mr. Evans discusses the acquisition and transport of a new modern drill rig to Namibia in order to execute the company's drilling program at Kavango.

To view the interview, please visit:

https://www.abnnewswire.net/press/en/100302/recon



About ReconAfrica:

ReconAfrica (CVE:RECO.V - News) (OTCMKTS:LGDOF - News) is a junior oil and gas company engaged in the exploration and development of oil and gas in Namibia. ReconAfrica holds a 90% interest in a petroleum exploration licence in northeast Namibia which covers the entire Kavango sedimentary basin. The exploration licence covers an area of approximately 25,341.33 sq km (6.3 million acres), and based on commercial success, it entitles ReconAfrica to obtain a 25 year production licence. The Kavango Basin offers both large scale conventional and non-conventional play types.

About The Ellis Martin Report:

The Ellis Martin Report (TEMR) is an internet based radio program showcasing potentially undervalued companies to an audience of potential retail investors and fund managers that comprise our listening audience. TEMR is broadcasted on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel and The Opportunity Radio Network. CEO and company interviews are paid for by those represented on the program.

Story continues

Contact:

Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd.

300-1055 West Hastings Street

Vancouver, British Columbia

Canada V6E 2E9

admin@reconafrica.com

www.reconafrica.com

Source:

ReconAfrica

The Ellis Martin Report

Copyright (C) 2020 ABN Newswire. All rights reserved.
BEIJING  Tariffs and the trade war. Espionage and Huawei. Hong Kong, Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Now a spiraling epidemic has become the latest and potentially most divisive issue driving apart the United States and China. For the fiercest critics of China within the Trump administration, the global panic over the coronavirus has provided a new opening to denounce the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, which they say cannot be trusted to disclose what it knows or properly manage the outbreak.

But if the hard-liners were hoping for a united, anti-China message coming from Washington, that goal has been undermined by their own leader. President Trump has publicly commended President Xi Jinpings handling of the crisis and even called for greater commercial ties, including the sale of jet engines to China.

Look, Mr. Trump said on Tuesday, I know this: President Xi loves the people of China, he loves his country, and hes doing a very good job with a very, very tough situation.

It has become a staple of the Trump administration: sending mixed messages that reflect a good-cop-bad-cop tactic, a real internal disagreement over policy or simply the caprice of the president. But overall, the most hawkish voices on China have managed to dominate the conversation, lashing out at Beijing as it reels from one challenge after another  a trade war with Washington, protests in Hong Kong and now the struggle to contain the coronavirus.
Putin must be a god to be able to be all over the world and interfere with all western countries. If not Putin? Then the Russians are all following his orders? Correct? Well.

Teams of Russian agents have been dispatched to Ireland to map undersea fiber-optic cables, with a view to cutting communications in time of conflict. A damning indictment that sounds suspiciously like a spy flick. Sitting at the western edge of Europe, Ireland is the landing point for thirteen undersea fiber-optic cables. These cables carry internet traffic from the US to Irelands west coast, then on to the UK and mainland Europe from the east and south. The worlds economy depends on the integrity

Source: Russian GRU agents prowl undersea internet cables off Irish coast in the Times latest spy thriller  RT Op-ed

If China is not stealing all secretes from the west? Putin/Russia is cutting the damn fiber optics of the undersea cables to destroy the abilities and or steal the spy information of the saintly western governments!

Bad Russia!

Not even the Onion could make this stuff up

WtR

Update: It is invasion time for all you Russian Haters

Russia is poised to invade Ireland and seize control of global communications, according to a crew of Cold War relics and professional Russophobes whove taken an already absurd James Bond-esque story and doubled down on it. Irelands status as a vital telecommunications and logistics hub linking North America and Europe has made it an irresistible prize to the Putin regime, according to a bizarre paper published on Wednesday by the Center for Security Policy, a right-wing think tank. Russia isnt ju

Source: Russia isnt just mapping Irelands internet cables  its planning to INVADE, foams Cold-War-revivalist DC think tank  RT Op-ed

Yes this is really an article
The parents of seven children who died in a Halifax house fire a year ago are offering thanks to the public for the love and support they've received since the tragedy in the Halifax suburb of Spryfield on Feb. 19, 2019. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)

Halifax Couple Thanks Public a Year After House Fire Claimed Their 7 Children

HALIFAXThe parents of seven children who died in a Halifax house fire a year ago are offering thanks to the public for the love and support theyve received since the tragedy.

Syrian refugees Ebraheim and Kawthar Barho survived the fire that destroyed their rental home in the Halifax suburb of Spryfield on Feb. 19, 2019.

The couples seven childrenAhmad, 14; Rola, 12; Mohamad, nine; Ola, eight; Hala, three; Rana, two and Abdullah, three monthsperished inside the home.

We would like to offer our deepest gratitude to the thousands of Nova Scotians who have shown us their love and support over this past year, the couple said in a statement released on Feb. 18 through the office of Halifax MP Andy Fillmore. The loss is immense, and we miss our children every day.

The Barhos said they managed to find comfort in the kindness of strangers, the courage of first responders, and in the dedication of healthcare professionals, as well as the sense of belonging offered to us by this community.

We will keep each and every one of you in our hearts forever, the letter states.

Ebraheim Barho remains in hospital after sustaining severe burns over much of his body.

The aftermath of a house fire is seen in the Spryfield community in Halifax on Feb. 19, 2019. (Rob Roberts/The Canadian Press)

In a recent interview with CTV, Dr. Jack Rasmussen, the lead physician in the burn unit at the Halifax Infirmary, said Barho had undergone nearly 15 surgeries over the past year along with hours of physiotherapy and speech therapy.

Meanwhile, investigators in Halifax have yet to identify a cause for the fire.

In an update given last September, investigators said they were only able to determine that the blaze began at the back of the house in the main-floor living room near a couch.

Nothing was found to lead them to believe the fire was suspicious, and they ruled out smoking materials, kitchen activities, and electrical faults as possible causes.

The fire hit the greater Halifax community hard and touched people across the country. More than 2,000 people attended the funeral service for the Barho children in Halifax.

The family, originally from the war-torn Syrian city of Raqqa, arrived in Canada as refugees in September 2017.

They first settled in rural Elmsdale, N.S., about 35 minutes north of Halifax, but eventually moved to Spryfield to take advantage of immigrant services, including English-language training.

The Hants East Assisting Refugees Team also released a statement on Tuesday noting the tragic loss of the seven children but adding that in difficult times our memories bring comfort.

We would like to express our most heartfelt thanks to the many people and organizations who have offered their love and guidance over the last year as we supported Kawthar and Ebraheim, the group said. To the thousands of Canadians who were there for us during this devastating time, we are deeply grateful.
Super Retail Group has admitted to underpaying staff by another $8million - after previously revealing it owed workers $53.2million in back payments.

The announcement comes as the company's first-half net profit fell by 20 per cent to $57.4million, despite modest revenue growth in the face of drought and bushfires.

Revenue for the company, which owns Rebel Sport, Supercheap Auto, BCF, and Macpac, climbed by 2.9 per cent to $1.44billion.

The group has updated its total estimate for team member back payments from $53.2million as at December 2018 to $61.2million as at December 28, 2019, excluding execution costs.

The estimate increase of $8million since December 2018 has resulted in a $9.5million after-tax expense in the half.

Super Retail Group, which owns Rebel Sport, Supercheap Auto, BCF, and Macpac, has updated its total estimate for team member back payments from $53.2million to $61.2million

The Queensland-based company said total costs to execute the remediation including the prior period were $8.6 million after tax.

'The total amount of retail manager and set-up team member underpayments is lower than initially estimated,' they said in a statement.

Super Retail Group said it had identified additional team members also impacted by overtime underpayments.

On the impacts of the coronavirus, the company said while a 'significant proportion' of the group's products were sourced from China, only two factories were utilised in Wuhan, the Hubei province city at the epicentre of the outbreak

'There is no expectation of a material impact on availability of product in the short term given current inventory levels,' it told the ASX on Thursday.

'The Group will continue to monitor ongoing developments in China and undertake appropriate contingency planning.'

Chief executive Anthony Heraghty said following the 'extraordinary weather events' of the summer, he was now seeing positive trends in the business, with sales momentum improving in Supercheap Auto, Rebel, and Macpac.

Supermarket giant Coles admitted to underpaying 1,150 workers over six years

Wesfarmers announced on Wednesday that workers at Target were stiffed out of $9million in wages

Super Retail Group announced an interim dividend of 21.5 cents per share, fully franked, in line with a year ago.

The company is the latest to be caught up in an apparent wage scandal in Australia - joining a growing list of retailers and businesses including Coles, Wesfarmers and Woolworths who listed payroll errors in their half-year results.

It was revealed in October that Woolworths underpaid its employees by as much as $300million over almost a decade, while the ABC, Qantas, Super Retail Group, Michael Hill Jewellers, Commonwealth Bank, Bunnings, Rockpool Dining Group, Sunglass Hut, 7-Eleven and George Calombaris' hospitality group MAdE have also admitted wage underpayment.

On Wednesday, Wesfarmers identified in its results for the six months to December 31 a $9million payroll remediation for Target and a $15million remediation in its industrial and safety division.

Wesfarmers also admitted it had discovered underpayments at Bunnings and its industrial businesses

'Following the payroll errors previously identified, Wesfarmers' businesses have conducted extensive reviews of their respective payroll systems and processes,' the company said in its release to the ASX.

'As a result of these reviews, some additional payroll errors have been identified.'

Chief executive Rob Scott said 'immediate steps' were being taken to rectify the situation and repay affected staff members.

On Tuesday, Coles announced it was expecting a $20million hit after managers at its supermarkets and liquor division were underpaid over the past six years.

The cause of the underpayment, reportedly affecting 1,150 workers, was due to discrepancies between their remuneration and the General Retail Industry Award (GRIA).

Coles boss Steven Cain issued an apology to affected staff team and said it will remediate any 'differences in full.'
A Jonestown man has died after his metal grinder exploded, sending shrapnel into his legs, state police reported Tuesday.

82-year-old Eugene Schamber died Tuesday evening, according to state police.

Police said Schamber was working with a metal grinder in a workshop in his garage around 5:30 p.m. The grinder wheel exploded, causing shrapnel to fly everywhere.

Shrapnel hit Schamber in his legs, police said. He died as a result of the injuries.

Schambers death has been ruled accidental.

Read more on PennLive:
A year ago, Nikita Dhoundiyal was shattered when she came to know that her husband Major Vibhuti Dhoundiyal was martyred during an operation against the terrorists that took place following the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. But now, Nikita has summed up the courage deciding to follow the footsteps of her late husband and is all set to join the Indian Army.

After the martyrdom of her husband, Nikita has set an example and has passed all the exams necessary to join the Army. A resident of Dehradun, she is now awaiting her joining in the Army. Drawing inspiration from her late husband and taking guidance from the Army, she chalked out this path for herself. She said that all this happened gradually and not in a day. Her family's motivation and support helped Nitika and gave her courage.

Speaking to Zee News, Nikita said that in life one should never accept defeat and even by losing, a person learns a lot. She added that a person learns only by becoming self-sufficient. Her late husband's memories always inspire her and will continue to do so.

These are the memories from which Nikita got so much courage and encouragement that she made it her passion to join the Army. To protect his motherland, late Major Dhoundiyal sacrificed his life and achieved heroism. Nikita also vows to serve her motherland.

Her courage, her passion and are truly appreciated. She inspires women who are often helpless and shattered in the face of such circumstances.

On February 18, 2019, Major Dhoundiyal died fighting terrorists in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. On February 19, 2019, thousands of people paid their last respects at his residence in Dehradun. His mother Saroj, a cardiac patient, his wife Nikita whom he had married less than a year ago, and a host of relatives and friends were crying inconsolably as Major Dhoundiyal's coffin was kept for people to pay their last respects before being taken to Haridwar for the last rites.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had also placed a wreath on the coffin amid cries of "Shaheed Dhoundiyal Amar Rahein" and "Vande Mataram". People had climbed to rooftops and also stood on either side of the road leading to the officer's residence.

Prominent among those who turned up to pay their last respects Major Dhoundiyal included state cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj, ex-MP Tarun Vijay, state assembly Speaker Premchand Agarwal, BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi and Dehradun Mayor Sunil Uniyal Gama.
The black box of a Ukrainian passenger airliner shot down by Iranian forces in Tehran in January is damaged and Iran will not hand it over to another country, despite pressure for access, state media quoted top Iranian ministers as saying on February 19.



Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week that he had "impressed upon" Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that a complete and independent investigation into the shooting down of the airliner had to be carried out.



Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was brought down by Iranian air defenses after it took off from Tehran on January 8, killing everyone on board. Iran says the shoot-down was a mistake. The 176 victims included 82 Iranian citizens and 63 Canadians, many of them of Iranian origin.



The crash occurred with Iran's air-defense forces on high alert following an Iranian ballistic-missile attack a few hours earlier against U.S. forces in Iraq. The strikes came days after Iran's most prominent military commander, Qasem Soleimani, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad.



"We have a right to read the black box ourselves. We have a right to be present at any examination of the black box," Zarif said.



"If we are supposed to give the black box to others for them to read it in our place then this is something we will definitely not do," he said.



However, Iran is in discussions with other countries, particularly Ukraine, about the investigation, Zarif said.



Defense Minister Amir Hatami said the flight data recording box had "sustained noticeable damage and the defense industry has been requested to help in reconstructing (it)."



"The reconstruction of the black box is supposed to take place first and then the reading," Hatami said.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
The chief security officer of Huawei USA said Wednesday the Chinese technology giant needs to have a transparency initiative now that a judge dismissed the company's challenge to a federal law.

U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant on Tuesday rejected the company's constitutional challenge to the law that restricted its ability to do business with federal agencies and their contractors.

"We need to have the carriers and the operators call on the equipment suppliers ... invite us in to talk to the experts," Huawei's Andy Purdy said in an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box."

"Let's talk about what it is we do to provide assurance. Let's get the experts to hear the truth, the facts, let's talk about where we are and where we need to go," added Purdy, a former top cybersecurity official at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The judge ruled that Congress has the right to include the restriction in the National Defense Authorization Act, which bars federal agencies and their contractors from procuring its equipment and services. Huawei filed the lawsuit in March, claimiing the law was unconstitutional.

The decision comes as the United States has a wide-ranging effort underway to prevent Huawei technology from being used in sensitive telecommunications equipment in the United States or elsewhere.

President Donald Trump and lawmakers on Capitol Hill have expressed worry about Huawei unfairly getting a foothold in U.S. markets for smartphones and next-generation 5G wireless networks on the back of Chinese government help and about the possibility of China turning around and using that equipment for spying.

Last May, the Trump administration placed Huawei and dozens of other Chinese firms on the Commerce Department's so-called entity list, citing national security concerns.

Huawei, the largest privately held company in China, has repeatedly said it would never help the Chinese government to spy.

"There's no national security reason," Purdy said. "It's blocking the ability of the U.S. to export this technology that's already cleared national security review."

Purdy said the U.S. government's issue is more with China than with Huawei, which can put data protection measures in place.

"We can't send data to China that we don't have access to," he said. "Regardless of what the Chinese government order us to do."

Purdy has said the U.S. government should implement risk mitigation programs for Huawei as it does for Finland-based Nokia and Sweden-based Ericsson. He said in August that those two companies also have "deep ties to China."

Other nations, like Germany and the United Kingdom, are taking those steps so Huawei can do business there, he said.

 Reuters contributed to this report.
WHO said that this was a very valid approach but that it was important to get the timing right to maximize the boost to a patients immunity.

Doctors in Shanghai are using infusions of blood plasma from people who have recovered from the coronavirus to treat those still battling the infection, reporting some encouraging preliminary results, a Chinese professor said on Monday.

A top emergency expert at the World Health Organization (WHO) said later that using convalescent plasma was a very valid approach to test, but that it was important to get the timing right to maximize the boost to a patients immunity.

The coronavirus epidemic is believed to have originated in a seafood market in the central city of Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, and has so far killed 1,770 people and infected more than 70,000 in mainland China.

Chinas financial hub of Shanghai on Monday had 332 infected cases, one of whom died in recent weeks. Lu Hongzhou, professor and co-director of the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre, said that 184 cases were still hospitalized, including 166 mild cases, while 18 were in serious and critical conditions.

He said the hospital had set up a special clinic to administer plasma therapy and was selecting patients who were willing to donate. The blood would be screened to check if he or she had other diseases like hepatitis B or C, he added.

We are positive that this method can be very effective in our patients, he said.

There are no fully licensed treatments or vaccines against the new coronavirus, and the process of developing and testing drugs can take many months and even years.

Very important area

Convalescent plasma has been proven effective and life-saving against other infectious diseases, including rabies and diphtheria, Dr Mike Ryan, head of WHOs health emergencies program, told reporters in Geneva.

It is a very important area to pursue, Ryan said.

Because what hyperimmune globulin does is it concentrates the antibodies in a recovered patient. You are essentially giving the new victims immune system a boost of antibodies to hopefully get them through the very difficult phase.

So it must be given at the right time, because it mops up the virus in the system, and it just gives the new patients immune system a vital push at the time it needs it. But it has to be carefully timed and its not always successful.

Ryan added: So it is a very important area of discovery, and I believe they are starting trials on that in China. But it is a very valid way to explore therapeutics, especially when we dont have vaccines and we dont have specific antivirals.

As well as using plasma therapies, the Chinese doctors are also trying antiviral drugs licensed for use against other infections to see if they might help.

Scientists are testing two antiviral drugs and preliminary results are due in weeks, while the head of a Wuhan hospital had said plasma infusions from recovered patients had shown some encouraging preliminary results.
Donald Trump offered to pardon Julian Assange if he said that Russia was not involved in a leak of Democratic party emails ahead of the 2016 US election, a court has heard.

The explosive claim  which could have profound consequences for Mr Trumps re-election effort if proven true  emerged as Assange, 48, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court ahead of a hearing next week about his possible extradition to the US.

Assanges barrister highlighted evidence that former US Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher had been to see Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy in August 2017, in the early days of Robert Muellers probe into Russian interference in the previous election.

Edward Fitzgerald QC said a statement from Assanges lawyer Jennifer Robinson shows Mr Rohrabacher going to see Mr Assange and saying, on instructions from the president, he was offering a pardon or some other way out, if Mr Assange ... said Russia had nothing to do with the DNC leaks.

A series of emails embarrassing for the Democrats and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign were hacked before being published by WikiLeaks in the run-up to the 2016 election.

Key moments for Julian Assange Show all 9 1 /9 Key moments for Julian Assange Key moments for Julian Assange The situation today Assange was arrested after Metropolitan Police officers were invited into the Ecuadorian embassy on April 11 2019. How did it come to this? Ruptly TV Key moments for Julian Assange The break Assange shows the front page of the Guardian on July 26 2010, the day that they broke the story of the thousands of military files leaked by WikiLeaks AFP/Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Wanted A warrant for Assange's arrest was issued in August 2010 for counts of rape and molestation in Sweden AFP/Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Ruling The UK's Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that Assange should be extradited to Sweden to face trial Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Sanctuary Following the ruling, Assange was given asylum by the Ecuadorian governement over fears that his human rights would be violated if he were extradited, he has since remained in the embassy in London Getty Key moments for Julian Assange A friend in Pam Friend Pamela Anderson delivers lunch to Assange at the embassy in October 2016. She has since spoken against his arrest Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Arbitrarily detained A UN panel found in 2016 that Assange had been arbitrarily detained and that he had not been able to claim his full right to asylum. It urged Sweden to withdraw the charges against him Getty Key moments for Julian Assange The cat ultimatum Last year, the Ecuadorian embassy threatened to revoke Assange's internet access unless he stopped making political statements online and started taking better care of James, his pet cat. Assange accused Ecuador of violating his rights Reuters Key moments for Julian Assange Arrest Assange was arrested on April 11 2019. Ecuador revoked his asylum status and invited the Metropolitan Police in to the embassy to arrest him. Reuters

The Mueller investigation, published in April, found Russian GRU agents hacked Ms Clintons private server for the first time just hours after Mr Trumps public request for Russia to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.

While the report found no evidence that Mr Trump's team criminally conspired with Russia, he appeared to have claimed to know about future WikiLeaks drops in advance.

One section of the report, heavily redacted by the justice department, said: Trump told [former deputy campaign chair Rick Gates] that more releases of damaging information would be coming.

Mr Gates was cited as saying that after the release of the first batch, the Trump campaign was planning a press strategy, a communications campaign and messaging based on the possible release of Clinton emails by WikiLeaks.

It also confirmed Assange and Donald Trump Jr had spoken on Twitter, with the former thanking the presidents son for talking about our publications.

But after Assange  who argues his extradition to the US is politically motivated  was arrested in April, the president claimed: I know nothing about WikiLeaks. Its not my thing.

On Wednesday, the White House issued a furious denial of Assange's lawyer's claim that Mr Rohrabacher offered him a quid pro quo at the Ecuadorian embassy on Mr Trumps behalf.

The president barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than hes an ex-congressman. Hes never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in an email.

It is a complete fabrication and a total lie. This is probably another never ending hoax and total lie from the DNC.

But several former officials suggested the claims should be taken seriously  just weeks after the president was acquitted of an alleged abuse of power in encouraging Ukraine to investigate his political rival in the upcoming election.

Lawyers dont usually make claims in court they cant prove," Joyce White, a former US attorney, tweeted.

It sure sounds like Assanges attorneys are prepared to back-up this claim with evidence, said Ned Price, a former CIA official who served as a special adviser to Barack Obama.

 Trump calls Russia probe 'bullshit'

Its another indication that Trumps assault on the rule of law isnt new; its been ongoing throughout his term. And imagine just how much we dont yet know.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said Assanges evidence would be admissible during next weeks extradition hearing.

Both the White House and Mr Rohrabaher have previously confirmed some of the key events in the claims made by Assange's lawyers.

One month after his visit to Assange in August, the White House confirmed Mr Rohrabaher had discussed a possible deal for the Wikileaks founder in a call with Mr Trump's chief of staff John Kelly.

Mr Rohrabacher told the Wall Street Journal that as part of the proposed deal, Assange would need to hand over solid digital evidence proving Russia was not behind Hillary Clinton's hacked emails.

It is unclear if Mr Trump and Mr Rohrabacher ever directly discussed Assange. But in Mr Rohrabcher complained to The Intercept that he had been blocked from briefing Mr Trump about his August meeting with Assange because White House officials were scared discussions it could look like collusion.

Not only Kelly, but others are worried if I say one word to Trump about Russia, that it would appear to out-of-control prosecutors that that is where the collusion is, Mr Rohrabacher said.

Assange is wanted in America to face 18 charges, including conspiring to commit computer intrusion, over the publication of US cables a decade ago. He could face up to 175 years in jail if found guilty.

He is accused of working with former US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to leak hundreds of thousands of classified documents.

The extradition hearing is due to begin at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday. The decision, which is expected months later, is likely to be appealed against by the losing side, whatever the outcome.

Assange has been held on remand in Belmarsh prison since last September after serving a 50-week jail sentence for breaching his bail conditions while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy.

He entered the building in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sex offence allegations, which he has always denied and were subsequently dropped.

Assange appeared in court on Wednesday by videolink from HMP Belmarsh. He spoke to confirm his name and date of birth, and sat holding a stack of papers during the hearing.

The hearing came one day after Australian MPs George Christensen and Andrew Wilkie called for Boris Johnson to intervene and stop the extradition hearing.

At a press conference on Tuesday it emerged that fellow inmates at the high-security prison successfully lobbied for his release from solitary confinement.

Speaking after the press conference, Assanges father John Shipton said his sons condition had improved, but said the extradition going ahead would be akin to a death sentence.

Additional reporting by PA
A family dog was forced to undergo facial surgery after being hit by a group of armed and masked men who broke into a Redcliffe home on Saturday night.

About 7.20pm three men driving a white Nissan Navara ute which was stolen two hours earlier in Karawara broke into a house on Epsom Avenue, Redcliffe.

The dog was expected to make a full recovery. Credit:WA Police

Police said the men were all wearing balaclavas and one was armed with a sawn-off shotgun.

Inside the home the man armed with the shotgun struck a two-year-old Staffy-cross-Bull Arab dog, causing a deep laceration to its face.
Dang Le Nguyen Vu, founding chairman and general director of Vietnamese coffee giant Trung Nguyen Group, has bought all the group shares held by his ex-wife, Le Hoang Diep Thao, so she is no longer a shareholder of the group.

Le Hoang Diep Thao is no longer a shareholder of Trung Nguyen Group - PHOTO: TNO

According to an announcement by the group, Vu paid Thao VND1.19 trillion.

On December 5 last year, the HCMC Superior Peoples Court made its final ruling on the divorce case between Vu and Thao.

The court determined that Vu had made more contributions to the establishment and development of the coffee empire than Thao, so it gave him 60% of the group's shares and Thao, 40%.

Since the division of the groups shares might cause difficulties for its operations, the court ruled that Vu would buy all of Thaos shares.

Vu later worked with the departments of Planning and Investment of Binh Duong, Bac Giang, Daklak, Dak Nong and HCMC to complete procedures to adjust the business licenses for companies under the group.

On January 10, the Supreme Peoples Procuracy asked the HCMC Department of Enforcement of Civil Judgments to postpone the enforcement of the courts ruling in the divorce case, as requested by Thao.

However, by the time the HCMC Department of Enforcement of Civil Judgments had received the demand, Vu had fulfilled his obligations. SGT

Viet Dung

Trung Nguyen to open 3,000 E-Coffee shops by 2020 The Trung Nguyen group, Vietnams famous coffee business, plans to open 3,000 E-Coffee shops by 2020, before bringing the franchise chain to overseas market.
On Jan. 11, Venture Construction Group (VCG) sponsored the 20th annual Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse (AVDA) Race for Hope. VCG was the Water Stop Sponsor and hydrated hundreds of runners throughout Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Broward and Miami- Dade counties throughout their choice of six races, including a 5K, 10K Run, Pet Run/Walk, Kids Dash, Hometown Hero Police and Firefighter 5K.

This event is fantastic! The work that AVDA does is so important for all who are affected by domestic violence, victims and their families. It is critical to continuously raise awareness so together, we can reduce and eliminate domestic violence, says Sandra Lawson, director of operations, Venture Construction Group, founder of Gemmas Angels Foundation.

According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1 in 4 women (24.3%) and 1 in 7 men (13.8%) aged 18 and older in the United States have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. 30 to 60% of perpetrators of intimate partner violence also abuse children in the household.

AVDAs mission is to promote violence-free relationships by offering alternative choices to end the cycle of domestic abuse and violence. AVDA provides a 24-hour crisis hotline, emergency and transitional housing, advocacy, counseling and support to survivors of domestic violence. AVDA helps survivors transition out of violent relationships so they can live free of fear. AVDAs philosophy is prevention through education, and advocacy and intervention is the ultimate goal. AVDA offers nonresidential services to adult and child survivors of domestic violence. These services assist survivors with accessing relocation assistance through the Victims of Crime Act, legal advocacy, and provides group domestic violence education for participants. AVDAs Legal Advocacy program assists clients in safely participating in the legal system.

VCG has an extensive corporate giving campaign that involves a number of domestic violence initiatives each year, including the annual Race for Hope and Heart of a Woman Luncheon.

About Venture Construction Group

Founded in 1998, Venture Construction Group (VCG) is a licensed general contractor and an award-winning leader in construction, restoration, renovations, roofing, storm damage repairs, and 24/7 emergency services. VCG services commercial and residential properties throughout the East Coast, Greater Mid-Atlantic Region, Gulf Coast, and Midwest. Operational excellence is our mission in every project we undertake, and we pride ourselves on providing exceptional customer service. Specializing in commercial projects, VCG assists property management companies, condo associations, multi-family structures, hi-rises, retail/business plazas, government facilities, hotels and resorts with comprehensive general contractor services, restoration, mitigation, specialty construction, historical restoration, remodels, property repairs and rebuilds due to fire, flood, water, wind, hail, and hurricane damage. VCG has earned prestigious awards including the Construction Business Owner Award, Pro Remodeler Forty Under 40 Award. CEO Stephen Shanton is a proud member of the prestigious Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC). Entrepreneur Magazine hails YEC Consists of Some of the Most Well-Respected Minds in Entrepreneurship. VCG is committed to operational excellence and exceptional customer service. VCG is an exclusive certified National Storm Damage Center Preferred Contractor, WindStorm Insurance Network WIND Certified Umpire, WIND Certified Appraiser, WIND Certified Fellow, Certified Member of the United Association of Storm Restoration Contractors, Certified Member of Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) Industry Members Association (EIMA), Certified Member of National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractor, Mule-Hide Legacy Contractor, Certified CertainTeed Contractor and Duro-Last Certified Contractor. VCG credentials have been vetted and screened through independent third party Global Risk Management Solutions. With offices nationwide and a solid reputation throughout the country, we are able to respond to your needs with quality, ease, and top-notch service. For more information call 866-459-8348 or visit us online at http://www.VentureConstructionGroup.com.

Media Inquiries:

Sarah Barrett

Elev8 Consulting Group

Ph: 386.243.5388

Web: http://www.elev8cg.com

###
Apostle Johnson Suleman of Omega Fire Ministries has faulted those criticizing Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Churc...





Apostle Johnson Suleman of Omega Fire Ministries has faulted those criticizing Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, over his comment on the type of ladies men shouldnt marry.





Suleman stated that men should listen to Pastor Adeboye because he has been married for over 50 years, hence those criticising his comments have no basis.





Adeboye, who is the General Overseer of RCCG had advised men against marrying women who cant cook because they cant be eating out all the time.





The G.O. as he is popularly referred to had also warned bachelors against marrying a worldly woman.





However, Suleman, who took to his Twitter handle to defend Pastor Adeboye wrote: Baba Adeboye never said men shouldnt know how to cook. He said marry a lady who knows to..whats wrong with that? He has been happily married for over 50yrs.those talking are less than 50..who do we listen to? by the way, we are responsible for what we say, not how you understand it..
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, his first stop for the courtesy calls on the central government leadership after sweeping Assembly elections.

The meeting went on for over 20 minutes at Shahs residence at Krishna Menon Marg in New Delhi. The meeting was earlier scheduled at the Home Ministry.

Met Honble Home Minister Sh Amit Shah ji. Had a very good and fruitful meeting. Discussed several issues related to Delhi. Both of us agreed that we will work together for development of Delhi, Kejriwal tweeted after the meeting.

Met Honble Home Minister Sh Amit Shah ji. Had a very good and fruitful meeting. Discussed several issues related to Delhi. Both of us agreed that we will work together for development of Delhi  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 19, 2020

Shah had led the BJP offensive against Kejriwals Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Delhi Assembly polls. The AAP trounced the BJP in the elections, winning 62 of the 70 seats.

ALSO WATCH | AAP 3.0s top priorities: Patriotic curriculum to free bus rides

This was their first one-on-one meeting ever in a formal setting, an AAP leader said.

Arvind Kejriwal had sought an appointment to meet Home Minister Amit Shah right ahead of the Delhi elections to complain about what he called the deteriorating law and order situation in the national capital. That request wasnt accepted by Shahs office, given how it had been designed to take a jab.

Shah later acknowledged that his assessment of the Delhi elections had gone wrong but underscored that the BJP had succeeded in expanding its ideology through the polls, a reference to the increase in the BJPs vote share.

Wednesdays face-to-face meeting was also the first time that Kejriwal and Amit Shah talked to each other rather than at each other. Arvind Kejriwal had been Shahs preferred punching bag through the election campaign. Kejriwal was unsparing in his rebuttals as well, accusing Shah of abusing his control over the police for petty conspiracies.

Kejriwals courtesy call - he wasnt able to meet Amit Shah when he moved to the Home Ministry after last years national elections - is seen as a concerted effort to work together with the central government for the national capital.

Shah, and the home ministry that he leads, play a crucial role in Delhi affairs that is, legally, a Union Territory with a state assembly and heavily dependent on the Centres support.
Amid concerns over India's Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), UN chief Antonio Guterres has said it is necessary to do everything to prevent "statelessness" when when a nationality law is changed.

Guterres, who was on a three-day visit to Pakistan, when asked whether he was concerned about new laws in India during an interview, said, "Of course (I am concerned). Because this is an area in which the relevant UN body is quite active."



"The present High Commissioner for Refugees is quite active to this situation like many others like this. Because there is risk of statelessness created by those national laws," the UN Secretary General told Dawn TV.

"It is absolutely essential when a nationality law is changed, the statelessness is prevented. Because when basic right of anyone anywhere is to have a country that a person calls his, then everything should be done in order to avoid statelessness, he said.

The new citizenship law passed by the Indian Parliament in December 2019 offers citizenship to non-Muslim persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. After the enactment of the law, protests erupted across the country over fears that it may marginalise the minority Muslim community.

The Indian government has maintained that the CAA is an internal matter of the country and stressed that the goal is to protect the oppressed minorities of neighbouring countries.

The NRC has been prepared to identify genuine Indian citizens living in Assam since March 24, 1971, or before, and identify illegal Bangladeshi migrants in the state.

Out of 3.3 crore applicants, over 19 lakh people were excluded from the final NRC published on August 30.

On Kashmir, Guterres said two reports by the UN High Commissioner on Kashmir played an important role in clarifying exactly what is happening there and it is essential that these reports are taken seriously.

Guterres on Sunday said in Islamabad that he was concerned over the situation in Kashmir, and that he was ready to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve the long pending issue.

Reacting to his offer, India said the real issue needed to be addressed is to vacate territories "illegally and forcibly" occupied by Pakistan.

"India's position has not changed. Jammu and Kashmir has been, is, and will continue to be an integral part of India. The issue that needs to be addressed is that of vacation of the territories illegally and forcibly occupied by Pakistan," the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi.

"Further issues, if any, would be discussed bilaterally. There is no role or scope for third-party mediation," it said.

India revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status on August 5. Reacting to India's move, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian High Commissioner.

When asked why the UN has failed to constitute a high-powered inquiry commission to go to Kashmir and investigate alleged rights violations, the Secretary General said: Only the governing bodies of the UN or the Security Council can make that decision, but these reports are credible, relevant and very important.

He acknowledged that the current structure of the UN and the veto power to only its five permanent member states were hampering the ability of the UN to deliver the very objective it was created for conflict resolution.

In order to ensure increased efficacy of the UN, he felt the body had to be reformed to be made "more democratic, more open and more effective and to be more representative of today's multilateral world.

"We lived in a bipolar world, the rules were relatively clear. Today it is no longer bipolar, not yet multipolar, it is a kind of a chaotic world. Power relations are unclear so we see situations of conflict to which many spoilers can do whatever they want because there is no way to create a minimum of order, he added.

When asked about the position of the UN on the Palestinian question, Guterres responded that our position has not changed, asserting that he remained committed to the two-state solution, with the "two states living side by side.

Guterres also affirmed that the UN stood ready to facilitate a dialogue between Israel and Palestine based on international law and principles.

Guterres during his three-day visit to Pakistan met officials, attended a conference on Afghan refugees, visited Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib and saw cultural places in Lahore.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Many investors are still learning about the various metrics that can be useful when analysing a stock. This article is for those who would like to learn about Return On Equity (ROE). By way of learning-by-doing, we'll look at ROE to gain a better understanding of China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Corporation Ltd (SGX:G92).

Our data shows China Aviation Oil (Singapore) has a return on equity of 12% for the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every SGD1 worth of equity in the company, it was able to earn SGD0.12.

See our latest analysis for China Aviation Oil (Singapore)

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for return on equity is:

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations)  Shareholders' Equity

Or for China Aviation Oil (Singapore):

12% = US$97m  US$808m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2019.)

It's easy to understand the 'net profit' part of that equation, but 'shareholders' equity' requires further explanation. It is the capital paid in by shareholders, plus any retained earnings. The easiest way to calculate shareholders' equity is to subtract the company's total liabilities from the total assets.

What Does Return On Equity Mean?

ROE measures a company's profitability against the profit it retains, and any outside investments. The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. A higher profit will lead to a higher ROE. So, as a general rule, a high ROE is a good thing. That means ROE can be used to compare two businesses.

Does China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Have A Good Return On Equity?

By comparing a company's ROE with its industry average, we can get a quick measure of how good it is. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. As you can see in the graphic below, China Aviation Oil (Singapore) has a higher ROE than the average (8.4%) in the Oil and Gas industry.

Story continues

SGX:G92 Past Revenue and Net Income, February 19th 2020

That's what I like to see. We think a high ROE, alone, is usually enough to justify further research into a company. For example, I often check if insiders have been buying shares.

How Does Debt Impact Return On Equity?

Virtually all companies need money to invest in the business, to grow profits. That cash can come from retained earnings, issuing new shares (equity), or debt. In the first and second cases, the ROE will reflect this use of cash for investment in the business. In the latter case, the debt required for growth will boost returns, but will not impact the shareholders' equity. In this manner the use of debt will boost ROE, even though the core economics of the business stay the same.

China Aviation Oil (Singapore)'s Debt And Its 12% ROE

Shareholders will be pleased to learn that China Aviation Oil (Singapore) has not one iota of net debt! Its ROE already suggests it is a good business, but the fact it has achieved this -- and doesn't borrowings -- makes it worthy of further consideration, in my view. At the end of the day, when a company has zero debt, it is in a better position to take future growth opportunities.

The Bottom Line On ROE

Return on equity is a useful indicator of the ability of a business to generate profits and return them to shareholders. In my book the highest quality companies have high return on equity, despite low debt. All else being equal, a higher ROE is better.

But ROE is just one piece of a bigger puzzle, since high quality businesses often trade on high multiples of earnings. It is important to consider other factors, such as future profit growth -- and how much investment is required going forward. So I think it may be worth checking this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

Of course China Aviation Oil (Singapore) may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have high ROE and low debt.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
MEXICO CITY - A Mexican microbiologist accused of spying for Russia in Miami is considered a benefactor in his native state of Oaxaca, the mayor of his hometown said Wednesday, and he holds positions with at least two prominent universities.

Mayor Hazael Matus said scientist Hector Alejandro Cabrera, who teaches in Singapore, has helped set up science projects in his hometown of El Espinal. Cabrera was known for his work on cardiac treatments and was hoping to produce an ointment to help heal wounds in diabetics in his home state.

It is very strange for this to happen because he is a very altruistic person with a lot of social conscience. He helped people and all this seems strange, Matus said. We dont know what happened, but I bet it is a confusion or an attack for scientific reasons. He may have discovered something that upset some people or some business interests.

U.S. authorities said Tuesday that Cabrera had been hired by a Russian government official to find the vehicle of a U.S. government informant in the Miami area and inform the Russians of its location. The informant was not identified, but was said to have provided information to the U.S. on Russian intelligence operations.

Officials said in an affidavit that Cabrera has a Mexican wife and simultaneously also has a Russian wife. According to the affidavit, the Russian wife travelled back to her home country last March to arrange some documents, but she was prevented from returning to Germany in what may have been part of an effort by the Russians to pressure Cabrera into working for them.

Cabrera then visited Moscow and his family last May and was approached by the Russian official, the affidavit said. The Russian official, ti said, brought up Cabreras family situation in Russia and said, We can help each other.

Cabrera told the FBI that the Russian official said they had met previously in professional events and exchanges, the affidavit said.

Cabrera was arrested on charges of acting within the United States on behalf of a foreign government without notifying the U.S. attorney general and conspiracy, according to the Justice Department. A pretrial detention hearing was set for Friday in Miami and arraignment for March 3.

Cabrera is listed as an associate professor at the medical school jointly run by Duke University and the National University of Singapore.

He also was appointed director in 2018 of the FEMSA Biotechnology Center at the Monterrey Institute of Technology in northern Mexico, which said he earned doctorates in molecular microbiology in Russia and molecular cardiology in Germany.

Matus, the mayor, described Cabrera as a hometown boy who made good, going to Russia to study for his graduate degrees.

But he said Cabrera never forgot his hometown of 9,500 inhabitants and helped organize the scientific community to assist in rebuilding houses in El Espinal after a magnitude 8.1 quake hit Sept. 7, 2017, and a 6.1 temblor struck two weeks later. The town has a large Zapotec indigenous community.

Cabrera had been scheduled to attend meetings in Mexico on Monday about a series of research centres that he was helping establish in El Espinal as part of a government project to upgrade rail links between the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico across the narrow Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The $430 million project is one of the infrastructure priorities of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Cabrera was a leading promoter of El Espinals role in the project, helping recruit Mexican universities and government agencies to set up research centres on medicine, seismology, logistics and other topics in the town.

According to the Justice Department, a Russian government official recruited Cabrera in 2019. The Russian official later directed him to rent a specific property in Miami-Dade County, but not in his own name, the Justice Department said.

Cabrera travelled twice to Moscow to meet with the official, the Justice Department said, and during the second meeting received a physical description of the U.S. government sources vehicle. The Russian official allegedly told Cabrera to locate the car, obtain the license plate number and note the location, with the goal of providing that information in April or May.

The Justice Department said Cabrera, having travelled from Mexico City to Miami on Feb. 13, attracted the attention of a security guard where the U.S. government source resided because his rental car entered the premises while tailgating another vehicle.

According to the indictment, Cabrera asked his Mexican wife, who accompanied him, to take a photo of the sources vehicle and license plate even though the Russian official had told him not to take a photo.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped Fuentes and his wife when they appeared at Miamis airport Sunday night to return to Mexico City. Cabrera admitted to law enforcement officers that he was directed by a Russian government official to conduct the operation, the Justice Department said.
Regarding Right to recline? (Editorial, Feb. 18): I agree that the problem should be taken seriously by the Federal Aviation Administration and the airlines. Besides the danger of too-tight space in an emergency evacuation, it is potentially dangerous when passengers get into a midair argument.

But theres a more fundamental problem. Are we losing our grip on old-fashioned common courtesy? Are we giving up polite and tactful dialogue in favor of shoving and taking a video? I think the issue may be more about selfishness than rights.

Susan Brown, San Carlos

Shame on the airlines

Regarding the big airline seat debate ... to recline or not recline, the cause is obvious: greed. The airlines have managed to squeeze more and more people into a finite amount of space, forcing the flying public into inhumane conditions and subsequent strife. Maybe their next step will be to ask passengers to stand and hold onto a strap during their flight. Shame on the airlines and their hunger for ever more dollars. I detest them all.

Barbara Lelich, Mill Valley

Let the buyer beware

The news story Big debts blamed on S.F. art academy (Page 1, Feb. 18), about former students of the for-profit Academy of Art University in San Francisco being mired in tens of thousands of dollars of debt, many in low-paying jobs not even related to their fields of study, should come with this warning label: Caveat emptor (Let the buyer beware). The art academy has been in the headlines for years, not as one of the citys best schools, but as one of its worst landlords. Prospective students who intend to borrow money for their education should always make sure they investigate a schools reputation, as well as the ability of its graduates to secure gainful, degree-related employment.

Lydia Del Santos, San Francisco

Use hemp for packages

Its very nice that Jeff Bezos plans to spend $10 billion to combat climate change. I suggest he start by helping make Amazons incredible mass of packaging from industrial hemp (which is not a drug) rather than wood. Industrial hemp packaging is stronger than wood-based packaging and is biodegradable. It takes less time to grow and less area for the same amount of product. Industrial hemp is a weed, so it takes little water and no pesticides. Unfortunately, there isnt enough industrial hemp being grown to allow for efficient production of industrial hemp packaging. Ten billion dollars should be enough to solve the packaging problem, which is a significant contributor to climate change.

Tom Reitter, Inverness

Toxic foam

Regarding Foam coffee cup fighting for its life (Business, Feb. 18): Although Jim Lammers, CEO of the Michigan-based manufacturer Dart, believes that his company and its foam products have been unfairly singled out by environmental activists, the scientists who study styrene (commonly called Styrofoam) provide another viewpoint. The National Toxicology Program has stated that styrene is reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen, and causes an increased risk for leukemia and lymphoma as well as genetic damage in the white blood cells of workers exposed to the chemical. And according to the Environmental Protection Agency, of the nearly 20 million pounds of waste styrene generates annually, about 17.8 million pounds winds up in the air and 1.7 million pounds gets into surface waters, where sea birds and marine animals swallow it. Id rather see foam cups and other styrene products fighting for their lives, instead of humans and sea creatures.

Sochi Yamamoto, Cupertino

Wrong recommendation

Willie Browns penchant to shock us with a perverse viewpoint annoys me. He knows his view that the prosecutors sentence recommendations in the Roger Stone case were unfair is just plain wrong. He knows that it is customary for prosecutors to often consider other factors and wrongdoings in recommending sentencing. That Roger Stone was instrumental in aiding and abetting the Russian interference in our election was most certainly taken into account as the prosecutors recommended sentencing.

Davie Wilcox, Walnut Creek

Missed the mark

Regarding Is Biden over? States that count must pick up primaries pieces (Willie Brown, Feb. 16): I really enjoy his words of wisdom about most things, especially politics. But as an amateur film critic he is missing the mark. I agree with Mick LaSalle that a film nominated in the foreign category should not be nominated for best picture as well. But this years big winner Parasite was a really exceptional film which says a lot about income inequality in a very entertaining way.

It is sad that most people dont like to read subtitles, including Willie Brown, and miss out on fantastic films from France, Germany, Iran and Hungary, too. If Brown can review only blockbusters, he should not do it.

Krisztina Pongracz, Oakland

A test of faith

In response to the column Dear evangelical leaders: How can you support President Trump? (sfchronicle.com, Open Forum, Feb. 13), I believe odds are pretty good that Jesus is using President Trump to test the hearts and souls of his followers. Clearly, Trump does not possess any divine qualities like sincerity, honesty, humility, purity, etc.

We know that Jesus original disciples didnt have complete faith in him, denied him and ultimately betrayed him. Why wouldnt Jesus put forth a test to see if his followers have really learned and surrendered to his spiritual leadership? I would recommend that Christians and people of all faiths review your words from God, search your hearts and get off the Trump train before its too late to save your souls.

Dean Houghton, Pacifica

Everythings for sale

The candidacies of Donald Trump, Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg prove one thing: Everything is for sale, including the leadership of our country.

Richard Sanborn, Bayside (Humboldt County)

Focused on money

It makes me angry that millions of dollars are spent on this presidential election. Why is money such a deciding factor on who becomes our next president?

Couldnt we decide on our choices by their actions and speeches instead of their ads? Seems to me that money could be better spent on feeding the poor, on schools and on housing for so many people who are homeless in our country today.

Carole Cohen, San Francisco

Foul-mouthed Limbaugh

Regarding Medal of Shame for Rush Limbaugh (Last Word, John Diaz, Feb. 15): Its foolish to think that a race-bating, homophobic and misogynistic radio talk show host like Rush Limbaugh would become more dignified or humbled after receiving the Medal of Freedom from President Trump.

As a married gay man and supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, I take particular offense at Limbaughs post-award comment that the Democratic Party is saying, OK, hows this going to look? Thirty-seven-year-old gay guy kissing his husband on stage, next to Mr. Man, Donald Trump, if Buttigieg becomes its 2020 nominee. But a foul-mouthed tiger like Limbaugh never changes its stripes, and neither does his champion, the equally coarse and exceedingly vulgar Donald J. Trump.
Two green-dream fantasies are heading for a massive and costly collision.

Firstly, they dream of generating all grid power from wind and solar propped up by battery storage (such as lots of giant Tesla batteries and pumped hydro).

Secondly, they dream of replacing all petrol, diesel, and gas cars, trucks, and buses with electric vehicles, powered by more batteries.

But wind farms do well if they can average about 35% of their rated capacity, with low predictability, while solar panels average just 25% of their capacity, produced intermittently. To generate zero emissions energy for Australia, we would need hills covered with turbines, flats covered with solar panels, the countryside spider-webbed with access roads and transmission lines, and much more hydro.

To stabilize a green energy system without using hydrocarbons will require an eye-watering quantity of batteries, costing as much as 200 times the cost of any wind or solar facility needing backup. Every home will need a battery in the basement (and sensible ones will also have a diesel in the shed).

Add to this battery bonanza: millions of batteries will be needed to electrify and replace our fleet of gas and diesel vehicles.

No wonder cynical mining companies like BHP are going green  they smell a jackpot from the coming green boom in demand for steel, aluminum, lithium, copper, nickel, graphite, cobalt, rare earths, and nuclear fuels. And no wonder Tesla supports green energy  the total annual output of the world's biggest battery factory in Nevada would store less than five minutes of annual U.S. electricity demand. They also see booming demand for electric vehicle batteries. No wonder Tesla shares have gone ballistic (the boom before the crash?).

The carbon dioxide emitted by all the extra mining, transport, manufacture, and disposal of green energy generators and batteries would far exceed the CO2 allegedly saved by the threatened green upheaval.

All Australians rely on trucks to deliver their daily food to towns and cities  in road trains, semi-trailers, refrigerated trucks, and electric trains, almost all powered by diesel, coal, or gas. If they are all-electric and powered by batteries, where will the electricity come from to recharge all of these batteries? In tomorrow's Australia, it must come from an unreliable wind and solar grid, hydro power, or diesel generators.

Take a look in the video below at a road train taking cattle to market in the Kimberley region in outback Australia. One truck on its own would bog in the soft sand or in creek crossings, but with a 4WD tractor, four diesel semis, and eight trailers linked in a road train, at least one set of driving wheels is likely to be on solid ground. In the electric vehicle fantasy world, what weight of batteries would drive this road train, and where would they recharge their batteries?

Even if they focus on forcing electrification of private cars, where does the real power come from every night, when most of them plug in to re-charge? If it is a still night, zero electricity will be coming from wind and solar. That leaves coal, gas, batteries, pumped-hydro, rationing, load-shedding or blackouts to close the gap.

Forget energy-wasting nonsense like capture and burial of CO2 and the energy-consuming roundabout of generating and then burning hydrogen. The zero-emissions delusion is impossible without nuclear power, but this can happen only if people can be reassured on nuclear safety and waste disposal. Are the Greens going to lead that education process?

And if we get global cooling instead of global warming, what will keep us warm on long, still winter nights? Any state or country reaching for these impossible green dreams is destined for blackouts and energy riots on the streets.

It's time for Australian politicians to stop frolicking with green fairies around the zero emissions maypole. Green energy will never power a conversion to electric vehicles. They must remove all barriers and climate taxes on safe, reliable, trusted energy sources  coal, gas, and oil.

We need more reliable cheap power for jobs and industry and more CO2 in the atmosphere to make green plants grow faster with less water.

Viv Forbes has studied geology, physics, chemistry, math, meteorology, cycles, industry economics, and commodity markets.

Further Reading:

Providing 100 Percent Energy from Renewable Sources Is Impossible:

https://saltbushclub.com/category/batteries/

Battery Storage  an infinitesimal part of electricity power:|

https://carbon-sense.com/2019/07/14/battery-storage-an-infinitesimal-part-of-electrical-power/#more-2233

The Green Elephant in the Snowy Mountains:

https://carbon-sense.com/2018/09/01/snowy-elephant/#more-2115

Australia's failed Energy Policies:

https://carbon-sense.com/2017/10/13/open-letter-to-the-prime-minister-of-australia/#more-1855

Australian grid has major near miss: SA Islanded for two weeks. Nearly wrecked an aluminium smelter:

http://joannenova.com.au/2020/02/australian-grid-has-major-near-miss-sa-islanded-for-two-weeks/

Zero Emissions Foolishness:

https://carbon-sense.com/2013/07/10/zero-emissions/

Electric Vehicles and CO2:

http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/the-proper-basis-for-calculating-co2-of-electric-vehicles

China's Electric Car Market Continues to Plunge:

https://www.climatedepot.com/2020/02/14/chinas-electric-car-market-continues-to-plunge-once-pipped-for-explosive-growth-chinas-ev-market-is-now-crashing/
LAURENS, NY  121st District Assemblyman John Salka held a town hall meeting at Laurens Central School Tuesday.

He wanted to hear from his constituents and to update them on whats happening in Albany.

Some of the topics that were discussed included the state budget deficit, education, the legalization of marijuana, and bail reform.

We want to make sure people who are poor, spend no longer in jail than those who are wealthy, Salka told the crowd.

Thats just wrong. We need to speed up the court system so people spend less time in jail.

The assemblyman also discussed economic development in Central New York, as well as the lack of cell and internet service in rural areas.
EDWARDSVILLE  Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles Tiana Clark, Department of English Language and Literature assistant professor, has been named one of five finalists in the prestigious 2020 Kate Tufts Discovery Award for her poetry book, I Cant Talk About the Trees Without the Blood.

The Kate Tufts Discovery Award is bestowed annually by Claremont Graduate University to honor a first book by a poet of promise. It is awarded in conjunction with the Kingsley Tufts Award, which is one of the worlds leading annual poetry awards for mid-career poets.

I am beyond honored to be a finalist for the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, Clark said.

I bawled when I received the email, she recalled.

Its an amazing and validating feeling to be recognized for trusting my imagination.

This years five finalists for the Kate Tufts Discovery Award were selected by a panel of fellow poets from a pool of several hundred nominations submitted by individuals and publishers. The recipient of the award and its $10,000 prize will be announced later this month.

Trees will never be just trees, Clark explained about why she wrote I Cant Talk About the Trees Without the Blood.

They will also and always be a row of gallows from which black bodies once swung, she said. This is an image that I cannot escape, but one that I have learned to lean into as I delve into personal and public histories, explicating memories and muses around race, elegy, family and faith, by making and breaking forms, as well as probing mythology, literary history, my own ancestry and, yes, even Rihanna.

Clark said that she hopes this book and her next poetry collection, which investigates long poems with lyric swagger, will provide inspiration to her SIUE students.

I hope my work gives my students encouragement to be themselves on the page, to take creative risks and experiment with poetic form, she said.
European food makers are asking for less hydrocarbon contaminants in palm oil, raising costs for producers.

The palm oil industry, long accused of large-scale deforestation, is bracing for another hit to its business: machine lubricants seeping into the worlds most consumed edible oil during processing.

European food companies, including Nestle, have in recent months asked top palm oil producers in Indonesia and Malaysia to cut the amount of mineral oil hydrocarbons found in palm oil, industry officials told the Reuters news agency.

The solution is to use food-grade lubricants in machines that turn palm fruit into the oil used to make everything from infant formula to chocolate. But such lubricants can cost eight to 10 times more than their petroleum-based or synthetic counterparts and could hurt profit margins, the officials say.

European governments have been considering regulating the levels of other contaminants found in edible fats such as palm oil.

They (European food makers) say hydrocarbons are found in our oils because of the way we process the fruits, said Nageeb Abdul Wahab, chief executive of the growers group Malaysian Palm Oil Association.

It is easily addressed, but costly. The lubricant we use sometimes comes into contact with our product. To address this issue, we have to use food-grade lubricant but the available options are very, very expensive.

Such contaminants are found across several food products, including vegetable oils, such as soy and sunflower, and can enter food through packaging materials, additives or during storage.

Some are carcinogenic and the European Food Safety Authority flagged them as a potential health concern in 2012.

The European Union has already passed a law to phase out palm oil from renewable fuel by 2030, because of concerns about deforestation.

But there are no European regulations on mineral oil hydrocarbons in food. Some palm oil buyers, however, have established their own limits and the industry is also changing, industry sources said.

Nestle, a big buyer of palm oil, said it was actively monitoring its supply chain.

We are reinforcing our controls by working with suppliers on acceptable levels of Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons (MOSH) and Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAH) in agricultural raw materials, Nestle told Reuters in an emailed statement, referring to the different types of hydrocarbons.

Although there are currently no regulatory requirements in place, our objective is to ensure levels of MOSH and MOAH are as low as feasibly possible in the ingredients that we source.

Europe leads the demands

An exporter of palm oil to the food industry said only European buyers had asked for a reduction in traces of the contaminants.

The industry has started to request suppliers change to food-grade lubricant at all the critical contact points for the FFB (fresh fruit bunch) processing, said an official from the exporting company, declining to be identified as he was not authorised to talk to media.

At least one consumer group has begun pushing for EU regulation on hydrocarbon contamination.

Berlin-based Foodwatch published research last October showing the presence of cancer-causing hydrocarbons in infant formula. It did not find any evidence that the contamination came from palm oil and was unable to identify the source of hydrocarbons.

We are urging authorities to set rules that are really strict to prevent consumers from that sort of health hazard, Matthias Wolfschmidt, international campaign director of Foodwatch, told Reuters.

Industry officials say food safety concerns would be a heavy blow for palm producers, as food is the main market for the commodity, accounting for nearly 70 percent of its global use.

Anything related to food can checkmate the industry, the palm associations Nageeb said.

The industry is already trying to adjust refining processes to cut the amount of glycidyl esters (GE) and 3-monochloropropane diol (3-MCPD) contaminants found in refined fats and oils, including palm oil.

The EU in 2017 introduced safety levels for GE and is set to introduce new limits on 3-MCPD soon. These and other recent EU regulations have led to accusations from Indonesia and Malaysia that the bloc is unfairly targeting palm oil to protect its own oilseed industries.

Nevertheless, industry regulator the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) is considering setting its own mineral oil hydrocarbon limit nationally and is working with the health ministry and palm firms, sources said.

The health ministry directed questions to the MPOB, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Indonesian producer Musim Mas said it has already switched to food-grade lubricants and made other changes in the processing of palm oil to address buyer concerns about the contaminants.

Customers concerns regarding hydrocarbon-based lubricants contaminating food sources are an increasing requirement for 2020, a spokeswoman said.
Leon Cooperman

Rick Wilking/Reuters

Billionaire investor Leon Cooperman ripped into Sanders, saying he was "a bigger threat" to the stock market compared to the coronavirus, which has killed over 1,875 people in China.

Cooperman also called the Vermont senator a communist.

It's not the first time he weighed in on the volatile Democratic primary, as he previously tore into Elizabeth Warren last year as she gained strength in national polls.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Billionaire investor Leon Cooperman ramped up his criticism of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Tuesday. He said the Vermont senator posed "a bigger threat" to the stock market than the coronavirus, which has killed 1,875 people, mostly in China.

"I look at Bernie Sanders as a bigger threat [to the stock market] than the coronavirus," Cooperman told CNBC's Scott Wapner. "I don't have any insight into the coronavirus, but I assume, with all the great minds of the world focused on this problem, that in three or four months this will become resolved."

Cooperman later criticized Sanders' progressive platform, which includes reining in Wall Street and breaking up six of the nation's largest banks.

"There are things that are very troubling to me. No. 1 is Bernie Sanders," Cooperman said Tuesday. "He is not a socialist. He is, rather, a communist.. I just hope the country isn't ready to elect a communist or a socialist. If we do, I think the market is in store for a big problem."

Cooperman has previously weighed in on the fluid Democratic primary race. He shed tears last year in another CNBC interview at the thought of Sen. Elizabeth Warren winning the White House and implementing a wealth tax on the assets of the richest citizens. He later said that a Warren or Sanders presidency would tank the stock market by 25%.

The investor said last year in an interview with Politico about Warren: "I believe in a progressive income tax and the rich paying more. But this is the f---ing American dream she is s---ting on."

Sanders is steadily rising in national polls for the party's nomination, but Wall Street investors are mostly unfazed as they believe Trump would soundly defeat the Vermont senator in a general election matchup.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Lemonis is known for his CNBC reality series, The Profit, where he helps struggling businesses recover and scale. He is famous for his 3P principle, People-Process-Product, a method by which he analyzes the quality of a business' people, their product and the best possible process for creating, delivering and selling that product. Lemonis is often referred to as the "Business Turnaround King."

TCS is the largest gathering of digital marketers in North America. In 2019, there were six thousand people in attendance. Past speakers include Richard Branson, Gary Vaynerchuk, Rachel Hollis and Daymond John. Details of this year's event are being revealed slowly. Lemonis' keynote is the most recent announcement.

This year's speakers also include:

Marie Forleo , web television host of Marie TV

, web television host of Marie TV Mark Roberge , Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School

, Senior Lecturer, Tricia Gellman , CMO, Drift

, CMO, Drift Kristen Bryant , Strategic Partnerships, Wistia

, Strategic Partnerships, Wistia Jay Abraham , Founder & CEO, The Abraham Group

, Founder & CEO, The Abraham Group Daniel Harmon , Author, From Poop to Gold

Ticket prices start at $1995 and will go up to $2595 in early March. To learn more or to register for TCS, visit https://trafficandconversionsummit.com/ .

About Traffic & Conversion Summit

Launched in 2009, the Traffic & Conversion Summit has grown into the largest digital marketing event in North America. For the last ten years, thousands of the world's smartest marketers have descended upon San Diego, California to learn what's new, what's hot and what's actually working right now in digital marketing. In 2019, TCS was acquired by Clarion Events. The goal of the acquisition is to expand the event domestically and internationally.

SOURCE DigitalMarketer

Related Links

https://trafficandconversionsummit.com/


Oregon Gov. Kate Brown advocacy for the removal of four dams on the Lower Snake River has caused consternation and anger among a coalition of rural electrical co-ops and some Republican lawmakers.

In the letter to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, released Friday, Brown said that removing the earthen portions of the dams on the river in Washington would help the regions flagging population of endangered salmon, a valuable food source for the similarly endangered Southern Resident killer whales of Puget Sound.

The science is clear that removing the earthen portions of the four lower Snake River dams is the most certain and robust solution to Snake River salmon and steelhead recovery, Brown wrote. No other action has the potential to improve overall survival two- to three-fold and simultaneously address both the orca and salmon recovery dilemma.

The dams provide renewable hydropower and irrigation and facilitate navigation of barge traffic from the mouth of the river upstream to Lewiston, Idaho. The dams, among other environmental factors, have also been blamed for depletion of native fish species. Salmon advocates have long called for breaching the dams.

In her letter, Brown said that she believes removing the dams is the best long-term solution. She wrote there is still much work to be done to mitigate harm to other vital sectors, including renewable power generation, water supplies for agriculture and navigation on the river.

The letter was met with swift pushback, first from Washington Republicans, who called the idea of breaching the dams shocking and extreme, then from the Oregon Rural Electrical Cooperative Association, which represents 18 small power providers that serve half a million Oregonians with hydroelectricity harvested from the dams.

Ted Case, executive director of the association, said the letter came as a shock.

It is a new policy that they made with no consultation, he said.

Among Cases chief complaints is that he sees Browns most recent letter as a reversal to what she has told his organization in the past. In a July 2017 letter, Brown wrote that Oregon would look for ways to help aid struggling fish populations without breaching the dams.

Oregons guiding principal has been aggressive non-breach, Brown wrote. Meaning we aggressively pursue strategies for fish recovery that are supported by the best available science, in lieu of breach of the dams.

By Tuesday, Oregon Republicans issued their own rebuke, saying Browns stance on the Snake River dams runs contrary to the ongoing negotiations over a cap-and-trade bill intended to curb the states carbon emissions. Oregons Republican delegation fled the capitol last year to prevent a vote on a similar measure and have threatened to do the same this year.

If cap and trade were really about reducing carbon emissions, the governor would not be taking an opposing position to that goal by seeking to get rid of four of the Snake River dams, which provide sustainable energy for Oregonians and reduce carbon, said Senate Republican leader Herman Baertschiger Jr. of Grants Pass. Cap and trade is not about the environment. Its about money.

Kate Kondayen, a spokeswoman for the governor, said Browns stance on the Snake River dams has been misconstrued.

While the letter says the most certain and scientific way to recover salmon and benefit orcas is to remove the dams, it does not call for tearing them out, Kondayen said in an email to The Oregonian/OregonLive. Instead, Oregon is asserting that we see value in analyzing a future without the dams in the long term, but focusing any definitive next steps on working together to identify a viable path forward to that future with interim steps such as flexible spill agreements.

The state of Washington is preparing a report on public opinion about breaching the dams, which is slated for release in early March.

-- Kale Williams

kwilliams@oregonian.com

503-294-4048

@sfkale

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
LONDON (Reuters) - The British government has outlined a new immigration system to manage the flow of workers into the country and replace existing rules from Jan. 1 2021, when Britain will no longer be subject to European Union regulations

LONDON (Reuters) - The British government has outlined a new immigration system to manage the flow of workers into the country and replace existing rules from Jan. 1 2021, when Britain will no longer be subject to European Union regulations.

Here are details of the points-based system which will be applied:

SKILLED WORKERS

EU and non-EU workers will be assessed by the same system to determine whether they can enter the country to work. There will be no cap on the number of people who can qualify under the scheme.

The system allows workers whose salary is below a determined 'going rate' (1) for their occupation, or a general 25,600 pound ($33,310) minimum, to still qualify for entry if they have advanced qualifications in their field, or want to work in an industry where there is a shortage of workers.

There are three mandatory criteria (50 points total)

1. Have a job offer from an approved sponsor

2. The job offer is at the required skill level

3. Speak English

In addition to these mandatory criteria, applicants must earn enough points through three additional criteria:

1. Education level

2. How their salary compares to the going rate for the field in which they wish to work

3. Whether there is a shortage of workers in their field.

To qualify for entry, an applicant must score 70 points or more.

The government said in a policy paper that further criteria could be added as the system develops, such as age or experience.

(1) The 'going rate' is an occupation-specific salary threshold. The government's Migration Advisory Committee has recommended this is set at the 25th percentile of the full-time annual earnings distribution for that occupation. Some industries will use different measures.

(2) 25,600 is the general salary threshold

(3) Shortage occupations will be determined by the Migration Advisory Committee.

(4) Science, technology, engineering and mathematics

(Reporting by William James; editing by Stephen Addison)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Ghana has been selected to host this years edition of the Africa Digitisation Conference on Tourism and Trade (ADCOTT).



The conference, scheduled for August 24 to 26, at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), is being organized by the Chamber of Tourism Industry (CTI) in collaboration with stakeholders in the sector.



Themed, Pushing Africas Tourism and Trade Frontiers through Digitisation, the conference is expected to bring over 2,000 participants from various stakeholder groups to discuss on public policy issues relating to tourism, trade and internet in Africa.



The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Ziblim Barri Iddi, speaking at the launch of the event in Accra, said government had championed the concept of digitisation as a means of building a knowledge-based economy for development.



He stressed that the success of the countrys tourism space had strengthened the currency of the economy through trade and investment.



He also indicated that the success of the Year of Return had boosted trade and investment in the country, hence the need for government to introduce Beyond the Return to sustain the initiative for national growth.



Touching on digitisation, Dr. Iddi mentioned that the government had reiterated its unflinching commitment to leverage on technology and digitisation, to strengthen and improve the delivery of service within the countrys public sector.



This, he said, had resulted in the recent migration of some public institutions including the Ports, Lands Commission, Ministry of Tourism and the Passport office onto the various digital platforms to ease business transactions.



According to him, government has, for the next four years, budgeted about US$100 million to strengthen the tourism enabling environment, develop tourist sites and support tourism enterprises.



On her part, Mrs Odelia Ntiamoah the Chief Executive Officer, CTI, said one of the major setbacks for intra-African export was Africas borders, adding that technology was the solution to the problem in addition to the introduction of the continental free trade.



She said it was the expectation that at the end of the conference, there would be working documents to help shape the countrys tourism and trade sector for improvement.



The Director General, National Development Planning Commission, Dr Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampah, commended government for investing in the tourism sector as it gained prominence as a conduit for achieving sustainable growth and poverty reduction.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Queen Letizia of Spain wrapped up warm in a stylish cape coat as she arrived at a UNICEF meeting in Madrid this morning.

The Spanish royal, 47, appeared in high spirits as she chaired the children's charity meeting, which had been called to discuss a strategy against malnutrition and childhood obesity.

She paired her navy, knee-length overcoat - which had three-quarter sleeves - with black pointed toe heels and a matching leather clutch bag.

Letizia, who is the Honorary President of UNICEF Spain, was later seen seated inside the meeting in a light grey, Prince of Wales plaid trouser suit and a simple white blouse.

Queen Letizia of Spain wore a stylish Prince of Wales plaid trouser suit as she chaired a UNICEF meeting in Madrid this morning (pictured)

The Spanish royal wrapped up warm in a stylish navy cape coat as she arrived at the UNICEF headquarters in the capital

The mother-of-two accessorised her business-like look with a pair of gold hoop earrings and a ring with a circular design by designer Karen Hallam.

The Spanish queen wore her brunette locks in her typical style - loose around her shoulders and tucked behind her ears - and opted for a light layer of make-up.

She was seen sat alongside UNICEF Spain President Gustavo Suarez Pertierra as the discussion got underway.

The meeting, held at the UNICEF headquarters in the capital, was called to discuss the causes and consequences of malnutrition in the world and the strategy against malnutrition and childhood obesity.

She paired her chic, knee-length overcoat - which had three-quarter sleeves - with black pointed toe heels and a matching leather clutch bag

The mother-of-two accessorised her business-like look with a pair of gold hoop earrings and a gold ring with a circular design by designer Karen Hallam

She was seen with UNICEF Spain President Gustavo Suarez Pertierra (left) outside the venue ahead of the meeting getting underway on Wednesday

Letizia's outing continues a busy week for the royal, who joined her husband King Felipe, 52, at the National Research Awards on Monday.

The queen looked polished in a black midi dress as she arrived at the Royal Palace of El Pardo for the annual ceremony - which celebrated innovators in the fields of medicine, biology, engineering, social sciences and humanities.

King Felipe also dressed to impress in a dark, pinstripe suit as he sat alongside his wife in the audience at the event.

He paired his suit with a classic white dress shirt and wore a powder blue tie for the occasion.

Later on, the royal couple posed with two men and two women who were awarded plaques in the ceremony held at El Pardo Palace.

The meeting was called to discuss the causes and consequences of malnutrition in the world and the strategy against malnutrition and childhood obesity
Two Dalits who were allegedly caught stealing money from a two-wheeler agency were beaten up by the showroom staffers in Nagaur district of Rajasthan, police said on Wednesday.

The matter came to light when a video of the assault went viral.

The police have detained five persons in connection with the incident.

"Two persons were caught stealing money on Sunday after which they were brutally thrashed by the showroom employees. A video was shot which went viral after which the victims lodged an FIR on Wednesday," Rajpal Singh, SHO, Panchodi police station said.

He said the showroom staffers have also lodged a case against the two Dalits for stealing money.

Five persons have been detained in connection with beating the Dalits, the official said, adding the matter was under investigation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
STATEN ISLAND -- The Archdiocese of New York wont get involved in whos invited to the Islands annual St. Patricks Parade after the Pride Center of Staten Island was denied by an Irish Catholic fraternal order -- the Ancient Order of Hibernians -- from marching under their own banner.

But the leader of the Pride Center wants the archdiocese to step in and get the Irish Catholic organization to be more inclusive.

They may not play a role in it but they certainly could have some discussion and dialogue about this, said Pride Center Executive Director Carol Bullock, who urged Staten Islanders and other organizations to protest the parade.

Through its spokesman Joseph Zwilling, the Archdiocese of New York said it does not determine who marches or does not march in the Staten Island Saint Patricks Day Parade, or any of the other Saint Patricks Day parades that occur each year, including the one on 5th Ave. in Manhattan.

These decisions are solely the responsibility of the various parade committees, Zwilling said, adding that Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop John OHara, the Islands episcopal vicar, would not attend the boroughs March 1 parade.

The iconic Manhattan St. Patricks Day Parade began allowing members of the LGBTQ community to march openly in 2015. The year they were allowed to march, Cardinal Dolan was the parades grand marshal.

But before that, in 2000, Queens started holding the LGBTQ-friendly St. Pats For All, as an alternative to the Manhattan parade.

Bullock said she plans to march with the Pride Centers banner in both the Manhattan and Queens parades.

ITS A NON-SEXUAL IDENTIFICATION PARADE,' ORGANIZERS SAY

Pressed on why the Islands Pride Center was denied permission to march openly, a parade organizer with the fraternal order, Larry Cummings, said: Heres the deal, its a non-sexual identification parade and thats that, no, they are not marching.

Dont try to keep asking a million friggin questions, OK? Cummings continued when asked if the Ancient Order of Hibernians would ever allow the Pride Center to march in the future. The fact of the matter is thats what it is, OK? And thats that.

In response to the organizations decision, Mayor Bill de Blasio and a handful of Island elected officials said they plan to skip this years Island St. Patricks Parade in protest.

The group of protesting politicians includes the mayor, Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), state Sen. Diane Savino (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn), Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore) and Republican Borough President James Oddo.

WHAT ABOUT THE PRE-PARTY AT JODYS?

But none of them, except for Oddo and the mayor, would say whether they plan to attend the annual pre-party at Jodys Club Forest in West Brighton, which is the epicenter for local politicians before the parade.

City Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo (R-Mid Island) said he was undecided about whether he would attend the parade and the pre-parade party but was supportive of the Pride Center marching with its banner.

Assembly members Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/South Brooklyn) and Michael Reilly (R-South Shore), Councilman Joe Borelli (R-South Shore) and District Attorney Michael McMahon, a Democrat, all said they would attend the parade.

Assemblymen Charles Fall (D-North Shore) and Michael Cusick (D-Mid Island), and state Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) did not return multiple requests for comment on whether they would attend.

MAYOR WONT MARCH

The mayor will not march in this parade. We urge organizers to open the parade to all and represent the diversity that makes NYC so special, said mayoral spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein in an email.

City Hall said the mayor has never donated public funds to the parade or the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

Though Rep. Rose has never donated public funds to the parade, he has donated to another initiative organized by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, but his office declined to say how much.

If the St. Patricks Day Parade will not be welcoming and inclusive to all wishing to celebrate our Irish heritage, I will not join in marching, Rep. Rose said.

Oddo said he previously provided funding for the parade when he was a City Council member and in his first year at Borough Hall. However, he has not funded the parade for the last six years.

I believe allowing the Pride Center to march in the Staten Island St. Patricks Day Parade would be a unifying moment for our borough," Oddo said. If you believe strongly that this would be a powerful response to the sowing of seeds of divisiveness all around us, then allowing the status quo to remain is unacceptable. You dont change that status quo by marching in the parade. For me, at least, the deeds must match the words.

Councilwoman Rose said: It is unconscionable that in 2020, we are still battling overt discrimination in what is supposed to be a joyful celebration of Irish culture. I again stand with the Pride Center and the life-affirming, community-building work it does on Staten Island. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that gay people should not be unjustly discriminated against. In the days leading up to the St. Patricks Day Parade, I hope the Hibernians on Staten Island come to see this and welcome all groups, in keeping with the teachings of the church, just as their counterparts in Manhattan and around the world have done in recent years.

FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER.
The Andrews government will lead a trade delegation of 100 Victorian businesses to China as soon as it is safe to travel there, in a display of support for Chinese communities hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak.

Landmarks across Melbourne  such as the Arts Centre, Flinders Street Station and Melbourne Town Hall  will also be lit in the red and gold colours of the Chinese flag this Friday as part of a campaign to show solidarity with Chinese Victorians.

Premier Daniel Andrews with Chinese-Victorian community members in 2017. Credit:Justin McManus

The coronavirus has taken a massive toll on Chinese-Australian businesses such as restaurants as people fearing infection stay away.

The state government is now launching its stronger together campaign, which will include discussions with Chinese community leaders about helping local businesses and enhancing trade.
By Trend

The project of the memorandum on cooperation between ports in Polands Gdansk and Baku-Alat is ready and probably will be signed this year, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Marcin Przydacz told Trend.

"The institutional contacts between our ports have been established in 2019. Its up to the management boards of both ports to define the scope of cooperation at this initial stage and further on," he said.

Przydacz noted that Poland has undergone significant changes in this field and is ready to share and exchange experience on developing of infrastructure, transportation and logistics sectors as well as legislation in this area.

"We consider promising for our bilateral cooperation the Azerbaijani plans regarding the Baku-Alat Port development project, as well as possible creation of a free trade zone there and its becoming a transportation hub," said the deputy minister.

He pointed out that Poland supports ambitious and visionary plans of multimodal transport corridors from Asia to Europe through South Caucasus and going to Poland.

"Poland is ready to work with Azerbaijan on developing the Europe  Asia transit corridors. Polish and Azerbaijani railways are cooperating directly. The institutional contacts between our ports have been already established as well," noted Przydacz.

The deputy minister believes that the potential in transport and logistics is high, in particular regarding transport routes between Europe, South Caucasus and Asia connecting the two continents through railways, ports and intermodal terminals.

"We have established a working subgroup for transportation under the bilateral Intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation. We are ready to share the recent Polish experience and know-how in the area of infrastructure development. We look forward to Azerbaijans declarations on the Baku-Alat port development project, plans to create free trade zone and becoming transportation hub," added Przydacz.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The Nigerian government on Tuesday explained why sacking the service chiefs as demanded by many Nigerians would be harmful to national security for now.

Many Nigerians believe the service chiefs lack strategies to put an end to insecurity across the country, PREMIUM TIMES learnt through a recently conducted online poll.

Also, the National Assembly recently asked the president to appoint new service chiefs.

Not yet

However, in the federal governments defence, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, on Tuesday, explained why the security heads, who have served their official tenures, may not be replaced anytime soon.

You dont sack people like that. There are processes and I believe that, at the opportune time, those processes will be followed. You dont just wake up and say sack people, it doesnt happen like that.

We are in a very difficult time. We need everybody to be on board. We need synergy within the intelligence community; within the military formations that will help fight this war.

We are in a very difficult situation and when we begin to create cracks and divisions, who will be the beneficiaries? The adversaries are the ones that are going to exploit those deficiencies and further the cause of destabilising the nation, he said.

What needs to be done

At this moment, what we need is for everybody to be on the same page, fight the battle of securing the nation for protecting lives and property and ensuring that every Nigerian has the opportunity to live a prosperous life. I think that should be our main focus, the Daily Trust newspaper reported Mr Mustapha to have told journalists at a public presentation of a book authored by a former General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Samuel Salifu.

Meanwhile, in his description of the book titled CAN, Religion and Power in Nigeria, the SGF said it is a reservoir of information on the countrys past struggles.

Also in his submission, the CAN President, Samson Ayokunle, called on the federal government to exercise its best against the insurgents and other threats to Nigerians security.

It will be good to make sure that those in government fight violence in Nigeria. Because if they fail to accomplish a Nigeria where there is peace and security, it will be sad and it will be part of their history forever and ever, Mr Ayokunle said.
They demonstrated their wrath against the outdated claims of al-Sadr. International media outlets described Iraqi womens demonstration as the greatest and first one of its kind in the history of this country. While women and girls were carrying posters of female martyrs of the months-long uprisings and chanting, Our homeland! These are your daughters who have raised your flag [at the cost of] their blood!

The organizing committee of the October Revolution admired the role of Iraqi women against the savage influence of the Iranian regime in a statement. The roar of the honest women of Iraq has shocked the Iranian regime and its agents in Iraq, the organizing committee stated.

Read More:

Irans Mercenaries in Iraq Who Were Exposed by the MEK 13 Years Ago

Todays move of Iraqi women under the banner of daughters of the homeland will accelerate [other] protesters in continuation of their struggle for rightful demands. The [demonstration] displays the real value of women in society and their active role in taking back and rebuilding the homeland. Millions of women participants set a bright image of protests and the history will remember the importance of their attention in achieving victory and promoting the prosperity and welfare for Iraqs society, the committee added in its statement.

Outdated Opinion; The Iranian Mullahs Gift to Iraq

The Iraqi womens demonstration was held after al-Sadrs made remarks about gender segregation in anti-government marches and rallies. Notably, since 1979, Iranian mullahs frequently insist on taking the women away from participation in political activities and bearing responsibilities about the political fate of the country. Under the pretext of religious values, Iranian regime founder Ruhollah Khomeini banned half of Irans population from taking an active role in the societys development. He finally unveiled his medieval nature by raising the slogan either the veil or the club, and forced many female employees, nurses, college professors, judges, lawyers, actresses, etc. to quit their jobs. However, Irans female society had an essential role in the peoples struggle against the monarchic dictatorship.

Womens Role in the Iranian Peoples Struggle Against the Religious Fascism

From the beginning of Khomeinis rule, Iranian women and girls who witnessed how the new dictatorship is going to restrict them initiated a resistance against fascism under the pretext of religion. The mullahs frankly annihilated all the peoples dream for freedom, justice, and equality and established an even crueler dictatorship than that of the Shah. They also institutionalized misogyny in their constitution and bluntly claimed that the testimony of each man is equal to the testimony of two women. Furthermore, Iranian women have been banned from many basic rights without the permission of their husbands or male caretaker!

However, Iranian women and girls never succumbed to these outdated concepts and joined the struggle against the entire regime. They hold essential responsibilities in the main opposition group, the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Notably, MEK members presence in Iraq and their friendly ties with Iraqs society for more than two decades taught Iraqi women that they should participate in the political scene and shoulder their responsibility. The inspiring role of women and especially female MEK members in the Iranian struggle against the religious dictatorship in Iran shouldnt be forgotten. The regimes officials time and again admitted to the role of women in organizing and leading the recent protests in November.

Read More:

MEKs Role in Irans Latest Protests Against Gas Prices

Three Women Killed by Security Forces in Iran Protests
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 01:52:14|Editor: huaxia

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BUDAPEST, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian government plans to keep the momentum of economic growth while maintaining fiscal discipline and reducing public debt, Finance Minister Mihaly Varga said on Tuesday in a statement.

"In 2019 the Hungarian economy grew by 4.9 percent, while the ratio of government debt to GDP was only 66.4 percent, having improved by nearly 4 percentage points in one year," Varga added.

"The performance of the Hungarian economy -- to have a GDP growth of close to 5 percent in two consecutive years -- is almost without precedent in the European Union (EU)," the minister underlined.

The central and eastern European region -- including Hungary -- plays an important part in boosting the economy of the EU, he said.

European and Hungarian economies face many challenges, therefore reforms that boost growth and strengthen the resilience of the economies must continue, Varga noted.

"Investments in infrastructure, human capital and structural reforms will support long-term growth while boosting private investment," he added. Enditem
From Men's Health

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Netflix's Love Is Blind.

Netflixs new reality series, Love Is Blind, is the perfect shut-your-brain-off reality dating show. Contestants are placed in "pods" where they "date" and propose to other single folks without ever seeing each other. Then, with a wedding date fast approaching, the couples meet IRL and find out if their relationship can make it in the real world.

The show is (mostly) fun and games until Carlton, 34, and Diamond, 28, have a heartbreaking blowout over his sexuality, ending their engagement. In the first episode, Carlton reveals in a one-on-one with the camera: My biggest dream is that I finally find a wife who will love me unconditionally but I have a big secret." The secret? He's dated men and women in the past. He says he's been rejected by women because of his sexuality, which is why he decides to wait to tell Diamond until after she accepts his wedding proposal.

Photo credit: Netflix

Carlton finally opens up about his sexuality while the two are together in Mexico...and it leads to a big fight. Diamond feels like he wasn't being honest. Carlton believes that if he told tell her about his sexuality from the beginning, she wouldn't have given him a chance. He verbally attacks her, calling her a "bitch," and Diamond walks off.

The scene was devastatingand as a bisexual guy, I found it especially so. First, a quick disclaimer: Reality TV is obviously edited for maximum drama, so there are probably portions of the conversation we didn't see. I'm also not personally acquainted with either of these individuals. But this is how I felt watching the scene that ended up airing.

I write as someone who had an advice column at Bisexual.org for 18 months, where I fielded dozens of questions about bisexuality. Ive also had women who like me say, Oh, I dont fuck with dudes who suck dick after I came out as bi to them. Ive had women ghost me after I reveal Im bisexual. I even had a woman call me a faggot. So I am familiar with rejection, particularly from women, for revealing my (bi)sexuality.

Story continues

Photo credit: Netflix

I say this to express that Carltons fears are based in reality. Even though he says in the final fight that his sexuality has never been an issue with girls, it contradicts what he was saying in the rest of the series. In fact, his past rejections are exactly why he claims to have waited to tell Diamond. He wanted Diamond to get to know him first, instead of dismissing him right off the bat.

Carltons dilemmaWhen should I tell my partner Im bi?is a common one among fluid men.

Theres no correct answer, and I think it depends on the person and situation. If youre in a metropolitan city like New York, where people tend to be more open-minded, I usually recommend telling partners from the get-go (or prominently displaying it on your dating profile). Yes, you might get more rejections, but at least you'll find partners who like you for you. If you live in a smaller, less open-minded place, you might want to wait for your partner to get to know you first. No matter what the scenario, it's hard to put your wonderful self out there, only to be rejected because of your sexuality.

Photo credit: Netflix

Nevertheless, I can say with certainty: It is not a good time to reveal your sexual orientation after you get engaged. That should definitely be a conversation you have beforehand. But I get it: Carlton was nervous. And on TV. And maybe is still struggling to fully accept his sexuality. For one, he never throws out a specific label, like "bisexual" or "pansexual," instead referring to himself as someone like me on multiple occasions. And when it comes time to open up to Diamond, his response is to be an asshole instead of being vulnerable. Then, when Diamond is reacting really well to the newssimply asking for time, and wanting some things to be clarifiedCarlton goes on the defensive.



And then things get messy. Cue the insults about people's wigs.

Diamond feels lied to, because she was. You can call it an omission of truth, but I think Carlton lied to her. As I made clear, I dont necessarily believe you need to tell someone on the first date, but you should let the person know before you say "I love you" and freakin propose! (And I do believe, the sooner the better!)

At the end of the day, Carlton and Diamond's Love Is Blind story was heartbreaking. It simply goes to show how much pain internalized biphobia can cause, and how difficult it can be for bi men to date and love because theyd been rejected in the past for fundamental aspects of their identity.



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'Refusing to implement the CAA-NRC, as some states have done via resolutions in state assemblies, is a violation of the Constitution; an attempt to alter the fundamental structure of our democracy and a recipe for anarchy,' argues Vivek Gumaste.

Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

The quality of public discourse in India has plummeted to rock bottom levels, scraping at the very dregs of common sense, basic knowledge and good values.

It is a harangue of incredible ignorance atrociously complemented by an overwhelming dollop of malicious disinformation; a slanging match driven by ideological fixation rather than one based on facts, logic and national interest. A Goebbelsian exercise par excellence that would make even the Nazi propagandist flinch.

Especially disconcerting is the role of supposed intellectuals, who instead of putting a brake on canards by honestly clarifying concerns, resort to spinning their own warped narrative to complete an epitome of ultimate falsehood.

India has been turned into a Land of Folly. Nothing illustrates this tragedy of deception better than the recent high decibel brouhaha over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the consequent National Register of Citizens.

In order to clear up the overwhelming atmosphere of misconception that has been engendered and popularised by high-pitched violent protests and emotionally charged television anchors, we need to pause and objectively parse out the elements of both the CAA and the NRC; a duty that must befall every right-thinking Indian. I purport to do this by a series of questions.

Are we morally justified in granting accelerated citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs Christians and other minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan?

To answer this question, we need to first define who is a refugee and who is not.

Refugees are defined and protected under international law. The 1951 Refugee Convention is a key legal document and defines a refugee as: 'Someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.'

With this clear definition, let us look specifically at the three countries -- Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh -- mentioned in the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as to who would be defined as a refugee from the above-mentioned countries.

Article 1 of the Pakistan constitution states that, 'Pakistan shall be a Federal Republic to be known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan' while Article 2 stipulates that Islam will be the State religion.

The Bangladesh constitution has an Islamic invocation placed above the preamble and Article 2A states that the 'State religion of the Republic is Islam'.

Similarly, Afghanistan has an explicitly Islamic preamble to its constitution and Article 1 states that 'Afghanistan shall be an Islamic Republic'. Article 2 further clarifies that the 'sacred religion of Islam is the religion of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan'.

Despite protestations in these respective constitutions that others can practise their religion freely, the existence of a State religion effectively relegates all other religions to a secondary status, leaving them open to harassment and discrimination: A fact borne out by recent history specific to these countries.

A constitutionally sanctioned second-class religious status coupled with a history of repression make Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists and other minorities from these countries fit the definition of refugees as defined by the 1951 Refugee Convention -- elements that the CAA incorporates, making it a justifiable proposition.

The issue of Ahmediyas interjected into the current debate is of nuisance value intended to obfuscate the debate and not a valid argument for several reasons.

One, the CAA refers only to religions and not sects (India considers Ahmadis (external link) as Muslim).

Second, Ahmadiyas while safe in India continue to be ostracised and persecuted by Muslims in India -- they are not represented on the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and normally seek better pastures in other countries, namely the UK, Germany and Canada.

Thirdly, the actual number of Ahmadiyas seeking refuge in India is too small to merit mention in the CAA.

Having said that, it must be emphasised that individuals from these countries belonging to religions not mentioned in the CAA can avail of other avenues to officially seek refuge in India -- a provision that has been intentionally ignored by the anti-CAA arguments.

Muslims by and large from these countries who have illegally entered India do not fit the UNHCR definition of refugees and cannot be treated on par with Hindus, Sikhs and Christians fleeing persecution.

Therefore, to claim that the CAA discriminates against Muslims is facetious.

Such a contention is akin to equating a poor labourer's child and a millionaire's offspring with regards to financial subsidy in education: An absurd proposition that makes a mockery of common sense.

Interjecting a purist definition of equality devoid of extenuating circumstances as the CAA-NRC protests attempt to do is a dangerous precedent that would call into question all affirmative action projects including Dalit enhancement and special privileges and fiscal aid doled out to minorities in India.

Is opposition to the NRC a negation of our Constitution?

A nation-State is not a chaotic free-for-all with open access to anyone and everyone. It is a defined political entity stipulated by norms that guide its ideological character, demarcate its physical boundaries and which certify who is an inhabitant of the State and who is not; all clearly laid down in the Constitution in black and white.

Articles 5-11 of the Indian Constitution clearly mandates who is and who is not a citizen of India. Several amendments to the Constitution over the years have refined the criteria for citizenship, notably the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2003 which defined who is an illegal immigrant and disallowed citizenship to children of illegal immigrants.

But these Constitutional stipulations would be meaningless if there was no system to implement these requirements. Therefore, the CAA 2003 mandated the Government of India to construct and maintain a national register of citizens.

Every sovereign nation needs to have a mechanism to differentiate between valid citizens and illegal entrants and every sovereign nation has one except India.

However, strictly speaking, the NRC is not a new concept; it has been on the books since the 1950s. In order to implement the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, which came into effect on March 1, 1950, and which mandated the expulsion of illegal immigrants from the state of Assam, an NRC was prepared for the state in 1951 after the conduct of the national census.

The recent NRC update (Assam) completed in 2019 (external link) was a Supreme Court sanctioned exercise in accordance with the Constitution of India.

The NRC is a Constitutional directive. So, one must realise that those opposing the NRC are in effect opposing the Constitution even though they may attempt to obfuscate this reality by flaunting the Constitution and by their raucous vocality; they are defiling the same Constitution that they claim to uphold. Let us not get carried away.

The functioning of a federal democracy is contingent on smooth coordination between the Centre and states. Conferring citizenship is the exclusive prerogative of the Centre and falls under the Union List of the 7th Schedule of the Constitution.

Refusing to implement the CAA-NRC, as some states have done via resolutions in state assemblies, is an egregious violation of the Constitution; an attempt to alter the fundamental structure of our democracy and a recipe for anarchy.

This is a dangerous precedent of gargantuan magnitude that poses the greatest threat to our democracy post 1975.

Academic Vivek Gumaste, who is based in the United States, is the author of My India: Musings of a Patriot. You can e-mail the author at gurhastev@yahoo.com
Dalljiet Kaur photos: Bigg Boss 13 contestant Dalljiet Kaur is currently enjoying herself as she happens to be on a vacay and is teasing her fans with her poolside photos on Instagram. Take a look

Dalljiet Kaur photos: When it comes to making her fans go gaga with her looks, who can beat the charm and glamour of Television actor Dalljiet Kaur. With her strong persona, Dalljiet Kaur also entered the house of Bigg Boss 13 but couldnt last long in the house. Currently, the hottie is on a vacay and is teasing her fans with her poolside photos on Instagram.

Dressed in monokinis and holding a wine glass, Dalljiet Kaur seems to enjoy her time to the fullest in her pictures. On the work front, Dalljiet Kaur did her acting debut in Television show Mansha in 2004 and since then the hottie continues to win hearts with her on-screen performances and Instagram photos.

Talking about her Bigg Boss journey, this will not be wrong to say that Dalljiet Kaur proved among the most dignified contestants on the show. With her sober personality and by taking a stand for all the right reasons, Dalljiet Kaur no doubt emerged among the strongest but had to leave the house to due lack of votes.

Also Read: Hina Khan Instagram photos: Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actor takes her airport look a notch higher with this tracksuit, see photo

Take a look at Dalljiet Kaur photos:

Moreover, Dalljiet Kaur has also appeared in various hit shows like Mano Ya Na Mano, Kahaniya Vikram Aur Betaal Ki, Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?, Code Red, Qayamat Ki Raat with many others and proved to be among the allrounders of the industry.

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WAR HORSE  Sydney Lyric, until March 15 Our brains are hard-wired to do this stuff: to fill in the missing number, letter or word; to complete a sentence or extrapolate the meaning of a look. So when we see a life-size, artificial horse clearly being manipulated by three puppeteers, we'll expunge the human hands and legs from what we see, and fill in the flesh, hair, teeth, muscles and even the heart  not because the other actors treat it like a horse, but because it is one. That's the wonder of National Theatre of Great Britain's War Horse, which first opened in 2007, and now returns to Sydney for a second season. That stupendous success is not so much due to the script or actors, as to this non-speaking star of a narrative drama, Joey the horse, created by the brilliant Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones of Handspring Puppet Company.

The magic they wrought, the reason puppets have existed for about 4000 years, is that our minds fall in love with what our imaginations have created. In fact, and this is the play's problem, the humans seem pedestrian by comparison. While Joey and the other horses fire our minds into a frenzy of synaptic activity, the actors are just ordinary creatures who are obliged to marginally overact and marginally overemote in a theatre that's too big for the subtle nuances of human facial and verbal communication. War Horse at the Regent Theatre. Credit:Andrew Tauber War Horse starts in 1912 when Joey is bought as young colt for Albert (Scott Miller). Two years later he is sold as a full-grown horse to the British Army by Albert's father (William Ilkley) and shipped to the Western Front. Most of the story concerns the wartime trials and tribulations of Joey and of Albert's desperation to find him. Loading Amid endless ingenuity in Joey's creation, three aspects forge the bond we feel: his breathing and sounds, his life-expressing (yet unmoving) eyes, and his flickering, twitching, nervous, eager ears. Then there's the puppeteers' artfulness in conveying the animal's weight. When one horse dies and the puppeteers emerge from within, it seems the soul is leaving the body.
By Humeyra Pamuk and Daphne Psaledakis WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday tightened financial restrictions on Venezuela, blacklisting a subsidiary of Russian state oil major Rosneft that President Donald Trump's administration has said provides a lifeline to President Nicolas Maduro's government.

By Humeyra Pamuk and Daphne Psaledakis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday tightened financial restrictions on Venezuela, blacklisting a subsidiary of Russian state oil major Rosneft that President Donald Trump's administration has said provides a lifeline to President Nicolas Maduro's government.

The sanctions announced by the U.S. Treasury Department increase the pressure on Russia, which the United States sees as the main backer of Maduro's government. The Trump administration has accused the subsidiary, Rosneft Trading SA, of propping up the Venezuelan oil sector and actively evading American sanctions.

The United States also issued a general license allowing companies 90 days to wind down their transactions with the company, according to a notice on the Treasury Department's website.

The action freezes any U.S.-held assets of the Geneva-based trading unit of the Russian oil giant and its chairman of the board of directors and president, Didier Casimiro.

The United States last year recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the OPEC nation's legitimate interim president and began ratcheting up sanctions and diplomatic pressure on Maduro's government.

A year later, Maduro remains in power, backed by the military as well as Russia, China and Cuba. His staying power has been a source of frustration for Trump, U.S. officials have said privately.

"Rosneft Trading S.A. and its president brokered the sale and transport of Venezuelan crude oil," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. "The United States is determined to prevent the looting of Venezuela's oil assets by the corrupt Maduro regime."

Rosneft declined to comment. It said in September that any attempts to curb its income in Venezuela would be illegal and that the United States was using the threat of sanctions as a form of unfair competition. Russia and China have called U.S. sanctions against Venezuela unilateral and illegal.

'INCREASINGLY CENTRAL ROLE'

The decision to impose sanctions on Rosneft Trading SA was cleared by Trump, a senior administration official said, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday discussed the issue with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Munich security conference in Germany.

"This is a reaction to the growing and increasingly central role of Rosneft in the affairs of Venezuela, particularly in the course of the last year," the official told reporters in a conference call.

The United States has also reiterated its call to companies worldwide to cease business with the Maduro government and added that Tuesday's step was part of a wider campaign.

It was unclear whether Tuesday's move will reduce export revenue flowing to Maduro's government, which continues to enjoy Moscow's backing in a stand-off reminiscent of the Cold War.

Moscow has acted as a lender of last resort for Venezuela, with the government and Rosneft providing at least $17 billion in loans and credit lines since 2006, and has also provided diplomatic support.

Rosneft is the world's largest listed oil company by output. Through units including Rosneft Trading and TNK Trading it took over a third of Venezuela's oil exports last year, according to PDVSA's documents and Refinitiv Eikon vessel tracking data, for reselling to final customers, mainly in Asia. That way it became the largest intermediary of Venezuelan oil amid U.S. sanctions.

U.S. officials have been mindful of the need for caution in targeting a company as large and far-reaching as Rosneft because of the risk of causing unintended damage to American and allies' interests.

The U.S. Treasury Department eased sanctions on Russian aluminum giant Rusal and one unit of Chinese shipping company COSCO after they sparked mayhem in markets and supply chains.

The United States has implemented a broad sanctions program against Maduro's government and has urged the armed forces to turn against him. Maduro has held on to power despite the country's economic crisis in large part because of support from the military. He accuses the United States of preparing an invasion.

Venezuela's military on Saturday held exercises that deployed civilian militia and armored vehicles in the capital Caracas and around the country, an effort by Maduro to show strength before the U.S. move to escalate sanctions.

The U.S. action was announced just weeks after Guaido visited Washington and Trump hailed him as a "very brave man who carries with him the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all Venezuelans."

Maduro has overseen an economic collapse in his once-prosperous nation and has been accused of corruption and human rights violations. The socialist president calls Guaido a U.S. puppet seeking to oust him in a coup.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Brian Ellsworth and Marianna Parraga; Editing by Mary Milliken and Will Dunham)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The family of innocent forestry worker Seamus Ludlow must wait to hear the outcome of their latest legal challenge concerning his murder by loyalist extremists more than 40 years ago.

Mr Ludlows nephew, Thomas Fox, is seeking to have the State establish two commissions of inquiry into the garda investigation of his murder, as recommended by a 2006 Joint Oireachtas Committee. The recommendation was based on a report into the murder of Mr Ludlow by retired High Court judge Henry Barron, whose principle finding was that the murder was a random, sectarian killing of a blameless catholic civilian by loyalist extremists.

No-one has ever been charged in connection with the innocent forestry workers murder in 1976 and his family say the gardai failed to pursue an important line of inquiry  that Mr Ludlow was an innocent victim of either loyalist or British forces who mistook him for a senior member of the IRA.

Despite the RUC having identified suspects north of the border, the Garda investigation was suspended after three weeks without explanation and on the basis of what a garda told the family were orders from Dublin, the family claimed. The Oireachtas Committee had said it could not resolve why gardai did not follow up the RUC information but believed it was because of a direction by a former senior garda. The family argued commissions of inquiry could address such issues.

The State maintains that the murder investigation remains open and commissions of inquiry would be investigations into an investigation, which would not seek to identify the perpetrators. Lawyers for the State argue that the Barron report named four persons as the suspected perpetrators, but the DPPs on both sides of the border recommended no prosecutions be brought.

Mr Fox, supported by other family members, brought proceedings to the High Court aimed at establishing the two commissions of inquiry.

However, Ms Justice Mary Faherty refused the reliefs sought, holding that there was no right to an inquiry and the courts cannot force the executive to set one up.

In her judgment, Ms Justice Faherty referred to the human tragedy caused to the family by the 1976 murder and the untold hurt and injustice caused by the well-documented and acknowledged failure of gardai to follow up on information provided to them by the RUC after the murder.

However, she said the refusal to set up commissions was a decision open to the Minister for Justice to make and was not irrational or fundamentally at variance with reason or common sense, she also held.

Mr Fox appealed that decision to the Court of Appeal today/yesterday(TUESDAY) where judgment was reserved.

His lawyers submitted that the States failure to act on the Joint Oireachtas Committees recommendation was in breach of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, concerning the right to life.

Ronan Lavery QC, along with Conan Fegan BL, instructed by Phoenix Law, submitted that the States obligations to protect life under Article 2 of the ECHR required that murder investigations be effective, and that this obligation was ongoing.

They argued that the High Court judges findings were out of step with recent developments in Article 2 legal frameworks, and failed to take into account the publics right to the truth.

Counsel for the Minister for Justice, Conor Power SC, began his submissions by stating that the murder of Mr Ludlow was callous, and that previous Ministers for Justice had apologised to the Ludlow family.

He said the garda investigation into the killing remains open. It was not a cold case or closed case. If new evidence and material came to light, it could potentially lead to a successful prosecution.

However, Mr Power said the two commissions of investigation that the Ludlows were seeking would not seek to identify the perpetrators of the killing. They would be investigations into investigations, which was not envisaged under Article 2 of the ECHR.

President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice John Edwards and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said the court would reserve its judgment.
Jason Humphreys, 39, is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl he met on Snapchat

Karl Stefanovic has been left fuming after it was revealed a truck driver accused of raping a 13-year-old girl was out on bail at the time for allegedly sexually assaulting and choking a woman.

The Today Show host questioned why the alleged attacker Jason Humphreys, 39, was released back into the community when he was already facing serious charges.

Humphreys allegedly sexually assaulted the young girl he had met through Snapchat on multiple occasions in a truck and a home he was renting in south-western Sydney.

As Humphreys was refused bail at Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday, it was revealed the New South Wales Attorney-General was urgently reviewing why he was freed last year.

He was allowed bail despite being charged last April with four counts including sexual intercourse without consent and intentionally choking a woman. Police had opposed bail at the time.

'This case has really disturbed meshe could be our daughter,' Stefanovic said during the show on Wednesday.

'We are trying to protect women, we are trying to protect our daughters, we are trying to protect our wives.

'What do you have to say to parents like Ally and I? We're just doing our best.'

Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec, who appeared on the show, could not comment on the specific case as the matter was before the courts but said police oppose bail when they can.

Ultimately it was up to the court to make the decision, he said.

NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman said he had ordered an urgent transcript of the bail hearing.

The Today Show host questioned why the alleged attacker Jason Humphreys, 39, was released back into the community when he was already facing serious charges

'Any allegations of child grooming and sexual assault are of immense concern,' he said.

Detectives allege Humphreys sexually assaulted the 13-year-old on several occasions this month at the house in Lurnea where he rented a room.

They said he also attacked her in his truck last week while travelling from Sydney to Canberra.

Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec says the pair initially met online in late 2019.

He urged young people to be aware of who they could be dealing with online.

'We just can't make it loud enough,' he said.
Under a warm morning sun scores of weary soldiers stare as millions of yellow locusts rise into the northern Ugandan sky, despite hours spent spraying vegetation with chemicals in an attempt to kill them.

From the tops of shea trees, fields of pea plants and tall grass savanna, the insects rise in a hypnotic murmuration, disappearing quickly to wreak devastation elsewhere.

The soldiers and agricultural officers will now have to hunt the elusive fast-moving swarms -- a sign of the challenge facing nine east African countries now battling huge swarms of hungry desert locusts.

They arrived in conflict-torn South Sudan this week, with concerns already high of a humanitarian crisis in a region where 12 million are going hungry, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

"One swarm of 40 to 80 million can consume food" for over 35,000 people in a day, Priya Gujadhur, a senior FAO official in Uganda, told AFP.

Large swarms of locusts can in a single day consume enough vegetation to feed 35,000 people. By SUMY SADURNI (AFP)

In Atira -- a remote village of grass-thatched huts in northern Uganda -- some 160 soldiers wearing protective plastic overalls, masks and goggles sprayed trees and plants with pesticide from before dawn in a bid to kill the resting insects.

But even after hours of work they were mostly able to reach only lower parts of the vegetation.

Major General Kavuma sits in the shade of a Neem Tree alongside civilian officials as locusts sprayed with pesticide earlier that morning fall around them, convulsing as they die.

An intense chemical smell hangs in the air.

'They surrounded me'

Zakaria Sagal, a 73-year-old subsistence farmer was weeding his field in Lopei village some 120 kilometres (75 miles) away, preparing to plant maize and sorghum, when without warning a swarm of locusts descended around him.

"From this side and this side and this side, they surrounded me," Sagal said, waving his arms in every direction.

Soldiers have been deployed in Uganda to spray trees and savannas in a bid to beat back the infestation. By SUMY SADURNI (AFP)

"We have not yet planted our crops but if they return at harvest time they will destroy everything. We are not at all prepared."

East Africa's regional expert group, the Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), warned Tuesday that eggs laid across the migratory path will hatch in the next two months, and will continue breeding as the rainy season arrives in the region.

This will coincide with the main cropping season and could cause "significant crop losses... and could potentially worsen the food security situation", ICPAC said in a statement.

'Panic mode'

Since 2018 a long period of dry weather followed by a series of cyclones that dumped water on the region created "excessively ideal conditions" for locusts to breed, says Gujadhur.

Nevertheless, governments in East Africa have been caught off guard and are currently in "panic mode" Gujadhur said.

The locusts arrived in South Sudan this week after hitting Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti, Eritrea, Tanzania, Sudan and Uganda.

Desert locusts take over on a dizzying scale.

Locust eggs laid across the migratory path will hatch in the next two months, allowing the insects to continue to wreak havoc. By SUMY SADURNI (AFP)

One swarm in Kenya reached around 2,400 square kilometres (about 930 square miles) -- an area almost the size of Moscow -- meaning it could contain up to 200 billion locusts.

"A swarm that size can consume food for 85 million people per day," said Gujadhur.

Ugandan authorities are aware that subsequent waves of locusts may pose problems in the weeks to come, but in the meantime they are attempting to control the current generation.

Gujadhur is quick to praise the "quite strong and very quick" response from the Ugandan government but is concerned that while the army can provide valuable personnel, a military-led response may not be as effective as is necessary.

"It needs to be the scientists and (agriculture officials) who take the lead about where the control operations need to be and how and when and what time," she said.

'They eat anything green'

The soldiers have been working non-stop for two days, criss-crossing the plains on the few navigable roads, trying to keep up with the unpredictable swarms.

Locusts arrived in South Sudan this week after hitting Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti, Eritrea, Tanzania, Sudan and Uganda. By SUMY SADURNI (AFP)

Major General Kavuma recognises that the biggest threat is from the eggs which are yet to hatch but is confident the army will be able to control this enemy.

"We have the chemicals to spray them, all we need is to map the places they have been landing and sleeping," he said.

"In two weeks time we will come back and by that time they will have hatched and that will be the time to destroy them by spraying."

Back in Lopei village, Elizabeth Namoe, 40, a shopkeeper in nearby Moroto had been visiting family when the swarm arrived.

"When the locusts settle they eat anything green, the animals will die because they have nothing to feed on, then even the people (will suffer)," she said.

"The children will be affected by hunger and famine since all life comes from all that is green. I fear so much."
A supporter of Michigan's Open Carry law attends a rally and march April 27, 2014 in Romulus, Michigan: Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

A campus protest against the Kent State gun girl Kaitlin Bennett was not a riot, according to Ohio University police.

Ms Bennett, who helps run a conservative website called Liberty Hangout and who often appears on Alex Jones InfoWars programs, was driven off the campus of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio on Monday by a student protest according to the Athens News.

She said the students started a riot and claims the police let it happen.

This is what happens when a Trump supporter goes to a college campus, she tweeted. Leftists at @Ohiou started a riot when @joelpatrick1776 and I showed up, and the @oupolice let it happen. I think @realDonaldTrump should strip funding from universities like this that harbor terrorists.

Ms Bennett is best known for open-carrying an AR-10 rifle during her graduation from Kent State University.

This is what happens when a Trump supporter goes to a college campus. Leftists at @ohiou started a riot when @Joelpatrick1776 and I showed up, and the @oupolice let it happen. I think @realDonaldTrump should strip funding from universities like this that harbor terrorists. pic.twitter.com/5TMlfdto9O  Kaitlin Bennett (@KaitMarieox) February 17, 2020

Ohio University police rejected Ms Bennetts claim in a statement issued Monday.

Early this afternoon an activist appeared unexpectedly on the Ohio University campus in Athens and engaged in Constitutionally protected activity. She drew a large crowd of people, many with opposing viewpoints, who also chose to exercise their first amendment rights, the statement read. Ohio University police officers were present throughout the incident to protect everyones rights and safety; other than keeping streets and other public rights of way clear, no police officers asked anyone to leave at any point.

Story continues

The statement continued:

Contrary to allegations circulating on social media, the incident did not rise to the level of a riot. There was strong language, and allegations that some unknown person(s) in the crowd splashed water, but there were no reported injuries or violence, and no one was arrested during the event.

Ms Bennett said she would return to campus with an army of gun owners for an open carry walk.

She went on to complain that the protesters had thrown projectiles and poured hot coffee on us.

Ms Bennett was met on Twitter with the usual pushback from liberal and leftist accounts, but she was also condemned by the Libertarian Party for calling the college students who protested her terrorists.
By Trend

A regular meeting of the Azerbaijan-Georgia mixed commission on transport relations between the two states was held on February 17 and 18 in Baku, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijans State Road Transport Service.

The Azerbaijani delegation was led by Head of the State Road Transport Service of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Habib Hasanov, and the Georgian delegation was headed by Director of the Land Transport Agency of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Mikheil Khmaladze.

At the meeting, the current situation of road transportation between Azerbaijan and Georgia, the problems faced by carriers during passenger and freight transportation, as well as their solutions and the prospects for the development of transportation and other pressing issues were discussed. The sides also exchanged relevant statistical data,

Habib Hasanov focused on the issue of prevention illegal passenger traffic by buses with Georgian state registration numbers. Hasanov stressed that joint measures will accelerate the solution of this problem, adding that the intervention of the relevant structures of Georgia in this issue will be of mutual benefit.

Given the increasing number of Azerbaijani carriers compared to Georgian, an equivalent increase in the number of permits issued to carriers in 2020 was also discussed.

Mikheil Khmaladze informed the participants that the creation of equal conditions at border crossing points by the customs authorities of both countries for trucks that empty arrive in Azerbaijan from Georgia to transport cargo to a third country should be also discussed.

After discussing these and other pressing issues, the relevant protocol was signed.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
In the hands of the Austrian artist Erwin Wurm, everyday objects become sculptural phenomena. Wurm, who lives and works between Vienna and Limberg, is best known for his extensive, ongoing One Minute Sculpture series, which interrogates the boundaries between visual and performance art, audience and actor, and proposes a new definition for sculpture entirely. To create the works, the 65-year-old artist provides written or illustrated instructions for viewers, inviting them to pose with wooden furniture, plastic buckets or ballpoint pens in unusual, sometimes physically strenuous, positions. The resulting contortions, which Wurm records in photographs, are at once humorous and discomforting: One sculpture comprises a performer pressing their forehead against a stack of three oranges; in another, a spectator is asked to plank their body atop a set of midcentury stools.

Every object Im surrounded with is a possible part of an art piece, Wurm says, and that attitude often extends to clothing. So it was not entirely surprising that for our Make T Something series  for which participants must create something in under one hour using only some basic craft supplies, a copy of The New York Times and one item of their choosing  he selected a sweater as his wild-card pick. In the video above, the artist reprises Psycho I (1996), a One Minute Sculpture that was first performed for do it, an exhibition series of instructional artworks organized by the Swiss curator Hans-Ulrich Obrist that debuted in Klagenfurt, Austria, in 1994. To achieve the work, the artist makes creative use of both The Times and his oversize crew-neck knit. Wurm, who is concerned with the mutability of form, thinks of clothing as a second skin through which identity is constructed, and he likens this process to the shaping of a cast bronze sculpture: Its a very thin layer of bronze skin which defines the form. The inside is empty.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 12:49:11|Editor: huaxia

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SEOUL, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- "Fighting, Wuhan!" "Fighting, China!" Such encouraging words were written on the cardboard boxes of masks piled up in the logistic warehouse of China's Yunda Express in South Korea.

These boxes will soon be delivered to the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) outbreak, to help combat the epidemic. The masks were all donated from Chinese nationals residing in South Korea.

Since the very beginning when the COVID-19 broke out in Wuhan, Chinese residing all over South Korea have actively joined efforts to provide as much help as possible in China's battle against the deadly epidemic.

"Although we are living overseas, our hearts are deeply connected to our motherland," said Nian Chen, president of the All-Korea Association of Chinese Students and Scholars.

"Our association, including more than 100 branches in universities in South Korea, started fund-raising on Jan. 26, and in less than 10 hours on the first day alone, there were over 26,000 students and teachers taking part and contributing their donations," Nian said.

Of these donations many came from overseas students who have no source of income themselves and their donations did not come on a massive scale.

"But we believe that more hands produce a stronger flame, and we have already collected more than 530,000 yuan (about 75,745 U.S. dollars)," he said.

Aside from collecting funds for charity projects to help medical staff working at the front line, a lot of Chinese nationals are focusing on addressing the urgent need in hospitals in China for surgical masks, goggles and protective gears.

Sun Sheng, president of the All-Korea Chinese Workers' Federation, said that he contacted several local mask manufacturers ahead of the 4-day Lunar New Year holiday in South Korea, which can produce 1 million masks a week. The producers agreed to offer masks at the original price to China.

"As an overseas Chinese, we wish to do whatever we can to provide some bit of help," said Sun.

Cao Qiang was an employee working at the Incheon warehouse of Yunda Express in South Korea. His major responsibility was to assist in delivering badly-needed medical goods to China as fast as possible.

"We cut our Spring Festival holiday and went back to work early to help with delivery of masks and protective suits," Cao said. "We now usually work till 11 or 12 o'clock at night, but everyone is so high-spirited and passionate about what we are doing."

"And we are doing the best we can to deliver faster, because we know there was a severe lack of medical materials domestically, in particular in Wuhan," he said.

Several Chinese delivery companies have opened up green channels for the donated materials.

Liang Zhongjin, executive director of Yunda Express South Korean branch, said that they have already cleared 5,000 square meters' space in the warehouse in South Korea for storage of donations.

Most of the donations were masks, he noted. He also contacted in advance airlines and customs to make sure such relief supplies can reach Hubei Province, the most heavily hit province of China, at an earliest date possible free of charge.

So far, Chinese nationals living in South Korea have donated in total more than 800,000 yuan (about 114,331 dollars) and about 320,000 masks and 2,000 protective suits directly to the severely affected areas in China, according to figures released by the Chinese Embassy in South Korea.

"If we send the medical materials back one day earlier, then perhaps there will be one less infection and more patients being saved," Cao said. "Although I can't work at the front line in domestic hospitals, I hope I can contribute all my share."
This article is sponsored by Kia. 

While growth in the sale of small SUVs was minimal in 2019 (up 0.1 per cent on 2018), overall growth in the sector is still trending up. Between 2011 and 2019, there has been consistent upward growth in sales results.

Kia Australias Marketing GM, Dean Norbiato, told Business Insider Australia that the company is well aware of the demand, evidenced by its new tech-heavy compact SUV, the Seltos, which has been performing well since its release in October 2019.

Norbiato told Business Insider Australia that the Seltos has "had three times more preregistrations than any car" in the company's Australian history.

A small or compact SUV serves the market between standard SUVs and small to medium-sized cars. Theyre generally easier to maneuvre compared to larger SUVs, but still have practical utility  like increased boot space.

Across the board, Chief Operating Officer Damien Meredith says the small SUV market "shows no indication that it is going off the boil," provided consumers continue to see a need for the category. Put simply, the trend is there thanks to market demand.

"It is one of the market segments in which there has been growth for the right products," he told Business Insider Australia.

"I think it is pretty clear that the market will tell you if you have the right product. In the case of Seltos, being a little late to the party has allowed us to present something to meet what the market has been asking for."

The Seltos is a tech-heavy compact SUV marketed towards younger city-dwellers who are after the space of a larger car with the advantages of a smaller frame and easier handling. They start at $25,990  with the top model costing $41,990  making it an affordable option for drivers ready to upgrade to something a little bigger or more premium.

"Like all our cars, the Seltos was specifically tuned for Australian conditions, meaning it handles more like a sporty small car than a traditional SUV," Norbiato said.

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While Kia's entry into the small SUV market has been a late one, the Seltos has made a substantial impact in a short time, with RACV calling it the best small SUV of 2019 under $40,000, while CarAdvice has it at number 3 on its list.

The thing we are being told about Seltos, both from customers and the media, is that it meets or exceeds expectations across all key metrics and that can be seen in the swift acceptance of the car in the market, Norbiato said.

Meredith says the wait wasn't due to uncertainty around entering the segment, but rather waiting until Kia had the right product for it. "It has been obvious for some time that the smaller SUVs have a real place in the Australian automotive landscape," he said.

Seltos is such an important car to us as it fills a gap in a segment which is growing and in which we have never had a presence.
HOUSTON - (Feb. 18, 2020) - Rice University engineers have one-upped their own technique to increase security for the "internet of things."

In truth, their upping is far greater than one.

Kaiyuan Yang, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice's Brown School of Engineering, and graduate student Yan He have introduced a technique to make security more than 14,000 times better than current state-of-the-art defenses while using far less energy.

The Rice team's technique, introduced with a paper and presentation at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco, is a hardware solution centered in the power management circuitry found in most central processing chips.

The "internet of things" (IoT) allows devices -- kitchen appliances, security systems, wearable technologies and many other applications -- to communicate with each other through networks. With the world on the verge of adopting them by the billions, the best possible security is paramount, Yang said.

Unfortunately, he said, any IoT device may become vulnerable to thieves, who could use it to gain access to entire households.

"Once they've found a hole, there are so many things they can do," Yang said. "And they don't need to get into a computer system or a cell phone. For instance, a thermostat connected to the network can become an access point to a home, a company, a hospital or a city."

Last year's breakthrough by the lab generated paired security keys based on fingerprintlike defects unique to every computer chip. "This year, the story is similar, but we are not generating keys," Yang said. "We are looking at defending against a new type of attack that is specifically for IoT and mobile systems.

"In power and electromagnetic side-channel attacks, the attackers can figure out a secret key when your device is running without opening up the device," he said. "Once they have your key they can decrypt everything, no matter how good your security software is.

The new strategy leverages the power regulators to obfuscate the information leaked by the power consumption of encryption circuits, Yang said. "Every system-on-a-chip has multiple modules powered by the power management circuits, so the interfaces we need are already there.

"By replacing existing power management circuitry with our unit, we not only provide a much better way to defend against powerful threats, but also provide a much more energy-efficient solution," he said.

Yang said the circuit should take no more room on a chip than current power management units, and as a side benefit will provide state-of-the-art power regulation. "I think it's going to be a very promising solution thanks to its minimal performance and design overheads," he said.

Yang said encryption-cracking hardware and software leveraging power and electromagnetic side-channel leakage are far too easy to find, "and there are YouTube videos to show you how to do this," he said. "This is a real threat, and we're in a fight to make it much more difficult and expensive for attackers to succeed."

While Rice's protective circuitry is improving with every iteration, he said it will take time for manufacturers to design it into their fabrication processes. "There's all the interface and engineering stuff," Yang said. "In terms of the concepts and principles, they're all proven. It's just going to be a long engineering effort."

###

This news release can be found online at https://news.rice.edu/2020/02/18/rice-boosts-internet-of-things-security-again/

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Related materials:

Secure and Intelligent Micro-Systems Lab (Yang group): http://vlsi.rice.edu

Rice Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: https://eceweb.rice.edu

George R. Brown School of Engineering: https://engineering.rice.edu

Video:

https://youtu.be/Z9pawPZ7B80

Video produced by Brandon Martin/Rice University

Image for download:

https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/02/0224_SECURITY-1-web.jpg

Rice University graduate student Yan He, left, and Kaiyuan Yang, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, will demonstrate their enhanced security strategy for the "internet of things" at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 4 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

Jeff Falk

713-348-6775

jfalk@rice.edu

Mike Williams

713-348-6728

mikewilliams@rice.edu
West Linns mayor on Tuesday released this statement in response to the case of Michael Fesser, a Portland man investigated by West Linn police in 2017 in a case that led to a $600,000 settlement for wrongful arrest and discrimination.

***

This has been an incredibly difficult week for our community. Like many of you, I am shocked and outraged at the treatment of Mr. Michael Fesser by members of our Police Department under former Chief Timeus as characterized in the press. Our city does not and will not tolerate discrimination in any form.

As Mayor of West Linn, I must apologize for the described conduct that has stained our community. Such actions do not reflect West Linn and our neighboring cities, and we will be vigilant to make sure that such conduct never occurs in the future.

Mr. Fesser: I want to offer my sincerest apologies to you, your family, and everyone who has been hurt by this. The articles describe inexcusable racism and abuse of power at the hands of members of our Police Department. The pain, hurt, and fear that this caused you is unacceptable. I am deeply sorry.

I look forward to meeting you and your family, and learning from the courage you have to share your story and press for justice. I commit to doing my part to work together with all parties and community members on a journey of healing.

In order to heal, we must understand what happened, be fully transparent with our community about what we learn, and take steps to hold those within city government accountable, including ourselves.

Tonight, I want to share these concerns and the steps the City is taking. We also want to open the floor to hear from you. Our previously scheduled agenda items can wait if they need to.

Our Interim City Manager, John Williams, took on his role last month. He is here tonight, as is our current police Chief Terry Kruger, to listen to you.

First, an important note on the City Councils role in this matter: our Citys vote-adopted Charter bars the City Council from getting involved in personnel decisions, including termination and discipline. Put another way: We cannot legally weigh in on an officer's employment status or be involved in discipline.

The City Manager is accountable to us, and it is our job to set policy for the City.

Since the described events more than two years ago, there have been significant changes to our Police Department:

Former Chief Timeus, the Captain and Lieutenant involved in this case no longer work in the department.

Sgt. Tony Reeves, then a detective and still a member of the West Linn Police Department, was disciplined in the initial wake of the Fesser case. Those decisions were made by the then-acting Chief, and the City Manager at the time.

The City, through a public engagement process, brought on a new police Chief, Terry Kruger who began the process of rebuilding the department:

Under this new leadership, our City and our Police Department has been working to reform our workforce, and hired staff to create a diverse workforce in alignment with ethical and unbiased policing and professional conduct.

Chief Kruger has also been instilling a new police department culture, including training around key goals such as equity, inclusion, implicit bias, and procedural justice.

Our city and the department are committed to continuous improvement, full transparency, and improving community trust.

Our Council and the City are committed to a culture embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion. This is integral to our Council goals, and we have been working with surrounding cities, school districts, and other groupslike the West Linn Alliance for Inclusive Communityto expand and integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do.

This past year we co-sponsored the first Equity Summit for our region and I along with Councilors Walters and Cummings participated in that event as did many other councilors and elected officials, our staff and police department personnel and many community members and others. We are planning further events and activities in 2020 and beyond.

I am proud of the new diversity, equity, and inclusion focus/work the City and Police Department have accomplished so far. We must continue to work on espousing a community premised on diversity, equity and inclusion, and I will do everything I can to build this healthier community for everyone.

But its clear we have much more work to do.

The Council at this time does not know the full details of this case, and the insurance carrier did not ask for the City to decide the matter.

While we were not involved in the details of the case as noted, I hope that the settlement by the insurance carrier, and additional actions being implemented by the City, regional stakeholders and others to address this issue more broadly brings to Mr. Fesser a sense of justice.

In the week since the articles were published, investigations have been launched by several jurisdictions:

Clackamas County District Attorney John Foote has launched an investigation into the underlying facts of this case, and the actions of the officers involved. This investigation will also involve a review of the civil case record and the Multnomah County arrest and prosecution files.

Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill has initiated his departments own review of this case, and Mr. Fessers initial indictment.

Governor Kate Brown directed the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training to conduct a full and thorough review.

Portland Police Chief Jami Resch has asked the Portland Police Bureaus Professional Standards Division to look into the role Portland officers played in this case.

Chief Kruger has put Sgt. Reeves on administrative leave pending outcome of these investigations, and the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) has put former West Linn police officer Mike Stradley on administrative leave.

Many other leadersincluding Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, State Sens. Lew Frederick and James Manning and Rep. Janelle Bynum, and Portlands Mayor Ted Wheeler and Portlands City Commissionershave asked the Department of Justice to investigate. Thank you all, for holding us to account.

This Council joined that call last week, sending a letter to United States Attorney Billy Williams to ask 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 this letter, we pledged our commitment to transparency, and to providing any information required to complete a thorough investigation.

While we await the results of those outside investigations, our Police Chief, our Interim City Manager, myself, and members of our council have been reaching out to community leaders and regional partnersboth to share our commitment to a full examination of the facts, and to hear advice on appropriate next steps.

Tonight, Id like to share a few of those next steps:

This case is complicated and concerning, and involves multiple decisions over the last three years that need to be fully evaluated. I am asking my fellow council members to join me in directing our Interim City Manager to launch an independent review of our Citys systems, procedures, and protocols regarding police conduct, accountability, and complaints. This review should look at how information and decisions about cases like these is managed and communicated, and any operational deficiencies we can address.

As members of the community share their thoughts tonight, I welcome your feedback.

There are difficult and important conversations ahead of us as a community, to better understand the impacts of institutional and systemic racism, and the white privilege and power that too often goes unchecked. Its particularly important to me that we foster an environment where the people most impacted by this caseand the day-to-day impacts of racism in our culturefeel safe in sharing their stories, and are truly heard.

We are seeking additional DEI resources to help with this effort, and we are in the process of reaching out to NAACP and others to help guide our community engagement and healing process into the future.

I wish to thank NAACP Portland Chapter President Rev. E.D. Mondaine for taking my call, and graciously agreeing to meet later this week.

I would also like to acknowledge our Governor, our regional Mayors and legislators, and Rev Mondaine for the support and guidance I have already received.

Finally, in keeping with our commitment to full transparency, we will be posting information about this matter on a new page of our Citys website, including a link for emailing messages, questions, and concerns, which will be shared with the Council, Interim City Manager, and the Police Chief.

It is my hope that by addressing the concerns of our community through these investigations and immediate actions, we can begin to rebuild the trust that has been compromised by this case.

I want to thank my colleagues for your thoughtful and compassionate work on these important issues. I also want to thank members of our community and our partners across the region and state for demanding accountability.

I hope you will all continue to work alongside us, as we endeavor to be a community that fully lives its values of diversity, equity, and inclusiona West Linn that welcomes all, and treats everyone with respect.

Thank you,

Mayor Russ Axelrod
A young woman who was remarkably found alive in thick Gold Coast Hinterland bushland on Monday after going missing for five days has written an open letter of thanks to her rescuers and the public.

Bond University student Chen Yang, 26, was found perched on a cliff-face near a waterfall in the Tallebudgera Valley five days after being separated from a bushwalking companion during heavy rain.

Bond University student Chen Yang was found after five days lost in the Gold Coast Hinterland bush, covered in scratches and hungry. Credit:Bond University

She was rescued on Monday as searchers were beginning to lose hope of finding her alive  covered in scratches, hungry, without shoes and just 400 metres from where she was last seen.

The search had been suspended for several days because of heavy rain and flooding that made it impossible for rescue crews to search the dense bushland.
Argo Group International Holdings Ltd., the Bermuda-based re/insurer, announced the appointment of Thomas A. Bradley as chairman of the board of directors upon the retirement of current board chairman Gary V. Woods, whose term concludes on April 16, 2020, following Argos annual general meeting.

In addition, Kevin J. Rehnberg has been named chief executive officer, effective immediately, and has been nominated to stand for election to the companys board of directors at the companys annual meeting.

Rehnberg was named interim CEO when the companys previous CEO, Mark E. Watson III, abruptly retired in November 2019 after reports that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had moved to investigate the companys disclosures about executive compensation.

The company announced in December that five of its directors would retire by the time of the 2020 AGM. The changes in Argos executive team followed months of complaints by activist shareholder Voce Capital Management LLC about alleged excessive corporate expenses for CEO Watson.

Thomas A. Bradleys Biography

Bradley became a director for Argo Group in 2018 after retiring from Allied World Assurance Co. Holdings AG in 2017, where he had served as chief financial officer and executive vice president since 2012. He was previously executive vice president and chief financial officer at two other public companies: Fair Isaac Corp. and The St. Paul Companies. He held senior financial and operational positions at Zurich North America.

CEO Kevin J. Rehnbergs Biography

Rehnberg has been with the company for seven years. Prior to becoming CEO, Rehnberg had been interim CEO since November 2019. In January, he was appointed as Argos chief administrative officer and the head of the Americas business.

From March 2013 to January 2019, he was president of Argos U.S. Operations, overseeing all activities of Argos U.S.-based business segments. Before joining Argo, Rehnberg served as executive vice president for specialty lines at OneBeacon Insurance, where he oversaw specialty underwriting operations and acquired and built new lines of specialty business. Prior to that, he held positions at The St. Paul Travelers Cos., Liberty International and Chubb Corp.

On behalf of the entire board, I would like to sincerely thank Gary for his commitment and contributions to Argo, providing leadership as the company has expanded from a very small regional insurer generating approximately $300 million in gross written premium to a strong specialty insurer exceeding $3 billion in annual gross written premium, said Bradley.

Kevin has led with confidence and integrity as interim CEO during a time of tremendous change, he added. The board believes that as CEO Kevin will lead Argo toward a stronger and more profitable future.

Source: Argo Group International Holdings Ltd.

Topics USA
A Ukrainian man considered a political prisoner by local rights groups has resurfaced in Kyiv after completing a 3 1/2-year prison sentence in Russian-controlled prisons on charges of making and transporting weapons and explosive devices.

The news of Oleksiy Stohniys release was announced on February 19 by human rights ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova.

All these years, our citizen has been kept in intolerable conditions inside places of incarceration by the invading country, which greatly affected his state of health, she said. I will urgently take appropriate measures to conduct a highly qualified medical examination and provide the necessary medical care to Oleksiy.

His wife, Oksana Stohniy, said on Facebook that her husband was released at the end of January but the family didnt publicize the fact until he safely crossed from Russia-occupied Crimea into mainland Ukraine.

He is finally home! My beloved husband and best father to our [two] daughters! We waited for the family to be reunited. We are thrilled! she wrote on Facebook.

Oleksiy Stohniy was arrested on the night of November 14-15, 2016, while trying to cross the administrative border of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula into the mainland portion of the country en route to Kyiv for his daughters birthday, according to his wife.

Russia forcibly annexed Crimea in March 2014 following the ouster of Ukraine's pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych.

He and eight other Ukrainians were initially charged by Russian authorities in Crimea with spying for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and planning subversive acts.

However, he was sentenced in a closed-door trial on November 17, 2017, for making weapons and explosive devices. He spent part of his prison sentence in a Russian penal colony.

Groups such as the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Crimean Human Rights Group, and the Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners considered the charges false and designated Stohniy a political prisoner.

Stohniy had served in the Ukrainian military but resigned in 1997 due to medical issues, Oksana Stohniy said at a news conference in Kyiv in May 2017.

At the time of his arrest, Oleksiy Stohniy was working as a sales clerk in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol.

Ukrainian NGOs said last month that Russia still holds 96 political prisoners, most of whom were detained in Crimea, including 69 Crimean Tatars.

The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a statement in late December that it was working toward a third prisoner swap with Russia and was preparing a new list of political prisoners, including Crimeans.

Ukraine and Russia carried out two prisoner swaps last year.
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David Schwimmer was a recent guest of Jessie Ware's podcast, Table Manners. (Getty Images)

Former Friends star David Schwimmer has opened up about his relationship with his young daughter on Jessie Wares Table Manners podcast.

Schwimmer spoke about his nine-year-old daughters choice to be vegetarian as well as sharing his chats with her about religion and everything in between, including baking.

The 53-year-old was a guest on the show to promote his new Sky series, Intelligence.

The format of the podcast sees the host sit down to eat with the guest, so naturally the topic turned to food, where he revealed he was almost on The Great British Bake Off.

Speaking to Ware and her mum Lennie about his daughters vegetarianism, Schwimmer said: Shes a self-declared vegetarian. When she was four or five, she just said Im a vegetarian. I think she had been somewhere with her mum, where they were talking about vegetarianism and animal rights and I think it just hit her.

Also, I think she just developed a taste for it. She never really enjoyed eggs. Her weakness, still today, is chicken nuggets.

He said he buys and cooks his daughter vegan nuggets so she doesnt have to miss out.

Read more: Should vegans be given their own shelf in the office?

Schwimmer said he has also broached the subject of religion with his nine-year-old, and that he wouldnt impose a bat mitzvah on her without her wanting it first.

I wouldnt insist on her doing that without her understanding what it is. If she wants it as a grown woman, an adult woman, once shes educated and informed, its her decision and thats how it should be.

We concur.

David Schwimmer (back right) as Ross Geller with the rest of the Friends cast. (Jon Ragel/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

Read more: Should we get rid of the word pet?

Schwimmer also revealed that he was almost on the celebrity version of The Great British Bake Off.

Although he couldnt make his schedule work this time around, he doesnt rule it out for the future.

I was asked to do that and I almost did it this year for charity, he said. I really want to do it, but the schedule this year didnt work out. But I really want to, Im a big fan.

Story continues

Im not a big baker or anything, but I was determined for my daughter to bake her dream cake, which was this yellow sponge with fresh whipped cream and fresh strawberries. A big three-tier cake.

If we needed more proof of his feminist credentials, he recently spoke out about the #MeToo movement, declaring that he doesnt know one woman in his life who hasnt been harassed in some way.

Speaking about Donald Trump, he said: I was shocked and really dismayed when it was revealed that hes got so many women accusing him of sexual assault and that he boasts on tape of grabbing women by the genitals.

Most people decided that it didnt matter. I would argue to those same people that if he had done that to their daughter or their wife or their sister, it probably would matter. I didnt know how to explain to my daughter how the country elected someone who was boasting of committing sexual assault.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Style UK:
Scientists from the Hubrecht Institute (KNAW) and the University of Cambridge (UK) have managed to generate complex embryo-like structures from mouse embryonic stem cells. These structures, called gastruloids, can now for the first time grow somites, the blocks of tissue that later develop into the vertebrae and muscles of the embryo. It is the first time that scientists managed to generate such advanced embryo-like structures that represent this stage of embryonic development, which occurs after implantation in the uterus. This model system allows these later stages of embryonic development to be studied in a dish. The results of their study were published in Nature on the 19th of February.

During embryogenesis, a fertilized egg develops into a complete organism. However, much is still unknown about the processes that direct embryonic development in mammals. For example, how do mammals regulate the number of vertebrae that make up their spines, or on which side of the body the heart should develop? Every now and then, something goes wrong in these processes. How does this happen? And can we prevent this from happening? Which compounds are beneficial for embryonic development, and which ones are bad? Studies that address such questions often require the use of mouse embryos. These embryos however develop within the uterus and it is difficult to obtain them in large numbers. Scientists from the laboratories of Alexander van Oudenaarden and Katharina Sonnen (Hubrecht Institute) and the laboratory of Alfonso Martinez Arias (University of Cambridge) are therefore developing an alternative: gastruloids, embryo-like structures generated from stem cells in the lab.

Somites

In 2014, these scientists for the first time grew embryo-like structures, called gastruloids, from mouse stem cells. Now, they have further improved the culture conditions to increase the similarities between gastruloids and embryos, which has resulted in gastruloids that grow somites. Somites are small "blocks" of tissue that line the back of the embryo, and will later form the vertebrae and skeletal muscles. The current gastruloids are thus more complex and resemble mouse embryos in more detail than previous models. Susanne van den Brink (Hubrecht Institute): "This is the first time we have managed to generate such complex embryo-like structures that recapitulate the embryonic stages of development that normally happen after implantation in the uterus." Vincent van Batenburg (Hubrecht Institute) adds: "It is fascinating to see that a homogenous group of cells can organize itself into an embryo-like structure that generates somites in a dish."

Gastruloids and embryos

The scientists made a detailed comparison between gastruloids and embryos by investigating what cell types and tissues are present in these structures. In addition, they investigated where these cell types and tissues are located along the head-to-tail body axis, in both gastruloids and embryos. As the combination of active genes determines the cell type, they could investigate these cell types by measuring which genes are active in which location, in both embryos and gastruloids.

State-of-the-art

To this end, the scientists used state-of-the art technologies, such as single-cell sequencing and tomo-sequencing. Single-cell sequencing can be used to measure the total set of active genes in each individual cell, but it does not provide information about the location of these cells. In contrast, tomo-sequencing is a method in which the embryo or gastruloid is sectioned into thin slices, in this case from head to tail, after which the activity of genes is measured in each of these sections.

A suitable model system

The combination of single-cell sequencing and tomo-sequencing enabled the scientists to measure exactly which cell types are present in gastruloids, and where these cell types were positioned along the head-to-tail axis of gastruloids and embryos. Susanne van den Brink (Hubrecht Institute): "We discovered that gastruloids are very similar to embryos, which makes them a very suitable model system to study embryonic development." Anna Alemany: "An important difference between embryos and gastruloids however, is that gastruloids do not have a brain or placenta. Therefore, these structures are not viable."

Studying developmental processes

With this study, the scientists show that gastruloids can now be used to study more complex processes that happen in embryos, such as the processes that regulate somite formation. Alexander van Oudenaarden: "A main advantage of this model system is that gastruloids can be grown in large numbers. This means that we may be able to use them to test new drugs for developmental defects, or to test which compounds are toxic for developing embryos." Scientists can also use gastruloids to study how embryonic defects appear, such as defects during the formation of the heart and muscles.

###

Publication

Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics reveal somitogenesis in gastruloids. Susanne C. van den Brink*, Anna Alemany*, Vincent van Batenburg*, Naomi Moris, Marloes Blotenburg, Judith Vivie, Peter Baillie-Johnson, Jennifer Nichols, Katharina F. Sonnen,Alfonso Martinez Arias & Alexander van Oudenaarden. Nature, 2020.

* Shared first authors

Interactive website: https://avolab.hubrecht.eu/MouseGastruloids2020

Alexander van Oudenaarden is director of the Hubrecht Institute, group leader, professor of Quantitative Biology of Gene Regulation at the UMC Utrecht and Utrecht University and Oncode Investigator.

Katharina Sonnen is group leader at the Hubrecht Institute.

Alfonso Martinez Arias is group leader and professor of Developmental Mechanics at the Department of Genetics in the Cambridge University.

About the Hubrecht Institute

The Hubrecht Institute is a research institute focused on developmental and stem cell biology. It encompasses 23 research groups that perform fundamental and multidisciplinary research, both in healthy systems and disease models. The Hubrecht Institute is a research institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), situated on Utrecht Science Park. Since 2008, the institute is affiliated with the UMC Utrecht, advancing the translation of research to the clinic. The Hubrecht Institute has a partnership with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). For more information, visit https://www.hubrecht.eu/.

About the Cambridge of University

The mission of the University of Cambridge is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. To date, 109 affiliates of the University have won the Nobel Prize. Founded in 1209, the University comprises 31 autonomous Colleges, which admit undergraduates and provide small-group tuition, and 150 departments, faculties and institutions. Cambridge is a global university. Its 19,000 student body includes 3,700 international students from 120 countries. Cambridge researchers collaborate with colleagues worldwide, and the University has established larger-scale partnerships in Asia, Africa and America. The University sits at the heart of the 'Cambridge cluster', which employs 60,000 people and has in excess of 12 billion in turnover generated annually by the 4,700 knowledge-intensive firms in and around the city. The city publishes 341 patents per 100,000 residents. http://www.cam.ac.uk

Funding for this study

This work was supported by an European Research Council Advanced grant (ERC-AdG 742225-IntScOmics), a Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO) TOP award (NWO-CW 714.016.001) and the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter, financially supported by NWO (FOM-14NOISE01) to S.C.v.d.B., A.A., V.v.B., M.B., J.V. and A.v.O., a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (No. BB/ P003184/1), Newton Trust (INT16.24b) and Medical Research Council (MR/R017190/1) grant to A.M.A., a Newnham College Cambridge Junior Research Fellowship to N.M. and a studentship from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to P.B.-J. The Cambridge Stem Cell Institute is supported by core funding from the Wellcome Trust and Medical Research Council; J.N. was funded by the University of Cambridge and K.F.S. by core funding from the Hubrecht Institute. This work is part of the Oncode Institute, which is partly financed by the Dutch Cancer Society.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Directorate of the Ghana Tourism Authority has commemorated the 2020 Chocolate Day with a call on the Chocolate producing companies and other value chain producers to expand and increase the production of chocolate and other cocoa products at affordable prices in order to meet the growing demands of the public.

The Brong Ahafo Regional Director Joseph Appiaagyei made the call when he led a team of GTA Officials to donate chocolates and some cocoa products to the Children's Ward of the Sunyani Regional Hospital.

He emphasized that the production of cocoa products including chocolate in larger quantities at lower prices on the Ghanaian markets would promote and increase consumption and achieve the expected results in the "Eat Ghana Campaign" as part of measures to encourage all to eat what we grow and grow what we eat.

Receiving the items, the Matron Madam Eunice Oppong Amoah on behalf of the Hospital Management, expressed gratitude and extended an invitation to corporate organisations and individuals to emulate the gesture to make it an annual affair to help tackle the many challenges confronting the ward.

Parents of some children on admission at the hospital who were full of excitement and appreciation to the Ghana Tourism Authority said they were worried about the exclusion of their wards from the public education and fanfare on the event due to ill-health. They considered the donation as a timely intervention. The products were distributed and the patients on admission had their share.

This year's celebration was under the theme "My Chocolate Experience, My Holistic Well-Being", encouraging the general public to consume or eat more cocoa products including chocolate to enrich their health.

The Authority held radio panel discussions and also engaged some identifiable groups and educated the public on some health benefits of chocolate such as reduction in diabetes, blood circulation and brain functioning, prevention of cancer and skin repairs, weight loss, reduces stress and ensures mental boost, ensures strong bones and anti-aging, to mention a few.
Israels Cellcom has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Golan Telecom to acquire the latter operator for ILS590 million (US$172 million).

With this announcement, Cellcom appears to have won out against a rival bid by Bezeq to acquire Golan Telecom for ILS710 million. Bezeq was aiming to merge the unit with its subsidiary, Pelephone.

A statement from Cellcom said that the binding MoU is subject to certain adjustmentsstandard and customary conditions [and] receipt of regulatory approvals. Cellcom will carry out due diligence and anticipates Golan Telecoms financials to hold steady.

Cellcom has stated that the MoU is valid until 31st December this year, by which time it expects the conditions to have been satisfied in order for the deal to close. The operator will pay ILS413 million once the deal has closed, followed by a second instalment of ILS177 million within three years of this date.

Both Cellcom and Bezeqs interest in Golan Telecom appeared to be prompted by Altice Europe subsidiary Hot Telecom making an acquisition offer to Partner Communications. The threat of a strengthened rival in the market may have spurred the consolidation strategy.
The Army headquarters will be moved the iconic South Block at Raisina Hill to the Delhi Cantonment area, sources said on Wednesday.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is slated to "perform the 'bhoomipujan' (ground-breaking) ceremony" on Friday for the construction of the new 'Sena Bhawan', they said.

"The 'Sena Bhawan' spread over 39 acres would come up in five years time near the Manekshaw Centre in the Delhi Cantonment area," a source said.

South Block is part of the historic Raisina Hill complex built during the colonial era as part of the "new imperial capital" of the British Raj.

The North Block and South Block, Viceroy's House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan) and Parliament House, surrounded by lush green landscape and imposing fountains, were built during the construction of 'New Delhi' starting 1912.

The North and South Blocks, which symbolise the government authority since their inception in Lutyens' Delhi, are likely to be converted into a museum, as part of the government's Central Vista redevelopment project, officials in the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry had said in January.

The official in the HUA Ministry, the nodal agency for the ambitious redevelopment project of the Modi government, had said people would have access to North and South Blocks once they are turned into museums.

At present, the South Block houses the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of External Affairs, while the North Block has offices of Home Ministry and Finance Ministry. The two blocks fall under a very high-security zone.

The redevelopment of the Central Vista -- the nation's power corridor in Delhi -- envisages a triangular Parliament building next to the existing one, a common Central Secretariat for ministries and the revamping of the three-km-long Rajpath -- from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign rally in Dover, New Hampshire, on September 1, 2019.

Brian Snyder/Reuters

Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign press secretary, Briahna Joy Gray, said on Thursday that former Mayor Michael Bloomberg has "suffered heart attacks in the past," though there's no evidence to support her claims.

Gray made the claim while defending Sanders' decision not to release additional information about his health about four months after his heart attack.

Gray also compared questions about Sanders' health to the racist birtherism conspiracy concerning former President Barack Obama's birthplace.

A December letter from Bloomberg's doctor revealed the former mayor had two coronary stents inserted in 2000, but did not mention a heart attack.

Sanders' refusal to release more medical information and Gray's claim about Bloomberg were widely condemned by political commentators and reporters on Tuesday.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Sen. Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack last October, but when asked on Monday night whether he'd release any additional medical records, the presidential candidate said he likely wouldn't.

When a CNN host pressed Sanders' campaign press secretary, Briahna Joy Gray, on the issue during a Tuesday morning interview, Gray called the question "reminiscent" of "smear and skepticism campaigns" like the racist birtherism conspiracy concerning former President Barack Obama's birthplace.

Gray added that the media isn't asking the same questions of other candidates, including 78-year-old former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who she claimed has "suffered heart attacks in the past."

"It's really telling that none of the same concern is being demonstrated for Michael Bloomberg, who's the same age as Bernie Sanders, who's suffered heart attacks in the past," Gray said.

In December, Sanders released letters from his primary physician and two cardiologists declaring the Vermont lawmaker to be in good health.

Story continues

Bloomberg's campaign manager Kevin Sheekey called Gray's claim "a lie" and said that Bloomberg hasn't had a heart attack. She also labeled Sanders "the Trump of the left."

"I honestly can't tell the difference in their campaigns," Sheekey said.

Bloomberg's campaign released a letter from his doctor in December describing his health as "outstanding." The letter noted that the mayor had two coronary stents inserted in 2000, has had small skin cancers removed from his body, and takes a blood thinning medication to control his atrial fibrillation and a drug to control his cholesterol.

"Mr. Bloomberg is a 77-year-old man in outstanding health. There are no medical concerns, present or looming, that would prevent him from serving as President of the United States," Dr. Stephen Sission of John Hopkins University said in the letter.

Sanders' refusal to release more medical information and Gray's false claim about Bloomberg were widely condemned by political commentators and reporters on Tuesday.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Sichuans Tawu county are continuing to climb, with three new cases reported on Wednesday bringing the total to 60, all of them ethnic Tibetans, sources in the region say.



In a Feb. 19 statement, the Health Commission of the Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in which Tawu (Daofu) county is located, described the new patients as an 18-year-old male, and two women aged 53 and 43.



All are natives of Tawu with no history of traveling to other areas, the Health Commission said, adding, All those who have been in close contact with the patients have been identified, and are being held in isolation for medical observation.



As of Wednesday, 65 cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed in the Kardze prefecture, with 60 identified in Tawu, two cases in Dartsedo (Kangding), two in Serthar (Seda), and one in Dabpa (Daocheng), state media said.



Tawu is now second only to Hubei province, where the infection first began to spread, as the area of China hardest-hit by coronavirus infection.



Reached by RFA for comment and speaking on condition of anonymity, two sources familiar with the situation in Tawu described all 60 patients infected in Tawu as ethnic Tibetan and residents of the county. Among those infected are all 10 members of one family and two other families with four members each, one source said.



Also speaking to RFA, sources in Tawu said on Feb. 19 that shops and restaurants in the county remain closed and that all Tawu patients infected with the virus have now been taken to Kardzes Dartsedo county for medical treatment.



Continued caution urged



Meanwhile, the Kardze Prefecture Health Commission on Feb. 19 advised continued caution, adding that 410 persons believed to have had close contact with cases of infection are now being held in Kardze under observation.



For the foreseeable future, people should avoid going out as much as possible, and should avoid gatherings and crowds, the Health Commission added.



Also, try to avoid using public transportation. Be sure to open windows when riding in private cars, and avoid going into closed and poorly ventilated public places, the Commission said.



A notice issued on Feb. 18 by authorities in neighboring Qinghai provinces Tsolho (Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture meanwhile said that roads previously closed in the prefecture have now been reopened, allowing normal traffic flows in the counties of Serchen (Gonghe), Trika (Guide), and Tsigorthang (Xinghai).



The government has now authorized businesses to operate as usual, and everything can be opened to the public again, one source in Tsolho said.



Reported by Lobsang Chophel and Lhuboom for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 17:54:50|Editor: huaxia

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Fight against coronavirus is also a test of international solidarity in the face of common enemies of humanity. Check out how China works with international community on virus control #FightVirus
A problem with a chlorine taste in the water in Leixlip appears to be dissipating.

Cllr Nuala Killeen said this afternoon she has been told by Kildare County Council that they have tested locally in Riverforest at two different feeds.

She said the results indicated the levels are now low.

One half of Riverforest from the shops to the bowl was (0.28 and 0.42) and a point after the bus stop is (0.27 and 0.153). The issue seems to be dissipating. They are required by the EPA to have a minimum level of 0.1 mg/l to safeguard the supply, said Cllr Killeen.

The World Health Organisation guideline value is 5 mg/litre free chlorine as an upper limit.

Cllr Killeen said the EPA recommends a minimum of 0.1 mg/l free chlorine is present in the water supply distribution network to ensure adequate disinfection to the end of the distribution line.

She had contacted Irish Water about the dosing levels. If people have any concerns or wish to make a complaint about the quality of their drinking water, they should contact Irish Waters Customer Care line on 1850 278 278, to allow Irish Water to investigate the matter.

Cllr Killeen said there was anxiety within Leixlip this week about the chlorine odour but Irish Water maintained the water is within safe levels. concerns.

She said she asked if there are further issues with regard to the local water supplied by the Leixlip Water Treatment Plant.

Representatives from Irish Water told her that testing has occurred and it did not indicate a spike in chlorination.

Tests have been done, showing the following chlorination levels:

On Monday, February 16, they found 0.66 mg per l of sodium hypochlorite (chlorine).

And on Tuesday, February 17, there was 0.054 mg per l of Sodium hypochlorite.

Cllr Killeen said there was a spike in chlorination levels on February 10 following a upping of the dosage in Fingal on February 9, but these were reported to have been within safe levels.

She said flushing of the lines was due to take place today, Wednesday.

Cllr Killeen recommends that anyone noticing any issues with the water contact Irish Water via phone 1850 278 278 or email at operations@water.ie and let them know your eircode.
VANCOUVER - Canada's minister in charge of Indigenous relations is making a bid to meet with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs, but with the First Nation's leadership en route to meet supporters outside British Columbia, the likelihood of such a meeting seems bleak.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Na'moks, a spokesman for the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs, holds a press conference in Smithers, B.C., Tuesday, Jan.7, 2020, on the one-year anniversary of RCMP enforcement of an injunction granted to Coastal GasLink. A Wet'suwet'en hereditary chief says the chiefs won't meet with the federal government over their opposition to a natural gas pipeline until both the RCMP and company Coastal GasLink leave their traditional territory. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amy Smart

VANCOUVER - Canada's minister in charge of Indigenous relations is making a bid to meet with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs, but with the First Nation's leadership en route to meet supporters outside British Columbia, the likelihood of such a meeting seems bleak.

The chiefs' opposition to a natural gas pipeline has seized the economy as protesters blockade roads and railways across the country and the federal government is facing heavy pressure to act.

Carolyn Bennett said in an open letter Wednesday that she and her British Columbia counterpart Scott Fraser will be available in northern B.C. as early as Thursday to meet with any of the hereditary chiefs who might be willing to talk.

"We understand that you have urgent issues to resolve and require dedicated attention from both levels of government to work with you in charting a peaceful path forward," the letter says.

"We are more than willing to find any mutually acceptable process with you and the Wet'suwet'en Nation to sit down and address the urgent and long-term issues at hand."

The letter said the ministers understand many of the chiefs may not be available in Smithers, and the ministers commit to returning when they will be there.

Na'moks, one of five hereditary clan chiefs who lead the First Nation under the traditional form of governance, said the other four were heading to Mohawk territory Wednesday to thank members of the First Nation for their solidarity, while he attends a funeral.

They remain unwilling to meet with the ministers until the RCMP and pipeline builder Coastal GasLink pull out of the traditional territory, he said.

"Remove RCMP from our territory, remove (Coastal GasLink) from our territory, and we'll have discussions, because right now that puts us under duress. You can't have free and open discussions if you're under duress," Na'moks, who also goes by John Ridsdale, said.

There are an additional 13 house chief positions below the clan chiefs, although some are vacant and it remains unclear if they would meet without the clan chiefs present.

Na'moks said he's not concerned that the chiefs might miss a window of opportunity for dialogue with the federal government.

"We've been here for thousands of years," he said. "It's their timeline, it's not ours."

Coastal GasLink could not immediately be reached for comment.

RCMP said in a statement Tuesday the force is aware of the request for a small mobile detachment to leave a remote area of British Columbia and discussions are underway on next steps.

The detachment is where Mounties recently arrested 28 people when officers enforced an injunction on behalf of Coastal GasLink.

Most officers have left the area since the RCMP said its major operations in the region had concluded, but they've said the mobile unit would remain in place and they'll continue "patrols of the corridor to ensure everyone's safety."

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe convened a conference-call meeting with other premiers Wednesday and said afterwards they are asking to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the ongoing blockades.

Moe said in a statement the premiers discussed the impacts of the blockades on their respective jurisdictions and economies.

They want to meet with Trudeau on Thursday via teleconference to discuss paths to a peaceful resolution and an end to the blockades.

Trudeau and his cabinet have rejected demands from conservatives on Parliament Hill and in provincial legislatures to break up the blockades by Indigenous protesters and their supporters as pressure on the Liberals to solve the crisis continues to mount.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said Wednesday the government won't issue an ultimatum to remove the blockades.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2020.
The UN human rights office is calling for an independent, impartial and thorough investigation into the massacre of 23 people, mostly women and children, during a military operation in a village in Cameroons Northwest Anglophone region on February 14.

More information has emerged since this shocking attack occurred. UN human rights monitors on the ground report 15 children, nine under the age of five were killed. They say two pregnant women also were among the victims. One has since died of her injuries in hospital.

Cameroonian opposition parties and several witnesses, interviewed by NGOs, have accused the military of perpetrating the massacre in Ntumbo locality in the Northwestern Anglophone region.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and clashes between security and defense forces and armed separatist groups have escalated since 2016, when a separatist insurgency erupted in northwest and southwest Cameroon against the dominant French-speaking government.

Both sides are accused of committing crimes against civilians.

In the aftermath of the Feb.14 massacre, the Cameroonian government has announced it would launch an investigation into the killings.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland also condemned strongly the killings of civilians, including women and children, on February 14 and urged the Government to conduct an impartial investigation into the incident as it announced, and to hold perpetrators accountable.

The Commonwealth strongly condemns all forms of violence, and in particular, the loss of lives of innocent civilians including women and children, the Commonwealth Secretary General said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations reports 2.3 million people in Cameroon urgently need food, shelter, non-food items, and protection because of the crisis in the Northwest and Southwest.

UN aid agencies are urgently appealing for $317 million so they can carry out their life-saving mission this year.
We can help each other, the Russian official told Mr. Fuentes, according to federal prosecutors.

Soon, according to federal prosecutors, Mr. Fuentes was involved in a conspiracy to collect information about the U.S. government source that would drag his Mexican wife into the plot and lead to the filing of federal charges against him.

Mr. Fuentes would see the Russian official several times in Moscow to plan the operation, according to federal officials.

He told F.B.I. agents that the Russian official told him not to rent the apartment in Fuentess own name and not to tell his Russian family about their meetings, according to the affidavit.

Mr. Fuentes told the F.B.I. that he believed the Russian official was a member of the Federal Security Service, which is responsible for Russias counterintelligence operations, according to the criminal complaint.

During one of their meetings, the official gave Mr. Fuentes a physical description of a U.S. government sources vehicle.

The Russian official told Fuentes to locate the car, obtain the sources vehicle license plate number and note the physical location of the sources vehicle, according to federal prosecutors.

The official told Mr. Fuentes not to take a picture of it.

Mr. Fuentes and the Russian official were supposed to meet again in April or May so Mr. Fuentes could give him the information, federal officials said.
Now former presidential candidate Andrew Yang has a new gig - CNN announced Wednesday that they've picked him to be a political commentator for the network.

The news comes one week and one day after Yang dropped out of the presidential race, deciding to scrap his plans to compete in Nevada and South Carolina after failing to get out of the single-digits in last Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

'We are just getting started,' he told supporters, dubbed the #YangGang, on Granite State primary night. 'This movement is the future of American politics. This movement is the future of the Democratic Party.'

Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang has joined CNN and will be a political commentator going forward

An Andew Yang supporter hoists up a $1,000 bill with Yang's face on it. Central to Yang's presidential campaign was the concept of providing Americans with a universal basic income

Yang based his campaign around the concept of providing Americans with a universal basic income.

He named his version the 'freedom dividend' and his plan would give Americans over the age of 18 $1,000 a month.

They could spend the money however they want.

But the aim was to pull low-income Americans out of poverty and help other Americans improve their station.

Yang also talked on the campaign trail about putting 'humanity first,' meaning that as president he'd view every decision through that prism. And his motto - like President Trump's 'Make America Great Again,' was 'Make America Think Harder,' or MATH for short.

Yang also used creative tactics to get the word out.

For example, in Los Angeles in the run-up to the December debate Yang's campaign rented out a storefront down the street from Supreme - a company known for viral merchandise drops - and sold limited edition hoodies and shirts that were a collaboration between Yang and musician-actor Childish Gambino-Donald Glover.

The Los Angeles pop-up store created buzz, with members of the #YangGang lined up for blocks.

In Iowa, Yang had comedian Dave Chappelle, a supporter, bring him out onstage at the end of his comedy show on the campus of Iowa State University.

'I called a friend of mine after the first debate ... I didn't see the debate. I said, "who'd you like?" He said, "I liked the Chinese guy." I thought he was joking,' Chappelle told DailyMail.com when asked how he became a Yang fan. 'And he told me about Andrew Yang,' Chappelle recalled.

Andrew Yang's (left) campaign used creative ways to get the word out, such as a Los Angeles pop-up store featuring merch designed by Yang and Childish Gambino (right)

In Iowa, Andrew Yang (left) had the help of Dave Chappelle (right) who brought him onstage as he concluded his comedy set during a performance at Iowa State University

Yang broke barriers in that way too, as the first formidable Asian-American presidential candidate.

He also outlasted other candidates of color.

He was the only non-white candidate to appear on the debate stage in New Hampshire earlier this month.

The announcement that Yang is poised to be a CNN talking head comes just hours before the Democrats take the debate stage again - this time at the Paris Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada.

While Yang is no longer in the race, his supporters are still a presence in Las Vegas.

Several were manning a table outside the early voting location Tuesday at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. They were encouraging students who supported Yang to still vote for him so that he might have some delegates at this summer's Democratic National Convention.

Other Yang supporters showed up Tuesday night outside an event for Vice President Joe Biden as he was talking to members of the Asian-American community at a Chinese restaurant in Las Vegas' Chinatown neighborhood.

One of Yang's supporters had brought a ukelele and she played it through a shouting match between immigrant rights protesters who had showed up to confront Biden over deportations, and Biden supporters, who were standing in line to take pictures with the ex-veep.




Haiti - FLASH : France recommends to postpone any trip to Haiti until further notice





Le Quai dOrsay updated its December 2019 travelers advice on February 14, 2020, and recommends that travelers wishing to go to Haiti "postpone all travel until further notice".



Updated text :

"The political violence that led to the country's long paralysis ended in mid-November. However, the development of the situation remains very uncertain and the level of insecurity high.



In particular, the country has experienced, since January, a sharp increase in the number of kidnappings against ransom.



It is therefore strongly recommended to postpone any trip until further notice.



On site, it is necessary to exercise the greatest vigilance, in particular during your travels."



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29970-flash-canada-travelers-update-avoid-traveling-to-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29629-haiti-flash-france-asks-to-avoid-haiti-and-draws-up-a-map-of-dangerous-areas.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27964-haiti-flash-traval-warning-usa.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 21:49:24|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh in Vientiane, Laos, Feb. 19, 2020. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

VIENTIANE, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met here Wednesday with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, with both sides pledging to further promote bilateral ties and jointly advance Lancang-Mekong cooperation.

Wang is in Vientiane, capital of Laos, for the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease and the fifth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

During the meeting with Pham Binh Minh, Wang said that under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core, the whole party and the whole country are rallying together to counter the COVID-19 epidemic.

Thanks to the arduous efforts, China's measures to prevent and control the epidemic have been achieving visible progress, he noted.

It is necessary for China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), linked by mountains, rivers and waters and sharing weal and woe, to timely share information and work together to tackle the epidemic so as to safeguard people's health of China and ASEAN countries, Wang said.

Vietnam, as the ASEAN chair, has made active response to China's proposal to hold the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease, Wang said, noting that it testifies to the fine tradition of their shared spirit of "good neighbor, good friend, good comrade and good partner" as well as supporting and helping each other, he said.

Wang expressed belief that the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease to be held Thursday will achieve success, thus sending out an explicit message that China and ASEAN countries will overcome difficulties with concerted efforts.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam, Wang said, noting that the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has entered into a critical phase of inheriting the past and ushering in the future.

He called on the two sides to carry forward the friendly cause initiated by past generations of leaders of both sides, implement the important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, maintain high-level strategic communication and advance exchanges and cooperation across the board and at sub-national levels.

He also said that the two countries should properly manage and control differences, steadily promote practical cooperation in various fields and well uphold the common strategic interests of the two socialist countries.

China attaches great importance to the Lancang-Mekong cooperation, Wang said, adding that China stands ready to work together with the Vietnamese side to actively develop greater synergy between the Lancang-Mekong cooperation and the construction of the "new land-sea corridor" so as to give a boost to the economic development of the Mekong River areas.

Pham Binh Minh, for his part, said Vietnam speaks highly of the efforts China has made in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, believing that the Chinese government and the Chinese people will tide over the difficulties and win the fight.

Minh told Wang that those in Vietnam affected by the virus have almost recovered.

He said his country is willing to work together with China to ensure that the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease will be held successfully here on Thursday.

Noting that the development of bilateral relations has maintained good momentum for the time being, Minh hoped that the two sides will boost strategic coordination, jointly hold activities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two countries and promote the cooperation in all fields so as to make greater achievements.

He said Vietnam is willing to strengthen mutual political trust with China, properly handle maritime issues and encourage the cooperation between localities of the two countries, especially in the border areas.

Minh also said his country is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China within the framework of multilateralism.

Vietnam applauds the achievements made in Lancang-Mekong cooperation and is ready to join hands with China to advance the mechanism, he added.
A total of $231,219 has been raised for Surf Life Saving New Zealand, thanks to the support of thousands of New Zealanders.

In an announcement today, BP says the amount was raised between January 20 and February 16 by Kiwis fuelling up at BP retail sites across the country during BPs Every Litre Counts campaign.

For every litre of fuel sold, BP made a donation to the charity which accumulated more than $230,000.

Our volunteer Surf Lifeguards have been putting in long hours to keep us safe at the beach all summer, says BP New Zealands managing director Debi Boffa.

They have our backs and Every Litre Counts is a way of showing that we also have theirs. Its awesome to see thousands of Kiwis getting behind the cause once again.

SLSNZ is investing the vital funds generated this year into an essential Inflatable Rescue Boat Health and Safety project.

IRBs are such a critical component to our beach rescues, and the health and safety of our volunteers is paramount. The $231,219 generated by Every Litre Counts will help us fund research into IRB safety as well as develop education resources and training programmes, says SLSNZ CEO Paul Dalton.

SLSNZ needs $10 million every year to operate and collectively its 74 clubs require roughly the same amount to run.

As part of this years Every Litre Counts initiative, each club was challenged to spread the word about the campaign through social media for the chance to win one of 40 x $1000 prizes.

The 40 winners include clubs from as far north as Whangarei Heads to St Clair in Otago.

In addition, 100 individual Surf Lifeguards have won their share of $10,000 in the form of BP Gift Cards to help with petrol expenses to get to patrols.

To each person who fuelled up at BP during the donation period, we want you to know that your support means a great deal to us and really will make a difference in keeping our beaches safer, Dalton says.
Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) was recently presented with two awards during the Transformers Awards ceremony organised by Trusted Advisors Group in Marrakesh, Morocco.



Both of the awards, which were bestowed with double distinction, came as the result of BisBs achievements in the fields of innovation and simplification. The first Transformers Award was given in light of the Banks success in transforming and realising their strategic vision of elevating the financial industry and facilitating financial transactions for customers through digital innovations.



The second Customer Journey Award was presented for the deployment of the Banks Selfie Mobile Account Opening digital solution, which allows both new and existing customers to open a BisB account through face ID authentication.



Maisa Shunnar, the banks chief of Strategy Implementation & Transformation, attended the ceremony and received the award on the banks behalf.



The awards were determined by consultants at Trusted Advisors, certified in change management and transformation management, who use an extremely unique approach in evaluating award recipients, which are selected from leading financial institutions across the Mena region.



Areas of consideration include the level to which transformational initiatives are intimately linked to the organisational DNA of the bank being evaluated, each banks ability to successfully align and integrate all the stakeholders involved, and their capacity to generate a transformational vision that serves as a source of inspiration for the entire sector.



Hassan Amin Jarrar, chief executive officer of BisB said: We are incredibly proud to receive these awards, which recognise the Banks continuous efforts towards driving digitisation and inspiring innovation in the industry.



Innovation has always stood at the core of our business approach, and it is our ethos that the experience of banking in our day and age ought to be a seamless, simplified process. Thats exactly what we will be continuing to work toward achieving at BisB - to completely transform the traditional customer experience into a digitised and seamless process, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Frank Reynolds, the CEO of Boston-based PixarBio Corp., was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to seven years in prison for defrauding the companys investors and obstructing a federal investigation, according to U.S. Attorney Andrew Lellings office.

Reynolds, of Newton, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. He was ordered to pay $280,000 in forfeiture and of roughly $7.5 million in restitution, according to Lellings office.

In October, a federal jury convicted Reynolds of defrauding PixarBio investors through manipulative trading of the companys shares," and making false and misleading statements about the companys finances, the timeline for FDA approval of its key drug and Reynoldss own background, prosecutors said.

Reynolds claimed that drug cured his own paralysis when evidence during the trial showed that Reynolds was never paralyzed, according to Lellings office.

Evidence presented during the trial showed Reynolds had promised his investors that the new drug, NeuroRelease, would end thousands of years of morphine and opiate addiction. But evidence during the trial showed that the the new drug wouldnt end opiate addiction, and that the company had developed only a new means of delivery in a time-release form for post-operative pain," prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Reynolds directed two co-conspirators, Kenneth Stromsland and Jay Herod, to engage in manipulative trading in PixarBio shares, which artificially inflated the stocks trading price.

Reynolds misled the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission about the trading and his prior misstatements in sworn testimony, according to Lellings office. They said he showed them a backdated document to claim that $300,000 in trading proceeds that Herod had given Reynolds was actually an investment unrelated to the trading.

Reynolds also misrepresented the timeline of FDA approval for NeuroRelease.

In a November 2016 securities filing signed by Reynolds, the company said clinical trials were expected to begin in late 2017, with FDA approvals for the drug expected in 2018. But PixarBio managers had told Reynolds that this timeline was not achievable, according to Lellings office.
President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin discussed over phone issues relating to bilateral cooperation.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov congratulated Vladimir Putin on the new Russian government, wishing all its members successes in their activities in the name of progress and prosperity of the people of the Russian Federation. As the Turkmen leader noted, Turkmenistan pays special attention to enhancing the constructive dialogue with the Russian Federation.

In the course of the telephone conversation, the heads of the two states noted the significant potential for the further broadening of trade and economic partnership and increasing bilateral trade turnover that grew 2.6 times last year.

The interlocutors also emphasized that the Joint Intergovernmental Commission and regular interaction between business structures play an important role in implementing the potential of the Turkmen-Russian cooperation. They also noted the importance of strengthening the humanitarian dialogue in education, science and culture.

Following the exchange of views on a number of topical regional and global issues, the interlocutors emphasized the commitment of Turkmenistan and the Russian Federation to the constructive partnership through the UN and other international organizations with the view of ensuring universal peace, security and prosperity.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2022
China's ongoing people's war against COVID19 epidemic can lend many lessons and inspirations to the international community for combating pandemics in the future, experts from a Shanghai-based think tank said in a report published Friday.

Although the COVID-19 epidemic continues, China is well-positioned to win the ultimate victory against it, the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies said in an update on China's fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The think tank summarized three key lessons this monumental event offers China and the world regarding international cooperation on global public health emergencies.

First, a globalized world featuring more densely-populated metropolitan areas with higher population mobility poses unique challenges for epidemic prevention and control. Although mega-cities have generally established full-fledged public health emergency response mechanisms, yet economic, political, social, and security concerns all magnify decision-makers' and the public's sensitivity to the outbreak of infectious diseases. Therefore, emergency response mechanisms, social mobilization systems, and reserve systems for strategic assets must be institutionalized in mega-cities. Besides, the competence of community-level officials and individuals public health awareness need to be improved through more training courses and mass education programs.

Second, China's cross-region medical supply systems and coordinating networks for medical experts are playing a decisive role in the current war against COVID-19 epidemic. Rallying more than 10,000 medical professionals and coordinating huge amounts of medical materials to reinforce Wuhan's public health systems at short notice is not only a result of the full functioning of the central and local governments, but also thanks to efficient logistics and professional/resource allocation. For sure, China can share its challenges and good practices with the international community.

Last but not least, international cooperation proves increasingly important in the war against COVID-19 epidemic. In partnership with China, the WHO has been closely monitoring the epidemic and coordinating a concerted international response. National governments across the world have also extended a helping hand. As of February 7, more than 30 countries, including developing countries with medical supply shortages like Pakistan and Myanmar, have donated medical materials to China. Such acts of international humanitarianism indicate that in times of global emergency, international solidarity and coordination, rather than extreme rhetoric and excessive reaction, is what is needed for the well-being of the international community. For, as the Chinese saying goes, Saving him to whom youre tied from the river is saving yourself.

Read the full report

A Decisive Stage for China's Fight against COVID-19 Epidemic
HRH The Prince of Wales today inaugurated one of Europes largest automotive research and development facilities, the National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC), at the University of Warwick, in Coventry.

The facility will create future vehicles and personal mobility solutions as well as deliver the skills required to keep the UK globally competitive. The NAIC is at the centre of the Midlands ecosystem, which is a magnet for economic growth and delivering a Destination Zero future. During the visit, Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Motors and WMG showcased sustainable future mobility projects, including their most recent electrified and autonomous vehicles.

Jaguar Land Rover demonstrated its latest advanced research vehicle as the next stage of its Destination Zero mission. Delivered through relentless innovation, the companys focus is on achieving a future of zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion  across its facilities, and through its products and services.

The 3.5-lakh square feet centre is designed as an innovative, collaborative workspace for hundreds of academics, designers, researchers and engineers. It includes cutting-edge workshops, laboratories, virtual engineering suites and advanced powertrain facilities.

The partners working together in NAIC are engineering the future and helping supply the next generation of engineers, designers and researchers. Through a range of education programmes, apprenticeships and lifelong learning, all three partners are developing curricula which support the emerging technologies and mobility solutions.

Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Motors and WMG are developing next-generation future electrified and autonomous vehicles at the NAIC. They exhibited some of their latest projects including Warwicks Formula Student entry and the Warwick Moto concept which is led by WMG; Tata Motors latest affordable Nexon EV and autonomous Tata Hexa alongside Jaguar Land Rovers latest prototype self-driving Jaguar I-PACE and ADAS Land Rover Discovery.

The building and all its facilities were designed from first principles to embrace sustainability and wellbeing. NAICs construction has been recognised with the highest BREEAM Excellent rating and the building includes a rooftop photovoltaic array and regenerative electrical heating. Underneath one of the worlds largest glulam timber roofs, offices are flooded with natural light and are arranged around a daylight filled atrium.

The 150m Centre is a partnership project by Jaguar Land Rover, WMG, Tata Motors and the University of Warwick with 15m funding from the UK Governments Research Partnership Investment Fund, through Research England.
A bill to establish charter schools that focus on tribal language and culture is moving forward in South Dakota.

Senate Bill 66 authorizes up to four Oceti Sakowin schools. The name comes from the Lakota phrase for "People of the Seven Council Fires," meaning the people of the greater Sioux Nation.

All were asking is let us be who we are, State Sen. Troy Heinert (D), a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and the sponsor of the bill, said at a committee hearing in January, The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported.

In the past, Gov. Kristi Noem (R) has said she favors school choice , a phrase frequently used by conservatives and Republican to describe options such as charter schools. However, she opposed the Senate Bill 66 when it was introduced, according to news reports.

Noem now supports the proposal after changes were made, The Associated Press reports. Her office took part in a second hearing on the bill on Tuesday, the AP said.

third hearing, before the Senate Education Committee , is being held on Thursday to go over the changes, which are still being finalized, the AP reported.

The Oceti Sakowin charter school concept builds on core concepts already developed for the South Dakota Office of Indian Education, a state agency. The Indian Education Act of 2007 mandates the teaching of history and culture in the classroom.

Read More on the Story

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Mullin' It Over Column

Last week, President Donald Trump released his budget proposal . It shows his commitment to fiscal responsibility by shrinking the federal government, stopping wasteful spending and providing a path to a balanced budget.

One common misconception about the budget process is that Congress considers the presidents budget exactly as he proposes it. Just as the president sets a legislative agenda in his State of the Union speech  even though he cant write or draft legislation  the president submits a budget with funding for his priorities for the upcoming fiscal year.

Outlined by the U.S. Constitution, Congress alone holds the power of the purse. This means that in reality, the presidents budget is only the beginning of the negotiations. Congress ultimately sets the funding levels for all federal programs.

Last year, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic caucus failed to propose, let alone pass, a budget. Speaker Pelosi has said repeatedly show me your budget, show me your values. This year, they have yet to fulfill their constitutional responsibility and produce a budget.

Why wont they show us their budget? Maybe its because their socialist agenda, with Medicare-For-All, and the Green New Deal, will put the taxpayers on the hook for trillions of dollars every year and is widely unpopular with Americans.

Pelosi Democrats socialist values do not align with Oklahomas conservative values. Families in Oklahoma have to balance their budget, so why shouldnt Congress have to do the same?

House Republicans are committed to working with President Trump to put our nations spending back on a more fiscally conservative path.

Markwayne Mullin, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, was first elected to serve the people of Oklahomas Second Congressional District in November 2012. He is currently serving his fourth term in office. Mullin and his wife Christie have six children. The Mullin family currently resides in Westville, Oklahoma, on the same family farm where Markwayne was raised.

Join the Conversation
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed an EU move to police the UN arms embargo off the coast of Libya. Erdogan said the EU had no authority to take such decisions, suggesting the new maritime effort was an initiative designed to interfere in Libyas affairs.

In an adress to parliament this Wednesday, Erdogan said The EU does not have the right to make any decision concerning Libya. In his view the European bloc was attempting to take charge of the situation and interfere, but it had no such authority.

EU foreign ministers on Monday decided to launch a naval mission to police an arms embargo on the North African country. Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said this would include ships, air capacity as well as the possibility of ground troops.

Di Maio added the mission would block the entry of arms into Libya and would have a specific set of rules of engagement. Furthermore, the Italian foreign minister warned that such a mission should not create a pull factor and would be stopped if it attracted migrants attempting to leave Libyan shores.

Some within the European Union believe that the enforcement of an arms embargo will help stabilise the Libyan conflict. The mission, named EU Active Surveillance, will reportedly focus on the eastern Mediterranean.

Talks in Geneva

Meanwhile, Erdogan also threw his weight behind a decision by Libyas Tripoli-based government to stop taking part in UN-brokered discussions in Geneva. He described it as the right decision following an attack on the citys port by forces loyal to Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

The legitimate government based in Tripoli has withdrawn from the [negotiating] table and this is a positive decision, Erdogan said. The Turkish leader reiterated his support for the UN-backed Government of National Accord and its efforts to establish dominance.

UN-led talks in Geneva resumed on Tuesday in an effort to revitalise a shaky ceasefire. The current cessation of hostilities was brokered by Turkey and Russia on 12 January, but both sides have reportedly broken the ceasefire.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu reportedly met with Haftar on Wednesday. The Russian official and Libyas eastern military commander agreed that a political settlement was the only way to end the fighting.

This comes as Libya's Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj said earlier this Wednesday that the resumption of peace negotiations had been overtaken by events on the

ground as shelling continues from eastern factions trying to take control of Tripoli.
The Rev. William Ingram didnt plan on staying in Elizabeth.

When he agreed to become the pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, he swore hed only stay for a few years while his older children finished school. Hed arrived in Union County from a small South Jersey church and had plans to move to another congregation.

One thing led to another, and weve been there 24 years, Ingram told NJ Advance Media Tuesday, chuckling. We just fell in love with the people and the place.

Ingram spoke about his professional home since the mid 1990s and how devastating its been since he and his family were awakened in the middle of the night Sunday to news that the 140-year-old Shiloh was burning down in what turned into a four-alarm blaze.

An Elizabeth spokeswoman said Tuesday that the fires cause has not been determined.

I was flabbergasted. I prayed quickly, then got in my car, Ingram said. By the time I came down there, the church was fully engulfed in flames. When I saw that inferno of a fire, that broke my heart.

The loss came as a huge shock to community members, many of whom knew somebody whod attended Sunday service or been baptized there.

Shiloh Baptist opened itself up to non-members, too, through a soup kitchen, food pantry and a clothing donation.

It was so amazing to be able to bring that to the community and see the joy on peoples faces," said Robert Ingram, the reverends 30-year-old son, who first came to Shiloh Baptist when he was 9.

William Ingram stressed that the church plans to rebuild, and even hopes to keep the four stucco walls that still stand on the site. He estimated it could take about a year to rebuild.

The church is accepting donations through a GoFundMe page, which had raised just over $500 toward its $500,000 goal as of Tuesday afternoon.

For Robert Ingram, many of his lifes memories have some connection to Shiloh Baptist.

You plan on going to worship that morning and instead youre going over there and you see the whole church just burning down," he said. Now I know that bigger things are coming, and Im really excited to see what God will do.

Years later, he can clearly remember his baptism, youth group trips and multiple visits to the church each week.

Robert Ingram said he looks back fondly on days spent praise dancing, going out in the public evangelizing, and once even hosting a community rodeo with cows and bulls at a vacant lot down the street. He believes the fire wont stop others from developing these same memories with the church in the future.

A lot of times you think something thats happening is really bad, but its just the set-up for something even bigger," Robert Ingram said. "We dont have the birds eye view of the picture  only God has that.

William Ingram said neighboring churches have offered to let Shilohs congregation use their facilities, but no concrete plans have yet been set. Weekly Bible studies will continue on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at St. Matthew Baptist Church in Roselle, he said.

Antiques like the churchs stained-glass windows, organ and baby grand piano cant be replaced, but the reverend is confident the churchs family atmosphere isnt going anywhere.

Many members have vowed to stick with the church  for many, its all theyve ever known.

The abundant life is not one that is free from difficulties," William Ingram said. Life is hard sometimes. God has not abandoned us.

The aftermath of the fire at Shiloh Baptist Church in Elizabeth, on February 16, 2020.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Jenna Wise may be reached at jwise@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JennaRWise. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - Commander Resources Ltd. (TSXV: CMD) ("Commander") is pleased to report results from a 70 line kilometre Induced Polarization survey completed at the Company's Pedro Gold project in late 2019. The Pedro property is located 100 Km from Torreon, Mexico in the northeastern part of the State of Durango and approximately 30 km west of the town of Mapimi. The wholly owned 1,750 ha property was acquired directly by Commander in 2016 from Bearing Lithium.

Highlights:

Epithermal gold target measuring 4 km by 1 km defined by gold in soil and rocks

70-kilometre IP survey completed in 2019

Deep vertical feeder veins identified

Numerous additional zones identified beneath post-mineral cover

The Pedro epithermal gold system was discovered by Bearing Resources Ltd. in 2012 during a regional program exploring for silver and is defined at surface by a combined gold (>20 ppb) and arsenic (> 100 ppm) soil anomaly with dimensions of 4000 metres by 1000 metres. Outcrop exposure comprises prominent hematite-stained silica-rich ridges of angular chalcedony fragments and silicified sedimentary rocks within an angular course breccia. The host rock to these breccias is mostly Ahuichila Formation conglomerate. The mineralization extends beneath post-mineral volcanic rocks, colluvium (range front fanglomerate) and alluvium to the north and east. Rock sampling of the exposed zones returned values in rock from background levels to a maximum of 2.3 gpt (197 samples with 53 greater than 0.25 gpt and 9 greater than 1 gpt). Samples were collected by previous operators, primarily Bearing Lithium and Newmont de Mexico in 2012 and 2013.

Following initial soil and rock sampling the property was briefly optioned by Newmont de Mexico, S.A de C.V who drilled 1,744m in 11 drill holes. The Newmont program was specifically designed to test for Carlin-style deposits within the Caracol Formation which underlies the Ahuichila Formation conglomerate and did not target the outcropping epithermal breccias. Their drilling did however encounter gold within epithermal breccias including in hole LP-013-R which returned a core length of 10.5 metres grading 0.51 gram per tonne gold from oxidized silicified conglomerate of the Ahuichila formation (see news release from Bearing Lithium dated July 3, 2014 and the associated QA/QC statement).

The recently completed induced polarization survey outlined the known zones and distinguished discreet deep features below the conglomerate which are interpreted to be feeders to the surface mineralisation. The IP targets show elevated resistivity with associated low to moderate chargeability. Results indicate that some surface exposed zones are stratabound along the basal contact of the Ahuichila formation while adjacent zones have a deep vertical expression reflecting possible feeder structures. In addition, the survey outlined targets within beneath post mineral cover, suggesting a much larger footprint to the system. See figure 1 and maps located on the company website at:

https://www.commanderresources.com/assets/docs/Pedro_web_2020203.pdf

Discussion

The Pedro epithermal gold system covers a large area with discreet linear silica breccia zones penetrating the basal contact of the Ahuichila Formation conglomerate and underlying calcareous siltstone of the Caracol Formation as well as possible lateral mineralization along the contact. Rock textures and the local presence of sinter suggest the upper levels of an epithermal system with potential for bulk mineable heap leach targets. The IP survey was important in identifying vertical zones beneath some surface exposures that are interpreted to be deep feeders in the system and where higher grades should be targeted. Commander plans to complete additional mapping and prospecting in the newly identified zones. As a Prospect Generator Commander will seek partners for the project.

2019 IP Survey and QA/QC

Geofisica TMC from Durango Mexico was contracted to complete the seventy line-kilometre survey which was undertaken in late 2019. The survey had a line spacing of 100m and a pole-dipole array with nominal a spacing of 50 meters and ten dipoles for a model depth penetration of 250 m. Results were exported to RES2DINV for inversions in software developed by M.H. Loke. Data was interpreted by Joel Simard, P Geo./Geoph.

Historical samples mentioned in this release were prepared and analyzed by ALS Chemex at its labs in Chihuahua, Mexico, and Vancouver, Canada. Soils were analyzed as part of a multi-element inductively coupled argon plasma (ICP) package using aqua regia digestion with over-limit results being reanalyzed with assay procedures using ICP-AES. Gold analyses for rocks were performed on a 30-gram sub-sample by fire assay with an ICP-AES finish.

Robert Cameron, P. Geo. is a qualified person within the context of National Instrument 43-101 and has read and takes responsibility for the technical aspects of this release. In addition, Mr. Cameron was also the QP for the previous operator.

About Commander Resources:

Commander Resources is a Canadian focused exploration company following the Prospect Generator business model that has leveraged its success in exploration through partnerships and sale of properties, while retaining equity and royalty interests. Commander has a portfolio of base and precious metal projects across Canada and significant equity positions in Maritime Resources Corp. (MAE-TSX.V) and Aston Bay Holdings (BAY-TSX.V). Commander also retains royalties from properties that have been partnered, optioned or sold. The Company has two active partnerships with Fjordland and HPX on its South Voisey's Bay Nickel project in Labrador and with Freeport McMoRan on its Burn copper/gold project in British Columbia.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Robert Cameron, P. Geo.

President and CEO

For further information, please call:

Robert Cameron, President and CEO

Toll Free: 1-800-667-7866

info@commanderresources.com

@CommanderCMD

www.commanderresources.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may include forward-looking statements that are 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 statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable laws.

Figure 1 Pedro Gold Project: Gold in soils and modeled 50 metre depth slice chargeability





To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4050/52553_f8bafb43c4c02a85_004full.jpg

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52553
Two planes with trainee pilots on board were believed to be moving through cloud when they collided in mid-air before hurtling to the ground and killing four people in Central Victoria.

The planes collided about one kilometre from Mangalore Airport on Wednesday morning, with both aircraft suffering extensive damage before crashing into grassland, killing two people in each plane.

The site of one of the fatal plane crashes near Mangalore Airport. Credit:Justin McManus

Authorities believe the aircraft collided at an altitude of about 4000 feet. At the time of the collision, the cloud base was also about 4000 feet. Authorities will investigate whether poor visibility affected the pilots actions.

Both planes were flying with student pilots and veteran instructors on board. The bodies of all four victims, who have not yet been identified, were found inside the wrecked planes.
As Pete Buttigieg gained momentum in the Democratic presidential primary race - finishing second in the New Hampshire primary and a front runner in the Iowa caucuses - he has increasingly been on the receiving end of shade from his rivals.

The campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), for instance, distributed talking points that zeroed in on fundraising, saying "Pete Buttigieg is a favorite candidate of Wall Street and the health care industry."

The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, already faced criticism over his "billionaire donors," which famously manifested during the Dec. 19 Democratic debate. It was then that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) described a Buttigieg fundraiser as held in "a wine cave full of crystals."

Sanders' comments led us to wonder if Buttigieg really is the sweetheart of the health care industry. We asked the Sanders campaign for its evidence. Staffers pointed us to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit group that operates the website OpenSecrets.org and tracks money from individuals and political action committees donated to political candidates and members of Congress. The center analyzes Federal Election Commission data and sorts contributions by categories based on the economic sector from which they come.

A deep dive into the numbers

The Sanders campaign used OpenSecrets data it obtained in December 2019. But the OpenSecrets website has since been updated with fourth-quarter filings, so we couldn't confirm the figures the campaign cited.

Instead, Doug Weber, a senior CRP researcher, pointed to the 2020 presidential race section of OpenSecrets, saying it contains the most accurate data for presidential campaign contributions. It also highlights industry contribution trends focused only on the presidential giving - in other words, excluding contributions made to Senate campaign accounts.

We asked Weber if Sanders' talking point about Buttigieg is true. That "depends on what you mean by 'health care industry,'" Weber wrote in an email. OpenSecrets defines its health sector by contributions from PACs and individuals working in various health industries, he said, and "for our data, thats our broadest definition of health care."

Based on this sweeping categorization, Sanders is ahead of Buttigieg in health sector donations. The Vermont senator received $2,910,894, while the former South Bend mayor trailed closely behind with $2,713,038.

However, when you break down this data by industries within the health sector, Buttigieg comes out ahead of Sanders in contributions from pharmaceutical companies and also for health services/HMOs - which includes groups like large insurance companies.

But even this point is nuanced. Former Vice President Joe Biden has received the most money of any Democratic candidate from the pharmaceuticals and health products sector if contributions from his leadership political action committee are included. Leadership PACs are committees unaffiliated with campaigns that can still receive contributions and financially support candidates.

In the health care industry categories of hospitals/nursing homes and health professionals, Sanders has received the most in dollar contributions.

When asked to clarify how the Sanders campaign is defining the health care industry, a staffer responded that "Bernie Sanders issued a pledge to not accept money from top officials of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries (as distinct from rank-and-file workers in those industries, which the aggregate data you cite deals with). He asked other candidates to do the same. Pete Buttigieg has refused to take that pledge, and has instead raised money from those top officialsThese clear, demonstrable and verifiable facts makes very clear precisely what we are referring to."

The Sanders campaign sent us a list of pharmaceutical and health insurance executives that have contributed to Buttigieg, including employees and executives from AbbVie, Aetna, Anthem, Eli Lilly and Co., Merck & Co. and Pfizer. We checked that list against the Federal Election Commission database to ensure its accuracy. In addition, the Sanders' campaign shared an October 2019 article from Sludge, an investigative journalism outlet focused on money in politics, which estimated Buttigieg's third-quarter health care industry donations approached $97,000.

We also checked in with the Buttigieg campaign for a response, which replied that "more than 800,000 Americans" have donated to its candidate. The campaign's emailed statement noted that Buttigieg's "Medicare for All Who Want It" plan draws industry attacks because the health system "will have to provide more affordable coverage and better care or they will lose customers as people enroll in the public option.

What does it all mean?

It seems the Sanders' claim is "imprecise," said Robert Maguire, research director at the nonprofit group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).

"Given that the health industry itself is vast, what I assume the Sanders' campaign  meant to say was that the more corporate aspects of the health industry - like the pharmaceutical industry and the health insurance industry - were funding Buttigieg disproportionately to others," he added.

Michael Beckel, research director of Issue One, a nonprofit organization focused on transparency and enforcement of campaign finance laws, said the key to understanding this claim is that the Sanders campaign is characterizing money from the health insurance and pharmaceutical industry differently than campaign contributions from individuals, such as nurses and other health professionals.

"Rank-and-file employees in one industry dont always express the same political preferences as executives in that industry," Beckel wrote in an email. "Even as hes railed against the pharmaceutical industry and insurance industry, Sen. Sanders has welcomed support from labor unions representing nurses."

Michael Malbin, a political science professor at the University at Albany-State University of New York, also took issue with the idea that an individual giving the maximum amount of money to a campaign could sway the candidate's policies.

"Every time election season rolls around, there are stories about individuals employed in one industry favoring one candidate over another, and it could be for whatever reason," said Malbin. "But, you cannot make the inference from industry coding  that they are giving just for a certain economic interest. Let alone that it's remotely enough money to drive a presidential campaign.  It's a $2,800 maximum, for crying out loud."

The actual composition of donors in the health category can't be known without analyzing OpenSecrets' full data set - which we could not do since it's not publicly available.

OpenSecrets does, however, analyze the percentage of small donor donations (less than $200) and large contributions for each presidential candidate. And 56% of Sanders' contributions are from small donors, while 45% of Buttigieg's campaign contributions come from that same group.

Our ruling

Sanders' use of the phrase "health care industry" in this instance is too broad to support the point he is trying to make.

According to recently updated OpenSecrets data, Sanders has received more donations from the health sector than any other 2020 presidential candidate.

However, when the broad "health sector" category is narrowed down to pharmaceutical and health insurance companies, which are two targets of Sanders' campaign, Buttigieg is shown to have received more donations than Sanders. He has also received donations from top pharmaceutical executives - offering evidence to support Sanders' claim. But in specifying donations from the pharmaceutical/health products sector, Biden tops Buttigieg when factoring in contributions to Biden's leadership PAC.

Context is also important. It's likely a large number of Sanders' health care contributions are from nurses and doctors as individuals. There's no way to identify whether this support was related to the candidate's health policies or motivated by other reasons.

Sanders' claim has some truth to it but is imprecise. For this reason, we rate the claim Half True.
Tech & Science, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness

By Brooke Hein Published: February 19 2020

This month marks a momentous occasion in Stony Brook University Hospitals (SBUH) proud history as Long Islands premier academic medical center and teaching hospital.

Hospital leadership celebrates SBUH's early history and the dynamic health system that is Stony Brook Medicine today. Photo Credit: Stony Brook Medicine

On February 18, 1980, the first two patients were admitted to the hospital, and on May 24, Stony Brook University Hospital was formally dedicated. After the hospital officially opened, many milestones were reached, and distinctions came quickly.

Throughout its 40 years, Stony Brook Medicine has grown. Today, the 818- bed multi-hospital system, provides advanced compassionate care to Long Islanders, with more than one million patient encounters each year. The healthcare system also includes a strong physician network and more than 230 outpatient care sites throughout Suffolk County.

Stony Brook University Hospital recently highlighted select moments from its history to put on display in an exhibit and recognized staff who have dedicated 40 years at a ceremony.

A Few Landmarks and Achievements

Stony Brook University Hospital was one of the few hospitals in New York State to be staffed entirely by registered nurses.

Late in February 1981, the first kidney transplant was performed  a first for Long Island  and soon after the hospital was designated as the Long Island Regional Transplantation Center.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit opened, the first in Suffolk County, now part of the state-designated Regional Perinatal Center.

In 1984, the Burn Unit opened, and was subsequently designated as the regional center for burn care, now known as the Suffolk County Volunteer Firefighters Burn Center.

In 1988, the hospital was named the regional AIDS treatment center  one of only two in the state at that time.

The first Suffolk County Police helicopter touched down on the hospitals helipad in 1989, the result of an agreement between the hospital and the police to provide helicopter transport of the critically ill or injured to the hospital from throughout Suffolk County.

In 1990, the hospital was designated by New York State as a Level I Trauma Center. The hospital also opened its Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) and became another NYS-designated service. All of the hospitals state designations are still in place today.

The hospitals role as a research center was strengthened with the announcement in 1982 of the discovery of the spirochete responsible for Lyme disease by a team led by Jorge Benach, PhD. A decade before when Stony Brook University researcher Paul Lauterbur, PhD, created the first multi-dimensional image using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), he sparked a new age of medical technology and clinical care. His 1971 discovery made it possible to get a clear look inside the human body without surgery or x-rays. Dr. Lauterbur would go on to receive the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Other discoveries by Stony Brook researchers include Periostat, which is widely used for periodontal disease; ReoPro, a medication recommended for cardiac angioplasty; Xiaflex to treat Dupuytrens disease, a debilitating hand disorder; and the 3D virtual colonoscopy.

To take a journey throughout the years to learn more about Stony Brook Medicines history, visit: stonybrookmedicine.edu/sbuh.

Credit: Stony Brook Medicine
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (C) speaks to passengers on board the Westerdam cruise ship, which docked in Cambodia after being refused entry at other Asian ports due to fears of the novel coronavirus, in Sihanoukville, Feb. 14, 2020.

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday appeared to shrug off the European Unions decision last week to suspend tariff-free access for around one-fifth of Cambodias exports to its market over rollbacks on democracy and human rights, saying his country will continue to export despite facing higher tariffs.

The partial suspension of preferential trade status Cambodia enjoys under the Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme for developing nations, announced on Feb. 12, would affect around U.S. $1.1 billion of the countrys exports to the EU.

The decision would reinstate tariffs on garments and footwear, as well as travel goods and sugar, beginning Aug. 12, unless it is blocked by the blocs governments or its parliament, the European Commission (EC) said.

On Nov. 12, the EU warned in a preliminary report that Cambodia has not taken enough measures to prevent a withdrawal of its EBA status, noting the countrys further deterioration of civil, political, labor, social, and cultural rights since the launch of a review process in February last year.

I have acknowledged your decision [EUs commission decision to withdraw EBA] but I need you to accept Cambodias decision as well, Hun Sen told students during a graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh.

They have the right to make the decision but they need to respect our decision, he said in his first public remarks on the EU decision.

Let pay them taxes of about 100 million dollars. Please pay the tax but we will continue to export, Hun Sen told students.

He added that he wont make any statement about EBA until the official statement will be released by Feb. 29.

Hun Sen, whose government has been dismissive of EU warnings that it would impose punitive trade measures, said any slowdown to Cambodias economy would come not because of EBA, but due to the coronavirus affecting China, a major source of inputs.

Our economic growth prediction is 6.5 percent, but we know for sure that it will decline, but it is not because of EBA. We still have markets, he said.

Social and political analyst Meas Nee predicted difficulties ahead.

Cambodias production depends on Chinese supplies, and they are now also lacking raw materials because of the spread of COVID-19, so the Cambodian government seems to be caught between a crisis of the virus outbreak in China, and the suspension of EBA, he told RFA's Khmer Service.

We already knew that 20 percent of EBA will be suspended, and if we view this amount as not too much, we now also have a crisis with the import of raw materials, said Meas nee.

The EU launched the process to strip Cambodia of its preferential trade terms following the arrest of opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) President Kem Sokha in September 2017 and the Supreme Courts decision to ban his party for its role in an alleged plot to topple the government two months later.

The ban, along with a wider crackdown on NGOs and the independent media, paved the way for Hun Sens ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats in parliament in the countrys July 2018 general election.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
Doug Brindle has been a friend for many years. I knew he had a remarkable story. Doug served as an Army Recon corpsman in Vietnam.

Upon his return to the states after his tour, Doug needed peace of mind. He sought a different view of life. He and his wife, Cathy, signed up for the Peace Corps and headed to Mokolo in Cameroon. War and then peace.

Growing up, Doug worked weekends at his dads lumberyard when he was 12. By 16 years of age, he was making deliveries in the company truck. His mom was a grade-school teacher.

Like many boomers, Doug had a childhood of playing sports, exploring, taking risks, and learning from the school of hard knocks. He came home when the street lights came on.

His dad was a World War II and Korean War veteran, along with serving in the National Guard for 25 years. Doug remembers tagging along to his dads weekend guard training. The strong work ethic modeled by his parents was not lost on Doug.

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Immediately after high school, Doug was ready for adventure. With his fathers service as an example, Doug felt it was his duty to serve his country. He enlisted in the U.S. Army via a "buddy program" with his friend Jay Render.

In February 1968, they headed to basic training in Fort Knox, Ky. They quickly got separated, with Jay qualifying for Officers Candidate School and other options. Doug began his training as an army corpsman. Doug also completed jump school and Ranger training. He volunteered for Vietnam.

Doug was a rare breed. There were few Airborne corpsmen. He joined the Recon platoon of the 11th Light Infantry Brigade, also known as the "Jungle Warriors." His unit contained 29 men.

Missions lasted anywhere from three days to weeks. They were ferried to sites via helicopter. Doug told me it wasnt pretty at times, they encountered injuries and loss of life. He learned to trust his fellow platoon members with his life.

He acquired the ability to sleep, whenever the situation was safe enough, regardless of the hour, in order to be alert when needed. To this day, a simple pleasure for Doug is a nap.

Doug recalls that although the men were young, they were all volunteers and well trained. His outfit operated out of I Corp, the farthest northern region of what was then South Vietnam.

Doug contemplated reenlisting for a second tour, but he felt he had already beaten the odds for a corpsman in combat. He figured the injuries he had received up to that point were a message from "above" to head home.

A few years after his return, he made a 180-degree turn from a military environment and found a new perspective by serving in the Peace Corps in West Africa. His wife, Cathy, taught health and hygiene to villagers, and Doug oversaw water projects such as installing wells.

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I asked Doug how he looks back at this time. He felt his experience in Vietnam and the Peace Corps both were transformational times in his life. These experiences formed him into the person he is today. He forged friendships and connections with many people. He has a circle of true friends because of his service in both.

Doug feels fortunate. He used the GI Bill for education, bought his first home with a VA loan, and has used Veterans Affairs for occasional medical care.

A few years ago, Doug sensed a desire to gather as many of the original 29 from his platoon as possible and plan a reunion. He needed to see these men again that he had trusted his life to.

Of the 29 men in his unit, 21 were still alive. The platoon had been awarded 17 Purple Hearts, and almost all of them received Air medals for their Recon work. The group, with spouses and family members, came together in a small town in Wisconsin.

Hugs were tight, there was laughter and tears, and tales were retold. They remembered the good times and those that were lost and badly hurt.

As slides were shown, at some point, others in the restaurant realized that a reunion of warriors was transpiring. To all the brothers in arms there for this first reunion, to their surprise, the entire bill was paid.

The men understood that they had just been welcomed home.

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Colombia's conservative President Ivan Duque questioned on Wednesday whether his country was ready to fully legalize abortion ahead of a debate in the Constitutional Court on whether to allow the practice in the first three months of a pregnancy. Currently, like much of Latin America, Colombia allows abortion in three cases: a risk to the mother's life, if the fetus has a deformity and if the pregnancy was a result of rape. "I'm pro-life. I believe life starts at conception," said Duque. "Moving away from these three cases that are clear, seems to me a very strong change for Colombian society ... I think that moving away from this would be something very tough." Rival marches for and against abortion took place on Wednesday ahead of an expected debate in the country's top court on whether or not to change the law. According to press reports, magistrate Alejandro Linares is preparing an act that would authorize abortion in the first 12 or 16 weeks. The Constitutional Court would then debate and vote on this act from February 26. If five of the nine magistrates vote in favor of the act, it would become law. According to Profamilia, a group that informs women about their abortion and contraception rights, there were 22,000 legal abortions in Colombia in 2019. In Latin America only Cuba, Uruguay, Puerto Rico and Mexico City have fully legalized abortion in the first few weeks of a pregnancy. In some countries it is totally banned, notably El Salvador where a woman can be jailed even for having a miscarriage. Abortion is a fiercely debated topic in Colombia, as it is elsewhere in Latin America, where the powerful Catholic church often exerts strong pressure on governments to ban the practice
A York County township has passed an ordinance that will make it a Second Amendment sanctuary, according to multiple reports.

West Manheim Township supervisors approved the ordinance that township money and personnel would not be used in ways that would interfere with the rights protected by the Second Amendment, solicitor Walter Tilley III told the York Daily Record.

WHTM is reporting there will be no significant law changes. The ordinance is supportive of the already existing right to bear arms.

The request to make the township a Second Amendment sanctuary began last month when a township resident asked officials to consider the ordinance, YDR reported. If gun control laws are made at a federal or state level, the goal of the ordinance is to fight those laws, but YDR reports that certain laws that restrict gun possession in an effort to protect the public would still be enforced.

In Pennsylvania, Buffalo Township in Union County and some parts of Bradford County are already Second Amendment sanctuaries, WHTM reports.

You can read more about the ordinance on the township website.

Read more on PennLive:
Appointment

19 February 2020

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar welcomes Sutti Sripolpa as executive chef of the 1,800-room luxury resort. In his new role, Sripolpa will oversee all banquets, catering and culinary operations of the 20 Grand Hyatt-managed food and beverage outlets.

Hailing from Thailand, Sripolpa discovered his passion for the culinary arts at a young age while working for his family's restaurant. He began his career with Hyatt in 1990 as chef de cuisine at the Regency La Jolla in San Diego before being promoted to executive sous chef at Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas. In 2005, he played a pivotal role as executive chef on the opening team at Grand Hyatt DFW and later relocated to Hyatt Regency Lost Pines in Austin. Most recently, Sripolpa served as executive chef at the 1,629-room Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, the largest hotel in Southern California, and brings culinary experience from Marriott, Sheraton and MGM hotels and resorts.

Sripolpa received a culinary arts degree from Mesa College in San Diego and accomplishments include: working with the famed James Beard House in NYC, consulting on behalf of Grand Hyatt for Hainan Airline's first-class meals and being recognized by Hyatt as Chef of the Year.
K-pop girl band Dreamcatcher released its first studio album "Dystopia: The Tree of Language" on Tuesday. Courtesy of Dreamcatcher Company



By Dong Sun-hwa



Love and relationships probably are the most recurring themes for K-pop songs. But seven-piece girl band Dreamcatcher has deviated from the path by tackling a social issue.



For its latest release "Scream," dropped Tuesday, the septet  Jiu, Sua, Siyeon, Handong, Yoohyeon, Dami and Gahyeon  sings about the "witch hunt" in the Middle Ages, which is still prevailing in our society today.



Through the lyrics, the members indirectly blast foul-mouthed people who hurt others with their word choice.



"Witch hunt is linked to Dreamcatcher's musical universe," leader Jiu said in an interview with The Korea Times on Monday at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. "Our universe centers on a magical tree that bears black fruit if we speak foul language, but grows white fruit when we use refined words. Since a witch hunt is also about hurting people with words, we thought it was connected to us."



Interestingly, each member interpreted the lyrics in their own way.



"I play a victim of witch hunt for the track's first part, but as the number goes on, realize that I am actually a witch," lead vocalist Siyeon said.



In contrast, Sua thinks the song has two different "speakers"  a victim and a witch.



"But we believe anyone could fall prey to a witch purge in their life," Jiu elaborated. "We do not want to specify who we are talking about, but want to convey a universal message that we have to bridle our tongue."





"Scream" is the lead number for Dreamcatcher's first studio album. Courtesy of Dreamcatcher Company
Four people, including three children, have died after a car was allegedly set alight in Brisbanes east.

At a press conference, Detective Inspector Mark Thompson said the three children were all aged under 10.

A man known to the children also died inside the vehicle, while a woman known to the children has suffered extensive injuries.

A Queensland Police spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia police were called to Raven Street in Camp Hill at 8.20am on Wednesday morning.

The car on fire in Camp Hill. Source: ABC

Investigations at the scene following the incident. Source: AAP

Police confirmed the deceased lived in the area.

Police Minister Mark Ryan said investigations into the tragic set of events were ongoing.

[It is] a horrific incident, he said, addressing Parliament.

Det Insp Thompson said the incident was one of the most horrific scenes hes faced during his career.

It's a terrible scene... a terrible thing to be presented with.

Residents reveal womans screams for help

The injured woman suffered serious burns and has been taken to hospital.

Dozens of emergency services personnel attended the scene. Source: AAP

A resident told The Australian he heard a woman screaming: Hes poured petrol on me.

Other residents told the Courier Mail they heard loud explosions before seeing flames so high in the air.

It was absolutely unbelievable, Ive never seen anything like this, a female neighbour said.

Neighbour Murray Campbell said he heard a number of loud bangs that sounded very much like a gas cylinder explosion.

Paramedics stood down after confronting scene

Seven ambulance crews responded to the scene, with all crew stood down from duty following the incident.

They did everything they could, Queensland Ambulance Services Senior Operations Supervisor Adrian Tong told reporters.

It was confronting.

Mr Tong also confirmed a man who witnessed the incident suffered facial burning after trying to get to the car and assist those inside.

Det Insp Thompson said it was too early to comment on the cause of the fire and would not confirm whether the incident was murder-suicide when pressed by reporters.

Story continues

"How the fire actually occurred has not been ascertained at the moment, so for us to call it a murder-suicide or a tragic accident, it's inappropriate at this stage, he said.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

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[February 19, 2020] HR Path Announces the Acquisition of InTalent, Which Will Accelerate Its International Growth and Consolidate Its North American Position

PARIS, Feb. 19, 2020 /CNW/ -- HR Path, an expert and a major player in Human Resources, announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement where HR Path will acquire 100% of InTalent. InTalent assists companies in elaborating strategies and deploying technological solutions related to the process of human resources management. "The acquisition of InTalent is part of our 'Advise to Run' strategy to offer our customers a full range of services from business consulting, implementation of HR solutions and post-go live quality services. This also reinforces our positions in the America Region," says Francois Boulet, Co-CEO - HR Path. "Overseeing the business development of this area, I am really happy to reinforce our HR Path Montreal office with this very talented team. They currently work on business consulting and projects implementation and have developed strong partnerships with software vendors such as Oracle, Cornerstone and others. This will also be a great addition to the American HR Path customers," adds Franck Pinel, Partner - HR Path.



concludes Cofounder of InTalent, David Guerette. About HR Path

HR Path, an expert and a vital player in Human Resources, helps companies for whom human capital is essential in their digital transformation. Advise, Implement & Run are the three business lines of HR Path, which contribute to the corporate HR performance. Founded in 2001, its 1000 talents support more than 1300 clients in 18 countries. To this date, its turnover is $125 million. More information: www.hr-path.com Follow HR Path on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HR_Path Follow HR Path on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hr-path About InTalent Founded in 2013, InTalent assists companies in elaborating strategies and deploying technological solutions related to the process of human resource management. Our mission is to foster innovation, agility and operational excellence through the introduction of innovative HR solutions. Press contact : Fabienne Latour

Marketing and Communication Director

HR Path

[email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hr-path-announces-the-acquisition-of-intalent-which-will-accelerate-its-international-growth-and-consolidate-its-north-american-position-301007429.html SOURCE HR Path

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A Sinn Fein TD has apologised "unreservedly and wholeheartedly" to those offended by tweets in which she used offensive language, questioned the fluoridation of the public water supply and linked Israel to Nazism.

Reada Cronin, newly elected TD for Kildare North, posted a series of tweets between 2012 and 2015, which emerged yesterday, in which she used words such as "bitch" and "whore" to describe other people.

The Irish news website Gript, launched last year with funding from the anti-abortion lobby, also reported on a number of her tweets in 2014, the year she was elected a councillor, in which she said Israel "have taken Nazism to a new level" and responded to a picture of monkeys at computers by suggesting it was the Israeli embassy.

In 2012 and 2013, before she was elected as a councillor, Ms Cronin tweeted about fluoride in water saying it has "made us docile" and was "poisoning our water".

Ms Cronin said yesterday: "Some old tweets, most from before joining Sinn Fein and entering politics, have come to my attention.

"I apologise unreservedly and wholeheartedly to people I have offended because of these glib, off-the-cuff tweets that I sent in the past. I never intended to cause hurt or distress to anyone.

"I will assist and work with everybody, without qualification. I abhor racism and bigotry of any shade."
After being repaired, the black box is to be decoded.

Iran's Defense Minister Amir Hatami said on Wednesday that the Iranian defense industry has been asked to help repair the seriously damaged black box of the Ukrainian airliner downed near Tehran January 8.

After being repaired, the black box is to be decoded, Hatami added, according to IRNA news agency.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Kyiv-bound UIA flight PS752 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport in the early hours of January 8. It was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members on board. Two passengers and the crew members were Ukrainians. There were also 82 citizens of Iran, 63 citizens of Canada, 10 citizens of Sweden, four citizens of Afghanistan, three citizens of Germany and the United Kingdom each. There were no survivors.

Read alsoPS752 downing: Ukraine releases intercepted tower communications proving Iran was aware of missile launch all along

On January 11, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani officially admitted that the Ukrainian airliner had been shot down by accident as a result of a "human error" and that those responsible would be held accountable.

On February 2, intercepted communications between Tehran Airport's air traffic control tower and the second pilot of Iran's Aseman Airlines flight at the time of the crash of flight PS752 were released by TSN.Tyzhden. Tehran blamed the Ukrainian authorities for leaking what it described as confidential evidence, and said it would no longer share investigation materials with Ukraine.

Tehran has not yet handed over the PS752 black boxes to Kyiv, although the Iranian authorities do not have equipment to analyze them.
A pair of married off-duty police officers on a date night foiled an armed robbery at a fried chicken restaurant.

Dramatic CCTV footage shows Detective Chase McKeown and Officer Nicole McKeown draw their weapons and confront the masked gunman in the Raising Cane's branch in Louisville, Kentucky.

The pair gave chase as the robber fled through the town and arrested him nearby with the help of local officers.

The couple, who are officers with the Elizabethtown Police Department about 50 miles south of Louisville, were enjoying their weekly date night on Saturday when the suspect entered the restaurant wearing a surgical face mask.

Detective Chase McKeown and Officer Nicole McKeown foiled a robbery on their date night

The officers pull their weapons and move towards the robber as he tried to rob the restaurant

The off duty cops were enjoying a date at Raising Cane's restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky

Justin Carter, 30, who appeared in court Monday charged with first-degree robbery, receiving a stolen firearm and possessing a handgun as a convicted felon

Nicole said at first she assumed he was wearing the mask because it's flu season.

She said: 'I think we kind of both saw him at the same time. I looked at him and said, "That's kind of odd.'"

When they realized it was a robbery, Chase handed his cell phone to his wife and told her to call 911 while he confronted the robber.

But Nicole pulled out her gun as well saying she thought: 'No - I'm gonna help my husband!'

Detective Chase McKeown and Officer Nicole McKeown were on a date night in Raising Cane's

CCTV footage shows the masked robber enter the restaurant and threaten staff with a gun

'That's where that repetitiveness and that training kicks in,' Nicole told NBC.

The suspect was identified as 30-year-old Justin Carter who appeared in court Monday charged with first-degree robbery, receiving a stolen firearm and possessing a handgun as a convicted felon.

The pair have been hailed as heroes but Chase said they were just doing their jobs.

'Maybe it's the term hero,' he said. 'We don't feel that way. We just feel like our training kicked in.'

He added: 'In marriage we've got each other. We're going to talk things out, we're going to deal with whatever comes at us.'

Asked if they'll ever go back to Raising Cane's again, Nicole said: 'Oh absolutely. I love Raising Cane's.'

A representative of Raising Cane's said: 'We are extremely blessed that they chose to dine with us.

'It's because of good people like Chase and Nicole who give us good hope for tomorrow. We'll never be able to thank them enough.'g.

Elizabethtown PD praised the officers' 'courageous and selfless' actions in a proud post on the force's Instagram, adding the hashtag '#couplegoals.'
SAN FRANCISCO  When Paul Miyamoto won election last fall as San Francisco sheriff and again when he was sworn in last month, local and state media headlines echoed his office's description of him as the first Asian American sheriff in state history.

But a subsequent USA TODAY profile of Miyamoto, which posted on Feb. 16, has resulted in an unexpected twist.

While Miyamoto certainly is the first big city California sheriff of Asian heritage, the first in absolute appears to be Sheriff Timothy Saxon of Trinity County, a mostly rural slice of wooded paradise with 13,000 residents.

"Here in Trinity County, we don't look at race," Saxon, 63, said in a phone interview Tuesday from his offices in Weaverville, California, about 100 miles south of the Oregon border. "When I was running for sheriff in 2018, race was not an issue in the election. And when I was elected, no one said, 'Here's Tim Saxon, the first Asian American sheriff in the state's history."

But on Monday, someone in fact did say just that.

Sheriff Tim Saxon of Trinity County, California, is shown at a celebration of local Hmong residents. Saxon was born in Japan and immediately adopted by a U.S. serviceman. Saxon, who was elected sheriff in 2018, is the first Asian American sheriff in the state's history  a discovery that resulted from a recent USA TODAY profile of San Francisco's new sheriff, Paul Miyamoto, whose office believed was the first sheriff in the state of Asian decent.

Saxon has Asian roots along with an interesting life story that began with his birth in Japan and immediate adoption by an Anglo-heritage Air Force official and his wife, who a few years later moved back to the United States.

"Bottom line is, I'm American," says Saxon. "I was raised American, and my parents never treated me as anything but American."

So here are how the events of this tale unfolded.

In preparing the profile of Miyamoto, USA TODAY interviewed the sheriff about the milestone, which was brought to his attention last fall by San Francisco Sheriffs Department staff.

Also contacted for confirmation of this achievement was the California State Sheriff's Association, which did not respond to a request for comment. On Tuesday, the association said it does not keep track of ethnicity details.

Although many state media sites had noted Miyamoto's Asian American first since his Nov. 6 victory, no one over the ensuing months suggested to the department he might not be the first.

Story continues

Shortly after USA TODAY ran its story Sunday, the Record Searchlight in Redding  a newspaper just east of Weaverville that is part of the USA Today Network  featured the piece on its website and its Facebook page.

Within hours, a few messages from Weaverville-area residents appeared on the Record Searchlight's Facebook page, suggesting that Saxon had preceded Miyamoto as the state's first sheriff of Asian ancestry.

Paul Miyamoto, pictured here in front of San Francisco City Hall, is the first Asian American sheriff of a large county in the state of California.

USA TODAY reached out to Saxon; early Tuesday morning and before calling USA TODAY, Saxon contacted Miyamoto.

"We had a great conversation, and when I told him I was elected a year before him, he said 'I guess you're the first then, but I'm still the first Asian American sheriff in San Francisco's 150-year history,' and I said that you are," Saxon recalled with a laugh.

"My point was not to in any way embarrass Paul and the department, but I wanted to reach out because in life it's always good to have the facts out there," he said.

Miyamoto took the news in stride, and in fact was in some ways pleased to hear it. During his interview with USA TODAY, Miyamoto had said that while he was proud of the achievement, "what Id really like is for us to never have any more firsts. Id like us to be on an equal footing."

In a statement, Miyamoto said Tuesday that he had spoken with Saxon and "apologized for our mistake. Im delighted that Im not the first Asian American Sheriff in California. It tells me were making progress diversifying leadership positions in law enforcement."

Saxon: 'I had more to give'

When asked why he didn't reach out to correct the record months ago, Saxon chuckles.

"I'll be honest, I don't get involved on Facebook, and up here in Trinity County we don't read the downstate papers much," he says. "It was my wife who told me that something was on Facebook about an Asian American sheriff, and that some people were commenting about me. I have good friends and supporters here."

Saxon was born in post-war Japan; he doesn't know anything about his father other than a recent Ancestry.com test revealed that the other half of his heritage is European.

After moving with his parents to the U.S. as an infant, Saxon grew up in Los Angeles, Michigan, Nebraska and Colorado before settling in the Bay Area town of Newark.

Saxon did a few odd jobs after college before signing up with the California Highway Patrol, where he spent the next 28 years in various leadership positions around the state. In 1998, he and his family, which include two adult daughters, moved to Weaverville, where Saxon eventually took a job with the county's Marshal's office.

Although retirement loomed, Saxon decided to run for sheriff  making him a rare law enforcement official to have worked for three separate branches of California policing. "I realized I wasn't done with law enforcement I guess," he says. "I felt I had more to give."

In contrast to his colleague Miyamoto, who runs a staff of 1,000 to cover 50-square San Francisco miles, Saxon has his hand full. He has only 56 employees policing 3,200 square miles in an area that often has to deal with raging wildfires and drug-cartel marijuana busts.

Saxon says he is certainly proud to wear the mantle of first California sheriff of Asian ancestry, but it's not something that defines him.

"My daughters know they have Japanese history in our family, and they keep wanting me to track down more," he says. "But when I was growing up, this was a non-issue to me. My parents were my parents. Nothing against my birth mother, but this American life has been my life."

Saxon's attitude is perhaps best summed up by the talk he would give potential recruits back when he was in charge of bringing in new officers to the Highway Patrol.

"I would tell these folks, we're all people, no matter what your background, your skin color, your religion," he says. "We just want good people."

Follow USA TODAY national correspondent Marco della Cava: @marcodellacava

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: First Asian American sheriff in California isn't who people thought
Even if it's not a huge purchase, we think it was good to see that Stefan Romedahl, the President of Boliden Mines of Boliden AB (publ) (STO:BOL) recently shelled out kr138k to buy stock, at kr230 per share. Even though that isn't a massive buy, it did increase their holding by 150%, which is a arguably a good sign.

See our latest analysis for Boliden

Boliden Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

President & CEO Mikael Staffas made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for kr631k worth of shares at a price of kr210 each. That implies that an insider found the current price of kr230 per share to be enticing. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. In this case we're pleased to report that the insider purchases were made at close to current prices.

While Boliden insiders bought shares last year, they didn't sell. They paid about kr238 on average. I'd consider this a positive as it suggests insiders see value at around the current price. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

OM:BOL Recent Insider Trading, February 19th 2020

Boliden is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Insider Ownership of Boliden

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. From looking at our data, insiders own kr19m worth of Boliden stock, about 0.03% of the company. I generally like to see higher levels of ownership.

Story continues

What Might The Insider Transactions At Boliden Tell Us?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Boliden we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Boliden.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
A new mobile phone that has been branded as 'child friendly' is able to block users from taking naked selfies and doesn't save 'inappropriate' images to the phone.

Developed by Japanese smartphone company Tone, the e20 uses artificial intelligence technology to detect potentially x-rated images and block them.

The device, only available in Japan, can also be set up to send an alert with pixelated images to their parent if a child tries to take a picture of their naked body.

The phone has been specifically designed to target a younger audience with a range of parent friendly protective features and a lower price tag at about 180.

Scroll down for video

The Tone Mobile smartphone was designed with children in mind and has a range of features designed to protect younger users - including a camera blocker if it detects naked flesh

The company says it isn't designed to stop adults sending pictures of themselves to one another, but to protect younger users.

It's camera app software is similar to technology used by social media companies to alert authorities if someone shares naked images of children.

Despite being aimed at a younger audience it still has a large 6.26 inch display, Android 9.0 and a triple-lens camera similar to bigger budget devices.

Tone says its goal was to develop a device that provided increased security for minors who may be targeted by online scammers and paedophiles.

They say the aim was to protect children from potential coercion tactics where they are tricked or threatened into sending nude pictures of themselves.

Children will be able to simply say 'my phone won't allow me to take that picture'.

Even though it won't save an inappropriate image, the phone can be setup to send a pixelated thumbnail to the parent along with the date, time and GPS information on where it was taken - every time they attempt to capture a naked selfie.

Tone Mobile says it does not retain any of the pixelated thumbnails or images captured from the camera on any other device or server beyond the parents phone.

There are a range of security features available to parents using the Smartphone Protection feature - which is already available without the nudity restriction on older phones made by the Japanese company.

They include the ability to track where your child is, see what websites they visit and get warnings about changes in behaviour.

The device can also be used in schools as it can block certain apps depending on the GPS location of the user - for instance it can block games and social media in school

The child protection feature in the camera software automatically detects naked flesh, blocks the image from being taken and can send a pixelated thumbnail to parents with a location

It uses artificial intelligence to monitor the apps, websites and even real world walking and transport routes a child takes.

If anything significant changes in their behaviour it can warn parents - or if the child doesn't get the bus they get to school every day it can alert the emergency services.

It is also 'school friendly' as certain apps can be locked out depending on location - so if the child is at school it could automatically social media apps and only allow those for learning or talking to parents.

The feature is called Smartphone Protection and is under the control of an adult user who can decide to turn it on or off using a special passcode.

If the phone isn't for a child and is instead being used by an adult it can be disable - that includes the naked picture blocking - which would allow someone to take photos of themselves in as few or as many clothes as they like.
Coleen Rooney looked fresh-faced as she made an animated phone call in Cheshire on Wednesday.

The WAG, 33, went make-up free as she stepped out for a takeaway coffee while running some errands.

Coleen cut a casual figure in an oversized black padded jacket and even opted to wear the hood up at certain points in the day.

Fresh-faced: Coleen Rooney looked fresh-faced as she made an animated phone call in Cheshire on Wednesday

The mother-of-four teamed the item of clothing with a pair of grey patterned gym leggings, a black top and striped trainers.

Coleen styled her brunette locks into a sweptback bun, she went make-up free as she displayed her radiant complexion.

The star appeared to be having an animated phone call as she sipped on her takeaway coffee.

Radiant: The WAG, 33, went make-up free as she stepped out for a takeaway coffee while running some errands

Casual: Coleen cut a casual figure in an oversized black padded jacket and even opted to wear the hood up at certain points in the day

It comes after Coleen was spotted on a rare outing with husband Wayne on Monday as they headed out to pick up some breakfast.

While the couple have taken to Instagram in recent months to mark birthdays and anniversaries, they haven't been seen out together since last August.

Back in August, Wayne and Coleen were pictured together in Washington, before they moved back to the UK.

Outing: Coleen styled her brunette locks into a sweptback bun, she went make-up free as she displayed her radiant complexion

Animated: The star appeared to be having an animated phone call as she sipped on her takeaway coffee

Before that, they were seen holidaying together in Barbados, a month after his 'barmaid bender.'

Their holiday has marked a 'fresh start' in their relationship following Wayne's 10-hour booze bender in Florida in February, where he downed shots with bar girl Vickie Rosiek until 2.30am.

A source told The Sun at the time: 'Coleen is adamant Wayne can change his ways and she is helping him get out of the hole hed fallen into. This holiday marks a fresh start and things are going well.

Sighting; Coleen was spotted on a rare outing with husband Wayne on Monday as they headed out to pick up some breakfast (pictured on Instagram earlier this week)

'First to go was his video gaming obsession and Coleen is demanding he spend more time with the family at home, rather than in a different room staring at a screen.

'She is desperate for Wayne to end his childish antics and start growing up.'

Wayne and Coleen were pictured again on social media while on a double date with pals in November, just over three months on.

Emotional: The sighting comes after Rebekah Vardy tearfully admitted she was hospitalised three times during the famous WAG war while she was pregnant with her daughter Olivia, one month

Replying: A representative for Coleen tweeted a statement, which she retweeted minutes later

Hinting at Wayne's absence from her social media in recent weeks, Coleen captioned the post: 'It's been a while... Great to be back to weekday date nights and meeting up with friends.'

A month later, the couple shared a family snap and Wayne also posted a throwback picture and Valentine's Day message over the weekend as the pair celebrated 18 years together.

Meanwhile, Coleen's outing marked the first time she had been seen since responding to Rebekah Vardy's emotional Loose Women appearance amid their public feud.

The full statement: In October last year, Rebekah was explosively accused by Coleen of leaking stories about her to The Sun newspaper

Last week, a representative for Coleen tweeted that she is 'confident in the legal process' and feels no need to comment further after Rebekah told how the WAG war 'was the worst thing she had been through since being abused by her stepdad'.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy for further comment.

In October last year, Rebekah was explosively accused by Coleen of leaking stories about her to The Sun newspaper - a claim she fiercely denies - leading to a WAG war which captivated the nation.

Coleen launched an incredible social media attack on Rebekah, revealing how she set up an elaborate sting on Instagram to 'catch' her leaking fake stories.

Her dramatic revelation enthralled Britain and sparked an angry denial from pregnant Vardy who said 'I don't need the money' and pointed out other people have had access to her Instagram account.

Fans praised Rooney for the sensational way in which she revealed Vardy was the alleged culprit by concluding her post with a thriller-worthy: 'It's......... Rebekah Vardy's account.'
Lark Voorhies is not taking part in the Saved by the Bell reboot. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Image)

Saved by the Bell star Lark Voorhies has expressed her "hurt" at not being invited to join the reunion of the classic high school series.

The upcoming reboot of the programme will see Elizabeth Berkley, Mario Lopez and Mark-Paul Gosselaar reprise their roles as Jessie Spano, A.C. Slater and Zack Morris, however, Voorhies isn't involved.

The actor has speculated that her bipolar diagnosis may have influenced the decision.

Read more: Sex And The City star Chris Noth welcomes new baby at age of 65

The 45-year-old, who played Lisa Turtle, read a passage about her feelings on the matter on US show Dr Oz: "I have to admit I did feel a bit slighted and hurt when I was not invited to be part of the Saved by the Bell reunion as well as other cast members events.

"I have to admit I did feel a bit slighted and hurt."



"Saved by the Bell" star Lark Voorhies joins me Wednesday to discuss her mental health, as well as her feelings about not being included in an upcoming reboot of the show. pic.twitter.com/mLYQ4aRpoF  Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) February 18, 2020

"Yet of course, I also realised that having this puzzling disorder may have played a major part in that factual decision."

"With that in mind, I am truly thankful for having had the chance to work on a show that has been so successful," she added.

Last year, Gosselaar, Lopez, Berkley and Kelly Kapowski star Tiffani Thiessen got together for a reunion dinner with their spouses, but Voorhies was absent.

Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski, Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater, Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle, Dustin Diamond as Screech Powers, .Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris, Elizabeth Berkeley as Jessie Spano -- Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank

The synopsis for the new series is: When California governor Zack Morris gets into hot water for closing too many low-income high schools, he proposes they send the affected students to the highest-performing schools in the stateincluding Bayside High.

"The influx of new students gives the overprivileged Bayside kids a much needed and hilarious dose of reality.

Story continues

Last month, it was announced that Josie Totah had been cast as the show's star as popular cheerleader Lexi.

The reboot is set to air later this year in the US on new streaming service Peacock. It is not yet known if it will be made available to UK viewers.
A recent statement of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought the focus back on shortcomings in India's taxation system. Some of the facts were not only revealing (not in public domain until then) but shocking too. Two of them stood out: (a) only 1.5 crore people pay income tax and (b) only a little over 3 lakh disclose annual income of more than Rs 50 lakh.

A closer scrutiny of relevant tax data shows there is indeed much to worry about the existing taxation system, starting with its very structure which seems heavily tilted in favour of those with higher income.

Here is how.

7.59 lakh 'dollar millionaires' but only 3.16 lakh declare income above Rs 50 lakh

Following the Prime Minister's statement the income tax authorities revealed a few facts through a series of tweets on February 13.

These tweets disclosed the following: (i) 5.78 crore individuals filed returns in 2018-19 (ii) out of this, 4.32 crore disclosed income up to Rs 5 lakh - who don't need to pay tax now (iii) that leaves around 1.46 crore individual taxpayers liable to pay tax of which (iv) 3.16 lakh individual taxpayers have disclosed income above Rs 50 lakh (b) 8,600 individuals above Rs 5 crore and (c) around 2,200 professionals like doctors, chartered accountants, lawyers and others disclosed income of above Rs 1 crore from profession (excluding other incomes like rental, interest, capital gains etc.)

Also Read: Taxing the untaxed: Why govt should tax agricultural income

The tweet relevant for the current purpose is reproduced below.

These numbers look like small changes compared to what is widely known.

According to the Credit Suisse's Global Wealth Report of 2019, India has 7.59 lakh 'dollar millionaires' in 2019 - up from 7.25 lakh in 2018. Their rapid rise is astonishing. The same report says there were only 34,000 'dollar millionaires' in India in 2010.

One million dollar (USD) is about Rs 7.1 crore at an exchange rate of Rs 71.

Here is an extract from the Global Wealth Report to remove all doubts.

This is not the first time that such a discrepancy is revealed.

The third report of the Tax Administration Reform Commission (TARC) released in 2014 had emphasised on this point too. It said The Wall Street Journal had revealed in 2013 that India had 1.25 lakh dollar millionaires. The same year the Finance Ministry proposed a 10% surcharge on those who had declared annual income of at least Rs 1 crore (about $176,000 then). The ministry had also pointed out that there were only 43,000 such individuals "despite the fact that the number of millionaires is believed to be at least 3 times that".

Greater scrutiny for tax affairs of high net-worth individuals (HNWIs)

There is another reason why the tax arrangements of individuals in higher income bracket should be looked at more carefully.

Also Read: Budget 2020: Sitharaman announces new income tax rates but there's a catch

The same TARC report had warned that such individuals (it called them high net-worth individuals or HNWIs) may not be less tax compliant "but the scale and complexity of their personal and business tax arrangements need to be reviewed more effectively to examine their tax affairs".

It said many HNWIs used HUFs (Hindu Undivided Families) to spread their income and fall under the threshold to save tax. They were also known to launder money or receive gifts from abroad. The relevant observation is reproduced below.

An attempt in the Budget 2019-20 to increase surcharge by 10% on individuals with taxable income between Rs 2-5 crore and above was later withdrawn.

Direct tax burden more on individuals than corporate entities

All this, however, should not distract from the fact that individual taxpayers, rather than corporate entities, have been bearing a heavier direct tax burden in India.

An analysis of the budget statements of 'revenue impact of tax incentives' - earlier called statement of 'revenue foregone' - reveals that corporate entities are benefitting far more from tax incentives and deductions given under the direct tax regime as compared to personal income taxpayers (individual/HUF).

As a result, the revenue foregone as a percentage of respective direct tax collection for corporate and individual/HUF presents a skewed picture - as presented below. The graph also shows that in the percentage terms while revenue foregone for corporate is going down that for individual/HUF has stagnated.

What a higher percentage of revenue foregone for corporate means is that the tax burden is far higher on smaller taxpayers (individual/HUF) - while prudence demands an equitable system in which those with higher capacity to pay contribute more to the exchequer.

This is, again, not something new or unknown.

An earlier assessment of revenue foregone in 2013 by the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) - a finance ministry research body - had observed the trend and said: "It is tempting to conclude that the tax burden seems to be shifting to the small taxpayers".

This study analysed data from FY05 to FY13 after the practice of disclosing revenue foregone was started in the Budget of 2006-07 to bring greater transparency into the budget-making exercise.

In absolute terms, however, revenue foregone in personal income tax has closed the gap, surpassing corporate entities in FY20 (estimated) - as mapped in the graph below. But this estimate was made on the "basis of the tax expenditure figures of the financial year 2018-19", the budget document discloses and thus, does not take into account the corporate tax cuts to the tune of Rs 1.45 lakh crore announced in September 2019. Next year's budget is likely to provide a clearer picture.

A similar trend is witnessed when direct tax foregone for corporate entities is analysed.

Direct tax burden more on smaller rather than larger corporate entities

The budget documents have been, for several years, pointing out that smaller players (a) pay higher "effective tax rate" - the ratio of total taxes (including surcharge and education cess but excluding dividend distribution tax) to the total profits before taxes (PBT) expressed in percentage - and (b) they have a higher ratio of total income to PBT.

What both of these means is that "larger companies are availing higher deductions and incentives as compared to smaller companies", explains the Budget 2020-21.

Here is, for illustration purpose, a comparative state of effective tax rates and total income-to-PBT ratios for the previous four financial years.

The comparison is between corporates with Rs 10-50 crore of profit before tax (PBT) and those with that of more than Rs 500 crore - a comparison that the budget documents have been making for years.

Wealth tax abolished, replaced with 2% surcharge

These are not the only discordant notes in the Indian tax system.

India abolished the wealth tax in the Budget 2015-16 - which was introduced in 1957 to reduce wealth inequality - on the plea that the cost of collecting it was more than the benefits derived. The same logic has been forwarded to not tax the agricultural income too.

The wealth tax was replaced by a 2% surcharge on the super-rich with taxable income of more than Rs 1 crore.

The change came months after the French economist Thomas Piketty published his historical study on inequality, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, that sparked a global debate on the issue. He highlighted how income has concentrated in the hands of a few, warned against its adverse consequences and proposed progressive wealth taxes to address the growing income inequality.

In absence of comparable data or studies in India it is not possible to know how the move to replace the wealth tax with a surcharge has worked.

But the ground realities have changed significantly since then, warranting a relook at it.

Poverty, hunger and income inequality growing in India

In 2017, Piketty and colleague Lucas Chancel published their study on income inequality in India, 'Indian Income Inequality, 1922-2015: From British Raj to Billionaire Raj?' It showed income inequality had worsened in the post-liberalised era and sought wealth tax and other redistributive measures to reverse it.

The Indian government's own studies have subsequently confirmed the worsening of financial well-being.

In November 2019, a leaked report of the NSO's consumer expenditure survey (CES) of 2017-18 showed that for the first time in more than 40 years the monthly per capita real consumption had fallen from Rs 1,501 in 2011-12 to Rs 1,446 in 2017-18.

A few months earlier, the periodic labour force survey (PLFS) of the NSSO for 2017-18 had shown that the unemployment rate had touched a 45-year-high at 6.1%. Since then the rate has been climbing - it was 7.6% in December 2019 as per the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).

Also Read: I-T Dept notifies forms for companies to avail lower corporate taxes

Then came another shocker.

In December 2019, the government's principal think tank Niti Aayog published its SDG Index 2019 report showing that poverty, hunger and income inequality had gone up in 22, 24 and 25 states/UTs, respectively, out of 28 states/UTs that it mapped in 2019 - after having set a benchmark for such measurements in 2018.

The 2017-18 CES and the 2019 Niti Aayog report marked the end of an era.

For the last time, in September 2018, the 'Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2018' of the UNDP-Oxford University had praised India for an extraordinary progress in reducing multidimensional poor by 271 million in a decade between 2005-06 and 2015-16. (In 2019, their report repeated the same claim.)

Direct tax structure needs redesigning

The issues highlighted so far call for an urgent and honest evaluation of the existing taxation structure in India and address anomalies to ensure equity in taxation by shifting the burden to those who have more capacity to pay - not less.

In that sense the government's recent move towards a new tax regime without incentives and deductions - as was the case with the 2019 corporate tax cut and new income tax rates for individuals proposed in the Budget 2020-21 - may be a move in the right direction.

But inversing the current tax structure and preventing leakages calls for more than an ad hoc approach to the policymaking. It calls for deliberations in and outside the government and public debates.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 02/18/2020



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Merissa Pence warned star Peter Weber that Victoria Fuller has allegedly broken up relationships on Monday night's episode, and now Merissa has revealed Victoria F. has allegedly ruined a whopping four marriages!Merissa, who casually dated Peter for five months in 2012 and lives in the same Virginia Beach area as Victoria, recently told Us Weekly that Victoria is putting on an act on and is a "self-centered" woman who actually craves attention and thinks the world revolves around her.Merissa therefore felt the need to crash Peter's date during Victoria's hometown visit to warn star about her alleged character flaws -- which allegedly include having affairs with married men."I knew who Victoria was, as far as her reputation, but I honestly didn't know that she had done as much damage as she had done to our hometown," Merissa told Us after Monday night's episode aired.Merissa claimed Victoria has broken up four marriages, adding, "It kind of started becoming a trend... I felt like she was a little more entitled or felt that way at least. And so just leading up to that, I felt like, all these people out here aren't going to say anything?"Merissa revealed she and Peter talked for about seven minutes after the Hunter Hayes concert, when Peter had probably assumed he just ironically bumped into his ex.During their chat, Merissa reportedly told Peter that Victoria had ruined four marriages and the pilot "was definitely upset." However, Peter allegedly told Merissa he trusted her when they parted ways."Everybody could kind of tell the mood shifted," Merissa said.Although Merissa is already taking some heat for her appearance, she told Us that she's very pleased with herself for standing up for what she believes is right.Merissa claimed many women who had been hurt by Victoria in the past didn't feel comfortable going on the show but she "didn't have anything to lose" by speaking up, according to the magazine."One of the other wives actually confronted me when I was at a bar in Virginia Beach and I didn't know that that's who she was until after the fact. And she was like, 'I just want to thank you so much. You took on a huge burden that a lot of us couldn't take on because of other reasons,'" Merissa explained."It's definitely been crazy. I definitely lost friends because everybody hopped on the fame train, which is fine. They'll figure it out one way or another."But Merissa said she luckily only received two hate-mail messages from people from her hometown that took Victoria's side -- and everyone else allegedly told her, "Thank you for doing that.""I had a totally different stance than everybody because I knew Peter, I know his family and I know what type of person he is," Merissa elaborated."So I just felt like, if anyone were to say something, I felt like he probably would listen to me vs. some random girl."Merissa, however, revealed it wasn't exactly easy for her to get on 's 24th season and cause a stir.Once the series began filming, Merissa said she briefly spoke with producers and shared the information she had about Victoria, but there didn't seem to be much interest in pursuing the issue.Then, the Sunday before Victoria's hometown date filmed, producers reportedly reached out and said they'd like to "have a conversation" about her possibly appearing on the show."I talked to them for about an hour. They said they'd call me back," Merissa shared with the magazine."They didn't call me back until about 9:30PM and they were like, 'Hey, we don't feel like we've vetted the situation enough to bring you on the show.' I was like, 'Oh, that's a bummer, but I wish him the best and I totally understand.' So I was kind of just like mulling over how I could still make it work."Producers apparently had a change of heart when Merissa called a producer the next day, asking if she could watch filming and "maybe talk to Peter" after the date.The producer reportedly obliged and texted Merissa 30 minutes before she should arrive."I ended up going, I signed paperwork just like everybody else. I wasn't mic'd up or anything," Merissa said, adding that she watched production and then called out to Peter to talk."I noticed that Peter and Victoria were separated and so I was like, 'Okay, well I guess if I'm going to do something, I need to do it now,' because I knew going into it, I had prepped myself to not use slander words, like, I'm only going to be forthcoming if it's invitational."Merissa previously told the magazine she had become friends with Victoria about three years ago."Our first encounter was that she told me she was going to slash my tires because I was hanging out with one of her ex-boyfriends," Merissa recalled.Merissa clearly wasn't a fan of Victoria right off the bat, but the girls were allegedly forced to hang out with each other again since they ran in the same social circle."Virginia Beach is a pretty small town. As time went on, I became friends with a girl who was best friends with Victoria. And so we all kind of started hanging out and it just became more of like a forced friendship," Merissa explained."...But we went out one night for our friend Audrey's birthday and it turned into the Victoria Fuller Show because it was three weeks out that she was about to leave for and she just became a very self-centered person ... and she was just acting crazy, just wanting all the attention and it was very distasteful."Fame allegedly went to Victoria's head quickly, even before she actually began dating Peter and filming the show."She's like, 'Do you know who I am?' And I was just like, 'Where is this coming from?' So that just really rubbed me the wrong way... She's crazy. She literally has no respect for anybody around her, and I just don't want to be associated with that," Merissa alleged.Merissa said she's especially annoyed Victoria portrayed herself to be a shy woman who's never the most outgoing girl in a room on the show.Victoria acted quiet and meek when getting to know Peter and claimed she had trouble standing out in a crowd and getting his attention. Victoria complained the process was very challenging for her, but Peter promised the bachelorette he found her vulnerability and insecurities real and endearing."She just thinks that the world revolves around her and she's the hottest thing that's ever hit this planet," Merissa insisted of the medical sales representative."And actually the most disturbing thing so far of all of this was the lingerie episode that she just acted like she was this coy person. The people in Virginia Beach are even seeing that that's not you at all. You're always the one in the bar wanting attention."Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone previously reported Victoria had several affairs with the husbands of her own friends, but he wasn't able to disclose an exact number.During Monday night's episode, Peter and Victoria fought about Merissa's allegations outside of the home in which Peter was going to meet the bachelorette's entire family.Things quickly spun out of control and so Peter left Victoria standing outside, bawling her eyes out. He felt like Victoria was giving up on their relationship just because they were having a disagreement.The next day, however, Victoria paid Peter a visit to his hotel room and asked for a second chance because she allegedly really cared for and was falling in love with him.As a result, Peter decided to give Victoria a rose at the Rose Ceremony filmed in Los Angeles, CA, following hometown dates. Peter eliminated Kelsey Weier instead and decided to bring Victoria, Madison Prewett and Hannah Ann Sluss to the Fantasy Suite date round in Australia.Interested in more news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
Targeting turncoat immune cells to treat cancer

FEBRUARY 18, 2020, NEW YORK -- A Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a mechanism by which regulatory T cells, which suppress immune responses, adapt their metabolism to thrive in the harsh microenvironment of the tumor. This mechanism, the study finds, is exclusively engaged by regulatory T cells (T regs ) that reside in tumors and could be disrupted to selectively target such T regs and boost the effects of cancer immunotherapy.

"It has long been known that the T regs found in tumors protect cancer cells from immune attack, so countering T regs would be an important strategy for cancer immunotherapy," says Ping-Chih Ho, associate member of the Lausanne Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, who led the study. "But a major hurdle to such interventions is that the systemic suppression of Treg activity can cause severe autoimmune reactions. We have discovered a potential approach to overcoming that problem, one that selectively targets T regs in tumors and could therefore prevent such adverse effects."

T regs play a critical role in healthy tissues, where they prevent autoimmune disease and aid wound-healing. But, when recruited into tumors, T regs also thwart anti-cancer immune responses--and immunotherapy. The current study, published in Nature Immunology, identifies a protein that drives the metabolic adaptations of intratumoral T regs . The researchers show in a mouse model of melanoma that targeting that protein with an antibody significantly boosts the efficacy of immunotherapy without causing autoimmune side effects.

The cores of tumors are often acidic and starved of oxygen and vital nutrients, which forces resident cells to adapt their metabolism to survive. Ho and graduate student Haiping Wang suspected those adaptations might also reveal vulnerabilities unique to intratumoral T regs . To find those vulnerabilities, they analyzed a dataset of Treg gene expression in breast tumors and blood compiled a few years ago by the laboratory of Ludwig MSK Director Alexander Rudensky.

They found that those and other intratumoral T regs expressed high levels of genes involved in lipid uptake and metabolism--particularly CD36, a receptor involved in lipid import. An analysis of T regs from human melanoma patients conducted by Ludwig Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) researchers Taha Merghoub and Jedd Wolchok yielded similar results.

To explore the role of CD36 in intratumoral T regs , the researchers generated mice that lacked the CD36 gene only in their Treg cells and engrafted them with melanoma. "We found that the tumor burden was reduced in CD36-deficient mice," says Wang, "and the number and functionality of T regs declined only within tumors, not in the other, healthy tissues of the mice."

CD36 deficiency induced in intratumoral T regs a form of cell suicide known as apoptosis that was driven by a decline in the health and number of mitochondria--the power generators of cells. Further study revealed that CD36 fuels the activity of PPAR, a protein essential to the genesis and function of mitochondria.

Treating mice bearing melanoma tumors with an antibody to CD36 resulted in a decline of intratumoral T regs that was not seen in genetically identical control mice. When this antibody was combined with an immunotherapy known as PD-1 blockade, which stimulates a T cell attack on cancer cells, tumor growth slowed significantly, prolonging the survival of the mice. "By targeting CD36 with an antibody, we don't just create trouble for intratumoral T regs , we also create trouble for the tumor's ability to maintain an immunosuppressive microenvironment and hamper immunotherapy," says Ho.

Ho's lab is now working to translate these findings into a potential cancer therapy while exploring how CD36-targeting might be combined with other interventions to more extensively disable T regs selectively within tumors. They are also exploring which other types of solid tumors harbor T regs that are dependent on CD36 for survival.

###

This study was supported by Ludwig Cancer Research, the Swiss Cancer Foundation, the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, the European Research Council, the Cancer Research Institute, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, the US National Institutes of Health, the Research Foundation--Flanders, the Swiss Cancer Research Foundation, Swim Across America, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

In addition to his Ludwig post, Ping-Chih Ho is an associate professor at the University of Lausanne.

About Ludwig Cancer Research

Ludwig Cancer Research is an international collaborative network of acclaimed scientists that has pioneered cancer research and landmark discovery for 48 years. Ludwig combines basic science with the ability to translate its discoveries and conduct clinical trials to accelerate the development of new cancer diagnostics and therapies. Since 1971, Ludwig has invested $2.7 billion in life-changing science through the not-for-profit Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the six U.S.-based Ludwig Centers. To learn more, visit http://www. ludwigcancerresearch. org .

For further information please contact Rachel Reinhardt, rreinhardt@lcr.org or +1-212-450-1582.

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday and said the two had a good and fruitful meeting.

"Met Hon'ble Home Minister Sh Amit Shah ji. Had a very good and fruitful meeting. Discussed several issues related to Delhi. Both of us agreed that we will work together for development of Delhi," Kejriwal tweeted soon after meeting Shah.

The two met for the first time after Kejriwal took oath for a third consecutive term on Sunday.

"It ia a courtesy call. He is to seek Centre's cooperation to run Delhi government smoothly," said a senior Delhi government officer.

Kejriwal, who won the state Assembly polls with a thumping majority, has been demanding full statehood for Delhi.

Kejriwal has often been at loggerheads with the Centre on the issue of law and order, which comes under the control of the Union Home Ministry.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Returning American astronauts to the moon in 2024 , and then sending pioneers on to Mars in the next decade, remains a top priority for the Trump administration, Vice President Mike Pence stressed.

"The president has made it clear that we're going to accomplish this goal by any means necessary," Pence said Wednesday (Feb. 19) during a speech to employees at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia.

"In order to succeed, we are going to continue to focus on the mission over the means," added Pence, who also chairs the policy-steering National Space Council . "We want to challenge each one of you here at Langley: Consider every available option and platform to meet our goals, including industry, government  the entire American space enterprise."

Related: Presidential visions for space exploration: From Ike to Trump

In December 2017, President Donald Trump signed Space Policy Directive-1 , which officially instructed NASA to work toward returning people to the moon for the first time since 1972, and to use Earth's nearest neighbor as a stepping-stone to Mars.

The original timeline targeted 2028 for the crewed return, which will send two astronauts, including the first-ever female moonwalker, to the lunar south pole. But in March of last year, Pence announced a significant acceleration, directing NASA to aim for 2024 instead.

The agency is also working toward ambitious timelines farther out. For example, NASA aims to establish a sustainable, long-term human presence on and around the moon by the late 2020s and to put boots on Mars sometime in the 2030s.

Three big pieces of infrastructure are key to the moon plan, which NASA is pursuing via a program called Artemis : the Orion crew capsule, the Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket and the Gateway, a small, moon-orbiting space station that will serve as a hub for lunar surface operations and sorties.

Orion made an uncrewed test flight to Earth orbit in December 2014, but the SLS still hasn't gotten off the ground; development of the huge rocket has been beset by delays and cost overruns.

The first SLS flight  an uncrewed test mission called Artemis 1, which will send Orion around the moon  is expected to take place sometime next year. The crewed Artemis 2 mission, another lunar flyby, is targeted for late 2022. Artemis 3 is the 2024 surface mission.

Pence didn't mention the SLS issues in Wednesday's speech. But he did highlight the progress being made in the private spaceflight sector, noting that SpaceX is poised to launch NASA astronauts to the International Space Station sometime this spring . (The California company holds a $2.6 billion NASA contract to fly six operational crewed missions to the orbiting lab using its Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket.)

The vice president repeatedly praised the "incredible entrepreneurial energy" in American spaceflight and stressed that NASA should tap that resource to the extent possible.

"We encourage you to reach out, to engage them [private-sector employees] in every appropriate way to help us achieve our mission," Pence told the Langley crowd. "Keep building on the partnership that the American space program has always been in this country."

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 Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has asked insurance company CEOs to review their products annually and weed out poor-selling policies.

The idea is to encourage insurers to have products with a high rate of sale, Subhash Khuntia, Chairman, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), said.

I would like to encourage insurance companies to weed out products that are not selling and are simply adding to the number. If they do this, they will be able to manage their portfolio well, he added.

The regulator conveyed the message in a recent meeting with CEOs of insurance companies.

A cap in terms of the number of products a company can have was not specified. However, data shows that insurers typically have only four to five popular products on average. The rest merely exist. From the overall list, insurers may now do away with the worst-selling products following a comprehensive review at the end of every fiscal year.

Indias life and general insurance companies put together sell more than 1,500 products.

To be sure, there are also niche products that may not sell too much but serve a need in the market.

Such products, say a cancer cover, would still be made available even if they have low traction, says the chief executive of a mid-sized bank-led insurer.

"Through our actuary, we would be able to explain to the regulator why some products are still being sold," he said.

He added that companies would choose products that are the lowermost in the sales portfolio and do not add any significant value to the industry.

Having a slew of products leads to additional costs for insurance companies in the form of requisite IT infrastructure and the need for record keeping.

Existing rules state that insurance companies can only file up to five products a year.

IRDAI has said if the number of products exceeded five, the insurer should furnish supporting market research, product-wise persistency for the 13th month, 25th month and 37th month as on April 30 of the previous year.

At present, the insurance regulator follows the file-and-use method of application, wherein insurers apply to obtain prior approval of the authority to introduce/modify insurance products.

According to estimates, insurance companies could save up to 30 percent of annual costs if they restrict the number of products being sold in the market. It is likely that policyholders will be given adequate notice before the policy withdrawal from the market.
ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / Findit, Inc. (OTC PINK:FDIT) owner of Findit.com, a full service social networking management platform which provides online marketing services, is featuring Findit member Chavez for Charity and highlighting their charity bracelets that help benefit numerous charities through their Colors for Causes Campaign.

Chavez for Charity sells beautiful charitable bracelets online that are color matched to a specific charity. With every charitable bracelet that they sell, the donate 25% of net profits directly to that charity. Chavez for Charity is helping support some of the most influential charities that are facing some of the most important humanitarian issues that we face today such as companion animal homelessness, LGBT rights and acceptance, breast cancer, and ending world hunger and poverty.

Chavez for Charity has claimed 13 Findit Names under the Claim Your Name Feature on Findit. Each of the names represents a specific charitable organization that Chavez for Charity donates a portion of their proceeds from each bracelet sold or a keyword or phrase that Chavez for Charity is looking to index under in search engines.

Visit Chavez for Charity on Findit under their Findit Names

Findit.com/taps-chavez-for-charity

Findit.com/sierra-club-foundation-chavez-for-charity

Findit.com/matthew-shepard-foundation-chavez-for-charity

Findit.com/the-hunger-project-chavez-for-charity

Findit.com/chavez-for-charity

Chavez for Charity's charity bracelets make excellent gifts for friends, family, and for yourself. They help support worthy foundations, spread the word about Chavez for Charity's mission as well as the mission of the Charity you elect to support with your purchase.

Chavez for Charity Colors for Causes Campaign Supports:

Water.org - Blue Charitable Bracelets

Best Friends Animal Society - Brown Charitable Bracelets

The Hunger Project - Black Charitable Bracelets

TAPS - Gold Charitable Bracelets

Sierra Club Foundation - Green Charitable Bracelets

Matthew Shepard Foundation - Multi Colored Charitable Bracelets

Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation - Pink Charitable Bracelets

Malala Fund - Purple Charitable Bracelets

Chavez for Charity's Featured Charity Bracelets

Believe in Angels (Set of Two) - Benefits The Hunger Project

I Am Rescued (Set of Two) - Benefits Best Friends Animal Society

Unlock Your Love (Set of Two) - Benefits Dr Susan Love Research Foundation

To learn more about Chavez for Charity, visit http://www.chavezforcharity.com. To learn more about their Colors for Causes Campaign, visit Chavez for Charity Colors for Causes.

Findit focuses on reaching the target demographics for Chavez for Charity that may or may not be aware of them in an effort to heighten brand awareness of their services and in some cases, their extensive product lines.

About Chavez for Charity

When Julie Chavez founded Chavez for Charity in 2013, she had an ambitious vision. She wanted to create a line of colorful bracelets that would contribute, in a significant way, to some of the most important humanitarian issues facing our world today. Leveraging her background as the Founder and Designer of the small, yet highly coveted jewelry line Marie Chavez, whose fans included a-list celebrities like Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner, Rosario Dawson, and Anne Hathaway, Julie carefully crafted a brand that is unique in its mission and has a purpose much greater than profits. Supporting their trademark phrase "Colors for Causes', each of the 10 colors in the collection represents a distinct cause. For every product sold, Chavez for Charity donates 25% of their profit to each color's corresponding cause.

To date, Chavez for Charity has provided over 6,000 people in rural and impoverished communities with clean water; funded over 500 micro-loans for women entrepreneurs world wide, covered 1,400 hours of critical pediatric cancer research, impacted 724 students in Ghana for a lifetime with Teacher Support Programming - and the list goes on. With over 3,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada carrying their iconic bracelets, in 2018 Chavez for Charity will proudly celebrate 1.6 million dollars in donations. While this is a major milestone for the company, it is just the beginning of what they aspire to accomplish.

About Findit, Inc.

Findit.com which is a Social Media Content Management Platform that provides an interactive search engine for all content posted in Findit to appear in Findit search. The site is an open platform that provides access to Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines access to its content posted to Findit so it can be indexed in these search engines as well. Findit provides Members the ability to post, share and manage their content. Once they have posted in Findit, we ensure the content gets indexed in Findit Search results. Findit provides an option for anyone to submit URLs that they want indexed in Findit search result, along with posting status updates through Findit Right Now. Status Updates posted in Findit can be crawled by outside search engines which can result in additional organic indexing. All posts on Findit can be shared to other social and bookmarking sites by members and non-members. Findit provides Real Estate Agents the ability to create their own Findit Site where they can pull in their listing and others through their IDX account. Findit, Inc., is focused on the development of monetized Internet-based web products that can provide an increase in brand awareness of our members. Findit, Inc., trades under the stock symbol FDIT on the OTCPinksheets."

Safe Harbor:

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), including statements regarding potential sales, the success of the company's business, as well as statements that include the word believe or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Findit, Inc. to differ materially from those implied or expressed.

CONTACT:

Clark St. Amant

404-443-3224

SOURCE: Findit, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/576963/Findit-Featured-Member-Chavez-for-Charity-Benefits-Numerous-Humanitarian-Efforts-Through-Their-Charity-Bracelets
Police will be given new powers to access end-to-end encrypted content to fight online child sex abuse networks if tech giants do not water down their messaging services.

Law enforcement agencies and the Morrison government will also "name and shame" companies who do not fully co-operate with requests for encrypted messages and access to the "dark web".

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw says new encryption laws are needed to combat child sex networks. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

New powers giving security agencies access to encrypted communication would be legislated unless tech companies "came to the table" on end-to-end encryption, according to government sources.

Facebook is introducing end-to-end encryption across its messaging platforms  including Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram - which prevents anyone from being able to read private messages by encrypting both ends of a conversation.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday slammed the economic policies of his successor Narendra Modi, saying the government was not acknowledging that there was a slowdown, and that there was a need to rethink the reform process afresh to deal with the countrys challenges. Today we have a government which does not acknowledge that there is a word as slowdown.

And I feel this is not good for our economy. If you do not recognise the problems that you face, you are not likely to find credible answers to take corrective actions measures and that is the real ...
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 23:29:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BISHKEK, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The security service of Kyrgyzstan said on Tuesday that it had detained three men while they were attempting to sell counterfeit U.S. dollars in the southern city of Jalal-Abad.

The counterfeit bills with a denomination of 100 dollars totaled 30,000 dollars, the press service of the State Committee for National Security reported.

The counterfeit banknotes were purchased in a neighboring country and transported illegally across the border, the report added.

Currently, an investigation is being carried out to identify others involved in the production chain and sale of counterfeit banknotes.
The construction company for a demolition and renovation project at a Morris County mall where a subcontractor was critically injured in a 20-foot fall on Saturday had previously been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for failing to have fall prevention measures in place, an OSHA spokeswoman said.

The 40-year-old worker from Bronx, N.Y. was working for Precise Demolition, a subcontractor hired by March Associates, when he suffered a major trauma" on Saturday at the Ledgewood Mall in Roxbury, officials said.

March Associates was cited twice in the past 10 years by OSHA for failing to have fall protections in place. The first citation was for a 2013 job in Levittown, New York. The company was ordered to pay $2,800 in fines. More recently, March was cited for fall prevention and other safety requirements at a Roselle Park job site, a March 2019 inspection report says. They were fined $26,000 for those violations.

March Associates officials did not return a message seeking comment Wednesday.

The worker fell 20 feet from the roof of the building at the Ledgewood Mall construction site, Roxbury police spokeswoman Jen Dillard said. He was taken to Morristown Medical Center by helicopter, and remains in critical condition Wednesday morning.

OSHA launched an investigation on Tuesday after the fall was reported by the construction company, OSHA spokeswoman Leni Fortson said.

An employee at Precise, which directly employed Garcia, declined to comment on Garcias injuries. Precise Demolition does not have an OSHA history, Fortson said.

Ledgewood Mall is in the middle of an extensive renovation, and will eventually be replaced by the new Shops at Ledgewood Commons. Some stores are still open during the project, while other are being demolished.

Construction is expected to continue through next year.

Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieKausch. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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: The CPI (M)-led LDF



government in Kerala will join hands with The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) in the areas of innovative technologies like Internet of Things, Big data and Machine learning.

A weekly cabinet meeting here on Wednesday decided to give nod to the International Centre for Free and Open Source Software under the state IT department to sign an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the Dutch organisation in this regard.

There is a proposal in the MoU to set up a centre of excellence of Internet of Things (IoT) here, an official statement said.

The collaboration with the Netherlands is envisaged to utilise the potential of new technologies in the areas of Smart Villages, water management, environment, livestock resources, crop protection, disaster management and so on, it added.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had visited the Netherlands in May last year on an invitation of the Dutch government to explore possibilities of cooperation in various sectors, including water management, flood prevention and agriculture.

Netherlands King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima had arrived in the southern state in last October for a two-day tour and visited various places.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Zelira Therapeutics Ltd (ASX: ZLD,OTCQB: ZLDAF), a global leader in the development of clinically validated cannabis medicines, today announced positive Phase 1b/2a results confirming that ZLT-101 therapy achieved the primary endpoint of a statistically significant improvement in Insomnia Severity Index scores in patients diagnosed with chronic insomnia.

The Phase 1b/2a trial recruited 24 chronic insomnia patients, aged between 25-70. The study was a randomised, double-blind, cross-over design involving 14 nights of ZTL-101 and 14 nights of placebo, separated by a one-week washout period. All participants underwent a monitored sensitivity test to a mixture of ZTL-101 and placebo prior to commencing dosing. When dosing commenced each participant was able to take a single (0.5ml of 11.5mg total cannabinoids) or double (1 ml of 23mg total cannabinoids) dose of the medication, delivered sublingually, according to their symptoms.

Of the 23 participants who completed the protocol, 12 (52%) chose to increase the ZTL-101 medication from a single dose (0.5ml/11.5mg total cannabinoids) to double dose (1.0ml/23mg total cannabinoids) of ZTL-101 (as measured on the 14th night). Sixteen participants (69.5%) were taking a double dose (1.0ml) of the placebo on the 14th night.

The primary study endpoints were: (1) safety of the medication based on adverse event reporting; and (2) insomnia symptoms as measured by the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) at the end of each of the 14 night active medication/placebo periods.

Primary Endpoint 1: Safe and Well Tolerated

A total of 36 non-serious adverse events possibly or likely related to ZTL-101 medication were recorded from 17 participants. The most frequently reported adverse event was xerostomia (dry mouth) (22.2% of all events) followed by dizziness (16.7%), headache (11.1%) and feeling abnormal (11.1%).

A total of 4 non-serious adverse events were recorded from 4 participants during dosing of the placebo medication. Headache was most frequently reported (50%) followed by dizziness (25%) and variable mood (25%).

All adverse events were classified as mild and had either resolved (97.5%) overnight or soon after waking each day or were resolving at the end of the trial.

Primary Endpoint 2: Significant Change in ISI Scores

Compared to baseline ISI scores (18.03.7) a significant decrease was observed following ZTL-101 (12.95.3, p<0.001) but not following placebo (18.04.3, p>0.05) (Figure 1 attached). The magnitude of decrease in ISI scores following ZTL-101 and placebo were 5.24.3 [Confidence Interval (CI) = 3.4 to 7.0] and 0.03.3 [CI = -1.8 to 1.9], respectively. The ISI scores following ZTL-101 and placebo were significantly different (p<0.001).

"This study represents the most rigorous clinical trial ever undertaken to assess the therapeutic potential of medicinal cannabis to treat the symptoms of chronic insomnia. It's also the first trial to use the Insomnia Severity Index, arguably the current gold standard in this field, to measure the efficacy of a medicinal cannabis product to treat insomnia symptoms. The fact that ZLT-101 treatment achieved a statistically significant improvement in ISI scores is very impressive, particularly given the relatively short two-week dosing window. The lack of serious adverse or persistent mild adverse events is also encouraging given the reported safety issues for several already approved insomnia therapies. Taken together, these results suggest ZLT-101 has potential as a novel treatment for Insomnia." commented Professor Peter Eastwood, Principal Investigator for the study, and Director at the Centre for Sleep Science at the University of Western Australia.

Dr Richard Hopkins, Managing Director ex-US markets said "We are delighted with the preliminary findings from this study. Additional analyses are on-going and we expect to release a final report, including data from a comprehensive suite of secondary endpoints, by the end of March 2020 and thereafter, subsequent scientific publications based on the positive results from this study. We would like to acknowledge the dedicated team at the UWA Sleep Centre and express our gratitude to the patients and supporting investigators/organisations who participated in the study."

An estimated 70 million Americans have insomnia where the market for prescription and over-the-counter medications used to treat the condition generates over US$2 billion in annual revenue. Zelira is leading the development of clinically validated full spectrum cannabis medicines to access global markets for insomnia medications.

Osagie Imasogie, Chairman of Zelira, commented "The positive outcome to this trial represents an important milestone for Zelira and its commitment to address the unmet need for clinically validated cannabis medicines and offer more treatment options to physicians and patients. Having successfully completed its recent merger, Zelira is now poised to rapidly commercialise the world's first clinically validated cannabis medicine for insomnia into global markets in 2020, including the US, based on the positive results of this study.

These positive results add ZLT-101 to the Zelira portfolio of commercialized and to be commercialized, revenue generating products derived from cannabinoids, such as HOPE, in the US and globally, as a result of rigorous scientific work by the Zelira team. Zelira will continue to deploy its unique Launch, Learn and Develop strategy to launch more scientifically validated products, targeting various conditions, into the market in 2020."

Next Steps:

A final report from the clinical study including an analysis of a comprehensive suite of secondary endpoints will be provided by end of March 2020. These results will inform the design of any future clinical studies.

Zelira will also seek to deploy its Launch, Learn and Develop strategy to commence supply of its clinically-validated insomnia formula in countries and states where medicinal cannabis has been legalised including Australia, the USA, Germany and the United Kingdom.

This announcement has been authorised by the Board.

Richard Hopkins

Managing Director

About Zelira Therapeutics (www.zeliratx.com)

Zelira Therapeutics Ltd is a leading global therapeutic medicinal cannabis company with access to the world's largest and fastest growing cannabis markets. Zelira owns a portfolio of proprietary revenue generating products and a pipeline of candidates undergoing clinical development that are positioned to enter global markets from 2020. The company is focused on developing branded cannabis products for the treatment of a variety of medical conditions.

The Company is undertaking product development programs targeting specific conditions (e.g. HOPE) and human clinical trial programs focused on insomnia, autism and opioid reduction with activities in Australia and the USA.

The Company conducts this work in partnership with world-leading researchers and organizations including Complutense University in Madrid, Spain; Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia; the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth; the University of Western Australia, in Perth; St. Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia; and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in the United States.

Zelira has also formed a strategic partnership with European medicinal cannabis group HAPA Pharm BV, to access HAPA Pharm's EU-GMP grade manufacturing capabilities and accessing its German distribution network providing a credible and rapid path to commercialization for successful clinically validated formulations.

The Company has developed two proprietary formulations (HOPE) already launched and generating revenues in Pennsylvania, has laboratory capabilities to develop formulations in Pennsylvania and Louisiana with ability to conduct clinical trials and is establishing a national footprint across the US for the licensing of its products.

Conference call details

Time: 11 am (AEDT) Wednesday 19 February

Conference ID: 10004335

Access the call by one of two ways:

1. Preregistration Participants can preregister by navigating to: https://s1.cconf.com/diamondpass/10003237invite.html. Registered participants will receive their dial in number upon registration to enter the call automatically on the day. 2. Dialin directly (toll free) Australia: 1800 908 299 Japan: 0066 3386 8000 Sydney: 02 9007 8048 Malaysia: 1800 816 441 New Zealand: 0800 452 795 Singapore: 800 101 2702 China: 10800 140 1776 South Africa: 0800 984 013 France: 0800 913 734 Spain: 900 823 322 Germany: 0800 183 0918 Switzerland: 0800 802 498 Hong Kong: 800 968 273 Taiwan: 0080 112 7377 India: 0008 0010 08070 UAE: 8000 3570 2706 Indonesia: 007 803 321 8057 UK: 0800 051 1453 Ireland: 1800 948 607 USA/Canada 1 855 624 0077 Other International (metered): +61 7 3145 4005

SOURCE Zelira Therapeutics
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.

7:30 pm: Iran says two people have tested positive for coronavirus

Iranian authorities reported two suspected cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, according to the country's semi-official ISNA news agency. A health ministry spokesperson said both cases were in the city of Qom ad the patients had been put into isolation. "The next stages of testing are underway and the final results of these tests will be released to the public once they have been determined," Kiyanoush Jahanpour, a spokesperson at Iran's health ministry, said in a statement, ISNA reported. Iran has not previously confirmed any cases of the coronavirus.  Meredith.

6:40 pm: Japan says 79 more people have tested positive for coronavirus on Diamond Princess cruise ship

Japan has reported a further 79 people aboard the Diamond Princess cruise liner have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of on-board infections to 621. Japan's public broadcaster, NHK, citing the health ministry, said Wednesday that 68 of the 79 people found to have contracted COVID-19 had no symptoms. Earlier in the day, passengers and crew members on board the quarantined cruise ship, who were not taking government repatriation flights, started the process of disembarking. (See 12:08 p.m. update). It is thought this process will happen over several consecutive days, as people need certificates indicating they tested negative for the virus before they can leave.  Meredith.

6:25 pm: Adidas says business activity in China has tanked roughly 85% due to coronavirus

German sportswear firm Adidas warned business activity in China has fallen dramatically in recent weeks, citing a material negative impact from the coronavirus outbreak. It comes at a time when many in the sporting goods industry are deeply concerned about the potential economic impact of China's fast-spreading virus. Since Lunar New Year on Jan. 25, the company said Wednesday that a "pronounced traffic reduction within the remaining store fleet" had seen business activity tumble roughly 85% when compared to the same period a year earlier. Shares of Adidas were up over 2% Wednesday morning.  Meredith.

This photo taken on February 18, 2020 shows members of a police sanitation team spraying disinfectant on a bridge as a preventive measure agaist the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Bozhou, in China's eastern Anhui province. STR | AFP | Getty Images

6 pm: China warns local governments over misuse of special funds to fight coronavirus

China's finance ministry has reportedly warned that local governments will face punishment if they are found to have misused special funds meant to pay for the fight to contain the coronavirus. The ministry said Wednesday that irregularities including the embezzlement or misallocation of funds allocated by the central government would be investigated, Reuters reported. On Wednesday, China's National Health Commission reported an additional 1,749 cases of the coronavirus nationwide, with 136 deaths. As of Feb. 18., the commission said there had been a total of 74,185 confirmed cases and 2,004 cumulative deaths. (See 8:09 a.m. update).  Meredith.

5:05 pm: Macao casinos set to re-open after 15-day suspension  but with strict rules for staff and guests

Casinos in the world's most lucrative gambling destination will re-open on Thursday, after being closed for more than two weeks in an effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak. It comes after a 15-day suspension for gaming operations at 41 casinos in Macao. The gaming regulator for the special administrative region has reportedly imposed strict rules for staff and guests, with each casino ordered to carry out temperature checks, mask protection and health declarations.  Meredith.

A worker at a factory in Nanjing sorting face masks being produced to satisfy increased demand during China's COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, in China's Jiangsu province. Stringer | AFP | Getty Images

4:30 pm: China says work resumption rate tops 50% for some industrial companies in key economic regions

From a regional perspective, the resumption of work rate has topped 50% for industrial enterprises greater than a certain scale in Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai and other major economic regions, according to Tang Shemin, second inspector of the operations bureau of the National Development and Reform Commission. That's according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.  Cheng.

3:27 pm: China's Q1 growth could be as low as 3.5%, says Morgan Stanley

China's economic growth in the first quarter could fall to as low as 3.5% if the outbreak is not contained fast enough for manufacturing production to return to normal levels, Morgan Stanley analysts said in a note. While factories have started to come online, checks by Morgan Stanley analysts found that production had only reached 30% to 50% of normal levels as of last week. The analysts said they expect production in China to reach 60% to 80% of the usual levels by the end of this month, and back to normal by middle to late March. But they warned of uncertainties surrounding the virus outbreak.  Lee

2:15 pm: More than 700 cruise ship guests in Cambodia test negative

Cambodia's health ministry has confirmed that 781 guests on board MS Westerdam have all tested negative, cruise ship operator Holland America Line said. The results would provide those people the required clearance to return home to their respective countries, according to the company. Guests who had already departed Cambodia since disembarking will be contacted by their respective local health departments and provided further information, Holland America Line said. The announcement comes after an American passenger from the cruise ship tested positive for the virus when she arrived in Kuala Lumpur, prompting Malaysia to bar the entry of remaining passengers from the Westerdam. Testing for 747 crew members on board is expected to be completed in a few days, the cruise operator said. The Westerdam  which carried 1,455 guests and 802 crew  departed Hong Kong on Feb. 1 and arrived in Cambodia last Thursday after being turned away by several countries including Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand.  Taylor, Roy Choudhury and Lee

1:41 pm: Lunar New Year rail trips in China nearly halve

China's railway operator said 210 million trips were taken in the 40 days of the Lunar New Year travel period from Jan. 10 to Feb. 18, state news agency Xinhua reported. That number marked a 48% decline from last year. During roughly the first two weeks of the travel period, through Jan. 24 (Lunar New Year eve), 168 million trips were taken, an increase of 17.2% from the corresponding holiday travel season last year, the report said. For the remainder of the time period, rail trips fell 83.9%, the article said. The report noted the number of average daily trips during the latter period fell to 1.7 million from 11.2 million.  Cheng

1:17 pm: Malaysia's health minister says virus spread in the country is 'no cause for panic'

Malaysia has so far managed to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, with limited transmission locally, Dzulkefly Ahmad, the country's health minister, told CNBC on Wednesday. Malaysia has reported 22 cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday  the third-highest number in Southeast Asia behind Singapore and Thailand, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Of those cases, 13 have recovered and there haven't been any reported deaths so far, the data showed. "I think it's very contained right now and there's ... no cause for panic at all, but we cannot be complacent about this and we'll continue to be on serious alert," said the minister.  Lee

1:05 pm: One case confirmed in California's Napa County, second patient under investigation

A single case of the coronavirus had been confirmed in Napa County. The patient was in isolation at the Queen of the Valley Medical Center, while a second patient with symptoms was under investigation. Both patients had previously been under quarantine aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan, before being flown into the Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, and subsequently arriving in Napa. They are both under federal quarantine in the U.S. and neither are Napa residents. The first patient tested positive while in Japan but did not experience any symptoms. The second patient tested negative in Japan but displayed symptoms.  Roy Choudhury

12:46 pm: China's after-school activities are moving online, industry players under pressure to deliver

As local governments in China delay the re-opening of schools to limit the spread of the new virus, parents and institutions are turning to online education, putting pressure on industry players to deliver.



For one after-school operator in Beijing, it means moving all classes online, even though the courses come at a discount to offline sessions. But "it's just a choice between zero and something," department headmaster Lu Fei, said, according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks.



Investors are also paying attention. Shares of after-school operator New Oriental's Hong Kong-listed online education subsidiary Koolearn have surged about 75% for the year so far through midday Wednesday.  Ye and Cheng

12:08 pm: Passengers to begin disembarkation from quarantined cruise ship in Japan

Passengers and crew members on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship who are not taking government repatriation flights will begin the process of disembarking, ship operator Princess Cruises said, citing the Japanese health ministry. The disembarkation will happen over several consecutive days, the operator said, as people need certificates indicating they tested negative for the virus before they can leave. It said the testing process alone can take two to three days to complete. Kyodo News reported that the first batch of people to disembark would primarily include around 500 elderly passengers who have tested negative. The ship had been quarantined since early February after a previous guest tested positive six days after disembarking. Japan said there were a total of 542 cases confirmed aboard thus far.  Roy Choudhury

11:16 am: Xi holds calls with leaders of the UK and France

Chinese President Xi Jinping held phone calls with leaders of the U.K. and France on Tuesday to express gratitude for their sympathies and support in China's fight against the virus. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said "he loves China," according to the English-language text of Chinese state-owned agency Xinhua. The U.K. government only said on its website that the prime minister "offered his sympathies" and resolved to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. Separately, Xi thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for calling again to support China at this time, according to Xinhua. The article added that Macron expressed "appreciation for China's timely and effective measures and its high degree of openness and transparency." The English-language version of the French government's website did not have a statement as of Wednesday morning Beijing time. The two calls, in addition to Xi's congratulatory message to Zoran Milanovic on assuming the presidency of Croatia (which also holds the presidency of the EU Council through June), made the front page of China's Communist Party newspaper People's Daily on Wednesday.  Cheng

10:51 am: Hong Kong reports second death

A second person, a 70-year-old man, has died in Hong Kong from the infection, a spokeswoman at the Princess Margaret Hospital told CNBC. When asked for more information about the patient, the spokeswoman said further details would be shared at an afternoon press conference. This would mark the sixth fatality outside the Chinese mainland, where the death toll has surpassed 2,000.  Roy Choudhury

10:13 am: China plans measures to cut costs for companies

The State Council decided on a series of measures to cut costs for businesses, in the wake of the virus disruptions to economic activity. A Tuesday meeting, led by Premier Li Keqiang, announced that all medium, small and micro-sized businesses will not need to make contributions to employees' old-age pension, unemployment and workplace safety insurance plans from February to June, according to a release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Larger companies will only need to pay half from February to April, the release said. "In deciding on these policies, full consideration has been given to the sustainability of the social security fund, the balance of which is sufficient to support the full and timely payments of old-age pensions and other social security benefits nationwide," the English-language text said. The State Council also said companies can defer payments to a housing fund, and emphasized employment as the priority, according to the release. In addition, the statement said Chinese leaders had made plans for boosting agricultural production with the onset of spring, including enhancement of pest prevention.  Cheng

9:44 am: South Korea reports 15 new cases

South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 15 new patients were confirmed to have been infected. That brings the total number of cases in the country to 46. Most of the new cases were identified in the city of Daegu and the Gyengbuk province, and 11 of them were tied to an earlier patient, according to the KCDC's statement.  Roy Choudhury

9:02 am: Confirmed cases in Singapore surpass 80

A total of 81 people have been confirmed to be infected as of Tuesday noon, Singapore's health ministry said adding that among them, 29 have been discharged. Outside mainland China, the city-state has one of the highest number of cases, with a few of them occurring through human-to-human transmission. Singapore has announced plans to set aside $4 billion to help businesses and households weather the outbreak.  Roy Choudhury

8:37 am: Indian start-up Oyo fights to keep hotels in China open

Oyo CEO Ritesh Agarwal told CNBC's "Squawk Alley" that his company is trying to keep as many of its hotels in China open as possible, at reduced prices in provinces most affected by the virus to support doctors and people stranded by travel restrictions. Like its peers in the hospitality industry, the Indian budget hotel chain start-up has seen a drop in occupancy. China is one of its biggest markets and Oyo works with about 9,000 hotels there.  Mody

8:09 am: China says total fatalities top 2,000

China's National Health Commission said there were 1,749 confirmed new cases on the mainland and 136 additional deaths as of Feb. 18. Most of them occurred in the Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak. (see 7:03 a.m. update). Health authorities reported a total of 74,185 confirmed cases and 2,004 cumulative deaths so far.  Roy Choudhury

7:03 am: Hubei province reports an additional 132 deaths

Hubei province in China reported an additional 132 deaths and 1,693 newly confirmed cases related to the pneumonia-like coronavirus as of the end of Tuesday. Most of the fatalities occurred in the city of Wuhan, where the disease was first detected in late December. That brings the total death toll in China to at least 2,000. China's National Health Commission is due to report nation-wide numbers later today. According to the Hubei Provincial Health Committee, 1,921 people have died in the region from the infection and there have been a total of 61,682 confirmed cases so far. Around 9,128 people have also been discharged from hospitals.  Roy Choudhury

A man (C) wearing a facemask as a preventative measure following a coronavirus outbreak which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan, offers money as he reacts after being refused purchase of a box of face masks, after he claimed to have lost his sales registration ticket while queueing up to buy them, in Hong Kong on February 5, 2020. Anthony Wallace | AFP | Getty Images

All times below are in Eastern time.

5:48 pm: CDC places travel restrictions on Princess Cruise passengers

The CDC said it is prohibiting any passengers or crew from the Princess Cruise ship that was quarantined off the coast of Japan from returning to the U.S. for at least 14 days. There are still more than 100 of the original 3,700 people still aboard the Diamond Princess ship or in hospitals in Japan. They will need to wait 14 days after disembarking from the ship  without showing symptoms or testing positive for COVID-19  before they will be allowed to fly back to the U.S., the CDC said. "While the quarantine potentially conferred a significant public health benefit in slowing transmission, CDC's assessment is that it may not have been sufficient to prevent transmission among individuals on the ship," the agency said. "CDC believes the rate of new infections on board, especially among those without symptoms, represents an ongoing risk."  Kopecki

5:26 pm: Too early to tell whether the outbreak is slowing in China
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and he himself were among several politicians who received threat calls from Saudi Arabia and Dubai in the aftermath of two deaths in police firing during violent protests against the CAA and NRC in Mangaluru in December 2019, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Wednesday.

"After the incident (Mangaluru firing), many of our MPs and MLAs received calls from Saudi Arabia and Dubai.

I received the maximum phone calls but I did not find them important. Some threat calls were meant for Chief Minister," Bommai said during a debate on the law and order situation in the state initiated by leader of opposition Siddaramaiah.

The Home minister claimed that there was a larger conspiracy, which everyone needs to understand.

"I won't call it a local phenomenon. It has got an international ramification and not limited to just one state.

It is all over right from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala and Karnataka," the Home minister said.

Recalling the manner in which murders had taken place in the last five to six years, including of some right wing functionaries, Bommai pointed out that even Muslim MLAs in the Congress faced similar threat.

"Tanveer Saith was attacked (with a knife) and bomb was thrown at N A Harris...

I know what U T Khader's brother had requested me and I had told him that Khader should be very careful," Bommai said.

The Home minister said anti-national forces were using protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens as an opportunity to create disturbance and violence in the country.

About the Mangaluru violence, he said those killed were not innocent as has been projected by the opposition because there were criminal cases registered against them.

Bommai suspected that there was a Kerala angle to the violence "as over 1,900 phone numbers from Kasaragod in that State were traced in Mangaluru on the day of violence and notices served on 375 people asking them why they were in Mangaluru on December 19."



He appealed to the opposition members not to speak in a manner that such elements get support.

"If we speak in a manner to get political mileage then everybody has to pay the price tomorrow," he said.

The debate on the issue saw heated exchanges between opposition Congress and the ruling BJP.

Calling the police firing in Mangaluru as "pre-planned" and directly blaming the city police commissioner for it, Siddaramaiah questioned the government on the rule of law, as he expressed fear about danger to democracy and anarchy taking over the system.

Due to pandemonium, Speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri, had to adjourn the House briefly.

"It was pre-planned by the police, the court itself has remarked about police excesses, even the complaint by the family of two innocent persons killed in the golibar (firing) was not taken, 21 people mostly youths were arrested in the case and sent to jail..

this is police excesses.

Karnataka had never in the past had become a police state," Siddaramaiah said.

Siddaramaiah even demanded a judicial inquiry into the Mangaluru incident by a sitting judge of the High Court and the guilty should be punished.

Two people were killed in police firing in Mangaluru on December 19 last year as the protest against the CAA had turned violent, following which the city was brought under curfew and mobile internet service was suspended.

Stating that those killed did not belong to any party, Siddaramaiah demanded to know how police had opened fire, despite instructions from the Chief Minister that there should not even be a lathicharge.

He suspected the role of some "unseen hand" behind the violence and police firing.

He also took on the government on the issue of recent arrest of a parent and the headmistress of a Bidar school (now on bail) in the "sedition case" for their alleged involvement in staging of a drama, portraying Prime Minister Narendra Modi in poor light in connection with the CAA and NRC.

In this context, the Congress leader recalled how the sedition charges were indiscriminately used against people including Congress MLA U T Khader and a student holding a 'Free Kashmir' poster whereas no cases were filed against ruling party leaders like Somashekara Reddy, Anant Kumar Hegde, and RSS strongman Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat despite their "inflammatory speeches."



Treasury and opposition benches clashed over Siddaramaiah quoting the High Court's observations against police, while granting conditional bail to 21 people, who were allegedly involved in Mangaluru violence, stating that the matter was sub-judice.

Participating in the debate, JD(S) leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy rued that innocent people were killed and framed in the Mangaluru violence.

He also demanded formation of a House Panel to probe the matter and submit the report in the House in a week.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rakesh Maria details 26/11 attack and its aftermath in his memoir.

Mumbai: Former Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria has claimed in his memoir that Pakistan had planted fake documents on the 10-member 26/11 terror squad in a bid to masquerade the attacks  which claimed at least 174 lives  as an act of Hindu terror. Mr Marias long-awaited book Let Me Say It Now was released on Monday.

The retired IPS officer wrote in his book that the sole terrorist caught alive, Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, was found in possession of an identity card that mentioned him as Samir Chaudhary, a Bengaluru resident.

The former police commissioner, who also headed the terror attack investigation, wrote in his book that Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyaba gave a contract to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, holed up in Pakistan, to kill Kasab.

Excerpts from Mr Marias book stated: If everything went according to plan, Kasab would have died as Chaudhary, and the media would have blamed Hindu terrorists for the attack. On a photograph of Kasab released after the terror attack, Mr Maria said: It was the handiwork of Central agencies. The Mumbai police tried hard not to disclose any details to the media, fearing for security.

In the photograph, Kasab is seen wearing a red thread on his right wrist, which is sacred to Hindus. But alas, it had not worked that way and here he was, Ajmal Amir Kasab of Faridkot in Pakistan, Mr Marias book said. He also said that martyred Mumbai constable Tukaram Ombles heroic feat of capturing Kasab

alive was the key to foiling this plan.

Kasab was indoctrinated into believing that Muslims were not allowed to offer namaz in India, and he was taken to a mosque near the Metro Inox cinemas in a bid to dissuade him of his belief, the book said.

The book further revealed details of Kasabs journey prior to his arrival in India, stating he was allowed to stay with his family for a week and given Rs 1.25 lakhs before he left for Mumbai. Kasab had passed on the money to his family before leaving Pakistan. After his trial, Kasab was awarded capital punishment on November 21, 2012.

In his book, Maria has blamed Deven Bharti, Maharashtra ATS chief, for misleading him during the investigation in Sheena Bora murder case in which Peter Mukerjea and his former wife Indrani were accused of murdering their daughter (Sheena)

Maharashtra ATS chief Deven Bharti has hit back at former Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria over allegations levelled against him by the latter in his book titled 'Let me say it now'. "Maria belongs to a family linked with Bollywood and, it seems, scriptwriters have a great influence on him. In addition, it appears to be a marketing strategy for the book as well as the web series, which attempts to grab more eyeballs rather than placing facts," Bharti told ANI. "Moreover, for a policeman it is advisable to read the chargesheet and case diary rather than a piece of fiction. Won't comment much as the trial is in progress but would definitely tell that whole investigation team was aware of all developments and were on the same page till the investigation was with Mumbai Police," the ATS chief said. In his book, Maria has blamed Deven Bharti for misleading him during the investigation in Sheena Bora murder case in which Peter Mukerjea and his former wife Indrani were accused of murdering their daughter (Sheena).
Chahid El-Hafed, Feb 18, 2020 (SPS) - The president of the Sahrawi National Commission for Human Rights (CONASADH), Abba El-Haissen, congratulated his Algerian counterpart, Buzaid Lazhari, on his election to the Chair of the United Nations Human Rights Council Advisory Committee at its 24th session in Geneva.

Mr. Abba El-Haissen expressed his best wishes to the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the United Nations Human Rights Council, wishing him every success in his new mission and being confident that his work in this international institution will open up the way to the emancipation of human and peoples' rights.

"The election of Lazhari as head of this body is a recognition of his professional experience and his distinguished position in the UN Human Rights Council," said the president of CONASADH.

The Sahrawi official expressed his will to strengthen the relations of friendship and cooperation between the two institutions in order to continue to defend the interests of the people and respect for human rights.SPS

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Tom Campbell

The John Bolton I experienced at Duke's Dave and Kay Phillips lecture series Monday wasn't what I expected. My impressions of the former National Security Advisor were that he was highly opinionated, sometimes blunt and caustic, a highly intelligent policy wonk who was equally articulate. I saw and heard the intelligent, articulate Bolton, but also a strategist who could be charming, a bit humorous and coy, at the same time serious and knowledgeable about world politics. He is obviously a student with positions that venture beyond what most of the sold-out crowd at Page Auditorium had considered.To be sure John Bolton secured a handsome speaking fee and there is little question that he was there to promote his book, which he hopes will not be stopped from publication by the White House. But there was also the sense he wanted to explain himself and his positions.Most of those present for Bolton's first appearance since the impeachment trial wanted to hear what he knew about the Ukraine situation and subsequent impeachment, as well as his opinions about his former boss, President Trump. He deferred most questions on both fronts; it was hard to figure whether his reticence was due to being legally muzzled or just in wanting to tease us into buying his upcoming book. But there were a few tells.He promised that the book deals in depth on Ukraine, saying his words are like theA student had inquired whether he thought Trump's call to Ukraine's President Zolensky was "perfect," to which Bolton said,Why was he willing to testify to the Senate and not the House impeachment hearings? Bolton said it was complicated, explaining that all the witnesses in the House had, to the best of his knowledge, been subpoenaed. When he was subpoenaed, the White House told him he wasn't to testify. Through an aide Bolton asked the courts what he was supposed to do. Both the White House and the House filed briefs and it was obviously going to be a lengthy proceeding. The House decided to withdraw their subpoena, the case was ultimately dropped, and no subsequent subpoena issued. But he said he faced a decision whether the executive branch or the legislative branch held a higher priority than his First Amendment right to speech. That's why he decided he would testify to the Senate if subpoenaed. That didn't explain, however, why he hasn't been more forthcoming with the press or the public when no subpoena resulted.But Bolton was not bashful in talking about foreign policy, saying our current policies toward both Iran and North Korea are wrong. From the first Bolton has insisted that a regime change is needed in Iran and believes there is strong support within that country for such an action. He said Trump was correct in taking his advice to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement, adding that current policy has failed because we haven't applied "maximum pressure" on Iran.Moderator Peter Feavor, Duke professor and former Bush advisor, asked if Bolton was worried that a regime change might create a power vacuum similar to what happened in Iraq? Bolton said some had criticized his response to this question but said he wouldallowing Iranians to have the power to make their own decisions.Bolton agreed that strategies by previous administrations toward North Korea had proved unproductive and Trump tried a new tact - trying to make friends with Kim. The approach but was doomed to failure because North Korea had previously agreed to get rid of nuclear weapons andHe added there wasn't a single piece of evidence indicating that North Korea has made a decision to give up nuclear weapons and the two years we've wasted has just given proliferators more time to develop nuclear weapons.Bolton spoke about the situation in Venezuela, which he said was also a policy failure, adding that the Maduro dictatorship was being propped up.The country is important because it has the second largest deposits of in-ground uranium in the world.Asked if he thought President Trump had been aggressive enough in criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping's handling of the coronavirus Bolton sidestepped the question by saying China had known about the virus for weeks and not reported it. Many knowledgeable Chinese had left the country out of fear, but Xi Jinping lied to his own people. How can we credibility conduct trade negotiations with a country that lies to its own people? That response got a twitter of laughs from the audience. His closing line on the subject wasA bit tongue-in-cheek Bolton said he hoped his book would be published, adding that if the White House kept leaking parts of it you wouldn't need to buy it. He complained about being unable to respond to some of Trump's statements about him, sayingIn closing, Bolton became a bit philosophic, saying he went into the National Security Advisor's job with his eyes open, but in order toLooking a bit toward how history might judge him he said he wasn't looking for martyrdom. He said,He reiterated he hoped the book would be published, saying it was "an effort to write history and I did it the best I can. We'll have to see what comes out," meaning what is allowed to be published.It was a most interesting 90 minutes with a fascinating player in the political arena.
At the meeting with Defence Minister of Laos, Gen. Chansamone Chanyalath, the host welcomed the Lao Peoples Army delegation to the ADMM Retreat held from February 18 to 20. Minister Lich said this is an important meeting that will set the directions for ASEAN defence and military cooperation for 2020 and the following years, as well as contribute to the success of the ADMM Plus.

Vietnam hopes Laos and other ASEAN members will join hands to consolidate defence - military cooperation mechanisms and build an ASEAN Community that is cohesive and responsive to external factors in line with the theme Defence cooperation for a cohesive and responsive ASEAN for 2020 chosen by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, Lich noted.

At the reception hosted by Minister Lich, Senator Linda Reynolds, Australian Defence Minister, lauded the Vietnamese Defence Ministry for holding an informal meeting between ASEAN and Australia defence ministers.

The Australian minister committed the highest support for activities hosted by Vietnam, and pledged to further assist Vietnam in improving foreign language capacity, and transporting forces from the level-2 field hospital of the Vietnams peacekeeping mission, thus helping Vietnam fulfil its assigned tasks.
'Hire the right people at the right stage'

"It was very emotionally heavy for me and for my leadership team," Bao said of the layoffs. "When we evaluate a business, we are not precise enough to measure like how big the team should be for the size of the business or what that means to the sustainability of a company."

In those early days, he said, the company was making the best hiring decisions it could based on the information it had. While Bao said he doesn't regret those decisions, he now realizes the mistakes that were made.

One important lesson Bao said he learned from investor Ben Horowitz was to "hire the right people at the right stage."

He described the discomfort of having to shift early employees, who were often friends, out of roles so he could attract better talent as the company grew.
Anticipation in the country had been growing that US President Donald Trumps visit to India, scheduled early next week, would see a breakthrough in bilateral trade ties. However, the White House began lowering expectations even before he boarded Air Force One. He is saving the big deal" for later, Trump said, declaring himself unsure if a pact would be signed before the US presidential election in November. If this wasnt enough of a disappointment, he also appeared to revive an old gripe that he seems to air with the rhythm and frequency of a Harley Davidsons exhaust rumble. The US is not treated very well by India", he said, clarifying though that he happens to like Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi a lot". All this suggests that despite all the bonhomie between the two leaders, there is a lot of ground that trade negotiators need to cover. It is now for Indian diplomats to impress upon the US that our mutual interests are best served by speeding up the process.

A new stumbling block that appears to have arisen is a standoff over American access to Indias dairy market. Unlike Europe, Australia and New Zealand, the US is unwilling to certify that the animals used as milk sources by its dairy exporters were not raised on feed made of bovine extracts. For New Delhi, this is a matter of religious sensitivities and the government does risk upsetting a chunk of its support base if it lets in uncertified products. There are other points of friction as well. Indias removal last year from a list of countries given preferential access to the US market has been a sore point for New Delhi, while Washington took a dim view of Indian import tariffs on various US products and price caps imposed on some medical devices, for example. On some of these, there is scope for India to relent. The country could slash import duties on high-end motorcycles further, for instance, so that US-based Harley Davidson cannot be portrayed by Trump as a perpetual victim of Indian policy. Domestic motorcycle makers are unlikely to lose much market share. Likewise, other tariffs could be lowered. On medical devices, a relatively flexible policy might actually work better for the Indian market, with other policy measures adopted to keep cardiac stents and the like affordable to Indians. As for dairy products, package labelling of imports could possibly resolve the issue. In exchange, India could ask for the restoration of benefits under the US Generalized System of Preferences, a bigger quota for H1B visas for Indian professionals, and a shield from US actions against China that got India caught in the crossfire. Indian steel and aluminium need better terms of access to the US.

Granted, forging a workable deal is not as easy as apple pie, or making shrikhand, but there is no reason for discussions to stretch out for months on end. Trade usually works to the benefit of both sides. Thankfully, India doesnt figure much in Trumps domestic political rhetoric on making America great again", and if a deal can be struck with China, this one ought to be easier. India has seen its exports stagnate and economy slow and, while the heady days of globalization are now in the past, it is very important for the country to pursue trade ties with large economies. Having more or less given up on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in the East, New Delhi must make headway with the West.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Velocity Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: VLC) (Velocity or the Company) announces that Steven Dean has been appointed to the board of directors, effective immediately.



On behalf of Velocity, I would like to welcome Steven Dean to the board. We look forward to working with Steven, who is a nominee director of our largest shareholder, Artemis Gold, stated Keith Henderson, Velocitys President & CEO. Stevens experience in the mining sector will be valuable to us as we advance our portfolio of gold exploration and development assets in Bulgaria.

Mr. Dean is currently the Chairman and CEO of Artemis Gold Inc. (Artemis), a well-financed, growth-oriented gold development company aimed at creating shareholder value through the identification, acquisition and development of gold properties in mining-friendly jurisdictions.

Mr. Dean has extensive experience internationally in mining, including as President of Teck Cominco Limited, now Teck Resources Ltd. (Teck). Prior to joining Teck, Mr. Dean was a founding member of management of the Normandy Poseidon Group, which became Normandy Mining, and a co-founder of PacMin Mining Corporation that became a subsidiary of Teck in 1999. He was also a co-founder and former Chairman of Amerigo Resources Ltd.

More recently, Mr. Dean was Chairman, CEO and founder of Atlantic Gold Corporation (Atlantic Gold), a TSX Venture Exchange listed company focused on gold exploration, development and production in Nova Scotia. Atlantic Gold was sold to St. Barbara Limited in 2019 for $802 million after building its Moose River Consolidated Mine on time, on budget and operating at the lowest decile cost profile in the gold sector. Based on Atlantics success, Mr. Dean was named as a recipient of the Viola R. MacMillan Award from the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), which award is given to individuals demonstrating leadership in management and financing for the exploration and development of mineral resources.

Mr. Dean is also the former Chairman and a current director of Sierra Metals Inc. (TSX: SMT), Chairman of Oceanic Iron Ore Corp. (TSX-V: FEO), and a director of St Barbara Limited (ASX: SBM).

Pursuant to a strategic investment agreement between Velocity, Artemis and Atlantic Gold dated January 16, 2019, as amended, Artemis had the right to, among other things, designate one individual to be nominated and, if elected, to serve as a director of Velocity provided that Artemis held at least 15% of the issued and outstanding shares of Velocity. Artemis currently owns 21.6% of Velocity's issued and outstanding shares (39.1% on a partially diluted basis).

About Velocity Minerals Ltd.

Velocity is a gold exploration and development company focused on southeastern Bulgaria. Velocitys strategy is to develop a low cost centralized Hub and Spoke operation whereby multiple projects within this emerging gold district produce gold concentrates for trucking to a central processing plant for production of dore. The Company envisions staged open pit mining of satellite deposits and processing in a currently operating carbon-in-leach (CIL) plant. Velocity has a 70% joint venture interest in the Rozino gold project and has entered into option agreements to earn a 70% interest in the Obichnik, Makedontsi and Sedefche gold projects, with Gorubso Kardzhali A.D., an established and respected mining company in Bulgaria. Velocitys management and board includes mining industry professionals with combined experience spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas as employees of major mining companies as well as founders and senior executives of junior to mid-tier public companies. The team's experience includes all aspects of mineral exploration, resource definition, feasibility, finance, mine construction and mine operation as well as a track record in managing publicly listed companies.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

"Keith Henderson"

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

Keith Henderson

Phone: +1-604-638-3456

E-mail: info@velocityminerals.com

Web: www.velocityminerals.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian legislation. All statements in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations and orientations regarding the future. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable and reflect expectations of future developments and other factors which management believes to be reasonable and relevant, the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "would", "will", "potential", "scheduled" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information and statements and, accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed thereon. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to vary include, but are not limited to, the inability of the Company to execute its proposed business plans and obtain the financing required to carry out planned future activities, general economic, market or business conditions, as well as the risk factors described in the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis and in other filings made by the Company with Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and, accordingly, are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of such statements. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, unless required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements.
Ahead of US President Donald Trump's two-day visit to India, a US Congressional delegation headed by Democrat Ami Bera met Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla in New Delhi on Tuesday and discussed regional developments.

"Foreign Secretary @HarshShringla met US Congressional Delegation led by @RepBera Chairman House Foreign Affairs sub-Committee on Asia-Pacific & @RepHolding, Member House Ways & Means Committee & co-Chairs of India Caucus & discussed strengtheningties & regional developments," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

Accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, the US President will arrive in India on his maiden visit from February 24.

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.

During the visit, Trump, who will be accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, will attend official engagements in New Delhi and Ahmedabad, and interact with a wide cross-section of the Indian society, the MEA said in a statement.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former inmates start forestry company after working as firefighters in prison ABC

Ransomware Shuts Gas Compressor for 2 Days in Latest Attack Bloomberg

Why Syrizas Defeat Still Haunts the Left Jacobin. No point fussing about victories that were never there to be had.

Brexit

Syraqistan

Netanyahu Boasts That He Destroyed Free Speech in America TruthDig (KS).

#NCOV-19

Investors hunt for alternative data to track coronavirus shock FT

The disruption is enormous. Coronavirus epidemic snarls science worldwide Science

Coronavirus: As crisis drags on, cracks show in global supply chains South China Morning Post

China?

New Cold War

Trump Transition

2020

Health Care

Death or Debt? National Estimates of Financial Toxicity in Persons with Newly-Diagnosed Cancer American Journal of Medicine (JT). Across 9.5 million estimated new diagnoses of cancer from 20002012, individuals averaged 68.69.4 years with slight majorities being married (54.7%), not retired (51.1%), and Medicare beneficiaries (56.6%). At year+2, 42.4% depleted their entire lifes assets. But at least they had the consolation, on the way down, of loving their insurance.

Boeing 737

Imperial Collapse Watch

The Only Way To Win A Great Game Is Not To Play The American Conservative

Trials are down, workload is up. Discovery reform fosters new normal in Queens criminal court Queens Daily Eagle

Class Warfare

Coronavirus triggers boom in private jet enquiries BBC Privatizing Sovereignty, Socializing Property: What Economics Doesnt Teach You About the Corporation Law and Political Economy. Interesting, but Im not sure on the thesis. Try to change entity shielding, and youll be seeing plenty of natural persons who are very unhappy, and keen to share their unhappiness with others.

The First Molecule In The Universe Scientific American

Antidote du jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Menopausethat time in every womans life when the ovaries no longer release an egg each month and menstruation ceases foreveris a rare thing among Earths infinitely varied creatures. Humans and a few species of whales are the only mammals that experience menopause, where females live on for many decades in spite of the inability to reproduce. Scientists, psychologists and doctors have been puzzling over that fact for centurieswhat good are older women (or whales) once they lose their fertility? There must be some huge evolutionary benefit that renders womens lives so valuable post-reproduction that they actually live six to eight years longer than men everywhere around the world.

Indeed, the years after a woman experiences menopause can be incredibly productive and influential, according to Susan Mattern, Distinguished Research Professor of History at the University of Georgia and author of The Slow Moon Climbs: The Science, History, & Meaning of Menopause. She opens her book with an extraordinary example: that of Hoelun, the mother of the notorious Genghis Khan. Hoelun accomplished far more than simply giving birth to the notorious emperor of the Mongol Empire. Khan has more than 35 million direct male-line descendants. After Hoelan stopped having children she was critical in keeping her brood safe, leading them in a mission of revenge, and helping to turn the Mongols into a people.

Mattern contends that menopause emerged when we evolved away from chimpanzees millions of years ago. Longevity is what separates humans from chimpanzees and other apes, explained the 53-year-old historian. On average, we live twice as long as chimpanzees. After menopause, women could care for their grandchildren, nieces and nephews. They could forage and grow food, producing more than they consumed. This idea is often called the Grandmother Hypothesis, a concept that emerged in the 1990s, wherein older women are favored by evolution because they enhance human survival.

Yet today, said Mattern, we dont look kindly on menopause, seeing it primarily as a medical malady to be either stoically borne or treated with hormones, antidepressants and other medications.

Thats just fundamentally wrong. People see the word menopause in the title of my book and they assume its a depressing book when in fact its full of good news. Susan Mattern, Distinguished Research Professor of History at the University of Georgia

Mattern reports that menopause wasnt even a concept in the ancient Mediterranean cultures she has spent her professional life studying: those of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel, Greece and Rome. Ancient physicians and writers didnt write or talk about menopause, she explained. There wasnt a word for it. In fact, one ancient Roman physician, Soranus, thought that menstruation, not menopause, was unhealthy for women and rendered them fragile.

It wasnt until the 18th century that menopause became a mainstream concept. The term itself was coined by a French physician in 1821. It was also referred to as womens hell and the death of sex. Sigmund Freud referred to menopausal women as quarrelsome, vexatious and overbearing. A 1966 best seller, Feminine Forever, called post-menopausal women castrates. By the 1920s the first hormones were synthesized in the laboratory, and by 1938 synthetic estrogen had been developed. Menopause was soon infused with this idea of a deficit of estrogen, said Mattern. It is still a medicalized condition today, although medical nuance has been added with large studies examining the risks and benefits of estrogen alone, or estrogen with progesterone, and even in some cases adding in a dollop of testosterone, all to treat menopause.

Of late, though, attitudes toward menopause have begun to shift. Last year, the popular streaming show Fleabag featured a bar-stool soliloquy on the magnificence and freedom of menopause by famed actress Kristin-Scott Thomas. As the Los Angeles Times noted, It may be the best three minutes of television ever; any woman over 45, or under 45, should have it on a loop. Salon joined in as well with a piece entitled TVs changing view of the change.

Menopause is a legitimate phase of life, said Mattern, and we wouldnt be human without it; its part of what makes us a super adaptable unique species. In agrarian societies, she says, midlife was a time when a woman became a mother-in-law and a grandmother and held more status and power in the family. Weve lost that, while weve gained status in other ways, she explained, through business and the workplace. But weve lost the idea that there is a midlife stage that is valuable in its own right.

Theres a casual ageism in our culture that we need to consciously shift, she believes. Mattern dove into this topic in part because of her own personal experience: her second husband is 20 years younger than she. That made me think about menopause, she said, and my supposed expiration date. Our culture has an antipathy to aging and to midlife, and I wondered, Once I transition through menopause, should I still be sexual? Is it OK to have a younger husband? Will I be ugly or unworthy somehow?

The answer, she found out, is just the opposite. Her marriage has remained good and close through menopause, she is productive, and I feel liberated. Post-reproductive life is useful because we transfer resources, knowledge and energy to younger generations. Thats good news for the more than the 100 million Americans over age 50.
Boulders have smashed onto the road in the Gold Coast hinterland as the community attempts to rebuild in the wake of devastating bushfires.

Video footage from December and obtained by Nine News shows the debris roll from the edge of the cliff before crashing into the one-lane road.

A concrete barrier separating the road and the cliff fell victim to the falling rock, as dust began to cover the view.

Boulders have smashed on to the road in the Gold Coast hinterland as the community attempts to rebuild in the wake of devastating bushfires

Video footage from December and obtained by Nine News shows the debris roll from the edge of the cliff before crashing into the one-lane road

The road, which connects to Binna Burra, has been shut to the public amid the danger and is undergoing construction.

The area was ravaged by a fire in September and the heritage-listed Binna Burra Lodge was destroyed.

Eight homes and four other commercial structures in the Gold Coast hinterland areas of Sarabah and Canungra were also gutted by the blaze.

The 18-day fire event, which began on September 6, burned through about 6,000 hectares of the hinterland.

But the fire-ravaged community is now facing more troubles after being hit by record-breaking rain.

The road, which connects to Binna Burra, has been shut to the public amid the danger and is undergoing construction

Pictured: The Binna Burra Lodge after being destroyed in the September fires

The deluge has meant cliffs are even less stable and has pushed back the Binna Burra Lodge's re-opening date.

Chairman Steve Noakes told the ABC:'Yes it's been delayed big time, sadly.'

'The road repairs were on track quite well in January but Easter is now a very ambitious target, given the heavy rain and the extra work that's required to secure the cliff faces above and below the single access road in and out of Binna Burra.'

'We are now looking at reopening in the second half of the year.'

This picture, taken on January 22, shows rocks sprawled along the road as construction faces further delays following rain
The election foils many of the evil intentions Americans and Zionists have in mind against the country. They aim to sow discord between the Islamic establishment and the people. They will not succeed, declared Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khameini as the campaigning stepped up for the last days of the polls in Iran.

As in the 11 February rallies and the funeral reception of Martyr Soleimani, enemies will not achieve their goals when people go to vote which is a religious duty and a revolutionary duty, the Supreme Leader stressed in a rare public speech.

The parliamentary elections on Friday will be one of the most significant in Irans recent history. They come at a time of dangerous turbulence, with fears of war with the US raised at one stage after the assassination of Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani on the orders of Donald Trump.

The killing came amid steadily rising tensions and acts of sporadic violence, including the seizure of oil tankers in the Gulf and attacks on American bases and the embassy in Iraq. There remains great concern that continuing confrontations in the region may yet spark a deadly conflict with grave consequences.

The polls in Iran will also show which direction this country of 83 million people, one of the main strategic players in the Middle East, will take in the future: whether the reformists who won the parliamentary and presidential elections just a few years ago will hang on, or whether hardliners who are inimically hostile to the west will begin the process of gaining power.

On the streets of Tehran, people insist they will not be swayed by foreign propaganda and express continuing anger at the killing of General Soleimani. But, at the same time, many also speak of their disillusionment with the government and establishment politicians  charging them with the responsibility for an economy in dire straits and widespread corruption.

The main cause of the current economic problems are the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration after it withdrew from an international agreement with Iran on its nuclear programme.

But it is the government of president Hassan Rouhani and foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), curbing nuclear powers in return for a chance to open up the country to the outside world, modernise the economy and access lucrative foreign trade.

Correspondents covering the parliamentary and presidential elections in 2016 and 2017 saw a great outpouring of optimism along with the votes for the reformists.

But now the tide appears to be turning against them. The conservatives  or principalists as they term themselves  who were against the deal had repeatedly warned that one cannot trust the west. Now they can proclaim that they had been right all along and those responsible for the agreement must be thrown out of office.

The Americans abandoned the nuclear deal and the Europeans have not done enough to protect it, says Kamal Sepahi, a conservative commentator. But it is Rouhani and Zarif who believed the Americans and the Europeans.

The reformists went for the deal and that failed. Rouhani is one of the owners of the policy which failed and so is Zarif, so yes, people will think they are responsible.

Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Show all 23 1 /23 Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Anti-government protest at Amirkabir University Iranian police officers take position while protesters gather in front of Amir Kabir University AP Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Anti-government protest at Amirkabir University Iranians demonstrate following a tribute for the victims of the Ukraine Boeing 737 crash in front of the Amirkabir University in the capital Tehran EPA Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Anti-government protest at Amirkabir University Iranian police dispersed students chanting "radical" slogans during a gathering in Tehran to honour the 176 people killed when an airliner was mistakenly shot down AFP via Getty Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Anti-government protest at Amirkabir University - People hold flowers as tear gas fired by police rises Online videos purported to show that Iranian security forces fired both live ammunition and tear gas to disperse demonstrators protesting against the Islamic Republic's initial denial that it shot down a Ukrainian jetliner AP Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Anti-government protest at Amirkabir University Iranian police officers take position while protesters gather AP Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Anti-government protest at Amirkabir University AFP correspondents said hundreds of students had gathered early in the evening to pay respects to those killed in the air disaster ISNA/AFP via Getty Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Anti-government protest at Amirkabir University Iranian protester prepares to throw a tear gas canister back at police AP Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Anti-government protest at Amirkabir University A protester confronts an Iranian police officer AP Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Anti-government protest at Amirkabir University EPA Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Anti-government protest at Amirkabir University Iranian police officers take position while protesters gathe AP Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Anti-government protest at Amirkabir University Iranians light candles for victims EPA Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Anti-government protest at Amirkabir University EPA Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west British embassy protest in Tehran People burn British and Israeli flags during a protest in front of the British embassy, in Tehran. Hundreds of Iranian hardliners gathered for a protest against Britain, a day after the UK ambassador to Iran Robert Macaire was detained after attending a a vigil for the victims of Ukraine passenger jet EPA Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west British embassy protestBritish embassy protest in Tehran Chanting "Death to Britain", up to 200 protesters rallied outside the mission a day after the brief arrest of British ambassador Rob Macaire AFP via Getty Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west British embassy protest in Tehran EPA Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west British embassy protest in Tehran AFP via Getty Images Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west AP Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west British embassy protest in Tehran EPA Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west AP Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west British embassy protest in Tehran EPA Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west British embassy protest in Tehran EPA Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west British embassy protest in Tehran EPA Protests in Iran over downing of plane and tensions with the west Protesters chant slogans while holding up posters of Gen. Qassem Soleimani during a demonstration in front of the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020. AP

Sepahi, who had once supported Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the populist and controversial former president, and knew Soleimani well, also condemns the Rouhani government for its handling of the shooting down of the Ukrainian airliner.

Officials at first claimed that Iran had nothing to do with the destruction of the plane, which killed all 176 on board, but then admitted that it was shot down with a missile by mistake. The revelation led to angry street protests in the country.

Not giving out the information at first was the biggest mistake, says Sepahi. No one sane would be happy at the death of so many innocent people, so why not say what happened straight away? This delay made people angry and allowed some of the opposition to do things like tear down photos of Commander Soleimani.

Mohammad Jahangari, a strategic affairs analyst, echoes the suggestion that there could be a backlash among the electorate for the nuclear agreement.

Space has clearly shrunk for the moderates, with anti-west and anti-US chorus growing after the assassination of General Soleimiani, he says. Many see the moderates as responsible for trusting the US and its allies and getting nothing in return.

Moderates say they are being unfairly blamed for the failure of the nuclear deal and it is they who can get the economy moving again.

Vahid Toutounchi, an oil and gas analyst as well as a reformist candidate, says the nuclear deal was the result of so many years of negotiation, not only three years, and it had a very good outcome in the oil and gas industry.

Now everything will be affected and people see it, he says. But if we have a parliament in harmony with the government we can make up the losses and find ways to move on, just as we did before the JCPOA.

Ehsan Mottaghi, another moderate seeking a win, adds that the failure of the agreement was not just due to the west. There was also a lot of internal opposition to it from the principalists who accused us of betraying Irans security, so they also tried to make sure that it did not work.

The liberals face other pressures. There has been controversy over the decision by the Guardian Council, the powerful election supervisory body, to disqualify a disproportionately large number of their candidates.

A total of 6,850 candidates out of 14,000 have been barred from contesting the polls, including a third of the current members of parliament.

Mohammad Adabi, a reformist candidate, says a number of experienced figures have been removed from the contest, which weakened the side. But, he holds, there is a silver lining: There were a lot of people there for a long time and what has happened has meant that we can get younger people. They can bring their expertise and fresh ideas, which is a good thing.

President Rouhani has strongly criticised the council. But Ayatollah Khamenei, the final arbiter in the countrys complex electoral system, has backed the decision, saying there is no place in parliament for those scared of speaking out against foreign enemies.

There were similar accusations of bias in the last parliamentary election, but at the time the reformists overcame the obstacle in a wave of popular support.

I doubt if they will do that this time. I will vote for them because I dont want to see a gradual return to the Ahmadinejad times, says Reza Gharabaghi, a 43-year-old businessman. But a lot of people who voted for them are simply fed up now and the principalists may win.

This may not be the kind of regime change the west wanted. They might not worry too much thinking just us Iranians will be affected. That is foolish, what happens here will have an effect in lots of places.
BALLSTON SPA  Family Court Judge Jennifer Jensen Bergan will launch a primary bid against Republican-endorsed Amy Knussman to retain her seat on the bench.

Bergan, whose 10-year term will end in 2021, announced her plans on Wednesday, saying she was forced into a primary because Saratoga County Republican Committee Chairman Carl Zeilman blocked her from seeking the nomination. In a press release, she claimed that nominees are supplied with the names and number of party members so that candidates can make their case for party support. However, she accuses Zeilman of withholding that information from her and supplying it only to Knussman.

"The nominee is determined by the committee members so it is difficult to understand why only the nominee would be permitted to have the names and addresses of the committee members," her release read. "Mr. Zeilman, however, confirmed that, in fact, he directed the local chairs to only provide the names and addresses of the committee of the members to the nominee (Knussman). This direction by Mr. Zeilman prevented Judge Jensen Bergan...from requesting their support in her re-election efforts."

Zeilman said the onus was on Bergan to meet with all of the town and city committees, but she did not do that. He also said that Knussman, a partner in Donnellan & Knussman, PLLC, Malta, did -- and received the unanimous endorsement from the county committee.

"This was an opportunity for Jennifer to meet with the 300 committee members, for them to get to know her," Zeilman said. "She did not show up. Her accusations are baseless. It was irresponsible of her not to go out."

Bergan said Knussman, who practices family law, is a neighbor and friend of Zeilman.

"This seems completely inappropriate," she commented in the release.

Zeilman again dismissed that claim, saying Knussman lives a few miles down the road in the same town, Ballston.

Knussman said that Zeilman did not give her any help in securing the endorsement.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

"I'm offended by that," she said. "I did this all on my own two feet."

Before her election as judge, Bergan served as an assistant district attorney for 15 years at the Saratoga County District Attorneys Office and was the chief of the sex crimes unit. She has also worked as a law guardian in family court.

She has been a sitting judge since 2011 and is the first woman judge elected in to a county-level judgeship. Bergan began her law practice in January 1984.

The primary is Tuesday, June 23.
The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, says he strongly believes coronavirus is caused by corruption.

Mr Magu said this at the passing out parade of 281 cadets of the EFCC Detective Inspector Course-5, at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, on Tuesday.

He said Corruption is the biggest strategy to human kind. Your excellency, corruption is worse than all the diseases now running about.

And I strongly believe, Your Excellency, that even the coronavirus is caused by corruption, Mr Magu said.

Coronavirus, officially named COVID-19, broke out in Wuhan in Hubei province of China in December last year.

The disease has infected over 1716 medical workers in China alone and over 73,000 infected persons in 25 countries, causing not less than 1,875 deaths. Majority of the deaths are in Wuhan.

The exact cause of the disease has not been determined, neither has a cure been found.

Corruption deeply rooted

Mr Magu described the fight against corruption as a crusade against the evils in the society.

Fighting corruption is thus a crusade against the evils of our society that are deeply rooted and threatening to consume us.

We are aware of the task is not easy and the path can be very thorny and lonely, but with determination and a high sense of mission, we are making a progress towards rooting out this evil from our society

As part of vigorous pursuit, the commission has created new specialised directorate and section taking into cognisance the changing phase of criminality, he said.

This directorate includes asset forfeiture and recovery management directorate, forensic and science laboratory directorate, anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism section.

As at 2015, we had 103 convictions, in 2016,195 convictions, 314 in 2018, over 1218 convictions were secured in 2019, he said.
Amritsar, Feb 19 : Almost 16 years after five members of a family ended their life, a trial court here on Wednesday sentenced former Punjab Deputy Inspector General Kultar Singh and four other police personnel to eight years of imprisonment for abetting suicide in 2004.

They were held guilty by Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Singh Bajwa on February 17 along with Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Hardev Singh, who was sentenced for four years in jail, but withheld the quantum of the sentence.

The four others convicted are close-knit relatives of the victim's family.

Hardip Singh, his wife, mother and two children allegedly committed suicide on October 31, 2004, after consuming poison in this city.

Before the suicide, the family had written a note on walls of a room of their house and had also sent copies of the suicide note to friends and acquaintances by post.

Kultar Singh was posted as the Senior Superintendent of Police here when they committed suicide. The family blamed the police for forcing them to take the extreme step.

In 2009, Punjab Human Rights Organisation activist Sarabjit Verka first brought the matter before a local court and sought justice for the victims as "police was not probing the case seriously despite having instituted three probes".

The trial in the case began in March 2016 on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The directors name is fictional. P. B. Shemran is really Farhad Safinia, an Iranian who co-wrote Apocalypto with Gibson in 2006. Gibson acquired the rights to Simon Winchesters book The Surgeon of Crowthorne in 1998, at publication. He was going to direct it himself; then Luc Besson, then John Boorman.

Mel Gibson walked off this project three years ago, before it was finished. He appears here as the Scottish lexicographer James Murray, founding compiler of the Oxford English Dictionary, only because his lawyers failed to stop its American producers, Voltage Pictures, from finishing it without him.

All came to nought, but Gibson kept at it. His commitment was like that of James Murray himself, who toiled away in Oxford from 1879 until his death in 1915. In late 2016, with $US25 million spent, Gibson and Safinia asked Voltage chief executive Nicolas Chartier for an extra five days shooting  but in Oxford, rather than Dublin, where most of the film had been shot. Chartier refused, claiming the film was already late and over-budget. Gibson and Safinia sued for control, but lost.

Safinias original cut was at least 35 minutes longer than this one. It might well have been better, but that would not be hard. The film is a bombastic dirge verging on the preposterous. The seeds of its downfall are there in the casting  specifically, Gibson as Professor Murray (he never was one) and Sean Penn as the madman. Both wear long beards, making them difficult to recognise, but not long enough: we can still see their performances. Worse, we can hear them. Gibson committed foul murder on the Scottish accent as William Wallace in Braveheart 25 years ago. He does it again here, in the worst crossing of the Atlantic since the Titanic.

The film is a bombastic dirge verging on the preposterous.

We my ulavate Unglish even unto the gits of Heaven, he cries. Least, I think thats what he said. Still, Gibson gives full voice to his character, with obvious affection for what Murray achieved, despite the odds. Its heartfelt. Gibson loves warriors, even if this one fights his battles with pen and ink. Penn gives Dr William Chester Minor, an American schizophrenic, the mumblecore treatment, dropping further into the bass notes of his range as Minor becomes more unhinged. Penns performance is a carnival of crazy, a showy compendium of ticks and whirrs, the kind that Academy voters often mistake for good acting. When we get to self-mutilation, theres at least a certain justice.

Minor was a Civil War military surgeon who drifted unhappily to London, pursued by his demons. In 1872, in Lambeth, he shot and killed George Merrett, a stranger, claiming he was pursuing an attacker. Minor was sent to Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally Insane, where he heard about Murrays dictionary. Murray had appealed for public help to find the earliest quotations for every word in the English language  a mammoth task. The extremely well-read Dr Minor became his most prolific collaborator, contributing notes on more than 10,000 words. The film paints Minor as Murrays rescuer, delivering much-needed progress when the nasty Oxford dons who commissioned the dictionary are about to give Murray the boot. Sadly, no-one can save Minor as his torment worsens.
South Korea has confirmed 15 new cases of novel coronavirus outbreak on February 19 increasing its total tally by nearly 50 per cent which includes 11 people infected on the southern city of Daegu, as per the reports. South Korea is witnessing economic slowdown amid the virus outbreak in neighbouring China. The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reportedly said that 15 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed, increasing its total from 31 to 46. Of the 46 infected, 13 were in Daegu and neighbouring North Gyeongsang province and 11 of them is believed to be linked to a single patient i.e. a 61-year-old woman.

READ: Senior Doctor Dies Of Coronavirus In China; Death Toll Soars To Over 1,800

Over 2,000 dead in China

KCDC said that they attended the same church as the woman. The woman developed a fever on February 10 and refused to get tested for coronavirus on the grounds of not travelling abroad. According to the reports, she was not quarantined for a week and was later confirmed as the country's 31st case on Tuesday. Amid rising concerns of coronavirus, South Korea and Israel have told their citizens to avoid travelling to Singapore, international media reported. The Asian country, at present, has the highest number of confirmed cases after China. The deadly virus has reportedly killed nearly 2,010 and infected over 75,000 in mainland China.

READ: Over 80% Coronavirus Cases Are Mild With Sick, Elderly Most At Risk: Study

Countries issue travel advisories

Adding to the aforementioned two, other countries that have recommended precautions while visiting Singapore are Indonesia and Taiwan. Kuwait and Qatar have issued travel advisories suggesting their citizens avoid non-essential travel to Singapore in the wake of the deadly epidemic. Meanwhile, according to a report published in an Israeli daily, Health Minster Yakkov Litzman had advised his countrymen against travelling to seven East Asian countries in addition to mainland China.

South Korea announced on February 16 that it would evacuate Koreans that were quarantined on a Coronavirus stricken cruise ship in the Japanese port of Yokohama, according to the reports. This step was taken amid fears after 355 people were found to be infected with the virus. The Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo briefed that the government has decided to bring the Koreans home if they test negative from thermal screenings to be conducted by the Japanese authorities.

READ: Japan: Thieves Steal 6,000 Hygiene Masks Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

READ: UK To Evacuate Citizens From Quarantined Japan Cruise Amid Coronavirus Spread
South Africa: Employment Equity Amendment Bill to bring about real transformation

As the Employment Equity Amendment Bill makes its way to Parliament for deliberation, the Department of Employment and Labour has set the ball in motion for the introduction of sector-specific Employment Equity numerical targets.

We are already busy with negotiations with different sectors in terms of the targets. We are not waiting for the bill. The process has started already, said the departments Chief Director of Labour Relations, Thembinkosi Mkhaliphi, on Wednesday.

In an interview with SAnews, Mkhaliphi said consultations have already been had with the mining, banking and retail sectors.

This comes as Cabinet on Tuesday announced its approval of the Employment Equity Amendment Bill 2020, to be submitted to Parliament.

The amendments empower the Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi, in consultation with sector stakeholders, to introduce enabling provisions for the setting of sector-specific Employment Equity numerical targets.

We will be contacting other sectors to set up the targets and see whether we can reach an agreement. We would want those that we have agreed on, to be published, so that citizens know what targets companies should meet going forward, said Mkhaliphi, in an interview held at the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) head office, in Pretoria.

The bill is a result of insignificant transformation in the countrys labour market.

Transformation

Reflecting on the Employment Equity Act (EEA) that was introduced 21 years ago, Mkhaliphi said there has been limited transformation.

Maybe it was because of the euphoria of transformation, [former President Nelson] Mandela magic [and] that everybody will embrace transformation and therefore companies will come to the party and accept that transformation and equity make business sense.

The law then moved from the premise that there should be no involvement of government enforcing transformation in terms of target setting. It left it to companies themselves to set their own targets and goals, he said.

Governments role then was to monitor these targets.

We realised that over the last 21 years, nothing has happened that should have happened and no real significant change has taken place. There has been very limited change and if we [continue] to go at the rate that were going, it will take another 100 years before we really transform, said the Chief Director.

The EEA was enacted to give effect to equality in terms of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution to achieve equity in the workplace.

Government then took a policy decision and drew up the bill following negotiations with the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac).

If the bill is passed by Parliament, the Minister will hold consultations with the different sectors and set the targets of transformation.

The amendments empower the Employment and Labour Minister, in consultation with sector stakeholders, to introduce enabling provisions for the setting of sector-specific Employment Equity numerical targets.

Impact on small business

The bill also reduces the regulatory burden on small employers. The Bill promotes equal opportunity and fair treatment in employment through the elimination of unfair discrimination.

Employers with less than 50 employees will no longer have to report on their employment equity targets, irrespective of their turnover.

It is important that we give a break for small business in terms of regulations. While [this bill] is strengthening enforcement in terms of targets set, it also makes it easy for business to operate by lessening the regulatory burden, he said.

Principle of target setting

Asked whether the sector targets could stifle business, Mkhaliphi said current legislation states that employers can set their own targets and that the introduction of government setting the targets is not new.

Target setting is not new, except that now government comes into the picture in setting the target. The principle of setting targets is not new, therefore it cant be said that this is a drastic change that will affect business.

Mkhaliphi admits that not everyone at Nedlac was happy with the proposed changes.

Its a give and take. We put the proposal of lessening the burden on small business to sweeten the carrot. It was also debated at the Employment Equity Commission, where business was also represented.

State contracts

If passed, the bill will also ensure that an employment equity certificate of compliance becomes a precondition for access to state contracts.

What we intend to do, is to promulgate that section because that section - the one that prevents companies who are not complying, from doing business with government - hasnt been promulgated in the last 21-years.

If you do not meet the target that you [as a business] set for yourself in meeting the sector target, youre not going to get the certificate of compliance because the law introduces the certificate of compliance that companies should get so that they can do business with government.

Job losses

Mkhaliphi dismissed the notion that the bill will inadvertently lead to job losses.

Unless if youre saying that by putting black people into positions, youre reducing productivity for companies, that evidence is not there. We do not think that it will affect business. It is how you run your company that affects your business. This notion that black people mean incompetency is not correct, he said.-SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
All 48 Ukrainian and 29 foreign citizens, who were registered for evacuation from Wuhan, came for departure, State Secretary of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine Andriy Zayats has told a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

All 48 citizens of Ukraine and 29 foreign citizens, including eight citizens of Argentina, five  of the Dominican Republic, five  of Ecuador, four  of El Salvador, two of each Kazakhstan and Costa Rica, arrived for boarding, he said.

Zayats also noted that the citizens of Kazakhstan will leave the plane when it lands in Almaty several hours after the departure from Wuhan.

The crew will also be replaced in Almaty.

A representative of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, whose personnel is also involved in the transportation of the evacuees to a hospital, where they will be isolated for a quarantine of 14 days, said that the flight is expected to arrive in Ukraine at 08:00 on Thursday, February 20. However, he did not specify at what airport the plane would land and where they would be accommodated during the quarantine.
Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has slated reports that she went to Switzerland with her husband to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

The Sunday Independent recently reported that Ndabeni-Abrahams enjoyed wedding anniversary celebrations with her husband in the US and Switzerland on taxpayers money.

The report added that Ndabeni-Abrahams husband enjoyed a chauffeur-driven ride in a Mercedes-Benz S600, allocated to the minister, from Geneva to Paris to go shopping.

Ndabeni-Abrahams has also been accused of outsourcing departmental functions to her husband, by allowing him to interview candidates for positions, the report stated.

Ministry spokesperson Nthabeleng Mokitimi-Dlamini confirmed that Ndabeni-Abrahams husband accompanied her on two international trips.

Minister hits back

Speaking to ENCAs Xoli Mngambi, Ndabeni-Abrahams asked What do you think, Xoli? Do you think I will take my husband to a wedding anniversary in Switzerland?.

She added I have never been to Switzerland. My husband has never been to Switzerland. We went to Geneva and New York, she said.

Ndabeni-Abrahams added that she did the work of her department during the trips to Geneva and New York.

The Minister challenged the reporter who wrote the article about the wedding anniversary trip to provide evidence.

I do realise that it is becoming the norm in this country. Journalists must make sure that when they give information, it is authentic, she said.

Ndabeni-Abrahams later apologized for her statement, saying that she erroneously referred to Switzerland instead of France.

I profusely apologize for this error as I meant to say that we have not been to France in that particular instance, she said.

Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams interview

Full statement by Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-20 01:34:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JERUSALEM, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Israel's army said on Wednesday that it had returned a Lebanese civilian to Lebanon after he crossed the border into Israel and was questioned.

A military spokesperson said in a statement that the suspect was apprehended shortly after crossing the border.

"Troops identified a suspect who attempted to cross from Lebanon into Israeli territory," the statement added.

The suspect was arrested and questioned in a field near the fence of the Blue Line, a border demarcation drawn in 2000 by the United Nations after Israel withdrew its forces from southern Lebanon.

He was sent to Lebanon after the questioning, the spokesperson said, without elaborating on the circumstances that led the suspect to cross the border.

Israel and Lebanon share a disputed border. Local laws in both countries forbid Israeli and Lebanese citizens from traveling to each other countries.
Amit Shah to visit Ram Lalla, Hanumangarhi temple today, to address 3 public rallies in UP

Targeting Akhilesh, Shah asks why Lord Ram had to live in a tent

HM Shah seeks suggestions of MPs, other stakeholders on move to amend IPC, CrPC, Evidence Act

Had a very good and fruitful meeting: Kejriwal after meeting Union HM Amit Shah

India

oi-Mousumi Dash

New Delhi, Feb 19: The third time elected Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday afternoon met Union Home Minister Amit Shah. After the meeting, Kejriwal tweeted that he had a "fruitful" meeting with Shah.

Kejriwal, who became the CM of the national capital, took oath for a third consecutive term on Sunday.

On Wednesday after meeting Shah, he tweeted, "Met Hon'ble Home Minister Sh Amit Shah ji. Had a very good and fruitful meeting. Discussed several issues related to Delhi. Both of us agreed that we will work together for development of Delhi."

Met Honble Home Minister Sh Amit Shah ji. Had a very good and fruitful meeting. Discussed several issues related to Delhi. Both of us agreed that we will work together for development of Delhi  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 19, 2020

After becoming the Delhi CM for the thrid term this was his first meeting with the Union Home Minister.

Kejriwal-led-Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the Delhi Assembly polls 2020 with a mandate, 62 seats of 70 assembly seats.

Arvind Kejriwal calls top officials of Delhi for meeting over "10 gurantees" tomorrow

Kejriwal and all the AAP leaders took oath at Ramlila Maidan, outside Delhi's iconic Red Fort, which was attended by a huge crowd, generally the 'aam janata'.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 18:31 [IST]
New Delhi, Feb 19 : Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) National Secretary Malik Mohtasim Khan, here on Wednesday, accused the UP Police of being vindictive against the anti-CAA/NRC agitators and demanded that all cases against protestors lodged in UP jails be dropped immediately.

Khan said this after visiting Maulana Tahir Madani, General Secretary, Rashtriya Ulema Council, and 18 others with a delegation of Muslim leaders in the Azamgarh jail on Monday.

"We found that some of those in jail were students and mere bystanders. Even Madani had gone to the protest site to talk to the women agitators to diffuse the tension and prevent any untoward incident. But the UP Police arrested Madani and slapped serious charges on him," Khan said.

Pointing out that the police detain protestors for few hours to prevent possible deterioration of the law and order, the JIH office-bearers accused the UP Police of acting in a strange manner by imprisoning them and slapping cases on them.

The JIH condemned the UP Police's action in Bilariyaganj town, Azamgarh, where the women protestors were subjected to baton charge and tear gas shells.

A dedicated legal team is trying to secure early release of Madani and others. The JIH has demanded that the police drop all charges by February 25.
Jerusalem: The criminal trial for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin on March 17, court officials said on Tuesday, shaking up the final stretch of a contentious election campaign and hurting the longtime Israeli leader's hopes of forming a new government after the vote.

The announcement means that Netanyahu will appear in the Jerusalem court as a defendant just two weeks after the March 2 election. After a campaign in which he has worked feverishly to divert attention from his legal woes, the final days of the race are almost certain to play into the hands of his opponents by focusing on the looming trial.

Benjamin Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing. Credit:European Pressphoto Agency

Netanyahu was indicted in November on charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in connection to a series of scandals. He is accused of accepting lavish gifts from billionaire friends, including from Australia's James Packer, and offering regulatory favours to local media moguls in exchange for positive news coverage. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, has denied any wrongdoing.

In a brief statement, the court said Netanyahu was expected to attend the initial hearing.
Advocates on Wednesday applauded the citys strategy of trying to spread affordable housing developments around Houston even as some city council members opposed projects they said failed to account for the needs of specific neighborhoods.

Council on Wednesday passed resolutions to support 20 affordable housing projects seeking tax credits from the state. In doing so, the city employed a new strategy aimed at dispersing the developments across the city, not just in the lower-income areas where such projects historically have been placed.

For example, two of the projects endorsed Wednesday are in the Greater Heights and one is on Post Oak Boulevard inside the Loop. Both represent affluent neighborhoods where such developments have been rarer and often contentious.

The strategy has its roots in a 2017 finding by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that Houstons housing policies violated the Civil Rights Act by maintaining segregation. That finding followed Mayor Sylvester Turners rejection of a similar development near the Galleria over costs and other concerns amid neighborhood opposition.

Texas Housers Co-Director Zoe Middleton said one round of investment would not undo decades of discriminatory housing policies, but it marked a good start. She said where people live is a powerful predictor of their health, life expectancy, educational attainment and economic mobility, among myriad other factors.

I think thats what this policy starts to get at, Middleton said. This policy is good urbanism, which is not something that Houston is known for.

The city is only supporting the projects, though. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Development will review the applications and decide which projects receive the 9 percent tax credits that allow them to charge more affordable rents. Only about 10 of the projects are expected to get the credits and proceed to construction, housing department officials said.

The tax credits have been the largest driver of affordable housing in recent years, empowering private developers to build facilities that offer affordable rents by offsetting a portion of their federal tax liability. Developers sell the tax credits to investors, enabling them to finance the buildings with equity instead of debt, in turn allowing them to charge lower rents. Most of the proposed developments include market-rate units, too.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Why affordable housing could soon be coming to Houston's most expensive districts

Some council members took issue with the citys new strategy, arguing the focus on equitably spreading the projects across different council districts failed to account for the needs of specific neighborhoods in those districts.

Councilmember Edward Pollard, newly elected to represent District J, which includes Sharpstown and Gulfton, led opposition to two projects in his district, which he said failed to take into account that J is the citys most densely-populated area.

Were dense, extremely dense, and we need to start focusing on the multi-family that are already in the area, he said. How can we improve those instead of always building more developments?

The housing department earlier this month said District J has the second-lowest concentration of affordable housing, though that figure only accounts for buildings that get subsidies or tax credits, not all complexes with below-market rents.

Five of Pollards colleagues joined him in voting against the proposed developments  an 80-unit family facility on Hillcroft and 130 units of permanent supportive housing on Savoy Drive  but the resolutions still passed. It was the most opposition garnered against any proposed resolution on Wednesday.

At one point, amid discussions about voting against certain projects, city attorney Ron Lewis interjected, admonishing council members to carefully consider their comments and how they would be seen in the eyes of some who overlook our behavior. The city remains in a voluntary agreement with HUD to correct its housing policies, stemming from the 2017 finding. More scrutiny could jeopardize federal dollars, Lewis said.

Council member Greg Travis pushed back, saying it is council members duty to review and approve the selections.

If thats the case, then we should just all resign and let HUD come in here and take our places, Travis said.

Another project that invited scrutiny Wednesday was the Lockwood South Apartments, a 76-unit family facility proposed for Lockwood Drive. That project received one of six priority resolutions because it is in the Second Ward, one of the mayors Complete Communities.

It drew opposition from At-large Councilmember Letitia Plummer and District B Councilmember Jerry Davis due to its proximity to a concrete batch plant.

Were fighting this environmental injustice in these communities, Davis said. For you to put (a development) in the community when you already know theyre crushing concrete  in the words of former councilman Green, I think thats egregious.

That elicited an adamant defense from Turner, who argued those communities still need development and revitalization. He said ignoring them because of a concrete plant would amount to a red line against development.

So, you dont want any development in these areas, Turner said. Is it your definition of revitalization that you want people to be moved away from these areas? Karla Cisneros, the district council member for that area, stressed that the super neighborhood group there voted unanimously to support the proposal.

The community wants this, she said.

Plummer and two other council members  Travis and Amy Peck  voted against that project, but the resolution still passed.

dylan.mcguinness@chron.com
Johnson Pl., unit block, 1:48 a.m. Feb. 13. A male holding a sledgehammer accosted a 17-year-old driver sitting in his vehicle. The male claimed he had a handgun and threatened to kill the driver, who fled from his vehicle on foot and dropped his keys. The male sped off in the boys vehicle and lost control when police attempted to pull him over in the 900 block of Spa Road. He continued to operate the stolen vehicle, struck three parked vehicles in an apartment complex, and attempted to flee on foot. A 17-year-old Annapolis male was arrested. Charges will be identified after he has been charged as an adult with the crimes.
The largest cohort of people treated in any medical system is the elderly. In England, beginning in April, those elderly had better watch their mouths, or they're going to find themselves denied the health care they paid for with their taxes.

The problem with socialized medicine is that when it runs out of money (as it invariably does), the system has no alternative but to start rationing. Britain, which is saddled with the National Health Service, long ago began contemplating death panels. For example, Baroness Warnock, a well known British medical ethicist (hah!), suggested denying all care to elderly people with dementia.

In Liverpool, the NHS began stealth death panels that massively over-identified elderly people as being near death, justifying palliative care, and then drugged and dehydrated them to make those fake diagnoses a reality. By 2012, a doctor estimated that the NHS was killing around 130,000 elderly patients a year because of management difficulties or bed shortages. Things went downhill from there.

The NHS has now decided on a different way to rid itself of the elderly  a method, moreover, that meets all political correctness metrics:

Sexist and racist patients could be barred from non-emergency care at NHS trusts, under new rules to be enforced from April. Currently, staff can refuse to treat non-critical patients who are verbally aggressive or physically violent towards them. But these protections will extend to any harassment, bullying or discrimination, including homophobic, sexist or racist remarks. Health Secretary Matt Hancock wrote to all NHS staff on Tuesday to announce stronger measures to investigate abuse and harassment towards staff, saying "no act of violence or abuse is minor". [snip] "All assault and hate crimes against NHS staff must be investigated with care, compassion, diligence and commitment," he said.

England does not have a First Amendment. Hate crimes can include being mean on social media about someone's sexual orientation or gender identification, race, or sex. In 2017, a preacher was locked up for quoting the Bible's words about homosexuality. Just last week, a teenager with Asperger's asked a "transgender" police officer, "is it a boy or is it a girl?" Because that question made this representative of the law "upset and embarrassed," the boy was placed under house arrest.

Elderly people make up most of the patients in any health care system. They are also the people least likely to be "woke." Without malice, they may use old-fashioned phrases that are now considered offensive when referring to women, homosexuality, or race. They probably don't even have a vocabulary for "non-binary" people.

In addition, elderly people often lack filters. One of the signs of dementia is a lessening of inhibition, both verbal and physical. An elderly person's early-stage dementia may not be obvious, except that the person might start saying things he would never have said if fully mentally competent.

And now, thanks to the new policy at the National Health Service, any employee whose feelings are hurt can ban a patient, elderly or not, from receiving taxpayer-funded health care. Think about this care situation and a confused older patient:

"In late 2017 an NHS patient who requested a female nurse to carry out a cervical smear complained when the hospital sent a person with "an obviously male appearance ... close-cropped hair, a male facial appearance and voice, large number of tattoos and facial stubble" who insisted "My gender is not male. I'm a transsexual."

In addition to squeezing out elderly people, the whole system represents a further attack on free speech in Great Britain:

The line between critical and non-critcal [sic] care is also up for debate. Will refusal to treat a patient because they said something someone deems offensive result in accidental deaths? This is even worse than China's social credit score, which hasn't yet gone so far as to punish people by withdrawing medical treatment if they engage in wrongthink.

Two more things to mull: First, Britain was the cradle of the rights we Americans take for granted. The Founders took those rights so seriously that they fought a revolution to retain them, and then enshrined them in our Bill of Rights. Second, if it can happen there, it can happen here. The left never tires of the fight. If we give these people an inch, they will always take a mile, or preferably a thousand miles.
HOUSTON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mike Postel, CEO of Innerstaff PEO, and Eric Petree, CEO of Perpetual Labor Sourcing (PLS), have combined their services to offer a full-service HR solution with an emphasis on recruiting manpower for labor intensive companies.

While payroll administration, HR and insurance will always be vital for a company's success, the booming economy, retiring baby boomers and historic unemployment lows have caused battling labor/talent shortages to be at the forefront of concerns for many businesses.

Innerstaff has successfully operated in Texas as a Professional Employer Organization since 2010. Recent opportunities have allowed Innerstaff to expand its reach to Florida and surrounding Southeastern states.

Having spent their careers in construction and skilled trades, Mr. Postel and Mr. Petree have a unique insight into HR and the importance of a strong labor force. They understand that productivity drives profitability. For that reason, Innerstaff is workforce centric. Innerstaff is designed to not only help clients source labor and talent, but to help clients retain that human capital. Workforce expansion and improvement sows the seeds of growth and prosperity for any labor-intensive company.

Maximize Profitability of Labor

We recognize that all companies are unique in structure and goals. We work hand-in-hand with our clients to plan, conform and implement our service. Every client has different needs, expectations, hiring conditions, and compensation packages. We learn and customize to the needs of the client.

We also know the importance of reporting to the client how their requirements and expectations influence their ability to recruit employees. We can provide detailed analytics that allow clients to see the volume of applicants, which ones are elevated to candidates, and the reasoning why those that did not make it were disqualified.

Construction:

Plumber

Electrician

HVAC

Welder

Pipefitter

Project Superintendent / Manager

Estimator

Iron Worker

Structural Steel Erector / Fabricator

Mechanical Insulator

Fire Sprinkler Pipe Installer

Oil & Gas/Energy Services:

Roustabout

Rough Neck

Motor Hand

Derrick Hand

Driller

Tool Pusher

We also source other miscellaneous Labor-Intensive Industries

LINKS

More information on Labor Sourcing only: http://www.plsourcing.com

More information on Full-Service HR with Labor Sourcing: https://www.innerstaffpeo.com/get-started/

CONTACT: [email protected], 281-747-4011

SOURCE Innerstaff / Perpetual Labor Sourcing

Related Links

http://plsourcing.com


The future of the oil and gas economy hangs in the balance. As the rhetoric of the far-left base grows ever more extreme, it has given Democratic leaders the confidence to propose and enact legislation aimed at crippling our industry. For most on the left, attacking the oil and gas industry is now seen as low-hanging fruit and an easy target for short-sighted political gain. Total bans on hydraulic fracturing, forced divestment of oil and gas holdings and increasingly targeted environmental legislation are all issues the next generation of oil and gas leaders will have to overcome.

Those of us who call the Permian Basin home understand the vital role oil and gas plays, not only in the national economy but also in our national security. The Permian Basin needs an experienced leader in Congress that is willing to fight back against the ever-increasing attacks from extremists.

Lt. Col. August Pfluger is the right candidate to meet this challenge head on. August is an Air Force graduate who holds three advanced degrees and was an elite fighter pilot with more than 300 combat hours defending our country against terrorist threats like ISIS and al-Qaida. Over his nearly 20-year career in the military, August has commanded hundreds of active-duty troops and worked with foreign leaders at the Pentagon and NATO command to keep our country safe. He most recently served in the White House as a member of President Trumps national security team.

The first time I met August, it was clear he was the most qualified candidate for this seat and his reasons for running for political office are as sincere as anyone I have ever met. His decision to run for Congress, give up his senior position on the National Security Council and forego a hard-earned 20 year Air Force pension by a mere six months speak loudly to this point. There are establishment candidates in this race -- some who have already held elected office and others who have had their sights set on political office for years, but August is not one of those candidates.

Pfluger has gone out and earned votes the old-fashioned way  face-to-face, city-by-city. And in doing so, he has earned more support from the oil and gas industry and the Republican grassroots than any candidate in this race. Theres a reason Midlands own mayor and energy leaders like Don Evans, Travis Stice and Tim Leach are backing August. Hes the real deal.

All of the candidates in this race proudly state they will Stand With President Trump on the issues, but there is only one candidate in this race who has actually done it: August Pfluger.

Pfluger personally asked President Trump for his endorsement, and the president gladly and enthusiastically gave it. Draining the swamp has become possible thanks to leaders like President Trump, and his endorsement of Pfluger as our next congressman says everything you need to know about who he wants to fight by his side to Keep America Great. It also gives our district a huge advantage.

To protect what our district has built requires a principled, fearless, conservative leader to take Our Values to Washington  someone who has put themselves in the line of fire and is willing to take on those who would love to see our industry and conservative values destroyed. Pfluger has served our nation and president with distinction and honor, and he will do the same for the residents of District 11 as our congressman.
Priti Patel has defended Prime Minister Boris Johnson against rapper Dave's charges of racism, calling the allegations 'utter nonsense' and 'highly inappropriate'.

The Home Secretary, appearing on Sky News and BBC Breakfast this morning to promote the Government's radical immigration-system overhaul, said Mr Johnson was 'absolutely not a racist' and disagreed with Dave's 'generalisation'.

Her comments follow the 21-year-old musician's incendiary allegations last night during a performance of his song Black at the Brit Awards.

In a surprise moment for viewers and those in attendance at the O2 in London, Dave debuted a brand new verse criticising Mr Johnson.

Dave, who also scooped up the Brit Award for Album of the Year, rapped: 'It is racist, whether or not it feels racist, the truth is our prime minister's a real racist.

'They say, "you should be grateful, we're the least racist".

'I say the least racist is still racist.'

Speaking with Sky presenter Kay Burley this morning, Ms Patel called Dave's claims 'utter nonsense', adding: 'I don't know what those comments are based on.

'It's wrong to make judgments about individuals when you don't know a particular individual, as in the case of the Prime Minister.

'He's not a racist at all, and I just think those comments are highly inappropriate.'

Appearing later on BBC Breakfast, the Home Secretary said: 'I simply do not subscribe to those comments at all.

'I know the Prime Minister. I've worked with the Prime Minister for a long time, for many years. He's absolutely not a racist, and I'm afraid that is very much a generalisation that has been made by rapper Dave, and I just disagree with it.'

Priti Patel (pictured), appearing on Sky News and BBC Breakfast this morning to promote the Government's anticipated overhaul of Britain's immigration system, said that Boris Johnson was 'absolutely not a racist' and disagreed with rapper Dave's 'generalisation'

Speaking with Sky presenter Kay Burley (left) this morning, Ms Patel called Dave's claims 'utter nonsense', adding: 'I don't know what those comments are based on'

Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott waded into the row by saying how she was 'very struck' by rapper Dave's charges of racism.

The Labour politician said the allegation 'resonated with people' and warned the Government was 'raising a lot of negative concerns' that risked leaving a 'lasting, negative impression with Britain's black and minority ethnic communities'.

Ms Abbott said: 'I was very struck by how the performers at the Brit Awards last night chose to call Boris Johnson racist. And I was also very struck about how that resonated with people. You could see it online, in social media.

'I think the danger for the Government is they leave a lasting, negative impression with Britain's black and minority ethnic communities.

'And that's not good, actually, for community cohesiveness. They need to pay more attention to black and minority ethnic communities because they are raising, even very early on in this Government's life, they're raising a lot of negative concerns, which was reflected by some of the performers at the Brits last night.'

In a surprise moment for viewers and those in attendance at the O2 in London, Dave (right) debuted a brand new verse criticising Mr Johnson (left)

Mr Johnson has historically come under fire for alleged racist comments he made before storming into No 10 last year.

In one article, he described African women as having 'watermelon smiles', while in a piece for The Daily Telegraph last year he controversially compared Muslim women wearing the Islamic burka to bank robbers and post boxes.

Last month, the 'out of touch' Prime Minister was criticised by Grenfell survivors who said that he had downgraded the Government's interest in the disaster.

He has also come under pressure to 'rein in' top spin doctor Dominic Cummings after ex-adviser Andrew Sabisky resigned on Monday.

Mr Sabisky, recruited through Mr Cummings' 'misfits and weirdos' scheme, faced a huge public backlash after making a number of unsavoury remarks.

Ms Patel's appearances on breakfast television this morning come as the Government unveils sweeping reforms to Britain's immigration system in the country's biggest shake-up to border rules since 1973.

They will need at least 70 points to work in Britain, with points awarded for speaking English, if the job earns a salary above 25,600 and if it is at a certain skill level

Low-skilled immigration will be made virtually impossible under a points-based system as free movement rights are consigned to history.

Instead, EU migrants' chances of getting a work visa will be the same as for applicants from elsewhere.

They will need at least 70 points to work in Britain, with points awarded for speaking English, if the job earns a salary above 25,600 and if it is at a certain skill level. Highly skilled workers will be able to come without a job offer as the Government re-aligns the immigration system to the 'brightest and the best'.

But there will be no general visas for low-skilled migrants.

Last night, Ms Patel said: 'Today we set out our historic blueprint for taking back control of our borders.

'It is the biggest shake-up of our immigration system in a generation and is what the public rightly demand.'

Home Office officials warned that businesses would have to wean themselves off cheap labour from the Continent. Instead, employers will be encouraged to recruit from Britain's pool of 1.3million unemployed, or pay higher wages to retain existing staff.

There was an immediate backlash yesterday, with some industry leaders warning that the plans spelled 'absolute disaster' for the care system, and for farmers, builders and the hospitality sector.

Any EU citizens living in Britain by New Year's Eve will be entitled to live and work here under current rules. The reforms, which will come into force in January, will:
When we first moved to Cuenca Ecuador we were abruptly told by a local: You Can't Live Here It's Dangerous! You Need to Live in the Gringo Neighborhood! At the time we did not know that the river areas were not that great after dark but we persisted in going local as we had it set in our minds to learn Spanish and blend in... and well, here is the rest of that story and more insights for pro travel and pro expat!
There have been 228 travellers coming from virus-infected areas, to Maharashtra, 70 of them showed symptoms and have been isolated.

Five travellers are currently admitted to hospitals in Maharashtra over suspicion of being infected by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), the state's health department said on Tuesday.

Of them, three are being treated at Naidu Hospital in Pune, while two are at civic-run Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai, according to a health department release here.

A total of 39,784 travellers have been screened at the Mumbai international airport since around mid-January for coronavirus, whose outbreak was reported in December-end from China's Wuhan city, it said.

"Field surveillance is also actively going on all across the state in search of people coming from the coronavirus-affected areas," stated the release.

Since around mid-January, Maharashtra had 228 travellers (till Tuesday) coming from coronavirus-affected areas and 70 of them, who showed symptoms similar to the viral infection, were kept at isolation facilities, it said.

"Till today, 66 samples sent by state authorities for examination have been found negative as per the reports of the National Institute of Virology, Pune," said the release.

All air passengers coming to Maharashtra from Wuhan, the capital of central Chinas Hubei province, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, are being isolated and tested for the deadly disease as per the Centre's directive, it said.

Travellers coming from other affected areas are being subjected to 14 days of medical follow up. Also, 142 of the 228 such passengers have completed this follow-up period till date, the release said.

Apart from Mumbai, Pune and Thane, air passengers are also being monitored in Nanded, Buldhana, Nagpur, Wardha, Sangli, Ahmednagar, Amaravati, Palghar, Jalgaon, Chandrapur and Satara districts, it said.

The coronavirus is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the virus that has killed people in China is a novel strain and not seen before.

Common symptoms of the novel coronavirus strain include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath, according to the WHO.

The WHO has declared the coronavirus epidemic as a global health emergency.

The virus, which has spread to more than two dozen countries, including India the US and the UK, has killed 1,868 people in China till now.
(TNS)  Karen Thornburg called St. Paul, Minn., police time and again  after the house next door was torched, when her children were getting harassed, after a neighbor kid drop-kicked a cat. Each time, police told her they needed proof to make an arrest.So she installed video cameras at her home, in her yard, her garage and at the homes of a half dozen Daytons Bluff neighbors. Now, Thornburg said, her area is so blanketed with security cameras that criminals dare not hit her block. And when they do, such as during a September shootout between two cars that sent a bullet into a neighboring house, police used her video to identify suspects.Its a good deterrent, she said of the dozens of cameras installed by her electrician husband. Everybody is leaving my neighborhood alone.A vast network of smart home surveillance systems like Ring and Nest is at the heart of a new kind of neighborhood watch in the Twin Cities and beyond. Whether posting video to social media of porch pirates stealing packages or capturing footage of drive-by shootings, law enforcement officials say an increasing number of residents are sharing more digital evidence than ever before.So much so that a growing number of police departments are enlisting homeowners and their equipment to better track and attack crime. In the meantime, organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union urge caution when using such devices and sharing the data they gather.Ring, owned by Amazon, has partnered with more than 400 agencies nationwide  including at least 15 in Minnesota  to identify relevant video footage recorded in their area. When a crime occurs in one of their partners jurisdictions, Ring contacts nearby customers to ask permission to share their video with authorities. Participation is voluntary and users can opt out at any time. The partnership also allows police to join Rings Neighbors app, which encourages residents to post footage of suspicious activity.After the program launched in 2018, the tech company pitched it to law enforcement as an investigative tool that would bolster community engagement and make neighborhoods safer. Agencies were offered access to the system at no cost, according to a copy of the basic contract obtained by thePolice and county sheriffs departments from Brainerd to Rochester jumped at the opportunity.In Shakopee, where streets are peppered with cameras, officials saw a chance to leverage the existing Ring network to complement on-the-ground police work. Since partnering with Ring last August, Chief Jeff Tate has made a handful of video requests to help catch home intruders and serial burglars. For decades, officers have urged gas stations and area businesses to share security footage that might aid their investigations. Tate said those often grainy videos pale in comparison with modern-day Ring cameras, which capture sharp, wide-angle images  even in the dark.The quality speaks for itself, said Tate, who recently bought a camera of his own. Wed be silly not to use that as a tool to solve cases.Minneapolis and St. Paul, the two largest police departments in the state, chose not to partner with a specific company because residents willingly hand over so much material already. Asking homeowners whether they keep surveillance footage on their property has become a standard question for Minneapolis police officers canvassing neighborhoods over the last 18 months.People have been so gracious about sharing their video with us that we havent needed to forge a relationship with corporate entities, said police spokesman John Elder. In the citys latest high-profiling killing, a security camera positioned at a home in Maple Grove helped investigators piece together the kidnapping of Monique Baugh.Video caught Baugh, a 28-year-old real estate agent, pulling up to the house and a U-Haul repositioning to back up against the garage doors, according to a search warrant affidavit. That same vehicle was spotted in the north Minneapolis alley where her body was later dumped.Four have since been charged in connection with her murder, including two men indicted Friday.However, privacy advocates say there may be unintended consequences to recording and sharing all that video.University of Minnesota Law School Prof. JaneAnne Murray says a network of cameras could also be recording the everyday movements and activities of scores of people. Such aggregate data could be paired with facial recognition software by police, corporations or political campaigns to study and follow the movements of anyone within range of the cameras. Upload all of that to the cloud, Murray said, and a range of privacy issues arise.This is a powerful tool, and before we embrace it, we need to think of all the ramifications, and set limits on its usage, she said. Our founders, who enshrined the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures in our Constitution, would be turning in their graves at the power of modern technology to track and store our movements in perpetuity.Law enforcement downplays those concerns, maintaining that its not a spy tool. Investigators cannot tap into a homeowners camera and they dont have access to a map identifying where devices are located in their communities. And users can remain anonymous, unless they specifically agree to share their personal information with police.Fears about a potential surveillance society dont scare Jeff Magee, a retired St. Paul field agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Intelligent cameras are the natural progression of technology, he said, following the use of license-plate readers and facial recognition.Society has changed. The old way of policing is gone, Magee said from a St. Paul coffee shop, noting that hes under constant surveillance when he steps outside his home. There is no real privacy.In recent years, Ring found success marketing its motion-activated doorbell cameras as an affordable alternative to monthly fee-based security systems like ADT. Standard Ring doorbell cameras run $99, with a recurring $3 monthly fee for users who want the footage stored. The company retains those recordings for up to two months.Nancy Hochschild of St. Paul was among the first on her North End block to get a doorbell camera in 2017, after thieves pilfered packages from her front porch. It didnt take long for her to realize their value. The cameras have captured multiple gunshots in the area  video she has turned over to St. Paul police four times.Now I need [cameras] in the back, because they broke into our garage, she said. And they stole my sons scooter from our van.To Hochschild, the technology offered a complement to traditional neighborhood crime watches, which are becoming increasingly digital. She started a Facebook page devoted to calls heard over the citys police and fire scanners. Unlike many of her neighbors, however, she doesnt want to post videos on social media due to public safety concerns. She said she shares what her camera captures only with police.Longtime St. Paul resident Dick Kelly mounted video cameras both inside and outside his home for the peace of mind. Last year, the cameras caught an unknown man with a dog attempting to open Kellys back door. He later posted the video as a be on the lookout warning to neighbors.Miranda Meyer of St. Paul has strategically placed more than four cameras around her property.I definitely think that its making troublemakers think twice, knowing that they could potentially be caught red-handed, she said.Thecontributed to this report.
Reviving these planes during a time of rising discontent with the unbridled growth of air travel has already prompted pushback.

Bringing back supersonic transport made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, said Greg Lindsay, director of applied research at the urban-focused nonprofit NewCities and a co-author of Aerotropolis: The Way Well Live Next.

Its a distillation of the promise of air travel that we can be like gods and travel the earth and be everywhere at once. But why do you need to straddle the earth in a single day?

Drone Deliveries

Forty-five countries either allow or will soon allow drone deliveries, according to a survey by the industry website Unmanned Airspace. But the technology is far more advanced than the systems needed to control the airspace.

There is complexity in that there are many vehicles flying at the same time, said Isabel Del Pozo de Poza, director of unmanned traffic management for Airbus. Drones are automated; you cannot speak to them. Air traffic management still relies on voice communications.

Despite an impression that soon everyone will be receiving purchases via drone, the present technology is more suited for business-to-business applications, deliveries in hard-to-access locations, and when speed is a priority, said Michael Zahra, president and chief executive of Drone Delivery Canada.

In South Texas and South Louisiana, there are 3,000 oil rigs off the coast. They have to get parts and supplies from shore to rig and from oil rig to oil rig, Mr. Zahra said. A drone is cheaper than a helicopter and more reliable than Bob in his boat.
SANAA, Yemen - An explosion killed six guards of the Yemeni defence minister and wounded eight others Wednesday, military officials said, the latest casualties of unmarked landmines that litter the war-torn country.

Defence Minister Mohammed al-Maqdishi emerged unscathed from the blast that struck a car in his convoy in the central province of Marib, where he was surveying his forces on the front line fighting to dislodge the Shiite Houthi rebels from the area.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to brief the media.

Al-Maqdishi said battles would continue to rage until the army achieves its ambitions.

No obstacles or challenges can discourage Yemenis from continuing work to restore their country, he said from the field, according to a government statement.

The landmine was apparently planted by the Houthis, which months ago controlled the western parts of Marib and left the area sown with buried explosives. The district, along with the mountainous province just north, Jawf, has been a recent flashpoint for deadly combat.

More than 50 fighters on both sides have been killed over the past four days. The Saudi-led coalition supporting the Yemeni government staged airstrikes in Jawf over the weekend, killing at least 32 civilians, including women and children.

The mine explosion Wednesday followed a spike in tensions on the other side of Yemen, in the isolated easternmost province of al-Mahra. Although it lies hundreds of miles from offensives against the Houthis, al-Mahra has been a frequent focal point for clashes between Saudi coalition forces consolidating control over the strategic border and residents rallying to resist.

This week local people protested seeking to prevent Saudi Arabia from stationing troops at the border crossing with the Gulf state of Oman. The demonstrations swiftly escalated into deadly clashes as Saudi Arabia sent dozens of armoured vehicles and soldiers who fired live bullets to disperse protesters.

Five years of devastating war between the Houthi rebels, which control the capital and much of the countrys north, and the Saudi-led coalition has precipitated a humanitarian catastrophe. The conflict has killed over 100,000 people and pushed the Arab worlds poorest country to the brink of famine.
Thousands of workers of Jammu and Kashmir's public health engineering (PHE) department clashed with police on Wednesday as their march to Raj Bhawan here to demand pending wages was stopped midway.

The workers, including casual labourers and daily wagers, began the march from the chief engineer's office.

A large contingent of police had closed the route at BC road and did not allow the protesters to proceed towards Raj Bhawan, triggering a clash between the demonstrators and police personnel, officials said.

The PHE workers continued to protest at the spot for over two hours, raising anti-administration slogans and resulting in a road blockade, they said.

A leader of the protesters said, "We urge Lieutenant Governor G S Murmu to look into the issues pertaining to regularisation (of our jobs) and release of wages to daily rated workers."



These workers have been working sincerely for the department for the past many years, but unfortunately they have been neglected, he said.

The PHE workers have been on a strike since February 7.

Besides release of pending wages, they have been demanding regularisation of their jobs, filling up of vacant posts, repair and maintenance of faulty pumping houses and water stations, and basic facilities at water stations for the staff.

The strike has impacted utility services, leading to a drinking water crisis in most parts of Jammu and Srinagar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhis intolerance of criticism  domestic and foreign  of its decision to end Jammu and Kashmirs autonomy in August through a questionable and undemocratic process, and its subsequent oppressive policies, is far from ebbing, as three recent high-profile examples show.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans criticism of India over Kashmir, while addressing the Pakistan Parliament, was dubious. His criticism is undercut by the fact that he heads an Islamist party. Mr Erdogan also foolishly compared Pakistans so-called resistance on Kashmir to the Battle of Gallipoli in the First World War where Turkeys heroic resistance threw up Kemal Ataturk as a young military hero, whose mantle and heritage of secularism in an Islamic society the Erdogan regime has tried to destroy. And yet two Indian statements within three days on Mr Erdogan point to a paranoia.

British Labour MP Deborah Abrahams was deported from Delhi airport on Monday on shallow technical grounds only as she is a known critic of India on Kashmir. Her Kashmir stance is not always well-founded, but to deny her entry shows a streak of meanness and highlights the desire to look strong by being rough with critics. This does not behove a democracy.

At last weeks Munich Security Conference, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar was acerbic with US Senator Lindsey Graham, a strong ally of President Trump who Mr Narendra Modi woos, for merely expressing the hope that as a democracy India would deal with the Kashmir issue differently from how the Russians or Chinese might. Earlier, the minister used sharp language against India-origin US Congresswoman Premila Jaipal for criticising the governments actions on Kashmir.

While individual Western legislators have been sought to be punished, the government has gone all out to gain the approval of foreign parliaments and governments for its actions on Kashmir, which have faced sharp domestic criticism. These the government has sought to quell and disregard.
Medical experts have worked hard to dispel rumors surrounding the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic in China, there have been various conspiracy theories regarding the source of the novel coronavirus, which have confused the general public, who lack the relevant medical knowledge.

Trevor Bedford, a researcher with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle, categorically denied the persistent stories that the epidemic was started by a genetically engineered virus, the Financial Times reported recently.

Theres no evidence whatsoever of genetic engineering that we can find, Bedford told the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Seattle. The evidence we have is that the mutations (in the virus) are completely consistent with natural evolution.

The source of the rumors was a paper posted by Indian scientists, claiming the short insertions in the viral genome were similar to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

According to Bedford, the research was wrong on many levels. The genes it (the novel coronavirus) shares with HIV are extremely short sequences naturally shared by other organisms, he explained.

In addition to medical experts, media outlets have also disseminated knowledge about the virus to the public using simpler terms. On The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Chinese Malaysian comedian and actor Ronny Chieng criticized the misinformation and racism surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.

He told the audience that it is wrong to claim that drinking bleach, eating garlic, and rinsing your nose with saline solution help prevent the virus, and asked people to stop thinking of the virus as an Asian virus and stereotyping Asian people. The show has been watched by 960,000 viewers and liked by 23,000 viewers as of press time.

In the face of unknown viruses, people often feel anxious and helpless, and the demand for information rises sharply. This has created a market for various rumors and conspiracy theories, according to Dr. Cheng Huang, an associate professor in the Department of Global Health at George Washington University.

Bostons Chinatown has been severely affected by the rumors, seeing a significant decline in business. To combat the rumors, Boston has launched a social media campaign that encourages residents and tourists to patronize small businesses in Chinatown, and posts photos on the Internet under the tag "Love Boston Chinatown." To show their support, several city councilors have also patronized Chinatown shops.

Currently, false information about the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic is spreading, which is not helping the world make an effective response, Professor and Director of Georgetown University's Center for Global Health Science and Security Rebecca Katz told Peoples Daily, adding that the world needs to fight the spread of misinformation, and authoritative public health officials should provide reliable information on a daily basis.

The rumors and conspiracy theories have diverted the public's focus from epidemic prevention, and established an imaginary enemy for the people, making them forget that the virus we are fighting against is the enemy of all mankind, Huang said.
For some people, it was luck that favoured their journeys in Bollywood, but for Gajraj Rao it was years of good content and hard work that paved his way to success.

Gajraj, eyeing cinema as his passion, joined the theatre scene in the capital city to start with. But a career in theatre is not really a high-paying one, ergo the actor did various odd jobs. He was a freelance writer at the Navbharat Times and Dainik Hindustan and he even dabbled in the garment export industry for some time.

Finally, after trying several things for survival, he joined the advertising sector and eventually, he realized it was his true calling. And then, we saw him conquering the digital space with TVF.

Things completely changed for Gajraj when he was appreciated for his performance as the romantic middle-aged man who grapples with parenthood in his 50s in Badhaai Ho.

Currently, he is awaiting the release of his upcoming movie, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan.

The entire SMZS team had travelled to the capital city for the movie promotions where I got a chance to sit and converse with him, something I was looking forward to, as I had caught up with him during the Badhaai Ho promotions as well. It was indeed gratifying to know that he remembered me from our last interaction which was around 2 years back.



Before we started discussing Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and homosexuality being a taboo subject in our society, I asked him about the transition that happened in his life considering he had, initially, made a name in the digital space.



Taking me back in time, Rao said, So, I used to direct ad films and there you had lavish sets, and suddenly we are shooting in small sets. I see them shooting in ek chotta sa cabin and I was like, 'phas gaya mamla'. I was like, 'I won't do it again' and when people told me that it will be something different, I agreed to do the sketches I liked. Back then, digital didn't have money and the first sketch with TVF was called TWITTER. Just after 10 days of its release, I was at a book shop in Juhu and some students came up to me and asked, 'Are you the same guy from YouTube?', and they started to ask for photos. Then, I realized the power of digital cinema and it went viral.

 TVF

He went on to add, For me, it was the turning point and I gained trust in the digital cinema. Jab acha kaam ho raha hota hai toh set up matter nahi karta and this was the relationship I had with TVF. I keep doing their sketches on and off.



So, after experiencing the digital set up, it was Badhaai Ho that brought him into the spotlight and the audience started relating to his characters. Soon enough he is now making a comeback with Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, and I was curious to know if he feels that this Aanand L Rai movie would fare as well as the previous one.

On this, he said, Hopefully, it will do the same as Badhaai Ho did. The trailer has got a positive reaction and people love it already. My team and I are very excited and happy about this venture.



Interestingly, in both Badhaai Ho and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, we get to see him share the screen space with Ayushmann. Out of curiosity, I asked him about how their relationship has evolved in the last few years.



Jahan par Badhaai Ho ka journey ended, wahan se our relationship has gone a notch higher. Within one year, Ayushmann has done well with Bala and Article 15 and his journey actually becomes a learning experience for you. I actually learnt how he is dealing with adulation, success but interestingly, his temperament hasn't changed in these two years, Rao said.

 Junglee Pictures

Praising Ayushmann, he went on to say, He is still the same which is indeed very praiseworthy. Even after delivering back-to-back hits, he has been keeping a balance and I am learning this skill from him. He is grounded and he keeps himself aware of the whole unit.



He even shared a particular incident that happened on the sets while they were shooting in Banaras, which spoke volumes about Ayushmanns character.



One of our crew members' sister was getting married while we were shooting in Banaras, and we thought of giving a gift. So, we all collected a certain amount to give it to him and when Ayushmann got to know about it, he said he wants to contribute and I was impressed by the fact that he added the equal sum of money that we all collected by himself. He is actually a good human being and I think, he is able to do all these hatke films because of his generosity, said Gajraj.

 T-Series

Further, into the conversation, I conveyed to him how the audience is mostly in agreement with the fact that if Ayushmann, Neena Gupta and he are coming together on the big screen, it is a given that something great is in store.



On this, he said, For pulling audiences to the screens, you need a bankable actor like Ayushmann Khurrana. You won't believe what happened a few days back. So, I was attending a marriage in a hotel so wahan ke durbaan ne bola sir ek photo lena hai and then, I told him ek movie aa raha hai and he knew about Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. He went to say ki aap ho, Khurrana sahab hai aur Neena ji hai toh sab set hai. It was like a compliment for me. People do take our jodi positively.

Soon enough our conversation changed its pace from its lighter note and veered into the core concept of SMZS. Badhaai Ho, in a way, had also addressed something that most people arent very comfortable with. And now, with Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, Gajraj is yet again talking about a controversial matter.

So, Badhaai Ho had a bit of awkwardness wherein the lead couple is conceiving after they have their 50s but it wasn't really taboo. Here, homosexuality is a big taboo in the society and people even land up saying ki biraadri mein naak kat jayegi. With Badhaai Ho, this wasn't the case, said Gajraj.



He went to explain, In this movie, when the parents get to know that their son wants to get married to his male friend, they are, in a way, hit by a cyclone and their concern is how would the society perceive it and izzat pe baat aayegi. I am lucky that I have been part of movies which talk about such subjects. I am also grateful to Aanand L Rai and Bhushan Kumar for thinking that I am apt for this movie and I want to keep doing such interesting roles. If I would have made this movie, people wouldn't have come to the theatres.



Now, the inquisitive bit in me wanted to know how comfortable Rao was with the concept of homosexuality himself and not his character.



Putting his stance, he told me, You can put it that way when this was discussed with me around 25 years ago, was an alien concept and I saw it through cinema. Back then, the projection was shown in a cheap way like buffoonery for that matter. They will make the character look way too feminine and your mindset becomes like this and you start thinking ki agar koi same-sex relationship mein hoga toh woh aisa hi hoga.



He continued, When I used to assist in a production house, I met an intern there and after a few days of working with him, I got to know that he has a boyfriend. And then I realized that he is very much...normal. After knowing him for months, I came to one more realization that his 'disorder', as people say, is only restricted to the cinema and in reality, homosexuals are very much like everyone else. He told me that people used to treat homosexuality as a criminal offense and that's why koi khul kar baat nahi karta.

With this, the whole conversation moved to how Bollywood has evolved in terms of showcasing homosexuality on the big screens. I gave him an example of the show called Made In Heaven where Vikrant Massey is shown as a homosexual and he was quite bold in terms of portraying that on the screens.



With Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, the filmmakers are discussing homosexuality on a larger scale and its no more restricted to the parallel or artsy cinema.



On this, he said, Not just that, we also had Sonam Kapoor's movie Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga which was based on the very same subject. The movie didn't work that well but I really liked the intentions behind making that film. They haven't scandalized it and I really liked it. I also feel like millenials, for that matter, are very accommodating and they are very aware. India is a young country and when your audience is understanding, it becomes easier for the filmmakers to make projects on such taboos. Our film is not at all preachy and it's about an incident of how a middle-class family gets to know about their son being a homosexual.

After discussing the serious aspects of SMZS, I wanted to know his takeaways from the film, as with every movie or a character, an actor tend to learn something.



This movie is actually one of the biggest roles in my life. The bigger the role, the more the wait. I have learnt patience here and I have realized that this is not like my other projects. So, pure din mein ek scene hua location ke hisaab se and next scene next hoga. I actually learnt patience because of this, said Rao.



By now, it is well established that the actor is someone who is well-versed with social media and if you see him on Instagram, you would know that many youngsters follow him and, in fact, take career tips from him.

Yes, I have noticed that. Actually, youngsters send me Direct Messages on Instagram. They will ask for a video from me and tell me that they are upset because of papers. So yeh sab messages aate hai, he said.



Before we ended the conversation, I asked him what tips would he want to give to the scores of young talent in the nation, who are thriving hard to make their presence felt in the industry.



I, in fact, take tips from the younger generation (laughs). On a serious note, 20 saal pehle platforms nahi the par ab hai like TikTok and YouTube. If you know you are talented, start using these platforms if you are not getting work and be aware of literature and drama, Gajraj said and signed off.



We are excited to see him in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and hope he keeps entertaining us with such interesting and deep characters.
Patricia Pat Frost of Apache Junction, Arizona, formerly of Lexington, died Feb. 17, 2020.

Patricia Frosts life and her love of the Lord will be celebrated at St. Georges Catholic Church, Apache Junction, Ariz., on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020 beginning with a Rosary at 10:00 a. m. followed by Mass at 10:30 a. m.

There will be no visitation or vigil service.

Burial will be held at 11:00 a. m., Thursday Feb. 27, at the Arapahoe Cemetery, Arapahoe, with a gathering at St. Germanus Catholic Church in Arapahoe following the graveside service.

She was born on May 9, 1929 to Horace and Grace Lovelace Condit at Beardstown, Ill. Pat graduated from Alliance High School and then St. Elizabeths School of Nursing in Lincoln.

Pat married her loving husband of almost 60 years, Wayne Frost on Sept. 4, 1950 in Lincoln. She served in multiple hospitals and clinics as a Registered Nurse and in hospital administration throughout her medical career. She was a supporting partner with her husband Wayne as the owner and proprietor of Frosts Department Store, later Frosts Fashions in Lexington.
Acrylic Processing Aid market worldwide is projected to grow by US$354. 3 Million, driven by a compounded growth of 6%. PVC, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 6.

New York, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Acrylic Processing Aid Industry" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05797760/?utm_source=GNW

5%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$683.5 Million by the year 2025, PVC will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth.



- Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 5% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$12.6 Million to the regions size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$10.7 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, PVC will reach a market size of US$36.3 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the worlds second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 8.9% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$97.2 Million in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies.



- Competitors identified in this market include, among others,

Story continues

3M Company

Akdeniz Kimya

Arkema

BASF SE

DowDupont Inc.

Kaneka Corporation

LG Chem

Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.

Shandong Rike Chemicals Co., Ltd.







Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05797760/?utm_source=GNW



I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE



II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



1. MARKET OVERVIEW



Acrylic Processing Aid: An Outlook

Global Competitor Market Shares

Acrylic Processing Aid Competitor Market Share Scenario

Worldwide (in %): 2019 & 2025





2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS



3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS



Acrylic Processing Aid Witnessing High Growth in Construction

Sector

Acrylic Processing Aid: Major Applications





4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE



Table 1: Acrylic Processing Aid Global Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 2: Acrylic Processing Aid Global Retrospective Market

Scenario in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 3: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Shift across Key

Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 4: PVC (Polymer Type) World Market by Region/Country in

US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025

Table 5: PVC (Polymer Type) Historic Market Analysis by

Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017

Table 6: PVC (Polymer Type) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide

Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 7: Other Polymer Types (Polymer Type) Potential Growth

Markets Worldwide in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025

Table 8: Other Polymer Types (Polymer Type) Historic Market

Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017

Table 9: Other Polymer Types (Polymer Type) Market Sales

Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 10: Building & Construction (End-Use) Global Market

Estimates & Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country:

2018-2025

Table 11: Building & Construction (End-Use) Retrospective

Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 12: Building & Construction (End-Use) Market Share

Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 13: Packaging (End-Use) Demand Potential Worldwide in US$

Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 14: Packaging (End-Use) Historic Sales Analysis in US$

Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 15: Packaging (End-Use) Share Breakdown Review by

Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 16: Automotive (End-Use) Worldwide Latent Demand

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 17: Automotive (End-Use) Global Historic Analysis in US$

Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 18: Automotive (End-Use) Distribution of Global Sales by

Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 19: Consumer Goods (End-Use) Sales Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for the Years 2018

through 2025

Table 20: Consumer Goods (End-Use) Analysis of Historic Sales

in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for the Years 2009 to 2017

Table 21: Consumer Goods (End-Use) Global Market Share

Distribution by Region/Country for 2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 22: Other End-Uses (End-Use) Global Opportunity

Assessment in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 23: Other End-Uses (End-Use) Historic Sales Analysis in

US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 24: Other End-Uses (End-Use) Percentage Share Breakdown

of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025





III. MARKET ANALYSIS



GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS

UNITED STATES

Market Facts & Figures

US Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share (in %) by Company: 2019 &

2025

Market Analytics

Table 25: United States Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates

and Projections in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 26: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in the United States by

Polymer Type: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 27: United States Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 28: United States Acrylic Processing Aid Latent Demand

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 29: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Demand Patterns in

the United States by End-Use in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 30: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown in the

United States by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

CANADA

Table 31: Canadian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 32: Canadian Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Review by Polymer Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 33: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Canada: Percentage

Share Breakdown of Sales by Polymer Type for 2009, 2019, and

2025

Table 34: Canadian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Quantitative

Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 35: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Canada:

Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by

End-Use for 2009-2017

Table 36: Canadian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

JAPAN

Table 37: Japanese Market for Acrylic Processing Aid: Annual

Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type

for the Period 2018-2025

Table 38: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Japan: Historic

Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type for the Period

2009-2017

Table 39: Japanese Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 40: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Acrylic

Processing Aid in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 41: Japanese Acrylic Processing Aid Market in US$

Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 42: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Shift in Japan by

End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

CHINA

Table 43: Chinese Acrylic Processing Aid Market Growth

Prospects in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type for the Period

2018-2025

Table 44: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market Analysis in

China in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 45: Chinese Acrylic Processing Aid Market by Polymer

Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 46: Chinese Demand for Acrylic Processing Aid in US$

Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 47: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Review in China in US$

Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 48: Chinese Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown

by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

EUROPE

Market Facts & Figures

European Acrylic Processing Aid Market: Competitor Market Share

Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025

Market Analytics

Table 49: European Acrylic Processing Aid Market Demand

Scenario in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 50: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Europe: A Historic

Market Perspective in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for the

Period 2009-2017

Table 51: European Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Shift by

Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 52: European Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018-2025

Table 53: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Europe in US$

Thousand by Polymer Type: A Historic Review for the Period

2009-2017

Table 54: European Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 55: European Acrylic Processing Aid Addressable Market

Opportunity in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 56: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Europe:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 57: European Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

FRANCE

Table 58: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in France by Polymer

Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the Period

2018-2025

Table 59: French Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Scenario in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 60: French Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 61: Acrylic Processing Aid Quantitative Demand Analysis

in France in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 62: French Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market Review

in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 63: French Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis:

A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and 2025

GERMANY

Table 64: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Germany: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer

Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 65: German Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 66: German Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown

by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 67: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Germany: Annual

Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

the Period 2018-2025

Table 68: German Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Retrospect in

US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 69: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

Germany by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ITALY

Table 70: Italian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Growth

Prospects in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type for the Period

2018-2025

Table 71: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market Analysis in

Italy in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 72: Italian Acrylic Processing Aid Market by Polymer

Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 73: Italian Demand for Acrylic Processing Aid in US$

Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 74: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Review in Italy in US$

Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 75: Italian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown

by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

UNITED KINGDOM

Table 76: United Kingdom Market for Acrylic Processing Aid:

Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by

Polymer Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 77: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in the United Kingdom:

Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type for the

Period 2009-2017

Table 78: United Kingdom Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 79: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for

Acrylic Processing Aid in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 80: United Kingdom Acrylic Processing Aid Market in US$

Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 81: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Shift in the

United Kingdom by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

SPAIN

Table 82: Spanish Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 83: Spanish Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market Review

by Polymer Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 84: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Spain: Percentage

Share Breakdown of Sales by Polymer Type for 2009, 2019, and

2025

Table 85: Spanish Acrylic Processing Aid Market Quantitative

Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 86: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Spain: Summarization

of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

2009-2017

Table 87: Spanish Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

RUSSIA

Table 88: Russian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates and

Projections in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 89: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Russia by Polymer

Type: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 90: Russian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown

by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 91: Russian Acrylic Processing Aid Latent Demand

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 92: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Demand Patterns in

Russia by End-Use in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 93: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown in

Russia by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF EUROPE

Table 94: Rest of Europe Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type:

2018-2025

Table 95: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Rest of Europe in

US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: A Historic Review for the Period

2009-2017

Table 96: Rest of Europe Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 97: Rest of Europe Acrylic Processing Aid Addressable

Market Opportunity in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 98: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Rest of Europe:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 99: Rest of Europe Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ASIA-PACIFIC

Table 100: Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 101: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Asia-Pacific:

Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 102: Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 103: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Asia-Pacific by

Polymer Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 104: Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Scenario in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 105: Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 106: Acrylic Processing Aid Quantitative Demand Analysis

in Asia-Pacific in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 107: Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Review in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 108: Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and

2025

AUSTRALIA

Table 109: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Australia: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer

Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 110: Australian Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 111: Australian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 112: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Australia: Annual

Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

the Period 2018-2025

Table 113: Australian Acrylic Processing Aid Market in

Retrospect in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 114: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

Australia by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

INDIA

Table 115: Indian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 116: Indian Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market Review

by Polymer Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 117: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in India: Percentage

Share Breakdown of Sales by Polymer Type for 2009, 2019, and

2025

Table 118: Indian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Quantitative

Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 119: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in India:

Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by

End-Use for 2009-2017

Table 120: Indian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

SOUTH KOREA

Table 121: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in South Korea: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer

Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 122: South Korean Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 123: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

South Korea by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 124: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in South Korea: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-Use

for the Period 2018-2025

Table 125: South Korean Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 126: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

South Korea by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC

Table 127: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Acrylic Processing

Aid: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by

Polymer Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 128: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Rest of

Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by

Polymer Type for the Period 2009-2017

Table 129: Rest of Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Share Analysis by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 130: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts

for Acrylic Processing Aid in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to

2025

Table 131: Rest of Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Market

in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 132: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Shift in Rest of

Asia-Pacific by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

LATIN AMERICA

Table 133: Latin American Acrylic Processing Aid Market Trends

by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2018-2025

Table 134: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Latin America in

US$ Thousand by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the

Period 2009-2017

Table 135: Latin American Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019,

and 2025

Table 136: Latin American Acrylic Processing Aid Market Growth

Prospects in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type for the Period

2018-2025

Table 137: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market Analysis in

Latin America in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 138: Latin American Acrylic Processing Aid Market by

Polymer Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and

2025

Table 139: Latin American Demand for Acrylic Processing Aid in

US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 140: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Review in Latin

America in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 141: Latin American Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ARGENTINA

Table 142: Argentinean Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018-2025

Table 143: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Argentina in US$

Thousand by Polymer Type: A Historic Review for the Period

2009-2017

Table 144: Argentinean Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 145: Argentinean Acrylic Processing Aid Addressable

Market Opportunity in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 146: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Argentina:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 147: Argentinean Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

BRAZIL

Table 148: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Brazil by Polymer

Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the Period

2018-2025

Table 149: Brazilian Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Scenario in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 150: Brazilian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 151: Acrylic Processing Aid Quantitative Demand Analysis

in Brazil in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 152: Brazilian Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Review in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 153: Brazilian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and

2025

MEXICO

Table 154: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Mexico: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer

Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 155: Mexican Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 156: Mexican Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 157: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Mexico: Annual

Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

the Period 2018-2025

Table 158: Mexican Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Retrospect

in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 159: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

Mexico by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF LATIN AMERICA

Table 160: Rest of Latin America Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018

to 2025

Table 161: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Rest of Latin

America by Polymer Type: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for

2009-2017

Table 162: Rest of Latin America Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Share Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 163: Rest of Latin America Acrylic Processing Aid Latent

Demand Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 164: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Demand Patterns in

Rest of Latin America by End-Use in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 165: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown in

Rest of Latin America by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

MIDDLE EAST

Table 166: The Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country:

2018-2025

Table 167: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in the Middle East by

Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 168: The Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 169: The Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018

to 2025

Table 170: The Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Historic

Market by Polymer Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 171: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in the Middle East:

Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Polymer Type for 2009,

2019, and 2025

Table 172: The Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018

to 2025

Table 173: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in the Middle East:

Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by

End-Use for 2009-2017

Table 174: The Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

IRAN

Table 175: Iranian Market for Acrylic Processing Aid: Annual

Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type

for the Period 2018-2025

Table 176: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Iran: Historic

Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type for the Period

2009-2017

Table 177: Iranian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 178: Iranian Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Acrylic

Processing Aid in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 179: Iranian Acrylic Processing Aid Market in US$

Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 180: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Shift in Iran by

End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ISRAEL

Table 181: Israeli Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018-2025

Table 182: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Israel in US$

Thousand by Polymer Type: A Historic Review for the Period

2009-2017

Table 183: Israeli Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 184: Israeli Acrylic Processing Aid Addressable Market

Opportunity in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 185: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Israel:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 186: Israeli Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

SAUDI ARABIA

Table 187: Saudi Arabian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Growth

Prospects in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type for the Period

2018-2025

Table 188: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market Analysis in

Saudi Arabia in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 189: Saudi Arabian Acrylic Processing Aid Market by

Polymer Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and

2025

Table 190: Saudi Arabian Demand for Acrylic Processing Aid in

US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 191: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Review in Saudi Arabia

in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 192: Saudi Arabian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Table 193: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in the United Arab

Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$

Thousand by Polymer Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 194: United Arab Emirates Acrylic Processing Aid Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 195: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

United Arab Emirates by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 196: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in the United Arab

Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$

Thousand by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025

Table 197: United Arab Emirates Acrylic Processing Aid Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 198: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

United Arab Emirates by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF MIDDLE EAST

Table 199: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Rest of Middle

East: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand

by Polymer Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 200: Rest of Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 201: Rest of Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Share Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 202: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Rest of Middle

East: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by

End-Use for the Period 2018-2025

Table 203: Rest of Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Market in

Retrospect in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 204: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

Rest of Middle East by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

AFRICA

Table 205: African Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates and

Projections in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 206: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Africa by Polymer

Type: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 207: African Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 208: African Acrylic Processing Aid Latent Demand

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 209: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Demand Patterns in

Africa by End-Use in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 210: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown in

Africa by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025





IV. COMPETITION



3M COMPANY

AKDENIZ KIMYA

ARKEMA GROUP

BASF CORPORATION

BASF SE

DOWDUPONT

DUPONT DE NEMOURS INC.

EN-DOOR POLYMER ADDITIVES

GALATA CHEMICALS

INDOFIL INDUSTRIES

KANEKA BELGIUM NV

KANEKA CORPORATION

LG CHEM

MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORPORATION

MITSUBISHI RAYON CO.

NOVISTA GROUP

PAU TAI INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION

SHANDONG RIKE CHEMICALS

SUNDOW POLYMERS CO., LTD.

QINGDAO HAIRUITE CHEMCIAL MATERIALS CO., LTD.

SHANDONG DONGLIN NEW MATERIALS CO.

SHANDONG POLYMER ADDITIVES CO., LTD.

SHANDONG RUIFENG CHEMICAL CO., LTD.

V. CURATED RESEARCH

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Photos: Projection mapping in Tehran sends sympathy to Chinese battling Coronavirus

02/19/20

Report by Tehran Times; photos by Mona Hoobehfekr, ISNA

TEHRAN - In a ceremony on Tuesday night, a projection mapping was carried out on the iconic Azadi Tower in Tehran to convey the message of sympathy with Chinese people fighting coronavirus. The ceremony was held in the presence of Chinese Ambassador to Iran Chang Hua, ISNA reported. An outbreak of the disease, originating at a seafood market, occurred in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. At least 2,000 people have died and 75,000 infected in China so far.

On February 14, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi appreciated his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif for being the first foreign minister who sent sympathy to the Chinese people since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

"You are the first foreign minister who sent sympathies to the Chinese people since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which fully reflects the profound friendship between the people of the two countries, who support each other and tackle difficulties in a cooperative manner," said Wang.



Chinese Ambassador to Iran Chang Hua

In a tweet in Persian language on February 13, Chinese Ambassador to Tehran Chang Hua thanked Iranian people for sympathizing with the Chinese in their campaign against coronavirus.

"There is a proverb in the Persian language that says 'heart speaks to heart'. In China's struggle against coronavirus we deeply felt the friendship of the government and nation of Iran," the ambassador said.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang on February 14 announced that many foreign ambassadors and representatives to China have said on social media platforms that they stand with China in this fight against the virus.

He thanked the Iranian ambassador to China, Mohammad Keshavarz-Zadeh, for saying, "I'm sure China, with 5000 years of civilization, will overcome this problem."

The World Health Organization proposed an official name for the illness caused by the new coronavirus: COVID-19. The acronym stands for coronavirus disease in 2019, as the illness was first detected toward the end of last year.

According to the WHO, coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.


































Ahead of his visit to India next week, US President Donald Trump has reiterated that he sees "a chance" of a peace deal with the Taliban to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

The US has been negotiating with the Taliban and Trump earlier, too, suggested there had been progress between the two sides to reduce violence in the war-torn country and end America's longest war, for 19 years.

"We are negotiating with the Taliban. We've been negotiating with them for a while. We will see what happens. There's a chance of making a deal. There's a chance," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews Tuesday afternoon local time.

Marvin G Weinbaum, Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan Studies at the Middle East Institute, has said the US appears well on its way to signing an agreement with the Taliban later this month. Trump is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25.

"Among its provisions, the agreement is expected to call for a seven-day period of reduced Taliban violence, supposedly to test the group's sincerity and ability to control its forces in the field. The Taliban will also pledge to disassociate itself from al-Qaeda and like-minded terrorist organizations," Weinbaum said.

According to him, the US will agree to reduce its forces initially by at least 5,000 troops and after a period of time make a full withdrawal. "There will be an exchange of prisoners in which 5,000 or more Taliban fighters will be released in exchange for about 1,000 government troops. Then, 10 days or so after the signing, intra-Afghan talks are supposed to begin," he said.

The pending agreement, Weinbaum said, is intended to provide the political cover for a US departure from Afghanistan at an opportune time with this an election year.

Also, Trump's statement has come a day after Afghanistan's independent election commission announced that Ashraf Ghani has won a second term as president. But the Taliban have refused to accept Ghani's win, raising doubts that the peace agreement will be signed anytime soon.

"We've substantially reduced the force, as you know. We're really acting more as a law enforcement agency than we are as a military, because we could win that very quickly and easily if I was willing to kill millions of people. I'm not willing to do that. I'm not willing to do that," Trump said.

"We'd win that so quickly your head would spin. And I'm not talking about nuclear; I'm talking about very conventional. But I'm not willing to kill millions of people," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Panaji, Feb 19 : Had Shivaji conquered Goa, the region would not have had to suffer atrocities under colonial Portuguese rule for centuries, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a function organised here on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the Maratha king, the Chief Minister said that while it would be impossible to replicate a Shivaji-like reign in Goa, his government would try its best to emulate the late ruler's craft in its governance.

"Shivaji and Goa have an unbreakable bond... Goa could have been free, or rather we would have been free of Portuguese rule, if he had conquered Goa then" Sawant said at the function.

The Chief Minister also said, that the Maratha king in several campaigns had made in roads in present day sub districts of Goa like Pernem, Bardez, Bicholim, Sattari and Panda, but he could not fulfil his ambition of conquering the whole of Goa, which was under Portuguese regime.

"We cannot usher in a Shivaji-like reign now, but we can aspire to. For that, we will need the help of the people of Goa," Sawant said.

Sawant in the past on several occasions, has blamed former Prime Minister late Jawaharlal Nehru for the delay in India getting independence from Portuguese colonial yoke.

Goa was ruled by the Portuguese for a period of 451 years before it was liberated by the Indian armed forces in 1961.
The bench of Justice Manojit Bhuyan and Justice Parthivjyoti Saikia dismissed the petition of Jabeda Begum claiming that she failed to prove her linkage with her projected parents and her projected brother.

Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court on Wednesday rejected a petition filed by a 50-year-old woman, seeking restoration of her citizenship on the basis of 15 documents, including her PAN Card and voter lists having the names of her parents, produced by her.

The bench of Justice Manojit Bhuyan and Justice Parthivjyoti Saikia dismissed the petition of Jabeda Begum claiming that she failed to prove her linkage with her projected parents and her projected brother.

The 15 documents, which the petitioner submitted to the foreign tribunal, include PAN card and ration card, two bank passbooks, the NRC details of her father Jabed Ali, voter lists where the names of her grandparents, parents and her along with her husband were published and several land revenue receipts.

To prove citizenship and for the inclusion in the the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, applicants are supposed to submit any one of the 14 documents issued before March 1971.

Though Jabeda Begum had submitted some documents of her father dating back to 1966, the foreigners tribunal in 2018 declared the woman to be a foreigner as she failed to prove her linkage with her father. The court too concurred with the tribunals ruling on Wednesday.

In the absence of a birth certificate, the woman had submitted a certificate from her village headman that named her parents and place of birth. It was not accepted by the tribunal as well as the High Court.

Womans family fails to get listed in NRC

The family had also failed to get their name in the National Register of Citizens which was published in 2019. They could not vote also as both husband and wife were marked doubtful voters in the voters list.

The Doubtful Voters (D-voters) are a special category in Assam whose citizenship credentials were questioned during the identification and deportation of foreigners earlier. The D-voters were asked to prove their citizenship before the foreigners tribunal.

Jabeda Begum, disappointed with the Gauhati High Court, said, I spent whatever money I had. Now I am left with no more resources to continue my legal battle.

She is the only earning member of her family and her husband Rejak Ali has been ailing for long. The couple had three daughters, one of whom died in an accident and another one went missing. The youngest, Asmina, is a student of Class 5.

The biggest concern of the family now is their daughter. If Jabeda Begum fails to prove her citizenship, she will be sent to a detention centre where process of her deportation will start.

After a five-year long exercise supervised by the Supreme Court to identify foreigners in Assam, the updated NRC of Assam excluded the names of 19 lakh applicants when it was published in August 2019.
The title of the February column at issue is a reference to a period around the middle of the 19th century until the early 20th century when a weak China, crippled by infighting, was carved up by colonial powers including Japan, Germany, France and Britain. China calls this period the century of humiliation and has vowed during the trade war with the United States that it will not be humiliated again.
Charas worth Rs 46 lakh was recovered from a person of Nepalese origin by a joint team of the SSB and the UP Police in Sonauli area on the Indo-Nepal border here on Wednesday.

Tejendra Pun (58) was arrested by the Sashstra Seema Bal (SSB) and UP police Tuesday night from the Sonauli check post when he arrived by bus, a senior official said here.

He said 4.6 kg of charas was seized from him.

A case was registered at the Sonouli police station and he was handed over to police, the official added.

The SSB, which works under the command of the Union home ministry, guards the 1,751-km-long Indo-Nepal border.

Uttar Pradesh shares a 599.3-km-long open border with Nepal, touching seven districts of Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Sravasti, Balrampur, Sidhharthnagar and Maharajganj.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the year ahead, well look to build on that momentum, continue our accelerated technology innovation, and change the way organizations think about optimizing application performance to drive tangible business outcomes.

Instana, the leading provider of automatic application performance monitoring(APM) solutions for microservice and cloud-native applications, today announced exponential growth during their 2020 fiscal year, which included several substantial corporate milestones and achievements.

During the just-completed fiscal year, Instana has experienced continued growth in key leading indicator business areas:



ARR increase of 175% year over year

Total customer increase of 150% year over year

Employee Growth of 45% and 4 new office openings

The past year has been incredibly special for Instana, as we achieved significant growth in sales, employees and customers, coupled with three acquisitions, new office openings and a spate of significant product enhancements,, said Mirko Novakovic, co-founder and CEO at Instana. In the year ahead, well look to build on that momentum, continue our accelerated technology innovation, and change the way organizations think about optimizing application performance to drive tangible business outcomes.

Instana was founded in 2015 with a mission of helping organizations build better software faster by automating the entire process of the application performance monitoring (or APM) lifecycle. Over the past five years, the company has experienced consistent, incremental growth, emerging from industry upstart to one of the most innovative and fastest growing companies in the segment.

As business applications continue to shift into microservice architectures and adopt more agile processes, traditional legacy APM solutions struggle to keep up with the pace of deployment. Instanas automated approach and real-time monitoring and change detection are perfect for the agile application delivery team.

Instana added several major unique capabilities to their automated Application Performance Management(APM) solution during the year. They extended their leadership in the Kubernetes monitoring arena by adding support for applications running on Rancher, containerD, CRI-O and Pivotal Container Service (PCS), previously known as PKS. The Pivotal announcement was especially interesting given that Instana released a single Pivotal Platform Tile that managed BOTH the Container Service as well as CloudFoundry applications.

Monitoring and tracing support was also added for .NET Core, GraphQL queries, NGINX, Envoy and Jenkins. The Jenkins capabilities made Instana the first solution that not only monitored the output of a Jenkins build, but the build technology, too - an important new function for DevOps engineers managing their CICD pipeline. Another capability for DevOps came in the form of integration with Log analytics tools Splunk and Humio.

The most powerful product announcement for DevOps and CI/CD pipeline owners was the release of Instanas Pipeline Feedback capability. Leveraging Instanas one-second metric granularity and real-time change detection, Pipeline Feedback provides immediate feedback on any update to the system (such as an updated service or a new piece of infrastructure) so that the application stakeholders can take any corrective action - like a rollback - before there is a significant negative impact on end users.

Instana also made strategic technology acquisitions from companies BeeInstant, StackImpact and Signify. Recently, the company announced the first integrated solution from Instana and StackImpact, Instana AutoProfile, the industrys first Always-On continuous production profiler for Java Applications. AutoProfile captures a profile on every running process all the time.

Continued Market Traction

Throughout 2019, the combination of synergistic market forces and the companys stellar organizational execution resulted in the retention of existing clients, as well as the acquisition of new customers. In 2019 Instana added several new customers, including mobile health App provider Vivy, MacMillan Learning, TIpico, ExaVault and Avoris.

Through their work with a continually increasing customer base, Instana is monitoring a significant number of application environments and technologies, including:



Over half a million Container and Program run-time processes, including hosts, containers, Java Virtual Machines, NodeJS run-times, PHP and Ruby

25,000+ AWS Lambda functions

25 million metrics / second are being gathered (1.5B per minute)

1,000,000+ application request traces are being captured every second

To help reach their target markets, the company has built a world-class ecosystem of more than 80 resellers and key strategic cloud platform provider, DevOps and microservice technology partners. Specifically, Instana launched the companys automated APM solution into the Amazon AWS Marketplace, while participating in joint webinar programs with Red Hat OpenShift, Grafana, Humio and GiantSwarm. Other key technology partners such as Google Cloud, Pivotal and Rancher also help maintain Instanas technical leadership in the Cloud and Kubernetes monitoring space.

As the company continues to grow its customer base and ARR, Instana continues to build its workforce, growing by 45% in the last year. That growth has led to the company opening official offices in San Francisco, Chicago, Seoul, Berlin, Sydney, Research Triangle Park, NC and Novi Sad, Serbia over the last 18 months. While employee growth has been spread across all departments, the engineering and sales organizations have had the most growth. You can learn more about Instana and their automated Application Performance Monitoring solutions at https://instana.com.

###

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the intention of Instana to bring the acquired technologies to market and the potential benefits to customers of the acquired technologies as well as any benefits of the purchase and integration of the acquired technologies by and into Instanas product suite, which timing remains at the sole discretion of Instana. The achievement or success of the matters covered by such forward-looking statements are based on Instanas current assumptions, expectations, and beliefs and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and changes in circumstances that may cause Instanas actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement.

ABOUT INSTANA

As the leading provider of Automatic Application Performance Monitoring (APM) solutions for microservices, Instana has developed the automatic monitoring and AI-based analysis DevOps needs to manage the performance of modern applications. Instana is the only APM solution that automatically discovers, maps and visualizes microservice applications without continuous additional engineering. Customers using Instana achieve operational excellence and deliver better software faster. Visit https://www.instana.com to learn more.
By Trend

The appeal of Samira Rafullayeva, a candidate for the Azerbaijani Parliament from the 30th Surakhani constituency was looked into at the meeting of Azerbaijan's Central Election Commission (CEC) on Feb. 19, Trend reports with reference to the CEC.

It was noted during the meeting that the candidate, in her appeal, reported violations in several polling stations of the constituency.

CEC member Ilham Mammadov said that the appeal was considered in accordance with law. As a result, it was found out that actions, contradictory to the requirements of the Electoral Code, occurred in several polling stations of the 30th Surakhani constituency.

Therefore, Ilham Mammadov proposed to declare the voting results from the 12th, 14th, 16th and 18th precincts of the constituency invalid.

The proposal was accepted after the vote.

The snap parliamentary elections were held in Azerbaijan on Feb. 9.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Irans foreign minister said Wednesday that he believes his recent meeting with a U.S. senator had spooked the Trump administration because it was an opportunity to talk directly to the American nation.

Mohammad Javad Zarif met last week with Sen. Chris Murphy on the sidelines of an international security conference in Germany. The Connecticut Democrat defended the meeting on Tuesday after his actions were questioned in conservative media, and as President Donald Trump suggested they may have violated U.S. law. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped anyone who meets with Zarif would be reflecting the U.S. position with Iran.

Trump and Pompeo are afraid of a senator hearing facts from the Iranian foreign minister, Zarif said, speaking to reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting. He said this wasnt his first face-to-face chat with an American lawmaker in the last 20 years. It was not immediately clear which senators hed met with.

Murphy said meeting Zarif was important because it is dangerous not to talk to ones enemies, adding: I have no delusions about Iran  they are our adversary.

Tehran and Washington came close to an open conflict in January, when a U.S. drone strike in Iraq killed Irans top general. Iran retaliated with missile strikes on a base housing U.S. troops in Iraq.

Tensions have been escalating steadily since 2018, when Trump pulled the U.S. out of Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers. The Trump administration reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran as part of its maximum pressure campaign on the Islamic republic.

On hearing of Saturdays meeting, Trump said it sounded as though Murphy had violated an obscure, little-used federal law known as the Logan Act, which bars private citizens from conducting official diplomacy.

Pompeo said the U.S. has long designated Iran a state sponsor of terrorism, and pointed out Irans recent accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger jet over Tehran. Pompeo has criticized other Americans for meeting with Zarif, including his immediate predecessor, John Kerry.
The new date is yet to be announced.

The presentation of the National Platform for Reconciliation and Unity, scheduled for tomorrow, February 19, has been postponed in the wake of the latest escalation in eastern Ukraine's Donbas war zone.

"A cynical provocation to thwart peace initiatives," Serhiy Syvokho, an advisor to the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, said, commenting on the enemy offensive repelled Tuesday.

"There is no other word to describe what happened today [Tuesday] in the area of Zolote. It wasn't easy  we had our doubts and weighed our cons and pros, but we ultimately decided to postpone the presentation of the National Platform for Reconciliation," Syvokho wrote on Facebook.

"Once again: not to cancel, but to postpone. We continue our work to establish a dialogue between ordinary people. [The work is] non-public, systemic, and ongoing," wrote Syvokho.

He added that the new date for the presentation was yet to be reported.

Read alsoDonbas escalation: Russian occupation forces attack Ukrainian troops, try to penetrate line of contact (Video)

On February 15, ahead of the ruling party congress, Syvokho announced presentation of the National Platform of Reconciliation and Unity "Peace of Donbas".

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky ruled out the possibility of direct dialogue between the Ukrainian authorities and representatives of occupation administrations in eastern Ukraine's Donbas. At the same time, he said Ukraine was "ready for dialogue with the civilian population of these territories,"

In the early hours of Tuesday, Russian occupation forces attacked Ukrainian defense positions in Donbas near the settlements Novotoshkivske, Orikhove, Krymske, and Khutir Vilniy in Luhansk region. The invaders employed 152 mm, 122 mm 120 mm mortars, large machine guns, tanks, and grenade launchers of various types.

Under fire cover, the enemy moved to an active offensive, attempting to advance across the line of contact.

One Ukrainian military serviceman was killed in action and another four were wounded.

The enemy attack was timed with the anniversary of the fierce battles of Debaltseve, where Ukrainian troops suffered major losses.

President Zelensky called the attack "provocation" aimed at disrupting the settlement process and said the offensive "will not change the country's course toward ending the war."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 20:01:10|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

JERUSALEM, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Israeli troops opened fire on Wednesday at Palestinian Islamic Jihad snipers in the Gaza Strip in response to the latter's attack, Israeli military said.

An Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement that the troops identified a sniper squad of the Jihad group that fired from the area of Khan Yunis in Gaza at the Israeli troops.

"In response, the Israel Defense Forces troops targeted the sniper squad in order to remove the threat," the statement read.

No injuries were reported among the Israeli forces, while local media reported that one Islamic Jihad operative was injured.

The incident came a day after Israel said it would lift some restrictions on the Gaza Strip, including scaling back the allowed fishing zone from 10 nautical miles (about 18.52 km) to 15 nautical miles, and issuing an additional 2,000 travel permits to enter Israel for business purposes.

The office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories said the restrictions were lifted following the quiet at the fence separating between Israel and Gaza.

Gaza has been under Israeli blockade since 2007.
Newsroom reports:

Former National MP Jami-Lee Ross is one of the four men charged by the Serious Fraud Office in the National Party donations case  alongside a Chinese community leader who reportedly gave $100,000 to the party, and two others. Name suppression for Ross and his co-accused Zhang Yikun, Zheng Shijia, and Zheng Hengjia was lifted by the Auckland District Court on Wednesday afternoon after the latter trio applied to end the secrecy. Ross lawyers did not object. Ross was the originator of a complaint in 2018 to the police over a $100,000 donation he had publicly claimed showed his former party leader Simon Bridges was corrupt. The police referred the matter to the SFO but in January it was Ross, not Bridges or other National figures, who was among those charged.

It goes without saying that Ross and the others have yet to have their day in court, and we should hold off assumptions of guilt until after the trial.

But it is worth noting that as far as own goals go, I cant think of a bigger backfire in NZ political history. You announce that you are going to the Police to lay a complaint about your former leader, and you end up being the one charged with imprisonable offences. You cant blame this on some conspiracy of political enemies  it is a spectacular own goal.

Legal counsel for the three defendants Zhang, Zheng and Zheng issued a press statement saying: Our clients are fully aware of the public interest in this case and the need to respect the integrity of the New Zealand electoral system. It is for this reason they have asked for name suppression to be lifted and for the process surrounding the charges to be open and transparent. Our clients are proud New Zealanders and philanthropists. They were urged to follow a process and are now deeply disappointed at being caught up in a donations fiasco. They have supported numerous community groups over many years through fundraising activities and donations, including donating to many political parties and campaigns.

This will be a very interesting case. If a $100,000 donation was illegally split up to avoid disclosure, then there should be serious legal consequences for those involved.

And again if what the SFO alleges did occur, what I would be interested to learn is whose idea was it. Why did they not just make $100,000 donation and have it disclosed? Dozens and dozens of other individuals make donations above the disclosure limit and are happy to be disclosed. The 2017 return for National has several dozen donors listed.

Im not sure when the trial will be, but I will be very interested in the evidence.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

Trend:

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 21 times, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on Feb. 19.

The Armenian armed forces were using sniper rifles.

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.
'Justice League' star Ben Affleck recently opened up about what went wrong during his 10 years long marriage with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.

In an interview with New York Times, the 47-year-old actor said that "people with compulsive behaviour, and I am one, have this kind of basic discomfort all the time that they're trying to make go away," reported Fox News.

"You're trying to make yourself feel better with eating or drinking or sex or gambling or shopping or whatever. But that ends up making your life worse. Then you do more of it to make that discomfort go away. Then the real pain starts. It becomes a vicious cycle you can't break," the 'Argo' actor further said.

He then went on to admit: "That's at least what happened to me."

The actor had been into drinking during most of his marriage however, according to him, he did so moderately.

He fell into the vicious cycle of heavy drinking in 2015 and 2016 when his relationship with Garner entered turbulent waters, the actor revealed to the outlet. He started drinking heavily which in turn further worsened his marital problems.

Affleck has made several trips to rehab with the last being in the year 2018.

This was the same year when the couple got finally divorced.

"The biggest regret of my life is this divorce," said Affleck, but at the same time, he has got over the shame.

Explaining his point, he said: "Shame is really toxic. There is no positive byproduct of shame. It's just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low self-worth and self-loathing."

He has now chosen not to obsess over the past despite the lingering feeling of remorse.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi, Feb 19 : The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday gave its approval for a scheme for the formation of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in five years to ensure economies of scale for farmers.

The new Central sector scheme titled 'Formation and Promotion of Farmer Produce Organizations (FPOs)' is aimed at forming and promoting 10,000 new FPOs with a total budgetary provision of Rs 4,496 crore for five years.

The scheme has the liability of Rs 2,369 crore for a period from 2024-25 to 2027-28 towards handholding of each FPO for five years from its aggregation and formation.

Initially there will be three implementing agencies to form and promote FPOs -- Small Farmers Agri-business Consortium (SFAC), National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

It is targeted to complete formation of the FPOs between the period from 2019-20 to 2023-24, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar told media after the decision was taken in the CCEA meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Through formation of FPOs, Tomar said farmers will have better collective strength for access to quality input, technology, credit and marketing access through economies of scale for better realization of income.

The move was taken as small and marginal farmers do not have economic strength to apply production technology, services and marketing, including value addition, the Minister said.

States may also, if so desired, nominate their implementing agency in consultation with DAC&FW division under Agriculture Ministry. The DAC&FW will allocate cluster and states to implementing agencies which, in turn, will form the Cluster Based Business Organization (CBBO)in the states.

FPOs will be formed and promoted through CBBOs engaged at the state or cluster level by implementing agencies. The CBBOs will have five categories of specialists from the domain of crop husbandry, agri marketing or value addition and processing, social mobilisation, law and accounts and Information Technology or Management of Information System.

These CBBOs will be a platform for an end-to-end knowledge for all issues in FPO promotion. There will be a National Project Management Agency (NPMA) at Small Farmers' Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) for providing overall project guidance, data compilation and maintenance through integrated portal and Information management and monitoring.

Initially the minimum number of members in FPO will be 300 in plain area and 100 in North East and hilly areas, a Cabinet statement said.

"However, DAC&FW may revise the minimum number of membership based on experience and need with approval of Union Agriculture Minister." Priority will be given for formation of FPOs in aspirational districts in the country with at least one FPO in each block of aspirational districts. FPOs will be promoted under 'One District One Product' cluster to promote specialization and better processing, marketing, branding & export by FPOs.

There will be a provision of equity grant for strengthening equity base of FPOs. There will be a Credit Guarantee Fund of up to Rs 1,000 crore in NABARD with equal contribution by DAC&FW and NABARD and Credit Guarantee Fund of Rs 500 crore in NCDC with equal contribution by DAC&FW and NCDC for providing suitable credit guarantee cover to accelerate the flow of institutional credit to FPOs by minimizing the risk of financial institutions for granting loan to FPOs.

"States and Union Territories will be allowed to avail loan at prescribed concessional rate of interest under Agri-Market Infrastructure Fund (AMIF) approved for set up in NABARD for developing agriculture marketing and allied infrastructure." The report of 'Doubling of Farmer's Income (DFI)' has emphasized this fact and recommended formation of 7,000 FPOs by 2022 towards convergence of efforts for doubling the farmers' income, the statement said.

In the Union Budget 2019-20, the government has announced the creation of 10,000 new FPOs to ensure economies of scale for farmers over the next five years, for which a dedicated supporting and holistic scheme as Central Sector Scheme is proposed for targeted development of FPOs and its sustainability.
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Civil society group Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) has petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor to probe the galamsey saga.

They want the OSP to dig deep into the whereabouts of some 500 excavators, 4,045 other mining equipment and 2,779 weapons and ammunition seized from alleged illegal miners by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) which have been misappropriated and cannot be accounted for.

In its petition, ASEPA said: These latest revelations of corruption in the fight against galamsey show that the whole fight against illegal mining was a sham and a plot to get licensed small-scale miners out of business so that some elements in government can take over small-scale mining in the country.

The petition, bearing the signature of Mr Mensah Thompson, the groups Executive Director, said: Today, the turbidity of our water bodies has worsened leading to a rise in skin infections and other diseases such as diarrhoea in communities affected by the galamsey menace. Kindly find attached a picture of river Pra, in 2017 before the ban on small-scale mining and its current state here in attached and labelled as Exhibit 2A.

We believe that these latest revelations of massive rot in the galamsey fight border on offences such as stealing, bribery, corruption, abuse of public office for private gain, and other serious offences which your office is mandated to investigate.

It is in this light that we request your office to launch full investigations into the misappropriation of seized items such as excavators, mining equipment, gold and weapons by the IMCIM through the fight against illegal mining in the last three 3 years. We think that the IMCIM, Galamstop and Operation Vanguard must be investigated by your office to unravel those responsible for this rot so they can be made to face the full rigours of the law.

Read the full petition below:

PETITION TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED THIEVERY AND CORRUPTION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST "GALAMSEY"

The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) is a public accountability civil advocacy group operating in Ghana with prime interest in anti-corruption campaigns, civil advocacy and environmental protection.

We petition your high office pursuant to Section 2, 3(b) and (c) of the Special Prosecutor Act, (Act 959) 2017, to invoke the jurisdiction of the Special Prosecutor to open investigations into the alleged thievery and corruption that has bedevilled the national fight against illegal mining (galamsey).

In 2017, the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, announced the government's decision to fight illegal mining activities that were destroying our forests, lands and water bodies. This was followed by a nationwide ban on all mining activities in the country and the setting up of an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, herein referred to as (IMCIM) and also the Operation Vanguard, which was a joint military and police task force, specifically set up to combat the menace.

This project, as we were made to believe, was very dear to the heart of the President and as such, huge resources of the state were allocated to the IMCIM and the Operation Vanguard team to assist them function effectively and bring the menace under control.

About two weeks ago, our attention was drawn to a video in circulation on social media which captures a conversation between one Ekow Ewusi, who is the Central Regional Vice-Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and a member of the governments taskforce against galamsey and Professor Frimpong-Boateng, who is the current Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation. (Find video attached and marked Exhibit 1A)

In the said video, Mr Ekow Ewusi is heard narrating how Prof Frimpong-Boateng, who chairs the IMCIM, authorised him to facilitate the illegal mining business of John Boadu, the General Secretary of the NPP, Chairman Wontumi and other NPP functionaries ostensibly to raise money to finance the New Patriotic Party.

In the same video, Prof Frimpong-Boateng is heard admitting that he gave such orders to Mr Ekow Ewusi. Again, in that same video, Ekow Awusi is heard accusing the son of the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovations, who doubles as the chairman of the IMCIM, Jojo Frimpong, of engaging in illegal mining in the country.

Again, we have become aware of the fact that about 500 excavators, 4,045 other mining equipment and 2,779 weapons and ammunition seized from alleged illegal miners by the IMCIM have been misappropriated and cannot be accounted for. There have been accusations and counter-accusations as to the whereabouts of the seized excavators and who had misappropriated them.

Subsequently, we have also heard from some small-scale miners giving chilling accounts of how seized gold, vehicles, weapons and other equipment belonging to them have been misappropriated by the Operation Vanguard team, the Galamstop taskforce and IMCIM.

Kindly find media publications on this fact attached and marked as Exhibit 1B,1C and 1D.

These latest revelations of corruption in the fight against galamsey show that the whole fight against illegal mining was a sham and a plot to get licensed small-scale miners out of business so that some elements in government can take over small-scale mining in the country.

Today, the turbidity of our water bodies has worsened leading to a rise in skin infections and other diseases such as diarrhoea in communities affected by the galamsey menace. Kindly find attached a picture of river Pra, in 2017 before the ban on small-scale mining and its current state here in attached and labelled as Exhibit 2A.

We believe that these latest revelations of massive rot in the galamsey fight border on offences such as stealing, bribery, corruption, abuse of public office for private gain, and other serious offences which your office is mandated to investigate.

It is in this light that we request your office to launch full investigations into the misappropriation of seized items such as excavators, mining equipment, gold and weapons by the IMCIM through the fight against illegal mining in the last three 3 years. We think that the IMCIM, Galamstop and Operation Vanguard must be investigated by your office to unravel those responsible for this rot so they can be made to face the full rigours of the law.

Thank you.

Signed:

Mensah Thompson

Executive Director, ASEPA
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 19:29:05|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- A free online learning platform launched for China's primary and secondary school students studying at home during the outbreak of COVID-19 has seen good results since it was launched Monday.

More than 23 million visits have been paid to the platform's website as of noon Wednesday.

The platform offers a series of learning resources including epidemic prevention education, moral education, digital teaching materials and physed.

Jointly launched by China's Ministry of Education and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the platform covers the 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland.

In addition, the two ministries have also set up a working mechanism to ensure the platform's smooth operation.
Filmmaker Ines Johnson-Spain shares her experience of growing up Black with white parents in East Germany in the 1960s.
Globally, traditional communities control 24 per cent of wild lands and 60 per cent of unprotected wilderness.

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is going to sponsor the World Wilderness Congress in Jaipur between 19 and 26 March. The BMC cleared a proposal of Rs 5 crore for the event, where it would be putting up an exhibition, during this weeks standing committee meeting.

The event would bring together forest communities across the country on a common platform as well as influential people from business, finance, academia, science and the arts.

The exhibition would include 5,200 square foot stall showcasing Mumbais wildlife, tree-cover and marine life. This would be later dismantled and put up in interpretation centre of Byculla zoo, said a BMC official.

International wildlife experts have been stressing on the importance of indigenous communities as new conservation solutions simultaneously address the needs of local people.

Globally, traditional communities control 24 per cent of wild lands and 60 per cent of unprotected wilderness. Development authorities call these people stakeholders, but they are stewards of the wilderness, which is their homeland. The conservation movement needs to note that the traditional communities also have the common goal of saving the wilderness, said Vance Martin, president, US-based WILD Foundation and founder, Wilderness Specialist Group.

Indigenous communities including the Meena and Bishnoi tribes from Rajasthan, the Adi tribe from the north-east, and the Soliga tribe from Karnataka will be present at the conference among others.

While there has been speculation over the impact of farming by tribal communities on the natural ecosystem of forests, experts highlighted how these communities have helped restore the cumulative benefits of forest areas i.e. addressing climate change, enhancing biodiversity, saving water and providing livelihoods through eco-tourism.

India has destroyed a vast part of its natural landscape, but this cannot simply be blamed on tribals. Industrial damage, development of poorly aligned roads and dams have contributed largely to ecological destruction. By rewilding India over the next three decades, we could create opportunities for 15 to 30 million jobs and livelihoods to restore the land, bring biodiversity back, reduce floods and droughts and bringing carbon down from the atmosphere. WILD11 is trying to recreate the harmony between people and the land, including referencing cities, said Bittu Sahgal, Founder, Sanctuary Nature Foundation.
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A fire at an apartment building in San Bernardino left seven people without a place to stay after flames drove residents from the building on Sunday morning. The complex is part of a vast rental empire I wrote about last week in our investigation: Deceit, Disrepair and Death Inside a Southern California Rental Empire.

San Bernardino County Fire officials said they sent five engines to the scene and it took firefighters about 15 minutes to put the fire out.

Fire officials said they were not aware of any injuries.

San Bernardino Crews Quickly Knockdown @sbcitygov Apartment Fire. See press release here  https://t.co/vlX9rZZ44j pic.twitter.com/zgPMUVvC2V  San Bernardino County Fire (@SBCOUNTYFIRE) February 17, 2020

I went out to the location today to see what tenants had to say about the fire and conditions at the 22-unit complex. Fire officials say they have not yet determined a cause.

At the building, the windows of four units were boarded up with plywood and there was still a heavy smell of smoke more than two days after the fire was extinguished. I saw holes cut in the roof by firefighters.

The scene Sunday was harrowing, according to Marvin Lewis, a truck driver who recently moved into the complex.

"Flames, a lot of smoke, people running and grabbing their babies, I saw people tripping down the stairs," he said. "It was just a crazy scene. I saw people throwing up because of the smoke."

I looked up public records for the apartment complex and found:

The building is owned by Group XIV Properties, LP.

It's part of a vast real estate rental empire created by a man named Mike Nijjar.

City violations I've reviewed from this property show the property managers received notices for:

Debris strewn around the courtyard



Broken windows



Broken gates, that led to homeless people using the carport area as a bathroom



Mold and mildew

It's not the first fire at a property in this real estate empire. A few miles away, a fire in 2017 injured a firefighter who fell through a floor.

And as our investigation details, a deadly fire in a mobile home park in the Bakersfield area killed a baby girl in 2016. In that case, state regulators said that disregard for health and safety code led to the 5-month-old's death. They blamed PAMA Management, which did not have a permit for the mobile home, among other violations.

PAMA's corporate cousins are major landlords in San Bernardino and control an estimated 16,000 units across California. Their footprint stretches from Hemet and Los Angeles all the way to Bakersfield, Fresno and Sacramento. I found companies connected to Nijjar have been sued many times for conditions at their buildings and other business practices.

Mike Nijjar declined to speak to us about our findings. His attorney issued a statement on behalf of him and others connected to his companies, that said in part:

PAMA Management cares about the communities and the people we serve. Providing affordable housing to those who need it is our mission. PAMA has operated in Southern California for more [than] 40 years. In its years of operation, PAMA has served tens of thousands of residents of Southern California.

Very often, PAMA assumes management of multi-unit apartment complexes in the community that are subject to City and County Code enforcement violations due to years of deferred maintenance, and does the necessary to improve those properties, clear the violations, and make it possible for families to continue to occupy those buildings.

READ THE FULL STATEMENT

I also reached out to the attorney to ask about the fire on Sunday and will update this story if I hear back.

I talked to residents at the complex where Sunday's fire took place about conditions there.

"They're raising the rent and to me it's like if you guys wanna raise the rent, keep up with the property," said Anjeanette Oates.

UPDATES:

9:37 a.m.: This article was updated to indicate that San Bernardino County fire officials were unaware of any injuries.

WATCH 6 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM OUR INVESTIGATION
Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama has been assured of the votes of the people of Awaso Asempaneye.

Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

The chief of the Awaso Asempaneye area, Nana Oko Twansuo III told the former president and his entourage who are on a tour of the area that, they are more than ready to vote massively for the NDC to come back into power to continue the good job they started.

According to the Omanhene, President Mahamas tenure as president saw massive infrastructure projects and development in the Awaso Asempaneye traditional area.

READ ALSO: Ghana on the path to HIPC again - Kofi Bentil

He specifically mentioned the provision of a CHPS Compound for his community and the start of work on the Awaso town roads.

Even if our thumbs are chopped off on December 7, my people and I will use our toes to vote for you to come and continue with your good works, he said.

The chief was full of praise for former president Mahama, when he paid a courtesy call on him while on his #SpeakOut tour of the Western North Region.

On his part, John Mahama on behalf of the NDC thanked the chief for his support and kind words, as well as acknowledgement of the good job of the NDC government.

He further noted that the NDC was aware of the challenges facing Ghanaians and the people of Awaso Asempaneye.

READ ALSO: Mahama fought corruption better than Akufo-Addo is doing - Omane Boamah

Mahama said when given the opportunity to run the affairs of the country he will tackle the issues facing farmers in the area.

John Mahama and the NDCs SpeakOut tour will take place in all 16 regions of the country.

ATTENTION: Read the best news on Ghana #1 news app. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana

YEN.com.gh earlier reported that with barely two days to end nominations for the New Patriotic Partys primaries, the General Secretary of the governing party, John Boadu says aspirants who still havent secured their forms can get one at the national headquarters in Accra.

Some aspirants for the NPPs parliamentary primaries are complaining they have not been able to pick up nomination forms from their various constituencies.

Yenkasa: Coronavirus: Is Ghana ready? | #Yencomgh

READ ALSO: NDC MPs Muntaka, Ibrahim survive road accident near Konongo (Photos)

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page.

Source: YEN.com.gh
While climate change means more rural people are being urged to use public transport, Laois people remain waiting for years for bus shelters.

Cllr James Kelly claims that shelters are not being installed because the bus company can no longer make money from them by selling advertising spaces.

Forget about your advertising. They put them up because they could make money from the advertisements. That is not going to happen any more but we still need bus shelters, he said at the January meeting of Laois County Council.

 Climate change has made it a priority to use public transport. The bus user should be afforded some shelter from the elements. I've a letter from the National Transport Authority stating that the numbers deserve shelters but it is subject to funding, that was three years ago, he said.

There's none in Mountrath, Castletown or Borris-in-Ossory. I see people standing in the rain. S urely if we want people to use buses we should be able to get bus shelters, he said.

He tabled a motion asking Laois County Council to do an audit and get funding to put up bus shelters.

This is for the whole county, there are bus routes all over it, he said.

Cllr John King supported the motion.

A lot of city people coming to live in Mountrath don't have cars. Buses are not stopping. Bus Eireann was asked to stop regularly, they said they would if they had a shelter, he claimed.

Cllr Conor Bergin said that buses drive through Borris-in-Ossory eight times a day.

I see them from my kitchen window, They don't stop. This might give them an incentive to stop, he said.

He said traffic is as busy now as it was before the motorway.

A lot come through to bypass the toll but bus services still pulled out of the town, he said.

Cllr John Joe Fennelly also backs the motion.

Last Wednesday it was a cold morning and I counted 17 people standing in the cold. What if it had been raining? It's just crazy, he said.

A lot are very sick, going to Dublin for appointments, agreed the Cathaoirleach Cllr Willie Aird.

Laois County Council replied that an audit is underway by it, to be presented to the Transportation SPC and then to full council for approval.

Councillors have set aside 50,000 for bus shelters in the Capital Budget 2020  2022, funded by development contributions.

The NTA who licence bus services say buses must only stop at designated bus stops.
Angolan President Joao Lourenco meets with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Presidential Palace in Luanda, Angola, on Feb. 17, 2020. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via Reuters)

Pompeo in Africa Visit Praises Angolas Moves Against Corruption, Promotes US Business

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in his Africa stop on Feb. 17, praised Angolas president for his dramatic actions to recover billions of dollars looted by corrupt officials, saying it would help attract investment to one of Africas largest economies.

Angolas President Joao Lourenco, who took office two-and-a-half years ago had done great work to eliminate corruption, Pompeo said at a joint press conference with Angolan Minister of External Relations Manuel Augusto. He increased transparency of the government and helped financial institutions clean up their books, Pompeo added.

Corruption is the enemy of a nations growth and progress, Pompeo said at a business reception in Angola. The culture of impunity is destructive to economic growth and the well-being of the ordinary, Angolan people.

Corruption had stunted this nations vast potential for far too long, he added.

Lourencos anti-corruption activities have not spared family members of former Angolan leader Eduardo dos Santos, who was in power for nearly 40 years. A recent investigation by a global consortium of journalists into Dos Santoss daughter Isabel led to allegations of widespread mismanagement of state funds, which she has denied.

Pompeo said that the United States could assist Angola in holding some individuals involved in corruption accountable for their actions. He said the United States wants global financial transactions to be transparent and clean.

Pompeo also commended Lourencos initiative to privatize state-owned enterprises in the country, saying that it would attract private investment. In October 2019 Angolan state-owned gas company Sonangol formed a new gas consortium with American Chevron, BP, ENI, and Total, for exploration and production of natural gas in Angola, with an initial investment of $2 billion.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Angolan Foreign Minister Manuel Domingos Augusto shake hands after a news conference the at Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Luanda, Angola, on Feb. 17, 2020. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via Reuters)

Business Opportunities for US and Angola

Among American companies doing business in Angola are GE, ExxonMobil, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Caterpillar, Cummins, TechnipFMC, and Tidewater. Through these business relationships, the country can develop its resources, speed up economic growth, and develop further agricultural tourism and technology sectors, Pompeo said.

Pompeo also contrasted American investments with the Chinese model. American companies hold transparency in business in high regard, hire local people, do quality work for mutual benefits of both parties, without political objectives, Pompeo said.

Angola is one of the richest countries in Africa, but is also about $40 billion in debt to China, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

Pompeo also announced the establishment of the new Development Finance Corporation dedicated to partnering with the private sector to finance solutions to the most critical challenges faced by developing countries all over the world. It has a budget of $60 billion, and much of that capacity will be available for Africa, said Pompeo.

In November 2019, the Trump administration launched a new initiative called Prosper Africa aimed at expanding trade between the United States and African countries by assisting U.S. businesses to pursue commercial opportunities across Africa, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Pompeo welcomed Angolas efforts to strengthen security in the region, citing Angolas involvement in a peacekeeping operation in Lesotho in 2017.

If parliaments new private investment law is implemented transparently and faithfully, then many, many more American businesses, many, many more Western businesses will come to Angola and create wealth, jobs, and opportunity for the Angolan people, said Pompeo.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
No single country is adequately protecting childrens health, their environment and their futures, finds a landmark report released on Wednesday by a commission of over 40 child and adolescent health experts from around the world.

The commission was convened by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and The Lancet.

The report, A Future for the Worlds Children?, finds that the health and future of every child and adolescent worldwide is under immediate threat from ecological degradation, climate change and exploitative marketing practices that push heavily processed fast food, sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco at children.

From the climate crisis to obesity and harmful commercial marketing, children around the world are having to contend with threats that were unimaginable just a few generations ago, said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF executive director.

It is time for a rethink on child health, one which places children at the top of every governments development agenda and puts their well-being above all considerations.

Intensifying climate change threatens every childs future

The report includes a new global index of 180 countries, comparing performance on child flourishing, including measures of child survival and well-being, such as health, education, and nutrition; sustainability, with a proxy for greenhouse gas emissions, and equity, or income gaps.

According to the report, while the poorest countries need to do more to support their childrens ability to live healthy lives, excessive carbon emissions  disproportionately from wealthier countries  threaten the future of all children.

If global warming exceeds 4 degrees Celsius by the year 2100 in line with current projections, this would lead to devastating health consequences for children, due to rising ocean levels, heatwaves, proliferation of diseases like malaria and dengue, and malnutrition.

Children read books in a library in Lam Dong, located in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Photo: Mai Vinh / Tuoi Tre

The index shows that children in Norway, the Republic of Korea, and the Netherlands have the best chance at survival and well-being, while children in Central African Republic, Chad, Somalia, Niger and Mali face the worst odds.

However, when authors took per capita carbon dioxide emissions into account, the top countries trail behind, with Norway ranked 156, the Republic of Korea 166, and the Netherlands 160.

Each of the three emits 210 percent more carbon dioxide per capita than their 2030 target.

The U.S., Australia, and Saudi Arabia are among the ten worst emitters.

The only countries on track to beat carbon dioxide emission per capita targets by 2030, while also performing fairly, within the top 70, on child flourishing measures are: Albania, Armenia, Grenada, Jordan, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Uruguay and Vietnam.

Vietnam is progressing well on both child flourishing and ensuring a sustainable future for children, said Lesley Miller, UNICEF Vietnam deputy representative.

While its carbon emissions are lower than 2030 targets, they are on the increase.

Many Vietnamese children have already been impacted negatively by climate change, especially those exposed to air pollution and those affected by drought and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta.

Progress can be jump-started by ensuring that all key sectors  health, education, rural development, energy, transport, environment and planning  work together to protect childrens health and well-being.

There is no room for complacency.

Harmful commercial marketing preys on children  with childhood obesity increasing 11-fold

The report also highlights the distinct threat posed to children from harmful marketing.

Evidence suggests that children in some countries see as many as 30,000 advertisements on television alone in a single year, while youth exposure to vaping (e-cigarettes) advertisements increased by more than 250 percent in the U.S. over two years, reaching more than 24 million young people.

Childrens exposure to commercial marketing of junk food and sugary beverages is associated with purchase of unhealthy foods and overweight and obesity, linking predatory marketing to the alarming rise in childhood obesity.

The number of obese children and adolescents increased from 11 million in 1975 to 124 million in 2016  an 11-fold increase, with dire individual and societal costs.

Children look at books at a museum in Da Nang, central Vietnam. Photo: Doan Nhan / Tuoi Tre

A manifesto for immediate action on child and adolescent health

To protect children, the independent commission authors call for a new global movement driven by and for children.

Specific recommendations include:

- Stop carbon dioxide emissions with the utmost urgency, to ensure children have a future on this planet;

- Place children and adolescents at the center of efforts to achieve sustainable development;

- New policies and investment in all sectors to work toward child health and rights;

- Incorporate childrens voices into policy decisions;

- Tighten national regulation of harmful commercial marketing, supported by a new Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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Gospel of the Sparrow: a heart-touching story that vividly portrays love and compassion for everyone. Gospel of the Sparrow is the creation of published author Bernice Roysland, a woman who taught music in the Fergus Falls, Minnesota public schools for thirty-five years, and English at other schools for nine years.

Roysland writes, From an early age, Addie loved to read and dramatize parts of stories she liked. A favorite was The Sky Is Falling, a fable that encouraged her to adopt the philosophy of the little sparrow who said, One does what one can.

More than anything else in her world, Addie Carlson wanted to become a teacher. Her dream was to help all children, but especially those whose problems were too difficult to be carried alone. She was a champion for children who suffered from bullying, and for others facing timeless cultural challenges.

Addies desire to focus on these problems led her to Alabama shortly after the Martin Luther King marches. While there she helped students with learning problems and counseled a young black man who had been jailed, wrongly accused of murder. She poured her heart into the lives of those with whom she came in contact. Addie was a young woman who could not see color or class, but only the potential of a valued life.

Addie was a strong advocate for educators. With a desire to see fairness prevail, she led a fight for teachers rights. An unwavering moral compass led her to approach each day of her life with a purpose.

Against the backdrop of romance, courtroom drama, and family separation, Addie calls upon God to keep the sky from falling.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Bernice Royslands new book is a contemporary novel filled with love and compassion for everyone despite the race, color, or class.

With this book, Roysland gives the readers a wonderful experience as this engrossing tale takes them on an adventure where they will receive moral lessons that can be applied in their day-to-day lives.

View a synopsis of Gospel of the Sparrow on YouTube.

Consumers can purchaseGospel of the Sparrow at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Gospel of the Sparrow, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.


In 1961 Soviet Union, where artists were kept behind iron curtains, it took one man to break through the shackles and seek freedom. Rudolf Nureyev is not just any other name but a sensation from the 20th century who dared to be different.

A nonconformist for his time and a 'white crow' for the Russians, here's the story of the greatest male ballet dancer who stood undeterred in his quest to pursue greatness. &PriveHD, the premium destination for nuanced cinema, brings alive his inspiring journey with the Prive Premiere of the biographical drama 'The White Crow'.

Available with the Zee Prime English HD Pack, the channel is set to premiere the inspiring biopic on Saturday, February 22, 2020, at 1 PM and 9 PM.

Directed by the Academy Award-nominee Ralph Fiennes who also stars in the same film, the movie features debutant actor and ballet dancer Oleg Ivenko in a phenomenal performance portraying Rudolf Nureyev along with Louis Hofmann and Adele Exarchopoulos.

Set against the backdrop of 1960s Soviet Union where tensions around the Cold War were rife, the film chronicles the incredible story of the talented artist in his journey from a poverty-stricken childhood to him blossoming as the legendary artist whose one decision changes his life forever.

The film opens with a young man of just 22, as he is seen on an airplane flying from St Petersburg to Paris. Rudolf Nureyev, who is not yet the imperious figure of legend, is a member of the world-renowned Kirov Ballet Company, travelling for the first time outside the Soviet Union.

Parisian life delights Nureyev and the young dancer is eager to consume all the culture, art and music the dazzling city has to offer. However, his defection to the West to pursue his passion is met with grave suspicion, ultimately leading him to be tried for treason.

With a nail-biting stand-off at the Paris-Le Bourget, witness Rudolf Nureyev stand firm to his beliefs in the exhilarating biopic 'The White Crow'.

Meet the legend who courageously carved his own path as &PriveHD brings the Prive Premiere of 'The White Crow' on Saturday, February 22, 2020, at 1 PM and 9 PM.
The Utah Senates Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee voted unanimously this week to decriminalize polygamy in the state. The bill, SB 102, will now advance to the full Senate, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

SB 102 reduces polygamy from a federal offense punishable by up to five years in prison to an infraction with a maximum fine of $750 and potential community service. The bills sponsor, Republican state Sen. Deidre Henderson, believes it will help victims of abuse or fraud within polygamist families.

They are tired of being treated like second-class citizens, said Henderson, according to Faithwire. 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.

In an op-ed article for the Salt Lake Tribune, Henderson chronicled her research on polygamist families in Utah.

Like alcohols prohibition a century ago, which gave rise to Al Capone and a dangerous black market, todays prohibition on polygamy has created a shadow society in which the vulnerable make easy prey, she said.

It is in these reclusive environments that abuse happens with impunity. Fear and isolation breed secrecy, like a petri dish in which dark and ugly things grow.

Henderson made it clear that she doesnt want to legalize polygamy. She hopes to address the human rights crisis our law has created.

But critics are concerned that changing the law will create a culture of freedom. Easton Harvey of the Sound Choices Coalition, an anti-polygamy advocacy group, believes that abusive situations happen because of the family culture, not because of the law.

The primary reason [people trapped in polygamy] do not report crimes is because of a weaponized God, because of weaponized Scripture, because theyre trying to protect their priesthood, he said.

Ora Barlow, who was raised in a polygamist family, also pushed back against the bill. She felt relief when the leaders in her community were jailed.

The law is there for a reason, she said. And its for people like me who feel trapped.

Related:

HGTV's 'House Hunters' Celebrates Polyamorous 'Throuple' Family

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Motortion

Mikaela Mathews is a freelance writer and editor based in Dallas, TX. She was the editor of a local magazine and a contributing writer for the Galveston Daily News and Spirit Magazine.
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK) today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Italy-based ASEM, S.p.A., a leading provider of digital automation technologies. ASEM provides a complete range of Industrial PCs (IPCs), Human-Machine Interface (HMI) hardware and software, remote access capabilities, and secure Industrial IoT gateway solutions.

ASEM's high-performance automation solutions enable The Connected Enterprise with smarter technology, enhanced productivity, and a more secure environment by integrating smart devices, the control platform, and design and operational software all on a single network.

"ASEM's strength in the IPC market and expertise in HMI will further expand our Control Visualization hardware and software portfolio and enhance our ability to deliver high-performance, integrated automation solutions. ASEM's products will provide our customers with a high degree of configurability for their industrial computing needs through innovative hardware and software that allows them to achieve faster time to market, lower their cost of ownership, improve asset utilization, and better manage enterprise risk," said Fran Wlodarczyk, Senior Vice President, Architecture Software at Rockwell Automation.

"ASEM has a leading market position in Italy and has a brand that is synonymous with quality. We are delighted to have the opportunity to leverage our pioneering expertise in the design and production of Industrial PCs and industrial software to broaden Rockwell Automation's Control Visualization offering and accelerate the digital transformation of our customers," said ASEM founder, President, and CEO Renzo Guerra.

The transaction includes the purchase of a minority interest in ASEM held by KEB Group, Germany. Post-close, Rockwell Automation will maintain ASEM's strategic supplier and technology partner relationship with KEB.

The transaction is expected to close in the spring of 2020, subject to customary approvals and conditions, and will be reported in the Architecture Software business segment. Rockwell Automation will provide additional information at the upcoming Barclays and Citi investor conferences held in Miami, Florida on February 19 and 20.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 23,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries. To learn more about how we are bringing The Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com

About ASEM

Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Artegna, Italy, ASEM, is a leader in the R&D, design, manufacturing, and marketing of products, systems, and solutions for the machine and process automation markets. ASEM's products, systems, and solutions are completely designed, engineered and manufactured in-house in Italy and based on state-of-the-art hardware and software technologies. ASEM employs approximately 200 employees, 30% of which are dedicated to R&D. In addition to Italy, ASEM has presence in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and sells to customers in over 30 countries. To learn more about ASEM, visit www.asem.it

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005282/en/

Contacts:

Jessica Kourakos

Head of Investor Relations

+1 414-382-8510

Jkourakos@ra.rockwell.com



Ike Theodore Umunnah

Director, Global Public Affairs

+1 414-382-5679

itumunna@ra.rockwell.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 15:27:29|Editor: huaxia

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HANGZHOU, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- In the morning, villager Zhu Guoxin puts on a mask, braces against the wind and steps out of Xinhe Village for the first time in 16 days since it was sealed off and put under quarantine.

With a registered population of 2,887, Xinhe in the city of Shaoxing was the first village in east China's Zhejiang Province to announce isolation for medical observation amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

In mid-January, Zhu came to know the epidemic through the news on tv. "My neighboring family was doing business in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. I wondered whether or not to ask about their situation," Zhu recalled.

Nearly half of villagers in Xinhe were doing business in other places. One month ago, many returned to their hometown for the Spring Festival celebrations. Few villagers realized the imminent danger.

The deteriorated situation in Wuhan alerted Hu Lizhao, director of the subdistrict office where Xinhe Village is located. "The subdistrict started to comb people returning from Wuhan since Jan. 21. Among 341 people from the city, 96 lived in Xinhe Village," Hu said.

On the night of Jan. 23, the first "bomb" exploded. An ambulance rushed to Xinhe and dashed out of the village, carrying a woman with a fever.

"The woman came from Wuhan. She called me that day and said she had a fever. I immediately informed the local disease control and prevention center," said Zhou Jicheng, director of the villagers committee.

The next day, the woman was confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus, which was the first confirmed case in Yuecheng District, which administers Xinhe Village.

In the next two to three days, the second, third and fourth confirmed cases were reported in the village. A dozen cadres made a difficult decision to lock down the whole village for medical observation. The plan was approved by the municipal authorities.

As the first ray of sunshine reached Xinhe Village on Jan. 26, each household received a notice, which declared the whole village would be in quarantine and asked residents to stay at home.

Soon, tents and prefabricated houses were transported here. The village set up seven checkpoints on roads leading out of the village. A team, including village cadres and ordinary residents, would patrol the village every half an hour.

How to quell the fears and concerns of villagers was another uphill task.

When villager Tao Qilong got up at 7 a.m. every morning, he would receive two bags of vegetables in front of his home. "If you told the village cadres one day in advance what food your family needed, it would be delivered at your doorstep the next day," Tao said.

Zhu Ping, a female cadre of the village, had to keep abreast of new knowledge about the disease to better answer questions raised by villagers. Every day, she received over 100 phone calls.

"People had many concerns about new confirmed cases and questions regarding infection symptoms and incubation period," Zhu said. "I would give clear answers because the best way to comfort them is to tell the truth."

Chinese health authorities said the overall confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection on the Chinese mainland had reached 74,185 by the end of Tuesday, and 2,004 people had died of the disease.

A total of 14,376 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery.

Thanks to joint efforts, Xinhe Village was released from quarantine on Feb. 12 after 16 days in lockdown, and no more confirmed cases have been reported since the quarantine.

There are still three checkpoints in the village, each with three volunteers wearing masks and holding thermometers to take the temperature of people coming in and out.

When Zhu steps out of the village to go shopping, he looks up into the sky. "I hope the epidemic will end as soon as possible, and we can get our lives back to normal," he said.
19.02.2020 LISTEN

Background:

On February 5, 2020, the National Communications Authority (NCA), through a letter addressed to the Director of Tongu Community Multimedia Network (operators of Radio Tongu) suspended the operations of Radio Tongu. The letter, which was signed by the Director General of the NCA, Mr. Joe Anokye, made reference to what it said were various correspondences between the NCA and operators of the radio station on the management of the station.

The NCA letter to the station, also referenced what it said were investigations into various petitions received on the issue, and cited National Security and public interest as the grounds for the suspension in accordance with Section 13 (1) of the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775).

Subsequently on February 13, the NCA issued a public statement to confirm the suspension of the operations of the radio station. In the said statement, the NCA offered the following six reasons as the basis for suspension of the station:

a. Prior to the grant of the Provisional Renewal Authorisation, the NCA received a petition in 2014 from the Concerned Citizens of Tongu complaining about the manner in which Radio Tongu was being managed and operated by the Manager of the station, Mr. Bestway Zottor. The petition was copied to the South Tongu District Assembly and the Office of the Representative of UNESCO to Ghana.

b. In April 2019, the petitioners sent a reminder about their earlier petition to the Authority.

c. As a result of the petition, the NCA held a meeting with the petitioners and representative of the District Chief Executive at our Ho Regional office on 14th June, 2019. The Chairman / Manager of Tongu Radio failed to attend the said meeting.

d. The petitioners, on 9th January, 2020, wrote to the NCA alleging that Mr. Bestway Zottor was using the radio station for defamation, religious teaching to create confusion among churches and for political campaigns promoting the separatists agenda of the Western Togoland movement.

e. The NCA also took into consideration the arrest by the police of Mr. Bestway Zottor, the manager of the station, upon the request of the District Security Council, for using the station to promote the agenda of a separatist movement in the Volta Region.

f. After a critical review of the escalating situation and pending the resolution of the security and public interest concerns in accordance with Section 13(1)(e) of the Electronic Communications Act, 2008, (Act 775), the NCA, on 5th February, 2020, suspended the Authorisation of Radio Tongu. This was on grounds of national security and the public interest.

Concerns:

The powers of the National Communications Authority (NCA) to suspend or revoke an authorised frequency of a radio station on the basis of legitimate national security or public interest concerns cannot be contested. Indeed, matters of national security must be of concern to every citizen. Any acts of criminality, including any activities of the so-called separatists group, that could harm the security of the State and public interest needs to be swiftly dealt with and perpetrators punished if they are found guilty.

However, the action of the NCA in relation to the shutdown of Tongu Radio raises some legitimate concerns about media regulation in Ghana. From the statement issued by the NCA on February 13, 2020, explaining why the radio station was shut down, it is clear that the radio station was shutdown not based on any technical infraction or misapplication of the authorised frequency in a way that has national security implications.

Rather, the decision to shut down the radio station was mainly based on the nature and type of content the radio station was broadcasting (which possibly had national security ramifications) and what is said to be complaints by a group of people about the management of the station.

It must be pointed out that when the NCA authorises and approves frequencies for use by radio stations, it is not the mandate of the Authority to also exercise oversight over the day-to-day management of stations. Owners of radio stations have the responsibility of appointing their managers and determining whether or not they are pleased with how their stations are managed. Where complaints about how a station is managed relates to the contents of the station, the NCA will still not be the body to deal with such complaints. It is, therefore, curious why the NCA will cite among reasons for a shutdown of a radio station, complaints by people about how the station is managed.

The NCA states that a group of people had also complained through a petition to the NCA, that the station was being used for defamation, religious teaching to create confusion among churches and for political campaigns promoting the separatists agenda of the Western Togoland movement.

If indeed there were such complaints about the type of content being broadcast by the radio station, why would the NCA see itself as the right forum or institution to receive and deal with complaints about the content of a media house and potentially criminal actions by an individual perpetrated on radio? Is the NCA arrogating to itself the mandate to regulate the content of broadcast media in Ghana? Criminal acts are criminal acts. Thus, if someone uses radio to perpetrate a crime, the appropriate agency  the police - are required to deal with such a person.

In choosing to rely on the Electronic Communications Act, 2008, (Act 775), to revoke the frequency authorisation of the radio station, the NCA should have also taken note of Section 2(9) of the same Act 775, which cautions that: In pursuit of its mandate, the Authority shall pay particular attention to the provisions of Chapter 12 of the Constitution.

For the avoidance of doubt, Chapter 12 of the 1992 Constitution sets up the independent National Media Commission (NMC) under Article 166. The constitution mandates the NMC to take all appropriate steps to ensure the highest journalistic standards in the mass media including investigation, mediation, and settlement of complaints made against or by the press or other mass media.

To highlight the critical point about the independence of the NMC, the constitution says in Article 172 that in the performance of its functions, the NMC shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority.

The constitution did not say the NCA is the body that should receive complaints against the media. It did not say the NCA is the body to investigate, mediate and settle any such complaints as it sought to do by receiving and handling petitions about the management and content of a radio station and holding a meeting in its regional office about the complaints received. The constitution says that is the function of the NMC.

So when the NCA received the said petition from the concerned citizens of Tongu complaining about the management and the content being broadcast by Tongu Radio, it should have known that the appropriate body for such complaints is the NMC. The NCA should have, therefore, referred the petition and the petitioners to the NMC.

The NCAs actions in receiving, investigating and acting based on a compliant about the management and content of a radio station can best be described as an abuse of the constitutional mechanism for media regulation in the country and a usurpation of the constitutionally guaranteed functions of the NMC. It is rather curious that the NMC has been silent on such a clear usurpation of its functions and powers by the NCA.

Unlike the NMC, the NCA cannot be said or considered to be an independent body. The NCA is under the direct and full control of the executive arm of government. As provided for under Sections 6, 16 and 17 of the National Communications Authority Act, 2008, (769) the President of the Republic appoints the governing Board, the Director General and the Deputy Directors-General of the NCA. Also as provided for under Section 14(1) of the Act 769: The Minister may give written directives to the Board on matters of policy and the Board shall comply. And indeed, one of the functions of the NCA captured under Section 3(o) of Act 769 is to: ensure the systematic implementation of the policy directives of the Minister.

Given the subservience of the NCA to the Executive, any attempts on its part to appropriate the functions of the independent NMC in the regulation of media is certainly deeply worrying. We do not underestimate how the media could be used unscrupulously by some people in ways that could undermine national security and public interest concerns. We are, however, also mindful of how some governments could always cite national security and public interest concerns to arbitrarily shut down media organisations that are critical of such governments.

In order to continue to protect and defend the constitutional guarantees of media freedom, and to also ensure the regulation of the media in a manner consistent with the constitution, the MFWA makes the following recommendations:

a. The NMC should assert its authority and actively perform its functions as the independent media regulator in the country.

b. The NCA should endeavour to refer matters of media content and unprofessional conduct to the NMC, which has the mandate to deal with such matters

c. There should be improved collaboration between the NCA and the NMC to deal with complex situations requiring the revocation of frequency authorisation over content of a media organisation, which has national security implications.

d. Holders of frequency authorisation should ensure that frequencies are used responsibly and in ways that do not undermine the interest of the public and of national security.

e. The NMC needs to educate the public about its mandate and functions so that members of the public who have complaints about the content of media organisations will know the appropriate institution to present their grievances to.

f. Owners and managers of media organisations should desist from showing disdain to regulatory bodies and always endeavour to fully co-operate with such regulatory bodies to ensure prudent resolution of cases.

Signed

MFWA

February 19, 2020
By Andre Vltchek

February 18, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - So far Turkey, militarily the second mightiest NATO country, has been able to get away with virtually anything it has chosen to brew in the Middle East.

The reason why, is simple: to confront Turkeys bullying and expansionism militarily would be like confronting the United States or Israel; thousands of innocent people would die as a result, or perhaps even millions.

Moscow is well aware of the situation. Its diplomacy is superb. And its desire to keep Syria as one entity has gained admiration and support in many parts of the world. But not in the West, not in Israel and not in Ankara.

Periodically, Russia and Turkey are able to find common ground, on many issues. The people of both countries like each other a lot; there are great cultural, economic and strategic ties. And to give credit where it is due, both governments are ready to compromise, on various essential issues.

But periodically, there comes a time when the Turkish administration begins to acts irrationally and unpredictably. During such moments, agreements begin to collapse, and people die. Russia gets caught between a rock and the deep blue sea. Russia wants to resolve things peacefully, but it is also determined to protect its most important ally in the Middle East  Syria.

The problem is that while the Russian government is extremely rational, the Turkish government is often not. And when logic and hysteria meet, the consequences can be very dangerous.

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In Damascus, most of the people analyze the situation with a clear mind. My government contacts in Syria wrote for this essay:

Russia was invited to fight terrorism, by both Syrian government and by the Syrian people. Turkish forces are occupation forces. They were not invited by anybody. They cross into our territory, whenever they choose, and it is both immoral and illegal. Turkey supports terrorists here.

My colleague, a leading Turkish intellectual, Erkin Oncan, and an expert on the Turkish-Russian relationship, commented for this essay from Istanbul:

Erdogan has been playing a balance game between the US and Russia, since the coup attempt in 2016. Erdogans government has developed good relations with Russia. On the other hand, Turkey never ceased sending messages to the US: We are your real allies in the Middle East; we, not the Kurds.

For years, Turkish, Russian and Syrian analysts knew: Erdogan has been playing it both ways. Too much depended on Turkeys involvement, both negative and positive things; but mostly negative. Even the United States handles Ankara with silk gloves, compared to how it deals with other rebellious allies.

Mr. Oncan continues:

Turkey never raised level of tensions so high as now.

Despite everything, Russia was the best alternative for AKPs anti-American stand. Turkey developed serious economic and political relations with Moscow, and this balance game was in favor of thealliance with Russia, at least for some time.

But, policy towards Syria has annulled Erdogans balance game. Because Erdogans ties with the Syrian opposition became the essence of the AKPs Syria strategy.

With the Sochi Agreement, it seemed that Erdogan was changing his approach towards Damascus. But since the accord was signed, it was obvious that AKP will be antagonistic to Sochi. Being against Assad, supporting the Muslim opposition, became domestic political issues, not just the foreign policy one.

Erdogan got suddenly stuck between his US-Russia balance game and appetite for Syria.Then, an enormous problem re-emerged  jihadism.

It is a known fact that the AKP government has supported the jihadi terrorists for many years. And in the recent years, Turkey openly started to operate with the FSA. And the government kept forging closer and closer relations with increasingly radical cadres.

If Turkey complies with the Sochi agreement, it will have to leave theSyrian forces alone. And if it does that, it could befacing a big retaliation in both Syria (terrorist groups there) and Turkey itself. It is because Turkey has never hesitated to let the jihadists into the country.

If Turkey starts to formally negotiate with Syria, it will be viewed by many that its main pillar of the Middle East policy has collapsed.

In case that Turkey makes peace withits big brother  the US  it would have to start negotiating with the YPG, the biggest enemy of Turkey and the biggest ally of the US in Syria.

In this paradoxical and ambiguous situation, when both Ottoman dreams and the balance play arehigh on Erdogans agenda, Turkey seems to be levitating once again towards the USA If a compromise is reached with the US, Erdogan seems to consider speeding up his plans to invade Syria. Because Russia advocates the territorial integrity of Syria, the USA advocates the occupation.

The chain of events is progressing with dizzying speed. On 16 February 2020, Aleppo, the largest Syrian city, was finally liberated by the Syrian government forces. Or more precisely: Aleppo is now out of the firing range of the terrorist and so-called opposition groups, for the first time in years.

A friend of mine, a Syrian educator, Ms. FidaBashour, explained for this essay:

The latest situation surrounding the Turkish occupation in our country is very serious. They have no right to occupy us, whatsoever. The mood in the country is one of victory and worry at the same time. It has been a very long, tough ten years since the war broke out. Nevertheless, we are winning. As our army has just secured the City of Aleppo fully today (on 16th February), we have faith in our capacity to prevail and recover fully.

I met President Erdogan a long time ago, when he was still the mayor of Istanbul, and I was covering the Yugoslav War, visiting Turkey regularly, in order to understand the past of the Balkans. He was confusing then, as he is confusing now. As the mayor of one of the greatest cities on Earth, he had some good intentions and extremely impressive results.

His political goals have been, however, thoroughly confusing, overly ambitious, and often regressive.

Later, for years, I have worked in both Syria and Turkey, visiting the border region around Attakya and Gyazentep, on many occasions.

The Turkish involvement in Syria, its countless invasions and cross border operations, have destroyed entire villages and towns in both Syria and Turkey. In Syria, the destruction is both physical and economic. In Turkey, entire villages and towns have been de-populated, as they used to be fully dependent on trans-border trade, friendship and family ties.

Erdogan does not seem to care. It matters little to him that this area of conflict which he helped to ignite, is one of the cradles of human civilization.

Turkey, together with its Western allies both armed and trained, then injected some of the most brutal jihadi cadres into Syria. The most brutal of them are Uyghurs from the Northwest China, which the West trains in various battlegrounds, hoping that they will, one day, return to China and help to ruin the PRC.

The training has often been conducted, cynically, in so-called refugee camps. I covered this barbarity, both in my reports and in my film for the Latin American network TeleSur.

Patrick Henningsen is a leading global affairs analyst, co-founder and executive editor of 21 Century Wire, with an in-depth knowledge of Syria. He agreed to share his thoughts with me  about the recent developments in Syria, particularly the Turkish operations there:

Turkeys apparent schizophrenic behavior in the region is a byproduct of the countrys legacy national security issues combined with the current ruling partys sweeping domestic reformist agenda which also has a strong revanchist component to it. Turkeys primary security objective of crushing any and all Kurdish PKK/YPG enclaves in Syria cannot be divorced from the historic transition which is taking place domestically. The right-wing nationalist coalition of Erdogans AKP Party and the Party of Nationalist Movements (the Grey Wolves) are in the process of rolling back the secular Kemalist Republic  into a New Turkey which is effectively an Islamist state. This Neo-Ottoman revival would like to see Turkey regain its former position at the center of the Islamic world, which means it has to project influence and power regionally, and also globally. This includes both talking and acting tough in Syria. It is also intervening in Libya too. Erdogans dedicated support of the Muslim Brotherhood and co-opting of fundamentalist Islamist militants like Jabat al-Nusra and the Free Syrian Army should be viewed as a tool to project power by proxy without having to sacrifice actual Turkish soldiers. The Presidents pious nationalist base at home will support his calls conquest and regime change in Syria because they see Erdogan as a transformational populist leader who is returning Turkey to its rightful place in the world. Currently, Turkey is attempting a complicated dance routine between Russia, the US and NATO, pandering to all parties as is necessary, but always with Turkish interests in mind. While he may often be bluffing with periodic threats made to Syria, Russia and America, know that he is always doing so with his base in mind. Its about Turkey First and Make Turkey Great Again. All of this makes for a very complicated state of affairs for Turkey. Dare we say, Byzantine.

Nobody could have defined the situation better!

In 2019, at one point, when I was working with two Syrian commanders in Idlib province, we faced both the ISIS positions and Turkish observation posts.

I stood at one of the Syrian artillery locations. Russian soldiers were nearby, clearly visible. And so were the rural houses used as local ISIS headquarters.

It all felt grotesque.

The Russian forces could have wiped out these intruding Turkish installations in just a few seconds. The Syrian armed forces could have done the same. But they did not consider doing it. Why didnt they?

Why? I asked.

A Syrian commander replied:

If we do that, Turkey would attack Aleppo or Damascus, or at least Homs. They have one thing in common with the Americans and Israelis: they only care about their own lives, and their own losses. They believe that they are untouchable. They come here, occupy out land, and if we retaliate, they kill dozens of our people, or even hundreds.

Tellingly, the Turkish positions in Idlib co-existed peacefully with ISIS.

The Turkish role in Syria, Iraq (Erbil area) and China (support for the Uyghur terrorists) is extremely destructive, and well documented.

Syria has to be fully liberated from the terrorist groups. It will happen, soon. In fact, it is happening right now. Turkey has zero legitimacy on the foreign, Syrian soil. It is strong, militarily. But it will not be allowed to brutalize the great Syrian nation for much longer, just because of its ruthless military might.

Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Five of his latest books are  China Belt and Road Initiative: Connecting Countries, Saving Millions of Lives ,  China and Ecological Cavillation  with John B. Cobb, Jr., Revolutionary Optimism, Western Nihilism , a revolutionary novel Aurora and a bestselling work of political non-fiction:  Exposing Lies Of The Empire . View his other books here . Watch Rwanda Gambit , his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo and his film/dialogue with Noam Chomsky On Western Terrorism . Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and the Middle East, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through his website and his Twitter . His Patreon

Originally published by NEO

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==See Also==
New Delhi, Feb 19 : Media covering dialogue between the Supreme Court appointed interlocutors and Shaheen Bagh protesters was told to leave protest site on Wednesday after the interlocutors refused to speak in front of them.

The decision came after a brief argument between the interlocutors and protesters over the presence of media during the dialogue, as protesters weighed in on having conversation in presence of the media.

"Jo baat hogi sabke saamne hogi" (Talks will take place in front of everyone), women protesters at Shaheen Bagh shouted as senior lawyer Sadhna Ramachandran announced that interaction will not start before video recordings were stopped.

Addressing the protesters, senior lawyer said, "If you (protesters) want to talk before media, you can speak. But we will not speak." Ramachandran said.

"We have 4 days to talk, after that we will have other ways for dialogue," Ramachandran added.

The senior lawyer had maintained since the start of her address that media should not be allowed inside the protest site during the talks.

While protesters wanted media to stay and record the dialogues, however, eventually it was decided that media will have to leave the protest site and the protesters will provide minutes of the interaction with Interlocutors to the media after the meeting.
China on Wednesday said it was effectively expelling three Beijing-based journalists for the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a day after Washington designated five Chinese state-run media organizations as representatives of a foreign government.



Officials had revoked the press credentials of Josh Chin and Chao Deng, who are both U.S. nationals, and that of Philip Wen, an Australian, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular news briefing in Beijing.



Geng said the move was in response to an op-ed article in the paper titled "China is the Real Sick Man of Asia."



Geng said the headline was "racially discriminatory" and "sensational" and hit out at the paper's editors for not apologizing.



"As such, China has decided that from today, the press cards of three Wall Street Journal reporters in Beijing will be revoked," Geng said in a press briefing.



The move came just one day after the U.S. State Department designated five Chinese state-run media organizationsas foreign missions, meaning that they are representatives of their country's government.



A senior State Department official listed Xinhua News Agency, CCTV's global network CGTN, China Radio International (CRI), the China Daily's U.S. distribution arm and Hai Tian Development, which distributes Chinese Communist Party newspaper the People's Daily in the U.S.



"Were making this designation based on the very indisputable fact that all five of these are subject to the control of the Chinese government," one senior official said, citing numerous statements by Chinese president Xi Jinping to the effect that Chinese media organizations are under the direct control of the ruling party.



State-owned entity



Xinhua reports directly to China's cabinet, the State Council, while CGTN and CRI are part of a state-owned entity, the China Media Group. The China Daily is owned by the Chinese Communist Party's propaganda department, while the People's Daily is the official mouthpiece of China's ruling party.



"Each one of these entities meets the definition of foreign mission under our Foreign Mission Act, which is to say they are either substantially owned or effectively controlled by a foreign government," the official said. "And thats why we have now determined that we will be treating them as foreign missions."



The organizations will now be required under U.S. law to notify the authorities of all of their personnel on U.S. soil, and to update the Office of Foreign Missions of any personnel changes, similar to the requirements for embassies and consulates.



Any property held by the organizations will also have to be reported.



"We basically call these entities what they are, which are organs of the Chinese one-party state propaganda apparatus," the senior official said.



He said there would be no restrictions on the operation of any of the organizations, however.



"Theyre going to continue to enjoy our free and open system," he said.



'Sick man of Asia'



The WSJ op-ed, penned by Walter Russell Mead, commented on the impact of the current coronavirus epidemic on China's economy.



The phrase "sick man of Asia" is often associated with China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, at a time of unequal treaties and colonial appropriation of Chinese territory by foreign powers under the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).



As such, the phrase evokes a time of national humiliation for many in China, an emotion which the ruling Chinese Communist Party has used in the past to build a strong sense of nationalism.



Chinese officials contacted the WSJ to demand an apology, but the paper's editors said they wouldn't apologize, citing freedom of speech.



The Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC) strongly condemned the move, which it said was a matter of concern, given that none of the three reporters had any involvement with the opinion piece or its headline.



"The action taken against The Journal correspondents is an extreme and obvious attempt by the Chinese authorities to intimidate foreign news organizations by taking retribution against their China-based correspondents," the FCCC said.



It said the expulsions are the latest case of growing harassment, surveillance and intimidation from authorities."



In Beijing, Geng also hit out at the decision to designate Chinese media organizations "foreign missions."



"The United States has always advertised freedom of the press, but it interferes with and obstructs the normal operation of Chinese media in the United States," Geng said. "We reserve the right to respond further to this matter."



Propaganda operations



Taiwan-based media commentator Yang Hsien-hung said that while officials stopped short of calling Xinhua and the other organizations spies, they are a crucial part of Beijing's propaganda operations, and can't be regarded as genuine media organizations.



"The Chinese Communist Party media in the U.S. have always been espionage operations," Yang told RFA. "Everything they publish is the view of the Chinese Communist Party."



"Now [U.S. officials] are telling them straight that they aren't real media; they are the lackeys of the Chinese Communist Party," he said.



"The days of the Chinese Communist Party operating in a grey area, as it has for the past two or three decades, are over."



Step in the right direction



Exiled Chinese dissident Zhou Fengsuo, who founded the rights group Humanitarian China, has been warning U.S. officials of Beijing's infiltration of overseas democracies for years.



"Listing these five official mouthpieces is just one step in the right direction," Zhou told RFA. "These five so-called media organizations are notorious, but their influence is actually pretty weak."



He said Tik Tok, which is owned by Chinese social media giant Tencent, has had far more of an impact beyond China's borders.



"They also implement Chinese Communist Party policies across the board, and they are a part of the machinery of the state," Zhou said. "The next step for the U.S. must be to take comprehensive counter-measures against them [too]."



The designation of Chinese media organizations as representatives of a foreign government comes after 35 Republican senators and representatives wrote to Attorney General William Barr earlier this month, calling on the Department of Justice to "clamp down on Chinese propaganda."



"China Dailys important role in Chinas foreign disinformation campaign warrants a full-fledged investigation," said the letter, initiated by Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton and Indiana Republican Congressman Jim Banks and co-signed by seven other Republican senators and 26 representatives.



Reported by Ng Yik-tung and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Shen Hua for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
An unprecedented 2,39,133 examinees did not turn up to write the UP Board high school and intermediate examinations on Tuesday, the first day of the examinations.

Of these 1,57,042 were high school and 82,091 intermediate examinees, according to data released by the UP Madhyamik Siksha Parishad.

This huge number of examinees skipping the Hindi paper is significant as the paper was compulsory for both high school and intermediate students.

Meanwhile, officials registered FIRs against six examinees and one other person in different police stations under the Anti-Copying Act.

The first day also witnessed a total of 34 examinees being caught using unfair means across the state, including 26 boys and one girl of high school and seven boys of intermediate.

UP Board secretary Neena Srivastava said: On the very first day of the exams, over 2.39 lakh students out of the total registered 55,23,404 skipped the paper,

She said that as per information received online from across the state till 7pm, around 2,39,133 students were marked absent from their exams.

Board officials said as reports from many centres were awaited, the count of absentees could rise further.

Last year after the end of first two days of examinations, only 40,392 students had skipped the papers. The figure included 20,674 students who did not turn up to write their paper on the first day in 2019.

Deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma said these are those students who had applied in the UP Board examination from multiple districts.

Such students had appeared from one district and chose to ignore the other districts., Sharma said.

He said, Im not at all surprised with 2.39 lakh students skipping the examination on first day. What is satisfying is that the examination went off smoothly in all 75 districts and there was no major incident.

In 2018, some 12.5 lakh examinees skipped the exam midway while in 2019 the number came down to 6.69 lakh examinees.
By Judy Savage

The day after his State of the State Address, Gov. Phil Murphy visited the campus of Middlesex County Vocational-Technical School to unveil Jobs NJ, his initiative to close the gap between the needs of employers and the skills of prospective workers.

With our new plan, we are addressing this problem head-on by ensuring our residents have the critical training and education they need for jobs that are available and in-demand, and connecting them to those jobs, Murphy said. Together, we are changing our trajectory and transforming our state into one with a stronger and fairer economic future for generations to come.

As we celebrate Career and Technical Education Month this February, its a good time to recognize the vital role that vocational-technical schools in New Jersey play in helping the state achieve the goals outlined in Jobs NJ.

The state has 21 county vocational school districts  one in each of the states counties. Each of them is different and reflects the unique needs of their region.

County vocational schools have been preparing students, as well as adults, for in-demand jobs for years. But the jobs have changed with our technology-driven times and have evolved into a new brand of career and technical education.

Yesterdays vocational schools trained a small segment of students for careers as plumbers, electricians, welders, carpenters, chefs, cosmetologists and auto mechanics. While todays vocational schools still train students for these critical jobs, they also offer dozens of in-demand career programs in advanced manufacturing, health care, biomedical sciences, digital media, computer science, engineering and finance that many people dont associate with vocational schools.

Career and technical education, or CTE, is no longer about preparing young people for a single job, but rather for a broader career pathway that will likely include some kind of postsecondary education and a lifetime of on-the-job learning.

Todays CTE is aligned with math, science and technology, as well as core skills like communication, problem-solving and teamwork, to ensure that students will be well-prepared to succeed in a technology-driven global economy.

CTE students meet two sets of high school requirements  all of the academics required for high school graduation and admission to college, as well as rigorous technical coursework aligned to industry standards. They also get work-based experience through an internship or paid employment, and either earn industry credentials or pass a technical skills assessment to demonstrate their skills.

Demand for CTE in New Jersey is exploding, with more students and parents clamoring for these career-focused opportunities than our schools can serve.

Enrollment in county vocational schools is up 41% since 2000, and NJs county vocational-technical schools are forced to turn away more students than they accept each year.

In 2017, almost 17,000 applicants could not be served because the capacity of vocational schools and programs was maxed out. With employers in all industries struggling to fill technically skilled positions, its a disconnect that New Jersey just cant afford.

In 2018, voters approved a major bond act that will provide $275 million to expand county vocational-technical schools to serve more students and address the needs of New Jersey employers. Vocational schools will soon be submitting applications to expand facilities and add the high-tech equipment needed to prepare more students for lucrative careers that require technical certifications and some post-secondary education, but not necessarily a four-year college degree.

Providing these programs at the county level is cost-effective and builds on the existing relationships between county vocational schools and county colleges. Vocational schools also work closely with employers in their counties to align their curriculum with current and future industry standards.

Talent is New Jerseys greatest asset. With the NJ Jobs initiative, the governor has taken an important step toward ensuring the residents of the state will have the skills they need for the workforce of the future. And county vocational schools will play a vital role in preparing students for those jobs.

Judy Savage is the executive director of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools.

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.
Doctors are now warning against the skull breaker challenge taking over social media. (Photo: Twitter)

A new dangerous trend taking over TikTok is now making headlines as parents across the globe warn of the severe harm it can cause.

The skull breaker challenge originated in Spain when two students began to film themselves executing the seemingly harmless move with an unsuspecting third participant. The trend captures three individuals standing in a row before jumping straight up. While the middle person is in the air, the two on the sides kick inwards to knock them off of their feet and onto their head.

However, its dangers quickly became evident as the middle participant continued to become the victim of injuries to the head, neck and wrist. At least two children in the United States have been hospitalized after attempting the challenge.

One viral video out of Venezuela, in particular, demonstrated how a person can sustain an injury from the stunt  dubbed Rompecraneos in Spanish, meaning skull cracker  when the student fell onto the back of his head on the ground outside of his school. Although the video has since been removed from social media, the video is archived on Twitter. Administrators of the school where it took place also took to social media to condemn it.

COMUNICADO OFICIAL 2/5 pic.twitter.com/dYH3MhE4LA  Santo Tomas Aquino (@CSTAquino) February 4, 2020

Recently, a video has been made viral on social networks, in which some baccalaureate students of our institution are exposed, making a game where the ... physical integrity of one of the young people would allegedly be put at risk. In the aforementioned video, the badge of the College is clearly distinguished, whose symbol represents the institutions, one of the schools tweets, translated in English, reads.

Despite the injuries that some international outlets reported, the school did not address any serious harm caused by the stunt, other than the alarm that the events occurred may cause. Still, the statement goes on to say, the parties involved (the students with their respective representatives) were summoned to the Directorate of the College to initiate the corresponding procedures, attached to the relevant legal provisions.

Story continues

The Feb. 4 statement didnt prevent the trend from spreading, as it became popular in India, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S. Now, parents in the U.S. are doing their part to shed light on the severity of the stunt by posting warnings attached to photos of their injured children on Facebook.

I really contemplated posting this, but I feel there needs to be awareness of this malicious cruel viral prank, Arizona mother Valerie Hodson wrote on Facebook about her young son who was tricked in the stunt by two friends. He landed hard flat on his back and head, as he struggled to get up he lost consciousness, he fell forward landing on his face. The school monitor ran to his side, all the while the 2 boys were snickering and laughing as his stiff unconscious body lay on the asphalt. Fast forward at the hospital, he has a head injury, stiches [sic] in his face, severe cuts inside his mouth and 2 front teeth I have to keep on eye on. This apparently is a Tik Tok viral prank being filmed and gaining likes on social media.

Days later, a mom in Alabama posted a similar warning, this time asking for prayers for her son who had to get surgery on his wrist as a result of the TikTok prank.

The safety and well-being of our users is a top priority at TikTok, a TikTok spokesperson tells Yahoo Lifestyle. As we make clear in our Community Guidelines, we do not allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies dangerous challenges that might lead to injury, and we remove reported behavior or activity that violates our guidelines. To help keep our platform safe, we have introduced a slate of safety features geared towards enhancing our users experience, including tools for reporting inappropriate content and for managing privacy settings.

Videos of the skull breaker challenge on TikTok have been replaced by skull saver challenges, in which users are reenacting the challenge without the hazardous kick, as well as public service announcements about the dangerous stunt.

According to Nathan Richards, MD, a physician who specializes in internal medicine and pediatrics at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, both outcomes were better than the irreversible damage that can occur. The skull breaker challenge, he tells Yahoo Lifestyle, can even be fatal.

The skull breaker challenge is an emerging prank being propagated on social media that results in forceful trauma to the head and neck area. It can be associated with a variety of serious and even life-threatening injuries including, but not limited to, bruising, hematoma, skull fracture, neck strain, neck fracture, concussion and long term complications of concussion, bleeding in or around the brain, loss of consciousness, paralysis, and death, Richards explains. Although it can seem like a harmless prank to children and adolescents, they should be educated on the potential serious consequences of doing the skull breaker challenge.

Denise Klinkner, MD, a pediatric surgeon at the Mayo Clinic Childrens Center in Rochester, Minnesota adds that the person in the middle of the stunt will likely become injured even if prepared for what it entails. In spite of knowing this is the intent, the falling teen rapidly lands without blocking the fall, leading to at minimum a concussion, she says. If one is able, an outstretched hand to block the fall may lead to a broken wrist or arm.

As for why children and teens continue to take part in these challenges despite knowing the potential danger, Sabrina Sykes, PhD, a psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center writes that its all about the wow factor.

New online challenges routinely spring up and rapidly spread over social media, particularly among adolescents and young adults, Sykes explained in a blog post about the appeal of online challenges. Social media, in turn, offers instant popularity among peers in the form of likes and followers, providing peer acceptance, buoying the teens self-concept and, therefore, enhancing the draw to participate in these challenges.

She went on to credit the still-developing prefrontal cortex for an adolescents inability to manage their impulses or make responsible decisions, working in tandem with the very real fear of missing out. This means teens are highly motivated to engage in socially rewarding behavior and gravitate toward thrill-seeking, without focusing on potential risks or consequences, she wrote.

Still, parents and adults can intervene in their teens online behavior, according to Sykes, and take part in productive conversations that can improve a childs judgment.

Parents should familiarize themselves with social media platforms and engage their teen in conversations about online challenges, Sykes post reads. Remember that while teens continue to grow and navigate social relationships, through these conversations parents can foster the development of thoughtful and rational thinking skills, while also maintaining connection.

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At least three militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, police officials said on Wednesday

Srinagar: At least three militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, police officials said on Wednesday.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Tral area of Pulwama district late Tuesday night following information about presence of militants there, a police official said.

He said during searches, an encounter broke out between militants and security forces.

Three unidentified militants were killed in the gunfight, the official said adding more details were awaited.
Vintage performance lifts Atletico Madrid over Liverpool Atletico vs Liverpool Saul goal gives Simeone's men slight edge

An early goal from Saul Niguez lifted Atletico Madrid to a hard-fought 1-0 win over reigning European champions Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday night at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano.

It was a vintage performance from Los Colchoneros, who shook off their inconsistency from this season and put forth a 90-minute effort that was reminiscent of their spirited and unrelenting marches to the 2014 and 2016 finals.

Atletico boss Diego Simeone opted to slot in Sime Vrsaljko at right-back and Renan Lodi at left-back, while Thomas Lemar started in midfield ahead of Marcos Llorente. Up front, it was Angel Correa and Alvaro Morata, while Diego Costa returned from injury and was placed on the bench.

Atletico came roaring out of the gates and landed the early haymaker through Saul. The Reds failed to clear a corner kick and a deflection off the leg of Fabinho rolled right to Saul, who slipped in a shot past Alisson for a 1-0 lead.

Liverpool took Atletico's punch and began to impose themselves on the hosts, pinning Simeone's men back in their own half. But Atletico were still a threat going forward and Alvaro Morata had it all there to double the lead after an error from Liverpool centre-back Virgil Van Dijk, only to see his effort blocked by Alisson.

With Mohamed Salah always lurking, the Atletico defence had to be on their toes and Felipe did well to deflect to safety a shot from the Egyptian on what turned out to be the best chance of the first 45 minutes for the visitors.

Simeone made a switch at the break, with Marcos Llorente on for Lemar, but it was Liverpool who remained on the front foot and Salah came closer to goal, this time via a header that flashed wide.

The Colchoneros hung tough and were still carving out looks at goal. One such counter-attack led to a chance for Morata, but the former Real Madrid and Juventus man flubbed his shot and was replaced shortly thereafter by Vitolo.

Even with Salah and Sadio Mane substituted off the pitch, Liverpool controlled possession and came close through a Jordan Henderson volley that sailed just wide of the post. Simeone then made his final change, giving veteran Diego Costa his first minutes since November in place of Correa.

With their supporters in full voice, Atletico gave every ounce of themselves to nail down the win, sacrificing bodies to block any pass or shot served up by Liverpool and eventually seeing it out until the final whistle.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

Kazakhstan is planning to attract nearly 800 billion tenge ($2.1 billion) in countrys geological exploration within the framework of the State Geological Exploration Program for 20212025, Trend reports with reference to the press office of Kazakhstans prime minister.

The program will be aimed at ensuring geological exploration of Kazakhstans territory, replenishing the mineral resource base, scientific and research support for geological exploration of mineral resources alongside automation, digitalization and infrastructure development for the geological industry.

Some 200 billion tenge ($530.8 million) are to be allocated from the state budget for the programs implementation, whereas about 800 billion tenge ($2.1 billion) of private investment are to be attracted as a result of the programs implementation.

The program will increase the geological exploration of areas from 94.5 percent to 100 percent; deep, geological and mineralogical mapping from 25.8 percent to 37 percent; reveal about 50 promising reserves of solid minerals; and increase the coverage of geological exploration of sedimentary basins.

Growth is also expected in forecast resources, including gold by 200 tons, copper by 5 million tons, polymetals by 5 million tons, uranium by 50,000 tons, hydrocarbons by 700 million tons.

Replenishment of the country's mineral resources base, in particular, near single-industry towns, will have a positive impact on the economy and become a real basis for the development of industries. When the fields are discovered, new production complexes will be created, which will attract up to 6 trillion tenge ($15.9 billion) of investments, the report said.

---

Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18

Trend:

Azercell Telecom LLC is the main partner of the Booktrailer Film Festival, traditionally held on April 23 - International Book Day to promote reading culture and the development of cinematography. As an active participant in projects and social initiatives supporting talented and creative young people, Azercell announces the Best Mobile Booktrailer nomination within the festival. A specially convened jury of the company will evaluate the booktrailers on any work of Azerbaijani authors recorded via mobile phone. The winner will receive an award of 1,000 AZN from Azercell.

Please note that the Booktrailer Film Festival has been contributing to identifying new faces in the film industry for already four years. The festival was organized by actor and producer Ruslan Sabirly with the organizational support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the International Mugham Center. "Promote a book, get promoted with a book!" is a slogan of the project. It plays an invaluable role in the preservation of historic and national cultural heritage, as well as the international recognition of Azerbaijani literature. Regardless of age, anyone can register on the official website of the festival (www.booktrailer.az) and enroll in the competition. The winners of the 5th Booktrailer Film Festival will be awarded a cash prize of 1,000 AZN for the first place; 800 AZN for the second place and 500 AZN for the third place. Applications for the festival were called open as of February 2. The deadline for Booktrailers submission is April 1, 2020.

For more information regarding the festival please visit the official website www.booktrailer.az or the official social media pages:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/BooktrailerFest

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BooktrailerFest

YouTube: www.youtube.com/BooktrailerFest

If you have additional questions or queries, please reach out via the following email: [email protected]

The leader of the mobile communication industry, the largest taxpayer and the biggest investor of the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996.

Currently, 4.8 million subscribers choose Azercell services. Mobile operator controls 49% of market share; while its geographical coverage constitutes 99.2% (excluding the occupied territories); and population coverage 99.8%.

Azercell was the pioneering mobile operator to introduce a number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system, mobile internet services, 24/7 call center service (*1111), 7/7 Front Office service, Azercell Express offices, M2M services, 4G technology and pilot version of 5G, mobile, online customer care services and customer services through social media, mobile e-signature service ASAN Imza etc.

Rapidly increasing 4G network of Azercell covers nearly 60 regions of the country, including Baku and Absheron peninsula. According to the results of mobile network quality and wireless coverage mapping surveys by international systems, Azercells 4G network demonstrated the best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan. Azercell is the only company in Azerbaijan and CIS region which has been awarded Gold Certificate of International Investors in People Standard.
Mumbai: A fire broke out in the parking lot of a shopping mall located on Ghodbunder Road in Manpada, Thane, on Tuesday. Several fire tenders were rushed to spot and rescue operations are currently underway.

The blaze started inside a car parked inside the mall premises.

Earlier, in the wee hours of Tuesday a massive fire broke out at a rubber factory in the Dombivli township in Maharashtra's Thane district.

Though no casualty was reported in the incident, the rubber factory was completely gutted down. According to Fire Department officials, the blaze started around 1 AM and soon engulfed the entire factory, which is located in the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area.

With agency inputs
A missing Fort Valley student who was last seen on Valentine's Day in Georgia has been found dead, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has said.

Anitra Gunnn's body has been discovered by police near the border of Crawford County and Peach County, Special Agent JT Ricketson confirmed, according to WMAZ.

Her boyfriend DeMarcus Little, 23, of Chestnut Hill Road in Fort Valley, was arrested on Tuesday for an attack on her apartment, WMAZ said.

Little is accused of smashing the window's at Gunn's home and slashing the tires on her car on February 5 - nine days before she disappeared, Fort Valley police said.

The body of Anitra Gunnn, a 23-year-old Fort Valley student, has been found found in Crawford County, Georgia

Police had named Little as a person of interest in the case and say more charges could be forthcoming. He is currently charged with criminal damage to property.

He boyfriend has been taken in for questioning for a third time and is a 'person of interest' but has not been arrested

County Sheriff Terry Deese said in a press conference on Tuesday night that little had been interviewed three times by police. His car was also said to have been towed before his arrest.

Deese said he would not release more information about the boyfriend's interviews.

Gunn's body was found partially covered near Greer Road 'as if someone tried to hide it' - as well as a piece of a car - on Tuesday afternoon, Deese said.

Gunn was reportedly last seen on the morning of February 14 on Chestnut Hill Road in Fort Valley at her boyfriends aunts home.

The student's concerned family contacted police the following day and her Chevy Cruze car was found with the bumper missing in the city limits of Fort Valley.

The body was found near a front bumper, which deputies believe belongs to Gunn's car.

Gunn's Chevy Cruze was found with the bumper missing in the city limits of Fort Valley

A desperate search was launched for missing Gunn after she vanished four days ago. Her dad said it was unusual for her to not be in contact

Her dad said that he called her on the morning of February 14 and wished her a happy Valentines Day. Friends and family who called her later said that she didnt answer.

A desperate search was launched and her father Christopher Gunn had voiced fears over her fate when he told WGXA that his daughter's lack of contact was unusual.He said the family was 'always talking with her, always checking on her'.

'My mind just racing 100 miles an hour. As a father, it hurts there's not a lot I can do,' he said.

The body will be sent to the GBI Crime Lab to be positively identified.

Drones had been scouring the area using drones
A passenger who was among hundreds of Americans who volunteered to disembark the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship over the weekend, told CNBC Tuesday that the evacuees received a round of applause after making it back to U.S. soil.

The repatriates arrived at one of two U.S. military air bases Monday morning via charter plane from the ship docked in Japan.

"I burst into tears. It was like 'welcome home,'" said Gay Courter, who spent 10 days in quarantine with her husband Phil Courter near Tokyo. She made the comments in a video that aired on CNBC's special "Outbreak" report.

More than 3,700 passengers and crew were initially ordered by Japanese health officials to a 14-day quarantine to stop the spread of the virus, though some have now been allowed to leave the vessel.

However, the Courters' journey home to Florida may extend into March as they are held at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas under another 14-day quarantine. Gay Courter, a New York Times best-selling author, said that they aren't allowed to leave their quarters for the two-week duration.

"We should be able to go outside. We need fresh air to stay healthy," she said. "It's just so hard for me to even talk about this."

Last week, Gay Courter said the experience on the quarantined ship was "terrifying" as guests waited out the lockdown.

The quarantine is expected to end Wednesday.

The other more than 100 American passengers that remain on the Princess Cruise-owned ship or are in hospitals in Japan will not be allowed to return to the U.S. until they are cleared, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

In order to be allowed back in the country, the individuals must wait 14 days after disembarking the ship without showing any symptoms or testing positive for COVID-19.

China's National Health Commission said there was a total of 74,185 confirmed cases as of Tuesday, and 2,004 people have died so far. The vast majority of the cases and deaths are in China, where the novel virus originated in December.

About 335 people on the Diamond Princess have reportedly tested positive for coronavirus. More than a dozen Americans on the ship have contracted the virus.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 19) Senator Ronald Bato Dela Rosa on Wednesday said he will support ABS-CBNs bid for franchise renewal as long as the media network is cleared of the violations lodged against it.

Dela Rosa told CNN Philippines that he will personally reach out to President Rodrigo Duterte, if the planned Senate inquiry into ABS-CBNs franchise case will not yield any significant findings.

I promise with all my heart, kapag during the hearing ay na-establish natin na wala talagang viniolate ang ABS-CBN, I tell you, ipu-push ko talaga na ma-renew sila at ako mismo ang kakausap kay Presidente, Dela Rosa said in an interview with Balitaan.

[Translation: I promise with all my heart, if during the hearing we establish that ABS-CBN had no violations, I tell you, I will push for their renewal and I would personally talk to the President.]

Sabihan ko sir mali ata 'yung impormasyong nakarating sa iyo. I-renew na natin to sir. Tama pala sila ganoon.

[Translation: Ill tell him, sir, the information you received may be wrong. Lets renew this. They are actually right.]

Dela Rosa came in hot water recently following his controversial remark against employees of ABS-CBN. The senator, in a chance interview Tuesday, said he would rather prioritize the welfare of millions of Filipinos than the 11,000 media workers who may lose their jobs should the networks franchise lapse. The franchise is set to expire on March 30.

READ: Bato on ABS-CBN fate: What is 11,000 jobs lost compared to the whole Filipino nation?

Dela Rosa has since apologized to network employees. He added he did not mean to prejudge ABS-CBN, but noted the government will continue to crack down on erring corporations.

Hindi ko sila pinepre-judge pero kung na-establish talaga na matagal na nilang kinakawawa ang Pilipinas then (by) all means we have to fight for what is right, the senator said.

[Translation: Im not pre-judging them, but if it is established that it has long violated laws, then by all means, we have to fight for what is right.]

Senator Grace Poe, who heads the panel set to tackle the case, said the upper chambers hearing may be moved to an earlier date than the previous February 27 schedule.

A total of 11 bills seeking to renew ABS-CBNs legal mandate remain pending before the House of Representatives, while a counterpart measure at the Senate has also not moved at the committee level.

Lawmakers in the House are still trading barbs over the issue, particularly on the continued delay in deliberations on the network's franchise.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman refuted Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano's earlier claims that ABS-CBN favored some candidates and "took sides in the 2010 and 2016 elections."

In a statement, Lagman said "taking sides" is not a franchise violation in the first place.

"Granting that the network took sides, taking sides is not a franchise violation per se," the lawmaker said.

"It is not prohibited to take sides in exercise of press freedom and freedom of expression. Aside from providing the public with information, public service, and entertainment, a broadcasting network is a catalyst for the formation of differing opinions," Lagman added.

The lower chamber, for its part, has yet to calendar a hearing on the franchise renewal bills, citing more urgent measures on deck for lawmakers. Poe conceded, however, that their hearings on ABS-CBN's franchise would be all for nothing if the House continues to sit on the counterpart measures before them.

The franchise renewal case was highlighted anew following a quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida, who sought to nullify the companys existing franchise.

Calida on Tuesday also ran to the Supreme Court asking for a gag order on ABS-CBN and its representatives. He cited in his motion supposed propaganda videos aired by the network which he said may influence the resolution of the case.
The locusts crossed into southern Magwi county on the border with Uganda, government says.

Swarms of locusts ravaging crops and grazing land across East Africa have reached South Sudan, already reeling from widespread hunger and years of civil war, the countrys agriculture minister has said.

The locusts crossed into southern Magwi county, on the border with Uganda, Minister Anyoti Adigo Nyikwach said on Tuesday.

Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti are battling the worst locust outbreak in decades, and swarms have also spread into Tanzania, Uganda and now South Sudan.

Desert locusts can travel up to 150km (95 miles) in a day and eat their own body weight in greenery, meaning a swarm just one kilometre square can eat as much food as 35,000 people in a day, the United Nations says.

The invasion is worsening food shortages in a region where up to 25 million people are suffering from three consecutive years of droughts and floods.

Meshack Malo, South Sudans representative for the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said the locusts were mature and looking for breeding grounds that will form the basis of the next major infestation.

These are deep yellow, which means that they will be here mostly looking at areas in which they will lay eggs, he said.

Teams planned to mark the place where they laid eggs and then come back to kill the young insects in 14 days, he said, since poisoning the eggs in the ground could damage the soil.

At least 2,000 locusts had crossed the border, he said. During each three-month breeding cycle, a single locust can breed 20 more, giving rise to the massive swarms that are now threatening crops on either side of the Red Sea.

Oil-rich South Sudan is recovering from five years of civil war that plunged parts of the country into famine in 2017 and forced a quarter of the population to flee their homes.

In December, the UNs World Food Programme said the food security outlook was dire after floods affected nearly a million people.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 20:17:11|Editor: huaxia

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SHANGHAI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. retail giant Costco on Wednesday confirmed a plan to open a second store on Chinese mainland, which will be in Shanghai.

On Tuesday, the subsidiary of Costco, Pudong Warehouse Development Limited, together with a Chinese company, obtained a 47,319-square-meter lot in Shanghai's Pudong New Area for 898 million yuan (128 million U.S. dollars), which is not far from Shanghai Disney Resort.

Costco opened its first store in Chinese mainland last August in Shanghai's Minhang district on the west side of Huangpu River, which has attracted huge crowds of shoppers since the opening.

"With growing purchasing power, Chinese customers have adopted a more open and mature mindset toward consumption," said Richard Chang, senior vice president for Asia at Costco Wholesale, adding that Costco will further expand Chinese mainland market.

The maiden store now welcomes some 11,000 customers per day on average, less than some 16,000 on average per day before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, also known as COVID-19.

Since the epidemic outbreak, the store has strengthened preventive measures including asking customers to wear facial masks before entry and cooperate with body temperature checking. The store has also shortened its business time for better disinfection.

"I found more health products and hygiene and preventive products inside the store. Daily necessities and groceries such as vegetables, fruits, meat and fast-cooked food are among the best sellers," said Liu Fang, a local customer.
Leader calls for massive election turnout to frustrate US

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 18 February 2020 9:48 AM

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the upcoming parliamentary elections in Iran are taking place at a critical time of US pressure and attempts to drive a wedge between the Iranian nation and government, calling for a large turnout in the polls to foil Washington's "evil intentions."

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with thousands of people from Iran's East Azarbaijan Province in Tehran on Tuesday, marking the anniversary of the Tabriz uprising of February 18, 1978.

The Leader called elections a contributor to the strength of the country and said the US formed think tanks of dozens or hundreds of people to plan to alienate the Iranian people and the youth in particular from the government.

He referred to the massive turnout of the people on the 41st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution last Tuesday and in processions to honor Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani earlier, and said, "The same thing should happen in the elections, meaning that the enemies should see for themselves that, in spite of their persistence in attempting to drive a wedge between the people and the establishment, people receive the elections well, which is reason for pride for the Islamic establishment."

"Elections neutralize many of the evil intentions that the Americans and the Zionists (Israelis) have in mind against Iran," Ayatollah Khamenei said. "These elections are the response to the chicanery and deception of Iran's enemies."

Ayatollah Khamenei said friends and foes alike were watching the elections.

"Enemies want to know what all of their attempts, the economic difficulties that exist in the country, the perfidy of the Westerners and the Europeans (in the Iran deal matter) toward Iran, and all the pressures  the maximum pressure, as they call it themselves  have finally done to the Iranian people," the Leader said. "Our friends all over the world, too, are watching with concern to see what happens."

Iran's 11th parliamentary elections will be held on February 21, 2020. The date will also feature interim elections for Iran's Assembly of Experts, which elects and oversees the activities of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

Last week, millions of Iranians from all walks of life filled the streets across the country to celebrate the 41st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The nation-wide rallies came one month after Iranians held million-strong funeral processions in many cities for General Soleimani, who was assassinated by the US in Iraq on January 3.

'First-class idiots going all out speaking gibberish again'

Ayatollah Khamenei said the "first-class idiots in the US are once again lining up to say some nonsense about" Iran.

"Partially, what they say is to affect the [turnout in the] elections... to make people despair of the ballot box," the Leader said.

"The nonsense they speak is also partially to make up for their ineffectiveness," he added, referring to how the regional tide had turned against America after the assassination of General Soleimani.

"The Americans wanted our dear martyr (General Soleimani), who had a very deep impact on the region, to be taken out so that they could prevail. Things turned out the opposite way."

Brian Hook, who has been the US's so-called special representative for Iran, claimed on January 17 that the Iranians would "have little to say" in the elections, which he called a "sham." Last week, American news and opinion website The Daily Beast reported that Hook held meetings with an associate of the anti-Iran terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) in September 2019 and January this year, before and after General Soleimani's assassination.

'Iran a thousand times stronger'

Ayatollah Khamenei said the US did all in its power  in military, political, security, economic, cultural, and media terms  over the past 40 years to topple the Iranian establishment. Not only did America fail in those attempts, the Leader said, but it also saw the Iranian establishment grow "a thousand times" stronger.

The Leader said the US was the most indebted country in the world  with 22 trillion dollars in national debt  and was merely making itself up to look good.

'America will sink'

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the story of the British giant passenger ship RMS Titanic, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912, and said, "Just as the splendor of the famous ship Titanic did not stop it from sinking, attempts to make up America's appearance do not stop it from sinking, either, and America will sink."

The Leader said Iran was opposed to no nation or race but only to arrogance and tyranny.

"America has dozens of [military] bases in the countries around ours, but if something happens one day, these bases will be of use neither to America nor to those who give their money to it... because American arrogance is collapsing."

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Trigger warning: This essay is about America's growing Nazi problem. Some Nazis may be offended.

Democrats are on the hunt for Nazis. Their own elected officials tell us so. Senators and congressmen assure us that in Donald Trump's America "hate is on the rise." Nobody can feel safe, they say. Not Jews, not blacks, not immigrants, not women, not even American Indians drumming in the faces of young school boys. Everyone must be on constant guard for hate. It must be confronted and nipped in the bud. If you're not sure who is spreading this hate, look for red ball caps with catchy political slogans. Otherwise, your default presumption should always be that white males, no matter how ordinarily dressed, are secretly plotting to oppress, harass, and threaten you. Sometimes they do so with smiles on their faces while opening doors.

The important thing to know is that Democrats are all over this problem. They have lawmakers all across America pursuing legislation that targets language for its hatefulness. No longer will people have to sit back and endure distasteful points of view; there are now laws that will allow us to throw people in jail based on what they say and write. Thank goodness we have reached the Enlightenment's final stage of liberalism, where we finally understand the danger of words. It has always been an oversight of freedom. Some words are hateful and must be banished. In fact, every day, more and more words are discovered to be hateful, and it turns out there is no shortage of people who believe they have the right to use them. Here's the important lesson: if you hear or read something from a person you believe to be oppressing you, then it is best to report that person's words so he can be added to the list of things we are not allowed to say.

Next to the list of banished words is the list of approved education. Democrats are here to inform, not influence. It is appalling that in this year of 20 A.G. (After Gore), there are still people perpetuating the lie that man-made global warming is a con meant to justify huge increases in taxation, expanded government coercion, and international socialism. Just the idea that people could be so ignorant as to believe that the very molecule they exhale with every breath is not also a pollutant that will force us to cut back on those allowed to exhale boggles the mind. If you can't understand that killing off four fifths of the global population and returning to Stone-Age comforts is necessary in order to prevent free markets from destroying the modern world, then you are brainwashed and beyond reach. The best we can do now is censor any of your pseudo-science research from publication so the larger public's enthusiasm for one-world government is not dampened.

This goes for sex and babies, too. The Dark-Ages superstition of believing that XX and XY chromosomal pairings determine whether a person's DNA contains the genes unique to males is so absurd that it hardly merits discussion. Anyone who refuses to believe that genetics is simply a social construct imposed on one's state of mind is living in an age before science and should be openly mocked. If you don't believe that men can have babies, then you probably live in a red state where education is low and concentration of Nazis is high. If you don't believe that males should shower with high school girls after gym class, you are a Nazi. This goes, too, for the outdated patriarchal notion that an expectant father should have any say in what happens to the baby who shares half his DNA. If, after a suitable amount of time has passed after birth, the mother decides to keep the baby, then by all means that the sperm donor is financially beholden to that child for the rest of his life. Until that time, however, interfering with a woman's choice to cancel her pregnancy up to and including delivery is nothing less than an assault on her constitutional rights and an unacceptable threat to her "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness." When Thomas Jefferson wrote those words, he said nothing about the life and liberty of an unwanted fetus. You would think the very Nazis who prattle on about originalism and the "Founding Fathers" would understand that a baby doesn't have any rights until the man/woman giving birth makes it official with a legal birth certificate.

That's what happens when you give fascism room to breathe, though. Nazis begin to insist that the constitution protects everyone, even those too premature to speak up.

That brings us to guns. For too long, Nazis in America have been untouchable because they own all the weapons. That is why Democrats have a plan to end this injustice once and for all. There is no reason in the modern world why anyone needs a weapon to survive. Supermarkets give us food, not hunters. Anyone claiming otherwise is lying to you, or worse, secretly arming himself against the government. There is absolutely no reason in a free society for anyone but the police, military, and federal agencies to be heavily armed. An armed country is a dangerous country. That is why Democrats have the wisdom and strength to demand all citizens hand over their weapons as their first piece of legislation. They have made a promise to the people that they will collect all the guns before pursuing any fundamental changes to the nation in the future.

But before they do that, they have to get rid of the Nazi in the White House. Because Americans refuse to do what's in their best interest, Democrats will do it for them. It's never really about the votes, after all. It's about who counts the votes, and in 2020, Democrats will make certain that Democrats are counting the votes. Just to be certain, they've spent years preparing for every contingency. While American Nazis go overseas to die for American freedom, Democrats have been building a secret army of anti-fascists right here at home. They are trained, armed, and ready to go. Democratic mayors have been giving them space to breathe and grow for years. Unlike the Nazis in America, Democrats know their history. Using armed paramilitary units in uniform under the color of law is exactly how Heinrich Himmler transformed a little-known outfit of beer hall troublemakers into one of the most feared agencies of surveillance and terror throughout Europe. Whereas he used his thugs for fascism, Democrats will use their peaceful protesters for socialism. There is a big difference.

So, to the American Nazis out there, know this: you have nowhere to hide, nowhere to go, and no future in front of you. Democrats will save freedom from itself, even if they must put some of us up against a wall before tearing it down. They know what they're doing. They have met the enemy; from every mirror, he stares back at them.

Image: Louis P. Hirshman via Wikimedia Commons.
We also loaded some other stuff that we needed for the attack  haversacks, the rubber dinghy, her engine, and some provisions. We also shifted some excess stuff from the Kuber to Al-Husseini. Then the Al-Husseini turned back to Karachi with the four captured Indians and we proceeded towards Mumbai.

Mumbai's former Commissioner of Police, Rakesh Maria, reveals his version of the sequence of events in crucial cases such as the 1993 blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks as well as the Sheena Bora murder case when he was transferred on promotion during an ongoing investigation.

While Maria had kept mum on the happenings within the department during his tenure as a police officer, his tell-all book, Let Me Say It Now, breaks his silence on several controversies that were part of his career.

The following text is an excerpt from this book describing the movements of the terrorists before the Mumbai attacks and has been reproduced here with permission.

***

The city of Porbandar in Gujarat has a few things to be proud of. There is the Porbandar Stone, a yellowish-white limestone known in Gujarati as makhanio patthar (butter-stone) from which many a beautiful buildings in Mumbai are crafted. The Cama Hospital, designed in Medieval Gothic style by Khan Bahadoor Muncherjee Cowasjee Murzban, is one.

In its fabled mythical past, Porbandar is Sudamapuri  the city of Lord Krishnas impecunious childhood friend Sudama  his mate from Guru Sandipanis ashram. He could manage just a handful of beaten rice to carry for Krishna when he went to see him in Dwarka  Krishnas City of Gold, one of the seven sacred cities and another port on the long Gujarat coastline. How Krishna relishes the humble dish, how the joy makes Sudama forget seeking help to overcome his poverty, the way he returns empty-handed and the sweet surprise that awaits him there, is the story that Indian saints have been deciphering for ages. The simple inhabitants of Porbandar celebrate the divine friendship with a temple dedicated to Sudama, only second of its kind. The other is in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, where the Sandipani ashram is said to have been located.

In recent history, Porbandar is the birthplace of the Mahatma, the icon of peace, harmony, nonviolence and secularism, who, when in doubt and sorrow, turned to Krishnas celestial song, the Bhagavad Gita.

But, perhaps the least known feature of the all-weather port city is its maritime heritage, vouched for by the surrounding archaeological excavations dating back to the Indus-Saraswati civilisation. The navigational skills of Gujarati seafarers rarely gets due recognition, but live on in the intrepid spirit of its fishermen. Manmade boundaries mean nothing to this hardy folk, forced by the rising marine pollution to venture deeper into the high seas. Every year, several cases of India-Pakistan Maritime Trespassing are reported. The violators are fishermen from both the countries, mostly operating along Gujarat and the neighbouring province of Sindh in Pakistan.

Hundreds of fishing boats are registered by their owners in Porbandar. The men operating them are aware of the ever-present danger of arrests and the distinct possibility of languishing in Pakistani jails. The boat-owners initiate negotiations for their return which may take years to fructify. Till then, the wives toil hard to make ends meet, supported only by a small daily compensation from the State. It is amazing how, despite this threat, these seamen continue to brave the turbulent waters to eke out a living with prayers on their lips and the Tricolour hoisted high on the masts.

On 25 November 2008, boat-owner Vinod Masani had cause to worry. His mechanised fishing boat M.V. Maa had returned to the Porbandar Jetty, but there was no sign of the other boat, M.V. Kuber. Both had sailed out together on 14 November. Tandel (Captain) Amarchand Solanki was leading Kubers crew of four other khalasis: Ramesh Nagji Solanki, Natthu Nanu Harpati, Balwant Prabhu Harpati and Mukesh Ambu Harpati. Mukesh was a last-minute replacement of a regular crew member whose son had suddenly taken ill. Kuber and Maa had been together for a week before getting separated by a storm on the high seas. The last time the two Tandels had spoken to each other was on their walkie-talkies on 20 November at 10:30 in the night. Manish Lodhari, the secretary of the National Fishworkers Forum made enquiries with the Pakistani authorities in Karachi who said that they had not captured any Indian boat during the relevant period. Little did Lodhari and Masani know that Kuber was heading towards Mumbai, with Tandel Solanki at its helm, but with his crew replaced by ten merciless fidayeens carrying lethal weapons to attack Mumbai. To teach India, Israel and the West a lesson for their alleged atrocities on Muslims. Little did they know that the crude wooden trawler and its poor unsuspecting crew had been struck by a terrible man-made calamity on 23 November around noon.

Our boat, the Al-Husseini reached the border between India and Pakistan near Jakhau around 12 noon. We spotted an Indian fishing boat in the waters and decided to seize it. Usman asked us to enter the engine room and told us that the minute our boat received a jolt, we should rush out of the engine room and jump into the Indian boat. We entered the engine room and Usman stood on the deck. He picked up a broken engine strap and began waving it. The captain of the Indian fishing boat thought that we were in trouble and needed help. He steered his boat towards us to touch the Al-Husseini. As soon as we received the jolt, all of us rushed out and jumped into the Indian boat. The five crew members were terrified. We immediately tied their hands and feet. Who is the Tandel? we asked. The Tandel came forward. He said his name was Amarchand Solanki. We taped the mouths of the rest with sticking plaster and forcibly pushed them onto the Al-Husseini. Do you have enough diesel to last till Mumbai? Abu Ismail asked Amarchand. He said that he had 700 litres in the tank and some more in barrels and added that although he did not know the way to Mumbai, the diesel would not suffice till there. Some diesel barrels and oil cans were immediately transferred from the Al-Husseini to Kuber. We also loaded some other stuff that we needed for the attack  haversacks, the rubber dinghy, her engine, and some provisions. We also shifted some excess stuff from the Kuber to Al-Husseini. Then the Al-Husseini turned back to Karachi with the four captured Indians and we proceeded towards Mumbai. Ismail started the satellite phone and began conveying our progress to our Lashkar-e-Taiba trainers in Karachi. With the help of the Tandel, we began our journey to Mumbai and kept checking the track with the help of the GPS. Then Abu Ismail created three groups. The first had Abu Ismail himself, Nasir and I. The second had Javed, Hafiz Arshad, and Nazir Ahmed. And the third, Fahadullah, Abdul Rehman and Abu Soheb. Each group was supposed to take turns and keep a two-hour vigil. In the interim, Imran Babar cooked with the help of the Tandel. Abu Ismail and Javed would be at the helm intermittently. Travelling thus, the Kuber came to a distance of five nautical miles off the Mumbai coast. We could see the hazy outlines of Mumbais skyscrapers. We had come close to Mumbai without any obstacle and now we had to just enter the city. We were thrilled at the very thought of entering Mumbai to kill people and teach India a lesson; also to America and Israel for harassing Muslims. I contacted Abu Hamza in Karachi and informed him that we were nearing Mumbai. He was very happy. Allah will help you in your task, he said. What should we do with the Tandel? I asked Hamza. We have eaten the four goats. Now you decide what you want to do with the goat in your possession, he said. So I understood that the four captives who had been transferred to the Al-Husseini had been slaughtered.

Rakesh Maria's Let Me Say It Now has been published by Westland Publications
The Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, met the Japanese Ambassador to Belgium, H.E. Mr. Makita Shimokawa, at the Headquarters of the WCO in Brussels, Belgium on Wednesday, 19 February 2020, during which they exchanged Note Verbales on the Government of Japans financial contribution to the WCOs Project on Plastic Waste Border Management (Waste Management Project) in the Asia/Pacific region and the Project on Developing an Operational Handbook on Security Strategies, Equipment and Personnel Training for Customs in Fragile Borderlands (Security Handbook Project).

Customs fostering Sustainability for People, Prosperity and the Planet, is the WCOs theme in 2020, under which the broader Customs community is focusing on its contribution towards a sustainable future where social, economic, health and environmental needs are at the heart of its actions.

Customs is uniquely mandated and positioned at borders to play a prominent role across the international supply chain, ensuring a sustainable, secure, and inclusive future for all. Therefore, with only 10 years left to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and given the direct links between Customs strategic mission and several of the SDGs, it is important for Customs to meet all the environmental, economic, health and social challenges while scaling up its ongoing efforts to respond effectively in a more proactive manner.

Against this background, the Waste Management Project receives financial support under the MARINE initiative that Japan launched to realize the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision, which it shared at the G20 Osaka Summit last year. The Project will be implemented under the auspices of the WCO Environmental Programme and will aim at strengthening the capacity of Customs administrations to mitigate and appropriately respond to environmental threats in the Asia/Pacific region, with a special focus on the implementation of the Basel Convention and on matters of plastic waste and the illegal shipment thereof.

As a result of the ongoing challenges exacerbated by the security situation and the massive impact of terrorism, the WCO Policy Commission adopted the Punta Cana Resolution on the role of Customs in security during its meeting in December 2015. The Resolution resulted in the adoption of the G7 Action Plan on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism at the G7 Summit in Ise-Shima, Japan in May 2016, where the WCO Security Programme was specifically mentioned as a means of enhancing border security.

With such a high level of commitment, a series of WCO programmes and projects, including the Security Projects for Asia/Pacific and for West and Central Africa, both financially supported by the Government of Japan, have been delivered and are under delivery. These efforts illustrate the fact that specific assistance is necessary for Customs in conflict and post-conflict situations and in borderlands that are affected by the violence perpetrated by armed groups.

To address this challenge, the Security Handbook Project is aimed at developing an operational handbook to assist Customs administrations, whose jurisdiction includes fragile borderlands, to enhance their capabilities, in order to withstand the immense security challenges faced by their Customs officials.

Plastic waste management is a new global challenge that the world is facing nowadays. The WCO and the international Customs community can play a major role by coordinating their efforts to minimize and eventually eliminate the destructive impact that plastic waste imposes on the environment, said WCO Secretary General Dr. Mikuriya, adding that the Government of Japans continuing support for WCO security-related initiatives goes a long way in further strengthening the security capabilities of Customs administrations worldwide.

H.E. Mr. Makita Shimokawa stressed that Japan highly appreciated all activities to address emerging issues faced by WCO Member Customs administrations under the leadership of Secretary General Dr. Mikuriya. Moreover, he emphasized that the funded projects would continue to render much deeper and stronger cooperation, as well as mutual trust, not only with the WCO, but also with its Members.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal on Tuesday rejected a breach of privilege issue raised by DMK MLA Thangam Thennarasu, against Minister for Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture, K Pandiarajan. Objecting to the Speakers decision, Deputy Leader of Opposition, Durai Murugan led the DMK MLAs in a walkout. Raising the issue during zero hour, Thennarasu said, Last month when Leader of Opposition had said that dual citizenship for Sri Lankan Tamils would not be possible, Pandiarajan said it was. But already, a Union Minister had informed the Parliament that giving dual citizenship was not possible according to existing laws.

Giving Indian citizenship for Lankan Tamil refugees by removing the rule which prevents it would be the right solution. Knowing full well dual citizenship is not possible, the minister had misled the House, Thennarasu said. Pandiarajan said, AIADMK is of the view that Lankan refugees should be accorded dual citizenship and when former CM Jayalalithaa met the Prime Minister in June 2016, she explained the reasons behind it.

Until 1983, 4.61 lakh Tamils from Sri Lanka were given Indian citizenship. Jayalalithaa had said if Indian citizenship is given to Tamil refugees, they would lose the opportunity to redeem their assets in Sri Lanka. She wanted to give the type of citizenship which would enable Lankan Tamils to do business and to get employment in India, said Pandiarajan. The Minister also pointed out that while the dual citizenship would entitle the Lankan Tamils in having voting rights, both, in Lanka and India, the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status would enable the Lankan Tamils to get opportunity to do business here and get jobs. Since 1984, OCI status has been given to around two lakh persons and even now, there is no bar on this. But it depends upon classifying whether they are refugees or repatriates, he added. In this connection, the Minister recalled that there had been confusion on the definition for the two terms. Last June, Madras High Court had given a verdict in this regard on a case filed by Kottappattu refugee camp. The court had directed the Central government to clearly classify whether those in the camps in Tamil Nadu are refugees or repatriates.

Jallikattu in the Assembly

Chennai: On a lighter note, deputy leader of opposition, Durai Murugan on Tuesday questioned the rationale behind AIADMK MLAs hailing O Panneerselvam as Jallikattu Nayagan (Jallikattu Hero). He wondered if the deputy CM had tamed any bulls, and said the Assembly members were eager to see him do so at Alanganallur. Health Minister C Vijaya Basker clarified that he was being called so for convincing the Central government not to ban the sport following the outbreak of a massive protest in the State. If the Deputy Leader of Opposition wishes to tame a bull in Pudukkottai Jallikattu, I will arrange for it, he said

amidst more laughter.
News of rapper Pop Smokes tragic passing took the internet by storm today.

Hundreds of thousands of people went on social media to express their condolences and sadness, including members of the hip-hop communitys elite, such as Nicki Minaj, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg and Quavo.

The queen of hip-hop took to Instagram to share a photo of Pop Smoke, whose real name is Bashar Barakah Jackson, on February 19. She captioned the post as the bible tells us that jealousy is as cruel as the grave. Unbelievable. Rest In Peace, Pop.



Minaj is likely alluding to the violent way Pop Smoke reportedly died. The post garnered over 340,000 likes within the first 30 minutes of being posted, as well as over 7,000 comments with the numbers increasing every second.

50 Cent also took to Instagram to share a picture and a video of the two New York rappers. They were seen laughing and hugging in what appears to be a nightclub or party.

The In Da Club rapper captioned the photo no such thing as success with out jealousy, treachery comes from those who are close. R.I.P. The post had accumulated 110,000 likes within the first 15 minutes of going live and has over 2,000 comments.

California rapper Snoop Dogg shared his condolences by stating, R.I.P Lil Homie, damn Im hurt all ova again, Gone2soon.

While Migos rapper Quavo wrote Fly High WOO, got to kno this kid. Very talented, humble, respectful and appreciative, on his post which has been liked over 480,000 times since going live.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
Carlin Sterritt is cashing in on his newfound fame.

The personal trainer, who captured Angie Kent's heart in last year's season of The Bachelorette, is hosting a seven-day 'active vacation' on the Gold Coast in August.

For $2950 including fares and accommodation, participants will be treated to group training with the 30-year-old, as well as a clean eating menu and education sessions.

Would YOU pay $2950 to train with Carlin Sterritt? The Bachelorette winner (pictured), 30, is hosting a seven-day 'active vacation' on the Gold Coast in August for his dedicated fans

Guests can also make use of the resort's facilities, while a travel photographer will capture unique moments on site.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Carlin urged his followers to sign up and train.

'Holiday and train, de-stress, motivate, realign and relax,' he wrote in part. 'All of the above is on offer for a week with me as your guide on the Gold Coast.

'All meals prepared by a private chef and nutrition expert, functional training and yoga at a boutique luxury resort.'

Eat and train with Carlin: For $2950 including fares and accommodation, participants will be treated to group training with the star, as well as a clean eating menu and education sessions

The fitness trainer is also a budding actor and signed to a talent agency in December last year.

Carlin has joined Blue Chip Talent, an agency which has promised it will steer him away from promoting 'teeth whitening' or 'skinny teas', and instead focus on projects 'important to him' - most likely, his budding acting career.

'Carlin is a super talent, has the look and is a great guy to deal with and we are honoured to have him,' the agency's Instagram page read.

Fame: Carlin captured Angie Kent's heart on last year's season of The Bachelorette, and has gone on to become a public figure. Pictured with Angie, 30

'Rest assured fans, this is not a relationship about pushing god awful teeth whitening products and skinny teas. We will be building meaningful relationships for Carlin and making sure he is representing what he is passionate about, whilst working on projects important to him.'

Carlin, who is listed under 'influencers' on the pages website, has joined the likes of Bachelor star Jen Hawke, Survivor Australia's Phoebe Timmins and Channel Nine presenter Ashleigh Jade, alongside a string of Instagram-famous talent.

He was quick to respond to the post, replying: 'Stoked to be on board and excited for what 2020 has in store!!!'
Confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Sichuans Tawu county have now climbed to 57, with seven new cases reported on Feb. 16 and five reported on Feb. 17, according to official Chinese health department reports.



The jump in numbers brings to 62 the total of confirmed infections in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in which Tibetan-populated Tawu (Daofu) is located, the Kardze Prefecture Health Commission said.



Tawu county is now second only to Hubei province, where the infection first began to spread, as the area of China hardest-hit by coronavirus infection.



In response to the rising number of infections, county Public Security Bureau officials and traffic police on Feb. 17 imposed an area travel ban, closing a stretch of Highway 305 running from Tawus Palme township to the area of Khangsar, official media said.



Reached for comment on Tuesday, a staff worker at the Tawu County Peoples Hospital declined to answer questions about the countys current situation, saying, Of course we have patients here, but if you want to know more about this, dont call here, before hanging up the phone,



On Feb. 17, the Kardze Peoples Hospital released a video showing three patients, two of them Han Chinese and the third an ethnic Tibetan, who were being discharged from treatment after recovering from infections.



'Makeshift hospitals'



Meanwhile, around 370 people who had been in close contact with persons confirmed to be infected are being held in quarantine under close medical observation, official Chinese sources said.



Six hospitals have now been designated for the treatment of coronavirus patients in Tawu, according to a Kham TV report on Feb. 14, though a Tibetan living in exile and originally from Tawu called the medical facilities in the county very poor.



The so-called Chinese designated hospitals are not really hospitals at all, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



They are makeshift hospitals operating in the countys hotels, and many people who are suspected to have been infected are being kept together for days in crowded spaces, which is posing an extra risk of the viruss spread, he said.



Tibetan medical staff from areas outside Tawu are meanwhile volunteering to travel to the hard-hit county to help handle the outbreak, Adruk Tseten, a Tibetan living in India and with contacts in the region, said on a Facebook posting last week.



There is a high demand for medical professionals in Tawu, Tseten said, adding that many Tibetan doctors and nurses from Sichuans Lithang (Litang) county have already applied for permission to serve patients in Tawu.



They signed some petitions, and the first batch of medical staff have already arrived, Tseten said.



Reported by RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Three years ago, Ruth Hayes, who teaches animation at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., adopted a script to introduce herself in class: My name is Ruth Hayes. I use she/her pronouns. I teach animation. Her L.G.B.T.Q. colleagues had been following the formula for a while. But it knocked her off balance at first, she said  and she found that disturbing, because she had always been the radical in her family.

Its kind of funny to be in that position where youre the stick in the mud or the old-fashioned person, said Ms. Hayes, 64. But she recognizes how important it is psychologically to get it right, because gender is so close to our core.

A lot of students who are transitioning, trying to figure this out  theres a lot of depression, their suicide rate is high, theres a lot of emotional turmoil attached to that, she said. The least we could do is make it an OK thing to be open about who you are.

Recent research indicates that social affirmation, including the use of chosen names and proper pronouns, can help reduce the higher rates of depression and suicide for transgender and nonbinary young people, which stem in part from a lack of acceptance and frequent harassment.

Amy Hillier, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvanias School of Social Policy and Practice, said her university did not have a standard gender pronoun protocol. But it is becoming more common for students and professors to put personal pronouns on email signatures and name tags, she said.

Despite those efforts, Loran Grishow-Schade, a 33-year-old graduate student in social work at Penn, said that when X appears on official documents as their gender, many professors can be bewildered. So Mx. Grishow-Schade has found that it is generally a good idea to meet with instructors and explain that they are agender.
By Humeyra Pamuk and Daphne Psaledakis WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday ramped up pressure on Venezuela by blacklisting a subsidiary of Russian state oil major Rosneft that President Donald Trump's administration said provides a financial lifeline to President Nicolas Maduro's government. The U.S.

By Humeyra Pamuk and Daphne Psaledakis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday ramped up pressure on Venezuela by blacklisting a subsidiary of Russian state oil major Rosneft that President Donald Trump's administration said provides a financial lifeline to President Nicolas Maduro's government.

The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Rosneft Trading SA, the Geneva-based trading unit of Rosneft, as Washington targeted Moscow over its backing of Maduro's government.

The move further complicates already-fraught U.S.-Russian relations. Russia condemned the sanctions, saying they amounted to unfair competition and would not deter Moscow from continuing to work with Venezuela. Russia's Foreign Ministry said the move would further damage relations with Washington and undermine global free trade.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza called the U.S. action "unilateral" and said Washington continued "attacking the Venezuelan people."

U.S. officials accused the Rosneft subsidiary of propping up the Venezuelan oil sector and engaging in "tricks" and ship-to-ship transfers to actively evade American sanctions.

"I think this is a very significant step, and I think you will see companies all over the world in the oil sector now move away from dealing with Rosneft Trading," Elliott Abrams, the U.S. special representative for Venezuela, told reporters.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin added in a statement, "The United States is determined to prevent the looting of Venezuela's oil assets by the corrupt Maduro regime."

Rosneft called the sanctions an "outrage" and said that U.S. authorities, in conversations with the company, had repeatedly recognised that it was not breaching any restrictions. Rosneft said the U.S. Treasury Department has not presented any evidence of violations.

The United States in January 2019 recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the OPEC nation's legitimate interim president and has ratcheted up sanctions and diplomatic pressure in the aftermath of Maduro's 2018 re-election that was widely described as fraudulent.

Maduro remains in power, backed by Venezuela's military as well as Russia, China and Cuba. His clinging to power has been a source of frustration for Trump, U.S. officials have said privately.

Along with the sanctions, the United States also issued a general licence allowing companies 90 days to wind down their transactions with Rosneft Trading. Tuesday's sanctions freeze any U.S.-held assets of Rosneft Trading and the subsidiary's chairman of the board and president, Didier Casimiro, who also serves as a vice president of the parent company.

Rosneft shares fell 2.7%, underperforming oil prices and the broader Russian index. The sanctions announcement came soon before the close of the Russian market.

It was unclear whether Tuesday's move will reduce export revenue flowing to Maduro's government, which continues to enjoy Moscow's backing in a stand-off reminiscent of the Cold War.

'DEEP DIFFERENCES'

The decision to impose the sanctions was cleared by Trump, a senior administration official said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday discussed the blacklisting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Munich security conference in Germany, the official said.

"Obviously we have deep differences over what is happening in Venezuela and what is the way out for Venezuela," Abrams said, when asked about Pompeo's discussion with Lavrov.

Moscow has acted as a lender of last resort for Venezuela, with the government and Rosneft providing at least $17 billion in loans and credit lines since 2006, and has also provided diplomatic support.

Rosneft is the world's largest listed oil company by output.

Through units including Rosneft Trading and TNK Trading it took more than a third of Venezuela's oil exports last year, according to PDVSA's documents and Refinitiv Eikon vessel tracking data, for reselling to final customers, mainly in Asia. That way it became the largest intermediary of Venezuelan oil amid U.S. sanctions.

TNK Trading has not been blacklisted by the Treasury Department.

Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA in a statement on Tuesday rejected the sanctions and said Rosneft "can count on us for all the support necessary for operational and commercial continuity.

U.S. officials have been mindful of the need for caution in targeting a company as far-reaching as Rosneft because of the risk of causing unintended damage to American and allies' interests.

The United States will have conversations with China and India, the leading buyers of Venezuelan oil, and with Spanish officials over Spanish company Repsol's activities regarding Venezuela, Abrams said. Repsol declined to comment.

U.S.-based Chevron Corp has also come under criticism by Trump administration officials for its activities in trading Venezuelan oil produced by joint ventures with PDVSA. The U.S. government in January renewed a licence for Chevron to operate in Venezuela until April 22. Chevron has said its activities are legal under the licence.

Abrams declined to comment on Chevron.

Raul Gallegos, consultancy Control Risks' director for the Andean region, based in Bogota, said he expects the United States will continue to try to scare non-Western companies from backing Maduro but doubted that Washington would force U.S. companies from Venezuela's oil patch through similar sanctions.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Timothy Gardner in Washington, Dmitry Zhdannikov in London, Brian Ellsworth and Luc Cohen in Caracas, and Marianna Parraga in Mexico City; Editing by Mary Milliken, Will Dunham and Matthew Lewis)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
A volunteer for CASA Project Worcester County was on a mission.

CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, is a national association that recruits community volunteers to become appointed advocates for abused and neglected children. And this volunteer needed to locate a 12-year-old girl.

This volunteer was advocating for three siblings when the children got split up. The 12-year-old girl was sent to one home while her two younger brothers were moved to a separate residence. The volunteer was able to connect with the two boys but needed to figure out where the girl had been placed.

She was like Ive got to find this girl," recalled Robb Zarges, the executive director of the CASA Project Worcester County. "It took about two or three days and finally, she got the address where the child was placed.

When the volunteer got there, the 12-year-old girl ran out onto the porch and exclaimed, I knew you would find me, Zarges said.

For Zarges, its a shining example of the impact volunteers can have, devoting all their attention and resources to the needs of a child in foster care.

Erin Richetelle has been volunteering as an advocate for about two years and is working on her fourth case, which includes three Central Massachusetts siblings who are all placed in different cities.

The family that Im working with now, to see where theyve come in a year theyre making tremendous strides and you know that the family is really working, she said. DCF has been very thorough and strategic about how the kids are reintroduced to the family and making sure that dad and the family has the ability to thrive before they continue to bring other siblings home."

CASA started in Seattle in 1977 and came to Worcester in 1981 through a grant. The Worcester County CASA serves children in the 67 communities from the New Hampshire border down to the Rhode Island border. The group works with five courts, in Leominster, Fitchburg, Worcester, Dudley and Milford.

Last year, the Worcester County CASA Project had 340 volunteers working on 525 cases, representing almost 900 children. Just five years ago, the program was serving about 300 or 400 kids a year.

CASA requires the volunteers to visit the child at least once a month, visit birth parents if appropriate, and visit or speak with teachers, therapists and social workers involved with the childs case.

From there, CASA volunteers make recommendations to a judge. Sometimes those recommendations mirror what DCF recommends, but not always. Last year, judges enacted 90 percent of CASA volunteer recommendations, Zarges said.

Its kind of the only person whos unbiased. The CASA workers not adopting the kid. The CASA worker didnt give birth to the kid. The CASA worker isnt their teacher or their therapist," said Julie Bowditch, who is on the CASA Project Worcester County board of directors. They can give this kid their energy and attention."

CASA trains about 100 volunteers a year. They dont need any specific experience but must pass a CORI check. From there, CASA expects a lot of its new advocates, said Zarges. There are 30 hours of training before an advocate can take a case, 12 hours of ongoing training during the year and the expectation that the advocate will spend at minimum 10 hours a month working on a childs case.

Advocates look to fill gaps in services for children, especially in the areas of education, health and mental health.

Thats the three areas that we feel like while a childs in foster care we can really move the needle for them making sure that their mental health needs are taken care of and making sure that theyre not falling behind in education, Zarges said.

Children lose on average 1.5 years in schooling when they enter foster care, Zarges said. Nationwide, the average is 24 months and seven placements after a child is removed from his or her home.

Lets shrink the amount of time that kids are in foster care, get them to a safe permanent home as quickly as possible and then, two, lets minimize the number of placements that they have because each one of those moves is a traumatic event and we want to minimize the trauma on kids as much as we possibly can, Zarges said. And while theyre in that in foster care, how do we make sure that they have the services and access to things like going to camp, after school programs, getting horseback riding lessons. All the things like normal kids want to have in their life, we want to make sure our children that are in foster care experience that as well.

This year, CASA Project Worcester County hopes to serve 1,100 children. In Worcester County, 1,700 children enter the foster care program each year and Zarges believes about 1,500 of them can benefit from the help of a CASA worker.

Being able to help every foster care child in Worcester County is within reach. Thats part of the reason CASA is holding its second Champions for Children fundraising event on March 6 at Mechanics Hall. The event aims to raise awareness about the work of CASA advocates and hopefully attract new volunteers. The night will include a selection of foods from Worcester County restaurants and pop-ups as well as a keynote speech by Dr. Heather Forkey of UMass Memorial Medical Center and awards for Judge Deborah Capuano and CASAs volunteer of the year, Suzanne Remington.

The hardest part for volunteers is saying goodbye when a childs case is finished. But sometimes, they find out that the lessons they passed on have stuck.

I leave them with the resources that I think they would be most serviced by and when they actually do follow through with connecting with this program on college readiness or connecting with job corps and they mention, oh, Erin sent me, and that gets back to me, I think thats really gratifying," Richetelle said.

Got a news tip or want to contact MassLive about this story? Email newstips@masslive.com or message us on Facebook orTwitter. You can also call our news tips line at 413-776-1364.
[February 19, 2020] MSCI Launches Private Offering of $400 Million Senior Unsecured Notes Due 2030

MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI), a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community, announced today that it intends to issue $400.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2030 (the "notes") in a private offering that is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The proposed offering is subject to market and other conditions. If the offering is successfully placed, MSCI intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to redeem the remaining $300.0 million aggregate principal amount outstanding on its 5.250% senior unsecured notes due 2024 (the "2024 Notes"), including related redemption costs, and for general corporate purposes, including, without limitation, repurchases of its common stock and potential investments and acquisitions. The notes will be senior unsecured obligations of MSCI and will be guaranteed by MSCI and certain of its domestic subsidiaries. This press release does not constitute a notice of redemption with respect to the 2024 Notes. The notes are being offered only to (i) persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act and (ii) certain non-U.S. persons outside the United States pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act. The notes have not been registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws and therefore may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This press releasedoes not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the notes, nor shall it constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful.



About MSCI Inc. MSCI is a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community. With over 45 years of expertise in research, data and technology, we power better investment decisions by enabling clients to understand and analyze key drivers of risk and return and confidently build more effective portfolios. We create industry-leading research-enhanced solutions that clients use to gain insight into and improve transparency across the investment process.

Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements relate to future events or to future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are, in some cases, beyond MSCI's control and that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Other factors that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements can be found in MSCI's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC (News - Alert)") on February 18, 2020 and in quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K filed or furnished with the SEC. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if MSCI's underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may vary significantly from what MSCI projected. Any forward-looking statement in this press release reflects MSCI's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to MSCI's operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. MSCI assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005487/en/

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Ankara can't confirm claims that its vessel has been destroyed in the port of Tripoli, Libya, the spokesman of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ibrahim Kalin, said.

"The ship was fired at, but there was no hit. Multiple shots were fired in return. I can say that after this the situation calmed down," Kalin said.

The statement comes hours after the Libyan National Army (LNA) said in an official statement on Facebook that its forces had destroyed a Turkish vessel, carrying weapons and ammunition that was docked in the port of Tripoli. According to the LNA, by delivering the cargo, Ankara has violated an international agreement banning arms sales to the country.

In the meantime, vessels at the port were evacuated after the attack, Reuters reported, citing port officials.
Pet Food Market : Global Opportunities & Forecast

PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-19 21:17:41

Press Information

GMI Research

Level 1, The Chase Carmanhall Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin D18 Y3X2, Ireland



Mohd Tahir Khan

Marketing Communication Manager

+353 1 442 8820

email

https://www.gmiresearch.com/





# 656 Words

Level 1, The Chase Carmanhall Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin D18 Y3X2, IrelandMarketing Communication Manager+353 1 442 8820

North America captured the largest share in global pet food market in 2017 owing to factors, such as growing pet population and pet adoption in the region and increased spending by the pet owners on the pet food and pet accessories. Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing pet food market due to rapid urbanization and growing investment by the players in the region. Countries such as China, India ad South Korea are contributing towards the growth of the market.For Additional Insights, Click to Access Complete Report - https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-pet-food-market-by-pet-type-dog-cats-others/ Some of the key players operating in global pet food market, include Mars Petcare Inc., Nestle Purina PetCare, Hills Pet Nutrition, J.M. Smucker, Diamond Pet Foods, Blue Buffalo, Deuerer, Omega Protein Corporation, and Nutriara Alimentos Ltd.Request for Sample Report  https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-pet-food-market-by-pet-type-dog-cats-others/sample-request The global pet food market has been segmented based on pet type, point of sale, food type, food category, and key geographies. Based on pet type, the market has been categorized into dogs, cats, and others (fish, and birds). Based on point of sales, the market has been categorized into online, hypermarkets and specialized retail stores.Request for Customization  https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-pet-food-market-by-pet-type-dog-cats-others/request-for-customization Based on the food category, the market has been segmented into meat, cereals, vegetables and fruits, and fats and additives. The meat food category includes fresh meat and frozen meat. The cereals food category includes corn and cornmeal, wheat and wheat meal, barely and rice, and others. The vegetables and fruits category include potatoes, carrots, soybean and soybean meals, fruits and others. The fats and additives category includes fish oil, poultry fat, vitamins and minerals, and others.The research report global pet food market provides in-depth analysis of pet food market across the globe, based on pet type, the point of sale, food type, food category and key geographies for the forecast period from 2018 to 2025. The report highlights the major market drivers propelling the growth as well as challenges faced by the market participants. The research report also provides market size and forecast for the pet food market. The report also analyses the competitive landscape, major players and their strategies in 2018. The competitive landscape section of the report captures and highlights the recent developments in the market.Key questions answered in this research report:1. At what pace is pet food market growing, globally? What will be the growth trend in future?2. What are the key drivers and restraints in the current market? What will be the impact of drivers and restraints over the coming years?3. What are the regional revenue and forecast breakdowns? Which are the major regional revenue pockets for growth in global pet food 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: Ireland
File image: Tapas Paul (Reuters)

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress head Mamata Banerjee has blamed central agencies for the demise of actor-turned-politician Tapas Pal.

The 61-year-old TMC leader died of a cardiac arrest in Mumbai early on February 18. He was being grilled by investigating agencies over alleged involvement in a chit fund scam that brought several high profile personalities from the state under the lens.

The Bengal CM has claimed that these investigations, which were a by-product of vendetta politics, took the life of her party colleague. She was paying her tribute to the late actor when she alleged the Centre and central agencies have blood on their hands.

Claiming that three persons died due to the undue duress created by the Centre and said: The vendetta politics of the central government is condemnable. I have seen three deaths before my eyes because of it. She was referring to the deaths of politician Sultan Ahmed and Trinamool MP Prasun Banerjees wife, reported Zee News.

Attacking the cental government further, she said: The daily humiliation people are put through, the whisper campaigns, etc, are killing them If a person commits a crime, they should face action; but we dont know what crime Tapas Pal had committed.

The Bengali actor had reportedly been suffering from heart diseases for a while and had been hospitalised many times in the last two years.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested him in connection with the high-profile Rose Valley Scam Case in 2016. He was in prison for 13 months, before being granted bail.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SouthGobi Resources Ltd. (TSX: SGQ, HK: 1878) (SouthGobi or the Company) announces the following updates:



Update of CIC payment obligations

On February 19, 2020, the Company and China Investment Corporation (China Investment Corporation, together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries and affiliates, CIC) (the 2020 February Deferral Agreement) entered into an agreement pursuant to which CIC agreed to grant the Company a deferral of: (i) deferred cash interest and deferral fees of $1.3 million and $2.0 million (collectively, the 2020 Deferral Amounts) which were due and payable to CIC on January 19, 2020 and February 19, 2020, respectively, under the deferral agreement dated April 23, 2019 between the Company and CIC (the 2019 Deferral Agreement); and (ii) approximately $0.7 million of management fee (the Management Fee) which was due and payable on February 14, 2020 to CIC under the amended and restated cooperation agreement dated April 23, 2019 between the Company and CIC (the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement). The effectiveness of the 2020 February Deferral Agreement and the respective obligations, covenants and agreements of each party under the 2020 February Deferral Agreement is subject to the Company obtaining the requisite acceptance thereof from the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The principal terms of the 2020 February Deferral Agreement are as follows:

Payment of the 2020 Deferral Amounts will be deferred until June 20, 2020, while the Management Fee will be deferred until they are repaid by the Company.

As consideration for the deferral of these amounts, the Company agreed to pay CIC: (i) a deferral fee equal to 6.4% per annum on the 2020 Deferral Amounts, commencing on the date on which each such 2020 Deferral Amount would otherwise have been due and payable under the 2019 Deferral Agreement; and (ii) a deferral fee equal to 2.5% per annum on the Management Fee, commencing on the date on which the Managements Fees would otherwise have been due and payable under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement.

The Company agreed to provide CIC with monthly updates regarding its operational and financial affairs.

As the Company anticipates that a deferral will likely be required in respect of the monthly payments due and payable in the period between March 2020 and June 2020 under the 2019 Deferral Agreement and Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement, the Company and CIC have agreed to discuss in good faith a deferral of these payments on a monthly basis as they become due. There can be no assurance, however, that a favourable outcome will be reached either at all or on favourable terms. The Company will make further announcements with respect to these discussions as and when appropriate.

The Company agreed to comply with all of its obligations under the 2019 Deferral Agreement and the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement, as amended by the 2020 February Deferral Agreement.

The Company and CIC agreed that nothing in the 2020 February Deferral Agreement prejudices CICs rights to pursue any of its remedies at any time pursuant to the 2019 Deferral Agreement and Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement, respectively.

Impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak

The Company was informed that effective as of February 11, 2020, the Mongolian State Emergency Commission has closed Mongolias southern border with China in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and that such closure will be in effect until March 2, 2020. Accordingly, the Companys coal exports to China have been suspended since February 11, 2020. The Company anticipates the border closure will have an adverse impact on the Companys sales and cash flows until such time as coal exports to China are allowed to resume. In order to mitigate the financial impact of the border closures and preserve its working capital, the Company decided to reduce production in February 2020. The Company anticipates that its existing coal inventories are sufficient to satisfy expected sales demand for a period of at least 2 months following the resumption of coal exports to China. The Company will continue to closely monitor the development of the coronavirus outbreak and status of the border closures and will make further announcement(s) in due course as and when appropriate.

Bank account frozen in Mongolia

SouthGobi Sands LLC (SGS), the Companys subsidiary in Mongolia, was informed by its Mongolia banks on February 7, 2020 that they received a request from the Court Decision Implementing Agency of Mongolia to freeze the respective bank accounts of SGS in Mongolia in relation to the enforcement of an arbitration award related to a coal supply agreement between SGS and First Concept Industrial Group Limited, as more particularly disclosed in the Companys announcements dated January 11, 2018 and November 16, 2018. Approximately USD 0.8 million is being frozen by the banks. The Company expects that the freezing of bank accounts in Mongolia will have an adverse impact on its ability to make payment transactions to carry out operations and business affairs in Mongolia in the ordinary course. The Company is liaising with First Concept Industrial Group Limited to resolve the issue. There can be no assurance, however, that any resolution can be successfully reached either at all or on favourable terms.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information included in this press release that is not current or historical factual information constitutes forward-looking statements or information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, forward-looking statements), including information about discussions with CIC regarding a deferral of certain payments under the 2019 Deferral Agreement and Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement and the Companys current coal inventory being sufficient to meet the expected sales demand for a period of 2 months after the resumption of coal exports to China. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as plan, expect, project, intend, believe, anticipate, "could", "should", "seek", "likely", "estimate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions may or will occur. Forward-looking statements are based on certain factors and assumptions including, among other things, the Companys ability to successfully negotiate a revised repayment schedule in respect of certain payments under the 2019 Deferral Agreement and Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement, managements future sales expectations and Toronto Stock Exchange accepting the Companys notice application in respect of the 2020 Deferral Agreement and other similar factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from what the Company currently expects. Actual results may vary from the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue importance on forward-looking statements, which speaks only as of the date of this disclosure, and not to rely upon this information as of any other date. While the Company may elect to, it is under no obligation and does not undertake to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, further events or otherwise at any particular time, except as required by law. Additional information concerning factors that may cause actual results to materially differ from those in such forward-looking statements is contained in the Companys filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and can be found under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

If there is any inconsistency or discrepancy between the English version and the Chinese version, the English version shall prevail.

About SouthGobi

SouthGobi, listed on the Toronto and Hong Kong stock exchanges, owns and operates its flagship Ovoot Tolgoi coal mine in Mongolia. SouthGobi produces and sells coal to customers in China.
It is official now. In a momentous judgment on Monday, the Supreme Court directed that women officers of the Indian Army be considered for grant of permanent commission, irrespective of service tenure, as well as for command posts in non-combat areas. Currently, women are being inducted in the Army through a short-service commission that lets them work for up to 14 years. They are only allowed permanent commission in the Armys medical, legal and educational branches. But now they will be considered for permanent commission in all 15 branches of the Army, come April, adjutant general Lt Gen. Ashwani Kumar said in the wake of the historic ruling.

Although they have amply proved themselves, female soldiers and trainees have a lot to be grateful for to Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Ajay Rastogi. They comprised the Supreme Court bench that dismissed the governments sociological argument of the largely male and rural rank and file of the Army having a mindset not congruent with receiving commands from women as indefensible and its biological argument of women being supposedly more suited to parenting and caregiving responsibilities owing to their physiological differences from men as disturbing as grounds for their blanket exclusion from all difficult and challenging roles. The court, however, did not rule on deploying women in combat roles, saying a competent authority is needed to decide. Pertinently, the two other wings of the Indian armed forces  the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy  do allow women in combat roles and combat supervisory roles.

With this, the Supreme Court has taken a giant step towards bridging the perception gap between womens capabilities, competences and aspirations and the reality of their often limited role in public life. It has opened the door to far-reaching reforms in policy and governance in all walks of Indian life, where women do daily battle with forces that contrive to circumscribe not just their presence but also undermine their efforts, and yet find their contributions discredited or disregarded. For instance, the architect of Delhis education reforms, Atishi Marlena, did not find a place in the newly-formed state Cabinet even though it was the determined voting by her ilk that brought her government to power and with such a thumping majority. As for parliament, the womens reservation bill, calling for just 33 per cent reservation of seats for members of the sex, is yet to be passed.

Womens participation in the national workforce has steadily been declining since 2005 and it fell to 26 per cent in 2018. In agriculture, which is the area of their best contribution in terms of sheer numbers and in which field they are a majority, women find themselves marginalised, not even counted for loans, subsidies and benefits, not only because so few of them own land but also, critically, because they do not conform to the governments idea of the farmer  which is automatically male. But even the service performed by homemakers, cooks and cleaners is not seen as work either, or regarded as lesser work, not worthy of the basic dignity of being considered for regulation or being accorded an income. Clearly, the government needs to look beyond CCTVs and the Ujjwala Yojana if it is serious about meeting the needs of women. And building a freer, fairer, truer India, in the process.
Dr. Andrea Volk is owner of SafiraMD, a leading medspa offering FDA-cleared CoolSculpting in Alpharetta, Georgia Dr. Volk has painstakingly curated a leading menu of best-in-class treatments for slimming fat without surgery, brightening skin, smoothing wrinkles, enhancing your sex life and so much more.

SafiraMD Medical Aesthetics & Wellness Center is thrilled to announce they are holding a CoolEvent for FDA-cleared CoolSculpting, the worlds most popular non-invasive fat reduction treatment. Their CoolEvent will be held on March 5 at 6345 Halcyon Way, Suite 850 in the Halcyon Village Center in Alpharetta, Georgia. The CoolEvent will feature live demonstrations, exclusive discounts, giveaways and much more!

FDA-cleared CoolSculpting is the worlds #1 non-invasive fat reduction treatment for good reason! CoolSculpting uses non-invasive fat-freezing applicators to freeze and disable targeted fat cells almost anywhere on the body with little to no downtime. Once fat cells are frozen, the body gradually flushes them away in the weeks to months following your treatment, revealing natural-looking results. CoolSculpting is FDA-cleared to reduce a double chin, muffin top, bra fat, love handles, saddlebags and much more. Optimal benefits are typically achieved with a series of treatments performed over the span of several months.

Double board-certified physician Dr. Andrea Volk created SafiraMD to provide the most advanced and cutting-edge treatments in aesthetic medicine. Dr. Volk has painstakingly curated a leading menu of best-in-class treatments for slimming fat without surgery, brightening skin, smoothing wrinkles, enhancing your sex life and so much more. Dr. Volk and her staff cant wait to introduce patients to their leading menu of services for bringing out each patients personal best with comfort and ease.

To RSVP to SafiraMDs CoolEvent on March 5, please call 678-235-8221 today!

About SafiraMD Medical Aesthetics & Wellness Center

SafiraMD is a state-of-the-art aesthetic and wellness boutique created by Dr. Andrea Volk, who is driven to provide a leading menu of the most effective, clinically-proven treatments in aesthetics and wellness. The SafiraMD team possesses decades of medical expertise and a passion for total body wellness, and is committed to providing the highest level of service to help you look and feel your absolute best with a wide range of services, including CoolSculpting, PDO thread lifts, Botox, dermal fillers, Plasma Pen non-surgical blepharoplasty, laser acne treatment, NeoClear laser skin renewal, Halo laser skin resurfacing, BBL photofacial, Forever Young BBL, Forever Clear BBL, MicroLaserPeel, SkinTyte II skin tightening, microneedling, chemical peels, HydraFacial, Vampire Facial, Vampire Facelift, Vampire Breast Lift, The O-Shot, The P-Shot, bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), medical-grade skin care products, laser hair removal and MiraDry underarm sweat treatment.

About Andrea Volk, MD

Dr. Andrea Volk, SafiraMD's owner and medical director, is committed to providing the highest level of treatments for optimal results. Dr. Volk is board certified by the American Board of Pathology and the American Board of Dermatology in Dermatopathology. She is also board certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology by The American Board of Pathology. She is a member of the American Academy of Facial Esthetics and A4M, and has obtained certification in aesthetic procedures from both organizations. Dr. Volk received her M.D. in June 1998 from the Medical College of Georgia, School of Medicine in Augusta, Georgia. She completed her internship and residency training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, as well as her fellowship in Dermatopathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Subsequently, Dr. Volk studied aesthetic medicine under the tutelage of Sharon McQuillan by participating in the A4M Aesthetics Fellowship.
Autoclave seized on Chinese ship by India could have been for nukes in Pakistan

When a Pakistan bound Chinese ship almost got away at Gujarat

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 19: The Indian authorities who detained a ship bearing a Hong Kong flag which was bound to Port Qasim in Karachi said that the vessel almost managed to get away.

Had action not been initiated immediately, the ship would have got away and made its way into Pakistan.

The ship was detained for wrongly declaring an autoclave, which can be used in the launch process of ballistic missiles, as an industrial dryer.

The ship which was detained on February 3 is currently undergoing a detailed inspection at the Kandla Port in Gujarat. In order to check the large autoclave on board, a second team of the DRDO is being sent to Gujarat, sources tell OneIndia.

Pak bound ship capable of missile launch detained in Gujarat

The ship which is named Da Cui Yan carries a Hong Kong flag. The ship left the port on the Yangtze River in China's Jiangsu province and was bound to Port Qasim in Pakistan. The vessel was intercepted on the basis of intelligence inputs. During examination it was found the autoclave has been certified as a dual use item, which can be used both for military and civilian purposes.

The second team of the DRDO will visit Kandla today to further examine the ship. If the second team upholds the findings of the first team then the ship would be seized for violation of the Special Chemical, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies export regulations.

The matter has been brought to the notice of the highest security officials. Concerns have been raised about the presence of this ship and the matter is being further investigated, the officer cited above also said.

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Story first published: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 7:32 [IST]
[February 19, 2020] Harris Williams Advises EyeCare Partners, LLC on its Sale to Partners Group

Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces that it served as an advisor to EyeCare Partners, LLC (ECP) in conjunction with its sale to Partners Group, a global private markets investment manager, which invested in the business on behalf of its clients. ECP, a portfolio company of FFL Partners (FFL), is a leading provider of medical eye care services in the U.S. The engagement was led by Andy Dixon, James Clark and Cheairs Porter of the Harris Williams Healthcare & Life Sciences (HCLS) Group. "This transaction adds to our firm's successful track record of working with leading eye care providers," said Andy Dixon, a managing director at Harris Williams. "We look forward to following ECP's next chapter with Partners Group." Founded in 2015 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, ECP has an extensive network of full-scope medical opometry and ophthalmology practices, with over 450 locations across 13 states throughout the U.S. The company employs over 500 optometrists and 85 ophthalmologists who, together with over 4,400 clinic staff, offer patients end-to-end services that span medical optometry, ophthalmology and sub-specialties, and vision correction products. ECP's model provides an integrated network of services that cover the entire lifecycle of a patient's eye care needs, which results in increased patient and physician satisfaction and retention.



FFL is a San Francisco-based private equity firm with over $4.5 billion under management. For over 20 years, the firm has helped build industry-leading companies, providing capital and advice to exceptional management teams to grow businesses and unlock value. FFL has deep experience in investing and operations and has brought large-company best practices and professional networks to smaller companies. Business growth has been the primary source of value created by FFL for its investors. Partners Group is a global private markets investment management firm with $94 billion in investment programs under management in private equity, private real estate, private infrastructure and private debt. The firm manages a broad range of customized portfolios for an international clientele of institutional investors. Partners Group is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland and has offices in Denver, Houston, Toronto, New York, Sao Paulo, London, Guernsey, Paris, Luxembourg, Milan, Munich, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Manila, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo and Sydney. The firm employs over 1,400 people and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (symbol: PGHN) with a major ownership by its partners and employees.

Harris Williams, an investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, advocates for sellers and buyers of companies worldwide through critical milestones and provides thoughtful advice during the lives of their businesses. By collaborating as one firm across Industry Groups and geographies, the firm helps its clients achieve outcomes that support their objectives and strategically create value. Harris Williams is committed to execution excellence and to building enduring, valued relationships that are based on mutual trust. Harris Williams is a subsidiary of the PNC (News - Alert) Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). The Harris Williams HCLS Group has experience across a broad range of sectors, including healthcare providers; payors and payor services; outsourced pharmaceutical services; medical device supply chain; healthcare IT; and pharmacy. For more information on the HCLS Group and other recent transactions, visit the HCLS Group's section of the Harris Williams website. Harris Williams LLC is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is a private limited company incorporated under English law with its registered office at 5th Floor, 6 St. Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AE, UK, registered with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (registration number 07078852). Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH is registered in the commercial register of the local court of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, under HRB 107540. The registered address is Bockenheimer Landstrasse 33-35, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (email address: [email protected]). Geschaftsfuhrer/Directors: Jeffery H. Perkins, Paul Poggi. (VAT No. DE321666994). Harris Williams is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC, Harris Williams & Co. Ltd and Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH conduct business. For media inquiries, please contact Katie Langemeier, associate brand manager, at +1 (804) 648-0072. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005720/en/

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A nurse threatened with the sack by Queensland Health for speaking to a journalist in her role as an industrial advocate is at the centre of a landmark human rights case on Thursday.

Prince Charles Hospital nurse unit manager Marg Gilbert's case will be one of the first tests of Queensland's new Human Rights Act which came into effect on January 1.

Marg Gilbert is a nurse at the Prince Charles Hospital at Chermside. Credit:Facebook

The issue returns to Queensland's Industrial Commission on Thursday.

Ms Gilbert's legal team, including former Labor senator Joe Ludwig, argues Queensland Health breached her right to freedom of association and her right to join a union of her choice under Queensland's Human Rights Act.
Jojo Rabbit

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, some disturbing images, violence, and language

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

Available on Disc and Streaming

From the brilliant mind of New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi (Oscar-winner this year for Best Adapted Screenplay) comes this irreverent yet fantastic film about a young boy living in Germany during WWII who struggles with being in the Hitler Youth while at the same time befriending a young Jewish girl hidden in his walls while taking advice from an imaginary Hitler who follows him around. The first part is pure slapstick until the gravity hits, converting this into a poignant and thoughtful fantasy. The cast is just perfect with Roman Griffin Davis and Thomasin McKenzie showing off their potential as the young heroes while Scarlett Johansson (Oscar-nominated here), Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson and Taika Waititi himself as Hitler, round out the amazing cast. And while it may look like it makes light of a horrifying subject, at its very heart it is a sober, thought-provoking story worthy of its many accolades. A

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Rated PG for some strong thematic material, a brief fight, and some mild language

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

Available on Disc and Streaming

When Tom Hanks signed on to make a film about Mr. Rogers, there was a palpable feeling of anticipation felt throughout the country. And while he really is simply amazing in the role, many were like me in that they wished this had been a biopic instead of a story about Mr. Rogers getting involved in a journalists life. But thats the story this time out. Matthew Rhys plays the lead role as a cynical man with family issues who is sent to interview Fred Rogers for Esquire Magazine. The movie takes place like an episode of Mr. Rogers where our heros focus is on the troubled man. And it does work. Its a lovely tale that is hard not to love. That being said, I wanted more Mr. Rogers and less of what I got, leaving me in a happy state but yet somewhat unfulfilled by the end of the movie. B+

Midway

Rated PG-13 for sequences of war violence and related images, language and smoking

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 42%

Available on Disc and Streaming

The Battle of Midway was an important and pivotal battle against the Japanese during WWII and it is very deserving of a big epic motion picture. But just as in the case of the 1976 Charlton Heston bomb by the same name, this film is a mess with a great cast and a bad script, with a director in over his head. Here, Independence Day director Roland Emmerich takes a lame and derivative war script, full of some of the worst dialog in ages, and throws in as much CG as they can possibly fit in, hoping you wont know the difference. But you can see it in the casts eyes when they say their lines, that this film is an awful attempt to tell a story that needs to be told much better. My favorite is Woody Harrelson, who while playing Texas hero Admiral Nimitz, phones in his role looking like there is just enough pot to get him through the shoot. Ultimately we get one of the worst war films since Michael Bay took on Pearl Harbor almost 20 years ago. C-

Scandalous: The Untold Story of the National Enquirer

Not Rated, but would be an R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%

Available on Disc and Streaming

Certainly one of the most interesting films of the week is this documentary that explores the history of Americas most infamous tabloid and how it eventually gave way to Donald Trumps success in winning the White House. It truly helps you understand how when the man yells out fake news - it comes from expertise in the subject. It is a fascinating look at a group of journalists and businessmen figuring out how to make money with made up news and then make more money by gaining exclusives and burying the stories. It might make you a bit embarrassed to be an American at times, but it is who we are, whether we like it or not. And the ironic thing about this documentary is that the filmmakers work diligently to show the hard truth behind the fiction. A-

Danny Minton may be reached at danny@dannyminton.com.
What is the coronavirus?

A coronavirus is a type of virus which can cause illness in animals and people. Viruses break into cells inside their host and use them to reproduce itself and disrupt the body's normal functions. Coronaviruses are named after the Latin word 'corona', which means crown, because they are encased by a spiked shell which resembles a royal crown.

The coronavirus from Wuhan is one which has never been seen before this outbreak. It has been named SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. The name stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2.

Experts say the bug, which has killed around one in 50 patients since the outbreak began in December, is a 'sister' of the SARS illness which hit China in 2002, so has been named after it.

The disease that the virus causes has been named COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019.

Dr Helena Maier, from the Pirbright Institute, said: 'Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that infect a wide range of different species including humans, cattle, pigs, chickens, dogs, cats and wild animals.

'Until this new coronavirus was identified, there were only six different coronaviruses known to infect humans. Four of these cause a mild common cold-type illness, but since 2002 there has been the emergence of two new coronaviruses that can infect humans and result in more severe disease (Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronaviruses).

'Coronaviruses are known to be able to occasionally jump from one species to another and that is what happened in the case of SARS, MERS and the new coronavirus. The animal origin of the new coronavirus is not yet known.'

The first human cases were publicly reported from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where approximately 11million people live, after medics first started publicly reporting infections on December 31.

By January 8, 59 suspected cases had been reported and seven people were in critical condition. Tests were developed for the new virus and recorded cases started to surge.

The first person died that week and, by January 16, two were dead and 41 cases were confirmed. The next day, scientists predicted that 1,700 people had become infected, possibly up to 7,000.

Where does the virus come from?

According to scientists, the virus almost certainly came from bats. Coronaviruses in general tend to originate in animals  the similar SARS and MERS viruses are believed to have originated in civet cats and camels, respectively.

The first cases of COVID-19 came from people visiting or working in a live animal market in Wuhan, which has since been closed down for investigation.

Although the market is officially a seafood market, other dead and living animals were being sold there, including wolf cubs, salamanders, snakes, peacocks, porcupines and camel meat.

A study by the Wuhan Institute of Virology, published in February 2020 in the scientific journal Nature, found that the genetic make-up virus samples found in patients in China is 96 per cent identical to a coronavirus they found in bats.

However, there were not many bats at the market so scientists say it was likely there was an animal which acted as a middle-man, contracting it from a bat before then transmitting it to a human. It has not yet been confirmed what type of animal this was.

Dr Michael Skinner, a virologist at Imperial College London, was not involved with the research but said: 'The discovery definitely places the origin of nCoV in bats in China.

'We still do not know whether another species served as an intermediate host to amplify the virus, and possibly even to bring it to the market, nor what species that host might have been.'

So far the fatalities are quite low. Why are health experts so worried about it?

Experts say the international community is concerned about the virus because so little is known about it and it appears to be spreading quickly.

It is similar to SARS, which infected 8,000 people and killed nearly 800 in an outbreak in Asia in 2003, in that it is a type of coronavirus which infects humans' lungs. It is less deadly than SARS, however, which killed around one in 10 people, compared to approximately one in 50 for COVID-19.

Another reason for concern is that nobody has any immunity to the virus because they've never encountered it before. This means it may be able to cause more damage than viruses we come across often, like the flu or common cold.

Speaking at a briefing in January, Oxford University professor, Dr Peter Horby, said: 'Novel viruses can spread much faster through the population than viruses which circulate all the time because we have no immunity to them.

'Most seasonal flu viruses have a case fatality rate of less than one in 1,000 people. Here we're talking about a virus where we don't understand fully the severity spectrum but it's possible the case fatality rate could be as high as two per cent.'

If the death rate is truly two per cent, that means two out of every 100 patients who get it will die.

'My feeling is it's lower,' Dr Horby added. 'We're probably missing this iceberg of milder cases. But that's the current circumstance we're in.

'Two per cent case fatality rate is comparable to the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918 so it is a significant concern globally.'

How does the virus spread?

The illness can spread between people just through coughs and sneezes, making it an extremely contagious infection. And it may also spread even before someone has symptoms.

It is believed to travel in the saliva and even through water in the eyes, therefore close contact, kissing, and sharing cutlery or utensils are all risky. It can also live on surfaces, such as plastic and steel, for up to 72 hours, meaning people can catch it by touching contaminated surfaces.

Originally, people were thought to be catching it from a live animal market in Wuhan city. But cases soon began to emerge in people who had never been there, which forced medics to realise it was spreading from person to person.

What does the virus do to you? What are the symptoms?

Once someone has caught the COVID-19 virus it may take between two and 14 days, or even longer, for them to show any symptoms  but they may still be contagious during this time.

If and when they do become ill, typical signs include a runny nose, a cough, sore throat and a fever (high temperature). The vast majority of patients will recover from these without any issues, and many will need no medical help at all.

In a small group of patients, who seem mainly to be the elderly or those with long-term illnesses, it can lead to pneumonia. Pneumonia is an infection in which the insides of the lungs swell up and fill with fluid. It makes it increasingly difficult to breathe and, if left untreated, can be fatal and suffocate people.

Figures are showing that young children do not seem to be particularly badly affected by the virus, which they say is peculiar considering their susceptibility to flu, but it is not clear why.

What have genetic tests revealed about the virus?

Scientists in China have recorded the genetic sequences of around 19 strains of the virus and released them to experts working around the world.

This allows others to study them, develop tests and potentially look into treating the illness they cause.

Examinations have revealed the coronavirus did not change much  changing is known as mutating  much during the early stages of its spread.

However, the director-general of China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gao Fu, said the virus was mutating and adapting as it spread through people.

This means efforts to study the virus and to potentially control it may be made extra difficult because the virus might look different every time scientists analyse it.

More study may be able to reveal whether the virus first infected a small number of people then change and spread from them, or whether there were various versions of the virus coming from animals which have developed separately.

How dangerous is the virus?

The virus has a death rate of around two per cent. This is a similar death rate to the Spanish Flu outbreak which, in 1918, went on to kill around 50million people.

Experts have been conflicted since the beginning of the outbreak about whether the true number of people who are infected is significantly higher than the official numbers of recorded cases. Some people are expected to have such mild symptoms that they never even realise they are ill unless they're tested, so only the more serious cases get discovered, making the death toll seem higher than it really is.

However, an investigation into government surveillance in China said it had found no reason to believe this was true.

Dr Bruce Aylward, a World Health Organization official who went on a mission to China, said there was no evidence that figures were only showing the tip of the iceberg, and said recording appeared to be accurate, Stat News reported.

Can the virus be cured?

The COVID-19 virus cannot be cured and it is proving difficult to contain.

Antibiotics do not work against viruses, so they are out of the question. Antiviral drugs can work, but the process of understanding a virus then developing and producing drugs to treat it would take years and huge amounts of money.

No vaccine exists for the coronavirus yet and it's not likely one will be developed in time to be of any use in this outbreak, for similar reasons to the above.

The National Institutes of Health in the US, and Baylor University in Waco, Texas, say they are working on a vaccine based on what they know about coronaviruses in general, using information from the SARS outbreak. But this may take a year or more to develop, according to Pharmaceutical Technology.

Currently, governments and health authorities are working to contain the virus and to care for patients who are sick and stop them infecting other people.

People who catch the illness are being quarantined in hospitals, where their symptoms can be treated and they will be away from the uninfected public.

And airports around the world are putting in place screening measures such as having doctors on-site, taking people's temperatures to check for fevers and using thermal screening to spot those who might be ill (infection causes a raised temperature).

However, it can take weeks for symptoms to appear, so there is only a small likelihood that patients will be spotted up in an airport.

Is this outbreak an epidemic or a pandemic?

The outbreak was declared a pandemic on March 11. A pandemic is defined by the World Health Organization as the 'worldwide spread of a new disease'.

Previously, the UN agency said most cases outside of Hubei had been 'spillover' from the epicentre, so the disease wasn't actually spreading actively around the world.
A Californian busker dressed as a pencil has been assaulted after a bystander used grabbed his ukulele and used it to attack him.

Matt Eberhart was performing a parody of 'I Will Survive' in Adelaide's Rundle Mall when he was targeted at noon on Wednesday.

Video footage showed a man pick up the Fringe performer's instrument from its case and begin to walk towards him.

A Californian busker (pictured) dressed as a pencil has been assaulted after a bystander allegedly took his ukulele and hit him over the head with it

The attacker then attempted to hit the man with the mini-guitar before landing a blow to the performer's head.

Witnesses then jumped on the man and held him down until police arrived.

Mr Eberhart held a cloth to his head and asked bystanders to give him money as he'll 'need a new ukulele', according to the Advertiser.

The busker was taken to hospital for treatment of a head wound.

'It is one thing to punch a guy, it is another thing to take his stuff and hit him with it,' he told 7 NEWS.

'If you want to fight me, fight me with your fists.

Video footage showed a man pick up the Fringe performer's ukulele from its case and begin to walk towards him

Passersby then jumped on the accused and held him down until police arrived

'Even then - I am a lover not a fighter. I don't like to fight.'

A 29-year-old man was arrested.

He is expected to be charge with property damage, theft, possessing a controlled drug and assault.
One in four direct caregiver positions at Wisconsins nursing homes and assisted-living facilities are vacant, up from one in five two years ago, according to a survey by provider associations released this week.

The report provides clear evidence of the escalating long-term care workforce crisis, something that should be of concern to all Wisconsinites, John Sauer, CEO of LeadingAge Wisconsin, said in a statement.

Providers, policy makers and other stakeholders need to pursue bold strategies so all citizens can receive the quality of care and services they need and deserve, said Sauer, whose group represents nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.

Other highlights of the report:

As many as 20,655 jobs are open at long-term care facilities, compared to 16,500 in a similar 2018 report.

An estimated 9,700 caregivers left for jobs outside of healthcare in the past year.

A third of survey respondents said they were unable to admit new residents or tenants because of unfilled jobs, up from 25% in the 2018.

42% of providers face caregiver vacancy rates of greater than 25%, and a third have rates greater than 30%.

Nearly 40 of the states 350 or so nursing homes have closed since 2016.

Half of the survey respondents said they couldnt increase wages much because of inadequate Medicaid and Family Care reimbursements. Others said they struggle to offer competitive wages compared to other unskilled positions available at fast-food restaurants, big box stores and gas station or convenience store chains.

The states 2019-21 budget included an additional $66.5 million for caregivers and a 6.4% rate increase for nursing homes. The increases help, but our states crisis in the availability of caregivers is not going to be resolved in one budget, said John Vander Meer, CEO of the Wisconsin Health Care Association and Wisconsin Center for Assisted Living.

The report called for expanding a state program aimed at increasing the number of nurse aides and passing a bill vetoed by Gov. Tony Evers to reduce required training for certified nursing assistants from 120 hours to 75 hours. Evers and other opponents of the measure said it could threaten the quality of care.

If providers were able to fill caregiver vacancies, they could increase occupancy rates from 78% to 93%, said Mike Pochowski, CEO of the Wisconsin Assisted Living Association.

Long-term care providers are struggling to compete with non-healthcare employers that pay a median wage of $2 per hour higher, said Jeff Kaphengst of the Disability Service Provider Network.

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The FTSE 100 closed up 75.01 points at 7457.02 and the pound was at $1.29 against the dollar.

Shares were on the up largely on expectations the Chinese government would roll out stimulus measures to boost the economy in response to the virus outbreak.

The boss of MoneySupermarket said he would step down in pursuit of a career change. Mark Lewis, who has run the business for three years, will continue to hold the top job until a successor can be found, so no departure date has been set.

High street lender Metro Bank has appointed interim boss Dan Frumkin as its permanent chief executive as the group looks to recover after a tough year.

Qatar Airways Group has upped its stake in British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) to 25.1 per cent from 21.4 per cent.
I connected the audience to each other, said Loveman. You couldnt just take anyone to Oprah, you had to take the person who stood by you in life, which we called at the time your Top Oprah Pick. This wasnt just come and see the show and leave and Ill never see you again, if you wanted the relationship to happen, it happened  and it happened with each other."
LAS VEGAS  Prolific personal spending on TV ads has already helped make former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg a familiar face in the race to take on President Donald Trump in November. Now, the billionaire financier and media mogul is a new presence on the Democratic debate stage. On Wednesday night, Bloomberg was set to come under fire from repeat players in the televised slugfests, like Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Vice President Joe Biden, for spending more than $400 million so far on campaign ads alone. Watch the Democratic debate here. The debate at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino kicked off at 9 p.m. ET and is expected to last about two hours. It will air on NBC and MSNBC, and will stream on NBC News Now. It is being hosted by NBC News, MSNBC, Noticias Telemundo and The Nevada Independent. Sanders began with attacks on Bloomberg, saying his past support for policies like stop-and-frisk would hurt turnout in November. "I don't think there's any chance for the senator to beat Donald Trump," Bloomberg responded. "If he is the candidate, we will have Donald Trump for another four years."

The debate comes at a crucial juncture in the primary sorting process, just three days before Nevada's first-in-the-West caucuses. The Nevada contests have proven in the past to be a crucible for the contenders who remain following the first states of Iowa and New Hampshire, testing the candidates for the first time in how they appeal to minority voters and other blocs that are crucial to winning the nomination. In addition to Bloomberg, Sanders and Biden, the other candidates who will appear on the debate stage are former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Each of the candidates has something different to prove. Biden, who failed to take a top three spot in either Iowa or New Hampshire after coasting for months as the race's presumed front-runner, is relying on beating expectations in Nevada to power his campaign through Super Tuesday March 3. Sanders is hoping that doing well with Hispanic and young voters in Nevada can solidify his newfound front-runner status. He will also have to fend off new attacks on his signature health-care overhaul, "Medicare for All," after it came under criticism from Nevada's politically influential Culinary Union. Buttigieg has risen sharply in national polling after effectively tying with Sanders in Iowa and taking second place in New Hampshire. But he has struggled to gain traction among black and Hispanic voters  crucial voting segments in Nevada. Warren has seen her support dip in national polls after Sanders' strong showings in the first two states. As Sanders looks to consolidate the party's progressive base, Warren is seeking to cast herself as a party unifier who can bring together left-leaning liberals and centrist moderates. Klobuchar, the race's underdog, got a jolt of energy from a surprising third-place finish in New Hampshire. But, like Buttigieg, she has lagged among minority voters and must prove that her campaign can attract their support and flesh out the organizational finesse of the more established contenders.
Jaipur, Feb 19 : BJP national President JP Nadda's son, Girish Nadda, will tie the knot in Pushkar on February 24.

The would-be bride is Hanumangarh-based. Senior political leaders are expected to be present at the occasion, BJP officials said here on Wednesday.

They said that the wedding will be solemnised at a property in Pushkar.

Two receptions shall be organised, in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, and in Delhi post the wedding.

Bilaspur has been the home town for Nadda from where he has been contesting elections.

There are strong possibilities of Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending this reception to bless the newly weds, BJP workers said.

With the US President Donald Trump visiting India on February 24 and 25, it might be difficult for Prime Minister to attend the wedding function in Pushkar. He is, however, expected to attend the reception in Delhi, a BJP worker said.
Russia bars entry of Chinese citizens to halt Covid-19

According to Russian sources, Chinese citizens visas were prohibited starting Thursday.

Russia will not allow Chinese citizens to enter its territory from Thursday onwards, according to an order by the government.

The decision comes in light of the rising death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in China, which exceeded 2,000 on Wednesday.

RESTRICTIONS DO NOT APPLY TO TRANSIT PASSENGERS

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed an order on Tuesday prohibiting the delivery of work, tourist, and student visas to Chinese nationals.

Chinese citizens have also been barred from applying for these visas starting Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Russia closed its border with China and Mongolia, and temporarily prohibited delivery of group, tourist, and work visas to Chinese citizens.

Moscow also placed the novel coronavirus on its list of highly infectious diseases, allowing for stricter measures against foreign citizens with signs of infection, including quarantine and expulsion.
A new bill introduced in Ohio would strengthen Ohios laws regarding the use of wireless devices, including smartphones, while driving.

The Hands-Free Ohio bill, sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Kunze (R-Hilliard) and Sen. Sean J. OBrien (D-Bazetta) would, with limited exceptions, make driving while handling any electronic wireless device a primary offense. This includes, but is not limited to, writing, sending, or reading text-based communications; watching or recording videos; taking photos or looking at images; livestreaming; using apps; entering information into GPS navigation programs; dialing phone numbers; or holding a device for a phone call.

Currently, using a hand-held electronic wireless communications device to write, send, or read a text-based communication while driving is a secondary offense for adult drivers (ORC 4511.204). Law enforcement cannot make a traffic stop unless the driver also commits a primary traffic offense, such as running a red light.

The current penalty is a fine of up to $150.

The Hands-Free Ohio bill will increase fines for drivers who habitually use devices while driving. In cases where a driver using a device causes serious injury or death, the penalties will mirror those of drunken driving.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, traffic fatalities on Ohio roads have increased in five of the past six years. Provisional data shows that 2019 was the second-deadliest year of the past decade with at least 1,157 people killed in Ohio traffic crashes.

Exemptions in the bill include using hand-held wireless devices for emergency calls; while in a stationary vehicle outside of the lane of traffic; in hands-free mode to talk on the phone, dictate text-based messages, or listen to received messages; in circumstances where an action can be accomplished with only a single swipe; in public safety or utility professions, as necessary for duties; or if the wireless feature is a permanent part of the vehicle.

Additionally, the bill permits drivers to use GPS devices for navigation, however, destinations must be entered before driving begins and the device cannot be held or supported with the body.

To help educate drivers on the changes in the law, the Hands-Free Ohio bill includes a provision directing law enforcement to issue warnings for violations during the first six months following the signing of the bill. The Ohio Department of Transportation will also install road signs to alert drivers from other states to Ohios regulations.

Source: The Risk Institute, Ohio State University Fisher College of Business

Topics Personal Auto Ohio
NORTH HAVEN  Hours after a crash on Cloudland Road Tuesday night, the street remains closed Wednesday morning.

Police said a driver crashed into a pole in the area of 191 Cloudland Road shortly before 8 p.m.

There was no reports of serious possible injuries as a result of the accident.

Police said the road remains closed because of downed wires and needed work on the utility police and lines.

The collision prompted road closures at Cloudland Road and Sugar Hill Road as well as Cloudland Road and Fortune Drive.

Avoid the area if possible, police urged motorists.

Police said the road may reopen around 10 a.m.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
A group of ambulances from the Solano EMS Cooperative stage at the visitor center at Travis Air Force Base, adjacent to Fairfield, Calif. on Feb. 16, 2020. (Hector Amezcua/AP Photo)

Americans Evacuated From China Allowed to Leave Military Bases

Multiple groups of Americans who were evacuated from China in early February were released from mandatory quarantine after two weeks in isolation.

Buses ferried some 100 of the U.S. citizens from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to San Diego International Airport Tuesday morning for flights to other locales, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The rest got in their cars and departed for their homes.

Evacuees were also released from the Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield.

The groups, totaling 350, were flown to the bases on Feb. 5, carrying Americans who were in Wuhan. The new virus emerged in the Chinese city in December 2019.

A plane carrying evacuees from the virus zone in China lands at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in San Diego, on Feb. 5, 2020. (Gregory Bull/AP)

Evacuees from China arriving at Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, Calif. on Feb. 5, 2020. (Krysten I. Houk/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services via AP, File)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that 166 of the 167 people who arrived at the San Diego base were returning home. The other person tested positive for the new virus on Feb. 9 and was hospitalized at UC San Diego Health. Another evacuee, who arrived at the base on Feb. 7, also tested positive and is in isolation at the hospital. And 14 people tested positive at the Fairfield base.

The 64 others on the later flight were still in quarantine at the San Diego base. Other groups are isolated at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas and Camp Ashland National Guard Base in Nebraska.

None of the people who were released pose any health risk to the surrounding community, or to the communities they will be returning to, according to the CDC.

One man who was released with his wife, giving only his first name, John, told the Tribune on Tuesday that they stayed inside for around 10 days while still in China before being evacuated to the United States.

So, in total, about 24, 25 days (in quarantine). It is very difficult. Its exciting to be back, he said. The couple lives in Minnesota.

Workers go door to door to check the temperature of residents during a health screening campaign in the Qingheju Community, Qingshan District of Wuhan in central Chinas Hubei Province. (Cheng Min/Xinhua via AP)

Chinese people wear protective masks as they briefly play at a shopping mall in Beijing, China on Feb. 18, 2020. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Health officials have said that any Americans who were evacuated to the United States would be free to leave if they didnt show symptoms during the quarantine. Theyve defended evacuating Americans, arguing that the situation in China warranted the action.

The situation in China is concerning. The virus is spreading quickly there, and an overwhelmed healthcare system there is going to be challenged to provide adequate care for other urgent medical needs, Capt. Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the Centers for Disease Controls division of high consequence pathogens and pathology, said at a press conference earlier this month.

So its safest for these Americans who are healthy and not known to be infected to be brought home.

The first group of evacuees was released from March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California on Feb. 11. Five other planes full of evacuees from China later arrived in the United States.

Two other planes, full of Americans who were on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, were flown to California and Texas this week. The planes carried 340 Americans in total.

Buses carrying passengers from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship leave a port in Yokohama, near Tokyo on Feb. 17, 2020. (Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)

U.S. passengers who evacuated off the quarantined cruise ship the Diamond Princess, board a Kalitta Air plane bound for the U.S., at Haneda airport in Tokyo on Feb. 17, 2020. (Cheryl and Paul Molesky via AP)

The State Department announced later that 14 of the Americans tested positive for the new virus but were allowed to fly back to the United States because they didnt show symptoms. Asymptomatic and person-to-person transmission of the new virus has been confirmed. The passengers were isolated from the rest of the people on the flight, the State Department and Health and Human Services said in a joint statement.

The CDC said on Tuesday that Americans still in Japan wont be allowed to return to the United States for at least 14 days after they leave the cruise ship.

Currently, there are more than 100 U.S. citizens still onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship or in hospitals in Japan. These citizens have been placed under the restrictions, as have the ships other passengers and crew. After disembarkation from the Diamond Princess, these passengers and crew will be required to wait 14 days without having symptoms or a positive coronavirus test result before they are permitted to board flights to the United States, the agency said in a statement.

If an individual from this cruise arrives in the United States before the 14-day period ends, they will still be subject to a mandatory quarantine until they have completed the 14-day period with no symptoms or positive coronavirus test results.
Contract signing at SITE, top L to R: Pat Reilly, Gary Rabine, Elly Perets (Utilis), James Perry (Utilis), Austin, Justin Laka. Bottom L to R: Mike McArthy, Max Broadway, Brad Wagner, Adam Ackerman. Utilis continues to expand its suite of applications based on our ability to analyze satellite-based subsurface moisture, which will be a true game changer in the property assessment industry," proclaimed Elly Perets, CEO of Utilis.

Utilis has signed a contract with Chicago, Illinois-based SITE to provide soil moisture data derived from satellites to SITEs Total Property Assessment platform. Using the same patented technology that is provided by Utilis for subsurface potable leak detection to over 200 utility customers worldwide, SITE will offer satellite-based moisture detection to customers as part of their Total Property Assessment platform. SITE, a member of the Rabine Group, currently provides site assessments to thousands of commercial customers across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including some of the largest household brands in the US and Fortune 500 companies.

SITEs drive to innovate has brought us to this partnership, in which we will soon be able to overlay UTILISs technology to identify groundwater and water leaks below the pavement. We are excited to move forward and begin the introductions and pilot programs with Americas best real estate and facilities leaders, explained Gary Rabine, Chairman of SITE.

Based on the same proven technology that detects background water loss through the analysis of microwave satellite imagery, Utilis is currently developing a new specialized product delivery for the multiple types of water that can infiltrate parking lots of commercial properties. This product will provide SITE with a saturation map that they will include along with other data streams currently offered.

Utilis continues to expand its suite of applications based on our ability to analyze satellite-based subsurface moisture, which will be a true game changer in the property assessment industry," proclaimed Elly Perets, CEO of Utilis.

Utilis and SITE are excited to begin delivering this service to customers starting Spring of 2020.

ABOUT UTILIS

Utilis provides data driven solutions for water utilities, government agencies, and the greater infrastructure industry. They use synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from satellites and turn it into large scale decision support tools. The proprietary algorithms and highly educated staff of scientists and engineers are the key to the companys mission, to advance planet Earths resource resilience through SAR analytics. Successfully commercializing its leak detection product in 2016, Utilis projects have resulted in saving more than 3200 million gallons of potable and 7800 MWH of energy water per year, in support of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 6, 7, and 9. Headquartered in Israel, with a United States subsidiary in San Diego, CA, Utilis currently provides innovative solutions in multiple verticals around the globe. For more information on Utilis and to learn more about their technology visit https://utiliscorp.com/

ABOUT SITE

SITE provides analytics and data insights to property managers, owners, and stakeholders so they can quickly understand the state of their properties through a reliable analysis of their full portfolio. Using drone and satellite acquired imagery, SITEs innovative data capture methods allow them to perform property assessments more than five times faster than traditional methods at a much more competitive cost. It allows customers to access simple, transparent reports housed in a single, cloud-based platform thats scalable for one to thousands of properties. Head-quartered in Chicago with customers across the globe, SITE is a proud member of the Rabine Group, a leading company in exterior facilities management. For more information about SITE, visit https://sitetechnologies.io/
China has changed its criteria for diagnosis, prompting a large increase in reported infections and deaths last week. Tests for the virus have not been very accurate, and people who do not seek or receive medical care may not be counted. And people with mild or no symptoms may not realize they have the virus and may not get counted, either.

Researchers in Germany presented evidence on Tuesday that people who have the new coronavirus can infect others even when they have no symptoms, as disease experts had suspected. Their findings, published in a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine, indicated that people may be spreading the disease before they know they are sick.

But the Chinese governments daily tally of new infections and deaths from the virus has declined steadily since Feb. 12, a trend that could offer a glimmer of hope if it persists.

On Tuesday, the authorities reported that in the previous 24 hours, 1,886 new cases had been confirmed  the first time since Jan. 30 that the number had dropped below 2,000. On Wednesday, the number of new infections reported by authorities was again below 2,000, with China recording 1,749 confirmed new cases of coronavirus infection, bringing the countrys total number of reported infections to 74,185.

With 136 deaths reported in Wednesdays figures, the total number in China of those confirmed to have died from the virus surpassed 2,000, reaching 2,004.
An Asian man staying in an Australian hotel was forced to wear a t-shirt with the slogan 'I am not a virus' in the wake of the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

The man was captured wearing the shirt while he used an elevator in a hotel in Queensland's Gold Coast on Tuesday.

Chinese-Australians have fallen victim to a string of racial remarks after the outbreak of the disease, with many claiming they are often judged by the public.

The disease spread from the Chinese province of Wuhan and has so far killed more than 1,800 people.

An Asian man was seen wearing a t-shirt with the slogan 'I am not a virus' while staying at a hotel in the Gold Coast

The photo was shared to Reddit with many Asian people saying they had also felt discriminated against.

'It's really sad that it has to come to this,' someone wrote.

'I've had people just ignore me, and I can't tell if it's because of the usual reason of not wanting to talk to somebody foreign because of the accent or because they think I'm riddled with a virus,' another said.

'I get funny looks at Chatswood for wearing a mask in a bid to keep myself safe,' a third wrote.

Others said they were ignored by shop assistants.

'The entire time I was in the store browsing, I was conscious of the fact that none of the staff approached me to help me with my selection of frames. Every other customer was helped. Won't lie, felt like s**t,' someone said.

'Seriously though, I can't even cough or sneeze in public without people shuffling away from me or giving me a sidewards glance, followed by a look of fear in their eyes,' one person wrote.

Others shirts are circulating online in attempts to beat the stigma surrounding coronavirus including one that says Asians plus face masks do not equal the disease

Several t-shirts are now circulating online with slogans trying to beat the stigma surrounding coronavirus.

Shirts are on offer with phrases such as 'I am Chinese and I am not a virus', as well as 'Asian plus face mask does not equal virus'.

The shocking photo comes in the wake of a series of racist comments Chinese-Australians have been subjected to since the outbreak of coronavirus.

A Melbourne Uber driver refused to pick up a Malaysian man only to text him 'I don't need coronavirus'.

Another Chinese woman was forced to wait in her car instead of the doctor's office for an appointment because she was wearing a face mask.

Last month, a 60-year-old Chinese man collapsed from a heart attack on a street in Chinatown, Sydney.

Bystanders reportedly refused to give the man CPR over fears they would contract the virus.

Paramedics tried to revive the man but he died at the scene.

Chinese customers are seen wearing face masks as they wait to buy dumplings from a popular shop in Beijing
Rep. Gerae Peten, D-Goodyear, pointed out that Kerns legislation provides no cash to the schools to do all that.

She said that, if nothing else, its going to take staff and resources to compile the information and maintain those archives.

But the potentially bigger question for some lawmakers involves a provision in the bill that would require each of those new public policy offices to organize, publicize and stage events from multiple, divergent and opposing perspectives.

Each office would be required to invite speakers on issues, with a priority to those from outside the university who hold perspective on widely debated public policy issues that are otherwise poorly represented on campus.

Rep. Reginald Bolding, D-Laveen, questioned exactly how far that balance is supposed to go.

This is February, Black History Month, he said. If you have a conversation about slavery, then should you have a slavery denier? Is that the opposing view?

The potential vagueness of the bill clearly was of concern to some who agreed to support it.
OSLO, Norway, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DigiPlex, the Nordic leader for innovative, secure and sustainable data centres, last Thursday won the Hyperscale Investment of the Year award for its Fetsund Data Center transformation. DigiPlex founder and chairman, Byrne Murphy also won the Global Financial Leader Award. Both were awarded at the prestigious Finvest Summit in Zurich.

The Finvest summit brings together finance, investment and site selection executives, from across the data center, cloud and Edge computing sectors. Its awards are seen as international recognition of the best of the best in the industry. Winning here is a significant achievement for any organisation.

DigiPlex was awarded Hyperscale Investment of the Year for its investment and innovative approach to the retrofit of its sustainable data center at Fetsund. The speedy transformation from a single client facility to a multi-tenant co-location facility included investing in an upgrade of one data hall to double the power and cooling density and increase electrical resilience in order to meet the performance criteria and speed-to-market requirements of hyperscale clients.

Cathrine Telje, DigiPlex CFO, collecting the award said; "I could not be prouder of the work of the team at DigiPlex responsible for the Fetsund transformation and it is great to see this investment acknowledged with winning the Hyperscale Investment of the Year award. To win this award is a great recognition of our combined efforts."

Byrne Murphy, DigiPlex Chairman, was honored with the Global Financial Leader Award. He founded the company in 2000 and since then he has pioneered the growth of the Nordic data center market and led financing and investments that have propelled DigiPlex to its leadership position. He introduced Europe's first pre-construction data center bond, issued and publicly listed in Norway in 2014, and recently secured NOK 1.8 billion to finance DigiPlex facilities through one of Norway's largest-ever high yield bonds.

Chairman Byrne Murphy added; "I am honored to be recognised as a Global Financial Leader but in truth the recognition really should go to the entirety of Team DigiPlex. It takes dedicated experts to secure the innovative funding and financial support that we have at DigiPlex. In fact, all the awards are very much a recognition of the strength of Team DigiPlex and all of their work, over many years. Those celebrated here tonight represent what the rest of the company produces every day: sustainable, well designed, well-constructed, high-end data centers that are well run and make happy customers."

Connect with DigiPlex

CONTACT:

Elisabeth Lennhede

Head of Communications

+46703322705

[email protected]



This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/digiplex/r/digiplex-scoops-both-hyperscale-investment-and-global-financial-leader-awards-at-global-finance-summ,c3038168

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/7526/3038168/1196640.pdf DigiPlex Scoops Both Hyperscale Investment and Global Financial Leader Awards at Global Finance Summit https://news.cision.com/digiplex/i/cathrine-telje--cfo-digiplex,c2749850 Cathrine Telje, CFO DigiPlex https://news.cision.com/digiplex/i/byrne-murphy-chairman-digiplex,c2749851 Byrne Murphy Chairman DigiPlex

SOURCE DigiPlex
Election candidates are vetted by the powerful Guardian Council  a body that is essentially under the control of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Of the twelve members, six were appointed by the Supreme Leader and the other six were appointed by the countrys head of the judiciary, who himself was personally appointed by the Supreme Leader.

If any potential candidates do not prove themselves to be wholly committed to the absolute rule of the mullahs they will simply be eliminated by the Guardian Council. If any potential candidates show any sign of being less than 100 percent committed to the Supreme Leader, they too are eliminated.

Because of the recent crises that the regime has been dealing with, both on the domestic front and on an international level, Khamenei is very worried about what the future holds. The regimes discord and lack of cohesion over the past few years is fast becoming another crisis that is contributing to the regimes difficulties, and the Supreme Leader is taking the current elections as an opportunity to move towards a more cohesive leadership. In other words, he is working towards eliminating the opposite faction from Parliament.

The people know that they are not being represented in the elections and this is why many Iranians have decided to boycott the polling stations. The people of Iran have been suffering under extreme suppression and their economic situation continues to decline because of decades of corruption and mismanagement.

The general consensus among the people of Iran is one of despair. When they voted for Hassan Rouhani several years ago, they really thought they were voting for moderation, progress, and change. However, the reality has been very different. Nothing has changed. Links with the West have not been restored and renewed. Iran has not advanced on any stage.

Young people, in particular, are keen to boycott the elections as a way of their vote being heard. There is no trust towards politicians and officials any more because previous promising candidates have been a let-down. Many young people feel that they have no opportunities and no prospects for the future as things stand now.

As well as everything becoming very uncertain on the domestic front, the people of Iran are faced with much uncertainty with regards to the rest of the world too. Tough economic sanctions imposed by the international community, including the United States, is affecting everyone. Military conflict has been a very real prospect in recent months and the people are sick of the uncertainty.

Their desires will be ignored through the election process, so the people are making their voices heard by boycotting the elections. It is their way of sending a message to the regime.

Read More:

Iran Regimes Elections Portray Its Deadlock

Why Iranian Authorities Insist on Participation in Elections?
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A Shawnee State University philosophy professor who was disciplined for refusing to call a transgender student by her preferred pronouns has lost his latest court challenge.

U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott last week threw out a lawsuit claiming that Nicholas Meriwethers freedoms of speech and religion were violated.

Its unclear whether the professor at the Portsmouth school or his attorneys at the Alliance Defending Freedom, which takes on religious freedom challenges usually for conservative Christians, will file an appeal. Meriwether, in a message sent from the Alliance Defending Freedom, didnt address the issue, but called the ruling disappointing and troubling.

I encourage my students to express their political and religious views, and professors should have the same freedom, he said. But the University insisted that I endorse an ideology I do not believe is true. This is simply wrong. True tolerance must be a two-way street. Now the district court suggests that professors have no free speech rights, which should trouble us all. Public universities have no business compelling people to express ideological beliefs that they do not hold. But the courts decision opens the door for them to shift from being a marketplace of ideas to an assembly line for one type of thought.

Dlott, based in Cincinnati, ruled Feb. 12 that Meriwether, an evangelical Christian, didnt state a claim for the violation of his rights under the U.S. Constitution.

Meriwether had referred to the transgender student, who was in his political philosophy class in 2018, by her last name only, but had addressed other students by the title of Mr. or Ms., followed by their last names. The school contended Meriwether had at one point referred to the student as he during class.

His speech -- the manner by which he addressed a transgender student -- was not protected under the First Amendment, Dlott wrote.

Shawnee State administrators gave Meriwether a written warning for violating its nondiscrimination policies because he refused to address the student with her preferred pronouns and gender identity title, according to Dlotts order.

Meriwether asked to pursue a grievance but was denied, so he sued the schools trustees and other university officials, saying they violated his constitutional rights.

The case first went before Karen Litkovitz, a federal magistrate, who also dismissed the claims in September.

In previous court filings, Meriwether had said he doesnt believe a persons gender changes after the moment of conception. He believes the universitys policy would force him to violate his sincerely held religious beliefs.

Litkovitz wrote in her order that a school administrator had offered solutions to Meriwether: that he stop referring to students by their last names and stop using pronouns, or use titles and pronouns that refer to each students self-identified gender identity.

Other LGBTQ stories in Ohio:

Ohio House bill would ban gay conversion therapy

Ohio House bill would prohibit medical procedures for transgender youth

Group trying to overturn Medina LGBTQ nondiscrimination ordinance goes to Ohio Supreme Court
Pioneering soul food chef Tanya Holland, known for her fried chicken and waffles at several Bay Area locations of Brown Sugar Kitchen, is opening a new soul food cafe in the Oakland Museum of California (1000 Oak St.) called Town Fare.

The name is a reference to Oaklands nickname as the Town, a moniker mentioned everywhere from mainstream music to previous Golden State Warriors merchandise. The project is part of a partnership between Holland and the Oakland Museum of California.

Hollands cafe will replace the museums Blue Oak Cafe, which will close to accommodate construction during the first week of March. The space will reopen as Town Fare cafe in August.

The cafe is Hollands first new venture in the East Bay since opening Brown Sugar Kitchen in Uptown Oakland in early 2019. Around that same time, Holland closed Brown Sugar Kitchen in West Oakland, which spent more than a decade as a nationally known soul food destination. Holland closed Brown Sugar Kitchen at San Franciscos Ferry Building, her only such location in the city, in January. She said at the time that she was working on some exciting new opportunities, and Town Fare was one of those ventures, along with a forthcoming Brown Sugar Kitchen opening later this year at the Oakland International Airport.

Mason Trinca / Special to The Chronicle 2017

Located on the second level of the museums campus, Town Fare will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner in a fast-casual setting. Outdoor seating will be available on the museums three adjacent patios. The restaurant will be accessible via an ADA-accessible ramp being built along 10th Street, and diners will also be able to get to the cafe through the parking garage connected to the museum. Holland also plans to use the space for pop-ups and food events featuring other chefs in the Bay Area.

Update: This article has been updated to include the forthcoming closure of Blue Oak Cafe at the Oakland Museum of California, which Town Fare will replace in August.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Town Fare. Opening Summer 2020. 1000 Oak St., in the Oakland Museum of California, Oakland.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Azerbaijan is upgrading its military units in line with the Action Plan for 2020.

Defense Minister of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov took part in the opening of another military facility that meets modern requirements.

It was reported that the storages for large-sized military equipment, a fuel-supply point and an open area for testing were established in the vehicle park of the military unit.

Hasanov got acquainted with the conditions in the vehicle storages, as well as in the technical control, maintenance and repair points equipped with new equipment that are located in the park and gave relevant instructions.

Azerbaijan has been actively strengthening its armed forces in recent years. It's army is equipped with modern weapons from the best manufacturers.

Azerbaijan ranked 23rd globally for the volume of imports of weapons in 2014-2018. The country spent $22,7bn on defence-related products in 2009-2016, thereby becoming Europes largest weapons importer, according to Bloomberg.

Baku has the strongest army in the South Caucasus, according to Global Fire Power ranking 2020. The country ranked 64th among 138 countries considered for the annual Global Fire Power review this year.

Azerbaijan cooperates with about 60 countries in the military-technical sphere and has an agreement on military-technical cooperation with more than 30 countries.

Azerbaijani Armed Forces have three branches: the Azerbaijani Land Forces, the Azerbaijani Air and Air Defence Force, and the Azerbaijani Navy. Associated forces include the Azerbaijani National Guard, the Internal Troops of Azerbaijan, and the State Border Service, which can be involved in state defense under certain circumstances.

Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan is the Azerbaijani government ministry, associated with the Azerbaijani military. The ministry is responsible for keeping Azerbaijan defended against external threats, preserving its territorial integrity, waging war on behalf of Azerbaijan and the surveillance of the Azerbaijani sector of Caspian Sea sea and airspace. Defense Minister is appointed and removed from the post by the Commander-in-chief of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, President of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan joined the NATO-led "Partnership for Peace" (PFP) programme in 1994, as well as the NATO Planning and Review Process (PARP) in 1996.

Azerbaijans Defense Ministry supports the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office to conduct a ceasefire monitoring exercises on the Line of Confrontation of the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as on the state border.

---

Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand, who is out on bail in a case in which he is accused of sexually abusing a law student, appeared before a special MP/MLA court here on Wednesday.

Judge P K Rai fixed March 4 as the next date of hearing for the framing of charges.

The court also issued a non-bailable warrant against the woman student for not appearing before it in another case of extortion lodged by advocate Om Singh with the Shahjahanpur police.

As the matter was set for framing of charges, the court observed that because of the woman student's absence, the charges could not be framed.

Chinmayanand, 72, was released from the Shahjahanpur district jail after the Allahabad High Court granted him bail.

While granting him bail, Justice Rahul Chaturvedi also transferred Chinmayanand's trial from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow, taking note of the victim's apprehension that he could influence proceedings in his hometown.

"The trial court will take up the case on a priority basis, preferably on a day-to- day basis and the trial will be concluded within one year," the high court had said.

The bail order directed Chinmayanand to file an undertaking that he would not seek any adjournments and be present in the court.

The court had also directed Lucknow's senior superintendent of police to depute a senior sub-inspector and armed constables for the security of the student and her family members during the trial period.

Chinmayanand, whose trust runs the Shahjahanpur law college where the woman studied, was arrested on September 20 under Section 376-C of the IPC, a charge short of rape.

It is applied when someone in authority takes advantage of his official position to "induce or seduce" a woman to have sex with him.

In a parallel case, the woman was arrested for trying to extort money from Chinmayanand, whom she had accused of rape.

She and her three friends had allegedly threatened to release video clips of massages she claimed she was forced to perform on the politician, who was disowned by the ruling BJP after the sexual abuse charges surfaced.

The high court granted the woman bail in the extortion case on December 4.

While allowing bail to Chinmayanand, the high court said it is difficult to determine at this stage who exploited whom in the case.

Justice Chaturvedi suggested that it may be a case of quid pro quo but asked the trial court not to be influenced by the higher court's observations.

"As pointed out earlier, that both the parties crossed their limits and at this stage it is very difficult to adjudicate as to who exploited whom? In fact, both of them used each other," he said, taking note of the material on record indicating that the woman and her family received favours from the politician.

Last year, the Supreme Court had stepped in when the 23-year-old student went missing for a few days in August after posting a video clip on social media, alleging sexual abuse.

A special investigation team of Uttar Pradesh Police, formed on the directions of the apex court, later arrested Chinmayanand and the student.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussexs decision to step back as senior royals, theres been no shortage of questions about what that will mean for the royal family going forward.

Many have wondered who will take over for the couple now that they will no longer attend royal engagements and perform royal duties. Well, its being reported that Queen Elizabeth II has singled out one royal who she believes she can trust more than anyone else to pick up the slack following Megxit. Read on to find out who that is.

Queen Elizabeth II | Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images

Who Queen Elizabeth has really put her trust in these days

On Jan. 8, Harry and Meghan rocked the monarchy with the announcement that they were stepping down as senior royals to live a more private life with their son, Archie. In doing so the pair had to abandon any current duties they held on behalf of the crown. The void they left with several organizations and previously planned engagements had to be picked up by other members of the family.

With so many of their own duties who could step up and take on extra work was a big question mark until the queens favorite daughter-in-law decided to help out.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex is the wife of Queen Elizabeths youngest son, Prince Edward. She and Her Majesty have always been very close and it seems now more than ever the monarch is leaning on her.

Queen Elizabeth II and Sophie, Countess of Wessex | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

The Express noted that since the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs departure Sophie has been front and center showing her support for her mother-in-law. In turn, the queen has put her full trust in the countess who has done everything recently from helping greet guests at Buckingham Palace to visiting Sierra Leone where she raised awareness for womens rights.

Sophies a long-term favorite of the queen and has been singled out as a person the Palace would like to help ease the burden, a royal source told The Sun. Shes very popular with other senior royals like Charles and Camilla, and has proved to be extremely good at public engagements.

Will Sophies daughter take over Harry and Meghans duties too?

Lady Louise Windsor and Sophie, Countess of Wessex | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Theres also been talk that Sophie and Edwards teenage daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, could shoulder some of the responsibilities the prince and retired actress once had.

According to The Express, Louise has already been spotted at some events with her parents perhaps to prepare her for a bigger role within the family.

Edward and Sophie kept both of their children out of the limelight when they were young so they could have a normal upbringing. But it seems now, in her cousins absence, Louise may be posed to help her family out by attending some royal engagements.

Read more: This Royal Family Member Just Broke Their Silence About Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Stepping Down
The coronavirus outbreak has brought Adidas (ADS.DE) business activity in China to a near-halt.

The worlds second largest sporting goods manufacturer said on Wednesday a significant number of its stores and partner stores were still shut down, and those that were open are suffering a big drop in customer traffic.

As a result, business activity has plunged by around 85% since the Chinese New Year on 25 January from the same time the year before, Adidas said.

BEIJING, CHINA - FEBRUARY 1, 2020: People in face masks walk in a street during an outbreak of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus. Photo: Artyom Ivanov\TASS via Getty Images

In view of the daily changing situation, the extent of the overall impact on our 2020 financial year cannot be reliably quantified at this time, said Adidas.

The company, headquartered in the Bavarian town of Herzogenaurach in Germany, is also seeing a drop in the numbers of customers visiting its stores in Japan and South Korea, but says it has so far not been able to quantify the impact of the virus outbreak on business activities outside of China.

Adidas said it will update in more detail on the impact of coronavirus on sales and profit during its annual earnings report in March.

READ MORE: Deutsche Bank: coronavirus may drag Germany into recession

Its German rival Puma (PUM.DE) said today that the virus outbreak could be expected to hurt sales and profits in the first quarter  half of its shops in China are temporarily closed  but that it was still expecting to hit its overall targets for 2020.

Adidas and Puma are two on a long list of global brands, including Apple and Starbucks, that have had to shut all or most of their stores as the coronavirus outbreak rapidly spread across China from its epicenter in Wuhan city in Hubei province.

Nike said last week that in the short term it expected the coronavirus situation to have a material impact on our operations in Greater China, but noted that its online business was still strong.

As of today, the death toll from coronavirus stands at over 2,000. More than 75,000 people have been infected, all but around 1,000 of them in mainland China.

READ MORE: Global stocks sink as Apple warns of coronavirus impact
The former Trinamul Congress MP is survived by his wife Nandini, a TV anchor and daughter Sohini, also an actor.

Kolkata: Actor-turned-politician Tapas Paul, also a key chit fund scam accused out on bail after facing arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation, died of heart attack at a private hospital in Mumbai early Tuesday. He was 61.

The former Trinamul Congress MP is survived by his wife Nandini, a TV anchor and daughter Sohini, also an actor.

He was rushed to the hospital on February 1 after he fell ill at the Mumbai Airport while travelling to the US for medical treatment, Nandini said.

Following his admission, Paul was put on the ventilator till February 6. Nandini added that Pal started however recovering after the ventilator was taken off.

At around 3.30 am on Tuesday, he suffered a cardiac arrest.

His body would be flown to Kolkata at night for last rites. Paul who acted in many Bengali hit movies including Dadar Kirti (1980), Saheb (1981), Bhalobasa Bhalobasa (1985) became a Trinamul MLA from Alipore in south Kolkata in 2001 for the first time during the CPI(M)-rule.

He won again from the same seat in 2006 before contesting the Lok Sabha Elections in 2009 from Krishnanagar in Nadia from where he won as a Trinamul MP.

He repeated his victory in 2014 Lok Sabha polls also from there before he came under the scanner of the central agencies in the Rose Valley chit fund scam.

Trinamul supremo Mamata Banerjee tweeted, Saddened & shocked to hear about the demise of Tapas Paul. He was a superstar of Bengali cinema who was a member of the Trinamool family. Tapas served the people as a two-term MP and MLA. We will miss him dearly. My condolences to his wife Nandini, daughter Sohini & his many fans.
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WV Health Right, Inc., will be recognized by Mutual of America Financial Group for its Mobile Dental Unit program during a special event at the Clay Center in Charleston on February 20 at 12:00 p.m.

The program was named an Honorable Mention award recipient in the Mutual of America 2019 Community Partnership Award competition, which received entries from organizations nationwide.

In 2017, WV Health Right, Inc. collaborated with local nonprofit, education, government and dental partners to create the Mobile Dental Unit. The program provides preventive and restorative dental services, including dentures, both to low-income adults who are either uninsured or have Medicaid or Medicare, and to veterans ineligible for dental care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Mobile Dental Unit, housed in a fully equipped trailer with three treatment chairs, travels with dental hygienists and technicians across six rural counties on a weekly rotation. The Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine staffs the vehicle with a faculty dentist and dental residents, giving students a unique opportunity to apply their skills beyond the classroom and incorporate diversity in learning. Other partners provide on-site access to the internet and utilities at no cost to the program.

"In just two years, the Mobile Dental Unit has provided more than $2.2 million worth of care to over 5,000 adults. We're already seeing marked success in terms of improved oral hygiene, reduced oral-related infection and oral-related emergency department visits, and a decrease in the number of workdays missed due to oral pain and infection," said Dr. Angie Settle, DNP, West Virginia Health Right's CEO and Executive Director. "By filling a void in West Virginia's healthcare safety net, the Mobile Dental Unit also provides a measure of comfort, support and social justice for our state's most vulnerable citizens."

About the Mutual of America Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Community Partnership Award annually honors the outstanding contributions that nonprofit organizations, in partnership with public, private and other social sector organizations, make to society. Since 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 240 partnerships from cities and towns across America. To watch videos of all of the national award-winning programs, visit the Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award channel on YouTube.

About Mutual of America

Mutual of America is a leading provider of retirement products, offering personalized service at a competitive price to help plan participants and individuals build and preserve assets for a financially secure future. Integrity, prudence and reliability are the values that have guided us since our inception in 1945 and that continue to serve us well. For more information, visit mutualofamerica.com, and connect with us via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Mutual of America Financial Group

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http://www.mutualofamerica.com


The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on February 17 put out question bank for Class 10 students. The CBSE 10th question bank 2020 contains over 2000 questions and answers for all the core subjects like English, Hindi, Maths, Social Studies and Science.

The CBSE Class 10 exam commenced on February 15 and will end on March 20. The CBSE has released all the information related to the Class 10 exam on its official website - http://www.cbse.nic.in/newsite/index.html

Interested candidates can download the questions and their step-by-step solutions using the DIKSHA , the official app which offers teachers, students and parents engaging learning material relevant to the prescribed school curriculum.

The CBSE has, however, clarified that these questions are only meant for practice and they have no relation to board examination 2020.

How to get CBSE 10th question bank:

Go to Google Play Store and search for DIKSHA App.

Download the App by clicking on the install option.

After entering the app you will get to see the question bank of all core subjects.

Besides, students can use the direct link given below to access the question bank of all subjects.

Class 10 Maths question bank

Class 10 Science question bank

Class 10 History question bank

Class 10 Political Science question bank

Class 10 Geography question bank

Class 10 Economics question bank

Class 10 English (FootPrints Without Feet)

Class 10 English (First Flight)

Class 10 Hindi ( 2)

Class 10 Hindi (2)
- Professor Ransford Yaw Gyampo and Dr Paul Butakor have reacted to the sanctions handed to them

- They were both slapped with a six-month and four-month suspensions respectively

- According to them, the university did not treat them well

Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

Professor Ransford Yaw Gyampo and Dr Paul Butakor who were both caught in BBC Africa Eyes documentary on sex for grades have reacted to the sanctions slapped on them.

The two lecturers from Ghanas premier university were both slapped with a six-month and four-month suspensions respectively.

According to a 3news reports, in a quick response to the charges, their lawyers, F-X Law and Associates, the two lecturers said though they accept the decision, the statement by the University of Ghana communicating it creates a lot of doubts in the minds of people.

READ ALSO: NDC holds presser on galamsey along Twifo Praso river (Photos)

It is disappointing that the BBC showed gross disrespect to our Clients and the University by refusing to make themselves available to be cross-examined in the whole process thereby undermining the integrity of the entire administrative proceedings.

It is also unfortunate, that the Universitys release did not make it clear that the allegations of BBC were false and had no basis, the response issued by lead counsel Francis-Xavier Sosu said.

The punishment which was expected to take effect from January 1, 2020, recommended that an annual assessment for 5 years in be carried out in that regard.

They, however, gave word of accepting and respecting the decision and would not pursue it any further in court.

READ ALSO: MP's are not obliged to pay fees; we only do favors - Kennedy Agyapong

In other news, Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong has called out men who shirk their responsibilities to desist from doing that.

He said since they are lead by their libodos to produce more children, they should take responsibility for their children and not expect Members of Parliament (MPs) to do so.

According to him, MPs and politicians in general, are not under any obligation to take care of irresponsible and ignorant families.

READ ALSO: Frimpong Boateng seized excavators and gave them to his son to do galamsey - Agyapong

Yenkasa: I will buy my wife a rolls-royce on vals day: Ghanaian man hints | #Yencomgh

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page.

Source: YEN.com.gh
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-20 00:57:50|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits the Taikang Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

Currently, more than 30,000 medical personnel, including military medics, have been sent to Wuhan from across the country.

BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- China has gone all out to treat COVID-19 patients both with mild symptoms and in severe conditions alike in the epicenter city of Wuhan as the number of hospital beds reserved for COVID-19 patients has risen to about 40,000 and the supporting medical personnel over 30,000.

Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who is leading a central government team guiding the epidemic control on the ground, visited frontline medical workers in Wuhan and made further instructions on treating patients with all-out efforts.

Noting that some effective methods have been tried, Sun said it is necessary to draw experience in a timely manner and form treatment protocols that can be promoted across hospitals.

She also called for concerted efforts from multi-disciplinary medical teams to treat critically ill patients to reduce the mortality rate.

Military medics arrive at Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Yun)

Currently, more than 30,000 medical personnel, including military medics, have been sent to Wuhan from across the country with specialties in a number of disciplines, including respiratory infections, heart and kidneys. Wuhan now has 11,000 intensive care medical staff, accounting for 10 percent of the nation's total.

Sun said some positive changes have taken place in the epidemic prevention and control, but the situation remains grim in Wuhan. She urged the medical treatment work to be moved forward to prevent mild symptoms from developing into severe ones, and called for strengthening treatment combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine in temporary hospitals.

The guiding team also called for strengthening the detection of fever patients in Wuhan to block the transmission route of the virus.

The number of designated hospitals in Wuhan, reserved to treat COVID-19 patients, especially those with severe symptoms, has risen to 45, with a capacity of 19,161 beds. In addition, 12 temporary hospitals, which were converted from gyms, convention or exhibition centers, have all been put into use with a combined over 20,000 beds planned for patients with mild symptoms. 
LONDON (AP)  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to claim during an extradition hearing that the Trump administration offered him a pardon if he agreed to say Russia was not involved in leaking Democratic National Committee emails during the 2016 U.S. election campaign, a lawyer for Assange said Wednesday.

Assange is being held at a British prison while fighting extradition to the United States on spying charges. His full court hearing is due to begin next week.

At a preliminary hearing held Wednesday in London, lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said that now-former Republican congressman, Dana Rohrabacher, visited Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in August 2017.

Fitzgerald said a statement from another Assange lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, recounted "Mr. Rohrabacher going to see Mr. Assange and saying, on instructions from the president, he was offering a pardon or some other way out, if Mr. Assange ... said Russia had nothing to do with the DNC leaks.

Responding to the the lawyer's claims, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said, "This is absolutely and completely false."

U.S. President Donald Trump barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than hes an ex-congressman. Hes never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject," Grisham said. "It is a complete fabrication and a total lie. This is probably another never-ending hoax and total lie from the DNC.

Emails embarrassing for the Democrats and Hillary Clintons presidential campaign were hacked before being published by WikiLeaks in 2016.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said the evidence was admissible in the extradition case.

Assange appeared at Londons Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday by video-link from Belmarsh prison, where he is being held as he awaits his extradition hearing.

U.S. prosecutors have charged the 48-year-old Australian computer hacker with espionage over WikiLeaks' hacking of hundreds of thousands of confidential government documents. If found guilty, he faces up to 175 years in jail.

He argues he was acting as a journalist entitled to First Amendment protection.

Assange spent seven years inside Ecuadors embassy in London after holing up there in 2012 to avoid questioning in Sweden over unrelated sexual assault allegations.

Assange was evicted from the embassy in April 2019 and was arrested by British police for jumping bail in 2012. In November, Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigation because so much time had elapsed.

There is no quick end in sight to Assanges long legal saga. The full extradition hearing starting Monday is due to open with a week of legal arguments. It will resume in May, and a ruling is not expected for several months, with the losing side likely to appeal.
A 42-year-old man enticed prostitutes from Canada and New York to travel to New Jersey for work and then refused to pay and sometimes sexually assaulted them, authorities said.

Jose Torres is charged with two counts of coercion and enticement, the U.S. Attorneys Office for New Jersey said. Torres, a New Jersey resident, made a first appearance in federal court in Boston on Tuesday following his arrest there on Friday. Torres is being held without bail and will be returned to New Jersey for his next hearing, his Boston-based attorney, Joseph B. Simons told NJ Advance Media.

Simons said Torres is not guilty.

As a respected member of the community, the charges come as a shock to Mr. Torres," Simons said in an email to NJ Advance Media. " Mr. Torres has a clean criminal record. Mr. Torres is on his way to New Jersey, where he intends to plead not guilty. Mr. Torres plans to fight the allegations, and to clear his name.

Authorities say Torres persuaded, induced and enticed commercial sex workers to travel to places in and around Middlesex County between May 2015 and October 2019 to engage in prostitution by promising them large payments.

When the prostitutes asked to be paid, Torres got aggressive, often assaulting and raping them, authorities said. Federal prosecutors didnt provide a hometown for Torres.

Each charges carries a maximum 20-year penalty in federal prison.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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TVS Motor Company, the Chennai-based maker of Apache and Jupiter brand of two-wheelers, has taken the lead in switching over to Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) even as rivals Hero Motocorp and Bajaj Auto continued to produce BS-IV models well into February.

TVS completely shut production of the soon-to-be outdated BS-IV models in January itself while introducing BS-VI upgrades including that of Jupiter, Apache, RR310 and XL (moped). About 60 percent of dispatches in January were of BS-VI kind, TVS informed analysts.

Further, the company claims to have developed two different types of technologies using BS-VI transition that is tuned for either good mileage or race performance.

N. Radhakrishnan, President, CEO & Additional Whole-Time Director, TVS Motor Company, said, We stopped BS-IV production in January. We have developed two versions of BS-VI fuel injection platform, namely, Ecothrust Fuel Injection (EtFi) and Race-Tuned Fuel Injection (RTFi). EtFi technology provides enhanced overall performing across drivability, smoothness and fuel economy. RTFi technology is designed to enjoy the racing experience or driving conditions.

TVS, which is Indias fourth largest two-wheeler maker, also said that there will be an improvement of 12-15 percent in fuel efficiency besides a drop of 93 percent in emission in the new BS-VI models compared to the BS-IV models. TVS is holding five weeks of inventory, most of which is BS-VI.

Indias largest two-wheeler maker, Hero Motocorp, was producing BS-IV models until the middle of February. But, it stopped producing BS-IV scooters in December itself, the company informed.

Speaking to analysts Niranjan Kumar Gupta, CFO, Hero MotoCorp, said, All our models are BS-VI ready. We are geared for the transition. We will be stopping our BS-IV production by middle of February itself and we're completely geared for a smooth transition to the BS VI regime.

BS-VI variants of Passion Pro, HF, Splendor iSmart, Xtreme 160R, Glamour 125 and Pleasure have been made ready; some of which have been launched in the market too. Most of the BS-VI version retails will commence from March simply because there is a price hike of 12-15 percent in cost of the products compared to BS-IV.

As far as inventory is concerned, we were down to close to six weeks at the end of December and by January-end, we were down to actually five weeks of our retail. So effectively, inventory is a nonissue. And pretty much we're geared for a transition. In fact, it's a good opportunity for any buyer today to actually pick up the BS-IV because he gets to buy at Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 lower even on a BS-IV or BS-VI price, added Gupta.

Bajaj Auto, the countrys third biggest two-wheeler manufacturer, is not expecting any surge in discounting on BS-IV stocks as most of it has been replaced by BS-VI variants. The company has been producing BS-IV variants but in limited numbers thanks to a mini surge in demand in the final days of January.

Rakesh Sharma, Chief Commercial Officer & Executive Director - Bajaj Auto, said, We have consciously managed our stocks of BS IV downwards with the objective of ensuring that we are free of BS IV stock by first week of March. And I think we are on track, particularly if we witness some pre-buying.

He added that the company had produced some of the BS IV models in February.

"There are pockets (in the market) where we were a little bit overstocked, and there are pockets where we were under-stocked. And we are already stocked out when it comes to BS IV. So we have had to do a little bit of a top-up production of BS IV, but very, very little in first half Feb. And we don't want to stock out situation. That's why we are doing it, said Sharma.

During the changeover to BS-IV from BS-III in 2017, two-wheeler manufacturers resorted to flash sale and product prices were dropped to half as they became desperate to liquidate stocks. There will be no repeat of this situation, the industry has assured.

We are very, very clear that we are not pumping in BS-IV (stocks). We do not want to do unnatural things to advance the people by luring them beyond whatever the arbitrage is and putting in more discounts on that. So given that strategy, we are fairly on track, added Sharma.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-20 01:40:54|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Geir Pedersen, UN special envoy for Syria, said Wednesday that realizing the dream of the Syrian people for peace has a long way to go, while once again calling on all warring parties to cease fire immediately in the country.

"Since my briefing two weeks ago, I cannot report any progress in ending the current violence in the northwest or in reconvening the political process," Pedersen started his briefing at the Security Council on a pessimistic note.

"As the secretary-general has stressed, we are alarmed by the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in northwest Syria and the tragic suffering of civilians. The ongoing offensive has displaced almost 900,000 civilians since Dec. 1, 2019, often multiple times. Hundreds have been killed during the same period," said the envoy.

Hostilities are now "approaching densely populated areas." People are on the move "in freezing temperatures" in search of safety. More than four of every five of the newly displaced civilians are "women and children." Young children are "dying from the cold." The potential for further mass displacement and even more catastrophic human suffering "is apparent," as an increasing number of people are hemmed into an ever-shrinking space, said the envoy while elaborating on the deteriorating situation in the country.

"HTS (the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the umbrella group of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front) and other proscribed terrorist groups remain a major presence inside Idlib," he said.

"There are worrying developments elsewhere on the ground as well. The situation in southern Syria remains of concern," he added.

"ISIL resurgence is very worrying with frequent attacks registered in the northeast, the desert region around Homs and other areas," the envoy noted.

Talking about the humanitarian situation, Pedersen said that "the devastating scale of humanitarian suffering is primarily caused by violent conflict. More broadly, the Syrian economy continues to face serious challenges, the result of a variety of factors, developments and measures."

Noting that "all of these developments, across the country, remind us that Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence remains seriously compromised by the continuing conflict, he said that "we are a long way from finding a way to ensure that the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people for peace, security and a better future are realized."

The envoy said that much more needs to be done to advance a broader process in line with Security Council resolution 2254.

"Today, my first concern is for the Syrian civilians caught in the fighting, who continue to relay the urgency of their situation and their desperate need for safety. They feel they are not being heard," he said.

"I appeal once again for full respect for international humanitarian law and for an immediate ceasefire in Idlib, ultimately towards a nationwide ceasefire. I urge key international players to continue and intensify their contacts to restore calm. I urge all members of this Council to put their weight firmly behind the search for a political way forward," said the envoy.
Rapper Dave slammed Prime Minister Boris Johnson at last night's Brit awards, accusing the Conservative leader of being racist.

The 21-year-old scooped the Brit Award for Album of the Year and performed his hit 'Black', a track which charts the difficulties of Black Brits.

In a surprise moment for viewers and those in attendance at the O2 in London he debuted a brand new verse criticising Mr Johnson.

'It is racist, whether or not it feels racist, the truth is our prime minister's a real racist. They say  'you should be grateful, we're the least racist', I say the least racist is still racist.'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (pictured above last week) was criticised at the awards last night

Dave performed at the awards where he highlighted a host of topics including the tragedy at Grenfell tower

Just last month Mr Johnson was criticised by Grenfell survivors who said the Prime Minister had downgraded the government's interest in the disaster, with many claiming he was 'out of touch' with what they were going through.

Mr Johnson wasn't the only Prime Minister to get a mention at the awards last night as US rapper Tyler, The Creator, also referenced former leader Theresa May.

Mrs May had banned Tyler in 2015 from entering the UK after she claimed his music 'fostered hatred'.

Accepting the award for the best international solo male he dedicated it to 'someone who I hold dear to my heart, who made it so I couldn't come to this country five years ago, and I hope she's at home p***** off: thank you, Theresa May'.

Aside from talk of politicians, Dave also used his performance to pay tribute to prison rehabilitation worker Jack Merritt who was killed in November 2019 in a terror attack.

Tyler the creator (pictured above last night) dedicated his award 'someone who I hold dear to my heart'

Theresa May (pictured above) previously said that Tyler, The Creator could not enter the UK

He rapped that he was his 'brother in arms' and said there were 'tears in our eyes and love in our hearts'.

'We never had the same background, culture, colour or past but you devoted your life to give others a chance. And for that, I'm so taken aback because he gave us all a voice.'

As well as the touching tribute he rapped about tougher sentenced and claimed all Jack would have wanted was 'unity and equal opportunity'.

Like others before him, he used his platform to highlight that the survivors of the Grenfell tower tragedy still needed accommodation and that support was also needed for the Windrush generation.

In 2018 Stormzy, who also performed at last night's ceremony, slammed Mrs May for not doing enough for Grenfell victims and said 'where's the money for Grenfell'.
PHOENIX  The trial of a man accused of sexually assaulting an incapacitated patient and fathering her child while she was in his care at a Phoenix long-term care center has been pushed back until April 30.

A judge on Tuesday granted a continuance but says he wont postpone the trial again.

It was scheduled to begin next week.

The attorney for Nathan Sutherland says a possible plea agreement is in the works.

The 37-year-old Sutherland was a licensed practical nurse.

Hes accused of sexually assaulting the woman and cared for her on hundreds of occasions from 2012 through 2018, despite promises from state employees that only women would tend to her.

The pregnancy was discovered in December 2018 only after a nurse saw the boys head during the surprise delivery.

The victim had lived at Hacienda for 26 years, until the childs birth. Her medical conditions stem from a brain disorder that caused motor and cognitive impairments and vision loss. She was also left with no functional use of her limbs.

The womans mother is the babys guardian.
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Masood Mike Azad, an attorney and financial advisor based in League City, Texas, was recently sued in arbitration by a former client according to Fitapelli Kurta , the law firm representing the investor. The arbitration complaint, which was also filed against First Allied Securities, seeks over $1 million in damages, including interest, attorneys fees and punitive damages.



The investors lawsuit alleges that Mike Azad made materially false and misleading statements to induce his clients to invest in various investments, including a company owned by his own son-in-law. Mike Azad, according to the investors allegations, lied about the nature of these investments  in some instances even lying about investing and losing his own money. According to Jonathan Kurta , the attorney for the investor, my law firm has the smoking gun documentary evidence that we believe will prove that Mike Azad mislead his clients.

In May 2017, Mr. Azad was fired from First Allied Securities, who is also named in the investors lawsuit. After his termination from First Allied Securities, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, began an investigation into Mike Azads conduct, including the allegations that resulted in his termination. Mike Azad did not participate in this investigation and, instead, agreed to a lifetime bar from association with any member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. This bar will make it nearly impossible for Mr. Azad to ever lawfully market and sell securities ever again.

In addition to Mike Azad, the investors lawsuit also named First Allied Securities based on allegations that the broker-dealer failed to supervise Mike Azad, whose investment recommendations were not properly vetted by the firm, a securities law violation known as selling away. According to Jonathan Kurta, we are confident that we have the evidence to ultimately prove that First Allied knew or should have known about Mr. Azads conduct.

The arbitration claim against Mike Azad and First Allied Securities is pending before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority . If you or someone you know invested with Mike Azad and you would like to speak with us about this matter, please contact Jonathan Kurta at 212-658-1500 or by email at info@fkesq.com.

Contact:

Jonathan Kurta, Esq.

FITAPELLI | KURTA

28 Liberty Street, 30th Floor

New York, New York 10005

Direct Phone: 212-658-1500

Direct Fax: 855-348-2735

www.fkesq.com

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Conservative Christians are some of the biggest supporters of Scott Morrisons religious discrimination bill. But they should be careful what they wish for. It wont just be gay people, women and people with disabilities who lose out under the proposed law. Christians will be among the biggest losers.

Heres what the bill lets people do to Christians.

The bill protects "statements of belief" from being the subject of a complaint under any federal, state or territory anti-discrimination law. The protection extends to statements made in writing or by spoken words that ridicule, humiliate or even intimidate another person.

Employers will be able to ridicule Christians in the workplace. For example, an atheist boss could put a poster above a Christian workers desk saying "Christianity is superstitious nonsense". The boss could also say things like "Christianity is like a mental disorder" to a Christian during a job interview.
The ruling on the law, which some advocates have compared to a poll tax, was a victory for Democrats and civil rights groups in one of this years most closely watched legal battles on voting issues. For Florida  a pivotal battleground in the presidential election  any court decisions that expand access to the ballot box will have political consequences when voters go to the polls in November.
California-based mobility startup Zero Motorcycles has a new e-moto in its lineup  the fully-faired SR/S, unveiled today in New York.

The company's CEO Sam Paschel pulled the cover off the two-wheeled EV, which is based on the platform of the company's SR/F, released last year.

The new SR/S has the same battery and drive-train, delivering similar stats to the SR/F: a 124-mph top-speed, up to 200 miles of range, 140 ft-lbs of torque and a charge-time of 60 minutes to 95%, Paschel told TechCrunch at the debut.

ZERO SR/S

Zero's latest EV is an IoT motorcycle and manages overall performance  including engine output and handling characteristics  through digital riding modes.

The major differences on the SR/S over the SR/F are the addition of the full-fairing, a more relaxed riding position (through re-positioning of the bars and pegs) and a 13% improvement in highway range, from better aerodynamics.

The fairing brings around 20 pounds more weight to to the SR/S over the 485-pound SR/F.

On price, the base version of the SR/S is $19,995  a dash over the SR/F's $19,495  and a premium SR/S (with a higher charging capacity) comes in at $21,995.

The SR/S starts shipping today to Zero's global dealer network, which stands at 91 in the U.S. and 200 globally  the largest for any e-motorcycle company, according to Paschel.

He positioned the SR/S as more of a sport-touring machine than the the SR/F, which has a naked-bike set up that includes a more aggressive riding position and less aerodynamics on the highway.

Zero's latest entries  the SR/F and the SR/S  come at a time when startups are pushing the motorcycle industry toward electric, though it's not evident there's enough demand to buy up all the new models.

The American motorcycle market has been stagnant for over a decade and is becoming crowded with EV offerings. New motorcycle sales in the U.S. dropped by roughly 50% since 2008  with sharp declines in ownership by everyone under 40  and have never recovered, according to Motorcycle Industry Council stats.

Story continues

In a bid to revive sales and the interest of younger riders, in 2019 Harley-Davidson became the first of the big gas manufacturers to offer a street-legal e-moto for sale in the U.S.  the LiveWire  which is a forerunner to an HD product-line of electric-powered two-wheelers.

Harley Davidson Livewire static 1

Harley-Davidson's EV debut, the LiveWire

Harleys entry followed several failed electric motorcycle startups  Alta Motors, Mission Motors and Brammo  and put HD in the market with existing EV ventures, such as Zero.

That list is growing.

High-performance Italian EV company Energica has expanded marketing and sales in the U.S., along with Cake  a Swedish e-moto maker. This year should also see e-moto debuts by California-based Lightning Motorcycles and Fuell, a French and American-founded company with plans to release the $10,000, 150-mile range Flow.

Zero appears to have created an edge up on Harley's LiveWire  coming in at $10,000 less than the $29,799 HD  though it's hard to know how they stacked up against each other in 2019 since e-moto sales stats aren't reliably tallied in the U.S.

Zero doesn't release their sales numbers (though I tried my darnedest to pry them out of CEO Sam Paschel).

Zero SR/S

That price advantage over Harley's LiveWire will carry over on Zero's new SR/S, which could find its biggest competition in the anticipated release of Damon's Hypersport.

The Vancouver e-moto startup plans to go to market with a 200-mph e-motorcycle debut. The $24,995 Hypersport is targeted toward Tesla owners and brings proprietary digital safety technology and adjustable ergonomics that are absent in Zero's offerings  and pretty much anything else on the motorcycle market.

Time, burn rate and sales will tell which companies can find market-traction and turn a profit across all these new e-moto offerings.

Zero doesn't divulge financials, but among the startups, they could be furthest along. The company, with $120 million of VC in its rear-mirrors  per Crunchbase  has no plans to raise more, according to Paschel.

"We don't need it," he told TechCrunch, adding that the venture's biggest challenge in 2019 was keeping production up to speed with buyer demand for their SR/F.

Zero is likely hoping for that good kind of a problem with its new SR/S in 2020.
Iran's electoral watchdog on Wednesday defended its decision to disqualify thousands of candidates for a parliamentary election in two days, saying it was done in accordance with the law. The Guardian Council, a powerful body that vets candidates for Iranian elections, also said it expected at least 50 percent of registered voters to turn out at Friday's election. Thousands of candidates, most of them moderates and reformists, have been barred from entering the race by the Council, which is dominated by ultra-conservatives. But its spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaee said the body was "neutral" in its dealings with all political camps. "The Guardian Council follows the laws and regulations parliament has passed at different times," Kadkhodaee told a televised news conference. "This time, just like at previous (elections), we have tried to properly follow the law," he said. "The Council has never had a political view... It approaches political factions with closed eyes. "What it does judge is the evidence in the cases of the candidates and then it only acts in accordance with the law passed by parliament." Commentators expect disillusionment among voters in the sanctions-hit country to result in a low turnout. Tehran residents interviewed by AFP in the lead-up to the vote have expressed dissatisfaction with politicians they say have failed to keep their word or to raise living standards. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for a strong turnout at Friday's election, saying it is a "religious duty". The Guardian Council expects a turnout of at least 50 percent. "Our forecast is that we will have a good turnout in the upcoming election, and the average turnout has usually not been under 50 percent, and we will witness a turnout of 50 percent turnout in this election too," its spokesman Kadkhodaee said. President Hassan Rouhani, re-elected in 2017, promised more individual and social freedoms and gave assurances Iranians would be able to benefit from the benefits of engagement with the West. But many people feel their lives have been crippled by an economic slump exacerbated by harsh US sanctions since President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of a landmark nuclear deal with Iran in 2018. Commentators expect disillusionment among voters in sanctions-hit Iran to result in a low turnout in Friday's parliamentary election despite government appeals for a show of unity
With the Democratic presidential primary having arguably even less clarity than one month ago, six presidential hopefuls will once again take to the debate stage, this time Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

With the Nevada caucus coming up on Saturday, the stakes are high for the candidates in Wednesday nights forum. It will be the eighth Democratic debate since 2019. NBC News, MSNBC and the Nevada Independent will host.

How to watch tonights debate

When: Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020

Time: 9-11:15 p.m. EST

TV channel: NBC, MSNBC

Channel finder: AT&T U-Verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Hulu, fuboTV, Sling, Verizon Fios, WOW.

Dont have cable? You can livestream the debate on the fuboTV (free 7-day trial); NBCNews.com; MSNBC.com; and online at TheNevadaIndependent.com.

The lineup is familiar, with the notable exception of trading one billionaire for another. Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg will take the stage for the first time this cycle at the Paris Theater. Philanthropist Tom Steyer, a fixture in the race since the October debate in Westerville, Ohio, failed to reach either the polling or delegate threshold.

The candidates who qualified are:
Reminded of collapse

In taking the Fuehrer Oath, the German Army swore allegiance not to the Republic, not to the flag, not to the constitution, and not even to the office of the head of state, but to Adolf Hitler personally who had now attained absolute power over the German people. The key date was August 2, 1934.

During the short-lived post-World War I period of the democratic Weimar Republic (1919- 1934) German soldiers swore the following oath: "I will at all times loyally and honestly serve my people and country and, as a brave soldier, I will be ready at any time to stake my life for this oath."

While reading the New York Times on February 12, I was reminded of that historic collapse of post-World War I German democracy by these words of reporter Peter Baker: As far as President Trump is concerned, banishing Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman from the White House and exiling him back to the Pentagon was not enough. If he had his way, the commander in chief made clear on Tuesday, the Defense Department would now take action against the colonel, too.

Trump said: Thats going to be up to the military. But if you look at what happened, I mean theyre going to, certainly, I would imagine, take a look at that.

The theme of Bakers article may be best summarized this way: The war between Mr. Trump and what he calls the deep state has entered a new, more volatile phase as the president seeks to assert greater control over a government that he is convinced is not sufficiently loyal to him. With no need to worry about Congress now that he has been acquitted of two articles of impeachment, the president has shown a renewed willingness to act even if it prompts fresh complaints about violating traditional norms.

Is it just a traditional norm that is violated when a President ignores his sworn oath to defend the Constitution of the United States of America? Personal allegiance to the President is not what we as citizens and government employees do when we pledge our oath of allegiance.

Are our Russopublicans, led by Moscow Mitch, who fearfully huddle within the United States Senate, not bound by the same oath as the rest of us? Do they see themselves so dependent on Vladimir Putins interference in this years election that they must daily affirm their loyalty to Our Fuehrer? Is this the final result of that Citizens United Decision of 2012? The destruction of our democracy by unlimited spending during our political campaigns. Even from the Russian Federation.

George H. Waring, Butte

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It sounds wonderful, but theres one huge caveat: Youre not the only person with romantic designs on these historic metropolises. The Brandenburg Gate loses some of its luster when you cant get a photo that doesnt contain the flailing image of someone elses selfie stick. And unless youre a true morning person, seeing the long-anticipated sites can turn into interminable experiences. Time moves at a glacial pace when youre surrounded by herds of eager tourists at every landmark on your list. Iconic and instantly recognizable, the Eiffel Tower, for example attracted a formidable 6.2 million visitors in 2017. Thankfully, theres a stunning city at the heart of Europe that gets consistently overlooked.
U.S. President Donald Trump said John Rood has left his position as the top policy official at the Defense Department after just two years, the latest in a series of key departures from his administration following the Senate impeachment trial.

I would like to thank John Rood for his service to our Country, and wish him well in his future endeavors, Trump said in a tweet on February 19.

Bloomberg News reported earlier in the day, citing anonymous sources, that Rood had faced pressure to resign after officials lost confidence in his ability to carry out the presidents agenda.

Rood, who was appointed undersecretary of defense for policy in January 2018, gave Congress the green light in May to approve $250 million in security assistance to Ukraine, which is fighting Russia-backed forces in its eastern provinces.

The White House at Trumps behest blocked the aid, a decision that was at the heart of the Democrats impeachment trial of the president.

In an e-mail on July 25, Rood warned Defense Secretary Mark Esper not to withhold military aid to Ukraine, where more than 13,000 people have been killed in a six-year war.

The message was sent the same day that Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, thanked Trump during a phone conversation for U.S. military support and said his country was ready to buy more anti-tank weapons.

Trump, a Republican, responded that he would like Zelenskiy to do us a favor though and investigate Joe Biden, a political rival, and his son Hunter Biden, who worked for a Ukrainian gas company.

Democrats said Trumps investigation request amounted to a quid pro quo for military aid and launched an impeachment inquiry.

Trump was acquitted by the Senate on charges of of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress earlier this month.

The president immediately moved to oust officials who had given critical testimony during the impeachment hearings, including Lieutenant Colonel Alex Vindman, the Ukraine adviser at the National Security Council, and Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union.

With reporting by Bloomberg News and CNN
Minister of National Defence Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich had a meeting with his Lao counterpart Gen. Chansamone Chanyalath in Hanoi on February 18 within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Retreat (ADMM Retreat).

Minister of National Defence Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich (R) meets with his Lao counterpart Gen. Chansamone Chanyalath in Hanoi on February 18

Welcoming the Lao Peoples Army delegation to the ADMM Retreat held from February 18 to 20, the host said this is an important meeting that will set the directions for ASEAN defence and military cooperation for 2020 and the following years, as well as contribute to the success of the ADMM Plus.

Vietnam hopes Laos and other ASEAN members will join hands to consolidate defence  military cooperation mechanisms and build an ASEAN Community that is cohesive and responsive to external factors in line with the theme Defence cooperation for a cohesive and responsive ASEAN for 2020 chosen by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, Lich noted.

For his part, Minister Chanyalath highly valued the Vietnamese ministrys preparations for the ADMM Retreat and military  defence activities during the year the country holds the ASEAN chairmanship.

Although the ADMM Treat takes place amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Vietnam has played an active role in disease prevention so as to help participating delegation feel secure, he added.

The Lao official expressed his belief that under the chair of Vietnam in 2020, the ADMM and ADMM Plus cooperation mechanisms will continue affirming their important role in the regional security architecture.

At the meeting, the two sides shared the view that defence cooperation is always considered one of the key pillars in Vietnam-Laos relations.

They agreed to coordinate closely in directing the countries agencies and units to fully and effectively implement the protocol on defence cooperation for 2020-2024 and annual cooperation plans./. VNA

ASEAN 2020: Vietnam chairs first meeting of ACCC in 2020 Head of the Vietnams Permanent Mission to ASEAN, Ambassador Tran Duc Binh chaired the first 2020 meeting of the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC) in Indonesia on February 18.
Akufo Addo, one of Ghana's most corrupt leaders in disguise

19.02.2020 LISTEN

If any Ghanaian thinks Akufo Addo is not corrupt then the person has the brain of a child. In corruption, Akufo Addo thinks he can play smart to deceive Ghanaians but the fact is he is not clever. I will prove to you that Akufo Addo is a smooth-cunning corrupt politician Ghana has ever known.

In fact, there is no difference between him and John Mahama, they are birds of the same feathers. I am standing on my feet upright looking into the eyes of Akufo Addo, asking you today to tell Ghanaians, the reason he appointed Martin Amidu, the Special Prosecutor to investigate corruption in the country.

I am standing upright on my feet, asking Akufo Addo to tell Ghanaians, the reason he printed the 100 and 200 Ghana Cedis notes. Again, Akufo Addo, can you please, tell Ghanaians why despite many Ghanaians aren't happy about the new notes, yet the Bank of Ghana quickly released the money into circulation?

You see, Akufo Addo, everything tastes delicious in their mouths

those who don't know how to cook, the same thing applies to Ghanaians at home who have never experienced quality leadership. They cherish and admire your poor and inefficient leadership because John Mahama, the former Ghanaian leader had disappointed them.

I know what is quality and efficient leadership in Belgium, the reason I called you a failure. In Belgium, even cleaners earn between 1,300 - 1,500 Euros per month. Many have their own houses paying monthly, while some have already finished the payment between 20 to 25 years.

Again, cleaners drive good cars together with high earned salary officials because the intelligent Belgian government has created an economy in which everyone, including the low-earned workers, could fit in. You don't need to be rich before you live a normal life and you don't need to get money before going to the hospital.

And please, Mr. President, don't tell Ghanaians that since Ghana is an African country, circumstances in the country are normal because Belgium hasn't even one-tenth of the resources Ghana has. With 15 politicians, including the prime minister, Belgium's economy is one of the best in the world.

In the year 2011, all the branches of the Dexia Bank, one of the popular banks in Belgium went bankrupt. The government didnt watch them collapse.

As part of the operation to unwind the Dexia Group, Dexia Bank was bought by the Belgian Government for 4 billion EUR through its investment company SFPI. Today, Belfius Bank ranks as one of the best customer service and insurance banks in Belgium.

Akufo Addo, how many banks collapsed under your administration and how many of them did you save? You see, in life love conquers all hate and the truth is always bitter than the bile, the reason I am not afraid to speak the truth.

Your government has set a world record with over 120 ministers, that continue draining the economy of Ghana. Things are extremely tough in Ghana because your ministers lack intelligence and efficiency. They don't even know their left, let alone their right.

Your government hasn't found an answer and explanation for over 500 missing excavators seized from illegal mining sites in the country, yet as quickly as possible, you have appointed Martin Amidu to investigate Airbus corruption scandal implicating the former Ghanaian leader, John Mahama.

Does that make you a good leader? This is one of the reasons, Akufo Addo, I say, you can only convince those you have put under perpetual fear or scared of you, that you are not corrupt but not me. I can smell the odour of your corruption right here in Belgium.

In January 2018, Akufo Addo appointed Mr. Martin Amidu, the former Attorney General, as Special Prosecutor to handle and investigate corruption cases that have overflowed its banks in Ghana.

Ever since Mr. Amidu was appointed, the president himself and several NPP officials have been involved in corruption scandals, yet, this man always pretends everything is normal. He has never prosecuted anyone of which Akufo Addo is enjoying it.

Amidu's inefficiency in dealing with corrupt politicians in the country has given thousands of Ghanaians the evidence they need to understand that Akufo Addo only deceived and made the public to believe that he was to fight corruption.

Ghana is losing billons through corruption and this has direct consequences for economic growth and the price has its repercussions on consumers and ordinary people, yet you claim to fight against corruption.

Where is the fight against corruption in the country if Ghana ranks the third corrupt country in the world, according to a US News report? Reference: https://bit.ly/38cZ4QO. I will leave this question for sincere and honest Ghanaians to answer themselves.

There is no 'Oyadieyee,' on the streets of Belgium, desperate traders don't carry tubers of yam on heads to run after vehicles looking for buyers in Belgium and there are no shoe shiners roaming on the streets of Belgium.

Because of the efficient government's VDAB, the public employment service and one of the largest job sites of Belgium provides modular education and supporting training on the job for such kinds of people suffering like those in Ghana.

In fact, those who love reading my articles have already seen that someone full of hate and having sleepless nights, always leaves a filthy comment of insult whenever I post an article.

I will continue to delete them even though if you are not somebody, nobody will hate you. Yes; people hate someone for nothing. It's only a fool that will repeat posting deleted comments daily.

Both NDC and NPP are twin brothers baptized with the holy ghost of corruption, therefore, intelligent Ghanaians must concentrate on the newly formed minor political parties in the country.

One day, you'll remember that "I told you so" because Akufo Addo is equally corrupt like John Mahama, the man that Ghanaians hate so much. Time will tell, just be patient.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, arrives at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. The foreign ministers of Association of Southeast Asian Nations are meeting in Laos Thursday to discuss ways to curb the spread of the new virus infections. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

China's top diplomat arrived Wednesday in Laos for an emergency meeting with counterparts from Southeast Asian countries, which have expressed alarm over a viral outbreak that started in China.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to discuss the crisis with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations over dinner Wednesday in the Laotian capital of Vientiane then hold broader formal talks the following day. Six countries in the 10-nation bloc have confirmed cases of the new virus that causes COVID-19.

China and the United States have separately engaged the ASEAN bloc of more than 600 million people on an array of interests, from promoting trade and investment to addressing thorny security issues like the long-seething South China Sea territorial disputes.

Wang did not speak to reporters at Vientiane's airport but he and the ASEAN ministers were expected to issue a joint statement after the meeting on Thursday.

China and Southeast Asia among other regions could face deeper economic losses if travel restrictions and other drastic actions taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 drag on after being detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December.

More than 70,000 have been infected globally, with more than 2,000 deaths being reported mostly in China.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi leaves Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are meeting in Laos Thursday to discuss ways to curb the spread of the new virus infections. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

ASEAN leaders expressed "serious concerns over the outbreak" in a joint statement this week and added that the epidemic "poses severe challenges to the well-being of the peoples and the development of our respective countries and the region and the world."

They pledged to intensify "timely sharing" of information within the bloc and with China and the World Health Organization. While affirming policies of maintaining ASEAN economies and borders open, the heads of state underscored "the need to coordinate and standardize measures to ensure proper health inspection at borders and entry points of ASEAN member states."

Alarm over the contagion has prompted Malaysia to bar the transit of cruise ship passengers after an American woman from the MS Westerdam tested positive for the virus.

She was among 145 passengers who flew from Cambodia to Malaysia on Friday. The Westerdam was turned away from four Asian ports before Cambodia allowed it to dock in Sihanoukville.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrives at Wattay Airport for the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Vientiane, Laos, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Media wear face masks to protect themselves from a new virus wait China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi's arrival at Wattay Airport for the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Vientiane, Laos, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Other engagements by China and ASEAN have been affected by the outbreak.

A meeting of Chinese and ASEAN diplomats involved in negotiating a regional "code of conduct" to prevent clashes in the disputed South China Sea was postponed in Brunei early this month, according to two Southeast Asian diplomats, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to discuss the matter publicly.

China was to host a meeting with four ASEAN members located along the Mekong River but moved the talks to Laos this week due to the outbreak and sought a separate meeting with all its member states to discuss the epidemic, the two diplomats said.

Laos has not reported any infection, along with Indonesia, Brunei and Myanmar. The rest of ASEAN, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia, have had varying numbers of confirmed infections.

The first fatality outside mainland China had been in the Philippines.

 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Two 13-year-old boys are being held on manslaughter charges, accused of intentionally starting a fire that killed at least one firefighter at a Central California library, police said at a Wednesday morning news conference.

The teenagers were spotted running from the Tuesday night blaze that engulfed a large public library in Porterville, a town of 60,000 north of Bakersfield in the San Joaquin Valley, according to Porterville Police Chief Eric Krouti. They were booked in the Tulare County Jail on charges of manslaughter, conspiracy and arson.

"Because this is an active investigation involving juveniles, no further information is being released at this time," the Porterville Fire Department said in a statement.

One firefighter identified as Raymond Figueroa, 35, was killed in the blaze at the 17,784-sqaure foot city building. The fire captain began his career with the Porterville Fire department in 2007. Firefighter Patrick Jones, 25, remains unaccounted for, officials said.

On Wednesday morning, crews were putting out hot spots from the fire which was reported at about 4:15 p.m. when the 17,000-square-foot library was still open to the public. Staff called 911 when they noticed flames in the children's section of the library, city librarian Vikki Cervantes told the Visalia Times Delta.

"The outside walls of the structure are still standing, but the roof did collapse into the building," said Captain Joanne Bear with Tulare County Fire. "Were proceeding cautiously in our search."

ALSO: 75-year-old hiker found alive in Marinwood

In a Facebook post Tuesday night, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux wrote, Prayers for the Porterville City Fire Department. They have lost two brave men in a library fire this evening. The city of Porterville mourns their loss and we as a community grieve with them and their families. God bless them all.

Flames shot through the roof of the library, which is located about a block from the local fire department. More than 50 state, county and city crews helped bring the blaze under control. There were no sprinklers inside the 1953 historic building, said Bear.

Porterville sits on the eastern edge of the San Joaquin Valley, and serves as a gateway to Sequoia National Forest on State Route 190.

The cause of the fire and the death of the firefighter are under investigation.

Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.
Central Shia Waqf Board chief Wasim Rizvi on Wednesday expressed hope that a date for the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya would be finalised in the first meeting of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust being held today.

"There is a hope that at the end of the first meeting, we will have a date for the construction of the temple. We will be able to see the construction of a grand Ram temple at his birthplace in Ayodhya," Rizvi told ANI.

"The structure at the site was made by Mir Baqi who followed Shia faith. In actuality, the land should have been given to the Shia community. But we are happy with the decision that the land was given to Sunni community as it was an evil act committed by Mir Baqi," he added.

He advised the Sunni Waqf Board to build an educational institution at the land granted to it by the government.

"The Sunni Waqf Board should act wisely and should not go into any other dispute. They should use this land to construct an educational institute where students of any religion can get an education rather than constructing a mosque or a madrasa there. They should forget what happened in the past," he said.

In a related development BJP MLA from Telangana Raja Singh also hoped that the date of laying the foundation stone of Ram temple will be decided in the first meeting of the trust.

"The construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya was the dream of every devotee of Lord Ram. I am happy that the judgment of the Supreme Court was in favour of the 'Ram-bhakts'," Singh told ANI.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have formed a very capable committee. There will be the first meeting of this committee today. There is a hope that the date of laying the foundation stone of the temple will be decided today. The devotees from Telangana will help in the construction of Ram temple like the 'Vaanar Sena'," he added.

The 15-member Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, mandated by the central government to oversee the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, was scheduled to hold its first meeting on Wednesday evening in New Delhi.

It is set to finalise "muhurat" for beginning construction and transparent mode for collection of funds apart from discussing the future course of action.

The Trust notified by the government has its office in Greater Kailash in New Delhi which is also the address of advocate K Parasaran, who had represented Ram Lalla in the decades-old dispute.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Helena Cobban

February 18, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The New York Times continues its lengthy tradition of covering the story of Idlib as if it were one only of a humanitarian crisis brought about by the Syrian government (which they call a regime), and its allies. In yet another lengthy, expensive, lavishly illustrated story about Idlib, the NYT once again failed to make any mention of the politics of what is happening in that enclave of northwestern Syria namely, the fact that well-armed jihadist/takfiri fighters from all around the world have controlled it for the past several years, while Syrias government forces have been battling to regain control.

In that latest article, as in all of the lengthy, one-sided tearjerkers it has published about Idlib over the past year, the NYT has no actual journalists or photographers on the ground reporting the story. It is wholly reliant instead on stories and footage it gathers from unverifiable sources inside the enclave sources who notably never include any mention of the jihadi armed groups that control all aspects of life there.

For those who want to understand the politics of the situation in Idlib, I heartily recommend this well-informed article by Turkish journalist Fehim Tastekin. Turkey, of course, is a key actor regarding Idlib since it totally controls all passage of people, arms, and other goods in and and out of the enclave.

Tastekin writes this about Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the jihadi group that exerts the greatest amount of control within Idlib:

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has lost nothing of its jihadi core that seeks a state based on Sharia law. Moreover, since the Sochi deal between Turkey and Russia, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has come to control 90% of Idlib, displacing factions that Ankara had incorporated into the Astana process. The group will not lose its jihadi character even if it rebrands itself again Even some of the groups treated as more reasonable because of Turkeys support have adopted the Islamic State flag as a symbol on their arm badges.

(See the photo above of an IS-flag-wearing fighter operating in the Idlib enclave. It is taken from the HTS-supporting Ebaa News website.)

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In related news, the UNs Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, Mark Lowcock, today issued a statement noting that,

The crisis in northwest Syria has reached a horrifying new level.

We now believe 900,000 people have been displaced since 1 December, the vast majority women and children.

Some news outlets have exaggerated what Lowcock said, quoting him as describing the humanitarian crisis in Idlib as the biggest humanitarian horror story of the 21st Century. However, here is what he actually said:

The biggest humanitarian horror story of the 21st Century will only be avoided if Security Council members, and those with influence, overcome individual interests and put a collective stake in humanity first. The only option is a ceasefire.

His call for a ceasefire is notable; and it is certainly to be hoped that all the governments with influence regarding the Idlib situationthat is, Syria, Turkey, and Russia can speedily conclude such a ceasefire. The issue of what to do about HTS and other takfiri/jihadis who still remain in control in the enclave will, however, have to addressed head-on. Under the Sochi agreement that those three governments concluded in September 2018, Turkey undertook to disarm and demobilize the jihadis in Idlib. It has not done so. Instead, until now, it has continued to arm and support them.

Fehim Tastekins article (all of which is well worth reading) indicates there is a possibility Ankara might now move against the takfiris. Let us hope so!
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 22:40:31|Editor: huaxia

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on Feb. 19, 2020. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday vowed to launch an operation into the Idlib province of Syria if the Syrian government does not retreat by the end of February. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

ANKARA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday vowed to launch an operation into the Idlib province of Syria if the Syrian government does not retreat by the end of February.

"We are counting down and making our final warnings ... An operation in Idlib is imminent," the president said while addressing his party's members at the parliament.

Erdogan said that talks between Turkish and Russian delegations in Moscow, aiming for a diplomatic solution to calm down tension in Idlib, did not yield consensus, but the two countries will continue discussions.

"Unfortunately, we couldn't reach the desired result. Although we will continue discussions, our views are far from each other," he added.

Turkey and Russia have been holding discussions to reach a consensus for ease the escalation of tension in Idlib.

Tensions in the region have escalated after Turkey claimed that Syrian government's attacks in Idlib killed 13 Turkish military personnel.

Turkey urges Russia to convince Damascus to retreat to the lines agreed in the Sochi deal previously brokered by Ankara and Moscow.

Turkey and Russia signed the Sochi deal on Sept. 17, 2018, based on which both sides agreed to set up a demilitarized zone in Idlib.

Turkey rejected the proposed documents and maps by Russia, Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin told reporters late Tuesday.

He stressed that some arguments of Russian officials "do not reflect the reality."

"We observe that there are some remarks like 'The map (of Syria) needs to be redrawn considering the changing conditions.' I would like to correct this point here. First, the changing conditions are imposed conditions, not the realities of the field," Kalin said.
The first Saturday of the month, Old Town Helotes gets lively with a market that features more than 200 vendors and about 15 food booths selling goods to the masses from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. off Bandera Road.

Among the food available is Korean-inspired tacos from a booth called Chincharo Taco, owned by the husband-and-wife team of Blake and Marla Ferguson.

The menu is simple and straightforward: patrons can choose among beef bulgogi, dabbalbi chicken and goshuang pork tacos served on corn tortillas with an Asian salad for $3.50 each or mix-and-match three for $10. Chincharo also features to-go kimchi ($8 for 16 ounces or $15 for 32 ounces) made with daikon radish, cauliflower, cucumber, cabbage, garlic, Korean spices and soy pickled jalapenos.

As an add-on, customers can top any of his tacos with a fried egg for an additional $1.

On ExpressNews.com: 4 easy recipes for Instant Pot breakfast tacos

We met in the food business, and this was something that we both set out to do, Marla Ferguson said. (Blake) is the cook, and Im more of the front-of-house presence. At some point, our goal is to increase our service dates and maybe even get into a full-time restaurant space.

Blake Ferguson, who is an active member of the Air Force, has been cooking Korean food for 20 years. All of his menu options include imported Korean ingredients.

March 7 is the next opportunity to get your hands on the tacos and kimchi at 14391 Old Bandera Road in Helotes. Chincharo Taco can be found on Facebook at @ChincharoTacos.

Chuck Blount is a food writer and columnist covering all things grilled and smoked in the San Antonio area. Find his Chuck's Food Shack columns on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com, or read his other coverage on our free site, mySA.com. | cblount@express-news.net | Twitter: @chuck_blount | Instagram: @bbqdiver
LAS VEGAS  Hours before taking the debate stage on the Strip, top 2020 Democrats joined picketing union members outside the Palms Casino Resort.

Of the six candidates slated to debate Wednesday night, four marched in solidarity with labor workers to protest Stations Casinos: Former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren pickets with Culinary Union workers outside The Palms in Las Vegas on Feb. 18, 2020.

San Francisco-based hedge fund tycoon Tom Steyer, a popular candidate among some Nevada voters, also paid a visit to the picket line.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg did not attend the picket.

Culinary Union workers picket outside The Palms in Las Vegas on Feb. 18, 2020.

Workers at the Stations Casinos and the Palms have voted to unionize but they have yet to secure contracts and are working without them. Billionaires Frank and Lorenzo Fertitt own Stations and are strong supporters of President Donald Trump.

Together, candidates and red-shirted union workers chanted, "No justice, no peace!" and carried signs reading "No Contracts, No Peace!"

Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg pickets with Culinary Union workers outside The Palms in Las Vegas on Feb. 18, 2020.

Contributing: Associated Press.

This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette-Journal: Nevada debate: 2020 Democrats join picketing Culinary Union
(Alliance News) - Predator Oil & Gas Holdings PLC said Wednesday it is exercising rig option with Star Valley Drilling Ltd to take up the drilling rig to the Guercif permits I,II,III and IV, onshore Morocco.

Predator owns 75% and operates the Guercif permit in a joint venture with the Moroccan government oil & mines department, the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines, which owns 25%.

The jersey-based oil & gas company said rig mobilisation can occur within a window starting March 15 and ending April 30.

Star Valley Drilling is currently undertaking an extensive drilling programme for SDX Energy PLC in the Rharb basin, west of the Guercif, Morocco, using its rig No101, the company noted.

Predator had signed a preliminary agreement to secure a rig for undertaking drilling at the Guercif permit back in December 2019. The rig option was valid until January 31 and allowed for negotiation and execution of a legally binding rig contract, Predator said.

Chief Executive Officer Paul Griffiths said: "The company is excited to be taking another major step towards executing its Guercif drilling plans by exercising our option to take up the drilling rig.

"The high proportion of commercial gas discoveries recently announced by SDX Energy in the geologically similar Rharb basin demonstrates the attractiveness of the company's investment case for the potentially larger drilling targets at Guercif."

Predator shares were trading 1.8% lower in London at 4.18 pence each on Wednesday.

By Loreta Juodagalvyte; loretajuodagalvyte@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
As Republican president Donald Trump seeks a second term in November, Americans' interest in voting is growing faster in large cities dominated by Democrats than in conservative rural areas, according to an analysis of Reuters/Ipsos national opinion polls.

If the trend lasts until election day on 3 November, it would be a reversal from the 2016 election when rural turnout outpaced voting in urban areas, helping Mr Trump narrowly win the White House.

The finding, based on responses from more than 88,000 US adults who took the online poll from August to December 2015 or from August to December 2019, suggests that the "Blue Wave", a swell of anti-Trump activism that followed his entry into the White House in 2017, is still rolling across the country's largest population centres.

Even as Mr Trump commands rock-solid support among Republicans, voters' interest in going to the polls appears to be growing faster among those who disapprove of Mr Trump than among those who approve of him, according to experts who reviewed the data.

The advantage in urban political engagement extends deep into the most competitive battleground states that Mr Trump won by razor-thin margins four years ago, the data shows.

Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Show all 18 1 /18 Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Jessica Canicosa, a precinct captain for Bernie Sanders, waits to greet caucus voters at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Hotel workers at the Bellagio in Las Vegas get to grips with voting papers during the Nevada caucuses AFP via Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A caricature of Bernie Sanders is projected on to a tree during a rally in Las Vegas EPA Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A woman waits to have a photo taken with Elizabeth Warren during a town hall meeting in Las Vegas REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures The threat of coronavirus and other germ-borne illnesses was on some voters' minds at the Democratic caucuses in Henderson, Nevada Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Former vice-president Joe Biden takes a selfie with a voter in Las Vegas ahead of the Nevada caucuses REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Amy Klobuchar changes her shoes backstage after giving a speech in Exeter, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A warmly-wrapped-up dog attends an Elizabeth Warren event at Amherst Elementary School in Nashua, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Bernie Sanders, who romped to victory in New Hampshire against Hillary Clinton in 2016, talks to the media in Manchester Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden was hoping to improve on his poor showing in Iowa in the New Hampshire primary Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren, renowned for giving time to supporters for selfies, works the crowd at the University of New Hampshire in Durham Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden takes a selfie with a supporter and his child outside a campaign event in Somersworth, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders quarrel after a confrontation in a TV debate in which Sanders claimed that Warren was not telling the truth about a conversation in which she claimed he had said a woman could not win the presidency on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Supporter Pat Provencher listens to Pete Buttigieg in Laconia, New Hampshire on 4 February Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire while awaiting the results of the Iowa caucus Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren is presented with a balloon effigy of herself at a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A Trump supporter rides past a rally for Amy Klobuchar in Des Moines, Iowa on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A man holds up a sign criticising billionaires in the presidential race in front of Michael Bloomberg in Compton, Califronia. The former New York mayor skipped the first caucus in Iowa and instead campaigned in California on 3 February Reuters

In large urban areas of the upper midwest, a region that includes swing states Michigan and Wisconsin, for example, the number of people who said they were "certain" to vote in the upcoming presidential election rose by 10 percentage points to 67 per cent compared with survey responses from 2015.

In smaller upper midwest communities, the number of people similarly dedicated to voting rose by only about 1 point to 60 per cent in that same four-year period.

Overall, the number of "certain" voters rose by 7 percentage points nationally from 2015 to 2019. It increased by more than that in the largest metropolitan areas, rising by 9 points in communities with between 1 million and 5 million people and 8 points in metropolitan areas with at least 5 million people.

Smaller and rural communities lagged behind. The number of "certain" voters rose by 5 points in sparsely populated, Republican-dominated "non-metro" areas.

The rise in urban political engagement helped Democrats win political victories last year, including elections of governors in conservative-leaning Kentucky and Louisiana.

Recommended Democrats should beware trying to distract Trump from the election

It may have also contributed to elevated voting levels in some of the more heavily populated communities and college towns in Iowa and New Hampshire, which held their presidential nominating contests earlier this month.

"Democrats are very angry," said Nicholas Valentino, a political scientist at the University of Michigan, who reviewed some of the poll findings for Reuters.

"Many see this administration as an existential threat to the constitutional order. They're standing ready to participate to try to change the course of this country."

There is still a lot that could happen this year to change the public's interest in voting.

"Republicans are fired up as well" after the Democratic-led House of Representatives tried to remove Mr Trump through impeachment, said Bryon Allen, chief research officer at WPA Intelligence, a conservative political consulting firm that works with dozens of Republican congressional candidates.

In last week's New Hampshire Republican primary, 151,011 people showed up to support Mr Trump even though he had no significant competition, a turnout that easily surpassed the number who participated in previous primaries when former presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton sought re-election.

"Democrats can't just assume that if they drive up turnout in the suburbs that they'll win," said Joe Lenski, co-founder of exit polling firm Edison Research. "Trump can drive up turnout in small towns and rural areas to counteract that."

(Reuters (Reuters)

While voting has been higher this year in Democratic presidential nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, experts say at least some of that is due to population growth.

Michael McDonald, a University of Florida political scientist who studies voter turnout, said a lot of Democrats also may be sitting out the primaries "because they don't see a lot of distinction between these candidates".

When Mr Trump gets on the ballot in November, Mr McDonald said: "There will be much sharper interest in voting."

By election day, Mr McDonald expects as many as two-thirds of the voting-age population may cast ballots, a record level of participation for a US presidential election.

That would be up from 60.1 per cent turnout among eligible voters in 2016, and it would surpass a generational high point of 63.8 per cent turnout recorded in 1960, according to Mr McDonald's US Elections Project.

Mary Lou Seamon of Knoxville, Tennessee, will be one of millions who expect to take part after sitting out the last election. The retired social services worker said none of the candidates, especially Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, excited her four years ago.

Ms Seamon admired Mr Trump, at least initially, for his experience as a businessman. But her opinions soured once Mr Trump took office and she became determined to vote him out around the time Mr Trump attacked former senator John McCain after the death of the former war hero in 2018.

On election day, Ms Seamon will vote for any Democrat, no matter who wins the nomination.

"I just want to beat Trump."

The Reuters/Ipsos poll, which is conducted online and administered throughout the United States, started asking American adults in 2012 to rate their overall level of interest in voting in upcoming general elections.

Poll respondents were asked to rate their level of engagement on a scale of one to 10, with one meaning they were certain not to vote and 10 meaning they were certain to participate.

It gathered 53,394 responses in the last five months of 2015 and 35,271 responses in the same part of 2019.

Using the zip codes provided by the respondents, Ipsos split the survey by the population size of the community that people lived in. Both regionally and nationally, the analysis showed, political engagement increased the most from 2015 to 2019 in large urban areas and the least in non-metropolitan areas.

It was the same when grouping just those states where the margin of victory is expected be closest this year.

In a region formed of "battleground" states including Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Arizona and Colorado, the number of "certain" voters rose by 9 percentage points in large metropolitan areas that have a population of at least 5 million, and 8 points in areas with 1 to 5 million, while it rose by 4 points in smaller, non-metropolitan areas.

(Reuters (Reuters)

Here are the results across different regions of the United States:

(Reuters (Reuters)

Among those living in the upper midwest, a region that includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, the poll found a jump in political engagement in some of the same urban areas where Democrats fell short in 2016.

Altogether, 67 per cent of people living in metropolitan areas of at least 1 million people rated themselves as a "10"or "certain to vote" in the 2019 poll. That is up by about 10 percentage points from 2015.

In comparison, 63 per cent of those who lived in smaller communities of less than 1 million rated themselves as similarly certain to vote, which is up 2 points from 2015.

Mr Trump won Michigan and Wisconsin by less than 40,000 votes combined, in part because of depressed turnout in Wayne County, Michigan, and Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin.

(Reuters (Reuters)

In the southeast, voter engagement is surging in large metropolitan areas like Miami-Dade in South Florida and Atlanta where Democrats outnumber Republicans by double-digit margins.

In 2019, about 60 per cent said they were certain to vote in the presidential election, up 8 points from 2015. In metropolitan areas with less than 1 million people, 64 per cent said they were certain to vote, up by 7 points. In smaller non-metropolitan areas, the number of people who were locked in on voting rose by 6 points from 2015 to 60 per cent.

(Reuters (Reuters)

The poll found that 65 per cent of residents in the Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake City and other big southwestern metropolitan areas planned to vote in the upcoming election. That is up by 9 percentage points from 2015. Political engagement rose by nearly the same amount in smaller metropolitan areas, but it was unchanged in rural areas of the southwest.

The presidential race may be especially competitive this year in Arizona and Colorado. Mr Trump is expected to win Utah, and New Mexico is considered a reliably safe state for Democrats.

Reuters
Raipur, Feb 19 : Amid increasing mobilisation of Maoists in Chhattigarh, sources said that the Maoists might plan a big attack during various fairs organised in the state in February and March.

Sources said that the police received information about increasing mobilisation of Maoists in areas such as Dantewada, Narayanpur where they have started a tactical counter offensive campaign so as to plan for a big attack. They have even set up some camps in far-flung areas.

While talking to IANS, Inspector General of Police P. Sundar Raj said, "Maoists usually run a tactical counter offensive campaign to attack the police forces during summer. As of now, we don't have proper information, yet we are alert and keeping an eye on various fairs being organised." Security has been beefed up at the 3-day 'Mavli fair' of Abujhmadia tribes started from Wednesday in Narayanpur, where around 1,000 people participate and several public representatives are also expected to turn up.

Sources said in view of the increase in Maoist activities, extra security has been deployed at crowded places and frisking as well as patrolling have been increased.

On May 25, 2013, a convoy of Congress leaders was attacked by Maoists in the Jhiram valley area in which 32 people, including several Congress leaders and Mahendra Karma were killed. The Maoists had been targeting Karma's family constantly. A fair was going on in Karma's hometown Farsapal and a large number of tourists were present.

Security for Karma's family has also been beefed up.

Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava told IANS, "The police are always vigilant about the mela etc. as the public representatives are attending these events. As of now, they have not received any information about any Maoist campaign." As per government reports, 166 incidents of Maoist-police encounters were reported in 2018 whereas in 2019, 112 incidents were reported.

Thus, a decrease of 32.53 per cent was registered. In the encounters, 124 Maoists were killed in 2018 and 77 in 2019.

In various Maoist attacks, 89 civilians died in 2018 and 46 in 2019. The number of civilian casualties decreased by 48.31 per cent. Similarly in 2019, a total of 19 policemen were martyred, while in 2018 the figure was 53.

The state witnessed a 46.75 per cent downfall in incidents of IED blasts as 77 incidents were reported in 2018, compared to 41 incidents 2019.
COLUMBIA, S.C. - In a billionaire-to-billionaire media matchup, Tom Steyer is taking on Mike Bloomberg in a multimillion-dollar Super Tuesday ad buy, accusing the former New York City mayor of racist policies including redlining and the controversial stop-and-frisk tactic.

The 60-second spot is a seven-figure buy that launches Monday in the states that vote on March 3. It pulls from 2008 video of the then-mayor describing a discriminatory housing practice known as redlining, the elimination of which he has said instigated the financial meltdown.

Congress and other elected officials intervened, saying, Oh, thats not fair. People should be able to get credit, Bloomberg says in the ad video.

The term redlining comes from the red lines that those in the financial industry would draw on a map to denote areas deemed ineligible for credit, frequently based on race.

The move by the Steyer campaign is an attempt to land a direct hit on Bloomberg in the first states in which hell be competing. Bloomberg skipped the early voting states in an unconventional campaign approach that instead focuses on the Super Tuesday states. Flooding the airwaves with hundreds of millions of dollars in ads, Bloomberg has spent recent days courting black voters whose support will be crucial to winning the Democratic nomination. He took a campaign swing through the South last week.

The Bloomberg campaign didnt immediately comment on the ad buy.

The spot also carries audio that surfaced last week from a 2015 Aspen Institute appearance, at which Bloomberg made an overall defence of his support for the stop-and-frisk policing tactic that has been found to disproportionately affect minorities.

They are male, minorities, 16 to 25, Bloomberg is heard saying, adding that you can just take the description, Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops.

Those policies were racist, and Mike Bloomberg was wrong to support them, a narrator says, then spins to a positive spot highlighting Steyer as a president for all of America and promoting his focus on social, economic and climate justice.

Bloomberg launched his presidential bid late last year with an apology for his support for stop and frisk. On redlining, a campaign spokesman said last week that Bloomberg attacked predatory lending as mayor and, if elected president, has a plan to help a million more Black families buy a house, and counteract the effects of redlining and the subprime mortgage crisis.

Steyer, too, has saturated states throughout the country with ads for months, but has focused primarily on the need to oust President Donald Trump from office. He has focused much of his effort in Nevada and South Carolina on issues he sees as crucial to nonwhite voters. Steyer has also maintained a presence in the Super Tuesday states, with online and broadcast advertising.

Despite his focus on Nevada, however, Steyer didnt qualify to make the debate stage there Wednesday night  the first one to feature Bloomberg.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP

___

Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game.
Monitors display SmileDirectClub Inc. signage during the company's initial public offering (IPO) at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York, U.S., on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019.

The California disciplinary process underway against dentist Jeffrey A. Sulitzer, SmileDirectClub's chief clinical officer, is the latest threat facing the high-flying teledentistry firm, which promises to straighten Americans' teeth without a visit to an orthodontists office for costly treatment.

The top dentist and public face of SmileDirectClub is at risk of losing his California license following a two-year state dental board investigation, records reviewed by Reuters show.

SmileDirectClub sells clear plastic dental aligners prescribed by doctors who review digital images of customers' teeth online and oversee treatment from afar. According to the company's website, Dr. Sulitzer leads all SmileDirectClubs licensed dentists and orthodontists, a network it says includes 250 medical professionals.

In a formal 24-page complaint filed by the office of Californias Attorney General and prepared by the state dental boards executive officer, Sulitzer is accused of violating state law, defrauding state dental regulators and acting with gross negligence toward patients while helping SmileDirectClub grow its business.

See the California disciplinary accusation: here

The document cites nine different causes for discipline. For instance, it alleges Sulitzer committed fraud when applying to operate dental offices in California and assuming liability for services offered to patients. In fact, the complaint says, the locations were controlled by SmileDirectClub, which isn't licensed to practice dentistry in the state and requires customers to sign liability waivers before getting treatment.

It accuses Sulitzer of aiding and abetting the company in the unlicensed practice of dentistry and seeks the revocation or suspension of his 16-year-old California dental license.

Asked by Reuters about the California disciplinary process against its lead dentist, the company declined to make Sulitzer or other company representatives available for an interview on Tuesday.

J. Erik Connolly, the company's external litigation counsel in Chicago, wrote in an email that the accusations against Sulitzer are factually inaccurate, and will be proven false in the course of the process.

Connolly accused California Dental Board members of using the disciplinary process as a retaliatory measure, after SmileDirectClub and Sulitzer sued them last year for allegedly engaging in an illegal investigation and anti-competitive campaign against the company.

SmileDirectClub does not engage in the practice of dentistry as the California accusation asserts, Connolly wrote, calling the complaint against Sulitzer a farce.

In a separate press release Tuesday, the company noted that Floridas dental board had closed its own investigation into SmileDirectClubs business last month, and said it was the 18th U.S. state to reject unevidenced complaints about the company.

The company says its teledentistry platform connects customers with independent doctors who can approve and oversee aligner treatment. It is the state-licensed dentists who are responsible for all aspects of clinical care, the release said.

Californias Department of Consumer Affairs told Reuters the complaint against Sulitzer filed in Sacramento on November 12 is expected to lead to a formal disciplinary hearing by the state's Office of Administrative Hearings, which has yet to schedule it. Attorney General Xavier Becerra's office, which represents the department and the dental board, declined to comment.

Nashville-based SmileDirectClub says its $1,895 direct-to-consumer aligners cost 60% less than traditional braces. The company's $5 billion market capitalization is one sign Wall Street sees it as an industry-disruptive force.

Yet regulators and dental trade groups have questioned the safety of a SmileDirectClub process that doesn't require doctors who prescribe its aligners to conduct oral examinations on patients before treatment.

U.S. customers begin with an interview and digital dental scan at one of the company's nearly 380 Smile Shops nationwide, or by sending the company a dental impression kit. Later, a SmileDirectClub-affiliated dentist or orthodontist can review a patient's information and dental images online and approve aligner treatment when appropriate. The company's website quotes Sulitzer as saying its customers receive the same level of care as patients who visit traditional orthodontists.

A Reuters review found nearly 60 complaints about SmileDirectClubs aligners to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from clinicians or customers, some alleging negative outcomes including loose or lost teeth, jaw pain, bite misalignments, and the need for costly follow-up treatment.

Connolly, SmileDirectClub's lawyer, said the complaints account for a small fraction of the 750,000 patients who've been treated with its aligners. That treatment, he said, is as safe or safer than the treatment received by traditional brick-and-mortar dentistry, he wrote.

SmileDirectClub has attributed much of the criticism to a U.S. dental lobby intent on derailing its success. Its website features thousands of positive customer reviews, and the company says less than 1% of its customers have had any clinical concerns during treatment.
He has a disarming charm that calms anyone he engages. He is down to earth, assertive and jolly witty. That was my first impression of Tommy Annan Forson. Last Thursday was world radio day and there was, undoubtedly, no other personality, within the press fraternity, more qualified to speak about the history of radio in Ghana than Mr Annan Forson. It was an absolute honour to have him grace our studio for an hour-long interview on Straight Talk, Class 91.3FM.

His story is unorthodox. He had no formal media training. In fact, he did not attend sixth form, neither did he receive a university education. Tommys entry into radio was purely by chance. His life revolved around that little wireless device he listened to fervently. And one fine day, he found a radio show so fascinating that it led him to the headquarters of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), where he met with the anchor. He left with a life-changing opportunity to become a journalist. That was the beginning of a legendary career. Tommy admits he didnt earn a place at the state-owned broadcasting corporation by virtue of academic competence but solely based on exceptional talent and enormous potential.

Journalism in an era of military rule.

Seated comfortably, exuding grace, Tommy recounted sombre days as a journalist during the era of military rule. He was going about his regular duties on a normal day at work when, suddenly, the military began to open fire from every direction  shooting through the glass straight into the studio, through the bathroom windows  everywhere! A coup was in motion and Tommy was at the heart of it.

He, along with an elite staff of journalists, administered the voice of the Republic and were the gatekeepers of the most influential democratic institution in Ghana  the fourth estate. The GBC staff, at gun point, against their wishes, had allowed a previous set of armed officers to broadcast a coup declaration which was replayed every thirty minutes.

Fortunately, one of the staff, during the ambush, broke through the steels of fear that imprisoned the entire press fraternity and began shouting we are staff!. He then brought out his ID card and they were commanded to come out of their hiding places. Luckily, the bullets didnt hit anyone. Tommy, together with his colleagues, were lined up against the wall. The instruction from an officer, speaking through a walkie-talkie to the hearing of the journalists, was shoot them!.

That was when I realised your soul can leave the body, seek permission from Jesus Christ if theres space up there, and then if there isnt, return, Tommy said light-heartedly.

Fortunately, the walkie-talkies were all connected to one frequency and Captain Courage E. K. Quashigah, the commanding officer, ordered the armed officers to desist from murdering the journalists. Stand down, theyre only civilians, Quashigah yelled. Tommy and his fellow journalists were held captive at the GBC headquarters for a few more days, snacking on biscuits, quaffing beer and eating kenkey.

For the next few months, GBC remained under the watchful eye of the revolutionaries. Flight Lieutenant Rawlings once called and instructed that a personality should be taken off the airwaves for speaking in an American accent. Western music was also generally frowned upon and the GBC were ordered to play African music as often as possible.

Workers who arrived at the premises of GBC, with vehicles, had to flash their car lights a certain number of times to indicate that they were staff. Sometimes, they were given a password that was used as a mode of recognition to identify staff. I had to go home memorising a password because once youre not able to respond with a correct code, youre in trouble Tommy said.

There was a day Tommy arrived at work at a time a guard stationed at the main gate was leaving post. It was the rule for an armed officer to offload bullets from his/her rifle, put it in the air and fire to prove it was empty. The guard, assuming the rifle was empty, pointed it at Tommy and shot. There happened to be a bullet in the rifle that missed his ear by a whisker. I just dropped my records. I didnt know where I was walking to but the next thing, I knew I was home. Tommy said. He still looked terrified narrating the incident.

Tommy Annan Forson left the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation after 16 years of service.

Authored by V. L. K. Djokoto


Zombie Federal Programs That Congress Hasnt Authorized in Years Cost Taxpayers $332 Billion

WASHINGTONHundreds of billions of federal tax dollars will be spent this year on programs with expired legislative authorizations  including thousands from a law passed in 1985  according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), but Congress appears to be in no hurry to fix the problem.

The CBO report  which was made public recently by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.)  found tax dollars will be spent in 2020 on at least 1,046 expired authorizations on programs under 272 laws approved by Congress and signed by the President.

CBO has identified $332 billion in appropriations contained in 2020 appropriation legislation that can be attributed to those expired authorizations$233 billion for those authorizations with specified amounts and $99 billion for indefinite authorizations, the report said.

Congressional appropriations set program funds each year. Prior congressional authorizations define a programs purpose and resources to achieve that purpose. Authorizations typically are for one to five years and must then be renewed.

The CBO was first ordered by Congress in the Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to prepare an annual report on unauthorized spending.

It is time for Congress to take a close look at what we are actually funding, Enzi said in a statement accompanying release of the CBO report.

Lawmakers should review and authorize programs and activities before they fund them. This could help improve government programs that are not delivering results, including by reconsidering a programs purpose and imposing some accountability, Enzi said.

Spending Rules Ignored

The core problem, according to Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) President Tom Schatz, is Congress often ignores its own spending rules.

It requires the authorizing committees to do their basic job to determine which programs should be allowed to continue and which ones need to be modified or consolidated or terminated, and they are not doing that job, Schatz told The Epoch Times Wednesday.

Whole departments havent been authorized, so technically they are not allowed to operate but what the appropriations committee does is it simply says, were going to waive the fact they have to be authorized and allow the programs to keep going, Schatz explained.

It doesnt allow for much to be done to modernize or update anything, and thats part of the reason why the executive branch takes control of a lot of things and tries to do things with regulations and guidance and everything else because they dont get the proper instructions from Congress, he said.

Heritage Senior Analyst Justin Bogie agreed, saying, technically, Congress cant appropriate funds to unauthorized programs. However, the rules that prohibit it are weak and almost always ignored. They are enforced through a budget point of order, which can easily be waived. This is often done in the rule for a House appropriations bill and a simple majority vote in the Senate.

When the budget process is ignored, it inevitably leads to the continuation of ineffective programs and wasteful spending, making taxpayers the real losers, Bogie said.

Default to Continued Spending

As a result, continued spending on a program too easily becomes a default position for Congress, according to Elizabeth Hempowicz, Project on Government Oversights Director of Public Policy (POGO).

The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) has not been authorized right now for years, but money continues to be appropriated to keep the agency running, Hempowicz told The Epoch Times. The MSPBs job is protecting merit-based hiring in the civil service.

So, theres this idea that authorizing statutes are optional now because in many ways Congress has slowed down to this trickle of legislation and most of them are spending bills. As long as they are appropriating, they can pat themselves on the back for doing their jobs, she said.

The International Security and Development Cooperation Act of 1985 was the oldest of 15 laws, with 6,887 distinct unauthorized appropriations in the 2020 federal budget. Next was the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992, with more than 5,500.

Topping the CBO list was the Veterans Healthcare Eligibility Reform Act of 1996, with 82,586 distinct unauthorized appropriations, followed by the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998, with 31,293.

Taxpayers Protection Alliance President David Williams told The Epoch Times Congress should defund any program that has lapsed authorization. And if there is a justification for a program with lapsed authorization, the agency needs to make the case to have it reauthorized and not just have the program on spending auto pilot.

Enzi is not the only member of Congress concerned about tax dollars going to unauthorized programs. Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-Wash.) has repeatedly introduced legislation establishing a three-year timetable for either re-authorizing or ending programs.

For too long, hundreds of billions of dollars of federal spending has been on autopilot. By eliminating unauthorized spending, we can ensure every dollar of taxpayer spending is properly reviewed by the peoples representatives in Congress, McMorris-Rodgers told The Epoch Times.

We have a fiscal crisis in America today, and I encourage the Democratic leadership in the House to advance my Unauthorized Spending Accountability Act so we can put an end to zombie government programs, she said. No Democrats are co-sponsoring her bill.

Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) told The Epoch Times the way to stop this from happening is to go through the budget-making process, but Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats were so busy trying to impeach Trump last year that they forgot to write a budget.

Banks added that my colleagues and I on the Republican Study Committee (RSC) introduced a budget last yearthe only budget introduced in Congress in 2019that would balance our budget in six years.

Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc
Japanese Defence Minister Taro Kono on Wednesday hailed his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh for being one of the most followed defence ministers in the world on Twitter.

Singh currently has a following of over 15 million, while Kono has a following of 1.2 million on Twitter. Singh thanked Kono for the compliment.

India and Japan share close defence ties and last November held their inaugural foreign and defence ministerial dialogue with an aim to give further momentum to their special strategic partnership.

Defence Minister Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had led the Indian delegation, while the Japanese side was headed by Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Kono at the dialogue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After a con man swindled her out of nearly $18,000 in savings last year, 95-year-old Barbara Hinckley figured she would never be able to replace what she lost.

When I realized I'd been scammed, I kept telling myself that I was stupid to have fallen for it, said Hinckley, who lives in Auburn, Maine. In the end, all I had left in my account was $8.75. My goodness, I should have known better. It was a nightmare."

Hinckley considers herself lucky, though. Thanks to the kindness of friends, neighbors, and strangers who rallied and held a spaghetti dinner earlier this month to replace her lost savings, her account was boosted by $18,000. A grateful Hinckley has a message for others who fall victim to scam artists: Dont be embarrassed or ashamed  tell somebody, she said. By talking about it, you might help prevent it from happening to somebody else.

Hinckley still drives, and, until recently, she made regular trips to the gym. She has lived on her own for the last four decades.

I never dreamed that something like this would happen to me, she said.

For the last 15 years, she had entered the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes, she said, hoping someday she might hit the jackpot and get a phone call telling her she was the grand-prize winner.

On July 9, Hinckley was elated to pick up her phone and hear a man identify himself as Dave Sayer with the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol. He told Hinckley that she had won second place in the sweepstakes, entitling her to $2.5 million and a luxury Mercedes sedan.

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I was thrilled; it all seemed very real, Hinckley said. He sounded educated, and he had a nice voice. He said there were some procedures that needed to be followed to get me my money and that hed be back in touch. He also told me not to tell anybody that I was the winner until Id been awarded my money."

Sayer  the con man used the name of the real prize announcer  began calling Hinckley regularly, she said, and, after the fourth call, he told her there were some fees associated with her prize winnings.

Because they were based in New York, he said that authorization needed to happen in Maine before I received my money, and there were fees with that, Hinckley recalled. He told me to simply keep track of my receipts and Id eventually be reimbursed for the fees. He made it all sound very logical."

Soon, the man was calling six or seven times a day to check on her health, ask what she had for dinner, and make sure she had taken her medication, Hinckley said.

He was very clever. He acted like he genuinely cared, she said. Hed assure me that Id be getting my check soon. But there was usually another fee of some kind.

A few hundred here, a couple thousand there, and it wasnt long before her life savings was depleted.

Finally, in September, when her grandson realized something was up, Hinckley contacted authorities, but it was too late.

I just wasnt up on what to look for and that made me vulnerable to a scammer, she said. I didnt see the red flags, and I was very disappointed in myself."

Hoping to help other seniors, Hinckley decided to go public with her story and gave an interview to a reporter for the Lewiston Sun Journal. People were outraged by what happened to her, she said, including John Baldacci, Maines governor from 2003 to 2011, and now an adviser for the Pierce Atwood law firm in Portland.

Some people at the law office brought it to my attention and said, We need to do something to help this woman, and I agreed, Baldacci said. My family ran an Italian restaurant for a long time in Bangor, and Id been doing spaghetti fund-raisers off and on for years. So I called Barbara and asked if I could hold one for her to help get her money back.

On Jan. 8, more than 400 people paid $5 each to attend the fund-raiser at Auburn Middle School, loading their plates with spaghetti made from Baldaccis family recipe, as well as salad, rolls, and chocolate cupcakes. Most people gave more than $5, Baldacci said, with some writing checks for more than $1,000.

Barbara is such a sweetheart; shes like everybodys grandmother, he said. Seeing how everyone came together to help was so heartwarming. In Maine, we take the shirts off our backs to help those in need." At the dinner, presentations were given by law enforcement, bankers, and AARP representatives on how to spot potential scams and avoid getting conned.

Its the most disgusting thing. People who prey on seniors are the lowest form of life, Baldacci said. We wanted to make it a teachable moment and let people know that this is a common problem. Nobody has to feel alone.

Hinckley said she discovered at the dinner that she has more friends than she realized.

People have been absolutely wonderful to me, she said. I even received a check from somebody in Alaska. Can you imagine? Alaska!"

Addressing the crowd that had turned out for spaghetti in the school cafeteria, she spoke from the heart with the first thing that came to mind: Thank you, thank you, thank you."
The Lancet: Egypt, Algeria and South Africa estimated to be at highest risk of new coronavirus cases in Africa

Increased resources, surveillance, and capacity building should be urgently prioritised in African countries with moderate risk of importing cases of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as these countries are estimated to be ill-prepared to detect cases and limit transmission.

The new findings are from a modelling study published in The Lancet that estimates the preparedness (ie, health system capacity) and vulnerability (ie, demographic, environmental, socioeconomic and political conditions that could impact a country's ability to respond) of African countries, as well as their likelihood of importing COVID-19 cases from China. The authors note that their findings need to be interpreted in context, and they estimate that the overall risk of importing COVID-19 cases to Africa is lower than to Europe (1% vs 11% of people travelling out of China go to Africa or Europe, respectively) but that the response and reaction capacity is more limited in Africa.

Algeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Nigeria were included in the 13 top priority countries identified by the World Health Organization (WHO), based on their direct links and volume of travel to China [1]. The first case of COVID-19 in Africa was confirmed in Egypt on Friday 14 February 2020.

China is Africa's leading commercial partner with high volumes of travel between the two locations through which the novel coronavirus could reach the continent.

Several measures to prevent importing cases from China have already been implemented in many African countries. However, limiting and controlling transmission after importation requires additional measures (such as heightened surveillance, rapid identification of suspected cases, patient transfer and isolation, rapid diagnosis, contact tracing, and follow-up of potential contacts). These measures require technical and operational expertise and resources, which rely heavily on health systems, meaning that transmission in countries with weaker health systems is a major public health concern.

"African countries have recently strengthened their preparedness to manage importations of COVID-19 cases, including airport surveillance, temperature screening at ports of entry, recommendations to avoid travel to China, and improved health information provided to health professionals and the general public. However, some countries remain ill-equipped," says study author Dr Vittoria Colizza, Inserm, Sorbonne Universite, France. [2]

She explains: "While almost three-quarters of all African countries have an influenza pandemic preparedness plan, most are outdated and considered inadequate to deal with a global pandemic. In addition, despite efforts to improve diagnostic capacity from WHO, some countries do not have the resources to test for the virus rapidly, meaning that tests would need to be done in other countries. It is essential to train, equip, and strengthen the diagnostic capacities of hospital laboratories close to infectious disease and emergency departments to reduce the time to deliver results, manage confirmed cases and contacts more rapidly, and preserve strict infection control measures. Equally, increasing the number of available beds and supplies in resource-limited countries is crucial in preparation for possible local transmission following importation." [2]

In the study, the authors estimated the risk of African countries importing a COVID-19 case from China using data on the volume of air travel from infected Chinese provinces to Africa and the proportion of COVID-19 cases in the Chinese provinces as of 11 February 2020. The Hubei province was not included, given the travel ban introduced by Chinese authorities on 23 and 24 January 2020.

The authors estimated each country's potential capacity to detect and respond to cases based on two WHO indicators: preparedness (ie, functional capacity to manage emerging epidemics, using the WHO International Health Regulations Monitoring and Evaluation Framework State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting) and vulnerability (ie, ability to manage emerging epidemics based on demographic, environmental, socioeconomic and political conditions, using the Infectious Disease Vulnerability Index). The African countries at risk of importing cases were grouped by the Chinese provinces estimated to contribute most to their risk.

Egypt, Algeria and South Africa were at the highest risk of importing a COVID-19 case from China, but had moderate to high preparedness and low vulnerability.

There were several countries in the group with the second highest risk of importing a case from China, and their levels of preparedness and vulnerability varied. For example, Nigeria and Ethiopia had moderate preparedness, but high vulnerability, and their countries had substantially larger populations that could be potentially exposed. However, Morocco, Sudan, Angola, Tanzania, Ghana, and Kenya had similar importation risk and population sizes, but variable levels of preparedness and high vulnerability (except Morocco which had low vulnerability).

All other African countries had low to moderate importation risk with low to moderate vulnerability and mostly low preparedness, except for Tunisia and Rwanda.

The authors grouped the at-risk African countries by the Chinese provinces that could potentially lead to the cases being imported. Cluster number 1 (18 countries) was highly exposed to Beijing, and moderately exposed to Guangdong province and Shanghai, cluster number 3 (Botswana and Lesotho only) was exposed exclusively to the potential risk from airports in the Fujian province, and cluster number 2 (7 countries) was heavily exposed to risk from Guangdong province and weakly to Zhejiang province. [3]

The authors warn that although certain Chinese provinces potentially pose higher risk of importing cases to Africa, enhanced surveillance at airports should still consider possible importations from lower-risk provinces. In addition, shifts in local and widespread transmission in Beijing, Guangdong, and Fujian provinces could have profound implications for risk in Africa.

Dr Colizza concludes: "The aftermath of recent epidemics and pandemics (eg, severe acute respiratory syndrome, H1N1 pandemic, Middle East respiratory syndrome, and Ebola) have highlighted the need to reinforce national public health capabilities and infrastructure. These factors remain at the core of global health security, because they are the first line of defence in infectious disease emergencies. Crisis management plans should be ready in each African country, and involvement of the international community should catalyse such preparedness. We hope that our estimates help to inform prioritisation for intensified support in African countries expected to be at moderate to high risk of importation of COVID-19 cases and with relatively low capacity to manage the health emergency." [2]

The authors note some limitations in their study, including that it only used air travel data, and the risk of importation from other points of entry, such as seaports, was not evaluated. In addition, there was insufficient passenger data (reason for travel [tourism vs business], nationality, age, sex, and socioeconomic status) to allow the authors to assess differences in risk for different types of travellers.

###

Peer-reviewed / Modelling

NOTES TO EDITORS

This study was funded by the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020, Agence Nationale de la Recherche. It was conducted by researchers from Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifiques, INSERM, Sorbonne Universite, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidemiologie et de Sante Publique, Networks and Services Laboratory at Orange Experience Design Laboratory Chatillion, The Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Universite de Paris, Bichat Claude Bernard Hospital, Assistance publique-Hopitaux de Paris, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Treichville, Universite Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Maladies Infectieuses Dans Les Pays a Ressources Limitees, INSERM U1219, University of Bordeaux, University of Oxford, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston Children's Hospital.

The labels have been added to this press release as part of a project run by the Academy of Medical Sciences seeking to improve the communication of evidence. For more information, please see: http://www. sciencemediacentre. org/ wp-content/ uploads/ 2018/ 01/ AMS-press-release-labelling-system-GUIDANCE. pdf if you have any questions or feedback, please contact The Lancet press office pressoffice@lancet.com

[1] https:/ / www. afro. who. int/ news/ african-region-reinforces-preparedness-novel-coronavirus

[2] Quote direct from author and cannot be found in the text of the Article.

[3] The countries in each cluster are as follows:

Cluster number 1: Algeria, Angola, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Cluster number 2: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, and Tunisia.

Cluster number 3: Botswana and Lesotho.

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Alyson Lowell stood in front of a group of Worcester officials and began to sob.

The moment she lost her 20-year-old daughter, Gabriella, rushed back. The young woman was killed in 2018 by a man who was texting and driving.

As the hands-free law in Massachusetts takes effect on Feb. 23, law enforcement and city officials in Worcester rolled out a campaign against distracted driving.

Grabbing a phone while driving is an addiction that has cost lives. It cost Alyson Lowell the life of her daughter.

This is going to be a hard addiction to break, Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said.

But behavior has to change. Lives are being lost, he said.

The Eyes Up, Phones Down, Worcester campaign was rolled out during a press conference Tuesday in Worcester City Hall.

Worcester police, the districts attorneys office, city councilors and the city managers office all collaborated to work on the initiative designed to educate the public about the hazards of both distracted driving and walking in order to reduce motor vehicle crashes and increase pedestrian safety.

The campaign will involve the schools talking to students, police enforcing distracting driving laws and a social media blitz by Earlys office. The district attorneys office and the Worcester Police Department have already conducted talks at schools about distracted driving and will continue those presentations.

It really is common sense, Early said. Life can change in the blink of an eye. We see accidents that are caused by split-second decisions and actions.

Early called cell phone use an addiction because he believes people are conditioned now to wait for a text or look forward to answering the cell phone.

While public officials talked, Lowell held a picture of her daughter. Next to her stood Emily Stein, the president of Safe Roads Alliance who lost her father to a distracted driver.

In a letter read by Stein, Lowell recalled the day her daughter was killed.

She was my only child and the light of my life, Lowell said about her daughter in the letter. She was robbed of her life at the tender age of 20.

Gabriella was in a crosswalk on Grafton Street in Worcester on June 12, 2018 when she was struck by a car driven by Tyler Hamilton.

He checked a text message of a thumbs-up emoji and struck Gabriella.

According to court documents, Hamilton told police, "I'm not gonna lie, while I was driving, I got a text message alert on my phone. I looked over to the right at the phone but did not touch it when all of a sudden, I heard the bang. I never saw her!"

Lowell suffered a traumatic brain injury and right leg fracture after she was struck. She died at a local hospital.

In her obituary, family called Lowell a vivacious, bright and loving young lady who attended North High School and was a student at Quinsigamond Community College. She aspired to become a veterinarian and always found the good in bad situations and made everyone around her laugh.

Hamilton pleaded guilty to a charge of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation and also admitted to texting and driving during the crash.

He was sentenced last year to four years of probation and a 15-year loss of his license.

There is so much pain that can be avoided in these types of crashes, Early said.

Worcester Police Chief Steven Sargent pointed out that police will only issue warnings for the new hands-free law until March 31. Police want compliance, he said.

In the past two years, Worcester police have issued 1,200 citations for distracted driving, Sargent said.

In 2019, Worcester police saw 267 pedestrian crashes. Five of those crashes were fatal.

We believe many of these crashes may have been prevented if drivers werent texting or in some cases, pedestrians were paying more attention to the road, Sargent said.

Pedestrian accidents increase between the hours between 2 and 9 p.m. and occur mostly on Tuesday and Wednesday, the chief said.

Worcester City Councilor Morris A. Bergman, a former criminal prosecutor for the Worcester District Attorneys office, pointed out that pedestrians need to be aware as well.

As the city grows and more people come to Worcester, both drivers and pedestrians need to be aware of the consequences of distracted driving or walking. Lives can change in seconds, Bergman said.

City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. said with more people coming to the city, with the expectation of added visitors when the Worcester Red Sox stadium opens, it is the citys duty to keep people safe.

Simply put, the call or the text can wait, he said.

Stein added that so many of these crashes, both pedestrian and vehicle, can be prevented. People are making known, risky decisions and the behavior needs to change, she said.

Picking up a phone is something you dont have to do, Stein said. We share the roads with precious lives.

Early said people can put their phone on safe driver mode, power it off or throw it in the glove box while driving. He reminded pedestrians to use crosswalks and use the cell phone flashlight at times so drivers can see them.

Pay attention to the ride, not the phone, he said.
Republican students at Connecticut colleges, who allege that theyve been discriminated against and persecuted for their conservative political beliefs, are pursuing legislation protecting political speech and activities.

This landmark bill is a statement to college administrators and tyrannical liberal groups all across America, said Nick Engstrom, communications director for the Connecticut Federation of College Republicans and president of Trinity College Republicans, at a press conference at the Capitol Tuesday.

The legislation  backed by some ranking Republicans  aims to ensure free speech protections incorporate political ideology as a protected class, the legislatures conservative caucus said in a written release.

The language in the bill would prevent public colleges and schools from prohibiting any student speech and assembly, including on bulletin boards, in theatrical performances and student publications, unless the language is obscene, libelous, slanderous or so incites students as to create a clear and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts.

It also mandates that the exercise or the expression of a students religious or political viewpoints in the classroom, homework, artwork or other written or oral assignments shall be free from discrimination or penalty.

Students gave examples of acts of discrimination.

Ive learned what its like to be a conservative on a college campus, said Engstrom, who told his story of persecution as a conservative student at Trinity, said he received death threats and harassment for his political beliefs. Ive witnessed and been a victim to the liberal group-think regime that will go to great lengths to instill fear into conservative classmates and consequently stifle conversation and debate.

That, he and others said, is why the conservatives are seeking protection as a class.

Student religious and political organizations shall have equal access to public forums on school grounds on the same basis as nonreligious and nonpolitical organizations, the draft bill mandates. It also includes explicit protections of school-sponsored publications from oversight or prior review, and prohibits schools from disciplining students solely on the basis of conduct that is speech or other communication that is protected by the First Amendment.

Engstrom said the bill proposed by the conservative caucus would have prevented Trinitys Student Government Association from denying funding to a conservative student organization, and it would have prodded uniiversity administration to take the harassment our club members seriously.

He said other colleges, like University of Bridgeport, have rebuked efforts to revise their speech policies.

The draft bill, sent to Judiciary Committee leadership on Jan. 28, mandates that all local or regional school boards and each college or university in Connecticut adopt a policy that complies with the legislation. Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, said it would be limited to public colleges and universities, but that he hopes the law would encourage private colleges to adopt similar policies.

Connecticut Republican Chairman J.R. Romano said that if conservatives were subject to the same behavior in the workplace that students are on campuses, it would easily be a hostile work environment, and no one would be forced to endure what these students are forced to endure. He accused administrations, professors and deans of encouraging the bullying of conservative students. said.

Fishbein said the legislation was modeled on similar laws enacted in other states, including Alaska, Texas, California, Washington, Missouri and Florida.

Liz.Teitz@hearstmediact.com
Jasmine Lee, third from right, a Philippines-born naturalized Korean politician, speaks at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday, as the minor Justice Party announces its pledges on immigrants for the April 15 general election. / Yonhap



By Kang Seung-woo



The minor Justice Party said, Wednesday, it would seek to set up an organization to deal with matters concerning immigrants and enact an "Immigration Law."



The pledge for the April 15 general election has come amid calls for more centralized control when implementing comprehensive policies for foreigners, as current governing bodies have been set up to oversee policies on migrant workers, marriage migrants and foreign students separately.



"The number of foreign nationals who live in Korea has reached 2.5 million, accounting for 4.9 percent of the total population. However, despite different types of foreigners, there are few legal and institutional supports for them," the party chairwoman Rep. Sim Sang-jeung said in a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul.



"Immigrants are vulnerable to blind spots where their human rights are infringed upon, multicultural families are discriminated against and domestic violence against migrant wives is rampant.



"What we have to do is to prepare to give a warm welcome to them."



According to government data, the number of foreigners residing in Korea increased nearly 7 percent last year, topping 2.5 million for the first time. Yet migrants  particularly, those from underdeveloped countries  are still treated unfairly and suffer various forms of discrimination.



To this end, the minor party vowed to set up a parliamentary committee to deal with issues linked to migrants and to create a relevant organization within the government.



"We are set to pave the way for migrants to smoothly settle down here by legislating a law on principles and rules for them," Sim said.



The party also said it will build a cooperative body dealing with human rights issues with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.



"Given that those from the ASEAN countries represent 37 percent of those in interracial marriages in Korea, the envisaged organization would help protect their human rights," the party said in a press statement.



According to the party, a large number of migrants are temporary or daily laborers and 47.6 percent of them are paid between 1 million ($840) won and 2 million won per month.



"We plan to help migrant wives gain vocational training, while trying to create jobs which allow them to take advantage of their language skills and cultural knowledge," it said.



Regarding domestic violence suffered by migrant wives, the party said it will enhance regulations on international marriage brokers, while granting the right to live and work in Korea to foreign women, who divorce after learning they were given false information by illegal brokers. In addition, it plans to offer gender equality education programs and free counseling and legal services for sexual assault victims.



"Today is a historic day because we announce pledges regarding migrants for the first time in the party's history," said Jasmine Lee, a Philippines-born naturalized Korean politician who is in charge of the party's committee for migrants.



"I am proud of sharing this moment as a Justice Party member and migrant because the party's pledges for migrants are about human rights unlike other parties' promises that treat them as economic tools."


By PTI

NEW DELHI: Ahead of US President Donald Trump's maiden India visit next week, an influential US Congressman on Wednesday expressed concern over the situation in Kashmir and agitations over the new citizenship law, saying the country must protect its minorities and not lose its secular democracy.

Ami Bera, Chair of House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific in the US Congress, said it was the desire of the US to see resolution of the Kashmir issue and return of normalcy in the region.

Bera, a Democrat, and George Holding, the Republican co-chair of the India caucus, are on a two-day visit to India to "demonstrate" bipartisan support to India in the US Congress.

"We expressed our concerns over the continued detention of political leaders in Kashmir," Bera told a group of journalists when asked whether he and Holding conveyed their concerns to Indian officials over the situation in Kashmir.

"We do not want to India to lose secular democracy that is what sets it apart from countries in the region, that is what makes it such a valuable partner of the US," he said.

Bera also said he would like to take a Congressional delegation to Kashmir.

"We did express our that we would like to take a delegation to Kashmir in some point of time."

The US lawmaker also hailed India's vibrant democracy where he said 800 million Hindus are living side-by-side with 200 million Muslims.

"Indian citizens are the ones that ultimately will control the outcome of where India heads to. We can offer what we admire about India. Is that it's this vibrant secular democracy and we would hate to see India lose or tarnish any of that reputation," said Bera.

ALSO READ | Government approves USD 2.6 billion naval helicopter deal with US ahead of Trump's India visit

On his part, Holding said economic development will bring prosperity to Kashmir, adding a stable and predictable political situation is going to attract investment into the region.

The special status of Jammu and Kashmir was withdrawn around six months back and it was bifurcated into two union territories.

The government had imposed severe restrictions following the move including detaining a sizeable number of political leaders.

Replying to a question on widespread protests against the new citizenship law in India, Bera said expressed concerns over it but at the same time added that the demonstrations reflected inherent strength of the democracy.

"It is important to keep lines of communications open," he said, adding India must protect its minorities.

India has witnessed massive protests against the citizenship amendment law which seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslims who came to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh facing religious persecution.

The protesters feel the law is discriminatory as citizenship will be granted based on religious identity.

Both the lawmakers also spoke about the bipartisan support to growing ties between India and the US in diverse areas including in trade and commerce, defence and strategic affairs.

Both the lawmakers hoped that India and the US will be able to seal the much-anticipated trade deal.

Official sources said negotiations on the deal was not "stuck" and both sides mutually agreed "not to rush" into it, suggesting that it will not be signed during Trump's visit to India next week.

Trump, accompanied by wife Melania Trump and a high-level delegation will arrive in India on February 24 for a little less than 36-hour-long trip.

From Ahmedabad, he will travel to Agra before arriving at the national capital for the main leg of the visit.
Two men of Romanian origin appeared in Longford District Court recently, charged with breaking into a Longford town pharmacy and making off with more than 24,000 worth of stock.

Sorin Aurelian Damaschin, 263 Crumlin Road, Flat 2, Dublin 12, and Siminca Matei of no fixed address were accused of smashing the window of Wards Pharmacy on Ballymahon street and taking thousands of euro worth of high end products.

Detective Garda Sean Galvin, when giving evidence, told the court that the incident occurred at approximately 3.30am on July 1, 2019.

They had a car parked outside and they filled the car up with high end goods before making their getaway, he explained.

As well as 21,850 worth of high-end perfumes, cosmetics and toiletries, a sum of cash to the value of 500 was stolen, along with an expensive computer system and cash tills, bringing the total value to 24,415.

This is one of several similar incidents to have occurred across the midlands and south of the country, Det Garda Galvin added, with the culprits always targeting pharmacies and always taking high-end goods.

None of the goods that were stolen from Wards Pharmacy last year have been recovered.

The pair have been remanded in custody and are due to reappear in court in Cloverhill on February 25.
What TV channel is the Las Vegas Democratic presidential primary debate on? How can you watch for free online?

The Democratic presidential primary debate on Wednesday, February 19, at Paris Las Vegas in Nevada, is the second of three primary debates this month and the ninth Democratic primary debate of this election cycle. It takes place one week after the New Hampshire primaries, and just a few days before the Nevada caucuses on February 22.

Six candidates have qualified for the Las Vegas debate, leaving just two candidates off the stage. Thats one fewer attendee than at the previous Democratic debate in New Hampshire.

After a chaotic Iowa caucus, in which results were marred by technical difficulties and only 71% of precincts reported more than 24 hours later, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana came out on top. Former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar were trailing behind.

All five candidates have qualified for the Las Vegas debate, and for the first time, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will join them on stage, having met the four-poll criteria of at least 10%. Tulsi Gabbard has not qualified but remains in the race. Andrew Yang, Michael Bennet and Deval Patrick have withdrawn their candidacies since the last debate.

Bloombergs campaign said it has seen a groundswell of support across the country." Bloomberg, who is worth an estimated $60 billion, is not taking donations for his campaign, and the campaign contribution requirements have been lifted for candidates in the Las Vegas debate.

It will also be a critical test for Bloomberg, who has not taken questions from voters while campaigning. His fellow candidates have criticized him for trying to buy the election," and he will likely face tough questions.

What time is the Las Vegas Democratic presidential primary debate?

The debate is at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Febraury 19, 2020.

What TV channel is the Las Vegas Democratic debate on?

The debate will be broadcast on local NBC channels and MSNBC.

Channel finder: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish

How to watch for free online

The following streaming services will broadcast the debate:

It can also be streamed in a web browser at NBC.com/live or msnbc.com/live or via the NBC app and MSNBC apps, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, XBox, Amazon Fire and other devices, with a cable provider login.

You can also stream the debate FOR FREE online at The Nevada Independents website or on the NBC News and MSNBC Facebook pages.

Who is debating?

Candidates need at least 10 percent in four DNC-approved polls or at least twelve percent support in any two early state polls from Nevada and South Carolina. Candidates who also have at least one delegate at the Democratic National Convention based on the results of the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries also automatically qualify.

These criteria gave stage space to:

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders

Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Former Vice President Joe Biden

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Two other candidates are still in the race, but did not make the cut:

Billionaire activist Tom Steyer

Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

Who is moderating?

NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC anchor Lester Holt, Meet the Press moderator and NBC News political director Chuck Todd, NBC News Chief White House Correspondent and host of MSNBC Live Hallie Jackson, senior correspondent at Noticias Telemundo Vanessa Hauc and Nevada Independent Editor Jon Ralston will moderate the debate.

It will be be the second debate moderated by Holt and Todd in this election cycle, after moderating the first debate alongside Rachel Maddow and Savannah Guthrie.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
The 2020 Democrats traded the snow drifts of Iowa and New Hampshire for the palm trees of Nevada as the campaign moved southwest last weekend.

Candidates encountered a more diverse electorate as they held town halls and visited early voting sites ahead of the state's caucus on Saturday. They will face off in a presidential debate in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Senator Bernie Sanders held rallies in Las Vegas, Reno and Carson City in the past four days.
The Congress on Wednesday termed illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional the process adopted for selecting the next chief vigilance commissioner (CVC) and vigilance commissioner (VC), and demanded that the appointments should be immediately scrapped.

Unfortunately what happened yesterday has completely vitiated the process of appointing the next CVC and VC and the facts as they stand very clearly demonstrate that both procedure and propriety were thrown to the wind, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said.

The search committee, comprising cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) secretary C Chandramouli and finance secretary Rajiv Kumar, held two separate meetings -- one for shortlisting names for the post of CVC and one for VC on November 18, 2019 under the chairmanship of the cabinet secretary, he added.

Addressing a press conference at the partys headquarters in Delhi, Tewari said the committee recommended a panel of three names -- Ajay Narayan Jha, member of the 15th finance commission, finance secretary Rajiv Kumar and former DoPT secretary Bhanu Pratap Sharma, in alphabetical order for the CVCs post.

The finance secretary was a member of the search committee for the CVC and also an applicant and the search committee recommended his name for the CVCs post. How can an applicant be a member of the search committee? This is absolutely and completely unheard of that you are a judge in your own case, Tiwari said.

At a meeting of the selection committee on Tuesday, the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury raised objections over the procedure.

The selection committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in its meeting finalised the names of Sanjay Kothari, a former secretary to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and now secretary to the President of India, as the CVC and Bimal Julka, a former information and broadcasting secretary and at present an information Commissioner, as the CIC.

Chowdhury did not give any formal dissent note but objected to the procedure, including the inclusion of the finance secretary in the search committee when he himself was an applicant. .

At the meeting, also attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Chowdhury objected to the way the CIC was selected. He said there was no search committee to select the CIC, adding that no documents were given to him before the meeting so that he could have gone through those.

Tewari said Chowdhury raised the issue at the meeting and that the PM acknowledged it. We are informed that the Prime Minister agreed that process is vitiated. What does the government do? The Prime Minister pulls a name from his pocket and appoints Sanjay Kothari the next CVC, a man who is neither an applicant nor in the shortlist, he said.

We demand that the process of appointment of CVC should be scrapped, a new search committee be constituted and fresh applications invited and that the appointments be done as per the procedure, Tewari said.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that the appointments of CVC and CIC are being made arbitrarily.

When contacted, senior BJP leader G V L Narasimha Rao said the Congress was making baseless claims. The due process, as established by the law, has been followed. The Congress party has been making baseless claims, Rao said.

Vigilance Commissioner Sharad Kumar has been acting as the interim CVC since July last year. Kumar, a former chief of anti-terror probe agency National Investigation Agency (NIA), took over as Vigilance Commissioner in June 12, 2018. His tenure at the Central Vigilance Commission will end in October next year, when he completes 65 years of age.

The Central Vigilance Commission consists of a CVC and two Vigilance Commissioners.

The post of Chief Information Commissioner, meanwhile, has been lying vacant since the retirement of Sudhir Bhargava in January last year. The CIC is the highest appeal body under the Right to Information Act (RTI).

The government had notified new RTI rules in October last year, curtailing the tenure of information commissioners to three years. The 2005 act gave them a fixed tenure of five years or a retirement age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
The White House is denying Donald Trump floated a pardon for Julian Assange if the Wikileaks founder denied any Russian involvement in a 2017 dump by the organisation of Democratic documents.

The revelation was made by an Assange lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald QC, as he described evidence of an alleged pardon offer delivered on Mr Trump's behalf by former US Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher at the Ecuadorian embassy in August 2017.

"The president barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than he's an ex-congressman. He's never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject," White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, who is traveling with Mr Trump on a West Coast campaigning tour, said in an email.

"It is a complete fabrication and a total lie," she said of Mr Fitzgerald's allegation. "This is probably another never ending hoax and total lie from the DNC."

Republican and Democratic lawmakers were slow to respond to Assange charges.

But some former US Justice Department officials and former Obama administration aides were quick to suggest wrongdoing by the president just months after House Democrats impeached him for what they saw as him abusing his power towards Ukraine by allegedly linking a massive US military aid package, funded by taxpayers, to Kyiv announcing probes of his top domestic political foes.

"Lawyer's don't usually make claims in court they can't prove. Will be interesting to see if there is proof of these serious allegations Rohrabacher was the WH's messenger, offering a pardon in exchange for silence on Russia's hack of our election," Joyce White, a former US attorney, tweeted.

Ned Price, a senior National Security Council official in the Obama White House, noted this: "It sure sounds like Assange's attorneys are prepared to back-up this claim with evidence. It's a another indication that Trump's assault on the rule of law isn't new; it's been ongoing throughout his term."

Former FBI special agent Clint Watts took offered a more measured response, writing on Twitter that he would "like to see more evidence back up this claim.

"But it's really bad if true," Mr Watts wrote. "Trump's actions would again upend a prosecution, Intel community, actions of his own government."

Spokespersons for several senior GOP and Democratic members had yet to respond to requests for comment.
Amid the simmering tension between Shiv Sena and NCP over the implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Population Register (NPR) in Maharashtra, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Tuesday (February 18) said that his party's stand is clear on these matters and he will try to convince Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray too. Notably, CM Thackeray had said on Tuesday that no one should be worried about the CAA and NPR.

Pawar stressed that the NCP's had voted against the CAA in the Parliament and Shiv Sena chief was entitled to his view. The NCP boss, however, remarked that the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress could discuss the issue.

Whatever Uddhav Thackeray said, that is his view. He is the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, he has his own views. Yes, in Maharashtra we are in a coalition government and opinion and views of the parties on certain issues may differ, but we can sit and discuss on it as far as CAA is concerned, Pawar said.

He added that the three alliance partners of the Maha Vikas Aghadi will soon discuss the matter and try to convince CM Thackeray about it.

Live TV

We have the experience of running a coalition government at the Centre during the UPA regime. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had 29 parties. In fact, we had the Left front parties too with us which always had different views, but we managed to go along with them, Pawar added.

Meanwhile, though CM Thackeray supported the implementation of CAA, he made it clear that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will not be implemented in the state. CAA and NRC both are different and NPR is different. No one has to worry if CAA gets implemented. NRC is not there and will not be implemented in the state, Thackeray said.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of unions and consumer groups wrote to U.S. antitrust enforcers on Tuesday to oppose a proposed remedy that could lead to U.S. approval for AbbVie Incs (ABBV.N) planned purchase of Allergan Plc (AGN.N).

In its letter to the Federal Trade Commission, which is reviewing the merger to ensure it is legal, the groups argued that a plan for the companies to divest Allergans brazikumab, which is being developed to treat ulcerative colitis and Crohns disease, was inadequate to resolve antitrust concerns raised by the planned deal.

AbbVie did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The groups argued that the proposed buyer, AstraZeneca, appeared to have little incentive to bring the drug to market and that rebates offered by AbbVie for its Skyrizi drug would slow brazikumabs success in the market since both drugs treat similar ailments.

We are skeptical that the divestiture to AstraZeneca of Allergans brazikumab, a drug in development, can adequately address the anticompetitive effects of the merger, said the letter, which was signed by the American Federation of Teachers, Families USA, U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and 12 other groups.

The $63 billion deal, which is expected to close this quarter, was approved by the European Union in January.

The deal was initially announced in June as a way for AbbVie to win control over the lucrative wrinkle treatment Botox and buy time to seek new growth before its blockbuster arthritis treatment Humira loses U.S. patent protection. AbbVie Chief Executive Richard Gonzalez said at the time that the company was able to buy Allergan because of the cash that Humira generates.
Dozens of crude bombs were



found in front of a panchayat office, a Trinamool Congress party office and a bank in Birbhum district on Wednesday, police said.

Several bombs lay scattered on the ground in front of the closed gate of the local panchayat office, said people of Sian Muluk village near Bolpur.

The crude bombs were also found before the party office and a nationalised bank early in the morning.

Bomb squad have been informed, police said adding that the matter is being investigated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
American lawyers, when admitted to practice law, swear, or these days affirm, that they will uphold the laws and Constitution of the United States. Moreover, every state has promulgated its own laws  laws that attorneys practicing within that state must also swear to follow.

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, every active practicing attorney must take 12 credits of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses annually  two of which must be on ethics. This CLE requirement varies by state.

Somebody forgot to tell the presenters of a Constitutional Law Symposium I attended, held in Philadelphia in 2007, that they were supposed to be presenting a CLE that upholds the law, not trashes it. Typically, constitutional law CLEs cover an update on recent Supreme Court decisions, analysis of a decision's impact, or analysis of a specific part of the Constitution itself.

On this day, the panel comprised law school deans and constitutional law professors from Pennsylvania law schools and those from three adjoining states. The course was attended by approximately 200 lawyers. Television personality Larry Mendte emceed the videotaped forum.

The presenters at the CLE immediately set up their true agenda by asking, with a show of hands, how many attendees had already broken some sort of law that morning. Almost all the attendees raised their hands; I did not. At least, on that morning, I had not broken any traffic rules. Their intent was obvious: everyone breaks the law, albeit in little or large ways, so their subsequent blatant advocacy for breaking immigration laws was okay  a logical step on the continuum of breaking "dumb laws" that didn't fit their narrative and with which they didn't agree.

When I couldn't stand the gall of the bait and switch anymore, I asked the deans how it was possible that they, as lawyers and heads of prestigious law schools, who had taken oaths to defend the Constitution of the United States, federal laws, and the laws of their respective states, could advocate such flagrant lawbreaking. Not a single one answered. Sadly, I did not receive much approbation from the attendees, either. Only a handful talked to me after the class ended to express their agreement.

Americans have raged against the legal injustices that abounded during Justice Kavanaugh's judicial

farce of a Supreme Court nomination hearing. They have raged against the lawless foundation of the Mueller investigation that needlessly dragged on for interminable months. The anguish continued during the lawless and partisan impeachment farce. Yet the lawless injustice of these three craven ordeals is not the worst offense lawless lawyers and their vicious Democrat minions have heaped on the American people, as nightmarish as those have been.

Sanctuary cities, elevating illegals' rights above those of American citizens, brazenly flouting laws and lawlessly refusing to assist federal enforcement agencies in punishing criminals and diminishing crime, and facilitating censorship and thuggish mob behavior are worse. They demolish a fair judicial system, eviscerating America's rule of law, and steal unfathomable wealth from the American people and bestow it on illegals, illegally.

Crime in Philadelphia, including murders, has spiked, as have the crime statistics in all the other Democrat-controlled sanctuary cities and counties. Interestingly, while these ignorati clamor for gun control, attacks by knife are proliferating. Inner-city neighborhoods, inhabited by illegals from third-world countries, are littered with glass, their police stations armed posts encased in iron bars, and the scattered commercial establishments identified only in foreign languages. These exist scant distances from the uber-expensive, glittering high-rise condos that are ing out the middle class.

The Democrats shed crocodile tears over poverty, minimum wages, and broken inner-city schools. More money, they cry. Wealth inequality, they proclaim. But more money is not the answer to the problems their feckless programs have created and perpetuated. What does one expect when millions of poverty-stricken, uneducated, and law-breaking illegals flood these very inner cities that the Democrats welcome and facilitate with huge handouts?

The retired American citizen, who has worked for decades, receives an average monthly Social Security check of between $1,400 and $1,500 per month. Under Obama's presidency, the cost to feed and house an illegal minor was between $4,000 and $5,000 per month. The economic costs surrounding all aspects of illegals continue to be staggering.

Especially egregious is the creeping demise of the rule of law in California. There, illegals are even allowed to obtain law degrees and practice as lawyers. Spanish is the predominant language in over 50% of the public schools. Tent cities and attendant filth proliferate.

In many other states, driver's licenses are doled out like candy to illegals. These licenses are the golden passport to welfare and food stamp handouts, as well as the opportunity to vote. This is the Democrats' ultimate hypocrisy, if their bottom is even possible. In the Democrats' endless campaign for free stuff and social justice (wealth redistribution), they have created the entire woeful system they cynically rail against.

Who believes their tired excuse that by not enforcing federal immigration laws, the local police garner more illegals' cooperation in enforcing other criminal prosecutions? Baloney. Foreigners come from countries that fear or ignore law enforcement.

Thankfully, President Trump is pushing back on the lawlessness and devastating attack on extant federal laws. By denying New York State driver's licenseholders access to airport fast pass and global entry, he is proclaiming: no more. He is backing up his proclamation with federal agents flooding the Democrat-controlled sanctuary cities in a strong effort to enforce federal immigration laws. Four more years of Trump's presidency, and one hopes this scourge on American cities will be over.

Lynne Lechter is an elected member of the Pennsylvania Republican State Committee, an international lawyer, and a litigator practicing in Philadelphia.
Greg James was dubbed a dirty little no-show as he missed his Radio 1 Breakfast Show after attending the Brit Awards.

The DJ was replaced by Adele Roberts, who remained on the air after presenting her 4am show, as well as Jordan North and Matt Edmondson.

Introducing the show just after 6.30am, Roberts said: Good morning everybody, its Radio 1 Breakfast with Adele Roberts.

I cant actually believe this is happening!

She added: You know, somebody actually tweeted my show and said, Do you fancy doing an impromptu breakfast show? And I jokingly said yes.

Well, here we are everyone. Whos laughing now? Not me.

Greg James is a no-show, a dirty little no-show. Has anybody seen him, on anyones Instagram?

Roberts said she saw him on a colleagues Instagram about midnight time, and that she saw a flash of him with Yannis from Foals, but I havent seen any more of Greg James, so if you do spot him please do send him our way.

She joked: I guess Im going to learn what happens on Radio 1 Breakfast while Im sleeping.

Roberts later tweeted: If you see @greg_james this morning could you please return him to: BBC Radio 1, Broadcasting House, London, W1A 1DJ? Thank you x.

She added the hashtag #Gregxit.

If you see @greg_james this morning could you please return him to:

BBC Radio 1, Broadcasting House, London, W1A 1DJ?

Thank you x#Gregxit https://t.co/aD6igMOCaZ pic.twitter.com/To2pIbC2L1  Adele Roberts (@AdeleRoberts) February 19, 2020

James, 34, posted a picture of himself from the Brit Awards late on Tuesday evening, along with the caption: All the best ones won. Foals, Dave (PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT BY A MILLION MILES), Celeste, Mabel, Billie, Capaldi, Stormzy.

What a night. 6:30am is gonna be fun.

After the breakfast show had ended, Jamess wife Bella Mackie tweeted: Husband didnt come home last night.

A spokeswoman for Radio 1 said: The brilliant Adele Roberts, Jordan North and Matt Edmondson are presenting Radio 1 Breakfast this morning in Gregs absence.
Lady Gwendoline Talbot was known as La Madre dei Poverelli for her tireless charity work and ministry to Rome's sick.

Lady Gwendoline Talbot married Prince Marcantonio V Borghese in Rome on 11 May 1835.

Cardinal Thomas Weld, Englands first cardinal since the granting of Catholic Emancipation in 1829, officiated at the ceremony in his apartments at the Odescalchi palace in Piazza dei Dodici Apostoli. Cardinal Weld was a cousin of the brides father, John Talbot, who became 16th Earl of Shrewsbury in 1827.

The Talbots

One of Britains leading Roman Catholic families, the Talbots succeeded in retaining their lands during the Reformation. In 1814 the future Earl John married Maria Theresa Talbot of Castle Talbot, County Wexford, Ireland. They had a son who died in infancy and two daughters, Mary Alathea Beatrix, born in 1815, and Catherine Gwendoline, born two years later.

Talbot became friendly with the architect Augustus Pugin  known for designing the clock tower housing Big Ben and the interior of the Houses of Parliament  who converted to Catholicism soon after meeting him.

Pugin rebuilt the Talbot residence at Alton Abbey Staffordshire, renamed Alton Towers, and made a profitable career in designing Catholic churches in the wake of Catholic Emancipation. Shrewsbury contributed to the cost of building many of these, earning the sobriquet of the Good Earl John as a result.

Travels in Europe



In addition to providing his daughters with an exemplary Catholic formation at home, Shrewsbury was also convinced of the educational value of travel. The Talbots accordingly spent much of the winter on the Continent and the two girls acquired proficiency in French, German and Italian.

As members of one of Britains leading Catholic families, they were feted by European aristocracy everywhere they went. Mary Alethea Beatrix was created a princess by King Ludwig 1 of Bavaria, and married Prince Filippo Doria in 1832.

Lady Gwendoline Talbot, Princess Borghese

Gwendoline, who had been described by the British monarch King William IV (1830-1837) as the greatest beauty in the realm, was particularly taken with Rome. At a masked ball where she appeared as Lalla-Rookh, the heroine of the oriental romance by Thomas Moore, the Irish poet and friend of Lord Byron, she caught the eye of Marcantonio Borghese who soon afterwards asked for her hand and was granted permission to marry her.



Gwendolines marriage brought her into the highest echelons of Roman society. A famous brooch worn by Gwendoline was made from the tiara of the notorious Pauline Bonaparte, sister of Napoleon and wife of her brother-in-law Camillo.

Artistocratic circles



Yet, despite her close involvement in aristocratic circles, there are strong indications that she was strangely detached from the frivolous aspects of this elegant lifestyle. In 1837 when Princess Gwendoline was sitting for a portrait by a Roman artist named Collati, he asked her to wear a black velvet dress.

Gwendoline replied that the dress she was wearing would have to do. Collati then asked her to don her Turkish shawl, but it transpired that she had it given it away and was finally forced to borrow a shawl from one of her servants to satisfy the artist.

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Princess Gwendoline came into her own in the aftermath of the cholera epidemic that ravaged the Eternal City in 1837. That year 9,752 victims were struck by the disease in Rome with 5,479 deaths, in a city with little more that 150,000 inhabitants. The epidemic lasted from the end of July until 15 October, when crowds flocked to S. Maria Maggiore to celebrate the end of the pestilence.

It was with great reluctance that the princess withdrew with her family to their home in Frascati, Villa Mondragone, during those summer months to avoid the danger of contagion. On her return, however, she threw herself immediately into relief work among the survivors, her prime concern being the infants orphaned by the plague.

Rome's poor and destitute

She engaged the well-off families of Rome to help her and visited the homes of the poor and destitute, bringing food, clothes and medicine to the needy. She had no qualms about washing, cleaning and feeding them, sometimes slipping out of the Palazzo Borghese in disguise to conceal her movements. This led to some embarrassing moments. On one occasion she was followed by a member of the papal bodyguard, intrigued by her gracious but mysterious aura.

Though somewhat abashed by his proposals, the princess nonetheless stood her ground and invited the gallant into the humble dwelling she was visiting. Taken aback at the sight of the haggard mother and children who warmly greeted the princess as their benefactor, the young dandy was shamed into leaving a generous offering for their upkeep before he hastily withdrew.

Portrait of Prince Marcantonio V Borghese by Giovanni Piancastelli.

After an absence of nearly five years, Princess Gwendoline wished to visit her parents in Alton Towers in 1840. The happiness of the occasion was enhanced by the birth of her fourth child (a third son) at the end of July 1840. Returning to Rome in mid-October, the princess suddenly fell ill a week later. It turned out to be scarlet fever; the doctors were powerless and she passed away at midday on 27 October, followed soon afterwards by the death from measles of her three sons. The only girl, Agnes, born in 1836, survived into old age and died in 1920.

City in mourning

The whole city was plunged into grief at the news of Princess Gwendolines death. On the night of 30 October the funeral cortege left the Borghese Palace and, followed by massive crowds, made its way along the Corso, Piazza Venezia and the Baths of Trajan before turning left up the slopes of the Quirinal hill. The procession halted at the Palazzo Quirinale, where Pope Gregory XVI came to his balcony and blessed the remains. Declaring that her death was a public calamity, he gave orders that the great portal of S. Maria Maggiore be opened, a privilege reserved for the noblest Roman families.

Bearing the inscription: Qui riposano le ceneri della madre dei poverelli, la Principessa Guendolina Borghese, Nata a Londra, dal conte de Shrewsbury, morta a 22 anni, il 27 ottobre 1840, the princesss coffin was interred in the family vault below the altar in the Borghese Chapel in S. Maria Maggiore.

Lady Gwendoline is buried in the crypt under the Borghese Chapel in the Basilica di S. Maria Maggiore.

The funeral oration at the solemn obsequies for the princess in the church of S. Carlo al Corso was delivered by the Rev. Charles Michael Baggs, rector of the Venerable English College in Rome. In the course of his discourse he remarked that the curate of the parish of S. Rocco, near the Mausoleum of Augustus, had claimed that the princess knew his parishioners better than he did himself, and counselled him thus: Fear not, lest you should praise her too highly; be sure that whatever you may say of her will fall short of her deserts.

The orator claimed that Gwendolines only fault was to have been liberal beyond her ample means and continued as follows: "Her private fortune was entirely devoted to the poor; and for their sake she sometimes contracted debts, which were generously paid by the Prince her husband, who admired and encouraged her benevolence."

Borghese crypt

When you next enter the Basilica of S. Maria Maggiore take note of the icon above the high altar, the Salus Populi Romani, an image of the Virgin Mary that was carried through the streets of Rome for the first time in over 200 years during the cholera epidemics of 1835 and 1837.

Spare a thought too for the young princess who lies buried in the Borghese crypt below the altar, a lady whose devotion to the survivors of the epidemic was such that she earned the title, mother of the poor.

Article by Micheal MacCraith

This article was published in the January 2020 edition of Wanted in Rome magazine.
In another major reversal of a decision taken by the previous BJP regime, the Shiv Sena-NCP- Congress government in Maharashtra on Wednesday restored the supply of water from the left bank canal of the Nira Deoghar dam to Baramati, the pocketborough of NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

The state Cabinet under Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray decided to equally distribute water from the left and the right bank canals of the Nira Deoghar dam to the command areas, an official release said.

As per the decision, 55 per cent water will be released in the left bank canal which will benefit Purander, Baramati and Indapur talukas while the right bank canal will get 45 per cent water which will be utilised for Pandharpur, Sangola,Khandala,Phaltan, and Malshiras talukas.

The water will be made available for the purpose of drinking, industrial use and agriculture.

Last June, the Fadnavis government had cleared a proposal to cut off the supply of "unused" water from the Nira Deoghar dam to parts of Baramati, Indapur and Purandar in Pune district, arguing that these areas were located outside the notified command area of the dam.

Pawar's NCP is the main constituent of the Shiv Sena- led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, along with the Congress.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
VANCOUVER - B.C. Premier John Horgan raised his voice over jeers and fist-banging recently in question period after members of the Opposition Liberals criticized his government's handling of the clash between Wet'suwet'en hereditary clan chiefs and a pipeline company.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier John Horgan speaks during a press conference at B.C. Legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, February 12, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

VANCOUVER - B.C. Premier John Horgan raised his voice over jeers and fist-banging recently in question period after members of the Opposition Liberals criticized his government's handling of the clash between Wet'suwet'en hereditary clan chiefs and a pipeline company.

Horgan told the legislature that the unresolved rights being asserted by the chiefs were around long before his government took power 2 1/2 years ago.

"These issues have been percolating for generations  generations," he said.

While 20 elected First Nations councils have signed agreements with Coastal GasLink over its natural gas pipeline, the clan chiefs say the pipeline has no authority to run 190 kilometres through their traditional territory without consent.

The conflict that began in a remote area of northern British Columbia has erupted across the country, with protests and rail blockades in solidarity with the clan chiefs. The chiefs claim that while elected councils administer smaller reserves, hereditary chiefs are the true authority over 22,000 square kilometres of land.

The provincial government has long struggled with how to handle land claims in the province  where most First Nations haven't signed treaties  and documents released under freedom of information show it has often taken an approach that prioritized creating "certainty" for natural resource projects to proceed, a researcher and a lawyer say.

In 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the existence of Aboriginal title as an exclusive and ancestral right to the land.

The Delgamuukw case was fought by Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and their Gitxsan neighbours, but the ruling fell short of recognizing the boundaries of the territory to which their title applies. The judges found there was a defect in the pleadings and sent it back to trial, at the same time that they suggested goodwill negotiations could be a better way to resolve the questions it was being asked.

"What it did say was the province, acting on its own, doesn't have authority to extinguish Aboriginal title, that it continues to exist and that the Wet'suwet'en never ceded or otherwise gave up their title," said Kate Gunn, a lawyer with First Peoples Law.

"Although it hasn't been taken as such, it's an opportunity for the Crown to simply recognize the existence of that title."

First Peoples Law represents the Unist'ot'en, members of the Wet'suwet'en Nation, in an application for a judicial review that accuses the province of failing to consult them about an archeological mitigation plan after Indigenous artifacts were found at a Coastal GasLink construction site.

Rather than use the court decision as an opportunity to recognize Aboriginal title, researcher Shiri Pasternak said the government sought to protect industry from the ruling's implications.

"The provincial government was deeply shaken by the Delgamuukw decision as were the representatives of industry from across the province," said Pasternak, the research director at the Yellowhead Institute, a First Nation-led think tank.

Pasternak filed a freedom of information request for about 800 pages of documents that were released in 2018 as part of her research with Toronto's Ryerson University, where she is an associate professor of criminology.

"You can see in the documents they immediately rushed to their federal counterparts and co-ordinated a strategy for pushing Indigenous nations into the treaty process," said Pasternak, who recently co-wrote a story based on the documents that was published by The Narwhal magazine.

Some bureaucrats under Glen Clark's NDP government looked for a chance to make their argument in court. In a confidential email in 1998, a director with the Aboriginal affairs branch of the Forests Ministry suggested watching for the "right court challenge."

"This will be controversial, but it seems likely that Delgamuukw will spawn more litigation," wrote Doug Caul in an email released as part of the freedom of information request.

He said future litigation could help determine the scope of Aboriginal title.

"I am not suggesting we pick a fight but that we make sure we take advantage of potential litigation and maybe even initiate where we feel it could help us, instead of waiting and reacting. I am sure this suggestion will result in a strong reaction from others, I put it out there for some thought."

Caul, now a deputy minister in the Indigenous Relations Ministry, said in an emailed statement that Delgamuukw left many unanswered questions about the definition of Aboriginal title and who holds it.

The email quoting him contained a long list of ideas for brainstorming how to move forward, he said, and his long-standing view remains that government should answer those questions through negotiation and dialogue rather than the courts.

"I stand by my record on advancing reconciliation. In the past five years since I have been deputy minister, I have presided over significant progress in many areas  including the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, a modernized treaty policy, and meaningful new agreements with First Nations," Caul said.

Pasternak said the historic memos also show the province wrapping up Indigenous groups in interim agreements on the condition that they not take legal action or exercise their jurisdiction.

And representatives from forestry, ranching and other industry groups expressed concern about how Indigenous land rights could affect the economy.

"(Delgamuukw) has only created more uncertainty and we are very concerned by how governments will react to the courts findings," Marlie Beets, then vice-president of the BC Council of Forest Industries, said in another 1998 one memo.

Beets could not be reached for comment.

More than 20 years have passed since the Delgamuukw decision, but Pasternak said the issue of Indigenous land rights has yet to be resolved.

The treaty process has consistently been used to keep First Nations out of the courts, but neither is an ideal venue, she said.

"Indigenous people have been left between a rock and a hard place. There's no policy in place that recognizes their title in a meaningful way, yet litigation is an insurmountable barrier," she said.

The Tsilhqot'in won a court battle in 2014 recognizing their Aboriginal title in B.C.'s Interior, but it cost millions of dollars and took more than 20 years, she said.

With the obligation on First Nations to assert their title claims, it makes sense that some, like the Wet'suwet'en, are choosing to do so through direct action as they try to prevent Coastal GasLink from building its pipeline through their traditional territory.

"The onus remains on First Nations and that cost is untenable for most people," she said.

Gunn said that from her perspective, the provincial and federal governments have tried to maintain the status quo in the decades since the ruling by denying land rights until a First Nation challenges them.

Conflicts could be diminished if negotiations began with the recognition of Aboriginal title rather than discussion about whether it exists, she said.

The B.C. government has been in talks with the Wet'suwet'en for a year on a joint goal of "affirming" Aboriginal title with no real agreement reached.

B.C. Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Scott Fraser said in a recent interview that the talks aren't specific to any project like Coastal GasLink's natural gas pipeline, but they could have implications in the future.

"It's a much larger issue than a particular project, we all agreed it would be a separate process," he said.

"That being said, as we dig deeper into the conflict here, the rights and title issues come up over and over again, and that's still an outstanding issue that we haven't been able to address."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2020.
Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday threw his support behind sweeping proposals to reform ethics in New Jersey state government, with a focus on disclosing more information on who influences politicians and tightening rules to hold state lawmakers more accountable.

The measures would force lobbyists to reveal who they hire, require lawmakers to disclose their finances, limit gifts lawmakers can accept, open the state Legislature to public-records requests, and increase how long legislation must be public before it can be voted on, among other changes.

The proposals  which Murphy presented during a speech at Rutgers University in New Brunswick  could spark the latest disagreement between the Democratic governor and the Democrats who control the Legislature.

I am sure there are those who will hear what I am proposing tonight and criticize these proposals because they may challenge, or even threaten, a status quo in which they are very comfortable, Murphy said.

But, he added, in the ultimate reckoning, theirs is a sure-thing losing cause.

Among the measures Murphy proposed are:

Lobbying reform: Murphy supports a bill that would require lobbying firms and companies that hire lobbyists in New Jersey to disclose when they hire a person or firm to do consulting, advising, polling, researching, and more to help sway lawmakers and other officials. The practice is often called shadow lobbying because it happens but is not revealed. State Senate President Murphy supports a bill that would require lobbying firms and companies that hire lobbyists in New Jersey to disclose when they hire a person or firm to do consulting, advising, polling, researching, and more to help sway lawmakers and other officials. The practice is often called shadow lobbying because it happens but is not revealed. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney , D-Gloucester  who often clashes with Murphy  introduced the measure last year.

Detailed financial disclosure for lawmakers and other state workers: The governor wants to force any state legislator, as well as any executive and legislative branch employee who has an income of more than $100,000, to complete a detailed financial disclosure form. Currently, lawmakers only have to list their outside work and say whether they earn between $1 and $10,000 a year, between $10,000 and $24,999, between $25,000 and $49,999, or $50,000 or above. Thats it.

Limit gifts to lawmakers: Murphy is seeking to prohibit lawmakers and members of their staff from accepting any gift related in any way to the employees public duties. Currently, theyre allowed to receive gifts as long as they dont believe it would influence the performance of their public duties or responsibilities, Murphys office said.

Ban rushing legislation to a vote: The governor wants bills in their final form to be publicly available for people to view for 72 hours before they are voted on. That means measures couldnt be quickly amended and voted on. Rather, any time a bill is altered, the 72-hour clock would restart.

Restrict outside work for legislators senior staffers: Murphy is seeking to bar lawmakers senior staffers from getting any outside income unless its approved by the states Ethics Commission.

Extending the cooling off" period: Currently, legislators, the governor, and cabinet members have a one-year freeze on registering as a lobbyist after they leave their position. Murphy wants to make it a two-year cooling off period and also extend the freeze to executive and legislative branch staff earning $100,000 or more per year.

When I ran for governor, I pledged that if elected, I would make every decision based on what is best for the people of New Jersey, not Trenton insiders, Murphy said. At a time when public cynicism about government is all too common, we must restore the publics confidence by making government more transparent and accountable than ever."

But Murphy needs the Legislature to pass these proposals before can sign them. And that may prove to be a challenge.

For example, people can currently request public records under the states Open Public Records Act from the executive and judicial branches of government. But the Legislature is exempt.

Last month, Sweeney was asked if he would be open to lifting that exemption.

No, the Senate president said curtly. There you go.

Sweeney said Wednesday he would review Murphys proposals. A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, Kevin McArdle, also said Coughlin, D-Middlesex, would thoroughly review the recommendations.

Murphys announcement comes a month after he called for broad ethics reform in his State of the State address.

Its been more than a decade since the executive and legislative branches undertook comprehensive ethics reform, Murphy said during that speech. Its time now for us to look at it anew, with a whole-of-government approach that ensures we all live under the same laws and play by the same rules.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01.

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Houston pipeline operator Kinder Morgan plans to build the company's third pipeline to move natural gas from the Permian Basin of West Texas to the Gulf Coast but the project may have to wait until more customers sign up.

Kinder Morgan brought its Permian Basin-to-Corpus Christi Gulf Coast Express Pipeline into service in September while construction continues for its Permian Highway Pipeline, which will move gas from the West Texas shale play through the Texas Hill Country to the Katy Hub near Houston.

The company's CEO Steve Kean told the Houston Chronicle that Kinder Morgan remains in talks with producers to build the Permian Pass Pipeline, a proposed project that will move 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from the prolific West Texas shale play to interstate pipelines and liquefied natural gas export terminals in East Texas and Louisiana.

"While we were in deep discussions mid-last year, that has cooled a bit as producers re-examine their capital commitments," Kean said. "I still think we're going to need it."

Midstream Moves: Kinder Morgans newest Permian Basin pipeline headed to East Texas

Unlike the Permian Highway Pipeline, which still faces two federal lawsuits filed by opponents, the Permian Pass Pipeline will not go through the scenic and environmentally sensitive Hill Country.

Instead, Kean said the Permian Pass Pipeline will be routed through an area north of Austin and south of Dallas with a termination point in East Texas.

The project is not listed in the company's backlog of projects but a company investor presentation listed the in-service date for the pipeline beyond 2022. Kean said the company remains in discussions to sign up customers.

"Our business is a function of being ready to do what our customers want to do when they want to do it," Kean said. "If our customers are ready to sign up by the end of this year, which is possible, we could be proceeding. But again, it's not in our backlog. We won't go until it's signed up."

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PHOENIX  Supporters of President Trump already are lining up outside Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in expectation of the presidents rally Wednesday evening. Only those with tickets will be admitted. You can register for free tickets here. There is a limit of two tickets per phone number.

Gov. Doug Ducey is expected to meet the president at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and ride in the presidents motorcade to the coliseum.

Trump last visited the Phoenix area in October 2018, during which he told a crowd of thousands in a Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport hangar that a vote for then-U.S. Senate candidate Martha McSally would be the second-best vote you ever cast  the greatest vote being for him, he said. McSally lost to Kyrsten Sinema, but Ducey later appointed McSally to fill out the final years of the late Sen. John McCains term.

If youre planning to attend the rally or any of the planned counter-protests, heres what you need to know:

Event details

Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1826 W. McDowell Road.
John Quinlan Jr. celebrated not only his 99th birthday on Monday but also his high school graduation.

Quinlan, of Weymouth, Massachusetts, received his diploma from school officials 81 years after he left high school the month of his graduation for a job in a local shipyard.

"He was offered a full-time job building ships for the Department of Defense and it was too good a job to give up," Quinlan's daughter-in-law Jodi Purdy-Quinlan told "Good Morning America." "The school said he had to leave if he wanted to work full-time."

"He was stubborn and said, 'Well Im going to work,'" she explained. "He wasnt too impressed [in the years since] with the teacher who didnt let him graduate."

PHOTO: John F. Quinlan is pictured in his Navy uniform in this 1944 photo. (Jodi Purdy-Quinlan )

Quinlan, who went on to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II, was set to graduate from the school that is now known as Weymouth High School. It is the same school where he met his late wife of 52 years, where his four children graduated, where Purdy-Quinlan graduated and where at least two of his six grandchildren have graduated, according to Purdy-Quinlan.

MORE: Mom who skipped her own college graduation to attend son's surprised with a degree

Quinlan's grandson's upcoming graduation from Weymouth High in June is what inspired Purdy-Quinlan to reach out to school officials last month with the idea of surprising her father-in-law with an honorary diploma.

Instead, school officials were able to track down his attendance record in the school district's archives and confirm he was set to graduate.

They presented Quinlan with his actual diploma on Monday under both school policy and a 2005 law signed by then-Gov. Mitt Romney that allows high school diplomas to be awarded to certain veterans who withdrew from high school to serve in the military in World War II and other conflicts.

PHOTO: John Quinlan Jr. is presented with his high school diploma by Weymouth School Committee member, Kathy Sullivan Curran on his 99th birthday in his home in Weymouth, Mass., Feb 17, 2020. (Tom Gorman/The Patriot Ledger via USA Today Network)

"We are so proud of our veterans and we felt as though it was really important to be able to honor him and to present him with a diploma that was well-deserved," Jennifer Curtis-Whipple, superintendent of Weymouth Public Schools told "GMA." "We were very happy to be able to make that happen for him."

Story continues

The diploma included a picture of the high school as it looked when Quinlan attended and the signatures of his then-principal and then-superintendent.

MORE: Woman honors 6th-grade teacher's wish to attend her Harvard graduation, as written on 1997 report card

Quinlan, who goes by Grampy and Buddy, went on after his military duties to a 35-year career as a truck driver with the local public works department, according to Purdy-Quinlan.

PHOTO: Emily and Elyse Quinlan pose for a photo with their grandfather, John Quinlan Jr., holding his high-school diploma which was given to him in honor of his 99th birthday in Weymouth, Mass., Feb. 17, 2020. (Tom Gorman/The Patriot Ledger via USA Today Network)

He giggled at the sight of his high school diploma 81 years after he left high school, said Purdy-Quinlan who, with her husband, Charlie, Quinlan's son, cares for Quinlan at home.

"His reaction has been great," she said, noting that one of Quinlan's granddaughters got the biggest laugh when she asked him what he wants to be when he grows up.

99-year-old presented with his high school diploma on his birthday originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has hailed the 'historic moment', but business groups in the North fear it will damage the economy there. So what does it all mean...

The UK Home Office has announced new rules that will govern who can work there. The rules are known as the 'global talent scheme'. The scheme means that visas will not be available to low-skilled migrant workers.

The new system is a direct result of Brexit. It is being launched by Home Secretary Priti Patel today. She said it would open up the UK to the "brightest and the best from around the world".

The Home Office also noted it will end free movement, "reassert control of our borders and restore public trust".

In a statement, it said the government had listened to the clear message from the 2016 referendum and the 2019 general election and will "end the reliance on cheap, low-skilled labour coming into the country".

It said overall levels of migration would be reduced and this will ensure tighter security and "a better experience" for those coming to the UK. Employers are to be encouraged to invest in technology and automation rather than cheap European labour.

Will it affect Irish workers?

No. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson assured Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last year that the common travel area will not be affected after Brexit.

This arrangement allows Irish and British citizens to move freely and live in either jurisdiction.

How about Northern Ireland?

Business groups have condemned the changes as a body blow. There are fears they will have to compete with employers in the Republic where there is unfettered movement of workers within the EU.

The chief executive of Hospitality Ulster said the new system would severely hit the North which has been enjoying its lowest unemployment rate for a generation.

"Nobody wants to walk into one of our Irish bars and it's just a row of vending machines or a burger drops to your plate from somewhere," said Colin Neill.

"We need people. That's the bottom line. And if we don't get them, our industry will not grow."

Who does it apply to?

It applies to EU and non-EU citizens.

How does it work?

It is a points-based system. This means you get points for specific skills and qualifications, salaries or professions in order to get a visa. Visas will only be given to those who gain enough points, with 70 the amount needed to be eligible to apply.

Those who want to get in will also need to be able to speak English.

For example, speaking English and the offer of a skilled job equals 50 points.

The scheme means those with the highest skills and greatest talents - including scientists, engineers and academics - will get top priority. The points threshold will be set to attract talent where there is demand for certain skills.

However, employers will have access to a bigger pool of skilled workers as they will need to be qualified up to 'A level' or equivalent rather than degree level, as is the case under the current visa system. All applicants will be required to have a job offer and the minimum salary threshold will be set at 25,600 - down from 30,000.

It is understood that certain types of agricultural worker will be removed from the 'skilled' category, but carpentry, plastering and child-minding will be added.

When will it be rolled out?

It takes effect from January 1, 2021. Workers from European Economic Area countries have the automatic right to live and work in the UK, but this ends on December 31 when the post-Brexit transition period ends.

What did Ms Patel say about it?

"Today is a historic moment for the whole country," she said.

"We're ending free movement, taking back control of our borders and delivering on the people's priorities by introducing a new UK points-based immigration system, which will bring overall migration numbers down.

"We will attract the brightest and the best from around the globe, boosting the economy and our communities, and unleashing this country's full potential."

Is there any opposition to it?

Some employers have warned that the changes could be an absolute disaster for the care system and there are fears that farmers, builders and hotels will be hardest hit.

The Confederation of British Industry warned that care, construction, hospitality, food and drink companies could be most affected by the changes.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described the policy as offensive in a tweet. She said it labels vital workers as low skilled and slams the door in their faces. She said it is disastrous and will badly damage the UK economy.

Are there other plans similar to this?

The Home Office said student visa "routes" will also be points-based and opened to EU citizens. It said those wishing to study there will need to have an offer from an approved institution, be able to support themselves financially and speak English.

A seasonal workers' scheme will be expanded this year from 2,500 to 10,000 places in response to temporary requirements in agriculture.

What happens to those who want to go to the UK on holiday?

EU citizens and others without visas will not need a visa to enter the UK if visiting for up to six months. The home office said the use of national identity cards is being phased out and plans relating to this will be announced.

What about those who live in the UK already?

EU citizens living in the UK by December 31 2020 can apply to settle there through an EU Settlement Scheme, which will run up until June 2021.
Nygard Cay.

YouTube/ SaveTheBays

Canadian millionaire and fashion designer Peter Nygard is accused of luring victims, many of them underage girls, to his property in the Bahamas and raping them.

Ten unnamed victims have filed a lawsuit in New York federal court, but their lawyers suspect "there may be hundreds of additional Nygard victims yet to come forward."

The lawsuit alleges Nygard kept a database of information on thousands of potential victims and paid off Bahamian government officials and police to prevent interference in his sex parties.

Several women have come forward since the lawsuit was filed alleging they had been sexually abused by other men and women at the direction of Nygard, a lawyer for the plaintiffs told Insider.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Ten unnamed women have accused global fashion mogul Peter Nygard of luring them to "pamper parties" at his Bahamas property where they were raped, according to a recently filed federal lawsuit seen by Insider. Some victims were as young as 14 at the time.

The lawsuit alleges that sex trafficking victims, who Nygard, 77, referred to as his "girlfriends," were forced to commit commercial sex acts that "satisfied his perverse sexual desires."

If they tried to leave the estate, Nygard Cay, the victims were harassed and tormented by Bahamian law enforcement and politicians that the millionaire paid off, according to the suit.

"The scheme was so successful that victims who escaped Nygard Cay were often brought back to the Cay by the Bahamian police," the lawsuit alleges. It was filed in US District Court for the Southern District of New York last week by Greg Gutzler and Lisa Haba of the law firm DiCello Levitt Gutzler, attorneys for the victims in the case.

The victims identified in the suit were between 14 to 29 years old at the time of the alleged abuse. Nine of the victims were born in the Bahamas and one is from the United States. Several of them were virgins when they were raped, according to the 54-page complaint.

Story continues

Nygard's company spokesperson didn't immediately return Insider's request for comment.

Dozens of victims have come forward to the attorneys since the suit was filed last week, Gutzler told Insider. The earliest allegation of abuse was from the late 1970s and the most recent was in 2017, Gutzler said during the phone interview.

"I think it's been happening all the time," Gutzler said of the abuse. "It's never stopped."

Gutlzer believes that it's the #MeToo movement that inspired some of the victims to come forward in recent years.

"We met many victims and witnesses. They're terrified," he said, noting that Nygard had allegedly intimidated victims into silence.



"I can't believe it's taken this long," he said. "Everybody knew about this."

'Pamper parties' at Nygard Cay

Peter Nygard.

Phillip Faraone/Getty Images

Peter Nygard is the founder of Nygard International, a Canadian clothing brand that specializes in designing and manufacturing women's fashion. In 1987, his 150,000-square-foot Mayan-themed mansion  often referred to as "Nygard Cay"  was built.

Girls would be flown to the estate on Nygard's "N-Force" jet for "pamper parties," the lawsuit states, where their passports were collected and their return flights canceled by travel agency personnel. In order to leave Nygard Cay, the girls needed approval from the owner himself.

"Nygard expected a sex act before he was willing to consider releasing any person," the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit also provided disturbing details about the alleged rapes and the role that the fashion designer's employees played in the abuse.

In one instance, Nygard showed one of the victims  a 14-year-old girl  pornography of a man rubbing feces over a woman's body and forced her to penetrate him with a dildo. Nygard also forcibly raped the teenaged girl, according to the suit.

After the assault, two Nygard employees who allegedly brought the girl to the beachfront property escorted her to a car and took her home. Nygard Companies "supplied" cash paid to the victim, the lawsuit said.

The suit also said that Nygard drugged another 14-year-old girl by forcing her to take pills with wine at one of his parties.

When she arrived at the "pamper party" employees took down her contact information and photographed her, according to the suit.

When the girl woke up after allegedly being raped by Nygard, the millionaire's assistant told her that Nygard wasn't a "bad person but was just selfish at times," the suit said.

Nygard paid the underage girl as a model and gave her more money to recruit others to sleep with him, according to the suit.

During the ongoing abuse, Nygard insisted the 14-year-old defecate or urinate in his mouth, offering her drugs that would trigger bowel movement, but she refused, the suit said.

Several women have come forward since the lawsuit was filed alleging they had been sexually abused by other men and women at the direction of Nygard, Gutzler told Insider. He declined to comment on whether those alleged abusers were public figures as the investigation is ongoing.

Allegations strikingly similar to the Epstein case

The allegations against Nygard bear a striking similarity to the sex trafficking case involving late billionaire financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Last year, Epstein was charged with sex trafficking and accused of molesting dozens of underage girls at his homes in Manhattan and Florida.

Epstein, prosecutors said, paid some of his victims to recruit additional girls to be similarly abused; and he, too, had a private plane. It was dubbed "Lolita Express."

Epstein, who once socialized with the likes of President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and Britain's Prince Andrew, died by suicide shortly after his arrest and the federal sex-trafficking case against him was formally dismissed.

The recent sex trafficking lawsuit against Nygard comes after a court in the Bahamas issued a warrant last month for Nygard's arrest regarding a previous legal battle over his estate after he failed to appear in court for a sentencing hearing.

Government payoffs allegedly helped Nygard's scheme

The lawsuit against Nygard alleges that the abuse on his Bahamian property was allowed to continue, in part, because of the millions of dollars he paid to local officials and law enforcement.

"Those of his 'girlfriends' who tried to leave him were harassed and threatened by Bahamian police who were on Nygard's payroll," the lawsuit said.

A message seeking comment from Bahamian police was not immediately returned Wednesday.

Nygard, according to the suit, also contributed at least $10 million to get former Prime Minister Perry Christie elected and paid to have individuals spread bad press about the opposing party in power at the time of the election.

He allegedly regularly invited the parliament members and law enforcement to his parties. Photos of some officials, like Bahamian parliament member Shane Gibson, at the parties were included in the lawsuit.

A list of victims was kept on company computers

The Canadian millionaire stored photos and contact information of thousands of women in a database that was maintained by his company's corporate IT department, according to the suit.

To create this database, which dated back to the late '80s and included information on about 7,500 underage girls and women, upon arriving at the gated Nygard Cay property each of the potential victims was required to "register" with Nygard International's event planning team.

They had to provide their name, phone number, email address, and the name of the person who invited them to the party. Then the women and girls were required to pose for a full-body photograph and headshot, according to the suit.

Invitations to Nygard's parties were based on the physical appearance of the women and girls, as alluded to in recruitment emails that had been sent through company accounts, according to the complaint.

"I have a question that I hate asking but I have to ... are your guest same size and you or smaller? They won't be let in if they are big bonded," another error-riddled email says.

The most knowledgeable person about the company's IT department was Daane Clifford, whose recent death at age 44 has been described as a "sudden passing," according to the suit.

Gutzler and Haba told Insider they believe the current social climate has helped bring the lawsuit forward.

"The #MeToo movement has been built and sustained by women who decided they could no longer remain silent, even in the face of pressure from wealthy and powerful men like Nygard, Jeffrey Epstein, and Harvey Weinstein," they said in a statement. "Sadly, we understand from our exhaustive investigation that there may be hundreds of additional Nygard victims yet to come forward."

Read the original article on Insider
The peak body representing Australias GPs says the country has "dodged a bullet" in its response to the global coronavirus outbreak, with local doctors on the frontline of efforts to contain the disease not given enough information or support.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners is calling for a new national plan to be developed to deal with pandemics, saying the response to COVID-19 has exposed flaws in how state and federal health agencies work together.

Dr Harry Nespolon says Australia has "dodged a bullet" in its initial response to COVID-19. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

RACGP chairman Harry Nespolon said there was no allocation of supplies to GPs in the first days of the response, and there was confusion about what precautions needed to be taken.

"In a sense, weve dodged a bullet in that we havent had many cases, the cases have been mild, and I think the [federal] government did the right thing by stopping people from travelling from infected areas," Dr Nespolon said.
Two elderly American passengers, quarantined in Japan with the new coronavirus, learned on Wednesday they were still carrying the virus even after their expected quarantine period had ended.

Their reaction: a shrug and grin.

Clyde and Renee Smith, both 80, were separated from their grandsons and taken off the Diamond Princess cruise ship in the port of Yokohama and hospitalized after testing positive for the virus on February 3.

They told Reuters they did not have thoughts harsher than surprise when they learned they are still stuck in quarantine because they are on a US no-fly list until they are virus-free.

Renee and Clyde are among more than 40 Americans who were infected with coronavirus on board the ship. After 300 passengers - including 14 who tested positive for the virus - were evacuated back home, US officials announced that the other 100 American passengers would have to stay in Japan another 14 days.

And that suits the Smiths just fine

'We are very happy here,' Clyde said from the couple's hospital room in western Tokyo.

'They're taking excellent care of us. This is the newest, fanciest hospital I've ever seen,' he said, adding that the doctors and nurses 'are the friendliest and nicest I could imagine.'

Clyde and Renee Smith (left, right) are among the Americans who came down with coronavirus and were placed in quarantine in a Tokyo hospital, where they say they're 'happy to be'

Public health officials have said the incubation period for the virus was 14 days, but the Smiths were still positive in a test taken on Monday, two weeks after their initial test.

Otherwise healthy carriers can harbor and transmit a virus without experiencing symptoms. Such carriers have played a role in spreading typhoid, influenza and HIV.

Scientists have been closely watching for such cases among patients with the new coronavirus.

On Tuesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cited the high rate of infections among patients without symptoms as a reason for ordering an additional 14 days of quarantine for all passengers and crew removed from the cruise ship before they can travel to the United States.

The Smiths will be tested every 48 hours and must get two negative results before they can leave quarantine.

Clyde, a former employee of the state of Georgia, told CBS46 that he and Renee, a previous winner of 'Mother of the Year' for the entire state, have not had any symptoms, and feel just fine.

The news that they were still testing positive was 'a little bit unnerving,' Renee said, but only because they have things they want to tend to back in Atlanta.

The coronavirus death toll surpassed 2,000 Tuesday evening, with more than 75,000 cases worldwide

After diagnosis, the two were transported from the cruise ship, where thousands are still quarantined, to the hospital in Tokyo where they'll remain until they test negative

The Smiths said their vital signs have been normal throughout and they have shown no symptoms of the disease, called COVID-19, which has killed over 2,000 people - the vast majority in the region of central China around the epicenter in the city of Wuhan.

Japan's public-health response to the outbreak aboard the Diamond Princess - the biggest outside China - has been heavily criticized.

The CDC, headquartered in the Smiths' hometown, said Tokyo's quarantine may not have been sufficient, while a Japanese infectious-disease specialist who had visited the ship as a volunteer doctor said the quarantine was run by 'bureaucrats' who stoked the crisis by failing to follow basic protocols.

The Smiths joked that they're 'guinea pigs,' but happy to comply with the measures that Japan is taking in an effort to stop coronavirus from becoming a pandemic in an interview from quarantine

Families of people infected with the virus on the ship and now being quarantined and treated in Japanese hospitals have told DailyMail.com that the patients have to pay for water and are fed minimal meals.

But the Smiths supported Japan's response and understood the need for them to remain in quarantine until they are free of the virus.

'This is so new and unprecedented that I don't think the medical community has any current, firm knowledge of what's going on there,' Clyde said, adding that Japan was doing its best 'to prevent a real pandemic worldwide.'

Renee, with a broad smile, added: 'Oh we're being unwilling guinea pigs.'
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EDJX , a pioneer in decentralized planet-scale edge computing technology, today announced its partnership with 6x7 Networks, the world's only fully encrypted global telecommunications carrier. EDJX recently launched the public beta of its EDJX Serverless Edge , allowing industry-first access to a secure platform for writing, testing and deploying IoT, M2M, and Mobile edge apps. EDJX and 6x7 Networks are deploying the EDJX Serverless Edge computing platform across 6x7 Networks' 500+ Points-of-Presence (PoPs) and 100,000+ edge locations worldwide. Upon launch the EDJX Serverless Edge will be one of the most expansive edge computing networks in the market, adding thousands of 6x7 Networks locations available for use by developers.

6x7 Networks has accumulated vast infrastructure resources over two decades to support the demand from enterprise data growth. Among the benefits and challenges the partnership addresses, EDJX instantly gives 6x7 Networks a full suite of cloud services, including serverless computing, object storage and distributed ledger, turning 6x7 Networks into a formidable cloud service provider at the edge. EDJX's Serverless Edge platform will be deployed on 6x7 Networks infrastructure in data centers, PoPs and edge locations.

The combination of 6x7 Networks high-speed connectivity and EDJX unique serverless edge platform will make it easy for developers to access vast amounts of compute resources in close proximity to the devices and connected things they serve.

"As the world's only fully encrypted global communications carrier, 6x7 Networks is the perfect partner for EDJX. We have set out to create the most expansive network of edge computing ever conceived," said John Cowan, co-founder and CEO of EDJX.

"IoT Developers know that when it comes to edge, proximity matters. 6x7 Networks empowered by EDJX technology is the ultimate solution for software developers," said James Thomason, co-founder and CTO of EDJX.

"EDJX's platform enables developers to deploy applications with ease across our global Tier 1 infrastructure network. Use cases with sub-millisecond latency across entire metro areas, including full cellular Evolved Packet Cores, are now possible. 6x7 Networks and EDJX are uniquely positioned to enable innovation at the edge across 6 continents and 190 countries," said Benjamin Cannon, 6x7 Networks CEO.

Edge computing has been widely recognized by analysts as a top trend for 2020 due to the explosion in data processing demands. These demands will result from edge applications serving trillions, not billions of IoT and IIoT devices; applications that require computing resources as close as possible to the person or device. 6x7 Networks and EDJX have the network and platform to address the needs of developers.

The partnership extends 6x7 Networks' service capabilities and offers a superior edge developer user experience. Developers can sign up for immediate access and try EDJX Serverless Edge for free by visiting the EDJX web site at http://edjx.io .

About EDJX

EDJX is an edge computing platform that makes it easy to write IoT applications using serverless computing, increase the responsiveness of edge applications, and secure edge data at the source. We help businesses handle the explosive demand for data processing to serve real-world edge computing applications including industrial IoT, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and robotics. Led by cloud industry veterans John Cowan and James Thomason, EDJX is a privately held company based in Raleigh, NC. To learn more about EDJX, visit its website at https://edjx.io .

About 6x7 Networks

6x7 Networks, LLC is the world's only fully encrypted global telecommunications carrier. Serving the data communications needs of enterprise businesses, government, healthcare, finance, and national interests across the globe for over 26 years, 6x7 applies government-grade security on all links to meet or exceed FIPS-140 standards in hardware on its redundant and highly-available global tier 1 telco backbone. To better serve its customers, 6x7 owns and operates 2 Carrier-Neutral Datacenters in San Francisco and San Mateo, in addition to its Bay Area, California, Chicago, NYC, and global network of PoPs which are integrated into other wholesale carrier partner networks in order to deliver a global wholesale footprint to the carrier community. This ensures a cost-effective, scalable and threat-resilient network that is committed to the telecommunications environment and their respective clients. For more information, visit https://www.6x7networks.com .

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The government on Wednesday elevated Gujarat-based space agency BISAG to a national institute under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to expand its scope of activities and research.

"The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved Elevation of Bhaskaracharya Institute of Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG), Gujarat as Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG(N)) under Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY)," an official statement said.

BISAG is a state agency of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of Gujarat, and its governing body is chaired by the chief secretary of the state.

The elevation of BISAG has been done to maintain efficiency and innovation of services, facilitate implementation of expanded scope of activities, efficient rollout of GIS projects and facilitate aid, research and development at the institute, according to the statement.

This is not a new organisation but only an elevation of existing body which will be an autonomous scientific society under the Government of India instead of the state government, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ST. PAUL  Heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne has canceled his upcoming farewell tour, which included a July 3 stop at St. Pauls Xcel Energy Center. Refunds are available at the point of purchase.

The news comes as little surprise to fans of the 71-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who has suffered from several ailments in recent years and was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease last February. He used a cane on stage at the Grammy Awards last month when he presented the trophy for best rap/sung performance with his wife, Sharon.

Osbourne launched what he said would be his final tour in April 2018. He played more than 40 shows that year, but postponed all of his 2019 concerts, which included a July 6 stop at the X.

But in a statement, Osbourne vowed he would return to the road: "I dont want to start a tour and then cancel shows at the last minute, as its just not fair to the fans. Id rather they get a refund now and when I do the North American tour down the road, everyone who bought a ticket for these shows will be the first ones in line to purchase tickets at that time."

Osbourne is scheduled to travel to Switzerland in April for an undisclosed medical treatment thats expected to take six to eight weeks.

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In another statement, Osbourne said the European leg of his tour will start in September.

"First the staph infection in my thumb and now coming down with the flu and bronchitis. I want to apologize to all of my fans who have been so loyal over the years  I promise the (European tour) will be completed."
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

A spokesman for San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said Tuesday that city lawyers disagree with an appeals court ruling last week upholding a $5 million verdict in a whistleblower case, but have not yet decided whether to appeal further.

"We're evaluating our next steps," said spokesman John Cote.

In a decision issued Thursday, a state Court of Appeal panel in San Francisco upheld a 2017 Superior Court jury award of $2.6 million in damages and $2.4 million in attorney's fees for former Chief Trial Attorney Joanne Hoeper of the City Attorney's Office.

Hoeper claimed she was fired in retaliation for her investigation in 2012 of payments made by the city to plumbing companies to repair sewer lines damaged by tree roots.

Herrera contended the reason was dissatisfaction with her handling of other matters dating back several years.

A three-judge appeals panel agreed that the trial jury had ample evidence to conclude that Hoeper was fired in retaliation and that "the proffered reasons for her termination were pretextual."

The evidence at the 2017 trial "amply supports the jury's factual determinations that Hoeper's sewer investigation was a contributing factor in, or substantial motivating reason for, Herrera's decision to terminate her employment," the court said.

In addition to the $2.4 million to pay her lawyers, the jury award included $740,000 for past and future lost earnings and $1.3 million for emotional distress.

The appeals court rejected the city's contention that the emotional distress portion was excessive.

"The loss of Hoeper's position effectively put an end to her 30-year legal career and 20 years at the City Attorney's Office," Justice Peter Siggins wrote in the court's opinion.

In a statement released by her lawyers, Hoeper said, "I lost the career I loved protecting the city I love. I hope this long-delayed victory encourages other public employees to do the right thing, be true to their oath and report wrongdoing."

Cote said the case was an employment dispute and "was never about corruption."

"No court has found or suggested any city corruption in connection with Ms. Hoeper's claims," he said.

"It's unfortunate the court did not recognize that the city attorney had ample legitimate reasons for terminating Ms. Hoeper long before he actually did so," Cote said.

Herrera transferred Hoeper to the District Attorney's Office in August 2012 and terminated her employment in January 2014.

The city's options for further appeal could include asking the appeals court for reconsideration or seeking review by the California Supreme Court.

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 voter ID law was already under a temporary injunction because of a federal court ruling in a separate lawsuit, which found that some of its provisions violated the Constitutions guarantee of equal protection under the law. That injunction was set to last at least through next months primaries, when North Carolininians vote as part of Super Tuesday on March 3.
Four members of a Massachusetts family were killed in a crash near Walt Disney World in Florida.

The Smith family was in a rental van when police say they were rear-ended by a pickup truck Tuesday night on State Road 429 near Celebration, Florida.

The van rolled over, killing 5-year-old Scarlett Smith; her mother, 41-year-old Julie Smith, of Whitman; and her grandmother, 76-year-old Josephine Fay, of Weymouth.

Jackson Smith, 11, later died of his injuries at Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital, according to Florida Highway Patrol officials.

Scarlett's twin sister, a 10-year-old sibling, their father and their grandfather suffered minor injuries. They have been released from the hospital.



Police said two other vehicles were hit by the truck during the crash. All other injuries are considered non-life-threatening.

According to the police report, all members of the Smith family were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.

The Florida Highway Patrol said charges against the 26-year-old truck driver were pending.



In Whitman, every home in the Smith family's neighborhood lit a candle Wednesday night in honor of the victims.

Its very hard to comprehend. Our hearts are absolutely broken, said neighbor Sheila Howard. Its just a sad thing to think about. I had just seen the kids, you know, and you have that vision of them playing in the yard.

Flowers were also left in front of Fay's home in Weymouth.

Scarlett and her twin sister attended preschool at the Merry-Deb Child Care & Learning Center. Their preschool teacher said the girls were counting down the days to their family vacation in Florida.

"The girls were very excited about going. They couldn't wait," said Darlene Staples. "They were a wonderful family. They did a lot of trips together.

"Our hearts are absolutely broken. We're just trying to get through (the day)."

Officials with the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District said counselors will be available for students when they return from February vacation next week.

"It's awful. It really is," said Superintendent Jeff Szymaniak. "I think we'll go through that as we go hour by hour, day by day as a district. But I think the family should be in our thoughts and prayers."
[February 19, 2020] AskBio Appoints Anna Tretiakova, PhD, as Senior Vice President of Product Development

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio), a leading clinical-stage adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy company, today announced that it has appointed scientific leader Anna Tretiakova, PhD, as Senior Vice President of Product Development. Reporting to Jude Samulski, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of AskBio, Anna will lead the companys research and translational collaborations to deliver clinical candidate vectors. An industry veteran with more than 30 years of research and development and translational medicine experience, Dr. Tretiakova has spent nearly 10 years exclusively focused on AAV gene therapy at the University of Pennsylvania Gene Therapy Program, Pfizer Rare Disease Research Unit and, most recently, SwanBio Therapeutics. Broadening our research and development team is critical to achieving our mission to transform genetic medicine, and we are excited to add Annas expertise moving AAV programs into the clinic, said Dr. Samulski. She will lead preclinical translational research across all of our existing and future therapeutic areas to ensure we pursue the highest quality candidates for clinical development. Throughout my career, I have been inspired to help patients with untreatable diseases, said Dr. Tretiakova. I am thrilled to join AskBio to help advance our preclinical programs with safety and speed and drive down the cost to make gene therapy available o all who need it.



In addition to delivering clinical candidate vectors into the therapeutic programs, Dr. Tretiakova will be part of AskBios leadership team tasked with driving value across the integrated gene therapy technology platforms. She continued, AskBio has one of the most impressive visions for gene therapy and has undertaken a fully integrated strategy to advance DNA and vector manufacturing, capsid and gene cassette engineering, knowledge of vector biology and immunology to allow for treatment re-administration, and tissue targeting. All of this is done within one company, which is unprecedented in the gene therapy industry today.

About Anna Tretiakova, PhD

Anna has over 30 years of research and development experience that spans basic research and non-clinical translational sciences, progressing from a bench scientist in academia to senior leadership roles with biotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations. She has spent almost a decade of that time fully dedicated to AAV gene therapy for monogenic and non-monogenic diseases in various therapeutic areas at the University of Pennsylvania Gene Therapy Program, Pfizer Rare Disease Research Unit and, most recently, SwanBio Therapeutics. She completed her graduate education in molecular biology and biochemistry with a PhD from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and diploma from Novosibirsk State University in Russia. About AskBio

Founded in 2001, Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio) is a privately held, clinical-stage gene therapy company dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with genetic disorders. AskBios gene therapy platform includes an industry-leading proprietary cell line manufacturing process called Pro10 and an extensive AAV capsid and promoter library. Based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, the company has generated hundreds of proprietary third-generation AAV capsids and promoters, several of which have entered clinical testing. An early innovator in the space, AskBio holds more than 500 patents in areas such as AAV production and chimeric and self-complementary capsids. AskBio maintains a portfolio of clinical programs across a range of neurodegenerative and neuromuscular indications with a current clinical pipeline that includes therapeutics for Pompe disease, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2i/R9 and congestive heart failure, as well as out-licensed clinical indications for hemophilia (Chatham Therapeutics acquired by Takeda) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Bamboo Therapeutics acquired by Pfizer). Learn more at https://www.askbio.com or follow us on LinkedIn. Contact: Robin Fastenau Vice President, Communications +1 984.275.2705 [email protected]

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A pioneering heart valve replacement that grows at the same rate as the organ does could transform lives of children with defects, scientists say.

The prosthetic could remove the need for patients to have multiple risky heart surgeries during childhood and provide a longer-lasting fix for weak hearts.

Its inventors say it could 'transform the field' if it is proved totally safe and they hope it can be tested in humans within two years.

Replacement heart valves are used when a person's natural valve is diseased or damaged, stopping the heart from working as it should.

Children with congenital heart disease are forced to endure repeated open-heart surgeries to swap the replacement valve with a larger version as their body grows.

But the new valve, created by Boston Children's Hospital, is intended to provide a more permanent solution.

It has been tested on lambs and worked safely and effectively for at least 10 weeks.

A pioneering heart valve replacement that grows as the same rate as the organ does could transform lives of children with defects. It safely worked in growing young lambs as they grew in their first weeks of life (pictured, the valve expanding to different lengths in sheep)

Scientists at Boston Children's Hospital used a computer to model how the valve would expand to deal with the stress of increasing blood flow as a child gets older

Dr Sophie Hofferberth and colleagues created a heart valve that draws inspiration from valves in human veins. It is composed of two synthetic leaflets attached to a stent and can be manually expanded with a balloon catheter

Children with congenital heart disease are forced to endure repeated open-heart surgeries to swap the replacement valve with a larger version as their body grows. But the new valve is intended to provide a more permanent solution (pictured, expanding as the child ages)

More than 1.35million children worldwide are born with a congenital heart disorder every year.

In the UK, one in every 180 babies have potentially deadly problems with their hearts, according to the British Heart Foundation.

These defects account for three to five per cent of all deaths in children under five years of age.

WHAT IS HEART REPLACEMENT SURGERY AND WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS? Heart valve replacement surgery is an operation to repair one or more of the heart's four valves. If these are damaged by disease or age it can reduce how well the vital organ pumps blood around the body. Valves  where the main arteries and veins connect to the heart  can become less efficient if they do not open or close properly, obstructing the flow of blood or leaking as the heart pumps. A valve replacement op is one in which the damaged valve is replaced with either an artificial part or one from an animal or human donor. During the op the chest is sliced open, the heart stopped and blood pumped with a bypass machine, then the heart valve is replaced and the chest closed back up and the heart restarted. Patients will usually spend a week in hospital and may take up to three months to fully recover. The survival rate of an aortic valve replacement  a common type  is between 97 and 99 per cent, according to the NHS. Risk depends on the patient's age and general health but it can cause endocarditis, a heart infection. Blood clots and stroke are also possible complications WHAT TYPE OF REPLACEMENT VALVES ARE AVAILABLE? Mechanical valves are made of metal. They can lead to blood clots which can be fatal if they cause a heart attack or stroke. Because the body can tell that a mechanical valve is not made of natural tissue, blood is more likely to clot on the surface of the valve. The hard surface can also tear blood cells as they pass through the valve, causing clots to form. Tissue valves may be recommended to patients over 70 or those who do not want to take blood thinning medication. Tissue valves from an animal are strong and flexible. The advantage of tissue valves is that a patient does not need life-long blood thinning medication like mechanical valves do. They can last 10-20 years, but are considered to wear out quicker than a mechanical/artificial valve. Sources: British Heart Foundation and NHS Advertisement

The number of operations performed for congenital heart disease increased by around 60 per cent between 2000 and 2010.

It's thought that most cases occur when something affects the heart's development during the first six weeks of pregnancy. Maternal diabetes, alcohol and flu are some risk factors.

More severe heart defects usually require surgery, of which there are many kinds. A prosthetic valve replacement can give children the best chance of life without symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain.

Valve replacements are made of either metal - which comes with the risk of blood clots - or animal tissue.

Animal heart valves can last 10-20 years, but are thought to wear out quicker than a mechanical valve.

A fake heart valve will not grow as the child grows and will need to be replaced again around two or three times. For this reason, it is delayed for as long as possible to reduce the number of repeat surgeries.

The valves are put inside the body by opening the chest and cutting the breastbone to reach the heart - which has four valves in total - in a complex procedure.

Around two per cent of patients die from an aortic valve replacement, according to The British Heart Foundation, which is much smaller than the risk of leaving severe aortic valve problems untreated.

To provide a more permanent solution that reduces surgical burden, Dr Sophie Hofferberth and colleagues created a heart valve that draws inspiration from valves in human veins.

It is composed of two synthetic leaflets attached to a stent and can be manually expanded with a balloon catheter to accommodate larger volumes of blood moving through the heart.

The valves expand and contract to handle large changes in blood flow volume which would be expected as the child gets older.



In a new study, published in Science Transitional Medicine, the artificial valve safely worked in seven growing young lambs for a period of up to 10 weeks, without causing injury or inflammation.

When implanted into four young lambs and four adult sheep, the prosthetic valves showed good performance without impeding blood flow.

Researchers say that although studies with longer follow-up times are needed to further validate the design, the device could offer a superior alternative to traditional, fixed-diameter heart valve prostheses.

The valve could also benefit adults with heart valve defects.

Dr Pedro del Nido, chairman of cardiovascular surgery at Boston Children's Hospital and senior author on the paper, said: 'We hope to bring this new device into clinical testing fairly rapidly.

'If our pre-clinical results hold up in human testing, this could transform the field.'

Dr Hofferberth said: 'A shortcoming of many existing devices is the presence of flow disruptions that lead to blood clot formation and early valve deterioration.

'Our design achieves a favourable flow profile that seems to facilitate effective valve washout and minimise flow stagnation, which is likely to be an important determinant of long-term device durability.'

The team believes their data support initiation of a clinical study within one to two years.
The Chinese ship, detained in Kandla port for wrongly declaring an autoclave which can also be used in the manufacture of missiles as a dryer, almost managed to leave Indian shores on the intervening night of February 4 and 5 for its final destination, Port Qasim in Karachi, Pakistan.

Hindustan Times first reported on Monday that the merchant vessel (MV) Da Cui Yun had been detained by Indian customs officials at Deendayal Port, formerly known as Kandla Port, for allegedly carrying an autoclave, and also mis-declaring it.

Customs officials seized the suspect cargo from the vessel, which flies a Hong Kong flag, on Monday even though the crew are still on board.

The ship, which reached Kandla on February 3, has been moved away from Jetty 16, where it was berthed earlier, to the anchorage area of the port.

A port official familiar with the matter said on Tuesday that there was a strong chance of the ships papers also being seized. The next course of action depends on the government, the official added on condition of anonymity.

A team from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is examining the cargo.

HT has learnt that the ship almost got away with its precious cargo.

Kandla Port authorities issued the crucial no-objection certificate after verifying it had no dues as per the norm. An onward-sailing memo was issued for February 4, a second senior port official said on condition of anonymity. A pilot to guide the 166.6-metre-long 20,949-tonne ship out of the harbour was put on standby at the request of the MV Da Cui Yun.

Suddenly, however, there was a flurry of activity. Senior Kandla Port officials got calls from New Delhi. Officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and other security agencies reached Kandla, the second official added.

HT learns that officials from the national security establishment were part of the team.

The customs authorities, who were about to issue final clearance for the vessel to set sail, backed off. On February 5, a ship chandler put in a request to bar the pilot and the vessel out of the harbour, the second official said. The DRDO report will be crucial in determining the next step, said a third official, who asked not to be named.

On February 3, MV Da Cui Yun arrived in Kandla and immediately offloaded 2,480 tonne of machinery, even though Kandla Port authorities had been expecting the vessel to arrive on January 31. But such delays are common in shipping.

The ship was clearly aiming to leave soon.

Medical certificates of the crew  a mandatory requirement  was filed much in advance by their agents to secure necessary port clearances, the second official said.

While DRDO scientists examine the equipment, investigators are also interested in the ships charter. Prior to sailing from Jiangyin port on the Yangtze river in Chinas Jiangsu province, the vessel was harboured in Shanghai for five days and also passed through Nantong Port in Jiangsu province.

In the current context, the visit to these ports could hold clues, the third official said.

The tip-off, HT learns, came from Hong Kong to the highest levels of Indian intelligence. Indian operatives are believed to have sent a message that the ship could be carrying dual-use technology products  those that can be used for both civilian and military purposes. The US has also been maintaining a close watch on the Chinese shipping companies after it imposed sanctions on Iran, but it isnt immediately clear whether the US provided any intelligence. The US had also imposed sanctions on some of the Chinese shipping companies.

After the ship was prevented from leaving, an inspection by the customs department found that the  declaration (on the nature of cargo) wasnt matching, a fourth senior official at Kandla port said on condition of anonymity. Prima facie, it appears the vessel violated the Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies (Scomet) regulations, this person added.

Category 4 and 5 of the Scomet regulations deal with the transport of dual-use technology, especially those that can be used for the production of nuclear warheads. The regulations were introduced after the UN confirmed that Iraq had used chemical weapons on Iran during the Iran-Iraq war. The regulations are designed to control the export and prevent the proliferation of technologies and equipment which can be used in the manufacture or disposal of chemical and biological weapons. Dual-use items are also considered contributors to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).




Scottish salmon exports in 2019 at record value of US$806 million

Scottish salmon exports in 2019 reached a record high at 618 million (US$805.55 million), up 22% over the previous year, according to new figures released by the UK government's Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC), as reported by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO).

The tonnage exported also increased by 26% to over 94,000 tonnes.

France, the US and China were the top three markets out of 54 countries that imported Scottish salmon. For the third year running, France emerged as the largest market for Scottish salmon with purchases worth 221 million ($288.1 million), followed by the US (179 million or $233.34 million), and China (59 million or $76.9 million).

The EU accounted for 56% of the volume of global Scottish salmon exports and 52% of value.

Outside the EU, the US remained Scottish salmon's largest market, whose exports reached 25,000 tonnes.

Positive growth in 17 markets

Seventeen of the top 20 export markets showed positive growth in 2019.

While exports to China declined 11% in volume, these were offset by growth elsewhere in Asia such as Taiwan and Japan, resulting in almost 97 million ($126.36 million) worth of Scottish salmon exported to the region.

Julie Hesketh-Laird, Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) chief executive, said, "These figures demonstrate just what an extraordinary success Scottish salmon is. Such record-breaking performance is hugely encouraging and reflects the excellent reputation which Scottish salmon has in international markets".

She added that Scottish salmon, with its small carbon footprint and low water use, is recognised globally for its taste, quality and provenance.

Fergus Ewing, Scotland's rural economy secretary, welcomed the export figures, saying: "These record-breaking figures demonstrate that demand for Scottish salmon is soaring and highlights the world-class reputation our producers enjoy.
In a cold corner of northwest Iraq, Magboula Bajo is still homeless. She's Yazidi -- part of a community enslaved and tortured by ISIS.

She was taken from her home, kept as a slave for two years.

"They killed them all in front of our eyes: my father, uncles, our relatives, my father's uncles," she recalled. "They blindfolded the youths and tied their hands and took them near to the river. We heard them being shot."

Magboula feels like she's been forgotten by the world. Her people still live in freezing refugee camps, waiting for their lives to start again.

ISIS victims have yet to find peace, and many of those who joined ISIS have yet to see justice.

As I wait outside her tent, I can hear the distinct north American accent of Kimberly Polman, the U.S.-Canadian woman who joined ISIS five years ago.

I can hear her laughing and preparing it so that we can come inside to talk. "I had no idea you guys were coming!"

One year after the 'defeat' of ISIS, what of the men & women who joined? In Syria, I spent time with British woman Shamima Begum & US/Canadian Kimberly Polman. In a tent next-door Hoda Mothana & her son Adam, from the US Part of an @ABCNewsLive special report to air soon 1/23 pic.twitter.com/gUhxsrVnsp  James Longman (@JamesAALongman) February 16, 2020

I am at Roj camp in northeast Syria, where about 2,000 Western European ISIS women and their children are being kept.

Polman shares a tent with Shamima Begum, the British 20-year-old who joined ISIS when she was just 15. Next door to them is Hoda Mothana, who lives with her 2-year-old son, Adam. All three are trying to return to their home countries. Begum and Mothana have had their appeals rejected, while Polman is still in limbo with both Canadian and U.S. authorities.

Story continues

Roj is a much better camp than Hawl, where more than 65,000 live in often-appalling conditions. In Hawl, entire areas are no-go for aid agencies because the ISIS radicalism is so entrenched, effectively forming a small ISIS town where more than half the inhabitants are children.

In Roj, radicalization is still a problem, but perhaps easier to manage with smaller numbers.

Both camps represent a major issue for the Kurds, who have been left to guard their own tormentors while the international community drags its feet in finding a solution.

Judge Khalid Ali says he's long been asking for help setting up an international tribunal & building prisons. But there's uncertainty about the future - and whether Assad returns. He wrote a letter to the US Dept of Justice 9 months ago & is still waiting 5/23 pic.twitter.com/2KT8L9uJyW  James Longman (@JamesAALongman) February 16, 2020

Inside the tent, I'm shocked to discover fairy lights and hearts hanging from tent hooks.

"We're preparing for Valentine's day," a smiling Polman told me. I'm immediately aware of her efforts to seem "normal" and -- crucially -- different from the other women in the camp. "We're baking a cake tonight, and some of the other women are coming 'round for coffee. You've got to try and stay sane."

I feel like this is code for, "'I am like you, can you believe this?'"

The truth is, I can't. The tent is like no other I've ever seen in Syria. While Magboula deals with cold, damp, dirty living conditions -- often cramped with multiple people -- Polman and Begum's is like a minimum-security prison. They have satellite TV, heating and electricity. Polman has knitted cushions for the other women bearing the flags of their home states, and a homemade sign reads, "First I Drink Coffee, Then I Do The Things." I could be in any regular sitting room in the U.S. or U.K.

Polman is confident and talks a lot. She blames her decision to come to Syria in 2015 on a husband she met online when she was particularly vulnerable.

"He was a really vibrant, very alive, very knowledgeable, very relaxed kind of human being," she told me. "Certainly not what you would have expected If you think of the word 'terrorist' -- he did not incite fear in you at all. And the truth is, is that, I was at a really low point and I probably should have been living closer to my family. I should have had a different support system."

She said she didn't see any of the horrific propaganda released at the time. And she said she traveled before some of the more brutal terror attacks in Europe had transpired, like at the Bataclan or the truck attack in Nice. But this is often a refrain of those who joined ISIS, and it's not an argument that holds up to scrutiny. She's a bright woman, and has sought to rationalize her situation -- certainly to convince others.

But I think also to try and convince herself.

It feels like a minimum security prison in the west - they have fairy lights up for Valentines day when I meet them, and talk about baking a cake with their group of friends that night. Other women in the camp are allowed to work, and the pair tell me money is shared. 8/23 pic.twitter.com/r7u5q7fPDY  James Longman (@JamesAALongman) February 16, 2020

She does not believe she or the other women, Mothana, Begum and nine or so others from Germany and Holland, are anything like the majority of the ISIS wives in the camp.

"Some of them celebrated when Baghdadi died, because he wasn't radical enough for them," said Begum, referring to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed in an October raid.

Polman said she believes they're in danger. "There's kitchen knives galore here," she added.

The issue of radicalization is certainly a serious one, and with so many children in both the Hol and Roj camps, a new generation of extremists has the potential to grow. "I've seen a child chop the head off a doll," Polman warned.

Both Polman and Begum repeatedly refer to ISIS as "they" -- a point I make to them. People at home, I tell them, will see you as ISIS. You joined this group, you left your countries. Perhaps this is the punishment you deserve.

"I think that's a very dangerous way of thinking," Polman said. "These people put me in prison, too. They tried to kill me, too. You have to realize that we all have different stories."

I get the sense, though, that they have not thought much about women like Magboula, and her story.

"How do you think the Yazidis feel?" she said. "ISIS established a bazaar for selling Yazidi girls in Raqqa. It was called Girls Bazaar, so whoever needed a girl he could go there and buy. It was very hard for us to be treated like that. Every girl had her picture and name on her neck in that bazaar being bought and sold. Their prices were also written. Some of the girls were rented for one day."

And she holds the wives responsible too, although the western ISIS women we met deny knowing any of this.

"They are also the wives of ISIS members," Magboula said. "They treated us worse than their husbands did to us. Those ISIS women were holding Yazidi girls for their husbands to rape them and torture them. They are ISIS wives. We want them to be punished too."

Polman: "We're trying to stay sane and try to group together to try to protect each other here." She says the majority of the women in the camp of about 2000 are dangerous radicals, and their group - Mothana, Begum and a group of Dutch and German women - stick together 10/23 pic.twitter.com/rVdPrh5Qws  James Longman (@JamesAALongman) February 16, 2020

Hoda Mothana, who was born in New Jersey, has an extra layer of complexity to her story: Her son Adam, 2, is paying the price for his mother's sins. The boy's father was an ISIS fighter she said she was forced to marry. He died in the fighting. Now she wants to send Adam back to the U.S. without her.

"Will you apologize to him, when he's older?" I ask. She tells me she will, of course. She's conflicted. She regrets coming to ISIS, but also said that if she hadn't, she never would have had her son.

"He doesn't know that children have two parents," she said. "Someday, I will have to tell him who his father was."

With all three women, I get a pervading sense of victimhood. I try and explain who the true victims of ISIS are: families destroyed, women raped and executed or enslaved, gay people thrown from roofs, thousands of others rendered homeless. These are arguments they've heard before, but even now, one year on, I don't sense them truly registering.

Cut off from the outside world, it may be that they can only reflect on their time in ISIS through their own experiences. They hated it, they told me. They wanted to get out. Polman said she was raped multiple times. They seem incapable of understanding the true magnitude of what ISIS has done, and the fact that going there -- even contemplating joining such a group -- lent a legitimacy to its actions, and that the group must pay for its crimes.

Mothana and Begum were very young when they joined. There is a sense of naivety about them. Both talk about a "truth" about their time in Syria that the public has yet to understand. Polman is older, and knows how to explain away her crimes. She may be an arch manipulator, or genuinely repentant. But I confess I don't understand how someone so obviously bright could have been lured so easily to a place like Syria. She said she doesn't either.

She has had appeals rejected twice. A third process is ongoing. She says she would send Adam back if it came to it, for his own sake. She says she will apologise to him when he's older. "But the way I look at it, he wouldn't be here if I hadn't come." A difficult paradox 20/23 pic.twitter.com/ECfBCO823X  James Longman (@JamesAALongman) February 16, 2020

I tell them that when I sit down with friends, the reaction is "on what planet do these people think they are on, to expect to be able to come home?"

Polman said she understands such a reaction, but asks that people try and take a balanced view.

One woman with an intriguing take is Judy, the Kurdish administrator in charge of both camps. She's young and smiley, and knows all the women by their first names. The Kurds are a people that suffered most from ISIS' terror campaign. For every westerner we saw marched out in an orange jumpsuit and executed, 10 more Kurds were meeting the same fate when ISIS was at its height. I asked her how she feels about guarding the women who lent the terror group their support.

"It's hard, because we suffered a lot," she told me. "But they are human beings, too. I just need to do my job as best I can."

And that I guess is the paradox here: Western countries are largely washing their hands of the issues because public opinion is so against anything that looks like forgiveness. But the security implications are huge, and the burden being borne by the Kurds is even greater. In the camps, escapes are thought to take place almost daily. And any radicalization that may have been a problem when ISIS finally fell a year ago is only deeper now.

'You were here last year'

The men are kept in a prison a few hours away. In a large, open room described to me as a clinic, about 300 lie on camp beds side by side. The smell is potent, and among the crowd one man looks up.

"I remember you," he said. "You were here last year."

Yes, I said, to which he replied: "You remember my face, or because I'm a terrorist"

Both, I said.

It's Zaid abed al Hamed, a 35-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago. I remember the scars on his face and his willingness to talk. Like all the men, he denies fighting, but claimed to want a solution.

"You either put everyone outside on the wall and shoot them in the head -- the world will be happy there are no terrorists anymore, so there's a big solution -- or, you try them," he said.

Lirim Sylejmani, 44, sits next to him. He's a U.S.-Kosovan who joined ISIS in 2015.

We go into an adjacent room to talk. He is relaxed, almost nonchalant about his time in ISIS. He said he regrets it, but I don't sense remorse.

"I have regrets, and I don't have regrets," he told me, shrugging.

He joined with his wife and two daughters, and told me he didn't fight. He painted a picture of poverty and hunger, of a dream that turned into a nightmare. But I get the sense that had he found riches and glory, his "regret," may not have been quite so strong.

He talked about "making Hijra" to ISIS. I stop him. "Hijra is a religious term -- It would suggest you believed, you still believe -- that ISIS was a legitimate religious state."

"Well, it was," he replied, unable to see my point. "When you say 'ISIS,' it's like 'Islamic State.' For me, it's a place ruled under Sharia law. I wanted to live under Islamic law."

"Somebody cheats and admits that, or he has four witnesses," he continued, "he's going to be stoned for it. That's the way it is -- there's nothing for me to agree or not agree. I just go blindly by Sharia. I don't have that much knowledge, but I fully support it."

I asked him if gay people should die.

"Is it in Sharia?" he replied. "You should do an interview with somebody -- I don't have that much knowledge, as I said. But I do support Sharia fully, blindly I will say. Whatever it says there, I support it."

How could you follow something blindly but not really understand it very well? I asked. "I'm just having a hard time following your logic because if you say you believe Sharia, but at the same time don't really know what Sharia is, both of those things can't be true at the same time."

"They are both true," he said. "You don't have to know to believe something."

Sylejmani is a symptom of a larger problem: one of thousands of men who fought for ISIS, but whose minds are still fertile ground for radicalization. There are some westerners, but the majority are from across the region. Along with the women and children who lived and were born in the Islamic State, they are part of a security -- and to some extent, a moral -- issue that's not going away. And if the victims of ISIS are going to see any justice, these men and women must go through some kind of process.

Magboula wants an international tribunal set up in Syria, and life in prison for the perpetrators. "We Yazidi survivors, we will all attend the sessions of the court and we will sign the judgement being issued," she said.

As he waits for resolution, Sylejmani said he feels like he's being mistreated.

"We're being kept in there like cattle," he told me. "You don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. Is that all right? Is that any better than ISIS?"

Well, I replied, I think if this were ISIS, you'd all be dead by now.

Caliphate wives share their stories year after ISIS defeat: Reporter's Notebook originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 12:01 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206560f05 4 Politics BPIP,Yudian-Wahyudi,Pancasila,DPR,johan-budi,religion Free

The Agency for Pancasila Ideology Education (BPIP) has announced that it will form a public relations team following the controversy surrounding agency head Yudian Wahyudis offhand remark on the supposed friction between religion and state ideology Pancasila.

I will form a public relations team. I will restrain myself; the team will be in charge of editing press releases, Yudian said during a meeting with the House of Representatives Commission II overseeing state agencies on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Heeding the suggestions that Ive received today, I will no longer speak publicly [on the agencys behalf], Yudian went on to say.

He added that he was thankful for the stream of suggestions and criticism he had received personally, particularly from House Commission II member and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Johan Budi.

During Tuesdays meeting, Johan asked the BPIP head to refrain from speaking directly to the media to avoid any further backlash directed at the agency in the future.

I suggest that Pak Yudian focus on his duties as the head of BPIP and refrain from speaking to the media, Johan said during the meeting, adding that the agency head should instead delegate such tasks.

Read also: Pancasilas biggest enemy is religion: Indonesias ideology chiefs comment sparks outcry

Yudian previously drew criticism for his remark that religion posed a threat to Pancasila. The statement was made during an interview with online news outlet detik.com last week.

Throughout the interview, he deplored people who used religion as a political tool for personal interests, which was deemed contrary to the core values of Pancasila. Religion, therefore, posed the biggest threat to Pancasila, he claimed.

Minority groups want to oppose Pancasila and appear as the majority. This is dangerous. If were being honest, Pancasilas biggest enemy is religion, not tribalism, Yudian said during the interview.

A number of political and religious figures took offense at Yudians remarks about religion threatening Pancasila, with some calling for his immediate dismissal from office. (rfa)
This is the moment a man was knocked out with one punch and left in a coma by a 17-year-old in a horrifying road-rage brawl in Los Angeles.

The teen was arrested last week accused of punching a man with brass knuckles and fleeing to Armenia after the incident.

He was recovered in a joint effort by US law enforcement agencies and is now in police custody, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

In an interview yesterday, Jennifer Gonzalez, the victim's daughter, said that her father had emerged from a coma he was induced into after the New Year's Day attack.

A witness in a nearby vehicle filmed the shocking attack on New Year's Day (pictured). The victim, left, was punched in the face with brass knuckles by his teenage assailant, who later fled to Armenia

The teen can be seen landing a punch on the man's face in Van Nuys, Los Angeles

The victim (left), who was unnamed in previous reports, is pictured here in a family photo with daughter Jennifer Gonzalez (center), who gave an interview today in Van Nuys on her father's condition

She said she was glad an arrest was made but that she's still feeling traumatized by the incident.

'Im just thankful that hes alive and that hes actually talking now, and that hes walking,' she told KTLA.

'Its a traumatic experience for me and my family,' Gonzalez added.

Her father, who has not been named in previous reports, worked as a senior advice adviser at a car dealership in Van Nuys.

Gonzalez said he was unable to speak, walk or otherwise communicate after the incident.

The attack, which took place on 1 January at around 9.30pm, appears to have started after a road-rage incident.

In footage taken on a smartphone by a witness in a nearby vehicle, a black jeep - that was being driven wildly - can be seen pulling up to the bumper of the victim's car at the intersection of Woodman Avenue and Victory Boulevard in Van Nuys.

Three people got out of the jeep, as did Mr Gonzalez.

The teen, who is now in custody, is filmed smashing a set of brass knuckles into the man's face, sending the victim flying backwards.

Mr Gonzalez is pictured laying knocked out on the floor after the callous attack in Van Nuys on New Year's Day

Jennifer Gonzalez, pictured, told the press yesterday that her father is now able to walk and talk after he was taken out of a medically induced coma at an LA hospital

The victim is pictured (left) in an undated family photograph. The teen hit Mr Gonzalez with brass knuckles and he flew backwards, unconscious

The suspects then peeled off in their vehicle while the victim lay knocked out.

The LAPD, FBI, Homeland Security and Interpol worked to bring the suspect back from Armenia to face charges in the US, police said.

According to CBS, the 17-year-old boy was charged with attempted murder.

Robert Hovhannisyan, a man filmed in the vehicle, also fled to Armenia with the prime suspect following the attack.

Despite having been present at the time of the crime, police told KTLA they're no longer searching for him due to his lack of involvement in the actual assault.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help with the victim's medical expenses.
Chennai, Feb 19 : Thousands of Muslims are holding protests in major cities in Tamil Nadu including the state Capital Chennai against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) on Wednesday.

The protesters demand the state government pass a resolution in the Assembly to the effect that CAA will not be implemented in Tamil Nadu.

In the state capital Chennai, a large number of Muslims men and women carrying tricolour gathered near Kalaivanar Arangam to lay siege of the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

Some political parties too have lent their support to the protest.

As a result of the protest traffic flow was affected on the main road Anna Salai and others in Chennai.

The Muslim outfits are holding the protest after Madras High Court denied them permission for the same on Tuesday.

Security has been beefed up near the Assembly and along the procession route, to prevent any untoward incidents. The police have installed CCTV cameras to monitor the situation.

Similarly, anti-CAA protests are held in other parts of the state like Coimbatore, Trichy, Cuddalore, Tiruvannamalai and others.

The protest is held a day after a combative Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami said those who were born in the state would not be affected by the newly enacted law.

Speaking in the Assembly on Tuesday, Palaniswami said the opposition DMK should explain who in Tamil Nadu would get affected by the CAA.

Palaniswami said those who were born in Tamil Nadu will not be affected by the CAA.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The sun sets behind the Kremlin at the Red Square in Moscow on June 8, 2017. (MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images)

IG Report Fuels Concerns of Russian Disinformation Campaign

Several Republican lawmakers have raised the concern that the FBI was fed Russian disinformation and used it as a justification to spy on Americans, a concern thats been exacerbated by revelations in the Dec. 9, 2019, report by the Justice Departments Inspector General (IG).

The report revealed that the FBI applied for a deeply intrusive spying warrant on former Trump 2016 campaign adviser Carter Page, while relying on an unsubstantiated dossier of claims about collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, supplied by supposedly insider Russian sources.

At least some Republican lawmakers have been concerned since the dossier became public in early 2017 that its been part of a disinformation operation run by Russia and possibly other actors. The IG report has added yet more pieces to the puzzle.

The Steele Dossier

The dossier was compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, who was paid for the work, through intermediaries, by the Democratic National Committee and the 2016 presidential campaign of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Steele told us that he had no evidence that his reporting was polluted with Russian disinformation, the IG said (pdf).

Its not clear, however, how thoroughly Steele looked for any such evidence.

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who was among the first to point out issues with the Page warrants, concluded that the Steele dossier probably included disinformation.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has raised a similar point for years, since he learned about the dossier and its sourcing, Grassleys spokesman, Taylor Foy, said in a phone call with The Epoch Times.

His concerns  have only been really confirmed as legitimate concerns by the IG report, Foy said. I mean, hes been concerned that the sub-sources for the dossier could have used it as an opportunity to feed disinformation, with Steele not even knowing it was disinformation.

Sources

The motivation of Steeles sources has been an enigma.

Steele wasnt paying for the information, and theres no indication the sources had any loyalties to him or to the West in general. When the FBI finally got to interview some of them in 2017, they largely walked back the dossiers allegations or even denied them.

The IG learned that Steele used for the dossier only one sourcea primary sub-source, who had several sub-sub-sources.

When the FBI spoke to the primary sub-source, he or she said the information was word of mouth and hearsay and chat with friends over beers. Some of what he or she heard was made in jest.

One of the sub-sub-sources told the FBI that whatever information in the Steele reports that was attributable to him/her had been exaggerated and that he/she did not recognize anything as originating specifically from him/her, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) report said.

And this was supposed to be one of the key sources for the Trump dossier, as the primary sub-source told the FBI.

Destabilization Campaign

FBI officials told the OIG that they were aware of the risk of Steele having collected disinformation. But by May 2017, the FBI did not assess it likely that the [Steele] [election reporting] was generated in connection to a Russian disinformation campaign, the OIG quoted a December 2017 FBI memo.

Former head of FBI counterintelligence Bill Priestap told the OIG that by May 2017, the bureau didnt have any indication whatsoever of disinformation in the dossier and that he was struggling with what the goal was for the Russians to feed Steele disinformation.

They favored Trump, theyre trying to denigrate Clinton, and they wanted to sow chaos. I dont know why youd run a disinformation campaign to denigrate Trump on the side, he said.

Ronald Rychlak, law professor at the University of Mississippi and an expert on Soviet and Russian disinformation, sees it differently.

He said in a phone call with The Epoch Times that, like everybody else, the Russians didnt believe Trump would win, and whatever they did that favored him was a part of their broader goal to destabilize the United States.

I think they were simply throwing monkey wrenches, trying to divide and weaken whoever won, he said.

The dossier could have been used to undermine Clinton, had she won, Rychlak points out. The story would be that her victory was tainted because she paid for unsubstantiated dirt from Russian actors to undermine her opponent.

They didnt want Trump to win. They wanted whoever won to be weakened, to be continually fighting inside the United States, instead of dealing with things around the world, Rychlak said.

Moreover, Russia likely had scenarios in place both for Clintons and Trumps win.

We probably havent seen everything that was ready to go if Hillary [Clinton] had won, he said.

Hard to Disprove

The dossier portrayed Moscow as a bad actor trying to cultivate Trump as its agent. But that doesnt necessarily mean the allegations werent created by Russia, Rychlak said.

There are three elements common to disinformation.

One is a kernel of truth, Rychlak said. The dossier had that. Trump had previous business dealings with Russia to host a Miss Universe pageant. He also had his lawyer look into the possibility of building a Trump Tower in Russia, though he didnt go through with it. Page used to work in Russia and visited in June 2016 for a conference.

The second element is a reliable source. The lies and half-truths need to be spread by a source of solid reputation. Steele was a former MI6 spy, and after leaving the British intelligence service, he had provided information to the FBI that had been relatively useful, even though the IG found that the Page warrants overstated Steeles contributions.

The third element is that the disinformation must be hard to disprove. Pushing a story that Trump colluded with Russia would allow Moscow to control the information. Officially, the Russian government would deny it, but behind the scenes, it could keep it alive.

If you keep the issue in-house, so to speak, if you have control over it, its harder to disprove, Rychlak said.

He gave the example of the Stalinist show trials with clergy members in the Communist block after World War II.

They would put these guys on trial, but they control the courts, they control the evidence.  Even though, frankly, in the West everybody knew these were show trials, it was hard to disprove, Rychlak said.

Likewise, the FBI found it nearly impossible to prove or disprove some of the most bombastic claims in the dossier.

Red Flags

Rychlak didnt go as far as accusing the FBI or Clinton of being in on whatever Moscow was doing, but he didnt absolve them of blame either.

I think there was a lot of what we sometimes call in law willful blindness here, he said.

If the FBI and the Justice Department officials tried, they could have seen through the dossier, he said.

They would have poked holes in it, they would have seen this, they wouldnt have relied on it the way they did.

In fact, there were red flags about Steeles background that the FBI investigators either examined belatedly or not at all, and, in major part, failed to disclose to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which granted the Page warrants.

The IG found that Steele communicated in 2015 with representatives of multiple Russian oligarchs with connections to Russian Intelligence Services (RIS) and senior Kremlin officials.

One of the oligarchs, industrial magnate Oleg Deripaska, was even a client of Steeles. The FBI team working on the Trump investigation told the IG they didnt know about that connection.

Steeles FBI handler, who wasnt part of the team, did not recall if he told the Crossfire Hurricane team about Steeles connection to Deripaska, but he said he did inform the team that Steele collected intelligence on Russian oligarchs and had tried to arrange meetings between the FBI and Russian oligarchs.

It isnt clear how Steele gained so much trust with the oligarchs that they would depend on him as a middleman.

His frequent contacts with Russian oligarchs in 2015 had raised concerns in the FBI Transnational Organized Crime Intelligence Unit, the IG said.

The unit put together a report on Steele and recommended that the FBI perform a validation review of him, a vetting process for the bureaus informants. Yet the review was only finished in March 2017, after the Crossfire Hurricane team requested an assessment in the context of Steeles election reporting, the OIG noted.

Some information about Steeles contacts with oligarchs was in his file from the Delta system used by the FBI to store information about its informants.

But the Trump probe teams supervising intelligence analyst (SIA) first accessed Steeles Delta file on Nov. 18, 2016a month after the FBI had already used the dossier to get the first Page warrant, the IG found. The SIA told the IG that he didnt do a deep dive into Steeles past, didnt recall reading about Steeles oligarch contacts in the Delta file, and relied on Steeles handler for information.

The handler expressed surprise that the  team did not access Steeles Delta file earlier, the IG said.

He said that the team should have turned the file upside down looking for information 2 months earlier and that he assumed that some members of the team had thoroughly reviewed the file.

Applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court are overseen by the Justice Departments Office of Intelligence (OI).

OI head Stuart Evans told the IG that had his office known about Steeles connection to Deripaska, it would have been yet another thing we would have wanted to dive into.

Counterintelligence investigations are complex, and often involve, as I said, you know, double-dealing, and people playing all sides, Evans said.

In the end, the IG concluded that more should have been done to examine Steeles contacts with intermediaries of Russian oligarchs in order to assess those contacts as potential sources of disinformation.

The FBI declined to comment when contacted by The Epoch Times.
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Authorities in Georgia have recovered the body of missing Fort Valley State University student who was last seen on Valentines Day.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed the body of 23-year-old Anitra Gunn was found in the afternoon of Feb. 18, in Crawford County, near the Peach County line, USA Today reported.

Gunns boyfriend, 23-year-old Demarcus Little was arrested and charged with criminal damage to property for a Feb. 5 incident, Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese said at a news conference.

According to police reports, Little allegedly smashed Gunns apartment windows and slashed her car tires. Deese also said at the news conference Little is a person of interest and has been interviewed 3 times by authorities.

Massive Search for Georgia College Student

A search began Saturday when the family of 23-year-old Anitra Gunn reached out to police and said they had not heard from her for an unusual amount of time, the Fort Valley Police Department said.

Her car was found later that day damaged with a torn bumper near her apartment inside Fort Valley city limits, Fort Valley Chief Lawrence Spurgeon told CNN.

Spurgeon said police are considering anyone in possession of Gunns bumper a person of interest they would like to speak to.

A task force dedicated to the case was created on Monday, the Fort Valley Police Department and the Peach County Sheriffs Office announced. The Peach County Drug Enforcement Unit and Georgia Bureau of Investigation are assisting both agencies in the ongoing investigation.

If any harm has befell this young lady, the arrest and prosecution of the subject or subjects responsible will be of the highest priority for all agencies, Spurgeon said in a statement.

Tuesday evening, Fort Valley police said the body of a female was recovered near the Porch County and Crawford County line. The identity of the body. however, has not been confirmed.

The Georgia State Patrol sent out an aviation team on Monday with helicopters searching the area where the student went missing.

Fort Valley Police Department and Byron Police Department offered a $5,000 reward for anyone with information leading to the location of Gunn, Crimestoppers executive director Greg Thomas told CNN.

My mind (is) just racing 100 miles an hour. As a father, it hurts theres not a lot I can do, Gunns father, Christopher Gunn, told CNN affiliate WGXA.

The CNN Wire and NTD staff contributed to this report.
The Assam Public Works (APW), an NGO whose petition had led to the NRC exercise in Assam, has moved the Supreme Court for 100 per cent reverification of the entire process and a probe by a judicial committee to detect the discrepancies involved in updating the citizens' register.

In a fresh affidavit filed in the apex court on Monday, the APW alleged that the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which was published on August 31, 2019, left out the names of indigenous people but included many illegal foreigners.

The final NRC list had the names of four Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh "jihadis", who were arrested from Barpeta district, the affidavit said.

The arrested "jihadis", whose names figured in the NRC, were Azharuddin, Ranjit Ali, Luit Jamiul Jamal and Muqaddir Islam, it added.

Earlier, a petition filed by the NGO in the Supreme Court had led to the NRC being updated in the north-eastern state.

In the fresh affidavit, the APW has also urged that agencies such as the CBI, NIA and ED be allowed to probe the alleged misappropriation of funds and irregularities in updating the citizens' register by former NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela.

It also alleged that Hajela and the software companies engaged in updating the NRC indulged in corruption and malpractices, which made it a "useless document for the people of Assam".

The APW had filed a complaint against Hajela with the state police on February 12 for allegedly tampering with the final NRC list, disobeying orders and directions of the Supreme Court, making a false document, causing forgery of the public register and committing offences under the cyber laws by altering or changing the public records, misusing his powers and positions.

The NGO had also filed a complaint against Hajela with the anti-corruption branch of the CBI on November 28 last year, alleging misappropriation of funds during the NRC process.

The Supreme Court had ordered Hajela's transfer from Assam to his home state Madhya Pradesh and he was released from the charge of NRC state coordinator on November 11 last year.

Talking to PTI here, APW president Aabhijeet Sarma said, "In the latest affidavit, we have requested that the validity of the NRC shall not be considered till the final settlement of the two cases pending before a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court.

"The NRC exercise should be halted for the time being and a 100 per cent re-verification of the entire process should be done."



The two cases filed in the apex court challenge the constitutional validity of section 6A, inserted by the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 1985 to reflect the special provisions granting citizenship to those covered by the Assam Accord.

Sarma claimed that the APW had a lot of information regarding the malpractices and was eager to submit those to the probe agencies as and when it was required.

"We want the matter to be investigated by high-level agencies under the supervision of the Union home ministry," he said.

Sarma said the APW had an estimate of around 80 lakh illegal foreigners being included in the final NRC list.

The names of more than 19 lakh people have been left out of the document.

Sarma said vast areas of agricultural lands in the state were being transformed overnight into populated villages, especially in the Barkhetri Assembly constituency in Nalbari district.

The situation was worsening as the district authority was not in a position to take the required steps to control the rush of people, he added.

The situation was similar at Sipajhar in Darrang district, where 182 bighas of agricultural land were converted into newly-constructed villages, Sarma said.

The APW would continue to raise the issue till all discrepancies regarding the NRC were settled and all those who made money through corrupt practices were punished, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Government contractors erect a section of Pentagon-funded border wall along the Colorado River, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019 in Yuma, Ariz. The 30-foot high wall replaces a five-mile section of Normandy barrier and post-n-beam fencing along the the International border that separates Mexico and the United States. Construction began as federal officials revealed a list of Defense Department projects to be cut to pay for President Donald Trump's wall.

Matt York/AP

The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that it would waive 10 federal laws to increase the speed of construction of President Donald Trump's border wall in several states.

The president has issued some 16 waivers using a bipartisan law passed during the George W. Bush administration.

While the president has in the past used such power to waive environmental impact rules, the Tuesday move marks the first time the authority has been used to evade federal procurement requirements, according to a report from the Associated Press.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday it would waive 10 federal laws to allow for speedier construction of portions of the border wall in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, according to a report from the Associated Press.

"Today, we're going to start waiving those for procurement-related regulations and laws as well, which allow us to speed up a lot of our contracts that the Army Corps has, anywhere from 30 to 45 to 60 days," acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said in a Tuesday morning appearance on "Fox & Friends."

"We hope that that will accelerate some of the construction that's going along the southwest border," Wolf added, according to the report.

There would be 10 laws waived to allow for faster construction of the border wall, including laws that exist to require open competition, the justification of selections, and receiving all bonding from a contractor before work can commend, the AP report said.

"Working closely with the Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security is exercising its Congressionally-granted authority to waive procurement regulations in six high-traffic border sectors, which will allow us to use already vetted and experienced contractors to build an additional 177 miles of new border wall system," Heather Swift, a DHS spokesperson, told Business Insider.

Story continues

The administration said 94 miles of the wall should be constructed with help from the waivers in 2020. The remaining 83 miles could be constructed this year, too, the administration said according to the report.

While the law has been used by secretaries under Trump some 16 times during his first term, the move Tuesday marks the first time that federal procurement rules have been waived to support the construction of new border wall, according to the report.

As Pacific Standard reported last year, the president in July moved to waive environmental regulations (such as the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, and Migratory Bird Treaty Act) to push for the construction of his long-promised border wall.

In waiving such rules, the Department of Homeland Security has cited Bush-era legislation including the Real ID Act of 2005, the Secure Fence Act of 2006, and previous legislation, like the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which have provisions that permit the DHS uses to waive federal laws that impede construction of the barrier along the southern border.

According to the Associated Press, the power to waive such federal rules had been slipped into a series of emergency spending bills for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as into the Real ID bill, which required new standards for state ID cards. Notably, one of the laws used to waive the requirements in favor of the border wall construction had passed unanimously in the Senate with support from prominent Democrats including then Sens. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden. Sen. Bernie Sanders, then a member of the House, voted against the House version of the legislation.

Those laws have reportedly slowed efforts of advocacy groups  particularly those interested in environmental protection  to fight the president's border wall.

"Separation of powers is at the heart of our democracy and the power of the purse is a critical check on the president," Brian Segee, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said, according to The Hill, when the group announced it was joining a February 2019 lawsuit with other environmental protection groups to attempt to stifle construction on the border wall.

"Trump's authoritarian attempt to build his destructive border wall is a flagrant abuse of that constitutional structure," Segee said. "If he gets his way, it'll be a disaster for communities and wildlife along the border, including some of our country's most endangered species."

The border between the US and Mexico has been a cornerstone of President Trump's first term, stemming from his 2016 campaign promise that he would build the wall and have Mexico pay for it. In his FY 2021 budget, unveiled earlier in February, the president requested some $2 billion in federal funding to further construct his wall, though he's not likely to get that much by the time a final budget is produced in collaboration with the Democratic-controlled House.

Read more:

Trump is taking almost $1 billion from Navy shipbuilding projects to build the border wall

Trump plans to take more money from the military to pay for the border wall  here's what could get cut

Border officials are blowing up a sacred Native American burial site to make way for Trump's border wall

Smugglers could illegally enter the US through floodgates left open on Trump's border wall

Read the original article on Business Insider
Court dismisses $118,000 claim against VIM Airlines ex-employees

 flickr.com/ Papas Dos

14:32 19/02/2020

MOSCOW, February 19 (RAPSI)  The Commercial Court of Tatarstan has dismissed a claim of the VIM Airlines bankruptcy receiver to collect over 7.5 million rubles (about $118,000) from 17 ex-employees of the company, a court ruling reads on Wednesday.

The claim lodged by the bankruptcy receiver sought to overturn orders to increase salaries of the employees in January through March of 2019, recover the overpaid amounts, and exact compensations.

Earlier, the same court has ordered collection of nearly 20 million rubles (about $320,000) from the former co-president of VIM Airlines Rashid Mursekayev and his wife Svetlana upon an application lodged by a bankruptcy receiver.

Receiver Alexander Maksimov has demanded to invalidate deals on transfer of the funds to the airlines ex-top managers as dividend payout for 2015.

In late December of 2019, the court recovered 28.9 million rubles (over $450,000) which had been paid in excess to Mursekayev and his wife. The court therefore declared salary orders as well as accounting and paying scale up wages registered in March 2017 invalid upon an application lodged by bankruptcy trustee Alexander Maksimov.

On September 26, 2018, the court declared VIM Airlines bankrupt on the request of the company RNGO. Earlier in August, the court granted an application filed by the company, including a 3 billion-ruble ($44 million) debt into the creditors demands list.

On October 17, 2017, a criminal case was launched over premeditated bankruptcy of VIM Airlines. In September of the same year the court returned a bankruptcy claim against the airline back to the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA). According to the court, due to the social tensions surrounding the activities of the airline, the applicant decided to recall the motion.

Investigators believe that certain top managers and owners of the air carrier intentionally made losing bargains in 2016 and 2017 including those aimed at siphoning of assets abroad. The deals led to enormous financial outlay and undoubtedly resulted in the companys failure to pay debts to creditors in full.

According to investigators, employees of VIM Airlines continued to sell tickets to clients despite being aware that the airline was not able to transfer passengers because there were not enough funds to buy fuel. Investigators believe that the employees embezzled more than one million rubles ($17,000).

VIM Airlines CEO and chief accountant Alexander Kochnev and Yekaterina Panteleyeva have been arrested as part of the case. Co-owners of VIM Airlines Rashid Mursekayev and Svetlana Mursekayeva fled Russia and are currently residing abroad, according to investigators. Allegedly Mursekayev and Kalashnikova fled Russia to hide from investigative authorities. In December, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow issued an arrest warrant for Mursekayev in absentia.
One of India's topmost film production companies Yash Raj Films has been directed by the apex consumer forum, NCDRC, to pay Rs 10,000 as compensation to a teacher in Maharashtra's Aurangabad, who was disappointed by exclusion of a song from Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Fan'.

Afreen Fatima Zaidi, a teacher by profession, was disappointed to see that the song did not feature in the movie despite being shown during promotion.

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) held the exclusion of song 'Jabra Fan' as "unfair trade practice" and said the person who decides to watch the movie after seeing the song in promotion is bound to feel "deceived, disappointed and dejected".

The commission noted that the obvious purpose behind such an unfair trade practice is to draw potential viewers to cinema hall by luring them with the song and thereby making gain at cost of the viewer.

"In fact, I fail to understand the logic behind including the song in the promo but excluding it while exhibiting the movie, unless the intention of the producer is to deceive the viewer by making him believe that the song would form part of the movie while knowing it very well that the said song would not be a part of the movie when it is exhibited in the cinema halls," NCDRC presiding member V K Jain said.

The NCDRC rejected the contention of the YRF that the producer and the actor of the movie had publicly declared the song which forms part of the promo would not be a part of the movie.

The commission called it insufficient since it was not necessary that a person who watched the promo would have also seen the said interview.

"When the producer of a movie shows the promos of the said movie on TV channels, etc. and such promos include a song, any person watching the promo would be justified in believing that the movie would contain the song shown in the said promos, unless the promo itself contains a disclaimer that the song will not be a part of the movie," the commission said.

Rejecting the YRF's claims that the woman cannot be called a consumer, the commission said she paid the price for the movie tickets, which is shared among the exhibitor, distributor and producer of the movie.

Zaidi had seen the promos of the movie, 'Fan', which included the song 'Jabra Fan' and decided to watch the film with her family members.

She had approached the district forum which had rejected her petition. She later moved the Maharashtra State Consumer Commission, which directed the YRF in 2017 to compensate her with Rs 10,000 along with litigation cost of Rs 5,000.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and the National Institutes of Health have made a critical breakthrough toward developing a vaccine for the 2019 novel coronavirus by creating the first 3D atomic scale map of the part of the virus that attaches to and infects human cells.

Mapping this part, called the spike protein, is an essential step so researchers around the world can develop vaccines and antiviral drugs to combat the virus. The paper is publishing Wednesday, Feb. 19 in the journal Science.

The scientific team is also working on a related viable vaccine candidate stemming from the research.

Jason McLellan, associate professor at UT Austin who led the research, and his colleagues have spent many years studying other coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. They had already developed methods for locking coronavirus spike proteins into a shape that made them easier to analyze and could effectively turn them into candidates for vaccines. This experience gave them an advantage over other research teams studying the novel virus.

"As soon as we knew this was a coronavirus, we felt we had to jump at it," McLellan said, "because we could be one of the first ones to get this structure. We knew exactly what mutations to put into this, because we've already shown these mutations work for a bunch of other coronaviruses."

The bulk of the research was carried out by the study's co-first authors, Ph.D. student Daniel Wrapp and research associate Nianshuang Wang, both at UT Austin.

Just two weeks after receiving the genome sequence of the virus from Chinese researchers, the team had designed and produced samples of their stabilized spike protein. It took about 12 more days to reconstruct the 3D atomic scale map, called a molecular structure, of the spike protein and submit a manuscript to Science, which expedited its peer review process. The many steps involved in this process would typically take months to accomplish.

Critical to the success was state-of-the-art technology known as cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) in UT Austin's new Sauer Laboratory for Structural Biology. Cryo-EM allows researchers to make atomic-scale 3D models of cellular structures, molecules and viruses.

"We ended up being the first ones in part due to the infrastructure at the Sauer Lab," McLellan said. "It highlights the importance of funding basic research facilities."

The molecule the team produced, and for which they obtained a structure, represents only the extracellular portion of the spike protein, but it is enough to elicit an immune response in people, and thus serve as a vaccine.

Next, McLellan's team plans to use their molecule to pursue another line of attack against the virus that causes COVID-19, using the molecule as a "probe" to isolate naturally produced antibodies from patients who have been infected with the novel coronavirus and successfully recovered. In large enough quantities, these antibodies could help treat a coronavirus infection soon after exposure. For example, the antibodies could protect soldiers or health care workers sent into an area with high infection rates on too short notice for the immunity from a vaccine to take effect.

Barney Graham, deputy director of the NIH's Vaccine Research Center (VRC) in Bethesda, Maryland, helped supervise experiments and co-write the manuscript.

###

The study's other co-authors are Kizzmekia Corbett and Olubukola Abiona at the VRC; and Jory Goldsmith and Ching-Lin Hsieh at UT Austin.

Wang, Corbett, Graham and McLellan are inventors on a U.S. patent application for the structure of coronavirus spike proteins in the prefusion conformation and their use in therapeutics. Wrapp, Wang, Corbett, Abiona, Graham and McLellan are inventors on a U.S. patent application for the vaccine candidate described in this release.

This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The Sauer Structural Biology Laboratory is supported by The University of Texas at Austin's College of Natural Sciences and by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
Mexican Accused of Spying on US for Russia Is Arrested in Florida

A Mexican national was arrested in Florida on Feb. 16 for allegedly working in the United States on behalf of the Russian government, the Department of Justice said.

According to court documents, Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes, a Mexican citizen residing in Singapore, was allegedly recruited by a Russian government official in 2019 and tasked with locating and obtaining the vehicle license plate number of a U.S. government source.

On Feb. 13, Fuentes traveled to Miami from Mexico City and the following day, he and his wife used a rental car to drive into the residency of the government source, entering the premises by tailgating another vehicle in order to gain access.

A security guard noticed the incident and approached the Mexicans vehicle to question why he had entered the building. However, Fuentess wife left the vehicle and began taking photographs of the government sources vehicle license plate.

Fuentes allegedly provided the security guard with a fake name of an individual they were supposedly visiting in the residence, at which point the guard asked them to leave, the DOJ said.

Days later on Feb. 16, Fuentes and his wife arrived at Miami International Airport where they planned to fly to Mexico City but were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection who inspected the wifes phone. Officials found a close-up image of the license plate of the U.S. government sources vehicle in the recently deleted folder of her phone as well as in a WhatsApp message sent to Fuentes.

After questioning the couple over the pictures, Fuentes allegedly admitted tasking his wife to take the photo of the vehicles license plate after being directed to do so by a Russian government official.

According to court documents, messages on Fuentess phone showed that the Russian official initiated and directed the meetings.

Fuentes has been charged with acting within the United States on behalf of a foreign government, without notifying the attorney general, and conspiracy to do the same, the DOJ statement said.

The Mexican national was placed in a Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami without bond as hes considered a flight risk, WSVN-TV reported. He is due to appear in court on Feb. 21.

In December last year it was reported that a Russian spy ship had returned to international waters off the southeastern coast of the United States and was engaging in unsafe activities.

The Viktor Leonov, a Russian surveillance ship, was reported to have been sailing off the coast of South Carolina for a few days with no lights on. It had also not been responding to commercial vessels trying to avoid collisions.

The ship was suspected to be spying on undersea Internet cables, which carry 99 percent of international data, including Internet traffic and military communications, as well as U.S. military bases.

Fears have steadily grown in recent years that Russia may be cutting, disrupting, or wiretapping the cables to gain access to information.
Featured stories

Former Crestview Local Schools bus driver convicted of assaulting a 14-year-old boy (WOIO Channel 19)

Ashtabula Co. Sheriffs Office trying to identify woman found dead in driveway (WEWS Channel 5)

Conservatives organize to end Ohios death penalty (cleveland.com)

Crime

Mans body, hazardous materials found in Bay Village home, police say (cleveland.com)

Masked robbers held Cleveland delivery driver at gunpoint, stole pizzas and chicken wings (cleveland.com)

Boyfriend of Brook Park mother grabbed childs neck, slammed his head into wall, court documents say (cleveland.com)

Man shot while leaving Cleveland strip club, police say (cleveland.com)

Twinsburg High School student robbed by two juveniles, including classmate, district says (cleveland.com)

Man stabbed in head during robbery at Cleveland gas station, records say (cleveland.com)

Longtime fugitive sentenced to 18 years in prison for death of 23-year-old East Cleveland man (WOIO Channel 19)

Twinsburg police hope new DNA helps ID man murdered in 1982 (WJW Channel 8)

Multi-state gang strikes in Macedonia and Akron, police say (WOIO Channel 19)

Court rejects appeal of woman convicted of beating her boyfriends toddler (Elyria Chronicle-Telegram)

Cleveland / Cuyahoga County

The city of Cleveland agreed to a $619,000 settlement for a lawsuit filed over the calculation of overtime pay. (cleveland.com file photo)

Cleveland agrees to $619,000 settlement to reimburse thousands of employees for payroll issue (cleveland.com)

Cleveland could weather a 2-year recession without cutting services, Mayor Frank Jackson says (cleveland.com)

Cuyahoga County wont approve $14M grant for Sherwin-Williams until city, state incentives are known, council president says (cleveland.com)

Euclid Jail closes as Cuyahoga County considers future of jail regionalization (cleveland.com)

Cuyahoga, Summit counties reaped benefits of settling early with opioid companies, officials say (cleveland.com)

RTA trustees remove name of disgraced former board president from board room (cleveland.com)

Cleveland Schools CEO Eric Gordon seeks support for renewal of hefty school tax (WKYC Channel 3)

Records show Cleveland EMS boss asked patient to walk to ER (WJW Channel 8)

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Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose believes Kent State should consider canceling a planned appearance by actress and activist Jane Fonda. (Sabrina Eaton, cleveland.com file photo)

Ohio Secretary of State urges Kent State to cancel Jane Fonda May 4 speech (cleveland.com)

Maple Heights police searching for missing 17-year-old boy (cleveland.com)

One dead, three injured after jumping from windows to escape flames in Ashtabula County (Ashtabula Star Beacon)

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Brook Park woman challenges Ohios tort reform laws after judge slashes $20M from jury verdict in lawsuit against her rapist (cleveland.com)

Brecksville, Sherwin-Williams defend companys environmental record as residents express concerns (cleveland.com)

3 very large dogs have been dumped at Ridge Park Square in Brooklyn since Feb. 8 (WEWS Channel 5)

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Akrons newest Jeopardy! champion talks about his winning strategy, meeting Alex Trebek: Q&A (cleveland.com)

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6 people in Ohio have tested negative for COVID-19 coronavirus (cleveland.com)

Mike Bloomberg wants you to text him back (cleveland.com)

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TORONTO, ON // FEBRUARY 18, 2020  In the lead-up to the Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo, each year, car show co-ordinator Gary Challice and the Motorama team discuss and determine which car club will be recognized as the Featured Club at the show.

We consider all of the established clubs; the ones that have a reputation for supporting the car club culture, explained Challice. We also look at special anniversaries, the ages of the clubs and their contributions to their communities. And based on all the factors, we decide which one will be the Featured Club at Motorama.

For this years show, which takes place March 13, 14 & 15 at Torontos International Centre, the Brantford Piston Pushers will enjoy the designation of being the 2020 Featured Club at Motorama.

Reacting to the news, the Brantford Piston Pushers proclaimed, We are the oldest, biggest, fastest car club in Canada. We were registered as a club in 1954 and have been hot-rodding the Brantford area ever since. Present-day, we are primarily a social club with 125 members.

Since its inception, the Brantford Piston Pushers have participated in the Southern Ontario drag racing scene, playing an instrumental role with the Ontario Timing Association (OTA) and the opening and running of the first drag strip in Canada, Kohler Dragway, now known as Cayuga Dragway at Toronto Motorsports Park.

The clubs founding president, Don Douglas (who remains a member to this day) and founding member Larry Rook, purchased the first Christmas Tree in Canada. Over the years, club members have held numerous records at Kohler Dragway, including AA Fuel Altered record holder Charlie Haviland and his Charlie Horse dragster in the 1970s.

Each year, the club organizes its famous Remember When cruise on the Saturday after Fathers Day, which takes place on June 27 in 2020.

At Motorama, the Brantford Piston Pushers will have 16 vehicles on display in their unique, interactive display, including cars from past members like Ron Lushs 1940 Plymouth Coupe, Tim Turveys Hemi-powered 1929 Model A and Charlie Havilands 1923 Bucket T Hemi Altered.

Additionally, the club will have its 1949 panel truck and custom club trailer in the centre display, which features a 3/4-scale version of the clubs old clubhouse sign. Adjacent will be 1955 and 1957 Chevys lined up in front of the original Kohler Dragway Christmas Tree. The booth will also feature a 1957 GMC pickup truck sporting some incredible modifications by local car builder Naisbitt Hot Rod and Custom Fab.

The theme of our display is Memory Lane, which is dedicated to past members who have come and gone, and were quietly celebrating our 65th anniversary, said club member Gary Graham.

The Brantford Piston Pushers have built a strong reputation for supporting the local community, working with Brantford-area charities like the Lansdowne Childrens Centre, Crossing Bridges and the Brantford Food Bank. The club also puts on an annual Christmas basket program for local people in need.

Although the Brantford Piston Pushers will be feted as this years featured car club, they will not be alone at the show as nearly a dozen other clubs will be represented throughout the show.

Among the other car clubs expected to be on hand in Hall 2 are (in alphabetical order): the Brampton Street Rods, Corvette Club of Durham, Durham Region Mustang Club, Highway 11 Cruisers, Ontario Camaro Club, Ontario Vintage Mopar and the Turbo Buicks of Southern Ontario in Hall 2. In the Hall 4 Mayhem room, The Infidels, The Lead Kings, The SOBs, The Hellions and The Don River River Rats will have vehicles in club displays.

Were very happy to welcome the Brantford Piston Pushers as the Featured Car Club at the 2020 Toronto Motorama show, said Gary Challice. Were also very excited about the other clubs that are coming to the show. Showgoers can expect to see great variety and amazing equipment. Were also looking forward to seeing some neat club displays.

ABOUT THE PISTON PUSHERS: Founded in 1954, the Brantford Piston Pushers are celebrating their 65th anniversary during the 2019-2020 calendar year. The club was a founding member of the first full-time drag strip in Canada, Kohler Dragway, which remains open to this day under the name Toronto Motorsports Park. Over the years, club members have held numerous drag racing records at Kohler Dragway and remain an important part of their local community through charitable efforts and the clubs annual Remember When cruise around Brantford each June.

ABOUT THE MOTORAMA CUSTOM CAR & MOTORSPORTS EXPO: The fifth annual Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo takes place March 13, 14 & 15, 2020 at The International Centre, across from Torontos Pearson International Airport. The show features more than 330,000 square feet of custom cars, hot rods, racing vehicles of all kinds, tuners, displays and exhibitors. Motorama is Canadas biggest late-winter celebration of automobiles and motorsports. For information about the show, including tickets, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities, and more, call (416) 962-7223, email info@MotoramaShow.com or visit www.MotoramaShow.com.
Amid the recent spread of locust attack in Rajasthan, A team from the Central Government visited the Barmer city of Rajasthan on Tuesday to assess the situation in the region due to locust attack in the region.

Talking about the Central team's visit, District Collector Anshdeep said, "The team had come to take stock of the damage that has been done by the locusts attack. The team said that if we had not controlled it then it might have affected other countries. It happened with the coordinated efforts of the state and the Central government."

"Over 30,000 farmers have been affected, they are being compensated. We also informed the team of efforts that were taken by the local administration. We also requested them to provide us with more help. We have asked for drones and cars," he further added.

READ | Gehlot seeks PM's help to check locust attack in Rajasthan

CM Gehlot writes to PM Modi seeking help

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him for help to tackle the locust attack in several districts of the state.

"The damage caused to crops can be minimized only if serious efforts are initiated for the control of grasshoppers in Pakistan and other neighbouring countries," he stated in a letter to the PM.

Earlier on February 4, Rajasthan revenue minister Harish Chaudhary had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to declare the locust attack as a national calamity.

In his letter, Chaudhary also requested the PM Modi to bring a change in rules under the State Disaster Response Fund to provide help to affected farmers. He further sought an effective plan to find a permanent solution to the threat.

READ | Declare locust attack a national calamity: Rajasthan Minister to PM Modi

What is a Locust attack?

Locust pest, popularly known as 'Tiddi Dal' is a group of locusts, which destroys the vegetation of the area where it settles. Lately, states of Punjab and Rajasthan have reported an alarming increase in locust attack and its impact on farming in the region.

Locust, a large-sized insect, is a short-horned grasshopper of migratory habit, which mainly attacks green vegetation. The insect is known for causing extensive damage due to its feeding behaviour. Locusts form adult pest congregation (called swarms) and hopper bands (nymphal congregation).

READ | Survey to be conducted to assess loss due to locust attack: Ashok Gehlot

READ | Locust attacks continue to threaten Kenya, Somalia; UN calls for International help

(with inputs from ANI)
A Cornwall justice of the peace acted in an impetuous fashion and disregarded an accused persons rights when she closed bail court early in 2018, a discipline panel found this week.

The early court closure forced a man to spend the night in jail, where he was later discovered with a t-shirt loosely tied around his neck, though otherwise unharmed.

As a result of her conduct, justice of the peace Claire Winchester was found guilty of judicial misconduct in a decision released Wednesday by a three-member panel of the Justices of the Peace Review Council, the independent body that investigates and disciplines JPs.

We unequivocally conclude that Her Worship acted in haste and without due regard to the right of the accused to have his bail hearing held that day, the panels decision reads.

Justices of the peace are appointed by the provincial government and earn approximately $132,000 a year. Clad in black robes and green sashes, they preside over bail hearings and cases dealing with non-criminal matters covered under provincial laws, as well as sign off on search warrants.

Prior to her appointment in 2011, Winchester worked for many years as a teacher and vice-principal for the Upper Canada District School Board.

The name of the man who was supposed to face a bail hearing before Winchester in June 2018 is covered by a publication ban. He is identified as JJ in the discipline panels decision. The Crown had told Winchester in court that JJ was releasable, but they were working out the conditions of his release, according to a court transcript filed at her discipline hearing.

Winchester took issue with the fact she was not presented with the Information, a document laying out the charges against the individual. A case typically cant proceed without one and nobody in court seemed to know where the document was, if it even existed.

She adjourned for the day, saying she was not willing to wait here until everybody finds their way through the system, according to the transcript. When a lawyer in the courtroom pointed out that there was a man in custody who would be spending the night in jail if Winchester adjourned, she responded:

Yes, I know that. Yes, and that happens, especially that the time is well exceeded. We dont even have anything yet to be able to proceed with.

The discipline panel found that Winchester displayed impatience from the very beginning when dealing with JJs case, and that she hastily closed court when the Informations could not be located.

Later that June afternoon, a police officer found JJ in his cell, sitting on the floor with one end of his t-shirt loosely tied around his neck and the other end tied to the lower part of a cell bar, according to an agreed statement of fact filed at Winchesters discipline hearing.

JJ was uninjured and taken to hospital as a precaution.

While it was initially reported as a suicide attempt, it never resulted in any real risk of physical harm; that is, (his) life and health were never truly in danger, according to the agreed statement of fact. The discovery of the man in his cell did not factor into the panels final decision on whether Winchester committed misconduct, but the position he was found in was nevertheless concerning, the panel noted.

Winchesters defence argued at the hearing that she had mistakenly believed that a court protocol outlining when police should have prisoners at the courthouse for their bail hearings meant she had to adjourn when there was no Information before the court.

Winchester also said in a September 2018 response to the review councils complaints committee that she showed a true lack of judgment in adjourning court early that day, and that she should have called a recess and instructed the Crown to gather all necessary information.

But the discipline panel found that when she was on the stand at her Toronto discipline hearing last year, Winchester took a much different position from that expressed in her letter. She did not agree that she acted irresponsibly, but rather made a mistake.

She also appeared to shift the blame on basically everyone else in the courtroom, the panel found, including the lawyers for quickly agreeing the man was releasable, the special constable for not giving her more information and the police for not releasing the man themselves.

It is obvious that, by the time of the hearing, Her Worship did not accept much responsibility for her actions or for JJ being held in custody the night of June 27, the panel found.

Winchester now faces a penalty hearing on March 18. Possible penalties include an order that she take additional training, be suspended with or without pay, or a recommendation to the attorney general that she be fired.

In the same decision, the panel found Winchester had not committed misconduct when she left court a separate time early in May 2018. In her response to the complaints committee, Winchester said she left early because of pain in her knee, but the panel found it was principally because she was bored.

She arrived at court shortly after 2 p.m., and had found there was no work waiting for her, and so left before the typical 4 p.m. closing time, the panel noted. What she didnt know at the time was that a man was coming to have his bail conditions varied at 3:45 p.m.

While there was an instance of neglect of duties, it was not so seriously contrary to the integrity of the judiciary that it undermines the publics confidence in the judiciary or in the administration of justice generally, the panel found.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 23:09:35|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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RAMALLAH, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Palestine declared on Wednesday that it has engaged in negotiations with Israel through international mediators in order to lift its ban on Palestinian exports.

Palestinian Minister of Economy Khaled Oseily and Minister of Agriculture Riad Atari said in a joint press statement that they will take all necessary actions to protect the farmers and the economy, and accused Israel of taking measures to pressure the Palestinian Authority (PA).

"The Israeli occupation is imposing tight control restrictions on elements of the economy and trying to instigate crises to pressure the Palestinian government to prevent it from carrying out its gradual economic disengagement plan from Israel," the statement said.

The Palestinian government is going to press ahead with widening the production base, encouraging direct imports, enhancing national products and diversifying international markets for Palestinian products, it added.

Recently, Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennet imposed a ban on Palestinian agricultural exports through Israel.

This is the second round of tit-for-tat measures between Palestinians and Israelis as the Palestinian government declared around two weeks ago a ban on importing Israeli products including vegetables, fruits, mineral water and soft drinks.

The first retaliatory round started with the Palestinian government deciding to ban the import of Israeli calves last September, which was followed by an Israeli ban on Palestinian fresh vegetables and fruits.

Palestinians said that such a move violates the Paris Protocol, an economic treaty signed in 1994 to govern the economic relations between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Under the Paris Protocol, Palestinians are allowed to use the Israeli-controlled ports and border crossings freely and the two sides are bound to regular meetings.
Travellers were on Tuesday stranded along the Akure-Benin Road, following the protest by residents of Owan community in Ovia North East Local Government Area. The residents protested the shooting of two community members by suspected herdsmen.

The gunmen were said to have attacked the farmers in their farms and opened fire on them, killing them on the spot.

One of the bodies sighted by this reporter had food in his mouth with his lifeless body laid on a wooden bench as the protesters barricaded the expressway.

One of the protesters, who identified himself as Edeki, said the farmer was killed by the herdsmen without any provocation, as he was eating in his farm when he was shot dead.

He said in expressing their anger, the protesters pulled logs of wood and benches across the road, barring travellers from continuing their journey.

The barricade could not be removed by a team of soldiers who first arrived at the scene. They attempted to forcefully clear the way, but the unarmed youth prevented them.

Even with gunshots from the soldiers, the protesters stood their ground and resisted any attempt to clear the way.

While some passengers had to cross to the other side to continue their journeys with other vehicles, some drivers had to turn back to seek alternative routes.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that only three weeks ago, Owan community suffered a similar fate as suspected herders killed a farmer and a police officer.

The police officer, along with other members of the police force, had been invited to help retrieve the body of the deceased farmer, when the gunmen opened fire and killed the police inspector in the process.

After that incident, travellers were victims of the anger of the residents of the community who also closed the expressway to vent their displeasure.

Although the police were informed about the development on Tuesday, they however, did not show up. Residents feared that the police might have refused to come because of what happened three weeks ago.

Efforts to get the Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, to comment on the development did not yield.

His phone rang out several times, but he did not pick his calls.
ANN ARBOR, MI -- The Stamps Gallery at the University of Michigan is hosting the Ann Arbor Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon.

Attendees of this kid-friendly event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 22, at 201 S. Division St. in Ann Arbor, will edit pages to improve representation on Wikipedia of transgender and non-binary women, along with people of color in arts and activism.

The Edit-a-thon is a part of the Stamps Gallery Feminist Futures: Art, Design & Activism Series, which launched last fall and focuses on the connection with feminism in art, scholarship, design and politics.

The Wikipedia Edit-a-thon seeks artists of all generations to properly reflect who they are and acknowledge their accomplishments.

It is recognizing that we are living in a digital world and most of the information that we take in is coming to us through the internet, said Srimoyee Mitra, director of the Stamps Gallery. There are major biases on the internet.

Editing Wikipedia pages to reflect accuracy has become a global campaign. Wikipedia even has a page dedicated on how to run an Edit-a-thon.

Wikipedia is what we feed it, said Mitra. We have the capacity to change that.

Detroit-based artist, educator and community organizer Diana Nucera, known as Mother Cyborg, will DJ and have a conversation at the event. She is a former director of the Allied Media Projects and has worked on accessible education in technology.

She will be talking about digital technology justice  who has access to certain kinds of technologies, said Anne Cong-Huyen, digital scholarship strategist at UM Libraries. And specifically in Detroit, the issues related to broadband internet connection, poverty, access to information and some of the work she has done.

In addition, there will be free lunch, refreshments and giveaways with cake at the end of the event. Organizers advise to bring your own devices for editing, but some laptops will be available for usage.

With the Stamps Gallery organizing the event, other co-sponsors involved are the Center for the Education of Women+ Frances and Sydney Lewis Visiting Leaders Fund, The Institute for Research on Women & Gender and UM Libraries.

We do a lot of supporting of Wikipedia editing in classes, said Cong-Huyen. We help faculty members design Wikipedia editing assignments. We want to make sure our students, faculty and community members know how to evaluate the information thats coming at them.
If nothing else is learned during the 2020 election season, this one lesson must be taught, shared, and passed down through the ages: the Democrat Party of 2020 absolutely deserves Bernie Sanders. Of course, many Democrats will deny this, because they well know that Crazy Bernie is a presidential electoral disaster just waiting to happen. Every caucus and primary he wins or finishes strongly in puts the democrats closer to that well-deserved reality.

Despite their recent efforts -- Mike Bloomberg entering the race, Hillary declaring Sanders a career politician that nobody likes, James Carville complaining that Sanders wants criminals and terrorists to vote from jail cells, Chris Matthews lecturing the American left on the perils of socialism -- Bernie keeps polling well and winning races. Much to the chagrin of Democrats, whether he wins or loses a particular primary, Bernie is going nowhere soon.

Frank Bruni of the New York Times agrees. He recently warned his fellow liberals, Sanders will be a major force in the Democratic race until the end. Hes perhaps the only candidate about whom that can definitively be said. Nevertheless, Bruni and his ilk keep hoping that somewhere theres a moderate around whom [Democrat] voters can coalesce.

Of course, as has long been clear to anyone with a proper worldview, there are no more moderate Democrats running for president. In fact, there are few moderates to be found anywhere in todays Democrat Party. This should surprise no one. Having a bunch of leftist radicals duke it out for your partys presidential nomination is what happens when, among many other lies, you spend decades telling the electorate that they have a right to virtually everything under the sun, and the governments main job is to provide you with such things.

In spite of the warnings of men like C.S. Lewis, tens of millions of Americans are now, or are longing to be, Willing Slaves of the Welfare State. The platform of todays Democrat Party rests upon two duplicitous notions: 1.) the godless pagan principle of Do What Thou Wilt, and 2.) the presence of an omnicompetent Big Government that is ready and willing to mother us.

Despite the claims of modern Democrats, such a modern State exists, as Lewis put it, not to protect our rights but to do us good or make us good -- anyway, to do something to us or to make us something. Something indeed. Lewis concludes that under such a regime, There is nothing left of which we can say to them, Mind your own business. Our whole lives are their business.

Even without a socialist in the White House, Democrats -- and other like-minded politicians (remember: Bernies not a Democrat) -- have been practicing their trade long enough to build a massive Big Government beast. Under the guise of vote for me and Ill make sure you get [insert campaign promise], generations of Americans have been seduced into surrendering their business to this Big Government.

In the United States, by far the largest employer is government. Local, state, and federal government (including uniformed military personnel) employs well over 23 million Americans. This is more than twice the number of employees of the top 25 private employers in the U.S. combined.

The largest educator in the U.S. is government. About 90% of all U.S. children attend a k-12 godless government school. Over 70% of American students who attend college do so at a state school. Education accounts for nearly half (about 11 million) of the total federal, state, and local government workforce.

The largest charity in the U.S. is government (which, of course, brags about it!). Americans gave a total of approximately $427 billion (about $292 billion from individuals) to private charities in 2018. In 2016, Americans received over $800 billion from means-tested (recipients required to be below a certain income level) government programs (housing, food stamps, WIC, Medicaid, and the like). When non means-tested programs (Social Security, Medicare, unemployment, and so on) are included, the total is a shocking and staggering $2.3 trillion dollars.

And of course, Americans now have made health care the business of Big Government. Thus, instead of liberating, liberalism has simply made tens of millions of Americans comfortable in, or at least comfortably accustomed to, their government-made chains.

A man cannot be free unless he has economic independence. As C.S. Lewis put it,

For economic independence allows an education not controlled by Government; and in adult life it is the man who needs, and asks, nothing of Government who can criticise its acts and snap his fingers at its ideology. Read Montaigne; thats the voice of a man with his legs under his own table, eating the mutton and turnips raised on his own land. Who will talk like that when the State is everyones schoolmaster and employer?

Bernie Sanders policies would do nothing to promote economic independence, and would massively grow Big Government. Among other grossly expensive ideas, Bernie wants to enact the Green New Deal (GND), make college free for all, while also canceling all student loan debt -- all $1.6 trillion of it, and of course, his signature campaign promise, provide free healthcare for all.

None of this is new. Bernie has been promising free stuff his whole political career -- which, as Hillary pointed out, is the only career hes ever had! For example, as the far-left climate website Grist points out, Bernie isnt just another Green New Deal bandwagoner, hes the Godfather of the Green New Deal.

As John Zmirak correctly noted last year, the GND -- a $16 trillion dollar behemoth -- is not public policy, but rather a delusional wish list, a ransom note pasted together with clipped out words from storybooks and glued in place with bubblegum. Yet, almost exactly a year ago, the anti-socialist Chris Matthews spent a large portion of his MSNBC show Hardball defending the GND.

As NewsBusters pointed out,

Matthews spun the Green New Deal as something no one could possibly object to, ignoring things such as every building in the U.S. needed to be modified or replaced if its not up to snuff, while cars and meat would be banned.

MSNBC hosted a town hall in order to make the case for the Green New Deal. If the GND isnt socialism, then Elizabeth Warren is a Cherokee Indian.

Along with Sanders and Warren moderates Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg have embraced the GND. Virtually every Democrat who is running or was running for president supported the GND. Whats more, this socialist absurdity has 12 cosponsors in the Senate and 90 cosponsors in the House. But suddenly, Democrat pundits are worried that the Godfather of this foolish monstrosity is on the verge of leading their party!

Likewise, Bernie has long touted single-payer healthcare -- essentially Medicare for all -- and, until it looked like he might actually become the Democrat nominee, almost no one in the left-wing media stood up to him. On the contrary, many media leftists -- such as Rachel Maddow -- agree with Bernie on Medicare for all. When Warren finally joined Bernie in the Medicare for all parade, Maddow and Matthews network, MSNBC, sang her praises.

According to Vox the reason Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez upset 10-term House Democrat Joe Crowley in New Yorks 14th District was because she championed Medicare-for-all (in addition to free college tuition and a jobs guarantee, among other progressive policies). To no ones surprise, Sandy O was one of Bernies earliest endorsers and is one of Bernies strongest supporters. To a large extent, Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie, and other radical leftists are now the face of the Democrat Party.

Media leftists, along with like-minded elites in the Democrat Party, have no one to blame but themselves for this. Their decades-long march to the political left -- almost always in opposition to the truth -- along with preaching a mountain of so-called rights in order to bribe Americans into voting for democrats, has also forced us to debate what is marriage, infanticide, how many genders exist, and who is a male and who is a female. Thus, such leftists should not be surprised that the electorate theyve so educated prefers a legitimate socialist as their presidential nominee.

Trevor Grant Thomas

At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason.

www.trevorgrantthomas.com

Trevor is the author of the The Miracle and Magnificence of America

tthomas@trevorgrantthomas.com
Marine ecosystems offer several benefits to human communities. To make sustainable use of these benefits, it is necessary to elucidate and conserve marine ecology, and strive to maintain a sustainable natural resource management program. For this reason, understanding the diversity and behavior of both macro-ecosystems and micro-ecosystems are crucial.

Monitoring Artificial Materials and Microbes in Marine Ecosystems explores microbial roles and their interaction with artificial materials in marine environments. After starting with simple topics for beginners, chapters explore methods to detect microorganisms in marine ecosystems and interactions of marine organisms with artificial materials. The sequential progression into advanced topics makes it easier to understand how to solve the reduction in marine-ecosystem viability caused by adverse events. Readers are provided with useful information for rehabilitating marine environments to make them sustainable for communities.

Topics such as marine ecosystems and environmental monitoring assessment, methods to detect microorganisms (viruses and bacteria) and evaluate marine environments, interactions between artificial metallic materials and microorganisms in marine environments has been discussed comprehensively.

This book is intended primarily for marine ecologists, microbiologists, environmental engineers, and engineers associated with industrial projects. This book is also useful as a text for undergraduate and graduate-level courses in marine biology, ecology, and microbiology.

About the Editor:

Dr. Toshiyuki Takahashi received his Ph.D. in Biological Science from Hiroshima University (Hiroshima, Japan). He worked as a Researcher at Time Associate Co., Ltd. (Japan), as an Assistant Professor at Keio University (Yokohama, Japan), and as Assistant Professor and as a full-time lecturer at the Miyakonojo National College of Technology (Miyazaki, Japan). Currently, he is an Associate Professor of the Department of Chemical Science and Engineering of the National Institute of Technology (KOSEN), Miyokonolo College, Japan. Dr. Takahashi has specifically researched the cross-interaction in symbiosis between host cells and algal symbionts. He has also focused on technological developments using microbes and microalgae. He has published several peer-reviewed publications and chapters of scientific books and has been honored with a number of awards and certificates for his researches.

###

Keywords: Marine ecologists, ecosystem, Marine ecosystem, marine environment, microbiology, microorganisms, artificial materials, natural resource management, diversity, macro-ecosystems, micro-ecosystems.
Fetgatter and Rep. Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, said the current arrangement in which the OMMA is under the Oklahoma Department of Health has proved cumbersome and unworkable.

HB 3227, by Echols, would allow home delivery of medical marijuana products under certain circumstances. The bill also would reduce the annual cost of the transporter license from $100 to $25.

Other bills of note advancing on a busy committee day included:

 HB 3398, by Rep. Jadine Nollan, R-Sand Springs, would require all school employees to undergo state and national criminal background checks over the next few years.

Common Education Committee members were stunned when Carolyn Thompson of the Oklahoma Department of Education said almost 34,000 school employees have not had background checks.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 18)  Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III sees a boost in investor confidence if Solicitor General Jose Calidas allegations against ABS-CBN are proven.

Theres a claim by the OSG (Office of the Solicitor General) that theres a violation of the regulations. In fact, it might be a constitutional violation. I think if thats proven, the investors will say Oh these guys are upholding the rule of law, Dominguez told reporters Tuesday.

The position of the Finance chief  President Rodrigo Dutertes finance manager during his 2016 campaign  is a far cry from the stance of Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia who said the looming shutdown of ABS-CBN may hurt investor confidence.

Political analyst Dindo Manhit also told CNN Philippines on Monday that President Rodrigo Dutertes attacks on ABS-CBN and other big businesses, like water concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water, create an uncertain regulatory environment that can spook investors.

Lets not have a certain regulatory environment that puts question or danger in this investment. Because at the end of the day the one who will suffer is the Filipino people who might lose jobs, Manhit said.

Calida on February 10 asked the high court to cancel ABS-CBN's legislative franchise weeks before it lapses. He claimed the network committed "highly abusive practices" in violation of terms set by Congress when it approved ABS-CBN's franchise in 1995 when it set up the KBO channel and when it supposedly allowed foreign investors to control the company.

ABS-CBNs legislative franchise remains pending in the House, where lawmakers are not inclined to start hearings on the issue until May, two months after the TV networks franchise expires.
LA PLATA, Md. - The son of a Maryland police officer was found shot to death in the driveway of a home, authorities said Wednesday.

Diane Richardson, a spokeswoman for the Charles County Sheriffs Office, said Bradley Alan Brown, 17, was shot at approximately 7 p.m. in the Bryans Road area of the county, news sources reported. Emergency personnel pronounced Brown dead at the scene.

Brown was the son of a Prince Georges County officer, a spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C., area-department confirmed. The officers name wasnt released.

WTOP-FM reported that a spokeswoman for Charles County Public Schools identified Brown in an email on Wednesday, saying he was enrolled in a criminal justice program and ran cross country for four years.

Richardson said the investigation into Browns shooting death has shown no evidence has indicated his death was related to his fathers work in law enforcement. Investigators dont believe the shooting was a random act, but they havent located a suspect or determined a motive.
OCEANA COUNTY, MI  A Michigan resident who allowed a raccoon to freely roam their home was busted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

According to an official report, Jackie Miskovich, a conservation officer, was tipped off about an individual in possession of one or more raccoons in Oceana County in late January.

After doing more research on the individual in question, multiple photos of the man in possession of raccoons were discovered. CO Miskovich responded to the residence and found that a raccoon was free to roam in the residents bedroom and bathroom.

Further investigation revealed that the subjects had taken in multiple animals in the past to rehabilitate them, but they did not have a permit to rehabilitate raccoons or other wild animals. The subjects also did not have appropriate housing for rehabilitation, according to the report.

Enforcement action is pending in the Oceana County court. The raccoon was confiscated and brought to a permitted rehabilitation facility.
Asia Southeast Asia Courts Local Tourists as Virus Shuts Chinese Out

A beach on Boracay Island in the Philippines / Reuters

MANILASoutheast Asias holiday hotspots, hit by billions in lost business from Chinese tourists, are turning to markets closer to home to soften the blow from travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus epidemic.

To make up for lost revenues, firms in the region are dangling discounted airfares, hotel accommodation and tour add-ons in a bid to boost domestic travelers.

Home to rich culture, white sand beaches, diverse marine life, lively nightlife and affordable tours, Southeast Asia is the favorite for Chinese tourists, the regions top foreign visitors. But travel restrictions on China, the origin of the new coronavirus, since late January have led to losses in the regions hospitality sector.

In the Philippines, the government and tourism players last week launched a travel campaign led by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Come with me and be my travel companion. Ill be traveling around the Philippines, Duterte said in video address, offering assurances that the virus posed no risks to local tourists in their own country.

Member firms of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines are offering discounts of up to 50 percent on hotels, free upgrades and complimentary items like breakfasts.

Other firms are offering individual customers corporate or government rates for tours and hotel accommodation, which are 15 to 30 percent cheaper, Arwin Paul Lingat, president of a tourism officers group, told Reuters.

Manilas Golden Phoenix Hotel has slashed its rates by two-thirds, its marketing director Christine Ann Ibarreta said.

Local sweeteners

Chinas health authorities are reporting thousands of new cases daily of the coronavirus infection, which has killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in China. The flu-like virus spread has also prompted countries to shut doors to Chinese travelers, who are a major source of growth for many Southeast Asian economies.

Southeast Asia welcomed more than 29 million mainland travelers in 2018, up 15 percent from a year earlier, data from the ASEAN Statistical Yearbook 2019 showed. That was nearly double the entire European market and almost five times the number of North American tourists.

Southeast Asian airlines are making fares attractive for cost-sensitive locals. Indonesias biggest budget carrier, Lion Air, is reducing fares by up to 60 percent on select flights.

The Philippines largest carrier, Cebu Pacific, which has refunded 1.5 billion pesos (US$29 million, or 42 billion kyats) to passengers, is offering seats on flights for as little as $2 before taxes while Philippine Airlines has launched promotional discounts of 20 to 40 percent.

Thailand, Southeast Asias biggest market for Chinese tourists, is now offering special packages for local elderly people, which allows their expenses to be used for their childrens tax deductions.

The Thai government is also providing tax breaks and soft loans to help slow job losses.

Vietnam, the regions second-largest market for Chinese tourists, said it would waive entrance fees to some tourist attractions when the outbreak is over. It has also simplified visa procedures for some non-Chinese arrivals. The coronavirus epidemic could wipe $5.9 billion to $7.7 billion from Vietnams tourism earnings in the next three months.

Indonesia, Southeast Asias largest economy, has also pledged to boost spending and incentives to soften the viruss business impact.

Bali, Indonesias main tourist magnet because of its aquamarine water, white sand beaches and majestic cliffs, has seen 20,000 cancellations, said Hariyadi Sukamdani, head of the countrys hotels and restaurants association.

In Kuala Lumpur, a 3,600-member industry group has planned for April its first ever Cuti Cuti Malaysia (Holiday in Malaysia) travel fair, exclusively focused on domestic tourism.

Individual hotels, airlines, travel companies, theme parks, dive resorts, have reduced their normal rates, some by 20 percent and 30 percent, Tan Kok Liang, the industry groups president, told Reuters.

Despite the big push, industry experts do not expect local business to do much more than cushion the hit to the regions tourism sector.

In the Philippines, government and industry officials say domestic tourism can realistically only recoup 10-20 percent of the estimated 22 billion pesos in lost monthly revenue.

The domestic, to be honest, will not make up for what the international market brings here, Tourism Congress President Jose Clemente told a congressional hearing. Our objective right now is just to survive the stormWhat were trying to do is to have some cash flow.

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SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Splice Machine, provider of the only intelligent SQL data platform to power intelligent applications, announced today that Phil Fasano has joined its board of directors. Fasano is a sought-after Fortune 100 C-Level strategist with over 30 years of experience in the financial services, technology, insurance and healthcare industries.

Fasano is currently serving as CEO of Bay Advisors LLC, a strategic advisory firm he founded. A highly regarded IT visionary, Fasano is an influential voice in the push for companies to create, market and leverage technologies to stimulate growth and profitability, and ultimately to provide products and services that productively transform the world.

"I'm excited to join the board of directors at Splice Machine, at a moment of unprecedented technological advancement," said Fasano. "What were once innovative concepts, like AI, machine learning and big data management, are now prerequisites of conducting business. Splice Machine is in a unique position to help organizations face the challenges of modernization and build an infrastructure that drives growth and innovation."

Prior to founding his consultancy, Fasano served as Global CIO and Executive Vice President (EVP) at the Fortune 500 global insurance company American International Group (AIG). At AIG, he worked as a part of the Executive Leadership Team and led AIG Technologies as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Prior to AIG, he served as CIO and EVP at Kaiser Permanente, the largest managed care organization in the United States.

Throughout his career, Fasano has served on many Boards (member or peer) for companies and organizations, such as Cisco Systems, Oracle, Sprint, and Hewlett-Packard Company.

"Phil has been instrumental in the digital transformation of some of the most influential companies of the past two decades," said Monte Zweben, co-founder and CEO of Splice Machine. "As Splice Machine continues to scale, his expertise in enterprise business strategy, financial growth and customer engagement is a huge asset to have on our board of directors."

To learn more about Splice Machine, visit www.splicemachine.com .

About Splice Machine

Splice Machine is a scalable SQL database that enables companies to modernize their legacy and custom applications to be agile, data-rich, and intelligent  all without re-writes. Splice Machine not only reduces database licensing costs but also enables the applications to add new data sources at a massive scale. Splice Machine enables enterprises to unify analytics and machine learning that used to be on separate platforms to be native to the application thereby reducing ETL latency and infrastructure costs. The Splice Machine data platform can be deployed on-premise or as a fully-managed cloud service.

Splice Machine is a trademark of Splice Machine, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective registered owners. Trademark use is for identification only and does not imply sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement.

SOURCE Splice Machine

Related Links

http://www.splicemachine.com


Burma Myanmars Garment Factories Face Closure as Coronavirus Blocks Supplies

Inside a garment factory in Yangons Mayangone Township. / The Irrawaddy

Yangon  Myanmars garment factories are facing the risk of shutdown as the coronavirus in China has restricted imports of raw materials, according to the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA).

Myanmar imports up to 90 percent of raw materials from China and the rest from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea for the garment industry which largely uses a cut-make-package (CMP) model.

The number of deaths from the coronavirus outbreak in mainland China rose by 136, pushing the nationwide death toll to 2,004, the countrys National Health Commission reported (today) Wednesday. There are over 70,000 confirmed cases across the country. Many businesses, including suppliers for Myanmars factories, are struggling to function properly.

We have problems as 90 percent of raw materials come from China. We are waiting for the day when the Chinese side will resume operations, garment manufacturer U Myint Soe said.

Representatives from the Commerce Ministry and the MGMA met on Monday to address the issue, but no solution was found.

The majority of clothing factories have stopped running overtime due to dwindling stocks.

Normally clothing factories run 10 hours on weekdays, which includes two hours of overtime, as well as overtime on weekends. But many factories are closing on weekends and not running overtime on weekdays, said U Myint Soe.

As a first step, the working hours are being reduced. Next, there will be redundancies. And then the factories will have to close temporarily. If the situation still doesnt improve, there will be permanent shutdowns. This is the way it should be done, he said.

U Khin Maung Oo of the MGMA said: Some still have stocks and others have already run out. It appears that those who still have stocks will not survive through March. Factories which have run out of stocks will have to close.

Meanwhile, the overland exports of melons, live cattle and marine products to China have virtually ceased.

U Nanda, director of the Trade Department on the Muse border, said: China has imposed restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak. It informed us on Feb. 13 that the customs office in Ruili had reopened and trade recovered a little.

Although some factories have reopened, many staff are not yet back at work. And some factories remain closed. So the trade does not gather momentum.

U Nanda said it was difficult to predict the import volumes of raw materials for the clothing sector, but trucks supplying the factories entered Muse throughout the day before the outbreak.

Muse, Chin Shwe Haw and Lweljel were the most popular border gates for clothing supplies, he said.

The export value of garments from Oct. 1 to the end of January was over US$1.6 billion (2.3 trillion kyats), according to the Commerce Ministry.

Hlaing Tharyar Townships employee representative Ma Kyi Kyi Tun from the Confederation of Trade Unions of Myanmar (CTUM) said: It appears that some factories will close temporarily, providing certain compensation for employees. Employers must cooperate with trade unions.

The CTUM estimates that more than 500,000 people work in the clothing sector in Yangon Region, with nearly 300,000 employed in 500 to 600 garment factories in Hlaing Tharyar Township alone.

Of 29 industrial zones in Yangon, Hlaing Tharyar compound is the biggest in terms of size, workforce and garment factories.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko

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BJP national president J P Nadda on Thursday will meet Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal at his residence in Punjab's Muktsar, days after the former chief minister said the minorities "should be taken along" to run a government. At a rally in Amritsar on February 13, Badal had said that all religions should be respected. Nadda will be coming to Punjab for the first time after taking charge of the party, a party leader said on Wednesday.

"The BJP president will meet Badal Sahib at his residence in Badal village of Muktsar on Thursday," said the BJP leader, adding that it will be a courtesy call.

Nadda will land at the Bathinda airport in the morning from where he will go to Muktsar to meet Badal. Later, Nadda will go to Amritsar and pay obeisance at the Golden Temple, Durgiana Mandir and Ram Tirath, said the party leader. The BJP national President is also expected to meet the state party leadership in Amritsar, said the BJP leader. The Shiromani Akali Dal had earlier refused to contest the assembly elections in Delhi after the BJP asked it to change its stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act.

However, in a U-turn the party backed the BJP candidates during the assembly elections. The SAD had wanted that the Muslims to be included in the CAA, a legislation which seeks to give citizenship to members of persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Assembly line jobs | Robotic automation is having the greatest impact, replacing low-skilled jobs and simple assembly tasks; over 60 per cent of salaried workers in Indonesia and over 70 per cent in Thailand face a high risk of automation. (Image Source: )

India's automotive industry is likely to bear the brunt of the recent outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) across China and neighbouring countries in South-East Asia.

The Indian auto industry is dependent on imports from China and also from countries that depend on Chinese companies for raw materials and the coronavirus outbreak is set to have an adverse impact on the sector, ICRA said.

Domestic original equipment manufacturers (OEM) source critical components and sub-components including fuel injection pumps, EGR modules, electronic components, turbo chargers from these markets, which in turn directly or indirectly depend on China.

"Since China accounts for 27 percent of India's auto component imports valued at $4.8 billion, Indias automotive supply chain could get disrupted if the manufacturing activities in China continue to remain impacted owing to coronavirus outbreak. The impact is estimated to be higher for high value-add and customized components, while commoditised products could shift to alternative suppliers. But high investments and gestation period involved in developing tooling remains the key prohibitive factor for an immediate shift to new suppliers," said Shamsher Dewan, Vice President - Corporate Sector Ratings, ICRA.

OEMs sourcing components like electronic components, EGR modules, fuel injection pumps, turbo charger, meter sets, LEDs, magnets, airbag components, steering system components and electric vehicle components will be affected most  in particular the impact will be more profound on commercial vehicle (CV), passenger vehicle (PV) and the two-wheeler (2W) segments.

While tractor segment which has high localisation levels with limited dependence on imports will have much lesser impact, the report added.

Typically, companies maintain a 4-6 weeks of inventory, given the stock-up done prior to the Chinese New Year. However, if the situation in China were to persist for another couple of weeks, potential supply disruptions will become more likely.

"Moreover, given that OEMs are currently in the period of transitioning to BS-VI production, disruption in supply of critical components required for the same has the potential to impact smooth transition to new emission norms," added Dewan.
(Newser)  Death row inmate Nick Sutton has an unusual group of supporters seeking to block his scheduled execution Thursday. Among them are family members of his victims, as well as past and present prison workers calling for clemency. Sutton, 58, was sentenced to death in 1986 for killing fellow inmate Carl Estep in a conflict over a drug deal while both were incarcerated in an East Tennessee prison. Unless the governor or the courts intervene, Sutton is to be put to death Thursday in the electric chair. Estep's daughter said Sutton did her family a favor in a statement included in Sutton's clemency petition, calling Estep an "evil man" who was in prison for rape when Sutton killed him. At the time, Sutton was in prison for three murders he committed in 1979 when he was just 18, including that of his grandmother, reports the AP.

story continues below

In the clemency petition, longtime friends describe a childhood marked by abuse and neglect, and later a spiral into drug abuse. But a recurring theme in the statements is that Sutton today isn't the same man who went to prison at 18. "I can confidently state that Nick Sutton is the most rehabilitated prisoner that I met working in maximum security prisons over the course of 30 years," ex-Correction Lt. Tony Eden stated in an affidavit. Eden believes Sutton may have saved his life during a 1985 prison riot by confronting a group of armed inmates who were trying to take Eden hostage. The mother of Paul House, an ex-death row inmate later freed when a judge overturned his conviction based on new evidence, says "my son would be dead if it wasn't for Nick." She said Sutton cared for her son after he developed multiple sclerosis in prison, including helping him eat and shower. (More here.)
Many of Americas corporate and academic elites have united to advocate for a carbon tax.

With all the money and brains behind the self-anointed Climate Leadership Council (CLC) you would think it would be able to figure out  the math is simple  that a carbon tax will have no effect on climate. There are reasons they havent.

The CLC is undertaking a media and lobbying blitz to push for a $40-per-ton national carbon tax, escalating by 5% per year. The CLC calls this the most cost-effective, environmentally ambitious and politically viable climate solution.

A $40 carbon tax would immediately raise the price of oil by $17, or to about 133% of todays prices. Were told not to fret the price increase because the government will remit the tax back to taxpayers as a carbon dividend. Most consumers will get back more money via the dividend than they paid in the tax, says the CLC.

Lets breakdown this hucksterism.

First, a carbon tax is no sort of climate solution. Manmade emissions of greenhouse gases in 2019 were 55.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide-equivalents and increasing with no end in sight, according to the United Nations. The U.S. share was 7.2 billion tons  13% and shrinking as the rest of the world increases emissions.

Imagine the U.S. magically went dark and emitted no more carbon dioxide (CO2) or other greenhouse gases evermore. The rest of the world, which shows no signs of emitting less, would still emit at least 48 BILLION tons annually, which is 13 billion tons greater than the Kyoto Protocols goal of stabilizing emissions at 35 billion tons.

Even if the U.S. never emitted again, the difference in atmospheric CO2 concentration would be about two percent (2%) by the year 2100. No matter your view of climate science, that slight difference in CO2 would make no discernible difference to global temperature.

So simple math shows a CO2 tax would accomplish nothing. Even if a CO2 tax only cost you a nickel, youd still be ripped off.

Next, although taxes tend to reduce use of the thing being taxed, this isnt meaningfully true with oil. During the mid-2000s when oil rose to $140 per barrel, US oil consumption dipped a mere five percent (i.e., 20 million vs. 19 million barrels per day). Under the CLCs plan, it would take 35 years to get the current price of oil up to that $140 level  which barely reduced oil consumption in the first place. Absent sensible alternatives, Americans would likely cling to gasoline even as they were ripped off by the carbon tax.

Now for the really cynical part of the CLCs carbon tax  the dividend.

The CLCs plan calls for a family of four to receive a $2,000 annual dividend check from the government in the first year, an amount that would grow as the tax increases. But is anyone paying attention to the math?

In 2019, US energy-related emissions were 5.1 billion tons. At $40 per ton, those emissions would raise $204 billion in taxes. Divide that $204 billion by 330 million Americans and you get a carbon tax costing each American $618  or $2,472 per family of four. But the carbon dividend is only worth $2,000 for a family of four, leaving them to pointlessly pay $472 more in energy costs every year.

The CLCs device around this is to limit the dividend so that 70 percent of households would receive more in dividends than paid in carbon tax. So the CLCs tax just amounts to a vote-buying, Marxist income redistribution scheme via climate.

Who exactly is the CLC anyway? Its comprised of multinational corporate rentseekers and greenwashers, ivory tower economists, has-been politicians and left-wing environment groups.

The carbon tax is not about the climate so much as it is about CLC members various economic, political and personal agendas. Here are some of them.

Big Oil members (ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP) want to regain control over the price of oil lost due to the fracking revolution. Nuclear utility Exelon and First Solar hope to advance their interests by making fossil fuels more expensive. Goldman Sachs has investments in all sorts of green technologies. Two members are former Energy secretaries from the Obama war on coal years. Former UN climate chief Christina Figueres is a leftist looking to end capitalism, as are the green groups like the World Wildlife Fund and the World Resources Institute.

The last time such a diverse cabal of powerbrokers united on climate was to push cap-and-trade  a different kind of carbon tax  during the late 2000s. Cap-and-tax failed. Now the CLC has resurrected it. Meet the new fraud. Same as the old fraud.
A young climate change activist hopes to make history by running for parliament against New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, just months after finishing school.

Luke Wijohn, who turns 18 next week, has been endorsed as the Greens candidate to run against Ms Ardern in her Auckland-based electorate of Mount Albert at the general election in September.

If elected, he will become New Zealand's youngest ever MP, currently held by James Stuart-Wortley, who was 20 when he was elected in 1853.

The youngest currently serving MP is 25.

Luke Wijohn (pictured) has been selected to represent the Greens in the upcoming election

Wijohn has deferred a university scholarship to focus on his political aspirations.

'Climate change and inequality are the two biggest threats to lives of dignity in New Zealand,' he posted on social media on Wednesday.

'I'm running for the Greens because we are the only ones with the policy to provide New Zealand with thriving communities free of the climate crisis and poverty.'

'National AND Labour governments have tried to ignore the people, the kids, and the science. They have prioritised exploiting our planet over protecting our future.

'The Greens are the only party with the consistency AND policy to make the changes this country so desperately needs. With your help, we can beat the climate crisis and inequality in New Zealand, so that all people can have decent lives.'

Luke is running in the Auckland-based seat of New Zealand Prime Jacinda Ardern (pictured)

Luke Wijohn (right) sees climate change and inequality as the biggest issues facing Kiwis

The outspoken activist is no stranger to being in the headlines.

Wijohn was responsible for the School Strike 4 Climate marches held in September, where thousands of students across the nation took to the streets to protest about climate change.

He has also discussed the climate crisis on breakfast TV and national radio and lobbied the government on the Zero Carbon Bill.

'During the climate strikes adults would tell us that nothing is going to change until my generation was at the table, and we're running out of time,' Wijohn told Newshub.

He realises the daunting task ahead of him and is 'pretty sure' he won't unseat the prime minister from her seat.

He's more focused on lobbying for the party vote and getting more Green MPs into parliament.

'The Green Party has achieved so much with only eight MPs. I dream of the amount of change we can get with even more MPs,' he told Stuff.

He's yet to turn 18 but that hasn't stopped outspoken climate change activist Luke Wijohn (right)

Politics aren't a long term ambition for Wijohn, who cares more about changing the world than becoming prime minister.

'I'll be brave in parliament because I won't be protecting my career as a politician,' he said.

'I want to get in there and use being an MP as a tool  to achieve the change New Zealand needs, and then get out.'

Ms Ardern was a list MP for nine years before she won the seat of Mount Albert at the the 2017 general election with almost 65 per cent of the vote.

The New Zealand general election will be held on September 19.
Secretary of National Security and Defense Council met with a representative of U.S. Department of State

Today, on January 19, Secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Oleksiy Danilov held a meeting with Coordinator for Counterterrorism within the U.S. Department of State Nathan Sales. This was reported by the NSDCs press service.

During the meeting, the parties discussed issues of Ukrainian-American cooperation, in particular, in the sphere of combating terrorism.

"We understand the insidiousness of terrorists, and the fight against terrorism is one of our main challenges. In this case, cyberterrorism comes first," Danilov said.

He also said that practical cooperation between Ukraine and the US should be stepped up, in particular in the exchange of information on terroristic threats.

In his turn, Nathan Sales assured that support of the United States for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity is internationally recognized.

The representative of the U.S. Department of State also thanked Ukraine for its willingness to cooperate with the US on counter-terrorism issues, noted the US's readiness to intensify cooperation with Ukraine in this area, as well as to provide our country with all necessary assistance in the development of counter-terrorism capabilities.

As we reported earlier, on February 14, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with US Senators Ron Johnson, John Barrasso and Chris Murphy.

The parties discussed the progress of reform processes in Ukraine. In particular, Zelensky noted the priority of anti-corruption reform and cooperation with the International Monetary Fund.

"We have very good relations with the IMF. We are doing a lot to fight corruption, we are restarting the law enforcement system, we are adopting many bills in order for that to happen," the president said.
Nairobi, Feb 19 : Suspected al-Shabab militants on Wednesday ambushed a commuter bus in northeast Kenya with casualties being feared.

The police and witnesses said the Nairobi-bound bus named Moyale Raha was attacked in the Fino area by the militants, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It's true the bus was attacked by suspected al-Shabab militants. We have not gotten the number of casualties," said a police officer who declined to be named.

He said reinforcements have been sent to the scene to pursue the attackers.

Fino is about six kilometres away from the main Kenya-Somalia border. The area has been facing a number of attacks from the militants who target communication masts and destroy them.
By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Poverty and corruption remain the main obstacles in Armenias socio-economic situation, President of the Center for Social and Political Studies ("Aspect"), Russian expert Georgy Fedorov has said in an interview with Azernews.

He was commenting on the current situation in Armenias social life.

Poverty and corruption remain the main obstacles in improving the social and economic situation in Armenia. The fight against these problems must be a priority for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans government. In addition, one should not forget that Armenias foreign trade relations have a potential to significantly improve the economic situation in the country. In this context, Armenias closer integration with Russia seems to be the most promising option," Fedorov said.

Speaking about expectations of the Western countries of Pashinyans velvet revolution, the expert said that neither the U.S. nor the EU has time for Armenia right now, due to their domestic problems. In this context, he added, the so-called velvet revolution can be justified or not only by the Armenian people.

Fedorov said that Armenian clans are fighting over power, while poverty and social disorder pose an increasing threat to the countrys economy.

The expert said that Pashinyan must initiate a real fight against corruption and poverty in the country, if he wants to justify Armenians peoples trust.

In order not to lose this trust, Pashinyan must initiate a real fight against corruption and poverty in the country," Fedorov noted.
Photo credit: Simon Upton

From Town & Country

Photo credit: Simon Upton

Remember the Met Costume Institute show Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations? This story is like that: a conversation, but about a house, not clothes.

Like the one at the Met, our conversation is conducted across time. It takes place between two preeminent designersa decorator and an architect, one living and one no longerdeep in the Connecticut woods. If we listen closely we will learn things we didnt know about both.

Photo credit: Simon Upton

The participants are Stephen Sills, who sits at the top of the interior design world, and Charles Gwathmey, one of Americas greatest architects from his explosion on the scene in 1965 up to his death, too soon, in 2009. The site, which does so much to shape the house, is a secluded 40-plus acres (around eight of which are under the control of landscape designer Deborah Nevins) near the town of Kent; it has its own waterfall.

Sills and Gwathmey are talking to each other through the medium of this house, but they also have a message for us about the potential for the modernist architecture of a different era to express a humanistic side, a connection with natureand about what some decoration of our own can add to this story.

Photo credit: Simon Upton

The reason any of this is happening is the great patronage on the part of the owners, Ben and Donna Rosen. Ben is chairman emeritus at Compaq, Donna a former gallerist who is now a trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art. They are philanthropists and art collectors. They are young in mentality and personal style.

Photo credit: Simon Upton

Both are from New Orleans, though Donna carries much more of the South with her today. They love Litchfield County, but they had sort of accepted, after a long search that included Bill Blasss property, that they would never find anything of suitably modern architectural character there. Then in 2002, when a real estate broker said, You dont like the Gwathmey house with the waterfall?, they realized no one had shown them the one house they might have built if it didnt already exist. Donna and Ben went right over; they didnt even get down the driveway before falling in love.

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What I love about this house is that its based on New England architecture, Donna says. Gwathmeys work, especially the smaller houses like this one, has a sculptural quality, like an Amish barn. When it goes up in scale, something is lost.

Enter Sills, a friend who had done the couples New York apartment. For a decorator, Sills operates with a deep knowledge of architecture, and he is passionate about the kind of modernism, rooted in early-20th-century Vienna and Le Corbusier, that this building (and everything Gwathmey did) is about. He was an admirer of Gwathmeys, having worked with him early in his career on an apartment for New York entrepreneurs Nan and Stephen Swid. I was worried that a famous architect was going to be really offended at this no-name decorator from Oklahoma wanting to redo everything, Sills recalls. But he couldnt have been more charming.

Photo credit: Simon Upton

The Falls, as the Rosens house is known, has had only one other owner since it was built in 1983. When I went up to see it, Sills says, I realized what a jewel the house was. The way Charlie placed it on the property and focused this round room up to a natural waterfall was brilliant. I said, Donna, I want to do that house.

He went to the property one afternoon and sketched his plans out in less than an hour. The vocabulary was already set up by the great architecture, he says. You just had to follow it.

Photo credit: Simon Upton

What Sills means by follow it is antithetical to the way most buildings of this school of modernism have been finished inside. The big mistake in Gwathmey houses is that people put in angular furniture, which is the wrong note because the architecture is angular, he says. His instinct for decorating the round room was to use beautiful lines, some curves, and softness. I started with that big kidney-shaped sofa facing inward toward the fireplace, and the rest of the furniture looking out to the view, he says. Most important was that everything be at eye level with that curved wall.

Photo credit: Simon Upton

Lightness and sensuality arrive in the form of a pair of Italian wicker chairs, something surprising in a Gwathmey environment but not unusual for Sills. The appearance of wicker front and center in the living room was a secret tool used by Marella Agnelli to add informality to palatial interiors, and Tom Scheerer does the same thing today. Well, its in the country, Sills says, irritated by too much analysis. But I suspect he knows that these innocent chairs, with their backdrop of green, are necessary to secure, in one gesture, the slightly Japanese connection with nature that runs through this house.



What would the architect think? Sillss experience notwithstanding, Gwathmey was known to be hard on decorators. I worked on a project with him and found this to be the case. He was interested in purity and wanted maximum control over the result. For this reason many Gwathmey projects have not aged as well as they might have. The interiors have had a tendency to date faster than the sculptural forms of the architecture, which obscures his buildings excellence.

Photo credit: Simon Upton

Every Impossible Conversation should have a surprise ending, and ours will be the voice of architect Will Meyer, a protege of Gwathmeys. He was as rigorous a modernist as there ever was, and he doesnt get the credit he deserves today, Meyer says. There arent architects like him anymore. He cared about details and design more than anyone.

Sills, who may be the only decorator Gwathmey ever liked, is just as generous and even more concise: He was exceptionally gifted.



This story appears in the March 2020 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW

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Kissing is not 'universal', with research suggesting less than half of cultures do it. (Getty Images)

With Valentines Day around the corner, love is in the air for many.

The sight of smooching couples may warm your heart, or turn your stomach.

Sharing saliva may seem an odd way to express your affection for your other half - particularly when one kiss can transfer 80 million bacteria.

Why do we kiss?

In the UK, kissing is considered a normal way to show your partner you care.

Many may be surprised to learn, however, more than half of cultures worldwide do not engage in lip-to-lip contact.

After looking at 168 cultures, scientists from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas found just 46% displayed the romantic-sexual kiss, debunking the theory it is human universal.

The team found the more socially complex the culture, the higher frequency of romantic-sexual kissing.

Read more: Piers Morgan isnt impressed about David Beckham kissing his daughter on the lips

They noted communities in Sub-Saharan Africa and New Guinea, as well as Amazonian foragers, did not appear to engage.

As recently as 2014, the indigenous Mehinaku people of Brazil reportedly found kissing gross.

Kissing may therefore have evolved alongside oral hygiene or the rise of elite social classes that celebrate emotional displays.

While the Nevada research suggests it is a relatively recent method of affection, Hindu Vedic Sanskrit written more than 3,500 years ago reportedly mentions kissing, suggesting it has long been acceptable in certain communities.

To uncover why we kiss, scientists looked to animals.

The BBC reported chimps kiss after conflict as a form of reconciliation, which is not considered romantic.

Bonobos get affectionate more often, even using tongues.

The great apes also apparently have sex as their version of a handshake, suggesting their kisses too are not particularly heartfelt.

No other animals are thought to share saliva.

This is said to come down to their acute sense of smell, with everything from boars to spiders sniffing out pheromones as a sign of fertility.

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Read more: People are being warned not to kiss cows in a bizarre new Internet challenge

With a humans sense of smell not as sharp, scientists from the University of Oxford found many turn to kissing to assess a potential mate.

Kissing may simply be a socially acceptable way of getting close enough to detect someones pheromones.

It could also bolster bonding between a romantic pair, even if just by conforming to the imagined sexual script.

Another theory is kissing is a sign of commitment, with people showing their partners they are willing to catch infectious conditions like flu to be close to them.

With our poor sense of smell, humans may kiss to detect each other's pheromones. (Getty Images)

Is kissing good for us?

With many infectious pathogens lurking in saliva, kissing a sickly lover undoubtably puts you at risk.

Puckering up with a healthy person, however, could do you the world of good.

Scientists from the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research looked at 21 couples, with one member of each pair being given a probiotic yoghurt drink.

The couple then enjoyed an intimate kiss, with bacteria counts on their tongues measured before and after.

The scientists identified the probiotic Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bacteria moved over to most kiss receivers.

During a 10 second kiss, the total bacteria transfer was averaged at 80 million bacteria.

High levels of good bacteria have been shown to boost our immune system, helping fight off disease.

Read more: Baby almost dies after contracting herpes from a kiss on the lips

The benefits do not stop there.

Japanese medic Dr Hajime Kimata won a scientific Nobel Prize for his research on how smooching may ward off allergic reactions.

He looked at 30 people with eczema, 30 with allergic rhinitis - a runny nose caused by allergens - and 30 healthy volunteers.

The participants were exposed to their triggers, dust mites or Japanese cedar pollen.

Both before and after exposure, they were told to kiss freely for 30 minutes with their lover or spouse alone in a room.

This was found to significantly reduce the development of allergic wheals, red swollen marks on the skin.

It also lowered levels of inflammatory protein markers typically released during an allergic reaction.

Kissing is also known to help people unwind before sex, making it more comfortable for a woman and easier for both participants to climax.

As if that was not enough, kissing has been linked to reduced anxiety, lower blood pressure and delayed signs of ageing - think of it as a work out for your face.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-20 06:28:14|Editor: huaxia

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CHICAGO, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) agricultural futures closed mixed on Wednesday, with con and wheat futures falling on profit taking from the previous session's strong rally.

The most active soybean contract for March delivery added 5 cents, or 0.56 percent, to close at 8.9725 U.S. dollars per bushel. March wheat lost 1.5 cents, or 0.26 percent, to 5.6525 dollars per bushel. March corn decreased 2.5 cents, or 0.65 percent, to 3.805 dollars per bushel.

Investors turned to profit taking on CBOT corn and wheat futures after they both posted gains over one percent on Tuesday.

Soybean futures rose on expectations of fresh purchases by top buyer China.

Starting from March 2, China's tax authority will accept applications of domestic firms for the exemption of additional tariffs imposed on some U.S. products within a certain period of time, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council said Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to release U.S. 2020 plantings forecast on Thursday at its annual Outlook Forum. Enditem
(Alliance News) - Salt Lake Potash Ltd said Wednesday it has signed a binding term-sheet with Japanese firm Mitsui & Co Ltd for the sale of water soluble sulphate of potash from its Lake Way project in Western Australia.

Mitsui & Co manufactures and distributes fertilisers for crops and is expected to deliver the product into Asian markets.

The agreement with Mitsui & Co is for the sale of SOP into Bangladesh, Cambodia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea and Sri Lanka over a five-year period.

Salt Lake Potash will initially provide 4,000 tonnes per year of SOP to Mitsui.

Salt Lake Potash has now secured offtake for 224,000 per annum of the total 245,000 per year Lake Way output, with the remaining tonnes expected to be sold into local and spot markets.

Looking ahead, Salt Lake Potash and Mitsui are developing a further agreement for the sale of SOP to be sold into emerging markets.

Shares in Salt Lake Potash - which has offices in London and Perth, Australia - were up 6.2% at 34.50 pence in London on Wednesday.

By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
After the dust has settled from Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harrys exit from the royal family, a lot of attention has been given to how Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge have been handling the transition. One royal expert believes that now that Megxit is behind them, there are signs that Prince Charles and Prince William are becoming closer after the family drama.

Prince Charles and Prince William | Richard Pohle  WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan felt that leaving was their only option

In January, Prince Harry and Meghan dropped a bombshell when they announced they wanted to step back from their royal duties. The decision, Prince Harry later revealed, was carefully considered, as the Sussexes didnt feel like they had any other options to avoid the constant media scrutiny.

Prince Harry noted during a January speech: The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I havent always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option.

Prince William and Kate may have some extra work on their plates

With the Sussexes out of the royal picture there is some concern that the Cambridges have to step in and do more work. Theyve had a busy start to 2020 though its unclear whether that has much to do with Prince Harry and Meghan leaving.

Harry and Meghan deciding to up sticks and leave without any thought about how it could affect them is pretty selfish, a palace source told The Mirror.

The insider added: If the Sussexes are only here half the year then it will fall to William and Kate to pick up the slack with more engagements, more pressure, and that has not even been considered.

Has the exit drama brought Prince William and Prince Charles closer together?

Those keeping an eye on all things royal believe that Prince Harrys departure might make Prince William and Prince Charles closer, with a recent engagement showing some hints that the two are bonding more.

Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, and Kate attended their first royal engagement together since 2011 and by all appearances, they seemed very happy during their visit to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre.

Prince William joked: When theres four of us its a nightmare! and Prince Charles responded: Theres too many of us!

According to royal commentator Ingrid Seward, she believes this light-hearted exchange could be telling of a bond the father and son are strengthening. Harrys departure from royal life has definitely brought the two of them much closer together, she told OK! Magazine.

Seward further noted that, in discussing the future of the royal family after Prince Harry and Meghans departure, Theyve had something in common to talk about.

Charles has been incredibly supportive of William in recent weeks because he has such a lot going on now and their mutual respect for one another has grown immensely, Seward added.

Seward further believes that this familial shakeup has shifted the focus for Prince Charles. I think losing Harry the way he has will have encouraged Charles to focus on William, Seward explained.

She continued: Charles tends to jam-pack his diary but hes now making a real effort to pencil in time for William and will also hope to make time to see more of his grandchildren.

The father and son having a joke together during their royal engagement, Seward believes, shows that Charles and William share a great sense of humor. She added: They were joshing in the same kind of way as William and Harry would have done in the past  I expect Harry would have been tipping up the wheelchair!,
State Rep. Dan Howell, R-Cleveland, on Wednesday announced legislation aimed at improving

transportation options for the disabled and aging populations across the state.

Rep. Howell introduced the Tennessee Accessible Transportation and Mobility Act of 2020 (HB1596/SB1612) which would create an office within the Tennessee Department of Transportation dedicated to expanding and improving accessible transportation.

Public transportation allows people to get to the doctor, work, visit family or friends and improves quality of life overall, Rep. Howell said. But accessible transportation is the number one barrier keeping our disabled and aging population from being more active in their communities; with this legislation well work to remove those barriers.

Public transportation is a challenge in certain areas across the state and especially difficult to access for the disabled and aging, Rep. Howell said. If the Tennessee Accessible Transportation and Mobility Act of 2020 becomes law, it will require the new office to identify and work to eliminate those barriers. The goal is to give as much access to public transportation as possible so the elderly and disabled can be out in the community, engaged and living more productive lives, Rep. Howell said.

The Tennessee Accessible Transportation and Mobility Act of 2020 has bipartisan support in the General Assembly. State Rep. Darren Jernigan, D-Old Hickory cosponsors the bill, The Tennessee Accessible Transportation and Mobility Act is a first of its kind idea in the United States that will be an incredible step forward for people with disabilities and their access to transportation. Accessible transportation can provide a level of independence and a quality of life that may lead to education opportunities, employment, home ownership, to full incorporation into all levels of society. Im very proud to co-sponsor this legislation with Chairman Howell, said Rep. Jernigan.
While New Mexico has made significant strides in expanding early childhood education programs, particularly with the establishment of the Early Childhood Education and Care Department, there is still urgent work to be done. In 2019, New Mexico ranked last in the nation for child well-being.

Now is the time to change this ranking. Under the direction of the Early Childhood Education and Care Department, bolstered by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams responsible budget proposal, New Mexicos children, families and economy have the opportunity to flourish like never before.

As evidenced by her budget proposal, the governor understands the urgency of early childhood care and education programs. The proposal includes a $74 million funding increase for early childhood services, including $26 million to expand child care assistance eligibility, $15.6 million for wage supplements for early childhood educators and $19.9 million to expand public and private pre-k slots.

The proposal also includes $320 million in non-recurring funds to create the Early Childhood Trust Fund. This fund would establish a permanent funding source for crucial early education programs, protecting such programs from the volatility of state tax revenues, ensuring their survival long into the future.

Legislators must capitalize on these opportunities.

During last years legislative session, I testified with the governor on the importance of early childhood education. But it remains clear not many understand what early childhood education and care programs are, why such funding is crucial and why they are important to everyone. So, let me provide some examples.

Last summer, Lujan Grisham announced families would be eligible for child care assistance if they earned less than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level  less than $51,500 for a family of four. Forty-two percent of families with two working parents and children under the age of six are at this income level, meaning thousands of families are eligible for, and in need of, quality child care. But, if the governors budget does not pass, eligibility will decrease, affecting thousands. When families are unable to afford child care, it is not only the families that suffer but also the local economy. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, $3 billion in revenue is lost annually due to employee absenteeism as a result of child care shortages.

Another example is child care workforce development. According to a recent report, 65 percent of New Mexicos early childhood educators earn less than $30,000. Because of these wages, it is difficult to find and retain qualified early care professionals. To address this, Dona Ana County ran a pilot program providing wage supplements to qualified educators, incentivizing them to stay in these important positions. Now, if funding is secured, 3,000 of New Mexicos early childhood educators would receive a wage increase. Again, not only does this benefit New Mexicos children but also the economy.

Therefore, I urge legislators to support the governors budget.

There is no time to waste. Did you know that most of a childs brain is developed by the age of five? Children develop approximately 700 neural connections a second in their early years. This brain development directly corresponds to a childs social-emotional development and future success.

It is glaringly clear. Investment in early childhood education is crucial. This is why our 4,000-person strong volunteer base in New Mexico is working so hard to ensure New Mexicos Legislature prioritizes kids. Join them  be a voice for kids and tell your policymakers to support the governors budget.

The future of New Mexico depends on it.
The UN Secretary General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights add their voices to the international community in decrying the latest killing of civilians, including children, in Cameroon.

By Joachim Teigen

The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, released his statement on 17 February, saying that he is deeply concerned over reports about the killing of civilians, including children, in an attack on the village of Ngarbuh.



A day later, the spokesperson of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights equally decried the killings as a shocking episode in what is an ongoing crisis that has afflicted the countrys North-West and South-West regions for the past three years.

23 killed, 15 of them children

The ongoing crisis referred to is the clashes between security and defence forces and armed separatist groups in these two regions, clashes which have displaced hundreds of thousands of people over the last years.

Listen to our report

The UN reported witness accounts saying that 40 armed men opened fire on people and burnt down houses in the village of Ngarbuh on 14 February. Some of the men involved in the killings were members of the security and defence forces. According to Cameroonian authorities, the defence forces and gendarmes responded to fire from inside the village.

UN sources on the ground reported that 23 people were killed, 15 of whom were children and two of whom were pregnant women.

Respect international human rights law

The UN Secretary General offered his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and called upon the Government of Cameroon to investigate the attacks and to make sure those responsible are held accountable.

After the Cameroon Government announced that they would open an investigation, the Office of the High Commissioner urged the authorities the ensure that it be independent, impartial and thorough.

Both the Secretary General and the Human Rights Office called on all armed actors in the conflict to refrain from attacking civilians and to respect international human rights law.

We urge the Government of Cameroon to take concrete steps the Human Rights Office said and reiterated their readiness to help the Government to protect the human rights of people all across Cameroon.

Pleas of the international community

The UN statements are just the latest of many appeals from the international community, many of them from ecclesiastical communities around the world.

Earlier this week, Catholic Bishops from around the world signed a letter to the President of Cameroon, Paul Biya, asking him to begin peace negotiations with the separatist movement.

The World Council of Churches also condemned the attacks, and encouraged all its member churches to keep those affected in their prayers.
As a teenage sailor, Donald Stratton survived burns over two-thirds of his body when the USS Arizona exploded amid the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Colorado Springs resident, revered locally for his wartime service, spent the rest of his life encouraging others to remember the 1,177 of his shipmates from the battlewagon who died that day. He died at home Saturday at 97. Stratton had been in failing health since contracting pneumonia in October.

"He was a very humble, very quiet hero," his son Randy Stratton said Sunday. "He didn't want or seek the attention he received."

Stratton's death leaves just two sailors remaining from Arizona's crew: Lou Conter and Ken Potts.

Stratton, who had lived in Colorado Springs for 13 years, will have a permanent place in the Pikes Peak region's pantheon of heroes. The Fillmore Street Bridge over Interstate 25 was named in his honor and a piece of his battleship's wreckage remains on display at the Colorado Springs airport after Stratton helped local leaders obtain it.

"Veterans like Donald Stratton are the best this country has to offer and I thank God every day for Americans like them," Colorado Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner said in an email. "May God bless this hero, his family, and all who have and continue to serve our country.

Stratton always expressed reluctance to share his memories of Pearl Harbor.

It was a terrible day that day, the then 93-year-old told the Gazette in 2015.

The hulk of the mighty ship now rests in Pearl Harbor as a memorial to the nearly 2,500 Americans killed on Dec. 7, 1941.

That any sailors survived the attack on the Arizona is a miracle, Stratton said.

A million pounds of ammunition exploded, he said. The fireball went 600 or 800 feet in the air and just engulfed us.

Sailors on the USS Vestal, a repair vessel moored next to Arizona saved Strattons life by throwing a rope to his gun mount. Hand-over-hand, he and five other sailors made it off the sinking ship over that rope.

Below them was oil flame and red-hot metal from the burning ship.

I dont have any fingerprints  thats how bad my hands were burned, he said.

Stratton was forever grateful to Joe George a Vestal sailor who heaved the rope that saved his life. Stratton's efforts to remember George resulted in his being awarded a posthumous Bronze Star Medal in 2017.

After his escape from the Arizona, Stratton faced months of recovery from his burns. In September 1942, he was discharged as a disabled veteran.

But Stratton fought Navy bureaucracy to return to uniform, and repeated basic training to return to the Pacific fleet.

Stratton told The Gazette his determination to return to duty wasnt something he thought about much.

It was just one of those things, he said.

By 1943, Stratton was sailing again aboard the destroyer USS Stack. He watched the Navy avenge Pearl Harbor with landings across the Pacific in New Guinea, the Philippines, and Okinawa.

Stratton says his war service was nothing special.

Its just something you do, he said.

After the war, Stratton worked with dive teams on oil pipelines from the Persian Gulf to Alaska.

But, even as work took him across the globe, Stratton found time to be a devoted father.

"He didn't miss anything for us kids," Randy Stratton said.

Stratton, though, seldom talked about his time in the Navy, Randy Stratton said.

"The first time I saw my dad cry was the 25th anniversary," Randy Stratton said, recalling a visit to the USS Arizona memorial over the remains of the ship in Pearl Harbor.

In the twilight of his life, though, Stratton shared memories for a book that serves as a memorial to his Arizona shipmates. "All the Gallant Men" recalls Stratton's survival and the heroism that was commonplace among sailors during the attack.

Randy Stratton said efforts are underway to have the booked turned into a movie.

Stratton is survived by his wife of nearly 70 years, Velma.

Funeral plans are pending.

But Randy Stratton said his father suggested a way for Pikes Peak region residents to remember him and the other heroes of the Arizona as they drive on I-25 near the Stratton Bridge.

"When you pass underneath give it a salute and remember," Randy Stratton said.
Prince Harry and Meghan may not be able to use the Sussex Royal brand when they step back from senior duties, it has emerged.

The prince and his wife announced in January their intention to achieve financial independence rather than be paid by the Crown.

Harry and Meghan may not be allowed to use Sussex Royal. (Getty Images)

Read more: Magazine claim about Harry and Meghan split was 'blatantly incorrect'

It was thought they would use the Sussex Royal moniker they created when their household split from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, but a royal source has said this is under review.

As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are stepping back as senior members of the Royal Family and will work towards financial independence, use of the word royal, in this context, needed to be reviewed, the source said.

As part of the process to transition the Duke and Duchess of Sussex into their new chapter, planning has been well underway around the launch of their new nonprofit organisation.

Harry and Meghan will continue their association with the Invictus Games. (Getty Images)

The couple were given the Duchy of Sussex as a wedding present from the Queen.

Prince Harry and Meghan will step back from royal duties in the spring.

While they will keep many of their patronages, Harry will be stripped of his military honours.

Read more: The 360: Does it matter if Meghan and Harry are gone for good?

The duchess will remain a patron of the National Theatre, and the organisations artistic director dismissed claims of a rift with Meghan, saying he thought it would be business as usual.

Rufus Norris said the idea the bosses at the theatre were left fuming by the couples decision to step back was a complete fiction.

He added: I dont think its going to change anything.

Harry and Meghan are living in Canada with their son Archie. (Getty Images)

Harry and Meghan are currently living in Canada with their son Archie but are thought to be coming back to the UK for a number of engagements and events before the spring.

They are reported to have been asked to attend the Commonwealth Day Service in March and will have Princess Beatrices wedding in May to add to their diaries too.

Their Instagram account uses the name Sussex Royal, as does their website, and they had attempted to have it trademarked.
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DENVER, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Eagle Field Tech, the leader in digital capture of transported water volumes, today announced it has scheduled a webinar on March 12, 2020 at 11:00 AM CST. This informative session will discuss transformative best practices in water transport, highlighting a closed loop digital system that assures accurate monitoring and tracking from pick-up to drop-off. No more guesswork.

Representatives from Eagle Field Tech will discuss the findings of the whitepaper Identifying the New Gold Standard of Water Hauling, covering best practices and emerging technologies across the full water transport lifecycle. The whitepaper will be made available to webinar attendees.

For E&P companies increasingly concerned about contractor safety and their social license to operate, FieldFlow delivers a fully integrated hardware and software solution to provide transparency into actual volumes hauled, time stamps, routes, and GPS coordinates for all transport trips. The solution also provides operators with a full set of analytical dashboards to monitor and improve water handling performance. In addition, a robust set of operator dispatch capabilities creates operational efficiencies and reduces costs of current manual and spreadsheet driven scheduling processes. In summary, FieldFlow monitors exact amounts of water being hauled and reports back to the operator when and where that water was disposed.

For water hauling companies trying to manage costs through the energy business cycle and concerned about the safety of employees climbing on tanks, FieldFlow improves the field safety profile, provides a digital trail of activity to analyze and manage operations, radically streamlines billing processes, and eliminates redundant data entry to improve service delivery and customer satisfaction. Water haulers are adopting the phrase "Integrity through Transparency" to describe operations using the new solution.

Webinar Details

DATE: March 12, 2020 (Thursday)

(Thursday) TIME: 11:00 AM Central Standard Time

RSVP: https://eaglefieldtech.com/3-best-practices-for-produced-water-management/

About Eagle Field Tech: Eagle Field Tech is the leading provider of digital solutions to the upstream oil and gas industry for improving oilfield production processes and operating practices. FieldFlow, our fully integrated hardware and software management solution, helps water haulers and E&P operators accurately track and monitor produced and flowback water. FieldFlow's closed-loop system helps E&P operators and service companies generate operational efficiencies, improve their safety profiles, and strengthen their social licenses to operate. FieldFlow is best-in-class water management and allows water haulers and producers alike to Account for Every Last Drop.

SOURCE Eagle Automation
Hauppauge, New York, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- United Rheumatology, the pre-eminent rheumatology care management organization, announces a new addition to the leadership team to help further accelerate growth and services to member physicians and their patients. Gerard Maher has been named Senior Vice President, Recruitment and Retention.

Gerard has earned a stellar reputation in the rheumatology community given his past experiences that will help our members today and into the future, said Douglas Tardio, CEO of United Rheumatology. Gerard has led numerous rheumatology product launches at several top pharmaceutical organizations. He understands the complex landscape and will help United Rheumatology forge new relationships as we continue to grow beyond 650 providers in 2020.

Before joining United Rheumatology, Maher worked in biotech manufacturer organizations and as a consultant. He has led initiatives and teams within payer, medical, and commercial roles. Mr. Maher has extensive experience launching six pharmaceutical and biological products, five in rheumatology and he worked in both US and EU healthcare markets. In addition, his work has led to peer-reviewed publications and presentations.

Im passionate about working within the field of rheumatology to help solve the many challenges facing rheumatologists and their patients. I share United Rheumatologys focus on independent, community practices and believe we can be at the forefront of innovation in care, Maher said. United Rheumatology has an exciting future that I want to be part of today.

About United Rheumatology:

United Rheumatology is the pre-eminent rheumatology care management organization empowering rheumatologists to advance the standard of care. A comprehensive portfolio of physician, patient, and health plan payer offerings, driven by the largest rheumatology electronic medical records clinical database in the U.S., supports an unparalleled platform for jointly developed coordinated care solutions.

Attachment
More than 10 years after an elderly woman was killed in a hit and run in York County, police are releasing new images of a vehicle and asking the public for help.

Gladys Wheat died after being hit by a car on May 11, 2009.

85-year-old Gladys Wheat was hit by an oncoming car as she crossed Church Street around 9:40 a.m. in Glen Rock on May 11, 2009, according to Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers.

Wheat died as a result of her injuries.

Crime Stoppers says the striking vehicle did not stop at the scene, continuing east on Church Street.

Police are looking for information on this vehicle, which was in the area of a fatal hit and run on May 11, 2009. Photo submitted by Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers.

Police say a small dark-colored (black or green) 4 door sedan, possibly and early 2000s model was seen in the area at the time of the crash. The vehicle may have had dark window tinting on the drivers side, and would have damage to the front bumper and hood.

Police are asking that anyone with information on the vehicle above contact the York state police barracks or Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers through any of the following methods. All callers may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward:
She's the former Love Island Australia star who has become an Instagram sensation thanks to her sultry selfies.

And Shelby Bilby didn't disappoint her legion of fans on Wednesday, as she shared a jaw-dropping snap of herself wearing nothing but lacy red underwear.

The 26-year-old was seen gazing seductively at the camera in the lounge of her Gold Coast property, while showing off her generous cleavage and tiny waist to boot.

Yikes! Former Love Island Australia star Shelby Bilby (pictured) didn't disappoint her legion of fans on Wednesday, as she shared a jaw-dropping snap of herself wearing nothing but lacy red underwear

'Red goes faster,' Shelby captioned the saucy shot, with the high-waisted number showing off her incredible washboard abs to perfection.

She styled her hair in a gentle beach wave, and wore a striking smokey eye to accentuate her piercing baby blues.

As ever, fans were quick to compliment the stunner on her snap - with one writing: 'Another sexy number!' while others responded with simple flame emojis.

All about the social! Shelby rose to fame as an intruder on the 2018 season of Love Island Australia, and has since become a social media influencer

Shelby rose to fame as an intruder on the 2018 season of Love Island Australia, and has since become a social media influencer.

The racy post comes as no surprise, as Shelby's Instagram page is littered with sizzling pictures in scantily-clad attire.

But the reality star-turned-influencer has admitted her raunchy photos often create problems with Instagram's strict censorship policies.

Hot property: Shelby has never been shy about flaunting her assets in scantily-clad attire on social media

In October, she revealed one of her photos had been removed by the social media app for being in breach of their nudity rules.

'Take #2 cause apparently me holding my boobs is "sexual activity" yet there is 7192929293 accounts way worse than mine,' Shelby captioned a photo of herself covering her naked breasts with her arms.

She added: 'What's wrong with a woman being confident in her own body? Stop being a prude and block yourself hun... Whyyyy you be like this @instagram? #Haters #JogOn.'
As Mayor London Breed braces for the potential fallout from her disclosure last week that she accepted $5,600 in gifts from ex-Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru, she admitted to a lapse in judgment that allowed her personal life to bleed into her professional one.

Breed laid out what happened in an online post Friday, but her attempt at transparency still left many questions unanswered.

On Tuesday, Breed remained tight-lipped when pressed for details in an interview about why Nuru, a prominent department head, paid for a mechanic to repair Breeds broken-down car and for a rental car last year.

I asked my friend Mohammed to get rid of the car, and it didnt happen that way, Breed told The Chronicle. I dont want to go into details, but Im here to take full responsibility for what happened because I didnt handle it well.

Breeds adversaries are unlikely to be placated by her contrition. The gifts, her critics maintain, represent a clear breach of the citys ethics laws, which limit managers from receiving gifts from subordinates.

Breed also wrote Friday that she and Nuru were longtime personal friends and that they briefly dated two decades ago.

It remains unclear why the mayor, who has the use of a driver and a security detail, needed to invest in repairing an 18-year-old car that she said she didnt use and wasnt working. Those were among the details Breed declined to delve into on Tuesday.

Revelations about the gifts are playing out against the backdrop of the ongoing FBI investigation into government corruption in San Francisco, an inquiry thats already led to federal fraud charges against Nuru and restaurateur Nick Bovis. The city attorneys office is also leading a separate, internal probe into the extent of any potential self-dealing tied to allegations surrounding Nuru.

Breed told The Chronicle on Tuesday her longtime friendship with Nuru, who resigned last week, obscured the potential pitfalls of allowing a department head to foot the bill for her car repairs and the rental.

Part of it is, this is my personal life. I didnt see it the way others see it, Breed said. What all this has forced me to do is to re-evaluate my friendships. Its a learning experience. I have to think differently about relationships  my family, my friends and honestly, who I date, too.

Though Breed has been an elected official for years, the ordeal has taught her a hard lesson, she said, about the need to separate her personal and professional lives.

Just because Im the mayor, it doesnt mean Im not a woman whos also trying to have a personal life, she said. Ive been in the city my whole life. I have a lot of relationships and spent time in the community helping people. When you become mayor, Im realizing clearly now that that changes. Im a human being, and Im not perfect.

Breed maintains that state ethics laws exempt her from having to disclose gifts from close friends. Breed and Nurus decades-long relationship, she said, predates their work together as top government officials and shields her from having to report the gifts, though she said in an effort to be transparent, she intended to report it on her next disclosure form.

But a separate San Francisco law also forbids government officials from accepting gifts from subordinates over $25 in value. Gifts under $25 can only be accepted on occasions on which gifts are traditionally given, according to a guide on city ethics laws written by the city attorneys office.

Asked about the city rules, Breed said only that she was definitely going to determine locally how this applies, and we will deal with it at that time.

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.

Supervisor Hillary Ronen and others have also held up the gifts as emblems of what many consider to be San Franciscos culture of cronyism among top public officials, one that rewards personal loyalties and ignores potential wrongdoing  at the expense of the publics trust in their government.

This law is pretty common sense, that you dont have your employees who work right under you pay and do personal errands for you, said Ronen. I mean, who would think that that was right?

Ronen called for Breeds resignation last week, after she said she confirmed her understanding of the gift-giving rule with the city attorneys office.

The culture of this low-level, acceptable corruption in San Francisco is so entrenched, and so widespread. You hear the same things over and over: You have to pay to play in San Francisco, and that is so deeply wrong, Ronen said.

Its not yet clear whether the city attorneys office will separately investigate Nurus gifts to Breed. Breed said Tuesday that she informed the city attorneys office about her relationship with Nuru following his arrest.

Breed could face fairly steep financial penalties if the San Francisco Ethics Commission concludes that the citys laws were broken. Should the commission decide to investigate and find violations, Breed would have to pay three times the value of the gifts  nearly $17,000.

Its not clear if any other agencies are investigating the gift. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin said his office would investigate any potential criminal liability that arises. A spokesman for Boudins office declined to specify what, if anything, prosecutors had begun to examine.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa
Advertisement

Stunning images have been released that show the full extent of the government's High Speed rail development in London.

Artist's impressions show a spacious interior, complete with various sets of escalators and platforms.

Aerial images of the development show just how much space the station will take up and how it backs onto the greenery in west London.

This is while images from outside the station show a spacious walk way where hundreds of thousands of commuters are expected to board the trains every day.

It comes as Andrew Stephenson was today appointed minister for HS2 - which will connect London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.

In his new role Mr Stephenson will also have responsibility for the Transpennine and Northern Powerhouse Rail routes.

Mr Stephenson previously served as a Foreign Office minister and as a Government Whip, having first been elected as an MP in 2010.

Artist's impression issued by HS2 of the proposed Old Oak Common station, which will be situated in west London. The inside of the station shows various sets of escalators as well as several platforms

The outside of the station will be extremely spacious, allowing for easy entrance and exits to the station for hundreds of thousands of commuters

An aerial view of the development shows the full extent of the platforms and just how much space the new station will take up

Various zones will be put in place at the station with clear signs marking platforms for customers. There will also be ticket machines where customers can buy tickets for same day travel

Old Oak Common will have six high-speed platforms and eight platforms for conventional trains such as Crossrail and services to Wales and the west of England.

The platforms will be linked by a bridge while the station concourse will be built under a vast roof inspired by the site's industrial heritage.

The station will provide an interchange for up to 250,000 passengers per day, according to HS2 Ltd.

Preparation work at Old Oak Common has been ongoing since 2017, with 32,000 cubic metres of former rail depot sheds and outbuildings cleared.

The site will soon be handed over to Balfour Beatty Vinci Systra JV, who were awarded the contract last September to build the station.

Andrew Stephenson (pictured above) was today appointed as minister for high-speed rail project HS2

The outside area will also have road space for local buses to park up as well as a seating area for passengers. There will also be space for commercial units

Another impression from inside the station shows people walking around and looking at various signs which state where their trains will be pulling in to

The updated designs are part of HS2 Ltd's planning submissions to the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation.

Matthew Botelle, HS2's stations director, said: 'Significant progress is already being made at Old Oak Common with site clearance ready for station construction to start.

'The Schedule 17 submission is the next step in HS2's delivery of a world class railway, with landmark station architecture designed with future passengers in mind.

'HS2 will transform Old Oak Common, and will be the key to unlocking thousands of new jobs and homes around what will be the UK's best connected transport hub.'

HS2 was originally due to use Euston as its London terminus when it begins operating, with trains to and from the station running through Old Oak Common.

But delays in carrying out the required work at Euston mean Old Oak Common could be used as the terminus for up to a decade under latest plans.
Boys Scouts of America council leaders say they will continue programming, despite the Texas-based national organization filing for federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy Tuesday.

The national nonprofits move to file for financial restructuring follows a wave of hundreds of civil lawsuits that claim Boy Scouts of America employees ignored rampant child sexual abuse for decades. Officials from the national organization said the decision was made in order to create a trust to pay victim settlements.

(The bankruptcy) is a shame because at its core and what it was supposed to be, the Boy Scouts is a beautiful organization, said James Kretschmer of Houston.

Kretschmer was sexually abused by a Scout leader in the mid-70s in Washington state, according to a lawsuit.

But you know, anything can be corrupted, he told The Associated Press Tuesday. And if theyre not going to protect the people that theyve entrusted with the children, then shut it down and move on.

However, scouting programs will continue throughout the court process and for many years to come, according to a statement made by national leadership.

This is a national bankruptcy filing and the only business entity involved in it is the national Boy Scouts of America organization, said Nathan Baie, executive director of the Boy Scouts of America South Plains Council in West Texas. Local scouting councils are separate business entities.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Sugar Land Boy Scout saves life of 87-year-old neighbor

Meetings and activities will not be impacted, Baie said, no matter the outcome of the bankruptcy court case, filed in federal court in Wilmington, Del.

Baie said he does not have concerns about his council seeing a drop in enrollment due to the news of the national organization.

With respect to the 20 counties we serve in West Texas, this is our third consecutive year of membership growth, he said.

Officials with the Sam Houston Area Council, which serves almost 50,000 Scouts in southeast Texas including Houston, did return calls from the Chronicle.

Robert Sanborn, president and CEO of Texas advocacy group Children at Risk, said the news may deter some parents from letting their children join scouting activities, but believes existing support for local groups will likely not waver.

I think parents always want to believe their local scouting group is different than what we are seeing nationally, Sanborn said.  I do believe there will be some tarnishing of the name of the institution, but a lot of parents want scouting to happen.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Historic Houston Boy Scout troop continues to flourish

Expansions of statutes of limitation on civil claims in the last two years across the country have ushered in a reckoning for institutions accused of ignoring abuse, including Boy Scouts of America.

We had a banner year in 2019, with so many states adding legislation that has permitted more victims to come forward, said Marci Hamilton, CEO and academic director of Child USA, a national child protection advocacy nonprofit.

Hamilton said her organization will this week release a database of 1,500 sex abuse cases linked to Boy Scouts of America. The national organization has estimated 1,000 to 5,000 victims will seek compensation. More than 12,000 boys have been molested by 7,800 abusers since the 1920s, according to Boy Scout files revealed in court papers.

We fear that Boy Scouts have had more serious problems than the Catholic church, said Hamilton. There are a lot of reasons to be concerned about the kind of model that has kids away from parents and often alone with an adult.

Bankruptcy gives the institution an easy-out and robs survivors of the justice they are seeking, Hamilton said. The process lumps all victims into one group and does not allow for discovery of Boy Scout documents, she added.

That information would also aid in preventing future abuse, said Hamilton. Without it, well never understand why victims were put in the path of pedohphiles.

Scout officials urged victims to come forward in a letter shortly after announcing it filed for bankruptcy protection.

We are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to harm innocent children, said Roger Mosby, the Boy Scouts president and CEO. While we know nothing can undo the tragic abuse that victims suffered, we believe the Chapter 11 process, with the proposed trust structure, will provide equitable compensation to all victims while maintaining the BSAs important mission.

Sanborn said the light that the recent lawsuits have shined on the alleged sexual abuse will ultimately make institutions like the Boy Scouts more safe.

The bottom line is we need to protect our children, he said. Boys and girls whove joined the scouts and their parents deserve for those clubs to do everything they possibly can to be safe. We understand that this is a hardship for Boy Scouts, but we want to keep hardship away from our children.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

hannah.dellinger@chron.com
Beijings Coverup of Coronavirus Outbreak Puts Whole World at Risk, Expert Says

The Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) initial coverup of the coronavirus outbreak in the central city of Wuhan facilitated the diseases spread across China and the world, a Pulitzer Prize-winning science journalist and epidemics expert says.

Laurie Garrett, who has covered epidemics around the world, including the SARS outbreak of 20022003 that originated from China, said the regimes suppression of vital information during the early days of the outbreak in December 2019 into January of this year meant that a critical window of opportunity to contain the spread of the virus was lost.

The time to respond and stop an outbreak is when its only 20 cases, only 40 cases, Garrett said during a recent interview on The Epoch Times American Thought Leaders program.

By the time its a few hundred cases, you lostits over. Youre now dealing with an epidemic and your whole strategy of outbreak control has been defeated, and its defeated because of your own  unwillingness to take seriously the first seemingly very small number of cases.

For almost three weeks after Wuhan health authorities first confirmed the outbreak on Dec. 31, 2019, the number of confirmed cases remained at around a few dozen, while officials maintained that there was no obvious evidence for human-to-human transmission and the outbreak was preventable and controllable.

Health officials only confirmed human-to-human transmission of the virus on Jan. 20. The same day, official infection figures soared almost five-fold to nearly 200 cases. Infections within China have since ballooned to the tens of thousands, with more than 2,000 deaths, while the disease has spread to several dozen countries.

On Jan. 23, officials placed Wuhan under an unprecedented lockdownbut not before 5 million residents had left the city to travel over the Lunar New Year holiday, or to escape the lockdown. Authorities had announced the impending restrictions the day before.

That coverup has put the people of China at risk and put the whole world at risk, Garrett said.

She said there was much misinformation about the virus coming out of China, some of it being the CCP trying to change the narrative and playing games with the information, and some of it is just innocent error.

We know that the official numbers coming out are not accurate, she said, adding that news about crematoriums in Wuhan struggling to cope with a surge of dead bodies suggests that the numbers are enormous.

Repression

The communist regimes tightening crackdown on citizens who share information about the virus has also contributed to the difficulty in seeing the true picture of whats happening in the country, according to Garrett.

The recent death of whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang, who was among eight rumormongers reprimanded by local police for sharing information about the outbreak in December, ignited a firestorm of anger from Chinese social media users, who lamented his death from the virus, which he contracted while treating a patient.

Netizens blamed the Chinese regime, which tried to suppress the doctors early warnings, for his death.

Thats the implication all of Li Wenliangs mourners have taken from his martyrdomthat he was killed by the Party, essentially, Garrett said.

The regime has since punished hundreds of Chinese social media users for spreading rumors about the virus, according to a database compiled by Washington-based nonprofit Chinese Human Rights Defenders. Many of the offending posts are about confirmed or suspected cases in the posters city or neighborhood.

Meanwhile, a couple of citizen journalists in Wuhan, Fang Bin and Chen Qiushi, recently disappeared and are suspected to have been detained by police. They had been regularly posting videos documenting the dire situation in the locked-down city.

Theres already a sense of the repression[that] the epidemics being used to repress us, Garrett said.

Much is riding on the CCPs handling of the crisis, she says.

If the Party screws this up, the economic and political repercussions are going to be enormousand many would argue they already did, she said.

The Plight of Frontline Workers

While Lis death has cast a spotlight on health workers as casualties in the worsening outbreak, his case is likely the tip of the iceberg. Garrett, who has been a firsthand witness to the grim reality faced by frontline responders to outbreaks, says the experience is like true hell on earth.

The only thing that comes close is being a soldier on a battlefield, she said.

You cant imagine [it] if youve never been in an epidemic and youve never seen the health care workers on the frontlines. You cannot imagine how stressful it is.  Its nonstop. If they get four hours of real sleep a day, theyre doing well.

The Epoch Times has previously reported on burnt-out health care staff working in overwhelmed Wuhan hospitals, coping with the challenges of severe shortages in medical supplies, protective gear, and testing kits.

Meanwhile, Chinas National Health Commission, for the first time since the outbreak began, announced on Feb. 14 that at least 1,716 health workers had been infected while treating patients with the virus.

Garrett said the job of health care workers is more difficult because of the lack of a cure or treatment for this disease.

So youre just seeing [patients] bodies doing battle, and you have to stand and watch and hope. Give him some water, some oxygen, and hope that that body will manage to fight the virus off, she said.

Its a terrible thing to see, and it takes a toll on people.

At the same time, the Chinese regimes censorship of information about the outbreak adds a unique set of pressures on frontline staff.

If you tell anybody what youre going through, you may end up in prison, Garrett said. Orders come from mysterious bureaucracies and individuals from the CCP, and all of a sudden youre in trouble because you didnt do this procedure or you didnt fill out that paperwork or what have you.

Thats very frightening.
SAN DIEGO, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NEOVOLTA INC. (OTCQB: NEOV)  NeoVolta, a manufacturer of home solar energy storage systems, has been featured on the CBS News Channel 8 morning show in San Diego. The four-minute segment aired Monday, February 10, and demonstrated the advantages of the NeoVolta NV14 advanced energy storage system .



NeoVolta has also recently been profiled by the San Diego Business Journal and Greentech Media .

CBS News 8s Eric Kahnert went inside NeoVoltas 21,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and showed the assembly of an NV14. With this system, the energy generated by rooftop panels is saved in a battery for later use. The NV14 provides protection against blackouts, keeping refrigeration, computers, lights, and televisions powered during the crisis. As the segment pointed out, Californians have been facing widespread power shutoffs to prevent wildfires.

Whats more, the stored solar energy can be used in the evening, when peak demand utility rates are often twice as high. Bypassing the grid at night allows homeowners to achieve significant savings on their monthly utility bills.

The NeoVolta NV14 has a high storage capacity of 14.4 kilowatt-hours of energy, enough to power critical loads for an average-sized home overnight. Along with its high capacity, the battery can charge or discharge 7.7 kilowatts of instantaneous power, more than most competitors in its classall at a very competitive price point.

Kahnert interviewed company CEO Brent Willson, a former Colonel in the Marine Corps. As a base commander in Hawaii, Willson directed the installation of a solar storage system to provide critical backup power. After retiring from the military, he set out to create a residential version that combined high performance with safety and affordability.

Kahnert also spoke with customer Doug Grinnell, who had a NeoVolta battery installed in October 2019. Grinnell, an attorney who works from home, purchased the system to avoid high energy bills. Less than a month later, a thousand homes in his area lost power during a blackout.

We were watching TV, they werent, said Grinnell. We were making dinner, they werent.

About NeoVolta - NeoVolta designs, develops and manufactures utility-bill reducing residential energy storage batteries capable of powering your home even when the grid goes down. With a focus on safer Lithium-Iron Phosphate chemistry, the NV14 is equipped with a solar rechargeable 14.4 kWh battery, a 7,680-Watt inverter and a web-based energy management system with 24/7 monitoring. By storing energy instead of sending it back to the grid, consumers can protect themselves against blackouts, avoid expensive peak demand electricity rates charged by utility companies when solar panels arent producing, and get one step closer to grid independence.

Forward-Looking Statements: Some of the statements in this release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, the continued increase in utility rates. Although NeoVolta believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, expectations may prove to have been materially different from the results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. NeoVolta has attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology including believes, estimates, anticipates, expects, plans, projects, intends, potential, may, could, might, will, should, approximately or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, including those discussed under the Risk Factors section of NeoVoltas Form 1-A filing filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and updated from time to time in its other public filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of its date. NeoVolta undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release to reflect events or circumstances occurring after its date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 15:26:28|Editor: huaxia

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HANGZHOU, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- At around 6 p.m., Yu Feiwen, an online shop owner, closed her laptop after finishing work. She and her partners, based in their homes in five cities due to the current coronavirus outbreak, "met" every day thanks to cloud working.

"We held meetings to brainstorm and share ideas on running the shop, and also maintain customer relations online just like before," Yu said.

Some difficulties still exist as they are not present in the office, but they are still making a profit.

"We work as hard as usual. The only difference is that we work from home," she said.

In the meantime, other small businesses and companies in China have scrambled to resume work on the cloud. Many employers, as well as employees, for the first time, have to get familiar with telecommuting tools such as video conferences and online office kits.

According to QuestMobile, a mobile Internet big data company, the time Chinese spent on the Internet increased from 5 billion hours on Jan. 23, to 5.76 billion the next day, and 6.1 billion on Feb. 3, the first day of working from home for many companies. The time spent on telecommuting software is also growing rapidly.

As a result, mobile technology companies such as Tencent, Alibaba's DingTalk and China Mobile have all raced to provide technical support, most of which free of charge, to companies and individuals in need.

The number of online meetings supported by Tencent Meeting on Feb. 10 was 100 times that of its previous average daily use.

DingTalk said it has served more than 10 million enterprises and over 200 million people. To meet the huge demand in peak hours, DingTalk has added over 20,000 temporary servers and expanded bandwidth to enhance its calculation capacity.

Tao Jun, DingTalk's intelligent personnel business director, said telecommuting for many companies has evolved from building their own OA systems to adopting the framework of a "cloud platform."

The emergence of telecommuting represents the increasing digitalization of Chinese enterprises, which ensures a boost in the market and users in related fields, said Chen Lu, an expert on digital enterprises.

According to Frost&Sullivan, a U.S.-based business consulting company, from 2014 to 2017, China's video conference market grew from 5.23 billion yuan (750 million U.S. dollars) to 11.04 billion yuan, with a compound annual growth rate of 28.3 percent. The market size is expected to reach 44.6 billion yuan in 2022, with business management, healthcare and education being key areas.

Thanks to the increasing digitalization of companies and governments, enterprise management is also increasingly merging with social governance.

Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, has adopted QR codes for the control and prevention of the novel coronavirus outbreak. The QR code, produced in the mobile app of real-name registered Alipay, is based on the register's movement over the previous two weeks and tells whether he or she has been to virus-hit areas.

Online health management is therefore realized for government and companies, especially since the massive influx of returning workers is expected.

According to Jiang Ruzhong, deputy director of Zhejiang Provincial Big Data Development Administration, digitalization is also conducive to connecting management data between companies and governments for more integrated governance.

Lan Jianping, director of Zhejiang Institute of Industry and Information Technology, said that digital transformation will not be confined to the office, but will change production and operation as well in the long run, which will further increase the potential of small and medium-sized enterprises.
It was kind of like a post office, he said, adding that his main job was to deliver messages as they came in.

As part of his work, George had the opportunity to meet some Navajo code talkers. He came away impressed.

They were all just congenial, good people. They were fun to be around. And they done a good job. They were Marines.

The work kept him out of direct combat.

But much of the time, especially on Iwo Jima, he was close enough to feel the heat.

At the time, though, it didnt faze him.

At 20, I thought I was indestructible. I cant say I never was scared. But I never did think I would ever get hurt.

That dont mean, he added, I wouldnt dive in a hole if I had to.

Or, minus a hole, just hit the ground.

It was on Saipan where George first learned just how flat a person could lie when he had to  when the shells were falling, sending shrapnel flying in every direction.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 19)  A controversial anti-drug cop recently tagged in the government's drug watchlist apologized to his superior on Wednesday for speaking out on the issue despite an order to stay silent pending an investigation.

PLtCol Jovie Espenido appealed to Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Archie Gamboa for understanding, saying he could not help but try to clear his name after he was confirmed to be among the 357 policemen accused of involvement in illegal drugs.

"Yun nga maghingi ako ng sorry kay Sir Gamboa na nagsalita ako ngayon sorry talaga, Sir kasi my name was included na, confirmed by our SILG (Secretary of Interior and Local Government," Espenido said in a media briefing in Bacolod City.

[Translation: I want to say sorry to Sir Gamboa because I spoke out. I'm really sorry, Sir because my name was included (in the narco list) already as confirmed by our SILG.]

"Wag sana kayo magalit Sir, ako na mismo, pangalan ko ang nakataya dito sana intindihin niyo rin ako (I hope you don't get mad Sir, it's my name at stake here so I hope you understand)," he added.

Espenido said he was relieved as deputy for operations and drug enforcement unit chief of the Bacolod City Police Office on February 5 over his inclusion in President Rodrigo Duterte's drug watchlist, also known as narco list. He said he only knew of his transfer to the office of the PNP Chief in Camp Crame two days after.

On February 14, Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano confirmed reports that Espenido is on the narco list. Three days after, Espenido broke his silence. He was quoted as saying there was a "failure of intelligence-gathering" on the side of the Philippine National Police because it failed to verify the information on his alleged drug links.

READ: Poor intel in govt drug watch list? Flaws happen, Palace says

Espenido said he thought the phone interview was off the record.

"Maybe (there was failure of intelligence), sabi ko. Kasi alam ko kasi yung intelligence process na validation, validating... ano yung credibility ng tao na pinanggalingan ng information?," he said.

[Translation: I said, 'maybe there was failure of intelligence. Because I know the intelligence process of validation... What is the credibility of the source of the information?]

He added that information about his alleged drug links was from 2016. He said there was a 2017 resolution calling for his removal from the narco list, that's why he is wondering why his name had resurfaced this year.

Meanwhile, Gamboa said he has issued a gag order on all drug-linked policemen about the ongoing probe. He said he will personally deal with Espenido's violation of the order.

"Regarding Colonel Espenido, leave it to us. It's purely an internal issue. I will deal with Espenido squarely as the Chief PNP and he being the member of the PNP," Gamboa told reporters in a separate event on Wednesday.

He added he plans to submit to the President recommendations on the fate of the drug-linked policemen on March 5, a week earlier than the initial schedule.

Gamboa previously said he would like to protect the identity of all the 357 policemen on the narco list, including the highest-ranking officer there  a Brigadier General or one-star rank official. He said the PNP targets to finish the adjudication and validation process in a month and those who will be found innocent of any drug links will be removed from the watchlist. On the other hand, administrative and criminal charges will be filed against those with proven illegal drug transactions.

Espenido thanked Gamboa for according him and his colleagues due process.

Duterte has stood by Espenido, with the Palace saying the President believes reports on the police officer's drug involvement were not true. Ano, who has supervision over the Philippine National Police, stressed that Espenido's previous accomplishments as an anti-drug cop "could be a big positive factor to his side" during the probe.

Espenido was chief of police of Albuera, Leyte when the town's mayor, Rolando Espinosa, Sr. was killed while in detention in 2016. He was also police chief of Ozamiz in Misamis Occidental when the city's mayor, Reynaldo Parojinog, was killed in 2017. Both mayors were on Duterte's narco list.

In 2017, Duterte awarded Espenido for his contributions to the government's anti-drug campaign.

In October last year, Duterte sent Espenido to Bacolod City, the capital of Negros Occidental which he said was "badly hit" by illegal drugs. The President in a speech said he told Espenido to "go there and you are free to kill everybody." Espenido also got a one-rank promotion from Major to Lieutenant Colonel.

CNN Philippines' Gerg Cahiles contributed to this report.
[February 19, 2020] Washington Trust Bank Expands Partnership to Baker Hill NextGen

CARMEL, Ind., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Baker Hill , the leading financial technology provider in delivering solutions for common loan origination, risk and relationship management, CECL, and smart data analytics, today announces a renewed partnership with Washington Trust Bank. Washington Trust Bank will be migrating to Baker Hill NextGen, Baker Hill's unified solution that streamlines loan origination and portfolio risk management for commercial, small business and consumer lending. Washington Trust Bank, the oldest and largest privately held commercial bank in the Pacific Northwest, is a diversified financial service holding company headquartered in Spokane, Washington with more than 40 financial centers and offices in Washington, Idaho and Oregon. Since 1902, Washington Trust Bank has endeavored to provide customers with quality service and financial stability. With an emphasis on customer service and relationship lending, Washington Trust Bank contains a strong commercial and industrial portfolio. Other concentrations include agriculture, commercial real estate, and professional lending. By utilizing Baker Hill Advisor, Washington Trust was able to minimize the number of systems that their relationship managers needed to work with for their commercial and portfolio risk management. Their solution suite also includes online loan application and consumer loan origination. Choosing to build upon its existing relationship with Baker Hill by migrating to Baker Hill NextGen, the bank will gain a modern user interface that is engineered to adapt to the evolving needs of clients and offer access to all functions and data within a singular platform. "We've been more than satisfied by our existing relationship with Baker Hill over the years, making this transition into Baker Hill NextGen even more exciting," said Jack Heath, president and chief operating officer of Washington Trust Bank. "Being our trusted solution provider made choosing Baker Hill NextGen an easy decision and we look forward to continuing to grow with them in the future." Washington Trust Bank's decision to transition to Baker Hill NextGen solution was driven by a desire to serve customers more efficiently while offering the industry's best resources for portfolio management. With Baker Hill NextGen, Washington Trust Bank can automate, integrate and streamline commercial lending processes, allowingsmall and medium-sized businesses to increase productivity while minimizing risk.



"We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Washington Trust Bank into the logical next phase of collaboration," said John M. Deignan, president and chief executive officer of Baker Hill. "We're looking forward to this evolution of the relationship with the expanded capabilities and software needed to support their requirements with Baker Hill NextGen." Baker Hill NextGen is a unified, responsive, cloud-based solution for loan origination, portfolio risk management and business intelligence, designed to meet the modern needs of financial institutions in a single platform. Baker Hill NextGen is also the expert solution for relationship management, CECL and analytics for financial institutions. Other features include commercial loan origination for judgmental decisioning, client relationship management and exception tracking. The solution combines comprehensive loan origination features with the latest technical advancements in cloud and mobile computing, streamlining lending processes and portfolio risk management while improving accuracy and enabling a better customer experience.

This news follows the announcement of Baker Hill being selected by Aite Group as best-in-class commercial loan origination system. The analyst firm's 2019 Impact Report, "Commercial Loan Origination: Evaluating Vendors That Hone The Tip of the Spear," recognized Baker Hill's breadth of product features, superior client services, and client loyalty in the market. For more information on Baker Hill, visit www.bakerhill.com. About Baker Hill

Baker Hill empowers financial institutions to work smarter, reduce risk and drive more profitable relationships. The company delivers a single unified platform with modern solutions to streamline loan origination and portfolio risk management for commercial, small business and consumer lending. The Baker Hill NextGen platform also delivers sophisticated analytics and marketing solutions that support sound business decisions to mitigate risk, generate growth and maximize profitability. Baker Hill is the expert solution for loan origination, portfolio risk and relationship management, CECL and analytics for financial institutions in the United States. For more information, visit www.bakerhill.com . About Washington Trust Bank

Washington Trust Bank is the largest independently owned full-service commercial bank in the Northwest, serving the region since 1902. Washington Trust Bank has $7.2 billion in assets. Headquartered in Spokane, Washington Trust currently has 40 branches and offices in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. The bank employs over 1,000 people. Details can be found at https://www.watrust.com. Media Contact:

Haley Williams

[email protected]

317.814.1254 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/washington-trust-bank-expands-partnership-to-baker-hill-nextgen-301007560.html SOURCE Baker Hill

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The return to Greece of marble sculptures from the Parthenon will not be discussed during Brexit negotiations, the government has said, after a leaked draft document suggested the EU would insist on cultural objects forming part of a divorce deal.

A leaked draft of Brussels negotiating mandate had reportedly included a stipulation that Britain should return unlawfully removed cultural objects to their countries of origin  believed to be a reference to the so-called Elgin marbles.

The ancient Greek artefacts are housed in the British Museum. Part of an extensive set of sculptures that adorned the Parthenon temple and other buildings on the Acropolis in Athens, the 500BC marbles were brought to the UK by Lord Elgin in the early-19th-century.

The peer said at the time that he had received permission from the Ottoman Empire, which then occupied Greece, to transport the items.

A government spokeswoman ruled out any discussion of the marbles repatriation during trade talks that are to begin in March.

Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Show all 66 1 /66 Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A message projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover Sky News/AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The Union flag is taken down outside the European Parliament in Brussels PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU EU Council staff removed the Union Jack-British flag from the European Council in Brussels, Belgium EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter pours beer onto an EU flag PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pedestrians pass in front of the Ministry of Defence Building on Whitehall, illuminated by red, white and blue lights in central London AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Brexit supporter shouts during a rally in London AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners take part in a 'Missing EU Already' rally outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A large pro-EU banner is projected onto Ramsgate cliff in Kent PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU supporters light candles in Smith Square in Westminster PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man waves Union flags from a small car as he drives past Brexit supporters gathering in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The five-year old Elisa Saemann, left, and her seven-year old sister Katie hold a placard during a rally by anti-Brexit protesters outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Europe supporters gather on Brexit day near the British embassy in Berlin, Germany EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit protester hugs a man while holding a placard REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A decorated, old fashioned fire pump in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit Elvis impersonator performs at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexiteers stands with his dog in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Paddy from Bournemouth wears Union colours as he sits next to an EU flag decorated bag in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-EU activist plays a guitar decorated with the EU flag during a protest organised by civil rights group New Europeans outside Europe House, central London AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People celebrate Britain leaving the EU REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Pro Brexit supporter has a Union Jack painted onto his face at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Men hold placards celebrating Britain leaving the EU REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters dance in the street draped with Union Jack flags at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexit demonstrator spreads his wings during a gathering near Downing Street AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters display a banner ' Here to Stay, Here to Fight, Migrants In, Tories Out' from Westminster bridge EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit supporters burn European Union flags at Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses for a picture on Parliament Square in a 'Brexit Day' t-shirt Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People celebrate Britain leaving the EU Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man wears a pro-Brexit t-shirt Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators visit Europe House to give flowers to the staff on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporter wears a novelty Union Jack top hat outside the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Customers Scott Jones and Laura Jones at the Sawmill Bar in South Elmsall, Yorkshire, where a Brexit party is being held throughout the day PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU activists protest Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit demonstrator burns a European Union flag AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Brexit supports holds a sign in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man carries an EU themed wreath Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Ann Widdecombe reacts with other members of the Brexit party as they leave en masse from the European Parliament PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters let off flares from Westminster Bridge Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British MEPs Jonathan Bullock, holding the Union Jack flag and Jake Pugh leave the European Parliament, in Brussels on the Brexit day AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Newspapers and other souvenirs at a store, near Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit supporters hold signs in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU French newspapers PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald with a Border Communities Against Brexit poster before its unveiling in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU National growers organisation British Apples & Pears has renamed a British apple to EOS, the Greek goddess of dawn, to commemorate Brexit day AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Britain's departure from the European Union was set in law on January 29, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. After half a century of membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (23.00 GMT) on January 31 Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses with paintings on Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People sporting Union Flags gather in Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man walks with a St. George's flag at Westminster bridge on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs at a souvenir store Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British pro-brexit Members of the European Parliament leave the EU Parliament for the last time Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Jonathan Bullock waves the Union Jack as he leaves the European Parliament EPA

She said: The EU are still finalising their mandate  this is currently in draft. The UKs position on the Parthenon sculptures remains unchanged. They are the legal responsibility of the British Museum. That is not up for discussion as part of our trade negotiations.

The Guardian reported that the proposition had been argued for by Italy, Spain, Cyprus and Greece, but was about a desire to stop the fraudulent movement of antiquities around Europe rather than a direct reference to the marbles.

It came as a cross-Channel row erupted over whether the UK will sign up to a level playing field on regulations in any future trade deal with the EU.

Boris Johnsons top negotiator, David Frost, said in a high-profile speech that it would be undemocratic for the bloc to insist on such a move, adding that the ability for Britain to diverge from EU rules was the main point of Brexit.

Michel Barnier, Mr Frosts opposite number, noted that the PM had personally approved the idea of robust level playing field arrangements in the political declaration he agreed some months ago.

Additional reporting by Press Association
Its second innovative carotenoid has the particularity of absorbing blue light, which is responsible for premature skin ageing, the appearance of skin spots, a loss of radiance and vitality.

Efficacy tests carried out on human skin explants confirmed its protective properties and also revealed that it plays an active role on key parameters contributing to skin lightening.

The new ingredient will be officially launched at in-Cosmetics Global (31 March-2 April, Barcelona).

Regulatory News:

DEINOVE (Euronext Growth Paris: ALDEI) (Paris:ALDEI), a French biotech company that uses a disruptive approach to develop innovative antibiotics and bio-based active ingredients for cosmetics, confirms being in the process of finalizing the development of its 2nd proprietary cosmetic active ingredient, for its official launch at the upcoming in-Cosmetics Global trade show.

DEINOVE has developed a new cosmetic active ingredient, produced by fermentation and based on a totally original carotenoid, designed to restore radiance and vitality to the skin.

Its ability to absorb blue light1 and its outstanding antioxidant properties had been demonstrated in vitro

Ex vivo studies have since been carried out, confirming these properties and revealing additional features, particularly in terms of complexion homogeneity and brightness, which are particularly sought by the cosmetics industry.

The active is currently being clinically tested and data will be available for the official launch.

"We are actively preparing the launch of this 2nd proprietary active ingredient which will be officially presented at in-Cosmetics Global, the world's largest trade show dedicated to cosmetic ingredients, taking place in Barcelona from March 31 to April 2. After a promising preview at in-Cosmetics Asia last fall, we will be able to present robust data demonstrating the efficacy and original mechanism of action of this active ingredient, says Coralie MARTIN, Marketing Manager at DEINOVE.

ABOUT DEINOVE

DEINOVE is a French biotechnology company, a leader in disruptive innovation, which aims to help meet the challenges of antibiotic resistance and the transition to a sustainable production model for the cosmetics and nutrition industries.

DEINOVE has developed a unique and comprehensive expertise in the field of rare bacteria that it can decipher, culture, and optimize to disclose unsuspected possibilities and induce them to produce biobased molecules with activities of interest on an industrial scale. To do so, DEINOVE has been building and documenting since its creation an unparalleled biodiversity bank that it exploits thanks to a unique technological platform in Europe.

DEINOVE is organized around two areas of expertise:

ANTIBIOTICS, New-generation anti-infective drugs: A first antibiotic candidate, DNV3837, is now in Phase II. The Company is also pursuing the systematic exploration of biodiversity to supply its portfolio with new leads, drawing notably on partnerships with bioMerieux and Naicons (AGIR program supported by Bpifrance).

BIOACTIVES, Active ingredients of natural origin with cosmetics as the first market: DEINOVE is already marketing a first cosmetic active ingredient, a second in partnership with Greentech and plans to launch new assets in 2020. Several other cosmetic actives are in development, including with Oleos (Hallstar Group) and Dow. It also runs a program in animal nutrition with Groupe Avril.

Within the Euromedecine science park located in Montpellier, DEINOVE employs 60 employees, mainly researchers, engineers, and technicians, and has filed more than 350 patent applications internationally. The Company has been listed on EURONEXT GROWTH since April 2010.

Visit www.deinove.com

1Blue light is emitted not only by the sun, but also by screens (TV, computers, smartphones, tablets), electronics and lighting. This light radiation is known for its harmful effects on the health and beauty of the skin. Digital pollution is an emerging issue in cosmetics, given the increasing exposure to blue light produced by screens or LEDs.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005747/en/

Contacts:

Investors

Coralie Martin

Communication, Marketing and Investor Relations

Ph.: +33 (0)4 48 19 01 60

coralie.martin@deinove.com

Media

ALIZE RP

Caroline Carmagnol

Ph.: +33 (0)6 64 18 99 59

deinove@alizerp.com
A gigantic locust outbreak has now reached South Sudan after ravaging crops and farmland across a swathe of eastern Africa, officials there have said.

The infestation has already put food security and peoples livelihoods at risk in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia in an extremely alarming series of swarms, the UNs Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said.

Further insectoid marauders had swept into Uganda and Tanzania, though to a less worrisome extent, it added in an update this week on what has become the biggest outbreak in several decades.

In addition, officials said breeding is in progress along both sides of the Red Sea in Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Eritrea where hopper groups, bands [and] immature adult groups have formed that [are] likely to cause swarms to form shortly. They added: Several immature swarms have moved from the coastal plains to the interior in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Now, South Sudans agriculture minister Onyoti Adigo said some 2,000 desert locusts had been spotted in the countrys East Equatoria state, close to borders with three other affected countries.

Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa Show all 14 1 /14 Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa Local farmer Theophilus Mwendwa runs through a swarm of desert locusts to chase them away in Kitui County, Kenya EPA Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa A farmer's son walks through a swarm of locusts in Kitui County, Kenya AP Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa Locusts swarm on a highway at Lerata village in Kenya AFP/Getty Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa Local farmer Theophilus Mwendwa runs through a swarm of desert locusts to chase them away in Kitui County, Kenya EPA Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa Local farmer Theophilus Mwendwa runs through a swarm of desert locusts to chase them away in Kitui County, Kenya EPA Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa A man chases away a swarm of desert locusts in Kitui County, Kenya EPA Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa A farmer walks among a swarm of locusts on grazing land in Galmudug region, Somalia Reuters Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa Somali farmers on Saturday urged their government and the international community to help protect their crops from an invasion of locusts that is leaving many unable to feed their families Reuters Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa A desert locust plucked from the swarm on farmland in Galmudug region, Somalia Reuters Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa The insects have already destroyed 175,000 acres of farmland in Somalia and neighbouring Ethiopia, threatening food supplies in both countries in the worst locust invasion in 70 years, the Food and Agriculture Organisation said on Wednesday Reuters Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa A farmer lifts a ketle among a swarm of locusts on grazing land in Galmudug region, Somalia Reuters Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa Farmers lift a plastic sheeting to fend off a swarm of locusts on grazing land in Galmudug region, Somalia Reuters Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa Boys attempt to fend off a swarm of locusts on farmland in Galmudug region, Somalia Reuters Locust swarms threaten catastrophe for farmers in East Africa Farmers watch on as swarm of locusts descends on grazing land in Galmudug region, Somalia Reuters

About half the South Sudanese population faces hunger after years of civil war  more than 5 million people are classed as severely food insecure and some 860,000 children are malnourished. While the nation is oil-rich, parts were plunged into famine in 2017 and one-quarter of the population was forced to flee their homes due to war.

The sandy soil in the region allows locusts to lay eggs easily, according to Meshack Malo, the FAOs country representative. At this stage, if we are not able to deal with them ... it will be a problem, he said.

Mr Malo added the locusts were a deep yellow colour, demonstrating they were mature and seeking spots to lay eggs. Eradication teams are planning to mark their nest sites and return in 14 days to kill the juvenile hatchlings, he said.

During each three-month breeding cycle, one locust can propagate 20 more.

Recommended Somalis fight worst locust invasion in decades by eating them

The locusts have crossed the region in swarms the size of cities or even bigger. Experts say the only effective counter is aerial spraying of pesticides, but UN and local authorities have said more aircraft and chemicals are required.

A single swarm may contain 150 million individuals per square kilometre and travel 150km in a single day depending on the wind; one locust can eat its bodyweight in vegetation daily. One especially large swarm in northeastern Kenya measured 60km long by 40km wide, it was reported earlier this month.

The UN has said $76m (59m) is needed immediately. On Tuesday, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said while visiting Ethiopia that the US would donate another $8m to the effort, on top of $800,000 already pledged.

Locust numbers could multiply by up to 500 times by June, when drier weather begins, experts have said. Until then, the fear is that more rain in the coming weeks will bring fresh vegetation to feed a new generation of the voracious insects.

South Sudanese ministers called for a collective regional response to the outbreak.

Additional reporting by agencies
MEDIA COURTHOUSE  An Upper Darby man was convicted Friday for a 2018 road-rage incident where he flashed a gun at another man and his mother before speeding off from in front of their Copley Road residence.

Darryl Woodard, 55, of the 200 block of Long Lane, was found guilty of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, firearms not to be carried without a license, terroristic threats, possession of a weapon and simple assault in the June 7 incident.

Victim Brendan Brown testified that he was visiting from Louisiana for his sisters graduation that day. After the ceremony, he said he dropped his sister and her friend off at his mothers house on the 200 block of Copley Road around 7 p.m.

Brown told Assistant District Attorney Ashleigh Latonick that he double parked his mothers car with the hazard lights on while he ran inside to change his pants and estimated he was gone about a minute. When he came outside, he said he heard a man in a white SUV honking his horn and saw him talking aggressively to his mother.

Brown said he explained to the other driver, identified as Woodard, that he was not from the area, after which the driver continued to curse at him. As Brown got into the car, he said he saw Woodard reach into the passenger side of his SUV, but Brown drove away quickly.

Brown said the SUV followed him down Copley, across Marshall Road and pulled up next to his vehicle before he turned right on Long Lane. When Brown returned to his mothers house, he said police were there talking to his mother and sister.

Browns mother, Waltina White, said at one point in the confrontation, Woodard asked if Brown was her son and then told her I got something for that m- before reaching into his car and getting a handgun.

White said Woodard pointed the gun at her son before she jumped in front of him and put her hands up, then Woodard pointed the gun at her. Both White and Browns sister also said Woodard had said words to the effect of Ill show him how we get down around here.

Upper Darby Police Officer Louis Garay testified that he got a call regarding the incident about 7:45 p.m. and was cruising the neighborhood looking for a car matching the SUVs description when additional information including the make and model with custom rims and tinted windows came over the radio, along with registration.

Garay said he and Officer Michael Taylor camped in the area where the vehicle was registered and soon saw it in the area of Walnut Street and Copley Road. When he tried to pull the vehicle over, he said it initially began pulling away but was blocked by another police cruiser.

Woodard was placed into custody and Garay said he saw a silver handgun with extended magazine sticking out from under the passenger side seat. The weapon was identified as a 9mm Taurus with 27 rounds of ammunition loaded in the magazine. Upper Darby Detective Robert Marvil testified that Woodard is not registered to own a firearm in the state.

Woodard, who has been in custody in lieu of 10 percent of $500,000 bail since his arrest, also testified last week, but claimed Brown was the aggressor. He said that he had been coming down the block when he encountered a stopped car with the passenger door open and honked only once.

Woodard, represented by defense attorneys Glen Hoffman and John Baldini, said he rolled his window down when Brown appeared a few minutes later, but the young buck began cursing him out. About 15 or 20 minutes later, according to Woodard, White exited the house but did not say anything to Brown.

That was when Brown told Woodard he was from Louisiana and said Im going to show you how we get down, before getting into his car and putting his seat down, by Woodards account. Woodard said he feared Brown was getting a gun, but claimed a passenger in Woodards car pulled out a gun first. Woodard said he dropped that passenger off shortly after the confrontation, but the gun was still in the car when he was pulled over by police.

Judge G. Michael Green sent sentencing for March 24 pending drug and alcohol, psychological and psychiatric evaluations. Green also revoked bail.
PHNOM PENH -- More passengers from a cruise ship that docked in Cambodia last week after being turned away at five other ports will fly home on Tuesday, following tests for the new coronavirus, the countrys prime minister said.

An American woman who had been on the Westerdam cruise ship tested positive for the virus at the weekend after a special flight chartered by the cruise line reached Malaysia, prompting renewed scrutiny for the hundreds of passengers and crew still on board or ashore in Cambodia.

Today more than 300 tourists will fly from Phnom Penh to Dubai on a [Boeing] 777 airplane, I have learned from the ships crew, Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a speech.

He said samples from the remaining passengers were being flown by helicopter for testing in the capital, Phnom Penh.

Once health officials have confirmed negative results, the tourists will be allowed to disembark.

Holland America Line, which is owned by cruise giant Carnival Corp, said 255 guests and 747 crew are still aboard the Westerdam, which docked at the port of Sihanoukville on Friday, awaiting clearance.

We anticipate this will take several days and greatly appreciate the thoroughness of all authorities involved in resolving this situation, a statement from the cruise line said.

Another 406 passengers who had been transferred to Phnom Penh have tested negative for the infection.

Cleared guests may travel home, and arrangements are being made for those guests, the company statement said.

Some 1,455 passengers and 802 crew boarded the cruise ship when it set sail on Feb. 1 from Hong Kong.

The vessel spent two weeks at sea after being turned away by Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines and Thailand even though the ship said there were no coronavirus cases aboard.
Queen Elizabeth II meeting eight year old Lily Conlan, a cochlear implant patient. (Press Association)

The Queen has shared a heartwarming moment with a girl who got her hearing back - and throws a party every year for her implants.

Her Majesty has been opening The Royal National ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) Hospital and the Eastman Dental Hospital, in London. The facilities now share a state-of-the-art building and treat conditions relating to the head and neck.

The Royal Family shared a video on Twitter as the Queen met Lily Conlan, eight, who told her all about her two cochlear implants and the annual bash her family throws to celebrate hearing again.

Lily said: Every year, as well as a birthday party, I have a party for my cochlear implants, so we celebrate my hearing.

The Queen said it was splendid.

The @uclh Hospitals undertake ground-breaking research and develop new ways to treat rare and complex dental, ear, nose, throat, hearing and balance conditions.



 Lily has two cochlear implants to help her to hear. Each year she throws a splendid cochlear implant party.  pic.twitter.com/LUKqZVHs2w  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) February 19, 2020

Queen Elizabeth II watching a demonstration with a rotatory chair. (Press Association)

Queen Elizabeth II meeting Volunteer Vinnari Shah at the hospital visit. (Press Association)

Flo Panel-Coates, the chief nurse at UCLH, alluded to all the Queen has been going through these last months as she said: Shes a consummate professional, isnt she?

She comes out and does what we all do in the health service  she does the right thing and does her duty for the people she serves.

During her tour, the Queen saw the adult dental and paediatric treatment floors and met clinicians as well as patients.

Queen Elizabeth also saw families take part in a creative health session. (Press Association)

Queen Elizabeth II unveils a plaque during the official opening of the new premises of the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals in London. (Press Association)

The Queen also revealed on the dental floor that she had wires as a child adding: Luckily it was a very long time ago.

She met a boy on the paediatric dental unit who was thrilled for the break from his treatment to see the Queen, telling her: Im having braces.

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She replied: I think its worth it, in the end.

She met children and families who have been taking part in creative health play session and saw first hand the work the team does.

The sessions help children deal with pre-treatment nerves and explain their conditions to them.

Queen Elizabeth II meeting 10 year old Ilia Aristovich who is having braces fitted. (Press Association)

The Queen was all smiles as she took on her first official engagement since she returned from her Christmas break in Sandringham.

She always stays in Norfolk until February to mark the date of her accession, the day her father died.

She may be returning to a somewhat turbulent household, with the final preparations underway for her grandson Prince Harry to step back from senior royal duties.

And its understood she may not be celebrating her son Andrews 60th birthday with him, as he is set to have a private dinner in the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park.

The news of the divorces of her grandson Peter Phillips and her nephew the Earl of Snowdon are also likely to have saddened the royal.
There is no way to know what goes on inside the depths of the forests, how some animals behave when they arenot seen. However, a few years ago, a physical education teacher and photographer by passion, Valtteri Mulkahainen, from Sotkamo, Finland, stumbled upon a view he had a hard time believing was real.

He recently posted the pictures of his trip to the Finnish Taiga around the town of Martinselkonen that he took almost six years ago and the pictures are viral.

Valtteri Mulkahainen

While he was exploring the area he noticed a bear with a few cubs coming into the clearing.

Talking to Bored Panda he said, The cubs behaved like little children. They were playing, and even started a few friendly fights. I felt like I was on a playground in front of my house, where small children frolic around. Thats how much they reminded me of little children. At one point, the three of them got up on their hind legs and started pushing each other. It was like they were dancing in a circle. It all sounds surreal and just to be sure he was not imagining all of it, the teacher made sure to capture as many pictures he could.

Valtteri Mulkahainen

Fortunately, Valtteri was in a shelter 50 meters away and caught this unbelievable sight on his camera, I photographed the cubs with the bear all evening and all night, he said.

Valtteri was lucky to capture such clear shots of the bear family as they usually avoid humans. If they detect human presence they either retreat or attack.

Valtteri Mulkahainen

It is understandable that the teacher-turned-photographer could not believe his eyes, it is not every day one gets to witness bears playing around like human kids.
Another hospital chief at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak has reportedly been hospitalised after contracting the disease.

Dr Wang Ping, the head of Wuhan No. 8 Hospital, was being treated at the city's Jinyintan Hospital, state media said today.

Just yesterday, the director of Wuhan Wuchang Hospital died of the disease following 'all-out rescue efforts'.

Coronavirus has killed seven health workers and infected more than 1,700 medical staff in China.

Dr Wang Ping (pictured), the head of Wuhan No. 8 Hospital, has been struck down with the virus, state media reported . The doctor was said to be treated at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital

Dr Wang's illness was reported by Beijing News, citing sources inside Wuhan No. 8 Hospital

Dr Wang's illness was first reported by Beijing News, citing sources inside Wuhan No. 8 Hospital. The article was also used by state media China News.

A message circulating on Chinese social media earlier today claimed that doctors were in desperate need of blood plasma in order to save Dr Wang's life.

Liu Zhiming (pictured), the director of Wuchang Hospital, died of the coronavirus yesterday

Chinese authorities have urged newly recovered coronavirus patients to donate their blood because their plasma is thought to have antibodies to the lethal virus.

A spokesperson at the No. 8 Hospital confirmed that Dr Wang had contracted the novel coronavirus and was being treated at Jinyintan Hospital.

The spokesperson added Jinyintan had found suitable blood plasma.

The hospital did not comment on Dr Wang's condition.

The news comes after Dr Liu Zhiming, the 51-year-old leader of Wuhan Wuchang Hospital, died yesterday morning after 'all-out rescue efforts failed', according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Dr Liu was hailed for his 'important contributions in the work of fighting and controlling novel coronavirus'.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 2,012 people and infected more than 75,000 globally

Li Wenliang, 34, succumbed to the deadly contagion in the early hours of February 7 local time, despite attempts to resuscitate him. The ophthalmologist caught the public's attention after he was reprimanded by police and accused of spreading 'fake news' for warning on social media of 'SARS at a Wuhan seafood market'. His hospital initially denied reports of his death

Mourners pay their respect to deceased Chinese doctor Li Wenliang during a vigil ceremony in Hong Kong on February 7. The public have accused Dr Li's hospital of trying to cover up truth

China has been accused of trying to cover up the death of medical workers amid the health crisis.

Reports of his death were initially retracted on Monday night by officials who claimed that doctors were still trying to revive him.

The same scenario happened to another medic, whistle-blower Dr Li Wenliang, who succumbed to the virus two weeks ago.

A nurse preparing medicines for patients at Jinyintan Hospital designated for new coronavirus infected patients in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province where the outbreak began

A new government notice bans citizens across the province from leaving their homes unless there are 'special circumstances'. Officials have also ordered citizens in Wuhan to stay at least 1.5 metres (five feet) away from each other on the street if they must leave their buildings

Neither Wuhan No. 8 Hospital or Jinyintan Hospital has released an official statement over Dr Wang's condition.

Hubei, situated in central China, accounts for more than 80 per cent of the confirmed cases and 95 per cent of the deaths globally.

Overnight, the regional health officials reported 1,693 new cases out of a nationwide total of 1,749 and 132 of the 136 new deaths across China.

The novel coronavirus epidemic has killed over 2,000 people in China and infected more than 75,000, and has spread to at least two dozen countries around the world.
LAS VEGAS  First Amy Klobuchar had to acknowledge in a recent interview that she couldnt name the president of Mexico. Then, speaking at a Black History Month event in Las Vegas, she met a crowd full of people who had difficulty naming her.

Pete Buttigieg has difficulties, too. His speech at a Nevada Black Legislative Caucus brunch over the weekend competed with the din of a buffet line  and whole tables of people who rarely looked up.

For Buttigieg and Klobuchar, the ability to connect with people of color has become an existential threat to their campaigns. Both Democrats will likely wither if they cannot make inroads before Super Tuesday. And even if they could survive the primary without broadening their support, black and Latino voters are such a critical constituency in the modern Democratic Party that a nominee who fails to excite them is all but assured of defeat in the fall.

For now, as the primary shifts from the overwhelmingly white states of Iowa and New Hampshire to the more diverse states of Nevada and South Carolina, it is a source of weakness. Both moderates are running in single digits nationally in support among people of color, with Klobuchar barely registering in recent polls. And in Nevada, the first state with a significant non-white voting population, they each have 10 percent support  tied for fifth, according to The Nevada Poll.

Asked about Buttigieg and Klobuchar following a Monday event with one of their competitors, Elizabeth Warren, Hector Sanchez Barba, executive director of Mi Familia Vota, declined to address the candidates specifically. But he said, A lot of these campaigns have never engaged with the Latino community. So, Im not speaking about which one does or doesnt, but for us, its important to see their past, their present and their commitment for the future, because we know this game: They come every four years and make all kinds of promises, and then they forget about our community until the next election.

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He called Klobuchars inability to name Mexicos president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, unacceptable and embarrassing.

Here's the end:

GV: just one final question. How do you plan to win the support of the Hispanic vote in NV and the whole southwest if you can't tell me who the president of Mexico is?.....

AK: Because my heart is with the people of this country and my heart is with immigrants... pic.twitter.com/HQJr9wzd6J  Alex Thompson (@AlxThomp) February 15, 2020

Iowa state Rep. Ross Wilburn, a Klobuchar surrogate who spoke at the legislative caucus brunch, characterized Klobuchars blunder as a small gaffe, adding, Im sure that she knows President Obradors name now, as well as Prime Minister Trudeau and Angela Merkel and on down the line.

He said, Whats more important is the policies that she will put in place as president respecting our international partners, respecting our allies, as opposed to what the current president is doing.

But Klobuchars lapse was still resonating throughout the campaign days after she committed it  a running joke and a source of bewilderment in Democratic circles here.

Buttigieg, who did know Obradors name, used the opportunity to needle Klobuchar about it at a rally on Sunday.

I guess what it says is that there is more to being prepared than how many years youve spent in Washington, he said.

Nevada is notoriously difficult to poll, with its high transitory population, shift-work and relatively short history of caucusing. Many people, said Aaron Ford, the states attorney general, are still making up their minds.

For Buttigieg and Klobuchar  as well as Warren, who is also struggling with people of color  it is almost imperative that the electorate break late. They are counting on momentum from their performances in Iowa and New Hampshire to turn caucus-goers toward them here  and to propel them in South Carolina and on Super Tuesday.

Democratic presidential candidate, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks during a campaign event at Durango Hills Community Center in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

To that end, Klobuchar and Buttigieg are both airing Spanish-language TV ads in Nevada. And Buttigieg  who developed an expansive field operation in the state long before Klobuchar surged  has had staffers focused on organizing people of color for months.

On Monday, his campaign pledged to use housing policy at every level of government as a tool to address the injustices done to reverse the discriminatory impacts of racist redlining and build pathways to lasting economic and social opportunities.

Klobuchar planned to appear Tuesday at an event with workers at the influential Culinary Union, a major source of Latino voter mobilization in Nevada. That same afternoon, Buttigieg was expected to participate in a forum hosted by the Black Law Students Association at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

He has also been campaigning with  though he was not formally endorsed by  Keegan-Michael Key. After telling CNN over the weekend that the actor-comedian planned to announce his support for the former South Bend, Indiana mayor, the campaign clarified he would not be making an endorsement, despite speaking warmly about him at joint appearances.

At a canvass launch in Henderson, outside Las Vegas, the two men were cheered by a crowd of about 40 people  nearly all of them white.

Buttigieg and Klobuchar have both been well received at some events organized by black and Latino leaders in Nevada. Pat Spearman, a Nevada state senator, said at the Nevada Black Legislative Caucus brunch that Ive heard from a number of people who support them both.

Nevada Assemblywoman Brittney Miller suggested the obstacle for both Klobuchar and Buttigieg has less to do with voters of color than with the broader electorates lack of familiarity with them.

But time is short for Buttigieg and Klobuchar to make an impression, with early caucus sites already open before the caucuses on Saturday. And compared to Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden  who both have far more demonstrated support among voters of color  the landscape they are confronting is rough.

We are very welcoming and try to listen to every person, obviously, that has put themselves out to run for office, said Rep. Steven Horsford, Nevadas first African American congressman, who has endorsed Biden.

However, he said, relationships do matter, and it is not about showing up when its time to ask for a vote.

Biden, who has maintained a relationship with many black voters from his time as Barack Obamas vice president, was crowded by supporters at the Black History Month event.

Klobuchar drew applause, as well.

But as she left with a trail of cameras, one girl asked her mother, Who is she?

I dont know, the mother replied.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom  Wed, February 19, 2020 19:46 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206580388 2 Business #UK,#coronavirus,Jaguar,Land-Rover,spare-parts,China Free

Indian-owned Jaguar Land Rover is rushing through deliveries of small car parts to Britain from China, where supply chains are hit by the deadly coronavirus, the Financial Times said Wednesday.

"We have flown parts in suitcases from China to the UK," said JLR chief executive Ralf Speth, quoted by the FT and other British media.

Speth said Jaguar Land Rover's British plants were "safe for this week" and next, but that there was "a risk for overall production" thereafter, owing to further parts being delayed.

Britain's biggest carmaker JLR, which is owned by Indian group Tata Motors, ordinarily transports the components by sea, which takes longer but is cheaper compared with transportation by air, the business daily added.

Foreign firms from various sectors are facing disrupted supply chains in China because of the deadly virus.

The death toll from the epidemic jumped past 2,000 on Wednesday after 136 more people died, with the number of new cases falling for a second straight day, according to China's National Health Commission.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China to 74,185.
Institute for Disability Studies Leaders to Promote Self-Advocacy in Kenya

Wed, 02/19/2020 - 11:02am | By: Van Arnold

The University of Southern Mississippis Institute for Disability Studies (IDS) has been awarded a mini-grant to increase self-advocacy awareness among youth and young adults with disabilities in Kenya.

The award is funded through the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Disability Employment (PFP-IDE). PFP-IDE is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) in partnership with the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Humanity & Inclusion.

The mini-grant will help IDS facilitate in-person training for STEP UP-International. Two young adult leaders -- Taylor Carley, IDS Self-Advocacy Coordinator, and Nathan Hatten, an alumnus of several IDS Transition to Adulthood programs, have been selected to help lead this training.

Carley and Hatten will travel to Kenya and share their personal stories and promote self-advocacy and leadership skills for Kenyans with disabilities. Both are leaders in the Starting Today Empowering Peers through Uniting and Participating (STEP UP) Council which celebrated its 12th anniversary in January.

The STEP UP Advisory Council is composed of youth and young adults with and without disabilities. Council members serve as leaders within their schools, colleges/universities and communities. The Council focuses on issues facing all young people including leadership, self-advocacy, transition, health care, education, employment, and recreation.

Carle y notes, I am excited about going to Africa and sharing my passion for disability equality. My personal quote is that disability is an ability, and I am like everyone else. I cant wait to share how I am reaching my dreams and inspire youth there to do the same.

Since 2017, the Professional Fellows Program has supported opportunities for mid-career professionals to participate in five-week intensive international fellowships at a university-based research and education center for disabilities in the U.S. The first year

focused on fellow areas connected to the Americans with Disability Act and all fellows since 2018 have focused on inclusive employment.

IDS was selected to host fellows from Kenya in both 2017 and 2018 and IDS Associate Director, Dr. Jerry R. Alliston, was selected as an outbound fellow to provide employment training and technical assistance in Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya in November 2018. Since that time, IDS has continued providing assistance through on-line training and guidance.

It has been a pleasure for us to assist our colleagues in Kenya to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities, specifically through the development of a self-advocacy group in Mombasa and plans to establish additional groups across Kenya said Alliston.

Alliston, Carley and Hatten will collaborate with 2018 International Fellow Vincent Ogutu, a disability employment specialist in Nairobi, Kenya representing Cheshire Disability Services Kenya (CDSK). In addition, self-advocacy training will be coordinated through 2017 ADA Fellow Nuala Alibhai, the Learning Student Support Coordinator for junior and seniors at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa. During the training, Nathan plans to share his personal motto to Never give up. Keep striving to do your best and work towards your goals.

For more over 40 years, IDS has maintained its mission to positively affect the lives of Mississippi citizens with developmental and other disabilities and their families across the lifespan and to work toward increasing their independence, productivity, and community inclusion. To meet this mission, IDS concentrates its work in four emphasis areas: Early Childhood Inclusion and Education, Housing, Transition to Adulthood and Wellness.

To learn more about IDS, visit www.usm.edu/ids or call 601.266.5163.
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court in Delhi on Wednesday hauled up the agency for not conducting a lie detector or psychological test on its former special director Rakesh Asthana in a 2018 corruption case in which he was cleared by the CBI earlier this month.

CBI special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal also directed that the first Investigating Officer of the case, Ajay Kumar Bassi, to be present during the next hearing on February 28 to explain the case diary.

Bassi was shunted out to Port Blair by interim CBI director M Nageswara Rao on October 23, 2018  a week after the controversial first information report (FIR) was registered against Asthana. Bass is yet to join work in Port Blair. Aggarwal said advocate Sunil Mittal, to whom an alleged bribe of ~1.95 crore was paid, as alleged in the FIR, seems like a fictional character emerging from Mission Impossible and James Bond movies.

Asthana was accused in a bribery case that was filed against him by the then CBI director Alok Kumar Verma in October 2018. He was booked on allegations of criminal conspiracy, corruption and criminal misconduct under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PC Act) on a complaint filed by Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana.

Asthana has maintained that the complaint was fabricated at Vermas behest. The agency said there was no evidence which shows that Asthana ever demanded or paid bribe to save Sathish Sana Babu in the case related to meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

On Wednesday, the court asked the CBI whether there was a telephonic conversation recording of Asthana, which the agency denied. What about calls made to him via WhatsApp? The complainant, Sana Satish Babu, has said this in his statement recorded before a magistrate ... Evidence cannot be disregarded at filing of charge sheet, the court said.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : Food delivery platform Swiggy on Wednesday said that it has raised $113 million as part of its Series I funding round.

The latest round is led by existing investor Prosus N.V. and includes participation from Meituan Dianping and Wellington Management Company.

"Over the last couple of years at Swiggy, we have made strong strides in our vision of delivering unparalleled convenience to urban consumers, and in building a fundamentally strong and enduring business while keeping the consumer at the core," said Sriharsha Majety, CEO, Swiggy.

Swiggy's transaction numbers grew nearly 2.5 times this past year.

Its restaurant partner base has also grown 4 times to over 1.6 lakh partners with more than 10,000 new restaurants being added every month, informed the company.

The platform currently has over 250,000 delivery partners across 520 cities.

"Swiggy has built a solid leadership position in India and is utilising its strong logistics network and consumer loyalty to expand its offerings to services that continue to make consumers' lives more convenient," said Larry Illg, CEO, Prosus Ventures and Food (formerly Naspers Ventures and Food).
After the worst week in the history of an independent Justice Department since Watergate, on Tuesday, Donald Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of 11 grifters, white-collar criminals, and liars. Declaring himself the chief law enforcement officer of the country (he isnt), the president continued to tweet at the federal judge who will sentence his buddy, Roger Stone, on Thursday, even though his own Attorney General William Barr has said that Trump tweeting about ongoing criminal investigations and cases make it impossible for me to do my job. On Tuesday night, Barr leaked to the press that he is contemplating quitting the DOJ if Trump continues to insert himself publicly into ongoing matters of federal criminal law enforcement. This would be a shame for Barr, since both he and Trump seek to create a banana republic in the United Statesthe only difference is that Barr wants it to have the vestigial trappings of a constitutional democracy and the presidents outbursts keep getting in his way.

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The crisis at the Justice Department began in earnest last week. Four federal prosecutors quit the Roger Stone case (and one departed the Justice Department altogether) after Barr withdrew their proposed sentencing recommendation following Trumps tweet demanding a lesser punishment for Stone. Barr, insisting that he had undermined the career prosecutors in the case despite Trumps tweets and not because of them, did an astonishing ABC interview in which he asked the president to stop interfering with the cases he was already ably undermining himself. Im not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody, he said.

Barr has already installed politically supportive U.S. attorneys to review the DOJs work in several high-profile cases that involved the president, including the Michael Flynn prosecution and the Russia probe completed by Robert Mueller. Barr also just announced that he would like to conscript local sheriffs in his efforts to retaliate against so-called sanctuary cities. In other words, he is working assiduously to cast doubt on any prosecutions that touch Trump and also to intimidate the presidents alleged enemies. All he is asking in exchange is for the presidents quiet compliance with the program. But Trump continues to tweet about his grudges and imaginary persecutions, now going after a juror in an overt effort to chill juries that do not support him. This is not a good look for Barr, as it undermines his ability to quietly complete the job, and Barr knows it.

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Donald Trump doesnt understand that the DOJ isnt his personal law firm.

Over the weekend, more than 2,000 former DOJ employees signed a public letter urging Barr to resign over his handling of the Stone sentencing, and Donald Ayer, who served as deputy attorney general under President George H.W. Bush, called for Barrs resignation in the Atlantic. Bill Barrs America is not a place that anyone, including Trump voters, should want to go, Ayer wrote. It is a banana republic where all are subject to the whims of a dictatorial president and his henchmen. To prevent that, we need a public uprising demanding that Bill Barr resign immediately, or failing that, be impeached. Last week, the president of the American Bar Association, Judy Perry Martinez, issued an abrupt statement in support of prosecutorial independence. On Tuesday, the Federal Judges Association, an independent organization of U.S. judges, held an emergency meeting to address the politicization of the Justice Department. Also on Tuesday, Trump tweeted inchoate threats to sue the Mueller team and further commentary about the Stone judge and a juror in the Stone trial, presumably leading to Barrs Tuesday night signaling that he is considering quitting, possibly to add his name to the long list of concerned Trump enablers who signal independence by way of lucrative publishing deals and memos to the file.

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As has happened in the case of every high-profile departure from the mayhem that is Donald Trump as president, there is an argument to be made that Barrs departure would not solve the root problem. After all, as Joel Mathis notes in the Week, the fish rots from the head, and if Barr resigns, Trump will either pick a replacement attorney general who is all too happy to do the presidents bidding and continue the degradation of justice at the federal levelor he will accidentally pick a lawyer with integrity, then bully that person into complying with his wishes. Neither scenario is great for the independence and reputation of the Department of Justice. The solution, to be sure, is for Trump to be voted out of office in November and for DOJ norms and practices around independence to be formally reinstated after he is gone. But in the meantime, the Justice Department or the American legal apparatus should not continue grinding away doing Trumps bidding, in the hopes that it can be made to look more democratic or legalistic, when the end product remains the systematic terrorizing of the presidents enemies and the offering of succor to his allies.

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The question, then, for the American legal system today is simple: Is it time for more dramatic measures? Why is it that only two city bar associations have called for congressional oversight of the attorney generals actions? (New York City did so last week, and the Boston Bar followed with a demand that his actions be explained.) On Tuesday evening, Walter Dellinger, acting solicitor general in the Clinton administration, suggested on MSNBC, that 2,000 signatures on a letter may not be sufficient pushback from former federal prosecutors; instead, if they really want to stop this pernicious politicization of the department, they should be prepared to be arrested outside the Justice Department.

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By far the most chilling moment in the largely incoherent interview Donald Trump offered Geraldo Rivera last week came when, in direct contradiction of his November statement, he insisted that he had sent Rudy Giuliani as his personal lawyer to Ukraine to dig up dirt on the Bidens, because, as he put it, Heres my choice: I deal with the [James] Comeys of the world, or I deal with it another way. Donald Trump has no faith in his own intelligence services unless they are confirming his predetermined conclusions; he has no faith in his Justice Department, unless it is prosecuting his opponents; he has no faith in his own attorney general, unless he is using the sprawling apparatus of the federal criminal justice system to prosecute his enemies. That is how he understands the Constitution, as a mirror for his self-obsessed worldview. Donald Trump doesnt understand that the DOJ isnt his personal law firm. As Ayer meticulously explained, Bill Barr scored his job as attorney general in no small part by insisting that this is precisely what the Justice Department should be, and in the post, Barr has done his best to deliver precisely the Justice Department his boss believes to be his due.

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This entire weaponization of DOJ investigations, prosecutions, and sentences to punish perceived enemies and to reward loyal factotums is a threat to the rule of law in America. Every judge and every lawyer in the country understands this intuitively. Despite Barrs insistence, the ominous fault line isnt between the presidents tweeted threats at the sentencing judge in the Stone trial and his silence. The real fault line is between what has happened, in the aggregate, on Barrs cheerful watchthe Department of Justice has become another corner of the government that protects not the rule of law but this president, and not just this specific president, but this specific kind of president, the kind who believes himself immune to legal accountability. As Adam Serwer points out in the Atlantic:

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But keeping Trump in office is not the ultimate goal, despite party members obsequious public performances toward Trump. Rather, the purpose is to preserve the authoritarian structure Trump and Barr are building, so that it can be inherited by the next Republican president. To be more specific, the Trump administration is not fighting a deep state; it is seeking to build one that will outlast him.

The only remaining question is what to do about it, and specifically what lawyers, judges, and law students, all of whom know in their bones what is happening, should do about it. If ever there were a time for the American legal profession to put down its yellow pads and stand up for the rule of law, its today, en masse, and without waiting for someone, more senior, somewhere, to lead the way. The catastrophe unfolding at the DOJ transcends Barr and his TV spat with Trump. We are watching what happens when the law is warped to please a man who believes himself to actually be the law, and what happens when his enabler agrees with that project, and disagrees only on appearances.
BAY CITY, MI - With forecasts warning of record high water levels for the Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron, a brainstorming meeting was held Wednesday with local leaders and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow to develop future plans and strategies.

Stabenow was in Bay County on Wednesday, Feb. 19, to discuss concerns related to high water levels and see flooding and erosion damage around the area.

It was important for me to be able to hear from the community and be able to see some of the damage and concerns of whats been happening with the high water levels and flooding and so on," she said.

Stabenow met with area leaders and representatives from both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State Polices Emergency Management Division before visiting the USS Edson Naval Museum, Veterans Park, and damaged areas along the Rail Trail and Riverwalk system.

We all know that theres a problem, thats why were here," Bangor Township Supervisor Glenn Rowley said. "Wed like to hear about some possible solutions or what can we do to protect our people. And to think this is an issue just with our shoreline residents, that is not the case. This will affect everybody in our state one way or another.

Stabenow expressed concern about how current regulations for assistance, including those associated with FEMA, focus on one-time flooding or catastrophic events.

Were in a different situation now with erosion thats happening over and over again," she said. "So Im going to look for ways that we can solve that problem and give the community support that they need.

Jeff Yoakam of the Army Corps of Engineers said that there are two ways that the Corps can offer assistance at the moment. The Army Corps can first offer technical assistance, which is a no-cost to the community request-based approach that uses site visits and meetings with officials.

It pretty much just gives us the authority to come out and give advice, really. Thats really what weve been doing throughout the state since last spring," he said.

Yoakam also said that the Army Corps can offer direct assistance, which involves distributing supplies like sandbags and barriers. The two caveats and hang-ups on direct assistance involve the criteria that the assistance is for critical public infrastructure only and that the aid needs to be reimbursed by the receiving community.

Yoakam said that the Army Corps has been taking the technical assistance route primarily and is currently working with 12 counties in Michigan, a single tribal community, and six Wisconsin counties.

It seems to be the way that were going right now, he said.

Meanwhile, Mike de Castro of the State Polices Emergency Management Division explained that his organizations disaster relief programs fall under Public Act 390, which is focused around event-driven disasters and is more response driven than preparation based. He explained how it is geared toward critical infrastructure in such events.

Thats one way that we can help with critical infrastructure. We want that that to be up and running for emergency services," he said. "Obviously, the government has to keep running, we have to keep our hospitals and our first responders out there, too.

Bay County Emergency Manager Ryan Manz explained that the damage that is being seen around the area doesnt fall under Public Act 390s designation due to the damage being from an ongoing series of events. He explained to Stabenow and the gathered leaders that a solution needs to be found that can handle this situation.

There needs to be some kind of mechanism to address this, because it isnt something that is going to go away and never come back, Manz said. "This is directly tied to climate change, so we are going to continue to see this issue ongoing.

Stabenow explained how she has been working on a regional conservation partnership in the Bay Area on agriculture that relates to helping farmers reduce runoff and their carbon footprint, so she emphasized the roll they can play in helping out as part of a bigger picture.

Im focused on that, Im working with our farmers, and we need to deal with whats happening right now in terms of what you guys are faced with," she said. "I think all of it is really important to be focused on.

Related news:

Caretakers of USS Edson say breakwall needed to protect site from rising Saginaw River

Bay City Commission agrees to send flood disaster declaration request to state

Bangor Township wants its Saginaw Bay shoreline declared a disaster area

Lakes Michigan and Huron finally expected to go above record water levels

Lakes Michigan and Huron water levels not falling like usual, could be spring problems
The latest case in the string of femicide in Mexico has sparked protests in the city on Friday.

Hundreds of people gathered in protest on Friday after a 25-year-old woman names Ingrid Escamilla was brutally murdered and mutilated by a man she lived with.

Escamilla was found dead on Sunday when police entered her residence. She was stabbed, disemboweled, and partially skinned. A 46-year-old man was covered in blood when he was arrested at the scene.

A Mexican media shared a video where Escamilla's husband can be heard admitting to his crime, claiming an argument over his drinking habits as his reason for stabbing the victim. He also admitted he attempted to hide evidence by skinning her and trying to dispose of her organs in drainage.

Local media outlets sparked an uproar throughout the country after they publishing leaked photographs showing Escamilla's mutilated body on their front pages. The photos of her remains were widely shared on social media.

Many social media users posted "beautiful" images using hashtags bearing Escamilla's name to bury crime scene photos leaked by national newspapers.

Over 200 protesters, comprised mostly of women, painted the words "femicide state' in red on Mexico's presidential state. Other protestors painted "Ingrid" and slogans on the doors and walls of the presidential palace.

Protestors are calling President Obrador for better reforms.

"It seems to me the president has evaded the issue constantly," a protester told Reuters news agency.

During his morning news conference, the president addressed the issue saying, "I'm not burying my head in the sand ... The government I represent will always take care of ensuring the safety of women."

They also marched on to newspaper La Prensa's office to protest its publication of the graphic images of the murder victim. At least one vehicle belonging to the newspaper company was set on fire. Security forces prevented them from entering the office building.

La Prensa has stood by its decision to publish the photos on its front page. They did state they are open to discussions about adjusting its editorial standards.

The march started at the Metrobus station of Gustavo A. Madero and ended at the victim's residence and place of death.

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, demanded actions to eliminate violence against women and girls. They also demanded full access for all, saying Escamilla's case "is not an isolated case."

Femicide

Ingrid Escamilla's death is the latest in the rising number of femicide in Mexico. Femicide is the gender-based killing of women.

An average of 12 women is killed every day in Latin America, with 700 cases of femicide still under investigation.

Over 1,006 cases of femicide were reported in 2019, surpassing the number of cases reported in 2018 by 688.

Femicide has increased 137 percent in the last five years, Mexico's Attorney General Alejandro Gertz said. In 2019 alone, the lives of 3,825 women were lost.

A majority of femicide cases are never solved, with only a small percentage of culprits being brought to justice.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said he will ask the department concerned to take an "early decision" on the prosecution sanction against former JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in a sedition case.

The chief minister's comments come hours after a court directed the Delhi government to file a status report till April 3 on the issue of sanctions to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar and others.

"I don't have a say in the department concerned (home). I cannot change their (department's) decision, but will ask them to decide as soon as possible," Kejriwal told reporters when asked about prosecution sanction pending with the Delhi government in the sedition case.

Sources in the government said the Home department has to take a decision in connection with the case.

While hearing the case, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Purushottam Pathak also directed the Delhi Police to send a reminder to the city government seeking requisite sanctions to prosecute Kumar.

The court passed the directions after police submitted that permission to prosecute Kumar and others has not been granted yet and the letter requesting sanction is pending with GNCTD.

On January 14, the police had filed a charge sheet in the court against Kumar and others, including former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, saying they were leading a procession and supported the seditious slogans raised on the campus during an event on February 9, 2016.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Linkedin Sangmi Cha and Jack Kim (Reuters) Seoul, South Korea  Wed, February 19, 2020 14:04 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20656d4f6 2 World South-Korea,health,virus,China,COVID-19 Free

South Korea reported 15 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, including 10 people involved in a surprise outbreak traced to several church services in the central city of Daegu.

The spike in new cases is unprecedented so far in South Korea and brings the total number of people infected in the country to 46.

Thirteen of the new cases are in Daegu and the surrounding North Gyeongsang province, with 11 of them tied to an earlier confirmed carrier, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement.

The earlier case was confirmed on Tuesday in a 61-year-old woman known as "Patient 31". She had no recent record of overseas travel but had attended church services and sought care at a hospital before being tested for the virus, the agency said.

Now at least 10 people who attended religious services with Patient 31 have tested positive for the virus. One other person, who came in contact with her at a local hospital, has also come down with the disease.

Hundreds of people are believed to have attended services with Patient 31 in recent weeks at a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, a religious movement founded in 1984 by South Korean Lee Man-hee, who is revered as a messiah by followers.

Besides the church, Patient 31 also visited a hotel and, eventually, a hospital, Daegu mayor Kwon Young-jin said in a Facebook post.

None of the woman's family members have shown symptoms, while taxi drivers who were in contact with her are now in self-quarantine, Kwon said.

A hospital that treated Patient 31 after a traffic accident said she refused to be tested for the virus, despite a fever.

KCDC officials said they were reviewing policies governing people who refuse to be tested, and added police could be involved in such cases.

The virus has killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in mainland China, and spread to more than two dozen countries causing widespread economic and travel disruptions.

Excluding the epicenter of the outbreak in Hubei Province, however, the number of new cases in mainland China has now fallen for 15 straight days.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has called for stringent infection control measures and every possible action to boost the economy, which he said was in an emergency situation as the result of the epidemic.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday said that it will act against the misuse of social media networks, which were allegedly being used to stoke violence in the valley.

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday said that it will act against the misuse of social media networks, which were allegedly being used to stoke violence in the Valley.

"We have evidence whereby social media was used through VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to tell militants to carry out attacks at certain places. On priority, we are targeting such misuse of social media," Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh told reporters.

He said the Jammu and Kashmir administration had issued an order on 14 January banning the use of social media but the police was only going after those who were misusing it.

"We are sharing information (through WhatsApp) with you which means we know that you are using it. We are keeping a vigil on the use of social media and will act against those who misuse it," Singh said.

The DGP was responding to a question about the police spokesperson using WhatsApp to share press releases and send invitations for events including his press conference on Wednesday in spite of the ban on the use of social media.

"There have been several instances of misuse. For example, the driver of the truck which was carrying militants at Nagrota sent a photograph to his handlers in Pakistan the moment his vehicle was intercepted at the naka," he said.

"We have to differentiate between use and misuse... when someone misuses the social media, there will be no room for leniency. You should be thankful that you are able to use it," he added.

Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone Vijay Kumar dismissed reports in some sections of media that 200 persons have been booked for using VPN. "We have registered a general FIR. The report that 200 persons have been booked is absolutely wrong," Kumar said.
If Trump continues to tweet, and Barr continues to stay in his job, I think he is in danger of getting into Boy Who Cried Wolf territory, said Matthew Miller, a former Justice Department spokesman in the Obama administration. Hes already said the presidents commenting made his job impossible, and the president kept commenting, and then he apparently told people that he was considering resigning if the president didnt stop. So if the president doesnt stop now and he doesnt quit, he looks feckless and insincere.
The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has attacked those who are protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA, asking them to specify how Indian citizens will be affected by it.

Dear Opponents of the #CAA, please furnish the list of those Indian Citizens who will be affected by this Humanitarian Act. Also, please specify how they will be affected. We challenge that you will not be able to provide even a SINGLE NAME ! ! ! the Karnataka BJP said in a tweet on Wednesday.

Dear Opponents of the #CAA,



Please furnish the list of those Indian Citizens who will be affected by this Humanitarian Act.



Also, please specify how they will be affected.



We challenge that you will not be able to provide even a SINGLE NAME ! ! !#IndiaSupportsCAA  BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) February 19, 2020

The BJP-led government passed the amendments to the citizenship law which fast-tracks granting citizenship to persecuted minorities from Indias three neighbouring countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

ALSO WATCH | 100 percent in favour of CAA: Singer Kailash Kher

Since its passage in Parliament in December last year, the CAA has led to protests across the country. Many political parties, student bodies and other outfits have come out on streets against the new law and have been asking the government to repeal it. They accuse the government of dividing the country on religious lines by not including Muslims in the list of persecuted minorities.

Among the most vehement of protests is the one going on in Delhis Shaheen Bagh, where protesters are on a continued sit-in for more than two months. The Northeast, West Bengal and southern states too saw violent protests against the CAA.

The government has, meanwhile, said that it will not take the law back. Many Union ministers and BJP leaders have launched counter campaigns to educate people about the CAA. They say that Opposition parties are spreading lies about the law, and that reality needs to be told to the people of the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah (who piloted the bill in Parliament) and others have said that the act will not affect any Indian citizen, and that it is the duty of the government to help members of the minority community who are facing harassment in the countries.

The government has also said that all the fears being propagated about the Muslim community in Indian being troubled by the CAA are unfounded.
Pier 1 Imports, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday, plans to close half of its stores in the Houston area, according to court filings.

The Fort Worth-based home goods retailer on Wednesday received approval from Judge Kevin Huennekens of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to reject the leases of and close more than 400 stores nationally by the end of March. The company last month announced it would close up to 450 stores, including all of its stores in Canada as well as two distribution centers.
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Linkedin News Desk (Bloomberg) Beijing, China  Wed, February 19, 2020 17:20 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2065791be 2 World Wall-Street-Journal,journalists,China,media,news Free

China revoked the press credentials of three Wall Street Journal reporters, in a rare move punishing multiple journalists at a single news organization over an opinion piece.

The government made the decision after it said the Journal refused to apologize for a racially discriminatory op-ed, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday. Foreign journalists need press passes issued by the foreign ministry to qualify for visas to report in the country.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the three were Deputy Bureau Chief Josh Chin and reporters Chao Deng and Philip Wen. Chin and Deng are both US nationals, while Wen is an Australian citizen.

This marks a new low in relations between China and the foreign press, and says a lot about Beijings broader antipathy to the West, said Richard McGregor, a former Financial Times bureau chief in Beijing whos now a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute. Beijing is looking to lash out at its critics. Once it has gotten over the coronavirus crisis, expect to see more such measures.

While China has declined to approve press credentials for foreign journalists before, its rare for authorities to punish three reporters at once from the same news organization. It also sets a worrying new precedent for news outlets with staff in China as the article was written by an author based in the US who wrote opinions, which are generally removed from news-gathering operations.

The Feb. 3 article described China as the sick man of Asia, a phrase often used by 19th century European powers to describe the weakened state of the Qing Empire, which then governed China. A representative for the Wall Street Journal in Beijing didnt immediately reply to an email requesting comment.

The op-ed ran as China began battling the deadly coronavirus, which has now claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people and delivered a massive setback to the worlds second-biggest economy. The government has described the virus as a threat to social stability in China and tightened restrictions on online expression.

The editors used such a racially discriminatory title, triggering indignation and condemnation among the Chinese people and the international community, Geng told reporters in an online press conference. China demands the WSJ recognize the severity of its mistake, make an official apology and hold the persons involved accountable.

China expelled a Wall Street Journal reporter last August after the paper published a report detailing allegations that Chinese President Xi Jinpings cousin was involved in gambling and potential money-laundering in Australia.

The US this week designated five Chinese state media companies as foreign missions, a decision that reflects the Trump administrations view that Xis Communist Party is imposing increasingly draconian government-control over news services, senior State Department officials said. The designation requires the outlets to adhere to requirements similar to those imposed on embassies and consulates in the US

US puts restrictions on five Chinese state media outlets

China and the US, and a number of Washingtons allies, arent just decoupling parts of their economy, said McGregor, of the Lowy Institute. With decisions like these, they are entering parallel news and information universes.

Chinas foreign ministry denounced the US designation on Wednesday, saying the countrys media outlets helped promote understanding and adding that Beijing would reserve the right to retaliate. We urge the US to discard its ideological prejudice and Cold War zero-sum-game mentality, and stop ill-advised measures that undermine bilateral trust and cooperation, Geng said.
The universal need to understand and explain the world within the context of faith and religion has inspired the fine arts for centuries in all cultures. Artists and art objects often help illustrate and portray the ideas and traditions of world religions. Examining the stories and their origins through a theological, as well as an artistic lens, has inspired the most recent Dickinson College exhibition.

Dickinson Colleges Trout Gallery brings Imagining the Divine: Religious Mythology and Art, a collection of objects from a wide range of religious traditions. This selection of works from the museums permanent collection considers how artists represent spirituality in the visual arts. The exhibition is curated by Dickinson student, Abbie Cottle, a religion and archaeology major.

Religion is often communicated through collections of stories contained in sacred texts and practices. These stories or myths can be viewed in several broad categories: heroic journeys, the natural world, religious practices and divine intervention. The exhibition provides examples of each of these and how they are portrayed in the various world religions.

The Old Testament tells of Jonah, the prophet who initially rejected Gods calling, yet through a series of events, later takes up Gods task of seeking the repentance of the people of Nineveh. Reb Shalom of Safeds color lithograph illustrates the well-known story of Jonahs journey, which included his being ingested by a giant whale that later delivered him to his destination. Fields of color from the sky to sea bottom span across the paper, as the characters are playfully represented in a primitive style.

Myths are often used to explain those parts of the natural world that defy the rational. How the world began is portrayed in the Japanese painting on silk The Married Rocks of Futami, which shows the two gods incarnated as rocky outcroppings connected by a rope. These Shinto deities brought forth their daughter, the rising sun, and the spirits of the world. The delicacy of the piece calls to mind the works of Japanese printmakers.

Death and the end of the world can be found in the woodcut Last Judgment from the Nuremberg Chronicles by Michael Wolgemut. In this medieval print, Jesus Christ, flanked by his mother Mary and his cousin, John the Baptist, stands in judgment over humanity, with those who lived virtuously being welcomed into heaven and those who are condemned being dragged into Hell by hideous demons. The amazing details, characterizations and bold colors invite closer inspection of this narrative by the viewer.

How these stories are put into practice in rituals of faith traditions are also examined. The Antelope Dance Headpiece of the Bamana people is part of the ritual dances that celebrate the god, the Chi Wara. This primordial being, a combination of multiple animal attributes, is honored for its role in teaching the Bamana how to farm. This intricately carved wood piece is important to the continuing connection of the people, their deity and their relationship to the earth.

Divine intervention is how deities influence everyday life, both positive and negative. The God, Eshu-Elegba, portrayed by the Yorba tribe, is a trickster who is often blamed for discord within the tribe. Yet, he also serves as a messenger between the worlds and one who can mediate between good and evil. This carved wood sculpture carries his signature club and a gourd as he maintains relations as an intermediary between the gods and man.

Imagining the Divine: Religious Mythology and Art exemplifies the storytelling abilities of the visual arts. Carrying these tales or myths throughout the centuries, these pieces have played important roles in culture and society, as well as art and theology. To examine these purposes across continents and centuries in this exhibition is an opportunity to understand that there are just as many commonalities, as well as differences in religious thought and practice.

Several special events are coinciding with this exhibition. There will be a Twilight at the Trout interfaith discussion at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20, in partnership with Dickinsons Center for Spirituality and Social Justice, and a Twilight at the Trout Highlights Tour of Imagining the Divine at 7 p.m. on Feb. 27. A lecture by Rabbi Marley Weiner, director of the Asbell Center for Jewish Life at Dickinson College, will be on March 5 at 6:30 p.m. and will address Jonah and The Whale: Mythology and Satire.

Imagining the Divine-Religious Mythology and Art is on display until April 4, in the Trout Gallery located in the Emil R. Weiss Center for the Arts on the Dickinson College campus, 240 W. High St., Carlisle. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday. The gallery is free and open to the public. For more information on the exhibition, visit www.troutgallery.org.

Joseph George holds a degree in history and art history from Dickinson College. He and his wife, Barrie Ann have spent over 30 years together traveling and visiting art galleries locally and throughout the world. They have been writing about the local art scene for seven years. Their tastes range from fine art to street art.

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MONTREAL, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TFI International Inc. (NYSE and TSX: TFII), a North American leader in the transportation and logistics industry, today announced that Cameron Holzer has joined the Company as Senior Vice-President, Operations to focus on its rapidly expanding U.S. Specialized Truckload operations. With more than 25 years of professional experience including 12 years at CRST International most recently as president of CRST Expedited, Mr. Holzer brings extensive expertise in operations and strategic development. In his new role he will report to Steven Brookshaw, Executive Vice-President.



Cameron is an innovative thinker with broad-based experience managing multi-faceted organizations, including talent acquisition, strategic planning, resource management, new business development and contract negotiations, said Alain Bedard, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. We are very pleased to welcome him to the TFI International team at the perfect time to lend his expertise as we grow our U.S. presence, and look forward to his many contributions in the years to come.

Mr. Holzer joins TFI International from CRST, where as president of CRST Expedited he oversaw a number of key functional areas and led his division to numerous industry awards including the SmartWay Award for five consecutive years, the Quest for Quality Award and the FedEx Ground Carrier of the Year award. Prior to CRST he was director of operations for CR England, a U.S.-based refrigerated transportation business. Mr. Holzer earned his bachelors of science degree in accounting from the University of Phoenix and his MBA from the University of Iowa.

ABOUT TFI INTERNATIONAL

TFI International Inc. is a North American leader in the transportation and logistics industry, operating across the United States, Canada and Mexico through its subsidiaries. TFI International creates value for shareholders by identifying strategic acquisitions and managing a growing network of wholly-owned operating subsidiaries. Under the TFI International umbrella, companies benefit from financial and operational resources to build their businesses and increase their efficiency. TFI International companies service the following segments:

Package and Courier;

Less-Than-Truckload;

Truckload;

Logistics.

TFI International Inc. is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol TFII. For more information, visit http://www.tfiintl.com .

For further information:

Alain Bedard

Chairman, President and CEO

TFI International Inc.

(647) 729-4079

abedard@tfiintl.com
She is a much loved panellist on Loose Women who is not afraid of speaking her mind.

And Carol McGiffin celebrated her 60 Birthday in style on Tuesday in sunny Australia alongside her toy boy husband Mark Cassidy, 36, and friends.

The TV personality kicked off the celebrations with a long lunch in the sun as well as a surprise encounter with Charlotte Crosby.

Sun kissed: Carol McGiffin celebrated her 60 Birthday in style on Tuesday in sunny Australia alongside her toy boy husband Mark Cassidy, 36, and friends

Alongside a selfie with the Geordie Shore star, Carol penned: 'What are the chances? Walking down the street in Manly, Sydney and look who I bumped into!!!

'Only Charlotte Crosby!!! So good to see my old mucker from CBB and her OZ Im A Celeb family.'

The TV stars both appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2013.

After bumping into her old friend, the Loose Women star dressed up in a red maxi dress for a lunch with friends.

Look who's here! The TV personality kicked off the celebrations with a long lunch in the sun as well as a surprise encounter with Charlotte Crosby

The beaming star looked radiant in the snap where she donned gold boho jewellery and sunglasses.

She shared a photo with her husband of two years - who is 22 years her junior - in front of a stunning crystal blue harbour.

The media star captioned the pic: ' Having a very nice birthday in Nelson Bay, Australia. Lunch at @thepoyers With some very old friends'

The blonde beauty held up a glass of champagne in another pic alongside a friend, and thanked her for the decorations which included 60 birthday banners.

Fun in the sun: After bumping into her old friend, the Loose Women star dressed up in a red maxi dress for a lunch with friends

Fans took to the comment section of her photos to wish the star a happy birthday, as well as comment on how young she looks.

Carol recently revealed details of her wedding, which took place in secret in Bangkok back in 2018.

She said: 'We did it entirely in secret a year ago. We did it on our own, just us two, no one at all, it had to be all or nothing.

'After we came back, we thought we wont tell everyone just yet. We liked it being a secret, a secret we carried on until we thought its getting awkward now.

'We did tell all close friends and family over the year, we had a little celebration with it, close family and friends, we probably missed a few out.'

Carol's confession garnered appreciation from her co-star Christine Lampard who said: 'I admire you, just doing it, it's special just the two of you. I love the fact my friends and family were at mine, dont get me wrong, but this its very you and lovely.'

To which she said: 'It was special, we got married in Bangkok, it's quite tricky and difficult. Lot of places to go, running around. For the night party we went for dinner on the river. Bangkok is a place we both love and have always gone to. It was the right place to go to.'
As I sit here in my workroom writing this, it would normally be the depths of winter outside; instead, the hazel is now flowering.SMHI, the Swedish weather bureau, officially defines the start of spring as seven consecutive days with an average temperature > 0C. This normally occurs here during the last third of March; this year it occurred back in January. Indeed, SMHI has just announced that much of southern Sweden did not actually have winter (based on their official definition), but was recorded as going straight from autumn to spring. Also, new Swedish records have been set for the highest daily average temperature in January, with the towns of Oskarshamn and Gladhammar averaging 10.6 C and 10.1 C, respectively, across the month.This example may be extreme, but it has become increasingly obvious to the wine industry that the worlds modern climate is not going to allow grape-growing to continue in its current form in its current locations. The climatic requirements of the common grape varieties no longer match where they have traditionally been grown.This means that we need to either: (i) change the varieties in the current regions, or (ii) move the regions further away from the equator or from sea level. A quick glance at a globe will show you that it is difficult to move the grape-growing regions of the southern hemisphere any further south. However, wemove the grape-growing regions of the northern hemisphere further north.In the Americas, the current wine-growing regions of Canada are not actually any further north than the vineyards of Washington and Oregon in the USA. These are actually at the same latitude as northern France and the middle of Germany; so there is plenty of scope in Canada, as well as in Alaska.In Europe itself, there are already plenty of vineyards in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden), as I discussed in a previous blog post ( Swedish wineries  who'd have thought it? ). These are much further north than anywhere else on the planet; and there is also plenty of land even further north.This leads obviously to the question: just how far north do the Nordic vineyards currently extend?The answer is shown in the next map, where the pointers mark the northerly vineyards of Norway, Sweden and Finland (left to right). Note that these are at the latitude of the northern-most British islands (in Europe) and southern Alaska (in North America).The leftmost vineyard shown in Norway was recently discussed in a range of wine media, because it harvested its first decent crop last year  see Kellers most northerly Riesling project , and Norways first riesling (the latter has a video of the harvest).The Riesling vines were planted in 2008, in a former potato field overlooking the sea, so there has been no hurry to get any grapes. The fact that the vines are Riesling is notable, because in the north most vines are hardy varieties, like Solaris (white) and Rondo (red), rather than the classic European varieties. Apparently, a protective wall was built to help matters, along with the collaborative expertise of grape-growers from Alsace.The more northerly Norwegian vineyard (west of Oslo) is far more typical of the Nordic situation. It is part of a farm, Egge Gard , that grows other fruits (eg. apples and strawberries), and mainly makes fruit-juice, ciders, spirits, etc. The first media report of note about the grapes is Norways first sparkling wine , from 2015, which seems to have been otherwise ignored.Only one wine is mentioned in the report, a champagne-method sparkler made from Solaris grapes (in the report there is a video of the farm and wine-making). The vine-stocks (1,000) were planted in 2010, and the first harvest was in 2014. The grapes were pressed in the farms apple press. This produced 500 bottles of wine, called, with 350 of them going to Poland! The vines were planted on the warmest part of the farm, on the south-facing slope of an old moraine ridge, where there is sun all day.There are plans to expand the vineyard with 10,000 more plants, intended to produce 20 tonnes of fruit and 12,000 bottles of wine; see Ready for vintage in Norways Tuscany The above mention of day-length is currently the crucial thing about Nordic vineyards. There are longer days than most European countries, with up to 25% more hours of daily sunlight during the summer compared to, say, France. Day-length makes up for warmth.Since it extends further south, there are currently many more vineyards in southern Sweden than in Norway, as discussed in my post Swedish wineries  who'd have thought it? Also, the vineyards are mostly around the coast, making them considerably warmer than the inland areas of Europe (and North America). You can see a current location map by visiting Foreningen Svenskt Vin The most northerly of the commercial Swedish vineyards is actually inland, at Blaxsta Gard , as shown on the map above. In the following satellite photo, the property is the farm irregularly outlined at the bottom-left, with the vine rows clearly visible.There are c. 3.5 hectares of vines, with 5,500 vine-stocks, the first being planted in 2000. The vines are planted along a south-facings slope near a lake, which helps moderate the climate. The varieties include Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Vidal Blanc, with the latter taking up 90% of the area.These vines produce 7,500 liters of wine, all of which is commercially available. The most famous (and expensive) wine is the Vidal Ice Wine  it retails for $US70 for a one-third bottle. The Merlot and Chardonnay make table wine, while the Cabernet Franc also makes Ice Wine, as also do apples and strawberries (does this sound familiar?).Finally, this brings us to Finland, whose fruit-based products almost all come from the Aland islands, in the Baltic Sea. There are, as you might expect by now, farms making alcohol products from apples and other fruits. The largest appears to be Tjudo Vingard, which specializes in apples (10,000 trees) and cherries (2,500 trees).However, of interest to us here is Mattas Vingard , which is shown on the map above. This farm has Solaris and Rondo grape-vines, and appears to be the only one to have grapes. The 600 vine-stocks were planted in 2009, with Pinot Noir also being (unsuccessfully) tried.Sadly, the grapes are mostly used to make jelly, which is the farms advertised specialty (they recommend it with cheese). However, starting in 2014 they also tried making a sparkling wine,. In 2015 and 2017 it won medals at the Indy International Wine Competition, in the USA. Only 150-200 bottles get made, which are not commercially available. You can read about the vineyard at Slotte odlar prisbelont vin pa Aland , if you happen to read Swedish.So, it seems to me that Norway currently has Europes most northerly commercial vineyard, with Sweden and Finland not far behind. This can be expected to change in the not-too-distant future, unless we can reverse climate change.As pointed out in the Comments below, there are now vineyards along the Sognefjord, which is even further north-west in Norway.The one that seems to have garnered media attention (eg.and Wall Street Journal ) is Slinde vingard , established in 2014 by Bjrn Bergum and Halldis Nedreb. The vines are at the top of a steep south-facing slope above the fjord, along with the usual Nordic fruit trees (visible at the upper-right of the photo below). Wine has been made since 2018, from Solaris (white) and Leon Milot (red), as well as some Pinot noir. Apparently,(Solaris) has already one a medal. The first commercial wines are expected this year; and vineyard tours are already available
GARDAI are treating as unexplained the death of a two year old child in Waterford.

The toddler was rushed to University Hospital Waterford (UHW) on Tuesday afternoon by distraught relatives.

It is understood the child was brought by family car to UHW around 2pm after they suddenly became unresponsive.

Despite desperate efforts by doctors to stabilise the child's condition, the toddler died a short time later.

A post mortem examination will now be conducted in Dublin by the State Pathologist's Office.

A garda source said the the child's death is currently being treated as unexplained.

The nature of the garda investigation will be determined by the results of the post mortem examination.

A file on the matter will be prepared by gardai for the Waterford Coroner's Office.
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- There's been a crucial move forward in efforts to develop vaccines and treatments against the new COVID-19 coronavirus, U.S. researchers say.

As of Wednesday, cases of infection with the virus have topped 74,000 (the vast majority in China), including more than 2,000 deaths. Therefore, a quick path to a vaccine and effective antiviral treatment is being sought by scientists worldwide.

Now, researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) say they've created the first 3D atomic scale map of a crucial part of the virus called the spike protein. It's this piece of viral anatomy that attaches to and infects human cells.

Mapping this part of the virus is an essential step in any effort to create vaccines and antiviral drugs that would effectively fight COVID-19, according to the paper published Feb. 19 in the journal Science.

The research is being led by Jason McLellan, associate professor of molecular biosciences at UT Austin. Speaking in a university news release, he said his team has spent years studying other coronaviruses, including the SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV that were behind earlier, smaller outbreaks.

McLellan said his group already developed methods to lock coronavirus spike proteins into a shape that makes them easier to analyze and position them as targets for vaccines.

Regarding COVID-19, he said that "as soon as we knew this was a coronavirus, we felt we had to jump at it because we could be one of the first ones to get this structure. We knew exactly what mutations to put into this, because we've already shown these mutations work for other coronaviruses."

Based on these findings, the researchers are working on developing a vaccine. They've produced samples of their stabilized spike protein just two weeks after receiving the COVID-19 genome sequence from Chinese researchers, and it took them about another 12 days to reconstruct the 3D atomic scale map, called a molecular structure, of the spike protein. The journal Science then expedited its editorial process to speed publication of the NIH-funded study.

Under less urgent conditions, all of this typically would have taken many months to complete, McLellan noted.

The newly mapped structure represents only the extracellular portion of the spike protein, the researchers said. However, that should be enough to trigger an immune response in people and potentially point the way to a vaccine.

McLellan and his colleagues also plan to use their molecule as a "probe" that could be used to isolate antibodies from patients who were infected with COVID-19 and recovered.

Produced in large enough quantities, these antibodies should able to help treat a coronavirus infection soon after exposure, the researchers explained.

For example, the antibodies might be used to protect health care workers and other emergency responders sent into areas with high infection rates on too-short notice for a vaccine to take effect.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the new coronavirus.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 02:06:15|Editor: huaxia

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RABAT, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan navy rescued 111 Spain-bound migrants in the Mediterranean on Feb. 15 and 16, official news agency MAP reported on Tuesday.

The migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were facing difficulties aboard inflatable boats, said the agency, quoting a military source.

The migrants, some of whom were in bad health conditions, were traveling in several inflatable boats in the Strait of Gibraltar, which separates the African continent from Europe.

They received the necessary first aid aboard the coast guards units of the Moroccan navy, before being brought back safe to the ports of Tangier, Nador and Al Hoceima, the agency added.

Morocco has become a transit country for African migrants seeking to reach Europe for better living conditions. Enditem
A man in Hyderabad stole a Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) bus after he was unable to find transportation for himself. The incident took place on the night of February 16.

According to Vikarabad Police, a TSRTC bus was at a halt in the Tandoor bus station in Vikarabad district on Sunday around 9 pm.

Meanwhile, a person working at the bus station took away the bus to his destination after he was unable to find a ride for himself. After reaching the destination, he left the bus and fled.

Police said the accused has been identified and will be arrested soon. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.

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(Natural News) Telecommunications companies will not be rolling out 5G towers in several Swiss cantons or regions after the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment or Das Bundesamt fur Umwelt (Bafu) placed an indefinite moratorium on the networks use over potential health concerns.

In its moratorium, Bafu said it cannot yet provide universal criteria without further testing of the impact of 5G radiation on human health.

According to the agency, the moratorium will stay in place as they examine and monitor extensively the effects of 5G exposure through adaptive antennas in real-world operational conditions, adding that this work will take some time.

International newspaper The Financial Times first broke the story.

However, according to a statement sent by a representative to Mobile World Live, Bafu said that these letters did not contain any recommendation to stop the permitting of 5G base stations, but rather, only sets out how the countrys cantons can proceed with the permitting of 5G and adaptive antennas until enforcement aid on the structures is available.

In the same statement, the Bafu representative noted that several cantons and municipalities had already imposed moratoria on 5G, but added that these do not affect Switzerland in general.

Among the cantons that voluntarily imposed moratoria on 5G towers because of uncertainty over health risks are Geneva, Vaud, Jura and Neuchatel.

The apprehension regarding the new 5G communication technology  which proponents say will eventually be used to support everything from driverless cars to even virtual reality  stems from the fact that individuals will be exposed to more concentrated radiation beams.

Swisscom, the countrys largest mobile operator, maintains that while it understands the fears often expressed about new technologies, there is no evidence that 5G radiation affects human health.

Despite Swisscoms statement, however, the Swiss Medical Association still advised caution on 5G, noting that there are still unanswered questions regarding the technologys potential to cause damage.

Medical journal The Lancet has published a report questioning the validity of current safety standards, which are based on the guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers first established in the 1990s. As noted in the Lancet report, these standards assume that only the acute thermal effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation are hazardous.

In her report, however, author Priyanka Bandara points to research suggesting the damage goes beyond these thermal effects, noting that radiation might alter human brain metabolism, electrical activity in the brain and immune responses. Bandara, in the Lancet report, also added that chronic exposure has been associated with increased oxidative stress and DNA damage and cancer risk.

Additionally, Bandara said, there appears to be evidence for an association between neurodevelopmental or behavioral disorders in children and exposure to wireless devices. Prenatal exposure might cause structural and functional changes in the brain associated with ADHD-like behavior.

Similarly, a group of scientists and researchers has also aired concern over the impending global rollout of 5G, noting that electromagnetic fields or EMF have well-documented negative effects on the not just on the human body, but also the environment. (Related: 5G Danger: Hundreds of respected scientists sound the alarm about health effects as 5G networks go up nationwide)

Numerous recent scientific publications have shown that EMF affects living organisms at levels well below most international and national guidelines. Effects include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans. Damage goes well beyond the human race, as there is growing evidence of harmful effects to both plant and animal life, the group, led by Elizabeth Kelley of Electromagnetic Safety Alliance Inc., said.

Aside from the recently imposed moratorium, there are currently five proposals for legally binding referendums on 5G use that are in motion in Switzerland. Two of these have already been formalized and now only need to collect 100,000 signatures in order to get onto the official ballot.

The first of the two proposals aims to make telecommunications companies legally liable for any subsequent claims of damage caused by radiation, while the second one proposes strict and stringent limits on radiation emissions, as well as gives local residents the power to veto new antenna and mast constructions in their respective areas.

Sources include:

WakingTimes.com

MobileWorldLive.com

LiveScience.com

TheLancet.com

ScientificAmerican.com
Photo by Mayur Phadtare, via Wikimedia Commons

A recent executive order stating that the classical architectural style shall be the preferred and default style for federal buildings in the U.S. has reminded some of other executives who enforced neoclassicicism as the states official aesthetic dogma. In the case of the U.S., however, neoclassical building does not draw from ancient sources, but from a 19th century interpretation of what people were doing in Rome and Athens millennia ago, as Steve Rose writes at The Guardian.

In other words, contemporary classical architectural style in the U.S. is a copy of a copy. Kitsch. But maybe the creation of simulations is what America does best, though not typically under threat of government sanction should one do otherwise. Living in the relatively youthful country thats a mere 241 years old, Isaac Kaplan wrote at Artsy in 2017, its understandable that some Americans might decide to import a little extra history from abroad, by making versions of ancient monuments in their backyard.

Such buildings span the country, from offbeat roadside attractions to the most expensive and elaborate recreations. There is a faux-Venice in Las Vegas, and a Stonehenge II in Texas. And in Nashville, Tennessee: a full-scale replica of the Parthenon, built in 1897 for the Centennial Exposition celebrating the states 100th anniversary. The detailed re-creation went further than imitating a ruin. It restored the aspects of the original Parthenon that were lost or damaged in an interpretive re-creation of what it might have looked like.

The building held the Expositions art gallery and spoke to the citys self-declared reputation as the Athens of the South. (Memphis countered the grand architectural gesture by building a pyramid; Athens, Georgia, however, did not respond in kind.) Constructed out of concrete, and not built to outlast the celebrations, the replica began to fall apart soon afterwards, prompting a restoration effort in 1920 aimed at making the Nashville Parthenon as enduring and as historically true to the original Parthenon as possible.

The Great Depression halted plans for an enormous statue of Athena, meant to recreate one that once stood inside the original Parthenon, but after decades of donations it was finally unveiled in 1990. Standing 42 feet high, the massive figure holds a 6-foot-4-inch statue of the goddess Nike in her hand. Unlike 19th century neoclassical recreations, Athena boasts a major historical detail: polychromy, painted in bright greens, reds, and blues, righting the long-held and historically incorrect view of the ancient past as one dominated by whiteness.

Image by Dean Dixon, via Wikimedia Commons

See more photographs from 1909 at the Library of Congress digital collections, of the replica of a temple originally dedicated to honoring the female personification of wisdom. And at the top, see a much more recent photo of the restored building. The Nashville Parthenon is still in business, charging reasonable admission for a view tourists could never get in Athens, as well as a permanent collection of 63 paintings by American artists and galleries housing temporary shows and exhibits.

via @DaveEverts

Related Content:

Explore Ancient Athens 3D, a Digital Reconstruction of the Greek City-State at the Height of Its Influence

Artist is Creating a Parthenon Made of 100,000 Banned Books: A Monument to Democracy & Intellectual Freedom

The History of Ancient Greece in 18 Minutes: A Brisk Primer Narrated by Brian Cox

Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness
More than half a million people are trapped with life insurance that could force them to choose between unaffordable premium hikes or a devastating drop in payout money.

The controversial investment-linked insurance policies were popular decades ago, but have since been all but abandoned by customers and firms after an explosion in complaints.

As the policies are tied to investments, the insurer can demand higher premiums from customers if the funds do not perform.

Controversial investment-linked life insurance policies were popular decades ago, but have since been all but abandoned by customers and firms after an explosion in complaints

And if they refuse to pay up, their claim value can be slashed by tens, or even hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Yet, around 541,000 policyholders were still paying millions of pounds into 'unit-linked' life insurance in 2018, according to the latest figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

If policyholders keep up with premium payments, the plans guarantee a payout when a customer dies.

But if a customer wants to stop making payments altogether, they are offered a 'surrender value', which can be less than 1 per cent of the money they have already paid in.

Widower Malcolm Brown, 83, took out a policy with his late wife, Cora, in 2003 and began by paying 50 a month for their family to receive a 217,495 payout when they both died.

Canada Life wrote to the couple in 2013 to say it would be hiking their monthly premiums to 278, and that if they did not agree to this within 30 days, it would cut their payout to just 52,071.

But when the letter was sent to their home in Ascot, retired support worker Cora was terminally ill with breast cancer, and former salesman Malcolm believes she opened the letter and forgot to tell him about it.

H e only found the letter in September the following year, a month after Cora died aged 74.

When Malcolm called Canada Life to say he had missed the letter, the insurance giant insisted it was too late to reinstate his original payout  even though he was willing to pay the higher premiums.

He cancelled the policy in December and reluctantly accepted a surrender payment of just 670.

'Canada Life has shown me no sympathy and has caused me so much distress and anger,' says Malcolm.

'This firm should have made every effort to contact us when it was going to reduce the payout so much, I can't understand how one letter was enough.'

Such plans work by investing some of the customer's premiums into funds. This has led to the policies being touted as investment opportunities.

In the past, policyholders were often allowed to withdraw a limited amount of cash from their policies before they died  but this was dependent on the cash value of the policy and how long it had been set up for.

In the early 2000s, the Financial Ombudsman received a surge of complaints from policyholders who claimed they had been mis-sold their plans.

One Money Mail reader who has paid more than 18,000 in premiums for a plan, has been offered a surrender payment of just 60p (file picture)

And, in 2013, more providers abandoned these policies after the regulator clamped down on commission earned for selling investment products.

Today, there is only one unit-linked life insurance policy left on the market, and it does not allow policyholders to withdraw any cash.

One Money Mail reader who has paid more than 18,000 in premiums for a plan with Sun Life Financial of Canada, has been offered a surrender payment of just 60p  0.003 per cent of the money he has paid in.

The 72-year-old, from Essex, has been paying 61 a month in premiums for more than 25 years.

But the father of two, who does not wish to be named, has seen his payout value plummet to just 18,320 from an original 100,000.

He was first asked to increase his premiums in 2008, from 61 to 115.50, or else face seeing his payout cut to 45,540.

Since then, he has rejected six more reviews, but refuses to accept the surrender payment offered by the company.

'The surrender value it has offered is derisory, it's an insult,' says the former construction worker. 'It feels completely immoral.'

Other policyholders have been left facing hefty premium hikes in their late 80s and 90s.

May Stockhill, 89, a retired restaurant owner, took out a policy with Sun Life Financial of Canada in 1988 for 15 a month.

The mother of three, who lives near Doncaster, wanted the 6,926 lump sum to pay for her funeral.

But she has now been told she will have to raise her premiums to 115 a month, or her payout will be cut to just 1,038.

And, while May has paid in 5,655 over nearly 32 years, the insurer has offered to give her only 874 if she were to cancel the policy.

Her daughter, Gill Carlile, says: 'My mother bought this policy in good faith and all [the insurer] is doing is taking advantage of a vulnerable lady.'

Last year, the Financial Ombudsman saw a 24 per cent rise in complaints about whole-of-life policies compared with the previous financial year, with the majority of the 1,620 cases relating to plans that could be reviewed, such as unit-linked plans.

Martyn James, of complaints site Resolver, says: 'It's shocking that hundreds of thousands of people are trapped in unit-linked policies, faced with the daunting choice of moving their cash and losing out in fees, or risking staying put and watching the money drift away.'

Canada Life declined to comment on Malcolm Brown's case.

A Sun Life Financial of Canada spokesman says he believes the unnamed reader had been informed about how the plan worked. He declined to comment on May Stockhill because her case is being investigated by the firm.

An ABI spokesman says: 'The terms and conditions of policies should be clearly set out.

'When assessing options, getting independent financial advice can be important in making the right decision for your circumstances.'

f.parker@dailymail.co.uk
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement subpoenaed Washington County Sheriffs Office on Tuesday demanding information on two Mexican citizens wanted for deportation who are currently being held at the Washington County Jail.

The subpoenas, the first to be issued in Oregon, are among many highly politicized ICE efforts that have taken place across the nation in other so-called sanctuary cities, including in New York, California, Colorado and Connecticut.

ICE issued subpoenas for Jose Crescenc Favardo-Alvarado, 43, who has also been listed under the name Jose Favardo-Sajardo; and Benito Juarez-Hernandez, 39. According to the Washington County Sheriffs Office, both men are still in custody.

Our office is going to comply with the subpoena because its valid and was served properly, said Deputy Shannon Wilde, a sheriffs office spokeswoman.

Favardo-Alvarado, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested in December 2019 on multiple charges, including drunken driving and probation violations

Favardo-Alvarado has three previous DUI arrests between 1999 and 2018. He was sentenced to just over eight months in jail and will be on probation for two years.

According to the ICE news release, Favardo-Alvarado is at large, but the Washington County Jail says hes in custody.

The other subpoena is for Juarez-Hernandez, 39, also a Mexican citizen, who was convicted of sexual abuse in the first degree and sentenced to just over six years in prison. Juarez-Hernandez was transferred to Washington County Jail on Jan. 15, 2020.

In February 2009 Juarez-Hernandez was convicted of charges related to forgery and sentenced to a fine and 18 months probation. He faces additional charges for displaying a child in sexual conduct, four charges of sodomy in the first degree, and nine charges of sexual abuse in the first degree.

ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the jail on Jan. 15, 2020.

Oregons 1987 sanctuary state law, the nations first, prevents law enforcement from detaining people who are in the U.S. illegally but have not broken any other law. Authorities in the state wont hold in custody those who committed crimes and have finished their sentences to be picked up by federal immigration agents, unless they have a warrant signed by a judge.

Proponents of sanctuary policies say they allow people to feel safe reporting crime without fear of deportation, while those opposed to them say the inability of local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities helps shield criminals.

A U.S. judge ruled in August that the Trump administration cannot withhold millions of dollars in law enforcement grants from Oregon to force the state to cooperate with U.S. immigration enforcement.

If the law enforcement agencies dont comply with the subpoenas, ICE immigration officers can escalate the demand by coordinating with the U.S. Attorneys Office to seek a court order, according to the release.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

-- Piper McDaniel; amcdaniel@oregonian.com; 503-221-4307; @piperamcdaniel

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
[February 19, 2020] 134 Connecticut Schools Below CDC Guidelines for School Vaccination Rates

Organizations representing physicians, nurses, health care providers, public health interests, patients and others joined Public Health Committee Co-Chairs Rep. Jonathan Steinberg and Sen. Mary Abrams and other supportive legislators at the Legislative Office Building to urge support for the protection of Connecticut's children by eliminating the non-medical exemption for state mandated vaccines. According to the state Department of Public Health, there are now 134 Connecticut schools where the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination rate for kindergarten students falls below the federally recommended guideline of 95%. The data shows a 31.1% increase in the number of schools that fell below the 95% kindergarten MMR vaccination rate guideline, and 41 schools have MMR rates below 90%. The overall statewide number of religious exemptions to vaccination increased by 25% between the two school years. This represents the largest single year increase in religious exemptions for vaccination since the DPH started tracking the statewide data a decade ago. "This is unacceptable and a growing problem, said Erin Jones, Regional Director of Government Affairs for March of Dimes and co-chair of the Vaccination Alliance of Conncticut. "We need to ensure that every school in Connecticut achieves the vaccination rate recommended by the CDC to keep diseases, like measles, from spreading and to protect our most vulnerable populations who, for medical reasons, cannot be vaccinated against these preventable diseases." Jones added. "We applaud the leadership of Rep. Steinberg, Sen. Abrams, Sen. Anwar and others for protecting our children and supporting the science with the introduction of HB 5044, Jones concluded.



Together, parents, medical and public health experts and state lawmakers urged the Connecticut Senate and House to pass HB 5044 to eliminate non-medical exemptions to child vaccine requirements for school attendance. Please visit VaccinateCT.org for more information and commentary from medical professionals, public health advocates, elected officials and others.

The Vaccination Alliance of Connecticut (VaccinateCT.org) is a group of healthcare providers, public health experts, nurses, physicians, organizations and parents that support good vaccine policy in Connecticut through the elimination of the non-medical exemption. For more information, please visit vaccinatect.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005897/en/

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In unusually blunt statements, top Chinese officials hit back during last weekends Munich Security Conference at Washingtons confrontational stance toward Beijing on a range of issues, including the Chinese tech giant Huawei and Chinas response to the coronavirus.

Trump administration officials, supported to the hilt by top Democrats, took a particularly aggressive attitude at the conference, warning European powers that intelligence sharing could end if Huawei equipment were used in building 5G telecommunications networks.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo branded Huawei and other Chinese state-backed tech companies as Trojan horses for Chinese intelligence. In his speech, US Defence Secretary Mark Esper accused Beijing of carrying out a nefarious strategy through Huawei.

In a bid to intensify its pressure on its European allies, the US last week announced new charges of racketeering and theft of trade secrets against Huawei. These follow the arrest of the companys chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, in Canada last year after the US filed charges of fraud and sanctions evasion, and sought her extradition.

Esper made clear that the US attack on China was across the board. He declared that under President Xi Jinpings rule, the Chinese Communist Party is heading even faster and further in the wrong directionmore internal repression, more predatory economic practices, more heavy-handedness, and most concerning for me, a more aggressive military posture.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi goes to deliver his speech on the second day of the Munich Security Conference, February 15, 2020 [Credit: AP Photo/Jens Meyer]

Asked about the speeches by Pompeo and Esper, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi did not mince words, branding the US allegations as lies. He said their remarks were part of a common scenario everywhere they went. I dont want to waste our time responding to each and every thing theyve said. The thing I want to say is that all these accusations against China are lies and not based on facts.

Wang pointed to the driving force behind the confrontationthe US drive to ensure its continued global domination by every available means. The root cause of all these problems and issues is that the US does not want to see the rapid development and rejuvenation of China, still less would they want to accept the success of a socialist country, but that is not fair, China has the right to develop.

China, with its burgeoning markets, stock exchanges, billionaires and deep social divide, is not a socialist country. In fact, Huawei, as Wang said in countering US criticism, is a privately-owned company: the worlds largest telecommunications equipment provider with nearly 200,000 employees.

Wang described the US attack on Huawei as immoral and asked: Why cant America accept that other countries companies can also display their talent in the economy, in technology? Perhaps deep down, it doesnt hope to see other countries develop. He accused the US of resorting to rumours to defame Huawei and declared there was no credible evidence that the company has a so-called back door that harms US security.

The US accusations against China and Huawei are utterly hypocritical. The revelations by the whistleblower Edward Snowden demonstrated that the US routinely spies electronically on the worlds population, including governments and government leaders, allies and rivals alike, as well as its own citizens.

The US intelligence establishment has long relied on electronic back doors provided by American tech corporations to gather intelligence. The use of Huawei equipment not only threatens the economic position of US companies, but could undermine US spying operations.

Chinas forthright push back against heavy US criticism in Munich stems firstly from the relentless campaign by Washington, not only in propaganda, but through trade war measures and a huge military build-up in Asia against Beijing. Secondly, the Chinese regime is seeking support from the European powers. Wangs comments gained traction in Munich amid deepening conflicts between the US and its erstwhile European allies.

Britain has given the go-ahead for the inclusion of Huawei components in non-core aspects of its 5G rollout, while Germany and France have signaled they will do the same. The European decisions are largely driven by technical and economic factors, as Huawei is a leader in 5G technology and produces at a lower cost.

Washingtons threats to end intelligence-sharing arrangements with the European powers could end up affecting US spying operations as much as those of its European rivals. The New York Times noted: Germany and Britain are Americas closest intelligence sharing partners, and both nations sit atop critical points along fibre optic cables that are key to intercepting communications from Russia to the Middle East.

The US has sought to exploit the coronavirus outbreak in China to add to the barrage of criticism against Beijing. Trumps economic adviser Larry Kudlow last week complained about the lack of Chinese transparency over the disease. He declared that Washington was disappointed that American health experts had not been allowed into China, and questioned Chinese statistics.

A considerable portion of Wangs speech to the Munich Security Conference was devoted to defending Chinas handling of the outbreak. He said the coronavirus largely had been confined to the city of Wuhan and Hubei Province, and the number of cases outside China was a small percentage of the total. Wang said this was the outcome of the rapid development of a test for the virus, the dispatch of 20,000 health workers to the area and the building of new health facilities.

Wang said: In the spirit of openness and transparency, we promptly notified the world about the outbreak and shared the genetic sequence of the virus. We have been working closely with WHO [World Health Organisation], invited international experts to join our ranks, and provided assistance and facilitation to foreign nationals in China.

In comments to Reuters, the Chinese foreign minister effectively criticised the harsh travel restrictions imposed by the US on any foreign nationals coming from China. 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.

If Washington expected European support on the issue, its hopes were dashed. Conference chairman Wolfgang Ischinger praised Chinas response to the epidemic and declared it was not getting a very fair deal I think China deserves a little bit of compassion and cooperation, and encouragement rather than only criticism.

Chinas reaction to the US criticisms in Munich underscores again the sharpening geo-political rivalries and break-up of longstanding alliances being fueled by worsening global economic conditions. Far from responding to the lack of support from Europe against China by moderating its confrontation, the US will intensify its provocative campaign, not just against Beijing, but any threat to its global position, including from its European allies.
A die-hard fan of United States President Donald Trump, Bussa Krishna from Telangana has put forth an appeal to the Central government to fulfil his wish of meeting his idol during his upcoming India visit.

"I want India-America relations to remain strong. Every Friday I fast for Trump's long life. I also carry his picture and pray to him before commencing any work. I wish to meet him, I request the government to make my dream come true," Bussa said.

Bussa, however, is not just any fan but considers himself to be a devotee of Trump. He has even installed a 6-feet statue of the US president near his house and offers prayers daily.

"I also carry his (Trump's) picture and before any work I pray to him. He is like a god to me and that is the reason I had his statue built. It took almost a month and 15 labourers to build this statue," he said.

His friends said that the villagers have started referring to him affectionately as 'Trump' Krishna, due to his devotion to the POTUS.

"Although his real name is Bussa Krishna, all the villagers call him Trump Krishna. Krishna's residence is known as Trump House. The villagers never objected to it, but appreciated his devotion," Ramesh Reddy, Bussa's friend said.

The village head of Konnay, where Bussa lives, Venkat Goud too approved of his beliefs and urged the government to fulfil his dream of meeting the POTUS.

Accompanied by US First Lady Melania Trump, Trump will arrive on a two-day visit to India on February 24.

Photographs: Vinod Babu/Reuters
Leading Sign, Graphics, and Visual Communications Franchise Reported Exceptional Results in 2019, Including Signing of over 40 Franchise Agreements in North America

CARROLLTON, Texas, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- FASTSIGNS International, Inc. , franchisor of FASTSIGNS, the leading sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise, is marking its 35th year in business by offering qualified franchisees in the U.S. a celebratory franchise fee of $35,000  a savings of $14,750. The limited opportunity will be available through April 30, 2020, and applies to franchise agreements for new, co-branded, and conversion centers.

This year, FASTSIGNS is aiming to sign over 45 franchise agreements in markets like Michigan, Southern California, Florida, New York City, Boston, and throughout the Northeast Corridor. The brand's aggressive growth comes on the heels of a strong 2019 where FASTSIGNS reported exceptional results, including the signing of over 40 franchise agreements in the U.S and Canada to develop new, co-branded, and conversion centers and the opening of more than 30 locations. FASTSIGNS also acquired Long Island-based Sign Me Up Signs & Advertising, adding seven locations to its network.

"As a brand and franchise opportunity, FASTSIGNS has never been stronger. To capitalize on our strong performance in 2019 and mark our 35th anniversary, we're excited to offer this special franchise fee to enable prospective franchisees to join the leading sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise," said Mark Jameson, Executive Vice President of Franchise Support and Development.

"We liked the sign industry and where it is heading technologically, and FASTSIGNS is the top dog in the category. It was important to me that I have an experienced team of professionals behind me that were dedicated to achieving my success," said Clint Ehlers, a FASTSIGNS franchisee in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and Cherry Hill, New Jersey. "There's no better system than FASTSIGNS if you're looking to get into the business."

For any existing business looking to expand into this fast-paced market, FASTSIGNS offers co-brand and conversion programs to help owners diversify their product lines and services to meet the growing demand for comprehensive signage and visual communications solutions. FASTSIGNS has helped countless owners of print shops, photography studios, camera stores, embroidery shops, and more, add a FASTSIGNS to their existing business or fully convert their store to a FASTSIGNS franchise. FASTSIGNS franchisees receive ongoing training and support to stay ahead of the competition and exceed the needs of their local business community. Both the co-brand franchise opportunity and conversion can be started with only $15,000 down on the initial franchise fee.

FASTSIGNS also offers a special incentive for first responders, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, sheriffs, and firefighters, which includes a 50% reduction on the franchise fee  a savings of $24,875.

FASTSIGNS is consistently ranked as a top franchise opportunity. In 2020, Entrepreneur magazine named FASTSIGNS the #1 franchise opportunity in its category and #55 overall on its annual Franchise 500  list, making it the only sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise to be recognized in the top 100. Additionally, Franchise Gator named FASTSIGNS to its Top 100 Franchises of 2020 list. In 2019, Entrepreneur named FASTSIGNS one of the Top Franchises for Veterans and the brand also was recognized in Franchise Business Review's Top Franchises for Veterans report, was named to the America's Best Franchises to Buy list by Forbes magazine, and made Franchise Direct's list of the Top 100 Franchises. Franchise Business Review also has recognized FASTSIGNS as one of the "Best of the Best" for franchisee satisfaction for the last 10 years and its Top 50 Franchises for Women and Top Service Franchises lists in 2019. The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) awarded FASTSIGNS International, Inc. the Franchisees' Choice Designation for the seventh consecutive year for its strong relationship with Canadian franchisees, as well as extensive franchisee training and support.

About FASTSIGNS

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. celebrates its 35th anniversary in business in 2020 as the leading sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 725 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers in 9 countries including the United States and Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Grand Cayman, the United Arab Emirates, Malta, France and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE).

FASTSIGNS locations provide comprehensive signage and visual graphic solutions to help companies of all sizes and across all industries attract more attention, communicate their message, promote their products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touch points. FASTSIGNS has been ranked the #1 franchise opportunity in its category in Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 for the past four years, a 2019 Top Franchises for Veterans by Franchise Business Review and a 2019 America's Best Franchises to Buy list by Forbes magazine.

Learn more about sign and visual graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com . Follow the brand on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns , Twitter @FASTSIGNS or Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS . For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or call 214.346.5679).

Contact:

Chelsea Bear

Fish Consulting

954-893-9150

[email protected]

SOURCE FASTSIGNS International, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.fastsigns.com


Opalesque Industry Update - BFSB and AIBT welcome the news of The European Union's Economic and Financial Affairs Council's complete removal of The Bahamas from its List of Non-Cooperative Jurisdictions for Tax Purposes, at their meeting in Brussels. This was done in recognition of The Bahamas having implemented all of the necessary reforms to meet the EU criteria on tax governance and tax cooperation. The move by the EU underscores The Bahamas' commitment to adhere to global regulations and international best practices as a premiere international financial centre. The decision acknowledges that The Bahamas has implemented all the necessary reform to address concerns regarding economic substance, removal of preferential exemptions and automatic exchange of tax information. "Industry stakeholders welcome today's decision and the positive impact we anticipate that it will have on the financial services sector and on investor confidence generally. We commend the Bahamas government, in particular the team at The Ministry of Finance, for its collaborative approach, steadfastness and ongoing dialogue with industry bodies such as BFSB and AIBT to ensure that practitioners understand the nature and reasoning for the various reforms and have a say in the implementation process. This evidences commitment to public private sector partnership," said a release. "Throughout the entire process of reform, The Bahamas has demonstrated commitment at the highest political level to ensuring that as jurisdiction we comply with international standards on information exchange, tackling harmful tax practices, dismantling artificial tax structures and prevention of financial crime which is critical to our value proposition as a well-regulated international financial center." "We look forward to continued stakeholder engagement on these issues, the development of a strategic plan for the sector and other emerging international initiatives to ensure that we persist in repositioning the financial services sector for long term viability," it added. The Bahamas was one of sixteen (16) jurisdictions that the EU determined had passed legislation to meet EU tax good governance principles, while four (4) new jurisdictions were added to the list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions.
By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - Children and adolescents are being bombarded with ads on social media promoting harmful products from fast food to tobacco and alcohol, according to a United Nations-backed report on Wednesday that called for regulation. Advertisers also sell data on children obtained from electronic games to global tech giants, said the report's lead author, Anthony Costello. 'Children have the right not to be bombarded every day on their phones with advertisements or to have their data stolen...,' said Costello, professor of global health and sustainability at University College London.

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) - Children and adolescents are being bombarded with ads on social media promoting harmful products from fast food to tobacco and alcohol, according to a United Nations-backed report on Wednesday that called for regulation.

Advertisers also sell data on children obtained from electronic games to global tech giants, said the report's lead author, Anthony Costello.

"Children have the right not to be bombarded every day on their phones with advertisements or to have their data stolen...," said Costello, professor of global health and sustainability at University College London.

"Global harmful advertising is targeted at children especially around things that will affect their development and health - things like promoting sugar, fast food, tobacco, alcohol, gaming and gambling," Costello told a news briefing.

The report entitled "A Future for the World's Children?", which also identifies climate change as posing an imminent threat to young people, was released by a commission of more than 40 experts, convened by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and The Lancet medical journal.

Industry should be regulated to protect young people from "inappropriate use of their personal data", it said.

SELLING DATA

In some countries children see up to 30,000 TV ads a year, while youth exposure to vaping (e-cigarette) advertisements in the United States has exploded, according to the report. In Brazil, China, India and Nigeria, two-thirds of 5- and 6-year-olds surveyed could identify at least one cigarette brand logo.

"But the biggest fear I think is the trend in social media advertising and algorithmic targeting," Costello said.

Many games "are actually made by advertising companies who then will sell on all the data of those children without permission to major (tech) companies...," he said.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told global leaders and security chiefs in Munich on Saturday that online content should be regulated with a system somewhere between the existing rules used for the telecoms and media industries.

Children's exposure to commercial marketing of junk food and sugary beverages is associated with buying unhealthy foods, being overweight and obesity, the report said.

The number of obese children and adolescents jumped 11-fold from 11 million in 1975 to 124 million in 2016, it said.

The WHO said in Oct. 2016 that governments should tax sugary drinks to fight the global epidemics of obesity and diabetes, recommendations that industry at the time branded as "discriminatory" and "unproven".

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Gareth Jones)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Discovery Drill 105.9 meters of 188 G/T silver equivalent at its Cordero Project, Mexico

Posted by Publisher Internet

Discovery Metals Corp. (TSX-V: DSV, OTCQX: DSVMF) (?Discovery? or the ?Company?  https://www.commodity-tv.com/play/discovery-metals-well-financed-for-development-further-exploration-at-cordero/ ?) is pleased to announce results from the second set of diamond drill holes completed at its flagship Cordero project (?Cordero? or ?the Project?) located in Chihuahua State, Mexico. Discovery acquired Cordero through the acquisition of Levon Resources Ltd. (?Levon?) in August 2019. The holes are part of the previously announced 30,000-35,000 metre (?m?), Phase 1 drill program planned for completion in 2020. The focus of this program is to define and delineate areas of higher-grade mineralization within the existing Cordero resource.

Taj Singh, President and CEO, states: ?We are pleased with this second set of drill results, as it further validates the near-surface high-grade potential at Cordero. Drilling completed to-date clearly shows that there is excellent continuity and higher grades within the breccia-hosted mineralization. With the addition of two new drill rigs in January, we are excited to now have four drill rigs turning at Cordero and we look forward to the results from this increase in drill activity over the next few quarters.?

DISCUSSION:

Discovery?s focus at Cordero is on upgrading the economic potential of the Project through understanding the nature of the higher-grade zones within the larger mineralized system. Based on Discovery?s review of previous work and the re-logging of core from historic drilling, higher-grade mineralization is currently understood to be predominantly associated with two styles of mineralization: (1) sulphide mineralization within a breccia host; and (2) discrete sulphide veins. The goal of the Phase 1 program is to gain an understanding of the geology, geometry (strike, dip, orientation) and controls on these styles of mineralization in order to define and delineate the higher-grade zones.

Twenty-three holes totaling 8,214 m have been completed to-date, with assays from 15 holes pending. All holes were drilled in the southwest portion of the resource area as defined by Levon3 and were drilled roughly perpendicular to the northeast trend of higher-grade blocks outlined in the Levon resource model.

Holes C19-297 through C19-306 comprise the second set of drill results released by Discovery (see January 8, 2020 press release for the results of holes C19-293 through C19-296). Seven of the ten holes were successful in targeting higher-grade sulphide mineralization within a breccia host. In several holes, mineralization was also intercepted in dacite and sedimentary rocks adjacent to the mineralized breccias. Sulphide mineralization consists predominantly of sphalerite, galena and pyrite as breccia matrix fill within dacite clast-dominated breccias.

Holes C19-297 and C19-303 intercepted sulphide vein-style mineralization with highlight intercepts including 1.1 m of 1,533 g/t AgEq2 and 0.6 m of 1,569 g/t AgEq2. The Company will conduct mapping of historical underground workings to improve its understanding of the structural and geological controls on the sulphide veins. Drilling of the vein targets will ramp up during Q2 once the initial phase of the mapping program is complete.

Supporting maps and sections, drill hole locations and full assay results can be found at the link below: https://dsvmetals.com/site/assets/files/5187/20200212_pr_plan_map_sections_assays.pdf

A full version of this press release with supporting maps and sections can be found at the link below: https://dsvmetals.com/site/assets/files/5361/2020-02-12-dsv-nr.pdf

2020 EXPLORATION PROGRAM:

The Phase 1 drill program will encompass 30,000?35,000 m of drilling. Approximately 6,000 m of the drill program was completed in 2019. The remainder of the drill program is expected to be completed during the first three quarters of 2020. The majority of the drilling in 2020 will be focused on higher-grade breccia mineralization, with the remainder targeting sulphide vein mineralization. The results from Phase 1, in conjunction with the ongoing relogging program of historical drill core, will be incorporated in an updated resource estimate for Cordero, targeted for completion in early 2021.

In addition to this work, the Company anticipates the completion of metallurgical test work in the second half of 2020. Discovery also expects to advance reconnaissance targets on the large 35,000 hectare Cordero property package to drill-ready status in 2020, through mapping, sampling and interpretation of a recently completed, property-wide geophysical survey.

The total exploration budget at Cordero for 2020 is C$11.0 million. The Company is well positioned to fund this exploration program given a cash balance as of January 1, 2020, of approximately C$24.0 million.

About the Cordero Project

Cordero is located on the eastern edge of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains in the northern part of the Central Mexican Silver Belt, Mexico?s premier porphyry and carbonate replacement deposit district. Mineralization at Cordero is similar in nature to well-known nearby bulk tonnage precious metals mines and projects (e.g. Newmont Corporation?s Penasquito Mine and Orla Mining Ltd.?s Camino Rojo project). The bulk tonnage potential of the Cordero deposit was first recognized by Levon in 2009 and the resource was defined by 132,000m of drilling in 292 holes. The most recent resource estimate3 as shown in the table below was released in 2018 (technical report available on Discovery?s website and Levon?s SEDAR profile) and was based on a base case cutoff grade of 15 g/t AgEq. The table includes a sensitivity analysis that also shows tonnage and grade estimates at higher AgEq cutoff grades within the resource shell.

Historical mine workings and prospects at Cordero date back to the 17th century. There are currently about 40 identified shallow, vertical shafts and associated workings at Cordero, generally developed along outcropping, southwest-striking, high-grade silver-zinc-lead-gold sulphide veins as well as high-grade skarn mineralization. Local artisanal miners report most of the past and recent production was direct shipping ore, which was hand-sorted, shipped, and processed in the nearby town of Parral. Despite a long history of mining, these veins have never been explored by drilling, and have the potential to add significantly to the high-grade mineral endowment at Cordero.

About Discovery

Discovery Metals Corp. (TSX-V: DSV, OTCQX: DSVMF) is a Canadian exploration and development company headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and focused on historic mining districts in Mexico. Discovery?s flagship is its 100%-owned Cordero silver project in Chihuahua State, Mexico. The 35,000-hectare property covers a large district that hosts the announced resource as well as numerous exploration targets for bulk tonnage diatreme-hosted, porphyry-style, and carbonate replacement deposits. In addition, Discovery is also exploring multiple high-grade carbonate replacement-style silver-zinc-lead showings in a land package of approximately 150,000 hectares in Coahuila State, Mexico. The land holdings contain numerous historical direct-ship ore workings and significant underground development, but no drill-testing has ever been carried out on them.

?

In Europe:

Swiss Resource Capital AG

www.resource-capital.ch

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

Taj Singh, M.Eng, P.Eng, CPA,

President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director

TECHNICAL NOTES & REFERENCES:

1 All results in this news release are rounded. Assays are uncut and undiluted. Widths are drilled widths (not true widths). Composites for this release were chosen at a 25 g/t AgEq cutoff, whereby no more than 5m of below-cutoff material is included in any composite interval.

2 AgEq calculations for reported drill results are based on USD $16.50/oz Ag, $1,350/oz Au, $0.85/lb Pb, $1.00/lb Zn, and assume 100% metallurgical recovery. Refer to note four below for metallurgical recoveries assumed in the 2018 PEA completed on Cordero.

3 Refer to the ?About the Cordero Project? section of this release for details on the most recent resource estimate for Cordero. Resource commodity prices used for the resource estimate were (USD): $17.14/oz Ag, $1.11/lb Zn, $0.96/lb Pb, $1,262/oz Au. Further information on the resource estimate is available on Discovery?s website.

4 A PEA was completed by M3 Engineering, Resource by IMC, Mar. 1, 2018 (available on Discovery?s website). Resource commodity prices used ($US): $17.14/oz Ag, $1.11/lb Zn, $0.96/lb Pb, $1,262/oz Au; Mine plan uses a subset of Indicated and Inferred Resources at 15 g/t AgEq cutoff. ?PEA assumes metallurgical recoveries of 89% Ag, 84% Pb, 72% Zn, 40% Au.

Sample analysis and QA/QC Program: True widths of reported drill intercepts have not been determined. Assays are uncut except where indicated. All core assays are from HQ drill core unless stated otherwise. Drill core is logged and sampled in a secure core storage facility located at the project site 40km north of the city of Parral. Core samples from the program are cut in half, using a diamond cutting saw, and are sent to ALS Geochemistry-Mexico for preparation in Chihuahua City, Mexico, and subsequently pulps are sent to ALS Vancouver, Canada, which is an accredited mineral analysis laboratory, for analysis. All samples are prepared using a method whereby the entire sample is crushed to 70% passing -2mm, a split of 250g is taken and pulverized to better than 85% passing 75 microns. Samples are analyzed for gold using standard Fire Assay-AAS techniques (Au-AA24) from a 50g pulp.? Over limits are analyzed by fire assay and gravimetric finish. Samples are also analyzed using thirty three-element inductively coupled plasma method (?ME-ICP61?). Over limit sample values are re-assayed for: (1) values of zinc > 1%; (2) values of lead > 1%; and (3) values of silver > 100 g/t. Samples are re-assayed using the ME-OG62 (high-grade material ICP-AES) analytical package. For values of silver greater than 1,500 g/t, samples are re-assayed using the Ag-CON01 analytical method, a standard 30 g fire assay with gravimetric finish. Certified standards and blanks are routinely inserted into all sample shipments to ensure integrity of the assay process. Selected samples are chosen for duplicate assay from the coarse reject and pulps of the original sample. No QAQC issues were noted with the results reported herein.

Qualified Person: Gernot Wober, P.Geo, VP Exploration, Discovery Metals Corp., is the Company\-\-s designated Qualified Person for this news release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (?NI 43-101?) and has reviewed and validated that the information contained in this news release is accurate.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release is not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ?1933 Act?) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. All statements within this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although Discovery believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements include fluctuations in market prices, including metal prices, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. There can be no assurance that the Private Placement will close on the announced terms. Discovery does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable laws.
Kelloggs has updated its international palm oil policy after a campaign launched by two British schoolgirls garnered hundreds of thousands of signatures.

The petition, which is titled: Kelloggs: Stop destroying rainforests for cheap palm oil! was first created two years ago by sisters Asha and Jia Kirkpatrick, then 11 and nine years old.

Their aim, they wrote in the campaigns description on Change.org, was to urge the food manufacturer to stop sourcing their palm oil from unsustainable companies that are destroying rainforests and killing orangutans, and to trace the palm oil from seed to shelf and inform the public exactly where it came from.

Asha and Jia have been featured in the news on several occasions, accumulating more than 785,000 supporters for their petition.

And now, two years after they conceived their initiative, Kelloggs has amended its Global Palm Oil Policy, in addition to launching a Global Deforestation Policy.

Recommended The impact of palm oil deforestation on global emissions

As a socially responsible company, Kelloggs is committed to working with its global palm oil suppliers to source fully traceable palm oil that is produced in a manner thats environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable, which includes helping to mitigate deforestation, the firm said in a statement sent to The Independent.

Although Kellogg uses a very small amount of palm oil globally, we have been working since 2009 to improve its sustainability.

The firm explained that it has committed to sourcing palm oil from suppliers and locations that uphold the companys commitment to protect forests and peat lands, as well as human and community rights.

The company outlined that the palm oil it purchases for use in Europe, excluding Russia, is certified as Segregated.

Environment news in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 Environment news in pictures Environment news in pictures Davos 2019: David Attenborough issues stark warning about future of civilisation as he demands practical solutions to combat climate change Sir David Attenborough has issued a stark warning about climate change to business figures gathered in Davos, telling them that "what we do now...will profoundly affect the next few thousand years". On the eve of this year's World Economic Forum, the renowned naturalist told the audience that the worlds of business and politics should "get on with the practical solutions" needed to prevent environmental damage. "As a species we are expert problem solvers. But we've not yet applied ourselves to this problem with the focus it requires. "We can create a world with clean air and water, unlimited energy, and fish stocks that will sustain us well into the future. But to do that, we need a plan," he said. The broadcaster made his speech after receiving a Crystal Award, which is awarded by the forum to "exceptional cultural leaders". AFP/Getty Environment news in pictures At least 60% of wild coffee species face extinction triggered by climate change and disease Two decades of research have revealed that 60 per cent of the worlds coffee species face extinction due to the combined threats of deforestation, disease and climate change. The wild strain of arabica, the most widely consumed coffee on the planet, is among those now recognised as endangered, raising concerns about its long-term survival. These results are worrying for the millions of farmers around the world who depend on the continued survival of coffee for their livelihoods. As conditions for coffee farming become tougher, scientists predict the industry will need to rely on wild varieties to develop more resilient strains Alan Schaller Environment news in pictures Warming Antarctic waters are speeding the rate at which glaciers are melting The Antarctic ice sheet is losing six times as much ice each year as it was in the 1980s and the pace is accelerating, one of the most comprehensive studies of climate change effects on the continent has shown. More than half an inch has been added to global sea levels since 1979, but if current trends continue it will be responsible for metres more in future, the Nasa-funded study found. The international effort used aerial photos, satellite data and climate models dating back to the 1970s across18 Antarctic regions to get the most complete picture to date on the impacts of the changing climate. It found that between 1979 and 1990 Antarctica lost an average of 40 gigatonnes (40 billion tonnes) of its mass each year. Between 2009 and 2017 it lost an average 252 gigatonnes a year. This has added 3.6mm per decade to sea levels, or around 14mm since 1979, the study shows Nasa/Getty Environment news in pictures Greater Manchester to ban fracking, paving way for confrontation with government over controversial industry Greater Manchester is to effectively ban fracking, raising the prospect of fresh confrontation with the government over the controversial industry. All of the regions 10 councils are to implement planning policies which create a presumption against drilling for shale gas in their areas, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has announced. Campaigners said the move was the latest sign that the tide was turning against fracking, which has been the subject of multiple legal battles across the country. Critics of fracking say it poses environmental and health risks. Drilling at the UKs only operational fracking site, run by Cuadrilla in Lancashire, has repeatedly been halted due to earth tremors. But ministers support the industry and last year unveiled plans to accelerate the development of new drilling sites Ross Wills Environment news in pictures Japan confirms plan to resume commercial whaling in its waters from next year Japan will resume commercial whaling next year for the first time in more than three decades, in a move that has provoked strong criticism from campaigners and the international community. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said his nation would leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume hunting the marine mammals in Japanese waters. However, he stated the activity would be limited to Japans territory and the 200 mile exclusive economic zone along its coasts. This means controversial scientific trips to Antarctica in which Japanese vessels killed hundreds of whales, as well as activity in the northwest Pacific, will stop in 2019 AP Environment news in pictures COP24: Environmental groups criticise morally unacceptable climate deal reached after major Poland summit Diplomats from around the world have agreed a major climate deal after two weeks of United Nations talks in Poland. But climate campaigners warned the deal  effectively a set of rules for how to govern the 2015 Paris climate accord  agreed between almost 200 countries lacked ambition or a clear promise of enhanced climate action. Activists cautiously welcomed elements of the plan, saying important progress had been made on ensuring that efforts to tackle climate change by individual nations can be measured and compared. But environmental groups were also highly critical of the agreement, warning it lacked ambition and clarity on key issues, including financing for climate projects for developing countries. The COP24 deal, which is aimed at providing firm guidelines for countries on how to transparently report their greenhouse gas emissions and their efforts to reduce them, was confirmed on 15 December, after talks overran Reuters Environment news in pictures Unprecedented changes needed to stop global warming as UN report reveals islands starting to vanish and coral reefs dying Greenhouse gas emissions must be cut almost in half by 2030 to avert global environmental catastrophe, including the total loss of every coral reef, the disappearance of Arctic ice and the destruction of island communities, a landmark UN report has concluded. Drawing on more than 6,000 scientific studies and compiled over two years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) findings, released this morning, warn enormous and rapid changes to the way everyone on Earth eats, travels and produces energy need to be brought in immediately. Though the scientists behind the report said there is cause for optimism, they recognised the grim reality that nations are currently nowhere near on track to avert disaster AFP/Getty Environment news in pictures Africas three biggest elephant poaching cartels exposed using DNA from illegal ivory shipments DNA taken from massive shipments of ivory has been used to identify the three largest wildlife trafficking gangs operating at the height of Africas elephant poaching epidemic. Ivory tends to be shipped around the world from African ports in bulk, and scientists have used genetic evidence gleaned from intercepted batches to reveal their origins. Led by Dr Samuel Wasser from the University of Washington, they traced a number of these shipments to three cartels operating out of Kenya, Uganda and Togo. Evidence collected by Dr Wasser has already helped convict ivory kingpin Feisal Mohamed Ali, and as his team joins the dots between shipments they plan to shore up the cases against more of the continents most prolific smugglers Art Wolfe

That means it originates from RSPO-certified estates and plantations, where RSPO [Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil] ensures it is produced in a sustainable way and is certified as such, Kelloggs said.

It also means we can trace the palm oil we buy for use in our foods from the moment it leaves the accredited sustainable palm oil mill, through our supply and manufacturing processes and into our food.

The food manufacturer added that it is committed to transparency in sourcing, which means that it discloses all potential mills that may or may not be present within its supply chain at any time, regardless of volume or potential frequency.

Asha and Jia celebrated the update to the Kelloggs palm oil policy on their campaign page.

Due to our petition and all your support, Kelloggs have released the most ambitious global palm oil policy in the industry! the sisters and their mother, Harvinder Dhinsa, wrote.

This is fantastic progress and none of it would have been possible without your comments and support.

These are tentative first steps on an exciting new journey and Kelloggs and the wider industry have much to prove.
Later school start times are associated with a significant drop in vehicle accidents involving teen drivers, according to a study which may lead to more optimal school time tables which take student safety into account.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, analysed motor vehicle accident statistics involving adolescents in Fairfax County, Virginia in the US for two school years before and after the implementation of later school start times.

According to the researchers, including those from Boston Children's Hospital in the US, the crash rate in 16-to-18-year-old licensed drivers decreased significantly from 31.63 to 29.59 accidents per 1,000 drivers after the delayed start time.

In contrast, they said the teen crash rate remained steady throughout the rest of the state.

"Accidental injuries including motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of deaths of adolescents in the U.S., and anything we can do to mitigate that risk should be considered," said study co-author Judith Owens from the Boston Children's Hospital.

"We know from independent data sources that after a change in school start times students get more sleep, which leads to multiple benefits, not just for individuals but also in terms of huge economic implications," Owens said.

The study compared motor vehicle crash rates among adolescents in the differing school start times in Fairfax County, which in the fall of 2015 changed the school start times by 50 minutes from 7:20 AM to 8:10 AM.

It also compared this with data on teenage crashes in the rest of the state, where school start times did not change.

According to the researchers, the later school start time was associated with a lower rate of distraction-related accidents.

"Teenagers who get more sleep are less likely to make poor decisions such as not wearing a seat belt or engaging in distracted driving," Owens said.

"One of the potential mechanisms for this reduction in car crashes is a decrease in behaviours that are related to risk-taking," she added.

The researchers believe that a delayed school start time offers several benefits, including a greater likelihood that teens will get enough sleep on school nights.

Students will be more alert to achieve peak classroom performance, exhibiting reduced tardiness and absences that will improve opportunities for learning, they said.

Owens believes that her study will help other school districts to examine school start times and their relationship to other safety issues beyond car crashes, such as sports-related injuries in student athletes.

"When schools start too early, students are being asked to wake up and function at a time when their circadian rhythm is telling them to stay asleep," she said.

"Changing school start times not only allows students to get more sleep but allows them to sleep at the optimal time. When they sleep may be equally important, if not more so, than how much sleep they get," Owens added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A major U.S. Senate race underway amid an impeachment saga and congested Democratic presidential primary will be under the spotlight on Tuesday night, when Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy take the debate stage at WGBH studios in Brighton.

The hour-long debate marks the first time the Massachusetts Democrats will directly square off aside from battles that have largely played out on social media and in headlines, including over campaign finance and even when and where to kick off debate season.

Heres how to watch tonights debate.

What time is the debate and where?

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, at 7 p.m. EST in WGBHs Brighton studio.

How can you tune in?

Listeners can tune in to 89.7 WGBH, and viewers can find live streams at WGBHs website, Facebook, and Twitter.

What issues might be discussed?

Markey, 73, a longtime champion for environmental causes, served as a congressman for more than three decades before winning his Senate seat in 2013. Kennedy, 39, part of the commonwealths best-known political dynasty, has represented the 4th District for eight years and is pushing for change in Washington, D.C.

The candidates agree on a host of issues  including advancing renewable energy, improving health care and fighting the high cost of prescription drugs  so the upcoming debates in 2020 will likely focus on whose plans could prove the most effective.

The first debate featuring the pair could delve into ways to combat climate change, Markeys signature issue and a topic discussed in a Stonehill College forum between Markey and labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan, but not Kennedy, last November. Kennedy had pushed for climate change to be discussed in a series of debates beginning in the new year, arguing they would catch more attention from voters.

How the candidates finance their campaigns in the run-up to the Sept. 1 primary is sure to be a sticking point that will arise Tuesday night.

Kennedy and Markey have both pushed for campaign finance reform and lamented the Supreme Courts decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which they say paved the way for a flood of dark money into American politics.

But the candidates have not agreed on a campaign financing pledge, with Kennedy, whos shown strong fundraising totals, calling for no outside spending. Markey has argued that progressive groups, including labor, environmental and womens health advocates, shouldnt be prevented from playing a role in the race.

Liss-Riordan, of Brookline, announced a primary challenge last Spring, months before Kennedy, but she pulled out of the race last month. She has not endorsed either candidate and said she wont run for Kennedys House seat despite encouragement from many supporters. Businessman and author Steve Pemberton ended his primary challenge in October.

Markey and Kennedy have also agreed to debates in Springfield and the Boston area on March 18 and Aug. 18, respectively.
WASHINGTON Attorney General William Barrs Justice Department designated a U.S. Attorneys Office in New York state to co-ordinate and handle investigations and material related to Ukraine, including receiving information from President Donald Trumps personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.

The department assigned Richard Donoghue, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, to be its point person for handling and sorting Ukraine-related matters, according to a letter sent Tuesday to House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler.

Any and all new matters relating to Ukraine shall be directed exclusively to EDNY for investigation and appropriate handling, according to a memo accompanying the letter.

The memo stated that there currently are several distinct open investigations being handled by different U.S. Attorneys Offices and/or Department components that in some way potentially relate to Ukraine. The subject of the memo is Coordination of Investigations. It indicates the Justice Department is involved in far more Ukraine-related probes than may be publicly known.

The policy could open a new line of attack against Barr and the Justice Department leadership after a tumultuous week in which the top U.S. law enforcement officer seized control of cases tied to Trump, prompting a team of prosecutors to step down in one high-profile case. Over the weekend, more than 2,000 former Justice Department officials signed a letter condemning the attorney general.

Trump has repeatedly called for investigations regarding Ukraine, including into the activities of a political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump has also given voice to discredited theories that Ukraine, not Russia, led efforts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election.

The memo released Tuesday says existing matters related to Ukraine will remain with the offices and components where theyre currently being handled but are now subject to ongoing consultation with EDNY.

Any move to widen or expand existing matters will require prior consultation with Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosens office and the Eastern District, according to the memo. That could create tension with ongoing investigations, especially in the Southern District of New York office in Manhattan, which is investigating Giuliani and two of his business associates.

The department assigned Donoghue to co-ordinate existing matters and to assess, investigate and address any other matters relating to Ukraine, including the opening of any new investigations or the expansion of existing ones, according to the memo.

Barr acknowledged last week that an intake process had been established for Giuliani to give the department information he collected in Ukraine, essentially bringing what was a stealth campaign into official government channels. The attorney general didnt initially provide more information.

Giuliani previously said he was collecting information about the activities of Biden and his son, Hunter, in Ukraine. Giulianis efforts became a central factor in Trumps impeachment for pressuring the Ukrainian government to announce investigations into the Bidens to help the presidents reelection. The president was acquitted by the Senate in early February.

Barr has not discussed matters related to Ukraine with Giuliani, according to the letter, which was signed by Stephen Boyd, assistant attorney general for legislative affairs. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania Scott Brady has been assigned to assist in receipt, processing and analysis of information provided by the public relating to Ukraine, according to the letter.

Read more about:
A man was shot and killed Tuesday in the parking lot of an east Alabama credit union, according to a report.

Boaz police told the Sand Mountain Reporter that the victim was shot outside the Family Security Credit Union around 3 p.m. Tuesday.

A suspect has been arrested in the case, Boaz Assistant Police Chief Walter Colbert told the paper.

The victim was not identified but police said he was not an employee of the credit union.
A doctor looks at a PET brain scan at the Banner Alzheimers Institute in Phoenix. Two experimental drugs failed to prevent or slow mental decline in a study of people who are virtually destined to develop Alzheimer's disease at a relatively young age because of rare gene flaws. The results announced Monday, Feb. 10, 2020, are another disappointment for the approach that scientists have focused on for many years -- trying to remove a harmful protein that builds up in the brains of people with the disease. (AP Photo/Matt York)
The World Health Organization on Wednesday hailed "tremendous progress" in the fight against the deadly new coronavirus since it emerged in China in December.

"We are making tremendous progress in a short period of time ... trends are very encouraging but we are not at a turning point yet," said Richard Brennan, WHO's regional emergency director, at a press conference in Cairo.

The death toll from the COVID-19 virus jumped past 2,000 on Wednesday, almost all of them in mainland China where 74,185 cases of infection have been confirmed.

Egypt's health ministry announced last week the first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in Africa, a foreigner whose nationality was not revealed.

In a joint statement with Egypt's Ministry of Health and Population on Wednesday, the WHO noted that the person had shown a "negative" response upon further testing.

"After 48 hours of being admitted to the isolation unit in the hospital, further PCR tests revealed a negative result for the carrier of the COVID-19 virus who tested positive last Friday," the statement said.

It was not immediately clear why the patient tested negative in the latest polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, a widely used method to determine the presence of infectious agents.

A senior WHO official insisted to AFP on Wednesday that the negative results of the patient, who remains in quarantine, still do not make the continent free of the disease.

She said that other carriers of the disease could be present in other countries without necessarily being detected.

During the conference, WHO officials reiterated that even though the foreigner had not shown any symptoms of the virus, the person is still being monitored and has not been released.

John Jabbour, WHO's Egypt director, told AFP that "we are making sure that Africa is still free of the disease except for the case in Egypt".

Slamming misinformation on social media, Brennan noted "there is no evidence it (the virus) was produced in a lab or as a biological weapon".

In response to Chinese efforts to contain the virus, he said that Beijing "has really thrown its weight behind the outbreak" and that reports of concealing the severity of the disease are "frankly unwarranted".

Deep trade links with China and often overstretched healthcare systems have raised concerns about the capacity of African countries to respond to an outbreak.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott has claimed "very top" level Malaysian officials believed vanished Flight MH370 was deliberately downed by the captain in a mass murder-suicide.

The Malaysia Airlines jet vanished on March 8, 2014 carrying 239 people -- mostly from China -- en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

No sign of the plane was found in a 120,000-square kilometre (46,000-square mile) Indian Ocean search zone and the Australian-led search, the largest in aviation history, was suspended in January 2017.

A US exploration firm launched a private hunt in 2018 but it ended after several months of scouring the seabed without success.

The disappearance of the plane has long been the subject of a host of theories -- ranging from the credible to outlandish -- including that veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah had gone rogue.

In an excerpt from a Sky documentary airing Wednesday, Abbott claims he was told within a week of it vanishing that Malaysia believed the captain had intentionally downed the jet.

"My very clear understanding from the very top levels of the Malaysian government is that from very, very early on here, they thought it was murder-suicide by the pilot," he said.

"I'm not going to say who said what to whom but let me reiterate, I want to be absolutely crystal clear, it was understood at the highest levels that this was almost certainly murder-suicide by the pilot -- mass murder-suicide by the pilot."



Zaharie's family and friends have long strongly rejected such claims as baseless.

Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the former head of Malaysia's civil aviation regulator, criticised Abbott's remarks and said there was not sufficient proof to support the idea.

"It is only a theory," Azharuddin, who led the regulator when Flight MH370 disappeared, told AFP.

"You do this speculation and it will hurt the next of kin. The family of the pilot will also feel very bad because you are making an accusation without any proof."



In 2016, Malaysian officials revealed the pilot had plotted a path over the Indian Ocean on a home flight simulator but stressed this did not prove he deliberately crashed the plane.

A final report into the tragedy released in 2018 pointed to failings by air traffic control and said the course of the plane was changed manually.

But they failed to come up with any firm conclusions, leaving relatives angry and disappointed.

Six passengers were Australian, including four from Queensland state, where Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk this week suggested authorities may pursue an inquest into their deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Why are Canadian governments such scaredy cats when it comes to privacy laws and facial fingerprinting? While U.S. states have legislated in the field for over a decade, provinces seem clueless that they have a legislature that can do something about companies like Clearview AI.

Take the U.S. states of Illinois, Washington and Texas: they cover the political landscape south of the border, but their state houses all passed laws protecting their constituents from identity and personal data theft. The Illinois law is the model to be copied by Canadian governments, after a moratorium on facial fingerprinting is put into place, on an urgent basis.

If governments put aside a penny for every dollar they spend on cybersecurity and anti-terrorism, wed have a country far safer from companies like Facebook, Google, and, of course, Clearview AI.

That company is in the Canadian news for stealing peoples facial fingerprints for profit. Theyve lifted your facial fingerprint without your consent, then conspired with police officers, it has been confirmed by police chiefs. Police forces all over Canada have been using Clearview AI as a means to shortcut the constitution.

Who needs a warrant to do some police work when one can just download the proverbial brown envelope of stolen data to identify millions of innocent people? The answer came in the form of a pie in the facial recognition tech for police chiefs  one of whom denounced the practice.

To date we know that at least two of Canadas largest police forces, including Toronto, Peel, Halton, and the RCMP (which neither confirmed nor denied), all used it, apparently without following any procurement laws or process, because there is nothing on the books about how police services started playing with this dangerous weapon against our civil liberties.

The other big forces are OPP, Surete du Quebec, and Montreal police. Our guess is that Clearview AI offered it to officers or entire forces, under the false pretext that they were beta-testing the technology and wanted feedback from police on the user experience.

When the industry and police cut legal corners like this, its called a pilot project. When civilians do it, its called a criminal conspiracy or organized crime. Either way, Clearview AI got to enlarge its database, police have poisoned an untold number of investigations and charges with their illegal searches, and millions of Canadians have been facially fingerprinted and their biometric has been part of police searches, without their ever knowing it. Unconstitutional and uber-creepy.

Whats the problem? If you are OK with having your newborn fingerprinted at birth, with those prints going into a police database in perpetuity, then youre OK with facial fingerprinting, or facial recognition technology, as its deceitfully called. (Beware jargon used by people with coercive powers, George Orwell warned us long, long ago).

Our leading Canadian police forces may tell themselves its just about canvassing mug shots, but they know otherwise. The problem is that our personal identity ought to be treated with dignity and privacy in a constitutional democracy. Taking it without our consent or a lawful warrant is the opposite of dignity and privacy and freedom.

The law of Canada is that any search, seizure, dusting, downloading, extraction, collection and storage of biometric data like DNA or fingerprints, requires compliance with laws designed to recognize that biometrics are particularly personal, sensitive information and there must be due process and appropriate safeguards in place to govern their collection.

But when it comes to facial biometrics, police around the world pretend that the same safeguards are unnecessary. Why? The answer seems to be variously: ends justified the means, or everyones doing it, or hey, it saves time. Not compelling reasons to abandon due process or civil liberties.

Outside the justice sector, there are still questions about how private profiteers, governments and public researchers can use your facial fingerprints.

Until the legislative procrastination ends, until the necessary legal protections are ready for prime time, it is self-evident that we require a moratorium on the use of facial recognition technology in Canada. Thats what is being proposed by U.S. senators of their federal government. Thats what we need in Canada, and it all starts with one leader stepping forward.
Pentagon officials on Wednesday released a list of military treatment facilities and clinics that will no longer provide care to military retirees and active-duty families as part of a shift in focus to supporting active-duty readiness.

"The military health system is in the midst of implementing several significant reforms aimed at building a more integrated and effective system of readiness and health," said Tom McCaffery, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. "We reviewed all facilities through the lens of their contributions to military readiness -- that includes MTFs [being] operated to ensure service members are medically ready to train and deploy. It also means MTFs are effectively utilized as platforms that enable our military medical personnel to acquire and maintain the clinical skills and experience that prepares them for deployment in support of combat operations around the world."

The list is included in a 61-page report to Congress delivered Wednesday. The report lays out the process through which officials selected the locations slated for changes.

Those changes, first announced in a Feb. 3 memo obtained by Military.com, are slated to impact 200,000 retirees and active-duty family members. Of those, officials said Wednesday, about 80,000 are active-duty family members, while the remaining 120,000 are retirees and their families.

Related: Some Retirees Have Already Been Pushed to Off-Base Providers in Tricare Shift

Of the 38 facilities that will no longer see retirees or family members, 24 are slated to shift to active-duty only over the next several years, officials said. Eleven clinics have already started the process of moving to active-duty only, and three are slated to close to all users.

An additional four facilities are slated for downgrades. For example, the hospital at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, will downgrade to an ambulatory care center under the plan. Two facilities will shift to mostly active-duty care, but will take families as needed. And two hospitals could be given upgrades, including the hospital at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

While officials said military readiness, not cost savings, is the primary driver for the changes, pushing retirees and active-duty families into the community for care should save the system money.

For 2021, that savings is expected to reach about $36 million, officials said.

"We have generally found that, through our contracts, that our care often is cheaper in the network from a government purchase point of view than the cost of actually doing it within our direct-care system in some locations," Dr. Dave Smith, deputy assistant secretary of defense for force health, told reporters. "And clearly, as part of our methodology, that was one of the questions we asked, but our principal question was, 'Are we getting readiness value out of this location that is worth the cost, if you will, compared to putting that somewhere else in the system.'"

But the changes will bring higher costs to many users forced to see doctors within the civilian community. For retirees on Tricare Prime, receiving care off base costs $20 per visit for primary care and $31 for specialty care. Thats for in-network doctors outside the MTF, and comes on top of a $600 per family annual registration fee.

For active-duty families on Tricare Prime, the change will carry no out-of-pocket costs.

The Feb. 3 memo noted that "in many cases" all users will still be able to receive pharmacy services at the impacted facilities.

All the clinics listed as shifting to active duty-only were noted as keeping pharmacy service for all users. However, pharmacy services provided by the facilities slated for complete closure will cease. That means users who previously received drugs from those facilities will need to shift to a different military pharmacy or pay out of pocket for drugs from a local retail pharmacy or mail order.

Officials told reporters Wednesday that no clinics identified for transition will do so until care is secured within the civilian community for each patient, a process that they said could take as long as five years. The Defense Health Agency, which manages the Tricare program and its private contractor, will oversee that process, McCaffery said.

"It will be the Defense Health Agency working with the local MTF leader, the installation commander and our Tricare network partners in making those determinations in terms of assessing the ability of that civilian health care market to take on additional patients," he said. "We recognize that this is an MTF by MTF, market by market implementation."

Officials said they examined more than 300 military health facilities as part of their review. Of those, they looked at 77 for a "detailed assessment" and determined that 50 warrant changes. Thirty-eight were then identified as having the necessary nearby civilian medical support to absorb an influx of new patients, they said.

That civilian capacity was assessed by surveying the local provider network and working with base commanders and MTF officials, the report says.

For example, researchers looked at primary, specialty and in-patient care within specific drive-time standards. For primary care, officials looked at providers within 15 miles of the current MTF for urban areas, and 30 miles for rural areas. For specialty care, the standard was 40 miles for urban areas and 55 miles for rural areas. And for in-patient hospital care, the standard was a 60-minute drive time.

For in-patient care, special attention was paid to labor and delivery services, the report states. In many cases, it notes, decisions were made specifically based on that issue. For example, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, closing Blanchfield Army Medical Center to non-active duty patients is not an option because the local hospitals, in nearby Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee, would not be able to handle a resulting 267% increase in annual deliveries, the report states.

Below is a list of facilities slated for changes or closures. The list can also be downloaded here. The complete report to Congress is available here.

Facilities closing to non-active duty patients include:

Facilities that have either already transitioned to active duty-only, or are in process:

Facilities that will close completely to all users:

MacDill Air Force Base's Sabal Park community clinic in Brandon, Florida

Fort Benning, Georgia, North Columbus-Benning clinic

Fort Irwin, California, Department of Behavioral Health

Facilities that could see upgrades:

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, upgrade to Level II Trauma Center

Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii, could be closed to non-active duty patients if officials determine that the local community can handle providing the necessary medical care.

Facilities slated for downgrade:

Fort Meade, Maryland, Kimbrough, Ambulatory Care Center to downgrade to a clinic

Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, Naval Hospital Beaufort downgrade to ambulatory surgery center

Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, downgrade to an ambulatory surgery center and outpatient clinic; McDonald clinic downgrade from ambulatory surgery to an outpatient clinic

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, downgrade from ambulatory surgery to an outpatient clinic

Facilities that may continue to see active-duty families

Naval Technical Training Center Meridian, Mississippi, outpatient clinic

Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Miami, Florida, Gordon outpatient clinic

-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.

Read more: Navy Takes Major Step Toward Building Its Drone Ship Fleet
Note: This story has been updated to give the correct date when the verdict was reached and the location of the trial.

A doctor who had a practice in San Antonios Medical Center was found guilty Jan. 15 of falsely diagnosing patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions so he could prescribe drugs as part of a $325 million fraud scheme.

After a 25-day federal jury trial in McAllen, Dr. Jorge Zamora-Quezada, 63, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, seven counts of health care fraud, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.

As evidenced by the length of trial, this was a massive investigation into one of the worst medical fraudsters, said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas. Unnecessary medical tests to create millions of dollars of false billing is as bad as it gets. Patients were put through unneeded anxiety and pain so the doctor could make millions. He wont need it where hes headed.

On ExpressNews.com: Former patients of indicted doctor file notices to sue him

A 2018 indictment said that since 2000, Zamora-Quezada and unnamed co-conspirators falsely diagnosed vulnerable patients  including the young, elderly and disabled from San Antonio, the Rio Grande Valley and elsewhere  with various degenerative diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis.

The physician treated patients with unnecessary medications, including chemotherapy drugs, evidence at trial showed. Patients testified about the physical and emotional harm they suffered as a result of the false diagnoses, chemotherapy injections and hours-long intravenous infusions.

Prosecutors said the scam, which included bilking government-backed insurance programs Medicaid, Medicare and Tricare, helped fund a lavish lifestyle. At one point, Zamora-Quezada had a private jet and a Maserati, both branded with his initials ZQ, a Porsche and exclusive real estate in the United States and Mexico, including two penthouses in Puerto Vallarta, a condo in Aspen and another one in Punta Mita, Mexico.

On ExpressNews.com: Rio Grande Valley doctor with San Antonio link indicted in huge fraud case

Zamora-Quezada, from Mission, had clinics and pharmacies in Edinburg and Brownsville as well as San Antonio, where he ran the Angeles Multi-Specialty Clinic.

He falsely diagnosed potentially hundreds of patients, some as young as 13, with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other diseases, according to evidence presented at trial.

Zamora-Quezada treated patients for 18 years, according to the FBI.

He is expected to be sentenced on March 27.
Meixner decided to re-create the concept at Portage High School, recruiting a limited number of students and staff in order to keep it a surprise. Between the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America and the Warrior Way team, about 20 students managed to keep everything secret.

FCCLA students made about 400 chocolate chip cookies with the help of their teacher. GSA members helped package the treats. Members of both groups volunteered to work at the store, explaining that students could take only one treat and had to check out by getting their picture taken with their purchase at a special photo booth.

Organizers encouraged anyone taking a treat to post about their good deed on social media using #phskindnessstore. District Communication Specialist Dawn Brauner streamed the event on Facebook.

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Senior Treyton Schommar, one of the student organizers, said he hopes students follow through on their act of kindness. He is the student representative in the Warrior Way team, which tries to promote and reward positive behaviors at PHS.
Two of the people were in the biocontainment unit Wednesday afternoon. All 13 will remain on the UNMC campus until they complete their 14-day quarantine  possibly longer if theyre ill.

All 13 were tested for coronavirus after they arrived at the medical center. Test results were sent to the CDC in Atlanta for confirmation and were not available Wednesday.

Some among the 57 healthy Americans who were at Camp Ashland have told federal officials that they are concerned about negative attention that might come with their return from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent time in quarantine  particularly as they return to jobs and school. Consequently, there will be no fanfare associated with their departure.

Federal officials have said they have tried to keep the 57 people occupied. They held a first birthday party for one youngster and another birthday party for a 40-something. One traveler requested a guitar and played it for the children. The 57 received valentines and held a haiku-writing contest.
With the Supreme Court-mandated liability pushing telecom companies to the brink, industry honchos Sunil Bharti Mittal and Kumar Mangalam Birla on Wednesday met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as their firms scrambled to meet payment deadlines.

While the two refused to comment on discussions they had with Sitharaman, Mittal said the telecom sector has been under stress for the last three-and-a-half years and the government should focus on its sustainability.

Mittal, who heads mobile service major Bharti Airtel, first met Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash before going for the meeting with the finance minister.

Birla, who is the chairman of Vodafone Idea Ltd, had met the telecom secretary on Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear if the two telecom tycoons met Sitharaman together or separately.

Emerging out of the North Block after meeting Sitharaman, Mittal told reporters that the issue of pending dues arising out of the Supreme Court ruling on Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) was not discussed.

The telecom industry, he said, is vital to India's digital agenda.

"This industry is very vital to the nation's digital agenda, and many other industries that ride on it....employment, government taxes...the only thing government needs to focus on is how to ensure sustainiability of the sector," Mittal said.

Mittal -- whose company Bharti Airtel is confronted with over Rs 35,000 crore of statutory dues -- did not elaborate on the relief mechanism that the telco is pitching for. The industry as such has been batting for reduction in levies like licence fee and spectrum charges.

Mittal said Airtel has already announced its plans to pay the dues that arose from the apex court ruling. The company is calculating its liability, he added.

Airtel has so far paid Rs 10,000 crore out of its estimated liability of over Rs 35,000 crore.

"We have made statement that we are working on the calculation so as soon as it is ready...," he said.

Vodafone Idea Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla refused to comment on whether the company has approached the government for relief on the timelines for the statutory payment, and whether he has received any assurances in return.

Asked about the mounting stress in the telecom sector, Birla said, "That is in the public domain...there is no other insight I can add."



On whether it is a do-or-die moment for telecom companies like Vodafone Idea, Birla said, "Let us see."



Vodafone Idea on Monday paid Rs 2,500 crore to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and promised to pay another Rs 1,000 crore before the end of the week.

But the amount paid for now is less than 5 per cent of the dues that the DoT estimates the company owes to the government following the Supreme Court ruling that asked for including non-core revenues of telcos in computing statutory payments such as licence fee and spectrum charges.

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stop the telecom department from taking any coercive steps for recovery of dues from Vodafone Idea.

In December, Birla had said Vodafone Idea may have to shut down if there is no relief on statutory dues. "If we are not getting anything, then I think it is the end of the story for Vodafone Idea," Birla had said. "It does not make sense to put good money after bad... We will shut shop."



After a Supreme Court rap on February 14 for missing the payment deadline, top telecom firms Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Tata Teleservices earlier this week scrambled to pay a part of their outstanding dues.

Airtel -- which recently raised USD 3 billion -- has paid Rs 10,000 crore to the government, and said it will clear the remaining dues before the next date of hearing on March 17. Vodafone Idea, however, has so far not provided a clear deadline for making balance payments.

Tata Teleservices paid Rs 2,197 crore, the entire outstanding it believes to have arisen after the October ruling of the apex court for calculating dues after adding non-telecom revenues. It has also submitted to DoT the details of calculations in support of the payment.

The DoT -- which last week drew flak for ordering no coercive action even after telcos missed the January 23 payment deadline set by the Supreme Court -- had been mulling the option of encashing bank guarantees given by firms when they got telecom licences, as none of the telcos paid the full amount. The telecom department would seek opinion from the law ministry on the issue, sources said.

The Supreme Court, last week, rejected a plea by companies such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea for extension in the payment schedule and asked all of them to deposit an estimated Rs 1.47 lakh crore in past dues for spectrum and licences. It threatened to initiate contempt proceedings against top executives of these firms for non-payment.

Some telecom firms are already struggling with mounting losses and debt and the additional liability has raised concerns of them defaulting on existing loans. Of the estimated dues that include interest and penalty for late payments, Airtel and Vodafone Idea owe about 60 per cent.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The emerging Amazon third-party seller industry saw Helium 10, an established SaaS provider and the leading all-in-one software for third-party Amazon sellers, win the top spot in the Software Company category in the SellerPoll awards.

The SellerPoll awards, the first annual awards for Amazon and private label sellers, were determined by individual votes from Amazon sellers around the world who selected the company among 14 other software companies in the industry.

"The software space is super fierce and competitive," Danny McMillan said. "This year [they] won this by a landslide, heading off the likes of the much-respected JungleScout by Greg Mercer and Viral Launch run by Casey Gauss."

With Amazon claiming a growing chunk of the e-commerce space, the win points to the company's influence not only in the third-party and private label industry but as an emerging SaaS company, as well.

The company credits the honor to its loyal customers and its promise to offer the most current, customer-centric tools, services and training.

Helium 10's Bradley Sutton, Director of Training and Customer Success, explained that he feels the award is much more than simply having the most users. "There are reasons so many people have chosen us as their go-to suite for their Amazon business. We have the most extensive, A-Z set of tools that Amazon sellers need for every step of the process, the most accurate data, and the best value. 'Helping sellers rise to the top' isn't just our catchphrase, it's our core motivation."

About Danny McMillan and Seller Sessions:

Danny is a survivor of the former music industry, serial start-up entrepreneur & now an Amazon Seller. Danny has been a guest speaker at The Smart China Sourcing Summit in Hong Kong, The European Private Label Summit, The Private Label World Summit & The Great Escape (Europe's largest Music Industry convention). He regularly speaks on all subjects relating to online selling and has appeared on numerous podcasts along with contributing to industry bible Webretailer.com.

Seller Sessions started as a webinar in January 2017, today offering breaking news and advanced techniques for the global Amazon FBA community.

About Helium 10:

Founded in 2016, Helium 10 is an all-in-one suite of software tools for Amazon sellers and major global brands. Helium 10 offers solutions for Amazon product research, keyword research, listing optimization and maintenance, account alerts and automation, inventory monitoring, email marketing, financial analytics, and reimbursement assistance. The company has helped over 250,000 sellers scale their businesses on Amazon. Helium 10 strives to deliver highly accurate, data-driven, comprehensive software to Amazon sellers everywhere.

Helium 10 is headquartered in Irvine, California, with multiple satellite offices worldwide. The company is undergoing rapid growth in both domestic and international markets. For more information, visit Helium10.com.

Media Contact

Matt Sky

[email protected]

SOURCE Helium 10

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According to the first advanced estimates of Central Statistical Office, Indias GDP is expected to grow at 5 per cent in 2019-20, a 10-year low.

New Delhi: With the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) across the world and several nations imposing mandatory quarantine on movement of people and goods, leading to fear of price rise and shortage, the government is expected to announce some relief measures after assessing the impact of the epidemic on Indian businesses and economy.

The move follows finance minister Nirmala Sitharamans meeting with industry representatives and other stakeholders on Tuesday afternoon, according to a top government source.

Due to the shift of import of raw material from China to Middle East and Europe, and congestion of goods at Indias eastern ports, there are fears of massive price hikes, especially of plants, machinery, petrochemicals. Several industries have also raised concerns over the reduced supply of masks for both Indian and Chinese manpower at their manufacturing bases in China.

Thats why, the source said, the industry is seeking a reduction in the quarantine period for people and consignments coming from China.

We are informed that India Inc is very much concerned over the outbreak of coronavirus following which there is a possibility of massive price hikes due to shift of import of raw material from China to Middle East or Europe. The government will soon announce measures to deal with the impact of the outbreak on the domestic industry. Almost all industry bodies have also cautioned price hikes on plants, machinery, petrochemicals due to congestion at the Eastern Indian ports, said the source.

Ms Sitharaman, however, said, There are no concerns about price rise so far due to coronavirus and it is too early to talk about the impact of Covid-19 outbreak on the Make in India initiative. There were no reports of shortage of medicines or medical equipment, instead the pharma industry is asking for lifting of ban on exports of certain items. However, there could be some disruptions in supplies and concerns have been expressed by the representative of pharma, solar and chemical industries.

She added that she would hold a meeting with the secretaries of different ministries on Wednesday and then announce steps to deal with the situation in consultation with the Prime Ministers Office.

Pharmaceutical as well as petrochemical firms are asking for relaxations especially on API imports as well as special provision in GST law for issuing deemed export license since they are on a decline because of shutdown in Wuhan, the main coronavirus impacted area, the source said.

The petrochemicals industry, however, has demanded that the quarantine period to be hiked as it gives them more time to balance and process their supply.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said in a report that India as well as other countries need to have strategies for minimising risks and managing the situation.

China is facing a quarantine-like situation with movement of goods and people to and from the country facing a lockdown. While the situation for human impact is very serious, the economic impact will cascade into loss of employment, markets, and small enterprises, it said.

It proposed a three-pronged strategy to be implemented by the government. On the import side, it proposed minimizing risks to key sectors arising from supply chain disruptions. It also suggested leveraging opportunities to be an alternative destination of exports and keep supply chains running and leverage excess capacity to protect the domestic industry, the source said.

According to the first advanced estimates of Central Statistical Office (CSO), Indias GDP is expected to grow at 5 per cent in 2019-20, a 10-year low.

The recently release official trade data reflected the impact of the epidemic on both exports and imports. Indias merchandise exports in January 2020 fell by 1.66 per cent in January to $25.97 billion and imports dropped by 0.75 per cent to $41.14 billion on an annual basis amidst rising fear of global trade disruptions due to the spread of the coronavirus.
JUNO BEACH, Fla., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) announced today that it has agreed to sell $2.5 billion of equity units to J.P. Morgan, Wells Fargo Securities, and BofA Securities. The transaction is expected to close on Feb. 21, 2020.

Each equity unit will be issued in a stated amount of $50. Each equity unit will consist of a contract to purchase NextEra Energy common stock in the future and a 5% undivided beneficial ownership interest in a NextEra Energy Capital Holdings, Inc. debenture due March 1, 2025, to be issued in the principal amount of $1,000. The debentures will be guaranteed by NextEra Energy Capital Holdings' parent company, NextEra Energy, Inc. Total annual distributions on the equity units will be at the rate of 5.279%, consisting of interest on the debentures and payments under the stock purchase contracts.

Each stock purchase contract will require the holder to purchase NextEra Energy common stock for cash, based on a per-share price range of $282.04 to $352.55. The higher end of this price range reflects a premium of 25% over the New York Stock Exchange closing price of NextEra Energy common stock on Feb. 18, 2020, which was $282.04. The holders must complete the stock purchase by no later than March 1, 2023, and their purchase obligations may be satisfied with proceeds raised from remarketing the debentures that comprise part of their equity units.

The net proceeds from the sale of the equity units, which are expected to be approximately $2.42 billion (after deducting the underwriting discount and other offering expenses), will be added to the general funds of NextEra Energy Capital Holdings. NextEra Energy Capital Holdings expects to use its general funds to fund investments in energy and power projects and for other general corporate purposes, including the repayment of all or a portion of NextEra Energy Capital Holdings' outstanding commercial paper obligations.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities to which this communication relates in any jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The offering may be made only by means of a prospectus and the related prospectus supplement, copies of which may be obtained from J.P. Morgan Securities LLC at Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewater, NY 11717, Phone: 866-803-9204.

NextEra Energy, Inc.

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is a leading clean energy company headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida. NextEra Energy owns two electric companies in Florida: Florida Power & Light Company, which serves more than 5 million customer accounts in Florida and is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in the United States as measured by retail electricity produced and sold; and Gulf Power Company, which serves more than 470,000 customers in eight counties throughout northwest Florida. NextEra Energy also owns a competitive energy business, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy generates clean, emissions-free electricity from eight commercial nuclear power units in Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin. A Fortune 200 company and included in the S&P 100 index, NextEra Energy has been recognized often by third parties for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity. NextEra Energy is ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry on Fortune's 2020 list of "World's Most Admired Companies" and ranked among the top 25 on Fortune's 2018 list of companies that "Change the World."

Cautionary Statements And Risk Factors That May Affect Future Results



This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical facts, but instead represent the current expectations of NextEra Energy, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy) regarding future operating results and other future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of NextEra Energy's control. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements concerning adjusted earnings per share expectations and future operating performance, statements concerning future dividends, and results of acquisitions. In some cases, you can identify the forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "will," "may result," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "intend," "plan," "seek," "potential," "projection," "forecast," "predict," "goals," "target," "outlook," "should," "would" or similar words or expressions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of future performance. The future results of NextEra Energy and its business and financial condition are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, or may require it to limit or eliminate certain operations. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following: effects of extensive regulation of NextEra Energy's business operations; inability of NextEra Energy to recover in a timely manner any significant amount of costs, a return on certain assets or a reasonable return on invested capital through base rates, cost recovery clauses, other regulatory mechanisms or otherwise; impact of political, regulatory and economic factors on regulatory decisions important to NextEra Energy; disallowance of cost recovery based on a finding of imprudent use of derivative instruments; effect of any reductions or modifications to, or elimination of, governmental incentives or policies that support utility scale renewable energy projects or the imposition of additional tax laws, policies or assessments on renewable energy; impact of new or revised laws, regulations, interpretations or ballot or regulatory initiatives on NextEra Energy; capital expenditures, increased operating costs and various liabilities attributable to environmental laws, regulations and other standards applicable to NextEra Energy; effects on NextEra Energy of federal or state laws or regulations mandating new or additional limits on the production of greenhouse gas emissions; exposure of NextEra Energy to significant and increasing compliance costs and substantial monetary penalties and other sanctions as a result of extensive federal regulation of its operations and businesses; effect on NextEra Energy of changes in tax laws, guidance or policies as well as in judgments and estimates used to determine tax-related asset and liability amounts; impact on NextEra Energy of adverse results of litigation; effect on NextEra Energy of failure to proceed with projects under development or inability to complete the construction of (or capital improvements to) electric generation, transmission and distribution facilities, gas infrastructure facilities or other facilities on schedule or within budget; impact on development and operating activities of NextEra Energy resulting from risks related to project siting, financing, construction, permitting, governmental approvals and the negotiation of project development agreements; risks involved in the operation and maintenance of electric generation, transmission and distribution facilities, gas infrastructure facilities, retail gas distribution system in Florida and other facilities; effect on NextEra Energy of a lack of growth or slower growth in the number of customers or in customer usage; impact on NextEra Energy of severe weather and other weather conditions; threats of terrorism and catastrophic events that could result from terrorism, cyberattacks or other attempts to disrupt NextEra Energy's business or the businesses of third parties; inability to obtain adequate insurance coverage for protection of NextEra Energy against significant losses and risk that insurance coverage does not provide protection against all significant losses; a prolonged period of low gas and oil prices could impact NextEra Energy's gas infrastructure business and cause NextEra Energy to delay or cancel certain gas infrastructure projects and could result in certain projects becoming impaired; risk of increased operating costs resulting from unfavorable supply costs necessary to provide full energy and capacity requirement services; inability or failure to manage properly or hedge effectively the commodity risk within its portfolio; effect of reductions in the liquidity of energy markets on NextEra Energy's ability to manage operational risks; effectiveness of NextEra Energy's risk management tools associated with its hedging and trading procedures to protect against significant losses, including the effect of unforeseen price variances from historical behavior; impact of unavailability or disruption of power transmission or commodity transportation facilities on sale and delivery of power or natural gas; exposure of NextEra Energy to credit and performance risk from customers, hedging counterparties and vendors; failure of counterparties to perform under derivative contracts or of requirement for NextEra Energy to post margin cash collateral under derivative contracts; failure or breach of NextEra Energy's information technology systems; risks to NextEra Energy's retail businesses from compromise of sensitive customer data; losses from volatility in the market values of derivative instruments and limited liquidity in OTC markets; impact of negative publicity; inability to maintain, negotiate or renegotiate acceptable franchise agreements; occurrence of work strikes or stoppages and increasing personnel costs; NextEra Energy's ability to successfully identify, complete and integrate acquisitions, including the effect of increased competition for acquisitions; environmental, health and financial risks associated with ownership and operation of nuclear generation facilities; liability of NextEra Energy for significant retrospective assessments and/or retrospective insurance premiums in the event of an incident at certain nuclear generation facilities; increased operating and capital expenditures and/or reduced revenues at nuclear generation facilities resulting from orders or new regulations of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; inability to operate any of NextEra Energy's owned nuclear generation units through the end of their respective operating licenses or through expected shutdown; effect of disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the credit and capital markets or actions by third parties in connection with project-specific or other financing arrangements on NextEra Energy's ability to fund its liquidity and capital needs and meet its growth objectives; inability to maintain current credit ratings; impairment of liquidity from inability of credit providers to fund their credit commitments or to maintain their current credit ratings; poor market performance and other economic factors that could affect NextEra Energy's defined benefit pension plan's funded status; poor market performance and other risks to the asset values of nuclear decommissioning funds; changes in market value and other risks to certain of NextEra Energy's investments; effect of inability of NextEra Energy subsidiaries to pay upstream dividends or repay funds to NextEra Energy or of NextEra Energy's performance under guarantees of subsidiary obligations on NextEra Energy's ability to meet its financial obligations and to pay dividends on its common stock; the fact that the amount and timing of dividends payable on NextEra Energy's common stock, as well as the dividend policy approved by NextEra Energy's board of directors from time to time, and changes to that policy, are within the sole discretion of NextEra Energy's board of directors and, if declared and paid, dividends may be in amounts that are less than might be expected by shareholders; NEP's inability to access sources of capital on commercially reasonable terms could have an effect on its ability to consummate future acquisitions and on the value of NextEra Energy's limited partner interest in NextEra Energy Operating Partners, LP; and effects of disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the credit and capital markets on the market price of NextEra Energy's common stock. NextEra Energy discusses these and other risks and uncertainties in its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and other SEC filings, and this news release should be read in conjunction with such SEC filings made through the date of this news release. The forward-looking statements made in this news release are made only as of the date of this news release and NextEra Energy undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

SOURCE NextEra Energy, Inc.

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Linkedin Bruce Einhorn (Bloomberg) Hong Kong  Wed, February 19, 2020 16:05 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206573a2f 2 World Hong-Kong,protest,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,outbreak Free

After a decade and a half in Hong Kong, New Zealand native Ian Jacob is calling it quits. The owner of a construction-materials company, Jacob and his wife were worried last year about the political unrest, especially after the temporary suspension of schools. We watched as the situation got worse and worse, he said.

With classes suspended again amid the coronavirus outbreak, the prospect of more home schooling for their 10-year-old daughter pushed them to take refuge in Auckland, New Zealand. Jacob said theyll be moving back there for good once the school year ends in Hong Kong.

Its just becoming an unstable environment to raise a child in, he said.

The debate about leaving Hong Kong -- which began for many expats during the unrest last summer and fall -- has taken on a greater urgency with the spread of the virus, which has claimed more than 1,800 lives globally, and caused many companies in the financial hub to require employees to work from home. Critics accuse Chief Executive Carrie Lams government of mishandling the latest crisis compared with Singapore, which has kept schools open.

An exodus by expats like Jacob could further damage an economy already reeling from the unrest and the virus, with visitor numbers plunging and unemployment rising.

Hong Kong residents who come from elsewhere play outsized roles in finance, law and other service industries that make the city a global business capital. About 690,000 foreigners and non-Hong Kong Chinese live in the Special Administrative Region, accounting for about 9.5% of the population, according to the 2016 census. Half were from the Philippines and Indonesia, the main sources of domestic helpers; the former colony also had about 35,000 Britons and 14,800 Americans.

The citys population at the end of 2019 fell 0.1% from the midyear count, the first decline in almost two decades, according to government data released Tuesday. There was a net outflow of Hong Kong residents -- excluding one-way permit holders from Mainland China -- of 29,200 in 2019, compared with a net inflow of 23,000 in the 12-month period ending in the middle of 2019.

Though there are no statistics on the number considering permanent moves, there is growing anecdotal evidence of a shift in sentiment among expats. Relocation companies are seeing a spike in inquiries about overseas moves with growing predictions that the political stalemate will lead to more instability.

Grim Outlook

As the city combats the virus outbreak, the political situation could well worsen in the days and weeks ahead, risk consultancy Steve Vickers and Associates said in a report released Feb. 11.

There were at least 62 confirmed cases of the virus in Hong Kong as of Feb. 19, fewer than in Japan or Singapore, and two deaths. Thats enough to create widespread fear. Many employees are working from home and many restaurants are struggling. Panic buying has emptied supermarkets, with bare shelves where toilet paper and hand sanitizer used to be.

Links International Relocation Ltd. had a 45% increase in inquiries about moves in the second week of February compared with a year earlier, said Patrick ODonnell, the companys Hong Kong-based managing director. The governments announcement on Feb. 13 that schools would remain closed until mid-March -- at least -- will likely prompt more families to relocate, he said.

Typically the peak season for overseas moves is in June, yet springtime already is starting to look busy, said Timothy Tao, Hong Kong-based director of business development with relocation company Asian Tigers Group. Inquiries have jumped in the past month, he said.

Robert Chipman, Asian Tigers Group Hong Kong CEO, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television Wednesday that while theres strong demand for moves from Hong Kong, there is almost no interest in relocations to the city. Hes been in his position for almost 20 years.

Ive never seen anything like this, he said.

Permanent Damage?

Hong Kong is at risk of an exodus that could threaten the citys global status, the heads of the local British and French chambers of commerce warned in a Feb. 12 letter.

If the specific needs of international schools cannot be rapidly addressed, this will very likely trigger decisions of families [not just expatriates] to leave Hong Kong in the coming weeks, wrote Rebecca Silli and Peter Burnett, chairs of the French and British chambers, respectively. This would also have dramatic consequences on the international schools financial position, even to the point of putting at risk the continued operation of some.

Still, many businesses and families are staying put, saying theyre confident Hong Kong will remain a hub for multinationals. Among the optimists is two-decade resident Donna NguyenPhuoc, a partner with Sparq Capital, which works with family offices to co-invest in such industries as technology.

A lot of people who are planning to move havent been in Hong Kong enough to see how resilient Hong Kong is, she said. If you have been here long enough, you realize Hong Kong will push through this as it has before.

Other families are going elsewhere at least temporarily, as they wait to see what happens next.

Insurance industry executive Ruth Lu, who has children ages 7 and 11, has rented a house with a pool on the Thai island of Koh Samui while schools are closed. We dont even need to wear masks, she said.

A native of Chinas Jiangsu Province who has lived in Hong Kong for more than 20 years, Lu has no immediate plans to move but the unrest has soured her on the city. Its not the old Hong Kong like when I first arrived, she said.

Several bankers interviewed by Bloomberg, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to comment, said they had moved abroad with their families at least until the outbreak subsided and have postponed making longer-term plans.

About three-fourths of the families with children at Chinese International School, a popular private school with more than 1,530 students, have provided information on their whereabouts, and about 20% of those reporting are outside Hong Kong, according to the head of the school, Sean Lynch. Thats understandable, he said, because the closure announcement came during Chinese New Year, when many families already were away from home.

Waiting, Watching

Some families arent counting on schools reopening next month. Betty Lai, born in Hong Kong, raised in Canada and married to a Briton, has gone to the U.K. and enrolled her two young children in schools in Suffolk, England. Her husband, a recruiter, can work from London so the family plans on living there for now.

We may end up staying for good if the situation in Hong Kong hasnt settled by summer, she said.

Departures that become permanent could hurt the citys competitiveness, according to Tara Joseph, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. Once talent is lost from Hong Kong, it will be very hard to get it back, she said.
Tens of thousands of students are backing demands for compensation as lecturers walk out of campuses across the country today.

More than a million will be affected by 14 days of industrial action, with lectures and tutorials cancelled in the crucial lead-up to exams.

Petitions demanding refunds from undergraduates' 9,250-a-year tuition fees have now been launched at 27 universities, analysis shows.

Tens of thousands of students are backing demands for compensation as lecturers walk out of campuses across the country today (stock image)

The strikes by lecturers, librarians, technicians and other academic staff from the University and College Union (UCU) will hit 74 universities.

The UCU said it was the largest wave of strikes ever seen on UK campuses amid a long-running dispute over two separate issues  pay and conditions, and also pensions.

The first round of industrial action saw 60 universities hit by walkouts in November and December.

Petitions led by students are demanding compensation at more than a third of universities facing strike action, analysis by The Independent has found.

A petition at Sheffield Hallam University, which was started by third-year student Tom Barton, is demanding 863.33 reimbursement per affected student, based on the fees paid during the strike period.

Around 14,000 students had signed the petition last night.

And more than 15,000 have signed a separate petition to Universities UK calling for refunds.

The dispute remained deadlocked yesterday with both sides blaming each other for the lack of a deal. UCU accused Universities UK, the universities' representatives in the pensions dispute, of refusing to make a new offer on pensions.

It also said the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) would not talk to the union about the pay element.

But a spokesman for the UCEA said universities were 'deeply disappointed' that extensive strikes were going ahead.

The strikes by lecturers, librarians, technicians and other academic staff from the University and College Union (UCU) will hit 74 universities in what is the largest wave of strikes ever seen on UK campuses

He said: 'UCEA has offered UCU further informal talks and urges the union's leaders to reconsider pursuing damaging strike action at less than half of universities, damaging students, staff and their own members  who are yet to be consulted over the new positive proposals that are on the table.'

Professor Alistair Fitt, Oxford Brookes University vice-chancellor and Employers Pensions Forum for Higher Education member, said: 'The strikes are a source of regret, no one wants this to happen.'

Disruption at the universities affected will vary and efforts will be made to minimise the impact, Professor Fitt said.

Employers were committed to maintaining a good pension scheme, he added, pointing out that their contribution was over 21 per cent.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'Vice-chancellors have had months to come up with serious offers to avoid widespread disruption on UK campuses.

'Their failings are clear for all to see today and the blame for the disruption caused by the strikes lays squarely at their door.'

A breakdown shows that 47 institutions will be affected by action over both issues, while 22 will be affected by strikes over pay and conditions only, and five will be hit due to the pensions dispute only.
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LIVINGSTON State Police said Wednesday that the cause of a fire that destroyed a bus company's garage last weekend and displaced several people living nearby is still being investigated.

At least 30 fire departments responded to the fire that destroyed the building owned by Amrod Enterprises and displaced eight residents from the nearby apartments, State Police said. There were chemicals in the garage used for bus maintenance.
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By Brooke Hein Published: February 19 2020

My dad taught me to keep my eyes and ears open and my mouth shut, said Shapiro.

Those serving at The Information Warrior Training Command (IWTC) in San Diego believe in the importance of continued education. Sailors are trained in areas theyll need to execute information warfare throughout their military service.

One of the sailors continuing the tradition of maritime superiority through information warfare is Petty Officer 3rd Class Max Shapiro, an information systems technician responsible for setting up computers, updates, a lot of data processing, creating accounts, and making sure everyones internet works.

I never did radio before coming here, said Shapiro. Here I am learning an extra information technology side that I didnt have before. It is helping me for advancement in rank and helping me have a better understanding than I did before.

Shapiro is a 2014 Bethpage High School graduate and native of Bethpage, New York.

According to Shapiro, the values required to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Bethpage.

My dad taught me to keep my eyes and ears open and my mouth shut, said Shapiro. I also learned to always pay attention to the detail because if something goes wrong someones life could be on the line.

With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the worlds international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.

Each year the CIWT domain trains approximately 20,000 students comprised of military members from all branches and Department of Defense civilians. Throughout the program, participants can take any of the 200 classes offered to prepare them for battle.

The CIWT domain along with all other Navy training commands are transforming and innovating their training programs through Ready, Relevant Learning (RRL), a pillar of Sailor 2025. Sailor 2025 is a program that uses modern personnel management and training systems to recruit, develop, and retain sailors for the future of the Navy. RRL delivers a modernized learning continuum that aligns training with fleet requirements and warfighter needs. The long-term vision of RRL is to take modernized training to the point of need in the fleet at the waterfront.

According to Admiral Mike Gilday, the Chief of Naval Operations, the focus of todays Navy is squarely on warfighting, warfighters and the capabilities needed for the Navy of the future.

I am confident we will maximize the Navy we have today while delivering the Navy that our nation will rely upon tomorrow, said Gilday. And we will do so with urgency. Our fleet will be a potent, formidable force that competes around the world every day, deterring those who would challenge us while reassuring our allies and partners.

There are many opportunities for sailors to earn recognition in their command, community and careers. Shapiro is most proud of being in the Navy.

When I first joined a lot of people thought I couldnt do it, said Shapiro. To put on the uniform and say I did it is probably my greatest achievement.

For Shapiro, serving in the Navy is a tradition passed down from generations.

My dad was prior Navy, my grandfather served in WWII, and my brother is in school for the Navy, said Shapiro. The Navy is a tradition, I like to continue the legacy of my familys name in the Navy and do my namesake justice while I do my time.

As a member of the U.S. Navy, Shapiro, as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance. Their efforts will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who will follow.

Serving in the Navy means we are protecting our waters and making sure our families are safe back home, said Shapiro. We sacrifice big events at home while we are thousands of miles away to make sure the rest of the country is safe.
Libya's unity government has announced it is halting its participation in UN talks aimed at brokering a lasting ceasefire in the war-torn country where a fragile truce has been repeatedly violated. The pull-out came after a barrage of rocket fire hit a port in the capital Tripoli -- the target of a months-long operation by eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar to oust the Government of National Accord (GNA). "We are announcing the suspension of our participation in the military talks taking place in Geneva until firm positions are adopted against the aggressor (Haftar) and his violations" of the truce, the GNA said late Tuesday. "Without a lasting ceasefire... negotiations make no sense. There can be no peace under the bombing," it added. The port strikes were the latest violation of a tenuous truce that came into effect in January, brokered by Russia, which supports Haftar, and Turkey, which supports the UN-recognised government in Tripoli. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. "It is clear the objective of the systematic bombardments of the residential areas, the airport and the port, in addition to the total blockage of the oil installations, is to provoke crises for the citizens in all the aspects of their life," the GNA statement said. It added that Haftar's forces were "trying in vain" to destabilise the state, having failed to seize power. UN Libya envoy Ghassan Salame had earlier on Tuesday launched a second round of talks in Geneva, with five senior officers from the GNA and five appointed by Haftar's forces taking part. A first round of talks ended with no result earlier this month but Salame said there was "more hope" this time, mainly because of the approval of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a "lasting ceasefire". The UN Support Mission in Libya said in a statement on Wednesday that it hoped the talks could resume. "The Mission calls for an end to the escalation and provocative actions, especially expansion of the conflict area, and urges all parties to resort to dialogue as the only means to end the crisis," it said. - EU to launch naval mission - Libya has been in turmoil since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with rival armed factions still vying for power. In the latest outbreak of fighting, Haftar launched his offensive on Tripoli last April but after rapid advances his forces stalled on the edges of the capital. The fighting has left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced some 140,000 according to the United Nations. Further talks were planned to start in Geneva on February 26 on finding a political solution. Haftar on Wednesday met Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu at an undisclosed location for talks on resolving the conflict, the Russian defence ministry said. They discussed "the important role" of Moscow talks in January and "the need to fulfil" terms agreed at talks in Berlin last month, it said. World leaders had agreed at the meeting to end all meddling in the conflict and stop the flow of weapons, but little has changed on the ground since then. EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to launch a naval mission to enforce an arms embargo, which the UN said was being violated by air, land and sea. The naval operation will be authorised to intervene to stop weapons shipments into the North African state. Countries including Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt support Haftar, while the UN-recognised government led by Fayez al-Sarraj is backed by Turkey and Qatar. Libya has been mired in chaos since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi Some EU countries were worried a naval operation may encourage more migrants to try to cross from Libya
It had ordered the reopening of the case, asking a Nagpur court to consider afresh the allegation.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its order on a plea by former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking reconsideration of the top courts order of October 2019 asking a Nagpur court to consider afresh a complaint alleging that he had held back information about two criminal cases against him in his election affidavit for the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

A top court bench comprising Justice Arun Mishra, Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Aniruddha Bose reserved the order after hearing senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Mr Fadnavis.

Asking the court to look into its October 2019 judgment as it could have large repercussions, Mr Rohatgi contended that a court taking cognizance of a complaint does not qualify it to be declared in an election affidavit, and there could be a large number of complaints against a chief minister but not all of them can be listed at the time of filing nomination papers. That, he added, would require a candidate to file a 50-page affidavit. In its October 1, 2019, judgment, the court, noting that Mr Fadnavis had knowledge of the two cases against him but did not mention them in the affidavit, had said, We unhesitatingly arrive at the conclusion that the order of the learned trial court upheld by the high court is legally not tenable and the same deserves to be set aside which we hereby do.

It had ordered the reopening of the case, asking a Nagpur court to consider afresh the allegation.
The Optical Society of UENR (OSU) in collaboration with the Institute of ICT Professionals Ghana (IIPGH) B/A Chapter and Computer Science and Information Technology Student Association (CSITSA) UENR, celebrated the International Day of Women and Girls in Science with the girls of Notre Dame SHS, Fiapre Sunyani in the Bono Region.

The theme for the 2020 celebration was Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth. The event is celebrated every year on 11th February.

The Day focuses on the reality that science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, long-standing biases and gender stereotypes are scaring girls and women away from science-related fields.

According to data from the UN Scientific Education and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), fewer than 30% of researchers worldwide are women, and approximately 30% of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. Globally, female students enrollment is particularly low in ICT (3%), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5%), and engineering, manufacturing and construction (8%).

In his introductory remarks, the Assistant headmaster of the school Mr. Augustine Akidam said, in order to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, the women and girls in science, must be given special attention by the appropriate stakeholders.

The Chairman for the occasion, Prof. Adebayo Felix Adekoya emphasized on the need and the fact that, in an ever-changing, increasingly complex world, it is more important than ever that our nation's women are prepared to be able to bring knowledge and skills to solve problems, make sense of information, and know-how to gather and evaluate evidence to make decisions.

These are the kinds of skills that students develop in science, technology, engineering, and math. If we want a nation where our future leaders, neighbours, and workers have the ability to understand and solve some of the complex challenges of today and tomorrow, and to meet the demands of the dynamic and evolving workforce, building students' skills, content knowledge, and access to STEM fields is essential. We must also make sure that no matter where girls are, they must have access to quality learning environments.

The President of OSU and the Bono/Ahafo regional Chairman of IIPGH in his delivery said, in the modern science evolution theories, complex communication technologies such as smart systems, internet-of-things, 5G, and optical network infrastructure make it convenient for the human and machine interactions.

Science and mathematics play a critical role in engineering designs and technological advancement such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics. Girls in science have to be encouraged to accept the challenge ahead in order to develop themselves with the necessary scientific discipline to make themselves relevant in the technological and the world of digital transformation.

In addition, Mr. Owusu said the gap remains broad and persistent in science, technology, engineering and math fields at graduate, postgraduate, doctorate levels as well as professional scientists, engineers, and mathematicians, teachers, researchers and inventors for women and girls in science. He stated that Throughout my education, from primary through first and second degree and Ph.D. level, the number of girls kept reducing from tens to ones and to none at the Ph.D. level.

In her speech, Mrs. Vivian Akoto-Adjepong emphasized the urgent need to create and foster an ecosystem that nourishes the interest, talent and intellectual capital of girls and women in STEM education. She suggested the empowerment of women training and regular career guidance workshops for girls in science to adequately prepare them to address the imbalance in girls' STEM education barriers and gaps.

Mastura Saana Tahiru (Ms), a third-year computer science student in her delivery said if the girls are determined with strong-mindedness and are focused on their studies, then they can make a difference in society.

She stresses on the need for the government to support the girls to help shape and clearly define their career path in science education. When the going gets tough, the determined girls in science are not moved but they remain resolute, firm and then push a little harder.

Mr. Elvis Agyepong, the secretary of IIPGH Bono/Ahafo regional chapter, who was the moderator for the event said, IIPGH has initiated a Coding for Kids project in Ghana to augment the UNs effort to bring technology to the girl child.

The programme trains students to use computers to develop their own applications, websites, etc. Lots of girls have been actively involved in this training. Currently, the Coding for Kids program is running at the various training centers in Accra, Tema, Takoradi, Tarkwa, and Sunyani.

Finally, we want to encourage all women and girls to take their science education seriously. The evolution of technology largely depends on the applications scientific principle. About 850 students were present at the event which lasted for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Asia's wealthiest have remained "actively involved" in the financial markets and have not rushed to the sidelines as concerns have grown over the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on the region's economy, according to Michael Blake, Union Bancaire Privee's regional head and CEO for Asia.

Activity levels among the company's ultra-high-net-worth clients were "very strong" to end the year and continued with the same intensity in January, Blake said.

"We certainly haven't seen any noticeable sort of turning off over the last couple of weeks specifically in response to the development that we're seeing with the coronavirus," Blake told the South China Morning Post.

The coronavirus outbreak, which is believed to have originated in Wuhan in Hubei province, has infected more than 75,000 people and led to at least 2,010 deaths.

To stem the spread of the virus, the Lunar New Year holiday was extended in China and public health officials in the mainland and Hong Kong have encouraged people to work from home and avoid gathering in large groups. The outbreak has raised concerns about the potential economic effects as companies, including Apple and Nike, have warned the outbreak will hurt their bottom lines and weighed on financial markets in recent weeks.

At Union Bancaire Privee, the bank's wealth managers are working from multiple offices in Hong Kong or at home. They're advising clients by FaceTime and teleconferences and deferring travel. The bank also has asked building operators for its offices in Hong Kong to institute temperature checks of all visitors.

Founded in 1969 Union Bancaire Privee caters to ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices and institutional clients. As of December 31, the bank had 140.3 billion Swiss francs (US$142.9 billion) in assets under management, a 10.6 per cent increase from the end of 2018.

Story continues

The family-owned Swiss private bank reported net income of 187.8 million Swiss francs, a 7.2 per cent decline from the prior year. The 2019 results included a US$14 million payment to the US Department of Justice under a non-prosecution agreement to disclose US-related accounts to authorities.

Union Bancaire Privee does not break out its results by region, but said its Asian business "contributed strongly" to the bank's organic growth last year.

Blake, the Asia CEO, said its wealth management and asset management businesses have about 27 billion Swiss francs in assets under management. Revenue in the wealth management business increased by 18 per cent last year and investment mandates rose 30 per cent, he said.

Family offices are gaining ground in Asia, but remain nascent in parts of the region, particularly in China, according to a study on families offices by UBS and AVIC Trust last month.

Wealthy families in Asia-Pacific had about 66 per cent of their wealth, or about US$600 million, managed, but lagged the global average of 76 per cent, according to the report.

China's wealthy also lagged the global average, with about 65 per cent of their wealth managed. However, one-third of wealthy Chinese families surveyed in the study had begun using family offices in the past two years, according to the report.

Union Bancaire Privee gained a major foothold in Asia with the acquisition of Coutts International's operations in Singapore and in Hong Kong from Royal Bank of Scotland in 2016.

Michael Blake, regional head and chief executive for Asia at Union Bancaire Privee. Photo: Handout alt=Michael Blake, regional head and chief executive for Asia at Union Bancaire Privee. Photo: Handout

The private bank would like to see its assets under management in Asia double in the medium term, Blake said.

"I think that there's a real strategic ambition to grow in Asia quickly," Blake said. "Were there to be a suitable acquisition in the region then yeah, I think our CEO Guy de Picciotto is open to that. Our focus in the region is very much on growing organically and achieving that target as quickly as possible."

Union Bancaire Privee is focusing its strategy around increasing its business in Greater China and Southeast Asia, particularly as more clients in China are looking to set up family offices. The private bank employs about 300 people across its wealth management business in Hong Kong and Singapore, with a smaller number of people in its asset management arm in the region.

"We want to continue increasing the penetration in the region in general and, for my scope, in Greater China. We see some very good opportunities," in terms of family offices in China, Eric Morin, the bank's Hong Kong CEO, said. "Your first generation of wealth and people need to need to have some assistance or some guidance in how to set up a family office. We have a set of skills for that and very interesting added value to bring to the Chinese clients."

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.

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
In a recent report, International 'human rights' organization Amnesty International's India wing has levelled some serious allegations against the Jammu and Kashmir police. In their report, the organization stated that the Jammu and Kashmir police is using a counter-terrorism law to muzzle access to social media. However, the report maintains silence on terrorists using social media and VPNs to spread terror.

According to top Jammu and Kashmir police sources, Amnesty's report is based on no fact and only fiction. The sources claimed that some of the pages on which the videos were shared are based in Pakistan and PoK.

Amnesty India's report:

The organization took to Twitter and put up pointers of the report on Jammu and Kashmir.

1: The J&K police is using the #UAPA against people for overcoming the longest-ever internet ban imposed in the world by using social media sites like Facebook & Twitter through #VPNs. If found guilty they can be arrested for up to seven years in jail.https://t.co/HU58532A4h  Amnesty India (@AIIndia) February 18, 2020

2: The Government of India says such sites are blocked to curb the misuse of the sites by miscreants for propagating false information/ rumours. The Indian Government has almost total control over what information is coming out of the region. #LetKashmirSpeak  Amnesty India (@AIIndia) February 18, 2020

3: While the Government has a duty & responsibility to maintain law and order in the state, filing cases under counter-terrorism laws such as #UAPA over vague & generic allegations and blocking social media sites is not the solution.#LetKashmirSpeak  Amnesty India (@AIIndia) February 18, 2020

Read: Amnesty India's cover blown: 'Kashmir for profit' operation exposed

4: Nearly 12 million people in #Jammu & #Kashmir have been living through communication restrictions since August 5 2019.



"The Indian government needs to put humanity first & let the people of Kashmir speak -@Avinash_1_Kumar, Executive Director of @AIIndia.#LetKashmirSpeak  Amnesty India (@AIIndia) February 18, 2020

Read: After CBI's FIR, ED likely to file PMLA case against Amnesty International (India)

Kavinder Gupta's rebuttal

Former J&K Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta while speaking to the Republic TV said, "There are many agencies who work against the government. Specially, you should see Amnesty India's previous record as well. They have always raised their voice against the country. They are foreign-funded. They have been trying to disrupt the peace in India. I think we should not take them seriously. Everyone knows Amnesty international and its record."

Read: Amnesty International backs anti-CAA protests, says 'peaceful' protesters 'dehumanized'

Ravinder Raina's comment

Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina while speaking to Republic TV said, "See Amnesty International's record. At the time when Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs were asked to leave the Kashmir Valley, Amnesty International had kept quiet. When several Kashmiri pandits were killed, when Kashmiri Muslims were killed in terror attacks, Amnesty international had kept quiet."

He further alleged, "They are funded by Pakistan. What can we expect from them? They have always been against India."

Read: JNU violence: Amnesty International criticises Delhi Police for failing to protect students
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Linkedin Nina A. Loasana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19 2020

After recording 1 million passengers per day for the first time this year, city-owned bus operator Transjakarta is dreaming big in 2020 with a vision of doubling the figure.

The companys acting president director, Yoga Adiwinarto, expressed his optimism that the countrys first bus rapid transit (BRT) service could unlock even more achievements this year.

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Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh on Wednesday said that a huge cache of ammunition was recovered from the three terrorists that were killed in Tral earlier today.

"Huge cache of ammunition recovered from the three terrorists that were killed earlier today in Tral. One of them, Jahangeer was a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen and was involved in eight big terror activities which resulted in a fearful environment in the region," Singh said in a press conference.

The three terrorists were killed in an encounter in a joint operation by the Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Jammu and Kashmir Police in Tral sub-district of Pulwama district earlier today.

The three have been identified as Jangeer Rafiq Wani, Raja Umar Maqbool Bhat and Uzair Amin Bhat.

"In total, 10 operations in which 2 have taken place in Jammu and 8 in Kashmir have been successfully conducted in the year 2020. 19 terrorists in Kashmir and 4 in Jammu have been neutralised so far," Singh said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Its called the skull breaker" challenge, the latest social media trend causing injuries among youth, including at least one New Jersey teen.

The challenge, which has been circulating on the social media app TikTok, dupes people into thinking theyre about to learn a new dance move. In reality, its nothing more than a way to get a person to fly backward and land hard on the ground.

A 13-year-old Cherry Hill boy recently suffered a concussion and a subsequent seizure after participating in the challenge at school, the boys parents told CBS2 New York.

It works like this: Three people stand in line next to one another, with the middle person unaware what awaits. When the three jump, the two beside the middle participant kick out the victims legs, causing a hard fall  often headfirst.

Videos have been circulating on social media showing victims flying backward and banging their heads.

Naturally, this has led to some pretty severe injuries, causing concern among parents who fear their child will be the next to fall victim.

The Cherry Hill family told CBS2 that they wanted to get the word out so parents and the public understand the dangers of the trend.

A 12-year-old Alabama boy was also injured after participating in the challenge. The boy jumped, was tripped up by those beside him, flew backward and ended up breaking his wrist, according to WTVY.com.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Minneapolis increasing safety for vulnerable road users with deployment of advanced video detection technology at intersections throughout the City.

Announced yesterday (18 February) applied informatics firm, Iteris, will supply its Next systems on major corridors in the area, following a successful trial during Super Bowl 52 that saw more than one million visitors descend on the Minnesotan conurbation.

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Having set the Minneapolis 2040 plan which aims to improve multimodal mobility in the city, deploying Iteris technology is a step towards achieving that goal.

The sensors in the system feature advanced detection algorithms for spotting, as well as differentiating between, both pedestrians and cyclists in addition to vehicles. The smart technology will allow the citys traffic engineers to better monitor intersection activity, including initiating improved signal timing and deploy emergency service vehicles more effectively.

We are pleased to be able to work alongside the City of Minneapolis to support its initiative to make the city more bicycle, pedestrian and transit friendly, said Todd Kreter, senior vice president and general manager, Roadway Sensors at Iteris. Minneapolis is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country and initiatives like the Minneapolis 2040 plan, which also complement its Vision Zero and smart city efforts, directly align with Iteris goals for safer and more efficient mobility.

The announcement of this deployment follows newslast year that Iteris Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform was selected to support the states Department of Transportation (MnDOT).

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Bazaar Corporate Radar | Feb 22, 2021, 12:00 AM IST

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Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar.
Last week, Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas and Acting City Manager Earnest Rouse announced the annual budget for FY 2020-2021. Among the budget, recommendations are the elimination of the Office of Culture and Creative Services (OCCS) and a $175,000 reduction of the Film Commission. These are two areas particular to Kansas City's arts community.
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A flock of MAGA hat-wearing pigeons was released in Downtown Las Vegas Tuesday.

The trained birds were released by the anonymous radical group PUTIN, which stands for Pigeons United To Interfere Now, on the eve of Wednesday night's Democratic Debate in Sin City.

The leader of the flock was adorned with a small, orange toupee, resembling that of President Donald Trump.

Trained pigeons wearing their own customized MAGA hat were covertly released in Downtown Las Vegas

The leader of the flock was adorned with a small orange hairpiece, resembling that of President Donald Trump

The flock was released by the anonymous radical group PUTIN, which stands for Pigeons United To Interfere Now, on the eve of Wednesday night's Democratic debate

The pigeons' mission was inspired by the 1970's Cold War Operation, 'Tacana', in which the CIA explored the use of pigeons equipped with tiny cameras to spy on Soviet sites of interest, according to the group.

The radical group used their pigeons to launch an aerial protest in response to the arrival of the 2020 Democratic Presidential hopefuls for the debate.

In a press release, PUTIN said the project was the result of 'months of exhaustive research, logistical hurdles and pigeon care taking.'

The pigeons' release was coordinated as a gesture of support and loyalty to President Trump,' according to the group.

Trump is scheduled to arrive in Las Vegas just ahead of the debate for a speech scheduled at The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department headquarters.

In a press release, PUTIN said the project was the result of 'months of exhaustive research, logistical hurdles and pigeon care taking.'

The pigeons' release was coordinated as a gesture of support and loyalty to President Trump,' according to the group

The radical group used their pigeons to launch an aerial protest in response to the arrival of the 2020 Democratic Presidential hopefuls for the debate

The pigeons' mission was inspired by the 1970's Cold War Operation, 'Tacana', in which the CIA explored the use of pigeons equipped with tiny cameras to spy on Soviet sites of interest

Six presidential hopefuls will take the stage Wednesday night.

Bernie Sanders surged to a 16 point lead in a new poll on the race for the Democratic presidential nomination as Michael Bloomberg's campaign issued a 'dire' warning that the liberal senator may soon be unstoppable.

Sanders leads Joe Biden, 32 per cent to 16 per cent, in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Michael Bloomberg and Elizabeth Warren are within spitting distance to second place with the former vice president.

But Pete Buttigieg dropped to single digits, coming in at 8 per cent to Amy Klobuchar's 7 per cent.
The human resources director for Limestone County Schools has filed a lawsuit accusing the interim superintendent of trying to fire him in retaliation for reporting wrongdoing in the school district.

Samuel Mark Isley says he was put on administrative leave with pay after reporting to state officials that the Limestone County Board of Education hired teachers who arent properly certified, jeopardizing school district funding.

In a letter to Isley earlier this month, Limestone Countys interim superintendent Mike Owens said he will recommend Isley be fired at the school boards meeting next month.

The school district has declined to provide a reason  publicly or or to Isleys lawyer  for why Isley was put on leave. In public statements, the district has said Isley was being investigated but declined to elaborate.

The Boards cowardly actions mask the real reason that Dr. Isley was placed on administrative leave and subject to termination, Isleys attorney, Shane Sears, wrote in a lawsuit filed today in circuit court in Montgomery County, where the Alabama State Department of Education is located.

The six-count lawsuit alleges negligence, wantonness, libel/slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress and conspiracy. The defendants in the lawsuit are Owens and Limestone County school board President Bret McGill.

Karen Tucker, a spokeswoman for the school district, said in a statement Tuesday night that officials had just seen the lawsuit.

Our answer, when filed, will be, among other defenses, that all of the allegations made in the Complaint are false, Tucker said in a statement.

In the lawsuit, Isley says he is a whistleblower protected by law from retaliation. He says he is participating in investigations by the FBI and U.S. Department of Education into whether the Limestone County Board of Education misused state and federal money.

The FBI, Alabama Education Department and U.S. Education Department didnt respond to requests for comment Tuesday afternoon.

The lawsuit asks Judge Jimmy B. Pool to issue a restraining order to stop the board from firing Isley, publishing any statement about Isley being under investigation, withholding information about why Isley is on leave and hiring or meeting job candidates.

In the lawsuit, Isley claims when he hired African American school board employees, board president McGill objected and used a racial slur. Isley says he reported the conversation to board member Charles Shoulders. In a phone interview with AL.com on Tuesday, Shoulders said Isleys claim is false. I dont remember any conversation with him about that, Shoulders told AL.com.

Shoulders said he hadnt seen a copy of the lawsuit and declined to comment further.

The lawsuit asks for a jury to determine how much the defendants should pay in damages. It doesnt ask for a specific amount.

Sears, Isleys attorney, said they have tried, unsuccessfully, to resolve the situation outside the legal system.

Its embarrassing for the school district and it is embarrassing for the state, he said. But they just put us in a position where we had to do something.

Updated Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020 at 8:28 p.m. to add a statement from the school district.
Turkey's civil society swung from hope to despair after counter-terror police detained leading rights defender Osman Kavala just hours after a court ordered his release from jail.

Kavala and eight other defendants were acquitted by a court outside Istanbul in the highly controversial "Gezi Park" trial on Tuesday.

But within hours, a new warrant from the Istanbul prosecutor's office called for his arrest as part of an investigation into a failed 2016 coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government, and under the charge of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order.

After his release from the heavily-guarded prison complex in Silivri outside Istanbul, where he has spent more than 800 days in pre-trial detention, the official Anadolu agency said Kavala was taken by police to an Istanbul hospital for health checks before being formally detained.

The judge had earlier said there was "not enough concrete evidence" that he and the other defendants sought to overthrow the government.

Seven other defendants, who remain on the run, were not formally acquitted.

Kavala, the only defendant kept in jail throughout the trial, faced a life sentence without parole if convicted for his alleged role in orchestrating the "Gezi Park" protests of 2013 that presented the first major challenge to Erdogan, then prime minister.

of a fresh arrest came as supporters waited for him to be released from the Silivri court and prison complex, and was met with shocked silence, while his wife Ayse Bugra was visibly upset.

Kavala has became a symbol of what critics say is a crackdown on civil society under Erdogan, and received loud cheers as he left the packed courtroom in Silivri.

The mass protests of 2013 began over plans to demolish Gezi Park -- one of the only green spaces in Istanbul's centre -- but quickly spiralled into broader demonstrations against the government. Critics have called the Gezi trial "a mockery" in which the prosecution failed to present any evidence of wrong-doing by the defendants.

And the re-arrest of Kavala on new charges sparked condemnation from rights advocates.

"This is a vindictive and lawless move, further demonstrating that Turkey's justice system is under tight political control," Emma Sinclair-Webb, of Human Rights Watch, told AFP.

Amnesty International slammed the "cynical and outrageous detention" and called for his immediate release.

"This decision smacks of deliberate and calculated cruelty," Amnesty's Turkey campaigner Milena Buyum said in a statement.

"It is time for Turkey to end the relentless crackdown on dissenting voices." - Criticisms -



In December, the European Court of Human Rights heavily criticised the quality of the Gezi Park prosecution.

It ruled that the 657-page indictment against Kavala lacked "facts, information or evidence" to raise even the suspicion that he helped organise the protests, let alone attempted to overthrow the government, and called for his immediate release.

The Turkish court still put Kavala and the other defendants through two more hearings in December and January.

Among the criticisms of the trial was the fact that defence lawyers were denied the chance to cross-examine the key government witness, identified as Murat Papuc, when he gave evidence in December after he claimed his life was in danger.

Lawyers also decried the inclusion of testimony from a police officer convicted of kicking a Gezi Park protester to death in July 2013, who now portrays himself as a victim of the demonstrations. The defendants received support from Ekrem Imamoglu, the new high-profile mayor of Istanbul who took control of the city out of the hands of the ruling party last year.

"The acquittal of all the defendants in the #GeziPark trial is a true source of joy, and restores trust in the Turkish judicial system. I salute all those who stand to defend our city's history, culture and nature," he tweeted.

Kavala's supporters say he was targeted because he worked to build bridges across Turkey's often fractious ethnic and social divides, in contrast to the combative rhetoric favoured by Erdogan's ruling party.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Scientific Discoveries This Year at Cape Falcon Marine Reserve, N. Oregon Coast

Published 02/18/2020 at 3:28 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Manzanita, Oregon)  2019 was a very good year for science along the north Oregon coasts Cape Falcon Marine Reserve, with researchers making a few scientific finds in that stretch surrounding northern Tillamook County and southern Clatsop County. According to Friends of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve (FCFMR), this last year brought a small number of scientific studies that helped shed light on the state of Oregons nearshore ocean environment and wildlife. (Photo above of a Brown pelican courtesy Audubon Society).

The ongoing work of researchers and local volunteers to carry out a variety of studies and projects allows everyone to see the work being done to strengthen the connection between life on land and under the water. That work will continue this year, and the group is also putting out a call for more volunteers on other upcoming projects.

Cape Falcon saw Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) scientists come into the area along with volunteer anglers, who then completed hook and line surveys at Cape Falcon Marine Reserve for the fourth time since 2014. Hook and line surveys are meant to show any changes in relative abundance of nearshore fish species over time.

All this monitoring continues, and the datasets that ODFW obtains helps show changes in fish population and whether thats due to natural variations or marine reserve protections.

Its also a fun way for anglers to participate in scientific research, FCFMR said. This year, the largest fish caught was a 45-inch-long Lingcod and the most commonly caught fish species was Black Rockfish.



Oregon State University partnered with NOAA this year to study Dungeness crab, making some surprising finds. Researchers uncovered that the crabs do indeed travel long distances, although they prefer lingering in the rocky reefs of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve, likely because there is more food for them there. The study also found Dungeness crabs will range an average of 11.5 miles, but some wander a remarkable range of more than 50 miles.

Another eyebrow-raiser: the discovery of great white sharks in this part of north Oregon coast waters.

The Friends of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve, continuing a partnership with Portland Audubon, monitored 35 cormorant nests at Devils Cauldron in Oswald West State Park from June through September. Breeding success (average fledglings per nest) was relatively low in 2019, with one or fewer fledglings per nest. Many factors can affect breeding success including weather events, food availability, and predation. In 2019, there was an increase in observed bird predator disturbances, resulting in lost eggs for all cormorant species. Early summer storms, unusually warm ocean temperatures, and late summer heat waves may have also contributed to the low numbers.

The Friends, in conjunction with Portland Audubon and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, continued participation in two Pelican surveys in spring and fall. The goal of the survey is to help define distribution and abundance of Brown Pelicans and track shifts in population structure. Cape Falcon Marine Reserve was one of 84 out of 119 known roost sites that were monitored across the West Coast from Baja, California to Washington by 152 volunteers. In all, a total of 10,829 Brown Pelicans were counted during the survey combined. In 2020, pelican surveys will take place at Cape Falcon Marine Reserve on May 9 and September 12. [Story continues after photo of Cape Falcon]





The Friends also needs help with future bird surveys. If youre interested in citizen science or just birds and the outdoors of the Oregon coast, the group will be offering plenty of opportunities to get involved in a number of locations:

Snowy Plover Patrol

Training: Sat. April 4 or 18, 10 am  2 pm

Nehalem Bay State Park

Black Oystercatcher Monitoring

Training: Sat., May 2, 10 am  noon

Cannon Beach City Hall

Seabird Monitoring

Training: Sat., Jun 6, 10 am  noon

Cannon Beach City Hall

Pelican Surveys

Sat., May 9, 5  7 pm

Sat., Sept. 12, 5  7 pm

No advance training required

Location: contact jliebezeit@audubonportland.org



Learn more about the Friends by visiting http://www.nehalemtrust.org/capefalconmr or by contacting Margaret Minnick at capefalconmr@gmail.com or (503) 298-5190.

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Jury selection is set to begin in Los Angeles Wednesday in the much-anticipated trial of New York real estate heir Robert Durst, who is accused of killing his close friend Susan Berman.

Berman's body was found in her home on Christmas Eve in 2000. She had been shot execution-style in the back of the head.

MORE: Robert Durst: What you need to know about his alleged victim Susan Berman

Durst was arrested for Berman's murder in 2015 -- one day before the last episode aired of the HBO series "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst."

PHOTO:New York real estate heir Robert Durst smiles as he is transported from Orleans Parish Criminal District Court to the Orleans Parish Prison after his arraignment on murder charges in New Orleans, March 17, 2015. (Gerald Herbert/AP, FILE)

Prosecutors allege Durst wanted to silence Berman about the 1982 disappearance of his first wife, Kathleen Durst.

Robert Durst was investigated but never charged in her death.

PHOTO: Lawyer Dick DeGuerin, left, talks with real estate heir Robert Durst at the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Nov. 7, 2016, in Los Angeles. (Pool/Getty Images)

Berman -- a close friend of Durst's since their UCLA days -- allegedly helped Durst with an alibi for when Kathleen Durst vanished.

MORE: Robert Durst says on HBO 'What the hell did I do? Killed them all'

Berman was about to meet with investigators about the Kathleen Durst case when she was killed at her house in Beverly Hills.

Durst's lawyers say he did not kill Berman and doesn't know who did.

PHOTO: Robert Durst, wealthy NY real estate heir, has been arrested in connection with the murder of his friend Susan Berman. The crime allegedly was committed by Durst inside this home in Beverly Hills in 2000. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

One piece of evidence revealed in the "The Jinx" was a letter producers found that Durst once wrote to Berman, in which "Beverly Hills" was misspelled as "Beverley." Police were led to the discovery of Berman's body back in 2000 because of a note with Berman's address and the word "cadaver" on it. That note to police had the same "Beverley" misspelling and both notes had nearly identical handwriting.

This won't be Durst's first time on trial.

Durst was charged in the 2001 killing of neighbor Morris Black in Galveston, Texas, but Durst claimed he shot him in self-defense and was found not guilty.

Durst admitted to chopping up Black's body and disposing of the pieces in the sea.

Jury selection to begin in real estate heir Robert Durst's murder trial originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Princes Bay homeowner is left scratching her head after being bounced around between agencies while trying to get a potentially dangerous situation in front of her house corrected.

The homeowner reached out to the Advance through #fyiSI two weeks ago about the tree in front of her property. Its large branches are growing between electrical wires, which could cause a dangerous situation if it snows.

When we have snow, it pulls on the wires, she told the Advance.

The city Parks Department said that when trees are entangled in electrical wires and high voltage power lines, it contracts to Con Edison or the appropriate utility company to handle the tree pruning.

Our crews do not prune trees that are entangled in electrical wires due to safety concerns, the Parks Department told the Advance.

Con Edison confirmed that it investigates requests from the city when trees are near its equipment.

Tree contacts with our lines are far and away the most common source of damage during storms. We trim trees on an ongoing basis to keep service reliable, a Con Edison spokesman told the Advance.

The agency said it would send inspectors to the Princes Bay home to see if there is indeed a dangerous condition.

Thats where the confusion -- and anger -- continued, the homeowner said.

YOU NEED TO CONTACT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT

Well, Con Edison finally came to see the tree  but they said its private property. Its on the curb. I dont understand how, given the fact that the city is now responsible to fix broken sidewalks, its the homeowners responsibility to trim city trees. I have to trim the tree but Im not allowed to cut it down? the homeowner asked.

(Staten Island Advance)

Con Edisons note acknowledged that the tree is close to electric service wires, however, because the limbs are over private property, trimming is the responsibility of the homeowner.

To clear trees from the wire, please contact the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and a qualified tree-trimming contractor. Upon request, we will temporarily disconnect your electric service to allow the contractor to work safely, the note stated.

But I already contacted the Parks Department, the homeowner said.

Additionally, according to the Parks Department, homeowners are not permitted to perform work on city trees.

Should you wish to have the tree pruned at your own expense by a licensed arborist, we will consider your request for a no-fee Tree Work Permit. No work may be performed on or within 50 feet of a street tree without a permit from Parks, according to the website.

The Advance contacted the Parks Department for a second time for clarification.

We will inspect this tree as part of our routine block pruning. It is expected to be inspected and pruned again in FY2021, a Parks Department spokeswoman told the Advance.
Its generally believed that once you touch rock bottom, you can only go upwards. But in the recent Delhi Assembly election; the Congress Party proved it wrong. Just as it did in2014, it failed to open its account.

It couldnt have gone down any further, so it chose to remain at the bottom!

The Congress voteshare in Delhi shrank to 4.3 per cent  in five constituencies, its candidates polled just about 5,000 votes individually! Unmistakably, the Congress is now shame-proof! Today, even its most diehard supporters are throwing their hands up in the air in resignation.

At an election rally recently, Rahul Gandhi forecast that in six months time, angry young men will beat up Narendra Modi with dandas. Now, shouldnt he wonder why Congress workers are not beating up the top leaders of his party with dandas? Did they do anything in the last five years to reach out to the people of Delhi and win back their trust? Why did they fail to win even a single seat? Werent the sleek TV feeds and advertisements in the media a total waste of money? Isnt the Delhi defeat a screaming rejection of the Congress entire high command and its strategy, if there were any?

Some analysts feel that the Congress central leadership is blind and deaf; it cant see what is happening around it nor can it hear what the public is saying. And it certainly doesnt have any idea of what the publics priorities are! In brief, it is totally clueless.

The leadership has no connect with the people. It gauges the mood of the public through the words and gestures of the hordes of its sycophants who resort to massaging their egos and keep feeding them fake news about the partys prospects. Well, a party gets the leaders it deserves; and the Congress is no exception. Most of its remaining supporters are men and women of straw who see no future for themselves beyond the Gandhi-Nehru family  so they cling on to its apron strings.

Winning and losing elections is part of electoral politics. Indira Gandhi suffered a crushing defeat in1977 but bounced back with a thumping majority In1980.In 1984, the BJP touched an embarrassing low of two seats in the Lok Sabha, but the rest, as they say, is history. It achieved an absolute majority in 2014, and in 2019, its tally rose to 303! This transformation was possible because those leaders possessed steely nerves, an irrepressible desire to wipe out the setback and indefatigable energy. They did an honest introspection of the causes of their earlier reverses, went back to the public to understand their problems and aspirations, thought through the various options available, offered a vision which attracted people, set out on a practical and doable agenda and spoke in a language which the masses could connect with. Above all, they executed their winning strategy through a dedicated cadre who canvassed relentlessly day and night because they were inspired by their leaders who led them from the front

. Alas, the present descendents of Indira Gandhi possess none of these qualities. They dont have the fire within to win back lost ground nor do they have what it takes to take the fight to the enemys camp. The Congress has been reduced to being a party of discredited, clueless, rudderless, visionless leaders with total disconnect with the public; and a demoralised, disheartened, ridiculed and lampooned cadre which has no spine to stand up and fight. The responsibility for this Greek tragedy lies squarely at the doorstep of the leadership.

When a successful company goes bust in the corporate sector, its CEO can apply for bankruptcy. When a premier public sector enterprise piles up unmanageable losses, the government resorts to 100 per cent disinvestment; as it is attempting to do with Air India. The Tata Group has mostly been led by one of the clan but when none of them was found fit to step into the big shoes, they chose Natarajan Chandrasekaran. What do political parties do when they suffer setback after setback? They disintegrate or show the courage to cut deadwood ruthlessly and go for a new, daring, inspiring go-getter or seek a blood transfusion by tying up with bold, energetic parties with fighting spirit that have their feet solidly planted on the ground and know how to woo the masses. In 2014, the BJP dashed octogenarian L.K. Advanis lifelong ambition and chose Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate. Arguably, it was the wisest decision the party has ever taken!

Arvind Kejriwal has never looked back ever since he became chief minister of Delhi in 2015. Once he slept on the ground outside Rail Bhawan to protest, and waged a running battle with then lieutenant governor, Najeeb Jung. He never missed a chance to castigate Mr Modi and Amit Shah, the home minister. But nine months before the Delhi election, whether as a result of his own introspection or on the advice of Prashant Kishor, he scrupulously refrained from criticising Mr Modi, Mr Shah and the L-G despite numerous provocations. He focussed only on his governments achievements  water, electricity, mohalla clinics, schools, and so on. He grabbed every opportunity to take people-friendly initiatives that did not depend on central help  the odd-even car numberplate scheme for controlling pollution, the anti-dengue campaign, free Metro rides for underprivileged women, and so on. These seemingly small measures endeared him to his core constituents, and it has paid off.

The phenomenal rise of Mr Kejriwal should be a lesson for Mr Gandhi. Having won just two parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh in 2014 and one in 2019 (Rahul Gandhi lost in Amethi), and scoring a duck in successive Assembly elections in Delhi (2015 and 2020) where they were unable to find a replacement for Rahul Gandhi, the Congress is faced with an existential crisis. Its failed leadership should, therefore, in an out-of-the-box experiment, invite Mr Kejriwal to take over the reins of the party and rechristen it AAP Ki Congress! Having blunted convincingly the charisma of Mr Modi and the brute force of Amit Shah, not once but twice, on his home turf, Arvind Kejriwal has what it takes. He has ambitions for a national role but lacks the infrastructure, machinery, experience, and a nationwide presence. On the other hand, the Congress still retains a nationwide infrastructure, machinery and administrative experience, but has no credible national leader. Its cadre is totally demoralised. A new leader capable of infusing hope, optimism and enthusiasm and leading it from the front is the need of the hour for the Congress. Mr Kejriwal can be that leader!

An image makeover by Prashant Kishor and a smart strategy to put the BJP on the back foot could be a winning combination. Is the Congress ready to bite the Kejriwal bullet?
PARIS, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The French government will make sure the acquisition of Bombardier's train business by Alstom creates value for the European rail industry and the staff of both companies, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday.

Le Maire also said in a statement that the planned deal will be submitted to antitrust regulators for approval.

Canada's Bombardier agreed on Monday to sell its rail division to France's Alstom for an enterprise value of $8.2 billion. (Reporting by Leigh Thomas and Dominique Vidalon Writing by Matthieu Protard Editing by David Goodman)
Just hours after the Nevada caucuses begin on Saturday, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is heading back to Texas to campaign in El Paso and San Antonio ahead of the states March 3 presidential primary.

The Sanders campaign announced he will be in El Paso at 3 p.m. for a free rally on Saturday. Then at 7 p.m., hell be in San Antonio for another free rally at the Cowboys Dance Hall.
Still, its obvious from the limited but positive words coming out of this meeting with McMahon that, unless cops go barging into the mission to arrest them  which will not happen without authorization from the states attorneys office, according to Aurora Police Department spokesman Paris Lewbel  these men will have a chance to transition from the stable, structured environment at Wayside to a place that, at the very least, gives them a temporary roof over their heads and hopefully a job that will help them keep it there.
OTTAWAAndrew Scheer is ratcheting up pressure on the federal Liberals to stop the Wetsuweten solidarity protests  disrupting Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus calls for calm dialogue and sharply defining the Conservative partys stance on Indigenous reconciliation.

Scheer has faced criticism for comments last week that Indigenous protesters and their allies need to check their privilege and end demonstrations that have ground rail transport to a halt in parts of the country.

But as First Nations leaders and Trudeau called for patience to let efforts to resolve the dispute run their course, Scheer doubled down on a demand that Ottawa order police to remove the blockades.

The outgoing Conservative leader painted the Wetsuweten protest, as well as the solidarity protests popping up across the country, as the actions of radical activists aimed at the destruction of the Canadian energy industry.

Standing between our country is a small group of activists, many of who have little to no connections to First Nations communities. A bunch of radical activists who will not rest until our oil and gas industry is shut down, Scheer said in the House of Commons Tuesday, during an unusually testy round of leaders statements on the protests.

It is a warm-up act for the next fights against Trans Mountain (pipeline) and against Teck Frontier (oilsands mine), and in the end, their goal is the entire shutdown of our energy industry.

Scheers speech was not well received by his political rivals. Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet immediately distanced his party from the Conservative leaders comments, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters he considered the remarks racist.

Trudeau told reporters outside the House of Commons that Scheers speech disqualified him from attending a party leaders meeting convened by the prime minister to discuss the situation.

The dispute centres on a group of Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs who are denying consent for the construction of the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline through their territory in northern B.C. to the provinces coast. Many elected band councils along the pipelines route support the project.

After the RCMP arrested 14 people as officers enforced a court injunction to allow the pipeline to proceed, groups across the country began holding protests to show solidarity with the Wetsuweten. The Tyendinaga Mohawk First Nation has blockaded rail lines and led CN Rail and Via Rail to suspend service along the busy southern Ontario corridor.

On Thursday, Trudeau acknowledged that Canadians are troubled by the unrest, but called for resolve and collaboration from both sides to work toward a resolution. But he also took some not-too-subtle jabs at Scheers call for politicians to order law enforcement to take action.

There are those who would want us to act in haste, who want us to boil this down to slogans and ignore the complexities, who think that using force is helpful. It is not, Trudeau told the House.

Patience may be in short supply and that makes it more valuable than ever.

That short supply of patience was on display hours later during question period, where Scheer and Trudeau traded barbs. Scheer accused Trudeau of inaction, and Trudeau accused the Conservatives of advocating for force rather than a peaceful resolution.

Carleton University law professor Jane Dickson said the Conservatives proposed solution of sending in the police could make the situation worse.

The police are, in fact, in an impossible situation here  virtually every clash that we have had, with a few exceptions but not very many, where the police have been sent in have ended very badly with loss of life both in Indigenous communities and the non-Indigenous community, Dickson, who researches First Nations traditional law and dispute resolution, said in an interview.

So we need to be careful about assuming the police will solve all the problems. Usually they just create a different kind of problem. So I think that care and caution is important.

But Scheers position on the protests  now in their 12th day  is shared by candidates hoping to replace him at the partys leadership convention this June. Peter MacKay vowed to stop the blockades and approve more natural resource projects, while Erin OToole has been repeatedly calling on the government to end the illegal blockades.

A recent poll by Angus Reid found nearly four-in-10 Canadians support the Wetsuweten solidarity protests, while slightly more (48 per cent) oppose them. Opposition to the protests was considerably more pronounced among people who voted Conservative in 2019 (77 per cent).

Further consultation with Wetsuweten heredity chiefs  essentially the governments plan of action  had the support of 63 per cent of respondents. The poll of 1,508 Canadian adults was conducted between Feb. 10 and Feb. 12, and is considered accurate within 2.5 percentage points.

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Bird Hill Farm is happy to offer MANDALA, a series of a one day artist retreats facilitated by internationally recognized artist, Karen Dolmanisth. The retreat is open to artists and non-artists alikeanyone interested in learning about and experiencing the meditative qualities of creating a mandala. Dolmanisth brings a scholarly approach along with a lifelong practice of making fine art to this unique retreat. The day-long retreat will be divided into two main sections with the morning being devoted to a survey of mandalas throughout history and across cultures. With a slide presentation, Dolmanisth will discuss Tibetan, Jungian, and Navajo traditions, as well as an examination of the mandala in modern art. Following lunch, and an instructional demonstration guided by Dolmanisth, guests will transition into an immersive studio experience, exploring a breath-focused, silent, meditative mandala making practice unique to this retreat.

As part of her Artist residency at Bird Hill Farm, Dolmanisth created this retreat as an extension of her social practice. The retreat is designed to give each guest an introduction to a mandala making practice that can be transfered to their daily lives. Throughout history, the mandala has been an instrument of meditation and symbolic meaning. Traditionally, mandalas can be transforming, calming, integrative, healing and symbolic. This retreat is appropriate for anyone curious in the art and meaning of mandala and the use of art making as meditation. Guests will leave with instructions and materials to continue this practice into their daily lives.

This will be a restorative experience of creative transformation through guided meditation, contemplation and experiential art making. Karen Dolmanisth

More about Karen Dolmanisth: Dolmanisth is an internationally recognized artist who works in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, and time-based, multi-media installations. karen-dolmanisth.com

More about Bird Hill Farm:

Bird Hill Farm is a multi-use Bed and Breakfast working to build a culture of fine art, creativity, community, and sustainable hospitality in an 1825 farmhouse on four acres in Ware, Massachusetts. It is a perfect venue for workshops, retreats and reunions. In addition to artist residencies, Bird Hill Farm has an on-site design and gift shop that features art, antiques, up-cycled furniture, home goods, vintage clothing and cool eclectic collectibles while offering a beautiful and relaxing bed and breakfast experience.
The Royal Family has wished Prince Andrew a happy birthday as he turns 60.

On Twitter and Instagram, the familys official accounts marked the milestone birthday with photographs of the duke.

His former wife Sarah, the Duchess of York, also shared a message online wishing him a happy birthday. Her Instagram post was liked by their daughter Princess Eugenie, who shared her own message on Wednesday evening.

Eugenie posted a throwback picture of her on a horse smiling up at her dad, and said Happy birthday, papa.

Prince Andrew turns 60 on Wednesday. (Getty Images)

On the Royal Family accounts, alongside photos of Andrew as a baby and one more recent, the post read: On this day in 1960, Prince Andrew was born at Buckingham Palace, the first child born to a reigning monarch for 103 years.

Happy Birthday to The Duke of York.

Happy 60th Birthday to Andrew pic.twitter.com/btsooJ0lGw  Sarah Ferguson (@SarahTheDuchess) February 19, 2020

Royal watchers spotted that unlike in previous years, the message came without an HRH prefix to the Duke of Yorks title. He has not been stripped of the royal highness title.

Sarah, the Duchess of York, shared a black and white picture of the duke smiling and looking out of a window in a casual setting with two dogs next to him on a sofa.

The couple have been divorced for more than 20 years but still live together. Sarah has been one of the dukes biggest defenders in the scandal around his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The duke may be reaching a significant age today but his birthday celebrations will be low-key.

Buckingham Palace would not comment on them because they are private, but it is understood he will just have a small family dinner.

Story continues

It is unclear whether his parents, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, will be there or if his brother Prince Charles will attend.

Its thought he will be with his former wife and their daughters as well as some friends in their home in Royal Lodge, Windsor Great Park. The Queen travelled back to London on Tuesday from Windsor.

On Tuesday evening the Department for Culture, Media and Sport confirmed it would not be mandatory for government buildings to fly the Union flag to mark his birthday.

However, many fly the flag all year, so the move makes little difference. Local authorities have discretion to choose when to fly it.

The Queen's birthday message was posted on social media. (Getty Images)

The bells of Westminster Abbey will still ring out for the dukes birthday, as its a royal peculiar and so falls under the monarch and not the bishop.

The abbey also rings the bells for the Queens birthday, as well as that of the Duke of Edinburgh, their children, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children.

Prince Andrew has also deferred his promotion to Admiral, which he would have received to mark his birthday.

He stepped back from royal duties in November after an interview with BBC Newsnight in which he said he did not regret his friendship with Epstein, who went on to take his own life while awaiting trial in prison.

The duke deferred his promotion to admiral. (Getty Images)

In a statement, Andrew said the association was a major disruption to the familys work.

He was seen with the Queen at church near Sandringham shortly after a deal was struck between the Queen and Harry and Meghan allowing them to step back from senior duties of the Royal Family.
Le Hoang Diep Thao, the ex-wife of Trung Nguyen CEO, has questioned the groups announcement Tuesday that shes no longer its shareholder.

Trung Nguyen Group (TNG) CEO Dang Le Nguyen Vu, Thaos ex-husband, with whom she ran the Trung Nguyen empire, now holds all shares in the coffee giant and its subsidiaries, and has full control of the group, TNG said in its statement.

He has also completed a VND1.19 trillion ($51.1 million) "difference in assets" payment to Thao following their divorce ruling on December 5 last year, the group said.

But in a statement issued the same afternoon, Thao, former deputy director of the group, accused TNG of having unilaterally and unlawfully removed her from their list of shareholders.

"Nothing has changed. I still have all my legal rights as a shareholder in Trung Nguyen," she said.

Thao also argued that on January 10, the Supreme People's Procuracy had sent a written request to the Ho Chi Minh City Civil Judgment Execution Department to "postpone execution" of her divorce ruling made by the HCMC Appellate Court.

This was before Vu made his payment of the court-mandated VND1.19 trillion ($51.1 million) to the City Civil Judgment Execution Department on January 13, she said.

However, the department went ahead with the execution on the grounds that Vu had already fulfilled his obligations in accordance with the judgment in question, and notified the Supreme Peoples Procuracy of its action on January 16.

According to Thao, the General Department of Civil Judgment Execution has asked the Director of the HCMC Civil Judgment Execution Department to report on the issue before February 20.

They are still waiting for results and will only act based on the highest judicial decision, she said.

Vu and Thao, who got married in 1998, differed on how the group, which had developed one of the biggest brands in the country, should be run. In 2015, Thao filed for divorce.

In March, the court of first instance had ruled that the stocks and cash of TNG shared by Vu and Thao, as well as the couple's cash deposits, would be split 60:40 in Vus favor.

Both Thao and Vu had appealed against the entire verdict. The HCMC Peoples Appellate Court on December 5 quashed both appeals, finalized the divorce, and upheld the previous judgment.

Vu will receive all of his and Thaos stocks in the Trung Nguyen Group, estimated at over VND5.7 trillion ($244.74 million), and have sole management rights over the Trung Nguyen coffee empire, the court had ruled.

Vu would also receive six properties worth VND350 billion ($15.03 million) that were jointly owned by the couple, while Thao would get the remaining seven worth over VND376 billion ($16.48 million).

Thao would also receive cash and cash equivalents, gold and foreign currency belonging to TNG that have been deposited at banks totaling VND1.76 trillion ($75.57 million). Vu was liable to pay the difference in assets to Thao, valued at VND1.22 trillion ($52.38 million), the court had ruled.

Trung Nguyen Group, founded in 2006, is the leading coffee brand in Vietnam. The group began experiencing difficulties six years ago, when Vu and Thao fell out on how the corporation should be run.
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Datera, Inc., the global leader in autonomous data services software that powers data for the open cloud, today announced it has achieved over 325 percent growth for fiscal year 2019 driven by completion of its transition to a software-centric, subscription business model and expanded reach through new go-to-market partnerships.

Enterprises with a mix of applications and workloads requiring high performance at hyperscale are turning to Datera's autonomous, scale-out, software-defined platform to replace the past era's storage arrays, augment hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI), and repatriate applications from public clouds. Datera's growth aligns with the sharp uptick in industry adoption of SDS that reports enterprise usage over 55 percent today with 72 percent reporting that they are committed to software-defined storage as their long-term storage strategy.1

Key milestones during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2020 include:

Acquisition of more new Fortune 1000 customers in FY19 than in all prior years combined, fueling software growth that outpaced the strong trajectory established in FY18.

Proofs-of-concept and new customer rollouts that underscored the import of several key differentiators of the Datera platform including the ability to expand and upgrade storage hardware without experiencing downtime, to serve existing virtualized environments and enable migration to Kubernetes-orchestrated applications, and the use of multiple storage media types in a single cluster as utilization of NVMe SSDs skyrocketed.

Release of HPE Datera Cloud Kit with Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Mellanox, a pre-configured, pre-tested software, switch and node bundle, designed for rapid trial and deployment and one-click ordering for HPE's global sales force and channel partners.

with Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Mellanox, a pre-configured, pre-tested software, switch and node bundle, designed for rapid trial and deployment and one-click ordering for HPE's global sales force and channel partners. Expanded collaboration with fellow industry leaders to maximize customer choice and ease of adoption, including the addition of Fujitsu and Qanta to the list of supported server technologies, Intel Optane Storage Class Memory to the roster of media choices, and the achievement of Veeam Ready certification to increase data availability and protection.

"Fortune 1000 enterprises are in the midst of a massive transition to autonomous and hyperscale data operations that form the foundation of their cloud architectures," said Datera CEO Guy Churchward. "2019 marked an inflection point in their interest in moving to a software-driven future as well as greater maturity and consistency in their day-to-day requirements that sparked our growth achievements. The new strategic partnerships and technology solutions we initiated in 2019 strengthened our go-to-market and position Datera to deliver another breakout year in 2020 as we look to deepen our reach in North America and Europe and expand into Asia Pacific."

"The cloud infrastructure of the future in the Fortune 1000 enterprise is all about choice and agility. Organizations continue to seek out new and innovative technologies designed to make their infrastructure more composable and flexible while avoiding vendor lock-in," said Scott Sinclair, Senior Analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. "Our market research shows that a majority of enterprises are adopting software-defined storage technologies as part of their data strategy and Datera is emerging as one of the central players for mission-critical applications."

"HPE is changing the storage landscape, and redefining what customers expect," said Chris Powers, Vice President, Collaborative Platform Division, HPE Storage and Big Data. "Datera is a partner that shares our vision of an intelligent approach to cloud and data infrastructure. Since they joined the HPE Complete Program, our channel partners have seen significant interest from large enterprises for our joint offerings, and we expect an even brighter FY20."

In a new blog published today, Datera summarizes 11 Essential Requirements To Evaluate Next-Generation Cloud Storage . It can be used by Fortune 1000 companies to generate a comprehensive Request For Information and a focused and efficient Proof of Concept to test for current and future storage needs. The blog explores four main storage categories, as well as eleven specific requirements for high-performance block workloads at hyperscale including:

Continuous Data Availability. Datera's ability to enable programmable resilience enables enterprises to survive multiple simultaneous node failures for maximum protection.

Datera's ability to enable programmable resilience enables enterprises to survive multiple simultaneous node failures for maximum protection. Asymmetric Scaling. While adopting scale-out technologies has emerged as the new architectural norm, customers increasingly looked to Datera as the next platform to go beyond the limitations they experienced with HCI.

While adopting scale-out technologies has emerged as the new architectural norm, customers increasingly looked to Datera as the next platform to go beyond the limitations they experienced with HCI. Autonomous Data Placement. Operating at cloud scale requires entirely new levels of automation. Customers noted the ease of serving a wide variety of applications, as well as internal customers using policies that enable the kind of self-driving storage that offloads manual tuning and optimization to the Datera platform.

Operating at cloud scale requires entirely new levels of automation. Customers noted the ease of serving a wide variety of applications, as well as internal customers using policies that enable the kind of self-driving storage that offloads manual tuning and optimization to the Datera platform. Multi-Vendor Sourcing. As enterprises pushed toward a new future, they noted the need to utilize multiple vendors to provide innovation and de-risk future operations. Customers found value in Datera's ability to utilize hardware from a variety of the leading trusted enterprise vendors including HPE, Dell EMC, Cisco and more.

To advance industry conversations around the modern software-defined data center, Datera organized a coalition of industry leaders to participate in events designed to inform technologists of industry trends in SDS and the SDDC, as well as a deep dive into enterprise requirements, capabilities, and business value. Following on the heels of Datera's SDDC Forum at HPE Discover, the company hosted the first SDDC Symposium in the Fall of 2019 with an expanded list of partners including CloudOps, Cumulus, HPE, Intel, Mellanox, and Scality and was viewed by over 3,000 people worldwide.

About Datera

Datera is the global leader in autonomous data services software for the open cloud, delivering server-based software-defined storage solutions. Enterprise companies around the globe use the Datera Data Services Platform for self-driving data operations at hyperscale, turning commodity servers into high performance, scale-out storage, and lowering their infrastructure costs by 70 percent.

Media Contact

Melissa Logan

[email protected]

503-317-8498

1 Enterprise Strategy Group: "ESG Master Survey Results: 2019 Data Storage Trends," November 26, 2019

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Reserves of Lithium, an important element in making batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), have been discovered near Bengaluru.

According to an ETAuto report, the rare metal was discovered in a small patch of land surveyed in the Southern Karnataka district of Mandya, which is 100 km from Bengaluru.

The report noted that at least 14,100 tonnes of lithium reserves have been discovered as per Atomic Minerals Directorate.

"The present data provides a total estimation of available Li2O as about 30,300 tonnes over an area of 0.5 km x 5 km, which works out to about 14,100 tonnes of lithium metal," N Munichandraiah, Emeritus Professor at the Indian Institute of Science and an expert on battery technologies, told the publication.

The report noted that currently, all the lithium is imported in the country. Indias imports of lithium batteries tripled to $1.2 billion in FY19 as compared to $384 million in FY17. The country has set up Khanij Bidesh India to source and acquire mines in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile.

The report quoted Rahul Walawalkar, president of India Energy Storage Alliance says, We have not explored so far whether we have adequate reserves of lithium because of concerns of radioactivity. We dont know the potential.
State Coat of Arms of Ukraine flagi.in.ua

Today, on February 19, Ukraine celebrates the Day of the State Coat of Arms. Thus, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the Tryzub (Trident) as the small coat of arms on February 19, 1992.

It is considered to be the main element of the great coat of arms, which is not officially adopted yet.

The competition on the creation of the project of the State Coat of Arms of Ukraine was announced on June 24, 1991, according to the regulation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The working group-jury consisting of MPs, historians, art historians and museum workers was created under the aegis of the Parliamentary Commission on Culture and Spiritual Revival. On October 4, 1991, the expert group summarized the results of the competition. Over 200 work were sent for the participation (all of them are kept in the Central State Archive of Bodies of Central Power and Governance).

192 of them included the depiction of the trident in different contexts. The project of historian-heraldist Andriy Hrechylo and artist Ivan Turetsky won the competition. It was the trident in the graphic tradition of the reign of Vladimir the Great and it was chosen not by accident. During the reign of Vladimir the Great, all ethnic Ukrainian lands were united in one state.

In 1918, the trident was chosen as the coat of arms of Ukraines Peoples Republic for the first time. It was the symbol of the unity of Ukrainian lands. Such coat of arms has the idea of the renewal of the tradition of nationhood.

On January 20, Ukraine celebrated the Day of Unity. This year it was the 101st anniversary since the Act of Unity of the-then Ukrainian People's Republic and Western Ukrainian People's Republic was declared at Sofiyska Square in Kyiv.
CLEARWATER, Fla.  Play ball? Almost.

For a week now, the Phillies have worked out daily in the Florida sun. Most of the action  pitchers bullpen sessions and fielding drills, infield practice, baserunning drills, live batting practice  occurs on the back fields of the Carpenter Complex. In a few days, though, the Grapefruit League will get underway and the focus will shift to 8,500-seat Spectrum Field.

There isnt a shortage of competition in Phillies camp. For a team with a payroll that is pushing the $208 million luxury-tax threshold, there are several jobs available on the 26-man roster, particularly at the back of the rotation, on the bench, and in the bullpen.

Oh, and opening day is only 36 days away.

Youre signed up to get this newsletter in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday during spring training and every weekday during the Phillies season. If you like what youre reading, tell your friends its free to sign up here. I want to know what you think, what we should add, and what you want to read, so send me feedback by email or on Twitter @Scott Lauber. Thank you for reading.

 Scott Lauber (extrainnings@inquirer.com)

Taking the fifth: No. 5 starter battle begins early

Nick Pivetta moved from Canada to California this winter to train alongside several young, more accomplished starting pitchers. He overhauled his mechanics, worked on his changeup, and rebuilt confidence after a disappointing 2019 season.

In three days, he will begin to see if any of it worked.

Pivetta will start the Phillies first spring-training game Saturday against the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland, Fla., manager Joe Girardi announced. Evidently, Girardi doesnt see any sense in waiting to kick off the competition to be the No. 5 starter, one of the more intriguing battles in camp.

I think its important that all these guys that are competing for the last spots get a ton of looks, and we can afford to do that, Girardi said. We have a number of games; we have split-squads. Well look at people.

Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, and Jake Arrieta will represent three-fifths of the starting rotation. Based on his performance last season, including a strong September, right-hander Zach Eflin appears to have at least the inside track on a spot.

That leaves Pivetta to compete with fellow right-hander Vince Velasquez, who is lined up to start Monday against the Orioles at Spectrum Field. (Nola will start Sunday at home against the Pirates.)

Ranger Suarez and Cole Irvin, both lefties, also figure to get a look for the No. 5 spot. Lefty prospect Damon Jones is a dark-horse candidate.

Girardi offered unsolicited praise for Pivetta following the pitchers first workout last week. Asked specifically about the 27-year-old, Girardi noted an improved changeup. Pivetta said he picked up changeup tips this winter from Chicago White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito, who has one of the best in the majors.

I think thats a really important thing for me moving forward, especially if I want to be a starting pitcher, Pivetta said. I need that fourth pitch.

If Pivetta and Velasquez are the finalists for the No. 5 spot, the runner-up could wind up in the bullpen. But both pitchers also can be sent to the minors without being exposed to waivers, so the Phillies might prefer to stash one of them in triple A as rotation depth.

I cant tell thats what well do, but Ive got to tell you, in all the other years that Ive managed, we thought about that, Girardi said. "But we start right away in our division, and its a tough division. Youve got to think about that, too.

The bottom line is were going to want our 13 best pitchers to go with us and we have to kind of put that puzzle together.

The rundown

After J.T. Realmutos arbitration hearing today, the real intrigue begins. Will the Phillies lock up the All-Star catcher to a contract extension? I outlined a few relevant details to making a deal.

Heres a fun story on Phillies reliever Robert Stock, who has a 99-mph fastball and a YouTube video that saved his career, as Matt Breen writes.

After watching Damon Jones throw a bullpen session last season, Phillies reliever Tommy Hunter said he was reminded of Andrew Miller. But as Bob Brookover writes, it was a video of another big-league pitcher that helped put Jones on the prospect track.

In case you missed it, infielder Jean Segura said he lost 14 pounds since the end of last season. He shared his secret. (Spoiler alert: It involves alcohol.)

Segura, Scott Kingery, and eventually Alec Bohm are all part of a muddled infield picture. Brooky tried to make sense of it all.

Important dates

Today: Realmuto faces Phillies in an arbitration hearing in Phoenix.

Friday: Hector Neris arbitration case will be heard, also in Phoenix.

Saturday: Grapefruit League opener vs. Tigers in Lakeland, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Sunday: Spring home opener at Spectrum Field vs. Pirates, 1:05 p.m.

March 26: Opening day vs. Miami at Marlins Park, 4:05 p.m.

Stat of the day

Looking back at how he played in his first season with the Phillies, Bryce Harper wouldnt have changed much. He hit 35 homers, drove in a career-high 114 runs, and posted an .882 OPS that was consistent with his final year in Washington.

But he did fall short in one area. For only the second time in five seasons, he didnt draw 100 walks.

It really bugged me last year when I was at 99 and I didnt get it, Harper said.

Harper led the majors with 130 walks in 2018. He walked 108 times in 2016 and 124 times in his MVP season of 2015. He was on track for 100 walks in 2017 but missed six weeks with a knee injury and finished with 68.

From the mailbag

Send questions by email or on Twitter @ScottLauber.

Question: Of the players the Phillies signed to minor league deals  [Francisco] Liriano, [Anthony] Swarzak, [Drew] Storen, [Bud] Norris, [Neil] Walker, [Josh] Harrison, [Logan] Forsythe, etc.  who do you think has the best chance to make the team out of spring training and make an impact with the team this season? @dannmaal, via Twitter

Answer: Thanks, Dan, for the question and for being a regular reader of Extra Innings. Until Grapefruit League games begin, its impossible to handicap the competition among non-roster invitees. All of the players that you mentioned have big-league experience but settled for minor-league deals because of injuries, ineffectiveness, or other reasons. Now, they must prove themselves all over again.

That said, I could see at least one reliever and one position player winning a job. Liriano is interesting because a) hes left-handed and b) he had some success last season with the Pirates (3.47 ERA, lefties hit .194 against him). Im intrigued, too, by Walker, a switch-hitter with pop who can back up Rhys Hoskins at first base and was almost a league-average hitter last season with the Marlins.
The political party that dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades staged massive anniversary celebrations Wednesday that highlighted rising tensions with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and neighbouring Eritrea. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) led the overthrow of the Marxist ruler Mengistu Haile Mariam in the early 1990s and controlled the ruling coalition that took over. But the party's influence plummeted after Abiy assumed office in 2018 -- an ascent fuelled by several years of anti-government protests reflecting widespread frustration with the coalition's rule. Last year, the TPLF refused to go along with Abiy's plan to merge the coalition into a single political party, meaning it is now effectively in the opposition. In Tigray, the northernmost of nine regions in a country administratively divided along ethnic lines, the party is firmly in control. On Wednesday, tens of thousands of supporters filled the streets of the regional capital, Mekele, for a military-style parade of local and regional security forces. The event marked the 45th anniversary of the party's founding in 1975. Participants shouted fight songs and marched in the formation of maps of both Tigray and Ethiopia. In a speech, TPLF chairman Debretsion Gebremichael accused Abiy of downplaying the TPLF's achievements in a bid to consolidate power. But he said Ethiopians supported the old coalition and respected the TPLF's legacy. "The sickness is in the leadership and not the people," he said. Yemane Amha, a 44-year-old former TPLF fighter, told AFP that this year's anniversary came at a "critical time" for the party. "I, and probably most Tigrayans, believe we're at a juncture where we can move forward tolerating our differences or where the federal government will continue trying to impose its will on the Tigrayan people and beyond." -A 'common threat'- The TPLF was in charge during the 1998-2000 border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea that killed tens of thousands of people. Abiy won the Nobel peace prize last year for reaching out to Eritrea to end the two-decade stalemate between the two countries. Yet the peace process remains stalled, with border crossings closed and no visible progress on demarcating the border, much of which abuts Tigray. Persistent animosity between Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and the TPLF has been on display recently. In an interview that aired on Eritrean state television earlier this month, Isaias accused the TPLF -- which he referred to as "the narrow clique" -- of sabotaging both the peace process and Abiy's reform agenda. Fissehatsion Gebremichael, a civil servant who lives in Mekele, said the TPLF anniversary celebrations were bigger than usual in an apparent form of resistance to what he called the "marginalisation" of Tigrayans. "People have come together against what they see as a common threat," he said. "Many Tigrayans believe there's an organised conspiracy between the ruling forces here and foreign forces against the region." He dismissed the possibility of outright conflict, but said tensions were likely to rise further ahead of elections planned for August 29. A candle-lit parade in Mekele, the capital of Tigray region, took place on the eve of celebrations for the founding of the TPLF, Ethiopia's once-dominant party Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the 2019 Nobel peace laureate, has won plaudits abroad for his reforms. But domestic critics accuse him of authoritarian tendencies, and the peace process he launched with Eritrea has stalled The celebrations in Tigray have highlighted tensions with the government in Addis Ababa
Today Dinesh Vijan, the producer of Hindi Medium and Luka Chuppi, announced his new venture starring Kriti Sanon and Rajkummar Rao. The untitled film will also star Dimple Kapadia and Paresh Rawal in substantial roles. The movie will be a situational comedy.

Talking about the film, the films producer Dinesh Vijan in an interview said that Rajkummar plays an orphan in the film and he and Kriti decide to adopt parents. The films story revolves around how they get an older couple home (Paresh and Dimple), how this couple brings a havoc in their life and marriage. The producer further stated that the actors Rajkummar and Kriti both gave their nod for the film even before the script was ready, as they were quite kicked with the concept of the film. Vijan had approached the actors for another film but ended up with this script, which he says is almost inspired from an incident, This innovative idea came from real life though it is not inspired by any incident in particular. We have spun it into a crazy comedy with our unique tadka."



The film will be directed by Gujarati filmmaker, Abhishek Jain and shooting for it will start from mid of March or end of April. Rajkummar Rao and Kriti Sanon were last seen together in Bareilly Ki Barfi and it was a huge success at the box-office.
C old weather in Europe caused by a jet stream is not worsened by the warming of the Arctic, according to new research

The findings go against previous studies that suggested the milder Nole Pole was causing a more erratic air system over the Atlantic.

The wavier jet stream can lead to colder weather in the UK and the on continental Europe.

But scientists now think the change in wind patterns is not caused by the Arctic.

Pedestrians walk across millennium bridge during a cold snap in 2018 / AFP/Getty Images

Instead, the researchers from the University of Exeter believe any link is more likely to be a result of random fluctuations in the jet stream influencing Arctic temperatures, rather than the other way around.

Dr Russell Blackport, a research fellow in mathematics and lead author of the study, said: While there does appear to be a link between a wavier jet stream and Arctic warming in year-to-year and decade-to-decade variability, there has not been a long-term increase in waviness in response to the rapidly warming Arctic.

For about two decades, the jet stream was observed to have a wavier flow, which coincided with greater Arctic warming through climate change.

These waves have caused extreme weather conditions to strike mainland Europe and the US, bringing intense cold air that leads to extreme cold weather.

In this new study, Dr Blackport and Professor James Screen studied not only climate model simulations but also the observed conditions going back 40 years.

They found that the previously reported trend towards a wavier circulation during autumn and winter has reversed in recent years, despite continued Arctic amplification.

This has resulted in no long-term trends in waviness, in agreement with climate model simulations, which also suggest little change in waviness in response to strong Arctic warming.

According to the study published in journal Science Advances, the observed and simulated link between jet stream waviness and Arctic temperatures do not represent a causal effect of Arctic amplification on the jet stream.

Professor Screen, an associate professor in climate science at Exeter, added: The well-publicised idea that Arctic warming is leading to a wavier jet stream just does not hold up to scrutiny.
Bengaluru: In a major cause of worry for the ruling BJP in Karnataka, as many as seven of its MLAs deliberately rendered their votes invalid during the recent Legislative Council poll which was won by deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi.

In the election held on February 17, Savadi bagged 113 out of the 120 votes polled while the remaining seven were invalid. The BJP state leadership suspects that party old-timers intentionally made their votes invalid to put both the party and chief minister B S Yediyurappa in an embarrassing position.

Senior BJP MLAs Umesh Katti and Murugesh Nirani were not inducted into the cabinet although they had lobbied hard. Yediyurappa did not get the nod of the central leadership to induct them into the cabinet. The disgruntled MLAs later expressed their displeasure against the party leadership for ignoring their seniority and loyalty.

Their anger was reflected in the Legislative Council polls where instead of writing serial number 1 in the ballot paper, seven MLAs registered a right mark on the right side of the ballot paper, making sure their votes were considered invalid, said Assembly secretary Vishalakshi.

Sources in the state BJP told Deccan Chronicle that senior leaders are aware of the dissidence and will take a call on this issue in the next BJP core committee meeting.

Meanwhile, the disgruntled MLAs are maintaining a distance from the chief minister with party old-timers hardly attending the ongoing legislature session. The chief minister tried to placate one of the MLAs, Umesh Katti, promising him a cabinet berth in the next round of expansion. He also reportedly asserted that party insiders were opposing his entry into the cabinet.

A few MLAs have also started pressurizing the chief minister through powerful Lingayat pontiffs to take them into the cabinet.

Sources said the dissidence is expected to peak once Yediyurappa turns 77 on February 27. His opponents are likely to join hands and press for a change of leadership, reminding the central leadership about the 75 year age cap for party leaders to hold any position.
A die-hard fan of United States President Donald Trump, Bussa Krishna, has put forth an appeal to the Central government to fulfill his wish of meeting his idol during his upcoming India visit.

"I want India-America relations to remain strong. Every Friday I fast for Trump's long life. I also carry his picture and pray to him before commencing any work. I wish to meet him, I request the government to make my dream come true," Bussa told ANI here.

Bussa, however, is not just any fan but considers himself to be a devotee of the POTUS. He has even installed a 6-feet statue of the US President near his house and offers prayers daily.

"I also carry his (Trump's) picture and before any work, I pray to him. He is like a God to me that is the reason I had his statue built. It took almost a month and 15 labourers to build this statue," he said.

His friends told ANI that the villagers have started referring to him affectionately as 'Trump' Krishna, due to his devotion to the POTUS.

"Although his real name is Bussa Krishna after he started praying to Trump all villagers started calling him Trump Krishna. Krishna's residence is known as Trump House here. The villagers never objected to it but appreciated his devotion," Ramesh Reddy, Bussa's friend said.

The village head of Konnay, in which Bussa lives, Venkat Goud too approved of his beliefs and urged the government to fulfill his dream of meeting the POTUS.

Accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, the US President will arrive on a two-day visit to India on February 24.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Solar brings safe water to Bangladeshi coastal communities

by SYFUL ISLAM

February 19,2020 | Source: pv magazine

F Cubed, an Australian company that specializes in solar-powered desalination systems, has landed a contract valued at almost $5 million to supply 1,140 units that will provide clean drinking water to around 30,000 people in Bangladesh.



Solar power is helping to bring safe water to thousands of Bangladeshi coastal residents without access to grid electricity, under a contract worth almost $5 million with Australias F Cubed.



The Bangladeshi government will pay for the installation of 1,140 solar-powered water desalination units across 16 coastal districts. The 500 W systems  which each drive a 0.5 hp (373 W) water pump  are intended to eventually bring safe water to around 30,000 people under the Safe Water Supply Project Through Environment-Friendly Solar Desalination Unit program, which is run by the nations Department of Public Health Engineering.



About 40 such systems have already been installed and district tenders are under way for a further 1,000 of the remaining installations. Companies that successfully tender to install and maintain the systems in each district for three years will work with units supplied by F Cubed.



With each system costing $4,355, the contract is worth more than $4.96 million to the Victoria-based supplier.



Bangladesh is on the front line of the battle against climate change, as rising sea levels have polluted many pond and tube wells in coastal areas with seawater. Government officials say the water in many such areas is also polluted with arsenic and salinity levels are constantly rising.



A senior official from Bangladeshs Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority told pv magazine that 152 solar-powered drinking water systems had been installed in the country to date under different initiatives.



Bangladesh has around 628 MW of renewable energy generation facilities, including around 314 MW of solar capacity. Half of the nations clean energy is generated off-grid.

 PV MAGAZINE 2020

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
TOLEDO, Ohio  An Ohio man has been charged with making an online threat to carry out a mass shooting in Illinois that set off a panic and caused schools in one village to cancel outdoor recess and add security, prosecutors said.

Ryan J. Gagnet, 22, of Maumee, Ohio, is accused of making the threat on Feb. 4 while he was in an online chat where users can talk anonymously.

He told others in the chat that he was "going to be on the news" and "commit a mass shooting" in Shorewood, according to a complaint filed by prosecutors in U.S. District Court in Toledo. Shorewood, in Will County, is a southwest suburb of Chicago.

Gagnet later told investigators that he wanted to see the other users' frightened reactions, prosecutors said.

He was arrested and made an initial court appearance last week on a charge of interstate communication of a threat to injure. A message seeking comment was left with his attorney.

The threat caused schools in Shorewood to cancel outdoor recess, hire extra security and go into lockdowns, prosecutors said.

Police in Shorewood said they were overwhelmed with calls from residents concerned about the threat. Some officers worked overtime, and assignments were changed to deal with the threat, prosecutors said.

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Mike Bloomberg will appear onstage for the first time at a Democratic debate tonight, and Senator Elizabeth Warren is ready: Primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we each take on an egomaniac billionaire, she tweeted. (Want this in your inbox each morning? Sign up here.)

Inside Michael Milkens pardon

A reprieve for the junk bond king: Mr. Milken was among the whos who of white-collar criminals pardoned by President Trump yesterday. In a statement, the White House called him one of Americas greatest financiers whose innovative work greatly expanded access to capital for emerging companies.

A long lobbying effort on behalf of Mr. Milken finally overturned his 1990 securities fraud conviction, for which he served 22 months in prison. (Read the judges explanation of the sentencing at the time.) The White House published a list of 33 high-profile names who supported Mr. Milkens cause, including: Tom Barrack of Colony Capital; the Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo; Rudy Giuliani, who led the case against Mr. Milken in the 1980s; Robert Kraft, the New England Patriots owner; the media mogul Rupert Murdoch; Sean Parker, the Napster founder and former Facebook executive; the hedge fund billionaire John Paulson; the activist investor Nelson Peltz; and David Rubenstein of the Carlyle Group.

The NYTs Jim Stewart wrote the book on Mr. Milken: His 1992 Den of Thieves chronicled the financiers exploits at Drexel Burnham Lambert during the height of the greed is good 1980s. Its not hard to fathom why Mr. Milkens saga would resonate with Mr. Trump, Jim wrote yesterday in his analysis of the pardon. An excerpt:

Seen as an underdog, even a very wealthy and well-connected one, Mr. Milken has long inspired a counternarrative that he was a victim of a media and Wall Street establishment jealous of his wealth and success. However unfounded in fact, that version of reality has now gotten a presidential stamp of approval.

What next? Mr. Milkens conviction came with a lifetime ban from the securities industry, although he paid $47 million in 1998 to settle a complaint from the S.E.C. that he had violated the order by advising friends, including Mr. Murdoch, on transactions. Could he now be tempted to get back into finance? Today, that is the farthest thing from his mind, Geoffrey Moore, Milkens senior adviser, tells us. Hes fully dedicated to continuing his lifelong crusade to cure cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Two Chinese crew members of a ship, which arrived from the novel coronavirus-hit China, have been kept in isolation due to fever while the vessel has been kept away from access, the Chennai Port Trust said here on Wednesday.

The ship with 19 Chinese crew had visited ports in that country and was allowed here on Tuesday after the 14-day incubation period from its last visit to a Chinese Port and after ensuring that all the crew were healthy based on pre arrival monitoring, a release from the Port Trust said.

On berthing, a health team of the Port Health Officer (PHO) boarded the vessel and examined all the crew.

It was observed that two of the 19 crew members had mild fever without other respiratory symptoms and otherwise healthy in all respects. These crew members were isolated within the ship and the ship is kept away from access of anybody from shore side and no crew is allowed shore access, it added.

The blood samples of the isolated individuals were collected on Wednesday by a state Health team and the PHO and sent to the city-based Kings Institute of Preventive Medicine, it said, adding, the results were expected later in the day.

After receipt of the report, the Port authorities and officials of PHO will take strict measures as per the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) regarding further action, the release added.

The outbreak of coronavirus, known as COVID-19, in China has left 2004 people dead in the Asian country, even as the overal confirmed cases has crossed 74,000.

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Lycoming College chemistry major Lydia Yorks 20 of Jersey Shore, Pa., received a John F. Conn Award at the Gamma Sigma Epsilon (GSE) Biennial Convention, held Nov 8-10, 2019 in North Carolina. She earned the award for her research poster, NMR Studies of Ruthenium Complexes with Nitrogen-Containing Phosphine Ligands, which she presented at the convention.

Yorks also spoke on her research at the Colleges chemistry colloquium in November, and presented her research poster at the College on Dec. 6. She was the official GSE voting delegate for Lycoming College, and serves as the Secretary for the Colleges Rho Delta chapter. Her research poster is based on work completed in the lab of Charles Mahler, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry at Lycoming.

It was great to see Lydias hard work in my lab pay off, both in terms of the results she discovered, and in presenting her award-winning poster at GSEs 100th anniversary convention, said Mahler. Speaking about her research with faculty and students from other colleges and at Lycoming is great preparation for graduate study and working in industry, since science has to be communicated to have an impact.

The Gamma Sigma Epsilon Convention gave me many new points of contact for other universities with chemistry grad programs, as well as friends that have the same interests as I do, said Yorks. Participating was such a neat experience  getting to vote on decisions of GSE and learning more about the history of how GSE began.

In addition to her chemistry major, Yorks also minors in biology and psychology. This semester, Yorks is doing more research in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. After her time at Lycoming, she plans to pursue a graduate degree in chemistry.

Founded in 1919, Gamma Sigma Epsilon is a national chemistry honor society that promotes academic excellence and undergraduate research scholarship in chemistry. There are more than 70 active chapters throughout the country, and the organization meets every other year for governance, fellowship, and scientific exchange.
In addition, Lim will work closely with WTWs existing insurance clients to help improve their business performance and gain a competitive edge. According to WTW, its ICT business serves insurers across a broad range of areas, such as financial and regulatory reporting, enterprise risk management, M&A, corporate restructuring, product, and market strategies.

With the Asian insurance industry undergoing a digital revolution, Jeremys experience, knowledge and expertise will be essential in supporting our clients to adapt to this new environment and take advantage of all of the new opportunities it creates, said Choo. He has a wealth of insurance experience which will be pivotal in taking our ICT practice to the next level in Malaysia and across Asia.

Lim has over 13 years experience in the insurance and takaful industry. Across his career, he has led and implemented a variety of insurance projects in Malaysia covering pricing, reserving, financial reporting, and mergers & acquisition. More recently, he led IFRS 17 initiatives for clients. Lim is a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, Fellow of the Actuarial Society of Malaysia, and has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne.
Sartorius confirmed its preliminary figures upon publication of its 2019 Annual Report. Group sales revenue rose in constant currencies by 14.8% (reported: +16.7%) to 1,827.0 million euros. Growth was almost entirely organic as the acquisition of the cell culture media specialist Biological Industries completed in December 2019 contributed only marginally to this increase. Order intake also rose by 14.8% in constant currencies (reported: +16.7%) to 1,939.5 million euros.

In line with its strong growth, Sartorius further increased its number of employees. At year-end 2019, the Group employed 9,016 staff members. This equates to an 11% increase or around 900 people more than a year ago. In particular, the companys customer-facing units, research and development, and production reported staff gains.

The once again very positive development of the Group shows that we have laid a strong foundation for sustained profitable growth by concentrating in both divisions on the dynamic biopharma sector, commented CEO Dr. Joachim Kreuzburg on the past fiscal year. We will extend our already good position by focusing on fields of the future, such as biosimilars as well as advanced therapies. From a technological standpoint as well, we have taken important steps to further increase the relevance of our product portfolio for customers. We aim to raise our revenue by 10% to 13% and further increase our profitability in 2020.

In December 2019, Sartorius had acquired a majority stake in Biological Industries, an Israeli company specializing particularly in the development and manufacture of cell culture media for cell and gene therapies. As a result, the Group now owns production facilities for cell culture media. The planned acquisition of parts of Danahers life science portfolio announced in October 2019 covers, among others, the ForteBio business for label-free biomolecular characterization, as well as chromatography hardware and resins, with which Sartorius would extend its portfolio in the downstream area. The transaction is presently expected to close around the end of the first quarter of 2020.

Beyond operating business development and the integration of acquisitions, additional topics are on the 2020 agenda at Sartorius. Over the past years, we have evolved from a product supplier for various sectors into an application-oriented solutions provider for life science research and the biopharmaceutical industry. We want to underscore this transformation and communicate it even more strongly than in the past with our new brand claim of Simplifying Progress and our new brand look, said Dr. Joachim Kreuzburg. In addition, Sartorius will be celebrating its 150-year company anniversary. To mark this milestone event, we will be hosting an international Life Science Festival for the first time and look forward to discussing the latest trends and challenges in the life sciences and in the biopharmaceutical industry with leading experts in the sector.

Overproportionate profit growth; increase in dividends planned

Underlying EBITDA rose overproportionately again relative to sales, as in the prior year, by 22.4% to 495.8 million euros in 2019; the respective margin was 27.1% (previous year: 25.9%) in line with our guidance. As expected, slightly less than one percentage point of this increase was attributable to the IFRS 162) Standard required to be applied for the first time in 2019. Relevant net profit rose by 19.2% from 175.6 million euros a year ago to 209.3 million euros, yielding earnings per ordinary share of 3.06 euros (2018: 2.56 euros) and earnings per preference share of 3.07 euros (2018: 2.57 euros).

Based on the companys positive business performance, the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board will submit a proposal to the Annual General Shareholders Meeting on March 26, 2020, to pay dividends of 0.71 euros per preference share and 0.70 euros per ordinary share. Under this proposal, the total amount disbursed would increase by 14.6% to 48.2 million euros from 42.1 million euros a year earlier. The dividend payout ratio of 23.0% would be approximately at the level of the previous years (2018: 24.0%).

Solid key financial indicators

The Sartorius Group continued to make substantial investments in expanding its global capacity, even though, as expected, its CAPEX ratio decreased upon the completion of several large projects to 12.3% (2018: 15.2%). Due to strong net cash flow from operating activities and despite the intensive investment activity and successful acquisition, the companys ratio of net debt to underlying EBITDA was 2.0 and thus below the prior-year figure of 2.4. Equity rose from 973.4 million euros to 1,081.2 million euros at year-end. In connection with IFRS 162), the equity ratio decreased slightly from 38.5% as of December 31, 2018, to 38.0%. Sartorius therefore continues to have a very sound balance sheet and financial base.

Growth in all regions

Sartorius dynamically increased its sales in all regions compared with the previous year. EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) increased its revenue by 11.2% to 733.4 million euros, accounting for 40% of the Groups consolidated sales. The Americas region achieved a 17.4% increase in sales to 629.9 million euros, contributing around 35% to Group revenue. In Asia | Pacific, Sartorius earned sales of 463.7 million euros (+17.4%), which equates to a share of around 25% of Group revenue.

(All growth rates for the regions are in constant currencies.)

Bioprocess Solutions strong; Lab Products & Services robust

The Bioprocess Solutions Division that offers a wide array of innovative technologies for the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals exceeded its already strong prior-year performance, increasing its sales revenue in constant currencies by 18.1% (reported: +20.0%) to 1,372.1 million euros. This gain was fueled by ongoing strong demand across all product categories, particularly in project business in Asia. The divisions order intake rose significantly as well by 18.0% (reported: +19.9%) to 1,479.3 million euros. Underlying EBITDA for Bioprocess Solutions increased overproportionately to sales by 24.5% to 406.8 million euros. The divisions respective margin rose due to economies of scale and as a consequence of the change in IFRS 162), from 28.6% to 29.6%.

The Lab Products & Services Division specializes in technologies and products for laboratories in the pharma sector and in life science research as well as in a few additional segments. It showed robust performance in a partly challenging economic environment, achieving sales growth of 5.9% (reported: +7.5%) to 454.9 million euros. The divisions order intake increased by 5.7% (reported: +7.3%) to 460.3 million euros. Underlying EBITDA for Lab Products & Services rose year over year by 14.0% to 89.0 million euros. The corresponding margin was positively affected by IFRS 162) and stood at 19.6%, up from the previous years level of 18.5%.

(All growth rates for sales revenue and order intake are given in constant currencies.)

Profitable growth projected for 2020

Sartorius projects that it will increase Group sales in fiscal 2020 by 10% to 13%, with the acquisition of Biological Industries, completed at the end of 2019, expected to contribute approx. 1.5 percentage points to this growth. Regarding profitability, Sartorius forecasts that its underlying EBITDA margin will increase year over year from 27.1% to about 27.5%. The ratio of capital expenditures (CAPEX) to sales revenue is expected to be around 10% (2018: 12.3%).

For the Bioprocess Solutions Division, the Executive Board projects sales growth of 11% to 14%, with consolidation of Biological Industries expected to contribute about one percentage point to this gain. With respect to the divisions underlying EBITDA margin1), management assumes that it will increase to around 30.0% (2018: 29.6%).

The Lab Products & Services Division should increase its sales revenue by 7% to 10%, with Biological Industries projected to contribute around 2.5 percentage points to growth. For this division, the underlying EBITDA margin is forecasted at around 20.0% (2018: 19.6%).

The above forecast does not consider the acquisition of parts of Danahers life science portfolio, which was announced on October 21, 2019, and is currently undergoing antitrust clearance. Following the closing of this transaction, presently expected around the end of the first quarter of 2020, management will update its full-year guidance accordingly.

All forecasts are based on constant currencies, as in the past years. In addition, we assume overall stable conditions regarding the global economy and supply chains.
Kinematics of tossing fried rice. (a) Wok tossing at the Chin Chin restaurant in Atlanta, GA, USA. Photo credit: Candler Hobbs. (be) Image sequence showing the wok tossing process. The coloured points show several points tracked in the video. Note that the left rim travels in a clockwise circle and the right rim in a counterclockwise circle. Both trajectories are marked in blue while the trajectory of the wok centre is marked in red. Our two-link pendulum model is overlaid on top of the image sequence to show the evolution of the model variables 1 and 2. Credit: Journal of The Royal Society Interface (2020). DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2019.0622

A pair of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology has unraveled the physics behind the optimal way to toss fried rice while it is cooking. In their paper published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Hungtang Ko and David Hu describe filming chefs in Chinese restaurants cooking fried rice and what they learned about the physics involved.

In Chinese restaurants, chefs use their woks to toss fried rice as it cooks. As part of their training, they are taught to toss the rice in a certain waythis allows for cooking at very high temperatures without caramelizing and burning. But what are the physics involved, and is it the cause of shoulder pain in chefs? To find out, the researchers received permission to use high-speed cameras to capture the action at several Chinese restaurants in China and Taiwan.

In slowing down the video, the researchers observed that all of the chefs used nearly identical tossing patterns. They found that the chefs very rarely lifted the woks off the stoveinstead, tossing was achieved by pivoting the pans on parts of the stove. The woks were made to mimic pendulums using a point on the bottom of the pan as one fulcrum and a contact point between another part of the wok and the stove as the other. This allowed the chef to move the wok back and forth, even as they maintained a see-saw motion. The video also showed that the technique used by the chefs required a degree of skill to heft the rice into the air at just the right height, and to keep it from spilling out of the pan. It also showed that on average, the chefs tossed the rice in their woks 2.7 times per second.

The researchers also noted that it was not just the tossing that accounted for the special taste of fried riceother factors such as ingredients and sauce preparation played a role, as well. They conclude that the constant tossing of the rice in the wok likely led to shoulder pain in 64.5 percent of chefs they spoke with. They note that simulations of the process indicate that the whole process could very likely be performed by a robot.

Credit: Journal of The Royal Society Interface (2020). DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2019.0622

Explore further The subtle science of wok tossing

More information: Hungtang Ko et al. The physics of tossing fried rice, Journal of The Royal Society Interface (2020). Journal information: Journal of the Royal Society Interface Hungtang Ko et al. The physics of tossing fried rice,(2020). DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2019.0622

 2020 Science X Network
Just as Allbirds is disrupting the shoe industry, and Warby Parker is improving the eyewear customer experience, Manly Bands is changing the mens ring and wedding bands market like no company before them, says Smith.

Manly Bands announced today that it has appointed Marshall Smith as the companys new president. The decision came from co-founders Johnathan Ruggiero and Michelle Luchese, who started Manly Bands in 2016 after their own difficulties in finding the perfect wedding ring.

As president, Smith will be responsible for leading Manly Bands into their next stage of growth, and will be instrumental in the development and execution of the companys future goals of domestic and international expansion online and offline as the leading direct-to-consumer provider of mens wedding rings.

"Marshall's financial and business acumen, integrity and commitment to further strengthening our incredible team will help us continue to grow and become a household brand name for men's wedding and fashion rings," said Ruggiero. His experience, along with his exceptional personal character have made him a natural fit for Manly Bands.

Smith has successfully led the operations of multiple Utah companies for the past 20 years, most recently as the former COO of luxury ecommerce shoe retailer, Taft Clothing. In that role, he demonstrated a strong track record for initiating and leading positive company growth, producing data driven top line results and driving product innovation in a rapidly changing ecommerce landscape.

Im very excited to be joining a company which is disrupting an entire industry that is in dire need of a change, said Smith. Just as Allbirds is disrupting the shoe industry, and Warby Parker is improving the eyewear customer experience, Manly Bands is changing the mens ring and wedding bands market like no company before them.

Since Manly Bands was founded in 2016, the company has seen enormous growth each year. In 2019 they sold tens of thousands of rings with over eight figures in sales, with the market size continuing to greatly expand. With Marshall's leadership, Manly Bands expects to continue to grow rapidly in 2020, and expand product lines into exciting new markets while continuing to grow their international presence.

About Manly Bands

Manly Bands is the fastest growing direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer of badass mens wedding rings. We make it easy for couples to order a ring that looks (and fits) perfect on their partner. With more than 250 unique styles made from over 15 non-traditional materials, were on a mission to give men the ring that theyll never want to take off. To see our latest collections, visit ManlyBands.com today.
HSBC Holdings Plc (NYSE: HSBC) reported pre-tax earnings that missed analysts expectations on Tuesday. The bank also said that it plans to restructure over the next two years.

What Happened

HSBC reported its annual results for the 2019 year on Monday. The London-based international bank reported pre-tax profits of $13.35 billion and a revenue of $56.1 billion.

CNBC reports that the bank also plans to cut 35,000 jobs as a part of a wide restructuring plan that also involves canceling share buy-backs for 2020 and 2021.

Write-offs linked to global banking and markets, as well as commercial banking businesses in Europe, contributed to a $7.3 billion drop in profit for HSBC.

Noel Quinn, HSBC Group Chief Executive, said in a video released by the bank, We also have to acknowledge that we have some challenges. We are taking decisive action today to address those underperforming parts of the business, to redistribute capital to the growth opportunity, to simplify our business. He said that these actions would reduce the cost base of HSBC and allow the bank to grow.

In its annual report, the company also stated that the coronavirus outbreak created significant disruption for its staff, suppliers, and customers in China and Hong Kong.

What's Next

Going forward, HSBC will undertake a group-wide simplification. According to Reuters, HSBC is Europes biggest bank by assets, but most of its revenue comes from Asia.

HSBC now has plans to target a reduced adjusted cost base of $31 billion or lower in 2022. This will be done by following a plan that aims to reduce costs by $4.5 billion. Sales, trading, and equity research in Europe will also be reduced.

In the United States, the bank plans to close 224 branches and will, in the future, target only international and high-income customers.

The global banking investment hub in London will be kept intact, but the bank plans to shift more resources to Asia and the Middle East from Europe, reports CNBC.

Story continues

Price Action

HSBC shares closed 0.71% lower at $37.94 in New York on Friday and were unchanged in the after-hours.

HSBC shares traded at $7.69 higher by 0.25% at press time in London.

See more from Benzinga

 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Amidst reports that the National Assembly was under potential security threat, Senate President Ahmed Lawan has tasked top security officials to beef up security measures at the legislative complex.

Speaking at an emergency meeting with top security officials in the country on Tuesday, Mr Lawan said he has reports from the SSS that there has been an influx of unknown persons into the National Assembly complex for which quick action must be taken.

He said in a statement released by his aide, Ola Awoniyi, that the intel he got has led the leadership of the parliament to devise temporary solutions pending when the existing security structure is remodelled.

As principal officers of the National Assembly, or let me say in the Senate in this respect, our responsibility and obligation is to ensure that our senators, members of the House of Representatives, workers of the National Assembly, our visitors and indeed anyone who has a lawful business to do in this National Assembly are safe, the statement read.

With the heightening insecurity in the country, the time has come for this National Assembly to be properly secured for members of the National Assembly to carry out their legislative and other functions, under a very safe atmosphere.

Mr Lawan pledged that whatever move would be taken to improve security in the National Assembly would not be aimed at barring people with legitimate business in the complex.

He said those who are coming for protests wont be denied their democratic rights either.

Nonetheless, he added, efforts would be made to ensure the environment is secured with necessary security gadgets and technologies to ensure that our parliament is like other parliaments in other clime where you have no business in the parliament, you cannot go in and when you have a business on the first floor, you can only go to the first floor. You cant go to any other floor.

From the gate, people who shouldnt be here at all, find themselves in. And then people come in, moving from one office to another, looking for nothing because they have no appointment with anyone. Yet, they pass through all the security systems that we have in place.

Even our chamber. When we close from the chamber, you see a line-up of people. You wonder how these people have come in and what is their business there.

We dont want to wait until something happened. This kind of discussions had taken place in the past. This is the ninth Senate, we want to do it differently.

We believe now we have to work together if it means the agencies talking to their people who are supposed to work here, they should do so because truly, we are under invasion. Anytime you come to the National Assembly, its full like a market with all manners of people, Lawan said.

Just recently too, unknown persons suspected to be members of the banned Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) took the protest of the continued incarceration of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, to the National Assembly toilets.

Inscriptions like Free Zakzaky were seen on the door and wall of a female toilet on the second floor of the National Assembly building where the offices of all the lawmakers are situated.

Meanwhile the House of Representatives on the same day also resolved to overhaul the National Assembly security system with fears that the National Assembly could be attacked by insurgents.

Shehu Beji (APC, Niger) who moved the motion said considering the diverse visitors to the National Assembly, said the security apparatus of the National Assembly should be upgraded.

It was thus resolved that the House committee on internal security and the management of the National Assembly should ensure the security beef up.

Larger crisis

While fears brew in the National Assembly over potential attack, large swathes of the country have experienced unabating security challenges.

Strikes by Boko Haram ravage the northeastern part of the country, so also have bandits and unknown gunmen continued to spill blood in the North-west and North-central.

On Tuesday, a State House senior official was murdered in her home by unknown gunmen.

In the same manner, asides many houses being reportedly burnt, two soldiers of the Operation Safe Haven were shot in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Despite the crises, service chiefs, whom many Nigerians have asked to be replaced, were recently accused by the NSA of receiving directives from the presidents chief of staff as against laid down security protocol.

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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held a "very good meeting" with his German counterpart Heiko Maas, and discussed a range of bilateral and global issues including counter-terrorism, climate change, multilateralism, connectivity and technology among others.

Jaishankar, who also inaugurated the Indian pavilion at the Berlin International Film Festival, thanked the German Foreign Minister for his country's "strong support" for the expanded India-EU cooperation.

In his interaction with reporters, he said: "We have had a very good discussion this afternoon. I think if my memory serves me right, this is the fifth time in the last six months we are meeting, in New York, in Paris, in India, in Munich and now out here".

Speaking about the Munich Security Conference earlier in the week, Jaishankar said it was the first time that an Indian foreign minister participated.

"Today we had an opportunity really to sit down and review our bilateral relations, regional issues, global issues.

"And apart from the meeting today, yesterday I also had a meeting with the Minister of Defence, Kramp-Karrenbauer, and with the minister of the Economy and Energy Minister Altmaier and a lot of these discussions are about taking forward our strategic partnership and building on the discussions which our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and (German) Chancellor (Angela) Merkel had at the fifth India-Germany intergovernmental consultations in India last year," he said.

Jaishankar said India and Germany have a very broad based relationships, more than 30 mechanisms between the two countries and these are mechanisms not only between governments but also there are aspects of it which impact students, professionals, economy, business, people to people, civil society.

"Where the foreign policy is concerned, what I do want to emphasize today is that as liberal democracies our common values to help us in achieving the convergences, in terms of how we evaluate global challenges and opportunities and we certainly do discuss shared concerns like terrorism, extremism, I think on many of these we have common evaluations and clearly a stronger working relationship," he said.

According to Jaishankar, most of their discussions focused on bilateral and global issues, some of them included multilateralism, connectivity, climate change, technology issues, counter-terrorism issues.

"We also spent a little time discussing India and the EU, a relationship in which we greatly value the role and influence of Germany.

"We had a discussion on what we call the Indo-Pacific, where I shared our perspectives on Afghanistan, on the Middle East and the Gulf. And we discussed our working together in the Alliance for Multilateralism. I conveyed our strong support to the Minister," the External Affairs Minister said.

He said that in India, "we are very proud of our traditions and confident of our future, and we do believe that future is an internationalist future".

India appreciates the Alliance for Multilateralism because multilateralism is under threat, under stress from both nationalism and mercantilism, and it believes in the centrality of the UN, in the relevance of the WTO to international trade, Jaishankar said, adding that the country believes multilateralism should be recognised, preserved and protected.

"Now, as liberal democracies we also share with Germany our belief that adherence to international law is critical. If regimes and institutions are to be credible, they must also be contemporary and we therefore also discussed how to expedite the reforms of the United Nations including the UN Security Council.

"I was very gratified to hear from the minister the support for two initiatives that India has taken, multilateral initiatives, the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition For Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. I will certainly welcome greater German interest and participation," he added.

On Tuesday in Brussels, he met top leaders of the European Union and held wide-ranging talks on key issues such as combating terrorism, climate change and enhancing economic cooperation, that would "benefit both India and the EU".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South Africa: SA gets to work on climate change

South Africa, as a responsible global citizen, will not shrink from its responsibility to address the important tasks that lie ahead to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

We have a common moral responsibility to future generations to honour our mutual commitments, and our differentiated responsibilities to fight the causes and consequences of climate change, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Barbara Creecy said on Tuesday.

She was speaking during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) debate in the National Assembly on Tuesday.

The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) will this year assist municipalities to implement their climate change response strategies, while the South African Weather Service will ramp up efforts to educate local communities so they can better understand climate change and respond appropriately.

Through the departments environmental programmes, R1.9 billion is to be spent in 2020 to restore wetlands, estuaries and coastal dunes to better protect built infrastructure and human settlements from storms, floods and sea level rise.

South Africa will continue to lobby developed countries to provide for an adequate, reliable and predictable source of international funding for both mitigation and adaptation.

We must all be clear that climate change and its associated consequences can only be addressed by the worlds nations working together, Creecy said.

She expressed concern about the withdrawal of the United States  one of the worlds biggest emitters  from the Paris Accord.

It is essential that the nations of the world stand together in support of the Paris Agreement. We have a common moral responsibility to future generations to honour our mutual commitments and our differentiated responsibilities to fight the causes and consequences of climate change, she said.

Creecy welcomed the commitments made by President Cyril Ramaphosas during the SONA, to make a decisive shift in the countrys energy trajectory at a time when humankind faces the greatest threat to its sustainable future.

The President also promised that the Presidential Climate Change Commission will lead South Africas just transition to a low carbon, climate resilient and sustainable society, which will leave no one behind.

To address these issues, the Climate Change Bill, which provides for effective management approaches to the impact of climate change will be tabled in the National Assembly this year, while the National Adaptation Strategy is to be finalised.

This strategy will galvanise investment in preparedness, early warning capabilities and risk mitigation measures for society, DEFF said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Former President John Mahama has assured the chiefs and people of Awaso Asempaneye in the Bibiani- Anhwiaso-Bekwai district of his commitment to complete road projects and other infrastructure in the area when given the second chance as president.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer who began his SpeakOut With John Mahama tour of the Western North Region on Tuesday is expected to tour the region for three days.

The former President assured the chiefs and people of the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai constituency that he will revive and complete especially the cocoa road projects which have been abandoned by the Akufo-Addo government.

We began with the Cocoa roads, indeed, all the roads Nana mentioned, the Awaso Asempaneye town roads were part of the roads we were about to construct but when we lost power, all these roads have been abandoned.

All these roads will be constructed and all other works we started that we didn't complete, we will complete them when I am voted for as president in the 2020 general elections.

The SpeakOut With John Mahama Tour

The National Democratic Congress flagbearer, John Mahama, 'SpeakOut With John Mahama' tour of Ghana from Tuesday, February 18 to Thursday, February 20.

The tour began with a three-day working visit to the Western North Region.

The tour, which has been dubbed SpeakOut with John Mahama, is to give the former president an opportunity to interact and listen directly to the concerns of the people, especially the grassroots.

The SpeakOut with John Mahama will take place in all 16 regions of the country and serve as an opportunity for the NDC leader to meet, interact and listen directly to the people of Ghana, a statement from the NDC said.

Among others, the SpeakOut Initiative will enable him to better appreciate their personal desires and expectations, the needs of their communities and what they consider should be the priorities of government towards improving their standard of living and enhance social infrastructure, the statement added.

Mr. Mahama is being accompanied by members of the NDC's Manifesto Committee who will also take advantage of the tour to listen to the views of the grassroots and incorporate them in the party's 2020 Manifesto.

---citinewsroom


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Canon India announced the first installation of its flagship imagePRESS C8000VP in West Bengal at Mantra Designers & Printers, Kolkata. Acclaimed for its unique value proposition, the machine was inaugurated in the distinguished presence of Mr. Puneet Datta, Senior Director of Professional Printing Products (PPP), Canon India and Mr. Amit Roy Proprietor at Mantra Designers and Printers.

Enticing the attention of the professional printing industry, the imagePRESS C8000VP has yielded over 100+ installations across India. The flagship printer is built to efficiently cater to the latest production demands and easily handle quality jobs on a wide range of substrates, enabling unprecedented image production quality and capability to print on a host of media. Its unique value proposition allows imagePRESS C8000VP to cater to the specific requirements of multiple commercial print and packaging applications.

Expressing his views on the growing market demand for the series, Mr. Puneet Datta, Senior Director, Professional Printing Products (PPP), Canon India said, At Canon, we thrive to delight our customers spread across geographies with latest technology and innovation in the professional printing space. Kolkata is a vital market for Canon, and we have installed multiple machines in this market in the past few months. We are excited to reinforce our footprint in West Bengal with the installation of imagePRESS C8000 VP in Kolkata. Featuring proven technologies from the successful imagePRESS product line-up, the imagePRESS C8000VP maintains high productivity and delivers vibrant output by smoothly integrating into existing workflows. This installation is a shining example of the success of our imagePRESS series and a symbol of Canons strong commitment to the Indian market. We are positive that the installation will prove to be an important milestone in the growth journey of Mantra Designers & Printers and will further help them to gain strong acceptance among customers.

Mantra Designers and Printers is a one-of-a-kind new-age printing and designing space located in Sealdah, Kolkata, Asias largest printing, paper and publishing district. Fiercely committed to the mission of providing customers and businesses the access to exceptional quality digital printing, Mantra aims to elevate the printing experience for everyone. Positioned at the crossroad of Baithakkhana Road and Surya Sen Street, it is a shop easily accessed by trains, buses, metro and all other forms of transportation.

Speaking at the installation of the machine, Mr. Amit Roy, Director, Mantra Printers said, Over time, we have witnessed a growing demand for color consistency across a wide variety of media, but there wasnt any solution which catered to this specific requirement. On the basis of our extensive industry research & personal technical evaluation, it became evident that imagePRESS C8000VP is number one, especially in terms of media versatility, duty cycle, quality and consistency of prints. Canon has always been well-known within the industry for its range of technologically supreme and reliable products-all of which gave us the confidence to install it. We are extremely delighted to be the first printing house in Eastern India to partner with Canon on this unique industry opportunity. We are looking to usher in a new age of digital printing in the region. The imagePRESS C8000VP is engineered for demanding production environments and we are positive that it will enable us to drive more revenue opportunities by delivering outstanding print quality on a wide range of media.

Canon imagePRESS C8000VP has been perceived as a distinguished machine in the digital press segment, meeting the evolving needs of the professional printing space. With an aim to deliver printing excellence, the printer is especially designed to meet higher production volumes for both commercial and in-house print service providers without compromising on quality. The printer features an extensive range of Canons recently developed innovative consistently vivid (CV) toner which improves transfer efficiency for enhanced colour consistency and accuracy across a wide variety of media. The printer comes with 2400 x 2400 dpi resolution enabling even higher precision in the printing of text and images.
UN Rights Chief Horrified by Violence Against Civilians in Syria

By Lisa Schlein February 18, 2020

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michele Bachelet, has expressed horror at the scale of the humanitarian crisis in northwest Syria, which has resulted in mass deaths and injuries of civilians and hundreds of thousands of displaced.

Bachelet describes conditions under which civilians are forced to live in Idlib and Aleppo as cruel beyond belief. She condemns the indiscriminate and inhumane attacks against civilians and is calling for an immediate end to hostilities.

Her spokesman, Rupert Colville, says civilians, mostly women and children, are living in terror under scraps of plastic sheeting in freezing temperatures while bombing is going on.

"Entire families, some who have fled from one corner of Syria to the other over the course of the past decade, are tragically finding that bombs are part of their everyday life," he said. "Civilians fleeing the fighting are being squeezed into areas without safe shelter that are shrinking in size by the hour. And still they are bombed, and they simply no longer have anywhere to go."

The United Nations estimates fighting has forced more than 900,000 civilians to flee their homes since December. That represents the largest displacement of people since the civil war broke out in Syria nearly nine years ago.

The U.N. says 298 civilians have been killed since the beginning of the year in Idlib and Aleppo. It blames 93 percent of those deaths on airstrikes by Syria and its Russian ally. During the same period, it says 10 medical and 19 educational facilities have been bombed.

Colville tells VOA he cannot know for sure whether these facilities are being deliberately targeted. He says each case would have to be individually investigated.

"But the sheer quantity of attacks on these hospitals, medical facilities, schools, would suggest they cannot all be accidental Intentionally directing attacks against hospitals and places containing the sick and the wounded and against medical units using the Red Cross or Red Crescent emblem is a war crime," he said.

Bachelet condemns the continued impunity for violations of international humanitarian law committed by all parties to the conflict. She is calling on the Syrian Government and its allies to set up humanitarian corridors into areas of conflict so civilians can safely leave the war zone.

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Last week at a cemetery in South Bend, Indiana, the remains of preborn children discovered a year ago in the garage of Ulrich Klopfer were buried. As Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill told the 100-plus gathered for the ceremony, The shocking discovery was horrifying to anyone with normal sensibilities, and that burying them in a joint ceremony would keep them together in rest, each of them connected by their common fate.

Among the mourners was a 44-year old mother of two who went to Klopfer for an abortion after being raped as a teenager. She told the South Bend Tribune that being there was part of the healing process for her. There are so many hurting women in our community because of this, she said. This is a place for mothers to come to mourn the loss of their children.

Note the language. Mothers. Children. The whole ceremony demonstrated what we cant not know about abortion, and its victims.

Publication date: February 19, 2020

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Serdjo Photo

BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931  2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go.

John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.
By Trend

Deputy Head of the delegation of Azerbaijans Parliament to OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) Tahir Mirkishili will visit Vienna, Austrias capital, on February 19-22 to participate in the assembly's winter session, Trend reports on Feb. 18.

Within the framework of the session, President and Secretary General of the OSCE PA will represent reports, and exchange views on such topics as OSCE tools and mechanisms in resolving protracted conflicts, the impact of climate change on security and the role of parliamentarians in this area, the fight against anti-semitism, discrimination and intolerance in the OSCE region and others at committee meetings.

Deputy Tahir Mirkishili will also make a statement at the meetings.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Wednesday, February 19th, 2020 (12:10 pm) - Score 1,462

The London-based property investment firm Avon Group has today signed a 2 year partnership with UK fibre ISP Virgin Media, which will see the operator upgrade some 10,000 properties across London, Birmingham and Leeds to support their new gigabit-capable broadband and TV network.

The Avon Group typically serves large apartment blocks (Multi-Dwelling Units) in dense urban areas, such as the example cities mentioned above. Residents in such blocks will gain access to Virgin Medias various broadband and TV bundles, with average headline speeds of 516Mbps (due to hit 1Gbps+ by 2021) and the option of a 4G mobile SIM.

At present theres a big focus from operators on upgrading MDUs to support gigabit-capable broadband services, not least because of the Governments imminent new law for tackling rogue landlords (here and here).

Paul Rusby, Business Development Director at Virgin Media, said: This is great news for thousands of tenants who will be able to access a range of our incredible services, including the UKs fastest widely available broadband speeds. This is a brilliant partnership which increases awareness of our products and services and well be looking to explore similar opportunities.

The Avon Group contract also includes a possibility to extend after the initial 2 year period.
Having more nurses trained outside of the United States working on a hospital unit does not hurt collaboration among healthcare professionals and may result in a more educated and stable nursing workforce, finds a new study by researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing published in the journal Nursing Economic$.

While there have been concerns that internationally educated nurses may not perform at the same level as U.S.-trained nurses, including collaborating with colleagues, our study suggests that such concerns may not be necessary." Chenjuan Ma, PhD, assistant professor at NYU Meyers and the study's lead author

Internationally educated nurses--who receive their primary nursing education outside of the country where they currently work--have become an important part of the nursing workforce in many countries. In the U.S., recruiting internationally educated nurses has been used to address nursing shortages. While the true number of internationally educated nurses in the U.S. is difficult to capture, it is estimated that 5.6 to 16 percent--or 168,000 to 480,000--of the country's more than 3 million nurses were educated in another country.

Internationally educated nurses often face challenges when transitioning to practice in the U.S. because of cultural, language, and healthcare system differences. While internationally educated nurses can help mitigate nursing workforce shortages, there is little research on their impact on quality of care and patient outcomes, and the findings have been mixed.

In this study, the researchers looked at the proportion of internationally educated nurses on hospital units and evaluated whether this affects collaboration among health professionals and other factors of hospital units. They used 2013 survey data from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators, analyzing responses from 24,045 nurses (2,156 of whom were trained outside the U.S.) working on 958 units across 160 U.S. acute care hospitals. Collaboration on a unit was measured using a nurse-nurse interaction scale and a nurse-physician interaction scale.

The researchers found having more internationally educated nurses did not lead to decreased collaboration among nurses and between nurses and physicians. This is important because collaboration among healthcare professionals is a fundamental aspect of quality work environments and can result in positive patient outcomes and satisfaction.

Interestingly, units with higher proportions of internationally educated nurses had notable differences, including factors that could both help and hurt patient care. For example, units with more internationally trained nurses had nurses with higher levels of education, which may be because internationally educated nurses are more likely to have a baccalaureate degree in order to qualify for and pass the U.S. nursing licensure exam.

"Research shows that having more nurses with bachelor degrees improves patient safety, so it is possible that internationally educated nurses are contributing to improved health outcomes," said Ma.

Units with more internationally trained nurses also had less turnover, as these nurses are likely to stay in a job longer than their U.S.-educated peers.

"In other words, units with more internationally educated nurses have a more stable nursing workforce. Not only can lower turnover rates reduce recruiting and hiring expenses, but they are also linked to fostering collaborative environments among nurses," said Ma.

In contrast, units with more internationally trained nurses had worse nurse staffing levels or higher patient-to-nurse ratios, despite these nurses being recruited to address shortages. Worse staffing levels have been shown to hurt collaboration and could potentially worsen patient outcomes.

The researchers note that hospitals and nurse recruitment agencies can play important roles helping to integrate internationally educated nurses into the U.S. workforce--for instance, providing training on the basics of the U.S. healthcare system, creating peer mentoring programs, and running workshops on culture, communication, and teamwork.

"Given the ongoing nursing workforce shortage, especially in rural areas, nurse managers and hospital administrators should not be reluctant to hire qualified internationally educated nurses to fill vacancies," said Ma. "In addition, nurse managers and peer nurses should recognize the contributions of their internationally educated colleagues, who are part of more stable, educated nursing teams. Recognizing the value of individual nurses can lead to a healthy work environment and workforce, which contributes to high quality patient care and outcomes."
A specter is haunting the Democratic Party: the specter of Bernie Bros.

What is a Bernie Bro, exactly? Where along the cline of various political creatures does one fall?

The Bernie Bro's natural habitat is the internet. In the wild  meaning on Twitter, or poking around in the depraved brush of Reddit  the stalwart of the socialist septuagenarian truffles for unconverted Democrats to their cause. Spotting a Sanders skeptic, or Joe Bidensupporter, they descend with ravening ferocity, unleashing broadsides that recall Maoist struggle sessions.

Mainstream journalists, despite their friendliness with the Democratic Party, have found themselves on the receiving end of this collective vituperation. They've used the occasion to warn off Democratic voters as to the danger of nominating a presidential candidate like Sanders, who inspires such mercurial partisans.

Bret Stephens of the New York Times, describes Bernie's cohort of angry young men as fanatics who see "more moderate Democrats not as kindred spirits or potential converts but as sellouts, even traitors  the proverbial enemy within." NBC host Chuck Todd called Bernie's informal online defenders a "digital brown shirt brigade." Hillary Clinton roused herself from a chardonnay-induced stupor in Chappaqua to whinge about "online Bernie Bros and their relentless attacks on lots of his competitors, particularly the women." Even R&B crooner John Legend bleated, "Bernie supporters do quite the disservice to your candidate," further beseeching them to "not to drive people away with your nastiness."

Bernie's Democratic rivals are getting in on the decrying game.

Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, the oofy Johnny-come-lately of the field, just released a compilation attack ad featuring aggressive pro-Bernie messages, including one from liberal writer David Klion warning his fellow leftists "who are flirting with Bloomberg" that their names are "going on lists."

Just ahead of the Nevada caucus, the state's influential Culinary Workers Union denounced online Sandernistas for their vicious and personal pile-on after the collective expressed concern that Medicare for All would outlaw its negotiated health insurance plan. For representing the pecuniary interests of its members, two top officials of union were thanked with a barrage of invective and the leaking of their personal information. "We respect Senator Sanders a lot. We do. We know he's always been great with the labor and everything. But I think in situations like this he knows what's going on in this country and he knows this is very dangerous," commented the union's secretary-treasurer, Geoconda Arguello-Kline.

Seeking a toehold to arrest his plummeting candidacy, Joe Biden came to the Culinary Union's defense, seizing on the bad publicity for his top Democratic rival. "You know me well enough to know if any of my supporters did that, I'd disown them. Flat disown them," he declared, with all the courage of a candidate whose most passionate supporters are an awkward troupe of Backstreet Boys imitators.

Taken as a whole, these complaints, which come off more like sneering tut-tutting from on high than friendly advice, don't seem to be quelling enthusiasm for the senator. Bernie's gotten a plurality of votes in the race's only two contests. He'll likely win Nevada despite the misgivings of the state's well membered union.

And, most notably, the battery of criticism won't matter a lick to Sanders's fervent promoters.

All of this brickbat-loaded chastising will have the opposite intended effect: it will only further entrench the intransigent and irreverent attitudes of Bernie Bros. Sanders's message isn't socialism alone; it's socialism as a hard panacea for elite corruption. Bloomberg and Clinton  prime beneficiaries of our cliquish and rigged economic system that operates under the veneer of meritocracy  aren't locked-in-arms allies of Sanders's earnest progressivism. They're obstacles to it.

Some Sanders detractors have drawn a through line between the vulgarity of the "very online left" and that of the quick-to-anger MAGAites. But that analogy is ill fitting. The president inspires passion, to be sure. Yet Trump devotees aren't ideologically driven. Donald Trump's rough attitudinal mixture of nationalism, cultural conservatism, and hard-nosed realism isn't strictly an ideology. Trumpism, if there's such a thing, isn't ideas-less, either. It's just not as coherent and consistent as pure socialism.

In that sense, Bernie's legions are more reminiscent of the followers of the former Texas congressman Ron Paul, whose quixotic bids for the White House spread libertarianism to the masses. Paul's gentle, country-doctorish message of liberty inspired Bastiat reading circles and bullion exchanges. But it also led to short-lived spasms of mobbish behavior.

This is the inevitable result of ideology, which economist Richard Spady defined as the type of thinking that "willfully projects its own first principles on its subject matter and actively seeks, perhaps unconsciously, material changes to bring social realities into conformity with these first principles."

Doctrinaire libertarians and perfervid socialists are of a piece in ideological allegiance. To compromise means to violate the self-claimed certainty. This is the motivating spirit behind the vitriolic Bernie Bros. Anything less than full socialization of the health care industry is murder. A penny's worth of corporate money, like a drop of blood in a hypodescent society, is an irremediable sign of venality. Compromise candidates, like socialist-lite Elizabeth Warren, would invoke faute de mieux feelings, so they are verboten in service to higher cause.

Sanders must win, or the glorious democratic-socialist future is lost. Bernie Bros have their entire ideological identity affixed to this providential vision. So they'll bully, abuse, harass, degrade, shout down, insult, and tear apart whoever stands in their way.

And the Democratic establishment can only sit and watch.

Image: AFGE via Flickr.
ONE THIRD of people believe that their communities will be worse off after Brexit, a new survey has found.

An iReach survey conducted last week has found that 3pc of adults believe that their community will be worse off after Brexit and only 5pc believe it will be better off.

According to the survey, 38pc of respondents who were from Dublin said that they will be worse off, higher than Munster, Ulster, Connaught and the rest of Leinster, which stands at 31pc.

People from Dublin believe they will be worse off with 38% agreeing compared to Munster, Ulster/Connacht, and the Rest of Leinster at 31pc.

Of those 33pc who believe that their community will be worse off, 78pc said that there will be more uncertainty and 72pc of adults said that there will be less exports to the UK from Ireland after Brexit.

30pc of adults also felt unhappy with government supports on offer post-Brexit, with this being the highest in Connaught and Ulster at 41pc.

Nearly half of adults also believed that Brexit will cause a loss of jobs in their local communities.

The survey saw 1,000 respondents and was conducted between February 13 and 18.
Photo: Vlad Busuioc/Unsplash

Missed the most recent top news in Houston? Read on for everything you need to know. Man, woman found dead in apparent murder-suicide at home in Clear Lake area, police say Read the full story on KPRC2 / Click2Houston. Cunningham Elementary teacher accused of touching student inappropriately, court records show Read the full story on KPRC2 / Click2Houston. Study shows Houston lack, Hispanic womens wages less than half that of white men Read the full story on Houston Public Media. Elite Border Patrol units to arrest immigrants inside the US Read the full story on KHOU 11 News. Suspect charged with kidnapping of Houston boy that prompted Amber Alert Read the full story on FOX 26 Houston. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.

The Houston Police Department is assisting Harris County Precinct 8 Constables deputies after a man and woman were found dead in an apparent muder-suicide in the Clear Lake area, according to a tweet from the Houston Police Department.

A 79-year-old Cunningham Elementary School teacher is accused of inappropriately touching a 9-year-old student in January 2019, court records show. He is the third Houston Independent School District teacher to be charged with indecency with a child in two weeks.

The study analyzes gender, ethnicity, race and sexual orientation as factors that contribute to the citys economy.

Houston is among the U.S. cities where highly trained teams will embed with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Drama doesn't seem to have left the opposition NDC in Effutu as the leadership of the party mulls over the possibility of going into the next elections with an independent candidate.



On Tuesday, February 18, the party's legitimately elected candidate, Lawyer Victor Yankson, in a letter to the General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, said he has stepped down as the torchbearer of the party in Effutu.



Citing the uncooperative attitude of the party's leadership in the Constituency, the legal practitioner expressed his regret resigning as the party's candidate in Effutu.



A watertight information from the leadership of the NDC indicates that instead of holding primaries to select another candidate for the party, one James Kofi Annan, an independent candidate, is their choice as a replacement for Yankson.



It would be recalled that for months now, the NDC has been beset with torrents of agitations from various interests groups within the party.



These demonstrations were by party members some of whom had called on Victor Yankson to vacate his position as the party's candidate for James Kofi Annan who had, prior to the party's primaries, wanted to join in the race but was denied due to the fact that he was not a member of the party.



Other party members who demonstrated in favour of Lawyer Yankson also warned the independent candidate to stay away from their party.



With this new development, it is not so clear if the other aspirants who contested in the primaries would accept the independent candidate as the party's candidate following the resignation of Victor Yankson.

Source: P.K.Sarpong, Whispers from the Corridors of the Thinking Place.









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Ranked #1 in Dealer Satisfaction for Both New and Used Car Advertising

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CarGurus, (CARG) a leading automotive marketplace, today announced it received Top Rated Awards for both New Car and Used Car Advertising in the tenth annual DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards. CarGurus received a top dealer satisfaction ranking in both the new and used car leads categories, as determined by the thousands of auto dealers who are part of the DrivingSales.com community.



"For the fifth consecutive year, CarGurus is proud to have won Dealer Satisfaction Awards for both our new and used car advertising products," said Ashley Karr, Vice President of B2B Marketing at CarGurus. "This is a tremendous honor and we will strive to continue to earn the trust of the DrivingSales community as we find ways to help improve dealerships businesses.



CarGurus is the most visited online automotive marketplace in the U.S.*, and its innovative technology enables dealers to connect ready-to-buy shoppers with their inventory. CarGurus proprietary Deal Ratings combined with Dealer Reviews yield high-quality shopper connections and increased exposure for dealers' inventory. This includes providing access to digital tools that give dealerships control over pricing, branding and performance.



We congratulate CarGurus on receiving two Top Rated Awards, accolades that we consider to be some of our industrys most important because they come directly from dealers, said DrivingSales CEO and Founder Jared Hamilton. In our tenth year of presenting these awards, we feel especially proud that DrivingSales Vendor Ratings continue to help dealers make smart and informed decisions through thousands of peer reviews that lead them to outstanding service providers such as CarGurus. Were thrilled CarGurus has been recognized as one of the best by the people to whom their services count the most: the dealer community.

Story continues

The DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards measure dealer satisfaction with vendor products and services, and are based on cumulative ratings tallied and verified over the calendar year (January  December) at https://www.drivingsales.com/vendor-ratings. DrivingSales Vendor Ratings is the industrys only neutral, comprehensive vendor rating forum featuring real-time peer reviews and honest competitor comparisons, and provides dealerships with important information from actual customers who have hands-on experience using vendor products / solutions in their stores. DrivingSales has a dedicated team that goes through each review and confirms that it was left by an actual dealership employee.

* Comscore Media Metrix Multi-Platform, Automotive  Information/Resources, Total Audience, Q4 2019, U.S. (Competitive set includes: CarGurus.com, Autotrader.com, Cars.com, TrueCar.com)

Full award results are available online at http://events.drivingsales.com/dealer-satisfaction-awards/ .

About CarGurus

CarGurus is a global online automotive marketplace that uses proprietary technology, search algorithms, and data analytics to bring trust and transparency to the automotive search experience and help users find great deals on new and used cars from top-rated dealers. Founded in 2006 by Langley Steinert (also a co-founder of TripAdvisor), CarGurus is the most visited automotive shopping site in the U.S. (source: Comscore Media Metrix Multi-Platform, Automotive  Information/Resources, Total Audience, Q4 2019, U.S. (Competitive set includes: CarGurus.com, Autotrader.com, Cars.com, TrueCar.com)). In addition to the United States, CarGurus operates online marketplaces in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Spain. CarGurus also owns and operates as independent brands PistonHeads and Autolist in the U.K. and U.S., respectively. To learn more about CarGurus, visit www.cargurus.com. CarGurus is a registered trademark of CarGurus, Inc.

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales is a professional network serving the auto industry with dealer-driven news and information, online training, and performance data, all to enable dealers to make critical business decisions at their dealerships. DrivingSales mission is to connect progressive dealership professionals to the people and information they need to maximize their success. Founded by a third-generation car dealer, and opened up to the industry in 2008, today DrivingSales has registered users in over 50% of new car dealerships in the US and is active in several other countries around the globe. To learn more about the DrivingSales community, training or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com, hcm.drivingsales.com and DrivingSalesData.com
This is an opinion column.

If eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, then the cost of a decent state ethics law is having to defend it against lawmakers in Montgomery who try to amend that law out of existence.

Year after year.

Again and again.

Forever.

But lets push this rock back up this hill one more time.

Its 2020, and the good news is that this years attempt to undo our ethics laws in Alabama isnt nearly as bad as 2019, when state Sen. Greg Albritton tried to make all gifts from lobbyists legal again and explicit, this-for-that bribes under $5,000 a misdemeanor.

Compared to that, this years attempt to weaken the law looks almost like an improvement.

Almost.

But that doesnt mean this years attack on the ethics law isnt bad. This bill would prevent investigators and prosecutors from pursuing cases unless political appointees tell them they can. It makes the watchers into the watched.

And thats just the beginning.

Here are the highlights of what this years proposed ethics rewrite, sponsored by state Rep. Mike Ball, would do:

It creates a new category of unregulated consultants (dont call them lobbyists) and weakens revolving door rules that prevent recent lawmakers from lobbying their former colleagues.

It narrows the definition of public officials family to spouses and dependent children only, so special interests could legally give lawmakers parents, in-laws and grown children jobs, gifts and other favors.

It narrows the definition of principal  the people and companies who employ lobbyists  to make it easier for special interests to give things of value to public officials.

It weakens state prosecutors ability to police campaign finance violations  the same laws Gov. Robert Bentley pleaded guilty to breaking.

But Balls bill is personal, too.

Embedded in the changes he proposes is a grudge Ball keeps alive for no good reason, a score he has to settle on behalf of his friend and former political ally, former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard.

In particular, Ball has a beef with Hubbards prosecutor, Matt Hart (who doesnt even have that job anymore since Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall pushed him out the door in 2018).

After a special grand jury in Lee County indicted Hubbard, Ball stood in solidarity with Hubbard at a press conference in Auburn, where Hubbard and his allies blasted prosecutors for bringing the case. Later, Ball made the same allegations on the radio.

Hart called Ball to tell him he didnt appreciate his office being accused of political prosecutions. This only made things worse. Ball then accused Hart of prosecutorial misconduct, claimed that Hart was trying to intimidate him, and Ball argued that Hart doing so was a crime.

Ball went to nearly every investigative agency he could find  federal and state  looking for someone to prosecute the prosecutor. None took him up on it.

The judge in Hubbards case heard Balls complaint and dismissed defense motions to throw the case out.

But all these years later, Ball still hasnt let it go.

So buried in this 95-page bill is a provision that prohibits state and county prosecutors from taking ethics cases to a grand jury without prior permission from the Alabama Ethics Commission  whose members are appointed by, among others, Alabama lawmakers.

It makes sure there will never be another Matt Hart.

And lets be clear about another thing, too: At least one complaint was filed against Hubbard with the Alabama Ethics Commission. Despite the complaint, the Commission never referred Hubbard for prosecution. Had this bill been law six years ago, Hubbard wouldnt have been prosecuted, much less convicted.

And thats the point: To make sure another Hubbard-like prosecution never happens again.

Weve seen it all before.

And surely  unless the unthinkable happens and this bill becomes law  we will see it again.

Kyle Whitmire is the state political columnist for the Alabama Media Group.

You can follow his work on his Facebook page, The War on Dumb.

And on Twitter.

And on Instagram.

More than half of Alabama counties dont have a hospital where a woman can safely give birth to a baby, but Alabama lawmakers say the public health emergency is ... porn. pic.twitter.com/dYyUdlgnf7  Kyle Whitmire (@WarOnDumb) February 8, 2020

See more columns and video by Kyle Whitmire
Beijing: The State Department on Tuesday designated five Chinese media outlets as official government entities under the Foreign Missions Act, meaning they will treated as though they are diplomatic outposts of the Chinese government and subject to the same constraints.

The China Daily homepage.

The move is the latest in a series of US efforts to tackle China's influence in the United States. It will be sure to anger Beijing, which generally views US government's actions - from the trade war and the accusations against Huawei to criticism of its human rights record - as an effort to thwart China's global rise.

The media outlets are the official Xinhua News Agency; China Global Television Network, known as CGTN, the international arm of state broadcaster CCTV; China Radio International; the China Daily newspaper; and Hai Tian Development, a US company linked to the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China.

The 1982 Foreign Missions Act covers matters like license plates for embassy vehicles and diplomatic immunity, but it also governs how foreign governments operate in the United States.
Tana Mongeaus relationship with Jake Paul may be over, but that doesnt mean she had to cut all ties with members of his family.

Since calling it quits from Paul earlier this year, Mongeau has been spending some quality time with the YouTubers older brother, Logan Paul.

Tana Mongeau and Logan Paul | Presley Ann/Getty Images for dick Clark productions

Though were pretty sure Mongeau and Paul established a pretty close bond while she was married to his younger brother, the pairs most recent outing has us questioning if their relationship is more than just platonic?

The pair was recently spotted getting pretty cozy while on a lunch date

Are they or arent they dating? That is what many of us have been asking ourselves since Mongeau was spotted having an intimate lunch with her ex, Jake Pauls, older brother, Logan.

On Feb. 17, the TanaCon creator was photographed enjoying a fun and relaxing daytime outing with the fellow Youtuber. During their lunch date, the pair enjoyed a meal together and even took sips of each others coffee while they laughed and soaked up some sun.

Tana Mongeau and Logan Paul | BG026/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

As they were leaving the quaint restaurant, Mongeau and Paul were photographed with their arms wrapped around each other and get this; the Ohio native even kissed her on the top of her head.

While its hard to tell if this was just a friendly outing or something much more, its pretty evident that Mongeau and Paul have gotten pretty close over the years.

Though hanging out with youre exs sibling might sound a little weird to some people, Mongeau has maintained close bonds with both brothers and considers them to be two of her closest friends.

Back in January, the YouTuber was photographed out shopping with Jake Paul  less than one week after announcing their split.

Mongeau and Paul just announced that they were taking a break

On Jan. 2, 2019, both Mongeau and Paul took to Instagram to announce that they would be taking a break, just five months after tying the knot in Las Vegas.

In their separate posts, the pair claimed that their split was mutual and though they are no longer together, they still remain best friends.

Im happy to still be able to sit with Jake and laugh as we do this, but for right now we both are taking a break to focus on our own very crazy lives, she wrote.

Paul reiterated what he ex had to say by writing, I wouldnt change anything that happened. Were best friends and right now its best for us to focus on our lives and see what the future holds.

Since then, the former flames have stuck by their word of remaining on good terms and have just been focused on working on themselves as they live their own lives.

Are Tana and Logan dating?

While it was hard at first to tell if Mongeau and Paul have romantic feelings for each other, the TanaCon creator seemingly confirmed this speculation on Feb. 18.

In a recent Tik-Tok video, Mongeau can be heard calling Logan her boyfriend, but it remains unclear if she was joking or not.

Really hot boyfriend check, the YouTuber lip-synched before panning the camera over to Paul.

Whether or not something is going on between them, this actually wouldnt be the first time the Paul brothers dated the same woman.

Back in 2017, Jake and Logan got into a heated feud after the eldest brother featured the Team 10 founders ex-girlfriend, Alissa Violet, in a diss track.

The music video came shortly after Paul called out Violet for cheating on him while they were dating.

Once Logan featured Violet in the video, many began to speculate that he was the guy the model allegedly cheated on Jake with.

After a string of diss tracks, it was clear that tensions were running high between the brothers, but they soon put their beef with each other aside and have been on good terms ever since. And hopefully, it continues to stay that way!
Rasik Dave reveals what awaits POTUS and FLOTUS on their visit to Gujarat on Monday.

IMAGE: Posters such as this have been put up all over Ahmedabad ahead of the Trumps's visit to Ahmedabad on February 24, 2020. Photograph: ANI Photo

After hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the last five years, Gujarat is all set to host United States President Donald J Trump and his wife Melania on February 24 at the newly constructed Motera Stadium.

Trump will land in Ahmedabad from Washington, DC, before flying to New Delhi for the more substantive part of his 2-day visit to India.

Trump will do something that neither Xi nor Abe nor Bibi had done before him: He will take part in a 22 km-long road show along with Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi.

Some 300,000 people are expected to take part in the road show while another 120,000 people are expected to participate in the Namaste Trump event at Motera Stadium.

Trump at Sabarmati Ashram

As is the norm for visiting leaders, Trump will head directly to Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram where he will be welcomed with khadi sutar ati (cotton thread). Modi will brief Trump about the Gandhi ashram's legacy, and shortly after, the two leaders will greet Gujaratis from a stage built on the Sabarmati riverfront.

Modi is expected to gift Trump a copy of Gandhi's autobiography My Experiments With Truth, a replica of the famous three monkeys, a Gandhi photo frame with a Gandhian quote, and a charkha to take back home.

4,000 artistes to perform

Trump will be given a traditional Gujarati red carpet welcome at the Sardar Patel international airport. Greeting him will be shankhnad by 20 trained Brahmins and traditional folk dancers.

En route to the Sabarmati Ashram and the Motera Stadium, around 50 troupes from various states will showcase Indian culture for Trump. At the Motera Stadium, a fusion of Indian culture will be performed on stage.

Several professional agencies from across India with international exposure have been engaged for the outdoor publicity and the cultural show inside the stadium.

Patan na Patola for Melania

The state government and Modi are likely to present the US First Lady with the famous Patan na Patola sari, Kutch's famed Rogan painted cloth and embroidery work, a khadi kurta and Gujarati tribal art work.

Gujarat to spend more than Rs 100 crore!

In all, the Trumps will spend less than three-and-a-half hours in Gujarat before heading to Agra, but the Gujarat government is expected to spend over Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) on road renovation, security cover, cultural shows, decorations, etc. This is apart from the sum the Government of India will spend on the Trump visit.

BJP cadres activated

Some 120,000 people are expected to gather at the Motera Stadium and around 300,000 people present during the road show on February 24. The Bharatiya Janata Party's Gujarat unit is working overtime to verify the credentials of participants and bring to them to the venue.

The state government has directed seven district collectors to ensure that the identity of every person is verified thoroughly. A total of 3,000 buses will be deployed to ferry people from the districts to the Ahmedabad stadium.

Security challenge

Security is always a bugbear when an American president travels. The state government and the Government of India have deployed around 25,000 security personnel along with newly-acquired high-tech surveillance equipment.

Considering the possible terror threat to the US president, and protests during the road show or at the Namaste Trump event, security agencies are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the visit goes off peacefully.

Hiding behind a wall?

The Ahmedabad municipal corporation's decision to build a wall to block slums so Trump does not get to see poverty during his road show has attracted international criticism. Apart from this, a civic notice to slum-dwellers near the stadium to vacate has also fuelled a controversy.

However, the Ahmedabad municipal commissioner has disputed the reports, saying, "There are no plans to evict any slum-dwellers near the event venue or the route which the dignitaries will take. The eviction notices pertain to a slum not in the immediate vicinity of the event venue. There are no plans for any forceful evictions in the near future."
Within Shop Talk, shoppers will be able to discuss anything related to Instacart, whether they are new to the platform and want advice from more seasoned shoppers, have questions about how to address unique situations, or want to share their experiences with fellow shoppers.

Along with discussion opportunities, shoppers can also leave direct feedback about the Shopper app in the form of Shopper Ideas. The ideas that receive enough upvotes from the community will be presented directly to the Instacart team on a quarterly basis for consideration to be incorporated into the Shopper app.

"Instacart shoppers are picking and packing from the aisles of tens of thousands of grocery stores across North America every day. Each of those shopping experiences is an invaluable opportunity for us to listen, learn, and use feedback to develop a better shopper experience," said Sean Twersky, Senior Director of Operations at Instacart. "With Shop Talk, we're providing an online community where shoppers can engage with each other and the broader Instacart community. Whether it's a new shopper looking for advice or a seasoned shopper with a great idea for a new app feature, every shopper has something to offer. We look forward to bringing together this diverse group of individuals to make the shopper community even stronger."

Within Shop Talk, shoppers can access several new features that will help them connect with each other and directly with the Instacart community:

Shopper Ideas - As the most frequent users of the Shopper app, shoppers often have the best ideas about how the product can be enhanced to make their experience even easier. Shoppers with an idea for a new feature can submit it to Shopper Ideas. Ideas that receive enough upvotes by the shopper community will be considered by the Instacart team to be incorporated in the Shopper app.





As the most frequent users of the Shopper app, shoppers often have the best ideas about how the product can be enhanced to make their experience even easier. Shoppers with an idea for a new feature can submit it to Shopper Ideas. Ideas that receive enough upvotes by the shopper community will be considered by the Instacart team to be incorporated in the Shopper app. Shopper Chat - As the new virtual home for shoppers, Shop Talk will provide an opportunity for shoppers to chat about anything and everything Instacart-related. Whether they want to discuss their experiences shopping, share best practices with other shoppers, or receive advice from more veteran shoppers, shoppers will find something helpful to chat about in Shop Talk.





As the new virtual home for shoppers, Shop Talk will provide an opportunity for shoppers to chat about anything and everything Instacart-related. Whether they want to discuss their experiences shopping, share best practices with other shoppers, or receive advice from more veteran shoppers, shoppers will find something helpful to chat about in Shop Talk. Shopper Groups - Shoppers can also participate in shopper groups to talk about issues that are most relevant for them in a smaller setting. For example, shoppers participating in the beta test of the Shopper app can discuss new features before the app is rolled out to the entire shopper community, giving them an opportunity to share more openly with a small group of other shoppers.





Shoppers can also participate in shopper groups to talk about issues that are most relevant for them in a smaller setting. For example, shoppers participating in the beta test of the Shopper app can discuss new features before the app is rolled out to the entire shopper community, giving them an opportunity to share more openly with a small group of other shoppers. Bravocado - Featuring profiles of the shopper community, Bravocado lets shoppers learn about the diverse individuals who shop with Instacart. All shoppers have unique stories, backgrounds, and reasons for shopping, and Bravocado helps shoppers get to know each other and celebrates the diversity that makes the community special. Shoppers who want to be profiled can submit themselves or nominate a friend to be considered.





Featuring profiles of the shopper community, Bravocado lets shoppers learn about the diverse individuals who shop with Instacart. All shoppers have unique stories, backgrounds, and reasons for shopping, and Bravocado helps shoppers get to know each other and celebrates the diversity that makes the community special. Shoppers who want to be profiled can submit themselves or nominate a friend to be considered. Badges - As shoppers reach certain milestones within the Shop Talk community, they can earn different types of badges to highlight their progress. Badge milestones include number of posts, how much advice they've given other shoppers, the number of likes they've received from other shoppers, and more.

Shop Talk has been piloted with a select group of shoppers over the past several months, resulting in an active user base of more than triple the average for similar virtual communities. Shoppers spend an average of almost an hour a month in Shop Talk, viewing an average of more than five pages in each visit.

Along with Shop Talk, Instacart is introducing a host of new resources for shoppers, furthering its commitment to improving the overall shopper experience.

Instacart is adding new lessons to Carrot Academy, the online resource for shopper learning, on relevant shopper-focused topics. These new lessons join existing subjects on picking high-quality items, making great replacements, and communicating with customers. The robust Carrot Academy library now includes more than 15 optional lessons to help shoppers learn best practices.

Instacart has also refreshed its shopper website, shoppers.instacart.com , to highlight the unique reasons shoppers choose to shop with Instacart and feature members of the shopper community who wish to share their story.

With more than 175,000 active shoppers, the Instacart shopper community delivers from more than 25,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in the U.S. and Canada.

About Instacart:

Instacart is a North American leader in online grocery and one of the fastest growing companies in e-commerce. Instacart's same-day delivery and pickup services bring fresh groceries and everyday essentials to busy people and families across the U.S. and Canada in as fast as an hour. Instacart has partnered with more than 350 beloved national, regional and local retailers, including Albertsons, ALDI, Costco, Kroger, Loblaw, Publix, Sam's Club, Sprouts, Walmart Canada, and Wegmans, among others, to deliver from more than 25,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in North America. Instacart's delivery service is available to more than 85% of U.S. households and 70% of Canadian households. The company's cutting-edge enterprise technology also powers the e-commerce platforms of some of the world's biggest retail players, supporting their white-label websites, applications and delivery solutions. Instacart offers an Instacart Express membership for unlimited free delivery on orders over $35. For more information or to start shopping, visit www.Instacart.com .

SOURCE Instacart

Related Links

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For two nights in a row, the wintery sky in northern Finland was lit up with spectacular displays of northern lights.

The show coloured the sky with green, pink and white lights forming quickly changing patterns.

Footage of the light show was captured by an enthusiast from Rovaniemi, around 420 km south of Kilpisjarvi, who said the Tuesday night northern lights had been "really special".

Spring is one of the best times to see the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, because of augmented solar wind activity taking place in the Arctic Circle that time of year.
In a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi government over the state of the economy, former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said the current dispensation does not acknowledge the word 'slowdown', and the real danger is that if problems are not recognised, then finding credible answers to take corrective action is unlikely.

New Delhi: In a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi government over the state of the economy, former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said the current dispensation does not acknowledge the word "slowdown", and the real danger is that if problems are not recognised, then finding credible answers to take corrective action is unlikely.

Addressing a gathering at the launch of Montek Singh Ahluwalia's book Backstage: The Story behind India's High Growth Years, Singh cited the former planning commission's observations to state that achieving the $5 trillion economy by 2024-25 was "wishful thinking".

Former PM Manmohan Singh: We've a government today which does not acknowledge that there is such a word called slowdown. If you cant recognise the problems you face, you are not likely to find credible answers to take corrective action. pic.twitter.com/KwpqPmi4Hl  ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2020

Singh said the former planning commission deputy chairman has written about the good as well as the weak points of the UPA government.

"I think these issues will be debated and should be debated because we have today a government that does not acknowledge that there is such a word as slowdown. I think this is not good for our country," the former prime minister said.

"If you do not recognise the problems that you face, you are not likely to find credible answers to take corrective action. That is the real danger," he said, attacking the government on the state of the economy.

The book will be of great help to the future growth of the country, Singh said.

"Montek has also pointed out that contrary to what the ruling group may say, today the $5 trillion economy by 2024-25 is wishful thinking. Also there is no reason to expect that farmers' income will be doubled in a three-year period," he said.

"At the same time, he (Ahluwalia) said we must work for high rate of growth and that 8 percent growth rate is a feasible proposition but it requires rethinking about the role of fiscal policy. There is a need for tax reforms in the country in a bolder way," Singh said.

He also hailed the role played by former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao, P Chidambaram and Ahluwalia for supporting his liberalisation of the economy in the 1990s and enabling him as the then-finance minister to carry out the reforms despite resistance from different quarters.

Later, during a panel discussion at the book launch, former finance minister Chidambaram said former Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian's remarks that the Indian economy headed for intensive care unit, were "nearly correct".

"I disagree in the following manner  the patient (economy) is being wheeled into the ICU, the patient is being stopped just outside the ICU and is being looked at by incompetent doctors," Chidambaram said in a dig at the government.

"There is no aggregate demand rise, unemployment is rising, consumption is falling... Yet the government says all is well, which means we have to rewrite our textbooks of economics. Every indicator is pointing southward. If every indicator is pointing southward, how can the GDP rise to 7 or 8 percent," he said.

Asked about his advice to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Chidambaram said, "Please resign".

Participating in the panel discussion with Chidambaram, Ahluwalia, and former RBI governor Y Venugopal Reddy, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister Bibek Debroy said there is a slowdown but if "you try to neatly pin that slowdown to something that happened in 2019 that is debatable".

In his address, Manmohan Singh hoped that there will be consensus among right-thinking persons about the path that Ahluwalia had identified for dealing with the economic situation in the country.

Referring to the UPA years, he said, "There will be question marks, there should be question marks and I hope there will be solid debate that will produce a better programme for carrying out the reform process further."

"I do believe that there is need for re-thinking of the reform process fresh. Second generation of reforms requires new pathways and these new pathways can emerge only with solid discussion of the alternatives," he said.

Singh, who was the finance minister in the Narasimha Rao government rolled out the liberalisation policy, talked in detail about the resistance he faced at the time and the support he got from Rao.

"When the reform period is written, I don't know what the official narrative will be, but I for one know, it was a very tortuous path because the dominant opinion then was not in favour of reforms," Singh said.

Singh said that in the business community there was the Bombay club which was formed to see that India does not move on the path of liberalisation, but he also knew that there was limited time due to dwindling reserves.

"I had to tell president (then president) S Venkataraman that 'Mr president if we wait for a vote of confidence, I may have nothing to sell to the world about India's story'," Singh said.

"I am very grateful to Prime Minister Rao that he stood by me. But I am also very grateful to Montek, to Chidambaram ji, to the then governor and deputy governor of the RBI who stood by me firmly so that we could carry out the reform process in the manner we wanted to," he said.

During the panel discussion, Ahluwalia said there was no quiestion that India had entered a period of "very serious slowdown".

He said that not only the drop in growth rate, but also rising unemployment among youth was a matter of concern.

Ahluwalia said he was against the restrospective taxation step of the UPA government, but it was not in his hands.

Chidambaram, in his remarks also acknowledged that the Congress party machinery had failed to take the economic achievements of the UPA years to the people.
Appeals court says state law amounts to an unfair poll tax that would disenfranchise many of the released felons.

Florida cannot, for now, bar felons who served their time from registering to vote simply because they have failed to pay all fines and fees stemming from their cases, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

A three-judge panel of the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Tallahassee federal judges preliminary injunction that a state law implementing Amendment 4  legislation also called the Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative  amounted to an unfair poll tax that would disenfranchise many of the released felons.

We disagree with the ruling, said Helen Ferre, chief spokeswoman for Floridas Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. She said the state would immediately ask the entire 11th Circuit to reconsider.

The case is one of several now before judges amid high-stakes legal skirmishes over Florida elections, which have drawn national scrutiny in the United States because of Floridas perennial status as a political battleground and the razor-thin margins deciding some high-profile contests.

The states Amendment 4 was approved overwhelmingly by Florida voters in 2018 to allow most felons who served their time to regain the right to vote. But soon afterwards, the Republican-led legislature passed a law stipulating that felons had to first pay any fines and fees before their sentences could be deemed complete under the law.

Voting rights groups representing 17 plaintiffs sued in federal court, seeking to overturn the law.

In its ruling Wednesday, the circuit court said the financial requirement punishes those who cannot pay more harshly than those who can  and does so by continuing to deny them access to the ballot box.

The court added that previous US Supreme Court rulings required it to apply heightened scrutiny in asking whether the requirement violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment as applied to these plaintiffs.

The appeals court ruled that the requirement does violate the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, and affirmed the preliminary injunction issued last year by a federal district court judge in Tallahassee.

Desmond Meade, a former felon and the president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, arrives with family members at the Supervisor of Elections office in Orlando, Florida to register to vote [File: John Raoux/AP Photo]

Last years preliminary injunction allowed felons to register to vote, regardless of their ability to pay fines, restitution and other fees. It was issued ahead of a full trial that is scheduled to begin in April.

Wednesdays appellate court ruling came one day after the registration deadline for Floridas March 17 presidential preference primary.

While the ruling only applies to the plaintiffs, the case has broad ramifications for the 1.6 million Florida felons who have completed their prison sentences and could regain their voting privileges under Amendment 4.

According to a study by a University of Florida political scientist, about 80 percent of released felons still have legal financial obligations.

Florida officials had hoped to win a stay of the preliminary injunction issued last October by US District Judge Robert Hinkle, who called Floridas voter registration process in the wake of Amendment 4 an administrative mess.

While Hinkle said Florida has the right to deny felons access to the ballot box if they have the means to repay outstanding financial obligations, he said Florida officials cannot deny the vote to felons who are too poor to fully settle up.

In issuing his ruling, Hinkle put pressure on state elections officials to bring clarity to the voter registration process. The appellate courts ruling only increased that pressure on county elections officials, who are mostly responsible for administering the states election rules.

This is a tremendous win for our clients and for our democracy, said Sean Morales-Doyle, a senior counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice.

Because the governor is still apparently planning to challenge this ruling, and because the governor and secretary of state are providing no clarity, Morales-Doyle said, there are a lot of people in Florida who are stuck with some uncertainty and some legitimate fear, and thats really unfortunate and not the way elections should work.
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Political organisation Hindu Makkal Katchi has welcomed the Madras High Court's ban on the blockade of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by the protesters whereas Nam Tamilar Katchi has called the decision 'unfortunate one'.

Domnicravi, State Secretary, Nam Tamilar Katchi said to ANI: "Madras High court judgment against the protester is a very unfortunate one. We request the ruling govt not to provoke more and more people in this emotive issue. It should first listen to the voices of people who are indulging in protests."

Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered an interim stay on the blockade without the proper sanction of the police. It also ordered Muslim outfits not to go ahead with its agitation to lay siege at the Secretariat and the District Collector's office.

Prabakaran, District Ramanathapuram President Hindu Makkal Katchi, said to ANI: "We welcome the courts' decision which has not given permission for the protest. We request the protesters to accept the laws of the land and not to indulge in protests and violent activities. We must cooperate with the government and should not go with the opposition's campaign."

Protests have erupted across the country against the contentious CAA since Parliament gave its nod to the Bill last year.

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.)
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In 2012, he departed for federal prison from precisely this spot, his family home on the North Side of Chicago, surrounded by a frenzy of television cameras. The spectacle returned on Wednesday, as a helicopter buzzed overhead. News reporters bundled in parkas to chronicle his return, drawing stares from neighbors and dog-walkers in what is usually a quiet neighborhood. Someone waved a cutout photo of Mr. Blagojevichs smiling face, attached to a broomstick, high in the air.

True to form, Mr. Blagojevich emerged from his house later than promised (Were back on Blago time, one reporter said), his dark brown hair turned silvery in prison. He spoke expansively for close to 20 minutes without notes, and with his wife, Patti, at his side.

He quoted the Bible and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He recited poetry. He denounced racism. He dropped a few Spanish words. He described himself as a freed political prisoner and said he hoped to turn an injustice into a justice.

And he spoke of his eight years in prison, the solitary nights behind the iron door that can shut you in, a small window with bars on it, and a bunk bed.

I slept on the top bunk, Mr. Blagojevich recalled. Often late at night I would look through that window and past those bars out into the night sky and Id think of home, Id think of my children, Id think of Patti. Sometimes I could almost feel her near me, he said.
19 Feb  Alden Richards recently admitted that he was starstruck upon meeting Bea Alonzo for the first time - that is before the two worked together on a project in Thailand recently.

As reported on Inquirer, the actor who couldn't help but gush about the Kapamilya star, stated that he really enjoyed collaborating with Alonzo, though stressed that they can't reveal anything yet about it for now.

"She is very kind, and easy to be with. Being able to work with someone you used to idolise is fun and heartening," he said.

In a previous interview, Richards admitted that he was a big fan of the actress' hit 2007 film, "One More Chance", of which she starred with John Lloyd Cruz - another one of Richards' acting idols.

On the other hand, when asked if he will be back on television soon, the Kapuso star stated that there is nothing final yet, despite having had a lot of pitches and talks.

"But there is going to be a new movie this year," he said.

Richards' last film was the 2019 Star Cinema movie, "Hello, Love, Goodbye", which had since become the highest grossing Filipino movie of all time.

(Photo Source: GMA Network)
SALT LAKE CITYA new, proposed law in Utah that could ultimately slap porn sites with thousands or even millions of dollars in fines overwhelmingly passed the states House of Representatives on Tuesday, by a 60-12 vote. The bill takes a novel approach to blocking porn online, by requiring sites to slap a health warning that stays on screen for a full 15 seconds at the start of every video.

Sites that fail to include the warnings will be hit with a $2,500 finefor each violation. In other words, a video viewed by 1,000 Utah internet users that fails to include the warning label would bring a $2.5 million fine to the "offending" site.

The bill now heads to the Utah state Senate where it is also expected to sail through. It would then be up to Republican Governor Gary Herbert to sign the bill into law.

It won't stop every problem related to obscenity, it will not stop all obscenity, but it will move the ball further down the field, the bills sponsor, state rep Brady Brammer told the Associated Press.

But the states House Democratic Minority Leader Brian King warned that the bill risks infringing on First Amendment rights.

We are moving into uncharted territories, King said.

Utah Daily Chronicle columnist Lynda Maxfield added that Brammers bill shows that he is far more concerned with fining violators than with helping minors who may view porn online and need guidance in understanding what they have seen.

Maxwell also noted that the warning label requirement ignores an adults right to view legal pornography.

Under the bill, however, it would be up to individuals to bring legal challenges in order to have material declared obscene, and therefore requiring the warning label. According to Brammer, the state itself would not get into the business of policing online porn.

Free Speech Coalition spokesperson Mike Stabile told the AP that the supposed harms of pornography that would be spelled out in the health warning label have no scientific basis, and that the bill opens up the floodgates for lawsuits over all sorts of content.

Photo By Carlos Suarez / Wikimedia Commons
By Trend

The best recipe for Armenias Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is to withdraw Armenias Armed Forces from occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Peter M. Tase, strategic adviser on international affairs and public diplomacy to governments, universities and corporations in Europe and the Americas, told Trend.

Tase was commenting on panel discussions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Munich.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has delivered an outstanding keynote address that revealed in length the Armenian historical manipulations and Armenian disinformation campaign against Azerbaijan, that has taken place over the last three decades, Tase said. President Aliyev is a highly accomplished, unique democratic statesman.

The historical facts, diplomatic history and ancient ethnographic heritage of Azerbaijan, make the nation of President Aliyev to stand triumphantly at the apex of a shining hill were prosperity, multiculturalism, peaceful solution to conflicts and amazing historical heritage make the Land of Fire an exceptional place that inspires us all, the expert added.

Pashinyan, represents a country that is succumbed into unbridled corruption, organized crime, economic recession and high levels of unemployment; with such a grim reality Armenia has become one of the dangerous spots of Europe and continues to cause so much pain to the Azerbaijani civilians and is a permanent source of turmoil in Southern Caucasus, Tase said.

There is no doubt that real, well verified historical facts and archaeology are on the Azerbaijani side, the expert said.

The current status  quo must end and UN Security Council should address the humanitarian and environmental impact that Armenia has orchestrated inside the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, Tase said.

The end of Armenias status-quo can be achieved only with: the proactive assistance of international community; economic  political sanctions against members of Armenian Government and Parliament (that have openly violated the International Laws and inflict armed clashes in the line of contact) and suspension of international loans and grants until Yerevan is seriously active in the negotiations table, Tase said.

Political manoeuvring, bigotry and stalemate devoured by Yerevan and its disinformation campaign at a global scale, against Azerbaijan must be stopped; otherwise Europe will soon have greater security challenges that will be increasingly intricate for Brussels, the expert said.

The best recipe for Pashinyan is to withdraw Armenias Armed Forces from occupied territories of Azerbaijan and begin focusing on strengthening his nations economy and industrial sector; instead of advocating for a useless status-quo and making his own countrymen go through the pain of an unnecessary war with Azerbaijan, the expert said.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A masked man attempting to rob a Kentucky chicken joint at gun point wound up fleeing the restaurant empty-handed when two married police officers on a date night chased him from the scene, authorities said.

Elizabethtown Police Officer Nicole McKeown and her husband, Det. Chase McKeown, were off duty and eating Saturday night when the man tried to rob a Raising Canes Chicken Fingers eatery in Louisville, The Courier-Journal reported.

An arrest citation said Justin T. Carter, 30, entered the restaurant wearing a mask and flashed a gun at an employee several times while demanding money from the register, the report said.

Both officers were seen on surveillance video getting up from their table, drawing weapons and chasing Carter outside. The arrest report said Carter dropped the gun and fled.

The two officers chased Carter on foot and he was later arrested,authorities said.Carter was charged with first-degree robbery, receiving a stolen firearm and possessing a handgun as a convicted felon.

Authorities determined the gun Carter was stolen from Jeffersontown police, the report said.

Carter appeared in court Monday and was represented by a public defender. A preliminary hearing is schedule for Feb. 25.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Increased resources, surveillance, and capacity building should be urgently prioritised in African countries with moderate risk of importing cases of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as these countries are estimated to be ill-prepared to detect cases and limit transmission.

The new findings are from a modelling study published in The Lancet that estimates the preparedness (ie, health system capacity) and vulnerability (ie, demographic, environmental, socioeconomic and political conditions that could impact a country's ability to respond) of African countries, as well as their likelihood of importing COVID-19 cases from China. The authors note that their findings need to be interpreted in context, and they estimate that the overall risk of importing COVID-19 cases to Africa is lower than to Europe (1% vs 11% of people travelling out of China go to Africa or Europe, respectively) but that the response and reaction capacity is more limited in Africa.

Algeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Nigeria were included in the 13 top priority countries identified by the World Health Organization (WHO), based on their direct links and volume of travel to China. The first case of COVID-19 in Africa was confirmed in Egypt on Friday 14 February 2020.

China is Africa's leading commercial partner with high volumes of travel between the two locations through which the novel coronavirus could reach the continent.

Several measures to prevent importing cases from China have already been implemented in many African countries. However, limiting and controlling transmission after importation requires additional measures (such as heightened surveillance, rapid identification of suspected cases, patient transfer and isolation, rapid diagnosis, contact tracing, and follow-up of potential contacts). These measures require technical and operational expertise and resources, which rely heavily on health systems, meaning that transmission in countries with weaker health systems is a major public health concern.

"African countries have recently strengthened their preparedness to manage importations of COVID-19 cases, including airport surveillance, temperature screening at ports of entry, recommendations to avoid travel to China, and improved health information provided to health professionals and the general public. However, some countries remain ill-equipped," says study author Dr. Vittoria Colizza, Inserm, Sorbonne Universite, France.

She explains: "While almost three-quarters of all African countries have an influenza pandemic preparedness plan, most are outdated and considered inadequate to deal with a global pandemic. In addition, despite efforts to improve diagnostic capacity from WHO, some countries do not have the resources to test for the virus rapidly, meaning that tests would need to be done in other countries. It is essential to train, equip, and strengthen the diagnostic capacities of hospital laboratories close to infectious disease and emergency departments to reduce the time to deliver results, manage confirmed cases and contacts more rapidly, and preserve strict infection control measures. Equally, increasing the number of available beds and supplies in resource-limited countries is crucial in preparation for possible local transmission following importation."

In the study, the authors estimated the risk of African countries importing a COVID-19 case from China using data on the volume of air travel from infected Chinese provinces to Africa and the proportion of COVID-19 cases in the Chinese provinces as of 11 February 2020. The Hubei province was not included, given the travel ban introduced by Chinese authorities on 23 and 24 January 2020.

The authors estimated each country's potential capacity to detect and respond to cases based on two WHO indicators: preparedness (ie, functional capacity to manage emerging epidemics, using the WHO International Health Regulations Monitoring and Evaluation Framework State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting) and vulnerability (ie, ability to manage emerging epidemics based on demographic, environmental, socioeconomic and political conditions, using the Infectious Disease Vulnerability Index). The African countries at risk of importing cases were grouped by the Chinese provinces estimated to contribute most to their risk.

Egypt, Algeria and South Africa were at the highest risk of importing a COVID-19 case from China, but had moderate to high preparedness and low vulnerability.

There were several countries in the group with the second highest risk of importing a case from China, and their levels of preparedness and vulnerability varied. For example, Nigeria and Ethiopia had moderate preparedness, but high vulnerability, and their countries had substantially larger populations that could be potentially exposed. However, Morocco, Sudan, Angola, Tanzania, Ghana, and Kenya had similar importation risk and population sizes, but variable levels of preparedness and high vulnerability (except Morocco which had low vulnerability).

All other African countries had low to moderate importation risk with low to moderate vulnerability and mostly low preparedness, except for Tunisia and Rwanda.

The authors grouped the at-risk African countries by the Chinese provinces that could potentially lead to the cases being imported. Cluster number 1 (18 countries) was highly exposed to Beijing, and moderately exposed to Guangdong province and Shanghai, cluster number 3 (Botswana and Lesotho only) was exposed exclusively to the potential risk from airports in the Fujian province, and cluster number 2 (7 countries) was heavily exposed to risk from Guangdong province and weakly to Zhejiang province.

The authors warn that although certain Chinese provinces potentially pose higher risk of importing cases to Africa, enhanced surveillance at airports should still consider possible importations from lower-risk provinces. In addition, shifts in local and widespread transmission in Beijing, Guangdong, and Fujian provinces could have profound implications for risk in Africa.

Dr. Colizza concludes: "The aftermath of recent epidemics and pandemics (eg, severe acute respiratory syndrome, H1N1 pandemic, Middle East respiratory syndrome, and Ebola) have highlighted the need to reinforce national public health capabilities and infrastructure. These factors remain at the core of global health security, because they are the first line of defence in infectious disease emergencies. Crisis management plans should be ready in each African country, and involvement of the international community should catalyse such preparedness. We hope that our estimates help to inform prioritisation for intensified support in African countries expected to be at moderate to high risk of importation of COVID-19 cases and with relatively low capacity to manage the health emergency."

The authors note some limitations in their study, including that it only used air travel data, and the risk of importation from other points of entry, such as seaports, was not evaluated. In addition, there was insufficient passenger data (reason for travel [tourism vs business], nationality, age, sex, and socioeconomic status) to allow the authors to assess differences in risk for different types of travellers.
It's "fair" to say that countries such as Oman and Bahrain are vulnerable to a potential rating downgrade if the coronavirus outbreak lasts longer than expected, according to the chair of sovereign ratings at a credit rating firm.

That's because the two countries have high fiscal breakeven oil prices, Frank Gill of S&P Global Ratings told CNBC's "Capital Connection" on Tuesday. Oil prices have been under pressure due to concerns about the economic impact of the coronavirus, with both Brent and U.S. crudes down more than 10% since the beginning of the year.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has slashed global oil demand growth forecasts as the coronavirus continues to spread. For China alone, OPEC revised its demand forecast down by 0.2 million barrels a day for the first half of 2020.

The first coronavirus infections surfaced in late 2019 in the Chinese city Wuhan, and the disease has since killed more than 2,000 people in China. After the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, many businesses in China extended their closures in a bid to control the virus situation.
Former Tripura chief secretary



Yashpal Singh, who is a key accused in a multi-crore PWD scam, was on Wednesday remanded to police custody for four days by a local court.

He was arrested from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh on Monday and brought here on transit remand.

West district and session court judge Sabyasachi Datta Purkayastha remanded Singh to police custody on Wednesday. The government advocate Ratan Datta had sought police custody for Singh for ten days.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Ghaziabad allowed the transit remand and Singh was brought back to state by the Tripura police crime branch during the day.

Inspector General (Law and Order) Puneet Rastogi said the former chief secretary had been evading arrest for almost five months. The Tripura police team had been carrying out raids for over a month in Ghaziabad.

A police official said that Singh was detained from IRS Apartments at Indirapuram in Ghaziabad on Monday and brought to Indirapuram police station for verification. He was arrested after completing the formalities.

A team of Tripura police led by crime branch deputy superintendent of police Ajay Kumar Das had arrested the former chief secretary 128 days after being booked in the multi-crore PWD scam, the official said.

Singh was absconding since October 13 after being booked in the West Agartala police station.

The Tripura police had last year issued an arrest warrant against former PWD minister Badal Choudhury, former PWD engineer-in-chief Sunil Bhowmik, besides Singh, who had served as the chief secretary during the previous Left Front government, in connection with the more than Rs 600-crore scam on implementation of projects in the state during the Left Front regime.

Choudhury, who was a minister for four terms in the previous Left Front regime, was arrested from Agartala on October 21, days before Bhowmik was taken into custody.

Both were, however, released on bail as police failed to file a chargesheet against them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The hydrogen fuel cell market has a serious player emerging in South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Corp., which is jumping into the hydrogen truck market to compete with Nikola, Toyota, and Tesla's Cybertruck and Semi.

Hyundai and Yeosu Gwangyang Port Corp. are partnering to commercialize hydrogen fuel-cell trucks in South Korea. An agreement between the automaker and the port operator includes the development and demonstration of hydrogen fuel-cell trucks for logistics transportation and building out a hydrogen fueling station.

The commercial fuel-cell trucks will be put in operation to cover the 320-kilometer (199-mile) round-trip route connecting Gwangyang Port and Busan. Yeosu Gwangyang will provide a site for the construction of the hydrogen refueling station by 2022.

Hyundai plans to introduce two hydrogen trucks for logistics transportation by 2023, and then will eventually add 10 more models.

Hyundais efforts are being supported by the South Korean governments embrace of hydrogen vehicles. The automaker recently added a second plant to build the fuel-cell powertrains, and expects to produce up to 40,000 fuel-cell vehicles, including semi trucks; by 2030, the company expects to produce 700,000 fuel cell systems annually. Hyundai said that about 500,000 of those systems would be for personal or commercial use, with the rest available for heavy equipment such as forklifts and vessels, and later more being produced for drones and other applications.

Last fall, Hyundai introduced two fuel cell truck concepts during the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta. One was the HDC-6 Neptune Concept Class 8 heavy-duty truck. The companys trailer manufacturer subsidiary Hyundai Translead announced the launch of its new, clean energy refrigerated concept trailer, the HT Nitro ThermoTech. The company said that its future offering of the tractor-trailer combination illustrates its corporate vision for wide-spread deployment of hydrogen-powered fuel cell technology, company representatives explained. Related: The Worlds Top LNG Producer Is In Trouble

Toyota Motor Corp. has made inroads to hydrogen trucks in test projects in Japan, while startup Nikola continues to make contracts for its hydrogen commercial trucks and announced plans to enter the pickup market with its Badger launch.

Along with its Mirai fuel cell sedan, Toyota has been testing fuel cell commercial trucks with partners in Japan; and thats been carried over to the US. The company has been testing a hydrogen fuel cell yard truck that moving shipping containers within the Port of Los Angeles. The company also entered a project with truck maker Kenworth to build 10 zero-emission Class 8 trucks. Theyll be supported by the California Air Resources Boards Zero and Near-Zero Emissions Freight Facilities grant, and these trucks will be used at the harbor complex for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Nikola Motors has made the automotive and transportation sectors take fuel cell commercial trucks seriously with its offerings. Now the company is preparing to compete with Tesla and startup Rivian in the electric pickup space.

Nikola Motors CEO Trevor Milton thinks the companys Badger pickup concept will be best looking truck on the market. Better looking than the new [Chevy] Silverados. The new [Ford] Raptors, Milton said

So far, Milton has only revealed renderings of the Badger, but Nikola will have a working prototype ready for test rides in the fall. It will have Tesla and Rivian beat on driving range  battery-powered range of 300 miles per charge, while the optional fuel cell stack will stretch that to 600 miles. The Badger pickup will have quite a lot of power  a peak output of over 900 horsepower, and will be able to go 60 mph in under three seconds.

Like Toyota, Hyundai is also staying committed to the hydrogen passenger car side of the business through its Hyundai Nexo fuel cell vehicles. Its Kia subsidiary has also been toying with fuel cell car concepts and plans to launch a model sometime this year.

On Feb. 10, Hyundai announced the expansion of its partnership with the US Department of Energy (DOE) and its support of the DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program  with the Nexo serving as a test model. Hyundai will provide the energy department with five Nexos for use in various regions of the country including Washington, DC, to help advance research and development of fuel cell technologies. Data from the vehicles and infrastructure will be collected, analyzed and published to identify additional research needs in key areas. Related: The New Must-Have For Energy Hedge Funds

The automaker says that its commitment aims to increase technical collaboration to better understand challenges and to collect and publish independently validated data from demonstrating fuel cell technologies and hydrogen infrastructure under real world operating conditions.

Hyundai and a few of its competitors expect the cost of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel will be dropping soon and becoming more competitive with diesel and electricity. A new study by Hydrogen Council and McKinsey & Co., forecasts a 50 percent cost reduction in the near future. The report outlines three core market drivers: a steep drop in production costs, higher load utilization cutting distribution and refueling costs, and additional cost drops from scaling up of end-use equipment manufacturing.

The Hydrogen Council believes that the reports findings will not only increase public awareness about the potential of hydrogen to power everyday lives, but also debunk the myth that a hydrogen economy is unattainable due to cost, said Euisun Chung, executive vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Corp. and co-chair of the Hydrogen Council.

By Jon LeSage for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The fighter of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade named after Black Zaporozhtsev Maxim Khitaylov died during today's battle near the Farm Volniy in the Luhansk region. This was reported on the brigade's Facebook page.

Khitaylov was 22 years old.

"During the repulsion of the attack of the Russian armed forces on the observation post near Khutor Volny, unfortunately, the 72nd brigade forever lost a reliable comrade, combat brother, devoted soldier of Ukraine, Maksim Khitaylov," - the statement said.

Before serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, he lived and grew up in the village of Vyrishalnoe in the Poltava region. Maxim was accepted for military service under a contract in April 2019 as a grenade launcher.

Sincere condolences to mother Vita Grigoryevna, brother Vitaly, relatives and friends of the warrior who fell in the battle for Ukraine. The soldier Maxim Evgenievich Khitaylov will forever remain in our hearts," - the brigade said.

As we reported before, this year's plan of the United Nations' humanitarian response in eastern Ukraine will require 158 million dollars; the sum is supposed to be enough to cover the needs of two million civilians residing in the occupied areas of eastern Ukraine. Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs said so on the UN Security Council session
First deployment of an earlier version of the Ice-tethered acoustic Buoy (ITAB), March 2017. Credit: U.S. Navy

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory scientists developed Ice-tethered Acoustic Buoys to monitor the acoustic and oceanographic environment in the changing Arctic. The buoys provide critical oceanographic data to improve prediction capabilities of ocean and climate models.

These buoys validated the Arctic researchers sound propagation theories and will continue to guide and validate theoretical studies in the Beaufort Sea from March 2020 to March 2021.

"Our job, in real time, does the tomography in the ocean with buoys," said Altan Turgut, research physicist with NRL. "Every four hours they assimilate data into the ocean models."

Ocean acoustic tomography is a technique that uses sound waves to image sections of ocean temperature and current.

The buoys are a practical alternative to more traditional acoustic and oceanographic measurements techniques, because they provide real-time monitoring and operational capability. Additionally, they enable under-ice acoustic communication and navigation capability for mobile platforms such as ocean gliders and underwater autonomous vehicles.

Turgut and his colleagues began to investigate the effects of changing ice characteristics in 2016 on mid-frequency sonar performance in the modern Arctic. Mid-frequency sonars have a frequency range similar to most common bird songs.

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory-built Billboard Array is an acoustics instrument equipped with 64 receiver elements. It differentiates and amplifies sounds from different directions. The array provided remarkable acoustic data under both seasonal oceanographic and sea ice conditions during the multi-institutional Canadian Basin Acoustic Prorogation Experiment (CANAPE) in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. Credit: U.S. Navy

The researchers participated in several multi-institutional Arctic expeditions to assess the impact of changing sea ice on mid-frequency sonar performance.

Turgut and his team deployed several NRL-built acoustic and environmental mooring instruments during the multi-institutional Canadian Basin Acoustic Prorogation Experiment (CANAPE) in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas on the northeast and northwest shores of Alaska.

Two source moorings transmitted mid-frequency signals every four hours for 40 minutes and one Billboard Array recorded acoustic data during the yearlong experiment.

The Billboard Array is an acoustics instrument equipped with 64 receiver elements lying in a 7 meters by 4 meters vertical plane. It differentiates and amplifies sounds from different directions. The array provided remarkable acoustic data under both seasonal oceanographic and sea ice conditions.

"Results from CANAPE showed favorable sound transmissions are possible within a cold and fresher water layer at 100 to 200 meter depths," Turgut said. "The sounds were bounded by warm Pacific summer water from above and warm Atlantic water from below."The researchers also developed the first mathematical model to simulate and predict sound propagation under the ice called the Arctic Parabolic Equation.

Components of a U.S. Naval Research Laboratory developed ce-tethered acoustic Buoy (ITAB). Credit: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

"This model accurately simulates the interaction of sound waves with the sea ice that has been a challenging numerical problem," said Michael Collins, NRL mathematician who developed the Arctic Parabolic Equation.

Scientific evidence indicates the character of the Arctic sea ice continues to change. The current sea ice composition is thinner, younger and declined at a rate of 13 percent in the summer and three percent in the winter per decade.

"Interaction between the ocean and atmosphere is increasing and becoming similar to those at lower latitudes with more open ocean and fragile thin ice conditions," Turgut said. "Therefore, acoustic measurements of new ice composition and near-surface hydrography would be essential for accurate ocean and climate model predictions in the Arctic."
ALBANY, N.Y.  Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES and the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties are receiving state funding for Farm-to-School projects.

The Farm-to-School program allows districts to buy food produced locally.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says 16 projects across the state will receive a share of $1.5 million in funding to increase the use of farm products in schools.

"This is a win-win that provides students with nutritious meals while also strengthening New York farms," Cuomo said. "I'm proud to see the growth of this initiative that will also help encourage healthy habits in every corner of this great state."

BOCES has been awarded $100,000 to expand the Farm-to-School program to 15 districts and benefit more than 9,000 students. The money will also be used to help schools develop local food implantation plans and develop infrastructure to facilitate these purchases.

The cooperative extension will use their $100,000 in funding to establish pilot Farm-to-School programs in five school districts. This will provide more than 4,000 students access to locally grown produce and other food.

See the full list of projects below:

Western New York

 Buffalo City School District: $70,812 for the Buffalo Farm-to-School is on the Move! project, which will integrate Farm-to-School activities across the cafeteria, classroom, and community by using a food truck to serve school lunches made with local ingredients to16 high schools on a rotating basis.

 Cornell Cooperative Extension of Allegany County: $89,911 for the From Carrots to Curriculum project, which will work with 6,584 students in12 school districts to create a sustainable Farm-to-School program.

 Forestville School District: $100,000 for the Farm-to-School: Community/School Engagement project. Forestville Central School District will partner with Pine Valley Central School District to serve four schools, benefiting 996 students and 18 farmers.

 Frontier Central School District: $88,459 for Frontier Farm-to-School Grant project, Frontier Central School District will serve as a central kitchen for 3 districts in Erie County to process, freeze and store local farm products. Potential to benefit 5,000 students in 3 school districts.

Finger Lakes

 Cornell Cooperative Extension of Seneca County: $96,824 for the Seneca County Farm-to-School project, which will build on existing Harvest of the Month and NY Thursdays practices and ensure Farm-to-School activities for 3,287 students in four districts.

Southern Tier

 Broome-Tioga BOCES: $100,000 for the Broome-Tioga BOCES Farm-to-School Warehouse Initiative, which will develop a central warehouse to alleviate a distribution barrier and significantly increase New York State procurement for 31,290 students in 15 school districts.

North Country

 Cornell Cooperative Extension of Lewis County: $99,849 for the Farm-to-School launch in Lewis County. The project will allow the hire of a Farm-to-School Coordinator to implement the 3 C's of Farm-to-School: the cafeteria, the classroom, and the community, benefiting 3,957 students in five school districts.

 St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES: $99,980 for the St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES Farm-to-School Program. The project provides value-added processing, technical assistance, and product distribution to 21 schools benefiting 25,000 students.

Mohawk Valley

 Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties: $100,000 for the Local Foods - Healthy Schools project. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties will collaborate with Capital Region BOCES to develop and implement a Pilot Farm-to-School program in five school districts to benefit 4,018 students.

 Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES: $100,000 for the OHM Farm-to-School: Increasing Capacity and School Engagement project, which will work with districts to help them develop and execute local food implantation plans and develop infrastructure to facilitate these purchases. The project will benefit 9,258 students in 15 districts.

Hudson Valley

 Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County: $98,538 for the Southern Catskills Farm-to-School Project. The project will work to raise awareness of and demand for local foods in 10 schools benefiting 9,258 students. Students will receive education from local farmers and experience taste test seminars in their cafeterias.

Long Island

 Southampton Union Free School District: $99,389 for the East End Farm-to-School Project, which is a collaborative effort of three school districts on the South Fork of Long Island to benefit 2,000 students. The project includes working with 14 NYS producers to increase the capacity of schools to purchase and serve NYS farm products in school meals programs.
The Duke of York s might be hitting a milestone birthday this week, but grand plans for Prince Andrews 60th birthday have been scaled down in light of allegations about his connection with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Duke turns 60 on Wednesday and will reportedly hold a quieter celebration in the Royal Lodge, amidst a renewed call from lawyer Lisa Bloom (who is representing Epsteins victims) to speak to the FBI about his friendship with Epstein as well as his alleged sexual encounters with trafficking survivor Virginia Giuffre.

Prince Andrew has denied the allegations.

According to the Daily Mail, Prince Andrew is set to have a 'private dinner' at the Royal Lodge tomorrow alongside his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. It is not known who else will be in attendance.

Prince Andrew wont get a promotion

Getty Images

Originally, Prince Andrew was set to be honoured with a naval promotion on the day he turns 60. The former naval officer was set to be promoted to Admiral; as according to policy, senior royals are treated as serving members of the military. He retired from the navy in 2001.

Buckingham Palace confirmed that Prince Andrew had asked for his promotion to be deferred, following his decision to step down as a senior royal.

It said in a statement, By convention, the Duke of York would be in line for military promotion on his 60th birthday.

"Following the decision by His Royal Highness to step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, the Duke of York has asked the Ministry of Defence if this promotion might be deferred until such time that His Royal Highness returns to public duty.

Queen Elizabeth and Princess Anne will have royal engagements on the day

February 19 is a busy day of royal engagements for other members of the Royal Family.

According to the Royal Familys official website, Queen Elizabeth will be busy opening several hospitals, including the Royal National ENT, Eastman Dental hospitals and University College London Hospitals in London.

Prince Andrews sister, the Princess Royal, will also be tied up with a visit to Middlesex to support her charity patronage Livability.

From there, shell return to London for an event called the Annual Dinner to the Younger Brethren at Trinity House; a fraternity of male and female maritime professionals.

The Duchess of Cornwall will also be busy visiting the Granville Youth and Community Centre as well as celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Kiln Theatre.

Harry and Meghan have reportedly 'declined' a party invitation

Getty Images

Royal expert Neil Sean told Fox News that it was "an open secret" that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had "declined the invite."

Meghan and Harry are currently spending the majority of their time in Canada, following an announcement that they had stepped down as senior royals and were planning to split their lives between North America and the UK.

Sean said, "The reason given is that they already have commitments on the day but also plan to send a gift/card and a video message to be played at the party."

Flags will not be mandatorily flown

Getty Images

Prince Andrews birthday is listed as one of the designated days for Union Jack flying for government buildings, alongside the birthdays of Kate Middleton, the Countess of Wessex, the Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth.

While it remains listed on the official government page, the government responded to backlash against the rule relating to Prince Andrew - calling it crass and offensive.

A government spokesperson later responded, The Department of Culture, Media and Sport will be advising councils that there is no requirement to fly flags on February 19 following the decision by the Duke of York to step back from public duties for the foreseeable future.

A number of councils, including Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, said to the Stoke Sentinel that they would be flying the flag as they do every day - with Staffordshire Council saying they hadnt planned anything specific for Prince Andrews birthday.

Getty Images

Others including the Cheshire East Council said they would not be flying the Union flag on this occasion, while Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said to the Liverpool Echo that he didnt think it would be appropriate.

"This isn't to do with being anti-royal, we have flown the flag for the Queen before. But Prince Andrew isn't a major royal, he's not a significant member of the Royal Family, he continued.

He also referenced allegations regarding Prince Andrews connection to Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and trafficking survivor Virginia Giuffre, saying, When you look at his behaviour - it wouldn't be appropriate for us to mark his birthday."

Bells will still ring out at Westminster Abbey for his birthday

Getty Images

Its tradition on the birthdays of Royal Family members for the bells of Westminster Abbey ring out in celebration.

This is because the cathedral is whats known as a Royal Peculiar, which according to English Cathedrals is a church that belongs directly to the monarch and not to any diocese, and does not come under the jurisdiction of a bishop.

A spokesperson for Westminster Abbey said there were no plans to rethink the tradition.

They said, Westminster Abbey is a Royal Peculiar and the bells are rung for the birthdays of HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh; their children; and TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children.
A large group of protesters on Wednesday have organised a protest march against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) in Chennai. As per sources, 5,000 to 8,000 people belonging to almost 18 different Muslim organisations have gathered near Chepauk area in the city and will be marching towards the Tamil Nadu Assembly, demanding to pass a resolution against the CAA.

However, the protestors have reportedly not been granted permission to conduct the rally. Due to this, the security has been tightened and police have been deployed around the city. As per sources, around 10,000 police personnel have been deployed at the police site and around 2,000 police personnel have been deployed outside Tamil Nadu Assembly.

Violent protests in Chennai

Amid the protests against the citizenship laws, the police had detained over 100 protestors after a scuffle with them during a demonstration against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Washermanpet in Chennai on the evening of February 14. The protest turned violent when the protestors clashed with the 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.

Further, the protesters have accused the police of resorting to lathi-charge. The protesters were raising slogans against CAA and NRC during the protests.

Read: Amid rift with MVA allies over CAA & NPR, CM Uddhav Thackeray summons Cabinet meeting

Tamil Nadu CM backs police

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday defended the violent police action against the protesters at Washermanpet. According to the Chief Minister, the protest was instigated by some "miscreants".

Giving out his explanation over defending the police action, Palaniswami had said, "Protesters did not have permission to stage the protests. When they were asked to get arrested, few people started pelting stones, bottles, and slippers and that is when police had to use force. The protest is an instigated one."

Read: 'He should understand coalition dharma': Cong's Renuka Chowdhury on Uddhav's CAA remarks

In retaliation to the CM's reply, the MK Stalin-led DMK staged to walk out from the Tamil Nadu Assembly as he was not satisfied with Palaniswami's answer defending police action. He said, "The government's version is totally false. The police are the one who attacked the peaceful protesters."

Read: Etihad to add daily flight connecting Abu Dhabhi to Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai just for May

Nationwide protests against citizenship laws

Protests against the newly amended Citizenship law, which fast-tracks Indian citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from three neighbouring countries, have flared since December last year. The mood in the national capital has been tense ever since violence erupted in the Jamia Millia Islamia University on an earlier occasion. The protests spread nationwide following that incident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis government had stated that the law is required to help persecuted minorities who came to India before December 31, 2014, from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. However, protestors insist the law discriminates against the countrys Muslim minority and violates Indias Constitution.

Read: Chennai decreed noisiest among India's metros; louder even than Delhi, as per CPCB
Shelton, CT February 19, 2020  TMC, a global, integrated media company helping clients build communities in print, in person and online, announced today the winners of the 2019 Data Center Excellence Award, presented by infoTECH Spotlight.

The infoTECH Spotlight Data Center Excellence Award recognizes the most innovative and enterprising data center vendors who offer infrastructure or software, servers or cooling systems, cabling or management applications.

Once again, the winners of the InfoTech Spotlight 2019 Data Center Excellence Award represent the most innovative and forward-looking companies in this crowded space, said Rich Tehrani, CEO, TMC (News - Alert). Data centers are critical to the success of any businesses today. Small or large, every company relies on data centers to host their critical applications and data. The award recipients are leaders within this space and we look forward to seeing their excellence and innovation in 2020 and beyond.

2019 infoTech Spotlight Data Center Excellence Award Winners

Company Product AVTECH Software (News - Alert), Inc Room Alert BitBox USA, LLC BitBox_IoT Platform Cybera The CyberaONE Solution Interxion (News - Alert) Cloud Connect Ixia (News - Alert), a Keysight Business Vision X

For more than 20 years, TMC has been honoring technology companies with awards in various categories. These awards are regarded as some of the most prestigious and respected honors in the communications and technology sector worldwide. Winners represent prominent players in the market who consistently demonstrate the advancement of technologies. Each recipient is a verifiable leader in the marketplace.

About infoTech Spotlight

infoTech Spotlight brings extensive daily content focused on information technology. Visitors will find free industry news, communities, channels, blogs, feature articles, videos, whitepapers and other resources. The site keeps readers informed about developments across topics including software, hardware, security and networking. InfoTech Spotlight is powered by TMCnet, the leading communications and technology site in the World. Please visit: infoTECH Spotlight for more information.

About TMC

Through education, industry news, live events and social influence, global buyers rely on TMCs content-driven marketplaces to make purchase decisions and navigate markets. As a result, leading technology vendors turn to TMC for unparalleled branding, thought leadership and lead generation opportunities. Our in-person and online events deliver unmatched visibility and sales prospects for all percipients. Through our custom lead generation programs, we provide clients with an ongoing stream of leads that turn into sales opportunities and build databases. Additionally, we bolster brand reputations with the millions of impressions from display advertising on our news sites and newsletters. Making TMC a 360 degree marketing solution, we offer comprehensive event and road show management services and custom content creation with expertly ghost-crafted blogs, press releases, articles and marketing collateral to help with SEO, branding, and overall marketing efforts. For more information about TMC and to learn how we can help you reach your marketing goals, please visit www.tmcnet.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, @tmcnet

[email protected]

Michelle ConnollyMarketing Manager203-852-6800, ext. 170Edited by Erik Linask
TORONTO - Cineplex Inc. says the takeover deal it signed with Cineworld PLC has received approval from the Ontario Superior Court.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Cineplex theater at Dundas Square in Toronto is shown on Monday, December 16, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim

TORONTO - Cineplex Inc. says the takeover deal it signed with Cineworld PLC has received approval from the Ontario Superior Court.

The approval brings U.K.-based Cineworld one step closer to owning Cineplex and its 165 Canadian theatres and 1,695 film screens.

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The transaction is still subject to meeting closing conditions and needs approval under the Investment Canada Act.

Cineplex says the transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2020, at which time Cineplex will delist from the Toronto Stock Exchange and join the London Stock Exchange.

Cineplex announced in mid-December that Cineworld had offered $2.8 billion or $34 per share in cash for the Toronto-based cinema giant.

The deal landed the approval of both companies' shareholders in February.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2020.

Companies in this story (TSX:CGX)
Warning: This story contains photos that may be considered graphic

A teenager in Texas is recovering after she almost lost her fingertip due to a nail-biting habit.

Lauren Nichols opened up about the whole ordeal on TikTok.

Nail biters, stop what youre doing, she said in a video. I almost got the tip of my finger amputated because I bite my nails.

According to Nichols, it all started Jan. 8 when she noticed a green spot on her cuticle. As it turns out it was paronychia, a nail infection caused by trauma to the cuticles. She saw a doctor a few days later when the spot got bigger and became painful.

Nichols said she was given antibiotics, but it didnt really help. In the meantime, her finger kept getting more swollen and the green spot grew bigger. It got pretty painful, she said. Eventually, the teen needed surgery to remove the bump.

Now, Nichols told People, her finger is doing better, but she still has to fight the urge to bite her nails. My finger looks a little weird but it healed fine, she said. Breaking the nail-biting habit hasnt been easy, though. Ive always been a more anxious person, and is one of the ways Ive coped, she said. Nichols said shes bought a fidget spinner to try to help herself and, when she gets the urge to bite her nails, she tries to remember what she went through.

Its still kind of tender to the touch, so if I ever start trying to bite my nails or think about it, its still there as a reminder to not, she explained. I definitely still think about it, but Ive stopped myself many times because that was not a fun experience.

How common is paronychia?

Its actually pretty common, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Paronychia can happen when the area around your nails is injured from things like biting it off, picking a hangnail, or trimming or pushing back a cuticle.

The infection can be caused by a bacteria, candida (a type of yeast), or fungus. Paronychia usually gets better with treatment, like antibiotics or antifungal medication, and soaking your nail in warm water two or three times a day, but in some rare cases, there can be complications, per the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Those include developing an abscess, a permanent change in the shape of the nail, or a spread of the infection to the tendons, bones or bloodstream.

"It would have to be very advanced to cause osteomyelitis, a serious bone infection that may require intravenous antibiotics," Dr. Gary Goldenberg, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, told Women's Health. "My recommendation is to see your dermatologist as soon as you notice an issue with the nail and skin around it."

Still think its worth the risk of biting your nails? The National Library of Medicine has this to say: "DO NOT bite or pick the nails."
As the climate crisis quickens with each passing daytemperatures reached a stunning 69 degrees Fahrenheit in Antarctica last weekhow much climate news will most Americans be hearing as they prepare for the November elections?

Four years ago, ahead of the 2016 elections, there was climate silence. Only one of the hundreds of questions journalists asked during Democratic and Republican presidential debates addressed climate changeand that was one more than in 2012, 2008, or any of the preceding presidential electionseven as scientists, activists, and governments around the world implored Washington to help contain the gathering crisis. The nations major news organizations treated climate change as a virtual non-issue, and voters acted accordingly, electing an unabashed climate denier who as president has seemingly delighted in boosting fossil fuels and trashing environmental protections, including the Paris Agreement signed by virtually all of the worlds governments, which pledged to significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.

Americas journalists must do much better in 2020.

There are promising signs so far. Network televisionwhich continues to attract the largest audiences in media, in an era with no shortage of optionsis showing new interest in the climate story. The press as a whole seems increasingly aware of climate change and its dangers, even if most outlets still refrain from echoing the thousands of scientists who now call it an emergency. Opinion-leading outlets, including the Washington Post, the New York Times, and National Public Radio, continue to improve their coverage, while outlets that emphasize climate coverage as part of their brand, such as The Guardian, PBS NewsHour, and Bloomberg, which recently launched Bloomberg Green, continue to light a path for the media writ large. Overall, however, the climate story remains marginal on the American news agenda.

ICYMI: Playing at climate catastrophe

Its not too late for climate change to become a central part of the 2020 election narrative. Opinion polls indicate that most Americans see climate change as a top concern; this is especially so for people under age 40, including self-identified Republicans. So shouldnt news organizations give climate change the same attention they devote to health care and the economy? They might start by ending their practice of siloing climate change as solely a science or weather story and instead include it in their broader electoral coverage. And they must inform voters about what all candidatespresidential, congressional, state, or localthink about the climate crisis; what compromising campaign contributions they may have received; what climate policies they have supported in the past; and, above all, what they advocate doing now.

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In particular, will the media finally do justice to the Green New Dealthe policy, introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Edward Markey, that strives to match the scale and speed of the climate crisis? Fox News, which has given the Green New Deal far more attention than any other network, has demonically caricatured it as eco-socialism run amok; without fair-minded coverage from more credible outlets, this narrative risks taking hold. Some coverage has even echoed Foxs framing by focusing on whether a Green New Deal is politically risky for Democrats. What voters actually need is help understanding and evaluating the substance of a Green New Deal: how it would attempt to tackle the climate crisis through massive investments in green technologies and jobs; what this would cost; where the money would come from; and, most crucially, what the costs of inaction would be.

Tonights Democratic presidential debate, hosted by NBC News, holds great potential for jumpstarting more climate-centric coverage ahead of November. The candidates will include Michael Bloomberg, who made aggressive climate action a hallmark of his three terms as the former mayor of New York City. And one of the moderators will be Vanessa Hauc, a correspondent for NBCs Spanish-language partner, Telemundo, who has reported on climate change for years, enabling her to ask informed, probing questions. (The Latinx community, which stands to be disproportionately affected by climate change, tends to care more about the issue than any other US demographic group, polls indicate.)

Including a climate specialist such as Hauc on debate panels should be standard practice for news outlets; among other things, it could help avoid missteps like the one that marred climate discussion during the January 14 debate hosted by CNN. That night, when asked about his opposition to president Donald Trumps then-pending US-Canada-Mexico trade deal, Senator Bernie Sanders said it overlooked the greatest threat facing this planet into consideration. A CNN moderator interrupted to say, Were going to get to climate, but we need to stay on trade. Sanders shot back, accurately, Theyre the same. (CNN does deserve credit for devoting seven hours of programming in September to discussing climate policy with Democratic candidates, even if those discussions were scheduled during the low-rated Saturday evening hours.)

Whatever else the 2020 election is, there can be no doubt that it is a climate election. Scientists have long identified 2020 as a cardinal date in the history of the climate crisis. By 2020, they said, it would be clear whether greenhouse gas emissions were being sufficiently curbed to forestall grave, perhaps irreversible damage to civilization. The approaches of Americas two major political parties to this challenge could hardly be more different. To President Trump and many Republicans, there is no such thing as a climate crisis; their party has long rejected climate science and insisted that producing more oil, gas, and coal can only be good for America. Democrats, meanwhile, accept the scientific consensus and see the climate crisis as an urgent priority, and most of their presidential candidates support one version or another of a Green New Deal (though they still differ on issues including fracking and fossil-fuel exports). On November 3, Americas voters will choose one approach or the other. It is journalists job to give them the facts and analysis they need to make up their minds.

Some additional climate news and coverage of note:

On Monday, Jeff Bezos, Amazons founder and chief executive and the worlds richest man, committed $10 billion to combatting the climate crisis. Much coverage noted, correctly, that Amazons own carbon footprint is enormousand that, in January, the company threatened to fire employees who spoke out about its role in the climate crisis. As Matt Reynolds, Wired s science editor in the UK, argues : While Bezos hasbelatedlystepped up to the plate with big gestures of climate support, this shouldnt distract from the more mundane ways that Amazon continues to avoid its climate responsibility.

In a short and touching feature, The Guardian profiles the young people in small communities and rural areas around the world who are following the lead of climate strikers like Greta Thunberg but having to go it alone . It can be isolating work, the young people explain, but social media, including the Twitter page Solo But Not Alone , has helped broaden their reach. We really want to make sure that even if only one person is striking, their voice is heard and it is loud, one striker tells The Guardian .

A new study shows that nearly one-fifth of the Amazon rainforest is now emitting more carbon than it absorbs , according to the BBCmeaning that one of the earths essential tools for slowing climate change may instead be turning into a carbon source. With deforestation on the rise in Brazil and a government in the country that is hostile towards conservation efforts, experts warn the forest may reach a tipping point.

The New York Times has a deeply reported and visually rich tale of sea level rise in two metropolitan areas : the San Francisco Bay Area and Manila, Philippines. In both places, climate change has magnified years of short-sighted decisions, the Times writes. Now, with more water inevitably on its way over the course of this century, people are left only to cope. How they do so will depend mostly on the accident of your birth: Whether you were born rich or poor, in a wealthy country or a struggling one, whether you have insurance or not, whether your property is worth millions or is little more than a tin roof.

For Yale Environment 360, veteran climate writer David Victor proposes a framework for climate-change mitigation based on rapid technological innovation across industries. Traditional diplomacy is unlikely on its own to move fast enough to face the crisis, Victor argues, given its imperative for consensus among a multitude of actors; revolutions in various economic sectors, instead, may create the system of incentives that is needed for government leaders to finally embrace climate action.

PREVIOUSLY: Does the climate crisis threaten the end of big oil?

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Mark Hertsgaard is the co-founder and executive director of Covering Climate Now and the environment correspondent for The Nation.
We need to have a real conversation about what it means to be a responsible gun owner in this country, Ventura said. Loopholes need to be closed and there should be a national background check, she said. Gun licenses need to come with proper gun safety training, she said.
The international community must step up military support to Ukraine in response to Russia's escalation of violence in Donbas, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) has reported.

"The UCC, together with NATO allies, calls on Canada to increase military assistance to Ukraine, including increasing the provision of defensive weapons," the report said.

The Ukrainian organization also called on the international community to step up sanctions on Moscow.

"The UCC, in cooperation with the EU, the G7 and other like-minded nations, calls on Canada to strengthen economic sanctions on Russia, including the removal of Russia from the SWIFT international payments system, in order to exert pressure on Russia to end its occupation of Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine," the document reads.

The UCC also expressed its deep condolences to the family of the Ukrainian soldier who gave his life on February 18 defending Ukraine from Russia's invasion.

Russian-backed forces attacked Ukrainian positions near the villages of Novotoshkivske, Orikhove, Krymske, Khutir Vilnyi and Popasna early on February 18, killing one Ukrainian serviceman and wounding another five.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 19)  The Senate probe on ABS-CBN's franchise renewal has finally been set on February 24, three days ahead of the previously proposed deliberation on the matter.

Sen. Grace Poe's office announced Wednesday that the Senate Committee on Public Services, which she chairs, has already scheduled the public hearing at 10am at the Senate Session Hall.

On Wednesday, the senator told the media that she wants an earlier date for the hearing even if the House of Representatives is still sitting on the issue. The Senate was supposed to begin the deliberation on February 27.

The panel will also tackle the status of six other broadcast franchises: Golden Broadcast Professional Inc., Gold Label Broadcasting System Inc., Broadcast Enterprises and Affiliated Media Inc., First United Broadcasting Corp., Crusaders Broadcasting System Inc., and Bicol Broadcasting System Inc.

Solicitor General Jose Calida recently asked the Supreme Court to issue a gag order to stop the ABS-CBN and any of its representatives from discussing the quo warranto case which he earlier filed against the network.

On February 10, Calida asked the high court to cancel ABS-CBN's legislative franchise weeks before it lapses, claiming that the network committed "highly abusive practices" in violation of terms set by Congress when it approved ABS-CBN's franchise in 1995. Among them, Calida said, are the setting up of the KBO channel without a permit from the National Telecommunications Commission, and when it supposedly allowed foreign investors to control the company.

ABS-CBN's franchise is set to expire on March 30.
An outspoken father has divided the internet after sharing what he believes to be the ultimate ranking of popular Cadbury chocolate blocks.

Bruno Bouchet, from Sydney, has ranked the fan favourites from worst to the very best after taste testing 18 different flavours.

And his 'definitive' ranking may be the most controversial list yet.

The managing director and the former Kyle & Jackie O radio show producer has crowned 'fruit + nut' as one of his top picks and shamed Caramilk as 'cat vomit'.

An outspoken father has divided the internet after sharing what he believes to be the ultimate ranking of popular Cadbury chocolate blocks - so do you agree with him?

Poll What's your favourite Cadbury chocolate block flavour? Marvellous Creations Picnic Fruit + Nut Snack Peppermint Black Florest Roast Almond S'mores Caramello Hazelnut Turkish Delight Milk Chocolate Crispy Mint Creme Crunchie Boost Caramilk Top Deck Moro What's your favourite Cadbury chocolate block flavour? Marvellous Creations 11 votes

Picnic 3 votes

Fruit + Nut 27 votes

Snack 15 votes

Peppermint 8 votes

Black Florest 18 votes

Roast Almond 7 votes

S'mores 2 votes

Caramello 12 votes

Hazelnut 8 votes

Turkish Delight 5 votes

Milk Chocolate 15 votes

Crispy Mint Creme 4 votes

Crunchie 10 votes

Boost 1 votes

Caramilk 11 votes

Top Deck 8 votes

Moro 3 votes Now share your opinion





GOD TIER

The self-proclaimed 'List King' crowned Marvellous Creations Jelly Popping Candy, Picnic and Fruit + Nut in the 'God tier'.

'On paper, Marvellous Creations shouldn't work. How on earth could jamming squishy jelly and popping rocks into milk chocolate be remotely enjoyable? Yet Cadbury's not only nailed it, they've created the greatest chocolate block of all time,' Bruno told Daily Mail Australia.

He said everyone 'loves' a Picnic bar so the chocolate block version is 'no different'.

'The combination of nuts, wafer, caramel and chocolate presented in block form is a slam dunk,' he said.

ROYALTY TIER

Controversially, Bruno picked Peppermint, Snack, Black Forest and Roast Almond for his 'Royalty tier'.

He said one of the best things about eating Peppermint chocolate was you 'don't even have to brush your teeth after eating it due to that minty fresh taste in your mouth'.

'Peppermint is an extraordinary chocolate which I like to refer to as the "Swiss Army Knife of chocolates" due to its many functions. Sure - you can eat it square-by-square, but if you're in the mood, you bite the square in half and suck the peppermint out,' he explained.

Bruno said Snack was his next pick because he liked the 'mystery of not knowing what filling each square is going to have is part of the delicious fun'.

But he admitted the flavour had one flaw - 'the squares contain coconut ice'.

ADAM SANDLER TIER

In the centre of his rankings, Bruno listed S'mores, Caramello, Hazelnut and Turkish Delight in the 'Adam Sandler Tier', which represents a middle ground of 'take it or leave it' treats.

Bruno said American staple S'mores 'hasn't really been embraced in Australia - it's "meh".'

'A few marshmallows and some biscuit jammed into chocolate ends up being bland. There's no ingredient in there that jumps out to become the star of the show,' he said.

Despite crowning Turkish Delight chocolate bar as one of his winners from his previous ranking, Bruno found the block form doesn't taste the same.

'I'm a huge fan of Turkish Delight. [But] in chocolate block form, however, the ratio of jelly to chocolate is way off. There's simply way too much dairy chocolate and it hides the jelly's incredible taste,' he said.

Bruno Bouchet (pictured), from Sydney, has ranked the fan favourites from worst to the very best after taste testing 18 different flavours

In September last year, Bruno sparked outrage with his first ever list - where he ranked 16 popular chocolate bars from best to worst

PLEB TIER

In the second last tier titled 'Pleb', Bruno picked the classic Milk Chocolate, Crispy Mint Creme, Crunchie and Boost.

'Crispy Mint Creme is the Peppermint Block's poor cousin. Cadbury knew they had a winner with peppermint and they got greedy by creating an inferior imitation of their own product,' Bruno said.

'The taste is on par with those nasty after dinner mints that restaurants who are still stuck in the 90s hand you with your bill.'

He said Boost 'sucks' whether it's in a bar form or a chocolate block form.

'I beg Cadbury - please, please, please stop trying to make Boost a thing. Twix has the caramel and biscuit combination covered, the world doesn't need a chocolate bar that tries to pass itself off as the energy drink of the chocolate world,' he said.

CAT VOMIT TIER

The bottom rung proved most provocative of all, with fan favourites such as Caramilk and Top Deck categorised as 'cat vomit', along with Moro.

'What do you get if you add a bucket of "yuckiness" to a vat of perfectly fine white chocolate? Caramilk,' Bruno said.

'Top Deck was clearly invented by an indecisive person who wasn't sure if consumers were more into regular chocolate or white chocolate.

'Imagine if every company was so indecisive they got two things that are complete opposites and put them together. You'd end up having a Big Mac with one meat patty and one vegan patty, or even a car where the front tyres go forward while the back tyres go backwards.

'How about Cadbury leave the two separate and let consumers make the decision about which form of chocolate they want.'
DALLAS - A 40-year-old Texas woman was among nearly a dozen people granted clemency Tuesday by President Donald Trump after her case was championed by a woman who herself got clemency at the urging of reality TV star Kim Kardashian West.

Crystal Munoz, who spent the last 12 years in prison after being convicted on marijuana charges, found an effective advocate in former federal prisoner Alice Marie Johnson.

Johnson, who the president granted clemency in June 2018 and who was featured in one of Trumps campaign ads during this years Super Bowl, spent years with Munoz at a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas.

They were in the same housing unit and attended church together. Johnson told The Associated Press she came to think of the younger woman as one of my prison daughters.

We did a lot of crying and a lot of praying together for things to change for us. Johnson said.

Munoz was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison after being convicted in 2007 of conspiring to distribute majujuana. But she contends her only role was drawing a map others allegedly used in moving the drugs from Mexico to Texas. Her lawyer failed to adequately defend her at trial, Munoz said in court filings.

Munoz gave birth while in federal custody and was shackled during her delivery, according to Amy Ralston Povah, the founder and president of the non-profit Clemency for All Non-Violent Drug Offenders Foundation, which advocated for Munozs release. The bipartisan criminal justice bill known as the First Step Act, which Trump signed into law in 2018, banned the shackling of pregnant women.

Johnson said that after she was released she could not stop thinking about how to help Munoz, and other women in prison.

The chance came in October when, Johnson said, Trump asked her for a list of others deserving clemency during a criminal justice conference at historically black Benedict College in South Carolina.

Kim made a difference going to the White House fighting for me, Johnson said, so if I can fight for something I definitely wasnt going to turn that opportunity down.

___

This story has been corrected to show that President Donald Trump granted clemency Crystal Munoz on Tuesday, not Wednesday.
London: Britain has introduced a plan to give the government more latitude to regulate internet content, as part of an effort to force Facebook, YouTube and other internet giants to do more to police their platforms.

Facebook is under pressure from governments around the world. Credit:AP

The government said the country's media regulator, known as Ofcom, would take on new responsibilities monitoring internet content and would have the power to issue penalties against companies that do not do enough to combat "harmful and illegal terrorist and child abuse content."

Left unanswered were many details, including what penalties the new regulator would have at its disposal or how it would keep tabs on the billions of pieces of user-generated content that are posted on the social media platforms.

A proposal circulated by the government last year suggested that the regulator could issue fines, block access to websites and make individual executives legally liable for harmful content spread on their platforms.
Some of the projects contributing to 2019s record disbursement include the Earthquake Emergency Assistance Project (USD38.5 million), the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Power System Expansion Project (USD28.7 million), Food Safety and Agriculture Commercialization Program (USD25 million), Regional Urban Development Project (USD22.1 million), Rural Connectivity Improvement Project (USD20.2 million), and Supporting School Sector Development Program (USD20 million).

ADBs support to the Government of Nepal in the infrastructure sector has increased in the recent years with larger but fewer projects, said ADB Country Director for Nepal Mr. Mukhtor Khamudkhanov, speaking at a country portfolio review meeting jointly organized by ADB and the Ministry of Finance. But while disbursement has picked up pace, challenges remain and the overall performance of ADB operations in Nepal could be much better.

Mr. Khamudkhanov added: For better and quicker results on the ground, higher lending needs to be matched with improved implementation and enhanced technical capacity of implementing agencies. Difficult terrain and remoteness of project sites, addressing safeguards issues, and the countrys ongoing transition to federalism that takes time have also posed challenges in effective implementation of development programs. We appreciate the consistent efforts by the Ministry of Finance to progressively address risks and constraints through regular country and tripartite portfolio review meetings, with active participation of line ministries and relevant agencies.

At a special ceremony held in conjunction with the meeting, Finance Secretary Mr. Sishir Kumar Dhungana presented awards to ADB-supported projects that showed excellent results in 2019.

The Third Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project and Community Managed Irrigated Agriculture Sector (Additional Financing) won the outstanding project management teams awards. The Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project was awarded the best team for procurement management prize.

The SASEC Power System Expansion Project received the best team award in the categories of environmental and social safeguard monitoring; the Third Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project won the gender equality and social inclusion award; and the SASEC Road Connectivity Project bagged the financial management and disbursement accolade.

These awards recognize the project teams' excellence not only in effective project management, which helped save time and prevent cost overruns, but also prioritize gender equality and social inclusion, as well as environmental sustainability and social safeguards, said Mr. Khamudkhanov.

Since the start of its operations in Nepal in 1969, ADB has provided about $6 billion in financial and technical assistance to the country. The assistance provided by ADB to date focus on the energy, transport, urban development, water supply and sanitation, agriculture and irrigation, education sectors, among others./.
Recently, the automaker announced that it is having a clearance sale of the 2020 Captiva. From its original price of THB 999,000 (about PhP 1.622 million), the company slashed THB 500,000 off its sticker price. This means the 2020 Captiva is now only selling for THB 499,000 (about PhP 810,351) until stock runs out.

What do you do when you still have plenty of cars in inventory and you're about to close shop? Have a fire sale.

With General Motors officially closing down operations in Thailand (not to mention selling off the Rayong plant to Great Wall), Chevrolet Thailand has about 10 months before ceasing vehicle sales in South East Asia.

But what about the rest of Chevrolet's lineup? The bow-tie brand has yet to announce whether their other models in Thailand will also get a massive discount. But given the fact that they just removed THB 500,000 off the Captiva's original price, we won't be surprised if the other nameplates will get a huge discount as well in the future.

Meant to be a last-ditch effort to prime sales, the Wuling Almaz-based Captiva was first launched in Thailand during the 2019 Bangkok International Motor Show. No longer a GM-Daewoo product, the new Chinese-based compact crossover goes up against the likes of the Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, and the Toyota RAV4.

The Captiva is powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine that generates 150 PS along with 230 Nm of torque. It is then mated to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission that drives the front wheels.

The all-new Captiva was supposedly planned to be offered in the Philippines. But with Chevrolet shuttering operations in South East Asia, that might no longer be the case. However, The Covenant Car Company Inc (TCCCI), the official distributor of Chevrolet in the Philippines, could source some of their from China instead.
An uptick in customers buying pizzas through Uber Eats and Deliveroo has helped fuel a sales surge for Domino's Australia, with boss Don Meij saying the online segment was now the company's "engine".

The ASX-listed pizza chain posted its half-year results on Wednesday, revealing strong growth in sales at its international and local stores though final figures were slightly undercooked, coming in below expectations.

Domino's CEO Don Meij released earnings that fell short of market expectations, but things are pointing up from here, the company said. Credit:Chris Hyde

Overall sales jumped 29 per cent to $905.8 million in the six months through December, falling short of analyst predictions of $951 million as operational issues at its 825 Australian stores weighed on the company.

Profit excluding one-off gains increased 6.4 per cent to $72.6 million for the half, also missing expectations. Yet the reported net profit, which includes one-off gains, grew nearly 30 per cent on the prior period.
ISTANBUL - The body overseeing Turkish judges and prosecutors has launched an investigation into three judges who acquitted philanthropist businessman Osman Kavala and eight other activists of terrorism charges, Turkeys state media reported on Wednesday.

The move by the parliament- and government-appointed Council of Judges and Prosecutors came hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke out against the defendants acquittals over their alleged role in mass anti-government protests that erupted in 2013, casting a shadow over the independence of the judiciary.

The panel of three judges on Tuesday cleared Kavala and eight of his co-defendants of terror-related charges and ruled for the release of the businessman, jailed for 840 days. As his supporters awaited his release, however, prosecutors ordered Kavala detained again, this time for his alleged ties to a 2016 failed coup attempt.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said the three judges would be investigated over possible flaws in their judgement.

Kavalas re-arrest sparked criticism from the European Union and the Council of Europe.

Erdogan however, denounced attempts to acquit Kavala and urged respect for the new detention warrant.

He described the 2013 anti-government protests against his government as a heinous attack similar to military coups, ultimatums and terrorism that allegedly cost the country billions of dollars.

He also accused Kavala of being the Turkish leg of billionaire U.S. philanthropist George Soros, whom the Turkish leader alleged was behind insurrections in many countries.

Just before Erdogan spoke, the Council of Europes Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, released a stinging report on Turkey, urging Turkish authorities to respect the independence of the judiciary, and to stop targeting human rights defenders, whom she said were being prosecuted for conducting legitimate activities.

Separately, Mijatovic also criticized Kavalas re-arrest, saying the new charges brought against him had no credibility and amounted to ill-treatment.

I call on the Turkish judiciary and the Council of Judges and Prosecutors to assume their responsibility, by not giving a judicial confirmation to such abuses of criminal proceedings, and by reigning in such prosecutors, she said.

The European Union also criticized the decision against Kavala saying it further damages the credibility of Turkeys judiciary.

As a candidate country and long-standing member of the Council of Europe, Turkey is expected to apply the highest democratic standards and practices, including the right to a fair trial, said Peter Stano, spokesman for the European Commissions external affairs service.

Earlier Wednesday, another court in Istanbul delayed handing down its rulings in the case of 11 prominent human rights activists who are also on trial for terror-related charges, and adjourned proceedings until April 3.

The closely-watched case against Amnesty Internationals former Turkey chairman and 10 other activists heightened concerns about Turkeys treatment of human rights defenders and helped sour Turkeys relations with European nations, notably with Germany.

Ten activists  including Amnesty International Turkey director Idil Eser, German citizen Peter Steudtner and Swede Ali Gharavi  were detained in a police raid in July 2017, while attending a digital security training workshop on Buyukada island, off Istanbul. The 11th activist, Amnestys former Turkey chairman, Taner Kilic, was detained separately a month earlier in the city of Izmir. All of the defendants have since been released pending a verdict in the trial.

Ten defendants were charged with aiding terrorist organizations, including the network led by a U.S.-based cleric, which the Turkish government blames for the 2016 coup attempt and has designated as a terror group.

Kilic is accused of membership in cleric Fethullah Gulens network. The accusation was based on his alleged use of an encrypted mobile messaging application. Officials say the application, ByLock, was used by members of Gulens network to communicate with each other. Gulen denies allegations that he engineered the coup attempt.

All 11 defendants have rejected the accusations against them.

__

Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.
Pipeline

19 February 2020

Cycas Hospitality has signed a lease agreement with Van der Linde Architecten and Development company to manage IHG's first new Holiday Inn Express & Suites concept in Europe, which is expected to open in The Netherlands in early 2021.

Whilst the concept of pairing a Holiday Inn Express hotel with additional branded suites has proved increasingly popular with travellers in North America and Asia over the last decade, this is the first signing of IHG's expanded Holiday Inn Express brand concept in Europe.

The 99-key Holiday Inn Express & Suites Deventer will comprise 83 standard rooms plus 16 suites, providing the first aparthotel facility in the area. Whilst each suite includes a kitchenette, living space and separate sleeping area to cater for longer-staying travellers, guests will still benefit from the hotel's wider facilities, including complimentary Express StartTM breakfast.

With extensive car parking, the property's location on the outskirts of Deventer along the A1 motorway, which connects The Netherlands and Germany, and proximity to the bus line 6, with onward rail connections across Europe, ensures the hotel will be easily accessible. Thanks to these great transport links, Amsterdam and the German border are each less than an hour away, while five international airports are all within a 90 minutes' drive.

The new Holiday Inn Express & Suites Deventer will also be next to the De Weteringen business park, whose mix of engineering, manufacturing and logistics service providers is expected to drive corporate demand for the property's extended-stay capabilities. The site also includes a petrol station, with a car pool facility, and restaurant.

The new-build hotel will become Cycas's fourth Benelux property, and first in the region with IHG. With its headquarters in Amsterdam, the hotel management company already operates a Marriott-branded double-decker hotel in the city's Houthavens area, and will open the 127-suite Residence Inn Brussels Airport in spring 2021.
Though no date for beginning the construction of the temple was announced, Nritya Gopal Das and Mr Rai said it would commence soon.

New Delhi: Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government for setting up the Shri Ramjanambhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust as stipulated by the Supreme Court, the trust in its first meeting on Wednesday appointed Mahant Nritya Gopal Das as its president, VHP functionary Champat Rai as its general secretary and the Prime Ministers former principal secretary, Nripendra Misra, as the head of the temple construction committee.

Though no date for beginning the construction of the temple was announced, Nritya Gopal Das and Mr Rai said it would commence soon. The trust also paid tributes to all those Rambhakts who struggled or got martyred during the struggle for Ram Mandir, which has been on, it said, since 1528.

The meeting, held at the trusts office set up at the residence of senior advocate K. Parasaran, also appointed Swami Govind Dev Giri of Pune as the treasurer of the trust. The trust also decided to open an office in Ayodhya.

Appreciating the positive steps taken by the Prime Minister and the Central government, the trust also thanked the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government for the social harmony that prevailed during the hearing of the case in the apex court. The main model of the temple, it was learnt, will remain the same as designed by the VHP three decades ago.

Other than paying tributes to the saints and seers who kept the struggle on, the trust, in its resolution, made a special mention of VHPs late stalwarts  Ashok Singhal and Giriraj Kishore  who played a key role in the Ramjanambhoomi movement. The trust also hailed the efforts of all those former Prime Ministers who had an important role in the struggle.

After 1947, the Ramjanambhoomi Mukti Campaign was the second biggest national campaign after the JP movement. We pay tributes to all those who participated in it. It was their efforts and struggle, which culminated in clearing the path for a grand temple of Lord Ram, reads the resolution.

During the meeting it was also decided to open an account in Ayodhyas State Bank of India branch for donations for the construction of the Ram temple.

Those who attended the meeting included the Central government representative, additional secretary in Union home ministry Gyanesh Kumar, UP governments representative Avinash Awasthy and Ayodhya district magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha.

Mr Modi had announced the formation of the 15-member trust in Parliament on February 5.

In his reaction to the decisions taken by the trust during its first meeting, BJP national president J.P. Nadda tweeted, I salute the all saints, social organisations and activists associated with the movement and also the people of the country, who kept the struggle on for the last 500 years and whose efforts helped in reaching to its final stage...
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Polystyrene Market Segments

The polystyrene market is segmented by type into expandable polystyrene (EPS), general-purpose polystyrene (GPPS), high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), and extruded polystyrene (XPS). It is also segmented by end use industry into automotive industry, electronics, thermal insulation industries, pharmaceuticals, consumer industry, packaging industry, and the construction industry. By application, it can be segmented into HVAC insulation, rigid packaging, seating, and flexible packaging.

The construction and packaging sectors in developing countries are increasingly using Expanded Polystyrene (EPS). EPS provides design and structural cohesion to construction projects and possesses physical and mechanical properties required for insulation. It is mostly used in the construction sector due to properties of closed air low thermal conductivity, low water absorption, lightweight, mechanical resistance, and sound resistance. EPS offers sound weight and better volume performances than other building materials, thus making construction simple.

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Polystyrene Market Major Players And Strategies

Major players in the polystyrene market are A.Schulman Inc., ACH Foam Technologies, Inc., Alpek S.A.B. de C.V, Americas Styrenics LLC, Atlas Roofing Corporation, Austrotherm GmbH, BASF SE, BEWiSynbra Group, Brdr. Sunde AS, and Chi Mei Corporation. Companies in the market have been investing in merger and acquisition strategies to strengthen their polystyrene businesses. In February 2019, INEOS Styrolution, a styrenics supplier headquartered in Germany, completed the acquisition of two polystyrene sites from Total S.A. for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition includes two polystyrene production sites in Ningbo and Foshan and two related offices in Guangzhou and Shanghai. The transaction will increase INEOS Styrolution's manufacturing footprint in Asia, and provides access to the domestic market in China. Total SA is a multinational oil and gas company headquartered in France.

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Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing Market By End Use Product (Packaging, Automotive And Construction), By Key Players And By Geography - Global Trends & Forecast To 2023

Styrene Global Market Report 2020

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 20:07:10|Editor: xuxin

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NAIROBI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Sixth Global Off-grid Solar Forum and Exhibition opened in Nairobi on Tuesday with a call for robust financing to expand access to clean energy among low-income households.

President Uhuru Kenyatta said in his opening remarks that the provision of clean energy including solar is key to realize sustainable development.

"We must focus on off-grid solar solutions in our endeavor to tackle poverty, boost childhood literacy and food security for households in remote settings," he added.

The biennial forum, which is organized by Kenya's Ministry of Energy in conjunction with the World Bank and industry partners, aims to inject vitality into the global clean energy agenda in the light of climate emergencies.

Kenyatta said Kenya has rallied behind global push to hasten the transition to low carbon development through adoption of cleaner sources of energy by households and industrial premises.

"We need to deepen penetration of solar energy in rural areas as we figure out how to mitigate impacts of climate change," said Kenyatta, adding that Kenya has created a conducive regulatory environment to boost investments in off-grid solar solutions.

Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, World Bank Kenya country director, said that multilateral lenders are keen to provide additional financing to boost uptake of cleaner energy sources in low and middle-income countries.

"We plan to address emerging financing needs to enable countries to implement off-grid solar projects and achieve universal access to energy that remains an urgent development imperative," said Jaramillo.

Radhika Thakkar, president of Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Exhibition, said governments should harness private capital to bridge a financing gap that has derailed the expansion of cleaner energy solutions in marginalized regions.
LAS VEGAS  From the opening bell, Democrats savaged New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg and raised pointed questions about Bernie Sanders take-no-prisoners politics during a contentious debate Wednesday night that threatened to further muddy the partys urgent quest to defeat President Donald Trump.

Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who was once a Republican, was forced to defend his record and past comments related to race, gender and his personal wealth in an occasionally rocky debate stage debut. Sanders, meanwhile, tried to beat back pointed questions about his embrace of democratic socialism and his health following a heart attack last year.

The ninth debate of this cycle featured the most aggressive sustained period of infighting in the Democrats yearlong search for a presidential nominee. The tension reflected growing anxiety among candidates and party leaders that the nomination fight could yield a candidate who will struggle to build a winning coalition in November to beat Trump.

The campaign is about to quickly intensify. Nevada votes on Saturday and South Carolina follows on February 29. More than a dozen states host Super Tuesday contests in less than two weeks with about one-third of the delegates needed to win the nomination at stake.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren was in a fight for survival and stood out with repeated attacks on Bloomberg. She sought to undermine him with core Democratic voters who are uncomfortable with his vast wealth, his offensive remarks about policing of minorities and demeaning comments about women, including those who worked at his company.

Warren labeled Bloomberg a billionaire who calls people fat broads and horse-faced lesbians.

She wasnt alone.

Sanders lashed out at Bloombergs policing policies as New York City mayor that he said targeted African-American and Latinos in an outrageous way.

And former Vice President Joe Biden charged that Bloombergs stop-and-frisk policy ended up throwing 5 million black men up against the wall.

Watching from afar, Trump joined the Bloomberg pile on.

I hear hes getting pounded tonight, you know hes in a debate, Trump said at a rally in Phoenix.

After the debate, Warren told reporters: I have no doubt that Michael Bloomberg is reaching in his pocket right now, and spending another hundred million dollars to try to erase every Americans memory about what happened on the debate stage.

On a night that threatened to tarnish the shine of his carefully constructed TV-ad image, Bloomberg faltered when attacked on issues related to race and gender. But he was firm and unapologetic about his wealth and how he has used it to effect change important to Democrats. He took particular aim at Sanders and his self-description as a democratic socialist.

I dont think theres any chance of the senator beating Donald Trump, Bloomberg declared before noting Sanders rising wealth. The best known socialist in the country happens to be a millionaire with three houses!

Sanders defended owning multiple houses, noting he has one in Washington, where he works, and two in Vermont, the state he represents in the Senate.

While Bloomberg was the shiny new object Wednesday, the debate also marked a major test for Sanders, who is emerging as the front-runner in the Democrats nomination fight, whether his partys establishment likes it or not. A growing group of donors, elected officials and political operatives fear that Sanders uncompromising progressive politics could be a disaster in the general election against Trump, yet theyve struggled to coalesce behind a single moderate alternative.

Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, went after both Bloomberg and Sanders, warning that one threatened to burn down the Democratic Party and the other was trying to buy it.

He called them the two most polarizing figures on this stage, with little chance of defeating Trump or helping congressional Democrats in contests with Republicans.

Bloomberg and Sanders were prime targets, but the stakes were no less dire for the other four candidates on stage.

Longtime establishment favorite Biden, a two-term vice president, desperately needed to breathe new life into his flailing campaign, which entered the night at the bottom of a moderate muddle behind Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar. And after a bad finish last week in New Hampshire, Warren was fighting to resurrect her stalled White House bid.

A Warren campaign aide said on Twitter that her fiery first hour of debate was her best hour of fundraising to date.

The other leading progressive in the race, Sanders came under attack from Biden and Bloomberg for his embrace of democratic socialism.

Sanders, as he has repeatedly over the last year, defended the cost of his signature Medicare for All healthcare plan, which would eliminate the private insurance industry in favor of a government-backed healthcare system that would cover all Americans.

When you asked Bernie how much it cost last time he saidWell find out,' Biden quipped. It costs over $35 trillion, lets get real.

And ongoing animosity flared between Buttigieg and Klobuchar when the former Indiana mayor slammed the three-term Minnesota senator for failing to answer questions in a recent interview about Mexican policy and forgetting the name of the Mexican president.

Buttigieg noted that shes on a committee that oversees trade issues in Mexico and she was not able to speak to literally the first thing about the politics of the country.

She shot back: Are you trying to say Im dumb? Are you mocking me here?

Later in the night she lashed out at Buttigieg again: I wish everyone else was as perfect as you, Pete.

The debate closed with a question about the possibility that Democrats remain divided deep into the primary season with a final resolution coming during a contested national convention in July.

Asked if the candidate with the most delegates should be the nominee  even if he or she is short of a delegate majority, almost every candidate suggested that the convention process should work its way out, as Biden put it.

Sanders, who helped force changes to the nomination process this year and hopes to take a significant delegate lead in the coming weeks, was the only exception.

The person who has the most votes should become the nominee, he said.

___

Peoples and Jaffe reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report.

___

Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game.
Lome, Togo (PANA) - Members of Togo's defense and security forces began an advanced voting in the presidential elections of February 22, PANA learned on Wednesday
A ski resort in France recently came into limelight for using helicopters to transport snow to its dried out peaks. According to BBC, the step was taken after the mild weather posed a threat of closure.

The Luchon-Superbagneres resort in the Pyrenees range in France planned a systematized drop of about 50 tonnes of snow on its slopes last week.

The local council of Haute-Garonne estimated the cost of delivering the snow on the peaks to be around $5,400 (approx. Rs 3. 85 lakh).

The director of the council, Herve Pounau called it to be a worthwhile investment. We're not going to cover the entire ski station in snow and if it was not transported a large part of the resort would have to be closed, France 24 reported Pounau as saying. He also mentioned that if the resort stays open, it safeguards the jobs of lift operators and ski school teachers.

Un helicoptere pour enneiger une piste de la station Luchon Superbagneres. Sur fond de montagne denudee. En plein hiver.Je trouve cette video tres triste. Source : https://t.co/9j6TOHw8TQ pic.twitter.com/HqbQtteI9v Hugo Clement (@hugoclement) February 15, 2020

However, covering the slopes with snow lifted from higher peaks has been condemned by environmental groups and individuals in the French government. Elisabeth Borne, advisor to French Minister of Ecological Transition, told the news agency AFP, It's not possible to repeat such a highly polluting operation. Using helicopters to bring snow to ski resorts is not an option.

Green group Europe Ecologie Les Verts (EELV)s member, Bastien Ho also slammed it, stating that such actions will create a double problem by contributing to global warming.

The lack of snow in the French Alps is causing worries to a number of ski resorts in the country, with a few of them shutting down early or closing permanently.
I pushed him away, and he kept kissing and fondling me, Ms. Haley told the jury. I got up and tried to walk away, and he pulled me toward him.

She testified that Mr. Weinstein backed her into a bedroom where she fell onto the bed. She said she continued to tell him: I dont want this to happen. Im on my period. But, she said, he was not deterred.

I was telling him, No, no, no, dont do that, Ms. Haley said. It was as if he didnt believe me.

About two weeks later, Ms. Haley said, she met Mr. Weinstein at the TriBeCa Grand Hotel. When she entered his room, she said, the producer pulled her toward the bed. Though she was sobbing, Ms. Haley said, she had sex with him. Mr. Weinstein has not been charged in that encounter. Ms. Haley acknowledged on the stand that she did not physically resist.

Ms. Haley also acknowledged on cross-examination that after her second sexual encounter with Mr. Weinstein, she did not stop seeing him. She said she tried to maintain a professional connection with him. She passed scripts to Mr. Weinstein from friends and had pitched him on her own idea for a project.

Mr. Weinsteins lawyers suggested that Ms. Haley and Mr. Weinstein had a consensual relationship. He gave her tickets to movie premieres and paid for her to fly to London shortly after the alleged assault.

The jury also asked for a read back of Ms. Haleys cross-examination, as well as copies of friendly emails the two had sent to each other and of correspondence that Mr. Weinstein and his company had sent to others about Ms. Haley.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, February 19, 2020

The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to examine the impact of its decision to repeal the Obama-era net neutrality rules.

On Wednesday, the agency initiated a review by seeking public comment on three questions -- whether the repeal affects public safety, the Lifeline program (which subsidizes broadband) and regulations regarding utility poles.

The FCC's move follows a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which largely upheld the net neutrality rollback, but directed the agency to examine its effect.

The Obama-era rules prohibited broadband providers from blocking or throttling online traffic and charging companies higher fees for prioritized delivery. The rules were approved in 2015, but repealed two years later, after a change in administration.

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FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai, who shepherded the repeal, says the prior rules were heavy handed and depressed investment.

But net neutrality proponents say the rules were necessary to prevent broadband providers from limiting consumers' ability to access streaming video, search engines and other online services and content.

A coalition of tech companies, consumer advocacy groups, state attorneys general and city officials challenged the repeal in court. Among other arguments, the attorneys general and city officials said the FCC didn't take into account that the repeal could harm public safety. They pointed to Verizon's decision to slow down service to firefighters battling blazes in California this summer.

The D.C. Circuit largely upheld the FCC's decision to revoke the prior rules, but returned the matter to the FCC with instructions to examine the implications of the repeal.

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who opposed the rollback, is urging net neutrality supporters to weigh in with the agency.

The American public should raise their voices and let Washington know how important an open internet is for every piece of our civic and commercial lives, she stated Wednesday. The fight for an open internet is not over. Its time to make noise.
Clean energy

Little-known renewable electricity utility Polaris Infrastructure (TSX:PIF) has shot up by a whopping 22.5% over the last month, surprising some market pundits who have taken a bearish view on its prospects since Nicaragua fell into crisis in early 2018.

Polaris owns the San Jacinto geothermal powerplant in the central American nation, which has been rocked by civil strife after the regime of President Daniel Ortega attempted to implement controversial social security reforms.

When that was combined with U.S. sanctions, economic growth in what was one of the fastest-growing economies in Latin America stalled to see the IMF predict that Nicaraguas GDP contracted by a whopping 5% in 2019. This saw the market take a very bleak view of Polariss prospects because of its dependence on the San Jacinto plant to generate earnings in an environment where the demand for electricity was expected to fall. There were even fears that Ortegas government would consider nationalizing foreign assets in order to stave off the economic crisis engulfing Nicaragua.

Positive outlook

While those events did not occur, and the impact on Polaris was significantly less than expected, the market still took a very poor view of the utilitys prospects. Despite rising geopolitical risk in Nicaragua, Polaris took the opportunity to acquire a portfolio of operational and construction stage hydro-plants in Peru.

It was then announced that the Generacion Andina development was complete, which was the catalyst for the massive surge in Polariss market value, seeing it up by a whopping 49% over the last year, beating the S&P/TSX Composites 11%.

Generacion Andina consists of the 8 de Agosto and El Carmen run-of-river hydro plants in Peru. Both have received extensions to their power-purchase agreements (PPAs), are connected to Perus power grid, and are delivering electricity. Combined, 8 de Agosto and El Carmen have 28 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity and are expected to boost Polariss EBITDA by US$7 million to US$9 million.

Story continues

Importantly, those plants, along with the full functional Canchallyo hydro-facility in Peru, which is expected to generate EBITDA of around US$900,000, have significantly reduced Polariss dependence on troubled and strife-torn Nicaragua.

That not only diversifies Polariss earnings but further improves the sustainability of its dividend. Polaris pays a quarterly dividend currently yielding a juicy 4.6%, and there is speculation that once its Peruvian business performs as expected that it could even hike the dividend.

Operational improvements

The renewable energy utility is also in the process of improving operations at its San Jacinto facility in Nicaragua, which should see electricity generation expand, because of increased steam generation and well-enhancing projects. As those plans are implemented, and San Jacintos power generation increases, Polariss earnings will grow.

The IMF has also forecast that Nicaraguas deeply troubled economy will return to growth in 2022, which should trigger an uptick in the demand for electricity.

Both factors will act as positive catalysts for Polaris stock, giving it a further boost.

Foolish takeaway

Polaris is a very attractive play on the growing demand for renewable energy in Latin America. While higher levels of regional geopolitical risk will impact its outlook and market sentiment toward the stock from time to time, Polaris is well positioned to deliver considerable value over the long term, making now the time to buy.

More reading

Fool contributor Matt Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Polaris Infrastructure Inc.

The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020
W orld-firsts take a little time, even if they are happy accidents. This started many, many years ago, says Ifeyinwa Frederick, nodding to the small restaurant surrounding her. On the Tottenham High Road and called Chukus, it serves Nigerian tapas and is the only place that does.

It began about a decade ago when Ifeyinwa, 27, and elder brother Emeka, 29, were growing up in Ilford. We had this friendship group of all sorts and we could share their cultures, but we didnt have a place where we could show them ours. Youre saying Wouldnt that be nice? and you keep saying it  then it becomes a bit frustrating.

They dreamt of a restaurant. Our problem had been how to make Nigerian food and culture easily digestible, says Emeka, 29. Wed chucked down some ideas, but nothing stuck.

Things changed after university, when Emeka spent a year in Madrid and Ifeyinwa  Ifey, her brother calls her  moved to Martinique to teach English and polish her French. Wed both been in these places that were really welcoming, where things are slower, Emeka remembers.

A taste of Nigeria: The vegan platter at Chuku's

He told me, people think tapas is just sharing plates, but its more about social dining, its very warm, very hospitable, very chilled out  which is just so married with Nigerian culture, says Ifey. We realised, weve got one shot to show people a cuisine, nods Emeka, How about we give them an opportunity to try as many different bits as we can? Theyd stumbled upon their solution.

Easier said than done, though. With a population of nearly 200 million, three primary tribes and countless smaller ones, there was a lot for them to consider. Besides, they had little know-how. But we just kind of jumped in, grins Emeka, As our mum always says, try a ting.

That first year was just learning, says Ifey, who in 2015 took a job in a bowling alley (there were a lot of children. I learned a lot about clean-up), before moving to Yard Sale Pizza. Emeka swapped a well-paid City job as a sustainability consultant for a minimum-wage gig at Honest Burger. Between them, they sized up the industry quickly  Wed cold call, send emails, always asking people why this, why that?  before launching their first pop-up in 2016.

When people say, oh, I was at that!, Im like, oh, you were...?! grimaces Ifey. That day we turned up, the venue had had a party the night before so the whole place stunk of beer. We opened at noon, and were full by 12.30  people were outside, getting the wrong food. It was an operational nightmare, but people could see what we were trying to do.

Youre not going to come to Chukus and become an expert on Nigeria, but youll get a sense of it. Its an introduction.

"Id say theres no subtly about our culture, adds Emeka, and the food is very much like that. The pair relied on their family for some recipes, and stayed with friends in Nigeria for others. Northern tribes dont really travel much outside of Nigeria, so we had to go back to understand a bit more. Wed meet people and ask, how do you do this? How does your mum do it?

New restaurants opening in London this February 1 /10 New restaurants opening in London this February Bobo Social Its been a while, but Bobo is back. Bobo Social, the popular diner-meets-townhouse restaurant that inhabited Charlotte Street until last year, is making a return to London. It will be heading south of the river to Lambeth, taking up residence in Elephant Park, where it is set to serve its signature peanut butter burger, fish of the day dishes and a Bourgeois Bohemian cocktail selection. No confirmation yet on if chips will be served in china tea cups. Chukus West African food continues its ascendance in the capital this year, kicking off with the first permanent residence for Nigerian tapas spot Chukus. A brother-sister venture from Emeka and Ifeyinwa Frederick, the Young British Foodies award-winning pop-up will settle down in a bricks-and-mortar location in Tottenhams Seven Sisters towards the end of the month. Fans of its previous incarnations will recognise some of the small plates, but the menu is set to expand. Expect the likes of suya meatballs flavoured with ginger and cloves; kuli kuli, a northern Nigerian snack made with peanuts, and jollof quinoa with red pepper and tomato. Padella Shoreditch Forget Michelin stars  what really gets people fighting for a table in London is cheap pasta. Thats the recipe that granted Boroughs Padella  a tiny, no reservations pasta bar from the team behind Trullo, serving pici cacio e pepe for 6.50 a plate  the longest queue in London. Now, mercifully you may think, Padella will be opening a second site on Phipp Street in Shoreditch. Not too much information has been released on the new digs, but rumour has it that while the new site will be approximately twice as large as the Borough original, it will only cater for roughly the same number of covers. It looks like we may still be queueing after all. Townsend Ever thought a plate of food was so pretty you could put it in a gallery? Thats (almost) what Townsend is doing this month, the new restaurant opening inside east Londons Whitechapel Gallery. The venture comes from former Anglo manager Nick Gilkinson and Joe Fox, the ex-head chef of Petersham Nurseries in Richmond. Named for the Victorian architect of the building, Townsend is billed as a modern British dining room, serving the likes of curried veal sweetbread with cauliflower and sprout tops, as well as a roast haunch of venison for two with ruby beetroots and horseradish. The Courtyard at Goods Way This ones not a restaurant per se, but a whole band of them. The Courtyard will open at the end of the month as part of Goods Way, the multi-purpose music, food and booze venue from Mumford & Sons member Ben Lovett. Continuing the restaurant scenes seemingly insatiable appetite for food courts, the space will house five street food traders hailing from various corners of the capital and beyond. The Duck Truck, Breddos Tacos and Temple of Seitan are the established London names on the menu, which will be joined by newcomer Pomelo from the team behind Lupins, and New York Japanese spot Sushi on Jones. Berber & Q Pita Party This annual pita-focused knees-up returns to Berber & Q Shawarma Bar on Februarys first weekend. Harneet Baweja of Gunpowder, Eran Tibi of Bala Baya, Owen Barratt and Mark Ogus of Montys Deli and the team behind Happy Endings will all be turning up to cook guest pitas on the day, and a 25 ticket will allow you to try them all. Izakaya nights with Leandro Carreira at Koya City Leandro Carreira of Londrino and The Sea The Sea fame is teaming up with udon expert Koya for a two-night collaboration. The Portuguese chef will be cooking the likes of salted cod mocchi and rice dashi, alongside kombujime (cured fish) with coriander tanuki and salted berries. Busaba to serves dishes at 1999 prices for 20th birthday London Thai restaurant chain Busaba is celebrating two decades in the business this month, and to mark the occasion theyll be turning back the clock  on their prices. Every Monday in February will see them price its green curry and pad Thai dishes at just 6 and 5.35 respectively, replicating what they were sold for in 1999.

Their menu encompasses food from across the country and its tribes, with the siblings proudest of their moi-moi, a polenta-esque dish of baked black eyed peas, peppers and onion; another must-try is sinasir, a rice pancake served with miyan taushe, a peanut and pumpkin stew.

Theres this myth that Nigerian food is meat-heavy and thats not actually the case. Traditionally meat was kind of a special occasion thing  when you slaughter an animal its a big deal  so we do a lot for vegetarians and vegans, says Ifey, and most of the dishes are gluten-free.

Still, there are suya meatballs too, beef rolled in traditional spices. Where theyve had to get creative is with their puddings, which, Emeka says, just dont exist in Nigeria. So weve taken inspiration from our ingredients  a chocolate brownie made with yam, plantain waffles, a cheesecake using chin chin [a traditional biscuit]. But everything is kind of taste-tested: if the Nigerian element cant be felt, its not on the menu.
Srinagar, Feb 19 : Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh on Wednesday said that they are hopeful that US President Donald Trump's visit to India will pass off peacefully.

"Two foreign delegations have visited Kashmir and they witnessed normalcy in the Valley," Singh said at a press conference in Srinagar.

"There are some apprehensions, like always, militants are still present in good numbers, we hope visit passes off peacefully, we have security arrangements in place." On the use of Internet VPN, he said they are aware that people are taking advantage of the loopholes. "We know it is being used despite instructions. But there is a line between use and misuse," he said adding, "Government is keeping surveillance on the misuse of the Internet." He said the home department has issued an order banning social media in Kashmir. "Some are using social media and instigating militants. We have proof of that," he said.

Singh said if the situation improves further, relaxation in the use of the Internet can be considered.

He said their main priority is that those instigating militants are checked.

On the deferment of the Panchayat elections, the top J&K cop said it is the government's decision and there must be solid grounds for doing that.

On ceasefire violations, he said there are a large number of terrorists at the launch pads waiting for infiltration.

"All those launch pads remained active this year despite snow to infiltrate whenever there is an opportunity," he said.

"On Tuesday, a drone from Pakistan crossed into India in Kathua and returned after the BSF opened fire," he said.

Singh said 23 militants, 19 in Kashmir, and four in Jammu, have been killed in various anti-terror operations this year so far.

He said a total of 10 anti-terror operations have been carried out this year across J&K during which there was no collateral damage.

"Several terror modules have been busted in 2020 and 40 overground workers of militants were arrested," he said.

He added that eight youths who joined militancy in 2020 have shunned violence and returned to the mainstream. "They have been reunited with their families." Singh said the three militants killed in the encounter on Wednesday morning belonged to the Hizbul Mujahideen. They have been identified as Jehangir Wani, Raja Maqbool and Uzair Bhat. Jehangir was the dreaded militant who was involved in the killing of two civilians.

"Jehangir was involved in eight acts of terror including attacks on police and army," he said. "After the abrogation of Article 370 he set on fire a chemist shop, burnt a truck and put up inflammatory posters." He had also set fire to a mosque at Tral, Singh said.
London, Feb 19 : Low-skilled workers would not get visas under post-Brexit immigration plans unveiled by the British government.

It is urging employers to "move away" from relying on "cheap labour" from Europe and invest in retaining staff and developing automation technology, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

The Home Office said EU and non-EU citizens coming to the UK would be treated equally after UK-EU free movement ends on December 31.

Labour said a "hostile environment" would make it hard to attract workers.

But Home Secretary Priti Patel told BBC the government wanted to "encourage people with the right talent" and "reduce the levels of people coming to the UK with low skills".

She added that businesses could also recruit from among eight million "economically inactive" potential workers in the UK.

But the SNP called this a "ridiculous or dangerous idea", as many in this group were suffering "ill health or injury".

Under the plan, the definition of skilled workers would be expanded to include those educated to A-level/Scottish Highers-equivalent standard, not just graduate level, as is currently the case.

Waiting tables and certain types of farm worker would be removed from the new skilled category, but new additions would include carpentry, plastering and childminding.

The government wants to bring in a "points-based" immigration system, as promised in the Conservative election manifesto.

Under this, overseas citizens would have to reach 70 points to be able to work in the UK.

Speaking English and having the offer of a skilled job with an "approved sponsor" would give them 50 points.

More points would be awarded for qualifications, the salary on offer and working in a sector with shortages.

Workers from European Economic Area countries currently have the automatic right to live and work in the UK irrespective of their salary or skill level.

The government says this will end on December 31, when the 11-month post-Brexit transition period is due to finish.

The salary threshold for skilled workers wanting to come to the UK would be lowered from 30,000 pounds to 25,600 pounds.

However, the government says the threshold would be as low as 20,480 pounds for people in "specific shortage occupations" - which currently include nursing, civil engineering, psychology and classical ballet dancing - or those with PhDs relevant to a specific job.

But there would no longer be an overall cap on the number of skilled workers who could come into the UK.

The immigration plans spell trouble for adult social care.

The majority of people employed by the sector are low-paid care workers. They are responsible for providing daily help to older and disabled adults in care homes and the community.

There are already significant shortages - one in 11 posts are unfilled.

Foreign workers make up a sixth of the 840,000-strong care worker workforce in England.

It is hard to see how in the future these staff could qualify.

Even if it is classed as a skilled job -- and even that is in doubt, as many workers do not come via an A-level route -- the pay at under 20,000 pounds on average is too low to qualify for any points. Nor is the role classed a shortage occupation.

It seems certain applicants will fall well-short of the 70 points needed.
Montgomery County Police

For five years, as a criminal case against his former girlfriend Catherine Hoggle has held fairly steady, Troy Turner's emotions have swung up and down.

They started with hope: He'd find the couple's two children, Jacob, 2, and Sarah, 3, who'd been lost after being under Hoggle's care. That gave way to deep frustration: Hoggle wouldn't say what happened to them, even as she was locked in a Maryland jail and then transferred to a state mental hospital. Then Turner came to a terrible conclusion: Hoggle had killed the children and wouldn't tell anyone where their bodies were.

On Tuesday - while appearing before a judge who over the next few weeks will consider whether to dismiss murder charges against Hoggle in the case - Turner got a chance to speak in court.

Hoggle sat 15 feet away.

"I've heard people refer to it as a mystery. There is no mystery. Catherine planned, carried out a plan, and killed my children," Turner said, his voice choking. "Right now, the person who murdered them, I'm looking at her."

At issue Tuesday was a complicated legal question about how long a criminal defendant such as Hoggle can be held in Maryland while she has been ruled mentally unfit for trial in the 2014 disappearance of her children. Under current Maryland law, a person charged with a felony can be held in a mentally incompetent posture for no more than five years, at which point charges must be dismissed.

Hoggle's defense attorney David Felsen argued that the deadline passed on Jan. 10, five years from the time Hoggle was determined to be mentally incompetent after her initial arrest on misdemeanor neglect and hindering charges.

"In this country, we don't try people who can't defend themselves," Felsen said.

Montgomery County's top prosecutor, John McCarthy, said the duration will not be up until Dec. 1, 2022, the five-year anniversary of Hoggle being ruled incompetent after her charges were elevated to two felony counts of murder.

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Over the past five years, Maryland state psychiatrists have repeatedly concluded that Hoggle - who has a history of paranoid schizophrenia - is mentally incompetent to stand trial because she can't understand her surroundings well enough. But they also viewed her as "restorable." In a new opinion reached Friday, according to Tuesday's proceedings, a state psychiatrist opined that Hoggle is no longer restorable. That is the first such opinion in the case, McCarthy said.

No matter how Montgomery County Circuit Judge Robert Greenberg rules, Hoggle is hardly expected to be released any time soon from Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Jessup. She instead would probably be ordered held there on a civil commitment at the request of prosecutors.

That would be a shift, though, that Turner and McCarthy fear would ultimately make it easier for her to be released. Under a civil commitment, the hospital would have authority to keep her as long as they deemed her a danger to herself or others, according to Felsen and McCarthy.

"She's possibly going to walk free one day," Turner said in court, adding, "These are my babies. And Catherine killed them."

Greenberg heard arguments from Felsen and McCarthy for an hour Tuesday.

"These are weighty issues," the judge said, indicating that he'd issue a written opinion soon. Assessments that Hoggle is no longer "restorable" related to her mental competency could play a factor in whether Greenberg directs Hoggle to be civilly committed, according to questions he was asking the attorneys on Tuesday.

Turner has spoken recently about his fears that if Hoggle is released, she would target the third child they had together. It is a concern he has shared with the Maryland legislature in an unsuccessful bid last year to change the state laws to extend the time someone in Hoggle's position could be held without a trial.

"I have a 10-year-old, who was 5 when his brother and sister went missing, who is scared to death that his mother is going to come find him one day," Turner told a committee last year in an effort that ultimately fell short.

The surviving boy "still has nightmares about her showing up with bodies of his dead brother and sister," Turner added in court on Tuesday. "He can't defend himself if she's out there."

The crossroads in the Hoggle case play out all the time around the country, according to Christopher Slobogin, an expert in the field and professor at the Vanderbilt University law school. Courts hold that the government gets a reasonable amount of time to treat a defendant to the point of mental competency, he said, but as a medical matter that should take no more than a year.

At some point, a person who cannot be made competent is afforded the basic constitutional right to either be released or civilly committed to a mental hospital, according to Slobogin.

In cases such as Hoggle's - she is not only accused of killing her young children but is also accused of refusing to tell detectives where their bodies are - legal reality doesn't inherently make sense, Slobogin said.

"I understand where Joe Public is coming from. They're thinking she probably did this horrible thing, she's probably dangerous," he said.

Slobogin stressed, though, that shifting someone such as Hoggle to a civil commitment will effectively keep her situation unchanged.

"If she remains dangerous, she could stay committed forever," Slobogin said.

As for the hospital having the authority to release someone like Hoggle, Slobogin notes, that's the way it should be. Research consistently shows those who commit violence that stems from mental illness are less likely - under proper treatment - to repeat their crimes than others, he said.

In the case of Hoggle - a former waitress with an IQ once tested at 135 - Turner and other family members have alleged over the years that she has been faking the depths of her mental illness to stay out of state prison.

McCarthy said the shift to a civil commitment could change the control prosecutors and the court have in the case. It's not a judge who decides whether she should be released; it's Perkins. McCarthy would have no legal standing to make recommendations, and he would no longer have access to Hoggle's psychiatric evaluations.

"If she is civilly committed, I have no control over her, nor do I have any access to information," McCarthy said. "If they determine she is no longer a danger, they have to let her loose."

Perkins had 281 patients as of last week, according to a hospital spokeswoman. Most had been ordered there by a judge in a pending criminal case. Eight were being held based on civil commitments. Those eight have been at Perkins anywhere from one to eight years, according to the spokeswoman.

To McCarthy, that indicates that those who get civilly committed to Perkins are not necessarily there for lengthy stays. "I find those numbers frightening," he said.

Washington Post

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Also Announces Management Changes

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - Para Resources Inc. (TSXV: PBR) (WKN: A14YF1) (OTC: PRSRF) (the "Company" or "Para") announces that the focus will be on the Company's Colombia assets and other opportunities in South America. As such, the Company announces that Mr. Javier Cordova has been appointed by the Board of Directors to serve as the President & CEO of the Company. C. Geoffrey Hampson has resigned as the Chief Executive Officer, Ian Harris has resigned as the President and as a Director and Randy Martin has resigned as Chief Operating Officer of the Company. Mr. Hampson will remain the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Cordova has been active with the Company as a consultant since early 2018. Previously, Mr. Cordova was the first Minister of Mining of Ecuador, serving from 2015 until 2018. Under his administration, the development of the Ecuadorian mining industry had been significant, positioning the country as the new mining frontier in the region. Prior to being Minister of Mining, Mr. Cordova held prominent positions as the Vice Minister of Mining and Vice Minister of the Interior.

Mr. Hampson states, "In the light of repositioning PARA Resources as a company focused solely on Latin America, the Board determined it was appropriate to have a South American-led management team with a regional point of view and strategy. Mr. Cordova has a lot of experience in the industry, in particular in South America dealing with ESG issues, governments and local communities. Mr. Cordova will be managing the proven management teams of Operadora along with Para's existing assets to continue to build on the goodwill we have built in the region and to focus our strategic growth in Colombia and elsewhere in South America."

Mr. Cordova states, "I look forward to leveraging the work that Para has done to rehabilitate the El Limon mill and acquire a significant holding of mineral rights in the surrounding region. Para has been working with local miners and the government to formalize current mining activities, which provides an environmentally friendly solution to traditional activities and has created economic benefits for all parties involved. This cooperation with the local communities and all levels of government unlocks the potential for modern exploration in a block of concessions in one of the most prolific gold areas in the world. The combination of these claim blocks, the excellent relationship with local communities, the acquisition of Operadora, an operating and profitable mine and mill with proven management, production and exploration teams, positions Para's Colombian assets on a highly prospective trajectory.

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I look forward to being part of the next step in leveraging the potential of these assets".

The resignations and appointment will take effect immediately.

The Company continues to negotiate the definitive agreements on the Operadora acquisition and expects the transaction to close, subject to key conditions, including TSXV approval and others on schedule.

Para also announces the termination of the non-brokered private placement offering of up to 5,000,000 units ("Units") at a price of $0.10 per Unit that the Company previously announced on December 30, 2019. The Company has determined in light of market conditions that the current offering should be cancelled until further notice.

Para also reports that the common shares of the Company will resume trading on the TSX Venture Exchange at the open on Thursday, February 20, 2020.

ABOUT PARA RESOURCES:

Para Resources Inc. ("Para") is a junior gold mining and exploration company. The Company owns the El Limon Mine in Zaragoza, Colombia, a project that includes both near-term mining and milling operations as well as highly prospective exploration properties. The Company has acquired a fully permitted mine and facility with adjacent properties that have an abundance of small scale artisanal miners, dramatically reducing the exploration risk. It is anticipated that the operating mine will be profitable in the short term, providing a return on capital as a stand-alone entity, and funding regional exploration to expand resources.

Para is unique in that the Insiders have invested more than US$30 million of their capital and own approximately 70% of the Company's equity.

Para's new management team is seasoned and proven, having discovered, built, managed and sold several different mines over the last 40 years.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Javier Cordova"

Javier Cordova, President & Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact Andrea Laird, telephone: +1-604-259-0302

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52560
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) says President Muhammadu Buharis promise before the 2015 election that all citizens abduct...





The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) says President Muhammadu Buharis promise before the 2015 election that all citizens abducted by Boko Haram would be rescued has not been fulfilled.





CAN Director of Legal and Public Affairs, Evangelist Kwamkur Samuel Vondip, in a statement on Wednesday, lamented that it has been two years since Leah Sharibu, was captured by Boko Haram.





Leah and others were kidnapped from the Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Bursari Local Government Area of Yobe state on February 19, 2018.





CAN said it is disheartening and painful that the government that freed her colleagues has not deemed it fit to secure her freedom, despite the fact that those in government have children or grandchildren of her age.

The body noted that the unsuccessful efforts to free the prisoner of faith was disappointing, depressing and unacceptable, even after persons kidnapped by the terrorists had their ransoms paid and freed through the efforts of the Federal Government, security agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations.





Expressing concern about Leah Sharibus maternal condition, CAN condemned the release of ex-Boko Haram terrorists under de-radicalization, rehabilitation, empowerment of the Federal Government.





The statement asked the guarantee that the freed ex-terrorists would not return to Sambisa forest and pick up their arms against innocent Nigerians? Media reports have it that a kingpin of the terrorists who was released has found his way back to the bush!





It advised the government to stop releasing those who are responsible for the horrendous killings in the country, adding that it is like urinating on the graves of those they killed as well as a dirty slap on the faces of the bereaved and a way of weakening the morale of security agents in the battle field.





While commiserating with the people and the governments of Adamawa, Borno, Katsina and Zamfara States over recent attacks, CAN wondered why the presidency issued warning to armless Katsina communities not to fight back invading murderous bandits who killed and wounded dozens of armless citizens.





CAN recalled that the body and well-meaning Nigerians have repeatedly called for the overhaul of the security apparatus of the nation but to no avail.





Instead, the Presidency has been consistently hailing them as if they are impressed with the poor performance of the security agencies under their watch, the statement read.





CAN called on the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari leadership to accept fully that Nigeria is in a precarious situation needing expertise counsel, urgent decisive local and international communitys intervention.





Advising the Buhari government to consider counsels on national security, the Christian leaders warned the admission to discountenance praises by sycophants and political jobbers.
Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations Karen Pierce has called on Russia to facilitate the delivery of international humanitarian aid to Donbas and to ensure access for the detainees to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

She said at the UNSC meeting in New York on Tuesday that the Russian Federation's troops are, in fact, planting more mines, adding that those actions have had a devastating effect on the people of Ukraine since the conflict began six years ago, with 13,000 killed and almost 30,000 injured. The Russian Federation bears a heavy responsibility for the suffering and should desist from sending so-called 'humanitarian convoys' across the border.

Pierce also added that Russia is expected to ensure full and unconditional access of ICRC to detainees.

She stressed that the United Kingdom's enduring support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Also, she said, London welcomes the commitments of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to end the conflict in Donbas, and his steps to achieve peace through diplomatic means, including exchanges of prisoners, the adoption of the Steinmeier formula and progress in the disengagement of forces.

As reported, this meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) was initiated by the Russian delegation to discuss the implementation of the Minsk agreements. On Thursday, February 20, at the initiative of Ukraine, the UN General Assembly will hold a special meeting on the situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The discussion will be attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko.
WAAF, a staple of rock radio in the Worcester and Boston markets, has been sold for $10.7 million to Educational Media Foundation, Entercom Communications announced Tuesday afternoon.

Entercom said it will continue to air WAAF on its existing HD stations 104.1 HD2 and 93.7 HD2 and on RADIO.COM.

Educational Media Foundation will begin programing on 107.3 FM on Saturday. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2020. Its unclear what plans Educational Media Foundation has for 107.3 FM.

WAAF lost one of its biggest names, Greg Hill, last year when Entercom announced he would join the morning show on WEEI.

Hill served as the host of WAAFs Hill-Man morning show for more than 28 years. He joined WAAF in 1986. The Greg Hill Show currently airs mornings from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on WEEI.

At the end of last November, WAAF announced a 50th anniversary concert that included performances by Godsmack, Halestorm, Dinosaur Pileup, Dirty Honey and Theory of a Deadman.

The concert is scheduled for April 16 at the DCU Center in Worcester.
Shailesh Kapoor, CEO, Ormax Media, sounds a cautious note for traditional media in the year ahead, given the downturn in the economy. He, however, sees digital continuing to grow, irrespective of what happens otherwise.

What were the few big changes that you think were of importance in 2019 for our industry?

Three major changes in 2019 were the start of the NTO regime in the broadcast space, the explosion of the OTT space, and the slowdown of the economy, impacting traditional media in particular.

What are the big changes that you are expecting in 2020?

In 2020, a lot will depend on how the economy recovers. Currently, the market sentiment is extremely cautious and skeptical. If there is recovery during the year, we could see the usual 10%+ growth in AdEx and in the M&E sector. However, if the economy does not come back to better health, traditional media like TV, print and radio, may continue to be under pressure this year too. TV, in particular, is facing additional challenges via NTO 2.0, and has the economy and the NTO issue to tackle. But digital will continue to grow, irrespective of what happens otherwise.

How has consumer behaviour changed with the introduction of tech-based marketing?

Consumer behaviour has evolved significantly because of the arrival of the smartphone and digital marketing. Social media and digital content are now mainstream options, especially with falling data costs. Traditional advertising is slowly making way for co-creation of content and in-content marketing for advertisers. Each category has responded differently, for example, film audiences are flocking to the theatres to watch a film like Uri or Tanhaji or Kabir Singh, but would rather watch the smaller films on OTT.

Are we expected to see some big shifts around data regulation in India? How will it affect business?

One can never really predict what the Government comes up with. A lot depends on how Jios plans unfold this year, so we have to wait and watch.

How do you anticipate the AdEx growth across platforms in 2020?

Digital should comfortably be the highest-growing media. Traditional media will depend on how the economy recovers. Cinema should grow at a decent 10-12%, like it did in 2019.
Former White House national security adviser John Bolton questioned whether it was "fair" that President Donald Trump has called him a liar on the subject of Ukraine, but said "I can't talk about it".

In his first public remarks since Mr Trump was impeached by the House and acquitted by the Senate, Mr Bolton said his own views of national security policies, and descriptions of interactions with Mr Trump on Ukraine and other issues, risk being "suppressed" and censored by the administration.

His ability to speak was restrained, he said, because of the White House "pre-publication review" of his forthcoming book "and threats of possible legal action".

In a question-and-answer session at Duke University, in North Carolina, Mr Bolton voiced familiar hard-line views on North Korea, Iran and other issues. He said he viewed Ukraine and the impeachment "as sprinkles on the ice cream sundae" compared with other subjects in the book.

Asked whether he agreed with the president's assessment that Mr Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last July was "perfect", Mr Bolton said: "You'll love Chapter 14."

Mr Bolton left the administration in September, after 17 months as Mr Trump's third national security adviser, following policy rifts with the president. Mr Trump announced via Twitter that he had fired Mr Bolton, though Mr Bolton, also via Twitter, said he had resigned.

Mr Bolton's book about his time at the White House, titled 'The Room Where it Happened', is scheduled to be published on March 17.

Parts of the book were leaked to 'The New York Times', including Mr Bolton's first-hand account of what he said were discussions with Mr Trump about the president's withholding of aid to Ukraine unless its government investigated his Democratic political rivals. Those allegations became the basis of Mr Trump's impeachment.

After the impeachment, Mr Bolton offered to testify at the subsequent Senate trial, if subpoenaed, but the Republican majority voted not to call witnesses. The Senate this month acquitted the president on charges of abuse of power and obstruction. In recent weeks, the White House - to which Mr Bolton submitted his book for national security vetting - has told him it has "serious concerns" about what it says is classified information in the book. Mr Bolton's lawyer has disputed that assessment and asked for the White House to expedite completion of its review. It remains unclear whether publication will go ahead without White House approval.

"I hope it's not suppressed," Mr Bolton said. "This is an effort to write history, and I did it the best I can. We'll have to see what comes out of the censorship. I say things in the manuscript about what he said to me. I hope they become public some day. He tweets, but I can't talk about it. How fair is that?"

Mr Bolton hinted that the book contains revelations on a number of subjects, but he declined to answer a number of specific questions. Asked for his account of Mr Trump's controversial meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the summer of 2018, he said: "I could read a chapter from my book and give you an answer. In my view, to pursue the right policies for America, I was willing to put up with a lot."

Mr Bolton has denied leaking any of the manuscript and suggested that the revelations came from within the administration. "Probably with leaks coming out of the administration, in due course you'll know everything that's in the book."

He voiced his well-known views about North Korea, saying the administration's effort to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons programme was "going to fail".

Despite Mr Trump's claims that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said he would do so, Mr Bolton said there was "not a single piece of evidence that the government of North Korea intends to give up nuclear weapons".

"This idea that they can be coaxed into giving up... their nuclear programme was flawed from the start," he said.

Pyongyang, he added, was "jiving the Americans" and getting closer every day to the capability of dropping a nuclear weapon on US cities.

Mr Bolton said China, which he described as "the number one national security issue for the rest of the century", may have known about the coronavirus epidemic "weeks before it was announced". ( Washington Post)
On Wednesday night, the rest of the country will get to know former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg a little bit better.

Bloomberg has met the polling requirements needed to make it into the Democratic debate in Nevada  his first, and one of the last before the Democratic nominee is selected. Bloombergs campaign has taken off within the relatively short amount of time that he's been in the running. Hes winning over black and Latino voters, his memes are going viral and hes spending big bucks to bombard voters across the country with his campaign ads. How he performs during the Democratic debate is likely to influence how much further hell rise in the polls.

You know me: I like a fight, and so I think itd be fun to go and compete, Bloomberg said during an interview in Detroit recently. I always thought that was fun to joust, he added, comparing the upcoming debate to the somewhat tense press conferences he held throughout his mayoral tenure.

Bloombergs team has been vigorously prepping the ex-mayor for the Wednesday night debate over the past few months and has even been holding mock debates. Theyre expecting him to weather an onslaught of criticism during the debate, most likely regarding his controversial mayoral record and campaign strategy. We are expecting that he is going to have a lot of attention on him  hes going to be attacked, a Bloomberg official told Politico.

The debate will be Bloombergs first since 2009, when he was running for his third term as mayor of New York City against then-New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson  and he only participated in about eight mayoral debates from 2001 to 2009. It has already been speculated that Bloomberg is at risk of faltering on the debate stage as he is prone to getting irritated by questions he finds unintelligent or unwarranted. In 2009, he became noticeably peeved when a reporter in a wheelchair accidentally had his recording device start playing during a press conference.

During his mayoral campaigns, Bloomberg did not participate in more debates or speeches than what was required of him and on one occasion did not show up for a NY1-hosted mayoral debate at the Apollo Theater in 2009. However, public affairs strategist Roberto Ramirez  who ran the mayoral campaigns of Bloombergs Democratic competitors in 2001, 2005 and 2009  told City & State that Bloomberg should not be dismissed.

Prior to 2001, before billionaire Bloomberg launched his media blitz, no one knew who he was and he wasn't a public persona, Ramirez recounted. So when he had to debate (the 2001 Democratic mayoral candidate) Mark Green, everyone expected that Mark Green was going to sweep the floor with him. Supposedly, Bloomberg didn't have any substantive knowledge of policy or politics. I was sitting at the debate that day as a guest and Michael Bloomberg surprised a lot of people.

While some might imagine Bloomberg to be a combative debater, George Arzt, the president of George Arzt Communications who worked with Bloomberg while he was mayor, told City & State that Bloomberg doesnt care much for quarrelling. He's not someone who likes to argue or who is used to people coming at him so this (debate) will be interesting to watch, he said. But if he can stay calm and and just deliver on the facts, he will do okay.

Luckily for Bloomberg, delivering the facts is his strong suit. Upon reviewing mayoral debates from 2001, 2005 and 2009, Bloomberg is quick on the draw when it comes to whipping out statistics and budget breakdowns to defend his arguments.

One of the ex-mayors biggest hurdles, however, may be his ability to shake off his stiff demeanor and appear affable to a national audience unfamiliar with his past public appearances.

He's introducing himself to the nation tomorrow night and combat is only one note that he has to sing, Andrew Kirtzman, who covered city politics during Bloombergs tenure and then worked under his schools chancellor, told City & State on Tuesday. He's got to make himself attractive to people on an emotional level and he's not an emotive man.

But Arzt believes that Bloomberg will show a little more of his personality during Wednesdays debate. I think that Mike, personally, can be very funny, Arzt said. I've never seen that at a public event, but I think that in this debate, hell probably have some humor to make him look a little human.

More than anything, Bloomberg needs to make a lasting impression if he wants to proceed any further, according to Ramirez. Michael Bloomberg's ability to self finance has gotten him visibility but him being on that stage means that he now needs to bring the substance of a candidate, Ramirez said. His ability to do that or his failure to do will largely determine where he stands in his presidential campaign. I would not dismiss him but I would say that the bar is rather high for him right now.
With the coronavirus threat on the rise, the $45-billion worth Cruise industry has come under significant pressure. The space, which is a key component of the Zacks Leisure and Recreation Services industry, is feeling the heat due to suspension of cruise operations from China.

Cruise business from China constitutes (5% of the total industry) a small but a steadily growing pie of the overall cruise industry. Notably, the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus cancelled a number of voyages in other parts of Asia, which accounts for another 5% of the cruise business.

While cruise business from China and Asia slumped considerably, bookings for the broader business outside Asia softened recently due to travel restrictions to contain the spread of the contagion.

Since this stalemate refuses to relent, industry participants find it hugely difficult to determine the full financial impact on the industry for the current fiscal. However, the epidemic can take a big bite out of the cruise line business this year. The situation can even do greater harm to business since it is the peak booking season for the cruise liners.

Cruise Stocks Take a Hit

Driven primarily by the coronavirus infection year to date, shares of major cruise operators, namely Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. NCLH, Carnival Corporation & Plc CCL and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. RCL have declined 11.5%, 15.5% and 16.5% each. Moreover, the industry has declined 6.2% against the S&P 500s Composite rally of 5%.

Major Operators Slash Earnings Guidance

Royal Caribbean, which sources nearly 6% of its capacity from China, called off 18 voyages in Southeast Asia. This, in turn, is likely to weigh on 2020 earnings results by 65 cents. Management estimates to incur an additional 55 cents penalty if it was to cancel all the remaining Asian voyages through April

As expected, Carnival is currently unable to ascertain the full financial impact on its fiscal 2020. In the event that the company has to suspend all its operations in Asia through the end of April, it would hurt its fiscal 2020 financial performance by 55 cents-65 centsper share, which includes guest compensation. Further, the impact on global bookings will affect the company's financial performance.

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Other Headwinds

The COVID-19 episode is no stranger to the cruise industry, which earlier survived norovirus, Zika, SARS, etc. Quick steps, such as quarantining the ships and health scanning are taken by the companies for which, the loss of revenues is certain. But this disruption should be temporal for the industry, which is also grappled with other issues.

The cruise industrys growth trend in 2020 is likely to ease due to weaker pricing in continental Europe, the US ban on cruise travel to Cuba and volatile fuel prices. Also, regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) pertaining to sulfur emissions at sea, which started this year, are likely to escalate regulatory compliance costs for the related players.

Per the credit rating agency Moodys in 2020, combined lodging and cruise earnings growth are expected to slow down between 4% and 5%, indicating a decline from its earlier expectations of 6-7% growth.

However, Cruise Lines International Association estimates 32 million passengers to cruise in 2020, suggesting an improvement from 30 million in 2019.

Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Dismal Prospects

The cruise industry is part of the broader Zacks Consumer Discretionary sector. It carries a Zacks Industry Rank #178, placing it in the bottom 30% of 255 Zacks industries.

The groups Zacks Industry Rank, , which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates gloomy near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Zacks Rank

Each of the stocks including Royal Carribean, Carnival Cruise and Norwegian Cruise carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



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Tourism operators in HCMC are set to offer promotions to attract tourists after the Covid-19 outbreak.

Bui Ta Hoang Vu (standing), director of the HCMC Tourism Department, speaks at a meeting on February 17 to discuss measures to restore the citys tourism sector after Covid-19

But if service providers offer heavy discounts to quickly reduce the impact of losses due to the disease, it will be hard for them to return to their standard prices, heard attendees at a meeting on February 17.

Travel and hotel operators in the city attended the meeting, held by the HCMC Tourism Department, to discuss measures to recover the tourism sector following the Covid-19 outbreak.

Most of the operators had approved a plan to offer good deals to attract tourists. Some noted that discounts of 30%-35% could be effective, adding that service providers such as aviation and hotel operators should cooperate to restore the sector.

However, service prices for promotion programs should be lowered effectively so that services can easily be offered at regular prices when the local market bounces back, they remarked.

A Park Hyatt Saigon representative suggested the operators provide customers with various free services such as gifts instead of offering large discounts.

Similarly, Phan Xuan Anh, chairman of travel firm Viet Excursions, pointed out that it was not a sound move to request hotels to slash room rates of some VND5 million in half. Hotels could run buy-one-get-one-free programs, aiming to woo travelers as well as encourage them to experience other services, he suggested.

Many enterprises represented at the meeting also requested more information on efforts to control Covid-19 from local authorities. They are in need of official online channels, available in different languages, to reassure tourists amid fears of the disease. The sooner tourists are fully briefed on the situation, the better hotels can reduce the number of booking cancellations.

According to Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, deputy director of Vietravel Company, official information on the issue from local authorities could help travel staff recommend safe destinations to tourists during the outbreak.

In addition, tour guides can capture photos of tourists currently enjoying their time in Vietnam, posting them on social media platforms to spread upbeat messages about local destinations that are free of the disease and must be added to travel bucket lists, said Nguyen Ngoc Toan, director of tour firm Images Travel.

In the coming months, the municipal tourism authority will take multiple steps to support local tour firms and hotels affected by the disease, including ramping up promotion and marketing activities, while seeking financial support from the Government. SGT

Dao Loan

Air travel falls 20 percent on COVID-19 outbreak: authority The outbreak of the acute respiratory disease caused by COVID-19 has resulted in a 20% drop in the number of the passenger flying via Vietnamese airports as compared to the same time last year, according to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam.
UPS Punishes Drivers for Prayer Meetings

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Liberty Counsel

Feb. 19, 2020



MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., Feb. 19, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- United Parcel Services (UPS) has discriminated against employees' religious freedom for voluntarily praying together before work. Several drivers also have been fired.

Liberty Counsel sent a demand letter to UPS stating that drivers' prayer meetings must be allowed again, and the drivers who have been fired must be reinstated.

In July 2019, approximately 40 UPS drivers started voluntarily praying together each morning in the parking lot prior to their shifts. The group has since grown to between 50 and 60 drivers.

Employees reported to Liberty Counsel that the center manager told a driver on January 16, 2020 that the drivers "cannot pray anymore on company property because someone else may feel discriminated against." Then January 20, the manager told a second driver that the drivers "could no longer pray on company property because it violates others' religious rights." The following week, the drivers met, but did not pray. Some bowed their heads in a simple moment of silence.

On January 27, a friend of the drivers posted a message on Facebook that UPS was prohibiting the drivers from praying. The post has since been shared more than 1,100 times.

Since then, several drivers with many years' experience who regularly participated in the prayer meetings have been fired for what appears to be pretextual reasons. Other drivers are afraid of speaking out in the wake of this firing.

Employees at UPS and elsewhere should be allowed to voluntarily read the Bible, pray together, or discuss spiritual matters before their shifts begin for the day, during their lunch breaks or during any other off-the-clock time when they may otherwise read or discuss secular topics.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, "An order that employees refrain from voluntarily praying together violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Employers are prohibited from discriminating against employees based on religion. These UPS drivers may voluntarily gather for prayer in the parking lot before they clock in for work. UPS must permit the drivers to continue praying together and reinstate the jobs of any who were fired," said Staver.

Liberty Counsel is a nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics. Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost.



SOURCE Liberty Counsel



CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org



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Former Wrightbus director Jeff Wright has hit back at criticism of church donations made by the Co Antrim bus builder's parent company during its financial troubles.

A BBC Spotlight investigation found Cornerstone had made a 1.35m donation to Green Pastures Church in January 2019.

It came eight months before Wrightbus entered administration, owing creditors 58m.

On Tuesday night Pastor Jeff Wright, the controlling shareholder of Cornerstone and a director of the church, said any suggestion that money was wrongly donated was untrue and "extremely hurtful".

He also said he was "deeply concerned" about the way the issue had been "personalised".

The Spotlight investigation, broadcast on Tuesday night, referred to a series of large donations by Cornerstone to Green Pastures, mostly at a time when the wider Wrights Group was doing well.

However, the programme revealed that a 1.35m donation was made to Green Pastures Church, outside Ballymena, in January 2019 - eight months before Wrightbus was placed into administration and put up for sale.

A corporate governance expert told Spotlight that for the donation to be made at that time "raises a conflict of interest which would be very, very severe".

Clive Grace, a former director-general of the Welsh Audit Commission, said the money paid out in the donation could have been made available to Wrightbus to help it restructure.

However, the then management said this was before a drop in orders and the failure to secure a contract, and subsequently "every penny" was used to try and save the business.

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In a statement, Jeff Wright, son of Wrightbus founder Sir William Wright, said: "It is a simple truth, a fervent wish and an unswerving commitment to Christian works that has been the sole motivation behind Green Pastures, and more recently its planned expansion to the Gateway Project.

"There is no mystery to how, as a family, we were able to support our Christian commitment to these works. All dividends from Wrights Group were paid with the full knowledge of Bank of Ireland and Invest NI."

In a further statement to his "church family" on Tuesday, Jeff Wright said: "A view is being peddled that Cornerstone Group Limited was wrongly paid dividends by Wrights Group and that Cornerstone wrongly used these monies to make donations towards the development of our church - that could not be further from the truth and is extremely hurtful and damaging."

He added: "The disappointment and sadness at our family firm's collapse was shocking and deeply felt by all of us.

"I recognise the anger that the collapse has generated, but I am deeply concerned about the way this has been personalised."

Jeff Wright also revealed new details about death threats issued to the family after the company entered administration.

He added: "The consequences of the myths about our financial dealings became so serious that, according to the police in September, our personal security was at risk - a list of our family's car registration numbers was discovered in sinister circumstances."

Sinn Fein said questions needed to be answered over Wrightbus' use of public money.

Sinn Fein MLA Caoimhe Archibald, chair of the Economy Committee at Stormont, said that in June 2019 Invest NI loaned Wrightbus 2.5m in a bid to provide "financial breathing space" at a time when the company was experiencing financial difficulties.

An Invest NI spokesman said: "Invest NI has been completely open about the decision to provide an urgent 2.5m secured loan as part of a wider funding package to the Wrights Group.

"The decision to provide the loan was taken jointly by Invest NI and the permanent secretaries of the Department for the Economy and the Department of Finance to help safeguard the business.

"Had this loan (of which 1.5m has already been repaid) not been advanced, it is very unlikely the company would be operating today under new management, with employment of 400 and plans for further growth."

Wrightbus was bought out of administration in October last year by English industrialist Jo Bamford.
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Garnet Underwriting Managers (GUM), the managing general underwriter assigned to manage Garnet Casualty Insurance Corporation, has signed its first managing general agent, Conway E&S of Warrendale, Pa. This is a significant step in Garnet Underwriting Managers' continued advancement of its cannabis insurance offerings.

The casualty insurance group has also announced an indoor grow offering of insurance products, a major enhancement of its expanding, exclusive offerings available to partners in the National Cannabis Risk Management Association (NCRMA).

These products are offered through brokers who are qualified members of the NCRMA's appointed broker program. This program was launched by the NCRMA to provide its members access to qualified and vetted cannabis insurance agents able to meet their risk management needs and objectives. There are currently 15 such appointed brokers in the program, with several others under review.

"In announcing the formation of the mutual insurance company owned by the constituents of the NCRMA, we were careful to point out that the arrangement served as a commencement and not a culmination" said Rocco Petrilli, chairman of the NCRMA. "Cannabis is a complex and non-traditional market and the ultimate insurance solutions promise to mirror this intricacy."

"The additional coverages provide additional inclusive programs and premiums that are fair and equitable to both the carrier and the insured" added Brian Nelson JD, GUM's chief underwriting officer. "Our daily efforts are dedicated to the definition, separation and mitigation of the internal and more numerous external risks that cannabis business face."

"Limited insurance capacity in the cannabis market is a large driver of today's insurance cost and coverage inequities," Petrilli said. "Our effort combines the ownership, control and enforcement of an association owned insurance company with the extended and effective impact of the disruptively innovative NCRMA risk management platform. This will efficiently satisfy the need for risk definition and mitigation and open additional capacity reserved for members who are of this best in class assembly of the cannabis markets finest companies."

The non-profit is holding its first conference, NCRMA2020, March 22-24 at Bally's in Las Vegas. This is the first demonstration of the organization's ability to bring elite, cannabis industry providers together. In addition to networking, attendees will receive a live demonstration of NCRMA's pioneering risk management platform .Attendees will also experience first-hand the power of an association owned insurance company and will be educated on the tools of risk mitigation and enforcement.

To register for NCRMA2020, go to https://ncrma.net/ncrma-2020-conference/

About NCRMA

NCRMA provides a rapidly growing membership with pioneering and innovative risk management and insurance solutions through its expansive list of high-value service partners and offerings. Founded in 2018, the not-for-profit has established itself as the leader in providing cost effective and comprehensive non-traditional risk management solutions to the non-traditional cannabis market. To join, visit https://ncrma.net

About Conway E&S

Conway was founded in July of 1996 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as an independent wholesale insurance broker. For over 20 years, Conway has understood and supported the independent insurance agency distribution system by partnering with agencies giving them an "exclusive edge" in the marketplace. Clipeum, Cadence MGA and FifthWall, provide insurance solutions that are unique and only available to Conway broker partners. Learn more at https://conwayes.com/

SOURCE National Cannabis Risk Management Association

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Donald Trump is who he is as a politician because of his unapologetically racial vision of the American nation. Trumps America is white, and he sees his job as protecting that whiteness from black and brown people who might come to the country or claim greater status within it. Thats what it meant to make America great again. And hes delivered, using the power of the office and the force of the state to attack and stigmatize black and brown people, from outspoken celebrities to ordinary immigrants.

If thats our lens for understanding Trump  if the heart of his movement and ideology is racial control  then it appears we finally have a Democratic equivalent, a figure who works on the same signal albeit at a different frequency. Its Michael Bloomberg, the other New York billionaire in American politics, who is currently campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination.

There are clear objections to thinking of Bloomberg this way. He may have been a Republican, but hes also a liberal. He has given hundreds of millions of dollars to liberal causes and Democratic politicians. He spent more than $100 million helping Democrats take control of the House of Representatives in 2018. He also has given tens of millions of dollars to environmental groups and spent millions more lobbying for new gun control laws. He has given to Democratic super PACs and voting rights groups, individual politicians and the Democratic National Committee. And while he is an imperious personality with a disdain for limits  he got the rules changed so he could serve a third term as mayor of New York  he also doesnt share the presidents criminality, corruption and complete contempt for constitutional government.

But he does share one important quality.

Although he never articulated it in these terms, Bloombergs actions as mayor reveal that he was someone who also saw black and brown people as threats to the security and prosperity of New York. And under his administration, the city became a quasi-authoritarian state for many of its black, brown and Muslim residents.

Bloomberg, as many before me have explored in detail, expanded the New York Police Departments use of stop and frisk, a tactic that empowered police officers to stop, search and interrogate residents on the sole basis of reasonable suspicion. Overall, between 2004 and 2012, the NYPD  which Bloomberg once called his own army while also weirdly claiming that it was the seventh biggest army in the world  stopped 4.4 million New York residents. The vast majority, more than 80 percent, were black and brown people, especially young men and boys. In 2011, according to a contemporaneous report by the New York Civil Liberties Union, police stopped more young black men than the total number living in the city. By the time I was 15 to 18, Id say I was stopped, questioned and frisked at least 60 to 70 times, Tyquan Brehon, a young Brooklyn resident, said in a 2012 interview with the New York Times.

Bloomberg had no time for this criticism. If we stopped people based on census numbers, we would stop many fewer criminals, recover many fewer weapons and allow many more violent crimes to take place, he said in 2012. He said as much again in 2015 at an Aspen Institute event. Ninety-five percent of your murders  murderers and murder victims  fit one MO. You can just take the description, Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops. They are male, minorities, 16 to 25. Thats true in New York, thats true in virtually every city.

Bloomberg was wrong about the efficacy of stop and frisk. According to a 2013 report from the public advocates office (then run by the current mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio), stopping a black New Yorker was half as likely to yield a weapon as stopping a white New Yorker, and one-third as likely to yield drugs and other contraband. The reason was simple. A disproportionate number of those convicted of violent crime may have been young men of color, but the vast majority of young men of color werent involved in violent crime or any crime at all. Stopping someone on the basis of race was a recipe for false positives; stopping on the basis of actual suspicious behavior, on the other hand, would yield results, which is what happened when police stopped white residents.

But Bloomberg didnt care to get it right. He believed that to stop crime he had to control the citys black and brown people. And thats what he did, without apology or remorse, until it was politically necessary to express regret.

Muslims received similar treatment. Under Bloomberg, the NYPD spied on and surveilled New York Muslims, using both informants and undercover agents to gather information from inside mosques and restaurants, neighborhoods and social groups. Police tracked students, photographed worshippers and used census data to map the geography of Muslim life in the city.

Bloomberg has apologized for stop and frisk (although not for spying on New Yorks Muslim communities). However, theres no indication that he has really changed, no evidence that hes dropped the commitment to racial control. But even if he has, liberals outraged at Trumps racism should feel similar anger toward Bloombergs record in New York. They should be appalled by a man who, when he was entrusted with the power of the state, used it to terrorize innocent people on the basis of race and religion.

And in the same way that liberals fear for the future of democracy under four more years of Trump, they should fear for the implications of giving four years, period, to Bloomberg. Given his record, hes someone who might try to consolidate Trumpism  moderating its hostilities into less disruptive form  rather than reject it wholesale.

Yes, Bloomberg might be the one to beat Trump at the ballot box. But hes also the one who might put a Trumpist stamp on American liberalism.

@jbouie
Michael Bloomberg, now a contender for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, once failed to make the cut for the nation's second highest position. In 2008, Bloomberg was a potential vice-presidential pick for Barack Obama. His name was on a list with about 20 others at the very earliest stages of the search. But it was not long before he abruptly dropped off that list, as I found when I was reporting for my book, "First in Line." Bloomberg, it was soon decided, was a nonstarter.

Fast forward 12 years and the billionaire -- former New York mayor who is the co-founder, CEO, and owner of Bloomberg L.P., a privately-held financial, software, data, and media company -- is surging in the polls as a late entry into the race. He is hoping to appeal to moderate voters and will, Wednesday night, face off with Democratic rivals for the first time. If the billionaire businessman does become the Democratic party's nominee, though, then voters will be forced to choose between a sitting president who has been accused of sexual assault and harassment (accusations which he denies) and a Democratic candidate who, not long ago, was considered too controversial to be a running mate -- in part because of accusations that he fostered a hostile workplace environment for female employees. (Bloomberg's campaign said through a spokesperson that "Mike simply does not tolerate any kind of discrimination or harassment.")

Here's my question: Will voters wonder whether we can't do better than two billionaires who are accused of demeaning women?

In the #MeToo era, we should be demanding more from our leaders. In the infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape, which was made public a month before the 2016 election, Trump was caught in a recording talking with host Billy Bush about sexually assaulting women with impunity: "When you're a star they let you do it," he said. "Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything." (Trump later downplayed his comments as "locker room talk;" he said he never kissed or groped women without consent.) While Mike Bloomberg is not being accused of sexual assault, as Trump has been, what he has allegedly said is disturbing. In 2020, we should not be forced to choose between the lesser of two evils.

Every major presidential candidate relies on experts in their party to help them pull together a list of potential running mates and to go through a process known as "vetting" -- a process I devoted a chapter to in my book. There's a long list of qualifications, including whether they are capable of taking over the country if necessary. But first there's a review of publicly available material and it's at this preliminary stage when their past public statements and anything known about their personal lives is compiled and considered. In Bloomberg's case, a person deeply involved in the process who agreed to speak with me on the condition of anonymity said that once they started investigating his financial services and media company, Bloomberg L.P., they were surprised by what they found

One New York Times article published on May 2, 2008, noted that more than 50 women were accusing Bloomberg L.P. of discriminating against pregnant employees (a case that was eventually dismissed by a judge who said that there was "insufficient" evidence to show a pattern of discrimination "even if there were several isolated instances of individual discrimination.") More recent reporting from the Washington Post in 2020 detailed allegations that Bloomberg made crude remarks and fostered a culture at his company that was discriminatory against women. (I worked for Bloomberg News and left on good terms.) A number of those lawsuits have been settled, dismissed in his favor or closed after a plaintiff's failure to meet filing deadlines, the Post also reported.

One noteworthy case was filed in the late 1990s by a former sales executive who said she had told Bloomberg that she was pregnant. "Kill it!," he said, according to the plaintiff, who said he muttered, "Great! Number 16!" referring to the number of women in the company who were pregnant or on maternity leave. Bloomberg denied the allegations under oath and settled that case out of court for an undisclosed amount. The allegations do not involve inappropriate sexual conduct, they are focused on the workplace culture he fostered and the offensive things he allegedly said. But there was no disputing it for Obama's vetting team: Bloomberg was absolutely off the table. The three finalists were far less controversial: Joe Biden, Indiana senator Evan Bayh, and Virginia senator Tim Kaine.

Bloomberg has personally poured more than $400 million into television, radio, and digital ads promoting his candidacy. He has a campaign staff of over 2,000, and while he has not yet faced a serious challenge, he is scheduled to make his first appearance on Wednesday on a presidential debate stage -- where the stakes are at their highest -- and his aides and others expect him to be the center of attention when he does. He met the Democratic National Committee-mandated polling threshold on Tuesday with an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey finding the former New York mayor at 19% nationally. He is pursuing an unorthodox strategy, skipping the first four contests and focusing instead on Super Tuesday when many states, including California and Virginia vote, on March 3.

Not long after Bloomberg made his November announcement that he was entering the race one of his rivals, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, seized the opportunity to criticize the practice of nondisclosure agreements and said at a campaign stop in Iowa that these agreements are "a way for people to hide bad things they've done." Bloomberg, she said, should release his former employees from their agreements.

Bloomberg's response to Warren did not sound apologetic. "Maybe," he said, "the senator should worry about herself and I'll focus on myself." He stands by these NDAs. "You can't just walk away from it. They're legal agreements, and for all I know the other side wouldn't want to get out of it."

He has repeatedly apologized for the "stop-and-frisk" policy. As mayor of New York he supported the police practice of temporarily holding and searching residents who were often black or Latino. But we hear no mea culpa for the ways in which he allegedly treated women. He has pledged to be a "champion" for women in the workplace and has said he has "depended on their leadership, their advice and their contributions" throughout his career. Bloomberg has denied saying that an employee should "kill" her unborn child. But his spokesman Stu Loeser told Washington Post reporter Michael Kranish, who wrote an in-depth piece on the allegations: "Mike openly admits that his words have not always aligned with his values and the way he has led his life and some of what he has said is disrespectful and wrong."

Perhaps our standards have fallen so precipitously since Donald Trump was elected that we don't think we deserve better. I think we do.
File photo shows Croatian presidential candidate and former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, accompanied by his wife Sanja Music Milanovic, casts his ballot at a polling station during the second round of the presidential election in Zagreb, capital of Croatia, Jan. 5, 2020. (Sanjin Strukic/Pixsell via Xinhua)

Xi said that he would like to work with Milanovic to deepen the bilateral friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation and make new contributions to China-CEECs cooperation and the development of China-EU relations.

BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to Zoran Milanovic on his assumption as Croatia's new president.

In his message, Xi said that Croatia and China enjoy strong political mutual trust, fruitful results in joint Belt and Road construction and positive cooperations within the framework of cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs).

Noting that Croatia, the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU), is China's good friend in the bloc, Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Croatia relations.

Xi said that he would like to work with Milanovic to deepen the bilateral friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation and make new contributions to China-CEECs cooperation and the development of China-EU relations.
I nvestors that may have been dubious about estate agent reports of a Boris bounce to the housing market, looked more confident on Wednesday, choosing to jump into some of Britains building giants.

Housebuilders were among the risers today on the back of HSBC upgrading its profits forecast view on a number of stocks in the sector.

Today a note from HSBC said the decisive general election result has brought the prospect of a final settlement of Brexit closer and unleashed pent-up demand in housing activity.

It also predicted a boost to sales in 2020 as Brits rush to take advantage of the governments Help to Buy scheme. From April next year Help to Buy will be restricted to first-time buyers.

HSBC upgraded Berkeley to buy from hold, and it was one of the big risers on the FTSE 100, sending the shares up 174p to 5536p.

Taylor Wimpey gained 2.9p to 234.6p and investors also piled into the lenders other top tips. Shares in FTSE 250 company Bellway gained 54.58p to 4279.58p and shares in shares in Redrow edged up 6p to 836p.

Overall the blue-chip index, which was expected to open higher after the spread of coronavirus in China looked to have slowed, rose 53.33 points to 7435.39.

FTSE 100 fallers included NMC Health, down 40.46p to 803.44p. It comes as Czech activist investor Krupa Global Investments said it was not proceeding with finding a private equity buyer for the under-fire healthcare operator.

Krupa said it disagreed with the resignation of chairman BR Shetty this week and that it wants to see the founder return. The FTSE 250 was up 78.61 points to 21757. Elsewhere, struggling High Street lender Metro Bank said interim chief executive Dan Frumkin will take the top job on a permanent basis.

The banks former boss Craig Donaldson stepped down last year after a tough period that saw the discovery of an accounting error.

Frumkin said: This is a business with robust foundations and real potential to shake up British banking.

He will update the market on plans next week.
A Manitoba judge has ruled the Anglican Church is liable for the sexual assaults a woman experienced more than 50 years ago at the hands of a priest.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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A Manitoba judge has ruled the Anglican Church is liable for the sexual assaults a woman experienced more than 50 years ago at the hands of a priest.

"It is clear that the Anglican Church of Canada did not and does not condone the sexual abuse of children by priests acting on their behalf. However, that fact is not determinative in deciding if the Diocese of Brandon should be held vicariously liable for the sexual assaults inflicted on the plaintiff by (Jack) Hopper," Justice John Menzies wrote in his decision delivered last month.

"The sexual abuse committed by Hopper and the placement of Hopper as priest in the community of Grand Rapids by the Diocese of Brandon are strongly connected. I have little hesitation in finding that the Diocese of Brandon is vicariously liable for the sexual abuse inflicted on the plaintiff by Hopper."

In the lawsuit against The Anglican Church of Canada, The Diocese of Brandon filed in 2014, the plaintiff, now 63, claimed she was sexually assaulted twice by Hopper, an Anglican priest, in the basement of an Anglican church in Misipawistik Cree Nation (Grand Rapids First Nation).

The woman told the court during a three-day trial for the lawsuit in Brandon Court of Queens Bench in September that Hopper assaulted her on two occasions after Sunday school a few months apart.

The first time, she said, he pinned her against a wall of the church, touched her genitals under her clothes and digitally penetrated her.

On the second occasion, Hopper threw her onto the floor of the church basement and raped her, the woman said.

The woman estimated she was about eight years old at the time, and said she didnt tell her parents what happened at the time because she was afraid of being disciplined.

Hopper died in the 1990s.

Menzies concluded the sexual assaults did occur, he said in his decision, as the plaintiff proved to be a credible witness and the evidence clearly established Hopper was the priest at the community church for an extended period of time while the plaintiff was a young girl attending Sunday school.

The relationship between Hopper and the Diocese was akin to an employment relationship, Menzies said, and it was the Diocese, through the Bishop, who placed him in the community as priest.

It was this relationship that provided Hopper with the opportunity to abuse his power, Menzies said. Hopper came into contact with the plaintiff during church activities, and  as the local priest  no one questioned him being alone with young children in the Sunday school setting.

"The church encourages an intimate personal relationship between parishioners and the local priest. With respect to children, the church encourages them to respect the priest as the representative of the church in their community. He is the spiritual authority who teaches them right from wrong. The priest is the authority on spiritual matters," Menzies said.

"It is this very relationship which made the plaintiff vulnerable to Hoppers abusive behaviour. His position as an authority in the church would have placed him above suspicion. The child would not question being in his presence in the absence of parents as he was a man to be respected. Hoppers position as priest would have made it very difficult for a young child to accuse him of sexual abuse ... In a remote, isolated community, Hopper represented the respect and authority of the Anglican Church. This position of priest enabled him to manipulate the plaintiff into being alone with him, which enabled him to perpetrate the sexual abuse."

The consequences of the sexual assaults were extensive, Menzies said, leaving her feeling shameful of who she was with an inability to trust people and struggling with anger issues.

The woman testified she began abusing alcohol to forget her past and attempted suicide twice when she was approximately 17 years old.

She was also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Menzies said, and evidence put forward during the trial linked the sexual assaults as a contributing factor to her PTSD.

"The plaintiff has satisfied the burden of proving, on a balance of probabilities, that the sexual abuse caused her PTSD," Menzies said.

Menzies also rejected the Dioceses argument the woman wasnt entitled to a certain amount of damages because she has since done remarkably well in her life, including a 40-year marriage to the same man, raising seven children and three grandchildren, 20 years of sobriety and a stable place of employment where she is also furthering her education.

"The psychological damages inflicted on the plaintiff were substantial and should not be ignored simply because she had the strength and perseverance to succeed," Menzies said. "Her path has been a difficult one."

Considering all the factors and reviewing several decisions in similar cases, Menzies recommended the woman be awarded $125,000 for damages.

 edebooy@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @erindebooy
Drug firm Aurobindo Pharma on Wednesday said it has received an establishment inspection report from the US health regulator with voluntary action indicated (VAI) status for its Unit-IV facility in Hyderabad.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) had in November 2019 issued a Form 483 with 14 observations after the inspection of its Unit-IV, a general injectable formulation manufacturing facility situated at Hyderabad.

The regulator had inspected the facility from November 4 to November 13 last year, Aurobindo Pharma said.

"The company has received the establishment inspection report (EIR) with VAI status from USFDA," Aurobindo Pharma said in a regulatory filing.

According to the US health regulator, a VAI classification "means objectionable conditions or practices were found but the agency is not prepared to take or recommend any administrative or regulatory action".

Shares of Aurobindo Pharma on Wednesday rose 20.40 per cent to close at Rs 602.25 per scrip on the BSE.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkeys export of cement to China increased in January 2020, Turkeys Ministry of Trade told Trend on Feb. 19.

In January 2020, Turkeys export of cement to China increased by 16.88 percent compared to January 2019, and amounted to $2.1 million.

The ministry noted that in February 2020, cement export from Turkey to China may further grow.

In 2019, export of cement from Turkey increased by 17.8 percent compared to 2018 and exceeded $3.5 billion.

In 2019, export of cement from Turkey amounted to 1.9 percent of the country's total export.

Turkey's export increased by 2.1 percent in 2019 and amounted to $171.5 billion compared to 2018. In the meantime, Turkey's import dropped by 9.1 percent and amounted to $202.7 billion.

Turkeys foreign trade turnover in 2019 exceeded $374.2 billion.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
The upending of his clout as a leader has seeped to a sharp attack at a personal level too.

Two decades ago, then Andhra Pradesh chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu was one of Indias most powerful politicians. Recognised as a reformer who had put Hyderabad, his states capital, on a journey of meteoric rise as a software-exporting investment destination and business hub, he was given the sobriquet of CEO of AP Inc., and acknowledged as a young leader who had put three Prime Ministers in office, working out backroom nuances of national coalition politics.

Twenty years later, after several careening twists and turns of fate, Mr Naidu has suffered electoral losses in 2004 and 2009, and had a disastrous stint as the first chief minister of a bifurcated Andhra, leading to his decimation and ouster in 2019. From that low, Mr Naidu has not only been staring at the precipice since, but a fate similar to Lalu Prasad Yadav is hovering over him.

Last week, a special court of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) began hearing a case of disproportionate assets against him, filed by Lakshmi Parvathi, widow of N.T. Rama Rao, after over 14 years. A day later, income tax raids on his former personal secretary and three infrastructure companies owned by TD party leaders, found at preliminary stage false and benami transactions of `2,000 crores. The tax sleuths also grilled a close aide of his son, Nara Lokesh.

On another front, Andhra chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is building a strong case of insider trading in lands around Amaravati by Mr Naidu and other TD leaders  both politically and legally. Mr Reddy has politically undone most of Mr Naidus major moves during his 2014-19 stint as CM, including shifting the capital from Amaravati, renegotiated tenders of Polavaram and other major projects, and is trying to abolish the Legislative Council, where the TDP has a majority and hopes to stonewall some of YSRC moves.

The upending of his clout as a leader has seeped to a sharp attack at a personal level too. Mr Naidu has had his security clipped down, a convention centre built during his tenure in the capital region was torn down, and a guesthouse he is residing in as a tenant is being set up for demolition.

One of his close aides, former Andhra speaker Dr Kodela Sivaprasad Rao committed suicide after a series of cases, including one of stealing furniture from the Assembly, was registered. TD cadre and local leaders are deserting the party because it can no longer protect them from the belligerent, often violent, YSRC cadre.

Sensing an increasing vacuum in the Opposition, created by the rapid decline of TD in the state, the BJP and Tollywood actor K. Pawan Kalyans Jana Sena have tied up.

Mr Naidu has no friends and three powerful enemies  Narendra Modi in Delhi (whom he tried to dislodge in the Lok Sabha elections by trying to front a Rahul Gandhi-led anti-BJP coalition), K. Chandrashekar Rao (whom he tried to have defeated in the Telangana Assembly elections in a coalition with Congress) besides Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy (against whom he failed in the Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh).

With Amaravati and Hyderabad hostile by definition, Mr Naidu tried to look towards Delhi, but the BJP rebuffed his overtures, saying all doors for an alliance with him have been permanently closed.

Politically, Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy has further consolidated his narrative in Andhra since his win, he is delivering on welfare promises even if at a high cost. Though Mr Reddy rarely acknowledges issues like investments, growth or jobs creation, welfare alone should suffice for him for another term in 2024.

With the legal noose tightening, Mr Naidu has reached rock bottom of his unusual political career  having served as CM three times and, into his third stint as Leader of the Opposition.

The endgame leaves him with only one option  smell the coffee, cease being in denial, redefine his career and salvage whatever can be. The only route left for him is to offer to merge the Telugu Desam into the BJP. This would imply he would never again be the chief of a party and instead have to report to a political boss. It means giving up on all dreams of even becoming CM. It would require accepting that he would never see the coronation of his son. The merger option means a complete reinvention starting with making political sacrifices, a concept rather alien to his psyche. But as in any trade, there are several benefits if Mr Naidu opens up to some lateral thinking.

Mr Chandrababu Naidu, who has modelled his career benchmarked against icons Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore or Mahathir bin Mohamad of Malaysia, might disparage a call to fashion his future as the Himanta Biswa Sarma of Telugu states, but that is the best possible to him from now on, while avoiding the worst.

The first consequence of being the leader of a national party could lead to a possible shift to the central government and end his hibernation for next four years right away, also give him a first-time opportunity as a Union minister. The Modi Cabinet could use some good talent and Mr Naidu has a knack of delivering the goods.

The second consequence is to give his cadre and leaders loyal to TD a blanket protection, under the BJP flag, against the YSRC aggression. It would put YSRC on a backfoot, because they cannot attack BJP leaders with impunity like they do with the TD.

As a leader of BJP, a national party, Mr Naidu will have a stronger political punch to his visceral desire to take the battle to his two Telugu rivals on both sides of the bifurcated border  Mr Reddy in Andhra and Mr Chandrashekar Rao in Telangana. Mr Naidu can best help the BJP realise its goal to come to power in these states, an otherwise difficult possibility. Powered by Brand Modi, organisational acumen and the resources of Amit Shah, Mr Naidu can pull strings as he never could since 2004.

The BJP and Mr Naidus best-case pitch in Andhra Pradesh is to project a non-Reddy, non-Kamma chief minister. The promise of an end of duopoly of Reddy-Kamma power in caste-driven AP would galvanise people against the YSRC in an emotional way. After all, of two CMs Andhra had before 1956, 16 CMs who served in 23 terms before bifurcation, and two after bifurcation  only Tanguturi Prakasam, Damodaram Sanjivayya, P.V. Narasimha Rao, Jalagam Vengala Rao and Konijeti Rosaiah have come from other communities.

In Telangana, despite being into his second term of a debt-laden state, Mr Rao has no peer to match him on the Opposition side. As anti-incumbency rises against TRS in his second term, Mr Naidu can get help galvanise the Opposition against Mr Rao, his bete noire, and making it battle-ready.

The lure of becoming the BJP's Biswa Sarma may not be fascinating, but Mr Naidu must know the alternative  he would end up as the Lalu Prasad Yadav of Andhra. He must decide fast because the clock is ticking and time is running out. Take a last U-turn, or its curtains.
VALPARAISO  The Times remains committed to keeping a presence in Valparaiso, even as it seeks to sell its current building, the publisher says.

Times Media Company President and Publisher Chris White said Valparaiso and its many Times readers are of central importance to the newspaper and online media company's efforts to remain Northwest Indiana's leading news provider.

The company is selling its longtime home at the prime location of 1111 Glendale Blvd. and is in search of a new location to continue operations in Valparaiso, White said.

"The building is more than we need," White said. "I'd like to see the building put to better use."

The building, which is located at the busy corner of Glendale Boulevard and Roosevelt Road, was home to the former Vidette-Messenger newspaper. The Times purchased the Vidette-Messenger in 1995, and as circulation grew, the local printing operations were relocated a few years later to the Munster office.

Editorial, advertising and circulation services have continued to operate out of the Valparaiso office.
With the economy showing no signs of a recovery and tax collections way short of the annual target, taxmen seem to be under as much pressure as tax evaders.

To know what it is like to be a taxman, I met up with a senior tax official who recently retired from the department after thirty years of service. Let's call him J.

J lives in his modest two-bedroom apartment in a Mumbai suburb. He appears quite fit for someone his age, and his manner of speakinggoing into detailsgives him a professorial air. And the V-necked pullover he is wearing only seems to reinforce that image.

I mention it to him. J laughs.

My assessees never saw me that way, though I gave quite a few of them some life lessons on the need to pay taxes honestly, he says.

J takes pride in the fact that he was feared because of his clean record at work. If you are hard to buy off, you are a nuisance to many, including some of your superiors, he says.

I ask him about the constant refrain of I-T officials about the unreasonable pressure to meet targets.

The last three months of the fiscal year, trust me, is always a nightmare. Every officer--top to bottom--is under pressure to meet the targets, often unrealistic ones, says J.

Why do those in power never bother to understand that taxmen arent magicians and revenue collections can improve only if the economy does well? J asks, somewhat irritated.

But not having targets too could be problematic, I reply.

You are right. In a way, targets are good as they provide a direction. But targets also need to be realistic. Taxmen are demonised as people who can squeeze water out of a stone. But in a difficult business environment, officers should not be penalised for failing to meet targets, J says.

J is relieved that he doesnt have to spend sleepless nights anymore worrying about meeting targets, but his ex-colleagues still serving in the department are not as fortunate.

The personal income tax collection target for this financial year is Rs 5.59 lakh crore. Till December, Rs 3.18 lakh crore was mopped up. That leaves the Income Tax department with the task of collecting Rs 2.41 lakh crore in three months.

That is a daunting task in an economy that is expected to grow at the slowest pace in 11 years this fiscal, and where business confidence is at a six-year low.

With a grin on his face--for the first time since our conversation began, J recalls how some of his colleagues used to fake collections with a tacit understanding with certain assessees.

I knew officers who would make arrangements with parties to meet targets and make their bosses happy. The understanding is that refunds will be made later, J says.

When a case is passed to an officer, the standard procedure is that he must investigate, detect and, ultimately, make collections. Investigations must be done, but it isnt necessary that every case leads to detection of tax evasion, he adds.

How do you zero in on the entities suspected of not paying taxes, I ask.

We do our own homework, by tracking the spending pattern and the income disclosed in tax filings. Those could be anythingforeign vacations, lavish weddings, or some luxury purchases that do not tally with your source of income. But we also get tip-offs from business rivals, disgruntled employees and even people I would call 'tax bounty hunters', he discloses.

J recounts an incident many years ago where the department suspected a popular suburb restaurant of under-reporting income.

They were showing a daily income which we knew was impossible to sustain the operations. Initially, we sent some junior staff to visit the restaurant at certain hours and on certain days to see how the business was faring. Once we were certain that the actual business was much higher than what the owner had disclosed, we raided him, but without any drama. An official sat next to the cashier for the whole day. We found that the collection was five times what he had been mentioning in his filings. The owner contested our finding saying that collections on some days were higher than usual. We told him that we were happy to sit next to his cashier for as many days as was required for us to show that he had been faking his income. The owner feared that if collections on the following days were even higher, he would face a bigger problem. He settled the case soon enough."

The power play

A problem that most upright tax officers face is pressure from higher-ups to go slow on some cases or drop others altogether.

How many times have you encountered political interference in your work?, I ask.

Countless times. No politician or powerful businessman minister directly calls up a tax officer, J says, after a long pause. They always get someone else to do that job. So it could be a sweetener or a subtle threat.

He recalls an incident. Once, when I was an assistant commissioner with corporate charge, one officer detected something; I remember it was a legal issue. The businessman was connected to one of the top ministers in the government. The ministers secretary called on my direct landline. I was prepared for the call, but since the secretary had never spoken to me before, I lied to him that I was not on my seat and told him to call later, he says.

After keeping the phone down, I immediately called the officer handling the file and told him to complete the assessment in two hours. When the secretary called again later, I told him that I was helpless since the officer had already signed the order and that matter was for the appellate body to decide now, J says.

Advice to the younger lot

A tax officer, who spends too much time in office, doesnt learn much, says J.

I would always tell my colleagues to go out and study the assessees' business segment. When you come back, you would have got a better perspective on the case. The figures in front of you will make more sense, he says.

Also, tax officers need to prioritise what to chase and what not to from the hundreds of cases that come up before them. Given limited resources, there are only so many cases that one can take up for scrutiny. A cost-benefit analysis of the collection is a must before you decide, J says, adding that the computerisation of documents have made life a lot easier for a tax officer today than it was about a decade back.

Threats, adventure

Have you ever been threatened for doing your job?, I ask.

Yes, from certain assessees. I remember one case involving a diamond merchant. After, nearly 2 years of investigation, I found out that he was a benami for another big businessman. I started getting threatening calls, which basically said--you finished me, I will finish you.

Then what happened?

He somehow lost interest in me after a while.

J recalls how he had to raid tax cheats at odd hours of the day, based on tip-offs.

It all depends on the profile of the assessee. If we have specific information on delivery of cash at midnight, we have to be there at the time of the delivery, J says.

Once, we went to search a wealthy businessmans place at Malabar Hill. That was a small building open from three sides to the road. We were just 3-4 people and there were about 13 family members including women. We started asking them to gather at one place. They did that," he says.

"But when we were going through the documents, one of us noticed that one or the other female members of the family would slip away for a while. We had a lady officer among us. She followed one of the family members and saw that she was throwing packets out of the house, and those packets would be collected by somebody waiting down."

"We threatened the family that we were going to file an FIR against them for destruction of evidence unless they handed us the packets. One of us then rang the police station. Of course, we would not have been able to do much, but the family panicked, and soon the man who had taken the packets showed up at the door. Those turned out to be important documents, J adds.

The challenges

One big challenge, the former tax officer says, is the tardy pace of the legal system.

Even if an officer detects tax evasion, the evader will go to court and this goes on for years. By then, the officer is gone and the new officers lose interest in the case because they have other cases on their hand. This often results in the evaders winning the case. Emboldened by the win, he will evade more taxes next year, J says.

The other problem is of the department being understaffed.

If you need better collections, having a bigger staff to crack down on evaders is worth the investment. Also, you need to hire officers with specialized skills because the nature of the evasion too is changing, J said.

So whats the way out?

Well, you have to make a solid case in the courts and judiciary must ensure swift resolution. Hopefully, that should deter people from trying to game the system.

I conclude the conversation, thanking J and wishing him well.
Mediterranean bishops in Bari for event on dialogue, peace Pope to speak on Sunday at CEI conference

(ANSAmed) - VATICAN CITY, FEBRUARY 18 - Catholic bishops from the 19 countries with Mediterranean shores will gather in Bari starting on Wednesday for a sort of Mediterranean "synod" on issues facing the region, such as conflicts, migration, the gap between rich and poor countries, and the situation of Christian minorities.



The event, titled "Mediterranean: Frontier of Peace", is organised by the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI), and will bring together churches from North Africa to Italy, France, Spain, the Middle East, the Balkans, Malta, and Cyprus.



Pope Francis will speak at the conference on Sunday and celebrate Mass, in his second visit to Bari following the one on July 7, 2018.



Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, CEI president, began imagining the conference two years ago, based on the 1960s model of Florence Mayor Giorgio La Pira's "Mediterranean Colloquies".



"The objectives are the ones that La Pira suggested: the Mediterranean must go back to being what it was, a meeting of civilisations, the development of Christianity, and therefore a frontier of peace," Bassetti said.



He said the event will take place in "synod" style, with the formulation of a shared proposal for a final document that will be given to Pope Francis on Sunday.



About 60 bishops representing the Catholic church in the Mediterranean will gather starting at 4 p.m. on Wednesday for the opening of the conference.



Thursday's topic will be "Delivering the Faith to Future Generations" and Friday's theme will be "Relationship Between Church and Society: Mobility, Citizenship, Religious Freedom, Inequality".



Both days will include morning roundtable discussions followed by assembly discussions and afternoon conclusions.



On Saturday an assembly will be held for general conclusions that will be condensed into the final document, followed by the public event "In the Same Boat" at Teatro Petruzzelli at 3:30 p.m. Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at the Basilica di San Nicola on Sunday at 10:45 a.m., followed by the Angelus.



Italian President Sergio Mattarella is expected to attend, as well as Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte.(ANSAmed).




The standing committee of RECOWA-CERAO -the regional collegial body of Bishops of West Arica, has concluded with a call to African governments to put the good of citizens at the heart of their governance structures.

Paul Samasumo  Vatican City

The Bishop-Presidents of national and inter-territorial Episcopal Conferences of West Africa, under the auspices of RECOWA-CERAO, have concluded their Standing Committee meeting this week with a passionate call outlining some of the regions urgent socio-political pastoral concerns. The week-long meeting was held at the Centre for Pastoral and Mission (CCPM) in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire.

Show the world another face of Africa

The Bishops have appealed to governments of the region who are due for elections, this year, to organise credible elections. They have also tasked the Churchs Justice and Peace Commissions, of West Africa, to accompany the electoral processes.

This year 2020 will be marked by the organisation of elections in six countries in West Africa, namely: Burkina Faso, Cote dIvoire, Ghana, Guinea, Niger, and Togo. Educated by the experience of the past, we appeal to the wisdom and the spirit of responsibility of the political actors and of all those who will be involved in these electoral processes. We ask them to organise peaceful, credible and transparent elections. The time has finally come to give the world another face of our experience of democracy: that of maturity through bloodless elections, before, during and after; and the verdict accepted by all. We must understand that politics is a space of service and self-giving for the happiness of fellow citizens, reads a communique made available to Vatican News.

Multinational corporations and land expropriation

Among other pastoral concerns denounced by the Bishops are land grabbing by multinational corporations and forced expropriation of land through diverse forms. The consequences say the Bishops, are incalculable. These include, loss of cultural and ancestral heritage, displacement, unemployment, famine, (and) migration. To the States, companies, multinationals, and to all those involved in this disastrous operation of land grabbing and forced expropriation of land in Africa, we address a call to listen to the word of God: Dont take advantage of the poor just because you can; dont take advantage of those who stand helpless... (Prov. 22:22) appeal the Bishops.

Justice and Peace Commissions should advocate innovative frameworks

The Bishops believe that African governments need to promote and pursue global, legally binding instruments that will regulate the activities of transnational corporations in Africa.

On our part, we instruct the Justices and Peace Commissions of all our dioceses to redouble efforts and innovations in care, protection, and support of the victims of the harmful effects of land grabbing and forced expropriation of land. In addition, we also undertake to do intense advocacy work with all national and international bodies so that strong frameworks and mechanisms can be put in place to correct any injustice and anomaly, the Bishops affirm.

Communities are being forced from ancestral lands

The Bishops concerns are informed by current events in Africa.

Some observers have called what is happening in Africa as a new scramble for Africa. This is in reference to the historical scramble for Africa of 1881 to 1914 when Africas invasion, occupation, division, and colonisation, by various European powers took place. This time around, various countries, not only European, but with an eye on the continent's natural resources, are looking to increase economic and political ties with African countries.

African governments have sometimes offered large tracts of land for foreign investment with little or no consultation of rural communities. Some communities have been forcibly removed from their ancestral lands. In some cases, precious trees or even pristine land reserves are destroyed with the knowledge of some government officials. In many cases, for the locals, the touted benefits of technology transfer and increased employment do not materialise at all. Sometimes entire communities are further impoverished.

In short, the Bishops find disturbing the fact that, with the connivance of some African governments, some of Africas arable lands have been given to multinationals for commerical agriculture, logging, and mining operations. Small scale farmers who produce the bulk of Africa's food are left neglected. Most of the agreements or deals accompanying these land transfers lack transparency.

Another side-effect of some of the economic deals are are growing fears of hidden debt or the unknown extent of African governments indebtedness.
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday



dismissed a plea, seeking a CBI probe into the 'missing' rifles and live catridges from the Special Armed Forces Battalion of the Kerala police at Thiruvananthapuram.

Dismissing the plea in limine (at the preliminary stage), a division bench, comprising Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly said the case could not be considered merely based on media reports.

Petitioner George Vattukulam had said he came to know about the "serious finding" of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India from newspaper reports.

He submitted that the CAG audit had revealed a shortage of 25 INSAS rifles and 12,601 live catridges were missing from the Special Armed Forces Battalion.

He alleged that the loss of arms and ammunition was a serious issue, having implications on national security.

The petitioner alleged that the investigation into the incident was not progressing even after several days of the incident as police was trying to cover up the matter.

The state police chief had not conducted any fair investigation, the petitioner alleged.

The probe has to be started by the CBI at the earliest, the petitioner said.

Meanwhile, a fresh plea was filed in the High Court on Wednesday, seeking a probe by CBI or NIA into the incident.

The plea was filed by Ramachandra Kaimal from Kottayam.

The CAG report found shortage of 5.56 mm INSAS rifles and 12,061 live cartridges in the SAPB and also came down on state police chief DGP Loknath Behera for purchasing bullet proof vehicles for VVIP security, violating guidelines.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Wealthy New York real estate heir Robert Durst, who was the subject of the acclaimed doco The Jinx, is now profiled in Robert Durst: An ID Murder Mystery coming to Investigation Discovery.

Anyone who has seen the previous series knows he a fascinating -even dastardly- character.

76 year old Durst is currently facing trial for the murder of Susan Berman.

Money, privilege and power  millionaire Robert Durst had it all. But behind closed doors, Durst was more than a mogul he was wanted for murder. Robert Durst: An ID Murder Mystery delves into the twisted truth behind one of New Yorks most infamous real estate heirs in a two-part special airing Tuesday 10 and 17 March on Investigation Discovery. From the suspicious disappearance of Dursts wife, Kathleen, to the execution-style murder of his confidant, Susan Berman, and finally the brutal killing of his neighbour, Morris Black, ID pulls the curtain back on this 40-year saga.

Robert Durst: An ID Murder Mystery is an unabridged look into the investigation of Robert Durst for the murder of Susan Berman, his close friend, who was found shot execution-style nearly two decades ago. While Durst maintains his innocence, many suspect he killed Berman to prevent her from telling police the truth about his wife Kathleens suspicious disappearance from New York in 1982. The special builds on the explosive news that came out of HBOs The Jinx to bring viewers a comprehensive, 360-degree exploration into the case starting from the very beginning and extending to new information from the present day.

New and exclusive interviews featured throughout the special include Jim and Sharon McCormack, Kathleens brother and sister-in-law; Ruth Mayer and Ellen Strauss, Kathleens friends; Dick DeGuerin, Dursts defense attorney; and Susan Criss, the former judge who presided over the 2003 trial for the murder of Morris Black where Durst was acquitted. Others featured throughout include legal experts and journalists whove followed the rollercoaster case the last four decades including legal analyst Beth Karas; true crime journalist Diane Dimond; crime reporter Jane Velez-Mitchell; and New York Times reporter Charles Bagli.

Tuesday 10 & 17 March at 8.30pm on Investigation Discovery.
The call went out for misfits and weirdos to come and work in Downing Street. Andrew Sabisky, a super forecaster decided this was his time. He answered the call and was, very briefly, ushered into the heart of Government. He was given a role as a contractor, which seems to have avoided a lot of pesky vetting. The hitch came when evidence emerged that he is, or at least was, rather keen on eugenics. In 2014 he wrote:

One way to get around the problems of unplanned pregnancies creating a permanent underclass would be to legally enforce universal uptake of long-term contraception at the onset of puberty. Vaccination laws give it a precedent, I would argue.

A pretty shocking proposal, which is not destined to become Government policy, despite Sabiskys claim that in transhumanist circles I believe these problems have been discussed for a while. Im not sure if Sabisky was entirely serious about the proposition. Perhaps he was just shooting the breeze. The words quoted above were written when he was 24. He preceded them by a reference to good dystopian sci-fi. They were followed by conceding that some people reading this will definitely think Im crazy and that bold plan was likely to face some backchat from the God squad. Was he wanting to stop all teenagers from breeding? The conception rate for under 18s is already at a record low.

That was not all. Earlier that year he made another comment about American data showing that white people have a higher IQ on average than black people. Im not sure that IQ is a particularly worthwhile measure of intelligence. It certainly doesnt seem much guarantee of success  as anyone who has been to a Mensa gathering will confirm. My advice for anyone who believes that black people are of lower intelligence who be to visit the Michaela School in Brent which has a high proportion of black pupils and last summer celebrated GCSE results that put the school at the top of the league tables.

If Sabisky does have wacky, even offensive, views does it matter? Should not the measure be whether he was able to do a good job with his super forecasting, or whatever it was, that would have been benefited all of us? Our criteria in our daily lives is whether people whose services we employ are good at their jobs. Does it matter if your dentist is a Buddhist? Or your plumber is a Communist? Others will retort that working in Downing Street is a different matter.

Either way, some on the Left have taken this rather bizarre incident to associate Conservatives with eugenics. Before they get too carried away, they might care to reflect on their own ideological roots. If they thought Sabiskys comments were bad then perhaps the Twitter lynch-mob should put down their pitchforks just for a moment and reflect on the some of the following.

George Bernard Shaw wrote:

The only fundamental and possible socialism is the socialisation of the selective breeding of man.

He added:

A part of eugenic politics would finally land us in an extensive use of the lethal chamber. A great many people would have to be put out of existence simply because it wastes other peoples time to look after them.

Bertrand Russell offered a milder policy proposal that the state should issue colour-coded procreation tickets. Those who decided to have children with holders of a different-coloured ticket would be punished with a heavy fine.

Beatrice Webb, who with her husband Sidney founded the Fabian Society, regarded eugenics as the most important question of all, while her husband declared that no eugenicist can be a laissez faire individualist he must interfere, interfere, interfere!

HG Wells praised eugenics as the first step towards the elimination of detrimental types and characteristics and the fostering of desirable types instead. He offered this message to the working class:

We cannot go on giving you health, freedom, enlargement, limitless wealth, if all our gifts to you are to be swamped by an indiscriminate torrent of progenyand we cannot make the social life and the world-peace we are determined to make, with the ill-bred, ill-trained swarms of inferior citizens that you inflict upon us.

In July 1931 the Labour MP Archibald Church sought legislation to halt the reproduction of those who are in every way a burden to their parents, a misery to themselves and in my opinion a menace to the social life of the community.

The same month the New Statesman declared:

The legitimate claims of eugenics are not inherently incompatible with the outlook of the collectivist movement. On the contrary, they would be expected to find their most intransigent opponents amongst those who cling to the individualistic views of parenthood and family economics.

The Manchester Guardian backed his call. Despite such cheerleaders, forced sterilisation was not adopted. Though it was implemented by Social Democrats in Sweden.

A few minutes walk from my home is a block of council flats named in honour of Ellen Wilkinson, a cabinet minister in the Attlee Government. She wanted the Eugenics Society to form a special committee of Labour sympathisers. John Maynard Keynes served on the societys governing council and was its director from 1937 to 1944.

Will Cooks, one of the first Labour MPs was another enthusiast. Speaking in support of the Feeble Minded Person Control Bill he remarked:

There is only one fitting description they are almost like human vermin. They crawl about, doing absolutely nothing, except polluting and corrupting everything they touch. We talk about the liberty of the subject. What nonsense! What a waste of words!

Harold Laski, the Chairman of the Labour Party from 1945-46 wrote an essay on The Scope of Genetics:

Extreme emphasis must be laid on the danger of breeding from the unfit at the expense of the fit The different rates of fertility in the sound and pathological stocks point to a future swamping of the better by the worse. As a nation, we are faced by racial suicide The parentage of the fit must be encouraged, the propagation of the unfit must be prevented The time is surely coming in our history when society will look upon the production of a weakling as a crime against itself.

Marie Stopes called for:

Sterilisation of those totally unfit for parenthood to be made an immediate possibility, indeed made compulsory.

In 1935 Stopes attended the International Congress for Population Science in Berlin, sponsored by the Nazi regime and just before the War she sent Hitler some of her poems.

Karl Marx wrote in the New York Tribune, in 1853:

The classes and the races, too weak to master the new conditions of life, must give way.

In 1849, Friedrich Engels wrote in Marxs newspaper, Neue Rheinische

Among all the large and small nations of Austria, only three standard-bearers of progress took an active part in history, and still retain their vitalitythe Germans, the Poles and the Magyars. Hence they are now revolutionary. All the other large and small nationalities and peoples are destined to perish before long in the revolutionary world storm. For that reason they are now counter-revolutionary.

To their credit, some of the Left, notably Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian, have acknowledged this uncomfortable history. After the Holocaust the climate of acceptable opinion certainly changed very significantly. Nor was it only socialists who advocated eugenics. But it should also be noted that plenty of others defended the cause of freedom and civilisation. When the eugenicists were advocating their poisonous schemes it tended to be Conservatives, such as GK Chesterton, who robustly refuted them. For us individual life is precious  we are not units to be allocated or discarded according to some central plan.

It was probably necessary for Sabisky to go. I feel sorry that a young nerd should be hounded out for silly comments he made when younger. But doubtless, he will find alternative gainful employment in a less sensitive building. The irony is that some of those denouncing him with the loudest voices seem unaware of views of their intellectual heroes.
Bhopal, Feb 19 : In a major breakthrough in the Bhopal gas tragedy case, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday said it has arrested a former employee of Union Carbide Bhopal, who was absconding since 2016.

A senior CBI official said the agency sleuths arrested S.I. Quraishi from Maharashtra's Nagpur on Tuesday, who was convicted by a local court here in connection with the Bhopal gas tragedy case.

The official said Quraishi will be produced in a district court. Qureshi is among three persons who were convicted by a trial court in Bhopal. The CBI official said Qureshi had been absconding since 2016.

Forty tonnes of deadly methyl isocyanate leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory and settled over slums in Bhopal on December 3, 1984. A Bhopal court convicted eight people in 2010 to two years each in jail over a gas plant leak that killed thousands of people.

The eight Indians, all former plant employees, were convicted on charges of "death by negligence". One had already died. The convicted persons have filed an appeal in the court. The central probe agency has also filed an appeal against the court order and requested for enhancement of sentence.

The case is currently at argument on appeals stage. The eight convicted included Keshub Mahindra, the chairman of the Indian arm of the Union Carbide (UCIL); V.P. Gokhale, managing director; Kishore Kamdar, vice-president; J. Mukund, works manager; S.P. Chowdhury, production manager; K.V. Shetty, plant superintendent and Qureshi, production assistant.

All of them are Indians.

A CBI official said the court had issued non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Qureshi. Initially the Madhya Pradesh Police tried to execute the NBW, but could not execute the same following which the CBI was asked to find out Qureshi and his family members.

The CBI had taken over the Bhopal gas tragedy case on December 12, 1984.
Chief Minister of Puducherry V



Narayanasamy on Wednesday told Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to India Walter J Linder that the people here are quiet, calm and peace-loving.

The Ambassador made a courtesy call on the Chief Minister at the territorial assembly.

The Ambassador was accompanied by the German Consul General to India (Chennai) Karina Christina Maria Stoll.

An official source said the Chief Minister apprised the Ambassador of the various welfare schemes the territorial government had been implementing.

"We take care of the old people, differently abled people and the widows by providing monthly assistance to them," the Chief Minister told the Ambassador, the source said.

Narayanasamy also told the envoy that the "people of Union Territory of Puducherry are calm, quiet and peace- loving."



He also told him that the government has been providing educational assistance to students doing medical courses in the Union Territory.

Tourism is also being nurtured here and the beach was spic and span, the Chief Minister informed Lindner.

The Ambassador and the Consul General of Germany had earlier called on Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi at her office.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles has invited Vietnam to send peacekeeping officers to join the EU training mission in Central Africa Republic.

The meeting between Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh (R) and Deputy Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific in the European External Action Service Paola Pampaloni in Hanoi on February 18 (Photo: qdnd.vn)

The request was made in a letter that Deputy Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific in the European External Action Service (EEAS) Paola Pampaloni handed over to Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh at their meeting in Hanoi on February 18.

Vinh noted that the defence cooperation between Vietnam and the EU has received attention from both sides, as seen in the signing of the agreement on the establishment of a framework for Vietnams participation in crisis management activities of the EU (named the Framework Participation Agreement (FPA)) in October 2019.

According to the Vietnamese official, along with the Vietnam  EU Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Framework Agreement (PCA),the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), the signing of the FPA has contributed to promoting the comprehensive cooperation between the two sides.

Stressing that 2020 is an important year for Vietnam as it serves the double role of Chair of ASEAN and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Deputy Minister Vinh said he hopes Vietnam and the EU will increase the exchange of delegations at all levels and bolster joint work in different fields, including peacekeeping and training.

Sharing Vinhs view, Pampaloni noted that the Chairman of the EU Military Committee, General Claudio Graziano will visit Vietnam in mid-2020, and the two sides have also planned to hold the second defence-security dialogue in Vietnam this year.

Those activities will help drive forward the effective defence cooperation between the EU and Vietnam, according to the EEAS Deputy Managing Director./.VNA

Doors open for free trade with the EU The adoption of trade and investment agreements with the European Union offers Vietnam opportunities to attract more investment and increase its exports to EU member states, making the country less dependent on traditional markets.
T he jury in former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinsteins rape trial were continuing their deliberations today after the judge warned his top defence lawyer against talking to the press.

Judge James Burkes warning came two days after Donna Rotunno wrote an opinion piece in Newsweek magazine, calling on jurors to do what they know is right and acquit.

I would caution you about the tentacles of your public relations juggernaut, the judge told her.

Ms Rotunno claimed the opinion piece was not intended to address the jury directly.

This is an op-ed about the jury system as a whole, about the criminal justice system as a whole, she said.

Harvey Weinstein / REUTERS

Prosecutor Joan Illuzzi asked Judge Burke to revoke Weinsteins bail and jail him, saying he must have approved the piece, which she said borders on tampering with the jury. The judge did not act on the request.

Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping Jessica Mann, a one-time aspiring actress, in 2013.
There is no question that a beloved dog can help brighten anyone's day. Now, pups might be able to do more for humans than simply bring joy to their days. According to Medical News Today, a team of researchers from Maine believe that dogs can also help find cures for one of the most hard-to-solve diseases. Professor Roel Verhaak and the team of researchers at Jackson Laboratories were recently published in Cancer Cell, and their study examined whether or not canines with diffuse gliomasrare forms of cancerous brain tumorscan help treat humans with the same condition.

Getty / Photographer, Basak Gurbuz Derman

Previous research reported that full-grown canines and children develop this form of cancer at the same time, which prompted the idea that diffuse gliomas develop depending on the age of the brain. As part of this study, the researchers put this information to the test by analyzing 83 glioma samples from postmortem dogs in order to compare them to examinations of adults and children that have also passed away.

Related: Do You Think You're Allergic to Dogs? New Research Says Your Allergies Might Only Be Associated with Males

The team discovered that mutations occurred in the dog samples as well as in the adult and child samples. They also found that the cancerous glioma cells were seen more in children than in adults. This boosts the idea that dogs with gliomas develop the disease around the same time as children.

With the information gained from the study, the researchers believe that the methods used to cure dogs of the cancer can help better inform the treatments for humans living with gliomas. For example, testing immunotherapy is thought to be a beneficial way to treat canines that could also be tested on people to help cure the disease in humans in the long run.
Is electoral photo identity card proof of citizenship? A slew of contradictory rulings by different courts in the past week have brought a fundamental question of law under a cloud of uncertainty.

On February 12, the Gauhati high court placing reliance on its 2018 judgment in Md. Babul Islam v. State of Assam held that the electoral photo identity card is not proof of citizenship.

The decision was given by bench of justices Manojit Bhuyan and Parthivjyothi Saikia in a plea by one Munindra Biswas who had produced copy of his voter id and the voter list of 1997 bearing his name.

On electoral card, the court held that it is not proof of citizenship.

Regarding Electoral Photo Identity Card this court in the case of Md. Babul Islam v. State of Assam [WP(C) No. 3547 of 2016] has held that Electoral Photo Identity Card is not a proof of citizenship.

On electoral list, the court said that the court said that the petitioner did not produce voter lists prior to 1997 and thereby failed to prove that he was staying in Assam prior to March 1971.

The petitioner herein has failed to file voter lists prior to 1997, thereby the petitioner failed to prove that he has been staying in Assam prior to 25.03.1971.

On the very same day, the same bench also rejected the claim of a person who had produced proof of her parents names appearing in the voter list but could not prove her linkage to her parents.

PAN and bank documents which were supplied by the petitioner were not accepted by the court which held that they are not proof of citizenship. The court again relied on its 2018 judgment in Md. Babul Islam to hold so.

This Court in Md. Babul Islam Vs. Union of India [WP(C)/3547/2016], has already held that PAN Card and Bank documents are not proof of citizenship.

In 2018, the Gauhati high court in Md. Babul Islam v. State of Assam had held that merely producing an electoral photo identity card without any supporting evidence would not be proof of citizenship.

In so far Exhibit-7 Elector Photo Identity Card is concerned, besides not being proved, it is a post 25.03.1971 document. Besides, merely producing such an identity card in the absence of supporting evidence would not be proof of citizenship, the court had ruled.

In at least two of these cases, claims of citizenship were turned down by the Gauhati high court despite the persons concerned producing voter card as proof.

While the Gauhati high court consistently ruled against electoral card as a proof of citizenship, a Mumbai court on February 15 ruled that electoral photo identity card is proof of citizenship unless proved otherwise.

The ruling by a magistrates court in Mumbai came in a case concerning citizenship of a couple who were alleged to be from Bangladesh.

The court held that birth certificate, domicile certificate, bonafide certificate, passport, etc can be relied upon to establish the origin of any person.

The court while acquitting the couple added, Even the election card can be said to be a sufficient proof of citizenship as while applying for the election card or voting card, a person has to file declaration with the authority in view of Form 6 of Peoples Representation Act to the authority that he is citizen of India and if the declaration is found false, he is liable for punishment.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had in December 2019 stated that voter card, Aadhaar and passport are not citizenship documents.

According to The Indian Express, a government official had said that documents like voter ID, Aadhaar and passport do not prove citizenship and they are only travel documents or prove residence in India.

Supreme Court lawyer Sriram Parakkat agreed.

As per the existing legal position in India, neither voter id car nor passport will be proof of citizenship. I am not saying that it is morally correct. But that is the law since 2003 because we have stopped giving citizenship based on birth from 1987. The state is hardly bothered whether a person is born in India or not. Aadhaar card, passport, voter id etc are proof that a person was born in India, said Parakkat.

So what is the law since 2003?

In 2003, a major amendment was introduced to the Citizenship Act. After the amendment, a person who is born in India on or after July 1, 1987 but before the 2003 amendment came into force will be a citizen only if one of his parents is an Indian citizens. In case of those born after the 2003 amendment, both parents should be citizen of India or one of the parents should be a citizen and the other should not be an illegal migrant.

Conflicting decisions by courts, experts said, is because there is a lot of scope for subjective interpretation after the 2003 amendment to the citizenship act.

The law today has made proving of citizenship a question of fact in such a way that you can never conclusively prove citizenship. Somebody else will have the discretion of declaring you a dubious citizen. Proof will have to be adduced about one of the parents being an Indian citizen for which their documents will have to be adduced and your relationship with that parent will have to be conclusively proved. Moreover, even that will be dependent on the subjective satisfaction of somebody  for example the Foreigners Tribunal in NRC, said Parakkat.

However, Assam is governed by a special regime under Section 6A of the Citizenship Act and that contextual difference should be looked into while analyzing decisions of Gauhati high court, said Alok Prasanna Kumar, Senior Resident Fellow and Team Lead, Vidhi Karnataka.

Under section 6A, there is a special regime for Assam. So, in Assam it is not that everyone in voters list is automatically a citizen. A person in Assam will have to show that he/she is descended from somebody who is a citizen of India and in India prior to 1971, Prasanna Kumar said.

So what purpose does an electoral card serve?

The name of the parents will be written on electoral card or passport. To that extent, it will be an indication which might make the person easier to prove citizenship. But none of these documents will be conclusive proof of citizenship on a standalone basis. In fact, as the law stands today, there is no single document which we can say is a conclusive proof of Indian citizenship, Parakkat said.

Moreover, this has constitutional sanction, says Parakkat.

Article 11 gives wide powers to the Parliament to make laws on citizenship. Constitutionally, tools like NRC etc have a very rigid constitutional base, he said.

So while the Mumbai court might have had good intentions, Parakkat said that it is not good law unless the 2003 amendment to Citizenship Act is struck down.

So we cannot say that the Gauhati high court orders are wrong. Yes, we might on a bare perusal feel that it is wrong but I think it has a valid legal and Constitutional base.
SALEM  The Oregon Capitol has been the scene of plenty of political drama in recent weeks, as supermajority Democrats struggle to find a path to pass their top-priority climate change bill in the face of determined Republican opposition.

So what do young supporters of the greenhouse gas cap-and-trade bill think about the situation? Around 100 young people from around the state visited the Capitol on Monday, during a lobbying event arranged by the pro-carbon-cap advocacy group Renew Oregon. They included representatives from the groups Latinos Unidos Siempre, Klamath Youth Tribal Council and Gresham Youth Advisory Council, and they met with their local representatives and senators of both parties.

Kaydance Redwine, 16, is a high school sophomore from Newport, where she rallies every Friday in front of City Hall with another local girl to push leaders to address climate change. It was her first time lobbying lawmakers at the Oregon Capitol.

Redwine met her local senator, Democratic Sen. Arnie Roblan of Coos Bay. I am thankful hes for the climate bill, Redwine said. Roblan opposed a 2019 version of the bill but is now among its supporters.

Redwine also met with her local representative, David Gomberg D-Otis. At first I thought it was kind of disheartening because they already plan to vote for the bill, Redwine said. However, she said the young climate activists were able to reinforce to their Democratic representatives why its important for them to support the cap-and-trade bill, Senate Bill 1530. Redwine said she plans to keep protesting and lobbying leaders until there is more action taken for the climate crisis.

Olivia Lufkin, 16, a junior at Franklin High School in Portland, met with Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, a key proponent of the bill, and Rep. Alissa Keny-Guyer, also a Portland Democrat.

It was Lufkins second time lobbying her representatives at the Capitol; she also pressed lawmakers to pass a safe gun storage bill, as part of a delegation from the group Moms Demand Action.

I feel really powerful being able to speak directly with the people that can make the changes, Lufkin said. You really feel like, Oh, this is accessible to me, too.

Some political observers have wondered if Democrats might once again kill a gun control bill in order to prevent or end a Republican walkout, as Gov. Kate Brown did in 2019. Lufkin said that outcome makes you really angry, but if it is necessary to achieve passage of the climate bill, legislation trades make sense.

I do want them to hold firm on this bill, Lufkin said of Democrats and cap-and-trade.

 Hillary Borrud | hborrud@oregonian.com | 503-294-4034 | @hborrud

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
By Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices were near flat on Tuesday, pressured by concerns over the impact on crude demand from the coronavirus outbreak in China, but prices drew support from a reduction in supply from Libya. Brent crude rose 8 cents to settle at $57.75 a barrel. U.S

By Stephanie Kelly

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices were near flat on Tuesday, pressured by concerns over the impact on crude demand from the coronavirus outbreak in China, but prices drew support from a reduction in supply from Libya.

Brent crude rose 8 cents to settle at $57.75 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were unchanged from the previous session, settling at $52.05 a barrel.

Though new cases of the coronavirus in mainland China have dipped, global experts said it was too early to judge if the outbreak is being contained. Forecasters including the International Energy Agency (IEA) have cut 2020 oil demand estimates because of the virus.

The virus is having a wider impact on financial markets. Asian shares fell and Wall Street also retreated after Apple Inc said it would miss quarterly revenue guidance due to slower iPhone production and weakened demand in China.

The IEA last week said first-quarter oil demand was likely to fall by 435,000 barrels per day (bpd) from a year ago.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allied producers including Russia have been considering further production cuts to support prices.

The group, known as OPEC+, has a pact to cut oil output by 1.7 million bpd until the end of March.

OPEC+ oil ministers will meet in Vienna on March 6 as initially planned, a senior Russian energy ministry official said on Tuesday. The group will consider an advisory panel's recommendation to cut supply by a further 600,000 bpd.

OPEC has been trying to persuade Russia on the deeper cuts. Moscow has said it will disclose its stance in the coming days.

"Risk aversion has returned to the markets," said Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch. "OPEC+ has shown no sign yet of reacting to the virus-related slump in demand by making additional production cuts."

Supporting prices, oil output in Libya has collapsed since Jan. 18 because of a blockade of ports and oilfields.

"Supportive fundamental influences are still being seen in a continued loss of... Libyan supply availability," Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates, said in a note.

Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia's crude stockpiles fell by 11.8 million barrels in December, despite steady shipments by the world's biggest oil exporter, official data showed.

Meanwhile, U.S. shale oil output is expected to rise by about 18,000 barrels per day (bpd) in March to a record 9.18 million bpd, driven by gains in the Permian Basin, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed Tuesday.

(Additional reporting by Alex Lawler in London and Jessica Jaganathan in Singapore; Editing by Barbara Lewis, David Goodman and David Gregorio)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The means to foster ties between Morocco and Mauritania in a region beset by instability is at the heart of a visit by Moroccos Foreign Minister to Nouakchott.

Foreign minister Nasser Bouritas visit also comes after a series of meetings between the two countries officials focusing on a set of issues including security cooperation.

Morocco has recently, as a sign of stronger relations, celebrated Mauritania as a guest of honor of the International Casablanca Book Fair.

However, the cancellation of the Mauritanian culture minister of his visit to the fair let many think there might be a misunderstanding that Bouritas visit came to dissipate.

Bourita had said in a recent statement to the media that ties with Spain are stronger than those with Algeria and Mauritania, which according to Moroccan media was at the heart of the misunderstanding.
A Dublin hospital has the third highest number of drug-related medical emergencies out of more than 30 clinics across Europe, according to a new study.

The Mater Hospital emergency department (ED) is behind major hospitals in London and Oslo in the scale of acute drug toxicity cases coming through its doors.

European Commission-funded research, conducted in 31 hospitals across 21 countries, found:

Mater Hospital ED had a total of 2,089 acute cases between 2014 and 2017;

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda had 84 cases over the same period;

The Mater caseload dropped from 524 in 2014 to 436 in 2016, before rising sharply to 586 in 2017;

The number of cases in Drogheda fluctuated from 28 in 2014 to 11 in 2015, rising to 24 in 2016 and falling to 20 in 2017.

The European Drug Emergencies Network (Euro-DEN) has been running since the end of 2013 and, according to its researchers, provides a unique insight into acute harms from drug use given the limited systematic data on the area.

Of the 586 acute cases in the Mater in 2017, heroin was the most common drug, with 199 cases, some 34% of the total.

Cocaine was the next most common, with 120 cases (20%). Zopiclone (a sleeping tablet) was the third most common, with around 60 cases. The exact number not given. Cannabis was the fourth most common drug, with 58 cases (10%). Methadone was the fifth most common drug, with 45 cases, followed by Alprazolam, an anti-anxiety drug, and Pregablin, which is used to treat epilepsy and anxiety.

There were 41 cases involving MDMA (ecstasy).

The figures also show that, in Dublin, there was a far higher percentage of females among those with drug emergencies, accounting for 190 (32%) of the 586 cases.

This compares with 25% of cases in Oslo, 23% of cases in Antwerp, and 16% of cases in London.

The report said there were almost 24,000 acute drug toxicity presentations in all the centres over the four- year period. The majority of those presenting were aged 20 to 39 years, with an average age of 25, several years younger than those entering treatment. Some 1,400 cases (6%) involved people aged 18 or under.

For those aged under 19, cannabis was by far the main drug taken, accounting for four in 10 cases.

The second most common cause of emergencies among under 19s was GHB/GBL, accounting for 15% of cases, much higher than its general prevalence. Often known as liquid ecstasy or G, it has relaxant and euphoric effects and is popular in certain clubs. The report said most of the GHB cases reported were in the London hospital.

Cocaine was the third most common drug among under 19s.

The report said cannabis and benzodiazepines (tranquillisers) were increasingly involved in the youngest age group over time.

Overall, cocaine and cannabis presentations increased significantly between 2016 and 2017. The report said centres in five countries, including Ireland, reported crack cocaine.
All eyes are on the West Coast as the state of California reins in the unfettered collection, use and sale of the personal data consumers share as part of the bargain for free online services. For years this bargain has been explained in privacy policies that few people read, because there is not a lot of negotiating in the personal data market. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) gives consumers revolutionary rights to access, delete, transfer, and prevent the sale of their data.

As revolutionary as the CCPA is, there are even more significant privacy and data security law developments brewing on the other side of the continent. In Washington, D.C., for the first time in history, Congress is giving serious consideration to legislation providing comprehensive privacy and data security (PDS). A confluence of unlikely events makes it more likely than ever that Congress actually will pass PDS legislation introduced at the end of November as the Consumer Online Privacy Rights Act (COPRA).

Bits and Pieces

Neither CCPA nor COPRA is the first PDS statute by a long shot. Nearly a dozen federal statutes include PDS elements. Each is narrowly focused  none are broadly applicable to privacy and data security concerns. Among the patchwork quilt of PDS statutes:

CAN-SPAM (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing)

COPPA (Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act)

FACTA (Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act)

FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act)

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

RFPA (Right to Financial Privacy Act)

TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act)

There are also some relevant rules:

DNC (Do-Not-Call)

Graham-Leach-Bliley Privacy Rule and Safeguards Rule

Red Flags Rule

TSR (Telemarketing Sales Rule)

The granddaddy statute of them all, Section 5 of the FTC Act, provides the foundation for many of these laws and a majority of the enforcement activity. The FTC for years has led enforcement efforts against bad actors and provided industry with guidelines.

The FTCs 2012 report on protecting consumers set forth best practices for businesses. Among its recommendations: privacy by design (consumer privacy should be considered at every stage of product development); do-not-track mechanisms; and greater transparency. It also recommended  in 2012  that Congress consider enacting general privacy legislation, legislation regulating data brokers, and data security and breach notification legislation.

Existing PDS laws are not just split among a witches brew of federal statutes. They also are split among the 50 states laws. All 50 state legislatures have passed data security breach laws, and they continue to amend them. A collage of state laws was relatively manageable in the brick-and-mortar world. Now it is a compliance nightmare. There are so many PDS laws that there is a need for a solution that might have been imagined by Tolkien: one statute to rule them all. Surprisingly, Congress appears to have stepped up to provide it in the form of COPRA.

Why now? One, Silicon Valley is an easy political target. The immense wealth of Facebook and Google suggests that consumers have not received a fair bargain in the trade of free online services for personal data. Two, the FTC brought actions against each of those companies for data privacy violations and settled for amounts that congressional Democrats have ridiculed as entirely too low to incentivize better behavior.

Three, the Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed how profiling can be used for nefarious purposes. Four, the European Unions GDPR has provided a model for how to give consumers control over their own personal information. European PDS law might be ignored, but California stepping alone into the breach is an embarrassment to Congress and carries the threat of businesses having to contend with 50 comprehensive (and conflicting) PDS statutes coming from the states.

Regulate Us, Please

As is usual at this point in an area of rapidly evolving state enforcement, businesses that typically have opposed federal legislation now want federal legislation to save them from state efforts. Last spring, four major online advertising trade organizations (4As, ANA, IAB and NAI) formed a coalition with top legal experts to work with Congress to support comprehensive consumer data privacy and security legislation. The coalition, Privacy America, recommends creating a new Data Protection Bureau within the FTC.

For years the online advertising industry tried to fend off federal regulation by self-regulating, and providing consumers with mechanisms to opt out of online targeting. Efforts for a universal Do-Not-Track (DNT) option failed. The major browsers added a DNT setting, but websites have no legal obligation to honor DNT settings.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Consumers generally understand that online content is free so long as websites are supported by advertising, but with ads also appearing on e-commerce sites, where theyve become an additional revenue stream, this stretches the traditional ad-assisted model. Consumers may or may not understand that the prices paid to websites for ad inventory are a function of the narrowness of the sites audience.

Advertising technology now makes it possible for each ad impression (each ad space you see) to be submitted to real-time bidding by agents for advertisers. Adtech also makes it possible for consumers to block trackers and even block ads altogether. Each consumer who uses an adblocker becomes a free rider, putting more pressure on the website to generate more revenue from the unblocked ad impressions, and to purchase anti-adblocking technology, which diverts more money away from content development.

Other technology offers anonymous browsing and the ability to change IP addresses. Software developers will continue to develop more privacy-enhancing tools, and the most sophisticated consumers will make use of these self-help measures to protect their privacy. But what about everyone else?

There are two current legislative proposals before the Senate Commerce Committee, but COPRA has somehow stolen the limelight. Known as the Democrats bill as a nod to its sponsors in the Senate, COPRA is an attempt to create a comprehensive DPS regime applying to all business sectors in the U.S.

The proposed statute for the first time would establish that American consumers have rights to their data. These rights would, under COPRA, include the right to access their data, to move their data, to restrict data sharing and sales, and to be able to grant (or withhold) rights to process that data.

COPRA contains many proposals, and it is, alas, merely the legislative equivalent of a discussion draft doomed to be marked up by Congress. Following are the things we believe probably will survive the legislative process, in this bill or another:

The acknowledgment of some set of consumers rights to control some of their data;



A definition of covered data expanding consumers rights beyond merely the information they provide businesses;

A right by consumers to access, review and correct data;

Consumers right to control sale of some of their data;

Disclosure by companies of where at least some of their data on the consumer originated; and

Imposition upon companies holding data of duties to consumers, including posting privacy policies, creating training, and reporting to the responsible federal agency about their practices.

There are other proposed provisions that seem less likely to pass, if history is any guide. A statute that passes both houses is unlikely to include comprehensive rights for consumers to control all their data without regard to origin; a comprehensive opt in PDS regime; the right to move data at will; and a private right of action for damages.

One provision that has made a public splash in the news  but it pay to be skeptical about it  is the proposal for a new bureau at the FTC to handle privacy and data security matters. Its true that the FTC has been the most consistent regulator of PDS for nearly three decades. Its also true that given the history, the FTC is the logical place to house a regulator of PDS.

However, that same recent history counsels skepticism. After all, the FTC was the ideal place for the new regulator of consumer financial practices, but thats not where CFPB ended up. Then theres another reason to be skeptical: the bizarre sight of FTC commissioners testifying in Congress and begging lawmakers to not agreements. You may be unpleasantly surprised about the terms of your agreements.

Review your data breach insurance.

Review your contractual obligations in the event of a data breach. Watch out for open-ended indemnities.

Determine what your legal responsibilities actually are now. If you do business in the EU, get compliant with GDPR. (There are American lawyers who are experts in GDPR.) If you do business in or are located in California, get compliant with CCPA. Check your state laws: They have a more immediate impact on your business than GDPR, CCPA or the anticipated federal legislation.

Update compliance with existing PDS laws and regulations. As of now, the patchwork of federal statutes and rules mentioned above are the law. Its entirely possible that compliance with existing law will grandfather you into whatever comes down the road from Washington. At the very least, updating or polishing your compliance program will give you a good foundation to leap up to the next big thing, whatever it is.

If you have to make a big investment in DPS now, before things become clear  lets say youre starting a compliance program from scratch  the best bet is to comply with the requirements of the current federal DPS laws and your local state laws. Where no federal or state standard clearly applies, you might want to use the CCPA as a suggestion to inform your choices. (For example, no current federal law explicitly requires a company to publish a privacy policy on its website or to place a privacy policy link on its website. However, CCPA does. Its not hard to predict that CCPAs requirements for both will appear in whatever federal legislation finally passes.)

In any case, no matter what your situation, find an experienced compliance lawyer to guide you. Many e-commerce businesses shy away from any discussion of a compliance program, because the burden seems so extreme.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The truth is, no one needs to start from scratch to build a comprehensive compliance structure. A compliance lawyer can help you prioritize by identifying what compliance policies you need right now, what you can save for later, and what you dont need at all.
New TN Promise students for the 2020-21 school year will take part in the National Technical Letter of Intent Signing Day (NC3) ceremony at Chattanooga State Community College on Thursday, Feb. 27.

This ceremony affirms their commitment to enroll in a technical field of their choosing. The ceremony will take place in the Humanities Theatre, C.C. Bond Building, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. beginning at 10 a.m. Parking for the event will be in Lot P-14.



Chattanooga State Community Colleges participation in the annual CTE Signing Day (NC3) is designed to honor students who are entering a technical field and to celebrate the dignity of work. Chattanooga State anticipates signing more than 75 high school seniors who plan to commit to enroll in a Tennessee College of Applied Technology program.



View available TCAT programs at https://www.chattanoogastate.edu/tcat.



Career and technical programs offered through ChattStates Tennessee College of Applied Technology can prepare students for a successful career in 12 months or less, officials said.



For more information on National Signing Day, contact Dr. Eric Carver at 423-697-4781 or email eric.carver@chattanoogastate.edu.






Photo credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Hoskins

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) wants to make the "Gunslinger," a missile with a multi-shot gun for air-to-ground and air-to-air warfare.



The proposed missile will allow a single weapon to take multiple shots at the enemy.

Gunslinger will keep enemy fighter jets at bay, allowing U.S. fighters to engage from beyond visual range.

DARPA wants to build a new missile. Called Gunslinger, this missile won't be like any other missile ever madeit will carry a gun capable of engaging enemy aircraft or troops on the ground. Its all part of the militarys effort to put robotsand not humansin harms way, allowing manned aircraft to coordinate the battle at a safe distance.

The Alert 5 aviation blog made the first note of the Gunslinger and posted the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) solicitation. DARPA describes Gunslinger as:

An air launched tactical missile capable of multi-mission support. This system will utilize the high maneuverability of a missile system coupled with a gun system capable of scalable effects and engagement of multiple targets. These mission sets addressed will include counter insurgency (COIN) operations, close air support (CAS), and air-to-air engagements.

Generally speaking, missiles are either air-to-ground or air-to-air weapons. Its rare to have a weapon that can accomplish both missions, and when it happens (the latest version of the Sidewinder air-to-air missile, AIM-9X is one example) it tends to be prohibitively expensive in the air-to-ground role. But Gunslinger will also be capable of engaging multiple air or ground targets, making it more cost effective. A single missile might shoot down two enemy fighters, or make multiple guns runs on enemy air defense missile systems.

Photo credit: Artur Lebedev - Getty Images

The Air Force and Navy are looking for a weapon that can engage enemy ground forces without exposing manned aircraft to hostile fire. Modern surface-to-air missile systems such as the Russian Buk are extremely capable, making it doubtful aircraft such as the A-10 Warthog can survive long over the modern battlefield. Gunslinger is useful because it can engage multiple targets on the ground without risking a pilot and $100 million dollar aircraft. If Gunslinger is shot down, then U.S. forces lose a missileand the enemy typically loses two surface-to-air missiles.

Story continues

Air-to-air missions are even more interesting. Modern fighters like the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are meant to shoot down enemy aircraft from beyond visual range, forgoing dogfights in favor of one long-range ambush after another. Gunslinger mixes things up: an F-35 fighter could launch Gunslinger at a gaggle of enemy fighters and follow it with a volley of medium-range missiles like the AMRAAM air-to-air missile.

The enemy fighter force is then caught on the horns of a dilemma: it must evade the AMRAAM missiles but also keep in mind Gunslinger is closing the distance to shoot them out of the sky. Gunslinger could force enemy fighters to keep their distance, allowing U.S. fighter jets to use their superior stealth, sensors, and weapons to engage their adversaries from a safe distance.

Source: Alert 5

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FOR streaming live the sexual abuse of children in exchange for money, three women were sentenced to several years in prison and ordered to pay hefty damages.

Lapu-Lapu City Regional Trial Court Branch 70 Judge Christine Muga-Abad rendered the judgment Wednesday, February 19, after the online traffickers pleaded guilty to multiple charges under plea bargain agreements.

Melanie (real name withheld), 22, was sentenced to 23 years in prison and ordered to pay P600,000 in moral and exemplary damages. She was arrested on March 26, 2018 in Lapu-Lapu City for trafficking four minors into online sexual exploitation, including her young daughter, who was four years old at the time of rescue.

Maricel (real name withheld), 36, and Jennifer (real name withheld), 27, were sentenced to 37 years and 23 years of imprisonment, respectively.

For damages, Judge Muga-Abad ordered each of them to pay P600,000.

Maricel and Jennifer were arrested during simultaneous police operations on April 26, 2016 in Lapu-Lapu City. Authorities rescued Maricels three children and Jennifers two children, one of whom was a three-month-old infant at the time of rescue.

The operations were spearheaded by the Philippine National Polices Women and Children Protection Center-Visayas Field Unit, in coordination with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat)-Central Visayas, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Central Visayas, the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Group, the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office, and International Justice Mission (IJM).

In plea bargaining agreements, the defendants plead guilty not to the original charges but to other similar offenses. This protects the child victims from having to testify in court against the perpetrators who are often family members or neighbors, which can be retraumatizing.

The three online traffickers committed violations under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (Republic Act 9208 as amended by RA 10364), Anti-Child Pornography Act (RA 9775), Cybercrime Prevention Act (RA 10175), and Anti-Child Abuse Law (RA 7610).

Story continues

Every child has the right to live in a safe environment. Pursuant to it is the government's relentless efforts and the valuable assistance of organizations such as IJM towards the protection of our children, said Public Prosecutor Antonio Aseniero.

IJM Cebu Field Office Director John Tanagho said: Todays convictions of three traffickers for live-streaming child sexual abuse sends a clear message that the Philippine Government and the rule of law are on the side of vulnerable children. Holding perpetrators accountable honors the survivors, whose privacy was violated when their sexual abuse was broadcast to strangers around the world using live-streaming platforms and apps.

So far in IJM-supported cases, more than 80 persons have been convicted in the Philippines for online sexual exploitation of children (Osec) since 2011. IJM has supported Philippine law enforcement agencies in operations that led to the arrest of more than 200 Osec perpetrators and the rescue of almost 600 victims and children-at-risk across the country.

One may report a suspected case of Osec by texting ENDOSEC (space) to 7444-64 for Smart network subscribers; or directly connect with WCPC at (032) 410-8483 for Visayas, and 0917-180-6037 or 0928-604-6425 for Mindanao. (PR)
Thai Srey Neang in a photo posted to her Facebook account on Feb. 12, 2020.

Threats made by Cambodias Prime Minister Hun Sen against female Facebook users are irresponsible and promote a culture of victim-blaming, rights groups said Wednesday, urging him to respect womens right to freedom of expression and self-determination.

During a speech to the Cambodian National Council for Women on Monday, Hun Sen ordered authorities to take immediate action against women who wear revealing clothing while selling products on Facebook live streams, saying their actions were lowering Cambodian cultural values and were to blame for sexual violence.

After Hun Sen ordered authorities to track the women down and educate them, a representative of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications reportedly pledged to ask Facebook to block their profiles.

On Wednesday, the Commissariat of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police posted a video to Facebook saying a woman named Thai Srey Neang had been brought to a local police station for education, where she signed an agreement to stop wearing revealing clothing, and showed her apologizing for donning clothing that disgraces Khmer traditions and affects the honor of Cambodian women.

The same day, London-based Amnesty International and a group of Cambodian rights organizations issued separate statements condemning Hen Sens comments, with the former slamming authorities for apparently forcing Thai Srey Neang to confess her wrongdoings.

Hun Sens assertion that women are to blame for sexual violence and human trafficking due to their choice of dress on Facebook is a despicable and dangerous instance of victim-blaming, Amnestys regional director Nicholas Bequelin said.

This rhetoric only serves to perpetuate violence against women and stigmatize survivors of gender-based violence.

Bequelin called Hun Sens order to track down and educate women represents a menacing application of the states surveillance apparatus to advance a discriminatory and patriarchal agenda, and urged Facebook to reject discriminate requests by the authorities to block womens profiles.

He said how authorities carry out the order is inherently arbitrary, noting that none of the women have been accused of breaking any law.

These developments underscore the dire state of freedom of expression in Cambodia, he said.

In recent years, the Cambodian authorities have increasingly weaponized internet surveillance to target human rights defenders and opposition supporters based on their Facebook posts and communications.

A screen grab of a video posted to Facebook by the Commissariat of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police on Feb. 19, 2020 shows Thai Srey Neang apologizing for her 'revealing' live feeds. Commissariat of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police's Facebook page Respecting womens rights

A group of local rights organizations said in a joint statement that Hun Sens comments appear contradictory to Cambodias obligations as a state party to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), as well as national laws and policies that promote gender equality and womens empowerment.

Its important to note that social values are arbitrary, relative, and constantly changing, the groups said, adding that there is no evidence-based research that affirms that womens clothing choice is the root cause of degradation of social morality.

The groupswhich included the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, Gender and Development for Cambodia, and Bateay Srei Organizationalso called Hun Sens statement that women who wear sexy outfits could provoke sex crimes an example of blaming victims.

Instead, they said, the culture of victim-blaming perpetuates violence against women and gender-based discrimination in our society.

They noted that last month, representatives from the Ministries of Womens Affairs, Information, and Culture and Fine Arts all publicly expressed the same position that a person operating an online store is within their individual rights when wearing revealing clothes or using profane language in a Facebook live-feed.

Punishing women for their choice of clothing is  part of the root cause of violence, rather than its cure, and must be rejected, the groups said.

We appeal to the Cambodian government to acknowledge that Cambodia needs to respect womens rights to self-determination, expression and bodily integrity in order to achieve gender equality and end gender-based violence in Cambodia.

Responding on Wednesday, Ministry of Justice spokesman Chhin Malin told RFAs Khmer Service that the statements suggest the rights groups dont know Cambodian culture.

Their criticism goes against the mindset of all Cambodians, he said, adding that no one supports pornographic advertisements.

Applauding a crackdown

Also on Wednesday, Minister of Interior Sar Kheng praised his armed forces and relevant institutions for their work cracking down on banned opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) acting president Sam Rainsys plan to return to the country from self-imposed exile last year, which he called a color revolution aimed at toppling the government.

The extremist opposition wanted to provoke social chaos and topple the government and the monarchy, Sar Kheng said.

But under Hun Sens leadership, and with support from our armed forces, civil servants, local authorities at all levels, and the public  [we] succeeded in destroying their dangerous plots and plans, and we will continue to protect democratic principles.

Cambodias Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP in November 2017 over an alleged plot to take over the country, amid a wider crackdown by Hun Sen on the political opposition, NGOs, and the independent media that paved the way for his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats in parliament in the countrys July 2018 general election.

Sam Rainsy planned to repatriate to Cambodia on Nov. 9, 2019 to restore democracy through nonviolent protest, but Hun Sens government labelled the move part of a coup attempt and ultimately blocked his entry.

In the aftermath, authorities jailed around 100 CNRP activists and supporters, and charged a similar number with crimes widely dismissed as politically motivated.

Speaking to RFA on Wednesday, Morn Phalla, the head of the CNRP for Phnom Penh who is currently seeking refugee status abroad, said that Sar Khengs comments suggest the government had effectively killed democracy in Cambodia.

[Hun Sens government], after robbing the people of their votes, killed democracy by dissolving the Cambodia National Rescue Party, he said.

Now they have announced their success in destroying democratsespecially the CNRPand preventing the party from competing in the elections.

Seoung Sen Karona, a spokesman for local human rights group Adhoc, told RFA Sar Khengs comments could contribute to an increase in persecution against the CNRP, adding that he has been saddened to see politicians turn against one another.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Since the onset of the Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria, no fewer than 103 people have lost their lives to the disease, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has disclosed.

This was made known in the weekly situation report released by the health agency on Wednesday.

According to the agency, there has been a spike in the number of suspected and confirmed cases as well as in deaths from the disease.

The disease has become a yearly epidemic in Nigeria as it is diagnosed all year round, but peaks between November and May.

As of February 16, the number of newly confirmed cases increased from 109 cases in week six, to 115.

These were reported from 16 states: Ondo, Edo, Ebonyi, Kano, Kogi, Kaduna, Taraba, Plateau, Bauchi, Enugu, Abia, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Sokoto and Katsina.

Cumulatively from week one to week seven, 103 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 17.6 per cent. This is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2019 pegged at 21.1 per cent.

Also in the reporting week, two new healthcare workers were affected in Bauchi and Katsina states, bringing the number of affected health workers since January till date to 20.

graph showing Lassa fever situation

So far for 2020, 26 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 101 local government areas.

Meanwhile, as at the time of releasing the report on Wednesday, more cases have been recorded across the country, with the latest confirmed case in Lagos State.

NCDC in its clarification of the discrepancies in the new data released on Wednesday compared to death figures (70) released last week, said the discrepancies were as a result of missed deaths reported from the states.

The deaths were not reported from week seven alone. We recently did some data validation/harmonisation with the states and found some deaths were reported retrospectively, the NCDC said.

Of all confirmed cases, 73 per cent are from Edo, 35 per cent; Ondo, 32 per cent and Ebonyi had 6 per cent, it added.

map showing states affected by the disease

Outbreak

Nigeria, since January, has been battling the scourge of Lassa fever outbreak.

Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) caused by the Lassa virus. The virus is transmitted by the multimammate rat, and also spread through human to human transmission.

The disease is transmitted from the excreta or urine of the multimammate rat. Anyone who is suspected of being in contact with a Lassa patient needs to be presented to the health facilities within a period of 21 days.

Lassa fever statistics

Symptoms of the disease generally include fever, headache, sore throat, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pains, chest pain, and in severe cases, unexplainable bleeding from ears, eyes, nose, mouth, vagina, anus and other body orifices. It could also present persistent bleeding from sites of intravenous cannulation.

The disease though treatable still records a high number of deaths and confirmed cases.
Advocates For Stricter Gun Control Rally At Missouri Capitol Hundreds of gun-restriction advocates visited the Missouri statehouse Tuesday to encourage lawmakers to pass so-called red flag laws. The specific legislation Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action want would prohibit anyone with a domestic offense conviction or an order of protection from purchasing a firearm.

Election year politics that hopes to ignore the GOP Super-Majority who have defended 2nd Amendment freedoms against protesters shipped in from KCMO & STL for more than a decade now . . . Read more:
Eight of the Yemeni defence minister's bodyguards were killed on Wednesday when their vehicle hit a landmine east of the capital Sanaa, but the official was unhurt, a ministry source said.

The Yemen government -- backed by a Saudi-led military coalition -- has been battling Iran-bached Huthi rebels since 2014, when the insurgents seized control of Sanaa.

Defence Minister General Mohammed Ali al-Maqdishi was in Marib province on Wednesday visiting one of the main frontlines.

"A vehicle accompanying that of the defence minister was struck by an explosion," a defence ministry source told AFP.

He said that eight of the guards were killed, raising an earlier toll of six dead. "Nothing happened to the minister," the source said.

Loyalist military officials said in late January that the Huthis had made gains against government troops north and east of the capital, seizing a strategic road.

The road connects Sanaa to the provinces of Marib, to the east, and Jawf in the north.

Before the latest upsurge in fighting, Jawf province had been mostly controlled by the Huthis, with its capital still in the hands of the government. Marib province, including its capital, is under government control.

The renewed fighting, which erupted several weeks ago, included a January 18 missile strike on a loyalist military camp that killed 116 people.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed and millions been displaced in a war that the United Nations has termed the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday launched a fresh attack against poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who had spoken out against Nitish Kumar after being expelled from Janata Dal (United).

The one who made a name for oneself by doing business with the BJP is now trying the formula of the 1990s. Musclemen back then had begun to think, why capture booth for others, better to become leaders ourselves. They also met with success for some time, BJP leader and partys chief whip in the Lok Sabha Sanjay Jaiswal said in a Facebook post.

But the public now has become far more aware. It does not vote for goons and ruffians. A rajnaitik dhandhebaaz (political dealer) thinks of carving a niche for oneself with money power. Had it been possible then only those with deep pockets could become public representatives, Jaiswal further said, without naming Kishor.

ALSO WATCH | Prashant Kishor asks Nitish to choose between Gandhi & Godse; JDU hits back

He also berated Kishors accomplishments as an election strategist, pointing out he seeks to remember the success of chai pe charcha, but wants to forget a failed venture like the khat pe charcha in Uttar Pradesh which was disastrous for two so-called young leaders.

Khaat pe Charcha or discussions on a cot was a public outreach programme planned by Kishors Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC) for Congress ahead of the 2017 assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. The party had stitched a last-minute tie-up with the Samajwadi Party led by the then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who was struggling to hold his own in the face of a revolt by his influential uncle Shivpal Yadav.

Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi ran an energetic campaign with catchy slogans describing them as UP ke ladke (sons of UP) but the alliance was pulverised by the BJP, which pulled off a stunning victory, bagging three-fourth majority.

It is an overused, poor business strategy to offer free services to whichever party is the favorite during assembly polls in a state and, after the results, claiming success by getting oneself photographed (with the winning leader), Jaiswal said in Facebook post.

Bihars deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi had lashed out at Kishor a day ago, saying event managers dont have an ideology of their own.

Event managers dont have an ideology of their own, but they are expert in understanding the language and ideology of their sponsors. Public is watching that as elections nears, who is talking about Godses philosophy and who is trying to be secular, Modi said on Twitter in Hindi on Tuesday.

         ,              



                            pic.twitter.com/E4ljl1JdPP  Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) February 18, 2020

He further said that a person who has earlier announced working for victory of Narendra Modi, should tell the people why didnt he find anything wrong with the BJP then.

In his first interaction with media in Patna since he was expelled from the JD(U) last month, Kishor on Tuesday questioned Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumars style of governance and ideological dalliance.

Kishor also spoke about his relationship with his former boss, Nitish Kumar, and said ideological positioning and Kumars positioning in the alliance were reasons for the fallout with the JD(U) chief.
Corporate tax veteran Shane Wallace has rejoined Deloitte Ireland as a partner in the tax practice.

The qualified solicitor joins from law firm William Fry, which he joined in 2014 from a previous stint with Deloitte of more than 10 years.

In his new role, Mr Wallace will support indigenous Irish companies and foreign-owned multinationals across industries including life sciences, technology, consumer products and property.

Mr Wallace is a chartered tax adviser as well as a qualified solicitor, and has "used these combined skills to work on a range of significant M&A and real estate transactions, both on the buy and sell side", Deloitte said.

He is also an elected council member of the Irish Tax Institute.

"I know first-hand the emphasis the team at Deloitte place on quality and delivering impact for our clients in a changing market and regulatory environment, and I am delighted to be joining the fold once again. I look forward to working with our clients as they navigate their way through ... significant changes, and support them in achieving their ambitions for their businesses," Mr Wallace said.

Head of tax at Deloitte Ireland, Lorraine Griffin, said: "Shane's breadth of experience and knowledge is an important addition to our team. We deliver the most value for our clients when we bring the breadth of our expertise to the challenges and the opportunities that they face.

"Shane's tax and legal background across a range of industries, and indeed disciplines, will strengthen our tax advisory and M&A offerings in this regard. We are delighted to welcome him back."

Tax professionals are in demand among Ireland's top advisory firms as a result of the economic recovery at home, record foreign direct investment, and demand from industry for advice on changes in global corporate tax structures and standards.
A Rhode Island woman who owned a property-preservation business is headed to prison for eight years for running a $10.3 million Ponzi scheme, according to the Department of Justice.

Monique N. Brady, 45, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution of $4.78 million. Bradys company, MNB, specialized in preserving the condition of foreclosed homes. According to prosecutors, Brady told investors that the company had secured contracts to perform large-scale rehabilitation projects on foreclosed homes throughout New England. Brady scammed payments ranging from $20,000 to $80,000 from 31 investors, promising them a return of 50% of the profit realized on the project they invested in. Brady told investors that the large investments would go to pay subcontractors.

In reality, MNB had been hired by banks to perform menial tasks at foreclosed properties such as mowing grass, changing locks, and snow removal. Most of the projects secured by the company were for less than $1,000, and some were for as little as $25, according to the Justice Department.
Russia will temporarily ban Chinese nationals from entering the country due to the virus outbreak centered in China that has infected more than 73,000 people worldwide

Berlin: Russia will temporarily ban Chinese nationals from entering the country due to the virus outbreak centered in China that has infected more than 73,000 people worldwide, Russian authorities said Tuesday.

The entry ban goes into effect Thursday at midnight Moscow time (2100 GMT) for an indefinite period, according to a decree signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The government said it took the move due to the worsening epidemiological situation in China.

Russia already had cut off most Chinese visitors by closing the long land border with China and Mongolia and imposing other travel restrictions. The new entry ban won't affect travelers who need to transfer flights at Russian airports, authorities said.

So far, Russia has had only three confirmed cases of the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus  two Chinese citizens who were treated and released, and a Russian national infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship now quarantined in Japan. However, Russian authorities have taken significant steps to try to keep the virus from spreading, including hospitalizing hundreds of people as a precaution after they returned from China.

Russia halted most air traffic to China, suspended all trains to China and North Korea, and temporarily stopped issuing work visas to Chinese citizens. Chinese students studying in Russia were told not to return until 1 March.

Earlier this month, the prime minister said Russia might start deporting the foreigners infected with the virus. In the meantime, Germany is sending a second shipment of medical aid supplies to China to help the Asian giant fight the coronavirus epidemic.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the government would send 8.7 tons of aid supplies worth 150,000 euros ($162,000), including protection gear and disinfectants. "Germany stands firmly on the side of China in the battle against coronavirus and works closely and trustfully with the Chinese officials," Maas said. "We have the utmost respect for the efforts China has already undertaken."

The virus, which emerged in central China in December, has killed 1,868 patients in mainland China and five others elsewhere. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19. China has instituted a strict lockdown on over 60 million people in central Hubei province and other nations are taking their own measures  including mandatory 14-day quarantines  to stop the virus from getting established on their territory.

Europe has had one virus death among its 47 confirmed cases, an 80-year-old Chinese tourist in Paris who was initially turned away by two French hospitals. Italy says 14 of 25 Italian crew members aboard the troubled Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been struck under quarantine in Japan, will take an Italian evacuation military flight home. The other 11, including the captain of the ship, will stay, the Italian Foreign Ministry said. No date for the Italian air force plane's departure for Japan has been decided yet.

The Russian Embassy in Japan announced Tuesday that one Russian was among the 542 people on the Diamond Princess confirmed with the virus. The statement clarified earlier reports about two Russians getting infected. On Monday, a Russian court sent a woman who broke out of a locked hospital during a 14-day isolation period back into quarantine. Russian health authorities are suing others who have defied quarantine requirements.
Traffic jams are inevitable, it spares no one and for commuters, reaching work or college on time during the peak hours poses a daily struggle.

Frustrated after a road was choc-a-bloc for hours, one man in Ferozaba, Uttar Pradesh, rushed to the police station to lodge a complaint.

Twitter/Picture For Representation

According to an IANS report, the commuter was apparently caught in a maddening traffic jam at the Subhash intersection in Ferozabad on Tuesday.

After the man named Sonu filed a complaint, the police officers decided to give him a taste of his own medicine.

SP Sachindra Patel, instead, asked Sonu to manage the traffic for two hours and designated him as ''traffic volunteer'' in the rank of circle officer.

Sonu wore a traffic safety vest and helmet, sat in a police SUV, with several other policemen accompanying him and went about managing traffic at the intersection.

Ferozabad traffic inspector Ramdutt Sharma, who accompanied Sonu, said, "Challans were issued to eight vehicles, for wrong parking and for driving on the wrong side of the road. A total of Rs 1,600 in cash was collected as fine.

The remaining fine amount would be paid by the offenders at the traffic office. We will continue with this experiment and ensure better community participation in improving traffic situation. We followed Sonu''s commands for two hours and effectively regulated traffic flow and managed to decongest the road," Ramdutt Sharma added.

Twitter/The Tribune

Sonu said, "The experiment has made me understand the problems of traffic constables and the problem that arises when we, members of public, flout rules. If one vehicle takes a wrong turn, the entire system gets thrown out of gear. I have definitely become a more responsible citizen after this experiment."

The concept of community participation to handle traffic was implemented as an experiment in Ludhiana earlier this year.

According to The Tribune report, the Ludhiana police launched a traffic marshal scheme with the objective to solicit peoples participation in traffic regulation.

The traffic marshal scheme was launched in the city on Republic Day, wherein as many as 336 residents have been deployed as traffic marshals at 28 road intersection points in the city.

The scheme is intended to promote peoples involvement in regulation of traffic with a view to ensuring smooth movement of vehicular traffic and to inculcating road sense, states the report.
A retired operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mustapha Gadanya, has revealed how one of the suspects in the trial of a former Head of Service of the Federation (HoS), Steve Oronsaye, explained how he benefited from the funds allegedly laundered through his company.

Mr Gadanya testified in a trial within trial over contestation of the statements obtained from Osarenkhoe Afe who is the second defendant in the trial.

He told Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday that Mr Afe told him he got N35 million from the N300 million paid into his accounts.

My Lord, I didnt know what he got from it. He said it himself. He was the one who wrote that he got N35 million from the deal, he said.

Mr Gadanya, who currently works with the AntiCorruption of Nigeria (ACORN) project of DFID, said he led one other operative and a policeman to invite the accused to the EFCC office on February 24, 2011.

Messrs Oronsaye and Afe were arraigned in 2016, alongside three companies, for alleged fraud in awarding purported contracts for biometric data capturing to the tune of N292 million.

Hearing

At the resumed hearing of the case, a counsel to Mr Orosanye, Ade Okeaya-Inneh, announced that he wanted to withdraw his application for a trial within trial on Mr Oronsayes statements.

He said he has decided to take the issue into the main trial on points of admissibility of the statement.

But counsel to Mr Afe and his company, Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Ltd, Oluwole Aladodeye, proceded with his application to contest the statements obtained from his client.

But in his testimony, Mr Gadanya said the suspect had his statement taken in an open space on February 24, 2011, without any coercion.

He said Mr Afe volunteered a lot of information about himself and the case he was involved beyond the knowledge of the investigators.

He wrote it himself that he went with Maina to Oceanic Bank. I didnt know they went. He said it and someone from the bank came here to confirm it.

Mr Gadanya said, with the level of insights provided by the suspect in his two statements, it was inconceivable that the statement was obtained under duress.

The court at its last sitting in October had admitted in evidence the audit report on pensions payments commissioned by the Auditor General of the Federation.

In 2014, PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported how the auditor-general indicted Mr Oronsaye for the N123 billion allegedly diverted between 2009 and 2010 under his watch.

The 169-page report titled Special Audit of the Accounts of the Civil Pensions uncovered humongous financial irregularities, outright stealing and kickbacks.

The report found that the pension payroll was never subjected to internal audit between June 2009 and December 2010; and that over N52 billion paid as monthly pension under Mr Oronsaye remained unaccounted for.
Thirty years ago, the Voyager 1 spacecraft was traveling far out into the cosmos when it turned around and snapped one of the most iconic images of all time  the "Pale Blue Dot," an image of Earth, a tiny blue speck shining brilliantly in a band of light.

The image was taken thanks to a campaign led by Carl Sagan, the astronomer and famed science educator and author. At Saga's request, NASA turned the spacecraft around and snapped a dazzling picture of Earth. For the anniversary, NASA engineer Kevin Gill spruced up the image, using modern image-processing software and techniques to enhance the picture (that was not available when the image was first taken) while keeping it true to its original form.

The Carl Sagan Institute (formally known as the Carl Sagan Institute: The Pale Blue Dot & Beyond), an institute at Cornell University that is dedicated to furthering the search for, and the study of, habitable planets and moons, also joined in to celebrate the anniversary of the magnificent image.

Related: Voyager: 40 photos from NASA's epic 'Grand Tour' mission

NASA released an updated version of the famous "Pale Blue Dot" image of Earth taken by Voyager to celebrate the photograph's 30th anniversary. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

On Feb. 14, the institute shared a new video entitled "Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot - 30 Years On." In the video, a rotating cast of voices articulate one of Sagan's most famous quotes from his book "Pale Blue Dot." The quote reads: "Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives."

"This image of our home, taken from an unimaginable distance, became one of the greatest legacies of our endeavors in space exploration," the video says. "Carl knew that this picture would have immeasurable cultural value, offering a unique perspective on our place in the universe."

The Institute for Pale Blue Dots at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York,was renamed the Carl Sagan Institute: Pale Blue Dots and Beyond in a ceremony on May 9, 2015. The institute is dedicated to advancing the search for life in the universe. (Image credit: Carl Sagan Institute: Pale Blue Dots and Beyond)

The video goes on to highlight how, following this groundbreaking photo, our species has pushed space exploration forward in incredible, innovative ways.

"With more than 4,000 exoplanets detected to date, we have begun observing the first pale dots around other stars," the video says. "We can now peer into the atmospheres of these new worlds, continuing our quest to find life in the universe."

The cast of narrators who lent their voices to this video includes Ryan MacDonald, Jack Madden, Thea Kozakis, Lara Sky Kaltenegger, Mark Sarvary, Zifan Lin, Maryame El Moutamid, Andrew Ridden-Harper, Nikole Lewis, Jake Turner, Ishan Mishra, Zoe Ponterio, Carl Sagan Institute director Lisa Kaltenegger and Ann Druyan, a science communicator who co-wrote "Cosmos" with Sagan and whom she married in 1981.

Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook .
Defra and the Dogs Trust charity have warned that rehoming animals from overseas risks importing canine diseases not commonly found in the UK (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Animal lovers have been warned that rehoming dogs from abroad could bring a risk of disease, as figures show around 20,000 were brought to the UK from Romania last year.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Dogs Trust charity warned that rehoming animals from overseas risks importing canine diseases not commonly found in the UK.

Figures from the Animal and Plant Health Agency show that in 2019 a total of 44,563 dogs were legally brought into the UK from overseas.

In total, 19,487  or 44%  came from Romania, more than the rest of the top five countries combined.

The next highest number of imported dogs came from Ireland, with 7,368 rehomed, 4,891 from Spain, 3,457 from Cyprus and 2,604 from the United States.

Romanias not top of anyones list, either at Crufts or when buying a dogKenny MacAskill

The animals were imported to the UK under the Balai Directive, which covers all commercially imported dogs, including commercial puppies, rescue dogs, research dogs and unaccompanied pets.

SNP justice spokesman Kenny MacKiskill said the numbers are surprising and concerning.

Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: Romanias not top of anyones list, either at Crufts or when buying a dog.

If it is strays, issues are raised about who is bringing them and why, as well where theyre going.

Animal welfare must be paramount but simply relocating strays from Romania to become strays in the UK would be unacceptable. Some drill down on what and why is needed.

A spokeswoman for the Dogs Trust said the numbers are on the increase and warned of disease and behavioural risks.

She added: There continues to be a large number of stray dogs in many overseas countries, and the number of dogs imported into Great Britain from EU countries such as Romania has been on the rise over the past few years.

As dog lovers, we understand how heart-wrenching it can be to see dogs abandoned or mistreated abroad; however, rehoming them from other countries is not without risk.

There are a number diseases found in mainland Europe that we dont have in the UK and which are not subject to testing or management under the rules of pet travel.

Additionally, a large number of these dogs are free-roaming or strays, meaning they can struggle to adapt to a UK home environment and which may result in challenging behavioural issues.

We urge any prospective owners to consider rehoming from a reputable UK organisationDefra

A Defra spokesman urged potential dog owners to rehome from reputable UK-based organisations.

He added: The UK has some of the highest animal health and welfare standards in the world and we are committed to making sure the nations much-loved pets get the right start in life  so we urge any prospective owners to consider rehoming from a reputable UK organisation.

Pet buyers should always see a puppy with its mother and any litter, and, if possible, in the location it was born.
She was the picture of elegance as she attended the 92nd Academy Awards (Oscars) earlier in the month.

And Leona Lewis kept the good times rolling as she attended the Los Angeles premiere of Emma. at the DGA Theater on Tuesday evening.

The musician, 34, cut a typically chic figure as she flashed a hint of her abs in a blush pink blazer with cut-out details across its bodice.

Eccentric appearance: Leona Lewis kept the good times rolling as she attended the Los Angeles premiere of Emma. at the DGA Theater on Tuesday evening

Oozing sophistication, the Bleeding Love hitmaker sported straight-leg trousers, tied in with a pair of peep-toe heels to showcase her bright pedicure.

The songstress carried her essentials in a tiny gold handbag, and accessorised with a selection of diamond rings, featuring her wedding band.

With her golden tresses styled into braids, the Islington native complemented her beauty with a metallic-inspired make-up look.

Abs-tastic! The musician, 34, cut a typically chic figure as she flashed a hint of her abs in a blush pink blazer with cut-out details across its bodice

Standing tall: Oozing sophistication, the Bleeding Love hitmaker sported straight-leg trousers, tied in with a pair of peep-toe heels to showcase her bright pedicure

Watch her glow: With her golden tresses styled into braids, the Islington native complemented her beauty with a metallic-inspired make-up look

All in the details: The songstress carried her essentials in a tiny gold handbag, and accessorised with a selection of diamond rings, featuring her wedding band

The comedy-drama follows the story of confused matchmaker Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy), who takes Harriet (Mia Goth) under her wing.

The X Factor star recently discussed her lavish Italian wedding, which took place last summer in Tuscany at Sting and Trudie Styler's lavish 16th-century vineyard and estate, Il Palagio, in front of 180 guests.

While appearing on This Morning in December, she told hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield that it rained constantly throughout the whole day, which is meant to be good luck.

Recalling the day, she said: 'It was beautiful weather until the actual wedding day, when it poured down!

In character: The comedy-drama follows the story of confused matchmaker Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy, R), who takes Harriet (Mia Goth) under her wing

'We're going to have all the luck in the world because it poured from morning to night. It was nice because it brought everyone together.'

The ceremony was originally supposed to take place outside but was moved inside at the last minute when a huge electrical storm took everyone by surprise.

Leona's husband Dennis, who is a German-born creative director, previously said he saw it as a sign from his father Lutz, who died three weeks before the wedding.
For failing to remit a total sum of 542.4 million between 2012 and 2018, the House of Representatives Committee on Finance has ordered the Centre for Management Development (CMD) to remit the fund in three weeks.

Failure to comply, the committee said, it would either recommend that the agency be scrapped or the agencys debt be deducted from its monthly allocation.

The amount, the committee said, is a backlog of unremitted 378.4 million in 2012, 86 million in 2016 and 78 million in 2017.

The Managing Director of CMD, Bitrus Chinoko, on Wednesday, appeared before the House committee with no clearcut explanation as to why his agency failed to pay those sums into the federation account.

By law, the agency, as a revenue-generating one, has a duty to remit 25 per cent of its IGR to the nations treasury.

Mr Chinoko admitted that there was outstanding revenue yet to be remitted by his agency, but he blamed this on the agencys lack of facilities in its Abuja centre.

He said this made it run at a loss running the centre in the capital city, unlike Lagos where it has its own facilities to run its activities. There, he said they made profit.

Nonetheless, he told the committee that the agency would make amends. In defence of himself, he explained that he had just assumed office and not only were the accounts of the agency audited in 2019, funds were remitted.

Not pleased

Chairman of the committee, James Faleke, criticised Mr Chinoko for overseeing an agency that spent all the revenue it generated in clear breach of the law.

Nigeria is in dire need of money. President Muhammadu Buhari needs money to fund (Nigerias) capital projects, Mr Faleke said.

The money agencies generate is way more than what we borrow as a country to fund the budget. We give you three weeks to pay all outstanding (debt) and appear here with treasury receipts.

The lawmakers, therefore, demanded that all outstanding revenues be paid within three weeks.
One of Maryland's premier dentists, Dr. William Lanza offers many specialized dental procedures from the Dental Institute of Bethesda. Because of his state-of-the-art offerings and his dedicated patient care, Dr. Lanza was praised by previous patients leaving reviews on DemandForce of his offices.

NORTH BETHESDA, MD / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / For years, Dr. William Lanza has championed new dental procedures and sophisticated tools and resources among his peers in Maryland so they are better equipped to provide solutions to patients' varying needs. To ensure his offices are kept up-to-date, Lanza frequently attends conferences and advanced trainings and implements their teachings into the Dental Institute of Bethesda.

"It's not enough to rely on old models of dentistry that use outdated tools, machinery, or procedures to improve dental health," says Dr. William Lanza. "There are so many recent updates in dentistry that allow professionals to deliver more thorough care more quickly and with less discomfort. These are the elements that ultimately make any dentist office stand out against the competition."

His work has improved the lives of hundreds of patients in the area who report on their good experiences at the offices of Dr. William Lanza on websites such as DemandForce.com. In these reports, patients not only talk up the quality service of Dr. Lanza, but also of his qualified staff who are an integral part of his practice.

"I have been with the practice since Dr. Lanza started there. Dr Lanza has always delivered good dental outcomes for me over the years. Their staff have always been professional, friendly and accommodating in all aspects. My entire family goes there now," one review states.

Another review reads:

"All staff are pleasant and efficient. They take care of insurance matters and parking validation without exception. The technical staff are pleasant and gentle, explaining what they do beforehand. Recently our daughters started [Invisalign] braces. They answered our many questions and we did not feel rushed or condescended to. We have been coming here for over 10 years, recommended by a friend. Offices are immaculate."

"I was received promptly and the cleaning was done quite professional," reports patient Dean P. "The woman who did it was very friendly and, on my questioning her, explained why cleaning is needed and why she was urging me to come every four months. Dr. Lanza, who examined me at the end, was also friendly and professional. We've been going to the same practice for more than 30 years and each new dentist-owner has been excellent, Dr. Lanza one of the best we've ever had."

The profile page of Dr. William Lanza and his group is filled with dozens of similar reviews from patients who had exceptional experiences in his offices. Through individualized care, powerful resources, and a quality team, he proves year after year why his offices are some of the most sought-after in the entire state of Maryland.

CONTACT:

Caroline Hunter

Web Presence, LLC

+1 7862338220

SOURCE: Web Presence, LLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/577015/Dr-William-Lanza-Receives-Rave-Reviews-from-DemandForce-for-His-Specialized-Dental-Care
AIQ, the brain behind Signal AI's media monitoring and market intelligence platform, will upgrade the organisation's proprietary artificial intelligence

Today, Signal AI, one of the leading companies transforming how business leaders make sense of the world's information, has announced the launch of AIQ, the next generation of AI technology powering their media monitoring and market intelligence platform. AIQ enhances the proprietary artificial intelligence underpinning Signal AI's platform and heralds a step-change in the use of AI to address common public relations challenges.

The PR and communications industry is poorly served by incumbent legacy technology that has failed to meaningfully integrate artificial intelligence. Signal AI's introduction of AIQ to the market further distinguishes them as the pioneer in this space, offering real AI technology that delivers tangible results to PR professionals and beyond.

The first in a series of new features to be powered by AIQ will be Signal AI's "Briefings". When speaking to customers, Signal AI identified an unmet need in the market where PR teams wanted to share market insights to assist with the larger business goals. However, the volume of news is so significant, they could not adequately share insightful news stories. Signal AI's "Briefings" uses the latest AI technologies to cluster and rank the content in high volume news scenarios and create a briefing email consisting of a manageable number of stories that help colleagues stay on top of current events within and across industries.

Luca Grulla, VP Technology, Signal AI: "We have been using AI to solve common challenges in PR communications since our inception. The market has been struggling with longstanding problems such as accurately quantifying PR impact, and time-consuming, manual tasks such as media monitoring, which is plagued by poor accuracy and too much noise. The launch of AIQ underscores how we are leveraging our proprietary AI technology to develop the capabilities of our platform and ultimately, help our customers uplevel their work."

David Benigson, Co-Founder, and CEO, Signal AI: "Our vision at Signal AI is to provide communication professionals and senior leaders with the same clarity and transparency about the world beyond their organisation as they have inside it. AIQ allows us to level up communications professionals to help them be more strategic, and empower business leaders to work smarter, react in real-time, and make informed business decisions."

In 2019, Signal AI saw unprecedented success, more than doubling its customer base, international expansion into the US and APAC, and a successful Series C funding. Signal AI will be launching new capabilities powered by AIQ and upgrading existing features within the platform.

About Signal AI

Signal AI is an AI-powered business intelligence and media monitoring company that aggregates, analyses, and provides business leaders with insights into digital, print and broadcast media, news, and regulatory data. Signal's cutting-edge machine learning enables businesses to track their competitive landscape, changes to regulation, and monitor their reputation-empowering them to make smarter, faster business decisions. For more information on the Signal AI platform, visit the Signal AI website: https://www.signal-ai.com/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005066/en/

Contacts:

For media enquiries please contact:

Juliet Haley

Juliet.haley@allisonpr.com

0203.971.4307
Mumbai, Feb 19 : Vodafone Idea on Wednesday saw a sharp surge in its stock price over reports that the government is unlikely to invoke its bank guarantees for now. Its shares were trading at Rs 4.08 a share, higher by 35 per cent on the BSE.

With the government mulling the possibility of invoking bank guarantees of the telcos to recover the statutory dues, Vodafone Idea chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla on Tuesday met Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash on the AGR payment issue after paying Rs 2,500 crore on Monday.

The company had urged the court that the bank guarantee deposited with the government by Vodafone Idea should not be encashed. Birla has maintained that without relief on the AGR payout, it may not be possible to continue as a going concern.

On Tuesday, Vodafone Idea's scrips closed 11 per cent lower after India Ratings downgraded its rating on non-convertible debentures of Rs 3,500 crore citing stress on the company's near-term liquidity after the Supreme Court's ruling.
[February 19, 2020] Argonne Quantum Loop - an important step in developing national quantum internet

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago entangled photons across a 52-mile network in the Chicago suburbs, an important step in developing a national quantum internet. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005801/en/ Scientists entangle light particles across the quantum loop in the Chicago suburbs. Animation shows the general path, which winds circuitously across a pair of 26-mile loops from Argonne National Laboratory to the I-355 Boughton Rd. Toll Plaza in Bolingbrook, IL. (Image: Argonne National Laboratory) The quantum loop, spearheaded by Argonne seior scientist and UChicago professor David Awschalom, ran its first successful entanglement experiments. The loop is amongst the longest land-based quantum networks in the nation.



"This is an important step forward in harnessing entanglement and building a network to help form the basis of future quantum communication systems," said Awschalom. "We are excited by these initial demonstrations of distributing entanglement outside of a laboratory, as well as having a flexible communications platform that allows us to identify the challenges of translating quantum phenomena to the real world." In the subatomic quantum world, particles can become entangled, sharing states while in different locations-a phenomenon which could be used to transfer information. The network winds circuitously in a pair of 26-mile loops through several of Chicago's western suburbs, taps the unique properties of quantum mechanics to eventually "teleport" information.

"An exciting part of this experiment is that it takes place outside of the lab and moves into the real world where there are temperature changes and vibrations and noise," said Argonne Director Paul Kearns. "This will give valuable insight in possibly creating a national quantum internet." Argonne plans to scale this network by developing a two-way quantum link network with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Such a link could help to lay the foundation for a national laboratory-led cross-country quantum internet. The team worked closely with companies in the emerging quantum industry including Qubitekk, a new company developing quantum technologies. The result is the latest from members of the Chicago Quantum (News - Alert) Exchange, a national leader in quantum information science. "By integrating communities with our national lab system, we can look forward to a future filled with innovation and collaboration," said Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar. "The Department of Energy is proud to bring businesses closer to the technology built at Argonne. By developing the quantum loop, we will remain globally competitive around the world." The quantum loop is supported by the DOE Office of Science Basic Energy Sciences program. Additional support for this experiment was provided by the Joint Task Force Initiative, a University of Chicago program dedicated to helping Argonne and Fermilab achieve mission success. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005801/en/

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Dieppe, New Brunswick--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - Colibri Resource Corporation (TSXV: CBI) ("Colibri" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received the required drilling permits from SEMERNAT (Mexico Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources) for its maiden drilling program at its Evelyn Gold Project located 60 km NW of Caborca Mexico.

Drill pad construction and other required infrastructure preparation will begin immediately and the drilling will then begin upon completion. A press release will be issued when drilling has commenced. The drilling program should take approximately 3 weeks to complete with assay results to be subsequently disclosed in due course.

Ron Goguen, President & CEO states: "We have been looking forward to beginning drill testing at Evelyn. Exploration activities to date have identified strong orogenic related gold mineralization. The "Caborca Gold Belt" is a globally significant producing gold trend and the Evelyn displays many of the same structural geological and mineralization features as several of the producing deposits."

The "Caborca Gold Belt" hosts many gold mines and deposits including La Herradura, Mexico's largest gold mine which produced 474,168 ounces of gold in 2018 at an average grade of 0.80 g/t Au (25km west of Evelyn) and Noche Buena mine which produced 167,208 oz Au at an average grade of 0.52 g/t Au in 2018 (9km south west of Evelyn). (www.fresnilloplc.com)

The initial 5-hole diamond drilling program will focus on testing two areas recommended by Aurometallum Geology Consulting Services and Colibri geologists in late 2019 as a result of their geological, geochemical, and structural mapping study at Evelyn. The two mineralized corridors of strong initial interest have been named "Cerro Rojo" and "El Sahuaro" (See CBI news release dated: December 3rd, 2019).

Qualified Person and NI 43-101 Disclosure

Jackie E. Stephens, P. Geo for Colibri, is the Qualified Person, (as defined in NI 43-101), who has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.

About Colibri Resource Corporation:

Colibri is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSX-V (CBI) focused on acquiring and exploring properties in Mexico. The Company currently has five active exploration properties at various stages of exploration.

For more information about all of our projects please visit: www.colibriresource.com.

We seek safe harbour.

For further information: Ronald J. Goguen, President, Chairperson and Director, Tel:(506) 383-4274, rongoguen@colibriresource.com

The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52534
It was hard to pass them by without at least scraping up come change. The fresh-faced Penn State students, dressed in bright colors, would line intersections and often the narrow islands between lanes.

During red lights, they darted among vehicles, holding out cans for a purpose most everyone knew: collecting money for kids with cancer.

For decades, canning took place on multiple weekends per year, in towns across Pennsylvania and beyond, with canners staking out roads and spots outside businesses. It was major fund-raising tool for Thon, the Penn State student-run effort that raises millions to cover medical bills of sick children and fund cancer research.

But two students died within four years in canning-related traffic accidents. That prompted Thon leaders to deem it too dangerous, and canning hasnt taken place since the fall of 2017.

Old school as it was, it was hard to beat as a fundraiser.

But Thon leaders now say social media and other online technology have offset much of the loss and hold greater long-term potential.

Everyone knew this was necessary and we needed to evolve with the times, says Regina Duesler, the executive director of Thon. I would even argue we are spreading our mission and our fundraising more than ever before.

The new tools include one that allows students to raise money through their social networks. Another, called Thon Nation, helps alumni around the country create local fundraisers and participate in online fundraising.

The online tools offer benefits far beyond the scope of enticing hurrying motorists to roll down windows and toss money into cans.

They are a path for targeted ads. They also gather contact information, enabling Thon to thank donors and contact them in the future.

It wasnt publicly-known how much money came from canning, which would involve about 15,000 students. Duesler says it was kept secret so people wouldnt know much money canners might be carrying and possibly target them.

She wouldnt provide an estimate on what share of total funds came from canning, although she said it equaled lots of money.

Last year was the first fiscal year without canning, and Thon raised $11.4 million, up from $10.9 million the previous year. (Those figures represent fundraising for the full year, and are higher than amounts announced at the end of Thon.)

Still, they are short of the all-time highs for Thon, which raised nearly $14 million in 2014.

I can say the fundraising we are doing now is extremely sustainable  we are going to be able to grow it for many years," Duesler says.

RELATED: Thon takes place this weekend, beginning Friday
In an upcoming comedy produced by Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films, Rajkummar Rao and Kriti Sanon will be adopting Dimple Kapadia and Paresh Rawal as their parents. Apparently, Rajkummar and Kriti signed the film even before the script was written!

The film is reportedly a situational comedy about a man (Rajkummar) and his wife (Kriti) who are orphans, with the man deciding to adopt parents who end up almost destroying his life and marriage.

Talking to Mumbai Mirror, Dinesh Vijan revealed, "This innovative idea also came from real life though it is not inspired by any incident in particular. We have spun it into a crazy comedy with our unique tadka."

Dinesh was earlier in talks with Rajkummar and Kriti for another film. He said, "That project wasn't working out, so, one day, over a cup of coffee, I sketched out this idea to them and they jumped at it. Raj and Kriti came on board even before the script was written."

Dinesh is confident in Rajkummar and Kriti's comic timing to deliver great laughs in this yet-untitled film. Giving examples of some of their earlier films, he said, "You saw it in Stree, you will see it in our upcoming horror comedy, Roohi Afzana, and in this one as well. Kriti also had you laughing in Bareilly Ki Barfi, Luka Chuppi and Housefull 4."

This will be the first Hindi film directed by Abhishek Jain, who has previously assisted filmmakers like Ram Madhvani, Subhash Ghai and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

The film will go on floors in mid-March in Delhi, and aims for a year-end release.

ALSO READ: Rajkummar Rao And Nushrat Bharucha Get Candid About Chhalaang

ALSO READ: Kriti Sanon Pregnant? Here's The Story Behind It!



ALSO READ: Dabboo Ratnani 2020 Calendar: Bhumi Pednekar, Vicky Kaushal And Others Have Got Us Drooling!


As an IT services partner, Infosys will help GE Appliances modernise its IT infrastructure and run IT in managed services mode as part of the overall innovation and optimisation agenda

New Delhi: Infosys on Tuesday said it has entered into a long-term strategic partnership with GE Appliance, a Haier company, to streamline the latter's IT operations.

As an IT services partner, Infosys will help GE Appliances modernise its IT infrastructure and run IT in managed services mode as part of the overall innovation and optimisation agenda, a statement said.

#JustIn | Infosys partners with GE Appliances to effectively streamline IT operations pic.twitter.com/1fC5tzpNNu  CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) February 18, 2020

As part of this alliance, Infosys will assist GE Appliances to accelerate their digital and workplace transformation through automation-driven managed IT services support across global command centres, service desks, end-user computing, IT infrastructure, and applications, it added.

"We believe that with our expertise in executing large transformation programs, we will co-innovate with GE Appliances to deliver great customer experiences," Infosys Executive Vice President and Global Head of Manufacturing Jasmeet Singh said.

GE Appliances Chief Digital Officer Viren Shah said the company is on an ambitious multi-year journey to transform its IT landscape.

"We believe that this transformation will help us innovate better and faster for our end-users and we are looking forward to working with Infosys as one of our key partners in this journey," he added.
His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received at Sakhir Palace yesterday Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), who introduced to him members of SCW in its seventh work session.

HM the King lauded the remarkable achievements of Bahraini women, praising the honourable march of pioneers of national work who contributed to the growth of their nation and the upbringing of successive generations.

HM the King commended the confident and fast-paced strides made by Bahraini women, stressing the influential role of SCW in supporting them since its establishment.

The King also stressed the clear vision of the council in assuming its specialties based on national values, the constitutional principles and a strong conviction that Bahraini women are an essential partner in building the Bahraini state and protecting its national texture. HM the King emphasised the key role of Bahraini women in national development, bringing up future generations and caring for their families.

His Majesty affirmed support to them, commending their capabilities and competence which earned them an advanced status. The King also praised contribution of SCW members in enhancing womens role in the Bahraini society.

His Majesty also hailed the tremendous efforts of HRH Princess Sabeeka in continuously improving the councils performance and highlighting the great progress of Bahraini women, the Kingdoms civilised experience in this respect and the effect of those accomplishments on Bahrains comprehensive development march.
Dublin, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Analysis of the Paints and Coatings Market Opportunities in Kuwait, Forecast to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The paints industry in Kuwait is expected to witness 2% to 4% growth by 2022. Segments such as decorative and protective will be on the higher side of the growth range (3.5% to 4%), while segments such as powder, auto refinish, and wood coatings will experience growth in the 2.5% to 3% range.



Supply in the Kuwaiti paints industry is marked by both local manufacturing and imports. Segments such as decorative and powder coatings have substantial presence of local manufacturers while other segments rely on imports to meet the local demand.



Within decorative coatings, imports account for one-third of the total supply. Among domestic manufacturers, GTC is the largest in terms of volume and value. Other key local producers include KPC, Hempel, and Al Matrooq. Sigma and Jotun import paints from their production units in Oman, the KSA, and the UAE. For wood coatings, major participants are National, Flora, and Renox, most of which are imported from the KSA.

Protective coatings supply is marked by the presence of global MNCs such as International, Hempel, and Jotun. Powder coatings supply is marked by the presence of global companies such as Jotun and AkzoNobel as well as Middle East-based participants such as Intercoat, National, and Alwan. Auto refinish coatings supply is dominated by global participants such as PPG and Axalta, while regional participant KAPCI also has a significant presence. The marine coatings market in Kuwait is highly consolidated, with the top two companies accounting for 85% of the market.



With regard to sales channel, direct selling continues to be dominant. However, within decorative segments, the share of retail channel sales has surpassed that of projects because of the slowdown in number of large-scale construction projects. For wood coatings, large joineries and furniture manufacturers are the key end-users. Value chain for protective coating in Kuwait is similar to the rest of the GCC countries. Contractors within major end-use segments play a crucial role in protective coatings sale. The role of traders and distributors is minimal, largely limited to the generic variants of protective coatings like the ones used in architecture and infrastructure. Direct selling is the key channel for the sale of powder coating products in Kuwait.



Auto refinish coatings are sold directly to body shops through authorized dealership across Kuwait. In terms of consumer trends, for decorative coatings, interior coatings are dominated by plain appearance, with special effects having a negligible share. The market is dominated by medium segment products. For wood coatings, nitrocellulose coatings systems are dominant in Kuwait, as ease of usage and economical prices are driving their sale. Water-based wood coatings are gaining some market share in Kuwait. They are used for interiors and exterior segments and renowned for low VOC content.

Protective coatings are primarily used in the oil and gas sector. The sector uses various coating systems, with corrosion, chemical, and high-temperature resistance as the key functionalities. KNPC and KOC approvals are mandatory for gaining market share. Major end users for powder coatings are aluminum extrusion and switchgear companies. The industrial segment is the largest holding 44% of the market share and will drive the demand in the segment. Within the automotive industry, the majority of cars are made out of solid paints. They use solid non-metallic colors and constitute the 2K segment for refinish coatings. 2K system is renowned for its high gloss durable finish. Although premium Class A body shop segment is dominant, the economy Class C segment is expanding and should be of high focus.



Marine coatings focus is mainly on coastal sea vessels. In the absence of local shipbuilding and maintenance industry, the marine coatings demand potential is expected to be low.



Key Topics Covered



1. Executive Summary

Key Findings

Market Engineering Measurements - Decorative Coatings Market

Market Engineering Measurements - Wood Coatings Market

Market Engineering Measurements - Protective Coatings Market

Market Engineering Measurements - Marine Coatings Market

Market Engineering Measurements - Automotive Refinish Coatings Market

Market Engineering Measurements - Powder Coatings Market

2. Market Overview

Market Scope

Key Considerations

Research Methodology

Key Questions This Study Will Answer

3. Decorative Coatings Market Analysis

Market Engineering Measurements

Decorative Coatings Value Chain

Market Overview

Decorative Coatings Market - Tier Overview

Market Segmentation

Decorative Coating Brands

Organized Market - Competition Overview

Affordable Housing Projects to Drive Decorative Coatings Demand in Kuwait; Delayed Payments May Be a Challenge in the Short Term

Revenue Forecast

4. Wood Coatings Market Analysis

Market Engineering Measurements

Wood Coatings Value Chain

Market Overview

Wood Coatings Market - Tier Overview

Market Segmentation - By Volume

Market Segmentation

Organized Market - Competition Overview

Revenue Forecast

5. Protective Coatings Market Analysis

Market Engineering Measurements

Protective Coatings Value Chain

Market Overview

Protective Coatings - Tier Overview

Market Segmentation

Organized Market - Competition Overview

Investments in O&G and Power Generation to Drive Protective Coatings Demand

Revenue Forecast

5. Marine Coatings Market Analysis

Market Engineering Measurements

Marine Coatings Value Chain

Market Overview

Market Segmentation

Organized Market - Competition Overview

Revenue Forecast

6. Automotive Refinish Coatings Market Analysis

Market Engineering Measurements

Automotive Refinish Coatings - Value Chain

Market Overview

Total Market - Tier Overview

Market Segmentation

Organized Market - Competition Overview

Revenue Forecast

7. Powder Coatings Market Analysis

Market Engineering Measurements

Powder Coatings Value Chain

Market Overview

Total Market - Tier Overview

Market Segmentation

Organized Market - Competition Overview

Infrastructure and Construction Investments will Drive Demand for Powder Coatings

Revenue Forecast

8. Growth Opportunities and Companies to Action

Growth Opportunity

Strategic Imperatives for Success and Growth

9. The Last Word

3 Big Predictions

Companies Mentioned



AkzoNobel

Al Matrooq

Alwan

Axalta

Flora

GTC

Hempel

Intercoat

Jotun

KAPCI

KPC

National

PPG

Renox

Sigma

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hbbsr8

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
The new airplane is the second of 15 planned Airbus A320neo purchased by the flagship airliner

Related EgyptAir receives its first Airbus A320Neo

EgyptAir received on Wednesday the second of 15 Airbus A320neo planes scheduled to join the national carrier's fleet, it said in a statement

The 142-seat aircraft arrived at Cairo International Airport in the morning from Airbus's factory in Toulouse, France, the statement added.

The first of the Airbus A320Neo planes was received by Egypt earlier this week; the airplane made its first passenger flight this morning to Abu Dhabi.

The advanced and fuel-efficient single-aisle aircraft family delivers per seat fuel improvements of 20%. The A320neo also offers significant eco-friendly performance with around 50% reduction in noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft.

The civil aviation ministry had said the delivery makes EgyptAir the first company in the Middle East and Africa to operate both the Airbus A320Neo and Airbus A220 modern aircraft in its fleet .

EgyptAir has a fleet of 70 long, medium and short haul aircrafts, according to the company's website.



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Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office(NEW YORK) -- After a young New Jersey woman was murdered allegedly at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, her family and friends are gathering to honor what would have been her 26th birthday.



Ed Parze told ABC News he's expecting over 1,500 people at Wednesday night's candlelight walk and vigil in Freehold in remembrance of his daughter, Stephanie Parze.



Stephanie Parze, 25, disappeared on the night of Oct. 30, 2019, sparking a months-long search organized by her parents.



When her body was found on Jan. 26 in nearby Old Bridge, her ex-boyfriend, John Ozbilgen, was named as a suspect in her murder.



But Ozbilgen died by apparent suicide on Nov. 22, before he was charged in connection with Stephanie Parze's disappearance.



Police did find a suicide note which Monmouth County Prosecutor Christoper Gramiccioni said "reaffirmed" his "responsibility" for her death.



Ed Parze plans to announce the foundation he is establishing in her honor at Wednesday's vigil. He said the foundation will bring "awareness to battered women and missing people."



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Goodstart Early Learning has temporarily suspended its pick-up and drop-off service across the country after a toddler died on one of the company's minibuses in far north Queensland.

The three-year-old boy was found dead outside Hambledon State School in the Cairns suburb of Edmonton about 3.15pm on Tuesday.

The boy was picked up in the morning and bound for the nearby daycare centre, but never made it, triggering a full police investigation, which is now focused on the bus's still-unconfirmed movements throughout the day.

Goodstart Early Learning chief executive Julia Davison said the company's 15,000 staff across the country were "devastated and shocked" by the Queensland death.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

A proposal for exploratory drilling north of Pecos has garnered intense public opposition. Now, some state legislators are adding their voices.

Memorials in both legislative chambers would recognize the cultural, recreational and environmental importance of the Upper Pecos watershed and express formal opposition to exploratory drilling in the region.

The memorial sponsors  Rep. Joseph Sanchez, D-Alcalde, and Sens. Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, and Elizabeth Stefanics, D-Cerrillos,  say exploratory drilling and a potential mine could threaten the nearby watershed.

The trucks and other equipment required to do even just the drilling would disrupt the environment, Stefanics told the Journal. It took years and lots of Superfund and state money to clean up the old Terrero Mine there. We are investing in the creation of state parks in that area, and the community is concerned that this (drilling proposal) could affect outdoor recreation.

Comexico, a subsidiary of Australian mining company New World Resources, proposed last June to drill fewer than 30 holes on a few acres of Santa Fe National Forest land north of Pecos. Drilling would determine whether copper, gold and zinc are present.

Past mine spills have bolstered a community coalition against the proposal. In 1991, snowmelt sent heavy metals from an old mine into the Pecos River. The spill killed thousands of fish at a state hatchery downstream and prompted a costly cleanup.

Comexico exploration manager Patrick Siglin told the Journal last month that a potential mine is a long way off.

To paint the worst case scenario from the start is not fair, Siglin said. Just as with our other projects, we would work with the Forest Service to reseed and do other remediation after drilling. There is already a network of trails, and we would only work from those. There is no reason to suggest that we would not follow our environmental obligations, which are very clear.

Comexico applied for a drilling permit with the U.S. Forest Service and the state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. If the House or the Senate approves the memorials, they will become part of the federal record as the Forest Service and state consider a permit application under the National Environmental Policy Act.

The company said that if the drilling permit is approved, and the operation finds adequate mineral deposits, the likely next step is to analyze the economic value of opening an underground mine, which has a separate permitting process.

The House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Conservation Committee heard testimony about the memorials last week. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Trout Unlimited and the New Mexico Acequia Association have also opposed Comexicos proposed drilling project.

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
When the term unicorn emerged back in 2013, there were no more than forty private companies with a market valuation of one billion dollars in the world. Over the last seven years, the number of these financial giants enlarged 15 times and jumped to nearly 600 in 2020.

The ten largest unicorn companies in the world hit a valuation of $546 billion this year, according to data gathered by Learnbonds.com. The highest valued unicorn globally is Ant Financial, the Chinese fintech company, spun off from mobile and online payment platform Alipay, hit a $125 billion valuation last month.

In the five years since it was founded Ant Financial has become one of the largest financial institutions in the world. The key to its incredible growth lies in a platform business model based on Alipay.

As a platform for processing payments between two users, Alipay has more than 900 million annual active clients. In a cross-selling move, Ant Financial offers them other financial services, from lending and payments to investing and insurance.

ByteDance ranked as the second-largest unicorn globally. As of January 2020, the Beijing-based company behind short-form video app sensation TikTok reached $75 billion valuation.

With a $60 billion market value, Infor ranked third on the list. Over the years, this New York-based unicorn has become an enterprise software provider and strategic technology partner for more than 90,000 organisations worldwide.

Over 500 of the world's unicorns, nearly 85 per cent of all such firms, are based in China and the US, revealed the Statista survey.

In January 2020, there were 268 unicorns in America. Another 262 are based in the Asia and Pacific region. These figures are significantly higher than the ones found in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, which counted 61, 13 and 11 unicorn companies, respectively.

Analysed by industry, most of the world's unicorns are active in technology and telecommunications or supply tech services to other businesses. More than 140 privately owned startups with a valuation of over one billion dollars are focused on software and technology.

Finance, insurance, and real estate is the second-largest unicorn market counting 104 companies at the beginning of 2020. The third most-lucrative industry is transport and logistics, with 87 unicorns operating in this field.

Although there is a slight distinction between the number of these financial giants in North America and Asia and the Pacific, the difference in their market value is more significant.

As of January 2020, unicorns from the Asia Pacific region hit a combined market valuation of $971.3 billion, placing them ahead of US unicorns at $857.5 billion.

The Statista data reveal that the market value of European unicorns climbed to $125.8 billion at the beginning of this year, nearly eight times lower than the Asia and Pacific market.

The majority of Asia and Pacific unicorns are based in China, which has strong market support for the growth of these companies. These champions are backed by government, take advantage of diversified financing channels, which has created fantastic opportunities for Chinese startups.

Today, most of these companies are leaders in developing innovative technologies and business models, and their rise is setting the path for the future economic growth across the country.

Around 40 per cent of the Chinese unicorn leaders named technology and data as their company's chief competitive advantage, revealed the 2018 report by accountants PwC. The survey also showed that more than 70 per cent of them already have strategies for overseas expansion, with plans to build a global presence. --- Tradearabia News Service
Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung and Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (RoK) to Vietnam Park Noh-wan on February 18 expressed their wish to further enhance their countries cooperation in vocational education.

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung (R) meets with RoK Ambassador Park Noh-wan in Hanoi on February 18

At the working session in Hanoi, Ambassador Park said he hopes the RoK and Vietnam will continue developing win-win cooperation and the Vietnamese Government will keep support Korean businesses.

He also expected stronger collaboration in vocational training, especially for vulnerable groups in society, calling on the Vietnamese ministry to support the MoU on labour cooperation to be renewed and the social insurance agreement to be signed soon.

About 9,000 Korean firms are operating in Vietnam, the diplomat noted, voicing his hope that Vietnam will issue more policies to attract businesses from his country.

For his part, Minister Dung said the two countries have recorded clear progress in labour cooperation. In 2019, more than 7,000 Vietnamese came to work in the RoK thanks to the RoKs employment permit system implemented on a larger scale and in a transparent manner.

Besides, thanks to both sides efforts, the rate of Vietnamese working illegally in the Northeast Asian nation has been brought down to under 30 percent. The collaboration in social security has also proved fruitful, he added.

The countries MoU on labour cooperation, which was signed in 2018 and already expired, is set to be renewed in March or early April. Meanwhile, the agreement on social insurance, on which there have been four rounds of negotiation, is expected to be inked in November this year, according to the minister.

At the meeting, Dung highly valued the RoKs experience in vocational training and honouring persons with high achievements at regional and international skills competitions.

He said he hopes bilateral partnerships in vocational education will be further promoted, and the two countries will recognise each others diplomas so as to open up a new period of cooperation in vocational education./.VNA

Vietnam-RoK defence cooperation enjoys unceasing development Cooperation in national defence between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea has developed continuously with the signing of many agreements and MOUs, Vietnams defence attache in the RoK Dinh Hung Tuan said.
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A South American tribe whose members hunt monkeys and wild pigs have been caught on camera.

Stunning shots of the Huaorani tribe, from Ecuador, show killer instinct as one man wields a six-foot spear, a chef regurgitates undercooked food into a metal pan, and a nude tribesman smiles with a wild pig he has hunted.

The tribe exclusively live in the Amazon rainforest in South America, with other pictures showing them cooking a whole hog on an open fire and paddling a canoe.

A South American tribe whose members murdered five Americans more than 60 years ago have been caught on camera

One stunning shot of the Huaorani tribe shows tribesmen gathered around a fire as they cook a wild pig which they have hunted

The tribe, which are known to hunt monkeys with poisonous blowguns, exclusively live in the Amazon rainforest in South America

The Huaoranis received global attention in 1956 after killing five American men who tried to convert the tribe to Christianity as part of a project known as Operation Auca.

While the tribe have embraced the use of hunting rifles, they largely live a simple technology-free life in small forest settlements and it is thought their language is isolated from other local ones.

They are all seen in the pictures wearing thin pieces of string made from wild cotton, called a kome, around their waists.

Among men, this string holds up their penis by being tied around their foreskin, while women have it tied loosely around their hips.

In recent times, deforestation has caused the Huaoranis to move further into the forests, but their water supply is still ravaged with pollution from nearby oil operations.

The incredible images were snapped by photographer, Vaclav Silha, 56, from Prague, Czech Republic.

While the tribe have embraced the use of hunting rifles, they live a largely technology-free life in small forest settlements and it is thought their language is isolated from other local ones

Other pictures show tribesmen carrying their blowpipes, cooking a whole hog on an open fire, and paddling a canoe

They are all seen wearing thin pieces of string made from wild cotton, called a kome, around their waists

'They live a simple life, they are mostly hunters and gatherers. Some men remain fierce warriors,' said Vaclav.

'I was amazed by the power of their traditions, knowledge of nature and their feeling of community.

'The word Huaorani in translation means human beings and I must say that they were some of the most beloved people I have ever met.

'To this day, there is a very small group of members of this ethnic group who reject, very aggressively, any contact with the outside world.

Among men, this string holds up their penis by being tied around their foreskin, while women have it tied loosely around their hips

The incredible images were snapped by photographer, Vaclav Silha, 56, from Prague, Czech Republic

The Huaorani were first discovered by Shell Oil employees in the late 1940s. The Ecuadorian government continue to encroach on their land to drill for the fossil fuel

'Oil and mining companies mean their way of life is changing year after year.

'Since 1956 a lot of time has passed, and today some are using a lot of modern technologies such as motorboat, chainsaw, satellite phone.

'For thousands of years, they have gathered their knowledge of nature. But over the last few decades, young people have lost this knowledge.

'When I asked a group of boys to make a fire by rubbing the lines together, they were no longer able to do it without a lighter.'

They are all seen wearing thin pieces of string made from wild cotton, called a kome, around their waists

In recent times, deforestation has caused the Huaoranis to move further into the forests, but their water supply is still ravaged with pollution from nearby oil operations

Two members of the Huaorani tribe tread through ankle-deep water as they carry their traditional blow pipes on their shoulders

The Huaoranis received global attention in 1956 after killing five American men who tried to convert the tribe to Christianity as part of a project known as Operation Auca. Pictured: The group was made up of Peter Fleming (left), Ed McCully (centre), Jim Elliot (right), as well as Nate Saint, and Roger Youderian

The Huaorani were first discovered by Shell Oil employees in the late 1940s. The Ecuadorian government continue to encroach on their land to drill for the fossil fuel.

Their first peaceful contact with outsiders - or 'cowodi' as the tribe call them - was in 1958.

Mr Silha took the spectacular set of shots on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

'I visited Huaorani with a local guide the tribe knew, and so I was fortunately warmly welcomed,' he added.

'I didn't show them the pictures and during the time I spent there, I tried to be the least disturbing as possible for them to give them space to behave completely naturally.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 13:49:17|Editor: xuxin

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Mohammad Toutah, a 34-year-old Palestinian artist, carves letters with sands in Arabic written "Palestine in Solidarity with China" on the beach of Gaza City, Feb. 17, 2020. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

GAZA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Mohammad Toutah, a 34-year-old Palestinian amputee, is holding the handle of a margin trowel to carve some letters with sands on the beach of Gaza City, trying to express solidarity in his own way with the Chinese people fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic.

After a while of careful work, a piece of sand sculpture, in the form of two short lines of letters reads in Arabic "Palestine in Solidarity with China," was finished.

Toutah, father of four children, lost his right leg during an attack on the Gaza Strip in 2009.

"The only way to express my solidarity with our Chinese brothers is to carve on sands to send them my message of solidarity," said the Palestinian artist, standing beside the sculpture with the help of a pair of crutches.

China is undergoing some difficulties and the Palestinian people are following the situation in China with deep concerns, he said, in a reference to the pneumonia epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus, officially dubbed COVID-19, in China at the beginning of this year. He called on all others to support and pray for the Asian country.

By the end of Tuesday, the disease has infected 74,185 people on the Chinese mainland, and 2,004 people had died of the epidemic. Meanwhile, a total of 14,376 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery.

Since the outbreak of the disease, many countries and organizations have extended a helping hand to China and showed their firm solidarity through different channels.

Toutah said despite the hard living situation in the region, he decided to come here to make the sand sculpture to show his support for China in an artistic way.

Carving and drawing on the sands was part of the activities of the youth's campaign to express solidarity with China. The campaign is run by prominent journalists and veteran social media activists.

They also launched activities in cooperation with Gaza children and called on people to show their solidarity on the Internet.

When making the sculpture, Toutah drew attentions from people around and passer-bys, who chose to take photos and videos with him and his work.

"This man is reflecting the real image of the Palestinian people that despite their internal crisis, they never forget to send message to the world that they are with humanity," said Al-Hamadani in his mid-20s, who did not give his full name. "China is a great country and I'm confident that it will win this battle and get rid of the coronavirus," he added.

Allah al-Hajj, standing with her three friends on the beach, said she feels sad for what is happening in China, as "the epidemic has no mercy" and does not know any races or genders.

Palestinians are eager to hear very soon that China managed to overcome the issue and succeeded in fighting the epidemic, she said.

After completing his work, Toutah walked to a little hill of sands to watch how the carving looked like, and then he implanted a Palestinian flag in the middle of the sand.
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Glucose Monitoring Devices market worldwide is projected to grow by US$5.9 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 6.8%. Testing Strips, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 6.2%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$4.7 Billion by the year 2025, Testing Strips will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05205333/?utm_source=PRN



- Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 5.8% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$204.8 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$179.4 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Testing Strips will reach a market size of US$195.9 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the world's second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 9.9% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$1.6 Billion in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies.



- Competitors identified in this market include, among others,

Abbott Diabetes Care, Inc.

ACON Laboratories, Inc.

AgaMatrix, Inc.

Alive Technologies Pty. Ltd.

ARKRAY, Inc.

Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG

B. Braun Melsungen AG

Beurer GmbH

Dexcom, Inc.

GlySens Incorporated

LifeScan, Inc.

Medtronic plc

Nova Biomedical Corporation

Omron Healthcare Co., Ltd.

Roche Diagnostics

Senseonics Holdings, Inc.

Terumo Corporation

Trividia Health, Inc.

Ypsomed Holding AG

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05205333/?utm_source=PRN



I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE



II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



1. MARKET OVERVIEW



Glucose Monitoring Devices: Enabling Easier and Efficient

Monitoring of the Global Diabetes Epidemic

Growth Drivers in a Nutshell

Recent Market Activity

Glucose Monitoring Undergoes Notable Transformation over the

Years: An Evolutionary Scan

Evolution of Diabetes Testing over the Years with Key Features

in Each Period

Diabetes Incidence Reaching Epidemic Proportions Worldwide:

Foundation for Market Growth

Diabetes: One of the Leading Causes of Death Globally

Diabetes Incidence and Prevalence by Region/Country

Global Market Outlook

Developed Countries are Dominant Markets, while Developing

Countries Spearhead Market Growth

Global Competitor Market Shares

Glucose Monitoring Devices Competitor Market Share Scenario

Worldwide (in %): 2020 & 2029





2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS



3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS



Growing Popularity of Smart, Compact, Digital, Ergonomic, and

Wireless Glucose Monitors Drive Healthy Market Growth

Select Disruptive Glucose Monitors Promising Reduced Pain,

Lesser Data Load, and Zero Worries

Innovative Smart Glucometers for Sugar Monitoring

Need for Real-Time Glucose Sensing and Monitoring Drive Strong

Demand for Minimally-Invasive CGM Devices

Myriad Benefits of CGMs

CGM Market Gradually Breaks through Barriers to Adoption

Intensive Care Units: A Highly Promising Market for CGMs

Key Challenges Hampering Widespread Adoption of CGM Systems

Despite Competition from CGM Systems, SGM Devices Continue to

Dominate Sales

Blood Glucose Test Strips: The Largest Segment

Cost: The Ultimate Factor Favoring Growth in Demand for Blood

Glucose Monitoring Systems

Self-Monitoring/Household Blood Glucose:Sustaining Growth in

Demand

Key Trends in the Glucose Meter/Monitoring Systems

Smartphone Penetration Favors SMBG Market

Barriers to Adoption of New Technology in BGM Products

Accuracy Issues Plague Blood Glucose Meters Market

Advancements in Glucose Monitoring Devices Offers a New Ray of

Hope

Undiagnosed Diabetes: A Major Healthcare Challenge Offering

Huge Untapped Potential

Undiagnosed Diabetics: More Prone to Cardiovascular Diseases

Increased Vulnerability of Diabetics to Various Health

Complications Drives the Need for Timely Glucose Monitoring

Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) Lead to

Cardiovascular Complications

Higher Risk of Diabetes in the Fast Expanding Aging Population

Benefit Market Expansion

Demographic Statistics of the Global Aging Populace: Unfurling

the Market Potential

Increasing Healthcare Expenditure Boosts Demand for SGM and CGM

Devices

Increasing Obesity Levels Underpins Market Growth

K?Track: Discreet and Painless Glucose- Monitoring Wearable

The Sugar iQ App Provide Predictive Diabetes Care

DIABNEXT CLIPSULIN: World?s First A.I Tool for Diabetes

e-mosquito CGM Device

FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System

MyDario Mobile Data Management Platform

The New Handheld RL-BGM Device

TOUCH TG

Pocket-Sized Gadgets

Digital Contact Lenses

Gamification

Leveraging Big Data

Digital Tattoos

OneTouch Verio Flex Monitoring System

Artificial Pancreas System (APS): The Next Big Thing in Glucose

Monitoring

The First-of-its-Kind Artificial Pancreas by Medtronic

Non-invasive, Acetone Detecting Breathalyzer for Glucose Testing

Nanotechnology-based Breathalyzer for Non-Invasive Glucose

Monitoring

EMG 1000: Needle-free Device for Glucose Monitoring

Glucase: Smartphone Case with Glucose Testing Kit

Painless Diabetes Monitoring Using NFC Technology

GlucoSense: Laser Device for Non-invasive Monitoring of Glucose

Levels

ClearPath DS-120: Enabling Early Detection of Diabetes &

Prediabetes

NoStrip? Technology: Eliminating Need for Individual Test Strips

Other Innovative and Advanced Glucose Monitoring Systems

Notable Early-stage Investigative Glucose Monitoring Devices





4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE



Table 1: Glucose Monitoring Devices Global Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 2: Glucose Monitoring Devices Global Retrospective Market

Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 3: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Shift across

Key Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 4: Testing Strips (Product Type) World Market by

Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025

Table 5: Testing Strips (Product Type) Historic Market Analysis

by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017

Table 6: Testing Strips (Product Type) Market Share Breakdown

of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 7: Lancets (Product Type) World Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018 to 2025

Table 8: Lancets (Product Type) Market Worldwide Historic

Review by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017

Table 9: Lancets (Product Type) Market Percentage Share

Distribution by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 10: Blood Glucose Meters (Product Type) Geographic Market

Spread Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025

Table 11: Blood Glucose Meters (Product Type) Region Wise

Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2009 to

2017

Table 12: Blood Glucose Meters (Product Type) Market Share

Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS

2025

Table 13: Transmitters & Receivers (Product Type) World Market

Estimates and Forecasts by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018

to 2025

Table 14: Transmitters & Receivers (Product Type) Market

Historic Review by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017

Table 15: Transmitters & Receivers (Product Type) Market Share

Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 16: Sensors (Product Type) World Market by Region/Country

in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025

Table 17: Sensors (Product Type) Historic Market Analysis by

Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017

Table 18: Sensors (Product Type) Market Share Distribution in

Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 19: Hospitals (End-Use) Global Opportunity Assessment in

US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 20: Hospitals (End-Use) Historic Sales Analysis in US$

Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 21: Hospitals (End-Use) Percentage Share Breakdown of

Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 22: Home Care (End-Use) Worldwide Sales in US$ Million by

Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 23: Home Care (End-Use) Historic Demand Patterns in US$

Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 24: Home Care (End-Use) Market Share Shift across Key

Geographies: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 25: Diagnostic Centers (End-Use) Global Market Estimates &

Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 26: Diagnostic Centers (End-Use) Retrospective Demand

Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 27: Diagnostic Centers (End-Use) Market Share Breakdown

by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025





III. MARKET ANALYSIS



GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS

UNITED STATES

Market Facts & Figures

US Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share (in %) by Company:

2020 & 2025

Market Analytics

Table 28: United States Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Product Type: 2018

to 2025

Table 29: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in the United

States by Product Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for

2009-2017

Table 30: United States Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Breakdown by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 31: United States Glucose Monitoring Devices Latent

Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 32: Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Demand Patterns

in the United States by End-Use in US$ Million for 2009-2017

Table 33: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Breakdown in

the United States by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

CANADA

Table 34: Canadian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 35: Canadian Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Market

Review by Product Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017

Table 36: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Canada:

Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Product Type for 2009,

2019, and 2025

Table 37: Canadian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to

2025

Table 38: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Canada:

Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by

End-Use for 2009-2017

Table 39: Canadian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

JAPAN

Table 40: Japanese Market for Glucose Monitoring Devices:

Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by

Product Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 41: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Japan: Historic

Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Product Type for the Period

2009-2017

Table 42: Japanese Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 43: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Glucose

Monitoring Devices in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 44: Japanese Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in US$

Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 45: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Shift in

Japan by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

CHINA

Table 46: Chinese Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Growth

Prospects in US$ Million by Product Type for the Period

2018-2025

Table 47: Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Market Analysis

in China in US$ Million by Product Type: 2009-2017

Table 48: Chinese Glucose Monitoring Devices Market by Product

Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 49: Chinese Demand for Glucose Monitoring Devices in US$

Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 50: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Review in China in

US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 51: Chinese Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

EUROPE

Market Facts & Figures

European Glucose Monitoring Devices Market: Competitor Market

Share Scenario (in %) for 2020 & 2025

Market Analytics

Table 52: European Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Demand

Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 53: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Europe: A

Historic Market Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country

for the Period 2009-2017

Table 54: European Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Shift by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 55: European Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product Type: 2018-2025

Table 56: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Europe in US$

Million by Product Type: A Historic Review for the Period

2009-2017

Table 57: European Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Breakdown by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 58: European Glucose Monitoring Devices Addressable

Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 59: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Europe:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 60: European Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

FRANCE

Table 61: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in France by

Product Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 62: French Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Market

Scenario in US$ Million by Product Type: 2009-2017

Table 63: French Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 64: Glucose Monitoring Devices Quantitative Demand

Analysis in France in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 65: French Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Market

Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 66: French Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and

2025

GERMANY

Table 67: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Germany: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Product

Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 68: German Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Million by Product Type: 2009-2017

Table 69: German Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Breakdown by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 70: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Germany: Annual

Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 71: German Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in

Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 72: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Distribution

in Germany by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ITALY

Table 73: Italian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Growth

Prospects in US$ Million by Product Type for the Period

2018-2025

Table 74: Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Market Analysis

in Italy in US$ Million by Product Type: 2009-2017

Table 75: Italian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market by Product

Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 76: Italian Demand for Glucose Monitoring Devices in US$

Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 77: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Review in Italy in

US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 78: Italian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

UNITED KINGDOM

Table 79: United Kingdom Market for Glucose Monitoring Devices:

Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by

Product Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 80: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in the United

Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Product Type

for the Period 2009-2017

Table 81: United Kingdom Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Share Analysis by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 82: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for

Glucose Monitoring Devices in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to

2025

Table 83: United Kingdom Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in

US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 84: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Shift in the

United Kingdom by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

SPAIN

Table 85: Spanish Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 86: Spanish Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Market

Review by Product Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017

Table 87: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Spain:

Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Product Type for 2009,

2019, and 2025

Table 88: Spanish Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to

2025

Table 89: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Spain:

Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by

End-Use for 2009-2017

Table 90: Spanish Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

RUSSIA

Table 91: Russian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Estimates

and Projections in US$ Million by Product Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 92: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Russia by

Product Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017

Table 93: Russian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Breakdown by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 94: Russian Glucose Monitoring Devices Latent Demand

Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 95: Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Demand Patterns

in Russia by End-Use in US$ Million for 2009-2017

Table 96: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Breakdown in

Russia by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF EUROPE

Table 97: Rest of Europe Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product Type:

2018-2025

Table 98: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Rest of Europe

in US$ Million by Product Type: A Historic Review for the

Period 2009-2017

Table 99: Rest of Europe Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Share Breakdown by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 100: Rest of Europe Glucose Monitoring Devices

Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use:

2018-2025

Table 101: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Rest of Europe:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 102: Rest of Europe Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ASIA-PACIFIC

Table 103: Asia-Pacific Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country:

2018-2025

Table 104: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Asia-Pacific:

Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 105: Asia-Pacific Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 106: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Asia-Pacific by

Product Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 107: Asia-Pacific Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic

Market Scenario in US$ Million by Product Type: 2009-2017

Table 108: Asia-Pacific Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 109: Glucose Monitoring Devices Quantitative Demand

Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 110: Asia-Pacific Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic

Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 111: Asia-Pacific Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and

2025

AUSTRALIA

Table 112: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Australia:

Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by

Product Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 113: Australian Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Million by Product Type: 2009-2017

Table 114: Australian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Breakdown by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 115: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Australia:

Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use

for the Period 2018-2025

Table 116: Australian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in

Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 117: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Distribution

in Australia by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

INDIA

Table 118: Indian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 119: Indian Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Market

Review by Product Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017

Table 120: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in India:

Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Product Type for 2009,

2019, and 2025

Table 121: Indian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to

2025

Table 122: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in India:

Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by

End-Use for 2009-2017

Table 123: Indian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

SOUTH KOREA

Table 124: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in South Korea:

Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by

Product Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 125: South Korean Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Million by Product Type: 2009-2017

Table 126: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Distribution

in South Korea by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 127: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in South Korea:

Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by

End-Use for the Period 2018-2025

Table 128: South Korean Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 129: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Distribution

in South Korea by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC

Table 130: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Glucose Monitoring

Devices: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million

by Product Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 131: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Rest of

Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Product

Type for the Period 2009-2017

Table 132: Rest of Asia-Pacific Glucose Monitoring Devices

Market Share Analysis by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 133: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts

for Glucose Monitoring Devices in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018

to 2025

Table 134: Rest of Asia-Pacific Glucose Monitoring Devices

Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 135: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Shift in

Rest of Asia-Pacific by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

LATIN AMERICA

Table 136: Latin American Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Trends by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018-2025

Table 137: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Latin America

in US$ Million by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 138: Latin American Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019,

and 2025

Table 139: Latin American Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Product Type for the Period

2018-2025

Table 140: Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Market Analysis

in Latin America in US$ Million by Product Type: 2009-2017

Table 141: Latin American Glucose Monitoring Devices Market by

Product Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and

2025

Table 142: Latin American Demand for Glucose Monitoring Devices

in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 143: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Review in Latin

America in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 144: Latin American Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ARGENTINA

Table 145: Argentinean Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product Type:

2018-2025

Table 146: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Argentina in

US$ Million by Product Type: A Historic Review for the Period

2009-2017

Table 147: Argentinean Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Breakdown by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 148: Argentinean Glucose Monitoring Devices Addressable

Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 149: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Argentina:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 150: Argentinean Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

BRAZIL

Table 151: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Brazil by

Product Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 152: Brazilian Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Market

Scenario in US$ Million by Product Type: 2009-2017

Table 153: Brazilian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 154: Glucose Monitoring Devices Quantitative Demand

Analysis in Brazil in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 155: Brazilian Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Market

Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 156: Brazilian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and

2025

MEXICO

Table 157: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Mexico: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Product

Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 158: Mexican Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Million by Product Type: 2009-2017

Table 159: Mexican Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Breakdown by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 160: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Mexico: Annual

Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 161: Mexican Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in

Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 162: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Distribution

in Mexico by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF LATIN AMERICA

Table 163: Rest of Latin America Glucose Monitoring Devices

Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Product

Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 164: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Rest of Latin

America by Product Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for

2009-2017

Table 165: Rest of Latin America Glucose Monitoring Devices

Market Share Breakdown by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 166: Rest of Latin America Glucose Monitoring Devices

Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 167: Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Demand Patterns

in Rest of Latin America by End-Use in US$ Million for

2009-2017

Table 168: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Breakdown in

Rest of Latin America by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

MIDDLE EAST

Table 169: The Middle East Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country:

2018-2025

Table 170: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in the Middle East

by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009-2017

Table 171: The Middle East Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 172: The Middle East Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product Type: 2018 to

2025

Table 173: The Middle East Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic

Market by Product Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017

Table 174: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in the Middle

East: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Product Type for

2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 175: The Middle East Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to

2025

Table 176: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in the Middle

East: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million

by End-Use for 2009-2017

Table 177: The Middle East Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

IRAN

Table 178: Iranian Market for Glucose Monitoring Devices:

Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by

Product Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 179: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Iran: Historic

Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Product Type for the Period

2009-2017

Table 180: Iranian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 181: Iranian Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Glucose

Monitoring Devices in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 182: Iranian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in US$

Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 183: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Shift in

Iran by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ISRAEL

Table 184: Israeli Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product Type: 2018-2025

Table 185: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Israel in US$

Million by Product Type: A Historic Review for the Period

2009-2017

Table 186: Israeli Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Breakdown by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 187: Israeli Glucose Monitoring Devices Addressable

Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 188: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Israel:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 189: Israeli Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

SAUDI ARABIA

Table 190: Saudi Arabian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Product Type for the Period

2018-2025

Table 191: Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Market Analysis

in Saudi Arabia in US$ Million by Product Type: 2009-2017

Table 192: Saudi Arabian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market by

Product Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and

2025

Table 193: Saudi Arabian Demand for Glucose Monitoring Devices

in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 194: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Review in Saudi

Arabia in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 195: Saudi Arabian Glucose Monitoring Devices Market

Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Table 196: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in the United Arab

Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$

Million by Product Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 197: United Arab Emirates Glucose Monitoring Devices

Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Product Type:

2009-2017

Table 198: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Distribution

in United Arab Emirates by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 199: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in the United Arab

Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$

Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025

Table 200: United Arab Emirates Glucose Monitoring Devices

Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 201: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Distribution

in United Arab Emirates by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF MIDDLE EAST

Table 202: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Rest of Middle

East: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million

by Product Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 203: Rest of Middle East Glucose Monitoring Devices

Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Product Type:

2009-2017

Table 204: Rest of Middle East Glucose Monitoring Devices

Market Share Breakdown by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 205: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Rest of Middle

East: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by

End-Use for the Period 2018-2025

Table 206: Rest of Middle East Glucose Monitoring Devices

Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 207: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Distribution

in Rest of Middle East by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

AFRICA

Table 208: African Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Estimates

and Projections in US$ Million by Product Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 209: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market in Africa by

Product Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017

Table 210: African Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share

Breakdown by Product Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 211: African Glucose Monitoring Devices Latent Demand

Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 212: Glucose Monitoring Devices Historic Demand Patterns

in Africa by End-Use in US$ Million for 2009-2017

Table 213: Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Share Breakdown in

Africa by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025





IV. COMPETITION



Total Companies Profiled: 77

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As a major foreign investment hub, China is hit hard by the new strain of coronavirus, now known as Covid-19, but this also provides an opportunity for other countries to accelerate efforts to attract new foreign investment.

Workers assemble small-sized electric motors at the Japan-owned Mabuchi Motor Viet Nam at the Bien Hoa II Industrial Park in Dong Nai Province.

One big US corporation is planning a multi-billion dollar project in Asia and its prospective investment location is either China or Viet Nam.

With disturbance caused by Covid-19 in China, they may choose Viet Nam, Do Nhat Hoang, director of Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, was quoted as saying on baodautu.vn.

They will make final decision in March, Hoang said.

Last week, a group of Korean and US investors came to Viet Nam to study investment opportunities in liquefied natural gas (LNG) power projects.

As the world talks about the impacts of Covid-19 on tourism, trade and investment, this also can be seen as an opportunity for Viet Nams economy.

The representative of Korean investor group  which include Korea Gas Corporation, Korea Electric Power Corporation and Hanwha Group  said they wanted to invest in LNG port and gas power plants in Viet Nam.

However, Hoang also pointed out the Covid-19 impact was real, with not only production and business activities interrupted, but also plans to visit Viet Nam to seek investment opportunities cancelled.

In a recent report to the Government, the Ministry of Planning and Investment said activities to explore investment potential in Viet Nam by investors from China and other countries would likely be delayed, including seminars, investment forums and business visits.

Consumer demand, especially for non-essential goods, would decline sharply, causing a standstill in production due to large inventories. New investors would hesitate to make investment decision at this time, while for invested projects, investors would likely postpone the increase in investment capital, the report said.

Global experts have raised concerns over the worlds over-reliance on China and predicted a shift in both global supply chains and investment.

Investors will have to reassess production and investment plans to avoid risks and the rearrangement of global production networks will be an opportunity for Viet Nam to lure a large number of foreign businesses and investments, according to the Vietnamese National Centre for Socio-Economic Information and Forecast.

At a press conference last week, chief representative of Jetro Ha Noi Takeo Nakajima said 122 Japanese enterprises would switch manufacturing locations out of China in the future and 42.3 per cent of them might choose Viet Nam as the next location.

Japanese businesses wanting to relocate from China was not just because of its trade war with the US but also to avoid the rising input cost in this market, Nakajima said.

Two scenarios for FDI in 2020

Foreseeable investment inflows to Viet Nam will be affected due to Covid-19 but high economic growth will provide a buffer for the country.

According to Nguyen Bich Lam, general director of the General Statistics Office (GSO), Viet Nam is in favourable position to attract more foreign investments, including the relocation plans of foreign investments in China to evade the US-China trade war and many free trade agreements (FTA) that Viet Nam has signed, including CPTPP and EU-Viet Nam FTA.

GSO has prepared two scenarios for FDI in 2020 which are lower than initial expectation but still higher than 2019.

If Covid-19 epidemic is brought under control in the first quarter, Viet Nam is expected to lure US$38.6 billion of foreign capital in 2020, while if the epidemic ends in the second quarter, the country will only attract $38.2 billion.

In the initial prediction without Covid-19 epidemic, Viet Nam would likely rake in $39.6 billion.

In the first 20 days of January this year, $5.3 billion of FDI landed on Viet Nam, a surge of 179.5 per cent year-on-year.

This is an opportunity for Viet Nam to fine-tune policies to attract investors who are intending to narrow production in neighboring countries and invest in Viet Nam, Lam said, urging investment promotion agencies to proactively work with foreign investors who have plans to invest in the country to discuss the preliminary investment procedures, not only waiting for the epidemic to be completely controlled.

In the long term, it was necessary to continue improving the investment and business environment, amending policies and strategies to attract quality foreign investments, he added.  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.
An eyewitness described for a Superior Court jury Tuesday about her friends final moments before they were gunned down in the early hours of Oct. 1, 2017 in the busy parking lot of downtown Torontos Rebel nightclub.

All I remember was an arm coming out of the vehicle and shooting him in the head, the grim-faced 22-year-old woman said, testifying to her memory of seeing a gunman inside a black SUV shooting Zemarai Khan Mohammed.

What did you do next? asked Crown attorney Anna Tenhouse.

(I) went into panic mode ... I was running backwards, everyone was running backwards, the woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, said in a quivering voice. That was then she noticed Tyler McLean collapsed on the ground. At first, she thought the nightclub promoter had fainted, and then she realized he had been shot.

Abdirisaq Ali and Tanade Mohamed are both charged with second-degree murder in the double killing.

Defence lawyer Richard Posner has already told the jury his client was the triggerman who killed both men. The jury has seen surveillance camera footage clearly establishing Mohamed and Ali at the club that evening.

Because prosecutors are still calling evidence, the jury has not heard the defence theory of the case.

The prosecution alleges the fatal shootings stemmed from a confrontation the two accused had with two valet attendants over their refusal to pay a $30 parking fee. Tanade Mohamed then got into a brief dispute with McLean, which was broken up by a paid-duty police officer. McLean and Mohammed were shot moments later as they walked to their car in the parking lot with two women, including one on the witness stand Tuesday.

But her testimony ended abruptly after she took exception to Posners cross-examination.

Are you calling me a liar? she snapped after the defence lawyer asked her to explain an inconsistent memory about where she had been drinking before arriving at the club to meet McLean.

After denying that he had called her a liar, Posner returned to questioning her about what, and how much, she had to drink, which prompted another angry response.

I was very intoxicated, but I know what I saw ... I saw two people die that night, the woman said and then asked for a break.

She left the court followed by a support dog and the animals handler. About half an hour later it was announced the case, which began in front of a jury last week, had ended for the day.

The trial continues Wednesday.
Five years ago this month, ISIS executed 21 Christian men on a beach Libya. Their masked executors stood in all black behind the men, who knelt in a line wearing orange jumpsuits. After the Islamic State released a video of their murders, images of this massacre of Coptic Christians reverberated around the world.

While this particular act of violence caught the attention of millions around the world, Egyptian Christians have long experienced persecution, says Archbishop Angaelos, who serves in London.

The interesting thing is, we live it with a sense of resilience, but we have never fallen into a state of victimhood or triumphalism, he said. We realize that it is the cross of Christ. It's not the end of the road because there is a resurrection that comes after the cross and the empty tomb. And so it is in that hope that we continue to live. And it's in that hope that we continue to carry that cross, knowing that it will be removed from us.

Archbishop Angaelos, who still remembers the day he learned of the news, joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and editor in chief Daniel Harrell this week to discuss why this act of persecution so greatly impacted the global church, the identity of the only non-Egyptian martyr, and whether the church will experience the same decline as it has in the rest of the Middle East.

What is Quick to Listen? Read more

Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts

Follow the podcast on Twitter

Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Daniel Harrell

Follow our guest on Twitter: Archbishop Angaelos

Listen to Quick to Listen: Episode 38: How the Coptic Christian Church Endures

Learn more about the 21 Martyrs film

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Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee ...

1
Ikea stores are a unique shopping experience. For most people, it's more of a shopping event, and it's easy to spend hours roaming through its maze of showrooms. There's also the fact that those stores are usually located far on the outskirts of cities, meaning it's often a trip just to get there.

It seems that Ikea recognizes that challenge, and came up with a creative solution for customers of its newest store in Dubai. Using Google Maps, the company launched a program that allowed shoppers at its Jebel Ali store (which opened in December) to earn credit for the time they spent driving to the store. A spokesperson for the company has confirmed to me that the promotion has since expired, but there's a lesson here worth a closer look.

First, here's how it worked: When a customer traveled to the new Ikea store, they simply showed their Google Maps Timeline to a store employee, and they received credit for that time. Ikea says that credit amounted to the average hourly wage for workers in that area, which is about the equivalent of $28.

The store even displayed the cost of some items in the store in units of time, in addition to the price. It turned out that an hourlong trip to the store was worth enough for a Lack coffee table. A two-hour trip was enough for a free Billy bookshelf.

I think the promotion is brilliant--even if it is just a marketing campaign to promote a new store. Any time you can turn one of your biggest challenges into a win for your customer, that's still a win. And it's also a very creative use of technology.

I've written before about how Google Maps is literally tracking you everywhere, and specifically about the Timeline feature, which shows you a visual record of where you travel and the routes you take. Generally, I like to turn off that location history feature, but if Ikea wants to give me free stuff as a result of my trip, I think I'm willing to make an exception.

The entire thing is also a great lesson for every entrepreneur about how to identify the pain points in your business and turn them into a great experience for your customers. Maybe your customers aren't traveling hours to get to your location, but there's a good chance that there's some area you could get creative about improving that would delight your customers for doing what they already do anyway.
Images of alarming sulphur dioxide forecasts in Wuhan are not a sign of mass cremations, experts have said.

Maps from the weather service Windy.com were widely shared online last week, purporting to show high SO2 levels at ground zero of the coronavirus outbreak.

It prompted speculation that the gas was being emitted in vast quantities because of a surge in cremations.

But Windy.com says its maps are a forecast rather than a current snapshot, meaning they could not be reflecting events in recent days.

China's environment ministry has also rejected the claims, insisting that SO2 levels in Wuhan are normal.

This map was widely shared last week, purporting to show high SO2 levels in Wuhan - but the website Windy.com says it is a forecast, not a snapshot which could reflect current events

Windy.com gets its SO2 data from a NASA model called GEOS-5, but does not display archive data, the website says. The images which circulated on social media are not satellite pictures.

NASA meteorologist Dr Arlindo M da Silva told Full Fact the forecasts are based on past data and do not 'assimilate real satellite data'.

'These emissions do not account for the day-to-day variations in SO2 emissions and as such cannot account for sudden changes in human activity,' he explained.

'In [the model], day-to-day variations in SO2 are due to variations in the meteorological conditions, in particular winds.'

The images which circulated on social media had suggested that SO2 levels in Wuhan could reach a staggering 1,350 micrograms per cubic metre (g/m3).

For comparison, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says a dosage of 500 g/m3 should not be exceeded for more than 10 minutes.

However, Chinese authorities say that the figures 'could not be trusted'.

The country's National Environmental Monitoring Centre said the forecast was a 'serious distortion', according to the state-run Global Times.

Sulphur dioxide readings in Wuhan were never higher than 11.5 g/m3 in the week up to February 9, the centre said.

The Czech-based website's data for Beijing and other cities also 'deviated greatly from the facts', they said.

Wuhan has been in lockdown for weeks with 11million people in quarantine, meaning that claims about the city are difficult to verify.

China has decreed that the bodies of coronavirus victims should be cremated in low-key funerals to prevent large public gatherings.

The country's National Health Commission said earlier this month that bodies should be 'cremated close by and immediately'.

Health workers in protective suits stand by the body of a man wearing a face mask who died in Wuhan. China has decreed that virus victims be quickly cremated

Sulphur dioxide is released in cremations and when medical waste is incinerated, but also when fossil fuels are burned.

The World Health Organisation says that high or prolonged exposure to sulphur dioxide can cause 'serious risks to health'.

The gas can play a role in health problems such as asthma, lung inflammation and reduced lung function, experts say.

'SO2 can affect the respiratory system and the functions of the lungs, and causes irritation of the eyes,' the WHO says.

'Inflammation of the respiratory tract causes coughing, mucus secretion, aggravation of asthma and chronic bronchitis and makes people more prone to infections of the respiratory tract.

'Hospital admissions for cardiac disease and mortality increase on days with higher SO2 levels.

'When SO2 combines with water, it forms sulphuric acid; this is the main component of acid rain which is a cause of deforestation.'

The total coronavirus death toll jumped to 1,770 today after 105 more people died, China's National Health Commission said.

More than 70,500 have now been infected nationwide by the virus, which first emerged in December in Hubei province before spreading across the country.

Outside China, the biggest cluster of infections is from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, where an additional 99 cases were revealed on Monday.

That brought the total to 454 diagnosed despite passengers being confined to their cabins during a 14-day quarantine.
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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has complained that India has not treated his country "very well" on the trade front and indicated that a "very big" bilateral deal with New Delhi may not be signed before the American presidential election in November.

"Well, we can have a trade deal with India, but I'm really saving the big deal for later on," Trump, who is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25, told on Tuesday when asked whether he expects a trade deal with India before his trip.

"We're not treated very well by India," the US president complained.

Trump, forcefully pursuing his 'America First" policy, has previously described India as a "tariff king" for imposing "tremendously high" tariffs on American products.

"We're doing a very big trade deal with India. We'll have it. I don't know if it'll be done before the election (in November), but we'll have a very big deal with India," he said during an interaction with reporters at the Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.

The US and India could sign a "trade package" during Trump's maiden visit, according to media reports.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the point-person for trade negotiations with India, may not accompany Trump to India, sources said.

However, officials have not ruled it out altogether.

Multiple rounds of talks have taken place between Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Lighthizer in the past few weeks over telephone.

ALSO READ | Chances of India-US trade deal during Trump's visit thin: Sources

India is demanding exemption from high duties imposed by the US on certain steel and aluminium products, resumption of export benefits to certain domestic products under their Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), greater market access for its products from sectors including agriculture, automobile, auto components and engineering.

On the other hand, the US wants greater market access for its farm and manufacturing products, dairy items and medical devices, and cut on import duties on some ICT products.

The US has also raised concerns over high trade deficit with India which was USD 16.9 billion in 2018-19.

Though President Trump is not happy with the bilateral trade ties, he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he is looking forward to his visit to India.

"I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot," Trump said.

"He (Modi) told me we'll have seven million people between the airport and the event. And the stadium, I understand, is sort of semi under construction, but it's going to be the largest stadium in the world. So it's going to be very exciting. I hope you all enjoy it," he told reporters.

Trump was referring to a scheduled joint public rally with Modi at the newly-built Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad, capital of Gujarat.

Meanwhile, the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) in a report said the latest quarterly data depict the continuation of overall positive bilateral trade trends.

The third-quarter data reflects some downslide in growth rates.

"It may be due to several reasons, including the unexpected economic slowdown in India's economic growth, the impact of US-China trade war, GSP withdrawal from the US side and retaliatory tariffs on specific US goods from the Indian side," it said.

ALSO READ | 'Namaste Trump': Water released into Yamuna to improve its 'environmental condition'

According to the report, the data available for the first three quarters of 2019 (January-September) pulled the overall growth rate in cumulative bilateral trade down to 4.5 per cent from 8.4 per cent registered for the first two quarters.

Goods and services trade performance in third quarter was dismal at -2.3 per cent, in contrast with the impressive 9.6 per cent growth witnessed for the first two quarters of the year; while trade in services was up two per cent goods trade dropped five per cent, the report said.

The cumulative US-India trade in goods and services (USD 110.9 billion) for the first three quarters of 2019 increased by 4.5 per cent with US exports and imports growing at four per cent and five per cent respectively.

The US exported USD 45.3 billion worth of goods and services to India in the first three quarters 2019, up 4 per cent from the corresponding period in the previous year; and the US imported USD 65.6 billion worth of goods and services from India, up five per cent from the previous year's USD 62.5 billion level for the same period, it said.

The USISPF has projected that the total bilateral trade can touch USD 238 billion by 2025 if the current 7.5 per cent average annual rate of growth sustains; however, higher growth rates can result in bilateral trade in the range of USD 283 billion and USD 327 billion.

The US remains the top trading partner for India in terms of trade in goods and services, followed by China.

While the bilateral trade between US and India is approximately 62 per cent in goods and 38 per cent in services, the bilateral trade between India and China is dominated by goods.

India's trade with China grew 13 per cent in 2018, while India's goods trade with the US increased 18 per cent.

China had a huge trade surplus of USD 58 billion with India, indicating Beijing's strength in the Indian market, especially in sectors like electronics, machinery, organic chemicals and medical devices.

The US goods exports to India, in comparison, were mainly concentrated in mineral fuels, precious stones, and aircraft.

The US faces tough competition with China in the Indian market in areas such as electronics, machinery, organic chemicals and medical devices.
US President Donald Trump has said he is "saving the big deal" with India for later and does not know if it will be signed before the presidential election in November, signalling that a bilateral trade pact may not materialise during his maiden visit to New Delhi next week.

Trump, forcefully pursuing his 'America first" policy, has previously described India as a "tariff king" for imposing "tremendously high" tariffs on American products, also expressed dissatisfaction over the US-India trade ties.

"Well, we can have a trade deal with India, but I'm really saving the big deal for later on," Trump, who is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25, told reporters at the Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on Tuesday when asked whether he expects a trade deal with India before the visit.

"We're doing a very big trade deal with India. We'll have it. I don't know if it'll be done before the election, but we'll have a very big deal with India," he said.

During his interaction with journalists, Trump once again voiced his concern over US-India trade relations.

"We're not treated very well by India," the US president said.

The US and India could sign a "trade package" during Trump's visit, according to media reports.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the point-person for trade negotiations with India, may not accompany Trump to India, sources said. However, officials have not ruled it out altogether.

Multiple rounds of talks have taken place between Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Lighthizer in the past few weeks over telephone.

India is demanding exemption from high duties imposed by the US on certain steel and aluminium products, resumption of export benefits to certain domestic products under their Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), greater market access for its products from sectors including agriculture, automobile, auto components and engineering.

On the other hand, the US wants greater market access for its farm and manufacturing products, dairy items and medical devices, and cut on import duties on some ICT products. The US has also raised concerns over high trade deficit with India which was USD 16.9 billion in 2018-19.

Though President Trump is not happy with the bilateral trade ties, he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he is looking forward to his visit to India.

"I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot," Trump said.

"He (Modi) told me we'll have seven million people between the airport and the event. And the stadium, I understand, is sort of semi under construction, but it's going to be the largest stadium in the world. So it's going to be very exciting... I hope you all enjoy it," he told reporters.

Trump was referring to a scheduled joint public rally with Modi at the newly-built Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad, capital of Gujarat.

Meanwhile, the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) in a report said the latest quarterly data depict continuation of overall positive bilateral trade trends. The third quarter data reflects some downslide in growth rates.

"It may be due to several reasons, including the unexpected economic slowdown in India's economic growth, impact of US-China trade war, GSP withdrawal from the US side and retaliatory tariffs on specific US goods from the Indian side," it said.

According to the report, the data available for the first three quarters of 2019 (January-September) pulled the overall growth rate in cumulative bilateral trade down to 4.5 per cent from 8.4 per cent registered for the first two quarters.

Goods and services trade performance in third quarter was dismal at -2.3 per cent, in contrast with the impressive 9.6 per cent growth witnessed for the first two quarters of the year; while trade in services was up two per cent goods trade dropped five per cent, the report said.

The cumulative US-India trade in goods and services (USD 110.9 billion) for the first three quarters of 2019 increased 4.5 per cent with US exports and imports growing at four percent and five per cent respectively.

The US exported USD 45.3 billion worth of goods and services to India in the first three quarters 2019, up 4 per cent from the corresponding period in the previous year; and the US imported USD 65.6 billion worth of goods and services from India, up five per cent from the previous year's USD 62.5 billion level for the same period, it said.

The USISPF has projected that the total bilateral trade can touch USD 238 billion by 2025 if the current 7.5 per cent average annual rate of growth sustains; however, higher growth rates can result in bilateral trade in the range of USD 283 billion and USD 327 billion.

The US remains the top trading partner for India in terms of trade in goods and services, followed by China. While the bilateral trade between US and India is approximately 62 per cent in goods and 38 per cent in services, the bilateral trade between India and China is dominated by goods.

India's trade with China grew 13 per cent in 2018, while India's goods trade with the US increased 18 per cent.

China had a huge trade surplus of USD 58 billion with India, indicating Beijing's strength in the Indian market, especially in sectors like electronics, machinery, organic chemicals and medical devices.

The US goods exports to India, in comparison, were mainly concentrated in mineral fuels, precious stones, and aircraft. The US faces tough competition with China in the Indian market in areas such as electronics, machinery, organic chemicals and medical devices.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
What on earth is going on at Britain's biggest bank, HSBC? One can understand chairman Mark Tucker's caution in not going to the substitutes' bench too quickly when choosing a permanent new chief executive.

But allowing the substitute to do the hard work, to hit some difficult goals and then to put him on the transfer list is not on.

HSBC is, in many ways, the best-placed bank for growth in the world. Its domination in the Pacific, in more normal times, would be a licence to print money.

Pressure's on: Noel Quinn, who became HSBC's interim chief in August after John Flint was ousted, has outlined a sweeping shake-up of the bank

In the last year it has been battered by events: the political upheavals in Hong Kong and the coronavirus next door in China.

Unless these factors prove a long- term threat to President Xi Jinping's capitalism-friendly autocracy, then there is no need to worry.

Banking can be a fashion enterprise. Interim chief executive Noel Quinn is a commercial banker whereas his predecessor but one, Stuart Gulliver, was strong on investment banking.

Gulliver argued that HSBC needed to be a full service investment bank which could offer its Asian and Middle East clients all that they need.

This certainly worked for HSBC in the Saudi Aramco float when it hurdled over Goldman and others who courted Riyadh for years.

Instead of building on the advantage which comes from being non-American and Asian-focused, Quinn is shrinking the investment bank.

Most of the assets being axed are in Europe and the US. But without a substantial presence in those markets, HSBC will cut itself off from global corporate clients seeking to access Asia.

The other major strategic change, a cull of one-third of its 224 US retail branches, looks undercooked. Some 35,000 jobs will go, including some at Canary Wharf.

Given the current health of UK employment, this should not be too disruptive. Profits way below expectations due to large write-offs sent shares down by 6.6 per cent.

Quinn had better hope that he will not become the sacrificial lamb for sub-octane earnings and an unconvincing revamp.

Over the coals

Glencore is a mining powerhouse with a fraught background.

Its history of operating in difficult territories such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has attracted the interest of the US Justice Department.

The continued commitment to coal when other big mining groups such as Rio Tinto have pulled out makes it contentious for the green lobby.

The group is doing its best to normalise governance. An older generation of executives who brought Glencore to the London market are retreating and the group's chief executive Ivan Glasenberg is signalling that he intends to make way within three years.

The super-fit 63-year-old continues to create wealth, collecting a dividend income of 202million for 2019.

He has set the group some carbon reduction targets which include the depletion of coal, oil and gas resources. In any case, thermal coal output falls well below the 25 per cent disinvestment target set by the world's biggest investor Blackrock.

Regulatory clouds mean that Glencore trades at a much lower ratio of price-to-earnings than its peers.

Strip out the coal and it has a green profile as a large producer of cobalt and copper, two important ingredients of the e-revolution in motoring.

The fact that production is in the DRC and other problem geographies means that the shadow of green activism will be an ongoing factor for increasingly 'woke' investors.

The financial results are not impressive  it reported a $400million (307.7billion) loss against a $3.4billion (2.6billion) profit last time. Most of this is due to writedowns of assets, rather than underlying trading.

Yes Glencore has difficulties. Strip away coal and the possibility of some outsized fines, and there is value to be had.

Ground zero

Outrage from the GMB union that there were 974,000 people in the UK on zero-hour contracts at the end of 2019, an increase of 130,000 on 2018.

No mention that 180,000 people found jobs in the final three months of the year, that the unemployment rate, at 3.8 per cent of the workforce, is the lowest since 1975 and record numbers are in work.

What does the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management make of this? It notes zero-hour contracts 'increased modestly' and research shows that 'the majority of zero-hour contract workers are satisfied with arrangements'.

QED.
This story is a collaboration between the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois.

The Illinois State Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt permanent rules that prohibit the use of locked seclusion rooms and stop schools from using prone restraint, making Illinois rules more restrictive than theyve ever been.

But under pressure from a group of special-education schools, the board stopped short of enacting a ban of involuntary, closed-door timeout in the states schools as it had planned after a Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois investigation in November revealed widespread misuse of isolated timeout and restraint in Illinois schools.

ISBE will allow schools to place students alone in seclusion rooms when they are engaging in extreme physical aggression and it would be unsafe for an adult to be in the room with them. But seclusion rooms can no longer have locks and employees cant hold the doors shut to keep children inside.

The measures still must be approved by a separate state rule-making agency before they become permanent. To put them in place immediately, ISBE simultaneously submitted them as emergency rules.

ISBE Chair Darren Reisberg acknowledged that disability advocates feel the rules dont go far enough, while some educators think they go too far and could create dangerous situations at school.

It is not going to be perfect.  We will have to see how this plays out, he said. He suggested reviewing their effectiveness in six months.

While modified from ISBEs original plan, the new rules are still stricter than the previous law, which was enacted 20 years ago and allowed locks on the doors. The changes were prompted by The Quiet Rooms investigation in November, which found that school districts across the state were using the interventions as punishment and in other ways that violated the law.

The investigation prompted Illinois education officials to write emergency rules about seclusion and restraint that schools had to follow while awaiting the permanent ones the ISBE board voted on Tuesday.

In addition to banning locks, the new rules list specific scenarios when timeout and restraint are prohibited. The previous rules directed schools to use seclusion only for safety reasons, but the new ones go further, spelling out that seclusion isnt to be used as discipline or punishment, convenience for staff, retaliation, a substitute for appropriate educational or behavioral support, a routine safety matter, or to prevent property damage.

Students also have to be released from isolated timeout immediately when they no longer are in imminent danger of seriously hurting themselves or others. This is a departure from the prior law that allowed a student to remain in isolation for 30 minutes after the behavior ended.

The permanent rules also set stronger requirements for staff training and parental notification and, for the first time, state monitoring. Schools must notify ISBE within 48 hours of putting students in timeout or restraining them. In the past, schools were required to document the interventions but there was no official oversight.

The rules draw a distinction between isolated time out, which is an involuntary confinement of a student alone, and a student-requested break, which can include time in a sensory room with tools to help a student calm. Schools now must ensure that students have access to food, water and bathrooms, and employees cant take away clothing, including shoes. The Quiet Rooms investigation exposed instances when students urinated or defecated in seclusion rooms and were required to remove their shoes, hooded sweatshirts and other items before being placed inside.

ISBE opted to allow supine, or face-up, floor restraint only in emergencies that present an imminent danger. The rules also will force schools to conduct a supine review when students have been restrained in a supine position twice in a 30-day period. The review is meant to require school workers to consider whether the restraint is effective and whether theres another, less-restrictive way to manage the students behavior.

Cheryl Jansen, public policy director for the state disabilities watchdog organization Equip for Equality, was not happy with the boards decision to move away from a total ban on isolated timeout.

We believe the proposed rules have been seriously weakened and that they fail to adequately protect students from these dangerous and traumatic practices, Jansen told board members before they voted.

The rules now go to the state Joint Committee on Administrative Rules for a second notice, then approval. They would be enacted this spring when the emergency rules expire. Separately, state lawmakers are considering a full ban on seclusion, as well as other measures that could override ISBEs rules.

While the final rules are a step forward from where the state was a year ago, the General Assembly should still act to protect children in this state by banning involuntary isolation, said Kyle Hillman, director of legislative affairs for the National Association of Social Workers.

In November, state schools Superintendent Carmen Ayala and ISBE immediately banned isolated timeout saying they were appalled and deeply saddened by the horrifying instances detailed in The Quiet Rooms stories.

ISBE then moved to make the ban permanent, as several other states, including Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Hawaii, have done. Texas bans seclusion for students with disabilities; in Illinois, students with disabilities are secluded most often, but the rules provide no additional protections for them.

ISBE recently completed its own investigations into seclusion at eight school districts highlighted in the Tribune/ProPublica Illinois series, finding that six of them used it unlawfully. And the state board collected three years worth of seclusion and restraint incident reports from every school in the state.

Many of the same special-education schools that have relied on seclusion and restraint to control student behavior pushed back on an all-out ban, arguing that the practice is necessary to keep students and employees safe from the most physically aggressive children.

Cynthia Pratt, a special-education teacher at Colene Hoose school in Normal, told ISBE members Tuesday that the new rules take a step in the right direction, particularly by permitting students to be isolated alone. She asked, however, that locks be allowed on rooms to keep students from running away. She also said ISBE should require all school employees to be trained in de-escalation techniques, not only employees who work most often with students with disabilities.

If we are serious about helping students, we have to be serious about the training of all the staff, Pratt said.

More than 300 members of the public sent comments to ISBE as part of the rule revision process. Nearly half the comments came from people affiliated with just 10 Illinois schools or districts, a fraction of the more than 900 public and private school entities in the state.

At least 45 of the comments came from a single private school: Giant Steps, based in suburban Lisle, which serves about 160 students with autism.

Giant Steps, which has four seclusion rooms, advocated for what it called deviations from the law because employees felt some of their students needed involuntary timeout. Employees there told reporters last week that only about eight students at the school exhibit behaviors that warrant seclusion.

The school hosted an open house for legislators last month and provided ISBE with proposed rules language, according to the schools director and lawmakers.

Giant Steps employees and supporters said theyve pushed hard to keep isolated seclusion legal because the school wouldnt otherwise be able to keep students with the most challenging behavior in school during a crisis.

We are able to help most students manage their behavior. However, without these tools, helping students who are in an intense crisis becomes very difficult, said the schools director, Sylvia Smith.

Many of the educators who weighed in on the rules during the 45-day comment period agreed that some of their colleagues seclusion practices had been rightly criticized, but they wanted exceptions to stricter seclusion and restraint rules for themselves.

Commenters from the A.E.R.O. Special Education Cooperative in Burbank spoke out en masse in favor of prone, or face-down, restraint. A.E.R.O used prone restraint at least 530 times in the 15-month period examined by reporters for The Quiet Rooms, by far the most often of the 100 school districts analyzed for the investigation.

Kevin Rubenstein, president of the Illinois Alliance of Administrators of Special Education, said the latest version of the ISBE rules provides a good middle ground. He had previously called for a ban on all isolated timeout.

School districts are in a situation now where we need to do a lot of training, he said. A bright light has been shined upon a really dark corner and we will do a great amount of work to make sure students are safe in schools and that the practices that were identified in these articles are not continuing in inappropriate ways, he said.

Jennifer Smith Richards is a Chicago Tribune reporter. Jodi S. Cohen is a reporter for ProPublica Illinois.

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YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian signed a decree on dismissing Head of the Department for Working with Personnel of the Armed Forces Aleksan Aleksanyan, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The President signed the respective decree based on the Prime Ministers proposal.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Faced with the threat of a 30-hour debate by the Republican minority and a less-than-certain game plan by the Democratic majority, lawmakers have put off tentative plans for a Thursday vote on tolls legislation until at least next week, the top Senate leader said Tuesday night.

Both House and Senate Democrats remain unwilling to go first in debating the bill that would authorize truck tolls on a dozen highway bridges  an extraordinary acknowledgement of the continued distrust by members of each chamber that the other has the votes for passage.

Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, said the latest scenario for attempting passage is to split the bill in two, each authorizing tolls on six bridges  one bill beginning in the House and the other in the Senate. The bills would be exchanged by each chamber like hostages.

Both chambers would have to pass both bills, Looney said.

The Republican minority leaders, Sen. Len Fasano of North Haven and Rep. Themis Klarides of Derby, said the machinations by the Democratic majority are an affront to the General Assembly.

I thought last weeks flimflam was bad, Klarides said, referring an earlier plan to attempt synchronized votes and debates of identical bills. It was a miscarriage of the process. But this one is just beyond.

Fasano said Republicans not only will debate the bills at length, but withhold typical courtesies that lubricate the machinery of legislating  such as waiving a reading the bill.

They have a right to run any bill they want as the majority, but they dont have a right to bastardize the system, Fasano said. Im going to challenge them. They are going to read the bill [aloud]. They are going to read the amendments. They are not going to get away with this easily.

Looney said the promise of a 30-hour filibuster will require preparation by both chambers. Senate Democrats will caucus on Thursday to talk about what may come next.

We have to figure out a time next week to set aside 30 hours, if need be, Looney said.

The House will be begging for a 30-hour vote by the time this debate is said and done, Klarides said.

Democrats control the Senate, 22-14, and the House, 91-60. Looney has told the governor he can produce 18 votes, enough for passage with the help of a tie-breaking vote by Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz.

Republicans said Democrats have no grounds to accuse the GOP of dilatory tactics, since they are turning the process on its head.

If you are not going to respect the institution, dont ask me for respect, Fasano said.

House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, could not be reached Tuesday.

The governors office declined to comment beyond Gov. Ned Lamonts statement earlier Tuesday that his last communication with the leadership left him under the impression the vote would be Thursday.

Lamont and Looney spoke on Saturday.

The debate over tolls has turned into a saga.

A year ago, Lamont proposed a comprehensive system of tolls on cars and trucks at more than 50 locations on Interstates 84, 91 and 94, as well as the Merritt and Wilbur Cross parkways. It would have raised as much as $800 million annually.

When lawmakers refused to bring the measure to a vote, the administration countered with a downsized version of tolls on cars and trucks on 13 bridges. Legislative leaders could not find the votes for passage.

House Democratic leaders proposed a compromise accepted by Lamont and Senate Democratic leaders: tolls at 12 bridges, but only on tractor trailers. That would raise about $175 million annually.

We had assumed the House would go first when we compromised. The compromise was offered by the House, Looney said. They declined to go first.

The current plan is getting squeezed from both sides. Every Republican in the General Assembly promises to vote against any form of tolls  or new transportation revenue, for that matter. Some supporters of Lamonts ambitions for a plan to spend more than $19 billion on transportation over 10 years grumble that the compromise raises too little money.
realme, the fastest-growing smartphone brand, continues to expand its 5G portfolio with the realme X50 Pro 5G, which will be launched globally through a livestream hosted in Madrid, Spain.

The online event will happen on February 24, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. (UTC+01:00) on YouTube, Facebook and the companys official website realme.com. With the theme Speed of the Future, the online launch will underscore the brands remarkable growth and innovations and It is expected to welcome audience from more than 15 markets around the globe.

First Snapdragon 865 realme smartphone

As a global leader in 5G technology, realme proudly presents the realme X50 Pro 5G as among the first to be equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865.

Earlier this year, realme launched one of the worlds first 5G smartphones packed with the Snapdragon 765G -- the 5G Youth Flagship realme X50 5G. Realme continues to elevate the user experience by bringing its second 5G smartphone, the realme X50 Pro 5G, its first 5G flagship product built with the Snapdragon 865 5G mobile platform.

As a young brand, realme leverages its strong partnership with Qualcomm to take on the challenge of transitioning to a more advanced technology by enabling global consumers to enjoy the latest innovation instantly.

realme expands product portfolio as a tech-trendy brand

Since its entry in the market as a game-changer brand, realme has thrived with the brand concept of Dare to Leap and its highly competitive smartphone products. Total shipments of realme smartphones during the third quarter of 2019 exceeded 10 million, according to data from Counterpoint, ranking realme 7th around the world. Compared with the same period in 2018, realme has grown by 808 percent, making it the fastest-growing smartphone brand in the world. At the same time, realme as a global-oriented brand, has entered 25 markets worldwide, including China, India, Southeast Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Europe, thus strengthening its global foothold.

Locally, realme is also on full steam in offering real value to Filipino smartphone users. Just this February, global analysis firm Canalys reported realme Philippines is the top 4 smartphone brand in terms of sell-in shipments for the last quarter of 2019, having grown by 707 percent from the preceding year.

This 2020, realme is gearing up to be a "Popularizer of Tech Fashion & Fun" while maintaining its focus on the demands of its young market. With the combined portfolio of smartphones and AIoT, realme will create the most stylish and smartest tech products that suit the lifestyle of young consumers and provide global customers with trendy tech devices ready to offer optimum experience.
Indresh Kumar, the national executive member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), said that the Pakistan government, as well as those who are against the Indian government, have been exposed, following Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria's revelations in his memoir 'Let Me Say It Now' which contains accounts on several high profile cases such as the 26/11 investigation.

READ: Maha Home Minister Willing To Order Probe Into Rakesh Maria's Sheena Bora Case Revelations

'Pro-Pak elements exposed'

Kumar said, "The book now exposes that there are many powers in India who want to break India. There are few Muslims in India who are pro-Pakistan. India should wake up and understand there are few pro-Pakistan people in India who can go to any extent to defame the Government. Want to assure and warn such powers, they will never ever succeed in their intentions."

Maria who investigated several important cases like the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts and also headed the probe into the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack has made a stir after releasing the book.

Maria stated that if everything went according to plan, Kasab would have died as Samir Chaudhari and the media would have blamed 'Hindu terrorists' for the attack. "There would have been screaming headlines in newspapers claiming how Hindu terrorists had attacked Mumbai. Over the top TV journalists would have made a beeline for Bengaluru to interview his family and neighbours. But alas, it had not worked that way and here he was, Ajmal Amir Kasab of Faridkot in Pakistan," Maria wrote in the book. The terror organisation had also reportedly planted fake ID cards with Indian addresses on the terrorists, he added.

Among other things, he also stated that then Joint Commissioner of Police (law and order) Deven Bharti and his successor Ahmed Javed shared a close rapport with Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, accused in the Sheena Bora murder case. According to Maria, he was abruptly transferred and shunted out from the Sheena Bora probe the day after he chanced upon the close connection between Peter Mukerjea and Bharti.

READ: Rakesh Maria Makes Stunning Sheena Bora Case Revelation; Ex-colleague Fires 'scriptwriter' Jibe

He mentioned that it was very unusual for a Police Commissioner to be transferred just before the Ganpati festival. Moreover, Maria claimed that there was some miscommunication between him and Fadnavis. For instance, Fadnavis indicated in an interview that he was briefed by Maria that Peter Mukerjea was not involved in the murder conspiracy of Sheena Bora. Maria not only denied this but also exchanged messages with the then CM to clear the confusion. The former Mumbai Police Commissioner also rejected reports that he was close to the Mukerjeas.

READ: LeT Wanted Kasab To Die As 'Samir Choudhari': Ex-top Cop's Disclosures On 26/11 Terrorist

READ: Peter Mukerjea Gets Bail In Sheena Bora Murder Case; Bombay HC Stays Order For 6 Weeks
Police officers are seen in Buea, Cameroon, on October 3, 2018. Cameroonian journalist Martinez Zogo has been jailed since January. (AFP/Marco Longari)

New York, February 18, 2020 -- Authorities in Cameroon should immediately release journalist Martinez Zogo, drop all charges against him, and reform the countrys penal code to decriminalize defamation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

On January 17, judicial police officers in Yaounde, the capital, arrested Zogo at the offices of Radio Amplitude FM, a privately owned broadcaster where he works as editor-in-chief, Zogos lawyer, Joseph Kenmoe, told CPJ in a phone interview.

Authorities charged him with criminal defamation following a complaint filed by Sylvie Biye Essono, the ex-wife of a government official, which alleged that Zogo had spread false information about her in a January 8 broadcast, Kenmoe said. On January 25, Zogo was transferred to Yaoundes Kondengui prison, where he remains in detention, Kenmoe told CPJ.

In Cameroon, defamation carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a fine of 2 million Central African francs ($3,447), according to the countrys penal code . Zogo is due in court on February 27, Kenmoe said.

Martinez Zogo should be released immediately and the legal proceedings against him dropped, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator. Cameroons maintenance of defamation as a criminal offense signals its disrespect for basic press freedom and unwillingness to align its laws with international standards on freedom of expression.

In her complaint, filed on January 14, Essono alleged that Zogo insulted her and said she had used her ex-husbands name when applying for government contracts, Kenmoe said. He said that her original complaint accused Zogo of cybercrime, blackmail, and defamation, but authorities only filed the defamation charges against him.

CPJ called Essonos lawyer, Tchoungang Charles, for comment but he did not answer the phone. CPJ sent text messages to Charles that were marked as read, but which did not receive any response.

Joyce Ndjem, the national communications chief for the Cameroonian police, told CPJ in a phone interview that it was not possible to answer questions about Zogos case unless a CPJ representative came to see her in person, and then the line disconnected. CPJs follow-up calls went unanswered.

When CPJ called Cameroonian Minister of Information Rene Sadi for comment, he said the call quality was poor and then the line disconnected. He did not answer follow-up phone calls.

Cameroon is the second-worst jailer of journalists in sub-Saharan Africa, according to CPJs 2019 prison census, which found seven journalists in jail as of December 1, 2019.
Switzerland-headquartered pharma major Novartis has launched a digital innovation hub in Hyderabad. Novartis Biome India, the digital hub, is aimed at establishing a network between Novartis and partners from across the digital ecosystem, including startups and academia to the biggest players in the industry.

The company's Hyderabad centre, with 6,000 employees out of the total 8,000 employees in India, is the third largest centre of the company, Vas Narasimhan, the CEO of Novartis, said.

The digital hub is the first in Asia and will act as a bridge to the external ecosystem, enabling Novartis teams to better discover, develop and drive collaborations, the company said in a statement.

The Hyderabad centre is the Novartis' fourth digital hub. The three others are in San Francisco (US), Paris (France) and London (UK).

"By joining this global network, the Novartis Biome India can tap into the assets and expertise of the broader Novartis portfolio to have even greater impact, including: access to anonymised data; customised residency programs; personalised mentoring," the company said.

Narasimhan, who was also presented with the Genome Valley Excellence Award at the BioAsia 2020, said "we have to be a data science company".

He underlined the importance of digital technologies. On leveraging technology, he talked of how Novartis had partnered with Zipline drone company to supply medicines to unaccessible regions of Ghana.

Novartis' Chief Digital Officer Bertrand Bodson said India had a strong technology community.

"India has a rich and vibrant technology community. Together, we have a fantastic opportunity to combine our scientific know-how with the expertise of tech players, big and small, to create digital solutions for patients," Bodson said.

Naveen Gullapalli, Head Novartis Hyderabad, said, the company wanted to now "leverage this ecosystem to work with startups and innovators to disrupt healthcare in the country and perhaps the world. We will work closely with internal and external partners in pursuit of high value, potentially disruptive innovations."
For its first-ever fashion show this NYFW, Daddy Couture featured a genuinely diverse cast of models parading its tongue-in-cheek tees and underwear. With all the outfit changes, two audience-participation games, and a massive meet-and-greet crowd, the show put other runways to shame. Andy Cohen was even in the audience! It was, as the community says, so extra. And we loved it.

But for many, the Cock Destroyers, aka British porn icons Rebecca More and Sophie Anderson, were the main attraction.

By day, they're porn stars with legions of lust-driven fans glued to laptop screens. By night they're legendary femme fatales who command armies of gay fans marching to Anderson's single, "I'm Driving For Dick." Behind-the-scenes, they're internet-savvy entrepreneurs who've molded ephemeral viral fame into lucrative business ventures, industry recognition, and publicity most entertainers would kill for.

Related | The Cock Destroyers Have Earned Their Icon Status

More and Anderson celebrate their success in defiance of mainstream media's attempt to slut-shame them into quiet obedience. Instead, they've seized the male gaze, stomped it into submission, and transformed into larger-than-life queer icons. To be a Cock Destroyer is to truly celebrate what makes you unique, regardless of outside judgement. And if that's not 2020, then I don't know what is.

We caught up with the Cock Destroyers and Daddy Couture co-owner Matthew Camp to discuss virality, trans rights, and their favorite "We're fucking COCK DESTROYERS" memes.

Here's a lot of personalities in the gay community, but few have achieved what you have. What do you think makes you guys so relatable?

Sophie Anderson: I think it's our positivity  our sex positivity.

Rebecca More: I think we come across very approachable because we are. If you meet us in the street, you can come up to us, and we will talk about pretty much anything you want to talk about. So I think that doesn't just appeal to the gay community, but to everyone.



Related | Marc Jacobs Wanted Everybody to Dance This NYFW

Did you expect for the Cock Destroyers phenomenon to blow up?

SA: No, no, no.

RM: Absolutely not. We're blown away.

SA: We can't believe it.

RM: Delighted. Even last night we were saying, "Isn't this amazing?" It's... it's emotional.

SA: Definitely.

RM: To be loved, and we also have a lot of love to give. A lot of love and support, you know. It's great.

Jasmine Rice LaBeija

Women online have continuously been shamed for, literally, having sex lives. I think what's admirable is that you have both owned your sexualities, and owned 

SA: Being a slut!

RM: We've shut out negativity. That's what we've done  it's like a superpower. We've got money to make, and a life to live. We want to be happy. We don't care if somebody wants to come into our lives and be negative. We're going to shut it out. When we make our films, we're not thinking about people making negative comments, because we've freakin' happy, aren't we? And if people love that, then come along and join the party, because we're here to invite people in, and just want to have fun with it. When we made the original cock destroying film, we were just doing what we do. And it made people laugh, and people could relate to us, I guess.

SA: Yeah, and it's not just in the LGBT community. It's everyone!

RM: We've had more women coming up to us too, women who may not necessarily be in the LGBT community.

SA: And married women! Women who are very sexual, and happy in their bodies, who think, "Yeah, this is me! I'm sexual, and I'm a woman, and I like to have good sex with different people." I think it's a great thing.

RM: Plus, we're a laugh. People just love having a laugh, not taking life too seriously, and having fun.

Wooty Booty

Have the Cock Destroyers persona slash characters affected your professional and private lives?

RM: I don't think it really affected my private life. We were already known for being more extreme. But professionally, it's changed our lives, being Cock Destroyers. It's just amazing. We haven't really changed. We're still doing the same thing, making our films. For example, we still do an intro for all our porn movies, and those intros kind of appeal to everybody, and some people find them funny and entertaining.

SA: I get a lot more interest for my gangbangs too. There's a lot more people there.

Daddy Onicks

So why Daddy Couture? Why be a part of a brand that's so heavily involved in the gay community?

RM: So as far as I'm concerned, I only work with people that are authentic to me. I've got a feel about things that I like. I came across Daddy Couture as a customer, through Chris Crocker. I did my first collaboration with them, and then it just grew from that. Sophie got on board, we both modeled for Daddy Couture, and now... I'm an owner.

Related | Stop Complaining About New York Fashion Week

SA: And Rebecca is my full support. She's my sister and best friend. We support each other all along the way. She's taken me with her, and she didn't need to do that.

RM: We're in this together. We have a great relationship 

SA: And understanding of each other. And I think it shows through the clothing.

RM: And you've got your own line as well.

SA: Yes! I'm so lucky. It originally came out as a yellow t-shirt, which is a very positive color. It really showed who I am, someone very flowery and bubbly. And I loved it. And Rebecca designed it! She's so artistic. She's a designer as well as everything else.

Garnet Rubio

So with the Daddy Couture NYFW show, why did you decide to launch the Identity collection? It was such a powerful statement when you closed the show with the statement about trans acceptance, especially when mainstream brands are ignoring issues like transness and body positivity.

RM: I think we're just very aware of what's going on. And we listen to our models as well. The show's closing idea was actually Garnet's. It was and is very important to us to raise awareness on these issues, especially with our platform. Garnet came forward with the idea, and that's what we wanted. It means a lot to her. And she did it beautifully.

Matthew Camp: The world is a divided place right now, and I think we all need to stand up for each other. And doing it in a public way with a company is in a way saying, you know what, fuck everyone else. This is what we believe. This is what you want, and we stand together. And I think that's really the point of it. It's about creating a family.

RM: Express yourself, be who you want to be. Don't be ashamed about anything. Life's too short to not live an authentic life. For example, some people get shamed by their family members, and I actually said to somebody that night, you can choose your family. You don't have to be around family members that upset you. It's about being around people who support you and make you happy. Whatever your decisions are.

MC: I think Rebecca and Sophie represent this very modern movement towards a more familiar sort of love and relationship style, which I think is important for us to all adopt.

RM: Not to mention, 100% of "Stop Killing Trans," proceeds are going to an LGBTQ charity. We've been asked to keep the name private, but all proceeds are going to the charity.

And to end on a fun question, what is your favorite Cock Destroyers meme?

RM: Oh my god, it's the Little Mermaid one!

SA: Yes! The timing! It's so good.

RM: It's my favorite.

SA: Mine too.
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Wednesday reacted to the face-off between the National Security Advis...





Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Wednesday reacted to the face-off between the National Security Adviser, NSA, Maj. Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd) and President Muhammadu Buharis Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari.





Kanu claimed that the face-off between Mongono and Kyari was an indication that Buhari was not in charge of his government.





In a tweet, the IPOB leader stressed that the situation further proved him right that the current Nigerian president was an impostor from Sudan.





Kanu tweeted: If certainly, the Buhari that came into power in 2015 is still in charge of the Nigerian government, why are they confused with who the service chiefs should report to? Ive said many times that a Sudanese impostor is the Buhari in Aso Rock. @StateDept.





A circular had few days ago surfaced online of Monguno accusing Buharis Chief of Staff of hijacking the coordination of security leadership across Nigeria.





The NSA had claimed that Kyari had allegedly sidelined him in making strategic decisions in national security operations.




Russia-backed regime forces conduct airstrikes in Syria

At least 3 civilians reported dead, 9 more injured in the airstrikes. According to the civil defense group, the number of dead and injured may rise.

Russia has carried out airstrikes in the de-escalation zone in Idlib, Syria, killing at least three civilians, a Syrian civil defense group said Tuesday.

The Syrian opposition aircraft observatory said the Russian jets targeted the town of Termanin in Idlib and the town of Darat Izza in Aleppo governorate.

RESCUE ACTIVITIES ARE STILL CONTINUING

The White Helmets civil defense group said three civilians were killed in the attacks and nine others were injured. While fires after the airstrikes were put out by civil defense teams, search and rescue activities are continuing.

Russia-backed regime forces conduct airstrikes in Syria WATCH

The Bashar al-Assad regime and its allies have meanwhile continued intensified air and land attacks on civilian settlements in the Idlib de-escalation zone.

In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Since then, however, more than 1,800 civilians have been killed in attacks by regime and Russian forces who flouted a 2018 ceasefire and a new one that began on Jan. 12.

More than 1.7 million Syrians have moved near the Turkish border due to intense attacks over the past year.

Turkey remains the country with the most refugees in the world, hosting more than 3.7 million migrants since the start of Syrias civil war in 2011.
Copenhagen and Bern took the top spot thanks to having clean air, good facilities, and low crime rates. (Getty)

Copenhagen in Denmark and Bern in Switzerland have been ranked as the most liveable cities in the world, according to an annual study.

Global mobility experts, ECA (Employment Conditions Abroad) International looked at a variety of liveability factors including health services, housing and utilities, access to a social network and leisure facilities, infrastructure, climate, personal safety, political tensions and air quality to create the list.

Copenhagen and Bern took the top spot thanks to having clean air, good facilities, and low crime rates.

They were followed by The Hague in the Netherlands, Geneva in Switzerland, Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and Stavanger in Norway.

Read more: The best and worst cities to live and work as an expat in 2020

Several UK cities came in lower down the rankings with only Edinburgh making it into the top 20, coming in at number 19, tied with Stockholm in Sweden. Aberdeen wasnt far behind at number 21.

London came in at number 47, alongside Belfast, Northern Ireland, due to low personal safety and pollution scores.

Cardiff made it to 24, with Manchester at 39, and Glasgow at 55.

Neil Ashman, senior location ratings analyst at ECA International, said: Pollution, crime rate and terrorism threats are among the factors that affect the liveability of major UK cities such as London, Manchester, Belfast and Glasgow.

Dublin held on to its place within the top 10, remaining at number nine. The record number of Irish passport applicants last year will be able to benefit from the Irish capitals strong culture and infrastructure scores as well as low crime rates and good air quality.

Northern Europe dominated the top of the ranking with places such as Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Switzerland offering excellent transport links, a high standard of healthcare, and long-term political stability.

Read more: Top cities to live and work in the UK revealed

Four cities in the Netherlands placed in the top 20 with Eindhoven, a design and technology hub, climbing one place this year, making it into the top five. In Switzerland, four major cities also featured in the top 20.

Canada was revealed as the most liveable country outside Europe for UK expats, with the cities of Toronto and Vancouver the highest ranked non-European locations on the list.
The plaintiff in this case and the University of Arkansas agree that it would be mutually beneficial to avoid continued litigation. The process of litigating the facts of this case has continued for several years and had the potential of continuing for years into the future, the student and university said in a joint statement.
Mystery 'delivery station' bringing 200 jobs to Mills River

A contractor has cleared land for a 112,000-square-foot warehouse on N.C. 280 across from Broadpoint Industrial Park.

MILLS RIVER  Although around 200 jobs are coming to Mills River in a new warehouse and delivery center, most people dont know the identity of the employer and those who know are sworn to secrecy.

Clearing and site work is well under way at the site on N.C. 280 at Fanning Fields Road next to the Pepsi distribution center. The town of Mills River in November issued a zoning permit to a Greensboro-based contractor that is building the 112,000-square-foot warehouse. The Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development is aware of the project but the mystery company has not asked for economic development incentives in the form of property tax refunds from either the county or Mills River and is taking pains to keep its identity under wraps.

No one would say that the facility is an Amazon delivery station but evidence suggests that it might be. The property owners sold the 28-acre tract of land to ALM Asheville LLC for $400,000 on Jan. 14. Amazon confirmed last month that it is opening a delivery station in Bremerton, Washington, of remarkably similar dimensions. That facility is 117,000 square feet on 31.5 acres, and also near the Bremerton airport. In that case the property buyer was ALM Bremerton LLC, leading to speculation that ALM stands Amazon Last Mile. (Amazon calls the packers and drivers that deliver orders from delivery stations to customers the Last Mile team.) The contractor who applied for the Mills River zoning permit described the project as a Delivery Station Warehouse Building. Delivery station is a term that Amazon uses for its last mile distribution centers. In response to an inquiry from the Hendersonville Lightning, Amazon spokesman Shone Jemmot said in an email: "We are constantly exploring new locations and weighing a variety of factors when deciding where to develop sites to best serve customers. However, we dont provide information on our future roadmap."

Brittany Brady, president of the Partnership for Economic Development, said she is aware of the project but prohibited under a non-disclosure agreement from releasing the name of the employer.

Every companys different, she said. They are not announcing who they are. I was told one day youll drive by and see a building with a sign on it. They are investing in the community and creating jobs in the community without (economic development) incentives.

Construction of the warehouse has not started but apparently will go up quickly once the site prep is done. Weve been told fall of this year for completion, Brady said.



Its approved from the towns point of view, Mills River Town Manager Daniel Cobb said last week. We certainly are happy to have the jobs and the investment. They havent requested anything (such as tax breaks) so were not doing anything with them. The town is happy with the employment and the increased tax base were going to have in town.

Plans submitted by the contractor, Samet Corp., show the warehouse plus a 9,715-square-foot outside staging area. Mills River and economic development officials have been told the warehouse would employ around 200 people. A calculation of required parking spaces in the Mills River zoning application is based on an assumed 268 employees. Calls to the contractor and the zoning permit applicant were not returned.

Mills River Town Council member Roger Snyder and Henderson County Commissioner Bill Lapsley said theyve not been told the name of the company.

They havent told us anything, Snyder said.

I suspect who it is but Im not going to say, Lapsley said. I have no clue, I dont know. I found out about it after they closed on the property because Im so close to the sisters.

The property was sold by the Cadgene sisters, heirs to the former farmland that became Broadpoint Industrial Park across N.C. 280 from the 28-acre warehouse property. The land was valued for tax purposes at $310,000 but because it had an agriculture-use exemption had a taxable value of $7,300, county tax records show.

Whoever it is apparently wants to keep it quiet, Lapsley said. I dont know why.



Brady said Amazon, FedEx, Walmart and other large retailers are all heavily in the business of last-mile fulfillment of on-line orders.

All these companies are trying to find distribution centers, she said. They move quickly. They dont request incentives. Everything from Steak and Potatoes to Walmart has to keep up with Amazon. Nordstroms has to keep up with Amazon. How can they serve Western North Carolina from Chicago?

The Partnership welcomes the jobs, Brady said, even if the drivers nametags are a secret for now.

It is rare to get this far along and not have an announcement, she said. But that is the way the client wants to operate and well very eagerly await to see the sign on the building.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-20 00:36:48|Editor: huaxia

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A soldier of the UN-backed Government of National Accord takes cover from Libyan National Army snipers on a frontline in Tripoli, Libya, Feb 17, 2020. (Photo by Amru Salahuddien/Xinhua)

The Libyan crisis could be resolved exclusively through intra-Libyan dialogue, Lavrov said.



MOSCOW, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed the need on Wednesday to avoid outside interference so as to create the conditions for a settlement in Libya.

"We in Russia are convinced that in order to ensure the stability of the process in the Libyan settlement, it is necessary that external players avoid multidirectional competing initiatives and concentrate on the need to build all actions in the interests of encouraging the Libyan parties to dialogue based on the decisions adopted by the UN (United Nations) Security Council," Lavrov said.

Speaking at a press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, Lavrov said the Libyan crisis could be resolved exclusively through intra-Libyan dialogue.

The first steps in this direction have been taken, but now additional difficulties have arisen, Lavrov said.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya announced on Monday the resumption of the intra-Libyan Joint Military Commission talks in Geneva.

However, Libya's UN-backed government on Tuesday announced the suspension of its participation in the talks in Geneva, following its rival east-based army's attack on a Turkish ship in a port here. 
The appearance of a ghost ship on any coast is a rare occurrence and the latest one on the Irish coast is no exception. It drifted with Storm Dennis and finally washed up off the coast of County Cork, Ireland. A passerby noticed the ship. It was stranded on the rocks of a fishing village and he informed the authorities. A local lifeboat chief described the discovery as "This is one in a million." Initial findings established the identity of the ship. It was the M/V Alta and it had, apparently, drifted thousands of miles for more than a year and was at the mercy of the winds and the waves.

To be more specific, it was on its own from the southeast of Bermuda since 2018. An official of the local Royal National Lifeboat Institution RNLI confided to a section of the media that he had "never, ever seen anything abandoned like that before."

An abandoned ghost ship that had been drifting on the high seas for more than a year washed up onto the Irish coastline after being tossed about by Storm Dennis.https://t.co/esRGVkSgyG  New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 18, 2020

The BBC says the ship was of 1976 vintage, had a number of owners and was flying a Tanzanian flag. It seems it was a fully crewed ship that was sailing from Greece to Haiti. That was in September 2018. Subsequently, different authorities sighted it as it drifted around the world.

Its last spotting was in September 2019 by a ship of the British Royal Navy and it has finally washed ashore in Ireland.

Brief history of the ghost ship

The US Coast Guard was aware of the M/V Alta. It seems it had encountered some technical problems that led to a power outage. It remained adrift for nearly three weeks and traveled more than 1,300 miles in the water southeast of Bermuda.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

Finally, when the stock of food onboard exhausted, the coast guard helped them survive by airdropping food and other essential supplies. Later, with an approaching hurricane, the coast guard took a decision to airlift the crewmembers and move them out of harm's way to Puerto Rico. There were 10 of them. The crew abandoned the ship and the owners tried to salvage whatever possible.

A 'ghost ship' that has been adrift for more than a year has washed ashore in Ireland thanks to the power of #StormDennis.



More on this story here: https://t.co/bOxwnJ432G pic.twitter.com/teQcVLa5es  Sky News (@SkyNews) February 18, 2020

The BBC adds that the partly damaged ship, minus any crew, was left to drift and in September 2019, it came to the notice of the Royal Navy. Its ice patrol ship HMS Protector sighted it in the mid-Atlantic. It confirmed that there was no one was on the ship. Right now, there are no signs of pollution from the ship. Environmental scientists who visited the location have confirmed this. The local Cork County Council will have to decide on the next course of action.

Journey of the ghost ship ended on the rocks

According to News AU, the ghost ship had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean for over a year and finally ended up on the rocks of Ireland. The Irish Coast Guard sent a rescue helicopter to the scene but found no trace of any crew. They had abandoned the 250-feet cargo ship M/V Alta and it finally found land when it washed ashore near Cork, Irelands second largest city. This was due to Storm Dennis that lashed the coast with heavy rain and winds of up to 70 miles per hour. The Cork County Council is handling the issue and it will be conducting a physical check of the ship. The Council will also discuss with relevant agencies to decide the future course of action.

Maritime news site Fleetmon reports about two hijack attempts from Guyana when the owners tried to salvage the ship.

Ghost ship from North Korea turns up in Japan

In November 2017, a ghost ship from North Korea landed in Japan. There were skeletons in it, presumably of people who were trying to escape from the country. This is based on telltale traces of items unique to North Korea discovered on the ship. Another ghost ship was a wooden war vessel in Mallows Bay. It was on the Potomac River and came into the news when it shifted its position due to storms and floods. That disturbed the habitat of wildlife inside it. They had made it their home and the vessel was an ecosystem people felt should be preserved.
There has been a 700% increase in cases of mumps in Northern Ireland (PA)

The Meningitis Research Foundation has urged people to get vaccinated after a 700% rise in cases of mumps in Northern Ireland.

The warning comes after the Public Health Agency published figures showing there were 534 confirmed cases of the illness last year, compared to just 67 cases in 2018.

The majority (371) of the cases were in young adults, aged 15 to 34.

Mumps is a viral infection that used to be common in children before the introduction of the MMR vaccine.

Before the MMR vaccine mumps was the most common cause of viral meningitis.

Although people can recover from mumps without treatment, in some cases it can cause complications such as viral meningitis, deafness and inflammation of the testicles.

Rob Dawson, director of support and advocacy at Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) said: Mumps meningitis can be a frightening, although infrequent complication of mumps.

"MRF encourages everyone to get the vaccinations they are eligible for as immunisation is best way to protect yourself from mumps. Vaccination prevents most cases of mumps and even if a vaccinated person does get mumps, they are likely to experience a less severe illness.

The Public Health Agency's Dr Jillian Johnson told the BBC that two doses of the MMR vaccine would maximise protection against mumps.

"Whilst the majority of all cases, including young adults, have received two doses of MMR vaccine (77%), the proportion of people with less than two doses (23%) is enough to continue to drive the spread of mumps every three to four years and this is what we are seeing during 2019," she said.

The warning comes after it was revealed cases of mumps in England had reached their highest level in a decade.

The increase, which was attributed to outbreaks in universities and colleges, raised the number of cases of the viral illness to 5,042 last year- four times the number in 2018.

Many of the cases were seen in young adults born in the late 90s and early 2000s who are likely to have missed out on the MMR vaccine after the vaccine was falsely linked to autism. The children are now young adults going to college and university.

Symptoms of mumps include painful swelling of the glands at the side of the face, a fever, joint pain, feeling tired and loss of appetite.

Anyone concerned about symptoms of viral meningitis can visit meningitis.org or call 0808 8003344 for help and advice.
jennifer medina So theyre like, yeah  Oh. [interposing voices] jennifer medina Hi. Should we take a photo? [speaker] This is a perfect match. Come on. jennifer medina [LAUGHING] austin mitchell Describe what that was. jennifer medina So that was two showgirls with giant feather crowns. And they have, like, wings? clare toeniskoetter Wings. jennifer medina Wings on the back with black and white feathers. Knee-high black patent leather boots. austin mitchell Topless. jennifer medina Topless, but with rhinestones on the nipples. clare toeniskoetter Can we say that on the radio? jennifer medina I dont know. [MUSIC PLAYING]

jennifer medina

From The New York Times, this is The Field. Im Jenny Medina in Las Vegas, Nevada.

jennifer medina We have just entered a casino, and Im sort of overwhelmed by the number of sounds and lights. Oh, a cocktail waitress in a blue lace dress, short. This is roulette. This is blackjack. I think this is craps with dice, you roll the dice. I can imagine, like, a James Bond scenario, where you walk in, high heels, strutting. I sort of have a cigarette in my mind in this fantasy. Money is no object. Im just here to play with it. Im just here to have a good time, queen of the world for one day, or one night. Thats what Vegas is all about, this like complete fantasy life. But to make all that happen, behind that all, are thousands and thousands and thousands of people who often can kind of seem to almost blend into the scenery. Serving drinks, serving food, cleaning up, fulfilling whatever wish or dream youve got for the night. And theres something that unites most of them. clare toeniskoetter Is the staff here  are you in the union? speaker 1 Yes. clare toeniskoetter Which union? speaker 1 Culinary. clare toeniskoetter OK. jennifer medina Are you part of a union? speaker 2 Yeah. jennifer medina Which union are you a part of? speaker 2 Culinary. jennifer medina Culinary. OK, thank you so much. austin mitchell Just wondering, are you a part of a union here? speaker 3 Union? austin mitchell Yeah. speaker 3 Culinary. austin mitchell Culinary? speaker 3 Yes. jennifer medina The Culinary, which is Nevadas largest union. And its considered one of the most powerful players in Democratic politics.

jennifer medina

So the Culinary Union has about 60,000 people in the state of Nevada. And that is pretty remarkable, because its in a state where only 84,000 people participated in the last Democratic caucus. And the Culinary Union is a hugely diverse organization. Its overwhelmingly women. Its more than 50 percent Latino, with another large population of black and Asian-American workers. And with Nevada being the first predominantly nonwhite state to weigh in on the presidential race, that makes the Culinary Unions endorsement sought after by all the presidential candidates. And the union members really understand this power. They chant, When we vote, we win. They know that if they vote together they really have the power to influence elections. And this year, its particularly interesting because it all centers around one issue. And thats their very generous health care plan that the union has really fought hard to get.

clare toeniskoetter OK. You guys ready? car door closing

jennifer medina

So earlier this week, I went with producers Austin Mitchell and Clare Toeniskoetter to the Culinary Union Hall, an industrial group of buildings in the shadow of the Las Vegas strip. And we went to speak with two women, Gloria Hernandez and Elodia Muniz.

jennifer medina We met before. How are you?

jennifer medina

Theyre both in their 60s, very well-put-together, wearing jewelry, and nice manicured nails. And Elodia is wearing a red union t-shirt.

jennifer medina So tell us when you first became members of the Culinary Union? gloria hernandez Well, I can tell you was in October 1988.

jennifer medina

Thats Gloria.

jennifer medina And how about you? elodia muniz May 2, 1992.

jennifer medina

And thats Elodia.

jennifer medina Wow. You both know the exact date? gloria hernandez Yes.

jennifer medina

Why?

gloria hernandez First, because was my first union job in United States. And its something thats going to change my life and my family. So thats why I, I never forget the date. jennifer medina Where are you from? gloria hernandez Im from Mexico, South Mexico, Guadalajara. I just come in 1985. And I was like 27 years old.

jennifer medina

So the first couple years Gloria was here, she was raising her kids, working some odd jobs, mostly babysitting and cleaning apartments.

gloria hernandez And then this is what I do before I started working at The Frontier.

jennifer medina

Shes talking about The Frontier Hotel and Casino. Its not around anymore. But it was one of the first hotels and casinos on the strip. It had this Western theme. And in 1956 

archived recording Lets welcome, ladies and gentlemen, Elvis Presley.

jennifer medina

 it hosted a 21-year-old Elvis Presley in his first Las Vegas performance.

archived recording (elvis presley) (SINGING) Well, since my baby left me. Well, I found a new place to dwell. Well, its down at the end of Lonely Street at Heartbreak Hotel. gloria hernandez And I start working as a bus person.

jennifer medina

And when Gloria started in 1988, the hotel was unionized.

jennifer medina And you knew immediately that when you started working there that you would get health insurance. gloria hernandez Yes, because was a union.

jennifer medina

But then 

gloria hernandez When the Elardi family buy the property, she said Im not going to have a union. And I said, no way.

jennifer medina

there was a new owner who started to dismantle the contract.

gloria hernandez She just dropped the salary per hour. They also say no more medical insurance. So it was big change when the Elardi family took over the hotel.

jennifer medina

And thats about the time Elodia comes to town.

elodia muniz I moved to Las Vegas in 1989 from El Paso, Texas. I started working at the Frontier, basically housekeeping job. Yeah. And I hear, I hear from my co-workers they used to be a union, the casino used to be a union. And all the benefits they have about the vacations, because at that time, we dont have no vacations anymore. And we dont have, um, holidays pay neither. She  Margaret Elardi take away everything. So we just decided to organize to see what is the next step we have to do to fight.

jennifer medina

They both begin to organize with their co-workers. And then 

elodia muniz We just came, all our co-workers  jennifer medina Here. elodia muniz In the Culinary Union. Yes. And we just voted. archived recording The vote is: 464 strike, seven noes. [CHEERING] gloria hernandez We decided to go on a strike. Oh, I still feel goosebumps about it. archived recording 1 Good evening. Picket signs are going up in front of the Frontier Hotel. archived recording 2 Culinary workers are walking out on Frontier owner Margaret Elardi at 6 oclock in the morning. gloria hernandez So everybodys working. So at the time that we just going to say, OK, the strike is going to start at 6 oclock in the morning. Everybody just leave whatever they was doing. If theyre preparing a drink, the bartender or cocktails, they leave everything over there and they come out. archived recording (crowd) (CHANTING) Union! Union! Union! gloria hernandez You can see all the workers, the energy, the feeling. archived recording (crowd) (CHANTING) Union! Union! Union! Union! gloria hernandez We started union, union, union! And we was ready for that. archived recording 1 (SHOUTING) We need a union! archived recording 2 (IN SPANISH) This union feels tight, united, feels the warmth of the working day because it makes us stronger. archived recording 3 (SHOUTING) You have 550 people with families, with children, fighting for their health insurance!

jennifer medina

Workers began picketing outside the Frontier 24 hours a day.

archived recording The people on these picket lines today, they say either Elardi comes up with a decent contract, or this picket line becomes a permanent fixture on the strip. gloria hernandez When we come out over there and you make your decision, you dont know how long its going to be. archived recording (crowd) Vegas needs a union now! gloria hernandez Imagine every single day we feel that when its going to be ending.

jennifer medina

The strike goes on for a year, then two.

gloria hernandez Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving, all those time. archived recording (crowd) (CHANTING) One day! Longer! One day!

jennifer medina

Then three.

archived recording (SHOUTING) What we are is union! What we are is family! We are brothers and sisters! Middle-class Americans, fighting! Fighting to make sure that this country is better during these four long years of this god forsaken strike because 

jennifer medina

Four years, five years, and its not ending. And then one day they get word.

gloria hernandez Now the union organizers, they call us  were going to have a meeting at the union hall. All the strikers. archived recording You know that when it comes to a labor issue, if you read it in The Las Vegas Sun, its more than likely true.

jennifer medina

At the meeting, one of the leaders holds up the front page of a local newspaper. And the headline reads Frontier Sold.

archived recording [CHEERING] gloria hernandez The hotel was sold. And the person who buy the property is decided to unionize. archived recording (CHANTING) Union, union, union, union, union, union! gloria hernandez And give it everything what weve fighting for. archived recording What weve been waiting for  the Culinary Union announced just a short time ago that the Frontier strike is finally reaching an end.

jennifer medina

The strike ended after six years, four months and 10 days. It was one of the longest strikes in American history. So much time went by that 107 children were born to strikers.

elodia muniz Many of my co-workers, you know, they pass away during those years when we were fighting for that.

jennifer medina

And 17 strikers died.

elodia muniz Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Im sorry. gloria hernandez It was a big message for this city. And I believe honestly, if I had to go in a strike again for these benefits and for these rights, I do with my eyes closed. jennifer medina If somebody were to ask you whats the most important benefit  I can guess your answer already. But first, what is the most important benefit? I dont want to assume. gloria hernandez Yes. The most important for me, honestly, is medical insurance. My husband used to pay $200 every paycheck for medical insurance. So $400 a month.

jennifer medina

The centerpiece of membership in the union, which this strike helped pave the way for, is their health care plan.

elodia muniz I have a heart surgery. clare toeniskoetter Heart surgery? elodia muniz Mm-hmm. I was eight days in intensive care. And I paid $0. clare toeniskoetter The whole procedure, all the different doctors, you paid $0? elodia muniz Mm-mmm. Its like Cadillac insurance for us.

jennifer medina

To be a housekeeper or a bartender, or really anyone with this kind of coverage, is really remarkable. Theres usually no copay. Theres usually no out-of-pocket expenses. It costs its members virtually nothing except for union dues.

jennifer medina I want to go to the caucasus, to the politics for a minute, if I can. When the candidates came through here, who did you each see? Which candidates did you hear speak? elodia muniz Amy. And also Peter.

jennifer medina

So all of the presidential candidates come on a sort of pilgrimage here, seeking both the support of the members and the endorsement from the leadership.

elodia muniz Our union is very powerful, you know? They know how powerful our union is.

jennifer medina

So today, Elodia and Gloria are both union organizers. And as part of the union leadership, they are particularly invested in protecting the health care that they fought for.

clare toeniskoetter Elodia, can you tell me about your shirt? elodia muniz Oh, we vote, we win. We vote, we win. Well, if everybody stand up and do the right thing, were going to have the victory, right? Were going to win. clare toeniskoetter So its about the power of the union of everybody  elodia muniz Yes, basically what it is. Yeah. clare toeniskoetter Do you think youll have that victory in this caucus? elodia muniz Well, yeah, we  why not? clare toeniskoetter Well, what will victory look like? elodia muniz To protect our insurance. Thats what were looking for. Thats the main thing for us, you know? So we just have to protect it.

jennifer medina

And this year is really the first year that leading presidential candidates have plans that would effectively eliminate it.

archived recording (bernie sanders) And one other thing that we are going to do, is were going to tell the wealthiest people in this country that theyre going to start to have to pay their fair share of taxes. Thats some of what were going to do. [APPLAUSE]

jennifer medina

A couple of months ago, Bernie Sanders came to the union hall to speak with the members.

archived recording We have a former Frontier striker, Elodia. Elodia, you want to ask a question. jennifer medina Elodia, when  tell me about the town hall with Senator Sanders. I was here for it, but  archived recording (elodia muniz) My name is Elodia. I am a Frontier striker. elodia muniz Well, yeah, I ask him about the medical insurance. archived recording (elodia muniz) We went to strike to protect our health care. We love our Culinary health care. We want to keep it. I dont want to change it. Why I should change it? elodia muniz I asking him because for me, the insurance means a lot. I mean, for all of members, including me. archived recording (crowd) [APPLAUSE] (CHANTING) 226, 226, 226, 226! archived recording (bernie sanders) Let me just say this. Thank you. We have in this country a dysfunctional, broken and cruel health care system, right? Now, let me deal with the issue thats on your mind. Because we spend so much for health care, your employer is spending a lot on your health care. Under Medicare for All, because we end the profiteering of the insurance companies and the drug companies that made $100 billion last year, we save many, many hundreds of billions of dollars. That means  excuse me  that means that your employer will not have to pay $15,000 a year for your health care. Your employer will pay $3,000. Thats a $12,000 differential. You know who gets that $12,000? You get that $12,000. [CHEERING] So in other words  jennifer medina He said something like if theres Medicare for all, youll have more money in your paycheck. elodia muniz Yeah. This is just um, um promises and hope. Wed like to keep what we have  what is real, what is true, not what we dont know. Its like a wish. We, we need to hear that he wants to protect our insurance, that he wants to listen to us.

[music]

jennifer medina

In the weeks leading up to Saturdays caucuses, the tension between Bernie Sanders and the union leadership has really escalated. Last week, the union began sending emails and texts to its members and began circulating these flyers, which compared candidates on three issues: Immigration, jobs and health care. On immigration and jobs, all the candidates were effectively the same. They would strengthen collective bargaining. They would protect DACA. They would create a pathway to citizenship. But on health care, they were presented as something very different. The more moderate candidates would quote, protect culinary health care. Elizabeth Warren would eventually replace it. And Bernie Sanders, they said, would quote, end it.

archived recording Late this morning, the Sanders campaign put out a response to the flier. It reads in part, The senator has stood for workers his whole career. And his Medicare for All plan is crafted for the working class and union members.

jennifer medina

And then 

archived recording The union yesterday said it received vicious attacks by Sanderss supporters, including hostile phone calls and tweets. The union released a statement saying 

jennifer medina

People who claimed to be Bernie Sanderss supporters launched online attacks at the leaders of the Culinary Union.

archived recording (bernie sanders) Obviously, that is not acceptable to me. And I dont know who these so-called supporters are. Were living in a strange world on the internet. And sometimes people attack people in somebody elses name. But let me be very clear. Anybody making personal attacks against anybody else in my name is not part of our movement.

jennifer medina

So theres this air of ill will between Sanders and the union. And its in this atmosphere, actually while were on our way to Vegas, that the union announces a press conference about its endorsement.

archived recording (geoconda arguello-kline) [APPLAUSE] Good morning, everybody. archived recording (crowd) Good morning. archived recording (geoconda arguello-kline) Welcome. Welcome to the Culinary Union. I know we want to talk about the endorsement. But before we do that 

jennifer medina

So they come out and say, yes. Health care is the big issue.

archived recording (geoconda arguello-kline) Every human being deserve to have a good health care. We believe in that. But we believe in choices too. We believe in that.

jennifer medina

But instead of endorsing a candidate 

archived recording (geoconda arguello-kline) And the official announcement is were going to endorse our goals, what were doing.

jennifer medina

 they endorsed their goals and their values.

archived recording (geoconda arguello-kline) We respect every single political candidate right now. We know Vice President Biden for many years. We know hes been our friend.

jennifer medina

Presumably because theyre worried about throwing their weight behind the wrong moderate. But by endorsing health care as a goal, they effectively have made an anti-endorsement of anyone who threatens to take away that health care. And its a pretty remarkable thing that theyre anti-endorsing Sanders. Sanders is really popular among Latinos. He is seen as extremely pro-union for his entire career. And hes received endorsements from other unions in the state. But for this union  the Culinary Union  all that other stuff might be less important than the message theyre hearing, which is that a vote for Sanders is a vote to eliminate the very thing theyve worked so hard to create. So with all this, were curious to see how members are reacting.

speaker 1 Are you all here to vote? Are you hear to vote? Yes?

jennifer medina

So were back at the Culinary Union Hall where early voting has started.

jennifer medina Do you mind if we ask you really quickly who youre voting for? jeanette hill Do I have to tell you? jennifer medina You dont have to do anything.

jennifer medina

And because Nevada has a caucus, its a little bit different.

jeanette hill Uh, my candidates are Joe Biden, Tom and Amy.

jennifer medina

Instead of picking one person, people rank their preferences.

jeanette hill Those are my three candidates. jennifer medina And why are they your three candidates? jeanette hill Now, Joe Bidens been with us ever since day one. And Amy, she even support the, uh, union as well. And Tom Sawyer helps about you can keep your insurance. So  jennifer medina And is the health insurance issue for you the most important issue? jeanette hill Of course. We get the best insurance in America. It take care of me and my family.

jennifer medina

As were walking around 

speaker 1 (IN SPANISH) Do you have the paper from the union?

jennifer medina

 we noticed that a lot of people are holding these pieces of paper.

austin mitchell So what are you holding? Its a, this is a paper  speaker 2 For the union. austin mitchell  the union gave out. speaker 2 Yeah.

jennifer medina

And we realized that its the same flier that had been texted and emailed and passed around in break rooms all over the strip.

speaker 2 I need to see, I see the paper right there.

jennifer medina

The union scorecard.

austin mitchell Yeah. So on the paper, youve highlighted Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer. Yeah. And Bernie Sanders you wrote no underneath. speaker 2 Oh, okay. I put a no. OK. austin mitchell Yeah, why? speaker 2 I dont know [INAUDIBLE].

jennifer medina

So its clear that many people are voting with the union in mind. And their health care. So then theres this sort of fascinating encounter we have.

jennifer medina I see youre wearing a Bernie pin. So is it correct to assume that thats who you voted for? speaker 3 Well, no. I was voting for insurance on uh, on a couple of candidates who were going to keep our insurance stuff going. jennifer medina So who did you vote for? speaker 3 Uh, Joe Buyer, Amy something and the other lady. jennifer medina So why are you wearing a Bernie pin if you voted for somebody else? speaker 3 Because Im a Bernie Sanders supporter. jennifer medina But you didnt vote for him. speaker 3 No. But that was something totally different. But I do, I did come in with a Bernie Sanders pin. jennifer medina Im sorry. Can you explain that to me, what it means to be a supporter but not vote for him? speaker 3 Well, the vote  this wasnt, we werent voting for presidents on this one. We were voting for, what do you call it, for our insurance. To keep our insurance going on. jennifer medina You were voting for who should be the presidential nominee. speaker 3 No. Thats not what I was voting for. jennifer medina What were you told? speaker 3 I dont want to do this anymore. OK, thank you.

jennifer medina

So this guy has clearly gotten the message this is about health care, so much so that he takes it literally, and thinks that hes voting on his health care, not choosing a presidential candidate. In which case he would have voted for Bernie Sanders.

jennifer medina Just curious to ask you about who you voted for. jean charles Bernie Sanders all the way. jennifer medina All the way. Why?

jennifer medina

Now we do meet Union members who chose Sanders.

jean charles Well I like Bernie Sanders so much because hes never changed.

jennifer medina

Interestingly, many of these people we speak with say that they havent gotten the message from the Union telling them that a vote for Sanders would take away their health care.

laura My first candidate is Bernie. jennifer medina Bernie. laura Bernie.

jennifer medina

Others have and they dont care, or they like him for other reasons.

laura Well, one of the biggest things to me is that Bernie is planning to give the free school for kids. My son is in college 

jennifer medina

Health care is just not their top issue.

austin mitchell Hi. Im reporting with The New York Times. Can I ask who you voted for? emigdio Uh, number one, Bernie. austin mitchell Bernie. emigdio Bernie Sanders. Yeah.

jennifer medina

So at some point, Clare and I see Austin talking to this guy, who looks to be in his 60s. And it turns out hes been in the Union for 29 years.

interposing voices Emigdio, Emigdio! (SPEAKING SPANISH) Facil.

jennifer medina

Emigdio works at a casino called the Golden Nugget.

emigdio A utility porter is clean carpets, polish the marble, working in the high place. jennifer medina So Im sure Austin already asked you this, but who did you vote for? emigdio [LAUGHING] Yeah, we answer already, yeah. austin mitchell Bernie. emigdio Yeah, Bernie. Yeah. We love Bernie. jennifer medina You love him. emigdio Yeah. austin mitchell Is there any  so we know that Bernie is talking Medicare for All and replacing  emigdio No, no. I think its a better system. Its for all, not for a few people. Its for all people. Yeah. austin mitchell Are you worried at all about your great medical care being changed? speaker Yeah, its OK. Its OK, because you know the minority people get access. A lot of people dont have access now. It costs money. jennifer medina If we want to follow up tomorrow, are you working? emigdio Im off tomorrow.

jennifer medina

So we say goodbye to Emigdio.

emigdio Well, pleasure to meet you. Mucho gusto. interposing voices Emigdio, Emigdio! [SPEAKING ITALIAN]

jennifer medina

And we notice that this woman, who had been sort of standing around hovering as we were talking with him, follows him to his car.

jennifer medina So they are listening to everything. austin mitchell So yeah, explain when you say they are listening, what do you mean? jennifer medina So somebody from the union is here kind of monitoring. And theres lots of press here, so its kind of easy to understand why. But theyre kind of listening to the conversations. And then they follow  after the conversations have ended, seem to be following up with them, I presume asking what theyve said. Yeah. austin mitchell I dont know with this, Im not hearing the left. Oh, thats why. clare toeniskoetter Oh, no. jennifer medina I mean, he might just not answer. clare toeniskoetter He might be working.

jennifer medina

A couple of days later, we call Emigdio back, wanting to understand what had

phone ringing emigdio Hello? jennifer medina Hi, Emigdio. This is Jenny Medina, the reporter you met from The New York Times. How are you? emigdio Good, good. How you doing? jennifer medina Good, good. Thank you. Are you working? emigdio Uh no, Im out now. jennifer medina OK. Emigdio, do you have a couple minutes? I just wanted to follow up  emigdio (SPEAKING SPANISH) Ahh, sabes que pasa? jennifer medina (SPEAKING SPANISH) No, no sabe que pasa. And as soon as we start talking to Emigdio, he seems to be questioning what he told us about his support for Sanders. emigdio I think we are confused about, you know, that this candidate is 

jennifer medina

He feels confused, he says.

emigdio The most important voting for the president is Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, si? But I dont follow nobody now, si?

jennifer medina

He sounds different than he did when we first met him, when he was so clear about his enthusiasm for Sanders.

jennifer medina Can you tell me what happened after you spoke with us? Somebody came over to talk with you. What happened?

jennifer medina

And so I asked him about the woman who followed him to his car.

emigdio Well, you know what? Its a little confused for me, you know? I dont know. I dont know what had happened with that representative from the union. Remember that last Saturday, the skinny lady? And they, and she said hey, do you want to get an interview with the press or TV? Dont do that by yourself, si? Yeah. Its the first time one person talked to me like that, si? Because I know my rights, si?

jennifer medina

He sounds, on the one hand, kind of indignant.

jennifer medina What do you think your rights are? emigdio I live in a freedom country, si? If I get interview, I do by myself. I dont care about, you know, somebody tell me that. Si?

jennifer medina

He knows his rights. He knows he has the freedom to speak to us.

jennifer medina You have a right to speak to anybody you want.

jennifer medina

But clearly what happened had some kind of an impact on him.

jennifer medina Can you tell me what the woman from the union said to you on Saturday? Did she mention Joe Biden? emigdio No. jennifer medina Did she mention Bernie? emigdio No. jennifer medina Then why did  emigdio No, maybe she did! jennifer medina She did. emigdio Maybe she did when, when we talk about Bernie Sanders. I think so, yeah. jennifer medina What did she say about Bernie Sanders? emigdio She dont mention, she dont mention nobody. Only she say, if you get interview with the press or TV, you have to go with one representative with you guys.

jennifer medina

Hes unclear on exactly what the woman said, except for he should not talk with us without a union representative present.

jennifer medina OK, OK. Emigdio. [SPEAKING SPANISH] emigdio [SPEAKING SPANISH] jennifer medina and emigdio (INTERPOSING VOICES IN SPANISH): Thank you for patience. Thank you for calling. Goodbye.

jennifer medina

Emigdio is not the only person who has told me that the union has discouraged them from speaking with the press. And Im finding this pretty confusing. Is the union trying to stop members from saying that theyre supporting Sanders? And if so, why? Are they trying to create this narrative where theres overwhelming disdain for Medicare for All? I dont know.

[music]

And on Tuesday night, The head of the Culinary Union, Geoconda Arguello-Kline, agrees to talk with us. So we go back to the Union Hall where theres this big event going on. There is music and theres tacos. Its a town hall with Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar. So we sit down with Geoconda after the event. The communications director of the union, Bethany Kahn, is also there.

jennifer medina So Geo, youre the leader of the Culinary Union here in Las Vegas. geoconda arguello-kline Yes. jennifer medina So I want to ask you about something weve seen in the last couple  happen over the last few days. So we spoke, for example, with one member on Saturday who had voted for Senator Sanders. And he was really enthusiastic  geoconda arguello-kline Yeah. jennifer medina  very excited to vote for him. But then the next day, we called him to ask him some follow-up questions, and he seemed to have really changed his heart. And he said that he was told by a Union representative that he should not voice his political preferences to the press  to us. Do union representatives have instructions to steer people away from speaking to the press? bethany khan Yeah, so we make sure that workers know their rights and that they know that you might follow up with them, right? And so we just let them know this was a reporter  jennifer medina And at this point, Bethany, the communications director, jumps in. bethany khan Thats pretty much it. We dont tell them anything, right? Were not telling  we havent endorsed. Its mostly about making sure that they know their rights and protecting them on the work. Weve talked about this, Jenny, before. I think youve accused me blatantly. And I think thats not acceptable. jennifer medina Whats not acceptable? bethany khan We represent the workers. And my job is to protect them even after youre gone. jennifer medina I understand that. So let me tell you what one person told us. He spoke with us. bethany khan OK. Who, who? jennifer medina Im not going to tell you his name. bethany khan Yeah, yeah. jennifer medina One person that we spoke to said that after he spoke with us, he was told that he should not speak to the press without a union representative present. Is that the policy of the union? geoconda arguello-kline Jenny, you make an accusation. jennifer medina Im not making an accusation, Geo. Im asking a question. geoconda arguello-kline Jenny, really, I dont know. Because if were talking to the press, were not going to say, oh, you need to have a union representative. jennifer medina So I am asking. Is it the policy of the union  and I want to make sure Im asking you both. bethany khan Yeah. jennifer medina Is it the policy of the union to tell members that they cannot speak to the press without a union representative present? geoconda arguello-kline We dont have policy to say dont talk to the press and like that, with the, with the Union rep in there. jennifer medina So why would this person be told not to speak to us without a representative present? geoconda arguello-kline Tell you the truth, I dont know. I really dont know. jennifer medina Would you discourage somebody, a member from  who supports Sanders  from speaking to the press? geoconda arguello-kline Thats their business, not mine. What I putting to you is the facts. What is the health care for you, and what is protecting your health care and what is not protecting your health care. You decide. Where we are upset is the way we be treated. I can show the texts my daughter sent me last night. Look. Look. Read this. This is from my daughter. Look. This is from Sena  from the follower of Senator Sanders. jennifer medina I cant  I honestly cant see. Can you read it? geoconda arguello-kline OK, yeah. [EXPLETIVE] you off. You know, you can read it better than me. Over here. Look at what did they say. jennifer medina [EXPLETIVE] off, Geoconda. If Sanders loses and we dont get Medicare for All, and a Union worker gets cancer and gets fired and he or she dies, their blood will be on Geoconda Arguello-Kline, who for selfish reasons decided to spread these lies.

jennifer medina

This is a text that Geocondas daughter sent her of some tweets, about Geoconda specifically, that Sanders supporters wrote after the union released its scorecard.

geoconda arguello-kline You think that thats right for a mother to see this, 9 p.m. after work all day? Im very upset. And Im going to keep in talking. Nobody going to quiet me. Nobody. Because this is what they doing to minorities. This is what they are doing to womans of colors. jennifer medina Whos they? When you say they. geoconda arguello-kline The Bernie supporters. They used to bully people. And nobody has stand them. jennifer medina But, Geo, theres also Bernie supporters who are women of color. geoconda arguello-kline But listen. But they attack these women of colors too. And you know why they attacking us, Jenny? Because we put the facts. Im not going to be quiet. They not going to put a tape in my mouth. They will not. Because, you know, I believe in democracy. I do. Ive been 40 years in this country. 30 years Ive been fighting for the working family have better life. 30 years. And right now, after 40 years, they tell me [EXPLETIVE] off, leave this country? Thats right? No. If any woman of color dont support what were saying, sorry for them. But Im going to fighting for the people who are a womans of color and they go through harassment. jennifer medina I want to ask you one other thing though. There are women of color who are supporting Bernie Sanders. What would you say to those women? geoconda arguello-kline I will say, look, you know what? If you had divisions in womans of color who are being harassing, do you really fight for a real movement? Do you really fight for the real movement? jennifer medina Movement. geoconda arguello-kline Yeah. Thats my question. Thats the only question. jennifer medina Thank you. geoconda arguello-kline Thank you. jennifer medina I appreciate it very much for your patience and for talking with us. geoconda arguello-kline Thank you. jennifer medina Someones backpack? austin mitchell Its mine. Thanks.

jennifer medina

So this is not at all what I had been expecting. I went there wondering why the union might be trying to keep its members from talking about their votes, if those votes went against the recommendation of the leadership. But it had turned into this complicated, messy thing, where its hard to know if Geoconda is upset about my questions, or about the messages shes receiving from Sanders supporters, who are furious at what they see as the unions effort to stop Sanders from winning the Nevada. Or about the threat that she thinks Sanders poses to this health care plan that she and others work so hard to get. And its just kind of feeling upside down. If you had described to me a working-class Latina woman active in a union, and then asked me who I thought that person would vote for in this election, knowing nothing else, I wouldve told you that that person would probably vote for Bernie Sanders. But the reality is, that same woman fought for years to get this health care plan that has become vital to the unions existence. And of course, this is just one union in one state. But its also the embodiment of the central question of a Sanders candidacy. If you have something that you like or thats working well enough, are you willing to give it up on the belief that theres something even better out there?

jennifer medina Are you part of the union? laura Yes. jennifer medina Part of the Culinary Union. laura The Culinary Union. jennifer medina And did you follow the fight 

jennifer medina

But there are also many people Ive spoken to who are ready to give it up.

jennifer medina And are you happy with the medical care that you get through them? laura Im happy with that, but of course, if we have another option to get something the same or almost the same, why not? And if its going to be for everyone, I think thats the best thing we can have. Yeah. jennifer medina And are you worried at all about losing the Culinary plan, which is what the leadership  laura No, Im not. jennifer medina Why not? laura Because I think if this plan that theyre proposing is good, why we want to be afraid, right? You keep your job, and you keep working, and you do what you supposed to do. I think theres nothing to worry about it, you know?

jennifer medina

These are people who say that the health care coverage they have should be available to everyone. That Medicare for All would mean that their friends and families have care like that too. Theyre not so worried about losing something. Theyre more focused on helping others gain something. And thats a value they say they learned from the union.

[music]

michael barbaro
[February 19, 2020] AdhereHealth Partners with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City to Tackle Medication Adherence

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC), the largest not-for-profit health insurer in Missouri, serving more than one million members throughout the greater Kansas City community, announced that it has implemented AdhereHealth's ResolveTM solution to help increase positive health outcomes. AdhereHealth is the leading medication adherence technology company that partners to address social determinants of health and medication adherence. "Our decision to partner with AdhereHealth is consistent with our mission: to provide affordable access to healthcare and to improve the health of our members," said Lori Rund, Vice President Government Programs. "We are excited to implement AdhereHealth's innovative technology and engagement approach as we focus on continuing to better serve and support our members." AdhereHealth's Resolve solution is a powerful combination of predictive analytics and clinical software workflow that enables clinicians to engage members and focus on removing any barriers to care. Blue KC will now have a best-in-class technology solution to proactively connect members to the resources and support they need to manage their medications and ultimately improve health outcomes. "We are excited to support Blue KC's focus on improved care through medication adherence," said Jason Z. Rose, CEO of AdhereHealth. "Our Adhere platform's unique combination of analytics and clinical workflow empowers clinicians to focus on consumers in an ongoing engagement similar to acustomer relationship management process. Our team of over 600 licensed clinicians nationwide are dedicated to achieving and sustaining medication adherence."



Learn more about technology used to identify and engage Blue KC's members by visiting the AdhereHealth website. About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, the largest not-for-profit health insurer in Missouri and the only not-for-profit commercial health insurer in Kansas City, has been part of the Kansas City community since 1938. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City provides health coverage services to more than one million residents in the greater Kansas City area, including Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and 30 counties in Northwest Missouri. Our mission: to provide affordable access to healthcare and to improve the health of our members. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information on the company, visit its website at BlueKC.com.

About AdhereHealth

AdhereHealth is a healthcare technology solutions leader supporting health plans, self-insured employers, and other risk-bearing entities for medication adherence insights and improved healthcare outcomes. The company's Adhere platform touches nearly 30 million consumers through advanced technologies and at-risk engagement services. AdhereHealth's subsidiary company, AdhereRx, is a free concierge pharmacy for consumers with low-income subsidies and social determinants of health issues. AdhereRx coordinates complex medication regimens, has 24/7 access to pharmacy clinicians, delivers prescriptions via a private courier service, and can take cash on delivery at the consumer's home. This integrated set of solutions addresses an estimated half a trillion dollars of unnecessary annual medical costs attributed to medication adherence issues. The company is headquartered in the Nashville suburb of Franklin, Tennessee. For more information, please visit www.adherehealth.com. CONTACT: Samantha Choinski, eMedia Junction, 603-489-5964, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/adherehealth-partners-with-blue-cross-and-blue-shield-of-kansas-city-to-tackle-medication-adherence-301007148.html SOURCE AdhereHealth

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Babagana Zulum, governor on Borno, on Tuesday, visited the trapped households in Rann, headquarters of Kala-Balge local government are...





Babagana Zulum, governor on Borno, on Tuesday, visited the trapped households in Rann, headquarters of Kala-Balge local government area of the state.





Zulum, who was visiting Rann for the third time since he assumed office, flew in a chopper from Maiduguri to Kala-Balge owing to the flooded road caused by a discharge from a dam in July 2019.





The governor supervised the distribution of N100 million to over 10,000 households cut away from the rest of the state by the flooding.





In January 2017, the Nigerian air force misfired and hit an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Rann, killing over a hundred civilians and leaving many injured.





Over 10,000 households in the agrarian community of Rann have been trapped while crops planted last year were destroyed by a herd of 250 elephants sighted by UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) officials from their helicopter back in December 2019, a statement from the governors office read.





Led by Governor Zulum, the officials supervised the distribution of N100m in cash to the residents in Rann, whose only option is to trek about 10 kilometres to border communities in order to buy food and other basic needs. Each of the 10,000 households in the community was given between N10,000 and N15,000 cash because there is no banking service. Zulum had to fly cash as last option.





Male householders received N15,000 each, while their female counterparts received N10,000 each.





Farmlands still flooded cannot be cultivated by the residents forcing them to completely depend on aid transported to them through humanitarian air services.





Rann, largely populated by Bornos Shuwa arabs, is considered Nigerias most severely disadvantaged local government headquarters. Despite 25 years of existence, Rann is usually inaccessible during rainy season as there is neither road nor bridge linking the council headquarters with the rest of Borno State. The council is also not connected to the national grid for electricity supply.
Wrightbus has won an order from north of England bus company Rotala to provide 163 new vehicles in 2020 in a deal worth more than 29m

Wrightbus has won an order from north of England bus company Rotala to provide 163 new vehicles in 2020 in a deal worth more than 29m.

One hundred and twenty eight of the additions will be StreetDeck double-deckers for Rotalas Diamond Bus North West (DBNW) services.

The remainder will be StreetLite single-deckers and they will be spread across operations in the Midlands, Preston and at Heathrow Airport.

The news of the multi-million deal has been welcomed by north Antrim MP Ian Paisley.

This is great news for Ballymena. This order is from a world renowned, very prestigious group and shows that Wrightbus is right back at the top of the industry. Its all down to the prowess of the new, top grade ownership and the expertise of the 500 plus employees on site. Im sure there will be plenty more good news to come.

All of the buses will have the third generation of Wrightbus Micro Hybrid system, which recaptures kinetic energy via the alternator. They will also come with synthetic leather upholstery, USB charging points and CCTV monitoring.

DBNW managing director Bob Dunn said the new vehicles for Greater Manchester will help to improve reliability.

The new Wrightbus StreetDecks for DBNW that are part of the Rotala order are to be used on trunk routes, he said.

They will join 16 StreetDecks already in its fleet.

The new buses will allow the return of all 125 of the vehicles that were leased by when Rotala purchased Firsts Bolton operation for 5.3m in 2019.

This latest order is an important part of our strategy to encourage even more people to take the bus.

Our network covers a number of communities dependent on our services. We hope that this news shows our intent to deliver the right services for customers.
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Linkedin Selcan Hacaoglu (Bloomberg) Ankara, Turkey  Wed, February 19, 2020 14:48 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206570376 2 World Donald-Trump,Erdogan,Turkey,US,Russia,Syria Free

Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are teaming up to stop Russian-backed attacks on Syrias last rebel stronghold after Turkey rejected a proposal by Moscow to relocate its troops in Idlib.

We are working together on seeing what can be done, the US president said at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday, according to C-SPAN. You have a lot of warring going on right now.

Only hours earlier, Turkey refused a plan outlined by Russia that included a map with a proposed relocation of Turkish troops in Syrias opposition-controlled Idlib province. Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Erdogan, said two days of talks in Moscow yielded no satisfactory result.

Its out of the question to change the location of Turkish observation points, Kalin said, referring to Turkish military outposts that have the task of monitoring a cease-fire in Idlib under a deal with Russia and Iran. We will keep reinforcing the area. Theres no doubt that Turkey will respond to attacks in Idlib in the strongest way.

The standoff between the two regional powerbrokers is threatening a rupture in their uneasy relationship and prompting Turkey to reboot ties with the US after years of tensions. Erdogan has threatened to use force before the end of February if Syrian forces dont withdraw from the vicinity of four Turkish military outposts or stage a new attack on Turkish forces who suffered 14 dead earlier this month.

Tough Guy

Trump called Erdogan a tough guy who doesnt want people to be killed in great numbers, adding that he has a a good relationship with Erdogan.

Turkey has started a mass deployment of tanks, commandos and armored personnel carriers in Idlib to stop the advance of Syrian forces. The offensive triggered an exodus of hundreds of thousands of people in cold weather toward neighboring Turkey, which already hosts the largest number of refugees in the world.

Turkey has now sealed off the entire Syrian border with high cement walls and is building houses within Syria to shelter new refugees beyond its border. Towns and displacement camps west of Aleppo were hit by shelling in recent days, and roads are packed with vehicles, according to disaster-relief group Medecins Sans Frontieres.

The people fleeing north are being squeezed into a territory that is getting smaller and smaller between the front line to the east and the closed Turkish border to the west, Julien Delozanne, MSF head of mission for Syria, said Tuesday in an emailed statement. A new influx of people to the area will make the already harsh living conditions in the camps even worse he said.

Attacks are now taking place in areas that were previously considered to be safe, Delozanne said.
Mary Kelleher, from Waterfall, Co. Cork, pictured leaving the Four Courts. Pic: Collins Courts

A woman contracted Legionnaires' disease after using a luxury hotel's spa facilities, the High Court heard.

Mary Kelleher was in the induced coma for three weeks in hospital intensive care and when discharged from hospital after 54 days she was in a wheelchair and with crutches.

Mrs Kelleher and her husband Jer had decided to splash out on a stay in the five-star Muckross Park in Killarney, Co Kerry to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in advance of a special mass and party at home.

She has sued the hotel and a specialist water treatment firm over having contracted the disease.

Liability has been admitted and the case is before the court for assessment of damages.

Mrs Kelleher told the court that after check in she went and tried everything including the pool, the sauna, steam room and the hot and cold spa pool.

After they checked out, she said the couple were on top of the world and very happy.

But within days she was feeling unwell, her muscles were aching and she was very tired.

I was aching stiff and tired. I put it down to the late night at the party. The house was full of food and I had no appetite," she said.

She went to the doctor and a viral infection was suspected but she was feeling tired and she said it was like my muscles were losing power.

When she went back to a doctor she was told she had pneumonia and was transferred to the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork.

I can remember being admitted and put in a ward but I dont remember anything else.

When she woke up from her induced coma three weeks later, she thought it was the next day but a nurse said welcome back, it is September 9 and you are in hospital.

She added: I didnt realise for weeks how sick I was and how close I came to dying. I couldnt talk.

Mrs Kelleher (55) of Ballyshoneen, Waterfall, Co Cork has sued INUA Hospitality Series 2 Ltd with offices at Little Island, Cork and trading as Muckross Park Hotel.

She also sued specialist water treatment business, NCH Ireland Ltd trading as Chem Aqua with offices at Wilton Park House, Wilton Place, Dublin saying she was exposed to and contracted Legionnaires Disease after using the hotel spa facilities on August 6/7, 2015.

Her counsel, Pearse Sreenan SC, instructed by Amy Connolly of Cantillon Solicitors, said Mrs Kelleher suffered life changing injuries and at one stage in hospital her husband was told nothing more could be done for her.

She now suffers from considerable chronic fatigue, he said.

He said Mrs Kelleher had flu-like symptoms which continued and she went to a doctor on August 12 and then again two days later.

She was admitted to hospital on August 16 and transferred to intensive care because of the severity of her symptoms.

She had to be incubated and ventilated and Legionnaires' disease, which is a pneumonia caused by a type of Legionella bacteria, was confirmed.

When she woke from the induced coma she was in very poor condition and did not know where she was, he said.

She had to use a walking stick and needed intensive physiotherapy. She was discharged from hospital after 54 days on October 9, 2015.

Counsel said a HSE incident control team was convened on August 18 to look in to the matter.

Mr Sreenan said bacteria was traced back to the hotel and the indoor cold spa pool was thought to be the most likely source of infection and decommissioned.

The case continues.
Keeping a toddler safe on the playground is more of an art than science. Some parents hover and chase, others have rules, others let them build character with a few scrapes and falls. In other words, principles of parenting on the playground are usually arbitrary, based on gut feeling rather than sound science. So what does the science say about kids falling? The science is clear on one thing: It happens. Some 2.8 million emergency room visits due to kids falling every year and 38 percent, or more than a third of all fall-related injuries, happen to those ages 4 and under, with some 45 percent of the visits being for serious stuff like fractures and dislocations. Dig into these numbers and youll find there are very real rules and takeaways that parents can follow to keep their kid safe on the playground and out of the ER. Heres what the experts say about kids, falls, and ways to injury-proof your childs playground outings.

How High Is Too High?

Anything below adult eye level is fair game and anything higher is off-limits. This might sound like a made-up rule (it is), but the principle isnt far off. If the fall is from a short distance, the injury may be as simple as a concussion, whereas falling from heights greater than two times your childs own height may involve a skull fracture with bleeding, says Denise Klinkner, M.D., a pediatric surgeon at Mayo Clinic Childrens Center in Rochester, MN.

Generally speaking, injuries become more severe once a child falls from a height two to three times his own, agrees Alison S. Tothy, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine at the University of Chicago. Typically, though, the injuries Dr. Tothy sees in her practice are relatively benign. Its a lot of bumps and bruises, maybe a minor head injury, she says.

Not surprisingly, climbing devices and swings top the list for playground accidents, and falls account for 75 percent of all injuries, according to Safe Kids, a national child safety awareness organization.

Story continues

Young children especially are susceptible to falls  they are less coordinated and still developing their balance, but also very curious about the world around them, says Libbe Slavin, Injury Prevention Program Manager for Safe Kids in Wisconsin. They are looking to learn but unaware of the consequences.

Kids fall. Its a basic part of childhood. You can minimize some of the damage by staying alert at the playground. A playground is not a free babysitter, says Dr. Tothy. Its not time to read the paper or be on the phone. You dont need to hover, but you should be a quiet observer to everything your child does.

How to Judge a Fall

So lets say you look away, and when you look back, your kid has taken a tumble from the jungle gym. How you should respond will depend on several things: Are they conscious? Are they lying is an awkward position? Are they bleeding? Use your parenting instincts, says Dr. Tothy. If a child is unconscious or lying awkwardly and having trouble moving, call 911 for an ambulance.

Spinal cord injuries are less common in children but do occur, says Dr. Klinkner. Also, because children have disproportionately larger heads, there is the potential for more severe head injuries.

On the other hand, if your little one starts running toward you, crying and holding their arm, you can breathe easier: They might have broken a bone, but theyre going to be OK. After a fall, take your cues from what your child is doing, Dr. Tothy advises. Dont escalate future fears by making a big deal of it if your child seems relatively unscathed. Most of the time, hugs and sympathy are the only medicine needed.

How to Judge the Safety of a Playground

Kids will fall anywhere  more injuries happen at home, in fact, than on the playground  but you can still lower the odds of serious accidents by scoping out your kids romping ground to be sure its safe. To start, look for playgrounds with shock-absorbing surfaces, like rubber mats and sand. Ideally, you want 9 inches of loose-fill material like wood chips, pea gravel or sand, says Slavin from Safe Kids. These materials often get worn away under equipment or piled up to the sides near the equipment if its used often. These will help to absorb impact if your kid falls.

Also, head for recently built playgrounds if thats a possibility  many of the current designs give kids the illusion of height when really the climbing equipment is lower but its built on a mound of a hill so kids still feel high up, says Dr. Tothy. Older playgrounds tend to have higher slides and jungle gyms (parents didnt worry as much back in the 80s!), so be sure to stay close if your child is exploring them.

On older playgrounds, parents should check to be sure the equipment is in good shape and stable, says Dr. Tothy. Look for loose bars, sharp corners, and boards or nails that could be sticking out.

Playground Safety 101

Protecting your little one is your top priority, and with a few rules you can enjoy the playground while still staying safe. It is important to allow kids to take supervised risks, says Libbe Slavin, Injury Prevention Program Manager at Safe Kids. Follow these age-by-age guidelines.

Age: 6 to 23 months Look for: Short slides, bucket swings, and spring rockers Safety tip: Keep climbing equipment less than 32 inches high.

Age: 2 to 5 years old Look for: Merry-go-rounds, slides, swings, single file step ladders Safety tip: All equipment should be less than 60 inches high. Age: 5 to 12 years old Look for: Arch climbers, cable walks, vertical sliding poles, and overhead rings. Safety tip: If you have to lift your child onto the equipment, outside of swings, the child probably shouldnt be on it.

Learning to Let Go

Given the scary stats from the CDC (falls are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries for all children ages 0 to 19! Eight thousand kids head to the ER every day for fall-related injuries!), it seems super counterintuitive to tell you not to hold your childs hand from the minute you enter the playground right up until you climb in the car to go home.

But at some point (and heres where those famous parent instincts kick in again), your childs got to learn to do a little fending for himself. If yours is pre-K, theyre probably not there yet. This might be why the group of kids Dr. Tothy sees most often for playground injuries are ages 5 to 8. Kids this age are a little braver, a little more willing to experiment with what their body is capable of doingand sometimes they misjudge it, she says.

Note: If your kid comes home from school with a bloody nose from falling during recess, or if they take a digger right in front of you during a Saturday morning play session, dont panic, dont lay blame, and dont feel guilty. Its all part of being a kid.

Related Articles:

The post Just How Hard Can My Toddler Fall on the Playground Before I Panic? appeared first on Fatherly.
Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg gestures while speaking during the kickoff of his "Get It Done Express" bus tour at the Dollarhide Community Center in Compton, California on February 3, 2020. Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images

Mike Bloomberg is trying to position himself as a moderate candidate who has the resources and record to unite the Democratic Party to take on President Donald Trump this fall. But despite his recent surge in polls, that might be a difficult task, as he remains a divisive figure among a group historically important to Democrats  labor unions. To be sure, unions' support or opposition may not make or break Democratic candidacies this cycle, as key constituencies within the party are merely looking for the best chance to win in November. The influential Nevada Culinary Workers' union declined to support any of the Democratic candidates ahead of the debate Wednesday night and the state's caucuses this Saturday. Nor is there a clear front-runner for endorsement of the 12.5 million-member AFL-CIO, as former Vice President Joe Biden, once the would-be union darling, continues to fall in the polls.

Yet the chances of Bloomberg becoming a champion of organized labor early in the primary season might seem small, despite his recent unveiling of some union-friendly policy proposals. Bloomberg's media company, Bloomberg LP, is not unionized, though the legal research firm it acquired in 2011, Bloomberg BNA, does have a union. During his three-term run as New York mayor, Bloomberg's tough tactics earned him a mixed record with unions: He had his share of enemies and allies, as well as people who straddled the divide. As the city's finances took a hit from an economic crisis and a ballooning deficit, Bloomberg targeted union contracts and pensions as a path to financial stabilization. He ended his 12-year run on Dec. 31, 2013, with a balanced budget. But he had lost the support of New York's largest municipal public employee union, District Council 37, which had backed his first run. The union represents workers in hospitals, schools libraries and city colleges. Other union criticisms of Bloomberg persist. Patrick Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, which represents 24,000 sworn New York Police Department members, has called Bloomberg's apologies for stop-and-frisk "too little, too late." The union has said Bloomberg's policy worsened its relations with communities and made police officers the target of hatred. Bloomberg has also drawn anger from the teachers unions for his support of charter schools, which the groups say drain public schools and educators of resources. After Bloomberg announced his run for president late last year, the United Federation of Teachers declared in a newspaper distributed to its more than 190,000 members that under his watch in New York "public school educators felt disrespected and demoralized" while "students were shortchanged." His charitable activities as a private citizen have proven equally as divisive. Through Bloomberg Philanthropies, he's continued to support private education, as well as a coal-free future, both controversial decisions for certain union members. Those same activities, though, have also earned him allies. Despite the teachers union's past issues with Bloomberg, the president of its parent union, the 1.7 million-member American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, recently told the Hill she believes Bloomberg has a chance of "going all the way." Bloomberg Philanthropies has pledged money to support low-income students. The AFT, meantime, has partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun-safety advocacy group that Bloomberg helped found.

Weingarten and Bloomberg shared a byline in a USA Today editorial in 2018 acknowledging that while they have butted heads over the best way to improve schools, they share a focus on fair pay for teachers. The country's largest federation of unions, the AFL-CIO, is also split on Bloomberg, a person familiar with the union's thinking said, requesting anonymity in order to speak freely about union dynamics. There are others, though, who are in favor of Bloomberg's candor and frank approach. Some are focused on simply finding a candidate they think can win. "I've certainly seen people express concerns about Bloomberg," said Thea Mei Lee, president of the Economic Policy Institute, who previously served as deputy chief of staff at the AFL-CIO. "But they're also trying to figure out who can beat Trump, and having money is always useful in the election." The Bloomberg campaign did not respond to a request for comment for this article.

A question of influence

The Democratic field is as fractured as the union voter bloc. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., an outspoken proponent of organized labor, has already irked some unions with his support for "Medicare for All" and his opposition to mountaintop coal mining. Biden, who has pegged much of his political appeal to his blue-collar roots, failed to secure the endorsement of the influential Nevada Culinary Workers' union ahead of the state's caucuses. The other major Democratic candidates  Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.  all have various levels of support among union members. But none have been able to break free as the clear front-runner nor allayed sufficient concern they can beat Trump. Trump, a Republican billionaire, nonetheless won the presidency in 2016 by winning over large swaths of union members and blue-collar workers. That happened despite his rival, Hillary Clinton, winning the endorsement of the AFL-CIO. Meanwhile, dwindling union membership and economic uncertainty have created schisms between unions representing workers from industries such as mining, teaching and retail. That fracture was made clear with the recent United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a NAFTA update that earned the support of the AFL-CIO, despite concerns several unions publicly expressed about the deal. The AFL-CIO's endorsement doesn't seem to have the impact it used to have. In 2016, the organization endorsed Hillary Clinton, but she only beat Trump among union households 51%-43%. In 2012, Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney among union households 58%-40%. It's also unclear whether the AFL-CIO will arrive at a two-thirds majority vote required for the group to endorse any candidate, the person familiar with the AFL-CIO's thinking acknowledged. The AFL-CIO's member unions include the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and United Auto Workers. The AFL-CIO has only once before opted against any endorsement at all. In 1972, it refrained from endorsing either President Richard Nixon or Democratic Sen. George McGovern for the presidency, put off by McGovern's opposition to the Vietnam War. Tim Schlittner, a spokesperson for the AFL-CIO, said the group is "fully confident" in its ability to reach a consensus to support a candidate as it works through a "strong field." Schlittner also disagreed that the AFL-CIO is fractured or losing influence, calling such characterizations "overblown," and saying it "comes together like a family" when it needs to.

Bloomberg's resources
The wait soon will be over.

Ever since word got out in November that Christine DeFrancesco-Butrym and her husband, Eric Butrym, of Hopewell Township, New Jersey would be taking over the shuttered Easton Baking Co., the couple has been bombarded by prospective patrons eagerly asking when doors would be opening. So much so that Eric began a blog on the business website updating the public in full transparency on what was happening.

Things are Moving!," Eric wrote on Dec. 7 when electrical work and a new ceiling project commenced. In a post earlier this month titled, Which do you want first....?, Eric discussed important plumbing issues and major repairs to the roof, ceiling, exhaust hood and other infrastructure around the bakery delaying the opening.

The couples goal in renovating was to be ready in time for Fastnacht Day -- a Pennsylvania Dutch doughnut area bakeries have been frying up by the tens of thousands for decades. For most Lehigh Valley bakeries, Tuesday is their biggest day of the year.

Looks like the Butryms made it.

They plan to open at 5 a.m. Monday selling solely tomato pie and Fastnachts at the bake shop, 34 N. 7th St. The owners plan to take orders of three dozen or more of the Fastnachts with advanced credit card payment. Employees will begin taking phone orders starting on Thursday, Eric Butrym said.

We will ask customers to limit in-store purchases to two dozen Fastnachts to make sure there will be some for everyone, he told lehighvalleylive.com.

After Monday, owners will begin selling other staples loyal Easton Baking Co. patrons have grown to love, such as sticky buns, doughuts and pastries. There are plans in the coming months to begin birthday, wedding and other special occasion cakes.

Monday is supposed to be a soft opening for the Butryms. But who are we kidding? When siblings Patty, Mitzi and George Mosellie, whose family owned the business since the 1970s, decided to quietly close in October 2018, it set off a social media firestorm with crowds lining the blocks for their last taste of tomato pie, doughnuts, sticky buns and pastries. The family closed the shop to spend time with their mother, Bessie Mosellie, who was then diagnosed with a terminal illness and has since passed away.

The Butryms were passed on the family recipes in the sale and spent the past three months trying to master it, Eric said on his blog. Theres also a little history between with the Butryms and the Mosellies.

As a child, DeFrancesco-Butrym would walk to the New York Italian Bakery along Main Street in Phillipsburg. At the time, George Mosellie Sr., Bessies husband and the patriarch of the business, worked for the Phillipsburg bakery before opening Easton Baking Co. Her father, Carmen DeFrancesco, also was an employee. DeFrancesco-Butryms nostalgia of her childhood bakery made her want to revitalize Easton Baking Co., she said.

George Mosellie Jr. is helping the couple with all the recipes, Christine DeFrancesco-Butrym said.

The new Easton Baking Co. plans to be open Tuesday through Sunday; specific hours are pending. After this Mondays opening, the bakery plans to be closed on Mondays.

How to order Fastnachts:

Orders for three dozen or more of the Dutch Pennsylvania treat can be placed starting Thursday by calling 610-252-6343. Patrons can order up to two dozen Fastnachts on Monday by visiting the bakery at 34 N. 7th St., Easton.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
LE MARS, Iowa -- A group of roughly 90 soldiers in the Le Mars-based Troop C, First Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Iowa Army National Guard, is set to be deployed to Africa later this year.

Col. Michael Wunn, a public affairs officer for the Army National Guard, said the troop will be deployed to the Horn of Africa, though he could not specify which country. They'll mobilize and begin preparations in June and should arrive on the continent by the end of the summer.

Their first stop will be Fort Bliss, Texas, where the troops will complete their final training and readiness checks before deploying.

Troop C will be performing "general security" on the deployment, Wunn said. They are expected to be there for one year.

The deployment is part of Operation Enduring Freedom in the United States Africa Command (U.S. AFRICOM) Area of Responsibility (AOR). U.S. AFRICOM is responsible for U.S. military operations, exercises and security cooperation activities in Africa, its island nations and surrounding waters.

This is the second of several deployments announced by Maj. Gen. Ben Corell, the Iowa National Guard Adjutant General, during his Condition of the Guard address to the Iowa General Assembly on Jan. 16.

Send-off ceremonies for the troop are being planned for June. This will be the third federal mobilization for Troop C since 2001. The troop previously deployed to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2010, according to a press release.

Additional mobilization announcements are expected in the near future.

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A 75-year-old rabbi ran over two pedestrians and demolished a pharmacy while helping a woman park her Jaguar, a court heard today.

Ralph Berisch claims that he mixed the brake and accelerator pedals as he reached 20mph on a pavement in Golders Green, London while helping a woman park.

The septuagenarian, of Woodstock Avenue, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of causing serious injury while driving dangerously in March 2018.

Harrow Crown Court heard how the rabbi told police at the scene: 'I put the car in drive, I don't know what happened. It took off, I couldn't control it.'

CCTV played to a jury shows the moment that Berisch helped a woman park her X-type Jaguar, which has over twice the horsepower of his Toyota Yaris.

CCTV played at court shows the moment that Berisch helped a woman park her X-type Jaguar, which has over twice the horsepower of his Toyota Yaris

The vehicle then reverses suddenly into a parked car, before mounting the pavement and carrying a man, 44, on its bonnet before crashing into Victoria Pharmacy.

It also collided with a 79-year-old pensioner who suffered a broken leg and toe.

David Richards, who had been visiting his children at nursery when he was run over, suffered 13 fractures to his left leg and a lacerated right arm.

Prosecuting, Nicholas Alexander said: 'There are people going about their business, including David Richards, who had just visited his children at a local nursery.

Ralph Berisch (pictured) claims that he mixed the brake and accelerator pedals as he reached 20mph on a pavement in Golders Green, London while helping a woman park

The vehicle then reverses suddenly into a parked car, before mounting the pavement and carrying a man, 44, on its bonnet before crashing into Victoria Pharmacy

'He describes hearing an extremely loud revving of an engine and being struck from behind and on the bonnet of the car and thinking he was going to die.'

In his statement, Mr Richards said: 'I heard a really, really loud excessive revving behind me and the next thing I was on the bonnet, hurtling at speed.

'I thought I was going to die and at the last second it swerved into a pharmacy. I realised my leg was broken and everything was blurry.

'I know the rabbi behind the wheel, he is a good man it was one hundred per cent and accident and he will be suffering.'

He added: 'It has affected my life, but I'm happy to be alive.'

Simon Elkouby, 79, saw the car coming toward him, but did not have time to avoid being struck and carried into the pharmacy.

The septuagenarian, of Woodstock Avenue, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of causing serious injury while driving dangerously in March 2018 (crash pictured)

Harrow Crown Court heard how the rabbi told police at the scene (pictured): 'I put the car in drive, I don't know what happened. It took off, I couldn't control it'

It emerged that he had told police after the incident: 'A car came across the pavement and hit me directly as I tried to escape. I lost consciousness and woke up under the car and said a prayer as I thought I was going to die.'

Eyewitness Dick Segal, 74, told Harrow Crown Court how he had watched the rabbi struggle to park the Jaguar before it took off.

Meanwhile, pharmacy boss Abbas Dosa recalled: 'I heard a very loud crash as the car came crashing through the window of my shop.

'I could see someone was pinned by the car and someone on the bonnet was screaming. This man had injuries to his leg and there was blood everywhere.

'The shop suffered catastrophic damage.'

The trial continues.
Washington: President Donald Trump will be accompanied on the India visit by at least three members of his cabinet and son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who has emerged as the presidents right-hand man on some of the administrations key foreign policy priorities and engagements.

The three secretaries will be Steve Mnuchin of treasury, Wilbur Ross of commerce and Secretary Dan Brouillette of energy, according to people familiar with the planning of the visit, who also pointed out that these lists could change with additions and eliminations. There was no word if Robert Lighthizer, the trade representative and top negotiator, will join the delegation. He cancelled a visit to New Delhi scheduled for last week to wrap up discussion on a trade deal, putting a question mark on what was once expected to be the defining achievement of Trumps visit.

The delegation will also include officials from the presidents National Security Council. The state department will be represented by the US ambassador to India Ken Juster, as all other officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, are staying back in Washington DC for a conference of heads of US missions from all over the world, according to people familiar these developments.

Secretary of defense Mark Esper will also not be on the presidents delegation because he is scheduled to make a separate, and his first, visit to India later, perhaps in March.

The president, who will be accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, will begin his two-day India tour in Ahmedabad with a visit to Mahatma Gandhis Sabarmati Ashram and a public rally at a stadium that the president has spoke about enthusiastically, specially the millions of people he is expecting to see.

The presence of the presidents son-in-law Kushner in the visiting delegation is being seen as significant, given how close he is to Trump and how many of the administrations key initiatives he has spearheaded including the recently announced West Asia peace plan.

This will be Kushners second trip to India after Trumps election. His first was in November 2018 when he went to Jaisalmer to attend the wedding of a friend from Harvard; they were also roommates. But that was said to be a strictly private visit and it could not be ascertained if he also had official meetings at the time.

Earlier last year, in July, Kushner appeared for the first time at an India-related event, a discussion hosted by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. When we look at India we see a country with such amazing potential and we see the relationship between America and India as one with boundless potential, Kushner had said, and added, in a nod to ongoing trade discussions, We still have some issues we have to work through. Those issues are still on the table.

It could not be ascertained if the presidents daughter Ivanka Trump will also be on the delegation. She has been to India before, in her capacity as an adviser to her father, and has been seen taking active interest in the bilateral relationship. She led the US delegation to the global Entrepreneurship Summit to Hyderabad in 2017, and also cut a video summary of President Trumps meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Osaka G 20 in July, 2018.
Tony Eden says he narrowly escaped being taken hostage during the 1985 riots at the Tennessee State Prison in Nashville. The former corrections officer, now 61, was cornered by inmates as buildings were set ablaze and burned.

Eden credits an inmate, named Nicholas Todd Sutton, with saving his life that day. Thirty-five years later, Eden found himself advocating for Sutton to be spared from a similar fate.

Seven former and current officials, including Eden, requested Lee to commute Sutton's death sentence. The petition cited three separate occasions where Sutton stepped in to protect corrections staff from violence.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee denied Sutton's clemency petition on Wednesday, saying after "careful" consideration of the request, he would not be intervening. Sutton, 58, is scheduled to be executed by the electric chair Thursday.

"I have four boys and a girl now who probably wouldn't be here if that day turned out differently," Eden told CBS News. "I wouldn't have the life I have today if it weren't for Nick."

Kevin Sharp, one of Sutton's attorneys, told CBS News this type of support is "unusual."

"You need people like Nick who make the place safer," Sharp added. "He's not getting out, all we're asking for is the governor commute his execution. He would still die in prison, just not by the electric chair."

Sutton has four murder convictions. The first three were committed in 1979 when he was 18 years old. He was handed down three life sentences, including one for killing his own grandmother.

Six years later, Sutton was sentenced to death for fatally stabbing a fellow inmate. His lawyers claim it was a "kill or be killed situation" after another inmate allegedly attacked him.

A neuropsychologist evaluation found trauma from childhood abuse caused severe developmental impairments for Sutton, something his lawyers say was never considered during his capital case.

Story continues

Advocates now argue that Sutton has undergone a "profound transformation" during his 34 years on death row. Prison records show no serious disciplinary actions since 1990 and lawyers claim he makes the prison safer through counseling and caring for other inmates.

Nicholas Sutton

Nicholas Sutton Courtesy of the Sutton family

"The death penalty takes so long to administer, you're commonly executing people who are very different than the youthful offender who committed the crime," Evan Mandery, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told CBS News. "Mr. Sutton's case seems like a very extreme example of this."

Sutton was moved to the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution shortly after his capital trial in 1985. When the Tennessee State Prison closed a few years later, Eden was moved there, too.

Eden said despite the fact that Sutton saved his life, he never asked for a favor in return.

Although, there was one thing.

"He asked me to be the best man in his wedding," Eden recalled. "That's the only thing he ever asked for that I know of. And all he wanted was just for me to stand there."

Sutton is about to celebrate his 26th wedding anniversary to his wife, Reba, a woman he fell in love with through a pen-pal program. Eden said the ceremony happened inside the visitation gallery in the back of the death row unit, where Sutton has fielded visitors for decades.

wedding.jpg

Tony Eden was Nicholas Sutton's best man at his 1994 wedding. Family handout

The eldest daughter of the inmate Sutton killed has joined the effort to spare his life. In a clemency petition filed on January 14, she advocates against the execution, saying "the pain and suffering her family has endured would only be made worse" if Sutton was killed.

"You don't even have surviving victims who are clamoring for revenge," Mandery, an expert on the death penalty, added. "On the pro and con leger, I can't come up with anything on the pro side for why execution would be important to do."

This week, Sutton was moved to separate housing for what's known as death watch. He handed in his white death row uniform for what Sharp described as yellow operating room scrubs. Security has been tightened, and he's only allowed to speak to visitors through a glass pane.

Data shows capital punishment in the U.S. is steadily declining. There were 825 fewer death sentences between 2010 and 2019 compared to the 10 years prior. Last decade's death sentencing rate was 89 percent lower than a peak in the mid-1990s.

If he's not granted clemency, Sutton will become the 1,156th person to be executed in the United States since 1976. He will be the 13th from the state of Tennessee.

"He's hopeful but understands there's decisions that need to be made," Sharp said after a recent visit. "He feels badly for his family, he knows how painful this is going to be for them."

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More elaborate measures needed to manage Chinese students



The Ministry of Education has unveiled measures aimed at strengthening the management of Chinese students to prevent further spreading of the new coronavirus. Chinese students enrolled in Korean universities are required to skip classes and quarantine themselves in their residences for 14 days, the incubation period of COVID-19 (2919-nCoV). The ministry also advised Chinese students who have not yet returned to Korea for the spring semester to take a leave of absence or study online from China.



At present, all Koreans and foreigners coming from China  except Hubei Province from which the government banned entry into Korea in early February  are obliged to undergo special entry procedures, including health checkups. Chinese students returning from their homeland have, in addition, had the 14-day self-quarantine period imposed because of fears that the introduction of the virus into densely populated places such as school dormitories could cause massive infections.



The measures, however, have invited criticism for an across the board passing of the government's responsibility to manage Chinese students to universities. There are an estimated 71,000 Chinese students studying in Korea; 20,000 have already returned and are currently studying, while the remaining 40,000 are expected to arrive in the near future. At school dormitories, Chinese students must be assigned single-occupancy rooms so that they can quarantine themselves, but the shortage of rooms has caused many to seek residences off campus. The school authorities are supposed to monitor these off-campus students by phone twice a day, but whether such measures are effective is in doubt.



The government should play a greater role in containing the pneumonia inducing virus in relation to the returning Chinese students, given universities' limitations in their ability to impose quarantine and disinfection measures. For example, Chinese students under "self-quarantine" must be provided with packed meals and daily necessities, but who is to pay for these items has yet to be decided. The government's measures against the coronavirus epidemic should be more all-encompassing.






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Linkedin Deng Xijun (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 13:19 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2065680bd 3 Opinion coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,ASEAN-China,#coronavirus,#Wuhan,COVID-19,opinions Free

The Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers Meeting on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) will be held in Laos on Thursday.

This meeting is convened at a critical moment when China and ASEAN are battling the severe challenge of COVID-19. It reflects the firm resolve of China and ASEAN to fight the epidemic and the unique, friendly relationship between our two sides. It will also be a leading example of responding to epidemics through cross-border cooperation.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak at the end of 2019, under the strong leadership of President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government promptly set up a nationwide framework to mobilize personnel and resources from across the country.

The most comprehensive, strict and thorough prevention and control measures have been taken. The utmost efforts have been made to save lives and prevent COVID-19 from further spreading.

The situation is currently on the whole under control, and we are fully confident and capable of winning the battle.

China, as a responsible country, has been updating the international community on COVID-19 at the earliest time possible in an open and transparent manner and engaged in international cooperation to curb the spread of the virus beyond its borders.

While going all-out to protect the safety and health of the Chinese people, China is also making great sacrifices and contributions to the global public health safety.

Six ASEAN member states have also been hit by COVID-19 to different degrees and thus face pressure in prevention and control.

However, all ASEAN countries still have assisted the Chinese government with support.

The ASEAN chairmans recent statement on ASEAN Collective Response to the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 expresses solidarity and the heartfelt support for the Chinese government and people in their tremendous endeavor to address the outbreak of COVID-19.

Leaders of all 10 ASEAN countries expressed, through letters, phone calls, and visits to China, sympathies to China and their confidence and resolve to jointly defeat COVID-19.

People from all walks of life in ASEAN have also cheered on the Chinese people through donations, prayers and video messages. The Chinese people are deeply moved and will keep these heartwarming blessings forever in our heart.

As the current situation remains grim and complicated, China proposes to act as below together with ASEAN:

 China and ASEAN could enhance communication through political channels, especially the upcoming Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers Meeting, as well as top-level coordination. The confidence and resolve of the people in our region to prevail over the epidemic are thus expected to be strengthened.

 China and ASEAN could deepen public health cooperation, enhance exchange of technology and experiences as well as personnel training in response to COVID-19.

Both sides are determined to work hard to uproot the threat of the epidemic and jointly safeguard the health and safety of the people in our region.

 Restrictive measures disrupting normal trade and movement could hopefully be lifted and cooperation in tourism and other sectors strengthened, as the situation turns for the better.

Both sides will endeavor to minimize the negative impact of the epidemic and maintain the momentum of economic development in East Asia and the larger Asia region.

From the Asian financial crisis to the Indian Ocean tsunami, from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic to the Wenchuan earthquake, both China and ASEAN have always stood side by side and helped each other in difficult times.

There is no doubt that we will achieve the final victory against this epidemic with the joint efforts of both sides and the larger international community as well.

There is no doubt that close anti-epidemic cooperation will further energize the building of a China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

***

Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China to ASEAN

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
The ongoing flyover project near Market Yard seems to have left two Bharatiya Janata Party leaders  MLA Madhuri Misal and former leader of House Shrinath Bhimale  at loggerheads.

Bhimale had launched the civic plan of erecting a flyover between Seven Loves chowk and Market Yard post office. However, Misal along with PMC officials and traders, visited the site on Tuesday and demanded the extension of flyover till Gangadham chowk.

Misal said, By considering the demands made by traders and residents, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) must either extend the flyover till Gangadham chowk or towards Market Yard located at Gultekdi.

Bhimale said, The civic administration had cleared the flyover project between Seven Loves chowk and Market Yard post office at an estimated cost of Rs15 crore. Extending the flyover would require another Rs40 to Rs50 crore. The leader said that the flyover is not affecting traders.

Meanwhile, traders have demanded that the civic body should either construct a new flyover or grade separator at Gangadham chowk.

Bhimale said, As per Misals demand, we are flexible to turn the flyover at Market Yard, but the administration needs to check whether there is a need to extend it.

As both the BJP leaders are taking a different stand on the ongoing flyover project, the issue has become a talking point in political and administration circles.
The first thought that comes to your mind when you hear the word Trichobezoar is that it may be the name of a prehistoric dinosaur!! However, the name actually indicates a rare condition where a hairball is found in the stomach or gastrointestinal tract. Trich of trichobezoar is a Greek word which indicates hair and bezoar is from a Persian word Panzehr or an Arabic word badzehr that means an antidote. During the period between the 12 th and 18 th centuries, badzehr was a clump or mass of animal material that was given to cure conditions, such as poisoning, epilepsy, snake bite, among others. However, by the 16 th century, Ambroise Pare, a famous surgeon, noted that bezoars could not heal against all poisons. Baudamant, a French physician first described a case of trichobezoar in a boy of 16 years.

In some cases, hairballs extend from the stomach into the small intestines or even the colon; this condition is called The Rapunzel syndrome. This syndrome was first described by Dr. Vaughan and his group in 1968.

Trichobezoars are most frequently observed in females and are associated with a psychiatric disorder, such as trichotillomania that involves an urge to pull ones hair out and consume it. Human hair is difficult to digest due to its resistance to digestive enzymes. The hair gets caught and mixed with mucus and food within the folds of the stomach to form a compacted oval mass or a hairball. Trichobezoars develop very slowly and sometimes may take many years to develop.

Trichobezoar or an indigestible hair mass in the abdomen results from the accidental or involuntary ingestion of hair. One of the main causes of trichobezoars is the psychiatric condition of trichotillomania. In trichotillomania, the individual involuntarily or unconsciously has an irrepressible urge to pull out his/her hair before swallowing it. Other psychiatric disorders that can cause trichobezoars are obsessive compulsive disorders anorexia, pica, and depression. Gastric surgery, e.g. gastroenterostomy and bariatric surgery is one of the predisposing conditions to trichobezoars.

In many cases, when the mass is small, a trichobezoar may not be identified due to the lack of symptoms. The initial symptoms of trichobezoar may include loss of appetite and nausea. When the trichobezoar is significant in size, it can cause obstructive symptoms. Also, due to the pressure it exerts, it can reduce blood supply to the stomach and intestine resulting in ulcers and perforation of these organs. Jaundice and pancreatitis can occur as complications. Some of the symptoms caused by trichobezoars are as follows:

Exhaustion or fatigue

Stomach pain

Bad breath

Vomiting

Black tarry stools due to bleeding

Discomfort in the chest

Patchy loss of hair, which may be indicative of trichotillomania

Dizzy feeling

Constipation or diarrhea

Loss of weight

The severity of symptoms depends on the seriousness of the condition. For example, a patient with perforation may be in shock due to loss of blood.

Trichobezoar may be suspected based on history and clinical examination of the patient. A mass may be felt over the abdomen on physical examination.

Trichobezoars are linked to psychiatric disorders and hence clinical assessments are necessary to understand the possibility of the presence of hairballs.

Radiological tests include gastrointestinal endoscopy, ultrasonography, x-ray of the abdomen, and computed tomography of the abdomen. Computed tomography scans of the abdomen are extremely accurate and are therefore preferred in the diagnosis of trichobezoar. If an individual has suffered from trichobezoars in the past, it is recommended that he/she get a scan done twice a year to detect any recurrence.

Surgery is the preferred choice of treatment since medications are ineffective in dissolving a trichobezoar.

There are 3 main surgical ways to treat trichobezoars:

Laparotomy or Open Surgery: This is a favorable form of treating trichobezoars. The procedure is low in complications and can detect any secondary masses in the abdomen or intestine. This is the only form of treatment for Rapunzel syndrome.

Laparoscopy: Nirasawa and colleagues first described this form of treatment for bezoars in 1998. Laparoscopy or keyhole surgery is normally combined with endoscopy. While laparoscopy is used to fragment the hairball, endoscopy is utilized to remove the fragments. Complications are minimal with this procedure and patients are discharged quickly. However, laparoscopy takes a longer time as compared to open surgery.

Endoscopy: Endoscopy is not a preferred method to treat trichobezoar though it may be used for diagnosis or in combination with laparoscopy.

Individuals who have had trichobezoars should get an abdominal scan done twice a year to diagnose any recurrence. Patients should be clinically evaluated to identify psychiatric conditions that cause them to eat their hair and should be treated for the same.
Hong Kong: CE inspects Chun Yeung Estate

Chief Executive Carrie Lam today inspected Chun Yeung Estate in Fo Tan, which will be used as a quarantine centre.

She noted that the first batch of more than 500 units is now available and ready for people under quarantine to move in, including Hong Kong residents who were passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, who will soon be returning to Hong Kong from Japan by the Governments chartered flights.

Mrs Lam stressed that the people arranged to stay at quarantine centres are not confirmed or suspected cases, and the operation of the centres must also meet stringent requirements.

Security and healthcare staff will be on duty round the clock at quarantine centres and transfer service for leaving and entering the centres will be provided to quarantined people, therefore the impact on the community should be minor.

Mrs Lam said she understands that the use of the estate as a quarantine centre will affect the families who have been allocated with units there.

She hoped that they could appreciate the need to do so on public health grounds and support the Government's anti-epidemic work.

The Government had earlier announced that the Anti-Epidemic Fund will provide a one-off special allowance of $6,000 to the families allocated with public housing units at Chun Yeung Estate and Fai Ming Estate in Fanling.

The fund aims to strengthen the anti-epidemic work in Hong Kong and support the affected sectors and workers, Mrs Lam said, adding that she hoped the funding application will be approved by the Legislative Council as soon as possible.

The Chief Executive also visited the Centre for Health Protection to express heartfelt thanks to the centres staff for their efforts in the prevention and control of the disease.

She noted that they meet the media every day to brief the public on the latest development of the novel coronavirus, and expressed confidence that they will continue to spare no effort in tackling the disease.

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Formerly Partner and Head of PJT Park Hill's European Hedge Fund business, Mayer to Lead Jensen Partners' London Office

NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jensen Partners has expanded its global footprint to meet the growing demand for specialized recruitment services. Peter Mayer, formerly a Partner at PJT Park Hill, joins Jensen Partners as Head of Europe, set to lead European efforts out of the firm's London office and spearhead recruiting and AUM growth advisory.

An executive search and corporate advisory firm for the alternative investment management industry, Jensen Partners specializes in the sourcing and placement of capital raising talent. Mayer provides Jensen Partners with additional boots on the ground in a key financial market.

"Peter is a veteran of the alternative investment industry, with a deep understanding of different strategies and asset classes, as well as a vast network of contacts and GP and LP relationships," said Sasha Jensen, founder and CEO of Jensen Partners. "We are thrilled to have Peter as a member of our team, who will be key to growing our advisory business and helping our clients raise capital by identifying and securing the ideal human capital."

Mayer has more than 30 years of experience in the alternative asset and financial services industry, including expertise in hedge funds and private debt. He joins Jensen Partners from PJT Park Hill, where he was most recently a Partner responsible for leading the Park Hill's European Hedge Fund business. Prior to joining Park Hill Group in 2006 (at the time, part of Blackstone), Mayer was a Director in the Private Funds Group at Credit Suisse; before that, he headed the bank's Emerging European Equity Sales team. Mayer began his banking career at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in New York.

"I have long admired Sasha and the team at Jensen Partners for how they have built such a dominant franchise anchored on extraordinarily strong relationships with their clients through their tailored services and a unique search methodology," said Mayer. "I hope to build on Jensen Partners' reputation by expanding the firm's efforts into new markets and delivering the same high-quality service to their clients around the world."

About Jensen Partners

Jensen Partners is a global advisory, corporate development and executive search firm that leverages its extensive relationships in the investor and alternative asset management community to source and recruit leading capital-raising candidates. The firm takes a data-driven approach, combining quantitative and qualitative insights to source and place the ideal human capital. In addition to executive search, Jensen Partners offers LP/GP referencing, proprietary 360 Investor Referencing methodology, and compensation benchmarking and analysis. To learn more, please visit www.jensen-partners.com.

Jensen Partners Proprietary Mapping and Data Recruitment Model

Jensen Partners leverages its extensive investor relationships as well as its proprietary big data recruitment and competitor intelligence market mapping model to source and place capital raising professionals. This model is based on the firm's global database of more than 22,000 global alternative capital raisers, which includes professionals from private equity firms, private credit firms, real estate investment firms, real asset investors, infrastructure investors and hedge funds.

Since 2014, Jensen Partners has tracked more than 11,000 marketing moves across the alternative investment industry, which gives the firm the depth and breadth of data necessary to find the best talent and make the best recommendations. Jensen Partners has also recently invested heavily in its data capabilities by bringing in expert resources to optimize the firm's market mapping model and identify new opportunities for its clients.

In 2019, Jensen Partners began tracking the diversity of marketing talent to better meet the demand for diverse hires, and in 2020 the firm will begin tracking the movement of marketers specializing in ESG and impact investing. This data and insights about trends in the alternative investment industry are available exclusively in the Jensen Partners quarterly newsletter.

Media Contact:

Samantha Foley

646-818-9140

sfoley@prosek.com
A reporter approaches a passenger after he walked out from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 19, 2020. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Passengers Begin Leaving Quarantined Cruise Ship as US Blocks Americans From Returning

Hundreds of people began disembarking a cruise ship quarantined in Japan on Wednesday as criticism mounted of Japans handling of an onboard outbreak of the new coronavirus and the United States told Americans from the ship they wouldnt be allowed to return home for two weeks.

The Diamond Princess ship was docked in Yokohama for two weeks, quarantined after a patient who left the ship in Hong Kong tested positive for the new virus.

I am very keen to get off this ship, Australian passenger Vicki Presland said via a social media link. She was among a group of Australians getting off to catch an evacuation flight back to 14 days of quarantine in the city of Darwin.

The outbreak on the liner, owned by Carnival Corp., resulted in the biggest concentration of new coronavirus infections outside Chinasome 621 cases as of Wednesdaydespite more than two weeks of quarantine for its approximately 3,700 passengers and crew on board.

Passengers walk out from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 19, 2020. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

As questions swirled over how the virus spread so readily on the ship, Health Minister Katsunobu Kato defended Japans efforts.

Unfortunately, cases of infection have emerged, but we have to the extent possible taken appropriate steps to prevent serious cases, including sending infected people to hospital, Kato said in a report by state broadcaster NHK.

From the start, experts raised questions about quarantine on the ship. Passengers werent confined to their rooms until Feb. 5. The day before, as officials screened them, onboard events continued, including dances, quiz games, and an exercise class, one passenger said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that Japan made extraordinary efforts to implement a quarantine.

While the quarantine potentially conferred a significant public health benefit in slowing transmission, CDCs assessment is that it may not have been sufficient to prevent transmission among individuals on the ship, it added in a statement late Tuesday.

More than 300 Americans from the ship were evacuated back to the United States earlier this week. The over 100 U.S. citizens who didnt fly back are now under travel restrictions and wont be able to return to the United States for at least 14 days after they left the Diamond Princess, the CDC said. If they dont show symptoms or test positive for the new virus, they will be allowed back into the country.

Passengers look out from the cruise ship Diamond Princess, docked in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 19, 2020. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Disembarking

Only passengers who test negative and do not show symptoms are being allowed to leave the ship. Those who have tested negative but were in cabins with infected people would remain on board for additional quarantine, Japanese officials said.

Princess Cruises, which operates the ship, said that the disembarking process will take place over several days since test results take two or three days to complete. Only people who arent getting on repatriation flights will be disembarking.

After the United States evacuated American citizens, other countries began making plans to evacuate their citizens. Princess Cruises confirmed in a statement early Wednesday that chartered flights from Australia and Hong Kong would be arriving within the next 24 hours. A flight arranged by the Canadian Embassy would be arriving on Friday morning.

British officials also said theyre working on organizing a flight back to the United Kingdom for British nationals on the ship.

We expect to receive confirmation of the exact numbers of those traveling on these charter flights after the flights have departed, Princess Cruises said.

The company is offering travel assistance to people who arent getting on the flights, including those from nations not sending planes. The company is also refunding the full cruise fare, including air travel, hotel, and pre-paid shore excursions. Passengers are also being given a future cruise credit equal to the fare they paid for the voyage.

Reuters contributed to this report.
The Conference Board warns that labor shortages  especially in blue-collar jobs  will likely continue through at least 2030. Without a concerted effort by companies and governments, the nation's overall standard of living will decline, along with profits in blue-collar-heavy industries such as transportation, warehousing, and manufacturing.

The Cause of Blue-Collar Labor Shortages: Shrinking Supply Amid Soaring Demand

Factor #1: Shrinking Supply of Blue-Collar Workers

The Baby Boomer exodus: Baby Boomers perform much of the nation's blue-collar work, but they are leaving the workforce in droves. The proliferation of retiring Baby Boomers will continue through 2030.

Baby Boomers perform much of the nation's blue-collar work, but they are leaving the workforce in droves. The proliferation of retiring Baby Boomers will continue through 2030. Dismal growth in the working-age population: Amid this Baby Boomer exodus, the working-age population has largely stopped growing. The US economy has never before experienced a swell of retirements amid near-zero growth in its working-age population.

Amid this Baby Boomer exodus, the working-age population has largely stopped growing. The US economy has never before experienced a swell of retirements amid near-zero growth in its working-age population. Disappointing recovery in overall labor force participation: The tight labor market has brought more individuals into the workforce, but participation hasn't grown fast enough to prevent it from further tightening.

The tight labor market has brought more individuals into the workforce, but participation hasn't grown fast enough to prevent it from further tightening. Men without a college degree are less likely to work: Their declining workforce participation results, in part, from more of them being single, living with their parents, and having less of a need to earn an income.

Their declining workforce participation results, in part, from more of them being single, living with their parents, and having less of a need to earn an income. Large increase in disability rates: The share of people not in the labor force due to disability has soared and is now at a record high, with a strong concentration in the South and the Midwest.

The share of people not in the labor force due to disability has soared and is now at a record high, with a strong concentration in the South and the Midwest. More young adults are avoiding the trades, instead pursuing college: As a growing share of young adults enroll in four-year colleges, the number of working-age people with a bachelor's degree continues to increase. Meanwhile, the number without a bachelor's degree  those who typically choose blue-collar jobs  continues to shrink.

As a growing share of young adults enroll in four-year colleges, the number of working-age people with a bachelor's degree continues to increase. Meanwhile, the number without a bachelor's degree  those who typically choose blue-collar jobs  continues to shrink. Young adults are much less likely to be in the labor force: The decline in labor force participation of 16-24-year-olds significantly reduces the supply of workers in jobs that hire young, less-educated workers. Since this trend mostly results from more young people attaining higher education, it's positive from a societal perspective.

Factor #2: Soaring Demand for Blue-Collar Workers

Amid a shrinking pool of blue-collar workers, several factors have led to more demand for them:

Overall labor productivity slows, creating more demand for human workers: Slow productivity growth means employers need to increase employment more rapidly to meet demand, further tightening the labor market. From 2010 to 2019, labor productivity in the nonfarm US business sector increased by 0.9 percent per year, on average, compared to 2 to 3 percent annually in the decade prior to the Great Recession.

Slow productivity growth means employers need to increase employment more rapidly to meet demand, further tightening the labor market. From 2010 to 2019, labor productivity in the nonfarm US business sector increased by 0.9 percent per year, on average, compared to 2 to 3 percent annually in the decade prior to the Great Recession. Manufacturing labor productivity suffers near-zero growth, leading to a hiring frenzy: Manufacturing is the largest employer of blue-collar jobs. Over the past decade, its productivity growth has essentially remained flat, after having averaged over 4 percent annually for the prior two decades. Static productivity growth has helped spur a surge in demand for actual workers. The sector has experienced its fastest growth in employment since the 1970s.

Manufacturing is the largest employer of blue-collar jobs. Over the past decade, its productivity growth has essentially remained flat, after having averaged over 4 percent annually for the prior two decades. Static productivity growth has helped spur a surge in demand for actual workers. The sector has experienced its fastest growth in employment since the 1970s. Explosive growth in e-commerce: The surge of e-commerce activity has created a surge in blue-collar jobs, particularly in transportation and warehousing.

How Labor Shortages are Helping Workers but Hurting Companies

Workers Benefit

Wages are rising fastest for new hires and blue-collar workers : As a result of these trends, the labor market for jobs that do not require a college degree is tighter than for highly educated white-collar workers. For the first time in recorded history, wage growth for management and professional workers is significantly lower than for other occupations. At the same time, rapid wage acceleration for new hires is contributing to historic levels of pay compression and higher labor turnover.

: As a result of these trends, the labor market for jobs that do not require a college degree is tighter than for highly educated white-collar workers. For the first time in recorded history, wage growth for management and professional workers is significantly lower than for other occupations. At the same time, rapid wage acceleration for new hires is contributing to historic levels of pay compression and higher labor turnover. Higher job satisfaction : While companies are facing severe challenges in recruiting and retaining workers, plentiful job opportunities and rising wages have contributed to improved job satisfaction for nine consecutive years.

: While companies are facing severe challenges in recruiting and retaining workers, plentiful job opportunities and rising wages have contributed to improved job satisfaction for nine consecutive years. Less poverty and wage inequality: The prolonged tight labor market has led to wage gains for those at the bottom of the wage income distribution, resulting in record-low poverty rates for black and Hispanic workers.

Companies Agonize

Increased labor turnover is straining business operations : Rapid wage growth, especially among new hires, has led to increased job-hopping. With the voluntary quits rate well above the 2007 rate and the time needed to fill positions reaching historic highs, many companies are operating with unfilled positions and overstretched workforces.

: Rapid wage growth, especially among new hires, has led to increased job-hopping. With the voluntary quits rate well above the 2007 rate and the time needed to fill positions reaching historic highs, many companies are operating with unfilled positions and overstretched workforces. Labor quality a rising concern : Given the perceived difficulty of finding qualified candidates, employers are hiring less-educated workers, which is partially responsible for historically high levels of concern about labor quality.

: Given the perceived difficulty of finding qualified candidates, employers are hiring less-educated workers, which is partially responsible for historically high levels of concern about labor quality. Accelerating wages are squeezing corporate profits: The accelerations in wages and quit rates, along with slow labor productivity, are reducing US corporate profits  a trend that will continue in the coming years as the labor market continues to tighten.

Workforce Diversity Improves

Women make record gains in employment : Part of this gain reflects the rising share of women in traditionally male-dominated blue-collar occupations, especially in transportation.

: Part of this gain reflects the rising share of women in traditionally male-dominated blue-collar occupations, especially in transportation. Companies widen their talent pools: Companies are increasing their efforts to recruit other underrepresented populations such as minorities, mature workers, the disabled, immigrants, the previously incarcerated, and veterans.

Solutions: How are Blue-Collar-Heavy Companies Solving Labor Shortages?

The Conference Board surveyed human resources leaders at more than 200 companies. They identified the consequences their companies were experiencing due to shortages and the actions being taken. Frequently used solutions include:

Increasing salaries and wages: Although the most popular tactic, raising pay helps only to a point.

Although the most popular tactic, raising pay helps only to a point. Given increased employment opportunities for workers and the financial constraints companies face, employers must innovate to attract and retain workers.

Enacting tactical HR solutions: The biggest difference between companies most and least affected by shortages is that those hardest hit are making tactical changes to the recruitment process. Solutions frequently cited include:

The biggest difference between companies most and least affected by shortages is that those hardest hit are making tactical changes to the recruitment process. Solutions frequently cited include: Increasing referrals: 51 percent of blue-collar-heavy companies indicated they had added or modified an employee referral program , compared to only 21 percent of white-collar-heavy companies.

51 percent of blue-collar-heavy companies indicated they had , compared to only 21 percent of white-collar-heavy companies.

Ramping up social media: Increasing social media efforts ranked as the second most popular recruitment strategy (69 percent) among blue-collar-heavy companies, behind increasing wages and salaries (79 percent).

ranked as the second most popular recruitment strategy (69 percent) among blue-collar-heavy companies, behind (79 percent).

Shortening the recruitment process : 37 percent of blue-collar-heavy companies have experienced candidates ghosting interviews. As such, the most affected companies are responding by not requiring multiple interviews.

: 37 percent of blue-collar-heavy companies have experienced candidates ghosting interviews. As such, the most affected companies are responding by not requiring multiple interviews. Extending outreach beyond the usual recruits: 55 percent of blue-collar-heavy companies ranked expanding the target demographic as a key tactic; just 30 percent of white-collar-heavy companies said the same.

55 percent of blue-collar-heavy companies ranked as a key tactic; just 30 percent of white-collar-heavy companies said the same. A blind spot? Not doing enough to retain mature workers: The lowest-ranked retention strategy was providing new incentives to retain older workers in full or partial capacity.

The report and survey results are free to the media and public. Access the research here.

About The Conference Board

The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what's ahead. Founded in 1916, we are a non-partisan, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States.

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Representatives of only Baku and Yerevan have participated in the negotiations mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs over the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, former Minsk Group co-chair from the U.S. Matthew Bryza told local media on February 19.

He was commenting on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans comments during Munich Security Council on February 15 that the regime created in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh have participated in the negotiations process twice.

"The OSCE Minsk Group has recognized only two parties to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan and Armenia," Bryza emphasized.

Recalling the times when he was the co-chair, Bryza said the Armenian side occasionally requested participation by the so-called representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh, but all three co-chairs consistently rejected these requests.

He added that after the co-chairs quiet rebuffs, Yerevan never pressed the issue further.

"I interpreted this approach as a sign of the Armenian governments need to check a political box with Karabakh Armenians without provoking Azerbaijan and threatening the positive momentum we were building at the negotiating table," Bryza concluded.

In the past two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in the protracted conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. Since a war in the early 1990s, the Armenian armed forces have occupied nearly 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.

Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. The Madrid Principles proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group stipulates the return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; determining the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh; a corridor linking Armenia to the region; and the right of all internally displaced persons to return home.

However, the negotiations have been largely fruitless so far despite the efforts of the co-chair countries over 20 years.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994 and to this date Armenia has failed to implement the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions urging its pullout from the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

---

Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The textiles ministry on Wednesday said the domestic industry should take advantage of the huge USD 20-billion space vacated in the global apparel market by China, which is going through a tough time following outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.

Addressing a symposium on emerging opportunities for Indian textiles, Textiles Secretary Ravi Capoor said domestic textile exports have plateaued during the past 5-7 years, which is a very worrying proposition for the government.

India should step in at this stage to take the advantage although not a good way to project ourselves but every crisis has its own silver lining and I think while we are with China with all our emotions and financial, political and diplomatic help but still there appears to be a big economic opportunity which is coming up our way, he said.

In this background, Capoor said it would be the right time to bring the industry together and have a small dialogue to see how the industry associations are prepared for this opportunity.

As the exports have plateaued, he said the government understood that one of the major issues is that take up the space that has been vacated by China other than this present crisis (coronavirus).

The secretary said USD 20 billion worth of apparel space, mostly in the man-made fibre, has been vacated by China in the past three years and taken away by Vietnam.

Now is a situation where we are in a position and the (textile) minister has just spoken to Finance Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) also this morning. We are working towards seeing that the GST inversion on man-made fibre is also taken care of.

With all the efforts, if we are able to succeed in the removal of the inversion, then man-made fibre itself becomes a huge opportunity wherever China cedes space. India should step in a very big way, Capoor said.

Textile minister Smriti Irani was also present at the symposium.

The domestic textile and apparel industry, including handicrafts, stood at USD 140 billion in 2018, of which USD 100 billion was domestically consumed, while the remaining portion worth USD 40 billion was exported to the world market.
Hartwig Fischer, the director of the British Museum

The British Museum has vowed to fight off any attempt by the EU to take back the Elgin Marbles during Brexit talks as it said they were acquired 'completely legally'.

Yesterday it emerged the bloc's negotiating mandate for Brexit trade talks had been extended to include a demand to 'address issues relating to the return or restitution of unlawfully removed cultural objects to their countries of origin'.

The ask was widely believed to have been added at the request of Greece, Italy and Cyprus - and indicates that Brussels intends to play hardball.

Greek diplomats told Bloomberg the clause on 'cultural objects' was to do with smuggling of artefacts.

But another official suggested it was a reference to the ancient Greek statues in the British Museum, which were taken from the Parthenon in Athens at the start of the 19th century.

Number 10 immediately hit back at the suggestion with a source saying giving back the statues was 'just not happening'.

Hartwig Fischer, the director of the British Museum, today insisted that its ownership of the Elgin Marbles was 'completely legal'.

He also insisted in an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme that it was 'not a burglaries case' as he sought to dampen any claims on the items.

The Elgin Marbles are a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures, inscriptions and architectural members that were mostly created by Phidias and his assistants

He said: The Elgin Marbles are part of the Parthenon sculptures which were brought to the UK by Lord Elgin with the explicit permission of the Ottoman empire, the government in place back then and which had been in place for more than 300 years.

This is not a burglaries care  weve got to be very clear about this. They were taken down, this was supervised, and they were shipped to the UK completely legally.

Mr Fischer pointed out that if the Marbles were returned, they would be placed in a museum in Athens  and not at the original site on the Acropolis in Athens.

He also said he did not believe the clause in the EU's negotiating mandate was in direct reference to the Elgin Marbles.

We have not chosen to stay out of this debate, weve just stated why we think that the Parthenon sculptures have their place also in the British Museum and not only in Athens, he said.

The line that was added clearly does not refer to this but to an entirely different problem.

A long-running historical dispute: What are the Elgin Marbles? The Elgin Marbles are a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures, inscriptions and architectural members that were mostly created by Phidias and his assistants. The 7th Earl of Elgin, Thomas Bruce, removed the Parthenon Marble pieces from the Acropolis in Athens while serving as the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1799 to 1803. In 1801, the Earl claimed to have obtained a permit from the Ottoman authorities to remove pieces from the Parthenon. As the Acropolis was still an Ottoman military fort, Elgin required permission to enter the site. His agents subsequently removed half of the surviving sculptures, as well as architectural members and sculpture from the Propylaea and Erechtheum. The excavation and removal was completed in 1812 at a personal cost of around 70,000. The sculptures were shipped to Britain, but in Greece, the Scots aristocrat was accused of looting and vandalism. They were bought by the British Government in 1816 and placed in the British Museum. They still stand on view in the purpose-built Duveen Gallery. Greece has sought their return from the British Museum through the years, to no avail. The authenticity of Elgin's permit to remove the sculptures from the Parthenon has been widely disputed, especially as the original document has been lost. Many claim it was not legal. However, others argue that since the Ottomans had controlled Athens since 1460, their claims to the artefacts were legal and recognisable. Advertisement

'The line says the parties should address issues relating to the return and restitution of unlawfully removed cultural objects.

And here references is made very clearly to the Unesco convention on preventing the illicit transfer of ownership of cultural property. It came into being to prevent cultural heritage being looted and sold outside of their countries.

Here the British Museum is very much engaged and has been engaged in helping to identify these goods and help return them.

Many Parthenon sculptures have been housed in the British Museum since 1816 after they were bought by the government from Lord Elgin.

Greece has long campaigned for their repatriation, and some UK politicians including Jeremy Corbyn have backed returning them.

But the government insists they were purchased legitimately and have been painstakingly preserved in the UK.

There have been warnings that giving back the artefacts would trigger requests from dozens of other countries for the repatriation of artworks in British museums.

The sculptures used to be on the Parthenon at the top of the Acropolis in Athens.

They were removed by Elgin between 1799 and 1810 after he received permission from the Ottoman empire, which ruled Greece at the time.

Elgin claimed he was worried about damage being done to the marbles, but their removal was criticised at the time by figures including Lord Byron.

According to a House of Commons briefing paper from 2017, the UK government's position is that 'issues relating to the ownership and management of the Parthenon sculptures are matters for the trustees of the British Museum'.
Voters are finally having their say in deciding who'll be running in the 2020 presidential election, and many people were surprised to see former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg emerge the winner in the Iowa caucuses. Yet with an excellent second-place showing in the New Hampshire primary as well, Buttigieg has gotten off to a strong start.

As many candidates have done, Buttigieg has released several years' worth of tax returns on his website. One thing that stands out when you look at Buttigieg's 2017 and 2018 tax returns is how much money he saved in taxes. Yet while the obvious first thought is that the presidential candidate must have gotten some benefits from tax reform efforts that took effect in 2018, the actual answer is a lot simpler -- and it also applied to millions of taxpayers across the nation.

A look at Buttigieg's tax returns

For a presidential candidate, Buttigieg has a relatively ordinary set of tax returns. With the exception of a book advance in 2017, nearly all of the income reported on his two most recent sets of tax returns came from wage and salary income.

Moreover, the amounts of income were relatively consistent. In 2017, the presidential candidate reported total income of just over $135,000. The total reported on his 2018 return climbed to nearly $153,000.

Yet interestingly, the amount of tax due dropped precipitously. Buttigieg's tax bill in 2017 was $28,830. But by 2018, the amount fell to $20,136. That's savings of almost $8,700 -- or more than 30%. And it largely came from just one tax break: the marriage bonus.

Marriage bonuses, marriage penalties

When considering the impact of marriage on taxes, many people immediately focus on what's known as the marriage penalty. This phenomenon reflects the higher taxes that have historically resulted when two people who each earn roughly the same amount of money tie the knot.

The reason for this has to do with how tax brackets for joint filers used to look. In 2017, the income amounts for the 10% and 15% brackets for joint filers were exactly double the income brackets for single filers. However, for higher tax rates, the joint filer income brackets were less than double. That leads to significant tax hikes for two-earner couples who get married.

However, Buttigieg was in a different situation. Getting married in 2018 didn't create a huge bump higher for the income amount on Buttigieg's 2018 return compared to 2017's, but it did provide the double-sized tax brackets available for married filers. Combine that with the nearly $2,900 in self-employment tax that Buttigieg paid on his book advance in 2017 but that didn't recur in 2018, and you can see where the total tax savings came from.

An even bigger marriage bonus under tax reform

The amount of income that Buttigieg reported in 2018 was at a level at which he would've gotten a sizable marriage bonus even if tax reform hadn't happened. However, the tax law amendments dramatically widened the benefits of the marriage bonus, extending its full positive impact to taxpayers in all but the two top brackets. Couples with total incomes up to $400,000 can reap the rewards.

Some factors other than tax reform also helped lessen Buttigieg's tax load. The former mayor itemized deductions in 2017, getting a total of almost $15,600 in write-offs from itemizing and a personal exemption. That number rose to $24,000 in 2018, as Buttigieg used the higher standard deduction for joint filers.

Tying the tax knot

Getting married is a huge step, and it has big financial implications. Couples need to be aware of the impact that marriage can have on taxes and prepare themselves accordingly. Whether the news is good or bad, most couples won't let tax considerations make their marriage decision for them -- but knowing about the implications can make it easier to do effective tax planning once the wedding is over.
Chemists Young-Jin Lee and Paige Hinners may have found a way to determine when a fingerprint was left behind. Credit: Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University

Fingerprints are telling us more and more about the people that left them behind.

Sure, we all know the unique whorls, loops and arches in a print can identify a person. But now researchers are studying how the natural and environmental compounds within them can also offer clues about a person's lifestyle, gender and ethnicity.

But even as researchers discover new information in fingerprints, they still hadn't found a way to determine a basic fact about a print: How old is it?

That's information that could potentially tie a suspect to a crime scene.

And that's information chemists at Iowa State University are beginning to provide.

What happened to the unsaturated oils?

Paige Hinners was using a computer algorithm to objectively analyze the degradation and spread of fingerprint ridges over timepotentially a way to determine the age of a fingerprintwhen she noticed something else in her data. The unsaturated fatty oils in a fingerprint were disappearing from her measurements.

"If we're losing them, where are they going?" asked Hinners, who in December completed her doctorate in analytical chemistry at Iowa State and now works as a senior chemist for Ames-based Renewable Energy Group Inc. She worked on the fingerprint project while she was a graduate student in the research group of Young-Jin Lee, a professor of chemistry at Iowa State. Madison Thomas, a former Iowa State undergraduate student, also assisted with the project.

Eventually the research group found answers: As the unsaturated fatstriacylglycerols, to be exactdisappeared from the data, other compounds resulting from reactions with ozoneor ozonolysisstarted showing up.

That led to numerous trials and steps to confirm that ozone was causing the degradation of the unsaturated fats in fingerprints. And that led to the conclusion that, with more study, this could turn into a useful tool to determine the age of a fingerprint.

The Iowa State chemists' discovery was recently published online by the research journal Analytical Chemistry and is featured on a supplementary cover of the current print edition.

The paper describes how the chemists used a tool called matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging. It's technology that uses a laser to analyze compounds left on a surface then records the mass and electrical charge of each component within a sample, such as the various oils in a fingerprint. The imaging tool allowed the chemists to track the degradation of unsaturated oils due to reaction with ozone in the air.

How precise is the technique?

"Right now, we can measure the number of days (since a print was left)," Hinners said. "It's easy to tell one-day old from fresh. There's no doubt about that."

The chemists also tested whether the powder used to make fingerprints visible would affect the ability of mass spectrometry to analyze fingerprint degradation and aging. It turned out the powder did not affect the researchers' ability to collect data and determine fingerprint aging.

'This might be the way'

Lee described the studywhich was supported by a $362,000 grant from the National Institute of Justiceas a proof-of-concept project. And so the testing was limited to fingerprints from three people.

The data did show individual differences in the amount of unsaturated oils in fingerprints and the rate of reaction with ozone and resulting degradation, he said. So more study is needed to understand the different levels of fatty oils individuals have and how that would affect degradation. The researchers are also looking at how environmental factors such as humidity could affect reactions with ozone.

A new $516,800 grant from the National Institute of Justice will keep the fingerprint-aging study going. The grant will also allow the researchers to study how fatty oils in fingerprints could offer clues about a person's health and other characteristics.

Though the technique for determining fingerprint aging needs more study, Lee said the concept has been proven:

"We can measure decomposition of unsaturated triacylglycerols as a function of time," he said. "We've studied the mechanisms and proved what's happening. By measuring how fast it's decaying, we can come up with an idea of how old it is."

The most exciting part of the project, which began by looking in a different direction?

"When we reproduced this with each person, it was fairly consistent," said Hinners, who still serves as a resource for Lee's research group. "And so we learned this might actually tell us how old a fingerprint actually is. This might be the waythat's exciting."

Explore further Residues in fingerprints hold clues to their age

More information: Paige Hinners et al, Determining Fingerprint Age with Mass Spectrometry Imaging via Ozonolysis of Triacylglycerols, Analytical Chemistry (2020). Journal information: Analytical Chemistry Paige Hinners et al, Determining Fingerprint Age with Mass Spectrometry Imaging via Ozonolysis of Triacylglycerols,(2020). DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b04765
Several countries have arranged charter flights to take their nationals home after they leave the boat. Here are the latest updates and maps of where the virus has spread.

In Europe: With about 40 confirmed cases in the region, fear itself is proving contagious; people and places associated with the illness are facing a new social stigma.

Economic impact: HSBC, one of Hong Kongs most important banks, said Tuesday it would cut 35,000 jobs over the next three years, and U.S. stocks fell a day after Apple said it would miss its sales forecast because of the disruption in China.

Perspective on China: Li Yuan, our New New World columnist, writes, Beijing has shown the world that it can shut down entire cities, build a hospital in 10 days and keep 1.4 billion people at home for weeks. But it has also shown a glaring weakness that imperils lives and threatens efforts to contain the outbreak: It is unable to work with its own people.
Coronavirus (Representative image)

Dipa Sinha

On January 30, the second meeting of the emergency committee convened by the WHO Director General under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) as meeting the criteria for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). It recommended that all countries be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread of 2019-nCoV infection, and to share full data with WHO.

According to the latest data from the WHO, as of 17 February, there were 71,429 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, and 1,775 deaths. While most of this is reported from China, there have been 794 confirmed cases from other countries, including three deaths. In India so far there have been three positive cases, all in Kerala, while a large number of people have been kept under community and hospital surveillance across the states. Kerala is releasing regular updates about quarantines, tests and hospitalisations and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) of the Government of India has stated that the situation is under control in India.

The response of the health system and the government in Kerala has been appreciated for its role in ensuring there is no panic and for its effective surveillance. The MoHFW is also regularly monitoring the situation across India and has advised states to strengthen disease surveillance and enhance awareness on personal hygiene and disease prevention.

The minister himself has also been briefing the media and has appreciated the team that successfully evacuated 645 Indians from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, in China. A large number of passengers (over 300,000) travelling to India by flights and ships have been screened and samples have been sent for testing. All of this indicates that there has been an urgent response to the disease, given the constraints of the health system.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

An important role the state as well as union governments would have to continue playing is to share information on the spread of the disease, and ensure that there is awareness on prevention measures, while curtailing the spread of false rumours and scaremongering. Strict action must be taken against false campaigns such as a recent Whatsapp message (screenshot below) that was circulating warning people from buying goods, including Holi colours from China as that is a conspiracy to spread the disease among Hindus. At the same time there are also some issues for concern which pertain not specifically to COVID-19, but to the health system in general, which are cause for worry about our capacity to respond should the disease spread in India.

The symptoms of being infected by the virus are mostly mild and similar to those that are caused by many other viruses, including common cold, and in the extreme causing pneumonia. Given the poor state of disease surveillance in India, it is possible that many of the cases are misdiagnosed or are just missed, as argued by Oommen C Kurien of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

Issues such as large number of vacancies and a crumbling primary healthcare system afflict the health system in many parts of India .Any efforts at containing and dealing with this outbreak will have to be on the foundations of this very weak edifice. The Rural Health Statistics of the MoHFW, for instance, shows that 24.9 percent of doctors positions in sub-centres and primary health centres (PHCs) remain vacant.

There are also huge vacancies in the posts of health assistants, male health workers, lab technicians and pharmacists. The shortfall and vacancies of specialists at the community health centres (CHCs) are even higher, with 73.7 percent of the positions lying vacant. There are also massive gaps in availability of functional buildings, drinking water, toilet facilities, etc. in health centres. The community health workers, such as the ASHAs and the ANMs, are already overburdened by the number of tasks assigned to them under poor working conditions.

Further, the preventive measures that need to be taken for the COVID-19 are the same as those that would be required to curb the spread of most other viruses  largely to do with hygiene. The ability to ensure this not only depends on awareness but also availability of infrastructure, especially access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities which are still lacking in many parts of India.

On the whole, while the situation of COVID-19 in India does not at present raise a cause for alarm, this is another reminder that the public health system in India needs be strengthened urgently so that we are prepared to face any such circumstances.
Turkish leader says talks with Russia over northwest Syria failed to achieve desired result.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to launch an operation in Syrias Idlib region by the end of the month if Damascus fails to withdraw behind Turkish military positions.

An operation in Idlib is imminent, Erdogan told his partys legislators in Parliament on Wednesday. We are counting down, we are making our final warnings.

Russia  the Syrian governments main ally in the nearly nine-year war  responded by saying any Turkish offensive against Syrian forces in Idlib would be the worst scenario.

If we are talking about an operation against the legitimate authorities of the Syrian Republic and armed forces of the Syrian republic this would, of course, be the worst scenario, said Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, adding Russia and Turkey were staying in contact to prevent tensions escalating further.

Ankara, which backs several rebel groups in northwest Syria, has been outraged since recent Syrian government attacks in Idlib province killed 13 Turkish military personnel in two weeks.

No matter the cost

Erdogan said talks with Russia over the last remaining rebel stronghold in Syria had failed to end in agreement and warned a military operation was just a matter of time.

He said Turkey was determined to make Idlib a secure zone no matter the cost, even as talks continue with Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assads forces.

We will not leave Idlib to the [Syrian] regime, which does not understand our countrys determination, and to those encouraging it, said Erdogan.





Erdogans comments came as forces loyal to al-Assad pressed an offensive on the countrys last major rebel enclave.

About 900,000 people have been forced from their homes and shelters in less than three months, including some 500,000 children, since Syrian government troops renewed the offensive on the region.

Erdogans announcement comes a day after dire warnings by United Nations officials who warned of a humanitarian disaster in northwest Syria.

Nearly 300 civilians have been killed in attacks this year in the region, with 93 percent of the deaths caused by Syrian and Russian forces, according to the UNs human rights chief.

President al-Assad pledged this week to continue the offensive, saying the war was not yet over but a complete victory was in sight.

In September 2018, Turkey, Russia and Iran  the main international players in the conflict  agreed to turn Idlib province into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression were prohibited while all sides were allowed to set up military observation posts.

However, all sides have blamed each other for violating the terms of the agreement, as multiple ceasefires last summer failed to hold.

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov told a news conference on Wednesday that Syrian government forces were upholding previous agreements on the region but also reacting to provocations. Lavrov said rebel attacks on Syrian and Russian forces in Idlib were continuing.

He also said the Russian and Turkish delegations failed to reach an agreement at talks in Moscow earlier in the week aimed at easing the tensions in Idlib.

Calls for restraint

Syrian aid workers issued an urgent call on Wednesday for a ceasefire and international help for nearly a million people fleeing the onslaught.





At a news conference in Istanbul, the Syrian NGO Alliance said existing camps are overcrowded and civilians are forced to sleep in the open amid a bitter winter cold.

We are facing one of the worst protection crises and are dealing with a mass movement of IDPs [internally displaced persons] who have nowhere to go, the Syrian NGO Alliance said in a statement.

They are escaping in search of safety only to die from extreme weather conditions and lack of available resources, it added.

More than 500,000 children have been displaced by the violence, UNICEF said in a statement. Since the beginning of the year, 77 children have been killed or injured.

The situation in the northwest is untenable, even by Syrias grim standards, said Henrietta Fore, UNICEFs executive director.

Children and families are caught between the violence, the biting cold, the lack of food and the desperate living conditions  It is time for the guns to go silent and for the violence to stop once and for all.

Symbolic message

A Syrian commercial flight landed at Aleppo airport on Wednesday from Damascus, marking the resumption of internal flights between Syrias two largest cities for the first time since 2012.

The flight carrying Syrian officials and journalists was a symbolic message from al-Assads government, days after its forces consolidated control over the northwestern province of Aleppo and seized the last segments of the strategic M5 highway linking Aleppo to Damascus.

The motorway between Syrias two biggest cities was being repaired and was scheduled to reopen in coming days, for the first time in eight years.

The Syrian Air flight landed at Aleppo airport after a 40-minute flight from Damascus and was received on the ground by a military band at the tarmac.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has described as distasteful recent sex scandals involving some Ghanaian female second-cycle students, which had gone viral on social media.



We unreservedly condemn such acts as they contravened the norms and values of the Ghanaian society, Mr. Anthony Boateng, Deputy Director-General, GES, noted.



The authorities, he said, had taken a serious view of the issue and observed that most, unfortunately, majority of such acts involved female students.



The GES would not countenance such humiliating acts. Surely, the authorities would crack the whip as and when necessary, he told participants at the 75th-anniversary celebration of the Effiduase Senior High Commercial School (EFFISCO), Effiduase, in the Sekyere-East District of the Ashanti Region.



Mr. Boateng advised authorities of second-cycle institutions to as a matter of urgency, strengthen their guidance and counseling units, to be able to perform their duties efficiently, especially in the area of sensitizing students to conform to societal norms in their behaviour.



Sometimes, some of these disgraceful practices are done out of ignorance and peer pressure, the GES Deputy Director-General noted.



Commenting on the recent directive to restrict the payment of Parent-Teacher-Association (PTA) dues and levies, he said the authorities would not back down on its resolve in spite of pleas from certain quarters.



We will resist any attempt to go back to the old ways because it is the responsibility of the PTA to explore innovative ways of securing funds for their projects, Mr. Boateng insisted.



The lack of PTA dues and levies should not be a barrier to finding innovative ways to fund school projects, he remarked.







Source: GNA









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A Republican-leaning poll from Arizona High Ground has Democrat Mark Kelly leading Sen. Martha McSally by 7 points.

The data that should have Republicans worried about Arizona:

Mark Kelly is the astronaut husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who has been running a solid campaign with firm Democratic support.

Sen. McSally, who didnt win her Senate seat, but was appointed by the governor, might have sealed her fate when she went along with the Republican Senate impeachment trial cover-up to acquit Donald Trump.

Arizona is one of the target states for Democrats in 2020, and it is impossible to see how Kelly beats McSally and Trump wins the presidential election at the top of the ticket. McSally joins a growing list of Republican Senate incumbents like Susan Collins in Maine and Cory Gardner in Colorado who went along with the McConnell cover-up and may pay for their decision with their seats in November.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Donating a book is probably one of the most beautiful phenomena in the world because you not only donate a book, but also transmit light, ideas and dreams. We Armenians have loved literature for centuries, and no matter where we have found ourselves in the world, we have tried to look at the world through books and newspapers first.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of Armenia reports that High Commissioner Zareh Sinanyan is also celebrating Book Donation Day in Armenia and has donated to the Armash village of Ararat Province the book The Player, which is devoted to the strong will of the great Kirk Kerkorian.
A recent Pew Research Center survey finds that only half of American adults think colleges and universities are having a positive effect on our nation. The leftward political bias, held by faculty members affiliated with the Democratic Party, at most institutions of higher education explains a lot of that disappointment. Professors Mitchell Langbert and Sean Stevens document this bias in Partisan Registration and Contributions of Faculty in Flagship Colleges.

Langbert and Stevens conducted a new study of the political affiliation of 12,372 professors in the two leading private and two leading public colleges in 31 states. For party registration, they found a Democratic to Republican (D:R) ratio of 8.5:1, which varied by rank of institution and region. For donations to political candidates (using the Federal Election Commission database), they found a D:R ratio of 95:1, with only 22 Republican donors, compared with 2,081 Democratic donors.

Several consistent findings have emerged from Langbert and Stevens study. The ratio of faculty who identify as or are registered as Democratic versus Republican almost always favors the Democratic Party. Democratic professors outnumber their Republican counterparts most in the humanities and social sciences, compared with the natural sciences and engineering. The ratio is 42:1 in anthropology, 27:1 in sociology and 27:1 in English. In the social sciences, Democratic registered faculty outnumber their Republican counterparts the least in economics 3:1. The partisan political slant is most extreme at the most highly rated institutions.

The leftist bias at our colleges and universities has many harmful effects. Lets look at a few. At University of California, Davis, last month, a mathematics professor faced considerable backlash over her opposition to the requirement for faculty diversity statements. University of California, San Diego, requires job applicants to admit to the barriers preventing women and minorities from full participation in campus life. At American University, a history professor recently wrote a book in which he advocates repealing the Second Amendment. A Rutgers University professor said, Watching the Iowa Caucus is a sickening display of the over-representation of whiteness. University of California, Berkeley, professor and former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich chimed in to say: Think about this: Iowa is 90.7% white. Iowa is now the only state with a lifetime voting ban for people with a felony conviction. Black people make up 4% of Iowas population but 26% of the prison pop!

ulation. How is this representative of our electorate? A Williams College professor said he would advocate for social justice to be included in math textbooks. Students at Wayne State University no longer have to take a single math course to graduate; however, they may soon be required to take a diversity course.

Then theres a question about loyalty to our nation. Charles Lieber, former chairman of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard, was arrested earlier this year on accusations that he made a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement about work he did for a program run by the Chinese government that seeks to lure American talent to China. He was paid $50,000 a month and up to $158,000 in living expenses for his work, which involved cultivating young teachers and students, according to court documents. According to the Department of Justice, Lieber helped China cultivate high-level scientific talent in furtherance of Chinas scientific development, economic prosperity and national security.

Its not just Harvard professors. Newly found court records reveal that Emory University neuroscientist Li Xiao-Jiang was fired in late 2019 after being charged with lying about his own ties to China. Li was part of the same Chinese program as Lieber. A jury found a University of California, Los Angeles, professor guilty of exporting stolen U.S. military technology to China. Newsweek reported that he was convicted June 26 on 18 federal charges. Meanwhile, NBC reported that federal prosecutors say that University of Texas professor Bo Mao attempted to steal U.S. technology by using his position as a professor to obtain access to protected circuitry and then handing it over to the Chinese telecommunications giant, Huawei.

The true tragedy is that so many Americans are blind to the fact that todays colleges and universities pose a threat on several fronts to the well-being of our nation.

Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University.

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A Cleveland family is in mourning as they plan a funeral for a 12-year-old boy who police say was allegedly tortured to death by his grandparents and uncle in Montana.

ABC13 reported that the boy's aunt in Cleveland, Misty Burks, said James Alex Hurley's family in Texas never suspected he was in danger. Court documents show his mother told detectives the grandparents would not let her contact James.

James grandparents, James Sasser Jr. and Patricia Batts, and his 14-year-old uncle James Sasser III are charged with deliberate homicide in James' death, a felony.

James initially went to live with his father in Montana, his grandmother told detectives, and lived with the paternal relatives for two years after his father died.

Out of jail: HISD teachers free on bond after indecency with a child arrests

Montana authorities first received a report of James' death on Feb. 3. Detectives began investigating the death, and found multiple inconsistencies in the family's story of what had happened.

Eventually, investigators seized the family's cell phones, where they found numerous videos of James being tortured. In videos from December through late January, James can be seen crying while being forced to do jumping jacks, begging to use the bathroom and screaming about committing suicide, according to court records.

Other videos from that period show him in underwear before fans for long periods and being sprayed with isopropyl alcohol in his face, and some indicate he might have been sleep deprived as well. Detectives noted that much of the food in the home was locked away and that James' body was emaciated when found.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Galveston-Houston archdiocese, Vatican accused in federal suit of concealing abuse allegations against ex-Conroe priest

James' grandmother told investigators the 14-year-old uncle had a fight with James on Jan. 27 and on Feb. 2. The uncle's search history shows he searched for "what was the longest coma" on Jan. 27 and on Feb. 2 looked up symptoms of brain injury, sleep deprivation and concussions.

A Feb. 12 Facebook post from the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office in Montana stirred sympathy from people near and far, and displayed an additional development  a person defending the family in the comments and engendering outrage under the name Gage Roush was reportedly taken into custody for assault on a minor, the sheriff's office said. The office confirmed in the comments that the minor was James.
A paid China Daily newspaper box is with other free daily papers in Midtown Manhattan on Dec. 6, 2017. (Benjamin Chasteen/The Epoch Times)

US to Treat State-Owned Chinese Media as Operatives of the Communist State

The United States will begin treating five major Chinese state-run media entities with U.S. operations as foreign missions and operatives of Beijings government, requiring them to register their employees and U.S. properties with the State Department.

State Department officials said on Feb. 18 on condition of anonymity that in accordance with the Foreign Missions Act, Xinhua, China Global Television Network, China Radio International, China Daily, and Peoples Daily will be designated as foreign missions, effective immediately.

The designation was based  on the very indisputable fact that all five of these are subject to the control of the Chinese Government, one official said, adding that China has been tightening state control over its media and President Xi Jinping has made more aggressive use of them to spread pro-Beijing propaganda.

The control over both the content and editorial control have only strengthened during Xi Jinpings term in power, the official said. These guys are, in fact, arms of the CCPs (Chinese Community Partys) propaganda apparatus.

The Epoch Times reached out to the media outlets for comment but didnt hear back.

The shift in the entities designation will require the U.S. operations of the companies to notify the State Department of personnel changes, to seek advanced approval from the U.S. government to purchase or lease office space in the United States, just as foreign diplomatic missions do.

The official said the entities were notified of the further requirements on Tuesday and that the disclosures would help the State Department better understand how the entities operate in the United States.

A second State Department official said that Beijings control of Chinas state-owned media has become more and more draconian. In contrast, he said the department had long considered the decision, describing the media companies as organs of the Chinese one-party state propaganda apparatus.

China Daily is an English-language newspaper published by the Chinese Communist Party. Hai Tian Development USA distributes the Peoples Daily, the official publication of the partys Central Committee.

Tensions between the United States and China have escalated since President Donald Trump came to office three years ago, with disputes ranging from trade tariffs to accusations of Chinese spying in the United States and U.S. support for Taiwan.

Tuesdays decision, the officials said, is not linked to any recent developments in SinoU.S. relations.

A department official said designating the entities as foreign missions was intended to create more transparency as the State Department will have more information about their employees and their holdings.

We are serving a certain purpose by making clear that these guys are part and parcel of the PRC Government. These are not independent journalistic outlets, the official said.

Responding to the decision, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Axios in a statement that the action is long overdue.

We are determined to treat China as it is, not as what we want it to be. In China, all media works for the Chinese Communist Party, as General Secretary Xi Jinping has explicitly stated, Pompeo said. Since these organizations work for the CCP, it is only fitting that we treat them as foreign missions, meaning they are subject to State Department regulation.

This action is long overdue. For years, these so-called media outlets have been mouthpieces of the Chinese Communist Party, and these Chinese outlets are becoming more aggressive.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Anyone who has seen even a single episode of Scandal can agree that Olivia Pope is an intriguing character, with a pretty complicated career. As a former lawyer and White House aide, Pope brings an extreme sense of urgency to her crisis management firm, Olivia Pope & Associates. Intense, stylish and emotionally complicated, Pope is a complex character. In real life, how much would a person like Pope really make?

Where did Olivia Pope go to school?

While much of Popes background is unknown, fans do know exactly where she went to school and what she studied. Pope went to Princeton University and studied political science. Political science is apparently the schools claim to fame. Princeton is considered the second-best school in the nation for those interested in political science. This year, it was narrowly beat out by Harvard University for the top spot, according to Niche.

Princeton is happy to take the fictional association, too. The school notes all of its famed pop culture references directly on its admissions website, and Popes degree is mention. Princeton has several other pop culture claims to reference, too. Carlton Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, also allegedly went to the famed school. Sam Seaborn of The West Wing also earned a fictional degree from the school as did Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, notes the school.

What is Olivia Popes job title

Anyone who has seen Scandal knows that Popes entire job is centered around dealing with the image-based snafus of Washington D.Cs most influential and powerful people. She may run her own firm, but her actual job title is that of a crisis manager. Although, she often finds herself in crises of her very own.

Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope | Mitch Haaseth/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images

Pope may be a fictional character, but shes primarily based on a real person. She is loosely based on Judy Smith, a real-life crisis manager, lawyer, author, and television producer. Smith is famed for her work under the Bush administration. She served as a special assistant and deputy press secretary under the administration, before beginning a consulting business. During her time as a consultant, she worked with high-profile clientele like Monica Lewinsky, according to The New York Times.

How much would she make in real life?

Pope is seen answering phone calls from politicians day and night on Scandal. Most would assume that real-life people in her career path would be making a ton of money for how much they work, but in actuality, a crisis manager doesnt make a ton. According to Glassdoor, the average crisis manager makes between $50,000 and $125,000. Crisis managers who work in politics tend to earn upwards of $100,000, while crisis managers who spend their time working with non-profits can expect to receive a smaller paycheck.

Pope owns her own firm, however, and can pick and choose what project she wants to work on. She also employs other people, so it can be assumed shes earning money than the average crisis manager makes in a salaried position. After all, a business owner is generally earning more than his or her employees. The real-life version of Pope, has a net worth of around $5 million, according to the List.
Dependence on the judiciary is mainly due to constituents of Indian society becoming more assertive and unable to evolve resolution mechanisms. This is seen in every field and has international dimensions also. Uddalok Bhattacharya sums up the views. Protests against illiberalism in India are an invigorating sight, says Pranab Bardhan.

They need to be organised on all fronts. There are reasons for the Supreme Court bursting at its seams, says M J Antony. It has too many jurisdictions. Why do we need investor stewardship? Amit Tandon answers the question. Taxing ...
Popular Kenyan Instagram personality Corazon Kwamboka has disclosed that social media fame spelled the end of her law career.

In an interview with ChatSpot on Switch TV, Ms Kwamboka, who became internet-famous thanks to her voluptuous curves, said she was scared to pursue law because social media misjudged her and labeled her as a socialite.

It made me not practice law. I felt that at some point, I was being misjudged in a way so I kinda pulled back from practicing law. I didnt even want to go look for a job because I was scared how will they even give me the job. It(social media) also affected a lot of my relationships since I became Corazon Kwamboka the socialite, she said,

The socialite, who is currently in a relationship, added that the attention she gets affected her relationships because the guys she dated felt insecure.

Usually the guys get insecure because of the comments on social media and the perception they getthey feel like yeah I know you in person but few months down the line the insecurity kicks in. They start asking why is this guy sending you a message?, Why are you going to the club? said Corazon.

During the interview, a fan also asked whether Corazon would like to have a baby in the future. Kindly ask Corazon if she would like to have a baby in future asked the fan.

Corazon replied: 2020 baby.

Asked how she maintains her figure, Corazon attributed it to genes saying most of her family have big hips and a small waist. Noting that she has grown bigger with time, Corazon said her waist size is 28 and her hips are 51.
SpiceJet will launch 20 new flights on domestic routes from late March as part of its summer schedule. This will include some services that come under the central government's UDAN scheme that is aimed at regional connectivity. These flight services will start from March 29.

SpiceJet will launch flight services to Patna from Amritsar, Varanasi and Guwahati. Apart from this, the airline will also launch flights on Bengaluru-Jabalpur, Hyderabad-Mangaluru and Mumbai- Aurangabad routes under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS).

These will be daily services and will be operated using a mix of Boeing 737-800 and Bombardier Q400 aircrafts, Spicejet said in a statement. The airline will have a lineup of 52 flights connecting 12 cities under the RCS scheme.

"We are excited to announce the launch of 20 new domestic flights. As we add newer cities and flights to our network, our focus remains firmly on connecting the unconnected parts of the country besides enhancing connectivity between metros and non-metros," SpiceJet Chief Commercial Officer Shilpa Bhatia said.

Apart from bringing in 20 new flights to increase connectivity between metros and small cities, SpiceJet will also increase its operations on the Mumbai-Bagdogra and Mumbai-Chennai routes by adding second and fifth flights respectively.

Also read: SpiceJet shares gain 6% on launch of 20 domestic flights
He can understand how eight years can be a long time in prison, he said, but how many other people are sitting in the same prison with the same spouse and children and having to serve their terms until the end because they dont have the benefit of being on TV, he said.
* Indonesia was unanimously elected as the chairperson of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Governing Council for the period 2020-2022, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. It was elected at the 43rd Session of the Steering Council in Italy that was held between February 11-12.

* A total of 1.74 million Chinese tourists visited the Philippines in 2019, a 38.58 percent increase from 2018, data from the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) showed on Monday.

* The number of foreigners staying in the Republic of Korea topped 2.5 million for the first time last year, local media reported Monday citing data from the Ministry of Justice. As of the end of 2019, 2,524,656 foreigners were residing in the country, surpassing the 2.5 million mark for the first time. It was up 6.6 percent from a year earlier.

* European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen met US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the latter paid a visit to the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 17, 2020.

* The success of the joint Russian-Serbian army exercises and the two countries' military-technical cooperation demonstrate a positive trend, the defense ministers of the two countries, Sergei Shoigu and Aleksandar Vulin, agreed during their meeting in Belgrade on Monday.

* The Palestinians are calling on the international community to help resolve their conflict with Israel, while rejecting the US peace plan, known as "The Deal of the Century".

* Belarus has expressed its disappointment with the European Union's decision to extend sanctions against it for next year. In a statement, the country's foreign ministry called the EU restrictions groundless remnants of the past that inhibit political dialogue. On Monday, the European Council extended restrictive measures against Belarus for a year until Feb. 28, 2021.

* The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Statistical Forum was kicked off on Monday in the Omani capital of Muscat, serving as a platform to boost information technology of the GCC countries.

* Canadian investment in foreign securities reached CAD13.8 billion (about US$10.4 billion) in December 2019, led by purchases of equity instruments, according to Statistics Canada on Monday. Meanwhile, foreign investors reduced their holdings of Canadian securities by CAD9.6 billion (about US$7.3 billion), mainly in the form of bonds.

* A suicide blast hit a police vehicle on Monday evening in Pakistan's southwest provincial capital Quetta, leaving eight persons dead and 19 others injured, officials said. No group claimed the attack yet.

* Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday called on Germany to join the international mechanism he proposed to sponsor negotiations between Palestine and Israel. Abbas made the remarks during a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Palestinian state-run news agency (WAFA) reported.

* The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said Monday that there is no imminent solution for the agency's financial crisis, the National News Agency reported. UNRWA has been facing financial challenges after the United States halted its funding to the agency.

* World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said in Athens on Monday that they are to consider creating an international center in Greece.
Stacker went through the Library of Congress, newspapers, magazine archives, and art and photo libraries to find the most compelling 100 political cartoons over the last 100 years.

This article was first published on theStacker.com
Elderly people die in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the holy city of Qom, officials say.

Tehran, Iran  Two elderly people have died in Iran after testing positive for the new coronavirus, according to health officials.

The deaths on Wednesday were the outbreaks first fatalities in the Middle East.

Two elderly people have died due to coronavirus in the city of Qom, south of Tehran, Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to Irans health minister, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday.

The two victims had suffered acute lung infections due to their infection with the coronavirus, he added.

Earlier in the day, Kianoush Jahanpour, spokesman for Irans ministry of health, said the two people had tested positive for the virus in preliminary results and died due to immune deficiencies and old age.

There was no immediate information about the gender and the exact age of the victims.

COVID-19, as the virus is officially known, was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late December. It has since killed more than 2,000 people in mainland China and infected more than 75,000 globally. The two victims in Iran were the countrys first cases and only the seventh and eighth death caused by the virus outside mainland China.

Last month, the United Arab Emirates was the first country in the Middle East to report cases of the new coronavirus.

Emergency units set up

Meanwhile, during a visit earlier on Wednesday to Qom to assess the situation, Qasem Jan-Babaei, Irans deputy health minister, told local news agencies that the ministry had set up emergency units for the treatment of contagious diseases in the holy city.

We urge people to avoid shaking hands and kissing, to observe personal hygiene and preferably avoid crowded places, said Babaei, adding that there was no reason to panic.

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There have been no reports of coronavirus in other cities so far, but there is a possibility that cases may also arise in other cities.

Ali Gholizadeh, an Iranian public health policy researcher at the University of Science and Technology of China, said Irans health ministry was prepared to manage the virus, but added that the victims relatives should be quarantined until we are sure they are not infected.

People in Iran should not panic, he stressed, citing the viruss extremely low mortality rate.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the coronavirus caused only mild disease in four out of five people infected.

Citing Chinese data, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 14 percent of those who get it suffer from severe complications such as pneumonia, five percent are in critical condition and two percent die from the disease.
Mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir have termed the deferment of panchayat bye-elections a sensible decision especially when top leaders remain under detention but the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the postponement indicated that all was not well in the Union Territory.

On Tuesday night, J and K chief electoral officer, Shailendra Kumar had issued a notification announcing deferment of the bypolls over security concerns. Last week, the J&K government had issued the notification to fill the vacant 11,639 panchayats seats in the Union Territory. The bypolls would have been the first elections after the abrogation of Article 370 last August. The bypolls were to be held in eight phases from March 5.

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress President, Ghulam Ahmad Mir told HT that the party has been raising several issues about loopholes in the panchayat polls. We had identified the loopholes in the process and they were conveyed to the Election Commission, but still polls were announced last week.

It is good the polls have been postponed. We contested elections last time and would have contested this time, but the government should give us level playing field.

Mir said that Congress leaders are still not being allowed to move freely and remain under house arrest, while a particular group of people are being facilitated for these polls. We cant understand that when general panchayat polls were held on non party basis why should these bypolls be held on the party basis.

National Conference spokesman, Imran Nabi Dar while welcoming the decision to postpone the bypolls, said that there was large scale uncertainty on ground. Its a sensible decision. There is no point in contesting elections when leaders are in jail and conducive atmosphere is missing.

The partys top two leaders Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah continue to be under detention.

The PDP whose chief Mehbooba Mufti is now detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) said the decision to postpone the elections shows that all is not well in Kashmir.

PDP spokesman Tahir Sayeed, After the abrogation of 370, all the BJP leaders were claiming that situation is normal in Kashmir, but by deferring the polls this is an indication that all is not well here.

Sayeed said the government has no roadmap or plan. They even dont know what to do now. First they announce the polls and now they have deferred themselves.

He said that last time the same government made tall claims about holding of panchayat polls in J&K but are now trying to hold polls for almost 12000 vacant seats. This proved that people had not participated in the panchayat polls in 2018.

Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, both former chief ministers were booked under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) on February 6, barely hours before their six-month-long preventive detention were to come to an end.

On Tuesday, the PDP walked out of an all-party meet was chaired by Jammu and Kashmir chief electoral officer of Shailendra Kumar in Jammu.

PDP general secretary and a close confidante of Mehbooba Mufti, Ved Mahajan had said, We staged a walk out from meeting because our leadership remains detained. We are not allowed to meet her and on the top of it government announced elections on party basis.

BJPs Jammu and Kashmir spokesman, Altaf Thakur said the serious inputs about security is a reason for the deferring these polls. We were ready for these polls and had shortlisted our candidates for the polls. And whenever the polls will be held our party will contest them.

(With inputs from Ravi Krishnan Khajuria in Jammu)
A river in Hereford has reached its highest level in at least 200 years in the wake of Storm Dennis lashing the area with torrential rain.

The River Wye reached 20ft (6.11 metres)  its highest since records began  on Monday, with residents in Hereford saying they had never seen anything like it.

Over the weekend, the River Taff in Pontypridd reached its highest level in more than 40 years and the River Usk reached the highest level since 1979.

The River Trent, which had prompted a severe flood warning for Burton-on-Trent, also peaked at a record level of just below 4 metres on Tuesday.

A care home resident is pulled to safety by rescue workers as floodwater surrounds the village of Whitchurch in Herefordshire, after the River Wye burst its banks in the aftermath of Storm Dennis. (PA)

A van sits in floodwater near the village of Hampton Bishop near Hereford, after the River Lugg burst its banks. (PA)

Hundreds of properties have been flooded and at-risk areas evacuated across England and Wales after the downpours brought to the UK by Storm Dennis.

Flood-hit communities are braced for further heavy rain as river levels continue to threaten to breach barriers.

Read more: Remarkable drone pictures show flooding devastation

Kate Marks of the Environment Agency (EA) said that even though Storm Dennis had passed, "we'll be feeling the impacts for a few more days.

"There's a lot more water in the river systems. In particular we are worried about the Rivers Severn, Teme and Wye," Dr Marks said.

Both the Rivers Wye and Severn will remain especially high into the weekend.

Floodwater surrounding the village of Hampton Bishop near Hereford, after the River Lugg burst its banks. (PA)

Weather warnings remained in place on Wednesday. (PA)

Unprecedented

West Mercia Police said an estimated 384 properties had been "significantly impacted by the floods" across Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire.

Residents in the Shropshire towns of Ironbridge and Bridgnorth were urged to evacuate their properties, while residents in Bewdley near Kidderminster were warned flood barriers at Beales Corner might not be able to withstand the rising water levels.

Read more: Constituent left red-faced as MP she insulted rescues her from Storm Dennis

Deputy Chief Constable Julian Moss said: "Water levels have been unprecedented in many places and the impact of such high-levels of flooding has been substantial across all the agencies, but more significantly to members of the public affected in any way.

Story continues

The EA said 599 properties had been flooded across England as of Tuesday afternoon. Some 800 homes in Wales had been directly affected by flooding, first minister Mark Drakeford told the BBC.

Floodwater surrounds Upton on Severn, Worcestershire. (PA)

Floodwater in Yalding, Kent, in the aftermath of Storm Dennis. (PA)

Risk management

More than 6km of temporary flood barriers have been erected across the country and flood defences have protected nearly 25,000 properties from the impacts of the storm, the EA said.

But record-breaking river levels and continued rainfall means further flooding is possible across much of the country, said EA executive director of flood and coastal risk management John Curtin.

"We expect further disruptive weather into tomorrow and Thursday, bringing a significant flood risk to the West Midlands, and there are flood warnings in place across much of England," he said.

A resident makes their way down a road in a canoe in Monmouth, Wales. (PA)

Floodwater in the village of Hampton Bishop, near Hereford, after the River Lugg burst its banks. (PA)

Weather warnings

The Met Office said rain would start to build up in the west from mid-morning on Wednesday.

Over the next two days there could be up to 100 millimetres of rain in north Wales and 50-60mm in south Wales.

Read more: Minister says climate change means government cant protect everyone from flooding

The rain will then move north, with Cumbria and Yorkshire likely to be most affected.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for persistent rain in Wales and North West England for Wednesday and Thursday, and the north of England on Friday into Saturday.

EA manager for Herefordshire and Worcestershire Dave Throup said the level of flooding had left affected parts in "uncharted territory.

A member of Lidl staff takes a look at floodwater outside the back of the store in Monmouth, Wales. (PA)

Temporary flood barriers hold back the River Severn in Ironbridge, Shropshire, in the aftermath of Storm Dennis. (PA)

Six severe flood warnings remained in place on Wednesday morning: for the River Wye and the River Lugg at Hampton Bishop; for the River Severn at New Street and Waterside, Upton on Severn; and for the River Severn at Ironbridge and Uckinghall.

In Wales, two severe warnings in place on the River Wye at Monmouth were downgraded by Natural Resources Wales, although the Wye bridge in the town remained closed.
LONDON - A lawyer for Julian Assange said in a British court Wednesday that former Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher, an ally of President Trump, made an offer to the WikiLeaks founder on behalf of Trump to pardon Assange in exchange for an admission that Russia had nothing to do with the 2016 hack and leak of emails from the Democratic National Committee.

Assange is in a British prison while he awaits a decision on an extradition request by the United States. The U.S. government wants him to stand trial for violations of the Espionage Act for his alleged role in obtaining and disseminating secret government documents in 2010 and 2011 relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Assange is fighting the extradition - arguing that he acted as a publisher and journalist, and that the United States is pursuing him for "political offenses." He faces 175 years in prison.

In a hearing Wednesday, Edward Fitzgerald, one of Assange's lawyers, told a judge in Westminster Magistrates' Court here that Assange wanted to submit evidence that Trump offered him a deal back in 2017 through Rohrabacher.

Fitzgerald made the assertion in seeking the court's permission to admit a statement by Jennifer Robinson, a lawyer for WikiLeaks, who was present when Rohrabacher allegedly made the offer.

Robinson's statement, read in part in open court and reported by the British Press Association, lays out her version of what was said by Rohrabacher in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London on Aug. 16, 2017. Also present with Rohrabacher was Charles Johnson, a conservative political activist.

The offer apparently was made while Rohrabacher was still a congressman from Orange County, California. He was defeated in 2018.

At the time of the meeting, Assange was not under indictment. The following year, he was indicted under seal. The indictment was unsealed in April.

Rohrabacher's meeting with Assange at the embassy was certainly no secret.

Following his trip to London, Rohrabacher told the Orange Country Register that Assange "reaffirmed his aggressive denial that the Russians had anything to do with the hacking of the DNC during the election."

He added: "I think it will have an earth-shattering political impact. It wouldn't be so important if Democrats hadn't focused so inordinately on the Russians. Democrats are creating a total upheaval over this."

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that Robinson's statement was admissible in court, thereby possibly dragging Trump into the proceedings.

Rohrabacher could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

In 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported that, essentially, Rohrabacher's outreach to Assange was the congressman's own move. In a 2017 interview with a California TV station, Rohrabacher said that he was trying to put together a deal that would be good for Assange that he could take to the White House. Rohrabacher wanted to disprove claims that Russia was involved in the DNC hacks and leaks.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham on Wednesday denied the allegation that Trump was seeking a trade with Assange. "The President barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than he's an ex-congressman," she said in a statement. "He's never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject. It is a complete fabrication and a total lie. This is probably another never ending hoax and total lie from the DNC."

Trump has long bristled at the U.S. intelligence community's "high confidence" conclusion, revealed publicly in January 2017, that Moscow was behind the hacking and releasing of Democratic emails in the 2016 presidential contest, and that it was part of an effort ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin to undermine Hillary Clinton's campaign and aid Trump's. The president has suggested that the hacker could have been "some guy in his home in New Jersey" or the work of the Chinese.

The first hearing on Assange's extradition to the United States is scheduled to begin at Woolwich Crown Court outside London on Monday, with one week of legal argument. The case will be adjourned and will continue with three weeks of evidence on May 18.

It is not clear when Assange's defense team will present to the court their evidence that Rohrabacher sought to make a deal with Assange for Trump.

Assange has been incarcerated in Belmarsh Prison after he was found guilty of breaching his bail conditions when he fled to the Ecuadoran Embassy in London.

In 2012, Assange took refuge at the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he was wanted for questioning over sexual assault allegations. Assange has always denied the allegations. Sweden has since ended its investigation.

Assange was holed up in the embassy for nearly seven years before his arrest in April.

Chelsea Manning, the former Army private who was convicted on charges she provided the Iran and Afghanistan documents to WikiLeaks, is petitioning for release from jail. Manning, whose prison sentence was commuted in January 2017 by President Barack Obama, said she will never comply with a subpoena to testify in front of a grand jury about her interactions with Assange.

- - -

Nakashima reported from Washington. The Washington Post's Karla Adam in London contributed to this report.
America's top diplomat on Wednesday asserted that South Africa's plan to permit expropriation of private property without compensation would be disastrous for the country's economy and its people.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the comments in an address in Ethiopia on the final day of an Africa visit largely aimed at countering China's influence on the continent of more than 1.2 billion people.

Land is a sensitive issue in South Africa, which is one of the world's most unequal countries in part because of the legacy of the former racist system of apartheid that ended in 1994.

Some members of the ruling African National Congress and the populist opposition Economic Freedom Fighters have pressed for redistribution of land, arguing that it will help right past wrongs in which many black people were forced off their property.

Critics have warned against what happened in neighboring Zimbabwe, where sometimes violent land seizures from white farmers scared away some investors and deepened that once-prosperous country's economic collapse.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last week in his state of the nation address said the government plans to accelerate land redistribution this year.

The government also plans to table an expropriation bill that outlines the circumstances under which expropriation of land without compensation would be permissible, he said.

Ramaphosa has called land redistribution necessary to redress a grave historical injustice. South Africa's government calls the dispossession of land by the 1913 Natives Land Act apartheid's original sin, and one which continues to shape land ownership today.

The president also has attempted to soothe investors by saying there will be no chaotic or illegal land grabs, mindful of the need to not scare away business in a country with unemployment at a decade high of 29%.

This is not the first time the Trump administration has spoken out on South Africa's moves to redistribute land.

In 2018, President Donald Trump claimed that South Africa was seizing farms and that many farmers were being killed.

In fact, farmers have been killed for more than 20 years in what is widely seen as part of the country's high crime rate, and experts say white farmers have not been the target.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shares of Vodafone Idea gained as much as 48% on Wednesday, a day after chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla met government officials on issues pertaining to adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues.

The telco paid 2,500 crore towards its AGR dues on Monday and will pay another 1,000 crore by the end of this week.

Today, the stock closed at 4.21 apiece, up nearly 39% from previous close. Peer Bharti Airtel fell 0.6% to 544.50. In the last three months, Vodafone Idea has shed over 31%, while Bharti Airtel has gained 23%.

Vodafone Idea was the worst hit by the Supreme Court's order last week that directed telcos to pay up AGR dues before the next hearing on 17 March. In a sign of relief, reports indicate, the government may not invoke the company's bank guarantees.

On Monday, the company had said, The board will take further stock of the situation to see how additional payments can be made." It owes about 50,000 crore to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), according to government estimates.

Bank guarantees of 16 telcos listed in the Supreme Court order of 24 October work out to 37,641 crore. Many of these companies have either shut shop, sold their business or are in the bankruptcy court.

Bharti Airtel on Monday paid 10,000 crore to the Centre as part payment of its AGR dues. The telecom operator owes the government 35,500 crore in AGR dues.

Tata Teleservices, which had sold its mobile business to Airtel, has paid 2,197 crore to against estimated dues of around 14,000 crore. However, sources close to the company said the Tatas had made the full and final payment. Reliance Jio has paid 195 crore towards its AGR dues.

With that, the government has so far got 14,892 crore in AGR dues from telecom companies, making up for just 10% of the total outstanding amount.

Analysts believe that the large amount of spectrum dues may push the government to take a lenient stance.

VIL approaching the NCLT may not be a workable solution, considering spectrum trading rules that saddle the buyer with the sellers liabilities, and VILs liabilities far exceed the companys value. We reiterate our stance that the Rs. 0.9 trillion spectrum dues from VIL would push the government towards leniency, to prevent a VIL collapse, said an IIFL Securities report.

Separately, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das in an interview to PTI said the central bank was "very closely monitoring" the fallout of the crisis on lenders.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that telecom department has been actively engaging with companies that have been directed by the Supreme Court to pay off more than 1 trillion in AGR dues.

After a 14-year-long legal battle, the SC in October upheld the governments broader definition of revenue on which it calculates levies on telecom operators. Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices Ltd last month filed modification pleas seeking more time to pay AGR-related dues, which the apex court has agreed to hear.

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TROY  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute student Yeming Shen made a garbled 911 call six hours before his roommate found him dead from the flu, but the system used to track emergency calls from cellphones could not pinpoint his location.

Troy police and firefighters were able to track the call to the City Station apartment complex where the 28-year-old lived, and spent 45 minutes searching in vain for the apartment from which the call originated.

Defeated, Shens would-be rescuers left without finding the person who placed the 911 call at 11:05 a.m. on Feb. 10.

By the time Shens roommate came home at 5:45 p.m., the graduate student was dead and the investigation into his cause of death  which briefly triggered unfounded fears of the new coronavirus  was about to get under way.

In the time since, Troy police and firefighters have learned the fruitless search for the 911 caller could have led them to Shen. But a number of factors kept them from potentially saving him.

A quarter-century after the use of cellphones became commonplace in the United States, 911 dispatch systems still have trouble fixing onto the exact locations from which cell users make emergency calls.

Land lines usually allow dispatchers to see who is calling, or at least the exact address from which 911 calls are being made, even when the caller immediately hangs up. Authorities can trace 911 calls from cellphones but such calls are often answered in centralized call centers; dispatchers need to get more information about the location from the person on the other end of the phone. Rescuers can use data from cell towers to refine their searches, but even that data often cannot reveal a callers exact location.

Shens 911 call was hard to decipher, though authorities couldn't say if that was due to a language barrier, his deteriorating condition or a bad connection. The line went dead before they could learn the caller's identity.

The dispatcher was left with few clues to assist the rescuers: Difficult to understand. Caller is a male, is how the Rensselaer County 911 center described the call to police.

The dispatch system was only able to give police and firefighters a general location on Sixth Avenue, where two five-story apartment buildings  City Station East and West  face each other from either side of the street.

It was just mapped in that area, Capt. Steve Barker, a police department spokesman, said Wednesday.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Five police officers, three firefighters and a police dog searched the common areas of each floor. But with nothing more than Shens telephone number to go on, they couldnt find his apartment. They called RPI and went to the front desk in City Station West, which is a popular spot for college students to live, but could not learn where in the complex the caller might live.

Another complication involved Shens China-based cellphone carrier, police said: U.S. carriers are far more accessible in a fast-moving search for a 911 caller. While Shens phone had a 518 area code, there was no way to identify him by name through the phone, Barker said.

An autopsy determined that the graduate student had influenza A  a type of flu that comes on very sudden and severe, Rensselaer County Public Health Director Mary Fran Wachunas said.

RPI and county health officials had to work immediately to quell concerns that Shen, a student from China, may have died of the coronavirus discovered in Wuhan, China, in December  even though he had not traveled outside the U.S. for at least 13 months.

The safety of our students is a top priority at Rensselaer," RPI's administration said in a statement. "As always, following an incident, we review all potentially relevant policies and procedures, and we are currently engaged in that process."
LOS ANGELES  President Trump on Tuesday veered into politics during a briefing on preparations for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, criticizing the citys political leadership for failing to curtail its homelessness epidemic.

Trump said if Los Angeles doesnt clean it up fast, he will intervene.

If they cant do it themselves, were going to do it, Trump said. The federal government is going to take it over, were going to do it.

Trump has battled with Californias Democratic leaders throughout his three years in office, with state Attorney General Xavier Becerra filing dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration over environmental regulations, immigration issues and other White House policies.

The president also has repeatedly lashed out against the mayors of Los Angeles and San Francisco as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who represents a San Francisco district, over the homeless issues in those cities.

The president in the past has referred to the crisis in the two California cities as disgusting and a disgrace to our country.

Trump made the comments as he met with the Los Angeles Olympic committee to get an update on preparations for the Summer Games, the first Olympics to be hosted by the U.S. since the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

The four-day trip to California, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado is an unusually long domestic trip for Trump, who prefers to sleep in his own bed but is stepping up his political travel now that his impeachment trial is over.

Zeke Miller is an Associated Press writer.
Ting, a division of Tucows, invites Roaring Fork Valley residents to help determine where in the Valley Ting should expand its network and offer Crazy Fast Fiber Internet.

Ting Internets mission is to bring the speed and reliability that only true gigabit fiber Internet infrastructure can provide, to homes, businesses, and community anchor institutions, in communities across the U.S. Ting pairs lightning-fast, low latency, ultra-reliable Internet access with world class support to give customers an unparalleled experience.

Ting Roaring Fork is the first expansion initiative for the Cedar Networks footprint since Ting acquired the Durango-based company in January. Were all really excited to finally bring gigabit Internet to our neighbors in the Roaring Fork Valley, says Chris Stebner, former Cedar Networks partner, and now Director of Business Development at Ting.

Residents in the Roaring Fork Valley can pre-order service to demonstrate their interest in fiber Internet. Ting will be considering network builds in towns from Aspen to Carbondale and will use those pre-orders to gauge and prioritize demand.

The Roaring Fork Valley has the qualities we look for when we build fiber networks, notes Ting CEO, Elliot Noss. People here value their quality of life, including the ability to live and work in one of Americas most inspiring places. Robust Internet access is a key consideration for a productive and enjoyable work and home life in the mountains.

Ting Internet launched in 2015 in Charlottesville, VA and has since brought fiber access to towns and cities in North Carolina, California, Idaho, Maryland and Colorado. Ting expects to light its first customers in the Roaring Fork Valley later this year.

Pre-orders are open for Roaring Fork Valley

Roaring Fork Valley residents can pre-order Ting Crazy Fast Fiber Internet now at https://ting.com/roaringfork. A one-time refundable $9 pre-order is returned as a credit on a customers first Ting bill. Pre-ordering secures the best possible break on start-up costs on Ting gigabit service, up to and including the full cost of installation.

Updates will be announced on the dedicated Roaring Fork Ting Town page at ting.com/roaringfork. This page will be updated regularly as milestones are reached.

Ting Internet offers symmetrical gigabit fiber Internet for residential, small business, and enterprise customers. Home gigabit Internet costs $89 a month. Business gigabit Internet costs $139 a month. Enterprise Internet service levels, installations and pricing vary and can be discussed with the Ting Internet Enterprise team.

CEO Elliot Noss, VP Networks Adam Eisner, Director, Market Development and Government Affairs Monica Webb, and other members of the Ting team are always available to speak with local and national media.

---

About Ting Internet

Ting Internet provides Crazy Fast Fiber Internet in select US towns and cities. Ting is committed to net neutrality and the open Internet. More than that, Ting is committed to being a part of improving the communities it serves by supporting and championing local good works. Ting sponsors local programs, events, foundations, festivals, charities, and public services everywhere we go, investing in the future of the towns we serve.

About Tucows

Tucows is a provider of network access, domain names and other Internet services. Ting (ting.com) delivers mobile phone service and fixed Internet access with outstanding customer support. OpenSRS (opensrs.com) and Enom (enom.com) and Ascio (ascio.com) manage over 24 million domain names and millions of value-added services through a global reseller network of over 36,000 web hosts and ISPs. Hover (hover.com) makes it easy for individuals and small businesses to manage their domain names and email addresses. More information can be found on Tucows' corporate website (tucows.com).

Tucows, Ting, OpenSRS, Enom and Hover are registered trademarks of Tucows Inc. or its subsidiaries.

Tucows investor contact

Lawrence Chamberlain

416-519-4196

lawrence.chamberlain@loderockadvisors.com

Ting press contact

Ray Weiss

410-303-5019

rweiss@weisspr.com
VIMERCATE, Italy, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Infor , a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry, today announced that Cotonificio Albini, a famous Italian brand and the largest European manufacturer of shirt fabrics, has chosen Infor CloudSuite EAM (enterprise asset management) to help digitize the corporate asset management. Implemented by Italian partner Know-How, the solution will allow the textile sector company to improve its management of the maintenance processes of the group's assets and operating personnel.

Formed in 1876, with over 140 years of experience in the textile sector and a strong focus on innovation and quality culture, Cotonificio Albini manages a large portfolio of assets at its factories in Italy, Egypt and the Czech Republic. Previously, it had no IT system for controlling asset management, so the company has chosen Infor CloudSuite EAM to provide a global and unified platform with common graphics to control maintenance costs, purchasing and component replenishment.

Infor CloudSuite EAM is a best-in-class business asset management software that helps to digitize and optimize maintenance operations to achieve new levels of efficiency. The solution has been built to reflect the many nuances of vertical industries and allows users to analyze the main maintenance and other operating processes, to identify more efficient and effective ways of operating.

The high configurability of the solution allows for perfect adaptability to the needs of the company and ensures maximum scalability, from an evolutionary perspective. Cotonificio Albini will implement a series of modules relating to the request of the work order following the reporting of a fault, work order planning for maintenance workers, the procurement and consumption processes of spare materials and activities related to inventory, up to intra-warehouse transfers and specific user-warehouse authorizations. Finally, a customized process was created for the specific needs of Cotonificio Albini in relation to the deadlines of the warehouse lots for the management of laboratory products.

The rollout of the solution involves three phases, with the initial go-live during the first quarter of 2020 at three plants in the province of Bergamo, two in Albino and one in Gandino, which will be followed by the Brebbia plant (VA) and Tessitura di Mottola (TA) and finally the foreign branches in Egypt and the Czech Republic.

"We needed to implement a system that consistently managed maintenance activities in our factories, both locally and internationally within the group. Infor's solution will allow us to unify the activities and optimize the work done by all our staff, improving their performance," said Andrea Albini, Cotoificio Albini's technical director.

"We are pleased to support Cotonificio Albini, an important brand in Italy. We see a growing interest in EAM solutions to optimize asset management and be competitive and successful on the market. Cotonificio Albini has understood the importance of investing in digital functionality and innovation to maintain its leading position in the sector, and by industrializing the efficiency of its production plants and optimizing the life cycle of its assets, this will result in a positive impact on the company's cash flow," said Bruno Pagani, Infor country sales manager for Italy.

"The partnership with Infor allows us to offer the market innovative and specific technology for the needs of the vertical sectors which, combined with our experience in the market, allows client companies to obtain benefits and achieve concrete results to optimize business activities," said Claudio Montanari, Know-How CEO.

Albini Group  WEAVING. HERITAGE. FUTURE.

Founded in 1876 in Albino (Bergamo), Italy, Albini Group has always been a family business and today, now in its 144th year of activity, it is led by the fifth generation of the family represented by Fabio, Andrea and Stefano Albini. Albini Group now has seven plants (four in Italy), for a total of over 1,300 employees and is the largest European manufacturer of shirt fabrics. www.albinigroup.com

Press information:

Gabriele Camozzi

Albini Group Communication

+39 035 777111

[email protected]

Know-How

Founded in 1999 from the desire of some ICT professionals to combine and enhance their complementary skills, Know-How offers consulting, development, training and assistance services in the management of ERP, EAM, SCH and BI projects. The technological experience, combined with the specific vertical skills gained in heterogeneous sectors, in companies with different needs, targets and characteristics, allows Know-How to better interpret the needs of each customer and share their objectives, proposing ad hoc solutions to improve the business.

Infor

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. With 17,300 employees and over 68,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for progress. For more information, visit www.infor.com.

Infor customers include:

The top 20 aerospace companies

9 of the top 10 high tech companies

14 of the 25 largest U.S. healthcare delivery networks

19 of the 20 largest U.S. cities

18 of the top 20 automotive suppliers

14 of the top 20 industrial distributors

13 of the top 20 global retailers

4 of the top 5 brewers

17 of the top 20 global banks

9 of the 10 largest global hotel brands

7 of the top 10 global luxury brands

For more information:

Alessia Cuppini, Raffaella Gerli

ROCK communications

02/36693300

[email protected]

[email protected]

SOURCE Infor
Robert Downey Jr. portrayed Tony Stark  the billionaire, genius, playboy philanthropist whose journey from arrogant egotist to selfless savior was one of the Infinity Sagas most fleshed-out arcs  for over a decade. Kickstarting the Avengers, his success in the first Iron Man installment would lay the groundwork for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universes (MCU) expansion. Though he has left the MCU (despite multiple rumors suggesting a possible return), would he be willing to jump into the super suit of a DC hero following his long run as Iron Man?

Robert Downey Jr attends the European premiere of The Avengers: Age Of Ultron | Ian Gavan/Getty Images

Recent reports suggest that Robert Downey Jr (RDJ) may jump from one superhero landscape to the other. He may leave Disney to join Warner Bros. in the studios pursuit to rival the MCU with some of the worlds most well-known and beloved heroes. And, RDJ may be the man Warner Bros. needs to carry its DC franchise to the top.

Will Robert Downey Jr. portray Green Lantern in the DCEU?

According to We Got This Covered  relying on the same sources who knew Taskmaster would be the villain in Black Widow and that Marvel is considering Daniel Radcliffe for Moon Knight  RDJ is in talks with Warner Bros. to play Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern. The actor has reportedly engaged in private discussions with the studio concerning the character.

While Tom Cruise is still very high on the studios wishlist for the part, he has reportedly been reluctant to accept an offer, and take on the movie. Could Cruises reluctance find RDJ in another super suitthis time, one made of latex, as opposed to metal?

Will RDJ come in and reshape the misfire that was Ryan Reynolds approach to the character? If RDJ signs on, he better ensure that the script is worthy of his presence, as DCEU installments tend to fall short in the characterization and narrative development realms.

Seeing RDJ wind up in a rival universe after his commitment to the MCU would be surprising; however, a good gig is a good gig, and if he enjoys playing superheroes, who is to say he cant appear as a focal point in both universes? Not to mention, he is apparently asking for too much money to reappear in the MCU, which may leave the actor at Warner Bros. disposal.

Green Lantern would premiere way down the line if Robert Downey Jr. is cast in the role; He is quite busy at the moment

If Robert Downey Jr. joins the DCEU, his first installment will probably take place a handful of years from now. When looking at the actors agenda, hes a bit booked for the foreseeable future.

According to IMDb, Robert Downey Jr. is already set to appear in three upcoming movies, and he is rumored for a fourth (Black Widow). RDJ is set to reprise Sherlock Holmes across from Jude Laws Watson in Sherlock Holmes 3. He is also set to star in All-Star Weekend and an untitled John Brinkley biopic about the real-life infamous scam doctor who claimed to cure male impotence via the xenotransplantation of goat testicles into humans. Thus, if RDJ is going to join the DCEU, Warner Bros. may have to wait for his schedule to open up a bit.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 22:40:31|Editor: huaxia

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Supporters of a pro-Brexit group celebrate at Parliament Square in London, Britain, on Jan. 31, 2020. (Photo by Stephen Chung/Xinhua)

The immigration scheme, which takes effect from Jan. 1, 2021, is expected to end free movement, reassert control of the British borders and restore public trust.

The new system was about bringing "the brightest and the best" to the UK, said British Home Secretary Priti Patel.

LONDON, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Britain will not grant visas to low-skilled workers under its newly unveiled immigration scheme after Brexit, the Home Office said on Wednesday.

The immigration scheme, which takes effect from Jan. 1, 2021, is expected to end free movement, reassert control of the British borders and restore public trust.

It will assign points for specific skills, qualifications, salaries or professions and visas will only be awarded to those who gain enough points.

Overall levels of migration will be reduced, with tighter security and a better experience for those coming to the country.

A supporter of a pro-Brexit group walks down Whitehall in London, Britain, on Jan. 31, 2020. (Photo by Stephen Chung/Xinhua)

British Home Secretary Priti Patel said that the new system was about bringing "the brightest and the best" to the UK.

"We're ending free movement, taking back control of our borders and delivering on the people's priorities by introducing a new UK points-based immigration system, which will bring overall migration numbers down," she said.

"We will attract the brightest and the best from around the globe, boosting the economy and our communities, and unleash this country's full potential," she added.

The plan is urging employers to "move away" from relying on "cheap labor" from Europe and invest in retaining staff and developing automation technology.

It said the points threshold will be carefully set to attract the talent the British need.

"Skilled workers will need to meet a number of relevant criteria, including specific skills and the ability to speak English, to be able to work in the UK," the document said. "All applicants will be required to have a job offer and, in line with the Migration Advisory Committee's recommendations, the minimum salary threshold will be set at 25,600 pounds (33,231 U.S. dollars)."

It also stressed that European Union (EU) and non-EU citizens coming to Britain would be treated equally after UK-EU free movement ends at the end of this year.

But the opposition Labour Party said the "hostile environment" will make it hard to attract workers.

The message "We still love EU" is projected on the cliffs of Ramsgate in Ramsgate, Britain, on Jan. 31, 2020. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)

In line with the government's manifesto commitment, there will be no specific immigration route for low-skilled workers. An estimated 70 percent of the existing EU workforce would not meet the requirements of the skilled worker route, something the government hopes will help bring down the overall number of migrants in the future.

The student visa route will also be points-based and opened up to EU citizens, ensuring talent from around the globe will have access to the country's world-class universities.

Professor Alice Gast, president of Imperial College London, said "British science is global. The new post-study work and Global Talent visas will help us to attract the world's brightest students and researchers, wherever they come from."

"From the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine to clean energy, British science's international collaborations drive innovation and excellence," she added.

Those wishing to study in the country will need to demonstrate that they have an offer from an approved educational institution, that they can support themselves financially and that they speak English, according to the new plan.

The ruling Conservative Party has pledged to reduce overall migration to the country with an Australian-like points-based immigration system. One of the most important reasons behind the Brexit referendum results of leave is immigration. 
Antisocial behavior is characterized by disruptive acts of intentional aggression that causes distress, alarm, or harassment toward others. People who exhibit antisocial behavior since they were children through adulthood are more likely to have smaller brains, a new study found.

A team of researchers at the University College of London (UCL) has found that adults with a long history of offenses show marked differences in brain structure than those who have behaved well or those who transgressed only in adolescence.

The study, which was published in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry, showed that MRI brain scans of those who exhibit life-course-persistent antisocial behavior including aggression, stealing, violence, lying, bullying and repeated failure to take care of school and work responsibilities had thinner cortex and smaller surface area in parts of the brain linked to antisocial behavior, compared to those without the behavior.

The researchers used structural MRI data collected at 45 years of age from participants in the Dunedin Study, a population-representative longitudinal birth cohort of 1,037 individuals born between April 1, 1972, and March 31, 1973, in Dunedin, New Zealand. Image Credit: Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock

Changes in brain structure

To arrive at their findings, the researchers recruited 672 adults who underwent MRI scans at the age of 45. Aside from brain scans, the team also gathered histories of the patients, particularly their behaviors. They compared the brain compositions of those with a history of antisocial behavior to those without.

The team divided the participants depending on the behavior they exhibited  12 percent had life-course-persistent antisocial behavior, 23 percent had adolescent-only antisocial behavior, and 66 percent had no history of antisocial behavior.

They studied the brain scans of the participants, measuring and comparing the average thickness and surface area of the cortices.

The team also found that the marked changes in brain structure were only seen in those who exhibited antisocial behavior throughout their lifetime, not in those who had antisocial behavior only during their teenage years. The people who had life-course-persistent antisocial behavior had reduced surface area in 282 of 360 brain regions and had thinner cortex in 11 of 360 regions.

More attention to toddlers and children

The researchers also said that it's essential to pay more attention to toddlers and children who exhibit antisocial behaviors, those who persistently badly-behaved since they're at a higher risk of living a life with antisocial behavior because of the way their brains formed.

Further, the team also said that teens who exhibit antisocial behavior since they were kids are often diagnosed with conduct disorder. They are at a greater risk of imprisonment, poor physical health, and poor mental health later in life.

"Our findings support the idea that, for the small proportion of individuals with life-course-persistent antisocial behavior, there may be differences in their brain structure that make it difficult for them to develop social skills that prevent them from engaging in antisocial behavior. These people could benefit from more support throughout their lives," Dr. Christina Carlisi from the University College London and lead author of the study, said.

"Most people who exhibit antisocial behavior primarily do so only in adolescence, likely as a result of navigating socially difficult years, and these individuals do not display structural brain differences. It is also these individuals who are generally capable of reform and go on to become valuable members of society," Dr. Carlisi added.

The team believes that the study highlights the need for different approaches for various offenders. However, they also admitted the limitations of the study, as the brain imaging and understanding brain structures are not strong enough to be applied on the individual level.

"It is unclear whether these brain differences are inherited and precede antisocial behavior, or whether they are the result of a lifetime of confounding risk factors (e.g., substance abuse, low IQ, and mental health problems) and are therefore a consequence of a persistently antisocial lifestyle," Professor Essi Viding of UCL, added.

The team encourages others to conduct further research, including in the measurements of the genes, behavior, and environment to land to more robust findings.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Yobe State chapter, on Wednesday staged a solidarity walk in commemoration of Leah Sharibu, the girl who was abducted along with her school mates on February, 19, 2018 at their hostel in Government Girls Science Technical Collage, Dapchi, Yobe State.

Miss Sharibu, unlike her school mates that regained their freedom on March, 21, 2018 was allegedly held back by her captors for refusing to renounce her Christian faith and has since been in captivity for two years.

Remembering Ms Sharibus two-year captivity made the Christians come out in their large numbers at the ECWA Church, Damaturu, Yobe State, where they held special prayers seeking Gods intervention.

Apart from the prayer sessions at the church, the Yobe State CAN Chairman, with his officials and the entire congregation including school children, staged a peaceful procession from the ECWA Church to St. Marys Catholic Church with protesters holding placards.

Some of the inscriptions read: Dark Birthday for Leah Sharibu; every life is precious to God; stop the violence; the duty of govt is security of lives and properties.

The Christian community also sent a message of hope to Leah and all those in captivity including Muslims. They also prayed for the repose of the soul of Bitrus Zakka, the CAN Chairman from Michika, Adamawa State, who was recently murdered by Boko Haram.

worshippers in Damaaturu praying for Leahs release from Boko Haram captivity

Taking solace from the holy scriptures, the state CAN Chairman, Philibus Yakubu, quoted from the Book of Jeremiah 1:19 to justify his message of hope.

They will fight against you but they will not overcome you, for I am with you. Yahweh declares to rescue you,/ he said.

He condemned the, high level of social violence such as political violence, inequality, injustice, banditry, ethno-religious strife, kidnapping, armed robbery, herders/farmers clashes, militancy, the inhuman and dreaded activities of Boko Haram which seem to have taken place without interlude, not to mention corruption, poverty, strikes, or health services, poor educational system and the likes.

Yobe CAN Chairman Rv. Fr Philibus during the CAN solidarity protest in Damaturu

He also called on the federal government to make security its topmost priority.

He equally enjoined citizens to play their part by supporting the government, just as he praised all security agencies for their sacrifices in bringing peace to some troubled areas but he called on them to up their game.
President Trump, as universally accepted, has been rather successful managing his nation's business interests.

The long-awaited, enormously hyped visit of the mercurial US President, Donald Trump, to India is just three days away. Its outcome for India can only be judged after the visit materialises, as India, regrettably the world's largest arms importer, will naturally have a long wishlist from its strategic partner.

The United States, on the other hand, would like to get handsomely reimbursed for state-of-the-art weaponry and cutting edge platforms it consents to supply to India.

President Trump, as universally accepted, has been rather successful managing his nation's business interests! Some geopolitical pressures on India to toe the US line in this vastly strategically significant region cannot be ruled out.

Though no official press releases are normally issued prior to such head-of-state visits by the governments concerned, yet the news of parleys and planned agendas for discussion do leak out at times. Apart from India looking to seal some deals for big-ticket acquisitions like an integrated air defence missile system and the latest Seahawk naval helicopters, many Indian strategic analysts say that, apart from discussions on many diverse challenges concerning the Asia-Pacific, the Americans will push India hard for convergence with their Afghan policy.

The Great Game has been enacted, in various forms, in the rugged and fratricidal violence-afflicted Afghanistan over the last two centuries, and it still continues. The financially weary and militarily fatigued Americans have been engaged in their longest and costliest war in Afghanistan with no successful end in sight. Committed for over 18 years, with financial costs touching $2 trillion and around 2,400 American and 34,000 Afghan civilian fatalities, the Americans have been looking for a face-saving exit strategy from Afghanistan since the tenures of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Facing re-election this year, President Trump wishes to bring back his troops from the endless conflict in Afghanistan - a condition that he had promised to the American people during his last presidential campaign. His inability to do so will certainly have some impact on his re-election prospects.

Though Mr Trump has managed to substantially reduce the US presence in Afghanistan to now just over 12,000 troops, he cannot, at the moment, withdraw the entire US contingent as Afghanistan remains in the throes of grave political and security instability. Any premature troop withdrawal will only precipitate a likely civil war with grave repercussions for that nation and the region. It goes without saying that the situation in Afghanistan impacts India in a variety of ways.

Till date, India is widely respected in Afghanistan for its non-interference in its internal affairs whilst going all out to assist the Afghan people in civil infrastructure projects, education, health and electricity generation apart from the training of the Afghan security forces and supply of some non-lethal military equipment. India's soft power forays to the tune of over $2 billion into Afghanistan have been well received. In its eternal quest for "strategic depth" and having a pliant regime in Kabul, Pakistan, on the other hand, has been the perpetrator of terrorism and the master of all mischief in league with the Afghan Taliban and some Pashtun warlords. As accepted by all, including the Americans, Pakistan has been deceiving the US for years, extracting considerable military and financial support in return for provision of some logistics and routes to Afghanistan from its territory to American soldiers and troops of the International Security Assistance Force. Pakistan, now trying to facilitate the current talks between the Taliban and the US, is a tricky customer.

As being widely speculated, President Trump may endeavour to influence Prime Minister Narendra Modi - with whom he shares a warm relationship - to deploy Indian troops in Afghanistan. He may even offer some lucrative sops to the Indian side. India will, however, be well-advised to steer clear of putting boots on the ground for it will get sucked into an unending cycle of violence with no returns. If the Americans pull out prematurely and the current Kabul government does not have a mutually acceptable peace agreement with the ambitious and terror-driven Afghan Taliban, Afghanistan stands on the cusp of a civil war.

The Indian establishment, therefore, may wish to remember the lessons of history - where no foreign troops deployed in the land of the Hindukush have ever met with any success.
Agricultural Officer (Plant Production and Protection), Apia, Samoa

Organization: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Country: Samoa

Field location: Apia, Samoa

Office: FAO in Apia

Closing date: Wednesday, 4 March 2020

2000436

Agricultural Officer (Plant Production and Protection)

Job Posting: 12/Feb/2020

Closure Date: 04/Mar/2020, 10:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit : SAP

Job Type: Staff position

Type of Requisition : Professional

Grade Level : P-3

Primary Location: Samoa-Apia

Duration : Fixed-term: 2 years with possibility of extension

Post Number : 0854816

CCOG Code : 1H01

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

The length of appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to the extension of appointments.

FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality

People with disabilities are protected from any type of discrimination during any stage of employment, including the recruitment phase

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization.

Organizational Setting

FAOs Subregional Office for the Pacific is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing subregional food, agriculture and rural development priorities. It develops and maintains relations with subregion-wide institutions including the Council of Regional Organizations in the Pacific (CROP). The Subregional Office is a subsidiary of FAOs Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) in Bangkok. The post is located in Apia, Samoa.

Reporting Lines

The Agricultural Officer (Plant Production and Protection) reports to the Senior Fishery and Aquaculture Officer (Multidisciplinary Team Leader) in SAP and works in close collaboration with the Agriculture Production and Protection Officers in RAP and FAO headquarters.

Technical Focus

Agricultural and rural development in the islands and atolls, with strong emphasis on climate resilient and nutrition-sensitive agriculture for provision of sustainable livelihoods and responding to disasters and emergencies.

Key Results

Research, technical analysis, and project related services to support the delivery of programme projects, products and services.

Key Functions

Researches and analyses technical, social, economic, environmental, institutional and technology related information, data and statistics and/or related policy issues to support the delivery of programme projects, products and services;

Produces a variety of technical information, data, statistics and reports as well as inputs for technical documents and web pages;

Provides technical support/analysis to various assessments, studies and initiatives and provides technical backstopping to field projects;

Collaborates in the development of improved/updated tools, systems, processes, and databases;

Participates in multidisciplinary teams, and/or leads working groups/teams; collaborates with other departments and agencies on work groups and committees and promotes best practices;

Collaborates in, provides technical backstopping to and ensures the quality/effectiveness of capacity development activities within member countries such as policy support, organizational development and individual learning events including preparation of related information, learning materials, on-line tools;

Promotes knowledge sharing and best practices at international meetings and conferences and influences partners in stakeholder consultations;

Supports resource mobilization activities in accordance with the FAO Corporate Strategy.

Specific Functions

Supports the collection of information and data on constraints and opportunities of enhancing the productivity of agricultural production systems in the subregion

Provides technical assistance to promote climate-smart agriculture incorporating sustainable natural resource management and resilient livelihoods, especially of smallholders and atolls

Supports initiatives to mainstream the food systems approach into agriculture to improve nutrition and food security in the Pacific

Supports the collection of information and data on key priorities and issues in plant protection

Provides technical assistance for capacity building and monitoring activities to combat transboundary pest and disease outbreaks

Acts as focal point for the Asia and the Pacific Plant Protection Commission (APPPC) and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)

Develops project concept notes and project proposals based on requests from countries in the subregion

Provides technical assistance to the implementation of activities and backstopping of projects in the subregion

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Advanced university degree in agriculture or plant sciences, agronomy or related field

Five years of relevant experience in climate resilient agriculture

Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Competencies

Results Focus

Teamwork

Communication

Tags agricultural production aquaculture capacity development climate smart agriculture continuous improvement food security intergovernmental organizations knowledge sharing natural resource management organizational development pest management plant protection regional organizations resource mobilization rural development standards of conduct sustainable livelihoods transparency

Building Effective Relationships

Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable

Demonstrated ability to cooperate with officials of national governments, intergovernmental organizations and other institutions and in collaborative networks and joint programmes

Extent and relevance of experience in the development and management of technical projects in relation to climate resilient agriculture in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is considered a strong asset

Depth of familiarity with plant protection and integrated pest management

Extent and relevance of knowledge in sustainable crop production and ecosystem management

FAO staff are expected to adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.

GENERAL INFORMATION

FAO reserves the right not to make an appointment, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link: http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries allowances/salary.htm Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include:

Dependency allowances

Rental subsidy

Education grant for children

Home leave travel

30 working days of annual leave per year

Pension fund entitlements under the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund

International health insurance; optional life insurance

Disability protection

FAO encourages a positive workplace culture to increase inclusivity and diversity within its workforce. FAO applies measures in which all staff members contribute equally and in full to the work and development of the Organization. This includes:

elements of family-friendly policies

flexible working arrangements

standards of conduct.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications and language skills.

Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile;

Once your profile is completed, please apply and submit your application;

Your application will be screened based on the information provided on your online profile;

Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list;

Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications;

Incomplete applications will not be considered;

Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered;

We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org
The NYPD has arrested a third teenage 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 arrested a 14-year-old suspect in the stabbing death of 18-year-old college student Tessa Majors.

The middle school student surrendered to police on Wednesday morning after previously being interviewed and let go in December.

It is believed he was involved in robbing Tessa but that he only witnessed the stabbing.

He is the third and last suspect for the December 11 killing.

The boy is expected to be arraigned in the Manhattan Supreme Court later on Wednesday and charged with second-degree murder. He will also be charged with first-degree and second-degree robbery.

It is unclear if he will be charged as an adult.

The New York Post reports that a search warrant had also been executed for his home.

The first boy arrested in the case was a 13-year-old detained by police a day after the murder.

Police say he quickly implicated himself in statements to detectives, as well as identifying the 14-year old arrested today and Rashaun Weaver, 14, who was arrested on February 14.

A makeshift memorial stands for 18-year-old Barnard College freshman Tessa Majors in Morningside Park on December 26, 2019 in New York City days after her tragic death

Rashaun Weaver is the only one of the teenagers to be named because he is the only one who has been charged as an adult. He was charged with two counts of murder

The 13-year-old was arrested and charged with second-degree murder last month but will be tried in juvenile court. He is not accused of causing Majors' death but of involvement in the robbery that led to her killing.

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.

Rashaun Weaver, 14, was also taken into custody late Friday and charged with two counts of murder, more than two months after the gruesome slaying shocked New York City.

Weaver was the subject of a ten-day manhunt after went on the run while he was wanted for questioning.

Majors was an aspiring musician and a freshman at the prestigious Barnard College, located near Morningside Park, when she was tragically stabbed during a botched robbery

Weaver was tracked down at a family member's home in The Bronx where police believed his family was hiding him until a mark on his hand healed.

He was first detained but released without charge on December 26 before his arrest last Friday, February 14.

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 because of the severity of the crimes.

Weaver's arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday as is the arraignment for the third suspect arrested today.

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.

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.

Pictured: The stairs upon which Majors was stabbed in Morningside, Manhattan, in December

Tessa was stabbed at these stairs in Morningside Park, on the Upper West Side, last December

TIMELINE December 11: Tessa is attacked in Morningside Park. Police originally said the call came in at 5.36pm. They later said it was closer to 6.50pm She is pronounced dead at the hospital December 12: Police question two underage boys and search for a third. Those two boys are later cleared and let go. The 13-year-old boy is arrested for murder. Bill de Blasio promises swift justice. December 13: A 14-year-old is taken into custody. The 13-year-old boy is charged with murder. December 14: The charges against the 14-year-old are dropped and he is let go. December 15: Ed Mullins, the President of the Sergeant's Benevolent Association, says Tessa was in the park buying marijuana. He is slammed by Bill de Blasio. At 4pm, a 14-year-old boy bolts from a car as he is driven - by a 'lawyer or relative' to speak to police December 16: Tessa's family slam Mullins' remarks December 17: 13-year-old's probable cause hearing The 14-year-old remains on the run. The third alleged suspect remains free. December 26: The missing 14-year-old is detained but released after a few hours February 14: Rashaun Weaver, 14, is arrested and charged with murder. He is identified as the teen released on December 26 February 19: A third suspect, 14, surrenders to police. He is the boy taken into custody but released on December 14 Advertisement

Her last known words were believed to be: 'Help me! I'm being robbed!'

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, 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 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!'

The charges come nearly two months after the gruesome slaying shocked New York City. Pictured: The stairs upon which Majors was stabbed after the botched robbery

The murder of student Tessa Majors last December sent shock waves through Manhattan, with many saying the violent incident was reminiscent of 1970s and 1980s crime in New York

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.

The murder sent shock waves 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.
The Tripoli government is backed by Turkey and Qatar, as well as some European nations. Hifter, who controls much of Libyas east and south, is backed by Egypt, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and other regional nations. Russia and Turkey have sent thousands of fighters to Libya to support their respective sides in the hopes of gaining billions of dollars in contracts as well as deepening their influence in the Middle East and North Africa.
Some of its employees tried to stop their company from doing work they saw as unethical. It blew up in their faces.

Laurence Berland had just gotten out of the subway in New York, some 3,000 miles from his desk in San Francisco, when he learned that Google had fired him. It was the Monday before Thanksgiving, and the news came to him, bad-breakup-style, via email. Following a thorough investigation, the company has found that you committed several acts in violation of Googles policies, the note said. It did not elaborate on what he had done to violate these policies.

Berland, an engineer who had spent more than a decade at the company, had reason to expect he might be fired. He had been suspended a few weeks earlier after subscribing to the open calendars of several senior Google employees, whom he suspected of meeting with outside consultants to suppress organizing activity at the company. During a subsequent meeting at which he was questioned by Google investigators, he had the feeling that they were pressuring him to say something that could be grounds for termination. Then, the Friday before he was fired, he had spoken at a well-publicized rally of his co-workers outside Googles San Francisco offices, accusing the company of silencing dissent.

Even so, the timing and manner of his dismissal surprised him. I thought theyd do it when all the media attention died down, he said. When the suspensions and the rally were no longer on peoples minds. Instead, at a moment when the spotlight was shining brightly, Google had escalated  as if to make a point.

Berland was one of at least four employees Google fired that day. All four were locked in an ongoing conflict with the company, as they and other activists had stepped forward to denounce both its treatment of workers and its relationship with certain customers, like U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Berlands terminated colleagues were even more shocked by the turn of events than he was. Rebecca Rivers, a software engineer based in Boulder, Colo., was dismissed over the phone after accessing internal documents. Rivers had only recently come out as transgender and was pursuing a medical transition. I came out at Google expecting to stay at Google through the entire transition, she said. Its terrifying to think about going to a job interview, because Im so scared of how other companies treat trans employees.

Sophie Waldman and Paul Duke, the two other Googlers fired that day, had not received so much as a warning, much less a suspension. Though they had been questioned by corporate security two months earlier about whether they had circulated documents referring to Customs and Border Protection contracts, they had been allowed to continue their work without incident. Waldman, a software developer in Cambridge, Mass., said she was given a 15-minute notice before she was summoned to the meeting where she was fired; Duke, an engineer in New York, said an invitation appeared on his calendar precisely one minute beforehand. Security officials escorted him out of the building without letting him return to his desk. I had to describe to them what my jacket, scarf and bag looked like, he said.

From its earliest days, Google urged employees to act like owners and pipe up in all manner of forums, from mailing lists to its meme generator to open-ended question-and-answer sessions with top executives, known as T.G.I.F. It was part of what it meant to be Googley, one of the companys most common compliments. So well entrenched was this ethic of welcoming dissent that the company seemed to abide by it even after the uprising began, taking pains to show it was heeding activists concerns.

Over the past year, however, Google has appeared to clamp down. It has gradually scaled back opportunities for employees to grill their bosses and imposed a set of workplace guidelines that forbid a raging debate over politics or the latest news story. It has tried to prevent workers from discussing their labor rights with outsiders at a Google facility and even hired a consulting firm that specializes in blocking unions. Then, in November, came the firing of the four activists. The escalation sent tremors through the Google campus in Mountain View, Calif., and its offices in cities like New York and Seattle, prompting many employees  whether or not they had openly supported the activists  to wonder if the companys culture of friendly debate was now gone for good.

(A Google spokeswoman would not confirm the names of the people fired on Nov. 25. We dismissed four individuals who were engaged in intentional and often repeated violations of our longstanding data-security policies, the spokeswoman said. No one has been dismissed for raising concerns or debating the companys activities. Without naming Berland, Google disputed that investigators pressured him.)

As similar forms of worker activism have spread to other companies, including Amazon and Microsoft, it has also raised deeper questions about the nature of the entire industry. Silicon Valley has often held itself up as a highly evolved ecosystem that defies the usual capital-labor dichotomy  a place where investors, founders, executives and workers are all far too dependent on one another to make anything so crass as class warfare. The recent developments at Google have thrown that egalitarian story into doubt, showing that even in the most rarefied corners of Silicon Valley, the bosses are willing to close ranks and shut down debate when the stakes are high enough. The fate of these activists, meanwhile, forces Americas white-collar professionals to grapple with an uncomfortable thought: If the nations most sought-after workers cant stop their employer from behaving in ways that they deplore, where does that leave the rest of us?

Claire Stapleton, who organized a 2018 walkout, left Google last year. Bobby Doherty for The New York Times

As recently as a decade ago, the prospect of labor unrest at Google, of all workplaces, would have seemed laughable. From the very beginning, its founders embraced the view that the value of its business hinged far more on the brainpower of its workers than on any particular lines of code it might own. Google is organized around the ability to attract and leverage the talent of exceptional technologists and businesspeople, Larry Page, a founder, wrote in the companys 2004 I.P.O. prospectus. We will reward and treat them well.

To this end, the founders not only made Google one of the cushiest workplaces in corporate America, with its screening rooms, nap pods and mounds of free snacks. They also made it one of the most idealistic. Talented people are attracted to Google because we empower them to change the world, Page added in his letter. He was channeling a worldview with roots in the 1960s, when the engineers in Northern Californias nascent computer industry imbibed the local consciousness-raising counterculture and emerged with a faith in the power of technology to save humankind. As so much of the world economy moved online and the companys profits soared, Google and the rest of Silicon Valley developed a reputation as the American dream factory, the place where the worlds smartest young people wanted to be  where technologists and businesspeople could pull down staggering incomes while still believing that they were engaged in an act of altruism.

But as the world they were remaking came into focus, many of those engineers had second thoughts. With social media swallowing up the public square, it was hard not to notice that Google and Facebook had become an advertising duopoly with an unsettling grip on the entire worlds attention. And after the 2016 presidential election, the consequences of the social media revolution came to seem dystopian. Many engineers felt deeply anguished at the news that foreign governments had exploited their technology in an attempt to influence domestic politics. It showed that pretty much any system large enough and complex enough can be co-opted for nefarious purposes, Rivers said.

Others became increasingly concerned that the Trump administration might now use their tools in service of policies they found immoral. Unknown to them, Google was at work on a project that would bring these anxieties right to their own work spaces. In September 2017, the company quietly entered into a contract to help the U.S. Department of Defense track people and vehicles in video footage captured by drones. During a meeting that December, Google presented initial results that showed its artifical-intelligence software was more successful than human data labelers at identifying vehicles, according to an internal Google document we reviewed. By February, the effort, known as Project Maven, was slotted into a launch calendar for soon-to-be-deployed products.

Googles involvement in the project remained under wraps within the company for months. But by February, rumors about it had seeped out beyond the small circle of engineers who were doing the work. Concerned employees began to search through code and documents and compile their findings. One activist, an engineer named Liz Fong-Jones, called attention to Project Maven in an internal blog post, according to other workers who saw it, and the circle of concern grew. Many of the engineers feared that the technology would be used to single out targets for killing. A growing number of workers concluded that the program was not in keeping with Googles values, and they wanted management to know about it. The discovery that their employer was working hand in hand with the Defense Department to bolster drone warfare was a watershed moment, said Meredith Whittaker, an A.I. researcher based in New York who led Googles Open Research Group. If they were able to do that without any internal backlash, dissent, we would have crossed a significant line.

Whittaker, along with some colleagues, drafted a letter petitioning management to cancel the program, which quickly amassed thousands of signatures after they published it internally. In April, company leaders also flew Whittaker to Googles headquarters in Mountain View for three back-to-back town-hall discussions about the A.I. project, which it broadcast to Google employees around the world.

The discussions did not go well for the company. Whittakers concerns that the technology would enable extrajudicial killings were met with platitudes, or worse. One participant, according to Whittaker and workers who watched, compared Googles technology to a hammer: something that could be used to harm or to build. Diane Greene, then the chief executive of Googles cloud business, said the government was essentially using the same off-the-shelf software any customer could buy, a claim that the activists believed to be false. Even Googlers sympathetic to the contract found the presentation lacking. Many workers cheered Whittaker on in a series of memes, including one  echoing a popular meme about Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts  with the words nevertheless she persisted superimposed on her photo.

And her performance seemed to yield results. At an internal town hall in June 2018, Greene said Google would not seek to renew the contract, which internal emails showed could have been worth up to $250 million per year. (The Defense Department declined to comment on Project Mavens vendors or its military applications.) The about-face shocked many Google employees, even as it gave them a sense of their growing power. Greene soon stepped aside from her role leading the cloud business.

Galvanized, the activists began to press further. They quickly honed a formula for pushing back on products they opposed: research the project using Googles internal search tools, compile the findings into a Google Doc, write a protest letter and gather co-worker signatures, debate the issue on Google Plus. Over the summer, another secret program, nicknamed Dragonfly, came to light in The Intercept. The project would censor search results in China on behalf of the Chinese government, and after months of internal protest, Google appeared to back away from that program too. During congressional testimony that December, the companys chief executive, Sundar Pichai, said he had no plans to launch a search service in China, though some activists worried it might yet return.

Meredith Whittaker, an A.I. researcher, left the company last year. Bobby Doherty for The New York Times

Workers werent just organizing to save the world from Google. They were also organizing to save themselves from Google, where those who didnt fit the mold of the straight, white, male techie felt they could be too easily marginalized or dismissed.

The previous year, after a Google software engineer named James Damore circulated an essay he had written arguing that women were less suited biologically for careers in technology than men, a handful of Google employees pushed back with a memo of their own. We must remember that we are ultimately all affected by technology, they wrote, and that every one of us should have a voice in how its built.

The eight authors of the memo were part of a growing group of workers who spent the next 15 months laying the groundwork for a wider counteroffensive. They knew that unionizing would be a tall order in an industry in which workers had long regarded unions suspiciously. They settled on a more modest plan: to quietly confer with colleagues about the workplace issues they most wanted to address.

By 2018, the moment was ripe. That October, The New York Times revealed that the company had given Andy Rubin, a former executive, a $90 million exit package after an employees sexual-misconduct complaint against him was deemed credible. (Rubin denied any wrongdoing and blamed a smear campaign for the allegations.) Amid the outrage that followed the revelation, Claire Stapleton, a marketing manager for YouTube, which Google bought in 2006, suggested that women walk out. Stapleton, who had not been involved in previous activism, thought the walkout would demonstrate that women are pivotal to Googles work force.

A more seasoned activist, worried that not enough people would walk out, suggested that Stapleton give colleagues other ways of participating, like putting an out-of-office message on their inboxes. But Stapleton forged ahead, figuring the walkout would work if even a few hundred people showed up. The organizers took to their mailing lists to get the word out.

The idea caught on swiftly, though, and on Nov. 1, some 20,000 Google employees around the world left their offices to protest the payout and other workplace frustrations. Critically for a tech company, it wasnt just well-paid engineers and product leads who turned up, but also clerical and maintenance workers. Many were contractors and temps determined to challenge their second-class status.

Managers took notice. During a subsequent staff meeting, Googles vice president for human resources, Eileen Naughton, said the Rubin revelations had created a mess for the company. Were cleaning up after the circus elephants here, she said, going on to note that Rubin had left the company and that no payouts had been awarded to harassers since she had stepped into her role.

Activists capitalized on the success. In San Francisco and New York, they coordinated weekly walkout lunches to keep their co-workers involved and mobilize against the next workplace outrage, whether it was a product that threatened humanity or a human-resources practice that threatened their livelihood. The more they talked, the more they realized their concerns had a common thread: Executives had too much power over the company, and they had too little. They wanted more. They organized chat groups on encrypted apps like Signal, with innocuous names like care package delivery so that they wouldnt be outed if a manager glimpsed their phones. They prepared tip sheets to help workers approach colleagues, in hopes of building a permanent organization.

Some senior Google executives spoke approvingly about the walkout, but the company also made clear there were limits to its tolerance for worker protests.

The approach had a rich pedigree in the tech sector. In 1990, Apple announced changes to a profit-sharing plan that sent employees to the companys internal message boards to vent their outrage. Apple soon backtracked. But when about 50 workers formed an organization called Employees for One Apple, which demanded more influence over company decisions, Apples leadership granted only token concessions. The organization proved largely powerless, according to a paper by the researchers Libby Bishop and David Levine.

Alan Hyde, an expert on labor law at Rutgers Law School in Newark who has written extensively about the tech sector, said the pattern has repeated itself again and again in Silicon Valley: Management missteps, irate workers take to their mailing lists and message boards and leaders sometimes back down. Then it dissipates, he said. No permanent organizations form, no organization that can plan and act strategically.

Google seemed to be following a similar playbook. Activists workshopped the questions they would ask at staff meetings to force executives to explain why they werent responding to their walkout demands, which included a request for an employee representative on the board and an end to forced arbitration for all claims by employees.

Google would soon fold on arbitration. But it also announced that it would no longer take in-person questions at companywide meetings. Hereafter, all questions would have to be submitted through Dory, the companys digital question platform.

The workers continued to agitate, with mixed results. In April 2019, Kent Walker, Googles senior vice president for global affairs and top lawyer, convened an external council to advise the company on its use of artificial intelligence. But workplace activists discovered that one appointee, the president of the Heritage Foundation, Kay Cole James, had made what some employees saw as anti-L.G.B.T.Q. and anti-immigrant comments. This generated a wave of embarrassing publicity and, just over one week after he announced the council, Walker pulled the plug.

Soon the most troublesome activists began to disappear from the company. Whittaker, who had spoken out against Jamess appointment, had been close to finding a new home within the company after being told that her specialty, ethical questions relating to artificial intelligence, was no longer a priority for Google Cloud. Shortly after the council was disbanded, an official in the new group told her the transfer was dead. Her prospects for remaining at the company appeared to dim.

Stapleton, for her part, said that managers took responsibilities and direct reports away from her and that an executive suggested she go on medical leave until the dispute blew over, even though she had no illness. When people are speaking up  and they are because thats the Google way  its not good for your career, she said. Both women soon left the company. The company said that it changed the structure of Stapletons team as part of a routine shift but did not demote her, and that Whittaker was asked to return to an earlier role and refused to do so. Whittaker said the specific role was not one she had held before and was effectively a demotion.

It was around this time that Google appeared to be preparing for a more aggressive approach to confronting activists. In May, Walker sent out a companywide email informing workers that they could be disciplined or fired for accessing material that was supposed to be viewed by only those with a need to know. The email styled itself as a simple reminder about policy changes the company had recently made. (Subject line: An important reminder on data classifications.)

Many Googlers accepted the change as a natural shift for a company with increasingly high-profile and publicity-averse customers. A Google spokeswoman said that the underlying policy had been in place since 2007 but that the language is periodically updated to make it easier to understand and apply. And admirers and critics alike say Walker, who served as an assistant U.S. attorney before migrating to Big Tech, is evangelical about Googles power to do good, and that he has vastly expanded his reach over the rest of the organization.

But other accounts put Walkers vision in a different light. Ross LaJeunesse, a top public-policy official at the company, had long been concerned that Googles cloud business was drawing the company into a web of relationships with repressive foreign governments and other questionable actors. It makes us an accessory if we are hosting their email systems or their data, he said in an interview. LaJeunesse, who left the company last year and is currently running for the U.S. Senate in Maine, took his concerns to Walker in 2017 and suggested creating a human rights program that would vet deals. But LaJeunesse said Walker repeatedly demurred, eventually responding that such a program would itself expose Google to legal liability. (Google denied the account. Googles commitment to human rights is unwavering, the spokeswoman said. While Ross had lobbied to have his group oversee human rights issues across our products, we felt it was more effective to have product and functional teams directly handle these issues.)

Now activists were particularly troubled by the vagueness of Walkers dictum: Sensitive material would not necessarily be labeled need to know. The onus would be on workers to determine whether they should look at it or not. In my orientation, I was encouraged to read all the design documents I could find, look at anything about how decisions are made, said Duke, the New York engineer. Now theyre saying thats no longer OK. That is a major shift in culture. (The Google spokeswoman denies that a shift has occurred. Google has a rich history of employees raising concerns and debating company decisions, but flagrant violation of our policy has never been part of our culture, she said.)

To some activists, the policy shift appeared to be a recipe for a kind of digital entrapment, or worse. I said at the time that they intended to fire whoever finds the next Maven, said Irene Knapp, a Google engineer and activist who left the company in September.

Kathryn Spiers, a security engineer, was fired last year. Bobby Doherty for The New York Times

For six months after the 2018 walkout, Googles founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, had little to say to their workers. There was no mass email with their names on it, no sighting of them at gatherings of rank-and-file employees. Googlers were beginning to take notice. One popular internal meme, playing on the error message a web browser displays when a site wont load, joked, 404 Page not found.

The founders suddenly materialized at a companywide meeting in May 2019. But it wasnt to reassert control over the company. According to multiple employees who tuned in, the two men made idle small talk with Pichai, the chief executive, about what they had been up to  Page said hed been working with Sidewalk Labs, a subsidiary of Googles parent company, Alphabet, that focused on urban problems like housing; Brin said hed been working with Wing, the companys delivery-drone subsidiary. They mostly ducked employees questions, including one about whether the company had retaliated against Stapleton.

The main presentation was from Thomas Kurian, the new head of the companys cloud division. Kurian spoke about how he planned to increase Google Clouds revenue by competing with Microsoft and Amazon. The two rivals had a significant head start, but Kurian promised to catch up, rapidly. It was a message that Kurian, a longtime Oracle executive, had been pounding internally since he arrived at the company earlier in the year.

He said we are a distant third in the cloud market, an engineer in the cloud department recalled, echoing other sources. If we dont make it to the top two, maybe we should not be in this market anymore.

Kurian focused on hiring more sales and customer-support personnel and made clear that he was eager to do business with the government. At one point, Whittaker recalled her managers telling her that Kurian aspired to be everywhere Lockheed is. (Google said Kurian never made a direct comparison between Googles business and Lockheed Martins defense work.) And in July, Kurian got an opportunity: Customs and Border Protection announced the first step toward bidding out a major information-technology contract.

The idea of working with C.B.P. filled many Googlers with dread, and they began to circulate a petition urging executives to spurn the agency. The winning cloud provider will be streamlining C.B.P.s infrastructure and facilitating its human rights abuses, the petition said. Its time to stand together again and state clearly that we will not work on any such contract. (The agency declined to comment for this article.)

Rebecca Rivers quickly signed, then began to wonder: How deeply was Google already entangled with the agency? She turned to Moma, a company intranet that employees have used to find everything from cafeteria menus to design documents, and quickly unearthed emails referencing several projects sold through third-party vendors, including one contract for about $15,000 worth of Google Cloud services, a roughly $250,000 contract for a version of Google Chrome and a third contract for about $600,000 with Google Maps.

Rivers had personally built features for Maps, including one that flagged recent changes to locations of interest. She thought it might have humanitarian uses, like locating refugees fleeing war or climate catastrophe, or could just help retailers pick the sites of new stores. The worst I thought it could be used for was making rich people more rich, she said. But it could be used by anyone, she later realized, including an agency that separated children from their parents. It was gut-wrenching, she said. It was the software I wrote that I was most proud of. Rivers said she passed the information to Sophie Waldman, a co-worker, who combined it with information she had found and disseminated it to other colleagues. Before long, many realized that they, too, had been unwittingly working on technology that could benefit the agency.

The biggest uproar surrounded a project called Anthos, a program that allows customers to combine their existing cloud services and Googles. According to a report in Business Insider, internal documents showed that Google had given C.B.P. a trial of Anthos. Some engineers working on the project were enraged. They had been told that Anthos was intended for banks and other businesses. Workers took to internal mailing lists to express their outrage about the project.

Kurian had previously said the cloud department had nothing to do with the Southern border, according to employees. Now he reiterated the point on one of the threads, adding that in any case, Anthos was just a trial.

Many of the engineers were satisfied with Kurians response. I wish we didnt do those things, the engineer in the cloud department said. If someone is going to do them, I dont trust Microsoft. At least we could have some oversight.

Google officials insist that the decision to consider working with C.B.P. was not a statement about the companys values. Every experience Ive had past or present, Google is a deeply values-driven, deeply mission-driven, deeply principled company, said Jennifer Fitzpatrick, a senior vice president at the company. But these are not areas where consensus is possible or even likely. She added: We do have to make decisions. We do have to move forward.

But to the activists, Kurians explanation was nonsensical. There didnt seem to be anything in the contracts that restricted Google from contributing to work on the Southern border. The I.T. infrastructure Google was providing would support the agencys operations everywhere. And regardless of the merits of the contracts, there was the disturbing fact that the engineers working on them had been misled about the purpose of the technology they were creating. Some had decided to work on Anthos precisely because it did not appear to be destined for the national-security apparatus. If workers arent told what the real purpose of their work is, they have no agency in deciding whether or not they want to help with those things, Berland said. They become unwittingly complicit. (Google declined to comment specifically on Anthos.)

Laurence Berland, a software engineer, learned of his firing over email. Bobby Doherty for The New York Times

By last fall, workers and management appeared to be locked in a game of brinkmanship. The company tried to cancel a meeting about unions and labor rights that its Zurich employees had arranged with two union officials, but the employees disregarded messages from office leadership and held the meeting anyway.

Around the same time, employees discovered that Google officials had been meeting with a firm called IRI Consultants since at least May. The firm has done work helping to defeat organizing campaigns at hospitals and other workplaces, in one case by instructing managers to play up the history of Mafia influence on organized labor. (IRI did not return calls seeking comment.) Google also brought on a former assistant U.S. attorney with expertise prosecuting white-collar crime, Stephen C. King, as a top internal security official, in addition to a former Colorado police officer it hired earlier in the year.

It was during this time that the practical effect of the need-to-know policy began coming into focus. In September, the internal security team interviewed a handful of employees who had been involved in circulating the petition asking Google not to work with Customs and Border Protection and in unearthing the documents showing that Google already was.

According to Rivers, who was among those interviewed, one investigator asked how she found the documents and whom she shared them with, a potentially legitimate line of questioning in light of the new policy. But, she said, he seemed more interested in what she knew about how the petition was planned. It was about how were organizing, Rivers recalled. How many people there were, the methods we used to meet. (Google said that policy violations were the focus of the interview and that it appropriately conducted the investigations, giving individuals a chance to explain their actions.)

Rivers and the other employees interviewed believed that the questions about the documents were a pretext for trying to restrict their organizing. She and some of the others considered filing a charge with the National Labor Relations Board, but they worried that this would put them further at risk. We were all terrified of retaliation, Rivers said. The second we file, we put a big target on our back.

She had another reason to worry: She was not yet public about her transition and worried that the company would out her. I was extremely afraid, she said. I feared any investigation would reveal communication that used my new name, Rebecca Rivers, rather than my dead name.

Then in November, Rivers and Berland were abruptly put on administrative leave. Rivers turned up at work one morning and realized her security badge didnt work. I called the badging office, and they didnt know; they reactivated me, she said. It was a very rushed turn of events.

When Rivers and Berland were interviewed soon after, Rivers for the second time, they were asked about material they had accessed, but investigators once again spent much of the interviews on other topics. An investigator asked Rivers a series of questions about her role in the anti-C.B.P. activism, including her social media commentary. He was just fishing for more information related to C.B.P., she said.

According to Berland, investigators asked him about his subscription to the calendars of several senior Google employees who had met with IRI Consultants. They asked if he planned to show up unannounced to any of the meetings, which made no sense to him. I honestly couldnt believe they seriously suggested that, he said. Until they asked, it hadnt even occurred to me. Why would I do that? He said he had subscribed to the calendars, which were open to any employee, because he worried the consultants might be helping the company curtail labor rights.

Within Google, the suspensions generated angst, and even nonactivists began to wonder if the company was overreacting. On Nov. 12, Walker posted an internal note defending the move. He said, apparently alluding to Rivers, that one employee had deliberately searched for, accessed and shared a number of confidential or need-to-know documents outside the scope of their job and that another employees calendar-tracking had caused a lot of stress for people who are just trying to go about their work.

We have the potential to develop incredible products and services that can help billions of people around the world, he added, but we cant let internal wrangling get in the way of that mission.

Google fired the four activists on the Monday before Thanksgiving. In an internal memo that soon leaked to the press, the company said the workers were involved in systematic searches for material outside the scope of their jobs. It also cited an employees efforts to track information on the calendars of colleagues outside of their work group. And it said that information the employees accessed made its way outside the company  a suggestion that they had abetted leaking at a company where even rank-and-file workers regard leaks as a form of betrayal.

The company later said the workers had accessed need-to-know documents, only some of which were labeled such. All four workers said they were unaware of having inappropriately accessed documents labeled need-to-know, and none were ever accused of directly leaking information. When asked, Google could not point to a specific rule that forbade accessing material on colleagues open calendars or setting up calendar notifications. Laurie Burgess, a lawyer representing the workers, said that they had done what Googlers have traditionally been encouraged to do and that the firing was intended to chill employee activism. They picked on people all over the country  they fired them at the same time, Burgess said. Its sort of giving a lesson to employees everywhere that you could be next.

Among activists, the reaction was sheer terror. The folks whose names are on the bottom of the petitions were checking their bank accounts, said Colby Jordan, a sometime activist based in Seattle who left the company in January. .If I dont have a job, hows this going to work for me?. But the firings did appear to mobilize hundreds if not thousands of Googlers who had previously stood on the sidelines. An activist said one citys weekly lunch, which usually attracted about 100 people, had doubled in size the week after the firings, and an additional meeting on the topic drew 300 people. Its a very short-term play, Jordan said. When a company is its workers  a fact thats true in tech in particular  you cant beat them into submission.

Irene Knapp, a Google engineer and activist, left the company in September. Bobby Doherty for The New York Times

The more aggressive reaction by the company also began to convince many activists that only a formal union could protect them. Bruce Hahne, a project manager who left Google in February after 14 years, said the crackdown with the Zurich team was a galvanizing moment that created a backlash and drove employees to say: Lets learn more about this labor union stuff. What is it that theyre trying to suppress?

Some Google workers had previously reached out to unions, but the idea was met with little enthusiasm from their colleagues. The success of any worker organization at Google would depend on the number of workers it could mobilize, they said, so why not focus on that? For a while, one popular idea was a so-called solidarity union  a union that didnt seek certification under federal labor law. Unlike a formally certified union, creating a solidarity union wouldnt depend on winning a majority of employees in a secret-ballot election, which at Google could theoretically require winning tens of thousands of votes.

But since the firings, Google workers have begun softening on organized labor. I have felt comfortable within some of the email lists I have posted to, to say here is some labor news or some union news, Hahne said. You can say that and not have 20 people jump into the thread telling anti-union stories.

Some workers have reached out to the Office and Professional Employees International Union, which represents white-collar workers like nurses, podiatrists, clerical staff and university staff, and the Communications Workers of America, which represents telephone-company workers, airline workers and many journalists. We at C.W.A. are happy to be a resource to folks who are looking for resources to support them, said Tom Smith, the unions organizing director. We want to be known as a place folks can turn.

Beyond the cultural hurdles of trying to bring traditional unions to an industry in which they have been largely absent, the effort would face significant procedural hurdles as well, not least of which is simply determining who would be eligible to join. Some union proponents, taking note of a group of about 80 Google contract workers from Pittsburgh who had unionized in September, have begun to sketch out plans to circumvent the logistical challenges of unionizing by proceeding office by office, job function by job function.

A young security engineer named Kathryn Spiers epitomized the recent shift in thinking. She had once believed that Google was too large and too scattered geographically to unionize all at once. But over drinks with co-workers to celebrate her 21st birthday, she began to wonder: What if their team of about 100 workers unionized on its own? The conversation sparked interest among her co-workers. I ended up having to put an F.A.Q. doc together because every conversation had the same few questions, mostly around: Why do well-paid, well-benefited engineers need this? Will this result in more administrative overhead with no real benefit? she said. A union will make it easier, especially for security, to stand up when they think what theyre being asked to build is wrong.

Spiers had not hid her organizing conversations from her managers, frequently chatting with co-workers in their open office space. The ax fell shortly after she created a notification reminding co-workers of their right to participate in protected activities like organizing when they visited the website of IRI Consultants or an internal site about company guidelines. Co-workers could see the notification only if they were using Google-managed devices within the corporate network. I cant imagine something more clearly protected, said Burgess, who is now representing Spiers.

Spiers said she was told only that she violated several policies, but not the specific infractions. (The Google spokeswoman said the notification had been created by misusing internal tools and that the message per se was not an issue.)

In January, hundreds of workers at Amazon began to defy a corporate-communications policy by publishing quotes critical of the companys business practices. Many in the tech industry saw the protest as part of a wave that had radiated out from Google. Googles walkout was huge for us, said Weston Fribley, an Amazon software engineer involved in climate protests there. It really expanded our imagination about what was possible.

Even after the events of the past year, its hard to say whether Googles reputation has been meaningfully tarnished within the broader pool of talented, idealistic engineers it hopes to recruit and retain. After all, it just has to look more ethical and worker-friendly than its rivals, all of which are confronting controversies of their own. As if to hammer home that fact, the day after the Amazon workers protest began, a Google recruiter praised the Amazon activists in a LinkedIn post, flagged by Vice. He urged them to consider coming to Google, where they could better live out their values. The post, which soon disappeared, seemed both strangely oblivious to the labor turmoil in Mountain View and inadvertently revealing about the calculations that linger over it. (Google said the recruiter was acting on his own initiative.)

If Google continues to set the curve in the competition to be the most righteous tech employer, then it may feel it can keep cracking down. There are a small number of firms that could possibly absorb the vast majority of people hired here, one Google activist said. Its like: Go ahead, work for Bezos. Or work for Salesforce. They have a charismatic liberal founder who also works with ICE.

On the other hand, the risk of irreparably damaging the companys worker-swaddling reputation almost certainly constrains Google management, which presumably wants to stop the discontent from leaching further into its work force, to say nothing of the popular consciousness. The shift to a more heavy-handed approach also creates the possibility of a costly overreach. As recently as six months ago, I thought Id seen this movie before, said Hyde, the labor law expert at Rutgers Law School. Then, for reasons I dont know but would love to know, the ball seems to have been passed to idiots who seem to be doing everything possible to bring about what their predecessors were able to avoid.

Perhaps this concern was why, two months after the company announced it was turning the weekly T.G.I.F. ritual into a monthly meeting restricted to a narrow set of questions, Pichai told workers he was reconsidering. At a staff meeting in January, he said that he had heard from many Googlers that T.G.I.F. was important to them and that he would look into finding a way to preserve the original free-for-all concept, according to two people who watched. (Google said it now allows a few off-topic questions at the end of each session.) In mid-February, Google also announced that Naughton, its longtime head of human resources, would leave her position for another role at the company later this year.

The activists are still pushing. In the most recent annual employee survey, many say they vented their frustration over the companys need-to-know policy, whose enforcement Walker recently referred to at a meeting as common sense. There is also the matter of the five workers Google recently fired. In December, the C.W.A. filed charges on their behalf with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing the company of retaliating over their workplace activism. The agency will decide whether to issue complaints, which are akin to indictments, and could eventually reinstate them.

If that happens  and Hyde said that redressing illegal firings is one of the few areas of labor law that workers can still leverage, even with a hostile company and the current administration in Washington  it would deal a blow to the narrative Google has labored to create internally. Rather than viewing their fired colleagues as rogue agents intent on sabotaging the company, many Googlers who currently accept the companys good faith may begin to question its motives.

And then there is the Customs and Border Protection relationship. Its unclear when the agency will formally open the bidding on the contract that it indicated in July would be forthcoming. But if the company submits a proposal, the activists will have vulnerabilities to exploit. Not least is Kurians remark that the infrastructure would not support the agencys work on the Mexican border, a claim that even some nonactivists consider dubious.

In the meantime, the surviving Google activists lurch between gallows humor and defiance. With every rumor of a retaliatory firing, dozens of Googlers steel themselves emotionally for what they expect will be the end of the line. But they also believe that there are structural forces propelling their activism forward. Locally pessimistic, globally optimistic, was how one put it, descending into engineering speak.

Mar Hicks, a labor historian and author of the book Programmed Inequality, said there were in fact reasons to believe that the Google activists could succeed at building a lasting worker movement. For one thing, they said, todays tech workers, unlike earlier generations, have built coalitions beyond the walls of their own company, making it more difficult for employers to isolate them. They have forged alliances across class and job categories, and they situate themselves within a larger political and cultural reaction to the extreme inequality that the tech industry has come to epitomize.

The uprising also comes at a moment of unprecedented scrutiny of technology in the political realm and in the media, which dovetails with the workers own anxieties about how the company monetizes their work. The potential for top-down regulatory action at the same time that were having a large groundswell from the bottom up of labor activism, Hicks said, puts us in a somewhat different place than earlier moments.

Yet even these developments cant quite explain the workers audacious  some might say Googley  sense of confidence. While they recognize their mission to be a moonshot, they may simply be that rare class of worker used to engineering moon landings. Management can decide whether or not to get on board, Berland said. But Google workers are increasingly aware of the power they have. Theyre going to continue to exercise that power, and in the end, theyre going to prevail.

All Part of The Future of Work

Noam Scheiber is a Chicago-based reporter for The Times who covers labor and the workplace. He is the author of The Escape Artists, a book about Barack Obamas first term as president. Kate Conger is a technology reporter for The Times in San Francisco whose work focuses on privacy and labor.
Press Release

19 February 2020

Deutsche Hospitality is one of the best companies in the country to work for in 2020. The group has earned third place in the "Restaurants, Hotels and Tourism" category in this year's Focus-Business "Germany's Best Employers" Awards, its first top-three ranking within the sector.



"We are delighted to have been named the third best employer in our category for 2020 and are proud of all the great staff feedback which has made such a result possible," said Matthias Heck, CFO and Labour Director, Deutsche Hospitality. "We are hoteliers with passion, and our associates are our success factor. We create the best prerequisites for the delivery of excellent service by adopting a market position as a strong employer which exudes international charisma." In 2018 and 2019, Deutsche Hospitality's worldwide activities secured the company eighth and twelfth places respectively. The outcome for 2020 thus represents a significant improvement.



The rankings for Germany's best-rated employers were based on an empirical study carried out by the news magazine Focus-Business in conjunction with Germany's biggest business networking site XING and the employer rating portal kununu.com. The evaluation of the 1,000 top employers in the country was informed by responses received from more than 140,000 employees. Deutsche Hospitality was adjudged to be Germany's 58th best employer across all sectors. The current proportion of workers who would recommend their own employer was one of the key factors.
Veronica Wilson still thinks about her boys. She misses them. They came from Guatemala in the mid-2000s to work alongside her in the plant nursery and landscaping business in lower Alabama.

The four men were the last excellent workers she can remember having. She fed them, housed them and took care of all their medical needs. She was a mother to them. And in return, they worked hard for her.

She loved them. But one day they left.

For two months I woke up everyday and cried, said Wilson, who goes by Roni. She spoke to AL.com at her plant nursery and landscaping business in Theodore. It really broke my heart but I understood why they moved on.

Wilson, who runs Ronis Tropical Nursery & Landscape, said back in those days there was an abundance of quality, skilled and hardworking foreign laborers everywhere. And once you had them, you tried your best to keep them.

Wilson wasnt able to keep her boys, as she described them.

They left because after Gov. [Robert] Bentley was elected, people around here started to look at them differently, she said. They started to feel uncomfortable and really thats what made them leave. I still cant even find good workers because of whats going on around immigration now.

I think the politicians need to ease up and make things easier on small businesses who really need these people to survive, she added.

A small pond at Veronica Wilson's nursery and landscape business in Theodore.

The seemingly endless supply of cheap foreign labor has dwindled in recent years and Wilson said most of the Americans she tried out for the jobs shes offering are simply not up to the physical challenge and long hours involved in landscaping. Despite the current White House administrations firm stand around legal and illegal immigration, it has also encouraged a healthy supply of foreign laborers into the service and agricultural industries, where foreign labor is most sought. While the big agriculture firms have the means to bring guest workers in, small businesses with niche employment needs and smaller budgets have found it harder.

The current system has proven to be cumbersome and expensive.

Between 2016 and 2018, the number of visas obtained for agricultural workers, also known as H-2A visas, increased by about 65 percent, jumping from 165,000 in 2016 to 242,000 in 2018, according to the most recent Department of Labor Department figures. That increase in legal guest workers was prompted in part by greater security on the southern border.

While this sounds like good news for people who would prefer to see the law respected, the perspective employer is required to jump through some pretty big hoops before it can rely on foreign help.

First and foremost, the employer has to demonstrate there arent enough U.S. citizen workers who are able, willing, qualified, and available to do the temporary work, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Proving that can involve posting advertisements in local papers and then saying that nobody suitable applied.

Palms trees at Veronica Wilson's nursery and landscaping business in Theodore.

Wilson said that while there are people out there who are willing and able to the work in the local area, many of them arent always reliable or even willing to do the kind of hard work she needs done. Thats especially acute during periods of low unemployment when many of the best workers are already taken, she said.

As an example, Wilson said that a neighboring nursery owner needed help to bring 5,000 plants inside during a recent cold snap but wasnt able to find workers to help him. He relied on favors from Wilson and other industry owners instead.

The people we usually get are whats left over, she said. Some might have drinking problems, drugs, mental health issues or cant turn up when I need them. All my American workers have drama. And its not just me. Lots of small, labor-heavy businesses have the same problems getting people in. I tried to hire young American college students last year and they just dont have the work ethic, they cant work 12 hours.

But Im a good Catholic and I care about all my workers whatever problems they have. I try to make sure their families are OK, the bills are being paid and the kids are being looked after, she added.

Wilson said that she is personally caring for the three daughters of one of her former immigrant workers, who, for various private reasons, was forced to leave the area. I figure I can give them some stability for six to eight months, she said. I want to teach them never to rely on a man and to be your own woman, with your own money and life.

Wilson said thats a mantra she uses while running her own business.

Plants on display at Veronica Wilson's nursery and landscaping business in Theodore.

Many other small business owners in the lower Alabama area, well known for its ornamental plant industry, did not wish to be featured in this article. Most said immigration was not a topic they wanted to discuss publicly.

Blair Kovar, owner of Blairs Nursery and Gifts, told AL.com that she had seen a significant drop in reliable employment over the last five years. Millennials are definitely the worst," she said. Theyll text me at about 1 or 2 a.m. in the morning saying they cant come in the next day. Thats a real problem.

Kovar also said that few growers in the area were able to take advantage of the H-2A program because of the costs, but also said that she was aware of changes coming. Its a lot harder for retail than wholesale but Ive heard new laws might make it easier to hire Mexicans or Guatemalans. It would be worth it if the system wasnt so expensive and hard to use."

If Wilson or Kovar did want to hire through the H-2A program she would have to first obtain a temporary labor certification from the Department of Labor. She then needs to submit paperwork for each worker to the immigration department. The costs start to build, and thats without even factoring in attorney costs. And those hired through such a program require housing and are supposed to be paid a prevailing wage, which is often a few dollars above the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

The potting barn and gift shop at Veronica Wilson's nursery and landscaping business in Theodore.

A 2017 poll conducted by Greenhouse Grower Magazine found that 70 percent of the 100 top growers in the country had experienced labor shortages over the last few years, while only 16 percent had used the guest worker visa program.

The poll noted that the programs were too costly with the need for worker housing, transportation, and other required expenses; the regulations are too involved and complex; and theres too much risk involved to make it worth their while."

And above all that, each worker is required to attend an interview at their home embassy. If the worker is currently in the U.S. they need to prove that they didnt allow their legal status to lapse at any point. That requires more paperwork.

It can be a costly and stressful process for the worker, said Juan Torres, the founder of Belong, a Mobile-based immigrant advocacy group. They might be asked to return home to attend an embassy interview, which can be time-consuming and expensive. Instead, its often easier to take a different and maybe illegal job so they can keep earning money. Many of these people have families and cant afford to go home. They may not be allowed back.

In addition, enhanced border enforcement has seen illegal immigration at its lowest level in decades, draining the old labor pool that many business owners had previously relied on.

While illegal employment was once the easiest route for some businesses, President Trump has increased security at the southern border and directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to take a near zero-tolerance approach to the arrest and deportation of undocumented immigrants.

Small plants for same at Veronica Wilson's nursery and landscaping business in Theodore.

In 2019, ICEs enforcement group arrested 143,000 aliens, and removed more than 267,000 - a small increase compared with 2018. While the numbers of individuals apprehended or found inadmissible at the border nationwide increased 68 percent over the previous fiscal year, the total number of aliens arrested by ICE dropped by nearly 10 percent compared to FY 2018. More than 86 percent of those arrested by ICE had criminal convictions or pending charges.

In August last year, ICE teams raided seven poultry plants in Mississippi. Unsealed federal court documents said the companies had been using Guatemalan and Mexican immigrants for years, many of whom were already awaiting deportation proceedings. The plants belonged to Koch Foods, Peco Foods, PH Food, A&B and Pearl River Foods. Investigators say they intentionally hired undocumented workers who presented fraudulent paperwork for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain.

While companies hiring foreign workers are required to use a special government-run computer system to prove their workers are legal, the system is not able to detect when falsified documents are used or when the person uses the social security number from a deceased person.

Since 2016, arrests at the southern border have almost doubled, going from 550,000 to nearly a million in 2019, according to government statistics.

At the same time, Mexico, a country that has historically been the source of most illegal immigration into the United States, has seen its economy flourish. It has risen to become one of the worlds economic powerhouses in terms of GDP, while wages and standard of living have also increased. In short, leaving Mexico for the U.S. has become a far less attractive prospect.

Wilson thinks itll probably get worse before it gets better.

I cant see anyone easing up on these people, and Ive had to take a step back since I turned 62, and finding someone to replace the work I do has been difficult, she said. I wish I had my boys back. That would help."
Ministers have warned Boris Johnson he must 'rein in' top aide Dominic Cummings because 'half the Cabinet' feel unable to work with him.

Government figures reportedly believe the current way in which Number 10 is operating is 'unsustainable' and 'untenable' with Mr Cummings' role a key concern.

Meanwhile, some special advisers have apparently sought counselling because of work-related stress while others unhappy with the current set up are planning to leave the government.

The claims come after Mr Cummings was involved in a series of high profile rows in recent weeks.

Dominic Cummings, pictured leaving his London home yesterday, has been at the centre of a number of government controversies in recent weeks

Boris Johnson is now under pressure from ministers to 'rein in' his top aide. The PM is pictured in Downing Street on February 12

Dominic Cummings: The main controversies since the maverick aide joined Number 10 Andrew Sabisky: The now ex-adviser was hired as part of Mr Cummings' drive to recruit 'misfits and weirdos'. Mr Sabisky quit the government this week amid outcry over his previous remarks about race, women and benefits. Sajid Javid: Mr Javid quit as chancellor at last week's reshuffle after he refused a demand from Mr Cummings to sack all of his staff. HS2: Mr Cummings previously called the high speed rail network a disaster zone and was against it going ahead. But he was overruled by Mr Johnson and Mr Javid. The Budget: The Vote Leave maverick was reportedly working on Budget ideas 'full time' when Mr Javid was chancellor, sparking growing tensions with the Treasury. Special Advisers: The top aide faced fierce criticism after recently telling a meeting of spads before the reshuffle that he would 'see half of you next week'. PJ Masks: Before the reshuffle, Mr Cummings suggested that the characters from the children's television show PJ Masks would do a better job than the current Cabinet. Sonia Khan: Ms Khan, a senior adviser to Mr Javid, was sacked by Mr Cummings last year and was then frogmarched out of Downing Street. She was accused of staying in touch with people close to her former boss, Philip Hammond. Advertisement

He is facing mounting pressure over the hiring of controversial ex-adviser Andrew Sabisky who is believed to have been brought into Number 10 as part of Mr Cummings' call for 'misfits and weirdos' to join the government.

Mr Sabisky resigned on Monday amid a furious backlash over previous comments he made about race, women and benefits.

Mr Cummings hit the headlines last week following Mr Johnson's Cabinet reshuffle as Sajid Javid resigned as chancellor after refusing to bow to the aide's demands for him to sack all of his advisers.

He also sparked controversy after he reportedly told a meeting of special advisers ahead of the reshuffle he would 'see half of you next week'.

A senior minister told Buzzfeed that Mr Johnson needed to 'rein in' Mr Cummings.

The minister said 'half the cabinet' feel they cannot work with the adviser and some are openly speculating about when he could quit Number 10.

Buzzfeed also reported that some special advisers who are afraid of losing their jobs have been emailing Number 10 to report any perceived disloyalty from colleagues or ministers.

The claims came after former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke predicted Mr Cummings will not last long as the PM's top adviser unless he 'vanishes' and returns to being a 'back room' operator.

The veteran former Cabinet minister said it was always an 'absolute disaster if the chief adviser became the story in the newspapers'.

Mr Clarke suggested the 'exotic aide' will only survive in the job if his 'personal appearances stop'.

Mr Clarke told ITV's Acting PM podcast: 'Boris may not be interested in the detail of policy but he's not an idiot he's a very bright man and the Cummings thing can only last if Mr Cummings' personal appearances stop and he vanishes and he goes back to being the back room apparatchik which he, of course, you need and what he's supposed to be doing.'

He added: 'It's always been regarded as an absolute disaster if the chief adviser became the story in the newspapers.'

Mr Clarke also said that he believed the current Number 10 operation will implode unless it changes tack.

He said: 'Oh you can't go on like this, you can't govern a country and explain what you're doing for the public by the medium of leaks from an exotic aide in No10.'

Mr Clarke was stripped of the Tory whip last year after rebelling against the government over Brexit. He stepped down as an MP at the general election.
HARTFORD  A year after inner-city clergy helped defeat legislation that would have legalized marijuana for adult use, a competing group of religious leaders has emerged to support this years version of the bill, including requirements that communities disproportionately affected by the war on drugs obtain a foothold in the industry.

While the issue of full legalization remains thorny in an election year, with skeptical Democratic lawmakers worrying that support of so-called recreational cannabis could make them vulnerable, leaders including Rep. Charlie Stallworth, a Bridgeport pastor, believe that the positives could outweigh the negatives of allowing wider use of the drug.

Its time that we all stand together to end this failed policy and move forward in a way that would lift our communities up and allow our state to move forward, said Stallworth, a member of a group of 100 church leaders who formed Clergy United to Regulate Marijuana, part of the Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana.

Stallworth was one of about a dozen mostly urban pastors who gathered at the Capitol Tuesday to show their support for the adult-use bill.

Its still unclear whether this group will tip the balance in what was a deeply divided Connecticut Black Clergy Alliance when it came to lining up for or against adult-use retail marijuana in 2019.

But a chief opponent of legalization, the Rev. Carl McCluster of Bridgeports Shiloh Baptist Church, said his mind hasnt changed after a recent visit from a pro-cannabis minister from Illinois, where lawmakers last year made that state the eleventh in the nation to approve a retail-sales model.

McCluster expects to mount a similar opposition effort this year because, he said, the stakes are high.

I think the danger is that we too easily think that money is the cure for everything, McCluster said during an afternoon interview Tuesday. He said that revenue directed to fight addiction that would be paid for by marijuana sales taxes, would include the money from habitual users.

Its as if people are being offered a cut of the money if you help us rob the store, said McCuster. Last spring, much of the momentum that cannabis legalization might have made, disappeared under the criticism of McCuster and other big-city clergy gathered in the Capitol.

McCluster, who said he supported the states medical-cannabis program, questioned whether there are indeed 100 members of the pro-cannabis religious leader. To me they appear to be individual clergy who have this opinion and who I also suspect might have something to gain, he said.

McCuster said if lawmakers want to make a difference, the General Assembly should start by nullifying the criminal records of those over the decades who have been found guilty of marijuana possession, particularly in the cities and among populations of racial and ethnic minorities where law enforcement has focused.

The clergy in favor of marijuana legalization, during an event on the snowy steps of the State Capitol on Tuesday, stressed that the war on drugs failed. Young men who sell cannabis in the underground economy would be safer and removed from drug cartels and gangs if the drug were legalized and regulated.

Stallworth, of the East End Baptist Tabernacle Church, said in an interview that he hopes that Gov. Ned Lamonts bill to create a retail system similar to the modest network in Massachusetts should pull in support from lawmakers who might have been on the fence last year when the three-part bill was approved in the committee process but failed in the state House of Representatives.

I think people should look at the social benefits alone, the number of people who have been incarcerated disproportionately in minority communities, he said.

Weve known that forbidding substances does not help but instead creates negative issues and problems across racial divides, said Edwin Perez Jr. of New Havens United Church on the Green. Allowing people to make educated choices and allowing people to be shown mercy and dignity is the way to go.

The Rev. Alexander Sharp, a minister who worked on the Illinois bill last year and who recently visited McCluster, said that Illinois students are already taking marijuana cultivation courses in community colleges, training for the new cannabis economy there. Its providing opportunities for kids that were very recently in back alleys selling unregulated marijuana to people, he said.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - Blue Thunder Mining Inc. (TSXV: BLUE) ("BLUE" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has signed a Letter of Intent ("LOI"), dated February 19, 2020 with O3 Mining Inc. (TSXV: OIII) ("O3") to acquire 100% interest in O3's Fancamp and Embry gold properties ("the Properties"), located in the Chibougamau Mining District of Quebec.

"The addition of O3's Fancamp and Embry properties to our existing large land package of approximately 47,600 hectares in the Chibougamau area is very exciting indeed", BLUE Chairman and CEO Chad Williams commented. "These new mineral claims have several defined gold zones with advanced drill-ready targets. We welcome O3, part of the Osisko Group, as a significant new shareholder in Blue Thunder."

Jose Vizquerra, President and CEO of O3 Mining, stated, "By vending these properties into Blue Thunder, we gain exposure to a much larger property package in what is a quickly emerging gold district in Quebec. The divestment is part of our on-going strategy to put our non-core assets into the hands of well backed and technically strong operators. We are excited to be part of Blue Thunder at this early stage of the Company's journey. "

Fancamp Property Details

The Fancamp gold property ("Fancamp"), comprises 37 contiguous mining claims covering an area of approximately 1,895 hectares (ha), approximately 55 kilometres (km) southwest of the town of Chibougamau, within the Archean Abitibi Greenstone Belt. It is strategically situated between BLUE's Muus and Muus East Properties (see Figure 1). Fancamp has a comprehensive historical exploration database including airborne and ground geophysics, surface mapping, trenching and sampling, approximately 103 diamond-drill holes, and a small exploration decline.

Fancamp is principally underlain by a sequence of northeast-striking, mafic, intermediate and felsic volcanic rocks and sedimentary rocks that are intruded by gabbro sills, granodiorite-tonalite and granitic intrusions, and their associated porphyritic dykes. These units are flanked to the east by the Verneuil Pluton and to the west by the Chico Stock (see Figure 2).

Past exploration at Fancamp has identified several zones of mineralization, which include the A-, B-, D-, and E-Zones, all of which are spatially associated with the Fancamp Fault, a northeast to south-southeast trending high-strain ("shear") zone that extends for more than 2 km across the property (see Figure 2). Another zone of gold mineralization (the C-Zone) is hosted by the Fancamp Deformation Corridor, a major northeast-trending shear zone to the northwest of the Fancamp Fault.

Gold mineralization at Fancamp occurs primarily within mineralized shear zones and veins. Interpretation of detailed mapping and trenching surveys completed in 2006 and 2010 by Murgor Resources Inc. suggests that veining is markedly better developed within the hinge zones of local asymmetric S-shaped folds1. These hinge-zones are compelling targets for future exploration as no drill-holes have tested their projected down-plunge extensions.

1 Desrochers, J.P., 2010. Report on the Trenching Program on the Fancamp Project, Fancamp Township, Northern Quebec. Murgor Resources Inc. (GM65165).

The A-Zone comprises two discrete and parallel mineralized structures, which can be traced along strike for about 250 metres (m). A north-northwesterly plunging mineralized shoot (the A-2 Zone) has been defined on one of these structures, and remains open below 60 m depth.

Selected historical drilling highlights from the A-Zone, include:

10.62 g/t gold over 2.04 m (hole B-A (1960), from 6.10 to 8.14 m down-hole);

20.55 g/t gold over 0.91 m (hole T-5 (1950), from 10.77 to 11.68 m down-hole);

12.33 g/t gold over 3.05 m (hole M-5 (1973), from 12.20 to 15.25 m down-hole);

8.22 g/t gold over 6.10 m (hole M-6 (1973), from 11.90 to 18.00 m down-hole).

The B-Zone lies approximately 400 m north-northeast of the A-Zone and comprises two sub-parallel mineralized structures that can be traced over a strike of about 350 to 450 m. The B-Zone has been explored through trenches, approximately 17 diamond-drill holes and a 100 m decline ramp, which extends to a vertical depth of 13.4 m. A north-northwest plunging mineralized shoot identified by the drilling remains open at depth.

Selected significant historical drill results from the B-Zone include:

5.14 g/t gold over 3.36 m (hole G-74-6 (1974), from 7.02 to 10.37 m down-hole);

4.79 g/t gold over 2.44 m (hole AM-81-9 (1981), from 26.84 to 29.28 m down-hole).

Selected significant historical (2009) surface trench results from the B-Zone include:

10.40 g/t gold over 4.3 m;

5.21 g/t gold over 5.6 m;

18.03 g/t gold over 1.6 m;

5.75 g/t gold over 0.9 m.

The D- and E-Zones are located approximately 450 m and 1,400 m northeast of the B-Zone, respectively, and are both early-stage targets with limited drilling. Each, however, has noteworthy drill-intersections including 4.6 g/t gold over 3.05 m (from 108.84 to 111.89 m in hole MF-88-1) at the D-Zone; and, a surface trench sample from the E-Zone that graded 8.52 g/t gold over 0.75 m. Very little exploration has been done between the various zones and the Company believes that there is good potential for the existence of additional zones.

Adjacent and nearby gold deposits to Fancamp include the Chevrier Main Zone Deposit (8.49 Mt @ 1.45 g/t gold Indicated - 395,000 ounces gold; plus 5.92Mt @ 1.34 g/t gold Inferred - 254,000 ounces gold2) held by Genesis Metals, and located approximately 5 km northeast of Fancamp; and the Monster Lake Deposit (1.11 Mt at 12.14 g/t gold Inferred - 433,000 ounces gold3), held in a JV between Toma and Iamgold, and located approximately 5 km to the west. The mineral resources and mineralization on the adjacent properties are not necessarily indicative of any potential mineralization on Fancamp and there is no guarantee that any mineral resources will be discovered on Fancamp.

2 Chevrier NI 43-101 Technical Evaluation Report, Feb 4, 2019, Prepared for Genesis Metals Inc

3 Monster Lake NI 43-101 Technical Report, Apr 9, 2018, Prepared for Iamgold Corp and Tomagold Corp

Embry Property Details

The Embry Property ("Embry") is an early-stage exploration project, approximately 17 km north of Fancamp and 25 km southwest of Chibougamau, comprising 11 contiguous mining claims covering approximately 668 ha. Embry strategically overlies the intersection of the east-west trending Kapunapotagen fault with several north-northeast trending shear-zones similar to those that are known to host gold mineralization in the Chibougamau Mining District.

Agreement Between BLUE and O3

BLUE and O3 signed a non-binding LOI on February 19 2020. The terms of the LOI state that BLUE will acquire 100% interest in the Properties in consideration for (i) the issuance of 4,514,436 common shares of BLUE to O3 (equivalent to approximately 8.7% of the currently issued and outstanding common shares of BLUE) and (ii) a 2% net smelter return royalty ("NSR") over the Properties granted to O3, subject to BLUE having the option to buy-down to a 1% NSR for C$750,000.

Execution of the definitive agreement is subject to completion of a 60-day due diligence period and receipt of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals. Upon successful completion of the above BLUE will acquire 100% interest in the Properties and O3 will become an important shareholder of BLUE.

The scientific and technical information that forms the basis for parts of this press release was reviewed and approved by John Langton (P.Geo.), who is a Qualified Person "(QP") as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The QP will visit the Fancamp or Embry properties shortly and thus cannot validate the historical databases nor the results of the historical work presented.

About Blue Thunder

Blue Thunder is a gold exploration company focused on exploring its 100%-owned gold projects located near Chibougamau, Quebec that comprise approximately 47,600 hectares of prospective ground in the eastern part of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The Project is considered particularly prospective for gold mineralization as a series of prominent ductile and brittle fault-sets transect the Project, including the Guercheville Deformation Zone, which is associated with numerous past and currently producing precious- and base-metal mines in the Chibougamau Mining District.

About O3 Mining Inc.

O3 Mining, an Osisko group of companies, is an emerging consolidator of exploration properties in prospective gold camps in Canada - focused on projects in Quebec and Ontario - with a goal of becoming a multi-million ounce, high-growth company. The Corporation's goal is to become one of the premier gold exploration companies in Canada.

O3 Mining is well-capitalized and holds a 100% interest in a number of properties in Quebec (435,000 hectares) and Ontario (25,000 hectares). O3 Mining controls 61,000 hectares in Val D'Or and over 50 kilometres of strike length of the Cadillac-Larder Lake Faut. O3 Mining also has a portfolio of assets in the James Bay and Chibougamau regions of Quebec and in the Hemlo district in Ontario.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Chad Williams

CEO and Chairman

Blue Thunder Mining Inc.

105 King Street East, 2nd Floor

Toronto, Ontario

M5C 1G6

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service 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

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated content, commencement, anticipated exploration program results, the Company's expectation that it will be able to enter into a Definitive Agreements to acquire the Fancamp and Embry Properties, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the state of the financial markets for the Company's equity securities, the state of the commodity markets generally, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including TSXV acceptance, for its planned activities, the inability of the Company to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties. This news release contains information with respect to adjacent or similar mineral properties in the Chibougamau District in respect of which the Company has no interest or rights to explore or mine. Readers are cautioned that the Company has no interest in or right to acquire any interest in any such properties, and that mineral deposits, and the results of any mining thereof, on adjacent or similar properties, are not indicative of mineral deposits on the Company's properties or any potential exploitation thereof.

Figure 1: Map depicting O3s Fancamp Property (in purple) in relation to BLUE's property holdings (in blue).

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6951/52607_a5b65049a40f0b73_001full.jpg

1) Monster Lake NI 43-101 Technical Report, Apr 9, 2018, Prepared for Iamgold Corp and Tomagold Corp

2) Nelligan NI 43-101 Technical Report, Oct 22, 2019, Prepared for Iamgold Corp and Vanstar Mining Resources

3) Chevrier NI 43-101 Technical Evaluation Report, March 21, 2019, Prepared for Genesis Metals Inc

4) Historical Resource estimate - Not in compliance with NI 43-101 and should not be relied upon





Figure 2: Map depicting gold zones underlying O3's Fancamp Property (Report on the Trenching Program on the Fancamp Project, Fancamp Township, Northern Quebec, Murgor Resources Inc., May 2010)

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6951/52607_a5b65049a40f0b73_002full.jpg

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52607
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, will again operate a daily scheduled flight between Abu Dhabis second largest city, Al Ain, and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, during the last 10 days of Ramadan.



The airline will operate the flights from May 14 to 23 to meet increased demand during the busy religious travel period.



The flights, which will be operated by a two-class Airbus A320, have been timed to offer customers in Al Ain with convenient departures in both directions.



The unique service, first launched last year, demonstrates Etihads commitment to the culturally and strategically important Oasis City, which is home to a large proportion of the airlines national customer base, and its staff employed at Etihad Aviation Trainings ab-initio pilot training facility, and its award-winning UAE Contact Centre. - TradeArabia News Service
As part of activities marking the 20th Anniversary of the Tertiary Students Confederacy of the New Patriotic Party (TESCON), the students, early today, stormed the streets of the Volta Regional Capital, Ho with a mammoth procession dubbed Achievements Galore.



The procession which commenced at the forecourt of the Regional Office of the NPP and ended on the campus of Ola Girls SHS, characterized by massive display of the achievements of the Akufo-Addo led NPP government.



The hundreds of TESCON members who adorned themselves with the beautiful colors of the NPP paraded on the streets, shops, taxi stations and markets, sensitizing the indigenes of Ho on the need to give President Akufo-Addo and the NPP additional 4 years to government the country.



Speaking to the crowd at the end of the procession, the Youth Leader, Lawyer Henry Nana Boakye (Nana B ) expressed satisfaction with the commitment level of the TESCON members and charged them to continually trumpet the achievements of the government everywhere they find themselves.



Nana B was flanked by his two hard working deputies, the sixteen (16) Regional Youth Organizers and their deputies, the National TESCON Coordinator and his deputies, and other officers of the National Youth wing as well as the 16 Regional TESCON Coordinators.







Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Currently, the number of Asian visitors to Hanoi accounts for 65%, European visitors account for 25%. Many travel related companies have devised policies to find ways to expand the market, and actively welcome visitors from Europe, the US, Australia to Hanoi and vice versa.

Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism Tran Duc Hai said that the city has implemented synchronous measures to cope with Covid-19, restructure the market, as well as continue to improve the quality of services and promote the promotion.

Over the past time, although the number of Chinese tourists has decreased sharply, other markets increased steadily such as Japan (200%), India (65%), he said, adding the number of European tourists also remarkably increased.

General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh has recently sent a letter to international partners of the tourism industry to inform on Vietnam's efforts in response to Covid-19 and affirmed that tourist destinations in Vietnam remain open.

The tourism sector will maintain acting responsibible for the whole of society and place a high priority on visitors and their safety, he added.
Irish farmers are warning that the potato industry is under threat due to surplus imports and rising costs.

Farmers have painted a bleak picture for the future of the spud. The area of potatoes planted in 2019 was the second lowest on record, beaten only by 2018.

Traditional varieties such as Kerrs Pink and Golden Wonder have seen a further decrease in planting.

Bord Bia and the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) are set to launch a 1.95m campaign to reinvigorate the image of the spud, targeting millennials in particular. It is the second such campaign they have run.

The campaign will focus on the nutritional content of potatoes.

IFA president Tim Cullinan said farmers continue to be the poor relation in the supply chain, and that retailers take the lions share of the profit margin on potatoes despite farmers bearing all of the risk.

At the National Potato Conference, Mr Cullinan warned that big changes are needed to secure the future of the industry.

Growers are coming under increased pressure due to rising input and storage costs and the continued decrease of phytosanitary [plant disease control] products available, he said.

That situation cannot be sustained; the price the farmer gets has to rise, just to cover storage costs alone.

"Retailers and packers have to wake up to that and act now if they want to have a potato industry in the future.

IFA has called for the introduction of a retail ombudsman who would oversee better regulation of the sector. Currently, potatoes are bought once every second in Irish retailers.

IFA potato chairman Thomas McKeown said growers invest 60m each year to grow some 20,411 acres of potato. He said shops must return a better price and stop undermining the market with surplus imports.
In 2020, paid sick leave has emerged as a low-key litmus test issue for Democratic presidential candidates.

It doesnt get discussed nearly as much as coverage for preexisting conditions or support for womens reproductive rights, but its a similarly revealing statement of political values.

All of this years major Democratic presidential candidates have expressed their support for the concept of federally mandated paid sick leave.

That includes the deep-pocketed latecomer, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is in the process of carpet-bombing the Texas airwaves, in anticipation of this states March 3 primary.

In a January 9 op-ed for MarketWatch, Bloomberg promised to modernize the social contract between employee and employer  so laborers are protected, no matter where they work. He added, We will do that by working to guarantee paid sick leave and paid family leave for all workers.

Three weeks ago, Bloomberg affirmed that commitment by including a paid-sick-leave plank in his Latino Empowerment program.

The problem for Bloomberg on paid sick leave is similar to one he faces on several issues: reconciling his 2020 campaign rhetoric, which is clearly geared to make him palatable to a Democratic primary electorate, with a history of actions and statements that are decidedly unwoke.

Theres his vehement defense of stop-and-frisk policing in New York, his suggestion that the 2008-09 recession was caused by banks moving away from discriminatory redlining policies and a 2011 interview in which he said Latino and African American young men dont know how to behave in the workplace.

The paid-sick-leave issue is one that hits close to home for San Antonians, given the legal battle our city has faced over a sick-leave ordinance passed by the City Council in August 2018. The ordinance was an attempt to preempt a local vote on the issue, after a coalition led by the Texas Organizing Project got a paid-sick-leave proposition on the 2018 general-election ballot.

Over the past two years, three of the biggest cities in the state  San Antonio, Dallas and Austin  have passed sick-leave ordinances, all of which encountered legal challenges from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Prior to declaring for the presidency, Bloomberg expressed hostility for the idea of government-mandated paid sick leave.

In 2010, Bloomberg openly opposed a New York sick-leave proposal, prompting Christine Quinn, then the speaker of the New York City Council, to block a vote on the measure.

By 2013, support for paid sick leave on the New York City Council had become undeniable. Quinn, who was positioning herself for a mayoral run to succeed Bloomberg, got behind a bill that required businesses with at least 15 employees to provide five days of annual paid sick leave.

The council passed the bill by a 45-3 margin, but Bloomberg vetoed it.

In a June 6, 2013 veto letter, Bloomberg described the intentions behind the bill as laudable, but warned that it would have deleterious effects on businesses and not-for-profit organizations.

Bloomberg said New York had come out of the national recession better than most cities and suggested that a paid-sick-leave law could endanger that economic recovery by adding to the already high cost of doing business in New York City.

The council overrode Bloombergs veto, bringing paid sick leave to an estimated 1 million New York workers who had been getting by without it.

Michelle Tremillo, the executive director of the Texas Organizing Project, referred back to a famous Maya Angelou quote (when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time) when considering Bloombergs evolving position on the issue.

Michael Bloomberg has shown us who he is, said Tremillo, whose organization has endorsed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for president. Theres no reason to believe that he would be any different as president.

Bloombergs campaign has explained away his apparent flip-flop on sick leave by saying that his concern as mayor was that the measure would put his city at a competitive disadvantage with other municipalities. That consideration wouldnt come into play with a federal paid-sick-leave law.

At the same time, you could make the case that a city like New York, where millions of people work and travel in close proximity to each other, is particularly susceptible to the spread of viruses. Forcing people to choose between financial hardship and working when theyre sick is a problematic proposition.

Values are values, Tremillo said. Ensuring that working families can take care of themselves  whether thats through living wages, paid sick leave or access to health care  is a value. And you would fight for that, at whatever level of government you have to fight for it.

Its an argument that Bloomberg should expect to encounter repeatedly in the Democratic race.

@gilgamesh470

Gilbert Garcia is a columnist covering the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470
A Canadian woman said she 'was preparing to die' when she was told she had a liver tumor only to be left even more shocked when it turned out to actually be a rare parasite that she will have to treat for the rest of her life.

For years, Cassidy Armstrong, 36, of Edmonton, Alberta, had an aching pain on her right side, but neither X-rays nor blood tests revealed anything unusual.

Then, last year, her health started to rapidly deteriorate. Cassidy dropped 25 pounds, couldn't eat without digestive issues, and sleeping became next to impossible.

After an ultrasound revealed a grapefruit-sized mass in her abdomen, she was diagnosed with liver cancer, and scheduled for surgery in late November, reported TODAY.

But after doctors removed the growth and sent it off for testing, they discovered Armstrong didn't have cancer at all.

She actually had a rare parasitic disease caused by a tapeworm that had likely been growing inside her for at least 10 years.

Cassidy Armstrong, 36, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, had pain on her right side for years but she mostly ignored it. Pictured: Armstrong in the hospital

In late 2019, she underwent an ultrasound, which revealed a grapefruit-sized tumor and doctors diagnosed her with fibrolamellar carcinoma, a rare liver cancer. Pictured: A scan showing where the parasitic growth was in relation to her liver

Armstrong recalled her disbelief at being told she had fibrolamellar carcinoma, a rare liver cancer that mainly affects people under age 40 - and an intuitive sense that the diagnosis didn't fit.

'I was shocked. I wasn't feeling well, but there was something in the back of my head that said: "Really?"' she told TODAY.

'I believed [the doctors] because they're doing their best based on [the evidence]. I was getting ready for the worst, I was getting ready to die.'

Many patients with fibrolamellar carcinoma have no early signs and, when symptoms do appear, they are non-specific such as abdominal pain and weight loss.

It affects about one in five million people in the general population, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

Doctors recommended that Armstrong not get a biopsy for fear that the cancer would spread, and she had surgery on November 27.

Because the growth was so large and had done so much damage, doctors had to remove 65 percent of her liver and all of her gallbladder.

Tests a few days later revealed the grapefruit-sized mass was not a tumor at all, but a rare parasite.

Armstrong had surgery in November 2019 but, after the mass was sent to a lab for testing, it was discovered to be a rare parasite. Pictured: Armstrong hiking

Armstrong told TODAY that the parasite diagnosis was an even bigger shock than learning - erroneously, it turned out - that she had cancer.

'I wasn't sure what to think. I asked them: "Is this good?" and they said: "It's much better than what we thought you had,"' she said.

Dr Stan Houston, a professor of medicine at the University of Alberta, says Armstrong is one of about 15 patients in Alberta since 2013 who have alveolar echinococcosis, a rare parasitic disease caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis.

The tapeworm's cells proliferate in the liver, causing tumor-like growths that are life-threatening, according to the Radiological Society of North America.

The growths can then spread to other organs and, without treatment, can cause liver failure or even death.

People contract the disease by eating produce contaminated with the stool of animals that have the tapeworm, petting infected dogs or not washing their hands, Dr Houston told TODAY.

The tapeworm is most commonly found in wild animals in the region from eastern Montana to central Ohio, with cases of animal-to-human transmission being low.

Because the growths multiply and spread like cancer, physicians might mistake them for the disease.

'Nobody [here] has ever seen this before. Nobody is familiar with it,' Dr Houston told TODAY.

'So when you see a nasty shadow on the imaging, the ultrasound or MRI, all their experience would suggest it must be cancer.'

Armstrong was diagnosed with alveolar echinococcosis, a rare parasitic disease caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis. Pictured: A scan showing Armstrong's growth

She will need to be on anti-parasitic medication for the rest of her life because doctors can't guarantee they removed all the parasite's cells. Pictured: Armstrong in the hospital

Armstrong doesn't know how she contracted the tapeworm, but believes she might have picked up the parasite while working on a farm, repairing equipment.

Dr Houston believes the parasite was growing on her liver for anywhere between 10 and 15 years.

Because Armstrong's medical team can't know for certain if they've gotten rid of all the parasite's cells, she will need to be on anti-parasitic medication potentially for the rest of her life.

Dr Houston also told TODAY that she will need to undergo blood tests every month and a CT scan every six months.

Armstrong say she's always had jobs that require a lot of physical labor, such as a motorcycle mechanic and a stage carpenter, which she can no longer do because of her illness.

'It's just scary trying to figure out: "Okay, what's the next thing? What do I do now?"' she said.
It's incredibly unfashionable, but in the dusty corners of the television landscape, actual serious intelligent journalism continues, against the odds, to happen. The virtues of learning more about the world around us are neglected of late, but Foreign Correspondent helps to remind us of them. Here they travel to Saudi Arabia, home to a regime of almost unmatched repression and brutality, but which is attempting to rebrand as a tourist destination. What the program finds may disturb you, and make you doubt the success of that rebranding.

A banner showing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, outside a mall in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. Credit:AP
In the past few years, Lavery has noticed an uptick in questions about transitioning. He sometimes might answer based on his own experience, but more often the answers are about basic boundary-setting. If their problem is the way that theyre being treated by the people in their lives, he says, Ill have a baseline of, like, I think you have the right to expect this or ask for this. Its reasonable, for example, to tell your family to call you by your chosen pronouns or your new name.
In the past, I represented a dense urban agglomeration, Ludhiana, once known as the Manchester of India, in Parliament. I now represent a predominantly rural constituency, with small towns scattered all across, called Sri Anandpur Sahib. Both are in Punjab. While both have diverse issues, one problem common to both of them is the quality of governance from the grassroot-level right to the very top of the pyramid. This is common across India.

A parliamentary constituency invariably spans across at least two administrative districts. Sri Anandpur Sahib goes across four. As an elected representative, it falls to your remit to interact with the district administration for both developmental and administrative reasons. On both counts, the experience is far from satisfactory for a variety of reasons. However, before getting into the reasons, let us broaden the canvas to encompass the entire nation.

Of 1.3 billion Indians, a little over 941 million live in rural areas while 420 million stay in urban areas. For a substantive bulk of people living in the countryside, their contact with the Indian State is primarily with a patwari, the local village official handling land issues, and higher up in the hierarchy, a kanugo, and rarely, a tehsildar, on the civil or revenue side. On the law and order or criminal side, the bulk of their interface is with either a beat constable, police havildar, or at best an assistant sub-inspector in charge of a thana (police station).

When the administration interfaces with citizens, it is usually not pleasant. It is an autocratic, usually extractive, and often, an authoritarian experience. If you happen to live in Jammu and Kashmir, especially more so after the nullification of Article 370, the Northeast or Left-wing extremist-affected areas, especially those declared disturbed areas and come within the purview of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, then maybe the only face of the State you perhaps come across is one wearing olive green or khaki, and carrying an AK-47.

The situation is identical in urban settings. The contact of a majority of citizens with the government is limited to rent-seeking civic authorities and an exploitive police apparatus. The only consolation is that people are more easily able to access the instruments of grievance redressal and the media.

What is the solution to this problem? One remedy that the political Right suggests is mass privatisation of public services. From the late 1970s to the great economic meltdown in 2008, the world witnessed the denationalisation of public services, from sewages to the railways, as the State withdrew from its natural role. This got a fresh push after the collapse of the Soviet-instituted command economic model in 1989. However, privatisation of public services is a model unsuited to India for the delivery of public goods. What then do we do?

On an average, a deputy commissioner/collector (DC) of a district administers a budget of over Rs 1,000-odd crore for revenue, capital and developmental work. This money flows in both from the central and state government. The DC has a workforce of around 1,000 people at his disposal. The DCs core team consists of two additional deputy collectors (ADCs); one looking after general administration, and the other, development. He is further assisted by sub-divisional magistrates, and revenue and civic officials down the line. Not only is the administrative footprint very light on the ground per capita of population, even the quality of human resource is very poor.

There is only one-way out  a bottoms-up administrative re-engineering of both the administrative and law enforcement apparatus. There have been two administrative commissions. The first was set up on January 5, 1966, under the chairpersonship of former prime minister Morarji Desai. It had an expansive 10-point remit: The machinery of the Government of India (GoI) and its procedures or work; the machinery for planning at all levels; Centre-state relationships; financial administration; personnel administration; economic administration; administration at the state level; district administration; agricultural administration and problems of redress of citizens grievances.

The second was constituted on August 31, 2005, under the chairpersonship of Veerappa Moily. It also had an extensive 13-point mandate. Organisational structure of the GoI; ethics in governance; refurbishing of personnel administration; strengthening of financial management systems; steps to ensure effective administration at the state level; steps to ensure effective district administration; local self-government/panchayati raj institutions; social capital, trust and participative public service delivery; citizen-centric administration; promoting e-governance; issues of federal polity; crisis management and public order.

Both commissions submitted voluminous tomes as reports. However, the bureaucracy, ably led in this case by the Indian Administrative Service, buried both these reports. Even the political executive has come up short in dismantling colonial era structures of the mai-baap sarkar (paternalistic State) put in place by the British to oppress Indians.

The one thing that stands out is that no government, irrespective of its political colour and character, would do any cosmetic administrative reform. Therefore, it is incumbent on the legislature to step in. Parliament must constitute a Permanent Standing Committee, chaired by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha to study, update, recommend and, if necessary, legislate through even the Private Member Bill process, comprehensive administrative reforms. Since Parliament was elected only eight months ago, it has a full 42 months to complete the single most important task confronting the nation.

Manish Tewari is a lawyer, Member of Parliament, and former Union information and broadcasting minister

The views expressed are personal
ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: VAC) announces plans to bring a new Hawaiian vacation ownership destination to its Owners and guests. The company anticipates developing a seven-story vacation ownership property in Waikiki, on the south shore of Honolulu, with two floors of retail and approximately 110 guestrooms, featuring a mix of one-bedroom and studio units. Proposed rooftop amenities include a pool, fitness center and bar. A 10,000-square-foot sales gallery will also be on-site.

Waikiki Beach, noted by U.S. News & World Report's travel rankings as the No. 1 best thing to experience in Honolulu, will be less than a 10-minute walk from the proposed new resort.

"Waikiki has always been a dream vacation spot for our Owners and guests. We're thrilled to have the opportunity to share with them the beauty and excitement of Honolulu and, especially, Waikiki," said Stephen P. Weisz, president and chief executive officer. "With this latest proposed location, we continue to pursue our strategic growth plan of delivering important sales distribution locations and exceptional properties in highly desired destinations."

Since it opened Marriott's Kauai Beach Club in 1995, Marriott Vacations Worldwide has been committed to providing sought-after vacation experiences in Hawaii. Today, the company has four vacation ownership brands in HawaiiMarriott Vacation Club, Westin Vacation Club, Sheraton Vacation Club and Hyatt Residence Cluboperating 12 resorts in the most popular destinations on the islands of Kauai, Maui, the Big Island and Oahu.

Subject to certain conditions being met, Marriott Vacations Worldwide anticipates developing the new property in a capital efficient manner, with a phased takedown over time after the property opens, allowing the resort to begin sales before acquiring the inventory.

Located on Kalakaua Avenue, one of Honolulu's best-known retail avenues, the new resort in Waikiki is expected to open in late 2022.

About Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation is a leading global vacation company that offers vacation ownership, exchange, rental and resort and property management, along with related businesses, products and services. The company has a diverse portfolio that includes seven vacation ownership brands. It also includes exchange networks and membership programs, as well as management of other resorts and lodging properties. As a leader and innovator in the vacation industry, the company upholds the highest standards of excellence in serving its customers, investors and associates while maintaining exclusive, long-term relationships with Marriott International and Hyatt Hotels Corporation for the development, sales and marketing of vacation ownership products and services. For more information, please visit www.marriottvacationsworldwide.com.

SOURCE Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation

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When US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive at the Ahmedabad airport next week, they will be welcomed by a Shankhnaad recital or playing of the conches along with dance performances, the Gujarat government said.

Around 19 artists will be perform the Shankhnaad as soon as Trump emerges out of Air Force One, the official aircraft of the US president, on their arrival. The entire airport area will reverberate with conch tunes believed to be the sound of the Brahmnaad.

Trump is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25.

The Trumps will be welcomed in traditional Gujarati style. Right from Air Force One, six dance troupes along both sides of the 150 feet wide red carpet, will perform Beda Nritya, Janaviya Dhol, Par Beda dance, Dhol Bhoongli Shehnai, Phool Mandavi, Jaagwali ladies comprising 116 artists.

Besides that, on the sprawling lawns across the airport, 256 artists from 14 troupes will perform dances depicting traditional culture of Gujarat. The US President will be directly flying to Ahmedabad right from Washington. More than one lakh people will be attending the Namaste Trump event. This will be a historical event for Gujarat, said Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

The preparations for the Trump-Modi roadshow are almost over. We are taking special care to ensure that there are no glitches or lapses in the welcome of Trump, added Rupani.
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Giada de Laurentiis makes incredible meals for a living as she has become one of the top chefs in the United States that has led to TV appearances, cookbooks, restaurants and catering.

But the 49-year-old author has managed to keep her incredible curves throughout the years which she proved again while splashing around in Miami on Wednesday afternoon.

The granddaughter of filmmaker Dino De Laurentiis - who worked on 1968's Barbarella with Jane Fonda - had on a plunging bright red swimsuit that made the most of her 5ft2in frame.

What's cooking good looking? Giada de Laurentiis has managed to keep her incredible curves throughout the years which she proved while splashing around in Miami on Wednesday afternoon

Hollywood here I come? The founder of the catering business GDL Foods looked like a movie star in her cat eyed sunglasses with multi colors on the frame

The founder of the catering business GDL Foods looked like a movie star in her cat eyed sunglasses with multi colors on the frame.

The siren also wore a straw had and added red lipstick.

Giada seemed to come fresh out of the nail salon as her fingernails were a nice pale pink color and her toes were a cherry red.



In January she was seen with her boyfriend Shane Farley while in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Sensational out of the kitchen too: The TV star makes incredible meals for a living as she has become one of the top chefs in the US

No fat here: But the 49-year-old cookbook author never seems to gain any weight even though she eats pasta, pizza and various types of red meat

The back story: There was also a deep cut down the back of the suit and the design made it come up high on the hips

The two were side by side as they headed to the organic grocery store Erewhon Market.

Before that the very private couple were seen arm in arm in 2016.

They attended the Amstel Light Burger Bash during 2016 Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival at Beachside at The Ritz Carlton in 2016 in Miami Beach.

Fresh out of the nail salon: Her fingernails were a nice pale pink color and her toes were a cherry red

The couple met in 2013 when Farley was hired to produce a talk show with De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay.

The project never made it, but a romance between the two blossomed; they have been together for almost five years now

In 2018 she told People, 'I smile a lot more. After I got divorced, I spent about a year and a half alone, not dating, just figuring things out. I had been with Jades dad for 25 years.

'I didnt know what it meant to not be married. Once I got settled, [Shane and I] reconnected and I felt like a kid again.'

So that is how she stays in shape: The chef stayed in the water for an hour splashing about as the waves tried to flip her over

Praying for a good 2020? At one point, the daughter of Italian parents put up her arms as if she was in prayer

Giada was born in Rome, Italy, the eldest child of actress Veronica De Laurentiis and her first husband, actor-producer Alex De Benedetti.

De Benedetti was a close associate of Giada's maternal grandfather, film producer Dino De Laurentiis who worked on Barbarella as well as La Strada and Cannibal.

Giada learned her cooking skills at her grandfather's restaurant, DDL Foodshow.

Her loves: With ex Todd Thompson at the Moet Hennessy USA presents Let Them Eat Cake during the 2011 South Beach Wine and Food Festival in 2011, left. And with Shane Farley at the Amstel Light Burger Bash during 2016 Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival at Beachside at The Ritz Carlton in 2016 in Miami Beach

After her parents' divorce, Giada and her siblings moved to Southern California, where she eventually attended UCLA.

De Laurentiis next studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

When she came back to LA she started working at Spago which led to a show on the Food Network.

An acclaimed chef and cookbook author, Giada is best known as the host of Giada In Italy, Giada At Home, Everyday Italian, and Food Network Star.

She shares daughter Jade with her ex-husband Todd Thompson, who she was married to from 2003 to 2015.
Senator Bernie Sanders (D., Vt.) holds a double-digit lead over Democratic presidential rivals in a pair of new national polls, one conducted by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal, the other by ABC News and theA Washington Post.

In the NBC/Journal poll Sanders received the support of 27 percent of Democratic primary voters, a number unchanged since the January edition of the same poll. Support for former vice president Joe Biden has plummeted from 26 percent to 15 percent. The results follow the disorganized Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire Primary, in which Biden performed poorly and Sanders excelled.

Support rose for former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg (14 percent, up five points), former South Bend, Ind. mayor Pete Buttigieg (13 percent, up six points) and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar (7 percent, up two points). None of those candidates comes close to Sanderss lead in the poll.

There is one clear and inescapable set of results: Bernie Sanders is the definitive front-runner, and the current numbers do not represent his ceiling, but instead his base with room to grow, commented Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who worked on the survey.

The ABC/WaPo poll showed Sanders with 32 percent of the national primary vote, surging 10 points since January. The same survey showed Biden dropping from 32 percent to 16 percent in February.

Bloomberg gained six points to reach 14 percent in February, while Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren held steady at 12 percent.

Democratic candidates will hold a debate Wednesday night in Las Vegas, Nevada, ahead of the states caucus on February 22.

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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Monday announced a commitment of US$10 billion of his personal money to the newly launched Bezos Earth Fund to fight climate change.

Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet, Bezos wrote. This global initiative will fund scientists, activists, NGOs (non-governmental organizations)  any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world.

The fund will begin issuing grants this summer, Bezos said. The $10 billion commitment is to start the effort, which suggests he will contribute more money in the future.

Whether he does so likely will depend on what the reaction to this investment is, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

Reactions to the Announcement

The $10 billion is not sufficient, said Charlotte Tate, labor justice campaigns manager at Green America.

While its good that Jeff Bezos is finally recognizing that were facing a climate crisis, he needs to tackle Amazons massive climate emissions more quickly and effectively in order to create sustainable climate solutions, she told the E-Commerce Times.

Amazon emitted 44.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2018, an amount Green America said was larger than the emissions of UPS and FedEx, and the emissions of Apple, Alphabet and Microsoft.

We applaud Jeff Bezos philanthropy but one hand cannot give what the other is taking away, Amazon Employees for Climate Justice said in a statement.

AECJ pointed to Amazons signing up oil and gas companies for its services; funding think tanks like the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which denies climate change; and the companys threat to fire employees for speaking out publicly about its role in the climate crisis.

People often seem to want to be critical before learning what they are being critical about, and thus are working against the greater good in many cases rather than for it, Enderle told the E-Commerce Times. If we want wealthy people to donate to causes like this it might be wise to cut back on the criticism.

Many tech companies have announced efforts to combat climate change.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Almost every tech giant is focused on driving down the cost of datacenter energy usage, noted Ray Wang, principal analyst at Constellation Research.

Its in their self-interest, he told the E-Commerce Times.

However, not many tech CEOs have pledged green initiatives, Wang added.

The Business of Business

Business decisions can no longer be made with only profits in mind, said Green Americas Tate. The future of our society and our planet must be incorporated into all business decisions, and corporations as large as Amazon have a responsibility to prioritize ethical decision making.

She suggested that Amazon take these steps:

Not renew contracts with oil and gas companies;

Not seek new contracts with them; and

Publicly announce this commitment, giving a date for ending all contracts with oil and gas companies.

If Amazon were to pull out of servicing the oil and gas industry, it might lose ground to Google and Microsoft, which also work with the industry.

There is no business rationale to get out of this business, Constellations Wang said. Being in the business may help Amazon find solutions for energy-intensive and carbon-based businesses to shift to greener alternatives.

The purpose of any business arguably is to make money first, last and always. That may be changing, though, with company staff, investors and shareholders now pressuring businesses on issues such as climate change.

AECJ wrote an open letter to Bezos and the Amazon Board of Directors last April. Nearly 1,800 Amazon employees staged a walkout in support of a global climate strike last fall.

Activist shareholders have been pressuring Amazon on climate change and other issues. Further, 251 institutional investors around the world with more than $16 trillion under management have called for corporate action over deforestation and the forest fire in the Amazon rainforest.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission last fall proposed amendments to Rule 14a-8 to modernize the process for shareholder proposals inclusion in proxy statements.

The amendment would make it more difficult for shareholders to file and refile resolutions, Green Americas Tate pointed out. Shareholder resolutions have been highly effective in addressing environmental, social and governance issues at corporations for years.

Green America, together with Americans for Financial Reform and As You Sow, delivered a petition with 18,000 signatures opposing the amendment.

Being Good Needs More Work

The major high-tech companies have pledged to combat climate change. However, their plans may be more hype than reality, according to Greenpeace.

Amazons commitment to renewable energy covers its own operations and electricity use but leaves out its supply chain, which constitutes more than 75 percent of its overall carbon footprint, for example.

Amazon, like Microsoft and Google, includes renewable energy credits (RECs) in its carbon footprint calculations. RECs confirm that one megawatt-hour (Meh) of electricity is generated and delivered to the grid from a renewal energy resource.

However, RECs can be purchased, and reporting RECs lets companies claim they run on clean energy while actually not doing so.

Getting rid of RECs is not a solution, though, because this model ensures that they budget for offsets, Wang pointed out. However, there is a need to take these investments and drive down the cost of renewable energy production and distribution.
LONDON  To a chorus of complaints from employers, Britain said on Wednesday that it would slam the door on low-skilled workers as it moved to cut overall immigration by locking migrants from Europe and elsewhere out of sectors like catering, construction, senior care and hospitality.

Under new post-Brexit rules starting next January, migrants will have to meet a number of criteria to qualify for a work visa, including specific skills and an ability to speak English.

Applicants will also be required to have a job offer with a minimum salary threshold of 25,600, about $33,300. (Salary requirements are lower for certain job categories with critical shortages, such as nursing.)

That was lower than the 30,000 figure that some employers feared. But it could nonetheless have a chilling effect on recruitment for jobs that Britons seem to want to avoid, and at a time when many economists say the country is effectively at full employment.
Low-cost carriers (LCC) are driving growth in the Middle East aviation market, recording a 9.3 per cent increase in seat capacity in 2019, according to CAPA Centre for Aviation.



Indeed, LCCs share of total seat capacity across the Middle East increased from 14.9 per cent in 2018 to 16.5 per cent in 2019, with a larger share of the regions airline passengers now opting to fly with no-thrills airlines in more modest and affordable cabin surroundings.



Over the next 12 months, LCCs are predicted to continue to chip away at their bigger rivals market share, with Saudias LCC subsidiary, flyadeal, leading this trend  becoming the regions largest airline by seats in 2019 and recording a capacity growth of 78.1 per cent, according to the latest CAPA data.



In addition, Arabian Travel Market (ATM), which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 19-22, is witnessing this trend first-hand with LCCs including flydubai, flynas and flyadeal confirmed for the 2020 edition of the show.



Danielle Curtis, exhibition director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: Situated within eight-hours of two-thirds of the worlds population and located between the major cities of Europe in the northwest, the fast-developing East African cities in the west and India and Pakistan in the east  the Middle East is the ideal location to set up a budget airline, attracting passenger traffic from within the region as well as from across much of the eastern hemisphere.



When compared to other parts of the world, there looks to be plenty of scope for growth for the Middle Easts LCCs. According to Boeing, 33 per cent of short-haul traffic globally is on no-thrills airlines, led by southeast Asia where the figure is 62 per cent. However, in the Middle East at present, this figure lies at 13 per cent.



Supporting LCCs potential for growth in the region, in October 2019, Air Arabia and Etihad Aviation Group announced strategic plans to launch a new budget carrier. Based out of Abu Dhabi Airport, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi will become the fifth airline to operate in the UAE  and the capitals first low-cost airline.

In the same month, Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet announced plans to launch an airline that will be based at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport following the signing of a MoU with the airport to start direct flights between RAK and New Delhi.



Meanwhile, Wizz Air  a Hungarian low-cost carrier  and Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company announced in December that they had reached an agreement in principle to set up a new airline based in the UAE capital.

Focusing on routes to destinations in Europe, with plans to branch out towards India and Africa over the longer term, the new LCCs first flight is expected to take off in the second half of 2020.



Curtis said: The rise of LCCs in the region appears to be bringing some fresh momentum to the aviation industry, with research predicting 50 per cent of airline traffic to be on routes of less than 2,000 miles by 2038, a trend which Airbus described as fertile territory for the LCC business model in their most recent report.



Looking ahead to ATM 2020, aviation will feature heavily in the programme with a keynote from Emirates president Sir Tim Clark titled The Making of Emirates: The Legacy of Sir Tim Clark, taking place on the Global stage on April 20. In this exclusive one-to-one, the president of Emirates will look to the future, in what will be one of his final interviews before stepping down from his role in June.



Meanwhile, a session titled Low Cost Carriers on the Rise in the Gulf, which will take also take place on the Global Stage, will explore the rise of new players in the LCC market, as well as the development of hybrid business models; and in the Inspiration Theatre, a session titled 2020  Another Challenging Year for Airlines will take a look on the industry as a whole, discussing the challenges and opportunities and providing an outlook for airlines as we look beyond 2020. this years outlook for airlines.



On the show floor, aviation participation at ATM 2020 is expected to increase 25 per cent when compared to 2019, with the overall stand space occupied also set to grow 25 per cent year-on-year. Other confirmed exhibiting aviation companies this year so far include Emirates, Etihad Airways, Saudia and Kuwait Airways as well as Dubai Airports and Abu Dhabi Airports Company.



Curtis added: Aviation is integral to the Arabian Travel Market show and plays a significant role not only during the seminars but also on the exhibition floor. With strong investment prevalent throughout the industry in the region, the growth in passenger numbers will continue unabated.



ATM, considered by industry professionals as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector, welcomed almost 40,000 people to its 2019 event with representation from 150 countries. With over 100 exhibitors making their debut, ATM 2019 showcased the largest ever exhibition from Asia.



Adopting Events for Tourism Growth as the official show theme, ATM 2020 will build on the success of this years edition with a host of seminar sessions discussing the impact events have on tourism growth in the region while inspiring the travel and hospitality industry about the next generation of events. - TradeArabia News Service
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Owners of the 122-year-old Saratoga Polo club have hired a broker with plans to sell the 43-acre property through an online auction. Bidding will start at $4.3 million.

The Saratoga Polo club is located on Bloomfield Road in the town of Greenfield, just west of Saratoga Springs.

Club owners Jim Rossi and Mike Bucci hired Giacomo Sinisgalli, CEO and principal broker with RealEstateAuction.com, to conduct the auction for the 42-acre landmark equestrian property known as the historic Whitney Polo Field  one of the four oldest polo fields in the United States. The property comes with an approved mixed-use PUD allowing for up to 284,000 square feet and may include 90 +/- residences, boutique hotel, spa, restaurant(s) and banquet facility. All engineering is in the final stages. Previously appraised at over $6.7 million, the property includes an existing event business that consists of the polo attraction as well as hosting weddings and corporate events, an established equestrian polo attraction and brand, with clubhouse and facility. Property is ideally located within ten (10) minutes of the Saratoga Racetrack and all major Saratoga Springs attractions that generate millions of visitors annually.

The auction begins at 9 a.m. March 2 and runs through March 4 at 3 p.m. The auction will be conducted in a sealed bid format, with a $25,000 participation deposit. Specific details regarding the auction can be found on the RealEstateAuction.com website.

About RealEstateAuction.com

RealEstateAuction.com is an online real estate auction marketplace that partners with independent real estate brokers and agents, allowing them to auction their listings on the RealEstateAuction.com platform. The company's CEO, Giacomo Sinisgalli, also teaches real estate brokers and agents around the world how to sell real estate at auction through the company's proprietary online real estate auctioneer school. Real estate brokers and agents interested in learning how to sell real estate at auction can visit RealEstateAuctioneerSchool.com for more information.

Media Contact:

Giacomo Sinisgalli

(844) 247-7653 x 101

Email: [email protected]

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The Saratoga Polo club is located on Bloomfield Road in the town of Greenfield, just west of Saratoga Springs.

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PORTLAND, Ore.  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement subpoenaed a sheriffs office in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday for information about two Mexican citizens wanted for deportation, a move that is part of a broader escalation of the conflict between federal officials and local government agencies over so-called sanctuary policies.

ICE, the Homeland Security agency responsible for arresting and deporting people in the U.S. illegally, served the Washington County Sheriffs Office in Hillsboro, Oregon, with the subpoenas in an attempt to get more information about two men, including one who has already been released from custody, said ICE spokeswoman Tanya Roman.

Sheriffs Office spokeswoman and deputy Shannon Wilde told The Oregonian/OregonLive their office is going to comply with the subpoena because its valid and was served properly.

Proponents of sanctuary policies say they allow people to feel safe reporting crime without fear of deportation, while those opposed to them say the inability of local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities helps shield criminals.

Oregons 1987 sanctuary state law, the nations first, prevents law enforcement from detaining people who are in the U.S. illegally but have not broken any other law. Authorities in the state wont hold in custody those who committed crimes and have finished their sentences to be picked up by federal immigration agents, unless they have a warrant signed by a judge.

A U.S. judge ruled in August that the Trump administration cannot withhold millions of dollars in law enforcement grants from Oregon to force the state to cooperate with U.S. immigration enforcement.

Since January, ICE has issued similar immigration subpoenas in California, Colorado, Connecticut and New York. Tuesdays subpoenas were the first issued in Oregon.

The action means the agency could ask a federal judge to order Washington County to comply and hold it in contempt of court if it doesnt. It was unclear what options were available to the sheriffs office, which is subject to the states sanctuary law.

The subpoenas relate to two separate cases, both involving Mexican nationals, Roman said.

The first person, a 39-year-old man, was sentenced to more than six years in an Oregon prison for sexual abuse. He was transferred to the Washington County Jail last month and ICE filed an immigration detainer asking the jail to hold him. Roman said he currently faces additional charges of displaying a child in sexual conduct, sexual abuse and sodomy. The agency did not provide the mans name.

The second person, a 44-year-old man, was released from the Washington County Jail late last year after serving a sentence for driving under the influence of intoxicants.

Hillsboro, Oregon, the Washington County seat, is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Portland.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A jury on Tuesday convicted an alleged West Brighton gang member of murder for fatally shooting an innocent 67-year bystander on a New Brighton street two years ago.

Isaiah Kelson was firing at a fleeing gang rival he spotted on the street when his bullet struck Frances Williams on July 10, 2018, said prosecutors.

The victim, affectionately known as Miss Franny, was standing at a bus stop on Jersey Street near Pauw Street when she was hit shortly after noon.

The jury forewoman read the verdict at about 6:45 p.m.

Kelson looked straight ahead toward the judges bench. He appeared to blink quickly and shake his head.

Kelson, 23, faces up to 25 years to life in prison when sentenced for second-degree murder.

Sentencing is tentatively scheduled for March 12 in state Supreme Court, St. George.

Prosecutors said Kelson, and others, including West Brighton residents and co-defendants Marquise Tart, 26, and Jaleel Hewitt, 27, sought to avenge their friend, Robert Craigwell, 26, who was fatally mowed down by a van in St George less than an hour before Williams was slain.

Members of a rival New Brighton crew were in the van, said prosecutors.

Tart and Hewitt were convicted of conspiracy and criminal facilitation for aiding in the revenge plot.

Tart was also convicted of hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence. They were not charged with murder.

The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of eight and one-third to 25 years in prison.

Both Tart and Hewitt had rejected plea offers prior to the start of the trial.

Tart was offered a sentence of three to six years to plead guilty to hindering prosecution.

Hewitt snubbed an offer of 18 months to three years behind bars to plead guilty to fourth-degree conspiracy. Kelson was not offered a plea agreement.

All three defendants were convicted of a higher charge of second-degree conspiracy.

In addition, Kelson was found guilty of attempted murder for shooting at the gang rival, and criminal weapon possession.

None of the defendants testified.

Outside court, Robert Reuland, Kelsons lawyer, said he would appeal.

Rick J. Pasacreta, Tarts attorney, and Mario Romano, Hewitts lawyer, said they respected the jurys decision, but strongly disagreed with it.

There was no evidence presented during this trial to prove that Mr. Hewitt ever knew a crime was about to be committed, let alone take part in any agreement or plan to help anyone commit murder or any other crime, said Romano.

In a statement, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon called Williams death a tragedy for all of Staten Island.

Throughout this case, we promised to work tirelessly to pursue justice for her, her family, and the Staten Island community, said McMahon. This verdict speaks volumes to the fact that violent and harmful acts will not be tolerated and those who commit them and endanger innocent lives will be punished.

The D.A. commended Assistant District Attorneys Adam Silberlight, Andrew Botelho and Arda Ozdinc, who prosecuted the case, and hailed the incredible detective work of police investigators.

He also thanked the jury, as well as court officers and emergency personnel who responded to the two incident scenes.

Prosecutors case hinged, in large part, on the testimony of two cooperating witnesses, one of whom said Kelson set the revenge plot in motion.

Craigwell was run down shortly after individuals in the two rival gangs had been fighting around the courthouse, said prosecutors.

Craigwell, along with Kelson and one of the cooperators, had driven to St. George to help their friends, prosecutors said.

Craigwell was killed on Fort Place as the three men were walking to the courthouse. Afterward, Kelson and he drove back to West Brighton, the cooperator testified.

Once there, Kelson got two guns  a 9 mm for himself and a .38-caliber, which, the cooperator said, Kelson gave him.

Kelson also told him to bring a change of clothes for both of them, the cooperator testified.

They set out from West Brighton in a car driven by a second cooperating witness.

While driving in New Brighton, they spotted a gang rival member named Fiji, the cooperators testified.

Kelson and he jumped out of the car and chased Fiji, said the first cooperator.

Both he and Kelson fired at Fiji, who ran up Pauw Street toward Jersey Street, the cooperator testified.

Williams was struck in the head by a 9 mm bullet, a medical examiner testified.

Fiji was apparently not hit.

The defense contended that the cooperating witnesses were the only ones who could put a gun in Kelsons hand, and their testimony was not believable.

To save their own skins, those witnesses had tailored their testimony to fit the governments theory of the events, the defense maintained.

Both men were charged in the case  one pleaded guilty to murder and manslaughter  and admitted they were cooperating in the hope of obtaining a lenient sentence.

Their identities are being withheld at prosecutors request for fear of reprisal.

Prosecutors countered that the cooperators had every reason to tell the truth.

Otherwise, their plea agreements would be invalidated, and they would face potentially severe sentences.

Moreover, prosecutors said, the witnesses testimony was backed by surveillance videotape, a point which the defendants disputed.

In his summation to the jury last week, Reuland, Kelsons lawyer, also contended that physical evidence showed Kelsons bullet could not have hit Williams in the manner in which she was struck.

A city medical examiner testified that the victim was shot in the left jaw with the bullet lodging in her right upper body, Reuland said.

The cooperator who shot the .38-caliber gun testified that Kelson was running down Pauw toward Jersey when he fired, which would have put the defendant up the street on Williams right side, said Reuland.

Silberlight, the prosecutor, said Kelson was firing diagonally down Pauw, which would have put his bullets on a direct path toward Williams.

The prosecutor said the only shell casings found were from six 9 mm bullets in the area on Pauw where the other shooter said Kelson had fired his gun at the fleeing rival gang member.

Furthermore, Silberlight said in his closing argument that the medical examiner testified Williams could have been turning her head when she was shot, explaining the bullets trajectory in her body.

Silberlight said surveillance videotape showed the victim had done that.

Jurors sided with prosecutors and convicted the defendants on all of the charges against them.

The packed courtroom was silent throughout the separate announcement of the verdicts for each defendant.

Kelson was last.

Later, at the end of the proceeding, Kelson turned and said, I love you, to a group of family members and friends in the audience, as court officers led him to a holding cell.

Love you, they replied.
Man found dead inside central Cozumel hotel

Cozumel, Q.R.  A tourist who is believed to have died of natural causes was found inside a centrally located hotel in Cozumel Tuesday.

The body of an unidentified male was discovered by hotel staff who called Emergency 911. Ministerial Police arrived along with a forensic medical examiner who determined the man had likely been dead for 48 hours before being found.

Commander Armando Perez Perez clarified that the body was lying on the left side and had no visible signs of violence when discovered. The deceased has only been identified as a non-Mexican male around 40 years of age.

Forensic Medical Service personnel ruled out any criminal act, since the death was likely due to natural causes, likely a cardiac arrest. The deceased man was transferred to SEMEFO facilities. His family has been notified to claim the body.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 19)  Local airline Cebu Pacific will reduce its year-round low fares over 70 domestic destinations to support the governments initiative to promote domestic travel amid the international travel bans caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

In a statement Wednesday, the airline stated that they will sell tickets for as low as 88 as base fare starting February 19. Flights with reduced fares include those originating from Manila, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro (Laguindingan), Davao, Iloilo, and Zamboanga.

Seats were also increased across flights from Manila, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Cebu, Puerto Princesa, Iloilo and Bacolod; as well as between Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod and Iloilo.

We are one with the government and fellow tourism stakeholders during this challenging time. Through this increase in the supply of seats and fare reductions across our domestic route network, we hope to encourage Philippine residents to travel and explore the country, said Cebu Pacific Vice President for Marketing and Customer Experience Candice Iyog.

According to Tourism Congress of the Philippines President Jojo Clemente III, the country may lose up to 20 billion if the novel coronavirus extends until March.

READ: PH tourism to lose 20-B due to novel coronavirus

Tourism Undersecretary for Tourism Development Benito Bengzon Jr told CNN Philippines that the government and the private sector are shifting their focus on the local market to cut the losses.

The country has recently lifted the temporary travel ban on Taiwan. Meanwhile, overseas Filipino workers were also permitted to go back to their places of employment in Hong Kong, and Macau.
Seven years after Beasts of the Southern Wild thrust him into the Hollywood spotlight, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Benh Zeitlin is once more working to spin his New Orleans-inspired fantasies into big-screen magic.

On Tuesday, Zeitlin marked the Louisiana premiere of his long-gestating sophomore effort  a reimagining of the Peter Pan tale titled Wendy  with a red-carpet cast-and-crew screening at the Orpheum Theater.

Like Beasts, the film is a feral fantasy with a distinctly Louisiana flavor, having been shot partly in-state. Also like Beasts, it is populated largely by nonprofessional actors plucked from towns and cities throughout the region.

And while Wendy had its world premiere Jan. 26 at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, Zeitlin said it was important to him to bring its Louisiana cast and crew together one more time Tuesday so they could see the finished product as a group before it lands in local theaters March 6.

Its really emotional for all these people, who worked so long and so hard, just to see the film, he said from the red carpet stretched along the sidewalk of Roosevelt Way. When Im at my darkest, like I cant go on, Im imagining this exact crowd were going to see tonight watching this film for the first time. And that is what keeps me going  just to feel the feelings with the people who really fought for it.

At the center of Wendy, and the center of attention at the Orpheum, was 12-year-old Devin France, of Raceland. She plays the title character in the film, who hops a freight train and gets whisked across the Bonnet Carre Spillway and, eventually, to Zeitlands characteristically primeval version of Neverland.

A first-time actor, she was just a 7-year-old second grader when she landed the part after learning about auditions from a handbill distributed by the films casting team. On Tuesday, however, she was working the red carpet like a pro, exhibiting precisely the sort of energy, enthusiasm and charm that Zeitlin said caught his eye during casting.

Its such an amazing experience to be here with everyone  and just to be here in general, France said. Its so amazing. I never thought Id be at this point in my life.

An avowed fan of horror films, she said she plans on pursuing an acting career, although  as a self-admitted ham  she added that shes not limiting herself to just one thing.

Its always been my big dream to perform for someone, whether its doing dance or playing an instrument or singing, she said. Ive always wanted to be in the performing arts.

Her characters mother is played by Shay Walker, another first-time actor who was working as a waitress at Betsys Pancake House on Canal Street when Wendy casting director Jesy Rae Buhl happened to come in for breakfast one Sunday morning.

She was following me around the restaurant. I was thinking, Who is this lady?, Walker recalled. If youve ever been to Betsys on a Sunday morning, you know how busy it is in there. So Im like, You have to leave me alone. I dont know what you want, and shes talking to me about a movie. Im like, Im a waitress, not an actress. I dont know what you want from me.

A few days later, Walker found a business card Buhl had pressed into her hand, and she did an online search. Up popped a Times-Picayune story about Wendy and the then-ongoing casting search. She gave Buhl a call and eventually got the part.

Like France, Walker also has decided to make a go of acting. In fact, her second film  titled Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets and directed by the New Orleans-based Ross brothers  also premiered at Sundance last month.

Among those joining France and Walker on the red carpet Tuesday were a number of Zeitlins lost boys," including Ahmad Cage, twins Gage and Gavin Naquin, Krzysztof Meyn, and Romyri Ross. All are first-time actors who hail from various points in South Louisiana, from New Orleans to Franklin to Hammond.

Also there: Wendy producers Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Becky Glupczynski; Zeitlins sister and co-writer, Eliza Zeitlin, who also handled the films production design; and Beasts of the Southern Wild actor Dwight Henry, who isnt in Wendy but who wanted to show his support to the man who gave him his big break.

Given all those local faces, the event had the distinct feel of a homecoming of sorts. For Benh Zeitlin, that was only appropriate, even though the films Neverland scenes  the bulk of the movie  were shot at the base of an active volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat.

I mean, this is the heart and soul of the movie, he said, looking at those gathered around him on the red carpet. The whole cast is from in and around New Orleans. The film was inspired by New Orleans. New Orleans is the heart of everything I do.

I live here, and so this is home base and kind of the origin. This is where it was built and conceived. We went overseas to shoot, but it really was like Louisiana going to Neverland.
Suffolk County is proposing the most stringent anti-smoking law in New York  banning private citizens from smoking in their own apartments, condominiums, and multi-family homes.

Legislator Sam Gonzalez, the sponsor of the bill, told a local CBS affiliate that he did not think the bill was excessive.

Its not going too far. Were heading in that direction anyway. We cant smoke in restaurants. We cant smoke in buildings, he said. We cant smoke inside the theaters. There are parks, there are beaches that you cant smoke in. We are headed there.

Suffolk legislator and medical doctor William Spencer agreed with the assessment.

Let me be clear, any legislation that there is a vote required that would have an impact on preventing the public or innocent people who have made a choice not to smoke, from being exposed to smoke, I will support that legislation, he said.

Two laws have been proposed to limit second-hand smoke in private dwellings  one being an outright ban, while the other limits smoking on balconies and patios where it could mix with public air. They are expected to be presented to Suffolk Countys Health Committee at the end of the month, before going to a full vote in March.

WLNY1055 reported that hearings are expected to be heated.

The local laws mirror a growing federal crackdown on tobacco, with the Senate voting in December to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21 nationally as part of the $1.4 trillion spending package for the 2020 fiscal year.

More from National Review
President Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday to slam the mayor of Los Angeles for 'urging illegals to beat the system' after the city official reshared a video informing undocumented residents that they had rights.

Trump criticized Mayor Eric Garcetti as he geared up for an appearance on the West Coast as part of a tour to speak with organizers of the 2028 Olympic Games and to attend fundraising events in Beverly Hills.

On Sunday, Garcetti shared a video that he posted last summer that included a message of support to undocumented residents from him and Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore.

Scroll down for video

Trump criticized Mayor Eric Garcetti as he geared up for an appearance on the West Coast as part of a tour to speak with organizers of the 2028 Olympic Games and to attend fundraising events in Beverly Hills

'The Mayor's efforts to shield illegal aliens endangers the lives of the public and law enforcement who have to go into the field to apprehend those released,' Trump said in his tweet. 'He shouldn't be urging illegals to beat the system, he should be urging them to safely turn themselves in!'

Garcetti's post declares that the city and the police department do 'not coordinate with ICE or participate in immigration enforcement and includes a video that was first shared ahead of ICE raids across 10 cities in 2019.

'No matter their immigration status, I want every Angeleno to know their rights and how to exercise them,' Garcetti said. 'Remember, you have the right to remain silent. You don't have to open your door to an ICE agent that doesn't have a warrant signed by a judge. You have the right to speak to a lawyer before signing any documents or speaking to law enforcement.'

Garcetti's post declares that the city and the police department do 'not coordinate with ICE or participate in immigration enforcement and includes a video that was first shared ahead of ICE raids across 10 cities in 2019

'No matter their immigration status, I want every Angeleno to know their rights and how to exercise them,' Garcetti said

Garcetti encouraged residents to 'keep a record of everything that happens'.

'Take note of an officer's name and badge number, of when and where you are being questioned, so you can use that information in your own defense,' he said.

The mayor also said in the video: 'I want you to know, you do not need to be afraid. Your city is on your side, and rest assured, here in Los Angeles we are not coordinating with ICE.'

Chief Moore than told viewers that the department 'is not assisting ICE in any way'.

'We will not enforce immigration laws that are civil in nature and fall under the justification of the federal government. Immigration is a federal matter. Safety is a police matter, and we're not going to mix those two,' Moore added.

Trump administration is set to deploy highly trained Border Patrol officers to boost arrests of unauthorized immigrants in a number of cities, the latest move in a battle against localities that adopt 'sanctuary' policies to protect them from deportation

US President Donald Trump speaks with US Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland and Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf

Trump administration is set to deploy highly trained Border Patrol officers to boost arrests of unauthorized immigrants in a number of cities, the latest move in a battle against localities that adopt 'sanctuary' policies to protect them from deportation.

Members of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) will be among the officers deployed to cities to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

The BORTAC teams are heavily armed units are similar to police SWAT teams.

They will be sent to New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, New Orleans, Detroit and Newark, New Jersey, CBP spokesman Lawrence Payne said in a statement on Friday.

BORTAC agents undergo a 'grueling' training program designed to 'mirror aspects' of U.S. Special Operation Forces courses, according to details about the program published on the CBP website. The unit was launched in 1984 in response to rioting at immigration detention facilities.
The recent measures announced in the Union Budget granting tax exemption on interest, dividend and capital gains to sovereign wealth funds investing in infrastructure will further boost investments in affordable housing and logistics, says JLL Research.

Sovereign wealth funds (SWF) are state-owned investment funds commonly established with revenues generated from trade surpluses, central bank reserves, currency operations, privatisation and transfer payments.

According to the property consultant, sovereign funds hold USD 29 billion of assets under custody (AUC) as of December 2019 in the country, of which, real estate and warehousing account for 22 per cent, amounting to USD 6.6 billion.

"These funds have been playing a pivotal role in investments globally with estimated AUM of USD 8.1 trillion as of 2019. Investments by SWF in India improved sharply as a result of various policy measures introduced to attract foreign investments," JLL India CEO and Country Head Ramesh Nair said.

He said that the Union Budget for 2020-21 has further incentivised SWFs to invest in infrastructure including affordable housing and warehousing by providing tax exemptions.

Between 2008-18, global AUM of sovereign funds grew at a CAGR of 10 per cent with Asia garnering the highest share of nearly 42 per cent.

"The rise in potential returns is expected to drive more SWF investments in India. SWF would be more inclined to use the direct investment route as compared to investment platforms," Nair added.

According to the consultant, the investment strategy of SWFs is expected to change after the announcement of exemption.

"An increasing trend of SWFs investing through investment platforms/joint ventures with credible developers and funds was being observed in the past few years. A commitment of USD 2 billion through various platforms or joint ventures was made between 2014-19. Now, SWFs would be more inclined to use the direct investment route as compared to investment platforms," Nair added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With China reeling from the coronavirus outbreak, many families of the ex-pat community in Hong Kong have left the former British colony. According to reports, the viral outbreak has forced a lot of companies to ask their employees to work from home. With ex-pats leaving the financial hub, Hong Kong's economy could be subject to further damage due to a downfall in the number of tourists and rising unemployment.

Foreign nationals account up to 9.5 per cent of the population

According to reports, the 2016 census stated that about 690,000 foreign nationals and non-Hong Kong Chinese reside in the Special Administrative Region, accounting up to 9.5 per cent of the population. The population of the foreign nationals comprised of people belonging from the Philippines and Indonesia. According to reports, the population also comprised of about 35,000 British and 14,800 American Nationals.

According to reports, Hong Kong's population fell by 0.1% at the end of 2019, the first decline witnessed in a span of 20 years. Although, there was an outflow of residents of Hong Kong that did not include one-way permit holders from China i.e. 29,200 in the year 2019. The inflow of people in the one year period ending in mid-2019 was 23,000.

In an example showcasing ex-pats leaving Hong Kong, a man from New Zealand, Ian Jacob was planning to leave the financial hub. According to reports, Jacob was the owner of a construction-materials company and was concerned about his child's future after the political unrest that plagued Hong Kong in 2019 shut down schools. Jacob was again concerned about the schools shutting down amid the coronavirus outbreak and that forced the family to relocate to New Zealand.

Read: Pakistan Deploys Two Officials In Coronavirus-hit Wuhan To Assist Students

Read: Hong Kong Reports Second Coronavirus Fatality

The death toll of coronavirus related cases increases

The death toll from the coronavirus epidemic in China crossed the 2,000-mark on February 19 with the death of 136 more people. The current number of confirmed cases stands at 74,185.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, a study published by the Chinese health authorities suggests that those who are 80 years old or above have higher chances to succumb to the virus. The study published in the Chinese Journal of Epidemiology reveals that the people within the age-groups of 80 and above have the highest fatality rates as compared to all age groups. Furthermore, according to the study, the death rate from the disease for males was 2.8 per cent and that for females was about 1.7 per cent.

Read: South Korea Confirms 15 New Coronavirus Cases, Total Count Increases By Nearly 50%

Read: Coronavirus: 248 Evacuees From Wuhan Discharged From Army's Manesar Quarantine Facility
Nigeria currently ranks in the bottom 10 globally in measurements of childrens survival, health, education and nutrition, a report by the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) has shown.

The report said Nigeria ranks 174 out of 180 countries, just below Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and South Sudan based on a child flourishing index.

The ranking is based on factors including child survival and well-being such as health, education, nutrition, equity and income gaps.

In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES, UNICEF said the report released on Wednesday, was convened by the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF and The Lancet. It was funded by Bills and Melinda Gates Foundation.

New global index

The report, which is titled A Future for the Worlds Children includes a new global index of 180 countries, comparing performance on child flourishing.

UNICEF said the report showed that the health and future of every child and adolescent worldwide is under immediate threat from ecological degradation, climate change and exploitative marketing practises that push heavily processed fast food, sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco at children.

The report also said no single country is adequately protecting childrens health, their environment and their futures.

Details

According to the report, while the poorest countries need to do more to support their childrens ability to live healthy lives, excessive carbon emissions  disproportionately from wealthier countries  threaten the future of all children.

It said if global warming exceeds 4C by the year 2100 in line with current projections, this would lead to devastating health consequences for children, due to rising ocean levels, heatwaves, the proliferation of diseases like malaria and dengue, and malnutrition.

The report shows that children in Norway, The Republic of Korea, and the Netherlands have the best chances at survival and well-being, while children in the Central African Republic, Chad, Somalia, Niger and Mali face the worst odds.

Other ranking

Overall, the report found that the top 10 rankings on the child flourishing index were the countries of Norway, ranked first overall, South Korea, Netherlands, France, Ireland, Denmark, Japan, Belgium, Iceland, United Kingdom

The United States ranked as number 39.

The bottom 10 on the child flourishing index, according to the report were: The Central African Republic, Chad, Somalia, Niger, Mali, Guinea, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan.

On measurements of sustainability, the report found that the top 10 were Burundi ranked first overall, Chad, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Malawi, Rwanda, Mali, Niger and Madagascar.

This demonstrates how far we still need to go in Nigeria to ensure children can live healthy lives in an environment where they can thrive. We know that investing in the future of our children, giving them an education and making sure they are healthy and receive the right nutrition, works to provide a better future for everyone. We all have a responsibility to do everything we can to protect the health and future of every Nigerian child, Claes Johansson, UNICEF Nigeria Representative said.

More than two billion people live in countries where development is hampered by humanitarian crises, conflicts, and natural disasters, problems increasingly linked with climate change, said Minister Awa Coll-Seck from Senegal, Co-Chair of the Commission.

Manifesto, charge

In order to protect the children and improve outcomes among children, the report calls for countries to stop excessive carbon emissions; tighten regulations around commercial marketing of junk food, alcohol and other harmful products; introduce new policies to protect childrens health, nutrition and rights; and incorporate childrens voices into policy decisions, among other recommendations.

The commission also urged countries to stop CO2 emissions with urgency, to ensure children have a future on this planet.

Place children and adolescents at the centre of efforts to achieve sustainable development. New policies and investment in all sectors to work towards child health and rights, Incorporate childrens voices into policy decisions and Tighten national regulation of harmful commercial marketing that is supported by a new Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the commission advised

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The opportunity is great. The evidence is available. The tools are at hand. From heads-of-state to local government, from UN leaders to children themselves, this Commission calls for the birth of a new era for child and adolescent health. It will take courage and commitment to deliver. It is the supreme test of our generation, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet family of journals, Richard Horton, said.

Also, the UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, said from the climate crisis, obesity and harmful commercial marketing, children around the world are having to contend with threats that were unimaginable just a few generations ago.

It is time for a rethink on child health, one which places children at the top of every governments development agenda and puts their well-being above all considerations.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Alen Simonyan and the ruling My Step faction MP, Chair of the standing committee on foreign affairs Ruben Rubinyan commented on the Facebook post of chief of staff of the Constitutional Court Edgar Ghazaryan on boycotting the April 5 referendum on Constitutional amendments.

The chief of staff of the Constitutional Court, in other words the chief of staff of the apolitical body, considers the referendum unconstitutional and calls to boycott it. I want to thank the chief of staff of the Constitutional Court for making the current crisis around the Court even more visible and giving one more reason to our citizens to say Yes to the referendum, Ruben Rubinyan said on Facebook.

Now the CC chief of staff entered into politics and urges to boycott the April 5 referendum. Already no attempt is made to hide this courts being politicized from the beginning to the end, Vice Speaker Alen Simonyan said on Facebook.

Armenia will hold a referendum on Constitutional amendments on April 5.

Chief of Staff of the Constitutional Court Edgar Ghazaryan called on Facebook to boycott the April 5 referendum. He said for the first time in his life he will not participate in a referendum and called on his friends, relatives not to react to the referendum so seriously.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
The morning after Presidents Day, a new poll found that Michael Bloomberg had captured enough public support to claim a place onstage in the next Democratic presidential debate. On Wednesday night, the business-information tycoon and former Republican mayor of New York City will appear alongside candidates who have spent months or years trying to win over Democratic votersshaping their policy proposals, cultivating armies of donors and volunteers, gathering support door-to-doorhaving himself spent only money, a tsunami of it: more than $400 million of his own fortune on campaign expenses, including saturation ads across TV and online media.

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It may look as if Bloomberg is simply joining the presidential race a little later than the others. But what hes really there to do is shut down the presidential race entirely. Yes, everyone running wants to win. But the other people in the race are asking voters to choose them. Bloomberg is askingor tellingthe public to give up on the idea that anyone really has a choice.

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Everyone in and around the Democratic field shares the understanding that Donald Trump represents a crisis of democracy. The candidates are all, to a greater or lesser extent, running on the message that they are each the singular person best positioned to resolve the crisis, by defeating Trump and what he stands for: Bernie Sanders because of his mass mobilization of supporters, Elizabeth Warren because of her policy acumen, Pete Buttigieg because of his bright-eyed affection for unity, Joe Biden because of his long-established public profile, Amy Klobuchar because of her feisty moderation.

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Bloombergs message is that its too late for any of that. Michael Bloomberg is the only person who can beat Donald Trump, because he has the power to beat Donald Trump, because he has the money. The voters preferences dont matter. The crisis is too urgent for that. He alone can fix it.

A broad swath of the media and political establishment is lining up behind this message of inevitability, just like it did last time. So far, this would-be consensus is struggling to overcome Bloombergs long and well-documented record: He is, after all, an enthusiastic authoritarian and a sexist bully and boor. He ruthlessly wielded the power of the state against black and Latino people and against Muslims. Hes a glib technology enthusiast who sees labor and craft as pointless and obsolete.

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It is easy, but not sufficient, to point out that many of these details line up with the reasons were supposed to want to get rid of Donald Trump. Bloomberg has much more money than Trump, and he cuts a much more respectable figure, but the two of them come from the same cynical, domineering New York circles of power, and act like it. Not for nothing is Trump a sometime Democrat, and Bloomberg a former Republican. Not for nothing does each present himself as too rich to be bought, even while the Trump Organization chases foreign development projects and Bloomberg News killed its own coverage of high-level corruption in China to protect its access to the Chinese market for its moneymaking Bloomberg terminals.

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If anything, Trump is the more honest participant in American politics. Trumps victory went against the popular majority, and may have had foreign fingerprints all over it, but at least it respected the basic theory behind a two-party contest. He roused the enthusiasms of his partys base and agreed, since it didnt really matter to him, to carry out the policy agenda of its elite supporters. The culture war fans got their rallies, and the Federalist Society got its judges, andapart from the griping of a few Never Trumpers who still choose to care about administrative competence and are only comfortable with less blatant forms of financial corruptionthe Republican Party is basking in the triumph of its chosen worldview.

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On those terms, Bloombergism is a very different proposition than Trumpism. Bloombergs offer to beat Donald Trump is an offer to do only that, not to endorse or carry out the full agenda backed by Democratic voters. The greatest hope of the anti-Trump opposition till now was that democracy might yet assert itselfthat the very narrowness of Trumps rule could produce a broad counter-movement, not just to sweep him from office but to expand the range of voices and political possibilities, to make iron-fisted minority rule a thing of the past.

Bloomberg, instead, is offering rule by a minority of one. Over the weekend, the New York Times reported that in addition to the sudden and visible flood of direct political spending, Bloomberg also boosted his single-year charitable spending to $3.3 billion in 2019, buying goodwill and the silence of potential critics across the country and around the world. The story opened by describing how Emilys List kept Bloomberg on its roster of speakers for a fundraiser after hed disparaged the #MeToo movement. Feminist advocates needed his money, even if it had to come at the expense of a feminist cause. So, too, gun control activists could have his bottomless supportas long as they made his top priority, background checks, their own top priority, and they used the language he wanted them to use.

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Government and policy are too important to be left to the people. This is why gun control is Bloombergs ideal signature issueits an area in which the desires of large majorities of people are unable to prevail, thanks to concerted and well-funded minoritarian efforts. Bloomberg offers himself as an alternative power center, whose money makes it possible for people to accomplish what they could never get done through mere organizing and voting.

Perhaps this is why Bloomberg feels entitled to set the terms for whatever movement hes involved with. Republican and Democrat are just labels to help him get in position; his patchwork identification as a liberal carries no obligation for him to fill in the holes with what liberals as a group may want. He does not have to distinguish between mass preferences and his personal preferences. His ideological and social priors say that charter schools are preferable to public schoolsinnovation and competition are more dynamic than universal institutional coverageand so if you sign on with Bloomberg, you sign on with charter schools. You dont get universal health coverage, you get limited soda sizes, and its for your own good.

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Emilys List needed Bloombergs money at its fundraiser, the Times wrote, because it was happening in the middle of the fight over Brett Kavanaughs nomination to the Supreme Court. Part of what made the fight so desperate was that the Senate was controlled by a narrow Republican majority; part of why the Senate was in Republican hands was that Bloomberg had donated more than $10 million to Republican Pat Toomeys victory in a close race in 2016, because, while Toomey was a right-winger who opposed reproductive rights, he favored background checks. Forget other Democratic priorities. Supporting an ally on guns was all that mattered.

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Bloomberg doesnt care about the overall alignment of power in American politics, because his own power has never depended on it. The only thing threatening to diminish Bloombergs power is the possibility that Sanders or Warren might get elected president and bring enough like-minded people along with them. To him, the true crisis of Trump is that by devolving one of the major American political parties from plutocratic to kleptocratic, the president has given the left wing of the other party an opportunity to expand its influence. The proper countermove, for a responsible plutocrat, is to try to buy out the opposition, to restore the nations former, politely unchecked levels of wealth accumulation.

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So he arrives late on the scene, in the guise of a rescuer. The open secret of the crowded Democratic field is that most of the people declaring how hard Trump will be to beat are, in fact, counting on him being very beatable. Hes a nasty and unpopular buffoon who won while being outvoted by a margin of 3 million last time, thanks to a fluky convergence of the electoral map and the news cycles. There will be no better chance, certainly not within whats left of his lifetime, for an elderly, charmless billionaire to claim the presidency.

Even with that, Bloomberg cant claim it through the regular, established methods. Our presidential nominating system is set up to be perverse and unfair, but until now it did, at least, seem to offer the same terms to every candidate. Sure, the Supreme Court had destroyed the controls on campaign spending so that upfront money became an overwhelming advantage, but a Bernie Sanders could counter it by rallying an army of individual donors and celebrating how righteously small their average contribution was. The Democratic Party could make the number of individual donors a standard for debate access, and a popular campaign could stay alive and funded till Iowa and New Hampshire started caucusing and voting.

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Bloomberg is trying to short-circuit all thatskipping not only the donors but the voters, blowing off the first four states to try to win Super Tuesday. The regular process, under which, at least in theory, any qualified ordinary person could become president of the United States, has been preempted by a process available only to someone with unlimited personal funds. And the Democratic Party, by removing the donor rules to qualify for debates, is obliging him (or welcoming him with open arms). Sitting senators like Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand had to be winnowed from the debate stage, but who can say no to Mike Bloomberg?

Democratic self-rule has been at odds with the mass media presentation of politics for as long as mass media have existed. But a successful Bloomberg bid, far more than Trump using his Apprentice notoriety to devour free airtime on CNN, would mark the complete rupture between the governed and the governing. Apart from a belated and inaccurate disavowal of stop and frisk, Bloomberg is not pretending to have considered other peoples opinions, or to have asked for their support, or to be honored that they said yes. His goal is to market his way to a monopoly.

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So why, fresh off a round of post-2016 self-reflection, do leading figures in the media accept this from Bloomberg? Yes, hes skipping the contests where people cast ballots, but hes advertising and provoking commentary (like this) and moving up in the pollsthe various realities that matter to the political-coverage industry. Does it matter if the point of his candidacy is that democracy as weve known it has already failed, so the only answer to a rampaging billionaire is a billionaire on a counter-rampage, or that popular goals can no longer be achieved by popular means? Does it matter if his ruthless managerial skills failed to budge the everyday troubles of New Yorkif the technocratic problem-solver failed to fight the state over the MTAs deferred maintenance and general decline, failed to break the culture of dysfunction in the housing agency, or did less than nothing for the homeless? He put his name on the economic recovery, in a proprietary sans-serif typeface rather than shiny brass letters. He was so uninterested in other peoples needs or opinions he made his own priorities seem like necessity.

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Its true, as people feel compelled to say, hes not as bad as Trump. Single-minded profit-chasing is not as bad as a lifelong career of high-stakes fraud. Allegations of harassment are not as bad as accusations of rape. Life under a neoliberal control freak would almost certainly be more comfortable than life under a thief and bully with a taste for fascism. But to accept that argumentto take Trump as the benchmarkis to surrender any claim on affirmatively setting the nations political values. Its to accept that the republic deserves nothing more than what Michael Bloomberg is willing to give it.

Just listen to the people who fall outside Bloombergs vision of who matters and what hes responsible for. When he allegedly told an employee who needed a nanny for her baby, All you need is some black who doesnt have to speak English to rescue it from a burning building, he was making a racist and sexist remark, but those terms might be too narrow to capture the comments full tone. It seemed, principally, to be a joke about Bloombergs broad contempt for all categories of human beings who are not wealthy white men. This was not the panicky, Trumpy bigotry of Rust Belt Republicans, who organize their lives around imagining a vision of blackness or foreignness to pit their own identities against. It wasnt the bigotry of the grasping or the obsolete. It was the bigotry of security. Bloombergs story about stop and frisk keeps changing because, in the end, he didnt care one way or the other about having the police jack up hundreds of thousands of innocent young men. He only got angry when someone told him he wasnt allowed to do it.
The reason for the resurgence in popularity for this forgotten novel? It appears to have predicted with chilling accuracy the outbreak of Coronavirus from Wuhan, China.

The plot revolves around a mother who attempts to find out what happened to her son after he mysteriously disappeared on a camping trip. It turns out that the boy is held in China  more specifically in Wuhan, the site of a deadly virus outbreak. Here is the passage that is raising eyebrows across the web:

Im not interested in the philosophy or morality of biological warfare, Tina said. Right now I just want to know how the hell Danny wound up in this place.

To understand that, Dombey said, you have to go back twenty months. It was around then that a Chinese scientist named Li Chen defected to the United States, carrying a diskette record of Chinas most important and dangerous new biological weapon in a decade. They call the stuff Wuhan-400 because it was developed at their RDNA labs outside of the city of Wuhan, and it was the four-hundredth viable strain of man-made microorganisms created at that research center.

Wuhan-400 is a perfect weapon. It afflicts only human beings. No other living creature can carry it. And like syphilis, Wuhan-400 cant survive outside a living human body for longer than a minute, which means it cant permanently contaminate objects or entire places the way anthrax and other virulent microorganisms can. And when the host expires, the Wuhan-400 within him perishes a short while later, as soon as the temperature of the corpse drops below eighty-six degrees Fahrenheit. Do you see the advantage of all this?

Tina was too busy with Danny to think about what Carl Dombey had said, but Elliot knew what the scientist meant. If I understand you, the Chinese could use Wuhan-400 to wipe out a city or a country, and then there wouldnt be any need for them to conduct a tricky and expensive decontamination before they moved in and took over the conquered territory.

Exactly, Dombey said. And Wuhan-400 has other, equally important advantages over most biological agents. For one thing, you can become an infectious carrier only four hours after coming into contact with the virus. Thats an incredibly short incubation period. Once infected, no one lives more than twenty-four hours. Most die in twelve. Its worse than the Ebola virus in Africainfinitely worse. Wuhan-400s kill-rate is one hundred percent. No one is supposed to survive. The Chinese tested it on God knows how many political prisoners. They were never able to find an antibody or an antibiotic that was effective against it. The virus migrates to the brain stem, and there it begins secreting a toxin that literally eats away brain tissue like battery acid dissolving cheesecloth. It destroys the part of the brain that controls all of the bodys automatic functions. The victim simply ceases to have a pulse, functioning organs, or any urge to breathe.

And thats the disease Danny survived, Elliot said.

Yes, Dombey said. As far as we know, hes the only one who ever has.

Tina had pulled the blanket off the bed and folded it in half, so she could wrap Danny in it for the trip out to the Explorer. Now she looked up from the task of bundling the child, and she said to Dombey, But why was he infected in the first place?

It was an accident, Dombey said.

Ive heard that one before.

This time its true, Dombey said. After Li Chen defected with all the data on Wuhan-400, he was brought here. We immediately began working with him, trying to engineer an exact duplicate of the virus. In relatively short order we accomplished that. Then we began to study the bug, searching for a handle on it that the Chinese had overlooked.

And someone got careless, Elliot said.
British Deputy High Commissioner Mike Nithavrianakis and Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Muzammil Hussain discussed the matters relating to water and hydropower sectors in Pakistan

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Feb, 2020 ) :British Deputy High Commissioner Mike Nithavrianakis and Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Muzammil Hussain discussed the matters relating to water and hydropower sectors in Pakistan.

They discussed matters of mutual cooperation for implementing WAPDA projects here at WAPDA House on Wednesday.

On this occasion, Muzammil Hussain said that WAPDA had been constructing a number of projects to add water storage and hydel power generation capacities for water, food and energy security of the country. "Support from friendly countries like United Kingdom (UK) is of immense importance for implementation of these projects," he added.

During a briefing, the British Deputy High Commissioner was apprised that WAPDA successfully completed and commissioned three long-delayed mega hydropower projects with cumulative generation capacity of 2487 MW in 2018.

With commissioning of these projects, the installed generation capacity of WAPDA hydroelectric power surged to 9389 MW from 6902 MW, registering an increase of 36 per cent in just one year. Besides, WAPDA also completed Kachhi Canal Project (Phase-1) to irrigate 72,000 acres of barren land in Dera Bugti District of Balochistan. Nithavrianakis was also briefed about the ongoing and future projects of WAPDA. He was informed that WAPDA was committed to adding five MAF to water storage and 4600 MW hydropower generation by 2025 in short term, and eight MAF water storage and 16000 MW power generation up to 2030 in medium term by completing various projects including Mohmand Dam, Kurram Tangi Dam, Nai Gaj Dam, Dasu, and Diamer Basha Dam.

Expressing keen interest in WAPDA projects, UK Deputy High Commissioner commendedthe efforts made by WAPDA for economic development and social uplift of Pakistan.
The Woodbridge contractors association offering to fund the purchase of a new armoured vehicle for the Toronto police has pulled its donation in light of community concern, saying it will redirect the $275,000 to other causes.

We believe in giving back. In that spirit, we agreed to assist the Toronto police with the acquisition of a new vehicle to support their Emergency Task Force, reads a statement from Ron Johnson, executive director of Interior Systems Contractors Association of Ontario (ISCA).

In light of the communitys concern regarding this initiative, our volunteer board has decided to redirect these funds to other community causes.

The construction employers association, which includes more than 100 member businesses, had offered to pay the bulk of an estimated $300,000 needed to replace Toronto polices 14-year-old armoured vehicle, which Toronto police chief Mark Saunders has called outdated.

Toronto police spokesperson Allison Sparkes said in an email Wednesday that the service respects the decision.

The private donation had been scheduled to be debated at the upcoming Toronto police board meeting; gifts over $10,000 must be approved by the seven-member civilian board.

Although Saunders said the proposed donation was in accordance with Toronto police board procedure and the City of Toronto donation policies, it drew concern about the perception of a conflict of interest and the optics of a corporate donation in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Private donors should not be determining what equipment and focus the police choose  it begs questions of buying protection and influence, wrote John Sewell, former Toronto mayor and member of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition, in a letter sent to the board before ISCA withdrew the funding.

In a tweet on Wednesday, national non-profit Democracy Watch, which advocates for government accountability and corporate responsibility, implored the Toronto police board not to allow the private donation to a public law enforcement agency, calling it unethical.

Saunders report to the board said Toronto police had confirmed that neither ISCA nor any of its members were currently involved in active city or service procurements as bidders, proponents or applicants.

Johnson, ISCAs executive director, said the organization will remain committed to supporting our communities through philanthropy, noting the association has given money to hospitals, long term care facilities, recreation centres and veteran support groups.

Alex Luscombe, a PhD student from the University of Torontos criminology department, has co-authored research papers examining private donations to law enforcement agencies throughout North America. Some police services, including in the United States and Vancouver, have established arms-length police foundations to manage donations at a distance and run background checks on the proposed donors.

But at the end of the day, there will always be that inherent risk that someone could still perceive the donation as getting somebody special treatment, Luscombe said in an interview Thursday.

This weeks armoured vehicle donation situation should prompt the service and the board to closely re-examine its policies around donations, Luscombe said, including researching how other forces have handled donations and specifying what kind of equipment or services they are willing to take in as gifts.

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

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When an Air India flight descended into Wuhan, the epicentre of coronavirus in China, it was greeted with an eerie silence and a deserted view of the city.



An eerie silence prevailed, with no sight of humans anywhere -- that's how captain Amitabh Singh described Wuhan.

Singh, who is director of operations at Air India, planned and led the national carriers evacuation missions from the city on January 31 and February 1. The flights consisted of eight pilots, 30 cabin crew and 10 commercial staff.

"Normally when you are descending and landing into any city, especially that of the size of Wuhan, there is a lot of radiotelephony chatter, a lot of aircraft flying around. You are normally stacked up in the landing sequence. But that was not the case this time, it was deathly quiet," Singh said while describing the scene of Wuhan.

Twitter

He further added, "after landing, there was no aircraft movement, we were the only aircraft. We were not even allowed to get off the aircraft.

The first flight airlifted 24 Indians out Wuhan; the second one rescued 323, besides seven Maldivians.

Captain Kamal Mohan, describing the deserted city, added, "the streets were lit but there weren't any humans or vehicles. An airport blanketed in darkness with all airplanes locked up. It was like an apocalypse."

It was frightening," Mohan said, per a report by Bloomberg. Its a massive airport, so just imagine not seeing a soul. Youd think a zombie might pop up from somewhere."

The evacuated Indians had an expression of relief on their faces.

"There was a lot of applause and jaijaikar for the crew and the government for their rescue efforts," Captain Singh recalled.



Indian Savior @wuhan

a special flight of Air India departed

from NewDelhi to wuhan in china

to airlift at least 400 Indians .

This special operation is led by main pilot Amitabh Singh with other 15

crew members.

Take care & Be safe pic.twitter.com/cwdhMwaPkC  Neeta Sharma (@NeetaSh20538569) February 1, 2020

The Air India pilots leading operation Wuhan Airlift #WuhanCoronovirus

--Capt Amitabh Singh Executive Commander & Director Operations



--CaptKamal Mohan

Commander



--Capt Sanjay Achalkar

First Officer



--Capt SH Rexs

Commander



--Capt Bhupesh Narain

First Officer pic.twitter.com/XRyCeeea9T  Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) January 31, 2020

5 pilots, 15 cabin crew, 5 doctors & 1 para medic along with Amitabh Singh Chief of Pilots in Air India left for Wuhan to evacuate Indians. Big Salute to the heroes.  #CoronavirusOutbreak pic.twitter.com/K0TaVsmHCh  Bhaiyyaji (@bhaiyyajispeaks) January 31, 2020

"Our orders were to fly in, evacuate and fly out, keeping everyone safe. It was a tall order, but we had a very good team. We had a lot of support from the government, especially the health ministry. We had good doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital. So yes, we pulled it off well," the pilot said.

Recalling the challenges, Singh said orders were to fly in, evacuate and fly out, keeping everyone safe. The order was tall but we had a good team. We had a lot of support from the government, especially the health ministry. We had good doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital. So, we pulled it off pretty well."

On February 17, Indias civil aviation minister, Hardeep Singh Puri handed out prime minister Narendra Modis letters of appreciation to 68 Air India staffers, including Singh, involved in the operations. We are proud of the commitment shown by the Air India team to bring home their countrymen despite the trying conditions in Wuhan, Puri said.

India is sending its largest military transport aircraft, a C-17, to evacuate more Indians and deliver a consignment of medical supplies to people affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The C-17 Globemaster, built in the US, is the largest military aircraft in the Indian Air Force's inventory. The plane can carry large combat equipment, troops and humanitarian aid across long distances in all weather conditions.

The sources told PTI that the aircraft will carry a large consignment of medical supplies to China and bring back more Indians from Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic.

Estimates suggest over 100 Indians are still living in Wuhan, some of whom decided not to return to India.
WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 42 North Dental (42northdental.com) continues its significant growth with the affiliation of Allen Dental Associates (allendentalassociates.com), the company's 75th supported dental practice. 42 North Dental supports practices from Maine to New York, comprised of 25 individual dental brands. Since 2014, 42 North Dental has grown from 29 supported practices to a milestone 75 supported practices through a denovo and acquisition strategy. 16 practices were added in 2019 alone.

Allen Dental Associates is a third-generation dental practice established over 90 years ago. The practice is led by Dr. Craig Allen and Dr. Lauren Handwerk (Payzant). Dr. Craig Allen is a Braintree, MA native and a graduate of the Boston University School of Dental Medicine. He is member of the South Shore District Dental Society, Massachusetts Dental Society, American Dental Association and sits on the Board of the Nantucket Dental Society. Dr. Lauren Handwerk is a graduate of Tufts Dental School and is also a Braintree, MA native. She is a member of the Smile Squad Community Outreach Program and the Alpha Omega Fraternity. Each will continue to provide patients with the highest level of care every day at Allen Dental Associates.

"Our affiliation with 42 North Dental is the product of many hours of research and planning," says Dr. Allen, "I knew we needed a partner to confidently navigate the ever-changing dental industry and we found that partner in 42 North Dental." Dr. Lauren Handwerk continues, "Throughout the process, we felt confident that the legacy of our practice was in good hands with 42 North Dental. Their team and credentials, along with their reputation in the industry aligned well with our practice."

42 North Dental President and CEO Geoff Ligibel commented on the affiliation, "Practices with an incredible legacy like Allen Dental Associates are exactly the type of practice we welcome to 42 North Dental." He continues, "Reaching a milestone of 75 supported practices means our unique model and philosophy of care is reaching even more patients across the northeast. Our vision is to provide healthy, confident smiles for life and Allen Dental helps us realize the vision every day."

The success of each 42 North Dental supported practice centers around an exceptional patient experience and a relentless focus on patient care. 42 North Dental supported practices have won 48 Boston Magazine "Top Dentist Awards" in the past 3 years since the program began; the most of any dental practice in the coverage area. Furthermore 42 North Dental supported practices have been named #1 Dental Office on the North Shore of Massachusetts and #1 Dental Office in Greater Boston by Readers Choice.

Affiliating with 42 North Dental delivers opportunities for career growth, training, mentoring programs, and investments in technology to doctors and practice owners in any stage of their career. 42 North Dental offers dentists the clinical and financial advantages of affiliation including clinical autonomy, equity investment opportunities, and freedom from the business challenges associated with running a practice. By focusing on patient care and best patient outcomes rather than daily administrative burdens, 42 North Dental supported doctors strike a better work/life balance and receive support for transition planning.

ABOUT 42 NORTH DENTAL LLC: 42 North Dental is a leading dental support organization in New England supporting 25 practice brands in 75 locations. With a mission to eliminate barriers to quality patient care by providing business and administrative support to dental practices, 42 North Dental presents opportunities that help doctors and their teams professionally advance while growing the business to its fullest potential. 42 North Dental's affiliation model offers dental providers clinical autonomy and equity ownership, as well as non-clinical solutions and the business support needed to increase the value of the practice. 42 North Dental was created by dentists for dentists and is rooted in over 40 years of experience in the dental industry.

SOURCE 42 North Dental
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
Tammy Saul surpassed all the goals she set out to achieve in 2019 by far. At the start of the year, her objective was to close $100 million in volume. By the end of 2019, she had doubled her volume compared to the previous year, closing over $139 million with 430 loans with her 3-year-old son and a brand-new baby girl in tow. Her motivation: to set an example for her kids.

I wanted to show that you can be pregnant, you can be tired, and you can be miserable, but you can still do it. You can still push through and get the job done, said Saul.

Sauls mortgage career started in 2004 after she lost her job as an attorney the previous year. Her husband was in the mortgage business and she decided to give it a try until she determined what her next step would be. After having some immediate success, she realized that this was where she belonged. In 2006, Saul and her husband decided to open their own brokerage and 15 years later, Saul is a recognized top producer not only in Maryland, but across the country.
Following the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report against Director General of Police Loknath Behera over "misuse" of funds allocated for modernization and the missing rifles and ammunition, Congress MLA P T Thomas on Wednesday asked Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to resign if he was aware of the fraud committed by the officer.

''This is the highest level of allegation against any DGP in the country. The Chief Minister's approach to these allegations is very suspicious. The Chief Minister should reveal whether the government was aware of the allegations or not," said Thomas in a press conference in Kochi.

"If the fraud was committed with the knowledge of the government, the Chief Minister is not entitled to remain in this position for one minute. The Chief Minister should not think that if he laughed at this, the people of Kerala would be contained. There needs to be a thorough investigation," he said.

The Congress MLA said if Chief Minister was unaware of the fraud then Behra should be immediately removed from the post of DGP.

"If the Chief Minister was unaware of what Behra did then he should be removed from the post of DGP and this case should be investigated by a agency like the CBI," the Congress MLA said.

A CAG report has found that 25 rifles and 12,061 live cartridges were "missing" from the possession of Kerala's Special Armed Police Battalion (SAPB).It also pointed out that the state police splurged the funds meant for force's modernisation on buying luxury cars for senior officers instead of procuring vehicles to be used at police stations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Opinion Article

19 February 2020

The rapid spread of the coronavirus from China and beyond has caused a rapid and sudden halt to tourism throughout Asia. Travel, as a luxury expenditure, is often one of the first things we choose to limit when a crisis hits. In times like this, the revenue leader's response during this time could be crucial on a few different levels. The following are some simple tips and reflections.

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1. Use data to tell a story to manage panic and fearful expectations

Whilst optimizing revenue isn't a top priority during a time of rapid cancellations and widespread declines in tourism arrivals, most revenue leaders are in the position to monitor data. By the simple routine of running daily pick-up reports, monitoring booking pace and reviewing the forecast, the discipline of these reports equips us with information to understand the severity of what is happening. At times like this, it's more important to provide context to the data. For example, noting that there are 50 cancellations a day is not as important as being able to say 'We are observing an average of 50 cancellations a day, this is 120% more than the typical daily cancellation factor we observed. Key source countries the cancellations are coming are from XYZ.' Accurately providing context to these figures is important to provide a succinct perspective, no matter how dire.

2. Research historical macro trends of a similar crisis

Unfortunately for the world, the coronavirus outbreak is not the first virus epidemic in recent history. SARs, H1N1, and MERs still bring back chills for countries that experienced these epidemics acutely. If you are in a country that has experienced any of these before, review the historical decline in tourism arrivals in comparison to the same time in the previous month or previous year.

As an example, during the SARS outbreak, Singapore experienced a decline of 19% year-on-year in tourist arrivals. However, they are forecasting a decline of up to 30% in tourist arrivals due to the coronavirus. These macro-tourist trends are an indicator of the expected decline you might expect for your own hotel business. It's also important to account for variations due to impacts on different market segments - larger conventions may be canceled or shifted completely, whilst smaller meetings or independent travelers may not see as large a shift depending on their purpose of travel.

Understanding the macro-perspective may be cold comfort in the face of lost revenue, but it provides a realistic picture of performance and could be useful in dealing with anxious comments from far-away head offices.

3. Focus on cash flow, find different sources of revenue if possible

Rather than spending time clawing back cancellation fees or lamenting the loss of a great potential piece of business, it's important to divert your sales or distribution efforts to other sources of revenue.

For groups or guests who wish to cancel, allowing a postponed trip will be helpful.

Think about the psychology of people responding to this type of crisis now. Most people are fearful of attending a large event of 100 people for fear of that 1 stranger who was unaware and has the virus. But some people are probably more comfortable meeting in smaller settings where they know there are people they can trust to be responsible.

However, in a crisis, cashflow is king. Unfortunately, it's also time to reduce unnecessary spending to ensure the hotel is in a decent cashflow position to weather the next few months.

4. A crisis is still a moment-of-truth

In the hospitality business, we are often in the business of holidays, celebrations and great service. The crisis is the antithesis to any form of celebration, but we all need to remember that these are also 'moments-of-truths' that we need to manage. If we respond to a cancellation request with patience, compassion, and anticipation that they will return, your guest is likely to return when they can arrange their next trip.

If we respond in a petty way to reject refunds or charge cancellation fees, you might get the money but you would have lost the customer forever and left a bitter taste in their mouth. Whilst saying that, I recognize that all businesses need to balance compassion and cashflow management.

I often think to myself 'How would I respond if the person on the line is my family calling to cancel the booking?' With that in mind, it should define the spirit of compassion we will be able to empower our front-line staff to deal with the cancellations coming in.

As much as we would like to minimize revenue loss, if there is any time we should reconsider the SOPs and break the rules, it is a time of crisis.

Visit Business Traveller for a collection of responses from hotel businesses worldwide responding to the coronavirus.

5. A time to 'separate the men from the boys'

A somewhat less politically correct phrase coming from a female writer, but I do sincerely believe that a crisis defines a leader and separates the men from the boys. Our truest colors show under intense pressure. As a revenue leader, this is the time to show the rest of the hotel team that we are more than statistics, increased prices and overbooking levels. It's a time to use data to paint realistic expectations, whilst strategizing for the turnaround when it comes.

It's a time to use facts to calm panic. Or look at the data and panic first, before sharing everything in a much more composed and methodical manner.

It's a time to show compassion and focus on supporting fellow colleagues in the best way possible.

It's a time to learn and record down the trends and stories under these extreme circumstances because when the turnaround comes, you'll want to be able to look back and reflect on how this process made your teams stronger and more resilient.

Finally, it's important to remain prepared for the comeback. Fortunately for us, historical statistics also show that there is always a turning point. Although it may feel far away now in the midst of the fallout, as the team looking at booking pace and daily-pick up reports, you'll also be the first one to be able to report the good news. Be prepared for that.
During a working consultation, acting Prosecutor General of the Republic of Artsakh Aramayis Avagyan and Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia Artur Davtyan discussed issues related to the organizing of the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in the Republic of Artsakh, the reports on electoral violations that may be recorded during and after the elections, the applications of entities involved in electoral processes, as well as examination of alarms and the implementation of effective prosecutorial oversight over processing, as reported the Prosecutor Generals Office of Armenia today.

The Prosecutor General of Armenia stated that every citizen of the Republic of Artsakh must have guarantees for expression of free will and stressed the role and responsibility of the Prosecutor Generals Office of the Republic of Artsakh.
The unclean statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj prompted anger from the locals here when Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari along with mayor Kishori Pednekar visited Shivaji Park to pay tribute to the Maratha emperor's statue on his birth anniversary.

Shivsena stalwart Manohar Joshi said that BMC is responsible for the cleanliness of the statue.

The real issue cropped up when the cleanliness of the statue propped up.

Like each year, floral tributes were paid by the dignitaries to the statue however, the condition of the statue in terms of cleanliness was in question.

Angry locals who were present here were miffed with the entire situation. The statue was dirty, polishing was fading off, moreover, the bird droppings on the statue were also not cleaned.

Locals said that the BMC should form a committee if required to ensure the cleanliness of the statues of great people. They said that even though the tributes were given by dignitaries, the cleanliness of the statue was in question.

Shivsena stalwart Manohar Joshi was also present on the occasion and said that, "BMC is responsible for the cleanliness of the statue. The mayor is present on the occasion and she will ensure that next time, cleanliness is maintained."

"If required, a committee should be formed in order to avoid such embarrassing situations next time," he added.

Meanwhile, he and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari both remembered Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj saying he has been an inspiration for everyone and people should follow his footsteps to become a great person.

"It is important to celebrate such occasions irrespective of the date or 'tithi'. It will be interesting to see how the cleanliness of such statues is kept in the coming times as it is a mark of disrespect to our tributes and to an unclean statue," said Joshi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Blagojevich said he hoped to draw on the experience of his imprisonment to work on behalf of people who have been wrongfully incarcerated or oversentenced for nonviolent offenses. He also had a message for his fellow underdogs: You may be down, all your hopes may have seemed to disappear. The road you have to travel is a long one, and home, thats where you want to be, is so far away you cant even see the flicker of a light at the end of the tunnel. But dont give up.
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "As an A/C tech, I see the same problem all the time," said an inventor from Manchester, Mo. "I came up with this idea so that people could change the filter of their furnace quickly and easily."

He created a prototype for HOME FILTER SOLUTIONS, patent pending, to make it much easier to change the furnace filter. The accessory prevents the filter from being sucked into the blower motor. This eliminates hassles and frustrations, and saves time and effort. Furthermore, the invention is designed to be affordable and easy to use.

The original design was submitted to the St. Louis sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 18-SUU-581, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

Related Links

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Vodafone Idea Ltd chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and Bharti Airtel promoter Sunil Mittal met finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday.

Birla is making a last-ditch attempt to save Vodafone Idea after a Rs 50,000-crore demand from department of telecommunications threatens to shut down his company even as Mittal told TV channels that the AGR issue wasn't discussed.

The meeting comes a day after Birla met telecom secretary Anshu Prakash.

Vodafone Idea is staring at bankruptcy after a 24 October Supreme Court order found it and Bharti Airtel as well as other telecom operators of under-reporting their revenues, classified as adjusted gross revenues (AGR).

After a 14-year-long legal battle, the apex court upheld the governments broader definition of AGR which includes dividends and rent received. The DoT argued that these companies held a telecom licence and any revenue earned from it, be it dividend or rent, was derived out of a telecom service. India levies licence fee of 8% of AGR on every telecom licence holder and hence lower the AGR, lower is the licence fee outgo.

The worst hit is Vodafone Idea, given that it only had Rs 12,530 crore of cash and equivalent reserves as of December 2019, while bearing a gross debt of Rs 1.2 trillion.

Two days ago, the cash-strapped telecom company paid Rs 2,500 crore as part payment of its dues. Its likely to pay another Rs 1,000 crore by Friday.

The board will take further stock of the situation to see how additional payments can be made," Vodafone Idea said in an exchange filing on Monday, the day when Airtel paid Rs 10,000 crore of its total dues of Rs 35,586 crore to DoT. The Mittal company too is currently in the process of assessing its total dues.

The SC on Monday refused to hear a plea by Vodafone Idea, seeking directions to DoT to not take any coercive steps for recovery of dues, the company said. According to Vodafone lawyer Mukul Rohatgi, encashing bank guarantees would be the last nail in the coffin and the company would then have no option but to close down.
The countries also condemn the illegal annexation of Crimea.

Five European Union members of the United Nations Security Council have made a statement in support of Ukraine amid the escalation in Donbas.

"We as the current and previous European Union members of the Security Council  Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland, fully support the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders," according to a statement, posted by the Permanent Mission of Estonia to the United Nations.

The countries also condemn the illegal annexation of Crimea.

"We condemn the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol and the destabilization of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Russian must in particular end its financial and military support to the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk and Luhansk," it said.

"Respect for the territorial integrity of UN member states and the prohibition of the use of force and fundamental principles of international law both under the UN Charter as well as under the Helsinki Final Act. By the use of force against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, Russia is clearly violating the fundamental principles of international law."

"After six years of conflict, the unstable security situation in eastern Ukraine has had an increasingly adverse impact on the civilian population, in particular on the most vulnerable living in the Non-Government Controlled Areas, and along the Line of Contact where people are under continuous threat of shelling. Some 3.5 million people require humanitarian assistance and protection due to, inter alia widespread mine contamination, escalating psychological trauma and lack of access to basic services. We deplore recent military escalations with fatalities at the line of contact. We call on the sides for full compliance with the ceasefire and in particular on Russia to use its considerable influence over the armed formations it backs to meet the Minsk commitments in full," the statement says.

Read alsoUkraine's envoy at UNSC: Kremlin continues strategy of escalation in Donbas

"We welcome the Common agreed conclusions of the summit held in Paris on the 9th of December 2019 whereby the member states of the Normandy format reaffirmed that the Minsk agreements continue to be the basis of their work. The full implementation of Minsk Agreements by all sides and political dialogue remain the basis for solving the conflict. In that respect, the commitments under the Minsk agreements have to be fully implemented, beginning with full compliance with the ceasefire in line with the conclusion of the Paris summit, withdrawal of heavy weaponry, and constructive engagement in the Normandy format and the Trilateral contact group. The obstruction of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission must end," reads the statement.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian occupying forces on Tuesday morning attacked Ukrainian defense positions in Donbas, using 120mm mortars proscribed by the Minsk agreements. Under fire cover, the Russian invaders began their offensive operation and attempted to advance across the contact line. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another five were wounded amid the fight.

Enemy casualties amounted to four killed and six wounded.
International maritime experts from Cork have urged a judge to consider the many Irish victims of the Titanic still entombed onboard as a US salvage company seeks to enter the wreckage.

RMS Titanic Inc, based in Atlanta, Georgia, is currently seeking to penetrate the hull of the infamous shipwreck for the first time to retrieve the Marconi wireless telegraph.

However, experts argue that entering the wreckage in this way would disturb the grave of the over 1,500 souls, many of whom were Irish emigrants who lost their lives when the ship sank in 1912.

International Maritime Organisation consultant Michael Kingston, from Goleen in West Cork, has written to the US District Court judge currently presiding over the application, urging her to consider Irelands interest as a nation in the case due to its close connections with the ship.

In his letter to Judge Rebecca Beach Smith, Mr Kingston argued that there has been no consultation on the need to consider the families of those who died or the victims of the tragedy.

A large majority of those who lost their lives were Irish and British citizens, who at that time would have been fellow citizens.

In combination, Irish and British, we are talking about the memory of 1,000 people, many of whom are entombed in the vessel, Mr Kingston said.

As well as the Irish and British, many emigrants from other nations including Sweden and Croatia, who were embarking on new lives in the US, are also among the dead.

.

The Titanic

The ship is therefore not just an enormous grave site, but a monument to such wider family tragedy and hardship given that those who died were the hope for all family members back home, and that is the starting point  our moral obligation to the victims and their families. I respectfully submit that it overrides all other concerns, said Mr Kingston.

In his letter, Mr Kingston also cites Irelands preservation order on the RMS Lusitania which prohibits any penetration of the wreck.

The reason is a simple one  it is a grave, he said.

Hundreds of men and women went to their death in the hull of the ship.

The community of Kinsale still remembers the massive human cost of the sinking, and is mindful of the many US citizens who rest in their local graveyards, the submission argues.

Mr Kingstons letter has been co-signed by Ciaran McCarthy, a fellow Corkman and barrister, as well as a lecturer in maritime law at the National Maritime College of Ireland.

In a statement, Mr McCarthy said the Titanic disaster has maintained an indelible stain on Irish consciousness.

It is a matter of intense concern that it is proposed that the hull of the wreck, essentially the grave of the over 1,500 souls, including the emigrants from Ireland who had boarded the ship in Queenstown in Cork in April 1912 in search of a new life in the United States, should be penetrated to facilitate the removal of relics, he said.

The application is due to be considered today, February 20.
Dublin, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Light Vehicle Leasing Market in South Korea, Forecast to 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Fleet registration is expected to grow, aided mainly by registrations in the company car fleet. Company cars, which are provided mainly for work purposes in South Korea, are experiencing increased demand from industries and corporate firms. Leasing, comprising operational leasing and financial leasing, is the major sourcing channel for company cars in South Korea. Private leasing has developed strongly over the past four years with the constant growth in several contracts registered annually.



Vehicle leasing is seen as a solution to the growing number of challenges faced by companies with regard to their mobility needs. Amongst others, these include challenges associated with vehicle funding, fleet maintenance, and more importantly, residual risk handling. Businesses in the present market are focused on their core products/services and seek to outsource all other support activities.



Mobility is a significant department - starting from fleet purchase to remarketing at a competitive price - for each segment in the value chain, unless an expert team is on the job, issues such as cost spikes, utilisation mismatches, irregularities in fleet maintenance, and risks of dips in residual value can crop up.

Leasing the fleet enables hassle-free mobility, on-demand mobility, and fleet after-service facilities, amongst other benefits. This has driven the growth of the leasing market, given it a structure, and regulated the ecosystem.

Report Coverage

This study sheds light on the market size across passenger vehicle (PV) and light commercial vehicle (LCV) segments and provides sales/parc data for the total market and fleet and company car (true fleet) segments.

The company car segment is discussed in detail, with a focus on the actual development and the growth potential of financial lease, operational lease, and outright purchase. The analysis takes into account historical data and current market conditions and insights and opinions from market participants to provide a five-year outlook on growth opportunities over 2018-2023.



In addition to market data (PV and LCV) for new registrations and portfolio, the study provides actual competitor data (portfolio) for the leading leasing service providers in the country. Competitor data is available for both the leasing segments (operational and financial) for the base year, 2018.

Story continues

The evolution of any industry depends on factors, such as transformational trends that are linked to the macroeconomic factors of the region and the emerging business models that reflect innovation in mobility solutions, such as rental, car sharing, integrated mobility, and alternative power-train.



The study covers the evolutionary trends expected to shape the market. For leasing providers and other companies that share the leasing ecosystem, interest lies in the growth opportunities that they need to leverage and the strategic imperatives, which will aid their pursuit of growth and success.

Overall, the study provides a 360-degree understanding of the leasing space (region-specific) and offers a detailed account of the key trends, market overview, and outlook.

Companies Mentioned



AJ Group

Hyundai Capital

Lotte Rental

Orix Capital Korea

SK Networks

Samsung Card

Shinhan Capital

Key Topics Covered



1. Executive Summary

Key Findings

Market Engineering Measurements - New Fleet & Company Car Registrations

Market Engineering Measurements - Fleet & Company Car Parc

2. Research Scope and Definition

Research Scope, Objectives, and Methodology

Market Definitions

Market Structure

Fleet Segmentation

Car Sharing

3. Market Forces - Drivers and Restraints

Market Drivers

Drivers Explained

Market Restraints

Restraints Explained

4. Total Market for Fleet and Company Cars

Total New Fleet and Company Car Registrations

Total New Fleet and Company Car Parc

5. Total New Company Car Registrations and Parc Analysis by Funding Type

Total New Company Car Registrations

Total Company Car Parc

6. Competitor Market Shares

Operational Leasing

Financial Leasing

7. Analysis of Total Private Leasing Segment (New Registrations and Parc)

Total Private Leasing - New Registrations

Total Private Leasing - Parc

8. Growth Opportunities and Companies to Action

Growth Opportunities

Strategic Imperatives

9. Key Conclusions and Future Outlook

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sgqi0l

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.



CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900


By AFP

MOSCOW: Russia on Tuesday said it would ban all Chinese citizens from entering its territory from February 20, in a drastic measure against the spread of the new coronavirus, local news agencies said.

"The entry of all Chinese citizens via Russia's state frontiers will be suspended from February 20 for work travel, private travel, study and tourism," said Deputy Prime Minister in charge of health, Tatiana Golikova, according to agencies.

She said the decision was taken "because of the worsening of the epidemic in China and the fact that Chinese nationals are continuing to arrive on Russian territory."

Several Chinese nationals visit Russia as tourists or live there for work or study and many transit through Russian airports en route to the West.

Russia has taken drastic measures to stop the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak which has claimed nearly 1,900 lives in China and around the world. It has already closed its 4,250-km (2,650-mile) border with China.

There are no more coronavirus cases in Russia after two women, who returned from China recently, were released from the hospital.
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This week, state lawmakers are expected to formally apologize for one of California's many dark chapters: the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

A resolution introduced by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) singles out California's "failure to support and defend the civil rights" of Japanese Americans during that period.

More than 120,000 people of Japanese descent were forced from their homes and jobs and into camps across the West and Arkansas just two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the executive order implementing these internments on Feb. 19, 1942, a date which is now observed as the Day of Remembrance.

I introduced HR 77, an official apology by the Assembly for legislation actions that led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. I will be introducing the H.R. on Feb 20th as part of the annual Day of Remembrance celebrations.https://t.co/xCpkQsKT8R  Asm. Al Muratsuchi (@AsmMuratsuchi) February 10, 2020

Muratsuchi told KPCC he wrote HR-77 partly as a response to the Trump administration's immigration policies, including the Muslim travel ban and the detention of Latino migrants.

"We're seeing striking parallels between what happened to Japanese Americans before and during World War II and what we see happening today," he said.

Japanese Americans interned at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia behind barbed wire fence wave to departing friends on train, ca 1945. (Julian F. Fowlkes/Library of Congress)

The federal government apologized for the forced removal of Japanese Americans and granted financial redress to survivors with the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, and the Supreme Court in 2018 overruled an infamous decision that legally upheld internment.

But for some, an apology directly from the Golden State -- which was home to nearly three-quarters of the entire Japanese American population by 1940 -- is long overdue.

"California was at the forefront for pushing for some of the policies that led up to internment," said David Inoue, executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League. "And many people within the state of California advocated for them."?

That includes the Alien Land laws and other policies designed to discourage immigrants, particularly those from Asia, from settling in California.

If the resolution passes, it would not be the first apology from Sacramento to atone for sins of the past. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order apologizing for California's role in the history of violence against Native Americans and called for an official reconciliation commission.

Muratsuchi said acknowledging the mistakes of the past is necessary for the state to move forward.

"I introduced HR-77 for California to lead by example," he said, "and to show that we can learn the lessons of history -- so that history doesn't repeat itself."?

State lawmakers are expected to vote on the resolution Thursday.

LEARN MORE:
If you are a student who is getting disturbed at night by loudspeakers and community functions while preparing for final exams, call the Ludhiana police. In a noble initiative, the police has started a helpline number 112 for complaints related to noise pollution.

Exam season has arrived, lets make it noise-free for our children, reads the poster shared by the Ludhiana police on its Facebook page, urging students to contact them in case they are being disturbed by loud music.

As per information, the authorities have received over 22 complaints on the number since it became operational on Monday.

Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Kulwant Singh, who is deployed at the police control room, says, We are receiving calls between 9 pm and 11 pm from people residing on Pakhowal Road. Most complaints are about loud music being played at wedding functions at private palaces.

He said, Our PCR vans are dispatched to the spot immediately after getting information. We advise people to either shut down the music system or lower the volume in order to help students prepare better for their examinations.

Police commissioner Rakesh Agrawal, said, We are currently warning erring persons but will soon start lodging FIRs against the violators.

AN EVERYDAY PROBLEM, SAY STUDENTS

Ishita Sharma, a student of Class 10 residing near Pakhowal Road, said, I prefer studying at night as there is no disturbance. Our English exam is scheduled for February 26 but for the last one week, I have been unable to study as a nearby private palace always plays loud music. This is a crucial time for revision but due to the loud music, it is affecting students like me. There is a need to instruct owners of marriage places to reduce the volume of the music.

Majority of the students preparing for the exams say that it is an everyday problem as whenever they sit to study in the morning and late at night, loudspeakers installed at wedding functions and religious places leave them unable to concentrate on their studies.

Gaurav Kohli, a student of Class 12, said, I am preparing for my board exams and the next exam is psychology which will be held on February 22. My residence is near a religious place and loudspeakers at these places make it difficult for me to concentrate on my studies. The authorities must take a decision to stop the use of loudspeakers at religious places especially during exam time.

BAN ORDERS

Earlier too, the police commissioner had banned loud music and DJ between 10 pm and 6 am. He said that prior permission should be sought for playing DJ and loudspeakers at any kind of function between 10 pm to 6 am. He said the loud music at night disturbs elderly persons, people suffering from illness as well as animals and birds.

.

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The fashion industry in Turkey, on the rise. The country expects to end 2020 reaching a record in its fashion exports. Specifically, the Turkish market plans to close the year with fashion sales abroad worth 19,000 million dollars, compared to 17,700 million in 2019.

Turkey is one of the productive hubs that is benefiting the most from the coronavirus epidemic, as it stands as a cluster of alternative production to the Chinese market.

In January, the country's fashion exports registered an annual increase of 5.8% according to the latest data from the Istanbul Apparel Exporters Association (Ihkib). In the first month of the year, Europe was Turkey's main customer.

Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom were the countries that most imported Turkish fashion goods in the period, registering a rise in exports of 4.7%, 8.7% and 3.9%, respectively. The Netherlands, France, the United States, Denmark, Iraq and Poland are also among the main importers of the Turkish fashion sector.

In parallel, Mustafa Gultepe, president of the Ihkib, has indicated that the coronavirus will positively affect the Turkish industry since the main fashion operators have moved their supplies to the country before the outbreak of the epidemic. However, it also affects the fall in the production of raw materials in China ballasted by the coronavirus.
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Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 11:04 693 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20655d0b2 1 News Singapore,coronavirus,COVID-19,tourism,travel Free

Singapore is among the countries that have been affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, as the country's Health Ministry announced on Monday that there were 77 confirmed cases of the virus and 24 people had been discharged from the hospital.

The outbreak has also affected the countrys tourism. The Singapore Tourism Board reported that 19.1 million tourists visited the country in 2019, a 3.3 percent increase from 2018. However, the number is forecast to drop about 25 to 30 percent this year.

Every day, Singapore loses 20,000 tourists from all entrances [following the virus outbreak], said John Gregory Conceicao, Southeast Asia executive director of the Singapore Tourism Board, during the Year-in-Review 2019 and Media & Trade Gathering event on Tuesday in South Jakarta.

China, where the outbreak first emerged, contributed to 20 percent of the country's international tourist arrivals. Indonesia ranked second after China with 3.11 million tourists traveling to Singapore last year.

Mohamed Firhan Abdul Salam, Indonesia area director of the Singapore Tourism Board, said at the same event that Singapore currently applied travel restrictions for tourists from China, including on direct flights to and from China. Its among the measures to contain the situation in Singapore, Firhan said.

Mohamed Firhan Abdul Salam, area director for Indonesia of Singapore Tourism Board, during Year-in-Review 2019 and Media & Trade Gathering of Singapore Tourism Board on February 18, 2020 at Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place in South Jakarta. (JP/Ni Nyoman Wira)

Despite the outbreak, Firhan said Singapore still continued with business as usual. He explained that thermal scanning had been performed in all entrances to Singapore and surgical masks were provided for the public, especially for those who are sick.

The country also has implemented contact tracing, meaning that those who have interacted with a coronavirus-infected person will be traced for further check-ups.

We suggest travelers practice personal hygiene: wash your hands, wear masks if youre sick and go to the doctor if you feel any symptom of fever and coughing, Firhan said, adding that all tourist destinations in Singapore were still open to the public.

In fact, the country has new tourist attractions, including a new tower at the Marina Bay Sands, a rejuvenated Orchard Road and Jurong Lake District and the newly opened Magical Shores at Siloso in Sentosa Island that offers interactive beach light art.

In regard to the country's recovery, Conceicao said it would take longer than the recovery period from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, which took around five months.

Maybe it will take five to six months. Well see whether we can recover by then, he said, adding that the board planned to team up with travel agents, airlines and online travel agents to promote Singapore when the recovery period ends. (wng)
The Pentagon's top policy official was out of a job Wednesday in the continuing fallout from the holdup of military aid to Ukraine and the ensuing impeachment process.

In his letter of resignation, Rood said he had learned from Defense Secretary Mark Esper that President Donald Trump wanted him out. "As you have requested, I am providing my resignation effective February 28," Rood said in the letter to Trump.

In response, Trump sent out a tweet thanking Rood for his service and wishing him "well in his future endeavors," but he also shared a Bloomberg news report suggesting that Rood was not on board with the administration's policies.

The report said that Rood "faced pressure to resign from some who lost confidence in his ability to carry out Trump's agenda."

Related: 'No Investigations' into Lt. Col. Vindman's Conduct, Army Secretary Says

At a news conference, Jonathan Hoffman, the Pentagon's chief spokesman, said he was "not going to speculate on the motivations" behind Rood's apparent firing, but noted that it is the "president's prerogative" on whether a political appointee should be retained.

"The president can make a decision to go in a different direction," he said.

Hoffman would not confirm that Esper had asked Rood to step down, saying he had not put the question to the SecDef.

In a statement, Esper said Rood had "played a critical role on a wide range of DoD issues including modernizing our nuclear deterrence capability, efforts to increase burden sharing by our NATO allies, our Missile Defense Review and implementing the National Defense Strategy. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

Hoffman said that Dr. James Anderson, the current senior official performing the duties of the deputy under secretary of defense for policy, would take on Rood's job until Trump picks a replacement, subject to Senate confirmation.

Rood, whose resignation was first reported by CNN, certified last July that Ukraine had met the requirements to receive $250 million in military aid at the same time that the Trump administration was withholding that aid.

Rood's certification appeared to undermine the argument made by Trump's defenders in the impeachment process: that the aid was withheld because of the president's concerns about corruption in Ukraine.

Since his acquittal by the Senate, Trump has moved quickly against those he believes testified unfairly against him in the impeachment process.

Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a Ukraine and Russia expert on the White House National Security Council staff, was marched out of the White House by the Secret Service. European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland resigned after being recalled from his post.

Vindman's twin brother, Army Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, a lawyer on the National Security Council, also was ordered to leave.

Rood came to the Defense Department with a wide range of government, Capitol Hill and private-sector experience.

He held positions at the State Department, the White House National Security Council and the CIA, and also worked as an adviser to former Republican Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona. In the private sector, Rood worked for major defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

Read More: Here's the List of Military Clinics That Will No Longer Serve Retirees, Families
New Delhi, Feb 19 : On request of parents of Disha, the Hyderabad girl who was gangraped and murdered on November 27 last year, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice is examining a proposal to ensure expeditious "justice in cases of barbarous and heinous crimes". Disha's parents had sought changes in laws dealing with "cruellest of crimes against women" and also suggested to punish those who post adult content on social media.

On behalf of Disha's parents, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy, who belongs to Hyderabad, has written to the Law Ministry to examine the points suggested by the grieving parents.

In his letter addressed to Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister for Law and Justice, Reddy writes,"The petitioners (Disha's parents) have offered certain suggestions to ensure justice in cases of heinous crimes. I have asked the officers concerned in my ministry to examine these carefully." The MoS(Home) requested the Law Minister to examine the suggestions by the legal affair department too, with an objective to curb heinous crimes. Acknowledging Reddy's proposal on February 13 last week, the Law Ministry is examining the points from a legal perspective, sources told IANS.

In their two-page proposal to the Home Ministry, Disha's parents have cited years of delay in execution of punishment in Nirbhaya rape case. For quick delivery of justice, the parents suggested to amend rules pertaining to appointment of Special Investigating Officer and not to assign him/her any other duties till a charge sheet is filed. They also proposed that till a case comes to the logical conclusion including examination of witnesses, bail should not be given to the accused.

The parents suggested that in heinous crimes such as rape and murder, the entire case should be disposed of within 365 days. "The time period of 365 days means that from the date of registration of an FIR to hanging, all judicial processes from lower court to the Supreme Court, including mercy petition before the President, should be finalised," the letter said.

The parents who lost their daughter, a veterinary doctor, in a gruesome gang rape followed by brutal killing, said that a sense of insecurity is prevailing among the families who are struck by such crimes -- "committed at will and without any fear of law." In order to pay a fitting homage to Disha, Nirbhaya, Samatha, Manasa (and many other victims of heinous crimes), the country should ensure quicker justice within one month so that that criminals are given the severest punishment of death," says the letter.

Disha's parents also requested the government to conduct a study to find out why such crimes are taking place in India, a country known for its traditions and virtues of respecting women.

Disha's parents also pointed out that despite a ban, an growing number of porn sites are adding fuel to the fire, and are primarily responsible for a spike in sex-related crimes against women.

"We suggest a ban all such porn sites and punishment to those who post adult content on social media, especially live rape clips. Such adult content is easily available on smart phones," the parents said, recommending, "introduction of a special subject in all schools for all classes till 12th with subjects such as gender equality, respect for laws of the country and non-discrimination towards all sections of people."
Students at University College Cork (UCC) are prepared to take strike action unless rents are frozen in college-owned accommodation for the next three years.

UCC Students' Union made the warning following the news that UCC is increasing campus accommodation rents by 3% for the 2020/21 academic year. The decision came this week amid announcements of similar hikes at other universities across the country.

In an open letter to UCC president Professor Patrick O'Shea, the students' union demanded a full reversal of the 3% increase. According to the union, it follows increases of 5% in 2018 and 11% in 2019.

In the letter, Ben Dunlea, UCC Students' Union president, said, "In December 2019, you yourself expressed the desire to provide affordable housing for students and emphasised that 'outside the box' thinking was necessary."

He added that placing "increasing severe financial strain" on students is not 'outside the box'."

"UCC Students' Union is demanding a full reversal of the board's decision and a rent freeze to be placed on UCC accommodation for three years, in the hopes that policies will be implemented at a national level to mitigate against the Irish housing crisis."

Failing such a decision, the UCCSU will mobilise and prepare for strike action, he added.

A UCC spokesman said the university did not increase the cost of campus accommodation in the three years leading up to 2018 and current rates are below those provided by private operators.

"Campus Accommodation UCC is currently servicing loans of over 41 million that is exclusively related to its properties which provide 1,277 student beds," he said.

"Campus Accommodation UCC is financially self-sufficient, and receives no State funding towards its efforts to create and maintain high-quality student accommodation at rates below the market average."

The costs of maintaining and developing student accommodation has risen and all profits generated are reinvested, typically used to cover refurbishment, security and maintenance costs, he added.

Similar rent increases for the upcoming year have been announced at UCD, DCU, NUIG, UL and TCD.
Since it was founded, the brand SanoVita (latin for "healthy life") has represented a healthier alternative to traditional foods. The Company offers a wide range of products, including snacks, cereals, rice cakes, tofu, mueslis, and nut and seed mixes. Its founders instilled in the Company their strong belief that nutrition is key to a healthy life, anticipating and contributing to the consumer shift towards better eating habits in Romania. This trend is still in early stages in the country and growing rapidly.

Highlander's portfolio includes a variety of food and beverage companies across the world. It plans to accelerate the growth of SanoVita by introducing new products, enhancing capabilities at existing production facilities and pursuing strategic M&A. All the while, Highlander intends to continue SanoVita's culture and commitment to the highest quality standards.

Raluca Nita, Managing Director of Highlander Partners commented, "We are very excited that SanoVita marks our second investment in Romania in less than one year. We believe the Company has significant growth opportunities, which will be driven by increased consumer awareness and product innovation. This acquisition underscores Highlander's desire to invest in high quality branded companies; in particular, Highlander has a significant track record in the food industry which we are delighted to be applying to SanoVita."

The founders of SanoVita will partner with Highlander and continue to support the development of the business. "We are thrilled to be working with Highlander, which has repeatedly demonstrated its focus on building long-term value for its portfolio companies. We count on Highlander to prepare SanoVita for the next stage of growth while maintaining the same values embedded in SanoVita's culture. With enhanced operational and strategic support, we will continue to expand our market position and heighten SanoVita's brand, which already has a considerable consumer awareness in the Romanian market," stated the Founders of SanoVita: Cornel Soare, Ion Dan and Dumitru Dan.

Jeff L. Hull, President and CEO of Highlander Partners, added, "We look forward to applying our expertise in the food industry to SanoVita. The business is extremely well-positioned today, and we believe we can take the brand to the next level with accelerated innovation and expanded distribution. We also firmly believe that our 'buy and build' approach will be successful in this sector, as it has been in other parts of the world. We will target companies with strong growth potential and excellent brand equity as we look to complement SanoVita's product portfolio through continued M&A."

Kinstellar acted as legal counsel to Highlander Partners and TS Partners as financial and tax advisor, while RTPR Allen & Overy acted as a legal counsel to SanoVita's founders.

About SanoVita

SanoVita was founded in 1995 out of a desire to educate and change the Romanian lifestyle and eating habits. SanoVita is one of the most important players on the healthy & vegetarian food products market in Romania and is a pioneer in categories like cereal and muesli. Today, SanoVita's portfolio includes a diversity of cereals, healthy snacks and organic products.

About Highlander Partners, L.P.

Highlander Partners, L.P. is a Dallas-based private investment firm with approximately $2 billion of assets under management. The firm focuses on making investments in businesses in targeted industries in which the principals of the firm have significant operating and investing experience. Highlander employs a buy and build investment approach, creating value by helping companies grow organically and through acquisitions. For more information, visit www.highlander-partners.com

SOURCE Highlander Partners, L.P.

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http://www.highlander-partners.com


I was engulfed in a stinking marital problem and I needed to get out but almost all the lawyers I approached told me I have to wait for two years before I could file for divorce and the marriage was three months old at that time.



By chance legal education



Then I told myself that if I have to wait, then I will go to the law school and handle my own divorce case. This is what pushed Lawyer Mary Ohenewaa Afful to become a lawyer.



Narrating her life story to African Eye Report, she said: It took me five years for my legal education and the call to the Ghana Bar from 2005 to 2010. But I filed the first divorce petition in 2012, it got stuck, I got depressed as docket got missing from the law firm of a colleague lawyer who was handling it for me.



I took a break and focused on my law career and I finally filed it myself in 2016 and handled the entire case myself, that is I was the same lawyer in my own case.



This has been the journey to my legal education so far. I never dreamt of becoming a lawyer, I only wanted to be on TV when I grow up and enjoyed watching older women on TV when I was a child, Lawyer Afful confidently stated.



Although she didnt face any challenge growing up, she recounted that her mother had her premature and embarked on divorce soon as she was born.



Whilst growing up, anytime my siblings and I visited our father, he will tell us all the torture he put my mother through and making my mother to have a premature baby which was me. He would cry with us and tell us how sorry he felt, Lawyer Afful said.



She continued: My mother on the other hand remarried when I was two years and we have all lived with our step father and both of them are still alive just that my father passed out when I was age 20.



So I must confess that I grew up as an emotional child and got glued to my books all the time. My mother provided everything that I needed that I never lacked anything growing up. And I always share with my friends the things I have.



Things rather turned sour when she also married at age 24 and she came face to face with marital abuse that fortunately or unfortunately, shaped her career into a strong feminist activist and a human rights advocate.



She did not allow these setbacks to dampen her spirit but went ahead to set up her own law firm called Mary Ohenewaa Advocacy & Law Consult.



She has an advocacy programme dubbed Ohenewaa Human Rights Advocacy that entails a list of advocacy activities geared towards shaping and affecting society in a very positive way.



Furthermore, Lawyer Afful is using the law to fight for womens rights especially, women in marital distress and also fight for the ordinary people and the suffering masses who cant afford legal services.



My career is rather the challenging aspect of my life right now where I cant get resources or any support anywhere to help advocate for the rights of the ordinary person because I believe that many of such legal problems can be avoided when the masses receive some form of prior legal advice or knowledge, she said.



Legacy she wants to leave behind



Lawyer Afful doesnt really see herself as a legal practitioner any more. But rather, she want to be noted for as a human rights advocate and a feminist activist championing the rights of women and children as well as fighting for the human rights of the ordinary people who are gullible and vulnerable and do not have the voice to speak out for their rights on issues engulfing and affecting them.



I also want to leave a legacy of helping fight against all forms of abuse in the country through my nationwide advocacy programmes as well as being a media legal resource person on human rights and womens rights issues in Ghana, Africa and beyond.



What is next for?



The affable lawyer is looking at ensuring that her human rights advocacy programmes must be available everywhere in every locality on radio, TV, schools, markets, lorry stations, among others.



We must help the ordinary person, school children, market women, lorry drivers etc know their basic fundamental human rights and freedoms as well as their legal rights and responsibilities so that they can assert their rights.



The human rights advocacy must also help them prevent cases of abuse by knowing well in advance the punishments/ jail terms associated with acts of criminality so that we can prevent many people most especially the youth from getting themselves locked up in jail.



Our prisons are even overcrowded so I want to focus more on preventive crime, prior legal advice by way of mass education to the general public, the pretty Lawyer Afful added.



Vision



Having worked for the past 11 years as lawyer, an advocate and an activist in human rights and feminist activism, and having written several books published and unpublished, this is her ultimate dream comes true.



Lawyer Afful just wants to keep building on this dream and expand to other areas of life by giving mass education to the public by way of human rights advocacy. This is obviously what she believes strongly she will be doing for now and the rests of her life.



No intention of going into politics



She has no such desires and intentions of going into partisan politics. Explaining: I left politics in 2015 and I made a determination never to ever indulge myself in any political activity.



I have single handedly built a very good advocacy programme through hard work, nothing else but hard work and I do not intend to involve any form of politics in my advocacy career.



Lawyer Mary Ohenewaa Afful

She prefers to operate on the basis of the frustrations and issues affecting the ordinary people and the suffering masses by providing an avenue to educate them free without any government or political interference.



However, should any politician approach me to support or sponsor my various human rights activities, I will gladly receive such support for the betterment of the affected persons and to reach out to the larger community but without necessarily associating myself with the political party, according to her.



Advice to the youth



Lawyer Afful used the opportunity to encourage youth to be hard working, stressing that; theres no short cut to success. Using fraudulent ways to make money will only lead them to face criminal sanctions.



They must also identify their passion and work towards it. Because doing your passion in your chosen field is always the best. They should also inculcate the habit in thinking. Most young people are unable to use their thinking caps and expect artificial ways of solving all forms of problems.



Lawyer Mary Ohenewaa Afful on radio

List of Ohenewaa Human Rights Advocacy Programmes



Lawyer Afful has embarked on several human rights advocacy and charity programmes in the country. These include:-Free Books Distribution: Laws on Domestic and Sexual Violence & Cycle of Abuse to preschools and Senior High Schools (SHSs).



She is also embarking on an advocacy tour in tertiary institutions on talks on Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms which she believes strongly that students at that level should know basic human rights education and free speech without necessarily becoming a lawyer.



They can know such areas of the law in order to assert their rights at the highest levels of their education in the communities that they find themselves, she stressed.



Additionally, Lawyer Afful has taken field advocacies on marital abuse and torture to the media, churches, markets/lorry stations, communities, among others.



She again has made donations to female inmates in prisons, childrens homes and shelters in some communities.



Education



She holds Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of London, UK, and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.



Lawyer Afful did the Professional Law Course at the Ghana School of Law and was called to the Ghana Bar on 16th April, 2010.



She has worked in notable law firms such as Lither Brew and Co., Painstil, Painstil and Co., Solomon and Associates, among others before setting up her own law firm.



Lawyer Afful specializes in Human Rights Advocacy, Matrimonial, Legal Consulting in Business and Investment Advice, Property Acquisition and Documentation, Immigration and Debt Recovery.





Source: Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, African Eye Report









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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Iwan Rutjens, Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Hanoi

Since my arrival in Vietnam in summer 2019 as the trade and commercial counselor of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, I have very much enjoyed working in the context of a rapidly evolving and growing Vietnamese economy.

The Netherlands is the largest EU investor and the second-largest EU trading partner in Vietnam. Many icons of Dutch corporate life such as Unilever, Heineken, Damen Shipyards, Philips, Royal Haskoning, and Friesland Campina have been doing business here for many years. Increasingly, both large and small Dutch companies that focus on offering innovative solutions in Vietnam and that are fostering a circular economy and sustainable trade are entering the market.

With the ratification by the European Parliament of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Investment Protection Agreement (IPA) it all comes together. These are modern and ambitious agreements, which will foster trade, and will serve as a powerful vehicle for advancing human rights and improving environmental and labour standards. Hence, they will lead to sustainable trade benefiting all. The Netherlands, therefore, looks forward to increasing its partnership with Vietnam in areas like agriculture, water, climate, logistics, smart cities, the circular economy, and renewable energy.

Many positive developments are taking place in Vietnam. Sustainability is more prominent on the agenda which has led to an interest in circular economy applications and an increasing need for renewable energy development. In this context, the Netherlands and other European partners are supporting the efforts of Vietnam to develop offshore wind energy.

Key characteristics of both Vietnam and the EU are that both are signatories in many FTAs. This makes Vietnam an ideal linking pin for the EU, either as a direct consumer market, a business-to-business market, or an investment destination to serve third markets.

This includes easier access to countries that have an FTA with Vietnam and the EU like South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Canada, and so on. Another boon for EU companies is eligibility for government procurement that will lead to better services, and an incentive to have partnerships between Vietnamese and European companies.

The ratification of both agreements is also the start of yet another important process. The IPA needs to be ratified by national EU parliaments and the EVFTA still needs to be ratified by the National Assembly in Vietnam, after which both agreements need to be implemented.

In these processes, the level playing field as well as environmental and societal issues will have to be addressed. This will affect the speed, size, and impact of Dutch and EU trade and investment opportunities. Where the EVFTA is removing most, if not all, tariffs on trade, we do see existing and new non-tariff barriers to trade. This is visible for car (and car part) imports, regulation on the pharma industry, and distribution and market access for agriculture, livestock, and fishery products. Economic partnership between the EU and Vietnam requires a level playing field for domestic and foreign companies.

Concerns in another field relate to sustainable trade and development; walking the talk of responsible business conduct. As part of our values and getting the most out of economic development, we place a high degree of emphasis on the liberties of and safeguards for our citizens. High productivity is possible when you invest in higher-level education and create a decent working environment with safeguards. In order to reap all the benefits of the FTA and IPA, it is therefore imperative for all parties to fully implement all core International Labour Organization conventions and the agreements made in the Trade and Sustainability Chapter of the FTA, as well as to protect privacy and liberties in the cyber-domain.

The Netherlands looks forward to utilising all opportunities to continue to deepen its trading relationship with Vietnam as a key EU trade and investment partner. The country continuously proves to be an interesting market for Dutch companies, as reflected by the large trade delegation of Dutch Prime Minister Rutte to Vietnam in April last year. This was not only the largest business delegation to date, but an extensive government representation joined PM Rutte to strengthen the bilateral relationships on many topics. To grasp the full potential of being an economic and comprehensive partner to Vietnam, the Netherlands is committed to co-creating a win-win scenario for Vietnam and the EU. This assignment is at the core of our work at the embassy here in Hanoi.
The essay that started it all. Photo: Alexis Pereira/Twitter

Last week, I did something a lot of people do every day: I tweeted out a joke. The joke in this case was a photo of a fake college English class essay I typed up about Tom and Jerry, then marked with frustrated red-pen notes and a D grade before tweeting it as though I were the professor at his wits end. To be clear, Im not a college professor  I actually work in IT and am a comedian who performs in New York, presumably for other people who work in IT. But that didnt stop thousands of people from seeing my tweet and assuming it was real.

Since last Monday, the tweet has been posted to a handful of big Instagram accounts, shared on Twitter by LOLGOP and BuzzFeed, covered by sites like U.K. Daily Mail and Barstool Sports, and currently has nearly a million likes, with responses ranging from I havent laughed so hard in a long time to You should be arrested. So how did it all happen, and whats it like to see a dumb joke you made spiral into an out-of-control viral Twitter moment? To help explain it all, I documented the whole 72 hours of what it was like to go viral.

Monday, February 10, 12:15 p.m.: Its the 80th anniversary of Tom and Jerry. Im in my office alone thinking about it during my lunch hour, and start laughing to myself about how funny it would be if somebody wrote about Tom in terms of class consciousness. I wondered what a professor would think about it. And so I freewrote an intro paragraph, making sure to set up a professor for some line edits.

Monday, February 10, 12:45 p.m.: After messing around with some funny line edits, I print out a second copy of my paper with what I want my final version to be. However, I realize that its too weird for a student to just hand in a paper about Tom and Jerry. What the hell was the assignment? So I think about famous Toms and add a line above, claiming the assignment was supposed to be about Tom Buchanan from The Great Gatsby.

Teaching my first English course this semester has been rewarding but I dont know what to do with this student pic.twitter.com/Sgn07Kaq6D  Alexis De Wokeville (@MrAlexisPereira) February 10, 2020

Monday, February 10, 12:57 p.m.: With three minutes to go in my lunch hour, I post the tweet with the caption Teaching my first English course this semester has been rewarding but I dont know what to do with this student, making sure to crop it correctly for Twitter, hoping to get a few likes from my friends.

Monday, February 10, 1:30 p.m.: It gets a few retweets and about a hundred likes. A friend of mine who works at a comedy show sends me a screenshot of the writers room Slack, and theyre discussing all the funny details I put into it.

Monday, February 10, 2:58 p.m.: A comedian Ive met a few times responds earnestly that the student is bored, and that I should work harder to reach him. This comment will go on to get 20,000 likes. It dawns on me that people think this is real.

Honestly I think theyre just bored/unchallenged. Reading the start of this, it seems clear they actually did put time into writing it and seem to be a fairly decent writer.  a tweet from eli!!! (@eliyudin) February 10, 2020

Monday, February 10, 5:16 p.m.: Binyamin Appelbaum, the New York Times editor who asked Pete Buttigieg about bread prices, quote-tweets my post and asks what it takes to get an F. Ive hit 20,000 likes. I have to turn my notifications off.

What does it take to get an 'F'? https://t.co/8A9lLvCjdv  Binyamin Appelbaum (@BCAppelbaum) February 10, 2020

Monday, February 10, 5:39 p.m.: A major account claims what I did was deeply unethical. Considering that I didnt realize people would believe this was real, I hadnt realized that this would upset people. After he and several other big accounts realize its a spoof, a new debate emerges about whether or not jokes about professors are okay. A college professor who thought it was funny debates a Marxist-Leninist writer in my replies about whether satire is permissible. She says fiction is a sign the artist empathizes and understands a subject beyond simple observation, and he says all lies are used to mollify the proletariat. Even though Im kind of a leftist myself, I silently agree with her. Ive hit 50,000 likes.

If this is a real paper then posting it on twitter is deeply unethical, even redacted  David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) February 10, 2020

Monday, February 10, 11:15 p.m.: Several Instagram accounts such as @kalesalad, @complex, and @lettuce.scream have posted screenshots my tweet. However, they have also tagged me, leading to nearly a thousand DMs and comments on all my pictures asking me for the rest of the paper.

Photo: Complex/Instagram

Tuesday, February 11, 10:15 a.m.: My boss is on vacation, and my bosss boss visits me in my office and asks me if I teach English. I tell him no, and he explains that he had to ask because people are calling him asking him to fire me. I apologize for the disturbance.

Tuesday, February 11, 12:07 p.m.: The New York Daily News asks me for a comment. I tell them its fake, and the reporter thanks me for saving him the trouble because had I said it was real, he was going to have to contact NYC area schools looking for my student.

Tuesday, February 11, 2:54 p.m.: I am so exhausted by how many people think its real and keep messaging me on every platform that I comment under it that it was fake. The U.K. Daily Mail writes a story about it, with a huge picture of me captioned Jokester. I hit 500,000 likes.

Twitter is left in stitches by student who wrote an essay about Tom & Jerry after being assigned The Great Gatsby https://t.co/MVTafUUPfM  Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) February 11, 2020

Tuesday, February 11, 8:00 p.m.: I have an improv show at UCB. Before he asks for a suggestion, Tom Johnson asks the audience to give me a round of applause for going viral. Only about a third of the packed UCB audience understands what hes talking about. I hit 700,000 likes.

Thursday, February 13, 9:45 a.m.: CNN asks me to come on, and I tell them it was made up. They tell me that in the future theyre considering having comedians on to read funny news stories, and that theyll put me down as a possible guest. Even though I believe they were just being nice, this is my first and last comedy job offer from the tweet.

Thursday, February 13, 10 a.m.: My boss arrives from his vacation not knowing anything about my viral tweet. He opens his computer to find 200 emails and calls me into his office. I tell him about my tweet and how it went viral in the past 72 hours. He suggests I not do that again.

Thursday, February 13, 11 a.m.: Twitter has moved on to whether or not its okay to recline your seat back on a crowded plane.

So, has my life changed? Not really. I have a few articles about my prank and a few thousand more followers on Twitter. But Im back at my desk on my lunch break from IT. Id describe going viral like performing your one-hit song for millions of people: While its a pretty awesome four minutes, be ready to watch them all file for the exits when youre done. So I beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the Looney Tunes cinematic universe.
A new electric shuttle unveiled by Jaguar Land Rover will look to hit a happy medium between autonomous and manual driving.

On Tuesday, the company announced 'Project Vector', a futuristic-looking electric shuttle that they say is being built to transition into an autonomous vehicle if and/or when the technology arrives.

While it has a traditional steering wheel and gas/brake pedals, it's interior is designed to accommodate private or shared use as well as use as a last-mile delivery vehicle.

Jaguar Land Rover want 'Project Vector' to function on multiple planes. It can be configured as a car, a shared shuttle, or a last-mile delivery vehicle

The concept measures just four meters in length and is designed for urban use according to the companies. It also frees up interior space by packaging battery and drivetrain components into a flat floor.

The companies said that while Project Vector is still a concept it could be developed for road testing as soon as 2021.

As Project Vector looks to accommodate multiple use cases, other competitors in the autonomous vehicle market have forged ahead with fully self-driving iterations.

Last month, General Motors' self-driving car company revealed its first driverless vehicle, the Cruise Origin, which has no pedals, no engine, and no steering wheel.

Instead the vehicle relies on sensors and an electric motor to make its way around cities.

It will accommodate four passengers at a time, although a single customer will be able summon it for a ride just like with ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft.

The Cruise Origin autonomous vehicle, a Honda and General Motors self-driving car partnership, is seen during its unveiling in San Francisco

Origin won't be available on the consumer end but is instead being marketed as an 'experience people share'  a publicly accessible form of transport in cities designed to reduce emissions, according to Cruise CEO Dan Ammann said.

Concurrently, self-driving vehicle company, Optimus Ride, launched a fleet of autonomous shuttles in New York City's Brooklyn Navy Yard this past summer for what will be the city's biggest test of self-driving tech to date.

The shuttles are completely autonomous and served passengers only on the Navy Yards' private roads as well through a loop shuttle service connecting NYC Ferry passengers from dock 72 to a gate next to Flushing Avenue.
On the evening of December 11 last year, Caroline Flack, the popular TV presenter, and her boyfriend, Lewis Burton, a former tennis professional, enjoyed a romantic dinner together at the Soho restaurant, Bob Bob Ricard.

To the other diners present the couple appeared happy, carefree and engrossed in one another's company.

Despite Flack's chequered relationship history, and the fact the couple had only been together since July, friends of the 40-year-old were becoming increasingly confident that she had finally found the man she would marry.

Professionally, things were also in the ascendancy, with Love Island - the reality show she hosted - enjoying runaway success and about to launch its first winter season. But within a few short hours Flack's life had unravelled and a chain of events began that would ultimately culminate in her tragic suicide.

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In the early hours of the morning, while Burton was asleep, Flack began examining his mobile phone, becoming enraged when she discovered text messages that he had received from another woman.

Expand Close Caroline Flack last December outside the courts. Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Caroline Flack last December outside the courts. Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

The exchanges - which involved a woman in her 60s - were entirely innocent, but Flack, who had battled depression and anxiety issues, exploded, convinced Burton was cheating on her. Launching herself at her still sleeping boyfriend, she hit him over the head with a table lamp and threw his mobile phone at him. After flipping over a table, Flack also cut herself on a glass, receiving a deep wound to her arm.

Burton, who is 6ft 3in tall, was unable to restrain his 5ft 3in girlfriend or calm her down, and at 5.25am made a 999 call asking for the police. He told the call handler: "She tried to kill me, mate. She's going mad, breaking stuff. She almost cracked my head open."

The call handler noted that in the background, Flack could be heard screaming: "You ruined my life."

In a sign of just how seriously the report was taken, the first police officer arrived at the flat in the Barnsbury area of Islington, within eight minutes. The door of the ground floor flat was answered by Flack and Burton. According to the officer, both were covered in blood.

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In his notes the officer likened the scene to "something out of a horror movie".

Flack was still irate and had to be restrained by officers, who were fitted with body-worn cameras recording the whole interaction.

Flack was arrested on suspicion of assault and paramedics were also called to the scene.

After assessing both of them, it was decided Flack ought to be taken to hospital for treatment to her wound. While under caution she allegedly admitted the attack and told officers that she would "kill herself".

Expand Close Lewis Burton and Caroline Flack in a picture on Mr Burtons Instagram Stories (Lewis Burton/Instagram) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Lewis Burton and Caroline Flack in a picture on Mr Burtons Instagram Stories (Lewis Burton/Instagram)

The following day, on Friday December 13, after consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Flack was charged with assault by beating and summoned to appear before Highbury Magistrates' Court on the day before Christmas Eve.

She was released on bail with the condition that she was not to contact Mr Burton.

Professionally, the incident could not have come at a worse time, with Flack preparing to fly out to South Africa for the launch of the new series of Love Island which was starting on January 8.

Executives from ITV held a series of meetings over the weekend and on Monday December 16, Flack agreed to stand down as host of the programme she loved.

According to friends she was devastated at losing the 600,000-a-year role, but was also deeply hurt by what she perceived as a lack of support from the television company to which she had been so loyal.

In the fortnight before her appearance in court, Flack and Burton remained in a relationship - even though they were not supposed to contact one another - and he made it clear to the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that he did not wish to press charges. But with prosecutors under constant pressure to demonstrate how seriously they take allegations of domestic violence, they refused to drop the case.

On December 23, a tearful Flack appeared at Highbury Magistrates' Court to face one charge of assault by beating, a relatively low-level offence that carries a maximum six-month prison sentence.

Burton attended the short hearing to offer his support, and Flack's lawyer told the court: "He does not support this prosecution, has never supported this prosecution and has strong feelings about the hearing this morning. He was never a victim, as it were, he was a witness."

The lawyer also pleaded with the District Judge to grant Flack unconditional bail so that she could see Mr Burton, telling him: "They are still in a relationship. It's Christmas, it's New Year, Miss Flack has suffered enough from this prosecution and she needs people around her."

The application was not granted and Flack was ordered to undergo a risk assessment before the next court hearing set for March 4. Flack's Islington flat was put on the market and she moved into a London hotel, telling friends she no longer felt safe at home.

Given her history of anxiety and depression, those closest to her were concerned as to whether she would be able to cope with such a fall from grace.

On Christmas Day she volunteered at a charity in east London that was putting on a lunch for socially isolated people.

While understandably worried about the legal case, she was more anxious about watching the new series of Love Island, which was going ahead without her and was now being hosted by her friend Laura Whitmore.

At one point she considered checking in to a 18,000-a-week retreat in Thailand in order to escape the pressure, but instead, with New Year looming, she jetted to Los Angeles. According to friends she spent her time in the US hiking, visiting the gym and getting her life back on track.

Despite still being banned from contacting Burton, he posted messages on social media, pledging his love and support. She returned to London at the end of January and moved into a new flat in a converted school in Stoke Newington, east London.

Just last week she was pictured laughing with a friend at a local climbing wall near her home. She also visited Barcelona with a friend, where she was said to be in good spirits.

Friends, family and members of her loyal management team reassured her that she would overcome whatever lay ahead and they were increasingly confident that the CPS would not press ahead with the case.

But on Valentine's Day came the news she had been dreading, that despite Mr Burton's refusal to cooperate with the case, the CPS were going ahead with the trial. The hearing was listed to take place on March 4, but Flack was terrified about the prospect of standing trial.

According to sources, her biggest fear was that the body-worn camera footage from the officer who arrested her would be broadcast, showing her at her worst. Concerned for her welfare, one of her closest friends, Lou Teasdale, a celebrity hair stylist offered to stay with her for a few days. On Friday at 10.30pm paramedics were called to the flat amid concern over Flack's welfare. But following an assessment by crews it was decided there was no need to admit her to hospital.

The following morning, assured that there was nothing more to worry about, Miss Teasdale was persuaded to leave the flat and pop to the shops. When she returned a short time later she was unable to get back into the flat and called friends who managed to gain entry.

They found her unresponsive and after calling paramedics Flack was pronounced dead at the scene.
The internet is a treasure trove of surprising and wonderful things. Now, a bunch of adorable images of a pigeon and a two-month-old puppy cuddling has melted hearts on the internet.

The images were shared on the Facebook page of Mia Foundation, a rescue organization based in Rochester, New York. I see a new friendship blooming. Herman and Lundy, read the caption.

CNN reported that the pigeons name is Herman and it cant fly, whereas the Chihuahua pups name is Lundy, it cant walk due to certain deformities.

The duo, who befriended each other at the Mia Foundation, has now become inseparable and spends most of the time snuggling up.

Lundy arrived at the foundation two months back, after his South Carolina breeder sent him to Sue Rogers, the founder of the nonprofit organization. The pup suffers from a condition known as swimmers syndrome and cant use his hind legs.

Herman was rescued from parking lot of a car dealership, where he was spotted sitting unmoved for three whole days. On realizing that the poor bird cant fly, the rescuers handed it over to the foundation. Herman suffers from a neurological damage.

Talking to Fox News, Rogers said that she put Herman and Lundy in a dog bed and they looked adorable. This gave her the idea to click some pictures and post it on Facebook. She was overwhelmed by the response.

Quoting Rogers, CNN added that the pictures have helped the organization raise $6,000 in just two days.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 11:05:02|Editor: huaxia

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BUENOS AIRES, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Argentinean academic Patricio Giusto has warned of prejudices against China and said cooperation between China and the United States benefits the world in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"To fully understand China's reality, it is important to get to know its long history, rich philosophy and majestic culture. It is the only way to eliminate ignorance and prejudices," said Giusto, a professor with the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina.

The expert highlighted the valuable contribution of a newly-published book -- "Fake Fear: America and China Relations" -- to helping other countries better understand China, as well as the current debate on present and future China-U.S. relations.

"The book helps remove habitual prejudices and false theories on China and expound its intentions on the international stage," said Giusto, who is also a visiting professor at China's Zhejiang University.

He warned of a growing number of anti-China politicians and intellectuals who are gaining influence in American politics, and discussed "the dangerous consequences that this could have for relations between both powers and for the rest of the world."

"The concept of the 'China threat' must be done away with through a critical and honest analysis based on the reality," the academic said.

During the past 40 years, according to Giusto, China has proven its economic strength to the rest of the world. "Today, it is a technology power and innovator," as well as "the main engine of trade and investment internationally."

"The world needs China and the United States to cooperate responsibly to confront the enormous global challenges of the 21st century," he said.

The book, which was published in January 2020 in the United Kingdom, focuses on issues like the similarity between the aspirations of the Chinese and American people, the history of diplomatic relations between both nations, cultural integration in China and the United States, and the necessity of abandoning the idea of win-lose and instead focusing on mutually beneficial cooperation.
China Aviation Daily | Feb. 18, 2020

Pulkovo St. Petersburg International Airport became the winner of the national 'Air Gates of Russia' award. Based on the results of 2019, Pulkovo received awards in the nominations 'The Most Comfortable Airport in Russia' (according to the passengers' votes) and 'The Best Airport for Airlines'. The awards ceremony took place at the Russian National Aviation Infrastructure Show (NAIS) in Moscow.

Leonid Sergeev, Chief Executive Officer of Pulkovo Airport operator Northern Capital Gateway LLC, noted:

"It is a great honor for Pulkovo Airport to receive this prestigious national award. We are grateful to passengers, partners and aviation experts for their trust and appreciation of our work. Today Pulkovo has unprecedented conditions for development as an international air hub. We will continue to improve airport infrastructure and passenger services, develop new tailor-made solutions for the carriers, and enhance comfort and quality of service based on feedback and best international practices."

Additionally, the Expert Board of NAIS forum named Pulkovo a laureate of the 'The Best Airport 2019' nomination ('More than 15 million passengers per year' group). The board of the aviation industry experts assessed the accomplishments of the airports in the following categories: airport terminals and passenger facilities, aviation marketing and services for airlines, the airport (airfield) infrastructure, safety, non-aviation commercial services, and more.

In 2019, Pulkovo served 19.6 million people, marking the airport's historic record in traffic figures for one calendar year. During the year, the route network of Pulkovo Airport was expanded by 14 new destinations. Three new airlines launched scheduled flights from the St. Petersburg airport. In 2019, Pulkovo handled a new aircraft type: the world's most advanced aircraft Airbus A350. The airport's operator expanded the parking complex: a long-term parking was opened a minute's walk from the passenger terminal, and the roadway at the exit from the arrival area was expanded from three to six lanes. Additionally, Pulkovo operator updated the concept of the commercial zone of the domestic departures hall.

Earlier, for four years in a row, passengers named Pulkovo Airport as the best Russian airport, according to the voting results of "Air Gateway of Russia" for the years 2016-2019.

The NAIS Organizing Committee established the 'Air Gates of Russia' award in 2015, the Federal Air Transportation Agency of Russia together with Russia's leading aviation news publication avia.ru. The goal of award is to distinguish and promote the most efficiently and stably developing Russian airports, to create a positive image of airport operators and their business reputation in the community. The Expert Board of the award consists of representatives from the major Russian airlines, heads of industry associations, leading aviation journalists.

Contributed by Pulkovo Airport
Married At First Sight's Tash Herz and Natasha Spencer fled Australia together after leaving their spouses halfway through filming last year.

The pair, who formed a strong connection on set, were pictured kissing at Sydney Airport on November 3, before catching a flight to Bali, Indonesia.

The overseas trip took place when MAFS still had five weeks of production to go, which means that both women chose to leave the experiment early.

Girls' trip! Married At First Sight's Tash Herz (left) and Natasha Spencer (right) fled Australia together after leaving their spouses halfway through filming last year

Tash, 31, and Natasha, 26, shared a warm embrace in the international departures terminal while staring into each other's eyes.

Tash, a bartender from Adelaide, then planted a tender kiss on Natasha's cheek as they both giggled.

After their friendly introduction, they bought take-away coffees and walked off towards the security desk.

More than just friends? The pair, who formed a strong connection on set, were pictured kissing at Sydney Airport on November 3, before catching a flight to Bali, Indonesia

Spoiler alert: The overseas trip took place when MAFS still had five weeks of production to go, which means that both women chose to leave the experiment early

Before going through security, they held each other tightly while posing for several photos in front of a Sydney Airport sign.

The pair looked thrilled to have left the show - and their partners - behind.

The two women first met when production of MAFS began in September. Their flirty friendship reportedly caused tensions between Tash and her 'wife', Amanda Micallef.

Holiday time! After their friendly introduction, Tash and Natasha bought take-away coffees and walked off towards the security desk

Tourists! Before going through security, they held each other tightly while posing for several photos in front of a Sydney Airport sign.

Mikey, who? The pair looked thrilled to have left the show - and their partners - behind

Although they are both still with their partners on the show, Tash and Natasha have spoiled their storylines by revealing that things didn't work out.

On Monday, Natasha told New Idea magazine that she had quit the experiment because she was struggling with the 'pressure' to deliver drama.

Her decision effectively ended her relationship with 'husband' Mikey Pembroke, who was forced to leave the program as a result.

Whoops! Although they are both still with their partners on the show, Tash and Natasha have spoiled their storylines by revealing that things didn't work out

Close bond: The two women first met when production of MAFS began in September. Their flirty friendship reportedly caused tensions between Tash and her 'wife', Amanda Micallef

Meanwhile, Tash and Amanda have made no secret of the fact they now dislike each other, following a string of explosive arguments over their lack of physical intimacy.

Earlier this week, Amanda called her ex-'wife' a 'fake, plastic, moll' in a series of scathing Instagram comments, which she later deleted.

Married At First Sight continues Sunday at 7pm on Channel Nine

See ya! On Monday, Natasha told New Idea that she had quit the experiment because she was struggling with the 'pressure' to deliver drama. Her decision effectively ended her relationship with 'husband' Mikey Pembroke (left), who was forced to leave the program as a result
A plan to legalize and regulate medical marijuana from seed to sale in Alabama cleared its first hurdle today in the Legislature.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 8-1, with one abstention, in favor of the bill by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, that would make Alabama the 34th state to allow cannabis products for medical purposes. The vote moves the bill to the full Senate.

The committees decision came after a public hearing. An overflow crowd showed up for the hearing, which had to be moved to a larger committee room. Four opponents and four proponents of medical marijuana spoke.

The committee approved a similar bill last year. The Senate approved it but it died in the House of Representatives.

Melson, an anesthesiologist and medical researcher, said the research and experiences in other states supports allowing medical cannabis products as an option for patients suffering from chronic pain, seizures, nausea, muscle spasms, and other debilitating symptoms of about 16 medical conditions listed in the bill.

At todays public hearing, Cristi Cain of Elmore County told the committee about her 8-year old son, Hardy, who was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 2 and suffered more than 100 seizures a day. Cain said Hardy took benzodiazapenes to control the seizures but got little relief. The family decided to try an alternative to the strong medications. In 2017, she said Hardy began taking CBD oil. The Legislature had passed a bill a year earlier, Lenis Law, allowing the use of CBD oil containing up to 3% THC.

Cain said that Hardy became more alert within a couple of weeks and said that within a few months the frequency of his seizures dropped to about 20-30 a day.

By the fourth month, our boy was back, Cain said. "The smile had returned and the joy in his eyes began to shine. The fog that he had been in was dissipating, and we couldnt be more excited."

Hardy was weaned off the benzodiazapenes over a 20-month period, Cain said. He was also able to stop taking another medication for digestive issues. But Cain believes Hardy could get even more relief from medical cannabis products that are legal in some states, but not Alabama. She said she and her husband, who have two other boys, did not want to move, but are considering it because of Hardys health.

It has been said many times that a zip code shouldnt affect ones education, Cain said. "But I also want to include that an area code shouldnt affect ones health care. If Hardy didnt live in Alabama, he could be seizure free. We shouldnt have to be, and frankly dont want to be, medical refugees, but it is a very real possibility."

Cain wore a button showing a photo of Hardy from 2015, when he was on the strong medicines and another taken about two years later, a few months after he began using CBD oil.

Cristy Cain of Elmore County wears a button supporting Alabama's medical cannabis bill and another button that she said shows how her son, Hardy, improved after being able to use CBD oil to treat his seizures. (Mike Cason/mcason@al.com)

Among the opponents who spoke today was Capt. Clay Hammac, commander of the Shelby County Drug Task Force. Hammac acknowledged that medical cannabis products have shown they can help some people, including those with severe seizure disorders, but noted that some medications are already available in Alabama under Lenis Law. Hammac said he believed the legalization of medical marijuana would be a step toward decriminalization of marijuana. Hammac said he also opposed legalization because it would conflict with federal law, which still classifies marijuana as an illegal drug.

Voting in favor of the bill today were Sens. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore; Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham; Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile; Malika Sanders-Fortier, D-Selma; Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro; Tom Whatley, R-Auburn; Will Barfoot, R-Montgomery; and Cam Ward, R-Alabaster.

Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Sheffield, an OB/GYN, voted no. Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville, abstained.

A Medical Cannabis Study Commission made up of doctors, lawyers, and other professionals held a series of meetings last year and voted 12-3, with three abstentions, to recommend legalization.

State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris was among those on the study commission who voted no, and Attorney General Steve Marshall has urged lawmakers to reject the plan.

Todays vote by the Senate Judiciary committee puts the bill in line for a Senate vote as early as next week. Melson said he hoped the bill could come to the Senate floor with the next couple of weeks.

Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, has said he believes there is strong support for the bill in the Senate. House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, said last week that opposition remains in the House, where the bill died last year.

Melsons bill would not allow the use of any products that can be smoked or raw plant material. He said it includes ample protections for employers, who would not be forced to hire or keep on the job any employees who use medical marijuana.

Medical cannabis products would be developed from cannabis grown in Alabama at licensed sites. The products would be tested for purity and potency and would bear a state seal indicating that. They would be sold at up to 34 dispensaries and available to patients with a medical cannabis card certified by a doctor.

This story was updated at 7:17 p.m. to say how senators voted.
Northern Irish housebuilder Mayfair Homes has made a 3m investment in two major housing developments.

The company has been working on The Linen Field in Moira for four years, with 30 out of 75 houses still to be built at the site.

Mayfair Homes is also working on the Northview Lane development, which is bringing 18 new houses to the Antrim Road in north Belfast.

Construction of the detached and semi-detached houses has begun and is expected to continue over the next 18 months.

Danske Bank backed the company's investment.

Mayfair Homes NI director Victoria Patterson welcomed the development.

"We're investing 1m in the Northview Lane development on the Antrim Road, our Linen Fields development has proved very popular and this next phase will offer a wide range of two, three and four-bed properties," she explained.

"We are an ambitious company and we want to continue to expand our portfolio.

"We're actively looking for new sites and we look forward to bringing more developments to market."

Michelle Wilson, business manager at Danske Bank, added: "Mayfair Homes NI is in a period of sustained growth, with the company's developments selling well to date.

"The number of new homes coming to market in Northern Ireland has been in decline for the last three months, so this is welcome news for prospective home buyers."

HNH Group acted on behalf of Mayfair Homes in helping it to secure the funding from Danske Bank.
Family members of the Pakistani students, who are stuck in locked down Chinese city of Wuhan, held a protest in Islamabad on Wednesday, demanding their children be evacuated from the coronavirus-hit city.

The families expressed their growing frustration over Pakistan's refusal to evacuate hundreds of its citizens residing in Hubei -- the epicentre of the outbreak which alone has reported more than 60,000 cases of the novel coronavirus.

Several countries, including India, have evacuated a majority of its citizens from Wuhan in special operations carried out by the governments.

In several video messages which had gone viral earlier this month, these Pakistani students were seen appealing for help and evacuation and slamming the Pakistan government over its refusal to save the lot.

Around 30,000 Pakistanis, including a large number of students, are based in China. Hundreds of them reside in Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak that began late last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has thrown an open challenge to people protesting against the amended citizenship law and asked them to prove how it will affect any Indian citizen adversely.

Dubbing the implementation of the contentious new Citizenship Amendment Act a humanitarian move, the saffron party claimed no person opposing CAA will be able to furnish the name of a single Indian who would stand to lose anything from it.

Taking to Twitter on February 19, it wrote:

The country has seen multiple protests, led primarily by students, against the law passed by the BJP government at the Centre. The CAA expedites the process of granting citizenship to persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, but leaves out the Muslims from these nations. The citizenship law is accused of destroying the secular fabric of the country by making religion a guarantee for seeking citizenship.

Anti-CAA protestors also contend that this law coupled with the National Register of Citizens (NRC) can prove to be a nefarious design of the right-wing government to disenfranchise the Muslim population of India.

While the government has repeatedly denied all such allegations and reiterated that the law only aims to help persecuted minorities become Indian citizens, the protests continue. Prime Minister Narendra Modis government has refused to repeal CAA over misunderstandings and launched several counter campaigns to clear misconceptions surrounding the Act. They maintain that the unrest surrounding CAA is a result of fear-mongering by opposition parties.
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday repeated a debunked sexually charged allegation about one of the country's more prominent journalists, drawing fire from press freedom advocates and even some recent allies.

Bolsonaro referred to Patricia Campos Mello, a reporter for newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, who last year won the International Press Freedom Award after coverage of his presidential campaign.

She'd also been honoured for earlier reporting from the Middle East, US and Africa.

A witness in a congressional hearing testified she had insinuated an offer of sex in exchange for help with a story that triggered an investigation of Bolsonaro's campaign by Brazil's top electoral court.

Her newspaper quickly debunked the assertion by releasing transcripts, screenshots and recordings of their conversations.

Still, Bolsonaro echoed the insinuation as he spoke outside the presidential residence in Brasilia.

The witness, Bolsonaro said, "talked about the journalist's harassment, hitting on him".

"She wanted a scoop, she wanted to give a scoop, at any price, against me", Bolsonaro added with a smile, using a Portuguese word for "scoop" that can have sexual connotations.

That drew laughs from his supporters.

Hours later, Bolsonaro spoke to journalists again at the same spot.

He said the journalists "acting like that, deserve this", before making an obscene gesture with his arm and driving away.

The Brazilian Press Association's (ABI) President Paulo Jeronimo said the ABI's position was of "indignation and protest" against such "daily" actions from Bolsonaro.

Campos Mello declined to comment on Bolsonaro's insult.

She has suffered online abuse and received threats from supporters of the Brazilian president since October 2018, when Folha published her report on a network of businessmen who allegedly sponsored the production of false news against rival candidate, Fernando Haddad.

The wave of insults against the journalist returned last week after the testimony in Congress.

Like US President Donald Trump, Bolsonaro frequently speaks off the cuff, doesn't shy from comments perceived as politically incorrect and often uses the press as a foil to rally support.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : India's telecom-related regulatory dispute still is event risk for GAIL, OIL and Powergrid, Fitch Ratings said on wednesday.

Fitch Ratings continues to treat any payments that three India-based companies - GAIL (India) Limited (BBB-/Stable), Oil India Limited (BBB-/Stable) and Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (BBB-/Stable) - may have to make under a demand notice from the Department of Telecom as an event risk for the companies' ratings.

Fitch is not taking immediate rating action on the three companies, as the Supreme Court of India allowed the companies to withdraw their clarification applications on February 14, 2020, and resolve their dispute with Department of Telecom outside the court.

This is in stark contrast to the court's decision to demand immediate payments from the telecom companies that are also involved in the dispute, Fitch added.

"We expect the three companies to eventually resolve the dispute, although resolution timing is uncertain. A speedy solution is important to prevent disrupting the companies' investment plans and damaging their performance. The three companies are considering an appeal against the demand notices. We understand that they have the option to resolve the matter through alternate dispute-resolution mechanisms available to state-owned enterprises. This is in addition to the legal options available to telecom license holders in general," it said.

The Department of Telecom has issued demand notices to GAIL, OIL and POWERGRID for Rs 1,831 billion, Rs 480 billion and Rs 220 billion, respectively.

The notices include license fees on non-telecom revenue and additional interest and penalties on the license fees. However, the three companies' telecom-related revenue is insignificant, at around Rs 0.5 billion, Rs 0.01 billion and Rs 23 billion, respectively, for the same time period as the demand notices.

The three companies have created telecom infrastructure for internal use and have obtained national long distance and Internet service provider licenses to rent out spare capacity. They maintain that their licenses differ from the unified access licenses held by telecom companies, hence, the court's decision on adjusted gross revenue for telecom companies does not apply to them.
British radio antenna arrives at space station

The UK's first industrial contribution to the International Space Station (ISS) was delivered on Tuesday.

The communications antenna is part of a consignment of supplies that arrived on a Cygnus freighter.

Made by MDA UK, the Columbus Ka-band (COLKa) Terminal will enable astronauts to connect with scientists and family on Earth at home broadband speeds.

The equipment will be fixed to the exterior of Europe's ISS science module in a few weeks' time. This should improve substantially on current arrangements for radio links.

"At the moment, the communications from Columbus go through the American data relay satellites, but those satellites are prioritised for US use. This gives Europe some independence," David Kenyon, the managing director of Oxfordshire-based MDA UK, told BBC News.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51536246
Comic has been banned by 4 airlines after his confrontation with journo.

New Delhi: The flying ban on comedian Kunal Kamra by four Airlines after his face-off with a leading journalist on air has been questioned by Opposition MPs in the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture. The matter would be taken up at the meeting of the Standing Committee, which is headed by Andhra MP T.G. Venkatesh, on Thursday.

Mr Kamra had been banned by four airlines after his confrontation with the said journalist aboard an Indigo flight. Though the DGCA had said that the ban was in complete consonance with laws, the pilot of the Indigo flight had questioned the move saying that he had not been consulted before the order was issued.

Before the meeting of the Standing Committee on Thursday, Trinamul MP Derek O Brien has written a letter to Mr Venkatesh questioning the ban. I would like to draw your attention to the unlawful ban arbitrarily imposed by four major airline carriers on a Kunal Kamra for unruly behaviour without conducting an enquiry into the matter, the letter, a copy of which is available with this newspaper, said.

The letter further said, The behaviour of these Airline carriers is violative of Handling of Unruly Passenger Rules 2017, principles of natural justice and extremely arbitrary. I urge the committee to take cognizance of the matter as occurance of such incidents can have a negative bearing on the aviation policy of the nation.

Sources told this newspaper that the issue was likely to be raised in the panel meeting scheduled for Thursday when it meets to discuss the demands for grants for the ministry of civil aviation.

The sources said that Mr OBrien also raised the issue of tourism and culture minister Prahlad Singh Patel misleading Parliament on a question raised by CPI(M) MP Elamaram Kareem in Rajya Sabha on the loss in revenue in J&K tourism sector after the scrapping of special status of the state last August.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Florence Countys top election official said Tuesday that having a tax referendum on the November election ballot could cause turmoil.

David Alford, executive director of the Florence County Voter Registration and Elections Commission, spoke at a commission meeting Tuesday evening.

Alford pointed to the controversy surrounding the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses. He said Florence County could face similar problems if the county council decides to place the third penny sales tax proposal on the ballot without shortening the question.

The Associated Press has yet to declare a winner in the caucuses that were held on Feb. 3.

The kind of attention that fell on the Hawkeye State could fall on Florence County, Alford said, if the county council goes ahead with plans to place a ballot question regarding a third penny sales tax on the 2020 general election ballot without the council or the state General Assembly finding a way to shorten the question on the ballot.
President Donald Trump walks along the South Lawn of the White House to Marine One on Jan. 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

Trump Confirms Top Pentagon Official Leaving, Thanks Him for His Service

President Donald Trump on Wednesday thanked a top Pentagon official for his service in confirming that he is leaving the administration.

I would like to thank John Rood for his service to our Country, and wish him well in his future endeavors! Trump wrote in a statement. Rood is the undersecretary for Defense for Policy at the Pentagon.

The president was replying to a Bloomberg News reporter, who said Rood was slated to resign. She claimed that some administration officials lacked the confidence in carrying out Trumps policies.

The Department of Defense confirmed in a press briefing that Rood would be stepping down at the end of the month.

Rood also had written a letter to the president about his resignation.

It is my understanding from Secretary Esper that you requested my resignation from serving as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Senior administration officials appointed by the President serve at the pleasure of the President, and therefore, as you have requested, I am providing my resignation effective February 28, 2020, Rood wrote in the letter, CNN reported.

Rood was involved in implementing the administrations National Defense Strategy, which is meant to guide policy decisions since it was released in 2018, according to the Military Times.

Defense Undersecretary for Policy John Rood appears before the House Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 29, 2019. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

I would like to thank John Rood for his service to the Department, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in a statement about his departure. John has played a critical role on a wide range of DoD issues including modernizing our nuclear deterrence capability, efforts to increase burden sharing by our NATO allies, our Missile Defense Review and implementing the National Defense Strategy. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

He took over in 2018 and serves as an adviser to Esper. Rood was also a figure in the impeachment inquiry as he certified that Ukraine was attempting to make efforts to reform its policies to receive millions of dollars in military aid, the Times reported.

The United States remains committed to assisting with the implementation of these reforms to bolster Ukraines ability to defend its territorial integrity in support of a secure and democratic Ukraine, Rood wrote in the letter, reported The Hill.

Rood was also asked Dec. 4 by media outlets about whether Kyiv was meeting its reform agenda.

We do believe the Ukrainians have made progress in meeting their defense reform goals and made progress in working on corruption, Rood told reporters. There is more work to be done. Significant work to be done. All I can say is thats what weve been consistent in saying in our public comments and in our written correspondence with the Congress and others.
Concordia University is closing this spring, leaving me with a half-finished master of arts in teaching and more than $13,000 of fresh student debt. The announcement came abruptly with no plan to teach out current students, leaving many, including me, scrambling for a Plan B. This is not my first time at the private college closure rodeo. I graduated from Marylhurst University in 2017. Then I watched my friends flounder and professors lose their jobs when Marylhurst closed its doors in a similarly harsh fashion in 2018.

Experiencing two private universities mishandle their budgets, refuse to offer legitimate teach-out programs and take money from students they know will not graduate is two too many in my short academic career. Im left asking if teaching programs in the area will accept my credits and allow me to graduate on the same timeline. Any university I transfer to will need to offer an evening program, which is what drew me to Concordia, because I cannot afford to quit my job. And I feel weary of another private school slamming its door in my face. It is unacceptable that anyone studying to be a teacher in Oregon is left in this bind.

Oregon universities: Step up. Support Concordia students. Offer equitable, flexible programs for working people. And please: Be transparent with students and staff about the stability of your institution. Now excuse me while I dig up my transcripts from one crumbled institution and another that is not far behind.

Auriana Cook, Portland
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US President Donald Trump has said he is "saving the big deal" with India for later and he "does not know" if it will be done before the presidential election in November, clearly indicating that a major bilateral trade deal during his visit to Delhi next week might not be on the cards.

"We can have a trade deal with India. But I'm really saving the big deal for later," he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews Tuesday afternoon (local time).

Trump is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25.

The US and India could sign a "trade package" during the visit, according to media reports.

Asked whether he expects a trade deal with India before the visit, Trump said, "We're doing a very big trade deal with India. We'll have it. I don't know if it'll be done before the election, but we'll have a very big deal with India."

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the point-person for trade negotiations with India, is likely to not accompany Trump to India, sources said. However, officials have not ruled it out altogether.

In an apparent dissatisfaction over US-India trade ties, Trump said, "We're not treated very well by India." But he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he is looking forward to his visit to India.

"I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot," Trump said.

"He told me we'll have seven million people between the airport and the event. And the stadium, I understand, is sort of semi under construction, but it's going to be the largest stadium in the world. So it's going to be very exciting... I hope you all enjoy it," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) in a report said the latest quarterly data depict continuation of overall positive bilateral trade trends. The third quarter data reflects some downslide in growth rates.

"It may be due to several reasons, including the unexpected economic slowdown in India's economic growth, impact of US-China trade war, GSP withdrawal from the US side and retaliatory tariffs on specific US goods from the Indian side," USISPF said.

According to the report, the data available for the first three quarters of 2019 (January-September) pulled the overall growth rate in cumulative bilateral trade down to 4.5 percent from 8.4 percent registered for the first two quarters.

Goods and services trade performance in third quarter was dismal at -2.3 percent, in contrast with the impressive 9.6 percent growth witnessed for the first two quarters of the year; while trade in services was up two percent goods trade dropped five percent, the report said.

The cumulative US-India trade in goods and services (USD 110.9 billion) for the first three quarters of 2019 increased 4.5 percent with US exports and imports growing at four percent and five percent respectively.

The US exported USD 45.3 billion worth of goods and services to India in the first three quarters 2019, up 4 percent from the corresponding period in the previous year; and the US imported USD 65.6 billion worth of goods and services from India, up five percent from the previous year's USD 62.5 billion level for the same period, it said.

The USISPF has projected that the total bilateral trade can touch USD 238 billion by 2025 if the current 7.5 percent average annual rate of growth sustains; however, higher growth rates can result in bilateral trade in the range of USD 283 billion and USD 327 billion.

The US remains the top trading partner for India in terms of trade in goods and services, followed by China. While the bilateral trade between US and India is approximately 62 percent in goods and 38 percent in services, the bilateral trade between India and China is dominated by goods.

India's trade with China grew 13 percent in 2018, while India's goods trade with the US increased 18 percent.

China had a huge trade surplus of USD 58 billion with India, indicating Beijing's strength in the Indian market, especially in sectors, such as electronics, machinery, organic chemicals, plastics and medical devices.

The US goods exports to India, in comparison, were mainly concentrated in mineral fuels, precious stones, and aircraft. The US faces tough competition with China in the Indian market in areas such as electronics, machinery, organic chemicals and medical devices.
Little Job Impact

Move To Massena

(TNS)  Two years after cryptocurrency miners were pouring into this college town near the Canadian border, the boom in this exotic new high-tech industry hasn't 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, it's 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.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 didn't 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."That's 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 city's 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.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 couldn't be reached for comment. But a filing with PSC sheds light on the company's feud with Plattsburgh, which is ongoing. It notes that Coinmint's 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.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 O'Shaughnessy said the company's arrival helped ensure that one of Alcoa's unused aluminum smelters wouldn't 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," O'Shaughnessy 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."We've grown a lot," founder Ryan Prienza said from Hennepin, Ill., about 50 miles north of Peoria, where he was setting up shop.Cryptocurrency prices aren't what they were in 2017, but they haven't stayed depressed. As of Friday, Bitcoin was trading for $10,297 per coin, according to Coindesk, an online publication that follows the industry. That's 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." Bitcoin's 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."You'll 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.
Our year can be characterized as one of exciting new product advancements, and perpetually strong customer relationships, Bruno Slosse, Vendavo CEO said.

Vendavo, the market leader in commercial excellence solutions, today announced record-setting bookings and revenue growth for their Commercial Excellence SaaS solution portfolio. In Q4 2019, the company delivered its second-best quarter ever in software sales bookings. SaaS revenue growth for year ending December 31, 2019 was 79%.

As B2B organizations continue to look for ways to connect their front office strategies to critical back office processes like quote-to-cash with a strong, seamless middle-office, the commercial excellence solutions Vendavo delivers are finding their mark," said Bruno Slosse, CEO, Vendavo. Our 2019 revenue growth is reflective of both industry need, and in our ability to deliver visionary, quick time-to-value solutions.

To support its own digital transformation Vendavo implemented their Commercial Excellence solutions in 2019 and, as a result, the company also saw 17 percent EBITDA growth YOY. An additional 21 new enterprise customer logos with revenues totaling $260bn were added last year.

Our year can be characterized as one of exciting new product advancements, and perpetually strong customer relationships, Slosse added.

Last year, Vendavo launched the first of their commercial intelligence SaaS offerings, Vendavo Deal Price Guidance, which enables customers to stand up full price optimization and segmentation in as little as 24 hours. The companys flagship Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) solution with machine learning intelligence, Vendavo CPQ Cloud, advanced into the Visionary Quadrant of the Gartner CPQ Magic Quadrant. New enterprise customer growth in the CPQ category grew by 9 new logo accounts, which represents revenues totaling $61bn.

Vendavo continues to deliver a superior customer experience as reflected in the Winter 2019 G2 Grid Report in which Vendavo scored 99 percent for quality of support; 95 percent for likely to recommend and 99 percent for ease of doing business. Customers will have their chance to again provide company leaders with valuable input at the next Vendavo Commercial Excellence Forum and User Group Meeting in Denver, Co May 6-7, 2020.

Vendavo also continued to add talent this year. More than 50 employees have been added globally in the area of sales, customer experience and technology. Talent acquisition continues and key roles are now available.

##

About Vendavo

Vendavo powers the shift to digital business for the worlds most demanding B2B companies, unlocking value, growing margin and accelerating revenue. With the Vendavo Commercial Excellence platform, companies develop dynamic customer insights and optimal pricing strategies that maximize margin, boost sales effectiveness and improve customer experience. With an annual margin improvement totaling more than $2.5 billion across companies in chemicals, distribution, high-tech and manufacturing, Vendavo delivers cutting-edge analytics and deep industry expertise that help companies stay one step ahead. Vendavo is headquartered in Denver, CO and has offices around the globe. Learn more at Vendavo.com.
Bengaluru, Feb 19 : The Karnataka High Court on Monday granted bail to 21 people, jailed in Mangluru for alleged offences committed in the anti-CAA demonstrations, pointing out that police deliberately tried covering up their excesses against the protesters.

Justice Michael Cunha, in his order, said: "A deliberate attempt is underway to cover up police excesses by implicating innocent persons at the whims and caprice of the police. Overzealousness of the police is also evident from the fact that the FIRs are registered under section 307 IPC against the persons killed by the police themselves." The 21 people were arrested and sent to judicial custody for allegedly transgressing prohibitory orders, obstructing the police from executing their duty and destroying public property.

The arrested people were alleged to have been part of a 2,000 strong mob which attempted to set a police station ablaze and destroy public property.

Police charged group under Sections 307, 143, and 120B of the Indian Penal Code.

Later, the arrested people approached the High Court that they have been falsely implicated in the alleged offences by police without proper evidence.

The court highlighted that that the police have not registered even a single case on the complaints filed by the injured and relatives of the dead persons and thus the petitioners seek their release on bail.

After further deliberating, the court released the petitioners on a bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties of similar amount, and directed them to be present in the court when required.

It also directed them not to move out of the territorial limits of the trial court without its permit.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Wednesday that the Fessenheim nuclear reactor, on the border with Germany, will be shut down at the end of June, with one of its reactors to be closed this weekend.

A statement on Wednesday called the decision the first phase of France's energy strategy set out in 2018 by President Emmanuel Macron. The plan calls for a re-balancing of nuclear-produced energy and electricity derived from renewable sources. Coal plants are to be closed by 2022 to reduce greenhouse gases, the statement said.

Reactor No 1 will be halted on Saturday and the entire complex will come to a halt on June 30, the statement said.

Germany has long called for the plant, France's oldest, to be shut down. It is the first nuclear complex to be closed under Macron's plan.

France depends more on nuclear energy than any other country, getting about three-quarters of its electricity from the plants. Macron said in 2018, outlining France's energy strategy for the next 30 years, that 14 nuclear reactors out of the 58 now running at 19 plants will be shut down by 2035. France would cap the amount of electricity it derives from nuclear plants at 50% by then.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
/ -- February 21st, 2020 is a very special day at the Shivoham Shiva Temple at Murgesh Pallya by Humanitarian Hands Trust as it celebrates its Silver Jubilee and 25 years of Maha Shivratri Celebrations. The temple, over the years, has not only become a much sought after and revered spiritual destination, but has also acquired the distinction of being one of the most powerful Shiva temple in the world, a temple where its believed that dreams come true and prayers are answered. Therefore, on the sacred day of Maha Shivratri, it is not surprising that lakhs of devotees visit the temple to perform poojas and offer prayers to their beloved Lord Shiva.

The Shivoham Shiva Temple, however, is considered to be more than just a temple that propagates faith. It is a temple that seeks to guide believers to become seekers and leads them to the realization of the truth of Shivoham, that God is everywhere and in everything; that everything is a manifestation of the Divine power. The temple, thus, strives to take seekers Godward, finally, to attain the ultimate goal of life - Liberation, Moksha, Mukti, Nirvana, Enlightenment.

Highlights of the 2020 Maha Shivratri Celebrations



The Maha Shivratri celebrations at the Shivoham Shiva Temple have to be experienced for the spiritual guidance and support offered there. The core focus of this year's celebration is spiritual evolution: the evolution from Om Namah Shivaya to Shivoham. It calls upon seekers to go beyond religion, and to evolve from Om Namaha Shivaya to Shivoham, to realize God within - in the temple of their hearts.

24 hours of Bhajans in praise and in gratitude to the Deity; chanting of mantras; the Shivoham Jaagran Express, an all-night vigil that is believed to help devotees stay awake and 'be awakened'; the Maha Yagna, with a 6-feet-tall yagna kund, reminiscent of ancient days of yogis and sages; the absolutely spellbinding and spiritually uplifting Maha Shivratri Light and Sound Show are some of the key highlights of this year's celebration. In addition to this, the Shiva Arti, which is performed every two hours, and several other spiritual activities and special poojas have also been organized to engage devotees and make their spiritual experience quite unlike what they have experienced before.

To commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Shivoham Shiva Temple and 25 years of Maha Shivratri Celebrations, a special book, 'The Ladder to Heaven', authored by AiR, the founder of the temple is scheduled for release on this day.

Attractions at the Shivoham Shiva Temple



The Magnificent Statue of Lord Shiva: Ever since its inception, the 65-feet-tall idol of Lord Shiva has been the focal point of the temple, attracting tens of thousands of followers every year. This Maha Shivratri, like every year, is no exception. In fact, because of the 25th-anniversary celebrations, the crowds are only expected to be larger. Every year on Maha Shivratri, devotees with enthusiasm want to catch a glimpse of Lord Shiva- even senior citizens or those with physical challenges patiently wait in eager anticipation for the darshan of Bholenath.

Other Attractions: Devotees are also drawn to other attractions at the temple that make the temple singular in all that it embodies and offers. Devotees seek the blessings of the 32-feet-tall idol of Lord Ganesha, pray at the Navgraha Temple, and undertake the sacred, the beautifully recreated Amarnath Paanch Dham Yatra. The Barah Jyotirling Yatra and the Barah Jyotirling Abhishek are also popular with devotees. Incidentally, the Shivoham Shiva Temple is the only temple that brings everything related to Lord Shiva under one roof, be it the lingas or the holy pilgrimages associated with his Divine Grace.

Humanitarian Work of The Temple: Shiv Gyani, Jan Seva



The Shivoham Shiva Temple believes that Service to Humanity is Prayer to God. Hence, it supports the A.i.R. Charitable Home and A.i.R. Transit Home, homes for the poor and homeless run by the A.i.R. Humanitarian Homes. These two charitable institutions care for and look after 600 needy people every day. The residents at these homes are provided with medical care, besides necessities like food, shelter, and clothing.

Proceeds from the temple go towards doing God's work - serving the destitute, the poor, and the homeless that are sheltered at the A.i.R. Humanitarian Homes.

Celebrate this very special day of Maha Shivratri at the Shivoham Shiva Temple on February 21st, 2020.

About the Shivoham Shiva Temple



The Shivoham Shiva Temple was built with the support and wishes of many. However, it is believed that the inception of the temple was from a divine vision beheld by AiR himself. With the grace and blessings of God, the temple was consecrated by Shri Sankaracharya who made a rare appearance, on February 27th, 1995, the sacred day of Maha Shivratri. Over 3,00,000 people visited and prayed to Lord Shiva on that Maha Shivratri day.

About Humanitarian Hands Trust



The Shivoham Shiva Temple is managed by The Humanitarian Hands Trust which was setup in the year 1993. It caters to the needs of the abandoned and downtrodden destitute in Bangalore. The trust believes that service is the best form of prayer. Humanitarian Hands Trust is currently taking care of over 600 homeless residents in 3 different homes across Bangalore.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1091563/Shivoham_Shiva_Temple_Logo.jpg



Image: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1091562/Maha_Shivratri_at_Shivoham_Shiva_Temple.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 14, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

Shaking Hands With Bad State Actors Not Smart Chess

Antagonist regimes use photo-ops with leaders of countries like Canada for propaganda, says former minister and MP

News Analysis

Diplomatic relations is a chess game, one that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didnt play very well when he had a friendly handshake with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, says former cabinet minister and longtime MP David Kilgour.

You need to know how to move your pieces in a way that youre going to serve your country and its interests, and not serve the interests of the other country, which is trying to hurt you in every way it can, Kilgour says.

Images of Trudeau greeting Zarif with a friendly handshake and bowing his head on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14 were shared widely by Iranian state media, with critics raising concerns that the prime minister is being used as a propaganda prop by the Iranian regime to claim legitimacy domestically.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 14, 2020. (Via Reuters)

Kaveh Shahrooz, a senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, said in a tweet that while he realizes that leaders sometimes have to shake hands with unsavoury people, given that Iran recently shot down a plane carrying 176 passengers including Canadians, Trudeau should have avoided a photo-op with the Iranian representative.

Trudeau defended his meeting with Zarif, saying he needs to press Iran to get answers on the plane tragedy.

Back in 2016, the prime minister drew fire for a statement he issued after the passing of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, praising the communist dictator as a larger-than-life leader and a legendary revolutionary and orator.

His government has faced criticism as well by rights groups for its pursuit of warm relations with the Beijing regime. Most recently Canadas ambassador to China Dominic Barton said he commends Chinas efforts in containing the new coronavirus, despite evidence that the regime wasnt forthcoming when the outbreak first started and has been discounting the number of cases and deaths, and the fact that Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor still remain detained in China.

Kilgour says Canadian leaders should be mindful of how their conduct can be used for propaganda purposes by bad state actors.

He recalls that in the 1980s, as an MP and a member of the Canadian Parliamentary Group for Soviet Jewryformed in support of the Jewish people persecuted under the Soviet Unionhe and fellow MPs were asked to meet with the Anti-Zionist Committee of the Soviet Public, which in reality was an anti-Jewish committee, he said.

Kilgour said he and other parliamentarians at first agreed to the meeting, thinking they would tell them how strongly we disagree with them, but they eventually decided against it after they were advised it would only serve as a propaganda opportunity for the Anti-Zionist Committee.

They will take a photograph of you coming in to shake hands with them, and they will use the photograph as pure propaganda, and nothing you say criticizing them will be heard, Kilgour said.

In the aftermath of Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper responded to Russian President Vladimir Putins extension of his hand for a handshake on the sidelines of the 2014 G20 summit in Australia by saying, I guess Ill shake your hand but I have only one thing to say to you: You need to get out of Ukraine.

A year before, Harper boycotted a Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka over human rights violations by the countrys government.

Harper also famously refused to attend the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, despite about 80 other world leaders joining the event.

According to The Epoch Times special series Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, the Chinese Communist Party used the event to enhance its claims to legitimacy and to provide a pretext for suppressing the Chinese people.

Yet Harper, whose government started showing warmer relations to China in the final years of his tenure, attended an APEC summit in China in 2014, despite initially not planning to go, saying Chinese officials really wanted me to be here for the launch of the summit.

Charles Burton, an associate professor of political science at Brock University, said in an op-ed in The Globe and Mail at the time that there were many photographs of Harper and Canadian ministers accompanying him on the trip in Chinese media, showing them laughing and smiling and giving the impression that they thoroughly enjoyed interacting with leaders of the Chinese Communist Party.

The real bottom line is that the Chinese leadership got the affirmation of political legitimacy that they wanted from Canada, Burton said.

Kilgour says he has seen many situations in which the goodwill of Canadian leaders gets taken advantage of by governments with bad intentions.

He adds that Canadian leaders can still be polite to people without allowing an opportunity for photographs of them to be used for propaganda.

You dont have to be rude when refusing to shake hands with somebody, you can just brush over or say something when he puts out his hand, and look in a different direction, Kilkgour says. You just have to show him that youre not going to get sucked into a photo-op thats going to hurt Canadians.
Trevelino/Keller has been engaged by global cafe-bakery chain Paris Baguette to promote the brand in its franchise sales expansion plan into the U.S. The agencys services will include placing earned media with the restaurant and franchise trade as well as in local markets. Trevelino/Keller will also support key franchise/restaurant shows from an earned media and executive visibility standpoint, work on presentation and sales materials and participate in revamping Paris Baguettes franchise sales website. Founded in Korea in 1988, Paris Baguette operates more than 3,000 locations and has opened 14 U.S. locations in the past year.

Weber Shandwick has been named PR partner of Singapores National Library Board. The agency will provide day-to-day PR consultancy and communications services support for the NLB. Vanessa Ho Nikolovski, managing director, Singapore and chair, client services, of Weber Shandwick Asia Pacific, said the agencys remit is to support the NLBs evolution from a knowledge hub to a dynamic center at the heart of a digitalized community. The organization oversees 26 public libraries islandwide, as well as the National Library and the National Archives of Singapore. NLB subsidiaries include the Asian Film Archive and Library and Archives Solutions, its corporate arm.

Diffusion has been selected as public relations agency of record for Gate Labs, a smart lock maker that produces what the company says is the worlds first all-in-one video smart lock. Diffusion will coordinate with the brand to build its profile as a leader in the smart home industry. The PR program will support Gate Labs as it releases the Generation 2 smart lock and rolls out more features across its product lineup, leveraging a product seeding program that will let reporters, influencers and reviewers test the smart locks design for themselves. Its key that we have a PR partner that understands how our brand and product fit into the smart home landscape, and that made Diffusion an easy choice for us, said Gate Labs founder and CTO Danial Ehyaie.
State governor speaks out about Playa del Carmen beach arrests

Playa del Carmen, Q.R.  The governor of Quintana Roo says that despite granted beach concessions in the Federal Terrestrial Maritime Zone, that does not mean that the beaches are privatized.

The comments come from state governor Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez after two Mexico City tourists were arrested Sunday for sunbathing and not consuming food in a concessioned area of Mamitas Beach Club in Playa del Carmen.

The governor said that an event such as this angers, and obviously we do not want that to happen because Quintana Roo is characterized for its treatment of tourists based on years of experience that has allowed an influx of more than 23 million visitors last year.

He said that the beach where the event was recorded is a federal zone and is a place where the concessionaires have obtained authorization for their use through the monthly or annual payment to the federation in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Revenue Law. Joaquin Gonzalez reiterated that the beaches are not private despite the existence of these concessions, saying that there will be a thorough investigation into why the events occurred and the two people were arrested.

He also said he spoke with Mayor Laura Beristain Navarrete to carry out the investigations and take the corresponding measures so that a fact like that does not happen again, and solutions are sought so that tourism continues to grow. In Quintana Roo everyone is welcome and I hope that there will be a thorough investigation and the corresponding punishment will be applied, he said.

Since the arrests, Jorge Marzuca, general director of Mamitas Group publicly apologized to the two people who were forcibly removed from the front of the Mamitas Beach Club by police on Sunday. In his apology, he promised to review their protocols so that such a situation is not repeated.

The pair were released without charges after their Sunday arrest. They have since filed complaints with the public prosecutors office and with the Human Rights Department. The the Directorate of Internal Affairs of Public Security is also investigating.
The UK government on Wednesday vowed to end the reliance on cheap, low-skilled labour with a new points-based immigration system.

The system  which will apply to both EU and non-EU visa applicants  will take affect from 1 January 2021.

Here is what it means:

UK border signs at passport control in London's Heathrow Airport. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images)

What is a points-based immigration system?

A points-based immigration system ranks a potential immigrant based on a number of factors, such as skills, experience, and language abilities.

Under new proposals published on Wednesday, visa applicants  including those from the European Union  will need 70 points to be eligible to come and work in the UK.

Having a job offer from an approved employer, having an appropriate skill level, and being able to speak English will get an applicant 50 points.

If the job they have been offered comes with a salary of at least 25,600, they will get a further 20 points, meaning they would be eligible for a UK visa.

But applicants will also get 10 points if they have a PhD relevant to the job, or 20 points if they have a PhD in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or maths.

If the UK has a shortage of qualified workers in the field in which the applicant has gotten a job offer, they will get an additional 20 points.

The Home Office said on Wednesday that it hoped to add further criteria in the future.

Read more: UK to 'end reliance on cheap labour' with new immigration system

What is the current immigration system?

Under the European Unions freedom of movement system, workers from other countries in the bloc do not currently need to apply for a visa to work here. This will change once the UK exits the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020.

The current visa application process for workers from other countries already operates on a points-based system.

There are four categories: temporary workers, students, skilled workers, and high-value applicants.

Applicants get points for being able to speak English, for meeting a salary threshold of 30,000, and for being sponsored by an approved company.

Story continues

There is currently also a limit of 21,000 work visas per year.

What are the big changes under the new system?

While the government will continue a pilot of its seasonal agricultural worker scheme  quadrupling the quota to 10,000 places  there will be no route for low-skilled immigrants to come and work in the UK.

This is because the system will treat EU and non-EU migrants in the same way.

A high proportion of low-skilled immigrants currently come from other EU countries, meaning that, from 2021, they will essentially be shut out of working in the UK.

A report from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which recommended a points-based system and salary thresholds, estimated that 70% of the EU citizens who came to work in the UK since 2004 would be ineligible under the new system.

The lowering of the salary threshold, from 30,000 to 25,600, was also a key MAC recommendation. This, in theory, will make it easier for skilled migrants to come to the UK from other countries.

While low-skilled workers such as waitresses and baristas will not be able to come to the UK, those in medium-skilled occupations, such as painters, carpenters, and plumbers will now have more opportunity.

Home secretary Priti Patel said the aim of the system was to reduce overall migration while still attracting the brightest and the best to the UK.

Were ending free movement, taking back control of our borders and delivering on the peoples priorities by introducing a new UK points-based immigration system, she said.

Students from the European Union will now also have to prove they speak English, that they have an offer at an approved educational institution, and that they can financially support themselves while living in the UK.

Which other countries have a points-based immigration system?

Much has been made about Australias points-based immigration system, but Canada was actually the first country in introduce this kind of application process, which it did in 1967.

New Zealand also has a system like this, but the criteria in each country differs significantly. For instance, applicants aged between 25 and 33 garner 30 of the required 65 points in Australia.

Australia also has a health requirement for immigrants, which is designed to limit public health risks and reduce the impact of immigration on the countrys health and community services.

Applicants must also undergo a character test that is designed to exclude those with a serious criminal record.
Aground: The MV Alta beneath cliffs near Ballycotton, Co Cork. Photo: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision

A special operation to remove fuel is being considered to eliminate any pollution threat posed to the Irish coast by the stranded 'ghost ship' MV Alta.

The vessel contains only a fraction of the 75,000 litres of diesel fuel it had been loaded with for its final voyage when it left Greece, bound for Haiti, in September 2018.

The vessel drifted abandoned in the Atlantic for almost 17 months.

MV Alta remains wedged on rocks on the shoreline just 4km from Ballycotton in east Co Cork, close to rich fishing grounds and a special coastal conservation area, as well as famous beaches such as Garryvoe.

As well as environmental concerns over any potential pollution threat, officials have safety concerns amid indications a number of people have ignored warnings and climbed on board the 80-metre wreck.

Cork County Council, the Coast Guard and gardai urged people to stay away from the vessel as it is unstable.

"This [boarding the vessel] is extremely dangerous and could pose a risk to life," the council warned.

Marine engineers boarded the vessel at low tide and carefully inspected the interior of the freighter.

Cork County Council confirmed "initial indications are that remaining amounts of fuel (diesel) in the ship's tanks is small".

"The fuel tanks are divided into a number of compartments, some of which were inaccessible due to water on board," it said.

"This will be pumped out to allow the contractor to complete the assessment."

Inspectors found the MV Alta had no cargo left on board beyond a series of sealed oil containers essential to the operation of the ship's engine. These will have to be removed.

The council again confirmed there is no visible pollution within the Ballycotton and Garryvoe area.

The hull suffered a major breach as the vessel was driven onto rocks at the height of Storm Dennis.

MV Alta, built in 1976, was the focus of an attempted hijacking off Africa and another reported attack by pirates off Guyana in South America.

In October 2018 it broke down 1,400 nautical miles from Bermuda with the US Coastguard having to mount a major rescue operation for the 20-strong crew.
Hours after he was acquitted by a court and freed after more than two years in jail, a high-profile Turkish philanthropist was rearrested on separate charges in a case that has raised questions about the rule of law in Turkey.

A surprise court decision on Tuesday to drop charges against Osman Kavala, 63, and eight other defendants, of undermining Turkeys national security by taking part in the 2013 Gezi park anti-government protests prompted applause in the courtroom.

Even pro-government circles and supporters of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced quiet relief that a court case based on little evidence  and one which had drawn scrutiny from diplomats and international advocacy groups  was finally concluding.

But Mr Kavalas rearrest later on Tuesday, on fresh accusations that he participated in a deadly failed 2016 coup attempt, allegedly perpetrated by the spiritual movement of exiled religious scholar Fethullah Gulen, dashed those hopes.

It was Erdogan who ordered the arrest of Kavala, and it was he who ordered his release today, pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) lawmaker Garo Paylan was quoted as saying by local media.

Mr Paylan, a politician of ethnic Armenian descent, added: Nobody is safe against this judicial cruelty in Turkey. I am seriously worried about arbitrary judicial decisions and trumped-up charges.

Recommended Turkey acquits nine on charges stemming from 2013 Gezi protests

The prosecution of Mr Kavala, who has used his inherited wealth to finance numerous political and cultural projects, has underscored the countrys political and cultural divides, pitting Turkeys older secular elites against the newly dominant power of Mr Erdogan and his allies.

Mr Erdogan has in the past called Mr Kavala the local collaborator of the Hungarian Jew George Soros, in reference to the Hungarian-born financier and philanthropist.

The Gezi incidents directly cost Turkey $1.4bn while its indirect cost was hundreds of billions of dollars, Mr Erdogan said in a speech on Wednesday. Whoever defines Gezi incidents as an innocent environmental movement is either ignorant or an enemy of this country and nation.

The prosecutor has vowed to challenge the judiciary decision to acquit Mr Kavala and the others on the 2013 protest charges.

 Erdogan says he handed back 'tough guy' letter to Trump as two leaders at odds over Kurds

Allegations that Mr Kavala had a role in the 2016 coup attempt are odd in light of the fact that it was Mr Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party that originally allowed Mr Gulens cult-like spiritual movement into government and security institutions, as an ally against Turkeys military-dominated old order.

Secular liberals like Mr Kavala were hostile to the Gulenists and were targeted by the movements supporters in the interior ministry and judiciary. Ironically, Mr Kavala, the scion of a wealthy Turkish family, was considered a supporter of Mr Erdogan when the Islamist-rooted leader and his allies took on the power and privileges of the military.

Amnesty International called the continued detention of Mr Kavala cynical and outrageous.

It is time for Turkey to end the relentless crackdown on dissenting voices, said Milena Buyum, the groups Turkey campaigner, in a statement.
US President Donald Trump and First Lady of the US Melania Trump will be on an official two-day visit to India on February 24 and 25. Trump is the first serving US President to visit Gujarat. Here's a lowdown on the US President's schedule in India:

February 24

12:00 pm: PM Modi will personally receive the couple in Ahmedabad on February 24. President Trump will arrive at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Airport. A 22km long roadshow has been planned on Ahmedabad streets. The roadshow will stop for sometime at the Sabarmati Ashram where both the heads of states will pay tributes to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. Trump will also be gifted a spinning wheel, books on the life and times of Gandhi and a portrait sketch of Mahatma Gandhi.

Around 12:30 pm: After the stopover at the Sabarmati Ashram, both the leaders will arrive at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium to attend and address the Namaste Trump event. Approximately, 1.25 lakh people are expected to attend the event which will feature cultural performances. Some Bollywood celebrities could also be a part of the event.

3:30 pm: After the formal lunch hosted by PM Modi comes to an end, the President and the First Lady will leave for Agra.

Around 5 pm: The couple will tour the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra and spend around 45 minutes there. After this, the couple will leave for Delhi.

February 25

10 am: US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will be received at the Rashtrapati Bhawan by the President of India Ram Nath Kovind and his wife Savita Kovind.

10:45 am: US President Trump along with the First Lady Melania Trump will pay respects to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi at the Raj Ghat.

11:30 am: President Trump and Melania Trump will arrive at the Hyderabad House. Two leaders will go for a restricted dialogue after an initial photo op. An expanded delegation level talk will take place after this. In the meanwhile, Melania will visit a Delhi school to see the education system in Delhi.

3 pm: The US President and his delegation will meet the top businesspersons of India as part of a CEO roundtable. The CEO roundtable will take place at the US Embassy.

8 pm: President and the First Lady will go to the Rashtrapati Bhawan for the state banquet hosted by the President.

Around 10 pm: Entire delegation will leave for airport and depart from New Delhi in an Air Force One plane.

Also read: Meet the Indian who fasts every Friday for Trump's good health

Also read: 'Looking forward to visiting New Delhi, Ahmedabad,' says Melania Trump

Also read: Not 'trade deal' but 'trade package' on the cards during Trump's India visit
Technavio has been monitoring the folding furniture market and it is poised to grow by USD 3.84 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of 6% 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.

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Union Petroleum and Steel minister Dharmendra Pradhan has urged the Centre for setting up a hostel for girl students belonging to minority communities under a central scheme.

In a letter to Union Minority Affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Pradhan highlighted the need for establishing the hostel for minority girl students studying in senior school or colleges in Bhubaneswar.

He also requested Naqvi to issue instructions for making provisions to cover major cities, besides the state capital, under the PMJVK scheme so that priority sectors are made available in the metropolitan cities as well.

Presently the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) sanctions projects under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) only in identified Minority Concentration Areas where there is more than 25 per cent minority population and the area is relatively backward in socio-economic and basic amenities parameters as compared to the national average, he said.

"I would implore you to consider allowing projects like girls hostels, residential schools, ITIs, skill centres, in locations where students migrate to in search of better facilities for education, skill, health facilities," the minister said in the letter, which was released to the media on Wednesday.

The Union minister also urged Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to immediately send a detailed proposal to the Centre for setting up a medical college in Bhadrak district as the area lacks tertiary medical facility.

The state should ask the Centre to set up the medical college under the PMJVK scheme, Pradhan said in a letter to the chief minister.

"The district of Bhadrak does not have any tertiary medical facility as of now. Having a medical college in the district would be extremely helpful in providing requisite medical facilities to the people in and around Bhadrak," he said.

The PMJVK provides for creation of community assets, and health is one of the priority sectors under the scheme, Pradan said.

The Central government bears 60 per cent of the capital cost of the project while recurring expenditure, including manpower, will be provided by the states, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Houston Chronicle immigration reporter Lomi Kriel has won a prominent national award for her work on the Trump Administration's immigration policy, including family separation at the southern border and the Remain in Mexico program.

The 71st annual George Polk Awards in Journalism, honoring 15 winners in 14 categories for their reporting in 2019, were announced Wednesday.

Kriel, the first to report that separated parents had been deported without their children, has continued to do groundbreaking reporting on the Trump administrations crackdown on immigration. A year after the administration ostensibly ended its practice of separating immigrant families at the border, Kriel obtained new federal court data and an expansive government database showing for the first time that the White House was systematically continuing to remove children from their parents by citing often unsubstantiated gang or criminal ties.

Those children included a 4-year-old girl who had been taken from her father in a Border Patrol facility. The government claimed he was a MS-13 gang member with a criminal history in El Salvador, but under questioning in court offered no evidence. The girl was eventually deported home with her father. After the story, the American Civil Liberties Union requested that the federal judge overseeing the family separation litigation include such children and require the government provide more information about such cases.

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In 2019, Kriel continued her reporting on Jose Escobar, a Houston father who was one of the first high-profile arrests of Trumps presidency, coming shortly after his sweeping executive orders made every immigrant here illegally-- even some like Escobar with permission to stay -- a priority for deportation. The Trump administration allowed Escobar to return to Houston in July and Kriel wrote an intimate portrait of his readjustment to American life and all he had missed in 2 years away from his children.

She was there when the White House expanded its so-called Remain in Mexico program to Texas, and chronicled the return of dozens of Central American families who were forced to wait in Juarez as their asylum cases wound their way through U.S. immigration courts.

Were thrilled for Lomi, said Chronicle Executive Editor Steve Riley. She has been a national star in immigration reporting for several years, and were excited that the Polk judges saw fit to give her this honor.

The Polk Awards are one of the most coveted awards in journalism. Others winners this year include reporters from the New York Times, the Washington Post, Politico, ProPublica and the New Yorker.

Born and raised in South Africa, Kriel immigrated to Houston in 1998 and speaks fluent Spanish and Afrikaans. She holds a master of arts in political journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor of arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin. She frequently reports from the border, and has also reported from El Salvador, Arizona and Washington D.C.
[February 19, 2020] InMoment VP of Data Science Recognized in Utah's Forty Under Forty

InMoment, the leading provider of Experience Intelligence (XI), announces Levi Roberts, InMoment's VP of Data Science, has been included in Utah Business' 2020 Forty Under Forty. Forty Under Forty honors professionals aiming to help progress Utah's reaching business impact. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005573/en/ InMoment's Levi Roberts is recognized as one of Utah's 40 young business professionals helping to expand and evolve Utah's growing business influence. (Photo: Business Wire) For nearly five years, Levi Roberts has worked at InMoment, beginning as Special Projects Manager. Roberts was promoted in rapid succession to a variety of positions, and now works as VP of Data Science. Roberts has been an influential leader, spearheading innovative solutions to further the InMoment offerings and the ultimate success of its clients. "I have had great leaders and fellow employees who have encouraged me to continu to put my best work and effort forward throughout my career," said Roberts. "Each day at InMoment offers a new opportunity to problem solve and develop creative solutions. Leading the way from a data science perspective presents exciting ways to experiment with groundbreaking concepts and designs to facilitate the best experiences for our customers."



Roberts' impact is reflected through several accomplishments, including the following: Contributing to the design and implementation of a modernized intelligence platform

Sharing expertise on stage at Forrester (News - Alert) NYC to solidify InMoment's position as a thought leader in the industry

Representing InMoment at the Women Tech Council Within the community, Roberts is a champion for women in the technology industry, encouraging employee participation with the Women Tech Council and driving an internal company initiative, Women of InMoment. Roberts also cultivates an environment among his team to volunteer, mentor and teach at SheTech events to inspire high school girls to pursue STEM degrees. Roberts also takes his team to volunteer with the local community, and he participates in InMoment's quarterly charitable activities, including KidsEat!, Ronald McDonald House and the Road Home Shelter.

"Levi's technical aptitude and innovative spirit empower both InMoment as a whole as well as our clients," said David Joiner, InMoment's Chief Technology Officer. "Levi being recognized as one of Utah's most impactful business professionals affirms InMoment's commitment to attract the finest talent, providing the best leadership and expertise within the Silicon Slopes community." About InMoment InMoment is the leader in Experience Intelligence (XI), helping organizations deliver more beneficial and memorable experiences in every moment. The company's cloud-native XI Platform is engineered with data science at the core, featuring three clouds that work seamlessly together to give businesses a comprehensive understanding of the most important factors impacting the bottom line: Customer Experience (CX) Cloud, Employee Experience (EX) Cloud, and Market Experience (MX) Cloud. InMoment's technology, coupled with its deep domain knowledge in experience design and delivery, help more than 500 of the world's leading brands in 95 countries attract, excite, and retain their most profitable customers and most valuable employees. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005573/en/

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Police have arrested five people, including the son of a sub-inspector in Punjab, for allegedly looting a goods truck and beating up its driver, officials said on Wednesday.

They said the loot incident happened on February 12 when the accused allegedly accosted and beat up the driver near Pinna village on Panipat-Khatima Highway under the Titawi police station limits and fled with the truck carrying grocery items. Superintendent of Police (Rural) Nepal Singh told newspersons here that acting on a tip-off, the police arrested Vikas, Arif, Javed, Ansar and Harsh following an exchange of fire.

He said the looted truck has been recovered. He also said the car used in the crime belonged to Vikas, who is son of a police sub-inspector posted in Punjab. He said the car carried a 'police' plate.

The police said the five accused were wanted in Haryana and Rajasthan also for their involvement in cases of loot. Apart from slapping Indian Penal Code section related to loot, the police has also booked them under section 307 (attempt to murder).
MEPs today warned Britain if it wants a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU it will have to grant European fishermen the same level of access to British waters as they have now.

Pierre Karleskind, the newly-elected chairman of the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee, said the bloc would accept 'nothing more, nothing less' than the current arrangements.

He insisted British agreement on the matter would be 'one condition for concluding the economic partnership' between the two sides.

But Boris Johnson has been adamant that Britain will decide who gets to fish in its waters when it becomes an independent coastal state at the end of this year.

The Prime Minister also said priority will be given to British fishing boats with the UK and the EU now firmly on a collision course on the issue.

Pierre Karleskind was today elected the chairman of the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee and proceeded to set out his Brexit trade deal red lines

This map created by the Institute for Government shows in blue the extent of the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone - the waters Britain will take back control of after Brexit. At the moment the EEZ of every EU member state is merged into one large zone which can be accessed by fishermen from all over Europe. Fishing activity in the zone is regulated by the EU's Common Fisheries Policy. Under the CFP member states do retain control of the regulation of fishing activities in inshore waters - those up to 12 miles off the coast

What are the current rules on fishing in UK waters and how will things change after Brexit? Each country has an Exclusive Economic Zone which can extend up to 200 nautical miles from the coast. That country has special fishing rights over that area. However, in the EU each country's Exclusive Economic Zone is effectively merged into one joint EU zone. All fishing activity within that zone is then regulated by the bloc's controversial Common Fisheries Policy which dictates how many of each type of fish can be caught. The joint EU zone is open to fishermen from every member state. But after the Brexit transition period the UK will regain sole control of its Exclusive Economic Zone and the bolstered Royal Navy Fishery Protection Squadron will be tasked with patrolling it to make sure every vessel operating there has the right to do so. Advertisement

Mr Karleskind said in a statement issued today following his election as the new chairman of the powerful committee: 'This mandate will be particularly heavy when it comes to fisheries.

'First of all, we have to negotiate a new fisheries agreement with the United Kingdom before 1 July this year.

'We request reciprocal access to waters, meaning the same situation as we have now - nothing more, nothing less.

'With this being one condition for concluding the economic partnership.'

Britain and Brussels are due to sit down and begin formal discussions on the terms of their future relationship at the start of March.

Fishing and access to waters will be a crunch issue with the EU's demand for 'reciprocal access' having already been rebuffed by the UK.

Britain has bolstered its fishing police force amid growing tensions, sparking fears of a repeat of the so-called scallop wars in 2018 which saw French and British boats angrily clash over access to shellfish off the coast of Normandy.

The UK is taking steps to prepare for all post-Brexit eventualities, with the government having hired two extra ships to provide additional help to the Royal Navy Fishery Protection Squadron's current four ship fleet with further vessels placed on standby.

Michel Barnier aide delivers Brexit deal warning to the UK Boris Johnson has been warned that the European Union (EU) views negotiations with the UK as a 'different ball game' to the trade talks which secured an agreement with Canada. The Prime Minister wants a Canada-style trade deal which would leave the UK free to diverge from EU rules. But a key aide to Brussels' chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the EU would not budge from its insistence on a 'level playing field' on state subsidies, environmental protections and workers' rights as the price of any deal. He also said the UK's close proximity to the EU meant it could not have the same kind of deal as Canada. Stefaan De Rynck said: 'It's clear that for us it's a different ball game that we are playing with the UK to the one that we agreed with Canada in terms of the level playing field.' Mr De Rynck said the UK's closeness to the EU in terms of both distance and trading relationships meant the level playing field conditions were more important than in other trade deals struck by Brussels. 'Some in the UK now seem to want to become Canadians. But Dover is much closer to Calais than Ottawa is,' he said in a speech at the London School of Economics. Advertisement

The bolstered Royal Navy squadron will be tasked with patrolling the entirety of the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone to make sure all vessels operating within it have the right to do so, kicking out those that do not.

Every coastal state has an EEZ) which can extend up to 200 nautical miles from land and over which that country has special fishing rights.

But in the EU each country's EEZ is merged into one joint zone in which fishermen from all member states enjoy equal access, with activity regulated by the bloc's controversial Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

The UK is leaving the EU's CFP as part of Brexit which means it will be able to take back control of its considerable fishing grounds.

Senior figures in Brussels have suggested that UK concessions on fishing could unlock EU concessions in other areas.

But Britain has resisted the idea of using fishing as a bargaining chip because taking back control of UK waters was one of the key pledges of the 2016 Leave campaign.

Mr Johnson said in a big Brexit speech at the start of this month that Britain is 'ready to consider an agreement on fisheries, but it must reflect the fact that the UK will be an independent coastal state at the end of this year 2020, controlling our own waters'.

He added: 'And under such an agreement, there would be annual negotiations with the EU, using the latest scientific data, ensuring that British fishing grounds are first and foremost for British boats.'

The right of EU ships to fish in British waters after Brexit has already emerged as a key issue ahead of trade talks between the UK and the bloc

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said there needed to be 'reciprocal access to our territorial waters and our markets'.

He also insisted that 'agreement on fisheries will be inextricably linked to the trade agreement'.

Fishermen from any registered EU member state can enjoy equal access to the fish in the entirety of the joint EU zone but the CFP imposes quotas on what can be caught.

The CFP does allow member states to retain control of the regulation of fishing activities in inshore waters - those up to 12 miles off the coast.

Up to six miles off the coast is protected for domestic fishing activity but some member states have historical rights to fish in the areas six to 12 miles off the coast of other countries.
MONROE, Mich. - A southeastern Michigan man was charged with murder Wednesday in the death of his 79-year-old grandmother, who authorities say was beaten to death and then decapitated.

Kenny McBride, 45, of Temperance, is accused of killing Cecelia Gibson, the Monroe News reported. An autopsy found the woman died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Judge William Paul Nichols denied bond, and McBride was lodged in the Monroe County Jail on charges of murder and mutilation of a corpse.

Monroe County sheriffs deputies found the victims body in the living room early Monday, but her head was located in the backyard of the home McBride shared with the victim and his father in Temperance, about 7 miles (12 kilometres) north of Toledo, Ohio.

___

This story as been corrected to show that the suspect is from southeastern Michigan.
Thala Ajith has reportedly got injured on the sets of his upcoming film, Valimai. He suffered minor injuries while performing a bike stunt. Interestingly, Thala Ajith finished the Chennai schedule despite injuries.

As per reports, Ajith has taken a break from the shoot. He will soon resume shooting the next schedule, which is set to happen in Hyderabad.

Thala Ajith has always been loving motorbikes. He is known for performing bike stunts perfectly in his movies. Earlier, while performing the stunt, he has got injured on the sets of Arrambham. Apart from that, the actor also sustained the injury during the last day of shoot of Vedhalam. This injury led him to undergo surgery, which put him on crutches for some time.

Ajith's next Valimai is the consecutive second collaboration with director H Vinoth and producer Boney Kapoor. Earlier, the trio also delivered a hit Nerkonda Paarvai, which was the Tamil remake of Hindi film, Pink.

Also Read : Thala Ajith's 'Valimai' To Release On Diwali 2020; Find Out Date Here

In Valimai, Ajith is said to be playing the role of lawyer and the film is expected to hit the screens in Deepavali.
A security arrangement comprising the Delhi Police and other agencies will be in place in the National Capital for Donald Trump's visit to India next week, officials said on Wednesday.

New Delhi: A multi-tier security arrangement comprising the Delhi Police, US Secret Service and other agencies will be in place in the National Capital, including at the ITC Maurya hotel where US president Donald Trump is likely to stay when he visits India next week, officials said on Wednesday.

"In connection with the US president's visit, the Delhi Police is making all necessary arrangements. Security unit will be duly assisted by the district police and the traffic unit.

"Police will make elaborate arrangements at the place of stay and all venues where he is likely to pay a visit," Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik told PTI.

Patnaik said other sister agencies are also involved in the task and necessary tie-up has been made with the US Secret Service.

"It will be a multi-layered security arrangement with due assistance from the central armed police forces," the police chief added.

At the ITC Maurya, a three-layer security will be in place, another senior police officer said.

The officer said that the hotel, located in Diplomatic Enclave in Chanakyapuri, has 438 rooms and every floor of the hotel will have policemen in plainclothes.

The Delhi Police's security wing personnel will form part of the inner cordon that will work in close coordination with the United States Secret Service.

The security wing of the Delhi Police is a specialised unit tasked with the security of VIPs and visiting foreign dignitaries.

"The second layer of security will be deployed around the lobby area, parking, lawn area and the pool area, while the third one will comprise police personnel from the district police," another officer added.

There is a large stretch of green ridge area opposite the hotel and security personnel will be deployed there as well.

Snipers of the Delhi Police and National Security Guards will be stationed atop high-rise buildings near the hotel.

In 2015, the then-US president Barack Obama had come to India on a three-day visit, during which he was also the chief guest at the Republic Day event.

Trump, who is scheduled to visit India on 24 and 25 February, will be accompanied by a high-level delegation.

Prime Minister Modi will host a lunch for Trump, while President Ram Nath Kovind will host a banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary.
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The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the coronavirus a global health emergency in recognition that the disease risk no longer is confined to China.

United Nations member countries may decide to close their borders, cancel flights, implement special screenings at airports, or take other steps in response to the notice.

U.S. health officials earlier this week announced they would fast-trackwork on a coronavirus vaccine, with the goal to have an early-stagetrial within three months. That timeline is consideredoptimistic, and even if the work proceeds apace, a phase 1 trial is still a long way from avaccine ready for mass deployment, the National Institute of Allergy and InfectiousDiseases, an agency within the Department of Health and HumanServices, has emphasized.

It could take a year or even longer before any vaccine is released for widespread use.

That is likely of little comfort to those in the Chinese city ofWuhan, which is ground zero for the coronavirus outbreak and essentially has been quarantined. As of this week, the virus has killed106 people in mainland China, and it has infected nearly 4,700 peopleworldwide, including in the United States.

The Chinese government rapidly constructed a1,000-bed hospital in Wuhan as a way to contain and treat patientssuspected of contracting the virus. Named the Wuhan HuoshenshanHospital, it reportedly is a 25,000-square-meter facility purpose-built to address thisoutbreak. The goal of the Chinese was to have the hospital finishedand operational in just 10 days.

A second and even larger facility, the Leishenshan Hospital, also is under construction, and the goal is to have that building finished in just 15 days.

Medieval Measures

Essentially locking down an entire city or region isnt exactly a newtactic, and it certainly is not effective. When the Black Death spread during the Middle Ages, it was commonplace for port cities tobe closed to ships suspected of coming from infected areas.

In the 14th century, Venice was among the first cities to formalize suchmeasures, closing the citys waters to suspected vessels, and evensubjecting travelers and nearly all ships to 30 days of isolation.

The period was extended to 40 days, which led to the term quarantine.

Sadly, those efforts generally were unsuccessful, and it is unclear if amodern quarantine would have any better success. However, this weekthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Americans toavoid all nonessential travel to China and extended its travel warningfrom Wuhan to the entire country.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The effectiveness of this move currently is being debated, said Mariea Snell, assistant director of Doctor of Nursing Practice programs at Maryville University.

At this point, the recommendation is that travel be limited, as therisk is considered to not outweigh the benefit at this point, she told TechNewsWorld.

Modern air travel exponentially increased the spread of influenza eachyear, based on a study by Chong and Chung, originally conducted in 2012 and updated in 2017.

Air travel restrictions should become apriority when flu or other potential pandemic could occur, the researchers recommended.

Some companies are heeding such advice. Apple CEO TimCook on Tuesday announced restrictions on employee travel andeven took the drastic measure of shutting down one store in China.

The question is whether restricting travel and utilizing quarantinepractices be effective at curbing the spread of infection.

Recent studies indicate that it may not be as beneficial asoriginally thought to be, Snell said.

We learned a lot from theSARS and Ebola outbreak in this regard. While it may slow it down, itwill not eliminate it, she noted.

The best way to prevent the spread ofillness is to wash your hands, and stay home if you are sick, Snell said.

Detection Technology

Aside from quarantines, efforts to halt the spread of disease include screenings. It has gotten far easier to determine if someone is contagious and carrying an illness through various methods of detection, which can be as simple as taking temperatures and observing individuals for symptoms.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A helpful way that technology can and is being used to stop thespread of illness is the use of public health surveillance data, noted Snell.

The effectiveness can be hit or miss, however, largely depending on the virus.

In the case of the coronavirus, scientists say that the viral sheddingperiod  period when you are contagious  can occur up to a weekbefore you start to show symptoms, Snell explained.

Given this, using technology to detect infection  like fever  would notbe very effective at preventing the spread, she noted. This can behelpful during acute illness, but it would not catch all infected people.

Predictive Technology

Technology isnt just used just to determine if someone is ill, however.Advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning now are beingused to predict where an outbreak might occur  or even moreimportantly, where it might spread.

One such effort is an early-warning system that utilizes artificialintelligence and machine learning, as well as natural language processing, totrack more than 100 infectious diseases, developed by the Canadian firm BlueDot.

The program is designed toread from more than 100,000 articles in 65 languages, and the data then iscompiled to determine the potential for the spreading of diseases. Itwas used earlier this month to track the coronavirus and then predictwhere it might spread.

Considering the coronavirus is a global disease, AI hasnt done agood job stopping it  but a much better job in tracking it, said RogerEntner, principal analyst at Recon Analytics.

However, it could take time to refine any AI to be truly successful.

AI could certainly help, but its early days for AI yet, and thisvirus is moving faster than it would probably take to set up a good AImodel and train it on the right data set, cautioned Roger Kay, principalanalyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates.

More important is to execute existing protocols rigorously, liketracing contacts and quarantining and treating infected people, hetold TechNewsWorld.

Crowdsourcing Disease Tracking

A number of crowdsourcing methods could be effective in tracking the spread of disease.

People are also using cellphone data to track population movement andhow they interact, noted Snell.

This helps understand or predict where disease may spread so thatscientists and healthcare providers can take a proactive approach,she added.

Social media is another promising avenue.

Algorithms have been set up to detect certain buzzwords like flu orfood poisoning to detect and track possible large-scale outbreaks,noted Snell.

Connected World

The ease with which so many people can jet set around the world for businessmeetings, conferences, trade shows, vacation and other occasions also hascontributed to the spread of contagious diseases.

Perhaps some of those occasions for travel eventually could transition to virtual reality or augmented reality experiences  both to save moneyfor the participants, and to keep big gatherings  such as the annual CESor the Davos political gathering  from becoming ground zero fora pandemic.

Not everyone is sold on that idea, however, and convincing attendees ofthose shows  not to mention the exhibitors  could be an uphillstruggle.

The moment we have to do AR/VR in a response to a pandemic, then weare so deep in trouble not even AR/VR can save us, ReconAnalytics Entner told TechNewsWorld.

In the end, there is no substitute for meeting someone in person,shaking their hand and looking them in the eye  AR/VR cant do that,he added.

Virtual conferences are already happening for cost reasons, of course.

The only issue is you cant get people to sit through three days ofcontent on a virtual connection  it just doesnt work, observedKay.

Networking is an important part of conferences, but if you dont needto do business development, there is no reason not to get the contentin a format like a TED talk, and there are lots of software tools forconferencing at various levels, he added.

Much of what one can learn or needs to learn from majorevents or trade shows can be done through technology, maintained Snell.

Virtual events or trade shows can deliver the information in a waythat is safe and cost-effective, she noted.

We can integrate discussion in an online platform and share thelatest information on products, as well as view presentations from ourhome or office, Snell suggested. Utilization of this technology forevents such as these should be industry standard as we try to navigatethese global health concerns.
Imagine a pristine T&T where there are no more homeless people or animals. One where hunger has been eliminated as the relic of a bygone era.

A world where pipe-borne water is delivered to every home every day, not wasted in an archaic system where significant leaks are either ignored or washed out to sea.
As clashes in northwestern Syria bring the Turkish death toll to 14, Turkeys opposition parties are lambasting the ruling party for bypassing parliament in the decision-making process on Idlib, calling for a dialogue with Syrian President Bashar al-Assads government.

The clashes between Turkey-backed Syrian rebels and forces loyal to Assad in Syrias last rebel bastion topped the countrys agenda as the Turkish death toll climbed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 45 soldiers were wounded in the fighting.

The number of casualties suffered between Feb. 3-10 has led many to wonder why Turkey is involved in the Idlib escalation. The Turkish public is questioning why Turkish troops are in an area far from Turkey's border.

Turkey's parliamentary opposition parties, which represent some 50% of the population, raised similar questions. Worried that the number of Turkish deaths will rise, the main opposition party invited Erdogan to parliament and called for a plenary session to brief the general assembly and discuss the course of events in Idlib. Yet ruling party members rejected the motion of the Republican People's Party (CHP).

The Good Party  the CHPs nationalist ally  made a similar call one week later, only to have lawmakers from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) strike down the notion.

Instead of a comprehensive debate, Erdogan bypassed the general assembly and declared his stance. Addressing AKP lawmakers Feb. 12, he threatened the Syrian regime that Turkey would hit anywhere should Turkish troops on the ground suffer further harm.

Opposition lawmakers saw Edrogan's remarks as a declaration of war. Many lawmakers chastised Erdogan and his government for treating the Idlib escalation like an internal party matter.

Erdogans remarks drew strong criticism from the opposition ranks.

The president has to brief the parliament. Idlib is not an internal matter of the AKP, said Engin Altay, the CHPs deputy chair, in addressing the general assembly Feb. 11. It is not the AKP that represents the 82 million people living in Turkey, its the parliament.

Apart from fears of more casualties, the opposition criticism has focused on the Turkish government's policy toward Syria.

According to Altay, Turkey's policy on Syria has been ill-guided from the get-go. He sees the cooperation deals between Moscow and Ankara, which were designed to prevent deadly clashes in Idlib, as doomed to fail.

Our soldiers might not be dead now if not for the Turkish intervention in Idlib, Altay said. Turkey made ridiculous promises. He was referring to the two agreements Turkey signed with Russia to set up a demilitarized zone in Idlib and to root out radical jihadis from the ranks of the Syrian opposition.

It promised to remove radicals from the modest opposition. Is this even possible?" Altay said. "There is no way to distinguish these from each other.

Altay said Turkeys support for rebels in Idlib, including fighters affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham  deemed a terrorist organization by Turkey and the international community  contradicts its policy to defend Syrias territorial integrity. Altay described the discrepancy as a diplomatic scandal.

The Good Party leveled similar rebukes, with its party chair stating that Turkey has not fulfilled its commitments in Idlib. Turkey said it would disassociate modest elements from the radicals, but it couldnt do it," Ahmet Kamil Erozan said during the same parliamentary session. "It promised to clean out and open M4 and M5 highways, but it couldnt open them. Most recently, the cease-fire agreement reached with Russia couldnt be implemented.

The governments Idlib venture has provided rare common ground for the nationalist Good Party and the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP). Idlib has become a nest for all jihadists. It has turned into a trouble spot for Turkey and the whole world, said HDP lawmaker Necdet Ipekyuz. And who is protecting these jihadists? Who is safeguarding them?

Altay said Turkey wasnt even able to medevac its wounded soldiers because Russia denied it use of airspace. Instead, Turkey transferred the wounded by road with ambulances. If Turkey cannot medevac its soldiers from a distance within earshot of its borders, it means Turkey cannot be an actor in Idlib, Altay said.

What is the solution, according to the opposition?

Turkeys major opposition parties have long advocated for Turkey's engagement in direct dialogue with Damascus.

The pro-Kurdish HDP has urged the government to initiate dialogue with Syrian Kurdish groups, which Turkey considers threats to national security.

However, with the AKP's nationalist allies talking about invading Damascus, this prospect seems far-fetched, at least in the short run. The Turkish nation must walk into Damascus along with the Turkish army, Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, told his parliamentary group Feb. 11, after Assad's forces killed eight Turkish soldiers in a shelling.
Various species of marine life in the Caribbean yet to be fully observed by science could be wiped out before humanity gets a chance to see them if governments do not come together to protect sharks, whales and turtles in the region, researchers have warned.

The waters around the more than 700 islands of the Caribbean are among the most biodiverse places on the planet, containing the greatest concentration of marine species in the Atlantic Ocean as well as around 8 per cent of the worlds coral reefs.

However scientists from Beneath the Waves, a research NGO which operates in the region, have warned animals little known to science are at risk of being killed off by overfishing in the region.

And while many Caribbean nations have set up Marine Protection Areas (MPAs) that limit fishing, overlapping territories and complex histories of power in the region have meant few are big enough to protect vital areas for sharks, whales and turtles - three of the most threatened groups of marine vertebrates.

Austin Gallagher, Beneath the Waves founder and chief scientist who has called for a multinational approach to protecting the regions biodiversity, told The Independent the issue should be on the table at the UNs upcoming climate and biodiversity summit COP26, due to be hosted in Glasgow later this year.

Nature Photographer of the Year Show all 10 1 /10 Nature Photographer of the Year Nature Photographer of the Year Jump Overall winner of the competition Csaba Daroczi/NPOTY 2019 Nature Photographer of the Year Up in the Air Winner in the Underwater category Alexey Zozulya/NPOTY 2019 Nature Photographer of the Year Climbing to the Sweet Finalist in the Mammals category Jose Juan Hernandez/NPOTY 2019 Nature Photographer of the Year Help Us Finalist in the Man and Nature category Tom Svensson/NPOTY 2019 Nature Photographer of the Year Tapir Diver Finalist in the Mammals category Marcio Cabral/NPOTY 2019 Nature Photographer of the Year Symphony No 5 Winner of the Youth category Giacomo Redaelli/NPOTY 2019 Nature Photographer of the Year White Rhino Trophies Finalist in the Man and Nature category Britta Jaschinski/NPOTY 2019 Nature Photographer of the Year Hunt in Sun Finalist in the Other Animals category Wei Fu/NPOTY 2019 Nature Photographer of the Year Flower Power Finalist in the Landscapes category Brandon Yoshizawa/NPOTY 2019 Nature Photographer of the Year Sunsets Finalist in the Man and Nature category Pedro Narra/NPOTY 2019

In the past the focus has really been on doing MPAs for the local benefit - say there's a small species of grouper, or we're trying to create a marine reserve to promote sustainable fisheries Dr Gallagher said. And those things are great but they don't consider, big animals that move through them.

In most places in the Caribbean the water goes from shallow to deep really quickly, and we're now seeing that there's a lot of interesting marine biodiversity happening below 1,000 feet - species of sharks, incredible invertebrates, and these are really deep sea riches that we haven't even really been able to describe them yet

I think we have a duty to explore our own planet before it disappears he added. These animals were here a long time before we were and we deserve to give them a shot.

It comes amid a broader breakdown in biodiversity on the planet which has seen scientists warn Earth is in the grip of its sixth mass-extinction event  and the first to have been triggered by humanity.

In the oceans, overfishing has led to the critical depletion of 90 per cent of fisheries worldwide, while more than half of the worlds oceans are subject to industrial fishing.

However geopolitical makeup of the Caribbean  a number of developing island nations relatively close together, many of which previously existed as colonies of the UK, US, France and the Netherlands  makes setting up a unified agreement on how to treat the nations waters difficult to establish.

There are currently 33 large-scale MPAs across the globe  but none in the Caribbean Sea, according to a letter from scientists including Dr Gallagher which was published in the journal Science to urge action in the region.

There are obviously local threats but the real greater threat to the biodiversity here is other countries coming in and fishing, he said.

The Caribbean, as lovely as it is, is made up of developing countries that want to advance their economies and create a better future for their people, which I understand and really appreciate - but, in return for infrastructure development, countries coming in - for example China - may want to have access to fishing in these relatively pristine pockets of biodiversity.
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding made a video of cute giant pandas to boost the morale of patients at the Hanyang Fangcang makeshift hospital in Wuhan, when staff at the base heard that one novel coronavirus pneumonia patient wanted to watch giant pandas when she recovers.

We will definitely go to Chengdu and watch a giant panda giving birth, a patient recently said in one of the WeChat groups in which more than 400 patients at the makeshift hospital receive notices, exchange ideas, and encourage each other.

When Li Xin, deputy chief of the nursing branch of a national emergency medical rescue team sent to Wuhan from southwest Chinas Sichuan province, saw the group discussion, she was touched by the wish and sent a screenshot of the conversation to her colleagues.

Some patients have been to Chengdu, so they were talking about the tourist attractions there. Some also mentioned schools in Chengdu. These little details made me feel there was a close affinity between the patients and our medical team from Sichuan, so I sent a screenshot of the discussion to my colleagues. I didnt expect the warmhearted people in Chengdu to actually help realize the little dream, said Li.

Zhang Zhihe, head of the panda research base in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, decided to show giant pandas to the patients in Hanyang Fangcang makeshift hospital via video, and arranged for it to be produced immediately after he heard of the wish.

We hope these charmingly naive giant pandas can bring joy to you, and the story of the giant panda in the video can give you strength, said Zhang.

Production of the video officially started on Feb.16. After 36 hours of hard work in selecting the lead roles, writing the script, and revising the message they wanted to give to the patients, staff members at the giant panda base finally completed the project.

The leading lady in the video is a female giant panda named Cheng Lang, who was the lightest baby giant panda in the world. When she was born last June, Cheng Lang weighed only 42.8 grams, and was the size of a persons thumb.

Although the research team and breeders at the giant panda base were worried about her growth, Cheng Lang is now a cheeky young giant panda that weighs a healthy 18.7 kilograms.

Cheng Lang showed a great desire to survive when she drank milk the first time, which gave us a great deal of encouragement, said a member of the team that made the video, explaining that they hope Cheng Langs story will bring strength and confidence to the patients at the hospital.

In addition to the short video, we are also planning to present a live video of giant pandas for the patients via live streaming. We hope the cute giant pandas will bring special strength to the viewers, said the giant panda base in Chengdu.
ALTON  The YWCA of Alton Racial Justice Committee will host the screening and discussions of the movie Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook narrated by actor and activist Jeffrey Wright at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 3 at Simmons, Hanley, Conroy Law Office Auditorium, No. 1 Court St., Alton.

The film follows the recent trajectory of voter suppression in the U.S. and identifies a voter suppression playbook which outlines a concerted, well-funded effort to disenfranchise voters and maintain power  from purging voter rolls, to Voter ID laws, to cracking and packing congressional districts, to consolidate power for one group or break up power for another.
A poet and a journalist have been arrested in connection with recital of a poem against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizen (NRC) at a government sponsored function in Koppal.

A poet and a journalist have been arrested in connection with recital of a poem against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizen (NRC) at a government sponsored function in Koppal district of Karnataka last month, police said on Wednesday (19 February).

The arrests were made based on a complaint from a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary alleging that Siraj Bisaralli, a poet had recited an anti-CAA poem at 'Anegundi Utsava' in Gangavathi town of Koppal district in January and Rajabakshi, editor of an online news portal uploaded it on social media.

The police had registered a case against them under section 505 of IPC (statements conducing to public mischief). On Tuesday, Bisaralli and Rajabakshi surrendered before a court in that district, which rejected their bail plea and remanded them to police custody for investigation into the matter.

"Siraj had recited the poem and Rajabakshi had shared it on the social media. Based on a complaint by a BJP leader the case was registered under section 505 of the IPC.

They went absconding after that and surrendered before the court on Tuesday," a police officer said. The duo sought an interim bail, which the public prosecutor objected to and sought police custody to conduct inquiry.

The court sent Bisaralli and Rajabakshi to police custody till Wednesday afternoon. "We may not seek further extension of their custody until some fresh evidences surface. We have seized their mobile phones to ascertain whom they had shared the details with," the police said.
The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday dismissed an election petition filed against Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar, who is a member of Lok Sabha from Bareilly parliamentary constituency.

Justice Naheed Ara Moonis rejected the plea by Rakesh Agrawal who had alleged corrupt practices during the election.

"Wild allegations have been made against the returned candidate with respect to corrupt practice in the election," the court said.

"The petitioner has not complied with the provisions of Section 117 of the Representation of the People Act. Hence, the petition deserves to be dismissed for non-compliance of mandatory provisions...," the court said.

According to Section 117, at the time of presenting an election petition, the petitioner shall deposit in the High Court a sum of Rs 2,000 as security for the costs of the petition.

Also, during the course of the trial of an election petition, the High Court may, at any time, call upon the petitioner to give such further security for costs.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : Amid the passengers quarantined at Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, the India embassy in Tokyo on Wednesday said the disembarkation of the passengers from the cruise ship is likely to continue till February 21.

The embassy tweeted: "From today, disembarkation of passengers only started, likely to continue till 21 Feb." The embassy, through its tweet, also informed the Ministry of External Affair here that one Indian crew, who was infected with COVID-19, was taken to the hospital for treatment on Wednesday.

"1 Indian crew who tested positive for #COVID19 among 88 new cases yesterday on #DiamondPrincess taken to hospital for treatment. Indians receiving treatment responding well." Meanwhile, hundreds of US nationals began disembarking the cruise ship on Wednesday (local time) even when the two-week quarantine of the vessel was to end soon, but the number of cases of COVID-19 continued unabated.

The United States Centers for Disease Control reportedly expressed the risk of carrying the virus by the passengers, even if they had met Japan's requirement for testing negative for novel coronavirus.
The Lone Star College system was recognized for its rate of degrees awarded to minority students and for diversity in the workplace in December, and Lone Star College-Kingwood was a big part of it.

Diverse: Issues In Higher Education magazine rated the LSC system as a top degree producer for awarding associate degrees to minority students. DiversityJobs.com also ranked Lone Star College as a Top Employer for 2020, noting their commitment to creating a diverse workplace and culture.

Lone Star College-Kingwood supports these recent awards, as Katherine Persson, president of Lone Star College-Kingwood, notes the intercultural center, the mens center, and the womens center as part of their diversity outlets. Persson said they are honored to be recognized along with the full system but they are focused on events that are on the horizon and are still working on Hurricane Harvey build back.

Related: Lone Star College System confers most associate degrees to minority students in state

According to 2019 data from LSC-Kingwood, Hispanic students are 41% of the student population and are 38% of graduates, black students are 13% of the student population and of graduates, and other minorities make up 9% of the student population and 13% of graduates. From the academic year 2014-15, Hispanic graduates increased 78% and black graduates increased 19% at LSC-Kingwood. Of the 1,455 graduates in 2018-19, 513 were Hispanic, 172 were African-American, and 141 were other minorities.

To take a course and successfully complete a course gives a student some personal satisfaction, but that doesnt allow them usually to earn more money or to have enough skills and knowledge to be able to make a big difference in their life in terms of their earning potential, Persson said. To complete a degree does, and so to complete [a degree]... really does arm that person with a body of knowledge and skills that allows them to make a difference in their earning potential and in their career choices.

Their diverse workforce and culture recognition from DiversityJobs.com is something Persson attributes to the intercultural center, the mens center and the womens center. Persson said in community colleges there are more women than men, which is why they established the mens center offering special programs. The womens center also offers similar options as the mens center. The intercultural center brings in speakers and offers different programs and raises awareness about different cultures.

Related: Lone Star College-Kingwood forum to help permanent residents to become U.S. citizens

Weve been doing that for a long time I think, Persson said. When someone comes up with a really good idea on how we can better serve our current students than we put that in place.

North Harris Dean selected by TACHE

Lone Star College-North Harris Dean of Student Services Ovidio Galvan was also selected by the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education for the inaugural Career and Leadership Development Institute, according to a press release. He is one of 11 chosen from Texas universities for this year-long program that aims at developing and supporting Hispanic representation in leadership roles at institutions of higher education.

I am proud to have the support of Lone Star College-North Harris to participate in this opportunity and look forward to bringing what I have gained throughout my professional and educational career to the Institute as well as to learn from others across our region, Galvan said in a press release. As a Dean of Student Services at a Hispanic-serving institution, my hopes are to take what I will gain through my participation in this cohort and come back with more tools to help our students be successful.

savannah.mehrtens@chron.com
WASHINGTON - During President Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial, Democrats repeatedly asserted that he is "not above the law." But since his acquittal two weeks ago, the president has taken a series of steps aimed at showing that, essentially, he is the law.

On Tuesday, Trump granted clemency to a clutch of political allies, circumventing the usual Justice Department process. The pardons and commutations followed Trump's moves to punish witnesses in his impeachment trial, publicly intervene in a pending legal case to urge leniency for a friend, criticize a federal judge, accuse a juror of bias and threaten to sue his own government for investigating him.

Trump defended his actions, saying he has the right to shape the country's legal systems as he sees fit.

"I'm allowed to be totally involved," he told reporters as he left Washington on Tuesday for a trip to California, Nevada and Arizona. "I'm actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country. But I've chosen not to be involved."

The president's post-impeachment behavior has alarmed Attorney General William Barr, who has told people close to the president that he is willing to quit unless Trump stops publicly commenting on ongoing criminal matters, according to two administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. It also has appalled several legal experts and former officials, who have said his direct intervention in legal matters risks further politicizing law enforcement at a time of fraying confidence in the Justice Department.

More than 2,000 former Justice Department employees signed a public letter this week objecting to Trump's public intervention in the case of his longtime friend Roger Stone, and urging Barr to resign. The head of the Federal Judges Association has called an emergency meeting to address growing concerns about political interference in the Stone case. And four prosecutors resigned from the case last week after Trump publicly decried their recommended prison sentence of seven to nine years for Stone and the Justice Department reversed course to lobby for a lower sentence.

A jury convicted Stone last year of lying to Congress and obstruction in a case that Trump has repeatedly condemned as unfair while leaving open the prospect of issuing a pardon for his friend and political ally.

Carmen Ortiz, the former U.S. attorney for Massachusetts under President Barack Obama, was among the signatories on the letter condemning Trump's political interference in legal matters.

"I've worked under both Republican and Democratic administrations," she said, "and I've just never seen behavior like what were seeing right now."

Trump added to the sense of legal disarray Tuesday by granting executive clemency to a group of 11 people that included several political allies and others convicted of corruption, lying and fraud. Among the recipients of Trump's largesse was Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor who was convicted on corruption charges in 2011 related to trying to sell Obama's vacated Senate seat. His sentence was commuted. Financier Michael Milken, who was charged with insider trading in the 1980s, and Bernie Kerik, the former New York police commissioner jailed on eight felony charges, including tax fraud, were pardoned.

Trump said the pardons and commutations were based on "the recommendations of people that know them," including Blagojevich's wife, Patricia, who made a direct appeal to the president on Fox News.

Legal experts said that by relying on his personal connections rather than the Justice Department's established review process for finding convicts deserving of clemency, Trump risked politicizing his pardon power.

"It's a clemency process for the well-connected, and that's it," said Rachel Barkow, a professor and clemency expert at the New York University's law school. "Trump is wielding the power the way you would expect the leader of a banana republic who wants to reward his friends and cronies."

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump's comments about the Stone case have caused the most concern. Trump has singled out the judge in the case, Amy Berman Jackson of the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, for personal attacks, accusing her of bias and spreading a falsehood about her record. He has amplified Stone's request for a new trial, accusing a member of the jury of being politically biased against him.

Though Barr has warned that the president's unbridled commentary about ongoing criminal cases was making it "impossible for me to do my job," Trump continued to express his views about legal matters Tuesday.

Trump told reporters that he partially agreed with Barr, acknowledging that his tweets do make the attorney general's job more difficult. But he said he would continue tweeting nonetheless.

"Social media, for me, has been very important because it gives me a voice," Trump said.

And he has made a direct connection between his own legal travails and those of Stone, who was convicted of lying to Congress about his attempts to get details from Hillary Clinton's private emails from the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign.

Trump's increasingly provocative comments raised the prospect that he might issue pardons for Stone and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Since his impeachment acquittal, Trump has tried to portray the prosecutions of his allies as the illegitimate product of an illegitimate investigation by former special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 race.

Prosecutions stemming from the Mueller investigation are "badly tainted," Trump tweeted Tuesday, and "should be thrown out."

"If I wasn't President, I'd be suing everyone all over the place," Trump wrote. "BUT MAYBE I STILL WILL. WITCH HUNT!"

After learning that federal judges would be holding an emergency discussion about his intervention in legal cases, Trump tweeted that they should instead discuss the alleged shortcomings of the Mueller probe.

Trump's constant commentary and increasing willingness to flout traditional legal processes signal that the president feels emboldened and unrestrained after Republicans voted almost unanimously to acquit him on impeachment charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, said Chris Whipple, author of "The Gatekeepers," a history of White House chiefs of staff.

"It shows that Susan Collins was right - Trump has learned a lesson," Whipple said, referring to a prediction by the Republican senator from Maine that Trump would be more cautious after impeachment. "The lesson he learned is that he's unaccountable. He can do whatever he wants now with impunity."

While some Republicans spoke out against Trump's commutation for Blagojevich, the reaction from GOP lawmakers Tuesday was mostly muted. And there's little to indicate that pardons for Stone or Flynn would lead to a significant Republican backlash.

Whipple said the president's decision to pardon several of his political allies just before Stone is scheduled to be sentenced set the stage for an increasingly "dangerous" phase of Trump's presidency.

"This is a president who thinks the law exists to be circumvented," he said.

The next test of Trump's willingness to intervene in the legal process could come as soon as Thursday, when Stone is set to be sentenced by Jackson. Asked Tuesday whether he would issue a pardon for Stone, Trump demurred.

"I haven't given it any thought. In the meantime, he's going through a process," Trump said. "But I think he's been treated very unfairly."

- - -

The Washington Post's Fred Barbash, Mark Berman, Carol D. Leonnig and Anne Gearan contributed to this report.
Missed the most recent top news in New York City? Read on for everything you need to know.

Police sting breaks up street racing ring near JFK Airport

The large group of drivers had apparently been using the JFK Airport Travel Plaza as a rallying point each weekend for the last two months.

Read the full story on ABC New York, WABC.

Girl, 6, with incurable brain disorder made honorary NYPD officer

To little Sophia Bartley, rubbing elbows with the NYPDs top brass was nearly as fun as her recent trip to the Magic Kingdom.

Read the full story on New York Daily News.

Man convicted of shooting NYPD detective in 1989 released from prison

Shawn Boyd became eligible for parole in 2014 in the June 1989 shooting of NYPD Detective Paul Yurkiw. Boyd was charged with shooting Yurkiw  who is now retired  three times in the chest. The officer's bullet-resistant vest saved his life.

Read the full story on New York Daily News.

NYC subway scammer who bragged he couldnt be stopped arrested for 140th time

Charles Barry, 56, was in a familiar spot on Tuesday night  in custody at Transit District 1 headquarters in the Columbus Circle subway station.

Read the full story on New York Daily News.

Police: Shocking video released of man brutally beaten in random attack in Manhattan

Police have released shocking new video of a brutal and random beating that took place on the Upper West Side earlier this month.

Read the full story on ABC New York, WABC.

This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
English French

DEINOVE expands its range of cosmetic active ingredients

Its second innovative carotenoid has the particularity of absorbing blue light, which is responsible for premature skin ageing, the appearance of skin spots, a loss of radiance and vitality.

Efficacy tests carried out on human skin explants confirmed its protective properties and also revealed that it plays an active role on key parameters contributing to skin lightening.

The new ingredient will be officially launched at in-Cosmetics Global (31 March-2 April, Barcelona).

DEINOVE (Euronext Growth Paris: ALDEI), a French biotech company that uses a disruptive approach to develop innovative antibiotics and bio-based active ingredients for cosmetics, confirms being in the process of finalizing the development of its 2nd proprietary cosmetic active ingredient, for its official launch at the upcoming in-Cosmetics Global trade show.

DEINOVE has developed a new cosmetic active ingredient, produced by fermentation and based on a totally original carotenoid, designed to restore radiance and vitality to the skin.

Its ability to absorb blue light1 and its outstanding antioxidant properties had been demonstrated in vitro.

Ex vivo studies have since been carried out, confirming these properties and revealing additional features, particularly in terms of complexion homogeneity and brightness, which are particularly sought by the cosmetics industry.

The active is currently being clinically tested and data will be available for the official launch.

"We are actively preparing the launch of this 2nd proprietary active ingredient which will be officially presented at in-Cosmetics Global, the world's largest trade show dedicated to cosmetic ingredients, taking place in Barcelona from March 31 to April 2. After a promising preview at in-Cosmetics Asia last fall, we will be able to present robust data demonstrating the efficacy and original mechanism of action of this active ingredient, " says Coralie MARTIN, Marketing Manager at DEINOVE.





ABOUT DEINOVE

DEINOVE is a French biotechnology company, a leader in disruptive innovation, which aims to help meet the challenges of antibiotic resistance and the transition to a sustainable production model for the cosmetics and nutrition industries.

DEINOVE has developed a unique and comprehensive expertise in the field of rare bacteria that it can decipher, culture, and optimize to disclose unsuspected possibilities and induce them to produce biobased molecules with activities of interest on an industrial scale. To do so, DEINOVE has been building and documenting since its creation an unparalleled biodiversity bank that it exploits thanks to a unique technological platform in Europe.

DEINOVE is organized around two areas of expertise:

ANTIBIOTICS, New-generation anti-infective drugs : A first antibiotic candidate, DNV3837, is now in Phase II. The Company is also pursuing the systematic exploration of biodiversity to supply its portfolio with new leads, drawing notably on partnerships with bioMerieux and Naicons (AGIR program supported by Bpifrance).

: A first antibiotic candidate, DNV3837, is now in Phase II. The Company is also pursuing the systematic exploration of biodiversity to supply its portfolio with new leads, drawing notably on partnerships with bioMerieux and Naicons (AGIR program supported by Bpifrance). BIOACTIVES, Active ingredients of natural origin with cosmetics as the first market: DEINOVE is already marketing a first cosmetic active ingredient, a second in partnership with Greentech and plans to launch new assets in 2020. Several other cosmetic actives are in development, including with Oleos (Hallstar Group) and Dow. It also runs a program in animal nutrition with Groupe Avril.

Within the Euromedecine science park located in Montpellier, DEINOVE employs 60 employees, mainly researchers, engineers, and technicians, and has filed more than 350 patent applications internationally. The Company has been listed on EURONEXT GROWTH since April 2010.

CONTACTS

Investors

Coralie Martin

Communication, Marketing and Investor Relations

Ph.: +33 (0)4 48 19 01 60

coralie.martin@deinove.com



Media

ALIZE RP

Caroline Carmagnol

Ph.: +33 (0)6 64 18 99 59

deinove@alizerp.com









1 Blue light is emitted not only by the sun, but also by screens (TV, computers, smartphones, tablets), electronics and lighting. This light radiation is known for its harmful effects on the health and beauty of the skin. Digital pollution is an emerging issue in cosmetics, given the increasing exposure to blue light produced by screens or LEDs.





Attachment
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ronn Torossian, Founder and CEO of 5WPR, one of the 15 leading American PR Agencies will be a featured presenter at the PowerMove Makers series hosted at LIU Brooklyn Campus on Wednesday, February 19, 2020.

The series is hosted by Shawn Prez, CEO of Powermoves, an entrepreneur and marketer. The series features business leaders, visionaries and cultural disrupters in an interview style-format, which has been described as a cross between the long running Emmy award winning "Inside the Actors Studio" and "Ted Talk". Shawn Prez is a former Senior executive at Bad Boy Entertaiment, and regarded as one of America's leading music industry executives and marketers. Previous speakers this year at Powermove Makers series include Jeff Tweedy, President & CEO of Sean John, DJ Envy, entrepreneurs James Cruz, Josh Taekman, Johnny Nunez, Shawn Pecas and others.

"Shawn Prez is a client and friend for 15 years and I am excited to appear at LIU Brooklyn with him. Looking forward to sharing war-stories of being an entrepreneur with him. What fun," said Ronn Torossian.

Torossian is the founder and CEO of 5W Public Relations, one of the 15 largest independently-owned PR firms in the United States. With over 20 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America's most prolific and well-respected Public Relations professionals.

Since founding 5WPR in 2003, he has led the company's growth, overseeing more than 175 professionals in the company's headquarters in the iconic Helmsley Building in Manhattan. With clients spanning corporate, technology, consumer and crisis, in addition to digital marketing and public affairs capabilities, 5WPR is regularly recognized as an industry leader and has been named "PR Agency of the Year" by the American Business Awards on multiple occasions.

Ronn Torossian has lectured on crisis PR at Harvard Business School, has appeared on CNN & CNBC, was named to PR Week's "40 under Forty" list, is a contributing columnist for Forbes and the New York Observer, and his book, "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations" is an industry best-seller.

SOURCE 5WPR
Welcome back to Tech Chronicle. If you have some time to give, subscribe to this newsletter and youll be richly rewarded.

Jeff Bezos seems partial to Instagram lately. A late bloomer on social media the Amazon.com CEO sent his first tweet in 2015  he used the photo-sharing app Monday to announce the Bezos Earth Fund, a $10 billion-with-a-B initiative that will amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change.

Amazon critics leaped to point out that the giant e-commerce site and its Amazon Web Services data-center arm might be a good place to start.

Which, fair point! Amazons Prime program encourages wasteful deliveries. Amazon Web Services is actively courting the oil and gas industry as customers, while it hasnt made any announcements about new clean energy sources to power its data centers since April.

In September, Amazon helped create the Climate Pledge, a voluntary program where businesses try to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement by 2040. Yet Amazon appears to be backsliding: In 2018, it said AWS had hit 50% renewable energy use. In announcing the pledge, Amazon said it expects its 2019 energy use to reflect a 40% level of renewables. It hopes to be at 80% by 2024.

Paul Buckowski / Albany Times Union 2019

Amazon has many other laudable plans, like deploying 100,000 electric delivery vehicles. But given its size, growing profits and market value, couldnt we expect it to do more, faster?

Amazon likes to point out that it accounts for a relatively small share of global retail. But it is thought of as a model for the way one should run a retail business in the 21st century. If this is a problem Bezos thinks is worth $10 billion, couldnt he also have his lieutenants do some work on it at home?

Salesforce co-founder Marc Benioff, who called Bezos pledge impressive on Twitter, likes to say that business is the greatest force for change. He argues that it is in a companys best interest, because being seen as doing good in the world will make a business attractive as an employer. Amazon has taken a lot of heat on that front, too.

Ina Fassbender / AFP / Getty Images

Indeed, some Amazon employees are so upset about the companys involvement in selling computing to greenhouse-gas industries that they are agitating from the inside. The group, Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, says the company has threatened to fire some members for violating company policies. None of this is a good look when Amazon recruiters hit college campuses or real estate executives court local officials.

So perhaps Bezos can solve a couple problems here at once. Dont fire the climate activists; give them jobs at the Bezos Earth Fund instead. And have them study ways Amazon can accelerate its climate goals and stop wasteful practices.

Bezos likes to say its always Day 1 at Amazon, meaning the company should not be attached to tradition or past practices. If this were Day 1, my plan is what hed do.

 Owen Thomas, othomas@sfchronicle.com

Quote of the week

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

You cant be a good person and succeed in a system that is fundamentally broken.  Uber whistleblower Susan Fowler on tech culture, to Datebook interviewer Jessica Zack

Coming up

Dropbox reports earnings Thursday. The RSA Conference, a top cybersecurity event, is still set to open Monday in San Francisco, despite the withdrawal of a half-dozen Chinese participants and big sponsor IBM.

What Im reading

Karen Hao on the secretive yet self-promoting culture that took hold at San Francisco artificial intelligence project OpenAI. (MIT Technology Review)

Carolyn Said on new hoops that H-1B hopefuls and other work visa applicants will now have to jump through. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Aarian Marshall on how drivers are learning to game Ubers new system for rides in California. (Wired)

Tech Chronicle is a thrice-weekly newsletter from Owen Thomas, The Chronicles business editor, and the rest of the tech team. Follow along on Twitter: @techchronicle and Instagram: @techchronicle
Meghan Markle is thought to have told the National Theatre that her role as a patron will be 'business as usual' despite now living in Canada.

Artistic director Rufus Norris explained that although bosses were not told of the Duchess of Sussex's plans to move, they are confident she will remain 'engaged' and are looking forward to working with her and her 'star reach'.

It comes after the Queen and senior officials are believed to have agreed it is no longer tenable for the couple to keep the word 'royal' in their 'branding'.

Meghan Markle, 38, is thought to have promised the National Theatre that her role as a patron, which she has held since January 2019, will be 'business as usual' despite now living in Canada with Prince Harry and their son Archie (the Duke and Duchess are pictured in January)

The Mail understands that, amid what has been described as a 'complex' situation, the 'fine detail' is still being thrashed out.

Mr Norris was seen with Meghan shortly before her move to Canada was announced and she is set to meet with theatre bosses during a short trip to the UK in March.

Mr Norris told The Telegraph: 'There has been no indication at all from her that her engagement with us would be anything other than business as usual.

'She has proven to be a very engaged patron and we look forward to working with her. She has star reach, she understands the nature of what were trying to do.'

He added that despite reports theatre bosses were 'fuming' after Meghan and Harry announced they would be leaving the UK, this was a 'total fiction', reports The Times.

Meghan was made a patron of the National Theatre in January 2019. At the same time she also took on honorary roles with Mayhew, Smart Works, and the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Artistic Director Rufus Norris (pictured) said Meghan has 'proven to be a very engaged patron' who 'has star reach'

On Wednesday it was revealed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex must drop their 'Sussex Royal' label after deciding to step down as working royals.

Following lengthy and complex talks, the Queen and senior officials are believed to have agreed it is no longer tenable for the couple to keep the word 'royal' in their 'branding'.

Harry and Meghan have spent tens of thousands of pounds on a new Sussex Royal website to complement their hugely popular Instagram feed.

They have also sought to register Sussex Royal as a global trademark for a range of items and activities, including clothing, stationery, books and teaching materials.

In addition, they have taken steps to set up a new charitable organisation: Sussex Royal, The Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It has now been made clear that they will need to 're-brand'.

The Mail understands that, amid what has been described as a 'complex' situation, the 'fine detail' is still being thrashed out.

Harry and Meghan have spent tens of thousands of pounds on a new Sussex Royal website, sussexroyal.com, to complement their hugely popular Instagram feed. It has now been made clear that they will need to 're-brand'

However, it is understood the couple have accepted that, as part of their new working arrangements, they will not be able to use the Sussex Royal name as they had hoped.

The development is thought to represent a major blow to the Sussexes, who now face starting again and re-registering everything from their website to their charity under a new label.

Harry and Meghan first began using the Sussex Royal branding this time last year, after they split their household from that of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge  known as Kensington Royal.

The Sussexes' Instagram page, @sussexroyal, has amassed 11.2million followers  the same number of fans as William and Kate's account.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and the Queen at a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge in Widnes in June 2018

It was a natural progression, therefore, for Harry and Meghan to use the moniker for their new charitable foundation, due to be launched this year with the support of Buckingham Palace.

And as they secretly prepared for a new life in Canada, it was clear that Sussex Royal was at the forefront of Harry and Meghan's plans.

Dozens of trademark applications were made for everything from bandanas to notebooks  although sources have always stressed that these were preventative measures to protect the trademark from others, and never intended for commercial use.

The couple also privately commissioned a new website. It went live last month to coincide with their bombshell announcement, with the introduction: 'Welcome to the Sussex Royal community, your source for information on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.'

The couple's decision to step down as senior working royals and pursue 'financial independence' put a spanner in the Sussex Royal works and placed the Queen in an invidious position

The couple's decision to step down as senior working royals and pursue 'financial independence' put a spanner in the Sussex Royal works.

It placed the Queen in an invidious position, given her long-held conviction of refusing to allow working members of the family to profit from their positions.

Announcing Her Majesty's decision to allow her grandson and his wife to pursue a new life abroad, officials made clear that the Sussex Royal title would still need to be re-evaluated.

All members of the family  including Harry and Meghan  were involved in the discussions, and it is understood they all agreed that, in light of the Sussexes' decision to step back, their use of the word 'royal' would come into question.
Attorneys will begin selecting jurors for the trial of Robert Durst Wednesday, the American real estate heir charged with the murder of his best friend after appearing in 2015's The Jinx documentary.

Jurors in California have been screened to make sure they can serve for up to five months and Judge Mark Windham hopes to have a pool of 400 prospective panelists in the case for Durst, 76, who has pleaded not guilty to shooting Susan Berman execution-style in the back of the head in December 2000.

Lengthy interviews with filmmakers led to a damning documentary on his suspected role in three killings and before the final episode aired on HBO, he was arrested and behind bars.

He was captured by microphone after the interview muttering off-camera to himself: 'There it is, you're caught,' and 'What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.'

Attorneys will begin selecting jurors for the trial of Robert Durst Wednesday. In this December 21, 2016 file photo, Durst sits in a courtroom in Los Angeles

Durst faces trial in the slaying of his best friend Susan Berman (with him above) 20 years ago

He is accused of murdering Susan Berman (with him above), to whom he allegedly admitted to killing his wife Kathleen (pictured) and feared she'd tell police

However court papers reveal the defense will argue the damning scene was a result of editing.

In court papers filed months after he recorded the interview, prosecutors said they had moved quickly to secure Durst's arrest upon learning he had 'confessed to killing multiple people' in the documentary and might try to run once The Jinx finale was broadcast.

Durst - who is believed to be worth $100million - told authorities shortly after his arrest that he smoked marijuana daily and was under the influence of methamphetamine during his interview for The Jinx.

Prosecutors contend Durst silenced Berman - the daughter of a well-known Las Vegas mob boss - from telling investigators what she knew about the 1982 disappearance of his wife, Kathleen, in New York.

Berman, 55, was found slain a couple of months after police in New York were reported to have reopened an investigation into the fate of Durst's spouse, who was a medical student.

The jury is also expected to hear testimony from a mutual friend of Durst and Berman. Nathan 'Nick' Chavin testified in pretrial hearings that Durst admitted to him that he killed wife Kathleen Durst and that Berman was terrified of him because of it.

Chavin claims Durst told him about Kathleen's alleged fate: 'I had to. It was her or me. I had no choice.'

They plan to present evidence Durst also killed a neighbor in Galveston, Texas, in 2001 to protect his identity while he was living on the run from what he expected would be charges in his wife's death.

He was never charged in his wife's presumed killing and in 2005 was acquitted of the 2003 killing of Morris Black in Texas. Durst testified that he shot Black in self-defense and then panicked and dismembered the elderly man's body and tossed it out to sea.

Lengthy interviews with filmmakers led to a damning documentary on his suspected role in three killings and before the final episode aired on HBO, he was arrested and behind bars. He was captured by microphone after the interview muttering off-camera to himself: 'There it is, you're caught,' and 'What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course'

The jury is also expected to hear testimony from a mutual friend of Durst and Berman, Nathan 'Nick' Chavin (right). He testified in pretrial hearings that Durst (right) admitted to him that he killed wife Kathleen Durst (left) and that Berman was terrified of him because of it

Durst is seen with his wife Kathleen, who disappeared in 1982. Her family believes that Durst killed her, and say they want to know what happened to her remains

Defense lawyers contend Durst did not kill Berman and doesn't know who did.

With little physical evidence in the case, prosecutors will be leaning heavily on Durst's own words he allegedly said to friends and in recorded interviews he gave to the makers of six-part documentary The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst and Deputy District Attorney John Lewin.

The Jinx director Andrew Jarecki and cinematographer Marc Smerling dissected Durst's life for the docu-series.

The investigation in Berman's death took on new life after the documentary makers unearthed a letter Durst wrote to Berman years earlier. The envelope had nearly identical handwriting to a note sent anonymously to police directing them to Berman's lifeless body.

The note mailed the day of the killing contained only the word 'CADAVER' and Berman's address. Both letters misspelled Beverly Hills as 'BEVERLEY.'

Durst told filmmakers that only the killer could have written the so-called cadaver letter. When confronted with the letter he sent years earlier to Berman, he couldn't distinguish between the two, though he denied killing her.

Prosecutors have suggested in court papers that Durst, after killing Berman, had sent the note hoping her body would be discovered soon enough for the Jewish writer to receive a swift burial in keeping with her faith.

Defense lawyers recently conceded Durst wrote the letter, though they have said it could have been sent by someone who didn't kill her but knew there was a body in her house.

A note left at the scene of Berman's murder (left) misspelled 'Beverly Hills' as 'Beverley' just as Durst had in a 1999 letter (right) with matching block lettering, as uncovered in the documentary The Jinx

Robert Durst is transported from Orleans Parish Criminal District Court to the Orleans Parish Prison after his arraignment in New Orleans, Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Durst told filmmakers that only the killer could have written the so-called cadaver letter. When confronted with the letter he sent years earlier to Berman, he couldn't distinguish between the two, though he denied killing her. Pictured January 6, 2017

That claim is undermined by what Durst told Lewin in a New Orleans jail cell after his arrest in March 2015. He spent nearly three hours talking with the prosecutor who had been on his tail for two years.

Durst told Lewin that 'whoever wrote that note had to be involved in Susan's death.'

'I know that when you killed Susan, that was not something you wanted to do,' Lewin said. 'Do you know how I know that?'

'Umm, I'm gonna stay away from killing Susan,' Durst said.

'You know that the killer left a note. Right?' Lewin said.

'I know that,' Durst said.

Durst, who told Lewin he didn't like communicating with people, said he has not always told the truth. Defense lawyers have suggested their client has not always been reliable.

Durst told Lewin he was high on methamphetamine during the 20 hours of interviews he gave for The Jinx, though he said he stood by his answers.

The defense plans on stating the case is based on hearsay.

'Our defense is, one, he didnt do it, and, two, they cant prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he did it,' defense lawyer David Chesnoff said. 'It is a highly circumstantial case and we will have strong responses to explain the circumstances.'

Prosecutor Lewin said about the Berman murder trial: 'His attempt to prohibit the jury from learning what she said about him killing his wife is the most recent chapter in the defendant's 36-year quest to evade responsibility for the heinous crimes he has committed.'

Opening statements are not expected until the week of March 2.
Government think-tank Niti Aayog along with top executives of pharma industry and senior officials on Wednesday discussed ways to boost domestic manufacturing of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), amid concerns over supply disruption from China due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The meeting, chaired by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, came a day after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government would soon announce measures to deal with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the domestic industry.

China, which is battling the coronavirus epidemic, is a major supplier of bulk drugs and drug intermediaries to the Indian market. There are concerns about supply disruptions and possible rise in medicine prices.

Sources said a host of measures were discussed at the meeting on Wednesday to boost domestic manufacturing of APIs and reduce dependence on their imports from China.

The meeting was attended by Pharmaceuticals Department Secretary P D Vaghela, Biocon's Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Zydus' Pankaj Patel and Dr Reddy's Laboratories' Satish Reddy.

Senior executives from Sun Pharma, Aurobindo, Jubilant Life Sciences, Cipla, Mylan, Alembic and Themis also participated in the meeting. Presidents of Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association, Indian Drug Manufacturers Association and Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance were also present.

"Fruitful, constructive & positive meeting with captains of industry in pharmaceutical sector to discuss the options for domestic manufacturing of critical APIs on which India is import dependent. Consensus arrived at on a range of policy measures for creating ecosystem in India," Kant said in a tweet after the meeting.

He also said the government would take all necessary steps to support the industry in its endeavours.

China accounted for 67.56 per cent of total imports of bulk drugs and drug intermediates at USD 2,405.42 million to India in 2018-19.

Separately, the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has asked the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to issue orders restricting export of 12 APIs and formulations.

The DoP has already constituted a high-level panel to assess the impact of the outbreak of the deadly virus in China on the supply of APIs to India.

Official sources had said that Indian drugmakers have told the high-level committee that they currently have stocks for the next two-three months.

There has been no supply from the neighbouring country for the past 20-25 days, mainly due to Chinese New Year holidays, sources had said.

According to an official statement issued on Wednesday after the meeting, Kant exhorted the industry to become internationally competitive and go for a global scale of operations.

The DoP shared its vision and recent efforts in promoting bulk drug parks in the country, the statement said.

"Issues related to environmental clearances were discussed in detail and industry was promised fast approvals," it added.

On Tuesday, Zydus Group Chairman Pankaj Patel said prices of key pharmaceutical ingredients could rise if the coronavirus situation in China does not improve soon.

Describing pharmaceutical, chemical and solar equipment sectors as the worst affected, Sitharaman on Tuesday said said disruptions are visible in these due to delay in shipment.

She had met representatives from various sectors on Tuesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A burglar in Keralas Kochi abandoned a robbery after realising that the house he had broken into belonged to an Indian Army personnel. He wrote an apology on the wall of the house and left but couldnt resist the temptation of tasting the liquor he found at the residence.

The incident took place in Tripunithura on Tuesday night when the occupants of the house were visiting a relative. The abandoned robbery bid was discovered by the housemaid, who was welcomed on Wednesday morning by the long apology--also including the bit about alcohol tasting-- adorning a wall.

The dazed police said they were initially tempted to believe only one person was involved since the apology was written in the singular person but feel more people were behind it.

I broke the Seventh Commandant of the Bible. I had no idea it was the house of a soldier. I realised this when I saw the uniform and cap. Kindly forgive me officer, the apology written with a marker in Malayalam read.

He also wrote that the bag he had earlier stolen from a nearby shop had some documents and it should be handed over to the owner without any fail. The owner said 10,000 was missing from the bag. Later police found at least four shops and houses in the area had been robbed the same night.

The police believe the display of patriotism could be well planned to throw the police off from what could be the handiwork of a group of robbers.

Later senior police officials and forensic experts who visited the site said the handwriting could help in nabbing the culprits.
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MONTREAL and TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nuvei, a global payment technology provider, has entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with the Max Group (MAX), one of Israels leading financial institutions. Under the partnership, MAXs commercial customers who wish to establish business activities outside of Israel will have access to Nuveis payment acquiring network in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. As part of the agreement, Nuvei agreed to sell CreditGuard, a provider of payment gateway services to businesses in Israel.



Nuveis proprietary native platform opens up a greater global scale of business, offering MAXs customers, through one integration, the capability of transacting in over 150 currencies and over 250 alternative payment methods. Nuveis merchants will, in turn, be able to connect to MAXs acquiring services in Israel.

"We went through a rigorous process to find the ideal partner to expand our acquiring business into Israel, as well as a company that will ensure the continuity and long-term success of CreditGuard, its customers and employees," said Philip Fayer, Nuvei's chairman and CEO. "Were confident in MAXs vision and strategy in delivering exceptional products and services to CreditGuards customers. In turn, the partnership enables Nuvei to grow its global footprint and cements our role as a payments leader with massive scale and reach."

"This acquisition is in line with our merchant-centric approach. Israel is on the verge of a payment revolution, which will require merchants of all sizes to overhaul their online and offline capabilities, and adapt their systems to EMV standards," said Ohad Maimon, EVP business development and strategy at MAX. "This is important news for Israeli businesses joining the digital revolution. CreditGuard provides a range of advanced and secure digital payment services across all sales channels. The collaboration with Nuvei will help us tailor global payment solutions to our commercial customers."

"The true value of CreditGuard is its exceptional commitment to serving its customers," said Uriel Ben David, CreditGuards CEO. "We will continue to treat them as one of the companys most cherished assets. We believe that the connection to MAX will empower us to expand the range of services and increase the value proposition well be able to provide to our customers."

Nuvei acquired CreditGuard as part of its acquisition of SafeCharge in 2019. The closing of the sale of CreditGuard is subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals.

About Nuvei

We are Nuvei, the first-ever community of payment experts. We provide fully-supported omnichannel payments to large-scale merchants, SMBs and distribution partners, powered by our broad suite of proprietary technologies. We also equip ISOs, ISVs, payment facilitators, developers, and eCommerce platforms with the technology, expertise and customer service they need to stand out. Backed by our full-service, globally connected platform, our vision is to build a network in which our merchants and partners can truly thrive. Our goal is to create bigger and better payment opportunities for all, paving the way to great partnerships. Learn more at www.nuvei.com .

About the MAX Group

MAX, based in Israel, is a leading financial institution, which provides advanced payments and credit solutions. Acquired by Warburg Pincus in February 2019, MAX, formerly known as Leumi Card, is one of the largest issuers in Israel and provides advanced services to most of the largest financial institutions in Israel, to merchants and to consumers. MAX services around 2.5 million card holders through its partnerships with Visa and MasterCard and supports over 50,000 merchants of all sizes and sectors. The company has leveraged its core capabilities to develop a more diversified financial offering for each type of customer such as a diversified portfolio of Lending Solutions. The Group's most recent acquisition of Capit underpins this approach, providing a fuller offering to Israeli merchants. For more information, please visit the MAX website: www.max.co.il
Philippines prison authorities round up inmates in the northern city of Dagupan as they conduct searches inside their cells for contraband, Oct. 11, 2017.

A senior Philippine corrections official who had been accused of links to the illegal drug trade was shot dead Wednesday in Manila, the fourth official from the department that oversees the nations prisons to be killed since last year, police said.

Fredric Anthony Santos, the legal services chief of the Bureau of Corrections, was waiting for his daughter in a pickup truck outside her school when two gunmen approached the vehicle and opened fire, a police report said.

The victim sustained gunshot wounds to the head and [was] declared dead, the report said, adding that the suspects escaped on foot.

The motive for the attack remained unknown late Wednesday, but Santos previously was linked by police to suspected Chinese drug lords.

Last year, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former national police chief, accused Santos of being close to imprisoned Chinese drug traffickers. Santos denied the allegations.

Lacson was not immediately available to comment on Santos killing.

It is widely known in the Philippines that the corrections bureau is one of the countrys most-corrupt government agencies.

In 2019, Santos testified at a Senate hearing into the bureaus illegal practice of allowing high-profile criminals to walk free without the justice departments approval. Santos was cited for contempt for being evasive during his testimony.

Sen. Richard Gordon, who led the inquiry into alleged anomalies in the corrections bureau, condemned Santos killing. He described it as a rubout, a street term for assassination.

It is a warning to all in this country that if you know something and you speak up, someone can get you killed, Gordon told reporters without elaborating.

In September 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte demanded the resignation of national prisons chief Nicanor Faeldon amid a public uproar over a decision to release one of the countrys most notorious convicts. Duterte also ordered the re-arrest of almost 2,000 convicts who were released under Faeldons watch.

The presidents order came after Faeldon told a Senate inquiry that he had signed a release order for Antonio Sanchez, 70, a former mayor serving a 360-year sentence for rape and homicide in the 1990s.

News of Sanchezs impending release caused a public uproar that led to questions about government corruption under Duterte, who had been elected on a promise to fight graft and illegal drugs, among other issues.

Faeldon later said that upon further consideration, he had decided that Sanchez should not be released. One of Faeldons sons was arrested as a suspect during a drug bust in December 2018.

As president, Duterte has claimed that he has a watch list of drug suspects drawn up by the police with the help of community leaders. The list supposedly contains the names of politicians, police officers and government officials who, he alleged, were involved in narcotics trafficking.

At least 22 local officials, including mayors, have been gunned down since Duterte took office in 2016 and launched a bloody crackdown on illegal drugs. About 6,000 alleged dealers and addicts have been killed since then, according to police official figures, while local and international rights groups claim the figure could be five times greater.

BenarNews could not confirm if Santos was on Dutertes drug watch list.
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Vietnam, as chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2020, has presided over this years first meeting of the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC).

The meeting was chaired by Ambassador Tran Duc Binh, head of Vietnams Permanent Mission to ASEAN, in Indonesia on Tuesday, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

At the meeting, delegates praised the ongoing implementation of the 2025 Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC 2025), with 12 out of 15 initiatives in five strategic fields -- sustainable infrastructure, digital innovation, seamless logistics, regulatory excellence, and people mobility -- already underway.

They agreed that ASEAN should give priority to such projects as building data on commercial routes, establishing a dictionary on ASEAN open data, developing digital platforms, and enhancing vocational and human resources training.

Delegates also highlighted the need to popularize contents and benefits of MPAC 2025, encourage the involvement of ASEANs specialized agencies in the implementation of MPAC 2025 projects, and strengthen mechanisms to link MPAC 2025 with initiatives to connect the region with partner countries.

ASEAN is a political and economic organization whose members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The ACCC was established with the aim to supervise MPAC 2025 implementation and report to the ASEAN Coordinating Council and the ASEAN Summit.

The MPAC 2025 was adopted at the 28th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos in September 2016.

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A witness told detectives that he had been at the apartment the night of the killings and had seen three people show up there in hoodies, according to the affidavit. That person told detectives that "everyone at the apartment was shooting dice and one of the males kept coming and going from the residence while another of the males kept coming and going to the restroom as if he was trying to look around the house," the affidavit states.
: Safe shopping streets,



with commercial establishments operating 24 hours, will soon come up in the Kerala capital, if everything goes as planned.

A cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday decided to set up safe streets, where shops remain open 24 hours in select locations here, under the city corporation limits.

A permanant panel, comprising officials of tourism, police, local self-government and labour departments and the city corporation, would be constituted at the government level to ensure that the project is implemented in a safe and efficient manner, an official release said here.

After the capital city, the initiative would be extended to other major cities of Kerala by April this year and necessary directions would be given to respective city corporations in this regard, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

After nearly two decades of preparation, a first-of-its-kind effort to establish a Navajo Nation-administered Medicaid program is nearing reality.

Last month, the governing body of the sovereign nation unanimously passed legislation setting up the Navajo Managed Care Organization. The new approach would replace traditional Medicaid access and establish a Medicaid program managed by a tribal entity, something thats never been done in the United States.

The managed care organization, which could be up and running as early as this fall, will be managed jointly by Molina Healthcare and Naataanii Development Corp., a business arm of the Navajo Nation.

Tribal leaders maintain the organization will increase access to health care for the tribes approximately 75,000 Medicaid-eligible residents, helping a long-overlooked population take more local control over its health outcomes.

If we could enroll every single Navajo person in New Mexico, I think the opportunity to change the way we do things will be right before us, said Naataanii Development Corp. board Chairman Manley Begay Jr. It just presents this tremendous opportunity to make things better.

Health statistics are grim for the approximately 100,000 Navajo people living in New Mexico. Navajos have a mortality rate more than 30% higher than the United States overall rate, according to a report on the managed care organization.

The report also says Navajos have a higher prevalence of diabetes, coronary artery disease, obesity, alcoholism, traumatic injury and cancer than the general population, and more limited access to resources to treat those ailments.

Long-lasting social and economic pressures have guaranteed that these health disparities persist, the paper says.

Begay noted that a lack of infrastructure on the largely rural Navajo Nation, which spans more than 27,000 square miles in Arizona, Utah and northwestern New Mexico, creates a significant challenge for health care providers. Begay said that effects of colonialism still linger in health policy in Indian Country and that current Medicaid offerings arent tailored to the specific needs of the Navajo people.

The managed care entity would allow the tribe to take back some of its sovereignty, Begay said.

This is a wonderful chance to be in the drivers seat, he said.

The effort to establish a Medicaid program on Navajo Nation land is not new, but has intensified in recent years. Congress passed the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act in 2009, which allows for managed care entities controlled directly by tribes and tribal entities.

In 2017, the New Mexico Human Services Department requested support from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to operate a managed care entity on tribal land, after a formal tribal consultation in Santa Fe, according to the report. The center approved the request the next year.

As of November, more than 735,000 New Mexicans were enrolled in Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. In 2018, Medicaid enrollment in McKinley and San Juan counties, which include most of the Navajo land in New Mexico, averaged 58.3% and 43.7%, respectively.

Currently, most Navajos enrolled in New Mexicos Medicaid program use a fee-for-service approach, in which medical providers are paid for each service rendered. The report says patients often lack assistance in navigating the health care system to access appropriate doctors and treatment.

By contrast, the proposal would deliver Medicaid health benefits and additional services through a contract between the state Medicaid agency and the managed care organization, based on a set payment per member.

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission says managed care organizations can allow for greater accountability for outcomes, and can better support systematic efforts to measure, report and monitor performance, access and quality.

A spokesman for the Human Services Department declined to comment on the new programs potential impact on statewide Medicaid funding. However, Jerry Pacheco, a board member for Naataanii, said he doesnt expect any changes to state Medicaid funding.

Initially, the program would be open only to American Indians and Native Alaskans who are eligible for New Mexicos Medicaid program and who reside in ZIP codes within the Navajo Nation. However, family members of enrolled members are eligible even if they dont meet the criteria.

Additionally, Naataanii CEO Robert Joe said the approach would allow tribal leaders to add elements that alleviate poor health outcomes, such as food boxes designed to help combat diabetes.

Advocates are optimistic that the new program, in addition to improving health outcomes for Navajos, will improve the local economy. Pacheco said the Navajo Nation could help keep much-needed health care revenue in the region.

This is a big first step in pulling some of that money back, Pacheco said.

Although the number of jobs created by the program will depend on the number of members, Begay said he hopes the jobs created would be enough to help mitigate the loss of jobs from the planned closure of the Farmington-area San Juan Generating Station in 2022.

Pacheco added that the next step is meeting with state government officials and answering any questions they might have about how the program would work, adding that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has supported the effort in the past.

We want to make sure it is a powerful, positive tool for everyone, Pacheco said.
The location of a mass grave, thought to contain the remains of 6,000 bodies, has been revealed reports Zaman Al Wasl.

A military source has revealed the location of a mass grave containing the bodies of 6,000 opposition fighters, activists and detainees northeast of Damascus.

The heavily guarded cemetery is located in a military zone near Baghdad Bridge on the Damascus-Lattakia highway.

Air Force Intelligence and Fourth Mechanical Division surround the 6.5 hectares mass grave that was fenced in 2014, according to the source.

The regime army said Monday it had discovered a mass grave containing of 70 bodies in Douma, a former rebel stronghold north of Damascus, the state-run news agency reported.

At least 53,275 torture photographs were smuggled out of Syria in August 2013 by a military defector code-named Caesar.

Caesars photographs show at least 6,786 detainees who died in detention or after being transferred from detention to a military hospital. The remaining photographs are of attack sites or of bodies identified by name as of government soldiers, other armed fighters, or civilians killed in attacks, explosions, or assassination attempts, according to Human Rights Watch.

Most of the 6,786 victims shown in the Caesar photographs were detained by just five intelligence agency branches in Damascus, and their bodies were sent to at least two military hospitals in Damascus between May 2011, when Caesar began copying files and smuggling them out of his workplace, and August 2013, when he fled Syria.

Since the revolution erupted in March 2011, about 1.2 million Syrian citizens have been arrested and detained in the regimes detention centers at some point, including 130,000 individuals who are still detained or forcibly disappeared by the Syrian regime, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights.

Last November, the Detainees Association of Sednaya Prison released testimonies of torture survivors of the notorious detention facility.

According to the report, 100 percent of the detainees had been tortured physically and 97.8 percent had been tortured psychologically.

The nine-year-old war has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and forced 13 million people from their homes, half of whom have left their shattered homeland.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
[February 19, 2020] The Taulia Working Capital Summit Jets Into Johannesburg, Alongside Partners Greensill and Intellection

After two successful stints in San Francisco and Chicago, Taulia's Working Capital Summit is set to launch in Johannesburg, South Africa for the very first time on March 11, 2020. The Working Capital Summit, hosted by The Money Show's Bruce Whitfield will bring together some of the best and brightest minds in the financial technology business to discuss the latest in working capital finance solutions. The Working Capital Summit will provide a forum for key business minds to showcase their expert-leading industry knowledge, network with event-goers and discover unique ways to apply this knowledge to their own businesses. A recent Working Capital Index study conducted by JP Morgan found a staggering $460bn of working capital is confined across the supply chains of the S&P 1500 companies, which highlights an incredible opportunity for businesses to unlock trapped cash and propel their business's growth through technology and innovation solutions. "Optimizing working capital and cash flow management is and should remain on the mindsof top business leaders worldwide at large and small businesses," said Cedric Bru - Taulia's CEO. "An uncertain economic climate can put pressure on business leaders to manage their capital effectively and we want to assist them with unlocking trapped cash in their supply chains so they can invest in R&D, mitigate risk and propel their business growth forward. South Africa has such a pool of talent and great companies, technology is available to them to thrive - we couldn't be more excited to come together with our partners and prospects to share our insights."



"It's not a secret to anyone - companies that are willing to embrace technology solutions are reaping the rewards of gaining additional liquidity trapped in their supply chains," says Wouter Pretorius, Director at Intellection. "Working capital innovations allow companies to grow their programs at a much faster rate than ever before and this liquidity can be allocated to investment in other, much-needed areas of a business. It's a win-win for everyone involved. The goal of this summit is to show companies how to better implement technology solutions so they can become the ultimate players in their fields." Featured speakers include Taulia CEO, Cedric Bru, Francois Coetzee, Treasury at Sasol and Maex Ament, Vice Chairman of Product and Technology at Greensill. For more detailed information on guest speakers and topics, please click here.

The working capital summits are an integral part of Taulia's ongoing commitment to help businesses liberate the cash required to thrive in the digital age. Registration is free but limited. Note for editors: Taulia is a leading provider of working capital solutions headquartered in San Francisco, California. Through a unique combination of its AI-powered platform, people and process, Taulia helps companies access the value tied up in their supply chain by transitioning from inefficient and often manual working capital management practices into technology-led, working capital optimization strategies. Taulia's vision is to create a world where every business thrives by enabling buyers and suppliers to choose when to pay and get paid, it liberates cash across the supply chain. A network of 1.8 million businesses use Taulia's technology and the company processes over $500 billion every year. Taulia is trusted by over 120 of the world's largest companies with clients including Airbus, AstraZeneca, Nissan, Telstra (News - Alert), the UK Government's Crown Commercial Services and Vodafone. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005041/en/

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Linkedin Isabelle Harris (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020

The ongoing Leonardo Opera Omnia exhibition not only features high-definition reproductions of Leonardo da Vincis celebrated masterpieces in their original scales but also 13 Renaissance costumes  paraded around and plunging everyone into a world of duchesse fabric and paintings from the Mona Lisa to The Last Supper.

Parade: Models showcase Renaissance costumes brought in for the exhibition. (Courtesy of Italian Cultural Institute/-)

The costumes from Il Costume Atelier are being exhibited at the Italian Cultural Institute in Menteng, Central Jakarta, until Feb. 22, in conjunction with the Leonardo Opera Omnia exhibition, held to mark the 500th anniversary of da Vincis passing at the Bank Mandiri Museum in Central Jakarta from Feb. 6 to March 3.
"It is the government's position to implement the project while taking into account the possibility of violating the international sanctions in the process," he said.

He made the remarks in a report to the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on Tuesday.

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul once again claimed Monday that individual South Korean tourism to North Korea would not breach UN and U.S. sanctions.

President Moon Jae-in brought up the plan in his New Year's press conference on Jan. 14. The aim seems to be to tease North Korea back into dialogue with the promise of valuta from tourists, but Pyongyang has not responded.

Kim attributed the lack of response to the North concentrating all its efforts on curbing the spread of coronavirus, but in fact the North has been ignoring all South Korean overtures since long before it shut its borders in late January.

Travel to the North would be a minefield even without the border closures since the North has offered no security guarantees for South Korean travelers, who could be taken hostage there at the slightest provocation.

Meanwhile, gasoline prices have soared to 16,500 North Korean won per kg in Ryanggang Province this month, up about 27 percent from last month, according to the Daily NK.

Pyongyang had maintained gasoline price below 10,000 won with the help of illegal supplies from China despite stringent sanctions, but now the border is sealed that no longer seems to be an option.
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are a very low-key celebrity couple. The two have been married since 2015 and have two young children together, and while they have been able to maintain thriving careers in Hollywood, they dont often hit the party scene.

There are only a few notable occasions when Kunis and Kutcher have stepped out with other high-profile couples. Still, several years ago, Kunis and Kutcher were spotted pairing up with Princess Beatrice and her then-boyfriend, Dave Clark.

In light of Princess Beatrices upcoming wedding, some fans are wondering whether or not Kunis and Kutcher might make an appearance at the big royal wedding.

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis partied with Princess Beatrice

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis | Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize

In 2015, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis were newlyweds, and having fun as they settled into married life. Kutcher happened to be friends with Dave Clark through his business endeavors, who was dating Princess Beatrice at the time.

In short order, Kutcher introduced Kunis to Clark and Princess Beatrice. Although the two couples couldnt seem more different, they hit it off right away. The two couples were spotted in multiple locations all over the world, from double dates in London to partying in Mexico.

According to reports, the friendship between the four went well beyond the superficial. Mila Kunis, a big fan of the royal family, reportedly loved hanging out with Princess Beatrice, no doubt listening to stories of life within the royal ranks with great interest. Princess Beatrice, although raised in privileged surroundings, carved out a powerhouse career on her own merits, so she and Kunis probably had a great deal to talk about.

Princess Beatrices wedding will be high-profile

Princess Beatrice and Dave Clark might have seemed perfectly matched at one point in time, but by the summer of 2016, the two had ended their relationship. Several years after her romance with Clark ended, she was linked to property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. After around a year of dating, the two got engaged in late 2019.

The wedding of Princess Beatrice and Mozzi is set for May 2020 and is certain to be a very high-profile and exciting event. The biggest royal wedding since the union of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018, Princess Beatrices wedding will definitely draw a lot of interest from royal fans.

With a large circle of friends and professional acquaintances, as well as family members, there are bound to be a lot of guests at the springtime ceremony.

Will Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis score an invite to Princess Beatrices wedding?

While Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis havent been spotted with Princess Beatrice in recent years, it is quite possible that the two could score a coveted invite to her upcoming wedding. There could be several reasons for the fact that they havent been seen together  Kutcher and Kunis are parents now, and have two young children, which makes having an active social life quite difficult.

Princess Beatrice, as well, is living a more complicated life  in spite of the happiness of her new romance, she has been dealing with the very public scandal that her father, Prince Andrew, is going through.

Still, she might be staying in touch with Kutcher and Kunis through texts or phone calls. It is also possible that they have spent time together and managed to avoid the paparazzi spotlight, which is feasible, considering their private natures.

Royal fans will have to wait and see if Kutcher and Kunis do end up making an appearance at the wedding of Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi  theirs seems to be a friendship that could endure.
The European Union should include low-tax member states on its tax haven blacklist, Polish finance minister Tadeusz Koscinski has said in a thinly veiled barb at countries including Ireland.

The EU added the Cayman Islands to its tax haven blacklist yesterday, the first time a British overseas territory has joined a list that includes Panama, Palau and the Seychelles.

It marks a decline in the UK's influence post-Brexit and means the Cayman Islands could face financial sanctions and the loss of tax perks offered by EU member states.

"This sends a clear signal that the idea of turning the UK into a tax haven will not be acceptable to the EU," said Markus Ferber, a German member of the European parliament and the economic and monetary affairs coordinator for the European People's Party.

"If the British government intends to do so, there is a good chance it will end up on the EU's blacklist as well," he said yesterday.

Meanwhile, Poland's Mr Koscinski declined to say which EU countries he thinks are tax havens.

"We all know who they are," he told a seminar at the Bruegel Institute in Brussels.

The Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and Cyprus should be considered tax havens, said Polish Economic Institute director Piotr Arak at the seminar.

Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg have dismissed efforts to call them tax havens, pointing to laws which they have adopted to fight tax avoidance.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) led peer review of Ireland has said twice that the country meets tax fairness requirements, a spokesperson for Irish Revenue said in an email.

Ireland has also adopted the OECD's anti-base erosion rules, the spokesperson said.

"Accordingly, there would be no basis whatsoever for including Ireland on the list, were it applicable to EU member states," the spokesperson said.

Bloomberg
Washington: Fossil-fuel production may be responsible for much more atmospheric methane than scientists previously thought, according to new research published today in the journal Nature.

The results, if they hold, suggest that methane needs to be managed even more tightly than was accounted for in multilateral initiatives such as the 2015 Paris Agreement - not to mention many policies on the national and local level.

Scientists aren't challenging the topline amount of methane that enters the atmosphere every year that number stays at about 194 million metric tonnes, says Benjamin Hmiel, a post-doctoral fellow in Earth science at the University of Rochester and the study's lead author.

Rather, they're challenging how much of the total comes from natural versus industrial sources, an important distinction for policy-makers.
NASHVILLE - Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Wednesday he will not grant clemency to a death row inmate whose group of supporters includes family members of his victims and past and present prison workers.

Nicholas Sutton, 58, was sentenced to death in 1986 for killing fellow inmate Carl Estep in a conflict over a drug deal while both were incarcerated in an East Tennessee prison.

After careful consideration of Nicholas Suttons request for clemency and a thorough review of the case, I am upholding the sentence of the State of Tennessee and will not be intervening, Lee said in a brief statement released Wednesday.

Esteps oldest daughter said Sutton did her family a favour when he killed her father.

To say that was the best day of my life is an understatement, Rosemary Hall said of her fathers death in a statement included in Suttons clemency petition. I felt as though a 100-pound weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I thought to myself, There is a God!

She called Estep an evil man and accused him of setting their house on fire and deliberately causing a traffic accident that killed her baby sister. Estep was in prison for raping Halls stepsister when Sutton killed him, she said.

Although Sutton drew the death penalty for Esteps murder, he was already serving time for three murders he committed in 1979 when he was just 18, including that of his grandmother. In the clemency petition, longtime friends describe a childhood marked by abandonment, abuse and neglect, and later a spiral into drug abuse.

But a recurring theme in the statements supporting the clemency petition is that Sutton today is not the same man who went prison at 18.

I can confidently state that Nick Sutton is the most rehabilitated prisoner that I met working in maximum security prisons over the course of 30 years, former Correction Lt. Tony Eden stated in an affidavit included with the clemency petition.

Eden believes Sutton may have saved his life during a prison riot in 1985 by confronting a group of armed inmates who were trying to take Eden hostage.

If Nick Sutton was released tomorrow, I would welcome him into my home and invite him to be my neighbour, Eden wrote.

Former counsellor Cheryl Donaldson also believes Sutton may have saved her life when he sprang into action and called for help after she slipped and hit her head hard on a concrete prison floor.

Donaldson also described how her own brothers killing prompted a very frank conversation with Sutton.

Nick told me he deeply regretted his crimes, constantly reflected on his wrongs, his victims and their families, and is haunted by the lives he has taken, Donaldson stated.

The mother of Paul House, a former death row inmate who was later freed when a judge overturned his conviction based on new evidence, said last week that she was doing all she could to advocate for Sutton. She said Sutton cared for her son after he developed multiple sclerosis in prison, including helping him eat and shower.

Im telling you right now, my son would be dead if it wasnt for Nick, Joyce House said in a telephone interview.

Relatives of another of Suttons victims, Charles Almon, were also among those who requested clemency. Almons nephew and namesake, Charles Maynard, said his close-knit family never got over his uncles death, but the past few months have been especially painful as Suttons execution date approaches.

Maynard said he doesnt feel executing Sutton will solve anything. It just ends my uncles story with another killing, Maynard said in a phone interview.

He said he and his daughter Anna Lee are considering attending a vigil to be held by Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty if the execution goes forward.

Sutton still has two appeals pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. One questions the fairness of his sentencing. The other questions whether jurors were unduly prejudiced against Sutton by the security measures at his trial that included shackling and handcuffing Sutton and placing armed officers around the courtroom.

Lee, who is a Methodist minister in Knoxville and no relation to Gov. Bill Lee, said her faith informs how she sees the execution.

I have a deep belief in the sanctity and sacredness of human life, and I believe no life is beyond the redemption of Gods grace, she said.

Gov. Lee is a devout Christian who often speaks of his faith, but it did not lead him to commute Suttons sentence or the sentences of three men executed since he took office, including one who became a devout Christian and religious leader while in prison.

In response to Lees decision not to intervene in the execution, Suttons clemency attorney Kevin Sharp, a former U.S. District Court judge, issued a statement Wednesday calling it a once-in-a-lifetime case for clemency.

We will continue to seek every available avenue of possible relief for Mr. Sutton because his execution is opposed by many family members of victims, many of the jurors who originally sentenced him to death but recognize his changes, and by the extraordinarily high number of correction professionals who came forward on his behalf, Suttons statement reads.

Sutton is scheduled to be executed at a Nashville maximum security prison Thursday evening. He was moved to a cell next to the death chamber Tuesday and put under 24-hour surveillance.

Sutton has chosen to die in the electric chair, an option in Tennessee for prisoners whose crimes were committed before 1999. If executed, Sutton would be the fifth person to die in the states electric chair in the past 16 months.
"There are a lot of people who support her, and we're going to let her know that however we can," Ward said through tears after the board's vote. She said she started investigating the case to discover what had happened to her grandparents, and "the more I learned, the more I realized that something wasn't right."
[February 19, 2020] Banks Partner to Award $10K Grant to Disabled Mississippi Veteran

Jack Walker, a retired combat engineer with the Mississippi Army National Guard, will receive a $10,000 Housing Assistance for Veterans (HAVEN) grant from The First, A National Banking Association (The First) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas). The grant will help with construction costs of a home built by Armorbearers, a local nonprofit organization. The media is encouraged to join Mr. Walker and bank representatives at a check presentation at 10:00 a.m. Friday, March 6, 2020, at 37 Rambling Road in Hattiesburg. HAVEN is a unique grant program offered by FHLB Dallas through its member institutions, such as The First, that supports veterans and active-duty service members who have been disabled in the line of duty since September 11, 2001. The program was recently expanded to include post-9/11 Gold Star Families - those who have lost loved ones to military service. HAVEN provides grants up to $10,000 to fund new construction and home modifications and repairs. To qualify, grant recipients must also meet income eligibility requirements. For more information about HAVEN, visit fhlb.com/haven.







WHAT: Check Presentation WHEN: 10:00 a.m. Friday, March 6, 2020 WHO: Steven Palazzo, U.S. Representative, R-MS Andrew Hinkebein, Office Manager and Southern Regional Representative, Office of U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-MS Myrtis Franke, Southern District Director, Office of U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-MS Michele Gargiulo, District Director, Office of Congressman Steven Palazzo, R-MS Rod Woullard, Forrest County Supervisor, Forrest County, Mississippi Councilman Nicholas Brown, Hattiesburg City Council Ward 5 Jerome Brown, Executive Vice President, Director of Community Development, The First Jack and Melanie Walker, Homeowners Ron Laabs, Board Chairman, Armorbearers Melanie Dill, Community and Economic Development Product Manager, FHLB Dallas WHERE: Grant Recipient's Residence 37 Rambling Road Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39401

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Between 14 and 18 non-combat deaths have been registered in the Armenian army over the past two months. The soldiers have died as a result of murder or suicide. The Armenian military leadership, however, has not responded to the public outrcry over the soliders' deaths.

Representatives of the occupying army in Nagorno-Karabakh held a service consultation on February 15 to identify the reasons for the deaths. The so-called "defense minister" and "defense army commander" Karen Abrahamyan stated that "The death of every soldier is a grave loss for us, and the bearer of the fault of that loss is every one of us. Recent events show that we are not doing something right somewhere."

It is noteable that for more than 30 years, most of the incidents in the Armenian army have occurred in Azerbaijans occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region. It is there that the moral and psychological state of Armenian servicemen, who realize the useless of staying on foreign territory, reaches its lowest point.

Touching upon the deaths of Armenian soldiers in recent days, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan from the ruling My Step bloc stated: We will not send soldiers to death, every drop of blood from our guys is priceless.

Despite Simonyans statement, Armenia military elite does not understand that sending soldiers to Karabakh is tantamount to sending soldiers to death. If the Armenian leadership is really interested in the lives of their own soldiers, then they should simply leave the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

As President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during the debates with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Munich, up to 80 percent of the military personnel located in Nagorno-Karabakh come from Armenia. The proof of this is the fact that, being killed, these soldiers are buried in cemeteries in Armenia, not Karabakh, and, being wounded, they are taken to hospital in Armenia, not Karabakh.

The critical situation in the Armenian army makes other people related to military affairs speak out. For instance, a veteran of the Armenian special services Vladimir Poghosyan proposed a strange way to combat hazing and other lawlessness: "In the Armed Forces, the role of military counterintelligence, which formally enters the National Security Service, needs to be strengthened."

That is, Poghosyan wants to identify the perpetrators of hazing with the help of special services and punish them as elements harmful to state security. The question arises as to how he will bring agents into the personnel of conscripts".

Former Armenian Defense minister Seyran Ohanyan has decided to find those responsible for the dire situation in the army. Ohanyan considers everyone but himself to blame:

"In 2011, we seriously took up interpersonal relations in the army," Ohanyan said, hinting at the incompetence of new personnel of the Armenian army leadership, who were appointed after the "velvet revolution."

It is noteworthy that during Ohanyans tenure, hundreds of Armenian soldiers died in non-combat conditions. However, no one has answered to the mothers of soldiers who have been picketing each Thursday in central Yerevan.

Meanwhile, head of the Permanent Parliamentary Commission on Defense and Security, MP from the "My Step" faction Andranik Kocharyan, following a meeting with Artak Davtyan, Chief of General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, said that death incidents in the army would lead to a number of resignations.

"I cant say how many resignations there will be. However, I do not hesitate to state that there will be resignations," Davtyan said.

The current Armenian military leadership is yet to recognize and reveal the causes of deaths of Armenian soldiers in non-combat situations.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of emergency situations informs that on February 19, as of 09:10, some roads are closed and difficult to pass in Armenia.

The ministry told Armenpress that the raads leading to the Amberd Fortress and Lake Kari will remain closed for uncertain time.

Sotk-Karvachar highway and the roads of Syunik province are partly covered with clear ice.

Vardenyats Pass is difficult to pass for trailer trucks.

The Georgian side informed that the Stepantsminda-Lars highway is closed for trucks.

Drivers are urged to use snow tires.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
JACKSON, MI  If Jackson County's sheriff and prosecutor ignore enforcing any future gun laws they find unconstitutional, they'll have the blessing of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.

The board voted 6-2 Tuesday to become a 2nd Amendment refuge county  better known as a sanctuary county. The wording was changed, because of the negative connotation associated with the phrase sanctuary cities, county officials said.

More than 100 people packed the Feb. 18 county board meeting. While the majority of the crowd supported the resolution, 15 of the 32 people speaking to the board were against it.

The resolution states the prosecutor and sheriff can use sound discretion to not enforce against any citizen an unconstitutional firearms law. Counties around the state are considering similar resolutions.

The vote was split along party lines  with Democrats Daniel Mahoney and Darius Williams voting no and all Republicans voting yes.

Republicans are worried Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is going to push for red flag laws in Michigan, like those recently passed in Virginia, Board Chairman James Steve Shotwell Jr. said.

Governor said shes going to," Shotwell said. "Very clear, the governor opened her mouth and said yes. If shed have been silent, itd have been a different matter.

A trio of tense moments highlighted the night.

Commenter calls group 'white supremacists'

Public comment lasted more than an hour. Many comments were emotionally and politically charged from the split crowd.

Gun control advocate Kim Cwynar said she was dismayed to see a group of men in Proud Boys jackets, saying theyre a known white supremacist group  a label they took issue with.

"They are a hate group," Cwynar said. "They are white supremacists."

Shotwell scolded commenters multiple times to direct their thoughts to the board, instead of to the audience. He also called out interrupting jeers from the crowd.

All comments from gun rights supporters were met with a hearty applause.

I should not have to have sanctuary to exercise my constitutional rights, resident Michael Swope said. Those rights are mine, by virtue of my birth and protected by the constitution of this nation.

Democratic commissioner shut down from 'editorializing'

Once public comment ended and commissioner discussion started, Republican Commissioner David Elwell shared his opinion on the resolution.

I think most people recognize that taking guns away from law-abiding citizens doesnt make anyone safer, Elwell said, adding that this sends a message to the legislature.

When Mahoney began sharing his thoughts, Shotwell cut him off.

"You cannot editorialize at this time," Shotwell said.

Mahoney called for a point of order, and the board voted 5-3 against allowing Mahoney to give his opinion. Commissioner Corey Kennedy was the only Republican to vote in favor of letting Mahoney speak.

"I thought that after there is a motion and a second, that we go into discussion," Mahoney said. "That didn't happen, today. I'm pretty disappointed about that."

Republican Commissioner Phil Duckham was later cut off by Shotwell for editorializing, as well.

"I wanted to keep it on track," Shotwell said after the meeting. "I didn't want this audience stirred up."

After the vote, commissioners get chance to speak

Before the meeting adjourned, commissioners had an opportunity to share their thoughts on the resolution.

"I'll be damned if any law would take something away from someone to defend their family," Kennedy said. "Never. Not in this county."

Mahoney, a gun owner who recently applied for a CPL, said he's "vehemently against" this resolution, even though he supports the Second Amendment.

Were giving the OK for the Jackson County sheriff and the prosecuting attorney to exercise their sound discretion  which isnt always so sound, and we saw that, Mahoney said. You can Google our current sheriff and hear how sound his discretion is.

The county board unanimously asked Sheriff Steven Rand to resign in 2018, after sheriffs Lt. Tommy Schuette filed a civil rights and discrimination lawsuit against Rand and Jackson County. Schuette, who is hearing impaired, secretly recorded Rand making a host of demeaning statements about women and black, gay, Hispanic, disabled and overweight people.

Whitmer, who has the power to remove the Republican sheriff, has refused to do so despite requests from the city, county and Schuettes attorney.

Related news:

'Its a cop-out, attorney says of Gov. Whitmers 3rd refusal to fire Jackson County sheriff

Should Jackson become a 2nd Amendment sanctuary county? Board to decide Tuesday

5 things to know about the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement in Michigan

Some lawmakers support making Michigan a Second Amendment sanctuary state
The State Level Police Recruitment Board, Assam has released the recruitment notification for the post of Constables. The recruitment rallies will be conducted across various districts in Assam for the appointment of posts. The notification was released for a total of 1283 vacancies. The recruitment of Constables (Communication/ Messenger /Carpenter/UB) in APRO And Sub- Officer, Firemen & Emergency Rescuers In Fire & Emergency Services, Assam.

Candidates will be recruited with a pay scale of Rs 14,000/- to Rs 49,000/-. Interested job aspirants who meet all the prerequisites set by the board can apply online through the Assam Police official website. There is no application fee. The selection of the candidates will be based on written test followed by physical tests. The online application will be available between February 25 and March 15, 2020.

How To Become A Pilot In Indian Air Force

Assam Police Constable Recruitment: Vacancy Details

Assam Police Radio Organisation (APRO)

Constable of Police (Communication) - 802 vacancies

Constable of Police (UB) - 03 vacancies

Constable of Police (Messenger) - 07 vacancies

Constable of Police (Carpenter) - 01 vacancy

Fire & Emergency Service

Sub Officer - 03 vacancies

Firemen - 410 vacancies

Emergency Rescuer - 57 vacancies

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Constable Organisation State Level Police Recruitment Board, Assam Educational Qualification HS or 10+2 Job Location Assam Salary Scale Rs 14,000/- to Rs 49,000/- per month Industry Government Application Start Date February 19, 2020 Application End Date March 15, 2020

Age Limit

Sub-Officer post - 20 to 24 years

Constable (APRO and Fireman & Emergency Rescuer) - 18 to 25 years

Note: Age relaxation will be provided as per rules.

How To Apply For Assam Police Constable Post

Interested candidates should submit their application online through the official site (www.slprbassam.in). The recruitment board will not accept other forms of the application. Candidates need to upload the required documents along with photograph and signature to complete the registration process.

10 Tips To Prepare For Competitive Exams
This is an opinion column.

What state do you live in?

What state do you wanna live in?

I live in Alabama.

I wanna live in Alabama, actually.

I wanna live here for a lot of reasons. The weather is a great start. (Unlike New York, where I moved from almost six years ago, if I dont like it, I know itll change in a minute.) The cost of living. (Its rising, especially in Birmingham, Huntsville, and other areas; its still not NY.) The people. Yall are so nice. (Even those of you who regularly tell me to go back where I came from or worse.)

I wanna live here mainly, though, because I can see. I can see what we can be. What Alabama can be. What were on the cusp of being.

I see the same things others see, those who are moving here to work for new, disruptive companies. Or for the weather. Or the cost of living. Or because were so nice.

But I live in Alabama.

I live in a state where leaders look backward, not ahead.

I live in a state that stares into the rearview mirror instead of toward the road ahead.

I live in a state where leaders are seemingly OK with being last, with residing at, or near, the bottom of all the barrels, in just about everything. Like educating our kids. Like keeping our babies and mothers healthy. Like being human, even to the people who break our laws, by not housing them in prisons so bad they are deemed by the federal government to be damn-near unconstitutional.

Ive never lived in a state where leaders are OK with being the caboose. And I lived in Oklahoma. Born there. In a state that claims the worst race massacre in the history of our nationa two-day slaughter in which upwards of 300 black people, hard-working, business-owning black people, were murdered. And generations of wealth, exemplified by the grit, ingenuity, and innovation of African American descendants of slaves who settled after escaping the South headed west, were destroyed.

Just because. Or because of something they thought.

That was almost a century ago, 99 years. For most of those years, no one dared talk about what happenednot whites nor black. It was called a conspiracy of shame. But slowly, folks started to come around, first while a handful of survivors were alive. Then because it was right to remember. To commemorate the massive loss but also celebrate the genius that was known as Black Wall Street, a neighborhood of black-owned enterprises rivaling anything this side of Harlem.

No one in Tulsa is celebrating the architects of the massacrenot like the leaders of our state.

Leaders who also dismiss more than 70 percent of its citizens, just because they happen to live in one of the states 10 largest cities. Cities generating the preponderance of the states growth, its historic new wealth, at a time of historic prosperity.

Damn them, our lawmakers say.

They dont know whats best for them and, even better, have no right to determine what is best for them. Not says Dillons Rule, an amalgam of two late 19th-century court rulings stating, simply, that cities cant do diddly unless the state graciously grants them the right to do so.

Cant determine their own minimum wage. Not where we live, at least.

Cant levy their own occupancy tax. Not here.

Cant create your own broadband wireless network to benefit your citizens. Nope.

Cant do much of what really matters, what really might help elevate the lives of its own citizens.

And especially cant determine whether to display concrete relics celebrating those who deemed their ancestors to be chattel, property to be bought and soul, property not human.

No, we know best, our state lawmakers say.

We are not alone, of course. About half the states dont allow municipalities to establish their own minimum wage, according to a 2017 study by the National League of Cities. Three states (North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas) still dont allow cities to craft their own anti-discrimination ordinances. Sixteen other states dont allow cities to establish broadband service.

The NLC calls it a complex, and sometimes tenuous, relationship between cities and state legislatures, says report co-author Brooks Rainwater. People who live in cities want control over their own destinies and when states seek blanket policies that run counter to the values of its municipalities, local leaders do not stand down.

Thank goodness.

On Tuesday, Steven Reed, Montgomerys new mayor, essentially pffted state lawmakers by persuading the City Council to pass an occupancy tax ahead of the seemingly fated passage of a bill that would require cities to get permission from the state legislature to pass any new occupancy taxes. (HB Bill 147 author Rep. Chris Sells hails from Evergreen, pop. Fewer than 4,000)

Last week, Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin all but called a bill levying fines on cities that dont adhere to the states law protecting Confederate statues, as racist, saying he felt like it targets this city, which is 74 percent African American. (It does.)

I live in Alabama.

I wanna live in Alabama.

Yet right now, we are a sad tale of two states.

One that claims to be driving forward while holding on the tattered, worn backseat and refusing to see the horizon aheador let anyone else drive.

One that actually moves towards the promise ahead, and leaves its embarrassing past in the dust.

One state where we live.

One where we could live, where we should live.

Where do you wanna live?

A voice for whats right and wrong in Birmingham, Alabama (and beyond), Roys column appears in The Birmingham News and AL.com, as well as in the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register. Reach him at rjohnson@al.com and follow him at twitter.com/roysj
Release no. 4/2020



With reference to release no. 2/2020 of 18 February 2020, changes in Columbus A/S Articles of Association as a consequence of the board resolution regarding issue of warrants in pursuance of the authorization in Section 5.1 in the Articles of Association, have today been registered in the Danish Business Authority.





At the same time the new Articles of Association for the company are hereby published.



Ib Kune

Chairman

Columbus A/S



Thomas Honore

CEO & President

Columbus A/S For further information, please contact:

CEO Thomas Honore, T: +45 70 20 50 00.









Attachments
The hogs, which damage farmland at a rapid rate, have been targeted by state and federal officials for eradication.

What does it take to fight Missouris feral hogs problem? Corn, patience and persistence Feral hogs have been a mushrooming problem in Missouri. But the on-the-ground fight to control them is a challenging race against their smarts, their prolific ability to multiply, and the people who introduce them to the state.

Government-sanctioned hunters killed more than 10,000 feral pigs in 2019. The record number for the state represents a 12% jump compared with the year before and continues a steady climb in feral hog elimination.

Yet, it remains unclear if those efforts are stopping the spread of the animals, which began after people released pigs into the wild in order to hunt them.

The animals also are linked to a deadly attack on a woman in Texas in November.

The MDC banned hog hunting on state land in 2016. The U.S. Forest Service recently announced the 1.5-million-acre Mark Twain National Forest is closed to feral hog hunting, too, with an exemption for licensed deer and turkey hunters who can opportunistically kill hogs in season.
Bengaluru: The Indian health care and pharmaceutical sectors are going to be hit hard by the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as they are dependent on China for APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients). This is likely to lead to a shortage of drugs and an increase in the prices of some drugs.

India relies heavily on China for 39 different life-saving drugs. Industry leaders brainstormed with government authorities and experts on Wednesday to mitigate the crisis and also utilize the opportunity to minimize their dependence on China.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, chairman and managing director (CMD) of Biocon, said, There is a worry that if the coronavirus outbreak continues for long, there will be a shortage of APIs and therefore drugs. However, the government has understood the seriousness of the problem and a lot of steps will be taken to ensure we deal with the crisis in the best possible way.

Many of the existing facilities can be put to better use for producing more pharmaceuticals in the country. The government has extended its support to expedite the environment and regulatory processes. It has also assured support to scaling up the business so that India can regain its leadership in the pharmaceutical arena, she added.

Fortunately, the coronavirus has not been a problem in India. The World Health Organisation has clarified that there has been no further spread of the virus in China. It has brought hope that it will be contained and will start receding.

Right now, India is not importing any API but it is expected to happen very soon. There may be an increase in the prices of drugs but not very alarmingly. About 39 life-saving drugs have been identified where there is high reliance on China. However, Indian companies are confident of producing it, added Mazumdar Shaw.

India supplies a large chunk of generic medicines, and so the situation caused by the coronavirus could be alarming not just for India but for the entire world. We need to take immediate steps to convert this crisis into an opportunity and be in a state of preparedness to face any challenge, said a source associated with the pharma sector.
MIT researchers have devised a framework for deciding which type of mission would be most successful in deflecting an incoming asteroid, taking into account an asteroids mass and momentum, its proximity to a gravitational keyhole, and the amount of warning time that scientists have of an impending collision. Credit: Christine Daniloff, MIT

On April 13, 2029, an icy chunk of space rock, wider than the Eiffel Tower is tall, will streak by Earth at 30 kilometers per second, grazing the planet's sphere of geostationary satellites. It will be the closest approach by one of the largest asteroids crossing Earth's orbit in the next decade.

Observations of the asteroid, known as 99942 Apophis, for the Egyptian god of chaos, once suggested that its 2029 flyby would take it through a gravitational keyholea location in Earth's gravity field that would tug the asteroid's trajectory such that on its next flyby, in the year 2036, it would likely make a devastating impact.

Thankfully, more recent observations have confirmed that the asteroid will sling by Earth without incident in both 2029 and 2036. Nevertheless, most scientists believe it is never too early to consider strategies for deflecting an asteroid if one were ever on a crash course with our home planet.

Now MIT researchers have devised a framework for deciding which type of mission would be most successful in deflecting an incoming asteroid. Their decision method takes into account an asteroid's mass and momentum, its proximity to a gravitational keyhole, and the amount of warning time that scientists have of an impending collisionall of which have degrees of uncertainty, which the researchers also factor in to identify the most successful mission for a given asteroid.

The researchers applied their method to Apophis, and Bennu, another near-Earth asteroid which is the target of OSIRIS-REx, an operational NASA mission that plans to return a sample of Bennu's surface material to Earth in 2023. REXIS, an instrument designed and built by students at MIT, is also part of this mission and its task is to characterize the abundance of chemical elements at the surface.

In a paper appearing this month in the journal Acta Astronautica, the researchers use their decision map to lay out the type of mission that would likely have the most success in deflecting Apophis and Bennu, in various scenarios in which the asteroids may be headed toward a gravitational keyhole. They say the method could be used to design the optimal mission configuration and campaign to deflect a potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid.

"People have mostly considered strategies of last-minute deflection, when the asteroid has already passed through a keyhole and is heading toward a collision with Earth," says Sung Wook Paek, lead author of the study and a former graduate student in MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. "I'm interested in preventing keyhole passage well before Earth impact. It's like a preemptive strike, with less mess."

Paek's co-authors at MIT are Olivier de Weck, Jeffrey Hoffman, Richard Binzel, and David Miller.

Deflecting a planet-killer

In 2007, NASA concluded in a report submitted to the U.S. Congress that in the event that an asteroid were headed toward Earth, the most effective way to deflect it would be to launch a nuclear bomb into space. The force of its detonation would blast the asteroid away, though the planet would then have to contend with any nuclear fallout. The use of nuclear weapons to mitigate asteroid impacts remains a controversial issue in the planetary defense community.

The second best option was to send up a "kinetic impactor"a spacecraft, rocket, or other projectile that, if aimed at just the right direction, with adequate speed, should collide with the asteroid, transfer some fraction of its momentum, and veer it off course.

"The basic physics principle is sort of like playing billiards," Paek explains.

For any kinetic impactor to be successful, however, de Weck, a professor of aeronautics and astronautics and engineering systems, says the properties of the asteroid, such as its mass, momentum, trajectory, and surface composition must be known "as precisely as possible." That means that, in designing a deflection mission, scientists and mission managers need to take uncertainty into account.

"Does it matter if the probability of success of a mission is 99.9 percent or only 90 percent? When it comes to deflecting a potential planet-killer, you bet it does," de Weck says. "Therefore we have to be smarter when we design missions as a function of the level of uncertainty. No one has looked at the problem this way before."

Closing a keyhole

Paek and his colleagues developed a simulation code to identify the type of asteroid deflection mission that would have the best possibility of success, given an asteroid's set of uncertain properties.

The missions they considered include a basic kinetic impactor, in which a projectile is shot into space to nudge an asteroid off course. Other variations involved sending a scout to first measure the asteroid to hone the specs of a projectile that would be sent up later, or sending two scouts, one to measure the asteroid and the other to push the asteroid slightly off course before a larger projectile is subsequently launched to make the asteroid miss Earth with near certainty.

The researchers fed into the simulation specific variables such as the asteroid's mass, momentum, and trajectory, as well as the range of uncertainty in each of these variables. Most importantly, they factored in an asteroid's proximity to a gravitational keyhole, as well as the amount of time scientists have before an asteroid passes through the keyhole.

"A keyhole is like a dooronce it's open, the asteroid will impact Earth soon after, with high probability," Paek says.

The researchers tested their simulation on Apophis and Bennu, two of only a handful of asteroids for which the locations of their gravitational keyholes with respect to Earth are known. They simulated various distances between each asteroid and their respective keyhole, and also calculated for each distance a "safe harbor" region where an asteroid would have to be deflected so that it would avoid both an impact with Earth and passing through any other nearby keyhole.

They then evaluated which of the three main mission types would be most successful at deflecting the asteroid into a safe harbor, depending on the amount of time scientists have to prepare.

For instance, if Apophis will pass through a keyhole in five years or more, then there is enough time to send two scoutsone to measure the asteroid's dimensions and the other to nudge it slightly off track as a testbefore sending a main impactor. If keyhole passage occurs within two to five years, there may be time to send one scout to measure the asteroid and tune the parameters of a larger projectile before sending the impactor up to divert the asteroid. If Apophis passes through its keyhole within one Earth year or less, Paek says it may be too late.

"Even a main impactor may not be able to reach the asteroid within this timeframe," Paek says.

Bennu is a similar case, although scientists know a bit more about its material composition, which means that it may not be necessary to send up investigatory scouts before launching a projectile.

With the team's new simulation tool, Peak plans to estimate the success of other deflection missions in the future.

"Instead of changing the size of a projectile, we may be able to change the number of launches and send up multiple smaller spacecraft to collide with an asteroid, one by one. Or we could launch projectiles from the moon or use defunct satellites as kinetic impactors," Paek says. "We've created a decision map which can help in prototyping a mission."

Explore further Video: ESA defending Earth

More information: Sung Wook Paek et al, Optimization and decision-making framework for multi-staged asteroid deflection campaigns under epistemic uncertainties, Acta Astronautica (2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2019.10.042 , Journal information: Acta Astronautica Sung Wook Paek et al, Optimization and decision-making framework for multi-staged asteroid deflection campaigns under epistemic uncertainties,(2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2019.10.042 , www.sciencedirect.com/science/  ii/S0094576519313700

This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.
By Laman Ismayilova

A bas-relief in honor of prominent composer Vasif Adigozalov has been opened in Baku.

Speaking at the event, the Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan, People's artist Polad Bulbuloghlu, academician Rafael Huseynov, People's writer Anar Rzayev, retired police major general Kamil Mammadov shared their memories about the composer, Trend Life reported.

In his speech, People's Artist Yalchun Adigozalov expressed his gratitude to the head of state Ilham Aliyev for his attention to his fathers creative heritage. He emphasized that the 80th anniversary of the outstanding composer is celebrated by a series of events on the basis of the relevant decree. Adigozalov also shared his memories of his father.

Vasif Adigozalov composed countless music pieces that immediately won the hearts of listeners.

Although Adigozalov was born and raised in Baku, he never forgot about the land of his ancestors - Karabakh.

The composer created many works associated with Azerbaijan's historical lands. The music pieces "Karabakh shikestesi", "Caravan of Sorrows", "Shusha's Lullaby" and others were among such works.

Adigozalov composed two operas "The Dead"(1963), "Natavan", six musical comedies as well as an oratorio, three symphonies, numerous chamber instrumental compositions and hundred songs and romances. The composer created a number of piano works.

His oratorios "Odlar yurdu", (Karabakh Shikestesi), "Canaqqala-1915" the history of the people and their struggle for freedom.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
A special court granted regular bail to all the six bureaucrats in the INX media corruption case.

These bureaucrats were charge-sheeted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and are currently on interim bail.

Special CBI Judge Ajay Kumar while confirming the interim bail into regular bail, also directed them not to leave the country without the permission of the court. The court granted regular bail to all six bureaucrats on a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh each and told them not to tamper with the evidence.

These six bureaucrats were part of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) panel which granted approval to INX Media, in the case involving former Union Minister P. Chidambaram.

The bureaucrats include Ajeet Kumar Dungdung, the then Section Officer, and Rabindra Prasad, the then Under Secretary and Prabodh Saxena, Director, FIPB unit of Finance Ministry, Pradeep Kumar Bagga, the then Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Anup K Pujari, the then Joint Secretary and Sindhushree Khullar, Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs.

We have apprehension that they can flee away from the country and they were influential personality and hold powerful posts, CBI lawyer Naveen Kumar argued while opposing their regular bail plea.

The interim bail is a temporary bail for a period in which the court can ask for documents to be presented which are required to make a final decision on the bail application.

Former Union Minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram are currently out on bail which was granted by the Supreme Court.

The case pertains to FIPB clearance given to INX Media to the tune of Rs 305 crore when Chidambaram was the Finance Minister.

The economic offences watchdog had registered a PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) case based on FIR by the CBI and alleged that irregularities took place in the FIPB clearance to INX Media.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bright and round eyes, charm and all smiles capture the set while filming this spring drama "A Piece of Your Mind". The anticipated drama will air on March 23, 2020, to run with 16 episodes. An engineer who is kind and intelligent and an AI programmer.

The filing started with Chae So Bin's beaming smile and bright eyes to the set and makes everyone happy. Approaching the spring season, the cast embraces the shooting with excitement. "A Piece of Mind" started well during their script reading this month. Everyone gave their best delivering their scripts.

Han Seo-woo (played by Chae So Bin) in character. She portrays a recording engineer who matters to her about a disconnected love relationship. A romantic pair with AI programmer Mon Ha Won (played by Jung Hai-En) who had a longterm crush. TVN's new drama releasing a glimpse of Chae So Bin's filming in the set.

The company showed pictures of Chae So Bin's carrying a heavy box. Another still beaming charm eyes, playing the violin and so forth. One way of enticing the audience and creating excitement. The release of the captured photos will attract attention. There is no question with the pretty face and cute smile of Chae So Bin will capture the hearts of the viewers. The crew of the said drama highlighted that Chae So Bin's charm and positive aura brings fun to the set.

One of the crew responses was "Chae So Bin expresses candid, good vibes and great facial expressions with each line." "It makes us all smile and happy". Her passion for working hard and setting good actions to provide a better scene is showing.

The upcoming drama will be full of romantic, light comedy and heart touching interaction. The lead actor's teamwork will definitely make the drama soon to be a must-watch. Jung Hai-en ( as Mon Ha won) had good chemistry with Chae So Bin.

Everyone was impressed during the script reading. Such pair showed instant chemistry throwing lines and voices with each other. He stressed that he looks forward to a wonderful team up and working with her and the whole cast.

After his breakthrough acting from "Something in the Rain", he can't wait to be in the drama series again. A lot has been gearing up of another TV series from him. Recently there has been a new still photo and poster released for everyone to hold on.

The director Lee Sang Yeop and writer Lee Sook Yeon excited and looking forward to a good drama show. They both wish all the cast to have a happy and healthy shooting throughout the end.

Most of the cast members paved well-wishers for the team. Kim Jung Woo, Kang Bong Sung, Hong Woo Jin, Lee Sang Hee, Park Joo Hyun, and Kim Nu Ri are part of the show. All casting showed good script reading and great chemistry.
(CNN)  Iran has confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus, the countrys health ministry announced Wednesday.

"In the past two days we came across several suspicious cases of possible coronavirus in Qom. As soon soon as we received the reports our identification teams for contagious diseases were dispatched to Qom," said health ministry spokesman Kianoosh Jahanpour in a statement.

"The suspicious cases were isolated according to protocol and medical samples taken. Several minutes ago the central laboratory confirmed that the result of the initial test of two of the suspect cases has come back positive for coronavirus," he added.

The teams for contagious disease control are in Qom, a city located about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of Tehran, the statement adds.

This story was first published on CNN.com. "Iran confirms first two coronavirus cases."
The Oregon State Bar has rejected the application of a former Springfield police officer to become a lawyer after its investigators found that he had used his police position to exploit vulnerable women for sex and lied about it.

The Board of Bar Examiners determined that Neil Halttunen had not shown that he is currently of good character and denied him admission to the bar. A hearings panel later upheld the boards decision.

Halttunen, 51, of Salem has appealed the decision to the Oregon Supreme Court, which will hear arguments on the case in May.

Halttunens appeal offers a glimpse into the bars confidential admission process, which is overseen by the Board of Bar Examiners. Ultimately, however, the Oregon Supreme Court has complete discretion over whether an applicant is admitted to the bar.

Details of the bars review of Halttunens application were disclosed in court filings, which offer an unsparing synopsis of the former officers on-duty conduct.

It depicts Halttunen as an officer who acted with impunity and used his badge to target and gain access to at least nine women for sex -- though Halttunen acknowledged that the actual number of women he had some sexual contact with was greater.

The court filing include accounts from women Halttunen met through routine police calls who said Halttunen pursued them for sex.

The full extent of Halttunens predatory conduct is unclear, in part because he has consistently claimed difficulty remembering all of his instances of misconduct, the bar wrote in court records last year.

During a hearing on Halttunens application for the bar, the Lane County District Attorney testified that the former officers actions constituted official misconduct, a misdemeanor.

The hearing evidence revealed in excess of 30 violations or attempted violations of this statute, the bar wrote in its filing.

The board took particular exception to Halttunens conduct during the hearing process. He began the hearing with a thinly veiled threat against some Springfield police officers on the witness list, then acted on that threat by sharing a copy of a recording of the confidential hearing with his former colleagues in the department for an internal affairs investigation into a lieutenant who testified, according to the court filing. The board characterized Halttunens conduct as retaliation.

Halttunens lawyers, David Elkanich and Nellie Barnard, acknowledged in court records that from 2009 through 2012, their client lacked good moral character and that he feels great remorse and shame for his conduct.

But they argued that a significant amount of time has passed since Halttunen was with the Springfield police department, that he has accepted responsibility for his actions and has cooperated with the bar. They said Halttunen has completely and totally overhauled his life.

They pointed to the support that Halttunen received from 20 attorneys, including former Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul De Muniz, as proof that he has transformed himself. They argued that Halttunen was not charged with a crime and has taken significant steps to create a stable professional and personal life.

Halttunen worked in Springfield from 1996 until 2012, when he resigned while under investigation.

The bars court filing includes a detailed chronology of encounters Halttunen had with women on the job.

Among them:

-- He went to the house of a woman he planned to arrest on an outstanding warrant and later visited her in his patrol car. They ended up having multiple sexual encounters.

-- He frequently stopped by a Springfield strip club on duty and in uniform and required one woman to perform field sobriety tests in high heels and drove with her in his patrol car making suggestive conversation. He later took her into the police station and asked her to remove a genital piercing in his presence while they were alone. Halttunen denied the allegation, but the board said it did not find his denial to be credible. The woman said she felt harassed and intimidated by Halttunen.

-- While responding to a suspicious person call, he exchanged numbers with woman and later had sex with multiple times.

-- A woman said she was with her boyfriend when they were stopped by Halttunen. The boyfriend was arrested and taken away by another officer. The woman said Halttunen solicited her for sex, but she declined, she said. She said she felt that she was in a vulnerable position because her boyfriend was in custody.

Halttunen maintained that his sexual interactions with the women were consensual, but the board rejected that claim.

In court filings, the bar said records show Halttunen stopped, arrested and cited women at a disproportionately high rate and that he used police resources to obtain contact information for women he wanted to have sex with.

In 2012, Springfield police opened an investigation into Halttunen. During that investigation, the bar said Halttunen failed to disclose his conduct.

Halttunen resigned and surrendered his law enforcement certifications, ending the Springfield police investigation and the prospect of a state inquiry into his conduct.

He applied to Willamette University College of Law two years later, but the bar filing notes that he did not disclose in his application the circumstances leading to the end of his police career.

The Board of Bar examiners rejected Halttunens bar application in early 2018. He requested a hearing, which was held in January 2019. A majority of the hearing panel concluded that Halttunen lacked moral character to be an attorney.

We doubt his personal morality, honesty, fairness, respect for the rights of others, respect for the law, and respect for the court at large, the bar said in court filings.

The Supreme Court will hear oral argument on the matter on May 5.

-- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
TOKYOA Kobe University doctor touched off a furor with a firsthand account of a virus-stricken cruise ship in which he accused Japan of doing a worse job protecting people than African nations and China.

Kentaro Iwata, who made the allegations in widely circulated YouTube videos after spending Tuesday aboard the Diamond Princess, told The Wall Street Journal in an interview that the crew should be removed as soon as possible because of the danger of catching the novel coronavirus on the ship.

The charges by Dr. Iwata, an infectious disease specialist who has worked to tackle the Ebola disease and the 2002-03 SARS epidemic, were quickly taken up in Parliament and at the prime ministers office. Asked to respond to Dr. Iwata, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, We are doing everything possible to prevent infections from spreading on the ship.

A two-week general quarantine aboard the Princess Cruises liner ended Wednesday and some passengers started to disembark. But controversy heated up over what should be done with others who are still under quarantine for an additional period, including the crew and passengers whose roommates were diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.

Diamond Princess has completely inadequate infection control, and there is no professional ID person in charge. Passengeres, crews, health care professionals working inside are at risk of infection, and the practice is even worse than what I saw in Africa. Immediate action is needed to save people inside.

There were some 3,700 passengers and crew members on board the ship when its two-week quarantine began Feb. 5. Since last week, dozens have tested positive nearly every day, and they have been sent to hospitals on shore. As of Wednesday, 621 people were found to have the virus out of 3,011 tested, according to the health ministry, making it the largest known site of the epidemic outside China.

Globally, more than 2,000 people have died from the coronavirus, including the second death from Hong Kong, reported Wednesday. In mainland China, 74,185 people have been confirmed infected as of Tuesday, including 1,749 new cases, Chinas National Health Commission said Wednesday.

The patient that passed away in Hong Kong was a 70-year-old man with other medical issues who tested positive for the virus after making a day trip to the mainland last month, according to the citys government.

The passengers getting off Wednesday from the Diamond Princess ship tested negative for the virus and didnt have symptoms such as fever or coughing. Japanese authorities said it was safe for those people to get on public transportation. Buses carried some passengers to train stations in Yokohama, the city south of Tokyo where the cruise ship is docked.

In the interview on Wednesday, Dr. Iwata said he agreed it was an acceptable risk to let negative-testing passengers disembark, but he said the cruise ship shouldnt be allowed to be used as a quarantine chamber for remaining crew or passengers.

We have to assume every single utensil on that ship has been exposed to infection, he said.

Aboard the ship on Tuesday, he said he encountered widespread ignorance of proper quarantine practice. He said there were no clear barriers separating ship crew who were feeling ill and wanted to be tested for the virus from officials assigned to handle the requests. He said potentially contaminated red zones on the ship werent clearly marked out from noncontaminated green zones, which he described as standard practice in epidemics.

In a YouTube video in Japanese, Dr. Iwata said, The handling of infections was far worse than in Africa or China.

When working in those regions, he had no fear of infection because proper controls were in place, but inside the ship I was so scared, he said in an English-language video. Everywhere could have virus and everybody was not careful about it.

A junior minister of health who is in charge of the Diamond Princess situation, Gaku Hashimoto, said on Twitter he didnt authorize Dr. Iwata to be on the ship and described his visit as an intrusion. Mr. Hashimoto said the ministry and medical workers were doing their best to prevent infections but added, I cannot say everything is under perfect control.

Several medical workers and officials on the ship have been infected so far. A male nurse who tended a patient with a fever tested positive for the virus after returning home to Wakayama prefecture in western Japan, the Wakayama government said Tuesday.

In a statement Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Japans measures may have helped slow transmission of the virus but new infections on the cruise were an ongoing risk. It said American passengers who are still in Japansuch as roommates of those with the virusmust wait 14 days without symptoms or a positive test result before they can return to the U.S.

RELATED STORIES Asia Experts ponder why cruise ship quarantine failed in Japan

Crew members have been told to expect to start a new quarantine on board after the last passenger has disembarked, but the period hasnt been determined. When the cruise started, there were 1,045 crew members on board. Dr. Iwata said a large facility might have to be found to hold the crew for observation even if they have tested negative. He said compared to passengers, the crew had more potential contact with a large number of infected people so more precautions were needed.

We have to deal with these people alike. We have to assume they have the infection until the time it is proven it is not, he said.

Japan said it hoped to finish the disembarkation of most passengers by Friday, and several nations sent planes to pick up their citizens after the U.S. did so Monday, repatriating 328 Americans.

Hong Kong was also chartering flights to take people to back to the special Chinese territory from the ship. More than 200 people said they wanted to travel to Hong Kong, John Lee, the citys security secretary, said.

Australia said it would bring citizens to the airport late Wednesday for a Thursday morning flight. This is going to be a drag-out process from door-to-door, said Kimberly Vincent, 73, from Sydney. Weve been in limbo for so long.

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Wheat production has been estimated at a record level for this year as acreage under wheat crop has increased substantially due to better soil moisture following good monsoon rains.

New Delhi: India is set to harvest a record 106.21 million tonne wheat in 2019-20 crop year on increase in acreage owing to good rains, according to latest government data.

Wheat production has been rising year-on-year and the previous record of 103.60 million tonne was achieved during 2018-19 crop year (July-June).

Wheat is the main rabi (winter) crop, harvesting of which will begin from next month.

Releasing the second estimate of foodgrain production, the Agriculture Ministry said the cumulative rainfall in the country during the monsoon season (June-September 2019) was 10 percent higher than the long period average (LPA).

Accordingly, the production of most of the crops for 2019-20 crop year has been estimated higher than their normal production, it said.

Wheat production has been estimated at a record level for this year as acreage under wheat crop has increased substantially due to better soil moisture following good monsoon rains.

Wheat was planted in 33.61 million hectares area till January-end of this crop year as against 29.93 million hectares in the year-ago period, according to the ministry's sowing data.

As per the second estimate, total foodgrain production is pegged at a record 291.95 million tonne for 2019-20 crop year, higher than 285.21 million tonne last year.

Of the total production, foodgrain output is estimated to be 142.36 million tonne from the kharif (summer) season and 149.60 million tonne from the rabi season of this year.

Foodgrain basket comprises of wheat, rice, cereals and pulses.

Rice output is estimated to increase marginally to 117.47 million tonne this year from 116.48 million tonne last year, while production of cereals is expected to increase to 268.93 million tonne from 263.14 million tonne.

Production of pulses is pegged slightly higher at 23.02 million tonne for this year as against 22.08 million tonne last year, the data showed.

Oilseeds output is estimated to increase to 34.18 million tonne for 2019-20 from 31.52 million tonne last year.

Among cash crops, sugarcane output is estimated to decline to 353.84 million tonne from 405.41 million tonne in the said period.

Cotton output is estimated to increase to 34.89 million bales (of 170 kg each) for this year from 28.04 million bales in 2018-19, while jute/mesta output is expected to remain at last year's level of 9.8 million bales of 180 kg each.

The ministry comes out with four foodgrain production estimates before the final one at different stages of harvesting.
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians shared another $860,000 in gaming revenues with South Bend, Indiana, continuing a unique arrangement that began under the city's former mayor Pete Buttigieg, who is now a leading Democratic candidate for president

Every year, tribe shares 1 percent of Class II gaming revenues from the Four Winds South Bend with the city. Another 1 percent goes to the South Bend Redevelopment Commission to contribute to the improvement of educational opportunities and to address poverty and unemployment in the community.

The Pokagon Band is very fortunate and proud to be able to make these annual contributions to the City of South Bend, the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County, YWCA of North Central Indiana, the Food Bank of Northern Indiana, Jobs for Americas Graduates Indiana, the Bowman Creek Project, Beacon Childrens Hospital, South Bend Community School Corporation, and South Bend Venues, Parks & Arts for the renovation of Howard Park, Chairman Matthew Wesaw said in a news release on Wednesday. These important organizations play a vital role in serving the community and we look forward to seeing what programs and initiatives they have planned for 2020.

Thanks to the @pokegnek and @fourwindscasino for their generous contribution to the City of South Bend and many local organizations. These funds will help lift up our communitys children and families across all neighborhoods. pic.twitter.com/gvfw7lw6J2  Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) January 17, 2019

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi have been a generous partner in our community, and we are grateful for their contributions to improve our citys parks, open spaces, and neighborhoods, said Mayor James Mueller. We look forward to continuing this great partnership into the future.

The arrangement is unique in that revenue sharing typically occurs within the context of Class III gaming, such as slot machines and card games. Four Winds, on the other hand, only offers Class II gaming, a category that includes bingo and electronic forms of bingo.

But the tribe readily negotiated government-to-government agreements with the city in order to contribute to the community. Buttigieg, who served as mayor between January 2012 and 2020, signed the agreements and supported the tribe's historic land-into-trust application in South Bend. He was a frequent presence at events with the tribe, including the contribution of more than $2.7 million after Four Winds had been in operation for its first year.

Buttigieg "worked directly with one of our fellow Anishnaabe Tribes  the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians  to build a positive government-to-government relationship in his own community in South Bend," Bryan Newland, the president of the Bay Mills Indian Community , wrote in an endorsement published on Indianz.Com

The tribe has since entered into negotiations for a Class III gaming compact with the state of Indiana. Up until last year, state politicians -- primarily Republicans in areas were non-Indian commercial facilities have made inroads -- were reluctant to even come to the table.

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KIEV (Reuters) - A team from the International Monetary Fund will visit Ukraine for technical discussions, Goesta Ljungman, the IMF Resident Representative in Ukraine said on Tuesday.

"A small IMF team will visit Kiev for technical discussions on policies to achieve stronger growth and safeguard stability," he said.

(Reporting by Matthias Williams, writing by Pavel Polityuk, editing by Andrew Heavens)
It would be easy, tempting even, for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to play on the widespread public frustration over rail blockades and protests related to a gas pipeline across British Columbia.

There is, understandably, a lot of anger across the country, and it would surely be more satisfying to talk tough and demand that protesters stand down immediately  or else.

In that, the prime minister would have the support of the army of right-wing keyboard warriors who have spent the past few days insisting that the police (or even the military) be instructed to clear away the protests and get the trains moving again.

He would certainly have the backing of Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, who on Tuesday attacked Trudeau as a political weakling for failing to put what he labelled radical activists in their place.

Trudeau, however, is right to resist that temptation. Hes right to try and cool down the situation rather than turn up the heat. Hes right to call for dialogue and go the extra mile to find a long-term solution, as difficult as that may be.

But the clock is ticking loudly on this crisis, and the governments patience must not go unrewarded. The shutdown of vital rail lines is causing real damage to the nations economy. Those behind the protests must recognize that there are limits, and they should not expect to be allowed to continue indefinitely.

They should listen to responsible Indigenous leaders like Perry Bellegarde, head of the Assembly of First Nations, who says the time has come to de-escalate on both sides. Some Mohawk chiefs are even more emphatic that the protesters have made their point and should bring down the blockades. Those stopping the trains should stand down, immediately.

If Scheer had had his way, however, the government would have ordered the RCMP to take down the barricades days ago.

That would certainly be tougher. But would it be smarter? This country has plenty of experience with situations involving clashes between police or the military and Indigenous protesters and it hasnt ended well. Theres a reason that Oka and Ipperwash have gone down as examples of how not to handle such confrontations.

If Trudeau had followed Scheers advice and rushed in with armed force, who knows what might have happened? Any injury or death would further inflame an already poisoned relationship.

Weve been down that road many times before, and it always ends badly. And one thing can be guaranteed: if things went sideways, the same people who were demanding the police be sent in would be blaming the government for botching it.

It is also, lets not forget, contrary to law for politicians to order police to take certain actions in an operational setting. The course of action urged by Scheer wasnt just rash; it was arguably illegal.

Still, the prime minister also recognized on Tuesday that this situation must be resolved not only peacefully but quickly as well.

After almost two weeks, vital goods like propane and chlorine for purifying water are starting to run short. Supply chains are being disrupted and layoffs may follow. The protesters have a right to make their views known, but they dont have a right to strangle the economy.

At the same time, the longer this dispute goes on, the less clear-cut it becomes.

Its plain that the Wetsuweten people in northern British Columbia are deeply divided over the natural gas pipeline at the heart of the dispute. Many, perhaps most, of them actually support the project and the economic benefits it will bring.

And its equally plain that many of those staging protests across the country basically oppose all resource projects, and have just latched onto the cause of the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs who are holding out against the pipeline. The government cant expect to satisfy them.

For Trudeau, who has made reconciliation with Indigenous peoples a top priority, this is a particularly frustrating situation.

He is wise to have taken the path of patience so far. But at a certain point, and it is quickly approaching, the patience of Canadians will run out.

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Among the award winners announced today in the First Amendment Lounge at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. were reporters who exposed the massive extent of Chinese repression of its Muslim minority, used advanced visualization techniques to establish that Russian pilots bombed Syrian hospitals, and defied acute danger to provide harrowing accounts of Central American gang violence.

Other winners revealed how Boeing and the FAA cut corners to speed a new plane into the air with systemic flaws that caused two horrific crashes, predatory lenders heaped insurmountable debt on unsuspecting taxi drivers leading to at least nine suicides, wealthy developers reaped windfall savings from a law ostensibly enacted to aid depressed areas, and the Department of Agriculture buried its own research into ways farmers can adapt to climate change.

George Polk Awards also went to journalists for reporting that led to the ousting of mayors accused of misconduct in Baltimore and Wichita, forced the closure of a Pennsylvania reform school for gross abuse of children in its care, showed how the Trump Administration used dubious claims to justify the continued separation of immigrant children from their parents, and unearthed a trove of documents disclosing how U.S. officials misled the public for nearly two decades about the war in Afghanistan.

Three awards focused on racism past and present  a New York Times supplement examining the central role of slavery in American history and its continuing legacy in present-day society, an investigative report on widespread suburban housing discrimination on Long Island, and an eye-opening account of the massive seizure of black-owned land in the South under "heirs' property" laws.

"In an age when much of our most incisive journalism is the product of multi-organization collaboration and team reporting, it is heartening to note that eight of this year's Polk winners are the work of individual reporters," said John Darnton, curator of the awards. "This speaks to the legacy of the man whose work these awards continue to honor 72 years after his assassination."

The George Polk Awards are conferred annually to honor special achievement in journalism. The awards place a premium on investigative and enterprising reporting that gains attention and achieves results. They were established in 1949 by LIU to commemorate George Polk, a CBS correspondent murdered in 1948 while covering the Greek civil war.

Below are the winners of the 2019 George Polk Awards, chosen from among 551 entries nominated by news organizations and individuals or recommended by a national panel of advisors:

Azam Ahmed of The New York Times, receives the award for Foreign Reporting for risking his safety time and again to portray the reality and impact of violence perpetrated by gangs, drug cartels and even police in firsthand dispatches from Brazil, Jamaica, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, where he is stationed as the Times Bureau Chief.

The award for National Reporting goes to Lomi Kriel of the Houston Chronicle for revealing previously unreported aspects of the Trump Administration's immigration policy and tactics that extracted a heavy and sometimes lethal toll on Latin American refugees, including the continued separation of some families without apparent reason.

The staff of Newsday receives the award for Metropolitan Reporting for "Long Island Divided," a series three years in the making that exposed an endemic pattern of discrimination by suburban realtors steering homebuyers of color away from white enclaves in violation of federal and state law. It drew promises of action from officials at every level of government.

The award for Local Reporting goes to Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times for unearthing a pernicious scheme by unscrupulous lenders to drive up the price of taxi medallions and turn huge profits by selling them to unsophisticated cab drivers with loans they could never repay, leading borrowers into financial ruin so devastating at least nine committed suicide.

Mark Scheffler, Malachy Browne and the Visual Investigations Team of The New York Times are honored for International Reporting for using local plane spottings, satellite imagery, cockpit recordings and Google Earth tools to map and geolocate the attacks to establish that Russian pilots in Syria bombed four hospitals, a busy commercial street and a refugee camp, killing scores of civilians. It was one of a number of wide-ranging coups the team pulled off combining advanced technology with ground level reporting in Venezuela, Afghanistan, Libya, North Korea and Hong Kong.

The award for Financial Reporting goes to Noah Buhayer, Caleb Melby and David Kocieniewski of Bloomberg News for groundbreaking stories on how wealthy, well-connected individuals perverted the stated intention of "opportunity zone" incentives in the 2017 federal tax code for their own profit. The program was aimed at spurring economic growth in depressed areas, but some developers reaped tax breaks by using it for such high-end projects as a long-planned $4 billion luxury North Miami development and the construction of a Ritz-Carlton hotel in downtown Portland, Oregon.

Dominic Gates, Mike Baker, Steve Militech and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times are honored in the Business Reporting category for first exposing the cooperative arrangements between Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration that led to approval of design changes in 737 Max jets blamed for two crashes, killing 346. Times reporters traced FAA approval of the flawed flight control system to its decision to defer to Boeing's own safety analysis, which they attributed to pressure from leaders of the company and the agency to speed production and avoid adding costs.

Helena Bottemiller Evich of Politico wins the award for Environmental Reporting for describing how a politicized Department of Agriculture ignored its own climate action plan, devoted a miniscule portion of its budget to climate change, which it acknowledges is the gravest threat to food production, and buried a study warning of lost nutrients in rice, the leading source of nutrition for 600 million people, provoking a highly regarded scientist to quit in disgust.

The award for Military Reporting goes to Craig Whitlock of The Washington Post for forcing the release of interviews conducted about the Afghan War as part of a five-year, $11 million federal "Lessons Learned" project. After Whitlock received more than 2,000 documents, including some initially withheld, he puzzled out key redactions before producing "The Afghanistan Papers," which demonstrated that "senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable."

Lisa Gartner of The Philadelphia Inquirer receives the Justice Reporting award for "Beaten, Not Silenced," which exposed a pattern of violent physical abuse of boys housed at the Glen Mills Schools, a 193-year-old reformatory in suburban Delaware County. Gartner's reporting was so devastating that within days state officials ordered Glen Mills closed and pledged to do a better job of monitoring conditions at juvenile justice facilities across Pennsylvania.

The award for Political Reporting is shared by Chance Swaim, Jonathan Shorman and Dion Lefler of The Wichita Eagle and Luke Broadwater and the staff of The Baltimore Sun for turning journalistic intuition into deep dives into public records that revealed municipal misconduct leading to the ouster of mayors in both cities.

Eagle reporters determined that Mayor Jeff Longwell steered a $524 million contract for a desperately needed water treatment plant to friends and supporters, rejecting the unanimous choice of a selection panel. Longwell lost his reelection bid after a campaign that turned on the Eagle's investigation of an ad falsely connecting his opponent to sexual harassment allegations.

An offhand remark set Broadwater and his Sun colleagues off on an investigation that determined Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh had gleaned $800,000 in payoffs disguised as bulk purchases of her "Healthy Holly" children's book by a hospital network and health insurers. As a result, Pugh resigned and pleaded guilty to federal charges, the network's board and CEO departed, and the state and city toughened ethics laws.

Lizzie Presser of ProPublica and The New Yorker wins the award for Magazine Reporting for "The Dispossessed," an account of how speculators use legal loopholes associated with "heirs' property" laws in the South to seize black-owned ancestral lands, uprooting lifelong residents who assume their homes and property have been passed down to them. Especially poignant was Presser's portrait of two brothers in a North Carolina coastal town jailed for nearly eight years for refusing to leave.

The award for Television Reporting goes to John Sudworth of BBC News for "Inside China's Hidden Camps," which documented the reality of camps authorities established in Xinjiang province to indoctrinate hundreds of thousands of Muslims in an effort to erase their religion and culture. Allowed by authorities to visit one camp depicted as a model of agreeability, Sudworth used satellite photos, leaked documents and interviews with forlorn parents separated from their children to paint a very different picture.

A Special Award is presented to Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times and contributors to "The 1619 Project," a supplement published on the 400th anniversary of the advent of American slavery, using essays by journalists and scholars to explore the role of slavery in history and its enduring effects in contemporary American society. A powerful introduction by Hannah-Jones, the project's creator and driving force, examined efforts of black Americans to advance the nation's expressed ideals of democracy, liberty and equality in the face of centuries of oppression and exclusion.

Winners of the 2019 awards will be honored at a luncheon ceremony at the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan on Friday, April 3. The journalist and author Charlayne Hunter-Gault will read the award citations and will also moderate this year's David J. Steinberg Seminar of the George Polk Awards, on Thursday evening, April 2, at LIU Brooklyn's Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts. Several of this year's award winners are expected to take part in the seminar, which starts at 6:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

About Long Island University (LIU)

LIU, founded in 1926, continues to redefine higher education, providing high quality academic instruction by world-class faculty. Recognized by Forbes for its emphasis on experiential learning and by the Brookings Institution for its "value added" to student outcomes, LIU offers more than 320 academic programs, with a network of over 265,000 alumni including industry leaders and entrepreneurs across the globe. Innovation in engaged learning, and strong career outcomes distinguish LIU as a leader among the nation's most respected universities. Visit liu.edu for more information.

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Several dozen people rallied in support of Carroll College's Gay Straight Alliance on Tuesday afternoon, after the group canceled a planned drag show because of restrictions imposed by the private Catholic school.

Tuesday's rally on the steps of St. Charles Hall was hosted by the GSA alongside the school's Feminists Advocating Equality club. The club planned to host the drag show for the first time this year during Carroll College's Spring Fever week, which is held each February.

Madison Fernandez, co-president of FAE, said the "fun drag show event" was meant to show love and support to the college's LGBTQ community. Event planners had secured a Montana drag queen to tailor a show specifically for Carroll College.

Fernandez said the GSA decided to cancel the show after receiving the list of restrictions from the Carroll College administration, as the group "could not preserve the integrity of the event." While the list of restrictions has not been made public, several students mentioned that it included a dress code.

Chato Hazelbaker, vice president of enrollment management and marketing at Carroll, said he was impressed with the students and their thoughtfulness throughout the rally.

"The students were articulate in their responses and passionate about creating a great community here at Carroll," Hazelbaker said.

According to Hazelbaker, the college shares a goal with the organizers of creating a positive and affirming environment for all of its students.

The students previously met with Carroll President John Cech, but were unable to reach a compromise prior to Spring Fever week. Hazelbaker said the students and Cech have another meeting scheduled for Wednesday to "continue the dialogue to ensure we are fostering an inclusive environment."

During Tuesday's rally, student body President Emma Nylin read aloud a letter from a Carroll College alum who wrote that the school has a long history of not fully supporting its gay students. The letter drew attention to a 2001 attack on a gay student on Carroll's campus.

Shawn Reagor, a former Carroll student who now works for the Montana Human Rights Network, said he received significant support from his peers and staff during his time at the school. He said he hopes Carroll will again become the college he once knew.

"The college taught me that my life mattered," Reagor said. "The decision to cancel this drag show is not true to Carroll."

Reagor said Carroll is sending the message that it will only support its LGBTQ students when they aren't doing anything divisive. Reagor said his prayer is for Carroll to have a deep conversation and look into the history of drag and what it means for the LGBTQ community.

"Let's be the beacon of hope against those who tell students that they can't be gay and Catholic," Reagor said.

Big Sky Pride President Kev Hamm said he was shocked to find out the Carroll drag show had been canceled. Hamm played a major role in organizing the Former Felons' Ball drag shows that were held in three downtown Helena bars over the weekend and were attended by many members of Carroll's LGBTQ student community.

"Carroll better get its act together," Hamm said. "It had its act together for a long time."

Hamm said he experienced homophobia only once during his time at Carroll, and it was precipitated by a drunk student from a rival college. Even then, that student's mother personally apologized to Hamm.

Hamm said he has been in discussions with several drag queens across Montana, and he offered to host the GSA drag show without restrictions as a fundraiser for the group.

"They can say no to us," Hamm said. "But they can't erase us."

Fernandez and GSA president Miriam Jensen ended the rally with a formal statement from those who attempted to organize the show. The statement said the students were "sickened by the actions of those who prevented us from holding an event supporting the LGBTQ+ community."

Jensen said she chose to attend Carroll because she grew up in a religious household. Jensen was raised by a lesbian and was taught to leave the judgement to God.

"What is so shameful about knowing who you are and who you want to be?" Jensen asked.

The GSA and FEA statement said Carroll's LGBTQ community feels as though ill defined standards are placed on those students. The statement also said LGBTQ students feel like the administration is making an attempt to hide them.

"There is a stark difference between tolerance and acceptance," Jensen said. "The LGBTQ+ community on this campus will not be silent."

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Associated Press

Looking to regain momentum in the presidential race, former Vice President Joe Biden is turning to Houstons U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia.

Biden on Wednesday announced he had won Garcias endorsement to go along with 42 other endorsements from members of Congress.
The Jammu and Kashmir police on Wednesday said it will take all measures to ensure that militants are not able to carry out any subversive activity in the Union territory during US President Donald Trump's visit to the country next week.

"We are taking all necessary measures...we are hopeful that this visit (of the US president) will pass off peacefully," Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh told reporters here.

He was responding to a question on intelligence inputs suggesting that terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed might carry out a major attack on the eve of Trump's visit to India.

Singh said foreign dignitaries visited Jammu and Kashmir recently and their visits passed off without any incident.

"Two groups (of ambassadors) visited Jammu and Kashmir and they left without any incident taking place here," he said.

The DGP said Pakistan was trying its best to keep the militancy going in Jammu and Kashmir by sending in militants from across the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border under the cover of ceasefire violations, especially after the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave a special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, on August 5 last year.

"The number of ceasefire violations has increased after August 5 (2019). Pakistan is trying to keep the borders hot in order to push in as many terrorists as possible. While some attempts of infiltration have been successful, many have been foiled," he said.

Singh said a Pakistani drone recently flew over a BSF picket in the Gagwal area of the Jammu region for around 10 minutes, but was pulled back after the troops of the border-guarding force opened fire.

In response to a question, the DGP said he would not be able to give the exact number of militants waiting to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir from across the LoC, but maintained that terror launchpads were active during the winter months as well.

"Normally, there would not be much activity at the launchpads during the winter months as snow would cover the passes. This winter, however, the movement at the luanchpads did not reduce," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
University of Utah Health launches fast DNA testing to speed care of critically-ill babies

University of Utah Health today announced the launch of a project with a goal of quickly and accurately detecting genetic disorders among newborns in its neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Clinicians believe that bringing precision medicine to the NICU will transform neonatal care, leading to better diagnosis and treatment of critically ill infants with genetic-related diseases while lowering medical costs and easing the emotional and financial burden on parents and families.

With this project, U of U Hospital will join Primary Children's Hospital, also in Salt Lake City, as being part of a small group of hospitals worldwide to offer this type of advanced care.

The multidisciplinary project team, which includes U of U Health pediatric specialists, neonatal physicians, and bioinformatic genomics scientists, will use rapid whole genome sequencing (rWGS) to identify genetic mutations suspected of causing disease.

"Rapidly getting information about the genetics involved will help us better diagnose and plan the best treatments for these babies," says Sabrina Malone Jenkins, M.D., a neonatologist and a U of U Health assistant professor of pediatrics. "It allows us to personalize our care in the NICU. Not only does it provide information to the clinician but it also provides an answer to parents of 'why is this happening and what can we expect?' This type of testing is the future of clinical care in the NICU.

Nearly half of all newborns treated in neonatal intensive care units are suspected of having some sort of genetic disorder. But determining what those disorders are--estimates suggest the existence of up to 7,000 genetically-related diseases--and whether they are treatable is problematic because genomic sequencing and analysis isn't routinely conducted on these infants. As a result, many children go undiagnosed for years, meaning they are frequently in and out of hospital, a cycle that is agonizing for parents, doctors, and nurses.

On the other hand, genome sequencing offers a tremendous opportunity to circumvent this outcome and increase the potential for treatments that could change the trajectory of a newborn's health for a lifetime.

Currently, it can take weeks or even months to get results of genetic testing, a crucial time gap that neonatal physicians say needs to be slashed so they can begin providing the appropriate care as soon as possible. The goal of this project, called NeoSeq, is to cut that turnaround time to 72 hours or less at University Hospital by having clinicians identify infants in the NICU suspected of having a genetic disease or disorder. They will then ask parents to volunteer their blood, as well as that of their child, to be DNA sequenced using rWGS.

"(rWGS) potentially reveals hundreds of thousands of changes that occur in DNA," says Hunter Best, Ph.D., medical director of molecular genetics and genomics at ARUP Laboratories, a national reference laboratory and nonprofit enterprise of the University of Utah that will do the DNA sequencing. "By using mom and dad's data, you can filter out all of the genetic 'noise' that's not necessarily contributing to the child's phenotype (traits). Once you filter out that noise, you can start zeroing in on what is actually contributing to the child's condition."

After sequencing, scientists affiliated with U of U Health's Center for Genomic Medicine will use artificial intelligence technologies to analyze genetic variants in the child's DNA. The technologies, developed by Mark Yandell, Ph.D., and other scientists at the Utah Center for Genetic Discovery, are capable of pinpointing one or two prime genetic suspects with 95 percent probability in less than four hours.

Once the interpretation of the identified genetic variant(s) is confirmed by ARUP medical directors, a research report will be prepared and doctors can begin planning for treatment based on its findings.

"It's hard to overstate how transformational this will be for diagnosis and care in the NICU," says Josh Bonkowsky, M.D., Ph.D., a U of U Health professor of pediatric neurology. "In five or 10 years, people will look back and realize that this is when it all shifted. This was a time that we stepped over a line in the sand into a new era."

Small investigational studies conducted at U of U Health and ARUP Laboratories have already demonstrated the power of genomic analysis in diagnosing and treating disease in newborns. In addition, the Penelope Program at U of U Health incorporates genomic sequencing into the diagnosis and treatment of older children with undiagnosed diseases. This NICU project represents the next step forward in advancing diagnoses for children.

In all, more than 40 researchers and scientists from U of U Health's Department of Pediatrics, Center for Genomic Medicine, Utah Center for Genetic Discovery, and ARUP Laboratories are involved in this project, capitalizing on existing expertise in genetics and genomic medicine. If the pilot is successful, U of U Heath plans to integrate rWGS into the routine clinical care of the most difficult cases in the NICU, joining the first wave of institutions in the nation to do so.

"What makes us unique is the collaborative nature of this project," says Luca Brunelli, M.D., Ph.D., director of the U of U Health Neonatal Genomics Program. "We have a broad range of scientific minds involved. We have a tremendous opportunity to discover solutions to important questions and thus benefit so many young lives."

###

The University of Utah Center for Genomic Medicine, ARUP Laboratories, Illumina, and the Margolis Foundation contributed to this project.

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Grounded Jet Airways's Committee of Creditors (CoC) decided to extend the deadline for submission of bids to March 10 as a new entity has evinced interest in the airline, according to a source.

The deadline for submitting the bids for Jet Airways, which is undergoing insolvency process, ended on Monday.

"A team from Far East Asia Development Fund of Russia along with Enso group met the CoC on Monday and has expressed interest in Jet Airways," the source said.

Against this backdrop, the CoC extended the deadline for submission of bids to March 10.

Ashish Chhawchharia, the resolution professional for Jet Airways, was not available for comments.

Set up in 2011, the Far East Development Fund is a state finance development institution which warrants a flexible approach to projects' structuring and financing, as per its Linkedin profile. Mumbai-headquartered Enso Group has reportedly been roped in by the fund to find an Indian partner to form a consortium that would later put in a formal bid. It has interests in diverse sectors, including oil and gas, metal mining, healthcare, infrastructure and real estate, as per its website.

Earlier, South American conglomerate Synergy Group and and New Delhi-based Prudent ARC were given time to submit resolution plan. Reportedly, they failed to meet the deadline.

The cash-strapped airline, which was grounded in April 2019, owes more than Rs 8,000 crore to banks, with those from the public sector having significant exposure.
SEATTLE, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Allen Institute today announced the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors: Margaret Anderson, Managing Director with Deloitte Consulting LLP; Phyllis J. Campbell, Chairman of the Pacific Northwest Region for JPMorgan Chase; and Gary Locke, former Washington State governor and former United States Ambassador to China and Secretary of Commerce.

"We are thrilled to have the world-renowned expertise and leadership that our three new members bring to our Board of Directors," said Allan Jones, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of the Allen Institute. "The expansion of our board, and the addition of their stewardship and guidance, will be invaluable as we continue to tackle hard problems in bioscience to advance human health."

The new members joined the existing seven board members, including Board of Directors Chair Jody Allen, who is also Chair of Vulcan Inc. and Trustee of the Paul G. Allen Trust. The board is charged with providing oversight and stewardship to the Allen Institute, helping to ensure it fulfills its scientific mission. It is comprised of members from science, law, finance and other business and philanthropic backgrounds.

Margaret Anderson is Managing Director with Deloitte Consulting LLP, where her work focuses on the intersection of health, translational medicine and biomedical research. She has worked in medical research and public health in several previous roles, including at FasterCures, a center of the Milken Institute, the American Public Health Association, and the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. She currently serves on the Boards of ACT for NIH, FasterCures, Friends of Cancer Research, and Melanoma Research Alliance.

Phyllis J. Campbell is Chairman of the Pacific Northwest Region (Washington, Oregon and Idaho) for JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the U.S. She previously served as President and CEO of The Seattle Foundation, a philanthropic foundation in Seattle which is among the largest in the country. She is the chair of the US-Japan Council, as well as a member of the global advisory board of Women Corporate Directors.

Gary Locke was Washington State's 21st Governor, serving two terms in office. He held positions in federal government in the Obama administration, most recently as the United States Ambassador to China and previously as the United States Secretary of Commerce. Currently, he is Chairman of Locke Global Strategies, a consulting group he founded. He previously served on the Board of Directors for PATH, a nonprofit global health organization headquartered in Seattle.

About the Allen Institute

The Allen Institute is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization founded by philanthropist and visionary, the late Paul G. Allen. The Allen Institute is dedicated to answering some of the biggest questions in bioscience and accelerating research worldwide. The Institute is a recognized leader in large-scale research with a commitment to an open science model. Its research institutes include the Allen Institute for Brain Science, launched in 2003, the Allen Institute for Cell Science, launched in 2014, and the Allen Institute for Immunology, launched in 2018. In 2016, the Allen Institute expanded its reach with the launch of The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group, which identifies pioneers with new ideas to expand the boundaries of knowledge and make the world better. For more information, visit alleninstitute.org.

Media Contact:

Rob Piercy, Director, Media Relations

206.548.8486 | [email protected]

SOURCE Allen Institute

Related Links

http://www.alleninstitute.org


By Alex Ho

Investing.com - The Japanese yen fell against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday in Asia, while the Chinese yuan inched up as traders continued to focus on developments on the coronavirus front.

The USD/JPY pair gained 0.2% to 110.04 by 1:30 AM ET (05:30 GMT) as the Japanese yen lost some safe-haven appeal due to the uptick in Asian stocks today.

The USD/CNY pair rose 0.1% to 7.0012. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has set the Yuan reference rate 7.0012 at versus Tuesday's fix at 6.9826.

Meanwhile, the US dollar index that tracks the greenback against a basket of other currencies inched up 0.1% to 99.370.

The Hubei province reported 132 deaths for Feb. 18. So far, China has 74,186 confirmed cases of the virus, according to government data.

While the new cases in Hubei fell for a second day, the World Health Organization cautioned that "every scenario is still on the table" in terms of the epidemic's evolution, and that it was too earlier to know if the epidemic was being contained.

"The market is trying to model itself on coronavirus and it's struggling really hard to understand how that goes and that's pushing capital in to the U.S.," said Chris Weston, head of research at Melbourne brokerage Pepperstone, in a Reuters report.

"The U.S. remains that least-dirty T-shirt, the best house in a fairly shabby-looking neighborhood. As a destination for capital, it's still the light that you look for."

The EUR/USD pair steadied at 1.0793 after falling to near a two-year low yesterday as investor sentiment in Germany deteriorated more than expected in February, adding to concerns about the ongoing weakness in the euro zone.

Related Articles

Dollar shines against euro, riskier peers as virus hit widens

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Baron Funds, the asset management firm founded by Ron Baron (Trades, Portfolio), disclosed this week that its top five position boosts for the fourth quarter of 2019 were in GDS Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ:GDS), Globant SA (NYSE:GLOB), Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NYSE:BABA), Kinsale Capital Group Inc. (NASDAQ:KNSL), Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI) and Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:BAM).





Baron co-manages the Asset Fund and manages the Growth and Partners Funds. The fund manager invests primarily in small and mid-size companies that have open-ended growth opportunities and defensible niches.

The fund applies bottom-up research with a value-oriented purchase discipline and mainly ignores short-term market fluctuations when the fundamental reasons for purchasing a company stays the same.

As of quarter-end, the $24.31 billion equity portfolio contains 350 stocks, of which 20 represent new holdings. The top three sectors in terms of weight are consumer cyclical, technology and financial services, with weights of 21.46%, 21.20% and 16.53%.

GDS

Baron Funds added 638,220 shares of GDS, increasing the stake 24.44% and the equity portfolio 0.13%. Shares averaged $45.02 during the quarter.

The Shanghai-based company operates data centers in China, offering collocation and managed solutions to information technology service providers. According to GuruFocus, GDS's financial strength ranks 4 out of 10: Although the company has a solid Piotroski F-score of 6, its debt ratios underperform over 90% of global competitors.

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Chase Coleman (Trades, Portfolio)'s Tiger Global Management also has a holding in GDS.

Globant

Baron Funds added 283,401 shares of Globant, increasing the position 492.67% and the equity portfolio 0.12%. The stock averaged $99.91 per share during the quarter.

5999f3f5c6e64aaebacd7acce8a162fd.png

The Luxembourg-based software company develops platforms that incorporate various software products, mobile applications and sensors that assist its clients in knowing the end user's behavioral pattern. GuruFocus ranks Globant's profitability 8 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include expanding operating margins and a three-year revenue growth rate that outperforms 83.98% of global competitors.

Story continues

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Other gurus with holdings in Globant include Joel Greenblatt (Trades, Portfolio) and Pioneer Investments (Trades, Portfolio).

8e109fbc2f1a6349cdce456ca479b548.png

Alibaba

Baron Funds added 117,570 shares of Alibaba, increasing the holding 6.30% and the equity portfolio 0.10%. Shares averaged $188.59 each during the quarter.

53d752977a2316f3e86cb71fc43161c1.png

GuruFocus ranks the Chinese retail giant's profitability 9 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a high Piotroski F-score of 7 and a three-year revenue growth rate that outperforms over 96% of global competitors. Additionally, operating margins are outperforming 94.40% of global specialty retail companies despite contracting over the past five years.

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David Tepper (Trades, Portfolio) also increased his holding of Alibaba during the quarter.

f6c60d1df5b4a93aa48f4dd930f1701c.png

Kinsale

Baron Funds added 181,764 shares of Kinsale, increasing the position 11.42% and the equity portfolio 0.07%. Shares averaged $101.66 apiece during the quarter.

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The Richmond, Virginia-based company offers property, casualty and specialty insurance products to construction, energy and environmental businesses. According to GuruFocus, Kinsale's debt ratios are outperforming over 86% of global competitors, suggesting good financial strength.

Activision Blizzard

Baron Funds added 250,950 shares of Activision Blizzard, increasing the holding 104.59% and the equity portfolio 0.06%. Shares averaged $55.44 during the quarter.

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GuruFocus ranks the Santa Monica-based gaming company's profitability 9 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a 3.5-star business predictability rank, a Joel Greenblatt (Trades, Portfolio) return on capital that outperforms 91.98% of global competitors and operating margins that outperform 86.57% of global interactive media companies.

48e0ffa19ac771fdfe60085bc532155a.png

George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) and Andreas Halvorsen (Trades, Portfolio) also purchased shares of Activision Blizzard during the quarter.

52cbc11100f658ffd9f8c762ba5e05f1.png

Brookfield

Baron Funds added 296,554 shares of Brookfield, increasing the stake 24.37% and the equity portfolio 0.06%. Shares averaged $56 during the quarter.

2dd0e6aab64e9dcd5c0ad74306e53559.png

The Toronto-based company owns and manages commercial property, power and infrastructure assets. GuruFocus ranks Brookfield's profitability 8 out of 10 driven on a high Piotroski F-score of 7 and a three-year revenue growth rate that outperforms 85.31% of global competitors.

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Disclosure: No positions.

Read more here:

Michael Burry's Scion Asset Management Buys 5 Stocks in the 4th Quarter

Mario Gabelli's Top 5 Buys of the 4th Quarter

Leon Cooperman's Top 6 Buys for the 4th Quarter







Not a Premium Member of GuruFocus? Sign up for a free 7-day trial here.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev went to the Munich Security Conference panel discussion with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan just to make a show, says researcher on Azerbaijan Taron Hovhannisyan from the Orbeli Analytical Research Center.

Lets focus on with what disdain Aliyev was speaking about self-determination. Until now, at least, we were seeing such cases at lower levels, while now Aliyev is announcing, that if Armenians want to self-determinate, in his words for the second time, they should find other place, and not as he put it in Azerbaijan. With this statement, Ilham Aliyev factually once again reiterated their mentality, they need territories, in this case Karabakh, without Armenians, generally the region without Armenians, Hovhannisyan said.

Taron Hovhannisyan said this approach is the Azerbaijanis policy which has entered the highest echelons.

Basically Ilham Aliyev went to the meeting to make a show. He didnt go there to present any agenda. We went there to make statements that dont whatsoever relate to the settlement of the conflict. This means that Azerbaijan is not ready and doesnt want to settle the Karabakh conflict, it simply wants to make shows and voice its thoughts under which the thesis of Karabakh without Armenians, and generally the region without Armenians is concealed, Hovhannisyan said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan


B ritish Airways owner IAGs biggest shareholder, Qatar Airways, on Wednesday spent nearly 500 million increasing its stake to 25.1% in a move triggering renewed speculation about its intentions for the group.

The bumper share purchase ups Qatars holding from 21.4% and comes just weeks after IAG removed a cap on non-EU shareholders buying more stock.

IAGs outgoing chief executive Willie Walsh put the ban on last February because the company was in danger of breaching EU rules that airlines in member states must not be more than 50% owned by shareholders from outside the union. Brexit meant UK shareholders were now considered non-EU.

Since then, the non-EU shareholders fell to below 40%, allowing IAG to remove the cap a month ago. That paved the way for Qatars action today.

Qatar, 100% owned by the state, first invested in IAG in 2015 and has been upping its investment ever since.

It has also been buying stakes in a number of other airlines, from China Southern and Cathay Pacific to Air Italy and South Americas Latam Airlines.

Its investments have not always gone to plan. Air Italy, in which it had a 49% shareholding, went bust last week. Some stakes are seen as strategic moves to position Qatar to gain an advantage in obtaining take-off and landing slots at other carriers home airports, but the company says IAG is simply viewed as a cash investment. Speaking of the IAG move, chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: Our investment to date has been highly successful and the announced increase in our shareholding is evidence of our continued support of IAG and its strategy.

Qatar Airways continues to consider opportunities to invest in airlines and support management teams that share our vision to enhance travel opportunities for airline passengers across the globe.
Extinction Rebellion (XR) are back in the headlines, inflicting on Cambridge a Scouring of the Shire-style small-scale re-enactment of their bid to grind the capital to a halt last year.

And once again, the story is accompanied by mounting public anger at a woefully inadequate police response which seems more interested in indulging the protests than maintaining public order.

In fact in some cases Cambridgeshire Constabulary even appear to be facilitating XRs actions. Using emergency powers to close a couple of roads blockaded by protesters may well mitigate disruption, but it also lends the force of the state to their ultimate ambition of blocking a public highway  a move which paramedics have told the press could put lives at risk.

As yet, the people of Cambridge have confined themselves to a petition calling for an end to the roadblock, which has been signed by thousands. There has been no repeat of the attack on XR activists by commuters which seemed to spur the Metropolitan Police to action in 2019.

But that action still stands as a warning as to what can happen if the authorities fail to adequately enforce order, alongside the precedent and example it sets for other protest groups if boundaries are not properly enforced. This is worth keeping in mind because the logic of XRs position is that they will escalate their actions  and they are already not only closing roads but council meetings  if their demands arent met.

In fairness, there have now been some arrests. But why are has the authorities response taken this form?

The local police appear to be citing a very broad interpretation of the protections afforded to the right to protest under the Human Rights Act and a tortured reading of the College of Policings advice, which one observer points out amounts to legalising almost all illegal activity if one can claim that its in the cause of a protest. Meanwhile the Times reports that the police are caught between a rock and a hard place because the courts ruled in favour of a legal challenge by XR against the blanket ban employed by the police to bring an end to their campaign against London.

Given the Governments intention to overhaul judicial review, this might prompt another round of criticism of the judges. But we should not forget that a Government with a comfortable overall majority has the basis to change legislation to authorise, and indeed mandate, more pro-active and effective police action against campaigns against campaigns of this kind.

Priti Patel doesnt need to wait for the results of Michael Goves constitutional commission (which may well in any event prove disappointing) in order to draw up a Bill to that effect  indeed John Apter, the Chairman of the Police Federation, has called for such legislation. Nor to look at what powers Police & Crime Commissioners have to act on public anger about the performance of their local force in a crisis.

It ought to be perfectly possible for the Home Secretary to lend her full support to rank-and-file officers whilst bringing Government pressure to bear on their often timorous senior leadership.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

Trend:

Rovshana Guliyeva, a native of Azerbaijan's city of Shusha, who lived in this city before its occupation on May 8, 1992 by the Armenian armed forces, called on the international community to put pressure on Armenia to leave the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, Trend reports referring to the video posted by the Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan on Twitter.

In her appeal to the international community, Guliyeva stressed the readiness of Azerbaijanis for peaceful coexistence with the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh within the restoration of Azerbaijans territorial integrity and inviolability of its borders.

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.
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The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Tuesday it had detained two teenagers in the Crimean city of Kerch suspected of plotting explosions in schools.

The FSB said in a statement that it prevented the preparations for terrorist acts in two educational institutions by two Kerch residents born in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

The two suspects are followers of 18-year-old Vladislav Roslyakov, a student who detonated a homemade bomb in the building of the Kerch Polytechnic College in October 2018, killing 20 people.

Homemade explosive devices and their components were seized from the detainees, who tested them on pets.

It said since 2018 the FSB had identified about 150 large youth extremist online communities with about 50,000 internet users.
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THURSDAY, OCT. 8: Watch tonight's 6:30 p.m. debate between Lacey and her challenger George Gascon >>

L.A District Attorney Jackie Lacey says she's misunderstood.

She says she's not part of the old guard. But she also says she's not a progressive.

So what is she?

"I would describe myself as a reasonable reformer," L.A.'s top prosecutor told me as we sat in a downtown law firm on a recent weekday morning.

From our vantage point on the 40th floor, we stared out the window down on a car-swamped Figueroa Street -- just a tiny sliver of L.A. County's 2,000 square miles.

Lacey runs an office of 1,000 prosecutors responsible for that area, which includes dozens of police agencies.

"People often say to me, 'I live in Beverly Hills. Is that still in L.A County? I live in Chatsworth. Is that still in L.A. County?'" Lacey said.

And that's a message Lacey, 62, touts on the 2020 campaign trail as she seeks a third term in the March 3 primary: she's the only one who can manage this sprawling county.

"As DA, your true north is justice," she said. "You have got to be someone who cares about victims and protecting your community ... When people commit crimes, there has to be some accountability."

At the same time, Lacey said, "you've got to balance that with fairness, recognizing that there are people in the justice system who deserve ... a break, a chance to re-enter."

Lacey points to her work establishing a special unit to help people with mental health issues get treatment and avoid jail time. Increasing opportunities for diversion is a cornerstone of Lacey's re-election platform --along with bail reform and combating sexual violence.

NOT A 'HARD CHARGING DA'

While backing reform of the cash bail system, Lacey does not support its outright elimination. She supports the state law that would do away with cash bail in most situations (though that law is currently on hold pending the outcome of a November ballot initiative backed by the bail bonds industry that would kill it), while giving judges the opportunity to impose it in cases involving high-level misdemeanors or low-level felonies using a risk assessment tool.

But her opposition to reforms such as Prop. 47 -- which reduced some non-violent felonies to misdemeanors -- has drawn criticism from her two challengers in the primary, civil liberties groups and activists who say she's still a traditional tough-on-crime prosecutor.

Lacey has also taken considerable fire for her support of the death penalty and for her handling of officer shootings: Out of hundreds during her tenure as DA, Lacey has only filed criminal charges against one L.A. Sheriff's deputy for an on-duty shooting.

Every Wednesday at 4 p.m., dozens of protestors with Black Lives Matter rally outside her office behind metal barriers.

Everywhere Lacey goes -- from public events to her Granada Hills home -- she's been met with signs, drums, yelling and the chant, "Jackie Lacey must go."

Lacey's supporters include much of L.A.'s political establishment, the unions representing rank-and-file LAPD officers and Sheriff's deputies, and the Association of Deputy District Attorneys (ADDA), the union that represents the prosecutors in her office.

"I think there is a perception that she is a hard charging DA who wants everyone locked up, and that's just not the case," said ADDA Vice President Eric Siddall.

He stressed that when discussing the role of race it's important to remember the victims of crime.

"The racial disparity that occurs within victimization -- especially within homicide -- is astronomical," Siddal said.

Learn about all three candidates for L.A. County DA in our Voter's Guide.

GROWING UP 'ADJACENT TO CRIME'

An L.A. native, Lacey grew up in the Crenshaw district. "It was a nice area, but we were adjacent to crime," she said, adding that gang activity was picking up when she attended Dorsey High School. Burglars once broke into her family home.

Her parents -- Addie and Louis Phillips -- left the rural south for Southern California during what's known as the Great Migration, when nearly half the southern black population moved away, hoping to leave the region's racism behind.

"They taught my sister and I ... a lot about what it was like for them to grow up in a segregated society, how they wanted better for us," Lacey said. "They wanted a college education, opportunity."

Lacey's father was a sanitation worker, her mother a cook for the L.A. Unified School District. She said they taught her the importance of public service.

Lacey entered the district attorney's office as a line prosecutor in 1986, just a few years after she graduated from USC with a law degree. She was the first person in her family to get a college degree of any kind.

Jackie Lacey holding her son Kareem at her 1982 USC law school graduation. (Courtesy of Jackie Lacey)

Lacey rose through the ranks at the DA's office. She headed the major crimes and major narcotics units and the Central Operations bureau, among other things. In 2011, she rose to Chief Deputy DA -- the number two position in the agency.

Following her election to the top seat in 2012, Lacey -- surrounded by family wearing shades of purple -- was sworn into office as the first woman, and first black person, to serve as the top prosecutor in L.A. County. Celebrities like Magic Johnson showered her with praise.

Local civil rights activist Najee Ali tweeted a photo of himself and Lacey on the big day. "Watching history being made," he wrote.

'LIKE ASKING THE FOX TO WATCH THE HENHOUSE'

Nearly seven years later, Ali stood under a carport amidst balloons and candles at a memorial for 24-year-old Ryan Twyman, an unarmed black father of three who was fatally shot by L.A. Sheriff's deputies in June 2019 while he attempted to reverse out of a parking spot as deputies approached his car.

Ali called for a state probe, saying he had no confidence in the ability of Lacey or the Sheriff's department to conduct a fair investigation.

"That's like asking the fox to watch the henhouse," he said.

'IT'S ABOUT THE EVILNESS...PERPETRATED ON...THE MOST VULNERABLE'

It's an uncomfortable topic to broach for some: the lauded black politician from Crenshaw under fire from civil rights activists who say she's not acting in the interests of people of color.

Critics point out that in the 22 cases in which Lacey has successfully sought the death penalty, 13 defendants were Latino, eight were black and one was Asian.

But when it comes to deciding whether to seek capital punishment, "we're not out there choosing people based on their color," Lacey said. "People are choosing to come on our radar because they commit crimes. And that's the end of the story. People are making some very bad choices."

Lacey said she only pursues the death penalty in extreme cases.

To show me an example, she reached inside her purse and pulled out an iPad. Lacey shuffled through a few photos before landing on one of a middle-aged black woman and a girl eating hot dogs at a cookout.

The woman is Sonya Durfield Harris; the girl is her 9-year-old daughter, Kayla.

In 2008, family friend Cory Lynn King stabbed Sonya more than 50 times. Her three daughters -- Kayla, Melinda and Ebony -- were also stabbed to death.

"He stabbed [Ebony] over 60 times in her own home," Lacey said.

The DA sought the death penalty against King, who's black.

"Color didn't have anything to do with our decision," Lacey said. "It's about the evilness perpetrated on some of the most vulnerable people in our society."

OLD POT CHARGES, ED BUCK AND HARVEY WEINSTEIN

She pushes back against charges that she isn't doing enough to dismantle racism more generally in the criminal justice system.

Last week, Lacey announced that her office has moved to dismiss 66,000 marjuana convictions in the county dating back to 1961.

She said the move would "bring much-needed relief to communities of color that disproportionately suffered the unjust consequences of our nation's drug laws."

Lacey faced criticism for taking nearly two years to file charges against high-profile Democratic donor Ed Buck for the deaths of two black men from drug overdoses at his home.

The DA's office faced challenges investigating the Buck case, including an "inadmissible search and seizure," according to the Los Angeles Times.

Some questioned the timing of Lacey's announcement of sexual assault charges against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein on the same day that jury selection began in his New York trial.

The DA said it had been "very challenging to get some [of Weinstein's alleged] victims to open up."

'WE SHOULD BE ANGRY'

Lacey's record on police shootings stirs the strongest passions.

Some of the protestors at her public events are relatives of people shot and killed by police.

Lacey showed up to the Jan. 29 KPCC/Los Angeles Times DA debate with 10 plainclothes security guards and 17 LAPD officers. They surrounded and removed protestors, some of whom loudly heckled Lacey throughout the evening.

Black Lives Matter co-founder Melina Abdullah was removed after arguing with security guards. She helps organize the weekly protest outside Lacey's office.

"We should be angry," Adullah said during a recent interview at a cafe at Pico and Crenshaw.

"These are real people. And she's not standing up for the people of the county when police are the perpetrators of the crime."

A May 5, 2017 image from a police body camera shows Brendon Glenn yelling with his arms in the air before being shot by police near the Venice boardwalk. (Los Angeles District Attorney's Office via AP)

One of Lacey's most controversial decisions not to prosecute an LAPD officer involved the fatal 2015 shooting of an unarmed homeless man, Brendon Glenn.

Officer Clifford Proctor shot and killed the 29-year-old Glenn during a struggle just off the Venice boardwalk. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck took the unusual step of calling on prosecutors to file criminal charges against Proctor.

LAPD investigators did not find evidence to support Proctor's claim that Glenn was reaching for his partner's gun, but Lacey said "Proctor may have reasonably believed that Glenn was reaching for his partner's weapon," adding that her office concluded that "we cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer Proctor did not act within the law."

Lacey defends her record in the Proctor case and in general, saying it's "very, very difficult" to successfully prosecute law enforcement officers for shootings.

"It's not that we are pro-police or anti police," she said. "It's that we're looking at the facts and following the law."

'IT WAS YELLING AND SCREAMING AND BLAMING'

Melina Abdullah at a protest outside the Hall of Justice on May 2, 2018. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)

Lacey said she has tried to engage with her critics on this issue, adding that her office has met privately with parents of several people killed by police.

"It's painful. It's hard to listen to," she said. "With regard to the protestors, I have made an attempt a couple times to reach out to the leaders of Black Lives Matters and say, Can we just sit down with a small group?"

But Melina Abdullah said Black Lives Matter has repeatedly asked for a public meeting with Lacey, which the DA has refused to do.

In 2016, Lacey walked out of a town hall in South L.A. after protestors took over the microphone.

"She's an elected official," Adbullah said. "She can't say that she doesn't want to meet with her constituents because they disagree with her and they're passionate about where we stand."

Lacey said the crowd at the town hall was "yelling and screaming and blaming, and I don't know if you're ever going to see meaningful change like that."

She said she won't engage with protestors who are behaving like that. "I just feel like there's a better way," she said.

I asked Lacey what it feels like to be a black woman under attack by Black Lives Matter and other civil rights groups - full of people who come from the same background, even the same neighborhood that she does.

"How I feel personally probably isn't really relevant," she said. "I think what I have to do is my job, the best I can -- understanding that when you step into this role, you're going to take criticism. Every decision you make is going to make someone displeased.

"But you have to be strong enough to make the decision fairly and according to the law," she continued. And that's really where I come down on it."
Washington  The judge overseeing the case of longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone said his sentencing hearing will move forward as planned on Thursday, amid intense scrutiny of the Justice Department's handling of the case.

In a 12-minute conference call with the defense and prosecution teams on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said she will still hand down Stone's sentence at Thursday's hearing, but indicated she plans to defer the execution of the sentence until the court addresses Stone's request for a new trial.

"I'm willing to make sure that there are no consequences that flow from the announcement of what the sentencing will be," Jackson said on the call, which was broadcast in the courtroom.

Stone's legal team requested a new trial in a sealed filing on Friday, one day after President Trump alleged that the foreperson in his November trial showed "significant bias." The president tweeted about Jackson again Tuesday morning, apparently quoting a Fox News guest who argued Jackson should grant the request.

Prosecutors told Jackson they were in favor of moving forward with Thursday's sentencing as planned. But Seth Ginsburg, a lawyer for Stone, argued they should hold off until the motions before the court are fully addressed.

"This issue goes to the heart of this case," Ginsburg said. "It should be resolved before any further proceedings are had."

Last week, all four government prosecutors in Stone's case abruptly withdrew, with one resigning outright, after senior Justice Department officials including Attorney General William Barr overruled their original sentencing recommendation to the court.

The prosecutors initially recommended that Stone be sentenced to seven to nine years in prison. A jury convicted him in November 2019 on seven counts, including obstruction, witness tampering and lying to investigators in a case stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Two of the prosecutors had worked on Mueller's team during the Russia probe.

Story continues

Barr said in an interview last week that he decided to dial back the sentencing recommendation after the prosecutors filed their memorandum with the court but before Mr. Trump tweeted about it. After the prosecutors withdrew, the U.S. attorney in D.C. filed a new memo saying Stone should receive prison time but deferred to the court over the duration. Two newly assigned prosecutors on the case  John Crabb Jr. and J.P. Cooney  made their debuts on behalf of the government on Tuesday.

There has been significant fallout since the department softened the sentencing recommendation. The Federal Judges Association reportedly called an emergency meeting to discuss the matter on Tuesday. And since Sunday, more than 2,000 former Justice Department employees have signed an open letter calling for Barr's resignation and expressing support of the four prosecutors.

"Barr's actions in doing the President's personal bidding unfortunately speak louder than words," they wrote. "Those actions, and the damage they have done to the Department of Justice's reputation for integrity and the rule of law, require Mr. Barr to resign."

The Justice Department declined to comment on the letter.

The intervention in Stone's case is not the first instance of involvement by senior Justice Department officials in prosecutions related to the government's Russia probe. The department is also reviewing the criminal case against Michael Flynn, the president's former national security adviser, a person familiar with the matter told CBS News on Friday.

Flynn pleaded guilty in December of 2017 to lying to the FBI. He has since asked to withdraw his guilty plea based on allegations that the prosecutor involved in the case, Brandon Van Grack, allegedly pressured Flynn to make false statements in a Virginia case against a former business partner. Van Grack was also on Mueller's team, and was involved in the prosecution of Paul Manafort.

Trump commutes sentences of Rod Blagojevich, Bernie Kerik

Amid national increase, bar prices hold steady in some rural areas

Judge denies Roger Stone's request for sentencing delay
New Delhi, Feb 19 : The Delhi Police Special Cell on Wednesday wrote to the Delhi Home Secretary requesting him to "expedite" the process of grant of sanction in the JNU sedition case involving former JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar.

In a letter written by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, Pramod Singh Kushwaha to the Deputy Secretary, Home, he said, "It is requested to expedite the process to accord prosecution sanction under Section 196 CrPC as required for offence under Chapter VI of the IPC i.e. Section 124A IPC." Earlier in the day, a Delhi court asked the Delhi government to file a status report relating to the issue of pendency of sanction in the JNU sedition case to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar and others.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Purshottam Pathak has also directed the police to send a reminder to the government.

"A new government has been formed, send a reminder," the judge said.

The court has now kept the matter for hearing on April 3.

On the previous date of hearing, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government had informed the court that no decision had been taken yet. The reply also states that the file is pending before the Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who is also handling the Home portfolio.

The public prosecutor has filed a reply by submitting a letter in the court.

On February 9, 2016, "anti-national" slogans were allegedly raised on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus during a programme called to protest against the death sentence handed out to Afzal Guru, a convict in the 2002 Parliament attack.

The 1,200-page charge sheet filed by the police's Crime Branch names 10 JNU students, including Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and seven Kashmiri students, as the main accused in the case.

The charge sheet says the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) retrieved the "SMS sent by Umar Khalid to Kanhaiya Kumar to arrive at Sabarmati Dhaba, JNU, as their permission (to hold the protest) had been cancelled by the university administration".

The final pages of the charge sheet also confirm the presence of Kashmiri students during the protest and that they were in contact with Umar Khalid.
Karl Lagerfeld became a global icon as the creative director for Chanel and although he surrounded himself with beautiful models, famous artists and a promiscuous playboy, he was ultimately a voyeur who wasn't interested in drugs or sex, a new book about his life reveals.

'Lagerfeld himself relished the sensuality of men but sex did not interest him. He never f**ks', author Raphaelle Bacque writes in his book Kaiser Karl: The Life of Karl Lagerfeld published by ACC Art Books.

Lagerfeld, who died last year on February 19, was born in Hamburg, Germany on September 10, 1933, to a father who imported foodstuffs and a housewife mother.

However, his delusions of grandeur led him to consistently change and embellish stories about his background. Arriving in Paris in 1953, he reinvented himself from his middle-class upbringing and redesigned his life.

Describing his father as Swedish, Lagerfeld wanted people to believe he was from German aristocracy and carried himself with an air of snobbery.

With his new identity in tow, Lagerfeld dined and danced at the chicest French gay clubs in the late 1960s when sexual freedom flourished, but he was never known to do drugs, drink or even have sex.

Karl Lagerfeld (pictured in 1979) became a global icon as creative director for Chanel, and although the designer surrounded himself with beautiful models, famous artists and a raucous playboy, he was ultimately a voyeur who wasn't interested in drugs or sex, a new book about his life reveals

When 38-year-old Lagerfeld met 21-year-old playboy Jacques 'Jako' de Bascher de Beaumarchais (pictured together in 1979) in the early 1970s, he fell 'profoundly and absolutely' in love, Bacque writes. 'No one had ever witnessed him so infatuated with another person'

When Andy Warhol (pictured in Paris in 1985) arrived in Paris in 1970 looking for inspiration for his new project, L'Amour, he wanted Lagerfeld in his film. Lagerfeld's association with Warhol created an aura of being an aristocrat of the underworld, on the brink of the craziest adventures and parties, which Lagerfeld loved

'Lagerfeld himself relished the sensuality of men but sex did not interest him. He never f**ks', author Raphaelle Bacque writes in his book Kaiser Karl: The Life of Karl Lagerfeld

Bacque writes: 'He never allowed so much as a squeeze of the arm, and certainly never any expression of emotion. Temperamentally, he was cold, distant and secretive.'

But when 38-year-old Lagerfeld met 21-year-old playboy Jacques 'Jako' de Bascher de Beaumarchais in the early 1970s, he fell 'profoundly and absolutely' in love, Bacque writes.

'No one had ever witnessed him so infatuated with another person,' the author added.

Jacques had sought out Lagerfeld and the designer fell madly in love, quickly making him his gigolo  which was just what Jacques was after.

Well-educated, handsome and stylish, Jacques 'collected lovers, broke hearts and ruined reputations like a Don Juan  or more accurately, like a courtesan' -- and loved sex, dancing and drugs.

Jacques dreamed of a life of pleasure and leisure, and Lagerfeld paid for everything a small flat that later became grand houses. He also dressed him, paid for his social life and showered him with luxuries.

'Jacques was pleased to have found a sponsor, a protector and a lover... who wasn't one', and the two made a 'devilishly elegant couple'.

When Andy Warhol arrived in Paris in 1970 looking for inspiration for his new project, L'Amour, he ended up meeting Lagerfeld and wanted him in his film.

Lagerfeld's association with Warhol created an aura of being an aristocrat of the underworld, on the brink of the craziest adventures and parties, which Lagerfeld loved.

Karl told Jacques he was never to become romantically involved with the French star of haute couture, Yves Saint Laurent, who was Lagerfeld's ultimate rival. But Yves fell in love with Jacques and they became secret lovers, with Yves marking Jacques' butt with the heated seal from his signet ring. Pictured: An 21-year-old Lagerfeld (left) and Yves, 18, (right) in 1954

Now in the company of Jacques (pictured with Lagerfeld in 1979) and his heavy cocaine use, Yves started using drugs. Karl learned of their affair and hoped drugs would destroy Yves, relishing the idea of the collapse of the designer's fashion house

Lagerfeld liked Warhol's sophistication and learned from him how to adopt accessories that would make him instantly recognizable.

He started wearing a monocle, carried and fluttered a large silver fan, grew his hair out and tied it back in a small ponytail.

Warhol told him it didn't matter if you weren't admired or laughed at - just as long as you were noticed.

'Don't pay attention to what they write about you', Warhol said. 'Just measure it in inches'.

Lagerfeld stepped up the staccato of his German accent and was called kaiser.

A strange pair they were  the Prussian French couturier and the American artist, and they partied together.

Equally an odd match were Lagerfeld and Jacques - a spy from the world of night.

Jacques partied nightly with a French lady friend, living dangerously on the brink of overdose or scandal.

When he returned home, he was to detail all that he had witnessed to Lagerfeld.

But the one edict Karl laid down was that the French star of haute couture, Yves Saint Laurent, who partied in the same circles and was Lagerfeld's ultimate rival, was off limits.

Lagerfeld was born in Hamburg, Germany on September 10, 1933, to a father who imported foodstuffs and a housewife mother, but his delusions of grandeur led him to consistently change or embellish stories about his background and upbringing

Lagerfeld (pictured in 1980) broke off from anyone who was still friends with Saint Laurent and became a resident of Monaco, the playground for the wealthy on the French Riviera. He bought an apartment for himself and one for Jacques

Lagerfeld made clear that Yves was forbidden fruit for Jacques.

But Yves fell in love with Jacques and they became secret lovers, with Yves marking Jacques' butt with the heated seal from his signet ring.

Now in the company of Jacques and his heavy cocaine use, Yves started using drugs.

Karl learned of their affair and hoped drugs would destroy Yves, relishing the idea of the collapse of the designer's fashion house.

But it never happened and Yves retained his position in the world of fashion until his retirement in 2002.

Lagerfeld broke off from anyone who was still friends with Saint Laurent and became a resident of Monaco, the playground for the wealthy on the French Riviera.

He bought an apartment for himself and one for Jacques.

But by 1984, Jacques was diagnosed with AIDS, later hospitalized and immobilized by transfusions.

At the hospital in the evening, it was Karl's turn to report to his 'Jako' on what transpired in the outside world.

Karl never stopped loving Jacques who died aged 38 in September 1989, and Lagerfeld's despair was never so great.

Karl never stopped loving Jacques who died aged 38 in September 1989, and Lagerfeld's despair was never so great

Karl died of cancer on February 19, 2019, alone. His body had become emaciated which he had tried to cover up with voluminous clothing and he had lost his teeth. He had been living in an apartment on Paris' Left Bank that he shared with his Birman cat, Choupette. Pictured: Lagerfeld in October 2018 - one of his last public appearances before his death

A man who used to never show emotion, who never hugged or caressed, was now seen sobbing over his drawings.

'With Jacques, he had vicariously enjoyed the kind of life he forbade himself from living.'

Lagerfeld never retired but fulfilled a lifetime contract with both Chanel and Fendi.

Karl died of cancer aged 85 on February 19, 2019, alone.

His body had become emaciated which he had tried to cover up with voluminous clothing and he had lost his teeth.

He had been living in an apartment on Paris' Left Bank that he shared with his Birman cat, Choupette who had her own maids, diamond necklaces and Instagram account.

After his death, the New York Times wrote 'His greatest calling, however, was as the orchestrator of his own myth'.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting with his cabinet colleagues and top officers on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of the "10 guarantees", including uninterrupted power supply and basic facilities for unauthorised colonies.

Addressing reporters, Kejriwal said he had given the heads of departments (HoDs) a week's time to prepare an action plan on how to implement the "10 guarantees" mentioned in the "guarantee card" released by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the run-up to the February 8 Delhi Assembly polls.

"The HoDs concerned have been directed to prepare a plan on how they will implement the 10 guarantees. We will make provisions for funds for the implementation of the guarantees in the upcoming budget," the AAP supremo said.

The "Kejriwal ka Guarantee Card" (Kejriwal's guarantee card) contains 10 "guarantees", including a promise to reduce Delhi's air pollution by three times.

The chief minister also informed that a three-day session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly will commence on February 24.

Earlier, Kejriwal met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the latter's residence here for the first time since the AAP swept the Assembly polls in the national capital. The meeting lasted for nearly 20 minutes.

Asked whether there was any discussion on Shaheen Bagh, where a citizens' protest against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) has been going on for over two months, Kejriwal said he had no such talks with the home minister.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 01:40:12|Editor: huaxia

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (R) shakes hands with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L), at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on February 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Presidency of Venezuela)



The United States has been pursuing a policy of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation against the Maduro government in support of opposition leader Juan Guaido, while Russia deems U.S. sanctions on Venezuela illegitimate.



WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. government announced on Tuesday that it had imposed sanctions against a subsidiary of Russian oil producer Rosneft and its president due to their alleged support for Venezuela in sanctions evasion.

The designated targets were Rosneft Trading S.A., a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled Rosneft Oil Company, and its President Didier Casimiro, according to a statement issued by the Department of the Treasury.

"Rosneft Trading S.A. and its president brokered the sale and transport of Venezuelan crude oil," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in the statement.

The statement noted that all property and interests in property of the blacklisted targets are blocked. Meanwhile, the Treasury also issued a general license that allows companies to wind down their transactions with Rosneft Trading S.A.

The United States has been pursuing a policy of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation against the Maduro government in support of opposition leader Juan Guaido.

The sanction came amid increasing competition between the United States and Russia over the Venezuela issue. U.S. President Donald Trump's reception of Guaido at the White House earlier this month was closely followed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to Venezuela.

"We have agreed on our path of future work, to deepen economic cooperation of investments in other areas, despite illegitimate sanctions," Lavrov said after meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Feb. 7. 
Revival Gold to Attend Conferences

Posted by Publisher Internet

Revival Gold Inc. (TSXV: RVG, OTCQB: RVLGF) (?Revival Gold? or the \Company\- https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/revival-gold-inc/), a growth?focused gold exploration and development company, announces its participation in the following upcoming conferences:

BMO 29th Global Metals & Mining Conference to be held in Hollywood, Florida from February 23rd-26th, 2020 at The Diplomat Resort.

PDAC 2020 to be held in Toronto, Ontario from March 1st-4th, 2020 at The Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Revival Gold will be in booth IE2507. A corporate presentation will be given on March 3rd, 2020 at 3:30pm in the Gold Exploration Session 5 in Room 802, MTCC South Building.

Interested parties that wish to schedule a meeting or who would like more information regarding the conferences and events noted above, please contact Melisa Armand at (416) 366-4100, or email info@revival?gold.com. Corporate presentations and other information are available on the Company?s website at www.revival-gold.com.

About Revival Gold Inc.

Revival Gold Inc. is a growth-focused gold exploration and development company. The Company has the right to acquire a 100% interest in Meridian Beartrack Co., owner of the former producing Beartrack Gold Project located in Lemhi County, Idaho. Revival Gold also owns rights to a 100% interest in the neighboring Arnett Gold Project.

In addition to its interests in Beartrack and Arnett, the Company is pursuing other gold exploration and development opportunities and holds a 51% interest in the Diamond Mountain Phosphate Project located in Uintah County, Utah.

Revival Gold currently has approximately 52.9 million shares outstanding and had a working capital balance of approximately $0.7 million as of December 31st, 2019. ?Additional disclosure of the Company?s financial statements, technical reports, material change reports, news releases and other information can be obtained at www.revival-gold.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

For further information, please visit www.revival-gold.com
Capitol Notebook by Spotlight PA provides updates on important news and notes from the halls of power in Harrisburg. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

HARRISBURG  A wave of resignations and pending retirements in the state legislature  including two of the Republican Partys most prolific fundraisers  has fueled hope among Democrats that they can regain control of the GOP-held state House and Senate.

Since the current two-year session began in January 2019, 19 lawmakers have announced plans to retire and seven have resigned. At least seven of the Republican-held seats were won by Gov. Tom Wolf in 2018, making them prime targets for Democrats.

Among those retiring this year are two of the most powerful GOP lawmakers, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R., Jefferson) and House Speaker Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny). Both are leaders not only in the Capitol, but on the campaign trail, raising large sums of money for the party.

Democrats are hopeful the departures are a sign of good things to come in November, especially since it is a presidential election year.

In the House, for the first time in a long time, [Republicans] are going to be fighting to stay in the majority, said Larry Ceisler, a public affairs executive. It is still leaning Republican, but they are running in an election year where there is a lot of competition. Turzai and Scarnati are big fundraisers, and someone is going to have to pick up the slack.

To take control of the state House, Democrats need to pick up nine seats in November. In the state Senate, the party needs to flip four districts and hold onto a purple seat President Donald Trump won in 2016.

Scarnati can retire knowing his district, where nearly 60% of voters are registered with the GOP, will all-but-certainly be won by another Republican. But Democrats are closely watching Turzais suburban Allegheny County district.

Upscale suburbs that have been in Republican hands for a long time have been swinging pretty heavily Democratic since 2016, said Lara Putnam, a University of Pittsburgh professor who has studied anti-Trump organizing and is active in grassroots politics.

Putnam said that Trumps election triggered the creation of local groups focused on winning state legislative and congressional seats.

What has happened since 2016 is that this surge in citizen activism has really excited places where there are vocally active Democrats who feel strongly about contesting those seats even if it doesnt look like an easy bet, she said.

Turzais last Democratic challenger, former screenwriter Emily Skopov, was new to politics when she ran in 2018. She lost by nine points but plans to run for the seat again this year.

Fundraising might be an issue for Republicans in the short-term, said GOP strategist Charlie Gerow.

But even with the loss of Turzai and Scarnati, Gerow said its a stretch to think Democrats will pick up enough seats to take the majority in either chamber.

The fact that Sen. John Yudichak changed his affiliation from Democrat to independent made the climb for Democrats in the caucus much more steep, Gerow said. I dont think there was ever a realistic prospect of Democrats taking control of the House.

Whats behind the retirements?

Some of the nearly 20 lawmakers who are not seeking reelection have cited health issues and a desire to spend more time with their families as reasons for retiring. Most have served for at least a decade, meaning they are eligible to receive hefty pensions.

But growing bipartisan gridlock, infighting, and unwillingness to compromise has also chilled morale in Harrisburg, longtime Capitol watchers say.

When he announced his surprise resignation last year, then-Sen. Richard Alloway (R., Franklin) told The Caucus he was sick and tired of Harrisburg politics.

Bill Patton, a longtime aide to House Democrats, echoed the sentiment and said some lawmakers are growing weary.

It has always been difficult to pass legislation. The system is designed that way  there are many steps, Patton said. I think there is fatigue for a lot of members with the constant arguing and fighting.

Former Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, a Republican who resigned after winning a seat on the Board of Bucks County Commissioners, said for most of his career lawmakers from both parties worked together to pass measures.

Ive always been a big proponent for compromise. It is not a bad word, said DiGirolamo, who served in the House for 25 years. [W]hen everyone was willing to come together, we were able to pass bills.

But Pennsylvania lawmakers today are introducing and passing fewer bills than in past decades, a Spotlight PA analysis showed.

DiGirolamo said that in his last five years as representative, he became dismayed at how few bills the legislature was able to pass.

"Forget the $15 minimum wage, DiGirolamo said of one priority for southeast lawmakers. "We could not ... get a vote.

Rep. Tony DeLuca (D., Allegheny), who at 82 is one of the longest serving lawmakers in the General Assembly, is skeptical that frustration over stalled bills is completely responsible for retirements.

"They get their 10 years in, they make connections. Since they are guaranteed pensions, they go out and get a job after. Its like a pay raise, he said. Certainly, they are getting things done in the legislature, but I dont see too many of them retiring before they put in their 10 years. After that, they run like chickens.

Spotlight PA receives funding from nonprofit institutions and readers like you who are committed to investigative journalism that gets results. Become a Founding Donor today at spotlightpa.org.
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, on February 19, announced that the Cabinet has approved of the formation of the 22nd Law Commission.

Speaking at a press conference, Javadekar said the Commission will be headed by a Chairman, and have four permanent members and five part-time members.

Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar announced that farmers can enrol in the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) on a voluntary basis. The crop insurance scheme, which was launched in February 2016, was mandatory for farmers.

The Centre will provide 90 percent of the grants for the premiums under this scheme, while the states will provide up 10 percent. The ratio has been revised from the earlier 50:50 share.

Tomar also announced that the government will allot Rs 4,496 crore to create 10,000 Farmer's Produce Organizations (FPOs) across the country to aid the small and marginal farmers in the processing and marketing of their produce.

The aim is to ensure there will be 2 FPOs in each block, said Tomar.

According to the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), an FPO, "can be a producer company, a cooperative society or any other legal form which provides for sharing of profits/benefits among the members."

Under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Rs 13,000 crore has been paid as premiums by the farmers, and Rs 60,000 crore has been given out in crop damage, said Tomar.

Tomar also announced that states that wish to participate in the crop insurance scheme have to float a tender for a minimum period of three years.

Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani said 22,000 crore farmers have benefited from the crop insurance scheme so far.

The Cabinet also approved the Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill 2020.

Irani said under this act, sex determination and sex selection will be prohibited.

"Whoever is carrying out the sale and trafficking of embryos will be fined Rs 10 lakh on the first instance followed by 12 years of a prison sentence on the second instance," said Irani.

Irani said the bill will aim to establish a national registry and registration authority which will be applicable to all clinics and medical professionals working under the assisted reproductive technology sector.

"The bill seeks to make a national database of the country of all the clinics and banks, including the nature of the services provided and its outcome,"said Irani, adding that this database will be used for research purposes.

Irani also added that the anonymity of the donor and the commissioning couple will be kept intact. There will be a national and state board to ensure the enforcement of the legal framework around this sector, she said.

"The bill seeks to secure the reproductive rights of the commission couple and also the lady who will be a part of this process," said Irani.
Shortly before 11 a.m., they began making their way off the ship through an improvised tunnel shrouded in blue tarp, through an array of orange pylons and out into a parking lot under a clear sky.

Taxis may have been in short supply, but the news media was not.

One of the earliest to disembark, a woman wearing a conical rice hat and a heavy-duty face mask with a strap hanging loose, was mobbed by journalists as she walked out of a guarded gate, pulling a red suitcase. She eventually wandered off on foot.

One passenger, Masako Ishida, 61, remained on board on Wednesday as she waited to receive her test results, and said she was frustrated by the suggestion that anyone who tested negative should have to remain in quarantine any longer.

I heard that some people think us passengers should be put another two weeks in quarantine, she said. We were quarantined, and if we test negative, we will be given a certification that proves were negative. Were one of the safest people right now.

Another passenger seemed less certain.

Im a bit concerned if Im OK to get off the ship, but it was getting very difficult physically, a 77-year-old man who got off with his wife told the Kyodo News agency. For now, we just want to celebrate.

Dr. Iwata, the infectious disease expert, sounded far more concerned.

He said he had visited the ship on Tuesday with the goal of advising public health officials on how to prevent the further spread of infection. He expressed astonishment at what he had seen, and took to YouTube to share his findings.

Health ministry officials, crew members and psychiatrists mingled and ate together, Dr. Iwata said, with some in full protective gear and others not  a violation of ordinary procedures.
TOKYO  As an extraordinary two-week quarantine of a cruise ship ends Wednesday in Japan, many scientists say it was a failed experiment: The ship seemed to serve as an incubator for the new virus from China instead of an isolation facility meant to prevent the worsening of an outbreak.

Since the virus was identified late last year in central China, it has sickened 75,199 and killed 2,012. New cases have fallen to under 2,000 daily for the past two days.

In Japan, 542 cases of the virus, known as COVID-19, have been identified among the 3,711 quarantined passengers and crew, making the ship the site of the most infections outside of China. The Diamond Princess cruise ship is also the only place where health officials have seen the disease spread easily among people beyond China.

The question now is: Why?

The Japanese government has repeatedly defended the effectiveness of the quarantine. But some experts suggest it may have been less than rigorous.

In a possible sign of lax quarantine protocols, three Japanese health officials who helped in the quarantine checks on the ship were also infected.

Virus study The largest study of the coronavirus in China has concluded that elderly patients and people with pre-existing health conditions are most at risk of dying from COVID-19. Most cases of the disease are mild, while the overall death rate is 2.3%, according to the study by China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Deutsche Presse-Agentur See More Collapse

There are sometimes environments in which disease can spread in a more efficient way, said Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organizations health emergencies program. Ryan said cruise ships in particular were known to occasionally accelerate spread.

Its an unfortunate event occurring on the ship and we trust that the authorities in Japan and the governments who are taking back people will be able to follow up those individuals in the appropriate way, he said.

Japans health minister, Katsunobu Kato, told reporters Tuesday that all passengers who remained on the cruise ship have had samples taken and that those who tested negative would start getting off the vessel beginning Wednesday, when their required 14-day quarantine is scheduled to end.

They all want to go home as early as possible, and we hope to assist them so that everyone can get home smoothly, Kato said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

But it may not be that simple. U.S. health officials on Tuesday told Americans who declined to come home on government-chartered flights over the weekend that they wouldnt be allowed back into the country for at least 14 days after they had left the Diamond Princess.

Obviously, the quarantine hasnt worked, and this ship has now become a source of infection, said Dr. Nathalie MacDermott, an outbreak expert at Kings College London.

She said the exact mechanism of the virus spread was unknown. Although scientists believe the disease is spread mostly by droplets  when people cough or sneeze  its possible there are other ways of transmission.

We need to understand how the quarantine measures on board were implemented, what the air filtration on board is like, how the cabins are connected and how waste products are disposed of, MacDermott said.

There could also be another mode of transmission were not familiar with, she said, noting the possibility of environmental spread and the importance of deep-cleaning the entire ship to prevent people from touching contaminated surfaces.

Maria Cheng and Mari Yamaguchi are Associated Press writers.
(Photo : Alcinoe Calahorrano via Oregon State University ) South American Volcano Termed as 'Throat of Fire' Shows Signs of 'Potential Collapse'; 25,000 People Might be Evacuated (Photo : Ecuador 365 via Oregon State University ) South American Volcano Termed as 'Throat of Fire' Shows Signs of 'Potential Collapse'; 25,000 People Might be Evacuated

Tungurahua, one of South America's most active and dangerous volcano located about 85 miles south of Ecuador's capital of Quito, is said to show early signs of 'potential collapse' that may result to a large landslide and can affect to over 25,000 people living near the volcano.

Warning! Life-threatening volcano in South America might explode soon!

This volcano termed as the 'Throat of Fire' and locally known as 'The Black Giant' is seen to be producing early signs of collapse and hallmarks of flank instability, according to a study published in the journal Earth & Planetary Science Letters.

"Using satellite data, we have observed very rapid deformation of Tungurahua's west flank, which our research suggests is caused by imbalances between magma being supplied and magma being erupted," said Dr. James Hickey from the Camborne School of Mines that published the study.

Back 3,000 years ago, a similar ancient eruption was reported in the volcano that led to Tungurahua's western flank partial collapse. Worse, in 1999, the said the dangerous volcano erupted-- forcing an estimated number of 25,000 people to be evacuated far away from the volcano - the impact of the eruption and landslide covered around 30 square miles of the country.

"[The west flank of the volcano] was uplifted by roughly 3.5 centimeters [1.38 inches] over three weeks, while the other flanks remained stable," Hickey told Newsweek.

Hickey and his team believed that an increased risk of flank collapsing is happening to Tungurahua. They said that people living near the volcano must be aware of the incident and warned as there is no assurance or tentative date on the volcano's possible eruption.

Why is Tungurahua showing signs of eruption just now?

As mentioned, Tungurahua experienced an eruption 3,000 years ago, which resulted in wide-spread debris avalanche. Since then, the volcano has been rebuilding from the incident. However, there is a part of the volcano -- above the place wherein the 3,000-year-old eruption occurred -- that recently showed repeated signs of rapid deformation of the flank.



This means that the flanks of the volcano are unstable-- causing Tungurahua to shown early signs of 'potential collapse.' Hickey also explained that once the magma supply continues to increase, the volume might cause stress on the volcano, leading to the worst eruption.



"Magma supply is one of a number of factors that can cause or contribute to volcanic flank instability, so while there is a risk of possible flank collapse, the uncertainty of these natural systems also means it could remain stable. However, it's definitely one to keep an eye on in the future."

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
VPN, which stands for Virtual Private Network, is a rather common tool that is used by millions of users across the world. For many, VPNs are seen as effective tools to safely communicate and transfer files on the internet, and in some cases, as a workaround to location specific restriction to information imposed for specific reasons. While VPNs remain effective enterprise tools to enable remote collaboration on sensitive files, the public use of VPNs have often come across controversial scrutiny.

Benefits of using VPNs in India

Like other parts of the world, Indians often put VPNs to use for a variety of purposes. Put simply, a VPN masks your traffic to make it look like your IP address, or your location, is based elsewhere. Now, given the nature of this tool, it is often misconstrued that using a VPN is directly related to illegal activities. In truth, using a VPN has far greater implications than simply bypassing location restrictions, such as accessing websites that are banned for a specific area.

With todays tense climate of cyber security, the biggest advantage provided by a VPN is keeping you secure as you browse online. Most VPNs that are worth their salt not only anonymise your actual internet address, but also offer industry standard 256-bit AES encryption to secure you from anyone tracking your online activity. This can be absolutely critical in helping you protect your data, especially during financial transactions. While it is not absolutely unbreakable, it is still exponentially safer to use a secure network to make your transactions, so that your passwords, card details and other such sensitive elements are not stolen.

Furthermore, using a VPN can let you access region-specific websites that may be legal, but not accessible in your country. This can help you read a wider selection of articles from publications across the web, or even view content that has been made elsewhere.

Is it legal?

With such benefits at hand, it is absolutely crucial to note that the simple activity of using a VPN is not illegal in India. In fact, there are absolutely no laws around using a VPN in India, so as long as you are using a VPN for no illegal activities, there should be nothing for you to worry about.

That said, the reason why VPNs get such a bad reputation is for their use in activities that are deemed illegal in India. The biggest and most common use case here lies in accessing content blacklisted by the Indian government (such as pornography), or torrent sites that facilitate the distribution of pirated content. The latter is the most common case of prosecution, and it is copyright infringement and creation of pirated content, and not the use of VPN, that can land you in legal trouble.

What are the charges?

As a result, if you are tracked down while using a website that lets you view, download and distribute content that is illegally uploaded (i.e. hosted online without paying due royalties to the creator), the Indian government may prosecute you under Sections 63, 63A, 65 and 65A of the Copyright Act, 1957 under the Constitution of India. If you are caught downloading an unauthorised copy of a movie, or streaming it from a website that hosts it illegally, then you may be subjected to legal prosecution amounting to up to three years of imprisonment, and a penalty of up to Rs 3,00,000.

As a result, you as a user of the internet in India are completely in the clear to use a VPN service, and doing so is in fact recommendable given the risks of malware and ransomware floating around across various parts of the internet. However, it is important for users to exercise their judgement, and avoid accessing any website or content that can amount to copyright infringement by the definition of the internet in India.
Maharashtra Forest Minister



Sanjay Rathod on Wednesday ordered a probe into the tree plantation drive carried out by the previous BJP-led dispensation in the state, following allegations of large- scale corruption and irregularities in the scheme.

Rathod directed Principal Secretary (Forest) to conduct a probe into the tree plantation drive, officials said.

OBC, SEBC, and VJNT Welfare Minister Vijay Wadettiwar said he had written to the forest minister alleging that there was "large-scale corruption and irregularities" in the scheme.

"There should be a probe into the BJP's tall claims of planting 50 crore trees," he said.

A few other MLAs had also written to Rathod seeking a probe into the plantation drive.

Senior BJP leader and former Forest Minister Sudhir Mungwantiwar had launched an ambitious project of planting 50 crore trees across the state during the previous BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Devendra Fadnavis.

When asked about the announcement of probe ordered by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, Mungantiwar said, "I welcome the decision. A white paper should also be published on it.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
GRENADA, Calif.  The tenants of an apartment complex in the Siskiyou County town of Grenada were scrambling to find a new place to live after they were evicted and found that their building had been condemned.

The building at 6040 Siskiyou Boulevard houses about a dozen units. Former residents of the apartments there said that they had filed reports with the County Health Department due to plumbing issues, mold, bed bugs, mice and insect infestations in at least some of the units.

Complaints or requests to the building's management for repairs or solutions to ongoing issues largely went unanswered, tenants reported.

Wed ask them to fix things . . . our toilet wobbled because the floor was rotten underneath," said former tenant Larry Schneider. "It took them a year to fix it, and like I said, all they did was put a big band-aid on it. They put a piece of wood on it, and made it look as decent as they possibly could.

Schneider described most problems in the building dealt with in similar fashion, if at all  like a new coat of paint in the hallways instead of addressing the more serious issues.

According to the Siskiyou County Environmental Health Division, tenants had been complaining about the building for years. Eventually officials received enough complaints that they moved forward with an investigation of the building, deeming it unfit for occupancy.

Rick Dean, deputy director for Environmental Health, confirmed that inspectors found mold and a rodent infestation in the building, accompanied by an overall lack of maintenance.

"It comes down to a definition of substandard housing," said Dean.

The health department said, I guess they went to court or something happened, this place wasnt even worth a hundred bucks rent, and Id advise you guys to not pay your rent and get out of there because youre just throwing your money away, said Schneider.

That process began about four or five months ago, Schneider said, and he began looking for a new place to live at that point.

Carin Giles moved out of the building a few years ago, but she's stayed in touch with people like Schneider and her brother, who continued to live there. She says that Environmental Health began telling people that they were looking to condemn the building, but a notice didn't go up until last week.

A "Notice to Vacate" sent by the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office  dated February 10 and addressed to Schneider  said that he needed to leave by the morning of February 20 or face removal by the agency. A notice from Environment Health was also posted on the building February 10, notifying residents that it was a misdemeanor to occupy the building.

While Schneider and Giles didn't express any great love for the building on Siskiyou Boulevard, the problem has been finding an affordable place to live now that it's being shuttered.

We were looking at apartments, and you know, nothing was in a reasonable price range," Schneider said. "We ended up finding a trailer, and were squeaking by every month just to make it and to pay for this, so that we could get out of here and not cause any problems.

Hard as it was for Schneider, there were others in the building who face a more significant challenge  the elderly or infirm tenants, and those with young children. Schneider and Giles said that one senior tenant was hospitalized earlier in the week, and has nowhere to go, nor the means to do it. He paid his rent for February, Giles said, and was still in his apartment on the day they were told to have vacated.

Schneider said that one of the biggest issues in the eviction process has been a lack of transparency.

Bottom line, that they went about everything the wrong way," he said. "It was always hearsay, very rarely did they talk to us saying 'okay, this is what were going to do, this is what were going to do.' You know, Id hear it from neighbors, and Id here it from all kinds of people besides them.

For Giles, she thinks the building has actually seen worse days and should have been condemned several years ago. While the management has tried to gradually make improvements since then, she says, they were too little, too late.

Environmental Health deputy director Dean said that his agency has been working with the building's owner to resolve the health code violations.

NewsWatch 12 has reached out to the owner's attorney for comment but has not yet received a response.
Mr Toju Davies Daibo

The mother of a young man who was reported to have jumped into the Lagos Lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge last Saturday, February the 16th has pleaded with authorities to find him dead or alive.

Recall that Mr Toju Davies Daibo, a Redeemed Christian Church of God member reportedly jumped into the lagoon from the bridge inward Adeniji Adele, after alighting from an Uber, complaining of stomach issues.

Speaking with Channels Television in an exclusive interview, his mother said that it has been five days since the story broke, and she is appealing to the government to find her son alive or dead.

According to her, Toju has no history of depression or drug use; he had just finished studying quantity survey from the Lagos State University and was looking forward to his NYSC and then his masters degree studies in Canada.

His family is calling for any information from security agencies so they can have some closure on the incident.
Indian scholars have also expressed their deepest concerns on the state of social science research. The efforts of two of them are stated here. Ananta Kumar Giris 2004 edited volume entitled Creative Social Research: Rethinking Theories and Practice is a very welcome foundational volume, which inspires the very urgently required rethinking in the methods of research in political science and broadly in the social sciences. Giris introduction sets the moral and ethical tone of his edited volume and its objectives. Max Weber had highlighted the disenchantment of the Western world with the modern world and the problems of living with our own constructed dualities. Giris volume suggests the re-imagination needed in research to deconstruct the duality and through our ontology and epistemology, contribute to the experience in the making of a reenchanted world: We are positively incomplete, so far as other beings are co-present, enfolded within me, are negatively incomplete, that is unfree. When the whole world of creation is self-realized, when it reflects back its own divinity, then and only then will there be peace... (Giri 2004: 28)

The use of these concepts is intended to look at both the substantive and the processual aspects of research in the social sciences. The entire objective of another volume on methods of research is to reiterate that research is a plural, yet interconnected and relational conceptualisation of a field of study. This idea is developed by Giri (2004); he critiques Sens view of history and questions his assumptions of coherence and unity (Sen 2001). Rather, history has different domains, all of which are interconnected, it is neither unitary nor rational. People have privileged only history as power, but it has other domains as well, history as vision and history as reason. The reason dimension is ignored and power is privileged at the expense of vision. Giris argument is that all three are simultaneously autonomous and interpretative, where they illumine and reveal dimensions of each other (Giri 2004: 6). The different essays in Giris volume provide a powerful critique of present trends in the social sciences.

The question of autonomy in research brings us to the Report of the Fourth Review Committee of the Indian Council of Social and Scientific Research (ICSSR), published in March 2007: There is a general feeling that the Council has not made as large an impact in promoting serious social science research as was expected. But it is recognized that this is due to factors beyond its control and reflects the malaise afflicting social science research as a whole. The nature of this malaise and the importance and urgency of redressing it are underscored in the Report. (ICSSR 2007)

The suggestions were sharply indicative of the remedies imperative to resolve the crisis afflicting the premier social science research institution in India. Partha Chatterjee, erstwhile director of the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata, the Eastern regional affiliate of the Council, questioned the perspectives of the premier research institution regarding funding of research institutions in the country and the kind of research which they sponsored. One key recommendation by the Review Committee concerned the institutionalisation of a genuinely autonomous Council. However Chatterjees concern was not really the autonomy of the institution but whether autonomy was genuinely desired and feasible. Many have asserted that over time, Chatterjee commented that for an institution dependent fully on the government for its funds, it was imperative that at crucial levels government nominees should be instituted and that this might help speedy disposal of project proposals and, of course, the quick passage of funds as well! (Chatterjee 2008: 38) This view indicates the fear of researchers of straying too far away from prevailing governmental objectives and, in the process, losing out on favours dispensed. Thus, The ideal view is, there must be public criticism...of unacceptable political interference. (Chatterjee 2008)

We realise that a volume on methods in the social sciences still remains mired in extremely contentious issues. On the one hand, it tries to validate existing methodology in the social sciences that substantiate existing theoretical knowledge and lead to credible policymaking or, on the other, it may vouch for an open methodology that contributes to living theories; these are perhaps the two opposing poles of the debate. We make sense of what we are doing through researching it.

We gather data and generate evidence to support our claims that we know what we are doing and why we are doing it, and we test these knowledge claims for their validity through the critical feedback of others. These then constitute our living theories(popularised by action research). Such an approach becomes imperative today when each individual clamours for the right of expression. Any preordained universal moral principle militates against a lived form of life. Life should have its own free space not only for formal communication, but for any form of creative expression. Thus, it is in this sense that we need to develop living, demonstrable criteria, which is subject to public scrutiny and critique and yet adds on to knowledge. The social sciences have to struggle inordinately at this because all universities, driven by the market compulsion to produce, have felt the axe in lieu of the natural sciences. The entire perspective towards social sciences is very obvious; downsizing of departments, total eclipse of some of the more expensive centres such as the Human Rights Programme at Roehampton University, London and its submergence with sociology; renaming of departments in favour of greater market-orientedness, all this is visible. But ultimately, the social sciences go much further than the explicit monetary motives as visible in its forced association with the natural sciences (Aleaz 2012). This leads us to a strong proposition of methodological assemblage (Law 2004: 144) or trying out variety in methods to trace and exemplify variegated life.

(Excerpted with permission from Revisiting Qualitative Methods in Social Science Research edited by Bonita Aleaz and Partha Pratim Basu published by Orient Blackswan.)
A university student has walked free from court after she attacked five police officers in a foul-mouthed drunken tirade at Manchester Piccadilly train station.

Glaswegian Kimberley Gallacher, 27, argued with two female British Transport Police officers after they heard her shouting and swearing at staff in the ticket area, before she cornered one of them in an 'aggressive manner'.

As other officers approached her, Gallacher began shouting at the officers telling them to 'f*** off' before launching a fist at one officer, saying: 'fight me, fight me b****, fight me, I will take you down', as they attempted to place her in handcuffs.

Kimberley Gallacher, 27, from Glasgow, pictured outside Manchester Magistrates' Court, was ordered to pay 350 compensation to five British Transport Police officers she attacked in a drunken fury at Manchester Piccadilly railway station on August 23

Manchester Magistrates' Court heard that as officers tried to tackle her to the ground, she kicked out at them shouting: 'get the f*** off me, you're f****** dead, you f****** b****'.

Gallacher, from Glasgow, was briefly placed in leg restraints before being taking to the police van where she was escorted to custody.

During the journey, the History and Social Policy undergraduate began hitting her head against the side of the van, forcing the officer to pull over.

She then spat at him in the face.

After losing consciousness, she was taken to hospital where she was checked over by staff. There, she was said to have spat at the officer again.

Gallacher pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly and five counts of assault on an emergency worker. She was sentenced to a 12 month community order with 150 hours unpaid work.

Prosecuting, Rachel Yarwood said: 'These offences took place on August 23 of last year at around 5.30pm.

'Several officers from the British Transport Police attention were drawn to Miss Gallacher as they could hear her shouting near to the ticket area: "These all rob from everybody," towards the staff working in that area.

'The officers were aware that she was intoxicated because her pupils were small and she smelled strongly of intoxicants.

'They tried to speak to her but she told them to "f*** off" and said

"f******" several times.

'She told the officers to "f*** off" and approached PC Felstead in such a way that she backed her into a corner in an aggressive manner.

Manchester Magistrates' Court handed Gallacher a 12-month community order and ordered her to complete 150 hours of unpaid work

Police approached Gallacher at Manchester Piccadilly station after she was making a disturbance near the automated ticket machines at 5.30pm on August 23, 2019, file photo

'Further officers attended and she was arrested for being drunk and disorderly. After one of the handcuffs was placed on her hand, the defendant used her other hand to punch PC Felstead in the face with full force.

'After that she started to resist and tensed her arms shouting: "fight me, fight me b***h, fight me, I will take you down".

'Two officers tried to take her to the ground, but she kicked out at PC Felstead shouting: "get the f*** off me, you're f****** dead, you f****** b****", and the officer fell backwards. The defendant was then arrested for assaulting the officers.'

The court heard Gallacher then kicked out at PC Wardley, so had leg restraints placed on her.

'These were then removed when they were trying to take her to the police van,' Ms Yarwood said.

'She kicked out again at PC Rehman in the stomach which caused him to fall backwards also.

'Whilst in the custody van, the defendant began hitting her head on the side of the van.

'PC Wrenshaw pulled the van over and told her to stop, and she replied saying "f*** you" and spat at him and the spittle hit him in the face and arm.

'She lost consciousness on a couple of occasions on the journey to the custody suite.

'When she was taken in to see the nurse, it was at this point she spat at PC Ward, hitting him in the face and shoulder.

'She was taken to hospital to check she was fine, but she was not conscious.

'She made full admissions in the interview. She was very under the influence.

'The officers have not suffered any long lasting injury out of the incident. She has no previous convictions.'

In mitigation, her defence lawyer David Philpott said: 'This was a very regrettable incident. She has very little recollection of what happened. This happened quite some time ago.

'It may be good fortune in terms of her conduct and her behaviour to officers that they have very little injury.

'There is an overwhelming acceptance of her guilty plea and acknowledgement that her behaviour was completely inappropriate.

'She recognises the impact it would have on those involved in the incident. She knows she can never put herself in that sort of situation again. The probation service have assessed her as a low risk of reoffending and very low risk of serious harm.

'She seems to have taken some sensible steps since then to try address the certain difficulties she had been having.

'She has had some assistance through university. She has a limited support network, her mother passed away shortly after the incident and it has been a difficult time.

'I am not suggesting that is an excuse for what happened on August 23.

'She is going to lose her good name as a result. She is in her final year of her History and Social Policy studies at Strathclyde University, they will have to be put on hold.

'This is going to have a serious impact on her and give her plenty of opportunity to reflect on her behaviour.

'Notwithstanding her appalling behaviour, I urge you to sentence her to a community order. She knows she put herself in a very serious situation.'

Chair of the bench Owen Dyce said: 'As you can appreciate, this case is very serious, especially on the impact of the emergency services.

'These emergency workers were doing their job and you subjected them to spitting and kicking. We will award compensation to those officers.'

Gallacher was ordered to pay compensation to the sum of 350 to the five officers, as well as pay the court costs of 175.
New York, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Acrylic Processing Aid Industry" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05797760/?utm_source=GNW

5%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$683.5 Million by the year 2025, PVC will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth.



- Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 5% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$12.6 Million to the regions size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$10.7 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, PVC will reach a market size of US$36.3 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the worlds second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 8.9% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$97.2 Million in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies.



- Competitors identified in this market include, among others,

3M Company

Akdeniz Kimya

Arkema

BASF SE

DowDupont Inc.

Kaneka Corporation

LG Chem

Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.

Shandong Rike Chemicals Co., Ltd.







Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05797760/?utm_source=GNW



I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE



II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



1. MARKET OVERVIEW



Acrylic Processing Aid: An Outlook

Global Competitor Market Shares

Acrylic Processing Aid Competitor Market Share Scenario

Worldwide (in %): 2019 & 2025





2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS



3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS



Acrylic Processing Aid Witnessing High Growth in Construction

Sector

Acrylic Processing Aid: Major Applications





4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE



Table 1: Acrylic Processing Aid Global Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 2: Acrylic Processing Aid Global Retrospective Market

Scenario in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 3: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Shift across Key

Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 4: PVC (Polymer Type) World Market by Region/Country in

US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025

Table 5: PVC (Polymer Type) Historic Market Analysis by

Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017

Table 6: PVC (Polymer Type) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide

Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 7: Other Polymer Types (Polymer Type) Potential Growth

Markets Worldwide in US$ Thousand: 2018 to 2025

Table 8: Other Polymer Types (Polymer Type) Historic Market

Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009 to 2017

Table 9: Other Polymer Types (Polymer Type) Market Sales

Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 10: Building & Construction (End-Use) Global Market

Estimates & Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country:

2018-2025

Table 11: Building & Construction (End-Use) Retrospective

Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 12: Building & Construction (End-Use) Market Share

Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 13: Packaging (End-Use) Demand Potential Worldwide in US$

Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 14: Packaging (End-Use) Historic Sales Analysis in US$

Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 15: Packaging (End-Use) Share Breakdown Review by

Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 16: Automotive (End-Use) Worldwide Latent Demand

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 17: Automotive (End-Use) Global Historic Analysis in US$

Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 18: Automotive (End-Use) Distribution of Global Sales by

Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 19: Consumer Goods (End-Use) Sales Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for the Years 2018

through 2025

Table 20: Consumer Goods (End-Use) Analysis of Historic Sales

in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for the Years 2009 to 2017

Table 21: Consumer Goods (End-Use) Global Market Share

Distribution by Region/Country for 2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 22: Other End-Uses (End-Use) Global Opportunity

Assessment in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 23: Other End-Uses (End-Use) Historic Sales Analysis in

US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 24: Other End-Uses (End-Use) Percentage Share Breakdown

of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025





III. MARKET ANALYSIS



GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS

UNITED STATES

Market Facts & Figures

US Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share (in %) by Company: 2019 &

2025

Market Analytics

Table 25: United States Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates

and Projections in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 26: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in the United States by

Polymer Type: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 27: United States Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 28: United States Acrylic Processing Aid Latent Demand

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 29: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Demand Patterns in

the United States by End-Use in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 30: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown in the

United States by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

CANADA

Table 31: Canadian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 32: Canadian Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Review by Polymer Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 33: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Canada: Percentage

Share Breakdown of Sales by Polymer Type for 2009, 2019, and

2025

Table 34: Canadian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Quantitative

Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 35: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Canada:

Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by

End-Use for 2009-2017

Table 36: Canadian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

JAPAN

Table 37: Japanese Market for Acrylic Processing Aid: Annual

Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type

for the Period 2018-2025

Table 38: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Japan: Historic

Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type for the Period

2009-2017

Table 39: Japanese Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 40: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Acrylic

Processing Aid in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 41: Japanese Acrylic Processing Aid Market in US$

Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 42: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Shift in Japan by

End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

CHINA

Table 43: Chinese Acrylic Processing Aid Market Growth

Prospects in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type for the Period

2018-2025

Table 44: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market Analysis in

China in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 45: Chinese Acrylic Processing Aid Market by Polymer

Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 46: Chinese Demand for Acrylic Processing Aid in US$

Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 47: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Review in China in US$

Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 48: Chinese Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown

by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

EUROPE

Market Facts & Figures

European Acrylic Processing Aid Market: Competitor Market Share

Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025

Market Analytics

Table 49: European Acrylic Processing Aid Market Demand

Scenario in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 50: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Europe: A Historic

Market Perspective in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for the

Period 2009-2017

Table 51: European Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Shift by

Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 52: European Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018-2025

Table 53: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Europe in US$

Thousand by Polymer Type: A Historic Review for the Period

2009-2017

Table 54: European Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 55: European Acrylic Processing Aid Addressable Market

Opportunity in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 56: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Europe:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 57: European Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

FRANCE

Table 58: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in France by Polymer

Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the Period

2018-2025

Table 59: French Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Scenario in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 60: French Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 61: Acrylic Processing Aid Quantitative Demand Analysis

in France in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 62: French Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market Review

in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 63: French Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis:

A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and 2025

GERMANY

Table 64: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Germany: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer

Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 65: German Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 66: German Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown

by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 67: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Germany: Annual

Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

the Period 2018-2025

Table 68: German Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Retrospect in

US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 69: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

Germany by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ITALY

Table 70: Italian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Growth

Prospects in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type for the Period

2018-2025

Table 71: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market Analysis in

Italy in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 72: Italian Acrylic Processing Aid Market by Polymer

Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 73: Italian Demand for Acrylic Processing Aid in US$

Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 74: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Review in Italy in US$

Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 75: Italian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown

by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

UNITED KINGDOM

Table 76: United Kingdom Market for Acrylic Processing Aid:

Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by

Polymer Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 77: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in the United Kingdom:

Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type for the

Period 2009-2017

Table 78: United Kingdom Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 79: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for

Acrylic Processing Aid in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 80: United Kingdom Acrylic Processing Aid Market in US$

Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 81: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Shift in the

United Kingdom by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

SPAIN

Table 82: Spanish Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 83: Spanish Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market Review

by Polymer Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 84: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Spain: Percentage

Share Breakdown of Sales by Polymer Type for 2009, 2019, and

2025

Table 85: Spanish Acrylic Processing Aid Market Quantitative

Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 86: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Spain: Summarization

of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

2009-2017

Table 87: Spanish Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

RUSSIA

Table 88: Russian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates and

Projections in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 89: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Russia by Polymer

Type: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 90: Russian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown

by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 91: Russian Acrylic Processing Aid Latent Demand

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 92: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Demand Patterns in

Russia by End-Use in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 93: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown in

Russia by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF EUROPE

Table 94: Rest of Europe Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type:

2018-2025

Table 95: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Rest of Europe in

US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: A Historic Review for the Period

2009-2017

Table 96: Rest of Europe Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 97: Rest of Europe Acrylic Processing Aid Addressable

Market Opportunity in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 98: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Rest of Europe:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 99: Rest of Europe Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ASIA-PACIFIC

Table 100: Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 101: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Asia-Pacific:

Historic Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Region/Country for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 102: Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 103: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Asia-Pacific by

Polymer Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 104: Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Scenario in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 105: Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 106: Acrylic Processing Aid Quantitative Demand Analysis

in Asia-Pacific in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 107: Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Review in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 108: Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and

2025

AUSTRALIA

Table 109: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Australia: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer

Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 110: Australian Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 111: Australian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 112: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Australia: Annual

Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

the Period 2018-2025

Table 113: Australian Acrylic Processing Aid Market in

Retrospect in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 114: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

Australia by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

INDIA

Table 115: Indian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 116: Indian Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market Review

by Polymer Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 117: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in India: Percentage

Share Breakdown of Sales by Polymer Type for 2009, 2019, and

2025

Table 118: Indian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Quantitative

Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 119: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in India:

Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by

End-Use for 2009-2017

Table 120: Indian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

SOUTH KOREA

Table 121: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in South Korea: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer

Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 122: South Korean Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 123: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

South Korea by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 124: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in South Korea: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-Use

for the Period 2018-2025

Table 125: South Korean Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 126: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

South Korea by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC

Table 127: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Acrylic Processing

Aid: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by

Polymer Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 128: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Rest of

Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by

Polymer Type for the Period 2009-2017

Table 129: Rest of Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Share Analysis by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 130: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts

for Acrylic Processing Aid in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to

2025

Table 131: Rest of Asia-Pacific Acrylic Processing Aid Market

in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 132: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Shift in Rest of

Asia-Pacific by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

LATIN AMERICA

Table 133: Latin American Acrylic Processing Aid Market Trends

by Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2018-2025

Table 134: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Latin America in

US$ Thousand by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the

Period 2009-2017

Table 135: Latin American Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019,

and 2025

Table 136: Latin American Acrylic Processing Aid Market Growth

Prospects in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type for the Period

2018-2025

Table 137: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market Analysis in

Latin America in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 138: Latin American Acrylic Processing Aid Market by

Polymer Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and

2025

Table 139: Latin American Demand for Acrylic Processing Aid in

US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 140: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Review in Latin

America in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 141: Latin American Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ARGENTINA

Table 142: Argentinean Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018-2025

Table 143: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Argentina in US$

Thousand by Polymer Type: A Historic Review for the Period

2009-2017

Table 144: Argentinean Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 145: Argentinean Acrylic Processing Aid Addressable

Market Opportunity in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 146: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Argentina:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 147: Argentinean Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

BRAZIL

Table 148: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Brazil by Polymer

Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand for the Period

2018-2025

Table 149: Brazilian Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Scenario in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 150: Brazilian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 151: Acrylic Processing Aid Quantitative Demand Analysis

in Brazil in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 152: Brazilian Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Review in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 153: Brazilian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and

2025

MEXICO

Table 154: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Mexico: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer

Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 155: Mexican Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 156: Mexican Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 157: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Mexico: Annual

Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

the Period 2018-2025

Table 158: Mexican Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Retrospect

in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 159: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

Mexico by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF LATIN AMERICA

Table 160: Rest of Latin America Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018

to 2025

Table 161: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Rest of Latin

America by Polymer Type: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for

2009-2017

Table 162: Rest of Latin America Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Share Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 163: Rest of Latin America Acrylic Processing Aid Latent

Demand Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 164: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Demand Patterns in

Rest of Latin America by End-Use in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 165: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown in

Rest of Latin America by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

MIDDLE EAST

Table 166: The Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Region/Country:

2018-2025

Table 167: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in the Middle East by

Region/Country in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 168: The Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 169: The Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018

to 2025

Table 170: The Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Historic

Market by Polymer Type in US$ Thousand: 2009-2017

Table 171: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in the Middle East:

Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Polymer Type for 2009,

2019, and 2025

Table 172: The Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018

to 2025

Table 173: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in the Middle East:

Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Thousand by

End-Use for 2009-2017

Table 174: The Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

IRAN

Table 175: Iranian Market for Acrylic Processing Aid: Annual

Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type

for the Period 2018-2025

Table 176: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Iran: Historic

Sales Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type for the Period

2009-2017

Table 177: Iranian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 178: Iranian Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Acrylic

Processing Aid in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 179: Iranian Acrylic Processing Aid Market in US$

Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 180: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Shift in Iran by

End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ISRAEL

Table 181: Israeli Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018-2025

Table 182: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Israel in US$

Thousand by Polymer Type: A Historic Review for the Period

2009-2017

Table 183: Israeli Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 184: Israeli Acrylic Processing Aid Addressable Market

Opportunity in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018-2025

Table 185: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Israel:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Thousand by End-Use for

the Period 2009-2017

Table 186: Israeli Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Analysis

by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

SAUDI ARABIA

Table 187: Saudi Arabian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Growth

Prospects in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type for the Period

2018-2025

Table 188: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Market Analysis in

Saudi Arabia in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 189: Saudi Arabian Acrylic Processing Aid Market by

Polymer Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and

2025

Table 190: Saudi Arabian Demand for Acrylic Processing Aid in

US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 191: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Review in Saudi Arabia

in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 192: Saudi Arabian Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Table 193: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in the United Arab

Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$

Thousand by Polymer Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 194: United Arab Emirates Acrylic Processing Aid Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 195: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

United Arab Emirates by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 196: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in the United Arab

Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$

Thousand by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025

Table 197: United Arab Emirates Acrylic Processing Aid Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 198: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

United Arab Emirates by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF MIDDLE EAST

Table 199: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Rest of Middle

East: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Thousand

by Polymer Type for the Period 2018-2025

Table 200: Rest of Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2009-2017

Table 201: Rest of Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Market

Share Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 202: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Rest of Middle

East: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Thousand by

End-Use for the Period 2018-2025

Table 203: Rest of Middle East Acrylic Processing Aid Market in

Retrospect in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2009-2017

Table 204: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Distribution in

Rest of Middle East by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

AFRICA

Table 205: African Acrylic Processing Aid Market Estimates and

Projections in US$ Thousand by Polymer Type: 2018 to 2025

Table 206: Acrylic Processing Aid Market in Africa by Polymer

Type: A Historic Review in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 207: African Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share

Breakdown by Polymer Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 208: African Acrylic Processing Aid Latent Demand

Forecasts in US$ Thousand by End-Use: 2018 to 2025

Table 209: Acrylic Processing Aid Historic Demand Patterns in

Africa by End-Use in US$ Thousand for 2009-2017

Table 210: Acrylic Processing Aid Market Share Breakdown in

Africa by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025





IV. COMPETITION



3M COMPANY

AKDENIZ KIMYA

ARKEMA GROUP

BASF CORPORATION

BASF SE

DOWDUPONT

DUPONT DE NEMOURS INC.

EN-DOOR POLYMER ADDITIVES

GALATA CHEMICALS

INDOFIL INDUSTRIES

KANEKA BELGIUM NV

KANEKA CORPORATION

LG CHEM

MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORPORATION

MITSUBISHI RAYON CO.

NOVISTA GROUP

PAU TAI INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION

SHANDONG RIKE CHEMICALS

SUNDOW POLYMERS CO., LTD.

QINGDAO HAIRUITE CHEMCIAL MATERIALS CO., LTD.

SHANDONG DONGLIN NEW MATERIALS CO.

SHANDONG POLYMER ADDITIVES CO., LTD.

SHANDONG RUIFENG CHEMICAL CO., LTD.

V. CURATED RESEARCH

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__________________________
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrives at court in London on May 1, 2019 to be sentenced for bail violation. Daniel Leal-Olivas | AFP | Getty Images

The congressman also said at the time that he had information to share privately with Trump. In a statement posted to his website Wednesday, Rohrabacher said he didn't offer a deal on Trump's behalf. "At no time did I offer Julian Assange anything from the President because I had not spoken with the President about this issue at all. However, when speaking with Julian Assange, I told him that if he could provide me information and evidence about who actually gave him the DNC emails, I would then call on President Trump to pardon him," the former congressman said. "At no time did I offer a deal made by the President, nor did I say I was representing the President." Yet Rohrabacher also said he met with then-White House chief of staff John Kelly and told him that Assange would provide information about the DNC hack in exchange for a pardon, but said no one from the White House followed up with him on the offer.

In his statement, Rohrabacher also called on Trump to pardon Assange, whom he called "the true whistleblower of our time." Neither CNBC nor NBC News has the full statement made by Assange's lawyer in court. The formal extradition hearing for Assange, an Australian national, is due to begin Monday. At Wednesday's court session, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser reportedly said the evidence about a purported pardon offer is admissible at that hearing. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, when asked about the claim of a pardon offer by Trump, said, "The President barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than he's an ex-congressman." "He's never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject. It is a complete fabrication and a total lie," Grisham said. "This is probably another never ending hoax and total lie from the DNC." Trump in a November 2018 tweet called Rohrabacher "a great Congressman for his district," who "works hard and is respected by all." Tweet Tweet WikiLeaks, in two tweets after Wednesday's hearing, seemed to confirm that a presidential pardon had been offered to Assange, but also said that the offer came 10 months "after Julian Assange had already independently stated that Russia was not the source of the DNC publication." WikiLeaks also said "the meeting and the offer were made prior to Assange's indictment." Tweet Tweet Rohrabacher did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the claims made by Assange's lawyers. Assange's attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Justice Department has said that Russian agents hacked emails from the DNC and from John Podesta, the campaign chairman for 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, in 2016.




Haiti - Security : The balance sheet of the fire of the orphanage, revised upwards





Jean-Marie Reynaldo Brunet the Minister of the Interior and Territorial Collectivities (MICT) says he is "extremely concerned" following the fire which largely ravaged the orphanage of the Church "Understanding the Bible" on February 13th, at Fermathe 57 (commune of Kenscoff) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30027-haiti-flash-fire-at-an-orphanage-15-children-died.html



Minister Brunet "is all the more dismayed by the scale of this drama which, tragically claimed the lives of 2 adults and 18 children, despite the deployment of the emergency services and the police, with the support of people living in the area who nevertheless helped avoid the worst."



Brunet informs that he has instructed his Directorate of Political Affairs and Human Rights to carry out an investigation "[...] in order to establish the responsibility of the staff and managers of this hosting center, which, according to initial information did not hold an operating permit [...]" He underlines that, in synergy with the competent State structures, the investigators will have to shed all the light "on the level of qualification of the staff and the standard of the installations of this Center." The authorities concerned will also have to establish the exact causes of the fire.



"In these difficult circumstances, Minister Brunet offers his sincere sympathies to the families of the victims of this fire who left us prematurely. He took the opportunity to urge all citizens to be more vigilant and above all to respect safety instructions, in order to avoid the repetition of such tragedies."



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30034-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30027-haiti-flash-fire-at-an-orphanage-15-children-died.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30026-haiti-news-zapping.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Container trucks at Vietnams Kim Thanh Border Gate No.2 with China in the northern province of Lao Cai on February 16, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

Foreign direct investment companies in Vietnam are facing bottlenecks in sourcing materials and parts from China due to Covid-19.

A spokesperson of Italy-headquartered Datalogic Vietnam, producing barcode readers and sensors, said it relies on daily and weekly imports of parts and materials from China. As the coronavirus outbreak limits border trade activities, its 400 staff might have to stop working to wait for imports.

Datalogic Vietnam is among a dozen FDI firms in Saigon Hi-Tech Park, including chipset maker Intel Vietnam and electrical equipment maker Schneider Electric Vietnam, to recently propose normalization of border trade activities between Vietnam and China.

Over 2,000 factories in HCMC are in need of machines, parts and materials from China for manufacturing, having failed to find an alternative market, said the proposal submitted to the government by Ho Chi Minh City Exports Processing and Industrial Zones Authority Business Association (HBA).

Cargo flights between both countries should be resumed to ensure manufacturing could continue, it said.

The worlds largest smartphone maker Samsung is also facing obstacles in Vietnam. With hundreds of containers carrying components from China stuck at the border, the companys sales could plummet by half this year if the situation continues, the Ministry of Planning and Investment reported earlier this month.

LG is also meeting difficulties in importing materials from China.

Other foreign companies have suspended plans to conduct market research in Vietnam, and existing investors could delay their capital increase into the country, the ministry stated.

Around 70 percent of respondents to a survey of U.S. firms in Vietnam stated Covid-19 could reduce revenues by 10 percent or less this year, according to a American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) survey.

Nearly 76 percent of German businesses in Vietnam have been directly impacted by the outbreak and expect damages to their business results, according to the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Vietnam.

Chief representative Takeo Nakajima of JETRO Hanoi said at a forum last week the outbreak could have negative impacts on Japanese business plans to expand across Vietnam in the next two years.

The challenges facing FDI firms could contribute to declining government revenue this year, the planning ministry estimates.

In case the outbreak is contained in Q2, government revenue could suffer a loss of VND42.3 trillion ($1.82 billion) due to dwindling trade value with China, it added.

Some companies are making moves to save business. Samsung has begun flying electronic components for its latest Galaxy phones from China to its factories in Vietnam as it grapples with sweeping supply chain disruptions caused by coronavirus, Financial Times reported.

Covid-19 has infected 16 people in Vietnam and killed 2,009 globally.
Hyderabad: The police has filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against the Telangana High Court order granting conditional bail to Nowhera Shaik, managing director of the Heera Group, against whom multiple cases had been registered for allegedly defrauding investors to the tune of Rs 5,600 crore by collecting deposits.

The High Court had granted conditional bail to Nowhera Shaik and transferred the ongoing investigation into the cases from the state police to the New Delhi-headquartered Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in December last year.

Sources told Deccan Chronicle that the SLP was filed mainly on two counts: Granting conditional bail to Nowhera Shaik, and transferring the case to the SFIO.

The contention of the state police is that SFIO does not have the mandate to investigate cases of this nature. Instead, the state police suggested that the Central Bureau of Investi-gation (CBI) would be the appropriate agency to deal with such cases which have national and international ramifications.

SFIO functions under the ministry of corporate affairs and is mandated to conduct multi-disciplinary investigations of major corporate frauds.

In their petition, the state police said that Nowhera Shaik was running a Ponzi-like scam by attracting huge deposits to the tune of Rs 5,600 crore from nearly two lakh people. The police said that Heera Group has close to 200 bank accounts through which the company was alleged to be carrying out shady details.

There were foreign currency deposits to the tune of Rs 250 crore and in all her business ventures, the company was said to be making profit of about 90 per cent.

The CBI is the appropriate agency to handle the case of this magnitude and not the SFIO as it is a complex case having multiple dimensions. A thorough investigation by CBI can uncover many more aspects related to the case, the state police said. It is learnt that more than 40 cases were registered against Shaik in different states.

During multiple interrogations by police of various states besides the Enforcement Directorate, Nowhera Shaik did not reveal anything about the alleged fraud. All through, investigators have been struggling to get more information of her properties abroad, particularly in the UAE and her bank accounts overseas.

In fact, though the Telangana state police was earlier mulling to hand over the case to CBI, the state government never formally wrote to the agency to take over the case, reportedly under pressure from some quarters.
President Donald Trump has signalled that a "big trade" deal might not be on the agenda during his visit to India next week, saying that he is saving "a very big" US-India deal for later.

"We can have a trade deal with India, but I am really saving the big deal for later, maybe before elections. But we will have a very big deal with India," Trump said while talking to reporters.

The US President will reach Gujarat's capital city of Ahmedabad by noon on February 24 and is slated to address a mammoth crowd of more than 100,000 people which is expected to turn up for an event at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on the lines of the 'Howdy Modi' function that was addressed by the US President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Houston in September last year.

Trump said that there would be seven million people between the airport and the stadium to welcome him.

"I happen to like PM Modi a lot. He told me we will have seven million people between the airport and the event. It's going to be the largest stadium in the It's going to be very exciting," said Trump.

The President is also likely to visit the Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati.

Later in the day he will arrive in New Delhi and is expected to hold talks. On Tuesday morning, the US President will first receive a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhawan as per protocol.

Prime minister Modi could then accompany the US leader to the Gandhi Ashram in Delhi (subjected to time availability if the Sabarmati ashram cannot be visited). The two leaders will then meet at the Hyderabad House and will lead official state meetings.

On Tuesday, President Trump will meet with executives of Indian companies -- with business interests in the United States during his visit to the capital -- at an event organized by the US embassy in New Delhi. The companies expected to be represented at the meeting include the Indian oil and gas company Reliance Industries, Tata Sons, Bharat Forge, Mahindra and Mahindra.

POTUS's visit will conclude with an early banquet dinner, following which he will depart for Washington.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Wednesday handed down death sentence and 300 years imprisonment to three terrorists of the banned Jamaat-ul-Ahrar for their involvement in the 2014 Wagah border bombing that killed over 60 people.

Wagah is a village located in Lahore, Pakistan's Punjab province and Attari in India's Punjab state along the Indo-Pak border.

Over 60 people, including women and children, were killed in the horrific suicide attack on November 2, 2014 at the Wagah border on the Pakistani side.

The responsibility for the attack was claimed separately by the outlawed Jundullah and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan's splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar.

"The Anti Terrorism Court in Lahore on Wednesday announced the verdict in the Wagah border bombings. It handed down death sentence to three suspects -- Haseebullah, Saeed Jan Ghana and Hussainullah -- on five counts and also gave them 300-year jail term and imposed a fine of Pakistani Rupee 1 million on each of them," a court official told PTI.

The court acquitted three other suspects giving them the benefit of doubt.

More than 100 prosecution witnesses testified against the accused during the trial that lasted more than five years.

The suspects were brought to the court amidst tight security.

The Jamaat-ul-Ahrar spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan had told Dawn on telephone from Afghanistan after the Wagah blast that it was carried out by one of their men.

Later, Ehsan was arrested by Pakistani security agencies but recently he managed to escape from their custody drawing criticism from the opposition parties.

At least 15 to 20 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the blast with some of the explosives in the attacker's suicide jacket and the remaining being carried by him.

The blast at the Wagah crossing was a high-profile target, with large crowds gathering every day to watch an elaborate flag-lowering ceremony as the border with India closes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
AURORA, Colo. (Feb. 19, 2020) - A novel, four-week parenting rotation designed for pediatric residents has dramatically increased the amount of time resident parents can spend at home with their babies, according to a study by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

The elective, created in 2010 by physicians at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, was set up to address the lack of maternity leave for doctors in residency programs, a time when many get pregnant.

The new study, published this week in the journal Academic Pediatrics, is the first to examine the results of the program.

"When we first created this elective, our residents had to take vacation days, about four weeks, if they wanted time off with their newborns," said the study's first author Dr. Melanie Cree-Green, MD, PhD, a pediatric endocrinologist and assistant professor at the CU School of Medicine. "Some took unpaid Family and Medical Leave combined with vacation time. For some, this meant not being able to pay back student loans. Others faced career setbacks."

Working with her father, Jonathan Cree, MD, MA, a family medicine residency program director, and fellow physicians at CU Anschutz, including Adam Rosenberg, MD, CU pediatric residency program director, Cree-Green created an at-home, non-core elective that turned the experience of parenting into a structured training experience for residents.

"When Melanie approached me about this, it seemed the right thing to do," said Rosenberg. "It was a win-win situation. Now our goal is to expand our efforts to insure all of our trainees 12 weeks of paid leave."

Cree-Green, who also works at the Center for Women's Health Research at CU Anschutz, said her aim was to increase paid time at home for new parents, "while capitalizing on the experience of parenting as a unique educational opportunity for residents."

The elective, approved by the pediatric residency curriculum committee, included the following: 1) reading five articles on neonatal subjects including rashes, circumcision, maternal depression and lactation. 2) Preparing a presentation for other pediatric residents on some aspect of pediatrics they learned as a parent. 3) Reviewing a popular parenting book. 4) Attending a well-child check, a breastfeeding consultation visit. 5) Writing an essay from the perspective of a parent on how such visits might change their approach as a physician.

All residents (mothers and partners) who had a new child, either biologic or adopted, could take the elective.

"We found that implementation of a parenting elective providing up to four weeks of paid time at home, significantly improved income and academic outcomes in pediatric residents, while markedly increasing resident time devoted to parenting," the study reported. "In mothers, the minimum time away from the hospital tripled and nearly all resident mothers had more than seven weeks at home."

Before the elective, none of the fathers or partners took more than a week at home and some took no leave at all. Afterward, 100% took leave with a mean time of four weeks. The extra time at home benefited the doctors in many ways including allowing for the establishment and maintenance of breastfeeding, important to fetal health. Shorter leave is associated with failing to establish and early cessation of breastfeeding.

Cree-Green said the program has been a clear success at a time when more and more women are entering medicine and the needs of their families are becoming more apparent. For years, she said, women physicians have lagged behind in maternal leave, salary equity and other areas.

"Physicians are trained to put the patient first," she said. "Physician wellness has always taken a back seat to that. It has never been a priority, but there is a growing consensus that it must be."

She has been asked by numerous other medical institutions to share the details of the elective. Pediatrics, she said, is just the beginning.

"I would like to see this elective expanded to other specialties like Ob/Gyn, psychiatry and family medicine," Cree-Green said. "In fact, I believe it should be explored in all types of residency to improve personal, financial and professional outcomes in medical trainees."

###

About the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a world-class medical destination at the forefront of transformative science, medicine, education, and patient care. The campus encompasses the University of Colorado health professional schools, more than 60 centers and institutes, and two nationally ranked hospitals that treat more than 2 million adult and pediatric patients each year. Innovative, interconnected and highly collaborative, together we deliver life-changing treatments, patient care, professional training, and conduct world-renowned research powered by more than $550 million in research awards. For more information, visit https://www.cuanschutz.edu/

Find the latest University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus news here.
Self, an Austin, Texas-based fintech startup offering people a solution to build their credit while also saving money, raised $20m in Series C financing.

The round was co-led by Altos Ventures and Conductive Ventures.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate growth by hiring additional members of the team and investing in marketing and product development to improve overall customer success.

Led by James Garvey, founder and CEO, Self is a fintech startup focused on enabling people to build credit and savings.

With more than 500,000 consumers and $400 million in CD-secured loan originations, the company has achieved growth in the past year by offering a solution for consumers to build credit through:

the Self Credit Builder Account and

the recently launched Self Visa Credit Card, a secured credit card that does not require a credit check and enables customers to build their security deposit in installments rather than having to make a large upfront deposit.

FinSMEs

19/02/2020
The plight of the cruise ship off Japan with more than 200 coronavirus infections and the shunning of another luxury liner 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.

Vietnam last week turned away two ships from docking, citing the need to prevent the virus from entering the country.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd cancelled 18 cruises in Southeast Asia on Thursday after calling off eight trips to China last week. It joined industry leader Carnival Corp 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," Royal Caribbean CEO Richard Fain said in a statement.

The flu-like virus has so far killed over 1,380 people with the total number of infections at more than 63,000, most of them in China where the outbreak originated.

Asia accounts for just some 10% of the global cruise industry, the Cruise Lines International Association says.

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 rejection of the MS Westerdam, which was turned away by five countries, will spill over to the entire industry.

"Cruise lines are scrambling as the situation unfolds, to cancel and move their floating resorts to safer destinations," cruise expert Stewart Chiron said.

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.

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 booked 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 rather in Greece, and its Asia itineraries from April through December 2020 have also been cancelled, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings 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 coronavirus 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.

"(Cruises) will offer aggressive prices to fill their new cruises and passengers will quickly respond," Chiron said.

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 arriving in Yokohama, Japan on Feb. 3, now has 218 cases among its 3,500 passengers and crew.
The project will cost EGP 1.5 billion and is expected to be completed in 3.5 years

A subsidiary of Talaat Moustafa Group Holding (TMGH) signed an agreement om Tuesday with the Egyptian General Company for Tourism and Hotels (EGOTH), affiliated to the Ministry of Public Enterprise, to establish and co-develop a Four Seasons Hotel in Luxor with a capacity of 200 rooms over an area of 21,000 square metres.

According to the agreement, the project will cost EGP 1.5 billion, financed by TMGH, and is expected to be completed in 3.5 years.

The agreement terms include EGOTH receiving seven percent of annual revenues, in addition to the ownership of the land.

Meanwhile, TMGH said it is currently building a hotel in Marsa Alam in cooperation with the Radisson Blue Group, with a capacity of 3,000 rooms.

TMGH is also to launch a mixed-use project on a revenue- share basis in the New Administrative Capital, similar to its project Celia.

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A federal judge last week ruled that a Christian professor was properly disciplined by an Ohio university when he refused to use the preferred pronouns of a biological male student who identifies as female.

Nicholas Meriwether, a philosophy professor at Shawnee State University in Ohio, filed suit in 2018 after the university placed a written warning in his personnel file for not calling a biological male student Miss and she  the students preferred title and pronoun.

His speech  the manner by which he addressed a transgender student  was not protected under the First Amendment, U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott wrote in a three-page opinion, accepting the recommendation of a magistrate to dismiss the case.

Meriwether, who is a professing evangelical Christian, argued in his initial complaint that calling a biological male Miss would violate his sincerely held religious beliefs that God created human beings as either male or female and that gender is fixed.

Meriwether often uses titles such as Mr. and Miss and phrases like yes, sir and yes, maam in class, believing it benefits dialogue and shows respect.

He was willing to use the students first or last name, but the student opposed this compromise and filed a complaint with the university.

The controversy began in January 2018 when Meriwether addressed the student as sir during class, according to the magistrates report. The student approached Meriwether after class and asked that he use feminine titles and pronouns in the future. When Meriwether responded that he wasnt sure he could follow the request, the student became threatening and said, Then I guess this means I can call you a c--t, the magistrate reported.

Alliance Defending Freedom is representing Meriwether.

Dr. Nicholas Meriwether remains committed to serving all students with respect, but he cannot express all messages or endorse all ideologies, ADF attorney Travis Barham said. When the university tried to force him to do this and then punished him for exercising his rights, it violated the First Amendment.

Dlott was nominated by President Clinton.

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Nito100

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
19.02.2020 LISTEN

The Former Deputy Minister, Murtala Muhammed has lashed out at the BBC over its refusal to avail themselves to the University of Ghana on the investigations bothering on sex for grades.

According to the former minister, the BBC did not make themselves available for cross-examination on the said matter.

He said the issue based on the disclosure done by the BBC, was done internationally to question the integrity of the individuals involved and to question the integrity of the university, if not on what basis did the BBC refuse to cooperate.

Murtala was speaking on Good Morning Ghana show on METRO TV.

He was reacting to the suspension of Prof. Ransford Gyampo and Dr. Paul Butakor who were both implicated in the documentary.

The University of Ghana in its bid to close the investigation of the BBCs Sex for Grades documentary in a statement suspended the two lecturers.

The former minister expressed disappointment at the attitude exhibited by the BBC saying it was nothing short of to arrogance and the disrespect the Western media have for the institution.

He further stated If you have evidence that those lectures were engaged in something, you come forward because you went out there internationally, you subjected those individuals to international embarrassment, subjected their family and kids to ridicule, subjected the entire university and in fact the whole state, Ghana

Murtala Muhammed felt the BBCs publication on Sex for Grades documentary was because they were with a conviction that the evidence for which reason was publicized was quite incriminating enough.

His question then to BBC was why they would arrogantly refuse to make themselves available to the university. However, he believes there can only be one or two reasons either they dont believe the evidence they had or there is something else.
Islamabad British parliamentarian Debbie Abrahams, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Kashmir Group (APPKG) in the British House of Commons, accused New Delhi on Wednesday of not responding to the worlds concern on alleged human rights abuses in the valley.

At a joint press conference with Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Islamabad, Abrahams welcomed Pakistans stance of having a third UN report issued on human rights violations along both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), adding that it showed the openness of the approach taken by Islamabad.

I hope India will reciprocate as well, she said.

India denied her entry when she arrived in New Delhi on Monday, on what she said was a private visit after revoking her e-visa for engaging in activities against Indias national interest.

Indias move in August to divest Jammu and Kashmir of its special status under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcate the erstwhile state into two Union territories has been criticised by some Western parliamentarians. The moves were accompanied by a security lockdown and the preventive detention of many politicians in the region.

A delegation of the APPKG, a group of parliamentarians from the United Kingdom led by Abrahams, was scheduled to visit both sides of the LoC to evaluate the human rights situation in the region.

When we were planning this trip, we wanted to make sure that the delegation visited both India and Jammu & Kashmir and had access in the same way we have been facilitated by the Pakistani government, said Abrahams, adding: But I have had no responses to my requests for a delegation to go to Jammu & Kashmir [on Indias side]. I hope India will take the opportunity to reflect on Pakistans approach to addressing the issues that it has faced in different parts of the country and how they are responding to the report from the UN [...] and take the opportunity to become more open [] We are an independent group, we are not anti-India or pro-Pakistan, we are pro-human rights.

Abrahams said: We [the group] had a very full and frank discussion with the foreign minister. I am very grateful to him and to the Pakistani government for facilitating this independent trip of the group from the UK parliament.

We sought to visit Pakistan and Azad Kashmir so that we could understand in more detail about what was happening and to speak with people there. We also sought to visit India and Jammu and Kashmir, but unfortunately that hasnt happened. Hopefully it will happen in the future, she said.

The Pakistan foreign minister said the Kashmir issue was not an internal matter as had been claimed by the Indian government.

It was answered very well by UN secretary general Antonio Guterres [during his visit to Pakistan] when he categorically said that the Security Council resolutions are as relevant now as they used to be before, Qureshi said in response to a question.
BullGuard-commissioned research reveals small to medium businesses in the UK and US are at increased risk of data breach and cyber attack -- and 43% of SMBs have no cybersecurity defense plan in place

LONDON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- New research commissioned by and published today by cybersecurity company, BullGuard , revealed an alarming number of small businesses in the UK and US are not prepared for a potential cyber attack or breach. One-third of companies with 50 or fewer employees report using free, consumer-grade cybersecurity, and one in five companies use no endpoint security whatsoever. Additionally, the study found 43% of SMB owners have no cybersecurity defense plan in place at all - leaving their most sensitive financial, customer and business data, and ultimately their companies, at significant risk.

"Small businesses are not immune to cyber attacks and data breaches and are often targeted specifically because they often fail to prioritize security," said Paul Lipman, CEO of BullGuard. "Caught between inadequate consumer solutions and overly complex enterprise software, many small business owners may be inclined to skip cybersecurity. It only takes one attack, however, to bring a business to its knees."

The study also revealed some glaring discrepancies between what SMB owners believe versus what is actually occurring in the market. Nearly 60% of SMB owners believe their business is unlikely to be targeted by cyber criminals, however the results revealed that 18.5% of SMB owners have suffered from a cyber attack or data breach within the past year. Unfortunately, while securing data can be simple, remediation is not. Companies that fall victim to a cyber attack often experience significant downtime that seriously impacts productivity, data privacy, and even revenue. Once breached, 25% of SMB owners stated they had to spend $10,000 or more to resolve the attack, which could be devastating for a small company. As for time lost, 50% of SMB owners said it took 24 hours or longer to recover from a breach or cyber attack, while 25% reported they lost business as a result, and almost 40% stated they lost crucial data.

Despite these numbers, many SMB owners are overly confident in the safety of their company and customer data. One in five SMB owners surveyed stated their organization has zero vulnerabilities, however 50% of SMB owners stated their employees do not receive any cybersecurity training.

A significant number, 65%, of SMB owners report managing their cybersecurity in-house, but less than 10% say they have a dedicated IT staff member. The right solution makes it simple and extremely cost-effective for SMBs to manage their own cybersecurity, ensuring their business is secure and protected.

Conducted in January 2020, the BullGuard-commissioned survey queried a total of 3,083 small business owners in the UK (1,532) and the US (1,551) with 50 employees or less.

About BullGuard

BullGuard is an award-winning cybersecurity company focused on providing the consumer and small business markets with the confidence to use the internet in absolute safety. We make it simple for users to protect their data, identity and privacy - at home, in the office and on the go. The BullGuard product portfolio extends to PC, Mac, tablet and smartphone protection, and features a comprehensive product suite, including internet security, mobile security, identity protection, an easy-to-use VPN with military-grade encryption and BullGuard Small Office Security, a dedicated, cloud-managed endpoint service designed specifically for small offices. BullGuard released the world's first IoT vulnerability scanner, real-time Home Network Scanner and unique Game Booster delivering the most secure and optimized gaming experience for PC Gamers. Today, BullGuard continues to lead the cybersecurity industry in providing innovations. All BullGuard customers enjoy expert live 24/7 customer support and a no-logs policy.

Follow us on Twitter @BullGuard , like us on Facebook at BullGuard , or learn more at https://www.bullguard.com .

All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Infographic - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1092368/BullGuard_SMB_Cybersecurity_Survey_Infographic.jpg
British MP Debbie Abrahams met with Pakistan PM Imran Khan after holding a press brief with the country's Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Islamabad. The British delegation of All-Party Parliamentary Kashmir Group in the UK Parliament, led by Debbie Abrahams met with Imran Khan to discuss the situation in Kashmir, following the abrogation of Article 370 last year in August.

Earlier on Tuesday, Abrahams, after being denied entry into India, landed in Pakistan on Wednesday and said that she was not 'anti-India or pro-Pakistan' but wanted to 'assess' the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Sitting next to Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the British MP heaped praises for the country. Debbie Abrahams, the chairperson for All Parties Parliamentary Group on Kashmir claimed that the organisation was independent and was not 'pro-Pakistan or anti-India.' She further lauded Pakistan for showing an 'open approach' towards resolving the conflict of Kashmir.

READ| Deported British MP Debbie Abrahams not aware of visa cancellation; will go to Pakistan

She said, "We wanted to make sure that the delegation visits Jammu and Kashmir. I have gotten no responses for my requests for a delegation visit to Jammu and Kashmir by India. Pakistan has shown an open approach towards resolving the Kashmir issue." "We are an independent group, we are not anti-India or pro-Pakistan, we are pro-human rights." The British politician further added, "If there is nothing to hide then please India allow us to visit Kashmir so we can see the ground ourselves. Its not the first time they denied entry."

Debbie Abrahams' visa revoked

The government cited the 'sovereign right of any country' on grounds for rejecting Labour MP Debbie Abrahams's entry into India on Monday. Responding to media reports, sources of the BJP-led government further added that Debbie Abrahams' visa was revoked for indulging in activities against 'India's national interest.' Similarly, the Home Ministry on Tuesday claimed that the proposed process was following in handling the case of the British MP's deportation.

Representing the constituency of Oldham East and Saddleworth since January 2011, Abrahams is the Chair of the British Parliaments All-Party Parliamentary Kashmir Group. As per the website, its purpose is to support the right of Kashmiri people to self-determination and to highlight the abuses of human rights in Kashmir. After the abrogation of Article 370, she wrote to UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab asking whether UK would raise the matter at the UN Security Council meeting in September 2019.

On February 4, 2020, she participated in the Kashmir Solidarity Day seminar in London. The event also witnessed the participation of Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, the Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK and Sardar Masood Khan, the President of PoK. The seminar was organised by the Women Council of Jammu Kashmir Self-Determination Movement International.

READ| UK MP Debbie Abrahams issues statement on deportation from India; claims victimisation
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia on Tuesday condemned U.S. sanctions on a subsidiary of Russian state oil major Rosneft over Venezuela, saying they amounted to unfair competition and would not deter it from continuing to work with Caracas.

Russia's Foreign Ministry was commenting after the United States tightened financial restrictions on Venezuela, blacklisting a Rosneft subsidiary that President Donald Trump's administration has said provides a lifeline to President Nicolas Maduro's government.

The Foreign Ministry said the move would further damage already poor U.S.-Russia relations and undermine global free trade.

(Reporting by Polina Devitt; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Patagonia Gold Corp. (Patagonia or the Company) (TSXV: PGDC) announces that it has received approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) of its Notice of Intention to Make a Normal Course Issuer Bid (the NCIB). Under the NCIB, the Company may purchase for cancellation up to 15,897,199 common shares (the Shares) (representing approximately 5% of its 317,943,990 issued and outstanding common shares as of February 17, 2020) over a twelve month period commencing on February 21, 2020. The NCIB will expire no later than February 20, 2021.

Patagonia believes that from time to time, the market price of its common shares may not reflect their underlying value and that the purchase of its common shares may represent an appropriate and desirable use of corporate funds. The Company intends to fund the purchases out of available cash.

All purchases made pursuant to the NCIB will be made through the facilities of the TSXV. The NCIB will be made in accordance with the applicable rules and policies of the TSXV and applicable Canadian securities laws. Under the NCIB, Shares may be repurchased in open market transactions on the TSXV, in privately negotiated transactions or by such other means as may be permitted by the TSXV and applicable Canadian securities laws. The price that Patagonia will pay for Shares in open market transactions will be the market price at the time of purchase. Any Shares that are purchased under the NCIB will be cancelled. The actual number of Shares that may be purchased and the timing of such purchases will be determined by the Company. Decisions regarding purchases will be based on market conditions, share price, best use of available cash, and other factors.

Patagonia has appointed Canaccord Genuity Corp. to make purchases under the NCIB on its own behalf.

About Patagonia Gold

Patagonia Gold Corp. is a mining and development company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company seeks to grow shareholder value through exploration and development of gold and silver projects in the Patagonia region of Argentina. The Company is primarily focused on the Calcatreu project in Rio Negro and the development of the Cap-Oeste underground project. Patagonia, indirectly through its subsidiaries or under option agreements, has mineral rights to over 350 properties in several provinces of Argentina and Chile and is one of the largest landholders in the Province of Santa Cruz, Argentina.

For more information, please contact:

Dean Stuart

T: 403 617 7609

E: dean@boardmarker.net

Christopher van Tienhoven, Chief Executive Officer

Patagonia Gold Corp

T: +54 11 5278 6950

E: cvantienhoven@patagoniagold.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements about the Companys focus on growing shareholder value and the development of the Cap Oeste underground project, the commencement of the Calcatreu feasibility study, advancement of the Calcatreu project, the commencement of the proposed NCIB, the acquisition of Shares pursuant to the NCIB and the Companys future plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as may, will, should, could, expect, plan, intend, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict or potential or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect managements current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.

Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward- looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

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.
Photo: iStock

Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Philadelphia.

'Philly Jesus' kicked out of Archbishop's installation Mass

A man who calls himself Philly Jesus was kicked out of the installation Mass for new Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Perez at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on Tuesday.



Read the full story on CBS Philly.

Mom, daughter plead not guilty to slaying 5 close relatives

A mother and her adult daughter have pleaded not guilty to killing five of their close relatives, including three children, at an apartment outside Philadelphia.

Read the full story on ABC World News Tonight with David Muir.

Man shoots, kills himself in Center City barricade situation

Authorities said a man died by suicide inside a high-rise apartment building on Tuesday afternoon, prompting a large police presence in Center City.

Read the full story on 6abc Action News.

2 arrested in connection with 16 robberies of casino customers, employees

Police say Perry Kellam and Tyrone Tarpley targeted both customers and workers after they left Rivers Casino in Fishtown.

Read the full story on CBS Philly.

Suspect arrested in double stabbing near Chickie's & Pete's

Police have arrested a suspect in connection with a double stabbing near Chickie's and Pete's in South Philadelphia last week.

Read the full story on ABC Philadelphia, WPVI.

This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Ilhama Isabalayeva  Trend:

The number of people who came from Belarus to Azerbaijan increased by 14.2 percent in 2019 compared to 2018, amounting to 14,841 people, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijans State Tourism Agency on Feb. 19.

A source in the agency said that Azerbaijan's tourism potential was presented to 25 Belarusian tourism companies at the Travel Connections Minsk event held in Minsk, Belarus' capital, on February 18.

The presence of Minsk-Baku direct flights, the application of a visa-free regime, the absence of a language barrier, contributing to an increase in the number of tourists was emphasized at the event.
A teenager was shot and killed outside a Channelview home Tuesday night.

The victim, identified as 17-year-old Tristan Jones, was near the 1200 block of Baja Vista Way around 9 p.m. when he was shot several times, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. What led to the gunfire is not clear.

MORE FROM JAY R. JORDAN: Pickup driver impaled after hitting deer, survives to call 911

He was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition and pronounced dead early Wednesday, Gonzalez said.

Hes a young man, Gonzalez said. Its a very sad situation when we see this happen.

Subscribers: Gun safety group plans to pour $8 million into Texas races

Detectives believe at least two suspects are involved, although detailed descriptions for the pair were not immediately available.

Anyone with information is urged to call Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com
A court in Ahmedabad on



Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant against Congress leader Hardik Patel for remaining absent during the hearing of a case against him in connection with a rally held here in 2017 without police permission.

A magisterial court rejected the plea moved by Patel's lawyer to exempt him from appearance and issued an arrest warrant against him.

Judicial Magistrate First Class T A Bhadja issued a non-bailable warrant against him after his lawyer moved an application on Wednesday.

He had sought exemption from appearance during the hearing held last week.

The case pertains to December 2017 when Patel and his supporters took out a roadshow on the city outskirts without police permission.

An FIR was registered against him under section 188 of the IPC (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant).

The rally was taken out days before the Gujarat Assembly election.

On February 17, the Gujarat High Court had rejected Patel's anticipatory bail plea in an unlawful assembly case registered in connection with the 2015 Patidar stir for quota for the community in government jobs and educational institutions.

Patel was earlier arrested on January for failing to appear before a trial court here in a 2015 sedition case, hours after a warrant was issued against him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three terrorists were killed after a brief encounter between with a joint team of security forces in Tral of Pulwama district on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday during a cordon operation which was laid down to search for militants hiding in the area.

The operation started at around 12.30 past midnight and was over by one o'clock, the encounter lasted only for 30 minutes.

Troops of 42 Rashtriya Rifles,180 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force and officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Police were conducting the cordon and search operation when the terrorists fired upon the search party.

Confirming the encounter, Kashmir Zone Police in a tweet said, "Awantipora: Police killed 3 terrorists in an encounter at Tral. Further details shall follow."

#Awantipora: Police killed 03 terrorists in an #encounter at Tral. Further details shall follow. @JmuKmrPolice  Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) February 18, 2020

The terrorists were affiliated with (AUGH) Ansar-ul Ghazwat-ul-Hind militant outfit. They have been identified as Jehangeer Ahmad Wani, Raju Umar and Uzair Amin Bhat.

IG Vijay Kumar of Jammu and Kashmir Police said, "Three bodies have been recovered and arms and ammunition have also been recovered from the encounter site."

The troops also recovered one AK-47 with 2 mags, one AK-56 with 2 mags, one Pistol and two hand grenades from the encounter site.

The operation has been closed and the process of handing over the bodies to the family is being completed. The death of these terrorists has given a major blow to militants in Tral while the security forces consider it a great success.
VANCOUVER, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - TELUS Corporation ("TELUS" or the "Company") (TSX-T, NYSE-TU) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with a syndicate of underwriters led by RBC Capital Markets and TD Securities Inc., together with CIBC Capital Markets, BMO Capital Markets and Scotiabank as joint bookrunners (collectively, the "Underwriters"), pursuant to which the Underwriters have agreed to purchase from TELUS, on a bought deal basis, and sell to the public, 25,000,000 common shares of TELUS (the "Common Shares") at a price of C$52.00 per Common Share (the "Offering Price") for gross proceeds of approximately C$1.3 billion (the "Offering").

TELUS has granted the Underwriters an over-allotment option, exercisable in whole or in part for a period of 30 days following the closing of the Offering, to purchase up to an additional 3,750,000 Common Shares at the Offering Price (7,500,000 additional Common Shares at a price of C$26.00 per Common Share if the over-allotment is exercised or closed on or after March 17, 2020, which is the effective date for the two-for-one share split announced by TELUS on February 13, 2020). If the over-allotment option is exercised in full, the gross offering size would increase to approximately C$1.5 billion.

TELUS intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for general corporate purposes including funding growth opportunities, capital expenditures and the reduction of indebtedness.

In respect of the Offering, a prospectus supplement (the "Prospectus Supplement") to the Company's Canadian base shelf prospectus (the "Base Prospectus") dated July 19, 2019 will be filed in Canada with applicable securities regulatory authorities, as well as in the United States with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the Company's U.S. registration statement on Form F-10 which became effective on July 19, 2019.

Completion of the Offering is subject to customary conditions and the receipt of all necessary stock exchange approvals, including the approvals of the TSX and the NYSE. Closing is expected to occur on or about February 26, 2020.

This media release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the Common Shares, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

Prospective investors should read the Base Prospectus, Prospectus Supplement and the documents incorporated by reference therein before investing in the Common Shares. These documents may be accessed for free by visiting SEDAR at sedar.com or EDGAR at sec.gov. Alternatively, TELUS, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the Offering will arrange to send you the prospectus or you may request it in Canada from RBC Dominion Securities Inc., 180 Wellington Street West, 8th Floor, Toronto, ON M5J 0C2, Attention: Distribution Centre, Phone: (416) 842-5349, Email: [email protected] or from TD Securities Inc., Attn: Symcor, NPM, (tel: 289-360-2009, email: [email protected]) 1625 Tech Avenue, Mississauga, Ontario, L4W 5P5, or in the United States from RBC Capital Markets, LLC, 200 Vesey Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10281-8098, Attention: Equity Syndicate, Phone: 877-822-4089, Email: [email protected] or from TD Securities (USA) LLC, 31 W 52nd Street, New York, NY 10019, phone: 212-827-7392.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains statements about future events and plans of TELUS that are forward-looking, including the anticipated closing date of the Offering, the filing of the Prospectus Supplement, and the exercise of the over-allotment option granted to the Underwriters, and the amount and intended use of the net proceeds of the Offering that are forward-looking. By their nature, forward-looking statements require us to make assumptions and predictions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. There is significant risk that the forward-looking statements will not prove to be accurate. The timing and closing of the above-mentioned offering are subject to customary closing conditions and other risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a number of factors could cause actual future performance and events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, this news release is subject to the disclaimer and qualified by the assumptions, qualifications and risk factors referred to in the Company's management discussion and analysis for the year-ended December 31, 2019, and in other TELUS public disclosure documents and filings with securities commissions in Canada (on SEDAR at sedar.com) and in the United States with the SEC (on EDGAR at sec.gov). The forward-looking statements contained in this news release describe our expectations at the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Except as required by law, TELUS disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX:T,NYSE:TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications and information technology company with C$14.7 billion in annual revenue and 15.2 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video and security. We leverage our global-leading technology to enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. TELUS Health is Canada's largest healthcare IT provider, and TELUS International delivers the most innovative business process solutions to some of the world's most established brands.

SOURCE TELUS
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- This Saturday  February 22  marks the fourth annual Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day ("Valve Disease Day"), a day dedicated to spotlighting the importance of detecting and treating heart valve disease. Countless heart valve patients, advocates, and international organizations are hosting events and activities, and coordinating outreach efforts, with the goal of educating their communities about the importance of knowing their risk factors and symptoms, and seeing a healthcare professional regularly to listen to their heart. The 75 partners of the official Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day campaign, spearheaded by the Alliance for Aging Research (the "Alliance"), are joined by advocates who are sharing their stories and voices to amplify the messages of this campaign.

Heart valve disease involves damage to one or more of the heart's four valves. Heart valve disease can be there at birth, or develop from damage later in life from calcification, radiation to the chest, other heart diseases and conditions, or infection. It is estimated that as many as 11 million Americans have heart valve disease and each year, more than 25,000 people in the United States die from the disease. Fortunately, heart valve disease can usually be successfully treated with valve repair and replacement in patients of all ages. However, a recent survey found that three out of four knew little to nothing about the disease. To combat this lack of knowledge and in hopes of building awareness across the nation, the Alliance for Aging Research started the Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day campaign in 2017.

Every year, Valve Disease Day falls within both Black History Month and American Heart Month. The latter is an initiative created to bring awareness to the nationwide problem of heart and blood vessel diseases, and heart disease disproportionately impacts black communitiesmaking a shared month a great opportunity.

African American adults experience risk factors for heart valve disease at earlier ages than whites. For example, 59 percent of African American men and 56 percent of African American women have high blood pressure. Chronic high blood pressure increases the likelihood of heart failure, a primary risk factor for heart valve disease, and African Americans develop heart failure before the age of 50 at 20 times the rate of whites.

"While some types of heart valve disease are not serious, others can lead to major complications, including death," said Susan Peschin, President and CEO of the Alliance for Aging Research. "And despite the millions of Americans affected by it, data shows that three in four adults know little to nothing about heart valve disease. Early diagnosis and intervention are key. This year, we are delighted to partner with The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce to bring a platform to communities of color who may experience differences in detection and access to available heart valve disease treatments."

To kick off the official Valve Disease Day activities, the Alliance and The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce are hosting a public community educational health event. The event will feature free health screenings and interactive exercise demonstrations, as well as a 1-hour educational program featuring healthcare experts, patient advocacy organizations, and community leaders from: The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce; Association of Black Cardiologists; WebMD; and the Alliance for Aging Research.

The event will be streamed live on the Valve Disease Day Facebook page starting at 11 a.m. EST so anyone interested in attending can join virtually.

"When we learned that too many Americans had never heard of heart valve disease, we decided that something had to be done to spread the word--including for those of color in our communities who are disproportionately impacted by lack of access to proper diagnosis and treatment," said Lloyd Williams, President and CEO of The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to the official flagship event, Valve Disease Day activities include:

A blog carnival on Tuesday, February 18 which featured the personal stories and experiences of valve disease day patients and advocacy organizations.

which featured the personal stories and experiences of valve disease day patients and advocacy organizations. An official #ValveDiseaseDay Twitter chat today, Wednesday, February 19 , from 1-2 p.m. EST . Participants will include the Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day partners from across the nation, heart valve disease patients and advocates, heart valve disease experts and medical providers, and more.

, from . Participants will include the Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day partners from across the nation, heart valve disease patients and advocates, heart valve disease experts and medical providers, and more. A live Facebook Q&A on Friday, February 21 at 1 p.m. EST during which experts will discuss heart valve disease symptoms, risks, detection, treatment, and the official Valve Disease Day campaign. Experts featured will be:

at during which experts will discuss heart valve disease symptoms, risks, detection, treatment, and the official Valve Disease Day campaign. Experts featured will be: John Whyte , M.D., MPH, Chief Medical Officer, WebMD

, M.D., MPH, Chief Medical Officer, WebMD

Susan Peschin , MHS, President and CEO, Alliance for Aging Research

, MHS, President and CEO, Alliance for Aging Research A wide range of local awareness events and outreach activities led by Valve Disease Day partners, including social media, newsletters, blogs, media interviews, health fairs, lectures, and more. To find an event near you, visit www.ValveDiseaseDay.org/events.

"It is critically important to empower patients through education and knowledge. This way they can make informed decisions about their care," said John Whyte, M.D., MPH, Chief Medical Officer, WebMD. "Although public awareness of heart valve disease is low, the efforts taken by heart valve disease patients, advocates, and the organizations participating in the annual Valve Disease Day are making important strides in educating the public about their risk factors, the importance of listening to their heart, and available treatment options."

Learn more about the Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day events and awareness activities by following the #ValveDiseaseDay hashtag. More information about the campaign can be found at www.ValveDiseaseDay.org.

The Alliance for Aging Research is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the pace of scientific discoveries and their application to vastly improve the universal human experience of aging and health. The Alliance was founded in 1986 in Washington, D.C., and has since become a valued advocacy organization and a respected influential voice with policymakers. For more information, visit www.agingresearch.org.

Media Contact:

Lauren Smith

Alliance for Aging Research

[email protected]

(202) 688-1229 office

(240) 498-8123 cell

SOURCE Alliance for Aging Research

Related Links

www.agingresearch.org


Richard Malikongwa, a seasoned Human Resource and Corporate guru who serves as IDM Regional Director and Chief Executive, was bestowed with the highest award of the World HRD Congress of Chief Executive Officer with Human Resource Orientation, while Botswana Country Director, Dr Onalenna Seitio-Kgokgwe received the Women Super Achiever Award from World Women Leadership Congress.

The awards were conferred in Mumbai ,India this week. Dr Seitio-Kgokgwe is also a recipient of the 2018/2019 Global CEO Africas Most Influential Women in Business and Government Awards.The two Executives are commended for steering transformation at IDM and taking the Institution to higher levels as evidenced by amongst others; the Institutes exponential growth and deliberate focus on people, since assuming their roles in 2016.

Chairperson of the Institute of Development Management, Governing Body and Director of Public Service Management Ms. Naledi Mosalakatane has commended the duo for the achievement. Mosalakatane says IDM Board and Staff are proud of their sterling job of steering IDM to greater heights, further delivering excellent results.

According to the Founder of World Sustainability Congress, Dr R. Bhatia, the CEO with HR Orientation is the highest accolade which recognizes a Chief Executive in the global scene who employs the right combination of interventions to drive business performance, who is authentic and people oriented, and aligns his diverse teams to achieve solid business results on sustainable basis.

On the other hand, Women Super Achievers award is a reflection of professional achievement by women of the world who set a big example for transformation and change. The award celebrates the most respected and much sought-after Women Leaders in the industry who contribute immensely to the field of Women Platform, as well as nurturing talent, having trained several young people to grow in their profession.

The World HRD Congress is a global event which attracts thousands of international professionals from over 100 countries around the world.
Australia needs a national teacher recruitment strategy. It is just plain strange that we dont already have one; most countries do. Lord Kitcheners famous poster-line  "Your country needs you!"  springs to mind because this drive has to have the same sense of urgency as any wartime campaign.

Australia is a long way from international benchmark standards, which suggest all teachers should be recruited from the top 30 per cent of their age cohort, equivalent to an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank above 80.

How to guarantee high-quality teachers?

My new report, The Profession at Risk  Trends in Standards for Admission to Teaching Degrees, makes it clear that many students are entering teacher education ill-prepared and with little prospect of completing their degree. Teacher education is taking in record numbers of students, yet only one in two who started in 2012 went on to finish their degree within six years. Completion rates are even lower for those studying in rapidly growing online programs, and for those with a low ATAR.

Transparency on academic standards is poor. Of those entering undergraduate programs via secondary education, almost 60 per cent come from below the 50th percentile (the bottom 25 per cent of their age group) or without their ATAR being recorded.
NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / EnerDynamic Hybrid Technologies Corp. (TSXV:EHT) ("EHT") is pleased to provide an update on its Ghana UNOPS Solar Contract.

As we previously announced, we scheduled a meeting on our last trip to Ghana with SHS Sustainable Housing ("SHS"), which is partnered with the UNOPS for the 100,000-housing project in Ghana. At the meeting with the SHS Director, we discussed the contract we have with the Ministry of Housing and our Enertec Solar Solution that will be utilized and the benefit thereof to SHS.

While the UNOPS project is running about 8 months behind schedule, since the first site chosen did not meet all the requirements and a new site had to be secured, both SHS and EHT agreed that now is the time to initiate the process to have EHT be officially included on the SHS project list of suppliers. Since EHT CEO's return from Ghana, we have now assembled and filed all the documents required by the UNOPS program with SHS for EHT to become a supplier to the project and receive all the final drawings required to supply the ENERTEC Solar System thereto.

We anticipate we will have all the requisite housing drawings etc. in the next few weeks and will then be in a position to move forward with the contract to start the necessary supply in Q4 of 2020. We will continue to update the market as we move forward with this order.

The UNOPS order is part of the Government of Ghana's Building of Social Green Housing initiative that is at the forefront of the Government's Solar program and one of its priority governmental infrastructure projects.

John Gamble, CEO of EHT, commented that "We are pleased to move this project ahead, as we know projects in other countries take longer than originally planned. EHT is well positioned now in Ghana to move ahead with this and our other projects and will continue to look for other opportunities there as they present themselves."

About EnerDynamic Hybrid Technologies

EHT delivers proprietary, turn-key energy solutions which are intelligent, bankable and sustainable. EHT's expertise includes the development of its ENERTEC module structures with full integration of smart energy solutions. Using a proprietary skin and foam core that is stronger than traditional wood or steel structural insulated panels, EHT provides exceptional thermal energy efficiency in modular homes, cold storage facilities, residential/commercial out buildings and emergency/temporary shelters. EHT works with its partners worldwide to erect the buildings on-site utilizing EHT staff and local crews. In addition to traditional support to established electrical networks, ENERTEC buildings excel where no electrical grid exists.

About ENERTEC

The EHT advanced ENERTEC Modular Wall and Roof System uses a proprietary skin and foam core that is stronger and more energy efficient than traditional wood or steel structures providing the highest ratings for energy efficiency. EHT works with its partners worldwide to erect the buildings on-site utilizing EHT staff and local crews. After installation, each structure can be furnished and finished to meet the customer's requirements including siding, tile, kitchens and bathrooms or segregated commercial rooms. The finished wall product can be shipped on pallets and delivered via rail, truck or water in standard formats.

At the core of the ENERTEC product line is the ENERTEC Embedded Solar Roof Module. Solar cells can be embedded in a proprietary fire proof skin resulting in substantial cost savings by eliminating heavy glass panels and aluminum racking required for traditional solar panels. Two barriers to greater adoption of solar energy are weight limitations of the roof on which solar panels could be deployed and onerous shipping and labour costs. A lighter product at a better price point will open a larger market for solar due to the faster return of capital investment especially for rural and remote users looking to go off-grid. Furthermore, the entire EHT embedded solar roof becomes a massive solar panel capable of producing significantly more energy than the home requires, allowing the structure to then become an important source of power for the local micro grid or large battery storage systems.

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 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.

The statements herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information relating to sales of the products (the "Opportunities") involves risk, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, for the Opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although EHT believes that the assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking information on the Opportunities outlined in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. EHT disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

John Gamble

Director

(289) 488-1699

jgamble@ehthybrid.com

info@ehthybrid.com

Website: www.ehthybrid.com

SOURCE: EnerDynamic Hybrid Technologies Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/576929/EnerDynamic-Updates-Ghana-UNOPS-Solar-Project
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday (February 19) announced 50 per cent subsidy for 'ulemas' to buy two-wheelers and also hiked their pension from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000, during the Budget Session of the state Assembly.

Palaniswami also announced that Rs 15 crore fund would be allotted for Haj house.

The Chief Minister further said that his government will celebrate former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa`s birthday as `State Women Children Protection Day` on February 24. In the state Assembly, the Chief Minister said, "Our state government will celebrate former CM J Jayalalithaa`s birthday on February 24 as State Women Children Protection Day, as she had worked for women and children and had launched many schemes for them."

Jayalalithaa, popularly known as `Amma`, breathed her last on December 5, 2016, at Chennai`s Apollo hospital.

On Tuesday, Palaniswami accused the DMK of deceiving the people over the CAA and dared it to explain "which minority" community has been affected by the law in the state.

Making an intervention in the state assembly when a DMK member batted for a House resolution opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the Chief Minister slammed the principal opposition party and said it was deceiving the people on the issue.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly, debating the 2020-21 budget, witnessed exchanges over the controversial law even as protests by Muslims against it continued for the fifth day at Old Washermanpet in Chennai.
Submitted to the Tribune

PORT AUSTIN -- The Blue Star Mothers Thumb Chapter MI 178 January fundraiser dinner at Port Austin American Legion Post 499 was attended by many of the local community members. The proceeds will help the Moms continue their mission of helping our Troops and Veterans.
A US think tank report on Turkeys foreign policy has caused controversy in the country after it suggested a new military coup attempt was plausible and that the Turkish defence minister was extremely close to the US military, Middle East Eye writes in the article US think tank report ignites concerns over new military coup in Turkey. Released last month, the report by the RAND Corporation for the US army alleges that the Turkish governments decision to expel hundreds of officers after a failed coup attempt in 2016 caused huge discontent in the Turkish military. Mid-level officers are reported to be extremely frustrated with the military leadership and concerned about being removed in the continuing post-coup purges, the report said.

This discontent could even lead to another coup attempt at some point, and [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan appears to take the threat seriously. Police still routinely carry out raids targeting coup suspects, with Turkish prosecutors ordering the arrest of nearly 700 people, including military and justice ministry personnel, on Tuesday.

Since the reports release, several officials have deliberated in closed-door meetings on the possibility of such a coup, but the overwhelming feeling in Ankara was that it was just a rumour, nothing more. Hasan Basri Yalcin, an academic columnist at Turkey's Sabah newspaper, wrote on Monday that everyone needed to take the report seriously because Rand was working directly for the US Defense Department. No one should look at this issue as a conspiracy theory, he said. If you dont see how all of these are finely scripted and coordinated from one single centre, I have nothing to add. Dont get surprised if a coup attempt emerges.

Yusuf Kaplan, a conservative writer at Turkey's Yeni Safak newspaper, predicted on Monday that instead of being undertaken by followers of the Pennsylvania-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, the next coup would be perpetrated by Kemalist and secularist groups within the military. Gulen is accused of masterminding the coup on 15 July 2016, a charge he denies. Kemalists uphold the values of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who founded the secularist Turkish republic and was the country's first president.

Erdogan, too, delved into the issue over the weekend. Without directly talking about the report, the president said that the Turkish peoples resistance to the 2016 coup attempt should be a lesson for everyone. Our people have earned a great and serious experience, he told journalists accompanying him on a visit to Pakistan on Saturday. Next time they won't even question whether to go out [to resist]. Everyone will pour out to the squares.

In a speech at a party event on Sunday, Erdogan pointed out that his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) had the highest number of members in Turkey with 10 million people. Ferhat Unlu, a government-aligned writer, said on Twitter: Isnt it meaningful that Erdogan highlighted his partys membership number as coup rumours are heightened by the RAND report?"

The report also names Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar as the go-to person for US-Turkey relations in a country where around 90 percent of the population currently hold anti-American views. Throughout this turmoil, Hulusi Akar has remained a key interlocutor for the US and other foreign militaries, the report said. His retention of his position as TGS (Turkish General Staff) chief in 2017 and subsequent appointment as minister of defence in July 2018 in the first presidential decree under the new executive presidential system suggest that he will continue to be the leading figure in Turkish defence affairs for some time.

In a statement released earlier this month, after several weeks of silence, the Turkish defence ministry said the report was unreasonably ambiguous and the comments referring to the Turkish military were baseless and unserious. We are saddened to see that some expressions in the report have been consciously, or unconsciously, twisted and used in the country, the statement said. The defence ministry said the Turkish military and its units were following the country's laws and regulations, and its commander-in-chief, the president.

I received the [RAND] report with sadness that the statements [in the report] about myself, the Turkish military and the National Defence University were scripted disingenuously to be used by circles to put a wedge between us, Akar told a Turkish newspaper.
I went to bed that night not knowing whether we would have to declare bankruptcy in the morning.

In the House of Representatives, two bills have been proposed recently to address crises like the one now facing our family. The Ban Surprise Billing Act, sponsored by Lloyd Doggett, Democrat of Texas, would require hospitals to notify patients and get consent if they will be receiving any out-of-network treatment. And last week, the Ways and Means Committee sent the Consumer Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills Act to the House floor. This would also flag potential out-of-network costs for patients, and require insurers and providers to settle disputes through arbitration.

I have no idea how these bills will fare in the Republican-controlled Senate (and they have not yet even been passed by the full House), although I will note that the Senate is the same institution which devoted itself in 2017 to the noble dream of taking away health care coverage from 29 million people by repealing the Affordable Care Act. That effort failed by a single vote, of course  the last great political act of John McCain, who, although no fan of Obamacare, hated even more the idea of bullies picking on the little guy.

The bully in this instance being  well, you know.

The presidential election will give us a chance to end bullying of many different varieties. If Senator Elizabeth Warren winds up not becoming the nominee, it is possible that one reason for this was voter uncertainty about her Medicare for all proposal. Apparently whenever Americans consider this idea, we are thrown into a panic by the possibility that we will lose our health care insurance, and that it will be replaced by some governmental entity.

Such as Medicare, which people like, by a wide margin.

Ronald Reagan denounced Medicare, back in 1961, as socialized medicine. If Medicare wasnt blocked, he said, one of these days we are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our childrens children, what it once was like in America when men were free. Before Medicare, only 54 percent of Americans 65 and over had hospital coverage; three years after its passage, 96 percent of older Americans did. Eighty percent to 90 percent of recipients really like Medicare  and these older Americans are the most conservative voters in the country.

Which makes you think.

I admit I have never quite understood the hatred Reagan had for Medicare, nor the hatred todays Republicans have for Obamacare (itself modeled on Romneycare, a Republican idea). Is it just that they cannot abide the idea that government sometimes  even if only as a last resort  does good things?
Britain cannot have a Canada-style trade deal with the EU because of its closeness to the EU, a top Brussels bureaucrat warned today.

Stefaan De Rynck, a key aide to EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the UK's proximity in terms of both distance and trading relationships put a higher importance on 'level playing field' arrangements.

He spoke in London this morning amid an early trade deal stand-off, with Boris Johnson wanting a Canada-style trade deal which would leave the UK free to diverge from EU rules.

But in a speech at the London School of Economics Mr De Rynck warned that the UK and Canada were very different in EU thinking.

'Some in the UK now seem to want to become Canadians. But Dover is much closer to Calais than Ottawa is,' he said.

'Proximity matters, distance matters in trade. What also matters is the interconnectedness between our economies.

'So, in terms of zero tariff, zero quota access, this brings a lot of benefits to the UK economy and with benefits come obligations.'

He added: 'It's clear that for us it's a different ball game that we are playing with the UK to the one that we agreed with Canada in terms of the level playing field.'

Stefaan De Rynck said the UK's proximity in terms of both distance and trading relationships put a higher importance on 'level playing field' arrangements

Boris Johnson wanting a Canada-style trade deal which would leave the UK free to diverge from EU rules

He was speaking after the Prime Minister's negotiator David Frost warned that 'to think that we might accept EU supervision on so-called level playing field issues simply fails to see the point of what we are doing'.

Cod wars as EU warns its fishermen must keep rights to fish in British waters MEPs today warned Britain if it wants a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU it will have to grant European fishermen the same level of access to British waters as they have now. Pierre Karleskind, the newly-elected chairman of the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee, said the bloc would accept 'nothing more, nothing less' than the current arrangements. He insisted British agreement on the matter would be 'one condition for concluding the economic partnership' between the two sides. But Boris Johnson has been adamant that Britain will decide who gets to fish in its waters when it becomes an independent coastal state at the end of this year. The Prime Minister also said priority will be given to British fishing boats with the UK and the EU now firmly on a collision course on the issue. Advertisement

The goal of 'zero tariff, zero quota' trade is set out in the Political Declaration agreed by the Prime Minister and the EU in 2019.

But Mr De Rynck said there was concern in Brussels about the Government attempting to deviate from the shared declaration.

A written ministerial statement published alongside the Prime Minister's major Brexit speech earlier in February was a 'source of some concern in terms of the level of ambition in the Political Declaration not perhaps being fully met', he said.

The UK and EU 'share values such as free enterprise, open economies, social justice,' he said, adding: 'Surely it cannot be rocket science to agree common standards.

'Indeed the idea at the heart of the Political Declaration which has been agreed is having common standards on the issue of the level playing field.'

With a deal needing to be reached by the end of the year, Mr De Rynck warned the talks could get 'rather difficult'.

'We have a vast amount of work and we seem to have 10 months to do it, or less than 10 months if you calculate the time for ratification so that everybody can be ready on January 1, 2021 for the new regime,' he said.

'I would expect some of these negotiations to be rather difficult, perhaps more difficult that during withdrawal because the scope of issues is so much vaster.'

The scale of the challenge was underlined this week by French foreign minister Jean-Yves le Drian, who predicted the two sides in the negotiations would 'rip each other apart'.

Mr De Rynck also set out the EU's position on talks on financial services and security co-operation.

He warned that an equivalence regime for financial services - where one side accepts the other's regulations are suitably robust - would not mean business as usual for the City.

'Equivalence is certainly not continuity, it does not exist for every service in the financial sector,' he said.

'Equivalence is not something that can make up for the loss of the benefits of the single market.'

On security, he stressed that 'the closest possible co-operation in this field requires, ultimately, the (European) Court of Justice' to be involved if there are concepts derived from European Union law - something that Brexiteers will find hard to accept.

It came as the EU and UK clashed over a tweet sent out last night by No 10 that republished a two-year-old slide used by Mr Barnier displaying the trade options available to the UK according to various negotiating red lines.

Above it, Johnson's press office wrote: 'In 2017 the EU showed on their own slide that a Canada-style FTA (free trade agreement) was the only available relationship for the UK. Now they say it's not on offer after all. Michel Barnier what's changed?'

One European official, speaking to AFP news agency on condition of anonymity, described the post from the Number 10 press office as 'deeply false, dishonest'.

'It's wrong to say we've changed our position. It has always been very clear that a free trade deal is linked to a level playing field,' the EU official said, adding that the UK tweet was received 'very negatively' in Brussels.
In December, the council discussed a proposal for an ordinance violation that would give police officers discretion to write tickets for possession of marijuana under 30 grams. But, after questions were raised about the legality and enforcement of the ordinance, the council decided to support the resolution because the proposed summons to appear bill goes further than the ordinance violation, officials said.
George Calombaris's original Hellenic Republic will re-open next month as an American barbecue joint after deals were struck to salvage three restaurants from his collapsed culinary empire.

The KordaMentha team handling the liquidation of the Made Establishment business part-owned by Calombaris completed sales on Wednesday for three of its suburban restaurants, the original Hellenic Republic in Brunswick East, the recently renamed Vita Ristorante in Kew and Hellenic Republic in Brighton.

No buyers have been found for Made's flagship Elektra restaurant in Melbourne, Hotel Argentina in Williamtown or his string of seven Jimmy Grants souvlaki shops, which abruptly ceased trading last Monday when the cash-stricken business was put into voluntary administration.

The change of ownership of the Brunswick East restaurant, which was late last year rebranded as Crofter Dining Room & Bar, means a dramatic change of menu for the Lygon Street eatery, which under chef Matt Wilkinson had embraced a meat minimalist diet.
South Africa: Four minor siblings killed, father arrested

Police in Limpopo have arrested a 52-year-old father, following the gruesome discovery of his four murdered children.

The arrest came after National Police Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, instructed police leadership in the province to hunt down the suspect responsible for the murder of the siblings.

The suspect, who cannot be named until he appears in court, was traced and arrested by police on Tuesday evening in Ga-Pasha, Selatole village.

He will be charged with four counts of murder and he will appear in Mecklenburg Magistrates Court within 48 hours, police spokesperson, Colonel Brenda Muridili, said in a statement.

A 72-Hour Activation Plan was activated after the four bodies, aged between three and nine, were found in Limpopo, in the Mecklenburg area outside Burgersfort.

Earlier, police in a statement said they were looking for the childrens father, who was reported to have been the last person seen with the children at Ga-Pasha village.

The bodies of Katlego and Adel, nine and three-year-old boys as well as Joyce and Tshepo aged seven and five respectively were found in the bushes about five kilometers away from their home, said Muridili.

She said preliminary police investigations indicated that the father allegedly asked the driver of the scholar transport for his children and since the driver knew the father, he permitted him to take them.

The motive for this brutal murders has not yet been established but investigations continue, she said.

Sitole in the statement condemned the murders, saying every community has to take a stance against crimes against women and children.

The National Commissioner commended the Provincial Commissioner on ensuring that the alleged killer of four children was arrested within a few hours after the case was reported to the police.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Attorney General William Barr is taking aim at a legal shield enjoyed by companies such as Alphabet Inc.s Google and Facebook Inc. as the provision comes under increasing fire from both liberals and conservatives.

Barr has accused social media companies of hiding behind a clause that gives them immunity from lawsuits while their platforms carry material that promotes illicit and immoral conduct and suppresses conservative opinions.

The attorney general is convening a workshop Wednesday, featuring many of the tech companies critics, to explore potential changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which was passed in 1996 and has been credited with allowing the then-fledgling internet to flourish.

Barr could instruct his Justice Department to explore ways to limit the provision, which protects online companies from liability for user-generated content.

The technology platforms warn that any changes in their legal shield could fundamentally alter their business models and force them to review every post, making it impossible for all but the biggest companies to operate.

Barr and lawmakers from both political parties have blamed Section 230s sweeping legal protections for allowing what they see as irresponsible behavior by the big technology companies.

Selective Policing

The shield has allowed internet giants to absolve themselves completely of responsibility for policing their platforms, while blocking or removing third-party speech  including political speech  selectively, and with impunity, Barr said in a December speech to a gathering of state attorneys general.

FBI Director Christopher Wray is also scheduled to address the workshop, along with a range of lawyers, academics, child advocates, tech critics, and trade groups. Some of the speakers, such as a representative from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, have expressed concerns about how the law is currently written, or called for changes.

Others argue that the law should be left alone, including the Computer & Communications Industry Association, a tech trade group that counts Google and Facebook as members. The Justice Department also plans to host private listening sessions.

Representatives from Google and Facebook didnt respond to questions about whether theyd received invitations. A spokeswoman for Twitter Inc. declined to comment.

Liberal groups say internet platforms dont do enough to stop the spread of hate speech or police political disinformation from foreign and domestic operatives. Conservatives say the tech companies censor right-wing viewpoints.

Both groups seek changes to the shield that would increase companies liability as a solution. Lawmakers and tech policy experts from both sides of the aisle worry about childrens safety online as well as drug sales, harassment and stalking, among other issues.

A lot of people are angry for different reasons at the large platforms, said Jeff Kosseff, a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy who has written a history of the law and is also scheduled to address the workshop. Section 230 is a pretty attractive proxy for that anger.

While the Justice Department can make recommendations, only Congress can change the law. Some legal experts say they are perplexed by the departments role in the Section 230 debate, which doesnt tie the governments hands in prosecuting violations of criminal law.

DOJ is in a weird position to be convening a roundtable on a topic that isnt in their wheelhouse, said Eric Goldman, a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law and longtime defender of Section 230, who is also set to speak.

Possible Changes

Lawmakers are exploring an array of possible changes to the law, looking to use it to make companies police content in a politically neutral manner, rein in use of the shield by short-term home-rental companies or protect voters from misinformation. Democratic presidential hopefuls including former Vice President Joe Biden have weighed in with calls to repeal or change the law.

When it comes to cases where online material exploits children, a draft bill from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a top Trump ally, would only allow the companies to keep the liability shield if they follow a set of best practices. For example, they would be required to report and delete the material, but also preserve it for law enforcement. Critics worry that the measure would also undermine encrypted communications because encoded platforms cant see what material the law would prompt them to report.

In 2018, in the first successful effort to chip away at the shield, Congress eliminated the liability protection for companies that knowingly facilitate online sex trafficking.

The critics propose a range of changes  from raising the bar on which companies can have the shield, to carving out other laws, to repealing Section 230 entirely. Uniting them, however, is the belief that the provision enables an online environment rife with political misinformation, drug dealing, child abuse and other ills.

Technology companies counter that Section 230 allows social media startups to flourish because they dont have to monitor postings and protects free speech. It also fosters their efforts to remove offensive content because the law allows them to take down material without facing penalties.

Section 230 encourages services to fight misconduct and protect users from online harms by removing disincentives to moderate abusive behavior, Matt Schruers, the president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, said in an excerpt from his prepared remarks.

David Chavern, president of the News Media Alliance, a trade group representing publishers, doesnt favor repealing the law but proposes limiting the exemption for just the very largest companies, who both derive the most benefits from Section 230 and have the greatest capacities to take legal responsibility, according to a copy of his remarks obtained by Bloomberg.

Chaverns group blames the advertising practices of Google and Facebook for the decline of journalism and advocates for policies to rebalance the relationship.

With assistance from Naomi Nix.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Legislation InsurTech Tech
Matthew Tex VerMilyea, PhD, HCLD/CC, Vice President of IVF Lab Operations, Ovation Fertility Through ongoing collaboration and information-sharing, we can advance the state of the art in fertility care to benefit people all over the world who need fertility treatment to grow their families.

Ovation scientists have once again been honored with an opportunity to share their expertise with a global audience. Two Ovation representatives have been invited to present their research and serve as session chairpersons at the 5th Upper Egypt Assisted Reproduction Conference (UEARS), which will take place February 19-20, 2020, at the Hilton Cairo Heliopolis in Cairo, Egypt.

Matthew Tex VerMilyea, PhD, HCLD/CC, vice president of IVF lab operations, will chair a session titled Cryopreservation and Gamete Biology, and will speak in the plenary session titled Embryo Assessment Session from Simple Morphology to Artificial Intelligence. His talk, titled Artificial Intelligence for Embryo Selection, will focus on the use of artificial intelligence on static photos of Day 5 blastocysts, and its ability to better select which embryos have a higher chance of viability and therefore successful pregnancy.

Dr. VerMilyea will also present a talk in UEARS ART Lab Management session, titled Critical Points for Witnessing Steps Throughout the IVF Process. In this talk, he will discuss how to prevent mistakes in the lab by using a manual double witnessing and electronic witnessing system.

It is a great honor to be invited to represent Ovation at this international conference of fertility care leaders, says Dr. VerMilyea. We are excited about the opportunity to share some of our own innovations, as well as to learn from others who are working to advance reproductive science. Through ongoing collaboration and information-sharing, we can advance the state of the art in fertility care to benefit people all over the world who need fertility treatment to grow their families.

John Whitney, senior storage manager, will give two presentations focused on storage of reproductive materials. His first presentation, Reproductive Material Storage Best Practices, will cover everything from documents to liability, safety, inventory and patient engagement as it relates to embryo storage. His second talk, Best Practices for Cryo-Storage Alarm Implementation, will be focused on alarm protocols for cryostorage, including how to set up an alarm, how to ensure response and how to validate a system. Whitney will also moderate a session for submitted research.

Through the collaborative efforts of Ovation partner physicians and scientists, we have been able to build a highly secure storage program and facilities to protect the embryos, eggs and sperm that represent future families for the patients we serve, Whitney says. Im honored to have been invited to share some of our best practices and innovations to help other fertility providers advance the overall state of the art in fertility storage.

More than 2,000 fertility professionals from all over the world are expected to attend this years UEARS conference, including gynecologists, andrologists, lab directors, embryologists and researchers.

Learn more about Ovation, and the groundbreaking work of Tex VerMilyea and John Whitney, at http://www.OvationFertility.com.

About Ovation Fertility

Ovation Fertility is a national network of reproductive endocrinologists and scientific thought leaders focused on reducing the cost of having a family through more efficient and effective fertility care. Ovations IVF and genetics laboratories, along with affiliated physician practices, work collaboratively to raise the bar for IVF treatment, with state-of-the-art, evidence-based fertility services that give hopeful parents the best chance for a successful pregnancy. Physicians partner with Ovation to offer their patients advanced preconception carrier screening; preimplantation genetic testing; donor egg and surrogacy services; and secure storage for their frozen eggs, embryos and sperm. Ovation also helps IVF labs across America improve their quality and performance with expert off-site lab direction and consultation. Learn more about Ovations vision of a world without infertility at http://www.OvationFertility.com.
Beijing: Inspectors in protective suits went door-to-door on Wednesday in the epicentre of China's viral outbreak to try to find every infected person in an epidemic that is showing signs of waning as new cases fell for a second straight day.

Workers go door to door to check the temperature of residents during a health screening campaign in the Qingshan District of Wuhan. Credit:AP

The city of Wuhan, where the new form of coronavirus emerged, was in the final day of a campaign to root out anyone with symptoms whom authorities may have missed so far.

"This must be taken seriously," said Wang Zhonglin, the city's newly minted Communist Party secretary, adding that "if a single new case is found" after Wednesday "the district leaders will be held responsible."

His remarks were published on Hubei's provincial website, alongside the declaration, "If the masses cannot mobilise, it's impossible to fight a people's war."
Utah Man Made $8 Million A Year From Illegal Slots

After a months-long investigation, undercover police catch Utah Man operating unlicensed slots.

Illegal gambling operations carry a heavy punishment, but that doesn't stop business owners from trying to offer their patrons illegal online and physical machines. This was precisely the case for a Utah man who is said to have been making $8 million in cash per year from his illegal operations.

Police reported that the owner of businesses had multiple locations across Utah, was making $23,000 per day, just from his gambling machines, as he had legal products for sale as well.

As if it was taken from a movie, undercover detectives played the man's slots for months. One of the detectives claimed, Once you enter that room, the atmosphere is dark and it feels like a casino."

The man owned eight separate storefronts across the county and illegal machines lined the locations. Winning players would walk up to the register and collect their cash payout.

We were receiving information that there were payouts of upwards to $200, $300 at a time, said another detective. It became very entertaining for somebody to go to these locations and take a risk to see if they can become a winner," he continued.

As is with gambling, not all customers would win. In fact, one of the patrons told a detective that she was going to play at the man's locations in hopes of winning money for Christmas gifts. She was actually betting with her children's Christmas money and instead, lost it all.

Illicit Gambling is Bad Business

A major issue with illegal gambling is money laundering and organized crime. The money that is made is not reported, it does not get taxed and therefore is not put back into the community.

When police raided the locations and the man's private residence in downtown Salt Lake City, the man fled. After searching his residence and businesses, at least four guns, a taser, drugs, and 50 gambling machines were confiscated.

The man's attorney is working with the detectives on the case who are asking that he turn himself in to police immediately.
Former New York mayor Michael Bloombergs campaign is hiring hundreds of staffers to text their contacts about the candidate and to regularly post positive messages about the campaign on social media.

Each of the staffers, referred to as deputy digital organizers, will be paid $2,500 a month in exchange for working roughly 20 to 30 hours a week. The staffers must text all of their personal contacts about Bloomberg at least once a week, and to post on social media daily.

The Fight for Equal Rights Has Been One of the Great Fights of Mikes Life, reads a suggested message prompt from campaign documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal. The message refers to Bloombergs support of same-sex marriage.

We are meeting voters everywhere on any platform that they consume their news, a campaign spokesperson told the Journal. One of the most effective ways of reaching voters is by activating their friends and network to encourage them to support Mike for president.

The campaign plans to hire around 500 deputy digital organizers in California and expand the effort nationwide if it proves successful.

The California Primary will take place on super Tuesday, March 3. Bloomberg, who entered the Democratic primary race late, is skipping the first four early state primaries and will only be on the ballot from super Tuesday onward. He will appear in a primary debate for the first time on Wednesday in Las Vegas, Nev., even though he is not on the ballot in Nevada.

Bloomberg has spent well over $300 million of his own multi-billion dollar fortune on his campaign, dwarfing expenses by other candidates.

More from National Review
FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Steve Laird of the Law Offices of Steven C. Laird, P.C. is 1 of only 9 lawyers in Texas, 1 of 37 in the nation (at the time of this release) to successfully achieve Board Certification in Truck Accident Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. To achieve board certification, a lawyer is thoroughly vetted through a detailed process in which real-world experience and results handling truck crash cases are verified, and skills and knowledge are tested. Unlike some other accommodations, board certification cannot be purchased for any sum of money, and no attorneys get favored treatment.

Steve Laird - The Law Offices of Steven C. Laird, P.C.; Specializing in Truck Accident Law in Texas Steve Laird - The Law Offices of Steven C. Laird, P.C.; Specializing in Truck Accident Law in Texas

Fort Worth Personal Injury Lawyer Steve Laird stated, "Regardless of advertising, few law firms have actually tried a trucking accident case to a jury verdict. We have tried many to verdict. These cases are complex and hard to win. The large corporations and their insurance companies, on the other side, have the resources to hire highly skilled and experienced teams to represent them.

Having an experienced and highly qualified lawyer to represent victims and their families is very important in securing meaningful outcomes. Personal Injury Attorneys who achieve Board Certification in Truck Accident Law separate themselves from other attorneys by demonstrating their experience, expertise, and commitment to excellence in handling Truck Accident cases."

In the competitive arena of Truck Accident Law, NBTA certification provides a much-needed objective set of standards illustrating an attorney's experience, qualifications, and expertise. Certification requires successful completion of a rigorous application process providing consumers of legal services with an objective measure by which to choose qualified and experienced legal counsel. The elaborate screening of credentials that all NBTA board certified attorneys must successfully complete includes: demonstration of substantial trial experience in truck accident cases, submission of judicial and peer references to attest to their competency and ethics, attendance of continuing legal education courses, submission of legal writing documents, proof of good standing and passing of an examination. Board Certification demonstrates an attorney's commitment to furthering the client's interests by achieving experience, competence, and peer recommendations. This enables an attorney to distinguish himself in one or more areas of specialized practice.

"There is no dispute about the bona fides and the relevance of NBTA certification. Disclosure of information such as that on petitioner's letterhead both serves the public interest and encourages the development and utilization of meritorious certification programs for attorneys."

- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stevens in Peel v. Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of Illinois, 110 S.Ct. 2281 (1990)

For more information on Attorney Steve Laird and The Law Offices of Steven C. Laird, please visit www.texlawyers.com.

Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, Steven C. Laird of The Law Offices of Steven C. Laird P.C. (www.texlawyers.com) delivers more than 35 years of legal expertise in 18 wheeler truck accidents, personal injury and wrongful death litigation. He is Board Certified in both Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is also board certified in Truck Accident Law and as a Civil Trial Law Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. This quadruple certification is rare, with fewer than one percent of all Texas lawyers earning the distinction. Laird earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas Tech University in 1976. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Texas Christian University in 1977 and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law in 1979. In 2015 Steve earned a Masters of Law (L.L.M. Degree) in Trial Advocacy from top-rated Temple University School of Law as an Honors Graduate and Recipient of Edward D. Ohlbaum Award for Trial Advocacy. Throughout his career, Laird has received numerous awards and accolades and has served in a variety of leadership positions, boards, and committees for a variety of professional organizations.

The NBTA (www.nbtalawyers.org) was formed out of a strong conviction that both the law profession and its clients would benefit from an organization designed specifically to create an objective set of standards illustrating an attorney's experience and expertise in the practice of trial law.

Name: Kelly Hart

Phone: 817.874.6486

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Steven C. Laird

Related Links

https://www.texlawyers.com


The government will not consent to releasing any convicted criminal before their prison term is served, the justice minister said.

Judit Varga reacted to remarks by Democratic Coalition lawmaker Agnes Vadai, who said earlier in the day that the government might release thousands of criminals.



Contrary to Vadais suggestions, the government is working to introduce even stricter probation rules, the minister said.



She noted that the government had introduced a stricter penal code, as a result of which the number of serious crimes has been halved.



MTI Photo: Rosta Tibor
The Punjab Police's Special Task Force (STF) on Wednesday arrested Shiromani Akali Dal leader Anwar Masih and a money exchanger in connection with the Amritsar heroin haul case.

Masih had been under investigation since 194 kg of heroin was recovered from his house in Amritsar district's Sulwantwind village on January 31, they said.

The Akali leader, who was a Subordinate Services Board (SSB) member during the erstwhile SAD-BJP state government's tenure, was produced before a court and remanded to two days' custody.

The money exchanger was identified as Harnit Singh alias Honey, who has an office in Landa Bazaar. He was arrested for allegedly receiving Rs 75 lakh from an accused in the drug haul case, an official of the anti-drug STF said.

According to investigations conducted by the STF, Harnit was allegedly given Rs 75 lakh by an accused in the drug haul case, Ankush Kapoor, the official said.

"After receiving money from Ankush, Harnit transferred Rs 75 lakh, which was part of drug money, to some people last month. We are trying to find out who Harnit gave this money to," the police official, who is part of the investigation in the case, said.

Kapoor, a cloth merchant, along with Simranjit Sindh Sandhu, a proclaimed offender, was identified as the kingpin of the drug racket by the STF.

Six people, including an Afghan national and woman, were arrested in the case.

In addition to the heroin, the STF had also seized 38 kg dextromethorphan; 25 kg caffeine powder, probably used to cut and mix the heroin; and six drums containing 207 kg of chemical composition from Masih's house.

Though Masih had claimed that he had rented out the house to the six accused, he failed to produce any written rent agreement and the people of the area were also unaware of any tenants living there, the police had said.

Investigations revealed that Masih's house was being used by the accused for refining and manufacturing drugs for a month, they had said.

The SAD leader was arrested on Wednesday when he again failed to show any documents to prove that he had rented out the house to the six accused, the STF said.

STF chief Harpreet Sidhu said that Masih had also not got the tenant verification done as per law.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SEOUL, South Korea  A former North Korean diplomat who fled his embassy posting has become the first defector to run for South Koreas Parliament, saying on Wednesday that he was motivated by Seouls forced repatriation of two North Korean fishermen who wanted to defect to the South.

This was so wrong, even if they were criminals, said the former diplomat, Thae Yong-ho, referring to the two North Koreans who were repatriated to the North in November after they were captured in waters off South Korea.

Mr. Thae was the No. 2 diplomat in the North Korean Embassy in London when he fled to South Korea with his wife and two sons in 2016.

South Koreas main conservative political opposition, the United Future Party, selected him to run in National Assembly elections in April.
On This Day The Day a Pioneering Myanmar Education Reformer Was Killed

U Kaung

YANGONOn this day 63 years ago, Director of Education U Kaung, who led an educational reform drive that led to the initiation of free education, overseas study for Myanmar students and educational stipends, died in a road accident in India. On Feb. 19, 1957, U Kaung, who was in the neighboring country to oversee the printing of exam papers for the seventh-standard examination, was killed when his vehicle crashed due to heavy snow.

A year before, Harry Tan, a seventh-standard student, was shot dead by police as they forcibly dispersed a group of students staging a protest against the governments cancellation of the seventh-standard state examinations. Authorities had canceled the exams citing a leak of questions.

U Kaung therefore went to India to ensure the security of the exam printing process, but unexpectedly lost his life.

Schooled in the UK, U Kaung served as an education officer during British and Japanese rule. In the period shortly before Myanmar gained independence, he was based in London, where he served as an educational adviser to Myanmar scholars. He played a role in establishing the Myanmar Embassy in London, and as a member of the Myanmar Monetary Board signed Maung Kaung on Myanmar currency banknotes printed in England.

After Myanmar gained independence, he traveled to Europe, Asia and South America on study visits. He was a leading figure in Myanmars educational reform, introducing free education and distributing free notebooks, introducing art into the curriculum of basic education schools, sending Myanmar scholars to foreign countries for study, creating various types of scholarships and stipends, and increasing education funding.

He also served as the chairman of the first Myanmar History Commission after independence.

He died at the age of 52 while serving as the education director and chairman of the Myanmar History Commission. His body was brought back to Myanmar the day after the accident. His son U Thaw Kaung, who held a position at the Yangon University Library arranged by U Kaung, followed in his fathers footsteps and is today known as the father of Myanmars library system.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko

You may also like these stories:

The Day Myanmar Lost an Influential Cartoonist

The Day Myanmar Honored an UK MP for His Panglong Efforts

The Forgotten General of Burmas Army
Expatriates living in Hong Kong may depart for other Southeast Asian countries to avoid the epidemic

With six out of 17 coronavirus cases having been cured in Vietnam  a positive sign for local investment  expatriates in Hong Kong may shift to the Southeast Asian country to avoid the epidemic season.

Vietnam currently has 24 international schools, including 11 in Hanoi and 13 in Ho Chi Minh City. At least half of the students of non-nationals, in line with Decree No.86/2018/ND-CP outlining the ratio of overseas students at foreign-invested education institutes.

Bloomberg has quoted the French, and British chambers of commerce in the country as saying that foreign families are considering to leave Hong Kongif the coronavirus epidemic is prolonged in the area.

If the specific needs of international schools cannot be rapidly addressed, this will very likely trigger decisions of families (not just expatriates) to leave Hong Kong in the coming weeks, wrote Rebeca Silli and Peter Burnett, chairmen of the French and British chambers. This would also have dramatic consequences on the international schools financial position, even to the point of putting at risk the continued operation of some.

Hong Kong students have not returned to school since the scheduled Lunar New Year break in late January. The city has 56 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and is on the front lines of the global battle to contain the illness, which has claimed more than 1,300 lives in mainland China since emerging in December.
RICHMOND, Va. - The young woman who walked into an emergency room in Milwaukee began her journey about 12 hours earlier, at a Chicago-area hospital, more than 90 miles away.

She had been raped, but there was no one trained to do a forensic examination at the first hospital she went to  or the next, or the next, or the next. So she drove herself from place to place.

Finally, in Milwaukee, she met Jacqueline Callari Robinson, a sexual assault nurse examiner who spent hours with her, examining her physical injuries, collecting evidence from her body in a rape kit and trying to calm her down.

She said she felt humiliated to walk into the hospitals, recalled Robinson. The trauma was pretty overwhelming. We actually just sat in the interview room with her for quite some time before she was really ready to be examined.

The United States is currently experiencing a nationwide shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners, known as SANEs.

In Virginia, only 16 of 122 licensed hospitals provide sexual assault forensic exams, and only about 150 of the states 94,000 registered nurses are credentialed forensic nurses, according to a 2019 study by the Virginia Joint Commission on Health Care.

Many other states also fall short. A 2016 study of six selected states by the U.S. Government Accountability Office showed that the number of forensic nurses did not meet the need for exams, particularly in rural areas.

Leah Griffin was turned away by a hospital in Seattle after being raped in 2014.

I told them what happened, and they shrugged their shoulders and said, We dont do rape kits here, Griffin said.

Hospital staff offered to transfer her to another hospital by ambulance, at her own expense. She said she was stunned, traumatized and still feeling the effects of a drug given to her by her attacker, so she went home. The next day, she drove herself to the second hospital, about 30 minutes away.

There, she was seen by a trained examiner. But the delay in getting the rape kit done was later cited by prosecutors as a factor that contributed to their decision not to bring criminal charges.

You watch the crime shows on TV and you think you know exactly what to do if something like that ever happened, Griffin said. It never occurred to me that hospitals wouldnt be equipped to collect evidence.

Griffins story prompted U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington, to sponsor the Survivors Access to Supportive Care Act. The bill would provide funding for state-level surveys to determine where the biggest shortages of SANEs are, develop national standards of care for rape victims, and increase access to training, especially in rural and Native American communities.

Murray has introduced the bill every year since 2016, but it still hasnt been passed by Congress. She said many lawmakers dont know its a problem.

Funding is also a major issue, as many hospitals cannot afford to provide specialized training to nurses or allow them to take time away from their regular shifts to do rape exams. Many SANEs work on an on-call basis so they can continue to do their full-time nursing jobs.

Some states recognize they may never have enough forensic nurses, so theyve come up with innovative ways to treat sexual assault victims.

In Massachusetts, the Department of Public Health received a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to develop a national telenursing centre that has allowed sexual assault nurse examiners to use a videoconferencing system to remotely help clinicians conduct exams in rural, tribal and naval hospitals.

In Maine, hospitals have formed regional partnerships so that SANEs employed by any of the hospitals can respond when a rape victim goes into the emergency room.

And in Illinois, the state legislature passed a law last year that will require, beginning in 2022, that every rape victim be treated by a trained sexual assault forensic examiner. The providers must be available within 90 minutes of a patients arrival.

Bonnie Price, co-founder of the forensic nursing program at Bon Secours Richmond Health System, said funding is one of the biggest obstacles. Price said it costs Virginia hospitals about $4,000 to $6,000 per patient to do a complete forensic exam. The state caps reimbursement at $1,200.

Even when hospitals have SANEs on staff, retaining them can be difficult. In the GAO report, Wisconsin officials estimated that the state trained 540 examiners over a two-year period, but that only 42  less than 8%  were still practicing in the state at the end of that period.

Being a forensic nurse can be emotionally toxic at times, Price said. It is work that you cant carry home and talk to your family about.

In Virginia, proposed legislation would establish a program to recruit more nurses and train hospitals on how to transfer victims so they arent sent to multiple facilities.

Rebecca Courtright said she was forced to go to two different hospitals before anyone could treat her after she was raped in 2003.

Those nurses make the difference between someone reporting (a rape) and someone just feeling defeated and going home, she said.
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The chair of the Hungarian National Council from Transylvania (CNMT), Tokes Laszlo, stated, on Wednesday, in a press conference held in western Cluj-Napoca, that the regime change in December 1989 is not complete if there are not changes in what regards minorities.

"We believe that the change of regime must happen in the minority level as well, because the change of regime through the fall of dictatorship in Romania is not complete without such a change in the minority level, namely we wish to regain the liberty of our community, especially by gaining self-determination, the rights of Hungarian autonomy," said Tokes.In context, he recalled the Treaty of Trianon."Parallel with the anniversary of the Revolution this year is the centennial of the Trianon Dictate, when Transylvania was incorporated to the Romanian Kingdom. As it is known, we are not conducting a grievance policy, a negative one regarding this centennial, but we are putting accent on national solidarity and on a positive attitude towards what happened 100 years ago," said the CNMT chair.Tokes Laszlo added that even the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) has forgotten the claims of the Hungarian community."From the very beginning we started under the sign of these claims and as an answer to these claims the FSN [National Salvation Front] Statement in January (1990, ed. n.), in which the right of the Hungarian community, the collective rights of the Hungarian community in Romania was recognized, namely the right of the Hungarian community to territorial autonomy was not denied. (...) Meanwhile, unfortunately, even the UDMR nomenclature has forgotten this basic claim of the Szekler land and the Partium region, which requires a special autonomous status," the CNMT leader emphasized.Continuing, Tokes Laszlo said that "we request the UDMR revise its current policy and cooperate in tight unity in order to complete this desideratum of the Hungarians."He also referred to the elections this year and said that Hungarian voters must be recuperated, and UDMR must accept competition."The Hungarian Alliance in Transylvania is preparing for elections, we believe Hungarian politics in Romania is jeopardized by a political assimilation in Romanian parties. More and more votes are lost to Romanian parties. If we want to keep the Hungarian voter base around Hungarian parties by concord and cooperation, then we manage to maximize the Hungarian representativeness in Romania. It's absolutely necessary to regain the Hungarian electorate. It's known that from one million, the votes we had 30 years ago, we dropped to below 400,000. (...) It's absolutely necessary for the national political wing fortify and, not as an enemy, UDMR must accept as naturally political competition the Hungarian Alliance in Transylvania. I hope we reach this wisdom and stand to gain from the elections," concluded Tokes Laszlo.
Sikh volunteers opened their temple doors and offered free, cooked meals for Sydneysiders left without power after violent thunderstorms.

Members of the Guru Nanak Gurudwara Turramurra Sikh Temple in north Sydney set up a Facebook event encouraging members of the community to join them for a meal over the weekend after storms battered the region.

More than 9000 homes and businesses spent six nights without power since severe storms battered Sydney and the NSW Central Coast on Sunday February 9.

Volunteer Aman Bhalla told Daily Mail Australia members of the temple wanted to give back and help people in need.

People gathering outside the Guru Nanak Gurudwara Turramurra Sikh Temple in north Sydney after they offered free meals to people without elecrticity

'Due to the recent wild weather across the state we wanted to reach out to those affected with power outage and help them in anyway we could,' he said.

'We understand people have been without power for over a week and eating out daily can be a challenge.

'We reached out to our wider community to offer support and invite them for Langar.'

Langar is a term used in Sikhism for a community kitchen where free meals are served to anyone, regardless of religion, gender or ethnicity.

They also offered to deliver free meals to those who could not attend and supplied takeaway containers for people who preferred to eat at home.

Volunteers also offered to deliver free meals to those who could not attend and supplied takeaway containers for people who preferred to eat at home. Pictured: people in the temple

Volunteers used Facebook to reach out to the wider community and offer freshly-cooked meals

While Ms Bhalla said she couldn't give an indication of how many people attended - 'it was a lot,' she said - they were overwhelmed with responses from the community.

'We have been without power since Sunday,' one woman said.

'I just wanted to send a message to say that I drive past your temple everyday and smile thinking about how grateful I am that you are part of our community.

'Your selflessness during the bushfire last year and now this equally generous act is incredible. Thank you for all that you do.'

Others left messages of gratitude on Facebook.

They were overwhelmed with responses from the community. 'What a beautiful gesture,' one person wrote

'What a beautiful gesture,' one person wrote.

'Thank you for your generous offer. It is very much appreciated,' another shared.

'You guys are awesome. Helping feed the firerfighters and now this,' someone else said.

Temple members also delivered food to firefighters during the bushfire crisis.

President of the gurudwara Harbir Pal Singh Bhatia said community service is a part of Sikh philosophy.

'Sikh religion is based on the philosophy of one God, one mankind. So when we got to know that people were suffering, we welcomed everyone to come and eat with us.

'We would also like to thank everyone who worked so hard to make this possible, especially all the volunteers involved in cooking, preparing and serving.'
The State Council of China has decided to postpone the new semester of universities in the wake of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, the Chinese Embassy has informed the Union Health ministry.

The students will be notified by their respective universities.

According to an official, several students who had returned from China after the epidemic had approached the health ministry saying their respective universities were asking them to join back or they would lose their admission status.

"The issue was taken up by Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan during her meeting with the Chinese Ambassador recently," an official statement said.

"This request has been responded to favourably. The Chinese Embassy has written that the State Council of China has decided to postpone the new semester of the universities, including Southwest University for which Secretary had represented. The students will be notified by their respective universities accordingly," it said.

A total of 654 people, mostly students, were evacuated from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan on February 1 and 2 and quarantined at two facilities set by the Army and ITBP in India. They all have been discharged.

The third and final batch of inmates quarantined at the ITBP facility was released on Wednesday.

With the latest release, all 406 people at the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) facility have been discharged after they tested negative for the virus.

All 248 people who were lodged at the Army camp in Manesar were discharged on Tuesday.

India has so far reported three confirmed cases of the virus, all in Kerala.

Two of the three medical students who had tested positive for the coronavirus infection have now been discharged, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said on Monday.

The condition of the third one is stable, he had said.

The death toll in the coronavirus epidemic in China crossed the 2,000-mark on Wednesday, while the overall confirmed cases have climbed to 74,185.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
T he verdict is in! Read our review of Map of the Soul: 7 here

The time has almost come for the world's biggest boyband to release their new album.

Map of the Soul: 7 arrives later this week, and will be BTS's first major collection of music since their well deserved hiatus.

They've come back in rude health, too, with a series of art exhibitions and a hugely popular new single, Black Swan.

Now, it's time to see what they've been cooking up in the studio with this latest release. Here's all you need to know about Map of the Soul: 7.

When is Map of the Soul: 7 released?

The album is set to drop at 9am British time on Friday February 21. That means it will arrive at 6pm in their native South Korea, 4am on the east coast of America and 1am on the west coast.

What is the tracklist for Map of the Soul: 7?

The tracklist is a long one, with no fewer than 20 tracks  but weve heard some of them before. Five tracks from the groups 2019 release Map of the Soul: Persona also work their way onto this latest album: Boy With Luv, Intro: Persona, Make It Right, Dionysus and Jamais Vu.

Fortunately, the rest are all new compositions, including Black Swan, the single we first heard back in January.

Check out the full tracklist below:

Intro : Persona Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey) Make It Right Jamais Vu Dionysus Interlude : Shadow Black Swan Filter My Time Louder than bombs ON UGH! 00:00 (Zero OClock) Inner Child Friends Moon Respect We are Bulletproof : the Eternal Outro : Ego ON (Feat. Sia)

How can I hear ON featuring Sia?

BTS are set to release another new single from the album, ON, at the same time as the full album drops. Its set to be accompanied by a video, too.

A second version of the song, featuring Australian artist Sia, is also due to appear on the album as the 20th track. If you want to hear that one, though, then youll need to listen to Map of the Soul: 7 digitally, as it wont appear on any physical releases.

What are the themes of Map of the Soul: 7?

The album is the latest installment of the groups Map of the Soul series, following on from 2019s Persona. On that album, BTS explored the message of finding joy in love and reaching out to the world".
A person's handwriting is as unique as a fingerprint and is ultimately controlled by the brain. Each time we write we are capturing a projection of our typical behaviours, emotions, habits and health. This age-old science will help reveal personality traits that are important to understand when designing personal living spaces.

Says Bisiker, "My ethos is to create homes that are personal and unique to the owner. Every client comes with their own practical and creative wishes so my personal style doesn't really enter into the designs. It's important to understand a client's lifestyle, likes, dislikes and emotional needs. Although I am creating an interesting backdrop as the base to their canvas, it is the client's personality that must find its expression and joy in the finished home."

Says Bache, "Our handwriting exposes how we interact with the world and the people around us, and also how we cope with stress and express emotions. It can help us make choices for our future, showing us what our desires are, and even what jobs, homes and partners may suit us best. This new collaboration will appeal to those who want to better understand themselves and how to best design the dream home in which to live."

Easy to manage, all Bisiker and Bache require is approximately four lines of handwriting  either a scan, photograph or hardcopy, ideally signed as well. And since Nikki's clients are located internationally this service is both easy to access as well as fun and enlightening. To request this service as part of an interior design project please email Nikki Bisiker at: [email protected]. As this is a bespoke service, costs are quoted based on how detailed the handwriting analysis will be.

Editors Notes:

About Nikki Bisiker: The Head Designer and owner of Nikki Bisiker Interior Design, established in 2004. Nikki's award-winning practice is head-quartered in Dubai and provides design services from conception to installation for clients based in the Middle East and around the world. Nikki's passion for creating beautiful homes began at a young age and now, with over 30 years' experience, she heads a professional roster of architects, interior designers and an extended network of highly skilled craftsmen, suppliers and contractors. Her ethos is to create homes that are unique and personal to their owners. Definitely not formula or ego driven, but with a wealth of strategic thought processes within a structural framework, and a focus on creative, yet habitable style statements. Winner of many awards (Arabian Property Award 2016-17, Design et al Design & Architecture Awards 2015 and shortlisted for Designer of the Decade Award in UK ) she has designed a wide range of interiors from royal palaces, luxury homes and yachts to hotels and restaurants.

www.nikkibisikerinteriordesign.com

About Emma Bache: The UK's leading handwriting expert, Emma has worked as a graphologist since 1989, analysing handwriting in both the Corporate and private sectors. With additional qualifications in Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy, Emma has helped to solve cases of fraud for both private individuals and the corporate world, giving a valuable insight into the criminal mind. She has had her own columns in The Times and the Financial Times and has written for other major publications such as the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian and Cosmopolitan. She has made frequent TV and Radio appearances, including GMTV's This Morning, BBC's History Hunter and Radio 4's Today Programme.

www.emmabache.com

About Graphology: Graphology (the science of handwriting analysis) has been practiced for over two thousand years. Today it is used by companies and individuals looking to discover personality traits. It offers a forensic summary of personality. Every aspect of writing - the height of an 'h', the curliness of a 'g', the spacing of the words, slant of the lines - is a collection of signals that we are giving out without meaning to. The way we write can tell us a huge amount; sometimes more than the things we write about. It can divulge personality traits from timidity to ambition, from desire to please - to need to control. In fact, so revealing is your writing that in Japan all CVs are still written by hand.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1075785/Handwriting_Interior_Design.jpg

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1088254/Nikki_Bisiker_Design.jpg

SOURCE Nikki Bisiker Interior Design

Related Links

http://www.emmabache.com


The local beer community is coming together to support the family of Jeremy Hosier, the owner of Westmere Beverage in Guilderland and co-founder of Albany-based Steadfast Beer Co., who died suddenly Feb. 6 at age 35.

A raffle and beer tasting will be held 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Indian Ladder Farms Cidery & Brewery in Altamont. Prizes are said to include hundreds of rare/expensive beers, mini fridges, snowboards, coolers, fire pits and more.
Some operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) have been accused of threatening and robbing a student of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomosho, Oyo State.

The student, who personally made the allegation on his Twitter page, said four SARS operatives threatened him with guns to send all his school fees to them.

According to him, despite all his pleas that he has deadline to pay the school fees before Monday, they insisted he cleared his bank account else they will kill him.

Screenshots of the alleged extortion shows that the money was transferred to an account number with the name Julius Erhauyi Ighebor.

I was robbed by 4 Sars operatives in ogbomosho lautech they came with guns and collected all my schoolfees, he wrote. I have a deadline to pay the school fees before Monday they didnt listen they threatened to kill me if I dont send the money. @segalink please help me sir please sir.

I was robbed by 4 Sars operatives in ogbomosho lautech they came with guns and collected all my schoolfees

I have a deadline to pay the school fees before Monday they didnt listen they threatened to kill me if I dont send the money. @segalink please help me sir please sir ?? pic.twitter.com/NNshBGda6C  Nsnazy (@Nsnazy1) February 18, 2020

ALSO READ: Michael Jacksons Son Cries For Justice After SARS Shaved Off His Fathers Dread In Abia State
One of the issues put into discussion at the eighth session of the 14th National Assembly was the abuse of students by their teachers.

On May 15, parents posted a video clip showing Trang, a teacher in Hai Phong City, slapping the heads and faces of students.





Also in mid-May, N.N.M.T, a sixth grader at My Phong Secondary School in Tien Giang School was punished by a teacher of English. Dinh Duyen Hong Yen. The student was forced to sit down and stand up 200 times. The student fell down after doing this 100 times.



Later, as the male student showed fatigue and difficulty in walking, he was brought to hospital for treatment.

One of the issues put into discussion at the eighth session of the 14th National Assembly was the abuse of students by their teachers.

Dat Viet reported that a teacher at Duu Lau Preschool in Phu Tho province stabbed childrens hands with a needle to punish them.



Seventeen parents denounced a teacher at Trung Van Primary School in Hanoi for hitting students in the heads with aluminum rule, kicking students stomachs and tearing students textbooks.



In March 2019, a teacher at An Thang Primary School in Hai Phong City beat P, a second grader, with a ruler, causing bruises on her back, because P could not do the exercises.



Nguyen Dinh Cong, Ps father, affirmed that this was not the first time his daughter had been hit by the teacher.



Also in 2019, many parents whose children were students in 4B Class at Trung Thanh Primary School in Thai Nguyen City sent a petition to the schools Board of Management, reporting that N.T.T, a teacher forced students to slap themselves 50 times in the face.



Hoang Ngoc Vinh, former director of the Department of Professional Education, expressing his concern over the increase in number of school abuse cases.



He said people with violent nature cannot serve in the education sector and education establishments must not recruit such people.



You cannot say the teachers conducted such behavior because they were put under strict control, he said.



The teacher's mission is to educate people. If teachers abuse children, children will also be violent to others, he said. If you cannot restrain hot temper, youd be better not to become a teacher.



Nguyen Le Ninh, a member of the Vietnam Fatherland Fronts Committee, commented that Vietnamese teachers are under pressure as the wages they receive from teaching are not high enough to cover their needs.



He said in order to have a healthy education, it is necessary to pay teachers well.



When the remuneration regime is unreasonable and teachers cannot live on their salaries, they will not be dedicated, he concluded.

Mai Lan

Vietnam seeks ways to combat child abuse Officials have proposed stricter punishment on those charged with child abuse at a meeting with the government, supervision delegation of the National Assembly and other agencies on January 15.
There has been much media attention focused on the so-called 'ghost ship' that washed up on the shoreline in County Cork this week.

The MV Alta remains stricken on the rocks at Ballycotton after spending 18 months adrift in the Atlantic ocean after it was abandoned by its crew when it became disabled in October 2018.

The sea around the Irish coastline is littered with countless shipwrecks, many telling tales - both fascinating and tragic - of nautical misadventure and true heroism in the face of overwhelming risk.

The coastline around Dundalk and County Louth is no exception.

There are many identified wreck sites off the Wee County's coast, with a large number of them happening during the 19th century.

The J & M Garratt created quite the spectacle when it burst into flames as it approached the port of Drogheda on October 1, 1940.

According to the Drogheda Independent "on a pitch dark night, the flames from the oil and paraffin tanks shooting up into the sky and illuminating the countryside for miles around".

The 92-foot long schooner was carrying a cargo of 160 tonnes of firebricks and tiles at the time and was captained by a Robert Hutton as she entered the River Boyne that evening.

According to reports, her auxiliary engines caught fire and it quickly spread from the engine room, leaving the crew with no other option but to abandon ship. The "blazing hulk" slowly drifted towards the quay at Drogheda.

According to irishshipwrecks.com, "the ship sank after local dockworkers put out the fire", luckily the cargo was subsequently salvaged.

Elsewhere, there are stories of incidents of true gallantry as local coast guard personnel attempted to save lives, at extreme risk to their own.

On November 11, 1852, the schooner William Pitt was nearing Clogherhead when a severe storm hit the area.

In a private letter published after the 78-ton vessel ran aground that day, the heroism of local coastguard officer Captain Bernard, was lauded.

"At 9:30 AM, the Schooner William Pitt of Dublin, (was travelling) from Whitehaven to Dublin, (and was) coal-laden. John French, master, running in for this place when off the harbour struck on a reef of rocks to the northward and immediately went down stern foremost, the crew holding on to the only part of the vessel above water the sea running tremendous at the time.

"Captain Bernard of the Coast Guard, whose gallant conduct is deserving of all praise, was in attendance with his Men to render all the assistance in his power and fired several rockets from Dennitt'e life rocket apparatus, but all to no purpose.

"The hands were in imminent danger of being washed off the small space they had to cling to when Captain Bernard and three of his men got into a boat and succeeded in saving the captain and crew, four in number; the wind blowing a gale from the S.S.E. and a tremendous sea running in."

According to the author of this letter, this was not the first time Captain Bernard had gone above and beyond to save lives at sea.

"This is the second crew saved by Captain Bernard during the last fortnight, having rescued the master and crew of the Brig Fidelity on the morning of the October 26, also, from a watery grave."

For their efforts in saving the crew of five men, Captain Bernard (spelled 'Barnard' in some reports) was awarded a second-service clasp, while his boat's crew of three men were awarded commendations.

One of the most tragic shipwreck stories in the local area involves the SS Conemara and SS Retriever, large steamships with passengers and cargo onboard, that collided at the mouth of Carlingford Lough on November 3, 1916. The Connemara was travelling from Greenore to Holyhead at the time, while the SS Retriever was on an inward journey from Garston in Liverpool to Newry.

During rough seas that evening, the cargo of coal onboard the Retriever shifted violently and it collided with the nearby passenger ship SS Connemara. Both ships sank quickly, with an appalling loss of 97 lives. There was only one survivor - a cabin boy from the Retriever.

Rather eerily, in the years after the tragedy, stories emerged of reported sightings of a 'Ghost ship', believed to be the PS Blaney, immediately prior to the accident. The PS Blaney (most likely the PS Lord Blayney) was a 200-ton paddle steamer that was wrecked near Prestatyn in Wales, on December 18, 1833, on a journey from Warrenpoint to Liverpool. 16 crew and 30 passengers went down with that ship. The only surviving living thing being a single pig that washed up on the shore at Prestatyn.

A stained-glass memorial to the SS Connemara and SS Retriever tragedy is visible to this day in St Patrick's cathedral here in Dundalk.

There are other, more mysterious, shipwrecks off the Louth coastline, for which information is harder to come by. There are at least 18 unknown shipwrecks in the area, many of which were only discovered during archaeological assessments for the potential development of off-shore windfarms in the past 20 years.

Just of Dunany point, lies the wreck of the SS Topaz, a three-masted schooner steamship which was enroute from Workington in England to Dundalk on December 28, 1891 with a crew of ten and a cargo of steel rails, when it encountered a force 4 wind and smashed into the nearby reef.

The vessel subsequently drifted into deeper water and sank quickly. However, the crew had managed to take to their ship's lifeboats just in time and eventually landed at Greenore safely some time later.

After the sinking, due to the Topaz's relatively shallow resting place in 16 metres of water, efforts were made to salvage its lucrative cargo of steel rails.

Between 1892 and 1893, the ship's insurer Lloyds of London employed the diver Rigden to retrieve the cargo. During this operation they also managed to salvage the ship's engines and working gear and removed its masts.

To this day, the ship's hull remains almost completely intact and it sits upright on the seabed according to the National Monuments Service.

One particular shipwreck, which is visible from the shore, is the Margaret and Ann, a 57 -ton schooner which ran aground at Annagassan at the Millrace Breakwater on December 7, 1888.

The wreck can be seen during low tide with the east side of the wreck almost flush with the surrounding seabed and the breakwater. Most of the ceiling timbers are now gone unfortunately, but some survive partially visible in places, according to the National Monument Service, which undertook an extensive project several years back to catalogue as many shipwrecks around Ireland.

Elsewhere, if you happen to emerge from the Spirit Store pub on George's Quay in Dundalk, you might - depending on the tide - just about be able make out a shipwreck before your very eyes.

The Night Watch, a 328-ton barquentine (a masted sailing vessel), was enroute to Dundalk on February 8, 1886, when it grounded itself close to beacon No 5 on the east side of the Navvy Bank channel. The ship was reported as being "leaky" when it entered the channel. Nine days later, the Night Watch was towed by a tug to the quays and docked. The crew were able to get ashore, thankfully.

However, heavy winds broke the ship's moorings and the vessel swung out and came to rest against the quay wall, but just under the town's sewer. The crew returned to the ship, but the cargo of pitch pine, meant for Messrs Williamson, was discovered to be "awash with sewerage".

A protracted court case began in February 1888 as Messrs Williamson refused to accept the cargo and an argument regarding liability for damage dragged on.

The vessel itself was eventually moved from the side of the quay to its current location.

In the end, it was reported that a builder bought the ship's cargo.
Three Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including a self-styled commander of the outfit, were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Tral area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Wednesday.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Tral late Tuesday night following information about the presence of militants there, they said.

During searches, an encounter broke out between militants and security forces, police said.

"Three Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were killed in an operation in the Tral area," Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh told reporters here.

Singh said the slain militants have been identified as Jehangir Ahmad Wani, who had taken over the command of the outfit in the area after the killing of Hammad, Raja Umer Maqbool and Sadaat Ahmad Thokar.

He said arms and ammunition was recovered from the encounter site which included two AK rifles, a pistol and two grenades.

Twenty-three terrorists have been eliminated in various encounters since last month, the DGP said.

He said Wani and Maqbool were involved in several "terror crimes", including killing of two civilians.

"They were also involved in incidents of arson including a firing incident at a mosque and burning of a shop and a truck," Singh said.

He said while 19 militants have been killed in eight operations in Kashmir, four were killed in two operations in the Jammu region since January this year.

"So far, we have had 10 successful operations in Jammu and Kashmir in 2020 in which 23 terrorists have been eliminated," the DGP said.

"Besides, we have also arrested 40 overground workers who were involved in grenade throwing incidents or facilitating the terrorists in the valley," he added.

Singh said it was heartening that eight youths, who had left homes to join militant ranks, have been reunited with their families after realising the futility of their decision.

"We have ensured that there is no collateral damage during the operations. The fresh recruitment into terrorist ranks is next to nil. The life in Kashmir is normal and police will make all efforts to contribute in keeping it that way," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via CannabisNewsWire -- Retail is a key focus of this years OCannabiz Conference and Expo. A highlight of this years event is the OCannabiz Retail Zone, featuring two full days of retail education and 20,000 square feet of dedicated retail expo space  an unparalleled opportunity to dive deep into the retail potential of the cannabis space. This premier cannabis event, slated for April 2325, 2020, will be held at the International Centre, one of Torontos most vibrant venues.

With a packed agenda, including the track designed specifically for those with retail in mind, the OCannabiz conference includes an extensive retail session curated by Cova Software, the leading cannabis dispensary point-of-sale technology.

The Retail Zone also includes several workshops and panel discussions that cover topics, from best practices on inventory management and how to create provincial reporting, to the 10 biggest mistakes that retailers make and how to avoid them. Other subjects include detecting and preventing cannabis retail fraud, seven cannabis compliance issues your cannabis retail can avoid and how technology can transform the cannabis in-store experience.

Complimentary Expo Tickets for Retailers

As part of this years added focus on retail, retailers can register as attendees at no cost. For details, please visit: https://ocannabiz.com/retailers

Headlining the gathering with a keynote conversation is Grammy and Emmy award-winning superstar Olivia Newton-John and her husband Amazon John Easterling who founded the Amazon Herb Company. Other inspiring speakers include Cam Battley, former executive vice president at Aurora; John Conroy, barrister and solicitor at Conroy & Company; Racheal Rapinoe, CEO at Mendi; Diane Scott, group chair and CEO at JMCC; William R. Sharpe, CEO and director at AeroPonLeaf Canada; and Tom Zuber, managing partner at Zuber Lawler & Del Duca.

In addition to the Retail Zone track, the three-day 2020 OCannabiz Conference and Expo features a business conference focus on day one (April 23), an industry-only focus on day two (April 24), and industry/public sessions on day three (April 25). Other conference high points include the Investor's and Leaders in Cannabis breakfasts (Friday and Saturday), and the OCannabiz Industry Awards Gala and VIP Networking After Party on Thursday.

For more information about 2020 OCannabiz Conference and Expo, including how to register to attend this one-of-a-kind event, visit https://ocannabiz.com

About O'Cannabiz Conference & Expo

The O'Cannabiz Conference and Expo, voted the No. 1 cannabis event in Canada by High Canada magazine, is the premiere cannabis industry event on the calendar in Canada. Combining business, investors, healthcare, and consumer features, the 4th annual show is a must-attend event for the entire cannabis market. Cannabis in any form is not available at this show. You must be 19+ to attend.

The producers of O'Cannabiz have decades of experience producing national profile events and creating global connections between business communities in the arts, broadcasting, media and technology. They have organized trade summit initiatives with governments around the world and have worked closely with sponsors in all levels of Canadian government.

To learn more about the O'Cannabiz Conference and Expo, including how to purchase tickets, become a sponsor or reserve a booth, visit: https://ocannabiz.com/

Connect on social media via Twitter: https://twitter.com/OCannabiz

Main Contact:

Eric Vengroff

Toronto, Canada

www.OCannabiz.com

905.858.3298

Info@OCannabiz.com



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Why it matters: While many companies are scrambling to infuse AI into every industry, Elon Musk is once again floating the idea that we need more government oversight of AI development. His comments come in response to a profile of OpenAI, a company that's ironically among the least open and transparent about its work.

During the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai last year, Elon Musk expressed both his enthusiasm with regards to the potential rewards of AI, as well as concerns about the risks of using it before we get a chance to understand it better.

Musk is also one of the co-founders of OpenAI, one of the leading companies in the field and on a quest to develop the world's first artificial general intelligence (AGI). The company claims it can deliver a machine with the reasoning capabilities of a human being, while keeping the whole process transparent and putting safety as a top priority.

It's not a secret that Elon Musk is one of the biggest critics of AI tech, but he's also worried that OpenAI won't be able to keep all of its promises. Soon after MIT Technology Review published a report on the culture of secrecy the company has adopted, Musk took aim at Dario Amodei - a former Google engineer that is now leading OpenAI's efforts - noting that he can't be trusted to prioritize safety.

The Tesla CEO noted that all companies doing advanced AI development should be regulated by governments and the UN, Tesla included. Musk officially left OpenAI in February 2019, which has since shifted its focus towards proprietary technology and playing with its public image to secure more funding from investors.

In 2019, OpenAI enlisted Microsoft as their "preferred partner," which is pouring $1 billion and a chunk of its vast Azure infrastructure into AGI development. The worrying aspect is that OpenAI has been transitioning from a non-profit to something that more closely resembles a profit-driven organization that's willing to license pre-AGI (sub-human level artificial intelligence) to third parties. This doesn't align well with their public image and officially-stated mission of "enacting the path to safe artificial intelligence."

In the meantime, Elon Musk has founded Neuralink to work on a different approach that would instead create symbiosis between man and machine, one step at a time.
A Chinese company has required its staff to do push-ups as punishment if a step-counting app shows they walked too much while working from home during the coronavirus outbreak.

Employees from the media firm in Shanxi Province must do 20 push-ups if they are found to have walked more than 1,000 steps a day, according to an insider.

The aim of the policy is not to monitor the workers' movements, but to ensure they carry out self-quarantine and stay at home during the epidemic, the source said.

One of the employees from the media company in Taiyuan, China's Shanxi Province, is filmed doing push-ups after being found walking more than 1,000 steps a day during self-isolation

it is reported that the firm in Taiyuan is keeping track of its staff using a mobile software programme, which records the number of steps of all workers

One employee said he supported the rule.

The unnamed man, who has been punished, said doing push-ups could help him work out.

'I cannot say that [the policy] is reasonable or unreasonable. [After all], it does not involve financial penalties. What's more, doing push-ups can help me exercise. I think it is pretty good,' he told Chinese video news outlet Pear.

He claimed that he had walked too much because he had to walk his pets in his courtyard.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 2,012 people and infected more than 75,000 globally

More than 75,000 patients have been infected, including nearly 1,000 outside of China

Medical worker recording a patient's condition at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan on Sunday

Staff must report their activities of the day if their step count exceeds 2,000, according to him.

The news comes after Hubei Province, the epicentre of the outbreak, banned its citizens from leaving their buildings unless there were 'special circumstances' in a bid to stop the spread of the disease, which has killed at least 2,012 people.

The rule is part of the new efforts released by the provincial government on Sunday to tighten its restrictions on its 58 million residents during a sweeping lockdown to curb the epidemic.

China's Hubei Province, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, has tightened its restrictions further on its residents during a sweeping lockdown to curb the epidemic. All residential compounds must now arrange security staff to check the temperature of passersby

A new government notice bans citizens across the province from leaving their homes unless there are 'special circumstances'. Officials have also ordered citizens in Wuhan to stay at least 1.5 metres (five feet) away from each other on the street if they must leave their buildings

The Chinese province of Hubei is now only allowing one person of each household to go out once every three days to buy life necessities.

Officials have also ordered citizens in Wuhan - where the virus originated - to stay at least five feet away from each other if they have to go out.

Wuhan, the provincial capital with 11 million residents, went into lockdown on January 23 in the wake of the outbreak. The majority part of Hubei then followed suit.



The novel coronavirus epidemic has killed over 2,000 people in China and infected more than 75,000, and has spread to at least two dozen countries around the world.
As a new and powerful weapon against the spread of the coronavirus, Chinese hospitals are now deploying Danish disinfection robots from UVD Robots.

Self-driving Danish disinfection robots are now shipping to a number of hospitals in China to help fight the coronavirus, also called COVID-19. This happened after Sunay Healthcare Supply today signed an agreement with the Danish company UVD Robots. The first robots shipped this week and in the following weeks, many more robots will be shipped via air to be deployed in the fight against the coronavirus. With ultraviolet light, the Danish robot can disinfect and kill viruses and bacteria autonomously, effectively limiting the spread of coronaviruses without exposing hospital staff to the risk of infection.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005708/en/

The agreement between UVD Robots and Sunay Healthcare Supply was signed Wednesday, February 19, at UVD Robots' headquarters in Odense, Denmark by (from left) Per Juul Nielsen, Chief Executive Officer, UVD Robots ApS, Su Yan, Chief Executive Officer, Sunay Healthcare Supply, and Claus Risager, Chairman of the Board, UVD Robots ApS. The reseller agreement grants Sunay Healthcare Supply exclusive rights to supply the UVD robots (visible in background) in China. (Photo: Business Wire)

Through Sunay Healthcare Supply's partners in China, the robots will be deployed in all Chinese provinces. "With this agreement, more than 2,000 hospitals will now have the opportunity to ensure effective disinfection, protecting both their patients and staff," says Su Yan, CEO of Sunay Healthcare Supply, a medical equipment supplier to the Chinese market.

Now sold in more than 40 countries, UVD Robots is already delivering its self-driving disinfection robots to hospitals in other parts of Asia in addition to healthcare markets in Europe and the United States. The invention increases the safety of both staff, patients and their relatives by reducing the risk of contact with bacteria, viruses and other harmful microorganisms. The concentrated UV-C light emitted by the robots as they drive has a germicidal effect that removes virtually all airborne viruses and bacteria on the surfaces of a room. Results, that led to the UVD robot winning the robotics industry's "Oscar" IERA Award in 2019.

Technology found superior in the market

Before entering into the agreement with UVD Robots, Sunay Healthcare Supply did its due diligence and screened the market for the best technologies to fight the coronavirus.

"We found the UVD robot to be superior compared to other technologies and are pleased to in a very short amount of time enter into a reseller agreement with exclusive rights to supply the UVD robots in China," says Su Yan, emphasizing how both parties have worked intensively to get deliveries of robots to the Chinese hospitals.

CEO of UVD Robots, Per Juul Nielsen, is pleased to be helping combat the spread of the virus in China through the company's solution: "In a severe crisis like this where the world health is threatened, our innovative technology really proves its worth," he says.

Developed by large group of collaborators from hospital and robotics industries

UVD Robots is a portfolio company in Blue Ocean Robotics, which develops a wide range of service robots.

The development of the UVD robot started in 2014, when a group of Danish hospitals demanded a far more effective way of reducing infection rates in hospitals. The fruitful collaboration between bacteriologists, virologists and hospital staff from hospitals, and robot developers, designers, engineers, investors and business people from Blue Ocean Robotics led to an early market introduction in 2018.

Claus Risager, CEO of Blue Ocean Robotics and Chairman of the Board of UVD Robots, calls it a tremendous satisfaction for employees, management and the circle of owners to witness the deployment of the UVD Robot. "We are now helping solve one of the biggest problems of our time, preventing the spread of bacteria and viruses with a robot that saves lives in hospitals every day."

About UVD Robots

UVD Robots is a Danish company established in Odense, Denmark, following a successful co-development project between Odense University Hospital and Blue Ocean Robotics resulting in the unique UV-Disinfection Robot. The UVD Robots provide efficient and automated disinfection solutions for hospitals and life science customers. Application of UVD Robots in hospitals patient and operating rooms save patients' lives by reducing Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI's) and operational costs for hospitals. The UVD Robot has been clinically tested and verified at Odense University Hospital and by independent microbiological laboratories.

About Blue Ocean Robotics: Award-winning Robot Venture Factory

Blue Ocean Robotics develops, produces and sells professional service robots primarily in healthcare, hospitality, construction and agriculture. The portfolio of robots includes brands like; Beam Robots, a mobile telepresence robot for communication, social inclusion and CO 2 reductions; UVD Robots, a mobile robot for disinfection; PTR Robots, a mobile robot for safe patient handling and rehabilitation; and a handful of other service robots. Blue Ocean Robotics develops the robots from problem, idea and design to development, commercialization, and all the way to exit. Each robot is moved into its own subsidiary- venture company, making Blue Ocean Robotics the world's first Robot Venture Factory.

Download images here:

http://bit.ly/UVDrobot

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005708/en/

Contacts:

Per Juul Nielsen, CEO at UVD Robots

Email: pjn@uvd-robots.com

Phone: +45 40 37 21 50

Or:

Camilla Harkjr Frederiksen, PA, Sales and Marketing at UVD Robots

Email: cf@uvd-robots.com

Phone: +45 31 24 90 32
A Jamia Millia Islamia student approached the Delhi High Court Wednesday seeking compensation for injuries suffered by him allegedly in police action against anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protesters on December 15 last year.

The plea also sought direction to the authorities to register an FIR into the offences allegedly committed by the police forces.

The petition filed by Mohd Mustafa has sought that the authorities be directed to pay a compensation of at least Rs 1 crore for physical and mental losses suffered by him.

The plea, filed through advocate Nabila Hasan, sought direction for reimbursing the student the expenses of his medical treatment that he had already incurred including cost of travelling to hospitals.

It has arrayed the Delhi government, its departments of law and order and home as parties in the petition.

On February 17, another similar petition had come up for hearing before the high court which sought response of the Delhi government and police on the plea.

It was filed by Shayaan Mujeeb who contended that he was in the university library on December 15, 2019 studying, when police personnel entered the building and allegedly beat up the students there.

The court was initially of the view that the petitioner ought to have filed a civil suit if he was seeking compensation as the claims made by him would have to be proved through evidence which cannot be done in a writ petition.

Earlier, another student, Mohd Minhajuddin, had moved a plea seeking a probe into the incident and demanding compensation for injuries he suffered.

Minhajuddin, according to his plea, lost vision in one eye in the incident.

On December 15 last year, a protest against the CAA near Jamia turned violent, with demonstrators pelting stones at police and setting public buses and private vehicles on fire.

Police later entered the university, firing teargas shells and baton-charging students.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
While the snow season may be approaching an end in New Jersey, the bow season is just beginning in Califon.

Through support from the Lebanon Township Education Foundation, students in grades six through eight at Woodglen School are currently learning the art of the bow and arrow in their physical education classes.

The classes, which range in size from 35 to 50 students, were implemented at the school in 2017 by physical education teacher Jaclyn Barnes, who teaches them every other year alongside fellow physical education teachers Maria Viscel and Marc Dally.

Prior to teaching in Califon, Barnes had introduced archery at Madison High School in Morris County. Students warm reception to the activity encouraged her to carry it over to Woodglen School, which she accomplished through recruiting instructors from the National Archery in the Schools Program to teach herself and the other teachers techniques for teaching archery to their students.

The process of getting the archery program started felt seamless, Barnes said. We practiced shooting, had to take a written exam and became certified to teach. The next step was to get the equipment."

The Lebanon Township Education Foundation funded $3,000 worth of equipment for the program, donating five targets, 10 bows and hundreds of arrows for the students to use in their classes.

The (physical education) teachers submitted a grant request to the Lebanon Township Education Foundation as it was a program they felt very strongly about and our school budget did not have funding for, Holly Thall, president of the Lebanon Township Education Foundation, explained.

The Lebanon Township Education Foundation voted to fund the equipment purchase because we saw the long term, wide reaching impact to the Woodglen student body," she added.

Archery is taught throughout a unit comprised of six physical education classes in total, at the beginning of which students learn safety aspects and all lines and whistle commands prior to shooting arrows at blank targets. They eventually progress to shoot for points, play tic-tac-toe with fellow classmates, and attempt to pop balloons floating on targets to win prizes.

While stating that these activities can stimulate students competitive spirits, Barnes credited her inspiration to implement archery at the school to the fact that the sport is so different" than whats played in a regular gym class specifically because it is individually run and less competitive in nature."

I absolutely love teaching this unit to our students because kids dont have to be the best athlete to be successful at archery, Barnes said. Every student has their likes and dislikes with activities in P.E. class, and this activity is perfect for all different types of students because everyone can become successful at it if they follow the rules and practice.

Seventh grade student Hannah Shivers, who practices archery outside of school, described the schools program as an overall pretty great and calming experience.

Being to practice (archery) in school was fun. With different safety guidelines in P.E. class, it was easy to adjust, Shivers said.

Looking forward, Barnes said that she would love to implement and run an after-school archery program in her belief that the sport is only growing more and more popular.

A lot of our students actually already shoot bows outside of school, so a lot of them are familiar with archery," Barnes said. "I think archery is a very unique sport, and individuals who continue to practice will find very high success.

In the meantime, students itching to play archery outside of the school grounds can sign up for programs run by NASP, where Barnes said they can take their skills to the next level by competing against other students from in and beyond the area.

Caroline Fassett can be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com.

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GREENVILLE  Greenville Universitys annual Schoenhals Fine Arts Symposium will feature an accomplished pianist.

This years Schoenhals guest artist Brian Lee, a professional pianist and Moody Bible Institute professor of piano, will give a solo performance during the symposium with a piano recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, at the universitys Whitlock Music Center, followed by a reception at the Tidball Alumni House, in Greenville. A chapel presentation will be at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 18, and a piano masterclass takes place at 2:30 p.m. later the same day, also at Whitlock Music Center.

Lee has given solo performances in venues such as the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series, Bargemusic in New York City and concert halls across China. As a soloist with professional and community orchestras, Lee has premiered works by American composers.

Lees collaborative performances have been featured on Live from WFMT, a radio program based in Chicago, and in many recital series, ranging from concert halls to churches and retirement communities. Lee also has performed in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Art Institute Chamber Series with members of the orchestra.

Lees solo recordings can be found on the label Albany Records and the Blue Griffin label. He earned degrees from Wheaton College, New England Conservatory and The Juilliard School.

Greenville University is an accredited Christian liberal arts university with more than 1,100 students, including traditional undergraduate, graduate and adult degree completion students. Founded in 1892 and affiliated with the Free Methodist Church, the university is located 45 miles east of St. Louis, in Greenville.

Visit www.greenville.edu for more information.
Hundreds of relieved passengers disembarked Wednesday from a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship in Japan after being given the all-clear, but health officials said 79 new cases had been detected. With 621 positive cases, the Diamond Princess is easily the biggest cluster of infected people outside China, and Japan has faced mounting criticism for its quarantine arrangements as passengers disperse across the world. The disease has now claimed more than 2,000 lives in China and spread panic worldwide. Hundreds more cases have been reported in two dozen countries, including in Iran, which reported its first two cases of the virus -- both fatal. Those were the first deaths in the Middle East. In Japan, those newly diagnosed with the virus will be taken off the ship to the hospital, and after being treated will have to undergo another quarantine. Those who tested negative for the virus began leaving the ship. "I'm relieved... I want to take a good rest," said a departing 77-year-old Japanese passenger, who declined to give his name. He said he would be boarding Japan's famously crowded railway system to head home. A fleet of yellow-dotted city buses, plus a dozen or so taxis, whisked away the passengers, many of whom dragged their luggage behind them and waved to former ship-mates on balconies as they disembarked. Latest figures from China showed the death toll surging beyond 2,000 with more than 74,000 infected, although the rate of new cases is slowing. Hong Kong reported its second death from the virus, which has proved extremely infectious. The World Health Organization said Wednesday that "tremendous progress" had been made in the fight against the COVID-19 virus. - 'Major failure' - For the 500 passengers leaving the Diamond Princess after testing negative, a difficult 14-day quarantine period has come to an end after their dream cruise turned into a nightmare of fear and boredom, confined in many cases to small windowless cabins. "Our last deep gratitude to the crews and captain for such an amazing care... during the epic crisis... we can't wait to see you again soon on board again," tweeted passenger Yardley Wong, who left after 14 days cooped up in a small cabin with her six-year-old son. Many were left onboard with an anxious wait for test results that would allow them to disembark. Asked how he felt seeing others disembark while remaining on the ship, American lawyer Matt Smith told AFP: "I need an emoji for envy." Michael Ryan, head of the World Health Organization's emergencies programme, said the outbreak was "very serious" and could grow, but stressed that outside China's Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, it was "affecting a very, very tiny, tiny proportion of people". But in Japan, some have raised concerns about allowing people from the cruise ship to board flights home or spread into the notoriously bustling capital Tokyo. Kentaro Iwata, a professor at the infectious diseases division of Kobe University, blasted the on-ship quarantine as a "major failure, a mistake". "It is highly likely secondary infections occurred," Iwata told AFP, saying scepticism from abroad of the quarantine was "only natural". He later said in a video published online that he was self-quarantining after a brief visit to the ship, where he raised major concerns about the procedures on board. "It was completely chaotic," he said. - 'Hugs and flowers' - Elated passengers also began disembarking from a second cruise ship that has been at the centre of coronavirus fears -- the Westerdam, which came ashore in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Hundreds were allowed off after basic health checks -- among them an 83-year-old American woman who was later diagnosed with the virus while in transit in Malaysia. That raised fears that many other Westerdam passengers could be spreading the virus as they scattered, although no other cases have been recorded. American Christina Kirby fretted about the stigma some Westerdam passengers could face once they return home. "I want people to remember that... there's a human behind each of these stories and those who are ill deserve compassion," she told AFP. Several countries appear to have lost patience with the quarantine aboard the Diamond Princess and chartered planes to repatriate citizens. In the first such evacuation Monday, more than 300 Americans flew home -- even though 14 had tested positive. Britain, Hong Kong and Australia are among other countries that have vowed to repatriate people from the ship but will insist on a further 14-day quarantine on home soil. Nathalie MacDermott, a medical expert at King's College London, recommended a further 14-day self-quarantine for those leaving. "Given the circumstances on board the Diamond Princess, those passengers leaving the boat should be managed in a similar manner to those individuals departing a highly affected city or region," said MacDermott. Disembarkation of the ship in Japan is expected to take around three days as more test results become available. The crew will begin a new quarantine when the last passenger has left. People in Yokohama appeared supportive of the decision to allow the passengers out despite the virus fears. "I am sure those people on board must be really worried. I hope they can go back to their normal life soon," said 51-year-old Isamu Habiro. burs-ric/sst/dw A passenger (C) from the stricken Diamond Princess leaves after a controversial 14-day quarantine on board the ship in Japan's port of Yokohama The passengers were removed in city of Yokohama buses Map showing cases recorded and fatalities related to the coronavirus in China and overseas Some passengers waved off their former ship-mates Factfile on the virus-stricken Diamond Princess, including daily cases of reported infections Those who left the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan had all tested negative for the illness
Some of the photos Loxahatchee resident Andrew Melendez-Gonzalez exchanged with a 15-year-old girl in the Philippines that led to a 20-year sentence in federal prison:

 Photos of the girl nude and masturbating. Some were sent from the girl at Melendez-Gonzalezs request on the threat that he would kill himself. Some were sent from the girl at his demand, under threat that he would spread the earlier nude photos around the Internet.

 A photo displaying Melendez-Gonzalezs genitalia.

 A series of photos showing Melendez-Gonzalez using blood from his arm to spell out Im sorry when the girls mother asked him to stop blackmailing her.

Thats child pornography production, child pornography possession, transferring obscene material to a minor and stalking, the charges to which the 21-year-old Melendez-Gonzalez pleaded guilty in Fort Lauderdale federal court. He was sentenced Feb. 7.

All this happened during the 2018 summer or just under two years after Melendez-Gonzalezs last swim around the criminal justice system, although in the shallower waters of the state system.

On Dec. 15, 2016, Melendez-Gonzalez started his five-year probation after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated stalking and one count of written threats to injure and one count of distributing obscene material involving a minor.

Online court documents say his probation required, among other things, a mental health examination, a psychosexual health examination, a 12-hour anger management class and that he get his GED. He was required to complete any treatment recommended after the examinations, but there is no indication whether or not he did.

The Florida Case

The arrest report in the Florida case reads like what entertainment folks would call a prequel to Melendez-Gonzalezs federal case. He met an Orlando-area 14-year-old girl online in November 2014 through the Kik messaging application, an app that shows up regularly in child porn cases as a connector between collectors. They maintained contact using Kik and Facebook Instant Messenger and met in person at the girls grandparents house in March 2015.

Story continues

Their sexual relationship began with their second meeting, she told police, in November 2015. Melendez-Gonzalez told Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office investigators his parents drove him the 2 1/2 hours upstate six to eight times to meet the girl and knew the two were having sex.

During those encounters, Melendez-Gonzalez took pictures and video of the girl that qualified as child pornography. When the girls parents found out about their relationship and ended it, Melendez-Gonzalez launched into an online tantrum.

He posted some of the pictures and videos to Instagram. He threatened to post more unless the girls parents allowed her to see him again. He sent sexually explicit video and threats to one of the girls parents via Instagram and threatened to kill them in an Instagram post that also included the mothers address.

The report said he threatened at various times to rape the girl, kill her family, friends or himself.

One of the Instagram messages he sent the girl from account spencerdavy12 demanded the girl ask her mother if they could be together again because Im tired of waiting and texting...I suggest you ask her you dumb fat b---- before I get a man to kill you stupid fat ----. I really dont want to have to send nudes to the whole family but okay you give me no choice since you dont answer.

Melendez-Gonzalez told investigators he never planned to follow through on the threats.

Andrew Melendez-Gonzalez as he goes on probation for aggravated stalking of someone under 16, written threats to kill or injure and other charges.

The Federal Case

In the summer 2018 sequel, a now-20-year-old Melendez-Gonzalez met the 15-year-old Filipino girl on the social media platform Antiland.

According to Melendez-Gonzalezs admission of facts, she told Homeland Security investigators they were in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. He told Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office investigators they were dating.

Minor Victim 1 explained that during their relationship, Melendez-Gonzalez requested nude photos and videos of her, the admission of facts states. She gave in to his demands, as she was concerned about his suicidal tendencies and thought that perhaps she could make him change his mind about taking his own life.

This went on from June 2018 until her mother cut off their virtual relationship in August 2018. An arrest report says Melendez-Gonzalez reacted as his record said he would.

He sent a photo of an arm with several cuts, promising to cut deeper each day. He warned, If you dont reply soon, youre going viral. Posting all you online, suggesting hed post the videos to pornographic sites, YouTube and send the links to her classmates.

The girls U.S.-based aunt reported Melendez to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as a cyberstalker. He soon found himself at his probation officers office talking with PBCSO detectives again.

I didnt mean anything by it, Melendez-Gonzalez said.

On his iPhone 7, detectives found videos of the girl and the direction from Melendez-Gonzalez of how to customize them for his enjoyment. These included usage of a bottle or marker.

He had a St. Petersburg police department Medal of Valor. And a child porn collection.
The post of CVC had been lying vacant since June 9, 2019, after K.V. Chowdary had left on completion of his tenure.

New Delhi: Retired IAS officer Sanjay Kothari has been appointed as the new chief vigilance commissioner (CVC), while former information and broadcasting secretary Bimal Julka will be the new chief information commissioner (CIC).

The selection panel led by the Prime Minister, which had met on Tuesday evening (as exclusively reported by The Asian Age), finalised the names of the two former bureaucrats, sources privy to development informed this newspaper.

Apart from Mr Narendra Modi, the panel comprised home minister Amit Shah and leader of the single largest Opposition party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Choudhury.

Mr Kothari, a 1978-batch retired IAS officer of Haryana cadre, is currently secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind. Incidentally, he had been given an extension of three years last year after his initial two years tenure as secretary to the President had expired in 2019.

Mr Bimal Julka, a former IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, who is currently serving in CIC as one of the information commissioners, has been elevated as the chief information commissioner in the information body. The two newly-appointed officials are likely to have a fixed tenure, however the details of their appointment are not available.

The Asian Age had reported on February 18, that both CVC as well as CIC have been lying headless since the past eight and one months respectively, and therefore to fill up these posts, the selection panel led by the prime minister was scheduled to meet on Tuesday. The search panel had shortlisted around 100-odd candidates, and Tuesdays meeting was supposed to be the first among many to scrutinise and finalise the chiefs of two bodies.

However it comes as a surprise that the names had been shortlisted in the first meeting of the selection panel itself.

The post of CVC had been lying vacant since June 9, 2019, after K.V. Chowdary had left on completion of his tenure.

Since then, vigilance commissioner Sharad Kumar has been functioning as interim CVC. The deadlines for sending applications for the post of CVC had been extended thrice between May and June 2019. Sudhir Bhargava had superannuated on January 11, 2020 as the CIC.
A man working on a car in the driveway of his Atlantic County home Tuesday night was killed when the vehicle rolled on top of him, authorities said.

Paul Barrie, 40, of Folsom, was pronounced dead after troopers arrived at his home on the 300 block of Cedar Lake Drive around 2:50 a.m. Wednesday, according to New Jersey State Police.

Hours earlier, the car was on a ramp when it rolled back on top of Barrie, authorities said. He was found Wednesday and police were called.

Though the investigation is continuing, Barries death appears to be accidental.

State Police patrol Folsom, a borough of less than 2,000 in northwestern Atlantic County, as the municipality does not have its own police department.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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PHOENIX  A U.S. judge in Arizona sided Wednesday with migrants who have long-complained about inhumane and unsanitary conditions in some U.S. Border Patrol facilities in the state.

The ruling came weeks after the conclusion of a seven-day trial in which attorneys for migrants who sued in 2015 argued that the agency holds immigrants in extremely cold, overcrowded, unsanitary and inhumane conditions.

The order makes permanent a preliminary injunction that U.S. District Court Judge David C. Bury issued in 2016 requiring the Tucson Sector to provide clean mats and thin blankets to migrants held for longer than 12 hours and to allow them to clean themselves.

It also bars the agency from holding migrants more than 48 hours if theyve been fully processed, which is common when other agencies involved in taking the migrants, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, dont have the capacity to pick them up in a reasonable amount of time.

Bury is also banning the use of bathrooms for sleeping, which came to light during the trial this year, when video was shown of a man trying to reach a bathroom but failing to because migrants were sleeping in them.

Todays decision is a tremendous victory for communities everywhere fighting courageously to uphold human dignity and the rights enshrined in our Constitution, Alvaro M. Huerta, staff attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, said in a statement.

The center was one of the advocacy groups that brought the case forward. The other plaintiffs were the American Immigration Council, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Their case was argued in court by attorneys for the law firm Morrison & Foerster.

We are enthused that our justice system has intervened in a meaningful way to institute much needed change and hold CBP accountable, Huerta said.

Customs and Border Protection didnt respond to a request for comment.

Although the lawsuit predates last years surge in immigrant arrivals, it illustrates some of the challenges posed when migrants are detained, especially if they are children.

In his order Wednesday, Bury wrote that the Border Patrol and its parent agencies, or the defendants in the case, administer a detention system that deprives detainees, who are held in CBP stations, Tucson Sector, longer than 48 hours, of conditions of confinement that meet basic human needs.

Bury has been critical of the agency, saying it has done little to remedy issues, especially around overcrowding and migrants inability to sleep.

Nobody has done anything. Is that why a court has to jump in? Bury asked during the last day of trial on Jan. 22. It just seems like the lack of a response to these numbers just calls for a court order.

Government attorneys said in their closing arguments last monththat plaintiffs didnt prove the agency violated any constitutional rights. It says many things are out of the agencys control, such as whether other agencies involved in taking migrants have capacity.

Its facilities were built of short-term stays, for adults. Holding cells are in odd shapes, reducing the number of sleeping mats that can comfortably fit on the ground. On nights when agents arrest large groups of people, or when other agencies involved in immigration dont have the capacity to pick them up, cells become extremely overcrowded.

A video displayed on the opening day of the trial showed a man walking over body after body as he tried to make his way to the bathroom. Once there, he realized all stalls had people sleeping in them.

Migrants have long decried conditions in Border Patrol facilities, now infamously known as hieleras, or iceboxes. And although the Tucson Sector hasnt experienced the massive number of immigrants that other parts of the Southwest border has, the number of hours that migrants spend in custody there has continued to grow.

About 12,000 people were in custody for more than 72 hours in the Tucson Sector last year, or about 20%. The average time in custody was nearly 54 hours.
US President Donald Trump should not be trusted upon as he is not Lord Ram, said Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on February 19, News18 has alerted.

The US president will pay a state visit to India on February 24 and 25 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He would be accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump.

Ahead of the visit, the Congress leader said, Trump has already said that India is a developed country. What will we benefit from this deal if we are already developed? As per him (Trump) both America and India are developed nations.

He further said that there are many things common between PM Modi and US President Trump. There are many things common between them. Trump considers himself as a macho man and so does PM Modi, said Chowdhury.

Trump should not be trusted upon...He is not Lord Ram, he added.
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Fascinating black and white pictures reveal what life was like for London's child evacuees after they were sent to live on a farm in rural Sussex.

The youngsters, from the Sydenham Road area of Croydon, south London, were evacuated just over 40 miles away from their homes to Woodingdean, Brighton in 1939.

Images show them being taught how to look after the animals, sow seeds and carry out chores around the farm. Homesick and missing their parents, others capture them writing weekly letters to their loved ones back in the city.

With private transport still in its infancy, the majority of children had scarcely been outside of London before, making country life a completely alien experience for them.

When war broke out, the British Government ordered children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups to go and live in the countryside so they would be safe from potential German bombings.

They were evacuated in waves, with the first taking place on September 1 that year, when more than 1.5million people were transported out of big cities such as Birmingham, Coventry and Portsmouth.

There were no major bombing raids during the first few months of the conflict, meaning many had been reunited with their families by the time 1940 came. However, children were evacuated again during The Blitz, which lasted from September 1940 until May 1941. By the end of the Second World War, 3.5million people had experienced evacuation.

Children evacuated from the Sydenham Road area of Croydon, south London, are seen looking in wonder at a sow and its piglets as the farm dog looks on in Woodingdean, Brighton in 1939. When war broke out in September 1939, the British Government ordered children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups to go and live in the countryside so they would be safe from potential German bombings

A farm worker, Miss Leago, oversees a group of four boys from Croydon who moved to the Brighton countryside with the first wave of evacuees in September 1939 as they dig a hole and shovel the earth into a wheelbarrow

A young teacher Mr Auchterlonie explains how the milking process works as the boys from Croydon watch the cows in awe. The children were taught farm skills during their time in Woodingdean, Brighton, while war raged in London and the rest of Europe

A female farm worker is seen teaching the Croydon youngsters how to sew seeds. Schoolchildren were evacuated from big cities including London, Coventry and Birmingham to avoid Nazi bombings. There were no major air raids during the first few months of the war, meaning many had been reunited with their families by 1940, before being sent back again during the Blitz of September 1940 to May 1941

Mr Martin, who worked on the farm, is seen instructing 11-year-old Leslie Pring and Kenneth Lovegrove how to hoe the land. They had scarcely travelled outside London before the war broke out in 1939, which meant farm life was quite the culture shock

Reginald Francis and Michael Pibworth, both 11, help their friend Fred Baylis, nine, clean their shoes after muddying them while they were hard at work on the farm. Host families and rural workers made sure to keep the youngsters distracted, to stop them thinking about the possible fate of their friends and relatives stuck back in London

Hungry work: The Croydon boys are treated to lunch after a hard morning's work on the farm in Woodingdean, Brighton. Although they found the separation from their families difficult at first, many got into the spirit of things and started to enjoy the change of scene
OTTAWA  Leaked emails surrounding the appointment of Manitoba judges have renewed calls for transparency in the federal process.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Leaked emails surrounding the appointment of Manitoba judges have renewed calls for transparency in the federal process.

The Globe and Mail reported Tuesday that Winnipeg Liberal MP Jim Carr and his wife, who is a judge, disagreed with then-justice minister Jody-Wilson Raybould over the selection of a handful for Manitoba courts in 2018.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/ADRIAN WYLD Liberal MP Jim Carr.

"When I was minister, I ensured and was committed to appointing the most meritorious judges," Wilson-Raybould told the Free Press on Tuesday.

"Im incredible proud of the appointments I was able to make, and that was free from political interference; I made certain of that," said Wilson-Raybould, an independent MP who spent more than three years in Liberal cabinet.

Carr was unavailable for an interview Tuesday, but officials confirmed the veracity of emails quoted by the Globe.

During Stephen Harpers term as prime minister, the Liberals accused the Conservatives of politicizing the selection of judges by relying on MPs and party volunteers.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who ultimately appoints judges, set up arm's-length advisory committees to identify select candidates.

However, the Globe emails suggest the PMO also asked for MP feedback, against the wishes of Wilson-Rayboulds staff. They also infer Liberal staff used encrypted messages to discuss appointments, outside of email chains.

Early 2018 emails claim Justice Colleen Suche of the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench had submitted the same list of suggested judges as her husband, Carr, who was a federal cabinet minister at the time.

One email claims Suche advised against promoting jurist Ken Champagne into a leadership role within her court; Champagne was instead appointed into a regular position, as had been the governments original plan.

Another email claims Carr had "strong objections" to two of Wilson-Rayboulds choices, who were appointed to Queens Bench in fall 2018.

Suche did not respond to an email request Tuesday afternoon.

Carr, Suche, and the government have not been accused of breaking any laws.

Earlier this month, Conservative MPs accused Trudeau of stacking courts with Liberal partisans and party donors.

NDP MP Charlie Angus called Tuesday for an investigation into the "really disturbing" claims in the Globe article.

"We have to trust that the appointment of judges is done based simply on merit," he said, arguing the Liberals are repeating the Harper process. "They get into power and they enact the same, corrupt, lousy system and it undermines confidence in the judiciary."

The Canadian Bar Association is renewing its calls to keep politics out of the process.

"Our organization has long supported a de-politicization of the process for judicial appointments," CBA president Vivene Salmon said in an interview.

"We support a transparent and fair process," she said  the thinking behind having advisory committees make merit-based recommendations based on published criteria.

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Media leaks only undermine that process, argues the CBA, which lamented the same issue a year ago.

Last March, during the SNC-Lavalin affair, media outlets reported Wilson-Raybould had pushed for one of Manitobas most senior judges, Glenn Joyal, to be appointed to the Supreme Court.

Its unclear where the emails in Tuesdays Globe report originated; they wouldnt have been produced through any access-to-information request under existing laws.

"I would not want any article, in any paper, to undermine the nature of the extraordinary individuals that are sitting on the bench," said Wilson-Raybould, who was indignant when asked if shed leaked the emails to the Globe.

"Oh, come on, thats ridiculous," she said.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
TOLEDO, Ohio, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SkyLIFE, a pioneer in airdrop technology for humanitarian aid and disaster relief, announced its SkyPACK will be featured at Cobra Gold 2020 in Thailand. Co-hosted by the Royal Thai and U.S. Armed Forces, Cobra Gold represents the world's largest joint military exercise. An objective of this year's exercise, commencing this month, is to strengthen humanitarian missions in the Asia-Pacific Region.

SkyLIFE will demonstrate its SkyPACK airdrop technology by dispersing 5,000 SkyPACK, via drones and helicopters, in simulated flood, earthquake and fire disaster responses. SkyPACK are designed to deliver/distribute aid aerially in the immediate aftermath of disaster, bypassing obstacles to aid delivery such as damaged airports, ports and roads or hostile ground conditions.

Each SkyPACK carries up to 10oz of aid, including water, food and medicine. SkyPACK deliver individual-serving portions of aid until transportation infrastructure is usable. A single large fixed-wing plane can drop over 200,000 SkyPACK in one flyover. SkyPACK can be discharged from virtually any altitude or aircraft. After discharge, SkyPACK individually drift to the ground in a predetermined scatter pattern directly to disaster victims. The technology allows delivery of aid without utilizing ground infrastructure or personnel.

"SkyLIFE was formed to provide the Humanitarian Aid community ways to quickly reach - often within critical hours - disaster victims that traditional disaster response can not," states Jeffrey Potter, CEO, SkyLIFE Global, "SkyPACK compliment other forms of aid delivery, it is the new standard of care in disaster response."

About SkyLIFE Global

SkyLIFE is a world leader in airdrop technology for humanitarian aid delivery. Founded after the 2010 Haitian earthquake that devastated the island nation, SkyLIFE's mission is to develop modern and environment-friendly solutions to quickly reach disaster impacted populations. SkyLIFE provides humanitarian aid solutions to United Nations World Food Programme, the United States military and other international organizations.

About Cobra Gold

Cobra Gold is a Combined Joint Task Force and Joint Theater Security Cooperation exercise annually conducted in Thailand. This year is the 39th iteration, scheduled to run from February 25 through March 6. The United States will participate with 6,000 total troops, 64 aircrafts and 2 warships. 27 other countries will participate.

SOURCE SkyLIFE Global

Related Links

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Post dispatching all 406 people including seven Maldivians who were under quarantine for over a fortnight after being evacuated from the coronavirus hit Wuhan, the ITBP camp at Chhawla here is now gearing up for a fresh batch of people from China who are expected to reach India by Friday morning.

According to sources in the ITBP, the next batch of over 120 people is likely to include two diplomats. The process of disinfecting and fumigation has already been started by ITBP doctors and team.

AP Joshi, Chief Medical Officer, ITBP who is heading the team overseeing the medical team comprising 25 doctors, a psychologist and a psychiatrist said that the process of disinfecting and preparing the facility will continue for the next 24 hours.

"There is a team of almost 25 doctors out of which 14 doctors were from ITBP, two each from BSF, the CRPF and the SSB. Apart from this AIIMS and Safdarjung hospitals has given us two of their doctors. There were also psychiatrists and psychologists from RML and other hospitals," Dr Joshi told ANI.

Over 50 nursing staff apart from administration staff had taken care of the 406 people quarantined in the Chhawla facility.

Dr Joshi said, "Almost 120 people would be arriving in the next batch and after going through screening at the airport, they will reach the ITBP centre where they will be medically examined."

According to sources between 120 to 150 people are expected to reach Delhi on Friday at 4 am out of which two are diplomats, including one IPS officer.

Dr. Harvinder Singh, who is posted at the Chhawala unit said: "For the next batch, we will have a single entry and exit for people. Also, there will be a special room for children and have already asked the cook to take special care of kids if there will be any.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An official from the Cultural Heritage Administration touches the Royal Seal of King Hyojong, next to "Daegunjubo" national seal, at the National Palace Museum of Korea in Seoul, Wednesday. The two seals were donated by Korean-American Lee Dae-soo. Yonhap



English name inscribed on 'Daegunjubo'



By Kwon Mee-yoo



Two seals of the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom  "Daegunjubo," a national seal created in 1882, and the Royal Seal of King Hyojong, made in 1740  were returned from the United States, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Wednesday.



Daegunjubo is "guksae," an official seal of the state crafted under King Gojong's reign to present Joseon as a sovereign state. The Royal Seal of Hyojong is "eobo," a ceremonial seal created during his great-grandson King Yeongjo's rule to commemorate King Hyojong's achievements.



Daegunjubo is a 7.9-centimeter-high, 12.7-centimeter-long silver seal with a turtle-shaped handle. It was crafted in 1882 on the order of King Gojong for diplomatic purposes as documented in historical records such as "Gojong Sillok" (Annals of King Gojong), "Seungjeongwon Ilgi" (Diaries of the Royal Secretariat) and "Ilseongnok" (Daily Records of the Royal Court and Important Officials).



Previously, Joseon used state seals from the Ming and Qing dynasties, but King Gojong replaced them with Daegunjubo for the Korea-United States Treaty of 1882, as Joseon tried to forge diplomatic relations as an independent sovereign state. Daegunjubo was mainly used from 1882 to 1897.



The Royal Seal of King Hyojong is a gold seal 8.4 centimeters high and 12.6 centimeters long. King Yeongjo created the eobo to present the posthumous title "Myeonguijeongdeok" (Bright Righteousness and Correct Virtue) to King Hyojong in 1740.





"Daegunjubo," left, the seal of the state of Joseon Kingdom created in 1882, and the Royal Seal of King Hyojong, made in 1740 / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration



According to the CHA, "W B. Tom" is inscribed on the Daegunjubo. Seo Jun, a researcher at the National Palace Museum of Korea, said it is likely that a foreigner who acquired the seal had carved his name on it.



As Joseon lost its national sovereignty to Japan in 1910, its official and royal objects were taken into Japan's Imperial Household Agency and later smuggled out of the country.



"There are no known cases of inscribing English onto national and royal seals of Joseon," Seo said. "Except for the foreign language engraving, both seals are in a good state."



A total of 412 guksae and eobo were crafted during the Joseon era, including the Korean Empire, and 73 are still missing.



The two seals were donated by Lee Dae-soo, an 84-year-old Korean resident of the U.S., in December. The CHA unveiled them at the National Palace Museum of Korea Wednesday.



Lee, who has lived in the U.S. since the 1960s, is interested in Korean cultural heritage and bought some cultural properties at auctions, including the two Joseon seals in the late 1990s. Recently, Lee recognized that guksae and eobo are valuable cultural assets of the Korean government and decided to donate them to their home country.



Lee's son Lee Seong-joo attended the ceremony in Seoul. "My father thought historical objects of Korea should return to Korea and decided to donate them to the Korean government," he said.



Cultural Heritage Administrator Chung Jae-suk handed a plaque of appreciation to Lee Seong-joo.



"Still over 70 national and royal seals are wandering overseas," Chung said. "The CHA will do its best to make sure all of the missing heritage artefacts can return home."



The two seals will be exhibited at the National Palace Museum of Korea through March 8.




Seamless coordination ensured that there are just 38 local terrorists active in Kashmir

Salim Parray gone: Cops gun down Kashmirs most dreaded terrorist

3 terrorists gunned down at Pulwama

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 19: At least three militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, police officials said on Wednesday.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Tral area of Pulwama district late Tuesday night following information about presence of militants there, a police official said.

He said during searches, an encounter broke out between militants and security forces.

J&K: Three terrorist killed as encounter underway at Nagrota toll plaza

Three unidentified militants were killed in the gunfight, the official said.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 7:54 [IST]
A post marks the location of a shale gas pipeline in Zelienople, Pa on Oct. 17, 2019. President Donald Trump has aligned with Pennsylvania's natural gas industry, but his support for the industry in the nation's No. 2 natural gas state may not yield the expected political boost in what is perhaps the nation's premier presidential battleground state. Read more

Pennsylvania is ground zero for the national debate over fracking. Ranking only behind Texas, the state charts as the second-largest producer of natural gas in the U.S., driven largely by fracking  a process that shoots high-pressure liquid into the ground to release oil and gas.

Presidential candidates including Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have called to ban fracking as too destructive to the environment, given the methane it releases into the atmosphere, and its potentially contaminating effects in water and elsewhere. But fracking, pushed by both the Obama and Trump administrations, has been key to the U.S. becoming the worlds biggest oil and gas producer and created jobs in the energy industry.

The struggle between environmental and economic concerns has big stakes in swing state Pennsylvania, where presidential candidates positions on fracking can make or break their campaigns with environmental advocates on one side, and union workers protective of energy jobs on the other. High-profile Pennsylvania politicians including Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto have expressed concern that a Democrat who wants to ban fracking cannot win the state.

The Inquirer turned to Fetterman and Karen Feridun, the founder of a grassroots environmental organization, to answer: Should the next U.S. president work to ban fracking?

No: We cant ban fracking without a better plan to replace those jobs.

By John Fetterman

I was proud to sign the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge back in 2015, before most people even heard of it. As a matter of principle, Ive never taken a single dime from the fossil fuel industry, and I never will.

I signed that pledge because we need to innovate past fossil fuels and embrace more sustainable energy sources. My motivation comes from an earnest desire to proclaim what I believe to be true; my decisions come from diligence and research, not from any kind of quid pro quo with industry or others.

I am drawing from honest belief when I say: Banning fracking in Pennsylvania right now is wholly unrealistic. The fracking debate exposes a dual truth in American politics: Republicans must get honest about climate. My party must get honest about energy and industry. The messy collision of these realities is most stark here in Pennsylvania.

We must move past a false binary that says: either youre against fracking and youre pure, or youre in favor and youre evil. I support the Sunrise Movement of young people advocating to fight climate change. I also stand in solidarity with Steelworkers and Building Trades workers.

Exploring Pennsylvanias energy realities with honest expectations doesnt make a person anti-environment. John Fetterman

This is not an easy issue. Theres an interdependence between industrial and environmental systems that have been in place for generations. Abruptly pulling out the piece we dont like will have unintended consequences we must consider.

You cant label me pro-fracking unless you have an answer for millions of working-class people, who are barely getting by, when a ban pushes their winter gas bills to unimaginable levels, or for seniors who will be deciding which prescription to dump just to stay warm.

Exploring Pennsylvanias energy realities with honest expectations doesnt make a person anti-environment. Nor does banning fracking in your own state and then buying natural gas from another state make you an ecowarrior. It makes you a hypocrite.

We need to consider the lost jobs and preserve the union way of life at all costs while moving to greener energy. We cant all work at Google. We need to make sure were transitioning into something, not just up and dropping a major provider of employment and affordable energy.

Gov. Tom Wolfs Restore Pennsylvania creates green jobs while making fracking companies pay for contaminant remediation, brownfield clean-up, lead remediation in our schools, improving water quality, and helping rebuild communities from the flooding and severe weather weve seen as a result of climate change. Restore Pennsylvanias record investment hinges on the GOP-led legislature agreeing to a severance tax paid mostly by out-of-state residents, generating $4.5 billion over the next 20 years for these projects across the state.

 READ MORE: Fracking firms in Pa. are getting billed for millions in impact fees

If that sounds like a good idea, call your state representative and senator and tell them.

While we need to aggressively move away from fossil fuels, we also need plans to make sure were being balanced. If were not thinking of the consequences, well leave ourselves open for the kind of desperation that comes with unemployment and unbearable costs of living. That would be terrible for both vulnerable people and the environment.

Taking a position to immediately end fracking in Pennsylvania plays exactly into President Donald Trumps narrative that Democrats are anti-energy zealots who want to take your jobs  a narrative that will undoubtedly harm our work on the environment.

The voters will ultimately come for me, too, either to elevate me or eliminate me. I will be at peace with either outcome because an honest reconciliation of these truths is critical to our political, economic, and collective ecological survival.

John Fetterman is the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania.

Yes: Fracking will hasten the destruction caused by climate change.

By Karen Feridun

We are on track to leave to future generations a world that is far worse than the one we inherited. If we are to hope for a better outcome, we must stop producing greenhouse gases. The next U.S. president must ban fracking, and Congress must help.

Climate scientists are urging us to leave all fossil fuels in the ground so that theyll never be burned. That includes natural gas, which needs to stay there so it doesnt leak either.

Methane molecules that leak during every stage of natural gas production hit the atmosphere at 100 times carbon dioxides global warming potential. Molecules entering the atmosphere as you read this will still be there when we have run out of time to address the climate crisis. Fracking is not the only source of methane leakage, but may be responsible for about a third of emissions increases from all sources over the past decade, a recent study found.

Some states, like Maryland and New York, have already instituted bans, but no major gas-producing states are among them. In Pennsylvania, the second-biggest gas producer in the nation and a state responsible for about 1% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, shale gas development has enjoyed strong bipartisan support. Politicians show of fracking support has repeated in state after state, as have the profound impacts politicians all too often ignore.

More than 1,500 peer-reviewed studies point to a wide range of adverse impacts from fracking on air quality, water quality, and economic outcomes, among many others. We are learning about more impacts every day. At least 35 studies considering these effects have been published so far this year. Fracking has been linked to a long list of adverse health effects that include low birth weight, high-risk pregnancy, endocrine disorders, cardiac conditions, neurological conditions, and some cancers. Families in the rural counties where fracking began in Pennsylvania fear that it is the cause of an alarming increase in rare childhood cancers.

The climate movement is working to ensure a just transition for communities and workers so nobody is left behind. Karen Feridun

Support for shale gas development continues despite warnings from the financial community that the fracking experiment has failed. At an industry conference last year, Steve Schlotterbeck, former CEO of EQT, one of the nations leading gas producers, called the shale gas revolution an unmitigated disaster. EQT was among the Pittsburgh-based fracking companies that together cut more than 400 jobs last year. The climate movement is working to ensure a just transition for communities and workers so nobody is left behind.

The dire analyses have only caused politicians to work harder to keep fracking alive. In Pennsylvania, HB 1100, a bill that would provide massive incentives to the petrochemical industry to make plastics from fracked natural gas liquids, passed easily this month. Gov. Tom Wolf has promised to veto the bill, but his Restore Pennsylvania infrastructure plan includes its own incentives for plastics manufacturers.

 READ MORE: Did steel, natural gas and manufacturing jobs in Pa. actually grow in Trumps first term?

To borrow a metaphor from Annie Leonard, executive director of Greenpeace, and Martin Bourque, executive director of the Ecology Center: When the bathtub is overflowing, what do you do first? Do you grab towels and start mopping up the water, or do you turn off the tap? Pro-fracking states have chosen a third option, a preposterous one: to turn up the pressure.

What communities in the shale fields, on the paths of pipelines, and near the sites of the attendant infrastructure already know is that there simply arent enough towels. The next president must turn off the tap.

Karen Feridun is the founder of Berks Gas Truth and cofounder of the Better Path Coalition.
This could be the Wizard of Oz moment when NJ Transit and Amtrak passengers sing Ding, dong the bridge is closed, the rusty bridge, the Portal Bridge.

The U.S. Coast Guard took the last step needed to prohibit 110-year-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in Kearny from opening during the morning and evening rush hours by publishing that rule in the federal register Tuesday. It is the last step before the rules take effect on March 19, officials said.

This makes permanent a temporary rule that U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, D-NJ, ranking member of the Senate Transit subcommittee, requested in March 2019 that prohibits the bridge from opening for marine traffic between 5 and 10 a.m. and 3 and 8 p.m.

More than 450 trains a day carrying almost 200,000 passengers across the current bridge every weekday.

Menendez thanked Coast Guard officials for working with him, Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Senator Cory Booker on the making the temporary rule permanent.

The final rule strikes an important balance between rail and marine traffic traveling through the area. But make no mistake, this is only a temporary fix to provide some relief to commuters, Menendez said.

Of the three comments received by the Coast Guard about the permanent rule, one suggested permanently closing the bridge. However, officials said that isnt an option because some marine traffic still requires the bridge to open. The last two requests to open the bridge were on Oct. 7 and Dec. 6.

The swing bridge rotates on a base in the river and is infamous for not entirely closing, delaying every commuter and Amtrak train to and from New York on the Northeast Corridor. Parts of the bridge known as miter rails sometimes fail to lock in place and workers have had to use sledgehammers to close them.

The permanent fix is building the new Portal North Bridge which, at 50 feet over the water, will be high enough so it doesnt interfere with river traffic, Menendez said. Portal North is part of the larger Gateway Project, which also includes a Portal Bridge south, two new Hudson River rail Tunnels, an annex south of Penn Station New York and other infrastructure work.

"This is good short-term news to make a more reliable commute, but as the Coast Guard makes clear, the long-term solution is a permanent, higher 21st Century bridge that doesn't need to open and close," said Stephen Sigmund, Gateway Development Corporation spokesman.

The Portal North Bridge project finally received a higher ranking for its funding plan from the Federal Transit Administration last week, making it eligible for federal grants. Plans and the necessary environmental permits are in place to replace the bridge, which is owned by Amtrak.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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YEREVAN.  Past daily of Armenia writes: Another investor met the bureaucracy in the state system in Armenia and was disappointed. We have information that immediately after the revolution, First Industrial Zone international company expressed a wish to invest in Armenia.

The owners met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, after that meeting Pashinyan clearly instructed to form a commission and assist the program.

But it has been two years since the commission comprising the Ministry of High-Technological Industry, as well as representatives of other related agencies, has been unable to give a conclusion [regarding this project]; in other words, figuratively speaking, it turns out that the government is sabotaging Nikol Pashinyan's tasks.

According to Past newspapers information, the investor, disappointed with the incomplete work, has decided to close the program and leave Armenia.
At the fourth Aswan International Womens Film Festival this week, filmmaker Amal Ramses shared the the EUs Euro-Mediterranean Award for best film dealing with womens issues with Marianne Khoury (Lets Talk). Her film, You Come From Faraway, had had its Middle East premiere at the 2018 Carthage Film Festival, where it won a Silver Tanit.

Its Egypt premiere took place at the 2019 Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts, and there too it won both the African Federation of Film Critics (FACC) award and the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) award.

You Come From Faraway is the third documentary feature by Ramses, who earned her filmmaking degree from Madrid, Spain, and established the Caravan of Arab and Latin American Womens Films and the Cairo International Womens Film Festival, the latter in 2008. It follows the destinies of the family of Najati Sidqi (1905-1979), a Palestinian activist who fought against Franco in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).

By gathering Najati Sidqi s three daughters and son, who are scattered across Athens, Latin America and Moscow, the film draws an intimate portrait of the history of the family with the support of archival material both from the familys photo albums and the public archives of relevant events in Spain, Palestine and Lebanon during and after WWII. Unusual among Egyptian documentaries, which generally focus on Egypt, the film stands out in more ways than one.



I am always curious to know how the Egyptian audience and film critics receive my films, and it is really amazing to find a very supportive feedback from both, Ramses says. People showed a lot of interest and even pride, and this means a lot to me. It means that we as an Egyptian audience have an interest in regional issues and that we look beyond our very local reality through films that are made by Egyptian filmmakers and not only foreign or Arab filmmakers. I believe that filmmakers need to make films about issues that really interests them and not only about things they expect the audience to welcome. It is great to share your concerns with the wider audience and to find out there is something in common between you, the filmmaker and the audience.



The story behind the making of You Come from Faraway, which began in 2003, might explain Ramsess bond with her subject: I was a film student in Madrid in 2003 and I had the idea of doing a story about the Arab fighters in the Spanish Civil War. It was my first film project. Since most of the Spanish Civil War literature refers to Arabs who fought on the side of Franco, however, it was such a surprise to me to find out that Arabs came from faraway, from North Africa, Egypt, Palestine and Iraq to fight against Franco and the fascism in Spain. Most volunteered out of awareness of the danger of fascism and belief in peoples solidarity.



It would take Ramses years to find a personal story while she researched the war and worked to identify the fighters who fought under assumed names. In 2007, through his published diary, she discovered Sidqi and found out that his children were contactable: At last I found the missing piece of my film as I imagined it. I did not want my film to be a dry archival dry documentary of the kind that used to be screened on TV. I wanted it to be a flesh and blood film where viewers can relate to real people and real-life stories of struggle, loss, with memories and untold stories. Finding Najati Sidqis family was the key.



Ten more years were required before the film could come into being, in which time Ramses made two feature documentaries, Forbidden (2011), and The Trace of the Butterfly (2015): These two films were made on a much lower budget. Starting in 2011, because of the revolution, what is more, I felt that I needed to stay and focus on the changes happening in Egypt. It was clear the Sidqi project could not be done using my limited resources since we needed to travel to Athens, Beirut, Moscow, Madrid and Latin America. We also had to buy archival material, which costs a lot of money. That was why it had to wait  the lack of a budget was my main challenge.



While she gathered the required resources, however, Ramses spent time connecting with Sidqis children: Hend (whom she visited briefly) in Athens, Dawlat in Moscow, and Nagy in Latin America. She also made the acquaintance of Sidqis grandchildren. She started filming slowly as resources became available.



Ramses, who is also the films writer and editor, structured it around the subtle connection between the familys story and the history of the region between the end of WWII and the start of the Gulf War in 1990. Archival material was relied on, but it was supplemented by oral storytelling:



I did my best to use a minimum of archival material, not only because the institutions and the TV channels that own the rights to it charge exorbitant fees for its use but also because I wanted to make the point that first-hand witnesss oral history is as credible as archives. Those who block access to archives are keeping the people out of their own history, she says, and so the people must believe in the stories their memory has preserved  the real people who were affected by events. This is part of what the film is about.

The lives of Sidqis daughters and son were shaped by his choices, and it is through their testimonies that the pieces of the puzzle come together: Its true that the story is told from their point of view and mine as the films director but who said that formal history as we see it written down or recorded in a visual archive isnt subjective? History is as subjective as filmmaking and people should have the right to recount the history they lived.According to Ramses, for the Spanish audience You Come from Faraway was an eye opener: Before 2003, there was little that could be said about the Spanish Civil War. It was only after that date that the scary fascist era was openly discussed and publicly explored and revised. And the part about Arab volunteers resisting fascism had therefore been overlooked by the collective Spanish memory fighters was one of the overlooked parts in the Spanish collective memory. Today it opens a very interesting debate  and that is part of the motivation behind the film.Equally important however was drawing the Arab audiences attention to the role their grandparents played in this conflict: We should be proud of what they did, and we need to be aware that we have always been part of the world  not only as receivers and subjects but also as people who stand for justice, sacrificing everything, even the stability of our families. The story of Najati Sidqi is one example.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 20 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The races other top candidates should welcome the opportunity to press Mr. Bloomberg, just as Mr. Bloomberg should welcome the chance to explain. Some have the right idea: Im going to get a chance to debate him on everything from redlining to stop-and-frisk to a whole range of other things, former vice president Joe Biden said last week. Those who attack the DNC for changing the debate qualification rules should ask themselves: Would they really prefer that a candidate with such sizable poll numbers, now in a position to win a large number of delegates to the Democratic National Convention, not be called to answer live questions? Would it be better if his ads did all the talking?
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Policy has published an extended Article about Armenia, headlining it Make Armenia Green Again. ARMENPRESS reports the author of the article visited one of the villages in Ararat Province, talked with its residents, who told about their living conditions, the regular shooting coming from the Azerbaijani side, as well as about making their country green again.

Riding high on the heels of a peaceful revolution that swept out years of corrupt oligarchy, Armenias new reformist government, led by the former journalist Nikol Pashinyan, has pledged to double the countrys tree cover by 2050 as part of Armenias commitment to the Paris climate agreement goals.

Since 1994, the Armenia Tree Project (ATP), a Massachusetts-headquartered nonprofit staffed by Armenians and Armenian Americans, has led the countrys reforestation efforts. ATP nurseries, greenhouses, community forests, and planting sites dot virtually every corner of Armenia, from the lush, leafy Georgian border down to disputed Nagorno-Karabakh. Their forests often memorialize; theyre named for genocide survivors or are dedicated to patriotic themes. In 2001, ATP planted the poplar and fruit trees skirting the roads around the 13th-century Noravank monastery to honor Armenias 1,700-year anniversary as the worlds first Christian nation.

Scaling up that model, in October at the countrys inaugural forest summitForest Summit: Global Action and Armenia, convened by ATP and the American University of ArmeniaPashinyan announced that doubling the tree cover would begin with 10 million trees planted by Oct. 10, 2020representing the global population of Armenians. To put that number into perspective, after 25 years on the ground, ATP celebrated its 6 millionth tree planting only late last year, reads the article.
Richard Dawkins gets backlash for suggesting eugenics would 'work for humans'

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Famed scientist and outspoken atheist intellectual Richard Dawkins has garnered controversy for posting a message to Twitter where he suggested that eugenics would help humanity.

The best-selling author of The God Delusion posted on Sunday about the issue of eugenics, arguing that while advocating for it ideologically would be questionable, the practice would work if implemented.

Its one thing to deplore eugenics on ideological, political, moral grounds. Its quite another to conclude that it wouldnt work in practice. Of course it would, tweeted Dawkins.

It works for cows, horses, pigs, dogs & roses. Why on earth wouldnt it work for humans? Facts ignore ideology.

Dawkins followed up his initial tweet with a disclaimer that he opposed the idea of a eugenic policy and implored people to fight it on moral grounds.

I simply said deploring it doesnt mean it wouldnt work. Just as we breed cows to yield more milk, we could breed humans to run faster or jump higher. But heaven forbid that we should do it, he continued.

It would work in the same sense as it works for cows. Lets fight it on moral grounds. Deny obvious scientific facts & we lose  or at best derail  the argument.

Despite the disclaimers of opposing eugenics as a policy, Dawkins nevertheless garnered much criticism on social media.

I don't have room to explain why in a tweet but we are very confident that eugenics would not work in humans, replied Dave Curtis of the UCL Genetics Institute.

You absolute pin-headed simpleton, tweeted best-selling author Scott Lynch in response. It doesn't work in practice because too many of the goals turn out to be arbitrary fantasies, and too many of those fantasies are the pet projects of abusive bigots who f*** up any civilization they get their hands on. Are you new here?

In tweets posted Monday, Dawkins expressed his displeasure at the tone of many of the negative responses he received to his eugenics post.

Curious about Twitter nastiness, he responded. Why? Has it escalated like loudness of talk in crowded room? Starts quiet but escalates till all yell to be heard. Nastier than thou?

Over the past several years, Dawkins has stirred up the occasional negative backlash for comments he has made on Twitter on a variety of topics.

In 2013, the atheist apologist was widely criticized for a tweet that used the term Islamic barbarians when responding to recent news of the apparent destruction of a historic library in Timbuktu, Mali.

Some people (perhaps 1st language not English) think I was calling ALL Muslims barbarians. No. I was calling Islamic BARBARIANS barbarians, Dawkins later clarified.

In 2015, Dawkins was placed on Twitters Block Bot, which is a program that hides accounts on the social media site deemed to be abusive or offensive.
(Newser)  The third teenage suspect in the fatal stabbing of Barnard College student Tessa Majors was arrested after he turned himself in to police Wednesday morning, CNN reports. Police arrested a 13-year-old boy the day after the Dec. 11 attack in New York City's Morningside Park, and on Friday arrested the 14-year-old boy they say actually wielded the knife; that teen had been arrested Dec. 26 but was initially released. The third and final suspect is another 14-year-old boy whom police had previously questioned but let go, the New York Post reports. Both 14-year-olds, who are being tried as adults, pleaded not guilty in a court appearance Wednesday to charges including second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and second-degree robbery. Prosecutors say one of the 14-year-olds put Majors, 18, in a "bear hug or headlock" while the other stabbed her to death during what authorities say was a botched robbery.

story continues below

They say all three boys considered two other victims before settling on Majors as she walked in the park. "The defendant stated ... that he was in the park and tried to take the girls phone and she was hanging onto her phone and that he hit her with a knife," according to a criminal complaint. Per NBC New York, a witness told police he "heard a male voice [say] 'run your s---. Gimme your phone. You got some weed, gimme that too.'" From the time she walked past them on a staircase to the end of the attack was about one minute, prosecutors say. "It was a sustained attack, sustained in both space and time," says one. The judge ruled Wednesday that the teens should remain in detention while awaiting trial. The 13-year-old is charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon; surveillance video shows him standing 10 feet away during the attack. (Read more Tessa Majors stories.)
Telus Communications, a Vancouver-based company, announced last week it will start building its fifth-generation (5G) communications network this year using equipment supplied by the Chinese manufacturer Huawei. The announcement presents a challenge to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government, who are still thinking about whether Huawei equipment should be allowed in Canadas next-generation networks.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Telus Communications, a Vancouver-based company, announced last week it will start building its fifth-generation (5G) communications network this year using equipment supplied by the Chinese manufacturer Huawei. The announcement presents a challenge to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government, who are still thinking about whether Huawei equipment should be allowed in Canadas next-generation networks.

Telus and other telecommunications companies around the world have been using Huawei equipment for many years. The United States government, however, wants to draw a line at 5G networks, which will carry much greater volumes of electronic data.

The U.S. warns that Huawei equipment may allow the Chinese government to spy on network users and harvest information passing through those networks. It has threatened to stop sharing U.S. intelligence with countries that use Huawei equipment.

U.S. President Donald Trump, though he often quarrels publicly with his own intelligence agencies and belittles his military forces, agrees with them on this point. Nancy Pelosi, head of the opposition Democrats and a severe critic of Mr. Trump, added her voice to the anti-Huawei chorus last week when she spoke at an international security forum in Munich.

Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan have joined the U.S. in banning Huawei from their 5G networks. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson decided in January to allow Huawei equipment in 35 per cent of Britains 5G network, but not in sensitive locations such as nuclear power plants and military bases. British intelligence agencies believed they could recognize features in a Huawei device that could enable Chinese espionage.

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The U.S. warnings should not be disregarded. U.S. prosecutors have repeatedly denounced, in very precise terms, Chinese government cyber-attacks. In December, for instance, the U.S. justice department laid charges against two named individuals belonging to the Advanced Persistent Threat (APT10) group affiliated with Chinas main intelligence agency. They were charged with hacking into computer systems of defence technology companies, communication service providers and government agencies in the U.S. and other countries from 2006 to 2018.

These cases have never come to court because the accused people stay in China. The U.S. authorities, however, clearly think cyber-espionage is happening currently and they think the Chinese government is behind much of it.

Two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, have been in prison in China for 14 months. They are held as hostages to compel Canada to release Meng Wanzhou, a Huawei executive accused of fraud by U.S. authorities. Ms. Meng is resisting extradition to the U.S. and meanwhile lives under court-imposed restrictions in her Vancouver house.

Michael Kovrig (left) and Michael Spavor are being held as hostages to compel Canada to release Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. (Canadian Press files)

Canada knows from that experience that Chinas government is ruthless and brutal in its support of Huawei. In these circumstances, it is not up to Telus or any other telecom company to decide whether this country should involve itself more deeply with Huawei. It is up to the government, and Telus will have to comply once the government decides the question.

The Telus announcement last week should therefore be taken as an aspirational statement rather than a fait accompli. Telus should not commit to Huawei 5G equipment until the government decides how much risk of Chinese espionage this country can accept. Meanwhile, Telus should keep in touch with other suppliers  Ericsson, Samsung, Nokia and the like  and have Plan B ready for implementation.
Veteran Ghanaian entertainer and host of the KSM Show, Kwaku Sintim-Misa has urged Ghanaians to ignore all the negative news items suffused in the media about Zipline.



Mr. Sintim-Misa who paid a visit to the Omenako site of Zipline could not hide his admiration for the wonderful edifice put up by the Akufo-Addo administration.



In a tweet on his official Twitter page, KSM, as he is popularly called, said that what he has heard was a far cry from the reality on the ground.



Likening the beatific edifice to a daylight, KSM commended the young men and women manning the edifice.



"What I heard about Zipline and what I saw is like night and day. It's nothing but an amazing national asset" the tweet said.



The Akufo-Addo administration, in its determined efforts to enhance healthcare delivery by providing prompt solutions to emergency services, put up the Zipline Drone Service to deliver emergency medical supplies to health centres across the country.



The outfit has delivered drugs and other essential medicines to several hospitals and clinics across Ghana.



The opposition NDC severely criticized the decision to set up this centre, saying it was needless and a waste of resources.



KSM, in the tweet, asked Ghanaians to watch a detailed report on his trip to the Zipline offices on his next KSM Show.

Source: P.K.Sarpong, Whispers from the Corridors of the Thinking Place.









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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New Delhi, Feb 19 : A Delhi court on Wednesday granted bail to six secretaries, who were part of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) panel which granted approval to INX Media, in a corruption case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Special CBI judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar granted them bail on a bond of Rs 2 lakh and directed them not to leave the country without taking prior permission. They have also been asked not to tamper with the evidence.

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram and his son are already out on bail in the case.

The six bureaucrats are - Ajeet Kumar Dungdung, then section officer of FIPB unit, Ministry of Finance; Rabindra Prasad, then undersecretary FIPB unit, Ministry of Finance; Pradeep Kumar Bagga, then OSD, Department of Economic Affairs, Finance Ministry; Prabodh Saxena, Director, FIPB Unit, Finance Ministry; Anup K Pujari, then Joint Secretary (Foreign Trade) Department of Economic Affairs; and Sindhushree Khullar, then Additional Secretary Department of Economic Affairs.

The CBI had filed the chargesheet against 14 accused -- P. Chidambaram, his son Karti Chidambaram, his accountant S. Bhaskaran, former INX Media director Peter Mukerjea, INX Media, INX News, Chess Management Services, ASCPL and these six bureaucrats.

The accused have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including for criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and for taking gratification and criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Last August, P. Chidambaram was arrested by the CBI for alleged irregularities in the Rs 305 crore graft case over FIPB clearance to INX Media in 2007 when he was the Union Finance Minister. He was granted bail in December.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-18 23:34:59|Editor: mingmei

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Zoran Milanovic takes the oath during his presidential inauguration ceremony in Zagreb, capital of Croatia, on Feb. 18. 2020. Former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic was sworn in here on Tuesday as the fifth Croatian president at the President's Office. (Damir Sencar/Hina/Handout via Xinhua)

ZAGREB, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic was sworn in here on Tuesday as the fifth Croatian president at the President's Office.

"I will invest everything I know and everything I have to build a presidential term that will benefit Croatia and all its citizens," Milanovic said in his inaugural speech after reading the oath before Constitutional Court President Miroslav Separovic.

Milanovic said he believes that the scientific community, the judiciary system and the media must improve the mechanisms for combating dishonesty and corruption.

This was the first time that a presidential inauguration ceremony in Croatia was not held at St. Mark's Square in the city center of Zagreb, where the parliament and government buildings are located. Instead, Milanovic decided to forgo the usual pomp of the ceremony by inviting merely some 40 guests, including state officials, former presidents, his family and members of his campaign team.

Social-Democrat Milanovic served as Croatian prime minister from 2011 until 2016. He was elected on Jan. 5 in the second round of presidential election. With 52.7 percent of votes, he beat the incumbent president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.

The 53-year-old new president will begin the first working day of his five-year term on Wednesday.
Head of the Vietnams Permanent Mission to ASEAN, Ambassador Tran Duc Binh chaired the first 2020 meeting of the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC) in Indonesia on February 18.

Head of the Vietnams Permanent Mission to ASEAN, Ambassador Tran Duc Binh (middle) at the meeting

The meeting spoke highly of progress in the implementation of the 2025 Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC 2025), with 12 out of 15 initiatives in five strategic fields of sustainable infrastructure, digital innovation, seamless logistics, regulatory excellence and people mobility already underway, and the remaining in the process of preparation.

Participants adopted orientations and priorities during the year Vietnam holds the ASEAN Chairmanship and the 2020-2022 working plan in order to realise the MPAC.

Specifically, ASEAN will give priority to projects under the three initiatives that are yet to be implemented, especially schemes on building data on commercial routes, a dictionary on ASEAN open data, developing digital platforms, enhancing vocational and human resources training in the new period.

Delegates also highlighted the need to popularise contents and benefits of MPAC 2025, encourage the involvement of ASEANs specialised agencies in the implementation of MPAC 2025 projects, and strengthen mechanisms to link MPAC 2025 with initiatives to connect the region with partner countries.

The ACCC was established with the aim to supervise MPAC 2025 implementation and report to the ASEAN Coordinating Council and the ASEAN Summit.

The MPAC 2025 was adopted at the 28th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos in September 2016./.VNA

Vietnam plays its role as President of ASEAN Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh talks to Vietnam News Agency on the role of the High-Level Task Force on ASEAN Economic Integration.
A convicted paedophile and former Labor minister has been arrested for the second time in two months after he was released from prison for horrific child sex crimes.

Milton Orkopoulos, 62, was arrested at his home in Malabar, in south-east Sydney on Wednesday morning and has been charged with three counts of failing to comply with his reporting obligations.

The 62-year-old was allegedly caught using an unapproved mobile phone and is due to face Waverley Local Court later on Wednesday.

Milton Orkopoulos, 62, (pictured) was arrested at his home in Malabar, in south-east Sydney on Wednesday morning

Corrective Services NSW said in a statement it had informed police that Orkopoulos was in possession of an unapproved mobile phone in breach of his reporting obligations.

It will now write to the State Parole Authority asking for his parole to be revoked. The SPA said in a statement it would wait for that report before taking action.

The former Labor minister was released from Long Bay Prison in December after spending 11 years behind bars.

He was convicted of 30 offences including having sexual intercourse with a male between 10 and 18 years, possessing child pornography and supplying cannabis and heroin.

Orkopoulos was first arrested in January for two alleged breaches of parole and pleaded not guilty.

He was accused of creating a fake Instagram account and failing to notify police for several days.

He was also accused of talking to a child while on a call with one of his adult children.

He's due to return to court for those charges in March.
RIO DE JANEIRO - A Brazilian senator was shot Wednesday as he tried to intervene in a strike by military police demanding higher salaries in the northeastern state of Ceara, prompting authorities to deploy federal forces.

Sen. Cid Gomes, a former governor of the state, received a shot in the chest and was taken to a nearby hospital. A statement from the hospital released in the evening said the senator was in stable condition and breathing without medical help.

A video circulating on television showed Gomes trying to drive a backhoe through the gate of a police barrack, behind which balaclava-clad police officers were protesting. It also shows the moment when the vehicles windows were being shot out. It wasnt immediately clear where the gunfire came from.

Shortly before heading to the protest, Gomes had posted a video on Twitter sharing his anger and calling for people to help him end the strike.

At the protest, Gomes was seen with a bullhorn. You have five minutes to leave. Not one more, he warned from behind the metal gate that separated his group from the masked officers.

One man standing amid the protesters could be heard yelling at him: You dont have the authority to do this! before a brief physical altercation.

Minutes later, Gomes attempted to ram the backhoe through the barricade and was hit at least one bullet.

An unknown number of officers began a strike Tuesday, dissatisfied with the negotiations with the state to raise their pay. In Brazil, the military police are in charge of patrolling the streets, among other duties, and it is illegal for them to strike.

Throughout the day, small acts of vandalism have occurred across the state. Masked men invaded several police barracks, smashing police window-shields and puncturing tires. In one instance, men drove off with patrol cars and parked them in line blocking nearby streets.

In the city of Sobral, where the 56-year-old former governor was injured, men wearing balaclavas on-board police vehicles forced businesses to shut their doors for the day, online news portal G1 reported.

The Public Security Secretary said in a press conference around mid-day, hours before Sen. Gomes was shot, that authorities would not tolerate the illegal strike. The state secretary said some 260 officers were already under investigation, and that any striking policeman would be banned from receiving its salary and possibly fired.

Justice and Public Minister Sergio Moro said in a statement Wednesday night it would deploy federal forces to help maintain order. The federal police and federal highway police have also been sent to Sobral to ensure the security of Gomes.

The Brazil Forum of Public Security, an independent organization that tracks national crime statistics, condemned the violence. However legitimate the public security officers salary demands are, it is unacceptable that bad policemen spread fear and panic among the population, a statement read.

In 2017, hundreds of police went on strike in Brazils Espirito Santo state and were indicted. The standoff produced a wave of violence, looting and burning of buses. Schools were closed, and medical services and public transportation interrupted. To stem the tumult, the federal government deployed more than 3,000 troops from the military and the national guard.

In 2011, during the last Ceara police protests, many were also arrested. If they show their faces, theyre fired or arrested, said Manuela Barroso, a spokesperson for a military police association.

Today the situation is different, Barroso said, voicing fears that the strike could lead to looting and clashes in an already violent state. Back then, the city was not as dangerous as it is today.
Amid fear that they might have gone extinct along the Gujarat coast, a fresh assessment has indicated that about 20-30 Dugongs or sea cows might be existing in the western state, a senior Central government official said here on Wednesday.

Encouragingly, the number of the endangered marine mammal might have crossed 250 along the coasts in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

As per the 2012 estimate, less than 250 Dugongs existed along the coasts of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The medium-sized marine mammal has been classified as "vulnerable to extinction" in the red list of the threatened species International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Live sightings and other indicators suggest that the current number of Dugongs might have doubled along the coast in Gujarat compared to the earlier estimate, he said.

As per a survey conducted in the year 2012, less than 250 Dugongs were estimated to exist along the coasts in the country.

K Shivakumar, Head of Department of Endangered Species Management, Wildlife Institute of India (WII), said their hopes for existence of more number of Dugongs in Gujarat revived after a "live sighting" and discovery of many foraging sites along the coast in the western state.

He said Union Ministry of had launched the National Dugong Recovery Programme a few years ago with the support of the governments of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Indian Coast Guard.

"The programme has thrown up indicators that the number of Dugongs could be more than what was estimated earlier. As per the 2012 estimate, less than 250 Dugongs existed along the coasts of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

"We now believe that their population might have increased in Gujarat," Shivakumar said.

In absolute numbers, only 10-12 Dugongs had existed along the Gujarat coast, mainly around the Bet Dwarka Island, he said.

"Now, we think that 20-30 Dugongs might exist along the Gujarat coast. We expect that their estimated number in India could be between 250 and 350," he said.

He was speaking at the ongoing convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CME COP13) at Mahatma Mandir here.

Shivakumar further said that the WII will come out with the latest estimate on Dugongs by 2021, adding that forest department officials are being trained for the programme.

The Dugong is listed in the schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

The key habitats of the marine mammal are declared as protected areas under the Act which are the Gulf of Mannar, National Park, the Gulf of Kutch National Park, and the Mahatma Gandhi National Park in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Poor breeding capacity, poaching, fishing net entanglement, boat strikes, loss of habitats, pollution, and the high incidence of conflicts with fishermen are the key factors that threaten the survival of Dugongs.

Shivakumar said the Dugong is believed to be the "cow" of Lord Krishna.

"..It is definitely a holy cow as far as India is concerned. It works like a farmer by cleaning sea grass habitat which is a breeding ground for prawns, fish. The dugong works in managing sea grass and preparing the habitat," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 02:46:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KIEV, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The first-ever performance of arioso for soprano "I am with You" written by world-renowned Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk to support China in its fight against the novel coronavirus was staged at the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine on Monday.

"I wrote it in a traditional European style. But at the same time, I introduced some elements of Chinese folklore. You can feel it in the music. It is filled with optimism that these terrible times will pass and gives the feeling that the love and light will return, and China will live a normal life again," Skoryk said.

It took Skoryk five days to create the piece. The lyrics were written by the Chinese poet Wang Yongchang.

The rector of the academy, Maksym Tymoshenko, noted that the academy had never donated a piece of music to a foreign country as a sign of support. He expressed the hope that "I am with you" will be jointly performed by Ukrainian and Chinese musicians.

"This work is impressive and very professional. It's written with love for China, feeling the situation that is happening in the country now. I believe that this step would bring our two countries closer," Tymoshenko said, adding that the academy has long-lasting ties with China as more than 1,000 Chinese students graduate and currently study music there.

"We all see how China works to combat and control this terrible virus and we understand that we must support China, both by transferring material assistance and spiritual help," Tymoshenko said.
A MAN who assaulted his former partner in the stairwell of a multi-storey car park has been warned he will go to jail if he attempts to contact her.

Sergej Klimovic, 38, of no fixed abode, received a suspended prison sentence in relation to the incident which occurred at Aviary Car Park, Dock Road on November 9, 2016.

Garda Aishling Keohane said the victim told gardai she had been chatting with Mr Klimovic when he attacked her without provocation after she suggested they were not good for each other and should end the relationship.

Garda Keohane said the woman was kicked and punched during the incident and that she thought the defendant was going to kill her.

CCTV from the stairwell was subsequently obtained and Judge Tom ODonnell was told the incident was graphically captured.

The woman, who is aged in her mid-30s, attended St Johns Hospital a number of days later where she received treatment for bruising and soft tissue injuries.

John OSullivan BL, prosecuting, said Mr Klimovic made some admissions but claimed his elbow had struck the woman by mistake.

A victim impact statement prepared by the woman was submitted to the court but was not read publicly given the sensitive nature of the contents.

Jack Nicholas BL said his client, who is originally from Lithuania, suffers from addiction difficulties and that while he has some previous convictions, he has no history of violence.

It was a tumultuous relationship, it was passionate, he told the court.

He said the incident wasnt planned or premeditated and that his client accepts he behaved despicably.

Imposing sentence, Judge ODonnell noted both Mr Klimovic and his former partner have since moved on with their lives and that Mr Klimovic would find it difficult to get appropriate treatment in prison.

He imposed a three year prison sentence which was fully suspended.
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Why do innocent people confess to crimes they did not commit? On Feb. 19, Lava for Good Podcasts, the team behind the hugely popular podcast Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom, debuts a powerful new audio series that explores  and answers  this question, which lies at the heart of hundreds of wrongful convictions.

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Hosted by Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin, co-directors at Northwestern University's Center on Wrongful Convictions and central figures in the smash-hit Netflix docuseries Making a Murderer, the Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions podcast reveals 12 true stories of false confessions. Using real interrogation audio, Nirider and Drizin chronicle stories of everyday people who falsely confessed to crimes they did not commit  placing listeners as close to the nightmare of being wrongly accused as anyone would ever wish to be. And then, Nirider adds, "We bring you inside the fight to exonerate these innocent people."

Each episode starts with a tragic crime  and the misguided investigation that followed. Nirider and Drizin recount stories ranging from a Brooklyn teen who falsely confessed to killing his own mother to an innocent New Zealander who was wrongly imprisoned for rape and murder while the actual rapist continued his serial crime spree. Listeners will hear interrogators use mind-bending techniques  death threats, lies about the evidence, and fact-feeding  to extract false confessions from innocents. In many cases, interrogators even ignored crystal-clear recantations, as when Virginia teen Robert Davis told police: "I am lying to you, full front to your face."

In each case, investigators used confessions to obtain wrongful convictions despite compelling evidence of innocence, like DNA evidence that conclusively identified the real perpetrator. Nirider and Drizin bring listeners inside each person's fight for freedom, spotlighting the sometimes unlikely heroes  from dissident police officers to victims' family members  who helped right these wrongs against all odds. "You won't be able to forget these captivating stories," Drizin said, "and we hope you'll join our shared fight for justice."

The series comes from Lava for Good Podcasts, the team behind Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom, which features the tragic stories of men and women who have spent decades in prison for crimes they didn't commit. Jason Flom, the executive producer of the False Confessions podcast, is the founder of Lava Media, which includes Lava Music as well as Lava for Good Podcasts. As a longtime supporter and board member of numerous respected criminal justice reform organizations, Flom has spent over 25 years seeking justice for the wrongfully convicted.

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions is available through the same feed and platforms where fans already listen and subscribe to the Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom series. Both series are now in a single feed named Wrongful Conviction Podcasts. Find Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions at www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com.

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions, Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom, and an upcoming slate of Wrongful Conviction Presents podcasts are produced by Lava for Good Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1 and PRX.

For Media Inquiries:

Dawn Kamerling

The Press House

[email protected]

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An Australian firefighting service has used a 21m billboard in New York's Times Square to thank their local and American volunteers.

Mammoth fires which ravaged New South Wales state were finally declared "contained" last week in an end to the worst bushfire season on record. But at least seven firefighters were killed in the state, including three US crew.

The NSW Rural Fire Service said it had received an "incredible response" this season from helpers and the public. Close to 90% of the firefighters battling the blazes this season had been volunteers.

"We wanted to say 'thank you' in the biggest way possible and take our message to the world," BBC cited the service as saying.

"Imagine fighting a bushfire higher than this billboard," the sign reads. "Thank you to the brave Australian and US firefighters defending Australia. And to the world for your support."

The thank you message was run on a billboard donated by the advertising company which owns it, the service said.

Serious blazes were also seen in every other Australian state and territory this summer. At least 33 people died nationwide. The unprecedented scale, frequency and intensity of the fires this year is the result of climate change, scientists say.
LAS VEGAS  Theres a new kid in town for the ninth Democratic debate, Mike Bloomberg, the self-funding billionaire presidential candidate. Five questions ahead of the faceoff Wednesday night in Las Vegas:

HOW DOES BLOOMBERG STACK UP?

No candidate has the potential to upend the race for the Democratic presidential nomination more than Bloomberg, the former New York mayor and billionaire owner of a financial data and news empire.

He has spent more than $400 million on advertising and has risen in national polling as a result. That has allowed him a place on the debate stage in Las Vegas, after the Democratic National Committee dropped an additional requirement of reaching a certain number of donors. Since Bloomberg accepts no donations, polls were the only way he could qualify.

He has demonstrated the power of essentially an unlimited budget, but he will have to directly engage with five other contenders who have been debating one another for months, holding town halls and answering voters questions.

How does Bloomberg deal with the inevitable attacks from rivals, and how can he sell himself in person to voters?

WHO TAKES THE MOST INCOMING?

The Democratic race is entering a critical phase, in which Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is breaking out as an early front-runner while more moderate candidates are splintering voters. But Sanders has yet to win even 30% of the vote.

Sanders is likely to be a target at the debate, but Bloomberg is likely to be tested at least as vigorously. At the last debate, it was former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, fresh off a strong showing in Iowa, who drew the most fire.

Also worth watching is where moderates other than Bloomberg train their fire: on an ascendant Sanders, trying to blunt his rise, or on the rivals in their own lane, hoping to clear a path?

WHO IS THIS DEBATES KLOBUCHAR?

The debate before the New Hampshire primary proved to be a lifeline to Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Her strong performance helped stoke millions of dollars in overnight donations and, a few days later, a surprise third-place finish, likely at the expense of Buttigieg, who finished a close second to Sanders. She now says she has the resources to be competitive through Super Tuesday, on March 3.

Will there be another breakout star on Wednesday night? With four candidates bunched behind Sanders poll numbers and Bloombergs billions, theres plenty of hunger for a big night. Can anyone seize the spotlight?

HOW DOES BIDEN HANDLE IMMIGRATION?

In Nevada, a state with a formidable immigrant population, its almost inevitable that the candidates will be asked about the issue. Its been a particularly tricky one for former Vice President Joe Biden, whos repeatedly been confronted by activists over the Obama administrations deportation record.

Late last week Biden called the pace of deportations in President Barack Obamas first term a big mistake during an interview with Univision anchor Jorge Ramos. But will the issue resurface Wednesday night, and will other candidates try to pile on? It would be a risky move as they will be implicitly criticizing Obama, who remains incredibly popular among Democratic voters.

CAN WARREN MAKE A COMEBACK?

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warrens campaign is in trouble. Unlike Biden, she has no upcoming states where shes likely to do well. (The former vice president is expected to win the next state, South Carolina.) Unlike Klobuchar and Buttigieg, shes not on an upward trajectory  shes been heading in a different direction. And she lacks the growing national footprint of Sanders and Bloomberg.

In the New Hampshire debate, Warren was oddly subdued. Her campaign has shifted from its policy wonk message of a fighter for the middle class and is now trying to sell Warren as a unifier.

That puts her in a tough spot during a part of the campaign where she needs to break out. Fortunately for her, Bloomberg makes a tempting target  Warrens political career stems from a revulsion at the role of big money in politics and of excesses on Wall Street. Can she use him as a punching bag to get off the ropes?

Warren, whose allies pushed for Bloomberg to have to answer to voters on the debate stage, may have telegraphed her intentions in a tweet Tuesday: Its a shame Mike Bloomberg can buy his way into the debate. But at least now primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we each take on an egomaniac billionaire.

___

Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game.
Three local students were named to Deans List at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic for the fall 2019 semester.

The honored students are Emma Beinstein of Old Greenwich, a member of the Class of 24 who majors in pre-elementary education; Benjamin Morales of Greenwich, a member of the Class of 23 who majors in pre-secondary education certification; and Bryan Pesantez of Greenwich, a member of the Class of 24 who majors in exploratory professional studies.

Recognition is granted to students with a GPA of 3.50 or higher.

New York Institute of Technology announces Presidential Honor List

Monica Fernandez of Greenwich has been named to the Fall 2019 Presidential Honor List at New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, N.Y. Fernandez is studying electrical and computer engineering technology. To qualify for the Presidential Honor List, a student must achieve a minimum semester GPA of 3.7.

Local Bucknell students named to Deans List

Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., has released the Deans List for outstanding academic achievement during the fall semester. A student must earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher to receive recognition.

The local students are Nate Allen of Greenwich, an undeclared major in the Class of 2023; Nadine Anderson of Old Greenwich, an undeclared management major in the Class of 2023; Daniel Axelrod of Riverside, a mathematical economics major in the Class of 2023; Rachel Bellissimo of Riverside, an early childhood education major in the Class of 2022; Molly Cadman of Riverside, an undeclared major in the Class of 2023; and Brooke Collins of Greenwich, an accounting and financial management major in the Class of 2020.

More honored students are Tyler Dagnino of Riverside, an accounting and financial management major in the Class of 2020; Maddie English of Riverside, an education major in the Class of 2020; Charlie Hanson of Greenwich, a political science major in the Class of 2021; Gigi Jervis of Cos Cob, an undeclared major in the Class of 2023; and Lili Kilkenny of Greenwich, a history major in the Class of 2021.

Additional honored students are Andrew Liebers of Greenwich, a global management major in the Class of 2021; Harley Marks of Old Greenwich, an undeclared major in the Class of 2023; Lily Nobunaga of Cos Cob, an English-literary studies major in the Class of 2021; Sydney Pelletier-Martinelli of Riverside, an international relations major in the Class of 2021; and Wyatt Rodger of Greenwich, an art history major in the Class of 2020.

Other honored local students are Christian Ruf of Greenwich, an undeclared major in the Class of 2022; Colby Sherwyn of Greenwich, an English-creative writing major in the Class of 2020; Will Simons of Greenwich, an undeclared management major in the Class of 2023; Bridget Slonecker of Old Greenwich, an early childhood education major in the Class of 2022; and Regina Stieglitz of Riverside, an undeclared major in the Class of 2023.

Bucknell also honored Aisling Sullivan of Riverside, an early childhood education major in the Class of 2023; Nicole Vassiliou of Riverside, a political science major in the Class of 2021; Alexa Vassiliou of Riverside, a biology major in the Class of 2023; Jebb Vincent of Greenwich, an undeclared major in the Class of 2023; Olivia Weaver of Greenwich, an economics major in the Class of 2021; and Emmett Witmer of Cos Cob, a managing for sustainability major in the Class of 2020.

Students named to the University of Vermont Deans List

Four students from the area have been named to the Deans List for the fall 2019 semester at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt.

The honored students are Isabella Arnaboldi of Greenwich; Sloane Caan of Greenwich; Renata Malyshev of Greenwich; and Nicholas Steinthal of Greenwich.

Deans List students must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or better and rank in the Top 20 percent of their class in their college or school.

Endicott College announces local student on Deans List

Karoline Sucic of Old Greenwich is among those named to the Deans List at Endicott College in Beverly, Mass., for the Fall 2019 semester. Sucic is majoring in environmental science.

To qualify for the Deans List, a student must obtain a minimum grade point average of 3.5.
She had a right to say this and she had a right to smile because at the beginning of the month, only steps away in the 1700 Theatre, she starred in five sold-out performances of a musical play that she created. She calls Get Out Alive a "celebration of life and it was part of the theater companys LookOut series, which is in the very encouraging business of presenting the work of emerging artists. It is about her life, but also about the lives of others suffering from mental illness.
ALEPPO, Syria  The Russian-backed Syrian regime forces and their loyal militias regained full control of the strategic M5 highway, connecting Aleppo to Hama, Homs and Damascus. The Syrian government forces have been also rapidly advancing toward the towns of the western Aleppo countryside, which has come under heavy airstrikes since the beginning of February, and made new gains Feb. 16.

The Syrian regime and Russian warplanes and helicopters have caused horrific massacres against civilians, according to reports. Large groups of displaced Syrians from the targeted areas have been swelling near the Syrian-Turkish border.

The Turkish-backed opposition groups are trying to regroup and regain control over their areas. On Feb. 11, the opposition downed a Syrian regime helicopter, killing the pilot, and was able to retake the town of Sheikh Dames, in Maaret al-Numan some 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Idlib city.

However, it appears that the Syrian opposition groups will not be able to stop the advance of the regime forces except through a ground attack with presumed support from Turkey. The balance of power has been greatly tipped in favor of the Syrian regime in the latest battles, given its sophisticated weapons and air support. The opposition, on the other hand, lacks capabilities, arms and ammunition.

Ankara condemned the attacks and threatened to retaliate but does not seem to have taken a clear decision to provide the opposition factions with substantial military support, although five Turkish soldiers were killed Feb. 10 in a Syrian airstrike on a Turkish army location north of Idlib.

Earlier, 13 Turkish soldiers were injured in a Feb. 2 airstrike on a Turkish location in the village of Tarnaba, in eastern Idlib.

The Turkish army, however, continues to send military reinforcements into Idlib, including soldiers, armored vehicles and tanks. Meanwhile, on Feb. 10, officials from the Russian and Turkish defense and foreign ministries and Turkish intelligence, as well as Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and Kremlin special envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev, held talks in Ankara to discuss the situation in Idlib. A previous round of talks was also held in the Turkish capital Feb. 8 between Russia and Turkey.

The opposition forces, upset about the turn of events, deemed the Turkish observation posts set up for de-escalation to be ineffective as they did not stop the ground advance of the regime. This was especially true after the regime forces on Feb. 7 captured the city of Saraqeb, which sits at the intersection of the M4 and M5 highways.

The regime was able to take over Saraqeb despite the existence of four Turkish military points on the outskirts of the city; however, they were completely surrounded by the regime forces.

Yahya Mayo, the media coordinator of the Syrian National Army (SNA) of the Free Syrian Army, told Al-Monitor, The poor reactions of the Turkish army toward the advance of the regime forces in Idlib encourage the latter to keep progressing, disregarding the Turkish posts, which were ineffective in stopping them. When we were being bombarded [within the de-escalation zones], the Turkish response was limited.

Alaa al-Rahman, of the city of Idlib, told Al-Monitor, The Turkish observation posts that spread in Saraqebs vicinity were useless and did nothing to stop the regime from taking control over the city. We had pinned hopes on these posts.

Mohammad Rashid, a Syrian journalist from the opposition-held al-Ghab Plain in the northern Hama countryside, told Al-Monitor, We are hoping that the balance of power will be tipped in favor of the opposition when the large Turkish military reinforcements enter the area.

What happened in Saraqeb came as a shock to us. I thought the Turkish posts would stop the regime forces from advancing into the city. What happened was exactly the opposite. Hanan Maher, a student at the University of Idlib, told Al-Monitor.

Photojournalist Humam Isa, from Idlib countryside, said, The Turkish observation points contributed to the fall of the opposition-held areas in the hands of regime forces. The Turkish army did not stop the shelling to protect the civilians and did not offer enough support to the opposition to be able to defend its area,

It all seemed as if Turkey reconciled with Russia to give covert consent to the regime's offensive to take control over the M4 and M5 highway, Issa told Al-Monitor.

Syrians blame Turkey for the ongoing Syrian regime advance, the displacement and shelling. They had pinned high hopes on the Turkish army to prevent the Syrian regime from taking over the remaining areas, Mohammad Idlibi, a teacher in the countryside of Aleppo, told Al-Monitor.
The President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas, has said the body is working towards moving ailing Nollywood actor, Ernest Asuzu, to a better-equipped hospital in Abuja for treatment.

Fans were shocked to see a video of the ex-Nollywood star, begging on Lagos streets, surface online in January 2020.

Asuzu, who often starred alongside Jim Iyke, in Nollywood hits in his heyday, is currently down with stroke.

He went public with the illness five years ago.

The ailment is clearly exacting a heavy toll on the ailing star as he is barely able to walk.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr Rollas in January, he expressed shock at the development.

He said the AGN took him (Asuzu) to a man of God who healed him of his ailment. He was there for months and when he was leaving he (cleric) blessed him with a Prado Jeep.

Fundraising

While giving an update on Asuzus health condition on Wednesday, he said AGN has set up a committee to raise funds for its ailing member.

Other AGN members have begun to respond to the directives of the association toward assisting Asuzu. Ernest Asuzu is one of us. I have always identified with him since he developed stroke until there was a break in communication between them, but thank God that we have reconnected.

We are following up on our promises and have swung into action by setting up a special fundraising committee for him through which our members can assist him.

He also said the AGN was working with health management organisations to improve the wellbeing of its members.

Rollas said he had hoped that it would be achieved with assistance from the public.

El Cream

Also known as El Cream, Asuzu was also a rapper, producer and movie director. His career nosedived a few years ago after he came down with a stroke in 2015.

He was bedridden for three years.

In 2015, he announced that Jeremiah Funfeyin of Mercyland Deliverance Ministry healed him of stroke.

The cleric reportedly gave him a new SUV valued at about N3.5 million and N1.5 million as startup capital to help revive his career.

Asuzu began his an acting career in the 90s and rose to prominence after he stared in Another Campus Queen.

He starred in over 100 movies like Royal War, Ogidan, Burning Desire, Never End, Broad DayLight, Last Wedding, Ugonna and Labista.

The latter earned him the Best Supporting Actor at the African Movie Academy Awards.
A charming Craftsman-style home in Paxtang stands out for its distinct architecture.

Built around 1915, the brick home at 3648 Brisban St. is loaded with character, including a 2-story great room, original woodwork and a large vestibule with leaded glass doors. It is located within walking distance to Paxtang Elementary School and several parks and restaurants.
PERTH, Australia - Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said the top levels of the Malaysian government long suspected that the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 almost six years ago was a mass murder-suicide by the pilot.

Abbott was prime minister when the plane carrying 239 people vanished on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Australia, working on Malaysias behalf, co-ordinated what became the largest search in aviation history, but it failed to find the plane before being ended in 2017.

Speaking in a Sky News documentary to air on Wednesday and Thursday, Abbott said high-ranking Malaysian officials believed veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah deliberately downed the jet.

My very clear understanding, from the very top levels of the Malaysian government, is that from very, very early on, they thought it was murder-suicide by the pilot, said Abbott, who was Australias prime minster from 2013 to 2015.

Im not going to say who said what to whom, but let me reiterate, I want to be absolutely crystal clear, it was understood at the highest levels that this was almost certainly murder-suicide by the pilot.

In response, Malaysias former prime minister and police chief said there was no conclusive proof of pilot suicide.

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak told the Free Malaysia Today online news portal that a possible pilot suicide was never ruled out but it would be unfair and legally irresponsible to pin the blame on Zaharie as the black boxes had not been found.

Malaysian police chief Abdul Hamid Bador, who was one of the investigators, told local media that there was no evidence of Zaharies involvement and that the planes disappearance was still a mystery. Former Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said in a statement that investigators had explored every single lead and possibility but found no conclusive answer to why the plane vanished.

A Malaysian-led independent investigation report released in 2018 said the planes course was changed manually but did not name a suspect and raised the possibility of intervention by a third party. Investigators, however, said the cause of the disappearance couldnt be determined until the wreckage and the planes black boxes are found.

Malaysias Ministry of Transport didnt immediately respond to Abbotts comments. Malaysia has had a change of government since the planes disappearance, with current Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad ousting Najib, whose party had ruled Malaysia since its independence in 1957.

The pilots family has long denied he was suicidal. The 2018 investigative report said there was no evidence of abnormal behaviour or stress in the two pilots and none of the passengers had pilot training.

Abbott said he did not believe conspiracy theories centred on the Malaysian government, which owns Malaysia Airlines.

Ive read all these stories that the Malaysians allegedly didnt want the murder-suicide theory pursued because they were embarrassed about one of their pilots doing this. I have no reason to accept that, he said.

The Australian-led search scoured 120,000 square kilometres (46,000 square miles) of the southern Indian Ocean and cost 200 million Australian dollars ($150 million). A private hunt by Texas-based company Ocean Infinity later searched more than 96,000 square kilometres (37,000 square miles) of sea.

Debris that washed ashore in the western Indian Ocean has been confirmed as coming from the missing Boeing 777 and indicated a broad expanse of the ocean where the plane likely crashed after running out of fuel.

Australia, Malaysia and China agreed in 2016 that an official search would only resume if the three countries had credible evidence that identified a specific location for the wreckage. Most of the passengers were Chinese.

Abbott believed a new investigation was warranted.

Lets assume that it was murder-suicide by the pilot and if there is any part of that ocean that could have been reached on that basis that has not yet been explored, lets get out and explore it, he said.

Abbotts comments reopened old wounds for some families.

Jacquita Gomes, whose husband Patrick was a flight attendant on the plane, said it was frustrating that Abbott revealed this six years late.

Why now? If its true, for six years, we have been living a lie, she said.
Roger Stone, a longtime Republican provocateur and former confidant of President Donald Trump, waits in line at the federal court in Washington. Read more

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Tuesday raised the possibility of suing those involved in prosecuting the Roger Stone case after sharing the opinion of a Fox News commentator who said it is "pretty obvious" that Stone, Trump's longtime political confidant, should get a new trial.

Trump's morning tweets marked his latest efforts to intervene in the case of Stone, who faces sentencing this week on charges of witness tampering and lying to Congress.

Defense lawyers for Stone demanded a new trial Friday, one day after Trump suggested that the forewoman in the federal case had "significant bias."

Trump was referring to Tomeka Hart, a former president of the Memphis City Schools Board of Commissioners and an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Congress. Hart has identified herself as the forewoman of the jury in a Facebook post, saying she cant keep quiet any longer in the wake of a Justice Department move to reduce its sentencing recommendation for Stone from the seven to nine years recommended by front-line prosecutors.

Trump later told reporters that he thought Stone had been "treated unfairly" but that he had not given any thought to issuing him a pardon.

Asked if Stone deserves any prison time, Trump demurred, saying, "You're going to see what happens."

During his remarks, Trump also asserted that he, not Attorney General William Barr, is the nations chief law enforcement officer.

"I'm actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country," Trump said.

In his tweets on Tuesday, Trump quoted at length Andrew Napolitano, a former New Jersey Superior Court judge and Fox News commentator who argued that Stone should receive a trial based on "the unambiguous & self outed bias of the foreperson of the jury."

"Pretty obvious he should (get a new trial)," Trump quoted Napolitano as saying. "I think almost any judge in the Country would order a new trial, I'm not so sure about Judge Jackson, I don't know."

Napolitano was referring to U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who is presiding over Stone's case and who has drawn Trump's ire on Twitter for her treatment of another ally of his, Paul Manafort, his former campaign chairman.

A Justice Department official said later Tuesday that prosecutors have filed under seal a motion opposing Stone's request for a new trial, and the filing was approved by Barr. That would seem to put Barr at odds with Trump.

"This decision was made independent of the White House," said the official, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

In his Trump's tweets - which began about an hour after Napolitano appeared on "Fox & Friends" - he also derided prosecutors in the Stone case as "Mueller prosecutors," a reference to those who worked for special counsel Robert Mueller, who investigated possible coordination between Trump's campaign and Russian in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump called that investigation "fraudulent," adding: "If I wasn't President, I'd be suing everyone all over the place. BUT MAYBE I STILL WILL."

All four career prosecutors handling the case against Stone withdrew from the legal proceedings last week - and one quit his job entirely - after the Justice Department signaled it planned to undercut their sentencing recommendation. Two of those prosecutors had worked for Mueller.

Asked about Trump's talk of lawsuits, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Tuesday that "the president's obviously frustrated."

"For three years he has been under attack in one way or the other, and the Mueller report is another example of that," Grisham said during an appearance on "Fox & Friends," during which she also alluded to the Stone case. "I mean the foreperson of a jury was somebody who was very vocal about not liking President Trump or his supporters. . . . That's scary stuff."

Stone has been a friend and adviser to Trump since the 1980s and was a key figure in his 2016 campaign, working to discover damaging information on Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

A jury convicted Stone in November on charges of witness tampering and lying to Congress about his efforts to gather damaging information about Clinton. His was the last conviction secured by Mueller as part of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Stone's defense has asked for a sentence of probation, citing his age, 67, and lack of criminal history.

The handling of the Stone case has roiled the Justice Department.

More than 2,000 former department employees signed a public letter over the weekend urging Barr to resign over his handling of the case and exhorted current department employees to report any unethical conduct. At Barr's urging, the Justice Department filed an updated sentencing memo suggesting that Stone should receive less prison time.

During her Fox News appearance, Grisham downplayed the significance of the letter from former Justice Department employees.

"Look, all across government, the president has been saying, and I think it's been proven time and again, there are obstructionists all across this government who are working against the president," Grisham said.

Grisham also dismissed a question about whether Barr might step down.

"That is not something I'm aware of, absolutely not," she said.

In a television interview last week, Barr pushed back against Trump's continuing tweets about the Justice Department, saying that they "make it impossible for me to do my job."

Trump told reporters Tuesday that he agrees with Barr's assessment.

"I do make his job harder," Trump said. "I do agree with that, I do. He's working against a lot of people who don't want to see good things happen, in my opinion."

Asked if Barr can do his job with integrity, Trump said: "The attorney general is a man with great integrity. I chose not to be involved. I'm allowed to be involved. I could be involved if I want to be."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also came to Barr's defense in a joint statement.

The nation is fortunate that President Trump chose such a strong and selfless public servant to lead the Department of Justice, they wrote. We expect that, as always, efforts to intimidate the Attorney General will fall woefully short.
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Linkedin Apriza Pinandita and Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020

Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Masafumi Ishii said on Tuesday that his government was ready to support Indonesia in ensuring the wellbeing of dozens of its citizens aboard the Diamond Princess.

The cruise ship has been quarantined in Yokohama since Feb. 4 over fears of the spread of COVID-19, the disease resulting from the novel coronavirus.

The envoy's statement follows the confirmation Indonesian authorities received earlier that day that three of the 78 Indonesian crewmen onboard had tested positive for COVID-19.

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Russia must immediately end aggression against Ukraine and fulfill its commitments under the Minsk agreements, Acting Deputy Permanent Representative of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations Cherith Norman Chalet has said.

She said this at a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday, February 18, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"Russia must end this conflict by withdrawing its forces from eastern Ukraine and Crimea. And we call on Russia to immediately implement its security commitments under the Minsk agreements, as the parties can only move forward with the Minsk political measures when there is security on the ground," Chalet said.

She also called on Russia to fulfill its promise made during the latest Normandy Four summit.

"We also call on Russia to follow-through with the measures outlined at the recent Normandy Leaders Summit in Paris to immediately stabilize the situation in the conflict area, which includes the opening of new civilian crossing points, disengaging military forces in areas with the greatest humanitarian significance, and implementing ceasefire support measures," the diplomat said.

Chalet stressed that Russia's ongoing aggressive actions "are an affront to international norms and a threat to our common security."

Russian-backed forces attacked Ukrainian positions near the villages of Novotoshkivske, Orikhove, Krymske, Khutir Vilnyi and Popasna early on February 18, killing one Ukrainian serviceman and wounding another five.

op
Tata group's NELCO, in partnership with Panasonic Avionics, on Wednesday launched in-flight wi-fi services in India, with Vistara likely to be the first airline in the country to avail the facility.

"Nelco is the first Indian company to provide this service in the country, marking the beginning of a new era of wi-fi on aircraft in Indian skies," it said in a press release.

Vistara has already signed up for aero in-flight communication (IFC) services and "is likely to be the first domestic airline company to launch these services very soon", the NELCO press release said.

P J Nath, the MD and CEO of NELCO, said, "We foresee a great opportunity for growth in the IFC services in the country in the coming years and intend to be a leader in this market.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 21:53:25|Editor: xuxin

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MOSCOW, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Wednesday it had detained seven members of the Tablighi Jamaat religious organization, which has been banned in Russia as an extremist group.

The group, consisting of Central Asian natives, was charged with propaganda of extremism ideology and the recruitment of new members, the FSB statement said.

"Three leaders and four active members of the clandestine cell were detained, who held gatherings of organization members, during which they spread the ideology of Tablighi Jamaat, which undermines the foundations of Islam, and involved new supporters in the destructive activity," the statement said.

The FSB said it had seized forbidden literature and paraphernalia at the residences of the detainees.

Tablighi Jamaat, also known as the Society for Spreading Faith, has been banned in Russia and some Central Asian countries.
The American diplomat says Russian-led forces continue to contravene commitments made by President Putin and Russian officials.

Acting Deputy Permanent Representative at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet says Russia continues to arm, train, lead, and fight alongside its proxy forces in Donbas, eastern Ukraine.

"Unfortunately, Russia has not shown a [] willingness to fulfill its commitments under the Minsk agreements. It continues to arm, train, lead, and fight alongside its proxy forces in eastern Ukraine. This stands in direct contravention of Russia's commitments under the Minsk agreements, including to establish an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire," she said at a UN Security Council meeting in New York City on February 18.

Read alsoUN warns about "real risk of backsliding and further violence" in Donbas

"In this regard, today's attack by Russian-led forces near Zolote  which resulted in Ukrainian casualties  comes on the five-year anniversary of Russian-led forces taking the key rail hub of Debaltseve in direct contravention of the terms of the Minsk agreements reached just a week earlier. Then, as now, Russian-led forces continue to contravene commitments made by President Putin and Russian officials, and to kill Ukrainians on Ukrainian territory," she said.

"Instead of engaging constructively, Russia stalls and disseminates disinformation to distract attention from its central, unmistakable, and unjustifiable role in fomenting this conflict. Russia also continues its hybrid activities against Ukraine, wielding economic and political leverage," she said.

According to her, the resolution to the Donbas conflict must be a diplomatic one, and the U.S. will continue to engage with allies and partners to support Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "Through its actions, Ukraine has made clear its commitment to achieving a peaceful resolution of the conflict," she said. "President Zelensky has energized conflict diplomacy through outreach to Ukrainian citizens in eastern Ukraine, enabled improvements to humanitarian conditions on both sides of the line of contact, negotiated two prisoner exchanges, and established a dialogue with President Putin that yielded the first Normandy Summit meeting since 2016."

Russia must end this conflict by withdrawing its forces from eastern Ukraine and Crimea, she said.

"And we call on Russia to immediately implement its security commitments under the Minsk agreements, as the parties can only move forward with the Minsk political measures when there is security on the ground. We also call on Russia to follow-through with the measures outlined at the recent Normandy Leaders' Summit in Paris to immediately stabilize the situation in the conflict area, which includes the opening of new civilian crossing points, disengaging military forces in areas with the greatest humanitarian significance, and implementing ceasefire support measures," she said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian occupying forces on Tuesday morning attacked Ukrainian defense positions in Donbas, using 120mm mortars proscribed by the Minsk agreements. Under fire cover, the Russian invaders began their offensive operation and attempted to advance across the contact line. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another five were wounded amid the fight. The enemy's casualties included four killed and six wounded.
MIAMI - Family members of six American oil executives jailed in Venezuela are accusing Nicolas Maduros government of forced disappearance after the men were inexplicably missing for the scheduled start of their trial on Wednesday.

Veronica Vadell said that lawyers for her father, Tomeu Vadell, and the five other executives from Houston-based Citgo had been waiting at a Caracas courthouse for more than six hours for the men to be transferred by the nations intelligence police. In a message posted on social media, she demanded stakeholders on all sides work to resolve the hostage case immediately.

Why is there a delay? Where are the men?,she wrote.

The six oilmen were under house arrest when they were abruptly rounded up without explanation two weeks ago. Since then theyve remained in isolation, with no access to their families or lawyers.

The arrest took place the same day opposition leader Juan Guaido met with President Donald Trump at the White House, fueling speculation the detention was politically motivated. .

Its not clear why the SEBIN police never transferred the men from the Helicoide jail in Caracas where they are believed to be held. Maduros chief prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that all was set for the trial to begin.

The six men were hauled away by masked security agents while at a meeting in Caracas just before Thanksgiving in 2017. They had been lured to Venezuela in order to attend a meeting at the headquarters of Citgos parent, state-run oil giant PDVSA.

The group flew out on a corporate jet. They included Vadell, vice-president of refining; Gustavo Cardenas, head of strategic shareholder relations as well as government and public affairs; Jorge Toledo, vice-president of supply and marketing; Alirio Zambrano, vice-president and general manager of Citgos Corpus Christi refinery; Jose Luis Zambrano, vice-president of shared services; and Jose Angel Pereira, the president of Citgo.

The men are awaiting trial on corruption charges stemming from a never-executed plan to refinance some $4 billion in Citgo bonds by offering a 50% stake in the company as collateral. Prosecutors accuse the men of manoeuvring to benefit from the proposed deal.

But many believe the men, five of whom are naturalized U.S. citizens and the other a legal resident, are being held as political bargaining chips as relations between the U.S. and Venezuela have deteriorated. They cite as evidence of irregularities the decisions by the initial judge to postpone 15 straight times a preliminary hearing.

U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence in April called for the mens release after meeting with family members at the White House.

We are going to stand with you until they are free and until Venezuela is free, he said at the time.
Nadhim Zahawi champions Dominic Cummings on this site today. We wont follow him by writing either a defence of or attack on Boris Johnsons best-known adviser: one ConservativeHome article on Cummings will do for the day.

Though we will pause to point out again that the adviser is serving as a lightning-conductor for the politician, and that Cummings doesnt always get his way. Think Huawei, HS2, or Sajid Javid, who he wanted to see moved from the Treasury, rather than given an option to stay.

Instead, we draw attention to a Number Ten adviser who has even more power than Cummings. For when was the last time that the Governments policy on the most compelling political issue of the day was advanced in a speech by an adviser?

We refer to David Frost, who earlier this week presented the core of the Governments case in part two of the Brexit talks  strictly speaking, trade talks. We bring to the negotiations not some clever tactical positioning but the fundamentals of what it means to be an independent country, he told his audience.

We arent frightened by suggestions there is going to be friction, there is going to be greater barriers. We know that and have factored this in and we look further forward  to the gains of the future. ConservativeHome has reproduced the entire text.

Now you may or may not take Frosts words at face value. On the one hand, Boris Johnson doesnt always stick to his commitments. Remember leaving on October 31, do or die? (The British people made a big decision when this didnt take place: namely, that he wanted it to happen, was willing it to happenbut was frustrated by others.)

More to the point, the adapted deal which he reached with the EU  Brexit Part One if you like  marked a retreat from the UK position on Northern Ireland, since it accepted a border in the Irish Sea, rather than a land border on the island of Ireland. The future scale and extent of that border is vigorously debated.

On the other hand, the Prime Minister was previously operating with no majority at all, and a nest of prominent critics on the backbenches: Philip Hammond, David Gauke, Amber Rudd, Rory Stewart Oliver Letwin, Dominic Grieve. Now they are all gone and he has a majority of 80.

Either way, Cummings may write the occasional freelance blog, but Frost was speaking for the Government on Monday. He is a trusted member of the Johnson circle, having served as his Special Adviser when he was Foreign Secretary.

Frost is also unusual for having been that rare animal, a convinced Eurosceptic in the Foreign Office, which has been institutionally committed to the European cause since the age of Michael Palliser. He is a former Ambassador to Denmark, Foreign Office EU Director, and Trade Director at the Business Department.

Perhaps a politician should have made the speech instead. But who? There is no Brexit Department and no Brexit Secretary. It is not yet clear from the reshuffle which department will support the negotiation, though it is presumed that this will be the Cabinet Office and therefore, by extension, be headed up by Michael Gove.

At any rate, the Prime Minister clearly wanted to send a signal. Frost speaks for me. What he says is what I believe. What he pronounces is what I will do. He is His Masters Voice. Frost is not the man to get himself in the media, be doorstepped, wear a bobble hat, or quote from PJ Masks.

Come to think of it, he is just about the last person, if one looks around the serried ranks of people who count in Downing Street, to be classified as a weirdo or a misfit with odd skills. What he offers is very mainstream.
As it grapples with blockades thwarting resource development and a promise to work on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, the federal government introduced a bill this week to change the oath of citizenship to include a line about respecting treaty rights, without an updated guidebook to explain what that means.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As it grapples with blockades thwarting resource development and a promise to work on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, the federal government introduced a bill this week to change the oath of citizenship to include a line about respecting treaty rights, without an updated guidebook to explain what that means.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marco Mendicino called it "an important step towards reconciliation by encouraging new Canadians to fully appreciate and respect the significant role of Indigenous peoples in forming Canadas fabric and identity."

The proposed bill would amend the Citizenship Act.

"I think it's a step in the right direction," said Damon Johnston, president of the Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg. "Hopefully, there'd be some education or awareness tied into that to explain what that is."

Immigration Partnership Winnipeg director Abdikheir Ahmen also welcomed the proposed amended oath, but said it's a "hollow promise" if it doesn't include more education about Indigenous or treaty rights in the citizenship test study guide.

"Ninety per cent of newcomers don't understand," said Ahmed, an immigrant to Canada. "Having this line in the oath of citizenship is one thing. They should go one step further and be providing more information on what this means in the citizenship guide."

The citizenship guide Discover Canada: the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship helps prepare those who qualify for the citizenship test. Those who pass, recite and sign the oath of citizenship before becoming citizens.

The guide includes basic information about Canada's First Nations, but not much that explains treaties nor the rights of Indigenous peoples.

"If people have learned about it, then, when it comes to taking the oath, it's a commitment," Ahmed said. "If they haven't been provided with adequate information in the citizenship study materials, it doesn't make sense to have this kind of line in the the oath  it would just be a hollow promise."

The Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations was part of several focus groups, roundtables and teleconference consultations on updating the citizenship guide in 2017-18, said executive director Vicki Sinclair.

Immigration Partnership Winnipeg prepared an Indigenous orientation toolkit for newcomers, and held training sessions for settlement service providers to understand treaty and land rights. It has been leading the way when it comes to newcomer and Indigenous partnerships and education, Sinclair said.

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"Hopefully, the new guide will reflect this information," said Sinclair, who is waiting for the revised Discover Canada.

The federal government is still working on the update.

"A launch date of the revised study guide has not yet been determined," an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada spokesperson said by email Tuesday.

In Winnipeg, home to Canada's largest urban Indigenous population, the thousands of immigrants arriving in the city each year need to know their neighbours, Johnston said.

"A relationship is built on platforms of respect. We can't take for granted they know anything about our rights," he said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
A YOUNG man who threw cake at gardai as they pursued a car following an attempted hijacking on the University of Limerick campus, has avoided an immediate prison sentence.

Married father-of-one Wesley OHalloran, 21, of Aurea, Dublin Road, Limerick, had pleaded guilty to several charges  including endangering traffic  during a bizarre incident on August 2, 2018.

Detective Garda Shane Graham told Limerick Circuit Court that gardai encountered the Toyota Avensis, which was being sought following the incident at UL, at around 12.30am.

He said after gardai approached the vehicle at a petrol station on the Dublin Road, it failed to stop, but, rather, accelerated.

A pursuit then took place during which the vehicle reached speeds of 120km/h. The detective said while travelling on the old Dublin Road, the defendant was hanging out a rear window and throwing items at the patrol car including cake.

A female passenger  Mr OHallorans mother  also jumped from the car when it slowed during the pursuit.

Following his arrest, Mr OHalloran denied having any involvement in the attempted hijacking at UL but accepted he had been a passenger in the Avensis when it was encountered by gardai.

Barrister Yvonne Quinn said her client accepts his behaviour was very reckless on the night. She said he was highly intoxicated on the night and pointed out that Mr OHalloran was not the driver.

Judge Tom ODonnell was told the driver, who has since died, was an older relative of the defendant.

Imposing sentence the judge accepted Mr OHalloran was not the main protagonist and that there was an element of bravado on the night.

He also commented that a probation report prepared for the court was guarded but positive.

He imposed a two year prison sentence, which he fully suspended.
A mid all the uncertainties triggered by the putsch at the Treasury, one fact is assured; new Chancellor Rishi Sunak will push for the rapid establishment of free ports across the country.

It was Sunak who got Conservative MPs energised by the idea that these tax and regulation-lite zones would ensure that Britain has a glorious future after Brexit. He first made his case in a report for the Thatcherite Centre for Policy Studies think-tank in 2016.

The prospect has excited Conservatives of all colours, from Theresa Mays old adviser Nick Timothy to the current Number 10 Rasputin, Dominic Cummings. It formed a key part of Boris Johnsons election manifesto.

Last week, just days before his sudden elevation to the top of Number 11, Sunak and other ministers officially launched a plan to create 10 free ports.

The news was greeted by plenty of cheerleaders, but a backlash is quietly growing.

Not everyone, it seems, is as thrilled by these Singapores-on-Sea as it first appeared. Critics accuse the Government of building policy on shabby economics and low-tax ideology rather than evidence.

Free ports are nothing new. To quote the introduction to last weeks consultation document: In the Ancient World, Greek and Roman ships  piled high with traders wines and olives  found safe harbour in the Free Port of Delos.

The idea is that a country creates an area around a sea, air or rail port in which the rest of the nations laws on tax and regulations are relaxed. Goods can be imported duty free, only being taxed as they are moved out of the port to be sold domestically, or not at all if they are exported again.

The theory is that they attract companies to build factories in the area, employing local people. As the Government puts it, hotbeds of innovation will be created.

Britain used to have seven free ports, from Tilbury to Liverpool. They were abandoned by David Camerons government in 2012 because they were deemed of limited use.

The current administration says this time it will be different. Released from the shackles of Europe, British free ports will offer employers far greater benefits, it argues. Sunaks 2016 CPS article, which seems to inform much of last weeks plan, declared free ports could create 86,000 jobs.

This figure is sketchy at best. Asheem Singh, director of economics at the Royal Society of Arts, calls it laughably back-of-a-cocktail-napkin stuff.

Sunak got there by simply dividing the number of US workers in free ports by the ratio of the entire US-to-UK workforce. He used no weighting at all for the variations in our economies, populations, industries or other local factors. Singh says: This methodology would be laughable if the man responsible for it werent now the Chancellor.

The World Bank found that growth of jobs and economic activity in free port areas generally starts off with a spurt but soon retreats to that of the surrounding area. When Delaware opened a free port in 2015, unemployment fell, but only at the same rate as the rest of the country. Other research suggests free ports merely redistribute existing jobs, rather than create new ones.

As for hotbeds of innovation, International Labour Organization data suggests most companies who set up in free ports are simple, small-time processing industries that lack professional management. Singh worries that this translates into grim, unskilled jobs, made grimmer by the lack of workplace regulations free ports can offer.

Jim ONeill, the former Goldman Sachs economist who used to run the Northern Powerhouse project, is unimpressed, too. Says Lord ONeill: Its not clear to me what the wow is about it. I cant see how it really creates new demand in itself. Presumably it just switches it from other places.

Europe, which has many free ports, is going in the opposite direction as Britain, clamping down rather than encouraging them. It says they have become havens for money-launderers and tax evasion. A European Commission study in 2018 found growing demand for them from customers was largely the result of curbs on illegal transactions in banks.

Free ports lack of regulation makes them conducive to secrecy, the report warned. It cited the Bouvier Affair, where free port owner and art dealer Yves Bouvier allegedly defrauded clients by misrepresenting the cost of artworks and subsequently overcharging them. The report said the allegations, denied by Bouvier, highlighted the opacity of free ports: No one really knows exactly what is stored [there] as the inventory is not consistently tracked. Moreover, the beneficial owners of many of the goods are unknown.

Given the controversies, critics question how the idea turned from an article by a then-junior new MP into Government policy so quickly. A mysteriously strong current seems to have driven the idea forward through the political process, sweeping all before it.

So, it emerges that a panel of free ports experts assembled last August to advise the Government met only once before last weeks plans were launched. And that a widely used justification that they have the backing of 85% of the public comes from a dubious poll commissioned by Mace, the main corporate lobbyist for free ports. (The pollsters told respondents free ports were hoped to encourage domestic manufacturing and increase international trade and job creation before asking if they were for or against.)

Alexandria Reid, national security studies researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, has long criticised free ports for harbouring illegal activity.

She says: It is positive that the Government is taking an evidence-based approach. But a consultation is only useful if the Government listens to the evidence it receives.

The consultation document does acknowledge the risks around tax avoidance and art storage. But other questions remain unanswered.
A 24-year-old New Bedford man is accused of threatening a prosecutor in a New Bedford courtroom while he waited for a case involving his brother to be heard, according to the Bristol District Attorneys office.

Jonathan Perez-Martinez was arraigned this week on charges of witness intimidation and making threats. He remains in custody and will return to New Bedford District Court on Feb. 25 for a dangerousness hearing.

According to the Bristol District Attorneys office, Perez-Martinez was in the audience for a case involving his brother in courtroom 3 at New Bedford District Court on Feb. 12.

Perez-Martinez is accused of telling a prosecutor, Im going to f--- you up.

When the prosecutor turned around, the defendant allegedly said, Yeah, Im talking to you...Im going to f--- you up. The defendant then immediately left the courtroom, the district attorneys office said.

A short time after the alleged threat was made, the prosecutor left the courtroom and was about to walk out of the building.

A court officer, who witnessed the alleged outburst in the courtroom, stopped the prosecutor and advised him to wait to leave until Perez-Martinez left, authorities said.

At that point, the prosecutor looked outside and observed the defendant flipping him off with his middle finger, the district attorneys office said.

A Massachusetts State Police trooper inside the courthouse took a report of the incident from the prosecutor and also spoke to a court officer and probation officer who were all inside the courtroom during the time of the alleged incident.

A warrant was issued for Perez-Martinezs arrest on Friday. He was arrested Saturday afternoon inside a friends apartment in New Bedford.

Authorities said he was hiding behind a bedroom door at the time.

Threatening a prosecutor or any court official in open court is outrageous. On top of it, the defendant was waiting for the prosecutor outside when the court proceedings concluded, Bristol District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III said. I will not tolerate this type of lawlessness and contempt for the judicial system. Our office will make every attempt to hold this defendant accountable.
Foreign Minister-designate Bogdan Aurescu will hold political consultations in Berlin on Thursday with German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas and with the head of the Office of the Federal President, Stephan Steinlein,

The meetings will take place during a working visit to the German Federal Republic at the invitation of Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, scheduled on the day of the 140th anniversary of Romania - Germany diplomatic relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a release.

"The visit is part of the steps to intensify the bilateral cooperation, including in the context of Germany's holding the Presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2020, and aims to reconfirm the privileged, strategic character of the bilateral relationship, give impetus to cooperation in areas of common interest, and also occasion an exchange of views on regional, European and international developments of interest for both states," the cited source said.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, bilateral cooperation with Germany is among Romania's most developed and complex relations with an EU member state, defined by an intense political and diplomatic dialogue, constantly growing economic dynamics and special inter-human contacts boosted also by the connecting bridge represented by the German minority in Romania and the Romanian community in Germany.
The ex-boyfriend accused of killing Hollywood sex therapist Amie Harwick allegedly subjected her to years of abuse including horrific physical attacks, according to restraining orders issued against him in 2011 and 2012.

The court documents detail a string of incidents, including how he once pushed her out of a car on the freeway, and on another occasion forced her onto the ground and viciously kicked her in the face.

Harwick dated her ex-boyfriend Gareth Pursehouse 10 years ago but the relationship apparently turned violent and the two split. Yet, he continued to be obsessed with her and harassed her.

Harwick, 38, died on Saturday after she was thrown out of the third-floor balcony of her Hollywood Hills apartment.

Pursehouse, 41, was arrested and charged with murder, but released on $2million bond on Tuesday.

Court documents reviewed by DailyMail.com catalog years of alleged abuse in documents for two restraining orders against Pursehouse in 2011 and 2012.

On January 11, 2012, Harwick and Pursehouse got into an argument in the car and he aggressively tried to pull her out of the vehicle.

Hollywood sex therapist Amie Harwick suffered years of abuse from her 'killer' ex-boyfriend Gareth Pursehouse (right) who once allegedly pushed her out of a car on the freeway and on another occasion forced her onto the ground and viciously kicked her in the face

Court documents reviewed by DailyMail.com catalog years of alleged abuse in documents for two restraining orders against Pursehouse in 2011 and 2012. Her 2012 restraining order against Pursehouse pictured above

In her restraining order she detailed how in March 2012 he smashed 10 picture frames on her front door. He returned for the next three days to tape flowers on her door and play music outside her apartment

In 2012 Pursehouse allegedly tried to pull her out of a car and threw her suitcases out of the vehicle. She was left with a bloody nose and scratches in the confrontation

In June 2011 Pursehouse allegedly pushed her out of a car and stranded her on a freeway at night

In May 2011 he allegedly suffocated her and slammed her head on the ground and kicked her. She suffered broken blood vessels and whiplash in the assault

Pursehouse then allegedly took her suitcases from the car and threw them out.

Harwick suffered a bloody nose and scratches from his roughness, she reported in her court order filed on April 12, 2012.

On March 18, 2012 Pursehouse allegedly broke into her apartment complex and smashed 10 pictured frames on her front door. Then he texted her a chilling warning saying, 'Things will get worse.'

The next day he allegedly broke into the apartment building and left about four dozen flowers taped to her door. The following day he returned yet again, this time to wait outside her door playing music.

The orders say the next day he proceeded to send threatening e-mails to her friends.

The 2011 court order demanded that Pursehouse stay at least 1,000 yards away from her. The 2012 order mandated 100 feet

This page shows that her 2012 restraining order expired on April 2015

A page from Harwick's 2011 restraining order pictured above where she details how he allegedly suffocated her in May 2011

A page from Hawick's 2011 restraining order pictured above showing how she asked for financial restitution. She also requested he enter a batterer intervention program saying, 'He has told me he hit me "because I made him so mad!"'

Harwick's landlord was listed as a witness to his stalking incidents in March.

In May 2011 Harwick claimed that Pursehouse suffocated her, punched her and slammed her head onto the ground during a fight. He allegedly covered her mouth to keep her from yelling.

He then kicked her leaving her covered in bruises and unable to walk. She said she suffered broken blood vessels around her face and her back and neck suffered from whiplash.

'There were multiple arguments in which Gareth Pursehouse choked me, suffocated me, pushed me against walls, kicked me, dropped me to the ground with force, force-restrained me, slammed my head into the ground and punched me with a closed fist,' she wrote in court paperwork dated June 22, 2011.

'He has told me he hit me "because I made him so mad!" He refused to get help while in [the] relationship.'

On June 18, 2011 Pursehouse is said to have pushed her out of a car and left her on the freeway late at night. In the incident she suffered bruises.

Harwick and Pursehouse saw each other in January. That incident supposedly 'reignited' his obsession with her

Gareth Pursehouse pictured circled in red at the XBiz Awards on January 16 where he worked as a photographer and allegedly harassed Harwick. Stormy Daniels, the host of the event, pictured in glitter dress on red carpet

In both restraining orders she requested that the court order Pursehouse to enter a 52-week batterer intervention program.

Harwick obtained a temporary restraining order against Pursehouse in 2011, but she did not attend a follow-up hearing and the order was dismissed, according to court records.

Less than a year later she was granted another temporary restraining order. A judge extended that order in April 2012, which expired in April 2015.

In California the maximum length of a restraining order is five years.

In that agreement Pursehouse was ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Harwick and refrain from contacting her.

Cops arrived to Harwick's Hollywood Hills home around 1.16am on Saturday after cops responded to a radio call of a 'woman screaming' and found her suffering grave injuries.

She died in the hospital from blunt force injuries to the head and torso.

Authorities said she was attacked and Pursehouse was subsequently arrested in connection to her death.

Harwick was found unconscious after falling from a third-floor balcony in her home, pictured

According to his LinkedIn profile, Pursehouse, pictured, has worked as a photographer as well as a software engineer and developer. His most recent job was as lead architect at Internet Brands.

Pursehouse posted this picture of himself on Instagram in 2017

Harwick ran into Pursehouse in January at the XBiz adult-industry awards ceremony, which was hosted by porn star Stormy Daniels, in downtown Los Angeles.

She was a guest at the show and walked the red carpet. Pursehouse was a photographer working the event and seeing her seemed to 'reignite his obsessive preoccupation with her,' a friend said to the Los Angeles Times.

Following Harwick's death, her friend Diana Arias started an online petition on Monday seeking to eliminate expiration dates on restraining orders.

'Amie had a restraining order in place against a violent ex boyfriend she dated over a decade ago. The restraining order had expired before her untimely death,' the petition that raised over 36,000 signatures Wednesday said.

'In the last week of January 2020, this ex boyfriend attended an event, at which she was making an appearance, and continued his harassment of her. He began to stalk her thereafter and on late Valentine's night decided to attack her in her own home.

'This man clearly needed treatment, incarceration and/or punishment for years prior to this attack. She should have never been in this situation like so many other victims.'

Following Harwick's death, her friend Diana Arias started an online petition on Monday seeking to eliminate expiration dates on restraining orders

Harwick was formerly engaged to the Price is Right host Drew Carey but they split in November 2018 after dating for more than a year. In a statement Carey said: 'Amie and I had a love that people are lucky to have once in a lifetime. She was a positive force in the world, a tireless and unapologetic champion for women, and passionate about her work as a therapist'

The petition seeks to eliminate expiration dates on restraining orders and mandate long term counseling for stalkers and abusers.

Harwick was a well known sex and family therapist in the Hollywood area.

She was a Playboy model-turned-therapist who published the book The New Sex Bible for Women.

She formerly engaged to the Price is Right host Drew Carey but they split in November 2018 after dating for more than a year.

She received her degree in psychology from California Polytechnic University in Pomona, California. Harwick also earned her masters of arts in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University.

In 2015, Harwick appeared in the popular online documentary titled Addicted to Sexting.

She offered weekly therapy sessions at $200 per session, according to her site.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday expressed his government's resolve to carry forward the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Thackeray visited the Shivneri Fort in Junnar tehsil of Pune district in the morning to pay tributes to Shivaji Maharaj on his birth anniversary, and announced Rs 23 crore assistance for the development of the fort.

He also said that cases filed against protesters during the Maratha quota agitation in 2018 will be withdrawn.

Shivaji Maharaj was born in Shivneri in 1630.

"The poor and needy feel this is their government. That is the reason people have come for this 'Shiv Jayanti' function in large numbers. Our government is committed to carry forward the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," Thackeray said after attending some programmes, including a 'cradle ceremony', and reviewing the fort's development works.

He said Rs 23 crore have been sanctioned for the development of the Shivneri Fort.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and others also attended the birth anniversary function of Shivaji Maharaj.

Thackeray said, "Both myself and Ajit dada (Pawar) have come together for doing some good constructive work, and I vow that I will not rest till I achieve the goal."



On the occasion, the chief minister told Pawar that they "should have come together long ago".

Thackeray further said that all steps will be taken to preserve Chhatrapati Shivaji's forts and memorial.

"We will ensure that works are not hampered for lack of funds," he said.

He also said that cases filed against protesters during the Maratha quota agitation will be withdrawn.

The Shiv Sena president earlier took to Twitter to pay tributes to Shivaji Maharaj, and extended greetings to the people of the state on the occasion of Shiv Jayanti.

Though February 19 is the official date of Shiv Jayanti, the Shiv Sena believes the birth anniversary of Shivaji Maharaj should be observed as per the Hindu calendar.

Earlier, state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat and senior party leader Ashok Chavan, both ministers in the Thackeray Cabinet, also paid their respects to Shivaji Maharaj in their Twitter posts.

NCP president Sharad Pawar also paid tributes to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and tweeted that his bravery and administrative excellence is incomparable.

Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Devendra Fadnavis extended greetings to the people of the state on the occasion of Shiv Jayanti.

"Salutations to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his birth anniversary," he tweeted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
He made a name for himself as one of the husbands to star on the Real Housewives of New Jersey.

And Joe Gorga caught some slack online after sharing fake before and after photos promoting his house-flipping business.

The 40-year-old reality star was called out by a number of fans who noticed the properties were completely different, only for Joe to place the blame on someone from his team.

Yikes! Joe Gorga caught some slack online after sharing fake before and after photos promoting his house-flipping business

In a since deleted post, Joe showed off a property 'before' he worked on it and then 'after' the home remodel.

'Look at this flip worth $1.9m,' he captioned the image shared to his 694,000 followers. 'Took me 6 months to turn this around. Ripped off the roof & added to the second floor. I think I might move in.'

An eagle-eyed fan caught wind of the fake promos and tagged the 'after' photos real owner, Caley Svensson.

Interesting approach: The 40-year-old reality star was called out by a number of fans who noticed the properties were completely different, only for Joe to place the blame on someone from his team

She attempted to contact the RHONJ star to no avail and shared a copy of the post to her own Instagram account.

'When @Joeygorga tries to rip off your house and claim he flipped it.... Can I get a Watch What Happens Live over here,' she wrote.

Caley and her husband reportedly purchased the four-bedroom home in December from the builder and it was 'totally demolished' before being 'rebuilt from the ground up.'

Whoops! An eagle-eyed fan caught wind of the fake promos and tagged the 'after' photos real owner, Caley Svensson

'It's clearly our house,' she told Page Six. 'I messaged [Gorga] on the post to please remove it, but he never responded. I DMed him, as well, and he never responded either.'

The father-of-three didn't take responsibility for the questionable post and chalked the entire ordeal up to his team, saying that his 21-year-old social media manager 'made a mistake.'

He added: 'I helped fund that project. Im a private lender. I did fund the deal.'

'It was a brand-new house, so it made me look even worse,' he said after agreeing that the Svensson family was correct in saying the house was never flipped.
As I get older (and grumpier) there are lots of things I resent spending money on. More than normal, I mean.

I'm just back from a weekend in Europe and while I had no problem paying 50 for a gorgeous lunch on a little cobblestoned side street, I got hugely annoyed at the 6 (!) I shelled out for a single coffee at a tourist hot spot while waiting for the time slot.

What I didn't mind at all, curiously, was the 18 'city tax', which is charged by every hotel to tourists upon check-in.

Whether it's Rome, Madrid, Paris or Berlin, you're slapped with anything from 3 to 8 a night, per person, which is then ring-fenced for tourist-related investment (or simply cleaning up the mess we leave behind).

It's long been a topic of discussion in Ireland and seems to get dismissed out of hand every time.

I don't know why. The 13.5pc VAT rate has been restored after dropping to 9pc in 2013 to boost tourism.

Judging by the daily 'crane-watch', and the inability to get a bed at a reasonable price, it clearly needs less boosting than we thought.

Why wouldn't a German, American or Brit mind paying a couple of euro on top of a trip which probably cost them several hundred, or thousands?

You don't need to charge it for small regional hotels or B&Bs or those genuinely struggling to get heard.

But for city hotels, the big chains, the ones that attract tourists at eye-watering prices, well, what's the problem?

The biggest issue would probably be what it is used for, and like any new tax, great aspirations of 'ring-fencing' could slowly melt toward the general cesspit that is central Government funds.

But it would be a start.

Just what 'service' am I paying for, ticket-sellers?

Another thing that really annoys me (I'm on a roll now) is the charging by companies for doing their work for them.

The worst continue to be concert venues. A show I want to see is charging 6.40 on top of the ticket price for a 'service' charge and another 1 for a 'facility' charge. Service? I'm doing all the work myself!

There's nobody taking up a cashier's time at the booking office on a busy day. It's just me, clicking on the laptop. And the very irritating thing about it?

The service charge is per ticket, not per booking . . . honestly, what's that about?

Earth's saviours are also being threatened

There are some dangerous jobs out there and when you think of the ESB technicians up electricity poles during the recent Storm Dennis, or trawler fisherman battling the elements so you can have a nice piece of hake for your dinner, or mountain rescue teams saving inexperienced idiots from themselves, it makes you feel glad you have a nice safe desk job sometimes.

That's what Homero Gomez Gonzales must have thought when he took the gig as administrator of a sleepy butterfly sanctuary last November in Mexico.

Yet in January he mysteriously went missing, only to be found dead at the bottom of a well.

The sanctuary houses Monarch butterflies and Senor Gonzales had written to the authorities to try and prevent the illegal logging affecting the butterflies' welfare.

In the process, it seems, he signed his own death warrant.

In August, ecologist Nora Lopez, whose passion was breeding red macaws, was shot dead.

In all, no fewer 120 environmentalist workers were killed in the last 15 years alone by those in Mexico who want the right to destroy the habitats of insects and animals for greed.

Let's hope they don't win - our natural world needs to be saved, not destroyed.
A woman's body found in central Georgia has been identified as a college student last seen on Valentine's Day, authorities said Wednesday.

The Fort Valley Department of Public Safety said it received confirmation from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab that the body recovered Tuesday was that of Anitra Gunn.

The family of Gunn, 23, called police on Saturday because they had not heard from her in an "unusual amount of time," the Fort Valley Police Department said. Gunn attended Fort Valley State University, about 35 miles south of Macon.

Police said a woman's body was recovered Tuesday night near the Peach and Crawford county line.

Her car was found Saturday with a torn bumper near her apartment, and police said they wanted to speak to anyone who had the bumper. Police found the bumper near her body about 150 yards off a road and authorities said it looked as though someone had tried to hide the body with leaves and branches, CNN affiliate WSB reported.

Tuesday evening, Fort Valley police said they arrested DeMarcus Little, 23, for criminal damage to property belonging to Gunn in an incident on February 5. Her apartment windows were smashed and her vehicle tires slashed, police said, adding that more charges may be filed.

Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese said Little was Gunn's boyfriend, WSB reported. The station said she was from south Fulton County in metro Atlanta.

Before police confirmed the identity of the body, the university issued a statement saying Gunn was a senior majoring in agriculture.

"We, like many of you, are deeply saddened by these reports," the statement said. "We ask for the public's continued thoughts and prayers for her family, friends and other loved ones."
[February 19, 2020] Jay Surti Joins Greeley and Hansen as Managing Director

CHICAGO, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Greeley and Hansen, a multidisciplinary global engineering firm solely dedicated to serving the needs of the water sector, has named Jay Surti as the new Managing Director of the firm's Northeast U.S. Operating Group. He will also serve as the firm's Global Biosolids Practice Leader. Surti, who most recently served as the Northeast Residuals Practice Lead and Senior Associate at Hazen and Sawyer, has extensive experience in project management, facility and master planning, and detailed design and construction for complex water and wastewater projects, with specific expertise in biosolids handling and processing systems and biosolids infrastructure facilities. In this key leadership role at Greeley and Hansen, Surti will oversee daily operations of multiple Greeley and Hansen locations in the Northeast Region and will also lead efforts to expand the firm's services for sustainable biosolids management and opportunities for future growth in this key service market segment. "Adding Jay to the Greeley and Hansen team will even better position our firm to meet the increasingly complex challenges within the water industry today," said John C. Robak, Chief Executive Offcer. "Jay's impressive technical knowledge and expansive experience on major water, wastewater, and biosolids projects will be valuable assets for providing our clients with innovative and sustainable solutions to meet their long-term needs."



"This is a great time for me to be joining Greeley and Hansen, with its strategic focus on achieving sustained future growth," said Surti. "I'm looking forward to leading the firm's efforts to expand business operations in the Northeast and expand our services for sustainable biosolids management by building solid partnerships with our clients and collaborating with them to deliver successful projects that achieve their goals for the organization, the environment, and the community." A registered Professional Engineer, Surti holds both Bachelor and Master of Engineering degrees from Stevens Institute of Technology. Surti is a sought-after speaker at technical conferences across the country and is actively involved in many professional associations, including the Water Environment Federation, where he serves on the Residuals and Biosolids Committee, and Municipal Wastewater Treatment Committee; the New Jersey Water Environment Association's Professional Engineering Committee; and the New York Water Environment Association, serving on the its Biosolids Committee.

About Greeley and Hansen Greeley and Hansen is a leading global engineering, architecture, and consulting management firm solely dedicated to providing sustainable engineering solutions for a broad range of water and wastewater challenges. The firm has built upon over 100 years of proven civil and environmental engineering experience in all phases of project development and implementation to become a premier global provider of comprehensive services in the water sector. Greeley and Hansen is dedicated to designing better urban environments worldwide. http://www.greeley-hansen.com/new.htm For more information, contact:

Nancy Stankus

312-558-9000

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jay-surti-joins-greeley-and-hansen-as-managing-director-301007294.html SOURCE Greeley and Hansen

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Dozens of protesters demonstrated outside a Ukraine hospital Wednesday, urging the government not to allow evacuees from virus-hit China to be quarantined in the facility, local media reported.

A plane carrying 48 Ukrainians and 29 foreign nationals from the Chinese city of Wuhan -- the centre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak -- is due to land in Ukraine on Thursday.

Ukraine's health ministry has said none of the passengers are sick, but they will be quarantined for 14 days at several facilities across the country.

Ukraine so far has no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, which has killed more than 2,000 people and infected over 74,000, mostly in China.

Several dozen demonstrators blocked roads near a local hospital in the town of Vynnyky in western Ukraine after rumours spread the site could hold some of the evacuees.

Local media reported that hospital staff were among the protesters.

"We came out to stop the virus being brought here," a protester in a white coat said in a video published by local Zaxid site.

Earlier in the day, several patients were moved out of the hospital, sparking fears that space was being made available for incoming travellers from Wuhan.

Officials have not said where the evacuees will be held for quarantine.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Natural News) In addition to the State of Washington now admitting to testing just 25 people for coronavirus while refusing to test 712 people who are high-risk possible carriers, the State of Florida is now concealing all testing numbers from the public, then lying about the reason why.

We have now entered the phase of pandemic secrecy where state governments are deliberately concealing the number of tests and infections in order to pull a China and pretend that coronavirus outbreaks arent happening in the United States. It is the clearest evidence yet that coronavirus outbreaks are happening in America and are being desperately covered up. (No story can be believed to be true until it is officially denied.)

According to the Tampa Bay Times, state health officials say they cant disclose how many people have been tested for the virus state Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said the Florida Department of Health is not authorized to publish the number of people in the state being tested for the virus out of privacy concerns.

But thats a lie.

Publishing aggregate numbers without any personally identifiable information doesnt violate any law or regulation related to personal health privacy. In fact, as the Tampa Bay Times reports:

Senators pressed Rivkees, recalling that during the mosquito-born Zika infection outbreak in 2015 and 2016, the state frequently published the number of specimens that were being tested.

Coronavirus numbers dont have to be published, claims Rivkees, because he says the coronavirus isnt airborne like Zika.

Wait, what?

First of all, what does the airborne argument have to do with his initial claim that no aggregate data can be released because it somehow violates patient privacy? Does the airborne nature of an infectious disease nullify the privacy regulations? Of course not. His argument is nonsensical.

Secondly  and more importantly  if the coronavirus isnt airborne as he claims, then why is every other scientist and doctor in the world warning that its airborne? And how did the coronavirus infect over 500 passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship who were locked in their rooms but sharing the same recirculated air?

Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees seems to be the only person in the world who hasnt yet learned the coronavirus is airborne, and hes running the pandemic response team for the State of Florida!

Hes not just dishonest, hes incompetent. It sort of reminds me of the Broward County law enforcement officials in Florida who waited outside the school while a mass shooting was going on inside. What did they think their job was, to count the bodies after the massacre?

Sadly, Rivkees appears to have adopted the same terrifying philosophy when it comes to the coronavirus. Welcome to Florida, the Sunshine State that has zero transparency when it comes to deadly pandemics. Enter at your own risk.

Why would Florida try to conceal the number of people being tested?

Not only is Florida deliberately concealing the number of people being tested, theyre lying about why. Its a cover-up of the cover-up, in other words, which underscores the fact that they really do have something to cover up.

If they had run 500 tests and all 500 were negative, why not just announce that?

There are really only two possible answers to this:

Option #1) Florida isnt testing anyone and Rivkees doesnt want to admit that Florida is now the Indonesia of America, where the entire response to the coronavirus can be summed up as, What, me worry?

Option #2) Florida is testing lots of people and finding lots of infections, and they dont want to admit the coronavirus is loose in Florida because it would hammer Florida tourism. (Its the same reason Hawaii is also likely concealing a Honolulu-based outbreak hub, too.)

Either way, its bad news for Floridians. You now live in a state that has the same level of public health honesty as communist China. At least Florida officials arent (yet) welding you into your own apartment building and demanding you murder your pets to stop the spread, but given the way things are going so far, that day might not be far off.

Outbreaks now look likely in Honolulu, Seattle and Florida

So if were keeping track of the emerging data on all this, it now looks like we have outbreaks in Honolulu, Seattle and somewhere in Florida.

Flights from Honolulu keep turning up confirmed infected patients once they reach their destinations (amazing, isnt it, how the State of Hawaii never confirms them as positive, but theyre confirmed as soon as they land somewhere else). We also have the State of Washington now just blatantly refusing to test over 700 high-risk people and even bragging about it by publishing those numbers on their own official website:

Now, added to all that, we have the State of Florida brazenly lying to the public about why they are operating in total secrecy when it comes to the number of people there who have been tested for the coronavirus.

Its not difficult to see the truth behind all this: There are, without a doubt, sustained outbreaks in the United States of America and local officials are frantically trying to conceal this fact for as long as possible in order to avoid causing panic.

But imagine the panic when millions of Americans find out theyve been lied to by incompetent, criminally negligent state health authorities who, by their own secrecy, are contributing to the spread of a deadly pandemic that may ultimately infect millions of people in the USA.

And then they whine and complain about how the independent media is causing the public to lose trust in government authorities.

Seriously?

I dont see any authorities at work. All I see is a bunch of clowns with official government titles.

Listen to my new daily podcasts at the H.R. Report channel on Brighteon.com:
Enhances suite of financial wellness resources to help participants manage competing financial priorities

TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945



BOSTON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - John Hancock is helping retirement plan participants work toward retirement readiness with two new tools designed to help solve the challenges of unexpected expenses and planning for and funding higher education costs.

"If people are able to manage and prioritize their day-to-day expenses, they are also better able to allocate money toward their retirement savings," said Patrick Murphy, CEO, John Hancock Retirement. "We purposely offer a robust financial wellness program at John Hancock, because if we can help build participants' savvy and confidence, we are in a much better place to help build a successful retirement savings strategy."

Research shows the impact of these two issues is taking a toll. A national survey from the Federal Reserve reported that forty percent of people can't afford a $400 emergency expense such as a car repair or replacing a broken appliance1 and John Hancock's most recent Financial Stress Survey showed a quarter of respondents had no emergency savings at all.2

Now, with the click of a button on John Hancock Retirement's participant site - where they may already be in a long-term savings mindset - participants can create an emergency savings account. Once a savings goal is entered, the participant links their checking account and sets up weekly recurring deposits. Participants can track progress toward the savings goal and are able to withdraw funds at any time with no fees.3 This can help participants prepare for unexpected financial needs and may prevent them from tapping into their retirement account.

When it comes to college planning, while more than half of American households are currently saving for college4, planning for college remains a top worry among parents.5 And fewer than one-third of parents say they have the knowledge needed to guide their children through the application and decision-making process.6

The Education Planning Center7, also available on the participant site, allows participants to estimate the costs of higher education and help define funding gaps in current savings strategies. This comprehensive portal offers resources to help with college selection, scholarships and financial aid, navigation of the college application process and more. In the complimentary Education Planning Center, participants can:

Get expert step-by-step guidance based on the prospective student's age

Search for schools that best fit a student's academic profile, and compare school details like admissions and tuition costs

Prep for standardized tests

Find scholarships

"Everyone's journey to retirement readiness is different," said Sosseh Malkhassian, head of participant experience, John Hancock Retirement. "By offering resources that are easy to access and use, we're making it easier for our participants to make well-informed decisions, manage multiple priorities and take action in their financial lives. And that sets them up to build and meet long-term retirement readiness goals."

About John Hancock and Manulife

John Hancock is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services group that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. We operate primarily as John Hancock in the United States, and Manulife globally, including Canada, Asia and Europe. We provide financial advice, insurance and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. Assets under management and administration by Manulife and its subsidiaries were CAD$1.2 trillion (US$0.9 trillion) as of December 31, 2019. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as MFC on the TSX, NYSE, and PSE, and under 945 on the SEHK. Manulife can be found at manulife.com.



One of the largest life insurers in the United States, John Hancock supports more than 10 million Americans with a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, and college savings plans. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

About John Hancock Retirement

As of December 31, 2019, John Hancock serviced over 50,000 retirement plans with over 2.8 million participants* and over $181 billion in AUMA.

*Participant Counts reflect all active participants with a balance.

About Manulife Investment Management

Manulife Investment Management is the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than 150 years of financial stewardship to partner with clients across our institutional, retail, and retirement businesses globally. Our specialist approach to money management includes the highly differentiated strategies of our fixed-income, specialized equity, multi-asset solutions, and private markets teamsalong with access to specialized, unaffiliated asset managers from around the world through our multimanager model. Our personalized, data-driven approach to retirement is focused on delivering financial wellness in retirement plans of all sizes to help plan participants and members retire with dignity.

Headquartered in Toronto, we operate as Manulife Investment Management throughout the world, with the exception of the United States, where the retail and retirement businesses operate as John Hancock Investment Management and John Hancock, respectively; and in Asia and Canada, where the retirement business operates as Manulife. Manulife Investment Management had CAD$879 billion (US$677 billion) in assets under management and administration.* Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit our website at manulifeinvestmentmgt.com .

* MFC financials. Global Wealth and Asset Management AUMA as of December 31, 2019, was CAD$879 billion and includes CAD$198 billion of assets managed on behalf of other segments and CAD$145 billion of assets under administration.

John Hancock Distributors LLC Member FINRA, SIPC 200 Berkeley Street Boston, MA 02116 800-225-6020

jhinvestments.com

John Hancock Retirement Plan Services, LLC 200 Berkeley Street  Boston, MA 02116

NOT FDIC INSURED. MAY LOSE VALUE. NOT BANK GUARANTEED.

 2020 John Hancock. All rights reserved.

_________________________________

1 Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2018," Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, May 2019.

2 John Hancock sixth annual Financial Stress Survey conducted by Greenwald & Associates, June 2019.

3There is no advisory fee for an emergency fund goal saved in a cash account. Customers also have the option to invest their emergency fund goal into a managed investment account, but an advisory fee is applicable.

4 "How America Saves for College," Sallie Mae, 2018.

5 "How America Saves for College," Sallie Mae, 2018.

6 "American Dream versus American Reality: How Parents Navigate and Influence their Kids' Post-High School Education," American Student Assistance, 2018.

7John Hancock is not affiliated with The Education Planning Center and neither are responsible for the liabilities of the other.

SOURCE John Hancock Retirement
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MicroCures, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics that harness the bodys innate regenerative mechanisms to accelerate tissue repair, today announced that it has entered into a material transfer agreement (MTA) with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation (HJF) for the Advancement of Military Medicine. Under terms of the agreement, United States Department of Defense researchers will conduct a preclinical study of siFi2, MicroCures lead product candidate, in animal models of spinal cord injury. siFi2, a small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutic that can be applied topically, is designed to enhance recovery after trauma.



Researchers, led by Kimberly Byrnes, Ph.D. of Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, will evaluate the potential of siFi2 treatment to drive axon regeneration and functional recovery in a rat model of spinal cord injury. As part of this study, multiple siFi2 formulations will be evaluated in order to assist in the identification of a lead formulation to be advanced into clinical development.

MicroCures technology is based on foundational scientific research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine regarding the fundamental role that cell movement plays as a driver of the bodys innate capacity to repair tissue, nerves, and organs. The company has shown that complex and dynamic networks of microtubules within cells crucially control cell migration, and that this cell movement can be reliably modulated to achieve a range of therapeutic benefits. Based on these findings, the company has established a first-of-its-kind proprietary platform to create siRNA-based therapeutics capable of precisely controlling the speed and direction of cell movement by selectively silencing microtubule regulatory proteins (MRPs).

The company has developed a broad pipeline of therapeutic programs with an initial focus in the area of tissue, nerve and organ repair. Unlike regenerative medicine approaches that rely upon engineered materials or systemic growth factor/stem cell therapeutics, MicroCures technology directs and enhances the bodys inherent healing processes through local, temporary modulation of cell motility. siFi2 is a topical siRNA-based treatment designed to silence the activity of Fidgetin-Like 2 (FL2), a fundamental MRP, within an area of wounded tissue or nerve. In doing so, the therapy temporarily triggers accelerated movement of cells essential for repair into an injury area. Importantly, based on its topical administration, siFi2 can be applied early in the treatment process as a supplement to current standard of care.

The U.S. Department of Defense continues to be a valued and trusted partner for MicroCures as we work to advance research of siFi2 with the goal of ultimately delivering transformative treatments to patients with significant unmet medical needs, said David Sharp, Ph.D., co-founder and chief science officer of MicroCures. With a focus in the area of spinal cord injury, this MTA further demonstrates the broad applicability of our technology platform to a range of therapeutic indications. We look forward to collaborating with Dr. Byrnes and her team at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences to continue the advancement of this promising program.

Previously conducted research in a rat model of spinal cord injury has demonstrated that treatment with siFi2 allowed axon growth to occur through the inhibitory barriers that typically appear and prevent healing at the site of injury. Conversely, study results failed to demonstrate similar axon growth through these inhibitory barriers for animals administered a siRNA control treatment. Additional preclinical findings have demonstrated functional improvement in rats with spinal cord injury following treatment with siFi2. This was evidenced by significantly improved hind limb locomotor function in siFi2-treated animals as compared to control subjects at Day 5 (p < 0.05) and Day 7 (p < 0.01).

About MicroCures

MicroCures develops biopharmaceuticals that harness innate cellular mechanisms within the body to precisely control the rate and direction of cell migration, offering the potential to deliver powerful therapeutic benefits for a variety of large and underserved medical applications.

MicroCures has developed a broad pipeline of novel therapeutic programs with an initial focus in the area of tissue, nerve and organ repair. The companys lead therapeutic candidate, siFi2, targets excisional wound healing, a multi-billion dollar market inadequately served by current treatments. Additional applications for the companys cell migration accelerator technology include dermal burn repair, corneal burn repair, cavernous nerve repair/regeneration, spinal cord repair/regeneration, and cardiac tissue repair. Cell migration decelerator applications include combatting cancer metastases and fibrosis. The company protects its unique platform and proprietary therapeutic programs with a robust intellectual property portfolio including eight issued or allowed patents, as well as eight pending patent applications.

For more information please visit: www.microcures.com

Contact:

Vida Strategic Partners (On behalf of MicroCures)

Stephanie Diaz (investors)

415-675-7401

sdiaz@vidasp.com
The palaeontologists found the remains of the ancient amphibian at the Berezovsky quarry, a fossil locality in the Krasnoyarsk Krai near the town of Sharypovo. Fossils of ancient fish, various reptiles, mammals, herbivorous and predatory dinosaurs have been previously found there. The research materials were collected on field expeditions in the mid-2010s. In these expeditions the scientists from St Petersburg University worked alongside experts from the University of Bonn (Germany), the Tomsk State University, the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Sharypovo Museum of Local History and Nature.

Four vertebrate fossils enabled the scientists to declare the finding of a new genus and species. These were: three trunk vertebrae and the atlas - the first and, in the case of the salamander, the only cervical vertebra. Since the atlas is a highly specialised vertebra, providing for attachment and rotation movements of the skull, it has a rather complex structure, the scientists explain. It is therefore most suitable for describing a new species as it provides much information for analysis. The amphibian proved to have belonged to the geologically oldest stem salamanders.

It was not the first time that remains of ancient salamanders had been found at the Berezovsky quarry. One of them - a basal stem salamander Urupia monstrosa, named after the nearby Uryup River - was about 50-60 centimetres long. Another one - Kiyatriton krasnolutskii - was named after a local historian Sergei Krasnolutskii, the discoverer of the fossil locality Berezovsky quarry. By contrast, this one was quite small in size (about 10-15 centimetres) and looked more like modern Hynobiidae. The newly discovered salamander, judging by the size of the vertebrae, was of medium length (about 20 centimetres).

'Salamanders first appear in the fossil records in the Middle Jurassic, including representatives of both the present-day salamander families and the most primitive ones,' said Pavel Skutschas, associate professor of St Petersburg University, doctor of biology, expert in Mesozoic vertebrates. 'When they had just appeared, salamanders made efforts to occupy different ecological niches. Thus, the stem salamanders filled the niche of large water bodies; while those close to the present-day salamanders found their niche in small water bodies. As for the newly discovered salamander, it occupied a middle position, although morphologically, it is closer to the primitive.'

The scientists not only described the external characteristics of the specimens, but were able to look inside the fossils. In this they were assisted by the experts from the 'Centre of X-ray diffraction studies' at the Research Park of St Petersburg University, where the specimens were scanned on up-to-date microtomography scanners. Based on the obtained data, the palaeontologists created 3D reconstructions of the vertebrae and described their internal structure. As expected, it proved to be very similar to that of the large stem salamanders.

The ancient amphibian received the name Egoria malashichevi - in honour of Yegor Malashichev, associate professor of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at St Petersburg University, who, among other things, studied the morphology of caudate amphibians. 'Yegor Malashichev was a wonderful person and a very talented scientist. He supported aspiring palaeontologists and did everything to help them to stay in scientific research,' remarked Pavel Skutschas. Additionally, Malashichev studied the phenomenon of lateralisation (body asymmetries associated with the functioning of the nervous system), as well as other asymmetries in motor performance and visual perception. Yegor Malashichev's professional career was almost exclusively connected with St Petersburg University. In 1996, he graduated from the Faculty of Biology and Soil Science. In 2000, he began to teach there, and in 2003, he defended his dissertation and was awarded a PhD in biology. Sadly, in late 2018, he passed away unexpectedly.

The next step for the palaeontologists is to compare the bones of the 'Berezovsky' salamanders with the fossils from Great Britain: the 'Kirtlington' salamanders which were found at the Kirtlington quarry in Oxfordshire. The Siberian and British faunas of the mid-Jurassic time were very similar. Besides, the palaeontologists are aware of similar amphibians that lived in the territory of present-day England. 'They may be representatives of the same genera. However, to ascertain this, a detailed comparison of the palaeontological collections is required. In the coming spring, our colleagues from England will come to St Petersburg to study our research materials. We may discover that Urupia and Egoria used to have a very wide habitat, extending across Europe and Asia,' mused Pavel Skutschas.

###
W e are all looking for ways to reduce our environmental impact, whether thats holding your weekly shop in your arms over opting for a plastic bag or having your reusable water bottle always in tow.

The beauty industry, in particular, is one of the biggest offenders of single-use plastic waste but until recently, there were few alternatives.

From refillable and recyclable packaging, to plastic-free alternatives, some of the biggest beauty brands in the biz are getting creative with ways to reduce waste. But one of the more surprising solutions goes back to basics in the form of solid bars. Weve seen a massive resurgence in soap bars as well as shampoo and perfume in solid form, but the latest, cleansing bars may just be the most innovative yet.

Forget all preconceived ideas of drying and harsh soap bars, these sustainable solutions are not like their predecessors. They are jam-packed with natural and skin-friendly ingredients that will not strip your faces natural barrier with harsh preservatives or sud-inducing detergents. Many formulations have been reinvented without chemicals like SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) to nourish skin, remove oil, dirt or makeup and some even have exfoliating properties.

While our beauty routines are progressively getting more complicated and scientific with a new beauty buzz word every week, there is something comforting about the simplicity of this beauty hero that is gentle, cost-efficient and eco-friendly.

Cleansing bars also tend to be housed in minimal packaging like recyclable cardboard or cork boxes to help you in your fight against excess plastic.

See our favourites

Drunk Elephant Juju Bar

Free your beauty routine from toxins and harsh chemicals with this cleanser from Drunk Elephant. The entire range is free from essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical screens, fragrance/dyes and SLS. The three-in-one bar works to gently cleanse, exfoliate and detoxify skin. It is made up of thermal mud, bamboo powder and marula oil to declog pores and will leave your skin feeling nourished and rehydrated.

24 | Cult Beauty | Buy it now

Gallinee Cleansing Bar

Gallinee uses a scientifically-formulated combination of prebiotics to nourish the skin and lactic acid, a gentler AHA with collagen-boosting and hydrating effects. The result is a versatile bar that cleanses and soothes. It is derived from 75 per cent natural origin ingredients, is cruelty-free and can be used for both the face and body.

10 | Gallinee | Buy it now

Gritty Politti Naked Cleansing Balm

One of the pioneers in the anti-plastic movement, Lush offers a whole host of innovative solutions to reducing waste. The Gritty Politti Naked Cleansing Balm will help you reap the rewards of the nourishing ingredients like Cupuacu butter, while also gently exfoliating with ground coconut shells.

5 | Lush | Buy it now

ARgENTUM le savon lune Illuminating Hydration Bar

The first time I used this facial cleansing soap I was amazed by its makeup removing ablity  not a trace of face paint remained. Occasional breakouts have been reduced to extinction, and despite the lack of any grainy texture, it exfoliates better than most scrubs I've tested. It's wildly expenisve, but it has lasted me the better part of year. It's the most expensive beauty product I own  and my most coveted by a mile.

- Jessica Reynolds, ES Best editor

104 | Space NK | Buy it now

Avene Cold Cream Ultra Rich Cleansing Bar

PSA for those with sensitive skin, Avene should be most definitely be on your radar. The brand specialises in hydrating heroes for sensitive skin and their cold cream cleansing bar has become perennially popular. Composed of Beeswax and the brands signature Thermale Spring Water, it's a strong choice to soothe problematic skin and inject moisture back into dry or dull complexions.

4.50 | Look Fantastic | Buy it now

SUBLIMAGE Le Savon de Soin

You can count on Chanel to produce an ultra-luxurious take on a classic soap bar. The Savon de Soin has a creamy texture that results in a soft lather that will not strip your skin of its natural oils. It works to cleanse and purify, leaving you with a fresh complexion without overdrying thanks to the inclusion of shea butter.

80 | Chanel | Buy it now

Herbivore Pink Clay Cleansing Bar Soap

Not only will this colourful cleansing bar fit seamlessly in with your carefully curated shelfie but you will also be able to make the most of the all-natural ingredients to transform your beauty routine. Herbivore offer three variations of soaps made from premium plant-based ingredients that provide a deep and thorough cleanse. The Pink Clay is designed to remove impurities, while nourishing the skin through the combination of geranium oil and blood orange oil.

10 | Cult Beauty | Buy it now

Erno Laszlo Sea Mud Deep Cleansing Bar

Introduce the world-famous Laszlo Glow in to your regime with the brands Dead Sea Mud bar that is brimming with minerals. The skincare label that counted the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly among its celebrity clientele created this product to draw out impurities, gently exfoliate and encourage your skins natural regeneration.

35 | Feel Unique | Buy it now

Baxter of California Deep Cleansing Bar Charcoal Clay

Grooming label Baxter of California has added this cleansing bar to its range of mens beauty heroes to treat your face, beard or body to the care it deserves. The formulation includes the detoxifying combination of Kaolin and Bentonite Clay with Glycerin and Coconut Oil that will leave your skin feeling nourished and hydrated.

16 | Look Fantastic | Buy it now

Disciple Skincare Clean Slate Cleansing Bar

This innovative solution to over-packaging comes from Disciple Skincare that has the added bonus of a string hanging for easy storage. It is crafted from activated charcoal, almond oil and antibacterial tea tree to rebalance, detoxify and help you fight against blemishes.

10 | Cult Beauty | Buy it now

Estee Lauder Nutritious Micro-Algae Cleansing Bar

A nutrient-rich cold-pressed micro-algae blend works in this bar to leave your skin looking fresh, protected and deeply cleansed. The innovative formula helps to remove makeup and impurities, while also fighting against free radical damage caused by pollution.

20 | Look Fantastic | Buy it now

Verdict:
New Delhi: Women in entrepreneurship can generate transformational employment in India and generate 150-170 million jobs, which is more than 25 per cent of the new jobs required for the entire working age population by 2030, a new report said on Tuesday.



A joint report by Bain & Company and Google titled "Women Entrepreneurship in India - Powering the economy with her", underlines the need to accelerate efforts to grow women entrepreneurs in India in both quantity and quality to solve employment challenges in the country.



"In spite of India's economic progress in the last decade, women's participation in the labour force has declined and is expected to be under pressure due to labour trends, technological disruption and constraining social barriers," said lead author Megha Chawla, Partner, Bain & Company.



"Unlocking entrepreneurship amongst women in India is a complex effort, but it provides an unprecedented opportunity to change the economic and social trajectory of India and its women for generations to come," Chawla added.



"This will drive tremendous job creation and also deliver transformational social and personal outcomes for women," she added.



The report identified six dominant segments of women entrepreneurs and estimates India to have 13.5-15.7 million women-owned enterprises, representing approximately 20 per cent of all enterprises today.



In many cases, women are named as owners for financial and administrative reasons with no active role to play, which overstates true entrepreneurship amongst women.



Of all women-owned enterprises, a majority are single person enterprises, with the largest group represented by rural non-farm home-based business owners at 38 per cent, followed by urban self-employed women solopreneurs at 31 per cent, who usually work from home.



According to the study, the other dominant segments include rural agripreneurs who are farm-based business owners at 18 per cent and small business owners at 14 per cent - split across urban (6 per cent) and rural (8 per cent) - employing less than 10 employees and contributing most to employment generation.



Finally, there are the scalers, who employ more than 10 people and account for less than one per cent.



In total, these women entrepreneurs provide direct employment to an estimated 22 to 27 million people today.



The report projects an opportunity to accelerate both quantity and quality of entrepreneurship to create over 30 million women-owned enterprises out of which 12 million can generate employment.



"At Google we have been investing in scaled skilling efforts across SMBs, Startups and overcoming the digital gender gap in the country through the Internet Saathi program. Across all our programs, we have seen that women are hungry for opportunities to grow their household incomes," said Sapna Chadha, Senior Country Marketing Director, Google India and Southeast Asia.



"Hundreds of women in rural India want to learn more about doing business and many have already made the start to enhance their livelihoods. We are already running a pilot accelerator program for rural entrepreneurs from our Internet Saathi network," Chadha added.



According to Chadha, this joint effort report with Bain is a start to better understand the barriers facing the various types of women entrepreneurs across India and find synergies with like-minded companies and the government to accelerate women entrepreneurship in the country.
Each veteran will receive financial assistance for the 75th anniversary of the Victory over Nazism in the Second World War

More than one million veterans and victims of Nazi persecution will receive financial assistance from the state. The Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk said this at the meeting of Ukraines Cabinet of Ministers.

"The government has allocated 55,3 million dollars for making appropriate payments. Each person will receive from 23 dollars to 168 dollars. On average, this is 7% more than last year," he said.

As we reported earlier, on May 9, Ukraine marks the Day of Victory over Nazism in the Second World War.

In 2019, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky pointed out that May 9 is our Day of Gratitude.

Gratitude for that they left the inhuman Nazi ideology in the past forever. Gratitude to those, who fought against Nazism  and won. And we should be grateful to everybody for the opportunity just to be born and to live, he stated.

The Head of the Ukrainian state also noted that the war had touched upon every Ukrainian family, and the contribution to the victory that had been made by Ukrainian people was enormous.
WAYLAND, Mass. - A man who was charged with stealing a pair of Lamborghini SUVs that were then damaged in a crash says he was picked up along the way and wasnt involved with the theft.

The $200,000 luxury vehicles were stolen from Herb Chambers Lamborghini Boston in suburban Wayland around 3 a.m. on Tuesday. The two Lamborghinis and a Kia crashed in Malden at about 8 a.m. Tuesday, police said. The Kias driver was taken to the hospital.

Elijah McKinney, 18, was arrested at the scene. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday to receiving a stolen motor vehicle and resisting arrest, Malden police Capt. Marc Gatcomb told The Boston Globe. McKinney was released to home confinement and ordered to wear a GPS monitor.

Police are still seeking two other people who fled after the crash.

Officers responded to the dealership after being notified by an alarm company of a break-in, said Wayland police Lt. Sean Gibbons. One of the showroom windows was shattered, and a large rock was near the window, WCVB-TV reported.

It appears the suspects were able to remove the keys for the cars that were in the front lot and drive off, Gibbons said.

McKinney told WCVB-TV that he regrets his involvement, but that he was not at the dealership when the cars were stolen.

I wasnt involved with the stealing of the vehicles. I was just picked up, McKinney said. I just made a mistake.
President Trump pardoned a load of dodgy felons yesterday, and commuted sentences for others.

The dishonorable list included shamed junk bond king Michael Milken, disgraced former NYPD commissioner Bernard Kerik and corrupt politician Rod R. Blagojevich.

All of this is thoroughly distasteful and makes an absolute mockery of 2016 presidential candidate Donald Trumps oft-spoken desire to drain the swamp.

It doesnt get any more swampy than a governor jailed for soliciting bribes for political appointments including Barack Obamas vacant U.S. Senate seat after Obama became President in 2008.

As Governor of Illinois, Obamas state, Blagojevich held the sole authority to name Obamas successor, and he saw a big money-making opportunity.

President Trump pardoned a load of dodgy felons yesterday, and commuted sentences for others

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich after a news conference outside his home Wednesday in Chicago. Trump commuted his sentence for soliciting bribes for political appointments including Barack Obamas vacant U.S. Senate seat after Obama became President in 2008

Blagojevich was caught on an FBI wire-tap saying: Ive got this thing, and its f*cking golden. Im just not giving it up for f*cking nothing.

Among the other 17 charges on which he was convicted was one of extortion relating to Illinois state funds being directed towards a childrens hospital.

Blagojevich held up $8 million in an effort to get the CEO of the hospital to hold a $25,000 campaign fundraiser.

Nice guy, eh?

Or you might think he represents the very worst type of Washington swamp corruption that Trump vowed to eradicate.

Yet President Trump has now commuted Blagojevichs sentence meaning he will now only serve eight of the 12 years he should have served in prison.

To give you some idea of how unpopular this decision was, Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin raged: Its very disappointing. We have a massive federal investigation into corruption in the state of Illinois and this action distracts and dilutes what I think is the proper role of the Department of Justice  to root out corruption. I saw a governor who was rogue on steroids who abused the office. I think this is wrong and sends a bad message to the country that you dont have to pay your debt to society. This governor did some terrible things.

Yes, he did, and Blagojevich is about the last person in America deserving of a commutation of his sentence.

The dishonorable list included disgraced former NYPD commissioner Bernard Kerik

Trump tweeted this photo after pardoning Eddie J. DeBartolo Jr., the former San Francisco 49ers owner convicted in a gambling fraud scandal

However, what Trump did is perfectly legal.

We might find it awful, and rankly hypocritical given the Presidents Ill drain the swamp mantra and his insistence that the whole Ukraine quid pro quo scandal was predicated on his high-minded desire to root out corruption.

But, and its a very important but, he is perfectly entitled to do it.

Its the legal right of any president, and all Trumps predecessors have done similar things - from Bill Clinton pardoning corrupt financier Marc Rich to Obama letting out Chelsea Manning who leaked US military secrets to WikiLeaks.

Of far greater significance, and concern, is something else that President Trump did yesterday. Or rather, something else he said.

Last Thursday, the US Attorney General William Barr went public in an explosive ABC interview with this explicit warning to the President to stop posting inflammatory tweets about Justice Department case: To have public statements and tweets about the department, about our people in the department, our men and women here, about cases pending in the department, and about judges before whom we have cases, makes it impossible to do my job.

He added that the Presidents comments were disruptive and background commentary that undercuts me.

Barr was moved to speak out after Trump unleashed a barrage of tweets attacking the conviction of his friend and former advisor Roger Stone, who was found guilty of charges arising from the Mueller Report into alleged Russian collusion into the 2016 election including lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstruction - and who is due to be sentenced tomorrow.

Barr received support from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who said: The attorney general knows what hes talking about. I think hes doing a good job and I think hes told the president, this is not helpful, making it difficult for him to do his job. I think the president will listen to him.

Sadly, he didnt.

US Attorney General William Barr said the Presidents comments were disruptive and background commentary that undercuts me

Instead, President Trump said he had total confidence in my attorney general, declared he was doing an excellent job, called him a man with great integrity  and then completely ignored his warning, firing off yet more tweets about Stone.

Yesterday, Trump attacked Stones prosecutors, judge and jury forewoman and fumed: Everything to do with this fraudulent case is badly tainted and should be thrown out.

Its hard to imagine a bigger two-fingered snub to his attorney general than this. Particularly as Barr has been one of Trumps most loyal allies.

But its what Trump said to justify it that really alarmed me.

Im actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country, he proclaimed to reporters before flying to the West Coast for some fund-raisers.

But hes not.

The Attorney General, a position established by an act of Congress in 1789, is the chief law enforcement officer of Americas federal government.

That is explicitly stated on the Department of Justice website, and also on the White Houses own website when it describes the role of the AG.

The Presidents job is to implement laws, not to enforce them.

By assuming a greater power than he has, President Trump threatens to imperil the very foundation of American democracy because he is effectively attempting to place himself above the law and ignore the Constitutions clear intent to separate powers among the three branches of government.

Understandably, AG Barr is furious that Trump continues to defy his perfectly justified warnings.

Three Trump administration officials told the Washington Post that he is seriously contemplating resigning from the post.

Barr has his limits, one said.

I dont blame him.

It must be incredibly hard for anyone to operate as attorney general with a president who considers himself above the law of the land.

My message to President Trump is this: I know youre furious about the Russia collusion fiasco and the fact it destroyed the lives of so many of your friends despite finding no evidence of any actual collusion.

You have good reason to be angry; I dont defend any of the peripheral illegal behavior that was uncovered, including by Roger Stone, but the central allegation of the investigation turned out to be the hysterical fake news witch-hunt you said it was from the start.

However, your ongoing attempts to interfere with the Justice Departments work, and the damage youre doing to the attorney generals ability to do his job and to his personal credibility, even after he has expressly warned you to stop, are completely unacceptable.

Pack it in, Mr President  or you will destroy American democracy.
(TNS)  State lawmakers want Washington to be the gold standard for regulating companies and governments that collect peoples digital data or use facial recognition programs.Its an ambitious goal for the home of Amazon and Microsoft, and one that legislators and others hope could become a national model.But as they push forward  meeting with companies, lobbyists and community advocacy groups  lawmakers are divided on key aspects.Legislators face tough philosophical questions, along with pressure from companies affected by regulations and community-advocacy groups skeptical those regulations wont go far enough.Front and center in that debate is Senate Bill 6281, which passed Friday out of that chamber.Sponsored by Sen. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, the bill uses as inspiration European data-privacy regulations and a California law.Among other things, it would require companies to tell people whether their data is being used and provide that information back to them. If requested, companies would have to fix inaccurate data and delete personal information under certain circumstances.The legislation makes the Attorney Generals Office the sole authority to enforce violations, each of which could amount to a civil penalty of up to $7,500. The money would go to help fund the existing state Office of Privacy and Data Protection.Companies that could be affected by the bill range from global giants Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook, to retail stores and largely invisible data brokers. The bill would cover companies conducting business in the state or producing services or products that are targeted to Washington residents.On the Senate floor, Carlyle described the proposal as an important balance between our constitutional rights and the value to our economy and our civic society With no action from Congress on data privacy, It becomes more imperative than ever that we as a state move forward, said Carlyle.SB 6281 passed 46-1, though two Democrats expressed reservations about parts of it.But the bill faces questions or skepticism by House Democrats and Republicans. There isnt much time to resolve the issues before the legislative session ends March 12.Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton, has criticized the bill as too corporate-centric and said she believes individuals, rather than just the Attorney Generals Office, should have a right to sue companies for violations.One of the issues with the Senate bill is that it grants rights and no access to justice, said Smith.Carlyle has defended using the Attorney Generals Office exclusively to enforce the law. The office would be well-equipped to pursue violations, he said, and more effective than what could be a flurry of private lawsuits if individuals were allowed to sue.If were just unloading the lawyers on Day 1  I dont think were recognizing what it takes to be the home not just of Microsoft, not just of Amazon, but Starbucks and Boeing and Expedia and F5 and some of the premier companies on this particular planet, he said.Carlyle said he has pledged to sponsor a bill to allow private lawsuits after the bill became law, if it were found that they were necessary.Rep. Shelley Kloba, D-Kirkland, said she hopes the House and Senate can find middle ground on the issue of enforcement.Kloba has questions about whether companies could get around the regulations in SB 6281 because of how it defines who is covered under it.The Senate bills regulations would apply to entities conducting business in the state that process or control the data of at least 100,000 individuals. Also subject to the regulations would be businesses getting 50% or more of their gross revenue from the sale of personal data, and control or process information on 25,000 or more consumers.In theory, people trying to avoid those regulations could do so by creating a series of smaller companies that dont exceed those numbers, she said.Kloba this year sponsored a companion bill to Carlyles version, which has what she calls a consumer-focus with opportunity for enforcement.Meanwhile, lawmakers remain divided on how to regulate facial-recognition programs  or whether to put a moratorium on such programs for now.Carlyles bill would regulate companies using facial recognition technology.Facial-recognition programs have come under criticism, especially after a study released in December by the federal National Institute of Standards and Technology showed how they misidentified women, elderly people and especially people of color.SB 6281 would require companies using facial-recognition programs to make them available for independent testing to see if they are accurate, according to a legislative analysis. And it would require companies to submit a plan to improve the programs if that testing found problems with how various populations were treated.And it would put some regulations on how companies use those programs in public spaces, such as retail stores.The lone vote against Carlyles bill on Friday came from Sen. Bob Hasegawa, a Democrat from Seattle who has sponsored legislation to put in place a moratorium on government facial-recognition programs.
Insurance Commissioner Ricard Lara speaks in Sonora View Photo

Sacramento, CA  At the urging of State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, a proposed California law would require companies to write or renew home insurance policies in communities that meet a new statewide standard for fire hardening.

Insurance Commissioner Lara argues, The insurance crisis is real and it will keep growing unless we take decisive action.

Lara adds, The inability to obtain insurance means more homes cannot be sold or bought, disrupting the local economy. It disrupts local businesses and non-profits, and agriculture is affected when we cannot obtain insurance.

Under AB 2367, the Insurance Commissioner, the California Governors Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and the State Fire Marshal would develop statewide standards for home and community hardening, in consultation with CAL Fire and the Governors Office of Planning and Research. Hardened homes in communities that meet this standard would receive a guaranteed offer or renewal of insurance.

In addition, the legislation would require insurance companies to offer financial incentives for homeowners to make their property more fire-safe.

The legislation is being co-authored by Democratic members of the Assembly based in San Diego and Santa Barbara.

Tuolumne County Supervisor Anaiah Kirk was at yesterdays unveiling of the legislation in Sacramento after being invited to attend following a letter he wrote to the Insurance Commissioner.

Kirk wrote about his personal story of spending tens of thousands of dollars on home hardening and defensible space clearing and how it was not taken into consideration when his fire insurance was canceled.

Kirk tells Clarke Broadcasting he is glad to see some legislation proposed to acknowledge peoples due diligence to be fire-safe. He also praises fellow supervisor Sherri Brennans work on the issue and her helping to organize a town hall in Sonora last year attended by Lara.

However, Kirk also feels the Commissioners Office should more fully engage in conversations with the Rural Counties of California Representatives (RCRC) organization that has been working on fire insurance-related solutions, rather than lawmakers based in Los Angeles and San Diego.
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Advan Research, the leading geolocation data platform, has released new point-and-click functionality for REveal, its self-service dashboard, making it easier for Real Estate brokers to compare foot traffic volumes and True Trade Area for any property.



REveal is also now available on both mobile and tablet, giving brokers greater flexibility to view and compare property traffic statistics from anywhere.

The updated interface delivers instant visitor numbers for any building or commercial property in the US and other global locations. Users simply select the precise area they would like to map and, in seconds, can compare foot traffic over time, or against other locations. View as a heat map, in a chart, or download the data for bespoke modeling.

Advans mission is to turn our deep experience in financial technology into game-changing solutions for the Real Estate market. We have spent 5 years building the Ferrari engine - gathering the most accurate data in the market, and embedding institutional-level analytics. The new REveal functionality now gives Real Estate brokers turn-key access to this powerful customer information, said Yiannis Tsiounis, founder and CEO of Advan.

With the rapid pace of change in Real Estate markets, brokers need fast insights and data they can rely on. We have manually geofenced millions of locations, meaning that we have foot traffic data for any building or commercial location, not just for retail venues. Our data is tested 95% accurate, giving guaranteed precise insights for any area, said Grigorios Reppas, COO of Advan.

Advan uses only opt-in, non-bidstream, location data from hundreds of millions of cellphones. Its data has been normalized and tested by the financial services industry since 2015.

About Advan

Advan provides hedge funds, real estate brokers and investors, retailers, and businesses with insights into foot and vehicle traffic and behavior that enable them to make better business and investment decisions. Its institutional-grade analytics allow fast and actionable insights into customer behavior and corporate activity. Advan processes billions of daily foot traffic observations from hundreds of cellphone applications on 150 million locations and 2,050 companies across all sectors. Through its proprietary, manual geofencing it has developed the most extensive and accurate location data, available in seconds through a self-service dashboard. Advan also computes 20 years of weather data across all its covered locations along with 4 years of traffic data on commercial trucks.

Advan is headquartered in New York City. For more information please visit www.advan.us

For more information please contact:

Florencia Panizza

Claro Communications Consulting

Tel: 1 437 992 1204

Email: florencia@claro-comm.com
SPRINGFIELD  There was little support Tuesday at the former stomping grounds of ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich for President Donald Trumps decision to commute the remaining years of the disgraced former Democratic governors 14-year corruption sentence.

Republicans and Democrats from various levels of state and federal government issued public statements condemning the presidents decision, which was initially reported by ABC News Tuesday morning. Several others received commutations from the president Tuesday as well, according to the Associated Press.

Yes, we commuted the sentence of Rod Blagojevich, Trump told reporters Tuesday before boarding Air Force One. He served eight years in jail, a long time. He seems like a very nice person, dont know him.

Blagojevich, who was a contestant on Trumps Celebrity Apprentice television program in 2010, began serving a 14-year federal prison sentence in 2012. He was convicted on 11 criminal counts related to his effort to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he became president.

Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, of Western Springs, called Trumps decision disappointing and said he was never going to be able to figure out how the president messages, nor the decision making that he does.

Currently we have a massive federal investigation into corruption in the state of Illinois, and this action distracts and also dilutes what I think is the proper role of the Department of Justice to root out corruption, he said.

In a statement, Gov. JB Pritzker, who has argued on several occasions that Blagojevich should serve his full sentence, echoed that sentiment.

Illinoisans have endured far too much corruption, and we must send a message to politicians that corrupt practices will no longer be tolerated, he said in the statement. President Trump has abused his pardon power in inexplicable ways to reward his friends and condone corruption, and I deeply believe this pardon sends the wrong message at the wrong time. Im committed to continuing to take clear and decisive steps this spring to prevent politicians from using their offices for personal gain, and I will continue to approach this work with that firm conviction.

Blagojevich was also convicted on six counts related to campaign contribution shakedowns, including one count which said he essentially tried to trade $8 million in added state funding to pediatric specialists for a $25,000 campaign donation from a hospital CEO.

In 2015, five of those counts were thrown out in appellate courts, although his 14-year sentence was re-imposed months later.

Durkin was involved firsthand with the bipartisan effort to impeach Blagojevich in January 2009.

I saw a governor who was rogue on steroids, he said. He didnt care about the state of Illinois, he cared about his own ambition and he abused the office, and the Legislature did the appropriate thing, the federal courts did the right thing, not only at the district court level but also the appellate court and U.S. Supreme Court and they said his sentence was appropriate.

Durkin questioned why Blagojevich should get special treatment when others who are imprisoned for drug offenses receive decades in prison without relief from presidential pardons.

Its just because of the celebrity of Rod Blagojevich, Durkin said. I think its wrong and it sends a bad message to people in this country that  you dont have to pay your debt to society.

U.S. Rep Darin LaHood, a Republican and honorary co-chair of Trumps Illinois re-election campaign, said in August that he spoke to the president and encouraged him not to commute the sentence.

On Tuesday, LaHood and the other members of Illinois' congressional delegation  John Shimkus, Adam Kinzinger, Rodney Davis and Mike Bost  released a statement expressing their disappointment in Trump's action.

"We believe (Blagojevich) received an appropriate and fair sentence, which was the low end of the federal sentencing guidelines for the gravity of his public corruption convictions," they said in the statement. "Blagojevich is the face of public corruption in Illinois, and not once has he shown any remorse for his clear and documented record of egregious crimes that undermined the trust placed in him by voters. As our state continues to grapple with political corruption, we shouldn't let those who breached the public trust off the hook. History will not judge Rod Blagojevich well."

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who said in 2018 he would support a shortening of Blagojevichs sentence, released a statement Tuesday afternoon in which he did not specifically say if he agreed or disagreed with Trumps action.

Former Governor Blagojevich betrayed the people of Illinois and engaged in a pattern of corrupt behavior for which he was held accountable and which cost him more than seven years of freedom, Durbin said in the statement. At a time when corruption by elected officials is still in the headlines, Illinois and Washington should move quickly to establish stricter ethics requirements, including the full detailed disclosure of income, net worth, and income tax returns by all elected officials.

The office of Illinois Senate Republican leader Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, released a statement saying Blagojevich should serve his full sentence as well, and several rank-and-file Illinois lawmakers condemned the commutation and called for greater ethics reforms in state government.
A new restaurant tenant is heading to mixed-use shopping center Highland Village.

Gauchos Do Sul will take over the third-floor space formerly occupied by Up restaurant at 3995 Westheimer in late March. The outpost marks the second locale of Gaucho's Do Sul. The first, which opened in 2016, is located at 126 Vintage Park Blvd. in Cypress.

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"It is a good opportunity for us. We've been looking at opening a location in that area for a while," Abbey Robinson, general manager at Gauchos Do Sul Vintage Park, told the Houston Chronicle.

The hallmarks of the Brazilian steakhouse are a massive salad bar and 15 cuts of churrasco meat, including beef, chicken and pork, cooked over an open flame and served tableside on skewers.

The menu at Highland Village will be slightly expanded to include Kobe beef, baby back ribs and possibly quail, Robinson said.

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The restaurant will offer seating for around 200 in the main dining room, bar area and two private rooms.

Highland Village Holdings, which owns Highland Village, could not be reached for comment.

Marcy de Luna is a reporter. You can follow her on Twitter @MarcydeLuna and Facebook @MarcydeLuna.
The chief of Armenia's military police and another army general were dismissed on February 19, following a spate of noncombat deaths among soldiers.

President Armen Sarkisian fired Major General Artur Baghdasarian, head of the military police, and Major General Aleksan Aleksanian in separate decrees requested by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

Baghdasarian had headed the military police since May 2017. He was promoted to the rank of army general on January 24.

For his part, Aleksanian was the chief of an Armenian army department tasked with monitoring and maintaining military morale. He was appointed to that post in November.

Pashinian promised major personnel-related decisions after meeting with Armenia's top military brass and law enforcement officials on February 17 to discuss the issue of soldiers dying in cases not related to combat.

The Armenian military has reported 13 such deaths since the beginning of this year. Eight of these soldiers have died in accidents and other circumstances not related to their military service.

The five other fatalities are believed to have been either related to suicide or shootings by other servicemen in separate incidents investigated by law enforcement authorities.

The shootings have caused outrage in Armenia and cast a renewed spotlight on the chronic problem of hazing and other abuses in the army.

The chief of the army's General Staff, Lieutenant General Artak Davtian, on February 18 briefed lawmakers on ongoing efforts to root out the criminal subculture and strengthen discipline in the army ranks. Speaking after the meeting, he confirmed that personnel changes within the top army brass are imminent.

Davtian also said that a number of other officers have already been demoted or discharged from the military this month because of the noncombat fatalities. He expressed confidence that military investigators will identify those directly responsible for them.

The prime minister stressed on February 18 that the number of noncombat deaths among Armenian military personnel fell to a historical low in 2019.

Our objective is to maintain this dynamic, he wrote on Facebook.
Ahead of the visit of US President Donald Trump to India, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday cleared the purchase of 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters for the Indian Navy. The deal to procure MH-60R Seahawk helicopters is worth USD 2.6 billion. "The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared the procurement of 24 MH-60R multi-role helicopters for the navy," according to a senior government official. The CCS is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The deal is likely to be inked during Trump`s two-day visit to India on February 24-25. He would be travelling to Ahmedabad, Agra and New Delhi.

These helicopters are anti-submarine and anti-ship. The Navy is using Sea King helicopters for this purpose.

In 2019, former defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman had approved the proposal to procure the choppers which is manufactured by the Lockheed Martin group. The Trump administration also gave clearance after the US government rolled out a new "Buy American" plan in 2018 that had relaxed restrictions on sales, saying it would bolster the US defence industry and create jobs at home.

According to news agency IANS, the deal would be carried out through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route, which is the American equivalent of the government-to-government contracts India.

The 24 helicopters would be a big boost to the Navy. The multi-role helicopters will be equipped with Hellfire missiles and torpedoes, and are meant to help the Indian Navy track submarines in the Indian Ocean. Currently, P8i aircraft are being used to keep a vigil on enemy submarines.

The US State Department had approved the sale of the choppers to India in 2019 along with radars, torpedoes and 10 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.

A week ago, the US State Department had also said it had approved an Indian request for an Integrated Air Defence Weapon System for an estimated cost of USD 1.87 billion, which would further strengthen the two countries` defence ties. The two sides are expected to move forward on the deal over the year.
Cannibal Mark Latunski was found unresponsive in his cell. He was taken to the hospital but is now in a stable condition and has been returned to custody

A cannibal who murdered his Grindr date before eating his testicles has been found unresponsive in his cell after barely eating since his arrest in December.

Mark Latunski, 50, was found in his cell at Shiawassee County Jail, Michigan, at around 5pm Tuesday.

It is unclear what caused him to pass out, but deputies were able to revive him with smelling salts.

They then took him to the hospital as a precaution.

'We thought it was best to (have medical personnel) take a look at him,' Shiawassee County Sheriff Brian BeGole told Michigan Live.

He added that while his food intake has 'been down'

He noted Latunskis food intake has been down since Friday 'but not to the point wed call it a hunger strike.'

In previous reports, the sheriff said he hadn't eaten since he was booked in December.

Latunski, a former chemist, confessed to killing 25-year-old hairstylist Kevin Bacon and then eating his body parts on Christmas Eve.

He has not yet had his court date but a judge had accepted an insanity plea.

In January, a judge ordered a mental health assessment to determine if he was fit to stand trial.

It is unclear why he refused to eat.

The gruesome events unfolded after the pair arranged to meet on dating app Grindr on December 24.

Bacon's naked body was found four days later on December 28 hanging upside down from the rafters of Latunski's Michigan home by a rope tied around his ankles, after police went to conduct a welfare check for Bacon when they were tipped off that he may be inside.

The 25-year-old hairdresser was missing for four days before his body was discovered

Latunski confessed to officers that he had killed his date by stabbing him in the back and then slitting his throat with a knife.

The suspect also confessed to cutting off Bacons testicles and eating them.

It later emerged that two other men may have had a lucky escape from the suspected killer in the months leading up to Bacon's death.

Just months before the gruesome murder, two men called police on separate occasions, saying they had escaped from Latunski's basement.

A horrifying 911 call from October emerged of a 40-year-old man who said he was running away from Latunski's house.

'I want you to know like I've never ever had anything like this happen. I don't know if he drugged me. All is know is I ended up locked up in the f***ing basement, okay? Chained in the basement,' the male said.

The caller explained to the dispatcher that he ran into Latunski at a bus station that night.

Bacon's (left) naked body was found on December 28 hanging upside down from the rafters of Latunski's (right) Michigan home by a rope tied around his ankles, after police went to conduct a welfare check for Bacon when they were tipped off that he may be inside

'I met this guy. I'm Bi. He's cute. He hit on me. I don't know we went out to the car and talked. We went to the store, had a soda. I woke up in the basement,' he said. 'He seemed like a nice guy.'

The man told the 911 operator that he used a butcher knife he found in the basement to cut a leather strap restraining his ankles, which was connected to a chain, and then fled on foot.

In a bizarre twist, the man later returned to Latunski's home and stayed there for two or three days, according to the police.

No charges were ever filed in that case.

Two men made 911 calls saying they had escaped from his basement but charges were never filed

Then, in November, another man dialed 911 to report that he was running away from Latunski's home.

The 29-year-old man called officers to report that he had been tied up in the suspect's basement.

'I'm trying to get away from some creepy guy,' the caller tells the dispatcher. 'He had me tied in his basement.'

'He's after me.'

The victim sought help from a neighbor, while on the phone to police.

Officers arrived on the scene just as Latunski turned up to retrieve the leather kilt the man was wearing, saying it was expensive and belonged to him.

The victim again declined to file charges against Latunski, telling police their activity was consensual.

Police said they did not follow up on Latunski because both men declined to pursue charges against him.

Latunski was taken to a local hospital at around 5:08 pm Tuesday, where he was kept under guard by officers, before he was returned to his cell later that night at around 9:45 pm.

Latunski has been charged with murder and mutilation of a human body and is being held without bond.

A judge ordered him to undergo a series of mental health evaluations in January, which could take up to three months.
A TEXT sent from the man accused of murdering detective garda Adrian Donohoe to his girlfriend 90 minutes before the fatal shooting was later deleted, the trial has heard.

The communications between Aaron Brady (29), who denies capital murder, and his girlfriend Jessica King were read out in the Central Criminal Court this morning.

In one message, which was deleted but later recovered by investigators, the accused said that he was going to be loading a lorry that night and that his phone was going to go dead.

The jury heard that the text was sent at 7.54pm on January 25, 2013. Det Gda Donohoe was shot dead during the robbery about 90 minutes later.

Aaron Brady, of New Road in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Adrian Donohoe (41), who was then a member of An Garda Siochana acting in the course of his duty, at Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan, Co Louth, on January 25, 2013.

The accused also denies the robbery of approximately 7,000 in cash and assorted cheques from Mr Pat Bellew at the same location on the same date.

Under cross examination Garda Inspector Mark Phillips agreed with Michael O'Higgins SC, defending, that Aaron Brady was stopped by gardai and spoken to at around 12.35pm the day after the murder and asked about his movements on the previous evening.

Mr Brady said he was with his girlfriend Jessica King and that 45 minutes after telling gardai this members of the PSNI arrived at his Ms King's house in Cullaville to corroborate this.

She later attended a PSNI station where she surrendered her phone and gave consent for officers to access the device. Tests were carried out and the mobile was later made available to the Garda investigation team, the court heard.

Four texts, sent on the day of the murder between Aaron Brady and Jessica King, were then read out in court.

One, sent from Mr Brady at 14.43, read: "Where did ya get the feed. Am not doing anything have a few things to do later on at about 8 till ten then am doing nothing if ya wanna do something if not i understand, is your ones giving out today'.

The jury heard that his girlfriend was interviewed about this, and said he might "have been away with the lads" and that they would move diesel in a yard in Crossmaglen.

Later that day the accused sent another text, at 4.52pm, which read: "I was away there for a while had to meet a man there now. I have work at 8 till half ten then thats it..Sure if not Id be stuck in the cold house and am not putting heating oil in it til (his friend) gives money."

Insp Phillips agreed with Mr O'Higgins that when interviewed, Ms King understood this to be in reference to loading lorries in the yard 'where they do be smuggling and washing diesel'.

Another from Mr Brady, at 7.50pm, read: "Aww kk. They won't say nothing to ya will they. Watch any good movies. Its f*cking lasing rain am gonna get soaked now in a while rippin".

In interview his girlfriend said she understood 'rippin' to mean being in a rage.

Jessica King then replied at 7.51pm saying: "Not really a scary one and just dopey ones. They wouldn wanna even talk to me because im like a wasp this day. Rank! What do you have to do."

The jury were then told that there was another message sent that night from Aaron Brady to his girlfriend, who said she deleted this message while waiting in Newry police station because she didn't want to get "the boys like Aaron...or any of the lads in the diesel yard in trouble".

The text, sent at 7.54pm, read: "Just have to load the lorry but it will only take an hour or 2. This phone is gonna go dead. il text ya soon as home home and get it charged. love you"

Insp Phillips agreed with Mr O'Higgins that, from an investigative point of view, the texts indicate that Aaron Brady was working in the diesel yard between 8pm and 9.30pm or 10pm that night.

The witness also accepted that it was one of two versions provided by Aaron Brady which connected him to the diesel yard, and that when Mr Brady gave two voluntary statements to gardai on February 5 and 6, 2013, he said he was only at the yard for up to 15 minutes.

Gardai also had a working theory of when those involved took up position in the field behind the credit union, which Insp Phillips said was at around 8.50pm.

Mr O'Higgins told the court that the time between Cullaville and Lordship Credit Union, according to Google Maps, was 21 minutes.

The jury were also told that the PSNI were asked to conduct a harvesting of CCTV along the entirety of Concession Road, where the diesel yard is located, which Insp Phillips said were then returned to the incident room at Dundalk Garda Station.

The trial continues this afternoon at the Central Criminal Court before Mr Justice Michael White.
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) House of Delegates voted February 5 on a motion supported by the unions executive board to endorse Bernie Sanders for US president in the 2020 elections. The proposal failed, however, with 136 voting against, 121 backing the endorsement and 28 delegates abstaining.

To avoid any further embarrassment for Sanders, CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates, the unions former legislative director, immediately pushed through a vote declaring the CTU would remain neutral in the presidential race.

CTU president Jesse Sharkey speaking in October 2019 after the passing of the tentative agreement to end an 11-day strike action [Credit: George Gallanis/wsws.org]

Several unions have already endorsed the Vermont senator, including the American Postal Workers Union, National Nurses United, United Electrical Workers, National Union of Healthcare Workers, the Clark County Education Association (Las Vegas) and the teachers unions in Los Angeles, Oakland and Richmond, California.

The union endorsements serve two purposes. For the labor bureaucracy, which is widely hated for its decades of collusion with the employers, endorsing Sanders provides them with a left cover as they continue to impose the dictates of the corporations and the government on their members.

Sanders, in turn, promotes the unions as legitimate representatives of the working class because, like him, they subordinate workers to the Democratic Party and its capitalist program of austerity, economic nationalism and war. Sanders has made increasing the membership of the unions a major plank in his election platform. The purpose of this is to block a rebellion of the working class against these corrupt organizations.

Teachers have been the most common donors to the Sanders campaign, attracted by his claim to be leading a political revolution against inequality and the billionaire class. Sanders, however, is promoting the capitalist Democratic Party, which spearheaded the attack on teachers and public education under the Obama administration after funneling trillions to the billionaires who crashed the economy in 2008. Sanders has pledged to support any Democrat who gains the nomination, moreover, including the billionaire Michael Bloomberg.

Sanders' failure to gain CTU's endorsement is particularly striking because of the union's efforts to promote him. Last September, as teachers were voting to take strike action, the CTU hosted a campaign rally for Sanders at its headquarters. Well its a big deal obviously, CTU President Jesse Sharkey told the local ABC News affiliate in Chicago. I mean national Democratic Party candidate, going to be putting a lot of media attention on the fact that teachers in Chicago are fighting for staffing, are fighting for class size, fighting for fair pay and benefits.

Sharkey and the other CTU leaders have said little or nothing after the defeat of the endorsement, and it is not clear what position they took before the vote. There are a series of factors, however, that no doubt contributed to this debacle for Sanders and his pseudo-left backers in the CTU leadership.

Sharkey, once a leading member of the now defunct International Socialist Organization (ISO), is being groomed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) for a national leadership role. Last month, he appeared alongside AFT President Randi Weingarten at a mass teachers rally in Florida. Having for the time being proven himself a reliable policeman of teachers, Sharkeynow free of the organizational encumbrance of the ISOmay be seeking a position in the national union bureaucracy or directly within the Democratic Party itself.

Under these conditions, Sharkey certainly wants to avoid any clash with the AFT and Weingarten. While neither the AFT nor the National Education Association (NEA) have endorsed any of the Democratic candidates yet, Weingarten, a member of the Democratic National Committee, has made her hostility to Sanders known. Last week, she praised the Culinary Workers Union (CWU) in Las Vegas, which ahead of the February 22 Nevada primary denounced Sanderss Medicare for All proposal for allegedly undermining union-negotiated health care benefits. The CWU controls a multibillion-dollar health care fund.

This is a reprise of Weingartens role during the 2016 elections, when she served as Hillary Clintons attack dog in the unions, promising to punish National Nurses United for its endorsement of Sanders. We will go after NNU and there [sic] high and mighty sanctimonious conduct, Weingarten wrote in an e-mail uncovered by WikiLeaks.

During the 11-day teachers strike in Chicago last October, Sharkey starred in a groveling campaign advertisement for Joe Biden, who along with the rest of the Obama administration spearheaded the expansion of for-profit charter schools and the attack on public school teachers.

Sharkey, CTU Vice President Davis Gates and other CTU officials are also deeply integrated into the Democratic Party in Chicago and the state of Illinois. Wide layers of the corrupt state and local party machine are also hostile to Sanders, not because he is any threat to capitalism, but because they fear his nomination would raise the expectations of workers and youth angered over decades of Democratic rule and the social inequality, austerity and police violence it has produced.

On Tuesday evening, two prominent Democratic donors in Chicago with long ties to Barack Obamainvestor John Rogers and former DreamWorks Animation chair and current Ariel Investments CEO Mellody Hobsonco-hosted an event for Michael Bloomberg. It was addressed by Steve Benjamin, the first black mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, and Kimberly Peeler-Allen, co-founder of Higher Heights, which seeks to elevate African American women into the chambers of political and corporate power. The two were the latest black officials and businesspeople to flock to Bloomberg and his money after the release of the tape of the then-New York mayors racist diatribe in support of the New York Police Department's stop-and-frisk policy.

After the defeat of the CTU endorsement, Davis Gates said the unions priorities were state legislative races and racial justice initiatives. She added, We dont have many enemies anymore. They just say yes and dont want to fight us. After failing to back Sanders, the CTU delegates endorsed incumbent Democrats Thaddeus Jones and Andre Thapedi for re-election to the Illinois House of Representatives.

Last fall, Sharkey and Davis Gates worked with Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot to shut down a powerful strike of more than 30,000 Chicago teachers and school staff, forcing through a rotten sellout that addressed none of the teachers central concerns. The 11-day strike ended with a deal that paves the way for additional school closures in addition to increasing teachers health care costs and maintaining overcrowded classrooms.

Davis Gatess comments indicate the CTU is seeking even closer relations with the Democrats, which in Chicago, Los Angeles and other major urban areas has spearheaded the attack on public education. Illinois billionaire governor J.B. Pritzker has already signed CTU-sponsored legislation to hire a more diverse body of new teachers and substitutes.

The pseudo-left figures who run the CTUs leading faction, the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators (CORE), have long peddled racialist politics to conceal the class character of the attack on public education and line teachers up behind various factions of the Chicago Democratic Party establishment led by African-American and Latino politicians.

The CTU is currently a partner to the New York Timess reactionary 1619 Project, which claims that all of American history has been characterized by an irreconcilable struggle between the black and white races. Many proponents of identity politics have denounced Sanders for not endorsing the call for reparations for slavery.

Other CTU delegates reportedly backed Elizabeth Warren, who carried out a #MeToo style attack on Sanders last month.

The defeat of the Sanders endorsement was a public embarrassment for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which has led the campaign for Sanders. Last weekends gathering of the Young Democratic Socialists of America was held at a conference center owned by the CTU Foundation and was addressed by several CTU officials who promoted Sanders and falsely claimed that last falls teachers strike was an unmitigated victory.

Whatever the specific conflicts going on behind the scenes, the pro-Sanders wing and their opponents in the CTU are simply employing different means to achieving the same end: the political subordination of teachers and the working class as a whole to the Democratic Party and its capitalist program. The starting point for defending the rights of teachers and to vastly improve public education is rejecting these dead-end politics and fighting for the political independence of the working class and socialism.
Seven of the hundreds of seized excavators that went missing have been retrieved during an operation by the Inter-Ministerial Committee against Illegal Mining.

The seven are part of some twenty excavators that were impounded in Apraman and Topraman in the Eastern Region.

The exercise which was undertaken by a special committee under the IMCIM tasked to retrieve all missing excavators could only move ten of the excavators to the Apraman Police station due to the immobility of the other ten.

Three persons were arrested during the operation and have since been granted bail.

Leader of the team Nana Yaw Boadu in an interview with Citi News expressed the resolve of his outfit to retrieve all missing excavators.

The team responsible for retrieving the excavators that have gone back to the miners and again stopping the operations of the galamsey people went to Apraman and other areas and we were able to impound 20 excavators but unfortunately out of the 20, we were able to track only ten to Apraman police station.

And out of the ten that were tracked to the Police station, seven were part of the seized ones that were returned to the miners. When we went there, the miners were able to disengage the excavators. You go there, you will notice that the monitor and other parts [of the excavator] have been removed to the extent that some removed the starter from the machine. Missing excavators and arrest

The Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng had disclosed recently that most of the excavators that were seized from illegal miners had vanished.

He subsequently petitioned the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service to investigate the suspended First Vice Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party, Horace Ekow Ewusi over his alleged involvement in the missing earth-moving equipment.

Ekow Ewusi was contracted by the government to cart excavators and other vehicles and pieces of equipment seized by Operation Vanguard to designated areas for safekeeping.

So far, six persons arrested over the disappearance of the missing equipment have been granted bail.

The six, including Ekow Ewusi, have been cautioned with the offence of stealing and abetment to stealing.

It will be recalled that at the peak of the fight against illegal mining between 2017 and 2018, about 500 earth-moving machines were seized by the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry.

The then sector Minister, John Peter Amewu who sanctioned the seizure directed them to be parked at the premises of the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

---citinewsroom
C$ unless otherwise stated

TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945



TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Manulife Financial Corporation ("Manulife") today announced the applicable dividend rates for its Non-cumulative Rate Reset Class 1 Shares Series 19 (the "Series 19 Preferred Shares") (TSX: MFC.PR.N) and Non-cumulative Floating Rate Class 1 Shares Series 20 (the "Series 20 Preferred Shares").

With respect to any Series 19 Preferred Shares that remain outstanding after March 19, 2020, holders thereof will be entitled to receive fixed rate non-cumulative preferential cash dividends on a quarterly basis, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of Manulife and subject to the provisions of the Insurance Companies Act (Canada). The dividend rate for the five-year period commencing on March 20, 2020, and ending on March 19, 2025, will be 3.6750% per annum or $0.229688 per share per quarter, being equal to the sum of the five-year Government of Canada bond yield as at February 19, 2020, plus 2.30%, as determined in accordance with the terms of the Series 19 Preferred Shares.

With respect to any Series 20 Preferred Shares that may be issued on March 19, 2020 in connection with the conversion of the Series 19 Preferred Shares into the Series 20 Preferred Shares, holders thereof will be entitled to receive floating rate non-cumulative preferential cash dividends on a quarterly basis, calculated on the basis of actual number of days elapsed in each quarterly floating rate period divided by 365, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of Manulife and subject to the provisions of the Insurance Companies Act (Canada). The dividend rate for the three-month period commencing on March 20, 2020, and ending on June 19, 2020, will be 0.99259% (3.9380% on an annualized basis) or $0.248148 per share, being equal to the sum of the three-month Government of Canada Treasury bill yield as at February 19, 2020, plus 2.30%, as determined in accordance with the terms of the Series 20 Preferred Shares.

Beneficial owners of Series 19 Preferred Shares who wish to exercise their right of conversion should instruct their broker or other nominee to exercise such right before 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on March 4, 2020. The news release announcing such conversion right was issued on February 3, 2020 and can be viewed on SEDAR or Manulife's website. Conversion inquiries should be directed to Manulife's Registrar and Transfer Agent, AST Trust Company (Canada), at 18007839495.

The Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") has conditionally approved the listing of the Series 20 Preferred Shares effective upon conversion. Listing of the Series 20 Preferred Shares is subject to Manulife fulfilling all the listing requirements of the TSX and, upon approval, the Series 20 Preferred Shares will be listed on the TSX under the trading symbol "MFC.PR.S".

The Series 19 Preferred Shares and the Series 20 Preferred Shares have not been and will not be registered in the United States under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, a "U.S. person" (as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities in the United States and any public offering of the securities in the United States must be made by means of a prospectus.

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we operate as Manulife across our offices in Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. We provide financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2019, we had more than 35,000 employees, over 98,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving almost 30 million customers. As of December 31, 2019, we had $1.2 trillion (US$0.9 trillion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made $29.7 billion in payments to our customers. Our principal operations are in Asia, Canada and the United States where we have served customers for more than 100 years. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.

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A nurse on a ward at a hospital. (Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

With over half (55%) of UK workers considering applying for a new job in the next 12 months, research has revealed what what queries Brits have when it comes to landing their dream job.

Job search engine Adzuna has answered the five most-searched career questions, beginning with How do I become a, to ensure job hunters know how to land their dream role.

Read more: Almost 10,000 retail jobs already lost this year, research shows

1. How do I become a paramedic (6,550 searches in the past 12 months)

Paramedics provide an immediate response to emergency 999 and 111 calls and the level of care provided can range from dealing with minor illnesses and injuries to life-threatening conditions.

To become one you must be registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). To register, you can either get a degree or apply for a position within an ambulance trust as a student paramedic and study while you work. Each course will differ so check their requirements as some course providers require you to pass a fitness test, while for others, you'll need a full UK manual driving licence with C1 status.

There are currently 1,833 paramedic jobs available in the UK.

Read more: UK 'generations away' from equality for women in top jobs

2. How do I become a nurse? (3,290 searches in the last 12 months)

The second most searched question, nurses are qualified medical experts who work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to deliver clinical treatment and care for patients. According to UCAS3, nursing is the UKs most employable type of degree, with 94% of students getting a job within six months of finishing their course.

Most people qualify by studying a nursing degree, however, the standards for nursing degree apprenticeships have been recently updated to provide a more flexible route.

Within the NHS there are currently 764 nursing jobs available in the UK.

Read more: UK firms are hiring more and more workers in 'Brexit jobs'

3. How do I become a midwife? (2,680 searches in the last 12 months)

Story continues

A midwife supports pregnant women and their babies before, during and after childbirth. There are different routes you can take to get into midwifery; a university degree, an apprenticeship or through a specialist course run by a professional body.

Although there is currently a national shortage of midwives, the competition for course places is tough with 1,000 applicants for 30 places. Therefore, you need to have excellent qualifications and appropriate experience in a maternity unit or health/social care setting.

There are currently 2,069 midwifery jobs available in the UK.

Read more: The 25 best jobs in the UK for 2020

4. How do I become a social worker? (2,570 searches in the last 12 months)

The role of a social worker is to support people to make positive changes in their lives. Although social work is a graduate profession, there are still flexible routes into the industry.

Firstly, if your degree isnt in social work, you can go on to study a masters degree in social work. If you'd prefer a more hands-on approach, there are a number of fast-track training programmes on offer to graduates of any discipline, such as the government's Step Up to Social Work programme and Frontline programme.

There is also a relatively new social work degree apprenticeship which takes 36 months. On completion, apprentices gain an Honours degree in Social Work, enabling them to register with Social Work England, the new regulator for social workers.

There are currently 7,026 social worker vacancies available in the UK.

5. How do I become an Uber driver? (2,360 searches in the last 12 months)

Weve all needed an Uber at some point, but one of the most searched career-specific questions is how to become one of their drivers. And the answer is very simple.

Firstly, you just need to sign up on their website. Once signed up youll need to obtain a private hire licence from a council that Uber is licensed by - if you are unsure of this step, Uber can help. Youll then need to upload relevant documents, such as a UK drivers licence, get a vehicle and finally activate your account.

There are currently 2,985 Uber driving jobs available in the UK.

Read more: Uber closing office in downtown Los Angeles

Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna said: With the number of available jobs in the UK in an array of sectors, finding your dream job should be easier than ever. The most searched for professions in the UK according to our insight are mostly medical professions, where there is a desperate need for qualified candidates.

While you may not be in a position to go back and give up your time to study at university, there are now many flexible routes you can take in order to gain the relevant qualifications and kick start your dream career.
She'll be on the big screen in a few months, starring opposite Daniel Craig in No Time To Die.

But Tuesday was another big day for Cuban actress Ana de Armas.

The 31-year-old star was spotted on the streets of New York City, with her small dog Elvis in two, hours after her Vanity Fair cover debuted.

Tourist for a day: Ana de Armas was spotted bundled up in NYC on Tuesday, with a camera around her neck

The Knives Out star casually bundled up for the windy NYC weather, under a fur-lined black leather coat, black turtle neck and later a black scarf.

She paired it with medium wash skinny jeans, black sneakers and dark cateye sunglasses.

Her short brunette locks were pulled back into a messy, but stylish, bun.

Bundled: The Knives Out star casually bundled up for the windy NYC weather, under a fur-lined black leather coat, black turtle neck and later a black scarf

Details: She paired it with medium wash skinny jeans, black sneakers and dark cateye sunglasses. Her short brunette locks were pulled back into a messy, but stylish, bun

Playing tourist for the day she also had a camera hanging from her neck as she walked and chatted with a friend.

de Armas stopped by the Crosby Hotel and grabbed her small white dog, Elvis, and left carrying him under her arm.

Multitasking, she chatted on her cellphone and gave cameras a quick smile.

Dog break: She stopped by the Crosby Hotel and grabbed her small white dog, Elvis, and left carrying him under her arm

Multitasking: While carrying the pup she chatted on her cellphone

Ahead of her performance in the new James Bond film, releasing in April, and following her blockbuster role in Knives Out, she graced this month's cover of Vanity Fair, hitting stands later this week.

The cover and story were released digitally on Tuesday.

In an announcement, sharing the story on social media she wrote: 'Im so incredibly happy to share my @vanityfair cover with all of you,' before thanking the writer, photographer and others who were on staff for the photo shoot.

Cover star: Ahead of her performance in the new James Bond film, releasing in April, and following her blockbuster role in Knives Out, she graced this month's cover of Vanity Fair, hitting stands later this week, but was digitally released Tuesday

In the mag, she shared that she was nervous her role as a Bond Girl in the upcoming film would be 'unrelatable.'

'Obviously I was jumping all over the place and very excited,' she said. 'But I needed to be sure it wouldn't jeopardize all the work I'd been putting in, that it wouldn't ruin everything. And the Bond women have always been, for me at least, unrelatable.'

She'll play Paloma who is described as a CIA agent who helps Bond in his new mission, after he was brought out of retirement by Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright).

She obviously stars alongside Daniel Craig, who she was teamed with on Knives out and stars Rami Malek as the new villain Safin, Christoph Waltz as Blofeld, Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomie Harris a Eve Moneypenny, and Ben Whishaw as Q.
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology designed a new type of controller for the robotic arm used in robotic surgery. Their controller combines the two distinct types of gripping used in commercially available robotic systems to leverage the advantages of both, reducing the efforts of the surgeon and providing good precision.

Robotics has weaved its way into many different fields, and medicine is no exception; robot-assisted surgery has advanced dramatically over the past decade in almost every surgical subspecialty. Robot-assisted surgery is usually performed using surgical robot systems that involve a master-slave configuration, in which the "master" is a controller device that the surgeon manipulates to control a robotic arm. Such systems improve the dexterity and precision of surgeons by filtering out hand tremors and scaling their hand motions into smaller movements. They also reduce the risk of common surgical complications such as surgical site infection.

However, robot-assisted surgery comes with its own disadvantages, especially for the person performing the surgery. Robotic surgeons sometimes feel physical discomfort during surgery, with finger fatigue being common. This discomfort is associated with the way in which they grip the master controller. Two types of grips are usually used to control surgical robots: the "pinch grip" and "power grip." The pinch grip has been used in conventional surgeries for centuries; it involves using the thumb, middle, and index fingers to achieve high-precision movements. On the other hand, the power grip involves grabbing a handle with the entire hand and is more suitable for forceful work and large movements.

Because the pinch grip puts tension on certain muscles of the hand and fingers, it is more likely to cause fatigue. And although the power grip does not seem to cause such discomfort, it offers less precise control. Therefore, there is a trade-off between the discomfort caused by the pinch grip and the lack of fine control of the power grip. Fortunately, Mr. Solmon Jeong and Dr. Kotaro Tadano, a pair of researchers from Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), found a clever solution to this problem. In a study published in The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery , the researchers speculated that a master controller that combines both types of gripping can be designed.

In robotic surgery, the limitations of the two conventional gripping methods are strongly related to the advantages and disadvantages of each gripping type. Thus, we wanted to investigate whether a combined gripping method can improve the manipulation performance during robotic surgery, as this can leverage the advantages of both gripping types while compensating for their disadvantages." Dr. Kotaro Tadano, researcher from Tokyo Tech

After a proof-of-concept experiment that yielded promising results, the researchers designed a robotic surgery system with a modular master controller that could be adjusted to employ either pinch, power, or combined gripping. The system was tested through a pointing experiment, in which 15 participants had to control a robotic arm to bring the tip of a needle into target holes in the least amount of time without touching obstacles. Various conditions were tested for each gripping type, such as the use of arm and palm rests, use of handle, gripping type, and pinch grip motion. The findings showed that the combined grip yielded better performance in the pointing experiment on various fronts, including number of failures (touching an obstacle), time required, and overall length of the movements performed to reach the targets. Many participants also reported to prefer the combined gripping method over the other two, owing to the ease and comfort in using this method.

This new master controller design could be a step in the right direction in robot-assisted surgery. "The manipulating method of master controllers for robotic surgery has a significant influence in terms of intuitiveness, comfort, precision, and stability. In addition to enabling precise operation, a comfortable manipulating method could potentially benefit both the patient and the surgeon," remarks Dr. Tadano. Although future work is needed to analyze other variables involved in robotic arm manipulation, this work surely paves the way for advanced surgical robot systems.
Archaeologists have unearthed one of medieval Britains most important architectural masterpieces  the long-lost chapel of northern Englands most powerful medieval rulers, the Prince-Bishops of Durham.

The exact location of the massive 40-metre-long princely chapel was unknown for hundreds of years.

Now archaeologists from Durham University and a local archaeological project have unearthed the chapels long-lost remains.

So far, they have found ultra-fine masonry from the chapel walls, delicate stone vaulting from the ceiling, fragments of stone columns, beautiful stained glass and the chapels unique black plaster floor.

The finds have enabled them to recreate an image of what the great chapel would have looked like in the later Middle Ages.

The archaeologists have also discovered part of the enamel and copper sacramental bowl used to hold the communion bread during services held there by the Prince-Bishops in the 14th century.

They have also unearthed an image of a kneeling monk  believed to be northeast Englands most famous medieval religious leader, St Cuthbert (whose major shrine is still in Durham Cathedral). It is one of the very few medieval images of him ever found.

Bigger than the Royal Chapel at Westminster (St Stephens in parliament) and almost as big as St Georges Chapel, Windsor, it was built by the Bishop and Earl Palatine of Durham as part of his main out-of-town princely castle in the late 13th century.

So powerful was its builder, Prince-Bishop Bek, that one of his leading officials boasted that there were two monarchs in England  the king and the prince-bishop.

But in the end, three and a half centuries later, the great princely chapel, at Auckland Castle, County Durham, was deliberately destroyed with copious quantities of gunpowder by another megalomaniac  a ruthless anti-royalist who craved absolute power, loathed the established church and hated all bishops.

The ultra-intolerant extremist was Sir Arthur Hesilrige, a senior parliamentarian military commander.

The chapel and the castle it formed part of had been in pro-royalist hands  and had been seized by parliament and sold to Hesilrige, the most powerful republican in northeast England, dubbed, in reference to a biblical villain, the Nimrod of the North by his opponents.

As an extreme Puritan, he hated the Church of England  and persecuted its clergy, on one occasion evicting a vicar and his family from their home in the middle of the night, hurling their belongings into the local graveyard.

Indeed, one of Civil War Englands leading left-wing democrats, John Lilburne, leader of the ultra-egalitarian Levellers, accused him of traitorously subverting the fundamental liberties of England and exercising an arbitrary and tyrannical government over and above the law.

Hesilriges conduct  including his acquisition and deliberate destruction of the chapel  is politically important in English history because, along with similar behaviour by other leading Cromwellians, it helped fatally discredit the cause of republicanism and thus helped in its downfall and the restoration of the monarchy.

Stained glass from the long-lost princely chapel. This fragment shows a pelican pecking her own breast  a traditional Christian symbol representing Christ's self sacrifice. (Durham University used with permission of the Auckland Project)

The discovery of the chapel is of substantial importance in terms of the history of northern England.

For centuries it has been one of the great lost buildings of medieval England, said one of the key archaeologists involved in the excavation, John Castling, archaeology and social history curator at the Auckland Project, which owns the castle.

Our excavation of this huge chapel has shed additional light on the immense power and wealth of the Prince-Bishops of Durham  and has helped bolster Auckland Castles reputation as a fortress of great importance in the history of England.

Some of the new discoveries will be put on public display at Auckland Castle from early next month.

The chapel was discovered using sophisticated remote sensing equipment  including ground-penetrating radar and magnetometers  and was funded through the legacy of the late Mick Aston, the well-known TV archaeologist and presenter of the Channel 4 archaeological series Time Team.

Referring to the excavation of the chapel, Durham University archaeologist, Chris Gerrard said This is archaeology at its very best.

Professionals, volunteers and Durham students, working together as a team, to piece together clues from documents and old illustrations, used the very latest survey techniques to solve the mystery of the whereabouts of this huge lost structure, he added.
Puma SEs chief executive officer put a brave face on the coronavirus crisis in China, forecasting a 10 per cent gain in revenue this year.

Long-term, this will not have an impact on our industry and our brand, CEO Bjorn Gulden told journalists Wednesday. Can we reach the guidance or not? We will do everything we can. Puma shares surged as much as 9.5 per cent to a record, erasing a recent slide.

Rival sportswear maker Adidas AG painted a bleak picture, saying business in greater China dropped 85 per cent in the weeks since Jan. 25. Pumas Gulden looked past the gloom even as the company wrestles with store closures in a market that accounts for 13 per cent of its sales. Chinese authorities have taken drastic measures to contain an outbreak that has claimed more than 2,000 lives.

Chinese employers have encouraged people to stay home, shopping malls and restaurants are empty, and amusement parks and theatres are closed. Non-essential travel is all but forbidden.

Piral Dadhania, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said Pumas surprising discounting of the virus in the early months of the year may point to a strong order book for the second and third quarters.

As many as 70 of Pumas 110 stores there are closed and almost all franchises and partners have shut as well. Most of Pumas local factories have restarted after a lengthened holiday break for the Lunar New Year, but they arent fully staffed yet as travel restrictions prevent workers from returning home, according to Gulden.

Web orders

Many consumer goods companies point to e-commerce to sustain the effect of the store closures. Orders are in, according to Pumas Gulden, but they cant be fulfilled due to the travel restrictions.

Exporting from China has become dramatically easier over the past five days and most ports are open, Gulden said. The difficulty is getting permission to get trucks to go from factories to the ports.

Puma has pushed to reopen its own stores as soon as possible, even if there are no customers. Thats the case in Shanghai, where traffic is very, very low in Pumas two open outlets, according to Gulden.

We think its important to show that when you can open, you open, he said.

Both Puma and Adidas pointed to weaker performance elsewhere in Asia. Adidas said in an email that it had observed some traffic declines in Japan and South Korea, but not a major business impact.

Adidas shares rose 1.8 per cent in Frankfurt. Before the virus hit, business had performed strongly in China, the company said.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Westhaven Ventures Inc. (TSX-V:WHN) is pleased to announce that drilling has commenced at its 17,623 hectare Shovelnose gold property. Shovelnose is located within the prospective Spences Bridge Gold Belt (SBGB), which borders the Coquihalla Highway 30 kilometres south of Merritt, British Columbia.



Shovelnose Outlook for 2020:

Drilling up to 30,000 metres with a focus on exploration external to the South Zone.

Initially stepping out to the southeast of hole SN19-45 to test for the continuation of the vein system.

Subsequently moving towards a high priority exploration target to the east (Target A on target map below).

Drill testing other high priority targets to the southeast.

Gareth Thomas, President and CEO of Westhaven, stated: "Drilling to date in the South Zone has demonstrated that the Shovelnose gold property hosts a significant, high grade gold vein system. The focus for 2020 will be stepping outside of the South Zone to explore for additional vein zones. As a result of systematic exploration completed in 2019, we have identified several target areas that share similar characteristics to the South Zone which have been prioritized for near term drilling. We have a strategic advantage with regards to location as the property is situated off a major highway, in close proximity to power, rail, large producing mines, and within commuting distance from the city of Merritt, which translates into low cost, year round exploration.

The South Zone:

Drilling since late 2018 has outlined substantial epithermal quartz veining over a strike length of 1,300 metres and a vertical range in excess of 300 metres. The South Zone as presently outlined consists of three subparallel quartz veins (Veins 1, 2, & 3) and related zones of sheeted quartz veinlets. The ultimate dimensions of this vein system and other vein systems potentially outside of the South Zone remain to be determined and will require extensive drilling to test the propertys full potential.

Multiple phases of veining and brecciation are evident at the South Zone. The first phase consists of a hydrothermal breccia healed by a dark silica-pyrite matrix. This is followed by brown-grey to black variably pyritic chalcedony, occurring in centimetre to metre scale veins that is quite common in Vein 2. This chalcedony is cut by pale grey cryptocrystalline, commonly colloform-crustiform, banded quartz +/- adularia +/- pyrite/marcasite +/- ginguro in centimetre to metre scale veins and breccia veins. This third phase carries significant gold mineralization. Examples of this include hole SN19-01 which intersected 39.30 g/t gold over 12.66 metres in Vein 1 and hole SN19-10, which intersected 5.13 g/t gold over 52.10 metres in Vein 2.

Qualified Person Statement

Peter Fischl, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person within the context of National Instrument 43-101 has read and takes responsibility for this release.

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.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

WESTHAVEN VENTURES INC.



"Gareth Thomas"



Gareth Thomas, President, CEO & Director

About Westhaven:

Westhaven is a gold-focused exploration company advancing the high-grade discovery on the Shovelnose project in Canadas newest gold district, the Spences Bridge Gold Belt. Westhaven controls 37,000 hectares (370 square kilometres) with four 100% owned gold properties spread along this underexplored belt. The Shovelnose property is situated off a major highway, in close proximity to power, rail, large producing mines, and within commuting distance from the city of Merritt, which translates into low cost exploration. Westhaven is committed to the highest standards of environmental and social responsibility with a focus on generating positive outcomes and returns to all stakeholders. Westhaven trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol WHN. For further information, please call 604-336-6921 or visit Westhavens website at www.westhavenventures.com

A map accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/88197f57-17e0-4530-9ab6-473320e92948
Kolkata, Feb 19 : After a three-year hiatus, student union elections were held in Jadavpur University on Wednesday, with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (AVBP), the student wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), fielding candidates for the first time in the institution known for its firebrand Left politics.

The authorities said the elections passed off peacefully and successfully. The results will be declared on Thursday.

"The university authority sincerely expresses its thanks and gratitude to all sections of the university authority ... for rendering all necessary support," Vice Chancellor Suranjan Das said in a statement.

"By holding the students union elections peacefully, the university once again demonstrated the ability to sustain the institution's rich legacy of democracy," Das said.

The elections were held for posts of 12 office bearers as also over 600 class representatives.

The humanities faculty has highest number of students - over 4,000. There are 2,000 students in the science faculty and 700 in the engineering faculty.

The ABVP has fielded candidates for nine out of 12 office bearers of the union, adding a fresh dimension to the polls.

Sampriti Modak is the only female student backed by the ABVP who is in fray for post of General Secretary of the arts faculty.

"We are contesting to present more options to the students to choose," said the third year student of International Relations.

However, Modak alleged that her organisation was not allowed to canvass property, and their posters were torn and thrown into the university pond.

The Students Federation of India said the dominant issue is the overall attack across the country on educational institutions by "fascist forces".

"This university has always voted with the Left, and this time also we are favourites," said Subhayan Achrya Majumdar, the SFI candidate for the arts faculty General Secretary post.

The All India Democratic Socialist Organisation (AIDSO), All India Students Association (AISA), and the students wing of the state's ruling Trinamool Congress - Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) have also thrown their hat in the ring.
The U.S. Navy, the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is seen underway on its own power for the first time in Newport News, Va., on April 8, 2017. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

Navy Looks for $40 Billion in Cuts to Pay for Bigger Fleet

The head of the Navy is scouring the ledgers for $40 billion in savings to boost the fleet size, giving the service just six weeks to identify the cuts.

Those cuts, representing 7 percent of the Navys discretionary topline, are to be made over a five-year period, Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly wrote in a Feb. 18 memorandum (pdf).

Modlys Stem-To-Stern review comes ahead of a much-anticipated blueprint for modernizing the Navys fleet as it swings around to face Russia and, more significantly, China.

Modly said that for the next several years the Navy expects a flatline budget.

The $40 billion in savings are needed, he said, to make the Navy bigger, to improve its readiness and lethality, and to recapitalize the submarine ballistic nuclear force.

That requirement for replacingbut not modernizingthe aging nuclear force will consume a significant portion of our shipbuilding budget in coming years and squeeze out funds we need to build a larger fleet, wrote Modly.

But although the ships will be bigger in number, according to previous remarks made by Modly, they will be smaller in size.

The U.S. military is revamping across the board to face renewed great power competition with Russia and China, as demanded by the 2018 National Defense Strategy. The more fleet-footed Army and Marine Corps have already submitted their modernization plans, but the Navywith its slower-turning industrial basehas yet to fully realign longer-term goals.

Flight deck of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on May 19, 2019. (Garrett LaBarge/U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters)

Those goals will be spelled out in the Navy Force Structure Assessment, currently working its way through the corridors of the Pentagon.

Modly hinted at the contents of that (delayed) 2019 assessment in his memo, saying it would call for increased ship numbers, technological capabilities, and varying new types of supporting vessels, to be constructed in a 10-year timeframe.

We must act now to make tough, fiscally-informed choices in order to fund our key strategic priorities using the budget we have, not the budget we wish we had, he wrote.

Beating the Army at Night Court

The bottom line is that we need to find at least $40 billion in real line-of-accounting savings to fund the development, construction, and sustainment of this new fleet over the next five years, and to set the department up for continuing this trajectory in the five years that follow, he wrote.

Modly noted that the Army found $13 billion in savings in its infamous Night Court sessions.

Summoning up the spirit of inter-force rivalry, Modly said the Navys goal is to beat Army.

But whereas the Army took two years to find their cut, the Navy has just six weeks.

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told USNI News that was a tall order.

If the Navy was unable to find that kind of savings during the year-long budget build, I dont see how they will do it in six weeks, Cancian said. Night Court took many months and it mostly shifted money around in modernization programs, from lower priority to higher priority.

Modly wrote that the review would identify low priority, redundant, or legacy capabilities, programs, processes, or headquarters functions that can be realigned, eliminated, or reduced.

The militarys pivot to tackle renewed great power competition requires rethinking both strategy and equipment simultaneously.

Some analysts suggested that big-ticket, high-tech items no longer pack the strategic punch they once had because adversaries have long-since factored them into their strategies.

Last month, Modly indicated that a question mark hangs over the future role and numbers of U.S. aircraft carriers, as he said the force will shift to a fleet that relies less on the military muscle of large ships.

The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transits the Arabian Sea on Jan. 31, 2020. (2nd Class Scott Swofford/DoD)

He told the audience at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments on Jan. 29 that the Navy planners are shifting their fleet requirements toward a long-mooted strategy: distributed operations.

China has geared much of its firepower, tactics, and technology toward nullifying the once indomitable U.S. air carriersessentially floating airfieldsand larger ships.

Distributed operations would shift Naval firepower and sensors across numerous ships, some unmanned, to avoid the larger ships becoming an Achilles heel.

The Navy is currently locked into a 355-ship goal by law.

For those who assess the Navys prowess by counting ships, the distributed operations strategy complicates things further by throwing a number of unmanned vessels into the mix. Congress has indicated that it will not include these in its current way of counting, Modly has said in the past.
Liverpool, N.Y.  A parent of a Liverpool High School student has filed a bullying lawsuit against the Liverpool school district, charging his son was assaulted on a school bus after repeated taunting by other students.

Daniel Rendino, who filed the lawsuit in early December 2019, said in court papers his child was on multiple and numerous occasions, harassed, taunted, pestered, vexed, intimidated, insulted, battered and assaulted by other students during 2018.

According to the court papers, the bullying came to a head on Sept. 13, 2018, when the student was attacked and physically assaulted by another student while on a school bus. The lawsuit alleges that the student suffered severe physical and mental injury as a result.

The papers filed in Onondaga County Supreme Court, charge that the district had been made aware of the ongoing bullying and made little to no effort to prevent it. The lawsuit alleges the district didnt take remedial action, and failed to make school a safe environment for the student in question.

The student has experienced severely deteriorated social interaction with peers, a lack of group interaction and social development due to the incident.

The lawsuit also alleges the students performance in school has suffered as a result.

The parent is asking for damages of excess of what a lower court could award, citing in part medical expenses and therapy costs.

The district, in its answer filed with the court, denies the allegations and claims the personal injuries and damages allegedly sustained were not caused by any negligence on the districts part. Instead, the district says they were caused by the students own negligence.

The district denied a Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard Freedom of Information request for a notice of claim, served on the district prior to the lawsuit, which contains more details. The district said it rejected the request because it claimed providing the document - even if heavily redacted - would identify the student.

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HOUSTON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) today announced that its board of directors has appointed John W. Somerhalder II as interim President and Chief Executive Officer to succeed Scott M. Prochazka, who has stepped down as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as a member of the board of directors.

Mr. Somerhalder is a 40-year energy industry veteran, including as Chief Executive and a Director of AGL Resources Inc., a natural gas utility. He has served as a Director of CenterPoint Energy, Inc. since 2016 and also serves as Director and Trustee on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations. The company has commenced a process to identify a permanent CEO and has formed a sub-committee of the board to support the selection process. These changes are effective immediately.

Milton Carroll, Executive Chairman, said, "On behalf of the board of directors and CenterPoint Energy's employees, I would like to thank Scott for his meaningful contributions to the company during his distinguished career. Scott led CenterPoint Energy through significant growth and transformation and, under his leadership, we made progress in our journey to achieve our vision to lead the nation in delivering energy, service, and value."

Mr. Carroll added, "The board has determined that now is the right time for a new leader with a fresh strategic perspective to lead the company though its next phase of growth and value creation. We are fortunate to have found in John an outstanding energy industry executive with vast utility experience and the skills to ensure that we continue our momentum during the search process."

Mr. Somerhalder said, "I am privileged to step in and lead this company and its talented employees to ensure that we remain focused on meeting our commitments. As interim President and CEO, I am intent on delivering strong performance, continuous dividend growth, and a strengthened balance sheet, while enhancing our business risk profile, earnings quality, and earnings growth for the benefit of our stakeholders."

Mr. Somerhalder added, "Our Chief Financial Officer Xia Liu and I look forward to discussing our strong 2019 performance, as well as providing our 2020 EPS guidance and utility EPS growth target during our upcoming earnings call on February 27. I also look forward to working alongside the leadership team in the exciting next phase of the company's future."

About John W. Somerhalder II

John W. Somerhalder II has been a Director of CenterPoint Energy, Inc. since October 2016. Mr. Somerhalder is a private investor. He most recently served as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Colonial Pipeline Company, a privately held company that operates a refined liquid petroleum products pipeline system, from February 2017 to October 2017. Prior to joining Colonial Pipeline Company, Mr. Somerhalder served as President, Chief Executive Officer and as a director of AGL Resources Inc., a former publicly traded energy services holding company, which was acquired by Southern Company, whose principal business is the distribution of natural gas, from March 2006 through December 2015 and as Chairman of the Board of AGL Resources Inc. from November 2007 through December 2015. Prior to joining AGL Resources Inc., he served in a number of roles with El Paso Corporation, a publicly traded natural gas and related energy products provider, and its subsidiaries since 1977, including as Executive Vice President, and as President of El Paso Pipeline Group. He has served as a director of Crestwood Equity GP LLC, the general partner of Crestwood Equity Partners LP, and he served as a director of SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. from 2017 to July 2019. He currently serves as director and trustee on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations.

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. is an energy delivery company with regulated utility businesses in eight states and a competitive energy businesses footprint in nearly 40 states. Through its electric transmission & distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution businesses, the company serves more than 7 million metered customers in Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas. CenterPoint Energy's competitive energy businesses include natural gas marketing and energy-related services; energy efficiency, sustainability and infrastructure modernization solutions; and construction and repair services for pipeline systems, primarily natural gas. The company also owns 53.7 percent of the common units representing limited partner interests in Enable Midstream Partners, LP, a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns, operates and develops strategically located natural gas and crude oil infrastructure assets. With approximately 14,000 employees and approximately $35 billion in assets, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions of management which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news release regarding future earnings, and future financial performance and results of operations, including, but not limited to earnings guidance, targeted dividend growth rate and any other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release speaks only as of the date of this release.

For more information contact

Media:

Alicia Dixon

Phone 713.207.5885

Investors:

Dave Mordy

Phone 713.207.6500

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.centerpointenergy.com


Despite Reported Deal At Peace Talks, Taliban Kills Five Afghan Troops In North

By RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan February 17, 2020

Afghan officials say at least five Afghan soldiers were killed when Taliban militants stormed a base in northern Afghanistan, despite expectations for a "reduction in violence" before a U.S.-Taliban deal.

The attack occurred in the Shora Khak district of Kunduz Province on February 16, days after U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said an agreement with the Taliban was in place for a "conditions-based" weeklong reduction in violence.

"Unfortunately, five army soldiers were martyred and three wounded," the Afghan Defense Ministry said on February 17. There were also casualties among the Taliban, the ministry said.

Enhamuddin Rahmani, a spokesman for Kunduz police, said the fighting lasted several hours and both sides suffered casualties.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed on Twitter that the militants killed 19 security forces in the attack and destroyed four armored personnel carriers, seizing a large amount of weapons and other military equipment.

Separately, Afghanistan's Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah told a meeting of ministers on February 17 that the Taliban has agreed to a seven-day reduction of violence ahead of a peace deal with the United States that was "finalized" and may be signed as soon as February 29.

It was not immediately clear when the reduction in violence was scheduled to begin.

A Taliban spokesman based in Doha, the capital of Qatar, said an agreement between the the militants and the United States will be signed by the end of the month.

"According to the agreement, all foreign troops will leave Afghanistan," Suhail Shaheen, told the DPA German news via the WhatsApp messaging service. "We will not allow anyone to use Afghanistan's land [to launch attacks] against another country."

Some 5,000 Taliban prisoners are to be released following the signing of the agreement and before the beginning of intra-Afghan negotiations, Shaheen added.

There was no immediate confirmation from the United States.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, and Tolonews.ro

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-peace-talks-deal- taliban-kills-five-troops/30438431.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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A coronavirus vaccine could be available 'within months', an Oxford University scientist has claimed.

Professor Sarah Gilbert and colleagues at the Jenner Institute are 'rapidly' working out how to stop COVID-2019 spreading further.

A 'seed stock' will soon be developed into a real vaccine in Italy, with an initial 1,000 doses for clinical trials.

The World Health Organisation previously warned that a vaccine could take 18 months to put together, while the current outbreak extends into the autumn.

As it stands, there is no vaccine that can protect against the highly contagious infection, which has struck more than 74,000 people in China, and killed 2,006 people there.

International cases continue to crop up, with eight being confirmed in Britain in recent weeks.

A coronavirus vaccine could be available 'within months', an Oxford University scientist has claimed. Pictured, an artist's colorizations of images of the coronavirus taken with a high-powered electron microscope reveal its crown-like shape

Professor Sarah Gilbert said a vaccine developed by Oxford University could be available 'within months'

The same team at Oxford University have been working on a vaccine against a related coronavirus - Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

Their work has given them a head start on developing a COVID-2019 vaccine, of the same virus family as MERS, because similar approaches can be used.

In a statement on the Jenner Institute website, Professor Gilbert said: 'Novel pathogens such as nCoV-19 require rapid vaccine development.

'By using technology that is known to work well for another coronavirus vaccine we are able to reduce the time taken to prepare for clinical trials. Advent are working with us to move as rapidly as possible.'

A contract with the Italian drug manufacturer Advent Srl was recently agreed, pushing the production of a first batch of the vaccine forward.

HOW DOES THE VACCINE WORK? Vaccines work by stimulating our immune system to produce antibodies against a disease. They contain a small amount of the disease that doesn't actually infect the body. The COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Jenner Institute at Oxford University, called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, will contain a safe version of an adenovirus; another virus that can cause a common cold-like illness. The adenovirus has been modified so that it has the genetic code to make the coronavirus protein Spike. That results in the body forming antibodies to the Spike protein, which is found on the surface of coronaviruses. In someone who has been vaccinated, their body remembers the antibodies it needs to produce. The antibodies bind to the coronavirus and stop it from causing an infection. Advertisement

Professor Gilbert said the vaccine, called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, will be ready 'within months', according to The Express.

It raises hopes the number of infected people will soon be curbed, and far quicker than what scientists have feared.

Vaccines take billions of dollars to produce, require lengthy testing on thousands of people and even then, must be regulated before they can be sold.

Because vaccines for COVID-19 are still in the making across the world, it is unlikely any will be finished in time to halt the current outbreak.

Figures show new cases of the coronavirus in China have dipped, but WHO officials are cautious to draw optimistic conclusions from daily reported numbers.

International cases have slowed down in recent weeks. Since the beginning of February only three countries  Belgium, Egypt and Iran  have announced infections.

But the University of Hong Kong's Professor Malik Peiris said: 'It could be unwise for anybody in China, or outside China, to be complacent that this is coming under control at this point in time,' the New York Times reported.

COVID-2019 has already shown its ability to mutate, jumping from animals to humans at the end of 2019, leaving experts concerned it will mutate further, enabling it to reach all corners of the globe.

Viruses mutate naturally over time as they come into contact with more things which could kill them. They adapt and change in order to survive, which can make it more difficult to treat or stop them.

Rob Grenfell, Director of Health and Biosecurity at CSIRO, said: 'As the virus continues to infect people, it is going through something of a stabilisation, which is part of the mutation process.

'This mutation process may even vary in different parts of the world, for various reasons.

'Therefore, its crucial we continue to work with one of the latest versions of the virus to give a vaccine the greatest chance of being effective.'



Because vaccines for COVID-19 are still in the making across the world, it is unlikely any will be finished in time to halt the current outbreak. Pictured, a microscopic image of COVID-2019

COVID-2019 (pictured here in yellow) is made up of particles far tinier than the cells that compose human or animal tissues (pictured here in blue and purple)

Researchers across the world are racing to develop a drug with the WHO support, building on existing SARS and MERS coronavirus research.

HOW MANY CASES HAVE BEEN FOUND OUTSIDE CHINA? At the last count a total of 1,098 cases of the COVID-19 virus had been diagnosed outside of mainland China. Six of these had resulted in death. The geographical breakdown is as follows: Diamond Princess cruise ship, moored off Yokohama, Japan : 621 cases total, first case February 1

: 621 cases total, first case February 1 Singapore : 81 total, first case Jan 23

: 81 total, first case Jan 23 Japan : 74, first Jan 16

: 74, first Jan 16 Hong Kong : 62, first Jan 22

: 62, first Jan 22 South Korea : 51, first Jan 20

: 51, first Jan 20 Thailand : 35, first Jan 13

: 35, first Jan 13 Malaysia : 22, first Jan 25

: 22, first Jan 25 Taiwan : 22, first Jan 21

: 22, first Jan 21 Vietnam : 16, first Jan 24

: 16, first Jan 24 Germany : 16, first Jan 27

: 16, first Jan 27 Australia : 15, first Jan 25

: 15, first Jan 25 US : 15, first Jan 20

: 15, first Jan 20 France : 12, first Jan 24

: 12, first Jan 24 Macau : 10, first Jan 22

: 10, first Jan 22 UK : 9, first Jan 31

: 9, first Jan 31 UAE : 9, first Jan 29

: 9, first Jan 29 Canada : 8, first Jan 25

: 8, first Jan 25 India : 3, first Jan 30

: 3, first Jan 30 Philippines : 3, first Jan 30

: 3, first Jan 30 Italy : 3, first Jan 30

: 3, first Jan 30 Russia : 2, first Jan 31

: 2, first Jan 31 Spain : 2, first Jan 31

: 2, first Jan 31 Iran : 2, first Feb 19

: 2, first Feb 19 Belgium : 1, first Feb 4

: 1, first Feb 4 Sweden : 1, first Jan 31

: 1, first Jan 31 Finland : 1, first Jan 29

: 1, first Jan 29 Nepal : 1, first Jan 24

: 1, first Jan 24 Sri Lanka : 1, first Jan 27

: 1, first Jan 27 Cambodia : 1, first Jan 27

: 1, first Jan 27 Egypt : 1, first Feb 14 Advertisement

SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) is the most genetically similar coronavirus to COVID-2019. It killed hundreds in the early 2000s, mainly in China.

The SARS outbreak came and went before a vaccine could be produced. There is still no protective vaccine for SARS available, but no cases have been recorded since 2004.

Another British scientist, Professor Robin Shattock, is leading the way in acceleration of medical products to minimize the impact of COVID-2019 as soon as possible.

Professor Shattock, of Imperial College London, revealed his team began trials of their own experimental jab on animals on February 10.

According to him, a vaccine could potentially be produced much faster than conventional methods.

He said: 'We have the technology to develop a vaccine with a speed thats never been realised before.

'We have successfully generated our novel coronavirus vaccine candidate in the lab  just 14 days from getting the genetic sequence to generating the candidate in the lab.

'This will go into the first animal experiments on Monday [10th February]. If this work is successful, and if we secure further funding, the vaccine could enter into clinical studies (with human participants) in early summer.'

In the US, The National Institutes of Health and Baylor University in Waco, Texas, say they are working on a vaccine based on what they know about coronaviruses in general, using information from the SARS outbreak.

But this may take a year or more to develop, according to Pharmaceutical Technology.

Information about COVID-2019 is being shared at an unprecedented rate among the scientific community.

But most research is raw, with plenty of papers posted online without being peer-reviewed. Some of the material lacks scientific rigour, experts say, and some has already been exposed as flawed, or plain wrong, and has been withdrawn.

'The public will not benefit from early findings if they are flawed or hyped,' said Tom Sheldon, a science communications specialist at Britain's non-profit Science Media Centre.
Residents of a village in West Bengal's Bankura district are staging a fast-unto-death demanding compensation and rehabilitation after cracks appeared on more than 150 houses in the area, for which they blamed explosions in a nearby coal mine.

More than 100 residents, including elderly persons, of Manohar village in Barjora block are taking part in the fast- unto-death since Monday, an agitator said.

"The cracks on the houses have been caused by explosions in the Barjora North Colliery, which is being mined for over a year by a firm appointed by the West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd (WBPDCL). No action was taken despite informing the authorities about the cracks. Hence, we have taken this step," he said.

WBPDCL authorities refused to comment on the issue.

Barjora BDO Bhaskar Roy, however, said that the cracks were not caused by mining explosions.

"Manohar village does not fall in the mining area. According to a report submitted by a committee, the cracks were not caused by explosions. So, there is no question of rehabilitation," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan: Ayushmann Says He Was Once Borderline Homophobic, Confesses He Wasnt Too Progressive
The textiles ministry on Wednesday said the domestic industry should take advantage of the huge $20-billion space vacated in the global apparel market by China, which is going through a tough time following outbreak of the deadly

Addressing a symposium on emerging opportunities for Indian textiles, Textiles Secretary Ravi Capoor said domestic exports have plateaued during the past 5-7 years, which is a "very worrying proposition for the government".

"India should step in at this stage to take the advantage although not a good way to project ourselves but every crisis has its own silver lining and I think while we are with China with all our emotions and financial, political and diplomatic help but still there appears to be a big economic opportunity which is coming up our way," he said.

In this background, Capoor said it would be the right time to bring the industry together and have a small dialogue to "see how the industry associations are prepared for this opportunity".

As the exports have plateaued, he said the government understood that one of the major issues is that "take up the space that has been vacated by China other than this present crisis (coronavirus)".

The secretary said $20 billion worth of apparel space, mostly in the man-made fibre, has been vacated by China in the past three years and taken away by Vietnam.

"Now is a situation where we are in a position and Textiles Minister (Smriti Irani, who was also present at the symposium) has just spoken to Finance Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) this morning (regarding inverted duty structure on man-made fibres)," Capoor said.

He further said if duty inversion is removed, man-made fibre itself becomes a huge opportunity.

The domestic and apparel industry, including handicrafts, stood at $140 billion in 2018, of which $100 billion was domestically consumed, while the remaining portion worth $40 billion was exported to the world market.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade is arguing against using a bidding mechanism for deciding solar power tariffs, saying it could have negative impacts.

In its latest report to the government Tuesday, the MoIT has suggested that solar power projects approved before November 23, 2019 that begin operating before January 1, 2021 should enjoy fixed feed-in-tariffs (FIT) of 7.09 cents a kWh for plants on land and 7.69 cents for floating plants.

The suggestion is reversing its stand on a proposal it had submitted just last week, under which investors of projects coming online after 2020 would have to bid on solar power prices, and the cheapest one would be chosen.

Under its proposal sent last week, the fixed rates would have applied only to projects that: had begun construction before November 2019; come online this year; and had already signed power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Now, the MoIT is saying that for projects that have been granted investment certificates, investors have already spent a lot of time and money on planning, site clearance, preparations for construction and technical design evaluation. Therefore, getting a PPA is a final, objective step.

It also notes that after the governments preferential FIT policy of $9.35 cents per kWh expired on June 30, there is no legal basis for EVN, Vietnams state-owned electricity distributor, to sign PPAs with investors anyway.

In this situation, using a bidding mechanism is likely slow down progress on these plants, and could waste more time, money and resources for investors.

Given that Vietnam could face power shortages in the next few years, and may have to use highly priced oil-generated electricity to cover them, it needs solar projects to come online this year to supplement the national grid.

According to the ministry, 36 projects nationwide with a total capacity of 2,989 MW have received investment certificates before November 23, 2019. Seven more with a total capacity of 517 MW have signed PPA contracts and are currently under construction.
Donald Trump allegedly offered to pardon Julian Assange if he claimed that Russia had nothing to do with a leak of Democratic party emails, according to arguments made as the Wikileaks founder prepares to block his extradition to the US.

The request to Mr Assange reportedly came from a former California Republican congressman and Trump ally, now thrust into the scandal at the heart of a federal investigation into foreign interference in US elections, lawyers for Mr Assange argue.

Former congressman Dana Rohrabacher, 72, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House has denied the claims.

The leaked emails published by Wikileaks proved to be a campaign obstacle for Democrats and candidate Hillary Clinton.

Mr Assange faces decades in prison if found guilty on more than a dozen charges involving the release of classified documents obtained by former US Army intelligence officer Chelsea Manning.

Key moments for Julian Assange Show all 9 1 /9 Key moments for Julian Assange Key moments for Julian Assange The situation today Assange was arrested after Metropolitan Police officers were invited into the Ecuadorian embassy on April 11 2019. How did it come to this? Ruptly TV Key moments for Julian Assange The break Assange shows the front page of the Guardian on July 26 2010, the day that they broke the story of the thousands of military files leaked by WikiLeaks AFP/Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Wanted A warrant for Assange's arrest was issued in August 2010 for counts of rape and molestation in Sweden AFP/Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Ruling The UK's Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that Assange should be extradited to Sweden to face trial Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Sanctuary Following the ruling, Assange was given asylum by the Ecuadorian governement over fears that his human rights would be violated if he were extradited, he has since remained in the embassy in London Getty Key moments for Julian Assange A friend in Pam Friend Pamela Anderson delivers lunch to Assange at the embassy in October 2016. She has since spoken against his arrest Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Arbitrarily detained A UN panel found in 2016 that Assange had been arbitrarily detained and that he had not been able to claim his full right to asylum. It urged Sweden to withdraw the charges against him Getty Key moments for Julian Assange The cat ultimatum Last year, the Ecuadorian embassy threatened to revoke Assange's internet access unless he stopped making political statements online and started taking better care of James, his pet cat. Assange accused Ecuador of violating his rights Reuters Key moments for Julian Assange Arrest Assange was arrested on April 11 2019. Ecuador revoked his asylum status and invited the Metropolitan Police in to the embassy to arrest him. Reuters

Mr Rohrabacher, a former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan and a candidate for Trump's cabinet, was often criticised for his apparent close relationship with Russia and its president Vladimir Putin.

He was frequently accused of relying on his position in Congress to subvert US foreign policy with outside interests.

On a 2016 audio capture of an exchange between then-House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans, Mr McCarthy can be heard joking that Mr Rohrabacher and Mr Trump are on Russia's payroll.

Months before Mr Trump was elected president  and the day after the Washington Post revealed that Russia had hacked the Democratic National Committee  Mr McCarthy was recorded telling a private meeting of fellow GOP members: "There's two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump. Swear to God."

In 2017, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs restricted Mr Rohrabacher's use of foreign travel expenditures over concerns of his interests in Russia.

His ties were allegedly close enough with Russia and proved so valuable to the Kremlin that the FBI reportedly warned him that Russia believed he was an asset worthy of a code name.

Mr Rohrabacher also called for the resignation of then-US Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2018 for his refusal to boot Robert Mueller from the investigation into Russian interference in 2016 elections, saying Mr Sessions was being "disloyal to the president and to the country". Mr Sessions resigned later that year.

He had previously claimed that a deal with Mr Assange would exonerate Mr Trump amid charges that Russian-backed groups contributed to that interference, ultimately benefitting the president's campaign.

 Trump suggests military investigate Vindman

In that scenario, Mr Assange would have to admit that Russia was not responsible for hacking into the Democratic National Comittee's emails.

Dozens of former Trump aides and several Russian nationals and companies were indicted in charges related to Mr Mueller's subsequent investigation.

After he lost his congressional seat in 2018, Mr Rohrabacher was congratulated by Mr Trump for his service: "He produces!"
More than two-thirds of parents in Northern Ireland are more worried than hopeful about parenting in the future, a survey has found.

The figures were released today by support charity Parenting NI in their 2019 big parenting survey findings.

The survey had a particular focus on technology's impact on modern parenting, with 1,358 parents taking part.

The 69% of parents who are worried rather than hopeful about parenting in years to come is a 3% increase on last year.

Meanwhile, 82% of survey participants felt parents do not get enough support, showing no improvement compared to 2018's findings.

Parents also expressed concern about the role technology plays in their children's lives - 75% felt it had a significant impact on their wellbeing, 71% found it difficult to monitor and only 23% felt they get enough support on technology.

Many also had fears around the use of smartphones and social media.

Jenny Smithson from east Belfast, who has three daughters aged seven, nine and 10, said she wonders how she can equip them not only for the benefits of the internet, but also the "many dangers".

"I don't want my girls to be caught in the trap of living out their social interactions online, of comparing their lives, relationships and bodies with the fake world that these things celebrate," she continued.

"I know that the main responsibility for protection in this area, as in all areas, lies with us, the parents, and so I feel that any support that can be provided for parents is really valuable."

Maria Rogan, director for training and development at Parenting NI, added: "This year's findings, mirroring last year's, remain a deep cause for concern.

"Parents have made this very clear that on a range of issues - mental health, technology and childcare to name a few - not enough is being done.

"A pervasive feeling of worry has taken root in Northern Irish parents, and policy makes need to act urgently to address their concerns.

"The return of elected, locally accountable government offers a chance to improve things, and we call upon all parties to act swiftly."

Within the results, Co Antrim had a plurality of respondents (36.99%).

This was followed by Co Down (26.02%), and the Co Londonderry results nearly doubled; going from 7.51% in 2018 to 13.08%, as did the Co Fermanagh response rate (2.4% in 2018 to 4.81% in 2019).

Co Tyrone also had an increase, while Co Armagh represents a slightly smaller percentage - down from over 10% to 9.62%.
BERLIN - European plane maker Airbus said Wednesday that it plans to cut more than 2,300 jobs at its defence and space division by the end of next year, spreading the cuts across several countries.

The company said Airbus Defence and Space presented the plan to employee representatives and launched a consultation process for the cuts. The plan would eliminate 2,362 positions in all  829 in Germany, 357 in the U.K., 630 in Spain, 404 in France and 142 elsewhere.

Airbus pointed to a flat space market and postponed contracts on the defence side. It noted that it had announced the need for restructuring in December and underlined the issue during an annual news conference earlier this month.

The defence and space division will provide updates on its plans and continues a constructive dialogue with employee representatives, Airbus said in a statement. Further financial implications are under assessment and will be communicated at a later stage.

Airbus reported that it lost 1.36 billion euros ($1.47 billion) in 2019 because of a multi-billion-euro bribery settlement with authorities in three countries, but otherwise saw a record year for aircraft deliveries.

The net loss reflected 3.6 billion euros set aside to cover a criminal settlement with authorities in the U.S., France and Britain over past corrupt practices. Airbus also lost 1.2 billion euros because of troubles with its A400M military transport program and 221 million euros because the German government suspended export licenses to Saudi Arabia through March.
Iran Sentences Eight Environmental Activists On Charges Of Spying For U.S.

By RFE/RL February 18, 2020

Iran's judiciary says it has issued prison sentences for eight environmental activists, including an Iranian who also has British and U.S. citizenship, on charges of spying for the United States and acting against Iran's national security.

Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili says an Iranian appeals court issued "final verdicts" in their cases on February 18.

Two of the activists, Morad Tahbaz and Niloufar Bayani, received 10-year prison sentences.

They also were ordered to return money that Iranian authorities claim they'd received from the U.S. government for their services.

Tahbaz is an Iranian who also holds U.S. and British citizenship.

Iran does not recognize dual or multiple nationalities. That means Iranians detained by authorities in Tehran cannot receive consular assistance from the other countries where they also are citizens.

In most cases, dual nationals have faced secret charges in closed-door hearings before Iran's Revolutionary Court, which handles cases involving alleged attempts to overthrow the government.

Esmaili, the judiciary spokesman, said two other activists, Houman Jokar and Taher Ghadirian, each received eight-year sentences for allegedly "collaborating with the hostile government of America."

Another three activists -- Sam Rajabi, Sepideh Kashan Doust, and Amirhossein Khaleghi Hamidi -- were each sentenced to six years in prison.

The eighth activist, Abdolreza Kouhpayeh, was sentenced to four years in an Iranian prison.

All the activists were arrested in Iran in early 2018.

A ninth activist who was arrested at the time, Iranian-Canadian national Kavous Seyed Emami, died while in custody in February 2018 under disputed circumstances.

His widow was blocked from flying out of Iran but later managed to leave the country.

Iran continues to imprison others with ties to the West, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman sentenced to five years on allegations of planning the "soft toppling" of Iran's government while traveling in Iran with her young daughter.

Iranian businessman Siamak Namazi and his 81-year-old father Baquer Namazi are serving 10-year prison sentences on espionage charges.

Baquer Namazi is a former UNICEF representative who served as governor of Iran's oil-rich Khuzestan Province under the U.S.-backed shah, Mohammad Reza Rahlavi.

Iranian-American Robin Shahini was released on bail in 2017 after staging a hunger strike while serving an 18-year prison sentence on charges of "collaboration with a hostile government."

Shahini has since returned to the United States and is now suing Iran in U.S. federal court.

Former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who vanished in Iran in 2007, remains missing.

Earlier in February, Iran's Supreme Court confirmed the death penalty for Iranian citizen Amir Rahimpour, who was convicted of spying for the CIA.

Iranian state media have alleged that he had shared details about Iran's nuclear program with the CIA.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-sentences-eight- environmental-activists-for-allegedly- spying-for-u-s-/30441439.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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The 20th anniversary of the Tertiary Students Confederacy of the New Patriotic Party (TESCON) has been climaxed at Ho, Volta Region yesterday, 18th February, 2020.



The well attended programmed by party bigwigs was under the theme 20 years of commitment without inducement-TESCON our generational pillar.



The National Youth Wing of the NPP, led by Henry Nana Boakye, on his facebook wall indicated how he hosted the then NPP flag-bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and many stalwarts of the NPP at a well attended and well organized durbar to climax [email protected] celebrations.



"It is refreshing that after another ten years, we have celebrated [email protected] 20 with H. E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo as President of the Republic of Ghana and myself as the National Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party. It was a humbling experience to have led the organization of an excellent and well attended ceremony to commemorate 2 decades of TESCON's existence, he said.



He admonished the youth of the party to lace their boots to help retain power in the forthcoming elections, adding let us be guided by the fact that, our hardwork and efforts for our party will definitely be rewarded someday.



Indeed there can be no better way of marking 20 years of TESCON's inauguration than ensuring that the NPP wins the 2020 election convincingly just as it did 20 years ago . . . Congratulations to us all and kudos to all of us for putting up such an excellent event . . . it is still 'commitment without inducement'," he maintained.







Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected]









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It's not everyday you get to take a selfie at your own star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame just before attending the premiere of your latest film in Tinseltown.

But that dream is exactly what Chris Pratt got to live on Tuesday.

'I have a star. I haven't been there since they placed the star [in April 2017]. That's how long it's been since I've been to Hollywood,' the A-list actor shared in a number of video clips he posted on his Instagram Story.

Scroll down to video

Sentimental: Chris Pratt, 40, visited his star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame for the first time since it was placed in front of the El Capitan Theatre

Street lounging: Photographers snapped away when Pratt laid down on the sidewalk for his selfie video next to his star

'Anyway it's [Hollywood] changed a lot; a walk down memory lane, I'm about to cry,' the Minnesota native, 40, added while being driven to Hollywood Boulevard.

During the ride, Pratt got even more sentimental and pointed out an apartment building that he used live in when he was still an up-and-coming actor.

'I used to live right up there, and I would look out from up above there at all these billboards and I would say, one day I'm going to be on one of those billboards. And I am proud to say that I have been on those billboards. That's pretty cool.'

Walk down memory lane: During the ride to visit his Hollywood Walk Of Fame star, Pratt got sentimental about being in that part of Hollywood

Misty eyes: The Jurassic World star also pointed out an apartment building that he used live in when he was still an up-and-coming actor

Not long after showing his sentimental side over his days of yesteryear, Pratt arrived at his star in the 68 hundred black of Hollywood Boulevard.

With fans screaming and yelling, he laid down next to it and took a number of selfies while wearing sunglasses, black jeans, grey t-shirt and blue jacket.

It just so happens that his star was placed right in front of the El Capitan Theatre, which is where the premiere of his new animated adventure film was held.

Pratt documented his arrival for the red carpet event on his Insta-Story, and made a bee-line for fans who were waiting for him to sign autographs and take photos from behind a barrier.

Celeb perk: Pratt documented his walk to his star on the 68 hundred black of Hollywood Boulevard on Instagram

Not long after showing his sentimental side over his days of yesteryear, Pratt arrived at his star in the 68 hundred black of Hollywood Boulevard

Honored: Pratt received his Walk Of Fame star in April of 2017

'Hey what's up. Here we are in Hollywood,' Pratt announced as he looked right into the camera.

As the shot scanned the eager and excited people who were lined up, the Jurassic World star then went into full promo mode by reminding his 27.8 million followers that Onward premieres March 6.

With a big proud grin on his face, he then proceeded sign a slew of memorabilia as he slowly made his way down the line of fans.

Eventually Pratt made his way into the El Capitan Theatre for the premiere.

Some of the other actors who voiced characters in the film include Tom Holland, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer, Ali Wong, Lena Waithe and Mel Rodriguez.

Host with the most: 'Hey what's up. Here we are in Hollywood,' Pratt announced when he arrived at the Onward premiere at the El Capitan Theatre

Fan friendly: With a big proud grin on his face, he then proceeded sign a slew of memorabilia as he slowly made his way down the line of fans
Prince Charles made the speech as a young man in 1970. (Getty Images)

Prince Charles has recalled being thought of as rather dotty when he first brought up the issue of plastic waste 50 years ago.

The Prince of Waless views are commonplace now, but when he first suggested plastic waste might be a problem in years to come, he was derided.

Charles is marking 50 years since a speech to the Countryside Steering Committee for Wales in which he said: When you think that each person produces roughly two pounds of rubbish per day and there are 55 million of us on this island using non-returnable bottles and indestructible plastic containers, it is not difficult to imagine the mountains of refuse that we shall have to deal with somehow.

The prince touched on the controversy of his statements when he turned 70 in 2018 too, with his sons William and Harry revealing how they were bullied for picking up rubbish while out on walks.

Prince Charles has maintained a lifelong commitment to environmental issues. (Getty Images)

Speaking about the reaction to the speech when it was made in 1970, Charles said: I was considered rather dotty, to say the least, for even suggesting these things, rather like when I set up a reed-bed sewage treatment system at Highgrove all those years ago  that was considered completely mad.

In an interview recorded for the Sustainable Markets website, he added: Everything we are doing has been to destroy our own means of survival, let alone the survival of everything else we depend on.

But at the same time, we seem to be unable to understand that there is an alternative way of doing it, which is to put nature back at the centre, value everything she does and build from there, and now there is an amazing amount that can be done through the circular bio-economy.

The princes focus on climate change and the environment has been a big part of his work for several decades, and he has recently set up the Sustainable Markets Initiative and Council, which is supported by the World Economic Forum, to help financial markets become more sustainable.

50 years ago today, The Prince of Wales warned of the dangerous effects of plastic pollution during his first major speech on the environment.



In 2020, The Prince reflects on why defending nature has been important to him for so many years. pic.twitter.com/QxKpTGWcrx  Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) February 19, 2020

Read the princes 19 February, 1970 speech in full:

Story continues

The object of this meeting today is to launch publicly the European Conservation Year in Wales. I have just been to Strasbourg, where a conference was held to inaugurate the whole business of conservation in a European context, and listened to an enormous amount of speeches and a great number of fine words. Obviously, it is absolutely essential to have conferences and large meetings in order to consolidate and discuss the wide variety of views and arguments put forward on the theme of conservation, but one must be aware of too great a sense of self-satisfaction and comforting complacency that words sometimes inspire. Not only that, but I now find myself in the unenviable position of being Chairman of the Welsh Countryside Committee - not Commission as some people seem to think - and also being personally fascinated by the problems of conservation at a time when the whole idea has become immensely fashionable.

We owe a great deal to the newspapers and press media, and particularly to the Herculean efforts of several Sunday newspapers, for all the recent interest that has developed in the problems of our present and future existence. There can be few people who have not heard of 'conservation' or 'pollution' or 'environment' or of such horrifying terms as 'Ecology' and the 'Biosphere'. But do they always know what they mean? Dr Frank Fraser Darling recently said that he was afraid, "people will get tired of the word ecology before they know what it means". I think there is a very real danger of this happening - of the whole thing being a temporary craze which reaches a peak of over-emphasis and then deflates itself rapidly.

Perhaps you may now see why my task is slightly unenviable. Today, as I am speaking, I cannot help feeling I have heard a lot of this before, and when you consider that 1970 has only just begun and the speech session is about to open, I sympathise with the audiences which may have to listen to me desperately trying not to repeat myself too often.

Before I attempt an explanation of some of the terms I have already mentioned, it would be useful to examine the problems we are confronted with over conservation, which may help to sort out our attitudes towards their solution. One of the most basic problems is people. However carefully you plan or propose you inevitably at some stage come up against human nature and impenetrable obstacles of obstinacy and prejudice. These are difficulties that have to be seen and taken into account. They cause tears of frustration, but don't last forever. In many places the number of people is increasing faster than the resources of the local environment can cope, thereby exaggerating the problems of conservation. There are two main schools of thought here. One is that nothing need be done about population because nature is bound to react by producing a particularly virulent plague or virus, and the other is that something certainly needs to be done by man to prevent his over-population.

Prince Charles has a new initiative for sustainability in business. (Getty Images)

Another problem is the fiendish cost of many conservation enterprises. For instance, we are faced at this moment with the horrifying effects of pollution in all its cancerous forms. There is the growing menace of oil pollution at sea, which almost destroys beaches and certainly destroys tens of thousands of seabirds. There is chemical pollution discharged into rivers from factories and chemical plants, which clogs up the rivers with toxic substances and adds to the filth in the seas. There is air pollution from smoke and fumes discharged by factories and from gases pumped out by endless cars and aeroplanes.

The list is longer, but what I am getting at is that it is going to be extremely expensive to cut down this pollution. To install a filter plant at a factory is going to increase the production overhead costs, which in turn are going to be added to the price of the product. In the end it will be the general public, as consumers, who will have to pay. Are we all prepared to accept these price increases for the sometimes dubious advantage of seeing our environment improved? Are we prepared to discipline ourselves to restrictions and regulations that we feel we ought to impose for our own good? If we are not, then this meeting and the whole of Conservation Year will have been a gigantic, costly and splendid waste of time.

Waste is yet another problem. When you think that each person produces roughly 2lbs of rubbish per day (I believe the Americans produce more per head!) and there are 55 million of us on this island using non-returnable bottles and indestructible plastic containers, it is not difficult to imagine the mountains of refuse that we shall have to deal with somehow. In Wales, particularly, apart from the obvious problems of derelict mine-workings and haphazard urban development around them, there are highly emotional and controversial issues surrounding reservoirs and the flooding of valleys to supply them. And yet, at the same time, the water is needed very badly for drinking and for industrial use. There are always alternative sites, but they are inevitably more expensive to construct. If you are faced with the dilemma of one site taking up completely wild, unspoilt, uninhabited moorland, ideal for pony-trekking or walking, and another inhabited by a small community in old and beautiful houses - which do you opt for? Careful thought is needed, and if the decision does not come easily you may be able to see why some people occasionally feel like "dropping out" altogether and going to live in the middle of a Cardiganshire bog. But the tragic business of reservoir construction increases with the urgency with which desalinisation processes ought to be investigated. Admittedly the cost of setting up a plant would be enormous at first, and it would have to be a large plant to prove economical, yet it would surely be worth it from the long-term point of view.

These, then, are some of the problems. Some people see conservation as a pretext for dodging more vital social programmes and the Prime Minister has already been criticised for making speeches about pollution when he should be building more houses. But this is not the point. Conservation or problems about pollution should not be held up as separate concepts from housing or other social schemes. 'Conservation' means being aware of the total environment that we live in. It does not mean simply preserving every hedgerow, tree, field or insect in sight, but means thinking rationally and consciously just as much about the urban environment as about the countryside. It should mean for instance that care is taken in housing programmes to see that people are provided with a home and not just a 'house'. All too often the architect seems to forget that a town or a street is made up of individual people and families who happen to have been flung together, and usually the designer is never obliged to inhabit the ecological niche he has created for other people. The word ecology implies the relationship of an organism to its environment and we are just as much an organism as any other animal that is often unfortunate enough to share this earth with us.

Charles has recalled being worried about the impact of oil and plastic back when he was a teenager. (Getty Images)

Sometimes the problems surrounding conservation seem overwhelming. There is wailing and gnashing of teeth from people who want to do something, but don't know where to begin. (I shall come back to this in a moment). There are moans and groans from those who complain at the amount of talking done and no resulting action; but there have been many positive achievements in the last few years.

One notable one was the utilisation of one million tons of waste ash produced each year from a coal-fired power station. The ash was transported 60 miles to fill the pits left by brick-makers, and when mixed with water set like cement. It could then be built on or covered in topsoil and returned to farming. This was made possible by a splendid example of co-operation from a sugar factory which made available vast quantities of earth washed off sugar beet. In Wales the opencast mining industry has reclaimed many acres of despoiled countryside for farmland, while at a local voluntary level, eyesores in the Rhondda have been tackled by Rhondda Youth Action, the Civic Trust for Wales, Community Service Volunteers and the Borough Council. I have been frequently asked by people what contribution they can make. My answer is to follow the example, as they see fit, of the Nottinghamshire Trust for Nature Conservation and the Council for Nature's Conservation Corps, who recruited hundreds of volunteers, many of them schoolchildren, and planted 12,000 trees in one week on a landscaped spoil tip. As a further example, I have been delighted to see recently that my old school, Gordonstoun, has established a Conservation Corps, and they are already in touch with the local planning authority and other interested bodies.

This is exactly what is needed in Wales. It is happening at the moment, but not on a nearly large enough scale. The Countryside Committee for Wales exists to help generate enthusiasm and interest, and channel it into practical effect through the country committees that we have just set up. The committee succeeded in generating such enthusiasm in one member that he rushed off and organised volunteers into tidying up the top of a small mountain in Flintshire, while I contributed by hobbling up Mount Snowdon only to find a fairly hideous mess at the summit.

Prince Charles' speech in 1970 was met with derision. (Getty Images)

If you look around, it is not very difficult to see something you probably take exception to, but would not normally do anything about. It is no good saying "Oh well, I expect some government organisation or local authority will do something about this rubbish tip or that slag-heap", because they have not often the time or resources available. A great deal can be done by thoughtful voluntary work.

For that reason I have decided to introduce a Countryside Award Scheme to be known as The Prince of Wales Countryside Award. The idea is that it will be presented to both voluntary and statutory organisations which have promoted projects that are a distinctive contribution towards improving the general quality and beauty of the environment in Wales during 1970.

Having now inaugurated Conservation Year in Wales, its success depends ultimately on the attitude of every individual Welsh person. If you are convinced of the necessity for some form of conservation and careful planning, remember that it is basically only for one year, although most of the hard work and real achievements must continue beyond 1970 with the support of all those who believe that the principle of conservation has become an essential part of our continued existence of this marvellous island."
ALEPPO, Syria  A Syrian passenger jet landed in Aleppo on Wednesday from Damascus, marking the resumption of domestic flights between Syrias two largest cities for the first time since 2012, while the governments onslaught continued nearby with air strikes reported in several rebel-held towns and villages.

The flight carrying Syrian officials and journalists was an important symbol that President Bashar Assads government has consolidated control over the northwestern province of Aleppo and seized the last segments of the strategic M5 highway linking Aleppo to Damascus. The motorway is being repaired and is scheduled to reopen in coming days for the first time in eight years.

Backed by heavy Russian air strikes, government forces have for weeks been conducting a crushing military campaign to recapture the Aleppo countryside and parts of neighboring Idlib province in northwestern Syria, the last rebel-held areas in the country. It has also strained cooperation between Turkey and Russia, whose governments support opposing sides in the war.

Earlier Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered what he called a final warning for Assads forces to retreat from Idlib or face an imminent Turkish intervention.

The widening multiple-front Syrian offensive has sent hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians fleeing toward the border with Turkey in the biggest single displacement of the nine-year war. Escaping the bombs, many of them left with their belongings piled up on vehicles and are now staying in tents, in open fields and under trees in freezing temperatures near the Turkish border. The United Nations has put the number of civilians displaced since Dec. 1 at more than 900,000  most of them women and children.

Satellite images from Colorado-based Maxar Technologies show an enormous number of refugee tents and shelters near the border with Turkey. A comparison with images of the area from a year ago shows the rapid expansion of informal camps, as hundreds of thousands of people scrambled to escape the onslaught.

The military campaign has killed hundreds and disrupted the distribution of aid, with the bitter winter compounding the suffering.

The Syrian Air flight landed in Aleppo after a 40-minute flight from Damascus and was welcomed by a military band on the tarmac. Syrian warplanes flew low overhead in a show of force and celebration.

Albert Aji and Zeina Karam are Associated Press writers.
NEW YORK MILLS, N.Y.  Funeral services for the teen killed in a Westmoreland crash last week will be held on Friday.

Noah Lekki, 19, of Waterville, died at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse on Feb. 14 after he was airlifted to the medical facility for treatment.

The funeral services will be held on Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. at Sacred Heart and St. Marys Our Lady of Czestochowa in New York Mills.

Calling hours will take place on Thursday, Feb. 20 at Dimbleby Funeral Homes in Whitesboro from 3  7 p.m.

Family members are setting up a musical scholarship fund in Noahs name, and ask that donations be made to that fund in lieu of flowers.

To send condolences online, visit: www.dimblebyfh.com.

Another man, 42-year-old Hector Rodriguez, also died in the accident.

Lincoln Armstrong, the 17-year-old driving the car Noah was in, is still at Upstate University Hospital being treated for injuries.
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Paris, February 19th, 2020

Appointments within Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking

Mohamed Kallala, Global Head of Investment Banking, is appointed Global Head of Global Markets as of March 1st, 2020. He replaces Luc Francois, who will be leaving the company to undertake new professional projects.

Alain Gallois, Head of Corporate & Investment Banking, Asia Pacific, is appointed Global Head of Investment Banking as of April 1st, 2020.

Bruno Le Saint, Head of Banking Activities, Corporate & Investment Banking, Asia Pacific, is appointed Head of Corporate & Investment Banking, Asia Pacific, as of April 1st, 2020.

Mohamed Kallala and Alain Gallois remain members of the Corporate & Investment Banking Management Committee and of the Natixis Executive Committee. Bruno Le Saint will join the Corporate & Investment Banking Management Committee and the Natixis Executive Committee.

Marc Vincent, Global Head of Corporate & Investment Banking and a member of the Natixis Senior Management Committee, commented: In renewing its senior management team, Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking is gearing up for the preparation of its 2021-2024 strategic plan. I am fortunate to be able to rely on such talented professionals to keep transforming our businesses. I am keen to pay special tribute to all the work done by Luc Francois, who, since he joined us in 2012, has developed tremendously the Global Markets franchise of our Corporate & Investment Banking activities.

Biographies

Mohamed Kallala started his career in 1993 as an ALM trader for BNP Paribas before being appointed Head of Mergers and Acquisitions at Credit Agricole Indosuez in 1995. In 2000, he joined the Global Equities department as Head of the Corporate Finance business before joining Natixis in 2005 to head up Corporate Finance Real Estate. In 2010, he was appointed Head of Real Estate Finance before becoming Global Head of Investment Banking at Natixis Corporate and Investment Banking in 2016.

Alain Gallois started his career in 1992 in the Financing and Treasury department of SNCF. In 1994, he joined Compagnie Parisienne de Reescompte (CPR) as a trader on money market products before becoming successively Head of Corporate Investor Relations on Fixed Income Products, Head of UCITS and Head of Bond Origination. In 1999, he moved to Natexis Banques Populaires (now Natixis) with responsibility for Bond Origination. In 2003, he became Chief Origination Coordinator for Debt and Equity business and in 2009 he was named Head of Primary Markets within Natixis Fixed Income & Commodities business. In 2012, he became Global Head of the Debt Platform and Head of Fixed Income & Treasury Sales. In 2015, he took up the position of Global Head of Fixed Income before being appointed Head of Corporate & Investment Banking, Asia Pacific, in 2016.

Bruno Le Saint began his career in 1998 in the Syndication department of Credit Agricole Indosuez

before joining PriceWaterhouseCoopers, where he oversaw financial audits and corporate finance projects in the Telecoms sector. He moved to Natexis Banques Populaires (now Natixis) in 2001 as Relationship Manager in charge of coverage for European mid-caps. In 2005, he joined the Commodities department and was appointed in 2008 as Head of the CIS Metals Producer team, then as Head of the Agri-Commodity department in 2010. In 2013, Bruno was appointed Head of Structured & Asset Finance, Asia-Pacific, for Natixis Corporate and Investment Banking, based in Hong Kong, before becoming Head of Global Finance, Asia-Pacific, in 2016.





About Natixis

Natixis is a French multinational financial services firm specialized in asset & wealth management, corporate & investment banking, insurance and payments. A subsidiary of Groupe BPCE, the second-largest banking group in France through its two retail banking networks, Banque Populaire and Caisse dEpargne, Natixis counts nearly 16,000 employees across 38 countries. Its clients include corporations, financial institutions, sovereign and supranational organizations, as well as the customers of Groupe BPCEs networks. Listed on the Paris stock exchange, Natixis has a solid financial base with a CET1 capital under Basel 3(1) of 11.2 billion, a Basel 3 CET1 Ratio(1) of 11.3% and quality long-term ratings (Standard & Poors: A+ / Moodys: A1 / Fitch Ratings: A+).

(1) Based on CRR-CRD4 rules as reported on June 26, 2013, including the Danish compromise - without phase-in and including current financial years earnings and accrued dividend (based on a 60% pay-out).

Figures as at 31 December 2019.

Press contacts

Sonia Dilouya

+33 1 58 32 01 03

sonia.dilouya@natixis.com Vanessa Stephan

+33 1 58 19 34 16

vanessa.stephan@natixis.com

www.natixis.com





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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 10:34:59|Editor: huaxia

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GENEVA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday mourned the death of a Chinese hospital chief who died of novel coronavirus earlier in the day in Wuhan, the epicenter of the current COVID-19 outbreak.

"My deepest condolences to the family of Dr. Liu Zhiming, his colleagues and patients for this enormous loss," the WHO chief wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

Liu "touched and saved numerous lives in the COVID-19 outbreak," Tedros said, adding that "my thoughts are with them and all the front-line health workers fighting the virus."

An eulogy issued by the local health commission said Liu, 51, head of the Wuchang Hospital in Wuhan, had made important contributions to the city's epidemic prevention and control while leading all medical personnel of Wuchang Hospital on the front line to fight against the epidemic.

A total of 1,716 Chinese medical workers had been infected with the novel coronavirus by Feb. 11, and six of them have died.

Also on Tuesday, the WHO on issued a guidance on the rights, roles and responsibilities of health workers as its latest move in its response to the current COVID-19 outbreak, highlighting the rights and responsibilities of health workers, including specific measures needed to protect occupational safety and health.

Noting that health workers are at the front line of any outbreak response, the WHO guidance said that the hazards include pathogen exposure, long working hours, psychological distress, fatigue, occupational burnout, stigma, and physical and psychological violence.

According to the guidance, employers in health facilities should assume overall responsibility to ensure that all necessary preventive and protective measures are taken to minimize occupational safety and health risks, and to familiarize personnel with technical updates on COVID-19 and share infection prevention and control information with patients and the public.

They should also provide a blame-free environment for workers to report on incidents, such as exposures to blood or bodily fluids from the respiratory system or to cases of violence, and to adopt measures for immediate followup, including support to victims.

The guidance suggests that health workers swiftly follow established public health reporting procedures of suspect and confirmed cases and provide or reinforce accurate infection prevention and control and public health information.
By Stephen Eisenhammer

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Under beating midday sun and samba drums, a glitter-sprinkled crew gather in Sao Paulo's historic center, ready for carnival.

While the rest of the shimmering, semi-naked crowd load up on vodka mixers at Casa Comigo, a street party the Saturday before Brazil's carnival holiday, this group is on a different mission - to make sure the sensual chaos stays consensual.

"You're the angels for today," a woman in a multi-colored headdress and fluorescent earrings tells the eclectic group of 11 as they're handed stacks of temporary tattoos and stickers with the message "no means no."

A group of volunteers linked to Sao Paulo's City Hall, the 'angels' circulate at street parties raising awareness of sexual harassment. They are also on the lookout for the drunk and vulnerable or incidents of sexual assault.

In Brazil it is a said that during carnival "vale tudo" or "anything goes," promiscuity is celebrated and no costume is too much, or indeed too little.

But there is a darker side getting increasing attention. Reported cases of sexual violence jump by around a fifth in the months of carnival, according to the federal government.

Many incidents go unreported. Catraca Livre, a community news site helping to run the angel program, says many in Brazil still explain away sexual harassment as flirtatious banter.

Luna Souza a 20-year-old black trans woman with a headband of gold tinsel, weaves between drinks stands sticking "no means no" to coolers and parasols.

A group of teenage girls rushes over shouting, "I want one! I want one!" They proudly put the round red stickers on their chests like stop lights.

Souza decided to volunteer in part due to her experience of being groped in clubs. "I'm here for the cause," she says.

"We live with harassment every day, but during carnival it's worse," said Heloisa Aun, a 26-year-old journalist with a purple sparkling Venus symbol dangling from her left ear.

Story continues

Aun began campaigning at carnival five years ago. Back then she was largely alone, now there are 50 fellow angels in Sao Paulo and 100,000 stickers to distribute.

"I do think things are changing," she said, despite having suffered harassment while volunteering.

As the angels sprinkle stickers through the crowd, Souza hands one to a muscular man with a pectoral tattoo of a giant scorpion. He holds it suspiciously, pauses, shrugs and sticks it over the center of his giant chest.

(Reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
The price of bread in Syria is rising and the queues outside bakeries are getting longer, but the government insists that there is enough writes Al-Watan.

The director of the Syrian Bakeries Institution, Jalil Ibrahim, said there is great demand for bread, as Syrians have increased their consumption over the past few days due to the cold wave.

Touring some bakeries over the past few days, there have been noticeably more crowds than usual, and the problem is not being addressed. Citizens complained of standing for long hours to obtain food, while some spoke of a significant rise in prices at private bakeries for flatbread, where the price of a bundle of bread reached 500 Syrian pounds, and also the price rise for bread loafs.

Others pointed out that the price a bundle of flatbread increased by 150 Syrian pounds in just a month with illogical justification, while cakes and loafs also increased. The price of a kilo of cakes exceeded 1,000 pounds in some places, while some said that some bakeries had stopped making loaves because the new price did not match the cost, according to some stores.

Ibrahim pointed to the campaigns undertaken by the relevant authorities to prevent the spread of sellers in front of bakeries, adding that the trade in goods has shrunk in large amounts due to these campaigns, and that it has included various bakeries in the provinces.

Regarding reports of the possibility of including bread in the smart card system, Ibrahim explained that the institution had not reached any decision.

He also noted that the production of baked goods currently covers what the country consumes, with production exceeding consumption, adding that there were 200 bakeries at the governorate level.

The Damascus supply director, Uday Shibli, said that daily tours were ongoing at various stores and that any prices over the prices determined by the official bulletins is regulated, and that the store is closed if it does not post prices or if it sells at excessive prices exceeding 20 percent. He added that a number of violating stores had been regulated in the past.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Iran's supreme leader said Tuesday it is a "religious duty" for people to vote in this week's general election and strengthen the Islamic republic against the "propaganda" of its enemies. "Participating in elections and voting... is a religious duty, not just a national or revolutionary duty," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech, parts of which were aired on state television. "Elections nullify many of the vicious plots the Americans have in their minds and Zionists have in their hearts against the country," he said, referring to US ally Israel. Iranians are set to elect a new parliament on Friday, with conservatives expected to make a resurgence. Observers expect a low turnout as many reformist and moderate candidates have been barred from running by the Guardian Council. The council, made up of six clerics appointed by the supreme leader and six lawyers selected by the judiciary, disqualified more than half of the 14,444 hopefuls. The move threatens the thin majority of President Hassan Rouhani's alliance in parliament. Friday's election comes after months of domestic turmoil and steeply escalating tensions between Iran and its arch enemy the United States. In November, nationwide demonstrations over petrol price hikes turned violent before being crushed in a deadly crackdown. Tensions with Washington have risen since 2018 when US President Donald Trump withdrew from a landmark nuclear agreement and reimposed crippling sanctions. 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. Iran hit back on January 8 by firing a barrage of missiles at US troops in Iraq. It had been on high alert for US retaliation that day when they shot down a Ukrainian airliner in Tehran, killing all 176 people on board. The downing of the Boeing 737, which the armed forces later admitted was accidental, sparked more protests that turned political. Khamenei said the election would show that Iran's enemies had failed to divide the nation. "Watch how the people favour the election despite the enemies' insistence on distancing the people from the system," the supreme leader said.
Citizens of the European Union will no longer enjoy preferential access to living and working in the post-Brexit UK from January 1, 2021 under a new points-based immigration system likely to benefit Indian professionals who are already preferred by British employers.

Announcing the radical change on Wednesday, home secretary Priti Patel  daughter of Indian-origin immigrants  said the free movement enjoyed by EU citizens over decades of UKs membership of the EU will end, offering more opportunities to global talent.

The UK already issues more than half of its work visas to Indian professionals (52 per cent of Tier 2 visas). The new system, which has a lower annual salary threshold (25,600) is likely to enable more Indians to access employment opportunities in the post-Brexit UK.

British business organisations cautiously welcomed the new regime, hailing the scrapping of cap on work visas, but feared severe labour shortages when low-skilled EU citizens will no longer be available in hospitality, care, food processing and other sectors.

Patel advised them to adapt and train 8 million economically inactive people in the UK population: UK businesses will need to adapt and adjust to the end of free movement(It) is important that employers move away from a reliance on the UKs immigration system as an alternative to investment in staff retention, productivity, and wider investment in technology.

The new systems policy document states: For too long, distorted by European free movement rights, the immigration system has been failing to meet the needs of the British people. Failing to deliver benefits across the UK and failing the highly-skilled migrants from around the world who want to come to the UK.

Our approach will change all of this. We are implementing a new system that will transform the way in which all migrants come to the UK to work, study, visit or join their familyFrom 1 January 2021, EU and non-EU citizens will be treated equally.

Applicants will need to have at least 70 points under heads such as a confirmed job offer, knowledge of English, education qualifications and salary level. Indian students enrolling from September this year will also be eligible for post-study work visa valid for two years.

Jim Bligh of the UK chapter of Confederation of Indian Industry said: We welcome the Home Offices proposed new system, which rightly recognises that immigration to the UK should be based on skills, salaries and knowledge of the English language.

For business, its essential that the system retains flexibility for employers, particularly those bringing in highly-skilled workers on short-term assignments to support UK plcs growth and transformation. It will also be important to ensure salary thresholds are not a deterrent to finding staff with the right specialist skills from around the world.

Acting British high commissioner to India, Jan Thompson, added: The new is great news for Indian nationals looking to work in the UK. It puts Indian applicants on a level playing field, and prioritises those with the greatest skills and talent  something which India has in abundance.

Usha Parashar, chair of FICCI UK, said: The majority of Indian businesses in the UK require skilled manpower. The new point-based immigration system coupled with the lower salary threshold is a positive move. This has been a long standing demand of FICCI members.

The new system will benefit not just qualified professionals from India but also large number of Indian students in UK universities.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 23:35:39|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MOSCOW, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed the need on Wednesday to avoid outside interference so as to create the conditions for a settlement in Libya.

"We in Russia are convinced that in order to ensure the stability of the process in the Libyan settlement, it is necessary that external players avoid multidirectional competing initiatives and concentrate on the need to build all actions in the interests of encouraging the Libyan parties to dialogue based on the decisions adopted by the UN (United Nations) Security Council," Lavrov said.

Speaking at a press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, Lavrov said the Libyan crisis could be resolved exclusively through intra-Libyan dialogue.

The first steps in this direction have been taken, but now additional difficulties have arisen, Lavrov said.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya announced on Monday the resumption of the intra-Libyan Joint Military Commission talks in Geneva.

However, Libya's UN-backed government on Tuesday announced the suspension of its participation in the talks in Geneva, following its rival east-based army's attack on a Turkish ship in a port here.
Kansas City, Missouri, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Protection plan provides varying coverage depending on the terms of the chosen plan. Some of the items covered by the different plans include the transmission and the engine. In most cases, the insurers require policyholders to take the vehicle to accredited repair centers.





CarGuard Elijah Norton offers tiered service plans designed to help vehicle owners maximize coverage. It is important to familiarize yourself with the list of components covered by a specific plan to avoid exposure to unwanted exclusions. Opting for the most comprehensive plan makes it easier to enjoy full coverage, which is often referred to as the bumper-to-bumper plan.





Some plans may exclude components, such as air conditioning systems, brakes, and electronic parts. The applicable terms are usually listed in the fine print. Hence, the need to scrutinize service agreements, which outline specific requirements.





The majority of auto warranties available on the market exclude damage to the body paint and the vehicle's interior. The exclusions may also apply to mechanical issues resulting from wear and tear. To maximize coverage, Bryan REO CarGuard, recommends opting for specialized wear-and-tear plans, which cover the difference.





By opting for wear-and-tear plans, vehicle owners can cover brakes and tires. These plans are particularly useful to motorists leasing a vehicle since they are responsible for the repair or replacement of components like tires and brakes.





Key considerations





Bryan REO Elijah Norton states that auto protection plan agreements require policyholders to perform routine maintenance as indicated by the manufacturer. In doing so, vehicle owners can avoid voiding the contract.





Some of the essential maintenance tasks recommended by the manufacturers include replacing filters since they can negatively impact the engine and other vital components.





On the other hand, repeatedly missing oil changes can lead to a warranty void. The same applies to system inspections, which are designed to detect any potential problems. Bryan REO Elijah Norton recommends adhering to the vehicle's maintenance schedule.





Extended warranties typically become active after 30 days or 1,000 miles. This requirement is meant to discourage motorist to consider purchasing auto protection plans only after the vehicle develops a mechanical issue.





Benefits of auto protection warranties





When it comes to auto protection plans, service providers like CarGuard handle the paperwork. By taking out protection plans, vehicle owners enjoy peace of mind knowing that the costs of servicing the automobile are covered. The coverage eliminates the risk associated with driving without adequate cover in case of unexpected mechanical issues.





CarGuard Elijah Norton highlights the additional features of auto service plans as good reasons to buy a warranty. Some of the features include roadside assistance, car rental, and other offers. Roadside assistance makes it easier to travel worry-free knowing that help is a phone call away.





In some cases, insurers allow policyholders to combine an extended protection plan with trip interruption insurance. This option becomes useful in the event that the vehicle breaks down more than 100 miles from the policyholder's place of residence.





The plans are a must-have for anyone looking to retain the vehicle after the manufacturer's warranty expires. Taking an auto protection plan is one way to boost the resale value of the value. Most service plan providers allow policyholders to transfer the warranty to a new owner.





The service provider may also offer a pro-rated refund if the plan is canceled after reselling the vehicle. On another level, warranty agreements may specify that the vehicle owner must use only the recommended types of gasoline. All vehicles have a specific octane rating designed to boost engine performance.





Bryan REO CarGuard different types of extended protection plan plans from which to choose. Customers enjoy excellent customer service and additional features that provide real value for money.
The mayor of North Brunswick this week called for an independent investigation of the township police department following repeated claims over the past year that officers target black and Latino neighborhoods to reach ticket quotas.

The alleged practice allegedly involves paying officers overtime as a financial reward for racking up tickets against black and Hispanic motorists.

Any allegation of this type  no matter how unfounded I believe it to be  deserves to be independently investigated by an outsider, Mayor Francis Mac Womack told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday.

Womack said Police Chief Joseph Battagila and township Business Administrator Kathryn Monzo are involved in selecting the investigator. Battaglia and Monzo were not immediately available to comment Wednesday morning.

Veteran North Brunswick Police Officer Michael Campbell first brought up allegations of racism within the department when he filed a discrimination lawsuit in 2018.

Campbell, who is black, claims he was subjected to racist and racially charged language, including inappropriate nicknames due to his background.

The lawsuit, which names the police chief, police director, a lieutenant, captain and several unnamed defendants, is pending in Middlesex County Superior Court. Campbells attorney, James A. Lewis of South Orange, has not responded to requests for comment.

Last week, Campbell and other township police officers who were not named, told News 4 New York that white police officers abused the overtime policy and hunted minorities  especially on the border of North Brunswick and New Brunswick.

One unidentified officer said the majority of people who come to the towns municipal court are minorities.

The claims allege that drivers were each given several tickets apiece so that officers could reach their quotas faster.

When allegations first arose, the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office investigated, according to Womack. In October 2019, the prosecutors office found no criminal behavior on the part of officers in our police department, Womack said.

Because of the prosecutors confidence in our capabilities and credibility, we were allowed to initiate our own internal affairs investigation, Womack said. I assure you we will continue to monitor the department and individuals activities to ensure that no resident or visitor is unjustly involved in a traffic stop.

Speaking about police departments in general, Womack said he does not deny that some police officers target ethnic groups for tickets.

To say that in the United States driver profiling, targeting or ticket quotas in police departments never happened or doesn't happen is disingenuous and would insult ones intelligence, Womack said.

When anyone suggests that it is happening in North Brunswick, the allegations are taken seriously. I assure you, any allegation of impropriety  especially targeting, profiling and quotas  has never been a policy or acceptable practice of this administration or (the police department)," he said.

Womack urged anyone who feels they were treated unfairly by North Brunswick police to make a complaint.

We encourage them to come forward because we investigate every civilian complaint, he said.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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KAMPALA  Ugandan and Angolan officials were stunned last Friday after the Rwandan team demanded that President Museveni fires his top security chiefs, including Brig Abel Kandiho and Col Kaka Bagyenda, as part of the conditions for normalizing relations between the two countries.

Uganda and Rwanda officials last Friday met in Kigali in fulfillment of the Luanda protocol that aims at normalizing tensions between the two countries. The meeting was also in preparation of the border meeting between President Museveni and his Rwanda counterpart Paul Kagame that is expected this Friday at Katuna/Gatuna border.

Uganda was represented by Minister Kutesa, Minister Jeje Odongo (Internal Affairs), Attorney General William Byaruhanga, Director General of External Security Organisation Joseph Ocwet, High Commissioner of Uganda to Rwanda Oliver Wonekha, Col. Paddy Ankunda from the Ministry of Defense and Patrick Mugoya, Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Affairs ministry.

Rwanda was represented by ministers Nduhugirehe, Johnston Busingye (Justice and Attorney General), Prof. Shyaka Anastate (Local Government), Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba (Internal Security), High Commissioner of Rwanda to Uganda Gen. Frank Mugambage, Director General of External Intelligence in the National Intelligence and Security Service Col. [rtd] Anaclet Kalibata, Principal Private Secretary to the President Col. Patrick Karuretwa.

There were also representatives from DR Congo and Angola.

While presenting the demands during a meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, last week, the Rwandan Minister of State for Regional Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, while reading a statement, said Uganda must refrain from all actions intended to destabilize Rwanda; eliminate all factors that create such perception; withdraw the passport issued by Ugandan government to RNCs head of diplomacy, Charlotte Mukankusi and prevent her from traveling to Uganda.

Kigali demands action be taken by Uganda, including disbanding RNC (Rwanda National Congress), RUD-Uranana and arrest and extradite all its members to face justice in Rwanda, he said.

RNC is led by exiled former Rwandan army chief, Gen Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa while RUD-Urunana is a splinter group of FDLR, a militia whose leadership is accused of committing the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Nduhungirehe also demanded that Uganda fires State Minister for Regional Cooperation Philemon Mateke, CMI boss Brigadier Abel Kandiho, Internal Security Organisation (ISO) boss Col Kaka Bagyenda, 2nd Division Deputy Commander Brig Fred Karara, CMI Deputy Director in charge of Counter Terrorism Col Charles Asiimwe and Maj Fred Mushambo, whom he said are facilitating the work of RNC.

He claimed that the above mentioned Ugandan officials have been holding meetings with Rwandan rebels in Mbarara, western Uganda and recruiting fighters in refugee camps.

However, the new demand of firing of Ugandan security chiefs is said to have ruffled feathers among senior diplomats, especially from Angola, who said this had not originally been part of the demand.

Their Ugandan counterparts, nevertheless, kept calm and promised to address some of the demands. The two sides agreed to fulfill six conditions that will end hostility between the countries and eventually reopen the border.

According to a joint statement released by both governments, number one on the list of resolutions is finding out how many nationals of either nation are detained in each others prisons.

Both parties committed to further verify the number and the status of nationals of either party detained in each others country and to report back through a Note Verbale in a three-weeks time, reads the statement that was signed of by Mr Kutesa and Mr Nduhungirehe.

Secondly, both nations are to protect and respect the human rights of nationals of either party.

It was also agreed that Kigali and Kampala finalize the Extradition Treaty. Extradition is the formal process of one state surrendering an individual to another state for prosecution or punishment for crimes committed in the requesting countrys jurisdiction.

This will be signed in presence of Presidents Museveni and Kagame (Rwanda) at the fourth Quadripartite Summit that will be held in Gatuna/Katuna on February 21.

Related
The Ariane-5 rocket that carries Chollian-2B satellite lifts at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana, Wednesday (KST). / Courtesy of Ministry of Science and ICT



By Baek Byung-yeul, Joint Press Corps



The Chollian-2B, the world's first geostationary environmental monitoring satellite made using domestic technology, was successfully launched from the Guiana Space Centre in South America, Korea's aerospace agency announced Wednesday.



The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said an Ariane-5 carrier rocket lifted the 3.4-ton satellite into orbit from the center in French Guiana at 7:18 p.m., Tuesday (local time) exactly on schedule.



At 7:49 p.m., 31 minutes after launch, the Chollian-2B separated from the rocket and made its first contact with a ground tracking station in Yatharagga, Australia at 7:55 p.m., according to KARI.



Choi Jae-dong, director of the satellite program at KARI, said the Chollian-2B had been successfully launched. "The first contact was the first step in confirming a successful launch," he told reporters. The next step is for the satellite to deploy its solar panels to generate power that will enable it to commence operations.



The multi-purpose satellite is scheduled to reach its geostationary orbit, 36,000 kilometers above the Earth, in about two weeks and test operations will begin a week later.



The Chollian-2B will orbit the Earth tracking the generation, migration and extinction of environmental pollutants such as fine and yellow dusts, and marine conditions around the Korean Peninsula for the next 10 10 years. Full operation is scheduled to begin in 2021.



The satellite is equipped with an air quality monitoring sensor called a geostationary environment monitoring spectrometer (GEMS) to observe pollution events on the Korean Peninsula and Asia-Pacific region.



Following the launch of the Chollian-2B, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) will launch their geostationary air monitoring satellites, the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) and Sentinel-4, respectively, within a few years.



Thanks to the satellite, Koreans will be able to receive more accurate information about ocean and weather conditions around the peninsula.



"If operations go smoothly as planned, the satellite will offer ocean information from October 2020 and meteorological information starting 2021," the Ministry of Science and ICT said.



The development of the geostationary Chollian-2B will also give a boost to the country's aerospace industry. Core components such as heat control and power distribution systems are now produced domestically; and KARI said the technologies and study results it has accumulated will be transferred to private companies.



The Chollian-2B was developed in collaboration with the science, environment, and oceans and fisheries ministries. Kari, an organization affiliated with the science ministry, has led the project since 2011, working with private companies including Bell Aerospace and Airbus.


Amsterdam could get a giant 'erotic centre' complete with prostitutes, beauty parlours and a glass ceiling under plans to ease pressure on the Red Light District.

Mayor Femke Halsema unveiled the plan on Monday after consulting with sex workers, tourists and locals on ways to rid Amsterdam's most notorious neighbourhood of 'nuisance' tourists.

The other option is the creation of a smaller 'sex hotel' which would allow guests to book online in order to reduce foot traffic.

Amsterdam could get a five-storey 'erotic centre' complete with 100 sex rooms, restaurants, hairdressers and even a glass ceiling under plans to ease pressure on the Red Light District

Halsema said her preferred option is the creation of an 'erotic centre', which would have everything the Red Light District currently has but in a self-contained space.

The five-storey building would contain rooms for 100 sex workers, along with restaurants, hairdressers, beauty parlours and tanning salons.

A sex club and erotic theatre could also be added to the building, Halsema said.

Mayor Femke Halsema unveiled the proposal after a city-wide consultation on how to stop overcrowding and problem behaviour

The interior of the building would be 'high quality' with rooms opening on to a central courtyard which has 'proper yet intimate lighting'.

The roof could also be made of glass 'for daylight or looking at the stars'.

Locations for the new centre have not yet been discussed, but Halsema said she favours an inner-city site which is close enough to draw in tourists but not so close that people still crowd the area.

Halsema stressed that neither plan will replace the current Red Light District, but will give visitors another place to go to reduce crowds and problem behaviour.

The plans were narrowed down from a list of of five that were developed during a city-wide consultation on the Red Light District.

City councillors will be allowed a vote on the issue in the summer, Halsema said.

Councillors have already voted to ban tours from passing the Red Light District windows, touring past 10pm and lingering in choke-points such as narrow bridges from April 1.

She is the latest in a long line of Amsterdam mayors who have tried and failed to curb the problems of 'mass tourism' in the Dutch capital.

Amsterdam is one of several European destinations plagued by 'mass tourism', with 18million people visiting the city in 2018 - more than 20 times the population

The number of visitors to Amsterdam has risen consistently for the past decade, with 18million people taking a trip there in 2018 - a figure that is set to rise to 50million by 2030, or 50 times the current population.

Past proposals have included banning tourists from visiting the city's famous cannabis cafes, though these have been repeatedly shelved over fears they will drive too many people away.

Tourism is worth an estimated 82billion euros per year to the Dutch economy.
And yet here we all are. If the presidents partisans are to be believed, Alex Vindman is a traitor, a treasonous officer whose origins are suspect and whose past service and sterling record mean nothing  just like Alfred Dreyfus. What exactly is he accused of having done? In the course of his duties, Alex became aware of actions he concluded might be illegal but were almost certainly unethical. He was not alone in those judgments. His response was to alert his superiors and report his observations to the National Security Council legal office. Later, he complied with a legal subpoena, was questioned by members of Congress and truthfully answered every question. He did not leak to the media, shop for an inspector general or reach out to Democratic Party officials. In short, he did exactly what he had been taught and trained to do throughout his professional life. His reward has been vilification in the right-wing media, professional humiliation, scorn and abuse by senior government officials, and death threats.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his mother after a womans body parts were discovered scattered around an apartment in a horror-movie like scene.

Her corpse had been cut into several small pieces and was found in the city of Salon-de-Provence, south-east France, in the early hours of last Sunday.

Relatives of the 57-year-old victim, who has not been named in local media, had contacted the Fire Brigade when they became worried they had not heard from her.

They broke down the door when they arrived at her home, a second floor apartment in the La Roseraie residence on Alphonse Daudet avenue, and no one answered.



Police were called after the horrific scene was discovered at around 1.30 in the morning.

One of the victims sons was in the dwelling at the time.

The 36-year-old, who has also not been named, was arrested immediately and taken into custody.

The prosecutors office has indicated that the man is known to have a psychiatric history.

Marseille department security service has opened an investigation and the circumstances of the death are yet to be determined.

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There's little evidence that the coronavirus outbreak in China will exacerbate already-weak consumption demand in India. However, pharma, chemicals and electronics businesses may face supply-chain issues and prices will go up by up 10 per cent, CLSA has said in a report.

India could also be a beneficiary of positive flows since it appears to be the least-impacted market, says the report. "A look at India's key imports from China suggests that pharma, chemicals and electronic companies could see supply chains impacting future supplies if there is a prolonged disruption in production activity in China. On the other hand, any shift in global supply away from China could see some beneficiaries in India like garment and textile exporters, which could see busier order books in the short term," the CLSA report says.

Also read: Sitharaman quells fears of coronavirus impact on Indian economy

Indian electronics and white goods manufacturers rely heavily on Chinese supplies, so prices of items like TVs, ACs, refrigerator, etc, like could go up 5-10 per cent beyond supply chain disruptions, the report adds. Commodities like metals, upstream and downstream oil companies, could witness the impact of lower global demand impacting commodity prices, it adds.

Notably, Indian manufacturers use 75 per cent Chinese components for TVs and almost 85 per cent Chinese components for smartphones. Important components such as mobile displays, open cell TV panels, open circuit boards, memory and LED chips are imported from China. Compressors for ACs and motors for washing machines are also sourced from the neighbouring country.

Critical components of Indian brands, which are dependent on China, may also see prices going up 5-10 per cent, the report says.

The coronavirus outbreak has hit the Chinese economy hard with sectors like automobiles, aviation, stock market, among the worst hit. Indian brands are also complaining that there's no commitment from Chinese vendors on when materials will be delivered as their inventory buffer has exhausted. Companies are saying the slowdown of port operations is another threat and if the port shutdown continues, there could be further disruptions.

New coronavirus cases in the Chinese province at the epicentre of the outbreak --- Hubei -- fell for a second straight day. Hubei reported 1,693 new cases as of Tuesday, down from 1,807 the previous day. But deaths rose by 132, up from 93 the previous day. The latest figures bring the total number of cases in China to over 74,000 with about 2,000 deaths.

In India, total six persons -- three in West Bengal and three in Kerala -- have been found positive for the novel coronavirus so far.

Edited by Manoj Sharma

Also read: Coronavirus death toll rises to 2,000 in China; Hubei reports 1,693 new cases
Yellow Capsule Hotel arrives in Cancun International Airport

Cancun, Q.R.  A modern hotel capsule concept has been inaugurated at the Cancun International Airport by officials who say the hotel, which consists of 50 capsules, is open to passengers in transit.

Governor Carlos Joaquin was among those on hand for the opening of the airports new capsule hotel saying this project is the reflection of how the private initiative continues to support the sustained growth of Quintana Roo, demonstrating its ability to increase competitiveness, creating employment opportunities and fueling the sense of pride of our own communities.

Photo: Gobernador del Estado de Quintana Roo

The Yellow Capsule Hotel in Cancun is a new concept, being only the second in the country. The hotel offers a total of 50 capsules or rooms, 16 of which are double and 34 of which are single. The capsule hotel was created with passing-through travelers in mind, offering guests free coffee and several common areas such as a rest area, terrace and work area.

Photo: Gobernador del Estado de Quintana Roo

Victor Hugo Valenzuela Yan, partner of the hotel explained that the concept of capsule rooms came from Japan with the purpose of ensuring travelers can enjoy a rest area with technological services, which are a new concept in hospitality.

Photo: Gobernador del Estado de Quintana Roo

Carlos Joaquin explained that of the more than 23 million visitors Quintana Roo received last year, 2.5 million were millennial tourists who visited Cancun and Riviera Maya. During that period, more than 107,000 hotel rooms were added, exceeding growth by 4 percent over the previous year, with the state meeting the needs of new markets.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 19:51:07|Editor: xuxin

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SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Senior U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein Tuesday praised the growing sister-city relationship between the western U.S. city of San Francisco and China's Shanghai by saying she is proud of the partnership.

Feinstein, who was honored by the Bay Area Council for her outstanding leadership and commitment to the community at the council's annual celebration of China's Lunar New Year of the Rat, said she was proud to see that San Francisco and Shanghai had forged sister-city relations during her tenure as San Francisco mayor.

"When I became mayor of San Francisco, I thought here, this is the century of the Pacific, and we can shrink that vast Pacific Ocean into a river between us, so I thought the thing to do was to develop a sister-city relationship with the city of Shanghai," Feinstein said.

The sister-city partnership has led to a large number of exchanges between China and the United States over the decades, she said.

The 87-year-old U.S. senator was the mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988, and Shanghai became a sister-city of San Francisco on Jan. 28, 1980, one year after China and the United States established formal diplomatic relations.

Feinstein hoped the San Francisco-Shanghai relationship will continue to grow stronger in the decades to come.

Chinese Consul General in San Francisco Wang Donghua thanked Feinstein for her leadership and wisdom in helping build the sister-city relationship.

"Over the past 40 years, Shanghai and San Francisco have made lots of progress in advancing cooperation in different areas, making due contributions to the bilateral relations between China and the United States," Wang said.

The cooperation at the sub-national level is an integral part of and the basis of bilateral relations between the two countries, Wang added.
(Newser)  A month and a half after Julian Assange said he was "slowly dying" inside a London prison, the WikiLeaks founder's spokesperson says Assange is doing better. He's been moved from solitary confinement, the rep says, per Reuters: "I saw him about 10 days agohe has improved thanks to the pressure from his legal team, the general public, and amazingly, actually from other inmates in Belmarsh Prison to get him out of isolation." Assange, 48, is fighting extradition to the US on espionage charges; an extradition hearing begins next week. Assange's father told the BBC this week that he fears extradition would effectively amount to a "death sentence" for his son. (Read more Julian Assange stories.)
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This year, all four Atlantic provinces will spend substantial portions of government revenue to pay interest on outstanding government debt, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.



Like households, governments must pay interest on their debt, which means less money available for health care, education and social services, said Alex Whalen, policy analyst at the Fraser Institutes recently-launched Atlantic Canada division.

For example, according to Interest Costs and their Growing Burden on Canadians , this year Newfoundland & Labrador will use 13.5 per cent of its revenue to pay interest on its provincial government debtby far the largest percentage in the country.

Nova Scotia (7.5 per cent), New Brunswick (6.6 per cent) and Prince Edward Island (5.7 per cent) will also spend substantial portions of their revenue this year on provincial government debt interest.

And of course, Atlantic Canadians must also shoulder their portion of the federal debt. People in Newfoundland & Labrador, for instance, will incur combined interest costs (from provincial debt and their share of the federal debt) totalling $3,343 per person, again the highest in the country. Per-person combined interest costs (again, both federal and provincial) in Nova Scotia ($1,370), New Brunswick ($1,317) and P.E.I. ($1,236) are lower.

This upcoming budget season, governments should remember that taxpayers ultimately pay the costs of government debt, said Alex Whalen.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Alex Whalen, Policy Analyst, Fraser Institute

Jason Clemens, Executive Vice-President, Fraser Institute

To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact:

Drue MacPherson, 902-429-1143, communications@fraserinstitute.org



Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter | Like us on Facebook


For the seventh time in eight years, the University of North Georgia (UNG) has been named to the Military Friendly Schools list released by Victory Media.

UNG received its best scores in culture and commitment, where the university exceeded the Military Friendly standard by 56%, as well as military student support and retention, which exceeded the standard by almost 49%.

"It shows our military-connected students that we're committed to serving and supporting them," said Christy Orr, assistant director of student life for Veteran and Adult Learner Programs (VALP) at UNG. "VALP continues to research new ways that we can serve our students and get them more college credit for their military training and occupations."

Each year, the list is provided to service members and their families, helping them select the best college, university or trade school to receive the education and training needed to pursue a civilian career. Institutions earning the Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using public data sources and responses from Victory Media's proprietary survey.

The 2020-21 list will be published in the May issue of "G.I. Jobs" magazine.

Matthew Lucent, a Huntsville, Alabama, native and a senior pursuing a degree in strategic and security studies, is a VALP student worker on UNG's Dahlonega Campus. He served 12 years of active duty in the Army and said he appreciates the ability to use the Veterans Resource Center and take part in the Student Veterans of America.

"VALP and the SVA provide the kind of community veterans need for the challenges they face," Lucent said.

Ratings methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by Victory Media with input from the Military Friendly Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining each institution's survey scores with the assessment of the institution's ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer), and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

UNG has several initiatives aimed at assisting active duty service members and veterans:

VALP is the point-of-contact concierge for adult and veteran students and provides advisement as requested, American Council on Education transcript reviews, portfolio counseling, career advisement, and mentoring.

The Veterans Resource Center on the Dahlonega Campus and the Military Resource Center on the Gainesville Campus each have lounge space, computer stations, free printing, and a kitchenette.

UNG offers "Green Zone" training to aid faculty and staff in their efforts to help student veterans identify and connect with the appropriate resources.

UNG awards college credit for military training, accepts transfer credits, and offers distance learning and online classes, all initiatives identified in the state's Complete College Georgia plans. Two graduate degree programs popular with members of the military and veterans, criminal justice and international affairs, are offered completely online.

UNG is one of only six senior military colleges in the country and is designated as The Military College of Georgia. Each year, UNG commissions some 100 graduating cadets as second lieutenants into the U.S. Army or Army National Guard.
The police in Kitui County, Kenya are investigating a sodomy case involving a primary school teacher and a 17-year-old Form Two student.

Jefferson Mwinzi, a teacher at Tanganyika primary school in Kitui Rural, is facing sodomy charges for allegedly engaging in the unnatural sexual act with a secondary school student.

According to the mother of the minor QM, her son sneaked from school on January 23 and travelled to Kwanza Vonza center where the accused teacher resides.

The school called me on January 27 informing me that my son had sneaked out to evade punishment for mobile phone possession contrary to school rules, QM told journalists in Kitui town.



She later made a missing person report at Kitui police station seeking assistance in tracing the whereabouts of her son who later resurfaced on February 4 but was arrested the day after.

The woman said that during interrogations, her son disclosed that he had been staying with his former Kiswahili teacher at Mandongoi primary in Kitui Rural, prompting the arrest of the suspect.

My son, in the presence of the teacher, police officers, my sister and I narrated how Mr. Mwinzi repeatedly forced him into the condemnable act.

He also threatened with dire consequences if he dared disclose the ordeal to anyone insinuating that he had enlisted him into Illuminati, said the distressed mother.

Confirming the incident, Kitui Deputy County Police Commander Julius Muthini said they would leave no stone unturned to ensure justice is served.

Mr. Muthini also said the suspect recorded a statement and was released on Ksh50,000 police bail pending the conclusion of investigations and arraignment.

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Update: As of 9 a.m. Friday morning, word from the Port Authority is that the USS McFaul will dock later than expected, between noon and 12:15 p.m.. The public welcoming ceremony will begin 30 minutes later, with an expected start time between 12:30 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.

The USS McFaul must like to party: The destroyer thatll visit Mobile for Mardi Gras previously docked in Alabamas Port City during BayFest back in 2010.

That music festival is no more, but the McFaul, a destroyer launched at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula in 1997, has stayed busy, according to an official log of its activities. Its due to dock just north of the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center at about 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 21.

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Gannet will begin its own Mardi Gras visit on Monday, Feb. 24, docking at the GulfQuest Maritime Museum.

Both ships will be open to tours during their visits. The following information was provided Wednesday by the Alabama State Port Authority and the Navy League of the United States:

USS McFAUL (DDG 74) Welcome Ceremony and Public Tours Info

 Welcome Ceremony: 11 a.m., CST, Friday, Feb 21. Alabama State Port Authority, Pier 2. Gates open at 9:30 am (CST).

 Public Tours: Feb. 22-25, 8:30 am- 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. (CST) Pier 2 Terminal, downtown Mobile, Ala.

 The gate entrance is located on the north side of the Mobile Convention Center on Water Street.

 The public is welcome, but all visitors are required to wear closed toe/heel shoes and carry valid identification. All guests will undergo security screening prior to entry to the facility.

USCGC GANNET Public Tours Info

 GANNET will moor at 9 a.m. (CST) on Monday, Feb. 24, at the GulfQuest Maritime Museum, 155 S. Water Street, in downtown Mobile, Ala.

 Public Tours: Feb. 24 between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. (CST), and Feb. 25-26 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. (CST).

 The public is welcome, but all visitors are required to wear closed toe/heel shoes and carry valid identification.

It is longstanding tradition for Navy ships to visit Mobile during Mardi Gras, with uniformed sailors joining the civilian crowds at parades and other festivities. Speaking at the Mobile City Council meeting on Tuesday, Mayor Sandy Stimpson said Mobile has a reputation for offering a warm welcome.

Almost 100% of the time the sailors that are here for Mardi Gras are blown away by the reception they receive from all Mobilians, Stimpson said. And I would just like to encourage all of us to put our hand out and our best foot forward in welcoming them here and thanking them for their service.

According to the Navy, the McFaul was named for U.S. Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Donald L. McFaul, who gave his life for his comrades and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for service with Seal Team Four during Operation Just Cause in Panama, which drove dictator Manuel Noriega from power.

While under heavy small-arms fire, Chief McFaul left the relative safety of his position with a single focus of assisting his wounded comrades. While carrying a seriously wounded platoon member to safety, Chief McFaul was mortally wounded by enemy fire at Paitilla Airfield, on Dec. 20, 1989. His heroic actions and courage under fire saved American lives and were an inspiration for other acts of heroism as the assault force prevailed in this decisive battle.
By John Carlson





Most people believe the risk of nuclear war ended with the Cold War in 1991. Unfortunately they are wrong. If anything, this risk is even greater today.



First, the U.S. and Russia have continued dangerous practices from the Cold War, particularly keeping nuclear weapons on high alert, known as "launch on warning" status. To avoid losing their nuclear weapons through a surprise attack, each country will launch its missiles immediately if it believes the other has initiated an attack. This is inherently dangerous.



In the case of an apparent attack, the U.S. or Russian president has only 20 minutes to decide whether to launch missiles in retaliation. Obviously mistakes can be made. Historically there have been several false alarms, "close calls" where catastrophe was averted only by cool heads and good luck. We cannot rely on good luck lasting forever.



Factors contributing to an increased risk of nuclear war include: The number of countries with nuclear weapons has grown and some are expanding their arsenals; the end of arms control agreements; the introduction of new types of nuclear weapons; and changing attitudes toward the possible use of nuclear weapons. Perhaps most dangerous of all is the lack of engagement on risk reduction measures among the nuclear armed countries.



While the U.S. and Russia, and now North Korea, get most attention, there are now nine countries with nuclear weapons. Of particular concern are India and Pakistan, where tensions remain at dangerous levels.



Nuclear war between these two would have devastating consequences not only for them but globally through a "nuclear winter" (the impact of dust and soot on the climate). It should be a priority to help India and Pakistan establish mutual risk reduction arrangements.



If the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) between the U.S. and Russia is allowed to expire in 2021, this will result in loss of arms control transparency and verification between the two countries, adding to the current arms race and heightening tensions. President Vladimir Putin is seeking to extend New START but so far President Donald Trump has declined.



President Trump has suggested trilateral arms control arrangements including China. This is not realistic for New START in its present form and in the time available. It is imperative to extend New START first. Then the U.S. and Russia can engage with China and the other nuclear-armed countries in negotiations for new arms control agreements.



A dangerous development is the introduction of new types of nuclear weapons. For example the U.S. has just deployed a low-yield submarine-launched weapon. The rationale is to deter "limited nuclear escalation," apparently in response to a supposed Russian doctrine of "escalate to de-escalate," by which Russia might use low-yield weapons to deter U.S. intervention in a regional conflict.



Russia denies having such a doctrine. Russia is developing new weapon types such as hypersonic missiles, a nuclear "mega-torpedo," and nuclear-powered cruise missiles. While much of this is exaggerated, clearly new arms races raise tensions and are destabilizing.



The most serious aspect of these developments is that evidently both sides are planning to make nuclear weapons more usable. To date the ultimate barrier to nuclear war has been the "taboo" against nuclear use, reinforced by the threat of mutually assured destruction (aptly named "MAD"). Those planning for reducing the nuclear threshold believe that a limited nuclear war is possible. This is dangerous in the extreme.



If a nuclear conflict starts, in the resulting conditions of chaos, confusion and terror, there is no basis for optimism that nuclear escalation can be limited. No one knows when and how a nuclear war can be stopped.



All this illustrates the urgent need to establish high-level engagement on strategic stability issues, to enable the U.S. and Russia, and the other nuclear-armed countries, to clarify misconceptions and develop practical risk reduction steps.



What can be done? It is essential to get governments off the mindset that nuclear weapons are indispensable to security, and that disarmament is unrealistic and unattainable. The attitude of political leaders must be: How can we work together to reduce the risks of nuclear weapons and find safe pathways to eliminate them?



There is an immediate need to convince the nuclear-armed countries that practical risk reduction steps are urgent and do-able. These include extension of New START, establishing ongoing high-level engagement on strategic stability, and de-alerting of nuclear weapons.



It is also essential to strengthen national controls over the authority to use nuclear weapons. A truly game-changing step would be for each nuclear armed country to declare it will not be the first to use nuclear weapons ("no first use"), that nuclear weapons are retained only to deter their use by others. This is the declared position of China and India, and is supported by key Democrats in the U.S.



In the current absence of leadership on these issues from Washington, there is a need for middle powers, such as South Korea and my country, Australia, to work together to promote the outcomes that are so vital to humanity's future.





John Carlson is a former senior Australian government official, and was director general of the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office from 1989 to 2010. He is currently non-resident senior fellow with the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, and a member of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (APLN). This article is published in cooperation with the APLN (www.apln.network).


Burger King has unveiled a new ad campaign featuring a mouldy whopper  in a somewhat unusual move to attract customers.

The 45-second clip begins with a usual whopper with all the standard accoutrements  meat patty, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, ketchup, white sauce, and a sesame bun.

Then, Dinah Washingtons What a Difference a Day Makes begins to play, and the burger begins to experience the passage of time.

The lettuce starts to wilt, the bun shrivels, and as the time-lapse progresses, fuzzy white mold begins to cover the whopper.

By day 34, the burger is but a shadow of its former self, with rotten touches of purple and blue completing the tableau.

The 20 best food scenes in film Show all 20 1 /20 The 20 best food scenes in film The 20 best food scenes in film Lady & the Tramp Who would have guessed one of the most romantic scenes in cinema would involve two dogs eating scraps in an alleyway? And, yet, the iconic spaghetti kiss from Disneys 1955 animated film has been oft imitated but never surpassed, as the two pups indulge in an Italian delicacy, all soundtracked to Sonny Burke and Peggy Lees Bella Notte. And, as Tramp proves, theres no greater act of chivalry than offering your date the last meatball Moviestore/Rex The 20 best food scenes in film Babette's Feast Gabriel Axels Oscar-winning 1987 Danish film is a visual treat for any self-confessed gourmand. The story sees two pious Protestant sisters offer refuge to a French woman fleeing the political tumult in Paris after the collapse of the Second Empire in 1871. They agree to hire her as a housekeeper, discovering later that shes the former chef of one of Pariss best restaurants. When she wins the lottery, she uses the funds to whip a meal to remember for her kindly hosts. The 20 best food scenes in film Hook All the very best chefs know that a dash of pure imagination is key to creating a true culinary wonder. Its a lesson well-taught in Steven Spielbergs 1991 classic, Hook, as a grown-up Peter Pan (Robin Williams) looks on in disbelief as the Lost Boys tuck into what appears to be nothing at all. Its only when he truly believes that he can see the brightly colour feast laid out before him. And what childish feast would be complete without an old fashioned food fight? Sony The 20 best food scenes in film Breakfast at Tiffany's Sure, the 1961 films title may be a little misleading. Its protagonist, Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn), in reality only has breakfast outside of Tiffanys, popping out of a cab in the early morning light to peer into the jewelry shop window, all while enjoying a pastry and some coffee in a paper. The moment has still remained the peak of glamour, decades later, so who cares if its all a little white lie? Keystone Features/Getty Images The 20 best food scenes in film The Godfather Its a classic scene that proves to be surprisingly instructional. Francis Ford Coppolas 1972 film has a full-blown recipe tucked within its elegant drama, as Vito Corleones close associate, Peter Clemenza (Richard Castellano), offers his version of the perfect pasta sauce. As he explains: You start out with a little bit of oil. Then you fry some garlic. Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste, you fry it; you make sure it doesn't stick. You get it to a boil; you shove in all your sausage and your meatballs. And a little bit of wine, and a little bit of sugarthat's my trick." Rex Features The 20 best food scenes in film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Although the 1971 musical is, as a whole, a sugary delight, its hardest to resist the temptation of Willy Wonkas Fizzy Lifting Drinks, a soda described as so bubbly that it lifts anyone who drinks it right off the ground. Its no wonder that it was the one stop on the tour that ended up tempting the pure-hearted Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) and his grandfather (Jack Albertson). Now, the real question is: does it come in different flavours? Getty The 20 best food scenes in film Eat Pray Love For anyone who considers pizza to be the true love of their life, Ryan Murphys 2010 romcom is a perfect cinematic match. Its hard not to relate to the moment Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) bites into a piece of authentic Italian pizza, during the Naples stop on her global adventure of self-discovery, and declares: Im in love. Im in a relationship with my pizza. Rex Features The 20 best food scenes in film Beauty & the Beast Although we might not fully be convinced that the grey stuff is delicious, the dinner and show approach to Lumiere (Jerry Orbach)s hospitality is something we could certainly get used to. In Disneys 1991 animation, Belle (Paige O'Hara) is presented with a whole cavalcade of sumptuous dishes: including beef ragout, cheese souffle, pie and pudding "en flambe". And theres a sage piece of advice to go with it all, too: If you're stressed, it's fine dining we suggest! Indeed. Disney The 20 best food scenes in film Steel Magnolias While theres been a growing fad of ambitious, unusually themed cakes  you need only look at the success of the TLC reality series Cake Boss  there are few cinematic cakes that quite stick in the memory like Jackson (Dylan McDermott)s armadillo-shaped groom cake from 1989 comedy-drama Steel Magnolias, a spin on the tradition from the American South of having another cake separate to the main wedding cake. And did we mention that its red velvet on the inside? REX FEATURES The 20 best food scenes in film Marie Antoinette When it came to director Sofia Coppola conjuring the ultimate image of decadence for her 2006 biopic on the French queen, there was no more perfect treat than Ladurees famous macarons. Delicate and pastel-toned, the meringue-based confection has long been the speciality of the French bakery, first established in 1862. A new flavour was even created in honour of the film, with the Marie Antoinette offering a combination of rose and anise flavours. Columbia Pictures The 20 best food scenes in film The Hundred Foot Journey Food is often regarded as one of the best ways to understand a culture, and The Hundred-Foot Journey is wonderful for showing the efforts the talented, self-taught novice Hassan (Manish Dayal) goes to in order to comprehend that. During a picnic he reveals he has mastered the five mother sauces of French cuisine, and the delicate tasting process that follows demonstrates just how important food is to France. The 20 best food scenes in film Goodfellas In prison, dinner was always a big thing. So much so that the Wise Guys ate better than most people on the outside. Beyond the Sea plays in the background as the gangsters prepare their meal: Garlic sliced so thin with a razor blade that it would liquefy in the pan with just a little oil, meatballs in a tomato sauce thats a little too oniony, steak cooked medium rare, iced lobsters, prosciutto, salami, cheese, red wine and good Scotch. Maybe crime does pay after all. The 20 best food scenes in film Chocolat There are few pleasures in life more fulfilling than that of cooking for others. In Chocolat  based on the book by Joanne Harris  a slow-motion scene where dinner party guests tuck into the feast created by expert chocolatier Vianne Rocher (Juliette Binoche) is full of warmth and laughter. AP The 20 best food scenes in film Pulp Fiction In a world where people seem more than happy to fork out 15 for some mushy avocado on toast, $5 for a milkshake doesnt seem too unreasonable. Vincent Vega (John Travolta) takes his boss wife Mia (Uma Thurman) out to Jack Rabbit Slims for a burger, where she decides she wants the $5 dollar shake. You dont put bourbon in it or nothing? a bewildered Vincent asks the waiter. When it arrives, Mia takes a long sip: Yummy. I gotta know what a $5 shake tastes like, Vincent says. He takes a sip. Then another. Goddamn, thats a pretty f***ing good milkshake. Miramax/YouTube The 20 best food scenes in film Julie & Julia Nora Ephrons feature film based on the intertwining stories of chef Julia Child and Julie Powell, the blogger who rose to fame after documenting her pledge to cook all 524 recipes in Childs cookbook, is all about the joy one can find in food. It is some of the earlier scenes that capture this best, like when Julia (Meryl Streep) and her husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) arrive in Paris and stop at a French restaurant, where Julia is served a sizzling platter of sole. It looked so mouth-watering in the final edit that Ephron wanted to call up Martin Scorcese and say, youve never shot a fish like that before. Rex The 20 best food scenes in film Ratatouille Fearsome critic Anton Ego takes a bite of ratatouille and is transported back to his childhood, where it was a favourite comfort food, in the best scene from Pixars wonderful animated film. The detail is superb, from the process of Remy the rat preparing the dish to the moment Egos pen falls to the ground as he remembers the power of a favourite meal in evoking memories we thought were lost. YouTube screengrab / Jeugos para ninos / Disney Pixar The 20 best food scenes in film Spinal Tap I dont want this, I want large bread but I can rise above it, Im a professional. The miniature bread catastrophe is a beautiful parody on every self-absorbed rock star to have kicked off over something as ludicrous as the food theyre served backstage. Guitarist Nigel Tufnell sits next to a tray of sandwiches looking baffled as his manager walks over. "Look," he says, picking up a sandwich. "This, this miniature bread. It's like... I've been working with this now for about half an hour. I can't figure it out. Let's say I want a bite, right, you've got this..." "Why do you keep folding it?" Ian asks. Nigel looks down at the broken bits of bread, then tries again: "This. I don't want this." He throws the sandwich to the ground, disgusted. "I want large bread!" Embassy Pictures The 20 best food scenes in film The Help After all the trauma she has been through  at the hands of her abusive husband and a racist ex-employer  Minny (Octavia Spencer) arrives at her employer Celia Foote to find a beautiful dinner cooked for her as a thank you for everything she has done for Celia and her husband. You see the care that has gone into it as Celia lays everything out on the table, from a mile high meringue to the fried chicken Minny taught her how to make. That table of food gave Minny the strength she needed, the narration explains. She took her babies out from under Leroy and never went back. AP Photo/Disney DreamWorks II, Dale Robinette The 20 best food scenes in film Five Easy Pieces Robert Dupea (Jack Nicholson) just wants some toast to go with his omelette, but the waitress is stubbornly sticking to the diners no substitutions rule. Ill make it as easy for you as I can, goes the famous order. Id like an omelette, plain, and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast. No mayonnaise, no butter, no lettuce and hold the chicken. Columbia Pictures The 20 best food scenes in film Big Night It was a scene that helped propel a revolution in American dining. Il Timpano, a dish inspired by the notoriously tricky-to-make Italian meal, is the star of a moment in Big Night where chef brothers Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and Secondo (Stanley Tucci) prepares it as the centrepiece for a feast attended by their rival, Pascal. Goddamit, I should kill you, he screams, throwing his fork down after tasting Il Timpano. This is so f***ing good, I should kill you.

The beauty of real food is that it gets ugly. Thats why we are rolling out a whopper that is free from artificial preservatives. Isnt it beautiful? reads a tagline.

The artificial-preservative-free burgers are expected to become available in all US Burger King branches by the end of 2020.

While some enjoyed the ad, finding it honest and realistic, others seemed simply put off by the mouldy burger.

I was going to get BK today for lunch, I am earnestly not now because this made it look disgusting, one person wrote on Twitter.

Another person wondered: Is... is this supposed to make me want a Whopper?
The citizens will be able to travel to these countries for 90 days during the consecutive 180 days-long period

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the visa cancelation agreement with the government of Grenada. Oleksiy Honcharuk, the Prime Minister of Ukraine said so during the government session.

Thus, citizens of two states will be able to travel to either Ukraine or Grenada without visas for up to 90 days within the consecutive 180 days-long period.

Ukraine's Ambassador in the UK Natalya Halibarenko is authorized to sign the mentioned agreement.

New rules of acquiring visas of EU member states took effect on February 2, 2020. The new rules concern citizens of Ukraine, too. The regulations are supposed to simplify the process of applying for a visa to enter Europe for legal visitors, facilitate the development of tourism, sports, and business and at the same time provide more resources to counter the risk of illegal migration and threats to internal security.

Earlier this month, Ukraine approved similar agreements with Mongolia and Argentina, as well as Marshall Islands.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday courted controversy when he said that the casualties during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Uttar Pradesh had died due to 'bullets from rioters' and not from the state police.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday courted controversy when he said that the casualties during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Uttar Pradesh had died due to "bullets from rioters" and not from the state police.

In an address to the state Assembly, Adityanath referred to the protests against the contentious law that turned violent on 19 and 20 December, and said, "No one has died from police bullets. All those who died have died of bullets from rioters. If someone goes to the street with the intent to shoot people, then either he dies or a cop dies."

"If someone is coming with an intent to die, then how will the person remain alive?" he added, referring to the 20 casualties during protests. "Upadravi, upadravi ki goli se marey hain," (the trouble-makers died from bullets of other trouble-makers)," he said.

However, on 24 December, the Bijnor Superintendent of Police (SP) reportedly accepted that one protester had died in police firing.

He was also quoted by NDTV as saying, "Azaadi (freedom) slogans are being raised. What 'azaadi'? Do we have to work towards Jinnah's (Mohammad Ali Jinnah) dream or do we have to work towards Gandhi's dream? The police should be praised for their work after the December violence. There were no riots in the state."

"A big conspiracy was revealed behind anti-CAA protests," he added.

He also said that a "terror funding" plan of the Popular Front of India (PFI). "Terror funding of the PFI, which is another name of SIMI, came to the fore. Any sympathy for them means, support to the PFI and SIMI. Those who engage in treason against the country, will have 'gumnam maut' (anonymous deaths)," he said.

During the hour-long speech in the Assembly, Adityanath also slammed the Opposition for criticising the government over issues of crime and women empowerment.

Without naming political rivals, the chief minister recalled how in the past the Samajwadi Party lawmakers "used to throw paper balls" at the podium during the governor's customary address to the House, thereby denigrating the exalted constitutional post. "Those (parties) who have been insulting the Constitution are today trying to preach us the Constitution. Better they keep off or they will be badly exposed," he stated.

In an apparent reference to former chief minister and Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, Adityanath recalled his "ladke, ladke hain (boys will be boys)" remarks and ridiculed his party for speaking about women empowerment. While opposing capital punishment for rape, Mulayam had sparked an outrage by saying "Boys will be boys... mistakes happen)."

He also cited the police firing on 'karsevaks' gathered in Ayodhya on 30 October, 1990, when Mulayam was the chief minister.

The chief minister then trained his guns at the Congress, referring to the infamous "tandoor case" in which former Youth Congress leader Sushil Sharma spent 23 years in the Tihar jail for killing his wife Naina Sahni and then trying to dispose of her body in a tandoor in 1995 on the roof of erstwhile 4-star hotel Ashok Yatri Niwas in New Delhi.

"These parties have the cheek to call themselves champions of women empowerment," he said.

The chief minister said when the governor spoke on 'Ram Rajya' in her address, it did not have any religious connotations.

"It takes time to cleanse the system, age-old garbage cannot be removed overnight," he said and listed the major achievements of his government during the past three years, especially in the areas of law and order, infrastructure, economy, agriculture, education and health.

With inputs from agencies
RENO, Nev., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Diego Pellicer Worldwide, Inc. (OTCQB: DPWW), a premium marijuana brand and retail development company, today announced that it has begun a recapitalization and acquisition strategy to take advantage of market opportunities in Colorado and throughout the United States. FTI Consulting, a highly respected business advisory firm, will assist Diego Pellicer Worldwide, Inc.'s management team as it enters into definitive agreements to acquire cannabis retail, cultivation and manufacturing operations.

"With potentially millions of dollars pending in acquisitions, we are working to ensure each acquisition is accurately valued and that it is a responsible transaction for the company and its shareholders," said Nello Gonfiantini III, chief executive officer of Diego Pellicer Worldwide, Inc. "FTI Consulting works with 56 of the Fortune Global 100 companies offering services that manage change and mitigate risks. We're thrilled that they will be providing their services to Diego Pellicer Worldwide, Inc. and look forward to working with them on current and future acquisitions."

Diego Driving Direct Cannabis Ownership and Operations

In the fall of 2019, Diego Pellicer Worldwide, Inc. announced it had evolved its business model to reflect the changing cannabis market. The company is advancing into direct cannabis operations including retail, cultivation and manufacturing. Diego has signed letters of intent to acquire three new dispensaries and three new cultivation facilities and is actively working to make those definitive agreements.

About Diego Pellicer Worldwide, Inc. (OTCQB: DPWW)

Diego Pellicer Worldwide, Inc. is the premium marijuana brand, retail and management company. In addition to its branded locations in Colorado, the company actively seeks to acquire and manage high-end, turnkey cannabis retail stores, cultivation and manufacturing facilities. DPWW is executing on its long-term vision to become a national, vertically integrated cannabis company. To learn more about how to become a branded Diego Pellicer retailer, cultivator or investor visit www.Diego-Pellicer.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements contained in this press release may be construed as "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act"). The words "estimate," "project," "intends," "expects," "anticipates," "believes" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management pursuant to the "safe-harbor" provisions of the Act. These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected on the basis of these statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company also undertakes no obligation to disclose any revision to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

CONTACT: Suzanne Herrick, Fedoruk & Associates, Inc., 612-247-3079, [email protected]

WEBSITES: www.diego-pellicer.com

SOURCE Diego Pellicer Worldwide, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.diego-pellicer.com


People with mental illness or intellectual disabilities who are facing criminal charges are getting a new option in Easton for residential treatment.

The city's zoning hearing board on Tuesday night voted 3-0 to approve the proposal from Shiloh Baptist Church.

Shiloh will lease 4,600 square feet of its 416 Canal St. property on South Side to Philadelphia-based Comhar Inc., said Shiloh Senior Pastor Phillip Davis. Comhar will partner with the Northampton County Mental Health Office on referring eligible people for treatment.

The eight-bed, secure facility will be staffed 24 hours a day seven days a week, representatives of the center told the zoning board.

"It's not a facility where individuals will be able to go in or out," said Trapeta Mayson, chief program officer for Comhar.

Residents will need to meet county criteria established with judicial, probation or pretrial officials and won't be accepted if they are facing certain crimes, such as violent offenses or felony sex or drug crimes, said Brian Watson, county deputy administrator for mental health services.

Our program is focused on teaching life skills and social skills to individuals who have mental health disabilities and mental illness, said Christine Ebert, a Comhar program director since 2012 for what the company calls Long-Term Structured Residential (LTSR) facilities.

"We provide a lot of community integration for those residents," she continued. "We have a fully structured program during the day. We provide individual therapy, group therapy, along with outings -- recreational outings but also learning-based outings -- to build social capital for our individuals in the community."

Comhar plans a staff of 22 at the Easton center and also operates facilities in Northampton County at 900 Blue Mountain Drive and 3480 W. Walker Road, both in Lehigh Township.

The company follows the regulations of the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services and has received "spotless audits" annually for its clinical programming, Mayson said.

"We are a transitional program that ultimately has had a wonderful track record for our graduation rate and stepping individuals down into the community, into some type of less restrictive housing," Ebert told the zoning board.

Following questions, public comment and discussion, zoning board members Michael A. Civitella, Michele Vulcano Hall and Pamela Panto approved the proposal.

Comhar will share 416 Canal St. with The Nehemiah House of Restoration Inc., a substance abuse residential rehabilitation facility approved by the city in 2009, said Davis, from Shiloh Baptist.

Were excited to be able to deliver these important services to marginalized communities, specifically individuals who have been identified who have intellectual disabilities and then end up in prison, he told lehighvalleylive.com on Wednesday.

For some in Northampton County Prison, "they can't get the services that they need to get to court," Davis continued. "So we really want to be able to help these folks get the services so that they can get back to living normal lives. Whatever the outcome of their treatment, we want it to be expeditious."

Shiloh is working with Alloy5 Architecture on renovating the property to Comhars standards and hopes to have a ribbon-cutting around September, Davis said.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Scottish distillery releases groundbreaking 'carbon positive' gin

Scottish 'field to bottle' distiller Arbikie has taken eco-friendly spirits production to the next level with a new "climate positive" gin.

Nadar Gin, which removes more carbon dioxide than it emits in production, is the result of five years of research by Arbikie's master distiller Kirsty Black in a PhD studentship between Abertay University and The James Hutton Institute.

Meaning "nature" in Gaelic, Nadar uses a grain neutral spirit made from peas. Unlike cereal crops  the most common ingredient for base gin spirit  peas do not need synthetic nitrogen fertilisers, avoiding the products' negative environmental impacts, and they also help to offset the nitrogen fertiliser requirements of other crops which follow them in crop rotation.

As a result, Nadar Gin has a carbon footprint of -1.54kg of carbon dioxide emissions per 700ml bottle. Arbikie says the use of peas makes for a smoother spirit, and the gin uses botanicals including lemongrass and citrus leaf which can be grown on the Arbikie estate inside its polytunnel.

Kirsty Black said: "Peas are a part of a unique set of plants known as legumes that are able to source nitrogen, which is critical for plant growth, from the air. This removes the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilisers and, therefore, avoids the negative environmental impact its production and use has on our waterways, air and soils."

Graeme Walker, professor of zymology at Abertay University, is a supervisor on the PhD project. He said: "This project is an excellent example of what can be achieved with the right blend of academic expertise and industry know-how."

John Stirling, director of Arbikie Distillery, said: "Our ethos at Arbikie has always been to try and create premium spirits where all ingredients are grown on our single-estate farm, minimising our carbon footprint, and working with home-grown ingredients to create one of the worlds most sustainable distilleries. Our Nadar Gin goes one step further and looks to make a positive, instead of neutral, impact in terms of long-term sustainability. It also tastes fantastic, which is a credit to our distilling team."

19 February 2020 - Bethany Whymark
Popular leftist leader Kanhaiya Kumar is already campaigning there for all the secular and democratic causes the Communist Party of India represents.

After tense days despite exit polls predicting outright victory for him, Arvind Kejriwals Aam Aadmi Party did sweep the Delhi polls with 62 seats in the 70-member Assembly. The BJP gained five seats over its previous tally of three, well below its much-advertised expectations of capturing power.

The Congress for the second time scored a duck. Some say it played a weak hand to facilitate Opposition victory. If true, thats the model to defeat Prime Minister Modis increasingly authoritarian rule. It eluded the Opposition last year.

Mr Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) didnt spare any idiom of hate speech to target Muslim women or the wider popular resistance to his communally framed citizenship law. Delhi thus won a significant victory over the politics of hate. Home minister Amit Shah, the wholesale agent for communal poison he mixes effectively in his electoral strategy, has tried to appear contrite. But the PMs minders in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are adamant that the law to exclude Muslims  a key plank in their proposed Hindu Rashtra  must stay at any cost, and that was exactly what Mr Modi also reiterated at the weekend. Therefore, the battle is on and, in fact, now moves into a more critical phase.

Kejriwals fine victory was built around his five years of investment in free primary healthcare, spruced up free schools with water and cheap electricity for the underprivileged. He did well in taming the BJP without getting involved in its communal vitriol. There is criticism that Kejriwal used religious metaphors in a public show of his reverence for Hindu deities, but he also sang a biblical song used in the civil rights movement. The criticism seems petulant under the circumstances, not the least because the ideal leader of an ideal party to lead the march against Modi does not exist. Previous searches have drawn a blank. Congress promised to sell cow urine in Madhya Pradesh, among other offers, to its imagined or real Hindu voter. The Left has not been untouched by the virus. Its use of religious motifs as cultural icons in West Bengal for decades stand in contrast to its stark failure to popularise its truer ideological plank of scientific temper, not to forget scientific socialism. The result has been

telling. Following its rout in West Bengal, a massive chunk of the party cadre walked over to the BJP.

Ironically, it is the Shiv Sena with its baggage of Hindu fascist ideology that has moved to a more reassuring position with Maharashtra chief minister Udhav Thackeray admitting recently that it was a mistake to mix religion with politics. Shiv Sena, of course, cannot suddenly discard its pet reference points, including taking potshots at Pakistan. The rivalry with Raj Thackeray, a former kinsman of the Sena, makes it necessary for him to keep looking over the shoulders in competitive bigotry. But thats all that the Opposition has to shape into a winning team.

Kejriwals victory apart, for the bigger challenges ahead, the Opposition appears to be in disarray, mostly for selfish reasons. Elections are due in Bihar in November and they promise to be a complex proposition.

Popular leftist leader Kanhaiya Kumar is already campaigning there for all the secular and democratic causes the Communist Party of India represents. His youthful caravan is routinely targeted by mobs along the dusty journey, and Modis supporters are not the only suspects. Kanhaiya lost the parliamentary elections in May last year in which he was pitted against two major contending flanks  Lalu Yadavs secular politics and the BJPs rabid communalism. The latter exploited the division and trounced them both. As long as the priceless secular vote continues to be thus split the BJP and its local allies would claim critical advantage, not the least in Bihar.

In fact, after Bihar, until 2024 when Modi faces the next general elections, there are some two-dozen state contests to test his chances. In May 2021, the Opposition gets another chance to tame Modi in West Bengal, Assam and Tamil Nadu, among the major states going to polls. Communist-ruled Kerala also heads for elections around the middle of next year. However, the BJP has found it difficult to breach the states secular and democratic tradition.

The presence of the Left in the Opposition ranks is always reassuring, particularly in view of its much-liked government in Kerala, which has been outspoken on the citizenship law. However, the Left also brings its own baggage of sectarian priorities that may yet again torpedo chances of a joint campaign against Modi. If the Left cannot find a way of building bridges with Mamata Banerjee for the Assembly elections next year, it should be prepared to accept responsibility for any adverse outcome.

By arrangement with Dawn
PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-19 14:03:02

Mettawa, IL, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Continuing its positive momentum from Januarys successful CES (Consumer Electronics Show), Brunswick Corporation (NYSE:BC) followed up with another award-winning Miami Boat Show this year. Mercury Marine, Sea Ray, Boston Whaler and Bayliner all showcased new products while Freedom Boat Club announced that it had added additional franchise locations including a new company owned club in Ft. Lauderdale.



For the second straight year, Mercury Marine displayed a record number of engines in Miami, showcasing 115 more engines than any other outboard manufacturer at the show and accounting for almost half of all the outboard engines on display. This marks four consecutive major Florida saltwater boat shows where Mercury has not only had record share but displayed more engines than any other manufacturer and continues to be the engine brand of choice for a growing list of OEM partners. Mercury also set records at both the 2018 and 2019 Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show. In addition, Mercury Racing won the 2020 Innovation Award in the outboard category for its 450R.

Brunswick Boat Group made headlines with three of the most well-known brands in the marine industry this year in Miami. Boston Whaler reported sales growth from a year ago while showcasing six of their award-winning models in addition to the 325 and 405 Conquest as well as the 280 Vantage -- all making their Miami debut.

Sea Ray capitalized on a strong showing at CES showcasing the SLX- R400e and the SLX- R 310 for the first time in Miami in addition to an elevated consumer experience that has become a staple of their brand transformation. In addition, Bayliner launched their new Trophy series in Miami, the brands first launch at the show in over five years. Combined sales of Brunswick boat brands also increased from a year ago.

We are very energized and optimistic after another successful Miami Boat Show for Brunswick and our brands, said Dave Foulkes, Brunswick Chief Executive Officer. We laid out our strategic initiatives and growth plans during our annual investor meeting prior to the show, and we are confident in our vision and our plan to achieve those goals. Brunswick will continue to define the future of the marine industry and that was evident again this year in Miami.

Along with the success of the Brunswick brands on display, the company showcased key elements of its ACES (Autonomous, Connected, Electrification, Shared Access) strategy throughout the show. Boston Whaler and Mercury Marine partnered with Raymarine to feature the latest assisted docking technology on two Outrage models available for customers to demonstrate at the show. This technology continues to advance towards a commercial solution available in MY 2021 on select models.

Connectivity was also prominent for all Brunswick brands as many boats were equipped with many of Brunswick and Mercurys connected solutions such as NAUTIC-ON, Vessel View Mobile and the all-new 1st Mate safety solution.

Sea Rays Innovation Award for the SLX-R 400e featured the revolutionary Fathom system from Mastervolt which made its debut at CES and showcased Brunswicks leadership position in electrification.

Rounding out the ACES strategy, Freedom Boat Club not only signed up new members, but also provided training courses to prospective members while promoting their South Florida locations.

We are the most innovative marine company in the world, and I think we showed that again this year in Miami, said Foulkes. Our engine capacity has increased to meet the growing demand for our high horsepower outboard engines, our P&A business is growing, and our Business Acceleration group continues to attract new consumers to boating, while our boat group is on a pace to launch almost 100 new products over the next 18 months. The future looks bright for Brunswick.

Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, and projections about Brunswicks business and by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Words such as may, could, expect, intend, target, plan, seek, estimate, believe, predict, outlook, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forwardlooking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from expectations as of the date of this news release. These risks include, but are not limited to: the effect of adverse general economic conditions, including the amount of disposable income consumers have available for discretionary spending, tight consumer credit markets, and the level of consumer confidence on the demand for our products and services; our ability to successfully implement our strategic plan and growth initiatives; our ability to integrate targeted acquisitions, including the Global Marine & Mobile Business of Power Products; the risk that unexpected costs will be incurred in connection with these transactions; the possibility that the expected synergies and value creation from these transactions will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time period; having to record an impairment to the value of goodwill and other assets; changes to U.S. trade policy and tariffs; the inability to identify and complete targeted acquisitions; negative currency trends, including shifts in exchange rates; fiscal policy concerns; adequate financing access for dealers and customers and our ability to access capital and credit markets; maintaining effective distribution; adverse economic, credit, and capital market conditions; loss of key customers; attracting and retaining skilled labor, implementing succession plans for key leadership, and executing organizational and leadership changes; inventory reductions by dealers, retailers, or independent boat builders; requirements for us to repurchase inventory; actual or anticipated increases in costs, disruptions of supply, or Brunswick Corporation January 30, 2020 Page 11 of 21 (more) defects in raw materials, parts, or components we purchase from third parties, including as a result of new tariffs on raw materials, increased demand for shipping carriers, and transportation disruptions; higher energy and fuel costs; our ability to protect our brands and intellectual property; absorbing fixed costs in production; managing our manufacturing footprint; outages, breaches, or other cybersecurity events regarding our technology systems, which could result in lost or stolen information and associated remediation costs; managing our share repurchases; competitive pricing pressures; our ability to develop new and innovative products and services at a competitive price, in legal compliance with existing rules; maintaining product quality and service standards; product liability, warranty, and other claims risks; legal and regulatory compliance, including increased costs, fines, and reputational risks; changes in income tax legislation or enforcement; certain divisive shareholder activist actions; joint ventures that do not operate solely for our benefit; international business risks; and weather and catastrophic event risks. Additional risk factors are included in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2018 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and Brunswick does not undertake any obligation to update them to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release or for changes by wire services or Internet service providers.

About Brunswick

Headquartered in Mettawa, Ill., Brunswick Corporations leading consumer brands include Mercury Marine outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrive and inboard packages; Mercury global parts and accessories including propellers and SmartCraft electronics; Power Products Integrated Solutions; MotorGuide trolling motors; Attwood, Garelick, and Whale marine parts; Land N Sea, BLA, Paynes Marine, Kellogg Marine, and Lankhorst Taselaar marine parts distribution; Mercury and Quicksilver parts and oils; Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Crestliner, Cypress Cay, Harris, Lowe, Lund, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Rayglass, Sea Ray, Thunder Jet and Uttern boats; Boating Services Network, Freedom Boat Club, NAUTIC-ON, OnBoard Boating Club and Rentals. For more information, visit https://www.brunswick.com .
A former Russian police officer told a court his superior ordered him to plant drugs on investigative journalist Ivan Golunov, whose arrest last summer sparked outrage.

Denis Konovalov, who was fired in connection with his arrest on fabricating drug charges against Golunov, admitted he framed the journalist but said he did so at the behest of Igor Lyakhovets, who is also on trial.

Aleksei Kovrizhkin, Lyazovets lawyer, said his client is innocent and that prosecutors are pressuring Konovalov.

Judging by his look, he is very despondent. I dont know what path they found to him, but he is broken, Kovrizhkin told Open Media.

Lyazovets claims he was on vacation when Golunov was arrested, but said his subordinates consulted with him by phone about the case.

Golunov was arrested on June 6 in Moscow on charges of attempting to sell a large amount of illegal drugs just as he was preparing to publish an investigation about corruption in the nations funeral industry.

The fabricated arrest quickly unraveled after police posted photos of drug paraphernalia supposedly from inside Golunovs home.

Journalists and friends who had been to Golunovs residence quickly recognized the photos were fake and began staging pickets.

He was released from house arrest on June 11 after the country's interior minister announced that criminal charges against him would be dropped and a day before his supporters planned a protest.
Detectives arrested a man who allegedly beat and killed his roommates 4-year-old son while he was babysitting last December.

Zerrick Marquez, 26, is charged with child abuse resulting in death.

Police say the child, James Dunklee, and his mother were living with Marquez, his girlfriend and two children at the Cinnamon Tree apartments when the boy was killed.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court:

Officers responded around 10 p.m. to the apartment for a child who was unconscious and not breathing. They found Dunklee on the floor and took him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Marquez told police he was babysitting Dunklee while his mother was at work and was alone at the apartment with the children. Marquez said he went to get something from the dresser, tripped, and fell knee-first onto Dunklees chest as the boy slept. He said Dunklee then had a blank stare and told him he did not feel well before the boy fell and hit his head against the wall.

Marquez told police Dunklee was breathing funny afterward, and he tried to resuscitate the child before calling his girlfriend and 911. Marquezs girlfriend and Dunklees mother showed up before police. They found the boy naked and unconscious on the floor.

Officers noticed Marquezs hand was bruised and swollen, and he said he was in a fight at work weeks ago but then changed his story to say he punched a car after hearing Dunklee was dead. Lapel footage does not show Marquez punch anything.

Marquez told police he had smoked wax, a form of marijuana, earlier in the day.

Officers had the New Mexico Children, Youth & Families Department place Marquezs other children on a 48-hour hold while they investigated.

Police say bruises covered Dunklees body. He also had knots on his head, a bloody left ear and other injuries. An autopsy confirmed massive internal injuries, including a lacerated liver and pancreas, bruising to his lung and intestine, blood in his abdomen and a skull fracture.

A doctor found many of the injuries were not consistent with Marquezs story.

Marquezs 2-year-old daughter told a CYFD investigator, and later police, that her father jumps on Dunklee too hard when the boy is in trouble. The girl said Dunklee was hurt, said ow, ow, ow and she was worried about the boy.

Detectives found text messages between Marquez and his girlfriend  going back months  talking about beating the children, lying about a bruise on Dunklees leg and talking about hating Dunklee and his mother.

In one text, Marquezs girlfriend says she told a crying Dunklee to shut up and that no one cares about his leg injury. The text asks Marquez to lie to his mother about how the injury happened, suggesting that he blame it on their other child.

The mother of Marquezs girlfriend told police the couple brought Dunklee over for Thanksgiving, and he couldnt even walk and was really in pain. But the girlfriend said the child just had a weak leg.
Sanders health has been under scrutiny since early October, when he experienced chest pains during a campaign event in Las Vegas and had two stents inserted into an artery. His campaign did not reveal that he had suffered a heart attack until three days later, after he was released from the hospital.
WASHINGTON: In a clear sign that now major bilateral trade deal will be signed between US and India during President Donald Trump's two-day visit to India on February 24, the US president on Tuesday (February 19) said he is "saving the big deal" with India for later.

President Trump added that he "does not know" if the trade deal will be finalised before the presidential election in November 2020. "We can have a trade deal with India. But I'm really saving the big deal for later," he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews.

Sources said that the US and India could sign a "trade package" during Trump's visit. Responding to a question whether he expects a trade deal with India before the visit, Trump said, "We're doing a very big trade deal with India. We'll have it. I don't know if it'll be done before the election, but we'll have a very big deal with India."

It is likely that US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the point-person for trade negotiations with India, will not come to India with President Trump.

President Trump also expressed dissatisfaction over US-India trade ties and said that Washington is not treated very well by India. He, however, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he is looking forward to his visit to India. "I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot," Trump said.

"He told me we'll have seven million people between the airport and the event. And the stadium, I understand, is sort of semi under construction, but it's going to be the largest stadium in the world. So it's going to be very exciting... I hope you all enjoy it," he told reporters.

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Meanwhile, the latest report of US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) has shown that the data for the last quarter depict the continuation of overall positive bilateral trade trends. The third quarter data, however, reflects some downslide in growth rates.

"It may be due to several reasons, including the unexpected economic slowdown in India's economic growth, impact of US-China trade war, GSP withdrawal from the US side and retaliatory tariffs on specific US goods from the Indian side," USISPF said.
Shanghai hospitals recovery rate 53%

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-02-19 17:39

The local recovery rate for COVID-19 has reached 53 percent, experts announced on February 18.

On Tuesday, 16 coronavirus patients were discharged in Shanghai. So far, the total number of discharged people is 177.

Mr. Shen is one of the discharged patients at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital. While going to Wuhan to pick up his mother-in-law and meet his wife, Shen probably contracted the virus from his wife, a doctor in the pediatric respiratory department in a hospital there. All three family members contracted the virus. After treatment, Shen is now glad to see that all of them have been cured.

The discharged patients, including Shen, have to stay at home for two weeks and medical staff will visit them during the time period. After the two-week quarantine, they should go to designated hospitals for a reexamination.

Since February 9, the number of new confirmed cases on a daily basis has remained in single digits, a highly encouraging sign.
Indias largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki has confirmed it will not be sending its cars for the Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP). The Global NCAP serves as a platform for co-operation among new car assessment programmes worldwide and promotes the universal adoption of motor vehicle safety standards worldwide. As per a report, the Maruti Suzuki India Limiteds Senior Executive Director CV Raman said that the brand adheres by all safety regulations including the newly mandated offset side-impact and pedestrian protection norms. He further added that anything which is proposed and recognised by the Indian government will undoubtedly be accepted by them. However, "cars will not go to any other agency.

Meanwhile, Tata Altroz and the Mahindra XUV300 were both recently tested by the Global New Car Assessment Programme and got a 5-star safety rating in the crash test. The brands Chief Executive Officer and President David Ward have also urged other manufacturers to produce 5-star safety rated cars in India. The Global New Car Assessment Programme crash test is not mandatory for the vehicles sold in India. As of now, the cars that are being sold in India only need to come with things like a driver airbag, rear parking sensors, ABS with EBD and front seat belt reminders as standard.

On the other hand, the Government of India has proposed a safety rating test called Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program. Under this program, cars sold in the country will be assigned a star rating based on their safety performance.
The talks, which lasted for almost three hours, will continue on Thursday.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court appointed interlocutors on Wednesday visited Shaheen Bagh to initiate talks with the protesters asserting that the top court has upheld their right to protest but it should not affect the rights of other citizens. Advocates Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran as well as former bureaucrat Wajahat Habibullah went to Shaheen Bagh to speak to the protesters and attempted to find out a way to end the protest. The talks, which lasted for almost three hours, will continue on Thursday.

The Supreme Court has upheld your right to protest. But then other citizens also have their rights and it should also be maintained, Ms Ramachandran told the crowd assembled at the protest site. We want to together find a solution to the problem. We will listen to everyone, she said in Hindi.

Mr Hegde explained the Supreme Court order to the protesters. This was translated into Hindi by Ms Ramachandran. The protesters have been on a sit-in against the new citizenship law since December 15 last year. Many of the protesters said that they would clear the protest site only after the CAA, NRC and NPR were removed.

Responding to the concerns raised by the protesting women, Ms Ramachandran said that all the points will be put forward before the Supreme Court and discussed in detail. However, I want to say one thing. A country that has daughters like you can never face any threats, she added.

The women, young and old, tried to explain their point of view to the interlocutors. A woman broke down while talking to the mediators. She said they are protesting to save the Constitution but people see only the inconvenience of commuters who have the option of taking so many other roads. Arent we facing inconvenience sitting here in cold nights, without food, taking our children to the protest. We are ourselves so troubled, what trouble will we cause to citizens?
" " Pet stores use technical, scientific terms all the time for their dog chews, why are they skittish about this one? John Lund/Getty Images

When you see a dried bull penis in a pet store, you might not realize that's what you're considering buying as your dog's newest chew. Instead, the dried sex organs are probably labeled "bully stick" or "pizzle." Pizzle comes from the Low German word for penis, "pesel,"which was used to refer to the penis of animals, usually that of a bull. Maybe you're already up to date on bull penis lingo, but do most people know what they are buying? Why are the shops uncomfortable calling something, well, what it actually is?

When a bull is processed for its meat, the penis is a byproduct that can be repurposed for other uses like chews for dogs. A bull penis typically measures about 25 inches (63.5 centimeters) long. After it is removed and cleaned, it's usually hung vertically to drain, then stretched and twisted while it dries. Sometimes the penis also goes through a curing and smoking process. The final stage of turning a bull penis into a chew toy occurs when the penis  now at about 40 inches (101.6 centimeters) long  is cut into dog-appropriate pieces.

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A team at Tufts University and the University of Guelph decided to find out just how much the average person knows about bull penis chew toys. In 2013, they asked 852 dog owners to complete a 20-question survey about a popular pet chew toy commonly known as a bully stick. Of the respondents, who hailed from 44 states and six countries, only 44 percent knew a bully stick was actually a bull penis. Somewhat surprisingly, there wasn't a clear consensus among veterinarians, either. In fact, 38 percent of veterinarians polled in the survey didn't know that bully sticks were bull penises, either.

So if other animal parts with anatomically correct labeling  chicken gizzards, pig ears and snouts, lamb esophaguses, etc.  are showing up on the shelves of natural pet stores eager to minimize animal waste, why are producers and pet stores so afraid to call a penis a penis? It probably has to do with a prevailing sense of modesty in American culture, one that's so off-kilter that people refer to their own private parts as wee-wees and hoo-hoos, even to medical professionals.

"Companies can benefit from being a bit vague in their marketing and packaging," says "Make Yourself Marketable" author, Branding Muse founder and marketing expert Emmelie De La Cruz, "because of the emotional and psychological connections people make with words, descriptions and presentations. Think about it this way: would you want to imagine your beloved animal chewing on that specific animal part? Probably not. Leaving information like this out helps people have a more positive association with the product, and therefore be more likely to purchase."

" " Dog chews on display at the Atlanta shop Star Provisions, one of the few stores willing to call a penis a penis. Wally Gobetz/Flickr

When it comes to bull penises your dog probably won't care what you call them. That said, you may want to exercise restraint when offering them as treats. Researchers from Tufts University examined 26 bully sticks and found that several of the treats were contaminated. Seven of the bully sticks contained the bacteria E. coli. One bully stick had Clostridium difficile, bacteria that can cause easily spread and potentially cause fatal colon inflammation. There also was a bull penis chew toy contaminated with MRSA, a type of staph bacteria that has become resistant to most antibiotics.

" " A dog chews on a bull peni... sorry, "pizzle." Dave Mutton/Flickr

Additionally, Tufts researchers found bully sticks to be high in calories, ranging from 9 to 22 calories per inch. And, because most of the dried bull-penis chews are cut to about six inches (15.24 centimeters) long, eating just one could equal 30 percent of the recommended daily caloric intake for small dogs (up to 10 pounds or 4.5 kilograms). A bully stick would account for about 9 percent of the recommended daily calories for large dogs (50 pounds or 22 kilograms).

"With obesity in pets on the rise, it is important for pet owners to factor in not only their dog's food, but also treats," says researcher Lisa Freeman, a professor of nutrition at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in a statement about the study, which was published in the January 2013 issue of the Canadian Veterinary Journal.

Now That's Interesting Yet another reason to keep kids out of the dog and cat food: An outbreak of salmonella that affected 79 people, primarily children, between 2006 and 2008 was traced to contaminated dry pet food.
ASHLAND, Ore.  Detectives with Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement (MADGE) seized roughly 30 pounds of methamphetamine between two traffic stops within the past week, according to Medford Police.

Investigators with MADGE had been working on a large-scale drug trafficking ring suspected of smuggling meth into the Rogue Valley. On Sunday, detectives identified a vehicle they believed was involved  a 2015 Nissan Rogue registered in California.

Officers had eyes on the Nissan as it pulled into a Chevron station along Highway 66 in Ashland. Detectives went to talk with the two people in the car, identified as 36-year-old Christian Olivarria-Aguirre and 35-year-old Jacqueline Castillo.

Medford Police said that the two consented to a search of the vehicle, leading to the discovery of 20 pounds of meth. Aguirre and Castillo were arrested and lodged in jail on $500,000 bail.

Two days later, MADGE detectives were working on a "different drug trafficking organization" from California. They spotted a 2020 GMC SUV heading northbound on I-5 until they saw the driver commit traffic violations, Medford Police said.

Officers stopped the car just south of Ashland. The driver, 59-year-old Ernesto Vela of California, reportedly consented to a search. Detectives found 10 pounds of meth inside the car.

"In both cases, detectives believed the drugs were destined for the Rogue Valley," Medford Police said. "MADGE remains committed to dismantling and disrupting drug trafficking organizations that bring drugs into our area."
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A typical house in Jaisalmer

One of the Patwa havelis

The hill-top fort

Inside the hill-top museum

Of the 70,000 people living in Jaisalmer, nearly 40% migrate in search of jobs, as there are there are none here for seven to eight months a year

The Jain temples

The teenage boy and girl: Both school dropouts

A bumpy ride on the jeep

It is called the Golden City of India. The raison d'etre is simple: Virtually no houses in the 70,000-odd population of the small township are made of red bricks reinforced with cement. They are all constructed with yellow sandstone found in the nearby hilly tracks. One can go atop any house, not to talk of the hilltop fort, to fathom that its all yellow all the way, everywhere, including the beautiful hilltop Jain temples in the fort premises. Jain temples, we were told, arent coloured yellow anywhere, except here. Jaisalmer becomes a tourist attraction, starting November and ending mid-March, attracting foreigners and industrialists like Arvind Dubash, who celebrated his 50th destination birthday here with top Bollywood personalities such as Karan Johar. As part of a small family group, we also visited the city in the third week of January in a Rajasthan trip organized by MakeMyTrip  a city about which I vaguely knew anything other than it has possibly some lovely sand dunes, and there was campfire to enjoy in its tent hotels.We spent two nights there, the first one in the town itself, at Marina Mahal. I didnt care to inquire, but it seems it was a small two-storey haveli, renovated and converted into a hotel. We preferred to stay on the ground floor, as decided not to trouble our legs to climb up. The hotel has no lift, which considered its minus point.We took our lunch in a nearby dhaba-type restaurant. As we had come all the way from Jodhpur following a six-hour cab ride, with a stopovers in between to see places (including a defence museum), it was already late afternoon, and the restaurant owner was about to close shop. Yet, he was kind enough to serve us with tasty Rajasthani dal bati. Thereafter, we decided to proceed to Marina Mahal, where we did nothing but relax.Peeping through the window of the hotel room, which opened on a small street, I could see three women, with ghunghat on their head, sitting on the a small chabutara outside their small yellow house in the evening sunlight, peeling vegetables. I snapped a few photographs. We chatted for the rest of the evening. On the next day we were to visit the city and the hilltop fort, and then move over to the desert, supposedly the main attraction of Jaisalmer.After taking breakfast on the hotel terrace, where it was very cold, we were taken by our driver, Gopal Singh, to see five havelis of Jaisalmer, built by Jain merchants in the 19th century. Gopal Singh got hired for us a young and energetic guide, whose surname, I recall, is Charan, a community whose traditional job was to sing songs in praise of gods and goddesses, and of course Rajput rulers, even as chronicling events.Called Patwa havelis, even as Charan took us inside one of them, which has been converted into a museum, I decided to explore how rich is this golden town. I asked him: What is the population of the town? Do all of you live only on tourism? Charan was quick to respond: Yes, on tourism, which lasts for less than five months, all around winter. Of the 70,000 people living here, nearly 40% migrate in search of jobs, as there are there are none here for seven to eight months a year.Intricately carved exterior, decorated walls, Marwari style miniature paintings, mirror work, merchants and their wives clothes, the utensils they would use -- we saw all of it for about an hour. Charan also showed us the pagdis different communities would wear to identify their castes and sub-castes. Surely, I thought, there was no place for outcastes or untouchables -- they dared not wear any pagdi. For, their only job was to clean streets and, of course, human excreta.All through Charan tried to tell us how the rich Jain merchants, when they lived here, turned Jaisalmer into a major trading centre. They would trade in gold, silver, opium, jewellery, etc., as it was part of the Silk Route, which passed through todays Pakistan, via Afghanistan, into Iran, Iraq and beyond, he said, regretting, the merchants left this place in a lurch after India was divided. Many of them shifted to Mumbai.The Silk Route collapsed, and the once rich city today is part of one of the most backward areas of Rajasthan and India -- Marwar. Water scarcity is a common feature here, there is very little agriculture, its in the midst of Thar desert, there is no industry around, droughts are common, and things would become worse during summer. And, of course, less said the better about power. Even the two "high-profile" hotels where we stayed didnt have power for an hour each.We were taken to the Hill Fort of Jaisal, named after the 12th century king, Maharawal Jaisal Singh. Charan told us, around 3,000 people lived within the fort premises, with many of the houses turning into handicraft shops, guest houses and restaurants. We could see many foreigners coming out of the houses, converted into small little fancy hotels.The main part of the fort has been converted into a museum. Here, apart from the display of the valour of Rajput descendants of the 12th century king, we were also apprised of their daily life. They would eat in silver utensils, as they knew, the utensils colour would change if poison was mixed into their food, Charan told us.Then, Charan took us to the bedroom of a king, where, we were told, he would sleep on a low height bed, especially designed in a way that his legs could immediately touch the floor. He was trained to stand up in an upright position from this bed to fight back, taking weapon lying next to him, if attacked at night, he added.What a life!, commented one of us. They couldnt even have a peaceful sleep! We saw pagdis different communities would wear on different occasions, utensils used for cooking food, the royal dress, weapons the kings would use, and all that. We were also told how the queens would observe purdah  they had separate rooms from where they would observe the kings durbar through an intricate stone carving.After spending a couple of hours in the fort, we parted company of Charan. Driver Gopal Singh took us down to the town to another dhaba to have traditional food  a barja roti with tasty mixed vegetable sabzi. Following the lunch, we were taken more than 30 plus kilometres away, to a tent hotel, Sand Voyages Camp.On reaching there, we hired a jeep, which took us on a bumpy ride to the sand dunes, which is what I wanted to see and experience the most. We were dropped at a make-shift tea stall, next to one of the sand dunes, sat on the charpoi till the camels were brought in to take us on another ride. A young boy, still in his early teens, accompanied one of the two camels we had hired, walking for about 40 minutes. He took our photographs as we rode on.Back to the make-shift tea stall, I asked the boy, who was the elderly person accompanying the other camel. My uncle, he replied. We live a village not very far away, he said, showing us the direction where his helmet was situated. Its some distance, though... We come here to earn a living. I got curious.I asked the boy whether he went to school. No I dont. I have stopped going to school, he replied. Why?, I queried. The teacher doesnt come to the school. Who would teach us? I paid him a tip and we parted company. We again went and sat on the charpoi at the tea stall, where a young rural family, consisting of a girl and a boy, both in early teens, and a young village couple, all with costumes on their face, requested us to listen to their song.They sang a popular Rajasthani song, we paid them the agreed amount, and went up on the nearest sand dune to sit in the bright sun to wait for the sunset, when the jeep was to come to pick us up. The girl came up to us, demanding chocolates. We didnt have any, I told her. She hung around, starting to play with the sand. As she was playing, I asked her where she lived, and whether she went to school. No I dont, she replied. There is no school in our village.Following the sunset, we rode the jeep again on a bumpy ride, reached the Sand Voyages Camp, were taken to a cultural programme, performed around campfire in the neighbourhood, returned to the hotel, took dinner especially prepared for us, slept in the cold wintry night in the tent.Next day morning, following breakfast, we began our long journey  about 550 km  to Udaipur, wondering all the while why was this city called golden even though it has all the characteristics of backwardness. As I was sitting next to the driver, he began talking about the Marwar region, often dropping hints about the harsh rural life.Himself a Rajput, Gopal Singh admitted untouchability and discrimination are rampant in the rural areas. Dalits are not allowed to enter temples. They dare not. They are treated as untouchables almost everywhere, he said. And what do they do? Cleaning job in the village, and agricultural labour as and when there is farming.As for women, he said, Girls do not study much, they are married off at an early age, which is a norm here. And women-folk must observe purdah after marriage... Gopal Singh comes from a village near Jodhpur, about 300 km off Jaisalmer, part of the Marwar region. He has a farm land, but it's rainfed agriculture. He added, its not enough to feed his family, one reason why he must drive taxi to take tourists around.Social backward and oppression, clearly, characterized Jaisalmer, which is situated 121 kilometres from Pakistan border. Bollywood bigwigs Gauri Khan, Maheep Kapoor, Sandeep Khosla and the girls gang may have taken an auto ride around the golden city in order to get media publicity , even as attending destination birthday bash of industrialist Arvind Dubash.However, Jaisalmer, and the entire Marwar region, of which it is part, clearly isnt a romantic destination if seen from a close quarters. Surely, behind the golden colour lies the dark, dense social and economic backwardness, a very harsh life, which few wish to notice.
WHO praises Singapores response to COVID-19

World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (right) praised Singapore's response to the COVID-19 infection. Photo courtesy: Twitter/@WHO

We are very impressed with Singapores efforts to find and treat COVID-19 cases said World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday.

"Singapore is leaving no stone unturned, testing every case of influenza-like illness and pneumonia," Dr Tedros said at a media briefing.

"Yesterday I spoke to #Singapores Minister of Health and we are very impressed with the efforts they are making to find every #COVID19 case, follow up with contacts, and stop transmission"-@DrTedros #coronavirushttps://t.co/88KOFjssIO  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 18, 2020

The WHO chief said he had spoken to Health Minister Gan Kim Yong about Singapore's response to the COVID-19 outbreak and was impressed with the efforts they are making to find every COVID-19 case, follow up with contacts, and stop transmission".

I spoke with Gan Kim Yong, Minister @sporeMOH, yesterday about the #COVID19 response. #Singapore is managing the imported cases with tremendous rigor. I thanked the Minister for 's leadership on preparedness. #coronavirus  Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 18, 2020

"So far they have not found evidence of community transmission," he added.

"#Singapore is leaving no stone unturned, testing every case of influenza-like illness and pneumonia. So far they have not found evidence of #COVID19 community transmission"-@DrTedros #coronavirus https://t.co/88KOFjssIO  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 18, 2020

The Ministry of Health on Tuesday night announced the recovery and discharge of 5 COVID-19 patients. The island nation has a total of 81 confirmed cases of which 29 have recovered and been discharged, with 1051 testing negative and 28 test results pending as of February 18.

Singapore has been relentless in its bid to track and contain the spread of the novel coronavirus which has infected over 75,000 people across the world. The latest in the Ministry of Healths measures to help prevent the spread of the disease is a strict Stay-Home Notice for all Singapore residents and long-term pass holders with recent travel history to mainland China outside the Hubei province.

These travellers will now be required to stay home at all times during their 14-day leave period - a stricter measure than the previous Leave of Absence which allowed people to leave their homes for brief periods.
Latitudes growth is driven by the peer-level attorneys we provide to our law firm and corporate clients. Clients choose Latitude when they need to expand capacity, such as during surges in workload, and dont want to roll the dice on attorney quality.

Nashville, Tennessee-based Latitude announced that it has launched Latitude Miami, the second new market the company has expanded into in 2020 after its January launch in Indianapolis. The companys local executives are all former large law firm partners or senior in-house counsel with deep ties to their respective cities and legal markets. Latitudes specialty is providing peer-level attorneys with large law firm experience to their corporate law firm and legal department clients on short- and long-term engagements.

Latitudes associate- and partner-level attorneys add capacity to corporate in-house teams during major business events, periods of peak demand, and when an immediate new hire is not possible, which helps clients control costs and reduce work overload. Latitude also helps law firms meet surges in client demand, remain nimble, reduce burnout, and minimize fixed costs. Latitude engagements typically range from a few months to a few years.

Latitudes growth is driven by the peer-level attorneys we provide to our law firm and corporate clients. Clients choose Latitude when they need to expand capacity, such as during surges in workload, and dont want to roll the dice on attorney quality said Andres (Andy) Chagui, President of Latitude Miami. I am excited to lead Latitudes expansion into South Florida and look forward to providing sophisticated attorneys a new way to practice with leading law firms and companies in our area.

Immediately prior to joining Latitude, Chagui was a Shareholder (partner) at AmLaw 200 law firm (270+ attorneys) Carlton Fields, where he represented major financial services companies in complex federal and state court litigation throughout the United States during his nearly 15 years of private practice. A native Miamian, Chagui has strong ties in the local legal community both at corporate legal departments and at law firms throughout South Florida. He received his bachelors degree from Vanderbilt University and his law degree from University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

Latitude was launched in 2014 by attorney Ross Booher and corporate executive Ken Clarke. As a partner in a large law firm, Booher observed first-hand the challenges law firm partners and in-house counsel face to reduce fixed costs, while also maintaining the right-sized teams given the unpredictable nature of law practice.

I realized that corporate legal departments and law firms have a real need for high-end associate- to partner-level attorneys on a fluctuating basis, said Booher. I also wanted to create an alternative, sustainable career track for successful attorneys with sophisticated experience  one that offers interesting work, great clients, full benefits, high pay and flexibility.

Over the past six years, Latitude has served clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies and large corporate law firms, to fast-growing start-up companies and boutique law firms. Latitude attorneys and paralegals serve clients both on-site and remotely in a variety of practice areas, including ERISA, litigation, environmental, IP, healthcare, and corporate & securities. When serving in law firms, Latitude attorneys function in associate-, counsel- and partner-level roles. When serving in corporate legal departments, Latitude attorneys work in in-house counsel roles.

We are thrilled to partner with Andy to bring our high-end legal services to South Florida. Andy has practiced at the highest level in Miamis thriving legal market and understands the unique culture of companies and law firms in South Florida, which will enable him and his team to create solutions for Latitudes clients and attorneys in the area, said Booher.

Our fabulous attorneys distinguish us from other legal services companies. Almost all Latitude attorneys were previously associates or partners at leading corporate law firms and most also served as in-house counsel, said Latitude EVP Candice Reed, who herself has BigLaw and in-house corporate counsel experience. Latitude attracts top-tier attorney talent by providing high pay, full benefits and a high degree of flexibility and autonomy. Experienced attorneys and paralegals want to work with us because we allow them to cultivate a sophisticated law practice with flexibility and boundaries that support their priorities in and outside the office, explained Reed.

About Latitude

Latitude, a high-end legal services company with offices in Atlanta, Indianapolis, Miami and Nashville, provides peer-level attorneys and paralegals on an engagement basis to corporate legal departments and law firms, increasing flexibility while reducing costs. Latitudes clients are law firms and corporate legal departments. Latitude serves its clients when they need more help, want to reduce costs, and dont want to risk quality. Latitude also assists clients with permanent position searches. Latitudes law firm-level attorneys enjoy full benefits, high pay, sophisticated work, great clients and optimal work-life balance. For more information visit: http://www.latitudelegal.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 18:40:58|Editor: huaxia

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WUHAN, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Central China's Hubei Province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus epidemic, will take more measures to offer care for frontline medical workers and their families in the ongoing battle against the outbreak.

According to the measures, frontline medical personnel in makeshift hospitals and designated hospitals shall not work continuously for more than one month in principle. The continuous working hours of medics in designated hospitals for accepting virus-infected patients in critical conditions can be appropriately shortened.

The work shifts and break time of doctors and nurses in centralized quarantine sites will be appropriately arranged based on the situation on the ground.

Meanwhile, hotels near medical institutions can be expropriated in accordance with the law to provide single rooms as far as possible for their rest and medical quarantine. Meals and other basic necessities will be supplied.

Hubei will also make every effort to provide all medical and health institutions with protective materials and equipment. Priority will be given to frontline medics in the distribution of such medical supplies.

In addition, health examinations will be organized for doctors and nurses to minimize infection among them. Timely quarantine and comprehensive treatment will be given to infected medical workers.

Hubei will also make full use of the psychological support hotlines of provincial colleges and universities to provide psychological counseling for frontline medical personnel and their families.

Hubei will also organize social forces and mobilize volunteers or specialized personnel to offer condolences to frontline medics and their families, as well as assist them in solving their needs and difficulties.
Pawan Kalyan is busy with two films, but is scheduled to complete both by July-end.

After the blockbuster Ala Vaikuntapuramlo, director Trivikram Srinivas was supposed to start his next project with Jr NTR. But the actor is busy with RRR and may take time to start a new project. In the meantime, actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan met Trivikram and they discussed the possibility of working together. They are very close, and Pawan Kalyan has told his friend to come up with a script, says a source.

So, Trivikram may choose Pawan for his next project and then move on to Jr NTR.

Pawan Kalyan is busy with two films, but is scheduled to complete both by July-end. In the meantime, Trivikram will prepare his script, added the source.
In just the first ten months after being awarded the first retrofit contract in Saudi Arabia by Tarshid, the Middle Easts leading energy and facilities management specialist Enova has successfully completed the implementation of an innovative range of Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) to cut and guarantee the energy use reduction of Sasos (Saudi Standards, Quality and Metrology Organisation) government facility by over 30 per cent.

After being awarded the contract by Tarshid, Enova leveraged its expertise gained from years of experience working on energy retrofitting projects across the region, to boost energy efficiency and reduce the facilitys electricity consumption by more than 6 GWh per year.

The amount of greenhouse gas emissions reduced by Enovas efforts equated to the CO2 emissions produced by nearly 1,000 passenger vehicles driven for a year.

The substantial savings at the Sasos facility in Riyadh are achieved through a mix of ECMs, which began with the installation of a Building & Chiller Management System that helped optimise the pumping system of the entire complex.

The project also called for the replacement of circa 14,500 conventional lightbulbs with LED lighting, as well as structural building optimisations, such as the installation of air curtains and chilled water line insulation to reduce cooling losses.

Comprising 11 buildings, which house several offices and laboratories, SASOs complex in Riyadh covers a total floor area of 193,000 sq m.

We are proud to have partnered with Saso in achieving its sustainability targets by cutting electricity consumption by over 30 per cent, while at the same time, introducing cutting-edge IoT technologies to maximise occupant comfort, said Enovas Chief Executive Officer, Renaud Capris. We look forward to continuing our work in Saudi Arabia and supporting the countrys efforts toward sustainability.

As part of its commitment to ensuring the well-being of end-users, Enova focused its efforts on increasing the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) by improving both the air quality and the thermal comfort of occupants. This was achieved through the deployment of specialised IoT technologies and smart solutions, marking the first instance that such an application has been seen within an Energy Performance Contract in Saudi Arabia.

Enovas award-winning Hubgrade platform was also a crucial component in the success of the project. The smart monitoring and reporting centre helped to identify saving opportunities, all the way from the audit stage, up to the measurement and verification process after implementation. Dashboards for both the client and end-users were provided, enabling transparency and raising awareness over the course of the project. -- Tradearabia News Service
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is leading the Democratic primary field in California, according to a new poll from the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.

The survey of 1,702 California residents likely to vote in the state Democratic primary on March 3 found: 32% favored Sanders, 14% former Vice President Joe Biden, 13% Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, 12% former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, 12% former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar stood at 5%, Bay Area businessman Tom Steyer at 3% and 8% said they were undecided.

This is a significant shift from the January poll that showed Californias primary as a three-way race, with 27% supporting Sanders, 24% Biden, and 23% Warren.

As the campaign moves to larger and more diverse states, Sanders support among Latinos and younger voters is noteworthy, Mark Baldassare, PPIC president and CEO, said in a statement.

ALSO: Sanders hopes early strength will prove he can beat Trump

Young voters age 18 to 44 especially expressed support for Sanders with 53% favoring him compared to 13% Buttigieg, 13% Warren, 9% Biden and 8% Bloomberg. Older voters age 45 and older are more evenly divided with 18% for Biden, 18% Sanders, 14% Bloomberg, 14% Warren and 11% Buttigieg).

Asked which candidate has the best chance of defeating Donald Trump, 34% of poll respondents said Sanders, 16% Biden and 16% Bloomberg, according to PPIC.

The 78-year-old self-described Democratic socialist also showed noteworthy gains in the latest Washington Post-ABC national poll, with 32% of Democratic voters saying they would vote for Sanders, compared to 23% in January. This marks a nine-point bump from January's poll. Biden, the poll's former lead, saw his support drop from 32% to 16%, while Bloomberg saw his popularity increase from 8% to 14%. Warren's support remained steady at 12%.

Find the full results from the California poll on the PPIC website.

Amy Graff is a digital editor for SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.
DALLAS, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

Preliminary data findings include*:

Across all industries, participating African-American consumers were on average 5 points less likely to recommend a business to a friend versus all other consumers

This difference varied meaningfully by industry . African-American participants were more likely to recommend companies in 10 industries and less likely across 29 industries (range of +16 to -19)

In many cases, Individual companies within the same industry saw very different feedback results based on race. For example, the differences in the likelihood to recommend between African-American compared with other consumers for individual restaurant companies ranged from +27 to -48.

Several product delivery factors spanning multiple industries contributed to the overall negative differences in experiences for African-American versus other consumers including "speed" (-13), "attitude" (-10), and "responsiveness" (-8). These scores were often the result of the absence of positive feedback versus an outright negative interaction

The initial top 10 companies/brands with the highest absolute overall likelihood to recommend score among African-American participants included Amazon, Bath & Body Works, Canada Dry, Chick-fil-A, Costco, Nike, Starbucks, Southwest, Toyota and Visa.

The National Urban League and HundredX, Inc. released today preliminary findings from an innovative process and data set bringing added transparency to the customer experiences of diverse consumers. Overall, African-Americans were less positive on their interactions with businesses when compared with all other consumers. The magnitude of the difference varied widely across industries and among companies within an industry.

Commenting on the initial findings, Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League, noted that "While many companies had positive or no gaps in performance with African-American consumers, regrettably many others did. For the latter group, this preliminary data represents a great way to start the conversation and a bit of a wake-up call."

The initial data and findings were produced from over 120,000 pieces of feedback collected by HundredX during the final nine months of 2019. Total participants exceeded 5,000 consumers of which over 1,000 were African-American.

Participants in HundredX's Express Feedback for Good  programs throughout the country, including supporters of the National Urban League, provide feedback on over 1,200 companies and brands as a way to create resources for non-profit related causes. Because supporters are asked to provide feedback as a way to support specific initiatives such as safety at their children's public school or a youth sport team, participation rates are exceptionally high. "Our mindset around feedback is the inverse of traditional surveys," commented Rob Pace, Founder & CEO of HundredX. "We try to provide a clear incentive and allow feedback providers to select the companies they know versus pre-determining who and what matters." Individual participants in the initial programs have provided feedback on 20 plus companies on average creating unique benchmarking capabilities across companies and industries.

"Business leaders and boards are looking for ways to ensure that all consumers have a positive experience, particularly as the US consumer becomes more diverse," added Morial at the National Urban League. "We are excited to play a role in sourcing quality, benchmarked data that creates greater transparency to accelerate that goal." Morial noted, "We believe data holds the key to a positive path forward. The initial HundredX data being introduced today serves as a great first step and prelude to a much deeper analysis during 2020."

"By partnering with a wide range of non-profits across the country, HundredX is going to revolutionize our understanding of the customer experience," said Todd Henderson, Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School and the author of The Trust Revolution: How the Digitization of Trust will Revolutionize Business and Government. "Surveys are clunky and give voice to the few and the extremes, good and bad. By unlocking a more representative sample of America, this data should allow companies, investors, and researchers to determine the truth rather than letting perception drive reality. I expect this approach to be as profound at giving voice to the people as the crowd-sourced rating systems of platforms like Amazon, Uber, and Yelp."

HundredX, in coordination with the National Urban League and numerous non-profits around the country, also announced plans to create over a million pieces of additional feedback during 2020 to deepen the understanding of the experiences of all consumers.

About the National Urban League:

The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. The National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its 88 local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people annually nationwide. Visit www.nul.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @NatUrbanLeague.

About HundredX:

HundredX, Inc. creates actionable insights on over 1,200 leading companies and brands. HundredX enables business leaders and investors to make better decisions by hearing from more representative customers. Express Feedback for Good is a turn-key program created by HundredX that allows non-profit organizations to generate significant funding by asking their supporters to provide feedback across companies and brands. Unlike traditional surveys, participants determine what feedback they provide. HundredX is a do well and do good company whose primary cost of goods sold supports non-profits. Visit HundredXinc.com.

*Preliminary findings based on over 120,000 pieces of feedback collected March-December 2019 from 5,185 participating consumers of which 1,088 identified as African-American. Industry and company specific insights reflect those with feedback volumes exceeding 500 and 100, respectively. Likelihood to recommend scores and percentages are based on Net Promoter Score methodology. NPS measures the percentage of Promoters minus Detractors to determine the likelihood of consumers to recommend. Net Promoter, NPS, and the NPS-related emoticons are registered U.S. trademarks, and Net Promoter Score and Net Promoter System are service marks of Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc. and Fred Reichheld. A Net Satisfaction score for a "Factor" represents the percentage of all respondents who selected a factor as good minus the percentage who selected it as not good.

MEDIA CONTACT:

David Ford

(212) 237-4625

[email protected]



SOURCE HundredX
Led by new investor Sequoia Capital India, and with participation from existing investors, Whatfix joins the family of tier-one B2B enterprise SaaS leaders funded by premier VC firms

SAN JOSE, California, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Whatfix , the leader in Digital Adoption Solutions ("DAS"), today announced it has secured $32 million in Series C funding. Sequoia Capital India led the round, with participation from existing investors Eight Roads Ventures-a global proprietary investment firm backed by Fidelity, F-Prime Capital, and Cisco Investments. Whatfix plans to use the latest cash infusion to drive product development and to address the growing demands for DAS by accelerating the company's expansion into markets such as Europe and Australia.

Founded in 2014, Whatfix's Digital Adoption Platform ("DAP") was created to help enterprises drive digital adoption, realize user productivity, and elevate user experience across enterprise applications. With this latest round of funding, Whatfix plans to further invest in product innovation with enhanced functionalities that unify the employee experience and digital journey across desktop, mobile and web applications; simplify enterprise-wide search across fragmented content repositories; and increase user productivity via workflow automation, personalization and BOT based data entry.

Enterprises spend billions of dollars on various enterprise applications and employee training, yet industry research shows that 85 percent of business executives are challenged with user adoption of new technologies. While a typical enterprise uses over 300 cloud applications , not all of them are used to their full potential, further proving that DAS is pertinent to the success of an enterprise's digital transformation initiatives and the transforming landscape of the workplace.

"As the future of work evolves, enterprises must invest in Digital Adoption now to prepare for the next wave in the digital workplace. Mainstream employees and alternative workforce will need to be digitally savvy, stay focused on key digital activities, use BOTs to enter data and perform routine tasks, re-skill themselves by self-learning in the flow of work, and be comfortable acting on hyper-personalized guidance," said Khadim Batti, CEO and Co-Founder at Whatfix. "Personalized in-app guidance, automation and quick discovery will help enterprises and their workers be more productive and reduce cognitive overload," added Batti.

"This latest funding will help us to expand our product offerings globally and continue to help enterprises realize the full value of their digitization effort," said Vara Kumar, Co-Founder and CTO at Whatfix. "Whatfix will continue to hire across all functions and geographies and provide the leading digital adoption platform that enables clients to drive adoption across applications, browsers and devices; is easy to deploy; has the most open ecosystem and is truly secure."



"Our journey with Whatfix has been a true partnership. We continue to work together to find ways to improve the experience of our customers using Whatfix's versatile software. They continue to put us, their customers, first so that we are able to focus on our business - putting our customers first," Elliott Tucker, HP B2B eCommerce Process Lead.

Whatfix now joins Sequoia Capital India's venture-backed family of tier-one enterprise SaaS players that are already embraced in enterprise tech stacks.

"Software is penetrating the deepest crevices of enterprise workflows at an unprecedented pace. Enterprise software spend is $450B+ globally growing 9% y-o-y. A new category of Digital Adoption Solutions (DAS) is fast emerging to ensure user adoption keeps pace with software purchase", said Tejeshwi Sharma, Principal, Sequoia Capital India LLP. "Whatfix has been instrumental in shaping the DAS category by innovating products aimed at democratizing adoption and efficient use of software products. Khadim and Vara have taken a customer-first approach, a reflection of their deep understanding and empathy for the end users. Sequoia India is stoked to be joining them in this category creation journey," he added.

According to the Gartner Research, "Digital Adoption Solutions are used to improve the adoption of multiple tools across the organization. The software walks a user through business processes across multiple products. It provides consistent user experience, eliminating in some cases manual entry. It supplies visually clear paths to complete tasks. It enables sellers to be onboarded faster and improve productivity. Sales is a key use case but this technology can apply to other areas in an organization as well as to external products sold by an organization," says Melissa Hilbert , Sr. Director Analyst, in the Gartner "Increase Sales Productivity With Digital Adoption Solutions", May 21, 2019 (Gartner subscription required).

"The Whatfix Digital Adoption Platform is designed to provide personalized training for workers within web applications. The solution delivers learning content in various formats, and it includes real-time guidance. It can also integrate with an organization's learning management system (LMS) to create interactive training programs," said author Julie Hiipakka, Vice President, Learning Research LeaderBersin, Deloitte Consulting LLP, in her recent report Learning in The Flow of Work Solutions, released in November 2019.

"Whatfix's digital adoption platform is quickly establishing itself as an important pillar to accelerate user adoption of technology stacks of leading global enterprises," said Shweta Bhatia , Partner at Eight Roads Ventures. "We are proud to be their partner and are excited to see how Whatfix continues to bring innovative new solutions to revolutionize software adoption and the future of work," she added.

Whatfix currently has 230 employees across six global offices. Whatfix has over 500 global customers, including Automation Anywhere, Experian, Grifols, REG Services Group, Reed Specialist Recruitment, Sentry Financial Services, Cardinal Health Canada, DaVita Healthcare, BMC Software Inc., and more.

About Whatfix

Whatfix is a Digital Adoption Solution that disrupts Application Training, Learning, and Support content by providing Contextual, Interactive, Real-Time, and Autonomous user guidance- driving additional adoption and productivity gains. Whatfix has a proven record of increasing employee productivity by 35%, reducing training time and costs by 60%, reducing employee case tickets by 50% and increasing application data accuracy by 20%. Whatfix is based in San Jose, San Francisco, Bangalore, London and Melbourne.

Media Contacts:

Frances Robinson

Lumina Communications for Whatfix

Whatfix@luminapr.com
Sanofi SNY is the latest to join forces with Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to quickly develop a vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, also called 2019-nCoV.

Sanofi will advance the development of the COVID-19 vaccine by leveraging work on a pre-clinical vaccine candidate for SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). COVID-19 and SARS are both coronaviruses that can cause respiratory diseases. It will now freshly investigate an advanced pre-clinical SARS vaccine candidate, which it had started to develop when the SARS coronavirus emerged in 2002. The funding from BARDA is likely to help quickly advance a potential coronavirus vaccine candidate.

Shares of Sanofi were up 2.4% on Tuesday in response to the news. Sanofis shares have outperformed the industry in the past year. The stock has risen 21.3% in the said time frame compared with the industrys increase of 9.2%.

J&J JNJ also expanded its partnership with BARDA to accelerate development of potential treatments for COVID-19. Following this partnership, J&J and BARDA will mobilize resources to screen potential compounds with promising antiviral activity against 2019-nCoV. To do so, J&J will work with the Rega Institute for Medical Research in Belgium. Earlier this month, J&J had said that BARDA will share the R&D costs and provide funds to rapidly advance its COVID-19 vaccine development program into phase I clinical studies.

In January, J&J had announced plans to develop a 2019-nCoV vaccine with multi-pronged approach. The company has already initiated a process to identify compounds with antiviral activity against 2019-nCoV. The expanded partnership with BARDA builds on J&Js multi-pronged approach.

J&Js shares have also slightly outperformed the industry in the past year. The stock has returned 9.4% in the said timeframe compared with the industrys increase of 9.2%.

Story continues

Several other drugmakers are working on making vaccines or antivirals to help those infected with this deadly disease, which has ravaged Wuhan in China and has spread to more than two dozen countries globally in the past two months. Coronavirus has already claimed more than 1800 lives and infected more than 7000 people in China.

Earlier this month, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals REGN also entered into an expanded agreement with HHS to develop a 2019-nCoV vaccine. Moderna and Inovio Pharmaceuticals have received grant from CEPI, a public-private nonprofit organization, to develop a similar vaccine. Moreover, Glaxo GSK is making its established pandemic vaccine adjuvant platform technology accessible to CEPI to develop a 2019-nCoV vaccine.

Both J&J and Sanofi currently carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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The conversation about online trolling has never been more pertinent in light of Caroline Flack's tragic suicide.

And Stephen Fry admitted nasty comments on Twitter are like a 'lemon on a paper cut' and have the power to completely ruin his day.

The 62-year-old comedian and writer appeared on Wednesday's installment of This Morning, discussing the negative effect social media can have on your mental health.

Honest: Stephen Fry admitted nasty comments on Twitter are like a 'lemon on a paper cut' during an appearance on This Morning on Wednesday

Stephen was chatting to hosts Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes about his first album, The Mythos Suite, featuring original music from the star and composer Debbie Wiseman to accompany his vivid retelling of Greek myths and legends.

The conversation soon turned to mindfulness, with Ruth reminding him of the times the presenter - who boasts over 12.7million followers - has quit Twitter in the past.

He explained: 'I am very sensitive, it's pathetic. But if you're in the public eye, there's always going to be people who don't like you.

'They have strong opinions on your personality - despite never having met you. "I hate so and so, they're so up themselves'...

'You used to say it about your family in the kitchen, whereas now people type that quite breezily. And of course, some people actively enjoy hurting you.

Tough: The 62-year-old comedian and writer chatted to Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, discussing the negative effect social media can have on your mental health

He explained: 'I am very sensitive, it's pathetic. But if you're in the public eye, there's always going to be people who don't like you'

'It cuts you to the quick, it's like lemon on a paper cut - it ruins your day.'

Asked whether he was ever tempted to respond to some of the more hurtful comments, Stephen said he had learned to not read any of it.

'I did respond occasionally, but you have to just not follow it or read it', he said.

'It's also not particularly good for your soul if people are heaping praise on you. You have to try and be real about it'.

Stephen has been known to take long breaks from his social media account, including in 2016 after his BAFTA hosting gig when his 'bag lady' joke about costume designer Jenny Beavan backfired.

'Think I may have to give up on Twitter. Too much aggression and unkindness around', he also previously tweeted in 2009.

Speaking out: The conversation about online trolling has never been more pertinent in light of Caroline Flack's tragic suicide last weekend

Stephen has been vocal in the past about his struggles with mental health, admitting his 'relentless' battle with bipolar disorder is 'incurable'.

Speaking in a BBC documentary, Stephen explained he had been diagnosed with psychothermia - which causes mood swings leading to disturbed behaviour - when he first started seeing the psychiatrist following his suicide attempt in Uganda in 2012.

He has since been diagnosed with bipolar one which can cause manic episodes of elevated high energy as well as periods of depression.

Elsewhere during the This Morning interview, Fry discussed his prostate cancer recovery, saying things are 'good' with his health at the moment.

The QI star was diagnosed with the disease at the end of 2017 and underwent an operation to have his prostate removed in February lasy uear.

He cheerfully said: 'I've had the prostate out, fortunately things are good. You have to keep checking these things though.

'It's great that men of a certain age are speaking about it and going to the doctor. People should understand that it's a very common cancer for men.'
Press Release

19 February 2020

SAN FRANCISCO - Today, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced it was named the 10th best company to work for on the 23rd annual FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For list, which is compiled based on surveyed employee feedback of their workplace culture. Kimpton celebrates its 11th year on this acclaimed list, a testament to the brand's award-winning culture and dedication to putting its employees first. Kimpton continues to rank high among hospitality and restaurant companies, honored alongside brands known for their strong company culture, values and employee-driven initiatives.



"This honor is a true testament to the people behind our brand," said Mike DeFrino, CEO of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. "The Kimpton team is made up of people who are tremendously passionate about their work, and that shines through in everything they do. Their unwavering commitment makes us who we are and ultimately helps us bring our brand promise and ridiculously personal experiences to life every day."



For nearly 40 years, Kimpton has been committed to creating a culture meant to empower everyone - from the servers and chefs to the GMs and directors - to take ownership of the work they do, act on intuition and bring creativity to the job every day. Kimpton's workplace encourages employees to bring their authentic selves to work, which in turn, increases job satisfaction and directly impacts positive guest sentiment. This starts with understanding who Kimpton employees are on a fundamentally human level and creating an environment where their individuality is celebrated and appreciated.



Offering unique competitive benefits - both tangible perks and intangible benefits - is a key factor to Kimpton successfully attracting and retaining top talent. Understanding that different employees are motivated by unique benefits, Kimpton provides a variety of best in class perks, including sabbaticals, child and elder back-up care, parental leave, tuition reimbursement, "Bill's Honor Roll" to recognize children of employees, bereavement leave (for people and pets) and lifestyle offerings such as fitness classes and membership discounts. Kimpton also encourages both local and national community-building events that foster strong personal connections that align with Kimpton's corporate social responsibility commitment in the LGBTQ+ space and nonprofit initiatives tied to fighting child hunger and environmental stewardship.



"The 100 Best show the way forward," said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. "These companies have created Great Places to Work For Allfor everyone, no matter who a person is or what they do for the organization. As a result, they have built a path to realize the promise of artificial intelligence, gain strength from a diversity of perspectives, and thrive during downturns."



The Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, is one of a series of rankings by Great Place to Work and Fortune based on employee feedback from Great Place to Work-Certified organizations. In addition to the honor of the FORTUNE Best Companies to Work For list, Kimpton is also proud to be recognized on numerous other Great Place to Work lists including:

Advertisements

Fortune's "50 Best Workplaces for Parents" (2016-2019)

Fortune's "Best Workplaces in the Bay Area" (2020)

Fortune's "Best Workplaces in Chicago" (2019)

Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For" (2009, 2011-2019)

Fortune's "Best Workplaces for Millennials" (2015-2019)

Fortune's "Best Places to Work for Women" (2018-2019)

Fortune's "Best Workplaces for Diversity" (2016-2019)

Human Rights Campaign's "Corporate Equality Index" (2004-2020)

Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work" (2018-2020)

Forbes' "The Best Employers for Diversity" (2019)

To see the full list of the 2020 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For, click here.

For more information on career opportunities at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants visit www.kimptonhotels.com/careers.

About the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list

Great Place to Work based its ranking on a data-driven methodology applied to anonymous Trust Index survey responses from more than 650,000 employees at Great Place to Work-Certified organizations across the country. To learn more about Great Place to Work Certification and recognition on Best Workplaces lists published with Fortune, visit Greatplacetowork.com.

About Great Place to Work

Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture. They help organizations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. Emprising, their culture management platform, empowers leaders with the surveys, real-time reporting, and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. They use their unparalleled benchmark data to recognize Great Place to Work-Certified companies and the Best Workplaces in the US and more than 60 countries, including the 100 Best Companies to Work For list published annually in Fortune.

To learn more, visit greatplacetowork.com, listen to the podcast Better by Great Place to Work, and read "A Great Place to Work for All." Join the community on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Jenna Dewan announced her engagement to Broadway talent Steve Kazee on Tuesday.

And the dancer/actress, 39, still seemed to be glowing as she stepped out in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Proud to be the future Mrs. Kazee, the expecting beauty put her breathtaking marquise cut diamond ring on full display during the outing.

All smiles: Jenna Dewan was beaming as she ran errands through LA the day after announcing her engagement to Steve Kazee

Jenna looked cute in a snug Henley-style dress with colorful stripes. Keeping practical, she added a camel colored coat and comfy shoes.

But it was her dazzling diamond that really turned heads.

According to one expert at E! News, the ring could be valued at around $50k, featuring a 2.5 carat diamond nested in a yellow gold pave halo setting.

Another expert had an even higher estimate, eyeing the rock at a whopping 3 carats, worth anywhere from $75k to $100k.

Bling ring: Proud to be the future Mrs. Kazee, the expecting beauty put her breathtaking marquise cut diamond ring on full display during the outing

Fancy: According to one expert at E! News , the ring could be valued at around $50k, featuring a 2.5 carat diamond nested in a yellow gold pave halo setting

Steve had some help designing out the stunning sparkler, which came from actress Nikki Reed's 'socially conscious' jewelry brand BaYou With Love.

The Twilight actress was one of the first people to congratulate the couple online, reposting their photo to say what 'an honor' it was 'to be a very small part of this special moment.'

'I love you both, and all I can say is your love is pure magic. And I might be biased, but that ring is gorgeoussssss!' Reed went on.

'Steve, making this with you was such a beautiful experience. Thank you for loving Jenna the way you do.'

A bit of help from my friends: Steve had some help designing out the stunning sparkler, which came from actress Nikki Reed's 'socially conscious' jewelry brand BaYou With Love

'An honor to be a very small part of this special moment': The actress, 31, took to her Instagram Story to share the engagement photo to reveal she had designed the ring (pictured in 2012)

On Tuesday, Jenna took to Instagram to reveal the good news in a heartfelt post, sharing a snap with her future husband.

Showing off her massive diamond engagement ring, Jenna, who is pregnant with her second child, gushed about all the love in her life.

'A lifetime to love and grow with you...you have my heart,' she captioned the sweet snap for her six million Instagram followers.

In the photo, Steve delicately held Jenna's head in his hand while gently kissing her, as she smiled up at her husband-to-be while she held his hand.

Bliss! Jenna and Steve announced their engagement with a heartfelt snap shared to Instagram on Tuesday

Happiness: Jenna and Steve went public with their relationship in November 2018, just days after she officially filed for divorce from ex Channing Tatum

Writing his own sweet caption, Steve gushed: 'When you wake in the morning I will kiss your face with a smile no one has ever seen. When you wake in the morning I will kiss your eyes and say its you I have loved all these years.'

Another inside look of the engagement showed a teary-eyed Kazee on bended knee.

Though Jenna's face was not visible, you could feel the excitement as she threw her hands up in surprise.

'This moment,' she wrote on top of the Instagram Story, which added a heart eyes emoji at the end.

The moment: Jenna shared a snap of the moment Steve went down on one knee, after she gushed that he 'had her heart'

Jenna and Steve went public with their relationship in November 2018, days after she officially filed for divorce from ex Channing Tatum, and Jenna announced she was expecting her first child with him in September 2019.

On Valentine's Day, Jenna said in a heartfelt post: 'You flew into my life like a rocket, lit it up beyond what i could've expected or imagined, and every day i am in awe over the love, care and nurture you show me, Evie and everyone around you.

'I've told you a thousand times and I'll tell you again..Thank you for finding me i am the luckiest girl alive.'

Jenna reportedly met Steve when he was in the musical Once, a role which he won a coveted Tony Award.

Happiness: Jenna reportedly met Steve when he was in the musical Once, a role which he won a coveted Tony Award; seen in October

Parents to be: The happy couple announced they were expecting their first child together in September 2019 (pictured in October)

'He was in a show called Once on Broadway, seven years ago, and I went to see the show, and I was blown away by him and his talent, crying my eyes out,' she told Us Weekly in October.

'I took my mom, and we got to meet him. "Oh, my God, you were amazing!"'

The actress called it quits on her nearly nine-year marriage with Channing in April 2018 and the couple recently finalised a custody schedule for their six-year-old daughter Everly.

Channing and Jenna  who met while filming their hit dancing movie Step Up in 2006  will alternate weekends, while Jenna will get Everly Monday through Wednesday, and Channing will be on Dad duty Wednesday through Friday.

Channing has since moved on to find love in the arms of British musician Jessie J, who he was with for a year before a brief split, but the pair confirmed earlier this month that they are firmly back on.

Former flame: The actress ended her nearly nine-year marriage with Channing in April 2018, and they finalised their divorce in November of the same year (pictured in August 2015)
More than 2,500 regular and reserve British soldiers from 7th Infantry Brigade (the Desert Rats) are currently deployed on a six-week training exercise on Salisbury Plain. Exercise Wessex Storm is one of the biggest exercises of its kind in a decade and is designed to test the soldiers on the skills needed to live and fight for long periods of time under harsh conditions. Later this year, the Desert Rats will deploy on operations in Mali, Afghanistan and Poland. This Exercise is a key part of ensuring their readiness for those operations.



More than 2,500 regular and reserve British soldiers from 7th Infantry Brigade (the Desert Rats) are currently deployed on a six-week training exercise on Salisbury Plain. (Picture source: British MoD)

Brigadier Tom Bewick, Commander of 7th Infantry Brigade, explained: "This exercise is about training four British Army battlegroups for war-fighting operations as part of the Light Brigade. The exercise also forms a critical part of the preparations for deployments to Mali, Afghanistan and Poland later this year. It is about regular and reserve soldiers integrating, adapting, working together, testing themselves and each other in what is proving to be an especially harsh and demanding environment. The training is as realistic, innovative and exciting as possible, with soldiers deployed for six weeks on the Plain, driving the development of our core soldiering skills.

7th Infantry Brigade is a 'light' Brigade meaning it has a mix of infantry on foot, infantry using high mobility light vehicles like Jackal and Foxhound and Light Cavalry soldiers who are reconnaissance experts using vehicles like Jackal and Coyote. This makes the Desert Rats highly deployable, able to move quickly anywhere around the world. It's the first time on such an exercise that four distinct battlegroups have come together to tackle a realistic training scenario.

The battlegroups consist of:

 1st The Queens Dragoon Guards, augmented by the reservists of the Royal Yeomanry;

 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment augmented by a company of 1st Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment;

 The Light Brigade Support Group, a composite battlegroup of logisticians and medics and equipment support specialists commanded by 6th Regiment Royal Logistics Corps  their role is to ensure the soldiers are fed and hydrated, have the ammunition and fuel that they need to fight and the medical facilities to deal with both simulated and real casualties; and

 A bespoke battlegroup made up of Army Reserves. This is the largest deployment of Army Reserves in the 7th Infantry Brigade since the Reserve units came under command of the Desert Rats in 2015. About 450 soldiers from 3rd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment and the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the Princess of Waless Royal Regiment will be the Opposing Forces or enemy during the realistic for on force scenario. Both sides are fighting to win, and there is a great deal of pride at stake.

So far, the troops out in the field have faced some challenging weather, with storms Ciara and Dennis adding to testing conditions on the ground. Vehicle mechanics from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers have worked around the clock to keep a fleet of more than 600 vehicles battle-worthy despite the mud, rain, wind and stormy conditions.

Lieutenant Colonel Will Meddings, Commanding Officer of 2nd Battalion, the Royal Anglian Regiment, outlined his units role and objectives. He said: For 2 Royal Anglian, this is part of our progression after coming back from Cyprus where weve been for the last two years, learning the skills that we need for our new role, which is the Light Mechanised Infantry role, and then practising them on Salisbury Plain to get us ready for operations later this year.

You need to be able to survive and fight from your vehicles in all weather, day and night, in all circumstances, for long periods of time  thats what I mean by an adaptable battlegroup. Essentially, it means we can carry out the missions asked of us in all conditions. Exercise Wessex Storms continues into early March.



The Wessex Storm exercise forms a critical part of the preparations for deployments to Mali, Afghanistan and Poland later this year (Picture source: British MoD)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 12:19:08|Editor: huaxia

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Living in Heifei, capital of China's Anhui province, Rebecca and her brothers share lives amid epidemic through vlog. Check out their account of strict measures taken to contain virus #FightVirus
A woman who went to the luxury Muckross Park Hotel in Killarney to celebrate her wedding anniversary ended up in hospital in an induced coma when she contracted Legionnaires Disease after using the hotel spa facilities.

Mary Kelleher was in the induced coma for three weeks in hospital intensive care and when discharged from hospital after 54 days it was in a wheelchair and with crutches.

Mrs Kelleher and her husband Jer of Waterfall, Co Cork had decided to splash out on a stay in the five star luxury hotel in Killarney, Co Kerry to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in advance of special mass and party at their family home.

She told the High Court she went to the spa after check in and tried everything including the pool, the sauna, steam room and the hot and cold spa pool. After they checked out, she said the couple were on top of the world and very happy.

But within days she was feeling unwell, her muscles were aching and she was very tired.

I was aching stiff and tired. I put it down to the late night at the party. The house was full of food and I had no appetite, she said.

She went to the doctor and a viral infection was suspected but she was feeling tired and she said it was like my muscles were losing power. When she went back to a doctor she was told she had pneumonia and was transferred to the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork.

I can remember being admitted and put in a ward but I dont remember anything else.

When she woke up from her induced coma three weeks later, she thought it was the next day but a nurse said welcome back it is September 9 and you are in hospital.

She added: I didnt realise for weeks how sick I was and how close I came to dying. I couldnt talk.

Mary Kelleher (55) of Ballyshoneen, Waterfall, Co Cork has sued INUA Hospitality Series 2 Ltd with offices at Little Island, Cork and trading as Muckross Park Hotel Killarney and specialist water treatment business, NCH Ireland Ltd trading as Chem Aqua with offices at Wilton Park House, Wilton , Place Dublin after she was exposed to and contracted Legionnaires Disease after using the hotel spa facilities when she was a guest there on August 6/7, 2015.

Opening the case, Mrs Kellehers counsel Pearse Sreenan SC instructed by Amy Connolly of Cantillon Solicitors told Mr Justice Kevin Cross liability was admitted in the case earlier this week and it was before the court for assessment of damages only.

Counsel said Mrs Kelleher suffered life changing injuries and at one stage in hospital her husband was told nothing more could be done for her.

Her quality of life has deteriorated and is never going to recover , Counsel said as he told how she now suffers from considerable chronic fatigue.

He said Mrs Kelleher had flu like symptoms which continued and she went to a doctor on August 12 and then again two days later but was admitted to hospital on August 16, 2015. Counsel said she was transferred to intensive care because of the severity of her symptoms.

Mrs Kelleher's counsel said she had to be intubated and ventilated after Legionnaires disease, which is a pneumonia caused by a type of Legionella bacteria, was confirmed.

When she woke from the induced come Counsel said she was in very poor condition and did not know where she was . She had to use a walking stick and needed intensive physiotherapy. She was discharged from hospital after 54 days on October 9, 2015

Counsel said a HSE incident control team was convened on August 18 to look in to the matter. Mr Sreenan said bacteria was traced back to the hotel and the indoor cold spa pool was thought to be the most likely source of infection and decommissioned.

Counsel said Mrs Kelleher through a Freedom of Information request gained access to the report on the incident relating to herself and other suspected cases since 2010. He said she became very frustrated indeed and this fed in to her upset and distress about the incident.

The case before Mr Justice Kevin Cross continues tomorrow.
In his poem Rough Path, Yousef Kamara reflects on his years selling drugs and stealing as the leader of a street gang in Sierra Leones capital, Freetown. Like a traveller in a rough jungle/Self propelling all alone/Edging through danger sharper than blades/My rough path is a cracked zone, he writes. After quitting the gang three years ago, Kamara now hopes his journey to acclaim as a poet can offer an example to other wayward youths in Freetown, where increasing numbers are joining gangs modelled on the Bloods and Crips of Los Angeles. Kamara has been published in several international poetry magazines and was invited last year to attend the African Writers Conference in Kenya.

It is a dramatic turnaround for someone who spent the majority of his life leading Giverdam Gaza, a gang of several dozen members he founded as a teenager on Freetowns Exodus Lane.

If you were looking for some thugs ... to beat somebody up, youd just rush down Exodus Lane and get the Giverdam boys to do the job, said Kamara, who stands about six-feet tall with short dreadlocks and large biceps covered in tattoos.

Tired of life on the streets, however, he began looking for an exit and found one through Way Out, a media studio founded by an English filmmaker in 2008 that encourages underprivileged young people to enter the arts.

Kamara decided to try his hand writing poems after seeing some of his friends enrol in a poetry course. He quickly took to it, tapping out verses on his beat-up cell phone.

You need to give people ... something they can take back to their communities and say, Im not the bad guy you used to know, said Gibrilla Kamara, no relation to Yousef, Way Outs office manager and a former member who spent much of his life homeless.

Kamara said he would like to establish his own organisation to help vulnerable young people build self-esteem and shift from crime to career.

The challenge is pressing. Across Sierra Leone, dire economic conditions, including runaway unemployment, have led many born after the countrys devastating 1991-2002 civil war to join gangs, researchers say.

Kamara thinks poetry can be a powerful tool in combatting that trend by forcing young people to be honest with themselves.

When writing a poem, if you can be sincere with what youve seen, what you feel, what youve heard, youll never need to fabricate any story, he said.

(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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Cooking in the MasterChef kitchen is just as scary as you'd imagine.

There's a box on the counter containing three mystery ingredients. Apron on, I lift up the lid to discover a whole lemon sole, spinach and mushrooms.

After a panicked 40 minutes - which involves filleting a fish for the first time ever - I manage to rustle up something that vaguely resembles a dish.

When presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode grab a fork and dig in, I get a taste of the tension the real contestants feel under those bright lights.

They declare my ideas were good, but the execution didn't go to plan. There's way too much garlic in the sauteed veg, and the pan-fried fish is overcooked, without that coveted crispy skin.

My food might not have impressed, but the judges insist that, 16 series in, they're still left amazed by the skills of the real contestants in the BBC competition, which sees amateur cooks pitted against each other.

"I want to have their backgrounds checked, to see that they're not professional chefs," quips London-born Wallace (55).

"I think, 'Is that honestly what you do on a Wednesday night? You honestly cook like that?' I find it incredible."

"The MasterChef firsts this year were extraordinary ... It was the first time we saw something from Hawaii," reveals 54-year-old Torode, who moved from Australia to the UK in the Nineties.

That's not to say there aren't things the dynamic duo is bored of seeing, having fronted the show together since 2005.

"It's not the dishes, it's the stupid excuses," Wallace, a former greengrocer, notes exasperatedly.

"Like, you've under-cooked it, and regularly we get, 'Well, I didn't want to over-cook it'. Well, no - I didn't want you to do that either. Are they are only options?"

"I have to tell you, I am so bored of raw scallops," sighs Torode, who first appeared on television on ITV's This Morning.

The format of the show is simple: each week there are two sets of heats, in which six talented home cooks battle it out to make it to Friday's quarter final.

Once all the quarter finalists have been chosen, the competition really heats up, with challenges such as cooking in a professional kitchen, and a trip abroad - this series, to Mauritius.

The dramatic final sees three contestants vying to be crowned MasterChef 2020 champion.

As for trends, the chirpy, chatty pair agree the rise of veganism is clear this series. Viewers can even expect a plant-based challenge.

"I think the use of more vegetables at the expense of meat and fish is most certainly happening," Wallace chimes in. "And we both welcome that. That's a wonderful thing."

Asked if they're cooking with meat less at home themselves, Wallace points out he doesn't have much time to be in the kitchen now.

His wife, Anna, gave birth to son Sid in May last year, so when he's home from work, he's busy "playing with the baby and sleeping".

"My family do most of the cooking," elaborates the TV personality, who also has two grown-up children from a previous marriage.

"But, yes, we are eating a lot more veg. The wonderful thing about vegetables is that there is a finite number of meats and fish, but vegetables, we are still growing and inventing different types."

"We definitely don't eat enough plant-based food - I definitely don't," admits father-of-four Torode, who married former EastEnders actress Lisa Faulkner last October (they met when she appeared on Celebrity MasterChef back in 2010).

"I used to run a meat restaurant! But I don't eat anywhere near as much meat as I used to."

One thing Wallace says he is saddened by in this more health-conscious age, though, is the decline in pudding making.

"I don't think there is enough of that. I definitely get a real tingle of excitement when someone is a good pastry chef, but we are getting less and less of it."

It can be a very close call in some episodes as to which amateur cooks will make it through to the next round.

Do the pair ever have arguments over the decision?

"Yeah, there have been moments, because we are both passionate about what we do," reflects Wallace.

"I think we both stamp our feet once or twice a series," confides Torode, smiling. "And I think that's really good.

"One of the things that we both admire about each other is that we both care. But we have our own lives. We have our own personalities. We have our own likes and dislikes and I think, because of that, we end up with a fully equalised judging opinion."

They often get recognised by fans and asked for selfies.

"I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm public property, it's as simple as that," Torode suggests, matter-of-factly.

"I've actually invited myself into someone else's lounge via their television, therefore they have the right to be able to say 'hi' to me."

"What I don't get," he continues, "is that the one who takes the photograph of you, usually doesn't like you. It's usually their sister, or 'My mum really loves you, can I have a photo with you?' And I think, 'You can say you like me as well if you want to!'"

It certainly sounds like an all-consuming job. But Torode says there's a rule in his house that, after work, he doesn't talk about the cooks he's seen that day.

"Because Lisa always wants to know who it is. And then, of course, she'll get despondent if she sees the person and thinks they are really good, and I send them home!"

MasterChef returns to BBC One next week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Calvin Butts III, influential pastor of black church, under fire for endorsing Bloomberg

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NEW YORK  The Rev. Calvin Butts III, the influential pastor of the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, is drawing strong criticism from some members of his church for throwing his support behind billionaire Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, who is currently under fire for his controversial support of stop-and-frisk policies that targeted mainly black and Hispanic residents.

The criticism has come in the wake of the revelation of audio, reportedly from a 2015 speech in Colorado, in which Bloomberg claims that "95%" of "murders and murderers and murder victims" are male minorities between the ages of 16 to 25 and the way to reduce violence in the city is to throw minority kids "up against the walls and frisk them."

"You can just take the descriptions and Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops," Bloomberg can be heard saying on the audio.

In a Politico report, Butts described how he and a group of about 20 black pastors met with Bloomberg at the billionaires Times Square headquarters to discuss the issue. He said Bloomberg apologized and Butts accepted the apology for his stop-and-frisk record because he has spent his money on causes that are important to black New Yorkers.

We accept your apology at one level, but we want to let you know that well be looking for more concrete expressions of your apology in terms of the African American community, Butts said, describing the line of questioning from a different clergy member in attendance.

He said Bloomberg was quiet in the meeting and facilitated a genuine exchange that was not hostile. He accepted what was being said to him.

Butts also recalled how Bloomberg offered his economic development operation a sizable donation, a reported $1 million, timed to the bicentennial of his Abyssinian Baptist Church.

He used his money, which is one of the reasons I continue to support him, to express his sincerity, Butts said.

Jerome Jackson, a 63-year-old Harlem resident and congregant at Abyssinian, told Gothamist that he doesnt believe most of the churchs congregants would support their pastors endorsement of Bloomberg.

He shouldnt be endorsing anyone on the churchs behalf, Jackson said. I do not think most of the people here agree with those statements."

The Christian Post reached out to Abyssinian Baptist Church but Butts was not immediately available.

Darren A. Ferguson, pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in New Jersey who also served as Youth Minister at Abyssinian Baptist Church, said in a statement on Facebook on Tuesday that he did not interpret Butts as speaking on behalf of his church in endorsing Bloomberg.

#Gothamist put out an article regarding my pastor, the Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III endorsing Michael Bloomberg. Dr. Butts has never (at least not in my hearing/presence/rememberance) and will not endorse a candidate from the pulpit. If he did endorse Bloomberg, he did it for his own reasons, whatever they may be. He taught me that I should never ENDORSE a candidate from the pulpit (he does, however, speak about politics), Ferguson wrote.

It is like saying that your congregation is not smart enough to decide who to vote for. This article, as are MOST of the things published regarding my pastor, is skewed to try and assassinate his ministry and character, which I will NEVER allow without speaking up!! I dont always agree with him, but as my pastor I will defend him & stand with him to the end, Ferguson added.

Jackson as well as other churchgoers, according to Gothamist, suggested that Butts' support for Bloomberg is based on political and financial opportunism. Hes had his palms greased before, Jackson explained, pointing to Butts endorsement of Republican governor George Pataki in 1998 and Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in 2008.

Butts was appointed by a governor-controlled board as president of SUNY Old Westbury, where he took home a recent salary of $246,684, according to public records, after Pataki won. The New York Times also previously reported how Bloomberg was able to use his wealth to attract the support of other black clergy in the past.

Some Harlem residents say that they cannot overlook Bloombergs record.

I've been stopped and frisked. My daughter has been stopped and frisked. My daughter's friends have been stopped and frisked, Tobius Simmons, a security guard at Williams Institutional CME, a Methodist Episcopal church a few blocks south of Abyssinian, told Gothamist. So he's had a negative impact on quality of life for most working-class people around here.

The things that come out of his mouth about certain segments of society  he's unaware and arrogant.

Bloomberg is expected to make his first appearance in a Democratic presidential debate on Wednesday night.

The debate will begin at 9 p.m. ET and is expected to last two hours. It is being hosted by NBC News, MSNBC and the Nevada Independent, and it will take place at the Paris Theater in Las Vegas.

The debate will be broadcast live on NBC News, MSNBC and Universo (in Spanish).

It will also be available via livestream on the websites of NBC News, MSNBC, Telemundo and the Nevada Independent.
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pawar Law Group announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of shareholders who purchased shares Sasol Limited (NYSE: SSL) from March 10, 2015 through January 13, 2020 inclusive (the Class Period). The lawsuit seeks to recover damages for Sasol Limited investors under the federal securities laws.



To join the class action, go here or call Vik Pawar, Esq. toll-free at 888-589-9804 or email info@pawarlawgroup.com for information on the class action.

According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Sasol had conducted insufficient due diligence into, and failed to account for multiple issues with, the Lake Charles Chemicals Project (LCCP), as well as the true cost of the project; (2) construction and operation of the LCCP was consequently plagued by control weaknesses, delays, rising costs, and technical issues; (3) these issues were exacerbated by Sasols top-level management, who engaged in improper and unethical behavior with respect to financial reporting for the LCCP and the projects oversight; (4) all the foregoing was reasonably likely to render the LCCP significantly more expensive than disclosed and negatively impact the Companys financial results; and (5) as a result, the Companys public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than April 6, 2020. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

No class has been certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you hire one. You may hire counsel of your choice. You may also do nothing at this time and be an absent member of the class. Your ability to share in any future recovery is not dependent upon being a lead plaintiff.

Pawar Law Group represents investors from around the world. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.



Vik Pawar, Esq.

Pawar Law Group

20 Vesey Street, Suite 1410

New York, NY 10007

Tel: (917) 261-2277

Fax: (212) 571-0938

info@pawarlawgroup.com
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Albwardy Damen, a joint venture between Dubai-based Albwardy Investments and Damen Shipyards Group, has signed an agreement with Oman's Sohar Port and Freezone to open a repair workshop.



The signing took place at Sohar Port and Freezones head office in Oman, and was represented by Mark Geilenkirchen, CEO of Sohar Port, and Albwardy Damen was represented by Ibrahim Mohamed Al Shidi.



The agreement will see the installation of a 40-ft workshop container at a service jetty in the port, in collaboration with Albwardy Damens Omani partner, Sawahel Sohar Al Almya, and will be Albwardy Damens fourth operational location in the Middle East, along with those in Sharjah, Dubai and Fujairah, said a statement.



Mark Geilenkirchen said: Albwardy Damen is one of the renowned shipbuilding and ship repair providers in the Middle East. Our partnership with them is truly a reflection of our efforts to provide all our clients with state-of-the-art and high-quality services.



The new service will also be a valuable addition to our offerings here at Sohar, further enriching our offerings, to ensure that we continue on our path of growth and progress in the region, he added.



The upcoming workshop will be fitted out with relevant machinery and tools, including lathe, press, drilling and welding machines to offer easy and quick services for vessels calling at the port. There will also be the presence of certified engineers, to meet requisite customer needs.



Mark Pearson, operations director of Albwardy Damen, said: Vessels calling into Sohar will also be able to benefit from the underwater services that are provided by Albwardy Damen Diving, which has an extensive history in serving the marine industry since 1995.



The workshop container is currently being fabricated and we look forward to delivering it to Sohar, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
By AFP

WASHINGTON: The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions against a subsidiary of Russian state-controlled oil giant Rosneft over its key role in Venezuela, stepping up international pressure to break leftist President Nicolas Maduro's grip on power.

Rosneft Trading SA, which has helped sell Venezuelan oil despite unilateral US sanctions, and Rosneft vice president Didier Casimiro were targeted by the US Treasury Department.

"As the primary broker of global deals for the sale and transport of Venezuela's crude oil, Rosneft Trading has propped up the dictatorial Maduro, enabling his repression of the Venezuelan people," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

Pompeo added in a tweet: "Those who prop up the corrupt regime and enable its repression of the Venezuelan people will be held accountable."

The sanctions will block any assets of Rosneft Trading or the Belgian-born Casimiro that come through the United States. It also makes transactions with them a crime for anyone under US jurisdiction.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido, who recently returned from a global tour that included a White House meeting with President Donald Trump, hailed the new US pressure on Maduro's regime.

"This news is a victory!" Guaido tweeted.

"Whoever supports the dictator, no matter who they are or where they come from, must bear the consequences," he said.

Russia denounced what it described as a US attempt to "bend the world to its will" as well as Washington's "banal desire to create advantages for American businesses that cannot stand up against fair competition from Russian companies on the world stage."

"The destructive US policy of sanctions is increasingly undermining global freedom of commerce, which the Americans say they defend, and raises international tensions," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, whose government espouses socialism, said the sanctions "violate the rights to free trade and free enterprise."

Seeking to dent Maduro cash

The United States and about 60 other countries recognize Guaido as Venezuela's interim president and not Maduro, who presides over a crumbling economy that has sent millions fleeing for lack of basic staples.

But US pressure has failed to oust Maduro who still enjoys the support of the Venezuelan military as well as Russia, China and Cuba.

Washington has already imposed multiple sanctions aimed at toppling Maduro's regime, particularly by cutting his government's oil revenue.

Maduro on Monday accused Trump of plotting an invasion and said: "We are not afraid of military combat and we are going to guarantee peace."

Elliott Abrams, who is leading the US effort to topple Maduro, voiced hope the latest step would make a significant dent on Maduro's most important source of revenue.

"Today's sanctions are another step in the policy of pressuring the Maduro regime to allow Venezuela to escape from its terrible crisis through free and fair presidential elections," Abrams told reporters.

"There will be more steps and further pressure in the coming weeks and months," he warned.

Abrams said Rosneft handles around 70 per cent of Venezuela's oil and that the country's top importer has been India, followed by China.

Delhi has promised to cut down purchases because of its strong ties with the United States.

Abrams voiced confidence that the global oil market would remain stable, pointing in part to rising US production.

"We're not trying to raise oil prices. We're trying to diminish the amount of money available to the Maduro regime," Abrams said.

Latest US-Russia rift

The sanctions are the latest dispute between Washington and Moscow, with Pompeo speaking out forcefully against Russian support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's devastating assault on the rebel bastion of Idlib.

The United States in 2014 already imposed sanctions on Rosneft, one of Russia's largest companies, over Moscow's backing of separatists in Ukraine and takeover of Crimea, although the measures were limited to curbing US financing for the oil giant.

Pompeo told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of the impending sanctions over Venezuela when they met at the Munich Security Conference last weekend, Abrams said.

Lavrov earlier this month visited Caracas where he said US sanctions were illegal and "the main cause of the crisis in the Venezuelan economy."
As 2019 drew to a close, Google revealed a plan. The company essentially announced its intention to get involved in the world of banking by offering checking accounts in 2020. Cache  the projects nickname  quickly made headlines. Yet many consumers are still confused about what Google banking involves. If youre curious about Googles checking account. Heres what you need to know.

Google Wont Technically Be the Bank

While Cache involves Google getting involved in banking. Google isnt becoming a bank. Instead, the tech giant is partnering with other financial institutions.

Both Citigroup and Stanford Federal Credit Union were said to be part of the project. They will manage the actual accounts. Not only will this provide some potential Google checking account users with additional peace of mind since both of those institutions are experienced in banking. It also means the accounts will be NCUA or FDIC-insured. This depends on what the account is held.

Other financial institutions may also get involved. Although it isnt clear which ones may have expressed an interest or will ultimately become partners.



Google Pay Integration

If a person signs up for one of the Google checking accounts, they get the benefit of integration across various Google products and services, including Google Pay. In fact, once accounts become available, customers will need to head to Google Pay to open one, if they choose.

For some, this will be incredibly convenient. From Googles perspective, it would also potentially increase the number of Google Pay users.

Industry forecasts suggest that the number of Google Pay users should hit 100 million in 2020. However, thats a far cry from the 227 million users that Apple Pay is expected to have. With the Cache checking accounts, Google may be able to start catching up to its digital wallet competitor, or at least pull away from Samsung Pay, which is also expected to have 100 million users this year.

Insights and Tools

While it isnt clear precisely what Google has in mind, the company does intend to give users of a Cache checking account access to a range of financial tools and insights. Likely, budgeting tools will be a major component of the offering, allowing users to allocate funds and track spending without having to manually sort the majority of their transactions. Other details about user spending patterns may also be made available.

If you want to save more efficiently, Sign up for Digit today. This app can help you automate your money goals.

Account Holder Data

It isnt a secret that Google collects massive amounts of data on its users. In one instance, a report said that, when a user downloaded their data file, it was 2GB. That means the download was about the equivalent of 1.5 million Word documents in size.

Many people would probably be concerned about Google potentially having access to their banking information. Most consider this type of data incredibly sensitive and may be reluctant to hand it over to a company that they may not trust completely.

Google has stated that it doesnt intend to sell the financial data of account holders. Additionally, the company says it doesnt leverage Google Pay data for advertising purposes. However, it isnt clear how the tech giant may use the information internally.

Lawmaker Concerns

Many lawmakers have openly expressed concerns over various tech companies making strides toward the world of finance. Potential legislation was drafted in response to Facebooks Libra, a project that involves the creation of essentially a cryptocurrency.

Additionally, Google has been at the center of antitrust investigations. Moving into a new sector might not fly, depending on how legislators view the move and whether new laws get passed that govern what tech companies can and cant do when it comes to banking and finance.

When Google Banking Will Be Available

It still isnt clear exactly when (or if) Google checking accounts will be available. As of this writing, there isnt a concrete release date for the new service. Additionally, its possible that new or emerging legislation may alter timelines, depending on what is investigated, discussed, or passed.

Would you open a Google bank account? Do you think tech companies should get into the banking industry? Why or why not? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Read More:

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Editors Note: If you dont like google banking, Slickdeals.net has an excellent listing of banks that offer bonus offers.
A police spokeswoman said the man is also a suspect in another sexual assault that occurred in 2013, outside a restaurant a few blocks from the attack in 2012. The man has not been charged in the 2013 case, but police said their investigation continues.
State officials hope to open the South Beltway in 2023.

All but one or two tracts of land in the right-of-way for the project have been acquired, McCullough said.

In those cases, the landowners and the state are quibbling in court over whether the state offered a fair price for the land, according to court records.

A public meeting on the project will be March 11 from 5-7 p.m. at the Sesostris Shrine, 1050 Saltillo Road.

Medicaid expansion benefits

Lancaster County commissioners wouldn't have needed to raise property taxes last year to cover bridge repairs if Medicaid expansion were in place in Nebraska, board Chair Sean Flowerday said Tuesday.

Voters approved Medicaid expansion in 2018, and Flowerday lamented the state's "slow-walking" implementation of it, which is projected to be live by Oct. 1.

Even before the County Board had a Democratic majority, commissioners supported Medicaid expansion.

Proponents of the expansion contend it could free up the roughly $2.5 million Lancaster County spends on general assistance each year.
A Pictish stone discovered by road workers has helped archaeologists shed light on Scotland's ancient warriors.

The monolith, nearly two metres tall, depicts a male figure carrying a spear and was found during ground clearance work for the A9 and A85 in Perth.

Archaeologists have spent months clarifying and analysing images and believe it could be a sacred icon from a cemetery of the elite in Pictish times.

Researchers said the significant find, named the Tulloch Stone, could indicate the existence of a warrior-led society, key to repelling the invading Romans.

When the stone was found near McDiarmid Park in 2017, the outline of the figure could be seen but the carving was faint in places and the surface damaged.

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University of Aberdeen archaeologists created 3D images from thousands of photographs, clarifying the design to enable comparison with other ancient monoliths.

The university's head of archaeology, professor Gordon Noble, said: On the Tulloch Stone we can now see that the man is carrying a distinctive doorknob-butted spear, which we know from previous research was in use from the third to the sixth century.

He also has a very distinctive hairstyle, is wearing a helmet and necklace, and has a faint line around the left ankle which could suggest footwear or tight leggings.

In line with the other stones, this is clearly a depiction of a warrior.

He added: Its find spot overlooks the coming together of the rivers Tay and Almond, a junction marked by a Roman fort and later a possible Pictish royal centre, suggesting the monolith might have been located in a cemetery of the elite.

Because the presentation of the figures is standardised across all of the stones, it is likely that it represents a generic sacred image, rather than it being a depiction of someone buried there.

Recommended Walls made of human bones discovered under cathedral

He said the find bridges a crucial gap in knowledge, adding: We believe that the weapon-bearing individuals shown on these stones may represent a war-oriented social organisation that was integral to resisting the Roman Empire and to creating the overtly hierarchical societies of the post-Roman period.

Mark Hall, archaeological curator at Perth Museum, praised the workers who made the discovery.

He said: The workmen who scooped up this stone did well to realise that there was something on it and to alert the appropriate authorities.

Mr Hall said it indicates the existence of a warlord or warrior ethos for which there was previously little evidence in Scotland.

He said: In Anglo-Saxon England, we have lots of examples of burials with weaponry and the poem Beowulf epitomises the warrior ethos of this period.

This has not been evidenced in Scotland in the same way but here through the new Tulloch find and a reconsideration of long-known stones we can see that warrior ideology cast in stone - meaning these martial values were conveyed in a very public way to be visible in the landscape and to invoke supernatural protection.

The research team's report was published in the journal Antiquity.

Press Association
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation sends video of support

By:Huang Ziling | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-02-19 17:35

At present, China is making all-out efforts to combat the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, which has won support from the international community.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) fully supports the decisive and effective measures taken by the Chinese government to combat the epidemic. The SCO countries highly value the actions taken by Chinese leaders and the government, and admire the Chinese peoples spirit of unity and the steadfastness and calmness shown by all the people involved in fighting the epidemic.

(People in the SCO sent their blessings in the video)

Founded on June 15, 2001, the SCO is an intergovernmental international organization. Its member states include the Republic of India, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Peoples Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan (in alphabetical order according to the Russian name of the country). The Secretariat of the SCO is located in Beijing.

Officials of the secretariat of SCO recorded a warm video to cheer up China.

Stay strong, Wuhan. Stay strong, China, the SCO will stay with you! Vladimir Norov, Secretary General of SCO, offered sincere wishes in Chinese.

The SCO countries are willing to actively cooperate with China, provide assistance, and strengthen communication and coordination with China in order to resist the threats from the epidemic and fight against it.




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Linkedin Benny Mawel (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura  Wed, February 19, 2020

At least one person -- but possibly two -- was killed in a gunfight between Indonesian security personnel and a number of Papuans aged 11 to 30, whom the security personnel described as members of an armed criminal group, in the regency of Intan Jaya, Papua, early on Tuesday.

The gunfight that took place at 7:20 a.m. on Tuesday around the residential areas of Gulanggama kampung and the Japaro complex also apparently left an adult and a child with bullet wounds.

The incidence occurred when a joint law enforcement task force [Satgas Gakkum] of the Indonesian Military and National Police was conducting a patrol. They saw members of a separatist criminal group around Gulanggama kampung carrying two firearms, XVII/Cendrawasih Regional Military Command spokesman Col. Eko Daryanto said in a press statement on Wednesday.

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A federal judge's ruling in favor of the Department of Justice in the T-Mobile-Sprint merger case last week reinforced a high bar for state antitrust challenges, according to DOJ antitrust chief Makan Delrahim.

"Had that gone the other way, you would have had 53 antitrust agencies," Delrahim said in an interview Wednesday on CNBC's "Squawk Box," adding that it would have allowed every state to have "whacks of the pinata"

Attorneys general from 13 states and the District of Columbia sued to block the $26 billion telecom merger after the DOJ and Federal Communications Commission cleared the deal with certain remedies. The states argued that combining the No. 3 and No. 4 U.S. carriers would result in higher prices for consumers due to limited competition. The companies countered that the merger would enable them to effectively compete against top players AT&T and Verizon.

In his decision, Judge Victor Marrero wrote, "The resulting stalemate leaves the Court lacking sufficiently impartial and objective ground on which to rely in basing a sound forecast of the likely competitive effects of a merger."

The ruling could open the door for future mergers in the industry and has also raised fears of a chilling effect on state actions. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who helped lead the states' effort, said Sunday that she would not move forward with an appeal.

But Delrahim said there's still an important role for the states to play in antitrust cases.

"Where the federal agencies have not acted for example and there's some localized effects within a state, I think it's perfectly appropriate" for the states to step in, Delrahim said.

Still, he acknowledged that "the bar is going to be high whether or not the states go down this route" in the future.

The federal antitrust division and state attorneys general have both opened investigations into Google to probe its competitive practices. Several state attorneys general have met with top DOJ officials about the investigation, but have not yet formally decided to coordinate, CNBC previously reported. Delrahim has recused himself from the DOJ's investigation of Google since he previously worked as a lobbyist during the company's $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick in 2007.

"It would have raised some serious issues of uncertainty had the states won in this case," Delrahim said of the T-Mobile/Sprint decision.

Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.
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.
Talentica Software has been recognized as one of the 100 best outsourcing companies by Global Services Media and Neo Group. Talentica has made it to the list alongside tech biggies such as Infosys, HP, HCL, HTC, Capgemini, Wipro and GlobalLogic. The global services industry has gone clearly beyond the paradigm of more work at lesser cost. Companies are routinely seeking business outcomes, and in some cases, new forms of business value. 
[February 19, 2020] Weebit Nano and Silvaco Develop New Simulation Capabilities to Increase ReRAM Adoption

Weebit Nano Ltd (ASX: WBT), a developer of next generation memory technology for the global semiconductor industry, and Silvaco, Inc., a leading global provider of software, IP, and services for designing electronic systems, today announced that they have successfully modeled the electrical behavior of Weebit's silicon oxide (SiOx) Resistive Random Access Memory (ReRAM) devices. This new simulation model capability in Silvaco's advanced Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) solution, Victory Device, accelerates the incorporation of Weebit's ReRAM modules into advanced semiconductor designs used in the discrete and embedded memory chip markets and speeds Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) product development schedules by reducing technology testing stages. Victory Device analyzes the electrical, optical, chemical, and thermal behavior of semiconductor devices. Its physics-based simulations dramatically speed up the design, fabrication, and commercial use of semiconductor device technology through the elimination of expensive and time-consuming experimental wafers during technology adoption by OEMs. As part of a partnership program conducted throughout 2019, Weebit and Silvaco developed a TCAD solution that accurately models the electrical behavior of Weebit's ReRAM devices. This collaboration focused on the essential material processes in the resistive switching of SiOx ReRAM devices to gain an in-depth understanding of their properties and was based on Weebit's physical samples and data. Commenting on Silvaco's successful TCAD modelling of Weebit's ReRAM technology, VP & GM of Silvaco's TCAD Business Unit, Eric Guichard, said: "These results are excellent news for the semiconductor industry. Having this new ReRAM TCAD model in our advanced device simulator will enable the semiconductor inustry to more efficiently embed ReRAM technology in their designs, leading to shorter production development schedules. Through our collaboration with Weebit, a key player in the ReRAM market, we're enabling our mutual customers to take advantage of the latest advancements in semiconductor technology."



Coby Hanoch, Weebit CEO, said: "Silvaco provides state-of-the-art device models and TCAD tools that are widely used by semiconductor companies. Our successful joint development provides customers with early access to Weebit's ReRAM technology on the most powerful simulation tools in the industry. The newly developed TCAD model will enable customers to fast-track the development and release of their next-generation products, while saving expensive and time-consuming runs in fabrication. Costly learning, development and testing cycles that take several months have now been eliminated. This is another key milestone step by Weebit to accelerate the adoption of its ReRAM technology by a larger number of global OEM customers." About Weebit Nano Limited

Weebit Nano is a leader in the development of next generation computer memory technology, and plans to become the new industry standard in this space. Its goal is to address the growing need for a significantly higher performance and lower power computer memory technology. Weebit Nano's ReRAM technology is based on fab-friendly Silicon Oxide, allowing the company to rapidly execute, without the need for special equipment or preparations. The company secured several patents to ensure optimal commercial and legal protection for its ground-breaking technology. Weebit Nano's technology enables a quantum leap, allowing semiconductor memory elements to be significantly cheaper, faster, more reliable and more energy efficient than the existing Flash technology. Weebit Nano has signed an R&D agreement with Leti, an R&D institute that specialises in nanotechnologies, to further develop SiOx ReRAM technology. For more information please visit: www.weebit-nano.com. About Silvaco, Inc. Silvaco Inc. is a leading EDA tools and semiconductor IP provider used for process and device development for advanced semiconductors, power IC, display, and memory design. For over 30 years, Silvaco has enabled its customers to develop next-generation semiconductor products in the shortest time with reduced cost. Silvaco is a technology company outpacing the EDA industry by delivering innovative smart silicon solutions to meet the world's ever-growing demand for mobile intelligent computing. The company is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and has a global presence with offices located in North America, Europe, Japan, and Asia. For more information please visit: www.silvaco.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005116/en/

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Canadians who have spent weeks on a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship in Japan will board a government-chartered plane to take them home Thursday evening, the foreign affairs minister says.

Thousands of passengers who had been taking a cruise on the Diamond Princess have been stuck aboard the ship, docked in Yokohama while the illness dubbed COVID-19 has sickened hundreds.

Japanese authorities will test Canadian passengers for the virus before allowing them to leave the ship, where theyll be taken by bus to the airport to board the chartered plane, Francois-Philippe Champagne said Wednesday.

Passengers received messages from the Canadian government laying out the departure plans, including masks, wristbands, restricted use of airport facilities, and warnings that its much colder in Canada than in Yokohama.

Anyone who wants to come home and is been cleared to fly will be checked out again at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, in Ontario, where the evacuation flight is expected to land at about 1:30 a.m. local time. Passengers are then to be moved on to quarantine at a hotel and conference centre in Cornwall, Ont., a few hundred kilometres east.

But those passengers who have tested positive for COVID-19 will remain in Japanese health facilities, Champagne said.

Forty-seven of about 250 Canadian passengers had been struck by the bug at last count, according to Canadian authorities.

The best approach to dealing with Canadians who have been infected with the coronavirus in Japan is for them to be treated locally, Champagne said in Ottawa after question period Wednesday.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu added that not only would transporting sick patients home to Canada pose a risk to others on the same plane, a long flight without the necessary health care on board could cause an infected persons condition to deteriorate.

COVID-19 is thought to have an incubation period of about two weeks, and the evacuees will wait out that period in quarantine once they arrive home to make sure they dont get sick and spread the illness in Canada.

But if patients have tested negative for the virus, have had no contact with infected patients and show no symptoms, Canadas chief medical officer has the discretion to release passengers from quarantine early, Hajdu said.

The much-criticized quarantine of the cruise ship was to end later Wednesday, though Canadians bound for the evacuation flight were given strict instructions to stay aboard. The Diamond Princesss 542 virus cases are the most in any place outside of China, and medical experts have called its quarantine a failure.

Canadian officials were waiting on final authorization from those in Japan before the plane ferrying people home was able to take off, according to Champagne, who added that the government wanted to make sure every Canadian on board the ship had been contacted and was fully aware of the options.

He said the plane landed in Japan after some unforeseen technical issues prior to takeoff Tuesday. The Canadian evacuation had previously been scheduled for earlier in the week.

One healthy Canadian passenger said shes eager to go home and the departure dates being moved is discouraging.

Wed like to hear what the explanation might be instead of being left in the dark once again, said Trudy Clement of Callander, Ont.

Lolita Wisener of Red Deer, Alta., who is also looking forward to coming home, said she was not happy.

The smiles are getting a little bit more brittle now, you know, she said via Skype.

The hope they had when it was announced last Saturday that the government would take Canadians from the Diamond Princess is now fading, she said.

Its a good thing were not drowning, eh? Wisener said.

Im starting to feel bad for me.

Evacuees from the centre of the coronavirus outbreak have spent nearly two weeks at CFB Trenton under quarantine are preparing to return home.

They were placed in isolation after they returned to Canada from Wuhan, China. The government is now working to help them make their final travel plans once they are released from quarantine.
Los Angeles: US prosecutors have called for a Los Angeles cocaine smuggler to be sentenced to 11 years in prison because of the "danger" he posed to Australians.

Vardges Markosyan, whose aliases include "David Petrosov", "Giani Oncho" and "Laram Narman", will be sentenced in a Los Angeles court on Friday.

Markosyan, 47, from North Hollywood, was a key player in a sophisticated cocaine smuggling operation that tried to elude US and Australian border inspections by concealing and then suspending 37 kilograms of the drug in grease.

The cocaine was hidden in household items including a lamp stand, air compressor, log splitter and tankless water heaters and shipped to Australia where traffickers could pocket sky high prices.

Markosyan entered guilty pleas last year to charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to engage in money laundering.
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / Bitterroot Resources Ltd.'s (TSXV:BTT) ("Bitterroot") Michigan subsidiary has entered into an option/joint venture agreement whereby Below Exploration, Inc., ("Below") a private Michigan corporation, can earn a 49% joint venture interest in Bitterroot's 100%-leased LM nickel-copper-platinum-palladium property in Baraga County, Michigan. Below is required to fund US$285,000 of exploration expenditures prior to the first anniversary of the agreement to earn a 49% joint venture interest. Bitterroot will be the project operator, regardless of its ownership level, and retains a right of first refusal over Below's property interest. Following vesting of its 49% interest, Below will have a 90-day option to convert its interest in the project into Bitterroot shares. The value of the project will be determined at that time by an independent Qualified Person acceptable to both parties. If it were to occur, the conversion into Bitterroot shares will be subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange and is subject to applicable securities laws. If Below does not exercise the share conversion option, the joint venture will continue.The LM nickel-copper-PGM property comprises 100%-leased, privately-owned mineral rights located approximately 25 km west of Lundin Mining's Eagle Mine, in a similar geologic setting. In 1995, following the discovery of nickel-copper mineralized boulders in a nearby gravel pit, Kennecott Exploration Company drilled one shallow angle hole on the LM target. This hole intersected 190 metres of an olivine gabbro intrusion which is prospective at depth for conduit-hosted, high-grade magmatic nickel-copper-PGM deposits similar to the Eagle and Eagle East deposits. The 1995 Kennecott angle hole tested the Eagle-sized LM intrusion to a depth of only 170 metres below surface. In the mid 2000's, several years after Kennecott had released the LM Property, drilling nearby intersected nickel-copper mineralization in similar, but much smaller, mafic intrusions at approximately 500-600 metres below surface. Bitterroot and Below plan to drill-test the LM intrusion at similar depths. Bore hole EM techniques may also be used to guide subsequent drilling.A ground magnetic survey completed in January 2020 has confirmed the position of the ~200-metre-diameter, pipe-shaped LM intrusion. Bitterroot and Below plan to complete two 650-metre sub-vertical core holes to test the intrusion for nickel-copper-platinum-palladium mineralization near the unconformity between Paleoproterozoic Baraga group sediments and older Archean gneiss. A map showing the LM property's ground magnetic response and a simplified cross section showing the drill target are posted on Bitterroot's website www.bitterrootresources.com Jeffrey Rowe, P.Geo is the Qualified Person responsible for the technical content of this disclosure.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY:Michael S. CarrDirectorContact information:Telephone 604 922 1351Email infoman@ bitterrootresources.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects" or "it is expected", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. This document contains statements about expected or anticipated future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and as a result, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, such as general economic, market and business conditions, regulatory processes and actions, technical issues, new legislation, competitive conditions, the uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans, the occurrence of unexpected events and the company's ability to execute and implement its future plans. Forward-looking statements in this press release include but are not limited to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange and the Company's planned use of the proceeds of the Private Placements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include that the Company does not receive final regulatory acceptance to the Private Placements. Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in 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, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. For such forward-looking statements, we claim the safe harbour for forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Legislation Reform Act of 1995.SOURCE: Bitterroot Resources Ltd.
Bernie Sanders is refusing to release his full medical records despite suffering a heart attack just four months ago.

The 78-year-old Senator - who is clear favorite to become the Democratic presidential candidate - suffered a heart attack in October during a campaign event.

He had a blockage in one artery and two stents were inserted, his campaign said at the time.

Sanders ruled out releasing his full medical records, despite previously saying that he would.

Neither one of the men were kicked out of the rally, but they were separated from one another

In September, before his heart attack, he said: 'The American people have the right to know whether the person they're going to be voting for president is healthy.

'And we will certainly release our medical records before the primaries.'

But he insisted at a CNN town hall in Las Vegas Tuesday night that letters from his doctors released in December stating he was in good health would now be sufficient.

He said: 'We have released, I think, quite as much as any other candidate has.

'We released two rather detailed letters from cardiologists and we released a letter that came from the head of the U.S. Congress medical group, the physicians there.

'So I think we have released a detailed report and I'm comfortable with what we have done.

'If you think I'm not in good health come on out with me on the campaign trail and I'll let you introduce me to the three or four rallies a day that we do.'

When pressed to clarify that he would not be releasing his full records, Sanders responded: 'I don't think we will, no.'

The questions came as a new Washington Post-ABC News poll showed Sanders had extended his lead nationally by nine points to 32 per cent, double that of the Democrats' second choice, Joe Biden, who is lagging on 16 per cent.

Sanders would become the oldest president ever elected if he was voted into the White House - beating Donald Trump who was 70 when he first took office in 2016.

Biden, 77, who would also beat Trump's record, released a doctor's letter in December saying he is 'healthy, vigorous' and 'fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.'

During the 2016 election campaign, Trump released a letter written by his physician Dr. Harold Bornstein saying his health was 'astonishingly excellent' and that he would be 'the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.'

Dr Bornstein later claimed Trump dictated the letter and that he wrote it in five minutes while a limo sent by the candidate waited outside his office.

A second letter said Trump had normal levels of cholesterol and blood sugar and a colonoscopy and chest X-ray had shown no problems and he had a low risk of prostate cancer.

Trump boasted afterwards: 'I am fortunate to have been blessed with great genes.'

Trump (left) released a letter from Dr Harold Borstein (right) before he was elected president saying his health was 'astonishingly excellent'

Letter from Trump's doctor, Harold Bornstein, saying his health was 'astonishingly excellent'
The forensic voice analysts who claim a covert MI5 recording of three alleged IRA dissidents provided moderate to strong support they are indeed the suspects, are not accredited.

The Belfast Crown Court trial of the trio, 52-year-old Colin Duffy, 51-year-old Henry Fitzsimons and 58-year-old Alex McCrory, also heard that although required by law, this was not noted on any of the analysts reports.

This was accepted by Dr Christin Kirchhubel, who also agreed that the analysis of the covert tapes was open to bias from the outset as the police transcript of materials contained the names of the accused and the police belief they were the men in the MI5 recordings.

The original analysis was carried out by Prof Peter French and his Forensic Speech Laboratory, her former employer.

Dr Kirchhubel, now in private practice, and working on her own accreditation, however rejected defence suggestions that she would have simply adopted her former boss report to back up his findings.

At one stage she told the Diplock style non jury trial that she would not have allowed her duty to Dr French Associates, to outweigh her duty to the court. In turn, trial judge Mr Justice OHara told Dr Kirchhubel while her good faith was not in question, the court had to consider the degree of risk of bias involved in her report reaching the same conclusions as Prof French.

The doctor accepted that forensic experts were always open to cognitive bias, but that they could deal with the possibility simply by being aware of it. She also agreed that in this case police had provided the names of the defendants on the transcript of the tapes they wanted analysed and compared.

Defence QC Mark Mulholland for Mr Duffy, said because of this it would have presented a higher risk of cognitive bias in the case, since the bias is there from the very start ... that these three people feature in these conversations.

Dr Kirchhubel said while experts had to be alive to the potential risk, and being aware of cognitive basis, such bias could be limited by making amends to mitigate them.

Mr Mulholland further suggested that given the knowledge was there ... in other words the damage was done, and as such, the bias is inherent in that police have made up their own mind.

The doctor agreed: The knowledge was there. Yes, adding later that it would have been better if no background information had been included in the police instructions.

However, Dr Kirchhubel said as an expert she was not interested in whether or not the recorded voices were those of the defendants, as named by the police, nor had she any interest in the eventual outcome of the trial in itself.

Later under cross-examination by Barry Macdonald QC for Mr McCrory, the expert accepted she could not give any numeric research to support her findings that his client was one of the men covertly recorded.

The doctor accepted Mr Macdonalds contention she could not say how many people, whether it be hundreds, thousands or hundreds of thousands, within the supposed Mid Ulster area, who would share the same speech characteristics as Mr McCrory.

The trio, whose addresses cant be given at this time, deny preparing and directing terrorism, and membership or professing to be members of the IRA. Fitzsimons and McCrory are also charged with and deny attempting to murder police on December 5, 2013, and possessing of the two AK47 rifles and ammunition used in the attack.

They were allegedly covertly recorded and videoed in an MI5 operation code name Op Idealistic, carried out in Demesne Park, Lurgan, owned and operated by Craigavon Council, the day following the gun attack on the police convoy in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast during which two gunmen fired 14 shots at the three vehicle patrol.

The court has already heard that it was these recordings which were compared and analysed against recordings made during press conferences allegedly given by Mr Duffy and Mr McCrory, together with custody records, and in the case of Mr Fitzsimons, from telephone conversations and from recordings made when he was stopped at a vehicle checkpoint.
A month ago corrupt local politicians managed to put together an anti-French demonstration in the capital, where about a thousand civilians called for French forces to get out of Mali. The capital is in the far south and rarely suffers any terrorist (Islamic or otherwise) activity. You dont see French troops in this part of Mali for they are all up north fighting Islamic terrorists who want to turn Mali into a religious dictatorship or worse. The French and African troops from neighboring nations are fighting up north to prevent that. The major crimes committed in the far south are politicians seeking new ways to steal foreign aid, much of it meant for the suffering people in central and northern Mali. The foreign aid donors have been putting more and more pressure on the notoriously corrupt Mali politicians to back off on plundering the foreign aid. When faced with this pressure a favorite ploy of corrupt African politicians is to blame foreigners for all the problems the local politicians have caused. Convincing their followers, who often share in the looted aid, that the foreign interference by peacekeepers (who are mostly African) and the special French counter-terrorism force (which is entirely French) are a threat to Mali is difficult. There are 12,000 peacekeepers up north and 5,000 French troops operate throughout the region against Islamic terrorists. The peacekeepers and French troops are welcome up north and that is one of many differences between northern and southern Mali.

The thinly populated northern two-thirds of the country has a population of less than three million, out of 19 million for all of Mali. The north was very poor in the best of times, and several years of Islamic terrorist violence there halted tourism (a major source of income, especially in the three major cities up there) and the movement of many goods.

The Tuareg majority in the far north are more Arab than African and the peace deal with them was stalled for over a year because the black majority in the south did not want to even consider granting as much autonomy as the Tuaregs demanded. The two groups have always been at odds but were only united in the same country by the colonial French in the 19th century. Like most African countries, dividing the nation is not an acceptable option and the colonial borders are considered sacrosanct. The current mess began when France took swift action in January 2013 by leading a military operation to clear Islamic terrorists out of northern Mali. Aided by Chad and a growing number of other African peacekeeping contingents, this effort continues and is somewhat open ended. The French acted because in 2012 Tuareg tribal rebels (with the help of al Qaeda affiliated Islamic terrorists) in northern Mali chased out government forces and declared a separate Tuareg state. The Mali army mutinied (because of a lack of support from the corrupt government) down south and took control of the capital. The army soon backed off when neighboring nations threatened to intervene. The elected government was soon back in charge and more corrupt than ever.

Corruption has long been a major problem for Mali. The international aspect of this can be seen in the worldwide surveys of nations to determine who is clean and who is corrupt. For 2019 Mali ranked 130th out of 180 nations in international rankings compared with 120th in 2018. Corruption in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index is measured on a 1 (most corrupt) to 100 (not corrupt) scale. The most corrupt nations (usually Yemen/15, Syria/13, South Sudan/12 and Somalia/9) have a rating of under 15 while of the least corrupt (Finland, New Zealand and Denmark) are over 85.

The current Mali score is 29 (versus 32 in 2018) compared to 26 (27) for Nigeria, 40 (41) for Burkina Faso, 32 (34) for Niger, 28 (27) for Mauritania, 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, 59 (57) for South Korea, 14 (17) for North Korea, 37 (35) for Vietnam, 85 (84) for Singapore, 73 (73) for Japan, 40 (37) for Indonesia, 38 (38) for Sri Lanka, 29 (33) for the Maldives, 34 (34) for the Philippines, 32 (32) for Pakistan, 26 (28) for Bangladesh, 26 (30) for Iran, 16 (15) for Afghanistan, 29 (30) for Burma, 71 (71) for the UAE (United Arab Emirates), 60 (64) for Israel, 69 (75) for the United States, 41 (39) for China, 44 (43) for South Africa, 20 (18) for Iraq, 39 (40) for Turkey, 53 (49) for Saudi Arabia and 28 (28) for Lebanon.

The Mali corruption score has gotten worse since 2012 when it was 34 and that is a large part of the current problems.

The state of living conditions in Mali can be measured compared to the rest of the world. The effectiveness of governments and the societies they represent is rated each year in the Human Development Index. The UN has compiled these ratings for 29 years. The index ranks all the world nations in terms of how well they do in terms of life expectancy, education and income. In 2019

Mali was 184 out of 189 nations. The rank of other nations puts this into perspective; United States is at 15 (tied with Britain), Nigeria 158, China 89, Israel 22 (tied with South Korea), Saudi Arabia 36, Iran 65, India 129, Pakistan 152, Afghanistan 179, Bangladesh 135, Russia 49, Venezuela 96, Colombia 79, Mexico 76. Egypt 116, Lebanon 93, Syria 154 and Jordan 103. The top ten nations are Norway, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Hong Kong, Australia, Iceland, Sweden, Singapore and Netherlands. The bottom ten are Mozambique at 180th place (there are a lot of ties) followed by Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Mali, Burundi, South Sudan, Chad, Central African Republic and in last place, Niger.

February 14, 2020: In the north (outside Gao), ISGS (Islamic State in Greater Sahara) claimed responsibility for ambushing an army patrol and killing eight soldiers. Elsewhere in the area, one soldier was killed when Islamic terrorists fired on his base. Since 2018 ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) has had two provinces in central Africa. The smaller one was ISGS which showed up in 2018. ISGS is currently active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

In central Mali (Mopti, near the Burkina Faso border), a Fulani village was attacked and looted, leaving about 30 civilians dead. The attackers, apparently Dogon tribesmen, do not appear to have suffered any casualties. During the last year attacks like this have left several hundred dead. The fighting between Dogon and Fulani tribal militias had been going on for years but the 2019 surge began with a spectacular March 2019 massacre where Dogon militia attacked a Fulani village. That action left over 160 Fulani dead and it wasnt just the Fulani who were outraged by this.

The Fulani were the ones who started this violence years ago as they sought to force farmers off the land and away from water supplies the Fulani coveted. But the Fulani raids were meant to terrorize, not exterminate. The Dogon tribe, one of the larger sedentary groups in central Mali, has always been the most organized and aggressive in confronting Fulani expansion into the better watered and more fertile (for grass and crops) Niger River Valley and beyond. After 2012 and the separatist/Islamic terrorist uprising in the north there was an increase in Fulani-farmer violence and the bloodiest incidents often involved Dogon militias fighting Fulani. Calls for the government to disarm the Dogon militias were popular for a while until police and army commanders convinced the government that attempting disarmament would be bloody and, in the long run futile. For the Dogon and Fulani, all this feuding is a matter of life or death while the politicians are concerned about appeasing popular outrage, which tends to fade quickly. Then there is the critical foreign media, which influences foreign aid decisions and is more important, especially for corrupt politicians who steal much of that aid. Getting the Fulani and Dogon (and other farming tribes) to settle the land and water disputes peacefully is more difficult but is the only lasting solution but also the more difficult one. Those fundamental conflicts are still there, which is why the current peace deal will be under growing pressure and will eventually collapse into renewed violence.

The Dogon-Fulani ceasefire was always at the mercy of natural (drought, hunger) and political (corrupt politicians) events. In the north, the basic problem is poverty and the negative impact banditry and Islamic terrorism is having on efforts to revive the economy. A lot of the Islamic terrorist violence up there is just bandits. It gets more attention if the victims describe the attackers as Islamic terrorists.

February 11, 2020: In the north, just across the border in Algeria, a group of Mali based ISGS Islamic terrorists attacked an Algerian army base using a suicide car bomber and gunmen. The attack was repulsed but the car bomb killed an Algerian soldier. Attacks like this are rare and the reason for this one is probably that Mali based ISGS is an ISIL faction is led by Abu Walid el Sahrawi a Moroccan who was born and raised in an Algerian refugee camp. Sahrawi has spent most of his adult life in Mali and Niger working with al Qaeda related groups. He started his career in Algeria and Morocco as a member of Polisario. Algeria has been, since the late 1990s, too hostile for Islamic terrorists of any type.

February 7, 2020: In the northeast (south of Gao were the borders of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso meet), French troops searched for and found Islamic terrorists. In three separate operations over the last two days at least 30 Islamic terrorists were killed during two clashes. The French effort had air support from a Reaper UAV and two armed helicopters.

February 2, 2020: France announced that it was going to increase the size of its Sahel counter-terrorism force from 4,500 to 5,100. There will also be more combat and logistics vehicles. The new troops and equipment will arrive by the end of March. France will also supply more equipment and other resources for the G5 Sahel Joint Force. France has always wanted to expand G5 and now it is providing the resources for that to happen. The G5 Force was organized in 2018 to deal with transnational Islamic terrorist organizations. G5 was a consortium of five Sahel (the semi-desert area stretching across Africa from Senegal to Somalia) nations; Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad. Each contributed troops best able to deal with Islamic terrorism and G5 operated throughout the Sahel region as needed. By 2019 G5 forces were spending more time in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso,

Mali is still the most troublesome Sahel nation but also has the most outside assistance, including a peacekeeping force along with a separate French counter-terror force that also covers much of the Sahel along with the G5 force. The Mali contingent of the G5 is considered the least capable and that has to be taken into account while the training program for the Mali military slowly improves the quality of leadership and troop reliability. With Mali secured by all these foreign troops, the G5 has been able to deal with Islamic terror problems elsewhere, especially Burkina Faso and Niger.

The G5 force consists of 5,000 soldiers and police that are stationed in three operational areas along with troops familiar with local conditions. Thus Sahel East consists of troops from Chad and Niger. Sahel Central is staffed by troops from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso while Sahel West uses troops from Mali and Mauritania.

What G5 could not do was replace a lack of security forces in one of its member nations. Burkina Faso is the best example of this because after a new government took power in 2014, the internal intelligence and security forces were reorganized and became much less effective. Islamic terrorists took note and established themselves in the part of Burkina Faso adjacent to Mali. As a result that part of Burkina Faso has seen an increasing amount of Islamic terrorist activity since 2015.

France offered to take the lead in raising more money to expand (as much as double) the size of the G5 Force but it was soon realized that it was easier to find the money than to find the qualified troops. The new French G5 aid will enable Chad to contribute another infantry battalion.

January 31, 2020: In central Mali, ISIL members released a video on the Internet in which the group pledged allegiance to Abu Hamza al Qurayshi, the new ISIL leader. This was confusing because the video was not released by ISGS and the men in the video are apparently recent defectors from JNIM who have joined ISIL. Whether this is a new faction or a component of ISGS is unclear. For several years JNIN has been losing its more fanatic members to the more militant ISGS, a group that does not normally operate in central Mali. JNIM (Jamaah Nusrah al Islam wal Muslimin, or Group for the support of Islam and Moslems) is an al Qaeda coalition formed in early 2017 to consolidate the many separate Islamic terror groups in Mali. In part, this was a reaction to the growing threat from ISIL, which is hostile to everyone who is not ISIL and will attack or recruit from the JNIM members like AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb), Ansar Dine, FLM and several other smaller groups. Another reason for the merger was to make it easier to pool resources, especially information and practical advice, and coordinate with other Islamic terror groups in the region. This reduces friction and destructive feuding. Making a coalition like this work is always difficult, especially considering the importance of ethnic differences. The FLM is Fulani (the largest local tribal contribution) while the other groups are largely Tuareg, Arab and some have a lot of foreigners. Note that JNIM did not absorb all of AQIM groups in the area, just local groups that had long been identified with al Qaeda. The income from the drug trade keeps a lot of these factions in business and the Islamic terrorists know that business and religious fanaticism do not mix and keep it that way. Those groups that did not went broke and withered to nothing.

January 26, 2020: In central Mali (near the Mauritania border) about a hundred JNIM gunmen attacked a military base, killing 20 paramilitary police and wounding several more. At least four of the attackers died and some were wounded but the attackers retreated taking most of their casualties with them. Army reinforcements soon arrived and swept the area around the base for any dead or alive attackers. The JNIM men had arrived at 5 AM on motorcycles and pickup trucks and made their escape on these vehicles.

January 23, 2020: In central Mali (Mopti), gunmen (apparently JNIM) attacked an army outpost, killing seven soldiers and wounding several others. The attackers occupied the outpost temporarily then fled as army reinforcements approached.

January 19, 2020: The EU delivered a donation of 13 more Bastion MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected) vehicles. Bastion is a French made 4x4 wheeled APCs (armored personnel carrier). In effect, the 12 ton Bastion is MRAP lite as it has many of the same design features of an MRAP but is not as well protected against mines and roadside bombs. It can carry up to twelve (usually 8-10) and has a turret-mounted heavy machine-gun or automatic grenade launcher. Bastion does have excellent cross-country mobility and was designed mainly as a reconnaissance vehicle that can also serve as a convoy escort or in peacekeeping operations. Bastion is also used by the French military.

In mid-2019 a regiment of the Mali army was converted to a mechanized unit with the addition of several dozen 11 ton Casspir armored vehicles. These are from South Africa which is where this late 1980s vintage vehicle proved to be the first effective modern MRAP design to enter wide use. Casspir will always be remembered as one of the earliest and most successful MRAP type vehicles. Originally designed for the South African police in the early 1980s, this 4x4 wheeled vehicle has remained in production ever since. The basic design has been upgraded over the years. Germany is paying for the vehicles and providing trainers for drivers and mechanics. Casspirs carry up to twelve troops and have plenty of bulletproof windows (with gun firing ports) and are excellent for patrols. Like all MRAP vehicles, Casspirs (and their passengers) can survive most vehicle mines and roadside bombs as well as rifle and machine-gun fire.

January 15, 2020: In neighboring Burkina Faso, the parliament authorized the organization of local defense militias to protect rural areas from Islamic terrorist violence or threats. The government would supervise selecting, training and arming the volunteers. Some legislators feared that this program would end up creating more armed bandits in the countryside. The majority of legislators thought that was worth the risk in order to cope with the growing Islamic terrorist violence.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

The Very Large Array, west of Socorro, will be helping researchers at the SETI Institute in their search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

An agreement between the SETI Institute and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, or NRAO, which operates the VLA, will for the first time allow the institute to install equipment at the array so its members can access the data stream the VLA captures as it regularly scans the skies, said Dave Finley, spokesman for the observatory.

We will continue to do exactly the same thing weve been doing, which is taking proposals from astronomers, looking at objects in the sky and providing the astronomers with the raw data they need to produce an image, Finley said. The SETI Institute will now be able to take that same data before it goes into our processing system and put it through a processing system that they are building and funding.

The new system, which is still being designed, has been named the Commensal Open-Source Multimode Interferometer Cluster Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or COSMIC SETI.

The VLA, on the Plains of San Augustin west of Socorro, and the Mountain View, California-based SETI Institute both look at radio waves, but each processes them differently. Thats why the two have not done this type of collaboration in the past, Finley said.

COSMIC SETI will use an Ethernet interface to grab VLA data around the clock and process it to detect technosignatures, that might be indicative of the existence of a technologically advanced, extraterrestrial civilization. The new software will also be able to detect fast radio bursts, another possible type of technosignature.

Bill Diamond, president and CEO of the SETI Institute, estimated the cost to develop and install the new system at more than $5 million, and the cost of operating it and conducting the science over five years at between $5 million and $10 million.

He said that installation of the new system would begin in about a year and that it would be fully functional a year after that.

SETI originally grew out of research at NASA and the Ames Research Center, in Mountain View, which funded SETIs programs starting in 1984. That funding dried up in 1992. Since then, Diamond said, SETI has received enough private funding that it has been able to build its own radio telescope array, as well as buy time on others.

The VLA, which does receive federal funding, has never been used for SETI searches (despite being featured in the 1997 film Contact). Diamond said he was excited about the new collaboration because the VLA is the most sensitive telescope in the Northern Hemisphere and has the widest frequency range of any radio telescope in the world.

In addition, he said, the VLA operates 24/7, and nobody else is doing 24/7 SETI observations, including SETIs own, and much smaller, Allen Telescope Array. That array is at the Hat Creek Observatory, and named for the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, a large donor.

We are delighted to have this opportunity to partner with NRAO, especially as we now understand the candidate pool of relevant planets numbers in the billions, Diamond said.

Most of the time, the VLAs 27 dish-shaped antennas, each 82 feet in diameter, are used to create high-resolution images of celestial bodies using time exposure, Finley said.

SETI is also looking for a very short burst of things, so the time exposure images processed by the VLA would not detect the flashing.

We are a general purpose radio telescope looking at the nature of stars, galaxies, black holes, supernova explosions, planets and things like that, and studying the basic nature of these components of the universe, Finley said.

Theyre looking for technosignals that have characteristics that might indicate they are artificially generated, such as modulation evidence of a radio station or communication system, laser emissions, atmospheric chemicals produced by industries or structures orbiting stars to capture energy.

Determining whether we are alone in the universe as technologically capable life is among the most compelling questions in science, said NRAO Director Tony Beasley. Telescopes such as the VLA can play a major role in answering it.
In a recent order, the Gauhati High Court rejected petition of a woman declared foreigner by a tribunal in Assam by stating that land revenue paying receipts, Permanent Account Number (PAN) card and bank documents dont prove citizenship.

The court of Justice Manojit Bhuyan and Justice Parthivjyoti Saikia also dismissed the petition of Jabeda Begum as she failed to prove her linkage with her projected parents and her projected brother.

The order highlights how determination of citizenship is different in Assam - the only state where National Register of Citizens (NRC) containing names of citizens was prepared in 1951 and updated last year.

In August last year, after a five-year process supervised by the Supreme Court, the updated NRC of Assam, which excluded names of 19 lakh applicants (of the 3.3 crore who applied) was published.

The updated NRC has its genesis in the Assam Accord of 1985 signed after a six-year-long agitation against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, which set March 24, 1971 as the date for determining citizenship in the state.

The accord also resulted in insertion of Section 6A in the Citizenship Act, 1955, which stipulated that Indians and illegal migrants from Bangladesh who came to Assam prior to March 25, 1971 were deemed as citizens. The same date was used for the NRC updation process.

To prove citizenship for inclusion in NRC applicants had to submit any one of the 14 documents issued before March 24, 1971 which had either their names or names of their ancestor to prove residence in Assam up to that date.

These documents were 1951 NRC, electoral rolls till March 24, 1971, land and tenancy records, citizenship certificate, permanent resident certificate, refugee registration certificate, passport, insurance policy, government issued license or certificate, proof of employment, bank or post office accounts, birth certificate, education certificates or documents of court records or processes.

Further, two more supplementary documents - certificates issued by circle officer or gram panchayat secretary to married women migrating after marriage (before or after March 24, 1971) and ration card issued prior to March 24, 1971 - could be added by applicants. But these two documents were to be accepted only if applicants had one of the 14 documents listed above.

For those applicants who names were not in the 14 documents, they have to submit eight different documents to establish relationship with an ancestor (father, mother, grandfather, grandmother etc.) whose names were included in any one of the 14 documents prior to March 24, 1971.

These documents were birth certificate, land records, examination certificates, bank, insurance police or post office records, certificate issued by circle officer or gram panchayat secretary (in case of married woman), name in electoral roll, ration card or any other legally acceptable document.

Those applicants who failed to furnish these documents were excluded from the NRC list. But non-inclusion doesnt make them non-citizens. These applicants have the provision of appealing their cases in foreigners tribunals, High Court and Supreme Court to prove citizenship.

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NEW HAVEN, Conn., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund (KCCF) today announced that is has launched a donor-advised fund with Legatus International, the world's premier membership organization for Catholic business leaders. The new charitable giving vehicle is called "The Legatus Donor-Advised Funds."

While speaking at the 2020 Annual Legatus Summit, Anthony Minopoli, president and chief investment officer of Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors, said: "We are confident that clients, such as Legatus International, will be attracted to the KCCF DAF platform, knowing that their funds will be invested according to the principles and teachings of the Catholic Church."

Christopher McMahon, board member and treasurer Legatus International, commented: "We are excited to provide the opportunity to assist our membership in their philanthropic planning through this new Legatus Donor-Advised Fund. The relationship with Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund will enable our members to create a philanthropic legacy in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church. This newest service reinforces our core mission of spreading the faith in our business, professional and personal lives."

Dennis Gerber, president and chief executive officer of KCCF, added: "We are pleased to have the chance to work with Legatus International as it continues to promote contributions to a variety of worthy Catholic causes."

The greatest benefit for institutions in establishing a private-label donor-advised fund through KCCF is the donor intelligence and data made available to the organization. Building a closer relationship with donors is one of the greatest opportunities for both non-profit and profit organizations.

Today, donor-advised funds are the fastest-growing segment of charitable giving vehicles, even ahead of private foundations, trusts, annuities and pooled income funds and have outnumbered private foundations for several yearsi. Donor-advised funds make it easy to donate assets that might otherwise not be contributed to charity, and they also make it easy to distribute funds thoughtfully and impactfully to charities. More information from KCCF can be found here: www.knightscharitable.org

Further Information:

About Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund

Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund is an independent 501(c)(3) public charity. It allows individuals to make a charitable contribution, receive an immediate potential tax benefit and then recommend grants from the fund over time to any 501(c)(3) charities that do not conflict with Catholic values. Various entities affiliated with Knights of Columbus provide certain investment management and administrative services to Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors serves as the investment manager of Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund, and the assets are invested in investment funds managed by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors.

Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund furnishes the opportunity to create a legacy of generosity by personalizing the name of a fund, safeguarding philanthropic goals and strategically advising gifts to organizations that align with Catholic values, principles and teachings.

Investing involves risk. The value of a donation to a donor-advised fund will fluctuate over time and may gain or lose money, which will affect total benefits ultimately received by charities.

Information provided is educational in nature and is not intended as legal, tax, financial or other professional advice. Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund does not provide legal, tax, financial or other professional advice. You should consult professional advisors concerning the legal, tax or financial consequences of your charitable activities. Tax information provided relates to federal tax matters only and availability of certain federal tax deductions may depend on whether you itemize deductions. For more information, please visit: www.knightscharitable.org

You should consider the investment objectives, risks and charges and expenses of the donor-advised funds carefully before investing. Nothing presented herein is intended to constitute investment advice and no investment decision should be made based on any information provided herein. Nothing presented herein should be construed as a recommendation to purchase or sell a particular type of security or follow any investment technique or strategy. No guarantee of investment performance is being provided and no inference to the contrary should be made. For more information, please visit: www.kofcassetadvisors.org

About Legatus International

The only organization in the world designed exclusively for top-ranking Catholic business leaders and their spouses. In a dynamic way, Legatus International brings together the three key areas of a Catholic business leader's life  Faith, Family and Business  connecting two powerful realities, the challenge of top-tier business leadership and a religious tradition second to none.

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: The official registration and financial information of Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, within , 1 (800) 732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. Virginia : Financial statements are available from the State Division of Consumer Affairs, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218.

: Financial statements are available from the State Division of Consumer Affairs, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services, P.O. Box 1163, 23218. Washington : The notice of solicitation required by the State Office of Consumer Affairs is on file with the Washington Secretary of State, and information relating to financial affairs is available from the Secretary of State, and the toll-free number for Washington residents: 800-332-4483

: The notice of solicitation required by the State Office of Consumer Affairs is on file with the Secretary of State, and information relating to financial affairs is available from the Secretary of State, and the toll-free number for residents: 800-332-4483 West Virginia : West Virginia residents may obtain a summary of the registration and financial documents from the Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, West Virginia 25305. Registration does not imply endorsement.

i Source: National Philanthropic Trust, 2018 DAF Report

SOURCE Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkey's cement exports to Uzbekistan decreased in January 2020, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish Trade Ministry.

Turkey's cement exports to Uzbekistan amounted to $467,000 in January 2020, which is 32.3 percent less compared to January 2019.

However, Turkey's total cement exports to Uzbekistan exceeded $13.4 million in 2019, having increased by 123.47 percent, compared to 2018.

Turkey's total cement exports exceeded $3.5 billion in 2019, having increased by 17.8 percent, compared to 2018.

Cement exports accounted for 1.9 percent of the Turkey's total exports in 2019.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Burma EU Honors Myanmar Rights Advocates at Fourth Schuman Awards

The 2020 Schuman Award recipients pose at an award ceremony at the EU ambassadors residence in Yangon on Feb. 19, 2020. / Zaw Naung Lin / The Irrawaddy

The European Union (EU) in Myanmar on Wednesday bestowed its annual Schuman Awards on a rights activist, a prominent human rights lawyer and a satirical performance troupe to honor what it said was their courage in fighting for freedom and for others, even when it costs them their own freedom.

The 2020 Schuman Awardees are human rights lawyer U Kyee Myint, womens rights activist Lway Poe Ngeal and satirical poetry troupe Peacock Generation.

Launched in 2017 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treatyone of the founding documents of the European Unionthe annual Schuman Awards recognize outstanding efforts in the promotion of the universal values of democracy, rule of law, peace and human rights in Myanmar and beyond.

For the fourth time, we recognize those who carry the flame of freedom for othersthose whose light shines brightly from inside a prison cell, in court rooms, or working in villages across Myanmar. They are helping to build a genuine democratic union in Myanmar, EU Ambassador Kristian Schmidt said in a press statement.

U Kyee Myint, 75, was honored for his tireless efforts in promoting the rule of law and human rights, including the right to free access to information and good governance in Myanmar.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Wednesday shortly before he was due to receive the award, he said he was accepting the honor not only for himself, but also for all those across Myanmar who are trying to promote human rights.

An outspoken and inspiring champion of democracy, U Kyee Myint is one of Myanmars most prominent human rights lawyers and political prisoners.

For decades he has represented individuals charged with political crimes, often pro bono. He is a mentor to many human rights lawyers in Myanmar and also co-founder of the Myanmar Lawyers Network and chairman of the Union Lawyers and Paralegals Association.

U Kyee Myint has been imprisoned five times since the 1962 military coup. He is currently facing trial for remarks about constitutional amendments he made early last year in Kawthaung, Tannitharyi Region. He was charged under Section 505 of the Penal Code for allegedly defaming the military and military leadership.

He said, I was sued because I was determined to work to achieve democracy. I am not a member of any political party and I dont speak based on a desire for power. Our country has lost its democratic principles and I am one of the people who are trying to get them back. I will continue the work and this award will motivate me to move forward.

Lway Poe Ngeal, 31, is a Taang woman from northern Shan State who grew up in a village enveloped in fear, harassment, and a lack of opportunities, particularly for women, the EU said in its statement.

She has dedicated her time to promoting womens and minority rights, and to ending all forms of discrimination against women. Involved in activism since the age of 16, she has been arrested and detained three times.

The EU said in its statement on Wednesday that living in constant fear didnt discourage her from empowering women and survivors of sexual violence and trafficking.

The thangyat troupe Peacock Generation was honored for its members courage in defending freedom of expression in Myanmar. Thangyat is a traditional art form that combines spoken-word poetry, comedy and dance. In April 2019, members of the Peacock Generation were arrested for a performance in which they were accused of undermining the military. They were held behind bars for six months during their trial and later sentenced after being found guilty under sections 505(a) and 66(d) of the Telecommunications Act.

Six performersKay Khine Tun, Zay Yar Lwin, Paing Pyo Min, Paing Ye Thu, Zaw Lin Htut and Su Yadanar Myintare currently serving prison sentences.

In 2017, the inaugural awards went to U Ko Ni, the slain lawyer and adviser to the ruling National League for Democracy, Daw Ja Nan Lataw, director of the Nyein (Shalom) Foundation, and U Aung Myo Min, executive director of Equality Myanmar.

In 2018, Ko Swe Win, chief editor of Myanmar Now; human rights activist Cheery Zahau and womens rights activist Daw Khin Than Htwe received the awards, in the year of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Last years recipients were gender and peace activist Daw Nang Pu, peace advocate U Aung Kyaw Moe, and human rights defender U Robert Sann Aung.
(Natural News) In this study, researchers from Cameroon and Turkey isolated phytochemicals from the root of Albizia adianthifolia and assessed their anti-microbial effects against Gram-negative and multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria. Their results were published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

A. adianthifolia is used in Cameroon as a natural medicine for bronchitis and skin diseases.

In their previous study, the researchers reported the antibacterial properties of its methanol root extracts.

In the present study, they used chromatography to obtain fractions (AARa and AARb) and subfractions (AARa14, AARb12 and AARb1114) from A. adianthifolia root extracts.

They determined the antibacterial activities of the samples using a modified rapid p-iodonitrotetrazolium chloride (INT) colorimetric assay.

They also used column chromatography and spectroscopic techniques to isolate phytochemicals from the extracts and determine their chemical structures, respectively.

The researchers were able to isolate the following: Stearic acid A 1:1 mixture of stigmasterol and B-sitosterol B-sitosterol 3-O-B-D-glucopyranoside Palmatin Homomangiferin Mangiferin

While AARa showed selective inhibitory effects, AARb and its subfractions (AARb1-2) inhibited the growth of all the bacteria tested.

B-sitosterol 3-O-B-D-glucopyranoside, mangiferin and the stigmasterol-B-sitosterol mixutre inhibited the growth of 54.54 percent, 27.27 percent and 45.45 percent of the tested bacterial strains, respectively.

Combined with an efflux pump inhibitor (phenylalanine-arginine-B-naphthylamide), the stigmasterol-B-sitosterol mixture and B-sitosterol 3-O-B-D-glucopyranoside showed stronger inhibitory effects against all the tested bacteria.

Comparison with antibiotics like erythromycin, streptomycin and tetracycline showed that the stigmasterol-B-sitosterol mixture and B-sitosterol 3-O-B-D-glucopyranoside had the most significant synergistic activity on the seven selected bacteria.

Based on these results, the researchers concluded that the components of A. adianthifolia can be used to treat infections caused by Gram-negative and MDR bacteria.

Read the full study at this link.

Journal Reference:

Tchinda CF, Sonfack G, Simo IK, Celik I, Voukeng IK, Nganou BK, Bitchagno GTM, Ekti SF, Tene M, Tane P, et al. ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIBIOTIC-MODIFYING ACTIVITIES OF FRACTIONS AND COMPOUNDS FROM ALBIZIA ADIANTHIFOLIA AGAINST MDR GRAM-NEGATIVE ENTERIC BACTERIA. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 06 June 2019;19(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-019-2537-1
A controversial gun rights activist was forced to leave a college campus after hundreds of students protested her visit. Kaitlin Bennett, known as the Kent State gun girl, visited Ohio University (OU) in Athens, Ohio on Feb. 17. The 24-year-olds presence was met with overwhelming negativity from the student body, who left Bennett claiming shed been bullied off campus by terrorists. In a post to Twitter following the incident, Bennett slammed the protestors, saying this is what happens when a Trump supporter goes to a college campus. Her tweet also included a video of students yelling at her, flipping her off and throwing beverages at her vehicle. Leftists at [OU] started a riot when [Joel Patrick] and I showed up, and the [OU Police] let it happen  I think [Donald Trump] should strip funding from universities like this ... . The Ohio University Police have since refuted her claims, saying there had not been a riot and that both Bennett and the protesters were simply exercising their right to free speech. Bennett, who became famous in 2018, when she posed with an assault rifle in her graduation photos, has continued to cause controversy since then. Liam McSteen, an OU student, told Cleveland.com that he believed Bennetts visit, which was not announced in advance, was simply a publicity stunt. I kind of feel like she just came here to get this reaction  I think its just kind of attention-seeking behavior. I dont know if she thinks shes going to change anyones mind ...". Bennett says she intends to come back to OU again, next time with an army of gun supporters to walk through campus
A controversial club in Harrisburg is available to lease or buy.

Bridges Social Club on North Second Street, which had been the scene of recurring violence, is on the market, according to a Landmark Commercial Realty listing.

This well recognized establishment has been providing a fine and unforgettable entertaining experience in a historical setting for many years in Harrisburg, reads the listing.

The four-story brick building, once home to The Quarter night club, was constructed in 1900. Landmark agent Bo Mangam said the club is being marketed for lease but offers are also being accepted from potential buyers.

In the past year, police have been called to Bridges multiple times for different incidents.

On Nov. 29, a woman was shot while inside the club. In a separate incident in October, police said a gun was fired inside the same club, sending customers running to the exits. And five people were stabbed or cut in a large fight outside Bridges in early 2019.

In December, owner Erik Sokhadze told PennLive the club was temporarily closed and did not elaborate on when it would reopen. Bridges remains closed.

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At the time he said, Were taking care of some issues" and added his business has received enough negative publicity.

Last year, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse said Bridges was under close observation and urged the owners to assess their procedures to ensure a safe environment.

Sokhadzes other restaurant, the Capital Gastropub at 310 N. Second St. in Harrisburg, is also closed and listed by Landmark for lease with the potential to buy. It opened in 2016 and replaced Ceoltas Irish Pub.

Both restaurant liquor licenses are being held in safekeeping, according to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Boards database.

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HALIFAX - A Supreme Court of Canada decision could affect whether government lawyers can use confidential documents to defend their reputations if political bosses "throw them under the bus," a law professor says.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Supreme Court of Canada is seen, Thursday January 16, 2020 in Ottawa. A Supreme Court of Canada decision could affect whether government lawyers can use confidential documents to defend their reputations if political bosses "throw them under the bus," a law professor says. The top court is to rule Thursday on whether it will hear an appeal of a case involving Alex Cameron, a former lawyer with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice seeking to sue Premier Stephen McNeil and the former justice minister for defamation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

HALIFAX - A Supreme Court of Canada decision could affect whether government lawyers can use confidential documents to defend their reputations if political bosses "throw them under the bus," a law professor says.

The top court is to rule Thursday on whether it will hear an appeal of a case involving Alex Cameron, a former lawyer with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice seeking to sue Premier Stephen McNeil and the former justice minister for defamation.

Cameron has claimed the politicians libelled him by implying he acted without instruction in 2016 when he argued in court that the province didn't have a legal duty to consult the Sipekne'katik band on a natural gas storage proposal.

The brief was denounced by Indigenous leaders for stating there was historical evidence of the band's "submission" to the British Crown in 1760, in contrast to "unconquered peoples" in other treaties.

Cameron resigned in 2017 from his position at the Justice Department, where he'd been a key lawyer on Indigenous cases.

Andrew Flavelle Martin, an assistant law professor at Dalhousie University, said the case has implications for lawyers representing government.

"I think for government lawyers generally it's very important ... that politicians have to be very careful about essentially throwing their lawyers under the bus when it's convenient," Martin said.

"I think depending on what happens in this case, it's going to send a very important message to government lawyers and to politicians."

If the Supreme Court decides to hear the Nova Scotia's government's appeal, the judges could set a precedent on whether client-solicitor privilege applies in these kinds of cases.

However, if the top court declines to hear the appeal, it will mean Cameron can proceed with his libel lawsuit, which is expected to include documents revealing what instructions he received.

Cameron's original July 2016 brief was part of the government's defence when the Sipekne'katik band sought to stay the provincial approval of a plan by Alton Gas to store natural gas in salt caverns near the Shubenacadie River.

Legal experts have called Cameron's argument controversial, as the Supreme Court of Canada has already made clear the Crown generally has a duty to consult Indigenous peoples.

However, Martin says the issue shifted when political leaders publicly disavowed Cameron's legal brief, and it now raises the question of ministerial responsibility for positions they're supposed to oversee.

Cameron has won a series of court victories as he attempted to have solicitor-client privilege set aside so he could submit a libel suit. However, the documents have remained under wraps as the appeal continued, effectively preventing Cameron from proceeding with his case.

Justice John Murphy ruled in Cameron's favour in October 2017 in Nova Scotia Supreme Court, saying the politicians' statements "clearly imply" Cameron acted without instructions or contrary to instructions.

The judge concluded, "the statements nullified confidentiality and ended the privilege which otherwise applied." His decision was upheld in the Court of Appeal.

Bruce Outhouse, Cameron's lawyer, said in a recent interview that if the Supreme Court of Canada denies leave to appeal, "then the information will become public, and Mr. Cameron will file a (libel) action in the usual way, and it will proceed in that fashion in the public domain."

According to court documents submitted by Cameron, McNeil and former justice minister Dianne Whalen made comments to the media on Nov. 17, 2017 that suggested Cameron had made the arguments without their input.

The premier told reporters in a media scrum that Cameron's brief was "not what I believe," and "I had no idea it was being put forward," according to the court documents. Whalen added: "I can reiterate what the premier said. (It) went beyond the position of government."

Martin said there are typically required approvals for civil case lawyers like Cameron to follow when they act for government. "From my experience in government, there are a number of layers of approvals that are necessary on a regular basis," he said.

Eric Boucher, a member of the executive of the Canadian Association of Crown Counsel, said in an email that government lawyers take the duty of client-solicitor privilege very seriously, and Cameron's case is unusual.

"I think the real concern here is if it were revealed that the government in this case was indeed aware of the arguments Mr. Cameron was going to make in court, but having been caught off guard by an unanticipated public backlash, decided to deflect attention away from its own responsibility by making disparaging comments about its lawyer," he wrote.

"Crown counsel strive every day to protect our respective provinces' and country's interests while trying to uphold the rule of law. It's a difficult job and it would be very disheartening to learn that we couldn't expect our employers' support in return."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2020.

 Follow @mtuttoncporg on Twitter.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 21:40:35|Editor: huaxia

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A medical team member looks at food prepared by family before leaving for Hubei Province at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in southwest China's Chongqing, Feb. 19, 2020. The 12th batch of 145 medical workers from Chongqing left for Hubei Province on Wednesday to aid the novel coronavirus control efforts there. So far nearly 1,000 medical workers from Chongqing have assisted Hubei in the anti-virus fight. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)
By Laman Ismayilova

Famous for its unique sounds, tar plays a vital role in Azerbaijan's music history and has enriched it with unique rhythms.

Azerbaijani people are still falling under the spell of this long-necked music instrument. Craftsmanship and performance of the tar passes down from generation to generation. Many tar musicians have already conquered world music stage.

Ismayil Zulfuqarov is one of such tar musicians who has entirety devoted himself to this ancient music instrument.

Young musician inherited love of music from his family, especially grandfather and uncle who enjoyed playing tar. As a child, he also admired musical performances of acclaimed tar musicians.

Fascinating tar performances totally captivated the heart of the young boy and opened the door to a whole new world for him.

Today Ismayil Zulfugarov is a multiple winner of international music competitions. Famous for his r&b/electro music, the tar musician has successfully represented Azerbaijan in Turkey, France, Russia, China and Lithuania.

During live shows, he puts all his energy into each performance, making audiences burst into applause. Each show is special for young musician. His joint concerts with well-known French musician Philippe Ganier (Filigan) still makes him feel very excited.

As tar musician says, his friendship with Philippe Ganier began nearly two years ago. The duo has already given three joint concerts. In January, French guitarist and the Azerbaijani tar musician thrilled the audience at Nuits de la Guitare Festival.

Speaking about his music, Ismayil Zulfugarov says that he is open for new experiences. The tar musician brilliantly synthesizes two music styles: Electro and R'n'B.

Most recently, the tar musician has performed together with Russian IP ORCHESTRA. The program titled "Legendary Rock Hits" featured songs by world-famous bands, including AC / DC, Metallica, Nirvana, Aerosmith, Green Day, Placebo, Blur, Corn, Rammstein, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Marlin Manson, Cranberries and others.

In his interview with Azernews, Ismayil Zulfugarov shared his thoughts about the rock concert:

"Last concert has encouraged me to move forward. The performance in a completely new genre (rock) greatly influenced me. It was a great pleasure for me to perform at that concert," he said.

Everyone has their own source of inspiration. For Ismayil Zulfugarov, nothing can be compared with the love of his music lovers.

"All creative people have different sources of inspiration, but for me there is nothing more inspiring than the applause and love of the audience"...," he said.

In near future, the tar musician is planning to continue his musical journey and worthily represent Azerbaijan at international level. Moreover, Ismayil Zulfugarov will once again delight music lovers with wonderful works and grand projects.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Photo: The Canadian Press

When a government-chartered plane can carry Canadians home from a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship in Japan is yet to be confirmed, says Global Affairs.

Thousands of passengers who'd been taking a cruise on the Diamond Princess have been stuck aboard the ship docked in Yokohama, near Tokyo, while the illness dubbed COVID-19 has sickened hundreds.

Global Affairs spokeswoman Barbara Harvey said in an email late Tuesday "the departure date will be confirmed once final arrangements will be confirmed with the Japanese government and the cruise ship company."

An email Global Affairs sent passengers, shared with The Canadian Press, said the Canadian government "expect(s) the passengers to be transferred from the ship to the airport on Thursday the 20th, pending the necessary approvals from the Japanese authorities. We do not presently have the time for the transfer available to us."

Passengers aboard the quarantined cruise ship were told earlier that a flight set to bring them home was "expected" to depart Tokyo Haneda Airport on Thursday.

A news release from the cruise line on Tuesday said chartered flights for passengers from Australia and Hong Kong would arrive within the next 24 hours.

"We have just been advised that the Canada flight has been shifted to early Friday morning," it said, noting the company had received the update at 9:30 a.m. local Japan time.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Tuesday that Canadian officials were waiting on final authorization from those in Japan before the plane ferrying people home is able to take off.

He said the plane was en route to Japan after some unforeseen technical issues prior to takeoff Tuesday.

But those passengers who have tested positive for COVID-19 will remain in Japanese health facilities, Champagne said.

Forty-three of about 250 Canadian passengers had been struck by the bug at last count, according to Canadian authorities.

Those who want to come home and have been cleared to fly will be checked out again at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, in Ontario, before being moved on to quarantine at a hotel and conference centre in Cornwall, a few hundred kilometres east.

One healthy Canadian passenger said she's eager to go home, but the departure date being moved is "discouraging."

"We'd like to hear what the explanation might be instead of being left in the dark once again," said Trudy Clement of Callander, Ont.

Lolita Wisener of Red Deer, Alta., who is also looking forward to coming home, said she was "not happy."

"The smiles are getting a little bit more brittle now, you know," she said via Skype.
By PTI

VIENTIANE: China's top diplomat arrived Wednesday in Laos for an emergency meeting with counterparts from Southeast Asian countries, which have expressed alarm over a viral outbreak that started in China.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to discuss the crisis with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations over dinner Wednesday in the Laotian capital of Vientiane then hold broader formal talks the following day.

Six countries in the 10-nation bloc have confirmed cases of the new virus that causes COVID-19.

China and the United States have separately engaged the ASEAN bloc of more than 600 million people on an array of interests, from promoting trade and investment to addressing thorny security issues like the long-seething South China Sea territorial disputes.

ALSO READ | Coronavirus outbreak: Passengers leave Japan quarantined ship as China death toll crosses 2,000

Wang did not speak to reporters at Vientiane's airport but he and the ASEAN ministers were expected to issue a joint statement after the meeting on Thursday.

China and Southeast Asia among other regions could face deeper economic losses if travel restrictions and other drastic actions taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 drag on after being detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December.

More than 70,000 have been infected globally, with more than 2,000 deaths being reported mostly in China.

ASEAN leaders expressed "serious concerns over the outbreak" in a joint statement this week and added that the epidemic "poses severe challenges to the well-being of the peoples and the development of our respective countries and the region and the world."

They pledged to intensify "timely sharing" of information within the bloc and with China and the World Health Organization.

While affirming policies of maintaining ASEAN economies and borders open, the heads of state underscored "the need to coordinate and standardize measures to ensure proper health inspection at borders and entry points of ASEAN member states."

Alarm over the contagion has prompted Malaysia to bar the transit of cruise ship passengers after an American woman from the MS Westerdam tested positive for the virus.

She was among 145 passengers who flew from Cambodia to Malaysia on Friday.

The Westerdam was turned away from four Asian ports before Cambodia allowed it to dock in Sihanoukville.

Other engagements by China and ASEAN have been affected by the outbreak.

A meeting of Chinese and ASEAN diplomats involved in negotiating a regional "code of conduct" to prevent clashes in the disputed South China Sea was postponed in Brunei early this month, according to two Southeast Asian diplomats, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to discuss the matter publicly.

China was to host a meeting with four ASEAN members located along the Mekong River but moved the talks to Laos this week due to the outbreak and sought a separate meeting with all its member states to discuss the epidemic, the two diplomats said.

Laos has not reported any infection, along with Indonesia, Brunei and Myanmar.

The rest of ASEAN, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia, have had varying numbers of confirmed infections.

The first fatality outside mainland China had been in the Philippines.
Chouldechova, Zhu Awarded Research Grant on Fairness in Artificial Intelligence

February 18, 2020

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and Amazon announced that two Carnegie Mellon University researchers have been awarded a research grant as part of NSF's Program on Fairness in Artificial Intelligence (AI), in collaboration with Amazon. Alexandra Chouldechova is an assistant professor of statistics and public policy at the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy. Haiyi Zhu is an assistant professor in the School of Computer Science's Human-Computer Interaction Institute.

As recipients of the grant, Chouldechova and Zhu will serve as co-principal investigators of a project that will focus on advancing AI with human-algorithm collaborations. In collaboration with Steven Wu, assistant professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Minnesota, and Min Kyung Lee, assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Information, the research will aim to close the gap between algorithmic objectives and the complications of real-world decision-making contexts.

"It is an honor to receive this award from the National Science Foundation and Amazon," Chouldechova said. "AI and machine learning are increasingly becoming parts of everyday life, and I look forward to contributing to the research that will influence how AI is used for years to come."

In 2017, Amazon approached NSF about creating a partnership to support research in AI and fairness. As a result, the Program on Fairness was born. Two years later, NSF released a joint solicitation for research proposals. The award granted to Chouldechova is among those issued in the first ever cohort, and is anticipated to run for two additional years. Projects funded under this joint program are expected to result in open-source tools, publicly available datasets, and publications that are widely accessible. These deliverables stand to benefit academia, government agencies, and private companies.

"We work closely with stakeholders to define fairness, navigate fairness-utility trade-offs, and understand the fairness of AI in the real world," Zhu said. The project will also account for the cognitive strengths and limitations of human decision-makers throughout the development and deployment of the algorithmic system.

As Estella Loomis McCandless Assistant Professor of Statistics and Public Policy at Heinz College, Chouldechova's teaching and research focuses on problems related to fairness in predictive modeling. Chouldechova is a graduate of the University of Toronto and received her Ph.D. in statistics from Stanford University.

Haiyi Zhu is the Daniel P. Siewiorek Assistant Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon University. She received a B.S in Computer Science from Tsinghua University and an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction from Carnegie Mellon University. Her research interests lie at the intersection of human-computer interaction, machine learning and organization science.
In recent days, leading House Democrats have signaled that they, in the words of the New York Times, would like to take a sharp pivot away from talking about the Trump administrations corruption. (The idea is to put more attention on the partys proposals related to health care and the economy.) The Trump administration, however, appears to have other plans, announcing Tuesday that the president has issued pardons and sentence commutations to a number of convicted white-collar criminals he knows personally or who are connected to him through social and professional acquaintances. Among the individuals who have been formally forgiven:

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 Eddie DeBartolo Jr., the former owner of the San Francisco 49ers, who was convicted of failing to report a felony in 1998 after he paid a $400,000 bribe (in cash, using $100 bills) for a casino license. According to the White Houses statement, the individuals who lobbied for DeBartolo to be pardoned included New England Patriots owner and frequent Mar-a-Lago guest Robert Kraft.

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 Michael Milken, a bond trader who was convicted in 1990 of securities and tax fraud and who paid $1.1 billion in fines and settlements related to the junk bondrelated collapse of his investment bank. Advocates for Milkens pardon included Kraft, Rudy Giuliani, and Trump inaugural fund chairman Tom Barrack.

 Rod Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois, who was convicted of soliciting bribes from candidates to replace Barack Obama in the Senate after Obama was elected president. Blagojevich later appeared on The Celebrity Apprentice.

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 Bernard Kerik, the former commissioner of the New York Police Department, who was convicted in 2009 of lying to federal investigators and committing tax fraud related to apartment renovations that a construction company performed for him for free in exchange for a favor involving city licensing. (Kerik is also known for having conducted an extramarital affair in a downtown New York City apartment that had initially been made available by its owner in September 2001 to workers at the World Trade Center site. A New York Times article from 2004 says Kerik paid rent on the apartment after he began using it personally, but that the amount he paid was not clear.) Trump associates who pushed for Keriks pardon include Giuliani, Geraldo Rivera, and exNavy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who himself was the recent beneficiary of Trump intervention in a disciplinary case.

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Trump has previously pardoned Conrad Black, a right-wing media executive who was convicted of fraud and obstruction of justice; Joe Arpaio, a right-wing Arizona sheriff who was convicted of contempt of court; and Dinesh DSouza, a right-wing pundit who was convicted of making illegal campaign donations.

As Twitter politics guys ranging from Will Stancil to Brian Beutler to me have pointed out, the House Democrats decision to de-emphasize oversight activities is a choice not to take advantage, electorally, of the consensus view among Democratic (and independent!) voters that Trump is dishonest and corrupt, and that this dishonesty and corruption is bad. As Tuesdays events illustrate, it could also mean that Trump will accelerate the already high pace at which he does corrupt things over the course of the rest of his term.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire met frequently with European Union Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager last year as he tried to save Siemens AG proposed merger with Alstom SA. Despite her decision to block the deal, he may be seeing her even more now.

The 50-year-old politician made the journey to Brussels again Tuesday, hours after Alstom announced plans to purchase Bombardier Inc.s rail unit for as much as 6.2 billion euros ($8.8 billion). While Le Maire openly called Vestagers decision a mistake last year, he was trying to put a better face on his latest sit-down with the top EU deals regulator.

He described the talks as very good and emphasized that the latest deal would strengthen the European rail industry. The EUs press office merely said Le Maire had explained his views on the announced Alstom-Bombardier transaction.

Company executives recognize that they cant make the same mistakes that derailed the Siemens deal or their plan to create the worlds No. 2 maker of rail equipment may end up in the same place. Bombardier Chief Executive Officer Alain Bellemare said on a Monday call with an analysts that assessing the antitrust risks was a crucial concern and that the companies have very minimal overlap. He flagged that the companies are willing offer so-called remedies, or concessions, to allay any antitrust concerns.

A year ago, Le Maire was blasting Vestagers merger veto as an economic error that damaged Europes industrial interests. He called for a reform of the competition rules she enforces, that demand an independent analysis of deals. Such a back story may push the EU to show it cant be influenced by politicians, making it likely the Alstom-Bombardier deal will get close attention.

Le Maires arguments in 2020 may be very similar to the ones he has made over the past two years, focusing on the need to build a European champion that can compete with Chinas state-owned CRRC Corp., the worlds largest train manufacturer.

But Le Maires case might be stronger than before. In the intervening months, CRRC has offered to buy German diesel-locomotive manufacturer Vossloh AG  a deal Germany may veto. Another company, China Railway Construction Corp., may potentially build the U.K.s high-speed railway HS2, according to the Financial Times.

Aside from CRRC, the companies seem to be more willing to address any of Vestagers concerns by selling off overlapping units or products.

Alstom Chief Executive Henri Poupart-Lafarge said in an interview on BFM Business TV that Bombardier is much smaller, and there isnt the same issue with signals that haunted the Siemens deal.

This time round, the biggest overlap is in commuter trains known as electric multiple units, where the merged business would have a near 50 per cent market share in Europe, and in the regions urban-transport market, including trams and subway trains, according to Hamburg-based rail consultancy SCI Verkehr.

While Bombardier has its headquarters in Montreal, the deal would effectively be an all-European combination, with the companys Bombardier Transportation division based in Berlin after being formed from the 2001 takeover of Daimler AGs former ADtranz business.

Vestager has repeatedly said the Siemens-Alstom deal might have turned out differently if the companies had done more to resolve concerns about its high market shares for high-speed rail and signalling systems.

She even said Siemens was welcome to try the deal again on the day she blocked it.

Bombardier was keen to show it had been listening.

Its likely that there will be remedies associated with that, but we feel confident that Alstom will be able to obtain the antitrust approval, Bellemare said.

Read more about:
A small instrument inside the drones that targeted the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry and those in the arsenal of Yemen's Houthi rebels match components recovered in downed Iranian drones in Afghanistan and Iraq, two reports say.

These gyroscopes have only been found inside drones manufactured by Iran, Conflict Armament Research said in a report released on Wednesday.

That follows a recently released report from the United Nations, saying its experts saw a similar gyroscope from an Iranian drone obtained by the US military in Afghanistan, as well as in a shipment of cruise missiles seized in the Arabian Sea bound for Yemen.

The discovery further ties Iran to an attack that briefly halved Saudi Arabia's oil output and saw energy prices spike by a level unseen since the 1991 Gulf War. It also ties Iran to the arming of the rebel Houthis in Yemen's long civil war.

Iran denies it had a hand in that assault but has increasingly promoted its influence over the Houthis and launched a ballistic missile attack on American troops in Iraq after a US drone strike killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad last month.

This gyroscope ... we've seen it now enough times in Iranian-manufactured material to be able to confidently say that the presence of it in a Houthi-produced item suggests that the material was supplied from Iran, Jonah Leff of Conflict Armament Research told The Associated Press.

Iran's mission to the UN declined to immediately respond to queries from the AP.

Media officials from the rebel Houthis, who hold Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and have been battling a Saudi-led coalition since March 2015, declined an interview request. A U.N. Security Council resolution prohibits arms transfers to the Houthis.

A gyroscope is a device that helps orient and guide a drone or missile to its target. The gyroscopes in question bear no manufacturer's name and come in at least two versions labeled as V9 and V10, according to the reports. Their four-digit serial numbers also appear sequential, suggesting the same manufacturer had built all of those found.

The Houthi's Qasef-1 drone carries the V10 gyroscope, which is identical" to one found in an Iranian-made Ababil-3 drone, which Islamic State group fighters reportedly recovered in Iraq, Conflict Armament Research said.

Weapons experts found the V9 version of the gyroscope in drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, used in the September attack on Abqaiq, home of a crucial oil processing facility for Saudi Arabia, the UN report said.

According to UAV experts familiar with this technology, such vertical gyroscopes have not been observed in any UAVs other than those manufactured by Iran, Conflict Armament Research said in its report, which was funded by the European Union and the governments of Germany and the United Arab Emirates.

The U.N. report simply said that the manufacturer of the gyroscope remains unknown. However, it noted finding similar V10 gyroscopes among the debris of both Samad and Qasef UAVs, which have been used by the Houthi forces."



The UN also said its experts saw a V9 gyroscope on display in Washington at a military display showing an Iranian Shahed-123 that American officials say they recovered in Afghanistan in October 2016, after it crash-landed.

Images of the gyroscopes match those in the Conflict Armament Research report.

A similar gyroscope could be seen inside a cruise missile seized by the US Navy in a November raid on a traditional dhow shipping boat in the Arabian Sea. A computer terminal also seized with the missiles, likely used with the weapons, bore Farsi characters on its keyboard.

The US and the Saudi-led coalition have long said that Iran supplies weapons to the Houthis, ranging from assault rifles to the ballistic missiles fired into the kingdom.

The US Navy announced a new weapons cache find aboard a dhow this month, but it wasn't clear if the same gyroscopes were inside missiles recovered in this find.

Drones used by the Houthis have done everything, from crashing into Patriot missile batteries to exploding overhead and showering deadly shrapnel on targets. An exploding Houthi drone in a January 2019 attack on a military parade near Aden killed at least six people, including the commander of military intelligence for Yemen's internationally recognized government.

Iran, in turn, has long denied arming the Houthis, but that veil slowly lifted after the January U.S. drone strike killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, whose expeditionary Quds Forces led Iran's work with allied proxy forces in Yemen and elsewhere.

Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh of the Guard's aerospace program recently gave a speech in front of a Houthi flag, as well as those of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Hamas and others in an effort to project Iran's power.

But previously, Iran's murky arming of militant groups gave it plausible deniability and an ability to strike at opponents without being directly blamed, analysts say.

While the wider confrontation with the US since President Donald Trump pulled out of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers has seen Tehran's military claim launched attacks, other claims still could come from Tehran-allied militants.

That makes tracing weapons important, Leff said. The Conflict Armament Research report also said some components used in Houthi drones had been seen in homemade explosives recovered on the island nation of Bahrain as well.

For them to line up with many of the components that we're seeing in these UAVs for us suggests that there are some well-established supply lines, he said.

"There's another research question that would be drilling down to, you know, who are the parties involved in actually trafficking these items into Yemen. That we have less information on.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan  The authorities are trying to determine the cause of 14 deaths in the southern port city of Karachi, with officials giving conflicting explanations.

Hundreds have fallen sick from the apparent poisoning, which has left people with chest pains, breathing difficulties and burning eyes.

Some officials have attributed the illnesses and deaths to a gas leak that started Sunday evening in Keamari, a coastal neighborhood close to Karachis main port. Word of the apparent leak quickly spread panic in several other neighborhoods, and nervous residents and traders staged a protest on Tuesday against the authorities over their failure to detect the cause of the problem.

At least 500 people have reported being sickened, with many hospitalized in critical condition.

Schools and factories have been closed in Keamari, and Pakistan State Oil has temporarily suspended operations at an oil terminal at the port.
FAIRFAX, Va., Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- James Carroll, President and CEO of Crestline Hotels & Resorts, LLC (Crestline) announced today the addition of four additional hotels to its growing portfolio:



The 123 suite Homewood Suites by Hilton San Antonio-Northwest, San Antonio, TX

The 124 guestroom Hampton Inn Memphis-Poplar, Memphis, TN

The 119 guestroom Hampton Inn State College, State College, PA

The 123 guestroom Hampton Inn Detroit/Madison Heights/South Troy, Madison Heights, MI.

MORE ABOUT THE HOTELS

The Homewood Suites by Hilton San Antonio-Northwest is located at 4323 Spectrum One, San Antonio, TX. The hotel is central to the burgeoning northwest corner of San Antonio. It is a short drive to San Antonios historic Alamo and the world-famous Riverwalk. This extended-stay hotel offers complimentary hot breakfast, free Wi-Fi, business center, fitness center, swimming pool, and a 510 square foot meeting room. The hotel is approximately a 30-minute drive from San Antonio International Airport and easily accessed from I-10. For information and reservations, visit www.hilton.com or 210.696.5400.

The Hampton Inn Memphis-Poplar is located at 5320 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN. In the heart of the Bluff City, the hotel is close to all of Memphis main districtsGermantown, Midtown and Downtown. The hotel is a short drive to Beale Street, Graceland, and the Memphis Zoo. Enjoy a complimentary hot breakfast or a grab an On-the-Run Breakfast Bag. Guests have access to complimentary Wi-Fi, a business center, an outdoor pool, a fitness center and a 468 square foot meeting room. The hotel is a 15-minute drive from Memphis International Airport and is easily accessed from I-240. For information and reservations, visit www.hilton.com or 901.683.8500.

The Hampton Inn State College is located at 1101 E College Avenue, State College, PA. Within walking distance to the Penn State Campus in Happy Valley, the hotel is near the Bryce Jordan Center and Beaver Stadium. It is a short drive to the Tussey Mountain ski area and Penns Cave. Guests may enjoy a complimentary hot breakfast, free Wi-Fi, a business center, a fitness center and an outdoor pool, as well as an 864 square foot meeting room. The hotel is 5-minutes from University Park Airport and is easily accessible from I-80 via State Road 99. For information and reservations, visit www.hilton.com or 814.231.1590.

The Hampton Inn Detroit/Madison Heights/South is located at 32420 Stephenson Highway, Madison Heights, MI. Just four miles from the Somerset Collections, guests can enjoy upscale shopping and dining. The hotel is 15-minutes from downtown Detroit, Ford Field (home of the Detroit Lions), as well as Comerica Park. Guests may enjoy a free hot breakfast, complimentary Wi-Fi, a business center, an outdoor pool and a 552 square foot meeting room. The hotel is approximately 35-minutes from the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and is easily accessible from I-75 and I-94. For information and reservations, visit www.hilton.com or 248.585.8881.

About Crestline Hotels & Resorts, LLC

Crestline Hotels & Resorts, LLC is one of the nations largest independent hospitality management companies. Founded in 2000, the company presently manages 121 hotels, resorts, and conference centers with more than 17,800 rooms in 26 states and the District of Columbia. Crestline manages properties under such well-regarded brands as Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Hyatt, as well as independent, private-label hotels and conference centers throughout the United States. For more information, visit: www.crestlinehotels.com.

Important Notice:

The statements in this press release that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the outcome to be materially different. In addition, words such as anticipate, believe, and intend indicate a forward-looking statement; however, not all forward-looking statements include these words.
Philadelphia Police and Fire Departments block off John F. Kennedy Boulevard and 18th Street due to a barricade situation on Tuesday. Read more

A man in his 30s is dead after police believe he fired a gunshot out the window of a high-rise Center City apartment building Tuesday and then fatally shot himself in the head.

Philadelphia Police Capt. Sekou Kinebrew said officers responded to the Sterling Apartment Homes on the 1800 block of John F. Kennedy Boulevard about 1 p.m., after receiving multiple reports of gunshots. The drama played out just three blocks south of the Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul, where the installation of Archbishop Nelson Perez is under way.

Officers responded to the 18th floor and encountered a 66-year-old man who indicated his roommate was in an argument with another man and someone had been shot. When officers got in the apartment, they found a man in his 30s, whom they have not identified, by himself, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police also believe the man fired one gunshot eastbound out the window, and that round appears to have hit a banister.

Kinebrew said evidence suggests there was a third person in the apartment at the time of the incident, but police havent heard from that individual, though they dont believe he did anything in violation of the law.

The relationship between the man who is now dead and the occupants of the apartment is unclear. Kinebrew said it appeared the man in his 30s didnt live there but was lawfully present.

Police closed off traffic in both directions on JFK Boulevard as the incident unfolded.

Police declared the incident a barricade situation at 1:02 p.m. The man was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:58 p.m., and authorities lifted the barricade at 2:05 p.m.
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges investors in Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPR) who have suffered significant losses to submit their losses now . A securities class action has been filed, and certain investors may have valuable claims.



Class Period: Oct. 31, 2019  Jan. 29, 2020

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Apr. 10, 2020

Sign Up: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/SPR

Contact An Attorney Now: SPR@hbsslaw.com

844-916-0895

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. (SPR) Securities Class Action:

The Complaint alleges Defendants misled investors by misrepresenting and failing to disclose that (1) Spirit lacked effective internal controls over financial reporting; (2) the Company was violating its established accounting principles related to potential contingent liabilities; and, as a result, (3) Defendants financial reporting and statements about Spirits business, operations, and prospects were misleading.

On Jan. 30, 2020, investors began to learn the truth when Spirit announced the abrupt departures of Chief Financial Officer Jose Garcia and Principal Accounting Officer John Gilson. The Company explained [i]n December 2019, the Company received information through its established compliance processes that led the Company to commence a review of its accounting process compliance and [a]s a result of the review, which is ongoing, the Company determined that it did not comply with its established accounting processes with respect to certain potential contingent liabilities received by the Company after the end of the third quarter of 2019.

This news drove the price of Spirit shares sharply lower on Jan. 30, 2020.

Were focused on investors losses and proving Spirit concealed certain liabilities to appear more liquid, said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.

If you purchased shares of Spirit and suffered significant losses, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman .

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Spirit 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 SPR@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 .

Contact:

Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895




Scott Olson/Getty Images(CHICAGO) -- Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich expressed his "profound and everlasting gratitude for President Trump" in public comments made outside his Chicago home Wednesday, the day after Trump commuted his federal prison sentence.



"He didn't have to do this, he's a Republican president I was a Democratic governor," Blajgojevich said of Trump. "Doing this does nothing to help his politics. President Trump is a man who is tough and outspoken but he also has a kind heart and this is an act of kindness -- and I also believe its the beginning of the process to actual turn an injustice into a justice."



He thanked him for giving him back what he called the "freedom that was stolen from you."



"From beginning to end this was persecution masquerading as prosecution," he said.



Blagojevich, a Democrat, was convicted in 2011 by a federal jury in Chicago on 17 counts, including an attempt to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated when President Barack Obama was elected in 2008. As governor, he was empowered to appoint a temporary successor.



Blagojevich served eight years of his 14-year prison sentence. He had been serving his prison time at a federal prison in Engelwood, Colorado, since 2012, and was released Tuesday evening, according to the Bureau of Prisons.



Blagojevich's comments Wednesday echo the gratitude he expressed for President Donald Trump Tuesday evening, telling NBC News he considers himself a "Trump-o-crat" when asked about his party affiliation.



During his public comments Tuesday, Trump said he did not know the former governor, who appeared on Trump's reality television show The Apprentice, very well but that he believed Blagovjevich's sentence was too severe, based in part on what he heard his wife say on Fox News.



"He served eight years in jail, that's a long time, and I watched his wife on television, I don't know him very well, I met him a couple of times, he was on for a short time on The Apprentice years ago, seemed like a very nice person, don't know him, but he served eight years in jail, there's a long time to go," Trump said Tuesday. "He'll be able to go home to his family after serving eight years in jail, that was a tremendously powerful, ridiculous sentence in my opinion, and in the opinion of many others."



But some Illinois lawmakers have been critical of the president's decision to commute Blagojevich's sentence.



Former Governor Blagojevich betrayed the people of Illinois and engaged in a pattern of corrupt behavior for which he was held accountable and which cost him more than seven years of freedom," Sen. Dick Durbin said in a statement which called on lawmakers to pass stricter ethics requirements.



The commutation for Blajoveich was issued as part of a sweeping round of pardons and commutations announced by the president. The White House announced Tuesday that Trump had signed an executive order pardoning former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. and later Tuesday, Trump said he would pardon New York police commissioner Bernie Kerik. Trump also pardoned Mihael Milken, the former investment banker who became known for his involvement in an insider trading scandal.



In total, Trump granted seven pardons and four commutations.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(Natural News) Remember 13 days ago when we warned that cremation vans were running 24/7 in Wuhan, China while the crematoriums were backlogged with piles of dead bodies stacked in the cremation queues?

Now China has brought in 40 mobile incineration ovens to burn and destroy what the Chinese government calls medical waste. As you can see in the photos below, the incineration ovens are labeled for the disposal of animal corpses.

The deployment of incineration ovens, combined with the grotesque violations of basic human rights now being routinely committed by China in response to the pandemic, has invoked memories of the horrors related to the Holocaust of World War II.

As reported by the UK Daily Star, these incineration ovens are built to the size of 20-foot transport containers, and each can incinerate about 30 cubic meters of material. Reportedly the incinerators have been sanctioned for the use by the Chinese military after a test in Golmud, Qinghai in January, says the Daily Star.



(Image source: Weibo)



The words on the side of these incineration ovens say, Garbage and Animal Corpse Placement Receptacle. (Our staff reads Mandarin Chinese, so we have confirmed this.)

Each incinerator can burn up to five tons of material per day, which equates to about 16 dead human bodies or large animal bodies per unit, per day. Multiplied by the 40 incineration ovens which have now been deployed, this adds the capacity to burn up to 640 human bodies per day, even though they claim these ovens are for animal corpses and medical waste.

According to official Chinese government data that no one believes except the incompetent World Health Organization, daily coronavirus deaths in China are hovering around 100. It seems we are now supposed to believe China has an epidemic of dead animals thats so large, they need 40 incineration ovens to burn animal corpses.

Chinese woman risks her life to tell the truth about communist LIES

But people inside the quarantine chaos in China are so fed up with the lies from their own government that they are risking their own lives to speak out. Check out this womans desperate plea from China, where she is sure to be thrown into one of the incineration ovens for recording this very video. We have confirmed she speaks with a mainland Chinese accent and pronunciation. Actually, Ive even confirmed that myself since I can tell the difference between mainland Chinese Mandarin vs. Taiwanese Mandarin:

Brighteon.com/f2cc1f88-ca07-4cfb-bbee-5523bf637434

A partial transcript of what shes saying: (h/t to Zero Hedge)

Only normal citizens are suffering. The government does not care about us. We cant buy medicine with money. We cant go to the hospital with money.

And in Hong Kong, I support your independence. I also support Taiwan independence. Tibet and Hong Kong, I support independence.

Not a single person can speak freely. If anyone speaks about the truth, they are detained, If they decide its 10 years or 20 years then its already decided. Even lawyers are useless.

Im gonna tell you something. 1 persons sacrifice 2 peoples sacrifice is a sacrifice that is necessary of a revolution. I will make a sacrifice for may parents, for my family, for our free lives.

I know it is dangerous for me to speak out. But I cant take it anymore, I cannot.

No beds, no medicine, all the news from TV is a lie.

In this evil society I can no longer keep my mouth shut. No one is willing to speak out. I am going to stand up and make a voice. We really have to resist my fellow citizens. I cant live like this anymore.

Heres another photo of the incineration ovens along with some crew members who will no doubt be required to move all the corpses into the incineration vessels:



(Image source: Weibo)



The next wave of lies from communist China will no doubt involve some cover story for explaining why hundreds of thousands of people have gone missing and are nowhere to be found
SANTA FE  A proposal heading to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham would prohibit the trafficking of wildlife threatened with extinction.

The legislation, Senate Bill 75, is intended to make it easier for local law enforcement to crack down on the sale of endangered species and their parts. It also establishes civil penalties of $10,000 or three times the value of the animal product.

Traffickers are in the business theyre in because they want the money, Senate Majority Whip Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, said in a written statement. Stiff financial penalties will hit them where it hurts. We need to take the profit out of killing endangered species.

The bill passed the House on a 42-22 vote on Tuesday, the final approval needed to send it to the governor.

New Mexico must join with the world in taking meaningful steps to save elephants, rhinos, lions, and other endangered species, Rep. Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque, said.
The Bachelor appears to be getting a new spin-off aimed at the older set.

According to a new casting call, producers of the beloved dating shows are on the hunt for 'seniors looking for love.'

And though series host Chris Harrison was coy, he all but confirmed Bachelor Nation's latest addition while talking to TMZ on Tuesday, telling the site: 'Everybody deserves love, right?'

Love at any age: The Bachelor host Chris Harrison seemed to confirm that a senior citizen version of the show is in the works during a chat with TMZ on Tuesday

Harrison explained that an over 65 version of The Bachelor is one of the 'number one things' people ask him.

Still, he neither confirmed nor denied if the show was indeed happening.

'We're thinking about it, we'll see,' he said with a wry smile.

Golden oldies: Fans recently caught wind of a casting call aimed at those in their 'Golden years,' which was posted in late January

Fans recently caught wind of a casting call aimed at those in their 'Golden years,' which was posted in late January.

According to the announcement, which was posted on producer Lindsay Liles' Instagram, the show is in search of 'active and outgoing single men and women' who are 'ready for a committed relationship.'

Other Bachelor spin-offs include Bachelor In Paradise, Bachelor Winter Games, and the now-cancelled Bachelor Pad.

Love songs: A musical version of The Bachelor called Listen To Your Heart is also in the works, set to premiere April 13 on ABC

The senior version of The Bachelor isn't the only addition reportedly in the works.

Last month ABC announced The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart, a dating contest where 20 single men and women will look for love with the help of music.

Mixing elements of American Idol with the long-running love show, contestants will perform songs both solo and as couples, in addition going on the type of over-the-top dates the show is known for.

Listen To Your Heart is set to premiere April 13 on ABC. The current season of The Bachelor featuring pilot Peter Weber airs Monday nights.
Cambodias government has announced a crackdown on female online sellers who dress too sexily, prompting criticism from human rights organizations who say the move discriminates against women.

In a speech this week to the National Council for Women, Prime Minister Hun Sen said online sellers threaten Cambodian culture by exposing too much skin, and ordered police to go to their homes and educate them.

Raid them, he said, using an ambiguous term that could mean arrest. This doesnt violate their rights because they are causing the destruction of our Khmer culture.

Amateur live videos posted on Facebook and other social media platforms feature women selling a range of goods, including accessories, makeup and clothing. Some sellers choose to wear outfits that reveal their cleavage.

Seven womens rights organizations, including the Cambodian Center for Human Rights and ActionAid Cambodia, criticized the crackdown in an open letter published Wednesday. It is important to note that social values are arbitrary, relative, and constantly changing. Also, there is no evidence-based research that affirms that womens clothing choice is the root cause of degradation of social morality, the letter reads.

Seng Reasey, an advocate at the womens rights organization Silaka, also questioned the premiers approach to culture.

What culture are we referring to, and to what era?" she asked. "Under Apsara, for example, there was also nakedness. The next era also had nakedness. So what do you mean?"

I dont know why its only women who are said to destroy the whole culture I think Khmer culture has much more beautiful things to offer. Why are we always just picking on women as destroying the culture?... If you preserve the culture that mainly imposes and restricts the freedom of one another, you have to ask whether you want that culture, she said.

Hun Sen instructed relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, to educate the women and take action should they continue to wear revealing clothes. You sell your products, not your breasts, he said.

Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak could not be reached for comment.

'Coerced moral education'

The international rights group Amnesty International slammed the government action. The Prime Ministers order to track down and educate women represents a menacing application of the states surveillance apparatus to advance a discriminatory and patriarchal agenda. Facebook must refuse to cooperate with any discriminatory requests by the Cambodian authorities to block womens profiles, regional director Nicholas Bequelin said in a press release.

The coerced moral education of women by police is inherently arbitrary. None of these women have been accused of breaking any law, and the police appear to be acting solely on the basis of Hun Sens personal whim.

The prime minister said that the clampdown is necessary as the revealing clothing would lead to sexual harassment and rape.

But the womens rights activists rejected that argument. Punishing women for their choice of clothing is therefore part of the root cause of violence, rather than its cure, and must be rejected, their open letter said.

Reasey urged the government not to support victim-blaming. Its not about how women dress. ... The problem is the perpetrator, not the victim, she said.

Two days after Hun Sen's announcement, online seller Thai Sreyneang apologized in a video posted to the National Police Facebook page and pledged to stop exposing her cleavage when selling products.

Chhon Navy, deputy director-general of the Information and Broadcasting General Department at the Ministry of Information, said the Ministry of Information and Culture should lay out criteria explaining what constituted too sexy wear. They have Disciplinary and Praise Council to take action on all activities that impact tradition, culture, nationality and social ethics, she said.

She said she did not know how many online sellers there were in Cambodia as they are not registered. But she said relevant authorities, such as the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, would take "concrete action and find ways to tackle the problem.

First, contact them for educational measures and make a contract not to do that anymore. Second, if they still [go] Live we will cooperate with the relevant authority to take action, she said, directing further questions to the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications.

Meas Pos, director of the ministry, said no concrete plan existed yet. Now we have an internal meeting first, before we are going to do something with that. I think after tomorrow we will have the result, he said.
Advertisement

The finalists of a Boeing-backed competition to design a passenger-carrying flying machine of the future are getting ready to exhibit their entries after years in development.

The 'GoFly' competition this month is comprised of 850 teams from 130 countries competition to create the ultimate personal flying machine.

Competitors were tasked with creating a flying device that's safe, compact, quiet, capable of carrying one person for 20 miles without refuelling or recharging, and providing 'the thrill of flight'.

Outside of these requirements, Go Fly organisers said that the function and design of each machine is up to each individual team.

From February 27 to 29, the final five will put their personal flyers through their paces before one is crowned champion.

The two-year $2 million competition will culminate in 'fly-off' event next week at Moffett Fenderal Airfield at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.

Scroll down for video

Mariah Cain, 24, is one of the five finalists and operates the Airboard 2.0 machine by DragonAir Aviation. In 2018, the young president and project manager behind the machine, moved to panama City full time to work on the unique vehicle

'The Go Fly Prize competition aligns with our company's goals of inspiring people across the globe and changing the world through aerospace innovation,' said Greg Hyslop, chief technology officer at Boeing.

'We're excited to see how the visionaries of the future will take on this ambitious and exciting challenge.'

The final five competitors, which were revealed early last year, consists of three teams from the US and two from Europe.

1. Aviabike by Aeroxo (Russia)

Phase II winner Team Aeroxo describes their device as a flying motorcycle inspired by the scout-trooper speeder bikes in Return of the Jedi

AVIABIKE Propulsion: Two large propellers on the front and four smaller ones on the back Power source: Lithium ion batteries Inspiration: Scout-trooper speeder bikes in Return of the Jedi Advertisement

The Aviabike, from Russian team Aeroxo, is described as a 'flying motorcycle' inspired by the scout-trooper speeders from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, powered by a set of propellers.

Whether adopted by the biker community as a recreational vehicle, or a search and rescue staple that helps first responders save stranded climbers, Aeroxo thinks the Aviabike will transform transportation.

Passengers on the Aviabike learn forward to maximise aerodynamics while gripping a pair of handles like today's motorcycles.

Moscow-based Aeroxo says it envisions shorter, faster, and more convenient trips that will make people happier.

The team built a working prototype of the ERA Aviabike and are working towards making a full-size device ready for the GoFly Prize Final 'fly-off'.

2. FlyKart2 by Trek Aerospace (US)

Trek Aerospace's entry, FK2, has ten ducted propellers and comes with auto-pilot, screened propellers and a 4-point safety harness

FLYKART 2 Width: 6 foot 7 inches Length: 6 foot 5 inches Height: 3 foot 11 inches Max speed: 63 mph Battery pack: 9.6 kWh Advertisement

FlyKart2 by Trek Aerospace has 10 ducted propellers surrounding a comfy-looking F1 style driver's seat.

The propellors, covered by a layer of rib-like bars, protects people and objects from the furious spin that keeps the rider in the air.

The fetching sky blue design includes a robust four-point safety harness, arm rests and a set of wheeled landing gear.

Trek Aerospace describes it as a 'modern day nerdy A-Team' committed to 'innovate and solve intractable problems'.

3. Aria from Texas A&M Harmony (US)

Aria from A&M Harmony is described as the first rotorcraft designed for quiet and efficient flight. The vehicle occupies less space than a sedan and can carry 200 lb (91 kg) of payload for 20 miles (32 km) on a single charge of its high power battery. Aria can also easily be stored in a garage

ARIA Weight: 500 pounds Payload: 200 pounds Range (with payload): 20 miles Footprint: 8.5 foot 10 rotors and a ducted fan Advertisement

The cosy-looking egg or lightbulb-shaped Aria pod from Texas A&M Harmony is described as the 'first rotorcraft designed for quiet and efficient flight'.

The company has built a safe, quiet and ultra compact personal flying device that can be easily flown out of densely populated areas 'without sounding like a jetliner or swarm of bees'.

Flyers would stand upright in the pod while being propelled by layers of black rotating blades.

Users would potentially be able to store Aria in a garage, and fly it into dense urban areas and park on the streets or roof-top garage, rather than a plane runway.

Texas A&M Harmony laments the lack of personal flying vehicles in the modern era.

'Somewhere in the past 100 years, we forgot why we invented airplanes in the first place: to soar in the the sky like an eagle,' it says on its website.

4. S1 by Silverwing (Netherlands)

Silverwing's S1 has been engineered from the ground up as 'an entirely new type of electric vehicle'. It can automatically take off and land anywhere 'using a footprint smaller than a sedan'

S1 Speed: 86mph Payload: 90kg Maximum height: 656 feet Power: On-board lithium ion batteries Pilot system: autonomous Flight time: 30 minutes Advertisement

The S1 from Silverwing in the Netherlands is an electric aircraft with a giant tail wing and an augmented reality interface on the pilot's window.

The S1 autonomous electric vehicle can automatically take off and land anywhere.

S1's augmented reality interface on the inside of the pilot's window provides updates on speeds and remaining battery power for 'an immersive experience'.

Silverwing says it has already performed over 1.5 hours of test flights with the aircraft.

'Every aspect of the S1 is optimized for low-noise and long-range, with a unique wing design, ducted-fans and aerodynamic cockpit.'

5. Airboard 2.0 by DragonAir Aviation

FlyDragon Air from Florida in the US has designed an electric multicopter that carries its passenger in a standing position while holding onto a pair of handles

The Airboard developed by DragonAir Aviation from Florida is an electric 'multi-copter' that carries a standing passenger.

The fully functioning electric multicopter carries its passenger as he or she grips a pair of handles.

AIRBOARD 2.0 Central concept: A large multicopter Headquarters: United States Direction control: Body controlled movements Advertisement

Mariah Cain, 24, is one of the five finalists and operates the Airboard 2.0 machine with DragonAir.

In 2018, the young president and project manager behind the machine, moved to Panama City full time to work on the unique vehicle.

She decided to enter into the GoFly competition at the last moment to raise money for her project.

'They had just reopened entries for Phase II and I had just enough time to get signed up,' Cain told Good Morning America.

'It felt like fate.'

Speaking about her machine, she said: 'You basically plug it in like your phone and when the light turns green you can take off and go fly.'

Each of the five teams were awarded $50,000 for their innovations and are now competing for the $1 million grand prize.

'The level of ingenuity and dedication from each of these competitors is truly impressive,' said GoFly CEO Gwen Lighter.

'Each device is unique, revolutionising the way we envision personal flight.'

As well as live air shows, the three-day fly-off will include key notes from industry leaders STEM activities for visitors to fly drones and flight simulators.

As well as Boeing, sponsors of the competition include Dell, Vertical Flight Society and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

All GoFly finalists will benefit from the continued support of the sponsors after the competition and a dedicated 'mentors' program.

GoFly aims to help bring to market personal flying machines to market and offer new options in commercial aviation.

'We're calling on the world's greatest thinkers, designers, engineers, and inventors to make the impossible possible,' the Go Fly says on its website.

'Today we look to the sky and say, "That plane is flying".

'We challenge innovators around the world to create a device that makes us look to the sky and say, "That person is flying".'
(Newser)  After two deadly crashes that killed 346 people, the beleaguered Boeing 737 Max has a new problem, and per a company spokesman, it's an "absolutely unacceptable" one. A routine maintenance check on multiple new planes waiting to be delivered turned up in their fuel tanks "foreign object debris," which the BBC notes is "any substance, debris, or article that isn't part of a plane [and that] would potentially cause damage." Per the Guardian, such debris usually consists of metal shavings, rags, tools, or other items left behind in the plane by workers during production. Leeham News, which first reported the development, notes it may take up to three days to inspect each plane, as all fuel has to be drained and the vapors eliminated before inspectors can even enter the fuel tanks to check them out.

story continues below

"FOD is absolutely unacceptable," Mark Jenks, head of Boeing's 737 program, said in a memo to employees. "With your help and focus, we will eliminate FOD from our production system." The entire fleet of 400-plus undelivered 737 Max planes is now being inspected, though a Boeing rep tells the BBC it doesn't look like this will further delay getting the 737 Max back in the air; Boeing expects the FAA to recertify the plane to fly again by summer. The FAA has indeed been informed of this latest development and, via a statement, says that it's "following a thorough, deliberate process to verify that all proposed modifications to the Boeing 737 Max meet the highest certification standards," per Sky News. The fuel tank problem isn't tied to the sensor issues that are believed to have played a role in the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes. (Problems plaguing the 737 Max may affect summer travel.)
Tel Aviv  It's a tense stakeout, waiting for Jimmy Julius Karow to appear. He is a wanted man and is considered dangerous. Accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in Oregon in 2000, he fled to Israel before authorities in the U.S. could apprehend him or figure out where he went. Karow has been running from U.S. law enforcement ever since. Currently INTERPOL, an inter-governmental policing organization that works with 194 countries, has a Red Notice to alert police worldwide that he's a fugitive.

Two years after he fled the U.S., Karow was convicted by an Israeli court of child molestation in a separate case. He served time and was released. Now another alleged Israeli victim has come forward, saying he began abusing her when she was 5-years-old, and continued for years.

Karow has successfully evaded authorities by moving between communities in Israel for almost two decades, and he is not alone.

A widespread problem

A CBS News investigation has found that many accused American pedophiles flee to Israel, and bringing them to justice can be difficult.

Jewish Community Watch (JCW), an American organization that tracks accused pedophiles, has been trying for years to find Karow and help bring him to justice.

JCW says Karow and other wanted men and women have been able to exploit a right known as the Law of Return, whereby any Jewish person can move to Israel and automatically gain citizenship.

Since the small organization started tracking accused pedophiles in 2014, it says more than 60 have fled from the U.S. to Israel. Given its limited resources to identify these individuals, JCW says the actual number is likely much larger.

"The same thing that is going on in the Catholic Church right now around the world, the exact same thing is happening in our community," JCW's founder Meyer Seewald told CBS News. "The cover-ups are the same, the stigma, the shame."

Seewald says tightly-knit Jewish communities across the U.S. will sometimes meet accusations against a member with incredulity, and that can have a chilling effect.

Story continues

"Everyone goes and surrounds this individual and supports him because they can't believe a person can do such a crime. They take the abuser's side and the abuse continues," Seewald says. "They put him in another community. A few years later, he's done the same thing and we hear more allegations that the person is abusing children. Victims don't want to come forward when they see that."

JCW says the majority of its cases originate from modern Orthodox to Ultra-orthodox Jewish enclaves in the U.S., but that it happens across the wider Jewish community. Because perpetrators can't be held accountable unless victims come forward, many cases are believed to go unreported. To try to get them out into the light, JCW holds awareness events across the U.S., and offers victims of sexual abuse advice and emotional support.

Mendy Hauck decided to come forward after receiving support from JCW. The father of two says he was just 8-years-old when he was molested by a teacher at his Orthodox Jewish School in Los Angeles. Hauck says the abuse started one day when a friend brought in cookies for his birthday.

"I actually went ahead and reached for the biggest cookie and he said, 'Put it back and you could come back by recess and get your cookie,'" Hauck said. "So after he handed out the rest of the cookies to the other classmates, I had to stay behind if I wanted my cookie, and I did. He called me up to his desk... and that's when he started... rubbing me."

His alleged abuser is Mordechai Yomtov, a then-35-year-old Hebrew teacher.

"I jumped backwards like a step or two and he grabbed my hair and said, 'it's fine, you can come close. I won't hurt you. There is nothing wrong,' and he did it again," Hauck recalls.

mordechai-yomtov.jpg

CBS News

Hauck says the abuse continued over the course of the year. He says he felt trapped, with nowhere to turn.

When the year finished, Hauck moved on to the next grade. That's when Yomtov's crimes caught up to him. In 2001, police arrested and charged him with committing lewd acts with three of his other students, ranging in age from 8 to 10. But Hauck never told anyone about his ordeal until years later.

Yomtov eventually pled guilty, served time in jail and was released on probation. But once free, he violated his probation by fleeing to Israel via Mexico.

JCW tracked him down and confronted him in Jerusalem with a hidden camera. Yomtov admitted that he violated his probation and illegally fled the United States, with help. He also said that in Mexico he obtained a fake passport in order to travel to Israel, where he lives illegally.

Yomtov denied abusing Hauck, but offered a general apology to his victims, saying: "I'm very, very sorry. I hope that God will help every single person who went through this. Please forgive me."

It wasn't until 2016, when another alleged victim of Yomtov and friend of Hauck's came forward, that Hauck felt compelled to tell his story. He filed a police report hoping to get justice, but says the processes has been slow. For him, justice is twofold.

"I want the (LA County District Attorney) to step up their game  you know, actually fight to get him back here and give him what he deserves," he says. "And also, I want the communities to make sure this doesn't happen again."

The district attorney's office told CBS News there has been no request to extradite Yomtov back to the United States, and declined any further comment.

Red flags, more victims

Help from the community is a reoccurring theme. Rabbi Yehuda Oppenheimer knows first-hand how a pedophile is able to flee to Israel. In 2000, he unwittingly helped Karow escape.

The two met when Karow expressed interest in converting to Judaism. One day, Karow suddenly said he wanted to move to Israel.

When asked whether there was nothing at all that raised red flags up to the point when Karow said he wanted to move to Israel, Rabbi Oppenheimer responded: "I wish I could say that [it didn't raise any red flags], but unfortunately, I can't He [Karow] said, 'I plan to go to Israel, I need to go much more quickly than I thought I needed to go."

"He said that there was something in the past that happened when he was young but nothing had ever happened since. I felt that I could trust him. So I wrote him a letter, he bought a ticket and he left."

Oppenheimer gave Karow the contact information of family and friends in Israel to help him settle. Then one day a close friend called the rabbi.

"I'll never know exactly what happened but something severely sexual something happened with their daughter, and [Karow] was arrested." Oppenheimer says it felt like "a punch to the gut. It was very painful."

He says he carries that guilt to this day, and that's why he came forward with his story. He has a message for other rabbis and community leaders:

"When somebody has offended in this way, the odds are that they will do so again, no matter how kind and pious and wise and nice and charismatic they are," Oppenheimer says. "You simply can't trust them. You have to take steps to prevent, you cannot have them around youngsters, you cannot have them in your home."

One of the girls Karow allegedly abused in Israel is "Amoona." She asked us not to use her real name, to protect her family.

"I was 5, 4 or 5 years old. My mother was on bedrest. My father is a rabbi so he wasn't home. (Karow) used to come to our house. We used to play games and then it became sexual."

The alleged abuse took place over the course of more than two years. A July 2019, Israeli indictment against him details allegations of severe sexual abuse, including rape and sodomy. She says he would threaten and manipulate her to keep her quiet.

"'I'm going to give you a cookie because you do it so nicely.' It's all about the cookie it's all about lying and it's all about being so evil to a little child," Amoona recalls him telling her. "He also threatened and to kill my parents. He would choke me. He would hold me."

Inaction, even protection?

Amoona is angry that Karow was allowed to enter Israel in the first place, but JCW's chief operating officer Shana Aaronson says the failure begins in the United States. She says there are elements of the Jewish community in the U.S. that are willing to help pedophiles escape.

jimmy-julius-karow.jpg

Julius Jimmy Karow is seen in a handout photo from INTERPOL. Via Interpol

"Oftentimes there's some sort of community incentive, either somebody owes them a favor or someone in the community, let's say an institution, has covered up for them in the past and they know that if this goes to court there's a lot of civil liability coming down the line," she says.

While Aaronson puts blame on Jewish communities in the U.S. and the U.S. government for not aggressively pursuing extraditions, she says Israeli authorities have also failed to prioritize the hunt for suspects.

She tells CBS News it would be easier for the police to locate and arrest Karow, for instance, but it has fallen instead on the JCW to track him down.

Israel is known as a nation on the cutting edge of technology, but Shana says that doesn't trickle down to local law enforcement. Shana says police don't request background checks of perpetrators arrested in Israel who have recently moved there from other countries. They don't even do a Google search, she says.

"The general standards and protocols for investigations by local police are poor," she says.

JCW says the problem reaches into the upper echelons of Israeli politics as well. They note that Yaakov Litzman, leader of an ultra-orthodox alliance in Israel's legislature and the current minister of health, has been accused of preventing the deportation of a Malka Leifer, a former head teacher at a Jewish school in Australia, where she is wanted on multiple charges of child sexual abuse.

CBS News obtained an Israeli police recommendation that says there is enough evidence against Litzman to recommend he be charged himself with fraud and breach of trust for protecting Leifer. Litzman's office told CBS News there was not any wrongdoing. It's now up to Israel's attorney general to decide whether to indict the lawmaker.

"It's a good example of the lengths the community will go," JCW's Aaronson says. "It's really disappointing and disgusting."

Israeli police wouldn't comment on specific cases but insist they take the cases seriously, and that they coordinate "closely with the Ministry of Justice and worldwide police organizations in order to find suspects overseas."

The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment on specific cases too but praised their relationship with Israel's law enforcement, adding sex offenders have been successfully extradited in the past.

The stakeout

On the day of the stakeout, JCW received its best tip in months  that Karow was going to be at a clinic in Tel Aviv. They know he is 6'2" and over 200 pounds, but he could have changed his appearance, and previous attempts to capture him have failed.

"Obviously the fear is that he'll figure out that someone is looking for him and he'll bolt," Aaronson says, clutching an old photo of JCW's target.

An ambulance pulls up and a man steps out with a bandaged right arm. He fits the description of Karow. Aaronson's team confirms his identity and calls the police.

Within five minutes a police officer on a motorcycle arrives and they move in to make the arrest.

Karow is brought out by two officers. He doesn't look surprised to be in custody. We ask him if he assaulted a girl in the United States.

"No," he replies. He denies fleeing to Israel but doesn't answer when asked if he assaulted girls in that country. He says he knows he's wanted under an international arrest warrant.

Karow now faces charges in both Israel and the U.S.

The District Attorney's office in Clackamas County, Oregon, told CBS News it was "working with federal authorities to secure his extradition."

Outside the clinic, Aaronson calls Amoona to share the news of Karow's capture. In Israel, victims are allowed to confront alleged offenders before trial. Amoona brought a box of the same cookies Karow used to manipulate her, to throw back at him.

"It was good to confront him," she says. "To have that closure in my life."

Meanwhile, Mordechai Yomtov remains at large.

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EUGENE, Ore. -- Wednesday marked school exclusion day in Oregon. Exclusion day is the deadline by which students in Oregon schools, both public and private, as well as preschools and childcare facilities must be vaccinated in order to attend.

You'll know if your child isn't up to date on vaccinations because health officials send out exclusion letters to parents reminding them of the impending deadline.

The law requires children to be vaccinated for 11 different diseases, including measles, mumps and chicken pox.

Vaccines are available at many healthcare providers offices, pharmacies and school-based health centers.

Parents can claim medical or non-medical exemptions from vaccinations. In the past, lawmakers have tried to make it more difficult to claim non-medical exemptions, but those efforts failed.

Several places around Eugene provide immunizations. Some of those include:

Churchill High School Health Center

1850 Bailey Hill Road

Phone: 541-790-5227 (please call to schedule immunizations)

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Open to all students

North Eugene High School Health Center

200 Silver Lane

541-790-4445 (please call to schedule immunizations)

Wednesday and Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Open to all students

Lane County Public Health Walk-In Immunization Clinic

151 W. 7th Ave., Room 310

Monday through Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Everyone is welcome; however Lane County Public Health can only bill Oregon Health Plan and Pacific Source insurance. All others will need to pay at time of service.

For more about vaccinations and information for parents, click here.
A large number of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters, majority of them Muslims, held a massive protest against the amended Citizenship Act at Chepauk in Chennai, even as agitations were held across Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

The protest was held under the aegis of the Tamil Nadu Islamia Iyakkangal Matrum Arasiyal Katchigalin Koottamaippu, a federation of state Muslim outfits and political parties.

Representatives from Dravida Munnetra Kazagham and other political parties also took part in the protest.

Meanwhile, as the demonstration was being held at Chepauk, Chief Minister K Palaniswami in the Assembly located inside the Secretariat, announced welfare measures for the Muslim community, including pension hike for 'Ulema' (Islamic scholars).

Earlier, in a massive show of strength, agitators came in swathes and converged at Chepauk, before taking out a brief march along the Wallajah road as part of their original plan to proceed to the state Secretariat and lay siege to the assembly.

However, the Madras high court had on Tuesday restrained the Muslim outfits from going ahead with their siege protest.

SEE: People march towards the State Secretariat from Walajah Road

The outfits have been demanding that the state assembly, dominated by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, adopt a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act in the ongoing session which concludes on Thursday.

SEE: Protesters sing the national anthem during the march towards the State Secretariat

Agitators were seen carrying placards against CAA, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register, besides the Indian flag and raised slogans against the amended citizenship law.

Scores of Muslim women, many of them burqa-clad, joined the agitation.

The protest resulted in traffic snarls at key points along the arterial Anna Salai, even as police had set up roadblocks and sealed off roads leading to the Secretariat as part of beefed up security measures.

The Secretariat, the state's seat of power, was brought under a stricter vigil, with more police personnel deployed at the historic Fort St George to prevent any untoward incidents.

Anti-CAA protests were held elsewhere in the state, including Madurai, Thanjavur, Cuddalore, Coimbatore, Tirupur and Tirunelveli, with members of the Muslim community hitting the streets against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Kanpur, Feb 19 : The families of the victims of anti-CAA and NRC protests in Kanpur have now approached the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate for registering an FIR against the police.

Three persons, all residents of Bubu Purwa area, were allegedly killed during the anti-CAA protest that took place in Kanpur on December 20 and 21, 2019. Several others were injured in the protests.

The police later stated that the deceased were not killed in police firing, but from firing carried out by other protesters.

However, CCTV footage and the post mortem reports did not support the police statement.

The local administration even issued recovery notices to the relatives of the deceased persons and also to those who were injured during the protest.

The families of the deceased now want to register an FIR against the police for killing their kin during the protest.

Mohammad Nasir Khan, the lawyer who filed the petition in the court, said, "The aggrieved families first approached police for registering FIR against cops, but they were turned down by the police." He further said that as per the post mortem report, those killed have been shot above the waist and those injured include people who have lost their limbs and now are struggling to live a normal life.

Mohammad Nasir Khan said that when the police failed to lodge the complaint, the families of those killed decided to approach the court under Section 156/3 of the CrPC, and have demanded an FIR against police officials under Section 302 and 207 of the Indian Penal Code.

He claimed that he had strong evidences against the police and was hopeful of a committee being formed soon to investigate the matter.

The families of the deceased have alleged that police mercilessly shot at the protesters, which can be successfully proved by the CCTV footage.
One of Northern Ireland's fastest-growing manufacturers has appointed a new chief executive.

Kitchen and bedroom design and manufacturing firm BA in Cookstown, Co Tyrone has appointed former Formica Europe boss Peter Rush as chief executive.

BA supplies over 50,000 doors a week to companies in around 27 countries worldwide.

Mr Rush has spent nearly four years at the helm of Formica Europe, where his achievements have included achieving double-digit sales growth in core markets, and business organisation restructuring.

BA founders Brian and Kieran McCracken said they were delighted to have recruited Mr Rush.

Brian McCracken said: "He comes with an impressive background of senior commercial and operations experience in branded manufacturing businesses.

"Peter has particularly strong experience of working across Europe and in the Far East, having worked with a number of BA Components' major customers and distributors in the UK."

Mr Rush has an MBA from Warwick Business School and started his career in operations, holding positions as operations director and general manager in businesses including Rawlplug and Heatrae Sadia.

BA Components received equity backing from Netherlands investor H2 Equity Partners in 2017. That funding has helped the company invest and develop products.

Mr McCracken said: "We continue to design and manufacture high-quality doors, cabinets and components for our business-to-business customers and our three sites are well-geared to do this."

BA Components was established in Cookstown by the brothers in 1990.

The company employs 263 people across the firm's three sites: Cookstown, and Doncaster and Rotherham in South Yorkshire.

It established the site in Rotherham, where it puts together its tool-free assembly ClicBox kitchen and furniture cabinets, in 2016.

The brothers have now stepped down from the day-to-day management of the company but remain actively involved in the long-term strategic plans of the business. The announcement of a new chief executive comes after BA delivered a sales increase of 6% in recently reported results for 2019.

Over the year to March 2019, the company grew revenues from 27.8m to 29.6m.

Operating profit over the period also lifted from 3.3m to 3.6m.

In a company report filed with the results, the directors said they were committed to long-term creation of shareholder value by increasing market share in Irish, UK and global markets.

During the 12 months the company had made "substantial progress" in product development, investment in machinery and people, and a new move into producing "complete kitchens".
The Indian equity market which closed with losses for the fourth straight day on February 18 is likely to consolidate further around 12,000 levels on February 19, tracking positive trend seen in other Asian markets, but fears of coronavirus (COVID-19) could cap the upside. Lets look at the final tally on D-Street on February 18  the S&P BSE Sensex fell 161 points to 40,894 while the Nifty50 closed with losses of 53 points at 11,992. Tracking the momentum, more than 200 stocks on the BSE hit a fresh 52-week low which includes names such as Gillette India, Hero MotoCorp, IndusInd Bank, Sobha, ITC, Everest Industries, and Marico among others. The broader market underperformed as the S&P BSE Mid-cap index fell 0.6 percent, and the S&P BSE Small-cap index was down 0.45 percent. Close Related stories Ideas For Profit | Venkys recovering from COVID impact; Buy the stock on every dip

AU SFB  Third wave could make going tougher, but offers a big opportunity

RBL Bank  another bank under scrutiny; what should investors do? Moody's on February 18 lowered the growth forecast for the Asia-Pacific (Apac) region to 5.2 per cent for 2020 citing the lingering impact of COVID-19 outbreak, the market impact of which will be more pronounced on China and India.

The Indian rupee tumbled by 24 paise to settle at 71.56 (provisional) against the US dollar on February 18 as concerns over the economic fallout from coronavirus outbreak continued to roil forex market sentiment.

On the institutional front, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) were net sellers in the Indian markets for Rs 74 crore while the domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were also net sellers to the tune of Rs 309 crore, provisional data showed.
A multi-tier security arrangement comprising the Delhi Police, US Secret Service and other agencies will be in place in the national capital, including at the ITC Maurya hotel where US President Donald Trump is likely to stay when he visits India next week, officials said on Wednesday.

In connection with the US Presidents visit, the Delhi Police is making all necessary arrangements. Security unit will be duly assisted by the district police and the traffic unit.

Police will make elaborate arrangements at the place of stay and all venues where he is likely to pay a visit, Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik told PTI.

Patnaik said other sister agencies are also involved in the task and necessary tie-up has been made with the US secret service.

It will be a multi-layered security arrangement with due assistance from the central armed police forces, the police chief added.

At the ITC Maurya, a three-layer security will be in place, another senior police officer said.

The officer said that the hotel, located in Diplomatic Enclave in Chanakyapuri, has 438 rooms and every floor of the hotel will have policemen in plainclothes.

The Delhi Polices security wing personnel will form part of the inner cordon that will work in close coordination with the United States Secret Service.

The security wing of the Delhi Police is a specialised unit tasked with the security of VIPs and visiting foreign dignitaries.

The second layer of security will be deployed around the lobby area, parking, lawn area and the pool area, while the third one will comprise police personnel from the district police, another officer added.

There is a large stretch of green ridge area opposite the hotel and security personnel will be deployed there as well. Snipers of the Delhi Police and National Security Guards will be stationed atop high-rise buildings near the hotel.

In 2015, the then US president Barack Obama had come to India on a three-day visit, during which he was also the chief guest at the Republic Day event.

Trump, who is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25, will be accompanied by a high-level delegation.

Prime Minister Modi will host a lunch for Trump, while President Ram Nath Kovind will host a banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump will hold talks on February 25 to deepen cooperation in a range of key sectors including defence and trade, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Wednesday. Trump, who is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25, will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, Shringla said.

India and the US have an unprecedented level of convergence, he said.

Shringla said the Namaste Trump event in Ahmedabad will be similar to the Howdy Modi event that was held in Houston last year.

Trump and Modi will hold extensive talks on February 25 on a range of issues, including defence and trade, he said.

Modi will host a lunch for Trump, while President Ram Nath Kovind will host a banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary, he said.

Sources said India and US do not want to rush in finalising a trade deal and both sides will take a decision on it considering a long-term view.

Some defence deals may fructify during Trump's visit, the sources said.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Behind the headlines about Brexit, a counter-revolution has quietly occurred in Britain in recent years. Its reverberations seemed certain to reach beyond the English Channel when last week the guillotine unexpectedly came down on Sajid Javid, the Chancellor of the British Exchequer.

Javid, a devotee of the libertarian philosopher Ayn Rand and alumnus of Deutsche Bank, was edged out of Boris Johnsons cabinet largely because he seemed too much a foot soldier of the ideological revolution that occurred in the 1980s in, first, Britain, and then, the United States.

In that upheaval, the hyper-individualist free-marketeering of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan became dominant across the West. Thatcher aimed to roll back the frontiers of the state. Her ideological kin Ronald Reagan claimed that government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.

In this view, the primary, if not the only, legitimate economic role of the government is to guarantee price stability rather than to intervene repeatedly to stem inequality and protect the weakest members of the population.

Today, however, many citizens buffeted by global economic headwinds have come to see government yet again as a necessary player in the national economy.

Javid is actually the latest casualty of the counter-revolutionary urge to overthrow obsolete pieties. The much bigger victims have been left-leaning parties across Europe, such as the Labour Party, the creator of Britains welfare state.

Rebranded as New Labour under Tony Blair, it embraced Thatcherism  to the point where Thatcher identified Blair as her heir. During its 13 years in power, New Labour pushed through Thatcher-style deregulation and privatization, often disguising it through public-private partnerships.

Failing to check de-industrialization, or rising social inequality, New Labour started to lose the partys traditional working-class base in the manufacturing and mining districts of North England.

Story continues

Claiming to be Blairs true heir, the Tory Prime Minister David Cameron, together with his Chancellor of Exchequer George Osborne, more aggressively advanced policies of austerity that further shrunk the remnants of the welfare state.

The eventual outcome of Thatcherism on steroids was Brexit: a furious rejection by Britains working class of a long ideological status quo that seemed to benefit only a rich metropolitan minority.

An early beneficiary of the anti-establishment mood was Jeremy Corbyn, who, in elections held one year after the Brexit referendum, dramatically increased his partys vote share.

Corbyn belonged to the marginalized left wing of the Labour Party, which had always seen the European Union (EU) as an enforcer of free-market fundamentalism, drastically constraining the British states ability to intervene in the economy.

Accepting that Brexit had to get done, Corbyn offered in his popular election manifesto of 2017 a bonanza of spending promises. The manifesto was pathbreaking not only because it broke with the Thatcherite orthodoxy of non-intervention that for decades had prevailed inside the Labour Party.

It was extraordinary also because the Conservative party, traditionally representatives of big business and the landed aristocracy, rushed to imitate Corbyns rhetoric, and to disown Thatcherism, claiming in own manifesto that we do not believe in untrammeled free markets and that we reject the cult of selfish individualism.

She has even adopted, the Economist complained of the then-British Prime Minister Theresa May, Labours Marxist policy of energy-price caps.

In last years elections, the Conservative Party under Johnson competed even more fiercely with Labour to offer spending plans (much to the despair of orthodox economists and balanced-budget diehards).

Johnson carefully distanced himself from his posh Tory pals, such pro-EU architects of austerity as Cameron and Osborne. He promised to use Brexit to re-engineer British laws in favor of British people. He even abandoned an earlier promise to cut corporation tax from 19% to 17%.

Johnson, closely identified all his life with Tory free-marketeers, was responding to an altered public mood. According to a recent British Social Attitudes survey, 60 percent support more government spending.

As it turned out, Johnsons gamble succeeded. While the London-based leadership of the Labour party strove futilely for a second referendum on Brexit, many of its lifelong voters in the Northern England lent their support to a party that seemed more capable of extracting Britain from the EU and turning on the spending taps.

Johnson is moving fast to please his new and potentially fickle constituency, nationalizing Northern Rail and increasing public spending. Sajid Javid, with his tattered copy of The Fountainhead, clearly stood in his bosss (and neighbors) way, insisting that Britain should run a balanced budget by 2023. Javids replacement, Rishi Sunak, a hurriedly promoted Johnson loyalist, has no such constricting goal.

As a political insider told the Financial Times about the new occupants of Downing Street: It wasnt a question of what they wanted to spend more money on; it was more a question of whether there was anything they didnt want to spend more money on.

Johnson is, of course, an opportunist; and his actual ability to spend, already limited, may shrink even more by the time Brexit gets done. Moreover, he has barely started on his impossible task: triangulating the clashing demands of rich Tory grandees and North Englands immiserated working class.

Nevertheless, the political alignments and re-alignments of the last three decades are now in plain sight.

During the ideological hegemony of Reagan and Thatcher, left-leaning parties with electoral bases among working classes moved right  or, to the center, in their preferred euphemism.

One unexpected outcome of this shift is that, today, they appear complicit in extensive social and economic breakdown. Worse: Their founding ideas about beneficent government, which they have steadily discarded since the 1980s, are being stolen by carpetbaggers and the far-right.

Indeed, Boris Johnsons success in the UK could be paralleled by Marine Le Pen in France.

Presidential elections are due in two years, and Le Pen, pitted against a weakened Emmanuel Macron (hailed early and fatefully in his tenure as the French Blair) is surging on the back of her promise to deepen the activist role of the state in the national economy.

France may witness in 2022 what has already occurred in Britain: a counter-revolution that sends both free-marketeers and self-proclaimed centrists to the guillotine.

To contact the author of this story: Pankaj Mishra at pmishra24@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Gibney at jgibney5@bloomberg.net

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Pankaj Mishra is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. His books include Age of Anger: A History of the Present, From the Ruins of Empire: The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia, and Temptations of the West: How to Be Modern in India, Pakistan, Tibet and Beyond.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 05:57:36|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LISBON, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said Tuesday that his government will not accept the European Union (EU)'s budget proposal.

"After the unanimous rejection yesterday by the social partners, today in the debate in Parliament, all political parties also refused the President of the EU Council's proposal for the EU budget 2021-2027," Costa said in his tweet.

"We will not accept this proposal," said the prime minister in parliament, quoted by Lusa News Agency, referring to the proposal presented on Friday by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.

In EU, Portugal and a majority of the member states are against any cut in cohesion policy and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), while Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, four of the so-called net contributors, designated as "frugal countries", refuse to go beyond a global envelope of 1 percent of GNI.

The so-called multiannual financial framework requires unanimity at the European Council and then has to be approved by the European Parliament.

"We were constructive," said the prime minister. "We cannot accept that there is a global decrease in the amount of cohesion funds and that Portugal is treated unfairly."

Antonio Costa stressed that the European Council must act "not as a factor of division, but seeking to develop institutional dialogue", bearing in mind that the multiannual financial framework must be approved by the European Parliament, which has already rejected the current proposal.

"There must be, between the European Commission's proposal (1.11 percent) and that of the EP (1.3 percent), a large margin in which it is possible to negotiate and work", he said.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/19/2020 -- Global Underground Mining Market: Key Highlights



The global underground mining market was valued at ~US$ 21.5 Bn in 2018, and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of ~2% during the forecast period.

Based on equipment, the drilling equipment segment accounted for a major share of the global underground mining market in 2018.

In terms of method, the unsupported segment held a significant share of the global underground mining market in 2018. Room-and-pillar mining is an old method applied to horizontal or nearly horizontal deposits. This method has been refined over the years, and is used in coal and non-coal mining.

In terms of operator, the contract mining segment constituted a key share of the global underground mining market in 2018. Several contractual agreements are used in contract mining. These can be broadly classified into traditional contracts, risk sharing contracts, and strategic alliance contracts, depending upon the mine life or duration of the contract.

Latin America is estimated to offer high growth potential to the underground mining market in the next few years. Abundance of mineral resources and significant investments from mining companies are driving the underground mining market in the region.



Key Drivers and Restraints of Global Underground Mining Market



The renewable energy sector is expanding at a significant pace across the globe. However, it is unable to meet the rising demand for power. This has resulted in a chasm between the demand for power and its generation, which developing countries such as China, India, and Indonesia are striving to meet through coal-based generation. This is driving the use of coal in power generation applications. According to the World Coal Association, coal accounted for approximately 38% share of the total electricity generated in 2018. This percentage has remained almost unchanged in the last 20 years. Thus, rise in the demand for power is expected to boost the demand for coal in the power industry. This is likely to drive the underground mining market. Coal production in the U.S. increased to 273 million short tons through underground mines in 2017, up from 252 million short tons in 2016.

Implementation of IoT in underground mining provides several opportunities to companies to increase their productivity. IoT enables data integration from an increasing number of sources. This enables mining companies to plan their mining operations with accuracy.

Companies require skilled professionals with technical skills, high degree of problem-solving, and considerable understanding of such tools and machines to work with technologically-advanced tools and machines. According to a survey by the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America, Inc., in January 2017, 73% of businesses faced difficulty in finding skilled workers, and 55% businesses identified worker shortage. Thus, dearth of skilled labor is hampering the implementation of smart mining methods. This is adversely affecting the underground mining market.



Request A Sample of Underground Mining Market  https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=2372



Latin America Offers Lucrative Opportunities to Global Underground Mining Market



Latin America dominates the global underground mining market. The mining industry in the region has been thriving since the last few years. In 2017, 305 companies invested US$ 2.38 Bn for exploration in the region. Chile, Peru, and Mexico received 25%, 22%, and 21% of these investments, respectively, in the year. Favorable government policies and automation of processes in excavation operations are anticipated to drive the underground mining market in Latin America during the forecast period.

Currently, Brazil has more than 180 active mines. The most productive underground mines in the country extract up to 1,000,000 tons of minerals every year. Currently, Brazil has two major underground mines: Morro Velho and Serra Grande Gold Mine.

Chile is a prominent producer of copper in Latin America. It produces 32% of copper in the world. According to Cochilco, Chile's state copper agency, the country produced its largest volume of copper ever (i.e. 5.83 million tons) in 2018, up by more than 6% of that produced in 2017.

Global Underground Mining Market: Key Developments



In April 2019, Epiroc Australia and Mobilaris announced that it had been contracted by OZ Minerals to deploy the Mobilaris Mining Intelligence information management system for digitization of one of its underground operations. This digitalization aims to increase production, efficiency, and safety in OZ Mineral's new Carrapateena underground mine in South Australia.

In September 2019, Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology launched the new Sandvik RDX5 rock drill to complement its rock drill offering for underground drill rigs. The new RDX5 rock drill is a strong replacement for the established HLX5 rock drill model in Sandvik's drilling equipment, which has a heritage and longstanding reputation of being the most reliable rock drill in the world.

In November 2018, West African Resources awarded an underground mining contract for the M1 South deposit at the Sanbrado gold project in Burkina Faso to Byrnecut. The contract, worth US$ 110 Mn over five years, is Byrnecut's second in the West African country.



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Underground Mining Market: Competition Landscape



The global underground mining market is highly fragmented, with the presence of a large number of players.

High capital investments in facilities, equipment, technologies, and transport vehicles poses a high barrier to the entry for new players in the global underground mining market. Regulatory pathways for clearance and approval of underground mining are time-consuming and capital-intensive. This creates another barrier for the entry of new players into the market.

Key players operating in the global underground mining market are BHP, Rio Tinto, Glencore, Vale S.A., Alcoa Corporation, Coal India Ltd, Anglo American Plc, Barminco, CIMIC Group Limited, OZ Minerals, The Redpath Group, Thyssen Mining, China Shenhua Energy Company Limited, Norilsk Nickel Group, Implats Platinum Limited, Amur Minerals Corporation, GBF Underground Mining Company, and Freeport-McMoRan.
Today, 55 percent of the worlds population lives in urban areas, and that number is expected to grow to 68 percent by 2050, according to estimates from the United Nations. Projections show that continued urbanization  or the gradual shift from rural to urban areas  combined with the overall growth of the worlds population could add another 2.5 billion people to urban areas by 2050.[1]

At the heart of this growth are megacities  or cities with more than 10 million inhabitants. By 2030, our world will be home to as many as 43 megacities, up from just 10 in 1990.[2] This explosive urban population growth is just one of the reasons why cities must put innovative strategies and technologies to work to adapt to the new pressures and rising expectations that come with population growth.

There is good news on this front. From health, transportation, housing, safety, security, education and environment to culture and tourism, todays public safety and city leaders have an historic opportunity to harness digital technologies to improve public safety and quality of life for urban residents. This is a key takeaway message from a new eBook from Dell Technologies and Intel, Smarter, Safer Cities: Improving Public Safety in the age of AI and IoT. As the title suggests, this eBook focuses on ways in which city managers and public safety leaders can put innovative technologies to work to make our cities smarter and safer, and our lives better.

The eBook notes that the Information Age is changing city life in ways that rival the changes that came 150 years ago with the Age of Industrialization. In this new era, an emerging community of civic leaders, data scientists, technologists and companies are joining forces to create Smart Cities  communities that are building the infrastructure necessary to continuously improve the collection, aggregation and use of data to improve the lives of their residents.

Multiple trends are coming together to empower Smart Cities. These include the growing data revolution, the proliferation of low-cost sensors and other Edge and IoT devices, and advances in information and communication technologies, artificial intelligence, computer vision and related technologies. Together, these forces for change are enabling cities to modernize infrastructure and lay the groundwork for smarter, safer cities.

Lets consider a few examples called out in the eBook.

In the event of an emergency in a Smart City, video cameras and sensors provide detailed information to public safety officials so that they can assess the situation more effectively and respond faster.

An intelligent system triggers emergency response actions, including deploying first responders, medical teams, and firefighters to the precise location of the emergency.

Ambulances move freely through the city, connected to a network integrated with traffic signals and communicating with hospital staff while they are on the go.

As those examples show, Smart Cities bring together solutions that improve emergency preparedness and provide first responders and law enforcement with greater situational awareness, while enhancing the quality of life for urban residents.

Ultimately, making our cities smarter means equipping them with the tools and technologies to address the problems that residents care most about. People want to feel safe and secure as they live, work, play, socialize and raise their families. And they want the opportunities that come with smarter, safer cities  cities that attract businesses, foster innovation and create the stability necessary for sustained growth.

Thats the big vision. What we now need is a shared commitment to move forward with the strategies and digital solutions that create smarter, safer cities.

To learn more

For the full story, see the eBook, Smarter, Safer Cities: Improving Public Safety in the age of AI and IoT. For a graphically oriented look at the case for Edge and IoT solutions in digital cities, take a look at the Dell Technologies Defining the Digital Future of our Cities infographic and for additional information, visit: DellTechnologies.com/IoT.

Kirsten Billhardt is the Director of Edge and IoT at Dell Technologies.

[1] United Nations news release, 68% of the world population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, says UN, May 16, 2018.

[2] United Nations. World Urbanization Prospects 2018. May 16, 2018.
Calls for independent review and reversal of diversification strategy

Sees potential to reduce substantial conglomerate and capital allocation discounts by refocusing on core beer markets

Proposes disposal of stakes in publicly listed, non-core holdings in Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd and FANCL Corporation

Raises questions about Companys proposed overhaul of its board

Submits shareholder proposals for upcoming Annual General Meeting



Independent Franchise Partners, LLP (Franchise Partners) today launches a website to outline the overlooked value in Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Kirin or the Company) (TSE: 2503) and to call for a reversal of its diversification strategy.

Franchise Partners has held a position in Kirin since September 2014 based on its view of the fundamentally attractive collection of beer assets in Japan, Australia, Myanmar and the Philippines. The value of these assets is obscured by substantial non-core holdings in the pharmaceutical, bio-pharmaceutical, and skincare industries.

Over the past 5 years, Franchise Partners has engaged with the Companys management and board to encourage them to take practical steps to close the significant conglomerate and capital allocation discounts that are reflected in Kirins valuation.

To this end, Franchise Partners has submitted proposals for shareholder consideration at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting for Shareholders. These proposals aim to strengthen Kirins corporate governance practices, to better align management compensation with shareholder value creation, and to unlock value via disposing of the stakes in non-core assets and returning proceeds to shareholders via share buyback.

Franchise Partners notes that Kirin has proposed substantial changes to its board for consideration at its upcoming AGM. Franchise Partners is encouraged that Kirin appears to acknowledge the need to overhaul its board. While the Companys four candidates appear to meet the technical standard for independence, three of them are financially affiliated with Kirin. Shareholders have reason to question whether these candidates will be allowed to offer genuine oversight of Kirin management or to ask fundamental questions about the current strategy and capital allocation priorities.

Franchise Partners believes there are clear paths available to create a more valuable and sustainable Kirin that will serve the long-term interests of all of its stakeholders. Franchise Partners encourages fellow shareholders to present their concerns about the Companys conglomerate bridging strategy directly to Kirin management.

A full presentation is available at www.abetterkirin.com.

***

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200218005125/en/
After seven years overseeing the Kremlin's policy regarding Ukraine  a period which included Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Crimea region and the unleashing of a conflict in parts of eastern Ukraine that has left more than 13,000 people dead -- Vladislav Surkov has been dismissed.



His departure has sparked speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be ready for compromises with Kyiv and the West, and bodes well for an end to the war in the Donbas. But some analysts are skeptical, suggesting that the change may be more a shift in symbolism and style than in substance.



Following weeks of rumors that Surkov was leaving, the Kremlin on February 18 issued a terse decree making it official.



It followed one week after an announcement that Dmitry Kozak, a deputy head of Putins administration, had been tapped as the Kremlin's point man on Ukraine.



The Cardinal And The Cat



"In his new role, Kozak is in charge and will continue to be in charge of Ukrainian issues," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in Moscow.



In a nutshell, Surkov  known in Russia as "the gray cardinal" for his behind-the-scenes political machinations  has been replaced by Kozak, known as "the Cheshire Cat" for his inscrutability.



When the rumors of Surkov's departure emerged last month, Aleksei Chesnakov  a Kremlin insider who is close to Surkov  was quoted as saying Surkov was leaving because of a Kremlin "change of course on Ukraine."

In Ukraine itself, many were skeptical.



"I'm not sure this is a change," former Ukrainian lawmaker Serhiy Vysotskiy told RFE/RL's Russian Service. "Ukraine is such an important country for President Putin that there won't be a change of course. The course is gradual movement to the complete absorption of Ukraine as a state."

However, observers in Russia said that replacing Surkov with Kozak could mark a symbolic end to the ambitious Novorossia project, which was associated with Surkov and envisioned the absorption into Russia of considerable swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.



Putting Kozak in place, some said, does not suggest that Putin is ready for a real compromise  but that he is focused on securing a status quo that could stymie Kyiv's integration with the West and create opportunities for Moscow to reassert its influence over its neighbor.



Moscow-based political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin placed the change in the context of the domestic political situation in Russia as Putin's current term comes to an end in 2024 and the constitution bars him from seeking a new one -- the so-called "2024 problem."



As Putin prepares to substantially amend the constitution in what may be a ploy to maintain his political power in Russia beyond that date, Oreshkin says, the Kremlin is seeking stable or improved relations with the outside world.



'Negotation, Fear-Mongering, And Blackmail'



"Politically, I think, we are entering into a period when Vladimir Putin wants to reconcile with the outside world in these new conditions," Oreshkin said.

The Kremlins conditions, he said, are that Crimea is part of Russia but the areas held by Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions are up in the air, subjects of negotiation, fear-mongering, and blackmail."

Putin is not interested in reconciling with Ukraine at all. Ukraine is a means for reconciling with the West."



"The main thing is maintaining 'business as usual,' reducing the sanctionskeeping things quiet," he added. "Now [Putin's] task is to settle things with his own population and, to do that, he needs to somewhat smooth relations with Europe and, maybe, even with America. In this situation, he made a knight sacrifice of Surkov."



Oreshkin noted that Ukraine and the outside world see Surkov as "responsible" for the creation of the Russia-backed separatist formations in parts of eastern Ukraine.



"They have no love for him in Ukraine," Oreshkin said, and the moment seemed ripe to present a new interlocutor to Kyiv and the West.



Political analyst Leonid Radzikhovsky offered a similar analysis.



"Putin is not interested in reconciling with Ukraine at all," he told RFE/RL. "Ukraine is a means for reconciling with the Westso that the new power construction that emerges in Russia will be recognized as legitimate in the West -- which is both loathed and revered in Russia."

Kozak, 61, was born in Soviet Ukraine and served as deputy prime minister before moving over to Putin's presidential administration. He is reputed to have good working relations with Andriy Yermak, who was appointed presidential chief of staff by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on February 11. Yermak told Ukrainian television that he considered Kozak an improvement over Surkov.



The Moldova Factor



Earlier, Kozak controlled Moscow's policies in Moldova and, analysts say, achieved results there that probably impressed the Kremlin. When he took the reins, Moldova's government was controlled by an unstable but decidedly pro-Western coalition government. It was a successful participant in the European Union's Eastern Partnership program and had been granted a visa-free travel regime with the bloc.



In 2016, however, former Socialist Party head and outspokenly pro-Russian politician Igor Dodon was elected president of Moldova. In June 2019, Dodon struck an agreement with Moldova's pro-Western parties to form a coalition against oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc.



This unlikely alliance of pro-Western and pro-Russian forces was broken in November when the Socialist Party filed a successful no-confidence motion against the coalition government  voting together with Plahotnuic's party to oust the coalition government. Dodon was able to install technocrat Ion Chicu as prime minister and more than half of Chicu's cabinet seats were filled by former Dodon advisers.



Analyst Radzikhovsky said the Kremlin may be hoping for similar incremental results from Kozak in Ukraine.



"The instrumentation of reconciliation [with the West] is the end of active military action in Ukraine, which has already largely been achieved," he said, despite frequent cease-fire violations in the ongoing war between Kyivs forces and the Russia-backed separatists. "And also some sort of solution of the political situation in Ukraine. We should see the replacement of Surkov by Kozak in this context. But the essential thing is not about Surkov or Kozak. Both Surkov and Kozak are capable, energetic management bureaucrats. They do not set policy."



Putin is "symbolically demonstrating a change of course," he added, by "replacing the man who symbolizes one approach with a man who symbolizes the other."

With reporting from Moscow by RFE/RL Russian Service correspondents Mikhail Sokolov and Vitaly Portnikov
Police have charged a man who allegedly harassed and assaulted a woman wearing a medical mask on a TTC bus earlier this month.

The 24-year-old woman was riding the 75 Sherbourne bus near Bloor Street West around 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 when a man allegedly began insulting her over her decision to wear a mask, police said in a news release Tuesday.

When the woman tried to take a photo of the man, police accuse him of grabbing her as he attempted to pull the camera away from her.

Toronto police issued a news release last week with a photo of a man taken on the bus as part of their investigation.

Michael Hennessey, 46, of Toronto, was arrested Friday and charged with robbery, assault, attempted theft and mischief.

Its not clear why she was wearing the mask and police wouldnt say whether they believe the incident was racially motivated, saying they didnt want to release any information about the victim.

There have been an increase in the number of people wearing masks on the streets of Toronto over fears of the novel coronavirus epidemic in China. Canadian health officials say that wearing surgical masks during everyday life has little use in protecting against coronavirus, despite being effective in hospital settings.

Hennessey is scheduled to appear in College Park court March 31.
Irelands appalling record on climate change has been highlighted in a global report  which warns that our failure to tackle CO2 emissions targets is putting childrens health at risk.

The landmark report from the World Health Organisation, Unicef, and The Lancet, places Ireland among the bottom 30 countries when it comes to delivering on emissions targets.

The lack of government action in tackling dangerous emissions poses a serious threat to every childs future and will lead to devastating health consequences due to rising ocean levels, heatwaves, and the proliferation of diseases, warns the report.

It says Ireland is also on track to emit 208% more CO2 than its 2030 emissions target, according to the report, while we are facing hundreds of millions of euro in fines for continually failing to cut carbon emissions.

Carried out by a commission of more than 40 child and adolescent health experts, the report finds that the health and future of all children is under immediate threat due to ecological degradation, climate crisis, pollution, and exploitative marketing practices.

Although there has been significant progress in improving child and adolescent health over the last 20 years, progress has stalled, says the report.

Catherine Martin, deputy leader of the Green Party, condemned our emissions targets failure. Regretfully it is not surprising to see Ireland score so badly when it comes to delivering on emissions targets, and that we are still heading in the wrong direction, she said.

We need to radically overhaul the entire transport system, the entire food system, the entire energy system. We have had nine years of government which has failed our children through inaction and lack of ambition. We need a green decade of change.

Ms Martin made her comments as the Green Party holds coalition-formation talks with all of the major parties about the process of forming a government.

One of the aims of the talks we in the Green Party have proposed with all other political parties is to seek agreement and a path to at least 7%-a-year reduction in carbon emissions, rather than the 2% figure currently in place in line with the governments climate action plan targets.

Ireland is placed 154th on the global ranking of 180 countries when it comes to sustainability and delivering on emissions targets.

Qatar, Trinidad and Tobago, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain are ranked at the bottom of this list, with Qatar on track to emit 1,716% more CO2 than its 2030 emissions target.

Under business-as-usual scenarios, there is a 93% chance that global warming will exceed 4C by the year 2100, says the report.

This would have devastating health consequences due to disruption of water and ecosystems, rising ocean levels, inundation of coastal cities, and small island nations, increased mortality from heatwaves, proliferation of vector-borne disease, and a crisis of malnutrition because of disruption to food production.

Despite this major climate failing, Ireland ranks fifth in the world  behind Norway, South Korea, Netherlands, and France, when it comes to children flourishing  in an index determined by factors such as health, education, and nutrition, which are deemed to give children the best start in life.

However, the current excessive carbon emissions, disproportionately coming from wealthier countries, including Ireland, threaten the future of all children, states the report.

The commission of experts also states in the report that it is optimistic about the chance to change the world for the better.

It will require bold politicians, courageous community leaders, and international agencies that are willing to radically change the way they work.

The report, A Future for the Worlds Children?, was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Top image credit: HanLin, Unsplash.

For the first time ever, there is no queue at Nakajima Suisan on a Friday evening. I waltz in, place my order, and am seated immediately. Less than ten minutes later, a waitress, her face half obscured by a blue mask, serves me my glorious miso-marinated Spanish mackerel.

As Im in a Japanese dining establishment, I think it only appropriate to express my gratitude before the meal, as the Japanese do. So I whisper to the (metaphorically) virus-laden atmosphere around me:

Thank you COVID-19.

Its about a month after the latest coronavirus on the block made its stunning debut first in China, and then on the world stage.

Tales of how Singaporeans have been responding to it are, by now, commonplace, and the stuff of legends: storming supermarkets and pilfering pharmacies; invading Johor Bahru and requisitioning their supplies; donning surgical masks everywhere in the closest approximation we will get to a political protest a la Hong Kong. But also: distributing free masks and hand sanitisers; initiating goodwill projects for healthcare workers and marginalised groups.

In short: Singaporeans reactions run the whole emotional spectrum.

Me? Apart from feeling grateful to our healthcare workers and concern for people whose livelihood or even health have been affected, Im  eh, meh  amused, bemused, indifferent. I guess?

My relatives were over at my home for lunch last Saturday. It was the day immediately following the DORSCON-orange announcement, and the supermarket frenzy had begun in earnest.

We enquired around the table: are you worried? Have you been to NTUC? Are you stocking up on supplies and groceries?

The answers: no, no, no.

A part of my extended familys reluctance to participate in the mania is simply because were lazy and have no patience to queue. Another is our aversion to crowds. And yet another can be attributed to our faith that the Singapore government has things under control. After all, it is precisely in crisis management that the qualities about our government we find overbearingits omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresenceturn from failings to strengths.

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What if our faith is misplaced? What if supermarkets become devoid of food?

Well just be one of the first to die, my aunt chuckles.

Ya lor, my mum concurs. Whats the point?

My extended familys blase attitude sums up my personal response to the COVID-19 situation. (You can see where I get it from.)

As far as I know, my close friends seem unperturbed by the situation as well. Theyre still going rock climbing, watching movies, and I have yet to receive from them any of those forwarded WhatsApp messages asking me to WUHAN or follow the 2M rule. (In fact, I only found out about them after reading my colleague Terrys article describing his experiences being on the opposite side of the emotional spectrum.)

My fellow Rice content farmers have, like Terence, made adjustments to the way they live, such as wearing a mask when out of the house, taking the bus instead of the train to work, bringing hand sanitiser everywhere, or not touching anything other than myself. Personally, my daily schedule and habits have largely remained unchanged.

I do wash my hands more frequently and keep them away from my face, but these are hygiene practices that should be in place anyway, regardless of what colour is in season for DORSCON.

To be honest, Im kind of enjoying this new world that the virus has been shaping.

Malls are no longer claustrophobic mazes made up of constantly moving human-shaped obstacles which I have to dodge. Empty chairs in food courts beg me to sit my ass on them, and I humbly oblige. Picking the ingredientssitting in the open air, marinating in every accidental sneeze and coughfor my bowl of yong tau foo, I feel like a rebel. From the look on the stall aunties face, I can tell she agrees.

Outside, I can hear the birds chirping again.

The panicsorry, cautionhas infected my office. Weve instituted telecommuting, i.e. working from home. Now that I no longer have to devote brain capacity to performing the role of a functioning, sociable human being who laughs politely and appropriately at jokes cracked by my colleagues (if any of you are this: love you all <3), my productivity has skyrocketed. (Ive written 500 words in an hour.)

COVID-19, in other words, has disembowelled the city and wrapped in me a cocoon of silence.

It might be dystopian for some, but this version of Singapore is paradise for me.

Am I not worried about contracting COVID-19 and wheezing my way to death? WellI dont know how to put this without sounding fatalistic or complacent, but the prevailing mood at home is: if death comes, it comes. (There is a distinct lack of masks, antibacterial wipes, and hand sanitisers in the house.)

Personal experience has taught me that you can take all the precautions you wantenclose yourself in a hazmat suit, do cardiovascular exercise five times a weekbut nothing can stop Mr Reaper from slipping under your door and whisking you away in the middle of the night.

Perhaps its also because I dont have any liabilities, so Im considerably less worried than, say, parents with young children, if anything should happen.

Sure, there are things on my bucket list, like try the needlessly extravagant Marinated Botan Shrimp with Sea Urchin and Oscietra Caviar at Waku Ghin (where the dish is served with a mother-of-pearl spoon because only plebeians let metal touch their tongue), or write an article so viral that even Ho Ching shares it with a personalised poem.

But if, because of COVID-19, I were to die within a week without accomplishing any of these goals, would I say my life were meaningless and unfulfilled?

No, because everyday I wake up and think, my life is already fulfilling.

Haha jk.

Life, to me, is inherently meaningless (That is not to say Im unhappy. Meaninglessness =/= unhappiness.)

Having an umami explosion in my mouth or appearing on Ho Chings Facebook feed isnt going to compel me to reassess my perspective on life, or make me feel as if I had lived a life worth living. Nothing I do will magically imbue my life with metaphysical weight.

And you cant subtract zero from zero. So

The point being: COVID-19 and its presence in my bloodstream or otherwise isnt going to change my worldview. On the contrary, it only reinforces my sense of the arbitrary nature of human life. Therefore, given my particular circumstances, I dont feel like theres a point in orienting my life around COVID-19.

For instance, continuing to go to gym as usual means Im touching a lot of surfaces groped by sweaty (and moist from other bodily fluids) palms, potentially exposing me to more virus, but I could just as well die from a freak accident like dropping a 100kg barbell on myself. And so on. So life goes on.

That said, my indifference to COVID-19 does not mean I dont follow instructions on preventing its spread. But neither am I actively courting it like its one of those stupid people I always have crushes on.

At the end of the day, they always go away.

How are you reacting to DORSCON Orange? Wash your hands and then write us an email at community@ricemedia.co

The post DORSCON Orange Is The New Bleh: When You Cant Be Bothered About COVID-19 appeared first on RICE.
Two optometric clinics with surgical centers planned for the region

KINGWOOD, Texas, Feb. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Building upon a legacy of giving back, Vision Source and longtime member, Moes Nasser, OD, in collaboration with Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) and the Tanzanian government are planning for construction of two new optometric clinics in Northern Tanzania tentatively scheduled to open later in 2020. Two surgical centers, which will be included in the optometry clinics, will serve over two million people and will be the first surgical centers located in the respective districts.



Suffering from poor eyesight as a child, the Tanzania native Dr. Moes Nassers eyesight went uncorrected until an organization visited his village and fitted him with his first pair of eyeglasses. In 1976, Dr. Nasser moved to the United States with his path leading him to optometry when he graduated with his OD in 1982 from the University of Houston. As a leading doctor within Vision Source, he has led mission trips to Tanzania for the past 12 years. As part of The Lake Zone Roshanali Nasser Outreach Project (named for Dr. Nassers father), 1,012 patients received eye exams on Dr. Nassers most recent trip in November 2019.

In addition to providing standard optometric care, Dr. Nasser and his team have made great strides in supporting the albino population in Tanzania. According to the National Library of Medicine, one in 1,400 babies are born with albinism throughout East Africa, Oculocutaneous albinism is a major cause of low-vision at birth. Many of these people live in orphanages and since we have returned for over a decade, a mutual trust has developed within this community. We are privileged to have provided these patients with eyecare for the last ten years.

Inspired by the great work of Dr. Nasser, Vision Source has raised funds through multiple corporate initiatives to benefit OGS, in the construction of new eye care facilities within Tanzania in 2020. Vision Source member optometrists have a deep history of giving back both within their local communities and to the people of impoverished countries. Dr. Nassers work in Tanzania is an amazing example of this and our corporate support of his efforts was a natural next step, says Vision Source Chief Medical Officer Dr. Amir Khoshnevis.

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In addition to treating over 1,000 patients, substantial progress was made in planning for the new eye care facilities when Dr. Nasser met with two regional commissioners (Governors) to finalize clinic and cataract surgical center plans, as well as to discuss recruiting a local ophthalmologist and two additional optometrists. OGS has partnered with Vision Source for many years and we are thrilled with the great work Dr. Nasser has led in Tanzania, commented Interim Executive Director OGS Eric Anderson. "We look forward to helping him complete this bold new project.

Im all about not just providing the fish, but teaching people how to fish for themselves, said Dr. Nasser. Vision Source has established an aggressive plan that includes equipment, teacher training, school eye health screenings, and a construction timeline that will prepare the first clinic tentatively scheduled to open later in 2020.

When I return to my village, I sit under the shade of the same tree that I sat beneath as a child and am transported to the days when my father struggled to provide our family with the essentials, like food; it is easy for me to relate to the villagers, said Dr. Nasser. Vision Source and the Brien Holden Vision Institute are helping to give back to humanity with a strong plan for their eyecare future.

About Vision Source

Founded in 1991, Vision Source is North America's most extensive network of independent optometrists consisting of over 4,500 optometrists. The clinicians in the Vision Source network enjoy access to newly evolving patient channels, including an expanding list of leading medical groups and integrated health systems with whom Vision Source optometrists collaborate. Additionally, members benefit from a wide range of innovative technologies, practice management tools, strategic marketing, and purchasing power. Leveraging these tools, the clinicians offer comprehensive eye care to their patients delivering an industry-leading patient experience. For more information, call 888-558-2020 or visit www.visionsource.com .

Media Contact: Michael Marcroft mmarcroft@visionsource.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0aff6389-6901-495b-9054-13c349f633ec
HOUSTON  A federal judge has ruled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers isnt liable to damage to thousands of Houston homes that were inundated by two federally owned reservoirs in the days following Hurricane Harvey because they would have flooded regardless.

U.S. Judge Loren A. Smith of the Court of Federal Claims on Tuesday dismissed the case against the government. Smith said property owners downstream of the Addicks and Barker dams, located about 20 miles (30 kilometers) west of downtown Houston, had no grounds to sue given the unprecedented nature of Harveys flooding in 2017.

This storm, which overwhelmed the systems capacity was classified as a once in 2000-year event Smith wrote.  The answer of what caused the damage is thus inescapable to the Courts eye and mind. The damage was caused by Hurricane Harvey, and such a hurricane is an Act of God, which the government neither caused nor committed.

Another judge from the same court ruled in December that the Army Corps was liable for damage caused to property owners from water that backed up above the dams.

The Army Corps operation of the two reservoirs became a major flash-point  and the subject of sweeping legal actions  after Harvey as homes located both upstream and downstream of the dams flooded.

Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Aug. 25, 2017, killed 68 people and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage in Texas. In the Houston area, Harvey caused 36 deaths and flooded more than 150,000 homes.

During Harvey, the reservoirs behind the dams got so full that the Corps released a deluge into Buffalo Bayou, which has been boxed in by development.

Those controlled releases, which the Corps increased substantially in the storms aftermath, propelled water into thousands of homes and businesses that would not have otherwise flooded. Their wwners felt they had emerged from the fiercest rainstorm in modern U.S. history largely unharmed.

Attorneys for some downstream plaintiffs said they were disappointed with the judges conclusions.

Judge Smiths ruling is also contrary to other case precedents, either from the Supreme Court or the Court of Federal Claims, said the lawyers from McGehee Chang, Landgraf, Feiler, noting they may consider an appeal.

Smith set up a telephone status conference concerning the case for Feb. 26.

Law firms representing other downstream property owners noted that they were still reviewing the ruling.

The U.S. Department of Justice did not respond to media requests for comment.
- Researchers discovered the dwarf galago in the Taita Hills after it was last spotted in 2002

- The primates are identified on the basis of their distinctive calls

- They were spotted with a red light that is not visible to the animal itself

- The tiny mammal seems to be at the verge of extinction

Researchers working at the University of Helsinki Taita Research Station Have confirmed the existence of dwarf galago 20 years after the first one was spotted in 2002.

No sightings of the tiny nocturnal prosimian living in the Taita Hills and weighing only 100180 grams had been made since then.

READ ALSO: World's richest man Jeff Bezos pledges KSh 1.1 trillion to fight climate change

The tiny nocturnal prosimian living in the Taita Hills and weighing only 100180 grams had not been sighted since then.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Taita Taveta Actuarial Science graduate resorts to selling meat to make a living

A report by the researchers on University website showed the dwarf galagos live in relatively cool montane forests at the altitude of 1,4001,950 metres.

Just like all the dwarf galago species, they live in small family groups and communicate using several types of calls.

The report further showed since all dwarf galago species look similar, they are most conveniently identified on the basis of their distinctive calls.

READ ALSO: Anxiety in Kitui as Chinese national is quarantined over coronavirus fears

According to PhD student, Hanna Rosti who has spent hours observing and recording the animals said they were spotted with a red light that is not visible to the animal itself.

The tropical forest is magically beautiful at night, but no one is lucky to catch even a glimpse of the tiny creatures that make agile jumps from tree to tree and feed on moths, cicadas and other insects, he said.

I have seen them hunting above ground-dwelling safari ants, where they obviously take advantage of insects fleeing from the voracious ants," he added.

READ ALSO: Mama Lucy Hospitali: Polisi ampiga risasi na kumuua mhudumu wa bodaboda

Professor Jouko Rikkinen from the University of Helsinki who has been studying the biota of the Taita Hills since 2009, however, said the tiny mammal seems to be at the verge of extinction.

The future of Taita mountain dwarf galagos and other endemic animal and plant species depends on the future of native montane forests of the Taita Hills," he said.

"The conservation status of the forests must be strengthened and their area should be expanded by planting native trees in areas destroyed by cutting and fire," he added.

READ ALSO: Starehe Boys' Centre on fire

According to him, this will protect galago habitats and will ensure that the montane forests continue to provide many vital ecosystem services

He further noted that many animals and plants of the local montane forests have evolved in isolation and the number of endemic species is remarkably high.

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Ana de Armas arrives at the 77th Golden Globe Awards (Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

In case you're wondering where specifically we might hear Fleabag creator Pheobe Waller-Bridge's voice in the new Bond movie, listen out for Ana De Armas's character Paloma.

The Cuban-born actress plays a CIA agent in No Time To Die, who encounters Bond on his latest mission, self-described in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last year as 'very irresponsible'.

Read more: Chinese premiere of No Time To Die axed

According to a cover profile on the actress in Vanity Fair, and according to Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, director Cary Fukunaga specifically conceived the role for De Armas.

De Armas as Paloma in No Time To Die (Credit: MGM)

Broccoli adds: The expectation is that shes not going to be the most proficient agent, but lets just say that she really packs a punch.

But it was apparently Waller-Bridge who ended up giving Paloma her voice.

Read more: Billie Eilish unveils Bond theme

You could also tell that Phoebe was in there, says De Armas. There was that humor and spikiness so specific to her. My character feels like a real woman.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

But you know, we can evolve and grow and incorporate reality, but Bond is a fantasy. In the end, you cant take things out of where they live.

Waller-Bridge reportedly came on board to finesse the script at the recommendation of Daniel Craig, who was a fan of her work on Fleabag and also the thriller series Killing Eve.

Read more: No Time To Die Super Bowl trailer

"We met for coffee and then a few months later we met again. And then I met the director Cary Joji Fukunaga and then I met Daniel after that. But I know Daniel and Barbara had been talking about it for while," Waller-Bridge told the BBC, adding that she brought little spices to the script.

De Armas also says that she didn't want to be a typical Bond girl, due to the baggage that comes with them.

Lashana Lynch in No TIme To Die (Credit: MGM)

Obviously I was jumping all over the place and very excited, she goes on. But I needed to be sure it wouldnt jeopardize all the work Id been putting in, that it wouldnt ruin everything. And the Bond women have always been, for me at least, unrelatable.

Story continues

De Armas joins fellow new female cast-member Lashana Lynch on the bill for Daniel Craig's final Bond movie, playing fellow MI6 '00' agent Nomi, who was drafted into the service following Bond's retirement.

The action takes place five years after the events of Spectre, with Jeffrey Wright's Felix Leiter calling on Bond to help him in a case involving a missing scientist.

Also starring Naomie Harris, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Christoph Waltz and Rami Malek, as new villain Safin, the movie lands in the UK on 4 April.
DUBLIN, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Smart Display Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecast (2020 - 2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The smart display market is expected to register a CAGR of 7% during the forecast period 2020 - 2025. A smart display is a smart speaker with a touchscreen that adds extra functions to the smart speaker technology, allowing users to do watch videos and place video calls.



The rising penetration of the Internet of Things is one of the major factors driving the adoption of smart home devices contributing to the transition of the home from traditional to a smart internet-connected one. Thus, the adoption of smart home devices would fuel the growth of the smart display in smart homes.



From January 2018 to May 2019, the number of smart home devices supported by Google Assistant has risen from around 1,500 to 30,000. The rise in the number of the smart home devices has encouraged other vendors to invest in this technology. Further, the growing demand for smart and connected home products is encouraging the manufacturers to add new functionality, greater reliability, higher product utilization.



For instance, in January 2020, Google's Nest Hub added a brand new media view that allows the user to change the music volume or turn off the TV without having to walk into every room.



Reasons to Purchase this report:

The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format.

Report customization as per the client's requirements.

3 months of analyst support.



Key Market Trends



North America Occupy Significant Market Share

North America currently occupies the largest market share due to the presence of the vendors such as Amazon.com, Inc, Google, LLC, and Facebook, Inc, and others. Also, the Amazon.com, Inc, was the first company to launch a smart display in 2017.

currently occupies the largest market share due to the presence of the vendors such as Amazon.com, Inc, Google, LLC, and Facebook, Inc, and others. Also, the Amazon.com, Inc, was the first company to launch a smart display in 2017. These companies are trying to capture the market with product launches. For instance, in October 2018 , Google launched Google Home Hub, a virtual assistant enabled smart display that consists of a new feature called Ambient EQ.

, Google launched Google Home Hub, a virtual assistant enabled smart display that consists of a new feature called Ambient EQ. Further, according to the Consumer Technology Association, smart home device sales in the United States were 1.3 USD billion in 2016 and in 2019 was 4.5 USD billion. The increase in smart home devices is one of the major factor that is contributing to the growth of the smart display market.

were billion in 2016 and in 2019 was billion. The increase in smart home devices is one of the major factor that is contributing to the growth of the smart display market. Also, the rapid internet penetration in the region is also aiding the growth of smart homes which in return is expected to have a positive outlook on the smart display market as well. For Instance, the total number of IoT devices in 2017 was 2.9 billion and according to Cisco reports there will be 5 billion IoT devices by 2022 in North America .

. All the above factors are expected to further boost the market in the region.

Asia-Pacific to Witness Fastest Growth

Asia-Pacific is expected to witness the fastest growth of the market studied mainly due to the rising production of consumer electronics and the increasing demand for wireless connectivity.

is expected to witness the fastest growth of the market studied mainly due to the rising production of consumer electronics and the increasing demand for wireless connectivity. Also, the companies in these regions are focusing on launching their products to get competitive advantages in the smart display market.

For instance, Chinese tech giant Xiaomi is preparing to launch its first smart display Smart Display Speaker Pro 8" in 2020 which will bring the company on the same lines as devices like the Google Nest Hub, Amazon Echo Show and Facebook Portal.

Also, the companies are trying to increase their geographic presence by launching their products in the Asia-Pacific region. For instance, Amazon has launched the Echo Show 5 in India in May 2019 . With such product launch in emerging nations such as India , companies are also trying to increase awareness about the smart display in the region.

Competitive Landscape



The smart display is a concentrated market owing to the presence of a few companies that have a global presence. Demand for advanced features in the smart display is expected to create various opportunities for this market and thus encouraging companies to enter the market. The companies are launching new products and are collaborating with other companies to expand their presence. Few recent developments are:

January 2020 - Google upgraded smart display by adding sticky notes and speed dial card. Smart Display sticky household notes appear with a signature yellow background that identifies the author and when it was created.

- Google upgraded smart display by adding sticky notes and speed dial card. Smart Display sticky household notes appear with a signature yellow background that identifies the author and when it was created. September 2019 - Facebook announced that with its product Portal Mini and Portal TV, the company entered the European region. This helped the company to expand its geographic reach.

Key Topics Covered:



1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Study Deliverables

1.2 Study Assumptions

1.3 Scope of the Study



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Introduction to Market Drivers and Restraints

4.3 Market Drivers

4.3.1 Increasing Demand of Smart Home Devices

4.4 Market Restraints

4.4.1 High Cost and Limited Set of Vocabulary

4.5 Value Chain / Supply Chain Analysis

4.6 Industry Attractiveness - Porter's Five Force Analysis

4.6.1 Threat of New Entrants

4.6.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers/Consumers

4.6.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

4.6.4 Threat of Substitute Products

4.6.5 Intensity of Competitive Rivalry



5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 Geography

5.1.1 North America

5.1.2 Europe

5.1.3 Asia-Pacific

5.1.4 Rest of World



6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Company Profiles

6.1.1 Amazon.com, Inc

6.1.2 Google, LLC

6.1.3 Facebook, Inc

6.1.4 JBL ( Harman International)

6.1.5 Lenovo Group Limited



7 INVESTMENT ANALYSIS



8 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/uvtz4x

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.



Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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Popular television face Erica Fernandes has gained immense love from the audience and fans for her notable performance in numerous shows. Her fans and followers keep checking her social media handles to know what she is up to. There has been several times when the pictures from Erica Fernandes' travelling album have caught the eye of her fans.

Erica Fernandes' social media feed is the reflection of her inner traveller. From taking a stroll on the streets of Switzerland to enjoying the sightseeing of the Maldives, she has explored many places. She has also expressed her love for the underwater world in her vacation posts. Here are a few pictures of Erica Fernandes' best aqua vacations:

READ | Erica Fernandes And Some Of Her Notable Work Before Starring In 'Kasautii Zindagii Kay'

The Maldives

The Kasautii Zindagii Kay actor took a mini-vacation in August 2019, to the Maldives. She shared numerous glimpses of her Maldives vacation. In a few pictures, she was seen swimming under the water and in others, she was seen enjoying the beach view. Take a look at her Maldives vacation.

READ | Erica Fernandes' Journey: From Modelling Days To Becoming Famous TV Actor

Enjoying around the water

During her Maldives vacation, she not only explored the underwater world but also enjoyed being around the water. From posing with a catamaran boat to enjoying the sunrise while sitting at the beach, Erica didn't miss any opportunity to bag the best memories. Check out some below:

READ | Erica Fernandes' Blue Outfits In Which She Looked Extremely Stunning; See Pics

The Switzerland vacation diaries

The year 2019 seemed to be the year of travelling and exploring for the 26-year-old actor. After exploring the Maldives, Erica headed to Switzerland in November 2019. She shared a few pictures of her in an aquarium. She looked stunning and beautiful while posing for the pictures. Take a glimpse below.

READ | Erica Fernandes's Black Outfits Will Help You Style Your Attire Better; Pictures Inside

(Cover Image Courtesy: Erica Fernandes Instagram)

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
LOS ANGELESBernie Sanders has opened a wide lead in Californias Democratic presidential primary, and four rivals are virtually tied for a distant second place, according to a poll released Tuesday.

The survey by the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California found Sanders favoured by 32 per cent of likely voters in the March 3 primary, followed by former Vice President Joe Biden, 14 per cent, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, 13 per cent, and two former mayors, Michael R. Bloomberg of New York and Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., both at 12 per cent.

The findings were particularly grim for Biden and Warren; each dropped by 10 percentage points from their standings in the institutes poll in January. Sanders has been especially successful at consolidating support among Latinos and voters under 45 years old; a majority of both groups favoured the Vermont senator, the poll found.

As the campaign moves to larger and more diverse states, Sanders support among Latinos and younger voters is noteworthy, said Mark Baldassare, president and chief executive of the public policy institute.

California is the biggest of 14 states holding primaries on Super Tuesday. At stake in California are 415 delegates to the Democratic National Convention this summer in Milwaukee. It takes 1,991 delegates to win the partys presidential nomination.

Under party rules, candidates must win at least 15 per cent of the vote statewide or in a congressional district to capture any of Californias delegates. The surveys margin of sampling error was 5.7 per cent. It was conducted Feb. 7 to 17.

Trailing far behind were Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar at 5 per cent and San Francisco hedge-fund billionaire Tom Steyer, who was at just 3 per cent despite spending nearly $26 million (U.S.) from his personal fortune on television and radio ads in the state, according to Advertising Analytics, a media tracking firm.

The poll also confirmed the trend of Bloomberg rising into the top tier of the field nationally. He has poured more than $300 million of his own money into advertising across the country. His improved poll ratings have qualified him to participate in the Democratic presidential debate on Wednesday in Las Vegas.

A national survey released Tuesday by NPR, PBS NewsHour and Marist found Bloomberg supported by 19 per cent of Democrats and independents who lean Democratic second to Sanders, who led with 31 per cent.

Another national poll from The Wall Street Journal and NBC News showed Sanders leading with 27 per cent, followed by a quartet virtually tied for second: Biden, 15 per cent, Bloomberg and Warren, 14 per cent, and Buttigieg, 13 per cent.

Read more about:
Chelsea Manning has repeatedly refused to testify against Wikileaks or Julian Assange: Getty

Chelsea Mannings lawyers have renewed their fight to once again free the whistleblower from prison.

Moira Meltzer-Cohen, Ms Mannings attorney, filed a motion with an eastern district federal court calling for her release after nearly a year of imprisonment, according to a report in The Guardian.

Ms Manning has been incarcerated in the Alexandria detention center after refusing to testify before a federal grand jury investigating WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange.

For every day that Ms Manning refuses to cooperate with the grand jury, she is being fined $1,000. Her total fine is currently around $230,000.

Prior to her current incarceration, Ms Manning - a former US Army soldier - was in prison for seven years until her 35 year sentence was commuted in 2017. Ms Manning had been convicted of 17 of the 22 charges brought against her for her involvement in a leak of troves of classified US documents.

At the time, the sentence levied against Ms Manning was called unjust and unfair by the Guardian and excessive by the New York Times.

Nils Melzer, the UNs special rapporteur on torture, said Ms Mannings current incarceration and fining was a form of torture.

Ms Meltzer-Cohen has filed for Ms Mannings release, calling her incarceration an illegal use of a punitive sanction. The attorney is arguing that the punishment serves no purpose as Ms Manning will never be coerced into testifying.

Over the last decade, Chelsea Manning has shown unwavering resolve in the face of censure, punishment and even threats of violence. As Ms Mannings resolve not to testify has been unwavering, and as her moral conviction has become only more developed since her confinement, her incarceration is not serving its only permissible purpose, the motion stated.

Ms Manning has made her position on grand juries clear in past statements, explaining that she refused to testify due to her long standing believe that grand juries, as they function in the contemporary era, are often used by federal prosecutors to harass and disrupt political opponents and activists through secrecy, coercion and jailing without trial. No matter how much you punish me, I will remain confident in my decision.

Story continues

Mr Assange, who is currently being held in a prison in London, is facing extradition to the US following indictment by a grand jury on 18 charges relating to his possession of secret US government and military documents.

Wednesday, Mr Assanges lawyers said that President Donald Trump - by way of former Congressman Dana Rohrabaher - offered the arch whistleblower a pardon if he agreed to cover up Russia involvement in hacking the Democratic National Committees emails.

The White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham denied the allegations.

The President barley knows Dana Rohrabacher other than hes an ex-congressman. Hes never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject. It is a complete fabrication and a total lie.
 Flash

Afghanistan's election commission on Tuesday announced the final results of Sept. 28 presidential polls and declared incumbent President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani as the winner.

"Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has secured 50.64 percent of the votes used in the presidential elections, therefore the Independent Election Commission announces him as elected president of Afghanistan," head of the election commission Hawa Alam Nuristani said at a press conference here.

Ghani's rival and chief executive of his National Unity Government Abdullah Abdullah stood the second by securing 39.52 percent of the votes, she added.

However, Abdullah rejected the outcome as "unfair" and said he is the winner of the election and deserves to form government.

"We are the winner of the presidential elections. The result announced by the election commission is unfair and bogus, so our team rejects it and forms its broad based government," Abdullah said in his speech among his supporters Tuesday evening.

Afghanistan's fourth presidential election since the collapse of Taliban rule in late 2001 was held amid tight security on Sept. 28 among over a dozen contesters.

The preliminary results of the controversial presidential polls were announced in December wherein Ghani topped first position and Abdullah stood second in the race.

More than 1.9 million out of 9.4 million eligible voters casted their votes in Sept. 28 presidential elections.
A young Melbourne man remains in a coma after he was critically injured on a camping trip that went horribly wrong.

Sam Darby is fighting for life in intensive care, almost two weeks after he was airlifted to hospital with a broken hip, fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.

Originally from Junee in the New South Wales' Riverina region, Mr Darby moved to to Melbourne to do an apprenticeship and had just started working for himself when disaster struck on a camping trip on February 8.

Sam Darby (pictured with partner Ebonie) remains in a coma after a horror camping accident

His distraught partner Ebonie Leiva-Salas and family are keeping a constant vigil at his hospital bedside as the anxious wait for more definite news about his future continues.

'We have hope that he will recover but the reality is that we have no idea the extent of his injuries, permanent or not, this is a frightening prospect,' Ms Leiva-Salas wrote on GoFundMe.

'Sam has been a fighter all his life, against all odds he came to Melbourne from country NSW like many young people do in hope for a better future and he completed his apprenticeship and now has started working for himself, but the battle he is fighting today is greater than any other he has faced.'

Ebonie Leiva-Salas (right) is keeping a constant vigil at Sam's hospital bedside as her partner (left) continues to fight for life

The fundraising page has raised almost $6500 in less than 24 hours to help pay for unforseen expenses.

Mr Darby was described by his partner a loving son to his mother Lorraine and brother and an amazing uncle to his three nieces.

'He has always been the friend who would always be there when a mate was in need and is truly the love of my life and best friend,' Ms Leiva-Salas wrote.

'I ask you to if you believe in a God, please pray for our Sam.

'We live in hope that one day we will look at this as a distant memory of a time were lifes challenges made us stronger.'
Video shows the disturbing moment a San Francisco 49ers fan assaulted employees of a Mexican restaurant with a burrito and napkin dispenser.

The San Francisco Police Department released on Tuesday footage of the incident that took place the evening of Super Bowl Sunday at Taqueria Gordo.

The suspect, who was wearing a t-shirt of star defensive end Nick Bosa, 'appeared agitated and verbally abusive as he talked to the restaurant staff', the police said in a statement.

The San Francisco Police Department is searching for a man (left) who attacked employees at Taqueria Gordo on February 2, the night the suspect's favorite team, San Francisco 49ers, were playing in the Super Bowl. According to the police, the man was 'agitated' and cursed at the workers before unleashing his attack

A surveillance camera at Taqueria Gordo records the moment an 'agitated' male customer (left) assaulted the taco restaurant's workers, including the cash register attendant who was hit with a cellphone, burrito and napkin dispenser

As the cash register attendant took a step back, his co-worker approached the counter and placed a wrapped burrito on the upset customer's hand.

The incident escalated when the irate man smacked the cash register attendant with a cellphone and tossed a burrito at his face.

The suspect then made a motion as if he was going to throw his phone at the defenseless man before striking him with a napkin dispenser.

He subsequently hurled an unidentifiable object at the workers and ripped off an electronic device linked to the cash register and threw it at the employees before he ran out of the restaurant.

The San Francisco Police Department described the suspect 'as a Latin male, 45-50 years old, 59, approximately 180 pounds' last seen dressed in blue jeans and a black Bosa t-shirt.
Continuing its attack on the BJP-led government at the Centre, Shiv Sena on Wednesday (February 19) slammed the Centre for refusing to treat women officers in Indian Army on par with male officers.

Shiv Sena, in its editorial mouthpiece Saamana, lauded the Supreme Court decision judgment granting permanent commission to women officers and asserted that it is wrong to discriminate between man and woman when it comes to valour and sacrifice.

"The SC decision has shocked the government which had said that women won't be given command posting as enemy nations could take advantage of it. It had also questioned whether women would be able to do such hard task. This is the real attitude of the government which talks of progressiveness," wrote the Sena editorial.

Shiv Sena also reminded the BJP that it must not forget that India won the 1971 war against Pakistan when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister of India and it is high time that the government must change its mindset. "The government needs to change its thought process. Indira Gandhi was a PM and under her leadership, we won the Indo-Pak war of 1971," the Sena said in Saamana.

"In hard words, it could be said that the government has gone mad. One day, women will become chief of the armed forces as well," the Saamana editorial noted.

Live TV

In a landmark verdict on Monday (February 17), the apex court had allowed the permanent commission to all women officers in the Army, making it clear that women officers should get command postings and they must be treated on par with male counterparts in promotions, ranks, benefits and pensions.

"To cast aspersion on their abilities on the ground of gender is an affront not only to their dignity as women but to the dignity of the members of the Indian Army - men and women - who serve as equal citizens in a common mission," a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Ajay Rastogi had said.

"The submissions advanced in the note tendered to this Court are based on sex stereotypes premised on assumptions about socially ascribed roles of gender which discriminate against women," it added.
Navy veteran Roger Misso said today he will continue his campaign for Congress, seeking to challenge Democrats Francis Conole and Dana Balter in a Democratic primary election in June.

Misso, 31, announced his plans this morning in front of Red Creek High School in Wayne County, where he graduated in 2005.

Misso said he had been pressured to step aside from the campaign after the Onondaga County Democratic Committee voted Saturday to designate Conole as its candidate to challenge Rep. John Katko in November.

Onondaga County has about 74 percent of the active Democratic voters in the four-county 24th Congressional District.

Misso said he decided to stay in the race because poor, rural areas like his native Red Creek need a voice in Congress.

Misso said the 24th District  which has covered Onondaga, Cayuga and Wayne counties, and the western half of Oswego County since 2012  is 50 percent rural but has never elected a rural person to Congress.

He said only one person from Wayne County has been elected to Congress, and that happened 192 years ago.

Misso explained the reasons hes motivated to represent an underserved region and those who have been marginalized.

For every rural kid who was ever told she doesnt belong, he said. For every city kid who was ever told he doesnt matter. For everyone who was ever picked last, forgotten, ignored, overlooked, maligned, or mistreated, this is your campaign. This is your home. And together, we will not yield.

Missos campaign declined to say who pressured him to drop out of the congressional race.

I have been asked to yield, to end this campaign, by those with political power, Misso said in his speech today. I have been asked to yield by those to whom I have given respect. I have been asked to yield by those who, with the flick of a wrist, say they dont need our rural towns and villages to win in November.

Misso, a former Naval aviator who served in two combat deployments to the Middle East, is making his first run for public office.

He will begin the race for the June 23 primary election as the underdog among the three Democratic candidates.

Conole, 41, a Navy commander and Iraq war veteran from Syracuse, will have the advantage of tapping into resources from the Democratic parties in Onondaga and Cayuga. Both county committees voted to designate him as their candidate to challenge Katko.

Democratic committee members in Onondaga and Cayuga counties will pass nominating petitions to help Conole make it onto the primary election ballot. At least 1,250 valid signatures are required to qualify for the ballot.

Balter, 43, an educator from Syracuse, won the Oswego County Democratic Committees designation and will have its help circulating petitions in the county.

Balter also has the advantage of a volunteer network of 1,900 people she built up in 2018 when she won the Democratic primary election. She lost to Katko by about 5 percentage points in the November election.

Misso wont have much help from the Wayne County Democratic Committee to pass petitions. The committee decided not to designate any candidate in the primary election.

Misso started the year with about $130,000 available to spend in his campaign bank account, according to Federal Election Commission records, trailing his two opponents. Conole started the year with about $250,000 cash on hand. Balter had about $223,000.

Read more

Democrats move toward center by picking Francis Conole to battle Rep. John Katko

Francis Conole wins Onondaga County Dems designation to challenge Katko

Dana Balter plans to challenge Francis Conole in Democratic primary for Congress

Rep. John Katko starts 2020 campaign with $1 million edge over Democrats

Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751

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BANGALORE, India, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 5G is a state-of-the-art and next-generation wireless communication technology. It works under a wireless high-frequency technology band for smooth communication and networking. This network functions, as opposed to other traditional networking technologies, under small transmitters that consume less power. This aspect ensures reduced expenses 5G infrastructure rollout.

In 2017, the global market for 5G technology was estimated at USD 371.4 Million and was projected to reach USD 58,174.6 Million by 2025, rising at a CAGR of 95.8 percent between 2018 and 2025.

The 5G infrastructure market size is segmented into communication infrastructure, network technology, chipset type, application, and region.

Get Free Sample: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/ALLI-Manu-1Z2/5g_infrastructure_market

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE 5G INFRASTRUCTURE MARKET SIZE

Machine-to-machine and the internet of things technologies make wireless networking effective and seamless. These advanced IoT systems need a robust networking infrastructure to operate effectively. Therefore, increasing demand for M2M and IoT is, in turn, expected to drive the 5G infrastructure market.

Smart cities are being adopted globally. Smart cities are technologically enhanced as they are equipped with advanced technologies such as AI, IoT, AR/VR, and cloud computing, among others. 5G technology plays a significant role in promoting smart cities. This increase in smart cities is expected to increase the market for 5G infrastructure.

Various companies and governments are adopting standards and laying down various initiatives to promote smart city growth. These initiatives are expected to fuel the growth of smart cities and their supporting 5G technology.

View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/ALLI-Manu-1Z2/5g-infrastructure-market

REGION WISE 5G INFRASTRUCTURE MARKET

Asia-Pacific is expected to be the biggest region in the 5G infrastructure market. The dominance of Asia Pacific can be attributed to the rise in government initiatives for building smart cities.

is expected to be the biggest region in the 5G infrastructure market. The dominance of can be attributed to the rise in government initiatives for building smart cities. China is the biggest autonomous vehicle market. Further, the growth of smart technologies in Asia-Pacific is, therefore, contributing to the acceptance of 5G networking and technology. These factors, in turn, are expected to increase the market for 5G infrastructure.

Inquire for Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/ALLI-Manu-1Z2/5g_infrastructure_market

5G INFRASTRUCTURE MARKET SEGMENTATION:

By Communication Infrastructure

Small Cell

Macro Cell

Radio Access Network (RAN)

Distributed Antenna System (DAS)

By Network Technology

Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV)

Mobile Edge Computing (MEC)

Fog Computing (FC)

By Chipset Type

Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)

Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC)

Millimeter Wave Technology Chips

mable Gate Array (FPGA) Field-Program

By Application

Automotive

Energy & Utilities

Healthcare

Retail

Others

Key Companies

AT&T

Ericsson

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Intel Corporation

Mediatek Inc

Nokia Corporation

Qualcomm Technologies Inc

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd

Verizon

Others.

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1. 5G Technology Market

The global market for 5G technology is projected to reach USD 5.53 Billion in 2020, reaching USD 667.90 Billion by 2026, showing a CAGR of 122.3 percent from 2021 to 2026.



5G Technology is set to revolutionize worldwide communication. The analysis of 5G technology offers an in-depth dive examination of the equipment, applications, and services essential for the implementation of 5G technology. This 5G technology study provides a deep dive analysis of hardware, software, and services that are critical for the success of 5G technology.



View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/ALLI-Manu-1C7/5g-technology-market



2. Small Cell 5G Network Market

The market size of the small cell 5G network was valued at USD 344 Million in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 6,876 Million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 45.3 percent between 2019 and 2026.

Small cells are low-power, short-range wireless transmission networks (base stations) that cover a small geographical area, or applications indoor/outdoor.



North America dominated the market for small cell 5G networks in 2018 and is expected to remain dominant over the forecast period. This is due to the increase of strategic trails in this area to introduce 5G technology and equipment. The research focuses on a market analysis of the growth prospects, constraints, and small cell 5G networks.



View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/ALLI-Manu-0A12/small-cell-5g-network-market



3. 5G IoT Market

The global 5G IoT market size in 2019 amounted to USD 225.5 Million and is expected to reach USD 1544.1 Million by the end of 2026, with a CAGR of 31.4 percent in 2021-2026.



The key regions covered in the 5G IoT market report are North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Central & South America, etc. The report provides exhaustive analysis and accurate player revenue statistics for the 2015-2020 period. It also offers detailed analysis by players for the period 2015-2020 backed by accurate revenue statistics (global and regional level).



View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-2I231/5G-IoT-Market



4. LTE and 5G Broadcast Market

In 2019, the global size of the LTE and 5G broadcast market was USD 386.6 Million, and by the end of 2026, it is expected to reach USD 609.1 Million, with a CAGR of 6.6 percent in 2021-2026.



Some of the major companies in the LTE and 5G technology market are AT&T, Athonet, Cisco, Enensys Technologies, KT, NEC, Netgear, Qualcomm, Samsung, SK Telecom, Huawei, etc.



The report offers detailed analysis and accurate player revenue statistics for the 2015-2020 period. It also offers detailed analysis by players for the period 2015-2020 supported by reliable revenue statistics (global and regional level).



View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-0O1410/global-lte-and-5g-broadcast-market



5. Global 5G Network Equipment Market

Asia Pacific is expected to lead the global market by the end of 2025, with a market value of more than USD 10,300 Million. Europe is expected to be the most attractive region in terms of growth rate. The research report indicates that in the 2019-2025 forecast period, Europe is expected to record a growth rate of 65 percent.



View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-1L184/5g-network-equipment-market



6. Global 5G Base Station Market

This report studies the market size of 5G Base Stations by players, regions, product types and end industries, historical data for 2014-2018, and forecast data for 2019-2025. Further, this report also studies the global competitive landscape, market drivers and trends, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors, and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.



View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/sreport/QYRE-Othe-0E151/Global_5G_Base_Station_Market_Report

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Linkedin Panarat Thepgumpanat (Reuters) Bangkok, Thailand  Wed, February 19, 2020 10:53 693 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20655c140 2 World Bangkok,Thailand,shooting-incident,shootings,mass-shooting Free

A man killed his ex-wife and wounded another person at a shopping center in Bangkok on Tuesday, police said, just 10 days after a mass shooting at another mall in Thailand's northeast.

The man had gone into a beauty clinic at Century The Movie Plaza mall where his ex-wife worked and opened fire, killing her and wounding a bystander, Colonel Kissana Pattanacharoen said.

The gunman was arrested while on the run in another province, police said on Wednesday morning.

He was charged with premeditated murder and illegal gun possession, and three other charges.

The shooting came with Thailand on edge after the shooting rampage earlier in the month.

On Feb. 8 and 9, a soldier killed at least a dozen people at the Terminal 21 shopping center in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima. He had earlier killed his commanding officer, other soldiers at his base and several people at a Buddhist temple.

Gun ownership is relatively common in Thailand, with about 10 million privately owned firearms in the country in 2016, according to Gunpolicy.org, or one for about every seven citizens.

Gun violence killed 1,729 people in 2016, about 10 times the rate per 100,000 as in neighboring Malaysia, the organization said.

Most violence involving firearms stem from personal disputes or robberies. Mass shootings or killings in public spaces are rare other than in the far south, where a decades-old insurgency persists.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- Kalamazoo County leaders this week discussed plans for an advisory committee to guide diversity and inclusion efforts.

County commissioners on Tuesday, Feb. 18, debated how many community members should sit on the committee and have voting power to bring forth recommendations to the board. The proposed committee would take the place of an equity task force formed in 2017.

The original proposal suggested the administrator, human resources director, board chair or vice chair and one commissioner be permanent fixtures on the committee. Additionally, it could include three community representatives from different sectors of the county.

Commissioners disagreed on how many community members and from what sectors would create the most representative board. Expanding the committee to nine or eleven members was recommended by several commissioners, including Democrat Commissioner Stephanie Moore.

I think it would be a mistake to keep the number very low and minimal because that means you lose not only the diversity but also the inclusion of the people that come with the equity perspective," Moore said.

Democrat Christine Morse suggested the advisory board be diverse in expertise in addition to finding advisory members from underrepresented groups based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability and socioeconomic class. Morse recommended having a position for someone with public health knowledge.

The equity task force was initially created to address the race disparity seen in Kalamazoo Countys infant mortality data and increase the countys involvement with the collaborative Cradle Kalamazoo.

Moore wanted to include original members of the task force, especially black mothers, so the work toward the goal of lowering the infant mortality rate for black babies  to three per 1,000 live births by 2020  remains at the forefront.

Because this conversation actually started with talking about black babies," she said. I dont think you can have that discussion unless you talk to people who actually deliver black babies.

Republican John Gisler asked that the board clearly define the role of the advisory committee because the task force broadened its scope to racial disparities as a whole, beyond disparities surrounding infant mortality.

He voiced concern about the committee getting involved with hiring practices and personnel policies.

I want to draw the line at some point, Gisler said. I dont want to give this equity task force the run of the ranch.

The task force recommended an outside consultant review the countys cultural competency as an employer.

Minnesota-based consulting company deepSEE Consulting prepared a 22-page study in July, which recommended the county hire a diversity and inclusion officer. The study outlines responsibilities such as training employees, identifying key positions and promotional paths and developing diversity and inclusion performance reviews.

The consulting company also identified a disconnect between how employees perceive their own cultural competency compared to their co-workers.

Most employees believe themselves to be at a higher level of cultural competence than they likely are, especially in comparison to co-workers, according to the study.

Additionally, individuals often feel that they are displaying tolerance and support, but their behavior is not perceived as such by others," according to the study.

Individuals identifying as black or African American responded with proportionally higher levels of disagreement about how their supervisors address diversity and inclusion issues, according to the study.

The consultants analyzed these responses and determined supervisors actions displaying tolerance are not visible to the majority of their employees, according to the study.

The city of Kalamazoo recently created the new position of diversity, equity and inclusion director in its 2020 budget. Dorla Bonner, the citys community investment manager, started in the new role Feb. 2.

The new position is within the Kalamazoo city managers office and is meant to promote the citys commitment, both within the city organization and within the community, to ensure that diverse, equitable and inclusive opportunities exist for all who work and live in the city.

For Kalamazoo County, discussions around formalizing the equity advisory committee will continue at the boards next Committee of the Whole meeting on Wednesday, March 4.

Also on MLive:

Democrats say Flint water crisis shows lack of infrastructure spending poisons black and brown communities

30,000 more Michigan women would get access to family planning in Whitmers budget

Cradle Kalamazoo data finds black and white infant mortality rates improving, but racial gap remains

Diversity discussions continue as Kalamazoo County agrees on language translations for emergency notices
As China grapples with the outbreak of the pneumonia-like virus commonly known as coronavirus, Beijing is left to test its diplomatic relations with the world watching its every move.

As China grapples with the outbreak of the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, Beijing's diplomatic relations with the world are being put to the test. As per the latest updated figures on Wednesday, the total number of confirmed infected cases rose to 74,185, while the toll crossed the 2,000 mark, with 2,004 deaths reported so far. The outbreak is believed to have emerged from a Wuhan market where wildlife was traded illegally.

The coronavirus, which surfaced in a Chinese seafood and poultry market late last year, has spread to 24 countries, killing more than 2,000 and sickening tens of thousands of people in a matter of weeks. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the situation a global health emergency.

The WHO is currently playing mediator, between defending China's drastic measures to prevent the virus from spreading and China's critics, who say these measures are in violation of human rights.

Journalists, scholars, and public health experts all over the world have pointed to the lack of data and public communication in the initial stage of the viruss spread. They claim that Beijing did little to warn the public about the virus  especially before the Lunar Holidays  in which many Chinese people like to travel to celebrate the festival.

The epidemic has given Chinas ruling Communist Party one of its sternest challenges in years, constrained the worlds second-largest economy and triggered a purge of provincial bureaucrats. Beijing has "removed" several senior officials over their handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

At least 48 million people were ordered on lockdown in central China with a travel ban covering 15 cities in the Hubei province, in an unprecedented measure to stop the spread of a coronavirus. They also cut off public transportation in the cities of Huanggang and Ezhou, both located around 75 kilometres east of Wuhan.

WHO defends China's drastic measures

The WHO had defended China's drastic measure to curb the spread of the disease following US claims of a lack of transparency in Beijing's response to the new coronavirus outbreak earlier this month.

Larry Kudlow, head of the US National Economic Council, had said: "We're a little disappointed in the lack of transparency coming from the Chinese". Kudlow also said that Chinese president Xi Jinping had assured US president Donald Trump that Beijing would accept US help, but "they won't let us".

But Michael Ryan, head of WHO's health emergencies programme, listed various ways in which he said China had collaborated with the international community.

"From our perspective, we have a government that's cooperating with us... I'm finding it hard to square that with Mr Kudlow's comments," Ryan told reporters in Geneva.

"But everyone is entitled to their opinion and everyone is entitled to suggest evidence for their opinion," he said.

US questions information coming out of China

The White House senior administration official told CNBC earlier this week that the US does not have high confidence in the information coming out of China regarding the count of coronavirus cases.

China has also reportedly had been reluctant to accept help from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and had suppressed information about the outbreak from scientists that it deems alarming.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, hit back at his comments, saying Beijing has had an "open and transparent attitude" with the global community since the start of the epidemic, and maintained close communication and exchanged epidemic information with the US side in a "timely manner".

Ryan also told reporters that there may be US experts among the 12 members of a WHO-led international mission to China that is expected to begin over the weekend. Asked whether there had been any mistakes made by Chinese authorities in their response to the outbreak, Ryan said: "It's not the time for us to start public recrimination."

South China Morning Post reports claim that local authorities have received the most flak so far, with the state media on the releasing a speech by Xi that shows the Chinese leader had been aware of the epidemic in early January  at least two weeks before the authorities admitted the virus could spread between humans. In the speech delivered early this month, Jinping had called on Chinese diplomats and propaganda officials to do more to communicate with other countries and gain international understanding and support.

Chinas failure to respond to a US offer of help with the coronavirus fight has dealt another blow to diplomatic ties between the two countries.

China blanks out India from list of donor countries

In another diplomatic blunder, the puzzling lack of acknowledgement from China and mixed messages from Bejing over India's exclusion from the official list of countries that have either sent assistance or aid to Beijing to contain the epidemic created confusion between the two countries.

Last week, China had said that it appreciates Prime Minister Narendra Modi's offer to provide support and help in its fight against the deadly coronavirus outbreak. China's foreign ministry had released a list of 57 countries that have provided medical supplies and assistance to Beijing to combat the epidemic. India, however, did not figure in the list.

During an online media briefing in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said China welcomed and thanked the international community, the developing countries in particular, for their sincere support and friendly assistance.

"China mainly relies on its own strength to tackle the epidemic. We are confident and capable of doing this". The foreign ministry spokesperson named the countries that have provided help and also the nations that have announced that they will offer assistance.

In a written response to news agency PTI on why India did not figure in any of the lists, Geng only said China appreciates India's offer to help Beijing in the fight against the epidemic. On 9 February, Modi had written to Xi, offering China help in dealing with coronavirus. "We thank and appreciate India's support for China's fight against coronavirus. India's acts of goodwill fully demonstrates its friendship with China," Geng said.

Although, China later clarified its position, saying that it was touched by the kindness shown by India in helping Beijing tackle the outbreak, reports Hindustan Times

China-Indonesia relations

More than 50 countries or territories, including US, Japan, Australia, Italy and more have imposed travel restrictions and tightened visa requirements to contain the novel coronavirus, according to the International Air Transport Association, even though the WHO had explicitly advised against taking such drastic action. The global body said: We do not recommend any travel or trade restriction based on the current information available, as per the anti-discrimination principles under Article 3 of the International Health Regulation.

One such travel ban by Indonesia is set to backfire as its economy will get affected, claim experts. Beijing had warned Jakarta against imposing a travel ban and told it to abide by WHO's advice, but it fell to deaf ears. According to multiple reports, China is Indonesias second-largest tourist source nation after Malaysia. In 2019, a total of 1.9 million Chinese tourists visited Indonesia, representing nearly 13 percent of the overall foreign tourist visits, according to data from Statistics Indonesia.

Indonesias tourism minister confirmed to The Diplomat saying that the country is expected to lose around $4 billion due to the travel restrictions. Besides tourism, the travel ban will also affect import and export goods, which is troublesome as the two countries are major trade partners, with Beijing being Indonesia's largest trading partner. According to The Jakarta Times, Indonesia imported $44.5 billion dollars of non-oil and gas products from China throughout 2019, representing almost 30 percent of overall such imports into the country.

China-Denmark diplomatic spat

China had been engaged in a diplomatic battle with Denmark regarding an "insulting" cartoon on coronavirus that the Dutch shared on social media in January. Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten had carried a satirical cartoon in which it depicted a distorted Chinese flag with coronavirus icons replacing the five stars.

In a statement, the Chinese embassy in Copenhagen expressed its strong indignation and said the cartoon printed is an insult to China. It added that the drawing crossed the bottom line of civilised society and the ethical boundary of free speech, and offends human conscience.

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen defended the cartoon saying her country has a "very, very strong tradition" of freedom of expression, adding that "it is a well-known Danish position, and we will not change that."

Chinas diplomatic engagements slowdown

The unprecedented outbreak has also stymied China's diplomatic engagement with other countries. Xi was slated to visit Japan in April, amid straining ties between Beijing and Tokyo over the past few years. According to The Japan Times, Japanese and Chinese governments have held a series of unofficial talks to schedule Xis visit since the beginning of this year. However, the two sides have been forced to reschedule some meetings slated for this month in the wake of the viral epidemic, sources said.

Reports say the fates of the China-EU summit, scheduled for late March, and the subsequent April 17+1 meeting between China and 17 Central and Eastern European nations, remain unclear. While Beijing and Brussels were expected to conclude an investment deal in 2020, the negotiation schedule is now likely to face setbacks in awake of the epidemic.

With inputs from agencies
Kolkata, Feb 19 : The amount of around Rs 96 lakh, received by St. Xaviers College here in two tranches from Rose Valley Group Chairman, Gautam Kundu, when the company was a fully legal entity, has now been effectively handed over to the Enforcement Directorate which has attached the amount following the due process of law, college sources in the know said on Wednesday.

The donation was received in two cheques of Rs 71 lakh and Rs 25 lakhs for constructing two hostels, for which due receipts were also given to the company.

"When the donation was received by the college and its alumni association, Rose Valley was not a banned organisation. The amounts were paid by cheques, and receipts were given against them," said a source.

After the probe against Rose Valley started, each of the recipients of funds from the group was called by the Enforcement Directorate.

It is learnt that St. Xaviers representatives presented their case to the ED by producing the cheque and receipt details, and explained how the funds were utilised. The utilisation certificates were also handed over to the ED.

The college authorities also informed the ED that if the agency so desired, the institution was ready to set aside a like amount of the funds received from the group, for the competent authority to follow the due process of law and take back the amount.

The amount was then set aside by depositing it in a couple of accounts and the ED went through a process and attached the money on February 3.

"In effect the money has been returned. So it is a simple case of the college having taken funds from a company which was then a legal entity. Later, it was alleged by the probe agencies that the company has laundered public money, which the college was not aware of till then. And now the ED has attached the said amount deliberately kept in these accounts by the college for the agency to follow the due process in this regard," the source added.
Management of the Ghana Trade Fair Company, has refuted claims that Color Planet, owned by Raymond Archer, was demolished to pave way for redevelopment plan for the site on political grounds.

Some persons have read political meanings into the Monday dawn demolition of Mr. Archers factory, although seven others were affected that day.

The opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, has already waded into the matter calling it a political witch-hunt, since Mr. Archer, a one-time renowned journalist is believed to be sympathetic to the NDC.

Mr. Archer told Eyewitness News they had not been treated fairly by the Trade Fair Company.

If the land belongs to them [Trade Fair Company], then why didn't they keep it? Why did they rent it? Because Trade Fair always needs money. When there was no light at Trade Fair, I brought a transformer to bring light there. That was their responsibility. They didn't even have the money to do it. We brought light to the Trade Fair to bring life back. So if you say that Trade Fair owns the land, the fact that you own the land doesn't mean you can leave it and sack the tenants after they have invested millions of dollars. We have invested almost US$10 million there. You want to throw us out like we are squatters so that you will bring another business, he exclaimed.

But the management of the Ghana Trade Fair Company in a statement, has denied such claims, saying some 28 structures in all have been affected since the exercise started. It specifically denied Mr. Archers claims that his machines and equipment have been recklessly damaged.

We deny his claim and state again that we took great care to avoid damage to equipment, limiting the demolition to the outer walls, roof and ceilings. The Company states further, for the avoidance of doubt that several demolitions had taken place in the place earlier last year mainly properties which the Ghana Trade Fair Company itself uses for exhibitions.

No political witch-hunt

We further want to make it clear that, contrary to what Mr. Archer is speculating in the media, the Ghana Trade Fair Company does not target businesses for demolition because of their political or other affiliations. The current demolition exercise involved 7 other buildings of tenants that are in the path of the next stage of horizontal development. In all 28 structures belonging to various tenants have since been taken down in relation to the redevelopment. Their political or other affiliations are unknown, and are of no consequence, to the Company. The Company remains resolutely focused on redeveloping the Trade Fair site.

According to the statement, when the President appointed the current CEO of the Ghana Trade Fair Company, he mandated her to undertake a comprehensive redevelopment of the entire Trade Fair site into a modern, mixed-use commercial estate with convention and exhibition facilities as its centerpiece, and supported by other facilities such as shopping malls, offices, leisure centres, hotels among others.

It added that when the CEO took over in July 2017, the Company was dysfunctional and insolvent, unable to pay its bills, which kept mounting including staff salary, which had not been paid for 18 months. It was also physically run down with buildings and structures in a grave state of disrepair. ECG had disconnected the entire site for non-payment of bills since 2015.

Upon further inspection of the Company's books it was found out that the main source of revenue for the Company was rent from existing tenants, but almost every tenant was in arears of more than 2 years. Collectively the tenants owed the Company rents of over Ghs 2 million. This is even though the tenants were paying on average 50 Pesewas per square metre. The grounds were infested with rats, snakes and cockroaches in large, intolerable quantities.

It said Within 6 months on the job, electricity was reconnected, almost all the rent arrears had been collected, the compound was fumigated and cleaned in a major cleanup exercise, staff salary paid for the first time in 18 months and life returned to the beloved Trade Fair Centre in time to host one of the most successful international trade fairs the company had seen in years.

The company says it shifted focus onto the redevelopment agenda after addressing these initial challenges, with the board and management facilitating the design of a Master-plan for the entire site by the world-renowned Ghanaian architect, Sir David Adjaye.

The Master Plan, which has a modern state of the art convention centre with exhibition facilities at its core, also makes room for supporting facilities designed to create one of the most active 24-hour business hubs in the West African sub region. In particular, the plan is designed to accommodate as many Ghanaian businesses as possible including the existing tenants of the Ghana Trade Fair Company, whose special needs influenced the design of the Master Plan.

The Made in Ghana hub will house Ghanaian businesses to showcase the burgeoning Ghanaian industry and business. The Master Plan has been shown to the tenants of the Ghana Trade Company on various occasions and was also exhibited at the Investor Conference held in July 2019 to showcase it.

The statement said since November 2018, the Company begun discussions with the existing tenants to assess their interest in the redeveloped site and support their removal from the path of redevelopment. A special committee was set up, which sat every day for 30 days to engage the tenants. Some tenants did, others did not. In all 44 out of the about 200 tenants availed themselves of the opportunity and engaged the Company constructively. The purpose of the meetings was to examine the impact of the redevelopment on the tenants and assess interest to be included in the redevelopment.

The statement says the company collected information on the nature of current business at the site, amount of space currently occupied, interest to be part of the new development and if so, how much space was required. It also discussed how to facilitate their move from the site during the construction period, and there was always a question of how to make the move easier for the tenants.

The statement says the company also sent notices to the premises informing them of the redevelopment and that the opportunity to engage remains open.

It further noted that, when the Company engaged the services of a horizontal developer to provide the requisite infrastructure for the developments, it became necessary to take down some of the redundant buildings. At that point, 7 of the uncooperative tenants went to court to be joined by 14 others to seek a number of reliefs including:

 An order that the Plaintiffs be part of any future development of the Ghana Trade Fair site by the Defendant

 Perpetual Injunction restraining the Defendants from evicting the Plaintiffs from the premises they occupy at the Defendant's site or alternatively

 An order directing the Defendant to pay the Plaintiff fair compensation for evicting them from the site

 General Damages

On the 29th of April 2019, the tenants secured an injunction to restrain the Ghana Trade Fair Company from evicting them from the site. That injunction was however vacated by the High Court of Justice, Land Court 7, on the 12th of February 2020. In passing judgement, Justice Amo Yartey (J) held as follows:

If I may ask, as it stands will it be fair to maintain the injunction order which has been pending against the defendant looking at the financial losses the nation is currently facing. There is no evidence before me that this salient fact was brought to the attention of the Court differently constituted before the grant of the injunction order complained of.

It is my considered view that since the Plaintiffs/Respondents are not seeking for title to the land but rather compensation, General Damages and an order compelling the applicant to consider them as part of any future development of the Ghana Trade Fair site by the Defendant, it will be fair and convenient to vacate the injunction order which I accordingly vacate for the Government to go ahead with the facelift of the Ghana Trade Fair site for the betterment of the nation as well as the Plaintiffs should they be able to prove their relief A.

The company says at this stage, the injunction and related actions of these tenants had caused delays and incalculable costs to the Company and the redevelopment project, as a number of deadlines with significant financial implications had been missed and critical equipment lay at the site accumulating additional costs.

It said following the vacation of the injunction order, some additional buildings were taken down to make way for the continuation of the redevelopment.

During this exercise, like the ones before it, the demolition team took great care not to damage property of the affected tenants in the buildings. The demolition was thus limited to the external walls of the buildings to afford the affected tenants the opportunity to remove their property undamaged.

It is worth noting that the Ghana Trade Fair Company did not only exercise extreme care and caution in dealing with the redevelopment of the site, but also exercised patience in the face many challenges. This is despite the fact that none of the businesses at the site currently has any running tenancy agreements. In any case the expired tenancy agreements had clauses that explicitly forbade the development of permanent structures at the site and required the businesses to hand over the site peacefully at the expiration of their agreements or when the property was needed for redevelopment. We publish below some excerpts from the last tenancy agreement (dated March 16, 2014) of Color Planet of which Mr. Raymond Archer is Chief Executive.

MASTERPLAN

It is reiterated that the COMPANY has drawn up a comprehensive Master Plan for the Trade Fair Centre and its immediate environs which includes the areas allocated to you.

The implementation of the plan would involve the demolishing of structures. You are accordingly advised to be mindful of funds you put in to upgrade or construct the structure. You are to ensure that materials that can easily be dismantled are used for the construction. You are again reminded that this is a yearly rental and the COMPANY shall recover the premises any time the area is needed for development purposes. No compensation would be paid in case of the demolition of the structure.

TERMINATION

Subject to the Master Plan, this agreement may be terminated by a month's notice. The Company further reserves the right to terminate the Tenancy on the following grounds:

a. Default in payment of rent and utilities after two weeks' notice in writing

b. Failure to use the facility for a continuous period of two months without adequate notice to the Company

TENANT RESPONSIBILITIES

j. To yield PEACEFULLY the premises at the expiration of the term granted or when the premises are needed for development purposes

k. To abide by all other regulations, governing the hiring of the premises and the facilities at the Centre.

IMPROVEMENT OF PREMISES

The rent is on an 'AS IS BASIS' and any upgrading or refurbishment will be at cost strictly to YOU but with permission of the COMPANY. You are however reminded that the facility is a temporary structure and would remain so.

In conclusion the Ghana Trade Fair Company wishes to assure the general public that the Company is committed to redeveloping the Ghana Trade Fair Site in line with His Excellency the President's mandate to the Company. While doing that the Company will remain law abiding and fair to all stakeholders involved or affected by the Project.

List of 28 affected companies

citinewsroom
BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - Butte County is training a cadre of CTA's. CTA stands for "Certified Tourism Ambassador."

There are currently 66 trained and certificated CTA's in Butte County. The goal of the non-profit organization Explore Butte County is to have 250 CTA's in the county by the end of 2020.

CTA's go through a complete training program that takes approximately four hours of classroom work, the completion of reading and learning assignments, and the successful completion of a 28-question open book exam. 13 new CTA's were trained on Tuesday in Chico at the Oxford Suites.

New CTA's were training from the Downtown Chico Ambassador Program, California State Parks, the Paradise Ridge Chamber of Commerce and from the staff of regional hotels.

The idea is to create a network of "Certified Tourism Ambassadors" across the country within businesses, museums, cultural and recreational areas who will help guarantee that every visitor encounter will be a positive one, to help Butte County stand out from other destinations completing for tourism dollars.

Tourism is California's top economic driver and represents more than $350 million (2018) in total economic impact of tourism in Butte County, said CTA Program Manager Ashley Baer.

Baer said nowadays "tourism season" is always in gear, so there is a need to continuously make Butte County shine brightly as a must-see North State destination. She said visitors to Butte County can look for anyone wearing a gold star pin that will designate that they are talking to a certified CTA.

There is a one-time, non-refundable, non-transferable application fee of $25 per person and an annual renewal fee of $15 per person, said Baer. In addition to the renewal fee, CTAs must log 50 CTA points annually, gained through an array of activities, to maintain certification.

2020 Classes & Registration

 Tues. 3/10/20 at Explore Butte County in Chico (location subject to change)

o Morning Class: 8am-12:30pm

o DEADLINE to Register: Thurs. 2/27/20

 Thurs. 4/2/20 at Explore Butte County in Chico (location subject to change)

o Afternoon Class: 12:30pm-5pm

o DEADLINE to Register: Sun. 3/22

 Fri. 5/8/20 at Explore Butte County in Chico (location subject to change)

o Morning Class: 8am-12:30pm

o DEADLINE to Register: Sun. 4/26

 Wed. 6/3/20 at Explore Butte County in Chico (location subject to change)

o Morning Class: 8am-12:30pm

o DEADLINE to Register: Thurs. 5/21

To sign up for the courses contact Program Manager Ashley Baer at Explore Butte County at this number: (530) 918-4584 or get more information by CLICKING THIS LINK.

The organization is hoping the new CTA's will help interact with numerous tourisms expected to attend their inaugural Butte County Museum Weekend on Feb. 29 and Mar. 1, 2020. It is designed to celebrate history, art and culture through an extensive network of museums and cultural centers and destinations. Admission is free.

There are 15 participating locations including the Valene Smith Museum of Anthropology; Gateway Science Museum, Museum of Northern California Art (monca); Chico Air Museum; Chico Art Center; Colman Museum-Centerville Schoolhouse in Chico; C.F. Lott Home in Sank Park; Pioneer History Museum; Feather River Nature Center & Native Plant Park; Historic Oroville State Theatre; Oroville Chinese Temple; Bolts Antique Tool Museum in Oroville; Gold Nugget Museum in Paradise; and the Gridley Museum. CLICK HERE for a list of participating venues. More are being added all the time, according to Explore Butte County Executive Director Carolyn Denero.

There will be a complimentary shuttle looping between museums in both Chico and Oroville. By hopping on the shuttle, you can make a quick trip to the next participating museum without the worry of driving from one to the next. A downloadable map of the shuttle stops will be available on Explore Butte Countys website early next week.

All participating locations will offer free admission and will be open between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on both Saturday, Feb. 29 and Sunday, Mar. 1, 2020. Select locations will also have extra offerings during or outside of the free admission hours, such as free print demonstrations at the Janet Turner Print Museum and the Wild and Scenic Film Festival Saturday night at the Historic Oroville State Theatre.
Portland railcar manufacturer Gunderson has furloughed 125 employees over the past month, the latest in a string of Oregon employers cutting jobs this year.

Gunderson is scaling back amid a prolonged downturn in demand, according to Jack Isselmann, vice president for external affairs at Gundersons parent, The Greenbrier Cos. He called it a once-in-a-decade doldrums.

Gunderson has been hit by a combination of factors, according to Isselmann. More cargo is moving by truck instead of train, higher tariffs are reducing trade, and now the coronavirus is putting a damper on macroeconomic activity.

About 75 employees from the railcar division have transferred over to Gundersons marine division. Altogether, Gunderson now has 725 Portland employees making railcars and barges.

Gunderson will pay regular benefits for furloughed employees for 90 days before formally laying them off, according to Isselmann. He said the company hopes to recall at least some of the furloughed employees before that time has elapsed.

Gundersons cutbacks are the latest in a string of cuts at Oregon employers early in 2020 despite a robust state economy enjoying a historically low unemployment rate of 3.7%.

Concordia University said last week that the pending closure of its Portland campus will eliminate 1,500 full and part-time jobs. Thats Oregons the largest single layoff notification in at least 20 years, according to state records. Concordia was undone by declining enrollment, a difficult financial picture and cultural differences with Its Lutheran parent organization. The parent had threatened to withhold financial support if the Portland college didnt conform to the churchs conservative views on gender issues.

Other companies cutting jobs this year include Eugene fiberboard manufacturer Arauco North America, aviation industry supplier Precision Castparts, Blount International, transportation technology company Moovel and loan serving company Mr. Cooper Group.

The series of job cuts appear unrelated to any broader economic weakness, with causes ranging from the production shutdown of Boeings troubled 737 MAX jetliner to a retrenchment in the car sharing sector.

If cuts emerge at more companies, though, they could slow or reverse a decade of economic growth in Oregon.

-- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699

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To say this season of The Bachelors hometown dates were interesting would definitely be an understatement.

Viewers watched as Peter Weber spent time with each of the remaining four contestants and their families. Though his hometown date with Victoria F. was a complete disaster, his outings with the other women were pretty memorable. Especially the one he had with Hannah Ann.

The Bachelors Hannah Ann| Maarten de Boer/ABC via Getty Images

From ax throwing to Hannah Anns dad throwing major shade Webers way, this date was one nowhere near uneventful.

But one thing that made this date stand out from all the rest was the Knoxville natives Southern accent, which interestingly enough became a lot thicker during the latest episode, and fans find that to be a little suspicious.

Fans think Hannah Ann changed the way she speaks for her hometown date

If youve been a fan of The Bachelor for a while now, then you know that Hometown dates are a huge deal.

Not only does the bachelor or bachelorette get a better sense of who their contestants are, but the competitors also get to show the person theyre vying for what theyre like in their natural setting.

During this season of The Bachelor, Weber had the chance to learn a little bit more about the four remaining women competing for his heart.

Though some of his dates went a lot more smoothly than others, his Hometown date with Hannah Ann has caused a ton of speculation amongst fans, and it all has to do with her accent.

While Weber was enjoying a fun day in Knoxville, Tennessee with the 23-year-old model, fans couldnt help but notice that she had a much thicker Southern accent than before.

Though its possible that Hannah Anns country accent kicked in once she was back in her home state, fans arent convinced of this and are calling her out on Twitter for faking her southern twang.

Hannah ann hasnt had an accent this ENTIRE season, why is it suddenly here in hometowns, one fan tweeted.

Is it just me or did Hannah Ann just start speaking in the strongest southern accent during this hometown date? another fan wrote.

Some are even convinced that this change of accent was just the models way of impressing Weber during her hometown date.

Is it just me or does Hannah Anns accent only come out when shes trying to flirt with Peter? Krystal 2.0. someone questioned.

Theres literally like 3 episodes left and all of the sudden Hannah Ann has a southern accent? seems fishy, someone else penned.

Hannah Ann has been getting dragged on Twitter this entire season

While a majority of Webers contestants have been called out on Twitter by Bachelor Nation, Hannah Ann is one who has been dragged more times than once by fans this season.

Just a few weeks ago, Twitter accused the model of lying after sharp-eyed fans dug into her past and found out that she was in a loving relationship for three years, despite telling Weber that shes never been in love before.

Can we go back to last week when hannah ann said she had never been in love despite dating someone for 3 years ???? petes girls like to tell some stories now, a fan tweeted.

Before that, the 23-year-old model was heavily criticized on Twitter for pronouncing the word fiasco as finasco.

Hannah Ann mispronouncing fiasco has me screaming. She really said finasco, one fan wrote.

As you can see, Hannah Ann cant seem to catch a break when it comes to Twitter, but despite all of the online backlash, she continues to remain this seasons top contender and has a good chance of making it to the end.
More than 250 Australian paedophiles paid more than $1.3million to watch children being sexually abused in live-streams from The Philippines, a report has found.

The Australian Institute of Criminology report found that more than 2,700 payments believed to be for live online child abuse were made out of Australia between 2006 and 2018.

The payments are difficult for the Australian Federal Police to trace because the abuse was hosted on the dark web using sophisticated encryption technologies.

The report has sparked a meeting between the AFP, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre at the National Press Club to call for increased legislation into concealing encryption information to stop, find and identify 'webcam child sex tourists.'

ACIC CEO Mike Phelan told The Australian that current laws are being left behind by the technology being used for online sex crimes.

A report has found that 256 Australian paedophiles paid more than $1.3million to watch children being sexually abused online (stock image)

'One thing this paper highlights is live-streaming of child sexual abuse leaves very little online trace or record and how technology is enabling its proliferation, making it increasingly difficult for law enforcement to combat this devastating crime,' he said.

'In practical terms, this means we simply cannot see what these destructive criminal groups are saying to one another. We no longer have just our hands tied behind our back  we are also wearing earmuffs and an eye patch.'

Ninety per cent of the ACIC's inquiries involve encryption technology, with criminals moving away from conventional applications and media to hide their business.

The use of anonymous trading sources and using new technology to explore illegal activities is predicted to continue to grow in Australia, with report data able to profile 256 webcam child sex tourists aged in their 50s and 60s.

Fifty-five per cent of those profiled were previously unknown to law enforcement and had no prior criminal record.

The global demand for online sexual abuse is increasing, with the report finding that the Philippines is a hot spot for explicit content.

In some cases the offenders were able to request different ways in which the children were abused.

Mr Phelan said Australian laws must be updated to keep pace with the criminal groups and their unique communication systems.

'Right now, our laws are not keeping up with technology. To ensure legislation maintains pace with the rate of adoption of new technology by criminals, it must be adaptable and, arguably, technology agnostic,' he said.
A Mexican man suspected of being a Russian spy has been arrested in the US.

The US Department of Justice said that Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes was detained on Sunday after he arrived at Miami International Airport in Florida.

According to a statement released by American authorities, he was arrested for acting within the United States on behalf of a foreign government (Russia).

Fuentes, who lives in Singapore, had been due to board a flight to Mexico City before he was detained.

The statement from the Justice Department outlines the crimes Feuntes is thought to have committed.

A Russian government official had recruited Fuentes last year, and in a meeting in Russia earlier in February this year provided him with a physical description of a US government source's car and instructed him to locate the car and obtain its license plate number, the Justice Department said.

The couple drove to the source's place of residence on Friday and Fuentes' wife took a photo of the car's license plate, the Justice Department said.

A close-up image of the license plate was found on her phone when US Customs and Border Protection agents inspected the couple's phones at the airport, the Justice Department said.

"Fuentes admitted to law enforcement officers that he was directed by a Russian government official to conduct this operation," the Justice Department said.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka.

Saturday, Feb. 15

8:47 p.m. -- Officers responded to Sex Offender Registry violations in the 300 block of Walter Court.

8:45 p.m. -- An anonymous subject called 9-1-1 to report a possible meth lab at a Porter Township residence. Deputies went to the residence to check out the tip. It was reported that a 57-year-old had an active meth lab in the garage on the property. Contact was made with a 79-year-old man, who said that his son is not doing anything illegal and let deputies look in a shed and garage. No evidence was located to suggest that illegal drug activity was present.

8:07 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Jasper Township.

7:30 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a vehicle crash in Jerome Township.

7:10 p.m. -- Officers responded to a car-deer crash in the area of North Sturgeon Road and City Forest Estates.

3:22 p.m. -- Officers responded to a retail fraud in the 6800 block of Eastman Avenue.

3:17 p.m. -- Deputies responded to vehicle crash in Mount Haley Township.

2:46 p.m. -- A deputy arrested a 22-year-old Saginaw man in Mount Haley Township for driving while license suspended. The man also had multiple active warrants out of Saginaw County. He was also cited with a misdemeanor citation for driving with no insurance and providing false information to a law enforcement officer.

2:40 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash causing injuries in the area of Joe Mann Boulevard and Eastman Avenue.

2:27 p.m. -- Officers responded to a report of malicious destruction of property in the 3700 block of Haskin Drive.

1:35 p.m. -- Officers responded to a felonious assault in the 1500 block of Lee Street.

12:30 p.m. -- Officers responded to a report of malicious destruction of property in the 3600 block of Alpine Drive.

12:24 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Greendale Township business in reference to a counterfeit $100 bill being turned in by a customer. There are no suspects at this time.

12:18 p.m. -- Officers responded to a missing person report in the 3800 block of Bobcat Court.

7:26 a.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Larkin Township.

Friday, Feb. 14

11:56 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a Ingersoll Township residence for a report of harassment. Deputies spoke with the complainant, a 49-year-old woman, who said her ex-boyfriend will not leave her alone. The woman said that her ex is currently on probation and is not allowed to contact her. Deputies attempted to locate the male but were unsuccessful.

11:56 p.m. -- Deputies were dispatched to a Jerome Township school in reference to a suspicious situation. A 57-year-old woman said she started her car before locking up the school. When she went outside, she saw her vehicle moving backward. She thought someone was stealing her car so she called 9-1-1. Deputies arrived on scene and found the vehicle still in reverse against a snow bank. Deputies did not locate any tracks around the vehicle. The woman said that she would contact the school on Monday to have them review security footage.

10:12 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Larkin Township.

8:56 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a vehicle crash in Larkin Township.

8:12 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Lincoln Township.

7:58 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a vehicle crash in Edenville Township.

5:35 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Eastman Avenue and Airport Road.

5:03 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the 3100 block of Jefferson Avenue.

4:23 p.m. -- A 23-year-old Montana man was arrested for driving while license suspended after a traffic stop in Jerome Township.

3:45 p.m. -- A 36-year-old Bay County man was arrested for driving while license suspended following a traffic stop in Greendale Township.

3:09 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the 6800 block of Eastman Avenue.

2:33 p.m. -- A Sheriff's Office vehicle was involved in a crash in the City of Midland.

1:49 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the 1400 block of South Saginaw Road.

11:27 a.m. -- Deputies responded to a two-vehicle crash in Midland Township.

11 a.m. -- Officers responded to a report of fraud in the 300 block of Burning Bush Lane.

10:48 a.m. -- Deputies responded to a two-vehicle crash in Sanford.

10:26 a.m. -- Officers responded to a larceny in the 1000 block of Elizabeth Street.

5:30 a.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in the area of North Swede Road and East Baker Road in Mills Township.

3:35 a.m. -- Officers arrested a suspect for possessing and concealing stolen property, unauthorized use of a financial transaction device, larceny from a motor vehicle and driving without a license.

3:35 a.m. -- Officers responded to a larceny in the 1900 block of Noeske Street.

1:40 a.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Universal Drive and Hedgewood Drive.

12:59 a.m. -- Officers performed a warrant arrest in the area of Eastman Avenue and eastbound U.S.-10.

12:53 a.m. -- Officers arrested a suspect for domestic violence and obstructing justice in the 1600 block of Swede Avenue.

12 a.m. -- Officers responded to reports of malicious destruction of property and larceny in the 7400 block of Eastman Avenue.
A payment processor at a mortgage company who admitted stealing $2 million from her employer through 580 fraudulent wire transfers to bank accounts she controlled was sentenced Tuesday to nearly four years in federal prison, authorities said.

Dilcia Mercedes, 38, of Camden, previously pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering in the scheme.

Mercedes used her access to track escrow payments that were returned to the mortgage company as undeliverable, authorities said. When the payments remained inactive, she created fraudulent bank accounts and wire transfer requests to send the money to accounts she controlled, authorities said.

During the scam from April 2014 to May 2017, Mercedes enlisted the help of family and friends in creating the bank accounts, and used a co-workers login credentials to cover her tracks, authorities said.

In addition to a 46-month sentence, Mercedes was ordered to pay more than $2 million in restitution.

Jenna Wise may be reached at jwise@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JennaRWise. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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LUCKNOW In a consumer-friendly decision, the state government revised rules for replacement of damaged transformers and payment of compensation to the affected residents.

Earlier, the time for replacement of a damaged transformer in rural areas was 72 hours. But now if such a transformer is not replaced within 24 hours, consumers in rural areas would be entitled to a compensation of Rs 150 per day, said UPPCL officials.

In urban areas, residents can claim the same amount of compensation, if a damaged transformer is not replaced within eight hours. Earlier, the time frame for replacement in urban areas was 24 hours.

Now, in A class cities like Lucknow, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Varanasi and Agra, damaged transformers have to be replaced within six hours or the UPPCL would be liable to pay compensation, they added.

Avadhesh Varma, chairman, UP Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad said, Standard of performance regulations 2019 is amended. Now, if complaints of transformer damage are not addressed in the stipulated time, the UPPCL will have to pay compensation to affected residents.

On Monday, UP became the first state of the country to issue notification for compensation in case of power cuts due to underground cable breakdown, voltage problem, wrong meter reading, defective meter, wrong bill, transformer damage or no response from call centre.

According to the regulation, the consumer would be entitled to compensation of Rs 100 per day in case of failure in power supply due to breakdown of underground cable, while consumers would get Rs 250 per day, if the power supply fails or there is low voltage due to interruption from substation.

In case of wrong meter reading, compensation is fixed at Rs 200 per day. In case of defective meter, a consumer will get Rs 50 per day.

Delay in new connection, problem in billing/wrong billing, delay in load reduction/addition in load, change of connection categories would invite compensation of Rs 50.

In case of power cut due to overhead line breakdown, consumers would get Rs 100 per day as compensation. If there is a problem in power supply due to delay in construction of substation, consumers would get compensation of Rs 500 per day.
Trump on Tuesday pardoned or commuted the sentences of seven convicted white-collar criminals at the center of federal anti-corruption and tax fraud cases spanning decades, and an additional four women whose cases were not as well known. Others to benefit from the presidents clemency powers included convicted junk bond king Michael Milken and former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik.
Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the general purposes committee and briefed political leaders on proposed changes in rules and procedures and conduct of business in the upper house.

Rajya Sabha Secretary General Desh Deepak Verma briefed the panel on the Report of Rules Review Committee which contained 77 amendments to the existing rules, besides 124 new rules for consideration.

The review of rules seeks to impart clarity to several ambiguous provisions of the present Rules, besides incorporating certain directions given by the chairman and addressing certain eventualities not envisaged earlier like voting/division when the House is not in order.

Leaders of 23 political parties in the Upper House attended the meeting here.

It may be recalled that Naidu has earlier desired a comprehensive review of the existing rules, particularly which seem to be inadequate with the passage of time and are not very specific and require suitable amendments to facilitate smooth functioning of the House and increased opportunities for participation for members in the proceedings.

After coming into being in 1952, the Council of States had adopted the Rules of the Legislative Council that in existence earlier till regular Rules came into force effective July, 1964.

The general purposes committee has so far submitted 13 reports based on which the present rules were amended from time to time and the present review undertaken is the most comprehensive since 1964.

Naidu constituted a two-member Rules Review Committee in May, 2018 for recommending changes to the current rules.

The Rules Review Committee comprising former Secretary General of Rajya Sabha V K Agnihotri and former Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Law and Justice Dinesh Bhardwaj has held 51 meetings with various stakeholders, including with officials of Rajya Sabha Secretariat before submitting its report.

The existing Rules of Rajya Sabha contain 303 Rules regarding various aspects of functioning of the House. The amendments to the existing Rules and new Rules on being approved by the Rules Review Committee will be incorporated without disturbing the present numbering, an official statement said.

The next meeting of the general purposes committee will be held after the second part of the Budget Session of Parliament for a detailed consideration of the proposed changes.

Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, Leader of the House Thawar Chand Gehlot, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, P C Thakur (BJP), A Navneeth Krishnan (AIADMK), Tiruchy Siva (DMK), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Ramgopal Yadav (SP) and Prasanna Acharya (BJD) were among the leaders who attended the meeting.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi, Feb 19 : With the creation of the Department of Military Affairs, the Ministry of Defence has decided to move out the India Army from its iconic South Block office at Raisina Hill in front of the President's residence to Delhi Cantonment.

And it's not just the Indian Army, as the other two services will also eventually move out of South Block to their respective new headquarters.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is slated to perform the "bhoomipujan ceremony" of the new Army headwuarters on Friday.

The new Army headquarters will be spread across 39 acres and would come up in five years time near the Manekshaw Centre in the Delhi Cantonment area.

The Army chief and the armed forces will move out of the South Block in the next five years.

It was further stated that a Common Command Centre would be created at the South Block which would be eventually headed by the Chief of Defence Staff.
Her latest mystery horror film is set to be release in cinemas next week.

And Elisabeth Moss looked effortlessly chic as she joined her co-stars at The Invisible Man photocall in Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday.

The Handmaid's Tale star, 37, oozed sophistication in a black shirt midi dress with a plunging neckline and thin waist belt.

Chic: Elisabeth Moss looked effortlessly chic as she joined her co-stars at The Invisible Man photocall in Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday

Elisabeth teamed the item of clothing with a collection of stylish gold necklaces and earrings.

The star finished her ensemble with a pair of black crocodile patterned knee-high heeled boots.

Elisabeth styled her cropped blonde locks into a sleek gelled back hairdo, she added a slick of minimal make-up which included a bold red lipstick.

Work it: The Handmaid's Tale star, 37, oozed sophistication in a black shirt midi dress with a plunging neckline and thin waist belt

Details: Elisabeth teamed the item of clothing with a collection of stylish gold necklaces and earrings

The Mad Men star was joined by The Invisible Man director Leigh Whannell and producer Jason Blum.

It comes after Elisabeth posed with her co-star Oliver Jackson-Cohen at The Invisible Man photocall in London on Tuesday night.

The Handmaid's Tale star, 37, opted for a bold make-up statement with striking orange eye-shadow, pale foundation and a slick of pink lip gloss.

Finishing touches: The star finished her ensemble with a pair of black crocodile patterned knee-high heeled boots

Pals: The Mad Men star was joined by The Invisible Man director Leigh Whannell and producer Jason Blum

Elisabeth looked effortlessly chic for her ensemble in a black knitted midi dress with a think velvet gold buckle belt to cinch in her toned waist.

The star teamed the items of clothing with a collection of gold statement necklaces and black crocodile patterned knee-high heeled boots.

Elisabeth finished her look by styling her blonde locks into a sophisticated tousled hairdo.

Meanwhile Oliver, 33, looked dapper in an all-navy blue ensemble of a trouser suit and poloneck, he finished the look with white platform trainers.

Event: It comes after Elisabeth posed with her co-star Oliver Jackson-Cohen at The Invisible Man photocall in London on Tuesday night

Bold look: The Handmaid's Tale star, 37, opted for a bold make-up statement with striking orange eye-shadow, pale foundation and a slick of pink lip gloss

Chic: Elisabeth looked effortlessly chic for her ensemble in a black knitted midi dress with a think velvet gold buckle belt to cinch in her toned waist

Details: The star teamed the items of clothing with a collection of gold statement necklaces and black crocodile patterned knee-high heeled boots

Dapper: Meanwhile Oliver, 33, looked dapper in an all-navy blue ensemble of a trouser suit and poloneck, he finished the look with white platform trainers

Also in attendance was Sophia Hadjipanteli who opted for a pair of black PVC trousers, a multicoloured top and a studded denim jacket.

The film, adapted from the H.G Wells classic, sees Cecilia's abusive ex-boyfriend - scientist Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) - terrorise her after faking his own death and making himself invisible in a lab.

After she's left a large sum of money, she finds herself being stalked by an Invisible Man which she believes to be him.

Plot: The film, adapted from the H.G Wells classic, sees Cecilia's abusive ex-boyfriend - scientist Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) - terrorise her after faking his own death and making himself invisible in a lab

Work it: Also in attendance was Sophia Hadjipanteli who opted for a pair of black PVC trousers, a multicoloured top and a studded denim jacket

Coming soon: The Invisible Man is released in cinemas in the UK and US on 28 February 2020

In real life, the Mad Men alum is very good at 'turning it off' and 'compartmentalising' her life when on and off-screen.

'I'm really good at turning it off, going home and texting my friends, having a glass of wine, and putting it aside,' Elisabeth said in the February edition of Harper's Bazaar.

'It's not unconscious. I need to be able to do that to treat my work with joy and enthusiasm.'

The Invisible Man is released in cinemas in the UK and US on 28 February 2020.

Chit chat: Elisabeth later appeared on El Hormiguero TV show in Madrid with host Pablo Motos

Changing faces: The actress pulled off a number of expressions during her fun-filled time on the show

Hey friend: The star appeared to be having a great time on the satirical news show in which she interacted with one of the puppets
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Two-thirds of American households  85 million families  own a pet. Whether a dog person, cat person, bunny or guinea pig or iguana person, you likely know this much is true: pets are loyal members of your family.

As a best friend and confidante, many will want their pets to be properly cared for in the event of an owners death. Fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld famously left his Burmese cat Choupette a chunk of his estimated $300 million fortune. And Maria Assunta, the widow of a wealthy Italian property tycoon, left $13 million in cash and homes to her kitten Tommaso. But can you actually will your estate to your pet?

Animals are property under U.S. law. Therefore, even if listed as a beneficiary, they cannot inherit any other form of property  not your home or even a single dollar.

As an owner, you may actively seek a friend or loved one to care for your pet in the case of your death. However, these informal arrangements do not ensure, under the law, any obligation for the caretaker to follow your provisions. Be sure to clearly state in your letter of final wishes who shall care for the pet in the immediate aftermath of your passing.

If you have full faith in your designated caretaker, you may allocate funds to that person in your will. Otherwise, a pet trust offers a legally enforceable arrangement to better appease your worries.

Although pricier and with varying rules and stipulations across the country, pet trusts are typically one component of a larger trust document. You, as the trust settler, will leave funds to be allocated to a pet caretaker by a trustee. The trustee is legally obligated to ensure the funds are used by the caretaker in accordance with your wishes.

Forward planning could be overwhelming. Remember to enjoy the moments spent with pets and properly care for them while you can. Keep an eye out for these common foods you might not know harm your pet.
On Netflixs upcoming dramedy Gentefied, the young adults of East L.A.s Boyle Heights neighborhood listen to a podcast called Brown Love about reclaiming the Latinx narrative, self-love, and empowerment. Next week, the streaming giant is launching Brown Love, a podcast that will piggyback on many of the themes Gentefied brings up and expand them to include other Latinx experiences in the U.S.

Hosted by Dominican-American actor Dascha Polanco (Orange Is the New Block), the six-episode weekly series will feature wide-ranging conversations with other Latinx Netflix actors about a variety of topics, like the first-generation experience and toxic machismo. Though some of their discussions begin through a Hollywood lens, Polanco says Latinx audiences will be able to relate on many levels. In the first episode, Polanco talks with fellow Orange actor Selenis Leyva and Gentefieds Julissa Calderon about their experiences as Afro-Latinas in Hollywood, confronting biases in their own communities and the many ways to live as Latinx.

When I was leading the conversations and getting to know these other fellow Latinx, their perceptions and opinions was so amazing to me  to see the color and the richness of our story, Polanco said. Theres such a huge necessity for us to be behind the scenes and to write our own stuff. In the United States, theres only been one [representation] of Latinx and its been the Mexican community. Its important to discuss this because even though times are changing now, and theres a push for diversity, theres still a lot of work to do.

Because speaking up doesnt always bode well for marginalized communities, Polanco says she worried at first about how far to push the conversations as they recorded the podcast. At what point do we start taking control of our story and actually speaking up because sometimes speaking up leaves you blacklisted or not finding work? she said. Its risky to work in fear, to speak in fear. For me, hosting is about being a good listener and learning. Im not out here claiming whats right. For our community and for Hollywood, Im just claiming what needs to be seen because this is the face of the United States right now.

The series premieres on Friday; the podcast drops on February 25.
(CNN)  A couple from Japan tested positive for novel coronavirus shortly after visiting Hawaii this month, and Delta Airlines says it is notifying passengers who were on their flight home about the couple's diagnosis.

Hawaiian officials, meanwhile, say they've been looking into the couple's activities in Hawaii, and are trying to find people who may have been in close contact with the couple.

The man and woman were on Maui from January 28 to February 3, and then on Oahu from February 3 until their Delta flight home on February 6 to Nagoya, Japan, Hawaiian health officials say.

"We are proactively reaching out to customers who were onboard that flight as well as taking the necessary steps to ensure the safety of our customers and crew," Delta said Monday.

That roughly 10-hour flight, Delta Flight 611, departed Honolulu on the afternoon of February 6 and, after crossing over the International Date Line, landed in Nagoya on the evening of February 7.

Details about the couple's time in Hawaii

Hawaiian state health officials announced on Friday  eight days after the couple left Hawaii  that the man had tested positive for coronavirus in Japan, and was being treated at a hospital there.

Those health officials said that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had informed them Friday of the man's diagnosis.

Over the weekend, The Japan Times reported that the wife, too, was diagnosed with coronavirus.

In a news conference Friday, Hawaiian state health officials said this about the couple's time in Hawaii:

 The man had no symptoms on Maui, which they visited January 28 to February 3.

 The man did have cold-like symptoms, but no fever, on Oahu, where they were staying February 3-6.

 While traveling in Oahu, the couple stayed at a timeshare at the Grand Waikikian by Hilton Grand Vacations in Honolulu.

 The man wore a mask during his flight back to Japan, and may have worn a mask during other parts of his travel.

 The man did not seek medical care until arriving back in Japan, where he'd developed severe symptoms, state epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said.

 "It's very likely the (man) was exposed in Japan (before he traveled to Hawaii) or in transit coming to Hawaii, and became sick when he was here," Hawaii Director of Health Bruce Anderson said.

Details about when and where his wife developed symptoms weren't immediately available.

Park said that because people can get sick up to 14 days after exposure to coronavirus, she has alerted physicians in Hawaii "that it's possible that cases may surface sometime before" this Friday, two weeks after the couple left Honolulu.

"Our focus really is about his whereabouts while he was on Oahu, because that's when he developed symptoms," Park said.

CNN's attempts to reach the Grand Waikikian for comment weren't immediately successful.

Lieutenant governor: One man who spent time with the couple is in isolation

The state Department of Health looked into the couple's activities in Oahu and located a man they spent time with there, Lt. Gov. Josh Green told CNN affiliate KHON.

That man "is in two weeks of home isolation now," Green told KHON.

The novel coronavirus has spread throughout the world since the first cases were detected in central China in December. At least 1,800 people have died and more than 73,000 people have been infected. At least 980 of those cases have been outside mainland China.

China's National Health Commission has confirmed the virus can be transmitted from person to person through "droplet transmission"  where a virus is passed on due to an infected person sneezing or coughing  as well as by direct contact.

This isn't the first time officials have sought passengers who'd been near coronavirus patients

This is not the first time officials have contacted passengers of a US-connected flight that had a symptomatic coronavirus patient.

Two sick passengers traveled from China to Los Angeles  one on January 20, and the other on January 22, the CDC has said.

Health authorities contacted people who sat in the same rows as the sick passengers, as well as those in the two rows in front and behind.

Those passengers were told to watch for symptoms, including fever, coughing and trouble breathing. But none of those passengers became ill, the CDC said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect name for Hawaii Director of Health Bruce Anderson.

This story was first published on CNN.ocm "Japanese couple who visited Hawaii were diagnosed with coronavirus, and Delta is warning passengers on their flight"
C. Philip Hwang is a professor of Psychology at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. His research focuses on child development, fatherhood and the linkages between gender, family, and work in post-industrialized societies. He currently oversees the Gothenburg Longitudinal Developmental Study (GoLD), a 30-year prospective longitudinal study of Swedish families.

Nationalized paternity leave policies in Sweden and other Nordic countries help men to advocate for their own leave at work.

Support for working dads also represents support for working moms, who they are also looking to retain and reward.

Research indicates that coparenting is vital to development and that coparenting is a skill that takes time to master.

Children thrive when parents share their care. When dad is not only a source of parental love, but also a consistent presence, and a partner in the joint enterprise of parenthood, children benefit. But the participation of fathers in meaningful coparenting, arguably the most important role a paternal figure can take in terms of promoting early child development, is hardly a given. Men have not historically been encouraged to act as caregivers or to prioritize caregiving. This is why supports like paternity leave that facilitate fathers involvement and encourage him to become a competent and confident parent contribute so meaningfully to kids long-term wellbeing.

Unfortunately, American policy makers and human resource professionals have struggled to design leave arrangements that genuinely help fathers care for their children, particularly early on in those childrens lives. Schemes from around the world that were announced to great applause have often seen low uptake by fathers, who are  perhaps for cultural reasons and perhaps because they fear professional repercussions  often loath to take advantage of the offerings available to them.

The following originally appeared in a different format on the Child & Family Blog, transforming research on cognitive, social, and emotional development and family dynamics into policy and practice.

Story continues

That said, pushes for paternity leave and gender equity in caregiving have not been uniformly unsuccessful. In Sweden and other Nordic countries, generous leave policies have met with success. These government policies address two powerful preconceptions about men, that they are indispensable as workers and entirely dispensable as caregivers.

The key to the Scandi success seems to be that benefits are dictated under national laws. That sends a loud signal. Once a set of behaviors becomes a legal expectation, its easier to justify on a personal level. It is also, and this is important to note, easier to rally behind in the workplace and at home. As the law created a space for men to be caregivers, men were more empowered to claim it as their own and women were more empowered to treat men as partners  with all the attendant expectations. Parental leave laws promote gender equity from two directions, positively incentivizing all parties.

Reserved time for fathers  daddy months as this has been dubbed  has much higher uptake. This use it or lose it parental leave, often staggered so it doesnt coincide with mothers leave, empowers and almost forces to advocate for their own leave at work and at home and thereby challenges traditional attitudes in both locations. In Sweden, the introduction in 1995 of a use-it-or-lose-it daddy month led significantly more fathers to take parental leave. There was a further sharp increase in the number of days taken by fathers when a second daddy month was added in 2002. Now a third month has been added, and we are assessing the impact.

Other design features are also vital for successful uptake of parental leave by fathers  flexibility, large numbers of days available over a lengthy period, high levels of pay replacement and application to those working in the casual and self-employed labor markets.

Along with laws and social support, comes education. Employers in countries with codified protections and benefits for new parents are more educated on the business benefits that spring from supporting fathers. They understand that encouraging fathers to take leave will help long term with employee loyalty and retention. They also understand that support for working dads also represents support for working moms, who they are also looking to retain and reward.

Parental leave functions  for both men and women  by promoting continuous connection to both work and to children. It helps each parent to contribute to parental care and also access the earning and prestige that spring from participation in the labor market. However, the patchy success of parental leave legislation demonstrates that some key ingredients are required. A change in the law that simply allows fathers to take parental leave allocated on a family basis (so the mother effectively forfeits that time) works poorly and results in low paternal participation.

Private sector buy-in is critical, but its important to remember that the broadest social benefit of leave programs is the improved wellbeing of children. Fathers are, its worth stating clearly, important in early child development. Research does not suggest that fathers are intrinsically necessary for healthy child development and children can thrive without fathers or, for that matter, mothers. But research does indicate that coparenting is vital to development and that coparenting is a skill that takes time to master. By giving parents that time, employers and policymakers can provide clear developmental advantages for children and vital help to working caregivers.

Related Articles:

The post Paternity Leave Helps Children By Promoting Coparenting appeared first on Fatherly.
[February 19, 2020] 250 Firms Select the Moody's Analytics CreditLens Solution

Moody's Analytics, a leading provider of financial intelligence, announced today that more than 250 institutions globally selected the CreditLens credit lifecycle management solution, less than a year after reaching the 100-client threshold. Built on the latest cloud-based technology, the CreditLens platform helps businesses digitally transform their commercial credit processes to make faster and better-informed decisions. It applies artificial intelligence and machine learning to facilitate process automation and help clients improve efficiency, reduce errors, and streamline workflows. The solution recently received a SOC 2 attestation report confirming its adherence to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' security and availability controls standards. In 2019, Professional Bank became one of the first community banks in the US to automate its business loan applications. They accomplished this with the help of the CreditLens platform and other Moody's Anaytics tools. "This investment has enhanced our deal flow management, loan review, and approval processes, directly benefitting our commercial borrowers," said Professional Bank Chairman and CEO Daniel R. Sheehan. "Our team continues to focus on leveraging technology to improve service and strengthen our credit quality controls as we continue to grow."



"Evolving market needs require institutions to take a flexible, holistic approach to lending processes," added Moody's Analytics Managing Director Elaine Wong. "We are grateful that so many firms have trusted us for their credit management needs. We look forward to working with them-and many others-for a long time to come." Click here to learn more about the Moody's Analytics CreditLens solution.

About Moody's Analytics Moody's Analytics provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions. Our deep risk expertise, expansive information resources, and innovative application of technology help our clients confidently navigate an evolving marketplace. We are known for our industry-leading and award-winning solutions, made up of research, data, software, and professional services, assembled to deliver a seamless customer experience. We create confidence in thousands of organizations worldwide, with our commitment to excellence, open mindset approach, and focus on meeting customer needs. For more information about Moody's Analytics, visit our website or connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Moody's Analytics, Inc. is a subsidiary of Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO). Moody's Corporation reported revenue of $4.8 billion in 2019, employs approximately 11,100 people worldwide and maintains a presence in 40 countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005683/en/

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Washington: Ahead of his visit to India next week, United States President Donald Trump has reiterated that he sees "a chance" of a peace deal with the Taliban to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

The US has been negotiating with the Taliban and Trump had previously suggested progress between the two sides to reduce violence in the war-torn country and end America's longest war, lasting 19 years.

"We are negotiating with the Taliban, for a while. We will see what happens. There's a chance of making a deal," Trump said on Tuesday.

Marvin G Weinbaum, Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan Studies at the Middle East Institute, has said the US appears well on its way to signing an agreement with the Taliban later this month. Trump is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25.

"Among its provisions, the agreement is expected to call for a seven-day period of reduced Taliban violence, supposedly to test the group's sincerity and ability to control its forces in the field. The Taliban will also pledge to disassociate itself from Al-Qaeda and like-minded terrorist organisations," Weinbaum said.

According to him, the US will agree to reduce its forces initially by at least 5,000 troops and after a period of time make a full withdrawal.

"There will be an exchange of prisoners in which 5,000 or more Taliban fighters will be released in exchange for about 1,000 government troops. Then, 10 days or so after the signing, intra-Afghan talks are supposed to begin," he said.

The pending agreement, Weinbaum said, is intended to provide the political cover for a US departure from Afghanistan at an opportune time with this an election year.

Trump's statement came a day after Afghanistan's independent election commission announced that Ashraf Ghani has won a second term as president. But the Taliban have refused to accept Ghani's win, raising doubts that the peace agreement will be signed anytime soon.

"We've substantially reduced the force, as you know. We're really acting more as a law enforcement agency than we are as a military, because we could win that very quickly and easily if I was willing to kill millions of people. I'm not willing to do that," Trump said.

"We'd win that so quickly your head would spin. And I'm not talking about nuclear; I'm talking about very conventional. But I'm not willing to kill millions of people," he added.
Pastor Davey Blackburn reveals how God helped him to forgive after first wifes murder

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In a message on forgiveness on Sunday, pastor Davey Blackburn of Nothing Is Wasted Ministries revealed how God helped him to forgive when he struggled to embrace the concept when he first learned about the suspects involved in the 2015 murder of his first wife, Amanda Blackburn.

When I first saw on the news the guys that now stand trial for having killed my wife, like up to that moment I was dealing with a lot of sadness. Just a lot of intense, deep, deep, grief. But when I saw their faces, immediately I experienced something Ive never experienced before in my life. I experienced a deep, dark, scary, frightening rage. I never experienced that before and honestly it freaked me out, said Blackburn in a Facebook Live broadcast of his sermon delivered at the Mercy Road Church in Indiana.

I mean, to be honest with you, it would have been so much easier for me to dismiss things if I hadnt seen that, he said.

Blackburn explained that once he was able to confront his emotions, he noticed it had been welling up inside him like a cancer and he wanted to respond in vengeance.

Man, I cant tell you how many times I imagined in my head, what if the investigators, the prosecutors, what if they  just let me in a room with them. What would I do? And I began to imagine it. But that began to bring into this really deep dark place that I didnt like and it was destroying me. And then Jesus subtly reminded me, Davey, I was murdered for your sin. You, Davey, murdered me and I chose to forgive you, he said.

He then explained that when we forgive we trust God with vengeance and its the best action to take because of Gods bigger perspective on life.

Two of the three suspects charged with the 2015 murder of Amanda Blackburn, have now had the murder charges against them dropped after agreeing to plea deals, while the case for murder against the remaining suspect is still pending.

The Marion County Prosecutor's Office said in a Fox 59 report that charges including the one for murder against suspect Diano Gordon, now 28, was dismissed in exchange for his pleading guilty to robbery resulting in serious bodily injury and burglary.

The late Amanda Blackburn moved with Davey Blackburn from South Carolina in 2012 to start Resonate Church in Indiana. On the morning of Nov. 10, while Davey was away at the gym, police said his wife was shot three times, including once in the head during a home invasion. She succumbed to her injuries the following day along with their unborn daughter, Everette "Evie" Grace Blackburn.

Police announced the arrests of two men, Larry Jo Taylor Jr., then 18, and his accomplice, Jalen Watson, then 21, and charged them with murder and a litany of other crimes in late November 2015. Gordon, who was 24, at the time, was arrested and charged in December 2015.

Watson also had charges including murder dismissed against him in a plea deal in October 2017 in an agreement that would see him joining Gordon in testifying against Taylor, who authorities are hoping to convict for the murder.

Taylors trial is still pending while Davey Blackburns book Nothing Is Wasted: A True Story of Hope, Forgiveness, and Finding Purpose in Pain, has been placed on hold until after Taylors trial.

In early 2018, a RTV6 report said that Davey Blackburns unpublished manuscript could be used in his wifes murder trial after Marion County Judge Grant Hawkins granted a request by Larry Jo Taylors defense counsel to review it.

Taylors public defender, Jeff Neel, was granted permission to review the manuscript ahead of trial Feb. 7, 2018. On the same day, however, the judge granted a motion by Taylor to dismiss his legal counsel and represent himself in the trial. Neel was noted as remaining as counsel for the issue of reviewing the manuscript on court documents.

Attorney Jack Crawford, who is not connected to the case and hasn't read the manuscript, said it could be helpful to the defense.

My guess is the defense will be looking for behavior inconsistent with a grieving spouse, Crawford said. Anything indicating unusual behavior or unusual observations about his wifes death. Anything suggesting his reaction wasnt normal.

He continued: What you do in a defense case, particularly where the evidence is mounting against your client, is you want to make the case about the truth  but you want to make it about your truth. Not the governments or the states or the prosecutions truth.

According to Amazon, Blackburns book is set to be published on July 28, 2020.
With the confirmation of Egypts first case of Corvid-19 the Ministry of Health is leaving nothing to chance

Egypt's Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday in a joint statement that the Chinese citizen who was earlier announced to be carrying the novel coronavirus has tested negative for it.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the foreigner presented negative results for the new Cobid-19 (coronavirus), 48 hours after he was put into isolation in hospital, the joint statement said.

Earlier this week Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed confirmed the first and so far only case of Corvid-19 in Egypt, a Chinese citizen who arrived in the country late last month. The Chinese national had shown no symptoms on entry. The Health Ministry has now quarantined the Chinese citizen. All the people who have interacted with the confirmed case have tested negative for the virus though they are required to remain in their homes for two-weeks and are being monitored for the infection.

According to Khaled Megahed, official spokesman for the Health Ministry, the World Health Organization (WHO) was immediately informed. All required measures have been taken in cooperation with WHO. The infected person was transferred to the Marsa Matrouh hospital for two weeks in order to be quarantined and monitored and is in a stable condition.

WHO Egypt representative John Jabbour commended Egypts transparency and keenness to inform WHO immediately. According to Jabbour Egypt is among countries to have developed preventive strategies to defeat the virus.

WHO has provided Egypt with accurate detectors to discover any cases infected with the new deadly virus, said Jabbour.

The Chinese national is the first case in Egypt and Africa to test positive for the virus. The Ministry of Health has now evacuated and sterilised the building in which the patient was living.

Jabbour says the number of Corvid-19 cases in the Middle East and North Africa has now reached 10, one in Egypt and nine in the United Arab Emirates.

The majority of cases are foreigners, mainly Chinese citizens, and none of them has died, said Jabbour.

According to a report released by WHO on 17 February overall infections have increased to 73,336, of which 12,876 have already recovered and 1,874 died. Of the remaining 58,586 patients currently infected 80 per cent are mild and 20 per cent in a critical condition.

Following the announcement of Egypts first positive case the Chinese Embassy in Cairo issued a press release saying there is continuous bilateral cooperation with Egypt in an attempt to protect citizens public health.

On Monday, Zayed announced at a press conference that the ministry has ended the 14-day quarantine for 302 Egyptians who had returned to Egypt from the Chinese city of Wuhan.

The minister confirmed that all tests conducted on them during the 14-day quarantine period, in which the coronavirus incubates, have shown that they are free of the virus or any other infectious diseases.

The 302 citizens on the same day of the announcement have left Al-Negelah Central Hospital in Marsa Matrouh, which was designated by the government as a quarantine hospital, and have been taken by the ministrys buses to their residences in Cairo and Alexandria.

The Ministry of Health has intensified precautionary measures at schools following the start of the new term on 9 February. They include training school medical teams to treat infectious diseases, raising awareness about preventive and precautionary measures against communicable diseases and sterilising school buildings.

Megahed said that in the event of a suspected case at a school, whether student or a staff member, the suspect will be immediately isolated until proper procedures can be taken. People who have contact with the case will also be monitored. Ill students and staff are required to take the sick leave recommended by doctors and stay at home for at least 14 days.

School students and teachers must also attend classes wearing face masks as a precautionary measure, said Megahed.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 20 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the title: Reducing risks

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The former head of the Irish Medical Organisation believes it is only a matter of time before a case of coronavirus is found in Ireland.

Two Irish citizens who were on-board a cruise ship in Japan have the virus while four others remain in quarantine there.

Meanwhile, nine Irish citizens were on board a ship quarantined off the coast of Cambodia, two of whom are now back in Ireland.

More than 72,000 cases of the coronavirus have been found so far, with almost 1,900 deaths.

Dr Martin Daly says it's "likely" we'll see the first case here at some point.

"I think on the balance of probability, if this has spread to 26 countries the likelihood in this international age of travel and interconnectivity that we will get cases," said Dr Daly.

Now, it is difficult, I don't think anyone can predict when this will happen but I don't think we should be operating on the basis that it won't happen.

Health Minister Simon Harris briefed the Cabinet on the virus yesterday where he said the State remains vigilant.

He said the National Public Health Emergency Team held its first meeting in relation to Covid-19 on Monday 27 January.

Meetings are being held on a weekly basis and associated bodies are continuing to meet on a regular basis.

Furthermore, the HSEs Health Protection Surveillance Centre is closely monitoring the emerging situation and is collaborating with the Department, other Departments and various Agencies in relation to preparedness measures.

The HSEs National Crisis Management Team, chaired by the HSEs Chief Executive Officer, and High Consequence Infectious Disease Group are also meeting regularly.
The sum is supposed to be enough to cover the needs of two million civilians residing in these areas of eastern Ukraine

Open source

This year's plan of the United Nations' humanitarian response in eastern Ukraine will require 158 million dollars; the sum is supposed to be enough to cover the needs of two million civilians residing in the occupied areas of eastern Ukraine. Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs said so on the UN Security Council session, UNN news agency reported.

"The UN and partners render aid in accordance with the universally recognized principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence", DiCarlo said.

According to her, since 2014, the UN and their partners have been able to assist a million people annually.

Earlier, U.S. Mission in the UN claimed Russia was unwiling to comply with Minsk agreements, continuing the bloodshed in Donbas. Acting Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations Cherith Norman Chalet said this during the UN Security Council session. She compared the February 18 attack on Zolote with Russia's obnoxious attack on Debaltsevo transport hub in Donetsk region five years ago. "Then, as now, Russian-led forces continue to contravene commitments made by President Putin and Russian officials, and to kill Ukrainians on Ukrainian territory", the diplomat stressed.
Far From Home unveils the first gameplay teaser for their sci-fi, action-survival game coming to Steam Early Access in 2022 and later to consoles.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Blucora, Inc. (BCOR) said, for the first quarter, the company expects non-GAAP net income per share to be between $1.52 to $1.64; and revenues to be between $271.0 million and $281.5 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect the company to report profit per share of $1.57 on revenue of $288.39 million. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. Fourth-quarter non GAAP loss per share was $0.10 compared to a loss of $0.16, previous year. On average, four analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report a loss per share of $0.22, for the quarter. Fourth-quarter total revenue was $149.4 million, an increase of 47% over previous year. Analysts expected revenue of $150.11 million for the quarter. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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.
DIY investment platform Interactive Investor has revealed its average Isa millionaire account is powered by a much larger weighting towards investment trusts than funds.

These bigger accounts have 46 per cent in closed-ended funds on average, with only 7 per cent of their portfolios in their open-ended counterparts.

The most widely held trusts are the 2.8billion Alliance Trust, 9.3billion Scottish Mortgage, 1.9billion Witan and 1.7billion City of London investment trusts.

II has found its average Isa millionaire account is powered by a larger weighting to trusts

Investment trusts are known for being long-term, 'buy-and-hold' vehicles, and they have historically outperformed their open-ended counterparts on average - though investors should remember past performance is not an indicator of future performance.

According to II, the average UK All Companies investment trust has outperformed its fund equivalent by 1.8 per cent per year over the last decade while the average Global investment trust has beaten its fund equivalent by nearly 1.5 per cent per year.

Rebecca O'Keeffe, head of investment at Interactive Investor, said the significant proportion of holdings in investment trusts is a 'standout point'.

'Investment trusts are often overlooked in favour of open-ended funds,' she added.

'While Interactive Investor have long appreciated the benefits of all types of investment, trusts have traditionally not appeared on other high profile rated lists, a serious oversight that needs rectifying, which may in part explain why they are less popular in general.'

'However, for those in the know, they are a highly attractive option. They won't always outperform funds, and in a falling market they will tend to lag behind, but over the long-term they have a track record of adding significant value.'

'Outperformance of one or two percentage points a year might not sound like a lot, but the compound effect of this annual additional return as the years roll by can make a huge difference.'

Interactive Investor Isa millionaires v average Interactive Investor Isa portfolio Asset type Average Isa millionaire portfolio Average Isa account Equity 39% 35.50% Investment Trust 46% 27.80% Unit Trust 7% 21.70% Cash 4% 9.80% Exchange Traded Product (ETP) 3% 4.50% Bonds 0.50% 0.40% Other 0.40% 0.2 Source: Interactive Investor

Of course today's Isa millionaires have the luxury of being able to use their full Isa allowance each year, currently 20,000, but with an average age of 72, most would have started off investing via Personal Equity Plans (PEPs).

'So, if there is one thing that we can learn from Isa millionaires  whatever our budget  it is the benefit of patience and the fact that time is an investor's best friend,' O'Keeffe said.

Investment trusts have narrowed significantly over the past ten years and have been in somewhat of a bull market since the financial crash, so the sector's ten year figures, understandably, look particularly attractive.

The most popular holdings of the average Isa millionaire at II Funds Fundsmith Equity Lindsell Train Global Equity BNY Mellon Asian Income fund Vanguard US Index Lindsell Train UK Equity Investment trusts Alliance Trust Scottish Mortgage Witan City of London Law Debenture Stocks Royal Dutch Shell GlaxoSmithKline Lloyds Banking Group BP National Grid

However, O'Keeffe argues that their outperformance also extends to 15 and 20 years.

She added: 'The structure of trusts and their ability to use gearing also contribute to a way of generating additional returns.

'However, it is also true to say that there are times when investment trusts underperform. Volatile markets tend to see the sector fall disproportionately, so as always with investing, it is buyer beware.'

How do you become an Isa millionaire?

So how has the average II Isa millionaire made their million?

According to II, they have made an average of 24 trades a year, with an average trade size of 23,602.

They also have an average of 28 lines of stock.

By comparison, the average Isa customer on the II platform trades 9 times over the same time period, with an average of 8 lines of stock.

The length of time it has taken to become an Isa millionaire varies as that is determined by the amount invested and the investment return.

The platform found that if you were to start investing now with the full 20,000 Isa allowance, and your investment saw 5 per cent annual growth excluding fees, it would take 25 years to reach the 1million mark - 1,002,269.08 to be exact.

Meanwhile if your investments grew by 7 per cent net of fees, you could trim three years off that period, achieving 1,048,722.82 in 22 years.

But if your investment experienced annual growth of just 3 per cent, it would take 31 years to reach a seven-figure sum.

O'Keeffe added: 'Most of us won't get to be an Isa millionaire, but there is no harm in aspiring to good things. The key is to get started as early as possible and try to invest the maximum amount you can afford.

'You also need to try and find the right balance of investments where you take enough risk over the long term but are still able to sleep at night.'

'Not everyone will want investment trusts to take up almost half of their portfolio. And only experienced investors are likely to want direct equities to take up a large slice of their portfolio too  so it's important to find the right approach for your personal circumstances.'

'This could be looking at the overall balance of your portfolio or drip-feeding money into your Isa on a monthly basis. There are a range of places to get ideas and find starter investments, including rated or quick start lists.'
SPRINGFIELD  A group of Republican lawmakers said Tuesday they want to see internal reforms at the Department of Children and Family Services in addition to the increased funding that Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to propose.

Pritzker is scheduled to deliver his annual budget address to the General Assembly at noon Wednesday. During that speech, he is expected to call for a $147 million increase in funding for DCFS, the states primary child welfare agency, with much of that money going toward hiring more investigators to relieve the workload of caseworkers.

I think most of us arent opposed to investing more money in these children, Rep. Tom Weber, R-Lake Villa, said during a news conference at the Capitol.

He noted there are roughly 17,000 children in Illinois in the custody of DCFS and another 19,000 children and young adults are former foster children.

I have a problem not seeing what the money is going toward, he said.

Weber represents a district that includes Crystal Lake, a town where 5-year-old AJ Freund died last year after reportedly being abused by his parents. His body was found in a shallow grave in nearby Woodstock on April 24. His parents were later charged with murder.

He was one of 123 children in Illinois who died in 2019 within 12 months of having had contact with DCFS, according to a report by the agencys inspector general. Of those, the report stated, 24 were determined to be homicides; 37 were the result of accidents; 34 were due to natural causes; seven were from suicides; and in 21 cases the cause of death was undetermined.

Weber said he believes law enforcement should have more independent authority to investigate reports of suspected child abuse and neglect. Under current law, he said, DCFS has sole jurisdiction except in cases in which the suspect is completely unrelated to the victim.

To address that, Weber said, he introduced House Bill 5281, which would require DCFS to immediately share any report it receives about suspected child abuse or neglect with the appropriate law enforcement agency. That agency, in turn, would have discretion about whether to pursue an independent investigation.

If local law enforcement did have the ability to investigate any case of suspected abuse, in December of 2018 when AJ told an ER doctor that his bruises might have been caused by his mother, he may still be alive today, Weber said.

In addition to Webers bill, Rep. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, introduced a bill, House Bill 5417, that would require people who are mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect  including doctors, teachers, clergy and other licensed professionals  receive training in how to file those reports.

Apparently we passed a law that basically said you had to be trained, but then didnt really do any training on how you make the report, Bryant said.

Meanwhile, Rep. Joe Sosnowski, R-Rockford, has introduced a bill dealing with problems he says exist with child adoptions in Illinois.

House Bill 2335 would provide that a final order of adoption could not be overturned by a court for any reason other than fraud on the part of the adopting family. It would also require that if DCFS decides to withdraw or revoke its consent, it must do so within 60 days of the filing of the adoption petition.

Sosnowski introduced that bill during the 2019 session but so far it has not received a hearing. He said it is a response to an incident reported to him by constituents who were in the process of adopting a child, but just as it was about to be finalized, he said, DCFS tried to halt the adoption, only to reverse course and allow the adoption to go through a few months later.

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SAO PAULO, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

4Q19 Highlights

Free cash flow generation was R$ 2.3 billion in 4Q19, due to the robust release of working capital in the period.

Net debt of R$ 9.8 billion and net debt/EBITDA ratio of 1.67x in 4Q19, the best result since 2011.

Growth of 13% in shipments in the domestic market of the Brazil BD in 4Q19 compared to 4Q18, confirming the recovery in demand, especially in the construction industry.

Additional Information

Gerdau S.A. (NYSE: GGB; B3: GGBR3, GGBR4) informs that it is filling today its 4Q19 results at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and at the Comissao de Valores Mobiliarios (CVM), which are available at Gerdau's website. To access this document, please click on https://ri.gerdau.com/notices-and-results/results-center#2019

The 4Q19 Valuation Guide is also available at Gerdau's website

https://ri.gerdau.com/financial-information/valuation-guide

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AUSTIN, Texas  One of President Donald Trumps clemency actions Tuesday included pardoning the former owner of a Texas construction company who pleaded guilty to underpaying his taxes and whose family has donated to Republicans, including the presidents reelection campaign last year.

Paul Pogue, who founded Pogue Construction near Dallas, was among 11 people pardoned during a clemency blitz that included Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and former New York Police Department commissioner Bernie Kerik.

Pogue pleaded guilty in 2010 to filing a false tax return. He was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a $250,000 fine and more than $473,000 in restitution.

Among those who advocated for Pogues clemency, according to a White House statement, were former Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. When Santorum ran for president in 2016, Pogue was a member of his national finance committee.

In Texas, Pogue gave $10,000 to help Paxton fight felony charges of securities fraud that have shadowed him since taking office in 2015. Paxton has pleaded not guilty and the case has been at a standstill for years. Campaign finance records also show that Pogue has donated to other GOP officeholders in Texas, including former Gov. Rick Perry and state Sen. Angela Paxton, the attorney generals wife.

A messages left for Pogue through his former company was not immediately returned Tuesday. A Paxton spokesman did not return messages about the attorney generals support.

The White House highlighted Pogues charity efforts, saying they provided critical support to Texas during Hurricane Harvey. For more than 30 years, he has provided significant humanitarian aid to countries around the world, including Africa, India, and Mexico, all while continuing to help his fellow Americans in times of need, the statement said.

Pogue Construction is now run by Ben Pogue, Paul Pogues son, who donated $85,000 last year to Trump Victory, the joint fundraising committee for the presidents reelection campaign and Republican National Committee. Ben Pogue also maxed out to the Trump presidential campaign, giving $5,600 in August 2019.
(Bloomberg) -- Twitter Inc. is acquiring Chroma Labs, a seven-person startup that was founded by former Facebook and Instagram employees for building photo and video-editing features.

Chroma Labs was launched last fall with an app that lets people edit photos and videos before sharing them on the Stories features inside other apps, like Instagram or Snap Inc.s Snapchat. The company is joining Twitter to give people more creative ways to express themselves in conversations, said Twitters head of product, Kayvon Beykpour, in a tweet. A Twitter spokesman declined to comment on deal terms.

John Barnett, Alex Li and Joshua Harris, Chroma Labs co-founders, worked on products at Facebook Inc. before setting out on their own to build a company around creative editing tools. While at Facebook, the groups members were involved in projects such as Instagram Stories, augmented-reality camera effects and Oculus virtual-reality headsets. Early investors in the San Mateo, California-based startup include Index Ventures, Sweet Capital and Combine VC.

Twitter has said that improving conversations on the social-media service is a top priority. In recent weeks, the San Francisco-based company has changed the way some user interactions appear in the app and has added the ability to respond to direct messages with emojis. Twitter hasnt unveiled a Stories-like product for disappearing posts, though it introduced some camera features like tags and labels last year.

[We] built Chroma Labs and many successful products together to inspire creativity and help people tell their visual stories, Barnett said in a statement. We look forward to continuing this mission at a larger scale with one of the most important services in the world.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kurt Wagner in San Francisco at kwagner71@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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Linkedin A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil and Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Medan  Wed, February 19, 2020 16:05 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2065740f7 1 National census,population,#population,#census,online-census,#online-census,2020-census,#2020-census Free

The 2020 population census by Statistics Indonesia (BPS) has started. The online phase, which is expected to ease access for public participation across the country, has begun, but glitches have plagued the launch.

Less than a week after the online census started, some residents, such as those in North Sumatra where authorities aim to have 20 percent of North Sumatra residents, or 3 million people, taking part in the online census, encountered slow webpage loading when people attempted to fill in the online form.

Mukhamad Mukhanit from BPS North Sumatra office said it was because the servers unexpectedly became overloaded when multiple people accessed the website at the same time.

"We received many complaints, including slow webpage load times and downed connections. We have forwarded these concerns [to the BPS central office]," he said on Sunday.

Unlike past censuses, the 2020 census uses both door-to-door interviews and an online platform, the first ever the decennial census has gone digital since its inception in 1961.

The online census is available from Feb. 15 to March 31 via sensus.bps.go.id. Citizens need their family card (KK) and ID card (NIK) numbers to complete the online registration process. The online census will be followed by a door-to-door census and phone interviews in July for those who do not or cannot access the online census.

The online questionnaire has a total of 22 questions, ranging from the registrant's name, date of birth, place of birth, religion, education level and occupation. The online census also asks residents for their current address as well as the address on their ID card, even if they currently reside and work elsewhere.

Its not that past censuses were inaccurate, only that they have different definitions [of residencies], said BPS spokeswoman Endang Retno Sri Subiya Andani.

This year is also the first such census to use existing civil registration data from the Home Ministry.

The census, Endang said, would also be used to update the civil registration data. Citizens who are found to have no civil documents during field interviews will be referred to the Home Ministry for registration.

Amelia Rizky, a 20-year-old college student in West Jakarta has filled in the online census for her family, including her mother and father, who have just moved from their first house in Tangerang, Banten  which is also their current ID card address  to a newly purchased second house in West Jakarta. The family opted for the online census as they did not want to change their ID card addresses.

With only one login ID we can complete [the census] for the whole family, so we dont have to repeat it again. It also caters to the needs of people with current addresses different from their ID card addresses, like us, Amelia said.

Security was the only concern for Amelia when entering her familys information on the online form.

Nowadays, data theft is a major concern, and here [on the online census], we are talking about birth certificates, employment and other sensitive data, she said. But what can we do, its an [important] census.

The online census comes amid the absence of data protection laws in Indonesia.

The BPS has been working with the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN) and Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), among other institutions, to ensure data security and privacy during the online registration process.

Wahyudi Djafar, a researcher at the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM), said that although the online census had received a pass from the BSSN, it does not mean that BPS, as the data holder, does not need to take additional precautions to protect the data.

The system may be safe, but there is still a possibility [of a data breach], Wahyudi said.

The BPS has set a budget of Rp 4 trillion (US$ 292.9 million) for the 2020 census, compared to the reported Rp 3.3 trillion in 2010.

Endang said the ongoing online census was predicted to help reduce the number of field workers for the coming door-to-door interview. BPS is planning to hire around 390,000 volunteers starting in early April to help with the 2020 census fieldwork in July.

Our initial target is to have 23 percent of the census carried out online nationwide. If we can reach more than that, it would even reduce the cost of the census.

The 2020 census is expected to help Indonesia keep track of its demographic dividend, that the country is expected to benefit from with its huge working-age population  projected to reach 70 percent of the total population by 2030.

A 2015 intercensal survey projected that Indonesia would have a population of around 266.9 million in 2019, which may leap to 319 million by 2045.

University of Indonesia (UI) Demographic Institute associate director I Dewa Gede Karma Wisana said the 2020 census was a step to improve demographic analysis because it now integrated and compared data from the census with existing registration data.

With that data integration, we can expect better policy interventions from the central government and regional administrations, he said, adding that census data was usually used for long or medium-term development plans while the registration data was used for immediate policy making.
She returned to New York from a Jamaican getaway just days ago.

And jet-setting model Emily Ratajkowski was spotted in Milan, Italy, during its Fashion Week on Wednesday.

The Gone Girl actress, 28, put on a racy display as she appeared to go braless in a plunging leather-look trench coat.

She's landed! Jet-setting model Emily Ratajkowski was spotted in Milan, Italy, during its Fashion Week on Wednesday

Emily teamed the statement item of clothing with a pair of red snakeskin patterned knee-high heeled boots.

Adding some finishing touches, the star opted for a pair of tortoise shell patterned pointed sunglasses.

Emily styled her brunette locks into a sleek blow-dried hairdo, she added a slick of glamorous nude make-up to enhance her stunning features.

Work it: The Gone Girl actress, 28, put on a racy display as she appeared to go braless in a plunging leather-look trench coat

Statement: Emily teamed the statement item of clothing with a pair of red snakeskin patterned knee-high heeled boots

Glamorous: Emily styled her brunette locks into a sleek blow-dried hairdo, she added a slick of glamorous nude make-up to enhance her stunning features

The star used the pavement as her catwalk as she posed up a storm in her outfit for Milan Fashion Week, which kicked off on Tuesday and runs until Monday.

Emily was recently in Jamaica on Valentine's Day with her husband, the hunky Uncut Gems producer Sebastian Bear-McClard.

They were joined by their pal Josh Ostrovsky and his new influencer second wife Caitlin King.

Josh, a.k.a his Instagram handle @thefatjewish, celebrated his 38th birthday on Tuesday and Emily made sure to mark the occasion on Insta Stories with some snaps from Jamaica.

She included a shot of him throwing her over his shoulder on the beach, writing: 'and even though you're now skinny really glad you can still do this.'

Emily recently starred in a Super Bowl block-party themed advert for Babe, Josh's canned Rose brand for which she is 'Chief Of Taste.'

Holiday: Emily and her husband Sebastian Bear-McClard just spent Valentine's Day in Jamaica with Josh Ostrovsky and his influencer second wife Caitlin King

Josh and Emily co-starred in the ad with none other than Diplo, the DJ and songwriter whose real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz.

Emily got married in February 2018 after a whirlwind romance and engagement to Sebastian.

She made a splash with her surprise courthouse marriage to Sebastian in New York City, wearing a $200 (154) Zara trouser suit.
A Brazilian Instagram influencer and porn star who allegedly took intimate photos of a man then uploaded them to the internet is facing 13 revenge porn charges.

Fabricio Da Silva Claudino, 31, arrived in Australia in July last year on a tourist visa. Images from an Instagram page followed by almost 30,000 people show him visiting tourist destinations including Kangaroo Valley, Bondi Beach and Mollymook.

Fabricio Da Silva Claudino is facing 13 revenge porn charges. Credit:Instagram

"Happy 2020! May this new decade be as amazing as the last one!" the ex-Emirates employee wrote alongside photos of himself ringing in the New Year.

"Thanks babes for the great start of a new decade, Im happy and greateful (sic) being able for to share with these amazing friends and every part of it was special!"
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tore into the Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday by trashing their charges against him on issues of crime and women empowerment.

Without naming his political rivals, the chief minister recalled how in the past the Samajwadi Party lawmakers "used to throw paper balls" at the podium during the governor's customary address to the House, thereby denigrating the exalted constitutional post.

"Those (parties) who have been insulting the Constitution are today trying to preach us the Constitution. Better they keep off or they will be badly exposed," he warned.

He made the hard-hitting remarks while wrapping up the discussion on the governor's address to the joint sitting of the UP Legislature on the opening day of the budget session last Thursday.

In an apparent reference to former chief minister and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, Adityanath recalled his "ladke, ladke hain" remarks and ridiculed his party for speaking about women empowerment.

While opposing capital punishment for rape, Mulayam had sparked an outrage by saying "ladke, ladke hain...galti ho jati hai (boys will be boys...they commit mistakes)."



He also cited the police firing on 'karsevaks' gathered in Ayodhya on October 30, 1990, when Mulayam was the chief minister. The firing had earned him the nickname of 'Mullah Mulayam'.

The chief minister then trained his guns at the Congress, referring to the infamous "tandoor case" in which former Youth Congress leader Sushil Sharma spent 23 years in the Tihar jail for killing his wife Naina Sahni and then trying to dispose of her body in a tandoor in 1995 on the roof of erstwhile 4-star hotel Ashok Yatri Niwas in New Delhi.

"These parties have the cheek to call themselves champions of women empowerment," he said.

The chief minister said when the governor spoke on 'Ram Rajya' in her address, it did not have any religious connotations.

"It takes time to cleanse the system, age-old garbage cannot be removed overnight," he said and listed the major achievements of his government during the past three years, especially in the areas of law and order, infrastructure, economy, agriculture, education and health.

Referring to the agitation against the amended citizenship law, Adityanath asserted that no trouble-maker died due to police bullet and claimed that they died in firing among themselves.

"Upadravi, upadravi ki goli se marey hain," (the trouble-makers died from bullet of another trouble-maker)," he explained.

"Police should be appreciated. If someone is coming to die, how can he be alive. If someone comes out to kill an innocent person and he is challenged by police, then either he or the policemen has to die. No one died of police bullet. A big conspiracy was revealed behind anti-CAA protests," he said.

"Terror funding of the PFI, which is another name of SIMI, came to the fore. Any sympathy for them means, support to the PFI and SIMI. Those who do 'gaddari' (treason) with country, will have 'gumnam maut'," he said.

Sharing data, he claimed that the crime rate has come down during his regime.

The 47-year-old saffron robed chief minister went hi-tech using his iPad to refer to the NCRB statistics on crime in UP.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Officers in protective gear speak to an elderly man who fled quarantine in an attempt to reach Shenzhen. South China Morning Post



By Clifford Lo





An 81-year-old man ordered to stay at home after returning to the city from mainland China became the latest Hongkonger to flee quarantine on Tuesday, only to be intercepted hours later on a double-decker bus headed towards Shenzhen.



The border run came as health authorities revealed that six other Hongkongers under home quarantine had been intercepted in separate cases while attempting to leave the city for the mainland or Macau. Two of the six were issued summonses, the first such prosecutions since new compulsory quarantine measures kicked in on February 8.



Meanwhile, the government has purchased 170 new smartphones to help them track the whereabouts of those under quarantine.



One government insider involved in quarantine arrangements told the Post the phones had been given to both civil servants and those confined. "They have been using brand new Samsung and Xiaomi phones," the source said.



The spokesman for the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer confirmed to the Post that about HK$260,000 had been spent to purchase what he called "basic smart phones" to check the locations of confinees and conduct video conferencing with them.



"The unit price of the smart phones is around $1,500, with a monthly subscription charge of $58," the spokesman said in a reply on Tuesday, adding that the purchases were made under existing contracts with suppliers.





Workers in protective gear sanitise the area around a bus terminal where an elderly man who fled quarantine was intercepted on February 18. South China Morning Post



"These devices will be redeployed for other uses upon completion of the current home quarantine work."



The elderly resident in the latest quarantine violation case left his home in Lam Tin at about 7am, then switched to a KMB vehicle at about 10am, according to a police source. He was attempting to reach the Shenzhen Bay control point and return to the mainland.



"The bus driver was alerted by a passenger who realised the man was fleeing quarantine after overhearing him speaking to his son over the phone," the source said.



The driver then drove the bus back to the terminal at Ching Ho Estate in Sheung Shui and called police.



In response to the call, two officers wearing protective gear were among a team sent to the scene.



"The elderly man told our officers that he wanted to go to Shenzhen, where he usually stays," the source said.



The man had been brought back to Hong Kong by his son last week as fears mounted amid the coronavirus outbreak. As a resident, he was then ordered to self-quarantine at home under the new government policy for cross-border travellers.





A man wearing face mask walks on a street in Hong Kong Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020. AP-Yonap
[February 18, 2020] New Menacing World Boss Nouver Unleashed in Black Desert Mobile

SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pearl Abyss today announced that the ferocious World Boss Nouver has arrived in Black Desert Mobile. Adventurers can now fight an entirely new boss that requires next-level mechanics and advanced skills to topple. Nouver is a World Boss that embodies the fury of the desert. Only Adventurers that are level 55 or above will be able to battle this terrifying dragon. Those who wish to challenge Nouver are recommended to prepare for a gruelling fight and to plan on how to dodge Nouver's powerful attacks in advance. Adventurers that defeat Nouver will be given the chance to acquire Sub-Weapons up to Abyssal grade. Gran Black Stones will also be dropped at a higher rate than other World Bosses. Abyssal Sub-Weapons are undoubtedly one of the best offensive weapons found in the world of Black Desert Mobile. These powerful weapons will maximize Adventurers' AP and DP and help them gain greater fame and glory.



In addition to Nouver, higher-grade Mystical gear can now be crafted in Black Desert Mobile. Adventurers can use basic materials to craft higher-grade Mystical gear that can be equipped with as many as 2 Crystals. Furthermore, the Ascension update will take place next week, which will enable Adventurers to further enhance their classes. In the meantime, various pre-update events are running this week where special rewards will be given for defeating set numbers of monsters and completing quests.

Find more information about Black Desert Mobile on the official website at http://www.world.blackdesertm.com . About Pearl Abyss Established in 2010, Pearl Abyss has since developed Black Desert for PC, mobile, and console, and is developing Shadow Arena for PC and console. All of Pearl Abyss' games are built on their own proprietary engine and are renowned for their cutting-edge graphics. The company also is developing Crimson Desert, DokeV, and PLAN 8 and is poised to continue its growth through 2020 and maintain its position as one of Asia's leaders in game development. More information about Pearl Abyss is available at: www.pearlabyss.com . Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200218/2723037-1 SOURCE Pearl Abyss

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The question of which Democratic candidate for president would be best for the arts is far more complicated that it first appears. (What does best mean? What does the arts mean?) But lets take a look at each of the major Democratic hopefuls. Note that while none of these candidates has advocated for the abolition of most federal arts funding, as with the current president, statements about the arts have been relatively thin on the ground.
LIMERICK ham could be given European protection under proposals from the directors of a new food strategy for the region.

At this months economic committee meeting, James Burke, who is responsible for the Limerick Food Strategy revealed its plans for 2020.

These include the Explore Limerick Ham Project, which will see a European designation placed on our own unique product.

The Protected Designation of Origin identifies a product originating in a specific place, region or country.

Limerick ham could join the ranks of Parma ham and Cornish pasties as being something unique to this area.

Fine Gaels northside councillor Olivia OSullivan, who is a founder member of the Limerick Food Group, said there needs to be more cross-promotion of the citys food offering.

She suggested a tourism food trail.

We have restaurants and hotels working hard to get local produce onto local menus for the taste the place experience like the Limerick Afternoon Tea in the Strand Hotel  there is huge work going on. But what is missing is a tourism product or mechanism to link all their great work together in one offering such as a Limerick food trail. Every food destination in the country has one, Cllr OSullivan told the meeting.

Calls were made to support the Limerick Milk Market  described by Cllr OSullivan as one of Irelands premier food attractions.

Cllr James Collins, Fianna Fail, said: We need to get behind the Milk Market and put it on a sound financial footing.

Fine Gael councillor Daniel Butler said the onus must also be on getting local people eating local food.

When we look at local food, we need to ask how can we get local families to buy local produce, he explained.

The proliferation of cheap, or low-cost meat in supermarkets was raised by a number of municipal councillors, including Cllr Liam Galvin  a farmer by trade  alongside Cllrs Stephen Keary and Bridie Collins.

This, they claimed, put local farmers under pressure. They should be supported by the food strategy, they added.

How are we supposed to compete, asked Cllr John Egan.

Cllr Butler suggested the council put in place a designation scheme for restaurants which serve local foods.

We need to tell the story of Limerick Food a lot more. Its a really good story to tell, he said.

Other plans for the year as part of the Limerick Food Strategy, Mr Burke told councillors, are to launch a new map promoting West Limerick as a food destination, bringing in local chef demonstrations at this summers Limerick Show, and a major food seminar in April.

Training for small firms will also be provided.
 Close Trump incorrectly states he is the 'chief law enforcement officer' of the United States

Donald Trump reportedly advised conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh not to apologise to Democratic 2020 contender Pete Buttigieg after saying America is not ready for a gay president kissing his husband on the world stage, prompting the candidate to mock Trump over his affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.

The president is touring the western swing states of Nevada, California and Arizona this week with one eye on November but caused offence to the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco overnight by suggesting both are suffering from widespread drug addiction and homelessness.

Trump is meanwhile also facing criticism for pardoning 11 white collar criminals  including ex-Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, whom he once fired from The Celebrity Apprentice over a Harry Potter controversy  a decision that provoked fresh concern about the president exceeding the powers of his office and moved former acting solicitor general Neal Katyal to reassure the public: The law will find a way to catch up with him.

Meanwhile, sparring between Mike Bloomberg and the leading Democratic candidates erupted hours before Wednesday night's debate, previewing what's expected to be a tense night as the billionaire businessman meets his rivals onstage for the first time.

Both Bernie Sanders' and Joe Biden's campaigns took aim at Mr Bloomberg, the former raising questions about the 78-year-old's health and the latter pointing out reversals in Mr Bloomberg's stances on key issues.

Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Show all 18 1 /18 Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Jessica Canicosa, a precinct captain for Bernie Sanders, waits to greet caucus voters at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Hotel workers at the Bellagio in Las Vegas get to grips with voting papers during the Nevada caucuses AFP via Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A caricature of Bernie Sanders is projected on to a tree during a rally in Las Vegas EPA Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A woman waits to have a photo taken with Elizabeth Warren during a town hall meeting in Las Vegas REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures The threat of coronavirus and other germ-borne illnesses was on some voters' minds at the Democratic caucuses in Henderson, Nevada Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Former vice-president Joe Biden takes a selfie with a voter in Las Vegas ahead of the Nevada caucuses REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Amy Klobuchar changes her shoes backstage after giving a speech in Exeter, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A warmly-wrapped-up dog attends an Elizabeth Warren event at Amherst Elementary School in Nashua, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Bernie Sanders, who romped to victory in New Hampshire against Hillary Clinton in 2016, talks to the media in Manchester Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden was hoping to improve on his poor showing in Iowa in the New Hampshire primary Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren, renowned for giving time to supporters for selfies, works the crowd at the University of New Hampshire in Durham Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden takes a selfie with a supporter and his child outside a campaign event in Somersworth, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders quarrel after a confrontation in a TV debate in which Sanders claimed that Warren was not telling the truth about a conversation in which she claimed he had said a woman could not win the presidency on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Supporter Pat Provencher listens to Pete Buttigieg in Laconia, New Hampshire on 4 February Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire while awaiting the results of the Iowa caucus Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren is presented with a balloon effigy of herself at a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A Trump supporter rides past a rally for Amy Klobuchar in Des Moines, Iowa on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A man holds up a sign criticising billionaires in the presidential race in front of Michael Bloomberg in Compton, Califronia. The former New York mayor skipped the first caucus in Iowa and instead campaigned in California on 3 February Reuters

The attacks underscore how seriously Democrats are taking the former New York mayor's campaign, now that he's rocketed to double-digit support in national polls and qualified for the next two debates.

Mr Bloomberg, who formally registered as a Democrat in 2018, has faced relatively little national scrutiny in his surprisingly swift rise from nonpartisan megadonor to top-tier presidential contender.

Recommended Trump attacks decline of San Francisco and LA

On CNN Wednesday morning, Mr Sanders' national press secretary Briahna Joy Gray tried to rebut questions surrounding the Vermont senator's health by pointing to Mr Bloomberg, who she said had also "suffered heart attacks in the past".

Mr Sanders suffered a heart attack last fall and released letters from doctors attesting to his health. But Mr Bloomberg has never suffered a heart attack; he released a doctors' letter last year that said he did undergo coronary stent surgery in 2000.

Ms Gray later walked back her statement, saying on Twitter that she "misspoke" about Mr Bloomberg's health.

Separately, the Biden campaign took on Mr Bloomberg over ads the former mayor is running that feature shots of him working closely with former President Barack Obama.

The Biden campaign posted a video to Twitter highlighting past comments Mr Bloomberg made criticising Mr Obama on health care and climate change and accusing him of failing to address racism during his term. The video also includes a clip of Mr Bloomberg declaring "I'm a friend of Donald Trump's, he's a New York icon."

Additional reporting by Associated Press. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
Vijay Sharma, Director, Jindal Stainless

live bse live

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Even as the coronavirus outbreak in China has disrupted the demand-supply dynamics of nearly every commodity, the stainless steel industry in India may be staring at multiple outcomes.

"It is clear that the outbreak has already had an adverse impact on sectors such auto, pharma and white goods. It is going to be weeks, or months, before normalcy comes about," said Vijay Sharma, Director, Jindal Stainless Ltd, the largest stainless steel producer in the country.

But when it comes to stainless steel, there could be different scenarios.

Like other sectors that are bracing for a shortage in spare parts, the stainless steel industry is also facing a similar prospect. "There are certain raw materials that we source from China. These include ferro-alloy and electrodes," said Sharma.

The company is preparing for a scenario where spare parts from China could become scarce.

The import scenario

The most important scenario though would be the impact on demand and supply of stainless, and eventually on the prices.

Like in steel, China is also the largest producer of stainless steel in the world. In 2018, it produced nearly 27 million tons of stainless steel, about 53 percent of the world output.

This also means that China exports whatever it doesn't consume. The country also exported to India.

"But there have been remedial measures (like duties) against Chinese imports since 2017, and that is why Chinese imports have reduced," said Sharma.

In 2016-17, up to 45 percent of stainless steel imports to India came from China. "That percentage has come down dramatically," added the senior Jindal Stainless executive who is in charge of national and international sales, corporate affairs and strategy, and business development.

But that doesn't mean Chinese imports don't find their way into Indian shores. "There is circumvention of Chinese imports from ASEAN countries, especially Vietnam," said Sharma. India has a free trade agreement with ASEAN countries, and other nations such as Japan and South Korea.

In the first nine months of the present financial year, share of these FTA countries in the total stainless steel imports to India increased to 73 percent, from 26 percent in 2016-17. Overall, imports of stainless steel have increased by 40 percent over the same period.

Interestingly, the highest increase has been from Indonesia, where from imports to India have jumped by 73 times in the last two years, said Sharma.

The imports have had an impact on the financials of Jindal Stainless and its unit Jindal Stainless Hisar.

So what does the coronavirus outbreak mean? Will low economic activity in China mean that more stainless steel will hit the international market?

It may seem so, as China already produces more stainless steel than it consumes. "There is excess capacity of about 40 percent in China," said Sharma.

Reports from China added that stainless steel inventories are at record levels.

But Sharma opines that this doesn't necessarily mean that Chinese imports will flood the Indian markets. "At the moment, information from China is not clear. But if there is low economic activity, then there will be production cut too," he added.

Chinese steel companies, for instance, are mulling production cuts as inventories pile up and raw materials become scarce.

It may take a few more weeks to understand the full impact of the outbreak on Chinese imports.

Advantage

At the same time, there could be one advantage for Indian companies.

Jindal Stainless, for instance, exports 20 percent of its production, mostly to Europe, South East Asia and Middle East. It competes with Chinese companies in these markets.

"If there disruptions in the stainless steel supply chain in China, then it is possible that consumers in Europe and other markets, will look at alternative sources," said Sharma.
This article is part of the Free Speech Project , a collaboration between Future Tense and the Tech, Law, & Security Program at American University Washington College of Law that examines the ways technology is influencing how we think about speech.

On Feb. 24, the Free Speech Project will host an event called Redefining Free Speech for the Digital Age in Washington. For more information and to RSVP, visit the New America website.

Last September, an image of a New York Times headline began circulating online, claiming that Abdullah Abdullah, a candidate for the Afghan presidency, had taken millions of dollars from Pakistan. Though the Times never published such a story, the convincing fake imagecomplete with the font and website designexploited longstanding divisions in Afghan politics during a closely contested presidential election. For its creator, this piece of content became a useful tool for undermining Afghanistans already-fragile politics.

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On Feb. 4, amid growing concern about deepfakesultra-convincing fake images and videos created using AITwitter announced a new set of policies to address synthetic and manipulated media on the platform. Under its new policies, Twitter will examine whether a piece of media content has been altered or fabricated, if it has been shared in a deceptive manner, and if it is likely to impact public safety or cause serious harm. The policies also attempt to establish guidelines to gauge a users intent to deceive.

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Tweets that violate these guidelines may be labeled, and users may be warned before they interact with manipulated content. But according to Axios Kyle Daly, Twitters policies set a high bar for removing manipulated content from the platform. Even fabricated content may remain on the platform if it doesnt check all of Twitters boxes. The Verges Adi Robertson wrote that this framework seems aimed at addressing specific high-profile problems on the platform, not running a scorched-Earth campaign against fake photos and video.

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In particular, Twitters new rules do not adequately address a particularly infectious form of manipulated content: fabricated images of webpages using popular browser features like Google Chromes DevTools and Safaris Web Inspector that let even inexperienced users create highly convincing fake images of webpages. Take another example from 2018, when Twitter user Shawn Usher posted what appeared to be a screenshot of a 2015 tweet posted by Donald Trump, in which the future president purportedly declared, If the Dow Joans ever falls more than 1000 points in a Single Day the sitting president should be loaded into a very big cannon and Shot into the sun at TREMENDOUS SPEED! No excuses! More than 4,000 Twitter users shared Ushers image falsely depicting a tweet the president never actually posted.

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That tweet and the manipulated New York Times headline are alarming, but its hard to know how Twitter would handle those cases under its new policies. While Twitter would likely conclude that the content was shared in a deceptive manner, it is unclear whether it would consider the images to be significantly and deceptively altered or fabricated. Maybe the images would stay up on the platform, maybe they wouldnt. This ambiguity highlights a key weakness in Twitters otherwise encouraging changes. The platform should build on their new policies by not only identifying which specific forms of manipulated media are subject to their guidelines, but explicitly listing fake content produced using web developer tools.

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Armed with an accessible set of instructions, a relatively skilled internet user can create detailed imitations of web pages and distribute them across online platforms. These fabricated web pages could take advantage of social media audiences most innate psychological vulnerabilities. As the U.S. election season progresses, the twisted incentives to produce manipulated content will likely grow. The urgency and complexity of this problem requires considering a range of approaches to combating this highly infectious strain of disinformation. Twitters new approach to policing manipulated media represents a partial step forwardbut it must continue adjusting these policies as new forms of manipulated media emerge.

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There are no quick solutions here. But there are viable ways to combat this form of manipulated content. In the immediate term, members of the press, especially media outlets that emphasize technology coverage, should pay close attention to cases where fake web page imitations emerge and travel widely across the internet. Studying these early incidentsand even debunking manipulated images that target media organizations and public figureswill help policymakers, tech companies, and media outlets better understand which malign actors have realized the potential of features like DevTools and Web Inspector to spread disinformation.

Facebook recently announced its own policy on manipulated media, pledging to remove content that is edited or synthesized with artificial intelligence or machine learning, while excluding content made for parody or satire. Twitters new manipulated media policy offers clearer standards than those set by Facebook, but neither company should tackle this problem alone. In a recent report, our colleague Kara Frederick wrote that tech companies should build an enduring disinformation-related consortium, with the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism as the template. A consortium like this, Frederick wrote, would allow social media companies to maintain a shared database of fake images and videos, or hash, in order to prevent disinformation outbreaks on one platform from traveling to new hosts. In the medium-term, a counter-disinformation consortium would help social media companies fight this unique form of manipulated media together and would encourage companies to work toward building a common set of content standards. Companies like Google and Apple should also consider whether the risks of making DevTools and Web Inspector so easily accessible to everyday users outweigh the features advantages.

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Finally, social media companies should consider addressing one of the most crucial force-multipliers for online disinformation: speed. In November 2018, Justin Kosslyn, then at Jigsaw, wrote that it is time to abandon our groupthink bias against friction as a design principle when it comes to the internet. Social media platforms could adopt some form of the pause button advocated by Jonathan Rauch, as well as other features that could slow the spread of a disinformation outbreak. Twitters new policy includes the possibility of warning users before they share or engage with content labeled as altered or fabricated. Whether this measure helps counter fabricated content created with things like Devtools will depend on how Twitter ultimately interprets its definition of manipulated media. In the end, the sheer speed of the platforms will enable online users with their own biases and vulnerabilities to share disinformation at a harmful pace. Social media companies must weigh the advantages of that speed against the disadvantages of rapidly spreading disinformation.

While Twitter and Facebooks new policies on manipulated media represent an imperfect step forward, the platforms efforts to combat fake content must not stop there. Opportunities for malign actors to exploit users vulnerabilities are growing as quickly as the tools to create manipulated content are advancing and adapting. It is unlikely that the fabricated New York Times headline decisively impacted the outcome of the Afghan election. In the future, other fragile political environments may not be so fortunate.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
19.02.2020 LISTEN

Sugardemministries, a non-governmental organization has started a national campaign dubbed "Rescue The Perishing" to demystify Caesarean sections.

They seek to encourage expectant mothers and other stakeholders to put in place deliberate efforts at protecting the lives of both mother and child by leaving matters of labour ward to Doctors and midwives without external influence.

The maiden edition of the life-saving advocacy was held at the Shepherd Congregation Ministry on Sunday, 16th February at Nyamekye junction in Accra.

Speaking to the congregation, the founder of the group Nana Ama Asantewaa Kwarko said: the campaign is an action inspired by the group's research which proves some women choose myths, religious beliefs etc over Caesarean sections at the labour ward putting their lives and the lives of the babies at risk.

Also speaking to the congregation, Madam Adwoa Konadu Owusu- Adjei, a paediatric nurse specialist said breech, uterinerupture,cephalopelvic disproportion, preeclampsia and some other critical medical conditions can make a doctor recommend a cesarean delivery to save the lives of both mother and child.

Mrs Roselyn Asante, the advocacy director of the group pleaded with men not to abandon their wives at the hospital after caesarean sections.

Members of the church were elated and applauded the group for this wonderful initiative.
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The officers took off their vests and laid on the icy ground along the path. Coleman reached down and grabbed the man by his belt while Jonas held onto Coleman. With a Fire Department rescuer who had arrived, they were able to lift the man out of the water.
The headquarters for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are in Atlanta, Georgia, the government's top health authorities are in Washington, DC, but the 13 'high risk' evacuees from a coronavirus outbreak are in Nebraska.

Of all places, why are 13 people potentially exposed to a viral outbreak being treated and observed in Omaha, Nebraska?

Because nearly 20 years ago, a few doctors, public health experts and officials realized that nearly no one was meeting a national need for such specialized care and simply figured: Why not Omaha?

'We all wanted to build a better mousetrap,' said Dr Phil Smith, an infectious disease expert who led the effort to create the biocontainment unit at Nebraska Medical Center.

And, in short, Nebraska's state officials and university offered up a cheap, conveniently location to do just that, and there was no reason for federal health authorities not to take them up on it.

Officials help passengers off a plane to waiting vehicles at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Neb., on Monday, Feb 17, 2020. American citizens who were on a cruise ship off Japan's coast who were at high risk of being exposed to the novel coronavirus were taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus after landing (Z Long/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

After arriving in Omaha, one of the 13 'high risk' evacuees from the cruise ship - whose wife identified him as Carl Goldman - was rushed from the tarmac to the biocontainment unit

The biocontainment unit and an adjacent quarantine facility are suddenly a focus of attention because they're housing people evacuated from a cruise ship in Japan.

Nearly 60 more people potentially exposed to the virus are also biding their time in quarantine at a Nebraska National Guard base largely because of its proximity to the biocontainment unit, should those under observation develop symptoms needing treatment.

When doctors and officials came up with the idea of creating the unit in Omaha in the early 2000s, not everyone was on board.

'There were a number of skeptics who thought this was overkill,' Smith said.

Back then, the biggest concern was anthrax attacks and severe acute respiratory syndrome, more commonly known as SARS.

Smith said he and others were especially worried about health care workers infected while treating patients with SARS and wanted a place where staff could train more effectively and more safely treat patients during an outbreak.

They saw another advantage in being situated near the sprawling Offutt Air Force Base, given that the military typically would be part of the response to large-scale disease outbreaks.

The state health department supported the idea and offered some funding, and so did the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nebraska Medical Center ponied up enough space for five double rooms in a building with its own air-handling system.

The total cost was roughly $1 million, which Smith said 'in modern terms is amazingly cheap.'

Even after the CDC commissioned the center in 2005, some still questioned devoting so much space to the treatment of patients who might never arrive.

The unit got a trial run in 2014 when it was used to contain and treat an Ebola patient. Nebraska's is one of just three biocontainment units approved to treat people with the virus

Law enforcement vehicles escort Nebraska Medical Center vehicles leaving Eppley Airfield in Omaha on Monday, February 17, 2020. American citizens who were on a cruise ship off Japan's coast who were at high risk of being exposed to the novel coronavirus were flown to Omaha and taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus after landing. (Z Long/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

Officials help passengers off a plane to waiting vehicles at Eppley Airfield in Omaha to escort them to quarantine on Monday, Feb 17, 2020 (Z Long/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

Such criticism was largely quelled when the unit was used to effectively treat an American doctor infected with the deadly Ebola virus in 2014.

Earlier this year, the University of Nebraska Medical Center opened a 20-unit quarantine center within a block of the biocontainment unit, built at a cost of nearly $20 million.

It's this center that is now housing a dozen people who were removed from the Diamond Princess cruise ship and flown back to the US.

Those people are isolated in individual rooms while being monitored for signs of COVID-19.

'Theyre very nice rooms,' said Shelly Schwedhelm, a nurse and executive director of emergency management and biopreparedness at Nebraska Medicine, the health network that includes the Nebraska Medical Center.

'They have Wi-Fi, they have TV, the've got a small refrigerator.

'Just a lot of the amenities you'd have if you were going to a hotel with a lot of engineering controls.'

For now they can't leave the rooms, but Schwedhelm said it's possible they'll be allowed into the halls after more testing.

Seeing the focus on a center he and others dreamed up, Smith said he feels a great sense of pride.

'It vindicates all the work and the lobbying we had to do to keep the idea viable,' he said.
Qatar Airways spends 460.9 million to lift stake in BA owner to 25% A Qatar Airways Boeing 787 airplane is pictured at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome

By Paul Sandle and Alexander Cornwell

LONDON/DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar Airways has bought a $600 million(460.9 million pounds) stake in British Airways-owner IAG <ICAG.L> to increase its holding to 25.1%, strengthening its position ahead of a change in IAG management.

In an endorsement of the Anglo-Spanish group just weeks before its founder Willie Walsh steps down, Qatar said on Wednesday the move showed its support for IAG and its strategy.

Qatar previously held 21.4% of IAG, which also owns Spanish carriers Iberia and Vueling and Ireland's Aer Lingus. IAG's share price has risen by 52% in the last six months.

Qatar increased its holding after IAG lifted restrictions on investments from outside the European Union last month.

IAG, which is registered in Madrid and headquartered in London, capped its equity held outside the EU at 47.5% a year ago to comply with EU ownership rules, a situation that could be further complicated by Britain's departure from the EU.

It said in January non-EU ownership had fallen to 39.5%, so the cap was no longer required.

At 1110 GMT, IAG shares were up 0.8% at 637 pence, giving it a market value of 12.67 billion pounds.

State-owned Qatar Airways, one of the Middle East's biggest carriers, has said its investments in other carriers were mostly for financial purposes. It does not have an IAG board seat.

It bought some of its holdings after the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia banned it from their airspace after a regional political dispute, which Qatar Airways has blamed for its recent losses. It has minority holdings in international carriers Cathay Pacific <0293.HK> and China Southern <600029.SS>, and said earlier this month it was interested in doubling its holding in LATAM Airlines Group <LTM.SN> to 20% and was in talks to buy a 49% stake in Africa's RwandAir. The airline also owns 49% of Air Italy, whose investors this month said was being placed into liquidation because of "persistent and structural market problems". IAG was created by a merger between the British and Spanish flag carriers in 2011, overseen by Walsh, who will step down next month.

Story continues

Luis Gallego, who has led Iberia since 2014, will succeed Walsh, an appointment that analysts said signalled little change of direction for the group.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: "Our investment to date has been highly successful and the announced increase in our shareholding is evidence of our continued support of IAG and its strategy."

The cost of increasing its IAG holding is 465 million pounds, based on the closing price of IAG's shares on Tuesday.

Qatar first invested in IAG in 2015, buying 9.99% of the company, and has steadily increased its holding since then.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle in London and Alexander Cornwell in Dubai; Editing by David Holmes and Mark Potter)
Mahant Nritya Gopal Das was on Wednesday elected president and VHP leader Champat Rai general secretary of the Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teertha Kshetra, set up recently to oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The first meeting of the trust, held at the residence of senior lawyer K Parasaran, also elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi's former principal secretary Nripendra Misra as the head of the temple construction committee of the trust.

Das and Rai were unanimously appointed as members of the trust and were thereafter chosen as its president-cum-managing trustee and general secretary, according to a statement.

Das is chief of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, a trust formed by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), for the construction of the temple, while Rai is a vice-president of the VHP.

The meeting was called to work out the modalities and speed up the process for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Members were of the view that the construction can be started in April. The temple construction will take three-four years, sources said.

"People's sentiments will be honoured and temple construction will be started soon," Das said after the meeting and added that the main model of the Ram temple will be similar to the one planned by the VHP.

Efforts will be made to increase its height and width, he added.

Swami Govinddev Giri of Pune was appointed as treasurer of the trust at the meeting, who was handed over the cheque of Rs five lakh by the Swami Vishwa Prasannatheerth of Pejawar Math in Udupi.

Prasannatheerth is also a member of the trust.

The members of the trust also decided to open an account in Ayodhya's State Bank of India branch for donations for the Ram temple construction, Rai told reporters after the meeting.

During the meeting as many as nine resolutions were passed, including one thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government for their active role in the entire process.

The trustees also remembered all those who sacrificed their lives for this noble cause and passed a resolution in their memory, Rai said.

The 15-member trust was constituted by the Narendra Modi government, after the Supreme Court's landmark verdict on November 9 in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case on which settled the long-festering religious issue and allowed building of a temple at the disputed site where many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born.

Parasaran had led the Hindu side in the court in the case.

Announcement of the formation of the trust was made by Prime Minister Modi in the Lok Sabha.

The government had nominated nine members on the trust including Jagatguru Shankracharya, Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, Prasannatheerth, Yugpurush Paramanand, Govinddev Giri, Vimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra (from royal family of Ayodhaya), Anil Mishra homeopathic doctor from Ayodhaya, Kameshwar Chaupal (laid the first foundation stone and schedule caste member of the trust), Mahant Dinendra Das of Nirmohi Akhara and



Besides them, additional secretary Home Ministry Gyanesh Kumar (as representative of the Centre), Avneesh Awasthy Additional Chief Secretary Uttar Pradesh (as representative of the state government) and Ayodhya District Magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha.

All the 15 members attended the meeting of the trust on Wednesday. The next meeting is likely to be held in a fortnight in Ayodhya.

In a tweet after the meeting, Nadda said he salutes the entire Saint community, social organisations and activists associated with the movement and the people of the country, who played an important role in bringing this struggle of 500 years to its final stage.

"This is a big step towards realising our resolve and feelings towards Ram temple," Nadda said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dublin, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Surgical Robotics Market in India 2019" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The India surgical robotics market was valued at INR 7.02 billion in 2017 and is anticipated to reach INR 26.01 billion in 2024, expanding at a CAGR of 19.8% during the 2019-2024 period.



The Indian healthcare industry started embracing surgical robotics during the mid-2000s. Increase in the number of surgical robots from six in 2009 to around 100 in 2019 has helped to shape up the domestic market for surgical robotics.



The adoption of robotics in surgical intervention has provided enormous impetus to the Indian healthcare sector. Healthcare facilities in Indian cities like Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Kolkata are offering robot-assisted surgical services.



Market Segmentation Based on Application



Based on application, the surgical robotics market is segmented into six segments, namely general surgery, gynecology, urology, orthopedic, cardiac, and others. The general surgery segment dominated the market with a ~31% share in 2018. This segment includes various abdominal surgeries, pediatric surgeries, and surgical oncology. Augmented use of high-precision robotic surgeries in complex procedures, such as surgical oncology, bariatric surgery, and pediatric surgeries has fuelled the growth of the general surgery segment. Gynecology was the second-leading application segment of the market in 2018, followed by the urology and orthopedic segments.



Orthopaedic is estimated to be the fastest-growing application segment, expanding at a CAGR of 25.82% during 2019 to 2024 period. Rising use of surgical robotics has improved the precision and consistency of joint and hip replacement surgeries. Furthermore, the cardiac segment is expected to witness promising growth, owing to increased use of robotic assistance in bypass, cardiac valve surgery, cardiac implants, atrial fibrillation surgery, and cardiac tumor surgeries.



Market Influencers



India has experienced an increased incidence of complex chronic conditions like orthopedic disorders, cardiovascular problems, neurological disorders, and cancer that need high precision surgical intervention. As of 2018, around 1.90 Mn knee and hip replacement procedures have been performed in the country. Growing demand for minimally invasive robotic orthopedic surgeries has driven the surgical robotics market owing to reduced pain and quick recovery time, along with a high success rate.



The significant growth in Indian medical tourism has played an instrumental role in driving the surgical robotics market. The influx of medical tourists in the country grew at an annual rate of around 16% in 2018. India appeared to be a significant destination for robotic surgeries among international patients owing to low cost and low waiting time as compared to countries like the U.S., the U.K., Singapore, and Thailand.



India has embraced surgical robotics at a much slower pace than other developed countries; the prohibitive cost of installation and recurring services were the primary deterrents of the market penetration. The high costs of purchase, disposable supply, and annual maintenance of surgical robots act as significant financial constraints for the adoption.



Furthermore, the robot-assisted surgeries are not covered by the Indian medical insurance providers, which leads to mounting economic burden on patients. However, positive clinical outcomes, and the advancement of technologies such as 3D visualization, single-port systems, fully-wristed instruments, haptic feedback, and artificial intelligence are projected to create lucrative market opportunities.



Competitive Insights



The surgical robotics market in India initially experienced a monopoly with only the presence of the Da Vinci robotic system, provided by Intuitive Surgical. Slowly other global players like CMR Surgical (Versius), Stryker (Mako), Medtronic (Renaissance), Accuray (CyberKnife), and Smith & Nephew (NAVIO PFS) have entered the surgical robotics domain.



Leading healthcare companies (such as Medtronic, Zimmer, and Johnson & Johnson) have been focusing on acquiring small robotic companies (such as Mazor Robotics, Medtech, and Verb Surgical) to foray in surgical robotics. Also, the expiry of Intuitive Surgical's patent in 2022 is expected to fuel competitiveness among the existing market players.



Key Topics Covered



Chapter 1: Executive summary



Chapter 2: Socio-economic indicators



Chapter 3: Introduction

Market definition and structure

Chapter 4: Market overview

Surgical robotics market in India - overview

Market size and growth forecast

Surgical robotics market in India - Porter's five forces analysis

Chapter 5: Market segmentation

Surgical robotics market in India - segmentation

India surgical robotics market share based on application (%) (2018-2024)

India general surgical robotics market revenue (2017-2024)

India gynecology surgical robotics market revenue (2017-2024)

India urology surgical robotics market revenue (2017-2024)

India orthopedic surgical robotics market revenue (2017-2024)

India cardiac surgical robotics market revenue (2017-2024)

India other surgical robotics market revenue (2017-2024)

Chapter 6: Market influencers

Market drivers

Market challenges

Chapter 7: Market trends and technology landscape

Market trends

Technology landscape

Chapter 8: Competitive landscape

ASIMOV Robotics Pvt. Ltd.

Company information

Business description

Products/services

Key people

Accuray Medical Equipment (India) Pvt. Ltd.

CMR Surgical India Pvt. Ltd.

India Medtronic Pvt. Ltd. (Mazor Robotics)

Intuitive Surgical India Pvt. Ltd.

Johnson & Johnson Pvt. Ltd.

Smith & Nephew Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.

Stryker India Pvt. Ltd.

Titan Medical Inc.

Zimmer India Pvt. Ltd.

Key surgical robots Customers

Chapter 9: Recent Developments

Recent developments

Unique cases of robotic surgeries performed in India

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5yi84a

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
Four Illinois governors have been convicted of corruption in my lifetime. Former Republican Gov. George Ryan served only a little more than five years. But Ive argued that Ryans corruption  involving the selling of truck drivers licenses  led to the deaths of six Illinois children in a horrific, fiery crash. Ryan should have received more time.
The unnamed cancer survivor welcomed her son in July last year. (Getty Images)

A baby has been born to a cancer survivor from an immature egg that was matured in the laboratory, frozen, thawed and fertilised.

In the first event of its kind, the unnamed woman was left infertile after being treated for breast cancer five years ago.

Before starting chemotherapy, the now 34-year-old had immature eggs removed from her ovaries.

Read more: Freezing your eggs: cost, process and everything else you need to know

In vitro maturation (IVM) enabled the eggs to develop in the laboratory.

The news may raise questions about how long frozen eggs should be stored.

Women who elect to freeze their eggs can store them for up to a decade in liquid nitrogen.

Cancer patients at risk of infertility from treatment may be able to store them for up to 55 years.

How did the pregnancy come about?

I saw the 29-year-old patient following her diagnosis of cancer and provided fertility counselling, said Professor Michael Grynberg from the Antoine Beclere University Hospital, near Paris.

I offered her the option of egg freezing after IVM and also freezing ovarian tissue.

She rejected the second option, which was considered too invasive a couple of days after cancer diagnosis.

Freezing ovarian tissue involves taking the outer layer of the organ, which contains a large number of immature eggs.

This allow more eggs to be frozen in one shot under very short notice, according to the Center for Human Reproduction.

Read more: Love Island star Amy Hart will 'definitely' freeze her eggs

Ultrasound scans revealed the woman had 17 small sacs containing immature eggs in her ovaries, her doctors wrote in the journal Annals of Oncology.

Medically known as an immature ovum, these eggs have not yet undergone the cell division required for fertilisation.

Egg freezing typically involves two weeks of hormonal injections to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs.

Doctors worried the use of hormones would prolong the process and possibly make her cancer worse.

Story continues

An emergency procedure was therefore carried out six days later to collect immature eggs before she started chemotherapy.

Once matured, six eggs were frozen in liquid nitrogen, known as vitrification. This rapidly freezes eggs, minimising the development of damaging ice crystals.

Five years later, the woman had beaten her cancer but been unable to conceive for the past 12 months.

Stimulating her ovaries to produce more eggs may have triggered her cancer to return.

The doctors therefore thawed all six eggs, which were fertilised via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

This involves injecting an egg with a womans partners sperm or that of a donor.

Five of the eggs were successfully fertilised, with one embryo being transferred to the womans womb.

She gave birth to her healthy son Jules on 6 July last year.

Read more: Menopausal delay surgery that costs at least 6,000 has no evidence

This is the first time a cancer patient has gone on to have a successful pregnancy after IVM and vitrification, her doctors claim.

Children have been born as a result of IVM after immediate fertilisation and transfer to the woman, without freezing.

We were delighted the patient became pregnant without any difficulty and successfully delivered a healthy baby at term, said Professor Grynberg.

Egg or embryo vitrification after ovarian stimulation is still the most established and efficient option.

IVM enables us to freeze eggs or embryos in urgent situations or when it would be hazardous for the patient to undergo ovarian stimulation.

This success represents a breakthrough in the field of fertility preservation.

Cancer patients can store their frozen eggs for up to 55 years, compared to 10 years for other women. (Getty Images)

Other experts were also optimistic.

Getting eggs to mature successfully after removal from the ovary has been a challenge, so this is a very welcome positive step, said Professor Richard Anderson from the University of Edinburgh.

It requires a different set of skills to normal IVF, so it isnt widely available, but this report shows it can work, when time is very short.

Freezing eggs at this stage also means they remain the womens own property, without the complication using a partners sperm to fertilise them brings, in that embryos are the couples joint property.

This advance is particularly important for cancer patients, but its also a step towards easier and less invasive IVF for other women and couples needing assisted reproduction.

Professor Alastair Sutcliffe, from the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, said caution must be exercised.

Nevertheless, this new technique could in future be an additional tool for women who have the tragedy of cancer before reproduction to have their own genetic child, he added.

One expert was quick to point out most cancer patients could afford to postpone treatment while they had hormonal injections to freeze their eggs.

Hormonal stimulation usually takes nine-to-11 days and can be started at any time in a womans cycle, and so should delay the start of cancer treatment by no more than two weeks, said Professor Adam Balen from Leeds University Teaching Hospital.

[In] the vast majority of cases, [this wait] has no bearing on the outcome of the treatment.

IVM enables faster progress to cancer treatment as the eggs are matured in the lab and so is a valuable option for those women where a delay could be critical, accepting the lower number of mature eggs that would then be frozen compared with the number anticipated after the stimulation of the ovaries for the collection of mature eggs.
Miami (AFP) - A Mexican has been arrested in the US city of Miami for spying on "a US government source" on behalf of Russia, the Department of Justice alleged Tuesday.

Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes, a Mexican citizen who lives in Singapore, is accused of conspiracy and "acting within the United States on behalf of a foreign government."

US intelligence officials have identified Russia as a central spying threat to the country, and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation last year found that Moscow interfered in the 2016 presidential election -- a finding that President Donald Trump has repeatedly dismissed.

According to court documents cited in a Department of Justice (DOJ) news release, a Russian government official recruited Fuentes last year and told him to rent a specific property in Miami-Dade County, not using his own name. Fuentes allegedly traveled to Russia, where he told the government official about the arrangements.

On a subsequent trip this month, the Russian official "provided Fuentes with a physical description of a US government source's vehicle and told Fuentes to locate the car, obtain the source's vehicle license plate number, and note the physical location of the source's vehicle," DOJ alleged.

Last week, Fuentes traveled to Miami from Mexico City and drove to the residence of his target, where a security guard stopped him, but his companion managed to photograph the target's license plate, the court documents said.

When the pair tried to leave Miami for Mexico City on Sunday, US Customs and Border Protection allegedly found images of the photo in their phones.

"According to court documents, messages on Fuentes's phone showed that the Russian official initiated and directed the meetings," the DOJ statement said, without giving any further detail about the US source targeted.

Fuentes is to appear in court for a pretrial detention hearing on Friday, followed by his arraignment on March 3.
A three-year-old boy who wandered off and got lost in the woods was followed by the family dog who protected him until police found them both safe.

Officers praised Buddy, who looks to be a Pitbull breed, after he refused to leave the youngster's side and even warned off a neighbor who spotted the pair.

Images show the pet being led back to his home in Florida on Tuesday afternoon and the boy in the arms of an officer after he was found.

In a statement the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office said they were able to reunite the youngster with his mom thanks to 'man's best friend'.

Officers praised Buddy, pictured with officers, after he refused to leave the youngster's side and even warned off a neighbor who spotted the pair

Images show the pet being led back to his home in Florida and the boy in the arms of an officer after he was found. In a statement the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office said they were able to reunite the youngster with his mom thanks to 'man's best friend'

Police said the boy's mother had been 'frantic' when she first called 911, telling operators her son had been playing outside with his siblings before he 'wandered away'.

They added: 'The mother told the Dispatcher that the family's dog, Buddy, was also missing, and presumed to be with the child.'

Patrol Deputies and Investigators with the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office along with K9 units from Suwannee Correctional Institution then responded to the home and began searching for the lost child.

The police statement added: 'A short while later, a nearby neighbor called 911 and stated that he located a small child and dog in the woods, but the dog wouldn't let him get near the child.

'Fortunately, we were able to reunite the child with his mother, thanks in part to 'man's best friend' and an alert neighbor.

'#givethatdogabone#mansbestfriend#LassieaintgotnothingonBuddy.'

Facebook users were quick to heap praise on Buddy in the wake of his efforts

Facebook users were quick to heap praise on Buddy, with Peggy Smith writing: 'He is definitely struttin home. What a great dog. Exactly what pitties do.'

Amy Everson added: 'That awesome dog was just taking care of his little human!'

And Peggy Sweat said: 'Wow so glad the little one is safe. Awesome dog. That pup needs the dog of the year award. And anything he wants. Spa day for him.'
On February 9, South Africas President Cyril Ramaphosa assumed the presidency of the African Union (AU) at a summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. There he made mention of a new epoch of governance and leadership in Africa, and vowed that South Africa will play its part to deepen the review processes, and upscale the implementation of actions needed to improve governance through the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

However, this magnificent projection of political intent rang very hollow. A decade and a half ago, South Africa would have eased into the role of big brother, secure in the strides it had taken to promote human rights, democracy and good governance within its borders and beyond. Then, South Africa stood head and shoulders above the rest of Africa. It exuded a seemingly impregnable impression of relatively clean governance, strong economic growth and an exemplary, progressive human rights culture.

However, present-day South Africa stands in stark contrast to this promising past. The southern African nation is blighted by endemic corruption at state-owned establishments, poor service delivery, high unemployment and xenophobic violence towards mainly African and Asian migrants and refugees. South Africa is increasingly displaying many of the characteristically post-independence failures that have crippled development across Africa.

The tacit moral leadership and diplomatic momentum South Africa enjoyed in the late 1990s and early 2000s have dissipated, possibly irretrievably. Its failures at home seem to hold significant sway over its cautious and underwhelming role in promoting democracy in Africa. Its tendency to engage in quiet, unproductive diplomacy and disregard repression by leading former liberation movements, especially in its backyard, the Southern African Democratic Union (SADC) region, has left it appearing aloof and practically ineffective at promoting democracy.

South Africa largely remained silent when Zambias President Edgar Lungus administration cracked down on dissent and harassed and repeatedly jailed opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema. Last year South Africa hailed President Peter Mutharikas re-election in Malawis disputed May 2019 presidential election, a poll recently invalidated by a constitutional court ruling. And its sorely required interventions in trouble-hit Zimbabwe have hardly inspired change.

South Africas latest shot at helping to resolve a crisis that has destroyed a once-promising economy and sent millions into exile, compromised holding a one-day symposium on Zimbabwe last November in Pretoria. There South Africas International Relations and Cooperation minister Naledi Pandor simply regurgitated SADCs standard mantra on EU/US sanctions, and suggested that a solution to Zimbabwes myriad problems lay with engaging the US and EU.

She also stressed that South Africa does not have the solution to Zimbabwes woes and veered clear of merely mentioning or unequivocally condemning Zimbabwes dismal human rights record and an ongoing disagreement over a still fiercely disputed presidential election.

It is a fairly weak, detached and retrogressive position, albeit one that is predictably consistent with South Africas regularly mute responses to governance-related electoral crises and gross human rights abuses in places such as Tanzania, Egypt and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

At this feeble and inadequate rate, how will South Africa affect the development of democracy in Africa? The much-touted APRM, a voluntary scheme, is at best likely to serve as a handy PR tool for despotic governments. The many politically unstable African countries hardly require sophisticated analysis to understand how broadly undemocratic they are and why. And they do not deserve to be sheltered by a sweeping veil of legitimacy from Africas most developed nation.

A more insightful understanding of South Africas views on African democracy, human rights and good governance on the continent is reflected in a recently enacted law on refugees. Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi gazetted the Refugees Amendment Act on January 1. Among many changes, the law bans refugees from participating in politics involving their home countries.

Amid criticism of the decision to restrict the political liberties of refugees from troubled African nations, Motsoaledi claimed: Countries that have been democratically elected  you might not like them, you might not like their economy, their principles, but the fact is that they were democratically elected in an election that was supervised and passed by international organisations.

Motsoaledis defective, blanket assessment of democracy, buttressed by a dubious, impractical yardstick for electoral credibility, should certainly be music to the ears of Egypts President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, Congos Denis Sassou Nguesso and President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe. Yet, a spate of disputed sham electoral outcomes in Africa should be a cause for substantial concern, not unfettered legitimacy.

It is pretty naive and plainly futile to believe that APRM will trigger the improved governance Africa needs. Egypt, for example, launched its APRM mission in December 2019, just months after a repressive crackdown on anti-government demonstrations and the death of Egypts first democratically-elected president Mohamed Morsi in a Cairo prison.

Yet South Africa has mostly ignored Sisis brutal rule and Morsis controversial death. Instead, it has chosen to cash in on the strong historical and fraternal bonds dating back to the era of the liberation struggle it shares with Egypt.

South Africa should be a willing, active and unwavering advocate for good governance. Indeed, why should it have a credible democratic standard for South Africa, and practically none for Africa? How will the AUs agreed political and economic goals be met, if Africas flagship democracy finds comfort in helping to provide despots with diplomatic cover? Until South Africa redefines its diplomatic priorities, it will not be ready to lead Africa.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2020) Estonian politicians making territorial claims against Russia understand that it is preposterous but still continue to do so to earn political points within the country, Kaja Kallas, the leader of the country's largest opposition Reform Party, said on Wednesday.

In November, Estonian parliament speaker Henn Polluaas of the Conservative People's Party (EKRE) said that Russia should return "annexed territories" to the Baltic country. According to him, Tallinn will ratify the 2014 bilateral border treaty only if Moscow recognizes Estonian borders as per the Tartu Peace Treaty of 1920. The EKRE leader and interior minister, Mart Helme, has echoed these claims.

"While joining NATO in 2004, we stated that we had no territorial claims against Russia, that we had no unresolved disputes, thanks to which we joined NATO. And now this chapter is being reopened again. Or at least [somebody] is trying to make this issue a part of the domestic political agenda.

I think it is ridiculous," Kallas told Estonia's Raadio 4.

The country, meanwhile, should be interested in having a border treaty with Russia, according to the politician.

"It is very important for us to have a border treaty with Russia. The issue is not only about checkpoints. This is an agreement, a concrete treaty that specifies where the border lies. This is much more important for our security than any territorial claims," she stated.

According to the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty between Estonia and Soviet Russia, parts of Russian territory, precisely Ivangorod with the surrounding area (now Ivangorod in the Leningrad Region) and parts of the Pechora Krai (now the Pechora district of the Pskov Region), were ceded to Estonia. In 1944, these territories were returned to the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Moscow views the Treaty of Tartu as a historical document that has no legal power nowadays.
The Courts Service has obtained interim High Court orders against Google Ireland and Facebook Ireland requiring the removal of certain material posted on social media, including video recordings of court hearings concerning an elderly woman who is a ward of court.

The Courts Service does not know the identity of the posters and claims the posts breach court rules preventing any recording of court proceedings as well as orders preventing identification of the woman as a ward.

The womans son has consistently objected to his mother, aged in her nineties with dementia, being in wardship and a nursing home and he has taken multiple court applications over that.

The videos objected to include one of the son addressing High Court president Mr Justice Peter Kelly earlier this month in terms which lead to the judge leaving the bench after directing gardai to remove the son for persistent interruption of the courts work during that and earlier hearings.

The judge directed the son, who had alleged there is a constitutional crisis in the State and that no courts have sat with appropriate jurisdiction since 1924, be detained n Dublins Bridewell garda station until the court hearing concerning his mother had concluded.

A video of the son being interviewed by another man outside the Bridewell later that day is among the material objected to.

Today, Donogh Hardiman BL, for the Courts Service, sought orders against Google Ireland and Facebook Ireland arising from the postings.

Following correspondence with the defendants, a substantial amount of the material has been removed or blocked but some remains online and there is concern more has been posted more recently and more might follow, counsel said.

The application was made on an ex parte basis (one side only represented) but Rossa Fanning SC, for Facebook Ireland, attended out of courtesy. His client had been co-operative with the Courts Service and was proposing a protocol to address the matter, counsel outlined.

Google Ireland was not required to be in court but has engaged with the Courts Service, the judge noted.

In his ruling, Mr Justice Kelly said it seemed surreptitious videoing of a court hearing took place and that material had found its way onto social media in an alleged breach of court rules and an alleged contempt of court.

Another element of the application arose from a far-reaching undertaking given by the womans son in May 2017 not to publish material about her after certain posts were removed.

That material included videos of him shouting at his mother in the nursing home and trying to persuade her to take medications to enhance hair growth in her ears which the son considered to be important to her continued good health, a view not shared by her doctors, the judge said. That video was a gross invasion of her privacy as a vulnerable person lacking capacity.

In relation to this application, the judge said the defendants' position is they are regarded at law as an intermediary service provider and, as such, are not liable for information stored if they do not have actual knowledge of unlawful activity.

Having been made aware of the nature of the alleged unlawful activity, they had taken a responsible attitude and a substantial body of the material had been removed but some has survived.

Facebook had concerns about legal and practical difficulties if certain orders were granted aimed at restraining any future publication before the full hearing of the Courts Service case, he noted.

He was satisfied the Courts Service was entitled to interim orders requiring removal by the defendants of the identified videos and text complained of, the judge ruled.

The Courts Service had raised a serious issue touching on the rights of this elderly woman not to have her private business subject of public comment when she is a ward of court with a right to privacy, he said.

He was also satisfied damages would not be an adequate remedy in lieu of the orders and the balance of convenience also favoured them.

In line with a protocol proposed by Facebook, he directed the defendants, on notification by the Courts Service to them of the posting of further offending material, to arrange for that to be taken down.
West Linn residents on Tuesday demanded accountability from their mayor, City Council and police a week after the city reached a $600,000 settlement with a black man from Portland who was targeted for arrest in 2017 by West Linns police chief as a favor for a friend to quiet workplace racism allegations.

Mayor Russ Axelrod scrapped the regular agenda for the council session and he, council members and current Police Chief Terry Kruger each addressed a crowd of about 45 people at West Linn City Hall.

The mayor issued an emotional apology to Portlands Michael Fesser for "inexcusable racism and abuse of power at the hands of members of our Police Department'' -- conduct that he said has "stained our community.''

"The pain, hurt, and fear that this caused you is unacceptable. I am deeply sorry,'' Axelrod said. "We will be vigilant to make sure that such conduct never occurs in the future.''

Axelrod said hes directing West Linns interim city manager to conduct a review of city procedures and policies relating to police conduct, including how the city addresses complaints about officers. He also said hes reached out to the NAACP to help guide the city in working to restore community trust.

In order to heal, we must understand what happened, be fully transparent with our community about what we learn, and take steps to hold those within city government accountable, including ourselves,'' the mayor said.

Members of the public decried West Linns handling of the Fesser case, urged the firing of the lead police investigator and criticized the council and city officials for their lack of oversight of their police force and their inadequate response to earlier complaints about the officers involved.

Many expressed incredulity that city officials didnt know the details underlying the case before they were publicized last week. Some called for the current police chiefs resignation.

Past city managers received multiple complaints about alleged misconduct by former Police Chief Terry Timeus and officers Tony Reeves and Mike Stradley, who were all involved in Fessers case.

"It seems to take bad press to get the West Linn police department to do the right thing,'' said West Linn resident Kathy Selvaggio.

Tre Hester of Wilsonville, who is African American, said he didnt believe that city officials were oblivious to the problems with Fessers arrest.

"I do not buy that any of you did not know about this,'' Hester said. "Those police officers need to be fired. They are a disgrace to the badge and uniform they wear.''

Judy Snyder, a trial attorney with 47 years of experience litigating cases, read aloud portions of a tort claim that Fessers lawyer filed with the city in June 2018. Though the citys insurance provider negotiated the settlement with Fesser and his lawyer, Snyder said, "Its not just their problem to take care of it.'' She urged council members to improve their management of pending litigation against the city.

Fessers arrest, reported last week by The Oregonian/OregonLive, has led to settlements of two lawsuits totaling more than $1 million, admissions in court documents of officers lying and ignoring Fessers basic civil rights and accusations of good-old-boy racism against West Linn police.

Federal, state and local lawmakers last week called for a civil rights investigation. The district attorneys from Clackamas and Multnomah counties have initiated investigations into the arrest and indictment of Fesser and the state Department of Public Safety Standards & Training also announced a separate inquiry.

Fesser said he was set up for arrest by his boss at the time, Eric Benson, owner of A&B Towing Co. in Southeast Portland, with the help of Bensons fishing buddy, then-Chief Timeus. The case began, Fesser said, after he complained to Benson of a racially hostile environment at the tow company, where he helped run the car auction business.

Fesser, now 48, was arrested by Reeves as he was leaving work on Feb. 25, 2017, and booked on an aggravated theft charge that night at the Multnomah County jail. The charge was dismissed days later, but West Linn police summoned Fesser to their department and told him he was fired from his job and never to return to A&B Towing.

After he filed a racial discrimination suit against his boss, Benson urged West Linn police to resurrect the case against Fesser and Fesser was indicted in Multnomah County on first-degree theft charges in November 2017. Those charges were dismissed when Benson and his towing company agreed to pay $415,000 to Fesser to settle a discrimination suit he filed in state court.

In the course of the litigation, Fessers lawyer, Paul Buchanan, discovered a series of racist and crude text messages exchanged between Benson and Reeves before, during and after Fessers initial arrest while West Linn police, with the help of civilians, secretly made an audio recording of Fesser at work without a court order.

Stradley, a former Portland police officer who was a West Linn lieutenant then, had Portland gang enforcement officers assist in the arrest. Stradley later acknowledged that he told colleagues Fesser had gang ties even though Stradley hadnt had any contact with Fesser in more than two decades.

Both Reeves, who was promoted to sergeant in March 2018, and Stradley, who left West Linn and was hired as a trainer for the state Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, have been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the investigations.

At Tuesday nights meeting, Roberta Schwartz, another West Linn resident, read aloud a sampling of the racist and unprofessional texts between Reeves and Benson. "Anyone involved in this should be dismissed,'' she said.

Stephen Steinberg, president of the Clackamas County Peace Officers Association, said some members of the union have expressed concern about comments by West Linns current police chief at roll calls last week, when Kruger was said by some officers present to have called Reeves a victim in the controversy. Reeves, as a sergeant, is not represented by the union.

If in fact what our members have relayed to us is true, I am surprised and disappointed that he would make conclusive statements about an investigation that has not been completed, let alone commenced, Steinberg said.

The story and allegations that implicate Reeves, Stradley and Timeus are deeply troubling and strike at the heart of the high standards our public safety professionals expect of themselves," he said. "We are supportive of any inquiry or investigation that may occur. This Union encourages our members to fully cooperate with any investigation/inquiry and to bring indiscretions, such as the Chiefs comments, to our attention.

Kruger did not address that allegation when he read his own statement at the start of the council meeting. "I will not tolerate racial or any other bias'' in policing, Kruger said. He said he welcomes outside investigations to reveal where reforms are needed.

"I am here to listen and to learn,'' he said.

Later, Kruger told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he did say to officers that Reeves, his wife and child still need respect and need to hear from colleagues. He said he made the comment out of his personal concern for their well-being.

"I said they might feel like victims,'' Kruger said.

Several people urged Krugers resignation.

"No respectable human being would characterize Reeves as a victim,'' said resident David Goldstein.

Goldstein also referenced Krugers past fatal shooting of Deontae Keller, an African American man, in February 1996 as a Portland police officer. Keller had a .45-caliber handgun at the time but did not point it at police and was shot in the back as he was fleeing. Kellers involvement in a drive-by shooting an hour earlier made him dangerous, Senior Deputy District Attorney Jim McIntyre said at the time. A Multnomah County grand jury found no criminal wrongdoing by Kruger. Kellers father Joe Keller has argued for years that his sons shooting was unjustified.

Axelrod said West Linn did receive a tort claim from Fesser and his lawyer in 2018 but he said that, by the city charter, he and council members werent "allowed to get involved in anyway. I couldnt do anything.'' That may be something that needs to change going forward, the mayor said.

When the tort claim notice in the Fesser case arrived at Axelrods home, he said, "I didnt open the envelope. I turned it into the city.''

The mayor said the city charter bars the council from getting involved in personnel decisions, discipline or termination and that the citys insurance carrier, City County Insurance Services, "did not ask for the city to decide'' the Fesser settlement. The council, he said, doesnt know the full details of the case.

Local resident Abby Farber said the city should create an independent board to accept and review complaints against police.

Council member Bill Relyea urged the council to take action to ensure that it will be briefed by the citys lawyer on such litigation in the future. The council voted unanimously to direct the interim city manager and the city attorney to propose a way for the council to be briefed on personnel or policy matters that arise during litigation, even if it may require a city charter change.

Council member Jules Walters said she favors an investigation beyond the district attorneys offices.

 I just felt it should rise to a higher level and hope this is a transparent investigation that holds people accountable and makes sure we have racial equity in all our departments, including West Linn police, so we can start to rebuild community trust," she said. Walters also called for a racial equity audit of city and police staff.

She said she received minor details about the Fesser case in executive session last Monday night and never followed up with questions, particularly whether any of the officers involved remained on the job. She apologized for not inquiring further.

I didnt think at the time to ask deeper questions, '' Walters said. "I wouldnt say there was an effort to keep me misinformed. Certainly, I dont feel like I got the whole story.

Council President Teri Cummings, in her 10th year as a council member, said, "We are going to be looking for the truth.'' She said the Fesser case was clearly "not an isolated situation.'' She apologized to officers who left the police department after their past complaints about Timeus, Reeves and Stradley went unaddressed. According to Cummings, Timeus was hired as West Linns police chief without a background investigation by former city manager Chris Jordan, who had worked with Timeus previously in Lake Oswego.

Cummings spoke of a 2008 investigative report looking into Timeus actions. The inquiry was done by a former McMinnville police chief at the request of Jordan, and the council received a summary, which described racist and sexist comments Timeus had made, Cumming said. She said it "weighs heavily'' on her that she didnt get access to the report or ask stronger questions. Shes now working to get that report unsealed.

"There are difficult and important conversations ahead of us as a community, to better understand the impacts of institutional and systemic racism, and the white privilege and power that too often goes unchecked,'' Axelrod said. Its particularly important to me that we foster an environment where the people most impacted by this case  and the day-to-day impacts of racism in our culture  feel safe in sharing their stories, and are truly heard.

Axelrod said hell be meeting with the president of Portlands National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, E. D. Mondaine, on Thursday.

"Were deeply disgusted by that type of behavior just like everyone else,'' the mayor said. "We want to correct this. We do. We care.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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China Bohai Bank, in which Standard Chartered owns a 20 per cent stake, has moved a step closer towards listing in Hong Kong, after the mainland's markets regulator received its application last week.

But, the bank has some way to go before it can successfully launch its IPO, including submitting further written responses to China Securities Regulatory Commission's questions that arise during the vetting stage.

In December, Bloomberg reported citing sources that China Bohai Bank was planning to raise up to US$2 billion in the second half of this year. However, it is doubtful that the Tianjin-based lender will be in any rush to come to the market, as banks' valuations are likely to come under pressure if the Covid-19 epidemic drags on, said Terry Sun, a banking analyst at CMB International Securities.

The outbreak, which grounded business activity to a halt on the mainland in the first half of February, is likely to result in higher loan delinquencies from small and medium-sized enterprises and affect Chinese banks' asset quality in the first quarter.

China Bohai Bank was not immediately available for comment.

"Several Chinese bank debutants, such as CZ Bank's A-share listing in November, were priced at the minimum price-to-book ratio of one time as required by the regulator," said Sun. "Still, many of them have been trading below that level after listing, at 0.8 times in China or 0.7 times in Hong Kong."

Standard Chartered owns a 20 per cent stake in China Bohai Bank. Photo: Bloomberg alt=Standard Chartered owns a 20 per cent stake in China Bohai Bank. Photo: Bloomberg

In China, a state-owned issuer is not allowed to price its initial public offering at a valuation lower than its per share book value. Government-related entities, including Tianjin TEDA Investment Holding, own a 62 per cent stake in China Bohai Bank, according to its 2018 annual report.

Story continues

CMB's Sun said a temporary rise in overdue loans is unavoidable in the first quarter, adding that this would mainly come from companies involved in wholesale and retail, transport, and hotels and catering sectors. These sectors account for about 15 per cent of Chinese banks' total loan book.

"Banks that have a higher exposure to SME or retail borrowers would be more vulnerable to asset quality worsening," said Sun, adding that the extent of overdue loans turning into NPLs would largely depend on whether there is more regulatory support for the banks.

According to China Bohai Bank's 2018 annual report, retail lending accounted for about 30 per cent of its loan book.

For the nine months ended September 2019, its net profit stood at 6.62 billion yuan (US$945.1 million), up 6.1 per cent from a year ago, while total revenue rose 18.8 per cent year on year to 21.13 billion yuan. Of this, net interest income was 16.2 billion yuan, while fees and commission income totalled 3.93 billion yuan.

Non-performing loan ratio was at 1.78 per cent, a 6 basis point improvement from the 1.84 per cent at end of 2018, but still higher than the industry's 1.63 per cent for joint-stock banks, according to CBIRC data.

Haitong International Securities, which was reportedly involved in the deal, declined to comment, while CCB International (Holdings) and ABC International were not immediately available for comment.

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.

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
SUPREME COURT 3,472 of 3,578 precincts

Daniel Kelly 343,163..........49.9%

Jill J. Karofsky 256,379..........37.3%

Ed Fallone 87,485..........12.7%

Incumbent Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly and Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jill Karofsky will advance to the April 7 election to compete for a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Kelly and Karofsky, both judges, were the top two vote-getters in Tuesdays statewide primary, besting Marquette Law School professor Ed Fallone by significant margins. The results pit Kelly, the conservative-backed incumbent who has served on the court since 2016, against a Dane County local, backed by liberals, who was first elected as a circuit court judge in 2017.

With 97% of the precincts in, Kelly, of North Prairie, got the most votes, at about 50%, while Karofsky finished second, with 37%. Fallone was a distant third, at 13% support.

Kelly excelled in most rural counties and the Milwaukee suburbs, while Karofsky commanded leads in the Democratic, urban strongholds of Dane and Milwaukee counties. Despite living in Milwaukee, initial returns showed Karofsky outperforming him there by an almost 2-to-1 margin.

Karofsky garnered around 64% of the vote in her home county of Dane, while Kelly got 20% and Fallone trailed with 16%.

The result of this election shows that our message is resonating with people all across the state, Karofsky said. People want their Supreme Court back on track. They want a Supreme Court that is free from corruption.

Kelly said his victory shows Wisconsin voters back his judicial philosophy.

All the folks coming out, theyre pretty much going to want the same thing, Kelly said. They want jurists who understand their job is to just use the judicial power that theyve been lent.

Majority wont change

While the Supreme Courts current 5-2 conservative majority isnt threatened this year, the races outcome in April will be critical for liberals to have a chance at winning back control after 2023, when conservative-backed Chief Justice Patience Roggensacks term ends.

Liberals had a chance of holding onto a third seat last year, with an election to replace outgoing liberal-supported Justice Shirley Abrahamson, but they failed after the liberal-supported candidate, Wisconsin Appeals Court Chief Judge Lisa Neubauer, narrowly lost to conservative-backed Appeals Court Judge Brian Hagedorn.

For conservatives, a success in Aprils election would guarantee their domination of the court into mid-decade. Conservative-supported candidates have commanded the court since 2008, a time during which theyve handed Republicans big political wins, ruling in favor of former Gov. Scott Walkers Act 10, which weakened public-sector labor unions, and Republican laws that limited the power of incoming Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul, both Democrats.

A tough race

The race for the court has already turned contentious, with Karofsky repeatedly claiming Kelly, whom Walker put on the court in 2016 to replace retiring Justice David Prosser Jr., is corrupt, a claim that Kelly has vehemently denied and called disgusting slander against him.

Despite winning the largest share of votes Tuesday, Kelly faces an uphill climb to victory in April because the Wisconsin Supreme Court election falls on the same day as the states presidential preference primary. Turnout in that election is expected to be greater for Democrats, who currently have a contested presidential contest, which may drive more votes to liberal-backed Karofsky.

Republicans recognized the challenge early on and unsuccessfully tried to move the date of the states presidential primary in December 2018.

Kelly expects turnout in Aprils election to be similar to a gubernatorial race but said it gives him an opportunity to reach more voters. Karofsky brushed off the possible advantage.

Fallone, a law professor who would have been the first Latino elected to the states highest court, said hes urging his supporters to back Karofsky and defeat Kelly in April. He said his campaign represented an effort to change the way Supreme Court races are run.

I ran a campaign trying to stress the fact that I did not believe we should allow our Supreme Court races to be partisan political battles, Fallone said. I still believe that.

Kelly, and to some degree Karofsky, won their races with fundraising advantages. In the latest fundraising period covering Jan. 1 to Feb. 3, Kelly raised $187,463, Karofsky brought in $65,354, while Fallone only raised $22,047.

Differing stances

Before joining the court in 2016, Kelly had built a lengthy career in commercial litigation. Kelly in past writings has aligned himself with conservative politics, although he says they dont influence his decisions on the court. He has previously published opinions comparing affirmative action to slavery in moral principle and decrying the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Kelly represented state Republicans in a federal trial over a lawsuit challenging the 2010 redrawing of legislative districts and has ties to the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, which has helped defend Act 10. He 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.

Before serving on the Dane County Circuit Court, Karofsky 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.

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.

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Levi Norwood: Fauquier County Sheriff's Office

A father in Virginia whose wife and 6-year-old son were killed by his 17-year old son has broken his silence.

Joshua Norwood returned to his home from work on Valentines Day and, moments after opening his front door, his son, Levi, appeared and shot him.

I was sniped, Norwood said according to WUSA9 news.

Levi fled the scene after realizing he had failed to kill his father.

Mr Norwood scrambled through the house, blood pouring from the gunshot wound hed taken to the head, and eventually found his wife, Jennifer and 6-year-old son, Wyatt, shot to death.

In a comment section on Fauquier Now, a local news site, someone claiming to be Mr Norwood gave details of the tragedy.

There was lots of blood. I opened my door and before my work bag hit the floor I was shot in the head. Not realizing what happened until I saw blood pouring out I then search for my family and found Jen and Wyatt dead, Mr Norwood posted.

Meanwhile, Levi was fleeing through the woods, traveling 10 miles before stealing a car and continuing his escape.

Levi was eventually caught 22 hours later and nearly 250 miles away when he attempted to shoplift hair dye, clothes and a backpack from a Super Target in Durham, North Carolina on Saturday. Levis hair was dyed purple, an identifier that led Durham police to recognize him as the suspect from the shooting in Fauquier.

Prior to his arrest, hundreds of law enforcement officers, helicopters, drones and dogs were hunting Levi.

Levi is facing two counts of murder. It remains to be determined whether Levi will be tried as an adult or a child, according to Commonwealth Attorney Scott Hook.

Mr Norwood said he has gone back and forth between loving his son and hating him, at times calling him the murderer that was once known as my son and the evil murderer that took [his wife and child] away in his apparent online posting.

Responding to questions in the Fauquier Now comment section, Mr Norwood said there were no warning signs of his sons impending violence.

If there had been signs, Jen and Wyatt would still be alive, he said.

Levi will face a judge in Virginia before the end of the week.
AUSTIN  Texas is a top target for gun safety groups that helped flip Virginia's state House blue last year  and they're planning to go big here, with one group announcing Wednesday it will spend three times what it spent in Virginia  at least $8 million  supporting candidates and buying ads.

Everytown for Gun Safety, a Michael Bloomberg-backed group that pushes for expanded background checks, red flag laws and other measures, is plotting what its political director calls an unprecedented financial and grassroots effort to flip the Texas House, defend vulnerable freshmen Democrats in Congress and help Democrats take congressional seats in the suburbs. A memo detailing the plan, the groups biggest state investment to date, was shared exclusively with Hearst Newspapers.

We believe that Texas, as it becomes younger and increasingly diverse, can be the next emerging battleground state with gun safety as the tipping point, Chris Carr, the groups political director wrote in the memo. We believe there are opportunities to elect gun sense candidates up and down the ballot, from the statehouse to the U.S. Congress  and potentially even statewide.

Its part of a broader national strategy by the group that includes spending at least $60 million, twice what it spent during the 2018 elections.

Texas is definitely the big target, said Shannon Watts, founder of Mom's Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a group of activists affiliated with Everytown. The group has 400,000 volunteers on the ground in Texas already, Watts said.

Know the candidates: Houston Chronicle 2020 primary election voter guide; San Antonio Express-News 2020 primary election voter guide

The groups point to polling indicating broad support among Texans for the types of laws they advocate. Eighty-seven percent of likely voters in Texas said they support background checks on all gun purchases, while 80 percent support red flag laws, according to a poll commissioned by Everytown and shared with Hearst Newspapers. It follows a University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll released this week that found 79 percent support background checks for all gun purchases.

They say its clear state leaders are out of step with voters, especially in the suburbs where gun safety laws are especially popular. Voters are motivated two mass shootings in Texas last year, they say.

Texas gun rights groups are mobilizing, too. The Texas State Rifle Association sent an email to supporters earlier this month warning of the type of spending Everytown is now planning. The rifle association declared an early victory in Fort Bend County when Republican Gary Gates beat Eliz Markowitz, a Democrat backed by gun safety groups, in a closely watched special election for state House last month.

Though gun control advocates and gun-grabbing politicians failed to lay down a marker in this particular contest, the amount of resources they invested in this race demonstrates their commitment to turn Texas blue and make the Lone Star State their next target after Virginia for passing radical restrictions on our rights, the email said.

Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Gun safety groups are planning to follow the same playbook they used in Virginia  the state that is home to the National Rifle Association. Guns emerged as a top issue for voters there after a mass shooting in Virginia Beach in 2019, especially for voters in the suburbs around D.C. and Richmond. Democrats claimed control of the state legislature for the first time in 26 years.

I would say anyone running for office in Texas should look to Virginia, Watts said. Six months after a shooting in Virginia Beach, all of the elected officials who refused gun sense were voted out of office.

The groups plastered TV, internet and radio with ads and flooded voters with mailers for candidates they backed in Virginia, and Everytown is planning to do the same in Texas. The ads will be aimed specifically at suburban women, a constituency that Democrats are focusing on in Texas in 2020, as well as young voters. Theyll buy Spanish language ads, digital ads specific to African-American voters and ads targeting the states rapidly growing Asian-American communities. Majorities of those groups all strongly supported new gun laws in the polling commissioned by Everytown.

Among the candidates who may benefit is U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, a West Houston Democrat who flipped a longtime Republican House seat in 2018 with backing from gun safety advocates. She is now considered one of the most vulnerable members of Congress as she seeks re-election.

Everytown is also planning to go on the offensive against Republican U.S. Reps. Dan Crenshaw, Michael McCaul, Chip Roy and John Carter, and its planning to spend big in districts left open by retiring Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Will Hurd.

For subscribers: Gun safety groups beat the NRA in Virginia. Next stop: Texas

But the state House  where Democrats need to flip nine more seats to gain control  is the biggest goal, as it was in Virginia, and most of the groups targets are in the Houston and Dallas suburbs.

Everytown has a list of more than 20 Republican House districts, and plans to spend to fend off challenges against Democrats in a half dozen others.

Molly Bursey, who leads a Moms Demand Action chapter in New Braunfels north of San Antonio, says the groups volunteers, a regular presence at the state capitol during the legislative session, felt like they were largely ignored by lawmakers.

Thats why were more fired up to get to work, and we welcome them to change their mind and their stance  and if theyre not willing to do that, then we will work our hardest to elect their opponent, who will, she said.

The groups hundreds of thousands of volunteers statewide are ready to begin vetting candidates, knocking on doors and registering voters.

Bursey said she believes theyll be greeted by voters open to their message.

On Sept. 1 last year, the day after the mass shooting in Midland-Odessa, six new Texas laws loosening weapons restrictions went into effect, including lifting a ban on firearms in places of worship and allowing unlicensed handgun owners to carry their weapons  openly or concealed  for up to a week in places where a natural disaster is declared.

People cant really believe that  instead of passing laws that most Texans agree with, theyre really just loosening restrictions on who can carry a gun and where, and thats not what Texans want, she said. I think people have had enough. Theyre paying attention.

ben.wermund@chron.com
The two patients (third and fourth from right) in Vinh Phuc province are discharged from hospital on February 18th afternoon (Photo: VNA)



The women received treatment at a general clinic in Binh Xuyen district of the province. They are the first two COVID-19 patients to be successfully cured at a district-level medical facility.



The 42-year-old woman is a relative of and had close contact with a female worker of the Nihon Plast company in Binh Xuyen Industrial Park of Vinh Phuc. This worker was tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 after she and seven colleagues had returned from a two-month training course in Chinas Wuhan city, the centre of the epidemic.

The other case is 29 years old and she was in the same group of Nihon Plast workers returning from Wuhan.

Earlier on February 18th, two other COVID-19 patients were discharged from the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi. They are a 29-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman, both from Vinh Phuc province.

So far, Vietnam has confirmed 16 cases of COVID-19 and not recorded any new patients since February 13th. Among them, 11 have been discharged from hospital./.
TIRANA, Albania - Kosovar prosecutors on Wednesday filed terrorism charges against an ethnic Albanian woman who allegedly joined a terror group in Syria.

A statement from the special prosecutors office said the suspect, identified only as H.K., left Kosovo early 2014 to join her husband, who was a fighter with the Islamic State group. She went to Istanbul and then crossed into Syria to join the group.

After her husband was killed in the fighting, she married another IS fighter and continued her life with the group. She received a regular monthly payment from the group and, according to recordings of her phone calls, she voluntarily promulgated IS terror attacks.

Charged with organizing and being part of a terror group, she faces up to 15 years in prison, if convicted.

The statement does not say whether the defendant is part of a group of 110 Kosovo citizens repatriated from Syria last year.

About 30 ethnic Albanians from Kosovo are still believed to be with terror groups in Syria and Iraq.
Privately-held GFG Alliance will invest 1 billion euros in its Galati operations in Romania and 750 million euros at its Ostrava plant in the Czech Republic, a statement said.

London: British-based conglomerate GFG Alliance will invest 2 billion euros ($2 billion), mostly in Romania and the Czech Republic, to modernise its emissions-heavy European steel plants and boost production, it said on Wednesday.

The investment is a leap of faith in a sector that is grappling with issues of over-supply and falling demand, expected to be made worse by the impact of the coronavirus.

But it is also under pressure from investors worried about climate change when steel is responsible for an estimated 7 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.

Some of the cash from commodities tycoon Sanjeev Guptas GFG will go toward installing electric furnaces, which can reduce emissions by around 60 percent.

Privately-held GFG Alliance will invest 1 billion euros in its Galati operations in Romania and 750 million euros at its Ostrava plant in the Czech Republic, a statement said.

The more flexible electric-powered mills, which can require less than half as much manpower, will not replace coal-fired furnaces, so no jobs are under threat for now, Neil Barrell, GFG global chief operating officer, told Reuters.

In the short term... the two plants will run in tandem, so we wouldnt need to embark on any labour conversations, Barrell said.

He said the investment at Galati would increase production to 4 million tonnes per year over time, while for Ostrava, the output increase could be more than 50 percent.

GFG did not give current output figures, but said Galati has capacity of 3.6 million tonnes and Ostrava of 3 million. An industry source, who declined to be named, said both mills were operating below capacity.

While investing in raising output in a sector burdened with surpluses may take time to pay off financially, overhauling heavily polluting production methods could help allay future emissions-related costs.

A major advantage of electric arc furnace technology is that it can be easily turned on and off to respond to market conditions.

Gupta, who heads the privately-held GFG Alliance, has snapped up steel assets around the world and made repeated offers to buy British Steel, which is being acquired by Chinas Jingye Group.

Asked whether GLG would still be interested if the Jingye deal falls through, Barrell said the group was monitoring the situation very closely.

GFG had grown rapidly from its roots as a metals trader by spending billions of dollars buying up often troubled metals manufacturing facilities around the world.

It acquired assets in Romania, the Czech Republic, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and North Macedonia after the European Commission approved ArcelorMittals purchase of Ilva on condition it sold off some of its works.

GFG said the remaining 250 million euros announced on Wednesday would be spread over its other European operations.

The company said on Tuesday it had bought a bankrupt steel plant in India for $60 million in its first investment in Guptas homeland.

Asked whether more acquisitions were in the pipeline, Barrell said: Sanjeev is ambitious to see the group grow.
Jewish American pedophiles are escaping justice by fleeing to Israel and automatically attaining Israeli citizenship under their right of return laws, CBS News reports.



WATCH:







From CBS News, "How Jewish American pedophiles hide from justice in Israel":

Tel Aviv - It's a tense stakeout, waiting for Jimmy Julius Karow to appear. He is a wanted man and is considered dangerous. Accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in Oregon in 2000, he fled to Israel before authorities in the U.S. could apprehend him or figure out where he went. Karow has been running from U.S. law enforcement ever since. Currently INTERPOL, an inter-governmental policing organization that works with 194 countries, has a Red Notice to alert police worldwide that he's a fugitive.



Two years after he fled the U.S., Karow was convicted by an Israeli court of child molestation in a separate case. He served time and was released. Now another alleged Israeli victim has come forward, saying he began abusing her when she was 5-years-old, and continued for years.



An investigation has uncovered a loophole that's allowing accused American pedophiles to escape justice by moving to Israel.



The ease with which pedophiles are able to use this escape route has haunted victims, @ianjameslee reports https://t.co/wcpvAyaRZf pic.twitter.com/e1UyMHEvxN  CBS News (@CBSNews) February 19, 2020

Karow has successfully evaded authorities by moving between communities in Israel for almost two decades, and he is not alone.



A CBS News investigation has found that many accused American pedophiles flee to Israel, and bringing them to justice can be difficult.



Jewish Community Watch (JCW), an American organization that tracks accused pedophiles, has been trying for years to find Karow and help bring him to justice.



JCW says Karow and other wanted men and women have been able to exploit a right known as the Law of Return, whereby any Jewish person can move to Israel and automatically gain citizenship.

Jewish Community Watch told CBS News that if they were not personally hunting these abusers down in Israel "then nobody would do it."



The New York Post's Page Six reported earlier this year that child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's alleged partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell, is fleeing justice by hiding in a "safehouse" in Israel.





Ghislaine Maxwell is reportedly a foreign spy hiding in Israel https://t.co/Iwxa3L4bi9  Michael Brooks (@_michaelbrooks) January 2, 2020



Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter, Facebook, Gab and Minds.




VICTORIA - Top income earners and pop drinkers were hit with new taxes in Tuesday's B.C. budget, which continues the government's focus on capital spending for schools, hospitals and transit.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Attorney General David Eby and Premier John Horgan look on as Minister of Finance Carole James delivers the budget speech from the legislative assembly at B.C. Legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Tuesday, February 18, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

VICTORIA - Top income earners and pop drinkers were hit with new taxes in Tuesday's B.C. budget, which continues the government's focus on capital spending for schools, hospitals and transit.

Finance Minister Carole James is introducing a new 20.5 per cent tax bracket that will cover the top one per cent of income earners in B.C., or those earning more than $220,000 annually.

James said the government will also start charging the provincial sales tax of seven per cent on sweetened carbonated drinks to help address the health and economic costs of the beverages.

As well, the government is bringing in a new grant program this fall for post-secondary school students that will provide up to $4,000 a year to offset tuition fees, with as many as 40,000 people being eligible for the $24-million program.

James said a record $22.9 billion will be spent on capital projects over the next three years including money for the new St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, student housing and schools for kids in kindergarten to Grade 12.

The budget forecasts three successive surpluses with the government finishing 2020-21 $227 million in the black.

James said the New Democrat government's third budget represents a balanced plan that continues its goals of controlling costs for families while giving everybody the opportunity to benefit from the province's growing economy.

"We had a plan when we were elected government to make life more affordable for families," James said. "That's really the focus of this budget."

Between 45,000 to 50,000 people will be caught by the new tax rate. Almost half of the revenue generated, estimated at $216 million in the 2020-21 budget year, will come from people who make more than $1 million a year, said James.

"We're asking those at the top who benefit most from our economy to contribute a little bit more," she said.

The Business Council of British Columbia was critical of the government's new tax bracket, which it says pushes the federal-provincial personal tax rate above 50 per cent.

"Higher personal taxes on a small slice of the population will generate less incremental revenue than the government is forecasting, and undermine efforts to foster a more innovative, entrepreneurial economy," Jock Finlayson, the council's executive vice-president, said in a statement.

Laird Cronk, president B.C. federation of Labour, backed the government's decision to increase taxes for the highest income earners.

"Folks who make over $220,000 a year can afford to pay a little bit more," he said in an interview.

James said health officials and an all-party finance committee of the legislature called for a so-called sugar tax on drinks. The budget forecasts $27 million in revenue in 2020-21 from the tax, which goes into effect July 1.

"Research shows that teens between the ages of 14 and 18 are the top consumers of pop," James said in her budget speech.

"This is about keeping young people healthy while taking in a bit of revenue to continue to pay for enhanced health care services for everyone."

The B.C. Liberals said with gas prices up and insurance rates at "sky-high" levels, the NDP led by Premier John Horgan isn't keeping its promise to make life more affordable.

"British Columbians aren't getting ahead and life is less affordable than ever before," said Stephanie Cadieux, one of the party's finance critics. "With 22 new or increased NDP taxes and no plan for economic growth, families across the province are going to keep feeling the squeeze under John Horgan."

James said the new BC Access Grant program for post-secondary students will be ready for the fall semester in September.

"For the first time, provincial grants will be available to part-time students and students enrolled in programs of less than two years," James said. "This will help people land good-paying jobs in high-demand fields like early childhood education, health care and the skilled trades."

She said there will be more than 800,000 job openings in health care, early childhood education, skilled trades and technology over the next decade, and more than 75 per cent of the jobs will require some post-secondary education or training.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives encouraged the government to do more on social issues facing the province, particularly in areas like poverty reduction and increasing access to child care.

"This is a very cautious budget," Iglika Ivanova, the centre's senior economist, said in a news release. "We can afford to do more."

Interim Green Leader Adam Olsen said the budget makes incremental investments in areas where the party shares priorities with the minority NDP government, which it has supported to keep the New Democrats in power.

Olsen said the Greens like the grant for post-secondary students, is pleased to see funding maintained for the government's key environmental program CleanBC, as well as improving access to affordable early childhood education.

"However, it isn't enough to make life more affordable," he said in a news release. "Now is the time to go all-in on transitioning to a clean economy that has equity and sustainability at its core."

James said the financial bleeding at the Crown-owned Insurance Corp. of British Columbia is expected to be stemmed by the end of 2020-21, after losses of more than $2 billion over the past three years. The 2019-20 budget forecasts a loss of $91 million.

The government recently announced it will move to a no-fault system that will cut insurance rates by 20 per cent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Feb. 18, 2020.
YEREVAN.  Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: The Munich conversation was also discussed at the CC [the ruling Civil Contract party] meeting with the participation of [PM] Nikol Pashinyan the previous day.

According to our information, you asked a question. What was it about? They say the [ruling] My Step [alliance members] avoid talking about Munich, we asked Tatevik Hayrapetyan [a member of the majority My Step faction in parliament]. "We neither have nor conceal any closed discussion or confidential information at all in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. My question was about the domestic political situation in Azerbaijan."

And wasnt a question raised about the "phased" version put forward by [Azerbaijan President Ilham] Aliyev, to which Pashinyan did not respond in Munich? The Prime Minister has really made his point very clear; security is not subject to compromise for us." We understand. And is the "phased option" acceptable to you? "No. The option that does not exist yet is acceptable to us." When will that option be?" It could be in 20 years, in 30 years." But some predict a war in April when there will be a space between the Karabakh elections and the referendum [in Armenia on constitutional amendments]. "Who says? Even Aliyev doesn't say it? Who are those who are saying [it]?"

But will the international community, our resource base survive 20 years? I cannot speak on behalf of the international community. As for our resources, after the revolution, all efforts have been made to create such resources."
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Loan Agreement with MPIC Fund I, LP



Premier Diversified Holdings Inc. ("Premier" or the "Company") (TSXV: PDH) announces that it has entered into a loan agreement with MPIC Fund I, LP ("MPIC") for a secured loan in the aggregate principal amount of up to USD$200,000 (the "Loan"). The Loan matures on February 13, 2021 and bears interest at a rate of 6% per annum. The Loan is secured with all of the present and after-acquired property of the Company and ranks equally in priority with the loans previously made to the Company by MPIC in April 2019, July 2019, September 2019, November 2019 and December 2019.

The Company is not issuing any securities, or paying any bonus, commission or finder's fees on the Loan. The Loan is repayable at any time without penalty. The Company expects to repay the financing upon receiving funds from some of its other investments.

Related party transaction disclosure

As MPIC is a control person of Premier, the Loan constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Loan has been determined to be exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation or minority shareholder approval based on sections 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(f) of MI 61-101.

Premier does not have securities listed or quoted on any of the specified markets listed in section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101. Premier is relying on the exemption from minority shareholder approval in 5.7(1)(f) of MI 61-101 as the loan was obtained by Premier from MPIC on reasonable commercial terms that are not less advantageous to Premier than if the loan had been obtained from a person dealing at arms length with Premier. Further, the loan is not convertible, directly or indirectly, into equity or voting securities of Premier or a subsidiary entity of the issuer, or otherwise participating in nature, or repayable as to principal or interest, directly or indirectly, in equity or voting securities of Premier or a subsidiary entity of the issuer.

The Loans are subject to review and acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange.

Use of Proceeds

Premier intends to use a portion of the Loans to lend funds to MyCare MedTech Inc., as set out below. The remainder will be used for general working capital and may be used to fund the acquisition of an interest in a public or private entity. The Issuer may, in its discretion, determine to use the proceeds for other business purposes as identified by the board of directors and management.

About Premier Diversified Holdings Inc.

Premier Diversified Holdings Inc. participates in diversified industries through its acquisitions of securities and/or assets of public and private entities which it believes have potential for significant returns. It may act as a holding company (either directly or through a subsidiary) and may participate in management of subsidiary entities to varying degrees.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Sanjeev Parsad"

Sanjeev Parsad

President, CEO and Director

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.



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 jurisdictions in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Any offering made will be pursuant to available prospectus exemptions and restricted to persons to whom the securities may be sold in accordance with the laws of such jurisdictions, and by persons permitted to sell the securities in accordance with the laws of such jurisdictions.

Further information regarding the Company can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Not for dissemination in the United States of America.

Legal Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are indicated expectations or intentions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include that the net proceeds of the Loan will be used as stated in this news release. Factors that could cause actual results to be materially different include but are not limited to the following: that the capital raised will be insufficient capital to accomplish our intentions and capital alone may not be sufficient for us to grow our business. Growth depends on several factors including market conditions. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. It is not our policy to update forward looking statements.
The thought of being locked up in a room for days  quarantined  till you recover from Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) can be depressing. For those who are going through it and are covered through a travel insurance policy, there may be a feeling of relief that at least their medical costs would be taken care of. It doesnt quite work that way; you may not actually incur any costs, given that governments would step in.

On Monday, PTI reported that around 17 travellers who had returned to Delhi from China and other affected countries before the screening began in mid-January showed symptoms of the disease and were hospitalised. The number of confirmed cases in India is three, all in Kerala. Despite its geographical proximity to the epicentre of the pandemic Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19), India has, so far, remained relatively unaffected by the global health crisis of Chinese origin. No alarm bells have started ringing in India yet, but central and state governments are taking precautions.

Travel policies during advisories

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has already issued a travel advisory exhorting people to refrain from visiting China. On cue, general insurance companies that offer overseas travel policies, too, are exercising caution. We are not issuing travel policies to China-bound travellers. We have also limited the issuance of travel insurance policies to Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. For travellers to other destinations where some cases have been detected, we are asking our customers to follow government advisory and take precautions, says Sanjay Datta, Chief, Underwriting, Claims and Reinsurance, ICICI Lombard. On paper  and as per travel policy documents  COVID-19 or other such contagious diseases are not exclusions  they are treated like any other ailment, provided they are not pre-existing.

But when it becomes an epidemic and reaches alarming proportions and where governments get involved, the story changes. Do not depend on your travel insurance when you travel to countries where advisories have been issued. Insurers can possibly decline the claim under losses that are intentionally caused exclusion , says Mahavir Chopra, Chief Business Officer, Coverfox.com.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

While insurers do pay for the treatment of pandemics, usually, they are completely controlled by the government and regular hospitals rarely enter the picture. If the treatment necessitates quarantine, including at home, its the governments call to take  travel policies will not come into play, he adds. Governments tend to take over completely, as symptomatic individuals might need to be placed under quarantine. Treatment takes place at government-designated hospitals and costs, too, are borne by the governments, says Nikhil Apte, Chief Product Officer, Product Factory (Health Insurance), Royal Sundaram. The respective countries governments need to keep track of such cases to contain the scourge and prevent secondary infection. Therefore, it is unlikely that insured travellers will file claims with insurers, he adds.

Settling claims

For Indian health insurance policyholders diagnosed with the disease upon their return, again, similar rules will apply.. If you are, say, evacuated from the epicentre of an epidemic and return to the country, you will be placed under quarantine, as has been the case with Indians airlifted from Wuhan, China. The medical facilities will be controlled and paid for by the government establishments. So, though any treatment procedure that an insured has to undergo is technically covered by travel and health policies, practically, such situations seldom give rise to claims, points out Apte.

In case you to travel to regions where no advisory is in place and yet end up contracting the deadly virus, you can turn to your travel or overseas health policy. That is, in the unlikely event that the government of that country does not have a standard protocol in place to deal with COVID-19 patients. If the government has already picked up your medical tab, you cannot file a claim as you cannot get paid twice. If you are on your own, however, the normal claim settlement process will be applicable, says Chopra. You will get cashless facilities at network hospitals  the ones that the insurer has tied-up with through global partners, or claim reimbursement later.

A travel policy also covers claims beyond health emergencies  baggage loss, passport loss, third-party liability as also evacuation of mortal remains. If mortal remains of an insured have to be brought back to India, we will take care of the expenses. However, it is subject to government formalities sanctioning release and insurers cannot play a role here, explains Datta.

The COVID-19 epidemic, declared Public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has led to 1870 deaths in China, while the number of infected has surpassed 72,000. Globally, it has spread its tentacles to 25 countries that have reported 804 laboratory-confirmed cases and three deaths as per WHO figures as on February 18, 2020.

Keep these points in mind when you buy a travel policy while flying abroad.
The black box of a Ukrainian passenger plane accidentally shot down over Iran last month is damaged but Iran will not hand it over to another country despite pressure for access, top Iranian ministers said on Feb. 19, according to state media.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week he had impressed upon Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that a complete and independent investigation into the shooting down of the airliner had to be carried out.

Many of the 176 who perished in the disaster were Iranians with dual citizenship, which is not recognized by Iran. Canada had 57 citizens on board.

We have a right to read the black box ourselves. We have a right to be present at any examination of the black box, Zarif said.

If we are supposed to give the black box to others for them to read it in our place then this is something we will definitely not do, he said.

Defense Minister Amir Hatami said the flight data recording box had sustained noticeable damage and the defense industry has been requested to help in reconstructing (it).

The reconstruction of the black box is supposed to take place first and then the reading, Hatami said.

All 176 passengers aboard the plane were killed when the Revolutionary Guards, Irans most powerful military force, fired missiles at the plane after mistaking it for a hostile target.

Iran is in discussions with other countries, particularly Ukraine, about the investigation, foreign minister Zarif said.

By Babak Dehghanpisheh
Last week, the South African Research Chair in Intellectual Property, Innovation and Development (the IP Chair) hosted the official book launch for my new book,, at the Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town. The event consisted of a fireside chat between me and, a professor of Film and Media Studies at the University of Cape Town., a PhD Candidate under the IP Chair and a Research Assistant at the IP Unit of the University of Cape Town, was in attendance and now reports on what happened that day.



Over to Clarence:



Phenomenal. The word that jumped out to the audience when Professor Caroline Ncube, the holder of the South African Research Chair in IP, Innovation and Development, after her characteristically warm welcome to all the attendees, commenced her description of Dr Chijioke Ifeoma Okorie. It was clear to see that this was not just a word thrown out for the sake of it, but a heartfelt endorsement of a person the distinguished Professor considers a protegee. Having supervised Chijioke's doctoral thesis, she is in a better position than most to give a candid opinion on the author. After all, Chijioke commenced her PhD studies, with her in 2015 and in her words, finished in record time Phenomenal. The word that jumped out to the audience when, the holder of the South African Research Chair in IP, Innovation and Development, after her characteristically warm welcome to all the attendees, commenced her description of Dr Chijioke Ifeoma Okorie. It was clear to see that this was not just a word thrown out for the sake of it, but a heartfelt endorsement of a person the distinguished Professor considers a protegee. Having supervised Chijioke's doctoral thesis, she is in a better position than most to give a candid opinion on the author. After all, Chijioke commenced her PhD studies, with her in 2015 and in her words, finished in record time



Chijioke in a chat with Adam Haupt... The event, which was scheduled to mark the launch of Chijiokes book, was held on the 12th of February 2020 and well attended from within and without the University of Cape Towns Faculty of Law. Taking a conversational tone, the central event was the discourse between the author and Professor Haupt of the Centre of Film and Media Studies at the University of Cape Town, who steered a riveting and engaging conversation with his typically well thought-out questions. The conversation lasted for approximately 30 minutes, and was followed by a short Q&A session between Chijioke and the audience. It will be impracticable to turn this post into a transcript of everything that was said. However, some key points which were highlighted therein will be summarized in subsequent paragraphs. The event, which was scheduled to mark the launch of Chijiokes book, was held on the 12th of February 2020 and well attended from within and without the University of Cape Towns Faculty of Law. Taking a conversational tone, the central event was the discourse between the author and Professor Haupt of the Centre of Film and Media Studies at the University of Cape Town, who steered a riveting and engaging conversation with his typically well thought-out questions. The conversation lasted for approximately 30 minutes, and was followed by a short Q&A session between Chijioke and the audience. It will be impracticable to turn this post into a transcript of everything that was said. However, some key points which were highlighted therein will be summarized in subsequent paragraphs.



The first question which Prof Haupt asked Chijioke was how she came about with the topic of her research? She first gave a brief history of her connection to the music industry in Nigeria, having worked in that space before commencing her PhD. She went on to say that what really got her down this research path was the fact that at the time streaming services such as Spotify, were just beginning to sprout up. She found it fascinating that their business model was one predicated upon the idea of fighting free with free. Even with the free service on offer by streaming sites, there was still a money trail which she was intent on tracing. Of particular interest to her were who was making the money; and whether the creators of the music knew about and had access to the money being made.



Another interesting issue which stemmed from their conversation was how privacy plays a role on the part of the rights holders who feel entitled to know what the streaming sites do with their content; vis-a-vis the users who expect some level of privacy on these sites- from a Nigerian and South African perspective. Chijioke stated that the privacy laws of both countries are still in their infancy. She further noted that in practice, there is a symbiotic relationship between the artists and streaming services, with artists viewing streaming services as avenues for self-promotion. To that end, she gave an example of a Nigerian music platform (Notjustok.com), which over the years has built a reputation of being well listened to by music lovers all over the continent, and how artists crave to upload their music onto the site because of the platform and exposure it gives them. Another interesting issue which stemmed from their conversation was how privacy plays a role on the part of the rights holders who feel entitled to know what the streaming sites do with their content; vis-a-vis the users who expect some level of privacy on these sites- from a Nigerian and South African perspective. Chijioke stated that the privacy laws of both countries are still in their infancy. She further noted that in practice, there is a symbiotic relationship between the artists and streaming services, with artists viewing streaming services as avenues for self-promotion. To that end, she gave an example of a Nigerian music platform (), which over the years has built a reputation of being well listened to by music lovers all over the continent, and how artists crave to upload their music onto the site because of the platform and exposure it gives them.



When asked by Prof Haupt about her thoughts on the debates surrounding fair use and fair dealing as it relates to South African and Nigerian copyright law, she spoke about how historically the challenge has always been balancing the rights of copyright holders with those of the users. She referred to an opinion which she wrote on the issue, where she stated that whether South Africa adopts a fair use or fair dealing provision, may not be the real issue. Her reasoning was tha,t in both cases, it is only a court that can determine whether a particular use/dealing is fair. She pointed to the fact that in South Africa, there is only one case which deals with the issue of fair dealing (the Moneyweb case). When asked by Prof Haupt about her thoughts on the debates surrounding fair use and fair dealing as it relates to South African and Nigerian copyright law, she spoke about how historically the challenge has always been balancing the rights of copyright holders with those of the users. She referred to an opinion which she wrote on the issue, where she stated that whether South Africa adopts a fair use or fair dealing provision, may not be the real issue. Her reasoning was tha,t in both cases, it is only a court that can determine whether a particular use/dealing is fair. She pointed to the fact that in South Africa, there is only one case which deals with the issue of fair dealing ().



One of the questions asked was whether the author felt that collecting societies were beginning to lose their relevance with the rise in prominence of these streaming platforms. She answered by stating that if collecting societies are able to get their ducks in a row, there is still great potential for what they can achieve in protecting rights holders. She also pointed out that the current Copyright Amendment Bill in South Africa contains some proposed amendments which will allow collecting societies to operate more efficiently and in a transparent manner. One of the questions asked was whether the author felt that collecting societies were beginning to lose their relevance with the rise in prominence of these streaming platforms. She answered by stating that if collecting societies are able to get their ducks in a row, there is still great potential for what they can achieve in protecting rights holders. She also pointed out that the currentin South Africa contains some proposed amendments which will allow collecting societies to operate more efficiently and in a transparent manner.
Newsfrom Japan

Tokyo, Feb. 19 (Jiji Press)--Japanese government officials are jittery in the face of criticisms over government measures against the outbreak of infections with the new COVID-19 coronavirus originating in China.

Border controls taken at the initiative of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe failed to prevent the spread of infections in Japan. Some claim that the government's decision to keep passengers on the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship at the port of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, exacerbated group infections onboard.

Anxiety about the "unknown infectious disease" has been casting a shadow over public approval ratings for the Abe cabinet, raising a sense of crisis inside the government and the ruling coalition led by Abe's Liberal Democratic Party.

At a joint meeting of opposition party members held Tuesday to discuss countermeasures against the viral outbreak, Kenta Izumi, policy chief of the Democratic Party for the People, criticized the government's responses. "The government failed at border measures by trying to downplay the situation," he said.

Tokyo initially decided to conduct virus tests on only people with fever, records of traveling to China's Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, or contact with those who stayed in Wuhan.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Head of the Vietnams Permanent Mission to ASEAN, Ambassador Tran Duc Binh (middle) at the meeting (Photo: VNA)

The meeting spoke highly of progress in the implementation of the 2025 Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC 2025), with 12 out of 15 initiatives in five strategic fields of sustainable infrastructure, digital innovation, seamless logistics, regulatory excellence and people mobility already underway, and the remaining in the process of preparation.

Participants adopted orientations and priorities during the year Vietnam holds the ASEAN Chairmanship and the 2020-2022 working plan in order to realise the MPAC.

Specifically, ASEAN will give priority to projects under the three initiatives that are yet to be implemented, especially schemes on building data on commercial routes, a dictionary on ASEAN open data, developing digital platforms, enhancing vocational and human resources training in the new period.

Delegates also highlighted the need to popularise contents and benefits of MPAC 2025, encourage the involvement of ASEANs specialised agencies in the implementation of MPAC 2025 projects, and strengthen mechanisms to link MPAC 2025 with initiatives to connect the region with partner countries.

The ACCC was established with the aim to supervise MPAC 2025 implementation and report to the ASEAN Coordinating Council and the ASEAN Summit.

The MPAC 2025 was adopted at the 28th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos in September 2016.
A CHP pilot who was temporarily blinded by a laser strike says one of his eyes hasn't recovered.

California Highway Patrol Officer Jan Sears, with the Golden Gate Air Operations group, was flying Air-31, a GippsAero GA8 Airvan, over the Vacaville area Monday night after completing a search when a blue laser light struck the cockpit.

"So its pitch black and were flying and all of the sudden its like the sun just came out," Sears told CBS 13 Sacramento. "It took me a minute to get my bearings and then we started going to work because thats what we do."

But a day later, he said one of his eyes has not recovered.

"I'm still having residual effects with my left eye," Sears told NBC Bay Area. "I feel that something has happened."

Sears, who has been flying CHP planes for 12 years, was able to maintain control of the plane because auto pilot was engaged. Meanwhile, the flight officer trained an inboard infrared camera on the source of the laser strike.

Solano County sheriff arrests suspect who pointed laster at CHP plane

"We turned away from it as if we werent going to look for the guy and the guy kept pointing the laser at us repeatedly," Sears told CBS 13.

Alerted by CHP officers, Solano County Sheriff's Office deputies immediately responded and converged on a suspect at the location of the light source.

ALSO: Plane carrying SF nurse, friend vanishes over Lost Coast

They arrested 33-year-old Christopher Larsen, who was booked into Solano County Jail on suspicion of two felonies for allegedly interfering with CHP air operations. Deputies said Larsen was found to be in possession of a laser device.

Larsen could also face federal charges and Federal Aviation Administration fines.

According to Sears, the suspect was using a laser that is "much more expensive and highly powerful." He said laser attacks are increasing and his plane is targeted once or twice a week.

CHP officials said both military and civilian aircraft have reported laser strikes to the Travis Air Force Base Tower in recent days, but could not say if the suspect was involved in those incidents.

---

Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate
Mascarene paradise-flycatcher. Credit: Christophe Thebaud

It is known that biodiversity is unevenly distributed across the planet. But why do some islands such as the Galapagos and Hawaii harbour so many unique species of birds? In the 1960's, Robert MacArthur & Edward Wilson proposed what was to become a highly influential theory in biology: the Theory of Island Biogeography. This theory predicts the number of species expected on any given island as a function of the area (size) of the island and its isolation (distance) from the mainland.

Remarkably, to date no study has shown on a global scale how island area and isolation determine the rates at which species colonise new islands, evolve new types or go extinct. These relationships have remained elusive for decades.

However, in a new study published today in Nature, a team of ornithologists, evolutionary biologists and mathematical modellers have shown for the first time how rates of island colonisation, natural extinction, and species formation vary with island size and distance from the continent. The study, a collection of molecular data from bird species found across 41 oceanic archipelagos, reveals how the area and isolation of islands are key to determining the diversity of species they contain.

Dr. Sonya Clegg, Associate Professor of Evolutionary Ecology at the Department of Zoology, says: "This huge collaborative effortled by Dr. Luis Valente of Museum fur Naturkunde in Berlinhas allowed us to create this remarkable global dataset of island birds worldwide. This data shows that indeed, colonisation decreases with isolation, and extinction decreases with area, confirming the key components of the Theory of Island Biogeography. Importantly we were able to extend the model framework to include speciation, showing that speciation increases with both area and isolation, and furthermore, describe the precise shape of these key global biodiversity relationships for birds."

A further fascinating result was the finding that the vast majority of island bird species represent unique evolutionary branches with no close relatives on the islands they inhabit.

Dr. Valente of Museum fur Naturkunde in Berlin, says: "Islands are frequently associated with spectacular radiationsthink of Darwin's finches of Galapagos, where a single coloniser went on to diversify into 15 different speciesbut this is not the evolutionary scenario for most of the world's island bird diversity."

Dr. Clegg says: "It will be exciting to see how this major advance for testing island biology theory on a global scale can be applied to other taxa. How will the precise shape of relationships change when looking at ants, or mammals or reptiles? These types of comparisons will answer long-standing questions about biogeographical patterns, and no doubt stimulate new avenues for research."

Explore further It would take 50 million years to recover New Zealand's lost bird species

More information: A simple dynamic model explains island bird diversity worldwide, Nature (2020). nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2022-5 Journal information: Nature A simple dynamic model explains island bird diversity worldwide,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2022-5
In the past week, there's been non-stop speculation that Trump's attorney general, Bill Barr, may be run out of office or quit. On Tuesday alone, a report that Barr was on the verge of quitting was instantly followed with a statement that he had no intention of quitting.

This all stems from the fact that when word broke that the vindictive Eric Holder holdovers in the Department of Justice sought the most extreme penalty possible for Roger Stone, Trump and Barr acted almost simultaneously, with Barr later insisting that his actions had nothing to do with Trump.

On February 11, Trump tweeted out that the sentence the DOJ was asking for Stone was an injustice:

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! https://t.co/rHPfYX6Vbv  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 11, 2020

At roughly the same time, Barr, as head of the Department of Justice, concluded that the sentencing memo was inappropriate and, instead, filed a memo asking only that the court exercise its discretion over sentencing. The left promptly went insane, saying that never before had an attorney general been so utterly unhinged and corrupt. Former DOJ attorneys and officials (who are overwhelmingly Democrats) signed a petition that former Obama and Schiff staffers had written demanding he resign.

Leave it to Jeff Carlson to tweet out what a truly corrupt DOJ looks like:

2) J. Christian Adams highlighted the highly politicized DOJ hiring practices put in place by Obama and Eric Holder in an extensive series of investigative articles.https://t.co/fpdwrL75an  Jeff Carlson (@themarketswork) February 16, 2020

4) Eric Holder came up with the process for doling out settlements from the financial crisis to activist groups. pic.twitter.com/w9YUzMkTcg  Jeff Carlson (@themarketswork) February 16, 2020

6) The Congressional Committee also noted the Justice Departments stonewalling tactics: pic.twitter.com/Vaik5Nq5pm  Jeff Carlson (@themarketswork) February 16, 2020

The DOJ Slush Fund that was run under Obama & Holder is just one in a litany of abuses and over-reach that occurred at the DOJ during Obama's tenure.https://t.co/Q1jNKWcxtf  Jeff Carlson (@themarketswork) February 16, 2020

10) AG Sessions:



When the federal government settles a case against a corporate wrongdoer, any settlement funds should go first to the victims and then to the American peoplenot to bankroll third-party special interest groups or the political friends of whoever is in power.  Jeff Carlson (@themarketswork) February 16, 2020

But by all means, tell us how authoritarianism is coming to America because the attorney general asked the court to exercise its discretion in sentencing an elderly, first-time, nonviolent offender who clumsily resisted a hoax and issued threats no one took seriously.

Still, Barr did state on ABC that Trump's tweets were a challenge for him, identifying them as "disruptive" and saying some of them "make it impossible for me to do my job and to assure the courts and the prosecutors in the department that we're going our work with integrity." Speaking through Stephanie Grisham, Trump answered that he "wasn't bothered" by Barr's statement on ABC.

On Tuesday, there was a rush of Trump-Barr news. It started when President Trump made comments to reporters before leaving on Air Force One:

Q And do you agree with his statement that he  that you should stop tweeting about Justice Department issues? THE PRESIDENT: Well, people like that. But, you know, everybody has the right to speak their mind. And I use social media. I guess I use it well, because here I am. I'm here. And I probably wouldn't have gotten here without social media because I certainly don't get fair press. [snip] But I think he's doing an excellent job. He's a strong guy. I never spoke to him about the Roger Stone situation. [snip] Q Has the Attorney General threatened to resign over your tweets? And then, also, he said that your comments on Twitter are making it "impossible" to do his job. Are you making his job impossible? THE PRESIDENT: Well, but it allows me  yeah, I do make his job harder. I do agree with that. I think that's true. He's a very straight shooter. We have a great Attorney General, and he's working very hard. And he's working against a lot of people that don't want to see good things happen, in my opinion. That's my opinion, not his opinion. That's my opinion. You'll have to ask what his opinion is.

Within hours of those remarks, news broke that Barr was threatening to quit:

Bill Barr is threatening to quit as Attorney General if President Trump does not stop tweeting about Justice Department investigations, a new report claims. Three Trump administration officials told The Washington Post on Tuesday that Barr is considering whether he should tender his resignation. They claimed that the AG has told several people close to Trump  both inside and outside of the White House  about his potential plans. 'Barr has his limits,' one anonymous official stated, claiming that the AG was fed up by Trump's continued interference in Justice Department cases.

And then, just a few hours later, Barr's spokesperson said he's not quitting:

Addressing Beltway rumors: The Attorney General has no plans to resign.  KerriKupecDOJ (@KerriKupecDOJ) February 19, 2020

Perhaps there's a real drama here  and perhaps Barr and Trump are creating an artificial schism to emphasize Barr's undoubted independence. It's obvious, after all, that no one pushes A.G. Bill Barr around.
Russia-Alaska seafood trade remains a one-way street benefiting Russia

by Laine Welch

February 19,2020 | Source: ADN

Lost in the headlines about the hits to seafood sales from the Trump administrations trade war with China is another international barrier thats been going on far longer.



In August 2014, Russia placed an embargo on all U.S. food products to retaliate for sanctions the U.S and other Western countries imposed over the invasion of Ukraine. The ban included Alaska seafood, which at the time accounted for more than $61 million in annual sales to Russia, primarily pink salmon roe.



But heres the bigger hurt: For the nearly six years that the embargo has been in place, no corresponding limits have ever been imposed on Russian seafood coming into the U.S.



At first, Alaska seafood companies and the states congressional delegation made some tit for tat noise about imposing a ban on Russian seafood. But in fact, the value of Russian imports has grown nearly 70% since 2014  and it all comes into the U.S. almost entirely duty-free.



A four-page white paper from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute outlines the trade imbalance further.



For example, the U.S. imported $551 million of seafood from Russia in 2018, plus $50 million of pollock from China that was caught in Russia. U.S. crab constituted 84% of the value of Russian imports just in that one year.



Through December 2019, the numbers increased again  federal trade data show that more than 80.2 million pounds of Russian seafood entered the U.S. valued at over $698 million. That included nearly 16 million pounds of red king crab valued at $293 million and 4.6 million pounds of frozen sockeye salmon worth over $16.7 million.



Alaska and Russia harvest many of the same fish and crab species, and many Russian seafood products compete in the U.S. at much lower prices.



The trade report reveals how ASMI worked aggressively to build markets in Russia starting in 2006, and steady growth boosted Alaska pink salmon prices from 2010 through 2013, which benefited fishermen and coastal communities.



The trade imbalance will only get worse, the ASMI report said, as Russia aims to nearly double the value of its global seafood exports by 2024 to over $8 billion.



Huge investments are underway to increase and modernize capacity by building more than 20 new processing plants and 90 new fishing vessels by the year 2030. The plan also includes the launch of a new marketing and supply chain strategy called The Russian Fish.



Total investments by Russia to its fishery sector between 2018 and 2025 are estimated at nearly $7 billion.

 2020 Anchorage Daily News. All rights reserved.

Theme(s): Post Harvest Technology and Trade.
Donald Judd, Untitled (1980). Photo: The Chinati Foundation  2020 Judd Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph: Alex Marks

You know Donald Judds work even if you dont know you know it. Judd is to minimalism as Picasso is to Cubism. But unlike Cubism, which lives much more vibrantly inside museum walls than anywhere else in the world, minimalism quickly achieved exit velocity from the art world and took over  everything. Since the 1990s, endless streams of derivative decorators, designers, architects, less-is-more self-help gurus, Calvin Klein stores, landscape artists, furniture-makers, and corporate-office planners have owed many of their ideas to misunderstanding Judds notions of objects, space, material, and interior design, the built and lived-in environment. His wall sculptures became wall shelves, floating on the white space of generic HGTV-approved interiors and carefully layered with books and small sculptures. He is in everything from the buildings we live in and the furniture we sit on to our work spaces and iPhone design. Judds minimalism is the ubiquitous dark design energy of everyday modern life. Always there, even if you never consciously recognize it.

Today, this might make it hard to see Judds work  showcased starting March 1 in a MoMA retrospective, his first in 30 years  as art at all. In fact, his iconic boxes were meant to be an end point of a sort: not a form of expression but the thing in itself, an art-historical object emptied of all referential art-historical meaning. He wanted his art to have definite qualities, plain power, a sense of singleness  to make things that arent obviously art. He wanted to create works that were neither painting nor sculpture. The experience of his art, he said, should be democratic, available all at once, never mystical, hidden, expressionistic, or illusionistic. He was against weight and mass in sculpture because these werent things you could accurately ascertain just by looking. He was against all forms of figuration and certain forms of authorship  his vision was so much his own it was revolutionary, yet the works themselves were produced by machines or made to look that way, tributes of a kind to American industrial production. While he admired Brancusi and Giacometti, he thought their art implied the human body. He refused to suggest anything outside the work itself.

The problem was as soon as Judd emptied his objects of art history, the world changed on a dime, demanding the vacuum of form he established be filled again with content. In the era of Vietnam and civil rights, womens liberation and the sexual revolution, the idea of pure formalism lost its currency. A hundred other types of art sprung up: Land and Earth art, process art, performance art, video art, Conceptual art. Many of these made use of Judds form, appropriating or stuffing those boxes with life, politics, history, biography, science, or biology. First came Eva Hesse putting squiggly plastic things into boxes. Then Robert Smithson filled them with rocks. Michael Heizer gouged two rectangles out of the sides of a mesa in Nevada. Felix Gonzalez-Torress stacks of paper are Judd boxes with social commentary. Jeff Koons put appliances in boxes and invited us to worship them. Rachel Whiteread made boxy concrete casts of negative spaces. Damien Hirst put dissected animals in boxes. In the end, Judd was less an end point than a reset, an end of modernism and a beginning of everything that followed, who, in trying to invent a form of pure object, actually ended up producing a platform  or a theater  onto which everyone elses ideas about everything else could be projected.

I first saw Judds work in the mid-1970s, when I was in my early 20s.

Even though it was barely ten years after Judd caused a sea change, his art already felt like it came from another world. It scared me, like I wasnt up to coming to grips with whether these manufactured objects could be art. Judds work isnt even spiced with the puckish, riddling frisson of Duchamps readymades, which his boxes might otherwise call to mind in their pure objectness. It also doesnt have the messianic fervor of early monochrome artists like Malevich and Rodchenko, who made art out of rules, metaphysics, and philosophy on canvas. Judd, for all his seriousness, is less grand and more quotidian  nearer to the stripped-down wholeness, visual lucidity, and existential absorption conjured by photographer Walker Evans. Both artists feel close to the land, hardscrabble, serious, dignified, Spartan.

Decades after first encountering his work, Im still of two minds about Judd. I love the totality of this Renaissance man who made paintings, sculptures, prints, and furniture; designed buildings; created outdoor works in his own landscapes; transformed museum-exhibition ideas; and was perhaps the best art critic between 1959 and 1965  when much art criticism was seen by artists as almost universally bad. (Peak Judd is his awesome West Texas Gesamtkunstwerk in Marfa, itself now a strange, genuine art-world pilgrimage site turned generic Instagram backdrop.) Yet I also hate what Judd represents, how unyielding and antagonistic his abstract art can be.

Judd is the ubiquitous dark design energy of everyday modern life.

None of that intensity came easy or quickly to Judd. He was a latish bloomer who didnt stop painting and didnt really focus on three-dimensional work until he was in his 30s. Then it took a few years for him to fully realize the implications of those ideas. In one of the best pieces of artistic advice Ive ever heard, he said, The problem for any artist is to find the concatenation that will grow. He meant the ideas and intuitions that seem to portend some possible chain of interconnected or interdependent things that might lead to whole new places. He went on, The first work that an artist feels is theirs is not a solution limiting the possibility, but is work that opens to limitless possibility. That the boxes now look to us like fully formed conclusions, rather than open-ended, daring experiments, is another sign that we live too fully in his aesthetic universe to ever really attain a proper perspective on his work.

At MoMA, you will see the boxes, wedges, and lozenge shapes on the floor and other forms cantilevering off walls, displacing space like it was water.

(Art didnt do that before Judd.) Most of these objects are made of mundane machined industrial materials  metal, plexiglass, plywood, aluminum.

Everything is produced to Judds exact drawn specifications. He sent these instructions to small fabricators he worked with. He never touched the work. Yet every detail seems considered, touched by his mind  as Richard Serra said, executed to millimeter perfection. All this may sound inhuman and high-tech, but in the flesh his works feel very mom-and-pop-shop-made, scruffy, vulnerable. Size-wise, his indoor floor forms are often around the arm span of a person of average height. You look at, around, and through a Judd box, follow the flow of air inside it, sense its hollowness, scan surfaces, perceive how its all put together. Serra credits Judd as the first to deal with the contained interior space and the surrounding space simultaneously. Indeed, Judds primary material is space.

Sometimes we see our reflections in his work, sometimes those of the room. Often you peer through clear or smoky plexiglass; the sculptures can turn into axiomatic diagrams of themselves before your eyes. Judd wanted you to see the work, its surface, consider the space inside and around it, understand the placement of it in the room, and ascertain the forces that define these spaces  all at once, the way you see the paint, color, process, surface, and drawing at the same time in a Pollock (an artist whose work he revered even though it was painting). For me, Judd is more than a wintry, plain-fact Wallace Stevens thing itself artist. Hes a little Whitmanesque in the way he wants to sing the sculpture electric and have everything merge into everything else. He extended the sculptural field of art to its breaking point. And it broke.

The most withering criticism of Judd came from his contemporary Michael Fried in a 1967 essay, Art and Objecthood, published in Artforum. Fried called Judds art a mere genre of theater. This is because you had to walk around his objects. This implied viewers having changing views. As if that sort of agency were a bad thing and we shouldnt view Michelangelos David from behind? Fried is right that Judds art is theatrical. But he is also one of the wrongest critics of the era. The theatricality he disapproved of defines the art of the subsequent 40 years  from Lynda Benglis spilling paint on the gallery floor to the cutout paper panoramas of Kara Walker to the sculptural environments of Robert Gober. (Gobers sinks conjure Judds boxes as well.)

How did Judd see his own work? Probably the premier sculptor of his time, Judd said he didnt make sculptures. They were to be called objects or specific objects. He said, I never thought about sculpture. Almost never. Judd wanted to do away with all those European traditions. It suits me fine if thats all down the drain. About modernism, he said, Im not too sure what that means.

Judd also loathed the term minimalism and never used it. You werent supposed to either. Thats how stringent the mid-1960s Kool-Aid was. So how did people talk about this work at the time? Among the most dizzying aspects of minimalism was the incredible cacophony of contentious criticism and mandarin nonsense it produced. Clement Greenberg decried Judds work as novelty art and mannerism and said Judd had nothing more to say. Judd blasted Greenberg and Frieds critiques as little-league fascism, the incompetence of art criticism, and called such attacks despicable and dogmatic. He said Frieds formal analyses are shit. And while he was among the first to hail artists like Yayoi Kusama and Lee Bontecou, his reviews could be scorching. First, this is poor [Leonard] Baskin. Second, Baskin is mediocre anyway. Fried lauded Anthony Caro as the paradigm of sculpture; Judd wrote that Caro was a conventional, competent, second-generation artist.

For a time, Judd was viewed dismissively, too. Anna C. Chaves landmark 1990 critique of the machismo of the minimalists begins with a bemused anecdote about her seeing two young women kick a Judd box and do their hair in its shiny surface while a guard simply looked on. Judd wrote a lot about how poorly his work was treated by museums, where shipping labels and gaffer tape were applied directly to its fragile surfaces. He loathed how museums so instantly and fully embraced and hijacked him and his ism and quickly turned minimalism into a white-male petting zoo, a symbol of good taste and corporate status. In the 1970s, I remember thinking all these minimalist artists were just the zombies, an ice age of art. But eventually, that ice age calved whole new continents.

Judd opens at the Museum of Modern Art on March 1.

*This article appears in the February 17, 2020, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now!
Nominations for the 6th annual Future of HR Awards are now open

Taking place in Johannesburg on 11 June 2020, the sixth annual Future of HR Awards will honour Southern Africa's most outstanding, inspiring and effective leaders in human capital management, HR innovation and HR tech. Featuring new awards categories and entry criteria - which have been updated in collaboration with our advisory panel of HR industry experts - the awards have been attracting enquiries from South Africa, neighbouring countries and globally.

2019 Future of HR Award winners

2020 organisational awards

Employer of Choice: Large Organisations



Employer of Choice: Small to Medium Organisations



Employer of Choice: Public Sector Organisations



Best HR Strategic Plan



Best Reward and Recognition Strategy



Best Recruitment Strategy



Best Change Management Strategy



Best Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Strategy



Best Use of Technology



Best Learning and Development Strategy



Best Health and Wellness Strategy

2020 individual awards

HR Rising Star of the Year (35 years or younger)



CEO of the Year



HR Director of the Year

Our 2019 Employer of Choice: Large Organisation and Best Learning and Development Strategy winner, Mechell Chetty - HR VP of Unilever SA, had this to say: I think this is a fantastic opportunity to network and obviously to grow with our HR community but more importantly to see how we can collaborate and actually make a difference in society, particularly with the youth and unemployment. Entries close on 15 March 2020. Winners will be announced at the Future of HR Awards gala dinner, which will be held on the 11 June 2020 in Johannesburg.



Enter the Future of HR Awards and become an employer of choice.



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Our 2019 Employer of Choice: Large Organisation and Best Learning and Development Strategy winner, Mechell Chetty - HR VP of Unilever SA, had this to say:Entries close on 15 March 2020. Winners will be announced at the Future of HR Awards gala dinner, which will be held on the 11 June 2020 in Johannesburg.Enter the Future of HR Awards and become an employer of choice.To enter click here For more information, go to https://futureofhr.co.za , call 086 000 9590 or email az.oc.rhfoerutuf@gnitekram
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NORWALK  There will be a public hearing regarding proposed changes to the beach parking passes system on March 17.The Ordinance Committee of the Common Council advanced a proposal Tuesday night that would require people to have their cars registered in the city in order to receive free beach parking. The committee also voted to add language that would allow free parking for Norwalk residents with company cars.

Residents who dont pay motor vehicle tax to the city of Norwalk would have to pay $250 for a beach pass, according to the proposal.
HARTFORD  After a year of prodding the Democratic majority in the General Assembly, Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday abruptly slammed the brakes on his plan for trucks-only highway tolls, admitting defeat and lambasting the legislature for its reticence.

But even as he hastily called a news conference in his Capitol office, Democratic leaders insisted that they could muster the support for a dozen tolls next week. Lamont said he was tired of their procrastination, and vowed that his plan to fix highways and railroad lines will go forward, with state taxpayers shouldering the full freight rather than gathering revenue from interstate trucks.

Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, blamed the Senate Democratic caucus for the latest failure of the plan, and Senate leaders pointed fingers at threatened filibusters from House and Senate Republicans.

I have a legislature that doesnt want to make a choice at this time, a terse, visibly frustrated Lamont told reporters after 4 p.m. Ive lost patience. I think its time to take a pause. If these guys arent willing to step up and vote, Im going to solve this problem. Right now were going to go back to the way weve done it for years in this state. We both agree, we need $19 to $20 billion. Im going to do that out of pocket. I hate to do it this way.

Lamont said that the estimated $200 million in annual truck-toll revenue would be subtracted out of the long-term capital bonding legislation. Is it the best way to fund it? No, Lamont said. But its a plausible way to get it going.

At around the time that Lamont was venting to reporters in the Capitol, Democratic leaders said they still hold out hope for a vote on tolls next week. So its not entirely clear whether tolls are dead for the year, depending on what Lamonts bonding alternative turns out to be.

Two of the biggest opponents of tolls, House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby and Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, told reporters that parking the toll legislation is politically expedient, especially at this point in the first month of the short, 13-week budget-adjustment session of the General Assembly.

Nothing is dead in this building, Fasano said, adding hed be surprised if this issue was revived this session. In 2021? I think you can bank on it.

I think and Im hoping that the House Democrats understand what the Senate Democrats seem to have understood for a while and thats that this is not a good vote and its a very risky vote for them because the people of Connecticut dont like it and they do not want their hands stuck in their pocket one more time, Klarides said.

Lamont proposed a 10-year, $19-billion transportation infrastructure program, but in an election year amid a vociferous anti-toll movement, support has been soft among Democrats who have a 90-61 majority in the House and a 22-14 edge in the Senate. Optimistically, Senate Democrats have planned for an 18-18 tie on the issue, with Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz expected to cast the winning vote for tolls.

Aresimowicz admitted that the governors toll plan has been in a slow-motion car wreck for a month.

Over the past four weeks of trying to coordinate the scenario and date to pass a truck-only tolls transportation plan, it has become very clear that the political will to act was not there, Aresimowicz said in a statement. We were poised to act in the House tomorrow, but we need our colleagues in the Senate as well and apparently their ability to also act was tenuous.

In light of a potential unprecedented two-day, 30-hour-long debate, the Senate Democrats asked for five more days for our Senators to prepare and make necessary family arrangements, said Senate President Martin Looney and Majority Leader Bob Duff in a statement released while Lamont had reporters in his office.

We are still confident that Senate Democrats have the votes to pass a comprehensive transportation plan which includes 12 toll gantries on 18-wheeler trucks only, Looney, D-New Haven and Duff, D-Norwalk. We are prepared to hold a session next week to vote on a bill to make the necessary transportation investments for Connecticuts economic development, residents, and businesses.

Patrick Sasser of Stamford, a firefighter who is the informal leader of the No Tolls CT movement, was optimistic at the apparent death of the proposal. Im happy the governor will be moving away from tolls, Sasser said. I am hopeful that lawmakers from both sides of the aisle can come together to find a solution that works for the people of Connecticut.

Asked by reporters about his opinion of the opposition to tolls, Lamont snapped: Its a grassroots movement to do nothing.

Told about Lamonts comment, Sasser, took a different view.

The voice of the people has been heard, he said. Its been clear from day one that the people of Connecticut were not in favor of tolls coming into the state, and part of that is that they just dont trust another source of revenue, Sasser said. Weve seen this before, where these other things were supposed to save Connecticut and weve been spiraling out of control. What people really want to see in Connecticut is reformand thats what this movement has been about.

Dan Haar contributed to this report.
Changes proposed by the British government for a points-based permit scheme for EU migrants to get work after Brexit has sparked widespread concern from business groups here.

The Northern Ireland Retail Consortium said the economy needed lower-skilled and lower-qualified workers; Hospitality Ulster said the measures will lead to increased vacancies and not jobs; while the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry said few industries will be able to cope with the new measures.

Aidan Flynn, general manager of hauliers group, Freight Transport Association Ireland, said from a broad European perspective it was curious the UK was going down the points-based path because its economy was so reliant on EU farmworkers and for EU truckers and EU logistics staff.

It is strange that they are characterising logistics as low-skilled jobs. It will struggle even more to fill vacancies, he said.

It will be more difficult for a guy from Poland to get a job in Newry and it has wide-reaching implications across the North and the rest of the island too, Mr Flynn added.

The proposed changes to the immigration system will mean UK employers will need to adjust, the British government has said.

UK employers will have until the start of next January to meet the requirements and ensure people have a right to work in the UK.

A policy statement out- lining plans for a new points-based system after freedom of movement ends said that the economy needs to move away from a reliance on what the British government calls cheap labour from Europe.

EU and non-EU citizens will be treated equally but top priority will be given to those with the highest skills and the greatest talents, like scientists, engineers, and academics, according to the paper.

The salary threshold for skilled migrants will be lowered from 30,000 (36,070) to 25,600 (30,780) for those coming to the UK with a job offer.

Described in the policy paper as simple, effective and flexible, people who want to live and work in the UK will need to gain 70 points to be eligible to apply for a visa.

Points will be awarded for key requirements like being able to speak English to a certain level, having a job offer from an approved employer, and meeting a minimum salary threshold.

Other points will be awarded for certain qualifications and if there is a shortage in a particular occupation.

The changes are designed to cut the number of low-skilled migrants entering Britain from the beginning of next year but aim to make it easier for higher-skilled workers to get UK visas.

The firm and fair system will instead attract the high-skilled workers we need to contribute to our economy, our communities and our public services, according to the paper.

We will not introduce a general low-skilled or temporary work route, it said.

We need to shift the focus of our economy away from a reliance on cheap labour from Europe and instead concentrate on investment in technology and automation. Employers will need to adjust, it said.

But the EU Settlement Scheme, designed to give EU citizens permission to stay and work in the UK after Brexit, will provide employers with flexibility to meet labour market demands, it said.

Additional reporting PA
This is the emotional moment a mother and her two children are reunited with their dad after weeks under coronavirus quarantine.

Yanjun Wei and her two kids, Mia and Rowan, were released from quarantine at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, on Tuesday.

The trio had been trying to get home from the coronavirus epicenter in Wuhan, China, since late December, when the deadly disease was first detected.

They were among 180 passengers evacuated to the US on February 5 and subsequently placed under a 14-day quarantine at the military base to ensure that they wouldn't spread the virus now known as COVID-19.

Wei's husband Ken Burnett was eagerly waiting at Sacramento International Airport when his family were finally given the all clear to head back to their home in San Diego.

Yanjun Wei and her two kids, Mia and Rowan, were reunited with their father Ken Burnett on Tuesday after two weeks under coronavirus quarantine

Wei became emotional as she described her joy at seeing her husband for the first time since late December. She and her children were in self-isolation in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, for weeks before they were evacuated on a charter flight to the US

Burnett flew from the family's home in San Diego to Sacramento to meet his wife and kids when they were released from their 14-day quarantine

'I've been waiting for this day,' Wei told KRCA-3 through tears of joy at the airport.

Burnett's flight from San Diego landed in Sacramento minutes before his family arrived on a bus from Travis AFB.

The father was waiting with open arms when they stepped off the bus.

'I couldn't sleep last night, the anticipation was too much,' the father told ABC10.

Wei had taken her children to her native China for the holidays and was planning to meet up with Burnett in Hong Kong in late December, but the rapidly-spreading virus got in the way.

They spent weeks in self-isolation at their home in China, and were nearly running out of supplies when Wei got the call that she and her kids would be evacuated on one of five flights chartered by the US State Department.

'We were scared we were going to be there for who knows how long,' Wei said.

'We were very lucky to be on that flight.'

The mother said the frustratingly-long trip home was made easier by officials with the Department of Health and Human Services who cared for them while they were quarantined at Travis AFB.

'Those guys, they're amazing. They're the best people. Yeah. I can't thank them enough. It's like ... what they're doing for us, it's extraordinary, like beyond my expectations,' Wei said.

Wei thanked officials with the Department of Health and Human Services who cared for her and her children while they were quarantined at Travis AFB

The plane which evacuated Wei, her two children and 177 other American citizens from Wuhan is seen arriving at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield on February 5

The evacuees were housed at the Westwind Inn (pictured) on the military base

Wei and her two children are just a few of the roughly 750 Americans evacuated from Wuhan, the city which has seen nearly all of the 2,007 coronavirus deaths worldwide.

All evacuees were subjected to the quarantine at five military bases across the country.

The group at Travis AFB was released the same day as another 166 passengers who'd been quarantined at Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, California.

The Miramar evacuees were seen throwing their masks in the air after being given the all-clear.

One of the Americans, Yu Lin, posted several photos on Twitter celebrating the end of her quarantine.

In one photo, she showed tags meaning she passed her final health screening. In another, she and her fellow evacuees tossed their face masks in the air in celebration.

'Lots of people asked me how I feel, I can only recognize my feeling now,' Lin wrote on Tuesday morning.

'It is like graduation. Bittersweet, happy, nervous, grateful, leaving friends, leaving people who cared for us, maybe a little tearsjust no hugs.'

Fifteen coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the US as of Wednesday, and more than 75,000 people worldwide have been sickened by the virus, for which there is no known cure.

Evacuees at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar throw masks in the air in celebration after they were given the all-clear on Tuesday
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Writing for the Friendly Atheist blog, Beth Stoneburner took issue with my contention that a President Pete Buttigieg would do his best to marginalize those who are convinced that [homosexual] relationships are contrary to the will of God. She also claimed that no one is trying to silence me when it comes to speaking out on behalf of Christian conservative values. Are my fellow-believers simply paranoid? Are we manufacturing a crisis when none exists?

According to Stoneburner, No one is trying to silence Brown. He regularly publishes his bile on larger platforms, for goodness sake. Hes doing just fine. Somehow, right-wing believers survived eight years of President Obama but they cant handle the possibility of a gay president.

She added, The fact that Brown is still spewing this nonsense without being arrested or thrown in jail or fined shows you just how little he has to be worried about. If only the people he condemned had the same luxury.

It would have been better, of course, if Stoneburner had responded with accuracy rather than rhetoric.

For example, I never said a word about believers not surviving an out and proud gay presidency.

I simply stated that such a presidency would contribute to the further moral decline of our society.

As for our survival, Jesus guaranteed that 2,000 years ago, saying that the gates of Hades would not prevail against the church (see Matthew 16:18). He also said He was with us always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

So, if the church can survive all kinds of murderous persecution worldwide, right until this minute, ranging from radical Islamic terrorists to oppressive atheistic regimes, it can certainly survive a gay president. Obviously.

I also have no desire to see my political or ideological opponents arrested or thrown in jail or fined. When did I ever utter such sentiments?

But again, why deal with specifics and facts when its so much easier to demonize your Bible-believing opponents? Unfortunately, this only adds to the polarization rather than opening the door for a meaningful, candid discussion of our differences.

That being said, I take Stoneburner at her word. I assume she meant what she wrote and that her rhetoric reflects her actual beliefs.

In the interest, then, of setting the record straight, allow me to relate the following.

Contrary to her claim that no is trying to silence me, already in 2012, the gay activist group GLAAD put me on their Commentator Accountability Project, urging major media networks not to allow people like me on their shows.

That sure sounds like an attempt to silence our voices.

Also in 2012, the SPLC put me on their list of 30 New Activists Heading Up the Radical Right, seeking to defame me by linking me with neo-Nazis and other violent extremists.

Then, in 2014, the HRC added me to their list of America's worst globetrotting homophobic offenders.

Not surprisingly, on a regular basis, Christian groups on university campuses have faced strong opposition when trying to bring me in for a talk or a debate. And not infrequently, those opposing my presence point to the SPLCs misinformed attacks against me.

Our ministry has also fought numerous battles with Facebook and YouTube for censoring our content.

The fight is real and it is pitched.

Friends of mine have even lost their jobs because they held to conservative Christian values, even though there was not one single complaint against them for discriminatory behavior. And on and on the list goes.

Already in 2011, a chapter in my book A Queer Thing Happened to America was titled, Big Brother Is Watching, and He Really Is Gay. There I noted that, The really frightening thing is that it would be easy to write an entire book focusing on the subject matter of this chapter alone, and the book could be much longer than this present book  and this is one long book! (The book is 700 pages long with 1,500 endnotes.)

Last November, Douglas MacKinnon spoke of longstanding and ongoing discrimination against conservative, Republican and Christian thought. Five years earlier, professors George Yancey and David A. Williamson documented the presence of Christianophobia in America. And shall I mention the absurd restricting of Prager U videos on various platforms?

The attempt to silence conservative voices, in particular, conservative Christian voices, is undeniable, and examples could be multiplied ad infinitum.

Then, last October, the now-former Democratic presidential candidate Beto ORourke proclaimed that churches failing to toe the line on gay and transgender rights would lose their tax-exempt status in his administration (quoting Prof. Andrew Walker in the National Review)?

No, Ms. Stoneburner, I am not making this stuff up.

As for whether a President Buttigieg would try to marginalize Bible-believers like me, what we do know is that he has already done that very thing. He has already used his campaign platform both to celebrate his homosexuality and to denigrate the Christianity of those who differ with him, including Vice President Pence.

Stoneburner writes that, There is no reason to believe anything new will happen under a hypothetical Buttigieg administration that isnt already happening due to public understanding of LGBTQ issues.

Ironically (and quite unintentionally), she has hit the nail on the head. LGBTQ+ activism has already had a deleterious effect on society in many ways, some of them outright oppressive. We could expect more of the same  really, much more  with an out and proud gay president.

No fearmongering here, and, for the record, no paranoia. I plan to continue to speak out regardless of cost or consequences.

Im simply sounding the alarm in advance. A word to the wise is sufficient.
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A mysterious letter criticising Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has surfaced amid speculations of a rift developing in the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The unsigned letter, which has not been addressed to anyone in particular, disapproves of the BJP leaders style of governance and accuses him of indulging in favouritism. It alleges that he pulls favours for his family members and does not let other party members grow and flourish.

According to an NDTV report, the letter suggests the 77-year-old should take up a more latent role, such as guiding the BJP, instead of being actively involved in electoral politics. It adds that he could be made the governor of a state.

Though Karnataka BJP leaders have junked all reports of infights, the seething anger among legislators who did not secure a berth during the February 6 Cabinet expansion is becoming apparent. Only the 10 new legislators who defected from the Congress party and the Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) were included, leaving many miffed.

Interestingly, the letter surfaced on social media on a day when a meeting was reportedly supposed to take place between certain MLAs and former CM Jagadish Shettar. However, any speculation concerning this development was also quashed by the saffron party. Commenting on this, Deputy Chief Minister Ashwath Narayana said: There was no secret meeting, nor is there any dissent in our party. Yediyurappaji is our only leader. Our government is stable; everything is going fine.
eveque de Kumbo archives

Bishop George Nkuo of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kumbo has declared Friday, February 21, 2020 Day of Prayer for the Victims of the Ngarbuh-Ntumbaw Killings that took place on Friday, 14th February 2020.

In a letter addressed to all men and women of good will in the Diocese of Kumbo, the Bishop writes that they are reliably informed about the events that led to the deaths in Ngarbuh last Friday. His account contained in the pastoral letter is in sharp contrast to the official government position.

Bishop Nkuo writes: We have been reliably informed about a very sad incident, which took place on the 14th of February in the village of Ngarbuh-Ntumbaw in Saint Martin de Porres Parish Ndu. On Friday 14th February 2020, the military invaded Ngarbuh at 4 a.m. and we are told that twenty-four (24) people were killed among whom were pregnant women and little children. Some of the victims were burnt alive and several others wounded. A total of nine (9) houses were burnt down. Hundreds of people from Ngarbuh are currently displaced and seeking for refuge in nearby villages under deplorable human conditions.

While further investigations are going on about the perpetrators of this ruthless massacre, it is incumbent on us Christians not only to locally condemn these atrocities, but also to immediately reach out to help the new victims find support and livelihood among us.

As usual, CARITAS is doing its best already to reach out with help to these grief-stricken and traumatized victims. I therefore invite all of you to a day of prayer for the deceased and suffering members of this tragic incident.

I hereby declare Friday 21st February 2020 as a Day of Prayer and Mourning in the entire Diocese of Kumbo for the victims of the Ngarbuh Disaster. In this way, we shall vehemently say, Yes to Life and No to death in solidarity with the recent message of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon in which the bishops declared:

In view of this agonizing and tragic situation, we Bishops of Cameroon, deem it necessary to organize a day of prayer throughout the nation for the respect of life and the promotion of the sacredness of human life. You shall not kill Mt. 5:21. This day shall give all the faithful and all men and women of good will the opportunity to launch a vast movement of solidarity and support for the culture of life in favour of the civilization of love against the culture of death.

I am once more calling on all the priests, religious, the faithful and men and women of good will in the Diocese of Kumbo to keep this Friday, 21st February 2020, as a Day of Prayer and mourning especially for our brothers and sisters who were brutally killed, wounded and rendered homeless at Ngarbuh.

As is the tradition, a Requiem Mass should be celebrated in all our churches and where possible, an Ecumenical Service be organized to implore God for an end to this socio-political crisis that has plunged us into a senseless and painful war. I count on your full collaboration for the success of this day of prayer.

Government says seven separatists, five civilians died in Ngarbuh

The army spokesman Colonel Cyrille Atonfack Guemo, Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo and Communication Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi have each taken turns to clarify that the civilian deaths in Ngarbuh were the result of an unfortunate accident which happened when fuel exploded in an exchange of gunfire with separatists in the area. Their accounts put the death toll at twelve  seven separatist fighters and five civilians.

They state that defense and security forces indeed carried out a reconnaissance operation in the area in a bid to dislodge a separatist arms and logistics base. They clarify public opinion that in an attack that ensued, seven terrorists and bandits were killed.

During the clashes, a fire broke out in the terrorists fortification in the same house, causing explosions, before spreading to neighboring houses. This fire reportedly claimed the lives of five persons  a woman and four children  far from the massacre relayed on social media, Defense Minister Beti Assomo Joseph said in a press release February 17, 2020, a version corroborated by Communication Minister Rene Sadi Tuesday.
The Karnataka Police on Wednesday registered a case against unknown persons for assaulting three Kashmiri students in the court premises here.

A suo motu FIR has been registered at Vidyanagar police station of Hubli in which assault charges have been filed against 10 to 15 unknown people.

It can be recalled that on February 17 these three Kashmiri students were attacked in court premises after they were produced in court on charges of sedition.

The Kashmiri students were arrested here on February 15 after their video in which they are seen allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans went viral.

The students were studying at the KLE Institute of Technology on a central government scholarship.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 13:21 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20656b19d 4 Business pgn,LNG,China,natural-gas,cooperation,agreement Free

Publicly listed gas company PGN will partner with a Chinese company to bolster its liquefied natural gas (LNG) development in China, the firm's executive has said.

PGN strategy and business development director Syahrial Mukthar said the firm had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Friday last week with engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and manufacturing company WnD (Liaoning) Heavy Industry Co.

The Chinese company will provide logistical solutions for the plan over the next year.

"This partnership will open opportunities to work together in developing the small-scale LNG industry in China as well as in the region," Syahrial said on Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

He added that there was also a possibility for the gas company to cooperate with other companies as China had great potential and various business opportunities.

Read also: PGN mulls global bonds issuance to fund capital expenditure

PNG's recent move is expected to support its vision of becoming a player in the international LNG market, as global demand for LNG has steadily increased thanks to a hike in energy consumption in recent years.

According to PGNs estimation, Chinas potential demand for gas will increase by over 15 percent annually. As such, PGN's expansion into China is the right move to add to the firm's portfolio, Syahrial said.

The state gas company also aims to run six cargos for the global markets, including one or two cargos to Japan this year. The firm saw potential for up to nine cargos to Myanmar by 2021 and 18 cargos for the Philippines by 2023, Syahrial went on to say.

"These programs aim to give benefits [to receiving countries] through our strong capacity for LNG infrastructure," he said. (mai)
Burma Myanmar Ministers Survive Attack on Military Chopper in Rakhine

A military chopper in Rakhine State. / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAWA military helicopter carrying a Myanmar Union minister and the Rakhine State chief minister came under fire in Buthidaung Township in northern Rakhine State on Wednesday morning, according to the military. Both ministers survived the attack without injury.

Dr. Win Myat Aye, Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, and Rakhine State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu were flying to Buthidaung Township when their chopper was attacked near Nyaung Chuang Village. They were on their way to visit refugees who have been displaced by fighting between the Myanmar army and ethnic armed group the Arakan Army (AA) in the area.

It happened on their way from [the state capital of ] Sittwe to Buthidaung around 10:45 a.m Wednesday. The body of the chopper was shot twice. They are safe and the vehicle is now back in Sittwe, military spokesperson Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told The Irrawaddy.

The spokesperson blamed the AA for the attack.

The AA tends to fire at choppers from villages. They dont care if it reaches [the target] or not, he said.

Khaing Thukha, spokesperson for the AA, told The Irrawaddy that he hadnt heard about the incident. However, he said that if the helicopter flew over an area where there was a battle, it would likely be shot down because the AA has been targeted by airstrikes nearly every day.

But I cant say for the time being whether we did it or not, he added.

Dr. Win Myat Aye is known as one of the most hardworking ministers in the National League for Democracy government and has played major roles in rehabilitation programs headed by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
By Pamela Barbaglia LONDON (Reuters) - JPMorgan is reshuffling senior management at the top of its investment bank, naming two new global co-heads and shifting some of its most senior dealmakers into new jobs focused purely on bringing in business, two sources told Reuters. The Wall Street bank has named Viswas Raghavan and James Casey to jointly run its global investment banking unit, one source said. The appointments are part of a sweeping reshuffle in which some senior executives will take on 'rainmaker' roles

By Pamela Barbaglia

LONDON (Reuters) - JPMorgan is reshuffling senior management at the top of its investment bank, naming two new global co-heads and shifting some of its most senior dealmakers into new jobs focused purely on bringing in business, two sources told Reuters.

The Wall Street bank has named Viswas Raghavan and James Casey to jointly run its global investment banking unit, one source said.

The appointments are part of a sweeping reshuffle in which some senior executives will take on "rainmaker" roles.

Global M&A co-heads Hernan Cristerna and Chris Ventresca are among those who will drop management responsibilities and instead join a new executive committee of 18 global chairs, the two sources said, focused on winning business from clients.

To fill their shoes the bank is promoting eight bankers to manage specific regions and products, the first source said.

These include Dorothee Blessing and Conor Hillery who will become co-heads of investment banking in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Fernando Rivas who is taking the helm of the same unit in North America.

Raghavan and Casey - currently chief executive officer and head of banking for EMEA and global head of debt capital markets respectively - will both report into JPMorgan's global banking head Carlos Hernandez who is in turn taking on a new role as executive chairman of global investment banking, one source said.

This source said Raghavan would keep his EMEA chief executive job, reporting to the bank's co-president Daniel Pinto in this capacity.

JPMorgan's leadership makeover highlights the pressures big investment banks are under to retain senior staff in the face of increasing competition from rival boutiques which can attract seasoned bankers with more entrepreneurial roles.

Wall Street firms face a tricky balancing act to keep their long-serving top managers happy while providing promotion opportunities for the next generation of leaders.

"This is the bulge-bracket response to the boutiques' threat," the second source said.

"It is a good way to motivate senior bankers who tend to move to boutiques when they feel there is nothing more to achieve in their current roles," he said.

In investment banking, titles such as managing director or senior vice chairman are the ultimate status symbols, a sign that someone has made it.

But with many bankers reaching the "managing director" grade in their early thirties, banks are looking for new ways to motivate them and reward their loyalty.

ELITE CLUB

Hernandez, who is driving the changes, wants the bank's global chairman network to focus solely on client relationships and also to mentor a new breed of dealmakers, the two sources said.

"This is not a trophy title," the first source said. "People will need to bring in real business."

Current wealth management executive chair Andy Cohen is set to be part of the new global chairmen group while continuing in his previous role.

Three women have made it to the same executive committee, namely global head of equity capital markets Liz Myers and global chairs Isabelle Sellier and Jennifer Nason whose focus has so far been on financial services and TMT respectively, the source said.

The group will also include healthcare rainmaker Steven Frank and several existing vice chairs such as London-based Harry Hampson and New York-based Ben Berinstein, the source said.

Under the new structure, Anu Aiyengar and Dirk Albersmeier will take over from Cristerna and Ventresca as global co-heads of M&A, the source said.

Power sharing will also apply to equity capital markets with Achintya Mangla and Mike Millman becoming global co-heads of ECM while Kevin Foley will run global debt capital markets (DCM) alone, the source said.

Asia Pacific will not be impacted by the changes with Filippo Gori continuing as head of banking for the region and similarly Martin Marron will stay in charge of investment banking in Latin America and Canada.

All the regional and product heads  who will report into Raghavan and Casey  will need to ensure JPMorgan maintains its 2019 ranking, based on Refinitiv data, as the top global investment bank by fees, having earned $6.5 billion in fees, or 6.5% of the overall global fee pool ahead of Goldman Sachs.

They will pair up with some of the newly-appointed global chairmen to foster team-work and a more cooperative culture.

"This is far from being a retirement plan for anyone," said one of the sources. "The ultimate goal is to breed the next generation of star bankers."

(Reporting By Pamela Barbaglia. Editing by Jane Merriman)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Medical workers move a person who died from COVID-19 at a hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province on Feb. 16, 2020. (Chinatopix via AP)

WHO Joins US in Saying Theres No Evidence New Virus is a Biological Weapon

The World Health Organization (WHO) joined the United States in saying theres no evidence to support theories that the new coronavirus is a biological weapon engineered by China.

The new virus, known as COVID-19, has caused tens of thousands of infections and hundreds of deaths.

At a meeting in Cairo on Wednesday, Richard Brennan, a regional emergency director with the WHO, told reporters that there is no evidence that this virus was produced in a laboratory, and certainly no evidence that it was produced as a biological weapon.

Coronaviruses are primarily zoonotic, being hosted in animals, and only in rare cases infect humans. Some of the viruses then spread from person to person, as is the case for the new virus, which caused the COVID-19 disease.

We expect that this new virus represents a mutation of coronaviruses that started in an animal, Brennan said.

Richard Brennan, the WHOs acting regional emergency director, speaks during a press briefing at the World Health Organisations regional office in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Feb. 19, 2020. (Mohamed El-Shahed/AFP via Getty Images)

International experts have not confirmed the origin of the new virus, which emerged in Wuhan in December 2019. Bats are one animal suspected to have hosted the virus. If thats the case, experts believe that bats spread the disease to another animal before it was spread to humans, according to the WHO official.

We believe its a zoonosis. We dont believe its been fabricated in any laboratory anywhere, he added. This is one of the rumors that we need to snuff out very, very early.

Brennans comments came a day after Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, told a conference in Washington that American officials have no information whatsoever about this being a manufactured virus.

The origins of the virus, are not clear, he said before adding there was a lot more work that needs to be done.

International health experts and officials in some countries have repeatedly said they dont know how the virus started and some have noted Chinas lack of transparency in sharing some information about the outbreak as well as the delay in transmitting information. China has also barred U.S. experts from traveling to the country, though it finally accepted a WHO team over the weekend.

A woman pushes a stroller with two dogs wearing masks along a street in Shanghai, China on Feb. 19, 2020. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

Speculation has run rampant because of the unconfirmed origin, with some noting that Wuhan hosts a P4 laboratory, the Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory, which studies infectious diseases.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said this week that the most likely source of the virus is natural but that its also possible the lab either accidentally or deliberately released the disease.

None of these are theories and certainly not conspiracy theories. They are hypotheses that ought to be studied in light of the evidence, if the Chinese Communist Party would provide it, he said in a statement.

We ought to be transparent with the American people about all this. Maybe some of these so-called experts think they know better. I dont. And they really dont either.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
LOS ANGELES  CBS has canceled tapings of "The Price Is Right" this week following the violent death of Amie Harwick, who was previously engaged to host Drew Carey.

Harwick, a well-known family therapist and author, was killed at age 38, allegedly by her former boyfriend, Gareth Pursehouse, on Saturday.

Episodes of "The Price Is Right" that were scheduled to tape on Tuesday and Wednesday have been postponed until the week of Feb. 24 or March 2, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Police found Harwick unconscious with multiple blunt force injuries on Saturday morning while responding to a report of a woman screaming near the therapist's Hollywood Hills home. She later died at a hospital. Authorities have since arrested 41-year-old freelance photographer Pursehouse on suspicion of murder.

Per court records, Harwick twice applied for restraining orders against Pursehouse before she died.

Carey, who succeeded Bob Barker as emcee of "The Price Is Right" in 2007, dated Harwick for two years before the pair split in 2018, months after announcing their engagement. Upon news of Harwick's death, the veteran comedian described himself in a statement as "overcome with grief."

"Amie and I had a love that people are lucky to have once in a lifetime," he said. "She was a positive force in the world, a tireless and unapologetic champion for women, and passionate about her work as a therapist."

Because "The Price Is Right" records its episodes several months in advance, the postponement likely won't delay the shows' air times.

___

(c)2020 Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




Alabama rapper Chikas brand-new single, Industry Games, has gotten immediate notice from heavyweight music-industry news outlets including Rolling Stone and Billboard.

The Montgomery native released the song Tuesday. Compared to two singles she put out in late 2019 -- the uplifting High Rises, and the love-smitten I Cant Explain -- her latest is a tense and even angry tune about overcoming detractors.

Chika doesn't suffer fools; with her raw, hard-hitting lyrics, the up-and-coming rapper has made a name for herself as one of the most honest stars in music today. Her latest track only further cements that status, wrote Billboards Stephen Daw. Daw described Industry Games as a blink-and-you'll-miss-it track where she re-establishes herself as the MC to beat with blunt lyrics and expert delivery.

Rolling Stones John Blistein described the track as featuring a clattering mix of drums and bass, balanced by a melody of synth pings that echo with a queasy edge. Chika rides this beat with aplomb, unraveling two verses of exceptionally hard bars before deftly switching into a dramatic sing-song as she rebuffs anyone trying to bounce her from her perch: I can hear the snakes, they hissing, trying to break my mission/Cause I know who Im about to be.

Industry Games is believed to be the title track of a forthcoming EP that will be Chikas first commercial release since signing a deal with Warner Records in 2019. The rapper, whose full name is Jane Chika Oranica, said Wednesday on social media that the projects release date is March 13.
The government will frame rules and set up an authority to implement the new by April this year, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Wednesday while stressing on the regulation of the e-commerce sector with a rise in online transactions.

Parliament last year approved 'The Consumer Protection Bill 2019', replacing the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. The law seeks to revamp the process of administration and settlement of consumer disputes, with strict penalties, including jail term for adulteration and misleading ads by firms.

Paswan held discussions with industry representatives on key provisions of the proposed Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) as well as rules and regulations being formed under the

Industry bodies FICCI, ASSOCHAM, CII, PHDCCI and DICCI as well as officials from Amazon, HUL, P&G, Vodafone, Snapdeal, Zomato and Paytm attended the meeting.

"Today, we held a discussion with industry representatives. Everyone welcomed the new law to protect consumers interest. They have given good suggestions," Paswan told reporters here.

The minister said there were also discussions about frauds on online transactions and misleading advertisements.

Industry promised to strengthen self-regulatory mechanism and adopt best global practices in its businesses to protect consumers interest.

When asked about timelines to implement this law, Paswan said the rules as well as authority will come into force by April first week.

The CCPA, he said, will also have a dedicated wing to conduct investigation, which will carry out inquiries and investigations in matters relating to consumer rights, unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements.

The district collectors have also been empowered to conduct investigations that affect interests of consumer as a class under the new law under the aegis of CCPA.

The establishment of a central authority and initiating action as a class comes as an additional mode of relief which can be exercised along with individual consumers filing complaints to address their grievances thereby having two parallel proceedings.

Paswan told industries that the authority would be responsible for quality of products and also clarified that jail term is only for serious offences.

"Our priority is customers satisfaction. But we don't want to unnecessary trouble industry," the minister said.

Highlighting the main provisions of the new law, Paswan said the 2019 has simplified rules for quick resolution of consumer disputes in various consumer dispute redressal commissions.

To prevent unnecessary long litigations, mediation has been introduced in all Commissions. The industry representatives hailed mediation as a time and resource saving mechanism for better satisfaction of consumers. To stop prolonged litigation, restrictions on number of appeals have been provided in the Act.

"The Union Minister stressed on the need to regulate ecommerce and direct selling as at present there is no regulatory body for these sectors and online purchases are increasing every day," an official statement said.

A ministry official informed that suggestions by stakeholders on draft e-commerce policy are being examined and final rules would be framed soon after vetting by the legal department.
Reuters

(Reuters) - A federal judge in Texas on Tuesday rejected Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies' constitutional challenge to a U.S. law that restricted its ability to do business with federal agencies and their contractors.

In a 57-page decision, U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant ruled in favour of the United States, concluding that Congress acted within its powers by including the restriction in the National Defense Authorization Act, which also targeted Chinese company ZTE Corp <000063.SZ>.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
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The global aircraft MRO market size is expected to reach USD 104.46 billion by 2025, registering a CAGR of 4.7% during the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The growing influx of aircraft OEMs into the MRO sector traditionally dominated by specialized maintenance providers has opened up new avenues for the market growth.

As per the International Air Transport Association (IATA), MRO activities contribute to about 15% of the total operating cost of the airlines. The OEMs as well as specialized MRO providers are making significant investments in new technologies to enhance their service quality and operational efficiency. Profitability of aviation industry hinges on the maintenance of old fleet rather than the sale of new aircraft, which has elevated the importance of the aircraft MRO market.

The service providers in the market constitute of separate department of airline operators or independent MRO providers. These service providers are transforming into full-service suppliers and their role is expected to become a one stop-shop to cater to all of the airlines MRO needs. For instance, Lufthansa Technik have advanced technical capabilities and have succeeded in selling power-by-the-hour contracts.

In North America, independent MRO providers offer lucrative opportunities for experienced and skilled workers and attractive pay packages to address the growing demand for maintenance activities. For instance, mechanics and avionics technicians lead the laborers demand, followed by electrical and software engineers. In 2018, the region witnessed a steep rise in outsourcing for MRO spending.

France-based Airbus S.A.S.-one of the most prominent aircraft manufacturers-is developing its Air+ program, which offers the opportunity to MRO providers of collaborating with other players to seek the best services and to develop customized MRO solutions. The company is also keen on setting MRO service centers in Asia Pacific countries such as India within a partnership mode.

Since February 2019, AFI KLM E&M have been deploying mobile climbing robots in its line maintenance operations. The company is looking forward to integrate climbing robots with Donecle drones for aircraft inspections, used since 2016.

Further key findings from the report suggest:

Aircraft and engine manufacturers such as Rolls-Royce and Boeing are putting additional focus on aircraft maintenance business and offering total care solutions

The opportunities for independent MRO providers are expected to remain buoyant as airlines are expected to continue outsourcing maintenance work for them to focus on their core business, although OEMs are gradually foraying into the MRO space considering the profitability involved

Electronic systems are swiftly replacing the mechanical systems. Increasing complexity of the electronic systems is expected to create demand for the skilled workforce for aftermarket service and repair activities

Grand View Research has segmented the global aircraft MRO market report on the basis of service type, organization type, aircraft type, aircraft generation, and region:

Aircraft MRO Service Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

Engine Overhaul

Airframe Maintenance

Line Maintenance

Modification

Components

Aircraft MRO Organization Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

Airline/Operator MRO

Independent MRO

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) MRO

Aircraft Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

Narrow-Body

Wide-Body

Regional Jet

Others

Aircraft Generation Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

Old Generation

Mid Generation

New Generation

Aircraft MRO Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

North America U.S. Canada

Europe Germany U.K.

Asia Pacific China India Japan

Latin America Brazil Mexico

MEA

Access full research report on global aircraft MRO market:

www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/aircraft-mro-market
Babies are black boxes. For the first six months of their lives, nearly everything they do is absolutely mystifying. Why did Kayleigh sleep eight hours for weeks but wake up 1,000 times last night? Why did Ashlinthan latch on to the breast perfectly once and only once? Does that face little Muffalettas making mean that shes happy, shes sad, or shes pooping? (Oh, she was pooping.)

Some parents simply embrace or accept that mystery. You hope that every crying jag can be solved with some milk, a fresh diaper, or some vigorous bouncing; when all else fails you put the kid in the car seat and drive around for an hour so she can get some sleep. But other parents, desperate for information, vacuum up every bit of expert advice and every half-baked research report, dreaming of the day that the inscrutable behavior of this fat little doofus might, with the aid of science, make sense. For those kinds of parents, the Netflix documentary Babies, premiering Friday, will be a welcome six-hour primer.

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Each episode of Babies intersperses adorable footage of babies doing baby stuffsleeping, nursing, crawlingwith numerous scientists presenting their work on baby topics like, well, sleeping, nursing, and crawling. After a British couple speculates as to whether baby Willow is dreaming when she twitches in her crib, we cut to a University of Iowa psychologist who explains the results of his study on brainwave activity during infant sleep. Babies features only three types of protagonistsbabies, parents in the throes of sleep deprivation, and scientistsso its not surprising that the scientists seem extremely clever and inspirational. Theyre the only ones who arent incoherent.

This disparity between the cognitive states of the researchers and everyone else lends them authority even when the actual research is, to put it kindly, eye-rolly as hell. Its one thing to see moms and dads spit into tubes so their saliva can be tested for bonding-facilitating oxytocin. Its another to see a scientist watch videos of one baby figuring out how to turn over a box and another simply reaching inside the box, and to see that scientist confidentlydeclare that Baby A has retained more memories because of her nap. Some of the research will only further worry nervous parents: Am I producing enough oxytocin? Are other mommies producing more?!? But sometimes a scientist comes through with exactly the result I wish Id heard when I was a newborns flailing father, as when that Iowa psychologist notes that for the first 3 to 4 months of a babys life, theres literally no neural connection between the part of the brain that activates sleep and the part that controls Circadian rhythms. Oh, its physically impossible for that baby to create any kind of sleep schedule? Horrible, but comforting nonetheless.

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Babies is not related in any way other than its title to the 2010 Thomas Balmes documentary Babies, whose 79 minutes of nonstop, non-narrated, hot baby action drove some observers to a kind of glorious lunacy. And watching the new Babies, I often felt as though it could use less science and more  babies. Every scientist gets a cute scientist origin storyI know how to think about babies, one NYU neurobiologist recalls bragging when his own daughter was born, so this is gonna be easy. Little did I know!and gets to deliver deathless narration along the lines of The relationship with our parents has such a huge impact on how a baby develops! We get shots of scientists paging through books in libraries, peering at brain scans, scraping stool samples into test tubes, standing on bridges over icy streams. A scientists gloved finger touches a button reading SEQUENCE. A scientist in a cowboy hat sits on a bale of hay, a computer and a cat in her lap, looking at an Excel chart (on the computer). In every one of those cases, I would, I confess, rather have seen a baby.

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Its when I watched the researchers interact with their cherubic subjects, though, that I grudgingly gave in to the magic of Babies scientific method. These babies are not just data points in diapers; even the guy whos been researching baby cognition since the 1960s turns into a gooey, goo-gooing goon when faced with an infant. Baby science is a weird gig! To be a baby scientist is to run a lab that features cute little pillows and a chest full of toys. Sure, the vaccine researchers get the glory and the E.D. drug developers get the pharma investment, but I think baby scientists know where its at. After all, what other field lets you spend all day with the cutest thing in the world: babies in EEG caps?

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Elected officials and local business leaders Wednesday praised the San Antonio Independent School Districts progress over the past five years  and in return, Superintendent Pedro Martinez asked them to support a planned $1.25 billion bond election.

I want the classrooms to match the academics, Martinez told a crowd of almost 300 people attending his State of the District speech at a breakfast co-hosted with the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Everything is going in the same direction, and its going up, he said. Im seeing the instruction. Im seeing the results. Im seeing the aspirations being built. It doesnt match up to the buildings.

The school district has identified $2.5 billion in facilities and technology needs, Martinez said, and can fund half of that amount through a bond issue without raising its property tax rate due to increased development downtown.

A 24-member task force is putting together a proposal for the November ballot that would include technology and security upgrades and the replacement of air conditioning chillers.

Voters in SAISD approved a $450 million bond four years ago to upgrade 13 schools. Most of the academic spaces will be finished this calendar year, and all projects are on schedule and arriving at or under budget, Martinez said.

It would be the largest school or municipal bond ever for San Antonio. Voters in the Houston and Austin ISDs, both larger than SAISD, have approved bond issues that exceed $1 billion. Houston ISD is considering another bond that likely would top $2 billion and Dallas ISD, about three times SAISDs size, is pitching the largest school district bond in Texas history, at $3.7 billion.

Martinez highlighted the progress SAISD has made since he took the helm five years ago with a turnaround plan.

Under the current state accountability system, SAISD would have received an F in 2016, but today it has a B, like its wealthier neighbors, the Northside and North East ISDs.

The SAISD median household income is $33,000, with 56 percent of students coming from single-parent homes, Martinez said. About 90 percent are Hispanic.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio ISD scrambles to fix AC problems at dozens of schools

Martinez repeated what Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in August, that among the states large districts, SAISD improved the most in student achievement measured by the accountability system

The superintendent briefly alluded to SAISDs new 2025 goals, which foresee an A grade for the district and either A or B grades for 70 percent of its campuses. Last year, 27 percent of campuses earned those grades.

The goals also include an increase in the percentage of preschoolers deemed ready for kindergarten in reading and math, higher standardized test scores and increased graduation and college-going rates.

About 52 percent of SAISD graduates attend college now, but the new five-year goal is 80 percent.

We are not having a low bar, so our goal is not just to graduate our kids, Martinez said. Our goal is not to just get to the minimum standard.

Required Reading: Get San Antonio education news sent directly to your inbox

The audience included students, City Council members, college presidents and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio. Most were there at the invitation of sponsors who purchased tables, but about 80 people bought individual tickets for $50 each, organizers said.

Of the net proceeds, 70 percent will go to the SAISD Foundation, an event co-host, which funds student scholarships and grants to teachers for classroom projects. The two chambers of commerce will split the remaining 30 percent, said Judy Geelhoed, the foundations executive director.

Richard Perez, the San Antonio Chamber president and CEO, lauded SAISDs accomplishments and asked about the relationships the district has developed with charter schools.

How is that working out and is that a trend that you see continuing? Perez asked.

Martinez said SAISD works with charters that share the districts values, referencing a partnership with the KIPP network to help graduates navigate college life.

We dont see charters as the enemy, Martinez said. Hey, bring on the competition, right?

Some in the audience applauded that answer.

Castro, who graduated from Jefferson High School in 1992 before attending Stanford University and Harvard Law School, said Martinez did a good job laying out the progress made and the challenges ahead.

Castro said hed like to see each high school set target percentages of graduates who attend college, subdivided into percentages at four-year universities and top-tier higher education institutions.

We have to be aggressive in setting high goals not only for the students, but for the administration and the schools, he said.

Alia Malik covers several school districts and the University of Texas at San Antonio. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | amalik@express-news.net | Twitter: @AliaAtSAEN
Jarvis Delon West, 28, West is a behavioral interventionist at AMIkids Pinellas, a private non-profit school for at-risk children in St. Petersburg, and was working as a supervisor at the facility. He was not the employee who body slammed the student

A 12-year-old boy was left with a fractured skull after he was 'body slammed' by a Florida school behavioral interventionist.

Jarvis Delon West, 28, was arrested and charged with suspicion of failure to report child neglect and neglect of a child resulting in great bodily harm in relation to the incident that took place on Febuary 11.

West is a behavioral interventionist at AMIkids Pinellas, a private non-profit school for at-risk children in St. Petersburg, and was working as a supervisor at the facility. He was not the man who 'body slammed' the student, according to local authorities.

Pinellas Park police say that on Febuary 11, 'the victim ... was reported to be 'acting out' during lunch.

'A behavioral interventionist (BI) redirected the student to the 'Room of Opportunity' where a physical altercation transpired,' the police statement added, according to NBC News. 'As a result of the altercation, the victim started to vomit and it is believed that he lost consciousness on more than one occasion.'

Instead of immediately getting the boy help, police say that he was still under adult supervision for two more hours before he was sent home.

Pinellas Park police say that on Febuary 11, 'the victim ... was reported to be 'acting out' during lunch at the school

He was given a 'trash can on the [school] bus in the event that the student vomited,' according to police.

Police describe the man who body-slammed the child as being 5'7" and approximately 300lbs. The 12-year-old is said to be 100lbs.

The boy's mother was not initially told about the incident and allowed her son to stay home, believing he had the flu.

He was eventually take to All Children's Hospital and it was then that doctors learned that 'he had suffered a fractured skull, has two subdural hematomas and a brain bleed.'

The boy's mother was not initially told about the incident and allowed her son to stay home, believing he had the flu. She eventually took him to a local hospital

Authorities linked all the injuries to the incident at the school.

'Another co-worker body slammed the boy,' Pinellas County Sheriff's Deputy Travis Sibley said. He added that West 'should have been the one who called it in. But he didn't, contributing to the child neglect.'

A rep for the school said that last week's incident was 'unacceptable' and said that multiple employees have been suspended without pay, included the person involved.

'We are cooperating fully with the authorities,' AMIkids spokesman Joseph Gallina said. 'This is unacceptable behavior. We strive to make a safe environment for our students.'
Kyungpook National University Hospital's emergency medical center in Daegu's Jung-gu District was shut down Wednesday, Feb. 19, after multiple patients in the city were confirmed with COVID-19. Yonhap



South Korea confirmed 15 more cases of the novel coronavirus Wednesday, bringing the total number of infections here to 46, amid fears that the respiratory illness is spreading across the country despite tighter quarantine measures.



According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 13 new patients reside in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul and adjacent areas. They are presumed to have contracted the illness via contact with a 68-year-old South Korean woman who was diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus infection Tuesday.



The woman, probably a coronavirus "super spreader," also lives in the city.






That is some bullshit. Tanner deserved a salary. Cineplex, the Source, Scotiabank and all the other companies he helped shill for should be called out for this.



Cineplex is so cheap and eager to earn money. I saw Frozen II at a Cinplex not long after it came out and there was 20 minutes of commercials after the lights went down before the previews.



I have 2000-ish Scene points currently because of Frozen II and because I always choose Landmark.

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Makes me wonder what Marc Saltzman makes tbh!

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Wtf! That's messed up.



I have about 5k scene points. I think scene, airmiles and pc optimum are really the only loyalty programs I use.

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that is fucking exploitative bullshit and how am i supposed to go to the movies without tanner being my mc????

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You can always direct the anger to @CineplexMovies !

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legit i just might

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I have 1476 points and yes I just looked that up.



Being paid in points is bullshit.

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Ok wow that is a lot if info to take in at once.



1. I'm so used to seeing his face telling me it is time for "TimePlay" and he is not going to be there anymore?



2. HE WAS PAID IN SCENE POINTS?? so free movies and Harveys? He always seemed to be doing new stuff for the pre shows, so fuck Cineplex



3. Cineplex was bought?? I mean.. fuck Cineplex for point 2, but I worked at one of their theaters so I have some fondness for it.



4. I have 1, 400 scene points. Go see a free movie, OP.

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Lol I need to! They've been adding up because Swiss Chalet always has these "bonus 250 points" offers and I eat more chicken than I attend movies...



Also who knows what will happen to Timeplay with the new company; it's bad enough they give ranks 2-10 like 5 points now!

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i have 7500 scene points cus i have the scene visa/debit lmao i hardly ever use them because i have nobody to see movies with anymore



i still can't believe this story is real

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i thought this was a beaverton heading or something when you first sent me this

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oohhh I was actually wondering why I didn't see him anymore on the big screens. My friends and I were so used to Tanner introducing stuff. That said, that's really shitty and they need to pay him properly!

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I haven't been to the movies lately, but it's one big WTF that this dude was hosting and getting no money til 2018(ish?)

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I never have any Scene points, I use them for the free movie as soon as possible.



That sucks. It seems like it should be illegal to pay someone in their own, fake company currency.



My mom did modelling for a local mall once and got paid $50 in mall money. There were huge posters of her in bus shelters and in mall and on fliers.

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.....did she model for the Dirty Duff??

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it was the pickering town centre

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That happened to my mom in art school. Her class had a ~contest~ to design an ad for a mall restaurant. Restaurant owner said "Thanks, this is great. Will start using it ASAP! 'kay, bye." She pushed for compensation from him and only got coupons for a year of free fast food.

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1. That's bullshit he didn't have a salary for 3 years



2. I have 1,270 scene points; I always spend them whenever I have enough for a free movie

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Fuck Cineplex. Landmark > Cineplex

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I'm sure Landmark is also a sketchy company because they all are, but the movie going experience is so much better than Cineplex.

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Imagine Cinemas is pretty good - all the seats are cushy leather recliners! Cheap food prices too. I think they replaced all the Rainbow Cinemas.

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so he gets like 50 free movies a year for his work?!

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52! Plus free rentals.... although I know 0 people who rent stuff from Cineplex

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isn't it 1500 points for a free film now? i already forgot what i paid on saturday.

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1250 points now



and 3D was always more

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i bank with scotia so i have like 18k scene points banked up. cineplex is still the better option to see a film in montreal - guzzo cinemas haven't been updated since the 90s and also don't take debit or let you pre-buy tickets.



being paid in scene points tho.... jesus

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Wow wtf fuck Cineplex. I gave up on Timeplay YEARS ago because I swear it never loaded in time and after awhile I just stopped bothering.

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I feel like the prizes arent even that good anymore, they used to give out more scene points

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Yeah man I'm not about to spend a half an hour waiting for the stupid app to work just to not win a free popcorn lol

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the prizes suck now. once i won a free medium pizza! now unless you are the top winner, you get next to nothing

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That is completely fucked up.



I have a few thousand scene points, I used to get lots through the carrot app. I'm excited it's coming back, hopefully you'll get scene points again.

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ooh what's the carrot app?

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It was an app in BC and I think one or two other provinces that was encouraging healthy lifestyles. You'd do little surveys and stuff about healthy eating and exercise and earn points. You could earn scene points, save on more points and I think a few others? (You'd pick the one you wanted to earn.) Then they added in a step counter that connected to your health app on your phone and if you made your goal for the day you got points, and then you got more points when you hit streaks. It was a neat app and actually did make me look a little differently at my diet and what not.



It closed down last year but they announced last month or so that they would be coming back sometime but no details yet.

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https://www.carrotrewards.ca/?kid=1597D1



That's my link if you're interested in signing up for their waitlist (or you can just go to carrotrewards.ca). I think you move up the waitlist if people use your link or something.



Edited at 2020-02-19 02:38 am (UTC) That's my link if you're interested in signing up for their waitlist (or you can just go to carrotrewards.ca). I think you move up the waitlist if people use your link or something.

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A bill for the establishment of the national commission against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons passed second reading on Wednesday.

The bill seeks to empower the commission to coordinate and implement activities to combat the problems of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria in line with ECOWAS states convention on small arms and light weapons.

The bill was read for the first time in this Senate on December 18, 2019.

Many analysts and observers have identified the proliferation of small arms as one of the main causes of insecurity and killings across Nigeria.

The eight Senate had similar deliberation in May 2018. The lawmakers had even summoned the former Director General of the State Security Service, Lawan Daura; the Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali; and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno over the illegal possession of firearms by non-authorised Nigerians.

On Tuesday, during the lead debate, the sponsor of the bill, Smart Adeyemi (APC, Kogi), highlighted the objectives of the bill which include, (to) identify sources and main routes of small arms, ammunition and light weapon; identify why illicit trade thrives in Nigeria; liaise with the relevant authorities, agencies and organisations with the aim of tackling the menace.

The objectives also include, recommending possible ways to monitor, control, halt, and mitigate the nagging illegal activities of unscrupulous persons, companies and organisations; itemise and identify promoters, users, patrons and reasons for these illegal activities as well as explore all avenues to achieve adequate funding for this campaign; train and build the capacity of the corps and others towards an effective enforcement of this mandate.

Other objectives, according to the lawmaker, are put in place all other machinery needed for successful prosecution of this campaign to combat illegal importation small arms, ammunition and light weapons; enhance coordination and where possible harmonization of intelligence and information collection, analysis and dissemination among the intelligence organ and law enforcement agencies involved;

Ensure prosecution of all smugglers of illegal weapons and goods caught; Help to disrupt and dismantle these organisations, and enhance counter intelligence by sniffing out illegal routes of smuggling.

While noting that proliferation of small arms and light weapons has been a worrying issue, Mr Adeyemi said it is eating into the survival of emerging nations in the international scene, especially in Africa. It is a phenomenon that is destabilizing the peace, development and threatening the national security of sovereign nations, he said.

Although causes of conflicts are numerous and diverse,diffusion of illegal arms from the industrialised nations to the developing world has played a decisive role in the escalation, intensification and resolution of these conflicts, he explained.

Mr Adeyemi further gave a projection of expenditure upon the establishment of the commission in the first year.

Projected Recurrent Expenditure (Salaries and Allowances of personnel)  N230,176,123.36

Projected Recurrent Expenditure (Maintenance of vehicles, management costs of offices and Other contingency)  N64,744,000.00

Estimated Capital Expenditure (Office accommodation, furniture, etc  N160,000,000.00

Estimated Capital Expenditure (Purchase of vehicles), Total Projected/Estimated Costs for First Year at N4,000,000.00

Commencement of the Board  N521, 920, 123.36.

Both senators and members of the House of Representatives in the present and past assemblies have debated the dangers of proliferation of small arms.

An ex-senator, Shehu Sani, had in 2018, accused Nigerian politicians of being behind the proliferation of illegal firearms around the nation and the violence.

The motion before us here brings to spotlight the reality of the Nigerian state. It should also touch our conscience that we must move fast. There is a limit to what the security agencies can do in a political atmosphere where the people in power are openly advocating and canvassing for violence.

Hardly, in this country, will you find a politician who does not have a reserve of arms which he deploys during congresses, primary and general elections, he said.

All the lawmakers, however, stressed the need to monitor the proliferation of small arms.
Radio host Rush Limbaugh says Donald Trump told him to never apologise for remarks he made about openly gay Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigeig.

Speaking on his show, longtime conservative commentator Mr Limbaugh described receiving a private call from the president: He said, Rush, never apologise, dont ever apologise. I said, for what? Well, I had no idea this thing had even bubbled up, you know?

The White House has not confirmed whether or when the call to Mr Limbaugh happened.

In his original remarks, Mr Limbaugh referred to the candidate as "Booty-geig" and questioned whether the US was ready for a gay president. A gay guy, 37 years old, loves kissing his husband on debate stages, he said. Can you see Trump have fun with that?

After describing Trump's call, Mr Limbaugh went on to theorise about the reaction to his original comments.

Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Show all 18 1 /18 Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Jessica Canicosa, a precinct captain for Bernie Sanders, waits to greet caucus voters at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Hotel workers at the Bellagio in Las Vegas get to grips with voting papers during the Nevada caucuses AFP via Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A caricature of Bernie Sanders is projected on to a tree during a rally in Las Vegas EPA Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A woman waits to have a photo taken with Elizabeth Warren during a town hall meeting in Las Vegas REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures The threat of coronavirus and other germ-borne illnesses was on some voters' minds at the Democratic caucuses in Henderson, Nevada Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Former vice-president Joe Biden takes a selfie with a voter in Las Vegas ahead of the Nevada caucuses REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Amy Klobuchar changes her shoes backstage after giving a speech in Exeter, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A warmly-wrapped-up dog attends an Elizabeth Warren event at Amherst Elementary School in Nashua, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Bernie Sanders, who romped to victory in New Hampshire against Hillary Clinton in 2016, talks to the media in Manchester Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden was hoping to improve on his poor showing in Iowa in the New Hampshire primary Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren, renowned for giving time to supporters for selfies, works the crowd at the University of New Hampshire in Durham Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden takes a selfie with a supporter and his child outside a campaign event in Somersworth, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders quarrel after a confrontation in a TV debate in which Sanders claimed that Warren was not telling the truth about a conversation in which she claimed he had said a woman could not win the presidency on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Supporter Pat Provencher listens to Pete Buttigieg in Laconia, New Hampshire on 4 February Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire while awaiting the results of the Iowa caucus Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren is presented with a balloon effigy of herself at a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A Trump supporter rides past a rally for Amy Klobuchar in Des Moines, Iowa on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A man holds up a sign criticising billionaires in the presidential race in front of Michael Bloomberg in Compton, Califronia. The former New York mayor skipped the first caucus in Iowa and instead campaigned in California on 3 February Reuters

I think [the media] are mad about my remarks about mayor Pete because, I think, they think a lot of people didnt know that hes gay ... Why arent you supposed to mention it? Answer that yourself.

Mr Trump responded to Mr Limbaughs original remarks with moderation, saying that Americans probably wouldnt reject a gay president  and that while there are some who would, I wouldnt be among that group, to be honest with you."

At a CNN Democratic town hall after Mr Limbaugh recounted Mr Trumps call, Mr Buttigeig laughed off the idea that the two men are in a position to lecture him or anyone about family values.

Invoking Trumps sexual relationship with adult film actress Stormy Daniels, he said: One thing about my marriage is its never involved me having to send hush money to a porn star after cheating on my spouse.

Mr Limbaugh has a long history of homophobic remarks, including complaining about what he calls the homosexual agenda, which he feels has put heterosexuals under assault.

He has also previously used his radio show to mock gay politicians such as former congressman Barney Frank, whom he referred to as the banking queen.
Karnataka imposes weekend curfew to contain the surge in Covid-19 cases; details here

Kasab would have gone on to live as Samir Chodhari had..

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 19: Former Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria has claimed that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) planned to project the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack as a case of 'Hindu terror' and Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Kasab was scripted to die as Samir Chaudhari in Bengaluru.

In his memoir Let Me Say It Now released on Monday, Rakesh Maria says Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and LeT were striving to eliminate Kasab in jail as he was the key witness linking them with the attack. Dawood Ibrahim's gang was tasked with eliminating him in prison.

While describing LeT's plan to project the 26/11 attack as 'Hindu terror', Maria writes, "If everything went according to plan, Kasab would have died as Samir Chaudhari and the media would have blamed 'Hindu terrorists' for the attack."

Why was the collapsed overbridge in Mumbai known as 'Kasab bridge'

The terror organisation also planted fake ID cards with Indian addresses on the terrorists, he says.

On the photograph of Kasab released after the terror attack, Maria writes, "It was the handiwork of central agencies. The Mumbai Police tried hard to not disclose any details to the media fearing for the country's security."

In the photograph, Kasab was seen wearing a red thread on his right wrist, the kind worn by Hindus. This led many to believe the theory that the perpetrators were planning to blame the 26/11 attacks as 'Hindu terror'.

"There would have been screaming headlines in newspapers claiming how Hindu terrorists had attacked Mumbai. Over-the-top TV journalists would have made a beeline for Bengaluru to interview his family and neighbours. But alas, it did not work that way and here he was, Ajmal Amir Kasab of Faridkot in Pakistan," Maria says in the book.

Rakesh Maria also says that martyred Mumbai constable Tukaram Omble's heroic feat of capturing Kasab alive was key to foiling this plan.

According to the book, "Kasab joined the ranks of LeT to commit robberies and had nothing to do with jihad. Such, however, was the indoctrination, that Kasab was made to believe that Muslims were not allowed to offer namaaz in India."

He was, thus, shocked when his visit to a mosque near Metro cinema was facilitated, Maria mentions in the book.

Why Lashkar trained Ajmal Kasab as a fisherman first

According to the former police official, Kasab was given week-long leave and Rs 1.25 lakh before being sent on the mission to strike Mumbai.

He (Kasab) gave the money to his family for his sister's wedding, he adds.

In one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in the country's history, 166 people were killed and over 300 injured as 10 heavily-armed terrorists from Pakistan created mayhem in Mumbai on November 26, 2008.

Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive, was hanged to death on November 21, 2012.

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Story first published: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 7:49 [IST]
The telecom industry, he said, is vital to the nation and the digital agenda of the government.

New Delhi: Bharti Airtel boss Sunil Bharti Mittal on Wednesday said the telecom sector has been under stress for the last three-and-a-half years and the government should focus on its sustainability.

Sunil Bharti Mittal to reporters after meeting with the Finance Minister: Responding to the Supreme Court judgment on AGR dues. Have made our payments, working to calculate the remaining AGR liability#AGR #AdjustedGrossRevenue #Telecom #telcos pic.twitter.com/fttceL0UpQ  CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) February 19, 2020

Emerging out of the North Block after meeting top finance ministry officials, he told reporters that the issue of pending dues arising out of the Supreme Court ruling on Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) was not discussed.

The telecom industry, he said, is vital to the nation and the digital agenda of the government.

"The only thing government needs to do is to focus on how to ensure sustainability of the sector," he said without elaborating.

He said Airtel has already announced its plans to pay the dues that arose from the apex court ruling.

The company has paid Rs 10,000 crore out of its estimated liability of over Rs 35,000 crore.

Mittal, who had first met the telecom secretary prior to going to the finance ministry, said the company is calculating its liability.

Vodafone Idea Chairman Kumar Managalam Birla, who had met the telecom secretary on Tuesday, also met finance ministry officials.

It was not clear if they met the officials together or separately.
by Harvey Chipkin , Columnist, February 18, 2020

CCPA. GDPR.

In case you dont recognize them, these are acronyms for marketers to be aware of, both revolving around privacy, a tough and complex issue that all businesses will have to confront in the near future.

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is European Union legislation that offers data protection and privacy. And CCPA is the California Consumer Privacy Act, which took effect on Jan.1 and provides similar safeguards to those of GDPR.

Both initiatives emerged in response to increasing fears by consumers that their personal information was being not only collected but sold, and then used to target them in advertising -- or worse. In a recent survey of 2000 consumers by DataGrail, a privacy monitoring company, four out of five people agreed there should be a national privacy law to protect their personal information, and 83% expected to have control over how their data is used at a business.

advertisement advertisement

Theres no question consumers are highly tuned in to the potential invasions of their privacy. According to DataGrail, 82% have concerns about businesses monitoring or collecting data from their devices. And this is where it could hurt: 77% would stop shopping at their favorite retailer if they found out they did not keep their personal data safe. Finally, seven in 10 want to deny businesses the ability to sell their data to third parties, and 73% would pay more to online services to ensure they didnt sell or use their data for marketing.

And California is only the beginning, with multiple other states having developed their own regulations. Even if you are not headquartered in California, you might be affected if you do business there.

Daniel Barber, CEO and founder of DataGrail, said that as marketers continue to invest in technology they are collecting personal data across myriad points in their organizations, making it difficult to know where the data is and how any specific consumers might want it used. Weve arrived at an age of privacy where the consumer expects privacy and control of personal data, he said.

Travel marketers are particularly vulnerable in some ways, according to Barber. He said one clear example is loyalty programs, a major marketing channel. Airlines sell member data to third parties, a solid source of revenue. But a DataGrail survey showed that organizations dont even know where information sought by consumers is.

The first step DataGrail takes when hired by a company is to understand the systems they have; second, to get a picture of what kind of data exists in those systems. The data might be in an ad network, a customer support ticket, a shipping order -- or in many other places. The DataGrail platform delivers continuous compliance to mitigate privacy violation risk.

The good news, said Barber, is that consumers are fairly comfortable with companies using their data -- but they just want to know how its being used. In fact, he said, there is a potential competitive advantage available for travel marketers. If they provide transparency to consumers about what is being done with their information, that will generate trust and loyalty.

With CCPA kicking it off, 2020 may be the Year of Privacy. It should also be the year marketers take notice  and take action.
A teenage woman played dead to escape a knifeman who dragged her into a parks public toilets and slashed her neck.

The 18-year-old hammered on the front door of a nearby house drenched in blood and begging for help after the attack next to a childrens playground in Little Ilford Park, Newham.

A family, who had been watching television, took her inside to protect her as she cried: Help me, Ive been stabbed, I think Im going to die.

A woman, trained in first aid, grabbed two tea towels and kept pressure on the victims knife wounds while the man called 999.

When police arrived the teenager, who has not been named, was able to whisper a description of her attacker.

Paramedics say the victim's life was saved by a family at a nearby house / Barney Davies

She remains in a serious but stable condition today at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.

One of the family told the Standard: The paramedics said if it wasnt for us, she would be dead.

The man added: She told us she lay down on the floor and played dead until he left.

"The knife wound was centimetres from her main artery in her neck.

A 21-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder remained in custody today.
Going into the third Democratic nominating contest of this primary season, Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders are virtually tied in the (currently meaningless) delegate stakes. The latter has established himself as the de facto front-runner. The next most formidable candidate in the race, however, has not stood on a single debate stage or appeared on a single ballot so far. Thanks to hundreds of millions of dollars in self-financed advertising, Michael Bloomberg is leading recent state polls in Florida, Oklahoma, and Arkansas; neck-and-neck with Sanders in Virginia; and coming in second in California.

Standing aloof from the field and letting his internet and television consultants do his arguing for him has suited Bloomberg and his strengths (which, so far as I am aware, even his supporters would say do not extend much beyond his wealth) up to this point. Wednesday's Democratic debate in Las Vegas will be the first time that he has been forced to articulate his views in the company of his opponents. His debut comes amid a number of reports about his views on race, women, and policing that could politely be described as unflattering.

How are things likely to go for Bloomberg in Vegas? President Trump has predicted that he will flop. His assessment is more colorful than those of Sanders and Elizabeth Warren but if anything even less negative. We should expect both of them to come out strongly against Bloomberg's record (though Sanders may want to avoid the "He's not even a Democrat!" line) on criminal justice and financial regulation and to argue that his fortune, not so implicitly his main pitch, precludes him from seeking the presidency in the first place.

A more important question is what his fellow moderates will have to say. Buttigieg has already made it clear that he is willing to have it both ways. For Joe Biden, Bloomberg presents the best opportunity he has had yet to burnish his supposed credentials as a no-nonsense man of the people, and the billionaire shares too many of his own weaknesses (age, a less-than-progressive record, the perception that he is a pet of the DNC establishment) to have any serious line of defense against this kind of rhetoric. My dark horse here is Amy Klobuchar, who I predict will attempt to appeal to Midwestern common sense by echoing right-wing talking points about the former mayor's history of banning Slurpees. Something like this will register with many viewers even though it is likely to be widely derided in the press.

Story continues

The question is how much of a difference any of this is likely to make. Will anyone who was otherwise sanguine about the prospect of one of the richest men in the world almost literally buying the presidential nomination of one of our two major political parties change his mind because Sanders says it's bad on television? What voters who are uncomfortable with Bloomberg's past statements on the subjects of race and crime will leap into the arms of Biden, whose own less than edifying contributions to these debates are even more well known? More to the point: if the single most important thing in the minds of millions of likely primary voters is beating Trump regardless of the cost, will it really matter who the potential vehicle is for it, especially if he begins to seem inevitable?

Bloomberg's billions will not help him to win a televised debate. But they may shield him from the otherwise significant consequences of losing one.

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A senior Bahamian politician is calling for an investigation into allegations that Winnipeg fashion mogul Peter Nygard concealed a decades-long sex trafficking ring at his island estate by bribing police and public officials.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A senior Bahamian politician is calling for an investigation into allegations that Winnipeg fashion mogul Peter Nygard concealed a decades-long sex trafficking ring at his island estate by bribing police and public officials.

A recent class-action lawsuit alleges Nygard, 77, and his business associates lured women  many of them girls under the age of 18  to his Bahamian estate so he could drug, assault, rape and sodomize them.

GOVERNMENT OF THE BAHAMAS Bahamas Minister of National Security Marvin Hanlon Dames.

"Those are some serious allegations being made and I am certain the police would want to follow up on them to determine exactly whether there is any validity to them. We have an obligation to do so," National Security Minister Marvin Dames told the Bahamian-based news outlet The Tribune.

"Anytime you have allegations of that nature being reported to law enforcement within or outside of the country, we have that obligation, especially when the allegations are being made against public officials and law enforcement officials."

Ten women, whose identities are not publicly known, filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on Feb. 13. Nine of them are Bahamian citizens.

Dames said if the Bahamian authorities fail to properly investigate the allegations, the countrys reputation will suffer on the international stage.

"Those are some serious allegations being made and I am certain the police would want to follow up on them to determine exactly whether there is any validity to them. We have an obligation to do so."  Bahamas National Security Minister Marvin Dames

"As a country, if we fail to look into them, certainly it will have an adverse impact on our reputation and our ability to work along with other countries around the world," he said.

Meanwhile, the legal firm representing the 10 accusers say there could be hundreds more victims who have yet to come forward. Since filing the lawsuit Feb. 13, the lawyers say dozens of alleged victims and more than 100 witnesses have contacted them.

Greg Gutzler, one of the attorneys handling the class-action lawsuit, said new accusers are reaching out at a rapid pace  including just minutes before he spoke to the Free Press.

THE CANADIAN PRESS / ANNIE I. BANG Peter Nygard.

"Just before I called you I got a very extensive voicemail from someone who told me that she was raped and she has contemporaneous notes and documents to send me. (He and the other lawyers involved in the case) are each getting several phone calls each and every day. The volume has not decreased," Gutzler said.

"The pattern is very similar  the same pattern, the same practice, the same manoeuvres, the same protocol, if you will. I cant put a finer point on it because if I give you a number (of alleged victims) now, itll be higher in two hours. It keeps going up."

The allegations against Nygard date as far back as 1977, he said.

The law firm released a new document Tuesday detailing in greater specificity the sexually perverse attacks Nygard is alleged to have carried out on the women.

One woman alleges she cried as she lost her virginity as Nygard raped her when she was 14 years old, leaving her with "extraordinary trauma and pain." She is not the only alleged victim who says she was a virgin before being raped by Nygard.

Jay Prober, Nygards lawyer, has denied the allegations against his client, saying the claims are just the latest attempt by American hedge-fund billionaire Louis Bacon to ruin Nygards reputation.

Bacon is Nygards neighbour in The Bahamas. The men have had a long-running public feud that has escalated to lawsuits and other court actions.

"Did it ever occur to anyone to ask why these statements are being issued? Normally, you dont issue statements on matters that are before the courts. So my view is that the whole thing is part of an orchestrated media campaign by those involved in a conspiracy to bring Nygard down," Prober said.

"And furthermore, as I said before, a lot of people see dollar signs and theyre jumping on the bandwagon."

An attorney for Bacon did not respond to a request for comment by deadline Tuesday.

No statement of defence has been filed in response to the class-action lawsuit. The allegations have not been proven in court.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe

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Australian Ninja Warrior is calling for audience members for its fourth season at its brand new home.

As tipped the show will now be filmed at Melbourne Showgrounds from mid March.

Nines Head of Content Production and Development, Adrian Swift, said: Australia has embraced Ninja as one of the most popular programs of the past decade. But nothing can compare to the exhilaration of seeing these athletes live, sitting right in the Ninja course.

We invite Melburnians to come on down and check out our massive new course in its brand-new home at the Showgrounds.

With new challenges, a revitalised course and exciting new ninjas, audiences will be given a front-row seat to the show, with tickets now available to the public to see these amazing athletes in action.

Hosts Rebecca Maddern, Ben Fordham and Freddie Flintoff will once again take viewers on the wild Ninja Warrior ride as fan favourites  and new ninjas  return to Melbourne for another season of thrills, spills and surprises, trying to tame the brutally difficult course. The total prizemoney will jackpot to $400,000. Who will be crowned this time.

www.nine.com.au/NinjaWarrior
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 []
Two years removed from failed economic policies of Chris Christie," New Jerseys progressive advocates said Tuesday that the states Democratic leaders still havent done enough to turn the page for residents still struggling to get by.

At a news conference outside the Statehouse in Trenton, groups representing education, environment, transit, low-income working family and immigration interests pushed tax policies that go beyond anything proposed by Gov. Phil Murphy, their progressive ally, including overhauling income tax brackets, restoring the estate tax and expanding services subject to sales taxes.

We can no longer pretend that the state can afford to meet its obligations, meet the needs of its citizens and restore our credit rating without new revenue, said Dena Mottola Jaborska of New Jersey Citizen Action. We cant go forward by funding by one priority at the expense of another.

We have Democrats funding housing but not health care. We have Democrats funding transit but not public education. We need all of it."

The groups, collectively calling themselves For The Many, proposed tax changes it says would generate more than $3 billion a year. About $1 billion would come from new income tax brackets that would raise taxes on everyone making more than $250,000 a year, with the highest earners paying 12 percent on income over $5 million.

Raising the sales tax back to 7 percent and restoring the estate tax would bring more than $1.1 billion. The estate tax was eliminated and the sales tax was cut as part of a 2016 deal to raise taxes on gasoline.

They also want a $500 million tax on health insurers and $400 million by extending a surcharge on taxes paid by corporations.

Expanding the sales tax to include high-end services, such as interior design and horse training, closing corporate tax loopholes, uncapping taxes on luxury yacht sales, and new fees on gun registrations would raise nearly $200 million more.

Staci Berger, president of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, said the state needs revenue to just help New Jerseyans meet their basic needs, like health care and housing.

These are not pie-in-the-sky things, she said. If we have people who can afford to pay more because they have a higher income or theyve inherited wealth, they have enough homes and enough cars and enough places to go on vacation that they can put a few more pennies into the state budget.

Murphy, a Democrat, will unveil his budget next week, and hes made it clear he will for the third time propose an increase in the income tax rate paid by people with more than $1 million in income known as the millionaires tax. Hes fought to include this tax hike in each of his previous two budgets but was been rebuffed by state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester.

The Democrats did compromise on a tax increase on people with income over $5 million.

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The Post-ABC poll shows Sanders, who got more votes in Iowa than any other candidate ahead of his narrow win in New Hampshire, with the support of 32 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning registered voters. That is an increase of nine percentage points since January. He holds double-digit leads among both women and men, as well as among those who say they are certain to vote in their states primary or caucuses.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A change to the NYPDs Patrol Guide now prohibits the use of leg shackles at all times for women who are pregnant, in addition to other new rules.

The female prisoner should instead be handcuffed behind her back, barring a medical emergency, or if doing so isnt practical, according to a New York Daily news report.

Considering the chances of the woman escaping, her behavior, or if she appears to be in labor, a supervising officer can then order handcuffs be used in front of the womans body, or that she be handcuffed by one hand to a stationary object.

If a woman goes into labor while arrested, officers should now exit the delivery room and all restraints should be removed.

The changes come after a court settlement in 2018 in which the city paid $610,000 to a Bronx woman who claimed she was treated inhumanely during an arrest in a domestic incident involving her ex-husband, according to the report.
As Libyans across the country, in an paradoxical show of grassroots unity in the politically polarised country, celebrated the ninth anniversary of the 17 February revolution that overthrew the Muammar Qaddafi regime in 2011, participants at the meeting of the international follow-up committee to the Berlin conference, which was held on the margins of the Munich Security Conference, renewed their commitment to the agreements struck during the international summit on Libya hosted by Berlin on 19 January.

The meeting, which was attended by the foreign ministers of Algeria, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Turkey, Tunisia, DR Congo, the UAE, the UK and the US, in addition to high level representatives of the UN, the African Union, the EU and the Arab League, was another Western push to renew and mobilise international support for the Berlin process which has not moved forward as planned. Even though the military/security and economic committees, formed in accordance with the outputs of the Berlin summit, have met, the more crucial political process remains stalled because the Tobruk based House of Representatives has not yet selected its representatives for this process which is scheduled to kick off in Geneva 26 February.

Sundays meeting of the follow-up committee came several days after the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2510 (2020) which endorses the conclusions of the Berlin summit, demands that the parties commit to a lasting ceasefire, condemns the recent blockade of oil facilities, demands full compliance including by all Member States with the arms embargo in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1970, including by ceasing all support for and withdrawing all armed mercenary personnel and demands all Member States not to intervene in the conflict or take measures that exacerbate the conflict. The resolution passed with 14 votes in favour and one abstention. The abstention came from Russia, which argued that there was no clear consent on the part of Libyan parties to implement the resolution, making the resolution essentially unviable, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.

As the reasons cited by the Russians for their abstention suggest, the chief obstacle to the implementation of the Berlin agenda is the situation on the ground in Libya: the warring factions still refuse to translate the fragile truce brokered by Russia and Turkey into a lasting ceasefire, Libyan political leaders remain inflexible, and weapons and militia forces continue to flow into Libya from some of the very participants in the Berlin summit who had committed to the principle of halting such assistance.

The situation on the ground remains deeply troubling. The truce is holding only by a thread. It is the Libyan people that continue to suffer the most. The economic situation continues to deteriorate, exacerbated by the oil [facilities] blockade, said Stephanie Williams, deputy head of political affairs with the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), after the follow-up committee meeting in Munich. Denouncing the ongoing breaches of the UN weapons embargo on Libya, the American diplomat said that the embargo has become a joke. Alluding to certain participants in the Berlin summit, she added: We all really need to step up here. The embargo continues to be violated by land, sea and air and this needs to be monitored and there needs to be accountability, she said, warning of the perilous situation that existed in Libya which is awash with illegally-imported advanced weapons.

In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the 13 countries at the follow-up committee meeting in Munich reiterated their support for and their commitment to fully implement the outputs of the Berlin summit. They also welcomed UN Security Council Resolution 2510, adopted 12 February, which called for a ceasefire but offered no clarification of a means to make this possible or of a mechanism for curbing outside military support for Libyan factions.

After the conference, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on EU foreign ministers to reach an agreement on the role that Europe should play in monitoring the embargo. Everyone needs to know that, if they violate the embargo in future, then they violate a UN resolution, and that this cannot remain without consequences, he said, without elaborating further. EU leaders have so far been unable to reactivate Operation Sophia, a maritime monitoring operation that was suspended due to discord between EU countries over how to share the burden of the migration problem among EU members. Not even the intensive Russian and Turkish intervention in Libya, which has aroused the concern of European countries, has galvanised them into a consensus over mechanisms for managing the Libyan crisis and its repercussions.

Russia, for its part, criticised the haste with which Western powers rejected its proposals during discussions over the drafting of Resolution 2510. A statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry explaining its abstention said that the types of ultimatums and unilateral approaches expressed in the resolution were unlikely to advance a Libyan peace settlement. The Russians had urged the Security Council members to wait until the three tracks of the Libyan dialogue process were complete so as to ensure the consent of all Libyan parties. Unfortunately, the British authors decided to take a shortcut in order to pass the UN Security Council resolution more quickly, apparently without thinking whether it would be viable or not. The statement concluded: Russia will continue to work with all the key Libyan players and will motivate them to achieve a permanent truce as soon as possible and to discuss the entire range of matters linked with restoring the unity of the Libyan state and normalising life in the country. The statement noted that the Russian sides decision to support the concluding provisions of the Berlin summit was motivated precisely by the need for subsequently coordinating them with the Libyans.

Some observers have construed these statements as signs of a Russian intent to bring Libyan players onboard a process that excludes Western powers and may jeopardise UN efforts.

Meanwhile, the many fluctuations, inconsistencies and contradictions in Western positions on the Libyan crisis are not encouraging. For example, after his meeting with Tunisian President Kais Saied on 23 January, Heiko Maas invited Tunisia to the launch of the follow-up committee on the Berlin conference. Yet Tunisia had not been invited to any of the preparatory meetings for the Berlin conference and then it was only invited to the conference as an afterthought. More recently, on 2 February, Maas announced that the follow-up committee would meet in mid-March. Then he suddenly pushed the date forward in order to coincide with the Munich Security Conference.

Had it not been for Russian and Turkish intervention that led to an albeit shaky truce in Libya, the Berlin summit would never have happened. Will the ongoing disunity among Western powers over how to handle the Libyan crisis will clear the way for Russia and Turkey to steer an alternate process separate to the UN-sponsored process?

*A version of this article appears in print in the 20 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the title: Saving the Berlin process

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A Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel was allegedly looted by unidentified persons at Mathura Railway station on Tuesday night.

The policeman, Alok Kumar, said in his statement that the criminals snatched his mobile phone, wallet and a bag.

He was also injured during the scuffle with the looters and was taken to the district hospital from where he was discharged after the first aid.

The incident took place when the victim was leaving for his home from platform number 10 after completing his duty hours.

However, a GRP official at the Mathura station said claimed that there was no incident of loot and Alok Kumar was taken to the hospital as he had fainted due to high sugar.

Police are further investigating the case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi, Feb 19 : The Congress has objected to the appointment of Sanjay Kothari as the new Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC). Party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is also the member of the selection committee, has raised questions on the procedures adopted for making the appointment.

"The government's attitude is like the 'Khul ja sim sim' types as they are taking out names from their pockets and appointing persons on key posts," said Congress Chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala here on Wednesday.

He further said: "In Modi's New India, there is no place for transparency, and this is damaging for the democracy." Souces said that Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had raised objections during a meeting of the selection committee.

According to the sources, Chowdhury had said that a selection committee member could not be an applicant at the same time. He had said this as Rajiv kumar, who is the Union Finance Secretary and a member of the search committee, was also an applicant and his name had been shortlisted by the committee.

Chowdhury, as per the sources, has sought a new search committee for transparency in the system.

Sanjay Kothari, presently secretary to the President of India, was a former secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) at the Centre.

Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston
Beijing, Feb 19 : More than half of China's population now faces some form of restrictions due to the country's ongoing fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), say reports based on analysis of government announcements.

According to a report in The New York Times over the weekend, about 760 million people are dealing with restrictions that may vary from one area to another. If at one place, residents may find checkpoints at building entrances, at another place, they may be dealing with hard limits on going outdoors.

As per a CNN analysis published on Monday, more than 780 million people in the country face various forms of travel restrictions including self-quarantines and limits on who can enter and leave a particular neighbourhood.

The death toll due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in China rose to over 2,000 on Wednesday as 136 new deaths from the disease were reported, while the confirmed cases stood at 74,185, the health authorities announced.

The restrictions are particularly strict in four cities of Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, according to the CNN analysis.

The use of non-essential vehicles on local roadways is also banned in these four cities -- Wuhan, Huanggang, Shiyan and Xiaogan.

People in these cities are not allowed to leave their residential complexes and they get their daily necessities from neighbourhood and community communities.

These restrictions are often enforced by thousands of volunteers and Communist Party workers, according to The New York Times report.

While these restrictions have been imposed to reduce the spread of the virus, they have also prevented people from returning to their work, adversely affecting the country's economy.

An official with China's National Health Commission said the COVID-19 epidemic in Hubei province has been gradually brought under control, Xinhua reported on Wednesday.

NHC spokesperson Mi Feng made the remarks at a press conference in Beijing, citing the epidemic data in the province over the past week.

The daily count of newly cured and discharged cases in Hubei, excluding the capital city of Wuhan, has exceeded the number of newly confirmed cases for four consecutive days as of Wednesday, said Mi.

He also noted that the number of newly confirmed cases has decreased significantly since February 13 in areas besides Wuhan, and the increase in the cumulative number of confirmed cases has remained flat.

It shows that with the implementation of various prevention and control measures and the strengthening of incoming medical support, the epidemic situation in Hubei has been brought under control and the recovery rate has continuously improved, said Mi.

On Wednesday, 1,693 new confirmed cases were reported in Hubei, including 1,660 in Wuhan.
WASHINGTON  President Trump granted pardons or commutations Tuesday to 11 convicted felons, including Michael Milken, the disgraced former junk bond king who waged a decades-long campaign for a pardon, in a mass clemency that expanded the presidents interventions in judicial matters since his Senate impeachment acquittal.

Among those who had their sentences commuted was former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who has served eight years of a 14-year prison term. He was found guilty of trying to sell an open U.S. Senate seat that had been held by Barack Obama.

Blagojevich was convicted in 2011 of trying to extract a personal benefit from naming a replacement for Obama in the U.S. Senate after Obama was elected to the White House in 2008. He has been imprisoned since 2012 in a federal prison in Colorado. He wasnt due for release until 2024.

The president also made clear he had not ruled out pardoning Roger Stone, who is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court Thursday despite Trumps complaints on Twitter earlier Tuesday that his longtime friend and adviser deserved a new trial.

Trump dismissed criticism that his furious tweets about specific criminal cases involving his associates, federal judges hearing them, and the prosecutors and jurors at trials had served to politicize the criminal justice system and raise questions about the integrity of the Justice Department.

Im actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country, Trump said when asked if he had crossed a line by interfering at the Justice Department. Ive chosen not to be involved, he continued. I could be involved if I wanted to be.

Trump spoke at Joint Base Andrews as he embarked on a four-day swing to Nevada and California, and just hours after the White House announced the first pardon, that of former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., who was convicted in a gambling fraud scandal.

Trump also commuted the prison sentence of Bernard Kerik, who led the New York Police Department after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and was later nominated by President George W. Bush to head the Department of Homeland Security, although his name was later pulled. Kerik was sentenced to four years in prison in 2010 after pleading guilty to eight felony charges, including tax fraud and lying to investigators.

Trump issued full pardons to:

 Ariel Friedler, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to conspiracy to access a protected computer without authorization and served two months in prison.

 Paul Pogue, chief executive officer of a large construction company in Texas, who was sentenced to three years of probation and charged several hundred thousand dollars in fines for filing false income tax statements.

 David Safavian, the top federal procurement official under President George W. Bush, who was sentenced to a year in prison in 2009 for covering up his ties to the lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

 Angela Stanton, an author, television personality and motivational speaker, who served six months of home confinement in 2007 for her role in a stolen vehicle ring.

Trump also commuted sentences for three others:

 Tynice Nichole Hall was sentenced in 2006 after she was convicted on various drug charges in Lubbock, Texas.

 Crystal Munoz was found guilty of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute marijuana in 2008.

 Judith Negron was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2011 for her role in orchestrating a $205 million Medicare fraud scheme as the owner of a mental health care company in Miami, Fla.

The New York Times contributed to this report.

Eli Stokols is a Los Angeles Times writer.
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WALKER, MI  Bear Down Logistics, an Illinois-based company that delivers packages for Amazon, is shutting down its facility in Walker, a move that will result in 110 job losses.

In a letter to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, the company said the employees last day is expected to be Monday, April 13.

In addition to the Walker closure, the company is shuttering operations in Ohio, Virginia, Minnesota and Illinois, and eliminating hundreds of drivers after losing its contract with Amazon, according to a report by Bloomberg news.

Bear Down Logistics Walker facility is located at 2935 Walkent Dr. NW.

The company describes itself as a carrier specializing in final mile delivery. It has more than 18 years of experience overseeing more than 40 FedEx ground routes in Chicagos south suburban region, and delivery outlets across 10 states, according to its website.

Read more:

Kendall College merging arts programs, making cuts

1 dead, 1 critically injured in head-on crash

New polar bear arrives at Detroit Zoo with hope for new cubs
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS (C.A.R.) today issued the following statement after Gov. Gavin Newsom's State of the State address:

"The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS stands with Gov. Gavin Newsom and agrees that after decades of neglect we need more housing. As the governor said during his State of the State: 'Doing nothing is no longer an optionwe must cut red tape to get to yes on innovative approaches.' We applaud the governor's dedication to addressing California's housing shortage and calling on both state and local governments to get serious about increasing the state's housing supply. Our state's community of more than 200,000 REALTORS join with the governor in calling for a bold housing supply agenda in 2020," C.A.R. President Jeanne Radsick said.

"Today the governor put the state legislature on notice to respond with urgency. He urged our state and local leaders to eliminate roadblocks to housing and called for the legislature to create a comprehensive response to our collective failure to build housing.

"Just last month, we saw the state's highest profile housing production bill, Senate Bill 50, fail to move forward. But Gov. Newsom's leadership in calling for the state to tackle housing affordability with real actions and consequences and to eliminate roadblocks to building housing near transit, while also increasing the usability of density bonus laws are reasons to be hopeful that 2020 will finally be the year of meaningful progress on housing supply.

"In his State of the State address, the governor called on our elected leaders to pass policies that will massively increase housing production in California at all levels of affordability. As REALTORS, we couldn't agree more! We're proud to sponsor supply solutions like Asm. David Chiu's (D-San Francisco) bill to reduce impact fees on certain affordable housing units, which we believe will lead to lower housing costs for all income levels long term. We're also proud sponsors of AB 2506, a bill introduced today by Asm. Jacqui Irwin which seeks to establish a housing agency with a cabinet-level secretary to better coordinate the state's housing production efforts. These are both promising bills we hope the legislature will pass and the governor will sign.

"We believe that housing is an integral part of achieving Gov. Newsom's bold 'California for All' vision. We stand ready to work with him and the legislature to make it happen by advancing polices that make homes for rent and ownership more available and affordable for all Californians."

Leading the way...  in California real estate for more than 110 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with more than 200,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

SOURCE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS (C.A.R.)

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The Ekiti State Ministry of Justice will commence the translation of the law empowering the setting up of the security apparatus, Amotekun, into the Yoruba language following a directive by the state governor, Kayode Fayemi.

The ministry is also to translate other laws of the state into the local language.

The document, known as the Ekiti State Security Network Agency law, was read the third time at the State House of Assembly on Friday and it is now awaiting the governors signature.

The Commissioner for Justice, Olawale Fapohunda, on Wednesday in Ado Ekiti said the governors directive was to ensure that the populace could understand the law in their local language.

He said the Amotekun law would be translated as soon as the governor signed it into law.

Ekiti State Security Network Agency Bill affects the daily lives of the people of Ekiti State especially those in our rural communities, it therefore follows that this is one legislation that all of our people need to understand, he said.

In furtherance of the commitment of the Fayemi administration to its citizens active participation in governance, Mr Governor has today approved the translation of Laws of Ekiti State into Yoruba Language.

Given the volumes of the Laws of Ekiti State, the translation will be implemented in phases. The first phase will include laws that have direct impact on the daily reality of our people.

Other legislation

Other laws that will be translated immediately, according to Mr Fapohunda, include, Sustainable Development Goals Law, Ekiti State, 2019; Ekiti State Property Protection (Anti- Land Grabbing ) Law 2019; Ekiti State Gender Based Violence (Prohibition ) Law 2019, and Ekiti State (Transition) Law, 2019.

He said the state government will work with qualified academics at the Ekiti State University to carry out the task.

Mr Fapohunda also stated that some of the policy documents of the Ministry of Justice like the Ekiti State Charter for Victims of Crime; Directive on Non-discontinuance of Criminal Matters, Additional Measures in Aid of Prosecution of Sexual Violence will also be translated into Yoruba language.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice and Solicitor-General Ekiti State, Lawrence Ojo, while commenting on the development said, with this, Ekiti State Ministry of Justice will be recording another first in Nigeria.

Mr Ojo said there had been talks over the years especially among lawyers on the need to translate laws into local Nigerian languages but little efforts had been made in this regard.

Although it was agreed among the six South-west states that the Amotekun bill would be passed by their state assemblies simultaneously, with last week Friday set as the deadline, some states have only started considering the bill.
February 2015

In an audio clip from his speech at the Aspen Institute, which circulated widely this month, Mr. Bloomberg said:

Its controversial, but the first thing  95 percent of your murders and murderers and murder victims fit one M.O. You can just take the description, Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops. They are male minorities, 15 to 25. Thats true in New York, its true in virtually every city in America, and thats where the real crime is. Youve got to get the guns out of the hands of the people that are getting killed.  Kids think theyre going to get killed anyway because all their friends are getting killed, so they just dont have any long-term focus or anything. Its a joke to have a gun, its a joke to pull the trigger.

He said other cities had higher murder rates than New York because they havent gone after scaring the kids to get guns out of them. A lot of people dont like the fact that thats what you do, but thats what stops this.

Put those cops where the crime is, which means in minority neighborhoods. An unintended consequence is people say, Oh my God, you are arresting kids for marijuana, theyre all minorities. Yes, thats true. Why? Because we put all the cops in the minority neighborhoods. Yes, thats true. Why do we do it? Because thats where all the crime is. The first thing you can do for people is to stop them getting killed. We did a calculation on how many people who would have been dead if we hadnt brought down the murder rate and got the guns off the streets, and the way you get the guns out of the kids hands is to throw them against the wall and frisk them. Because then they say, I dont want to get caught, so they dont bring the gun. They still have a gun, but they leave it at home.

September 2018

After a long stretch in which he didnt prominently comment on stop-and-frisk, Mr. Bloomberg confirmed in an interview with The New York Times (parts of which were published at the time) that he still believed it had been the right policy during his tenure. He did allow, though, that circumstances might be different now.

We used it at a point in time where there were an awful lot of people killing each other, and it was a technique that we used which was supported by a lot of people who said, Look, we just got to stop this carnage no matter what. And based on that, weve evolved into using other techniques. But the murder rate came down dramatically, and what I look at is the number of people whose lives were saved by getting kids to not carry guns because they were afraid to be stopped. The New York City Police Department is very well managed and has stayed within the law. And I cant tell you every cop did everything perfectly, but I think it was a technique that was appropriate at the time. My job was to do everything I could to stop murder.

When pressed on the fact that the crime rate kept falling after Bill de Blasio became mayor and abandoned stop-and-frisk, Mr. Bloomberg acknowledged the trend but said:

Keep in mind, all of this stuff is built on what was done before. So you cant just say the techniques you would have after kids are afraid to carry guns are different than the techniques you would use if they were not afraid to carry guns.

January 2019

During a question-and-answer session at the United States Naval Academy, a midshipman asked Mr. Bloomberg what he would say to the black and Latino communities affected by stop-and-frisk. Mr. Bloomberg said the police certainly did not pick somebody by race and added:

We focused on keeping kids from going through the correctional system  kids who walked around looking like they might have a gun, remove the gun from their pockets and stop it.  The result of that was, over the years, the murder rate in New York City went from 650 a year to 300 a year when I left.  It was a program which we had, and then when the number of guns we were confiscating started to fall and people left their guns at home, we tailed that off.

October 2019

Just a month before he renounced stop-and-frisk, Mr. Bloomberg defended it in a Washington Post interview and argued that it had actually helped minority communities.
ISTANBUL - ''After the Fatih and Yavuz, we have bought a third ship for drilling'', Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the parliamentary group of his AKP party in Ankara. ''This sixth-generation ship can reach 11,400 meters in depth at sea'', the president added, announcing this new phase in the search for hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean, which is strongly opposed by Cyprus, as well as by Greece and other countries in the region as a violation of their sovereignty. The ship will ''arrive in Turkey in March and we expect to start drilling after the necessary tests by this year'', Erdogan said.

''Ever since we signed the maritime agreement with Libya, we have moved the equilibrium in the Mediterranean in our favor.

Thanks to our determination on this, the status that we have declared in the Mediterranean has started to be accepted by regional actors, including Greece'', said Erdogan, referring to the memorandum of agreement for the definition of maritime borders between Ankara and Fayez al Sarraj's Libyan national unity government, signed at the end of November in Istanbul. The legitimacy of this accord was however rejected by all actors involved.
Rochester School Board members on Tuesday declined to enact proposed options to shift high school start times later.

Board members said they want more input from the community, families, students and teachers as well as information from elementary school educators about optimal school times for younger students before moving forward with a plan to change school start times.

Board members said postponing changes in favor of a better plan was the preferred option.

"While it's not optimal for our high school students, I think it would be optimal for all students," said board member Mark Schleusner.

District staff presented the board with two plans that would have moved high school start times from 7:40 a.m. to 8:20 a.m.

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Educators and sleep experts recommend later start times for adolescent students. Two options were discussed during a public forum last year along with a presentation by Dr. R. Robert Auger, a sleep medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic about adolescent sleep cycles and needs.

Two other options presented to the board Tuesday were created under certain constraints, including keeping the estimated transportation cost increase to about $300,000. Board members said during a meeting last year that $300,000 in additional transportation costs associated with later start time plans would be acceptable.

However, some board members said Tuesday that they didnt want to put an exact cost constraint on the plan if spending slightly more money would better serve student and community needs.

"If we have to spend $500,000 to do this, thats fine because thats for the students," said board member Julie Workman.

Superintendent Michael Munoz said he and district staff still needed some guidelines.

"Its hard to pick a dollar amount out of the air," said board member Melissa Amundsen.

"Without any barriers, we could come up with a hundred options," Munoz said.

School officials studied contracting with the city of Rochester to use public transit to help enact a uniform start time for district elementary, middle and high school students. However, that plan was abandoned after studies found it would increase annual district transportation costs by an estimated $6 million.

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Century High School Principal Chris Fogarty also expressed concerns that a shortened lunch under the proposal would limit classes students could take during that hour and overall. He said the schools lose scheduling flexibility.

Board chairwoman Deborah Seelinger said although the high school day would be shortened slightly, scheduling the day is up to school administration.

"I feel that is a building responsibility and not up to me as a board member," she said.

Board Member Cathy Nathan said declining to accept either the start time proposals Tuesday wasnt an end to the effort to accommodate the districts adolescents sleep needs.

"This is an expansion of the conversation and not the end of it," Nathan said.

Public considers later start times for Rochester H.S. students

Rochester Schools abandon plan to use city buses
Research shows that large print text can improve reading confidence and skill level in students. A recent study conducted by Project Tomorrow , an education nonprofit, indicates that students in grades 3-12 who read large print books developed stronger reading skills, felt more comfortable reading and adopted new, positive reading mindsets.

"Reading is so important for overall learning and development. Our mission is to connect Washington through the power of libraries while building strong and informed communities, and reading accessibility is key to making that happen," said Cindy Aden, Washington State Librarian. "We know that middle school can be a time when students' reading habits may slow down and providing large print materials is one more way for school libraries to make sure their collections are accessible to all readers."

Thorndike Press large print books are similar in size and have the same cover art as the original edition. By using a 16-point font on thinner, higher quality paper and laying out the text to maximize the use of white space, the books reduce eyestrain and increase readability.

The large print collection was funded by a grant program from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). All middle schools in Washington were eligible and invited to apply to receive the collection. Washington State Library selected Thorndike Press as a partner due to its broad selection of young adult titles, similar look to standard print editions and affordable pricing. Front Desk, The Stars Beneath our Feet, Dragon Pearl, On the Come Up and Puddin' are among the 30 titles chosen by Washington State Library.

Early reactions from grant recipients include:

"We have a lot of students whose reading levels are well below middle school. Having large print books helps them access reading and books they generally are too afraid to try because of how long they are. With the larger font, they feel they can have a better chance at reading the book, don't lose their place, and causes less frustration. The collection of books also gave them great variety for free choice." Middle School Librarian in Vancouver, WA

"Several students have told me they really love the large print books because a larger font makes it 'easier to read.' I have no doubt, in the short time they've been available to students, they will continue to be popular. I have duplicate copies of several of these titles and when given a choice of format, I'm noticing that students actually prefer the large print." Middle School Librarian in Lacey, WA

"I've had students choose to put a "regular" book back on the shelf so that they can take the large print edition instead." Middle School Librarian in Spokane Valley, WA

"Large print materials are more than books, they are a gateway for students to find their passion for reading," said Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager at Gale, a Cengage company. "The large print format is changing lives by providing readers with a literacy solution that works  I couldn't be happier that we're able to extend this opportunity to students across Washington state."

About Washington State Library

The Washington State Library (WSL) is part of the Washington Office of the Secretary of State. Connecting Washington through the power of libraries, WSL seeks to build prosperous and informed communities by providing technology, access to information, and resources to its patrons. The Library connects Washingtonians to their history, employing digital initiatives and other preservation strategies to tell the stories of local communities and to celebrate our common heritage. In addition, WSL provides important resources for professional skills building and helps foster civic engagement by empowering state legislators and their staff, state agencies, and citizens with historical knowledge and research tools to make informed decisions.

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About Thorndike Press

As the leading large print publisher, Thorndike Press from Gale, a Cengage company, helps readers of all ages enjoy books. Publishing unabridged reprints in large print format for middle grade and young adult readers started in 1999 and our catalog of more than 400 titles grows monthly with high-interest fiction and nonfiction books, including contemporary classics, award-winners and bestsellers. Our commitment to producing high quality, 100% guaranteed large print books supports young readers as they develop the skills necessary to become successful, confident, lifelong readers.

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About Cengage and Gale

Cengage is the education and technology company built for learners. The company serves the higher education, K-12, professional, library and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, a Cengage company, provides libraries with original and curated content, as well as the modern research tools and technology that are crucial in connecting libraries to learning, and learners to libraries. For more than 60 years, Gale has partnered with libraries around the world to empower the discovery of knowledge and insights  where, when and how people need it. Gale has 500 employees globally with its main operations in Farmington Hills, Michigan. For more information, please visit www.gale.com.

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Kayla Siefker, Gale, a Cengage Company

248-699-8456

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In this security footage, three masked and armed robbers raid a pot shop in Everett, Washington, only to be confronted by an unexpected challenge: a blast of bear spray right to the face.

The operator, Chris Vincent, told reporters that he was shutting up shop when the men ran in: "He was ordering me to open the register, but I couldn't. I noticed the guy was a little bit away from me so I grabbed the bear spray, I came after the second guy. They were so confused they couldn't even get the doors open."

Vincent said it's the first time he's blasted someone with bear spray, which was apparently bought because pepper spray hadn't stopped the shop being knocked off in the past. It had been only eight days since the last robbery there, according to KCPQ News.

The brand of spray he used was Frontiersman Bear Attack Deterrent [Amazon link], offered in 8oz canisters.
"It's a terrible scene, and like I said, we've got three deceased children, a deceased adult male and a critically injured female. A terrible thing to be presented with, but we'll work through it." Mr Tong described the scene as "confronting", saying all of the attending crews had been stood down from duty and would be debriefed. Detective Inspector Mark Thompson has appealed for information. Credit:Dan Peled/AAP Three firefighting crews and one fire investigation unit were called just before 8.30am, a Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said. The car was engulfed in flames but was under control within 15 minutes.

Neighbour Murray Campbell heard multiple explosions from his backyard and came running out the front to see the car "engulfed in flames". He called triple zero when he heard the explosions, adding "the rest is just horrible". Police at the scene of the horrific incident in Raven Street, Camp Hill. Credit:Dan Peled/AAP "[There were] multiple explosions ... it was very loud, like a gas cylinder exploding. It was every bit as bad as that," he said. Mr Campbell did not see anyone leaving the scene but said the car was stationary when on fire before it rolled across the street ablaze.

Rowan Baxter pictured in February 2005 at a New Zealand Warriors training session. Credit:Lawrence Smith/Stuff He said he had not seen the people or car before, but police have confirmed the victims lived in the general area. Inspector Thompson said police extensively door-knocked the entire area this morning. "I anticipate that there will be another crime scene or two to be declared, but at this stage, we haven't declared another crime scene," he said. "How the fire actually occurred has not been ascertained at the moment, so for us to call it a murder-suicide or a tragic accident is inappropriate for us to try and do that.

"It is very early in the investigation, but I can say that the vehicle was fully emerged in fire upon police services arriving." Rowan Baxter once played for the New Zealand Warriors rugby league club in a pre-season match against NRL club the Parramatta Eels. He had previously played as a winger for Bay of Plenty in the New Zealand rugby competition. Police Minister Mark Ryan said it was a "very sad day". "As members of parliament, we get to see the best of people and the worst of people. We can see the frailty of the human condition, we can see how precious life is," he said.

"Today is a very sad day, I have just been informed by the police commissioner that three people have died, including children, in a horrific incident at Camp Hill this morning. "All emergency services are on scene. The situation is at a very early stage and I am informed police are investigating all of the circumstances surrounding this tragic set of events." Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner, his wife Nina, and local councillor Fiona Cunningham place flowers at the scene. Credit:Matt Dennien Brisbane city councillor for the area, Fiona Cunningham, was "absolutely devastated and struggling to come to terms with a horrific tragedy in Camp Hill". "Our children are so precious and this is just another reminder to hug them tight and treasure every moment spent with them,'' she posted.

"Rest In Peace little angels.'' The fire investigation unit and police remained at Camp Hill, a residential suburb about six kilometres south-east of Brisbane's CBD. Police are investigating the death of three people in Camp Hill. Credit:Toby Crockford Inspector Thompson urged the public to come forward if they had any information about the incident. "It's very important for us to get a complete picture of what occurred here today," he said.
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Linkedin Riza Roidila and Agustinus Hari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Manado  Wed, February 19, 2020 18:22 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20657cfff 1 News PAL,Philippines-Airlines,Manila,manado,flight,tourism,North-Sulawesi,Philippines Free

Philippine Airlines (PAL) will open a new direct route connecting the Philippine city of Davao with Manado in North Sulawesi.

The airlines area manager for Indonesia, Bryan Sansolis, said that the direct route would connect the North Sulawesi city with other parts of the Philippines as well as the world.

From Davao, they can go [to] Cebu and Manila. [This route will] also connect the world to Manado because Manila and Cebu are our international hubs that are connected with the [United States], China and Japan, Bryan told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He added the new route would drive tourism and business between the two countries, as it will connect the southern Philippines and eastern Indonesia.

Manado is a strategic location, Bryan went on to say.

The first flight for the route is scheduled to take off on May 17. The service will operate three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Read also: Philippine Airlines to operate from Soekarno-Hatta airport Terminal 3

North Sulawesi Tourism Agency head Henry Kaitjily said the administration welcomed the good news, as it might have a positive effect on North Sulawesis tourism, providing international businesspeople with the opportunity to visit the province.

Davao City is known for its tourism and also as one of the business centers of the southern part of the Philippines.

This is a positive step to get into the potential tourism markets of the two countries, provincial expert staff member on tourism Dino Gobel said. (gis)

Editors note: An earlier version of this article -- titled "Philippine Airlines to open direct flight connecting Manado, Manila" -- erroneously stated that the new route would connect Manila and Manado. We have added more details about the route as well as Philippine Airlines' statement. We apologize for the mistake.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 19:28:52|Editor: huaxia

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Staff members unload barrels of disinfectant in Hohhot, capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Feb. 19, 2020. The Jinchuan Group Co., Ltd, based in northwest China's Gansu Province, has donated a total of 30 tons of disinfectant to the Inner Mongolia branch of the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC). The donated disinfectant was distributed at once to several key medical institutions upon arrival. (Xinhua/Liu Lei)
(CNN)  A spectacular restoration project at Pompeii means visitors can now visit the famed House of Lovers for the first time in 40 years.

The building is one of the best-known attractions at Pompeii, the ancient city buried in 79 AD after nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted.

It was shut to visitors in 1980 after suffering damage in an earthquake, but has now reopened as part of the Great Pompeii project, which launched in 2014 with the aim of safeguarding the ancient city.

Some 105 million ($114 million) have so far been spent, the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage said in a tweet, and a further 50 million ($54 million) has been allocated to allow work to continue.

"Pompeii is a story of rebirth and redemption, a model for the whole of Europe in the management of community fund," said Dario Franceschini, Italy's minister for cultural heritage and activities and tourism, said in a statement.

"A place where research and new archaeological excavations are back thanks to the long and silent work of the many professionals of cultural heritage that have contributed to the extraordinary results that are there for all to see and that are a source of pride for Italy."

The House of Lovers takes its name from an inscription on the building which reads: "Amantes, ut apes, vitam melitam exigunt (Lovers lead, like bees, a life as sweet as honey)."

Archeologists first excavated the house in 1933, and found its spectacular decorations almost entirely intact.

It will soon reopen to visitors, as will two other domus  the European Ship House and the House of the Orchard.

Massimo Osanna, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, said in a statement that the work's completion showed that Pompeii's treasures were no longer in "a time for emergencies."

He added: "We have before us new and important challenges for the protection, knowledge and enhancement of the excavations and the territory."

Osanna also posted photos of the restoration work on Instagram.

Archeologists are still working to uncover more secrets at Pompeii, where some remarkable discoveries have been made in recent years.

In January researchers released a study which showed how the heat from the 79 AD eruption was so extreme it turned one victim's skull into a glass-like substance.

Charred wood enabled them to determine that temperatures reached 968 F (520 C) at the site.

The researchers believe that the extreme heat ignited the person's body fat, vaporized soft tissue and vitrified the fatty proteins of the brain.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Pompeii's House of Lovers to reopen 40 years after earthquake damage"
Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik on Wednesday said that there will be multi-layered security during Delhi leg of the US President Donald Trump's upcoming visit to India.

"There will be multi-layered security. Sister agencies will also help Delhi Police in security arrangements.", he said.

Speaking to ANI, Patnaik said, "The security unit of Delhi Police covers the visits of state heads or heads of governments. District police and traffic police assist the security unit for the same. We are preparing our best for the security of the high profile visit."

The announcement of Trump's first official visit to India was earlier made by the White House, which, in a statement, said that the US President and PM Modi had agreed during a recent phone conversation that the trip will "further strengthen the United States-India strategic partnership and highlight the strong and enduring bonds between the American and Indian people".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prominent Qataris show support for China in battling virus

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-02-18 18:36

Qatar Airways is using its global network to fly medical supplies to China, said Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways and Secretary-General of the Qatar National Tourism Council.

He has spoken of his support for China in public many times. At an aviation summit held in late January, he said: I dont think there is any country in the world that could have acted so quickly to quarantine 11 million people in a city and still keep them fed and supplied, while building a hospital for 2000 people in one week.

Speaking of Qatar Airways suspended flights to the Chinese mainland, he replied that the suspension was not because of the virus, but due to significant operational challenges caused by entry restrictions imposed by other countries. We are carrying medical supplies, and Qatar Airways is donating huge medical supplies to help our friends in China in this very difficult time, added Akbar Al Baker.

In early February, he also announced that medical supplies donated by Chinese communities worldwide will be flown by Qatar Airways Cargo freighters through its global network of 170 destinations to its China cargo gateways.

Qatar's ambassador to China, Mohamed Al Dehaimi, also expressed his love for China. Upon learning of the coronavirus outbreak, he gave up his holiday in his home country and returned to Beijing. With a belief that China will win the battle, he said he wanted to stand with the Chinese people to overcome the difficulty.

Together with some students, he also recorded a video to show Qataris support to Wuhan and China.
With some 3,700 passengers and crew, the ship has been in quarantine at Yokohama port since February 3.

BHUBANESWAR: A young Odia engineer stranded on Diamond Princess at Yokohama port in Japan for the last 17 days amid Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, has requested the government to help him return home.

The engineer, Shivasis Nayak, hails from Berhampur in Odisha and was working on the ship. With some 3,700 passengers and crew, the ship has been in quarantine at Yokohama port since February 3.

Till now, 174 people onboard the ship, including three Indians have been tested positive with the deadly COVID-19.

However, Nayak has reportedly tested negative for the deadly virus.

He alleged that the people onboard the Diamond Princess ship were not allowed to go out.

Nayak informed that he along with six other crew members are staying in one cabin due to shortage of space in the ship.

Nayak also alleged that they were being only served non-vegetarian food and therefore, they are not getting sufficient food.

He further stated that although the Indian Embassy in Japan has contacted them, he raised concerns on his rescue from the cruise ship.

The family members of Nayak have also requested the state as well as Central government to help their son return.

Its been more than 15 days, he is stranded on the ship and I want my son to return. He is not getting sufficient food and relying on fruits and noodles. He is not being allowed to come out of the ship, alleged Nayaks father.

Though Embassy concerned told us he along with other Indians will be airlifted, but no such steps have been taken in this regard so far. The US government has rescued around 1,200 of its citizens from the ship. But the Indian government is yet to take steps to bring back my son. We are in immense pain and request the governments to rescue my son, appealed Nayaks father.


By Do Je-hae



President Moon Jae-in ordered the government to implement urgent measures to combat the new coronavirus Tuesday, including finding emergency funding to salvage the economy amid mounting concerns over the viral outbreak's impact on the business sector.



"The government needs to exercise boundless imagination to create policies needed to cope with the emergency economic situation," Moon said during a Cabinet meeting. "The current situation is more serious than we thought."



The President's remarks reflect grave worries over the epidemic, which originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, that has dented the nation's exports and consumer demand. In particular, Moon expressed concerns about immediate setbacks in supply chains and production activities linked to China, where more than 70,000 people have been infected by COVID-19, or 2019-nCoV.



"If China's economic situation worsens, we are hit hardest," Moon said. "Right now, supply chain and production activities linked to China are being disrupted. Exports to China, the world's trading center that accounts for one-quarter of our exports, are falling sharply.





"The impact on tourism, culture, leisure and other services industries has also been severe, which is causing consumption and domestic demand to shrink significantly, and our companies and self-employed people are becoming more increasingly concerned. The virus will have a much bigger and longer impact than SARS or MERS."



Moon urged the Cabinet to prepare measures to help small businesses in particular to cope with the downturn.



"The government needs to prepare strong support measures to minimize damage to small- and medium-sized companies," Moon said. "We should review special financial aid for those companies and drastic measures to ease the concerns of small business owners regarding rent. The government needs to consider expanding incentives to boost corporate investment and more drastic regulatory reform measures."



On Tuesday, the Cabinet approved a 104.1 billion won ($87.9 million) emergency fund for quarantine efforts against the new coronavirus. The government will announce measures to help the export sector later this month.



The President has been increasing his communication with the people and businesses to hear their concerns about the epidemic. He met leaders of the nation's six major conglomerates last week and has visited various sites to reassure the people that the government is on top of the situation.



"Excessive fear and anxiety are making it more difficult for the economy," Moon said. "With trust in the government's response to the virus, we urge the people to resume normal economic activities. This will be hugely helpful for an economic recovery."



On Tuesday, first lady Kim Jung-sook visited a traditional market in Jungnang-gu, Seoul, following the President's visit to Namdaemun Market last week.



The opposition has criticized the visits as being aimed at garnering public support ahead of the April 15 general election. But Cheong Wa Dae denied this.




President Donald Trump downplayed a limited trade deal that was supposed to be announced during his upcoming visit to India but is currently mired in uncertainty and said Tuesday he was saving the big deal for later on, possibly after the US election in November when he will be seeking a second term.

Trump did not seem happy about the situation though. Speaking to reporters before leaving town for a string of election rallies, he fell back to his old grievances about India on trade saying the United States is not treated very well by India.

But he was letting it slide because, one, he likes Prime Minister Narendra Modi a lot; and, two, he is looking forward to seeing millions of people welcome him in Ahmedabad.

Prospects of the announcement of a trade deal during Trumps visit dimmed considerably last week after Robert Lighthizer, the top US trade negotiator, informed his Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal that he was unable to travel to India for the pre-scheduled end-stage discussions, as first reported by Hindustan Times.

Also read | Ahead of Donald Trumps India visit, water released into Yamuna to improve its environmental condition

Well we can have a trade deal with India but Im really saving the big deal for later on, President Trump told reporters, referring perhaps to the longer-term deal that the two sides had planned to tackle at a later date, after getting out of the way a limited and simpler near-term agreement.

Were doing a very big trade deal with India. Well have it. I dont know if it will be done before the election, but well have a very big deal with India.

It could not be immediately ascertained if the President was signaling a change of plans: to negotiate just one agreement now, that would include both the short and long-term deals. The continued uncertainty about the limited agreement is playing poorly in the United States.

The inability to ink even a modest trade pact would be a setback, dampening hopes for progress until after the presidential elections, said Atman Trivedi, a former commerce department official, on talks that were underway before Lighthizers cancelled visit.

India and the United States were discussing a limited trade deal for now, leaving the more intractable issues to a future date, along with an ambitious Free Trade Agreement. India would buy $6.5 billion worth of US goods under this short-term deal and grant US companies more access to its markets in return for restoration of benefits under a preferential US trade scheme called the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).

Also read | US not treated well by India but I like PM Modi a lot, says Trump ahead of visit

There was no response from the USTRs office to questions, sent before President Trumps remarks, about Lighthizers plans to travel to India and the fate of the deal, which in many quarters is being presumed to be dead, because of his cancelled visit. Questions are being asked if the USTR wants to a deal at all now, or later in the year.

Speaking to reporters about the India visit, the president had aired his old grievances.about high tariffs and the lack of level playing field for American business. Were not treated very well by India, he said. But I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot and hes hoping well have 7 million people in the airports.

The president was referring to crowds he expects to see, as assured to him, he has said, by Prime Minister Modi, of millions of people from the airport to the Motera stadium where he will address a rally with the Indian leader, something like the Howdy Modi event in Houston, Texas last September.

In Ahmedabad, the first stop, the president is expected to visit Mahatma Gandhis Sabarmati Ashram and then address a rally at Motera stadium, which is the worlds largest; the president is expecting an audience of millions, and has seemed most excited about addressing such a large crowd.

Indians remain optimistic about a deal, though, and have indicated that the possibility of a trade deal being rustled up in the final dash to the visit cannot be ruled out yet. Its 50-50, one of them said. But the failure to clinch a deal is likely to impact ties..

Trump is reaching Ahmedabad on February 24 to start a two-day visit with First Lady Melania Trump. They will be accompanied by some key members of his cabinet  Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross  and possibly his daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump or her husband and senior adviser Jared Kushner, according to people familiar with the plans.

It will be Ivanka Trumps second visit to India after her fathers election, if she is going  she last visited India in 2017 end, as head of the US delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad. And it will be Kushners first, if he is on the trip.

The president will head for New Delhi the same day with a brief stop over in Agra. They will leave for home after a state banquet on August 25, wrapping up a two-day stand alone visit.

The presidents delegation, which will be announced closer to the trip, will not, however, include the senior-most members, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has to stay back for a conference of heads of US missions, and Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who will be traveling to India in March.
The worlds most trafficked mammal, pangolins are barred from international trade and are protected domestically in China. But pangolin meat and blood are considered delicacies on the black market, and sales of their scales for use in traditional Chinese medicine remain legal for certain hospitals and pharmacies.

Whatever the source turns out to be, the new ban on wildlife trade comes too late to stanch the spread of this latest coronavirus.

Now that human-to-human transmission is happening, the ban has no real consequence for this outbreak at all, said Christian Walzer, executive director of health at the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The governments ban also lasts only until the epidemic situation is lifted nationwide, according to the governments order. Dr. Walzer and others believe that the ban needs to be permanent if it is to have any effect on reducing the risk of future zoonotic diseases.

Otherwise, well be having this conversation at regular intervals, he said.

During the SARS epidemic in 2003, China enacted a narrower wildlife trade ban. Many conservationists and medical professionals, including members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, hoped it would be permanent, but the trade roared back after the crisis ended.

Once a disease jumps into humans, all the responses are reactive and the focus is on human health, said Dr. Alonso Aguirre, a wildlife ecologist at George Mason University.

After the crisis passes, attention turns away from the trade that brought the disease to humans, he added. Scientists have been calling for permanent restrictions for at least three decades.
US President Donald Trump last night commuted what he called the "ridiculous" 14-year prison sentence handed out to former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich for political corruption, clearing the way for his release after more than eight years behind bars.

The Republican president said the punishment imposed on the Chicago Democrat and one-time 'Celebrity Apprentice' contestant was excessive.

"So he'll be able to go back home with his family," Mr Trump told reporters. "That was a tremendously powerful, ridiculous sentence in my opinion."

Blagojevich (63), who hails from a state with a long history of pay-to-play schemes, was expected to walk out of prison later in the day. He was convicted in 2011 of crimes that included seeking to sell an appointment to Barack Obama's old Senate seat and trying to shake down a children's hospital.

Mr Trump had said repeatedly in recent years that he was considering taking executive action in Blagojevich's case, only to back away from the idea.

One of Blagojevich lawyers said she refused to believe it at first when word of her client's possible release began to spread, fearing that the president might not follow through.

Others in Illinois, including the governor, said setting Blagojevich free was a mistake.

Mr Trump "has abused his pardon power in inexplicable ways to reward his friends and condone corruption, and I deeply believe this pardon sends the wrong message at the wrong time", Governor JB Pritzker said in a written statement.

Many Republicans agreed.

The White House cited support from Illinois-based leaders, including the Reverend Jesse Jackson, for the decision.
Dozens of passengers stuck for nearly a week on a US cruise ship in Cambodia disembarked Wednesday, after being given the all-clear from a deadly coronavirus.

The Westerdam made shore in Sihanoukville on February 13 after being rejected by five countries over fears its passengers could be carrying the new virus, which has killed more than 2,000 people.

Hundreds were allowed off after basic health checks - among them an 83-year-old American woman who was later diagnosed with the virus while in transit in Malaysia.

The last passengers from the 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, travel in a bus towards Phnom Penh, after being cleared to disembark, in Sihanoukville, Cambodia today

A couple disembark from the MS Westerdam, which is docked in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, after testing negative for the coronavirus on February 14

The MS Westerdam cruise ship sits at a seaport in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, 14 February 2020

That raised fears many other Westerdam passengers could be spreading the virus as they scattered, although no other cases have been recorded.

Once the American woman's case was discovered, the remaining passengers on the Westerdam were ordered to stay on board, but they have now all been given a clean bill of health.

Swabs from the more than 700 crew members aboard were still being collected, a Sihanoukville provincial spokesman said.

Jubliant passengers pose on a bus on Monday after being given the all clear to leave the Westerdam cruise liner, which has been moored at a Sihanoukville port for two weeks

The Westerdam began its cruise in Singapore last month and its last stop before it was refused further landings was in Hong Kong

Cambodia's wily premier Hun Sen squeezed PR value from the arrival of the US-owned ship, greeting the first passengers to leave the ship with hugs and flowers.

'Thank you very much Mr. Prime Minister,' a jubilant passenger - one among 230 who disembarked on Wednesday - told local TV as she left the ship.

'I didn't know him before so I am just grateful that he let us in.'

The head of cruise operator Holland America said he was thankful for the help Cambodia provided.

Cambodian health officials screening passengers aboard the Westerdam at Sihanoukville port on Saturday. The ship's operator, Holland America Line, said in a statement Monday that Cambodian health officials were on board the ship testing the 255 guests and 747 crew who were awaiting clearance, and that guests currently staying at a Phnom Penh hotel had all been tested

'It's been a whirlwind, and I want to take a moment to say how sincerely appreciative of each and every one of you we are,' Orlando Ashford told a crowd of passengers and crew, later walking off to the Sister Sledge song 'We are Family'.

In Phnom Penh, former passengers staying at a luxury hotel since Saturday rejoiced after Cambodia's health ministry said more than 700 people tested over the past two days have been cleared.

'All passengers have normal health with no noticeable problems and no-one had high temperatures,' the ministry said in a statement.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen swooped in by helicopter on Friday afternoon as the ship's galleries filled with passengers waving flags and cheering before some 1,500 walked off the cruise liner

Prime Minister Hun Sen hands over a flower on St Valentine's Day as he greets a passenger arriving at Sihanoukville on Friday. Mr Hun agreed for the Westerdam to dock at the port after Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Guam had barred the ship

American Christina Kerby said it was 'great news', but she was worried about the stigma dogging Westerdam passengers - especially once they return home.

'I want people to remember that... there's a human behind each of these stories, and those who are ill deserve compassion,' she said.

The news comes as Southeast Asian foreign ministers prepared for a summit in Laos on Thursday with their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the COVID-19 outbreak.

Cambodia, like many of its regional neighbours, is a staunch ally of Beijing. It receives billions of dollars in soft loans, infrastructure, and investment from China.
A Russian priest has been caught on camera testing his novel solution for sprinkling worshippers with holy water.

Footage shows how he deployed a hose in his church to squirt parishioners and was able to finish his duties in no time.

There was laughter when he suddenly turned the hose on them, with some of his devout congregation evidently drenched.

The priest's identity and location have not been revealed but the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow said there was 'no scandal' in the clergyman's unexpected action.

Video shows the priest picking up the hose and spraying several people, with some of them giggling and water even hitting the camera.

Those at the front of the church do not flinch or appear worried as they get wet and members of the choir can be heard perfectly singing a hymn throughout the clip.

A Russian priest has been caught on camera hilariously spraying worshippers with holy water

Church official Vakhtang Kipshidze said: 'At Epiphany, people are sprinkled by holy water. How it is done is a technical detail, a matter of taste.'

He insisted: 'There is no scandal. Sprinkling believers at Epiphany is a normal practice.

'Exactly how depends on the particular priest, and his relationship with parishioners.

'If it is perceived by them as normal, then I don't see a problem here.'

The congregation laugh as the priest squirts them with the hose and some water even hits the camera

If anyone objected, they should contact the priest, he told Govorit Moskva radio. But he did not name the hosing cleric.

Yet many Russians at Epiphany voluntarily opt for a total immersion in the ice holes of frozen lakes or rivers with air temperatures as low as minus 50C.

By comparison the priest's church dousing was mild.
As a policyholder of Liberty County Mutual, I am appalled that my premiums are going to support dirty energy projects here in Texas and around the globe, said Robin Schneider, executive director of Texas Campaign for the Environment. We are taking action today to demand that Liberty Mutual help accelerate the transition to a clean-energy future here in Texas and globally.

The protestors are demanding that Liberty Mutual stop insuring all new coal, oil and gas projects and phase out insurance and investments in fossil-fuel companies.

Instead of phasing out fossil-fuel insurance and investing, Liberty Mutual is supporting the expansion of dirty energy projects across Texas, said Corey Troiani, program director for Texas Campaign for the Environment. Without insurance, these wasteful and risky fossil-fuel projects cant be built. We urgently need to better manage resources in Texas and prevent expansion of new plastics and oil exports.

Liberty Mutual has come under increasing scrutiny as more and more insurers have adopted policies to phase out insurance for and investment in fossil fuels. The company adopted a policy on coal insuring and investing in December, but activists say the policy does not go far enough.
And in another bill introduced last week, the HPV vaccine would be added to the schedule of immunizations required by all Illinois schools. The vaccine  a series of two or three shots, depending on the age of the child  was introduced in 2006 and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can prevent about 90% of cancers caused by the human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease experts say nearly every sexually active adult has been exposed to. The virus lies dormant in some, but in others can cause genital warts or six types of cancer: cervical, throat, penal, anal, vaginal and vulva, according to the CDC.
- Itumbi has for the longest time been rumoured to be warming Jackie Maribe's bed

- The State House staff denied dating Jackie but confirmed he is good friends with the lass' baby daddy, comedian Eric Omondi

- Itumbi held both parties are aware of what people have been saying about them but they have not allowed them to destroy their friendship

While there are some men who would kill anyone whom they suspect or have heard rumours that they are sleeping with their wives, there are other who do not care about such and will only react upon bumping on evidence.

TUKO.co.ke has learnt comedian Eric Omondi belongs to the latter category, thanks to a revelation by State House staff and Digital Strategist Dennis Itumbi who has for the longest time been rumoured to be warming the comedian's baby mama, Jackie Maribe's bed.

READ ALSO: Comedian Eric Omondi's girlish hairstyle leaves women saying he looks beautiful

READ ALSO: 11 heartwarming photos of veteran actor Raymond Ofula that prove he is ageing like fine wine

Itumbi who was sharing about his relationship with Eric for the first time said in an interview with Kiss 100 that they are good friends who always help each other.

The digital strategist admitted they are both aware of what people have been insinuating about him and Jackie online but they have not allowed it to ruin their friendship.

He went ahead to disclose how they have been supporting each other's businesses whenever need be.

READ ALSO: Anerlisa Muigai, Betty Kyallo top list of 100 most influential young Kenyans in 2019

''We are very good friends and I support his business, he supports my small businesses. When I open a restaurant, he comes and performs. When has events to go to and he needs support, I support. We are absolutely good friends. But you know because conversations must continue, social media must have content, life goes on, Itumbi said.

These, Itumbi revealed in the wake of massive speculations that he is sleeping with TV girl Jackie Maribe.

READ ALSO: Katibu Mkuu wa Chama cha Jubilee Raphael Tuju ahusika katika ajali

For some time, Maribe and Itumbi have been confusing fans online with many thinking they are dating owing to the many ''love letters'' they exchange online.

Itumbi has however shut down the dating rumours on end, holding they are just friends.

It is important to note Jackie and comedian Eric omondi have a son together and people thought she was ''cheating'' on her baby daddy with Itumbi.

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.

Light moments during Moi's farewell: Kenyans excited to enter Parliament for the first time | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
The first few months of the new year have been busy around The Woodlands Township and South Montgomery County; here are some newsy tidbits from throughout the community.

The unofficial results of the 2020 village association board elections as well as races for the Residential Design Review Committees (RDRC) were recently announced by township officials.\

The Village of Cochrans Crossing RDRC saw eight candidates compete for five seats. The winners were: Zack Lowe; Gerard Raap; Ron Hughes; Walter Ehrhardt; and James Goldmeyer.

The Village of Creekside Park RDRC had seven candidates competing for five seats. The winners were: Manfred Berretz; Jennifer Mares; Michael Ramsey; Ronald Harris; and Brenda Schafer.

The Village of Grogans Mill RDCR was competitive with nine people vying for five seats. The winners were: Vince Fredrick; Sharon deMarsais; Melissa Baker; Alana Ashley amd Franklin R. Palmer.

The race for seats on the Village Association Board in Grogans Mill had 11 candidates for eight seats. The winners were: Mitzi Fredrick; Kelly Lewis; Patricia Goodpastor; Gerard C. (Neil) Gaynor; John Yoars; Emily Hoppel; Marie Brannen; and Randy William Randolph Brannen.

The Village of Panther Creek RDRC had seven candidates for five seats. The winners were: Jimmy Ward; Chris Kanipe; Kenneth Berntsen; Rennie Van Wyk; and Thomas Albertson.

The Sterling Ridge RDRC also had seven candidates for five seats. The winners were: Gordon W. Craig; Jayden Arnold Tullos; Debbie Lance; Patricia van Otterdyk; and George Newman.

There were no contested races in the following villages and RDRCs, with incumbents retaining their seats: The Village of Alden Bridge village association board and RDRC: The Village of Cochrans Crossing village association board; the Village of College Parks village association board and RDRC; both of the Village of Indian Springs RDRCs (broken into the TWA and WCA) and also the village association board; the Village of Panther Creek village association board; and the Village of Sterling Ridge village association board.

Jazz festival set for March 21 at Market Street

Music lovers already know The Woodlands as one of the best communities in the Houston region for free, live music, now there is a jazz festival on tap.

The Gulf Coast Intercollegiate Consortium Jazz Festival will entertain customers and music lovers at Market STreet from noon to 8 p.m., Saturday, March 21. The event is free and produced by officials from the Lone Star Community College. According to a press release, there will be seven local bands and musicians gracing the stage during the eight-hour extravaganza.

Among the bands performing at the event are: representative musical groups from Lone Star Community College-Montgomery; Lone Star Community College-North Harris; Lone Star Community College-Cy Fair; and the Houston Community College.

Several guest musicians will also be on tap for the March 21 festival, including: Kelly Dean from 4-7 p.m. and Phillip K. Jones II, from 2-3 p.m.

Grogan's Mill scholarship application period opens

The Grogans Mill Village Association is seeking applicants for the associations annual student scholarship program. The scholarships are scheduled to be awarded in May, according to a press release, and will honor a total of five recipients who will receive $2,000 each.

The scholarships are open to all graduating high school seniors as well as current college students who are official residents of the Village of Grogans Mill at time of their application submission. To be considered for one of the scholarships, students must be in good standing at their academic institution or school; attend either a two-year, four-year or vocational school; and will be awarded based on several factors.

Among the considerations are: financial need, strong sense of community involvement as well as good grades, citizenship and extracurricular activities. To apply, download a scholarship application form at the associations website, www.gmva.org, or obtain one from local Conroe Independent School District counselors. Applications must submitted no later than April 15. Applications can be emailed to: scholarship@gmva.org or mailed via postal service to: Grogans Mill Village Association; ATTN: Scholarship Committee; P.O. Box 7522, The Woodlands, TX, 77380.

No contested races in local cities

The 2020 municipal elections in two small Montgomery County cities will be low-key after no challengers filed candidate paperwork to challenge a trio of incumbents in both Shenandoah and Oak Ridge North.

In Shenandoah, incumbent Mayor Ritch Wheeler as well as incumbent council members Ron Raymaker, Place No. 1, and Michael McLeod, Place No. 5, were the only candidates to file papers with the city by the 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, deadline. Council members and the mayor serve two year terms.

In Oak Ridge North, another trio of incumbents were the only people to file papers seeking office by the 5 p.m., Feb. 14, deadline.

Newly apppointed Mayor Paul Bond is seeking his first re-election as mayor after replacing now-retired mayor Jim Kuykendall in 2019. Joining Bond in seeking re-election for two-year terms are incumbents Alex Jones, Place No. 3, and Thomas Reed Coale, Place No. 1.

Write in candidates for the May election have until 5 p.m., Feb. 18, to file papers to be considered as a write-in candidate in the May 2 election.

jeff.forward@chron.com
More than 5,000 credit union professionals will be in Washington, D.C. next week for CUNAs Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC), CUNA Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan wrote all 535 Congressional offices Tuesday. Part of CUNAs regular outreach to Congress on the credit union difference, this communication sets the stage for next weeks CUNA GAC.

Next week, credit union professionals will be in Washington, eager to speak with you about how a strong partnership between Congress and credit unions serves your constituents by fostering financial resilience, retaining local access to financial institutions, serving the underserved, and so much more, Donovan wrote. For your local credit unions, the commitment to advancing communities is paramount. They are there for your constituents in good times and bad and look forward to working with your office to get more done.

Donovans message links to a selection of CUNAs 2020 credit union advocacy priorities, detailing ways Congress and credit unions can work together to advance communities, including:
The UK general election on June 8, 2017, produced a hung Parliament, leaving the Conservatives with 317 seats as the largest party, but with 650 seats in the House of Commons they were short of the 326 they needed for a majority.

This placed the DUP at the centre of the British political stage and resulted in a media and political frenzy. There was an intense media focus on the DUP and the party came under forensic scrutiny from many national and international journalists, who reviled what the party stood for.

Now, another general election has created a situation where there is a hung parliament and another political party that has been placed centre stage. This time it is a general election in the Irish Republic and the party is Sinn Fein.

South of the border no single party has a majority and, even though Sinn Fein received the largest number of first-preference votes, its vote was just short of 25%.

The party had a good day, but it is important to remember that 75% of voters chose other parties for their first preference.

Nevertheless, Sinn Fein has recovered the ground that it lost last year and has made a further advance.

It is now a very significant party in terms of the arithmetic of forming a government in Dublin.

So, will we see Sinn Fein receive the same degree of media scrutiny to which the DUP was subjected in 2017? There is certainly plenty to scrutinise and you don't have to dig into the past.

David Cullinane, who was elected for Sinn Fein in Waterford, was certainly keen to remind voters. He ended his victory speech by shouting "Up the Ra and tiocfaidh ar la".

Meanwhile, in Dublin, Dessie Ellis celebrated his victory by joining his supporters in a raucous rendition of a song that says "tell them how the IRA made you run like hell away".

There was something of an online backlash, but Ellis was unlikely to distance himself from the IRA.

Back in 1983 Ellis was sentenced to 10 years in prison after explosives and bomb-making equipment were found under his bed.

Subsequently, one of his friends described his decision to store explosives under his bed as "not very smart".

So, would Mary Lou McDonald condemn the pro-IRA sentiments? Of course not. Instead she dismissed the online and media criticism by saying that Cullinane's "Up the Ra and tiocfaidh ar la" was a "throwaway comment" and a "distraction".

However, her best line was: "I'm not their mammy and I don't censor them either."

So, Mary Lou, you're not their mammy, we know that, but you are their party leader and president.

Nevertheless, it was a clever line, it got her through the interview and it reflects the fact that she is a good media performer.

You can't imagine a grizzled Gerry Adams saying: "I'm not their daddy." And, as for Michelle O'Neill, she is positively ponderous in comparison with her president.

Mary Lou didn't condemn the pro-IRA sentiments of her re-elected TDs, but then she hasn't got a squeaky-clean record herself.

In August 2003 she joined IRA members at a commemoration in Dublin for Sean Russell, an IRA leader and Nazi collaborator, who died onboard a German submarine during the Second World War.

The main speaker that day was the late Brian Keenan, an IRA chief of staff, with Mary Lou in a supporting role. But that was back in 2003 and, the following year, Mary Lou failed to secure election to the European Parliament.

Now Sinn Fein has moved from the margins into the mainstream and some of their supporters are even demanding that Mary Lou become the next Taoiseach.

So, how will the media respond to this situation? Peace process journalism tends to tread lightly when it comes to the misdemeanours of Sinn Fein. Everyone else, especially unionist politicians, is subject to intense scrutiny while any scrutiny of Sinn Fein is sporadic, superficial and soon forgotten.

We have a right to expect a forensic media scrutiny of Sinn Fein, which is surely the most sullied party on either side of the border.

We have a right to expect it and a right to demand it, but I will not be surprised if it fails to materialise.
When Little Thistle head brewer and co-founder Steve Finnie went to Scotland to brew a collaboration with Fyne Ales, he brought strata hops to make a hazy IPA. Fyne had never used the hop or made the style before, making the collaboration effort a fun teaching and learning experience for both parties.

These kinds of brewery collaborations have been a part of the beer industry for a long time. But lately, it seems like a new one happens each week. Local Rochester breweries are collaborating with each other, other breweries across the state, the nation, and even the world.

Forager head brewer Austin Jevne and brewery employee James Higgs are brewing collaborations in Florida as I write this. Theyre down south for the J Wakefield Brewerys fifth annual WakeFest. Forager has collaborated with breweries even further away in Europe. Finnie was just in Texas brewing up a collaboration as well.

"Collaborations are one of many beautiful facets which exist in the beer industry," Jevne messaged from Florida, having just completed a brew with Unseen Creatures Brewing in Miami. "You dont see this often in other industries. Imagine if Ferrari and Lamborghini made a car together -- what could they learn from each other, and how exciting would it be for the people who support and love their companies?"

The reason to collaborate is simple: it creates long-lasting friendships in the industry. Beyond that, brewers can learn from each other and get their name into a different region or even country.

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"We learn from each other, we laugh together, we share stories of success and failure," Jevne wrote."To me, there is no greater honor in beer than being invited to a collaboration brew day with a brand you respect and love to drink."

Finnie was just in San Antonio, thanks to meeting the co-owners of Roadmap Brewing at the Craft Brewers Conference in Denver last year.

"They opened Roadmap Brewing in San Antonio, Texas, one month after us (September 2018)," Finnie wrote before boarding a plane home to Rochester. "We have very similar business models, outlook on life, and even have the same brewing equipment. We thought it would be fun to make a beer together to learn from each other, and it's a great opportunity for two Little Thistle beers to be on tap a few blocks from CBC."

The product from that meeting, a Mexican Lager and Scottish pastry stout, should be available in April when the conference takes place in San Antonio.

"After being open for one year, I think we made a conscious decision to do more collabs," Finnie wrote. "It keeps things fresh and keeps us on our toes. The craft brewing industry is constantly changing and it's important to understand trends, different brewing techniques, and how different breweries help to elevate craft beer in this market."

In addition to Texas, Finnie has collaborated with Rochester brewery Thesis Beer Project, Forager, and even a brewery from Scotland, where Finnie was born.

"Our recent collaborations in Scotland and Texas have been unique opportunities for us, but really our collaboration focus is with our local breweries in Minnesota and the midwest," he wrote. The strongest reason Finnie and Jevne work with other breweries is simple: its a way to get hands-on education from your friends.

"We have amazing friends in this industry and it's real fun to make beer with them," Finnie wrote. "Many of them have helped us so much  when we were writing our business plan and when Little Thistle was merely an idea. You learn so much from other brewers about brewing techniques and equipment for example, and you learn about how other breweries operate in different cultures, countries, and communities that they serve.

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"The uniting thing is that beer truly brings people together. These aren't things you can learn in a classroom or online  it's hands-on learning from people who are doing it. That is invaluable."
In its 15th year, FP Markets continues to strengthen its online offering with the launch of its new trading information resource

SYDNEY, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- FP Markets , the ASIC-regulated global CFD and Forex broker founded in 2005, continues to strengthen its online offering by announcing the launch of its new trading information resource - Traders Hub which is packed full of the latest data and analysis:

- Daily Technical Analysis - from our team of industry experts

- Daily Fundamental Analysis - from our team of industry experts

- Weekly Analysis - start the week with video and technical analysis on the global markets

- Trading Knowledge - A wide range of articles, ebooks and videos to enhance trading knowledge

- Company News - Find out all the latest news about FP Markets.

Craig Allison, Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa at FP Markets, commented, "We are excited to announce the launch of our new trading information resource - FP Markets Traders Hub - which is a rich source of fresh and informative content and daily technical and fundamental analysis to assist all levels of trader from beginner to advanced.Traders Hub further enhances our online offering and continues with our commitment to provide our traders with unparalleled trading conditions.We are now in our 15th year at FP Markets and we pride ourselves on the continual evolution of our online offering as well as our commitment to investing heavily in providing advanced technology to traders, which we believe is unrivalled in the marketplace."

FP Markets offers over 10,000 trading instruments across Forex , Indices , Stocks, Commodities and Cryptocurrencies, making it one of the largest offerings in the industry and the convenience of being able to trade CFDs from the one account is why so many traders are opting to trade with FP Markets.

Notes to Editors

About FP Markets:

FP Markets is an Australian ASIC-regulated global CFD and Forex provider with more than 15 years of industry experience.

The company's vision has always been to deliver the ultimate trading destination for clients by combining the best technology, product range, pricing and client services available to those wanting to trade the markets.

FP Markets offers consistently tighter spreads from 0.0 pips and leverage up to 500:1

FP Markets prides itself on its deep understanding of what traders are looking for. Our clients can also trade on-the-go from their mobile devices across several powerful online platforms including MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, WebTrader and IRESS.

With top-tier liquidity and market-leading ECN pricing as well as ultra-fast execution speed, clients possess all the confidence that they need to truly trust the services of their chosen broker.

The company's outstanding 24/5 multilingual service has been recognised by Investment Trends as home to some of the most content clients in the industry, having been awarded 'The Highest Overall Client Satisfaction Award,' five years running.

FP Markets has been recognised as the Best Global Forex Value Broker by Global Forex Awards 2019 and as Australia's Most Intelligent Solution Provider in Forex Trading.

More information can be found at https://www.fpmarkets.com & https://www.fpmarkets.com/blog/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1092365/FP_Markets_Traders_Hub.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1092366/FP_Markets_Traders_Hub.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1007674/FP_Markets_Logo.jpg
Ontarios 42 sexual assault centres are urging the Ford government to continue providing an additional $1 million in annual funding, saying the money is needed to meet demand and address growing wait lists for counselling.

The one-time, $1 million announcement last year was far less than the $14 million over three years theyd been promised by the previous Liberal government, and operating with modest funding allotments has left sexual assault centres to cope with limited resources, and amidst steadily increasing demands for sexual assault services, said Nicole Pietsch of the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres.

She attended a meeting last week with Attorney General Doug Downey and said it seemed to go well overall.

However, she added, we still do not know whether or not the $1 million allocated to 42 community-based (sexual assault centres) will continue beyond March 2020 or not.

At the legislature Tuesday, NDP Womens Issues Critic Jill Andrew said rape crisis centres across the province are struggling to provide basic services to survivors.

For years, the Liberals failed to provide enough funding to meet the needs of survivors, and now this Conservative government is making things worse  (with) cuts to front line services for next year, she said.

Rape and sexual assault crisis centres  theyre not asking for much, added Andrew, herself a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.

Downey said the government is supporting victims across the province, and we support the families who are on the wrong end of crime. Were giving them the support they need in so many ways. We recognize the important work that victims service organizations across the province that are committed to supporting the individuals in need at a time of need and over a long period of time.

He also said the meeting with sexual assault centre representatives went well, but did not directly address the funding issue.

We had a great conversation about how the systems working and how the system can work better, he said. Its about sometimes co-ordinating better and making sure that were understanding the needs of victims. When they need the help, were making sure that we are there for them.

Downeys ministry has been conducting a review of services for victims of crime, and he said we take this issue seriously. These are some of the most vulnerable in our province. We need to be there, we need to be there in a meaningful way to deliver the services they need most, when they need it the most.

A decade ago, Ontario sex assault centres received about 30,000 crisis calls annually  a number that now tops 50,000 given heightened awareness and the high-profile #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.

It is our position that no survivor of violence should face a wait for services or to meet with a counsellor, Pietsch wrote in the prebudget submission.  Stable, core funding for community-based sexual assault centres that meets the needs of survivors of sexual violence in a timely and effective way is a timely solution.

The coalition is also asking that the government not close or merge any sex assault centres.

The Hamilton Spectator reports that the local sexual assault centre has an urgent need for more funding, and without a renewal of the additional $35,000 it received last year a part-time counsellor will have to be let go.

In Muskoka, the sexual assault services centre has said it is managing three times the counselling with the same staff it had in the 1990s.
A rescue flight to bring Britons on the coronavirus-hit cruise ship in Japan back home is ready to go, the Government said today.

Hundreds of passengers began disembarking from the Diamond Princess after two weeks in quarantine, but a plan to repatriate UK citizens was awaiting Japanese approval.

A total of 74 Britons were on board, with six  including David and Sally Abel, who have highlighted their plight on social media  among the 540 to test positive for the potentially deadly virus. It was unclear whether they will be able to board the flight.

Today the number of cases worldwide reached 74,000, with more than 2,000 deaths, including a second fatality in Hong Kong.

Coronavirus: Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined 1 /32 Coronavirus: Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo AP Global interest: David Abel, who is on board Diamond Princess with his wife Sally, has been posting updates on social media David Abel Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), officials of the DFA-Philippines in Tokyo with Department of Health team wear protective suits as they prepare for the disembarkation of Filipino crew members on board the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship at Yokohama Port AP A man in a proctective clothing is seen on the sixth deck of cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama via Reuters A woman holds a Japanese flag that reads "shortage of medicine" on the cruise ship Diamond Princess Reuters Passengers disembarking from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama Port are pictured in Yokohama REUTERS/Kyodo Japan David Abel of the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined in Japan. PA David Abel being treated David Abel Workers in protective clothes stand before passengers disembarkating off the Diamond Princess AFP via Getty Images Quarantine operation on the eighth deck of cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama via Reuters An empty general view of Diamond Princess cruise ship PA The Diamond Princess cruise ship, in quarantine due to fears of new COVID-19 coronavirus, is seen at Daikoku pier cruise terminal in Yokohama AFP via Getty Images Sally Abel being treated David Abel/Facebook Men wearing protective gear are seen near the cruise ship Diamond Princess, Reuters The Diamond Princess cruise ship with around 3,700 people on board sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama after a number of passengers were confirmed to be infected with coronavirus Getty Images An empty general view of Diamond Princess cruise ship PA Medical workers in protective suits lead a passenger tested positive for a new coronavirus from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port AP Buses carrying passengers who have been under quarantine on a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship off the coast of Japan, the Diamond Princess, leave RAF Boscombe Down in Amesbury Reuters An empty casino on the Diamond Princess cruise ship PA Workers in protective gear are seen on the Japan Coast Guard boats in Yokohama Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images An empty atrium on the Diamond Princess cruise shi PA Workers in protective gear transfer a person under a blue sheet from the Diamond Princess cruise ship onto a Japan Coast Guard boat in Yokohama Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images Medical workers in protective suits carry belongings of passengers of the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port AP Cruise ship Diamond Princess is anchored off the shore of Yokohama, south of Tokyo AP

It also emerged:

Britons were being tested for coronavirus in Cambodia after leaving the Holland America Line Westerdam cruise ship, where an elderly woman was diagnosed.

New infections fell for a second day in mainland China but experts said it was too early to tell if the outbreak had been contained.

UK firms were told not to dock the pay of workers told to self-isolate as a precaution against the virus.

Almost 5,000 people have been tested for coronavirus in the UK, with only nine confirmed cases.

Britons on the Diamond Princess face a further period in NHS quarantine on returning to the UK.

It could take several days for all 3,700 passengers and crew to disembark.

No date has been set for the flight, which would be the third evacuation of UK citizens abroad, but the Foreign Office said it was due to take off as soon as possible.

It said: We hope the flight will be later this week, subject to permissions from the Japanese authorities.

A source said: We are ready to go but we are just waiting to get the final logistical details ironed out.

A bus carrying the passengers from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship leaves a port in Yokohama / AP

The Foreign Office added: However, there is a chance that people who disembark will not be able to join the evacuation flight. We have the utmost concern for the affected Britons and strongly encourage them to register for the evacuation flight.

Mr Abel, 74, who has kept the world informed of conditions on the liner through video updates, said a lack of hotel beds in the port city of Yokohama meant he and his wife would be admitted initially to a hostel for up to five days.

Mr Abel today confirmed they had both been given a second coronavirus diagnosis by an English-speaking doctor, after doubts were cast on their initial diagnosis.

David Abel and his wife SAlly / PA

He said: We should have been transferred off the ship last night. They tried to find a facility to put us in.

"We are going to a hostel. We are both positive for the virus. I cannot see any way of us being on that flight.

Medical experts said it was possible to repatriate patients with coronavirus but suggested the ships passengers should face tougher quarantine in the UK.

Dr Simon Clarke, of Reading University, said: If someone has coronavirus, but is not sick, its a political call as to whether the risk should be taken to repatriate them.

If they are ill and there are suitable medical facilities wherever they happen to be, it might be best to leave them overseas until they are fit enough to travel, but there are established ways of transporting people who are ill.
Authorities in Catalonia have opened an investigation to determine what caused the death of dozens of birds near a chemical plant in Tarragona.

The bodies of the starlings were discovered on Sunday afternoon, strewn across the highway that connects Tarragona with the municipality of Salou, in northeastern Spain. Close to 100 birds had dropped dead within a 10-meter radius.

Several phone calls alerted the emergency services, and officers from the Catalan department of agriculture were sent to the scene to take samples from the dead animals.

Starlings fly in murmurations, such as this one in Negeverca Desert in southern Israel. MENAHEM KAHANA (AFP)

On Monday, authorities announced that they were analyzing the samples to clarify the cause of death, but ruled out that it was caused by a toxic cloud. Civil protection services said that there was no evidence that there had been any recent leak or chemical accident in the nearby industrial complex.

The bodies were found near the Iqoxe chemical plant, where an explosion in January killed three people and injured seven others. A sealed legal investigation was opened into the chemical explosion, but so far has not determined the cause of the blast.

Investigators said they were not ruling out the possibility that a vehicle killed the birds

Investigators said they were not ruling out the possibility that a vehicle killed the birds, a hypothesis that Cristina Sanchez, a representative of the Catalan branch of the environmental group SEO-Birdlife, describes as strange. Although starlings fly low to the ground in murmurations, which would make it easy for a bus or truck to run them down, the state of the birds bodies casts doubt on this theory.

If they ruled out a toxic cloud, we have to believe it, but I find the possibility that they were run over strange, because the bodies do not look damaged, she said. Sanchez says that it is important to determine whether the birds were poisoned by a different kind of pollutant, such as a pesticide or something they ate in a nearby field.

The environmental group Gepec, which is a strong advocate for air-quality tests in Tarragona, put a call out on social media for eyewitnesses and information that could shed light on the case.

Officers are also currently investigating a similar incident that took place in the city of Badalona, around 100 kilometers from Tarragona. On Monday Badalona city officials confirmed that 200 pigeons were found dead at different spots throughout the city. Municipal workers collected the bodies, which were found primarily in the areas of Pep Ventura and Sant Roc, as well as the remains of feed for analysis.

 Ocells morts avui a l'autovia entre Salou i Tarragona, vora el poligon sud de la petroquimica, amb testimonis parlant tambe de fortes olors. Si tens qualsevol informacio contrastada, escriu-nos al correu defensaambiental@gepec.cat. Gracies!



: Autor/a desconegut/da pic.twitter.com/RZuVo8NfR3  GEPEC-EdC (@gepecedc) February 16, 2020 <

English version by Melissa Kitson.
Convicted paedophile and former Labor minister Milton Orkopoulos has been charged over another breach of his parole.

The former NSW frontbencher, 62, was found guilty of 30 child sex and drug offences in 2008.

In December he was released from Long Bay hospital prison, where he had spent 11 years.

Milton Orkopoulos leaving court last month. Credit:Isabella Porras

On Tuesday, he was arrested at his Malabar home and charged with three counts of failing to comply with parole conditions.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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For Brandon University career planning officer Doug Pople, Louis Riel Day celebrations are extra special.

"As a member of the BU community, its so nice to see it come together with my Metis community," he said.

MICHELE LETOURNEAU/THE BRANDON SUN Ilce Pineda takes Arianna Langlois, left, and Anixi Pineda for a whirl to Nite Life's traditional Metis tunes on Monday afternoon at Brandon University.

Pople brought his grandkids, who cooked bannock on a stick over a fire outside Harvest Hall. Later, the trio were headed off to Portage la Prairie to visit the kids great-grandmother.

Nite Life kept people on the dancefloor with old-time tunes. Leah LaPlante, vice-president of the Manitoba Metis Federations southwest region, surveyed the room, pleased with the turnout, which she said looked like more than ever.

Louis Riel Day is a collaboration between the university and the federation. Down the hall from the cafeteria, in the Louis Riel Room, a new image of Louis Riel will grace the walls. LaPlante presented it to university president David Docherty.

MICHELE LETOURNEAU/THE BRANDON SUN Jim Dyck helps Chase Pople wrap bannock on a stick as Peighton Oickle, bannock already cooked over the fire, looks on.

Docherty said celebrating Riel, Manitobas Father of Confederation, at the university is incredibly important.

"Its taken generations for non-Metis to realize just how crucial Louis Riel was and how he was so poorly treated and remembered," he said.

Universities are about seeking and speaking the truth, he added. BUs motto is: Aletheuontes de en Agape (Speaking the truth in love).

MATT GOERZEN/THE BRANDON SUN Brandon University president David Docherty accepts a new image of Louis Riel from vice-president of the Manitoba Metis Federation's southwest region Leah LaPlante.

"We have to speak the truth about Louis Riel and what an amazing individual he was, and how courageous he was. How he led the Metis people, how he provided Metis people with inspiration about what it means to stick to a cause, and believe in yourself and be a people," said Docherty.

The university has a responsibility to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions call to actions, he added. One symbolic gesture will come in a few months. The university will raise Metis, Treaty 2 and Inuit flags.

"Thats important because it will say to Metis students, You are welcome here. It will say to Treaty 2 students, You are welcome here. It will say to Inuit students, You are welcome here."

MICHELE LETOURNEAU/THE BRANDON SUN Zane Puga-Nissen takes some time out from the main celebrations in Harvest Hall for a bit of face painting in the Louis Riel Room.

Brandon East Progressive Conservative MLA Len Isleifson said he attends for two reasons: Metis in his family and its a great community event.

"Reconciliation is not one group working with other groups. Reconciliation is all working together. Its important, we all support it," he said.

And or Ana Puga and Kurt Nissen, who brought little Zane out for the afternoon, it was something fun to do as a family.

"And to celebrate Louis Riel."

 mletourneau@brandonsun.com

 The Local Journalism Initiative is a federally funded program that supports the creation of original civic journalism.
TICKERS: BSK; BKUCF

Source: The Critical Investor for Streetwise Reports (2/19/20)

The Critical Investor sits down with Nikolaos Cacos, president and CEO of Blue Sky Uranium, to discuss recent developments at the company's uranium project in Argentina.



After raising C$0.87 million in October of last year, Blue Sky Uranium Corp. (BSK:TSX.V; BKUCF:OTC) has been busy defining drill targets on its fully owned Amarillo Grande Uranium Vanadium project in Rio Negro, Argentina. An 8 kilometer long IP survey has been completed, which identified a 5 km long anomaly 20 km north of the Ivana deposit. The next step will be a reverse circulation (RC) drill program to hit the typical near-surface mineralization. Management is looking to increase the resource towards a district scaled size, being redox type, which regularly relates to very large deposits, and which in turn will likely improve 2019 PEA economics further. Speaking of which, as a reminder at a relatively (industry wide) low base case uranium oxide (O3O8) price of US$50/lb U3O8, the after-tax NPV8 of Ivana is US$135.2 million and the internal rate of return (IRR) is 29.3%.

These are very decent numbers as most competitors use US$60-65/lb U3O8 for their base cases. Initial capex is US$128.05 million, and the all-in sustaining costs (AISC) net of vanadium credits are just US18.27/lb U3O8. This AISC is amongst the lowest in the industry. However, keep in mind that the entire project is not economic at this time as the long term (or also called contract) uranium oxide price is US$32/lb U3O8, as can be seen at this chart, which can be found as always on the website of Cameco:

There has been some volatility around the Section 232 Petition in the summer of last year, but this has been subsiding ever since, and uranium seems to be back to side-ranging for the foreseeable future. Everybody is waiting for utilities to start contract buying, but the reality is that nobody knows when this will happen. It can be at the end of this year, it can be in two or three years. As a reminder, the situation in Argentina itself is a case of importing all uranium; there is no domestic production. The beauty of this is that Argentina somehow is forced to pay up much more than the international contract prices, and this situation continues until this day. Therefore if Blue Sky Uranium manages to develop this project into commercial production, it could be eligible as single producer for an interesting premium, somewhere between international contract pricing and Argentinean pricing. So fundamentally the case for Blue Sky is very robust, as it is less dependent on lower, international uranium pricing, and it needs a lower base case price than most other development projects.

In the meantime, the only thing Blue Sky Uranium can do is diligently developing and growing its project as large and profitable as possible, as it is one of the most economic and leveraged uranium plays in the industry. As this can take a while, it seems that recently certain investors are rotating out of Blue Sky into other opportunities, which could be gold mining related, for example, as the one mining subsector that is popular at the moment:

Standing at a current market cap of just C$10.8 million, having a NPV8 that is C$180 million or about 17 times bigger, I view this as a long-term investment opportunity, and considered it also an interesting moment to catch up with President and CEO Nikolaos Cacos.

All pictures are company material, unless stated otherwise.

All currencies are in US Dollars, unless stated otherwise.

The Critical Investor (TCI): Thank you for taking the time for this interview. I noticed your latest news release about the adoption of an advance notice policy regarding the nomination of directors. Why did Blue Sky Uranium need this policy in your view? Could you explain to me how it can be approved and effective at the moment according to the news release, but also still needs to be ratified at the next annual general meeting (AGM) later this year?

Nikolaos Cacos (NC): The adoption of the advanced notice policy ensures that shareholders have ample notice to assess and decide on which directors to vote for at AGMs. It prevents directors from being nominated at the last minute. This policy is good corporate management in favor of the shareholders at large.

TCI: I also noticed the application to extend 7.5 million warrants, set to expire on February 28, 2020, to February 28, 2022. This doesn't happen too often, usually companies let them expire. Could you explain to me why you made the application? There are 53.6 million warrants in total, does this mean you will apply for more warrants in the future if they appear to expire without being in the money?

NC: These warrants are priced at $0.35 and, if exercised, would bring in over $2.6 million. It's like a built in private placement. Hopefully, with drilling underway on our project, the market would look upon the results favorably and bring these warrants "in the money." As for other warrants, we will decide on a case by case as to whether to grant an extension.

TCI: As the latest financing in October raised C$0.87 million, could you tell us what the burn rate is of Blue Sky Uranium, and the cash position?

NC: We have a very low overhead burn rate, but with drilling underway, we could see up to $2 million spent over three to four months.

TCI: Do you have plans to do another cap raise, and if so when is this scheduled approximately?

NC: We will have to raise some additional funds in the next few weeks.

TCI: Speaking of spending cash, could you elaborate a bit more on the current exploration program at Ivana Central, North and West targets as for example the completed IP survey and the ongoing sampling?

NC: These are very exciting targets. The results published to date indicate very similar geological signatures as we saw at the early stages of our Ivana deposit, including some decent uranium values.

TCI: Could you compare the results of this early stage exploration to the same stage exploration you did at the Ivana deposit, and how do they compare?

NC: By now, we have a very good understanding of the geological controls and the model of the Ivana deposit. This is why we are very excited at the prospect of drill testing these targets, as they represent the potential to significantly add resources to our existing deposit.

TCI: How about your plans to do RC drilling on Ivana Central, North and West targets, as stated in the December 4, 2019, news release, and indicated in the latest presentation? RC drilling is set to start in Q1, 2020 according to this document. Where and when do you want to drill, how many holes (still 4,500 meters?), and what is your budget for this?

NC: We will indeed drill 4,500 meters in Q1, representing approximately 100 holes.

TCI: When can we expect results?

NC: Approximately mid-March 2020.

TCI: When can we expect a resource, if drilling proves to be successful of course?

NC: After we receive all the results from our drill program, we would assess whether they are sufficient to warrant a new resource calculation. If positive, then by end of Q2, I would expect we could have an updated resource.

TCI: Do you have a timeline in mind for the start of permitting and a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS)?

NC: We would like to embark on a PFS study by end of Q2 or beginning of Q3.

TCI: As we discussed the project, let's talk a bit about the metals involved. What is your take on the uranium market for the medium and long term?

NC: We remain very bullish on the price of uranium. There is a supply shortage that is forecast by some very prestigious analysts. Uranium is also being touted as a clean energy fuel by some very smart and influential persons like Bill Gates and Patrick Moore (founder of Greenpeace).

TCI: What about vanadium? It retraced from the top around US$27/lb down to US$7-8 at the moment, as it seems that niobium has been replacing vanadium in rebar steel. Now that vanadium prices are low, a reversal of this development could be occurring, in my view.

NC: I feel that the price of vanadium will very much mimic the demand for steel. As the economies expand, especially China, we will see the demand for vanadium continue to rise.

TCI: Now that vanadium prices are down, did you look at ways to improve the met work, which was already successful? Maybe there are other ways to optimize economics besides growing the resource and potentially find higher grades?

NC: I always view metallurgy like a Rubik's Cubeone needs to continuously refine the methodology until the optimal solution is found. Yes, especially in light of our potential PFS studies, we will be re-visiting the metallurgy of our project.

TCI: Regarding Argentina, we discussed the new president Alberto Fernandez in my last update. It seemed to be quite a positive development, as he was planning on initiating a new Ministry of Mines. Could you tell the audience what the current status is on this initiative, and how things are going on the side of Argentinian politics for mining?

NC: From the discussions that we have had with the new government to date, we remain very optimistic that the strong support for mining remains. We look forward to having further discussions with them during the upcoming PDAC convention.

TCI: On a closing note, is there anything you want to mention or discuss, as you feel it could be important for investors?

NC: Yes. Blue Sky represents one of the newest uranium/vanadium discoveries out there. The preliminary economic study that we completed demonstrates that Ivana can potentially have some very advantageous economics. The current drill program will demonstrate the expansion potential of Ivana. With some good drill results, Amarillo Grande will be well under way to realizing its potential to rank amongst the largest and most economic uranium projects on the globe. That represents truly a one in a million opportunity for investors.

TCI: Thank you for your time, Niko. Investors should be completely up to date again, and I will follow Blue Sky Uranium with interest during 2020, looking forward to drill results and hopefully an updated and increased resource, and the commencing of the PFS.

I hope you will find this article interesting and useful, and will have further interest in my upcoming articles on mining. To never miss a thing, please subscribe to my free newsletter on my website http://www.criticalinvestor.eu to get an email notice of my new articles soon after they are published.

The Critical Investor is a newsletter and comprehensive junior mining platform, providing analysis, blog and newsfeed and all sorts of information about junior mining. The editor is an avid and critical junior mining stock investor from The Netherlands, with an MSc background in construction/project management. Number cruncher at project economics, looking for high quality companies, mostly growth/turnaround/catalyst-driven to avoid too much dependence/influence of long-term commodity pricing/market sentiments, and often looking for long-term deep value. Getting burned in the past himself at junior mining investments by following overly positive sources that more often than not avoided to mention (hidden) risks or critical flaws, The Critical Investor learned his lesson well, and goes a few steps further ever since, providing a fresh, more in-depth, and critical vision on things, hence the name.

[NLINSERT]

Disclaimer:

The author is not a registered investment advisor, and has a long position in this stock. Blue Sky Uranium is a sponsoring company. All facts are to be checked by the reader. For more information go to www.blueskyuranium.com and read the company's profile and official documents on www.sedar.com, also for important risk disclosures. This article is provided for information purposes only, and is not intended to be investment advice of any kind, and all readers are encouraged to do their own due diligence, and talk to their own licensed investment advisors prior to making any investment decisions.

Streetwise Reports Disclosure:

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4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.

5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article until three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases.

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The Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department has released 500 cusecs of water into the Yamuna from the Ganganahar in Bulandshahr to improve the river's 'environmental condition' in Agra, ahead of Donald Trump's visit

Mathura: The Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department has released 500 cusecs of water into the Yamuna from the Ganganahar in Bulandshahr to improve the river's "environmental condition" in Agra, ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit, officials said on Tuesday.

Trump is set to visit India on a two-day trip between 24 and 25 February. The main segment of the visit will take place in Delhi, though an option of having a short visit by the president to another city is being explored.

The cities that are being considered include Uttar Pradesh's Agra and Gujarat's Ahmedabad.

"Keeping in mind US President Trump's visit to Agra, 500 cusecs of water has been released from the Ganganahar to improve the environmental condition of the Yamuna. This water will reach the Yamuna in Mathura by 20 February and Agra by 21 February afternoon," the department's Superintending Engineer Dharmender Singh Phogat said.

He said the department aims to maintain a certain level of water in the Yamuna till 24 February.

This move is likely to reduce the "foul smell" from the Yamuna, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) assistant engineer Arvind Kumar said when asked about the development.

"If 500 cusecs of water have been released into the Yamuna to control pollution, it will certainly have an impact. This will also improve the oxygen level in the Yamuna in Mathura and in Agra. This move may not make the Yamuna's water fit for drinking, but could reduce the foul smell from the river," he said.

Gopeshwar Nath Chaturvedi who is associated with the Shri Mathur Chaturved Parishad that is working to clean the Yamuna, said, "The move will hardly have any impact on the river."
Boeing has vowed to tighten controls after potentially dangerous debris was found in fuel tanks of undelivered 737 MAX aircraft, a plane that has been grounded worldwide following two deadly crashes.

Due to the halt in service, the company has stopped delivering the jets and temporarily ceased production.

After repeatedly missing its goals for resuming flights last year, Boeing has targeted a mid-2020 return for the plane.

"While conducting maintenance we discovered Foreign Object Debris (FOD) in undelivered 737 MAX airplanes currently in storage," a company spokesman told AFP on Tuesday.

"That finding led to a robust internal investigation and immediate corrective actions in our production system." A message to staff from vice president Mark Jenks said debris was found in several planes in storage.

No further details were given about the debris material, which Bloomberg said could have been tools or rags left by workers.

About 400 aircraft must now be inspected.

The 737 MAX has been grounded since March 2019 following two crashes that claimed 346 lives.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Additional National Guard elements arrive in Mahahual

Mahahual, Q.R.  Additional members of National Guard have arrived in Mahahual to reinforce security at the request of residents who are concerned about the increase in crime.

The additional 100 members of the National Guard are making Mahahual home as they provide surveillance and the safekeeping of the town since an increase in crime has been a concern since the beginning of the year.

The military police will monitor rural areas after several reports of Central American drug planes landing near the states border were reported, along with the recent murder of a local Mahahual fisherman.

Police enforcement personnel will step up efforts to monitor the southern zone while searching for clandestine runways used in drug trafficking.

There are approximately 250 members of the National Guard currently stationed in Mahahual. Security efforts will be increased from the banks of the Rio Hondo border with Belize to the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto. The soldiers will join forces with elements of the Mexican Navy Secretariat and Municipal and State Police.
Image courtesy: TwitterProtestors gather during a massive anti-CAA rally organised by various Muslim outfits and political parties, leading to a traffic jam, in Chennai. PTI photo

A large number of anti-CAA protesters, majority of them Muslims, held a massive protest against the amended Citizenship Act at Chepauk here, even as agitations were held across Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

The protest here was held under the aegis of the Tamil Nadu Islamia Iyakkangal Matrum Arasiyal Katchigalin Koottamaippu, a federation of state Muslim outfits and political parties.

Representatives from DMK and other political parties also took part in the protest.

Meanwhile, as the demonstration was being held at Chepauk, Chief Minister K Palaniswami in the Assembly located inside the Secretariat a few kms away, announced welfare measures for the Muslim community, including pension hike for 'Ulema' (Islamic scholars).

Earlier, in a massive show of strength, agitators came in swathes and converged at Chepauk, before taking out a brief march along the Wallajah road as part of their original plan to proceed to the the state Secretariat and lay siege to the Assembly.

However, the Madras High Court had on Tuesday restrained the Muslim outfits from going ahead with their seige protest.

The outfits have been demanding that the state Assembly, dominated by the AIADMK, adopt a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act in the ongoing session which concludes tomorrow.

Agitators were seen carrying placards against CAA, NRC and NPR, besides the Indian flag and raised slogans against the amended citizenship law. Scores of Muslim women, many of them burqa-clad, joined the agitation here.

The protest resulted in traffic snarls at key points along the arterial Anna Salai, even as police had set up roadblocks and sealed off roads leading to the Secretariat as part of beefed up security measures.

The Secretariat, the state's seat of power, was brought under a stricter vigil, with more police personnel deployed at the historic Fort St George to prevent any untoward incidents.

Anti-CAA protests were held elsewhere in the state, including Madurai, Thanjavur, Cuddalore, Coimbatore, Tirupur and Tirunelveli, with members of the Muslim community hitting the streets against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Palaniswami announced a 50 per cent subsidy for 'Ulema' to buy new two-wheelers and doubled their pension by increasing the payout to Rs 3,000 from the present Rs 1,500.

The 'Ulema' are the guardians and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam.

There are 2,814 Waqf institutions in Tamil Nadu and 'Ulemas' working in such registered entities will be provided a subsidy of Rs 25,000 or 50 per cent of the vehicle cost, whichever is lower to buy new two wheelers, he told the Assembly.

Also, the government will allocate Rs 15 crore for building a new 'Haj House' here in a land that will be assigned by Tamil Nadu Waqf Board, he added.
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A new poll shows Sen. Susan Collins in a statistical tie with Democratic challenger Sara Gideon thanks to declining support with women.

The Portland Press Herald reported:



The survey was conducted between Feb. 10-13  days after Collins voted to acquit President Trump during the Senates impeachment trial  and asked voters whom they would choose between Collins and Gideon. Gideon led narrowly with 43 support, compared to 42 percent for Collins, with 14 percent undecided.

One of the most surprising findings is how poorly Senator Collins is doing with women, said Dan Shea, Colby College professor of government and the lead researcher on the poll. She had a 42-percent approval rating overall but that drops to 36 percent for women. Further yet, it drops to 25 percent for women under 50.

.

Shea also said he was surprised to see support for Collins among independents at just 38 percent. That block of voters, which is the largest in Maine, has been crucial to her previous four electoral wins.

Susan Collins as gone all in with Donald Trump after she voted for the presidents acquittal. Dark money has been funneling in to support Collins, but her fundamental numbers have fallen to being the worst of her career.

Sen. Collins will not be easy to beat, but by aligning herself with Brett Kavanaugh and then acquitting Trump she has set up a narrative that virtually writes itself. Collins has exposed herself as a fake moderate. She is not an independent voice for the people of Maine, but a follower who will express concern, then do whatever Donald Trump wants.

Trump humiliates Collins and she does nothing.

Susan Collins is beatable, and if Democrats dont do it this year, they never will.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

Follow Jason Easley on Facebook
Senator Bernie Sanders says the United States must be pro-Palestinian as much as pro-Israeli and described the Israeli government as right-wing and racist.

Speaking during a televised town hall meeting in Nevada on Tuesday, the Democratic frontrunner for the US presidency said: To be for the Israeli people and to be for peace in the Middle East does not mean that we have to support right-wing, racist governments that currently exist in Israel.

Sanders also spoke about the humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip, where the youth unemployment rate is about 70 percent.

Take a look at whats going on in Gaza right now. You got youth unemployment, 70 percent, you know people cant even leave the area, he said.

What American foreign policy has got to be about in the Middle East is bringing the Israelis, bringing the Palestinians together under the banner of justice.

Sanders said: It cannot just simply be that were just pro-Israel and we ignore the needs of the Palestinian people.

.@BernieSanders on #CNNTownHall: "To be for the Israeli people and to be for peace in the Middle East does not mean that we have to support right wing racist governments that currently exist in Israel pic.twitter.com/L3tqrt3pcE  People for Bernie (@People4Bernie) February 19, 2020

Weve got to pay attention to both and by the way, its not a dissimilar situation with regard to Iran and Saudi Arabia. For years, we have loved Saudi Arabia, our wonderful ally. Only problem is the people run that country are murderous thugs, he said.

The social democrat senator said instead of being really cosy with the billionaire dictator, Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Washington should to facilitate a dialogue between Iran and the kingdom to end their proxy wars in the Middle East.

We can bring the Saudis and the Iranians together. Tell them that were sick and tired as a nation, spending trillions of dollars on endless wars, theyre gonna have to get their act together, and we have the resources to help bring that about, Sanders said.
Deerfield Beach, Fla., Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the 22nd consecutive year, Great Place to Work and Fortune have honored JM Family Enterprises as one of the 2020 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. JM Family took the No. 26 spot, one of three South Florida-based companies to make the list.

Our founder Jim Moran always believed associates were our most important asset and this recognition reinforces our ongoing commitment to the culture he created, said Brent Burns, president and CEO of JM Family. We are honored to have been recognized by Fortune for the past 22 years, but knowing that our associates feel appreciated, heard and motivated is the greatest acknowledgement we could receive.

JM Family continues to reinvest in the company and its associates with unique programs like the Doing It Better Showcase (DIBS), an opportunity for associates to highlight their innovations in the workplace; nextGRAD, higher education for JM Family associates; and transformational investments in our workplace and technology capabilities.

To determine the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, Great Place to Work analyzed responses from more than 650,000 employees at Great Place to Work-CertifiedTM organizations across the country. Great Place to Work, a global people analytics and consulting firm, evaluated more than 60 elements of team members experience on the job. These included the extent to which employees trust leaders, the respect with which people are treated, the fairness of workplace decisions, and how much camaraderie there is among the team. Rankings are based on employees feedback and reward companies who best include all employees, no matter who they are or what they do for the organization.

The 100 Best show the way forward, said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. These companies have created Great Places to Work For Allfor everyone, no matter who a person is or what they do for the organization. As a result, they have built a path to realize the promise of artificial intelligence, gain strength from a diversity of perspectives, and thrive during downturns.

The Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, is one of a series of rankings by Great Place to Work and Fortune based on employee feedback from Great Place to Work-Certified organizations. During 2019, JM Family Enterprises was ranked as a Best Workplace for Millennials [No. 15], Manufacturing & Production [No. 2], Women [No. 23], Parents [No. 31] and Diversity [No. 72].

About JM Family Enterprises, Inc.

JM Family Enterprises, Inc., founded by Jim Moran in 1968, is a $17.75 billion diversified automotive company ranked No. 20 on Forbes list of Americas Largest Private Companies. It is also ranked No. 26 by FORTUNE as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, its 22nd consecutive year on the list. JM Family has more than 4,300 associates and its primary subsidiaries include: Southeast Toyota Distributors, the worlds largest independent distributor of Toyota vehicles; JM&A Group, one of the leading independent providers of finance and insurance (F&I) products in the automotive industry; Southeast Toyota Finance and DataScan, both part of World Omni Financial Corp., a diversified financial services company; JM Lexus, South Floridas only Lexus Plus dealer; and Home Franchise Concepts, a franchise network of home improvement products and services consisting of Budget Blinds, Tailored Living, Concrete Craft and AdvantaClean. Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Fla., JM Family has major U.S. operations in Jacksonville and Margate, Fla.; Commerce and Alpharetta, Ga.; Mobile, Ala.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Irvine, Calif. Interact with JM Family on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list

Great Place to Work based its ranking on a data-driven methodology applied to anonymous Trust Index survey responses from more than 650,000 employees at Great Place to Work-Certified organizations across the country. To learn more about Great Place to Work Certification and recognition on Best Workplaces lists published with Fortune, visit greatplacetowork.com.

About Great Place to Work

Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture. They help organizations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. Emprising, their culture management platform, empowers leaders with the surveys, real-time reporting, and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. They use their unparalleled benchmark data to recognize Great Place to Work-Certified companies and the Best Workplaces in the US and more than 60 countries, including the 100 Best Companies to Work For list published annually in Fortune.

To learn more, visit greatplacetowork.com, listen to the podcast Better by Great Place to Work, and read A Great Place to Work for All. Join the community on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Attachment
TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fortissimo and Kibbutz Afikim announced today the execution of an agreement for the sale of 50% of S.A.E. Afikim ("Afimilk") to Livestock Improvement Corporation ("LIC"), a New Zealand based cooperative. The enterprise value of Afimilk is $140 million. The acquirer, LIC is a farmer-owned co-operative that provides leading-edge genetics and solutions to improve the productivity and prosperity of dairy farmers. Among the shareholders of LIC is Fonterra, the largest milk producer in the world.

Afimilk develops, manufactures and markets advanced systems to manage dairy farms and is active in more than 50 countries. For fiscal 2019, Afimilk's revenues were $55 million, and its EBITDA was $9 million.

Yochai Hacohen, a partner at Fortissimo stated: "After augmenting its management and working closely with the Kibbutz and the company on a focused growth strategy, together we have been able to achieve great success in the market. Its new partnership with LIC will enable the company to further enhance its activities."

Arik Schor, chairman of the Kibbutz and of Afimilk said: "The fruitful cooperation between Kibbutz Afikim and Fortissimo enabled Afimilk to achieve revenue and profitability growth. Afimilk will continue to operate from its headquarters in Kibbutz Afikim and together with its new strategic partner will strengthen its global presence and continue to expand its activities."

Fortissimo is selling its entire 30.8% holding in Afimilk and the Kibbutz is selling 19.2% of the company. Fortissimo invested $5 million in 2010 and is expected to return approximately 9x on its investment. The transaction is expected to close during the second quarter of 2020.

Fortissimo Capital Fund is a growth capital Israeli-related private equity fund focused primarily on maturing technology and industrial companies that are at a point of inflection. Fortissimo's investment strategy is to achieve capital appreciation through taking a leading role and active approach in Israeli-related global businesses that require immediate and significant change, or stimulation of growth and by building business fundamentals to facilitate sustainable long-term growth and value creation.

Some of Fortissimo's notable exits include: the initial public offering of Kornit Digital Ltd; the initial public offering of SodaStream International Ltd; the sale of Diptech to Ferro.

For more information:

Marc Lesnick

[email protected]

+972-3-915-7466

www.ffcapital.com

SOURCE Fortissimo Capital Fund

Related Links

http://www.ffcapital.com


CHICAGO - When Patti Blagojevich made repeated public pleas for her husbands release from federal prison, there was no mistaking her intended audience: President Donald Trump.

For nearly two years, the wife of disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich made Trumps own travails, including special counsel Robert Muellers long Russia investigation and Trumps impeachment, the centerpiece of the strategy to free her husband.

Appearing on Fox News  the one network she knew Trump watched religiously  she was careful to say not only that her husband was being mistreated, but that he was being mistreated in the same way Trump complained about being treated, and by the same cast of characters.

Those lobbying efforts that began in 2018 came to fruition Tuesday, when Trump commuted her husbands 14-year prison sentence, allowing him to return home after serving eight years behind bars.

I see these same people who did this to my family, these same people that secretly taped us and twisted the facts and perverted the law that ended with my husband in jail. These same people are trying to do the same thing ... just on a much larger scale, she said during a May 2018 Fox News broadcast. They were emboldened. They took down a governor and now theyve got their sights much higher.

Patti Blagojevichs campaign began soon after her husband lost a string of legal appeals that seemed to doom him to remain behind bars until his projected 2024 release date. His wife, who comes from an influential family of Chicago Democrats, soon went on a media blitz to encourage Trump to step in. She flattered and heaped praise on the president and likened the case against her husband to the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election  a probe Trump long characterized as a witch hunt.

Using many of the same words that Trump tweeted and said, she threw out names, including former FBI Director James Comey and former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who oversaw Blagojevichs prosecution. She also mentioned Mueller, the former FBI director who was appointed to investigate the president, and described the investigation into her husband as an attempt to to undo an election by the people.

Comey was not FBI director when Blagojevich was prosecuted. Mueller was. And Fitzgerald was not involved in the Trump probe. But as Fox viewers were reminded, Fitzgerald and Comey are close.

Patti Blagojevich appeared on a program where Fox host Laura Ingraham compared the predawn raid that resulted in Rod Blagojevichs arrest to similar raids at the homes of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and Trumps former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort.

Dave McKinney, a reporter for Chicago public radio station WBEZ who hosted a 2019 podcast about Rod Blagojevich called Public Official A, said he does not doubt that Patti Blagojevich was pursuing a strategy that she and the former governor discussed during their many phone conversations.

I think they had a very simple approach to try to get to Trump, and the easiest path was to go through his news channel of choice, McKinney said.

The couple eventually learned that their quest for backing from the White House had started to pay off. Following one of her television appearances, Trump tweeted about how brave Patty Blagojevich is, McKinney said.

At one point, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he thought Rod Blagojevich had spent enough time behind bars and called his wife one hell of a woman.

Trumps sympathy seemed to build. The president said repeatedly over many months that he was considering taking executive action in Blagojevichs case, only to back away from the idea. Until Tuesday.

Blagojevich had made sure that his daughters and the fact that he was missing much of their childhoods were a big part of his plea for leniency. They spoke in court. Camera crews captured them crying.

Trump talked about the couples children after his clemency decision.

Theyre growing older. Theyre going to high school now, the president said. They rarely get to see their father outside of an orange uniform. I saw that, and I did commute his sentence.

Robert Grant, the former FBI agent in charge of the Chicago office during the Blagojevich investigation, also recognized the effectiveness of including the children in the familys appeal.

Theres probably someone in the same prison system as Rod Blagojevich whos also got a wife and whos also got children, but he doesnt have the benefit of being a celebrity on Fox News, Grant said on Chicago radio station WGN.

One question now is what Trump hopes to gain from securing the freedom of a man who became a national laughingstock after his 2008 arrest and the release of now-infamous tapes in which he can be heard hatching various schemes, including one in which he sought to sell an appointment to Barack Obamas Senate seat after Obama was elected president.

One of the first things Blagojevich did upon his release from prison was to declare himself a Trumpocrat.

If I had the ability to vote, he told reporters Wednesday in front of his Chicago home, I would vote for him.
German-speaking politicians, cultural workers and journalists have published a joint appeal, Release Julian Assange from prison, which supports the demand for the immediate release of Julian Assange, on medical grounds as well on the basis of the rule of law. The 130 initial signatories have now been joined by 22,000 other supporters.

The appeal expresses great concern for the life of the journalist and founder of Wikileaks and quotes the findings of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer, saying, Assange showed all the symptoms typical of victims of prolonged psychological torture. The appeal also refers to the open letter from more than 60 medical doctors, who demand Assange be transferred to a university hospital, as his state of health is now considered life-threatening.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in a prison van traveling to Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Friday, Dec. 20, 2019 [Credit: AP Photo/Frank Augstein]

It is obvious that Julian Assange cannot recuperate under the current conditions of detention, nor can he prepare for his extradition proceedings, which are scheduled to begin on February 24, 2020, the appeal says. Both constitute serious violations of fundamental principles of human rights and the rule of law, making a fair trial impossible and exposing Julian Assange to considerable suffering and health risks.

The appeal goes on to say, We remind the German media that Assange is one of their own and that the defence of press freedom is a fundamental tenet of democracy. Notwithstanding the allegations levelled against Assange, we urge the United Kingdom, on the human rights and medical grounds outlined above, to release Julian Assange from custody immediately so that he can recover under expert medical supervision and exercise his fundamental rights without hindrance. We also call on the German Government to make representations to the British Government to this effect.

Among the first signatories of the appeal are nine former federal ministers from the ranks of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Greens, including former Vice-Chancellor, Economics and Foreign Affairs Minister and SPD Chairman Sigmar Gabriel, former Justice Ministers Herta Daubler-Gmelin (SPD), Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (FDP) and Katarina Barley (SPD) and former Environment Minister Jurgen Trittin (Greens). The former president of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Thierse (SPD), has also signed the appeal.

Among the numerous cultural professionals who support the appeal are the directors Claus Peymann, Volker Schlondorff, Milo Rau and Frank Castorf, the actor Rolf Becker, writers Sibylle Berg, Daniela Dahn, Eugen Ruge and Uwe Timm, cabaret artists Volker Pispers and Georg Schramm, musicians Igor Levit and Wolfgang Niedecken, the philosopher Richard David Precht, publishers Reinhold Neven DuMont and Jakob Augstein, and the former West Deutsche Rundfunk (WDR) director Fritz Pleitgen.

The PEN Centre Germany, Reporters Without Borders, the German Journalists Union in Verdi and the Whistleblower Network e.V. are also among the first signatories of the appeal.

It was initiated by investigative journalist Gunter Wallraff, who has made a name for himself since the 1960s with his social and socio-political reportage. On February 6, Wallraff, Gabriel, former Interior Minister Gerhart Baum (FDP) and the Left Party Member of Parliament Sevim Dagdelen jointly presented the appeal to the media at the Federal Press Conference.

The publication of the joint appeal for the liberation of Assange is part of a change in the public presentation of the case in Germany. Up to now, the media had reported only sporadically on the case and, above all, repeated the false accusations and slander against the journalist.

This has changed in the last two weeks. For the first time, many media outlets have provided critical information about the Assange case, drawing on the research of UN Special Rapporteur Nils Melzer, who has long protested against the persecution of Assange and warned of its consequences for press freedom.

On January 31, the Swiss online publication Republika published an in-depth interview with Melzer under the title, A murderous system is being created before our eyes, in which he meticulously unpicks the shameful conspiracy of the Swedish judiciary against Assange.

Melzer, who speaks Swedish and has analysed the original documents of the Swedish judiciary, says the following about the rape accusations against Assange: I couldnt believe my eyes: according to the woman involved herself, there had never been a rape ... The statement of this woman was subsequently rewritten by the Stockholm police without her participation.

What was striking, Melzer wrote, was the coincidence of these accusations with the publication of the so-called Afghan War Diary, one of the biggest leaks in the history of the US military, which WikiLeaks was able to publish in Der Spiegel, the Guardian and the New York Times in 2010.

On February 5, Heute Journal, the main news program of broadcaster ZDF, reported on the case for several minutes. The report, which noted, Hacker, spy, suspected rapistnone of this is true, was the first time such a thing had been reported on public television, and Nils Melzer was also reported on at length. If you scratch the surface a bit, he said, the contradictions immediately come out.

A full-page advert appeared in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung demanding Assanges release. This was followed by the Suddeutsche Zeitung, broadcaster Deutschlandfunk, the Frankfurter Rundschau, Tagesspiegel, taz, etc. ... Many large newspapers and media bodies, which for years had helped to spread the absurd and publicly refuted accusations and slander about Assange, now reported critically on the case.

The long-time taz journalist Bettina Gaus even condescended to admit, The public has been manipulated in the Assange case. Me too. Self-critically she wrote, I always found the Assange case unappetizing, and I was not very interested in it. I dont like the man. I thought that somehow, everything will be correct. If I thought about it at all. And, Apparently, I wasnt the only one.

The change of course by the media and some politicians in the Assange case is undoubtedly due to massive pressure from public opinion. The slanders and accusations against the courageous journalist, orchestrated by state authorities and supported by right-wing feminist circles, never penetrated very deeply. And the mistrust grew with increasing militarism and the aggressive appearance of right-wing extremists supported by the establishment parties, as in the election of the Thuringia state premier with the votes of far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Christian Democrats (CDU) and FDP.

Under these circumstances, the worldwide campaign of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) and the initiatives of local support groups in defence of Assange have had a great impact. The ICFI had already organized international meetings and rallies for Assanges liberation before his arrest in London.

In a statement on June 20, 2019, the WSWS editorial board then called for a worldwide campaign to prevent Julian Assanges rendition to the US!

Only by organizing protest actions on an international scalemeetings, rallies, demonstrations, and public conferenceswill it be possible to frustrate and defeat the plans of reactionary governments, their intelligence agencies and political agents to silence and destroy Julian Assange, the WSWS wrote. The aim of this campaign must be to politically arouse and mobilize the international working classthe overwhelming majority of the population and the most powerful social force on the planetin defence of Julian Assange and, in fact, the democratic and social rights of all workers.

The statement further predicted: There will come a time when all the sordid details of this plan to destroy Assange will become fully known to an outraged public. This has now been confirmed.

However, it would be dangerous to believe that the high-ranking politicians who are now advocating the release of the WikiLeaks founder will lift a finger to achieve this. It should be noted that many of the initial signatories of the joint appeal are no longer in office. Not a single politician today having governmental responsibility supports it.

With his own cynical openness, Gabriel, who as foreign minister and vice-chancellor would have had numerous opportunities to help Assange and offer him asylum, declared at the Federal Press Conference that in retrospect, he would not have acted otherwise. I understand every member of the federal government who does not deal with cases like this one in public, he said. That is the difference between my present situation and my past one.

In other words, Gabriel is only in favour of Assange as long as this has no practical consequences. In this way, he is seeking to adapt to the widespread sentiments and prevent them from slipping out of the control of the establishment parties and moving further to the left. Foreign policy motives also play a role. Gabriel himself, and several other politicians who have signed the appeal, advocate a stronger independence of German imperialism vis-a-vis American imperialism.

Merkels former foreign minister, who now sits on the supervisory board of Deutsche Bank, also limits his support for Assange to the demand for due legal process. He described the courageous journalist as a border-liner and said that the rule of law must prove itself precisely when we are dealing with people with whom we cannot agree, who are strangers to us and sometimes seem odd to us, or who have committed serious crimes. Gabriel did not say what crimes Assange had committed in his opinion.

Liberating Assange and preventing his extradition to the US remains a task for the working class. As the WSWS wrote on June 20, the campaign must politically arouse and mobilize the international working class. We call on all WSWS readers to join this campaign.
After years of attracting global attention for helping financial services companies harness technology such as machine learning and big data analytics, Israels fintech sector made a splash in the first half of 2020 as a leading unicorn completed one of the most successful IPOs of the year in the U.S.

Lemonade, which uses artificial intelligence to provide property and renters insurance, raised US$319 million in June and its shares have surged since the offeringa standout moment for an ecosystem of some 500 startups ranging from fledgling ventures to unicorns.

[ Keep up on the latest thought leadership, insights, how-to, and analysis on IT through CIOs newsletters. ]

Venture investment in the sector has jumped over the last three years. In 2019, Israeli fintech firms raised $1.7 billion in venture funding, more than twice the amount the previous year, and triple the figure for 2016, according to the Israel Venture Capital Research Center, which tracks venture investment.

The pandemic has not scared off venture investors globally, though it has dampened appetites compared to previous years. The same trend is being felt in the Israeli fintech sector. According to Start-Up Nation Central, another organization which tracts investment in Israeli technology, Israeli fintech companies have attracted some $700 million in investment in 2020. That pace is slower than that off 2019.

The startups run the breadth of the fintech category, from payments and loans, to accounting and antifraud, to insurance tech and asset management.

The strength is all the more notable given the relative lack of competition in Israels domestic banking sector, the fact that Israel isnt a center of finance, and that the countrys capital markets are small.

Tomer Michaeligeneral partner at Viola FinTech, part of Viola Group, which manages several Israel-based venture capital fundssuggested the country already has a fintech legacy. He explained that veterans from an older generation of Israeli fintech companies, many of them acquired by financial multinationals, have used their knowhow to found their own startups.

Other skills come from professionals who have gone abroad to work at multinational institutions in financial capitals in the U.S., Europe and Asia, he said. With an understanding of what financial products and tools those large institutions might need, those alumni have struck out with their own ventures.

You have a ton of people that used to work for Goldman, JP Morgan and Wells Fargo, said Michaeli. They bring a lot of skills of how to work with global financial institutions.

The financial background combined with Israels culture of innovation and tech knowhow has prompted foreign institutions like Citibank and Barclays to set up accelerators and prowl the ecosystem for venture investment.

If you want to interact with the global financial institutions you dont even need to take an airplane, said Michaeli.

Below is a list of hot startups founded, funded and staffed by Israelis.

Payoneer

Year Founded: 2005

Funding: $270 million

Headquarters: New York City

CEO: Scott Galit

What they do: A digital payment platform that provides online money transfer and payment services, including cross-border transactions for third-party sellers on websites like Amazon. Payoneer also offers loans to third party sellers.

Competitors include: PayPal, Transferwise

Customers: Amazon, Airbnb, Google.

Why they are a hot startup to watch: The company is profitable and is reportedly mulling a new funding round. In December 2019, Payoneer acquired a German payment company.

Riskified

Year Founded: 2012

Funding: $229 million

Headquarters: Tel Aviv

CEO: Eido Gal

What they do: Riskified helps brick and mortar retailers transition to online shopping platforms. The company offers products that utilize machine learning algorithms and behavioral analytics to monitor payments and detect identity theft that leads to account takeovers.

Competitors include: Signifyd, Forter, Kount.

Customers: Macys, Footlocker.

Why they are a hot startup to watch: Riskified raised $165 million in 2019 at a company valuation of more than $1 billion. The Israeli business newspaper Calcalist ranked Riskified the most promising Israeli startup in 2019.

Rapyd

Year Founded: 2015

Funding: $170 million

Headquarters: London

CEO: Arik Shtilman

What they do: Offers a so-called fintech as a service app allowing customers to accept payments and transfers, as well as payment disbursement and foreign payment exchanges. The app also offers compliance, verification and anti-money laundering services.

Competitors include: Ayden, PayPal, WorldPay, Stripe.

Why they are a hot startup to watch: With a unicorn valuation, Rapyd raised $160 million in 2019 over two funding rounds. Shtilman said the company is looking for acquisition.

Fundbox

Year Founded: 2013

Funding: $433 million

Headquarters: San Francisco

CEO: Eyal Shinar

What they do: Provides payment services and loans to small- and medium-size businesses to speed B2B payments and ease cash flow. Fundbox uses machine learning and data analytics to analyze businesses creditworthiness.

Competitors include: Brex, Square.

Why they are a hot startup to watch: In 2019, the company raised $156 in venture funding and got another $150 million in credit. The company counts the personal investment arm of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as an investor.

BlueVine

Year Founded: 2013

Funding: $242 million

Headquarters: Redwood City, CA

CEO: Eyal Lifshitz

What they do: BlueVine offers financing and banking services to small- and medium-size businesses. BlueVine developed an online, cloud-based platform that offers cash advances on unpaid invoices and six to 12 month lines of credit.

Customers: 20,000 small business owners.

Competitors include: Kabbag, Mercury

Why they are a hot startup to watch: The company raised $102 million in a venture round in November. BlueVines investors include the venture arms of Citibank and MFUG Bank, Japans largest bank. The company also received $200 million in debt financing from Credit Suisse.

Pagaya Investments

Year Founded: 2016

Funding: $221 million

Headquarters: New York City

CEO: Gal Krubiner

What they do: Payaga uses artificial intelligence and big data to manage asset-backed securities in debt classes like consumer credit for financial institutions and pension funds.

Competitors include: dv01

Customers: Citibank, Bank Leumi, Clal Insurance

Why they are a hot startup to watch: Pagaya has $1.2 billion assets under management. Its investors include Harvey Golub, a former chairman and chief executive of American Express. The company said in June it had raised $102 million.

ThetaRay

Year Founded: 2013

Funding: $66.5 million

Headquarters: Hod Hasharon, Israel

CEO: Mark Gazit

What they do: The company uses big data analytics and machine learning to enable financial institutions to detect anomalies in their systems that indicate potential money laundering activity and hacking attacks through ATM and SWIFT transfer networks.

Competitors include: Feedzai, Ayasdi, Nice

Customers: Tier-1 banks in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Why they are a hot startup to watch: ThetaRays investors include ABN Amro, General Electric and Israels Bank Hapoalim.

Lemonade

Year Founded: 2015

Funding: $799 million

Headquarters: New York

CEO: Daniel Schrieber

What they do: Lemonade uses artificial intelligence to provide property and casualty insurance. Homeowners and renters download an app, answer a few questions, and get an insurance quote.

Competitors include: Hippo, Jetty

Customers: Property owners and renters with some 425,000 homes.

Why they are a hot startup to watch: The companys investors include Googles venture arm, German insurer Allianz, and Softbank. The company raised $319 million in a prominent IPO in June.

Tipalti

Year Founded: 2010

Funding: $129 million

Headquarters: San Mateo, CA

CEO: Chen Amit

What they do: Tipalti offers a cloud-based automation for companies back office accounting. It provides account payable services, money laundering prevention, tax form recording, and invoice recording.

Competitors include: AppZen, Gusto

Customers: Twitter, Uber, Foursquare

Why they are a hot startup to watch: Tipalti raised $76 million in September, with an investment company run by former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo.

Next Insurance

Year Founded: 2016

Funding: $381 million

Headquarters: Palo Alto, CA

CEO: Guy Goldstein

What they do: Next Insurance offers general and professional liability insurance to small businesses, serving sectors that are often overlooked by larger insurers.

Competitors include:

Customers: 100,000 business owners.

Why they are a hot startup to watch: Next Insurance got a $250 million investment from Munich Re, one of the worlds largest insurers. The deal reportedly valued Next Insurance at more than $1 billion. American Express is also an investor.

Capitolis

Year Founded: 2017

Funding: $71 million

Headquarters: Tel Aviv, New York, London

CEO: Gil Mandelzis

What they do: Capitolis has developed a platform that helps streamline large, open-ended trades in equities and foreign currency. The startup helps traders cope with regulations and restrictions adopted following the global financial crisis.

Customers: HSBC, Societe Generale, Citigroup use the platform.

Why they are a hot startup to watch: The company was co-founded by former Reuters chief Tom Glocer. Mandelzis is a serial entrepreneur who founded a fintech startup, Traiana, that was sold for $250 million within seven years. The startup raised $40 million at the end of 2019.

OpenLegacy

Year Founded: 2013

Funding: $70 million

Headquarters: Princeton, NJ (Nearly half the companys employees work from its R&D headquarters in Petach Tikvah, Israel)

CEO: Romi Stein

What they do: The startup has a software platform that helps banks and financial institutions speed digital transformations by adding cloud-based microservices and applications to their legacy mainframe computer systems.

Customers: Citibank, Liberty Mutual, BNP Paribas

Why they are a hot startup to watch: The company got a $20 million investment from Japans SBI Holdings. Investors include the venture arms of several banks such as Commerzbank, BNP Paribas and Bank Leumi Le-Israel.
A sub-group of the global terror financing watchdog FATF on Tuesday recommended continuation of Pakistan in the 'Grey List' for its failure to check terror funding and a final decision will be taken on February 21, sources said on Tuesday.

The decision was taken at the meeting of the FATF's International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG), held at the ongoing Paris plenary.

The ICRG meeting, sub group of the FATF, has recommended that Pakistan be retained in the 'Grey List'. A final decision will be taken on Friday when the FATF takes up issues concerning Pakistan, a source said.

The FATF meeting is being held a week after an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan sentenced Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack and founder of LeT, to 11 years in two terror financing cases.

The Pakistani court's judgement came ostensibly to please the FATF and Western countries so that the country can exit the 'Grey List'.

India has been maintaining that Pakistan extends regular support to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen, whose prime target is India, and has urged FATF to take action against Islamabad.

Saeed, a UN designated terrorist on whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty, was arrested on July 17, 2019 in the terror financing cases. The 70-year-old fiery cleric is lodged at the high-security Kot Lakhpat jail in Pakistan.

Pakistan has also recently informed FATF that JeM founder Masood Azhar and his family are missing.

It has claimed that there were only 16 UN designated terrorists in Pakistan, of which seven are dead.

Out of the nine who are alive, seven had applied to the UN for exemption from financial and travel restrictions.

Pakistan needs 12 votes out of 39 to exit the 'Grey List' and move to 'White List'. To avoid 'Black List', it needs support of three countries.

In the last month's FATF meeting in Beijing, Pakistan has got support of Malaysia and Turkey besides FATF current chair China.

The FATF plenary held in October 2019 had noted that Pakistan addressed only five out of the 27 tasks given to it in controlling funding to terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen, responsible for a series of attacks in India.

The FATF had said it strongly urges Pakistan to swiftly complete its full action plan by February, 2020.

In the Beijing meeting, Pakistan provided a list of its action taken to comply with FATF directions.

Pakistan was placed on the 'Grey List' by the FATF in June, 2018 and was given a plan of action to complete it by October, 2019 or face the risk of being placed on the 'Black List' along with Iran and North Korea.

The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

The FATF currently has 39 members including two regional organisations -- the European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council. India is a member of the FATF consultations and its Asia Pacific Group.

If Pakistan continues with the 'Grey List', it will be difficult for the country to get financial aid from the IMF, World Bank, ADB and the European Union, thus further enhancing problems for the nation which is in a precarious financial situation.
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For centuries, artisans in the city of Herat have made the ceramic tiles that decorate Afghan mosques. But as mass-produced tiles replace handmade ones, the craftsmen fear that their tradition may be dying out.
A worker on Australias only icebreaker in Antarctica has refused to take down a social media post critical of Prime Minister Scott Morrison after the icy continent recorded its warmest ever temperature last month.

Madeleine Habib is a master mariner and activist who has worked on and captained a number of vessels around the world and is currently on board the Aurora Australis icebreaker.

Last week she unfurled a large banner on the deck of the ship, sending a pointed message to Australias leader.

ScoMo, it read, with an image of Australia on fire and the polar caps melting.

Coal or ice?

The post, however, did not go unnoticed by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), which is part of the federal governments Department of Environment.

The image was posted on social media as friends encouraged people to share it. Source: Facebook

The icebreaker is regularly chartered by the AAD for research cruises and to support Australian bases in Antarctica  where Australia lays claim to 42 per cent of the icy territory.

However after becoming aware of the post, the AAD contacted Ms Habibs employer, P&O Maritime. On Monday she claimed she was told to remove the social media post.

I have been instructed to remove my post, she wrote. I hope that you have shared it widely ... We will not be quiet Australians.

In a statement to Yahoo News Australia, the AAD denied making any requests to P&O Maritime to remove the post.

The Division contacted P&O Maritime to advise them of a social media post from Ms Habib, featuring a banner erected on the ship, it said. No specific request was made.

As friends on social media rallied around her, urging others on social media to share the image, Ms Habib remained defiant.

I defend my right to raise my voice against climate injustice, she wrote. Here in Antarctica the impact of climate change is obvious.

Climate change is causing the Arctic and the Antarctic to warm faster than other parts of the planet and those on the front line of climate change in Australia are increasingly directing their frustration at the Federal government, with a number of the ruling Liberal party continuing to deny the science of man-made climate change.

Story continues

Ms Habib, who is responsible for driving the ship and for the safety equipment on board, told The Guardian that she was willing to lose her job over her climate activism.

Australia's icebreaker Aurora Australis. Source: AAP

In the last few years I have become overwhelmed with the climate crisis and it is my intention to dedicate myself to climate activism, even if that means losing my job, she told the publication.

In a statement, P&O Maritime said it discourages its employees from using our assets for personal purposes.

We have instructed our employee to refrain from similar activities in the future as they are not compliant with our policies on personal use of company assets, the company said.

Record Antarctic temperatures still need to be verified

According to the United Nations weather agency, record high temperatures reportedly measured in Antarctica will take months to verify.

A spokesman for the World Meteorological Organisation said the measurements made by researchers from Argentina and Brazil earlier this month have to undergo a formal process to ensure that they meet international standards.

A formal decision on whether or not this is a record is likely to be several months away, said WMO spokesman Jonathan Fowler.

Scientists at an Argentine research base measured a temperature of 18.3 Celsius on February 6 on a peninsula that juts out from Antarctica toward the southern tip of South America.

Last week, researchers from Brazil claimed to have measured temperatures above 20C on an island off the peninsula.

Researchers say climate change is melting ice faster than many previous predictions suggested. Source: Getty

Mr Fowler said both measurements would need to be transmitted to Professor Randall Cerveny, a researcher at Arizona State University who examines reported temperature records for WMO.

Prof Cerveny then shares the data with a wider group of scientists who will carefully evaluate the available evidence (including comparisons to surrounding stations) and debate the merits and problems of the observation, Mr Fowler said.

The evaluation normally takes six to nine months, after which Prof Cerveny would formally either accept or reject the potential extreme, giving official WMO approval to the new record.

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.
Pilot watches are on the radar this year, thanks to the Top Gun movie sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, scheduled to debut this summer.

Tom Cruise will be back in his role from the 1986 movie as Capt. Pete Mitchell, nicknamed Maverick, training other Top Gun naval aviators for a specialized mission. But there has been no word on the return of his watch  a black PVD-coated stainless steel Porsche Design 7176s, produced by Orfina, with chronographs at 12, six and nine oclock.

Still, watch companies are seizing the moment.

Many more people will be searching pilot watches, Top Gun watch, Maverick watch and things of that sort in Google, Austin Ivey, founder and chief executive of the aviation watch brand Tockr, said in a recent interview. (And Tockr has noticed such a bump recently in online searches leading to its D-Day themed watch, he wrote in a later email.)

So the company is funding the production and design of a new Top Gun-inspired watch  with a similar black dial, bright orange chronograph counters and distressed case and bracelet  to be introduced in June.
BJP leader Shaina NC on Wednesday said that the ruling 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' in Maharashtra should clear their stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Register of Citizens (NRC) and Population Register (NPR).

She said that those who are "blindly opposing" the CAA and NRC must read the draft before commenting on it.

"The differences in opinion among the three allies of Maharashtra government shows bad co-ordination and Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and Balasaheb Thorat should clear their stand on these issues," she said.

Shaina also responded to the Republican Party of India (RPI) leader Ramdas Athawale issuing an appeal to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asking him to leave NCP and Congress and come back to the BJP-RPI alliance.

"This is not a Maha Vikas Aghadi government but Maha Vinaash Aghadi government. Whatever Ramdas Athawle Ji has said, it is his party's view, as far as BJP is concerned we are committed to serving the people with no lust for power," Shaina NC said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
STURTEVANT  When he moves on to the next chapter of his life, Brandon Hall said he sees doors opening, thanks to a program that links the resources of Gateway Technical College with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

Hall, who currently is in the Kenosha Correctional Center, is one of nine students who has earned a certification as a mechanical maintenance technician. He and his classmates were recognized at a ceremony Tuesday at S.C. Johnsons iMET Center in Sturtevant.

Ive found a genuine interest in this field, Hall said as he thanked family  including his daughter  for pushing me to become who I want to become.

Daniel Wincapaw, who also is in the correctional center, was another student to earn the certificate at Tuesdays ceremony. Wincapaw said he is looking to the future with wide-eyed optimism.

Im looking forward to some of the job opportunities that are potentially available, Wincapaw said.

At a time when the economy remains strong and unemployment figures are low, Gateway representatives said partnerships such as the one forged with the state Department of Corrections is an opportunity to address employers skill-based needs in todays marketplace.

Matt Janisin, vice president of business and workforce solutions at Gateway, said programs such as this occur through an extensive, collaborative process.

These types of programs dont happen in a silo, Janisin said. It takes a good team.

Amy Pechacek, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, offered similar sentiments at the ceremony, where dozens of family were in attendance to cheer on the graduates.

From her vantage point, Pechacek said partnerships such as the one forged with Gateway are an opportunity to reduce recidivism and give people an opportunity to return to the community with a renewed sense of optimism and purpose once they have served their time.

In the past year, I have witnessed so much positive change and so many second chances, Pechacek said.

To the certificate recipients, she said, You earned this. No matter what the future holds ... you are better prepared for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Local businesses lend a hand

While the Gateway and Department of Corrections partnership has been a pivotal part of the programs success, so, too, has been the buy-in from local businesses willing to interview and bring on board some of the students still working their way through the corrections system.

Janet Otte of Franklin-based GA Precision Manufacturing Inc. said the growing company she represents has benefited in the past from the students making their way through the program.

To the certificate recipients, Otte offered some advice.

Its important that you are a sponge and learn as much as you can, she said. You all have a choice. You can be as successful as you choose to be.

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Paul, a two-term former MP and TMC leader died in Mumbai on Tuesday

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that pressure created by central agencies and vendetta politics led to the death of Trinamool Congress leader and actor Tapas Paul.

Paul, a two-term former MP, died at the age of 61 in Mumbai on Tuesday after a heart attack.

The actor-turned-politician was an accused in the Rose Valley chit fund scam case and was in jail for over a year. He was the brand ambassador of the Rose Valley group.

Banerjee, while paying homage to Paul, also alleged that another TMC leader Sultan Ahmed had also died of cardiac arrest as he was under stress after being named an accused in the Narada tapes scandal of 2017.

Ahmed, a former Union minister, had died the same year.

The wife of party MP Prasun Banerjee, too, was a victim of the Centre's vengeful politics, the TMC supremo claimed.

Prasun Banerjee's name had also cropped up in the Narada tapes scandal and was subjected to interrogation by both the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI.

Tapas Paul was under tremendous pressure from central agencies and was a victim of the Centre's vendetta politics, she told reporters at Rabindra Sadan where Paul's mortal remains have been kept for people to pay homage.

It is an untimely death for Tapas Pal. He was a victim of continued mental torture by a central agency and that led to his death, she alleged.

Praising Paul for his work in films such as Dadar Kirti and Saheb, the chief minister said actors and artistes are associated with several organisations as brand ambassadors.

But is this a fault for which he (Paul) had to spend more than one year in jail? Is this right? This is pure political vendetta, she said.

Even charge-sheets in murder cases are filed within three months, the TMC leader said.

She said the same was the case with film producer Shrikant Mohta and a veteran journalist who had been incarcerated for a long time.

The CBI had in January last year arrested renowned Bengali film producer Shrikant Mohta in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund case.
A school has been slammed for handing out leaflets suggesting students 'suck each other's toes' or 'buy them some nice underwear' as opposed to having sex.

Pupils in Year 9 and above at Shevington High School in Wigan, Greater Manchester were given the booklet and told to take them home and 'discuss it with a parent'.

Carl Lawrence said he was left 'shocked and bewildered' after his daughter Emma, 14, showed him the leaflet, which even suggests teenagers propose marriage.

As well suggesting his underage daughter drive a car, the leaflet proposed she 'go on a loveboat' or even 'each suck one end of a long piece of spaghetti'.

Emma claims she was left shocked that when children laughed at the suggestions in class, a teacher told them: 'You don't know if you like it until you try it'.

A school has been slammed for handing out leaflets suggesting students 'suck each other's toes' or 'buy them some nice underwear' as opposed to having sex

Carl Lawrence (left) said he was left 'shocked and bewildered' after his daughter Emma, 14, showed him the leaflet (shown right, Emma with her mother Stacy)

Now Mr Lawrence is urging Shevington High School to 'proof read' the literature in future to ensure that what the children are told is age appropriate.

The leaflet's creator - Spectrum Community Health CIC - defended its contents and said that it would help young people make 'safer choices'.

Mr Lawrence said: 'I was bewildered. I understand children need to be made aware of the world, but should we really be promoting fetishes in Year 9? I don't think so.

'The first thing that stood out was "suck their toes". That's quite niche.

'There were some [ideas] I was really shocked at. I don't think they've hit the target demographic. There is no way I think a 14-year-old should be reading this.

'When I spoke to my daughter I said 'you do know this isn't the only way to do things?'

'Surely they can just enjoy each other's company. They can go for walks, watch a film, go to Burger King, go to the park.

'There's tons of things she can do that don't involved getting someone's big toe in her mouth.'

Ten bizarre suggestions in the leaflet 1. Suck their toes 2. Propose marriage 3. Drive for two hours to see them for one 4. Nibble their ears 5. Buy them some nice underwear 6. Walk a thousand miles for one of their smiles 7. Each suck one end of a long piece of spaghetti 8. Go on a loveboat 9. Buy them a piece of the moon 10. Tell them they are beautiful even if they look rough Advertisement

Emma had initially taken the sex ed booklet home to her mum Stacey Larkin, but Stacey was so embarrassed, she passed the baton of responsibility to Carl.

As the dad and daughter sat down together, Mr Lawrence was baffled that it suggested Emma 'drive for two hours' to show her love - despite being two years too young to get behind the wheel of a car.

Mr Lawrence said: 'My daughter brought this leaflet home and said 'we've been asked to discuss this with a parent'.

'Her mum had looked at it and said 'no, speak to your dad'. I think her mum was embarrassed - it's very much a taboo subject still.

'One of the suggestions was 'drive for two hours just to see them for one'. I mean, that's aggravated TWOCing [Taking Without Owner's Consent] at age 14.

'There were other things like 'hang a banner outside a plane saying I love you'.

'We're a working-class family - we go to Card Factory instead of Clintons. There's no way we'll be [adding up] pennies to drop banners from planes - especially at that age when relationships are over within six months anyway.

'It also had 'propose marriage'. I don't understand how it's gone to print without being proof-read by someone who could ask 'is this sensible?'

After finding out the booklet had been handed out to children aged 13 to 15, Mr Lawrence then decided to jokingly message Emma's boyfriend about the toe-sucking tip.

As well suggesting his underage daughter drive a car, the leaflet proposed she 'go on a loveboat' or even 'each suck one end of a long piece of spaghetti'

He has since urged educators to give teens the chance to 'find things out themselves' instead of 'pointing them in the direction of every other possibility'.

Mr Lawrence said: 'This is prime age for sex education, but it may be a bit strange if she's thinking about sucking her boyfriend's toes.

'I sent [her boyfriend] a message saying 'if you remember six months ago, I warned you, 'whatever you do to my daughter I'm prepared to do to you. Well, when it comes to sucking toes, you're safe - I'm going nowhere near your trotters'.

'He replied "me neither. That's disgusting - I didn't even know that was a thing".

'There were also bits about being careful about inhibitions when drinking alcohol, which is great.

The leaflet's creator - Spectrum Community Health CIC - defended its contents and said that it would help young people make 'safer choices'

'We should be saying there are alternatives to the physical side of things, but I don't think we should be pointing them in the direction of every other possibility.

'I think when it comes to children, as parents and responsible adults, we safeguard them. There's certain things kids should learn about through their life.

'Kids like to explore and find things out themselves.'

Emma said: 'Every Monday we have an hour lesson learning about things in the book.

'We were all looking at it laughing and we asked the teacher and she said 'you don't know if you like it until you try it'. I was shocked.

'We were all telling the other years and asking 'have you been told to suck people's toes?' They said yes. It was given out to one year above and one year below.'

Shevington High School said that the council would respond on their behalf.

Wigan Council said Spectrum Community Health CIC would respond on their behalf.

A spokesperson for Spectrum Community Health CIC said: 'Spectrum's Relationships and Sex Education Programme provides information and support to young people throughout their high school journey, helping them to make safer choices.

'From Year Nine onwards we also introduce our RSE magazine, which is adapted every year in response to feedback from young people, parents and schools.

'The 101 Ways were created by teenagers and are referenced by Spectrum in the context of the classroom lessons they support.'
Shareholders Approve All Measures; Review of Manufacturing, Engineering, Regulatory, Clinical Trials, FDA Continues

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - CVR Medical Corp. (TSXV: CVM) (OTCQB: CRRVF) ("CVR Medical" or the "Company" or "we" or "us" or "our") a Canadian listed and US based healthcare company in the medical device sector announces the results of the Company's Annual General and Special meeting (the "Meeting") of the shareholders, held on February 13, 2020. All of the matters to be voted on at the Meeting were approved by a majority of shareholders. There were 80,922,820 shares voted, representing 64.03% of the total shares outstanding. The percentage of votes cast in favor of each matter are as follows:

Number of Directors - 57.40%

Dallas Hack, M.D. as Director - 99.61%

Paul Blunden, M.D. as Director - 99.95%

Phil Bendick, Ph.D. as Director - 99.95%

Appointment of Auditors - 57.46%

Re-Approve Stock Option Plan - 96.50%

Other Business - 95.85%

CVR Global Inc. ("Global"), as well as a limited number of other shareholders, voted against setting the number of directors at three. In addition, Global and other shareholders withheld their votes in regards to the appointment of Dale Matheson Carr-Hilton Labonte. As previously announced, Global's interests are not necessarily aligned with the Company as we continue to negotiate a restructuring agreement (the "Proposed Restructuring") with Global. The Company announces the appointment of Dr. Phil Bendick to our Board of Directors. Dr. Bendick adds unsurpassed subject matter expertise to the Board of Directors of CVR Medical. His biography can be found on our website.

Having completed the Meeting and appointing a third Director, the Company is now in compliance with certain corporate and securities law requirements. Additionally, the Company is pleased to provide the following updates:

In the ongoing course of applying for reinstatement of trading, the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") identified certain corporate governance and financial issues relating to, but not limited to, the 2018 Audit and Annual Report filed on SEDAR. On December 14, 2019, CVR Medical received another letter from the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") which identified additional concerns primarily pertaining to certain past governance issues, conflicts of interest and related party issues and the common control and ownership between CVR Medical and Global. This comes on the heels of the meeting attended by our CEO Dallas Hack and his advisors that was held last year in an attempt to gain a better understanding of the ongoing areas of concern. On February 13, 2020, CVR Medical received the latest communication from the Exchange, with further questions about corporate governance. The Company continues to have ongoing constructive dialogue with the Exchange and is attempting to ensure compliance with the Exchange's policies, to allow for the Company's common shares to resume trading on the Exchange.

As previously reported, on November 25, 2019 the Company and CVR Global (together, the "Parties") executed a confidential non-binding term sheet (the "Term Sheet"), which sets a framework for the Parties to enter into a definitive agreement (the "Proposed Restructuring"). The Company is hopeful that negotiations for the Proposed Restructuring will be successful. However, as of the date of this news release, the Company has not received any written communication from CVR Global regarding the 3rd iteration of the Definitive Agreement and License Agreement that the Company sent several weeks ago. While we are optimistic our negotiations will be fruitful, we wish to remind shareholders that the Company's former CEO remains the largest shareholder in CVR Global and thus CVR Medical when the escrowed Medical shares are released to Global per the 2018 restructuring agreement. While we have executed a non-binding Term Sheet, we cannot be certain that the Parties will agree on the Proposed Restructuring.

As the Company announced on November 26, 2019, the Company continues to have positive ongoing dialogue with certain former members of the management team and board who resigned last year due to material disagreements with the former CEO. The time and effort that each of these advisors have committed in this process is immeasurable.

Finally, a complete review of all regulatory, clinical, engineering, intellectual property, GAANTs, budgets and manufacturing (the "Review") continues and is expected to be concluded sometime in the first half of 2020. The Review will provide additional information to the Company and will allow the Company to make informed decisions regarding the future.

Assuming we are able to finalize the Proposed Restructuring, be reinstated on the Exchange, raise capital and complete the 2019 audit, we believe we will be able to successfully relaunch the Company and chart a new path forward.

Dr. Dallas Hack, interim CEO/CFO of CVR Medical, stated "This is a phenomenal moment in the Company's history, despite the former CEO's continual interference, and untimely delays during the negotiation process, ultimately together with broad, global shareholder support, a total of 80,922,820 shares were voted, a figure which surpassed all previous AGMs and Special Shareholder Meetings combined! On behalf of the current directors, management and advisors, all of whom spent countless hours communicating with our stakeholders, we wish to thank you all for your continued support. Completing this meeting with limited financial resources demonstrates the commitment to re-launch this company and our disruptive CSS device in a manner which unlocks the truest potential for all stakeholders." Dr. Hack went on to say, "With the Annual General and Special Meeting behind us, there is still much to be done, our focus now turns to the Definitive Agreement between the two companies. It is our hope that with this broad shareholder support, the former CEO realizes that the best interests of all stakeholders can be achieved with its execution. I can assure you as I have previously stated, our mission to bring our disruptive CSS technology to market still remains resolute, as we feel the potential financial impact on reducing healthcare costs for this debilitating disease combined with the potential improved patient care by shortening the time from diagnosis to treatment for stroke is immense, saving lives in the process. Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions."

About CVR Medical

CVR Medical Corp. is a healthcare company that operates in the medical device industry focused on the commercialization of its disruptive, proprietary Carotid Stenotic Scan device (the "CSS"). The CSS is a diagnostic tool that encompasses subsonic, infrasonic, and low frequency sound wave analysis technology. The CSS is a patented device designed to detect and measure carotid arterial stenosis. CVR Medical's shares are listed on the OTCQB under the symbol "CRRVF". The Company has applied for reinstatement of trading on the TSX-V, and was previously listed for trading under the symbol traded under the symbol "CVM". Additional information regarding the Company can be found in our recent filings with the SEDAR as well as the information maintained on our website at www.cvrmed.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD:

(signed) "Dallas Hack" CEO, CFO & Director

For further information contact:

Dallas Hack, CEO, CFO and Director

Email: info@cvrmed.com

This press release contains forward-looking information that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events related to: trading on and dialogue with the Exchange, communications and negotiations with CVR Global, dialogue with certain advisors, the Term Sheet, the Proposed Restructuring, the Definitive Agreement, the License Agreement, the Review, certain corporate and securities law requirements, raising capital, the 2019 Audit and potential litigation. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including: (1) a failure or material setback in negotiations between the Company and CVR Global; (2) a failure of the Company to resume trading on the Exchange; (3) a failure of the Company to raise capital sufficient capital to relaunch the Company; (4) an inability to enter into a definitive agreement with CVR Global; (5)a downturn in general economic conditions in North America and internationally, (6) the inherent uncertainties and speculative nature associated with commercialization of technology and the practice of medicine;(7) a change in health regulations; (8) any number of events or causes which may delay or cease commercialization and development of the CSS Device; (9) the risk that the Company does not execute its business plan, (10) the risk of litigation between the Company and certain shareholders and the risk of litigation generally; (11) an inability to retain key employees, (12) am inability to finance operations and growth, (13) compliance with certain corporate and securities law requirements; and (14) other factors that are beyond the Company's control. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results differed from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE INC. HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS PRESS RELEASE. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52558
The state and national highways, criss-crossing Kerala, will soon have thousands of toilet complexes, thanks to an ambitious sanitation initiative drawn up by the Left government.

The state government is planning to set up 12,000 pairs of public toilets (for both men and women) on the highways.

A cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday decided to instruct local self-government institutions to identify three cents of land each in their respective areas alongside the state and national highways for constructing toilets.

Dearth of public toilets are causing difficulties for people, especially women and children, while travelling by road, a CMO statement said here.

There is also a situation that toilets at petrol pumps are restricted to its customers, it said adding that in this backdrop that the initiative of 12,000 toilet complexes is implemented in the southern state.

Those agencies willing to cooperate with the project would be made partners, the release said.

The land of government, public sector undertakings and cooperative institutions would be utilised for the purpose.

Tiny shops and snack parlours would also be set up adjacent to the toilets in potential areas, it said.

The construction and maintenance of the complexes would be in a manner that ensures hygiene and safety, the CM's Office statement said adding that the expense would be borne by respective local self government agencies.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 16:31:38|Editor: xuxin

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PHNOM PENH, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that lab tests on the Westerdam cruise ship passengers remaining in the kingdom had ended, and the results showed that none of them was positive for the COVID-19.

"The samples of 781 Westerdam cruise ship passengers in Sihanoukville and in Phnom Penh had been tested and the results were negative for the COVID-19," the ministry said in a statement.

"The health of all passengers has no any remarkable issue and is normal, and no one has increasing body temperature," the statement said.

It added that since the day the ship first departed China's Hong Kong on Feb. 1, it is now 19 days.

The statement said the tests on those passengers had been done by the Pasteur Institute of Cambodia in close cooperation with the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Based on the results, the Ministry of Health and the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Health Department have been cooperating with relevant national and international institutions to help all the remaining passengers to catch flights to their home countries," it said.

Cambodia had provided thorough tests to the Westerdam passengers remaining in the country after a passenger who left Cambodia had been tested positive for COVID-19 while transiting in Malaysia.

Malaysian health authorities identified her as an 83-year-old American. She is currently in stable condition, and her husband tested negative for the virus.

Cambodia allowed the Westerdam, which had been denied entry to port by Thailand, Japan, China's Taiwan, Guam and the Philippines due to fears over the COVID-19, to dock at its sea port of Sihanoukville on Feb. 13 and passengers had been allowed to disembark since Feb. 14 after 20 ill passengers had tested negative for the virus.

The ship carried a total of 1,455 passengers and 802 crew members.
Its such a fundamental change to the labor supply that McGovern wondered if the policy will be sustained over the long-term. It may be that as reactions kick in and shortages become evident and businesses complain that there is a gradual opening before next general election or sometimes afterward, he said.
Press Release

February 19, 2020 GORDON BACKS BILL ALLOWING USE OF MOTORCYCLES AS PUBLIC TRANSPO MODE; STRESSES NEED FOR REGULATION Recognizing the need for an alternate mode of public transportation, Senator Richard J. Gordon on Tuesday expressed support for the proposed measure allowing the use and regulation of motorcycles as an alternate mode of public transportation but stressed the need to safeguard the safety and protection of the public. In co-sponsoring Senate Bill No. 1341 or "The Motorcyles-for-Hire Act," he pointed out that while the use of motorcycles as a mode of public transportation is like taking the knife by the blade because of the dangers they pose, it would give motorists a choice. Hence, Gordon stressed the need to ensure safety and protection by regulating the use of motorcycles and setting safeguards. "Dito ngayon humahawak tayo sa patalim dahil pwedeng mabangga. E anong gusto natin? Walang prangkisa pag nabangga, walang insurance. Mabuti nang may konting control tayo kaysa wala. And at the same time, may choice ang tao. This is very democratic, people have a right to choose. We should start regulating and we should closely monitor kung ilan ang naaksidente, kung ilan ang tumatapon. And when we apply this, lahat dapat naka-helmet at kung kinakailangan, maglagay ng additional safeguards," he said. The senator also commended the resistance and persistency of the Filipino people in overcoming adversities they face. "There seems to be an absence of what lies ahead in the future. Kaya ang nangyayari sa atin, gumagawa ang mga mamamayang Filipino ng paraan para maibsan ang kanilang mga pangangailangan. Out of, again, the force of circumstance, the Filipino once again proven na he will last...I would like to commend the Filipino for his real resistance and persistency in trying to make do with very little," he said. Recognizing the role of safe, reliable and affordable public transportation as a means to provide the people with a better standard of living and an improved quality of life for all, SBN 1341 allows the use and regulation of motorcycles as an alternative mode of public transportation in order to provide convenience and ease of commute in urban and rural areas while ensuring public safety and efficiency of the transport system as a whole.
By Justin Wong

Are you curious about Canadas Digital Technology Supercluster (CDTS) network and how its resources can help with advancing research that benefits society?

On February 26, Simon Fraser Universitys CDTS team is hosting an information session with Evgueni Loukipoudis, CDTS chief technology officer, at SFUs Burnaby campus. The information session is open to all faculty and staff who would like to more learn about the supercluster and discuss the universitys role as an active member in the network. Youll also learn how its resources can help advance research in personalized health, digital twins, data commons as well as building capacity in big data.

Youll also learn how its resources can help advance research in personalized health care; digital twins (a virtual production environment for operations management, simulation, modelling and training); data commons (for storing and manipulating shareable data sets), and building capacity in big data.

WHERE: SFUs Burnaby campus, SFUs Big Data Hub, room: ASB 10900 (Applied Sciences Building)

WHEN: Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at 1:00 P.M.  2:30 P.M.

COST: This info session is free, but registration is required.

In 2018, SFU joined CDTS, a Canadian government initiative led by a cross-industry collaboration among some of Canadas biggest names in healthcare, telecommunications, natural resources, technology and transportation. SFU researchers from across the university are involved in five CDTS projects to help position Canada as a global leader in digital technology.

One of those researchers includes SFU computing science professor Martin Ester, who recently sat down with SFU News to discuss his CDTS project.
Attorney General William Barrs pale attempt to claim independence from President Trump hasnt fooled anyone  least of all the president himself.

In the days since Barr objected to Trumps advocacy on behalf of his longtime adviser Roger Stone, who faces sentencing this week in the last prosecution stemming from Special Counsel Robert Muellers probe, Trump has responded by attacking the judge, jury and prosecutors on the case; declaring himself the countrys chief law enforcement officer and asserting the right to meddle in prosecutions; and issuing a volley of pardons of high-profile fraud and corruption convicts, one of them a former owner of the San Francisco 49ers.

Barr set the tone for his tenure nearly a year ago, when he received Muellers report and issued a purported summary creating the false impression that it cleared Trump of wrongdoing. The Chronicle editorial board called for the attorney generals resignation on that basis in May, and the proof of his unfitness for office has only grown since, as has the constituency for his early exit.

In an open letter Sunday, more than 2,000 Justice Department veterans from administrations of both parties called on Barr to resign over his unheard of decision to overrule the sentencing recommendations of Stones prosecutors after Trump criticized them. Four prosecutors quit the case, and the department alumni urged others to take such steps to protest abuses.

A person should not be given special treatment in a criminal prosecution because they are a close political ally of the president, they wrote. Governments that use ... law enforcement to punish their enemies and reward their allies are not constitutional republics; they are autocracies.

An association representing more than 1,000 federal judges set an emergency meeting for Wednesday after the interference with Stones sentencing. Trump has attacked the Washington, D.C., judge on the case, Amy Berman Jackson, prompting the districts chief judge to issue a statement that public criticism or pressure is not a factor in sentencing. The president also went after the forewoman of the Stone jury and threatened to sue his prosecutors.

Barr has worked on multiple fronts to advance the presidents dark vision of a Justice Department guided by his political agenda, whims and personal alliances. The department is investigating the origins of the Mueller probe and reconsidering the special counsels successful prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn. It just dropped a dubious investigation of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, a Trump nemesis, after nearly two years.

Emboldened by the Republican-controlled Senates refusal to seriously consider impeachment charges, Trump has signaled a willingness to take matters into his own hands if he and his lieutenants fail to intimidate judges, juries and prosecutors. On Tuesday, he granted clemency to nearly a dozen convicts, bypassing regular Justice Department procedures and admitting he was guided by the lobbying of allies and supporters.

The beneficiaries included former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr., who pleaded guilty in 1998 to paying a $400,000 bribe to then-Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards for a riverboat casino license; former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the onetime Celebrity Apprentice star who tried to sell Barack Obamas Senate seat; 1980s junk bond king Michael Milken; and Bernie Kerik, a New York City police commissioner under Trump lawyer (then New York mayor) Rudy Giuliani. The implication is that Stone and other presidential cronies could follow.

Trump acquired the pardon and other vast powers when he was sworn in more than three years ago. But it took the likes of Barr and the Senate to enable him to abuse them so freely.

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 UN Security Council 1267 Committee may have designated mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar as a global terrorist in November 2003, and also mentioned his location as Karachi, and his last issued passport as Pakistani in 2010, but there is no reference to the main accused in the 1993 Mumbai blasts in the Pakistani response to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that is being discussed in the bodys ongoing plenary meeting in Paris, where one of the key decisions to be made is whether to keep the country on the grey list.

Pakistan has submitted a detailed reply to the body which was set up to counterterror financing and money laundering, on Tuesday, claiming it has now successfully implemented 14 of the 27 action points laid down by FATF, and that it has partly implemented 11 more, but senior officials familiar with the countrys submission say that its report does not mention Ibrahim, who, according to the UN, has links to al Qaeda.

There is no reference to Dawood anywhere in Pakistans reply to FATF as it tries to get out of the grey list with the help of China, said one of the officials who asked not to be identified. A decision by FATF is expected on Friday.

While India and the US have raised the Dawood issue at the Asia-Pacific joint group meetings, Islamabad has consistently denied the presence of the terrorist and mafia don on its soil, and asserts that he is not a Pakistani national.

However, the UN and the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US treasury department list Karachi as the residence of Dawood, who has a US bounty on his head.

In March 2010, the 1267 Committee (aka the al Qaeda Sanctions Committee) listed four addresses for Ibrahim in a statement: a) Karachi/Pakistan, White House, Near Saudi Mosque, Clifton b) House Nu 37 - 30th Street - defence, Housing Authority Karachi Pakistan c) Palatial bungalow in the hilly area of Noorabad in Karachi d) Property at Margalla Raod F 6/2 Street no. 22, House number 29 in Karachi.

According to counterterror operatives based in New Delhi and Mumbai, Dawood is living in Karachi under the protection of the state, has three-bullet proof cars in his convoy, and often travels to Islamabad.

The UN statement also lists his latest passport as being issued in Rwalpindi, the twin city of Islamabad where the army headquarters are based. He used to carry Indian and UAE passports in the 1980s and early 1990s. The UN documents are in the public domain. Before the aborted meeting between national security adviser Ajit Doval and his then Pakistani counterpart Sartaz Aziz in August 2015, India also shared with Pakistan a dossier which proved Ibrahims presence in Karachi.

The dossier included a telephone bill in the name of Ibrahims wife Mejabeen Sheikh. The Indian dossier, details of which were published in HT on August 22, 2015, gave details of flight movement of Dawoods family and his Mumbai associates Tiger Memon and Javed Patel.

NSA Doval reiterated the Indian demand that Islamabad should not give shelter to Indian terrorists to his Pakistani counterpart Naseer Janjua in the December 2017 meeting in Novotel Hotel, Thailand. But despite the dossier, and the UNs documents, Pakistan insists Ibrahim is not on its soil  as evident once again in its submissions to FATF.

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Israeli elections begin in Knesset polls

The vote for diplomats will end after 32 hours with polls closing on the West Coast of the US Thursday morning.

Voting in Israel's Knesset elections begins late Tuesday for diplomats overseas.

Voting will start at 2000GMT and Israel's Embassy in New Zealand's capital of Wellington will be the first vote.

BALLOT BOXES IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES WILL BE TAKEN TO KNESSET

The Israeli diplomatic mission in New York has the largest number of diplomats voting with more than 800.

The lowest number of diplomats abroad vote in Kigali, Rwanda, and Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, where only four diplomats will vote in each country, according to the Israeli 12 channel.

Israel's Knesset elections are due to start on March 2 -- the third in less than a year. During the past two rounds of elections in April and September, at least 5,000 voters cast ballots in delegations abroad.

With the end of voting in 96 delegations abroad, the ballot boxes will be taken to the Knesset.
Alcoa Corporation, a global leader in bauxite, alumina and aluminum, today announced that the Aluminum Stewardship Initiative (ASI) has certified the Company to market products under ASI's Chain of Custody standard.

ASI has the industry's most comprehensive system for third-party certification of sustainable manufacturing practices. The global non-profit includes multiple stakeholders in its certification process, including producers, users and civil society organizations. The Chain of Custody (CoC) certification and its performance standards provide independent, third-party validation and traceability of responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminum.

"The certifications to the ASI Performance and Chain of Custody standards will offer our customers additional assurance of our commitment to responsible and sustainable production while complementing our existing SustanaTM line of aluminum products," said Alcoa President and Chief Executive Officer Roy Harvey. "Today's announcement aligns with our strategic priority to advance sustainably and it serves as another reinforcement of our strong reputation and industry leadership."

Alcoa's SustanaTM products includes EcolumTM with less than 2.5 metric tons of carbon per metric ton of aluminum, which is 75 percent better than the industry average, and EcoduraTM billet cast with at least 50 percent recycled content in various alloys and sizes.

Alcoa now has 10 locations on four continents certified under ASI's standards. Alcoa's first production facilities were certified to ASI's Performance Standard, a prerequisite to CoC, in 2019. The Company has earned certifications for three bauxite mines in Brazil and Western Australia, four alumina refineries in Brazil and Western Australia, and three aluminum smelters and casthouses in Europe and North America. The latest facility to earn the Performance Standard certification is Mosjen in Norway.

"Alcoa is one of the founding members of ASI, and has played an active role in supporting ASI's goal of responsible aluminium production," said Fiona Solomon, ASI's Chief Executive Officer. "Alcoa's work to earn Chain of Custody Certification from bauxite mining through to smelting and casthouse operations gives a further boost to the potential global production of responsibly produced ASI Aluminium."

Last month, Alcoa announced certifications for all of the bauxite and alumina refining assets in Western Australia and additional locations are currently going through the review process. The ASI certifications amplify Alcoa's strong leadership in sustainability the Company was recently named the industry leader in the Sustainability Yearbook 2020, has earned third-party recognition for its environmental, social and governance performance, and is also a member of the International Council of Mining and Metals.

About Alcoa

Alcoa (NYSE: AA) is a global industry leader in bauxite, alumina, and aluminum products, and is built on a foundation of strong values and operating excellence dating back more than 130 years to the world-changing discovery that made aluminum an affordable and vital part of modern life. Since developing the aluminum industry, and throughout our history, our talented Alcoans have followed on with breakthrough innovations and best practices that have led to efficiency, safety, sustainability, and stronger communities wherever we operate. Visit us online on www.alcoa.com, follow @Alcoa on Twitter, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Alcoa.

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Laura Ashley has been granted a lifeline to stave off collapse. The retailer, famous for its floral dresses and homeware, said US bank Wells Fargo had agreed to let it access a 20million loan to stay afloat.

Its Malaysian owner, MUI Asia, had been in last-ditch talks with the lender to get its hands on the cash.

Because strict conditions regarding product stock levels and customer payments were breached, Wells Fargo was holding back the money.

Fashion retailer Laura Ashley, famous for its floral dresses and homeware, said US bank Wells Fargo had agreed to let it access a loan to stay afloat

But yesterday Laura Ashley said: The group should be able to utilise requisite funds from its working capital facility with Wells Fargo to meet its immediate requirements.

Shares jumped 15.2 per cent, or 0.25p, to 1.9p. MUI Asia, run by chairman Andrew Khoo, has refused to put more money into Laura Ashley in the short term.

The chains popularity has declined in the UK and efforts to tout its wares to Asian shoppers have fallen flat  in August it announced a 14million loss in the year to June 30 compared to a 100,000 profit 12 months earlier.

In the 26 weeks to December 31, sales slid by 10.8 per cent to 109.6million.
Because the plan Lightfoot floated last year would lower the states take from the city casino, it would put Illinois 10 existing casinos and the five others authorized in last years gambling expansion package at a disadvantage. All the other casinos give the same percentage of their revenue to the state.
[February 19, 2020] Girl Develop It Appoints New Executive Director to Strengthen Operations and Continue to Support Education of Women in Tech Jobs

Girl Develop It (GDI) has announced the appointment of Katie Franco as the organization's new Executive Director. Franco brings 20 years of strategic organizing and management experience, in both economic development and public policy settings. Most recently she was Vice President of Mission & Leadership for Best Buddies International, where she led national expansion efforts into new markets. With a background in distributed team leadership and key relationship development, Franco is passionate about listening to the needs of communities to deliver impactful programs. "I truly believe that educating people to find their dream job, as GDI does, changes not just the individual's life, but whole families and communities," said Franco. "I couldn't be more thrilled to join a community with volunteer leadership that guides the organizaion and am looking forward to collaborating to drive this work onward and upward."



"As we pledged in our 'Rebuilding a Stronger Future' letter in October, our Board has been working diligently to restructure GDI. One of the key pathways forward was to find a seasoned executive leader who embodies our mission and vision," said Brenda Jin, Chair of the GDI Board of Directors. "We are confident that Katie will lead the organization into its next phase of growth and impact." Franco is embarking on a nationwide listening tour, to meet with volunteers, students, Chapter Leaders and partners about their needs and concerns. One of her first tasks as Executive Director is to create a strategic plan that will help the organization build on its promises to expand quality technological education to women and non-binary individuals.

Franco resides in Vermont with her family, where she will resume her new role. GDI's emphasis on inclusive talent development leverages a fully distributed team across its Board of Directors and Management team. Many reside in rural communities. About Girl Develop It Founded in 2010, Girl Develop It (GDI) is a nonprofit organization that creates welcoming, supportive opportunities for women and non-binary adults to learn software development skills. Through classes, projects, and events, GDI students develop code, confidence, and community. We envision a world where all people are included and empowered in developing the future of technology. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005328/en/

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One gets the impression that the Armenian authorities approaches are targeted at a foreign states interests since the previous statements on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict dont correspond to the current actions. This is what first Ombudswoman of Armenia, human rights activist Larisa Alaverdyan told reporters today.

She recalled that first President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan was the only one who would talk about the possibility of resolving the conflict through territorial concessions, while the other two presidents aspired to maintain the status-quo de facto.

According to her, the so-called Munich principles that Nikol Pashinyan introduced and were accepted outside the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group and without Karabakhs participation, are addressed to the Armenian audience, but cant be acceptable.

Alaverdyan believes Karabakhs sovereignty extends to the territories that have never belonged to Azerbaijan, and in this regard, principle that for Karabakh, territories only mean security, is unacceptable. Larisa Alaverdyan also urged to stop stating that the resolution has to be acceptable for Baku as well since Aliyev clearly stated that his acceptable solution can only be Karabakhs unification with Azerbaijan.

She expressed certainty that it is necessary to organize a discussion with all Armenians of the world and specify the overall stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh.
Celebrity baby, Gold Christen Omondi, is barely one year old and hes already making bank.

Like other celebrity babies before him, the son of gospel couple Mr Seed and Nimo Gachuiri has bagged an endorsement deal. Gold Christen is the new brand ambassador for childrens apparel store, Teeter Toddlers baby shop based in Nairobi.

A proud Mr Seed took to social Monday to announce the news alongside a video of Gold Christen modeling some of the clothes at the store.

Am a proud father ?? Just as you are about to turn a Year Old you are already THE BRAND AMBASSADOR for @teetertoddlerbaby (Baby Shop) May God continue blessing you as you gro ..May This Be Just But A Start of many DEALS to the Glory of Gods Name, wrote Mr Seed.

He added: I always speak blessings and all the good things in the world upon my sons life you should always do that if you are a parent ??

On her part, Nimo said: My Baby Gold @king_goldofficial. You wont remember the way I stood late that night in labor with you, fearfully and excitedly gazing up at the moon, knowing I was going to bring you into the world soon and whispering to you, We can do this. You are strong!!

Baby, we are making it..you are making it. Look at You nowIsnt God awesome? May this duty and responsibilities bestowed upon you bring nothing but Joy and Happiness to not only you but to all the clients who will shop at Teetertoddlerbaby for their babies outfits, toys and other things.

Gold turns one turns next month. For someone who was allegedly born under a tree, Gold appears to be doing well for himself.

The photos and a video.
Environmental degradation and marketing pressures endanger worlds children, says report by WHO, UNICEF and The Lancet.

No country is sufficiently protecting children for the future, says a landmark report published on Wednesday by an independent health commission set up by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and the medical journal The Lancet.

With climate and commercial threats intensifying, the commission has called for a radical rethink of how societies keep kids healthy.

The report  which called out the dangers from ecological destruction, climate change and exploitative marketing  was put together by more than 40 experts and is called A Future for the Worlds Children?.

Commercial practices that push sugary drinks and fast food, as well as alcohol and tobacco, were singled out.

Despite improvements in child and adolescent health over the past 20 years, progress has stalled, and is set to reverse, said Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand and co-chair of the commission.

It has been estimated that around 250 million children under five years old in low- and middle-income countries are at risk of not reaching their developmental potential, based on proxy measures of stunting and poverty, Clark added.

The report uses a new global index measuring performance in child flourishing for 180 nations, including metrics for wellbeing such as nutrition and education, in addition to sustainability and inequality.

A chart of benefit-cost ratios shows overwhelmingly positive yields when dividing monetary rewards by the price of implementation for a range of projects [WHO]

In the long run, you get an enormous return on your investment when you invest in children, said Anthony Costello, a report co-author and University College London professor of global health and sustainable development.

Every dollar that you invest in childrens early development, you get between 10 and 20 dollars of return, he told Al Jazeera.

Rapidly changing climate

While the report pointed out that poor countries should do more to help children live more healthily, carbon dioxide emissions  produced disproportionately by wealthier countries  are a long-term menace.

For all children, global warming and rising sea levels could mean harsh consequences: malnutrition, heatwaves, and the proliferation of diseases such as dengue fever and malaria.

According to the index, children in Norway, South Korea and the Netherlands have the best shot in life, whereas those in the Central African Republic, Chad and Somalia generally fare the worst.

But when per capita carbon emissions are taken into account, all of the most developed countries trail behind. The United States, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are among the 10 worst emitters.

The impact of climate change ranges from displacement and refugee crises to violent conflict and air pollution [WHO]

More than two billion people live in countries where development is hampered by humanitarian crises, conflicts, and natural disasters  problems increasingly linked with climate change, said Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Senegals health minister and co-chair of the commission.

While some of the poorest countries have among the lowest CO2 emissions, many are exposed to the harshest impacts of a rapidly changing climate, she added.

Promoting better conditions today for children to survive and thrive nationally does not have to come at the cost of eroding childrens futures globally, said Coll-Seck.

The short list of countries that scored in the top 70 for child flourishing and that are also set to meet their emissions targets for 2030 includes Albania, Armenia, Grenada, Jordan, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Uruguay and Vietnam.

Commercial marketing threat

The report also explains the grave risks posed by harmful marketing practices, stating that TV advertising continues to bombard young people.

Exposure to excessive advertising for junk food and sweetened beverages has led to an 11-fold explosion in the rate of childhood obesity.

Costello, the university professor, said he had deep concern about exploitative marketing practices and algorithms aimed at our children.

He cited a big rise in gambling amongst young people and a huge uptick in social media targeting by companies as being among the most serious dangers.

They hoover [vacuum] up everything: age, behaviour, location  and then sell it to Facebook, Google and the rest, he added. Its completely unregulated.

To address this problem, the report suggests the adoption of a new protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The report proposes a number of ways to protect children and minimise risks to their health [WHO]

For the health of children in general, Costello said, the emphasis should be on prevention, not just on treatment.

Henrietta Fore, UNICEFs executive director, said: From the climate crisis to obesity and harmful commercial marketing, children around the world are having to contend with threats that were unimaginable just a few generations ago.

The commission says that governments and other decision-makers are falling short with youth and the planet.

This must be a wake-up call for countries to invest in child health and development, ensure their voices are heard, protect their rights, and build a future that is fit for children, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 12:22:08|Editor: huaxia

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KUNMING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Police in southwest China's Yunnan Province recently cracked a case of illegally hunting endangered wildlife, seizing 27 wild birds and detaining one suspect.

A large number of migratory birds travel across Shidian County in the city of Baoshan between October and April every year. The local forestry police have intensified patrols in those areas in an effort to protect wild birds amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, according to the forestry police of Shidian.

Police officers found that a flock of birds had not taken off again after landing on a mountain during a patrol on Feb. 3. They rushed to the landing area and found a man dealing with those birds captured by a hunting net.

The police detained the suspect on-site and seized 19 Himalayan vultures from the net. Meanwhile, police also found seven Himalayan vultures in a large steel cage and one golden eagle bound with a rope, which are all species under state protection.

Feathers of Himalayan vultures, other animal products and hunting tools were also found by police in the suspect's home.

Investigation into the case is underway. The seized wild birds will be released back into the wild, according to the police.
TDT/Manama

The Labour Fund Tamkeens Customer Service Centre in Seef Mall has recently been awarded with the Golden Trophy amongst eight other centres in the second edition of Taqyeem programme led by the Government Service Centre Evaluation Committee.

Representatives of the Evaluation Committee Taqyeem led by Dr Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the Undersecretary of International Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chairman of Derasat, alongside the Vice Chairman of Taqyeem visited Tamkeens Customer Service Centre in Seef Mall to put up the Golden Award, demonstrating the organisations excellence in providing the best customer service in accordance with the highest quality standards, in terms of speed and efficiency.

On this occasion, Dr Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi, the Chief Executive of Tamkeen, expressed his gratitude and appreciation for being recognised by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, and First Deputy Prime Minister.

The Government Service Centre Evaluation Committee was established as part of HRHs ongoing efforts to improve the quality of government services and increase customer satisfaction through streamlining services, enhancing the Human Resources and ICT departments, which in turn will encourage transparency, competitiveness, and creativity.

Dr Janahi added stating: At Tamkeen, we ensure the implementation of our strategy pillars, which includes improving the quality of our services at all levels in order to achieve more diversity, acceleration, and sustainability, as our strategy entails.

"As such, this requires us to double our efforts to achieve the highest performance standards by activating advanced measurement tools, be open to best practices, and measure customer satisfaction, along with continuous training for our employees to enhance their performance and position them as distinguished role models in the field of customer service.

The evaluation of the government service centres is based on five main criterion: Ease of accessibility to the centres, excellence in services offered, compatibility of the centres' environment, smooth management of clients and focusing on the effectiveness of the administrative processes applied by the centres, including processing customer feedback.

The award comes as apart of Tamkeens continuous efforts to improve their customer service and upgrade their experience in accordance with the highest internationally approved standards through training Tamkeens employees and have them qualified to be experienced and efficient customer service consultants.

Tamkeen is also keen on developing the centre's facilities and improving its services by increasing the centre's capacity, in addition to increasing the number of customer service operators and platforms, and not to mention increasing the number of self-service platforms, adding micro-meeting rooms to accommodate customers.

The centre is also equipped to serve special needs customers through its Priority Track dedicated to disabled individuals, pregnant women, elderly and those that require speed and attention.

Tamkeens Customer Service Centre has been awarded twice within the Gold Category in the first edition of this programme held last year  the two Tamkeen Customer Service centres were Seef Mall and the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
90% of defense equipment built domestically

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Feb 18, IRNA -- The Minister of Defense said that 90 percent of the needs of the Armed Forces are produced and provided by experts and scientists in the form of 770 domestically-built products.

Brigadier General Amir Hatami on Tuesday attended the 8th Annual Meeting of the Officials and Managers of the Armed Forces Public Relations Hosted by the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Force in commemoration of Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani. The Armed Forces' public relations saw the opportunity to provide services to the large family of the Armed Forces.

Hatami described the mission of the Armed Forces in maintaining and enhancing national security based on two essential components of manpower and strategic equipment, while maintaining and using efficient, experienced and faithful personnel.

He compared the defense capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the field of equipment and human resources before and after the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and noted that before the glorious Islamic Revolution of Iran led by Imam Khomeini, a total of 31 military product baskets were produced in the country by foreign countries' imported production lines, but today thanks to the achievements of the Islamic Revolution, 90 percent of the needs of the armed forces in the form of 770 products within the country and produced by specialists and scientists in the defense industry and are provided to the armed forces.

9455**2050

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It is not yet Thursday, but Michelle Obama is giving fans major throwback vibes after bravely posting a photo of herself back in the 80s.

While other people are so ashamed to show how they look like decades ago, the former First Lady of the United States proved that she is braver than the rest of the world by revealing a vintage photo which was taken from her prom night back in 1982.

In an Instagram post, the 56-year-old wife of ex-US President Barack Obama could be seen wearing a pink polka-dot satin dress while sitting pretty in an old school wicker chair. She paired the dress with a matching blazer that obviously features shoulder pads ... because that is a major trend back in the 80s!

The dress perfectly accentuated Michelle's long legs, as the dress featured a revealing yet elegant slit on the left side.

Who would have thought that this innocent girl who was about to have a memorable prom night would be the United States' first lady roughly three decades after the photo was taken?

Seven years after this epic prom photo, Michelle met her now-husband Barack Obama while working in the same law firm in Chicago.

"Throwing it back to my 1982 prom night and this pink satin, polka-dotted dress," Michelle wrote.

Michelle was accompanied by an unknown moustached guy who was all dapper in a tux while standing next to the epic wicker chair.

While the rest of us post throwback photos for the sake of fun, Michelle being "The Michelle Obama" did it for a good cause.

The #PromChallenge that Michelle initiated is part of "When We All Vote" and MTV's effort to encourage students across the country to vote. The challenge allows both students and teachers to integrate voter registration in the campus in the most creative and impactful ways.

"If you're a student or teacher, join the #PromChallenge with @WhenWeAllVote and @MTV and tell us what your school is doing to register students to vote -- you could get a free prom for your school!" Michelle added in her caption

The former FLOTUS then encouraged her 36.6 million Instagram followers to post a photo with the same hashtag to raise awareness about the said competition that could somehow inspire schools to take part in the voter registration campaign.

Students can pitch their idea on how to inspire their classmates to vote. A total of 20 winners will be chosen and will receive up to $50,000 fund for their campus' prom.

Michelle's post immediately went viral online, leading some celebrities to take on the challenge and post their most treasured prom photos.

One of the first to join the challenge is "Scandal" actress Kerry Washington, who posted a throwback photo of herself wearing a floral-printed plunging neckline dress while candidly sniffing flowers.

Actress and TV host Tracee Ellis Ross also joined the fun challenge and posted a photo of her 18-year-old self wearing all-Armani ensembles (dress, shoes, and bag) before the night of her prom.
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Investigators with India's antitrust watchdog have found no evidence that the country's biggest airline, IndiGo , and four rival carriers colluded to fix ticket prices, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2015 ordered a probe into allegations of anti-competitive practices after similar fares were being offered on certain routes by IndiGo, SpiceJet , GoAir, state-run Air India and now-defunct Jet Airways .

The CCI inquiry, which included an analysis of the algorithms airlines to determine ticket fares, found that all five airlines were working independently, the three sources said.

"No direct evidence of cartelisation was found," said one of the sources, who added the investigation also did not reveal any communication amongst airline executives to fix prices.

Budget airline IndiGo, the country's biggest carrier, said in a statement "the case is without merit" and added that it has been cooperating with the investigation.

The second-biggest airline, SpiceJet, GoAir, Air India and Jet Airways did not respond to a request for comment. The CCI did not respond to questions from Reuters.

An adverse finding could have led to a fine of up to three times the profit made in each year prices were fixed, or 10% of annual revenue, whichever is higher. Indian airlines are already grappling with slow growth in air traffic.

Details of the CCI case, which was investigated in two phases, have not been made public in line with the watchdog's practice.

The agency, whose senior members are reviewing the investigation findings, has not made a final ruling and could further extend the investigation. But two of the sources said the airlines were likely to be cleared.

The CCI's investigation arm had already produced a report in 2016 saying no antitrust practices were detected. The agency directed a further probe into fare-determining software and seat-allocation patterns, a second source said.

Antitrust lawyer Gautam Shahi, who is not involved in the case, said a finding of no antitrust misconduct would be a big relief for a sector that has faced intense scrutiny.

In a separate antitrust case in 2018, the CCI found that IndiGo, Jet Airways and SpiceJet had colluded over fuel surcharge rates on cargo flights, fining them a total of 544 million rupees ($7.61 million). The airlines have appealed that judgment.
Salk researchers also find additional differences between the neurons of people with bipolar disorder who respond to lithium and those who don't

LA JOLLA--(February 18, 2020) People with bipolar disorder experience dramatic shifts in mood, oscillating between often debilitating periods of mania and depression. While a third of people with bipolar disorder can be successfully treated with the drug lithium, the majority of patients struggle to find treatment options that work.

Now, a sweeping new set of findings by Salk researchers reveals previously unknown details explaining why some neurons in bipolar patients swing between being overly or under excited. In two papers published in the journal Biological Psychiatry in February 2020 and October 2019, Salk researchers used experimental and computational techniques to describe how variations in potassium and sodium currents in the brain cells of people with bipolar disorder may help to further explain why some patients respond to lithium and others do not.

"This is exciting progress toward understanding the cellular mechanisms that cause bipolar disorder," says Salk Professor Rusty Gage, the study's senior author and president of the Institute. "It also brings us one step closer to being able to develop new therapeutics to treat the disorder."

In 2015, Gage and his colleagues discovered for the first time the initial differences between brain cells of patients who respond to lithium and those who don't. In both cases, neurons from the brain's dentate gyrus (DG) region were hyperexcitable--more easily stimulated--compared to DG neurons from people without bipolar disorder. But when exposed to lithium, only the cells from known lithium-responders were calmed by the drug.

In the new research, Gage's team--curious whether the results held true across different brain areas--conducted similar experiments but with more in-depth probes and using a different type of neuron than before. They grew the neurons--called CA3 pyramidal neurons--from six people with bipolar disorder, three of whom responded to lithium.

While in previous studies DG neurons from all bipolar patients were hyperexcitable, in the new study, only CA3 neurons from lithium responders were hyperexcitable all the time.

"The neurons were very different between responders and non-responders," says Salk research associate Shani Stern, first author of both papers. "It's almost as if it's two different diseases."

Studying the CA3 neurons from lithium responders more closely, the team found that these cells had higher than usual numbers of potassium channels as well as stronger potassium currents through these channels. The increased potassium currents, the scientists showed, were responsible for the hyperactivity of the CA3 neurons: when they exposed the cells to a potassium channel blocker, the hyperactivity disappeared. Intriguingly, when they exposed the cells to lithium, the drug not only reversed the hyperactivity but reduced potassium currents at the same time.

In addition, the team initially observed that the CA3 neurons from lithium non-responders, on average, had normal excitability. But when they looked more closely at individual cells over time, they found a different story.

"There were days I'd measure the cells and the whole group would be hyperexcitable, and other days they'd all be hypoexcitable," says Stern. "And then there were times when the cells would be split; some would be very hyperexcitable and others very hypoexcitable."

To better understand what was causing these fluctuations, the researchers designed a computational simulation of CA3 neuron activity. The computer simulation revealed that drastic reductions in sodium currents and an increase in the amplitude of potassium currents could lead to the same kind of neuronal instability in CA3 neurons--explaining both hyperexcitability and hypoexcitability. When the researchers then exposed CA3 neurons from non-responders to potassium channel blockers, their excitability became closer to control levels. The findings strengthened the case that potassium currents play a role in bipolar disorder--in both lithium responders and non-responders?and can help researchers understand how to better target drugs.

The team is planning additional studies on what happens to large networks of neurons when they alternate between hyperexcitable and hypoexcitable phases to understand if these shifts may be driving the manic and depressive moods seen in bipolar disorder.

Other researchers on the papers were Anindita Sarkar, Dekel Galor, Tchelet Stern, Arianna Mei, Yam Stern, Ana P. D. Mendes, Lynne Randolph-Moore, Renata Santos, Maria C. Marchetto, Gabriela Goldberg, Thao Nguyen and Yongsung Kim of Salk; Guy Rouleau of the McGill University; Anne Bang of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute; and Martin Alda of Dalhousie University.

The work and researchers involved were supported by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, the National Cooperative Reprogrammed Cell Research Groups, the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the JPB Foundation, Annette C. Merle-Smith, the Robert and Mary Jane Engman Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health.

About the Salk Institute for Biological Studies: Every cure has a starting point. The Salk Institute embodies Jonas Salk's mission to dare to make dreams into reality. Its internationally renowned and award-winning scientists explore the very foundations of life, seeking new understandings in neuroscience, genetics, immunology, plant biology and more. The Institute is an independent nonprofit organization and architectural landmark: small by choice, intimate by nature and fearless in the face of any challenge. Be it cancer or Alzheimer's, aging or diabetes, Salk is where cures begin. Learn more at: salk.edu.

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Quarantine officials move a patient suspected of having been infected with the coronavirus to Kyungpook National University Hospital in Daegu, Wednesday, amid growing concerns over the spread of the contagious virus in local communities despite the government tightening quarantine measures. / Yonhap



20 new cases confirmed Wednesday with most in Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province



By Jun Ji-hye



The government reported a spike in new coronavirus infections Wednesday after 20 new cases were identified, raising the total number of patients to 51 as of 10 p.m.



Of the new patients, 18 live in Daegu and the adjacent North Gyeongsang Province, the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said, raising concerns that the contagious COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) is spreading across local communities despite the administration's toughened quarantine measures.



Fifteen out of the 18 new patients of the region are believed to have been infected by the 31st patient, a 61-year-old woman living in Daegu, who was confirmed the previous day  14 attended the same church as the woman, and one had person-to-person contact with her at a hospital in Daegu.



The KCDC said the incident at the church was a "super spread" of the infectious virus, but remained cautious about branding the 31st patient as a "super spreader."



"A further epidemiological investigation at the church is underway to determine who was the source of the infection and what the pathway was," KCDC chief Jung Eun-kyeong said in a regular briefing.






The State budget may face a shortfall of some VND42.3 trillion (US$1.8 billion) this year due to the ongoing spread of the novel coronavirus, or Covid-19, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The Hanoi Taxation Department office. Vietnam may face a potential loss of VND42.3 billion to the State budget revenue due to the impact of the coronavirus epidemic  PHOTO: VNA

The ministry noted in a report on the impact of the viral outbreak that State budget revenues are expected to fall in the domestic, import and export and crude oil sectors.

If the outbreak is contained in the next two or three months, a number of sectors, such as tourism, transport and commercial services and the import and export of farm produce will stand to face the most direct disruption.

Also, other manufacturing and business sectors that are capable of regulating their activities will suffer a downturn, stated the ministry, adding that a trivial number of industries will maintain their operations as usual.

If the outbreak persists for four to five months or more, manufacturing sectors that require large amounts of equipment, spare parts and components and materials imported from China will run into trouble.

The ministry said the coronavirus crisis will leave Vietnams local and foreign-owned manufacturers vulnerable, including those operating in the footwear, textiles and garments, electronics and consumer goods sectors. Multinationals, such as tech giants Apple, Samsung and LG Electronics, may struggle.

The execution progress of projects using Chinese capital, labor and input materials will slow down and affect the growth of related sectors, according to the ministry.

At the same time, exports to China will be sluggish due to restricted travel and reduced demand. This will also have a negative impact on domestic production.

The ministry has drawn up two scenarios for the countrys State budget this year.

In the first scenario, the budget revenue will reach VND1.494 quadrillion (US$64.3 billion), down VND18.1 trillion (US$779 million) or 1.2% compared with the initial estimate, if Covid-19 is brought under control in the first quarter.

In the second scenario, where the outbreak is contained in the second quarter, the budget revenue is estimated at VND1.470 quadrillion (US$63.2 billion), down VND42.3 trillion (US$1.8 billion) or 1.6% from the estimate.

So far, Vietnam has reported 16 cases of coronavirus and has sealed off part of Bac Ninh Province, northwest of Hanoi, where some 10,000 people live, after a cluster of infections were recorded there.

Supply disruptions

A Samsung spokesperson told the Financial Times in an article published on February 17 that the firm is making every effort to minimize the impact on its operations, and its production has not yet slowed.

The Vietnamese Government is restricting the daily volume of goods transported from China to Vietnam over land routes, but we are coping with it by increasing parts supplies from China by plane and ships, stated the spokesperson.

The worlds largest smartphone maker produces nearly two-thirds of its phones, including its latest foldable smartphone and the Galaxy S20 5G range, at its plants in the northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen.

LG Electronics, another South Korean technology manufacturer that produces mostly low- to mid-end smartphones in Vietnam, is facing similar supply disruptions.

A spokesperson told the U.K. newspaper that the firm has not yet faced any inventory problems in the Southeast Asian nation but is considering various options in case the crisis extends over a prolonged period.

However, analysts warned that companies reliant on some 30% of phone components coming from China could face serious problems with supplies of China-made cables, sockets and plugs as well as components for cameras.

Their supply chains and logistics are in trouble because of the virus outbreak. If the problem persists for two more weeks, it may get out of hand, remarked Kim Young-woo, an analyst at Korean securities brokerage firm SK Securities.

Vice Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Business in Vietnam Hong Sun was quoted by the newspaper as saying that many South Korean manufacturers only have two to four weeks worth of inventory at their Vietnamese sites. The fear is that if they dont have enough parts, they cant make the final product, he said. SGT

Pham Nhat

Vietnams economy in coronavirus whirlwind The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has predicted that the GDP would grow by 5.96 percent, a 7-year low.
Piers Mummery, TechCXO UK Managing Partner FastStart offers clients who are pursuing international growth a layered executive service in all C-suite disciplines

TechCXO, the leading Executive-on-demand service for growth businesses, announced the opening of its UK and European operation. Based in London, the new TechCXO UK office plans to leverage the companys success track record of growth in the USA into the UK and Europe.

As our clients pursue growth outside of their domestic markets, international expansion of our business is the next logical step, noted Kent Elmer, TechCXOs Managing Partner. Americas strong trading relationship with the UK makes it the obvious gateway for companies looking to expand into the UK and Europe.

As a part of the launch of its UK office, TechCXO is also introducing its new FastStart services. FastStart offers clients who are pursuing international growth a layered executive service in all C-suite disciplines. The service includes market scoping, location planning and executive concierge services, access to capital, legal, financial and market naturalization, sales, marketing and operational support. The FastStart service provides clients with a cost effective and lower-risk approach to international expansion by delivering local support and a ready-made local business network that accelerates an efficient overseas expansion.

Headed up by Piers Mummery, UK Managing Partner, TechCXO UK offers its core on-demand and fractional executive services to UK businesses. Additionally, Piers will lead TechCXOs FastStart services and will concentrate on supporting UK businesses looking to expand operations in the USA, as well as USA companies growth in the UK and Europe. Piers Mummery is an experienced entrepreneur and business leader in the UK and USA with over 30 years of deep expertise and knowledge of the start-up and scale up needs of technology and technology-enabled businesses.

TechCXOs UK Managing Partner Piers Mummery said, As a British national returning to the UK following my tour in the USA, I am delighted to leverage my knowledge of both markets and entrepreneurial experience to support clients on their journeys. TechCXO UK and the FastStart service really resonate with the markets we serve. We look forward to the opportunity to grow TechCXO UK and deliver value to our clients in the UK and USA in their international expansion.

About TechCXO

TechCXO is a pioneer in providing high potential companies across the country with industry-relevant interim and fractional executives and teams on-demand. More than 1,200 companies, from startups to the Global 1000, have entrusted TechCXO to help with their critical functions by calling on TechCXO executives as their CFOs, COOs, CSO, CTOs, CMOs and other executive roles. TechCXOs three major practice areas are: Finance & Operations, Sales & Marketing and Product & Technology. TechCXO has appeared on the Inc. 500/5000 Fastest Growing Private list every year since 2008. For more information about the firm, please visit https://www.techcxo.com.
A 16-year-old Dalit girl has alleged she was sexually harassed by three youths when she was on her way to a brick kiln at a village in Shamli district, police said on Wednesday.

They said the incident happened at Bhabisa village under Kandhla police station on Tuesday when the girl was going to the brick kiln site with lunch for her kin.

Station House Officer SK Dube said the girl's brother has filed a complaint, alleging the three youths allegedly sexually harassed her on the way to the brick kiln.

Dube said the three accused, one of whom has been identified as a 23-year-old man, have gone absconding.

An investigation in the matter is underway.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Dan Rosenheim

Bay City News Foundation

Walking down an East Bay hills trail in February, you might at first think you saw an odd rust covering much of the trailside vegetation.

But then you will notice that the "rust" appears to be moving, and closer inspection reveals that this is not rust at all, but ladybugs -- tens upon tens of thousands of them -- emerging to mate after a long winter rest.

The swarm -- mellifluously called a "loveliness" of ladybugs -- is an annual occurrence in many Bay Area parks, from Mount Tamalpais to Tilden.

Nowhere is this more so than at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in the Oakland hills, where the insects are especially abundant along a path known as the Stream Trail running through the park's midsection. There they cluster in clumps and bunches on leaves, branches, fence posts and rock crevices.

"The ladybugs are an amazing phenomenon," said David Zuckerman, manager of interpretive and recreational services for the East Bay Regional Park District.

Typically, ladybugs begin arriving in Redwood Regional Park in late October and are clustering by November, said Susan Ramos, a naturalist with the park district. They remain in the park for the winter, not eating and with minimal movement in a torpid state called estivo-hibernation, protected from the cold by leaves and other forest debris.

When the weather turns warmer, normally in February and March, the ladybugs begin to move about, mating and eventually dispersing, with many headed to the Central Valley where they feed on aphids, whiteflies and other insects considered by growers to be pests.

Despite their seemingly benign appearance to humans, ladybugs are ravenous predators -- a typical convergent ladybug can eat more than 100 aphids a day -- and their name may in fact be derived from the invocation of "Our Lady" as a farmers' prayer of thanks for deliverance from insect pests.

The lifespan of a ladybug is not long -- just one year -- so after arriving in the Central Valley, the insects will lay their eggs and die.

Remarkably, though, once they have gorged themselves in preparation for hibernation, the offspring will return to the same Bay Area spot where their parents spent the winter.

"The crazy thing is they have never been to this site before!" said Ramos, adding that it's believed the parents leave behind pheromones or scent markers in their footprints, which somehow lure the offspring back.

Although popularly known as ladybugs, the insects are actually ladybeetles. A key difference is that beetles chew food; bugs don't. Beetles also have four distinctively shaped wings.

There are actually 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs worldwide, Ramos said, more than 4,000 in North America, 175 in California and about a dozen in the Bay Area.

By far the most common is the type that gathers in Redwood Regional Park. With black spots on the red forewings covering the body, these are called "Convergent Ladybeetles" -- so named not because they converge on an area to hibernate but because of white stripes that converge on each insect's thorax.

Notwithstanding their predatory nature, the spotted ladybugs invariably trigger a warm response among humans. Their shape and color make them a popular design choice for jewelry and fabric patterns.

Many people consider it good luck just to see one. And just about every American can recite the child's verse that begins "Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home," sometimes adding a puff of breath for good measure to help send the insects on their way.

"In general, people just love them," said Ramos, who led a group of 100 visitors to see the ladybugs at Redwood Regional Park last month. "They're beneficial, and they're not like the creepy crawly insects that scare some people. They have that bright red color, and they're kind of cute."

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 students' union elections in



the Jadavpur University, held after a gap of three years, went on peacefully on Wednesday, with RSS-affiliated ABVP and CPI (M)-backed SFI claiming they received a good response from the students.

A university official said the elections in both Arts and Engineering faculties began at 10 am and will continue till evening.

"There has been no untoward incident so far," the official said.

SFI's Jadavpur University unit leader Ushashi Pal said a large number of students voted enthusiastically.

"We were cautious of not falling into ABVP's trap and asked our activists and supporters to be careful so that the election process was not disrupted," Pal said.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had put up its candidates for the first time in the students' union polls of JU, known as a hotbed of Left-wing politics.

"We were careful so that the SFI or other Left unions could not instigate any trouble," ABVP's JU unit leader Shyamasree Karmakar said.

The elections were conducted for central panels of the two faculties.

Each central panel has posts of a chairperson, a general secretary and two assistant general secretaries.

The ABVP and the SFI contested 40 posts each in the two faculties, including those of class representatives.

The AISA and the Trinamool Congress Chatra Parishad (TMCP) were also in the fray.

The results of the students' union elections will be declared on Thursday.

Students' union polls in state universities had been put on hold for nearly three years since January 2017.

The state government had imposed a blanket ban on students' union elections following violence on campuses across West Bengal ahead of the 2016 Assembly elections.

However, after representations from various students' bodies and feedback from higher educational institutes, the state government had announced that elections to four universities, including Jadavpur, Presidency and Rabindra Bharati, would be held.

JU students had been agitating for long demanding that students' union elections be held.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has dismissed the insolvency plea filed by IFCI against ACCIL Hospitality, a corporate guarantor of debt-ridden steel products maker Asian Colour Coated Ispat.

The tribunal observed that creditors of a debt-ridden company cannot file fresh insolvency plea against its corporate guarantor after collating the claims from principal borrowers as it would amount to "duplicity of claims being pressed".

Public sector financial institution IFCI had filed petition to initiate insolvency proceedings against ACCIL Hospitality, which had extended a corporate guaranty for Asian Colour Coated Ispat Limited (ACCL) - a company currently under insolvency proceedings.

A two-member bench headed by Chairperson Justice S J Mukhopadhaya also held that though the creditor may be faced with the prospect of taking a haircut, this could not be a ground to trigger a fresh resolution process against the Corporate Guarantor.

"Once the Financial Creditor's claim has been collated and admitted by the IRP in its entirety, invoking of jurisdiction of the Adjudicating Authority at its instance for triggering a fresh Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process against the Corporate Guarantor would amount to duplicity of claims being pressed," said the NCLAT.

ACCL was the principal borrower, which had defaulted in clearing its outstanding liability of loan facility of Rs 150 crore extended to it by the financial creditor and is going through insolvency process.

The appellate tribunal upheld the orders of the New Delhi-based Principal Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLAT), which had on October 21, dismissed IFCI plea to initiate insolvency proceedings against ACCIL Hospitality.

"This being a second application for same set of claim and arising out of the same default cannot be admitted against the Corporate Guarantor' while CIRP initiated against the Principal Borrower' is still subsisting," said NCLAT.

According to NCLAT: "The fact that the Resolution Plan is yet to be approved by the NCLT and the Financial Creditor may be faced with the prospect of taking a haircut is no ground to trigger a fresh resolution process against the Corporate Guarantor".

IFCI had contended that liability of ACCIL Hospitality was joint and coextensive with that of the Principal Borrower, ACCL and the mere filing of claim by the a financial creditor in the corporate insolvency resolution proceedings could not absolve the Corporate Guarantor of its contractual obligation of discharging the liability.

Rejecting it NCLAT said:"There being no merit in the appeal same is dismissed."



The lenders of ACCIL, a steel products manufacturing company, has approved Rs 1,500 crore bid by JSW Group, with 79.3 per cent of voting and approval from NCLT is pending.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Last year, MyBroadband uncovered a number of fake capacity claims on power banks available from local retailers.

There are a number of suspicious power banks listed for sale in South Africa, usually boasting very high capacities and surprisingly cheap price tags.

To determine whether these cheaper products were legitimate, we opened a number of them up and inspected their real capacities.

In some cases, we needed to drain unlabelled 18650 lithium-ion cells found in the power banks to determine their capacity.

Other power banks included labelled lithium-ion cells which allowed us to calculate the total capacity of the product.

Spotting a fake power bank

In Europe, the United States, and many other countries, power bank manufacturers are required to print the devices capacity in watt-hours (Wh) on their packaging in addition to mAh.

This is because the amount of mAh supplied by a battery depends on voltage, while Wh is a constant and comparable representation of capacity as it is equal to amp-hours (Ah) multiplied by voltage (V).

Power banks in South Africa and a number of other countries prefer to use mAh, however, operating under the assumption of compliance to an industry standard of 3.7V for calculating capacity.

While this 3.7V standard is observed by most manufacturers, there are a number of fake power banks on the market which calculate their mAh capacity using lower voltages or simply list false capacities.

Power banks which are severely underpriced, physically light, or seem too small for their capacity are probably fake, and we found this to be the case with the fake power banks we tested.

The products we tested which listed false capacities were from relatively unknown brands such as Fonsi, Viaking, and Sinye Tech.

Energizer, Samsung, and Astrum all passed our capacity tests.

Testing a Romoss power bank

Many MyBroadband readers own Romoss power banks and were curious about how the brand would fare in a capacity test.

To determine whether Romoss correctly labels the mAh capacity on its power banks, we disassembled a Romoss Sense 8P+ power bank to check the stated capacity of the lithium-ion cells inside.

The power bank was provided to MyBroadband by Syntech, which distributes Romoss power banks in South Africa.

The Sense 8P+ has a stated capacity of 30,000mAh, and its chassis lists a watt-hour capacity of 111Wh.

It was also significantly heavier than the fake power banks we tested, weighing in at 692g, and it took a lot more work to open up.

Once it was open, we could access the lithium-ion pouch cells inside. There were three 10,000mAh (37Wh) cells inside the power bank  verifying the Romoss Sense 8P+s capacity claim.

If you are looking for a new power bank, our tests show that you should trust Romoss, Energizer, Samsung, and other major brands over cheaper products with unknown or non-existent brand names.

Below are the results of our previous power bank capacity tests, including the Romoss Sense 8P+.

Brand Stated Capacity Cells Real Capacity Passed Romoss 30,000mAh 3x 10,000mAh 30,000mAh Energizer 5,000mAh 2 x 18650 2,500mAh 5,000mAh Samsung 3,100mAh 1x 3,100mAh 3,100mAh Astrum 10,000mAh 2x 5,000mAh 10,000mAh Failed Unknown 10,000mAh 1x 8,000mAh 8,000mAh Fonsi 10,000mAh 1x 606090 4,000mAh 4,000mAh Fonsi 30,000mAh 8x 18650 2,000mAh 16,000mAh Viaking 12,800mAh 5x 18650 1,000mAh* 5,000mAh Sinye Tech 26,800mAh 8x 18650 1,000mAh* 8,000mAh *Estimated capacity

Romoss Sense 8P+
Photo: The Canadian Press Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Chrystia Freeland speaks with the media before Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday February 18, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has offered effusive thanks to New Democrats and stinging criticism of the Conservatives after the NDP supported the minority Liberal government's efforts to more speedily ratify the new North American trade agreement.

Freeland said the government wanted to limit study of the new deal, which replaces the quarter-century-old North American Free Trade Agreement, and get on with a vote to put it into effect.

Freeland said she was surprised that Conservatives wanted to extend committees' study of the agreement into March and was grateful to New Democrat MPs for supporting the government.

But the Conservative trade critic Randy Hoback said there is no circumstance under which his party would vote against ratifying the trade deal. He said the Tories simply wanted to hear from witnesses to give voice to people who are concerned about the deal, to make it stronger in the long term.

"We're just asking basic questions that Canadians are asking us. There's no silly buggery going on in the background. These are just fair questions that need to be answered before moving forward," he said in an interview.

"We needed to hear from those witnesses that were negatively impacted by this deal and we needed to have an idea from the Liberal party in how they are going to mitigate those consequences," Hoback added.

The partisan acrimony on the trade file came on a day when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pointedly excluded Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer from a meeting of party leaders talking about blockades raised by Indigenous people and supporters over a pipeline project in B.C.

The blockades and the unresolved trade deal have economic consequences.

Both the United States and Mexico have formally ratified the new continental trade pact, which was reached after the Trump administration in Washington foisted a renegotiation on its two continental allies in 2017.

President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to rip up NAFTA during the 13 months of acrimonious negotiations among the three countries.

Getting a new deal became the Liberal government's top priority because of Canada's massive economic dependence on access to the United States, its biggest trading partner.

Freeland has had cabinet responsibility for Canada-U.S. relations during that time as foreign affairs minister and now as deputy prime minister.

Freeland said Tuesday the Commons trade committee will end its hearings on Feb. 28, allowing the ratification to move forward. The Liberals needed the support of at least one other party to get their way, because they don't command a majority in the House of Commons.

"The Conservatives had sought to extend debate at committee on the new NAFTA beyond March 12. We think that that is too long, and would have created unnecessary needless and dangerous uncertainty in the Canadian economy," Freeland said.

"It will be a surprise to many Canadians who voted for Conservatives in October to learn that their Conservative MPs are less supportive of free trade, less supportive of economic certainty in Canada's relationship with the United States than the NDP is," she added.

"I leave it to the Conservatives to explain why they believe that partisan bickering is more important than a principled support of the national interest."

But Hoback said his party was not playing partisan politics by wanting further study, and that it will vote to support the deal.

"That's what created the problem in the previous NAFTA is when people were left out. They were the ones that elected Trump this last election, because they were left out."

New Democrat MP Daniel Blaikie said his party would support the new deal provided the government provides more transparency in future trade negotiations.

"We know that we can't change the deal," Blaikie told reporters.

"That's why we focused on what we could change, which is how we get better deals in the future and we were glad to see openness on the part of the government to that."

The Progressive Conservatives under Brian Mulroney ushered in the 1988 Free Trade Agreement with the United States and won a federal election over the Liberals to be able to do that. The Progressive Conservatives began expanded negotiations to include Mexico in the early 1990s before NAFTA was born in 1994 after the Liberals won power.
German Chancellor meets Finnish Prime Minister

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin meets Merkel as Germany mulls generational political change.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin arrived in Berlin on Wednesday for her first meeting on German soil with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

EU BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS WILL BE DISCUSSED

The main topic on the agenda will be the looming EU budget negotiations, with Finland trying to chart a middle ground between those countries which give more money than they get back, and those which receive more than they give.

Finnish PMs visit comes as Germany is mulling the future of its own political leadership, and the optics of a young prime minister at the start of her time in office meeting an older politician in the twilight of her 15 year career as chancellor are not lost on political observers.
Amid reports of infections nearing 75,000 the number of survivors is also growing with more than 14,000 reported.

Chengdu, China  Scrambled eggs with tomatoes  thats the first dish coronavirus survivor Yangyang, 28, made for herself after being discharged from No 7 Hospital in Wuhan, in Hubei province  the epicentre of the outbreak in China.

This is the first time I thought eggs were so delicious, Yangyang wrote on social media. All the other friends who are still fighting in the hospitals  I cant wait to see you all very soon!

After escaping what she describes as a near-death experience, Yangyang is now one of the estimated 14,000 people in mainland China who has beaten the virus.

Despite the number of infections reaching almost 75,000 on Wednesday, some reassuring news is finally emerging out of China  that a growing number of people can and do survive the illness.

On Monday, the World Health Organization chief, Tedros Adhanom, had also said that based on Chinese medical data, four out of five patients in mainland China have only mild symptoms and are expected to recover.





I hope this trend offers people battling the disease across the country a beacon of hope and the courage to continue the fight, Yangyang said.

However, there is still a mammoth gap between the rates of recovery in Hubei compared with other provinces.

In other Chinese provinces, the recovery rate has been steadily climbing to nearly 40 percent as of Wednesday, whereas the rate for Hubei is still below 15 percent.

Turned away

Yangyangs road to recovery, like many others in Wuhan, was anything but smooth.

Just over two weeks ago, on February 2, she posted a plea for help on Weibo, Chinas social media platform.

Both Yangyang and her father were infected with the virus, but due to the severe shortage of hospital beds, the facility turned them away on multiple occasions.

Im helpless! Helpless! she wrote on social media.





No RNA test kits were available at the beginning and after almost a week, I finally got the test and received a positive result, then the hospital said I needed two consecutive positive results to be admitted!

I dont know what to do! We dont want to die! she continued.

Luckily, her post worked in her favour. After her social media post garnered widespread attention, she received a phone call instructing her to proceed to Wuhan No 7 Hospital for her treatment. Two days later, her father was also admitted.

Grateful for help

During her treatment, she said the hospital was crammed to the gills so she had to share the ward with five other patients. But she said she did not mind.

I was super-grateful that I could get a bed already, so why would I even complain about the packed wards? she told Al Jazeera.

But Yangyang worried about the others who were sick who were not as lucky as her.

Patients rest on their beds on Saturday inside the Wuhan Parlor Convention Center that has been converted into a makeshift hospital [China Daily via Reuters]

I cant imagine what wouldve happened if I didnt receive that phone call from my community representative, she said. Im sure there were loads of people whose conditions worsened significantly before they could even see a doctor.

Experts, including Dr Zhong Nanshan, the doctor who first confirmed the human-to-human transmission case, have cautioned about the rapid progression of the disease in some instances.

In places outside Hubei, early interventions had proven effective at curbing the diseases progression. But in Hubei, this was not achieved at the beginning.

Life-or-death situation

Peng, a 34-year-old woman who preferred to be identified only by her family name, was one of those who did not get treatment early enough.

She first developed symptoms on January 27 but only got admitted to hospital a week later after showing signs of breathing difficulties.

When she checked into the ward, she actually thought she might not make it.





But after getting intensive care, her condition stabilised. And two weeks later she was discharged  after testing negative for the virus twice.

In a phone interview with Al Jazeera, Peng said that she has now put herself under self-quarantine for 14 days despite being out of the hospital.

Seeing nurses with hazmat suits and other protective equipment coming in and out of the ward was surreal at the beginning, Peng said.

Many self-quarantine

Peng still remembers the patients hooked up to beeping machines and her own belaboured breathing through an oxygen mask interrupting the eerie silence of her hospital room.

When this epidemic is over, I will go back to Wuchang Hospital to say thank you to all the people who took care of me in person. Those medical workers gave me my second life.

The majority of the patients who have so far recovered have not developed any severe symptoms. Some who did not manage to get admitted would get daily injections at the facility.





Wu Junkang, a 47-year-old man from Wuhan, tested positive for the virus on February 4. Failing to find a hospital bed, he self-quarantined himself immediately.

Of course, I get paranoid every day, Wu told Al Jazeera, explaining about how he took care of himself.

My body temperature had been fluctuating pretty frequently, so one morning Id get 38.5, the next day 37.2, and then the third day 39.1  I couldnt take my mind off this.

Recovering alone

During his 14 days at home, he would go to Wuhan Hankou Hospital for injections every day before the doctor told him to stop going  he had beaten the virus.

I was a bit surprised at first because according to my CT scan, there are still signs of infection on my right lung, Wu said.

But my doctor told me that since I no longer have symptoms and have tested negative for my virus RNA test, I can go home and let my own immune system fight off the infection.

A number of people who had recovered told Al Jazeera that doctors in Hubei would routinely turn those who only displayed mild signs of the disease away.

A medic at the Wuhan Fang Cang makeshift hospital attends to a patient on Monday [China Out/EPA]

In response to Al Jazeeras query about the handling of outpatients, a doctor at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital said in order for patients with a residual lung infection to get a clean bill of health, they must meet two criteria: they should not have any symptoms, including fever or cough and should pass the coronavirus test twice.

The doctor, who requested anonymity, also said all patients, who self-quarantined and had recovered, must stay at home for a further 14 days. But they are required to report to a doctor immediately should any symptoms recur.

As for Yangyang, who managed to recover on her own and later had a CT scan said the examination showed her lungs were in good shape.

And now she wanted to pay the help she had received forwards.

I heard that the plasma of the people who have recovered from the virus could be very helpful in treating other patients, Yangyang said, referring to the colourless fluid part of the blood.

Im going to donate as soon as I finish my 14-day quarantine  this is the least I can do to help now.
Myanmar soldiers rope down from a helicopter on Myanmar's 73rd Armed Forces Day in the capital Naypyidaw, March 27, 2018.

A helicopter carrying Myanmar government officials was shot at Wednesday in the countrys western Rakhine state where fighting between the insurgent Arakan Army (AA) and Myanmars military has been ongoing.

The military confirmed to RFAs Myanmar Service that the helicopter was hit by bullets fired from the ground though no one was injured. The helicopter was carrying Win Myat Aye, Myanmars social welfare minister, and Nyi Pu, Rakhines chief minister.

It was at about 10:45 a.m. when the military helicopter carrying Win Myat Aye was shot at from the ground while it was traveling from Sittwe to Buthidaung, said military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun.

The helicopter was hit twice by bullets fired from small arms, but none of the passengers were injured. They landed in Buthidaung safely, then took the same helicopter back to Sittwe at around 3 p.m., he said.

Its quite common for AA troops to fire randomly at helicopters flying overhead using their personal weapons, the spokesman added.

AA spokesman Khine Thukha told RFA he could not confirm the incident.

We have no information regarding this incident. One thing I can say is that our troops have been attacked by the Myanmar militarys helicopters and fighter jets on an almost daily basis during this period of continued armed conflict, he said.

So if they fly over our troops, its possible that they could be fired at, but I can only confirm the details of this incident after talking with the troops on the ground, he added.

Landmine kills Rohingya man



In an unrelated incident, a Rohingya man from Buthidaung townships Sinthaypyin village was killed by a landmine Tuesday morning.

Myanmars military announced later in the day that the landmine had been planted by the AA.

According to Zaw Min Tun, Mahmod Einnu was severely injured after he stepped on the landmine at around 7 a.m. He died in transit to Buthidaung Hospital.

The announcement said that a total of 13 civilians were killed and 35 injured by landmines planted by the AA, including a teacher and four Rohingya children in Htiketu Pauk village, on Jan. 7.



Khine Thuka denied the accusation, saying instead that the military was responsible for Tuesdays incident.

The militarys troops fired heavy artillery [into the village], and the blast killed the Muslim man from Sinthaypyin, he said.

Khine Thuka also told RFA that the AA arrested a Myanmar soldier during a battle near Phapyo village on Feb. 14, the latest of several prisoners of war that the Arakan rebel force has recently taken.

RFA was unable to confirm this with the military.

Reported by Nayrein Kyaw for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Fear insists that life is a zero-sum game. Love knows that there is enough, and to spare. Fear both proclaims and begets scarcity. Love invites and welcomes abundance.

So I became increasingly concerned during the 2016 election cycle when a man who built his candidacy on a platform of fear  of immigrants, Muslims, refugees and others  inexplicably became not only the nominee of the party I had belonged to my entire life, but also president. This was a man who proclaimed, Real power is, I dont even want to use the word, fear.

With Donald Trumps election, I knew I could not remain silent. I in no way considered myself an activist. But in January 2017, just after the inauguration, I opened my computer and worked late into the night setting up a nonpartisan Facebook group for myself and a few like-minded friends. I wanted to create a space where we could discuss ways in which we might join forces to counterbalance the fear and to call for decency, compassion and ethics in our government. We called ourselves Mormon Women for Ethical Government.

Immediately, friends began adding friends who added friends who added friends. Within just a few weeks, we had over 4,000 members, women from all across the political spectrum, Mormons and non-Mormons alike. Clearly, we had hit a nerve. There were thousands of other women of faith, like myself, who felt compelled to act  to push back against fear and hate and take a stand for love.

And so, our little group continued to grow. We incorporated as a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization, established chapters in nearly every state, lobbied for the marginalized in Washington and state capitals, organized rallies at the southern border and helped register over 20,000 voters.

Our motto: We will not be complicit by being complacent. We believe that Jesus really meant it when he said that we should love our neighbors  meaning everyone, as the parable of the good Samaritan makes clear  and care for the poor, the sick, the homeless, the vulnerable. This is the calling of all Christians. We have been called to love.

We have our work cut out for us. In fact, the ante has just been raised in this conflict between fear and love.
Indian authorities are not leaving any stone unturned to prepare ahead of US president Donald Trumps visit next week. Recently, they hastily erected a half-kilometer (1,640ft) brick wall to block the view of slums behind them in Gujarats capital.



Slum-dwellers in the city of Ahmedabad say they have been served eviction notices by municipal authorities.

Interestingly, authorities have more in mind to make the country look clean and polished.

Trump is set to visit India on a two-day trip between February 23 and 26. The main segment of the visit will take place in Delhi, though an option of having a short visit by the president to another city is being explored.

BCCL

Agra and Ahmedabad are being considered for Trump's visit.

Keeping in mind US President Trumps visit to Agra, 500 cusecs of water has been released from the Ganganahar to improve the environmental condition of the Yamuna. This water will reach the Yamuna in Mathura by February 20 and Agra by February 21 afternoon, the departments Superintending Engineer Dharmender Singh Phogat told news agency PTI.

He said the department aims to maintain a certain level of water in the Yamuna till February 24.

This move is likely to reduce the foul smell from the Yamuna, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) assistant engineer Arvind Kumar said when asked about the development.

If 500 cusecs of water has been released into the Yamuna to control pollution, it will certainly have an impact. This will also improve the oxygen level in the Yamuna in Mathura and in Agra. This move may not make the Yamunas water fit for drinking, but could reduce foul smell from the river, he added.
Image One of the guest bathrooms, with a suspended sink and a circular light fixture similar to the one in the kitchen. Credit... Engel & Volkers Berlin

The trend has been up for the last 10 years, said Claire Locke, an account manager for Germany at Knight Franks offices in London. Weve seen huge growth.

Although there has been substantial new construction of both rental and ownership housing in the city, it hasnt been enough to keep up with demand from a rapidly expanding population, including an influx of refugees, Ms. Locke said.

Berlin added about 250,000 new residents from 2012 to 2017, according to government figures. The resulting spike in rents, which has driven out many older and lower-income residents, prompted the city government to institute a five-year rent freeze in January. The freeze, which only applies to units built before 2014, is scheduled to take effect in March.

Ms. Locke estimated that about 85 percent of households in Berlin are renters, making the pool of home buyers a distinct minority. Culturally, homeownership isnt a big priority in Germany, she said. Typically, people in Berlin will rent the same apartment for 10 or 15 years.

Now, however, the severe shortage of rental apartments is causing more locals to consider buying, said Peter Guthmann, the managing director at the Berlin-based Guthmann Real Estate.

The pressure on the rental market is so big that the only chance to get an apartment is to buy one, Mr. Guthmann said, noting that the average asking price for an existing two-bedroom apartment in the city is about 320,000 euros (around $345,000). Otherwise, you will wait for a long time. So now we have more of a mix of buyers, Berliners as well as people from abroad.
Georgia's Interior Minister Vakhatang Gomelauri has been appointed as new secretary of the National Security Council, replacing former Defence Minister Levan Izoria in the role.

Gomelauri will have to fulfill the duties of both the interior minister and the secretary of the National Security Council starting today, Agenda.ge reported.

"The National Security Council is a very important body. I congratulate Gomelauri on his appointment as a new secretary of the council, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said.

The National Security Council is the PMs eight-member advisory body, responsible for national security policy planning and coordination.

Izoria, who became the secretary of the council in November 2019, resigned in January 2020 and was appointed as Georgias new ambassador to Germany.
A former South Korean coast guard chief was indicted Tuesday for allegedly bungling rescue operations at one of the country's deadliest maritime disasters, when more than 300 people were killed, most of them schoolchildren. The 6,825-tonne Sewol capsized off the south coast in April 2014, and many of the students -- who were on a school trip -- obeyed orders to stay in their cabins as the vessel slowly sank. The disaster triggered intense public fury when it emerged then-president Park Geun-hye was uncontactable for several hours as the disaster unfolded. Kim Suk-kyoon, who led the coast guard at the time of the accident, was indicted on accusations of "professional negligence resulting in death" for failing to take necessary rescue action, said a prosecution representative. He is the most senior official to face criminal trial over the sinking, but another 10 current and former coast guard officers were also indicted on the same charges. The Sewol's captain Lee Joon-seok -- one of the first people to leave the sinking ship, abandoning hundreds of children trapped inside -- was convicted of negligence and murder in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison. Other crew members were jailed for terms ranging from 18 months to 12 years.
Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing was being praised for his plainspoken tough talk after he apparently said disgraceful Singaporean panic buyers were behaving like idiots and threw shade at Hong Kongs handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

His comments, made in a roughly 20-minute clip that has been spreading online this week, has gotten the attention of Singaporeans who seemed to enjoy his Singlish-steeped straight-talk and agreed with what he said. The clip was recorded in a closed-door meeting with business leaders.

Just a small group behaving like idiots like that will kill all of us, it will kill our current price negotiation strategy, it will kill our future business strategy  I was very upset on Saturday because it has long-term implications on our international standing. Every country can behave like idiots, Singaporeans must not behave like idiots, the voice that sounds like Chan says in the ostensibly leaked clip.



Chan has not denied making the comments and wrote online Monday after it began spreading that he had given a frank assessment of what had transpired to members of the Singapore Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry. He said the meeting was held days after the disease outbreak threat level was raised, triggering widespread alarm.

He is heard in the clip saying it was disgraceful to see photos and videos of Singaporeans scrambling to buy supplies such as rice and toilet paper, which he said could lead suppliers to raise prices.

Actually its not kiasu, actually never think, he said, using a popular Hokkien word for selfish. Never think. First of all, what is there to run? Of all things rice, rice since 1970 ah, weve been stockpiling. He also attributed Singapores unusual behavior to Hong Kong, where similar scenes had unfolded just days prior.

You know why this is so bad? Hong Kong behave badly. OK lah, their problem lah. Correct? But Hong Kong behave badly, and even if they behave like idiots, somebody will do business with them because they are part of China.

Story continues

If we behave badly, people think that our society is like that one, we lose our brain one and cannot be steady one, will anybody want to do business with us after this or not? Already people try to raise the price already. Then we all behave like idiots like that, the foreign supplier will all [again] raise their price, he said, using a Malay term.

The clip, which had been shared to multiple Facebook pages as of Wednesday morning, also saw the minister explaining Singapores decision to limit the use of face masks in order to reserve supply for medical workers and service staff.

He said that if every Singaporean were to use a face mask, like in Hong Kong, it would create a severe shortage of supply and broken down Singapores hospital system.

What is happening to Hong Kong now? What did South China Morning Post just report about Hong Kong? They are down to less than one month supply of masks for their medical people. Which means that when the medical people dont even get the mask, you think they dare to go and take care of the sick people?

If we have done what we have done like Hong Kong, without thinking  if [Prime Minister], myself, Lawrence Wong, Gan Kim Yong go to press conference, everybody wear a mask, today, everybody panic, I can guarantee you today, our hospital system would have broken down, the audio recording was heard saying, naming Singapores National Development and Health ministers respectively.

Singaporeans mostly seemed to enjoy Chans coffee shop talk. Some were surprised to hear the minister show an ah beng side, a term for stereotypically crass Chinese men.

Talk behind closed door not steady enough. Coming [General Election] talk like this and I will [clap] for you and say you really steady beng, a Facebook user wrote.

After listening to the whole record, I agree totally with what Mr Chan have shared. I dont think he is Beng. What he did was, to convey as such so the necessary message can be brought across, Facebook user SC Lee said.

His direct, no nonsense and matter-of-factly speaking the true sentiments of every educated Singaporean. Thumbs up CCS!! Marina Nasser said.

Related:

Please stop: Woman finds used face masks littered near Tan Tock Seng Hospital

COVID-19: Heres every coronavirus infection in Singapore on a map

This article, Singlish-slinging minister praised for calling outbreak panic buyers idiots, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters!
(@FahadShabbir)

DOHA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2020) Qatari telecommunications company Ooredoo is investigating media reports that the head of the firm's Algerian branch, German citizen Nikolai Beckers, has been expelled from the country for dismissing 900 Algerian workers, an Ooredoo representative told Sputnik on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the Algerian Ennahar broadcaster reported that Beckers had been expelled on the order of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune after the company dismissed 900 Algerian employees without good reason. The broadcaster cited that the company does not have any financial difficulties and that its Algerian operations have an annual turnover of $1 billion.

"Ooredoo is currently investigating the situation," a company representative told Sputnik.

The broadcaster also reported that the dismissals only affected Algerian workers. Foreign citizens, who earn higher wages than their Algerian counterparts, were allowed to remain with the firm.

Beckers was escorted by Algerian security forces to a local airport for deportation, the broadcaster reported.

Ooredoo is one of the largest cellular providers in Algeria, with a market share approaching 30 percent as of 2018.
The Alfred Sparman Scholarship Program will be offered to students enrolled at a college or university in the U.S., Canada, Barbados, and the U.K.

ST. MICHAEL, BARBADOS / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / Dr. Alfred Sparman is excited to announce the relaunch of his academic scholarship program. The Alfred Sparman Scholarship Program will provide one scholarship of $2,000 and two additional scholarships of $1,000 each for college and university students in the U.S., Canada, Barbados, and the U.K.

The program will officially launch on February 25 and will close on May 31, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Dr. Alfred Sparman is a successful medical professional and the CEO of The Sparman Clinic in Barbados. Having attended several higher education institutions himself, Dr. Sparman understands the value of education and is proud to help students reach their full academic potential.

Alfred Sparman's last scholarship program closed at the end of January.

Applicants are required to submit proof of enrollment in the form of an acceptance letter. Applicants must also write and submit a cover letter that states their program of choice and why they require financial aid in the form of a scholarship. Students are also encouraged to highlight their educational and professional achievements, as well as any volunteer work they have done.

Alfred Sparman thanks all applicants for their submissions. Only the successful applicants will be contacted.

For more information, please visit https://www.alfredsparmanscholarship.com/.

About Dr. Alfred Sparman

Dr. Alfred Sparman obtained his Bachelor of Chemistry from Long Island University and his Medical Degree from New York Medical College. With a passion for the medical field, he furthered his education by completing his medical residency at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital and a Cardiology Fellowship at Jacksonville Medical Center. Having been trained by some of the best cardiologists in Florida, Dr. Sparman relocated to Barbados in 2001 and established The Sparman Clinic, with the primary goal of providing advanced cardiac care. Dr. Alfred Sparman values his patients and works diligently to ensure they receive top quality treatment.

For more information on his practice visit his website at https://www.alfred-sparman.com/.

CONTACT:

Dr. Alfred Sparman

Email: apply@alfredsparmanscholarship.com

SOURCE: Dr. Alfred Sparman

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/576989/Dr-Alfred-Sparman-Announces-Relaunch-of-Scholarship-Program
A Chattanooga man who was once charged in a killing in which the victim was shot over 10 times is out of prison and has been caught with several weapons following a police chase. One of the weapons that was just behind the driver's seat was an AR-15.

Jermichael Tillery, 26, is facing a host of new charges after the run-in with police on Feb. 9.

Tillery was charged with criminal homicide in 2016 in the murder of 27-year-old Cornelius Douglas at 1419 Carousel Road.

He eventually entered a guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter and got a three-year term. Prosecutors said an eyewitness had changed his story.

At the time of the murder charge, Tillery already had picked up charges of armed robbery, possessing a dangerous weapon, reckless endangerment, theft, evading arrest and drug possession.

Just over a week ago, officers responded to a report of shots fired at the Cross Creek Apartments. As they approached, officers spotted a black, newer model Jeep Wrangler going away from the apartments at a very high rate of speed.

The officers gave chase and the Jeep came to an abrupt stop on Webb Road. They saw a black male with a light complexion, a black top and short twisted dreads. The driver looked at one officer on his left, then looked at the officer on his right, then he took off at a high rate of speed.

Police were told that the vehicle ran through a yard on Arbor Drive and then turned onto the dead end Teakwood Drive, where the Jeep was abandoned. The driver got away on foot.

Police found a fully loaded Bersa 9mm handgun in the driver's seat. The loaded AR-15 was in the back driver's side floorboard near a bag with a box of 9mm ammunition, a box of .357 ammunition and two 7.62x39 rounds.

In the center console police found two small baggies of crack cocaine, pills, a scale and a glass jar that smelled strongly of marijuana.

In the rear of the vehicle was a backpack that held two gallon-size baggies of marijuana.

Also in the Jeep was a wallet with an Oklahoma ID for Jermichael Tillery. The officers who encountered the vehicle said the driver was Tillery.

The Jeep was found to have been stolen from a female relative of Tillery.

His new charges include drug possession for resale, felony reckless endangerment, evading arrest and auto theft.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks during a campaign event on February 17, 2020 in Richmond, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Justin Sullivan

When Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., proposed legislation last year to tax stock trades, he decried the "recklessness of Wall Street billionaires" and cited a goal of building an economy "that works for all Americans." Now, Sanders and other Democratic Party presidential candidates  Michael Bloomberg, most recently  are leveraging a "financial transaction" tax as a way to fix wealth inequality and fund central initiatives such as health-care reform. But there's one problem: The tax could end up hitting average Americans, as well, namely those saving for retirement, future health costs or a child's college education. "While a financial transaction tax would be a progressive source of revenue, it would impact everyday folks, too, both directly and indirectly," said Garrett Watson, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a right-leaning think tank. Proponents of the tax, on the other hand, call that type of forecast overblown and say the tax would ultimately be in the best interests of Main Street investors.

A financial transaction tax would impose an additional cost on trades of stocks and bonds. Most Democratic candidates support a 0.1% tax for trades. At that rate, an investor would pay $10 to buy 100 shares of a $100 stock.

Targeting rich Americans

Wealthy Americans are one of its chief targets. About half of U.S. households own stock, either directly or via mutual funds and retirement accounts, for example. However, the richest 10% of households control the lion's share  84%  of the value of those stocks, according to an analysis by Edward Wolff, an economist at New York University. But everyday Americans are increasingly being pushed to take more individual responsibility for their finances, by saving in 401(k) plans, health savings accounts and 529 college savings plans. These trends are playing out as employers shift away from pensions and embrace high-deductible health plans, and as the cost of higher education has ballooned. Americans who invest money in these savings plans  which largely use mutual funds with a mix of stocks and bonds  would be affected by the proposed tax.

While details of how Democrats would apply a financial transaction tax are vague, opponents say it could hit Americans each time they contribute to an account such as a 401(k)  so, with every paycheck  and when they withdraw money later. It could also cost investors each time they rebalance their account, which financial advisors typically recommend doing at least once a year. Investors could also bear the tax indirectly from asset managers, especially those who trade often and then pass the tax cost along to investors. The tax would cost a retirement saver with a $100,000 account about $281 per year, according to the Modern Markets Initiative, a trade group representing high-frequency traders, one of the cohorts that would be hard hit by a financial transaction tax. That would compound to $64,232 over a 40-year period of saving, according to the group. (It based its calculation on Sanders' tax framework  a 0.5% tax on stock trades and 0.1% on bonds.) Vanguard Group, an asset manager, said "everyday savers" would need to work around 2 years longer before retiring if a 0.1% transaction tax were imposed. The firm, which oversees roughly $5.6 trillion, also said the tax would require a college saver to take an extra $7,800 in student loans or save an additional $250 per year. (Its analysis assumes a parent saves $8,000 a year for 18 years.) More from Personal Finance

Tax scams are in full swing. How to protect yourself

Bloomberg Social Security, retirement savings plans

Americans have $21 billion in unused gift cards However, some proponents of a financial transaction tax say it would be beneficial for society. "The various ideas for how to use revenue from a financial transaction tax would almost certainly help people of modest means more than the tax would [negatively] affect people of modest means," said Taylor Lincoln, research director at Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group. Sanders' proposed tax, for example, would raise an estimated $60 billion to $220 billion annually, according to the Tax Foundation.

'Medicare for all'
The Niti Aayog on Wednesday held a meeting with the captains of industry in the pharmaceutical sector to discuss the impact of disruption in supplies of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) following the coronavirus outbreak in China.

According to sources, hosts of measures were discussed aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing of APIs to reduce dependence on imports of the APIs from China.

The meeting was chaired by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and attended by Pharmaceutical Department Secretary P D Vaghela and Biocon Chairperson and Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, among others.

"Fruitful, constructive & positive meeting with captains of industry in pharmaceutical sector to discuss the options for domestic manufacturing of critical APIs on which India is import dependent. Consensus arrived at on a range of policy measures for creating ecosystem in India," Kant said in a tweet after the meeting.

According to the sources, Kant told industry captains that they should try to become globally competitive to beat China that accounted for 67.56 per cent of the total imports of bulk drugs and drug intermediates at USD 2,405.42 million to India in 2018-19.

Zydus Group Chairman Pankaj Patel had on Tuesday said that the prices of the key pharmaceutical ingredients could rise if the coronavirus situation in China does not improve soon.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had on Tuesday met the representatives of various sectors, including pharmaceuticals, textiles, chemicals, electronics and IT hardware, solar, auto, surgical equipments, and paints, to review the situation following the outbreak of the deadly virus in China.

She had said the government would soon announce measures to deal with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the domestic industry.

Describing pharmaceutical, chemical and solar equipment sectors as the worst affected, the finance minister had said disruptions are visible in these due to delay in shipment.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals has already constituted a high-level panel to assess the impact of the outbreak of the deadly virus in China on the supply of APIs in India.

Official sources had said that Indian drugmakers have told the high-level committee that they currently have stocks for the next two-three months.

There has been no supply from the neighbouring country for the past 20-25 days, mainly due to Chinese New Year holidays, sources had said.

India has a high dependence on China for fermentation-based APIs and intermediates.

Companies have been maintaining 2-3 months inventory of these APIs and intermediates, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) Secretary General Sudarshan Jain had earlier said.

India imports bulk drugs and APIs for producing medicines, including certain essential medicines, from China.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
So far, Pete Buttigieg has made it look easy.

The once little-known former mayor of a midsize Midwestern city vaulted over a former vice president and several U.S. senators in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire presidential primary. The 38-year-old's fresh face, intellect and turn-the-page message won votes across many demographic groups in the kickoff states.

Now the promise of his candidacy is colliding with the reality of the central question about his viability: Can he win among minority voters who form the critical foundation of the partys base?

That will be tested Saturday in Nevada, with a diverse blend of Latinos and African Americans, but especially in South Carolina, where two-thirds of the primary electorate could be black voters, the base of the Democratic Party that Buttigieg has struggled to attract.

Buttigieg's strategy is to earn a fresh look from black and brown voters by flashing his support in the first two contests, drawing on the validation of minority leaders who have endorsed him and leveraging the personal networks of his supporters.

With the South Carolina primary rapidly approaching Feb. 29, he faces a steep climb.

I've not seen any real support coming from black local officials. Pete has to make the case himself," said state Sen. Gerald Malloy, a longtime supporter of former Vice President Joe Biden's who has not endorsed a 2020 candidate. He's obviously a tireless warrior and making the calls. The question is: Will people answer?"

The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor, who has registered negligible support among black voters nationally, has been to South Carolina 10 times and has been airing ads on black radio stations in South Carolina since last fall, as well as ads in black newspapers.

He has been airing TV ads in the state since December, and this month began a spot reflecting his call for parting with the politics of the past.

In it, Walter A. Clyburn Reed, the grandson of Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the highest-ranking African American in the House, and Abe Jenkins, grandson of civil rights activist Esau Jenkins, pay tribute to their forebears but call Buttigieg a fresh start.

It and other ads blanketing YouTube and Facebook reinforce Buttigieg's heavy outreach to younger black voters, especially on college campuses, such as the historically black institutions South Carolina State University and Claflin University in Orangeburg.

Reed said college students are intrigued by Buttigieg's Douglass Plan, aimed at ending systemic racism, but especially are drawn to his call for a culture of belonging.

Thats something that they havent heard from a candidate," Reed said. So, really, when he started to hone in on that message, college voters were very attracted to it.

But for older black voters, both in South Carolina and Nevada, Buttigieg faces another kind of test: whether they will vote for a gay candidate.

Joan Welch, a 63-year-old African American minister and social worker in Las Vegas, said she cant support Buttigieg because of his sexual orientation.

Im against homosexuality. I love everybody, but I'm against that lifestyle, Welch said as she waited to cast her vote for Biden at an early caucus site.

As part of his effort to persuade voters like Welch, Buttigieg has turned from larger-turnout events to more intimate listening sessions that give the candidate a better sense of South Carolina black voters and them a better sense of him, aides said.

Buttigieg has since hosted small-group meetings and has dispatched black elected officials, such as South Bend Councilwoman Sharon McBride and Waterloo, Iowa, Mayor Quentin Hart.

Buttigieg faced criticism last month for hesitating before committing to attend a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in Columbia, South Carolina, with other 2020 candidates. He continues to face questions about the departure of South Bend's first black police chief shortly after Buttigieg took office and about his department's handling of the deadly shooting of an armed black man by a white officer in June.

And he recently struggled when pressed during the ABC debate in New Hampshire about the disproportionate arrests of black people for marijuana possession.

There are at least modest signs of progress, including in California, one of 14 states in the March 3 Super Tuesday primaries. Nina Smallwood, who attended a Buttigieg event in Sacramento, California, on Friday, said she thought he could win over voters of color.

In this next debate, hes going to have to really make a plea," the 41-year-old Smallwood said. Black people want to feel like our voices are heard, as well as everybodys. I definitely think he has an opportunity."

In Iowa and New Hampshire, Buttigieg's coalition looked more like the electorate overall by age and education than the other top candidates', though voters in those states reflected little racial diversity, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the electorate.

In New Hampshire, about 1 in 10 voters were nonwhite. Buttigieg earned support from 14% of such voters, roughly comparable to support for other top contenders, except Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, backed by roughly 4 in 10 nonwhite voters.

Buttigieg is also targeting pockets of black voters scattered widely across South Carolina, in part by tapping his campaign organizers' personal networks of churches and pastors.

In December, Buttigieg visited tiny Allendale, in southwest South Carolina, which had been visited by one other Democratic presidential candidate  former Sen. John Edwards in 2008  in the past 50 years.

Although Biden is the favorite in South Carolina, Buttigieg could claim success by chinning himself into double-digit support among black voters, aides say.

He has the opportunity to improve his standing with a respectable showing in Nevada, where he also is touting the validation of supporters, such as fellow millennial Nevada state Rep. Sandra Jauregui, who is Latina.

Buttigieg was the first candidate to begin airing Spanish language ads in New Hampshire and began airing a new one last week in which the candidate, fluent in seven languages, speaks Spanish throughout.

His team conducts caucus training in Spanish, as 40% of his organizing staff speaks Spanish.

After opening his headquarters in Las Vegas, Buttigieg's first Nevada field office opened in September in the heavily Latino neighborhood of East Las Vegas.

While Nevada could provide some energy to the campaign, South Carolina will go a long way to answering whether Buttigieg can survive as a candidate, said Malloy.

Hes very capable, and he has the money. But the network and the money without the people with him isnt good enough, Malloy said. Theres time, but Im not sure how much.
An overground worker of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit was arrested by the police in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, officials said on Wednesday.

"Police in Kulgam arrested a terrorist associate of proscribed outfit LeT. He has been identified as Zubair Ahmed Ganai," a police spokesperson said.

As per police records, Ganai has been assisting active LeT terrorists operating in Kulgam district.

"As per investigations, he was involved in providing logistic support, shelter to LeT terrorists operating in the area besides assisting them in transportation and travel," the spokesperson.

Incriminating materials, including ammunition and mobile phones have been recovered from him.A vehicle used for transportation of militants has also been seized, the spokesperson added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Trump granted a full pardon to former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik on Tuesday, clearing him of his eight counts of tax fraud, lying to federal investigators, and other crimes that accompanied his downfall. Kerik had already served his three years in prison for his crimes, but the pardon wipes out more than his criminal record, the New York Daily News reports. "The pardon cancels out $103,300 in restitution that Kerik still owed the Internal Revenue Service as part of his sentence, according to a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan."

The White House credited Kerik's friend and former boss in New York City, Rudy Giuliani  now Trump's personal lawyer and Ukraine fixer  for helping persuade Trump to pardon Kerik. Another friend of both Kerik and Trump, Newsmax chief executive Christopher Ruddy, told the Daily News that Trump's pardon was "a just decision" in light of Kerik's "minor stuff" crimes.

One of Kerik's former colleagues in the Giuliani administration, NYC Parks Commissioner Henry Stern, recalled Kerik's multifaceted downfall from heroic 9/11 figure to flamed-out reject for Homeland Security secretary slightly differently back in late 2004, The New Yorker recounted: "Officials have gotten into trouble for sexual misconduct, abusing their authority, personal bankruptcy, failure to file documents, waste of public funds, receiving substantial unrecorded gifts, and association with organized crime figures. It is rare for anyone to be under fire on all seven of the above issues."

More stories from theweek.com

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The major US newspaper chain McClatchy, which has operated since 1857, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Thursday. New York City-based hedge fund Chatham Asset Management will take over the publisher, which producers 30 newspapers including the Kansas City Star, Miami Herald and Sacramento Bee, which have each won numerous awards for their investigative reporting.

McClatchy announced that it plans to restructure its pension obligations and address $700 million in debt at its bankruptcy hearings. It incurred significant debt after it acquired publisher Knight Ridder for $4.5 billion in 2006, just before the 2008 economic crisis which contributed to a significant reduction in revenue from subscription sales.

Chathams holdings were valued over $4 billion dollars in 2019 and include principal ownership of tabloid publisher American Media, parent of the National Enquirer which attracted the attention of federal investigators after it acquired and suppressed secret details of Donald Trumps personal affairs during the 2016 US Presidential election campaign.

The hedge funds founder Anthony Melchiorre is known for his ruthless business tactics. American Media was described in Fortune by Chatham investor and part-owner Leon Cooperman as scrappy and [not] afraid of litigation to defend their investments, and that their primary aim is to make money for their clientsthat is, the US corporate and financial ruling elite.

Chathams planned takeover of McClatchy will mean that the vast majority of US news production will be controlled by financial firms, according to media analyst Ken Doctor. Currently, Gannett, the worlds largest newspaper media chain, is owned by private equity behemoth Fortress Investment Group. Gannett currently publishes USA Today, the Detroit Free Press and the Indianapolis Star among others.

Another giant publisher, MediaNews Group, is controlled by Alden Capital, another New York-based hedge fund. MediaNews Group publishes the Denver Post and San Jose Mercury and announced in late 2019 that it had become the largest shareholder of the Tribune Company, which publishes the Chicago Tribune and several other major daily newspapers.

Daily and weekly news publishers are facing financial crisis as the industry moves away from print publications and loses the revenue of print ads, which are far more lucrative than digital advertising which has now become the norm with Americans now consuming most of their news online. The shift to the internet as the primary means for getting daily news has prompted waves of consolidation among publishers that look to benefit from economies of scale and cut costs, many times through mass layoffs of journalists and other employees.

The New York Times reports that [r]oughly a quarter of the newspapers in the United States, most of them weeklies, have been shut down since 2004, and about 50 percent of newspaper jobs have been eliminated in that time.

Chathams planned acquisition of McClatchys will be no exception. Both of its competitors MediaNews and Gannett are notorious in the industry for slashing jobs after buyouts. For example, after the Denver Post was taken over by MediaNews the daily paper carried out newsroom layoffs in 2016 and 2018. In 2010, Gannett increased executive salaries and bonuses and then laid off 700 employees in the US during the following year.

A statement from Kevin McClatchy, chairman of the company, given at a press conference Thursday, suggests that current and former employees will also face significant cuts to their pension plans, saying that [w]hile we tried hard to avoid this step, theres no question that the scale of our 75-year-old pension planwith 10 pensioners for every single active employeeis a reflection of another economic era.

For-profit publishing companies have adapted to changes in news media consumption produced by the advent and growth of the internet over the past several decades, including offering a wider availability of free news. However, a concentrated effort to curb free and open access to news is now underway by the giant conglomerates. In 2012, Gannett sought to boost its profits by implementing paywall restricted access to all of its online daily news publications with the exception of the USA Today, further restricting public access to up-to-date news. The cost of major daily publications, including the official mouthpieces of the Democratic Party, the New York Times and the Washington Postwhich was acquired by Amazon CEO and worlds richest man Jeff Bezos in 2013are increasingly financially out of reach for most workers in the US.

Not only does the nearly complete financialization of the US news industry, ushered in with the McClatchy bankruptcy, serve the immediate profit interests of the financial parasites which own the companies, it also has significant implications for access to the news and the democratic right to freedom of the press.

As owners of the national and local newspapers, the representatives of finance capital will be able to use these outlets to promote their political interests as well. The giant Wall Street hedge funds and private equity firms get their economic power from the financial profits of global corporations like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Tesla who rely on their ability to deeply exploit the labor of workers around the world.

These and many other corporations are involved in human rights abuses and seek to whitewash their crimes. Their political representatives in the US, the Democratic and Republican parties, demand that the press cover up the war crimes of the imperialist powers to stave off the massive opposition in the working class. Most importantly, they seek to block the growth of support for socialism among the working class and will move ever more ruthlessly to suppress the right to freedom of the press.

The right to freedom of the press in the US and worldwide can only be defended by an independent political initiative of international working class itself and a fight for the productive forces of the media and communications industries to be placed under international public control.
It's official: Murray State becomes member of Missouri Valley Conference
A 14-year-old Dublin schoolboy is to stand trial accused of raping a girl.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at the Dublin Childrens Court charged with sexual abuse offences, which allegedly occurred when he was aged 12 and 13 years.

The teen, who was accompanied to court by his parents and his solicitor, was granted bail pending the preparation of a book of evidence.

He was charged that between June 2018 and March last year he intentionally caused a child to look at images of himself or people engaged in sexual activity. This is contrary to section six of the Criminal Law (Sex Offences)Act.

He also faced six other counts of rape of the girl at his home and two other locations, one in Dublin and another outside the capital, on various dates between June 2018 and March 2019.

These charges were under section two of the Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1981 and section four of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act, 1990.

Garda Sarah Fitzgerald told Judge Treasa Kelly that the boy "made no reply after charge" today. The teen was on the defendants bench while his parents sat silently near him throughout the hearing.

After evidence of his arrest was given, a State solicitor asked for an adjournment to prepare a book of evidence.

"The Director [of Public Prosecutions] directed this matter will be dealt with on indictment", the court heard.

This means the boy will face trial at the Central Criminal Court.

Due to the nature of the serious allegations, the Childrens Court, does not have discretion to consider retaining jurisdiction to hear the case.

There was no objection to bail subject to a condition stipulating that the boy could not have any contact with the complainant or prosecution witnesses.

The teen has not indicated how he will plead and spoke just once during the hearing, quietly saying "yes" when asked if he understood.

He nodded when told he will have to come back to the Childrens Court in April. After he was given his bail bond, he left with his parents.

Legal aid was granted after defence solicitor Lorraine Stephens told the court the boy was a student. She said it was hoped the book of evidence will be ready when the case resumes in April.
Betti Halsell in LA Sentinal:

The footprints of a child are small but on November 14, 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges walked with purpose as she became the first African American student to integrate an elementary school in the South. This venture leads to the advancement of the Civil Rights Movement and created a pathway for further integration across the southern parts of the U.S.

Before Ruby could crawl, the monumental court ruling in Brown V. Board of Education case (1954) had transpired in favor of ending segregation in public schools. There was resistance along the southern lines. Although the Supreme Court deemed segregation in public schooling was unconstitutional, integration was not being practiced in the South. In 1959, Ruby Bridges started her educational journey at a segregated kindergarten in New Orleans. A year later, the federal court ordered Louisiana to desegregate its public institutions of education. The school district created an entrance exam, to test if African American students were capable to withstand the same level of academics as their White counterparts. Along with five other Black students, Ruby passed the test.

Like all concerned parents, Abon and Lucille Bridges were apprehensive about the act of moving their small child into an all-White school. With the spirit of aggression and lack of understanding in the air, little Rubys safety was of utmost importance. Her well-being was the main reason for the hesitance in Abons mind. It was Rubys mother who favored the move to take place on the premise that her child will receive an education and opportunities that were once denied to her before.

The decision was made, but there was plenty of red tape from the school district that yielded the steps towards change. At last, early Monday morning, Ruby, alongside her mother, took her first steps into victory over segregation. This was no ordinary first day of school; they were met with great adversity. Mobs of people chanted and shouted at Ruby and her mother. The only things between the rage of the people and the young girl were barricades clearing the pathway and the cops that escorted her in and surrounded the building. After Ruby entered William Frantz Elementary School, mothers of the other children barged in and ripped their children out from their classes; over 500 children walked out that day. For the first year, it was just a class of one. Ruby alone was taught by the only teacher willing, Mrs. Barbara Henry. Ruby had perfect attendance that year.

More here. (Note: Throughout February, at least one post will honor The Black History Month. This years theme is African Americans and the Vote. Readers are encouraged to send in their suggestions)
NORRISTOWN  A Bridgeport man is headed to prison after he admitted to attacking and injuring another man during a strong-arm robbery as the victim was walking to a transportation center in Norristown.

Daryl Cook, 39, of the 300 block of West Fifth Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 6 to 14 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of robbery in connection with the Jan. 7, 2019, incident near Main and Swede streets in Norristown.

Judge Steven T. ONeill, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, ordered Cook to pay $879 in restitution and to have no contact with the victim, as conditions of the sentence.

County Assistant District Attorney Furrah Qureshi sought a lengthy prison term against Cook.

The victim in this case was a grad student who was an out-of-towner and the defendant victimized him, robbed him and beat him in a horrible way, Qureshi said.

Qureshi said the victim, who is from Philadelphia, supported the plea agreement and the outcome of the case, which avoided a trial.

Cook, who was represented by defense lawyer John McMahon Jr., pleaded guilty to the charge shortly before jury selection was to begin for his trial.

Mr. Cook clearly made the best decision that he could have made under the circumstances. Even though it was a difficult decision for him, sometimes you have to cut your losses, McMahon said.

An investigation began about 7:36 p.m. Jan. 7, 2019, when Norristown police were dispatched to Swede and Main streets for a reported robbery with the suspect fleeing along Main Street, according to the criminal complaint. Arriving officers found the male victim suffering from several abrasions on his face and his hands.

The victim told police he was walking on Swede Street heading to the Norristown Transportation Center when he was knocked down from behind, Norristown Detective Charles Leeds wrote in the arrest affidavit. Cook, detectives alleged, got on top of the victim, punched him and demanded his wallet.

A bystander who happened to be going by during the incident stopped and intervened in the incident, thereby saving the victim from further victimization, Qureshi added.

According to court papers, the eyewitness confronted Cook and Cook did not disengage from the victim until the witness drew a firearm and advised Cook to stop the assault. Cook then fled from the area on foot, court papers indicate. The Good Samaritan witness remained at the scene until police arrived.

The victim was transported to Paoli Hospital for treatment of his injuries, detectives said. The Philadelphia man suffered a concussion, multiple facial contusions and abrasions, a blackened eye and swollen lips, according to court papers.

Detectives obtained video surveillance footage from cameras situated at the BP Gas Station and McDonalds complex at Route 202 and Main Street and at several locations along West Main Street. The video footage showed the victim, talking on the phone and carrying a bag, leaving the BP and McDonalds complex on foot and walking along Main Street toward Swede Street and the transportation center. A man, subsequently identified as Cook, is depicted in the video surveillance footage following the victim and accosting him on Swede Street, just south of Main Street, according to court papers.

The attacker approaches the victim from the rear where he knocks the victim to the ground. The attacker then proceeds to go through the victims pockets while the victim is on the ground. The attacker then beats the victim, Leeds alleged.

The video surveillance showed a Chevrolet SUV operated by the eyewitness turn south onto Swede Street from Main Street.

The operator of the vehicle, who is known to police, approaches the victim and attacker at which time the attacker ends his assault and flees north to Main Street then west on Main Street, Leeds alleged.

Detectives used images obtained from the video surveillance and facial recognition technology to positively identify Cook as the attacker, according to court papers. Cook was in custody within several days.

This case was solved relatively quickly and a dangerous person was taken off the street, said Qureshi, praising the investigation conducted by Norristown detectives.

Other charges of aggravated and simple assault and recklessly endangering another person were dismissed against Cook as part of the plea agreement.
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Motilal Oswal remained bullish on Indian Hotels and Lemon Tree Hotels on the back of management commentary post December quarter result.

The brokerage firm has a buy rating on Indian Hotels with a target price of Rs 190, implying a 45 percent potential upside from current levels. Meanwhile, it has a Lemon Tree Hotels with a target price of Rs 72, implying 22 percent potential upside from current levels.

Over FY20-22, the brokerage expects Indian Hotels to post revenue/EBITDA/ARR CAGR of 9/18/8 percent, while Lemon Tree is likely to show revenue/EBITDA CAGR of 26/36 percent over FY20-22, backed by stabilisation of the recently commenced hotels and contribution from Keys Hotel acquisition.

Indian Hotels share price gained 1.3 percent intraday and Lemon Tree Hotels rose 2.7 percent today after this report.

Aggregate revenue for the hospitality sector increased 5 percent YoY in Q3FY20, led by Lemon Tree (up 39 percent YoY) and Chalet Hotels (up 12 percent YoY). However, EIH's performance (down 4 percent YoY) was dragged by loss of flight catering business from Jet Airways.

Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation for Ind-AS 116) for the sector was up 12 percent YoY, driven by Lemon Tree (up 48 percent), Chalet (up 25 percent) and Indian Hotels (up 13 percent). EIH disappointed on this front too with a decline of 8 percent YoY.

Indian Hotels' consolidated revenue grew 4 percent YoY, while adjusted EBITDA was up 13 percent YoY, mainly driven by its standalone business (revenue/adjusted EBITDA up 7/13 percent YoY). Subsidiary revenue was down 1 percent YoY, but EBITDA increased 13 percent YoY led by cost-rationalization measures.

Lemon Tree Hotels delivered robust 39 percent YoY growth in revenue, mainly due to inventory addition (absent in the base quarter) and 7.5 percent revenue per available room (RevPAR) growth on a same-hotel basis. Its adjusted EBITDA was up 48 percent YoY, but on a same-hotel basis, revenue/EBITDA grew 6/19 percent YoY.

"Industry demand increased 4.7 percent YoY and supply was up 2.5 percent YoY in the quarter, indicating favourable a demand-supply scenario for the second straight quarter post elections," said Motilal Oswal.

"After dipping in Q1FY20 owing to elections, industry RevPAR growth appears to have come back on track at 5.5 percent YoY in Q3FY20 (up 2.5 percent in Q2FY20)," it added.

Indian Hotels' RevPAR grew 5.6 percent YoY to Rs 7,224 in Q3FY20; its network hotels delivered higher growth of 7-10 percent in key markets of Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Domestic hotel network room/F&B revenue grew 7/11 percent YoY.

Lemon Tree Hotels' RevPAR was up 1.9 percent YoY at Rs 3,311 in Q3. On a same-hotel basis, RevPAR was up 7.5 percent YoY (with ARR up 5.4 percent and occupancy up 148bp to 76.2 percent).

These companies in their conference call commonly said GST rate cut has boosted demand from retail customers, driving ARR growth for the quarter. Mix of retail customers has been on an uptrend over the last few years.

Hence Motilal Oswal feels the outlook for FY21 appears encouraging for free individual traveller (FIT) led by the GST rate cut and the likely recovery in the economy. "This should translate into ARR growth."

Indian Hotels said it has signed 24 management contract hotels with inventory of over 2,800 keys in FY20  an industry-leading figure. The company has repositioned 20 percent of the Ginger portfolio as lean-luxe hotels which have a premium of 26 percent in ARR. It will have around 370-room hotel under the Ginger brand in Santacruz, Mumbai, and will apply for Certificate of Commencement.

"Demand from large corporates and SMEs has been impacted, but the same is more than compensated by the retail segment. Retail share was up to 39 percent from 36 percent in Q3FY19. Cancellation trend was evident due to the coronavirus outbreak, but the same was offset by higher domestic demand," said Lemon Tree.

The company has taken a price hike of 3-4 percent for large corporates, 5-6 percent for SMEs and 8-10 percent for retail.

Indian Hotels Company was quoting at Rs 131.40, up Rs 0.60, or 0.46 percent and Lemon Tree Hotels was at Rs 59.70, up Rs 0.70, or 1.19 percent on the BSE at 1125 hours IST.

: The above report is compiled from information available on public platforms. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Spanish writer Lola Beccaria who has been living in Shanghai for three years recently published an article on Spanish newspaper El Pais to show support for Chinas efforts to combat the novel coronavirus epidemic.

She said that the Chinese are humorous, lively and friendly, and they remain unchanged in the epidemic. The Spanish writer saw the persistence of cities, as well as the conviction, equanimity and orderliness of the people. Everything the Chinese do is to defeat the epidemic, she wrote.

However, whats in stark contrast to this is the arrogance and prejudice of some western media which totally ignored the appeal of the World Health Organization (WHO), national leaders and other voices of justice in the international society to oppose stigma and discrimination. Such practice exactly exposed their unwisdom and viciousness, and will never be supported by the public.

Those who go against justice and morality will only receive condemnation. An article recently published by the Wall Street Journal that fans racial discrimination was refuted and opposed by its subscribers. Over 100,000 people have signed on the petitioning system of the White House to request apologies to the Chinese communities and a retitling or removal of the report.

German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel also triggered anger of the masses for the headline splashed across the magazines current cover that associates the novel coronavirus with made in China. Such practice was described as shameful by German internet users.

French newspaper Courrier Picard used yellow peril to report the epidemic, and was refuted by the French daily Le Figaro who said the practice was blatant racial discrimination against Asians in disguise of humor.

After Denmark's Jyllands-Posten printed a cartoon insulting the Chinese national flag, a city councilor of Odense, Denmark pointed out that the media outlet should apologize as it is not a question of free speech, but humanity.

The New York Times jumped to a conclusion that the epidemic might develop to a pandemic. However, the WHO immediately refuted it with authoritativeness that the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak is not a pandemic.

Media is an important tool to disseminate social information in the modern society, and a major channel for the public to learn the truths of news events. An article of the Time magazine recently compared the news coverage of the novel coronavirus in 2020 to that of Ebola in 2018, and found that the coverage of the 2019-nCoV had been unusually heavy.

It seems to me that the coronavirus is being covered in more sensationalistic terms than Ebola in 2018, said Steven Miller, a professor at the Rutgers School of Journalism and Media Studies.

What people should stay alert to is the common practices of certain western media to exaggerate fear and fan up social discrimination. The reason for such phenomenon is their inability to keep pace with time, as well as the civilization privileges and zero-sum games that crammed their brains.

Ignoring the efforts and achievements made by the Chinese people in combating the epidemic, stigmatizing China with racism, and impeding the efforts of the international society by creating panic, these media outlets have lost their sense for basic moral and social responsibility.

Besides, humanity is also absent in their indifferent and ugly reports which turn a totally blind eye to the death of the unfortunate and the forces of justice that are still fighting the virus to protect lives.

The notorious Wall Street Journal article kept saying that the 21st century has been an age of black swans, but it failed to understand the true intention of Nassim Nicholas Taleb who invented the term. In Talebs book Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life, he called on the world to share responsibilities in a bid to cope with uncertainties in reality, which is exactly a practical warning for the current time.

Its important that media shall never chase for the so-called freedom and lose their humanity when human beings are impacted by uncertainties such as virus attacks. What is the meaning for the existence of media if it arbitrarily escapes responsibility and morality? That is something that some western media should think.
Jack Handey gave us this deep thought:

If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is God is crying. And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is Probably because of something you did.

James Comeys Twitter feed is a fertile source of such deep thoughts. I give you, for example, the deep thought below.

Political candidates and elected officials should not talk about the future prosecution of any individual. Law enforcement decisions must be apolitical.  James Comey (@Comey) June 15, 2019

If we are to take this at face value and not merely as a signal of his inner truth and greatness, James Comey must be one of the least self-aware men in the annals of mankind. End of introduction.

The editors of the Washington Post frequently give Comey space to amplify his deep thoughts. They cant get enough of em. Comey contributed a column yesterday to ruminate on Attorney General William Barr. The column runs under the headline Justice is supposed to be blind. Bill Barr cant see that.

Query: Shouldnt such a column be accompanied by a disclosure from the author or the editors that Barr has assigned United States Attorney John Durham to investigate the origins of the FBI counterintelligence investigation in which James Comey was himself a protagonist?

In this column Comey posits the credibility of Department of Justice employees as a gift. He explains: That gift, which makes possible so much of the good they accomplish, is a reservoir of trust and credibility, a reservoir built for them, and filled one drop at a time, by those who went before  most of whom they never knew. They were people who made sacrifices and kept promises to contribute to that reservoir. They were people who made mistakes, and admitted them. They were people who made hard calls without regard to politics or privilege, who sought the facts and applied them to the law.

Comey continues in the mode of deep thoughts:

The obligation of all Justice employees is to protect that reservoir, to pass it to those who follow, who will likely never meet or know them. The problem with reservoirs is that it takes tremendous time and effort to fill them, but one hole in a dam can drain them quickly. The protection of that reservoir requires vigilance, an unerring commitment to truth and a recognition that the actions of one may affect the priceless gift that benefits all. If Justice Department employees are no longer seen as something separate in American life, we are all less safe. If jurors, judges, victims, witnesses, cops and sheriffs come to see them as part of a political tribe, and so trust them less, something essential is lost.

The problem with reservoirswell, they have lots of problems. The dam may be unsafe. The construction may be poor. The water may be poisoned. You may have a James Comey as the engineer or manager.

The problem with metaphors is something else entirely. If employed, they should add clarity or vividness to the writing. Bad metaphors do the opposite. They numb the mind of the writer as well as the reader. Comeys column provides a case in point.

Comey finally arrives at his utterly predictable destination: Now, one person, Attorney General William P. Barr, threatens the reservoir of trust.

If Comey had any friends, I should think they would have conducted an intervention on him by now. Comey is uninhibited in displaying his cluelessness to readers who get their news from the Post.

UPDATE: Lets add this musical reflection to Comeys deep thoughts. Its not just reservoirs!
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 18, 2020, Franklin Resources, Inc. ("Franklin Resources") and Legg Mason, Inc. ("Legg Mason") announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for Franklin Resources to acquire Legg Mason.

Royce Investment Partners ("Royce"), the investment advisor for each Fund, is currently an indirect subsidiary of Legg Mason. As part of this transaction, Royce would become an indirect subsidiary of Franklin Resources. The transaction is subject to approval by Legg Mason's shareholders and the satisfaction of certain customary closing conditions, including the receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals. Subject to the satisfaction of such conditions and the receipt of such approvals, the transaction is expected to be consummated later this year.

Under the Investment Company Act of 1940, consummation of the transaction will result in the automatic termination of each Fund's investment advisory agreement with Royce. Therefore, the Board of Directors of each of Royce Value Trust, Royce Micro-Cap Trust, and Royce Global Value Trust (the "Boards") will be asked to approve a new investment advisory agreement with Royce for each Fund. If approved by the Boards, the new investment advisory agreements for the Funds will be presented to their respective stockholders for approval.

Royce Value Trust, Royce Micro-Cap Trust, and Royce Global Value Trust is each a closed-end diversified management investment company whose shares of Common Stock (RVT, RMT, and RGT, respectively) are listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Each Fund's primary investment goal is long-term capital growth. RVT seeks this goal by investing at least 65% of its assets in equity securities primarily of small- and micro-cap companies. RMT seeks this goal by investing primarily in equity securities of companies that, at the time of investment, have market capitalization of $1 billion or less. Under normal market circumstances, RGT invests primarily in equity securities of U.S. and non-U.S. small- and mid-cap companies (generally market caps up to $10 billion) using a core approach.

Daily net asset values (NAVs) for all three of Royce's closed-end funds are available at royceinvest.com and elsewhere online through most ticker symbol lookup services and on broker terminals under the symbols XRVTX, XOTCX, and XRGTX. For more information, please call The Royce Funds at (800) 221-4268. An investor in any of the three Funds should consider its respective investment goals, risks, fees, and expenses carefully before investing.

Important Disclosure Information

Closed-End Funds are registered investment companies whose shares of common stock may trade at a discount to their net asset value. Shares of each Fund's common stock are also subject to the market risks of investing in the underlying portfolio securities held by the Fund.

SOURCE Royce Investment Partners
Last Christmas break, Kara Whiting spent from 8 to 3 a.m. every day perfecting her jewelry-making skills for her business Lilly Belle Jewelry Company. When school is in session, she spends the little time she has continuing to design and run her business.

Its gotten to a point where she knows how to make jewelry quickly but with high quality  and the hard work is beginning to pay off.

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This year, the Dallas Market Center named Whiting as an emerging artist, an award given among artists whose work points to innovative and fresh trends within fashion. Such an award, coupled with prestige and clout, is usually the jumping-off point for artists and designers and is not usually awarded to educators like Whiting.

Dallas Market Center is a global business-to-business trade center and the leading wholesale marketplace in North America connecting retailers and interior designers with top manufacturers in home decor, furniture, gifts, lighting, and fashion.

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Its a huge deal and its not something thats been awarded to a teacher, Whiting said. Its usually someone whos coming out of fashion school or someone who has been in the industry for ten plus years. So, for me in my first year doing this, to get awarded like this is pretty unheard of.

Since winning the award, Whiting has been rubbing shoulders with industry professionals, getting invited to festivals, and has been featured in fashion magazines. Determined to make her industry experience enhance her role as an educator, Whiting leads her students by example as someone who not only works in the fashion industry but also owns her own business, advertising, adapts to trends, and has unwavering enthusiasm about the product she designs.

It really motivates the kids to see you working on your art and doing something with it, Whiting said. It helps them see art as a valid thing and they love that. To be able to see your teacher actually working, it gives (starting an art career) validity.

Whiting began designing jewelry in 2009 as a professional development project for her 3D art classes which she teaches at Houston Christian High School. Wearable art soon became a passion and by 2019, she had launched a full-fledged line that attracted the attention of the Dallas Market Center. When she started Lilly Belle Jewelry Co., named after her dog, her companys goal was to give back to local animal rescues and not long after, she started making wearable pieces for dogs as well.

Spending about an hour making each earring, Whiting starts with polymer-based clay and hand mixes a variety of clay colors, makes the earring, sands them and seals them with an archival wax that is commonly used in paintings. All the earring backs are titanium for highly sensitive ears.

I set out to create pieces that any woman would feel self-confident wearing, Whiting said. Using lightweight materials such as hand-formed clays, silver, and gold, Lilly Belle Jewelry Co. makes modern boho pieces that are fashion-forward, virtually weightless, and one of a kind.

Additionally, Whiting makes matching pet charms and is expanding to matching bandanas and headbands, all with the intention of giving a percentage of proceeds to local animal rescues.

It came as a surprise when the Dallas Market Center attempted to contact her through her business Instagram account. At first, she didnt believe the account trying to contact her was real but after she investigated it, Whiting signed on and didnt look back.

Now that Whiting has won emerging artist of 2020, she is planning on incorporating her expertise into a lesson plan for her students, teaching them how to start their own creative business, advertise it, and build professional connections.

Whiting, along with a few other educators at HCHS, plans to, teach the students how to make commercials, how to use InDesign, graphic design to market their businesses, and even have the students work with local businesses to give them real-world experience.

"Houston Christian works hard to make leadership and course content applicable to the real world, said Houston Christian Principal Dr. Darren Price. We are so pleased that Mrs. Whiting had this opportunity to show off her amazing talents in a practical way.

For the future of her business, Whiting plans on expanding more into the pet fashion because her heart is truly for the rescue animals.

The people who are going to buy earrings with a matching charm are going to be the ones that are going to buy a bandana that matches their rings or a headband that matches their earrings or a tee shirt that matches their dog, Whiting said. Those are the people who have the same kind of heart behind what we do. They love the handmade, they love the local made. A lot of them are vegan or vegetarian and care about cause-based businesses.

Whiting also plans on making T-shirts for men as well, but until then, shes sticking with the girls.

ryan.nickerson@hcnonline.com
Chennai: A protester during a demonstration against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR), in Chennai on Feb 19, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Chennai: People stage a massive demonstration against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR), in Chennai on Feb 19, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Chennai: People participate in a massive protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR), in Chennai on Feb 19, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Chennai: People participate in a massive protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR), in Chennai on Feb 19, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Chennai, Feb 19 : The anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protest by Muslim outfits in Tamil Nadu demanding the state government to pass a resolution in the Assembly that it the law will not be implemented went off peacefully.

Contrary to the earlier announcement, the protestors here did not lay siege of the state Assembly which was in session.

Thousands of Muslims held protests in major cities in Tamil Nadu including the state capital Chennai against CAA, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) on Wednesday.

In the state capital Chennai, a large number of Muslims men and women carrying tricolour gathered near Kalaivanar Arangam.

Some political parties too have lent their support to the protest.

As a result of the protest traffic flow was affected on the main road Anna Salai and others in Chennai.

The Muslim outfits are holding the protest after Madras High Court denied them permission for the same on Tuesday.

Security was been beefed up near the Assembly. The police had installed CCTV cameras and also used drones to monitor the situation.

Similarly, anti-CAA protests are held in other parts of the state like Coimbatore, Trichy, Cuddalore, Tiruvannamalai and others.

Meanwhile in the Assembly Chief Minister K.Palaniswami announced building of a Haj House here at an outlay of Rs.15 crore on the land allotted by Tamil Nadu Wakf Board so that those undertaking Haj can stay.

Palaniswami also announced doubling of pension to retired Ulemas to Rs.3,000 and a subsidy of ARs.25,000 or 50 per cent of vehicle cost, which ever is less, towards purchase of two wheelers for Ulemas working in the 2,814 wakf institutions registered with Tamil Nadu Wakf Board.

The protest was held a day after a combative Palaniswami said those who were born in the state would not be affected by the newly enacted law.

Speaking in the Assembly on Tuesday, Palaniswami said the opposition DMK should explain who in Tamil Nadu would get affected by the CAA.

Palaniswami said those who were born in Tamil Nadu will not be affected by the CAA.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 19)  The University of the Philippines has once again made it to the London-based magazine Times Higher Education (THE)s list of top universities from emerging economies around the world.

UP placed 70th, up 17 spots from its 87th ranking last year. It was also the only Philippine state university that made the cut. Meanwhile, De La Salle University was in the 351-400 bracket this year, slipping by a hundred spots from its score last year.

THE assessed and compared the performances of 533 educational institutions from 47 countries or regions based on teaching (learning environment), research (volume, income and reputation); citations (research influence); international outlook (staff, students and research); and industry income (knowledge transfer).

But they are recalibrated to reflect the development priorities of universities in emerging economies, it said.

For the second year in a row, Chinese universities dominated the rankings, with 81 schools. Institutions from mainland China also got the first four spots in the ranking. Other territories which made it to the top 10 are Russia, Taiwan and South Africa.

THE only evaluated universities included in the list of Londons Financial Times Stock Exchange Quality of Markets Groups advanced emerging, secondary emerging or frontier economies.

THE has been looking at the worlds top universities based purely on their academic prestige since 2004.
[February 19, 2020] CGS Recognized for Excellence among Managed Service Providers

NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CGS, a global provider of business applications, enterprise learning and outsourcing services, announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named CGS to its 2020 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the MSP Elite 150 category. This annual list recognizes North American solution providers with innovative approaches to managed services. These services help customers improve operational efficiencies, maximize return on IT investments, and continuously help them navigate the complexities of IT solutions.

The MSP 500 list identifies North American solution providers that deliver operational efficiencies, IT system improvements, and a higher rate of return on investments for their customers. Companies are recognized for working tirelessly to guide their customers and create solutions for complex IT issues. CGS was recognized among the MSP Elite 150, which identifies large, data center-focused MSPs with a strong mix of on- and off-premises services. MSPs are the critical bridge for customers looking to assess, implement and migrate their IT and cloud solutions to drive efficiencies, lower costs and secure your environment, said Bob Skelley, CEO of The Channel Company. On behalf of our team at The Channel Company, I want to congratulate the accomplished companies on CRNs 2020 MSP 500 list and thank them for their commitment to finding innovative solutions that move the IT channel forward. With a comprehensive range of IT services, CGS empowers midsize companies to embark on digital transformation journeys, migrate to the cloud, work from anywhere and enhance infrastructure and cybersecurity strategies. It is a great privilege for CGS to again be named to the Elite 150 for our managed services, said President and CEO Phil Friedman, CGS. Partnering with our clients, CGS enhances their business objectives,offering solutions through next-generation technology and best-in-class service delivery. Our global customers rely on us for our established operational excellence, efficiency and best practices as they migrate to the cloud while helping them significantly reduce risk and improve business outcomes.



With custom IT support solutions, CGS offers a flexible approach fit each clients unique business objectives, technology stack and systems: Whether an end-to-end solution, extra help to complete a big IT project, execute a major technology migration or monitor cybersecurity threats. By tapping into the CGS IT services, companies can free up budget and resources to do more rewarding projects by reducing operations and maintenance costs and optimizing their existing infrastructure. The MSP500 list is featured in the February 2020 issue of CRN and online at https://www.crn.com/news/managed-services/the-2020-managed-service-provider-500 .

About CGS

For 35 years, CGS has enabled global enterprises, regional companies and government agencies to drive breakthrough performance through business applications, enterprise learning and outsourcing services. CGS is wholly focused on creating comprehensive solutions that meet clients complex, multi-dimensional needs and support clients most fundamental business activities. Headquartered in New York City, CGS has offices across North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. For more information, please visit www.cgsinc.com and follow us on Twitter at @CGSinc and @OutsourcingCGS and on LinkedIn . Media Contact:

Susan Sweeney

[email protected] Kate Connors (for CGS)

[email protected] About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end-users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com Copyright 2020. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved. The Channel Company Contact:

Jennifer Hogan

The Channel Company

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OSTERSUND, Sweden, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Skanska has signed an additional contract with an existing client to provide new construction work and project management services at a manufacturing facility in Western USA. The contract is worth USD 45 M, about SEK 430 M, which will be included in the US order bookings for the first quarter 2020.

Construction is underway with completion scheduled in December 2020.

Skanska is one of the leading development and construction companies in USA, specialized in building construction, civil infrastructure and developing commercial properties in select U.S. markets. Skanska USA had sales of SEK 74 billion in 2019 and had about 7,900 employees in its operations.

For further information please contact:

Terri-Ann Betancourt

Director of Communications, West Coast

tel +1-206-494-5440

Andreas Joons

Press Officer, Skanska AB

tel +46-(0)10-449-04-94

Direct line for media, tel +46-(0)10-448-88-99

This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/skanska/r/skanska-signs-additional-contract-for-manufacturing-facility-in-western-usa-for-usd-45-m--about-sek-,c3038795

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/95/3038795/1196355.pdf 20200219 US manufacturing facility

SOURCE Skanska
Dr. Len Restalls passion has always been to assist others to reduce, prevent or overcome underachievement, guide people towards success, and cause them to serve others as well. It is also for this reason that he writes In Pursuit of SuccessOvercoming Underachievement: A Book Especially for Teachers, Parents and Students (published by Xlibris NZ in August 2016). For more details about the book, please visit https://www.amazon.com/Pursuit-Success-Overcoming-Underachievement-Len-Restall/dp/1499098472.

Set for a new marketing campaign and written with the express purpose of showing how to improve ones success and achievement by giving principles and strategies that lead to success, this book is based upon research and 40 years of his teaching experience. Here, Restall identifies the causes of underachievement that can be changed within the classroom and gives proven strategies to change the problem.

Success does not need to be just, arriving at a place or time in life, or gaining some particular experience or qualification, but it can be a journey of discovery, adventure and excitement throughout life, Restall says. The pursuit of success can be considered to be a proof of ones desire to achieve. If your desire is strong, then you will pursue that desire strongly.

In Pursuit of SuccessOvercoming Underachievement: A Book Especially for Teachers, Parents and Students is for all those who want to achieve and help others to succeed and reach towards their potential. Life is a continuing journey with exciting prospects along the way. Ones success should be the stepping-stone to another one, Restall concludes.

In Pursuit of SuccessOvercoming Underachievement: A Book Especially for Teachers, Parents and Students

By Dr. Len Restall

Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 202 pages | ISBN 9781499098464

Softcover | 6 x 9in | 202 pages | ISBN 9781499098471

E-Book | 202 pages | ISBN 9781499098488

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Dr. Len Restall has been a teacher of science, mathematics and physical fitness for more than 40 years and has gained a bachelors degree and a masters degree in education, a doctorate degree in philosophy from Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, and a TTC from three universities in England, New Zealand and Australia. He has taught seminars within secondary schools and churches.

Xlibris Publishing New Zealand, an Author Solutions, LLC imprint, is a self-publishing services provider dedicated to serving the needs of Kiwi authors. By focusing on the needs of creative writers and artists and adopting the latest print-on-demand publishing technology and strategies, we provide expert publishing services with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound and full-color formats. To date, Xlibris has helped to publish more than 60,000 titles. For more information, visit xlibrispublishing.com.au or call 0800 443 678 to receive a free publishing guide
Bahrains developing startup ecosystem was discussed at the Bahrain British Business Forum (BBBF) which was yesterday (February 18) held at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, in Manama, Bahrain.



The meeting was chaired by the BBBF chairman Khalid Al Zayani OBE, who welcomed the keynote speaker Dr Simon Galpin, Bahrain EDBs senior advisor on investment promotion, to the meeting.



The meeting was also attended by Stuart Summers, deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Bahrain and more than 80 BBBF members and their guests.



In his address, Dr Galpin outlined the EDBs approach to supporting and growing Bahrains Startup Ecosystem.



Dr Galpin said: The kingdom offers a growing opportunity for interested investors, including highly competitive operating costs, one of the regions most skilled local workforces, and easy access to the Gulfs largest market.



At the EDB, we focus on attracting investment that helps further diversify our economy and generate jobs in the local market, working closely with potential investors to capitalise on the opportunities available to them in this $1.5 trillion Gulf market, he said.



One of the BBBFs core objectives is to assist and introduce new trade and investments to both countries that can benefit and enhance the common economic interests of our member companies. Therefore, providing support to new startups is important to the BBBF, Al Zayani OBE.  TradeArabia News Service
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are 'genuinely happy' living in Canada because 'it's a world away' from their old life in the UK, a source has claimed.

Speaking to US Weekly, the source said: 'Harry and Meghan escaped the chaos back home and are genuinely happy. They're really enjoying Canada; it's a completely different world from what they're used to in London.'

The couple lived in Kensington Palace in London when Meghan first came to the UK, before moving to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor after they married.

Since relocating to Vancouver Island the couple have the 'freedom to do whatever they want' because the locals 'don't bother them', the source added.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are 'genuinely happy' living in Canada as 'it's a world away from their life in London' a source has claimed. They are pictured outside Canada House in London in January

'Meghan endured a lot of stress in England. She's happy to be away from all that. Right now they're all about getting Archie settled' they continued.

It comes as the date of 'Megxit' has been confirmed, and the couple will no longer hold a Buckingham Palace office from April 1.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussexes resigned as senior royals in January in a move to become financially independent. They are currently living in a 10million mansion on Vancouver Island.

Going forward they will be represented by their UK foundation, and Harry will retain the ranks of Major, Lieutenant Commander, and Squadron Leader - but his honorary military positions will not be used during a 12-month trial period.

'Meghan endured a lot of stress in England. She's happy to be away from all that. Right now they're all about getting Archie settled' the source continued. Meghan is pictured holding Archie in September last year in South Africa

The Sussexes are expected to be in Britain regularly over the next few months with Harry at an Invictus Games event on February 28.

Harry and Meghan will then attend the Endeavour Fund awards on March 5, and Harry will be at Silverstone with racing driver Lewis Hamilton on March 6.

They will then both be at the Mountbatten Festival of Music on March 7, and Meghan will mark International Women's Day on March 8.

The couple will then join the Queen and the Royal Family for the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 9.

It comes after Harry, 35, and Meghan's first post-Megxit appearance earlier this month was at an event held by US banking giant JP Morgan in Miami - an organisation which has been embroiled in a succession of controversies.

Last week it emerged Prince Harry's team held talks with Goldman Sachs - an investment bank accused by the US government and senate of misleading investors about the value of subprime mortgages and contributing to the financial crisis.

Other controversies have ranged from being linked to the 1MDB fraud and a lawsuit brought by former female employees to the bank's role in the financial crisis.

Prince Harry insisted the talks were to benefit his charities rather than bolster the Sussex Royal brand - a label which the Queen and senior officials have decided is no longer tenable for the couple to keep.




When Colette Smedley and her husband, Bill, stepped off the plane at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland early Monday, they didnt know what to expect.

The previous few days had been chaotic for the Pennsylvania couple. For nearly two weeks, they had been stuck aboard a windowless cabin on the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship docked in Japan as the new coronavirus infected hundreds of passengers and crew onboard.

Even after boarding a State Department-chartered flight out of the country, they werent sure if they were headed to Travis AFB in California, Lackland or even Dallas  at one point, the 151 passengers were told they might have to wait there if the thick fog blanketing San Antonio didnt lift.

When they finally did arrive at Lackland just before 4 a.m., they were greeted by a round of applause from the federal employees gathered there. Smedley was deeply moved by the gesture.

Were not heroes, were victims of circumstance, said Smedley, who turned 66 during the evacuation flight. You guys are heroes, because youre here risking your exposure to help us.

Smedley and two other passengers, interviewed by phone Tuesday from their rooms on base, are among 144 people from the ship who are quarantined at Lackland, along with an earlier group of 90 evacuees from Wuhan, China.

They gave an account of their life under quarantine, both on the ship and at Lackland, an experience akin to the plot of a science fiction movie.

On ExpressNews.com: With cruise ship evacuees, Lackland coronavirus quarantine grows to 235

The Smedleys boarded the ship on Jan. 6, a trip to celebrate the couples anniversary as well as Colettes birthday. Their bags were packed for their return home to Dillsburg, Pa., when they were notified the entire vessel now was under quarantine due to a confirmed case of coronavirus.

As the days passed, conditions on the ship grew increasingly surreal. Reporters with cameras stationed themselves near the pier, and stewards began to disappear without explanation.

Youd ask about them, and theyd say, Resting, resting, Smedley said. But you knew they werent resting.

On ExpressNews.com: Coronavirus is confirmed in patient under quarantine at Lackland

While onboard, the Smedleys grew close to Linda Enger, 72, and her son, Dan Enger, 55, who both live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Unlike the Smedleys, they could get fresh air on their cabins balcony.

As veteran cruise passengers, the Engers had encountered other challenging situations in the past, so they didnt panic. They passed the time by talking by phone with relatives and commiserating by text with their fellow passengers.

Others on the ship tried to maintain high spirits. Shortly before the Americans were allowed to disembark, the ships new captain, who was brought on a few days before the quarantine began, joked that the experience had bestowed him with additional gray hair, Linda Enger said.

When it was time to evacuate, 328 Americans were loaded onto buses for transport to the airport in Tokyo.

During the drive, U.S. officials would learn that 14 of the passengers were infected, but they were asymptomatic. Those passengers were taken to boxy containers draped in black plastic at the back of the two planes where they were isolated.

Meanwhile, Dan Enger said the rest of the evacuees were confined to the buses for several hours, during which passports that had been heaped into baskets were returned to their owners haphazardly.

Federal officials have said it was during this period that the decision was made to continue transporting the infected Americans, despite earlier plans to exclude such passengers.

Eventually, the rest of passengers were guided through plastic tarp tunnels as they were loaded onto the planes: one bound for Lackland, the other for Travis AFB.

During the flight, two people on the flight to San Antonio and three on the flight to California developed symptoms, according to new information released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Monday, federal officials released conflicting numbers about the number of evacuees on each flight and where they ended up.

Scott Pauley, a spokesman with the CDC, said the spouse of an infected person was erroneously counted among the Lackland evacuees. That individual, along with four people confirmed to have coronavirus and two others who fell ill during the flight, landed briefly in San Antonio but continued on to the University of Nebraska Medical Center later Monday.

During the flight, Linda Enger saw two people being brought into the isolation container. It wasnt until the Engers had arrived in San Antonio that they learned they had traveled with people confirmed to have the virus and others who may be sick with it, too.

Had they told us that there were people on the plane that had the exact virus, I think there would have been a lot of murmuring and discontent, she said.

On ExpressNews.com: Three children in San Antonio have died from the flu this season

At Lackland, where a total of 234 people are quarantined, evacuees have been instructed to stay indoors, but Linda Enger said some people have worn masks and walked around the hotel complex on the base, which is ringed by a chain-link fence patrolled by federal marshals.

Its just kind of, being cooped up, I dont like it. It would be really nice to be able to get outside, to be able to do something, said Dan Enger, who works as an auto mechanic.

No one enters the evacuees quarters, not even for twice daily temperature readings. Wearing masks, the quarantined people stand on one side of the threshold, the medical workers, outfitted in protective gear, on the other.

Food, trash and linens are exchanged outside the evacuees doors.

During her first two days at Lackland, Smedley grew concerned that only symptomatic people from the ship were being tested from the virus. Her previous test results in Japan had come back negative, but she had interacted with several people aboard who later fell ill.

However, she was pleased to learn Tuesday that voluntary testing of swabs from evacuees noses and mouths would be available in the next few days.

She also was nonplussed by the questionnaire distributed during the flight, which had asked questions about travel to Wuhan, the virus epicenter. Her exposure had only come from the cruise, not travel to China.

Smedley, who had a two-decade career in the Navy before retiring, said she doesnt want to be critical of the Lackland team members hard work, or the fact that they have taken time away from their families to help deal with the crisis. But she said the quarantine provides an opportunity to collect as much data as possible from this confined group.

Were just hoping that all the right things are being done for everybodys sake. Not just ours, but our kids, our state, our country, the world, Smedley said. We dont want a pandemic.

Top hits: Get San Antonio Express-News stories sent directly to your inbox

Earlier in the day, a random call came through on Smedleys phone. When she answered, a woman was on the line, promoting a complimentary cruise to the Bahamas. The offer, Smedley said, took my breath away.

I just got off the Diamond Princess, Smedley said she responded. What makes you think I want a cruise in the Bahamas?

The woman hung up.

Despite the irony of that interaction, Smedley hasnt been entirely scared off of cruises. In fact, she has another scheduled for next January, in the Panama Canal.

I dont know what tomorrows going to bring, but thats the plan, she said. You cant stop living.

Researcher Misty Harris contributed to this report. | Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCaruba
Procter & Gamble skin care brand Olay said Wednesday it will stop retouching skin in its advertising by 2021.

As part of the commitment, which Olay announced at an event in New York on Wednesday, the company will kick off a new print campaign called "My Olay" featuring unretouched images of Busy Philipps, Denise Bidot and Lilly Singh. Olay works with ad agency Badger & Winters, which made Olay's recent Super Bowl ad featuring all women.

Olay's "Skin Promise" mark will appear on ads in the U.S. and Canada to show that the skin on women featured has not been retouched, the company said. The "Skin Promise" will expand to all of the brand's ads on print, digital, out-of-home and with influencer partners by 2021.

Kate DiCarlo, Olay's senior communications leader, said during a panel at the announcement that the company had tested out the new no-retouching policy in its Super Bowl ad. "We tested ourselves with the Super Bowl shoot. Our Super Bowl shoot was also unretouched," she said.

DiCarlo spoke about the role of social media content in perpetuating a culture of perfection and Olay's hope of filling feeds instead with posts promoting positivity, confidence and strength.

"We are willing to walk away from influencers that are not interested in producing content that meets these standards," she said.

Brands have been criticized in the past for editing photos in ad imagery. Just over 10 years ago, Olay came under fire in the U.K. for a magazine ad for a beauty product featuring English model and actress Twiggy, which the company admitted had been retouched. Unilever and its agency Ogilvy & Mather came under similar scrutiny after claims that it too had retouched photos of models as part of a "Real Beauty" ad campaign for Dove (Unilever later told Ad Age that photos in one campaign had been altered to "remove dust and do color correction," but not to change the "women's natural beauty").

But in the years since, some companies have been moving away from altered photos in their ad imagery. CVS Pharmacy said in January 2018 it would require disclosure for beauty imagery that has been "materially altered" by the end of 2020. It also introduced a "Beauty Mark," or watermark to show imagery that had not been materially altered, referring to changing a person's size, shape, proportion, skin color, eye color, wrinkles or other characteristics. Olay says its new standards align with those of CVS' "Beauty Mark."

In 2018, Dove launched its "No Digital Distortion Mark" for all branded content globally to represent that images are not altered to make changes such as removing wrinkles or cellulite (though it says it can remove a few things, such as lipstick or food particles from teeth). The company made its Dove Real Beauty Pledge in 2017 to declare that it never makes alterations to distort the physical appearance of the people in its ads or brand visuals.

Other companies have seen success with Photoshop-free ad imagery, including American Eagle's Aerie, which started running campaigns with unedited photos of models in 2014. The brand's body-positive messaging helped it gain ground from competitor Victoria's Secret.

During the panel, actress Philipps spoke about working with the brand after images of her had been edited in the past.

"Contractually, I am not allowed to have Botox or filler," she said. "They're not only just not retouching, but this is my face as it's lived and as it is, and I'm really proud of that. I love that part of the contract. So when I saw that, I knew they're really serious about representing lots of different women at different ages with different types of skin, and that's what I would like to be a part of."
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. At the request of the Azerbaijani side, under the mediation of Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk and the assistance of the ICRC, a group of Azerbaijani de-miners carried out works for finding a missing Azerbaijani soldier near the Armenian village of Movses.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Defense Ministry of Armenia, the body of the Azerbaijani soldier was discovered some meters away from the positions. All security conditions were ensured during the searching operation allowed by the Armenian side.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
A data incident over the weekend allowed about 1,000 state pension recipients to temporarily see other members information.

The Oregon Public Employees Retirement System did not have a breach that allowed outside entities access, said Marjorie Taylor, a senior policy director for PERS. However, she said, some members could see others accounts, though no personally identifiable information, such as Social Security numbers, was shared.

Taylor said a PERS employee noticed the issue over the weekend and notified the pension agencys information security team.

Taylor said the agency isnt yet aware how the problem occurred. She also said the agency is crafting a response for members to help them understand whether they were affected and anything they should do in response.

According to Taylor, members who access other retirement account owners information reported they saw the persons name, email address, mailing address and employment information along with the pension benefit amount if the person was retired.

The agency told account holders, While we recognize the sensitivity of information members saw, it is not considered protected personal information, which would include Social Security numbers, bank accounts, drivers license or passport numbers.

Taylor said the agency will add additional information to its web site as it learns more about what went wrong.
OTTAWA  Canadas newspaper publishers and the head of the CBC are calling on Parliament to tax web giants, regulate their algorithms and close loopholes on paywalled content.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Canadas newspaper publishers and the head of the CBC are calling on Parliament to tax web giants, regulate their algorithms and close loopholes on paywalled content.

"The entire industry is in a crisis," said Bob Cox, chair of News Media Canada, who is also publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press.

"The big, digital companies have devastated our business models, and the government hasnt acted in a way that tackles the problem, not in a comprehensive enough way," he said.

Cox is among publishers of 11 newspaper and digital chains who signed a letter released today that outlines proposals for federal party leaders to strengthen news coverage in Canada.

In November 2018, the Liberals promised a $595-million subsidy package for media companies.

Instead of asking for a top-up to that funding, the coalition is calling on Ottawa to review regulations so that the government and media companies can raise more revenue and sustain news coverage.

"This is not an effort to go to the government with our hands out for more money; this is an effort to bring about real, lasting change in policies and laws that will create a better environment for news companies to operate in Canada," Cox said.

According to an ongoing Ryerson University research project, almost 300 local-news outlets have closed across Canada since 2008, while 120 outlets have launched in that time period.

Todays letter, representing media that publish in both official languages, repeats previous calls for Ottawa to close tax loopholes, and channel some of the new revenue into programs that support journalism.

The coalition wants copyright laws updated so that publishers have similar rights as software firms and music companies, to crack down on sites that evade paywalls and republish news articles without permission.

"What we need is some form of payment for what we do, or we cant keep doing it," Cox said, describing newsrooms as "the poor cousins" who pay journalists to find and generate news only to see aggregators and search engines take up much of the profits.

The letter also asks that news aggregators like Facebook, Google News and Apple News report their algorithms to the Competition Bureau.

That regulator is exploring if digital companies are freezing out competitors, whether theyre favouring their own business partners, and if larger online firms have an unfair market advantage due to the reams of data they hold.

However, those companies dont have to report as much as other industries to regulators. "They need more teeth to be able to bring about change," Cox argued.

In addition to publishers, the letter is also signed by Catherine Tait, president of CBC-Radio Canada.

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Newspaper publishers have sparred with the public broadcaster in recent years over the CBCs foray into everything from concert reviews to local news in cities already served by numerous media. Theyve bemoaned that the publicly-funded broadcaster  which does not operate with a paywall on its website  is competing with newspapers and luring away advertising eyeballs.

However, publishers are shifting their tone, after the CBC proposed collaborating with them last summer on news reporting.

"Local news is in jeopardy and we have to act in ways we havent acted before," Cox said.

"The old rivalries need to be re-examined. And we should see one another as partners in this quest to preserve local news, rather than rivals."

Last December, the managers of CBC Manitoba and the Free Press started a pilot project to share some news stories on each others websites on weekends, to save costs for more original reporting.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Western Springs officials, in particular, have said they plan to create a task force to study the effect of 5G technology in the village and will look at hiring a lobbyist or joining with a lobbyist in a neighboring community to present their concerns at the state level.
A Florida man is speaking out after his dialysis center banned him from bringing a highly unorthodox guest into his treatments. Nelson Gibson has been receiving dialysis treatments from Fresenius Kidney Care in Port St. Lucie. The center told the 59-year-old he could not come in with his emotional support companion  a life-sized cut-out of President Donald Trump. Trump signed an executive order in July requiring the government to work harder in creating and spreading awareness about kidney diseases. Gibson kept a smaller cut-out of the president by his side during every treatment, but recently decided to upgrade to a full-scale option. a spokesman for the clinic said that patients are welcome to bring reasonably sized items". but not those that create safety or infection control issues, or interfere with caregivers on the treatment floor. Gibson thinks the centers policy is hypocritical. Hes refusing to return for his three-times-per-week treatments. He says he will now have to find a new clinic
South Africa: SAs average dam levels increase

The recent consistent rainfalls in large parts of the country has increased South Africas dam levels from 62.4% last week to 64% this week.

According to the latest dam levels report issued by Water and Sanitation Department, the Gauteng dams, which has recently recorded the highest levels has this week seen the levels drop from 103% to 98.9%.

Limpopos dam levels continue to rise from 62.3% last week to 69% this week. Mpumalanga made a slight increase from 74.4% to 75.2%.

The Northern Cape remains stable at 80.8%, while North West has dropped from 67.3% to 66.8%.

Thanks to consistent downpours that have fallen in major parts of the Eastern Cape, average dam levels in the drought - stricken province has slightly increased from last weeks 50.7% to 51.4% this week.

However, Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has cautioned against complacency, as the provinces dam levels belie the real water situation on the ground.

Sisulu has asked water users to continue saving water and brace themselves for a dry winter.

The Nqweba Dam on the Sundays River feeding Nelson Mandela Bay Metro is virtually running dry at 5.3%, while Lake Arthur Dam which receives water from Tarka River recorded a dismal 1.8% level and Kommando Drift on the same river is at a mere 11.7%.

The Western Cape, which is nearing the end of its dry summer hydrological season and will soon enter its wet season in May, has seen a slight drop from 50.0% last week to 49% this week.

The province is preparing for a bumper rainy winter season that is expected to increase the current levels. Last year, the province made a miraculous recovery from the worst drought in a century to reaching 80% dam levels by October last year.

KwaZulu-Natal has surpassed last years record of dam levels by three percent, having risen from 57.6% to 60.3%.

However, the report noted that while the reservoirs contain 2 882,9 cubic metres in volume of water, the coastal towns, from the Dolphin Coast to the South Coast are the largest beneficiaries of the regular rainfalls that have boosted the cane fields along the coastal belt.

A home to some of the biggest dams in the country, Free State has recorded 71.1% level.

Sterkfontein Dam, which is part of the Integrated Vaal River System has recorded 92.5%, while Vanderkloof is at 60.7%. Fika-Patso Dam near QwaQwa remains almost empty at 10.4%.

The iconic Vaal Dam, bordering both the Free State and Gauteng Provinces, is up at 57.4% as against the 56.9% it was at last week. The Vaal Dam is still much lower than at the same time in 2019 when it was at 71.7%.

The report noted that the figures reflect the real impact of the late rains this summer with very high temperatures that resulted in high evaporation rates.

It said all these indicate the unavoidable impacts of climate change and the continued need to safeguard the countrys scarce water resources.

The protection of the countrys water ecosystem, water infrastructure and the conservative use of water can together assure South Africans of security of water supply whilst the Department of Water and Sanitation continues to deliver on its mandate in support of the National Development Plan (NDP), the African Unions Agenda 2063, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, the report said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-02-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the leading global provider of comprehensive software solutions for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure, today announced its call for nominations for the Year in Infrastructure 2020 Awards program. The awards, which are judged by independent juries of industry experts, recognize infrastructure projects for digital innovations that improve project delivery and/or asset performance. The deadline for nominations is May 1, 2020.

The Year in Infrastructure Awards are an integral part of Bentleys annual Year in Infrastructure Conference. The conference, which will take place October 12-15 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, brings together infrastructure professionals and industry thought leaders from around the world to share best practices and learn about the latest advances in technology that will improve infrastructure project delivery and asset performance. Winners are announced during the gala awards dinner at the culmination of the conference.

Users of Bentley software are invited to nominate their projects in the Year in Infrastructure Awards program, no matter which phase the project is in  planning/conception, design, construction, or operations. The three finalists chosen for each awards category win a trip to Vancouver to attend the Year in Infrastructure 2020 Conference as guests of Bentley Systems. As part of the conference, the finalists will present their projects before the judges, industry thought leaders, and more than 100 members of the media.

Every project nominated for an award receives recognition across the global infrastructure community. Through the Year in Infrastructure Awards program, participants:

Gain global recognition by having their infrastructure projects profiled in Bentleys Infrastructure Yearbook , which is distributed in print and digital formats to media, government, and industry influencers around the world. All winning and finalist projects are also featured on bentley.com

by having their infrastructure projects profiled in Bentleys , which is distributed in print and digital formats to media, government, and industry influencers around the world. All winning and finalist projects are also featured on bentley.com Enhance their competitive edge by demonstrating to existing and potential clients the value they add to projects through their digital innovations

by demonstrating to existing and potential clients the value they add to projects through their digital innovations Receive media coverage from global media and support from the Bentley team in marketing and promoting their respective projects to the media

The Year in Infrastructure 2020 Awards will recognize outstanding achievements for infrastructure projects and assets in the following categories:

4D Digital Construction

Bridges

Buildings and Campuses

Digital Cities

Geotechnical Engineering

Land and Site Development

Manufacturing

Mining and Offshore Engineering

Power Generation

Project Delivery

Rail and Transit

Reality Modeling

Roads and Highways

Road and Rail Asset Performance

Structural Engineering

Utilities and Communications

Utilities and Industrial Asset Performance

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants

Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Networks



Additionally, projects that represent Bentleys mission of advancing infrastructure but transcend the narrower focus of the individual category awards can be considered for Special Recognition awards including:

Advancements in Digital Twins for Project Delivery (Project Digital Twins) for a project using a digital twin to gain useful insights, such as understanding the impact of change and design alternatives or highlighting issues with the quality of project data, to more effectively collaborate with the extended project team or to model the performance of a project and its construction.

Advancements in Digital Twins for Asset Performance (Performance Digital Twins) for a project involving an operating infrastructure asset that uses a digital twin to gain useful insights to improve the performance in areas such as throughput, safety, compliance, or maintenance, to evaluate the relative impact of different operational strategies, to support training operational staff, or to support remote operations.

Advancements in Sustainability and Resilience for a project that has been designed or an infrastructure asset that is being operated to achieve better sustainability (lower carbon footprint, better use of renewables, reduced environmental impact) or higher resilience (ability to withstand and recover from man-made or natural disasters, adaptability to changing conditions).



For additional information about the Year in Infrastructure Awards program, or to nominate a project, visit the Year in Infrastructure Awards website.

Watch a one-minute video about the nomination process.

Image and Caption:

Winners of Year in Infrastructure 2019 Awards

Image courtesy of Bentley Systems

About Bentley Systems Year in Infrastructure Conference

Presented by Bentley Institute, the Year in Infrastructure Conference is a global gathering of leading executives in the world of infrastructure design, construction, and operations focused on best practices and technologies for going digital. The conference is globally recognized as the leading forum for addressing the current priorities and opportunities that impact the infrastructure industry. Attendees hear from industry thought leaders, engage in forums and discussions, and learn about technologies and best practices that will shape the future of infrastructure delivery and operations.

About Bentley Systems

Bentley Systems is the leading global provider of software solutions to engineers, architects, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators for the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure, including public works, utilities, industrial plants, and digital cities. Bentleys MicroStation-based open modeling applications, and its open simulation applications, accelerate design integration; its ProjectWise and SYNCHRO offerings accelerate project delivery; and its AssetWise offerings accelerate asset and network performance. Spanning infrastructure engineering, Bentleys iTwin Services are fundamentally advancing BIM and GIS to 4D digital twins.

Bentley Systems employs more than 3,500 colleagues, generates annual revenues of $700 million in 170 countries, and has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions since 2014. From inception in 1984, the company has remained majority-owned by its five founding Bentley brothers. www.bentley.com

Bentley, the Bentley logo, AssetWise, MicroStation, ProjectWise, and SYNCHRO are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. All other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-20 07:16:18|Editor: mingmei

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Medical team members board the plane at Xianyang International Airport in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 19, 2020. The 4th team of 145 medical workers from Shaanxi left for Hubei Province on Wednesday to aid the novel coronavirus control efforts there. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
Arcology to Demonstrate Its Advantages with Utilizing One of the Most Successful Games on Ethereum

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2020 / Codebase Ventures Inc. ("Codebase" or the "Company") (CSE:CODE)(FSE:C5B)(OTCQB:BKLLF), an investment company, is pleased to announce that the Arcology technical team is launching its comprehensive testing of the high profile Ethereum game called CryptoKitties on its own internal testnet.

CryptoKitties is a very well-known game that runs on the Ethereum network, and which has caused serious network congestions because of its transaction volume. Using this example to illustrate Arcology's speed and scalability provides a purposeful comparison and validation of the platform's capabilities.

Multiple blockchain technology projects have endeavoured to solve the scalability issue with different approaches with no demonstrated, major success to date. Arcology has a very unique solution to address that problem, featuring the following capabilities:

Arcology allows multiple transactions to be processed in parallel

Transaction processing can scale up linearly based upon number of computers available

Fully compatible with Ethereum platform

Popular Ethereum applications like CryptoKitties can work on Arcology smoothly

Ethereum developers can start to work on Arcology right away

Minimized migration costs

The purpose of this test is to demonstrate Arcology's technical advantages, scalability and transaction per second speed.

"CryptoKitties was the major event within the whole blockchain industry when the overall challenge of scalability became evident. This Arcology test serves as a showcase, with the goal of demonstrating Arcology's technical superiority. It is an internal test, a prelude for our public benchmarking and demonstration in the near future," said Mr. Laurent Zhang, President of Arcology.

About Codebase Ventures Inc.

Codebase Ventures Inc. is an investment company, led by technology and business experts who invest early in great ideas in sectors that have significant upside, including the cannabis sector. We operate from the understanding that technology is always evolving, bringing early opportunities for strategic investments that can deliver the exponential returns to our shareholders. We seek out and empower the innovators who are building tomorrow's standards with platforms, protocols and innovations - not just products. We invest early, support those founders, take their ideas to market and work tirelessly to help them realize their vision.

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.

For further information, please contact:

George Tsafalas or Ivy Lu

Investor Relations

Telephone: 1 (778) 806-5150

E-mail: IR@codebase.ventures

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws.

SOURCE: Codebase Ventures Inc.

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Press Release

February 19, 2020 Pia bats for 'fair, efficient, accountable' CITIRA "A fair deal for all. The best deal for Filipinos." This was how Senate Ways and Means Chair Pia S. Cayetano described Senate Bill No. 1357, or the proposed Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA) which she sponsored in plenary on Wednesday. CITIRA seeks to reduce the corporate income tax (CIT) rate in the country, which is currently among the highest in the ASEAN region, and reform the fiscal incentives system to make it more fair, efficient, and accountable. Under the bill, the country's CIT rate will be gradually lowered by one percent every year, from 30 percent to 20 percent by 2030. The measure will also rationalize fiscal incentives given to firms to make these "performance-based, time-bound, targeted, and transparent." The bill intends to prioritize incentives to business activities that generate domestic employment; promote research, development and innovation; promote agribusiness; and invest in areas that are less developed or are recovering from disasters and conflicts, among others. CITIRA shall likewise offer additional tax deductions to reward corporations' good behavior, such as local job creation, exports, and investment in high technology. Meanwhile, the committee is also proposing to implement sunset provisions for firms currently enjoying fiscal incentives to help them transition to the new tax regime under CITIRA. "After listening to the concerns and apprehensions of existing investor groups that will be affected by this bill, we came up with terms that address their request for a smoother transition period. This addresses our objective, which is to keep companies and investors here in the country while rationalizing the incentives that we give them," the senator stressed in her speech. Furthermore, the measure seeks to expand the functions of the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB), which presently grants incentives to government-owned or controlled corporations. If passed, CITIRA shall mandate the FIRB to approve all incentives, including those given to private companies, as recommended by the different Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs). "Currently, there are 13 different IPAs... that offer different menus of incentives to various industries, sometimes not in line with national priorities... There is no one simple set of incentives that the country may promote to potential investors," Cayetano stressed. Lastly, the measure allows the Philippine President to grant incentives for a longer period of up to 40 years for highly desirable projects, as long as they will primarily benefit the Filipino public. "This is the urgency of our task ahead. Let us end the uncertainty (in the business community) by passing CITIRA" Cayetano said.
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The Niti Aayog on Wednesday held a meeting with the captains of industry in the pharmaceutical sector to discuss the impact of disruption in supplies of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) following the coronavirus outbreak in China. According to sources, hosts of measures were discussed aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing of APIs to reduce dependence on imports of the APIs from China.

The meeting was chaired by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and attended by Pharmaceutical Department Secretary P D Vaghela and Biocon Chairperson and Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, among others.

"Fruitful, constructive & positive meeting with captains of industry in pharmaceutical sector to discuss the options for domestic manufacturing of critical APIs on which India is import dependent. Consensus arrived at on a range of policy measures for creating ecosystem in India," Kant said in a tweet after the meeting.

According to the sources, Kant told industry captains that they should try to become globally competitive to beat China that accounted for 67.56 per cent of the total imports of bulk drugs and drug intermediates at USD 2,405.42 million to India in 2018-19.

Zydus Group Chairman Pankaj Patel had on Tuesday said that the prices of the key pharmaceutical ingredients could rise if the coronavirus situation in China does not improve soon.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had on Tuesday met the representatives of various sectors, including pharmaceuticals, textiles, chemicals, electronics and IT hardware, solar, auto, surgical equipments, and paints, to review the situation following the outbreak of the deadly virus in China.

She had said the government would soon announce measures to deal with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the domestic industry.

Describing pharmaceutical, chemical and solar equipment sectors as the worst affected, the finance minister had said disruptions are visible in these due to delay in shipment.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals has already constituted a high-level panel to assess the impact of the outbreak of the deadly virus in China on the supply of APIs in India.

Official sources had said that Indian drugmakers have told the high-level committee that they currently have stocks for the next two-three months.

There has been no supply from the neighbouring country for the past 20-25 days, mainly due to Chinese New Year holidays, sources had said.

India has a high dependence on China for fermentation-based APIs and intermediates.

Companies have been maintaining 2-3 months inventory of these APIs and intermediates, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) Secretary General Sudarshan Jain had earlier said.

India imports bulk drugs and APIs for producing medicines, including certain essential medicines, from China.
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The Prime Minister' Office, the Finance Ministry and telecom companies have been discussing setting up a telecom fund to ease the payment of AGR dues, sources told ET Now on February 19.

As per the report, the adjusted gross revenue dues (AGR) that are due to the government can be put into the telecom fund, which can then be extended in the form of loans to the companies with soft interest.

Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal and Vodafone Idea chairman KM Birla reportedly met with the Finance Ministry officials on February 19 to discuss the possibility of setting up such a telecom stress fund.

The telecom fund is expected to help telcos manage their cash flows and is fiscally neutral for the government, the report noted.

Sources told the publication that the elongation of the timeline of repayment of AGR dues and spectrum dues for the telcos was another option being considered.

Another option on the cards would be for the government to introduce a legislation or an ordinance to save the telcos.

The report noted that the government is also taking a legal opinion on waiving off penalties and interest payment on the AGR dues of telecom firms.

The Supreme Court last week rejected a plea by companies such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea for extension in the payment schedule and asked them to deposit an estimated Rs 1.47 lakh crore in past dues for spectrum and licences.
Small instruments found inside wrecked drones that attacked Saudi Arabia's oil fields last year prove the attack came from Iran, two reports have concluded.

Gyroscopes recovered from the drones are the same kind that have previously been found inside craft manufactured Iran, analysts from government-funded Conflict Armament Research group concluded in a report released Wednesday.

The US military also seized identical gyroscopes from an Iranian drone captured in Afghanistan and in weapons being shipped across the Arabian Sea to Yemen, UN researchers concluded.

Gyroscopes found inside drones which were used to attack Saudi Arabia's oil fields last year are the same kind previously found inside Iranian drones (pictured), researchers claim

Two dozen drones and cruise missiles were used in the attacks on the Kurais oil field and Abqaiq refinery, which temporarily knocked out half of Saudi's oil output

A gyroscope is a sensor which helps electronic devices orient themselves. In missiles, they are used to guide the projectile to its target.

The same technology is also used in smartphones to allow the phone to tell when it is turned upside down.

The discovery further ties Iran to an attack that briefly halved Saudi Arabia's oil output and saw energy prices spike by a level unseen since the 1991 Gulf War.

It also ties Iran to the arming of the rebel Houthis in Yemen's long civil war.

Iran denies it had a hand in the Saudi attack but has increasingly promoted its influence over the Houthis.

It also launched a ballistic missile attack on American troops in Iraq after a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad last month.

'This gyroscope ... we've seen it now enough times in Iranian-manufactured material to be able to confidently say that the presence of it in a Houthi-produced item suggests that the material was supplied from Iran,' Jonah Leff of Conflict Armament Research told The Associated Press.

Iran's mission to the U.N. declined to immediately respond to queries from the AP.

Media officials from the rebel Houthis, who hold Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and have been battling a Saudi-led coalition since March 2015, declined an interview request.

A U.N. Security Council resolution prohibits arms transfers to the Houthis.

The gyroscopes in question bear no manufacturer's name and come in at least two versions labeled as V9 and V10, according to the reports.

Their four-digit serial numbers also appear sequential, suggesting the same manufacturer had built all of those found.

The Houthi's Qasef-1 drone carries the V10 gyroscope, which is 'identical' to one found in an Iranian-made Ababil-3 drone, which Islamic State group fighters reportedly recovered in Iraq, Conflict Armament Research said.

Saudi Arabia said at the time of the attack that it had been carried out using Iranian weapons and had not come from Yemen, as Iran had claimed (pictured, the damaged Kurais facility)

The attacks came amid growing hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Iran after the US walked away from the Iranian nuclear deal signed under Obama (file image, damage at Abqaiq)

Weapons experts found the V9 version of the gyroscope in drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, used in the September attack on Abqaiq, home of a crucial oil processing facility for Saudi Arabia, the U.N. report said.

'According to UAV experts familiar with this technology, such vertical gyroscopes have not been observed in any UAVs other than those manufactured by Iran,' Conflict Armament Research said in its report, which was funded by the European Union and the governments of Germany and the United Arab Emirates.

The U.N. report simply said that 'the manufacturer of the gyroscope remains unknown.'

However, it noted finding similar V10 gyroscopes 'among the debris of both Samad and Qasef UAVs, which have been used by the Houthi forces.'

The U.N. also said its experts saw a V9 gyroscope on display in Washington at a military display showing an Iranian Shahed-123 that American officials say they recovered in Afghanistan in October 2016, after it crash-landed.

Images of the gyroscopes match those in the Conflict Armament Research report. A similar gyroscope could be seen inside a cruise missile seized by the U.S. Navy in a November raid on a traditional dhow shipping boat in the Arabian Sea.

A computer terminal also seized with the missiles, likely used with the weapons, bore Farsi characters on its keyboard.

The U.S. Navy announced a new weapons cache find aboard a dhowin the Arabian Seathis month.Lt. Col. Earl Brown, a spokesman for the U.S. military's Central Command, told the AP on Wednesday that American sailors found similar gyroscopes in that seizure as well.

The U.S. and the Saudi-led coalition have long said that Iran supplies weapons to the Houthis, ranging from assault rifles to the ballistic missiles fired into the kingdom.

Drones used by the Houthis have done everything, from crashing into Patriot missile batteries to exploding overhead and showering deadly shrapnel on targets.

An exploding Houthi drone in a January 2019 attack on a military parade near Aden killed at least six people, including the commander of military intelligence for Yemens internationally recognized government.

Iran, in turn, has long denied arming the Houthis, but that veil slowly lifted after the January U.S. drone strike killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, whose expeditionary Quds Forces led Iran's work with allied proxy forces in Yemen and elsewhere.

Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh of the Guard's aerospace program recently gave a speech in front of a Houthi flag, as well as those of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Hamas and others in an effort to project Iran's power.

But previously, Iran's murky arming of militant groups gave it plausible deniability and an ability to strike at opponents without being directly blamed, analysts say.

While the wider confrontation with the U.S. since President Donald Trump pulled out of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers has seen Tehran's military claim launched attacks, other claims still could come from Tehran-allied militants.

That makes tracing weapons important, Leff said. The Conflict Armament Research report also said some components used in Houthi drones had been seen in homemade explosives recovered on the island nation of Bahrain as well.

'For them to line up with many of the components that we're seeing in these UAVs for us suggests that there are some well-established supply lines,' he said.

'There's another research question that would be drilling down to, you know, who are the parties involved in actually trafficking these items into Yemen. That we have less information on.'
BJP national president J P Nadda on Thursday will meet Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal at his residence in Punjab's Muktsar, days after the former chief minister said the minorities "should be taken along" to run a government.

At a rally in Amritsar on February 13, Badal had said that all religions should be respected. Nadda will be coming to Punjab for the first time after taking charge of the party, a party leader said on Wednesday. "The BJP president will meet Badal Sahib at his residence in Badal village of Muktsar on Thursday," said the BJP leader, adding that it will be a courtesy call.

Nadda will land at the Bathinda airport in the morning from where he will go to Muktsar to meet Badal. Later, Nadda will go to Amritsar and pay obeisance at the Golden Temple, Durgiana Mandir and Ram Tirath, said the party leader. The BJP national President is also expected to meet the state party leadership in Amritsar, said the BJP leader.

The Shiromani Akali Dal had earlier refused to contest the assembly elections in Delhi after the BJP asked it to change its stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act. However, in a U-turn the party backed the BJP candidates during the assembly elections.

The SAD had wanted that the Muslims to be included in the CAA, a legislation which seeks to give citizenship to members of persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
[February 19, 2020] SASOL LIMITED SHAREHOLDER ALERT By Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Reminds Investors With Losses in Excess of $100,000 of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit Against Sasol Limited - SSL

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until April 6, 2020 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Sasol Limited (NYSE: SSL), if they purchased the Company's securities between March 10, 2015, and January 13, 2020, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. What You May Do If you purchased securities of Sasol and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-ssl/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by April 6, 2020.



About the Lawsuit Sasol and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On January 14, 2020, following a series of other negative disclosures during the class period, the Company confirmed that on January 13, 2020, the Company "experienced an explosion and fire at its LCCP low-density polyethylene (LDPE) unit" and that "an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident, the extent of the damage and resulting impact on the LDPE unit's [beneficial operation] schedule." On this news, the price of Sasol's shares fell, injuring shareholders. The case is Moshell v. Sasol Limited, et al, 20cv1008. 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219006048/en/

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KEY FACTS At least nine people were killed, and six others were injured, one seriously

The suspect is a 43-year-old German who posted a manifesto calling for the "extermination" of many "races." He was later found dead.

The attack occurred at a hookah bar and cafe in Hanau around 10 p.m. local time Wednesday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said the shootings exposed the poison of racism in Germany.

HANAU, Germany - A German who shot and killed nine people of foreign background in a rampage that began at a hookah bar frequented by immigrants had posted an online rant calling for the complete extermination of many races or cultures in our midst, authorities said Thursday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the attack exposed the poison of racism in the country.

The gunman, Tobias Rathjen, 43, was found dead at his home along with his mother, and authorities said they were treating the rampage as an act of domestic terrorism.

Turks, ethnic Kurds and people with backgrounds from Bulgaria, Bosnia and Romania were among those killed, according to news reports. Turkeys ambassador said five of the dead were Turkish citizens. People of Turkish background make up Germanys single largest minority.

Rathjen opened fire at the hookah bar and a neighbouring cafe in the Frankfurt suburb of Hanau around 10 p.m. Wednesday, killing several people, then travelled about 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) and fired on a car and a sports bar, claiming more victims. In addition to the dead, six people were injured, one seriously, authorities said.

Hookah lounges are places where people gather to smoke flavoured tobacco from Middle Eastern water pipes. Metin Kan, who knew many of the victims, said it was obvious why the gunman chose the neighbourhood.

Look, a hookah bar there, a gaming parlour there, a doner kebab place there  its a place frequented by immigrants, he said. Why this hatred of foreigners? We all get along here.

Kadir Kose, who runs a cafe nearby, said he was shocked at the extent of the violence: This is a whole other level, something we hear about from America.

The bloodshed came amid growing concerns about far-right violence in Germany and stepped-up efforts to crack down on it, including last weeks detention of a dozen men on suspicion they were planning attacks against politicians and minorities.

This poison exists in our society and its is responsible for far too many crimes, Merkel said, citing the killings of 10 people across the country between 2000 and 2007 by a far-right gang, the fatal shooting last year of a regional politician from her party, and a deadly attack outside a synagogue in Halle on Yom Kippur in October.

She pledged to stand up against those who seek to divide the country.

There is much to indicate that the perpetrator acted out of far-right extremist, racist motives, she said. Out of hatred for people with other origins, other faiths or a different appearance.

While investigators said it appeared the gunman acted alone, Germanys federal prosecutor, Peter Frank, said authorities are trying to find out whether there were others who knew of or supported the attack. He added that his office is looking into any contacts the killer may have had inside Germany or abroad.

Peter Beuth, interior minister for the state of Hesse, said it does not appear Rathjen had a criminal record or was on the radar of Germanys domestic intelligence agency.

Witnesses and surveillance video of the getaway car led authorities quickly to the gunmans home, where he and his 72-year-old mother were found dead with gunshot wounds, apparently bringing the number of victims killed to 10.

Frank identified the gunman only as Tobias R., in line with German privacy laws, and confirmed he had posted extremist videos and a screed with confused ideas and far-fetched conspiracy theories on his website, which has since been taken down. He identified himself on the website as Tobias Rathjen.

We now have ethnic groups, races or cultures in our midst that are destructive in every respect, Rathjen wrote in his rambling, 24-page screed on his website. He said he envisioned first a rough cleaning and then a fine cleaning that could halve the worlds population.

The following people must be completely exterminated, he wrote, then went on to list two dozen countries, most of them Muslim.

The deadly attack was quickly condemned by many organizations, including the Central Council of Muslims, the Confederation of Kurdish Associations in Germany, and the Central Council of Jews.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called it a heinous attack and expressed confidence that German authorities will exert all kinds of effort to shed light on all aspects of this attack.

In his rant, Rathjen also detailed fears that he had been under government surveillance for years and blamed the monitoring for his inability to have a relationship with a woman. He also claimed to have approached police several times with conspiracy theories.

Separately, he sought help last year in finding out who was allegedly observing him from a Austrian man, Bernd Gloggnitzer, who teaches remote viewing, a practice that adherents claim gives them the ability to sense the unseen.

I didnt reply because I could tell from the email that he was a nutcase, Gloggnitzer told The Associated Press. He said Rathien forwarded to him a criminal complaint that he had drawn up and sent to Germanys federal prosecutors, and it was one conspiracy theory after another.

In the criminal complaint that he drew up, Rathien said that he worked for a price comparison website as a sales consultant but quit to devote all his attention to investigating the alleged surveillance. On his own website, he said he was born and raised in Hanau and earned a business degree.

He had a license to possess a gun, first issued in 2013, local authorities told Germanys dpa news agency. Local media reported he owned three 9 mm pistols. Some 5.4 million of Germanys 83 million people have guns. Owners must undergo background checks, including showing that they are not mentally ill.

German police were also examining a video Rathjen may have posted online several days before the attack in which he detailed a conspiracy theory about child abuse in the United States, dpa reported.

He made no reference to the far-right QAnon movement in the U.S., but the message was similar to the fringe groups central, baseless belief that President Donald Trump is under attack from deep state enemies and that satanists and cannibals are running a child sex trafficking ring.

___

Geir Moulson in Berlin, Michael Probst and Christoph Noelting in Hanau, and Suzan Fraser in Ankara contributed to this report. Rising and Jordans reported from Berlin.
Back at the end of January a series of leaks popped up showing what could be the upcoming design of a new Samsung Odyssey VR headset, and now a new set of leaks has surfaced showing a completely different look.

The new design appears to be a render and shows the headset with a strange bug-like design. Complete with a piece of plastic that splits down the middle of the front plate that makes it look a set of eyes.

The look would be a pretty big departure from the designs of Samsungs past headsets. Which look more like the leaked design that showed up in January.

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These Samsung Odyssey VR leaks are just that  leaks

One thing to keep in mind here is that these are still just leaks. The design could very well be something that Samsung is working on or experimented with. However it may also never see production.

The design is also very out of the ordinary and nothing like what weve seen on production headsets that have actually made it to market. Is this a design that consumers would pay for? Or would the headset fail to sell?

This could simply be a design that Samsung had mocked up so as to lock it down. Its reported that the leaked images were found along with a patent for the new design. Though no information could be found that shows the leaked images are tied to a patented design that the company was working on.

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There are some similarities however between the bug-like design and the previously leaked headset from last month.

The headset may come with integrated speakers and an adjustable head strap

Its hard to make out from the image since the whole headset isnt entirely visible. But, it looks like it comes with integrated speakers.

This would match up with the leak from last month as those are clearly in view. The new headset design is also said to come with a fully adjustable head strap. Which is something that Samsung offered on the previous Odyssey headset.

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The inside frame that you can see from the rear shot of the new design also matches up with the frame in last months patent drawings. So there is a reason to believe that these new designs are at the last a potential style that Samsung has toyed with.

That of course doesnt mean that Samsung will choose to go with something like this design for a production model. The headset is speculated to release sometime this year. But with Samsungs first Unpacked out of the way, chances are it would likely show up in the Fall. Which is when what the actual design looks like would pop up.

In either case, take this new leaked design with a big grain of salt for now. At least until more details begin to surface.
[February 19, 2020] C2 Education Selects BenchPrep to Deliver New Online Assessment Program

CHICAGO, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BenchPrep , the provider of the configurable cloud-based learning platform for corporations, training organizations, and nonprofits, has today announced its selection by C2 Education (C2), the nation's premier network of subject tutoring, college admissions test prep, and college admissions counseling centers, to deliver its assessments digitally.

C2s testing centers provide tutoring and prep services for students taking the SAT, ACT, and PSAT in an individualized and customized format. With BenchPreps platform, C2 will now be able to conduct their preliminary diagnostic assessments and interim exams of students at their tutoring centers in a digital format, while also providing supplemental content to instructors through the SaaS platform. C2 instructors will have more streamlined reporting and better access to learning materials with BenchPreps platform as the company begins to incorporate digital capabilities into its learning programs. BenchPrep is a proven industry leader in the Ed Tech space, delivering high-touch assessments and diagnostic exams for education partners, said Edward Kim, VP of Education Development & Curriculum at C2. With its modern and intuitive platform interface, BenchPrep allows us to seamlessly incrporate a digital assessment that will lead to operational improvement.



BenchPreps award-winning advanced online learning platform helps education and training organizations increase learner engagement, improve outcomes, and drive additional revenue. The technology delivers streamlined content management and instructional design, along with advanced educator tools, analytics dashboards, and reporting, in one comprehensive solution. It is incredibly exciting to see C2 leveraging our industry-leading platform to deliver their diagnostic assessments online, said Ashish Rangnekar, co-founder and CEO of BenchPrep. Digital transformation is one of the most pressing and challenging needs learning organizations must tackle. BenchPrep takes great pride in driving this change and helping our partners learning business thrive. Were thrilled to be working with C2 and look forward to helping them continue delivering an engaging and powerful learning experience.

About C2 Education

C2 Education (https://www.C2education.com) was founded in 1997 by David Kim and Jim Narangajavana, two Harvard students offering private tutoring programs from their dorm room. Now one of the nation's leading Tutoring, Test Prep, and College Admissions Counseling organizations, the company has grown to over 190 centers nationwide serving over 15,000 students and their families. C2 utilizes a unique approach that combines individualized instruction, customized curriculum, and dedicated education experts that helps students on the path to their dream college. C2 Education is headquartered in Johns Creek, Georgia. Follow the company on Facebook at facebook.com/c2education. About BenchPrep

BenchPrep is a configurable cloud-based learning platform that delivers the best learning experience and drives revenue for corporations, training companies and nonprofits (credentialing bodies & associations). With an award-winning learner-centric platform, BenchPrep increases learner engagement, improves long-term learner retention, and reduces dropout rates. Many of the largest credentialing bodies, associations, and training organizations in the world now deliver learning programs through BenchPrep, including ACT, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), CFA Institute, CompTIA, Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HR Certification Institute, Richardson Sales Training, Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM), American Institute of Architects (AIA), Relias, National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), ProLiteracy, Hobsons, McGraw Hill Education, and OnCourse Learning. More than 6 million learners have used BenchPreps platform to attain academic and professional success. To discover more about BenchPrep, please visit benchprep.com. Media Contact:

Jon Aderson

Director of Marketing

BenchPrep

312-650-5135

[email protected]

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AP

An American woman charged with human trafficking after she allegedly attempted to smuggle a newborn out of the Philippines now faces additional charges of kidnapping.

Jennifer Talbot from Utah was out on bail while facing human trafficking charges in Manila, Philippines, when she appeared in front of reporters on Wednesday with officials of the National Bureau of Investigation.

She was clad in an orange T-shirt with a mask over her face and one of her arms in a sling. When speaking to reporters, she said: "I object to this press conference without my attorney and the embassy present."

Prosecutors say Ms Talbot planned to board a Delta Air Lines flight on September 4 with a six-day-old baby wrapped in a sling bag.

She reportedly tried to show an affidavit giving consent for her to take the baby that was signed by the mother, but the form had no signature.

Airline personnel then alerted immigration personnel because no government travel documentation was issued to allow the infant to go to the US.

Immigration personnel arrested Ms Talbot at the airport and the infant was given to government welfare personnel.

The press conference on Wednesday occurred two days after Ms Talbot was served with an arrest warrant for kidnapping. She was served with the warrant during her court-appointed appearance to face her human trafficking charge.

Prosecutors said she also faces charges of illegal detainment. An initial hearing for the kidnapping charges is scheduled for March 12.

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UW Civil Legal Services Clinic Students Make History with Jury Trial Victory

UW students Jennifer Dean, a second-year law student from Cleveland, Ohio, and third-year law student Brent Rhodes, from Rock Springs, won a jury trial with the aid of Civil Legal Services Faculty Director Danielle Cover, a UW College of Law associate professor. (UW College of Law Photo)

Two University of Wyoming College of Law students successfully defended a client during a recent jury trial -- the first jury trial victory for students in any of the colleges eight clinics.

The Civil Legal Services Clinics Jennifer Dean, a second-year law student from Cleveland, Ohio, and third-year law student Brent Rhodes, from Rock Springs, concluded a two-day jury trial successfully preventing the termination of parental rights for an incarcerated individual. The case was in Laramie County District Court. Judge Steven Sharpe presided over the proceedings.

At the request of the court, UWs Civil Legal Services Clinic began representing the client at the end of 2019 and brought the case to its conclusion with the jury siding in the clients favor.

Supervising was Civil Legal Services Faculty Director Danielle Cover, UW College of Law associate professor. She helped Rhodes and Dean with trial preparation under a condensed time frame. Their client initially planned to appear pro se -- appearing for himself -- before they stepped in, leaving little room for error, Cover says.

The students filed several motions; conducted witness preparations; underwent pretrial conferences; and spent many hours creating their arguments. In the courtroom, they conducted voir dire -- the process of questioning a pool of potential jurors -- prepared opening statements; conducted the examination of witnesses; and prepared persuasive concluding remarks -- all on their own.

Cover was confident in the abilities of her students and was pleased with their efforts leading up to the trial, as well as their performance during the trial.

Jen and Brent were extraordinary in our initial preparation, in the countless hours of mooting (courtroom practice) we did and in the trial itself, Cover says. Both could see and explore nuanced arguments and respond flexibly to opposing counsels witness examinations.

She praised the students for their tenacity in the face of challenging facts and their commitment to providing the highest-quality representation they could. She cited Rhodes legal research that was above reproach and Deans direct and cross-examinations that did some of the strongest case building I could have asked for.

I am very proud to know them and to have supported them throughout the whole process, Cover says.

Rhodes, the student director for the clinic, was lead counsel on the case. Familiar with a courtroom and the protocol of a trial, he exuded the confidence and ease of a seasoned attorney in the face of many obstacles, Cover says.

The whole experience was overwhelming but very rewarding. One of the most impactful and unexpected moments for me was the palpable feeling of emotions in the courtroom, Rhodes says. It left an impression on me right up to the moment when the jury read the final verdict. The overall experience was unmatched. I have always assumed I wanted to do civil litigation but, after this experience, Im pretty confident it is what I want to do for the rest of my career.

Dean, co-counsel on the case, will take over as student director of the clinic this summer.

It was tough to enter this case so late, and we had to work with demanding deadlines and had little access to our client, as he is incarcerated, Dean says. We had a month and a half to get familiar with our case and client, prepare our case theory, learn how to do a jury trial and prepare what was needed to do so successfully.

Judge Sharpe commended the students throughout the jury trial.

They were extremely well prepared for trial under the excellent supervision of Professor Cover. What impressed me most was the obvious compassion and dedication they had for their client, he says. You cannot teach those things. The law school should be proud of these students and all of the professors who work hard with law students in their clinical programs. The University of Wyoming law school is accepting and turning out the right kind of lawyers.

Even though she and Rhodes had to hit the ground running, they leaned on each other and brought different experiences to the table, Dean says. They also were fortunate to reach out to the UW College of Law for additional assistance.

Law Clinic Manager Tim Crawford was particularly supportive, both emotionally and mentally, Dean says. We are grateful to our fellow students who helped us moot the jury selection process.

Cover also praised the assistance of UWs Assistant Professor Lauren McLane and Professor Melissa Alexander, who helped prepare the students for the jury trial.

Besides the Civil Legal Services Clinic, other College of Law clinics that give UW students real-world experience are: Family and Child Legal Advocacy; Defender Aid; Prosecution Assistance Program; Estate Planning Practicum; International Human Rights; Energy, Environmental and Natural Resources; and Entrepreneurship and Business Law Practicum.
A msterdam is a capital synonymous with hedonism and debauchery, particularly in its infamous red light district.

Yet, tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the workers here will no longer be able to take a tour of the district under new regulations.

This new rule, which will be implemented from April 1, is an attempt to fight overtourism in De Wallen, where the red light district is found. While all organised tours within De Wallen were banned in January, the new regulation will disallow all Amsterdam-based tours to visit sex work windows.

Deputy Mayor Victor Everhardt said in a statement: It is disrespectful to treat sex workers as a tourist attraction, therefore tours at De Wallen will be banned. Tours outside the Red Light District will still be permitted, but only if guides and participants of tours adhere to the new, stricter rules. This will help to prevent disruptions for residents and businesses.

Any tour guide found breaking these rules after the six week warning period will be fined 190 and the tour will be disbanded immediately. Three violations mean the guide will lose their permit and companies face penalties between 2,500 and 7,500.

While tourists are still free to wander this district on their own accord, Amsterdam has seen a boom in tourist activity in recent years. An estimated 19 million tourists visited the city (home to just 850,000) in 2018, a number expected to jump to 29 million visitors per year by 2025.
Representative Image

Gaurav Garg

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and MCX crude oil futures settled higher in the week gone by as investors expected OPEC+ to come through with the production cuts advised by the technical committee in the week-ending February 7. Short-covering may have also contributed to the rally, with traders turning a little more optimistic that the coronavirus-driven demand crisis had peaked.

Markets are also on mark for their first weekly gain since early January. In the week ending February 14, April WTI crude oil settled at $52.05, up 3.44 percent, and MCX Crude oil (February) futures settled at Rs 3,710, up 2.44 percent.

Citing coronavirus outbreak, OPEC cut its forecast for oil demand growth this year. OPEC foresees daily demand growth in 2020 to be 9,90,000 barrels per day, which is below 2,30,000 bpd forecasted earlier.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said oil demand is set to fall YoY in the first quarter for the first time since the financial crisis of 2009 due to the coronavirus outbreak in China.

China is the largest importer of oil and is among the top consumers of the world after the US. The spread of coronavirus has impacted oil consumption and resulted in a further slide in already oversupplied market.

Crude oil jumped more than 3 percent earlier in the week, as traders eyed deeper production cuts from OPEC, and as China reported the lowest number of new coronavirus cases since the end of January, easing concerns about a drop-off in demand for oil. Ahead of the weekend, traders were reacting as if China had controlled the spread of the coronavirus.

Similarly, India's fuel demand fell 0.6 percent in January compared with the same month last year. Consumption of fuel (a proxy for oil demand) was calculated 18.41 million tonnes, data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) of the oil ministry showed.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) said that US crude supplies rose by 7.5 million barrels for the week-ended February 7. Traders were looking for a 2.9 million barrels rise in oil demand.

The EIA data also showed a supply decline of 1,00,000 barrels for gasoline, while distillate stocks fell by 2 million barrels. Traders were expecting gasoline inventories to rise to 7,00,000 barrels; however, distillates were forecasted to fall by 9,00,000 barrels.

The bearish demand forecasts from OPEC and IEA are likely to encourage OPEC and allies, especially Russia, to implement additional production cuts.

The major producer said it needed more time, but the new demand forecasts are likely to encourage Russia to sign off on the OPEC+'s deeper cut.

Short covering in oil should drive prices higher if Russia also announces cuts, but gains will be limited since the cut will not be enough to overcome the demand decline. If Russia passes on the cut, then this will be a disaster, plunging prices to a multiyear low.

(The author is Head of Research at CapitalVia Global Research Limited- Investment Advisor.)

: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Frank Anderson, an American spymaster who oversaw the Central Intelligence Agencys covert mission to funnel weapons and other support to Afghan insurgents fighting their Soviet occupiers in the 1980s, died on Jan. 27 in Sarasota, Fla. He was 78.

The cause was a stroke, his wife, Donna Eby Anderson, said. Mr. Anderson lived in Sarasota and had been in hospice care.

During his nearly 27 years with the C.I.A., Mr. Anderson became the ranking American clandestine officer in the Arab world. He served as Beirut station chief; was promoted to chief of the Near East and South Asia division of the agencys Directorate of Operations, its covert branch; and directed the agencys technical services division, a role similar to that of James Bonds Q.

Among his missions was, as head of the C.I.A.s Afghan task force in the late 1980s, to supply weapons to the mujahedeen, the anti-Communist Muslim fighters who resisted the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
Former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand, who is out on bail in a case in which he is accused of sexually abusing a law student, appeared before a special MP/MLA court here on Wednesday.

Judge PK Rai fixed March 4 as the next date of hearing for the framing of charges.

Chinmayanand, 72, was released from the Shahjahanpur district jail after the Allahabad High Court granted him bail.

While granting him bail, the court also transferred Chinmayanand's trial from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow, taking note of the victim's apprehension that he could influence proceedings in his hometown.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
[February 18, 2020] LOST MONEY IN FLUOR CORPORATION? Gibbs Law Group Investigates Potential Securities Law Violations

Fluor Corporation shares fell by nearly 25% after the company announced it was being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for possible accounting and financial reporting errors, and that its 2019 10-K filing would be delayed as a result. Gibbs Law Group is investigating a potential Fluor Class Action Lawsuit on behalf of investors who lost money in Fluor (NYSE: FLR) stock. To speak with an attorney regarding this class action lawsuit investigation, click here or call (888) 410-2925. On February 18, 2020, Fluor disclosed that the SEC (News - Alert) is investigating its accounting and financial reporting for te second quarter of 2019. As Fluor responds to requests for data by the SEC, the company stated it is also reviewing prior period reporting and will delay its 2019 10-K filing until after February 2020. According to Fluor, it "remains possible" that there were material errors in its prior period financial statements.



Following this news, on February 18, 2020 Fluor's stock price dropped by nearly 25% to close at $14.79, causing significant harm to investors. What Should Fluor Investors Do?

If you invested in Fluor, visit our website or contact our securities team directly at (888) 410-2925 to discuss how you may be able to recover your losses. Our investigation concerns whether Fluor has violated federal securities laws. About Gibbs Law Group Gibbs Law Group represents individual and institutional investors throughout the country in securities litigation to correct abusive corporate governance practices, breaches of fiduciary duty, and proxy violations. The firm has recovered over a billion dollars for its clients against some of the world's largest corporations, and our attorneys have received numerous honors for their work, including "Best Lawyers in America," "Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California," "California Lawyer Attorney of the Year," "Top Class Action Attorneys Under 40," "Consumer Protection MVP," and "Top Cybersecurity/ Privacy Attorneys Under 40." This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200218006179/en/

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Investigators with India's antitrust watchdog have found no evidence that the country's biggest airline, IndiGo , and four rival carriers colluded to fix ticket prices, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2015 ordered a probe into allegations of anti-competitive practices after similar fares were being offered on certain routes by IndiGo, SpiceJet , GoAir, state-run Air India [AIN.UL] and now-defunct Jet Airways . The CCI inquiry, which included an analysis of the algorithms airlines to determine ...
With his approval rating again climbing to post-impeachment high, Donald Trump mocked his Democratic challengers by contending his campaign's internal polling shows him winning a second term.

The president used a tweet to call his campaign's polling "REAL," contending those surveys show him "beating all of the Dem candidates".

"The Fake News Polls (here we go again, just like 2016) show losing or tied," he tweeted, referring to polls in the last presidential election cycle that up until Election Day showed Mr Trump trailing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee that year.

Mr Trump continued to make public predictions that he will defeat any of the remaining Democratic nominees, writing from Las Vegas on campaign tour: "Their polls will be proven corrupt on November 3rd, just like the Fake News is corrupt!"

His prediction and tweet came as an average of nearly 10 widely respected public opinion polls put him at his most popular since the House impeached him and Senate acquitted him on two charges of misconduct.

Forty-six per cent of Americans approve of the job he is doing, according to a RealClearPolitics average of nine polls. That's against 51 percent who disapprove, 7 points off the highest amount of voters who have objected to his job performance.

A Rasmussen Reports survey included gave the president his highest approval figure, 50 per cent, followed by a poll conducted by The Hill and HarrisX, 49 percent. He got the lowest marks in a Politico/Morning Consult poll, 43 per cent, followed by a NPR/PBS/Marist College poll, 44 per cent.

National polls of hypothetical one-on-one polls between Mr Trump and the top six Democratic candidates show each one defeating the incumbent in the popular vote. Several of those, however, are within most polls margins of error - and Ms Clinton maintained a sizeable lead in each survey last time only to be defeated in the Electoral College.

Mr Trump and his campaign aides have made clear they again are running a campaign focused on securing the 271 Electoral College votes needed to secure the presidency.

The president and his team are banking that a strong economy will make him tough to beat come November. He frequently boasts about low unemployment and booming retirement accounts at official White House public events and campaign rallies, ignoring the part of the post-2008 economic recovery that began under President Barack Obama.

The president last weekend knocked Mr Obama and some of his former aides for pointing that out, setting up a major issue for the 2020 campaign.

A recent Gallup poll showed more of those surveyed, 62 per cent, gave Mr Trump credit than Mr Obama, 51 per cent.
Srinagar, Feb 19 : The Police in south Kashmir's Kulgam arrested an associate of terrorists of the proscribed outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), officials said on Wednesday.

He has been identified as Zubair Ahmed Ganai, a resident of Subhanpura, Kulgam.

As per police records, Ganai has been assisting the active terrorists of the LeT operating in Kulgam district.

As per the investigation, he was involved in providing logistical support, shelter to LeT terrorists operating in the area besides assisting them in transportation and travel.

"Incriminating materials including ammunition and mobile phones were recovered from his possession. A vehicle, Maruti 800, bearing registration number JK 03B-0473 used for the transportation of terrorists has also been seized," a police officer said.

Police said a case under relevant sections of the law has been registered.
More than 130 lawyers and women's rights groups have today signed a letter calling for a review of a judge who dismissed a woman's rape claim because she did not fight back against her alleged attacker.

Judge Robin Tolson QC was criticised for his handling of a case which saw a woman lose custody of her son, despite telling the courts the child's father had subjected her to domestic and sexual abuse.

Judge Tolson said he was concerned that 'the mother did nothing physically to stop the father [from raping] her'.

He said that the mother should have stopped the father from having sex with her by 'refusing to remove her pyjama bottoms.'

Last month he was savaged by a senior colleague and now, more than 130 legal experts and campaigners have called for an urgent review of all of Judge Tolsons' active cases, according to BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show.

More than 130 lawyers and women's rights groups have today signed a letter calling for a review of Judge Robin Tolson

The letter, signed by organisations including Rape Crisis England and Wales, Women's Aid and the Centre for Women's Justice, claims that family court judges hold 'outdated views' and should be trained on the 'meaning of consent'.

It adds attitudes such as those expressed by the judge 'leave children and women at risk of serious harm'.

Judge Tolson QC last year oversaw a case which saw a 29-year-old father with a string of criminal convictions for violence and theft, and a long record of abuse against previous domestic partners, ask for contact with his son.

He and the boy's mother had separated more than three years ago and the child remained with his mother, judges heard.

Family court litigation began after the man asked to be allowed to spend time with his son, but the woman objected and said the man had been controlling and had raped her.

Judge Tolson found that although the mother was 'both upset and averse' to sex, 'the sex between the parties carried the consent of both'. He concluded: 'This was not rape.'

The woman argued the judge's approach had led to her losing the legal battle with the man.

But she has since had her appeal upheld by a High Court judge, over its handling.

The Victoria Derbyshire show also heard of another woman whose case was heard by Judge Tolson.

She said she left her partner when he subjected her and her children to physical abuse - but he applied to the courts for contact and was granted access.

She claims her younger child is 'terrified of going for contact with [the father] and says he's been physically abusive'.

But 'Trish' cannot stop her child seeing the father - or she will face a fine, or jail time.

She told the show: 'All I want is for this to be properly investigated. I've been in court at least 20 times. [The father] can afford lawyers but... I have to represent myself.

'He's continuing to control me and abuse - and that's enabled by the courts.

'The children's voices are not heard and to not even have the courts protecting vulnerable families is really scary.

'I am deeply concerned for the future of my children and their safety.'

The High Court (pictured above) allowed the woman to appeal the decision made by Judge Tolson

Last month, Judge Tolson was severely criticised by High Court judge Ms Justice Russell (pictured), who indicated in a written ruling that her colleagues needed to receive training on the 'appropriate' way to deal with allegations of serious assault

Last month, Judge Tolson was severely criticised by High Court judge Ms Justice Russell, who said he had made 'multiple errors of law' and that his judgement was 'so flawed as to require a retrial'.

Ms Justice Russell said that in future family judges will get extra training on the law governing rape and sexual assault to match that given to judges who sit in serious sex cases in the criminal courts.

The High Court judge said that Judge Tolson had ignored 15 years of progress in rape law and the legal approach to consent in sex.
H Code, the only advertising entity reaching the U.S. Hispanic market at scale digitally, today announced the appointment of Jennifer White as Chief Operating Officer. Jennifer is a recognized industry expert and thought leader in technology, digital media and advertising, with over 20 years experience innovating strategies and products to expedite monetization in high-growth organizations. At H Code, she will focus on overseeing operations across all departments, driving business strategy and managing the companys rapid growth, and helping generate impactful integrated campaigns.

Im proud to be working with H Code, furthering the companys mission of helping brands reach and resonate with the influential U.S. Hispanic audience. said White. Ive worn many hats in my careerfrom running business strategy to operationalizing studios and developing international contentand Ill be bringing that experience into my new role at H Code. I look forward to working with this amazing, diverse team and to help continue scaling up the core business.

Prior to joining H Code, Jennifer was the Senior Vice President of Business Strategy and Monetization at BuzzFeed, where she managed the global branded content studio and operations team, developing products and integrated campaigns for brands and agencies. Prior to BuzzFeed, she spent 15+ years at the intersection of adtech, publishing, and branded work, after beginning her career in chemical engineering with Dow Chemical. She transitioned to Silicon Valley in the early 2000s as a product general manager through operational experience and six-sigma, a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects.

Were happy to welcome a trusted leader like Jennifer to our team, as she has an extensive track record in successfully implementing seasoned operational practices, said Parker Morse, CEO and Founder of H Code. Jennifers digital media experience and strategic insight will be a huge asset to H Code as we continue to build on the significant growth weve seen year over year.

To learn more about H Codes comprehensive product suite of integrated marketing and media solutions, visit hcodemedia.com.

About H Code

Founded in 2015, H Code is the largest Hispanic digital media company in the U.S. The company was formed to better connect brands and advertisers with U.S. Hispanics online across all channels. It reaches this coveted audience at scale through digital and integrated campaigns that bring together targetable data, exclusive inventory, impactful creative, branded content, and more. Through H Code, brands can more effectively reach and influence Hispanics than with any other partner in the Hispanic market. Key clients include Disney Theatrical, Toyota, General Mills, Target, Walmart, Delta Air Lines, Chase, Kaiser Permanente, Clorox, Sprint, and USPS.
Q. My mother-in-law died nearly six years ago and my stepfather-in-law never probated the will. The will states that the property should be divided equally between the husband and three adult children. What can be done to probate the will, or is it too late? What happens if he dies before the will is probated?

 Unsure

A. A situation like this is pretty dependent on the specific facts of the case and the will, but there are some basic things you should know.

Were going to call your mother-in-law Mary and your stepfather-in-law Frank.

The first question is whether the will you found was Marys last will.

Only the most recent properly executed will is valid, said Andrew Novick, a certified financial planner and estate planning attorney with The Investment Connection and Brookner Law Offices in Bridgewater.

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He said you should call the surrogates office in the county where Mary lived. Give her full legal name and date of death to see whether a will was ever probated for her.

If not  or if the will you found was newer than the one that was probated  it is not too late, he said.

Take the original will and a death certificate with a raised seal to the surrogates office and ask them for instructions on how to probate the will, Novick said. If you dont have the original, probating a will is much more difficult and youd be well-advised to hire an attorney.

The next consideration is why Frank never probated the will.

In the honest scenario  such as if he just didnt know he had to  you can ask the surrogate to appoint Frank as Marys executor.

The executors legal duties include collecting deceaseds assets, paying debts, filing tax returns, and distributing the net assets to the appropriate beneficiaries within a reasonable time period, he said. For a simple estate, Frank can probably handle this alone or with guidance from family members. For a more complicated estate, he may need help from an accountant, an attorney, or both.

In the dishonest scenario, such as if Frank was trying to take 100% of Marys assets when he was only entitled to 50%, then you wouldnt want Frank to be appointed as executor, Novick said. Instead, you should hire an attorney to look into filing a lawsuit to declare Frank unfit to serve.

Novick said with either scenario, you may want to investigate whether Frank violated his legal duties as executor.

If he did, Marys estate and/or the kids might have a viable lawsuit against Frank, Novick said. This lawsuit could be based on negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, or any number of other legal theories.

If Frank dies, an alternate executor would step in.

If the will doesnt name an alternate, the surrogates office can tell you who is next in line under the applicable statute, he said. Otherwise, not much else would change. Franks estate would acquire his assets, including any rights Frank might have to inherit half of Marys assets since he was alive at her death, as well as his liabilities, including any claim that Marys estate or the kids may have against Frank.

You can contact Social Security at (800) 772-1213 or find your local office here.

Email your questions to Ask@NJMoneyHelp.com.

Karin Price Mueller writes the Bamboozled column for NJ Advance Media and is the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Follow NJMoneyHelp on Twitter @NJMoneyHelp. Find NJMoneyHelp on Facebook. Sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter.
The novel coronavirus epidemic is not a pandemic, and the World Health Organization (WHO) will not raise its risk assessment in the global context, said the UN health body at a Monday press conference held in Geneva, Switzerland.

A video grab of the WHO press conference

The judgement of the WHO was made based on scientific analysis of the epidemics development in both China and the rest of the world, and has offered guidance for the next phase of global prevention and control.

The WHOs judgement is no doubt an acknowledgement of the huge efforts China has made to combat the novel coronavirus. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the decline in the number of new confirmed cases in China was an important basis for the organization to maintain its previous assessment.

According to Chinas National Health Commission, 79 new cases of novel coronavirus infection were reported outside epicenter Hubei province on Monday, bringing the number down to double-digits. It also marked the 14th consecutive day of declined growth, indicating that Chinas strong measures have had obvious effects.

The WHOs judgment also forcefully refuted the excessive measures taken by certain countries. According to Tedros, WHO has received reports of 694 cases from 25 countries, and three deaths outside China, and Michael Ryan, executive director of the organization's Health Emergencies Programme, noted that no obvious community transmission has been observed outside China.

It suggests that most of the cases are still in China, as the country is making huge efforts to prevent the virus from spreading globally.

Its vital to take scientific and rational preventive approaches amid the epidemic, but overreactions, especially those targeting China by certain countries, are obviously unnecessary.
EVRT Dubai 2020, the eagerly-anticipated Electric Vehicle Road Trip, is charging into the Middle East with the announcement of a series of first-of-its-kind initiatives designed to put electric vehicles through their paces and the first set of vehicle manufacturers participating in the upcoming edition.

Over a hundred participants are gearing up for the Worlds Greatest Electric Vehicle Road Trip, with the UAE Minister of Climate Change, His Excellency Dr Thani set to join part of the trip. The Road Trip will see 15 electric vehicles take on the 1,000km journey designed to inspire transformation to smarter mobility and electric vehicles.

Ben Pullen, Co-Founder & CEO at Generation.e, said: This year is more creative than ever before. World first challenges and drag races will provide a major opportunity to gather the latest and greatest electric vehicles together from around the world to put them through their paces on home turf in the UAE. Its a unique opportunity for manufacturers to showcase their line up in an environment that truly flies the flag for electric vehicle adoption in the region. We cant wait to reveal more details about the event as we gear up for the worlds greatest electric vehicle road trip!

A world first taking place, the World Regeneration Challenge is set to demonstrate just how powerful regenerative braking is, and how much of a game-changer it is for automotive industry. The challenge is simple: electric vehicles, from a range of brands, will drive up to the top of the 1,934 metre (6,345 ft) Jebel Jais Mountain to find out how much energy their vehicles can regenerate on the way down. The Challenge is set to highlight how regenerative braking takes place when the vehicle is rolling down an incline or in free slow, with electric vehicles engaging their motors in reverse to generate electricity, resulting in their battery getting charged on their way back down the mountain.

Another eagerly-anticipated challenge that is set to take place is the classic Electric Vehicle Drag Race  another opportunity to truly put the vehicles through their paces in a competitive environment.

Hyundai Motor Company and One Moto are the latest car manufacturers to pledge their support, with the brands seizing the opportunity to showcase their fully electric ranges to put them to the test, as they travel across the UAE in an expedition over six days from March 25 to 30, 2020.

Bangsun Jeong, Head of Operations, Hyundai Motor Company M. East & Africa HQ said: We are excited to showcase for the first time in the region the Hyundai KONA and IONIQ models at EVRT Dubai. Hyundai aims to become a global automotive leader in eco-friendly vehicles and we are currently planning a full line-up of 21 electrified models, including battery electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles. Being part of EVRT Dubai offers us a great connection between Hyundais global efforts and UAE consumers, promoting the transition to more eco-friendly motoring in the Middle East.

Suliman Al Zaben, Director, Juma Al Majid Est added: We have been proud partners of Hyundai for over three decades and we are delighted to be a part of this great initiative. We believe the EVRT Dubai will make UAE customers more aware of the advantages of affordable electric vehicles and encourage more consumers to invest in EVs when making their next new-car purchase. With Dubai offering generous incentives for EV owners, we see a huge potential for electric vehicles in the market.

The 2020 edition is organised by Generation.e, the entity supporting the acceleration of electric vehicles and smarter mobility adoption across the world, will be launched on 25th March, 2020 at The Sustainable City in Dubai.

Generation.e's mission is to inspire transformation to smarter mobility for the creation of better connected and sustainable societies. -- Tradearabia News Service
Brandon City Council voted Tuesday evening to approve the purchase of land in the west end, which could be used for a new affordable housing development in the future.

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Brandon City Council voted Tuesday evening to approve the purchase of land in the west end, which could be used for a new affordable housing development in the future.

Ryan Nickel, the citys director of planning and building, said an affordable housing development is recommended for the land at 20 27th St. North as it lines up with city councils affordable housing-first strategy.

The property is surrounded by city-owned vacant lots and not hooked up to city services, so there arent many potential uses for it. He called it "a really weird situation" as the city will have to combine the purchased land with the surrounding land for it to be used for something productive.

"Certainly by buying it, it allows the city to reconfigure the lots in a more helpful way to facilitate development," he said before the meeting.

The land is located across the street from the citys Water Treatment Plant but behind two pre-existing houses. A total of $20,000 will come out of the citys Land Acquisition Reserve to pay for the purchase  $15,000 to buy the land from Homewise Management Ltd. and $5,000 for land assembly.

The owners of the property approached the city looking to sell the land, Nickel said, and the land could be used for a multi-family development in the neighbourhood.

A back lane runs through the property that is to be amalgamated, effectively splitting it in two. Nickel said the lots will have to be assembled to allow for the back lane and city garbage trucks to drive through it.

Provincial regulations only allow for a building to be built on the northern portion of land that fronts on McDonald Avenue, so the back half will likely be used for a parking lot, Nickel said.

During the meeting, councillors voted to classify the land as surplus land  available for development, instead of expressly for affordable housing. The change gives more leeway on future uses as the city is still waiting on policy from senior levels of government at the provincial and federal levels for direction on affordable housing.

Coun. Shaun Cameron (University), who represents the area, said the new development would be a positive for the neighbourhood.

"It does bring more residents into units that they can find affordable, and as well it also satisfies the fact that we dont have bunch of small parcels of land that arent benefiting the city to any great detail. I think in this assemblage, it creates a unique opportunity for the city to put some more housing into our stocks," he said.

The land purchase is a "conduit" for a possible affordable housing project as the city would still have to hand it off to a developer to actually do the construction.

The City of Brandon previously worked with the province on five affordable housing developments in the city, including at 705 Lorne Ave., Rosser Avenue East, Frederick Street and Rosser Avenue, but Cameron said this one is separate. He said any future municipal/provincial partnership on housing would be tremendously positive.

Any building on the McDonald Avenue property will not be immediate. The purchase is the first step and any building would still need city approval. City administration would also have to put the project out for a request for proposal and subdivide the property.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 02:21:17|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ANKARA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkish authorities on Tuesday issued detention orders for more than 700 suspects allegedly linked to the group that is blamed by the Turkish government for the failed 2016 coup, local NTV reported.

There are 766 detention orders in total, along with operations for Gulen movement linked structures in the Ministry of Justice and the Turkish Armed forces, the NTV reported.

The Turkish authorities also reportedly issued arrest warrants for 467 suspects across Turkey on the accusation that they have illegally obtained 2009 police promotion exam questions using their affiliation to the Gulen movement, the semi-official Anadolu news agency reported on early Tuesday.

Hundreds of them are being detained in 67 provinces across Turkey since Tuesday morning, the agency reported.

U.S. based cleric Fetullah Gulen is accused by Ankara of orchestrating a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

Turkish government launched a massive crackdown on Gulen's supporters at home after the coup attempt, and issued arrest warrants for suspects abroad.

Washington is reluctant to extradite the self-exiled Islamic cleric, saying that Ankara has not presented sufficient evidence against him.
35 years ago this month Toronto was in the grips of what the Star dubbed the Patty Wars, a 10-day debacle that involved one of Torontos most beloved foods, the Jamaican patty.

In 1985, food inspectors served notices to eight Jamaican patty shops in the city because their beef patties didnt meet the Canadian governments definition of a beef patty, basically, a burger patty. Shops such as the Kensington Patty Place on Baldwin St. were told to rename their patties to something closer to a meat pie or they would face a $5,000 fine (about $10,600 today). A Feb. 19, 1985 article from the Star included a statement from Ontario opposition leader David Peterson that said, The federal governments unilateral decision to force West Indian Canadians to rename their national snack food, the beef patty, is inane. Roy Williams, president of the Jamaican Canadian Association, also said in the statement that the patty is Indigenous to Jamaicans and that they will never give up the patty label. A settlement was eventually reached between the parties and Jamaican businesses were allowed to keep the patty name.

Albert Wiggan doesnt remember much about the Patty Wars; he was busy running his year-old restaurant at the time, Alberts Real Jamaican Foods at the corner of St. Clair West and Vaughan Rd. Hes still working at the restaurant today, and at 64, hes the unofficial mayor of St. Clair West.

For one thing, a laneway was named after him last October. Hes the guy people come to for advice, whether its kids with problems at home or customers asking who to vote for. While talking at the restaurant, he checks his phone because a student was going to interview him for a business project. A woman from the nearby Stop Community Food Centre asks if Wiggan could donate food for an upcoming event. If you try to leave his restaurant without eating, hell break out an over-the-top Sopranos impression and say, Ive got Italian in my blood and insist on filling up a takeout box.

The restaurants lime green walls are filled with framed letters and awards from local organizations, charities, school boards, business associations as well as the Gov. General. Its something Wiggan wouldnt have dreamed of since he moved to Toronto 45 years ago and started working in a factory. But to understand how he got there, he first tells me about his mom.

My mother Justina had 15 of us. Five of them died at a really young age, says Wiggan. My father died when I was two, so my mom was the engine. You couldnt get away with anything around her, and she expected that when we grew up, we would all know how to cook, sew and iron.

Growing up in Runaway Bay, a town on the north coast of Jamaica, Wiggan learned to cook rice, stews, soups and chicken dishes to feed his siblings. He later worked in the hotel industry as a waiter and cook. He and his wife, Carolyn, a nurse, moved to Toronto in the mid 70s, where he worked at a bottle cap factory in Bloordale.

Waves of immigration from Caribbean nations to Canada happened throughout the 20th century. The first being from 1900 to 1960 when Canadas economy was doing well in the postwar era and many women moved here as domestic workers. The second occurred throughout the 60s as more than 60,000 Caribbean came to Canada under the 1962 Immigration Act, which accepted immigrants based on education and skills rather than the previous criteria of race or national origin.

Wiggans arrival coincided with whats considered a third major wave of immigration, as many left Jamaica in the 70s due to political instability. By then Toronto had a well-established Jamaican community with local associations, as well as shops and businesses opening along Eglinton Ave. W. to form what is now known as Little Jamaica. The latest census data reports that of the 257,060 Jamaicans living in Ontario, just over 200,000 of them live in Toronto, making them one the largest ethnic groups in Toronto.

When Wiggan arrived in Toronto, he says the food at existing Jamaican restaurants didnt taste like the flavours he knew growing up, so he decided to open his own place. He saved $15,000 from his factory job and through a government loan program he got another $15,000. In 1984 he found a tiny space that charged $1,400 a month rent, at the corner of St. Clair Ave. W. and Vaughan Rd., southeast of where Little Jamaica was established. He only bought used kitchen equipment to stretch his budget. On the first day, Wiggan says the restaurant made $300 (about $600 today). It was a lot of work, but we were able to make a deposit at the end of the day, he says. We were quite impressed.

He eventually quit his job at the bottle cap factory after working there for 13 years to focus on the restaurant full-time.

The hours were long and sometimes Id have four hours of sleep. Id sleep on the freezer in the restaurant, go home to take a shower and then come back again, he says, adding that having severe dyslexia also made running a business challenging. My wife helped at the restaurant, but she also had a full-time job.

But word of Wiggans cooking eventually reached diners, and he began to build a following for his jerk chicken, goat curries and daily soup offerings. He came out with his own line of hot sauces with flavours like mango, pineapple-ginger, and cranberry for purchase at the restaurant. A decade ago, he took over the adjoining Coffee Time shop and turned it into the dining room. The old takeout shop space has been converted into the kitchen with tubs of dried beans, bags of rice and a large metal drum to marinate the chicken.

I used to do this by hand but I dont think I could do 1,000 pounds of chicken in three weeks, he says while showing off the back kitchen. This kind of cooking isnt something that you can just throw together. The chicken is marinated overnight using the just right amount of spices: allspice, garlic, seasoning salt, scotch bonnets, theres a science to creating that flavour.

Its something that he wishes more diners would realize when they complain about pricing, even if a complete dinner at Alberts can cost the same as a cocktail or appetizer at another restaurant.

Oxtail now costs me $5 a pound because its now a more popular ingredient. We give you 12oz of oxtail with rice and a salad for $20, he says, adding that people wouldnt complain about paying $30 for a 4oz piece of steak. One of the problems is that Caribbean food is hard to do but I think its underpriced. People may say were more expensive, but we compare our food to some of the better restaurants in the city.

Still, Wiggan says hes grateful hes been in business for so long. I remember people coming here since day one when they were 16, or people who were in their 30s and are now grandparents. People make it a point to come here after taking a trip cause they say our food tastes like home. If you get good food, youll always remember it no matter where you go, it stays with you.

But for him, longevity is more than serving good food, its about looking out for the community and showing that even having a disability like dyslexia doesnt mean life is over. He points to the little flags of countries from around the world that runs along the ceiling above the counter, his indicator that everyone is welcome at the restaurant and proudly states that his employees come from everywhere (one of the cooks rolling dumplings in the back is from Japan, for example).

What you put into the community is what you get out of it, says Wiggan. You reap what you sow, or as my mom used to say, You cant plant corn and expect to get peas.
[February 19, 2020] Rockwell Automation Strengthens Control & Visualization Portfolio with Acquisition of ASEM

Rockwell Automation (News - Alert), Inc. (NYSE: ROK) today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Italy-based ASEM, S.p.A., a leading provider of digital automation technologies. ASEM provides a complete range of Industrial PCs (IPCs), Human-Machine Interface (HMI) hardware and software, remote access capabilities, and secure Industrial IoT gateway solutions. ASEM's high-performance automation solutions enable The Connected Enterprise with smarter technology, enhanced productivity, and a more secure environment by integrating smart devices, the control platform, and design and operational software all on a single network. "ASEM's strength in the IPC (News - Alert) market and expertise in HMI will further expand our Control & Visualization hardware and software portfolio and enhance our ability to deliver high-performance, integrated automation solutions. ASEM's products will provide our customers with a high degree of configurability for their industrial computing needs through innovative hardware and software that allows them to achieve faster time to market, lower their cost of ownership, improve asset utilization, and better manage enterprise risk," said Fran Wlodarczyk, Senior Vice President, Architecture & Software at Rockwell Automation. "ASEM has a leading market position in Italy and has a brand that is synonymous with quality. We are delighted to have the opportunity to leverage our pioneering expertise in the design and production of Industrial PCs and industrial software to broaden Rockwell Automation's Control & Visualization offering and accelerate the digital transformaton of our customers," said ASEM founder, President, and CEO Renzo Guerra.



The transaction includes the purchase of a minority interest in ASEM held by KEB Group, Germany. Post-close, Rockwell Automation will maintain ASEM's strategic supplier and technology partner relationship with KEB. The transaction is expected to close in the spring of 2020, subject to customary approvals and conditions, and will be reported in the Architecture & Software business segment. Rockwell Automation will provide additional information at the upcoming Barclays and Citi investor conferences held in Miami, Florida on February 19 and 20.

About Rockwell Automation Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 23,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries. To learn more about how we are bringing The Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com About ASEM Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Artegna, Italy, ASEM, is a leader in the R&D, design, manufacturing, and marketing of products, systems, and solutions for the machine and process automation markets. ASEM's products, systems, and solutions are completely designed, engineered and manufactured in-house in Italy and based on state-of-the-art hardware and software technologies. ASEM employs approximately 200 employees, 30% of which are dedicated to R&D. In addition to Italy, ASEM has presence in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and sells to customers in over 30 countries. To learn more about ASEM, visit www.asem.it View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005282/en/

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Authorities in Indian Kashmir are cracking down on virtual private network (VPN) apps used to circumvent a months-long ban on social media, police said.

Social networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram are still blocked, even after the government restored limited mobile data service and the internet in Kashmir, so residents use VPNs or proxy servers to bypass the restrictions.

Police said many VPN users were trying to stir trouble in Kashmir and were liable to face action.

We have identified 100 social media users and are in the process of identifying more users for misuse of social media, for disseminating fake and false secessionist, anti-India propaganda, said Kashmir cyber police chief Tahir Ashraf.

He added that police have filed a case against social media users who are using proxy servers to access messaging networks and stir up anti-India propaganda, Reuters reported.

A Jammu and Kashmir telecom official said teams of software engineers were working to disrupt VPNs use in Kashmir.

It is an ongoing process. We block some and they come up with more. It is like a cat-and-mouse game, he added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) graduate student wildcat strike escalated yesterday, Tuesday February 18, as students acting in defiance of the United Auto Workers (UAW) mounted an all-day picket, culminating in a general assembly to vote on further action. Graduate students are holding fast against police repression and threats of dismissal or even deportation from the highest level university administration. Despite a virtual media blackout, support for the movement is growing across the UC system, drawing widespread support from students, faculty, and workers across the country.

A significant number of students attended the general assembly meeting, whose outcome is not yet clear. One speaker called for students to spread the strike throughout the entire UC system, including to undergraduate students, campus workers, and tenure- and non-tenure-track professors. The speaker noted to applause that the role of the UAW in trying to enforce the no-strike clause in their contract.

The UCSC graduate students main demand is a substantial cost of living adjustment (COLA) of $1,412 per month for graduate students living off roughly $2,400 per month in one of the most expensive areas in the country.

Wildcat action began in December with a grading strike by roughly 200 teaching assistants, who have refused to turn in final grades accounting for 70-90% of UCSC Fall 2019 classes until their demands are met. Last week, students escalated action to a full strike, which was met with police repression. At todays general assembly meeting, strikers met to discuss a collective response to a UCSC ultimatum that threatens students with disciplinary action up to and including dismissal if they do not submit Fall 2019 grades by midnight this Friday.

The response of UCSC administration has been a characteristic mixture of stonewalling and repression. On Friday, February 14, UC President Janet Napolitano, Obamas former Secretary of Homeland Security, threatened striking students with dismissal. She claimed that any improvement in Santa Cruz students poverty wages before the contract expires in 2022 would undercut the very foundation of an agreement negotiated in good faith by the UAW.

Twenty minutes later, UCSC Executive Vice Chancellor Lori Kletzer emailed students with the Friday, February 21 ultimatum to submit final grades. Speaking for the UC administration, Kletzer sought to demobilize graduate students with a series of minor pallatives, including guarantees of funding for graduate students and annual lump sum housing assistance of $2,500 per year for graduate students who cannot find on campus housing.

Strikers rightly rejected these proposals as totally inadequate. The primary demand of COLA is centered around the fact that even with full funding, students cannot afford to live in Santa Cruz.

Will Parrish, a graduate student in UCSCs History of Consciousness program who is coordinating media and outreach for the strike, summed up striker sentiment. People are outraged, Id say generally. I think that a lot of people feel determined to continue and withstand these attempts to break the strike before we get what we need, which is a cost-of-living-adjustment.

UCSC administration has even issued threats of deportation to international students, reminding students that Participation in a wildcat strike is not, in itself, a violation of your immigration status. However, any actions that result in subsequent discipline or arrest may have immigration consequences.

Strikers rebuffed these threats on their website noting By any assessment, we are winning this struggle. Noting, If hundreds of graduate student workers are terminated from employment, whole departments will be unable to offer courses next quarter, dozens of international graduate students will effectively face deportation, UCSC rankings will nosedive, huge sources of funding will be jeopardized, political organizing at other campuses will intensify, and UCSC may become subject to academic boycott. They then conclude, This is a call to organize within your department and with comrades in departments across the academic divisions over the next seven days.

Despite UC threats and intimidation, support for the strikers is growing. Graduate students at UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego have drafted COLA demands and presented them to university leadership. Workers at other universities have begun circulating a pledge to join the grade strike if any retaliation is taken against the Santa Cruz strike. City buses are refusing to cross picket lines. The strikers GoFundMe page has exceeded its $75,000 goal, with 1,600 donors.

Significantly, the Executive Board of the Council of UC Faculty Associations, which represents all faculty in the ten UC campuses, issued an open letter in support of the strikers. The open letter noted, The graduate student demand for cost of living increases, begun in actions at UC Santa Cruz and now spreading across the system, is an acute response to unsustainable conditions. Faculty continued that, A punitive response to these actions, resulting in the dismissal of hundreds of Academic Student Employees, will disrupt the education of thousands of undergraduates and will make the work of many UCSC faculty difficult or impossible. Therefore we urge you to work to achieve a speedy and satisfactory solution to the cost of living crisis that we all recognize. We all hope for a quick solution that will both address legitimate and pressing graduate student concerns and not interfere with faculty ability to do their jobs.

In a subsequent email, Kletzer invoked the supposed sanctity of the students collective bargaining agreement through the UAW, arguing, Participation in the wildcat strike not only violates the no strikes clause in the collective bargaining agreement between the UAW and the University but also reflects a failure to meet your employment responsibilities and will result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.

This UAW agreement was negotiated by a union whose top executives are essentially all deeply implicated in a federal bribery scandal for taking payoffs from US auto companies for over a decade. This contract is being used as a weapon by the bosses against the most militant workers to lock academic student employees into poverty wages. UCSC graduate students are right to consider such a contract, which UCSC students voted down by 83%, to be null and void.

The Santa Cruz university workers took an important step by taking independent action against the UAWs wishes and calling to extend the strike to other UC campuses. To take this fight forward, grad students across the UC system should form rank-and-file strike committees, independent of the UAW, to spread the strike and appeal to all workers to defend their fight. They must reject the claims by organizations like the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) that the UAW can be pressured to fight.

The dire conditions that graduate students are forced to work in are one part of the bipartisan attack on public educators being carried out across the country. Securing COLA at Santa Cruz will require not just a fight against Napolitano but against her handlers in Sacramento and Washington D.C. who set her agenda and budget. Just in December, the US Congress passed, with overwhelming bipartisan support, Trumps record military budget of $738 billion, including funding for his border wall.

The fight for decent wages for graduate students is necessarily a fight against the war budget, the attacks on immigrants, and the obscene level of inequality. We urge graduate students and workers who agree with this perspective and wish to defend the Santa Cruz strikers to contact the International Youth and Students for Social Equality today.


A space object billions of kilometers away from Earth is giving scientists information about how our planet, and others, were formed.

It is the most distant object ever explored by a spacecraft. It is named Arrokoth, and sometimes called Snowman because of its shape.

Arrokoth is some 6.6 billion kilometers away from us. It can be found about 1.6 billion kilometers past Pluto, the largest dwarf planet in our solar system.

NASAs New Horizons spacecraft flew past Arrokoth on New Year's Day, 3 years after exploring Pluto, which is located just past the planet Neptune in an area called the Kuiper Belt.

The New Horizons spacecraft has been providing scientists with information about the formation of Neptune and other planets.

Pictures it sent back of Arrokoth show a reddish surface. It appears to be largely smooth, with some cratersareas that are lower than their surroundings. It is covered with frozen methanol, a kind of alcohol, and unidentified complex organic molecules.

Arrokoth is a small body -- 36 kilometers long and 20 kilometers wide. It is classified as a planetesimal  objects that were among the original building blocks of our solar system. Scientists believe these small bodies came together about 4.5 billion years ago. They are thought to be an important middle size step on the way to building planets.

The space object is made of two round parts joined together, notes John Spencer, an astronomer at the Southwest Research Institute in Colorado. They appear to have formed in orbit around each other from a local dust cloud, which collapsed under its own gravity within the solar nebula - the huge disk of dust and gas that the solar system formed from, he said.

The two parts then came together very gently. This suggests that planetesimals formed in local conditions in which crash speeds were slow, instead of widely spaced objects coming together at high speeds.

So we now have a clearer picture of how planets, including the Earth, were built, Spencer said. He helped prepare a report on the study, which appeared in Science magazine.

When spacecraft visited planetesimals before, they were all badly damaged by objects that struck them. Some experienced extreme heat because they moved too close to the sun.

So it is thrilling to finally be able to see one still pretty much just as it was after its formation, said Will Grundy, who is working with the New Horizons project. He is a planetary scientist and study co-author from Lowell Observatory in Arizona.

One of the scientists on the New Horizons team is better known for his music than his doctoratean advanced degree in astrophysics. Brian May, lead guitarist for the British group Queen, is passionate about space exploration, as well as music. He wrote this song for the New Horizons project:

(Music plays)

New Horizons will examine other objects in the Kuiper Belt from afar as it makes its way deeper into space.

Im Anne Ball.

Anne Ball wrote this story, with information from Reuters and VOA. The editor was George Grow.

What do you think of this story? Write to us in the comments section below.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

dwarf  adj. smaller than normal size

solar system  n. our sun and the planets that move around it

building blocks  n. an important part that is grouped together with many other similar things to form something larger  usually plural

nebula  n. a group of stars that are very far away and look like a bright cloud at night

disk  n. a flat, thin, round object

thrilling  adj. very exciting

author  n. a writer

passionate  adj. filled with emotion
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court-appointed interlocutors on Wednesday visited Shaheen Bagh to initiate talks with the protesters asserting that the top court has upheld their right to protest but it should not affect the rights of other citizens.

Advocates Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran as well as former bureaucrat Wajahat Habibullah went to Shaheen Bagh to speak to the protesters and tried to find out a way to end the protest. The talks with protesters will continue on Thursday.

The Supreme Court has upheld your right to protest. But then other citizens also have their rights and it should also be maintained, Ramachandran told the crowd assembled at the protest site. We want to together find a solution to the problem. We will listen to everyone, she said in Hindi.

Hegde explained the Supreme Court order to the protesters. This was translated into Hindi by Ramachandran. The protesters have been on a sit-in against the new citizenship law since December 16. Many of the protesters said that they would clear the protest site only after the CAA, NRC and NPR were removed.

Responding to the concerns raised by the protesting women, Ramachandran said that all the points will be put forward before the SC.

However, I want to say one thing. A country that has daughters like you can never face any threats, she added.

The sit-in, which has been going on since December 16, has blocked a critical arterial road connecting Delhi and Noida, causing trouble to commuters and children.

The women, young and old, tried to explain their point of view to the interlocutors. A woman broke down while talking to the mediators. She said they are protesting to save the Constitution but people see only the inconvenience of commuters who have the option of taking so many other roads. Arent we facing inconvenience sitting here in cold nights, without food, taking our children to the protest. We are ourselves so troubled, what trouble will we cause to citizens?
ALBANY  The impact of Interstate 787 and access to the Albany waterfront will be the focus of 3tarchitects' Scott Townsend during his presentation at the next Albany Roundtable. The event will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, at the University Club of Albany, 141 Washington Ave., Albany.

Townsend will present design studies to show how the multi-lane expressway can be transformed to allow Albany to regain waterfront access. The event is sponsored by the Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany, which provides services to individuals with visual impairments.
Theres something about witnessing history as it happens, instead of watching it on TV.

Thats what happened to five National Honor Society students from Porter High School.

The students plus three adults traveled to Washington, D.C., for a LEAD DC Winter conference. When the group wasnt attending conference sessions, they got to tour the nations Capitol. The entire trip was from Jan. 30 before returning home on Feb. 4.

Students Bailey Robertson, Brooklyn Smith, Hayley Bobbitt, Hallee Boyd and Madison Barnett seldom had a spare moment while there. They also got the rare opportunity to witness a Senate vote to allow or not allow witnesses to be called in the impeachment trial.

The Porter delegation stood for seven hours in the Senate hallway before getting the chance to watch the vote and listen to speakers in the chamber.

Teacher Janet Wybrant and associate Jenna Dupree along with Tonya Broyles chaperoned the trip.

Wybrant and Dupree said that Oklahoma Senator James Lankford was extremely helpful in making the trip even better than imagined.
MOSCOW, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The team of scientists from the NUST MISIS Laboratory of Advanced Solar Energy engaged in the development of perovskite thin-film devices has proposed a new modification of the LED, for the first time using two-dimensional inorganic material, zirconium trisulfide, as the electron transport layer of the perovskite LED. In the future, this will allow starting mass production of a new type of light-emitting diodes, as well as solving the problem of LED displays degradation, for example, in smartphones and TVs. An article on the development has been published in the Applied Materials & Interfaces journal.

The screens of many modern smartphones and TVs "suffer" from pixel burnout. Due to the presence of an organic component in OLED-type matrices (and their derivatives), pixels begin to degrade when the same icons on the screen are "highlighted" for a long time. So far, manufacturers advise users to periodically change the screen interface, rearrange the icons in places and regularly update the screen saver. In fact, the problem can be solved by minimizing the use of organic components in the screen matrix. Perovskite diodes are there to make a revolution in designing screens.

Perovskite materials are a young class of semiconductors that offers wide opportunities to reduce the cost of bright displays and some optoelectronic elements such as solar panels, lasers, photodetectors and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The use of perovskites, in particular, for the production of LED screens for telephones or TV sets can significantly reduce the cost of production and extend their service life.

The scientific team of the NUST MISIS Laboratory of Advanced Solar Energy under the leadership of Ph.D. Dmitry Muratov has developed a perovskite LED in which two-dimensional zirconium trisulfide has been first used. For the first time, two-dimensional material is used as an alternative to the traditional organic layers of an LED device. In particular, the layer was formed with the use of the industrial method of slot matrix printing, which can help to quickly adapt the technology for mass production.

"At a certain stage of the research, the question inevitably arises: is the development suitable for implementation in mass production? The world experience in the assembly of perovskite LEDs is reduced to the layer-by-layer assembly of components by applying precursors to a rotating glass substrate. This allows us to achieve homogeneity of the layers, but it is completely unsuitable for mass production - this approach does not presuppose the simultaneous loading of several samples," said one of the authors of the study, a research associate at the NUST MISIS Laboratory of Advanced Solar Energy Arthur Ishteev. "Therefore, we are interested in finding materials that would allow us to scale the production of perovskite LEDs."

The scientists are working on the adaptation of perovskite application technology by analogy with the industrial methods of the semiconductor industry. This will eliminate the disadvantages of fading blue organic LEDs in modern displays by replacing them with stable perovskite diodes.

Source: https://en.misis.ru/university/news/science/2020-02/6524/
Priscilla Shirer says lung surgery was 'curative': 'Praise the Lord!'

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Bible teacher and author Priscilla Shirer announced that the surgery she recently underwent to remove a node from her left lung was curative" and praised the Lord for His faithfulness.

I am recovering well from the surgery, Shirer announced in an Instagram post over the weekend. My breathing is still pretty labored so I am working on my lung capacity and getting a little breath back here. But doing really good and recovering well.

The surgery was curative, praise the Lord, so I dont have anything else to do in that regard other than recover.

The Going Beyond Ministries founder said her family has been extremely grateful for the outpouring of support theyve received following the death of her mother, Lois Evans, wife of well-known pastor Tony Evans.

Lois Evans died of cancer Dec. 30, 2019. Shirer is one of the Evans four children.

Many of you know that weve lost quite a few family members recently, the most recent of which was our sweet mom, Shirer said.

Thanks for continuing to pray for us, for our family, as we recover from everything that has gone on, the "War Room" actress concluded. Every card youve sent, every gift youve sent, Ive read them all, gotten them all, and Im really grateful. Thank you all so, so much.

Shirers initial announcement about the surgery said the issue was one her doctors had been monitoring. In January, she revealed that three years ago doctors discovered a small nodule in her left lung.

Several pulmonary specialists and I have watched it meticulously since then. This past summer, it was clear that something surgical needed to be done as the nodule had begun to grow and show signs of dangerous irregularities, she said.

At the time, Shirer said the past few months had been filled with difficulty for her family.

For those reasons, the surgery was delayed but I cannot put it off any longer without jeopardizing my own health, the mother of three said. So this Monday, 1/13/20, surgeons will be removing an entire lobe of my left lung. Thank you for praying for me and for our entire family. We refuse to cave to fear, anxiety or a decrease in faith because, well ... aint nobody got time for that!

On his Instagram account, Tony Evans, Shirers father and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, also thanked those who have supported his daughter, writing: This IS a glimpse at the Body of Christ in action. Thank you for praying for Priscilla today.

In a separate post, Evans asked supporters to continue praying for his family as they grieve the loss of Lois Evans.

So many of you prayed for my wife, so many of you sent cards, so many of you gave encouraging words," Evans said.

It was a long journey, he continued. While God didnt give us exactly what we wanted, which was total healing of course, He did extend her life beyond what doctors said she had given the rare nature of this particular disease.

Evans said that the prayers of supporters sustained his family through the ups and downs, through the struggles and stresses, through the pain.

It was a difficult season and life does hit us that way sometimes, he acknowledged. But I just want you to know what your prayers are doing for me now: They are keeping me strong. I still trust God. I dont always understand Him, but I do trust Him.

I choose to believe, even with the loss of Sister Evans, my precious wife of 49 and a half years, that Hes still good, He still knows what Hes doing ... Hes still the God of my salvation and I will rejoice in Him. I want you to rejoice in Him too. And I want you to keep trusting and keep praying to Him.
The rumour, therefore, making the sounds on alleged looting in Imo State Government House is nothing but a lie from the pit of hell. The rumour is engineered by members of the previous administration and their agents who are experts in assets stripping. They are yet to come to terms with the fact that the era of looting of government property is gone forever with their ouster from government.
Despite Erbils rapid recent expansion, the citys urban core dates back to its Ottoman period, when the city first experienced a building boom that created the citys main central market, the Qaysiri, whose vaulted ceiling still stands today. Nonetheless, Erbil's Ottoman-era heritage has always been influenced by local materials and tastes.

Nestled in the plains of northern Iraq, Erbil is one of the oldest continually inhabited areas in the world. Historically, it acted as both a gateway and a buffer between Mesopotamia and Iran.

Within this continuity, though, Erbil has also experienced a constant state of flux. Situated in a fertile plain, Erbil is a palimpsest bearing the mark of empires. Erbils name changed as it passed from one to the next, known for instance as Urbelum during the Akkadian period in 2334 BC, likely a pre-Semitic term possibly meaning "high city." Some mistakenly thought the city meant city of four gods, but this was later found to be a misunderstanding of its phonetic spelling in Akkadian. In Aramaic, the name changed to Arbela, and Arbairaa in Persian. Possibly influenced by the citys Jewish residents, who referred to it as Avler, the capital of Iraqs Kurdistan Region is now referred to as Hawler in Kurdish.

The city has undergone swift urbanization in the countrys post-Saddam period, providing a bastion of stability among the more volatile areas of Iraq. Erbils modern urban development of concentric ring roads ripple out from the central citadel, the core of the historic city, far enough to leave long-standing denizens dizzy.

The ancient citadel, Erbils symbol of tradition and pride, overlooks these new developments from its hill in the center of the city. Unlike thousands of others in Mesopotamia, Erbils citadel has been continuously inhabited since its inception. No one knows precisely when the citadel came to existence, but with shreds of Ubaid pottery found on the site, it's believed to date from 6500-4300 BC.

But the core of the city as we know it today only came into focus during the second half of the 19th century. Erbil became part of the eastern border territory of the Ottoman Empire when the empire acquired it in the 16th century. However, local Kurdish princes, merchants and wheelers and dealers enjoyed a significant degree of self-rule in this far-off territory. It was not until the empires Tanzimat, or Reformation period, that the Ottomans asserted their presence in the area. To fund the local reforms, the Ottomans took an interest in improving tax collection in some of the more remote corners of the empire, including in Erbil and the region.

Long-neglected Erbil began a huge building boom under the Ottoman statesmen Midhat Pasha, a leading liberal figure during this period. Many of the iconic buildings that stand in Erbil today were constructed during this period, including the ring of houses encircling the citadel walls, stately homes inside the citadel with impressive porticos and richly decorated interiors, the Sawari fortress and barracks to protect the areas western boundary and the Qaysiri.

Anne Mollenhauer, an art historian who conducted some of the most extensive surveys of these buildings in the mid-2000s, told Al-Monitor, It is worth noting that this is not necessarily Ottoman from a political point of view. Often it was private wealthy merchants during this period that were responsible for this construction.

Nihad Salim Qoja, Erbils former mayor, told Al-Monitor, If the citadel is the heart of Erbil, the Qaysiri is the citys blood. The Qaysiri was built at the end of the 19th century at the steps of the citadel as the main covered market in Erbil. The story goes that the grandfather of Sinan Chalaby, a prominent Turkmen merchant who lived just south of the citadel, was inspired by the stories his grandfather shared about the markets in Aleppo and Damascus. German archeologist Ernst Herzfeld was the first Westerner to mention the Qaysiri during his archeological works in 1916.

Covered markets with lockable entrances belong to the wider region. Still, Erbils Qaysiri is special for a number of reasons. Alongside other notable Erbil families, Sinan Chalaby was interested in maximizing profit and grandeur, which may explain the Erbil building's unique two-story construction. Ottoman-style architecture is a bit of a misnomer, as the vast empire often relied pragmatically on local tastes, craftsmen and building materials. Craftsmen employed baked bricks, which are much stronger than their sun-dried counterparts, to construct the Qaysiri walls and accentuated the major doorways with alabaster stone, known locally as Mosul marble.

Current politics, however, obfuscate this periods contribution to Erbils urban landscape. The Ottomans may have left some beautiful buildings, but what those buildings symbolized  a far-off capital gathering tax revenues and conscripts  is a bit more contested.

Qoja, the current chair of the High Commission for Erbil Citadel Revitalization, downplayed the Ottoman influence, saying, This is a symbol of coexistence. Different people and cultures are layered on top of each other.

His sentiment is a reflection of how the citys opaque historical influences contribute to its strength. Its Ottoman past forms an important part of Erbils cultural heritage, which is both distinctly Ottoman and rooted in a particular place. The everyday use of Erbils Qaysiri is unmistakably anchored in its local context. Distinctive, colorful and crowded Kurdish clothing stalls, replete with baggy pants, fringed turbans and bejeweled flowing dresses, line the markets pathways.

Sheikh Najat, caretaker for the Naqshbandi Mosque across from the market, told Al-Monitor he always gets his traditional Kurdish costume altered in the tailors quarter, where generations of tailors have worked in a row of workshops under the same vaulted ceiling.

There are still flashes of the modern-day Qaysiri's Ottoman past. The Turkmen language can still be heard spoken between some of the markets merchants. Men can be found in the Qaysiris gold bazaar buying gold Rashadi lira coins, the Ottoman Empires final currency, as gifts for brides-to-be. Underneath an impressive Ottoman doorway, one can hear the din of social and political chatter at the famous Mam Khalil teahouse.

Despite Erbils layered history, the Ottoman influence is undeniable. And with modern Turkey committing itself to Erbil as a nexus of economic integration, echoes of the Ottoman past continue to reverberate. During a winter walk down the Qaysiris main thoroughfare, one can see all kinds of Turkish wares  from traditional pottery to Turkish soap opera DVDs  showing the sustainability and adaptability of this multicultural city.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-18 19:49:25|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to Zoran Milanovic on his assumption as Croatia's new president.

In his message, Xi said that Croatia and China enjoy strong political mutual trust, fruitful results in joint Belt and Road construction and positive cooperations within the framework of cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs).

Noting that Croatia, the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU), is China's good friend in the bloc, Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Croatia relations.

Xi said that he would like to work with Milanovic to deepen the bilateral friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation and make new contributions to China-CEECs cooperation and the development of China-EU relations.
Water makes up about 0.25 per cent of the molecules in Jupiter's atmosphere along its equator -- almost three times that of the Sun, according to a study based on data from NASA's Juno mission launched in 2011.

The study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy on Tuesday, provided the first findings on the gas giant's abundance of water since the space agency's 1995 Galileo mission.

According to the researchers, including those from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US, Jupiter may be extremely dry compared to the Sun -- a comparison based not on liquid water, but on the presence of its components, oxygen and hydrogen.

They said Jupiter was likely the first planet to form, and it contains most of the gas and dust that wasn't incorporated into the Sun.

The leading theories about its formation rest on the amount of water the planet soaked up, the NASA scientists explained in a statement.

Water abundance also has important implications for the gas giant's meteorology and internal structure, they said.

"Just when we think we have things figured out, Jupiter reminds us how much we still have to learn," said Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute in the US.

"Juno's surprise discovery that the atmosphere was not well mixed even well below the cloud tops is a puzzle that we are still trying to figure out. No one would have guessed that water might be so variable across the planet," Bolton said.

Juno's Microwave Radiometer (MWR) observes Jupiter from above using six antennas that measure atmospheric temperature at multiple depths simultaneously, NASA noted in a statement.

The researchers said the MWR takes advantage of the fact that water absorbs certain wavelengths of microwave radiation, the same trick used by microwave ovens to quickly heat food.

According to the scientists, the measured temperatures are used to constrain the amount of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere, as both molecules absorb microwave radiation.

They initially concentrated on the equatorial region because the atmosphere there appeared to be more well-mixed, even at depth, than in other regions.

From its orbital perch, the radiometer was able to collect data from a far greater depth into Jupiter's atmosphere than the Galileo probe -- 150 kilometres, where the pressure reaches about 480 psi, the researchers said.

"We found the water in the equator to be greater than what the Galileo probe measured," said Cheng Li, a Juno scientist at the University of California, Berkeley.

"Because the equatorial region is very unique at Jupiter, we need to compare these results with how much water is in other regions," Li said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Protesters at a demonstration against the plan last November

North Dublin residents have expressed their "disappointment" with a decision to allow more than 650 homes to be built on playing pitches beside St Anne's Park, Raheny.

An Bord Pleanala has given Pat Crean's Marlet Group the green light in spite of strong local opposition against the controversial plan, which received more than 650 objections.

Under the Government's 'fast-track' planning rules, Marlet's Crekav Trading was seeking a 10-year permission to construct 657 apartments on the St Paul's College site.

However, against the background of the continuing housing crisis, the appeals board has granted a five-year permission ensuring that the residential units will be built at a much faster rate.

Excessive

The development is made up of 378 two-bed apartments, 224 one-bed units and 55 three-bed units across nine apartment blocks ranging in height from five to nine storeys.

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The appeals board upheld the recommendation of its own inspector, Karen Hamilton, at the end of her 101-page report to grant planning permission.

The appeals board said the proposed development would not seriously injure the residential or visual amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity.

Objectors claimed the height of the apartment blocks is inappropriate and that the development is excessive and out of character with St Anne's Park.

Central to the issue of permission was the presence of protected Brent geese on the site.

Members of the "I Love St Anne's" campaign, which previously succeeded in stopping the development, said it was "surprised and disappointed" at An Bord Pleanala's decision.

"[This] appears to contradict their own recent ruling on the synthetic pitches and their 2018 refusal for a similar development on the same land," the group said.

"In addition, there are two legal processes on-going in relation to this land which, in our view, make today's ruling somewhat premature.

"Once we have had a chance to review the Inspector's Report, we will post a full update."

Local councillor Donna Cooney told the Herald she is "dismayed" at the board's decision.

However, she believed the fight will continue to stop the development from going ahead.

"The residents are studying the board's decision and are planning on what to do next," Cllr Cooney said.

"But I don't think their opposition towards this development will stop. I believe people are as determined as ever to protect this important amenity."

Issues

Dublin City Council also told the appeals board that the application should be refused due to a number of reasons, including significant biodiversity issues at the site.

Marlet has proposed that 66 of the units go toward social and affordable housing.

A spokesperson for Marlet Property Group said it was "pleased" with An Bord Pleanala's decision.

"At a time of severe housing shortage in Dublin, it opens the way for the provision of 657 badly needed homes, close to the city, served by excellent public transport links," they said.

Last January, developer Pat Crean highlighted the plight of homeless people in the area while the site remains undeveloped.

"While we debate in court whether a goose will fly a little further to eat grass, homeless people are, literally, camping in tents on the perimeter of our site at St Paul's," he told the Herald at the time.
PM Fayez al-Sarraj rebuffs calls for return to Geneva negotiations after shelling of capitals port by Haftars forces.

The head of Libyas internationally recognised government has said attacks on the capital by eastern forces have overtaken United Nations-brokered ceasefire negotiations, dampening hopes of a quickly revival of the talks following his sides withdrawal.

Renegade military commander Khalifa Haftars forces on Tuesday struck the main port in Tripoli, prompting Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarrajs Government of National Accord (GNA) to suspend its participation in the indirect negotiations aimed at reaching a lasting ceasefire.

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Wednesday condemned the attack on the port, saying it could have led to a real catastrophe had a nearby vessel transporting liquified gas been hit, but added it hoped the talks could resume.

The Mission calls for an end to the escalation and provocative actions, especially expansion of the conflict area, and urges all parties to resort to dialogue as the only means to end the crisis, it said.

Ghassan Salame, head of the UN Libya mission, had on Tuesday launched a second round of talks in Geneva, with five senior officers from the GNA and five appointed by Haftars self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) taking part.

Defending our people

The LNA launched a military offensive in April last year aimed at seizing Tripoli. It has so far failed to breach the GNAs defences amid fierce fighting that has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced some 140,000.

The port strike was the latest violation of a tenuous truce that came into effect on January 12, brokered by Russia, which supports Haftar, and Turkey, which backs the GNA.

During a visit to the shelled port, a defiant al-Sarraj on Wednesday rebuffed calls for an immediate return to the negotiating table.

There must be first a strong signal from all international players who are trying to talk to us, he told reporters, saying this also applied to parallel discussions focused on political and economic issues.

He suggested fighting was likely to continue: We have an even stronger signal than that, which is defending our people.

The GNA said in a statement late on Tuesday that without a lasting ceasefire, negotiations make no sense.

There can be no peace under the bombing, it added. It is clear the objective of the systematic bombardments of the residential areas, the airport and the port, in addition to the total blockage of the oil installations, is to provoke crises for the citizens in all the aspects of their life.

It continued that Haftars forces were trying in vain to destabilise the state, having failed to seize power.

Haftar meets Russian defence minister

The joint military commission tasked with negotiating in Geneva was set up after a January 19 conference in Berlin, where international leaders promised to uphold a UN arms embargo, enable a peace process and end outside interference and military support for fighting factions. Still, little has changed on the ground since.

Delegations are still here (in Geneva) and Dr Salame has a meeting today with the head of the GNA delegation, said Jean El Alam, a UNSMIL spokesman.

Reporting from the Swiss city, Al Jazeeras James Bays said the UN is trying to pick up the pieces of this peace process.

The UN [is] working very hard, Bays said, adding that it was likely that Salame was also trying to engage international actors in the efforts to revive the negotiations.

Last week, there was a resolution from the UN Security Council pushing this process and only a couple of days ago in Munich, foreign ministers from all the key international players were saying that these talks were the way forward  and that included countries that are supportive of both sides in the Libyan conflict.

Further talks were planned to start in Geneva on February 26 on finding a political solution.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu met Haftar for talks on resolving the conflict, the defence ministry in Moscow said in a statement.

Shoigu and Haftar discussed the situation in Libya and the important role of talks held in the Russian capital last month, as well as the need to fulfil terms agreed at the Berlin summit, it added.

Libya has been in turmoil since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi, with rival armed factions still vying for power.
The late Mick Cantwell

The death has occurred of Michael (Mick) Cantwell (44 Meadow way, Castlecomer Road, Kilkenny) 18th February 2020, peacefully, at his home, in the loving care of his family, Michael (Mick), beloved husband of the late Mary and much loved father of Michael, Pat, Denis, Bernie, Marie, Joan, Jackie, Imelda, James and Fiona, sadly missed by his loving family, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nephews, nieces, extended family, neighbours and a wide circle of friends.

Reposing at his home on Wednesday (19th Feb) from 2 o'clock with Rosary at 7 o'clock. Removal on Thursday morning to St. John's Church, arriving for Requiem Mass at 10.30 o'clock. Funeral afterwards to St. Kieran's Cemetery. House private on Thursday morning please. Family flowers only. Donations, if desired, to the Irish Wheelchair Association.

The late Sean Gordon

The death has occurred of Sean Gordon ('Teachmountgael', Rathmoyle, Co. Kilkenny) February 17th (unexpectedly) at his home. Beloved husband of Joan and much loved father of Shayne. He will be deeply missed by his wife, daughter, grandchildren Sean, Tom and Mai, son-in-law Dermot, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.

Reposing at his daughter Shayne's home (Kells, Co. Kilkenny) (R95 R2R7) from 7p.m. on Wednesday (Feb. 19th) concluding with Rosary at 9.30p.m. Requiem Mass on Thursday at 11a.m. in the Church of the Holy Cross, Kells followed by burial in Newtown Cemetery.

The late Maria Long

The death has occurred of Maria Long, Church Street, Gort, Co. Galway. (National School Teacher Tierneevan N.S) Unexpectedly on the 17th of February 2020 at her residence. Predeceased by her beloved parents Brendan and Bridie.

Cherished sister of Breandan (Kilkenny). Maria will be sadly missed by her loving sister-in-law Rita and by her adored nephews David and James. Fondly remembered by her Aunt Marie Fennessy (Gort) and Uncle Declan Moylan (Ballyneety, Co . Limerick) cousins, relatives, neighbours, her loyal caring and loving friends and work colleagues in Tierneevan N.S and by the extended Long and Fennessy families.

Maria will lie in repose at her residence Church St, Gort (H91 E6PK) Thursday evening February 20th from 6pm to 8.30pm. Funeral cortege will arrive to St Colman's Church, Gort, on Friday February 21st for Requiem Mass at 1pm. Maria will be laid to rest afterwards alongside her beloved parents in St. Colman's Cemetery Gort. House private by request please on Friday.
A large number of anti-CAA protesters, majority of them Muslims, held a massive protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act at Chepauk, even as agitations were held across Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

Chennai: A large number of anti-CAA protesters, majority of them Muslims, held a massive protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act at Chepauk, even as agitations were held across Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

The protest was held under the aegis of the Tamil Nadu Islamia Iyakkangal Matrum Arasiyal Katchigalin Koottamaippu, a federation of state Muslim outfits and political parties.

Representatives from DMK and other political parties also took part in the protest.

Meanwhile, as the demonstration was being held at Chepauk, Chief Minister K Palaniswami in the Assembly located inside the Secretariat a few kilometres away, announced welfare measures for the Muslim community, including pension hike for 'Ulema' (Islamic scholars).

#WATCH Chennai: People sing National Anthem during the march towards the State Secretariat from Walajah Road to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens & National Population Register. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/XzwZNlMtXn  ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2020

Earlier, in a massive show of strength, agitators came in swathes and converged at Chepauk, before taking out a brief march along the Wallajah road as part of their original plan to proceed to the state Secretariat and lay siege to the Assembly.

However, the Madras High Court had on Tuesday restrained the Muslim outfits from going ahead with their siege protest.

The outfits have been demanding that the state Assembly, dominated by the AIADMK, should adopt a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act in the ongoing session which concludes on Thursday.

Agitators were seen carrying placards against CAA, NRC and NPR, besides the National Flag and raised slogans against the amended citizenship law.

Scores of Muslim women, many of them burqa-clad, joined the agitation.

The protest resulted in traffic snarls at key points along the arterial Anna Salai, even as police had set up roadblocks and sealed off roads leading to the Secretariat as part of beefed up security measures.

The Secretariat, the state's seat of power, was brought under a stricter vigil, with more police personnel deployed at the historic Fort St George to prevent any untoward incidents.

Anti-CAA protests were held elsewhere in the state, including Madurai, Thanjavur, Cuddalore, Coimbatore, Tirupur and Tirunelveli, with members of the Muslim community hitting the streets against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Palaniswami announced a 50 percent subsidy for 'Ulema' to buy new two-wheelers and doubled their pension by increasing the payout to Rs 3,000 from the present Rs 1,500.

The 'Ulema' are the guardians and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam.

There are 2,814 Waqf institutions in Tamil Nadu and 'Ulemas' working in such registered entities will be provided a subsidy of Rs 25,000 or 50 percent of the vehicle cost, whichever is lower to buy new two wheelers, he told the Assembly.

Also, the government will allocate Rs 15 crore for building a new 'Haj House' here in a land that will be assigned by Tamil Nadu Waqf Board, he added.
Burma Fighting Blocks off Food Supplies to Myanmars Chin State Township

An AA arm badge. / The Irrawaddy

Naypyitaw  Paletwa Township in Chin State, which borders Rakhine State, is facing food shortages after renewed clashes between Myanmars military and the Arakan Army (AA) since early February blocked land and water routes.

The routes are part of the India-backed Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project. The project includes 158 km of waterways on the Kaladan River from the Rakhine capital, Sittwe, to Paletwa and a 109-km road from Paletwa to Zorinpui along the Indian border in Mizoram.

The escalating clashes have seriously hampered the project and blocked transport links since Feb.5, leaving Paletwa without food supplies.

According to Myanmars military spokesman Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun, AA troops have been attacking a military outpost between Kaladan River and Meewa Creek in Paletwa Township since Feb. 12. Two government soldiers were injured when approximately 160 AA troops attacked the outpost on Feb. 17.

AA spokesman Khaing Thukha said fierce clashes have occurred in Paletwa since the first week of February between the AA, and around 400 government troops, who were being reinforced by a Myanmar military artillery base near Meewa Creek.

According to Chin State minister U Soe Htet, river transport is no longer available as the AA has taken control of the Kaladan River downriver from Paletwa. Ten vessels with around 200 passengers heading to Paletwa are stranded following the fighting on Feb. 17.

Rice stocks are running low in Paletwa and 1,000 bags of rice reserved for displaced civilians are running out. Fuel was also dwindling, said the minister, adding that the state authorities had reported the situation to the Union government.

Though the land routes were inaccessible from time to time in the past, the route along the Kaladan River was largely accessible although [the AA] blocked it sometimes. But what is happening after Feb. 5 has been the worst. Vessels cant go anywhere. This has caused troubles for both passengers and crew, said U Soe Htet.

Ferry services between Paletwa and Rakhine States Kyauktaw have been suspended since Feb. 6.

I came to Kyauktaw on Feb. 6 for shopping. I stayed overnight and when I was to leave the following day, vessels had ceased operations. I heard clashes are taking place on the way. I dont know where they happened. I can only hear the sound of gunfire, said Paletwa resident Hary Thae, who has been stranded in Kyauktaw.

More than 100 people from Paletwa are stranded in Kyauktaw. Some are staying at guesthouses or with relatives.

We are short of rice. There is nothing left to buy. Some villagers dare not go into the forest to search for food because they fear landmines. Mine blasts have already killed and injured dozens. I heard some villages asked for help from the township administrator, said a Paletwa resident who asked for anonymity.

He said lower-ranking administrators in villages were being forced by the AA to hand over cattle and pigs for free. Villagers cannot report it due to the internet shutdown in the township, he added.

We reported the movements [of the AA] in the forest, but [the military] did not respond. We heard the sound of shelling and we dont know which side was firing. We are in a state of panic. The situation might be worse in villages than in the town, he added.

The Myanmar military said the AA was trying to shift the battleground back to Paletwa because it is losing the war in Rathedaung, Buthidaung, Mrauk-U and Minbya townships in northern Rakhine State. The AA intends to re-gather its forces in Paletwa and cut off the transport links, said Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun.

This place is important militarily to gain control of the area. They are trying to secure the river between Kyauktaw and Paletwa, he said.

The AAs Khaing Thukha refused to answer The Irrawaddys question about whether the AA was trying to cut off food supplies to carry out major attacks on military outposts in Paletwa and take control of the entire township.

He refused to say if the AA wanted to retake Paletwa but said the rebel army had no intention of cutting off food supplies to Paletwa.

It has been more than a year since clashes broke out in Rakhine State. The government peace commission has held talks with the Northern Alliance of four ethnic armed groups of which the AA is a member. But there has been no progress.

The AA was established in 2009 in Laiza, Kachin State, with the support of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and in 2014 it managed to return to its Rakhine homeland.

The following year, it built a stronghold in Paletwa before deploying in Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Rathedaung, Ponnagyun, Minbya and Mrauk-U townships.

Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun said: The first clash with the AA took place in Paletwa in 2015 at Pyaing Su Village. They are based there. Most of their outposts are in Paletwa and the border. From there they infiltrated into Rakhine. One group went into Buthidaung, and another to Mrauk-U and Kyauktaw.

The fighting was the fiercest in mid-2019 and both sides reportedly suffered heavy casualties. More than 100,000 people have been displaced by clashes, according to regional sources.

Additional reporting by The Irrawaddys Sittwe-based reporter Min Aung Khine

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From Harper's BAZAAR

There's something for everyone in next month's new Netflix releases. Let Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence lead you through a tumultuous romance in the Oscar-nominated dramedy Silver Linings Playbook. Or if you're feeling nostalgic, team up with Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan for the cult-classic '90s throwback Space Jam. The biggest Netflix treat, however, may be for the Tim Burton enthusiast, since fantasy thriller Corpse Bride will be rising from the dead and onto your screen.

Read on for the complete list of Netflix releases you can expect to find in March.

March 1

Go! Go! Cory Carson: Season 2 (Netflix Family)

Always a Bridesmaid

Beyond the Mat

Cop Out

Corpse Bride

Donnie Brasco

Freedom Writers

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Goodfellas

Haywire

He's Just Not That into You

Hook

Hugo

Kung Fu Panda 2

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Life as We Know It

Looney Tunes: Back in Action

Outbreak

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Resident Evil: Extinction

Richie Rich

Semi-Pro

Sleepover

Space Jam

The Gift

The Interview

The Shawshank Redemption

The Story of God with Morgan Freeman: S3

There Will Be Blood

Tootsie

Valentine's Day

Velvet Coleccion: Grand Finale

ZZ Top: That Little Ol Band from Texas

March 3

Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis (Netflix Comedy Special)

March 4

Lil Peep: Everybody's Everything

March 5

Castlevania Season 3 (Netflix Anime)

Mighty Little Bheem: Festival of Colors (Netflix Family)

March 6

Guilty (Netflix Film)

I Am Jonas (Netflix Film)

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March 10

Carmen Sandiego: To Steal or Not to Steal (Netflix Family)

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The Circle Brazil (Netflix Original)

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Hospital Playlist (Netflix Original)

March 13

100 Humans (Netflix Original)

BEASTARS (Netflix Anime)

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Elite Season 3 (Netflix Original)

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MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Many job applicants are taking a seat at the bargaining table, new research from global staffing firm Robert Half shows. More than half of professionals polled (54%) said they tried to negotiate a higher salary with their last employment offer.

Among the 28 U.S. cities in the survey, Miami, Los Angeles and Phoenix have the most workers who negotiated compensation, while Pittsburgh, Sacramento and Minneapolis have the fewest.

According to a new Robert Half survey, 54% of professionals tried to negotiate a higher salary with their last job offer. Miami, Los Angeles and Phoenix have the most workers who negotiated compensation. Men and employees making more than $100,000 per year were most likely to negotiate. Check out the infographic for additional findings: https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/compensation-and-benefits/salary-negotiation-0

View an infographic about salary negotiation trends.

Additional findings:

Two-thirds of men surveyed (66%) asked for more money, versus 46% of women.

Professionals making more than $100,000 per year were most likely to negotiate an offer: 64% of this group said they had gone to the bargaining table.

per year were most likely to negotiate an offer: 64% of this group said they had gone to the bargaining table. Fifty-five percent of workers surveyed didn't request a higher salary because they were happy with the amount proposed.

In a separate survey of managers, more than one-third of respondents (35%) said they typically discuss pay with job candidates during the first in-person interview; 20% wait for the second meeting, and 15% bring it up when making the job offer. Thirteen percent talk about compensation during the initial phone or video screening.

"Job seekers should always be ready to negotiate salary with prospective employers. The current hiring climate gives in-demand workers even more reason to flex their bargaining power," said Paul McDonald, senior executive director of Robert Half. "Professionals can enlist a recruiter to negotiate on their behalf and research market rates to strengthen their case for higher pay."

McDonald added, "Companies need to regularly evaluate how their compensation packages stack up against the competition. Workers care about their paychecks, but benefits and perks like vacation time, flexible scheduling and professional development options also weigh into their decisions."

For additional information on hiring and compensation, download the Robert Half 2020 Salary Guides.

About the Research

The online surveys were developed by Robert Half and conducted by independent research firms. They include responses from 2,800 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments, and more than 2,800 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees in 28 major U.S. cities.

About Robert Half

Founded in 1948, Robert Half is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm. The company has more than 300 staffing locations worldwide and offers job search services at roberthalf.com. For additional management and career advice, visit the Robert Half blog at roberthalf.com/blog.

SOURCE Robert Half

Related Links

https://www.roberthalf.com/


It is normal for us all to have high expectations when it comes to our utilities. Lights should always turn on when we flip the switch, clear water to run when we turn on the sink, and our smartphones always have a signal. For most Americans, these utilities are very reliable, and we expect them to work 100% of the time. Our utilities are part of our critical infrastructure, which means they need to maintain reliability for our lives to be uninterrupted. To protect this infrastructure multiple layers of defense are required. One important challenge is staying ahead of the cyber-threats and understanding the tactics, techniques, and procedures of threat actors. Implementation of cybersecurity best practices, training, testing of training, log management, and reporting on controls day in and day out are just a few examples of what it takes to stay ahead of cyber-threats.
Kolkata, Feb 19 : One Madhyamik (secondary) examination candidate was arrested in West Bengal on Wednesday for trying to leak the English question paper on TikTok while three others were banned for bringing mobile phones to the examination centre, officials said.

An examinee was caught red-handed by the invigilators in Ratua in Malda district after he clicked a video of the question paper on his mobile phone and posted it on TikTok for circulation.

The invigilators at Baidyanathpur High School also seized his mobile phone. On being grilled, he confessed about posting on TikTok the question paper of the examination conducted by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Examination. The police later arrested the student for allegedly leaking the question paper.

The examinee, a student of Baharal P.L.S. High School, would be presented before the juvenile court in Malda. He has a been banned from appearing for the secondary examination.

Three other cases of examinees sneaking in mobile phones into the examination centre were reported from Atapur in North 24 Parganas district. All three mobile phones were seized, and the students were marked RA (Reported Against) and banned. All three were external examinees.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Veteran book publicity firm JKS Communications has been moving books forward for 20 years, and the company is proud to celebrate this anniversary with the launch of two new companies under its brand. Books Forward will continue the signature creative, customized book marketing and author publicity campaigns, and a new indie publishing division, Books Fluent, will provide professional editorial, design and publishing services.

BOOKS FORWARD

JKS has promoted more than 700 authors, small presses, literary award programs and publishing houses since 2000. The Books Forward team will continue to represent both traditionally published authors and independently published books that meet high industry standards. Services include traditional publicity through mainstream and book-centric media, book tour development, author branding and digital marketing.

Books Forward has a particular passion for books that empower, inspire and move the world forward. Clients include New York Times bestselling author Andrew Maraniss, whose award-winning historical nonfiction examines race and social justice through sports; USA Today bestselling author Jenny Milchman, famous for the "world's longest book tour"; YA author J. Elle, set to release her #ownvoices debut after garnering attention through a social media campaign; Chaithanya Sohan, who explores themes of home and belonging in the U.S. through immigrant stories; and Holocaust survivor and scholar Laureen Nussbaum, who shines light on unsung heroes.

"Our foundation is built on veteran journalists, giving our team a unique strength. Through national media outlets, we share books to make the world a better and brighter place," the company's President Marissa DeCuir said.

BOOKS FLUENT

JKS' new indie publishing company, Books Fluent, transforms manuscripts into high-quality commercial books that equal or exceed industry standards.

Having guided authors through the self-publishing process for years, Books Fluent's team of industry experts offers professional book editing, on-trend cover design and interior layout, savvy distribution plans, and management of ISBNs, copyrights, and other nitty-gritty tasks.

Books Fluent's expertise empowers authors to learn the unique language of this industry and become successful publishers, rising above the competition of more than 3 million books released every year.

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS

Books Forward and Books Fluent will celebrate their launches throughout 2020 with prizes, special announcements and exclusive opportunities for authors and readers alike  including one grand prize of a free book publicity campaign for an author working to help move the world forward. To enter, submit an application here.

As part of the company's continued mission to elevate voices, Books Forward is also launching the #booksforward campaign to celebrate all the incredible ways stories have made the world a better place. Book lovers are encouraged to join the conversation by using the hashtag and sharing literature that has impacted their lives.

Social media:

Twitter: twitter.com/booksforwardpr

Instagram: instagram.com/booksforwardpr

Facebook: facebook.com/BooksForward

For more information, visit www.booksforward.com and www.booksfluent.com.

Media Contact:

Ellen Whitfield

Email: [email protected]

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Related Links

Books Forward Website

Books Fluent Website

SOURCE JKS Communications

Related Links

http://www.booksforward.com


If a more formal complaint was made  or accusations were reported to a superior  it is time to involve someone in a position of authority. The lack of a human resources department does not mean that no one is tasked with handling employment issues. (It may mean that no one is good at handling employment issues, but that could have been the case even if you had a human resources department.) Both you and the co-worker in question must have bosses to whom you can express your concern and protest your innocence.
A man posing as a 17-year-old was arrested Tuesday after being accused of having sex with a 15-year-old girl, deputies said.

Christopher Jeremy Salazar, 20, is facing a charge of sexual assault of a child and felony possession of a firearm, the Bexar County Sheriffs Office reported.

Sheriff Javier Salazar said the family made deputies aware of the incident in January.

The girl told deputies she met Christopher Salazar via Instagram and believed he was 17 years old.

According to the girl, the two moved their conversations over to Snapchat, where they then began discussing sex and arranged to meet in person, investigators said.

Christopher Salazar picked her up from an area high school and took her to an unknown residence where the two had sex, the sheriff said.

Afterward, she again asked Salazar if he was really 17, deputies said, and he admitted that he is 20 years old.

The girl then told her family about their encounter.

Christopher Salazar could face additional charges if he is found to be in possession of photos of the girl.

He also is on probation for a felony charge of robbery out of Brazoria County. Details on that charge were not immediately available.

To me, that tells you that he was a dangerous individual that this young lady was duped by, the sheriff said.

Christopher Salazar could also face drug-related charges because deputies allegedly found him in possession of drug-infused edibles.

The packaging on these edibles tells me that these are marketed toward kiddos, the sheriff said.
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP)  A former Pennsylvania mail carrier accused the United States Postal Service of violating his rights by requiring him to work Sundays.

Gerald Groff, an evangelical Christian, filed a lawsuit Friday against the federal agency, claiming he was let go from his position after refusing to work Sundays for religious reasons.

The federal lawsuit claimed Groff worked "flexibly" to accommodate his convictions of not working on Sundays by offering to pick up holiday, evening and Saturday hours that others did not want to work.

Groff, who worked for the USPS in Lancaster County for seven years, said the agency began enforcing a no-exceptions Sunday policy on him and needlessly disciplined him, according to a statement released by his defense on Monday. The disciplinary methods included suspensions as long as two weeks.

The statement said he was eventually let go from his position.

"In a free and respectful society, government should recognize those differences among us that make us great, rather than punishing those differences, particularly when those differences result from our sincerely held religious beliefs," said David Crossett, one of the attorneys representing Groff.

A USPS spokeswoman told Lancaster Online on Monday that the agency does not generally comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit is seeking reinstatement of Groffs position with accommodation, back pay and unspecified compensation for emotional distress. The complaint also requests for the agency to create policies that provide equal employment opportunities for religious observance of Sabbath on Sundays.
Regulatory News:

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) today released its regular weekly Net Asset Value ("NAV") and performance returns on its website, https://www.pershingsquareholdings.com/company-reports/weekly-navs/. The NAV and returns were computed as of the close of business on Tuesday, 18 February 2020.

PSH NAV per share as of close of business on 18 February 2020 was 27.92 USD 21.48 GBP and year-to-date performance was 3.7%.

Weekly net asset value ("NAV") is calculated as of the close of business on each Tuesday and posted on the following business day. In the event that Tuesday is not a business day, the Company will calculate the close-of-business NAV as of the business day immediately preceding that Tuesday. The end-of-month NAV is calculated as of the close of business on the last day of the month and posted on the following business day. For weeks that include a month-end NAV report, PSH will provide only the month-end NAV and not report the Tuesday NAV. Monthly NAVs are published in accordance with the Decree on Conduct of Business Supervision of Financial Undertakings under the Wft (Besluit Gedragstoezicht financiele ondernemingen Wft).

Performance is presented on a net-of-fees basis and reflects the deduction of, among other expenses: management fees, brokerage commissions, administrative fees and accrued performance fees, if any. The performance figure includes the reinvestment of all dividends, interest and capital gains. Depending on the timing of a specific investment, net performance for an individual investor may vary from the net performance as stated herein. Net performance is a geometrically linked time weighted calculation.

Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. All investments involve risk including the loss of principal.

About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd.

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005998/en/

Contacts:

Media

Camarco

Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk
Yalonda M James / The Chronicle 2019

Oaklands black-owned Red Bay Coffee, known for its candied yam lattes and charcoal vanilla lattes, has quietly opened a new cafe in San Francisco. Its a quaint operation  little more than a stand in the lobby of the WeWork building at 650 California St.  but Red Bay considers it the companys first standalone outpost in the city.

Red Bay Coffee, founded in 2014 by Keba Konte, has three locations in Oakland and roasts and serves coffee at Daily Driver, a bagel shop and creamery in San Franciscos Dogpatch neighborhood. Red Bay Coffee is also a supplier for several Bay Area companies, including Facebooks offices in Menlo Park.
Bernard Charles Barnick is a Pennsylvania native and US Air Force veteran who served two years in Okinawa, returned to his home state after his discharge, earned a bachelors degree in English, and has since been a keen observer and recorder of the wildlife of the Wilkes-Barre area. He has published his latest book Penns Woods: A Romantic View: a compilation of essays written between 1971 and 2000.

Inspired by Walden and by the nature writings of Henry David Thoreau, John Burroughs, and John Muir, and influenced by the poetry of William Wordsworth, William Cullen Bryant, and other Romantic poets, Bernard Charles Barnick sought to write about nature with feeling and with imagination. In a book designed to make one feel at home in nature, Mr. Barnick shares many of his own observations of birds and other wildlife dating back to his childhood, proceeding through his numerous outdoor excursions in the Wyoming Valley of Northeastern Pennsylvania, and including many of his travels throughout the state. He has combined his love of birds with a love of nature, astronomy, literature, and history to form a uniquely poetic or Romantic view of Penns Woodsa state that is rich both in natural history and in human history.

Published by Page Publishing, Bernard Charles Barnicks engrossing book is a lovingly nostalgic homage to the sylvan fields and forests of the state affectionately known as Penns Woods.

Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase Penns Woods: A Romantic View at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues to focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
ATLANTA, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Turtle Creek Assets has sued Aaron's, Inc. (NYSE: AAN), a leading omnichannel provider of lease-purchase solutions, alleging Aaron's sold it bad borrower default data that has had a negative impact on the company and a collateral effect on thousands of consumers.

Turtle Creek Assets, Ltd. (TCA) vs. Aaron's, Inc. (State Court of Cobb County, 20-A-628, Feb. 18, 2020) alleges that Aaron's sold TCA hundreds of millions of dollars worth of its delinquent accounts (e.g., lease to purchase agreements for furniture and other consumer merchandise that became delinquent) even though Aaron's knew the accounts had issues including being fraudulent accounts; accounts with identity theft issues; accounts on which Aaron's had previously pursued legal or criminal charges; and, accounts in bankruptcy and other issues. TCA maintains that Aaron's did this knowing that it had explicitly promised in a written agreement with TCA just the opposite; namely that the accounts were valid and had no legal issues.

"During the past 10 years, TCA has bought hundreds of millions of dollars face amount of accounts from Aaron's relating to hundreds of thousands of customers of Aaron's," said Gordon Engle, president and CEO of Turtle Creek Assets, Ltd. "We bought these accounts with the express understanding that these were valid accounts with true amounts owing, and that they represented only instances in which the customer had not settled his account and the merchandise had not been returned."

"As our staff began client actions on accounts, we were distressed to learn that many of the individuals had previously settled with Aaron's, returned the merchandise, had never signed lease agreements with Aaron's or were not even Aaron's customers," stated Engle. "In fact, there were numerous instances where no valid paperwork existed or perhaps never had. The breadth of the tainted accounts is so pervasive that it threatens to render the entire portfolio uncollectable."

Aaron's wrongful conduct hurt more than just TCA. It also caused TCA to make collection efforts on consumers who should have never been subjected to such activities in the first place.

Client profile:

Alberto E. was stationed at Ft. Stewart United States Army base when he decided to rent two televisions from an Aaron's in Hinesville, Ga. in February 2011. He made almost all of his payments until his home was broken into and the two TVs were stolen. Alberto stopped making his payments in May 2012. In December 2012, Aarons sold his delinquent account to Turtle Creek Assets, Ltd., which began debt collection proceedings. In June 2013, the Aarons store manager filed criminal charges against him and had him arrested. Later, Alberto walked into the store with a sheriff's deputy and paid the balance due of $2,386. TCA was not informed of any of these criminal proceedings.

"By our estimate, approximately 20,000 of the accounts (consumers) Aarons sold TCA have already been prosecuted criminally by Aarons prior to the sale to TCA," stated Engle. "TCA is at risk for any collection efforts it makes because it exposes us to an allegation of improper collection from the debtor as well as Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRPA) violations."

TCA has purchased 1,000,000 accounts from Aaron's, Inc. Half of the account holders had not made a payment past the initial deposit. Approximately 80% of those 500,000 individuals were acting intentionally to defraud Aarons, which means 20% or 100,000 likely involved individuals who had had their identity stolen.

TCA believes that Aaron's knew it could not ensure that the accounts satisfied the applicable contractual requirements but still sold them to TCA. It is asking for damages in excess of $20 million.

Jeff Tillotson of Tillotson Law, The Sharyland Building, 1807 Ross Avenue, Suite 325, Dallas, Texas 75201 is representing Turtle Creek Assets, Ltd. in this matter.

About Turtle Creek Assets

Turtle Creek Assets, Ltd. (Forward Properties International, Inc.) headquartered in Dallas, Texas has been a recognized leader in the global receivables trading and debt collection industry for over 20 years.

SOURCE Turtle Creek Assets, Ltd.
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Donald Trump personally called Rush Limbaugh and urged him not to apologize for his homophobic attacks on former South Bend mayor and current presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.

According to The Hill, Limbaugh revealed the details of his phone call with Trump on his program on Monday.

Hell, the president even called me about this! Limbaugh said on his show. He said, Rush, I just got to tell you something. Never apologize. Dont ever apologize.'

I had no idea this thing had even bubbled up, the right-wing radio said of the controversy. You know, Im up doing the medical thing that I have to do here, and I wasnt even aware of this.

Limbaugh said last week that America wasnt ready to elect a gay president and that Buttigiegs sexual orientation would be helpful to Trump in a general election campaign.

A gay guy, 37 years old, loves kissing his husband on debate stages, Limbaugh said. Can you see Trump have fun with that?

Buttigieg had a blistering response to the homophobic attack on him and his husband.

Well, I love my husband. Im faithful to my husband. On stage we usually just go for a hug. But I love him very much, and Im not going take lectures on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh, the former mayor said.

Trump and Limbaugh are the same person

Its no shock that Donald Trump leapt to the defense of Rush Limbaugh after his homophobic attacks on Pete Buttigieg. Its also not very surprising that Trump gave the right-wing radio host a Medal of Freedom during this years State of the Union address.

After all, the two men are basically the same person. When Trump looks at Limbaugh, he is essentially looking in a mirror.

Like the president, Limbaugh has a reputation for homophobic, sexist and racist attacks on his political opponents. Neither man should be lecturing anybody on character or family values, yet they can never seem to help themselves.

Rush Limbaugh is as qualified to receive the Medal of Freedom as Donald Trump is to be president of the United States.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter
A Sinn Fein TD who had to apologise after making anti-Semitic remarks on Twitter will not face disciplinary action or suspension.

The newly elected TD for Kildare North, Reada Cronin, posted that Israel had taken Nazism to a new level and suggested a picture of monkeys working on computers reminded her of the Israeli embassy, the Sunday Times Ireland reported.

Speaking in Dublin on Wednesday, Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty said her remarks are not in line with Sinn Fein views and she was right to withdraw them.

When asked if Ms Cronin would face any penalty or suspension, he said: We have protocols in relation to social media policy and these comments have been withdrawn and apologised for  some of them were before she was even a member of Sinn Fein.

The language & ideas expressed by Ms Cronin are shocking especially when coming from an elected TD.They can only remind us of humanitys darkest hours. It's not only SF or the pple of Ireland that should be deeply concerned but also any decent human being.https://t.co/vPwFmiX28M  Israel in Ireland (@IsraelinIreland) February 19, 2020

He was also asked if there are any social media guidelines for Sinn Fein representatives. He said: There are social media guidelines in relation to how people conduct themselves on social media. I think people can use social media in a very harmful and negative way and that is important that does not happen.

The key thing here is that when people make comments that are inappropriate and inexcusable is that they are withdrawn and apologised for and it is made clear that they are in no way a reflection of Sinn Feins position.

We do have protocols and we do have social media guidelines. There is nobody sitting in the party looking at the accounts of every single Sinn Fein member in relation to what they are saying.

Story continues

The anti-Semitic & anti-science remarks of one of Sinn Feins new TDs should trouble us all. This is not the kind of change we need #themaskslipsagain #notanormalparty  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) February 19, 2020

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said tweets posted by the Sinn Fein TD before she was elected should trouble us all.

Ms Cronins Twitter account has been made private since the tweets emerged and she issued a statement on Tuesday in which she unreservedly and wholeheartedly apologised and said the tweets were glib and off-the-cuff.

On Wednesday morning, Mr Varadkar said the anti-Semitic & anti-science remarks made by a newly elected representative should trouble us all.

Sinn Feins negotiating team say they are meeting with all the smaller parties and independents as day 10 of Government formation talks continue. pic.twitter.com/SkbEQFCxhB  Aine McMahon (@AineMcMahon) February 19, 2020

Talks about government formation will also take place on Wednesday, with Sinn Fein set to meet some independent TDs and smaller parties.

The leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein are set to be nominated for the office of Taoiseach on Thursday when the 33rd Dail convenes.

However, it is unlikely a Taoiseach will be elected so parliament will adjourn.
By West Kentucky Star & WKCTC Staff Feb. 18, 2020 | 02:05 PM | PADUCAH

Daniel P. Murphy, Jr. will be the keynote speaker at Black Pioneers in Healthcare. Murphy is the Assistant Dean of Community Engagement and Diversity at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law. Additionally, the program will feature a special performance from the Paducah Tilghman High School African American Leadership Club.





Dinner will be available for attendees. The free event is open to all and registration is not required.





For additional information concerning Mercy Health visit mercy.com.





Mercy Health  Paducah is part of Bon Secours Mercy Health, one of the 20 largest health systems in the United States and the fifth-largest Catholic health system in the country. The ministrys quality, compassionate care is provided by more than 60,000 associates serving communities in Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia, as well as throughout Ireland. Mercy Health - Lourdes Hospital is a 359 licensed-bed facility accredited by The Joint Commission and was named as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission. Lourdes is home to the regions largest multi-specialty physician network, Mercy Medical Associates, which consists of more than 100 providers serving in over 30 locations throughout western Kentucky. Consistent with its commitment to serve each patient with dignity, Bon Secours Mercy Health provides nearly $2 million per day in community benefit. The mission of Mercy Health  Paducah is to extend the compassionate ministry of Jesus by improving the health and well-being of our communities and bring good help to those in need, especially people who are poor, dying and underserved. For more information, visit mercy.com.





Mercy Health, Lourdes Hospital is celebrating Februarys designation as Black History Month with a free event, Black Pioneers in Healthcare, which will take place Friday, Feb. 28 from 4 to 6 pm in the Borders Community Room of the Marshall Nemer Pavilion on the hospitals campus.
Powell thanks the rise of the ubiquitous phone-based camera for some of the resonance the Obama portraits have had. I think perhaps its the popularity of photography that has made these paintings special and extraordinary in many peoples eyes, he said in a subsequent interview. Unlike a very, very flat, shiny photograph, with something on canvas you can see the paint, and sometimes its high gloss and sometimes its matte, and sometimes you can see the brushstrokes, and the sheer scale and the framing devices, the painters compositions -- all of that I think really captured peoples imaginations, along with the mystique of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 22:50:32|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TRIPOLI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland on Wednesday expressed concern over Tuesday's east-based army attack on a seaport in the capital Tripoli.

Norland made the remarks during a meeting with Mustafa Sanalla, chairman of the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC), the U.S. embassy said in a tweet.

"Ambassador Norland met with NOC Chairman Sanalla and expressed the deep U.S. concerns over the Feb. 18 attacks on commercial port of Tripoli, which only served to prevent crucial deliveries of fuel for civilian use and compound the suffering of the Libyan people," it added.

The east-based Libyan National Army (LNA) led by General Khalifa Haftar on Tuesday announced destroying a Turkish ship in Tripoli seaport, claiming the vessel was carrying ammunition and weapons.

The LNA has been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple the UN-backed Government of National Accord under Fayez al-Sarraj.
(Newser)  A family friend of a pizza delivery driver who was recently gunned down in Baltimore says he had fled war-torn Syria to seek a better life. The killing of Khaled Heeba remains unsolved nearly two weeks after he died, the Baltimore Sun reports. His death is one of more than 40 homicides the city has seen so far this year. A family friend said Heeba escaped Syrias civil war with his parents in 2016. He delivered pizzas to help support himself and his parents, and the family quickly acclimated to life in the US. Heeba, 31, was on his last delivery route of the night before he was shot in the chest on a sidewalk, the AP reports. "He left his own country because it was a war zone in Syria, just for him to end up getting murdered here," says co-worker Theresa Birmingham. "He was just really a sweet guy." (Read more Baltimore stories.)
On the first death anniversary of her husband, Nitika Kaul is all set to pay him the most befitting tribute possible by following his footsteps to join the Indian Army.

Nitika, the wife of Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal, who was killed during a gun battle with Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama on February 18, just days after the terror attack on a CRPF convoy which killed 40 service personnel.

The 34-year-old was part of a search and destroy operation team which was looking for the terrorists responsible for the Pulwama attack. Though several JeM militants including Pakistani terrorist and the 'Chief Operational Commander' of JEM Kamran alias Ghazi Rashid, the mastermind of the IED assault on the CRPF convoy were killed in the encounter, Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal along with Sep Ajay Kumar, Sep Hari Singh, and Hav Sheo Ram also lost their lives.

The images of Nitika paying tribute to her husband at his funeral had made the nation cry with her. Now exactly a year after Dhoundiyal's martyrdom, Nikita is all set to join the Indian Army.

BCCL

She has cleared the written exam and interview of the Staff Selection Commission and is waiting for the publication of the merit list. Nitika whose family is originally from Kashmir said it was her way of paying tribute to her husband.



"Vibhu was a walking manifestation of every possible virtue. Love, compassion, bravery, intelligence and helping others. I will make him proud. Our love can't vanish till we live and tales of his bravery will inspire generations," Nitika told The New Indian Express.

Nikita who used to work with an MNC in Delhi has left the job to wear the uniform, which she says makes her feel closer to her husband. On Tuesday, on the first anniversary of their martyrdom, the Indian Army remembered the four heroes who gave their lives for the nation.





The Army's Northern Command stated in a tweet, 'Indian Army on February 18, 2019 .. Brave troopers fought valiantly, demonstrated exemplary braveness and ended the mastermind of the Pulwama assault and made the supreme sacrifice. A proud nation remembers its courageous individuals.

On Monday, the Supreme Court had ordered the Centre to ensure that women officers are given a permanent commission in the Army while adding that the officers will be now eligible for command posting. Around 1,500 women Army personnel are likely to benefit from the Supreme Court order.








A person's handwriting is as unique as a fingerprint and is ultimately controlled by the brain. Each time we write we are capturing a projection of our typical behaviours, emotions, habits and health. This age-old science will help reveal personality traits that are important to understand when designing personal living spaces.

Says Bisiker, "My ethos is to create homes that are personal and unique to the owner. Every client comes with their own practical and creative wishes so my personal style doesn't really enter into the designs. It's important to understand a client's lifestyle, likes, dislikes and emotional needs. Although I am creating an interesting backdrop as the base to their canvas, it is the client's personality that must find its expression and joy in the finished home."

Says Bache, "Our handwriting exposes how we interact with the world and the people around us, and also how we cope with stress and express emotions. It can help us make choices for our future, showing us what our desires are, and even what jobs, homes and partners may suit us best. This new collaboration will appeal to those who want to better understand themselves and how to best design the dream home in which to live."

Easy to manage, all Bisiker and Bache require is approximately four lines of handwriting  either a scan, photograph or hardcopy, ideally signed as well. And since Nikki's clients are located internationally this service is both easy to access as well as fun and enlightening. To request this service as part of an interior design project please email Nikki Bisiker at: nb@nikkibisikerinteriordesign.com. As this is a bespoke service, costs are quoted based on how detailed the handwriting analysis will be.

Editors Notes:

About Nikki Bisiker: The Head Designer and owner of Nikki Bisiker Interior Design, established in 2004. Nikki's award-winning practice is head-quartered in Dubai and provides design services from conception to installation for clients based in the Middle East and around the world. Nikki's passion for creating beautiful homes began at a young age and now, with over 30 years' experience, she heads a professional roster of architects, interior designers and an extended network of highly skilled craftsmen, suppliers and contractors. Her ethos is to create homes that are unique and personal to their owners. Definitely not formula or ego driven, but with a wealth of strategic thought processes within a structural framework, and a focus on creative, yet habitable style statements. Winner of many awards (Arabian Property Award 2016-17, Design et al Design & Architecture Awards 2015 and shortlisted for Designer of the Decade Award in UK ) she has designed a wide range of interiors from royal palaces, luxury homes and yachts to hotels and restaurants.

www.nikkibisikerinteriordesign.com

About Emma Bache: The UK's leading handwriting expert, Emma has worked as a graphologist since 1989, analysing handwriting in both the Corporate and private sectors. With additional qualifications in Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy, Emma has helped to solve cases of fraud for both private individuals and the corporate world, giving a valuable insight into the criminal mind. She has had her own columns in The Times and the Financial Times and has written for other major publications such as the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian and Cosmopolitan. She has made frequent TV and Radio appearances, including GMTV's This Morning, BBC's History Hunter and Radio 4's Today Programme.

www.emmabache.com

About Graphology: Graphology (the science of handwriting analysis) has been practiced for over two thousand years. Today it is used by companies and individuals looking to discover personality traits. It offers a forensic summary of personality. Every aspect of writing - the height of an 'h', the curliness of a 'g', the spacing of the words, slant of the lines - is a collection of signals that we are giving out without meaning to. The way we write can tell us a huge amount; sometimes more than the things we write about. It can divulge personality traits from timidity to ambition, from desire to please - to need to control. In fact, so revealing is your writing that in Japan all CVs are still written by hand.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1075785/Handwriting_Interior_Design.jpg

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1088254/Nikki_Bisiker_Design.jpg

Related Links

http://www.emmabache.com



SOURCE Nikki Bisiker Interior Design
A Frenchman and his ex-wife who murdered a British businessman in 1996 have been jailed in Belgium after more than two decades evading justice.

Jean-Claude Lacote, 53, and Hilde Van Acker, 56, two of Europe's most wanted fugitives, were taken to separate jails on Wednesday after arriving on an overnight flight from the Ivory Coast, where they were arrested last year.

Lacote and Van Acker, nicknamed the 'Devil's Couple', were convicted in absentia in 2011 for the execution style killing of Marcus John Mitchell, 44, who was shot twice in the head and neck in the coastal town of De Haan 24 years ago.

Jean-Claude Lacote, 53 (right), and his ex-wife Hilde Van Acker, 56 (left), have been jailed in Belgium for the 1996 murder of British businessman Marcus John Mitchell

Prosecutors in the city of Bruges said they expect the pair to ask for a retrial.

Mr Mitchell, a married father-of-three from Surrey, met Lacote after being duped into fronting money for what he thought was a deal to buy aviation parts.

After his money went missing he confronted Lacote to demand it back, and was shot twice - once in the head and once in the neck.

His body was hidden in nearby sand dunes and discovered by playing children.

It is believed Lacote and Van Acker, who were married at the time but have since divorced, fled to the UK on a ferry the day after the murder.

The pair were arrested in Belgium later that year but were released by police while the investigation was ongoing.

Despite being the subject of an Interpol red notice they were able to flee to Brazil and then went to South Africa.

While there Lacote got work in TV, helping to produce a ten-episode series called Duty Calls which ran between 2000 and 2003.

The show followed real police officers to show how they 'dealt with violent criminals and dangerous crime scenes.'

In 2003, after the show had ended, Lacote allegedly masterminded another plot to con a wealthy Irish businessman - again using the ruse of buying aeroplanes.

Acker (left) and Lacote (right) evaded justice for more than 20 years using fake identities during which time he became host of a reality TV series in South Africa

The businessman was put in touch with Lacote - posing as money lender Roger Wilcox - who offered to lend him 1.5million but with a surety of 1million.

The businessman agreed and paid the money into a South African account, before it vanished.

Lacote was arrested in 2007 and taken to a a Johannesburg jail where he was awaiting trial when he managed to escape.

Van Acker and others posed as police officers, using fake paperwork to free Lacote on the pretense of interviewing him for an investigation.

It took a week for South African police to notice he was gone, by which time he was thought to have gone to Brazil.

In 2012 they were also convicted in absentia in France and Germany of making death threats and fraud.

Belgian police said they were aware of a Ferrari and house linked to Lacote being auctioned in 2013, but otherwise had seen no sign of the couple.

In 2016 they were placed on Europol's most-wanted list, and last year Van Acker featured heavily in the agency's 'crime has now gender' campaign.

The pair were arrested in the Ivory Coast in November 2019 under the pseudonyms Stephane Lacote and Marlene Lacote Vacker.

Van Acker is thought to have requested a transfer to Belgium herself after telling police that she was suffering from cancer, Belgian media reports.
The Nigeria Police Force has arrested an alleged conspirator in the murder of an Assistant Director attached to the State House, Abuja, Laetitia Dagan, who was killed by some assailants in her home in the Galadimawa area of the Federal Capital Territory.

The FCT Police Command on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of the suspect, identified as Edirin Ohonre, who is said to have conspired with others now at large to perpetrate the crime.

The police said the suspect, who is currently under interrogation, is assisting the team of detectives with information that will lead to the arrest of the other suspects connected to the crime.



Dagan, an Assistant Director with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, was reported on Tuesday to have been murdered in her apartment in Galadimawa, Abuja, on Monday, shortly after she returned from work.

The 47-year-old Plateau State indigene was said to have left her office in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, around 8pm while the incident happened around 11pm.

She was said to be a participant in an ongoing training for civil servants holding at the Manhattan Event Centre, Uke, Nasarawa State.

The FCT Police spokesperson, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, in a release on Wednesday, said members of the public should disregard inaccurate information on social media, and not to pre-empt the ongoing police investigation.

He said, Preliminary investigation into the suspected murder by the Criminal Investigation Department of the FCT Police Command led to the arrest of one Edirin Ohonre who is suspected to have conspired with others now at large to perpetrate the crime.

The suspect, who is currently under interrogation, is assisting the team of police detectives with information that will lead to the arrest of the other suspects connected to the crime, that are now at large.

While commiserating with the family, friends, and colleagues of the deceased on the unfortunate incident, the FCT Police Command is assuring members of the public that it has deployed relevant investigative tools to unravel the circumstances surrounding the victims unfortunate death and ensure the arrest and prosecution of suspects behind the heinous act.

The command is urging members of the public to disregard insinuations making the rounds in some social media platforms, and also wish to appeal to the members of the public to desist from pre-empting the ongoing police investigation.

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ASEAN 2020: Vietnam chairs first meeting of ACCC in 2020 Updated: 10:09 - 19/02/2020

Head of the Vietnams Permanent Mission to ASEAN, Ambassador Tran Duc Binh (middle) at the meeting__Photo: VNA

Head of the Vietnams Permanent Mission to ASEAN, Ambassador Tran Duc Binh chaired the first 2020 meeting of the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC) in Indonesia on February 18.The meeting spoke highly of progress in the implementation of the 2025 Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC 2025), with 12 out of 15 initiatives in five strategic fields of sustainable infrastructure, digital innovation, seamless logistics, regulatory excellence and people mobility already underway, and the remaining in the process of preparation.Participants adopted orientations and priorities during the year Vietnam holds the ASEAN Chairmanship and the 2020-2022 working plan in order to realize the MPAC.Specifically, ASEAN will give priority to projects under the three initiatives that are yet to be implemented, especially schemes on building data on commercial routes, a dictionary on ASEAN open data, developing digital platforms, enhancing vocational and human resources training in the new period.Delegates also highlighted the need to popularize contents and benefits of MPAC 2025, encourage the involvement of ASEANs specialized agencies in the implementation of MPAC 2025 projects, and strengthen mechanisms to link MPAC 2025 with initiatives to connect the region with partner countries.The ACCC was established with the aim to supervise MPAC 2025 implementation and report to the ASEAN Coordinating Council and the ASEAN Summit.The MPAC 2025 was adopted at the 28th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos in September 2016.-
US airplane manufacturer Boeing (BA) had a fresh setback with its fleet of grounded 737 MAX aircraft this week, after discovering debris in the fuel tanks of several of the new planes being stored for delivery to customers.

According to an internal memo seen by Reuters, the company says the debris, which was found during maintenance work in the tanks, could create safety risks. Reuters reports that Mark Jenks, general manager of the 737 programme, described the debris as absolutely unacceptable.

A Boeing 737 Max fuselage parked on a track outside the company's production facility in Renton, Washington, US. (Lindsey Wasson/Reuters)

The entire 737 MAX fleet has been grounded since March 2019, after two fatal crashes  a Lion Air in October 2018 and an Ethiopian Airlines flight in March  that killed 346 people.

Read more: Ryanair warns Boeing 737 Max delays could stifle growth for two years

"While conducting maintenance we discovered Foreign Object Debris (FOD) in undelivered 737 Max airplanes currently in storage, a Boeing spokesman said in a statement. That finding led to a robust internal investigation and immediate corrective actions in our production system."

Foreign object debris is an industry term for any materials or substances that are not part of the plane.

The company said it does not expect the debris problem to cause any delays to getting the planes back into service in the second half of the year once the Federal Aviation Administration lifts the ban and certifies the planes for flight again.

READ MORE: 'Designed by clowns, supervised by monkeys': Damning Boeing emails published

Boeing was dethroned by European rival Airbus as the worlds biggest plane manufacturer last year. The grounding of its 737 MAX fleet has hammered airlines, who have been forced to lease planes. Tui (TUI.L), the worlds largest travel group, said this month that it will spend over 220m ($240m, 186m) leasing new planes. Meanwhile low-cost carrier Ryanair (RYA.L) said delivery delays with the 737 Max aircraft could thwart the Irish companys goal of flying 200 million passengers a year by up to two years.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 14:11:20|Editor: huaxia

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Lower House Speaker Rodrigo Maia said Tuesday that he will not vote on a bill to allow mining and power plants in indigenous lands in the near future.

Proposed by the Brazilian government earlier this month, the bill will allow mining activities and hydroelectric power plants in indigenous lands.

Maia said he will neither return the bill to the federal government because it is not unconstitutional, nor consider it an urgent matter as it need more debate.

"I think it is not the adequate moment for this debate. We will set it aside for now, so that we can, in the right moment, treat it with utmost care," he added.

Earlier in the day, Maia met with indigenous representatives who opposed the bill and said the government ignored the wishes of Brazil's indigenous communities.
A young Laois mother of three has received the shock diagnosis that she is in heart failure and needs a transplant.

Denise Geoghegan, 39 from Cathair na gCapall in Portarlington went from feeling unwell after Christmas to now being confined to a hospital room waiting and hoping for a life saving heart transplant.

A day ago the community began donating to a fundraising account to support her husband and three children, and it is nearing 5,000 such is the regard for the family in the area.

She spoke to the Leinster Express this Wednesday February 19 about the traumatic past few months.

"The biggest shock was being told in James' hospital that it was looking like I needed a transplant. I was on my own at the time. Now I just want to get home to my kids," she said.

There is a history of cardiomyopathy in her family. Her dad is on a pacemaker and her aunt died from the disease. Denise had been tested in 2007 but heard no more so she thought she was fine.

She had gone to her doctor in the week after Christmas as she felt really tired and her legs and feet were swelling. He sent her straight to Portlaoise hospital.

Her husband Emmett explained what happened.

"She was there for a week. Her heart was functioning at 10%. It just came on her, it's heart failure. There was talk of a pacemaker but they decided she was too weak. They transferred her to James' hospital and she was there for another week or so. Now she is in the Mater hospital in the coronary care unit. Last Friday they put her on the transplant list," he said.

On the same day that Denise was put on the list, the first heart in a month became available for transplant. Denise and another patient were prepared and 'worked up' for it but Denise was not chosen.

"She had antibodies in her body from her diabetes and that went against her. The surgeon told her she could be let down three or four times," Emmett said.

"The woman who got the heart is doing great. She is 10 years older than me, it's a bit of comfort to me that she's alright".

"It really is hard to wait for someone to have a tragedy but I am trying to block things like that out right now, I have to focus on going home to my family," Denise said.

She is so sick that she cannot come home or even leave the coronary ward until she gets a heart transplant.

"I am on a lot of drips, I can go to the toilet and walk around the desk," she said.

"We can't even put her in a wheelchair and take her downstairs for a coffee," Emmett said.

He praises his wife for staying mentally strong and positive.

"She is in good spirits, taking it better than I could. She is a strong person that way," he said.

They have three sons, Curtis is 20, a Blanchardstown college student who works in Spar in Portarlington. Corey is 14 and Caeden is 7.

Emmett works at diamond drilling in Dublin and is working as much as he can, driving up and back home to see their sons, then driving back up in the evening to see Denise.

"It's tough. It's hard getting the lads up to see her too. My sisters are a big help they are making dinners for us every evening. I do a bit of homework with Caeden then go back up. I'm trying to get into a routine. It's just the way it is. It's just a sticky situation, there are others in a similar boat. I am trying to stay strong for the boys," he said.

"Emmett is doing great, it's a lot for one person to take on, working and travelling up to see me and minding the boys," said Denise.

She works in DPD couriers in Portarlington.

"Both of our employers have been so supportive. I've taken about 10 days off already to be with Denise. I will need to take a month or two off after the operation too to mind the boys so Denise avoids infection," he said.

Denise's best friend and neighbour Mary Mulhall has set up a gofundme account after consultation with Denise.

"They were both working full time and their outgoings are big. It's hit them really hard. It could be a year before she gets the transplant. Everything seems to be falling apart for them," Mary told the Leinster Express.

"Emmett will have to take time off. Money shouldn't be an extra burden," she said.

The support has been huge, with many local people donating up to 50 and 100 at a time.

Denise (nee Lyons) and Emmett have thanked everyone for their support in any way.

"I'm born and reared in Portarlington, it makes you feel a lot better, people are holding coffee mornings. A massive thanks to everyone, I really appreciate it," she said.

"It is unbelievable support, from Bracknagh where I'm from and from Portarlington. A big thanks to everyone," Emmett said.

See the gofundme here.
Kristine Newell, William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty Manager of the Year

William Pitt Sothebys International Realty today announced that Kristine Newell, manager of the firms four Litchfield County brokerages and regional manager for the Hartford County regional brokerage, has been named the companys 2019 Manager of the Year. Newell was chosen from among 16 brokerage managers for the honor, winning the award for the second consecutive year.

With 19 years of expertise in real estate, Newell has served as a brokerage manager with the firm since 2015. Under Newells leadership, the company has been a consistently dominating force in Litchfield County, holding number one market share in sold dollar volume for each of the past five years, including again in 2019.

Her successes include spearheading the firms expansion in 2018 into Hartford County, Conn., with the launch of a new office in Avon that now has 19 agents after less than two years of opening. From 2015-2018, she played a key role in growing the newly opened Berkshires, Mass., offices from eight agents to over 20. Newell also led the charge to relocate the Washington and Kent offices in the past few years into more visible high-trafficked locations, and she doubled the size of the Litchfield office. In 2019, the longtime top brokerage firm Best and Cavallaro joined the Salisbury Office, which is enjoying new prominent space on Main Street.

Newell has always placed a heavy emphasis on social media and innovative marketing, drawing upon her strengths in these areas to assist agents in providing the highest level of service to buyers and sellers, as well as targeting high net worth clients. She created the companys Escape to the Hills print, online and social media marketing campaign, introducing wider awareness of the unique and robust Litchfield Hills lifestyle. She is also a regular guest speaker at Sothebys International Realty offices throughout Connecticut, California and New York, and the host of a nationwide webinar series for managers called Just Lunch.

I am grateful for this award but also extremely humbled, said Newell. My colleagues on our leadership team are the most talented and passionate leaders I have ever met. They continue to inspire me to be my best for the agents of Litchfield County. I am thankful to be able to live and work in this special corner of the world. My agents are simply amazing and work tirelessly for our clients.

Newell served as President of the Litchfield County Board of Realtors in 2019. She additionally focuses on strengthening the companys ties to the local community and organized several initiatives with William Pitt Sothebys International Realty in 2019 that benefited The Litchfield Historical Society, Local Food Banks, Womens Support Services and The Litchfield Community Center. She is also on the Board of Directors for Prime Time House, a non-profit that supports adults with mental illness.

Kristine continues to demonstrate her exceptional talent for drawing and retaining the top sales associates in Litchfield County, and providing them with superior support, said Paul Breunich, President and Chief Executive Officer of William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sothebys International Realty. Kristine has been instrumental in our company maintaining its position as the top performing firm in Litchfield County by sold volume and units year after year. It is my honor to recognize her with this award for the second year in a row.

###

About William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby's International Realty

Founded in 1949, William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby's International Realty manages a $4 billion portfolio with more than 1,000 sales associates in 27 brokerages spanning Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Westchester County, New York. William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby's International Realty is one of the largest Sotheby's International Realty(R) affiliates globally and the 37th-largest real estate company by sales volume in the United States. For more information, visit the website at williampitt.com.

Sotheby's International Realty's worldwide network includes nearly 1,000 offices throughout 71 countries and territories on six continents.
Cloud computing, artificial intelligence, edge computing, AR/VR, autonomous vehicles - all technologies set to become more prominent as the new decade progresses. Each has one more thing in common: they all require software to act as the engine keeping them ticking along. Take this idea one step further and it stands to reason that the companies providing software solutions to the tech pioneers will benefit from the new paradigm.

Baird analyst Joseph Vruwink recently pulled the trigger on 2 software stocks, initiating coverage on both. As Baird is ranked second on the list of Top Performing Research Firms, its worth taking heed when one of the firms analysts gets the ball rolling on a new stock.

Furthermore, we ran both tickers through the Stock Screener tool at TipRanks to confirm that Baird is in the majority on Wall Street in recommending these equities. Heres what you need to know about them.

Synopsys (SNPS)

Lets start off with Synopsys, a company that provides software and intellectual property solutions for the design and testing of chips (integrated circuits) and computer systems. The companys technology is present in self-driving cars, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things (IoT) consumer products.

Synopsys stock has been on an almost constant upward trajectory since 2016, culminating in 2019s market beating 69% gain. The performance has stretched further into 2020, too; Synopsys share price is up by 17% year-to-date.

Last years share price performance was reflected in its business operations, as well; in fiscal 2019, sales grew to $3.4 billion, compared to the previous years $3.1 billion. The company expects revenue for fiscal 2020 to come in at around $3.6 billion.

Synopsys is the largest provider of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools in the US. EDA is a major component in chip development and its workflows, with the EDA industrys growth closely aligned with broader semiconductor R&D growth. Following a lean year in 2019, R&D spending looks ready to ramp up again in 2020. As Synopsys is at the forefront of digital design and verification, and most of its clients are in the semiconductor industry, it stands to benefit from these development activities.

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Bairds Joseph Vruwink highlights the companys impressive 2019 and urges investors not to miss an encore in 2020." Additionally, the analyst notes accelerating EDA growth, broadening IP opportunity and rising margins are reasons to remain positive on the stock.

Vruwink said, With customers set to accelerate R&D spend during 2020-21 and product innovation creating more avenues for secular growth, Synopsys is positioned to deliver attractive combination of revenue growth (HSD+) and margin expansion (500bp+ opportunity). We believe Fiscal 2020 through 2022 should see operating margin expand from ~25% toward ~30% as Synopsys leverages the significant investment in headcount and personnel-related costs (both organic and inorganic) that took place during recent years.

All of the above led Vruwink to initiate coverage on Synopsys with an Outperform rating along with a price target of $190. Should the target be met, investors stand to take home returns in the shape of 14%. (To watch Vruwinks track record, click here)

A full house of Buys  10, in fact  provides the software designer with a Strong Buy consensus rating from the Street. The average price target comes in at $169.10 and indicates modest upside of 2%. (See Synopsys stock analysis on TipRanks)

Cadence Design Systems (CDNS)

Not to be outdone by Synopsys, fellow EDA software provider Cadence Design Systems has been beating the market, too. The companys share price is up by 13% year-to-date and continues last years excellent performance (the stock rose by 63% in 2019). Investors were buoyed by Cadences innovative tech offering, solid financials and long-term growth prospects. Having said that, investors are not the only ones impressed with the San Jose-based company. For the sixth consecutive year, Cadence made Fortunes list of 100 Best Companies to Work For.

The company is also aiming for further expansion outside of its traditional EDA market. Using its technical capabilities, Cadence is pursuing solutions for hardware/software integration and system analysis, focusing on two areas in particular- simulation and embedded security. Vruwink points out that individually, each area has grown at a double digit rate this cycle and provides a multi-billion dollar TAM (total addressable market) opportunity. Add this to an EDA market expected to gain by high single digits, and the two form the basis for the companys TAM expansion strategy over the next 5-10 years.

Vruwink sees targeted IP growth, TAM expansion and acceleration in its core EDA business as key drivers for Cadence this year.

The analyst said, We believe the company is well positioned to outperform in 2020 through a combination of accelerating customer development activity (+ for EDA tools), strong IP momentum (including AI/ML, auto, communications) and continued success in growing system-level tools. We view valuation as reasonable in comparison to other design peers with potential for further re-rating as company executes on secular growth opportunity/ TAM expansion while sustaining strong profitability.

Bottom-line, then? Vruwink initiated coverage of Cadence with an Outperform rating. In addition, the analyst set the price target at $93, indicating potential upside of 16%.

Out on the Street, Cadences Strong Buy consensus rating breaks down into 7 Buys and 2 Holds. With an average price target of $86.89, analysts expect the next 12 months to provide investors with 9% upside. (See Cadence stock analysis on TipRanks)
Chelsea Mannings lawyers have renewed their fight to once again free the whistleblower from prison.

Moira Meltzer-Cohen, Ms Mannings attorney, filed a motion with an eastern district federal court calling for her release after nearly a year of imprisonment, according to a report in The Guardian.

Ms Manning has been incarcerated in the Alexandria detention center after refusing to testify before a federal grand jury investigating WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange.

For every day that Ms Manning refuses to cooperate with the grand jury, she is being fined $1,000. Her total fine is currently around $230,000.

Prior to her current incarceration, Ms Manning - a former US Army soldier - was in prison for seven years until her 35 year sentence was commuted in 2017. Ms Manning had been convicted of 17 of the 22 charges brought against her for her involvement in a leak of troves of classified US documents.

Protesters urge Obama to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence Show all 12 1 /12 Protesters urge Obama to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence Protesters urge Obama to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence torbakhopper/Flickr Protesters urge Obama to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence Garry Knight/Flickr Protesters urge Obama to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence People hold signs calling for the release of imprisoned wikileaks whistleblower Chelsea Manning while marching in a gay pride parade in San Francisco, California June 28, 2015. Manning has appealed to an Army court to overturn her court-martial conviction, a court filing released on Thursday said. Reuters Protesters urge Obama to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence Around twenty activists associated with the Chelsea Manning support group rally in front of the White House in Washington DC, Sunday May 11, 2014. Stephen Melkisethian/Flickr Protesters urge Obama to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence Daily Chalkupy/Flickr Protesters urge Obama to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence Around twenty activists associated with the Chelsea Manning support group rally in front of the White House in Washington DC, Sunday May 11, 2014. Protesters urge Obama to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence Twitter Protesters urge Obama to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence Abigail Edward holds up a sign advocating the release of WikiLeaks whistle blower Chelsea Manning along the Gay Pride parade route in San Francisco, California on Sunday, June, 26, 2016. Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images Protesters urge Obama to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence Demonstration for Chelsea Manning in London, England, United Kingdom. Chelsea Manning (born Bradley Edward Manning) is a United States Army soldier who was convicted by court-martial in July 2013 of violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses, after disclosing to WikiLeaks nearly three-quarters of a million classified or unclassified but sensitive military and diplomatic documents. Manning was sentenced in August 2013 to 35 years imprisonment, with the possibility of parole in the eighth year, and to be dishonorably discharged from the Army. Manning is a trans woman who, in a statement the day after sentencing, said she had felt female since childhood, wanted to be known as Chelsea, and desired to begin hormone replacement therapy. From early life and through much of her Army life, Manning was known as Bradley; she was diagnosed with gender identity disorder while in the Army. Mike Kemp/Getty Protesters urge Obama to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence Chelsea M Queer Friends/Twitter Protesters urge Obama to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence Instagram Protesters urge Obama to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence Jil Love Revolution/Instagram

At the time, the sentence levied against Ms Manning was called unjust and unfair by the Guardian and excessive by the New York Times.

Nils Melzer, the UNs special rapporteur on torture, said Ms Mannings current incarceration and fining was a form of torture.

Ms Meltzer-Cohen has filed for Ms Mannings release, calling her incarceration an illegal use of a punitive sanction. The attorney is arguing that the punishment serves no purpose as Ms Manning will never be coerced into testifying.

Over the last decade, Chelsea Manning has shown unwavering resolve in the face of censure, punishment and even threats of violence. As Ms Mannings resolve not to testify has been unwavering, and as her moral conviction has become only more developed since her confinement, her incarceration is not serving its only permissible purpose, the motion stated.

Ms Manning has made her position on grand juries clear in past statements, explaining that she refused to testify due to her long standing believe that grand juries, as they function in the contemporary era, are often used by federal prosecutors to harass and disrupt political opponents and activists through secrecy, coercion and jailing without trial. No matter how much you punish me, I will remain confident in my decision.

Mr Assange, who is currently being held in a prison in London, is facing extradition to the US following indictment by a grand jury on 18 charges relating to his possession of secret US government and military documents.

Recommended WikiLeaks whistleblower Chelsea Manning sent back to jail

Wednesday, Mr Assanges lawyers said that President Donald Trump - by way of former Congressman Dana Rohrabaher - offered the arch whistleblower a pardon if he agreed to cover up Russia involvement in hacking the Democratic National Committees emails.

The White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham denied the allegations.

The President barley knows Dana Rohrabacher other than hes an ex-congressman. Hes never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject. It is a complete fabrication and a total lie.
New York, February 18, 2020--Somali broadcast journalist Abdiwali Ali Hassan was shot several times near his home in the town of Afgooye, about 30 km (19 miles) outside Somalias capital, Mogadishu, on February 16, and died on his way to the hospital, according to three local media organizations, his colleagues, and news reports .

Abdiwali, nicknamed Online, was a freelance correspondent for the London-based Universal TV and local Radio Kulmiye in the conflict-ridden Lower Shabelle region, the site of attacks by the militant group Al-Shabaab. The 25-year-old journalist was returning from work at about 6 p.m. when two gunmen shot him several times in the head and chest, according to a statement from the Federation of Somali Journalists, another from the Somali Journalists Syndicate, and a Facebook post by the Somali organization Human Rights Journalists .

All three organizations said the journalist had been receiving anonymous threats. Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu, secretary general of the Federation of Somali Journalists, said that Abdiwali died on his way to a hospital in Mogadishu.

Somali journalist Abdiwali Ali Hassan. (Photo: Universal TV)

Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, secretary general of the Somali Journalists Syndicate, said the journalists last report for Radio Kulmiye focused on Somali National Army operations in several districts in Lower Shabelle targeting locations held by Al-Shabaab. In its statement, the Human Rights Journalists organization said no group had claimed responsibility for the killing.

We urge the government of Somalia to ensure that the safety of local journalists becomes a priority and that an independent investigation is launched to find Abdiwali Ali Hassans killers, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator. Somalias failure to take action when journalists are attacked or threatened has allowed impunity to thrive. Authorities must send a clear message that crimes against the press will no longer be tolerated.

Universal TV editor Abdullahi Ahmed Nur told CPJ via messaging app that Abdiwali had received threats over several months for his reporting. Two weeks before his death, unidentified people posted the journalists photo on a Facebook page saying that Abdiwali was killed, said Abdullahi, adding that the post was later deleted.

Armed men on at least two occasions came to the journalists house, looking for him, Abdullahi said. Al-Shabaab militants had entered Abdiwalis home last year when it had captured most villages in Afgooye district looking for the journalist, but luckily he was not at home, he said. In mid-2019, the journalist had left his home town for Mogadishu fearing for his life, after he was threatened with death by unknown callers, said Abdullahi.

I am not sure if these were Al-Shabaab or others. Abdiwali always covered news about the conflict in the Lower Shabelle region and also did a lot of humanitarian news reporting including the displaced people in the region, said Abdullahi.

He personally told me that armed men visited his home one night and that they could not get him because he was not there. He did not know who these people were but his wife who was at the home confirmed that they were looking for Abdiwali. Abdullahi added that Abdiwali had returned two weeks later thinking it was safe to do so.

On the day he was killed, the journalist was on assignment within Afgooye, said Abdullahi. He told me that he wanted to cover the impact of the recent floods in the region and how it affected the local people and he was looking for people to interview for his story.

Abdiwali had also recently covered the inaugural ceremony of a school in the Shalanbood district as well as the renovation of the district commissioners office, Abdullahi said.

CPJ tried to telephone the mobile number of the governor of Lower Shabelle, Ibrahim Adam Ali, as well as Minister of Information Mohamed Abdi Hayir Maareeye, but the calls would not connect. Text messages sent via messaging app after hours were not immediately replied to. Somalias deputy police commissioner, General Zakia Hussein Ahmed, did not immediately reply to a request for comment sent via messaging app.

For the fifth straight year in 2019, Somalia topped CPJs Global Impunity Index , which highlights countries where journalists are slain and the killers go free.
A Derry councillor urges public to attend a presentation on Sam McBride's best-selling book documenting the RHI inquiry.

People Before Profit Cllr Shaun Harkin said: "Sam McBride will be in the Guildhall on Monday February 24 7pm for a Council hosted presentation on his book Burned.

"The Derry and Strabane Council supported People Before Profit's motion to invite Sam and to demand the immediate publication of the RHI 'cash for ash' inquiry.

"For Sam's brave investigative journalism he was demonised by the DUP and threatened with legal action. However, Burned documents Stormont's endemic political corruption.

"No one has been held accountable for the RHI crisis. How many elections have been held since the scandal went public? How long has the inquiry report been sitting on a shelf?

"This is a greenlight for something similar to occur again.

"That the very same people who brought us RHI are still running Stormont tells us everything we need to know about how the establishment club works.

"All those people who think we need an alternative - you're right."

The meeting is open to the public - contact guildhall.reception@ derrystrabane.com
Theres also something ineffable about Twitters influence, especially as it pertains to politics, around movement building and fandoms. Honest, sustained social media momentum behind candidates does seem to translate into something, even if its not clear how much to trust it. Take Andrew Yang. Though his campaign sputtered out last week, he outlasted multiple high-profile governors and senators. His staying power was linked in part to a movement he built across platforms like Twitter. Establishment pundits and politicos shocked by his longevity might have felt different had they engaged with or even observed #YangGang faithful on Twitter.

A better example might be Senator Bernie Sanders, arguably now the Democratic front-runner. The Sanders movement has been criticized for its intensity on Twitter, which infrequently but occasionally veers into toxic territory. And while analysts dissect the particulars of the Sanders online movement, whats unquestionable is that it exists and is a stand-in for something very real: enthusiasm.

As weve seen so far in the Democratic primary, enthusiasm matters. The gap between hypothetical polling, months out before the first primary contests and the genuine, fandom-like enthusiasm that might motivate voters to caucus, canvas or brave the cold to cast their ballots can collapse quickly.

Indeed, as New York magazines Eric Levitz pointed out last year, while Twitter may not be real life, neither is what shapes most electoral politics. Major parties governing agendas arent set by their rank-and-file voters in popular referenda, he wrote. Rather, each partys priorities are shaped primarily by its political elites  which is to say, by its most influential elected officials, activists, donors, policy intellectuals, and interest-group leaders. Such partisan elites have never been representative of their normie allies.

Voxs Ezra Klein recently put it similarly. Political elites have an outsized effect on what actually happens in politics, and theyre constantly on Twitter, he said. And they (we!) create a politics that looks more like Twitter even if thats not what the country wants.

One way to read my Twitter is real life argument, then, is that elites opinions arent in step with America, but it doesnt matter because theyre more influential. That Twitter is dominated by political and media elites who have outsize power and that the narratives they write 280 characters at a time dictate our political reality. Theres a slice of that argument thats true. The conversation that takes place on Twitter often programs the media; that commandeering of broad voter attention sets political agendas and grants certain candidates outsize power.

But the effect on elites is not more influence. Thanks to places like Twitter, Id argue that the elites power to create political narratives and champion specific political movements has waned. Politicians who build organic online movements and flood the zone with content thats both proactive and reactive dont need to woo the medias or politicos attention; they command it at will. Donald Trump and the pro-Trump media have used this to their advantage, while left-leaning politicians like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez use a similar attention-commandeering tactics (although to different ends). Mike Bloomberg  a candidate who has yet to appear on the ballot in early primaries  is largely using Twitter to appear like a top-tier contender for the Democratic nomination.
Algiers, Feb 19, 2020 (SPS) - Algeria described on Tuesday the opening by the government of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire of a diplomatic representation in the occupied Sahrawi city of El Aaiun as "a flagrant violation of international law "and" violation of commitments arising from the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU) ", according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (Algeria).

"Algeria has taken note of the opening by the government of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire of a diplomatic representation in the occupied city of El Aaiun in Western Sahara," reads the press release.

"This kind of act emanating from a founding member of the AU is a violation of the commitments resulting from the constituting act of the AU and a flagrant transgression of international law and of the resolutions of the Security Council and the Assembly general of the UN concerning the question of decolonization of Western Sahara ", underlines the text.

the decision to open diplomatic representations by certain African countries, the founders of the AU, is just another episode in a long series of maneuvers and a policy of flight ahead, which cannot last in the face of the force of international law and legality but also the strong attachment of the Saharawi people to their natural and legitimate right to self-determination and 'independence', concluded the same source. SPS

125/090/TRA
ABC has confirmed a date for its anticipated 3 part documentary series Revelation.

Investigative reporter Sarah Ferguson profiles two paedophile priests and brothers who committed crimes whilst serving in the Catholic Church.

The feature length finale will also include the story of a man who has kept a shocking secret for decades. Until now.

There was always a voice we didnt hear in this unfolding story, that of the priests and brothers themselves. It drove me to seek out the perpetrators. I met a challenge unlike any I have ever come across, in bristling encounters where I had to fight for the truth with men still conditioned to protect the church, Ferguson said.

In a series of television firsts, Revelation features interviews with two of Australias worst serial paedophiles  an ordained priest and a religious brother  and takes cameras into court to follow the drama of their criminal trials.

Fergusons compelling interviews are the first insiders accounts of the system of protection and cover-up that allowed its members to get away with such heinous crimes for so long.

Follow Ferguson into a maximum-security prison to meet the most notorious member of one of the most notorious religious orders. Join her as she travels to Ireland and the Vatican to ask senior church figures to explain the evil in their midst.

The unmissable final chapter airing on Tuesday 31 March is a cinematic, feature-length event, transporting you to the heart of power in the global Catholic Church. This is the story of a man who has kept a shocking secret for decades. Until now.

Revelation is a three-part documentary series airing weekly from Tuesday 17 March at 8:30pm on ABC TV and iview.

Revelation is an In Films production for ABC. ABC Commercial holds worldwide distribution rights.

8:30pm Tuesday March 17 on ABC.
TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaroNav, an innovator in surgical navigation technology, announced today that it closed its first external equity financing round following five years of strong growth. The company plans to use these funds to continue to innovate and expand global marketing, training, sales and support activities for its flagship Navident product. Navident is a dental navigation system which uses volumetric medical images (CBCT) and real-time optical motion tracking to help dentists place implants more precisely, and less invasively.

"This is the first time in our history we invited outsiders to buy equity in ClaroNav. We approached selected distributors, customers, suppliers, friends and employees and were pleased with their responses. We sold over C$2M of common shares at a pre-money valuation of C$52M, about eight times our 2019 revenues," said Claudio Gatti, co-founder and co-CEO of ClaroNav. "60% of the shares were sold to external investors, and 40% to employees. It was very empowering for us to feel the trust of people who know us well and worked with us for many years, and to reconfirm that every team member at Claronav believes in, and is committed to, our shared success."

"We saw such strong interest in our shares because of our track record of rapid revenue growth, exceeding 50% on an annualized basis for the last five years, and because investors saw good reasons to believe the exponential growth will continue," said Doron Dekel, co-founder and co-CEO of ClaroNav. "We are proud that our systems are already helping surgeons deliver better care in about 2,000 hospitals and clinics, and are excited about our future, as we gear up to launch additional features and products built on our shared proprietary surgical navigation technology platform."

About ClaroNav Inc.

Similar to a GPS assisting drivers, ClaroNav's surgical navigation technology assists surgeons in visualizing, planning and executing surgeries. This enables minimally invasive (keyhole) surgeries and reduces execution errors, thereby increasing the likelihood of a successful surgery and reducing pain, recovery time, cost and complications. Led by pioneers and world experts in this technology, enabled by reusable proprietary software and hardware components, and by vertically integrated efficient operations, ClaroNav is able to create innovative products with an exceptional price/performance ratio. ClaroNav is a privately owned company headquartered in Toronto, Canada. ClaroNav develops, manufactures and markets MicronTracker, a family of optical tracking systems, Navident, a dental navigation system, and Navient, a family of cranial navigation systems.

ClaroNav was formerly the Surgical Navigation group within Claron Technology, founded by Claudio Gatti and his partner Doron Dekel in 2001. In January 2015, following the acquisition of the balance of Claron by Lexmark, the company was renamed ClaroNav. The Navient products family is developed and marketed by ClaroNav Kolahi Inc (CKI), a majority-owned subsidiary of ClaroNav.

Visit www.claronav.com for more details.

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Claronav Inc

SOURCE ClaroNav Inc

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YEREVAN.  The first court hearing on the criminal case against Armenias third President Serzh Sargsyan, former Minister of Agriculture Sergo Karapetyan, owner of Flash company Barsegh Beglaryan, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Samvel Galstyan, and former head of the Ministry's Department of Crop Production Gevorg Harutyunyan has been set for February 25. Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned this today from the judicial information system.

The case has been assigned Judge Vahe Misakyan of the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan.

They were charged under the Criminal Code article on organizing, inciting and assisting large-scale appropriation or squander, whereas former Minister of Agriculture Sergo Karapetyanunder the article on large-scale appropriation or squander.

During the investigation of the criminal case being investigated at the Special Investigation Service of Armenia, it was found out that with the organization of third president Serzh Sargsyan, the impelling of the owner of Flesh company Barsegh Beglaryan, with the assistance of former deputy minister of agriculture Samvel Galstyan and head of the Agriculture Ministrys Department of Crop Production Gevorg Harutyunyan, former Minister of Agriculture Sergo Karapetyan misusedfrom January 25 to February 7, 2013the government reserve fund for state support the subsidy of 489,160,310 drams allocated for the 15,391,765 liters of diesel fuel that was sold during the implementation of assistance programs.
The Nevada caucus is on Saturday, which means that more than a year after most Democratic contenders announced they were running for president, its finally time to pay attention to Latinos.

This is a fraught time, though. For candidates who spent months practicing how to eat a corn dog at the Iowa State Fair or having their staff organize ice cream socials in New Hampshire, moving to a more diverse state increases the risk of making a cultural faux pas.

Enter, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Close to 30 percent of Nevadans are Hispanic, with a majority reporting Mexican roots. It was natural then, that during an interview last week with Telemundo reporter Guad Venegas, the conversation would turn to Mexico.

Klobuchar recognized the importance of our southern neighbor and said she would visit within her first 100 days in office. Then, Venegas lobbed the softest of soft balls at the Minnesota senator, over which she proceeded to beat herself with her own bat.

What do you know about the Mexican president now?

I know he is elected in the last few years, Klobuchar said, at least nailing how democracy works in Mexico. I dont know him personally.

Asked if she had any specific knowledge of his politics, you could see Klobuchar start to panic, giving an answer so broad she may as well have added she was sure the Mexican president habla espanol.

I know that they are our neighbors and regardless of who the leader is, that it is someone who I will work with.

Venegas could hardly contain his glee. Im sorry to ask, but do you know who he is? Do you know his name?

Yes I know that he is the Mexican president, Klobuchar said, sounding as if she was pretty sure she could pick the right guy out of a lineup of guayabera clad seniors.

But can you tell me his name? Venegas pressed.

No, Klobuchar admitted.

Now, I must confess that I once forgot Gov. Rick Perrys name. This was on a test. For a job at a newspaper. In Texas. So, lets just say I sympathize with the senator. But while Im not here to abuchear a Klobuchar  mostly because booing is not my style  her ignorance is kind of inexcusable.

For the record, the president of Mexico is Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. He is also known as AMLO, which makes it easier for Trump to get partial credit if asked the same question (is it hombre MALO?). It should be easy enough for someone such as Klobuchar to recall too.

Other reasons why she should remember? Almost 5 million U.S. jobs depend on trade with Mexico, which is one of our top trade partners (No. 1 for Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico). More than 37 million people in the U.S. identify Mexican ancestry, and Mexico is a key strategic partner in efforts to combat illegal drugs and terrorism. A friendly, stable Mexico is vital to our national security.

If its any consolation to Klobuchar, other than the Associated Press story appearing in Mexican newspapers, nobody there seems to care much. In part because nobody knows who she is (see? Mexicans are a lot like Americans), but mainly because theyre used to it. For most U.S. politicians there are two settings when it comes to Mexico: ignore or vilify.

Weve been seeing a lot of the latter thanks to President Donald Trump, but being an afterthought isnt much better. That ignorance also helps feed the misrepresentation and the damaging rhetoric. Especially for us in Texas, what happens in Mexico matters and its frustrating to see that relationship and the Mexican people taken for granted.

I dont need Klobuchar to be like Pete Buttigieg  who in an interview with Venegas not only knew who the president of Mexico was, he answered a question in Spanish  but even is she wasnt one of the frontrunners, shes a sitting U.S. senator and needs to do better.

She tried on Tuesday, sending greetings to AMLO during a CNN town hall. She called him Andre, but its the thought that counts.

Of course, these stumbles dont define her. After all, I was hired at that Texas newspaper even though I wrote down Bill Perry. What it should do is remind her, and all the other Democratic candidates, that America is more than Iowa and New Hampshire, and that if you can learn Justin Trudeaus name, you can bother to know AMLOs.

Carrasco is an editorial writer and member of Houston Chronicles editorial board. Email him at luis.carrasco@chron.com.
A suspected thief is wanted out of the Laredo Police Department, according to authorities.

LPD is asking for the communitys assistance to identify a male who is linked to a theft that occurred in the 5600 block of San Dario Avenue.
Will make Assam govt party to case against CAA in SC if voted Congress to power: Gaurav Gogoi

Mediators appointed by SC speak to protesters at Shaheen Bagh

India

oi-Mousumi Dash

New Delhi, Feb 19: The mediators appointed by the Supreme Court on Wednesday to meet and hold a dialogue with the prolong anti-CAA protesters at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh read out the order of the court to the protesters there. The mediators have urged the protesters to listen to their point of view before coming up with any decission.

On Monday, a bench of two-judges of the apex court, Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph on Monday had appointed senior advocates Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran as the mediators for the Shaheen Bagh demonstrators, they have been appointed to hold dailogues between the agitators and convince them to move the protest to some other place.

The apex court also said that the advocates sought help from former information commissioner and IAS officer Wajahat Habibullah.

Advocate Ramachandran who is one of the mediator addressing the crowd at the spot read out the order that the apex court has upheld their (protesters) right to protest. But then other citizens also have their rights and it should also be maintained.

She read in Hindi that the court want to together find a solution to the problem. And they will listen to everyone.

Earlier, advocate Hegde explained the SC's order to the protesters. Later, it was translated into Hindi by Ramachandran.

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Story first published: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 17:27 [IST]
Director Bong Joon-ho, second from right second row, poses with "Parasite" cast and staff at the press conference for his historic four-Oscar win at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap



By Kwak Yeon-soo



Director Bong Joon-ho thanked his staff, cast and fans, saying that their endless dedication and support helped him throughout the unprecedented journey for "Parasite."



"It feels surreal that we were able to gain such widespread acclaim inside and outside the country," Bong said at a press conference for his historic four-Oscar win at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul, Wednesday.



"Parasite" became the first foreign-language film to win best picture at the Academy Awards in its 92-year history on Feb. 9. It won four Oscars, including best director, best international feature film and best original screenplay.



As of Feb. 19, the film has won a total of 174 awards at international film festivals and awards ceremonies.



Bong shared several anecdotes that occurred during Parasite's awards-season campaign, which lasted even longer than the filming period, beginning in August last year.



"Since it was our first time going through an awards campaign, our team  consisting of Neon, Barunson E&A and CJ ENM  all worked really hard on it. With less budget compared to other big studios, I personally did more than 600 media interviews and held over 100 post-screening Q&A sessions," he said.



"There were times when I felt a little bit overwhelmed, but over the course of time, I could feel how Academy members look at films and decide their votes."



The film is a story of two economically polarized families, one poor and one wealthy. The story develops as the son of the impoverished family, with the help of his sister, fabricates his educational background and works as a tutor for the daughter of the wealthy family.






Mother said she used pancake mix to cook the perfect chicken schnitzel for her family

A mother has revealed the unusual ingredient she used to cook the perfect chicken schnitzel for her family.

Australian woman Barbara said she was planning to cook dinner when she realised she was missing breadcrumbs and flour from her pantry.

But instead of rushing back to the supermarket, she decided to be improvise what she already had in her cupboard - pancake mix.

After soaking the chicken breast fillets in a bowl of salt and milk for an hour in the fridge, she coated the meat with eggs and dried pancake mix.

'It was a perfect blend of savoury and subtle sweet. My kids have asked me to make it again for Friday night dinner and hubby agreed,' she said in an Aldi Facebook group.

She started the cooking method by slicing the chicken horizontally so they are roughly around one centimetre thick.

'First I sliced the chicken breast fillets as thin as I could - close to 1cm. I put the cut fillets into a bowl with salt and milk, covered with cling wrap and put in fridge for a few hours,' she said.

After soaking the chicken breast fillets in a bowl of salt and milk for an hour in the fridge, she coated the meat with eggs and dried pancake mix (stock image)

'Once I took chicken out of the fridge and realised I didn't have any breadcrumbs, I made an egg wash of two eggs and the milk from the bowl.

'Emptied the contents of the pancake shake onto a plate. I dipped the chicken into the egg wash and then straight into the dry pancake mix.'

Many parents were impressed with her creation, while others suggested the flavour combination surprisingly works for the savoury dish.

'Wow I never would have even thought of that! Legend Mama,' one said.

Another said: 'Looks amazing. I had a similar dilemma. We were going to have crumbed chicken drumsticks, but I didn't have any ingredients. So I just dipped the chicken in egg and crushed some nacho chips up and voila! Kids gave it a 10 out of 10.'

Others said the combination with chicken was no different to other meals such as pancakes with bacon, fried chicken with waffles and mushroom chicken with crepes.

'At first I thought yuk but if it's like fried chicken and waffles, I'm up for it lol,' one mother said.

Another said: 'Has no one had mushroom chicken crepes before? I wanna try this now.'

And one woman revealed: 'I use pancake mix to make vegetable fritters - just add veggies and eggs.'

While some were not on board with the chicken schnitzel and pancake coating.

'What made you even think of pancake mix to have with chicken? The thought makes me heave but I guess I can't knock it as I haven't tried it,' one woman said.

Last week, an Australian mother has shared the secret to cooking the perfect roast potatoes

The recipe requires a dried packet of French onion soup mix, which costs just 95 cents

The unusual ingredient comes just days after a mother revealed the secret to cooking the perfect roast potatoes involved an unlikely ingredient.

She said all you need is potatoes and a dried packet of French onion soup mix, which costs just 95 cents.

'When doing roast spuds, peel, cut and place in a baking dish then get French Onion dry soup mix and sprinkle over top of spuds,' she said in a Facebook group.

Next, she drizzles oil over the top and then places the tray into the oven to bake.

'It's the only way I do roast spuds now,' she said.

'It's the bomb my mum taught me.'

Many were amazed by the simple recipe, while others said they have been using this method for years.

Some suggested using Vegeta stock powder instead of the French onion mix because it 'tastes better'.

While others said their secret ingredient is duck fat - or just a simple salt and oil would do the trick.
More than two years after star Philadelphia Orchestra principal oboist Richard Woodhams announced his retirement, the orchestra has signed his successor.

Philippe Tondre and the orchestra have penned a contract, the orchestra announced Wednesday. His official start date is Sept. 14, 2020, with the opening of the orchestras 2020-21 season, although the French oboist will also play with the orchestra this summer at its residencies in Vail and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Tondre, 30, won the audition for the job in October. He declined to comment, except to say that he was very happy to be joining this wonderful orchestra.

Orchestra music director Yannick Nezet-Seguin also declined to speak about the appointment, but, in an email responding to questions, called Tondre a true poet on his instrument, an artist of extraordinary expression and joy. I, and my colleagues on the audition committee, were captivated by his artistry, sound, and phrasing  he makes the instrument sing, and most importantly, has a great imagination.

Neither Nezet-Seguin nor orchestra leaders would say whether Tondre would be subject to the usual one-year probationary period for new players. Asked how many weeks the oboist would play with the orchestra each year, Nezet-Seguin in his email said he cant speak to the specifics of any musicians contract. But I can say it is in line with the other principal players of our orchestra, and I am very pleased to say that you will see and hear him very often on the stage!

The choice of Tondre has drawn some criticism. In an open letter to Nezet-Seguin published in The Inquirer, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia founder Marc Mostovoy wrote that it distresses me and many other musicians that you are considering engaging someone of a different school of playing, and not preserving the extraordinary tradition that has inspired us for so many years. I urge you to select a principal oboist of the same school of playing as that of the past.

He noted that Woodhams  who joined the orchestra in 1977 and retired in 2018  had been taught by John de Lancie, a student of the widely revered Marcel Tabuteau.

Of this stylistic issue, Nezet-Seguin wrote in his email that Philippe has already shown us how well he fits with the orchestra. Citing performances with the orchestra last October, the conductor said Tondres artistry inspired me and all his colleagues during his weeks as guest principal."

Tondre has played principal oboe with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and with the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig. He has also been guest principal oboist with Amsterdams Royal Concertgebouw, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre de Paris.

Im energized by how the orchestra both embraces our past and demonstrates a commitment to the future of the art form, Nezet-Seguin wrote. I know that Philippe and all of his immensely talented colleagues will play an important role in this work.
Zamfara State House of Assembly has set up a seven-member committee to investigate the award of N2 billion contract by the immediate past administration in the state for a new Government House.

The Speaker of the House, Nasiru Magarya, announced this after deliberations during plenary in Gusau, the state capital on Wednesday.

The resolution followed a motion on Matters of Urgent Public Importance by Majority Leader, Faruku Dosara (PDP-Maradun 1).

Moving the motion, Mr Dosara said based on available records, the immediate past administration awarded contract for the construction of new government house at the sum of over N2 billion.

The lawmaker said there was need for the house to investigate the matter.

In their separate contributions, Deputy Speaker of the House, Musa Bawa and Kabiru Magaji (PDP-Bungudu 2), urged the House to set up a committee to investigate the matter.

The Speaker said the committee has been given one month to investigate the matter and report back to the House.

He said the committee has Deputy Speaker, Musa Bawa as Chairman, while Majority Leader, Faruk Dosara (PDP-Maradun 1), Zaharaddeen Sada (PDP-Kaura-Namoda South) and Ibrahim Naidda (PDP- Gusau 2) will serve as members.

Others members are Yusuf Alhassan (PDP-Maru North) Salihu Usman (PDP-Zurmi East) and Mansur Dakitakwas (PDP-Gummi 1).

(NAN)
Curled up on the sofa one Saturday night, I was watching a TV drama with my family. 'Watching' being the right word, as most of what was being said escaped me.

Being someone who prides herself on her immaculate diction, I complained loudly, and in a slightly snooty manner, about: 'These young actors. They mumble away. No one's ever taught them how to speak properly. They don't articulate correctly. Why don't they speak up?'

Yet no one else in the room  my husband, David, and sons, Ed and Charlie  appeared to be having any difficulty following the plot. They were all gripped by the story and ignored my whingeing. In the end I got up in a huff, left the room to make a coffee, then stomped upstairs to read.

I refused even to think that I might be going deaf. I wasn't old, I was only in my 60s. Everyone always told me how young I looked.

Jenni Murray explains how she refused even to think that she might be going deaf. She wasn't old, she was only in my 60s

The idea of needing a hearing aid was preposterous and I wasn't going there. I would just turn up the sound on the TV and radio and, at work, the headphones I wear in the studio could be as loud as I needed. I convinced myself there was no problem. I would just carry on as usual.

Fast forward another four years and my son, Charlie, popped round for dinner. It was just the two of us and, as he was clearing the table and loading the dishwasher, I went through to the sitting room to switch on the TV.

'Crikey, Mum!' came a shriek from the kitchen. 'Are you trying to entertain the entire street? That's so loud!'

He bounded into the room, snatched the remote control from my hand and checked the sound level.

'Mum, you've got it on level 56. It shouldn't be more than 25  30 at the most. It's ridiculous. You can't hear properly. You are now definitely going to get your hearing checked.'

She says the idea of needing a hearing aid was preposterous and she wasn't going there. She would just turn up the sound on the TV and radio

Despite my protests, he stayed on the case, supervising the making of an appointment with the GP and then the audiology clinic, and accompanying me to the test. He was right. I had significant hearing loss.

In a bit of a daze, I discussed which aids would be best and tried out different models. The ones that go right inside the ear didn't feel comfortable, so I tried a type with a tiny earpiece which goes inside the entrance to the ear and is attached to a battery compartment behind.

Basically, it works as a little amplifier, making everything just that little bit louder and clearer. It's an astonishing piece of kit and  as everyone was at pains to reassure me  barely noticeable, especially with my hair styled over my ears.

When I first put the aids in, it was a revelation. Suddenly, everyone seemed to be articulating perfectly. I could hear taps dripping, leaves rustling, and no one on TV mumbled, even with the volume at a 'normal' 25 to 30.

My husband was delighted he could talk to me without being constantly interrupted with a stream of, 'Sorry, what did you say?', 'Pardon?', or 'What?'.

But did I wear them? Did I heck. Apart from a few rare outings, after that first day, the little box went straight into a drawer in my dressing table, and there it stayed for months.

Her husband was delighted he could talk to me without being constantly interrupted with a stream of, 'Sorry, what did you say?', 'Pardon?', or 'What?'

I just couldn't bring myself to put them in.

Why is this? It's curious that other signs of ageing have barely bothered me at all.

When the first grey hairs began to peep through the brown in my early 40s, I was off to the hairdresser like a shot. I've had it dyed every six weeks ever since.

And I was 45 when I began to realise I could no longer read my newspaper without bringing the pages closer and closer to my eyes.

I went to the optician and learned from her that the lens in the eye is the first part of the body to suffer from the ageing process, as it begins to dry and can't function properly.

Yet, I happily purchased a pair of glasses. I was relieved to find I could see perfectly again and made my specs something of a feature, permanently perched on the end of my nose.

I felt no shame at the need for aids to sight and good hair, so why were hearing aids such an embarrassment for me?

She says she felt no shame at the need for aids to sight and good hair, so why were hearing aids such an embarrassment for her?

In this age of openness, deafness seems to be the last taboo. Sex is way out there, as are periods, breast and prostate cancer, mental illness, erectile dysfunction  with the menopause the latest to join the subjects that used to be considered too private and embarrassing to be aired in polite company, but are now perfectly acceptable to discuss with anyone willing to listen.

So why not our failing ears?

There are 11 million people with hearing loss in the UK; that's about one in six of us. And more than 40 per cent of over-50s have hearing loss, rising to 71 per cent of those over the age of 70.

Most people become hard of hearing as they get older because of wear and tear to the tiny hair cells in the inner ear. These are the receptors that pick up sound waves and send them to the brain to be interpreted.

Once they're gone, they're gone. They do not grow back.

Yet many people, like me, live in denial and pretend it's not a problem.

Earlier this month, I read in this newspaper how there is mounting evidence suggesting that gradual, undiagnosed hearing problems play a big role in the onset of dementia.

Gill Livingston, professor of psychiatry of older people at University College London, advised checking things out in your 40s and early 50s in case you need a hearing aid.

I looked for more details of relevant research. In a study carried out by Professor Helene Amieva in France, highlighted in March 2018 by the Alzheimer's Society, nearly 4,000 people over the age of 65 were monitored for 25 years. The researchers found that mild hearing loss doubles the risk of developing dementia, moderate loss leads to three times the risk and severe loss to five times the risk.

According to the charity Action on Hearing Loss, nearly three-quarters of us over the age of 70 suffer some reduction in our ability to hear.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, in the U.S., believe the social isolation caused by being unable to hear clearly can have serious effects on mental and physical health.

When you can't hear well you have to work harder to make sense of what's being said, so the brain suffers. Too much mental energy has to be used for day to day conversation, leaving none for memory or other cognitive functions. They also believe the strain on the brain may cause a change in how the brain is structured, which could be related to the effects of Alzheimer's.

I discovered recently that I am not the only one of my acquaintances to be reluctant to confess to difficulties. A couple of weeks ago I was interviewing the amazing Baroness (Joan) Bakewell about her memories of the Profumo affair and the trial of Christine Keeler. Joan and I go back a long way.

We were colleagues on Newsnight in the early Eighties and she's always a joy to interview. She's now 86 and as sharp as ever, but, just before we began the broadcast, she quietly asked me to speak up. She put her hand to her ear and said she had a 'little difficulty'. No hearing aid. I spoke up.

Looking back, I think my aversion to the whole concept of deafness may well go back to my childhood and may be a response to the behaviour of my father and my grandmother.

My father had been very hard of hearing for as long as he could remember. He never wore a hearing aid and did badly at school until his teachers realised he was a bright boy, but maybe needed to sit at the front of the class in order to hear what was being said.

As an adult, he communicated with the family by asking us to shout, the TV was always on full blast and, with strangers, he would simply pretend he could hear.

He would feign interest and pop in the occasional 'yes' or 'no' as he thought might be appropriate. It frequently wasn't, and it was a chance encounter with an ear, nose and throat surgeon, who spotted the signs of his deafness, that led to an operation which enabled him to hear clearly for the first time in his life. He was 50.

My grandmother's problems began in her 50s. Her GP advised a hearing test and she was given an aid. She never wore it, despite constant encouragement from the entire family.

'No,' she would say, 'it's an ugly-looking thing and it's noisy.'

She was right. A silver box, about the size of a mobile phone, was attached to the ear piece by a long wire. It was far from discreet and every so often it would howl and screech.

I couldn't blame her for leaving it on her mantelpiece, but I know it made her later years difficult. She could barely hear the TV or radio and sat back quietly, like my father had, pretending to hear conversations but making no contribution. And, as she reached her 70s, she became increasingly withdrawn, scatty and forgetful.

She was never diagnosed with dementia, but I'm sure she was going that way before her death from a stroke at 76.

However, recently, something made me see it was time to overcome my embarrassment.

David and I went to a restaurant with my son, Ed, and his fiancee, Liz. She's Irish and has the softest, sweetest, lilting voice. David and Ed are both softly spoken. I hardly heard a thing. What a waste, what a shame. By not being able to hear, I'd had to retreat into a muffled, lonely world, and missed out on the sort of precious family interaction on which we thrive.

When we got home, I went straight to the little box on my dressing table, took out 'my ears' as my son, Charlie, calls them, slipped in a couple of new batteries and popped them in.

So that's it. No more shame, no more embarrassment. I'll just put the things in, listen, enjoy conversation again, give my brain the workout it deserves and hope to be able to walk into a room without forgetting what I came for.

Fingers crossed, as my 70th birthday approaches, I haven't left it too late.
New Delhi: Days after former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti was slapped with the Public Safety Act while remaining under detention, her daughter Iltija on Tuesday said she felt Kashmir was looking at a very bleak future. She also indicated the possibility of suing the Central government and demanding compensation from it.

Talking to reporters at the Indian Womens Press Corps here, she said, I think the government should be sued. We should demand compensation. On being questioned again, she said, Where else can we go (but the courts). Who else can we go to?

Iltija, who also questioned the Internet shutdown in Kashmir for over seven months since the abrogation of Article 370 in August, as well as the continued detention of three former chief ministers, including her mother, said while she was a proud Indian, this was not the country she grew up in. I am a proud Indian, we are now becoming a Hindu Pakistan. I have full respect for the Prime Minister. Either he is being misled or is wilfully misleading the country.

She further added, I am not anti-India because I am speaking against the BJP, my loyalty lies with the country, it is not mortgaged to the BJP. I am not at all popular. Kashmiris are angry with my mother, I dont claim I represent Kashmiris.

Asked if she saw a future for herself in politics, Iltija replied that she had no plans as of now, but could not commit about the future. J&K is a political problem. Wounds need to heal. I am doing this because when history is written, I do not want to be on the wrong side, she said.

Questioned on the perceived unpopularity of existing politicians like Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, she said just like it was not possible to hold elections in India without the BJP and the Congress, it was not possible to hold elections in J&K without the PDP and National Conference.
A man who was accused in 2017 of fraudulently collecting grant money to repair his Hurricane Sandy-damaged home was acquitted this week, the first such acquittal in a Sandy fraud case brought by the state Attorney Generals Office.

Patrick Yannotta, facing charges of theft by deception and unsworn falsification, was found not guilty Tuesday after about four hours of jury deliberations in Superior Court in Ocean County. The verdict was reached at the conclusion of a four-week trial before Judge Michael T. Collins.

Authorities had contended Yannotta, 31, collected $182,400 from a combination of grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Homeowner Resettlement Program and the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation Program. The grant money was intended to help homeowners rebuild following Hurricane Sandy in 2012. However, authorities argued Yannotta falsely claimed his damaged Seaside Heights home was his primary residence.

Yanottas attorneys, Michael Critchley and Edmund DeNoia, argued the home was Yannottas primary residence, co-owned with his brother, that he rented out for about 10 weeks in the summer of 2012 to help off-set his brothers college expenses.

In the end, a jury sided with Yannotta.

In a statement, Critchley and DeNoia said, Were grateful the jury had an ability to sit and hear the testimony over four weeks and then quickly and swiftly returned a verdict of not guilty because thats what the evidence and justice demanded.

A spokesman for the Attorney Generals Office declined comment. However, he did confirm that this was the first acquittal in a Sandy fraud case brought forth by the attorney general.

The state Attorney Generals Office has aggressively sought New Jersey residents who have fraudulently obtained Sandy relief funding. Since 2014, the office has filed charges against at least 140 defendants in criminal cases involving Sandy fraud, with most of those (130 cases) related to fraudulent applications for Sandy relief funds.

About 75 cases have ended with defendants agreeing to pay full restitution and entering a pre-trial intervention program without pleading guilty, according to the Attorney Generals Office. Another 50 cases have been resolved with a guilty plea resulting in probation and payment of full restitution.

Three defendants have received prison sentences, including a Hoboken police officer who was sentenced to five years after a jury found him guilty in October.

Any fraud against public assistance programs is deplorable, but these thefts were especially egregious because they diverted funds intended for victims left homeless by one of the most devastating storms in New Jersey history, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a June 2019 statement announcing four arrests. We have recovered over $4 million through these prosecutions and we also have sent a strong message that should deter this type of fraud during future disaster relief efforts.

The office has also brought cases against contractors who have exploited Sandy victims.

In addition to cases brought forth by the attorney general, there have been more than 90 cases charged by the prosecutors offices in Atlantic, Ocean, Monmouth and Middlesex counties.

NJ Advance Media reporter Ted Sherman contributed to this report.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A man wearing a protective mask looks on as he walks in front of a portrait of late communist leader Mao Zedong (not pictured) at Tiananmen Gate in Beijing on January 23, 2020.

China's economic growth in the first quarter could fall to as low as 3.5% if the spread of the new coronavirus is not contained fast enough for manufacturing production to resume to normal levels, Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a Wednesday report.

Chinese health authorities on Wednesday reported a total of 74,185 confirmed cases and 2,004 cumulative deaths so far, most of them in the Hubei province  the epicenter of the outbreak.

Manufacturing activities around China have been disrupted as authorities shut down cities in a bid to contain the virus, now called COVID-19. While factories have started to come online, checks by Morgan Stanley analysts found that production had only reached 30% to 50% of normal levels as of last week.

China, the world's second-largest economy, is home to major parts of the global supply networks that produce goods from textile to mobile phones and cars. An extended shutdown of production lines in China will not only affect the supply of those products, but also hurt other markets' ability to produce their goods.

Morgan Stanley analysts said they expect manufacturing production in China to reach 60% to 80% of the usual levels by the end of this month, and be back to normal by middle to late March. But they warned of uncertainties surrounding the virus outbreak.
A federal judge dealt a devastating blow to thousands of Hurricane Harvey victims Tuesday, ruling that the hurricane itself and not the government was to blame for damage caused by floodwaters released from two U.S. Army Corps dams west of Houston.

U.S. Judge Loren A. Smith dismissed the downstream lawsuits outright, saying property owners had no grounds to sue the government for inundating their land in a flood classified as a once-in-2,000-years event, which means, he wrote, the last such event occurred during the life of Jesus! Another judge from the same court ruled last fall that the Army Corps of Engineers was liable for damage caused to thousands of property owners from water that backed up above the Addicks and Barker dams.

On HoustonChronicle.com: In victory for Harvey victims, Army Corps found liable for flooding damage upstream of Addicks, Barker reservoirs

But Smith, of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, indicated in a blunt and unequivocal 19-page opinion late Tuesday that it was ludicrous to blame the Corps for its controlled releases from Addicks and Barker downstream into the Buffalo Bayou watershed.

Of course, the water from the hurricane was not the governments water, unless the storm was also created by the governments wind and air and sun and sky, he wrote. These were flood waters that no entity could entirely control.

Ken Ellis/Staff

The government constructed the dams decades ago to protect the City of Houston from catastrophic flooding, Smith wrote. Officials in 2017 had tried to mitigate damage from Harvey, but property owners were not entitled to perfect flood control simply because government set up a flood control system.

He sprinkled the idea of perfection throughout the ruling, saying plaintiffs did not have a right under Texas or federal law to perfect flood control, and while he was sympathetic to flood victims losses, he could not find the government liable or responsible for imperfect flood control of waters created by an Act of God.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department said he was reviewing the ruling. Lawyers for the Corps argued in December that the dams operated exactly as designed amid heavy accumulation. Harvey had been unprecedented, and the Corps followed protocol for the circumstances, even though it knew it could cause damage. Had the Corps not opened the floodgates, the properties would have flooded anyway, just not as precipitously, they said.

The city and county have allowed development worth billions along and in the floodways, which unquestionably put a lot of the property involved in this suit in the path of the surging floodwaters.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Build in a floodway? Thats the Houston way

Mayor Sylvester Turner had a speaking engagement Tuesday evening and could not be reached for comment.

Lawyers for the downstream clients called the ruling bad news and said they were disappointed with the judges conclusions.

We strongly disagree with this ruling, they wrote in a news release. They said that Smith had contradicted another judges findings that the government was liable for property damage upstream of the two dams.

Judge Smiths ruling is also contrary to other case precedents, either from the Supreme Court or the Court of Federal Claims, the lawyers from McGehee Chang, Landgraf, Feiler said. They are considering an appeal. Smith set a telephone status conference about the case for Feb. 26.

The plaintiffs argued in December that the flooding by the Corps was intentional and foreseeable. While the government had helped the city avoid worse damage, it had knowingly inflicted harm and should compensate victims accordingly.

Smiths ruling stems from claims by about 2,500 businesses and homeowners who sued Army Corps of Engineers in the specialized Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. saying their properties would not have flooded in the 2017 storm if the government hadnt opened the floodgates on Aug. 28, 2017.

The court oversees takings claims under the Fifth Amendment. In this case litigants argued that the government chose to take temporary control of their private property to store floodwaters and therefore it owed them just compensation for damage caused by the controlled releases. Part of Smiths rationale for the ruling was that the properties would have flooded had no reservoirs or dams been present, so the Corps actions cant be blamed.

A separate group of property owners, whose land flooded from water that backed up above the two massive reservoirs, won a separate claim before a different judge last fall. That judge will hear oral argument on April 28 in Washington, D.C. to assess damages.

Smith addressed the opinion of his colleague, Judge Charles F. Lettow, in the upstream case, saying Lettow determined that the taking of upstream property occurred as a result of the general operation of the Addicks and Barker dams and reservoirs.

In contrast, he wrote, the Downstream plaintiffs do not allege that the general operation of the Reservoirs caused the flooding of their property. He says the downstream plaintiffs ignored that the gates were initially closed for the sole purpose of protecting their property, and that the impounded waters exceeded the reservoirs capacity, and that Harvey was the sole and proximate cause of the floodwaters.

Therefore, he said, he did not believe Lettows findings were relevant in the downstream case.

Daniel Charest, one of the lead attorneys in the upstream case, called the downstream ruling a disappointment for thousands of flood victims.

The difference between the cases, he said, was that the reservoirs existed solely to protect properties from floodwaters, but the upstream properties did not benefit and instead suffered from the effort to protect downstream properties, the City of Houston, and the Houston Ship Channel.

The government and the downstream property owners did not dispute the details of what happened during the downstream flooding. They disagreed about whether the Army Corps was to blame.

Hurricane Harvey made landfall in South Texas on Aug. 25, and unleashed unprecedented rainfall in the following days. Floodwaters began to accumulate in the reservoirs. On the evening of Aug. 27, the Army Corps announced it would open the floodgates in a matter of hours. Early Aug. 28, the Corps began releasing water in the Buffalo Bayou watershed, which flooded thousands of homes and businesses.

Lawyers for flood victims estimate that 8,500 homes and 1,000 businesses took on water from the controlled releases and at least one person died inside his home from the flooding. Neighborhoods damaged by downstream flooding include Fleetwood, Thornwood, Westchester, Nottingham Forest and the Energy Corridor. About 2,500 plaintiffs filed cases with the federal court, but attorney H.C. Chang estimated that as many as 30,000 people were flooded by the downstream deluge.

He said the vast majority did not flood until gates were opened.

gabrielle.banks@chron.com
US President Donald Trump blasted his own administrations proposed restrictions on trade with China on Tuesday, saying that national security could not be used as an excuse to make it difficult for foreign countries to buy American products.

The series of four tweets  which was temporarily deleted but restored soon after  was an apparent reference to reports over the weekend that the US government is considering whether to block General Electric from continuing to supply engines for a new Chinese passenger jet.

The Trump administration was reported to be considering halting sales to China of an aircraft engine produced in part by GE. Washington is also weighing restrictions on other components for Chinese commercial aircraft, such as flight control systems made by Honeywell International.

The possible crackdown on the sale of US parts to Chinas aircraft industry is one element of a broader effort to limit the flow of technology to China that could help Beijing gain an economic and security edge over the US.

Trumps tweets on Tuesday departed from his usual tough stance on China and underscored the difficulty and the dilemma he now faces. While his administration has made it a priority to contain Chinas economic and military ambitions, the restrictions could cause further damage to an American economy that is deeply entwined with China.

....I have seen some of the regulations being circulated, including those being contemplated by Congress, and they are ridiculous. I want to make it EASY to do business with the United States, not difficult. Everyone in my Administration is being so instructed, with no excuses...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2020

The United States cannot, & will not, become such a difficult place to deal with in terms of foreign countries buying our product, including for the always used National Security excuse, that our companies will be forced to leave to remain competitive, Trump wrote on Twitter.

Story continues

We want to sell product and goods to China and other countries. Thats what trade is all about. We dont want to make it impossible to do business with us. That will only mean that orders will go to someplace else. As an example, I want China to buy our jet engines, the best in the World.

I have seen some of the regulations being circulated, including those being contemplated by Congress, and they are ridiculous. I want to make it EASY to do business with the United States, not difficult. Everyone in my Administration is being so instructed, with no excuses, THE UNITED STATES IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

Trump did not identify the restrictions. A White House spokesman declined to comment.

Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at an online briefing on Tuesday that the report about blocking trade in the aircraft industry, if true, was another example of the US using political means to undermine bilateral commercial cooperation and wantonly oppress China.

The moves hurt not only the interests of Chinese businesses but also that of American companies, Geng said. What's worse, it will severely disrupt bilateral and even global exchange and cooperation in science, technology and trade.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said any move to restrict sales of parts to Chinas aircraft industry would hurt not only the interests of Chinese businesses but also that of American companies. Photo: EPA-EFE

Trump's tweets underscore his interest in deal making came as administration officials reportedly plan to discuss aircraft parts trade with China at a cabinet-level meeting on February 28; at the same meeting, US lawmakers will also suggest imposing further sale restrictions on American tech products to Chinas telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies.

Washington has been engaged in a pressure campaign on Huawei, which has in recent years become a global leader in the next-generation cellular technology known as 5G. The US is concerned that Huaweis increasingly extensive involvement in the global 5G buildout will allow it to gain access to critical national security information.

The Trump administration and US lawmakers have contended that Huawei could be compelled to turn over information or data to the Chinese government, posing a threat to US national security. Huawei has repeatedly denied the allegations that its equipment could be used by Beijing for spying.

The planned cabinet meeting is to consider whether to move forward with a rule change that could expand the list of restricted US tech products. US suppliers may now continue to provide Huawei with products manufactured in overseas facilities: the proposed new rule would close that loophole by restricting sales of any devices made overseas that include at least 10 per cent American-made components, down from the current 25 per cent.

Some officials in the Defence Department had resisted those changes earlier, arguing that such restrictions could in the long run hurt American technological development by losing a source of revenue that the US industry relies on to finance its research and development divisions.

The United States has also been advocating for its global allies to exclude Chinese companies like Huawei from participating in their 5G infrastructure plans, citing similar concerns. However, the Trump administration has met with only mixed success: While Australia has banned Huawei, Britain has chosen to let Huawei into limited parts of its network, and Germany now seems poised to take a similar path.

Trumps tweet also came just days after new US regulations went into effect on Thursday extending the reach of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the inter-agency committee that reviews and can block foreign investments because of potential national security risks.

Also on Tuesday, a federal judge ruled against Huawei, saying it does not have grounds to sue the US government over a law restricting its ability to do business with federal agencies and their contractors.

Instead, District Judge Amos Mazzant determined that Congress had acted within its powers when it passed the 2019 National Defence Authorisation Act, including a provision that precludes agencies and contractors from buying certain equipment from Huawei and ZTE, another Chinese telecoms giant.

In its suit filed last year, Huawei had argued that the law was unnecessarily punitive and singled out individual companies in violation of their constitutional rights.

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William Barr has told people close to Donald Trump - inside and outside the White House - that he is considering quitting his role as US attorney general over Mr Trump's tweets about Justice Department investigations, three administration officials said, foreshadowing a possible confrontation between the president and Mr Barr over the independence of the Justice Department.

So far, Mr Trump has defied Mr Barr's requests, both public and private, to keep quiet on matters of federal law enforcement. It was not immediately clear whether Mr Barr had made his posture known directly to Mr Trump. The administration officials said Mr Barr seemed to be sharing his position with advisers in hopes that the president would get the message that he should stop weighing in publicly on the Justice Department's ongoing criminal investigations.

He has his limits, said one person familiar with Mr Barr's thinking, speaking on the condition of anonymity, like others, to discuss internal deliberations.

Late last week, Mr Barr publicly warned the president in a remarkable interview with ABC News that his tweets about Justice Department cases make it impossible for me to do my job. Mr Trump, White House officials said, is not entirely receptive to calls to change his behaviour, and he has told those around him he is not going to stop tweeting about the Justice Department. They said Mr Trump sees highlighting FBI and Justice Department misconduct as a good political message.

The standoff between Mr Trump and Mr Barr intensified on Tuesday, when Mr Trump declared in a string of early morning tweets that he might sue those involved in the special counsel's investigation into his 2016 campaign and suggested that Roger Stone, his friend convicted of lying to congress in that probe, deserved a new trial.

Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Show all 13 1 /13 Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Everyone Trump has fired or forced out John Bolton Trump claimed to have fired Bolton, his national security adviser, while Bolton claimed he offered to resign. An anonymous White House source that Bolton's departure came as a result of the national security adviser working too independently of the president AFP/Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Anthony Scaramucci Scaramucci lasted only six days in his role as Trump's communications director before being fired by John Kelly, the incoming chief of staff Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Rick Perry Rick Perry announced his resignation just as he became embroiled in the president's impeachment scandal. The White House said Mr Perry was asked by Donald Trump to work with Rudy GIuliani in regards to Ukraine. AP Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Rex Tillerson Tillerson, Trump's first secretary of state, was fired after a series of clashes with the president over policy Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out James Mattis Mattis served as secretary of defense from the beginning of Trump's administration until retiring on 1 January 2019. However, the president later claimed that he had "essentially fired" Mattis Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out James Comey Comey was fired as director of the FBI early in Trump's presidency after serving in the role for four years prior. His dismissal is widely thought to have been related to the Russia investigation Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Reince Priebus Priebus, Trump's first chief of staff, was forced out after six tumultuous months AFP/Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out David Shulkin Veterans affairs secretary Shulkin claims that he was fired, the White House claims that he resigned Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out John Kelly Kelly, Trump's second chief of staff, was forced out after 17 months in office. His departure was a confused affair though it is clear that Trump wanted Kelly out AFP/Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Michael Flynn Flynn lasted 24 days as Trump's national security adviser before being fired for lying to the FBI Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Lee Cisna Cisna served as director of citizen and immigration services between October 2017 and June 2019 before being asked to resign amid a major personnel change in the department of homeland security Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Madeline Westerhout Westerhout served as Trump's personal assistant after leaking private information about his family AFP/Getty Everyone Trump has fired or forced out Mira Ricardel Ricardel was forced out of her role as Deputy National Security Advisor after first lady Melania Trump publicly called for her to be fired

Hours later, a Justice Department official revealed that prosecutors had filed a sealed motion in court arguing the opposite, and that they had Mr Barr's personal approval to do so.

Mr Barr had a previously scheduled lunch with the White House counsel on Tuesday and was still the attorney general by day's end - indicating that the president's moves that day were not enough to push him to resign. But he and his Justice Department seemed to remain mired in a political crisis, with an uncertain future.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment. White House representatives did not respond to questions for this report. Some people familiar with Mr Barr's thinking cautioned that he would not make a hasty decision to leave, and it is unclear what precisely would trigger him to take such a dramatic step.

It was only a week ago that Mr Trump's tweet about federal prosecutors' recommendation that Mr Stone should be sentenced to seven to nine years in prison sent the Justice Department into a tailspin.

After that tweet, Mr Barr moved to intervene and lower the recommendation. The four career prosecutors assigned to the matter quit the case, with one leaving the government entirely. Mr Barr has insisted that he made up his mind to get involved before Mr Trump weighed in, but he faced significant scepticism inside and outside the Justice Department.

Over the weekend, more than 2,000 former department employees signed a public letter urging Mr Barr to resign over his handling of the Stone case and exhorted current department employees to report any unethical conduct. Jan Miller, who was the US attorney for Central Illinois from 2002 until 2005 under George W Bush, said he signed in part to remind rank-and-file Justice Department employees they're not alone.

I'm sure it's a very difficult time to be a line prosecutor in the department right now, Mr Miller said.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham downplayed the letter's significance, saying there were obstructionists all across this government who are working against the president. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and judiciary chairman Lindsey Graham also came to Mr Barr's defence in a joint statement.

The nation is fortunate that president Trump chose such a strong and selfless public servant to lead the Department of Justice, they wrote. We expect that, as always, efforts to intimidate the attorney general will fall woefully short.

People close to Mr Barr say he is unlikely to be moved by the letter, which bears the signatures of many who have long been vocal opponents of his. But Mr Barr, the people said, is deeply concerned about morale inside the department, and that is in part why he chastised the president publicly in an interview with ABC News.

In the weeks before the interview, Mr Barr had also privately told the president to stop speaking publicly on Justice Department matters, a person familiar with their discussions said. But his comments have apparently fallen on deaf ears. The next day, Mr Trump tweeted that he had the legal right to ask Mr Barr to intervene in a criminal case.

Mr Trump said on Tuesday that he has total confidence in Mr Barr and conceded: I do make his job harder. He also asserted, though, that he, rather than his attorney general, is the chief law enforcement officer of the country.

The attorney general is a man with great integrity, Mr Trump said. I chose not to be involved. I'm allowed to be involved. I could be involved if I want to be.

Mr Trump has raged privately for months over the Justice Department not charging those he considers political foes, and people familiar with the matter say he is particularly upset by the decision revealed last week not to charge former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe with lying to investigators exploring a media disclosure.

Mr McCabe authorised the FBI to begin investigating Mr Trump personally in 2017 for a possible obstruction of justice in connection with the probe into whether his campaign coordinated with Russia and suggested he might sue those involved. That case was ultimately taken over by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Mr Trump also has complained to associates that he has not been able to view the findings of John Durham, a federal prosecutor, whom Mr Barr tasked with examining the Russia probe's origins. Mr Durham's probe is ongoing, and he has not yet prepared any report detailing his conclusions, a person familiar with the matter said.

People familiar with the matter said Mr Trump has no plans to remove Mr Barr as attorney general, despite his frustrations. Apart from his ABC News interview, Mr Barr has been a particularly loyal and effective cabinet secretary for Mr Trump, willing to take political heat for the president.

Mr Barr absorbed significant criticism for how he cast the findings of Mr Mueller's investigation in a way that some saw as overly favourable to Mr Trump, and for commissioning internal Justice Department reviews of politically sensitive matters, including the Russia probe, that Mr Trump opposed.

But Mr Barr has been persistently vexed by Mr Trump's tweets, and he saw the president's commentary on Mr Stone last week as something of a last straw.

Mr Trump had largely refrained from law enforcement commentary over the weekend before erupting once more on Tuesday morning. The president quoted at length Andrew Napolitano, a former New Jersey Superior Court judge and Fox News commentator who, by Trump's telling, argued that Stone should receive a new trial based on the unambiguous & self outed bias of the foreperson of the jury.

Pretty obvious he should (get a new trial), Mr Trump quoted Mr Napolitano as saying.

Mr Trump also reprised old attacks on the Mueller investigation.

The whole deal was a total SCAM. If I wasn't President, I'd be suing everyone all over the place, Mr Trump wrote. BUT MAYBE I STILL WILL. WITCH HUNT!

Ms Grisham, the White House press secretary, said on Tuesday that the president's obviously frustrated.

For three years he has been under attack in one way or the other, and the Mueller report is another example of that, Ms Grisham said during an appearance on Fox & Friends, during which she also alluded to the Stone case. I mean the foreperson of a jury was somebody who was very vocal about not liking president Trump or his supporters . . . That's scary stuff.

The tweets came just before prosecutors and defence attorneys convened for a hearing in the Stone case to determine whether Mr Stone's request for a new trial needed to be resolved before his sentencing, scheduled for Thursday. Mr Stone's team had demanded the new trial Friday, one day after Mr Trump suggested that the foreperson in the federal case had significant bias.

Mr Trump was referring to Tomeka Hart, a former president of the Memphis City Schools Board of Commissioners and an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for congress. Ms Hart has identified herself as the forewoman of the jury in a Facebook post, saying she can't keep quiet any longer in the wake of a Justice Department move to reduce its sentencing recommendation for Mr Stone.

US district judge Amy Berman Jackson, who is presiding over Mr Stone's case, decided that Mr Stone will be sentenced on Thursday, though the execution of the sentence will be deferred while she decides whether Mr Stone deserves a new trial. The Justice Department is notably opposing Mr Stone in that matter - with Mr Barr's approval - and a Justice Department official said that decision was made independent of the White House.

Mr Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he thought Mr Stone had been treated unfairly but that he had not given any thought to issuing him a pardon. Mr Trump did issue pardons to several others on Tuesday, including Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor who was convicted in 2011 on corruption charges related to trying to sell then-president Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat, and Bernard Kerik, the former New York police commissioner jailed on eight felony charges, including tax fraud.

Asked whether Mr Stone deserves any prison time, Mr Trump demurred, saying: You're going to see what happens.

Mr Stone has been a friend and adviser to Mr Trump since the 1980s and was a key figure in his 2016 campaign, working to discover damaging information on Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

A jury convicted Mr Stone in November on charges of witness tampering and lying to congress about his efforts to gather damaging information about Ms Clinton. His was the last conviction secured by Mr Mueller as part of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Mr Stone's defence has asked for a sentence of probation, citing his age, 67, and lack of criminal history.

The Washington Post
Abdel-Fattah will remain in custody until the court rules on an appeal by the prosecution against the release order

A Cairo criminal court ordered on Wednesday the release of political activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah and human rights lawyer Mohamed El-Baqar, according to rights lawyer Gamal Eid and Abdel-Fattah's family.

The prosecution has appealed the court order and a final decision is expected on Thursday, Eid and Alaa's sister, Mona Seif, said.

Alaa Abdel-Fattah, a blogger and software engineer, was released in March 2019 after serving a five-year sentence for protesting without a permit in violation of a 2013 law.

He was arrested again in September, along with El-Baqar, on the back of rare anti-government protests in Cairo and other cities.

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Just hours after President Donald Trump openly defied his public pleas to stop tweeting about criminal matters in the Justice Department, Attorney General Bill Barr told people close to Trump Tuesday that he is considering resigning over the tweets that Barr had previously said make it impossible to do his job, sources tell ABC News.

A resignation by Barr would amount stunning rebuke by a cabinet official long believed to be among the most loyal to Trump, and would indicate an uncertain future for the DOJ as officials have sought to grapple with the presidents increasingly emboldened attempts to intervene in the justice system.

News of Barr's discussions with people close to Trump was first reported by the Washington Post.

In response, DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec said on Twitter: "Addressing Beltway rumors: The Attorney General has no plans to resign."

In an exclusive interview with ABC News last week, Barr had warned Trump that his tweets about the DOJ, in particular the sentencing process of his former long-time advisor Roger Stone, were disrupting his ability to manage the department.

MORE: Trump maintains online criticism of Roger Stone case, despite AG Barr's plea to stop

"To have public statements and tweets made about the department, about our 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 prosecutors in the department that we're doing our work with integrity," Barr said.

Im not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody, he added. Whether its Congress, newspaper editorial boards, or the president. Im gonna do what I think is right. And, you know, the, I think the -- I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.

The interview followed a week of turmoil for the DOJ after Barr ordered prosecutors to reverse their recommendation that Stone serve 7-9 years in prison, following his conviction last year on seven separate counts that included lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstruction.

Story continues

The reversal came only hours after President Trump had tweeted calling the recommendation horrible and very unfair, adding, Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!

PHOTO: Attorney General William Barr speaks to ABC News' Pierre Thomas during an interview on Feb. 13, 2020. (ABC News)

Four line prosecutors who had been in charge of the case withdrew in protest over the intervention, including one who resigned from the DOJ altogether.

In his interview with ABC News, Barr repeatedly insisted he had made the decision to reverse the recommendation prior to the tweet, adding Trump had never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.

Just a day after the interview, the U.S. attorneys office in Washington, D.C., said it would not be prosecuting former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe after a two-year investigation. The announcement followed repeated public calls by President Trump that McCabe and other former officials involved in the start of the Russia investigation be thrown in jail.

That did little to alleviate the public pressure on Barr, however, when just hours later on Friday it was revealed that he had ordered a separate review of the criminal case against another long-time Trump ally, former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

MORE: Barr blasts Trump's tweets on Stone case: 'Impossible for me to do my job': ABC News Exclusive

Citing what they described as unprecedented interference in a criminal inquiry, a group of more than 2,000 former DOJ officials signed onto a petition Sunday calling for Barrs resignation.

While the White House said following Barrs interview that Trump continued to have confidence in him, the attorney generals warnings failed to blunt Trumps attacks on the Stone case and the prosecutors who resigned.

These were Mueller prosecutors, and the whole Mueller investigation was illegally set up based on a phony and now fully discredited Fake Dossier, lying and forging documents to the FISA Court, and many other things, Trump tweeted Tuesday morning. Everything having to do with this fraudulent investigation is badly tainted and, in my opinion, should be thrown out.

Later in the day, DOJ lawyers filed a motion in court in opposition to Stones lawyers who had called for the trial to be thrown out altogether.

A department official told reporters that Barr personally supported the motion, echoing his previous statements to ABC News in which he described Stones trial as a righteous prosecution and agreed that Stone deserved some time in prison.

Barr mulls resigning over Trump's tweets: Sources originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Hyderabad: The TRS and the Congress sharply criticised the presence of BJP state president Dr K. Laxman with Union railway minister Piyush Goyal at an official function in the city on Tuesday. Other BJP leaders were also seen on the dais.

Dr Laxman not only shared the dais during the function to lay the foundation stone for the Cherlapalli satellite terminal, but also praised Mr Goyal stating that he had worked hard both as coal and railway minister.

As per protocol, only ministers, MPs, MLAs and MLCs of the jurisdiction are eligible to share the dais during official functions. Dr Laxman is not a legislator, having lost the 2018 Assembly elections from Musheerabad, and at present heads the BJP state unit.

When asked how Dr Laxman was invited to the stage when he was not a legislator, a South Central Railway officer said they had done so on the instructions of the railway minister.

Reacting to the incident, Mr Talasani Srinivas Yadav, animal husbandry minister, pointed out that not only Dr Laxman but another former legislator, N.V.S.S. Prabhakar Rao, and small-time BJP leaders were on the dais, making it a BJP affair.

He asked what would Union minister of state G. Kishan Reddy say about the BJP leaders on stage, after he had complained that the state government had violated protocol during the inauguration of a Metro Rail corridor recently.

He said that though the state government had extended Mr Kishan Reddy an invitation, he had made an issue out of the allegation for political gain.

Advising the BJP leaders to hold the function at their party office if they wanted to sit beside the railway minister, Mr Srinivas Yadav demanded Mr Kishan Reddy reply for Tuesdays incident.

The minister also took exception to the remarks of Mr Kishan Reddy at the function that Telangana people know only the red bus (a reference to district buses) and it was the BJP that had brought the railway to the state.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy pointed out that the incident was the best example to show that neither of the ruling parties in the state and at the Centre were respecting elected representatives of Opposition parties.

Stating that such violation of protocol was not good during official functions, Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the people were observing the acts of the BJP at Centre and the TRS in the state.

It is worth mentioning that in the function K. Raghurama Krishnam Raju, YSRC MP from Narasapuram, was also seen sharing the dais with Mr Goyal at Cherlapalli.
Locusts swarms are threatening food supplies in East Africa, where 12 million are already going hungry

Under a warm morning sun scores of weary soldiers stare as millions of yellow locusts rise into the northern Ugandan sky, despite hours spent spraying vegetation with chemicals in an attempt to kill them.

From the tops of shea trees, fields of pea plants and tall grass savanna, the insects rise in a hypnotic murmuration, disappearing quickly to wreak devastation elsewhere.

The soldiers and agricultural officers will now have to hunt the elusive fast-moving swarmsa sign of the challenge facing nine east African countries now battling huge swarms of hungry desert locusts.

They arrived in conflict-torn South Sudan this week, with concerns already high of a humanitarian crisis in a region where 12 million are going hungry, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

"One swarm of 40 to 80 million can consume food" for over 35,000 people in a day, Priya Gujadhur, a senior FAO official in Uganda, told AFP.

In Atiraa remote village of grass-thatched huts in northern Ugandasome 160 soldiers wearing protective plastic overalls, masks and goggles sprayed trees and plants with pesticide from before dawn in a bid to kill the resting insects.

But even after hours of work they were mostly able to reach only lower parts of the vegetation.

Large swarms of locusts can in a single day consume enough vegetation to feed 35,000 people

Major General Kavuma sits in the shade of a Neem Tree alongside civilian officials as locusts sprayed with pesticide earlier that morning fall around them, convulsing as they die.

An intense chemical smell hangs in the air.

'They surrounded me'

Zakaria Sagal, a 73-year-old subsistence farmer was weeding his field in Lopei village some 120 kilometres (75 miles) away, preparing to plant maize and sorghum, when without warning a swarm of locusts descended around him.

"From this side and this side and this side, they surrounded me," Sagal said, waving his arms in every direction.

"We have not yet planted our crops but if they return at harvest time they will destroy everything. We are not at all prepared."

East Africa's regional expert group, the Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), warned Tuesday that eggs laid across the migratory path will hatch in the next two months, and will continue breeding as the rainy season arrives in the region.

This will coincide with the main cropping season and could cause "significant crop losses... and could potentially worsen the food security situation", ICPAC said in a statement.

Soldiers have been deployed in Uganda to spray trees and savannas in a bid to beat back the infestation

'Panic mode'

Since 2018 a long period of dry weather followed by a series of cyclones that dumped water on the region created "excessively ideal conditions" for locusts to breed, says Gujadhur.

Nevertheless, governments in East Africa have been caught off guard and are currently in "panic mode" Gujadhur said.

The locusts arrived in South Sudan this week after hitting Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti, Eritrea, Tanzania, Sudan and Uganda.

Desert locusts take over on a dizzying scale.

One swarm in Kenya reached around 2,400 square kilometres (about 930 square miles)an area almost the size of Moscowmeaning it could contain up to 200 billion locusts.

"A swarm that size can consume food for 85 million people per day," said Gujadhur.

Ugandan authorities are aware that subsequent waves of locusts may pose problems in the weeks to come, but in the meantime they are attempting to control the current generation.

Locust eggs laid across the migratory path will hatch in the next two months, allowing the insects to continue to wreak havoc

Gujadhur is quick to praise the "quite strong and very quick" response from the Ugandan government but is concerned that while the army can provide valuable personnel, a military-led response may not be as effective as is necessary.

"It needs to be the scientists and (agriculture officials) who take the lead about where the control operations need to be and how and when and what time," she said.

'They eat anything green'

The soldiers have been working non-stop for two days, criss-crossing the plains on the few navigable roads, trying to keep up with the unpredictable swarms.

Major General Kavuma recognises that the biggest threat is from the eggs which are yet to hatch but is confident the army will be able to control this enemy.

"We have the chemicals to spray them, all we need is to map the places they have been landing and sleeping," he said.

"In two weeks time we will come back and by that time they will have hatched and that will be the time to destroy them by spraying."

Locusts arrived in South Sudan this week after hitting Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti, Eritrea, Tanzania, Sudan and Uganda

Back in Lopei village, Elizabeth Namoe, 40, a shopkeeper in nearby Moroto had been visiting family when the swarm arrived.

"When the locusts settle they eat anything green, the animals will die because they have nothing to feed on, then even the people (will suffer)," she said.

"The children will be affected by hunger and famine since all life comes from all that is green. I fear so much."

Explore further Locust swarms arrive in South Sudan, threatening more misery

 2020 AFP
High school sweethearts Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra still look like newlyweds while renewing their vows after hitting their fifth wedding anniversary in August.

In an emotionally charged teaser for Teen Mom OG upcoming eighth season, the 27-year-old mom and her husband, 28, can be seen dressed in all-white with flower leis while professing their love for each other on a Hawaiian hillside.

The reality TV veterans first shot to fame in 2009 when they appeared on the series 16 and Pregnant and showcased their difficult decision choosing to put their baby girl up for adoption.

Five years strong: Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra can be seen dressed in white professing their love for each other on a Hawaiian hillside in a clip for Teen Mom OG's eighth season

In the clip, the pair can be seen with glossy eyes, as Tyler says, 'I love you.'

Catelynn affirms she feels the same way and replies, 'I love you too.'

The mother-of-three and her husband made the trip in September and called it 'magical' on Instagram.

Forever and always: In the teaser, the pair can be seen with glossy eyes, as Tyler says, 'I love you.'

The longtime partners are raising two daughters, Novalee, 5, and Vaeda, 11 months, and are currently trying for a son, according to a MTV press release.

Last year the couple went on a trial separation, which they told E! News only made them closer and helped to rebuild their relationship.

'I feel like we're always strong,' she told the outlet in June. 'I think that we just go through bumps and it makes you stronger as a couple too, but yeah, we're in a really good place,'

'Him and I, when we went through that trial separation period or whatever, we worked a lot on ourselves as individuals, but also ourselves as a couple,' Catelynn told E! News. 'I learned a lot of things for myself during that period of time in my life'

'Him and I, when we went through that trial separation period or whatever, we worked a lot on ourselves as individuals, but also ourselves as a couple,' Catelynn explained. 'I learned a lot of things for myself during that period of time in my life.'

During this rough patch, they lived in respective quarters and found solace in therapy to work on their communication skills.

Last February, the pair gave birth to their youngest daughter after suffering from multiple miscarriages leading up to her last pregnancy.

Growing family: The longtime partners are raising two daughters, Novalee, 5, and Vaeda, 11 months, and are currently trying for a son, according to a MTV press release

Better together: After multiple miscarriages, Catelynn suffered from suicidal thoughts and entered a rehab facility in 2017, but quickly returned to treatment just a few months later to handle post traumatic stress disorder and childhood trauma

Their fertility challenges caused Catelynn to suffer from suicidal thoughts and enter a rehab facility in 2017, but quickly returned to treatment just a few months later to handle post traumatic stress disorder and childhood trauma.

In September, Brandon and Teresa Davis, the couple who adopted the little girl, returned to the show for their first reunion episode and talked about the adoption experience and revealed their children really enjoyed their first play date.

While this season shows a united front in the Baltierra household, that's not the case for all the returning 16 and Pregnant alums.

Happy family: Last February, the pair gave birth to their youngest daughter after suffering from multiple miscarriages leading up to her last pregnancy

The trailer shows Teen Mom star Mackenzie McKee asking Josh McKee for a divorce and chronicling their marriage troubles in a dramatic moment.

Viewers can also catch Maci Bookout wanting to make a difference and talk about reproductive health awareness, while Amber Portwood takes her daughter Leah to her first day of school.

Teen Mom OG returns March 17 at 8 p.m. ET.
(Alliance News) - Metro Bank PLC, the UK challenger bank that has been facing challenges of its own of late on Wednesday confirmed Dan Frumkin as permanent chief executive officer, with immediate effect.

Frumkin has been working as Metro's interim CEO since the start of the year, having joined in September 2019 as chief transformation officer. Prior to this, he spent eight years at Bermuda-based Bank of NT Butterfield & Son and has held roles at Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC and Northern Rock.

"The combination of three decades of experience across retail banking and the positive impact he has made since joining Metro Bank last year mean we have identified an impressive CEO to take Metro Bank into its second decade. I look forward to working with Dan as we deliver the next chapter," said Chair Michael Snyder.

Snyder said Metro carried out a "comprehensive" search in its effort to find a new boss, but Frumkin "stood out".

Sky News on Tuesday had reported the UK challenger bank was under pressure from the City to make Frumkin's role permanent.

In a statement on Wednesday, Frumkin added: "Having spent the past few months getting to know Metro Bank and meeting colleagues across the country, it is clear that their passion and commitment to delivering for customers is second to none. This is a business with robust foundations and real potential to shake up British banking. I am excited about the opportunity and look forward to updating the market on our plans on February 26."

Shares in Metro were down 0.8% in early trading in London on Wednesday at 193.50 pence each.

The lender has been dogged by financial problems over the past year, leading to a board shake-up at the end of 2019.

Metro hired Barclays PLC's former chief internal auditor, Sally Clark, to its board on January 1, but saw long-serving Deputy Chair Alastair Gunn step down.

Gunn left on December 31 following a 10-year stint on the board.

It was the latest board room change for the lender, after chief executive Craig Donaldson stepped down at the end of 2019. Donaldson, who took over as CEO in 2009, will remain "available to the board as an advisor" until the end of 2020.

The bank's founder Vernon Hill stepped down as chair in late October.

Metro Bank, dropped from the FTSE 250 index in the September quarterly review, has faced a string of accounting and financial issues in 2019.

Metro Bank had to postpone a debt issue in September due to "market conditions".

At the time, Metro Bank said a "broad number" of investors showed interest in a maiden MREL issuance, which it needed to complete to meet EU rules. MREL stands for minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities and relates to EU solvency legislation.

The Financial Times had reported Metro Bank that had been forced to withdraw a GBP200 million to GBP250 million bond offering, after only receiving orders for GBP175 million.

The debt offering blow came after UK regulators spotted an error in the bank's loan book, though Metro Bank originally said it found the problem itself. Addressing the error required finding additional capital.

Then, in October, Metro Bank priced a GBP350 million six-year maturity MREL-eligible senior non-preferred debt transaction, saying it was looking into more actions to enhance capital efficiency. The debt had a coupon of 9.5%.

By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Technavio has been monitoring the 5G equipment market and it is poised to grow by USD 16.28 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of 71% 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/20200218005722/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global 5G Equipment Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire)

The adoption of 5G networks for smart cities has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Request a free sample report

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Americas

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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=IRTNTR30474

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Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our 5G equipment market report covers the following areas:

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This study identifies growing focus on developing unified 5G standards as one of the prime reasons driving the 5G equipment market growth during the next few years.

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We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the 5G equipment market, including some of the vendors such as Huawei Technologies, Nokia, Samsung Electronics, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson and ZTE. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the 5G equipment market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

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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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[February 19, 2020] ParkMobile Hits 18 Million User Milestone and Brings on Experienced COO to Help Scale the Business for Future Growth

ATLANTA, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ParkMobile, the leading provider of smart parking and mobility solutions in the U.S., today announced it hit the 18 million user milestone, growing 110% over the past two years. To help continue to scale the business and manage this rapid growth, the company announced the appointment of experienced technology executive, John Brown, as chief operations officer. Poised to reach 22 million users in 2020, ParkMobile continues to pursue bold U.S. expansion goals with the company entering over 70 new major markets in 2019 alone. Expanded nationwide availability enables more consumers to use the same parking app in their local area or while traveling to other ParkMobile markets. That coupled with an intuitive app experience is why ParkMobile now ranks #3 in the navigation category of the app store, behind only Google Maps and Waze. Today, about 1 in 13 drivers has the ParkMobile app on their phone. "With urban populations skyrocketing and roadways becomin increasingly more congested, cities must reimagine transportation ecosystems and seek innovative solutions to better serve their residents and visitors," said Jon Ziglar, CEO of ParkMobile. "Bringing on an experienced operator like John Brown will help ParkMobile continue to push our growth trajectory into the new decade, as we work in concert with city partners to provide future-forward smart mobility solutions to today's most pressing transportation challenges."



Brown is responsible for leading ParkMobile's overall business operations, including the customer service, account management, and implementations teams. Previously, Brown served as vice president of customer operations for Atlanta-based Clutch Technologies and before that, as president of U.S. operations for Cardlytics. He also has deep experience in the financial payments industry, as vice president at Fiserv. "ParkMobile is ahead of the curve with its comprehensive platform, combining metered parking, parking reservations, and so much more. I'm eager and energized to help lead this growing company that is poised to reshape mobility technology and smart city planning as we know it," said Brown.

ParkMobile is available in over 400 cities nationwide, including 7 of the top 10 cities, as well as college campuses, airports, and stadiums. Recent market expansions include Monterey, California, Richmond, Virginia, Montgomery, Alabama, the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and more. ParkMobile has also continued to add new major venues partnerships for parking reservations, including Spectrum Center in Charlotte and BBVA Stadium in Houston. About ParkMobile

ParkMobile, LLC is the leading provider of smart parking and mobility solutions in North America, helping millions of people easily find, reserve, and pay for parking from their mobile devices. The company's technology is used in thousands of locations across the country, including 7 of the top 10 cities as well as college campuses, airports, and stadiums. People can use ParkMobile solutions to quickly pay for on-street and off-street parking without having to use a meter or kiosk. Additionally, ParkMobile offers parking reservations at stadium venues for concerts and sporting events. Reservations are also available in metro area garages, allowing people to drive into the city without having to worry about finding parking. ParkMobile has been named to the Inc. 5000, Deloitte Fast 500, Smart Cities Connect "Smart 50," and the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Top Workplaces. Additionally, the company won the 2019 Stevie Awards for Most Innovative Tech Company and Best Travel App. For more information, visit ParkMobile.io or @ParkMobile on Twitter. ParkMobile Contact: Jeff Perkins, CMO, [email protected] , Patrick Christman, ARPR, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/parkmobile-hits-18-million-user-milestone-and-brings-on-experienced-coo-to-help-scale-the-business-for-future-growth-301007186.html SOURCE ParkMobile

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YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan visits the houses of citizens and presents them with books, ARMENPRESS reports Pashinyan posted footage on his Facebook page.

We are going to present people with books, he wrote.

In the footage he talks with the citizens, asking about their living conditions and problems.

February 19, the birthday of renowned Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan, is celebrated in Armenia as the Book Giving Day aimed at increasing the interest and love towards books.

The holiday was introduced in Armenia since 2008 thanks to the initiative of late President of the Writers Union of Armenia Levon Ananyan.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
N ew immigration rules are a disaster for Londons ability to attract big events and deliver vital housing and infrastructure, business leaders warned today.

Sporting events, music festivals and business conferences will have to pare back top-notch hospitality like silver service, putting the city at a disadvantage to competitors, UKHospitality warned.

A shortage of low-skilled construction workers could also delay key projects including new homes, HS2 rail and the Thames Tideway super sewer, said construction chiefs who warned they already had unfilled vacancies.

The backlash came as Home Secretary Priti Patel published details of the Governments points-based system that will favour high-skilled English speakers whose visa applications are backed by waiting employers.

Businesses will have just 10 months to prepare before the rules are enforced.

She said the reforms would end our reliance on low-skilled workers who often are also low-paid. Overseas labourers would be welcome if they had the right kind of skills, she pledged.

But Ms Patel admitted on LBC radio that her parents might not have been admitted to the UK under her rules.

Asked if she would not be in the UK, she replied: We are not changing our approach to refugees and asylum seekers, which is very different to a points-based system for employment.

Ms Patels parents came to the UK from Uganda in the Sixties, years before dictator Idi Amin expelled Asian people in 1972, and set up a newsagents chain.

But ex-Conservative health secretary Stephen Dorrell, who chairs the European Movement, branded the curbs the worst kind of dog-whistle politics.

UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls told the Standard the impact of the changes could be disastrous for hotels, bars and even regeneration schemes which feature bars.

London is a world-beating hospitality market and we need to stay competitive internationally, she said. Award shows and business conferences all rely on hospitality workers of all skill levels and all salary levels.

You wont see table service at some events if these skills are not available. Silver service tables could disappear. It is a delicate ecosytstem and if one bit is damaged, the rest will suffer.

Carluccios chief Mark Jones said: The majority of current roles would not pass new laws and... job offers to migrants will be restricted. Costs will go up and no doubt restaurants will close.

Brian Berry, the head of the Federation of Master Builders, said London also risked falling behind on big projects like HS2.

If we are to build a million new homes over the next five years, we need to have an immigration system that allows for key construction workers of all skill levels to come to the UK.

"Todays announcement that there will no longer be a route for low-skill workers will hamper the construction industrys capacity to deliver on key projects.

Priti Patel in a Cabinet meeting earlier this month / PA

He added: We will need general labourers as much as architects or surveyors. They are a core part of the construction industry and its unrealistic to assume the domestic workforce will fill this gap in nine months.

Richard Burge, of London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, welcomed a cut in the minimum salary threshold from 30,000 to 25,600 and praised the Government for beginning a programme of engagement with firms.

The care sector said it was already seeing homes close due to staffing problems, causing patients to be kept in expensive hospital beds when they should be in residential care.
Regulatory News:

THERADIAG (Paris:ALTER) (ISIN: FR0004197747, Ticker: ALTER), a company specializing in in vitro diagnostics and theranostics, has been actively involved in the establishment and validation of a new World Health Organization standard for biotherapy monitoring, with the help of its TRACKER kits. The new standard relates to the Adalimumab molecule.

For several years now, the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC, based in the United Kingdom), an organization accredited by the WHO, has been officially tasked with setting up and validating standards designed to help characterize, calibrate and validate in vitro assays in order to improve therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). The program was set up in response to the lack of standardization in dose testing methods recognized by clinicians as an obstacle to the introduction and widespread adoption of biotherapy monitoring in routine clinical practice.

Since its inception, Theradiag has been strongly committed to the standardization of biotherapy monitoring, as this helps clinicians further optimize treatment doses for the benefit of their patients.

After an initial project with NIBSC leading to the introduction of the first international standard for monitoring Infliximab, Theradiag was also chosen to take part in a new study on Adalimumab.

The NIBSC recently announced the results and the validation of this new international standard:

https://www.nibsc.org/about_us/latest_news/adalimumab_standard.aspx

44 participants from 15 countries contributed to the program's assessment.

Theradiag CEO Bertrand de Castelnau said: "We are delighted to have helped establish a new standard for this molecule. On a broader scale, the WHO drive to standardize biodrug dosing confirms the need to use accurate and reliable solutions to calculate active doses in order to optimize treatment and enhance individual patient monitoring. The interest shown in our company for the validation process for these new standards confirms Theradiag's recognition as a leading player in biotherapy monitoring."

Financial calendar:

FY 2019 results , March 18, 2020, after market close

, March 18, 2020, after market close Annual General Meeting, May 14, 2020

Upcoming events Theradiag will attend:

March 5-6, 2020: Journees du Syndicat des Jeunes Biologistes Medicaux Biomed-J 2020, Paris

March 6-7, 2020: GETAID Seminar, Paris (Therapeutic Research Group for Inflammatory Disorders of the Digestive Tract), Paris

March 18-20, 2020: 28 th Internal Seminar of the Centres for the Study and Conservation of Sperm (CECOS), Strasbourg

Internal Seminar of the Centres for the Study and Conservation of Sperm (CECOS), Strasbourg March 26-29, 2020: 2020 JFHOD Hepato-gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology Congress, Paris.

About Theradiag

Capitalizing on its expertise in the distribution, development and manufacturing of in vitro diagnostic tests, Theradiag innovates and develops theranostics tests (combining treatment and diagnosis) that measure the efficiency of biotherapies in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer. Theradiag is thus participating in the development of customized treatment, which favors the individualization of treatments, the evaluation of their efficacy and the prevention of drug resistance. Theradiag notably markets the Lisa Tracker range (CE marked), which is a comprehensive multiparameter theranostic solution for patients with autoimmune diseases treated with biotherapies. The Company is based in Marne-la-Vallee, near Paris, and has over 60 employees.

For more information about Theradiag, please visit our website: www.theradiag.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005710/en/

Contacts:

Theradiag

Bertrand de Castelnau

CEO/Managing Director

Tel.: +33 (0)1 64 62 10 12

contact@theradiag.com

NewCap

Financial Communications Investor Relations

Sandrine Boussard-Gallien

Claire Riffaud

Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

theradiag@newcap.eu

NewCap

Media Relations

Nicolas Merigeau

Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 98

nmerigeau@newcap.fr
The stand-in boss of HSBC has announced plans to axe 35,000 jobs as he stepped up his bid to become chief executive.

Noel Quinn, who became interim chief in August after John Flint was ousted, outlined a sweeping shake-up of the bank designed to save 3.5billion by 2022.

The cost-cutting drive, which Quinn hailed as 'one of the deepest restructuring and simplification programmes in our history', will involve up to 35,000 job cuts across HSBC as it slashes staff numbers to around 200,000.

Falling profits: The stand-in boss of HSBC has announced plans to axe 35,000 jobs as he stepped up his bid to become chief executive

It came as HSBC revealed profits for 2019 fell 33 per cent to 10.2billion.

Under Quinn's masterplan, the lender will slim down its investment banking arm, Global Banking and Markets, much of which is based in London.

It will pull money out of these less profitable areas and pour it into faster-growing businesses, such as private banking for wealthy clients.

And it will halve its branch network on the east coast of the US, while gradually expanding its west coast operations targeting the region's Asian and international communities.

The overhaul is expected to cost 5.5billion, and nervous investors sent shares down 6.6 per cent yesterday, wiping 7.9billion off HSBC's market value.

The bank, which makes more than half of its income in Asia, said it would continue to focus on China  despite conceding that the outbreak of coronavirus would hurt its performance in the first quarter of this year.

Neil Wilson, at Markets, said: 'This is as far-reaching an overhaul as you could have imagined, and one that's essentially seeing it walk away from investment banking in the US and Europe. This is a pivot to Asia on a grand scale.'

HSBC has around 41,000 staff in the UK, and its finance boss Ewen Stevenson said job cuts here would be 'meaningful'.

Around 10,000 are employed at its Canary Wharf headquarters, which worried staff had nicknamed the 'Tower of Doom' in the run-up to the restructuring, and 2,000 are in its UK retail bank head office in Birmingham.

But despite pushing ahead with the ambitious plan, HSBC still gave no hint as to whether Quinn would be kept on as a permanent chief executive.

Noel Quinn, who became HSBC's interim chief in August after John Flint was ousted, outlined a sweeping shake-up of the bank designed to save 3.5bn by 2022

The bank's chairman, Mark Tucker, said: 'The board has embarked on a very thorough process to search for and identify a chief executive.

'That process is well under way and it is the board's intention to announce the outcome within a six to 12 month timescale.'

Most investors had been expecting Quinn to be confirmed as boss when the bank unveiled its 2019 results yesterday.

Russ Mould, investment director at funds supermarket AJ Bell, said: 'It seems perverse that the business currently has an interim chief executive in charge, in Noel Quinn, just when it is launching a major restructuring.'

But analysts reckoned that Birmingham-born Quinn, 59, had come too far to be replaced now.

John Cronin, at broker Goodbody, said: 'We are staggered that the board has not moved to officially appoint Noel Quinn to the CEO position and we think it can only be a matter of time.

'We suspect the board was hedging its bets, seeking to observe the market reaction before making the call.'

The stock fell 6.6 per cent, or 38.8p, to 551.9p, as HSBC announced it was suspending share buybacks until 2022

Reactions to Quinn's plans were mixed. Cronin said the new strategy was detailed and 'strong', while Joseph Dickerson at Jefferies described it as 'ambitious and very credible'.

But Shore Capital's Gary Greenwood called it 'disappointing', noting that the shake-up left no cash spare that could be returned to shareholders.

Fahed Kunwar, an analyst at research firm Redburn, said: 'The market expected a bank with higher profitability or increased capital returns. It got neither.'

The damage to HSBC's profit last year was largely due to it writing down the value of its investment bank and European commercial banking operations by a combined 5.5billion, as it predicted lower long-term economic growth.
U.S. President Donald Trump talks with reporters before boarding Air Force One t the Andrews Air Force Base for a trip to Los Angeles to attend a campaign fundraiser on February 18, 2020, (AP)

Washington: U.S. president Donald Trump on Tuesday has sown doubts about a trade deal with India when he visits New Delhi next week.

He told reporters he is "saving the big deal" with India for later and he "does not know" if it will be done before the presidential election in November.

Trump is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25. His words to reporters at the Andrews Air Force Base on Tuesday are likely to send New Delhi into a bit of a swoon.

"We can have a trade deal with India. But I'm really saving the big deal for later," Trump said.

Asked whether he expects a trade deal with India before the visit, Trump said, "We're doing a very big trade deal with India. We'll have it. I don't know if it'll be done before the election, but we'll have a very big deal with India."

Another indicator that will temper the mood in New Delhi is that US trade representative Robert Lighthizer, the point-person for trade negotiations with India, is likely to not accompany Trump to India, sources said. However, officials did not rule it out altogether.

Trump blew hot and cold in his remarks to the media. About the trade deal, he said "we're not treated very well by India" and then added, "I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot."

And he added, "He told me we'll have seven million people between the airport and the event. And the stadium, I understand, is sort of semi under construction, but it's going to be the largest stadium in the world. So it's going to be very exciting."

The US exported USD 45.3 billion worth of goods and services to India in the first three quarters of 2019, up 4 percent from the corresponding period in the previous year; and the US imported USD 65.6 billion worth of goods and services from India, up five percent from the previous year's USD 62.5 billion level for the same period.

The US remains the top trading partner for India in terms of trade in goods and services, followed by China. While bilateral trade between US and India is approximately 62 percent in goods and 38 percent in services, bilateral trade between India and China is dominated by goods.

US goods exports to India were mainly concentrated in mineral fuels, precious stones, and aircraft. The US faces tough competition with China in the Indian market in areas such as electronics, machinery, organic chemicals and medical devices.
George Zimmerman Files Lawsuit Against Warren, Buttigieg

George Zimmerman, the man accused of illegally killing a teenager in Florida, filed a lawsuit against two Democratic presidential candidates who he says defamed him earlier this month.

Zimmerman, 32, was acquitted of second-degree murder in 2013, one year after shooting dead Trayvon Martin, a teenager, during a physical altercation in Zimmermans gated community. Martin was visiting relatives.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), 70, and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, 38, both posted tweets on Feb. 5, the anniversary of Martins death.

Warren wrote that Martin should still be with us today, adding: We need to end gun violence and racism. And we need to build a world where all of our childrenespecially young Black boyscan grow up safe and free.

Buttigieg wrote that Martin would have been 25 today.

How many 25th birthdays have been stolen from us by white supremacy, gun violence, prejudice, and fear? he asked.

According to the lawsuit (pdf), Buttigieg and Warren defamed and disparaged Zimmerman in the posts on Twitter for political gain in misguided and malicious attempts to bolster their standings amongst African-American voters, all at Zimmermans expense.

The Democratic presidential candidates, who are both white, engaged in defamation with actual malice or at a minimum a reckless disregard for the truth, the lawsuit stated. Defendants published false, misleading slanderous, defamatory statements to severely harm and damage Plaintiff Zimmerman on their public Twitter posts, the suit said.

A picture of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is seen during a protest in this March 2012 file photo. (Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

Zimmerman is of mixed race with some Hispanic ancestry.

The suit was filed in Polk County, Florida, and seeks damages in excess of $15,000. The suit notes that the tweets went out to millions of people; Buttigieg has 1.6 million followers on Twitter while Warren has 3.6 million followers.

It is high time that the cheap and harmful use of the race card by politicians of all stripes be made to cease and desist. Their despicable race tactics are not only causing great harm to persons such as my client George Zimmerman, but also are damaging relations between black and white Americans who are all brothers, Larry Klayman, Zimmermans lawyer, said in a statement.

The nation should applaud Mr. Zimmerman for taking a strong stand and pushing back against hack politicians like Buttigieg and Warren, who know no bounds of decency and frankly could obviously care less about whom they hurt in their quest to dishonestly use and manipulate black voters to win the 2020 Democrat presidential primary.

The Warren campaign didnt immediately return a request for comment. The Buttigieg campaign could not be reached.

Zimmerman has filed other suits involving his killing of Martin. In one case, NBC deceptively aired remarks Zimmerman made to a 911 operator just before getting in the altercation with Martin. In one segment, the recording was spliced to have Zimmerman say: This guy looks like hes up to no good. He looks black.

Zimmerman actually said: This guy looks like hes up to no good. Or hes on drugs or something. Its raining and hes just walking around, looking about. He only identified the male as looking black after being asked by the 911 operator: This guy, is he black, white, or Hispanic?

Zimmermans defamation lawsuit against NBC was dismissed by a judge, who said there was no clear and convincing evidence that defendants knew that the information published was false at the time it was published, or recklessly disregarded the truth or falsity of those statements.
[February 19, 2020] Renesas Electronics and Hitachi Develop High-Speed, High-Precision Automotive A/D Converter Circuit With Stable Operation Under Harsh Conditions

Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, and Hitachi (News - Alert), Ltd. (TSE: 6510) today announced a technology collaboration to enable continuous-time digital calibration of a delta-sigma (?S) modulator and an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter circuit. Designed to boost the performance of ?S A/D converters for stable performance under the harsh conditions required for automotive semiconductor devices, the new technology comprises (1) enhanced precision by using a least mean square (LMS) algorithm to measure and calibrate the transfer function of a continuous-time ?S modulator, and (2) the world's first multi-rate LMS search algorithm, which lowers the order and operating frequency of the coefficient search circuit and FIR digital filter to reduce power consumption. The 28 nm process was used to implement a multi-stage ?S A/D converter employing sequential integrators operating at high speed. Previously, digital calibration circuits were required to operate at an oversampling frequency of A/D converters, but the new circuit reduces the operating frequency to one-fourth the previous frequency. As a result, high-speed, high-precision operation with a signal bandwidth of 15 MHz and dynamic range of 74.3 dB is achieved when operating at an oversampling frequency of 480MHz. By reducing the digital calibration circuit operating frequency to 120MHz, low-power operation is also achieved, with 37mW power consumption (analog:19mW, digital:18mW). In addition, the new technology has been confirmed to provide stable performance over a wide temperature range, proving that it is highly robust and capable of stable operation under punishing conditions (note 1). The results of this joint effort with Hitachi were presented by Renesas on February 18 at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2020. In recent years, as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and self-driving vehicles come closer to becoming a reality, there has been an increasing need for automobiles to incorporate a variety of sensors, such as millimeter wave radar, LiDAR, and ultrasonic wave sensors, in order to detect objects and people, and to provide an awareness of the vehicle's surroundings. A/D converters used to convert analog signals from such sensors into digital signals must operate at a high speed and with high precision. However, the harsh conditions specific to automotive vehicles have made obtaining stable performance an important issue. In response, Renesas and Hitachi developed the new continuous-time digital calibration technology to make high-speed, high-precision ?S A/D converters capable of withstanding punishing conditions a reality. The new A/D converter circuit technology developed jointly by Renesas and Hitachi is described below. (1) Technology using LMS algorithm to measure and calibrate the transfer function of a continuous time ?S modulator Generally, RC integrators that do not require input sampling capacitor and are suitable for high bandwidth are employed as a method of ncreasing the conversion speed of the ?S A/D converter. These integrators are connected in cascade for a high-order loop filter. However, when the input is excessively large, precision is lost due to the ?S modulators' oscillation. On the other hand, a multi-stage ?S modulator consisting of low-order ?S modulators connected in multiple stages can be used to achieve a higher-order ?S modulator while maintaining the stability of the ?S A/D converter. However, in a multi-stage configuration, precision suffers if the analog transfer functions and digital transfer functions do not match perfectly, and for this reason such configurations are susceptible to environmental variations such as changes in temperature, making it difficult to achieve higher precision.



To solve the difficulty in achieving higher precision, typical of multi-stage ?S modulators, which are extremely stable, Renesas and Hitachi jointly developed a technology that digitally calibrates the transfer function of the ?S modulator. This technology inputs a pseudo-random number signal to the quantizer-input of the first-stage ?S modulator as a reference signal, which makes background search possible using an LMS algorithm of the first-stage modulator's noise transfer function and the second-stage modulator's signal transfer function at the same time. The coefficients searched by the LMS algorithm are input to FIR digital filters, and the second-stage modulator result is used to completely cancel the quantization error of the first-stage modulator, making it possible to obtain high-precision A/D conversion results. This new technology enables calibration within the digital circuits operating in the background even if the characteristics of the analog integrators are affected by environmental variations such as temperature changes. As a result, Renesas and Hitachi succeeded in achieving both high precision and robustness in a highly stable multi-stage ?S modulator, something previously considered difficult if not impossible. (2) World's first multi-rate LMS search algorithm that enables smaller circuit scale and low power consumption

When searching ?S modulator transfer functions using the LMS-based coefficient search algorithm described above, the number of tap coefficients required by the FIR digital filter was very large (more than 100) when the gain-bandwidth product of the integrator amplifier circuit was insufficient, which meant that the scale of the logic circuits would be impracticably large. However, it was found that extracting only the transfer function characteristics near the signal bandwidth was sufficient for transfer function calibration. By reducing unnecessary frequency information by means of a post-conditioner, it became possible to substantially reduce the number of tap coefficients, even when the gain-bandwidth product of the amplifier circuit was small. In addition, by using shift registers to store reference signal data, Renesas and Hitachi developed a new calibration circuit using an LMS algorithm that was not affected by sub-sampling. This made it possible to reduce the operating frequencies of the coefficient search and FIR filter to one-fourth what they previously were. The world's first digital calibration circuit technology successfully reduced the circuit scale while also reducing power consumption (Note 2). Renesas will continue to develop practical applications for this technology to enable high-speed, high-precision, and highly reliable A/D conversion of automotive sensor signals in order to accelerate the widespread adoption of self-driving technology and the realization of a safer and more secure driving experience. Notes 1. The characteristics of the A/D converter on the test chip confirm that, within a temperature range of -20 to 125C, the transfer function coefficient search achieves the background operation and with a SNR variation of no more than 1 dB. 2. In the new A/D converter, the number of FIR filter tap coefficients required when the gain-bandwidth product of the integrator amplifier circuit is insufficient is reduced to 10 compared to well over 100 using the conventional method. About Renesas Electronics Corporation Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) delivers trusted embedded design innovation with complete semiconductor solutions that enable billions of connected, intelligent devices to enhance the way people work and live. A global leader in microcontrollers, analog, power, and SoC products, Renesas provides comprehensive solutions for a broad range of automotive, industrial, home electronics, office automation, and information communication technology applications that help shape a limitless future. Learn more at renesas.com. (Remarks) All registered trademarks or trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005332/en/

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Dublin, Feb. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "US Electroceuticals Market 2019-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The United States contributes significantly to the growth of the electroceuticals market.



This report covers:

A comprehensive research methodology of the US electroceuticals market.

A detailed and extensive market overview with key analyst insights.

An exhaustive analysis of macro and micro factors influencing the market guided by key recommendations.

Analysis of regional regulations and other government policies impacting the US electroceuticals market.

Insights about market determinants which are stimulating the US electroceuticals market.

Detailed and extensive market segments with regional distribution of forecasted revenues.

Extensive profiles and recent developments of market players.

The market growth is attributed to the rise in the prevalence of arrhythmia, a growing number of neural disorders, and a high prevalence of hearing loss. In addition, the rising number of Parkinson's disease and expected approvals for retinal implants in the US are anticipated to contribute significantly to the growth of the electroceuticals market. The US has a high incidence and prevalence rate of heart diseases due to the sedentary lifestyle, excessive consumption of alcohol, consumption of junk food, and a high number of diabetic and obese patients.



Traumatic brain injury is the most common cause of fatality and disability in the US. As per the report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2017, 30% of all the injury-related mortalities occurred due to the traumatic brain injury in the US. According to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in 2017, the US national healthcare expenditure was around $3.5 trillion showing a 3.9% increase in healthcare expenditure. The US has the highest healthcare spending across the globe. In the US, the per capita healthcare expenditure per person in 2017 was around $10,739, as per the CMS.



The growing startups such as Cala Health Incorporated, Axonics Modulation Technologies Incorporated, and others in this market are contributing to the growth of the electroceuticals market in the US. Moreover, the presence of major market players in the US is projected to make a significant contribution to the growth of electroceuticals market in the region.



Abbott Laboratories Incorporated, Advanced Bionics AG, BioElectronics Corporation, Biotronik Incorporated, Cochlear Corporation, and other electroceuticals market players provide hearing aids, pacemakers, defibrillators, SCS, and other devices. These companies are constantly focusing on making advancements in their product offerings to offer superior quality products. For instance, Biotronik Incorporated had launched the PlexaProMRI S DX lead, with DF4/IS-1 connector.



Key Topics Covered



1. Report Summary

1.1. Research Methods and Tools

1.2. Market Breakdown

1.2.1. By Segments



2. Market Overview and Insights

2.1. Scope of the Report

2.2. Analyst Insight & Current Market Trends

2.2.1. Key Findings

2.2.2. Recommendations

2.2.3. Conclusion

2.3. Rules & Regulations



3. Competitive Landscape

3.1. Company Share Analysis

3.2. Key Strategy Analysis

3.3. Key Company Analysis

3.3.1. Overview

3.3.2. Financial Analysis

3.3.3. SWOT Analysis

3.3.4. Recent Developments



4. Market Determinants

4.1. Motivators

4.2. Restraints

4.3. Opportunities



5. Market Segmentation

5.1. US Electroceuticals Market by Product and its Application

5.1.1. Cardioverter Defibrillators and Cardiac Pacemaker

5.1.1.1. Arrhythmias

5.1.2. Deep Brain Stimulators

5.1.2.1. Parkinson's Disease

5.1.2.2. Depression

5.1.3. Spinal Cord Stimulators

5.1.3.1. Failed Back Syndrome

5.1.3.2. Ischemia

5.1.4. Vagus Nerve Stimulators

5.1.4.1. Epilepsy

5.1.5. Cochlear Implants

5.1.5.1. Sensorineural Hearing Loss

5.1.6. Others (Sacral Nerve Stimulators, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulators)

5.1.6.1. Urinary Incontinence

5.1.6.2. Treatment-Resistant Depression

5.2. US Electroceuticals Market by End-users

5.2.1. Hospitals and Clinics

5.2.2. Research Institutes



6. Company Profiles

6.1. Abbott Laboratories Inc.

6.2. Advanced Bionics AG

6.3. Boston Scientific Corp.

6.4. Cigna Corp.

6.5. Cochlear Ltd.

6.6. Demant A/S

6.7. Edwards Lifesciences Corp.

6.8. Electrocore Inc.

6.9. Functional Neuromodulation Ltd.

6.10. Getinge AB

6.11. GlaxoSmithKline PLC

6.12. Medtronic PLC

6.13. Sonova Holding AG

6.14. ZOLL Medical Corp.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/e8v0d7

Story continues

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.



CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com

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Fire and rescue officials converged on the scene of a ruptured gas line in Texas that shot 150-foot flames into the air on Feb. 17 morning, Corpus Christi Deputy Fire Chief Richie Quintero said.

After about 30 minutes, the fire was extinguished and the shelter in place advisory lifted, according to Assistant Fire Chief Randy Paige of the Corpus Christi Fire Department.

The line was identified and bled down until the fire self-extinguished around 10 a.m., Paige said.

There were no injuries and the cause of the fire remains under investigation, Paige said. It is not immediately clear which gas company the gas line belongs to.

Police shut down Interstate 37 in both directions and advised residents in the area to shelter in place as flames spewed from the ruptured gas line, according to the Corpus Christi Police Departments twitter page.

PD is shutting down IH 37 in both directions between Port and Up River road. Please use caution and if possible use a different route, one of the tweets read.

Video from the scene showed other structures near the blaze caught fire as well.

The-CNN-Wire

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I recently came upon a Christianity Today article titled God Will Not Speak to You Through Sky Writing. Curious whether there was a new trend I had missedmaybe it had to do with chem trails?I clicked through to read more. While not about chem trails, the article did address something I found nearly as interesting.

As a child growing up in an evangelical home in the 1990s, I used to wonder why God spoke directly to people in the Old Testamentand even appeared to them visibly in some cases!when he did not do so in the present. God told the Israelites directly what to do on numerous occasions. Its only natural that I found myself wondering: why doesnt he do that now?

In the Christianity Today article I came upon, Jen Wilkins describes my childhood questions with remarkable accuracy:

Weve all said it, either out loud or in our heads: If God would just tell me what to do, I would do it! We want to follow Gods will, and when were facing a big decision, it does seem that an audible command from Godor even an emphatic hint of some sortwould be extremely helpful, not to mention efficient. When the way forward seems opaque, we begin to ask why the heavens cant just part and impart a little direction. After all, God did that for people in the Bible. Couldnt he do it for us?

Yes! This!

As an atheist today, I no longer wonder. The Old Testament is full of stories, legends that described the mythos of a people. Some had basis in fact; others not. Either way, these stories are like other stories of their periodfull of miracles and wonders, the product of the human imagination and desire for meaning, purpose, and belonging. I have found an answer to my question.

Interestingly, Wilkins does not actually try to answer the question she describes in her article. Instead, she takes a wholly different approach: distraction. She writes as follows:

But I wonder if we arent missing a bit of obvious direction that is right beneath our noses. Its true that the Bible contains multiple accounts of people who hear the audible voice of God telling them what to do. They receive exactly what we say we want: clear direction from the mouth of God. But rather than rush to obey, alarmingly, they often hesitate or ignore the direction outright. Moses hesitates when God speaks to him from the burning bush, telling him explicitly to rescue Israel from slavery. Israel ignores the thundering commands of God at Sinai, despite their initial affirmation to do all that the Lord has said. Gideon hesitates when God speaks to him on a threshing floor, asking for a series of signs as confirmation. And perhaps most famously of all, Adam and Eve receive an audible command regarding a certain fruit, which they patently ignore. In light of the evidence, it seems doubtful that the audible voice of God would inspire belief or ensure obedience with us any more than it did with our predecessors.

Do you see the distraction?

The question Wilkins outlines is this: why doesnt God speak to us audibly today, like he did in the past? Her response is this: people in the Old Testament didnt exactly listen when God spoke to them, so what makes you think you would if he spoke to you today? Notice that thats not an answer to the actual question being posed: why doesnt God speak to us audibly today?

You could, of course, tell a story that would turn Wilkins response into an answer to the question. She says people in the Old Testament didnt always obey God when he spoke to them. Okay! Lets imagine that God got tired of speaking audibly to people only to have them ignore what he told them, and thats why he decided to stop speaking to people. Thats actually an interesting story!

The problem, of course, is that this story involves a God who is not omniscient. If he were omniscient, he would have known from the beginning that people would not listen to him. An omniscient God cant learn new things. While Judaism does not posit an omniscient God, evangelical Christianity does, and Wilkins is an evangelical Christian.

Now that I think about it, responding to why doesnt God speak to me? with what, like youd actually listen if he did? seems rather mean, although Im sure Wilkins doesnt mean it that way.

In the remainder of her article, Wilkins argues that Christians should focus on being rather than on doing.

If we are not careful, while looking for Gods will for our circumstance we may overlook his will for our character. In our desire for certainty, we may become fixated on doing and become forgetful of being.

This is more interesting, and I can see it being helpful to some readers. It amounts to an argument for making decisions on ones own, although theres something missing: Wilkins never directly says that people are capable of making good decisions themselves. Instead, she only says the question should not be what God wants you to do, but rather how God wants you to be.

You will never have to lay out a fleece to know for certain that it is Gods will that you live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age (Titus 2:12).

Wilkins goes on, referencing impurity, greed, vanity, and anger.

You will never have to search the sky for a message in the clouds to know without doubt that it is Gods will that you be holy and blameless (Eph. 1:4).

This is okay as far as it goes, but if I could rewrite Wilkins articlesetting aside the fact that I am not now an evangelical ChristianI would add something she leaves out.

As a child, I remember my parents laying out a fleece when they were making big decisions. Did God want them to go into politics? Did God want them to take a different job? They would pick something, and say if this happens, Ill take that as a sign that God wants me to do it. The concept of laying out a fleece comes from the story of Gideon, which Wilkins references.

These moments when my parents would lay out a fleece were always about big life decisions, not about whether they should live lives that were self0-controlled, upright, or godly. Wilkins statement that we will never have to lay out a fleece to know that it is Gods will to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives leaves unsaid why people lay out a fleecebecause they want Gods guidance in making important life decisions.

If I were to rewrite Wilkins article, I would tell readers that God trusts them to make their own decisions. Wilkins emphasizes having a godly character, but she never takes the next step: she never tells people that if they should trust themselves to make their own decisions, if they are striving to embody the character traits God lays out for Christians.

Wilkins is writing to address a specific problem: many Christians desperately want to know what God wants them to do, when faced with major life decisions. Should they take this job, or that? What they decide will affect the course of their lives, and the Old Testament is full of cases where God speaks directly to people and tells them what to do. Its only natural that evangelical Christians faced with major decisions would want to know what God wants them to do.

You wouldnt do what he told you to even if he did speak to you audibly is unhelpful. Focus on being rather than on doing is more helpful, but it glosses over the fact that we still have to do.

Ive been an atheist for close to a decade now, and one thing I enjoy is not agonizing over decisions. Oh, certainly, big decisions can still be agonizing! But I dont have to worry, on top of everything else, about whether Im doing Gods willabout where God wants me to live or what job God wants me to take. Instead, I know that my decisions will effect me and my life; that I cant go back and change a decision once Ive made it; and that if I dont like where things are headed in the future, I can make different decisions in the future, or go in a different direction.

As I came to adulthood, I decided that the idea that every person has one single soulmate that they have to find was bull. I decided that every person has any number of people they could marry and be happy with. You just have to find one of those peoplenot the one. That didnt mean I would necessarily succeed, but it did take a lot of pressure off the decisions I had to make.

Worrying about which job God wants you to take, or where God wants you to live, is stressful. Perhaps it comes from the idea that God has a single plan for you. In that sense maybe its even more like soulmates than I realized. If Gods plan is for you to go into ministry, if you choose wrong and become an accountant instead, youll be stepping outside of his will. Or vice versa.

As an evangelical Christian, I was told that God has a plan for your life. That sort of rhetoric may contribute to the level of stress many evangelical Christians feel about big life decisionsand their attempts to lay down a fleece before making these decisions. If God already has your life laid out for you, and that your challenge is to find that one single pathlike finding your soulmate among billions of peopleits no wonder many evangelical Christians find big life decisions stressful.

If someone had told me, back when I was still an evangelical Christian, that God trusted me to make my own decisionsinformed by the values he called me to embracethat would have taken some of the pressure off of the life decisions I had to make. It might even have felt empowering.

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LAS VEGAS  President Trump is not exactly a fan of life on the road.

He agreed to a four-day Western trip this week on the condition that he spend every night at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. And that location had another attraction: It placed him at the current center of the 2020 presidential race  Nevada, where Democrats will vote Saturday in caucuses that could reshape the campaign.

The trip was meant to showcase the presidents aggressive re-election push to drum up funds from high-dollar donors in California, a Democratic state where Mr. Trump is widely unpopular but enjoys some concentrated pockets of support. But the president believes that wherever he goes, he can force the news cycles  and political fortunes  to turn in his favor.

And the first opportunity to do that was Wednesday night, at the same time the Democrats debated in Las Vegas.

Should I go to that debate? Mr. Trump asked a group of volunteers gathered at his hotel before he left for a high-dollar fund-raiser in Palm Springs, Calif.
Every child in the world is under threat as decades of health improvements begin to stall, according to major World Health Organisation report.

Obesity, air pollution and climate change pose an 'immediate threat' to children in wealthy and poor countries alike.

The report, written by 40 experts from around the world and published in the Lancet, said no country of the 180 analysed are protecting child's health adequately on all measures.

They said big business is to blame by using 'exploitative marketing practices' to 'push heavily processed fast food, sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco at children'.

The UK gives children good start in life - among the best ten countries in the world for 'flourishing' child health thanks to the strong NHS and education system.

But it trails in 133rd place on providing a healthy environment - with Britain on track to emit 115 per cent more carbon dioxide by 2030 than its emissions target.

Experts are also concerned about Britain's faltering vaccination uptake, with childhood immunisation now standing at 94 per cent - lower than most other European countries.

Widespread childhood poverty in the UK is also putting children at risk.

Every child in the world is under threat as decades of health improvements begin to stall, according to major World Health Organisation report

Professor Anthony Costello of University College London, who contributed to the report, said: 'While the UK's wealth, provision of free health care through the NHS, and investment in pre-school education and social welfare are strongly linked to good child survive and thrive measures, we cannot rest on our laurels.

'The widely respected Institute for Fiscal Studies predicts a seven per cent rise in child poverty between 2015 and 2022, and various sources predict child poverty rates of as high as 40 per cent.

'For almost one in every two children to be poor in 21st-century Britain is not just a disgrace, but a social calamity and an economic disaster, all rolled into one.'

Globally, the authors are most concerned about environmental issues and obesity.

They believe 'predatory marketing' of junk food and sugary drinks is directly driving obesity - the number of obese children and adolescents globally having increased from 11million in 1975 to 124million in 2016.

Professor Costello said: 'Industry self-regulation has failed.

'Studies in Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and the USA - among many others - have shown that self-regulation has not hampered commercial ability to advertise to children.'

TOP 10 BEST COUNTRIES FOR FLOURISHING CHILDREN 1. Norway 2. Republic of Korea 3. Netherlands 4. France 5. Ireland 6. Denmark 7. Japan 8. Belgium 9. Iceland 10. United Kingdom Advertisement

TOP 10 WORST COUNTRIES FOR FLOURISHING CHILDREN 1. Central African Republic 2. Chad 3. Somalia 4. Niger 5. Mali 6. Guinea 7. Nigeria 8. South Sudan 9. Sierra Leone 10. Afghanistan Advertisement





Children in Norway (pictured) have the best chance at survival and well-being

Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, who co-chaired the report, said: 'Despite improvements in child and adolescent health over the past 20 years, progress has stalled, and is set to reverse.

'Every child worldwide now faces existential threats from climate change and commercial pressures.

OBESITY IS SHORTENING LIVES GLOBALLY Soaring deaths caused by obesity will slash the average life expectancy of an American by nearly four years over the next three decades, a damning report revealed in October 2019. For Britons, the average life will be shortened by nearly three years over the same time frame thanks to a host of health issues linked to a bulging waistline, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) made the bleak projections in a damning report about the global obesity epidemic, that ranks 36 developed countries and how they are tackling their citizens weight problems. It said that between 2020 and 2050, obesity and related illnesses will cause an average life expectancy drop of three years in the 36 countries it represents. A predicted 90million lives will be lost to illnesses related to overeating in the next 30 years. The average American lives to the age of 79, while the life expectancy in Britain is slightly higher, at 81. Almost 70 per cent of Americans and 62 per cent of adults in the UK are overweight or obese, putting them at risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes and cancer. Advertisement

'Countries need to overhaul their approach to child and adolescent health, to ensure that we not only look after our children today but protect the world they will inherit in the future.'

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation, said: 'This report shows that the world's decision makers are failing today's children and youth - failing to protect their health, failing to protect their rights, and failing to protect their planet.

'This must be a wakeup call for countries to invest in child health and development, ensure their voices are heard, protect their rights, and build a future that is fit for children.'

The index shows compared performance on child flourishing, including measures of child survival, well-being and sustainability, including a proxy for greenhouse gas emissions.

Children in Norway, the Republic of Korea, and the Netherlands have the best chance at survival and well-being, while children in Central African Republic, Chad, Somalia, Niger and Mali face the worst odds.

However, when authors took per capita CO2 emissions into account, the top countries trail behind: Norway ranked 156, the Republic of Korea 166, and the Netherlands 160.

The United States of America (USA), Australia, and Saudi Arabia are among the ten worst emitters.

The only countries on track to beat CO2 emission per capita targets by 2030, while also performing fairly on child flourishing measures, were Albania, Armenia, Grenada, Jordan, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Uruguay and Vietnam.
MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI  Recently terminated employees have filed a class action lawsuit against the Muskegon Family Care health clinic, claiming it didnt provide them adequate notice of their job losses nor payment of unused vacation time.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court on Feb. 16, claims 150 full-time employees were terminated on Feb. 14 without warning.

Two former clerical support employees are named in the lawsuit that also represents all others similarly situated. They seek 60 days worth of wages and benefits as well as compensation for remaining vacation time.

The health clinic at 2201 S. Getty St. in Muskegon Heights serves an estimated 20,000 patients, most of them low-income. The mass firings led to widespread speculation about the clinics closing, which clinic officials officially confirmed three days later, on Monday, Feb. 17.

The closure, planned for March 31, leaves thousands of dental, medical and mental health patients scrambling to find new providers. Hackley Community Care, Public Health Muskegon County and the Department of Health and Human Services all have pledged to help displaced patients.

The Michigan State Police has launched an investigation into claims staff members embezzled from the clinic.

Employees Shannon L. Hamilton and Karisha Melton signed onto the lawsuit as representatives of a class of similarly situated former employees of Muskegon Family Care. They claim that the clinic should have foreseen the clinics closure and provided employees 60 days advanced notice of their job losses.

The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act requires that in the event of a plant closing or mass layoff, employers must provide formal notice to employees at least 60 days prior to the effective date.

There are some exceptions, including if the layoffs are due to an unforeseen economic crisis or other business circumstance. Its usually the employers burden to prove why it couldnt provide the advance warning.

In a press release announcing the closure, clinic administrators cited complicated financial troubles as the reason for the employee terminations.

The clinic will continue to serve patients until its closure at the end of March, the press release states. The lawsuit estimates that roughly 50 employees remain employed at the clinic.

Terminated employees are suing for 60 days worth of wages, bonuses, accrued holiday and vacation pay, COBRA health benefits and pension and 401K contributions. They are represented by attorneys Raisner Roupinian LLP of New York City.

Muskegon Family Care operated on an approximately $20 million budget, according to its 2018 audit. Among its services are medical, dental, mental and behavior health, pharmacy and womens care.

In 2018, it had 20,670 patients, according to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administrations Bureau of Primary Health. Nearly 79 percent of those patients were at or below the poverty level, and more than 13,000 were eligible for Medicaid, according to the Bureau of Primary Health.

A federal audit found significant deficiencies in 2017. Details were not immediately available. However, Muskegon Family Cares own audit did not find anything significant, but rather one material weakness that year.

Muskegon Family Care has previously been in trouble with the federal government, which determined it had not properly tracked federal funding and failed to comply with its own bylaws from 2010-2014, according to documents obtained by the Muskegon Chronicle in 2014.

The clinic has been operated by an interim executive following the departure of former Chief Executive Officer Sheila Bridges.

A 2014 federal review of the clinic found that it failed to properly track the federal funds it receives and revealed questionable business expenses made by Bridges, according to the report obtained by the Muskegon Chronicle. Some of those expenses included stays at five-star hotels, first-class airfare and limousine accommodations.

The federal review also revealed Bridges received double tuition payments and made decisions that led the facility to lose $153,939 during a lavish celebrity fundraiser held in 2013.

That same year, several staff members, including a doctor, dentists and physician assistants, wrote a letter calling for the resignation of Bridges and the board of directors.

The letter, obtained by the Chronicle, lamented the loss of qualified providers and board members through sudden demotions and voluntary resignations. The memo claimed Bridges had received a $50,000 salary increase during an eight-month period in 2012 and said under her leadership, the working environment included ...threats, unexplained dismissals and administrative paranoia.

Read more:

Police investigate possible embezzlement from Muskegon Family Care

Muskegon Family Care health clinic announces closure, apologizes for misunderstanding

Muskegon health clinic closure would displace estimated 20,000 patients
President Donald Trump tweeted last week that he has the "legal right" to tell Attorney General William Barr how to handle Roger Stone's prosecution - bringing the fury of the legal establishment down on him. Federal prosecutors had recommended a seven-to-nine-year sentence for Stone, who was convicted of perjury and witness tampering. Trump tweeted that the recommendation was "horrible and very unfair." Subsequently, the Justice Department dropped the recommendation.

More than 2,000 former Justice Department employees promptly declared in an open letter that they "condemn" Trump and Barr's "interference in the fair administration of justice." Donald Ayer, who served as deputy attorney general under President George H.W. Bush, wrote in the Atlantic magazine of Barr's complicity in the sentencing shift: "Given our national faith and trust in a rule of law no one can subvert, it is not too strong to say that Bill Barr is un-American."

Un-American? Absolutely not. Unconstitutional? Not even close. Unwise? Yes. As a policy matter, the president should stay out of sentencing decisions, especially those involving his friends. But the president is correct that he has the legal authority to intervene in the case. The Constitution does not create a wall of separation between the president and the Justice Department. To the contrary, the Constitution vests the "executive power" in the president. And the decision whether and how to prosecute someone ultimately belongs to the president.

Article II of the Constitution establishes a single president, and all of the executive powers belong to that elected official. As a practical matter, the president delegates some of those powers to the Justice Department - specifically, prosecutorial discretion for criminal matters. But if the president chooses to intervene, the attorney general has two options - comply or resign. So far as we know, Trump has not formally intervened in the Stone case. (The president's tweets were not an order, and Barr says he did not take them as such.) And to date, Barr has maintained his autonomy. Indeed, Barr pushed back against Trump in an interview with ABC News. The tweets, Barr said, were "disruptive" and "undercut" his authority. That was a good statement. Presidents should not micromanage criminal prosecutions. Doing so creates the appearance that the president wields the official powers to serve his personal whims. But there is nothing constitutionally improper about such an intervention.

During her brief tenure as acting attorney general under Trump, Sally Yates - a holdover from the Obama administration - tried to maintain the kind of rigid separation between the Justice Department and the White House that Trump's critics endorse today. She refused to defend the president's travel ban and also refused to resign. Trump was right to swiftly remove her, after a mere 10 days of service. In 2017, she explained her theories about the limits of executive-branch power, in USA Today. "The rule of law," she wrote, "requires a strict separation between the Justice Department and the White House on criminal cases and investigations." Versions of that argument, which get bandied about all too frequently, distort public understanding of the executive branch's structure.

A cursory glance at political history shows there has never been a strict separation between the Justice Department and the White House: Political appointees routinely alter the agency's criminal agenda on a quadrennial basis. In 2009, to give just one example, the Obama administration deprioritized certain types of marijuana prosecutions. In 2018, the Trump administration reversed that policy. The Obama administration also instructed line prosecutors to avoid seeking mandatory minimum sentences for certain drug offenses. The Trump administration reversed that policy, as well. This ebb and flow happens with every shift of administration.

But there is a more focused criticism that deserves attention. Those 2,000-plus former Justice Department employees wrote that "it is wrong for the President to interfere in specific enforcement matters, either to punish his opponents or to help his friends." In other words, they grant that it is permissible for the executive branch to set broad policies but impermissible for the White House to intervene in specific cases - particularly prosecutions of the president's allies (or foes).

At least since Watergate, a norm has developed in which the president stays out of individual prosecutorial decisions. A bipartisan consensus had emerged that President Richard M. Nixon improperly politicized the department for his personal ends. I hedge slightly, because it's impossible to be sure this norm has been strictly adhered to. If such interventions occurred, they would not be made public.

Trump's tweets and Barr's subsequent comments are out in the open. We do not know whether past presidents have privately offered suggestions to the Justice Department, however subtle. These sorts of privileged communiques would be kept in close confidence and would never be shared with rank-and-file employees. But there is one prominent example from early in the republic that illustrates how a president can administer criminal prosecutions.

In 1807, the Jefferson administration prosecuted Aaron Burr, alleging treason. The former vice president was accused of trying to establish an independent nation in the Louisiana territory. The basis for the prosecution was dubious, and President Thomas Jefferson withheld certain documents that could have proved Burr's innocence.

But more relevant, for our purposes, is the close interest Jefferson took in the case. Throughout the trial, Jefferson frequently wrote to George Hay, the federal prosecutor, with precise instructions on how to manage the case.

In one letter, Jefferson wrote that the "prosecution of Burr had begun under very inauspicious symptoms by the challenging & rejecting two members of the grand jury." Jefferson worried that the remaining members would not indict Burr. Jefferson had a preordained result in mind and was unwilling to let the process settle the question of Burr's guilt.

In another letter, Jefferson urged Hay to "denounce" the case of Marbury v. Madison because it was "not law." Chief Justice John Marshall, who wrote Marbury, also presided over Burr's trial. Hay acknowledged the directive but ignored it. Toward the end of the felony trial, Marshall issued a ruling favorable to Burr. Jefferson was incensed. He wanted the record of the case to be preserved to form the basis of articles of impeachment against the chief justice. Despite his bluster, there is no record that Jefferson actually sought to impeach Marshall based on the Burr case. Jefferson's intemperate letters are in this respect not that different from Trump's ephemeral tweets.

Eventually, Burr was acquitted of the felony charge. Immediately thereafter, Jefferson wrote Hay a letter, joined by then-Secretary of State James Madison, urging that he be prosecuted for a related misdemeanor. Hay followed Jefferson's order, but again Burr was acquitted.

Let's assume that Trump in fact ordered Barr to recommend a specific sentence for Stone. Such meddling would pale in comparison with Jefferson's micromanagement of a high-profile, politically charged treason prosecution.

I concede that Trump, given his constitutional authority, can punish his enemies or reward his friends. Critics are right to be worried. If we were redrafting the Constitution from scratch, perhaps we would decide such broad powers should not all be vested in the same person. In my home state of Texas, for example, the position of attorney general is separate from the governor - a model that has some virtue over our federal system.

Ultimately, Trump would have one final card to play. If he disagrees with the sentence, he can issue a pardon or commutation - as we've just seen him do in the cases of former Illinois governor Rod R. Blagojevich, former New York police commissioner Bernie Kerik and the financier Michael Milken. Such an intervention would exact a political price but would inarguably be within his constitutional authority. If Trump has the power to nullify a sentence after it has been imposed, he also has the far less significant power to inveigh against the severity of a sentence in advance.

Fortunately, presidents must wield their formidable power in this area publicly, in an open criminal proceeding before neutral federal judges. Courts retain the authority to dismiss vindictive prosecutions and to disregard crony recommendations. The judge in the Stone case ultimately will decide what sentence to impose and what weight, if any, to give the Justice Department's recommendation. Still, the president has a voice and is well within his rights to express his opinion. Despite what you're hearing from Trump's critics right now, the rule of law will live to see another day.

_ _ _

Blackman, a law professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston, is co-author of "An Introduction to Constitutional Law: 100 Supreme Court Cases Everyone Should Know."
The slowdown in Chinese manufacturing and ripple effect on global supply chains will hit the global economy hard, even if a recession can be avoided. If the outbreak cannot be contained by summer, a crash worse than the 2008 crisis awaits Americas inflated asset markets.

By Andy Xie and cross-posted from South China Morning Post.

Chinas manufacturing sector will take quite some time to get back to normal. The global supply chain is being disrupted, triggering production stoppages in other industrial centres. China will at least struggle through this month. The odds are high, and rising, that the coronavirus crisis will last through March, which may be enough to push the global economy into recession.

There is a significant chance that the crisis will last until summer. The economic disruption may pack enough of a punch to pop the biggest global bubble  centred around the US stock market  in modern history.

The coronavirus outbreak appears much more serious and more likely to persist than appeared to be the case just two weeks ago. In addition to disrupting the services sector at an estimated cost of over 0.5 per cent of gross domestic product per week, the manufacturing sector may not be able to get back to normal before at least the end of February.

Disruption in March looks increasingly likely. The longer the crisis lasts, the more likely is a global recession.

Over the past two decades, global supply chains have come to rely on China for cheap components. From automobile and electronics to shoes and garments, sourcing materials and components from China is vital to keeping the global economy humming. If China cannot get back to normal soon, the disruption may push the global economy into recession.

Many migrant workers, the main labour force for the factory sector, returned to major production centres like Shanghai and Shenzhen last week. This is already one week beyond the normal Lunar New Year holiday.

Normal precautions require these workers to be quarantined for two weeks. If everything works out perfectly, Chinas manufacturing could get back to normal by the end of February.

Under the above best-case scenario, the global economy may avoid a recession. But a significant hit is unavoidable. Chinas economy is obviously contracting, even though official statistics wont show it.

The financial ramifications will be a significant drag for many quarters to come. Chinas local governments and businesses have been struggling against high leverage amid slowing growth . A big hit like this will force many to retrench

Continue reading the article
Microsoft is said to be working on a non-Cortana voice assistant for Windows 10X. According to a job advertisement, Microsoft is looking for a software engineer in India to work with the accessibility development team to create a superior voice control experience. Windows 10X is Microsoft's planned mobile operating system, aimed to offer a refined Windows experience on foldable devices. The new voice assistant for Windows 10X makes sense as Cortana voice assistant has shifted its focus away from consumer goods and become much more of a business and enterprise-focused tool.

Besides, Microsoft has already stopped extending support for the Cortana app for Android and iOS everywhere except the US. The company is integrating Cortana voice assistant into business and productivity apps as a part of Office 365. The voice control feature for Windows 10X will most likely be offered as an accessibility tool for people with disabilities. It is expected that some other voice assistant will take the place of Cortana in Microsofts future consumer products.

Cortana was introduced as a voice-controlled virtual assistant for Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1 and it was comparable to Apples Siri. Cortana used the Bing search engine and data stored on a user's smartphone to offer personalised recommendations. Cortana is now being integrating into business and productivity apps as a part of Office 365. The place of voice in Microsofts future consumer products will be filled by others, except perhaps when it comes to helping those with disabilities use Windows 10X.
Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg unveiled a plan on Tuesday to crack down on Wall Street. Some of his proposals include a 0.1% financial transaction tax, merging mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, and creating a new team within the Department of Justice to target corporate crimes.

The financial system isnt working the way it should for most Americans, Bloomberg said in a statement. The stock market is at an all-time high, but almost all of the gains are going to a small number of people, and our economy is still vulnerable to another shock like the 2008 financial crisis that devastated families and communities all over the country.

Bloomberg has been campaigning as a more moderate alternative to candidates like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and has been courting business leaders and Wall Street executives  who will likely cringe at the idea of a financial transaction tax. But the more progressive wing of the party has championed even tougher regulations and taxes on Wall Street on the wealthiest Americans.



Bloombergs financial transaction tax would be phased in gradually, starting at 0.02% to monitor and minimize unintended consequences. Isaac Boltansky of Compass Point Research said hes bearish about the prospects of financial transaction tax, even in a Democratic sweep scenario.

The FTT concept has become a political pot of gold that candidates can use to pay for student debt cancellation or health care while on the campaign trail, but we struggle to see the rhetoric turning into reality given a combination of political and practical considerations, Boltansky wrote in a note.

Erica York, an economist with the Tax Foundation, told Yahoo Finance financial transaction taxes are not an effective way to raise revenue and would tax the same economic activity multiple times.



An FTT would result in a less efficient capital market and would reduce economic output and asset prices, burdening not just the wealthy, but all taxpayers. FTTs like the one proposed by Bloomberg are unprecedented in their comprehensiveness, so the U.S. might see substantially greater damage to the health of its financial system than seen in foreign countries, York said.



The Investment Company Institute called the financial transaction tax a retirement tax.



Even though it sounds small, it would cost American families billions of dollars a year, including those saving in IRAs and 401ks for retirement and 529 accounts for their childrens education. Its not worth the high cost to American savers, said an ICI spokesperson.

Story continues

Democratic presidential candidate former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg delivers remarks during a campaign rally on February 12, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

Bloombergs plan aims to strengthen the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau  Warrens brainchild  which Bloomberg says President Donald Trump has worked to undermine. The Trump administration argues it is reforming a bureau that it believes is, at least in part, unconstitutional.

Bloomberg wants to restore rules to rein in payday lending and preserve customers right to sue, while expanding the bureaus jurisdiction to include auto lending and credit reporting.

The former New York City mayor also wants to strengthen banking regulations like Volcker rule and toughen stress tests for the largest financial institutions.

President Obama made important progress strengthening our financial system and protecting consumers  but President Trump has spent the last three years gutting those safeguards, while giving a huge tax cut to the wealthiest people, Bloomberg said.

The proposal comes just days after the Associated Press unearthed comments Bloomberg made in 2008, in which he seemed to blame the end of a discriminatory housing practice known as redlining for the financial crisis. Critics quickly attacked the former mayor for his comments. Warren called out Bloomberg while speaking at an event in Arlington, Virginia.

That crisis would not have been averted if the banks had been able to be bigger racists. And anyone who thinks that should not be the leader of our party, Warren said.

Bloomberg will face his Democratic rivals on the debate stage for the first time Wednesday night, after qualifying at the last minute with a new poll from NPR, PBS Newshour, and Marist that showed him in second place behind Sanders.

Jessica Smith is a reporter for Yahoo Finance based in Washington, D.C. Follow her on Twitter at @JessicaASmith8.

Read more:
OSWEGO, N.Y. -- An court stenographer has been charged with taking more than $187,000 after routinely adding zeroes to billing invoices, the New York State Inspector Generals office said today.

Laura Hayes, 47, of Phoenix in Oswego County, was arrested and arraigned Tuesday on a second-degree grand larceny charge in Oswego County Court, according to a news release.

Hayes is accused of overbilling four insurance carriers over the course of several years by adding a zero at the end of the invoice - for example, $150 would become $1,500, the inspector generals office said.

Hayes, who owns and operates Quality Court Reporting, a stenographic service, has her fees paid by the insurance carriers in workers compensation claims. The Workers Compensation Fraud Inspector General said its office received multiple complaints from insurance carriers alleging Hayes was overbilling.

This alleged scheme to steal from the workers compensation system was brazen in its simplicity  but nonetheless grossly illegal, said Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro. By simply adding zeros to invoices, this individual was paid money she didnt earn.

New York State Police arrested Hayes Tuesday, and she was arraigned on the charge.

She will be back in court March 25.

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.
LOS ANGELES  Even by todays get-famous-quick standards, Pop Smoke became hot at microwave speed.

He released his first album, Meet the Woo, last July, and in the months to follow, he collaborated with Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott and others. His second album opened this month at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart.

He had moved on from his familys duplex in a middle-class section of Brooklyn, and, at 20 years old, was living in a rented four-bedroom home owned by one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, with a backyard pool featuring expansive views of the Hollywood Hills.

Before dawn on Wednesday, several people broke into that home, at least one holding a gun and at least one masked, according to the Los Angeles police. Someone staying there contacted a friend on the East Coast, who then called 911. Within minutes, the call was relayed to Los Angeles and the police were at the home, but it was too late; the intruders had fled and a person inside had been fatally shot. Pop Smokes record label, Republic, confirmed that he was the victim.

There were no arrests Wednesday, and the police said they were still investigating a motive.

A number of celebrities in Los Angeles have been victims of home invasions in recent years, and fans of Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Jackson, wondered whether he had unwittingly provided bait to thieves by posting photos of cash, and his address, on social media.
February 18, 2020  Whitehorse, Yukon

Climate change is the defining issue of our time. The Government of Canada is supporting positive climate action to protect the environment and transition to a cleaner economy.

Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, announced $250,000 in funding for the Assembly of First Nations Yukon Region through the Climate Action Fund. Through this funding, the organization will convene a gathering to bring together and empower First Nations to play a leading role in climate action in the Yukon. The Assembly of First Nations Yukon Region plans to raise awareness of climate change through knowledge sharing and youth leadership while exploring innovative solutions to support the energy transition in their communities.

The Climate Action Fund provides up to $3 million annually to support projects delivered by students, youth, Indigenous Peoples and organizations, not-for-profit organizations, small and medium-sized businesses, and research and educational institutions that raise awareness of climate change and encourage others to take meaningful climate action.
MONTREAL - A 74-year-old man taking a driving test in Montreal was killed Tuesday when a commuter train struck the car he was driving.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL - A 74-year-old man taking a driving test in Montreal was killed Tuesday when a commuter train struck the car he was driving.

The examiner, an employee of Quebec's motor vehicle insurance agency, who was seated next to the driver, suffered critical injuries and was taken to hospital.

Police say the collision occurred in the city's north end at a level railway crossing on Gouin Boulevard, near the river that separates Montreal from its northern suburb.

Mario Vaillancourt, spokesman for the Societe de l'assurance automobile du Quebec, said the 74-year-old was being re-evaluated for a driver's license.

Vaillancourt said the type of exam the man was taking "is often tied to someone's health condition," though he declined to discuss the specifics of the collision.

"We ask that they take a road test" to evaluate whether the person can still drive safely, Vaillancourt said.

The SAAQ released a statement Tuesday afternoon offering condolences to the 74-year-old's family. "A team has been deployed ... to meet with staff members to provide them with the necessary psychological support," the agency said.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it has dispatched an investigator to the railway crossing to gather information about the collision, which occurred around 9:30 a.m.

Montreal police said the driver was transported to hospital in critical condition and died there shortly after, while his 33-year-old passenger was in hospital in critical condition.

No one was injured aboard the train, which is operated by the regional transit agency Exo.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2020.
The terror suspect charged with killing eight people by driving a truck down a New York bike path has now threatened to decapitate a jail officer, US prosecutors say.

Sayfullo Saipov, 32, is said to have made the threat on December 18, after the officer's supervisor told him to stop obstructing a security camera in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.

According to prosecutors, Saipov first threatened to kill the officer of December 17, accusing him of frequently waking him at night by slamming a door.

In a Tuesday night court filing prosecutors said they want to introduce the incident as 'proof of future dangerousness' during the penalty phase of Saipov's case, if he is convicted at his April 20 trial.

In a Tuesday night court filing, the Department of Justice said Sayfullo Saipov made the threat on December 18, after the officer's supervisor told him to stop obstructing a security camera in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan

Other recent MCC inmates have included the late financier and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, and Cesar Sayoc, who mailed pipe bombs to prominent Democrats

Saipov, a 32-year-old Uzbek national, has pleaded not guilty to charges including eight counts of murder, 18 counts of attempted murder and providing material support to Islamic State militants. He could get the death penalty if convicted. The scene in 2017 is pictured

Saipov, who legally moved to the US from Uzbekistan in 2010, allegedly drove a rented pickup truck down a bike path along Manhattan's Hudson River on October 31, 2017, killing eight people before crashing into a school bus.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which was the deadliest assault on New York City since September 11, 2001.

Saipov has pleaded not guilty to charges including eight counts of murder, 18 counts of attempted murder and providing material support to Islamic State militants. He could get the death penalty if convicted.

He told the supervisor he would keep blocking the security camera until the officer's head was cut off, and called the officer an animal, prosecutors said.

Saipov later told the jail's disciplinary committee he had told the officer that if he dared to open his cell, in two minutes 'other guys will be picking up your dead body,' and that he wanted to 'cut this animal head off,' prosecutors said.

The government is also seeking permission to introduce other kinds of evidence during Saipov's trial and penalty phase.

It said these include terrorist propaganda materials, photographs from the October 31, 2017 attack, and statements Saipov made in court since his arrest that showed his support for Islamic State and jihad and questioned the court's authority.

One note shows three drawings of the ISIS flag with Arabic text which translates to 'No God but God and Muhammad is his Prophet' and 'Islamic Supplication. It will endure' That is a phrase prosecutors say is 'commonly used to refer to ISIS'.

Investigators work around the wreckage of a Home Depot pickup truck a day after it was used in a terror attack in New York. Saipov, who legally moved to the US from Uzbekistan in 2010, allegedly drove a rented pickup truck down a bike path along Manhattan's Hudson River on October 31, 2017, killing eight people before crashing into a school bus

Other recent MCC inmates have included the late financier and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, and Cesar Sayoc, who mailed pipe bombs to prominent Democrats.

Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who represented adult film actress Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against U.S. President Donald Trump, is housed at MCC awaiting two criminal trials, following his Feb 14 conviction for trying to extort Nike Inc.

Federal public defenders representing Saipov did not immediately respond on Wednesday to requests for comment.

Nicholas Cleves, 23, Darren Drake, 32, Ann-Laure Decadt, 31, and friends Diego Enrique Angelini, Ariel Erlij, Hernan Ferruchi, Hernan Diego Mendoza and Alejandro Damian Pagrucco were all killed in the attack.
In May 2017, the eight Christians were arrested while accompanying 60 children to a summer camp. Lawyers had to appeal to the High Court to reunite children and parents. Activist lawyer: "We must not forget the impact that similar false cases have on families."

New Delhi (AsiaNews) - A Madhya Pradesh court acquitted a group of eight Christians on charges of kidnapping 60 children for the purpose of forcibly converting them to Christianity.

The accused, six men and two women, were freed yesterday by the criminal court in Ratlam.

The lawyers of ADF (Alliance Defending Freedom) India, who defend Christians, recount the explosion of joy in the courtroom at the reading of the sentence. Tehmina Arora, director of the group, says: "Justice has finally been done!".

The case dates back to May 2017, when Christians were stopped by train while accompanying tribal children to a "Bible camp", a summer center in Nagpur. Despite having parental consent, the police separated the children from the adults, then denounced the children for "kidnapping and forced conversions" according to the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act.

The law, considered a "draconian" norm and criticized by the community Christian, punishes anyone who tries to convert by offering money and other fraudulent means with imprisonment of up to three years and a heavy fine. The sentence increases to four years in prison in case of involvement of Dalits or tribals.

At first, lawyers turned to the state high court to reunite the children with their families. Then they got bail release for those arrested after three months in prison. Two and a half years after the start of the investigation, the judges finally ruled in favor of the Christians who have always claimed to be innocent.

According to activists, the courage and faith of Christians against all odds and their trust in the fact that the court eventually did justice is to be commended. These men and women remained full of grace in the face of the misfortune that was directed against them by biased authorities who carried forward a false narrative frequently used to target Christians. "

Their lawyer Arora stresses: "We must not forget the impact that similar false cases have on families. Nobody should be targeted for their faith. Anti-conversion laws are tools to harass and target Christians and should be repealed because they limit the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution of India. "
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Hubballi/Bengaluru: The parents of three Kashmiri students arrested making a pro-azaadi video in their hostel room in Hubballi on Wednesday pleaded that they be shown mercy.

The three students, Ameer, Basit and Talib, are presently in judicial custody at the Hindalaga jail in Belagavi, watched over anxiously by jailers who fear they may be attacked by fellow inmates.

The students made a self-shot video in which they flashed azaadi signals and sang along to a pro-Pakistani song. They were handed over to the police by their colleged, the KLE Institute of Technology, Hubballi. Police have slapped sedition charges on them, and right-wing groups tried to attack them when they were produced in court.

Hindalaga jailer Lokesh T K said that special attention was being paid to the three men as it is a sensitive case. He said outsiders, including parents, will not be allowed to meet them for one week as per procedure.

Their parents who visited Hubballi to meet them said they were shocked that the boys raised pro-Pakistan slogans. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Nazir Khan, father of Basit, said the decision by KLE Institute of Technology to suspend his son has caused a lot of pain to him.

Urging the government to show mercy to the children, he said he does not know who instigated them to raise pro-Pakistan slogans.

Mr Nazir Khan said that he sent his son to Hubballi for studies as he had got a seat in the government quota and won a scholarship too.

The parents of these students are middle class. One is a cloth merchant, another runs a mutton stall and the third is a mason. We are not educated. Our children are talented and they have skills. We were very happy when our boys got seats in the government quota. We sent them this far as we thought they would come up in life, they said in Hubballi, before leaving for the Hindalaga prison.

We were shocked to see sedition charges slapped against our sons. We were pained to see what happened to them outside the court hall. We will take them back to Kashmir and put them to work. We will not let them repeat the mistake. Send them with us, the parents pleaded.

Police have also registered a suo motu case against 15 people for trying to attack the students while they were being taken to court. They have lodged a case under Section 323 of IPC against these people on the charge of voluntarily causing hurt to the arrested youth.

Meanwhile, the management of KLE institute has sent four other Kashmiri students to their native places as a precautionary measure. In all, seven Kashmiri students were studying in the college. The management has taken this move keeping safety of these four students who are studying computer science as there is a chance of an attack on them in their hostel.

In a related development, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association has requested the college authorities and police to drop sedition charges against the students. They said they condemn what the students did but however, the slapping of sedition charges on them was unfair, the association maintained.

Kashmiri students across the country should focus on studies and protect the interests of the university rather than indulge in other activities, they said.

Bengaluru Advocates Association president A.P. Ranganath said the association members are not in the team of advocates who are fighting for the Kashmiri students.
On the 390th birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tributes to the Maratha warrior king, saying his life will continue to motivate millions.

PM Modi posted a picture of himself on his Twitter handle, offering flowers to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue.

"Bowing to one of the greatest sons of Mother India, the embodiment of courage, compassion and good governance, the exceptional Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his Jayanti. His life continues to motivate millions," Modi tweeted.

The Prime Minister added that Shivaji Maharaj's life will continue to motivate many people.

"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj made a mark as a valorous warrior and an outstanding administrator. From building a strong navy to ushering several pro-people policies, he was outstanding in all spheres. He will always be remembered for his opposition to injustice and intimidation," PM Modi wrote.

Chhatrapati Shivaji, was born on February 19, 1630 at Shivneri Fort in Pune.

Earlier today Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also extended his wishes to the citizens on the birth anniversary of Shivaji Maharaj.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
LONDON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a competitive tender process, HH Global has been awarded a multi-year contract by wilko, covering print and related services.

The service went live on 1 September 2019, and covers the provision of outsourced procurement services, supporting wilko marketing activities across their entire 417 store estate. This includes point of sale (POS), promotional tickets and creative services, and is serviced by a team based at wilko's head office.

Robert MacMillan, CEO at HH Global, said: "We're off to a great start in our strategic partnership with wilko. We were involved in a highly positive sales process, with excellent engagement, which allowed us to identify a clear alignment between our two businesses. Since implementation, wilko's collaborative approach has enabled us to deliver immediate impact and successfully embed our services and team into their business. I believe this win is further proof that our proposition increasingly resonates with leading brands and retailers."

Neil Feakins, Marketing Planning & Insight Director at wilko, explained: "When we chose to partner with HH Global, we knew that the implementation would be complex and timelines were tight. Their approach to managing this was one of the reasons we chose them, and I'm pleased to say they delivered on everything they promised. The quality of their team was evident throughout the pitch process and implementation, and now they're embedded on-site with us they're having a real impact on our marketing team's ability to deliver."

As part of the agreement, HH Global will implement an industry-leading technology workflow solution, further helping wilko achieve their strategic objectives and taking the business to the next stage of growth.

The announcement follows other recent new business wins for HH Global in the retail sector, including Co-op and Nisa, ASDA and JD Sports.

About HH Global

Founded in 1991, HH Global is a leading global outsourced marketing execution provider. Applying proven processes, industry-leading technology, and the deep expertise of over 1,300+ employees, we develop innovative solutions that drive down the cost of our clients' physical marketing procurement and content development, while improving quality, sustainability, and speed to market.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/471140/hh_global_Logo.jpg
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will appear for the first time on the presidential debate stage Wednesday night, bringing with him a hands-on education record stemming from three terms as mayorbut also many positions that run counter to those of his opponents in the Democratic primary.

For example, Bloomberg, who helped steer the nations largest school district as mayor, notably has a record of enthusiastically supporting charter schools and policies that incorporate them into school improvement efforts. That may put him at odds with fellow debaters like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer, whove pledged to rein in federal support for charters.

A former Republican who switch his party affiliation back to Democrat in 2018, Bloomberg has pitched himself as a pragmatic, moderate alternative to progressive candidates like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, using his vast personal wealth as a business information and media magnate to finance an unconventional campaign that bypassed the early primary states in favor of a heavy focus on the 14 states that will cast their ballots in the March 3 Super Tuesday contests. He qualified for the debate after a national poll released Tuesday by NPR, PBS NewsHours, and Marist found that 19 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents supported Bloomberg, putting him second behind Sanders, who won support from 31 percent of those respondents.

Education has played a key role in some of the eight previous debates as candidates had sometimes contentious exchanges about school segregation, school shootings, charter schools, and funding for special education. If it comes up again Wednesday night, here are a few key parts of Bloombergs education and policy record to keep an eye on:

New Yorks Schools

The successes and struggles of Big Apple schools can be closely tied to Bloomberg during his tenure as mayor, which spanned from 2002 to 2013. As a candidate, Bloomberg pushed for mayoral control over the school system , giving him much more of a say in day-to-day decisions and strategies. The state legislature granted him that control in 2002, and he made big changes by restructuring the school system.



After building his name in the private sector on sharing and analyzing business information, Bloomberg took a similar approach to city schools. His approach, called Children First, led to new reading and math curriculum, revamped high school adminissions, and A-F grading for all schools.

That focus on accountability may separate him from some other 2020 candidates, whove largely focused on giving more resources to public schools through expanding federal grant programs for special education and low-income students. Bloomberg also addressed funding as mayor, through a weighted formula that provided additional resources to schools with high enrollments of students living in poverty and students with disabilities.

In 2002, Bloomberg appointed Joel Klein, a media CEO and former antitrust leader in the U.S. Department of Justice under President Bill Clinton, to help lead those efforts as city schools chancellor for his first eight years. Bloombergs willingness to tap someone from outside of the education world for that leadership role may contrast with candidates like Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden, whove said they would replace U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos with a current or former public school teacher.

Klein faced criticism from teachers unions, who fought with him over issues like teacher evaluations. In 2015, after Bloomberg was out of office, the American Federation of Teachers made a panicked call to then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clintons campaign to check out a rumor that Klein was serving as an advisor. (It turned out he was not.)

However, Bloombergs tenure, and Kleins work, also won praise from some supporters of his approach to education reform, including Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Discussion of such efforts has been largely absent from the presidential debates so far.

Charter Schools

Under Bloombergs watch, the number of New York City charter schools grew from just 22 in 2003 to nearly 200 in the 2012-13 school year. By the end of his final term, they served 70,000 studentsa little more than 5 percent of the districts students, Education Week reported. Debates over charters during that time included disputes over building sharing agreements with traditional public schools.

In a 2019 speech to the NAACP, Bloomberg reiterated his support for charter schools and said they should be held to high standards:

Some of the top-performing schools in New York City are public charter schools. Charters around the country often receive less money than traditional public schools, but in New York, at least, they often performed at the very highest levels. And that's why we created 173 of them, to go along with the hundreds of non-charter public schools we created. Now that is not to say that charter schools are the end-all and be-all. Some states have done a poor job holding charters accountable for their performance. One of the weakest charter laws is here in Michigan, because conservativesincluding Betsy DeVoshave allowed failing charter schools to continue to operate. And that is wrong and it hurts children, and we should not tolerate it. So I share the NAACP's criticism of these practices, but we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water. In New York, we showed that when charters are granted carefully, and overseen rigorously, the results can be incredibly impressive among millions of kids, giving them the opportunity to succeed in life and pursue their dreams. And that model can work nationally. Unfortunately, however, the political discussion in America around education has shifted from when President Obama was leading it. Today, most Democrats running for president are avoiding talking about President Obama, and they are also avoiding talking about charter schools, or actually opposing them. They want to take options away from our kids, and I don't think we should do that. You can't let them do that."

Bloomberg has not yet released a K-12 education plan, but supporters and critics both expect him to take a softer stance on charters than some of his competitors. And supporters of charter schools plan to protest outside of the Wednesday debate in Las Vegas, as they have at several previous Democratic party events.

Teachers

Bloombergs positions on teacher-related issues led New York Citys union, the United Federation of Teachers, to become one of his fiercest critics.

While he helped raise teacher pay, he also pushed for low-performing teachers to be laid off, and championed merit pay for teachers and principals.

Bloombergs views on teachers resurfaced over the weekend, as critics shared video from a 2011 speech in which the former mayor said that, if he had the ability, he would cut the number of teachers in half, but you would double the compensation of them, and you would weed out all the bad ones and just have good teachers. And double the class size with a better teacher is a good deal for the students.

Bloomberg said: Double the class size, with a better teacher, is a good deal for the students. This is wrong. And dangerous. pic.twitter.com/0AzhdXS0oI  Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) February 14, 2020

After Obama-era debates over teacher evaluation and teacher placement, 2020 candidates have largely shied away from those issues, calling instead for ambitious federal efforts to raise educator pay around the country. Without a K-12 education plan, its unclear how Bloombergs history with teachers, and with unions, will shape his approach in the national race.

Civil Rights

Bloombergs record on civil rights has dominated the conversation as his opponents seek to win approval from black and Latino voters, who play a key role in the next few primary races. And those debates come as many Democratic candidates have sought to draw contrasts with the Trump administrations approach to education civil rights.

Bloomberg has faced the most heat for stop and frisk, a policy under which New York police officers stopped and detained residents in certain neighborhoods, raising concerns about racial profiling and due process violations. At the time, Bloomberg justified the policy as a way to address crime in the city, but he has since apologized. How will his approach to civil rights affect his views on the disproportionately high school discipline rates for black students, the rights of transgender children at school, and other policies under the U.S. Department of Educations control?

School Safety

One of Bloombergs core issues is his call for more expansive gun laws. His organization, Everytown for Gun Safety, and a partner group, Moms Demand Action, have dominated the gun-control debate since the 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.



After two high-profile school shootings in 2018in Parkland, Fla., and Santa Fe, TexasDemocratic candidates have called for measures like expanded background checks and red flag laws to stem gun violence.

But candidates plans have extended beyond gun laws to address school safety more broadly, with calls for more counselors, trauma-informed practices, and resources for student supports. How will Bloomberg address those concerns?

Campaign Contributions

Bloombergs personal and corporate philanthropy and political contributions have given him influence in contentious education policy debates well outside of New York. His donations to school board and legislative candidates around the country have helped advance his vision to education reform.

The New York Times detailed how Bloombergs giving has given him influence in a variety of sectors, including education.

A champion of charter schools, Mr. Bloomberg has used his wealth in numerous ways to sway education policy in Louisiana, the Times reports. As mayor, he began giving relatively small donations, several thousand dollars each, to candidates in Louisiana school board races. But that investment sharply increased after a former New York City deputy schools chancellor, John White, became Louisianas state education chief in 2012.

Mr. Bloomberg has made more than $5 million in political donations in the state, including $3.6 million to Empower Louisiana, an education-focused political committee chaired by a powerful Republican donor, and also backed Mitch Landrieu, the former Democratic mayor of New Orleans. Over the same period, Mr. Bloomberg gave nearly $15 million to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation to promote charter schools, and his foundation gave nearly $3 million to the City of New Orleans. Two former senior aides to Mr. Landrieu are now helping lead Mr. Bloombergs political strategy in the South and his national outreach to African-American voters.

As Education Week as reported, Bloomberg also contributed to campaigns for state laws to restrict teachers collective bargaining power, and to Los Angeles school board candidates who were at odds with the citys teachers union.

Will those candidates and policies, and the debates that have developed since, follow Bloomberg on the campaign trail?

Photo: Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg speaks at a campaign event in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Follow us on Twitter @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Politics K-12 reporters @EvieBlad @Daarel and @AndrewUjifusa .
Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany underscored their long-term commitment to build healthcare capacity and empower women during a high-level meeting held between Merck Foundation CEO, Dr Rasha Kelej and the First Lady of Angola, Ana Dias Lourenco.

"It gave me great honour to meet the First Lady of Angola, Ana Dias Lourenco last week to discuss with them the long-term partnership to empower women and girls in education. I was very inspired by the passion the First Lady has to motivate and empower girls to complete their education and reach their potential. I am looking forward to working closely with her to tailor our program 'Educating Linda' for Angola", explained Dr RashaKelej, CEO of Merck Foundation.

"It is a great initiative by Merck Foundation to empower women by improving their access to information, knowledge and capacity building. We welcome the initiatives for Merck Foundation to our country", shared Ana Dias Lourenco, the First Lady of Angola.

"Moreover, I had a fruitful discussion with the Minister of Health of Angola, Dr Silvia Lutucuta to kickoff partnership between Merck Foundation and Ministry of Health with the aim to provide specialty training in the fields of cancer care, fertility care and diabetes care across Angola", added Ana Dias Lourenco.

"We are excited to partner with Merck Foundation and are happy with their strong commitment and will provide all the required support for the efficient execution of their programs in the country", said Dr Silvia Lutucuta.

D. RashaKelej also visited Agostinho Neto University in Luanda and met Prof Nicolau Santos, Dean, School of Medicine along with his academic staff and Medical Undergraduate and Postgraduates students to explore their challenges and needs to improve access to equitable and quality healthcare solutions in Angola.

"I am happy and excited to announce to them the first online diabetes management master program in the Portuguese Language which is specially developed for African Portuguese speaking countries Angola and Mozambique. Merck Foundation is making history again. I am so proud of our work and impact in Africa", concluded Dr RashaKelej.

Merck Oncology Fellowship Program

Merck Oncology Fellowship Program focuses on building professional cancer care capacity with the aim to increase the limited number of oncologists in Africa and Developing countries. The program provides one-year fellowship program at Tata Memorial Centre - India, one and half-years Oncology Fellowship programs at University of Malaya - Malaysia, two years Oncology Fellowship Program at University of Nairobi - Kenya and two years master's degree in Medical Oncology at Cairo University - Egypt, in partnership with African Ministries of Health, Local Governments, and Academia.

Launched in 2016, over 80 candidates from more than 26 African countries have rolled in the Merck Oncology Fellowship Program. The program will continue to build cancer care capability in African countries such as Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, CAR, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, DRC, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia & Zimbabwe.

'Merck More Than a Mother' campaign

"Merck More Than a Mother" is a strong movement that aims to empower infertile women through access to information, education, and change of mind-sets. This powerful campaign supports governments in defining policies to enhance access to regulated, safe and effective fertility care.

It defines interventions to break the stigma around infertile women and raises awareness about infertility prevention, management, and male infertility. In partnership with African First Ladies, Ministries of Health, information, education & gender, academia, policymakers, International fertility societies, media and art, the initiative also provides training for fertility specialists and embryologists to build and advance fertility care capacity in Africa and developing countries.

"Merck More Than a Mother" has initiated a cultural shift to de-stigmatize infertility on all levels: By improving awareness, training local experts in the fields of fertility care and media, building advocacy in cooperation with African First Ladies and women leaders and by supporting childless women in starting their own small businesses. It's all about giving every woman the respect and the help she deserves to live a fulfilling life, with or without a child.

The Ambassadors of "Merck More Than a Mother" are:

Merck Foundation is making history in many African countries where they never had fertility specialists or specialized fertility clinics before 'Merck More Than a Mother' intervention, to train the first fertility specialists such as; in Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Niger, Chad, Guinea, Ethiopia, and Uganda.

Merck Foundation launched new innovative initiatives to sensitize local communities about infertility prevention, male infertility with the aim to break the stigma of infertility and empowering infertile women as part of Merck more than a Mother Community Awareness Campaign, such as;

- Merck More than a Mother media recognition award and health media training

- Merck More than a Mother fashion award

- Merck More than a Mother film award

- Local songs with local artists to address the cultural perception of infertility and how to change it

- Children storybook, localized for each country

Join the conversation on our social media platforms below and let your voice be heard

Facebook: Merck Foundation

Twitter: @Merckfoundation

YouTube: MerckFoundation

Instagram: Merck Foundation

Flickr: Merck Foundation

Website: www.merck-foundation.com

This story is provided by BusinessWire India. 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.)
Massachusetts Rep. David Nangle, who is accused of stealing campaign funds for personal gain, stepped down from the House Committee on Ethics and his other leadership positions.

The Lowell Democrat, who has served on the House since 1999, sent an email to the House clerk Tuesday at 11:01 a.m. announcing his decision.

Due to recent, unfortunate events I believe it would be in the best interests of the House of Representatives that I step down from my leadership position and committee assignments," Nangle said in the email. "It has been an extreme honor to serve you my colleagues and the citizens of the commonwealth in my position as division floor leader.

Nangle was arrested Tuesday on several federal charges of wire fraud, bank fraud, filing false tax returns and making false statements to a bank. Authorities said he tried to triple-dip, using campaign funds and state reimbursements to cover personal expenses while submitting false information to the Internal Revenue Service.

Authorities said Nangle paid someone to pick up his winnings from a $1,221 jackpot on a slot machine at a Connecticut casino so he wouldnt have to report it to the IRS.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges in Boston federal court. His attorney vowed to fight the allegations.

Nangle spent more than $111,000 in campaign funds at three restaurants where the owners had lent him money, authorities said.

At Lenzis in Lowell, which his cousin owns, Lenzi reported thousands in expenditures for multiple fundraisers and a $694 leadership meeting luncheon from July 17, 2018, according to campaign finance records.

Nangle has served as the state representative for Lowell and parts of Chelmsford since 1999. He had earned a base salary between $60,000 and $62,000 between the years of 2014 and 2018.

He also was compensated for office expenses, mileage, meals and lodging and an additional $30,000 in yearly compensation for his house leadership positions in 2017 and 2018, authorities said.

Nangle also earned roughly $7,500 yearly in 2015 and 2016 for chairing various committees including the Committee on Ethics.

Following Nangles arraignment, House Speaker Robert DeLeo said he found the allegations troubling and a betrayal of public trust.

Representative Nangle has been a friend and colleague for over 20 years. Never once during that time did I have an inkling that he had a gambling problem, much less a gambling problem as extensive as what has been reported today," said DeLeo, a Winthrop Democrat.

DeLeos statement confirmed that the House received a federal grand jury subpoena and that that lawmakers cooperated, but he did not discuss Nangles leadership positions at the time.
William Barr reportedly getting frustrated about the US presidents social media attacks on Justice Department cases.

United States Attorney General William Barr has told people close to him he was considering quitting his post after President Donald Trump ignored his warning about posting on social media about Justice Department cases, an administration official told The Associated Press news agency.

The revelation late on Tuesday came just days after Barr took a public swipe at the president, saying in a television interview that Trumps tweets about Justice Department cases and staffers made it impossible for him to do his job.

The next day, Trump ignored Barrs request and insisted that he had the legal right to intervene in criminal cases and sidestep the Justice Departments historical independence.

The administration official was not authorised to discuss Barrs private remarks and requested anonymity.

It is unclear how seriously Barr had considered resigning, or whether he was instead trying to pressure Trump to not post provocative tweets about the Justice Department.

Barrs spokeswoman said late on Tuesday that the attorney general has no plans to resign.





Barr is one of the presidents closest allies in the administration and has been a staunch defender of Trumps policy decisions.

But considering resigning from his post suggests he sees the Justice Departments reputation as an institution that makes decisions on criminal cases independently, unmoved and unbound by political sway, as more important than his allegiance to the president.

Trump tweeted on Tuesday that he was considering suing those involved in special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation and opined that his confidant Roger Stone deserved a new trial after being convicted of witness tampering and obstruction.

Trump insists on right to speak his mind

Barrs comments about Trumps tweets came during an interview with ABC News just days after his Justice Department overruled its own prosecutors  who had recommended in a court filing that Stone be sentenced to seven to nine years in prison.

The department took the extraordinary step of lowering the amount of prison time it would seek. All four prosecutors from Stones trial quit the case and one left the Justice Department altogether.

The reversal came after Trump blasted the original sentencing recommendation as very horrible and unfair, though officials have insisted the decision to make a new recommendation came before Trumps tweet.

Im happy to say that, in fact, the president has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case, Barr said in the ABC News interview. But he also noted that the public statements of the president make it impossible for him to do his job.





Speaking to reporters earlier on Tuesday, Trump told reporters he understood his tweets were making Barrs job harder, but he showed no signs of relenting.

He said he had total confidence in my attorney general but insisted that everybody has the right to speak their mind.

Barr, serving in his second stint as attorney general, sought to paint himself as an independent leader who would not bow to political pressure.

Democrats have repeatedly accused Barr of acting more like the presidents personal lawyer than the attorney general.

Some Democrats have called for Barr to resign, and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called on the Justice Departments inspector general to open an investigation into Barrs role in the sentencing reversal.

More than 1,100 former Justice Department prosecutors called on Barr to resign in a letter released on Sunday, insisting that Barrs decision to intervene in Stones case tarnished the departments reputation.
Hong Kong hotels face a critical period of life or death in February and March as tourist arrivals plummet during the coronavirus outbreak, an owners group has said in an urgent plea for government aid.

The Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners, which has 86 members running about 200 hotels and employing some 80,000 workers, said on Wednesday that occupancy as a percentage now averaged in the single digits  far worse than experienced during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak of 2003.

Its executive director Michael Li Hon-shing urged Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po to ease the burden on the industry by exempting owners from paying rates and government rent for one year, and offering tax concessions and one-off cash subsidies in his budget next week.

He added that the hospitality sector was at the epicentre of Hong Kongs tourism slump but had been left out of the governments relief measures, worth HK$28 billion (US$3.6 billion), announced recently to deal with the outbreak.

So few rooms are taken up that our members no longer gauge occupancy by percentage, but by room numbers, Li said. Now, many full-time hotel staff are taking no-pay leave. I would not be surprised to see businesses closing down next. February and March will be the critical period for their life and death.

Tourism is one of Hong Kongs four pillar industries, contributing to 4.5 per cent of the citys gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018.

Amid the outbreak, which originated in the mainland Chinese city of Wuhan and causes the disease known as Covid-19, Hong Kong tourist arrival figures slowed to a daily average of 3,000 in the middle of February, from a daily average of 100,000 last month and 200,000 in February last year.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board said on Tuesday that the situation was worse than during the peak of the Sars outbreak in May 2003 when 10,000 people were visiting Hong Kong on average each day and occupancy remained in double digits.

Story continues

In the middle of February, only 20 per cent of tourist beds were taken up, with a 25 per cent cut in flights and the cancellation of 38 cruise tours in the city, it added.

A total of 47 jurisdictions have issued travel advisories against visiting mainland China, while 28 included Hong Kong as well.

A deserted stretch at the Big Buddha in Ngong Ping, Lantau Island. Photo: Nora Tam

Most of the checkpoints have been closed since late January. We do not know when the outbreak will stop, Li said, adding that news of hotel closures would follow.

The federation includes members of global hoteliers such as Hyatt, J.W. Marriott, Shangri-La, Regal, Mandarin Oriental, Ritz-Carlton and Peninsula.

Since the outbreak worsened during the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, many airlines have suspended or reduced flights to Hong Kong while the government eventually shut down all but three of its border checkpoints with the mainland. Only the airport, the Shenzhen Bay Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge are still operating.

Tourism and hospitality stakeholders were particularly hard hit by a free fall in the number of visitors, as 78 per cent of the citys total arrivals came from mainland China.

So few rooms are taken up that our members no longer gauge occupancy by percentage, but by room numbers

Michael Li, Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners

Li said the outbreak added to the tourism downturn since June last year caused by anti-government protests. Hotel room rates and occupancy were battered in December and dropped more than 40 per cent year on year, while revenue per available room, a benchmark for hotels profitability, plunged nearly 60 per cent, he said.

At the five-star InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong in Tsim Sha Tsui, a Post reporter only counted 10 people, some of them Cantonese-speaking, walking past the lobby in 20 minutes on Wednesday afternoon.

One cleaner with the hotel said there were noticeably fewer guests compared with normal business days.

There is nothing we can do. Fewer people are coming as the border is [partially] closed, she said.

Accountant Victoria Rojaskaya, 52, was on a two-day business trip in Hong Kong from Russia and paid just HK$400 for a two-night stay at a hotel room in Yau Ma Tei.

She said booking the accommodation online was cheap.

I am not worried about catching the coronavirus in Hong Kong, she said, while strolling along popular tourist attraction Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Meanwhile, the tourism association called on the government to help the citys coach operators, as passenger figures dropped to almost zero.

The whole industry faces survival problems immediately, it said.

The sector employs 15,000 workers and operates 7,100 coaches. Some had capital funding issues and could shut down at any time, it said.

It called on officials to provide a cash allowance to firms, offering at least HK$150,000 for each coach they operate to maintain cash flow.

More from South China Morning Post:

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Metro-North New Haven Line Service is now running on or close to schedule.

For late morning to early Wednesday afternoon, Metro-North had delays of up to 45 minutes due to issues closing the bridge after an opening near Harlem 125th Street.
This scanning electron microscope image shows the virus that causes COVID-19 isolated from a patient in the United States, emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab. (NIAID-RML/CC BY 2.0)

US Teams Up With French Drugmaker on COVID-19 Vaccine

The Trump administration is teaming up with French pharmaceutical company Sanofi in a race to develop a vaccine for the new coronavirus disease COVID-19.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Tuesday it would provide expertise and reallocated funds to support the vaccines development. Sanofi will partner up with the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authorityknown as BARDAto develop a treatment using its recombinant DNA platform.

The French drugmakers technology will produce an exact genetic match to proteins of COVID-19, which will then combine with DNA from a virus harmless to humans, according to HHS. The antigens produced from this process will then stimulate the immune system to protect against the disease. The antigens will be collected and purified to be used in the vaccines development.

Using this proven technology, we can pivot immediately to address this new global health threat. Our goal is a licensed vaccine to provide long-term health security against this latest virus and prevent future coronavirus outbreaks, Rick Bright, the director of BARDA, said in a statement.

Sanofi was involved in the development of a vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which was responsible for a 2002-2003 epidemic. The company did not specify when a vaccine could be available.

The development comes as leading experts last week warned that the United States could see thousands of cases of the new coronavirus and a significant surge in the spread of the virus in the coming weeks.

Asha George, executive director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Feb. 12 that the United States should be preparing ahead for cases of coronavirus in the thousands, warning of a large-scale outbreak nationwide.

I dont think we should be planning for the onesie-twosie cases that weve been seeing thus far in the United States, George said. We have to plan for the possibility that we have thousands of cases.

There has been no sign of sustained human-to-human transmission among known cases of the virus in the United States so far.

A former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Julie Gerberding, added that the United States must work to slow down the spread of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson also said its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies will team up with BARDA to develop therapeutics for the new coronavirus.

This is the third coronavirus to emerge and cause severe respiratory disease in humans within 18 years, and there are still no proven therapies to treat this disease, Bright said in a statement. In partnering with Janssen, BARDA is breaking this barrier to protect against this, as well as the next, coronavirus outbreak. This partnership may accelerate discovery and development of a new potentially lifesaving medicines for people with coronavirus infections.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a news conference last week that the world must wake up and consider this enemy virus as public enemy number one, adding that the first vaccine was most likely 18 months away.
In this Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, photo, a nurse prepares medicines for patients at Jinyintan Hospital designated for new coronavirus infected patients, in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province. China reported thousands new virus cases and more deaths in its update Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020 on a disease outbreak that has caused milder illness in most people, an assessment that promoted guarded optimism from global health authorities. (Chinatopix via AP) Read more

Some good news on the coronavirus front: So far, it has not killed any children under age 10.

Yet scientists are not sure why.

Chinese health officials provided details this week on 44,672 patients whose illnesses had been confirmed with laboratory testing as of Feb. 11, including 1,023 deaths. Just one of the people who died was under age 20  a slightly different picture from what is usually seen with a far more common respiratory illness, the flu.

The flu can occasionally cause severe complications in the young, and in the United States, it kills 200 or so children under age 18 every year, such as a Marple Township second grader who died this month.

The impact of the coronavirus is a reminder that the immune system is a complex, many-layered series of defenses, and the biochemistry of why it may be more effective in different phases of life  and against different diseases  is not fully understood.

The reasons why very young children can be hit hard by the flu make sense. Their immune systems have not fully matured, and they do not have prior exposure to most strains of the flu, said Andrew Pavia, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Utah. That is why vaccination is recommended.

On the other hand, most young children do not develop severe complications from the measles and chickenpox, whereas those illnesses can be disastrous in adults, Pavia said. (Vaccination is recommended for those illnesses, too, but no vaccine is 100% effective.)

This is where we really dont have great answers, Pavia said.

One theory is that when faced with certain unfamiliar viruses, children can fight them off because they have a robust layer of defense called the innate immune system. This consists of white blood cells called macrophages, which can detect and gobble up foreign particles in the bloodstream regardless of their identity.

 READ MORE: How the coronavirus 'jumped' to humans is a story as old as evolution

Adults have innate immune systems as well. But against some viruses, they may rely more on the adaptive immune system: targeted, infection-fighting cells that have learned to attack specific kinds of viruses after being exposed to them in the past.

That is how vaccines work. The shots contain a dead or inactivated form of the virus in question, or even a fragment of it, enabling the immune system to form a cellular memory should the person ever be exposed to the real thing.

Yet in response to some viruses, the adult immune system can overreact, unleashing a storm of harmful, inflammatory chemicals, said Akiko Iwasaki, a professor of immunobiology at the Yale School of Medicine.

Older people have an added deficit: The various layers of their immune systems start to become less effective. Many also have underlying conditions, such as heart disease. And increasingly, the bodies of older people suffer from chronic, low levels of age-related inflammation, nicknamed inflammaging.

So when older people become infected with a virus, the combination of even more inflammation and a weaker immune system can be deadly, Iwasaki said.

You have this perfect storm of not having the right antiviral defenses and having elevated inflammaging, Iwasaki said.

Every year, most flu-related deaths in the U.S. occur in older people. The same pattern appears so far with the new coronavirus, according to the summary of 44,672 confirmed cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Among 1,408 patients who were at least 80 years old, 208 died, for a mortality rate of 14.8%  higher than any other age group.

The mortality rate for those ages 70 to 79 was 8%, and the rate for patients in their 60s was 3.6%.

The overall mortality rate for the 44,672 patients was 2.3%, but Iwasaki and Pavia cautioned that the true percentage is almost certainly lower. Many infected patients with milder symptoms have not had their illnesses confirmed with laboratory samples  pushing down the apparent number of those affected, and making the death rate look higher than it is.

The rate of deaths has been dropping steadily since the virus first struck in December. Among 757 confirmed cases through Jan. 10, 117 died, for a mortality rate of 15.4%.

But among 12,030 confirmed cases identified from Feb. 1-11, just 102 died  a mortality rate below 1%.

That decline could be due to a more complete accounting of cases, or perhaps the virus has shifted in some way. And as with any invader that challenges the human immune system, some of the details may remain a mystery.
An Ohio judge has defended a ruling after a woman's domestic violence case was dismissed just one week before her estranged husband murdered her.

Gaberien "Gabe" Clevenger, 22, of Mansfield, Ohio, was stabbed to death by her husband, Alec Blair, 21. He later confessed to the crime.

Her killing came less than one week after she attended a hearing about wanting a protective court order against her husband. It was denied because she "failed to testify to any acts of domestic violence" despite giving evidence that her former partner had repeatedly threatened her.

Judge Heather Cockley of Richland County Domestic Relations Court defended the magistrate who made the decision, adding "The magistrate who heard this case has cried many tears for the victim and her family. She has also been unmercifully and unfairly attacked and blamed on social media", the Mansfield News Journal reported.

Ms Clevenger's body was found on 11 February dumped in a wooded area after her husband led law enforcement to the location.

On that same day, Mr Blair was arrested and charged with murder in connection to his wife's death. He remains in Richland County Jail on $1m bond.

Ms Clevenger first filed for a protective order against her husband on 22 January and attended the hearing by herself. A hearing was then scheduled on the 5 February with both parties present for the woman to present her case in front of magistrate Sharon May.

Evidence provided by Ms Clevenger included instances of her husband allegedly harassing her over the phone, showing up to her home and breaking her things, and sending her Facebook messages saying he "hopes she dies".

According to audio from the 22 January hearing, the woman called law enforcement one evening after her husband came to her home and started breaking items.

"Petitioner testified that respondent has been showing aggression as if he actually wants to hit her. The magistrate asked for clarification," Ms Cockley said. "Petitioner testified that, as an example on the same occasion that respondent was breaking her things, and as she reported to the police, she was in the bathroom trying to get out. Respondent would not let her out. He was pinning her in the bathroom, screaming in her face, calling her names, and would not let her move. Petitioner called law enforcement. Respondent got mad, 'freaked out,' cussed at her, slammed the door and left."

Story continues

At the full hearing Mr Blair confessed to having problems controlling his anger and admitted to sending aggressive Facebook messages.

"The facts set forth at the full hearing indicate that respondent [Mr Blair] gets angry. Respondent's getting angry does not constitute domestic violence. Respondent's smashing his wife's table and lamp, with no evidence that he was threatening petitioner at the time, is at best financial misconduct and at worst criminal damaging of property," Ms Cockley said.

"Harassing Facebook messages do not constitute domestic violence. While I will discuss the Facebook messages further, petitioner herself characterized them as harassing, calling her names and saying hurtful things. She at no point characterizes them as threatening."

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(CNN) Kyoto is usually packed with tourists from all over the world.

But as the coronavirus outbreak keeps visitors away from the historic streets of Japan's former capital, a group of shopkeepers has launched an "empty tourism" campaign to lure them back.

Merchants from five shopping streets in Kyoto's Arashiyama neighborhood -- a popular tourist district on the western outskirts of the city that's filled with temples and shrines -- have devised an advertising campaign dubbed "suitemasu Arashiyama," which translates to "empty Arashiyama" or "there are few people around in Arashiyama."

The posters created for the campaign showcase how any would-be travelers could have the district's most-visited spots all to themselves.

It does so by showing images of four popular tourist sites in Arashiyama with a tongue-in-cheek message for each one.

One poster shows a monkey with the caption: "It's been a while since there were more monkeys than humans." Underneath, there's a photo of Togetsukyo Bridge -- normally crowded with Instagrammers -- with no tourists about.

Another depicts Arayshiyama's beautiful bamboo grove accompanied with several hashtags, including "#nopeople" and "#nowisthetime."

Arashiyama has enjoyed many busy traveler-filled winters over the past few years.

However, due to the effects of the coronavirus outbreak, locals report that the neighborhood has had fewer visitors so far in 2020 than in 2019.

As a consequence, the district's tourism website states that shopkeepers are at the ready to welcome visitors "with even more hospitality than usual."

"Recently our region sustained a lot of disasters, like typhoons, flood [and] the coronavirus. We have to keep our chins up," Shuichi Kato, a community spokesman dedicated to promoting tourism in Arashiyama, told CNN Travel.

Falling tourist numbers

Kyoto, which has 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites, usually receives thousands of foreign tourists daily.

Often, tourism headlines from Kyoto have focused on bad behavior -- for example, the historic Gion neighborhood cracked down on photography last year in response to ongoing issues with tourists chasing geishas and trying to take pictures of them without permission.

But this year, amid fears over the coronavirus outbreak, Japan's popular destinations have seen a slump in tourist numbers.

It isn't only Japan that has been affected -- destinations throughout Asia have reported dwindling tourist populations in the double digit percentages since the outbreak began.

In January, China announced a ban on outbound group travel as part of its battle to stop the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed 1,873 people and infected more than 73,000 people around the world.

That particularly affected Japan, which had approximately 9.6 million visitors from China in 2019 -- a third of foreign tourist expenditure in the country.

Speculation is growing around the ramifications the travel ban will have on Japan's tourism industry and economy.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Kyoto launches 'empty tourism' campaign amid coronavirus outbreak."
Missing 6-Year-Old Faye Swetlik Was Killed by Neighbor Who Then Killed Self, Police Say

A 6-year-old girl who disappeared from her front yard after school was killed by a neighbor who then killed himself, authorities said on Feb. 18.

Faye Marie Swetlik died of asphyxiation just hours after she was abducted, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher told reporters Tuesday, refusing to say if she was strangled or suffocated.

Fayes body was found nearly three days later in woods near her home and had been put there just hours earlier, Fisher said.

Between that time, investigators had spoken with the suspect. Coty Scott Taylor let them search his home a few doors down from the girl. They saw nothing to suggest the girl was ever there, Cayce Public Safety Director Byron Snellgrove said.

6-year-old Faye Marie Swetlik. (Cayce Department of Public Safety)

Reporters asked Snellgrove if investigators knew where the girl was. We do not know at this time, Snellgrove said.

Shortly after the girls body was found, authorities said, they were called to Taylors home where he was found dead on his back porch, covered in blood.

Taylor, 30, slit his own throat, Fisher said in a statement released after Tuesdays news conference, in which the coroner only wanted to talk in front of cameras about the girl.

A Cayce police officer approaches a vehicle at a road block near an entrance to the Churchill Heights neighborhood in Cayce, S.C., on Feb. 13, 2020. (Sean Rayford/AP Photo)

Fisher also refused to release any details about the condition of the girls body or disclose any other way she might have been injured out of respect for her family.

Snellgrove also didnt talk about why Taylor, with no criminal record, would have kidnapped the girl. He said last week that Taylor did not know the girl or her family.

DNA was tested and did connect and link the residence, the deceased male and Faye to that location, Snellgrove said.

The girl was last seen alive playing in her Cayce front yard after getting off the school bus on Feb. 10. More than 200 officers searched over three days for her, knocking on every door in her neighborhood and checking every vehicle going in and out.

A police officer blocks a road near an entrance to the Churchill Heights neighborhood on Feb. 13, 2020, in Cayce, S.C., where 6-year-old Faye Marie Swetlik recently went missing just after getting off a school bus. (Sean Rayford/AP Photo)

They knocked on Taylors door, too, the day before he killed himself, Snellgrove said.

He was cooperative and gave consent to agents to look through the house. Those agents did not see anything that alerted them to believe he had knowledge or was in any way involved in Fayes disappearance at that time, Snellgrove said.

The clue that cracked the case came from a trash can. Investigators followed a trash truck going around the neighborhood Thursday and sifted through every can as it was emptied. Inside Taylors can, Snellgrove said, they found a rain boot matching one Faye was wearing and a ladle full of dirt.

Snellgrove said he ordered a search near the area and personally found the girls body which was moved in shadow of the night.

Taylor had a roommate who was not home much while the girl was missing, said Snellgrove, adding the roommate appeared to know nothing about the abduction.

It appears (Taylor) is the sole perpetrator of the crime, Snellgrove said of Taylor.

The girls disappearance shocked Cayce, a town of about 13,000 just west of Columbia, the state capital. Several prayer vigils were held while she was missing and after her body was found.

6-year-old Faye Marie Swetlik (R). (Cayce Department of Public Safety)

More than 100 people came out in pouring rain for a candlelight vigil Tuesday evening at Cayce City Hall. Many wiped away tears as Snellgrove lit the first candle and city council members passed the flame around.

Snellgrove appeared to choke up while announcing the girls death just hours after finding her body.

This was not just an investigation or a case to us. Faye Swetlik quickly grabbed all of our hearts, Snellgrove said Tuesday.

The girl had started school at Springdale Elementary in August and made an immediate impact, bringing sunshine as she bounded into school for breakfast and finding a bunch of friends, Principal Hope Vrana said at the vigil.

Everyone quickly grew to love her smile, her joyful spirit, and her very kind heart, Vrana added.

A public memorial for Faye will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at Trinity Baptist Church in Cayce.

Fisher said her heart broke for the girls family, who lost a child as she simply played in her front yard.

You and Faye will remain in my heart forever, the coroner said.

By Jeffrey Collins
Almost half of South Korea's coronavirus patients are linked to a 61-year-old woman who is a member of the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus

South Korea reported its first death from the novel coronavirus Thursday as a new cluster of infections emerged at a hospital and the country's total number of cases nearly doubled to more than 100.

The man who died was in his 60s and a long-term patient among 15 people found to be infected at a hospital in Cheongdo county, 320 kilometres (200 miles) south of Seoul, the Korean Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement.

Two patients who Yonhap news agency said were in the psychiatric ward tested positive for the virus on Wednesday, prompting authorities to begin testing all patients and staff.

The man who died Wednesday had shown symptoms of pneumonia, and his status was only established posthumously.

KCDC on Thursday announced a total of 51 new confirmed cases, taking the nationwide total to 104.

More than 40 were in a cluster in Daegunear Cheongdoand centred on the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, an entity often accused of being a cult.

Shincheonji claims its founder, Lee Man-hee, has donned the mantle of Jesus Christ and will take 144,000 people with him to heaven on the day of judgement.

A 61-year-old woman member developed a fever on February 10, but attended at least four church services before being diagnosed.

Local media said she had twice refused to be tested for the coronavirus on the grounds she had not recently travelled abroad.

So far at least 47 other members of the sect have been confirmed as infected, and KCDC said the original patient had visited Cheongdo earlier this month, not ruling out the possibility she may have been the source of infections there as well.

An epidemiological survey was underway to examine "the possibility of a link" between her and the hospital infections, said KCDC director Jung Eun-kyeong.

"Those who visited the Cheongdo hospital this month should try to avoid outside activity," she added.

Access restricted

The mayor of DaeguSouth Korea's fourth-biggest city, with a population of over 2.5 millionadvised residents to stay indoors, and commanders at a major US base in the area restricted access.

A total of 64 cases have been confirmed in the city and neighbouring North Gyeongsang province, and Daegu mayor Kwon Young-jin urged residents: "Starting from today, please refrain from leaving your house as much as possible."

The mayor's request is not binding, but one online poster who said they were in the city tweeted: "I can't go out because of Shincheonji and it's driving me crazy.

"Convenience stores and elderly community centres are closed, it takes twice as long for food delivery. It's really making me insane."

Daegu's municipal government said 1,001 Shincheonji members believed to have attended services with the infected woman have been asked to self-quarantine.

The US Army garrison in the citywhere around 10,000 soldiers, civilians and family members live or workrestricted access and instructed any American troops who had recently attended Shincheonji services to self-quarantine.

"Travel in and around Daegu is highly discouraged unless absolutely necessary," the garrison said Thursday in a Facebook post.

"Please avoid public places and public transportation, to include stores, restaurants, subways and other heavily congested areas."

Shincheonji closed down all its facilities nationwide.

"We are deeply sorry that because of one of our members, who thought of her condition as a cold because she had not travelled abroad, led to many in our church being infected and thereby caused concern to the local community," it said in a statement.

Explore further Traveller from Thailand confirmed as S.Korea's new virus case

 2020 AFP
[February 19, 2020] SAIS Limited Announces Application for Voluntary Delisting from TSX Venture Exchange

TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2020 /CNW/ -- SAIS Limited (the "Company") (TSXV: SAIS) announced today that it has filed an application with the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") to voluntarily delist its ordinary shares (the "Ordinary Shares") from the TSXV. Once the delisting of the Ordinary Shares has taken place, it will no longer be possible to effect transactions involving the Ordinary Shares on the TSXV, which will impact the liquidity of the Ordinary Shares. Upon receipt of TSXV and shareholder approval, the TSXV will issue a bulletin confirming the effective time of the delisting of the Ordinary Shares. Following the delisting, the Company intends to make an application to the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities to cease to be a reporting issuer in each Canadian jurisdiction in which it is a reporting issuer. The delisting of the Ordinary Shares is subject to the Company receiving approval from the TSXV and majority of minority shareholder approval. The Company expects to obtain such approval by way of written consent from the requisite number of shareholders. About SAIS Limited Singapore-based SAIS Limited (TSXV: SAIS) is a global provider of advanced technology solutions, business intelligence and supporting services. We connect businesses with their customers through end-to-end intellient solutions. A leader in the development of mobile commerce platforms, we are focused to create technology aimed at providing unique digital experiences to foster ground-breaking client-customer relationships. To learn more about our group, visit our website: sais-group.com



Cautionary Notes Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including, without limitation, those regarding the completion of the delisting of the Ordinary Shares, the application to cease to be a reporting issuer, the Company's future financial position and results of operations, strategy, plans, objectives, goals and targets, and any statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words "believe", "expect", "aim", "intend", "plan", "continue", "will", "may", "would", "anticipate", "estimate", "forecast", "predict", "project", "seek", "should" or similar expressions or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking statements.

Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially are set out under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's final long form prospectus dated July 26, 2018 and the Company's management information circular dated July 29, 2019, copies of which are available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Management provides forward-looking statements because it believes they provide useful information to investors when considering their investment objectives and cautions investors not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained or referenced herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law. 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. SOURCE SAIS Limited

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UP BJP MLA Ravindra Nath Tripathi among 7 booked in rape case

India

oi-PTI

Bhadohi, Feb 19: An FIR was lodged against local BJP MLA Ravindra Nath Tripathi and six others here on Wednesday for allegedly raping a woman repeatedly for a month in 2017, police said.

The 40-year-old woman, who is a widow, had lodged a complaint on February 10, they said.

The woman alleged that she was first raped by Tripathi's nephew Sandeep Tiwari, who has also been named in the FIR, in 2016. She said she did not lodge a complaint back then as Tiwari had promised to marry her, Superintendent of Police (SP) Ram Badan Singh said.

She has alleged that in the run-up to the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, she was kept at a hotel for a month by Tiwari. All the seven accused would visit the hotel and repeatedly rape her, the officer said.

She also claimed that she got pregnant and was forced to undergo abortion, he added.

A probe in this regard was handed over to Assistant Superintendent of Police Ravindra Verma. On the basis of his report, an FIR was registered against the seven men at the city police station, the SP said.

Congress issues show cause notice to UP MLA Aditi Singh who may switch over to BJP

Singh said the woman's statement will be recorded before a magistrate and further action will be taken in the matter as per law.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 20:13 [IST]
BUSINESS OF INDIE: Snafu Records $2.9M US Move  Vinyl Alliance  Inside Oh Boy  More

This latest edition of the Business Of Indie includes Snafu Records move into the US with $2.9 million in funding, an update from the Vinyl Alliance, a look inside the reinvention of venerable indie label Oh Boy! and much more.

Like Hypebots More News section, The Business Of Indie is nestled under its own Indie tab and features a regularly updated compendium of indie news from hundreds of global sources.

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One argument that has recently been raised against Senator Mitt Romneys vote to convict President Donald J. Trump on the the first article of impeachment runs as follows:

A majority of Utahns  perhaps in the low to mid-50% range  favored the acquittal of President Trump. Congressional representatives should follow the wishes of those they represent. Mitt Romney failed to comply with (2). Therefore, Mitt Romney failed in his responsibility as a senator.

And surely its true that congressional representatives are sent, precisely, to represent their constituents in Washington DC.

But with what degree of exactness are they supposed to reflect the specific views of those who elected them?

If they are intended to mirror the views of their constituents exactly, if they are supposed to be mere barometers of popular sentiment, then it seems that the Senate and the House of Representative have become redundant. After all, we have the technological capacity today  think of American Idol  to conduct virtually instant direct plebiscites by electronic means. Every day, every registered voter could simply cast a ballot via cell phone  yes or no  on such matters as

H.R. 504: DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act

To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of Homeland Security to develop an engagement strategy with fusion centers, and for other purposes.

The results would then be tabulated in the United States Capitol, the now-vacant House and Senate chambers having been converted into massive computer data centers. It would be easy to know, on any given day, that, say, 51.7% of the voters of Utah support

S. 2107: Protecting Americas Food and Agriculture Act of 2019

A bill to increase the number of CBP Agriculture Specialists and support staff in the Office of Field Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and for other purposes.

Obviously, the Founding Fathers intended nothing like this. If they had, there would really be little point in Senate and House hearings to which ordinary citizens seldom if ever pay attention. Why should representatives or senators be better informed than Joe Public and Jane Citizen if their assignment is merely to cast the vote that 50.0000001% of all Janes and Joes prefer? The Senate is sometimes referred to, whether accurately or not, as the worlds greatest deliberative body. But whats the point of such deliberations, if they dont involve every constituent? If senators are merely to mechanically reproduce the sentiments of the electorate?

In fact, the House of Representatives was designed to reflect the popular will fairly closely. Thats why members of the House are, effectively, subject to recall every two years. Even so, members engage in hearings and debates and negotiations. They dont simply poll their districts and vote accordingly.

The Senate, by contrast, was deliberately constructed by the Framers of the Constitution to be relatively unresponsive to the popular will. Senators face elections only every six years. Thats the longest electoral gap in American politics. And  this is extremely significant  although, following the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, they are now elected by popular vote, from 1789 to 1913 senators were chosen by the legislatures of the states they represented. This was a deliberately undemocratic move by the Framers.

It seems obvious to me that, in our constitutional republic, our representatives are chosen for their character, judgment, and general political philosophy. They are not intended to be merely mechanical devices for registering the views of those who voted for them. Elections every two to six years are intended to constrain them, but not to micromanage them.

Whether one agrees with Mitt Romneys vote or not  that has never really been my issue in these posts  he was within the scope and obligations of his duty as a member of the United States Senate to follow his personal best judgment in casting it.
Keeping with tradition on Mahashivaratri, the meteorological department in Jammu and Kashmir has forecast snowfall and rains on the night of the annual festival.

Mahashivaratri or Herath as it is known locally, which falls on the intervening night of February 20-21, is a festival celebrated annually to honour Lord Shiva and also marks the day of the marriage between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

In a weather bulletin issued on Wednesday, the meteorological department's director Sonam Lotus said, "Friends, greetings to all on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri 2020. The day is unique, special and auspicious from the weather point of view."



"Almost every year, Jammu and Kashmir experiences light to moderate rains and snowfall on this day. This year as well, we will be blessed with light to moderate rain in the plains and snowfall over the higher reaches of J&K and Kargil districts of Ladakh during the next 24 to 36 hours on this auspicious day of Maha Shivratri (February 20-21)," the director added.

On Wednesday, light rain and snow will commence in the evening at some places of the Union Territory and gradually increase in intensity and cover more area peaking on Thursday decreasing gradually thereafter, he said.

Some places in the plains of Jammu region may experience thunderstorms on Thursday, the official added.

The rains may lead to landslides in Banihal-Ramban axis leading to temporary disruptions of surface transportation, Lotus said.

Known as Herath in Kashmir, Mahashivaratri is held on the 13th night (waning moon) and 14th day of the month of Phalguna. In the Gregorian calendar, the day falls in either February or March and marks Mahashivaratri which means "the Great Night of Shiva".

In Kashmir Shaivism, Mahashivaratri is celebrated by the Hindus of Kashmir and is known as Herath in Kashmiri, a word derived from the Sanskrit word "Hararatri" or the "Night of Hara" (another name of Shiva).

Prayers held on the day after nightlong Mahashivaratri are called 'salaam'.

A legend connected with snowfall on Mahashivaratri goes back to the rule of Afghans in the 18th century. It continues till date as a tradition of mocking the last Afghan governor Jabbar Khan, who ruled Kashmir in the 18th century.

According to history, the word 'salaam' got incorporated in Kashmiri Pandits' tradition when Jabbar Khan forced them to celebrate 'Mahashivaratri' in July.

It is said that Jabbar Khan told people that he wanted to see whether it would snow if the festival is celebrated in the summer.

It snowed that day surprising people who later came to pay obeisance to the Vatak Razae (Lord Shiva) and offer their 'salaam'.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BUENOS AIRES / ARGENTINA / February 19, 2020 / Central Puerto S.A ("Central Puerto" or the "Company") (NYSE:CEPU) one of the largest private sector power generation companies in Argentina, as measured by generated power, will issue a press release announcing its 2019 results on March 10, 2020. Mr. Jorge Rauber, Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Fernando Bonnet, Chief Financial Officer, will host a conference call to discuss the Company's financial results on March 11, 2020 at 12:00 ET.

To access the conference call, please dial:

United States Participants (Toll Free): +1-888-317-6003

Argentina Participants (Toll Free): 0-800-555-0645

International Participants: +1-412-317-6061

Passcode: 0188551

The Company will also host a live audio webcast of the conference call on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.centralpuerto.com. Please allow extra time prior to the call to visit the website and download any streaming media software that might be required to listen to the webcast. The call will be available for replay until March 10, 2021 at +1-412-317-0088 with access code # 10139645 and on the Company website under the Investor Relations section.

For further information please contact:

Tomas A. Daghlian

Investor Relations Officer

inversores@centralpuerto.com

+54 11 4317-5000 ext. 2192

Av. Tomas Alva Edison 2701

Darsena E - Puerto de Buenos Aires

(C1104BAB) Ciudad de Buenos Aires

Republica Argentina

SOURCE: Central Puerto S.A.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/577054/Central-Puerto-Announces-Reporting-Date-for-the-2019-Financial-Results-Conference-Call-and-Webcast
The CBI has arrested an absconding convict in the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy case from Nagpur in Maharashtra, the agency said on Wednesday.

S I Qureshi, an employee of Union Carbide who was convicted in the case by a Bhopal court in 2010, was nabbed on Tuesday and would soon be produced before a court, an agency spokesperson said.

"Aggrieved with the impugned order of the court, the convicted persons filed appeals in the sessions court, Bhopal. The CBI also filed an appeal against the order of CJM and requested for enhancement of sentence. The case presently is at argument on appeals stage," he said.

Qureshi absconded in 2016 while the appeal was still pending.

This led to the issuance of a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against him by a court which was first given to the Madhya Pradesh Police for execution, the spokesperson said.

However, the state police could not execute it and hence, the CBI was requested to execute the NBW, he said.

The CBI probed the 1984 tragedy after the Madhya Pradesh government sought its probe in the case.

On June 7, 2010, a Bhopal court had sent seven executives of the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) to two years' imprisonment in connection with the incident.

Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) chairman Warren Anderson was the prime accused in the case, but did not appear for the trial.

On February 1, 1992, the Bhopal CJM court declared him an absconder.

Anderson died in September 2014.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Geneva (Switzerland), Feb 19, 2020 (SPS) - The World March of Women reaffirmed, on the occasion of commemorating the day of solidarity with Saharawi women, which is celebrated on February 18 of each year, its support for Saharawi women on their annual solidarity day.

The World March of Women urged the international community to intervene immediately to free the political prisoner, Mahfouda Bamba Lafkir, illegally detained by the occupation authorities in El Aaiun prison occupied in serious conditions.

The commission renewed its communication, reminding the United Nations that they apply international law and that they work to guarantee the right of peoples to self-determination, especially the right of the Saharawi people, and to end the looting of natural resources in Sahara Western.

The International Commission of Women also commended the perseverance and persistence of Saharawi women in refugee camps, liberated territories and occupied cities for more than four decades, despite difficult circumstances and systematic violence against women in the parties Subject to the Moroccan military occupation.

In conclusion, the World March of Women emphasized the continuation of its efforts to support Saharawi women until independence, and their strong condemnation of unjustified silence towards the suffering of the Saharawis and their just cause. SPS

125/090/tra
Also Announces Management Changes

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - Para Resources Inc. (TSXV: PBR) (WKN: A14YF1) (OTC: PRSRF) (the "Company" or "Para") announces that the focus will be on the Company's Colombia assets and other opportunities in South America. As such, the Company announces that Mr. Javier Cordova has been appointed by the Board of Directors to serve as the President & CEO of the Company. C. Geoffrey Hampson has resigned as the Chief Executive Officer, Ian Harris has resigned as the President and as a Director and Randy Martin has resigned as Chief Operating Officer of the Company. Mr. Hampson will remain the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Cordova has been active with the Company as a consultant since early 2018. Previously, Mr. Cordova was the first Minister of Mining of Ecuador, serving from 2015 until 2018. Under his administration, the development of the Ecuadorian mining industry had been significant, positioning the country as the new mining frontier in the region. Prior to being Minister of Mining, Mr. Cordova held prominent positions as the Vice Minister of Mining and Vice Minister of the Interior.

Mr. Hampson states, "In the light of repositioning PARA Resources as a company focused solely on Latin America, the Board determined it was appropriate to have a South American-led management team with a regional point of view and strategy. Mr. Cordova has a lot of experience in the industry, in particular in South America dealing with ESG issues, governments and local communities. Mr. Cordova will be managing the proven management teams of Operadora along with Para's existing assets to continue to build on the goodwill we have built in the region and to focus our strategic growth in Colombia and elsewhere in South America."

Mr. Cordova states, "I look forward to leveraging the work that Para has done to rehabilitate the El Limon mill and acquire a significant holding of mineral rights in the surrounding region. Para has been working with local miners and the government to formalize current mining activities, which provides an environmentally friendly solution to traditional activities and has created economic benefits for all parties involved. This cooperation with the local communities and all levels of government unlocks the potential for modern exploration in a block of concessions in one of the most prolific gold areas in the world. The combination of these claim blocks, the excellent relationship with local communities, the acquisition of Operadora, an operating and profitable mine and mill with proven management, production and exploration teams, positions Para's Colombian assets on a highly prospective trajectory.

I look forward to being part of the next step in leveraging the potential of these assets".

The resignations and appointment will take effect immediately.

The Company continues to negotiate the definitive agreements on the Operadora acquisition and expects the transaction to close, subject to key conditions, including TSXV approval and others on schedule.

Para also announces the termination of the non-brokered private placement offering of up to 5,000,000 units ("Units") at a price of $0.10 per Unit that the Company previously announced on December 30, 2019. The Company has determined in light of market conditions that the current offering should be cancelled until further notice.

Para also reports that the common shares of the Company will resume trading on the TSX Venture Exchange at the open on Thursday, February 20, 2020.

ABOUT PARA RESOURCES:

Para Resources Inc. ("Para") is a junior gold mining and exploration company. The Company owns the El Limon Mine in Zaragoza, Colombia, a project that includes both near-term mining and milling operations as well as highly prospective exploration properties. The Company has acquired a fully permitted mine and facility with adjacent properties that have an abundance of small scale artisanal miners, dramatically reducing the exploration risk. It is anticipated that the operating mine will be profitable in the short term, providing a return on capital as a stand-alone entity, and funding regional exploration to expand resources.

Para is unique in that the Insiders have invested more than US$30 million of their capital and own approximately 70% of the Company's equity.

Para's new management team is seasoned and proven, having discovered, built, managed and sold several different mines over the last 40 years.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Javier Cordova"

Javier Cordova, President & Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact Andrea Laird, telephone: +1-604-259-0302

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52560
The mother of a disabled boy has revealed the shocking words that doctors wrote on her son's death certificate.

Rachel Browne told the the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability in Sydney that Down syndrome was listed as a cause of death on her son Finlay's death certificate.

The 16-year-old from Bathurst in New South Wales died following an agonizing 71-day fight in hospital in 2016 which included 12 abdominal surgeries and 65 days spent in the paediatric intensive care unit.

Finlay lived with autism and Down syndrome and fell rapidly ill in September 2016, suffering terrible pain, vomiting and had blood in his faeces and was rushed to Bathurst Hospital.

As Finlay left the house for what would be the last time, his mother and father were on either side of him.

'He put an arm around each of us and he looked up and said, I love you mum, I love you dad,' Ms Browne told the hearing.

Rachel Browne (pictured) told the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability in Sydney that doctors wrote 'trisomy 21,' or Down syndrome as the cause of her son Finlay's death

Finlay collapsed on arrival at the hospital, with a CT scan revealing he had significant abdominal obstruction which would require surgical intervention.

Later that night, Finlay was taken into theatre and the next morning was flown to the Children's Hospital at Westmead where he underwent further surgery.

Following his 12 operations, the majority of Finlay's small bowel was removed, and the family was told he would never eat or drink again.

As a result of his injuries, Finlay's liver and kidneys were shutting down.

'He kept saying, Mum, I want to go home ... I wanted to get him home but it became evident that if he did recover he would have no quality of life,' Ms Browne said.

After a final surgery, the decision was made to withdraw treatment, and he died in December 2016 with his family around him.

On Finlay's death certificate, which was shown to the commission, 'trisomy 21,' or Down syndrome, is listed among the causes of death.

'(This) indicates that one of the causes of Finlay's death is in fact his Down syndrome,' Ms Browne said.

Ms Browne would like to see policy changed to ensure it is not ordinary course to identify a person with intellectual disability, and their disability, on a death certificate if it was not part of the cause of the person's death.

She had received questionable comments from medical professionals throughout Finlay's life, including from a doctor in hospital the day he was born.

'The doctor said that he felt there was something wrong with Finlay and I had commented that I knew, I'd felt that he had Down syndrome, he said to me that it was okay because I was young and I could have more children,' Ms Browne said.

Six months after Finlay's death, Ms Browne addressed Bathurst Hospital staff.

Ms Browne approached Bathurst Hospital (pictured) staff after Finlay's death and lodged complaints with them and the NSW Healthcare Complaints Commission

'I wanted clinicians to know what the ramifications of their inaction were to not only Fin, but to his family, to his friends,' she said.

'That this young man had a life, a life well lived - he was just not a person with a disability, he was a human being.'

Ms Browne has also lodged complaints with Bathurst Hospital and the NSW Healthcare Complaints Commission.

The commission indicated the matter should not go to formal investigation but have suggested engaging in a conciliation process.

Ms Browne has written to the NSW Health Minister and is currently awaiting a decision on whether a coronial inquest will be held into Finlay's death.

The commission continues.
Those heading north on North Broad Street see the vertical graffiti spelling out the words so large that they are visible from Google Maps: Forever Boner."

Turning around, from the south, the words are flipped: Boner 4Ever."

Towering over Broad, the imposing Art Deco building that housed the National Bank of North Philadelphia, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is best known to Philadelphians for this public art.

Redevelopment plans for the building, which many consider a Philadelphia landmark, to become a Marriott hotel have moved people to express sadness and outrage on social media that the promised Forever Boner would come to an end.

But the developers for this project are aware of the significance of this graffiti. The interior designer wants those distressed residents to know it is too soon to lose hope.

We have had Boner Forever on every presentation we make. Im not kidding, said Floss Barber, CEO of Floss Barber Inc. and the projects interior designer. Its so important to the building. Were incorporating it into the overall project in various ways.

It is premature to say exactly what role this famous Philadelphia art could play in the design, Barber said, noting she has not contacted the artists yet. But, she said, her team is brainstorming options: A mural? Wallpaper? Art? Sign on the roof deck? Removed from the buildings exterior or not? These are all suggestions she said the company is working through before making formal proposals.

The building is formally called the Beury building, named after Charles Beury, the first president of the National Bank of North Philadelphia and a former Temple University president. But for the last several decades the building has been vacant.

During that time, graffiti artists have made their mark. Legend has it that this most-famous graffiti is the work of two separate artists, one known for tagging Boner or just the signature "B" in various locations, and another known for tagging Forever."

The Beury Building is possibly the most-famous graffiti collaboration in Philadelphia.

The artwork even earned national fame over the summer. During the hours-long shootout between a man armed with an AR-15 assault rifle in a North Philadelphia home and police, national news outlets directed their cameras to the neighborhood. Standing tall in the split frame on CNN of Wolf Blitzer and Broad Street is the easily readable message: Boner 4Ever.

Brian Murray, the co-founder of Shift Capital, the company that bought the 14-story building in 2012, called the Boner 4Ever tag urban lore in North Philadelphia."

When asked if that marker would remain on the building, he said: We are figuring out a way to appropriately pay homage, but I dont have any immediate responses to that question yet.

Murray said they hope to break ground this year. Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron in an October column detailed the plans for the building, which she called a sort of lighthouse, and said the forthcoming development in the area shows "the city is finally getting ready to give the community hub at Broad and Erie the attention it deserves.

But it will be a while before the hotel is up and running. Mihir Wankawala, CEO and founder of the Wankawala Organization, which is partnering with Shift Capital on the project, said they are aiming for the hotel to open in the fall of 2022.

We want to preserve the historic elements of this building, the Boner 4ever sign for sure, Wankawala said. We definitely want to incorporate those elements of the building, but we havent settled on how we are going to do it yet."

If you are or know the artist(s) behind Boner or Forever, contact reporter Ellie Silverman at esilverman@inquirer.com or 215-854-5104.

Staff writer Oona Goodin-Smith contributed to this article.
Airlines reported 302 tarmac delays longer than three hours on domestic flights, compared with 202 in 2018 and 193 the year before. There were 26 delays of more than four hours on international flights, compared with 61 the year before and 51 in 2017.

According to federal rules, airlines can hold passengers on the tarmac for three hours on domestic flights and four hours on international flights before allowing them to get off.

The longest tarmac delay for a domestic flight in the last month of the year occurred on Dec. 18, when passengers aboard a United plane waited four hours and seven minutes at Newark Liberty International Airport for a flight to San Diego. The same day, passengers aboard another United flight headed to Milan waited more than five and a half hours on the tarmac at Newark, the longest such delay for an international flight in December.

United is disproportionately impacted by severe weather when compared to our competitors, based on the geographic location and size of our busiest hubs  particularly Newark, the airline said in a statement. Additionally, we are seeing worsening weather and much more intense and longer-duration weather events.

Last year was the worst in Uniteds history in terms of delays caused by weather or air traffic control, it added.

Airlines for America, a trade group, said airlines carried a record number of passengers last year, adding that the tarmac delays were caused by severe weather, airport maintenance and construction work and security-related disruptions.

Delays are one thing, though. Never boarding the flight you booked is another.

According to figures released Wednesday, the major carriers canceled 1.9 percent of scheduled flights last year, a figure that has steadily increased since hitting a low of 1.1 percent in 2016. And cancellations were highest at American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United, which have had to scrap hundreds of flights because of the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max.
Census 2020 "Write in Iranian" Campaign Launch

02/19/20

Press Release by Source: Pars Equality Center (Pars)

San Jose, CA - Today, Pars Equality Center (Pars) announced its Write In Iranian campaign for the upcoming 2020 Census. Pars is partnering with the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) in an effort to increase awareness among the Iranian American community about the importance of participating in the upcoming census.



writeiniranian.com

In 2010, 200,000 Iranian Americans self identified their heritage after checking the demographic box for 'Other,' which allowed for a write-in option. The 2020 Census, for the first time ever, will allow a write-in option irrespective of which demographic box is checked, permitting complete freedom of identification. With this in mind, the goal of the Write In Iranian campaign is to spread awareness of the upcoming census, and to highlight the importance of writing in 'Iranian.'



The census is a population count of everyone residing in the United States which includes all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. The census occurs once every ten years and is mandated by the U.S. Constitution (Article 1 section 2).



Data from the census provide the basis for distributing more than $675 billion in federal funds annually to communities across the country to support vital programs, impacting housing, education, transportation, employment, health care, and public policy nationwide. As a result, spending just a few minutes to fill out your census form will help ensure your community gets its fair share of federal and state funding.



As a state, county and local partner for the 2020 Census, Pars is working to make sure every Iranian American is counted. We will carry on with our efforts over the classification of the Iranian American community and urge the Census Bureau to broaden its options pertaining to reporting of ethnicity.



If you would like to know more about Pars's Write In Iranian campaign for the 2020 census, you can visit our Write In Iranian website.

About Pars Equality Center:

Pars Equality Center's mission is to catalyze social, civic and economic integration of immigrants from Persian-speaking and other countries into American society. As a community-based social and legal services organization, Pars Equality Center is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to helping the Iranian-American and other Persian-speaking communities realize their full potential as informed, self-reliant, and responsible members of the American society. Pars Equality Center achieves its mission primarily by providing extensive social and legal services. Our multi-lingual-staff including case managers and attorneys serve the needs of our community by providing a full range of professional social services and legal representation.
A student is suing Drake University in Des Moines, along with a fraternity at the school and several fellow students for an unspecified amount after he said he nearly died from a hazing incident.

Court documents filed Feb. 7 show Marcus Shields is suing the school, Theta Chi fraternity, its Drake chapter and others. The lawsuit says Shields was a 19-year-old freshman last year and a Theta Chi pledge when the fraternity engaged in hazing, included coercing and forcing him to drink excessive amounts of alcohol.

The lawsuit says Shields became dangerously drunk and was vomiting and pleading that he didnt want to die.

Shields says in the lawsuit that he lost consciousness and was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he had to be resuscitated due to acute alcohol poisoning. His lawsuit says he suffered severe and permanent injuries.

Shields lawsuit says both Drake and Theta Chi were negligent, accusing Drake of failing to enforce its anti-hazing policy and the fraternity of failing to supervise the Gamma Tau chapter.

Drake University issued a statement noting the incident was off-campus and that it provided appropriate assistance and support to Shields. The fraternity issued a statement saying it does not tolerate hazing.

Topics Lawsuits Iowa
So we already know that the Suzuki XL7 will be sourced from Indonesia and that it's set to make its Philippine debut soon. It will offer seating for seven just like the Ertiga but will have a flashier exterior, as well as a (slightly) raised ride height.

But does this mean we'll soon be saying goodbye to the Ertiga? And just how much will it cost once it's already here?

Let's start with the first question. According to a Suzuki Philippines executive (who wished to not be named), they confirmed that the Ertiga will still be available in the country. They reiterated that the Ertiga is their MPV fighter while the XL7 is for those that want SUV-styling (and height) in a familiar MPV package.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 19:47:07|Editor: xuxin

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BANGKOK, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday arrived in Thailand's northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima to give moral support and remedial payment to the victims of the recent shopping mall shooting rampage.

"Not all soldiers are rotten apples nor murderers," said Prayut, adding that he was once a soldier himself.

The frenzied non-commissioned soldier earlier in the month killed 29 people and injured over 50 in the Terminal 21 shopping center mass shooting.

A total amount of 34.5 million baht (1.1 million U.S. dollars) from the disaster relief fund was handed over to families of those killed in the tragedy.

Each family received 1 million baht (32,064 U.S dollars) and those who were injured got 100,000 baht (3,206 U.S. dollars) each. People who were severely wounded received 200,000 baht (6,412 U.S. dollars).

After the handing-over ceremony, the prime minister expressed his sorrow over the tragic loss and gave moral support to the injured and families of the deceased.

Prayut also walked inside the Terminal 21 mall where the shooting spree was carried out on Feb. 8 and lasted for over 17 hours.

The prime minister also greeted shop operators at the mall and assured them that the government is rolling out new measures for businesses affected by the shooting.

"The government will not leave you alone. We will walk through this hard time with you and ensure your life and businesses get back on track," Prayut told the shop operators inside the mall.
Beijing: The outbreak of Novel-coronavirus/COVID-19, which erupted in Wuhan, has now spread to almost 31 countries, including the US, UK, India, and the Philippines. This deadly virus has so far claimed more than 2,000 lives, while thousands have been infected and are being treated in various hospitals.

Wuhan, the capital of central China's Hubei province, is the epicentre, with most of the deaths being reported from this region only. Majority of people who either belong to this province or came in close contact with the locals have been affected by this lethal pathogen. It is also noticeable that many of those who died were already struggling with some kind of illnesses or their immune system wasnt that strong.

The rapid spread of the virus and the surge in the number of deaths is really a big headache for the Chinese government as well as the leading World health body. A delegation of the WHO officials reached China recently to assess and monitor the situation, possibly more efforts will be made to counter the epidemic internationally thereafter. China is receiving full support from the World Health Organization and the United Nations, as both these institutions have praised the Chinese government for taking proactive measures to contain the deadly virus.

During the time of outburst of the virus, I was holidaying in India, and after watching the scary news, many questions began to arise in my mind. It felt like the situation in China was very frightening, and my relatives and friends advised me not to go back. So I talked to my colleagues in Beijing regarding the situation. They assured me that things are under control in the capital city. After landing in Beijing on January 28th, I found the roads were empty with very less traffic, but the situation wasnt as dangerous as it was being told. I have been living in China for almost 10 years, therefore, I can say without any doubt that the Chinese government has taken good care of the health and the lives of its citizens.

The news of the outbreak of Coronavirus shook China and the world. It was indeed the time of celebration and joy for 1.4 billion Chinese people because the Spring Festival week was just about to begin. As we know the lunar New Year is considered a very special festival for the Chinese people, so they go back to their hometowns to celebrate it with their family. In this period, all the big metro cities like Beijing, Shanghai & Guangzhou become almost empty. This time, due to the virus, all the people were trapped wherever they went. Usually, by the end of the festive holidays, people would return from their hometowns.

Moreover, the entire government machinery and citizens of China are trying their best to tackle the dangerous virus, various measures have been taken by the government so far. Hospitals are overwhelmed with the patients particularly in Hubei province, so the government agencies took no time to build the two hospitals which are having a total capacity of about 2,500 beds, while many small square-shaped hospitals have also been constructed.

Undoubtedly, China is leaving no stone unturned to curb the epidemic, which has already spread beyond its boundaries. The Central government of China has sent a large number of army personnel, doctors and nurses from various places across the country to Hubei. Thousands of doctors and nurses are engaged in treating the patients round the clock. In addition to it, the mammoth task of inventing the vaccine for the elimination of this virus is going on vigorously at the national and international level, but it may take a few months.

In the last week of January, China imposed a ban on travelling of people, restricting the movement of Chinese citizens between and within the cities. At the same time, the train services, and the bus services were also stopped. According to the Chinese government, the purpose behind the lockout was to minimize the risk of spreading the virus. Meanwhile, the movement of the commuters is also being monitored, temperatures are being taken through thermometer guns at the entrance of each and every community, shopping malls. Thermal screening is a must at the train stations, airports, and other important public places.

While most of the companies across the country remain closed even after the Spring festival holidays. Although few offices opened a few days back, still the employees have been told to work from home.

Schools & colleges are also following the same rule. Teachers are allowed to take online classes in view of minimizing the loss. The Beijing Education Committee has established a digital school to help the students in this difficult period.

The rumours of the shortage of goods and rising prices also spread in Chinese markets at the beginning of the crisis. But I can say that almost every essential item is available in the big supermarkets, and the prices are a little bit higher than before. The Chinese government has ensured that prices do not go up in the market and supplies are adequate. Strict measures are being taken against those who are violating the government orders. But there is definitely a big shortage of masks, for these surgical masks, gloves and suits are being imported to China from many countries. Many nations have also come forward including the neighbour India to give china a helping hand by sending the consignment of medical supplies.

Not to mention that China is apparently suffering heavy economic losses due to the ongoing lockout over the past several weeks, but the Chinese authorities say that the priority is to prevent the epidemic and protect the lives of citizens.



The experts unanimously agree that China has shown far more transparency than the SARS epidemic of 2003. The Chinese government seems very serious to tackle the deadly pathogen. Even Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang himself is leading this entire campaign against the COVID-19. The President is also constantly monitoring the condition. However, the situation in Hubei province is still critical and the local government is being blamed for the negligence. Recently the central government has ordered a high-level inquiry against the people responsible for it. Several big officials, including the Mayor of Wuhan, have been removed till now.

As the outbreak continues there are a lot of rumours and misinformation going around in social media. One such obnoxious hoax on coronavirus was that China is seeking permission to kill more than 20 thousand patients. But the Chinese authorities have totally rejected this rumour. It is alleged that some western countries including America are spreading such rumours to malign Chinas image.

China is blaming social media for spreading rumours, which has become a tool to spread rumours against China in this difficult time. Recently the fact check report of the world's prominent news agency AFP has confirmed that the news of the killing of more than 20 thousand people is fake news. The agency said that the news of seeking the permission of the Supreme Court to kill the citizens in China is baseless.

According to AFP, there isnt any truth in this matter, as well as the Supreme Court hasnt given any such decision.

Undoubtedly, it's not a time to raise questions, discriminate Chinese people or spread rumours, this is the crucial period to get united to save the lives of Chinese and people who are affected by the virus from other parts of the world. Because viruses or epidemics do not see geographic boundaries.

(The writer works with the China Media Group, living in China since 2009. He has also written a book named, Hello Cheen.)
Citing reports of increased crime in his district, new Charleston City Councilman Jason Sakran will hold a meeting Wednesday night for residents to meet with police.

Sakran said he has heard reports of an increase of stolen vehicles, stolen packages off porches, car break-ins and assaults. He also pointed to vandalism at the Islamic Center of Charleston and an incident in which crossing guard was struck by a motorist on King Street.

On Thursday, Charleston police arrested an 18-year-old College of Charleston student and charged her with vandalism at the mosque on King Street.

On Jan. 28, a Charleston County crossing guard was struck by a driver who attempted to drive through an intersection at a slow speed. The guard had minor injuries, authorities said at the time.

Wednesday's meeting is meant for Sakran's peninsula constituents, he said, because he hasn't heard of an uptick in West Ashley's neighborhoods. His district includes Charleston's West Side and a few neighborhoods in West Ashley along Saint Andrews Boulevard and Savannah Highway.

An analysis of the last five years worth of Charleston Police Department data shows that 12 murders have occurred in the district, as have 53 aggravated assaults involving firearms. Police said crimes identified as an aggravated assault with a firearm do not mean a firearm was discharged. There were 202 reported thefts from cars.

The data also showed that police investigated a little less than 1,150 crimes in Sakran's district over that time.

Charleston Police Capt. Dustin Thompson said the majority of issues noted by officers on the West Side are property crimes, with an increase starting in 2018 in car thefts and car break-ins. He said the problem isn't unique to the West Side; it also is happening in Wagener Terrace and North Central.

"That's something citywide we have an issue with," Thompson said. "You see that South of Broad, Wentworth Street  that's a major issue in the city of Charleston."

Alston Middleton, the Wagener Terrace Neighborhood Association president, said Monday that break-ins to unlocked vehicles occur in the neighborhood, but he hasn't heard any concerns of a spike in crime.

"Wagner Terrace is always pretty calm," Middleton said. "It's a slice of heaven, I like to call it."

The same for Hampton Park Terrace, according to neighborhood treasurer and local business owner Ben D'Allesandro.

John McCollum, the West Side Neighborhood Association vice president, said the main issue there is the "omnipresent black-market underworld associated with drug use and drug trafficking."

McCollum said the police department needs more resources to patrol more often.

"It's not like what we've read about on the East Side but we do see violent crime and it will occur," McCollum said. "Every quarter we'll have a murder over petty drug transactions."

There were 26 homicides in Charleston's East Side from 2010 to October 2019 and 70 reported cases of aggravated assaults with firearms.

Calls went unreturned from a number of peninsula neighborhood association leaders in Sakran's district, including Nancy Button, president of the Rosemont Neighborhood Association; Michael Richardson in Silver Hill/Magnolia neighborhood; Loquita Bryant-Jenkins of the North Central Neighborhood Association; and Gina Williams of the Gadsden Green Residents Association.

Wednesday night's meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Charleston Charter for Math and Science School, 1002 King St.
[February 19, 2020] Global Interoperability Leader Rebrands as Lyniate

(HIMSS Booth #3758) Rhapsody and Corepoint have now launched their combined entity as Lyniate. This announcement coincides with a record year for the company, which has expanded 300 customer partnership agreements and grown its client base by more than 50 new customers. To support the company's continued growth, Lyniate is also expanding its leadership team to include Scott Galbari as chief technology officer, and Sonal Patel as chief customer success officer. The company is also pleased to announce that once again its solutions have earned the top two rankings for Best in KLAS healthcare integration engines. As Lyniate, the company is committed to supporting both the Rhapsody and Corepoint product lines and customer bases. Product development and innovation will continue to remain a high priority for Lyniate, as is evident with the recent Rhapsody 6.5 and Corepoint 7.3 updates.



In bringing together two proven leaders in healthcare data integration, Lyniate has extended its leadership in addressing healthcare's most complex interoperability challenges. That leadership is underscored in this year's KLAS Research report, in which the Lyniate product lines hold both the number one and two spots in the integration engine category, with Corepoint earning Best in KLAS with a score of 97.2, and Rhapsody close behind with 93.1. This also marks an unprecedented 11th consecutive year in which Corepoint has earned the #1 KLAS ranking in the integration engine category. "This is an exciting time in the healthcare industry as interoperability has become one of the most dominant challenges and priorities across the market," said Erkan Akyuz, President & CEO of Lyniate. "Bringing these two great companies together under a single brand at this time represents a tremendous opportunity for Lyniate to lead the transition of the entire industry from doing interoperability to being interoperable at a fundamental level. That is what the new era of healthcare requires, and we are committed to achieving that vision for our customers and the industry as a whole."

Lyniate has brought on Scott Galbari to serve as chief technology officer, and promoted Corepoint's Sonal Patel to chief customer success officer. Galbari joins Lyniate with over 20 years of experience in healthcare IT, developing and delivering interoperability, imaging, workflow, nursing, and patient flow solutions across the globe. Galbari will set the technology vision and strategy for the organization and continue to lead the design, development, testing, and release of future products. Galbari most recently served as the General Manager for McKesson and Change Healthcare. Patel, previously the vice president of client services, has been with Corepoint for nearly 15 years and will bring her proven experience in customer relationship management to her new role. Patel will lead the customer-facing services division, which includes support, implementations, training, and professional services for all products globally. Patel's background includes clinical experience in the laboratory space as well as nearly 10 years with Antrim, Sunquest, and MISys. To discuss the company renaming or other interoperability needs, please visit the Lyniate booth (#3758) at HIMSS in Orlando, Florida. HIMSS will take place March 9-13, 2020. Learn more about Lyniate's activities at HIMSS here. About Lyniate: Lyniate partners with healthcare organizations around the globe delivering cutting-edge solutions to address interoperability challenges. Our industry-leading products, Corepoint and Rhapsody, are used by thousands of customers to send hundreds of millions of messages every day. Lyniate is committed to delivering the best interoperability solutions for healthcare organizations, from specialty clinics to large networks, from payers to vendors, and everyone in between. We're building the future of interoperability. Visit www.lyniate.com for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005261/en/

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A fire at a Citgo refinery in in Corpus Christi, Texas, has been extinguished with no injuries, according to the petroleum company.

The fire began in a pipeline owned by a third party shortly after 8:30 a.m. on Monday and was put out shortly before 11 a.m. with no threat to the surrounding community, Citgo said in a statement.

The owner of the pipeline has not been identified.

Corpus Christi Fire Chief Robert Rocha says the fire forced the closure of Interstate 37 in the south Texas city, but that it has since reopened. People in nearby homes and businesses were ordered to shelter in place until air-quality monitoring found the air to be safe.

Were still trying to figure out what happened, Rocha said. We encountered heavy fire conditions coming from a buried pipeline, after responding to the blaze.

Rocha said no one was injured as a result of the fire.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Texas
Nanette Aguirre, a shareholder in the New York City office of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP) New York Chapter. NASP is the premier organization that assists people of color and women achieve inclusion in the financial services industry, according to its website. NASP was founded in Chicago in 1985 and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., NASP currently has 11 local chapters throughout the United States.

The organization aims to serve as a resource for the minority community at large and for the minority professionals within the securities and investments industry by providing opportunities to share information about the securities markets, including functioning as a repository for information regarding current trends, facilitating fundamental educational seminars, and creating networking opportunities.

As a board member, Aguirre will help spearhead the advancement of women and minorities in the financial industry. She will address the developments within the finance industry and the pitfalls plaguing our Wall Street leaders which include everyone from private funds to corporate and public plans. Top of mind are issues surrounding due diligence, transparency, fee structures, digital evolution, and most of all, increasing networks and awareness.

In this role, I plan to introduce new initiatives to help all generations transition into todays finance community and to help educate on global policy developments, investor demands, regulatory priorities and worldwide strategies getting traction, Aguirre said. With the rise of technology and competitive advantages surrounding AI and the speed of data, I will use my role to explore the demands of GPs and LPs and to separately help infuse diversity onto corporate boards and business strategies in light of a fast-growing diverse workforce and customer base.

With over 15 years of experience on Wall Street and as outside counsel, Aguirre is an experienced corporate attorney focused on negotiating virtually all forms of repurchase, derivative and structured product agreements with global market participants. Aguirre works with clients throughout the U.S., Asia, Latin America, and Europe and closely with private funds, pension plans, and banking/financial institutions. She lends a great deal of her time to working with emerging managers, family offices and entrepreneurs focused on navigating direct investments. She is an active member of the alternative investment community, and sits on the boards of the Florida Alternative Investment Association (FLAIA) and Minorities in Restructuring and Alternative Investments (MRAI).

About Greenberg Traurigs Diversity Initiative: From its inception, Greenberg Traurig has been committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Greenberg Traurig is a uniquely empowering and diverse firm built on a foundation of fairness, equality, and authenticity. The firm's efforts have been recognized by local, national, and global publications and organizations including, Chambers and Partners. Web: https://www.gtlaw.com/en/general/our-firm/diversity Twitter: @GT_Drives.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2200 attorneys in 41 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
Aiming high: Peter Maguire of Rye River Brewing hosting Maxine Hyde, Ballymaloe Foods; Nicholas Dunne of Killowen Farm and Coca-Cola Irelands country manager, Petre Sandru yesterday

Coca-Cola and Enterprise Ireland hosted the graduation ceremony of the 2019 Thrive Project yesterday.

They equipped seven innovative Irish companies in the food and drinks sector with the business insights and tools to scale up in the global market.

The graduates from this year's programme are Ballymaloe Foods; Blanco Nino tortillas, Boann Distillery, Keogh's Crisps, Killowen Farm yoghurts, Loughnanes meats and Rye River Brewing.

The seven entrepreneurs were provided with a unique opportunity to undertake strategy development and commercialisation sessions at Coca-Cola HQ in Atlanta and discuss their strategy and new product development with market experts in the company's London office.

Enterprise Ireland workshops in Dublin enabled the business leaders to apply their learnings and create sustainable growth opportunities.

The 2020 Thrive programme will commence in May with eight new Irish companies.
While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are now enjoying their private and independent life in Canada, could it be possible for the Duchess of Sussex to moonlight as a flight attendant to fund their newfound life?

This suspicion arises after passengers of JetBlue airline would often mistake an air hostess to be Meghan Markle in disguise as a stewardess.

Meet Christine Mathis, the flight attendant from the USA who is the spitting image of Meghan Markle. In fact, she could even pass as her double.

In an interview with The Sun, the 32-year-old air hostess said that she began receiving comparisons to Meghan when the actress first appeared in the legal drama series "Suits" in 2011.

"I started getting mistaken for Meghan years ago when I worked in first class. Passengers would stop me and say I looked like 'that girl from Suits,'" Christine said.

It turns out that the stewardess initially did not know who Meghan is, which is why when people kept mentioning about the actress from "Suits," Christine decided to do her research.

"I googled Meghan, and it was really flattering. She's stunning, so it's definitely a compliment," Christine said.

"I do see the resemblance. Meghan and I are both mixed-race - my dad is African-American and Italian, and her mum is African-American."

People who would give Christine a second look increased when the former actress got engaged to Prince Harry in 2017 and more when they got married in May 2018.

Even airport security was so convinced that she is Meghan in a flight attendant costume. She recalled an incident where security had to check her passport to prove that she is not Markle.

Christine also shared an incident when she had her mole removed and the dermatologist was so convinced that she is Meghan under a fake name.

"Passengers always tell me I look like her and say to me, 'You're married to a prince, why are you working as an air hostess?'" Chrstine added.

Christine's only difference with Meghan is that she is already a mom to three beautiful girls, and her husband is a warehouse supervisor -- not a prince.

Aside from juggling the role of a mom, wife and flight attendant, Christine is also a YouTube vlogger and entrepreneur rolled into one.

The JetBlue airline hostess now makes money out of being Meghan's lookalike.

"I want to do corporate and TV work, but my absolute dream would be to play Meghan in a movie about her," she said.

In an Instagram post, Christine spoke about her newfound fame, which she described as something she has to endure quite often.

"It's quite flattering to say the least and can be overwhelming. I never said I look exactly like her but I can see the resemblance," Christine wrote alongside a screenshot of a news item comparing her to the Duchess.

Knowing that Meghan receives backlash from haters, Christine also wished her rise to fame would spread positivity, instead of hate.
by Sara Guaglione , February 18, 2020

AARP Media is partnering with Bausch + Lombs PreserVision vitamins on a campaign to raise awareness on eye health.

Approximately 16 million Americans are living with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is one of the leading causes of vision loss in adults aged 50 and older  the age group of AARPs audience.

It is estimated that one in five people over the age of 65 will be diagnosed with this disease.

The campaign, dubbed "Vision 2020," includes a year-long media buy that will be supported in AARP The Magazine and a dedicated online Eye Center on AARP.orgs eye-health channel. PreserVision is the exclusive advertiser for the full 2020 year.

advertisement advertisement

The campaign will also include embedded video throughout AARP.org, dedicated email campaigns and Facebook ads.

AARP The Magazine's February/March issue "60+ Edition" contains a "Vision 2020" editorial spread with a PreserVision ad and two back-cover flip ads.

A recent AARP survey finds most Americans over 50 are worried that vision loss could affect their quality of life, with 83% reporting they fear losing their sight more than any other sense.

Nearly all respondents (92%) are concerned about experiencing eye health conditions as they age. However, fewer than 20% report being up-to-date on or proactively researching eye-health information. Some 61% report having an eye exam in the last year and 51% said they had a dilated eye exam.

Our survey clearly shows that older adults are concerned about eye health and need more information about protecting their vision, stated Stephen Perrine, special projects editor for AARP The Magazine. The year 2020 gives us a once-in-forever launch pad to educate our readers about the importance of eye health, and we look forward to spotlighting the topic throughout the year.

Content will include signs of common vision issues, new developments in diagnosis and treatment, doctors' advice and stories from people who are living with eye conditions.

AARP reaches nearly 38 million members nationwide, producing one of the countrys largest circulation publications.


The Queen looked in an upbeat mood as she arrived to open the new premises of the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospital today.

The monarch, 93, cut a vibrant figure in a purple hat embellished with two bobbles, and a matching wool coat.

Making a perfectly polished appearance, the royal wore her beloved pearl earrings, a touch of red lipstick, and matched her black Launer bag with a pair of low heeled court shoes.

The Queen's appearance came after an insider claimed the Queen and senior officials have 'agreed' it is no longer tenable for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to keep the word 'royal' in their 'branding'.

The Queen looked in an upbeat mood as she arrived to open the new premises of the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospital today

But the royal appeared in high spirits as she arrived in London to open the new dental hospital.

Disembarking from her chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce, the royal greeted onlookers before being accompanied into the building.

The major new medical facility will house two specialist hospitals under one roof, which will treat conditions relating to the head and neck.

Part of the UCLH (University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust), the units will treat complex conditions relating to the ears, nose, throat and dental conditions.

During her visit the Queen will meet staff and patients at the hospital, and visit children taking part in creative play sessions on the paediatric floor.

The monarch, 93, cut a vibrant figure in a purple hat embellished with two bobbles, and a matching wool coat

Making a perfectly polished appearance, the royal wore her beloved pearl earrings, a touch of red lipstick, and matched her black Launer bag with a pair of low heeled court shoes

The Queen's appearance came as the royal family's Instagram account shared a tribute to Prince Andrew's 60th birthday on Instagram amid the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein scandal

It is now reported that the couple have accepted that, as part of their new working arrangements, they will not be able to use the Sussex Royal name as they had hoped.

The Mail understands that, amid what has been described as a 'complex' situation, the 'fine detail' is still being thrashed out.

The development is thought to represent a major blow to the Sussexes, who now face starting again and re-registering everything from their website to their charity under a new label.

A source told the Mail: 'In many ways this is inevitable given their decision to step down, but it must surely come as a blow to the couple as they have invested everything into the Sussex Royal brand The Queen would have had little choice, however.

'The Sussexes' original plan  of being half-in, half-out working royals  was never going to work. Obviously, as the Queen has made clear, they are still much-loved members of her family.

But if they aren't carrying out official duties and are now seeking other commercial opportunities, they simply cannot be allowed to market themselves as royals.'
In a significant development, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Population Register and the National Register of Citizens. He extended his support to the Muslim community on this front. This marks a complete departure from the TDPs earlier stance on the CAA as it had voted in favour of the legislation in both Houses of the Parliament.

Naidus remarks came at the start of the Praja Chaitanya Yatra to create awareness about the alleged misdeeds of the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government in Andhra Pradesh.

Former AP CM Chandrababu Naidu remarked, "Whether it is CAA, NPR or NRC, we will stand with Muslims."

Read: Chandrababu Naidu Leads TDP Delegation To AP Guv, Claims Undemocratic Sessions Proceeding

Naidu's changing stance on CAA

The Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP pulled out of the National Democratic Alliance in May 2018. When the Citizenship Amendment Bill was initially tabled in Lok Sabha in January 2019, he opined that it was "against the interest of the indigenous people of Assam and North East. Moreover, he accused the Centre of playing communal politics.

At that juncture, he declared that his MPs would vote against the aforesaid legislation in Rajya Sabha. However, TDP suffered a big defeat in the state assembly as well as the Lok Sabha elections. The YSR Congress Party not only secured a whopping 22 Lok Sabha seats but also won a huge majority in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly.

On the other hand, BJP won 303 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. Over the years, the YSRCP and BJP have reportedly strengthened their ties. Therefore, TDPs move to support the CAA was perceived as a tactic to mend fences with its former ally BJP.

Read: BIG: Centre Won't Intervene In Andhra's '3-Capital' Row, Leaves Jagan-Naidu To Duke It Out

What is the CAA?

The CAA seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This will be applicable to the members of these communities having arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Moreover, they will not be considered as illegal migrants. Additionally, the mandatory residence period for naturalised citizenship for these communities has been reduced to five years. The opposition contends that the Act discriminates on the basis of religion.

Read: As China's Coronavirus Count Crosses 7,000, Chandrababu Naidu Writes To EAM Jaishankar

Read: Andhra DGP Office Confirms State Government Downgraded Former CM Naidu's Z-plus Security
February 18, 2020





In the late 1800s, business schools in America presented academic principles for management as a discipline. The birth of management studies initiated further studies in business administration. Almost immediately, graduates went into business  the consulting business.







Results spoke for themselves. Third-party experts (with high-level academic knowledge) mentored business owners toward cost reduction and scalability.

Today, management and human resources consulting continues to unlock greater performance among organizations that seek it. Michael Garrow  a educational administrator turned HR consultant  explains how and why consulting is critical and successful for organizational success.

Diagnostics: Whats the problem?

It is very common for leaders to see poor or mediocre results and not know exactly how to course correct.

When decision makers spend all their time inches away from their business, it can be almost impossible see deeper issues, either due to being too close to the issue or due to missing important information. Because of this, many business leaders lean upon consultants to help them see an alternative perspective of the problem at hand.

Michael Garrow frequently enters a situation able to notice some success hindrances right off the bat. His external perspective sheds light on root issues. He knows what questions to ask from leaders, managers, and lower level employees.

Thankfully, many organizational issues are easily resolved with a few minor adjustments. Companies that hire consultants early on save thousands of dollars on troubleshooting before they eventually stumble upon the real solution.

GAP Analysis: Do our decisions match our values?

In business, the GAP analysis helps decision makers perform an audit of their own business. Consultants like Michael Garrow make regular use of GAP analysis tools for early fact finding.

This approach seeks to understand what are the organizations stated goals, how far away that organization is from reaching those goals, and the reasons why goals are not being met.

Done well, a GAP analysis can show leaders the following:

Whether or not certain values/objectives are realistic or authentic;

How resource allocation is or is not focused on the right objectives;

Where waste exists;

Which leaders are or are not a good fit for the organization; and,

What revenue opportunities the business is missing.

Due Diligence: Is this a good decision?

Major investment decisions, such as acquisition, financing, and new product launches, need a clear plan and forecast. Third party consultants are those most likely to help decision-makers achieve an unbiased view of the investment decision before they make it.

Michael Garrow states that due diligence is intense work. On the surface, it is a fact-finding mission. But on a deeper level, consultants tasked with due diligence must be able to use the facts they found to predict likely outcomes.

Consulting agencies have thus been able to deliver decision makers from potentially disastrous investment decisions. Further, the finest consultants know how to make alternative suggestions for an investment decision that delivers more for less.

Strategy: Where are we trying to go?

Once an organization is poised for growth, consultants become a key part of strategy. These organizations often have just acquired a large influx of cash and/or resources. Theyve also obtained market research to inform their growth decisions. But they need guidance.

Making sense of market research and planning expenditures is not easily done. Experienced consultants know that a big influx in cash today can still mean bankruptcy in just a few short months without a sustainable plan.

Retention: How can we keep more clients and employees?

It is always more expensive to acquire new customers and employees than it is to retain them.

Retention is perhaps the most-often discussed pain point by decision-makers that choose to hire consultants. Business consultants usually focus on how to retain clients, while HR consultants (like Michael Garrow) help leaders retain their top-performing employees.

A lack of retention on either front is usually a symptom of poor management. Objective, third parties will be more able to see why these symptoms exist and how to address them.

Organizations that prioritize retaining their clients and top talent find that their costs naturally decrease while sales steadily rise.

Michael Garrow concludes that the consulting industry is varied and its professionals have many tasks that make up their daily work life to help their clients achieve their short and long-term goals.
The Emerald Tablet: a fascinating book that tells a story of a man who is on a quest in pursuit of a famous relic with immense power. The Emerald Tablet is the creation of published author Patrick J. Edwards, a man who has worked many years performing research at IU Medical center and retired from Eli Lilly as a peptide chemist. Patrick was unable to publish this book during his lifetime, but fortunately, Theresa Patrick, his sister, was able to accomplish this task for her brother after his passing.

Edwards writes, A medieval monk sent on a clandestine mission to find a fabled relic with untold power; a double cross with a foreign kingdom.

Edward travels with his companion, a former Templar Knight, in search of the emerald tablet. More than one king wants the power that the legendary artifact has. With only a few clues and a riddle, Edward must solve the mystery if he is ever to return to his beloved monastery.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Patrick Edwardss new book is an enthralling masterpiece that will lead the readers to an impelling discovery of the emerald tablet, and how a monk will be able to return to his beloved cenobium.

With this book, Edwards takes the reader to an exciting discovery of a powerful and famous relic. This book will also thrill the readers as it leaves them a lingering question about how the monk can return to his cherished abbey

View a synopsis of The Emerald Tablet on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase The Emerald Tablet at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about The Emerald Tablet, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
LaGrange, Georgia, USA, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At the National Board Meeting in Tempe, Arizona, ARCS Foundation announced that Dr. Jessica Meir, NASA Astronaut and researcher, has been selected for membership into the respected ARCS Alumni Hall of Fame. At age 42, Meir is the youngest inductee to date. Meir is a member of NASAs Expeditions 61 and 62. Since her arrival at the International Space Station (ISS) in September 2019, Meir has been performing cutting-edge research that will enable long-duration human space missions.

Members of the Hall of Fame are ARCS Scholar Alumni who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of science and increased our nations scientific competitiveness. Meirs ISS research includes the effects of microgravity on biological clocks, DNA repair mechanisms, and growing Mizuna mustard greens for sustainable in-space agriculture. Her work in these areas will benefit future NASA missions like the Artemis Program, which aims to land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024.

On October 18, 2019, Meir was one of two women to experience the first all-female spacewalk to replace a vital, but malfunctioning, power source on the ISS. This historic event was broadcast live around the world drawing attention to US scientific capabilities. Though already a pioneer for science, this event propelled Meir forward as a national inspiration for women who pursue STEM.

Upon receiving the announcement of her membership in ARCS Hall of Fame, Meir acknowledged the honor from Space aboard the ISS saying via Twitter, "Thank you @ARCSFoundation. I'm honored. Science and exploration are only possible with robust support and consistent opportunities - thank you for enabling graduate students across the nation."

Meir was sponsored as an ARCS Scholar by ARCS Los Angeles Chapter from 2007-2009 at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, where she received her PhD.

ARCS Hall of Fame members are selected by a panel of ARCS Foundation national advisors and board members. Selection is based on alumni contributions in the areas of scientific innovation, discovery, economic impact, development of future scientists, and communication of the importance of US scientific superiority.

"Today we welcome Jessica Meir into the ARCS Alumni Hall of Fame", said Sherry Lundeen, National President of ARCS Foundation. "The launch of the spacecraft Sputnik in the Soviet Union in 1957 was a call to action from a small group of women committed to the common mission of advancing science in America. Through their commitment and dedication, ARCS Foundation was established a year later, and since that time, it has not lost sight of that early vision. Jessica truly exemplifies the impact ARCS Foundation has had on American innovation since its inception in 1958. We are extremely proud of Jessicas achievements and her validation of the ARCS mission."

Meir is the eleventh inductee into ARCS Alumni Hall of Fame and joins the company of other outstanding alumni who received ARCS Foundation Scholar Awards to support their education in past years.

#

About ARCS Foundation: ARCS Foundation is a national nonprofit volunteer womens organization that promotes US competitiveness by providing financial awards to academically outstanding US citizens studying to complete degrees in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and health disciplines at 49 of the nations leading research universities. The organization has awarded more than $115 million to more than 10,500 scholars since 1958. ARCS Foundation Scholars have produced thousands of research publications and patents, secured billions in grant funding, started science-related companies, and played a significant role in teaching and mentoring young people in the STEM pipeline. More information is available at arcsfoundation.org.

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The United States at a meeting of the UN Security Council called on Russia to withdraw its forces from eastern Ukraine and Crimea, as well as adhere to its obligations in accordance with the Minsk agreements and measures taken by the leaders of the Normandy Four in Paris.

Acting U.S. Deputy Representative to the UN, Ambassador Cherith Norman-Chalet said during a meeting in New York on Tuesday that Russia must end this conflict with the withdrawal of its troops from eastern Ukraine and Crimea, adding that the U.S. urges Russia to immediately implement its security obligations in accordance with the Minsk Agreements, since the parties can move forward with the political measures of the Minsk Agreements only when there is security on earth.

She also stressed that the United States calls on Russia to implement the measures outlined at the recent summit of the Normandy Four leaders in Paris, to immediately stabilize the situation in the conflict zone, including the opening of new civilian checkpoints, the withdrawal of military forces in areas with the highest humanitarian significance and the implementation of support measures on the ceasefire.

The ambassador noted that Washington continues to support the Minsk agreements and the Normandy format process.

Acting U.S. Deputy Representative to the UN added that the United States emphasizes its unequivocal position regarding Ukraine. She also said that the U.S. doesn't recognize the so-called annexation of Crimea by the Kremlin with their sanctions against Russia remaining in force until Ukraine regains control over its territory.

As reported, this meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) was initiated by the Russian delegation to discuss the implementation of the Minsk agreements. On Thursday, February 20, at the initiative of Ukraine, the UN General Assembly will hold a special meeting on the situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The discussion will be attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko.
If your social media looks like mine, recently you've been asked to stand with the Wet'suwet'en in their fight against the Coastal Gas Link pipeline. Many of you have heard that the Wet'suwet'en First Nation (the Band) through its elected chief and council has approved of the pipeline, and that the protesters are supporting hereditary chiefs. Confused? You should be.

At the centre of the discussion is constitutionally protected Aboriginal Title - the exclusive right for a particular nation to use the land for a variety of activities. The nation's enjoyment of that title can only be infringed by the government with sufficient consultation. A nation is not as simple to define as it appears. Nations and title rights pre-date Canada's imposition of the band system. As a result, that after-imposed system may conflict with pre-existing indigenous institutions.

With that in mind, who then has the power to speak on behalf of the nation to consult on the infringement on the Wet'suwet'en title? Should it be the Band, or the hereditary chiefs, or perhaps both? As a lawyer, I usually turn to the courts for wisdom. Unfortunately the Canadian courts have not yet provided a direct answer. Our Federal Court did grapple with the question of hereditary versus elected chiefs in 2017 in relation to the Pacific Northwest LNG Project in the case of Wesley v Canada, but unfortunately the case was dismissed for other reasons.

Given this unsettled state, it should come as no surprise that both Band council and a handful of the hereditary chiefs are claiming the right to speak for the nation. A healthy dose of skepticism should be used to examine both claims. With that being said, there are two under-discussed reasons to take the argument of elected chief and council seriously.

To begin with, it's worth considering who has the support of the Wet'suwet'en people. Interviews with the Wet'suwet'en often show a community deeply divided on the costs and benefits of the pipeline, but with a majority in support. In fact, the current leaders of the Unist'ot'en Healing Centre (part of the blockade up north) Freda Hudson and Warner Naziel ran in 2019 for positions on the elected council of one of the Wet'suwet'en bands on an anti-pipeline agenda, and both lost.

The other reason is that mandatory consultation with hereditary chiefs would put Canada in the position of arbitrating who is (and who is not) a hereditary chief of a given nation in order to consult with them. It's not easy to know who is rightfully a hereditary chief. For example, Warner Naziel's claim to chiefdom is contested. I don't believe it's appropriate for our courts or the Canadian government to determine for the Wet'suwet'en who their traditional leaders are. The Federal Court in Wesley agreed with this assessment.

So if you decide to go and blockade a bridge, train, ferry, this weekend, I encourage you to think about the actions you take in the name of the Wet'suwet'en nation.

Derrick Murphy is a practicing lawyer at TNG Legal Services MDP. He holds a Juris Doctor in law with a specialization in Aboriginal Law from UBC.
San Antonio police have identified the 19-year-old woman killed by a suspected drunken driver Monday morning.

Jasmine Claire Goudeau was driving through the intersection of Micron Drive and Culebra Road in her silver Subaru Forester just after midnight, when she was T-boned by a Ford F-150, police said.

The driver of the F-150, later identified as 28-year-old Erick Eduardo Casas, had run a red light and crashed into the driver's side of Goudeau's car, according to police. Casas was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Goudeau was taken to the hospital in critical condition, where she later died, police said. Her family said she was less than a block away from home at the time of the crash.

RELATED: Update: SAPD identifies suspected drunk driver in crash that killed 19-year-old woman

There was an outpouring of grief on social media for Goudeau, who was a celebrated cheerleader. In a post on Facebook, Cheer Rage All Stars said Goudeau had just been accepted on one of its cheer teams Saturday.

"Jasmine's level 4 tumbling skills were amazing & her flying skills were mesmerizing," the organization wrote in the post. "This girl could double down from any stunt skill. We were so excited to have her on our team."

Goudeau was a Warren High School graduate and celebrated her 19th birthday last month.

A GoFundMe account was set up to help pay for funeral costs. The GoFundMe page described Goudeau as "a star in whatever she did" and had plans to attend nursing school.

Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, MySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway
Beijing on Wednesday slammed Washington's decision to tighten rules on Chinese state media organisations in the US and classify them as foreign missions, saying it was "unreasonable and unacceptable." "The United States has always advertised freedom of the press, but it interferes with and obstructs the normal operation of Chinese media in the United States," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular briefing, warning: "We reserve the right to respond further to this matter.

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The pull-out came after a barrage of rocket fire hit a port in the capital Tripoli -- the target of a months-long operation by eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar to oust the Government of National Accord (GNA)

Libya's unity government has announced it is halting its participation in UN talks aimed at brokering a lasting ceasefire in the war-torn country where a fragile truce has been repeatedly violated.

The pull-out came after a barrage of rocket fire hit a port in the capital Tripoli -- the target of a months-long operation by eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar to oust the Government of National Accord (GNA).

"We are announcing the suspension of our participation in the military talks taking place in Geneva until firm positions are adopted against the aggressor (Haftar) and his violations" of the truce, the GNA said late Tuesday.

"Without a lasting ceasefire... negotiations make no sense. There can be no peace under the bombing," it added.

The port strikes were the latest violation of a tenuous truce that came into effect in January, brokered by Russia, which supports Haftar, and Turkey, which supports the UN-recognised government in Tripoli.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

"It is clear the objective of the systematic bombardments of the residential areas, the airport and the port, in addition to the total blockage of the oil installations, is to provoke crises for the citizens in all the aspects of their life," the GNA statement said.

It added that Haftar's forces were "trying in vain" to destabilise the state, having failed to seize power.

UN Libya envoy Ghassan Salame had earlier on Tuesday launched a second round of talks in Geneva, with five senior officers from the GNA and five appointed by Haftar's forces taking part.

A first round of talks ended with no result earlier this month but Salame said there was "more hope" this time, mainly because of the approval of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a "lasting ceasefire".

The UN Support Mission in Libya said in a statement on Wednesday that it hoped the talks could resume.

"The Mission calls for an end to the escalation and provocative actions, especially expansion of the conflict area, and urges all parties to resort to dialogue as the only means to end the crisis," it said.

EU to launch naval mission

Libya has been in turmoil since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with rival armed factions still vying for power.

In the latest outbreak of fighting, Haftar launched his offensive on Tripoli last April but after rapid advances his forces stalled on the edges of the capital.

The fighting has left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced some 140,000 according to the United Nations.

Further talks were planned to start in Geneva on February 26 on finding a political solution.

World leaders had agreed at a Berlin summit last month to end all meddling in the conflict and stop the flow of weapons, but little has changed on the ground since then.

EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to launch a naval mission to enforce an arms embargo, which the UN said was being violated by air, land and sea.

The naval operation will be authorised to intervene to stop weapons shipments into the North African state.

States including Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt support Haftar, while the UN-recognised government led by Fayez al-Sarraj is backed by Turkey and Qatar.

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THE potential of building a triangular partnership between Britain, Limerick and the United States of America was discussed at a business event in the city.

British Ambassador Robin Barnett was at the Strand Hotel for a special event aimed at promoting economic links between the countries. He was joined by more than 200 delegates.

The event, named Joining the Dots, saw more than 40 British companies meet 25 companies across the Mid-West, with the aim of the event to share knowledge and find new market opportunities around advanced manufacturing.

Among the companies present were Analog Devices, Johnson and Johnson Vision Care, Dell and Analog Devices. The event was organised in partnership with a consortium including Limerick Council, the University of Limerick and the British Embassy.

Read also: University of Limerick researchers team up with Brazilian police to tackle child porn on dark web

Speaking to the Limerick Leader, Mr Barnett said: I am quite keen to look at a triangular type of arrangement. If we pool our knowledge and expertise, well know that many heads are better than one. Im really optimistic that out of this will come strong future partnerships.

No company can do it all by himself, he acknowledged, but by working together there are powerful impacts.

If you look at med-tech, which Johnson and Johnson is a part, the UK is very strong. We have great links with the USA. Ireland is strong, Limerick has great links with the USA, he explained.

Mr Barnett does not think Brexit will lead to any negatives in this programme.

Quite the opposite actually, he said, We have just signed and ratified a withdrawal agreement. We want to build a strong future between sovereign equals, between Britain and Ireland.

The fact we have so many companies and institutions from Limerick and Britain here today is concrete evidence of the great interest we see between academic institutions, research and innovation centres and businesses to build these strong links. Im optimistic, he said during his visit here.
The story about some citizens of this country embarking on a secessionist project through war is no longer a fantasy but a reality demanding all-hands on deck approach.

The military operation which led to the arrest of twenty of the rebels is ample evidence that the authorities must be more serious than they have been since the story appeared on the front burner.

The picture of an eighty-year-old man struggling to walk presented as leader of the secessionist project triggered derision among cynics. Such persons now have to review their stance and join the crusade to keep Ghana indivisible.

We have observed something about the project which is startling: there is no shortage of funds for them and the confidence with which it is being executed suggests that there are some strong persons behind them. Besides, there could be a correlation between the project and the coup suspects.

We have also observed that the latent urge to secede gives way to action only when the NPP is in power.

Those responsible for interrogating these rebellious characters must do more to unearth hidden yet intelligence worthy details.

The leaders with Charles Kokuvi Kudzordji leading the charge have made contacts with many chiefs and opinion leaders from the Volta Region to the Upper East Region and even stopping at Yendi, a former German territory, before finally becoming a British possession. What transpired? Some suspects were picked up in the Northern Region.

The patchy condemnations of their activities by a grouping in the country are benign and prompt curiosity. We would have expected a press conference on the issue but this would never come.

The protection of the territorial integrity of the country is what the Armed Forces of the country under the command of the Commander-in-Chief are charged by the Constitution to ensure.

The military are maintained from the public purse so they ensure the intactness of the country by land, sea and air even at the peril of their lives.

The assignment which rests first and foremost on the Commander-in-Chief who has the power to declare war or peace to reverse the former using the standing military is by no means trivial.

It is for this reason that any attempt at secession is considered high treason for which the ultimate punishment is prescribed.

Those associated with the subject after their arrests were released and the charges preferred against them dropped as though nothing was at stake.

It did not take long before the old man return to the drawing board with his schemes. This time he declared independence at a public space so brazenly that it was not difficult to see the lack of remorse in him.

Last year, social media was awash with worrying pictures of young men undergoing military training in the forest of the Volta Region.

The alarm bell about a grand scheme to throw the country into a state of instability has sufficiently pressed.

The correlation between the rebels and the doomsday prophecies in the aftermath of this year's polls by a former top government official tell a security story. We have sufficiently been forewarned.
CNN pundit Ana Navarro faced a fierce backlash after she mocked a wedding photo of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller on Twitter, saying: 'God help us. It's going to procreate.'

The republican political commentator, and regular on The View, was hit with a barrage of criticism for the 'disgusting' tweet which attracted more than 12,000 comments, 43,000 likes and was shared nearly 5,000 times.

Navarro, 48, a strident critic of Donald Trump who once described Stormy Daniels' disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti as 'the holy spirit', was also accused of hypocrisy.

NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck told Fox News: 'There is no bottom for Ana Navarro and her giggling fanbase over at CNN.

'Their lectures about civility, decency, and goodness continue to ring hollow.'

Navarro's quip was in response to a tweet by former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus (far left) who posted his congratulations and a photo of the newlyweds

Navarro is a former Republican strategist who has been a constant critic of Trump's presidency since she became a political pundit and a regular on CNN's The View

Navarro's tweet about Miller's wedding drew a barrage of criticism on Twitter

Houck added that she had 'proven herself to be a female equivalent of the incredibly crass Rick Wilson' - the Republican political consultant who recently mocked Trump supporters as CNN's Don Lemon burst out laughing.

Miller, 34, married Katie Waldman, 28, the press secretary for Vice President Mike Pence, on Sunday at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.

President Trump attended and told the guests: 'He is the only one who could have a damn wedding in the middle of Presidents' Day weekend. I'm sure it didn't affect anybody here.'

Navarro's controversial quip about the wedding, posted on Monday, was in response to a tweet by former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus who posted his congratulations and a photo of the newlyweds.

Lawyer and Republican Party official Harmeet Dhillon tweeted: 'You are disgusting.'

Another Twitter user wrote: 'You're a really gross woman.'

And another joked: 'Last time I heard you invoke God, it was in praise of Avenatti.'

Miller is said to be one of Trump's most influential advisers and is widely viewed as the driving force behind the administration's hardest-line immigration policies.

Miller, 34, is a White House Senior Advisor, while Waldman, 28, is a Press Secretary for Vice President Mike Pence, and their wedding was attended by President Trump

Former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus (left) tweeted this photo of Stephen Miller (second from left) after he married Katie Waldman (second from right). Also pictured is Priebus's wife Sally (right)

Navarro's tweet about Stephen Miller's wedding provoked a fierce backlash on Twitter

Navarro's tweet about Stephen Miller's wedding provoked a fierce backlash on Twitter

Navarro is a former Republican strategist who has been a constant critic of Trump's presidency since she became a political pundit and a regular on CNN's The View.

She was an outspoken support of disgraced lawyer Avenatti who is facing 42 years in jail after being found guilty last week of trying to extort $25million from Nike.

Avenatti represented porn star Daniels in her legal Battle with Trump to be allowed to talk about an alleged affair they had before his presidency.

Donald Trump attended Stephen Miller's wedding on Sunday and addressed the guests
Hong Kong lawmakers from across the political divide slammed top ministers as incompetent and slow to react to the novel coronavirus epidemic at a special Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday.

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung and Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee, alongside 11 other top officials, faced three hours of grilling from lawmakers in the first meeting since January 16.

Some 62 patients in the city have been diagnosed with the virus, which causes the disease known as Covid-19, while two people have died.

The meeting was called after two lawmakers from opposing camps  pan-democrat Kwok Ka-ki from the Civic Party and Alice Mak Mei-kuen of the pro-Beijing Federation of Trade Unions  submitted two urgent questions to Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen.

While Kwok and Maks questions concerned the public medical sectors stock of protective gear for frontline health care staff and the availability of quarantine facilities, lawmakers took the chance to vent their frustrations with the governments handling of the crisis.

Mak said officials had failed to instil confidence in the public.

The public is panic buying rice and toilet paper, and an official from another city said we were idiots, Mak said.

But is it that members of the public are idiots? Or is our government incompetent?

She was referring to comments made by Singaporean trade and industry minister Chan Chun Sing, who was heard saying in a leaked recording that those engaged in panic buying were behaving like idiots.

Kwok said the government had reacted poorly to the epidemic, adding that Hongkongers who wanted to return from the epicentre of the outbreak in mainland Chinas Hubei province were still stranded there.

Is it that [the lives of] Hongkongers are cheap and can be ignored? Kwok said.

Noting that the Hospital Authority only had stocks of masks to last for a month, Kwok asked if the government would redistribute the protective gear given to police to the medical staff in need.

Story continues

Liberal Party leader Felix Chung Kwok-pan also described the governments action as lagging far behind other regions.

Chung asked whether there was enough medicine in local hospitals, and whether the government had explored new drugs to treat the infected patients.

Cheung said Hong Kong had a months supply of rice  25 million kilograms  and there was no reason for people to worry about its stock.

He also said the government had been assisting Hongkongers stranded in Hubei and had sent them medicine.

Their well-being is our well-being; we care about them, Cheung said.

He explained that some Hongkongers were stranded in areas hundreds of kilometres from Wuhan, which were difficult to reach.

He also said the government planned to use a four-hectare plot of land in Pennys Bay, Lantau Island, to provide 600 quarantine units.

Walt Disney Company has also agreed to see whether another plot of land in Pennys Bay, reserved for tourism development, could be used for building quarantine facilities, Cheung said.

A new public housing estate in Fo Tan has also been converted to a quarantine centre and will be in operation soon to provide more than 1,000 units, he added.

Cheung denied that the city was slow in reacting to the epidemic. I feel the situation is under control, but we must act cautiously, Cheung said.

Health minister Chan said the drugs being used to treat Covid-19 patients were proved effective, adding that the Hospital Authority had been liaising with a pharmacy and would join a trial programme for a new medicine.

The Democratic Partys Roy Kwong Chun-yu said the government had done nothing right in response to the outbreak.

Will any top official be held accountable and asked to step down? Secretary Matthew Cheung, will you represent [Chief Executive] Carrie Lam and apologise to the public?

Cheung called for tolerance from the public, adding that the government had been doing its utmost in sourcing masks from all over the world.

He also explained that the case of Hong Kong was unique, and a complete border closure would have affected many Hongkongers.

Additional reporting by Alvin Lum

This article Coronavirus: Hong Kong lawmakers slam top ministers as incompetent and slow to react to public health crisis first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
Dublin, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Industrial Pumps Market in Russia, Forecast to 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Industrial Pumps Market in Russia, Forecast to 2023 provides market size and forecasts, highlights key trends, presents a breakdown by segments, and provides a competitive and end-user industry analysis, as well as makes predictions for the future. Key market drivers and restraining factors have been discussed in detail.



Macro and micro-economic indicators for Russia, CIS and CEE countries have been provided to support the market trends. This report aims to analyze both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the market. Market sizing and forecast for prominent end-user industries has been included for in-depth understanding. Manufacturers discussed in this report include those that produce centrifugal and positive displacement pumps.



From 2014 to 2016, the Russian economy was under a monetary crisis mainly due to factors such as the decline in crude oil prices and the country's role in its conflict with Ukraine. The present economic situation is fragile as recovery remains weak due to poor business and investment climate. Large-scale sanctions by countries on Russia as a counter to its annexation of Crimea and its support for separatists in the eastern Ukraine Donbas region, and the counter-sanctions imposed by Russia have further weakened growth prospects.



Over 40% of the water supply network in Russia is in urgent need of refurbishment and modernization. This factor is expected to contribute to the growth of industrial pumps and services. Rosneft's modernization of oil refining capacities is estimated to cost more than RUB1.40 trillion and includes more than 50 projects for the construction and reconstruction of major process plants and facilities.



Russian companies are undertaking the modernization program for refineries in order to improve the quality of products and increase competitiveness. The water tariff policy in Russia is under the control of government departments; taking into account the economic features of a city, town or village, the refurbishment or new construction of treatment plants and networks can either be partially or fully subsidized from public funds.



Russia's mining industry represented 3% to 5% of the country's GDP in 2018. The country has huge reserves of minerals as it has the biggest geographical area in the world. It figures among the global top 3 countries with the largest reserves of diamond, gold, platinum, palladium, coal and iron ore. Russia is steadily moving ahead with its plans for an extended role in nuclear energy, including the development of a new nuclear reactor technology.



Rosenergoatom is the only Russian utility operating nuclear power plants. In May 2015, the Ministry of Economic Development in Russia announced a delay in commissioning of new nuclear power plants due to a current energy surplus'.

Key Topics Covered



1. Executive Summary

Key Findings

Market Engineering Measurements

CEO's Perspective

2. Market Overview

Research Scope

Industry Segmentation

Market Definitions

Key Questions this Study will Answer

Percent Revenue by Industry

Market Distribution Channels

3. Economic Overview - Total Industrial Pumps Market

Change in GDP of Russia Compared to CIS and CEE Countries

State of Industrial Production in Russia

Oil Production and Demand in Russia

Oil & Gas Outlook - CAPEX Spending Trend in Russia

Location of Key Industry Clusters in Russia

4. Drivers and Restraints - Total Industrial Pumps Market

Market Drivers

Drivers Explained

Market Restraints

Restraints Explained

5. Forecasts and Trends - Total Industrial Pumps Market

Market Engineering Measurements

Forecast Assumptions

Revenue Breakdown by Industry

Revenue Forecast Comparison by Industry

Revenue Forecast

Revenue Forecast Discussion

Percent Revenue Forecast by Industry

Revenue Forecast by Industry

6. Market Share and Competitive Analysis - Total Industrial Pumps Market

Market Share - Oil & Gas Industry

Market Share Analysis - Oil & Gas Industry

Market Share - Water and Wastewater Industry

Market Share Analysis - Water and Wastewater Industry

Market Share - Power Generation Industry

Market Share Analysis - Power Generation Industry

Market Share - Mining Industry

Market Share Analysis - Mining Industry

Market Share - Chemical Process Industry

Market Share Analysis - Chemical Process Industry

Competitive Environment

7. Growth Opportunities and Companies to Action

3 Major Growth Opportunities

Growth Opportunity 1 - Energy-efficient Pump Solutions

Growth Opportunity 2 - Value-added Services

Growth Opportunity 3 - Market Positioning

Strategic Imperatives for Success and Growth

8. End-User Analysis - Oil & Gas Industry

Market Engineering Measurements

Revenue Forecast

Percent Revenue by Application

Revenue Forecast Discussion

9. End-User Analysis - Water and Wastewater Industry

Market Engineering Measurements

Revenue Forecast

Percent Revenue by Application

Revenue Forecast Discussion

10. End-User Analysis - Power Generation Industry

Market Engineering Measurements

Revenue Forecast

Percent Revenue by Application

Revenue Forecast Discussion

11. End-User Analysis - Mining Industry

Market Engineering Measurements

Revenue Forecast

Revenue Forecast Discussion

12. End-User Analysis - Chemical Process Industry

Market Engineering Measurements

Revenue Forecast

Revenue Forecast Discussion

13. End-User Analysis - Other Industry

Market Engineering Measurements

Revenue Forecast

Revenue Forecast Discussion

14. The Last Word

Three Big Predictions

Companies Mentioned



Almaz LLC

BHGE

Borets LLC

CDBMB

Grundfos

HMS Group

Kataisk Plant

KSB Rus LLC

Novomet

Rimera Group

Rosenergoatom

Rosneft

Schlumberger

Weatherford

Weir Materials

Wilo

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/fwd6th

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
The biggest threat for migratory species at risk of extinction are hunting, poaching, persecution and control, according to a new report released at the thirteenth conference of parties (COP-13) on conservation of migratory species (CMS) of wild animals in Gandhinagar.

The preliminary assessment showed that 96% of all the species listed under Appendix 1 of the CMS face these threats. Of all the 173 species included in the appendix, 98% of the mammals, 94% of the birds and 100% of the reptiles and fish, respectively, are facing extinction because of hunting and poaching, the report showed.

The Great Indian Bustard, the mascot for the COP-13 event, has seen a 90% decline in population since 1969 amid widespread poaching in neighbouring Pakistan.

The CMS has never before worked on a report to evaluate the conservation status of migratory animals. COP-13 is pushing for greater budgetary allocation for a study of the population trends and the challenges faced by species threatened by extinction. Though demand for elephant tusks have been known, now elephant skin and beads are being traded as well. Asian elephants need to be protected especially after the pachyderms cross into Nepal and Bangladesh, said Dipankar Ghose, director, species and landscape at Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).

An initial status report of migratory species showed that over 70% of the species on Appendix 1 are declining along with habitat loss. We need funds to prepare a flagship report on the status of migratory species, said Amy Fraenkel, executive secretary, CMS.

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MH-60 will replenish Indias ageing fleet of British-made Sea King copters.

New Delhi: Ahead of US President Donald Trumps visit next week, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday cleared a $2.4 billion deal to purchase 24 American multi-role MH-60 Romeo Seahawk anti-submarine helicopters for the Indian Navy, said sources.

India is purchasing these Lockheed Martin-built helicopters under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route. The United States (US) governments Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme is a means for its allies to acquire defence articles, services, and training through government-to-government agreements.

India has been in need of formidable anti-submarine hunter helicopters for more than a decade now. The MH-60 helicopters will replenish Indias ageing fleet of British-made Sea King helicopters. India has started buying weapons and hydrocarbons from the US to improve ties and prevent a trade war with the US.

US President Trump had been vocal over the trade deficit with India and in the past, even called India the tariff king of the world. Indias exports to the US in 2017-18 stood at $47.9 billion, while imports were $26.7 billion. India recently bought the Apache and Chinook helicopters from the US. According to some estimates, India has signed $ 17 billion defence deals with the US since 2007.

In 2018, PSU GAIL signed two, 20-year LNG supply agreements potentially worth $32 billion for US LNG exports from the Dominion Cove Point project in Maryland and the Sabine Pass project in Louisiana. The first liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipment from the US arrived at the Dabhol terminal of state-run gas major GAIL in March 2018.

Last year, the US had approved the sale of 24 multi-role MH-60 Romeo Seahawk helicopters to India at an estimated cost of $ 2.4 billion.
HOUSTON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wait times at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspection checkpoints will be cut by nearly half after facial comparison technology launches at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) on Feb. 19. Hobby Airport is the first in Texas to have full biometric entry and exit for passengers who are traveling internationally.

Hobby Airport has taken a big leap into the future of travel, Houston Aviation Director Mario Diaz said. We could not have reached this technological milestone without the help of our partners  CBP and Southwest Airlines. Simplified Arrivals will enhance the travel experience for the one million international passengers traveling through Hobby Airport every year. This is an important step to realize our goal of becoming a 5-star airport.

The enhanced entry process complements the biometric exit process that CBP, Houston Airports (HAS) and Southwest Airlines introduced in November 2018. In 2017, George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) was one of only three airports in the nation to deploy facial recognition technology when a pilot program for biometric exiting was launched.

"CBP is committed to working with our partners to ensure that the travel system is secure and efficient," said Houston Director of Field Operations Judson W. Murdock II. "The speed, accuracy and reliability of facial comparison technology enable CBP officers to confirm a traveler's identity within seconds while further enhancing the customer experience."

When international travelers arrive at the airport, they will pause for a photo at the primary inspection point. CBP's biometric facial matching service will compare the new photo of the traveler to images that the traveler previously provided to the government, such as passport and visa photos. If a traveler cannot be matched to a photo on record, the CBP officer will process the traveler manually.

Travelers who wish to opt out of the new biometric process may notify an officer as they approach the primary inspection point. Travelers who opt out of the new biometric process will be required to present a valid travel document for manual identity verification by a CBP officer and processed consistent with existing requirements for entry into the United States.

Strong technical security safeguards are in place and the amount of personally identifiable information used in the facial biometric process is limited. New photos of U.S. citizens will be deleted within 12 hours. Photos of foreign nationals will be stored in a secure DHS system.

Since September 2018, CBP has used biometric facial comparison technology to interdict more than 250 imposters who tried to enter the United States by presenting a genuine travel document that belonged to another person.

The implementation of biometric facial comparison technology is a direct result of recommendations from the 9/11 Commission, and it addresses Congressional mandates to biometrically record the entry and exit of non-U.S. citizens.

More information about efforts to secure and streamline travel through facial biometrics is available at CBP's website here.

About Houston Airport System

Comprised of George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) and Ellington Airport (EFD) / Houston Spaceport, the Houston Airport System served nearly 60 million passengers in 2019. Houston Airports form one of North America's largest public airport systems and position Houston as the international passenger and cargo gateway to the South Central United States and a primary gateway to Latin America. Houston is proud to be the only city in the Western Hemisphere with two Skytrax rated 4-star airports. Learn more at fly2houston.com.

SOURCE Houston Airport System

Related Links

http://www.fly2houston.com


Oil prices rose more than 2% on Wednesday as demand worries eased with a slowing of new coronavirus cases in China and supply curtailed by a U.S. move to cut more Venezuelan crude from the market.

Brent crude was up $1.58, or 2.7%, to trade at $59.33 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained $1.24, or 2.38%, to settle at $53.29 per barrel.

Official data showed new coronavirus cases in China fell for a second straight day, although the World Health Organization said there was not enough data to know if the epidemic was being contained.

"There's more optimism that maybe this disease is peaking," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

"The market is pricing in the possibility that we can get back to normal quicker, and that's going to be very bullish for oil demand."

Actions the Chinese government has taken, and is expected to take, to stimulate its economy and counteract the financial impact of the coronavirus also boosted oil prices, Flynn said.

China is expected to cut its benchmark lending rate on Thursday as it attempts to limit the damage from business shutdowns and travel curbs.

China, the world's second-largest economy, has imposed city lockdowns and travel restrictions to contain the virus that has now killed more than 2,000 people.

S&P Global Ratings said it expected the virus would deliver a "short-term blow" to economic growth in China in the first quarter, echoing findings by the International Energy Agency.

The oil market price structure is also showing signs that prompt demand for oil is picking up, as the front-month Brent futures market is moving deeper into backwardation, when near-term prices are higher than later-dated prices.

This week, oil prices were also buoyed by a U.S. decision to blacklist a trading subsidiary of Russia's Rosneft, which President Donald Trump's administration said provided a financial lifeline to Venezuela's government.

Hopes that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied producers would deepen supply cuts also supported prices.

The grouping, known as OPEC+, has been withholding supply to support prices and meets next month to decide a response to the downturn in demand resulting from the coronavirus epidemic.

But in the United States, which is not party to any supply cut agreements, oil production has been rising. U.S. shale production is expected to rise to a record 9.2 million barrels a day next month, the Energy Information Administration said.
When students at Sydney's first high-rise high school leave for the day, there's no mass exodus of kids running out the gates and onto the streets of the Parramatta CBD.

Instead the $225 million public school staggers start and finish times to manage up to 2000 students' movements throughout the 17-floor building.

Timetabling is one of many quirks at Arthur Phillip High School, which opened its campus this month after cost blow-outs and delays. But the "one-of-a-kind" school is still dividing experts over its open-plan classrooms and approach to co-teaching.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian takes a tour of the state's first high-rise public high school. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The day begins at 8.30am for years 7 and 8, but not until 8.50am for years 9 and 10, and includes four 80-minute periods. Recess and lunch are replaced by similarly staggered 20-minute breaks, where students eat at their own discretion.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

The appeal of Samira Rafullayeva, a candidate for the Azerbaijani Parliament from the 30th Surakhani constituency was looked into at the meeting of Azerbaijan's Central Election Commission (CEC) on Feb. 19, Trend reports with reference to the CEC.

It was noted during the meeting that the candidate, in her appeal, reported violations in several polling stations of the constituency.

CEC member Ilham Mammadov said that the appeal was considered in accordance with law. As a result, it was found out that actions, contradictory to the requirements of the Electoral Code, occurred in several polling stations of the 30th Surakhani constituency.

Therefore, Ilham Mammadov proposed to declare the voting results from the 12th, 14th, 16th and 18th precincts of the constituency invalid.

The proposal was accepted after the vote.

The snap parliamentary elections were held in Azerbaijan on Feb. 9.
Under the framework of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Customs Modernization Programme, funded by the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, WCO experts were invited to lead an AEO Validation Workshop for the South African Revenue Service (SARS). The Workshop was held from 10 to 14 February 2020 in Pretoria, South Africa. Mrs. Rae Vivier who is the Group Executive responsible for AEO in SARS opened the workshop and welcomed the WCO and SACU representatives with a key note address to all attendees. She gave assurance to the audience that AEO is taken seriously by SARS and is one of the organizations key deliverables.

During the five day Workshop, the SARS AEO validation team was given an introduction to the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards (FoS), including all its Pillars, core elements, and AEO criteria etc. This was followed by a discussion on the essential elements of the AEO Validation Guidance, the sequential steps of the AEO validation procedures and the skills required by AEO validators.

The participants, comprised of Customs auditors, legal experts and client relationship managers, were given an opportunity to share their views on the similarities and differences between AEO validation and post-clearance audit. The core values of Customs-Business partnerships were highlighted as an important aspect towards achieving AEO programme implementation. Auditors with a Customs compliance mindset were given security validation knowledge and taught how to hold discussions with business on coordinating and enhancing international supply chain security and safety. Another important element underscored during the training was that validation of the applicant is central to accreditation, and that the applicants supply chain may not be tested. Accordingly, the applicant is responsible for securing its own supply chain.

The Workshop entailed extensive discussions on the self-assessment questionnaire prepared by SARS for potential AEOs taking part in the countrys AEO pilot. While referring to the WCO self-assessment template, the WCO experts also shared questionnaires by other Customs administrations. The participants and experts discussed how to enhance the questions posed, making it simpler for business to understand and answer them. A number of recommendations were made, including adding explanatory notes to the self-assessment questionnaire to help clients provide accurate information about their security and safety protocols.

A further aim of the Workshop was to include practical sessions, such as the mock validation process held at BMWs South African plant in Rosslyn. Participants were told how BMW guarantees supply chain safety and security. Equipped with this information, the Workshop participants were given a walk-through of BMW South Africas processes for receiving goods. The lessons learned were shared among the Workshop participants and SARS management during the post-validation assessment. During that session, several Mutual Recognition Arrangements/Agreements (MRAs) signed between different Customs administrations were also referenced, so as to enhance learning and information sharing.

SARS embarked on its Preferred Traders Programme (PTP) in May 2017. The initial number of 28 accredited traders (importers/exporters) has grown to reach 119 as of 14 February 2020. Under the SARS Strategic Plan for 2023, the priority will be to focus on improving voluntary compliance and supply chain security through implementation of the standardized WCO SAFE/AEO programme. At the same time, SACU wishes to roll out PTPs for all its Members, while moving towards a full-fledged AEO programme in phases. To this end, the WCO experts discussed and shared views on the PTP compatibility assessment tool aimed at ensuring mutual recognition of Preferred Traders among SACU Members.
A security officer who was fired for making Fred Matiangi queue for a security check at JKIA three years ago was dealt a blow Tuesday after the Labour Court in Nyeri dismissed her suit.

Daizy Cherogony had sued the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) for sacking her on claims of ignoring Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi.

In addition to asking the Court to reverse her sacking, Ms Cherogony went for the jugular and demanded Sh40.9 Million compensation. Mind you, this amount was a significant raise from her initial demand of Sh2.4 million.

Through Matundura Advocates, Ms Cherogony had argued that she is entitled to damages for wrongful dismissal and unfair termination of employment.

Read: Airport Security Officer Sacked for Making Matiangi Queue Demands Sh41 Million

But in his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Nzioki Wa Makau ruled that KAA was right to dismiss her for being disrespectful to the then Education CS.

The court noted that the Civil Aviation Security Programme manual requires government officials to be screened like every other passenger, except where prior arrangements have been made.

In this case, it was not improper to require the Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiangi to undergo screening like other passengers, Justice Makau ruled.

CCTV Footage Showed Officer Disregarded Matiangi

The court, however, noted that CCTV footage of the incident was played in court and it showed the former security supervisor interacting with the CS.

She is seen disregarding the CS and beckoning other passengers at the glass door. Whereas the verbal exchanges were not available, it is clear there was some disregard for the passenger who turned out to be the Cabinet Secretary for Education at the time, the judge said.

The improper handling of the passenger was sufficient basis for the Respondent to initiate disciplinary action against the Claimant. She was heard in terms of Section 41 and her rights under Article 41(1) safeguarded, said the court.

The High Court also ordered Cherogony to pay court costs, saying the suit was filed in Nyeri, taking KAAs counsel and witnesses far from the scene where the incidents relevant to the suit occurred.

As the suit was filed here in Nyeri bypassing the Employment Court at Nairobi, the claimant will be liable in costs for the suit, Makau added.

KAA had told the court that on the morning of April 6, 2016, CS Matiangi was supposed to depart to Kisumu through JKIA but the flight was delayed by 32 minutes due to Ms. Cherogonys conduct.
US National guards from Arizona trained with Jordan Armed Forces soldier on how to enhance their skills in driving MRAP armored vehicles during various situation.



The U.S. military has a longstanding relationship with Jordan to support mutual objectives by providing military assistance to the JAF consistent with U.S. national interests. (Photo: Sgt. 1st Class Shaiyla Hakeem)

What is a vehicle that towers more than 9 feet, is used as a troop carrier and can withstand substantial explosive detonations? It is called a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Wheeled Armored Vehicle.

In-depth training on this vehicle was orchestrated by members of the Military Engagement Team-Jordan (MET-J), with 158th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB), Arizona Army National Guard (AZANG), through a Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) with Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) soldiers at a base outside Amman. MRAPs are tactical vehicles that are ballistic and blast protected, designed to repel ambushes and improvised explosive devices. They weigh more than 34,000 pounds without add-on armored protection.

As we move up the ranks, we must know the capabilities of the vehicles; the strengths, the constraints and the limitations, said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Elvis Sierra. Unimproved roads, night driving, uphill, downhill, and night vision driving are part of the (SMEE) training to enhance safety, awareness and poise.

Sierra, assigned to MET-J, 158 MEB, AZNG, served as the primary instructor for the exchange. During the week-long SMEE, Soldiers trained and practiced operating the MRAPs in an array of conditions, including rain and blackout conditions utilizing night vision goggles (NVGs). We must understand the difference in driving times to maintain situational awareness of the interior controls as well as the exterior roads, said Sierra, The night driving then prepares you for no light or NVG driving.

MET-J facilitates and conducts military-to-military engagements with regional partners within U.S. Army Central to build military partner capability and capacity, enhance interoperability and build relationships. Sierra said he was honored to be part of the exchange. The JAF welcomed us and not only treated us as guests in their country but also maintained professionalism and positive interaction throughout the exchange. Checking in on the training each day was JAF Lt. Col. Essam Al-Qwassmah, a Jordan Border Guard Force battalion commander. He said the Jordanian Army trusts the American side as a partner and mentor.

By the feedback I have had with my soldiers, they are very happy with this kind of (MRAP) training, said Al-Qwassmah. Your efforts are highly appreciated. This kind of training is very useful and beneficial for us.

MRAPs have been used by the U.S. Armed Forces to combat the influx of improvised explosive devices and to transport troops. The vehicle has a deflecting-angled V-shaped hull or underbody, which reroutes blasts up and away from the compartment containing troops. There are several variations to the vehicle, which can accommodate seven to more than 11 personnel.

The RG33L 6x6 Series provides an unmatched degree of mission flexibility. It offers more volume under armor than any other mine-protected vehicle. With its large modular interior, high-mobility chassis and extensive equipment options, the RG33 6x6 is an integrated, proven, survivable, blast-protected vehicle. It can operate in explosive hazardous environments, performing route and area clearance, explosive hazards reconnaissance and explosive ordnance disposal operations.

The RG33L Series 6x6 features a state-of-the art v-shaped hull that provides superior blast protection against symmetrical, asymmetrical and unconventional explosive hazards. RG33L features additional systems to enhance survivability, such as modular add on armor kit provisions, TRAPP transparent armor that provides excellent visibility and situational awareness, and run-flat tires.
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine

Zeppole Recipes for St. Joseph's Day

Sicilian Style Zeppole

Easy To Make Dessert

Grandma's Roman Zeppole Version

Traditions

Crispelles After Frying

















Zeppole Fritters

My Pastry Cream Version of American Style Bakery St. Joseph's Day Pastry filled

Cafe Cream Filled

Puff Pastry with Ricotta Cream Filling

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Step By Step Photos of St. Joseph's Day Pastries

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With Image Without Image March 19th St. Joseph's Zeppole Celebration Yield: 1

Author: Claudia Lamascolo March 19th St Joseph's Day. These pastries are made completely different in every Region in Italy from fritters to a creamy filled puff pastry. Here in America we also have a version. There are more that 3 versions here to choose from over the years I have had them by many pastry chefs. ingredients: Here is the Version I use every year in the photo used above

St. Joseph's Day Pastry and mom's cream puff recipe that follows:

Cafe Style filling this is the one I use most often:

this is the one I use most often: 4 large egg yolks

8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

pinch of sea salt

2 cups whole milk

1/2 tsp almond extract

2/3 cup Ricotta cheese whole milk

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

In a small heavyweight saucepan, beat the yolks, sugar, salt, and flour all at once until all lumps are gone. Slowly add milk and whisk to make a smooth consistency. Heat slowly over medium heat till this mixture thickens stirring constantly.

At the very start, whisk slowly and then a little quicker as the cream starts feeling thicker. Wait for a simmering boil to appear. At this point lower the heat to very low as you finish getting the perfect creamy consistency. As the whisk leaves a trail as it stirs, this is the indication that the cream is ready. When the pudding has thickened remove from stove and cover with wax paper not to form a skin. Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.

Ricotta

In a bowl add ricotta, sugar and almond flavoring, stir till completely mixed.

Fold in the pudding.

Fill cream puffs. I like to roll the edges in mini chocolate chips.

Keep refrigerated. These also look nice with a mixture of powdered sugar and water glaze with a cherry on top. instructions: How to cook March 19th St. Joseph's Zeppole Celebration Zeppole DI San Giuseppe (St. Joseph's Day Cream Puffs) Mom's Version (Bari Style) Cream Puff Dough 1 cup of water 1 stick butter 1 cup flour 4 eggs 1 teaspoon grated orange peel 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel Beat eggs in a bowl set aside. Measure 1 cup flour and set aside. In a heavy nonstick saucepan, pour 1 cup water and a stick of butter (not margarine) add zests and bring to a boil on medium heat, leave on heat and add flour stirring quickly with a wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved and comes together. Remove from heat, add eggs and beat very rapidly with the wooden spoon until a ball of dough if formed...Note it's very important to beat this fast. Spoon one tablespoon of dough or teaspoon for small puffs on an ungreased cookie sheet. Shape into logs for eclairs or round for cream puffs. Bake on 400 for 1/2 hour, do not open oven or puffs will not cook correctly. When browned remove from oven, cool, cut in half to fill. You can fill with puffs whipped cream, Italian pastry creme, vanilla pudding. Eclairs also will have chocolate frosting on top filled with vanilla pudding Remove to a rack and cool completely. Cut a slit in the side of each puff and fill with below filling or sweetened whipped cream: Mom's Creamy Ricotta Filling 3 cups Ricotta cheese 1  cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 teaspoons grated orange peel 2 tablespoons grated lemon peel 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips Combine all ingredients except chips and beat with electric mixer about 10 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use. Here is another version called fried Italian dough. The link will have the recipe for the dough and how to make it. Some like it with cinnamon and sugar, confectionery sugar, regular sugar. Folks spread them with butter, peanut butter or jam. At Italian feasts, this is a very popular Italian fried dough in place in Upstate New York. Zeppole (fritter style) 1 tablespoon vanilla 1/2 cup sugar, plus 3 tablespoons 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 1 stick butter 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup of water 1 cup all-purpose flour 4 eggs Olive oil, for frying Add the 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Set aside. In a medium saucepan combine the butter, salt, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the flour. Return pan to the heat and stir continuously until mixture forms a ball, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the flour mixture to a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on low speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Beat until smooth. If not frying immediately, cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees. Using a large tablespoon carefully drop about a tablespoon of the dough into the hot olive oil, frying in batches. Turn the zeppole once or twice, cooking until golden and puffed up about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Toss with cinnamon-sugar. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately. Grandma's Verison ( with honey she called them Crispelles): 1 pkg. dry yeast 1 1/2 cups warm water 4 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup raisins (soaked in Brandy till plump) Canola oil, for deep-frying (she used vegetable oil) Honey preferred or Powdered Sugar Mix dry yeast with warm water in a small bowl. In a large bowl, add flour, cinnamon, and salt. Make a well in the flour with a wooden spoon, and add the eggs, water, and yeast. Mix dry ingredients into well, little by little, until it reaches bread dough consistency (if the dough still sticks to the bowl, add more flour). If using raisins drain, and fold in this point. Cover and let rise until double in bulk. In a Dutch oven, pour oil to a depth of 2 inches and heat to 375 degrees. Fry dough by the tablespoonful in hot oil (dip a spoon in flour, if necessary, to keep the dough from sticking). Drain on paper towels. Place zeppole in a large bowl and pour honey(grandma's style) or powder sugar over them. Sicilian Style Italian Zeppole 2-1/2 cups self-rising flour 1- 1/2 lb. Ricotta Whole Milk( 1- 16 oz and 1- 8 oz container) 4 eggs 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract cinnamon and sugar mixture (enough to coat after frying) Heat a dutch oven 2 inches deep with vegetable oil Beat 4 eggs, the ricotta, sugar and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add the flour and mix well. In case the batter is a little stiff add a small amount of milk and mix gently. Gently drop by tablespoons into the hot oil. Drain on paper towels. Roll freshly fried zeppole in cinnamon and sugar mixture or powdered sugar. https://www.whatscookinitalianstylecuisine.com/2011/03/march-19th-st-josephs-zeppole.html dessert, Italian dessert, St. Joseph's Day pastry,pastry cream, pastry cream puff dough, fritters, fried dough, zeppole Italian pastry, St. Joseph's Day, holiday, puff pastry recipes, pastry cream recipes Italian Created using The Recipes Generator

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Don't Miss Trying Some Other Favorite Italian Desserts

All recipes are in the printable recipe card below.Just scroll down to print off the one you want.All Regions make different versions of zeppole in Italy.These are among the ones I have made through the years with mom and my grandmother.The photos are there to show you what they look like and hopefully, you find the one you love.These are fritter-style batter and deep-fried with ricotta added in the batter.They are then drained on paper towels and rolled into cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.You will find this at most Italian feasts in upstate new york.Usually, pizza fritta is deep-fried right in front of you at those church feasts, then sprinkled with powdered or granulated sugar.Made with honey and raisins, Grandma called Crispelles (these were often made around Christmas stuffed with anchovies).This is a yeast-risen dough.These were always traditional fried honey glazed and yeast-risen treat during the holidays.Grandma was from Rome, Italy and crispelles were her specialties.The honey glaze made them extra sweet and the dough is soft and pillow-like.After the dough is fried, they are drained on paper towels then coated with honey.Again, at Christmas time they were stuffed with anchovies for Christmas Eve traditions of the 7 Fishes. These are much like a donut and with simple pantry ingredients and cinnamon in the dough.These are served also rolled in granulated sugar, cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.These are just filled with whipped cream.The cream puff dough is the recipe I use for filling with St. Joseph's Pastry Cream.This is what the cream puffs look like after filled with regular heavy cream whipped.I do use a cafe creamy style pastry filling with ricotta cheese and it's all made from scratch.You will find these in most American pastry shops during St. Joseph's Day.I also make the puff pastry recipe mom used for her cream puff recipe Here are the photos below of two different years I made them.I always go back to this recipe, which is the first in the recipe card.Our family enjoys the ricotta creamy filling much like a cannoli filling just a little thicker.See the recipe below in the printable recipe card.Same cafe-style filling just with sprinkles on top using the cream puff pastry filling.Every year I make a different style.The puff pastry on these has been piped through a pastry tube to form the swirling effect.If you would like to have step by step photos of these pastries, you can find that onanother post I made on how to make St. Joseph's Day Pastries using a pastry tool.Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2011. It was edited and re-published in 2020.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Water Ways Technologies Inc. (WWT.V) ("Water Ways" or the "Company") announces additional orders for five water and irrigation projects in Ethiopia with a value of CAD$1,205,000. These additional projects demonstrate continued acceptance of Water Ways project acumen and the generation of recurring revenue with existing clients.

Ethiopia Projects First Half 2020

Water supply and control system for a Polymer factory in Northern Ethiopia;

12 Hectare (30 acre) drip irrigation project for irrigating an Avocado plantation in Central Ethiopia;

Shade net structure and irrigation equipment for a vegetable farm in Central Ethiopia;

Refurbishing and upgrading 100 Hectare (250 acre) vineyard irrigation system previously installed by Water Ways 10 years ago in Central Ethiopia;

Upgrading of a water reservoir for an existing client near Addis Ababa.

Water Ways expects to recognize revenue from the projects in the first half of 2020, with all projects backed by letters of credits.

Ohad Haber, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "I am extremely pleased with the work our team has done in Ethiopia. These orders are a culmination of our teams hard work in Ethiopia in 2019 and we hope an indication that we will have further strong growth in Ethiopia as the year progresses. Our dedication to providing irrigation solutions in challenging environments allows growers and farmers to increase yields, optimize water use and maximize profits.

About Water Ways Technologies

Water Ways is the parent company of Irri-Al-Tal Ltd. ("IAT"), an Israeli based agriculture technology company that specializes in providing water irrigation solutions to agricultural producers. IAT competes in the global irrigation water systems market with a focus on developing solutions with commercial applications in the micro and precision irrigation segments of the overall market. At present, IAT's main revenue streams are derived from the following business units: (i) Projects Business Unit; and (ii) Component and Equipment Sales Unit. IAT was founded in 2003 by Mr. Ohad Haber with a view of capitalizing on the opportunities presented by micro and smart irrigation, while also making a positive mark on society by making these technologies more widely available, especially in developing markets such as Africa and Latin America. IATs past projects include vineyards, water reservoirs, fish farms, fresh produce cooling rooms and more, in over 15 countries.

Story continues

For more information, please contact



Dean Stuart

Boardmarker Group

T: 403 617 7609

E: dean@boardmarker.net

Ronnie Jaegermann

Director

T: +972-54-4202054

E: ronnie@waterwt.com

https://www.water-ways-technologies.com/

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "potential", "will", "seek", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions as they relate to Water Ways. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Such statements reflect Water Ways' current views and intentions with respect to future events, and current information available to Water Ways, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Material factors or assumptions were applied in providing forward-looking information. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking information to vary from those described herein should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize. Should any factor affect Water Ways in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Any such forward-looking information is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, Water Ways does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this press release is made as of the date of this press release and Water Ways undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable law. Water Ways' results and forward-looking information and calculations may be affected by fluctuations in exchange rates. All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.
With many axes to grind against Prashant Kishor, the BJP on Wednesday launched a fresh attack against the poll strategist-turned-politician whom it likened to the musclemen in the 1990s, who having previously captured booths for their political masters, had themselves started becoming politicians in large numbers.

Patna: With many axes to grind against Prashant Kishor, the BJP on Wednesday launched a fresh attack against the poll strategist-turned-politician whom it likened to the musclemen in the 1990s, who having previously captured booths for their political masters, had themselves started becoming politicians in large numbers.

A day after Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi's caustic tweets against the expelled JD(U) leader, the alliance partner's chief whip in the Lok Sabha Sanjay Jaiswal, who also heads the state unit, came out with a Facebook post. A common feature, though, being avoidance on part of both BJP leaders to mention Kishor by name.

"The one who made a name for oneself by doing business with the BJP is now trying the formula of the 1990s. Burglars and robbers back then had begun to think, why capture booth for others, better to become leaders ourselves. They also met with success for some time," said Jaiswal.

"But the public now has become far more aware. It does not vote for goons and ruffians. A 'rajnaitik dhandhebaaz' (political dealer) thinks of carving a niche for oneself with money power. Had it been possible then only those with deep pockets could become public representatives," he said.

Jaiswal also berated Kishor's accomplishments as an election strategist, pointing out "he seeks to remember the success of 'chai pe charcha', but wants to forget a failed venture like the 'khaat pe charcha' in Uttar Pradesh which was disastrous for two so-called young leaders".

'Khaat pe charcha' or discussions on a cot was a public outreach program said to be masterminded for the Congress by Kishor ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. The party stitched a last-minute tie-up with the Samajwadi Party led by the then-chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who was struggling to hold his own in the face of a revolt by his influential uncle, Shivpal Singh Yadav.

Yadav and Rahul Gandhi ran an energetic campaign with catchy slogans describing them as "Uttar Pradesh ke ladke" (sons of Uttar Pradesh) but the alliance was pulverized by the BJP, which pulled off a stunning victory, bagging three-fourth majority.

Jaiswal also sought to twist the knife by posting "this is the world-famous Bose speaker. Sometimes when it is used for playing music, it starts believing that it deserves the credit for the melody. It forgets that it owes its quality to its cost of production which is 10 times greater than that of other brands".

"It is an overused, poor business strategy to offer free services to whichever party is the favourite during Assembly polls in a state and, after the results, claiming success by getting oneself photographed (with the winning leader)," the BJP leader added.

Starting as a campaign manager for Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha polls of 2014, Kishor thereafter collaborated with the alliance among Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), Lalu Prasad's RJD and a decadent Congress. The short-lived coalition trounced the NDA in the Assembly polls in 2015.

In 2017, besides Uttar Pradesh, Kishor worked for the Congress in Punjab where the party ousted the Akali Dal-BJP coalition from power. He joined the JD(U) in September 2018 and took to aggressively strengthening the party's student unit by nibbling away the support base of ABVP, which led to much bad blood between the party headed by Nitish Kumar and the BJP.

During the Lok Sabha polls, he was involved with the YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh where Assembly elections were held simultaneously and saw its chief Jaganmohan Reddy's ascension to power.

His clout with the Thackeray family of Shiv Sena has been blamed, from some quarters, for souring of the party's old ties with the BJP, ultimately resulting in a break-up.

He had begun to attack the JD(U) after it supported the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and was sacked when he accused Nitish Kumar of having spoken a "lie" by claiming that Kishor was inducted into the party on the recommendation of Amit Shah.

At his press conference on Tuesday, Kishor said that he could not reconcile to Kumar's devotion towards Gandhi and his association with "Godsewadis" alluding to the Sangh Parivar's association with the Mahatma's assassin.
The time it takes to purchase a vehicle at Ackerman Toyota is two hours or less. Individuals that work with Ackerman Toyota can expect the entire purchasing process from arrival to departure in a new vehicle to happen in two hours or less.

Customers that have purchased a vehicle in the past know that this can be a tough thing to do. Usually, individuals have to carve out many hours to spend at a dealership. In these many hours, customers test-drive a vehicle, discuss the price with an associate, talk about possibly trading in a vehicle, sign the paperwork and then finally leave in a new vehicle. The process can be exhausting.

At Ackerman Toyota in St. Louis, the vehicle purchasing process has been worked on, perfected and is now down to a science. Individuals that work with Ackerman Toyota can expect the entire purchasing process from arrival to departure in a new vehicle to happen in two hours or less. The dealership is timely, helpful and knowledgeable which allows it to get customers into a new vehicle at a faster than usual rate.

Ackerman Toyota has worked very hard at becoming a trusted certified Toyota dealership in the St. Louis area. In addition to being able to get customers into a new vehicle in two hours or less, Ackerman Toyota also offers its customers Ackerman for Life. This is a non-factory lifetime warranty on the vehicles engine. This warranty is only available on new vehicles that were purchased from Ackerman Toyota.

Individuals that would like to learn more about or experience the purchasing process at Ackerman Toyota can first visit the dealerships website at https://www.ackermantoyota.com/ to views its current inventory. The dealership can also be reached by phone by calling 314-351-3000 for further questions. Finally, Ackerman Toyota is conveniently located at 2020 Hampton Avenue, St. Louis for those that wish to have a more personal experience and speak with a team member in person.
Police have arrested five people, including the son of a sub-inspector in Punjab, for allegedly looting a goods truck and beating up its driver, officials said on Wednesday.

They said the loot incident happened on February 12 when the accused allegedly accosted and beat up the driver near Pinna village on Panipat-Khatima Highway under the Titawi police station limits and fled with the truck carrying grocery items.

Superintendent of Police (Rural) Nepal Singh told newspersons here that acting on a tip-off, the police arrested Vikas, Arif, Javed, Ansar and Harsh following an exchange of fire.

He said the looted truck has been recovered.

He also said the car used in the crime belonged to Vikas, who is son of a police sub-inspector posted in Punjab. He said the car carried a 'police' plate.

The police said the five accused were wanted in Haryana and Rajasthan also for their involvement in cases of loot.

Apart from slapping Indian Penal Code section related to loot, the police has also booked them under section 307 (attempt to murder).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said it was 'impossible' for him to predict when Nevada caucus results will come out, but he said the party went to 'school' on the lessons learned from the Iowa debacle.

Speaking to reporters at a Culinary Workers Union protest outside The Palms Resort in Las Vegas Wednesday, Perez described the caucus-counting effort that will take place all over Nevada on Saturday.

'We're not using the app. We're doing this as low-tech as humanly possible while still maintaining efficiency,' Perez said.

But that means Perez couldn't guarantee whether the crop of 2020 presidential candidates competing in the Democratic primary would see results by the end of Saturday.

'I don't know how many people are going to show up, so that's an impossible question to answer,' he told DailyMail.com. 'I know we're going to try to get results as soon as possible. But we want to get results that are accurate and we want to make sure we count every vote.'

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said Wednesday that it would be 'impossible' to predict when the public might see results for Saturday's Nevada caucuses

NOT AN APP FOR THAT: In Iowa, a malfunctioning app caused chaos on the night of the Hawkeye State caucuses, with zero results available to the 2020 presidential hopefuls that night

Democratic National Committee officials, including spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa, are assuring Democrats that the Nevada caucuses, scheduled for Saturday, will go better than Iowa

While Iowa held its first-in-the-nation caucus back on February 3, the results of that contest are still up in the air, with Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign asking this Tuesday for a recount.

At issue in the Hawkeye State was a malfunctioning app.

Earlier Wednesday, DNC spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa went on Fox News Channel and but to bed any rumors that Nevada would be using that same app.

'There's no doubt that there were issues in Iowa and we can't have that happen again,' she said. ''I think that the Nevada party is doing everything they can to implement. Lessons learned from Iowa.'

'I have confidence in the state party here,' Hinojosa added. 'I have spent the last few days with them and I have seen firsthand that they do want to get this right. They want to make sure that they have accurate reporting.'

Perez touted that there have been more than 1,000 trainings for caucus-workers to prepare for the Nevada caucuses and 3,000 volunteers will staff Saturday's caucus locations.

In addition, the Nevada Democratic Party announced that it would be holding 55 in-person and online trainings for caucus site volunteers between Wednesday and Friday.

'We understand just how important it is that we get this right and protect the integrity of Nevadans' votes,' Nevada State Democratic Party Caucus Director Shelby Wiltz said in a statement Wednesday.

'We are proud that we have a robust training program that started over the summer, and that is continuing up until Caucus Day. We will continue to train our volunteers to make sure we have a successful caucus,' she continued.

In Iowa, getting results was drawn out because the Iowa Democratic Party had to result to paper ballots, call-in reporting and manual tabulations, all which caused both delays and inaccuracies.

Precinct volunteers also ran into difficulties when they experienced long hold times when calling the hotlined intended for reporting results.

As a result of the chaos and widespread criticism, the IDP Chairman Troy Price stepped down from his post a day after the New Hampshire primaries went off without a hitch.

Nearly a week after the Iowa caucuses were held February 3, the IDP announced Pete Buttigieg was the victor after he received one more delegate than Sanders in earning just .1 percentage point more.

Sanders, who won the popular vote, called for a recanvass, which the IDP released Tuesday. His campaign has since requested an additional recount.

The double check of the caucus results also showed Sanders' popular vote margin was reduced.

Both Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and Sanders, a senator from Vermont, have declared victory in Iowa.

A little over a week later in New Hampshire, Sanders earned the most votes, but he and Buttigieg walked away with the same amount of delegates from the New England state.

Sanders is hoping to continue his frontrunner momentum in Nevada, as he continues to surge in regional and national polls.

Democrats have voiced concerns over the caucus process after the Iowa fiasco, and are hoping for a more clear winner as the early primary contests continue to forge on.

Asked if caucuses were toast after this cycle, Perez said that Democrats needed to be focused at the goal at hand: 'We're going to have a conversation about that. We're going to beat Donald Trump first and then we're going to reflect on what we can do differently in the cycles that follow,' he said.
One structural challenge in Indian foreign policy continues with the present government  the inability to seal trade agreements. In three months, New Delhi has failed to conclude two deals, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and a trade deal with the United States. Undeterred, India has reopened trade talks with the European Union and has several bilateral trade agreements in its sights. But whether these talks will indeed translate into pacts is unclear. India, initially out of design and now increasingly out of incoherence, has not finalised a trade deal for over a half-a-decade. The failure to bring the US trade deal to closure is particularly telling. By trade standards, it was a relatively small deal, worth a few billion dollars. Both sides wanted to arrive at a deal because of larger strategic concerns and the pressure of a pending presidential visit. Nonetheless, negotiators failed to make it to the finish line.

Irrespective of whether India was right to stick to its redlines with the US on the trade deal, there is a larger, disturbing pattern. Indias inability to finalise trade deals is undermining its claim that it will uphold the crumbling World Trade Organisation. Its Act East and Neighbourhood First policies are effectively running on one leg because of the absence of a trade element. India is experiencing a slow but steady loss of export earnings, as other countries negotiate to take away the overseas market share of Indian firms. While foreign investment continues to flow into the country, very little is oriented towards manufacturing and sectors which are tied to global supply chains. In contrast, exports are driving Bangladesh and Vietnam to grow at enviable rates.

The failure to put together trade agreements shows up other flaws in Indias approach to trade. One, the commerce ministry lacks the authority to override the numerous industry and labour lobbies who favour protectionism. Institutionalising a structure that handles these forces is needed. Two, the future of international trade will revolve around technology standards and digital policies. The undercurrent of technology nationalism that defines this governments policies will mean an inevitable and potentially dangerous conflict with the US. Washington has called for a broad dialogue on these issues with New Delhi. There is little reason for India not to accept this. Three, if the international trading regime is fragmenting into a mosaic of plurilateral and bilateral agreements, India, which lacks such back-up agreements, will suffer the most.
Light curves of DQ Tau at different wavelengths. Credit: Kospal et al., 2020.

Hungarian astronomers have observed a pre-main sequence (PMS) binary star known as DQ Tau using a set of space telescopes and ground-based facilities, finding numerous variability phenomena in this system, including energetic stellar flares. The findings are detailed in a paper published February 11 on arXiv.org.

Studies indicate that PMS stars seem to be strongly linked with their circumstellar environment, which causes variability observed at a wide range of wavelengths and timescales. For instance, such behavior may be caused by stellar flares, variable accretion, as well as rotational modulation due to hot or cold stellar spots.

Located some 640 light years away, DQ Tau is a low-mass PMS spectroscopic binary consisting of two almost identical stars with masses of around 0.6 solar masses each. The system has a period of approximately 15.8 days and its components are separated by about 0.13 AU from each other.

Previous observations have shown that DQ Tau has a circumbinary protoplanetary disk from which gas and dust are accreting onto both stars. The binary exhibits quasi-periodic optical variability due to pulsed accretion, as well as millimeter ares and elevated X-ray activity due to a combination of magnetic and dynamic eects.

A team of astronomers led by Agnes Kospal of Konkoly Observatory in Budapest, Hungary, have analyzed light curves of DQ Tau in order to get more insight into the system's observed variability. The data for the analysis was provided mainly by NASA's repurposed Kepler mission, known as K2, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and ground-based observatories. K2 has so far provided high-precision photometry for many young stars, aiding scientists in the search for young stellar variability.

"We analyzed DQ Tau's light curves obtained by Kepler K2, the Spitzer Space Telescope and ground-based facilities," the astronomers wrote in the paper.

In general, the monitoring campaign of DQ Tau revealed such variability phenomena as rotational modulation by stellar spots and energetic stellar ares. The observations also recorded brightening events around periastron due to increased accretion and short dips due to temporary circumstellar obscuration.

In particular, the data revealed three stellar spots that are 400K cooler than the stellar photosphere, and together cover about 50 percent of the stellar surface. The data from K2 mission indicate strong periodicity of approximately 3.017 days, which is consistent with the stellar rotational period.

Furthermore, the observations detected 40 short, flare-like brightening events occurring randomly, and lasting between 100 and 200 minutes. The energy released in the ares was measured at between 0.44 and 120 decillion erg, which is typical for young low-mass stars. According to the astronomers, the results suggest that these events are single-star ares happening just above the stellar surface rather than between the two companion stars.

Complex brightening events clustered around the periastrons were also identified in DQ Tau. The researchers assume that they are caused by increased accretion rate.

"This can be explained by pulsed accretion: The stars gravitationally perturb the inner edge of the circumbinary disk during each apoapsis passage and pull some material from the disk that eventually lands on the binary components," the scientists explained.

The study also found that DQ Tau shows short dips of below 0.1 mag in its light curve. This behavior resembles the so-called "dipper phenomenon" observed in many low-mass young stars. Such dips could be caused by dusty material lifted up from the inner edge of the disk.

Explore further VLT observations detect a low-mass companion of the young massive star MWC 297

More information: Spots, flares, accretion, and obscuration in the pre-main sequence binary DQ Tau, arXiv:2002.05662: [astro-ph.SR] Spots, flares, accretion, and obscuration in the pre-main sequence binary DQ Tau, arXiv:2002.05662: [astro-ph.SR] arxiv.org/abs/2002.05662

 2020 Science X Network
The Boy Scouts of America are taking a page out of the Catholic bishops playbook as they file for federal bankruptcy facing down hundreds of lawsuits and thousands of claims alleging child sex abuse. They invoke federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy to protect their estate from creditors. To put it mildly, the bankruptcy system was not crafted to humanely deal with these victims as we have seen in many diocesan bankruptcies, as well as USA Gymnastics recent proposal to pay victims but immunize the U.S. Olympic Committee from liability for abuse claims.

Here is what happens in the typical child sex abuse case, sans bankruptcy: Assuming the statute of limitations is not a barrier, the victim files against those who caused the abuse, often institution and perpetrators alike. The law levels the playing field, empowering the victim to demand the truth and compensation. The system grants the victim the right to obtain discovery and learn the truth. Files and evidence have to be produced by the institution, whose leaders (and insurers) would typically eat lightbulbs before releasing damning documents. The victim is vindicated, and the public educated.

Here is what happens when an organization turns sex abuse victims into creditors. The victim is now one of many, and the focus shifts from the facts of each tragic case to the estate, or finances and holdings of the institution. Chapter 11 bankruptcies are intended to let the entity pool its assets in the face of creditors, pay off what they can, and then reorganize. Its all about saving the institution and dealing with creditors  numbers, accounting, and bottom lines. In other words, its all about the organization. It is not good redress for those who were sexually abused because often the organization ignored signs of danger and let these children be attacked.

Bankruptcy judges do not typically deal with child sex abuse victims. A bankruptcy case is not about abuse, or the patterns of cover up. The victims stories get compressed, and so are typically marginalized once again. Chapter 11, therefore, can be a refuge for institutions (and their insurers) seeking to blunt the movement to validate the victims of sex abuse who have been manipulated into silence by self-interested organizations and then cruelly excluded from the justice system by unfairly short statutes of limitations.

One of the first things to happen will be the setting of a bar date," by which creditors must come forward if they want to be part of the first wave of settlements. This is a mechanism created for efficiency, and beloved by abuse-fostering institutions, because it forces many victims to come forward whether they are ready or not. These victims often struggle with PTSD, depression, suicidal ideation, and many other illnesses. A system that respects victims lets them come forward when they are ready.

The bankruptcy judge has broad latitude over the scope of discovery, and whether the victims will have individual voices. One can only hope that the judge follows the example set in the Michigan courtroom where the victims of USA Gymnastics and Larry Nassar were permitted to speak in open court, and on the airwaves, with victim impact statements during Nassars criminal sentencing. That was one of the most important moments of public service in recent history. It would be a crime for the public to be denied the truth about what happened to young boys who entered scouting with enthusiasm, only to be trapped by abusers in situations where they could not defend themselves.

The court also has discretion over how closely it examines the estates holdings. Catholic bishops have avoided disclosing full assets and landholdings  as a judge chided San Diegos diocese for doing in 2007  like the Wicked Witch of the West avoids water. That is when judges should appoint independent accountants. The same applies to the BSA, especially when it is filing nationwide. Think local campgrounds.

Never before has a group of child sex abuse victims of this size been forced through a national bankruptcy, which throws out such a huge net. Is this more efficient? Well, yes. Can it be good for the victims and the public? It will all depend on the judge.

Marci Hamilton is the Robert A. Fox professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and CEO of CHILD USA.
India's toy traders are concerned about the 200 per cent rise in customs duty on import of toys, but they might just be exaggerating the real impact of the duty hike on the price of toys.

While the import duty will technically go up from 20 per cent to 60 per cent, it will not apply to most of the imported toys as over 85 per cent of India's toy imports are from China, a country that is eligible for concessional duty as a signatory of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA). The APTA, a preferential trade agreement between five countries - India, China, Korea, Lao People's Democratic republic and Sri Lanka - provides concessional duty on over 1000 tariff lines including toys to encourage trade among member countries.

Due to 43 per cent discount in import duties allowed for APTA members, the actual duty on toys imported from China post increase will be 34.2 per cent, and not 60 per cent as alleged by the traders. Further, if the import is happening from one of the 10 member countries of ASEAN trade bloc, it will be zero per cent. Though not in huge volumes, toy imports also happen from ASEAN members Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand to India. Thus the imports that will take the full hit of the duty hike will be the ones from developed nations of Europe or the United States.

Mumbai-based United Toys Association (UTA) had alleged that the import duty hike in toys will lead up to 100 per cent surge in the MRP of existing toys in India raising burden on customer's pocket.

The domestic toy market targets the 30 crore children in India who are in the age group of 0-14 years by stating that toys stimulate imagination, mental development and allow a child to understand, interact and connect with the world around them.

"It is estimated that within three-four months after the hike in import duty on toys, there will be a scarcity of toys in India. Indian manufacturers will not be able to fulfil the overwhelming demand of toys and in next three-four months the stock will be exhausted," Farooq M Shabdi, President of United Toys Association says. He adds that the most impacted range of toys will be innovative toys which includes STEM toys, robots, flying toys, radio control and battery operated toys, as major part of toys manufactured in India are non-function toys and board games.

The move will also hurt 500,000 people (toy traders, retailers and auxiliary) across India, the UTA members say. Local toy makers contest this by stating that the duty hike, while not creating a huge price barriers (due to concessional duties), will help India develop its manufacturing capacities in the medium term and compensate for the job losses (if any) by creating new jobs in the sector.

The immediate cause of supply constraints is known to be factory shutdowns in China due to coronavirus infection, and not the duty hike.

Also Read: Coronavirus outbreak to have limited impact on India: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das

Also Read: AGR crisis to haunt Modi govt just as 2G scam spooked UPA

Also Read: Telecom crisis not limited to AGR, problem much deeper: Subhash Chandra Garg
Update: Michigan State Police provided a brief update Wednesday morning. They are not sure if the suspect drove by and fired or walked past the house and fired two shots into the home. The investigation is ongoing.

INKSTER, MI -- Police are searching for suspects in a shooting that occurred overnight resulting in a 10-year-old girl being shot in the head. According to Michigan State Police, police were called to a home in the 26000 block of Dartmoth in Inkster around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night.

Upon arrival, officers found the girl had been grazed in the head during the shooting and was taken to a nearby hospital. According to WXYZ Detroit, the girl was listed in serious condition and was somewhat conscious.

Suspects in the shooting have not been identified and a motive for the drive-by has yet to be determined. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the MSP Metro South Post at 734-287-5000 or leave a tip on the MSP Mobile App.
HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, six months after disclosing it had paid millions of dollars to people sexually abused as children by its clerics.

The diocese joins at least 20 others across the United States in seeking protection from creditors through the federal bankruptcy system, but it is the first diocese in Pennsylvania to take such a step.

In August, the diocese said it paid 106 people a total of just over $12 million to compensate for claims of sexual abuse they suffered as children from its clerics, deacons and seminarians. Six others did not accept payment offers from the diocese.

The filing in Harrisburg federal bankruptcy court said the diocese faces potentially significant exposure from remaining claimants and wants Chapter 11 reorganization to provide money for unresolved claims and perform its ministry and other operations.

The diocese told the court it has more than 200 creditors and estimated liabilities between $50 million and $100 million, with assets of less than $10 million. It listed creditors that include a $30 million loan from the Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority and 12 blacked-out names that were represented by lawyers.

Bishop Ronald Gainer planned at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

The diocese serves about 250,000 Catholics in 89 parishes, spanning 15 counties.

The filing could help shield it from additional claims, said Harrisburg lawyer Ben Andreozzi, who has settled about 20 claims against the diocese and has two pending lawsuits, all related to child sexual abuse.Andreozzi was listed in the court filing as the contact for six creditors.

From the day they file bankruptcy, moving on into the future, if someone did not present their claim in that time frame, it is forever exhausted, Andreozzi said.

The Harrisburg diocese opened a temporary settlement program after a landmark grand jury report accused it and five other dioceses in Pennsylvania of covering up the sexual abuse of hundreds of children over much of the past century.

Many of those now-adult victims identified in the grand jury report are too old, under state law, to sue the dioceses.

The state Legislature last year took a crucial step toward amending the state constitution to give those victims a new opportunity to sue their abusers and institutions that may have covered it up.

The proposed amendment allowing such a lawsuit window must be passed by lawmakers again in the 2021-22 legislative session before needing approval by voters in a statewide referendum.

Lawmakers, however, have rejected changing state law to allow such lawsuits, as several other states have done.

Andreozzi said the diocese can resolve lawsuits at a much lower cost by going into bankruptcy before Pennsylvania opens a window for lawsuits.

A claim that goes to a jury in state court is typically worth several times as much in a cash settlement for a victim who sues, Andreozzi said.

Minneapolis attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents dozens of clergy abuse survivors in lawsuits against the Roman Catholic dioceses, said filing for bankruptcy can be used to hide assets or shield them during the determination of their liability to victims.

Filing for bankruptcy can also help dioceses avoid being forced under court order to divulge documents or testimony about how they handled reports of abuse in the past, Anderson added.

A handful of bishops had sought Vatican approval to file for bankruptcy protection prior to the early 2000s when abuse allegations in Boston brought the clergy child sexual abuse scandal into sharp focus, but none had ever followed through.

Facing several legal claims over alleged abuse, including one lawsuit seeking $130 million, the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon was the first to file for bankruptcy protection in 2004. The archdiocese reached a $75 million settlement to address the abuse claims as part of that proceeding.

Twenty-two U.S. dioceses and religious orders, including one in Guam, have filed for bankruptcy protection, according to the group BishopAccountability.org. One, Minnesotas Diocese of St. Cloud, had announced bankruptcy plans but has continued negotiating with accusers to stave itoff.

All of the Catholic dioceses and religious orders that filed for bankruptcy in the United States are still in existence and carrying out their mission, said Marie Reilly, a Penn State University law professor.

___

Associated Press writers Marc Levy in Harrisburg and Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met Home Minister Amit Shah at his Krishna Menon residence in national capital Delhi on Wednesday afternoon, his first stop for the courtesy calls on the central government leadership.

Soon after the meeting, the Delhi chief minister took to Twitter and said, Met Honble Home Minister Sh Amit Shah ji. Had a very good and fruitful meeting. Discussed several issues related to Delhi. Both of us agreed that we will work together for development of Delhi.

Met Honble Home Minister Sh Amit Shah ji. Had a very good and fruitful meeting. Discussed several issues related to Delhi. Both of us agreed that we will work together for development of Delhi  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 19, 2020

This was their first one-on-one meeting ever in a formal setting, an AAP leader said. The meeting was scheduled for 3.15 pm, a Delhi government official said.

Arvind Kejriwal had sought an appointment to meet Home Minister Amit Shah right ahead of the Delhi elections to complain about what he called the deteriorating law and order situation in the national capital. That request wasnt accepted by Shahs office, given how it had been designed to take a jab. Amit Shah, after all, was fronting the Bharatiya Janata Partys campaign in Delhi in an effort to edge out Kejriwal from the chief ministers chair.

Amit Shah later acknowledged that his assessment of the Delhi elections had gone wrong but underscored that the BJP had succeeded in expanding its ideology through the polls, a reference to the increase in the BJPs vote share.

Wednesdays face-to-face meeting was also the first time that Kejriwal and Amit Shah talked to each other rather than at each other. Arvind Kejriwal had been Shahs preferred punching bag through the election campaign. Kejriwal was unsparing in his rebuttals as well, accusing Shah of abusing his control over the police for petty conspiracies.

Kejriwals courtesy call - he wasnt able to meet Amit Shah when he moved to the Home Ministry after last years national elections - is seen as a concerted effort to work together with the central government for the national capital.

Shah, and the home ministry that he leads, play a crucial role in Delhi affairs that is, legally, a Union Territory with a state assembly and heavily dependent on the Centres support.

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SpendEdge has been monitoring the global ATM managed services market and the market is poised to experience spend growth of over USD 600 million between 2017-2022 at a CAGR of more than 3% during the forecast period. Request Free Sample Pages

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President Donald Trump will be accompanied on the India visit by at least three members of his cabinet and son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who has emerged as the presidents right-hand man on some of the administrations key foreign policy priorities and engagements.

The three secretaries will be Steve Mnuchin of treasury, Wilbur Ross of commerce and Secretary Dan Brouillette of energy, according to people familiar with the planning of the visit, who also pointed out that these lists could change with additions and eliminations. There was was no word if Robert Lighthizer, the trade representative and top negotiator, will join the delegation. He cancelled a visit to New Delhi scheduled for last week to wrap up discussion on a trade deal, putting a question mark on what was once expected to be the defining achievement of Trumps visit.

The delegation will also include officials from the presidents National Security Council. The state department will be represented by the US ambassador to India Ken Juster, as all other officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, are staying back in Washington DC for a conference of heads of US missions from all over the world, according to people familiar these developments.

Secretary of defense Mark Esper will also not be on the presidents delegation because he is scheduled to make a separate, and his first, visit to India later, perhaps in March.

The president, who will be accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, will begin his two-day India tour in Ahmedabad with a visit to Mahatma Gandhis Sabarmati Ashram and a public rally at a stadium that the president has spoke about enthusiastically, specially the millions of people he is expecting to see.

The presence of the presidents son-in-law Kushner in the visiting delegation is being seen as significant, given how close he is to Trump and how many of the administrations key initiatives he has spearheaded including the recently announced West Asia peace plan.

This will probably be Kushners second trip to India after Trumps election. His first was in November 2018 when he went to Jaisalmer to attend the wedding of a friend from Harvard; they were also roommates later. But that was said to be a strictly private visit and it could not be ascertained if he also had official meetings at the time.

Earlier last year, in July, Kushner appeared for the first time at an Indian-related event, a discussion hosted by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. When we look at India we see a country with such amazing potential and we see the relationship between America and India as one with boundless potential, Kushner had said, and added, in a nod to ongoing trade discussions, We still have some issues we have to work through. Those issues are still on the table, and could, or not, find resolution in the form of a trade deal the two sides are hoping to finalize, with diminishing prospects, to be announced during President Trumps visit.

It could not be ascertained if the presidents daughter Ivanka Trump will also be on the delegation. She has been to India before, in her capacity as an adviser to her father, and has been seen taking active interest in the bilateral relationship. She led the US delegation to the global Entrepreneurship Summit to Hyderabad in 2017, and also cut a video summary of President Trumps meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Osaka G 20 in July, 2018.
Scientists have taken a major step forward in developing a vaccine against the coronavirus that's now claimed more than 2,000 lives worldwide by mapping the part of the virus that allows it to infect human cells.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin are the first in the world to make a 3D model of the virus, according to their study, published Wednesday.

The team there had been studying related viruses - those behind the 2003 SARS outbreak and the 2012 MERS outbreak - for years, and that gave them a leg up in researching the new virus.

Scientists in Texas have mapped a recreated protein spike on the outside of the coronavirus that lets it infect human cells (seen in the above image of the virus) and think it could be the key to developing a vaccine for the virus that has infected more than 75,000

In less than a month, they were able to work out and model the shape of the 'spike' protein on the surface of the new virus, SARS-CoV-2, and recreate it.

They've now reproduced that spike, which can trigger an immune response in people - and could be the key to a vaccine or treatment for the virus that has infected more than 75,000 people globally.

In fact, UT scientists have already partnered with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a drug company and say their approach is on track to be 'one of the fastest' to create a vaccine, which could be ready in as little as 18 months.

'As soon as we knew this was a coronavirus, we felt we had to jump at it,' said Dr. Jason McLellan said, who led the research team, 'because we could be one of the first ones to get this structure'.

'We knew exactly what mutations to put into this, because we've already shown these mutations work for a bunch of other coronaviruses'.



Coronaviruses, as a family, are named by the resemblance of their shape to a corona, or crown (not to be confused, as many social media users have done, with the beer).

Bacteria are cells, made up of organelles, the same basic structures that make up humans, animals and plants, but viruses are built different.

Instead, they consist of just either DNA or RNA, enclosed by a protein shell, called a capsid. Some have an additional outer layer.

One virus differs from another in its genetic makeup - the RNA and DNA - and the proteins on its exterior that give it the ability to penetrate the membranes of other cells.

Coronaviruses are ringed by spiked shells that give them the resemblance of a crown.

These spike proteins appear as slightly fuzzy points protruding from the circumference of each virus particle in the vibrant photos released by the NIH.

Sequencing the new virus's spike proteins is what allowed other NIH scientists - namely, Michael Letko and Vincent Munster - to identify it as a close relative of SARS.

Cases of the virus have now well-surpassed 75,000 and more than 2,000 have died

Health care workers monitor the condition of a coronavirus patient. Understanding the virus's structure, they hope, will help scientists find treatments and vaccines more quickly

This artist's rendering show the coronavirus's protein shell, or capsid in blue

And its similarity to SARS led the World Health Organization to not only name the virus SARS-CoV-2 (and the disease it causes COVID-19), but to create a naming convention that links the two viruses together.

Now, the UT scientists have recreated that spike and mapped its structure, a crucial step to expediting vaccine development by them or any other labs.

'The structure itself isn't a vaccine,' Dr McLellan told DailyMail.com.

'What could be is the protein that we produced to determine the structure.'

In other words, the mock components they've made of this and other coronaviruses can set off a series of immune system reactions that could fight off the infection.

'When we inject them into mice, we get these really robust responses so we're feeling confident that the same stabilized spike [component] could work like it has with [other coronaviruses].'

Dr McLellan and his lab have partnered with the drug company Moderna Therapeutics, as well as the NIH, to take the next steps in producing a vaccine.

He told DailyMail.com that Moderna is among a select few companies that produce vaccines in a much faster way than most do.

'It's incredibly rapid and perfect for this kind of epidemic,' Dr McLellan said.

'We could begin phase one clinical trials in a month or two.'

Before those early trials in people can start they have to test the potential shot in animals and the full trial process and development are likely to take between 18 months and two years.

'But that's incredibly fast compared to the decade it would take to develop many vaccines,' said Dr McLelland.

Their spike structure map could also be a key to the development of treatments for COVID-19, the condition triggered by the virus.

A race is on around the globe as scientists and drug companies attempt to make vaccines and treatments.

At least four groups in the US have thrown their hats in the vaccine ring.

In addition to testing the viability of their molecular recreation of the coronavirus's surface spike to use as a vaccine, the scientists hope to use their molecule to find antibodies made by the bodies of people who get the infection and recover.

Finding the antibodies would let the researchers isolate them and potentially design a treatment that could introduce the infection-fighting cells earlier than our immune systems would naturally start doing so.

The team also immediately submitted their map of the protein spike to an international database, which is inexplicably not publishing it until next Wednesday, so that others can use their discovery to more quickly develop vaccines and drugs.

'So in the meantime, we're just emailing it to anyone who asks,' says Dr McLelland. And that's about 30 people a day, he claims.
Notorious Sydney businessman Salim Mehajer has been hit with nine more charges for allegedly providing fraudulent information to authorities to avoid traffic offences.

Mehajer appeared at Burwood Local Court on Wednesday after he was issued a Court Appearance Notice for the charges relating to the creation of false documents, committing an indictable offence with identity information and false statutory declarations.

Notorious Sydney businessman Salim Mehajer has been hit with nine more charges for allegedly providing fraudulent information to authorities to avoid traffic offences. Pictured with girlfriend Melissa Tysoe

He also stands accused of fraud offences in that he nominated another person as the driver of his vehicles which had received infringement notices.

Mehajer was arrested at a correctional facility at Cooma in May last year and is currently on conditional bail.

The bail is in relation to allegations Mehajer staged a 2017 crash in which his Mercedes AMG collided with another vehicle just before he was meant to appear in court over the assault of a taxi driver.

He is expected to appear at Burwood Local Court on February 26.
Eyah, everybody in London now is complaining. Lol, even those who are actually permanent residents are complaining too. E pele. So Apostle Suleman is in London at the moment and he says he cant wait to return him.

Thanking God for the weather in Nigeria, the man of God says, the cold at the moment in London is both racist, terrorist and tribalistic.

God bless nigeria..the cold in this london is both racist,terrorist and tribalistic..very crude and experienced.has no respect for jackets..cant wait to go home.., he tweeted.



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[February 19, 2020] DataTracks Develops iXBRL Capability in Its DataTracks Rainbow DMS for Mutual Funds

NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DataTracks, a global leader in providing cloud-based software and services for the preparation of compliance reports, announces the addition of iXBRL capability in its Rainbow DMS for Mutual Funds. The Singapore-based company made this announcement after a successful test submission for mutual fund iXBRL Risk/Return summary with the SEC, using its software DataTracks Rainbow DMS. On Sept. 17, 2018, the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendment (rule 33-10514) became effective, necessitating the use of Inline eXtensible Business Reporting Language (iXBRL) for Risk/Return summary filing of open-end mutual funds (including Exchange-Traded Funds  ETFs  organized as open-end mutual funds). This amendment will be implemented in two phases, in which large fund groups (net assets of $1 billion or more, as of the end of the most recent fiscal year) will adopt iXBRL from Sept. 17, 2020, and small fund groups (net assets of less than $1 billion as of the end of the most recent fiscal year) will adopt iXBRL from Sept. 17, 2021. As part of the amendment, SEC also eliminated the 15 business days filing period for submitting the interactive data files. SEC has already enabled a test and live filing for iXBRL Risk/ Return summary and filers can make use of it. The critical challenge for mutual funds, unlike corporates, lies in their prospectus that runs into hundreds of pages, and they need a robust software to tag Risk/Return summary and generate Inline XBRL. DataTracks Rainbow DMS for Mutual Funds accepts inputs in Word or HTML or XHTML and allows users to collaborate and make content/formatting changes uing its content editor. Users can also draft the contents directly in the software. The software also enables multiple users to complete the XBRL tagging concurrently without a need for creating the XBRL presentation tree.



"We wanted to build the iXBRL capability for Mutual Funds much ahead of the actual mandate to provide our customers sufficient time to prepare for iXBRL. We welcome Fund companies or intermediaries to do a pilot with us on iXBRL generation for their Risk/Return summary information," stated Mr. Pramodh Vittal, Vice President for Opportunities and Product Design. "Thanks to our modular software architecture, we were able to come up with a superior solution that handles large volume of pages for iXBRL without compromising on the performance and user experience." About DataTracks

DataTracks is a global leader in disclosure management software. DataTracks serves more than 17,000 business enterprises in 24 countries. DataTracks software and services have been used to prepare more than 172,000 compliance reports so far for filing with regulators such as SEC - USA, HMRC - UK, Revenue - Ireland, ACRA - Singapore, MCA - India, CIPC - South Africa, SSM - Malaysia, ESEF - ESMA and various other EU regulatory authorities. For more information visit: www.datatracks.com For business inquiries: [email protected] or +1 800 937 9280 Media contact: T R Santhanakrishnan, Chairman/CEO [email protected] Related Images datatracks.jpg

DataTracks Related Links DataTracks Blog DataTracks News View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/datatracks-develops-ixbrl-capability-in-its-datatracks-rainbow-dms-for-mutual-funds-301007653.html SOURCE DataTracks

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With the possibility of a rival bid from Telecom Egypt to buy Vodafone Egypt in addition to that from the Saudi Telecom Company, the fate of the company remains in the balance, reports Ahmed Kotb

The saga of the sale of Vodafone Egypt continued this week as Telecom Egypt (TE) announced it was contemplating acquiring all of the company to complement its existing 45 per cent stake.

The Saudi Telecom Company (STC) agreed with Vodafone International a few weeks ago to buy its 55 per cent stake in Vodafone Egypt for $2.39 billion, with experts saying at the time that Telecom Egypt (TE) would be better off selling its 45 per cent stake to STC as well.

However, TE announced last week that it was entitled to a right of pre-emption in the potential sale of the Vodafone majority stake to STC, being a contractual right allowing it to buy Vodafone Internationals shares if it submits the same offer as STC or larger.

TE said in a statement that the pre-emption right was guaranteed under a shareholders agreement with Vodafone Egypt.

Vodafone Egypt is the largest of the countrys four mobile operators, with a market share of more than 40 per cent translating into 44 million subscribers. STC is Saudi Arabias biggest mobile operator, with about 45 per cent market share.

Meanwhile, Vodafone Egypt has filed a formal request to the Egyptian Competition Authority to investigate the legality of TEs bid to acquire the rest of the Vodafone shares based on the right of pre-emption.

TE launched its own mobile network (WE) in 2017, and if it acquires the rest of Vodafone, it will own and operate two of Egypts four mobile operators and undermine competition in the telecommunications market.

I dont think that TE will move to acquire the rest of Vodafone Egypt, said Allen Sandeep, director of research at Naeem Holding. I dont think the government would pay that much money now, especially as TE is still billions in debt after launching its own mobile network in 2017, he added.

TEs debt portfolio amounts to LE15 billion.

TE announced last week that all options related to the Vodafone-STC deal were being studied, and that it would take all the measures necessary to make the best use of rights guaranteed under Egyptian law for the benefit of its stakeholders.

TE has also appointed EFG Hermes and Citibank to advise it on investment alternatives to its stake in Vodafone Egypt.

A financial advisor will advise on options related to the ongoing deal, especially as STC has not submitted a final offer to buy Vodafone, Sandeep explained, adding that the price offered by STC was good, which was why TE was studying its options.

All options include buying, selling, partially buying, or partially selling, he added.

The deal is expected to be finalised by June, and STC said the non-binding agreement would be valid for 75 days starting 29 January and could be extended until a final agreement was reached between the two parties.

TE might end up deciding to sell part of its 45 per cent stake to lessen its debt, said Sandeep. However, the question remains of whether STC will be willing to buy TEs stake, and if it does whether it will offer the same or a higher price.

The Egyptian Financial Regulatory Authority has announced that STC must offer to buy the remaining 45 per cent stake in Vodafone Egypt held by TE, citing a 1992 law that would legally bind the Saudi company to making an offer for all the shares if its first offer is accepted.

The Al-Shorouk newspaper cited an unnamed source as saying that STC was planning to present paperwork to the Capital Markets Authority (CMA), which would make the company exempt from making a mandatory offer for TEs stake in Vodafone Egypt.

The credit ratings agency Moodys said in a report recently that STCs acquisition of Vodafone Egypt would be credit-negative if the transaction was fully debt-funded. STC is reportedly negotiating with Vodafone to pay in installments instead of cash because of Moodys warning of a potentially lower credit-rating.

I hope this doesnt affect the deal, which is beneficial to the telecommunications market in Egypt, Sandeep said.

For Vodafone International, there is no difference if it sells its stake in Vodafone Egypt to STC or TE, as long as its gets its money, he added.

Pulling out of Egypt is consistent with Vodafone Internationals efforts to focus on two geographical regions, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, Nick Read, chief executive of Vodafone International, said in a press statement.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 20 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved N10 billion for the completion of irrigation projects in Shonga, Kwara State.

The minister of water resources, Suleiman Adamu, said this while addressing journalists after the meeting in Abuja.

He said the ministry presented a memo to the council on the ongoing project in Shonga.

Council was gracious enough to approve this project because of the huge potentials that it has for the food security policy and our desire to make agriculture a focal instrument of our economy, he said.

We brought this augmentation and variation for Tada Shonga Irrigation Project, which is sited in Shonga in Kwara State, he added

Mr Adamu said the project began in 2010, but was abandoned.

Because of its huge potential for irrigation and especially for rice production, we made it a priority project in our ministry and therefore brought it to council for an augmentation.

We request for variation to increase the size of the project because of the potentials it has from 1500 hectares to 2,300 hectares of irrigation, he said.

The augmentation is for N6.9 billion, but the variation includes 700 hectares increase, plus two megawatt solar power plant to replace the diesel power plant that was in the original design, he explained.

He also said due to high cost of diesel and purchasing, the irrigation system will be unsustainable if we continue to rely on diesel.

So for that purpose, we sought for the augmentation and variation in the sum of N6.9 billion, raising the project from the original sum of N3.263 billion to N10.18 billion, with the completion period of 36 months, he said.

He said the project is located in the Niger River basin between the Rivers Niger and Benue Basins

Mr Adam said the ministry has potentials for about 1.8 million hectares for irrigation, adding that efforts are being made to include the private sector.
The official further said her department staff since Monday had put the family members of the deceased on daily surveillance, and screening them for any symptoms of nCoV infection.

PUDUKKOTTAI: Seeking to put to rest the controversy over the suspected death of a China returnee in Tamil Nadus Pudukkottai district, allegedly due to the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) infection, the public health authorities said here on Tuesday that the patient, 42-year-old Sakthikumar, died of renal failure in the wake of him having suffered from jaundice for quite a long time.

Sakthikumar of Avudayarkovil near Arantangi in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, it may be recalled was enterprising enough to run a small restaurant in China, had recently returned to his village after an attack of jaundice. He was forced to fly back to China to run his restaurant, following anxieties over lack of sufficient number of people to take care of his eatery there.

When his jaundice turned severe, he had no other option but to again return home on February 4. Subsequently, he was admitted to a private hospital in Madurai on Friday last, but unfortunately died on Saturday, not responding to treatment, sources in his family said.

Clearing the air over the proximate cause of Sakthikumars death, amid suspicions that he was perhaps the first Indian Covi-19 victim since his return from China, Dr B Kalaivani, deputy director of public health services, Pudukkottai, told Deccan Chronicle over the phone on Tuesday that though the patient had tested negative for the nCoV virus, he was asked to remain in his village.

But as his health condition deteriorated, hisfamily admitted him to aprivate hospital inMadurai where he died on Saturday, clarified the official.

To a question, she said the district administration periodically receives the list of people who have returned from China and there is no chance of missing any China returnee from beingchecked by the health departments surveillance.

But the deceased was absconding for a few days, which might have given room for speculation in the social media posts.

The official further said her department staff since Monday had put the family members of the deceased on daily surveillance, and screening them for any symptoms of nCoV infection.

As many as 118 people in and around Aranthangi area who had returned from China recently are under the daily surveillance of the public health department, added Dr Kalaivani to drive home that nothing was amiss from the health authorities side.
Indias exports to the US in 2017-18 were at $47.9 billion, while imports were $26.7 billion.

New Delhi: Ahead of US President Donald Trumps visit next week, Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday cleared a $2.4 billion deal to purchase 24 American multi-role MH-60 Romeo Seahawk anti-submarine helicopters for the Indian Navy, said sources.

India is purchasing these Lockheed Martin-built helicopters under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route. United States governments Foreign Military Sales programme is a means for its allies to acquire defence articles, services, and training through government-to-government agreements.

India has been in need of formidable anti-submarine hunter helicopters for more than a decade now. The MH-60 helicopters would replenish Indias ageing fleet of British-made Sea King helicopters.

India has started buying weapons and hydrocarbons from US to improve ties and prevent a trade war with the US.

Trump had been vocal over trade deficit with India and had in past even called India tariff king of the world.

Indias exports to the US in 2017-18 were at $47.9 billion, while imports were $26.7 billion.

India has recently bought Apache and Chinook helicopters from US. According to some estimates India has signed $17 billion defence deals with US since 2007.

In 2018, PSU GAIL had signed two, 20-year LNG supply agreements potentially worth $32 billion for US LNG exports from the Dominion Cove Point project in Maryland and the Sabine Pass project in Louisiana. The first liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipment from the US arrived at the Dabhol terminal of state-run gas major Gail in March 2018.

Last year, US had approved the sale of 24 multi-role MH-60 Romeo Seahawk helicopters to India at an estimated cost of $2.4 billion.

It is the worlds most advanced maritime helicopter and can operate from frigates, destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers.
Reddit went down amid a major server outage.

The site refused to load and instead showing users only its famous alien trapped under a pile of upvotees.

"Our CDN was unable to reach our servers," an explanation reads, which also sends users out to a status page.

That page indicated that Reddit is aware of the issue and is in the process of implementing a fix.

Shortly before, an update had been posted that indicated the site was "experiencing a high volume of errors when accessing reddit.com" and that the company was investigating.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

It then said it was "continuing to investigate the issue".

The last post indicated that the problem had been identified and a fix would be rolled out.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A newly formed conservative group is seeking an end to the death penalty in Ohio at a time when executions have ground to a halt in the state and the House speaker has questioned whether capital punishment should be reconsidered.

Ohio Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, which launched Tuesday in Columbus, is part of a network of similar groups nationwide. Members question the expense of capital punishment and have raised concerns about executing the innocent.

The Ohio chapter on Tuesday released a list of Republicans opposed to the death penalty. That tally includes former Gov. Bob Taft, former Attorney General Jim Petro and former U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi.

The list also includes three current GOP House legislators, including Rep. Laura Lanese, of suburban Columbus.

To give big government power over life and death is rather concerning to a lot of us, she said. The other House lawmakers are Rep. Craig Riedel, of Defiance, and Rep. Niraj Antani, of suburban Dayton, both of whom have previously co-sponsored legislation to end the death penalty in Ohio.

Republican House Speaker Larry Householder is not a member of the group but has recently questioned whether the state should reconsider capital punishment because of the cost and Ohios inability to find lethal drugs.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has acknowledged executions are at a standstill in Ohio because of the drug issue. Ohios last execution was carried out in July 2018.

Also Tuesday, the head of the Ohio Parole Board said it wants more information from prosecutors about a death row inmates claim he shouldnt be executed because of his intellectual disability.

Condemned killer Gregory Lott is scheduled for execution in May 2021 for killing John McGrath in East Cleveland.

Lotts lawyers asked the parole board last week to spare him, based in part on what they call his limited mental abilities. They also say that when the events in question transpired he was dangerously abusing both alcohol and drugs and has no recollection of the killing.

The parole board is seeking additional information regarding Lotts claim of intellectual disability for the Parole Board to consider in making its recommendation, Trayce Thalheimer, the board chair, said in a letter Tuesday to the Cuyahoga County prosecutors office. Thalheimer set a March 31 deadline for the information.

Prosecutors said this month that experts hired by Lott previously determined he was not intellectually disabled. They also say multiple tests show Lott has an IQ above the level at which courts say people shouldnt be executed.

They also question the report of a psychologist hired by Lotts attorneys to review Lotts earlier tests who maintains Lott is intellectually disabled.

The Cuyahoga prosecutors office said it will exhaust all options to ensure justice for Lotts victim, including another expert evaluation if needed.

This murderer has been evaluated numerous times by multiple experts, all of whom agree with The States position that he is not intellectually-disabled, Prosecutor Michael OMalley wrote in a statement.
Chinese arms companies race to keep up with production schedule delayed by virus outbreak

Global Times

Source:Global Times Published: 2020/2/18 18:04:26

Chinese arms enterprises have been racing to keep up with their production schedule after resuming work following an extended Spring Festival holiday due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak with a key amphibious assault ship maker scrambling to outfit an "important" ship and aviation companies running test flights for newly built warplanes.

Shaanxi Aircraft Industry (Group) Corporation Ltd under the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) was the first to send a new aircraft into the sky after resuming work on February 10, a little more than a week later than the original plan, cannews.com, an aviation news website run by AVIC, reported on Monday.

With the support of the Chinese Air Force, the company successfully conducted a test flight for a newly built KJ-500 early warning aircraft, according to the report.

Hongdu Aviation Industry Group, another subsidiary of AVIC, conducted a test flight for a new L-15 advanced training and light combat jet on Monday, according to a statement the company released on its WeChat public account on Monday.

Other AVIC subsidiaries, including fighter jet makers Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co Ltd and Shenyang Aircraft Company Limited, have also resumed operation, cannews.com said.

Shipyards, including the Dalian Shipyard and Jiangnan Shipyard, which are known for their construction of aircraft carriers and destroyers, also resumed work on February 10 with extra attention being paid to epidemic control measures, according to statements the companies released recently.

Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co Ltd, which is making the Type 075 amphibious assault ship, has also resumed operation, as it used reserve manpower to replace workers who could not make it back to work in time due to the epidemic, in a bid to keep to the original schedule for an important ship that is undergoing outfitting work, the company said in a Friday statement.

An industry insider, who only spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Global Times on Monday that some state-owned enterprises have devised a six-day working scheme to make up for delays in the progress of key projects.

Military experts told the Global Times previously that while the virus may have an impact on China's weapons and equipment programs, it will be short-term, as the outbreak is expected to only last for a few months at worst.

Prioritizing the health and safety of people is absolutely the right course to avoid fatalities and to mitigate any long-term impact, experts said.



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Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - ApexAfrica Capital Limited, a subsidiary of the AXYS Group operating in Kenya, announced on Wednesday a plan to merge with AIB Capital Limited, a Kenyan company specializing in various financial operations, official sources in the Mauritian capital said
NEW YORK  A 20-year-old man was shot to death inside a Bronx deli on Tuesday in the second such fatal shooting in the borough in less than a week.

Police responding to a 911 call in the Williamsbridge neighborhood shortly before 11:30 a.m. Tuesday found the victim with a gunshot wound to the torso. He was taken to Montefiore Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. His name was not immediately released.

A witness told WABC-TV that the victim was a deli worker who was shot in the face and in the back.

A man and a woman were taken into custody in the shooting, police said. Charges were pending.

The shooting came four days after a 34-year-old worker was fatally shot at a deli in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. Police have not arrested a suspect in the earlier shooting.
BUCHAREST, Romania, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Highlander Partners, L.P., a leading middle market private equity firm based in Dallas, Texas, today announced the acquisition of a majority stake in SanoVita. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Ramnicu Valcea, SanoVita is one of the most reputable and trusted food brands in Romania.

Since it was founded, the brand SanoVita (latin for "healthy life") has represented a healthier alternative to traditional foods. The Company offers a wide range of products, including snacks, cereals, rice cakes, tofu, mueslis, and nut and seed mixes. Its founders instilled in the Company their strong belief that nutrition is key to a healthy life, anticipating and contributing to the consumer shift towards better eating habits in Romania. This trend is still in early stages in the country and growing rapidly.

Highlander's portfolio includes a variety of food and beverage companies across the world. It plans to accelerate the growth of SanoVita by introducing new products, enhancing capabilities at existing production facilities and pursuing strategic M&A. All the while, Highlander intends to continue SanoVita's culture and commitment to the highest quality standards.

Raluca Nita, Managing Director of Highlander Partners commented, "We are very excited that SanoVita marks our second investment in Romania in less than one year. We believe the Company has significant growth opportunities, which will be driven by increased consumer awareness and product innovation. This acquisition underscores Highlander's desire to invest in high quality branded companies; in particular, Highlander has a significant track record in the food industry which we are delighted to be applying to SanoVita."

The founders of SanoVita will partner with Highlander and continue to support the development of the business. "We are thrilled to be working with Highlander, which has repeatedly demonstrated its focus on building long-term value for its portfolio companies. We count on Highlander to prepare SanoVita for the next stage of growth while maintaining the same values embedded in SanoVita's culture. With enhanced operational and strategic support, we will continue to expand our market position and heighten SanoVita's brand, which already has a considerable consumer awareness in the Romanian market," stated the Founders of SanoVita: Cornel Soare, Ion Dan and Dumitru Dan.

Jeff L. Hull, President and CEO of Highlander Partners, added, "We look forward to applying our expertise in the food industry to SanoVita. The business is extremely well-positioned today, and we believe we can take the brand to the next level with accelerated innovation and expanded distribution. We also firmly believe that our 'buy and build' approach will be successful in this sector, as it has been in other parts of the world. We will target companies with strong growth potential and excellent brand equity as we look to complement SanoVita's product portfolio through continued M&A."

Kinstellar acted as legal counsel to Highlander Partners and TS Partners as financial and tax advisor, while RTPR Allen & Overy acted as a legal counsel to SanoVita's founders.

About SanoVita

SanoVita was founded in 1995 out of a desire to educate and change the Romanian lifestyle and eating habits. SanoVita is one of the most important players on the healthy & vegetarian food products market in Romania and is a pioneer in categories like cereal and muesli. Today, SanoVita's portfolio includes a diversity of cereals, healthy snacks and organic products.

About Highlander Partners, L.P.

Highlander Partners, L.P. is a Dallas-based private investment firm with approximately $2 billion of assets under management. The firm focuses on making investments in businesses in targeted industries in which the principals of the firm have significant operating and investing experience. Highlander employs a buy and build investment approach, creating value by helping companies grow organically and through acquisitions. For more information, visit www.highlander-partners.com

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United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on February 18 applauded the achievements Vietnam has recently recorded in the field of human rights.

Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai (left), newly-accredited Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other international organisations in Geneva, and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet

At a reception for Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, newly-accredited Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other international organisations in Geneva, Bachelet highly valued Vietnams role in and cooperation with UN mechanisms.

She expressed her hope that Vietnam will make more contributions to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and sustainable development goals in Vietnam and the region, and bring into play its ASEAN Chairmanship to promote cooperation between the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

For her part, Mai said the Vietnamese Government appreciates Bachalets role and contributions to human rights promotion and protection in the world.

She briefed the UN official on Vietnams priorities, policies and outstanding achievements in the sphere of human rights, and stressed the significance of multilateral cooperation in this regard.

Human rights promotion and protection are major issues in Vietnams implementation of its 2013 Constitution and socio-economic development policy, the ambassador added.

The ambassador pledged to make all-out efforts, together with the Vietnamese mission in Geneva and competent Vietnamese agencies, to make more contributions at the UNHRC, join hands with the OHCHR and push ahead with cooperation between the ASEAN and the OHCHR.

Mai also called for more collaboration and support from the UN High Commissioner and the OHCHR to Vietnam./.VNA

International community highly appreciates Vietnam's efforts to ensure human rights The most outstanding event in 2019 is Vietnams completion of the third cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR) with very positive results.
From top left clockwise: Festus Emosivwe, Chloe Maylott, Victor Ngo, Adel Qadir, Molade Fasuyi, Olukayode Adepoju. (Hampshire Constabulary)

A gang has been sentenced for hacking thousands of BT and PayPal accounts to buy 358,000 in luxury goods including Rolex and Versace clothes.

Eight defendants appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court after pleading guilty to fraud offences that took place between May 2014 and July 2016.

The group also bought Breitling watches, jewellery, furniture and televisions after targeting more than 2,000 people across the UK  mostly in the Hampshire and Portsmouth areas, according to prosecutors.

Judge Timothy Mousley QC told the defendants: Whilst the financial loss falls to be met by the financial institutions, the impact on those who had their details stolen cannot be underestimated.

Many of them speak of their heightened levels of anxiety, stress and fear as a result of finding out their accounts had been hacked.

Festus Emosivwe was at the centre of the conspiracy, police said. (Hampshire Constabulary)

Prosecutor Michael Forster said used the gang stolen personal details to access the accounts and diverted receipt and delivery messages and emails so that victims were unaware of the fraud.

He added: This was a sophisticated conspiracy to commit fraud which persisted for about two years.

The personal details of a large number of members of the public, many who were BT or PayPal customers, were obtained by the fraudsters.

The customers finances were used to fraudulently order high-value goods such as watches, jewellery, televisions as well as more mundane items such as furniture or food.

Charles Onwu was sentenced for his part in the conspiracy. (Hampshire Constabulary)

In a statement read to the court, a victim said he was fearful of making financial transactions and added: I remain angry because no one has the right to have taken the money I have worked hard for.

Festus Emosivwe, 36, of Portsmouth, was at the centre of the conspiracy, and the court was told he would get the personal details, place the orders and arrange deliveries.

He was jailed for three years and eight months for conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.

Chloe Maylott, 27, of Havant, was sentenced to 16 months and Charles Onwu, 31, of Portsmouth, was sentenced to three years and seven months for the same offence as Emosivwe.

Story continues

Adel Qadir, 35, of Portsmouth, was sentenced to two years and five months, Molade Fasuyi, 37, of Southsea, was jailed for two years and Olukayode Adepoju, 40, of Portsmouth, was sentenced to 19 months.

Victor Ngo, 30, of Portsmouth, was jailed for three years and seven months for the same charge and conspiracy to convert criminal property.

Pinelopi Chatzikonstantinou, 30, of Southsea, was fined 1,000 and told to pay a 100 victim surcharge for conspiracy to convert criminal property.

The gangs crimes were uncovered when BT found they had links to Hampshire.

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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/19/2020 -- Hazardous Waste Management Market: Key Highlights



The global hazardous waste management market was valued at ~US$ 12.1 Bn in 2018 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of ~5% during the forecast period.

Among the physical states, the solid segment accounted for a major share of the global hazardous waste management market in 2018.

Among the wastes, the chemical segment held a significant share of the global hazardous waste management market in 2018. Investments in the global chemical industry have been increasing over the last few years. According to the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), the chemical industry's contribution to global GDP was valued at US$ 5.7 Trn in 2017.

Among the chemical compositions, the inorganic waste segment held a dominant share of the global hazardous waste management market in 2018.

Among the treatments, the thermal segment held a major share of the global hazardous waste management market in 2018.

Among the disposal methods, the deep well injection segment held a leading share of the global hazardous waste management market in 2018.

North America is estimated to offer high growth potential to the hazardous waste management market in the next few years, owing to rapid growth of pharmaceutical, chemical, and oil & gas industries in the region.



Key Drivers of Global Hazardous Waste Management Market



Increase in R&D activities, rise in the number of patients suffering from chronic diseases, and rapid growth of healthcare and pharmaceutical industries worldwide are factors likely to fuel the demand for the collection of medical wastes from large as well as small medical waste generators across the globe in the near future. Statistics from a study conducted by the University of Leeds in 2015 indicate that, the U.S. produces an average of 8.4 kilogram/bed/day of medical wastes. This is the maximum rate of hospital medical waste generation across the world. These factors are expected to propel the global hazardous waste management market during the forecast period.

Furthermore, several government organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environment Protection Agency (EPA), and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are consistently working toward the proper management of waste in order to ensure safety from hazardous medical, chemical, and radioactive wastes. Several non-government organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) are stepping in to help hospitals and other healthcare facilities in the collection, recycle, and disposal of medical waste. For instance, Intervol, a U.S.-based NGO, is actively engaged in the collection of unused medical supplies. It encourages healthcare facilities to recycle unused medical supplies and reduce the cost incurred for their disposal. Such initiatives by governments and NGOs to manage hazardous waste are fueling the global market for hazardous waste management.

High capital investments is a prominent factor hampering the entry of companies into the global hazardous waste management market.



Request A Sample of Hazardous Waste Management Market  https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=39605



Asia Pacific is a Highly Lucrative Market for Hazardous Waste Management



North America dominates the global hazardous waste management market, due to the increasing generation of hazardous waste from chemical, pharmaceutical, oil & gas, and nuclear industries in the region. According to the World Nuclear Association, the number of operable reactors in the U.S. was 99 at the end of 2017.

The hazardous waste management market in Asia Pacific is expected to expand at the maximum CAGR during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is the leading generator of wastes across the globe. Increase in the prevalence of diseases, growth of chemical and nuclear industries, and initiatives taken by governments regarding the management of hazardous waste are expected to boost the hazardous waste management market in Asia Pacific during the forecast period.

According to the China Hospital Industry Report, the total number of hospitals in China was 33,000 at the end of February 2019. In the first two months of 2019, there were 550 million patient visits to hospitals in China. Thus, medical waste generation in the country is high.



Global Hazardous Waste Management Market: Key Developments



In September 2018, SUEZ NWS and Shanghai Huayi Company entered into an agreement to jointly provide hazardous waste treatment and recovery services in Qinzhou, Guangxi Province, China. The company is handling the responsibility of the management of hazardous waste at several industrial sites in China, including the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park.

In May 2018, Sembcorp Industries sold its medical waste treatment division to TEE Medical Services for US$ 20 Mn. The division specialized in the treatment and disposal of biohazardous and pharmaceutical wastes. TEE Medical Services is a 50:50 joint venture between TEE Infrastructure and Asia Enviro Services.

In December 2016, CLEAN HARBORS, INC. unveiled a new incinerator at its facility in El Dorado, the U.S. This incinerator is technologically considered the most advanced incinerator in North America. Its use has increased the company's hazardous waste management capacity.



To obtain all-inclusive information on forecast analysis of Global Market , request a PDF brochure here.



Hazardous Waste Management Market: Competition Landscape



The global hazardous waste management market is highly fragmented with the presence of a large number of players.

High capital investments in facilities, equipment, technologies, and transport vehicles poses a high barrier to the entry of new players in the global hazardous waste management market. Regulatory pathways for the clearance and approval of landfills, incinerators, and other methods of waste management are time-consuming and capital-intensive. This creates another barrier for the entry of new players in the market.

Key players operating in the global hazardous waste management market are Veolia, Suez, Waste Management, Inc., Bechtel Corporation, SMS Envocare Ltd, Waste Connections Inc., CLEAN HARBORS, INC., Stericycle Inc., Republic Services, Inc., Morgan Group, Recology Inc., Envion India, Chloros Environmental Ltd, and American Waste Management Services, Inc.
ALBANY  A judge will not allow defense attorney Joel Abelove to view the Colonie home where prosecutors allege his client  former hip-hop disc jockey Brian Angelo  sexually attacked a child.

State Supreme Court Justice Peter Lynch rejected a request by Abelove, the former Rensselaer County district attorney, to visit the location. The judge ruled it would be an invasion of privacy to the homeowner, according to Albany County prosecutors.

Angelo, 52, of Clifton Park, who worked at radio station JAMZ-FM 96.3 and is known professionally as DJ IRoc, is charged with predatory sexual assault of a child, the most serious sex crime charge in New York.

Abelove's potential visit to the home was allowable under state criminal justice reforms that went into effect Jan. 1. The changes require prosecutors to disclose evidence to the defense within 15 days of a defendants arraignment. The reforms allow defense attorneys  including defendants who represent themselves  to visit the locations where they allegedly committed crimes, which includes homes of victims.

Lynch previously approved a request by Abelove to view the radio station where Angelo allegedly victimized the child. He disagreed this time following arguments submitted by Assistant District Attorney Caroline Murray.

This time, Abelove wanted to visit the home.

Lawyer for DJ in sex case to inspect radio station

Earlier: Mistrial declared in child sex case against DJ Iroc

Abelove argued his need to view the location was great and that he wants to inspect and photograph the location to be able to properly cross-examine the complainant and other prosecution witnesses, court papers show.

Murray argued that Abeloves motion should be denied because he did not give proper notice to people impacted by the request. The judge disagreed with that argument but agreed with Murrays second argument  that it was an invasion of privacy and the homeowner did not want him there.

The prosecutor stated in court papers that Angelo had been in the home on a number of occasions and knew the layout. She said prosecutors disclosed 59 photographs of the home to the defense.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Murray rejected Abeloves argument that because the accuser no longer lives at the address, the family would be mildly inconvenienced by his visit.

The owner of the home does not want her family revictimized by this defendant, and believes allowing his attorney into her home would do just that, the prosecutor stated.

Colonie police have said they got a tip in July 2018 that Angelo allegedly had been abusing a victim in 2006 and a 12-year-old girl in 2009.
Budget airline IndiGo, the countrys biggest carrier, said in a statement the case is without merit and added that it has been cooperating with the investigation.

New Delhi: Investigators with Indias antitrust watchdog have found no evidence that the countrys biggest airline, IndiGo, and four rival carriers colluded to fix ticket prices, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2015 ordered a probe into allegations of anti-competitive practices after similar fares were being offered on certain routes by IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir, state-run Air India and now-defunct Jet Airways.

The CCI inquiry, which included an analysis of the algorithms airlines to determine ticket fares, found that all five airlines were working independently, the three sources said.

No direct evidence of cartelisation was found, said one of the sources, who added the investigation also did not reveal any communication amongst airline executives to fix prices.

Budget airline IndiGo, the countrys biggest carrier, said in a statement the case is without merit and added that it has been cooperating with the investigation.

The second-biggest airline, SpiceJet, GoAir, Air India and Jet Airways did not respond to a request for comment. The CCI did not respond to questions from Reuters.

An adverse finding could have led to a fine of up to three times the profit made in each year prices were fixed, or 10 percent of annual revenue, whichever is higher. Indian airlines are already grappling with slow growth in air traffic.

Details of the CCI case, which was investigated in two phases, have not been made public in line with the watchdogs practice.

The agency, whose senior members are reviewing the investigation findings, has not made a final ruling and could further extend the investigation. But two of the sources said the airlines were likely to be cleared.

The CCIs investigation arm had already produced a report in 2016 saying no antitrust practices were detected. The agency directed a further probe into fare-determining software and seat-allocation patterns, a second source said.

Antitrust lawyer Gautam Shahi, who is not involved in the case, said a finding of no antitrust misconduct would be a big relief for a sector that has faced intense scrutiny.

In a separate antitrust case in 2018, the CCI found that IndiGo, Jet Airways and SpiceJet had colluded over fuel surcharge rates on cargo flights, fining them a total of Rs 54.4 crore ($7.61 million). The airlines have appealed that judgment.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (TSX-V:AQS) (OTCQB:AQSZF) (Aequus or the Company), a specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on developing, advancing and promoting differentiated products, announced that, further to its news release on February 3, 2020, Mr. Stuart Fowler has now been formally appointed to its Board of Directors.



In connection with Mr. Fowler's board appointment and his new role as strategic advisor to Aequus commercial team, the Company has granted him 350,000 incentive stock options. The Company has also granted 100,000 incentive stock options to an employee of the Company who is focused on the branding and launch preparation of the Evolve product line. These stock options are exercisable at a price of $0.13 per share, for a term of eight years, and vest in tranches during the next three years. The terms of the stock options granted on February 14, 2020 are in accordance with the Companys Stock Option Plan.

ABOUT AEQUUS PHARMACEUTICALS INC.

Aequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (TSX-V:AQS) (OTCQB:AQSZF) is a growing specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing high quality, differentiated products. Aequus has grown its pipeline to include several commercial products in ophthalmology and transplant, and a development stage pipeline in neurology. For further information, please visit www.aequuspharma.ca .

Forward-Looking Statements:

This release may contain forward-looking statements or forward-looking information under applicable Canadian securities legislation that may not be based on historical fact, including, without limitation, statements containing the words believe, may, plan, will, estimate, continue, anticipate, intend, expect, potential and similar expressions. Forward- looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as the factors we believe are appropriate. Forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements relating to: the regulatory requirements for the undisclosed preservative free therapeutic, the successful execution of the broader license agreement, peak annual sales in Canada of the undisclosed preservative free therapeutic, the addition of products to the Companys portfolio. Such statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Aequus, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In making the forward looking statements included in this release, the Company has made various material assumptions, including, but not limited to: obtaining positive results of clinical trials; obtaining regulatory approvals; general business and economic conditions; the Companys ability to successfully outlicense or sell its current products and in-license and develop new products; the assumption that the Companys current good relationships with its manufacturer and other third parties will be maintained; the availability of financing on reasonable terms; the Companys ability to attract and retain skilled staff; market competition; the products and technology offered by the Companys competitors; and the Companys ability to protect patents and proprietary rights. In evaluating forward looking statements, current and prospective shareholders should specifically consider various factors set out herein and under the heading Risk Factors in the Companys Annual Information Form dated April 24, 2019, a copy of which is available on Aequus profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com, and as otherwise disclosed from time to time on Aequus SEDAR profile. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties, or a risk that is not currently known to us materialize, or should assumptions underlying those forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release and we do not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are inherently uncertain. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward looking statements.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday and both the leaders agreed that the Centre and Delhi government need to work together for the development of Delhi.

After the meeting, CM Kejriwal took to micro-blogging site Twitter asserting that the meeting was very good and fruitful. "Met Honble Home Minister Sh Amit Shah Ji. Had a very good and fruitful meeting. Discussed several issues related to Delhi. Both of us agreed that we will work together for the development of Delhi," tweeted CM Kejriwal.

He also said, "It was a good meeting, held in a cordial atmosphere. We held discussions on various issues. We agreed that the Central govt and Delhi govt need to work together for the development of Delhi. We will work together."

When asked if they had discussed the matter of Shaheen Bagh during their meeting, the CM said, "There was no discussion on that."

The two met for the first time after CM Kejriwal took oath for a third consecutive term on February 16 (Sunday). "It is a courtesy call. He is to seek Centre`s cooperation to run Delhi government smoothly," a senior Delhi government official told news agency IANS.

Kejriwal, who won the state Assembly polls with a thumping majority, has been demanding full statehood for Delhi. He has often been at loggerheads with the Centre on the issue of law and order, which comes under the control of the Union Home Ministry.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 02:49:19|Editor: mingmei

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World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (C) addresses a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 18, 2020. The chief of WHO said Tuesday that no evidence so far has suggested a sustained local transmission of COVID-19 outside China, except in some specific situations like the Diamond Princess cruise ship. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia)

GENEVA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The chief of World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday that no evidence so far has suggested a sustained local transmission of COVID-19 outside China, except in some specific situations like the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

At a daily COVID briefing, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that his agency does not have enough data at the moment on cases outside China to make a meaningful comparison on the severity of disease or the case fatality rate.

"We're following up with countries to get more information about what happens about each case and the outcome," he said. "However, we have not yet seen the sustained local transmission, except in specific circumstances like the Diamond Princess cruise ship."

The Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was carrying more than 3,700 passengers and crew, has been kept in a two-week quarantine period off the Yokohama Port, Japan, after an 80-year-old passenger on board from Hong Kong was found infected with COVID-19.

So far the total number of confirmed infections from the ship has risen to 542, according to Japanese authorities.
Stuck: The Diamond Princess, which has around 3,600 people quarantined in Japan. AP Photo/Koji Sasahara

Two Irish citizens who were on board a cruise ship now quarantined amid the coronavirus outbreak flew home last weekend without being screened, the Irish Independent understands.

The pair were holidaying on the Westerdam cruise ship, which is now docked off the coast of Cambodia.

Sources say the Irish pair has followed all health protocols since landing back here - and Ireland remains free of the virus. However, it raises questions over how tight international procedures to screen people possibly exposed to the virus are.

Seven other Irish people who were on board the ship are currently being tested for the virus, along with other passengers and crew. The ship had been stuck at sea after Japan, the Philippines and Thailand turned it away amid concerns it had passengers who could have been infected.

Last Friday, Cambodia finally allowed the ship to dock and some passengers were permitted to leave.

However, an 83-year-old American passenger tested positive for the coronavirus during a stopover in Malaysia on her way home.

About half of the more than 2,500 passengers have already left the ship. The Irish Independent has established that by the time the American woman was diagnosed, the two Irish citizens were already travelling home.

Of the seven other Irish on board the ship, only two are normally resident in this country.

In total 13 Irish citizens have been caught up in quarantines on board two coronavirus-stricken luxury cruise ships. It was confirmed yesterday two Irish citizens - who live in Germany - are now being treated in a Tokyo hospital after contracting the virus while in isolation on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

The liner was docked off the coast of Japan after two weeks' quarantine was ordered after a case of the virus was confirmed. Some 540 holidaymakers and crew have subsequently tested positive for the potentially deadly illness.

Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said two citizens who tested positive for the virus are "being treated in hospital in Japan".

He said: "These citizens share dual citizenship with another EU member state and are not normally resident in Ireland. Our embassy in Tokyo is in ongoing contact with them regarding their consular needs.

"We are also in close contact with those who remain in quarantine on the ship. We are working with our EU partners and other like-minded countries regarding options for their return.

"Seven are currently being screened, along with other passengers and crew. Our embassy in Hanoi is in ongoing contact with the citizens regarding their consular needs. Only two of these seven are normally resident in Ireland," he said.

"Two further Irish citizens, who were also passengers on the Westerdam, returned to Ireland over the weekend. The HSE was informed."

Four Irish, including two crew, who are still on the Diamond Princess are still unclear if they can leave when the official quarantine period is up today.

Some nine other Irish were passengers on the Westerdam cruise ship, off the coast of Cambodia, which was also struck by the coronavirus.

Seven of these remain in Cambodia and are being screened for the virus along with other passengers and crew.

Foreign Affairs officials said they are liaising with the two groups and hope to arrange transport for them out of Japan and Cambodia if they want to leave.

Nearly 3,000 people are still on board the Diamond Princess and were originally told their 14-day quarantine would end today. It was planned for disembarking to begin at around 10.30am local time - but Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said the process of leaving the ship could last two to three days.

The Westerdam Cruise Ship is currently docked off Sihanoukville, Cambodia, and some of the Irish passengers are ashore in a hotel. No case of the coronavirus has been diagnosed in Ireland but 78 people have been tested so far.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday chaired a meeting here of agriculturists drawn from across the state where suggestions were exchanged for giving a boost to farming, dairy production, fisheries, poultry, horticulture and other associated activities.

At the meeting which was held inside the Chief Ministers Secretariat, Kumar expressed delight at the sight of a large number of young people turning up as delegates.

He said it was indicative of the new generation taking a greater interest in agriculture which was vital for the state which had its economy heavily dependent on the sector.

The Chief Minister underscored that 80 per cent of the states population lived in villages and agriculture happened to be the source of livelihood for 78 per cent people, a reason why his government accorded top priority to bringing amenities like roads and electricity to the rural areas.

The CM also spoke of his governments initiative of providing better quality seeds to farmers and efforts to give a boost to the production of fruits like "magahi" betel leaf, zardalu mango and "shahi" litchi which are considered a specialty of the state.

Paying rich tributes to the agriculturists of the state, Kumar recalled a visit of Nobel prize winning American economist Joseph Stiglitz who had remarked, upon seeing peasants in his home district of Nalanda involved in organic farming "the farmers here are more capable than agriculture scientists".

The state government is encouraging organic farming in a big way. It is being undertaken in 13 districts and is a step in the direction of achieving the dream of ensuring at least one Bihari dish on every Indians plate, he said.

He also disclosed that keeping in mind the challenges thrown by climate change, crop rotation has been introduced in eight districts and a move was afoot to spread it further.

The Chief Minister also apprised the farmers about the Jal Jeevan Hariyali campaign an ambitious conservation drive that aims to combat climate change and spread across the message that life depended on water and green cover.

The meeting was also attended, among others, by Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, state ministers for water resources and industries Sanjay Jha and Shyam Rajak respectively besides top officials including Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mumbai, Feb 19 : Ramesh Taurani of Tips Music has lodged a police complaint against "cheaters who are taking money on my name from innocent souls".

"It is disgusting that someone is misusing my name for their personal benefit. First of all, I never call random people for video shoot. If it is a serious business, then we have a team to look into the matter of casting or any required professionals. Secondly, we never announced any video shoot and I have no knowledge about it, which is why I had to lodge a complaint against the person or group of people misusing my name," said Taurani, who filed a complaint at Khar police station on February 17.

The fraud was perpetrated when a person or group of people called aspiring actors to audition for a music video, saying it was to be produced by Taurani's label Tips Music, according to sources.

"Such people should be behind bars. I have already lodged a police complaint against these cheaters who are taking money on my name from innocent souls. I have nothing to do with this nor I am aware of it. I have collected enough proofs against them and I request the authorities to take necessary action against them," Taurani added.

Tips Industries Limited is a public music and film production, promotion, and distribution company based in Mumbai.
Editor:

Good luck Glens Falls!

When summer comes and election season kicks in, the political discourse will become worse.

Just what you want to see when you're pulling into town is Stefaniks guard dogs with their folding chairs and 10-foot long Trump flags - which were not banned, although the distance allotted between us is 8 feet.

A business owner on Warren Street expressed concern that her clients have been disturbed and have said they don't know if they want to come here in the midst of this.

It's your tax dollars Glens Falls. People will not want to come open a business, or support a business that's smack in the middle of the rallies.

There go our rights to gather by our reps office as they menace, scream and push us out of the way.

It doesn't matter that they call us obscenities in front of the Catholic School where the children attend until 8th grade or next to the church. Or at the steps of our library. Because I've never seen any of these people actually go inside the library ...

It seems like they got every consideration, while we get pushed to the park so as to avoid an issue, as we are peaceful. Doesn't matter that they follow us with the intent to create a disturbance.

I get the city is concerned they will be sued by the First Amendment fanatics that feel it's their right to call us degrading names  but the city will be sued if harm comes to one of us.

I could live nicely from a city settlement ...

My only hope is that the PD will enforce the law.

Which I am not hopeful about.

I am sad for this and was hoping for a different outcome.

Wake up Glens Falls.

Beth Wadleigh, Fort Edward

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BALTIMORE  Khaled Heeba fled the most dangerous place on earth in 2016, escaping Syria's civil war with his parents to come to the United States for a better life. He settled in Baltimore.

He went to work delivering pizzas full time to help support himself and his parents, his co-workers and a family friend said.

Heeba's American journey ended less than two weeks ago when someone gunned him down in broad daylight in Harlem Park  less than five minutes from the pizza shop where he'd worked since he got to Baltimore. The 31-year-old man was found in the 1300 block of W. Franklin St. around 1:15 p.m. Feb. 7 suffering from gunshot wounds to the chest. He died after being transported to a nearby hospital, police said.

"He left his own country because it was a war zone in Syria, just for him to end up getting murdered here," said Theresa Birmingham, a co-worker. "He was just really a sweet guy. It's been 10 days (since his killing) and I still expect to see him walk in through the door."

Birmingham and Vicky Bailey said their friend and co-worker "was always a good person."

Police have made no arrests in the case.

According to a 2016 annual report by Human Rights Watch, Syrians like Heeba were caught in the middle of a violent conflict between Islamic State, offshoots of al-Qaida and the Syrian government. The groups were "responsible for systematic and widespread violations, including targeting civilians, kidnappings, and executions."

By the time the family was welcomed to the United States as refugees, more than 250,000 Syrians had been killed, nearly a million were under siege and millions more had fled or become displaced, according to Human Rights Watch.

The family landed in Maryland and quickly acclimated, according to co-workers and a family friend.

Birmingham and Bailey said Heeba's delivery hours fluctuated. He sometimes worked many hours during the day or at other times worked night delivery shifts, they said.

They fondly remembered how friendly he was, and how quick Heeba was to help his co-workers with whatever they needed.

Now, every Friday the business releases one balloon in the air in memory of Heeba, Birmingham said.

"He was real tall, so he could always reach stuff for me in here that I could not get to," Bailey said. "He always was cheerful, always said good morning and would take you home at night if you just needed a ride."

Heeba was on his last delivery route of the day, going along West Franklin Street before he was gunned down on the sidewalk. Heeba was planning to attend Friday prayer later that evening.

Heeba's family is collecting funds after his killing to honor his life by helping other Syrian refugees through LaunchGood, a crowdfunding platform tailored to members of the Muslim community.

Officers found Heeba suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest, and believe he was shot outside Yun's grocery store, as blood stained the sidewalk just a few steps from the doorway.

As of Monday, there have been 43 homicides in Baltimore city  that is 11 more killings than there were at this time last year, which saw 32 killings, according to Baltimore police data.

___

(c)2020 The Baltimore Sun

Visit The Baltimore Sun at www.baltimoresun.com

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Covid surge: PM Modi to chair virtual meet with chief ministers on Thursday

In Pics: PM Modi to inaugurate new campus of Classical Tamil institute in Chennai today

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PM Modi relishes on Litti-Chokha, Kulhad Chai at Delhi's 'Hunar Haat'

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Feb 19: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday made a surprise visit to "Hunar Haat" in Delhi's Rajpath, where he interacted with artisans and relished "litti-chokha" and "kulhad" tea.

Soon after chairing a meeting of the Union Cabinet, PM Modi reached Rajpath where the "Hunar Haat" is being organised by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Sources in the government said officials of the ministry were surprised when they came to know about the prime minister's visit.

PM Modi, who was there for 50 minutes, ate "litti-chokha" and paid Rs 120 for it. The dish is popular in Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

Glimpses of our culture and diversity in one maphave a look at this. #HunarHaat pic.twitter.com/dFWyO0KC3K  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 19, 2020

He later had tea served in a "kulhad" with Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and paid Rs 40 for two cups.

Artisans participating in the event said the traditional arts were dying, but the "Hunar Haat" programme has helped revive them.

There was a surge in crowd when people came to know that the prime minister was visiting the event.

The Hunar Haat is based on the theme of "Kaushal Ko Kaam" and will be held till February 23.

Master artisans, craftsmen and culinary experts, including more than 50 per cent women, from across the country are participating at the Haat.

Trying my hand at some music in #HunarHaat... pic.twitter.com/LQDV2DWcyO  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 19, 2020

A "bawarchikhana" section has also been set up with traditional delicacies of several states available for people to savour.

Similar "haats" are being organised across India as part of an effort to empower master artisans.

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Story first published: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 18:07 [IST]
Leaders of the states public health department pressed Wednesday for a repeal of Connecticuts non-medical exemption from mandatory vaccinations, arguing that a growing contingent of vaccine skeptics are putting schoolchildren in jeopardy by refusing to immunize their children on religious grounds.

After looking at the trends, I believe we can no longer afford to put our children at risk of infectious diseases by allowing non-medical exemptions, Health Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell told legislators at a public hearing on the proposal. We should not wait until our vaccination rates decline any further, or wait for the next measles outbreak, to take action.

Coleman-Mitchell pointed to data gathered by her department that show 134 schools at which fewer than 95 percent of kindergarteners received a measles vaccination in 2018-19. The 95 percent threshold is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to maintain herd immunity, the indirect protection that occurs when a large number of people become immune, especially by way of vaccination.

She also cited a steep rise in the number of children claiming the religious exemption. Data show an increase of 25 percent in the number of kindergarteners abstaining from the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine on the basis of religion  the largest recorded by the state since it began tracking the information a decade ago.

Last year, about 7,800 children in total abstained from mandatory vaccines by electing the exemption.

This will turn a lot of lives upside down. Those who dont comply could be denied an education, segregated from their peers.

Coleman-Mitchell expressed concern for children with compromised immune systems who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

Vaccines are most effective when the maximum number of people in a community are immunized. Community immunity cannot maintain itself, she said Wednesday. We must be vigilant to maintain high vaccination levels that prevent infectious diseases from gaining a foothold in our communities.

The bill before the legislature would repeal the 60-year-old provision beginning next fall. Children would have to receive all required vaccinations before starting or returning to school in August or September. Mandatory immunizations include measles, mumps and rubella, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, poliomyelitis, and haemophilus influenzae type B.

The measure also would require officials at the Department of Public to release annual school-level data on vaccination rates. Coleman-Mitchell published the first school-by-school figures last May, from the 2017-18 year, and in September released a subsequent batch from the 2018-19 year.

The commissioner suggested Wednesday that the timeline for the repeal was too strict. She previously had suggested the religious exemption be removed beginning in October 2021 to give parents time to prepare for the change.

I would prefer we give our families objecting to vaccination more time to prepare for the new reality in Connecticut, and would appreciate working with the committee to identify a workable solution, Coleman-Mitchell said.

Lawmakers pledged to include feedback from Wednesdays public hearing in later versions of the bill.

The hearing drew more than 450 speakers, including medical professionals, politicians, and parents with views on both sides of the issue. People waiting for their turn to testify on the bill stood in lines that wrapped around the Legislative Office Buildings atrium.

James and Kristen Turkosz, a Woodbridge couple, told legislators that the proposal has caused a lot of stress for people who choose not to vaccinate their children. The bill would not force children to be immunized, but it would bar students who claim the religious exemption from enrolling in public and private schools.

Holding hostage the education of many thousands of students, as a purely preventative measure, should be the last resort, not the first resort, he added. It requires an overwhelming burden of proof, and I havent seen a lot.

People sporting stickers that read In God We Trust, My Faith says Do No Harm, and other messages gathered inside the Capitol, waiting to testify.

Katherine Matthews, a Bristol resident whose daughter has a compromised immune system, asked legislators to support the bill. While her daughter was able to receive shots, the presence of unvaccinated students at school still increases her risk of developing an illness, she said.

Because of her condition, it is extremely easy for her to contract communicable diseases. When she contracts an illness, she becomes very sick very quickly and it takes extraordinary measures for her to recover, Matthews said. Her treatment often requires long periods of hospitalization and the administration of IV antibiotics and other medication.

Unfortunately, this is the life of an immunocompromised person for as long as she gets to live it, Matthews said. Life is precisely what is at stake when an immunocompromised person comes into contact with her unvaccinated and under-vaccinated peers.

Brian Festa, the founder of CT Freedom Alliance, an organization opposed to the proposal, said if passed, the legislation would likely spur a lawsuit.

You are about to decide on something that is going to have a far-reaching effect on every child and parent in this state who chooses to exercise their sincerely held religious beliefs, he said. Its going to open up the floodgates of litigation.  I ask you to please fulfill the duties of your oath and vote no.'

The bill gives the states health commissioner the authority to add vaccines to Connecticuts mandatory immunization list in the future. That has stirred fears over what other vaccinations might be included.

Matthew Cartter, the state epidemiologist, said public health officials rely on national groups, such as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, to develop a mandatory vaccine registry.

The commissioner cant just say, Hey I want to make this vaccine and put it on the list. It has to be on the list of vaccines approved by the ACIP, he said. Were very aware that we should not abuse the powers the legislature gives to this department, and we take great responsibility in adding vaccines to that list.
The UN Human Rights Councils database of companies conducting business in the West Bank infringes on the human rights of tens of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians who work together daily. This is the true incubator of peace and coexistence. It is the most successful instrument for defeating terrorism, violence, prejudice, and hatred. Does the UNHRC really have nothing better to do than target the myriad of businesses that serve both the Jewish and Palestinian communities?

Palestinian sources report that Palestinians enjoy better working conditions and prefer working for Israeli employers - including in Israeli communities in the West Bank. Wages are four times higher with Israeli employers, and Palestinian workers receive health benefits, sick leave, and vacation time to the same degree as Israelis do. By trying to harm Israeli companies that have "activities" in the West Bank, the UN is also harming many Palestinians who work in these businesses.

(Murray Brand is a Castleton Corners resident.)
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to redouble reconciliation efforts with Indigenous Peoples Tuesday as he sought to ease tensions over nationwide blockades erected in opposition to a British Columbia pipeline project.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to redouble reconciliation efforts with Indigenous Peoples Tuesday as he sought to ease tensions over nationwide blockades erected in opposition to a British Columbia pipeline project.

Even as Trudeau called for patience, questions abounded over how he planned to make good on his promise. He faced demands from the Opposition Conservatives to crack down on protesters who have disrupted large parts of the country's transportation network.

Several First Nations leaders agreed in their own news conference in Ottawa that the dispute speaks to broader  and long-standing  concerns from Indigenous communities, but they also appeared uncertain over how the current crisis can be truly resolved.

Trudeau delivered his most extensive remarks yet on the blockades and the $6.6-billion natural-gas pipeline protesters oppose in an address to the House of Commons, where MPs were preparing to hold an emergency debate on the standoff.

Recognizing the crisis as "a critical moment for our country and for our future," the prime minister acknowledged that people on all sides are frustrated.

CP A supporter arrives at a rail blockade in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Ont. on Monday. (Lars Hagberg / The Canadian Press)

"What we are facing was not created overnight," he said. "It was not created because we have embarked upon a path of reconciliation recently in our history. It is because for too long in our history, for too many years, we failed to do so. Therefore, finding a solution will not be simple."

Trudeau acknowledged many Indigenous people feel betrayed by the federal government after decades of empty promises, as he recognized that Canadians across the country are suffering because of the blockades.

Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters CEO Dennis Darby, for instance, said the crisis is "beyond serious" and estimated some $425 million in goods is becoming stranded every day the blockade continues.

It was in this context that Trudeau called for trust and patience from all sides to resolve not only the current crisis, but to also work on reconciliation to ensure similar disputes don't erupt.

"The opportunity is there on the table right now," he said. "We are in this together: the worker, the senior, the Indigenous leader, the protester and the police officer. Let us have the courage to take this opportunity and take action together and so to build a better path for all Canadians."

How Trudeau and his Liberal government might take that opportunity wasn't apparent.

CP Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says due to a rocky history with Indigenous people, finding a solution to this issue won't be simple. (Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press)

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet compared the prime minister's speech to the promises Trudeau made to Indigenous people during the 2015 federal election campaign.

Trudeau noted the federal government's offer to have Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett meet with hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation, whose opposition to the Coastal GasLink pipeline crossing their land sparked the current crisis.

However, a hereditary chief said Tuesday afternoon they won't meet until the RCMP leave the area where they arrested 28 people this month while enforcing an injunction.

Chief Woos, who represents one of 13 Wet'suwet'en house groups, said all hereditary chiefs agree and accuse the RCMP of being "bullies."

The RCMP have operated a mobile detachment off a logging road outside Houston, B.C., since January 2019, after they enforced a similar injunction in the area.

While the RCMP have said their major operations in the region this month have concluded, they've also said the mobile unit will remain in place and continue "patrols of the corridor to ensure everyone's safety."

CP Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Grand Chief Joseph Norton (second from left) is joined by First Nations leaders as they discusses the situation and actions relating to the Wet'suwet'en people during a press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on Tuesday. (Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press)

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer pointed out that Trudeau's address didn't include a plan to end the blockades that have halted train service to parts of the country for more than a week and temporarily closed bridges and highways.

Describing Trudeau's speech as "the weakest response to a national crisis in Canadian history," Scheer blasted the protesters as "radical activists" and demanded immediate action to end the blockades, which he said were holding "our economy hostage."

The Conservative leader suggested many of the protesters have little connection to First Nations and are opposed to all oil and gas pipelines.

"The prime minister's elevation of these protesters to the same level as the thousands of men and women in First Nations communities across our country who have in good faith been trying to right the wrongs of Canadian history does a disservice to the spirit of reconciliation," he said.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, who has been critical of Trudeau's response to the blockades, tweeted he's convened a conference call Wednesday of premiers as Chair of the Council of the Federation due to what he called "a lack of federal leadership in addressing this ongoing illegal activity."

There was no immediate word on which premiers would be taking part.

CP Mohawk Council of Kanesatake Grand Chief Serge Otsi Simon was alone in suggesting the blockades have had their intended impact and should be lifted, at least temporarily. (Jason Franson / The Canadian Press files)

Scheer, whom Trudeau later barred from a meeting he called with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Bloc Quebecois Leader Blanchet and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, suggested most people in the Wet'suwet'en First Nation support the project.

He pointed to TC Energy as having signed an agreement for its Coastal GasLink pipeline with 20 elected band councils, including the Wet'suwet'en band council.

During a news conference in Ottawa, leaders from Mohawk First Nations in Ontario and Quebec whose members have erected blockades in support of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs noted the councils were born out of the Indian Act, which was imposed on their people.

The fact the hereditary chiefs' views were not heeded by TC Energy was exactly what prompted the current crisis, they added.

"There were people in our community that saw the injustice being done to the Wet'suwet'en nation by their traditional leaders not being heard and by being overruled by a court injunction and police intervention," said Donald Maracle, chief of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte.

Members of his nation on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario have set up camp next to a critical rail line, prompting CN Rail to close it to freight traffic and Via passenger trains.

The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is addressing this morning the tensions over a British Columbia pipeline project and the nationwide protests it's spawned. National Chief Perry Bellegarde is seen during a speech at the Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly in Ottawa, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

"There should have been room for dialogue with those people, particularly when there was strong disagreement in the leadership. In my opinion, the project should not have proceeded in that climate," Maracle said.

Finding a solution could be easier said than done. Maracle said it was unclear to him exactly why the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs oppose the pipeline; Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde said it is incumbent on the B.C. First Nation to address its own divisions.

"The Wet'suwet'en people themselves have an obligation to sort this out," Bellegarde said. "You see the hereditary chiefs on one side. Then you have the Wet'suwet'en people on the other side and chiefs duly elected through band referendums support the Coastal GasLink."

Bellegarde and the Mohawk chiefs nonetheless linked the current crisis to the need for reconciliation, with Bellegarde calling for implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman and Girls recommendations.

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Mohawk Council of Kanesatake Grand Chief Serge Otsi Simon, sitting alongside them, was alone in suggesting the blockades erected in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en have had their intended impact and should be lifted, at least temporarily.

"Bringing down the blockades doesn't mean that you surrender," said Simon. "It doesn't mean we're just going to lay down and let us kick us around. But it would show compassion along with the strength."

The other chiefs sidestepped questions over whether they agreed with Simon but did say work on the pipeline should be suspended.

At the blockade, protesters greeted people who approached the tracks but declined to be interviewed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2020.

With files from Ian Bickis in Toronto, Laura Osman at Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and Amy Smart in Vancouver.
Bear Grylls is back to venture into the wilderness of India after his adventure with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August last year. This time Grylls will be visiting Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka with superstar Rajinikanth for a special episode of his show Man vs Wild. Bear Grylls called his experience of working with Rajinikanth 'special' in a Twitter post.

"Preparing for Rajinikanth's blockbuster TV debut with an Into The Wild with Bear Grylls motion poster! I have worked with many stars around the world but this one for me was special. Love India. #ThalaivaOnDiscovery," said Grylls.

Preparing for @Rajinikanth's blockbuster TV debut with an Into The Wild with Bear Grylls motion poster! I have worked with many stars around the world but this one for me was special. Love India. #ThalaivaOnDiscoverypic.twitter.com/kFnkiw71S6 - Bear Grylls (@BearGrylls) February 19, 2020

The survival instructor took to the micro-blogging site to praise the superstar. "Rajinikanth has always been a star with swagger! But in the wild everything is different... It was so fun to spend time with the legend and get to know and see him in a totally new way...," he said.

Grylls shared a 15-second motion poster where Grylls and Rajinikanth can be seen resting on the bonnet of a vehicle in a forest. One can see flames and debris flying around the duo.

Discovery Channel that airs Into The Wild received permission from the Karnataka forest department to shoot in the tiger reserve. Bandipur Tiger Reserve is a 874-sq-km national park that is home to 28 species of mammals including the Royal Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, leopards, Indian pipistrelle, and barking deer and more.

Bear Grylls had visited the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand earlier last year with PM Modi for an episode of Man vs Wild that was aired in August. Other celebrities to have featured in Grylls' shows are former US President Barack Obama, Kate Winslet, Julia Roberts and Roger Federer.

Also read: Tanhaji box office collection: Ajay Devgn film inches closer to Rs 275 crore

Also read: Love Aaj Kal Box Office Collection Day 5: Sara-Kartik's film struggles; earns Rs 33 crore
A Latam Airlines A319 takes off from Congonhas airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil: Reuters

A 6-year-old boy flying to Orlando was raped by a LATAM Airlines employee in Sao Paolo after missing his flight out of Brazil, according to a lawsuit filed against the company.

The Orlando Sentinel reported that the boy was flying alone, with a folder full of his travel documents strung around his neck to provide airline employees quick access to his papers. When a miscommunication error between employees left the boy stranded in Sao Paolo, he was put up in a hotel for the night.

The LATAM employee who had been tasked with looking after him raped him the following morning, it is alleged.

The boys father is suing the airline for damages in excess of $75,000. The lawsuit accuses LATAM of negligence resulting in traumatic injuries to the boy. A LATAM spokesperson said the company had not been served with a lawsuit.

An airline employee on the boys flight from Belo Horizonte, Brazil to Sao Paolo removed the boys documents from his neck and put them in his backpack. Later, a different employee guiding him to his connecting flight failed to find the documents, which included his passports, and Brazilian police refused to let him onto the plane.

During his overnight hotel stay, the boy spent at least 15 hours in a hotel room with only a single employee at a time.

The lawsuit argues that LATAM knew or should have known, that if left unsupervised its employee  would commit rape of a child.

An LATAM spokesman said the company had not yet received legal papers but it takes any allegation of this nature seriously and will fully cooperate with any resulting investigation.
[February 19, 2020] Kramer Levin Proudly Welcomes Barry Berke Back to the Firm Following His Service as Special Counsel to the House Judiciary Committee

Kramer Levin is proud to announce that Barry Berke has returned to the firm following his service as special counsel to the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives in connection with its historic investigation and impeachment of the president of the United States. Mr. Berke has been widely lauded for his work as counsel to the House Judiciary Committee during the committee's impeachment investigation and hearings, as well as on behalf of the House managers during the Senate trial. The New York Times noted that as "an architect of their impeachment inquiry," Mr. Berke "work[ed] to build the investigative framework" for the House Democrats that led to the impeachment of the president, including helping develop and draft the articles of impeachment. Mr. Berke played a prominent public-facing role in the House impeachment hearings, where he gave the opening statement for the committee and questioned key witnesses to much acclaim. Among the recognition he received, the Washington Post named him "Distinguished Person of the Week" for having "eviscerated" the president's former campaign manager in what Slate described as "a cross-examination that should be mandatory viewing for ever law student in the history of time."



"Barry demonstrated his extraordinary skills as a trial lawyer in presenting a complex set of facts to the American people during the historic impeachment proceedings," said Paul H. Schoeman, Kramer Levin's co-managing partner and co-chair of the firm's White Collar Defense and Investigations practice. "I am delighted that Barry will once again be using his enormous talent and energy on behalf of our clients." Co-Managing Partner Howard T. Spilko said, "We are proud of Barry and the work he did in his role as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee. We are very pleased to have one of the country's best trial lawyers and strategists back at the firm."

Mr. Berke returns to his position as co-chair of Kramer Levin's Litigation department. He is widely recognized as one of the nation's leading trial lawyers and white collar criminal defense attorneys. "It was the honor of a lifetime to serve as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee under the extraordinary leadership of Chairman Nadler during this critical period in our nation's history," Mr. Berke said. "I am grateful for all the support from my friends and colleagues at Kramer Levin, and I'm thrilled to be returning to the firm, my practice and our clients." About Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP Kramer Levin provides its clients proactive, creative and pragmatic solutions that address today's most challenging legal issues. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Silicon Valley and Paris and fosters a strong culture of involvement in public and community service. For more information, visit www.kramerlevin.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005602/en/

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Russian authorities in the Jewish Autonomous Region in Siberia have charged eight Jehovah's Witnesses with extremism amid what activists say is an escalating campaign of persecution of the religious group.



The branch of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia said on February 18 that six women and two men in the regional capital, Birobidzhan, are facing charges of illegally resuming the activities of the Jehovah's Witnesses.



Similar charges have been filed against 11 other Jehovahs Witnesses in Russia since the start of 2020.



Russia officially banned the religious group in April 2017 and deemed it an "extremist organization," a designation the U.S. State Department has characterized as "wrong."



The Jehovah's Witnesses have been viewed with suspicion in Russia for decades due to the views of its members about military service, voting, and government authority in general.



Since the faith was outlawed in Russia, nine Jehovah's Witnesses have been imprisoned in Russia. They include Danish citizen Dennis Christensen, who was sentenced in February 2019 to six years in prison in the western city of Oryol. The charges against Christensen have been condemned by rights groups in Russia and abroad.



In September, Washington banned two high-ranking regional officers from Russia's Investigative Committee from entering the United States over the alleged torture of seven detainees who are Jehovah's Witnesses.



The Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center has recognized 29 Jehovah's Witnesses, who've been charged with or convicted of extremism, as political prisoners.



On January 9, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Russian law enforcement authorities had "dramatically escalated the nationwide persecution" of Jehovahs Witnesses during the previous year.



HRW said Russian authorities have carried out at least 780 raids of houses owned by Jehovah's Witnesses in dozens of Russian cities since 2017. More than half of those raids were conducted in 2019.
New Delhi [India], Feb 19 (ANI): Swami Govind Dev Giri, a member of the Shri Ramjanmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, constituted to build the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, on Wednesday proposed the name of Ramjanmbhoomi Nyas chief Nritya Gopal Das to lead the trust.

Shri Ramjanmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra is a 15-member trust mandated by the Union government to oversee building of the temple in Ayodhya.

The date for commencing the temple's construction is expected to be finalised during the first meeting of the trust, scheduled here today and two prominent practising Hindus, are likely to be nominated by the board of trustees.

Tuning emotional on the candidature of Das, Giri demanded that he should not just be included in the trust but also be made the head of it.

"I would like to say that Das is among the most respected members in the trust. He should be asked to lead the trust and we will follow him. He has contributed his life for construction of Ram temple," Giri said.

Sources also claimed that Vishva Hindu Parishad leader Champat Rai who oversaw the case in court is likely to be included in trust as well.

It was reported that Gopal Das was upset after his name did not feature in the list of people made part of the trust entrusted to build the Ram temple. Whereas Rai kept himself busy with the task of firefighting within the ranks after many names did not feature in the list.

Speaking about the agenda for the first meet of trust, one of its members, said: "We would pay tribute to those who have struggled and sacrifice themselves for Ram temple till 1987 and we would also pay tribute to those who have contributed towards the building of this temple in modern times."

The second important task would be to select our members, he said.

"We are yet not 15 in number. We would dwell upon the names. Then after completing the trust, we would zero in on the office and bank account and signatories for the temple. Then we will elect our office bearers. We will decide on venues as well and finalise a date for temple construction. We would thank the Supreme Court and government as well. Our meetings should happen in Ayodhya as well," Giri said.

Swami Govind Dev Giri said he believes that members of the trust will finalise the construction date of the temple today.

"People across the world are waiting for it. We have to think practically. It is almost sure that temple will be constructed on the same design proposed by VHP," claimed the seer.

Giri said he will suggest the trust members to exhibit the remains of the temple excavated below it.

"The excavation conducted in Ayodhya as per the requirements of evidence to be presented in the court case. We expect that we would find much more when do full excavation. In Burma, there is a pagoda and in Italy, there is a magnificent church. Both these structures have done a presentation in the basement about the heritage structure. We too should put up excavated rocks as a presentation or present the then structure and build a new one on it," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Developers seeking 'fast-track' planning permissions from An Bord Pleanala have suffered a triple blow.

This follows the appeals board refusing planning permission to a cumulative 961 residential units across three large-scale planning applications in Dublin and Co Meath.

In one ruling, the appeals board has refused planning permission to Shannon Homes Drogheda Ltd for the construction of 357 units, made up of 169 houses, 136 apartments and 52 duplex apartments at Colp West, Drogheda, Co Meath.

The board also refused planning permission to Dwyer Nolan Developments Ltd for 359 dwellings in the townland of Regles, Lusk, Co Dublin.

The appeals board refused planning permission due to the road layout, dominance of surface car parking and lack of high-quality public open spaces planned.

The board stated that those factors "would lead to conditions injurious to the residential amenities of future occupants" of the dwellings.

The organisation also refused planning permission to Steelworks Property Developments Ltd for 245 build-to-rent apartments at Fourth Avenue, Cookstown Industrial Estate at Tallaght. The board, however, has granted planning to Cairn Homes Properties Ltd for 314 dwellings at the townlands of Jigginstown and Naas West, Naas, Kildare.

The board granted planning permission after concluding that the proposal would not seriously injure the residential amenities.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 12:29:09|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong speaks at a press conference in New Delhi, India, on Feb. 18, 2020. Bilateral exchanges between India and China will not be affected by the novel coronavirus epidemic, Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong has said. (Photo by Partha Sarkar/Xinhua)

NEW DELHI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Bilateral exchanges between India and China will not be affected by the novel coronavirus epidemic, Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong has said.

"I think the difficulties are temporary and will be overcome," Sun told a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday.

"I believe bilateral exchanges will not be blocked by the virus and China-India relations (will) not be affected by the epidemic," he said.

The envoy briefed the media on China's efforts to contain the novel coronavirus epidemic.

"We are grateful that (Indian) Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi sent a letter to (Chinese) President Xi Jinping and assured readiness to stand by China and provide the assistance that India can to face this challenge," he noted.

The acts of goodwill fully demonstrate Indian people's friendship with Chinese people, the ambassador said.

"We need to maintain high-level exchanges, hold institutional meetings and a series of celebratory activities, expand personnel exchanges and trade, and scale the bilateral relations to a new height," he said.

The ongoing year marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Beijing, and both countries have earmarked 70 different programs to celebrate the bond between them.

The ambassador said that China and India are the world's only two countries with a population of more than 1 billion, and that there is huge potential for the two countries to collaborate in areas of science and public health.

Sun said China provided all the necessary assistance and convenience to the Indian citizens in China's Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, in getting them back to India.

Modi expressed his appreciation for China's support in his letter to Xi, Sun said, adding "We attach great importance to the health and safety of foreign nationals in China, and will take good care of the Indian citizens in China like our own."

So far there was no report of infection among the Indian citizens in China, he added.

Sun said countries need to adhere to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and review their visa and travel advisories.

"The WHO has not recommended but opposed any travel and trade restrictions. We should follow the WHO's professional advice and refrain from overreaction," he said.

The envoy called for cooperation, mutual understanding and solidarity to jointly overcome the difficulties, voicing full confidence that with joint efforts of the Chinese people and the international community, "we will win this battle against the epidemic."

Downward pressure on China's economy will increase because of the epidemic and will have some impact on the global economy, but China is resuming productions while fighting the epidemic, Sun said.

"It is a short-term impact but in the long run, while the epidemic is contained, China's economy will be back on track and its impact on the global economy will be gradually mitigated," he said.

"The Chinese government is taking various measures to restore and resume the production and operation of enterprises. The supplies will gradually return to normal," he said. "The earlier we win this battle, the earlier the supply chain will be resumed."
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SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Grow Solutions Holdings, Inc. (OTCPink: GRSO) University of British Columbia ("UBC") students study Aeropods' carbon footprint. From operating grow lights, to heating and cooling, indoor farming can be an energy-intensive process. The course plans to answer the question of how we can reap the benefits of indoor farming while minimizing our carbon footprint.

Grow Solutions is pleased to be working with a group of 3rd year undergraduate students at the University of British Columbia to answer that question. UBC's Land and Food Systems Core Series ("LFS 350") uses real-world examples to prepare students to tackle complex issues around agriculture, environment, and community. The projects are done in collaboration with local and regional organizations, allowing the students to contribute to food system sustainability and community food security.

Grow Solutions wholly owned subsidiary Pure Roots has shared with the students the materials and processes it will use in manufacturing its facilities, growing, processing and delivering food. "Our goal is to use a data-driven approach to improve the energy efficiency of our growing system," said Lena Syrovy, Vice President of Agronomy at Pure Roots. "With greenhouse gas emissions being one of the most pressing issues facing our generation, we believe energy consumption must be included in the conversation on vertical farming."

Vertical farming is often applauded for its low water, fertilizer, and space requirements. One AeroPod can produce 22x more kale annually compared with outdoor production in the same footprint. Vertical farming will be part of the solution to meeting fresh food needs in the future, allowing food to be grown year-round close to where it will be eaten. However, the energy required to build and operate indoor farms is less often discussed.

Ms. Stephanie Lim, the UBC Community Relations Coordinator for the Faculty of Land and Food Systems stated: "By sharing their knowledge and expertise, they (LFS 350 partners) contribute to the enhancement of students' ability to connect and contribute to the communities in which they live. We are glad to contribute UBC resources to the advancement of projects and initiatives on community-identified priorities related to complex food systems issues."

What are the key areas to focus on where we can have the biggest impact on lowering our energy consumption? "With our first farm in Surrey, B.C., planning on opening in the second quarter of 2020 we hope that the results of this project will shape our long-term technology and operational choices as we roll out more farms in the future," stated Chad Fischl, our Chief Executive Officer and Director.

Link to posting about our project on course website:

https://lfs350.landfood.ubc.ca/community-projects/2020-winter-projects/10-2/

Detailed description:

https://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:LFS350/Projects/W2020/PureRoots

Read more about the Grow Solutions Holdings, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Pure Roots Holding, Ltd., on our official website, as well as further information about the Company and its latest news releases at

http://www.aerogrowmanufacturing.com , www.purerootsfarms.com , www.grsoinvest.com .

Chad Fischl

Chief Executive Officer and Director

PO Box 2869

Jackson, WY 83001

(360) 612-0180

Source: Grow Solutions Holdings, Inc. (GRSO)

Released February 19, 2020

OTCPink: GRSO

This press release may include certain statements that are forward-looking in nature and that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on Grow Solutions Holdings, Inc., current expectations and projections regarding future events, which are based on currently available information. The forward-looking statements in this press release may also include statements relating to Grow Solutions Holdings, Inc.'s anticipated new developments, business prospects, financial performance, strategies and similar matters. Grow Solutions Holdings, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update any of its forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

SOURCE Grow Solutions Holdings, Inc.
The coverage on this live blog has ended  but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's Asia-Pacific team. All times below are in Eastern time. Total confirmed cases: More than 75,200

Total deaths: At least 2,007

5:06 pm: Markets may face 'pretty serious reckoning' as coronavirus slows growth

The coronavirus may significantly weaken a global economy that was already in a precarious position, Yale University's Stephen Roach told CNBC. "If the global economy is as weak as I think it is in the first half of this year, that points to a pretty serious reckoning for frothy financial markets," the former Morgan Stanley Asia chairman said on "Closing Bell." Investors have been trying to make sense of what the coronavirus means for businesses since late January. And yet, the market has only seen a few pullbacks in that stretch as the major U.S. stock indexes continue to set fresh highs.  Stankiewicz

4:23 pm: Goldman says market underestimating coronavirus risk: 'Correction is looking much more probable'

Goldman Sachs sounded the alarm to clients about a possible correction in the stock market, noting investors are underestimating how big of a risk the coronavirus really is. "We believe the greater risk is that the impact of the coronavirus on earnings may well be underestimated in current stock prices, suggesting that the risks of a correction are high," strategist Peter Oppenheimer wrote in a note. Oppenheimer thinks the market could be in trouble if earnings expectations aren't ratcheted down. "Equity markets are looking increasingly exposed to near-term downward surprises to earnings growth," said Oppenheimer. "While a sustained bear market does not look likely, a near-term correction is looking much more probable."  Imbert

4 pm: G20 draft document shows coronavirus a risk to modest pickup in global growth

Financial leaders of the world's 20 largest economies, the G20, expect a modest pickup of global growth this year and next, but see the coronavirus epidemic as a downside risk, a draft communique prepared for the meeting on Feb. 22 to 23 said. G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meet on Saturday and Sunday in Riyadh to discuss the global economy, as China grapples with a virus that has killed more than 2,000 people and forced drastic curbs on travel and commerce. "After signs of stabilisation at the end of 2019, global economic growth is expected to pick up modestly in 2020 and 2021," the draft, seen by Reuters, said. "However, global economic growth remains slow and downside risks to the outlook persist, including those arising from the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak, geopolitical tensions and policy uncertainty," said the draft, which may still be changed before the final version is adopted on Sunday.  Reuters

3:15 pm: Investor confidence is misplaced as market hits new highs

Investors' confidence around the coronavirus may end up being misplaced, the former head of the International Monetary Fund's China division told CNBC. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose to fresh record highs, continuing a strong start to the year despite uncertainty around the virus. "It could be a short-term shock but one that ends up having a somewhat longer-term impact," Eswar Prasad, now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and Cornell University professor, said on "Squawk on the Street." Prasad said Wall Street believes China's government will continue to take aggressive steps to prop up financial markets.Prasad said he agrees with that view on policy responses, but suggested action from the People's Bank of China might not be enough to prevent negative economic impacts.  Stankiewicz

Members of a local neighborhood committee wear protective masks as they check the temperature of a resident entering at a barricade placed to control people entering and exiting a local hutong as part of government efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus on February 19, 2020 in Beijing, China. Kevin Frayer | Getty Images

2:47 pm: Fed calls the coronavirus a 'new risk to global growth outlook'

Although the coronavirus had just taken hold when the Federal Reserve met in January, officials already expressed concern about its potential economic impacts. "The threat of the coronavirus, in addition to its human toll, had emerged as a new risk to the global growth outlook, which participants agreed warranted close watching," minutes released Wednesday from the Federal Open Market Committee's Jan. 28-29 meeting said. Central bank policymakers said, for instance, that if the virus spread it could hit what appeared to be an improving growth picture in China.  Cox

2:41 pm: CDC issues travel guidelines for Hong Kong after second coronavirus-related death

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines on Wednesday for American travelers to Hong Kong after the city reported its second death from the new coronavirus. Travelers to Hong Kong should avoid contact with sick people, the CDC said, and regularly wash their hands. It is the CDC's lowest-level travel warning, but it is the first coronavirus-related travel notice issued by the U.S. government for a territory beyond mainland China.  Feuer

2:19 pm: Tyson Foods sees business slow in China due to outbreak

Tyson Foods' CEO said at a conference that the company has seen Chinese ports backed up as a result of the virus, slowing down the import of its U.S. meat products. Shares of the world's second-largest meat processor fell 1% in afternoon trading on the comments. "There's a definite need within the country to fulfill customer demand, to feed the people and we are continuing to ship product," Tyson CEO Noel White said. In the next few years, Tyson expects to see higher demand as a result of African swine fever, which has hit China's pork supply and global pork prices. Beijing lifted a years-long ban on importing U.S. poultry meat in November.  Lucas

1:53 pm: The market continues to take outbreak in stride

1:12 pm: Diamond Princess cruise passengers disembark quarantined ship in Japan

Hundreds of passengers trundled off a cruise ship in Japan after being held on board in quarantine for more than two weeks, as criticism mounted of Japan's handling of the biggest coronavirus outbreak outside China. More than 620 passengers and crew became infected with the virus over the course of the quarantine, raising questions about whether it helped or hurt efforts to contain the outbreak. The Diamond Princess has been quarantined at a dock at Yokohama near Tokyo since Feb. 3, initially with 3,700 people aboard. Passengers who test negative and show no symptoms are free to leave. Around 500 were expected to disembark on Wednesday, with the rest of those eligible leaving over the next two days. Confirmed cases were to be sent to hospital, while those who shared cabins with infected passengers may still be kept on board. The United States flew more than 300 passengers to air bases in California and Texas this week.  Reuters

A bus leaves the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship at a port Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, in Yokohama, near Tokyo. The U.S. says Americans aboard a quarantined ship will be flown back home on a chartered flight Sunday, but that they will face another two-week quarantine. Jae C. Hong | AP Photo

12:49 pm: Fed's Kashkari warns US could feel economic impact from persistent outbreak

Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari warned the U.S. would likely feel economic effects if the coronavirus continues to plague Asian commerce. Speaking at a symposium in Mankato, Minnesota, Kashkari explained the impact to Asia could bleed into the U.S. if the outbreak persists. "China's economy is a big engine of the world economy. So that will affect all of us," he said. "It's unlikely that if this continues that we're going to be completely immune from the economic effects of a slowdown in Asia."  Franck

People wearing face masks move packs of vegetables at a wholesale market for agricultural products, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, in Beijing, China February 19, 2020. Tingshu Wang | Reuters

12:08 pm: China reportedly plans to take over HNA Group and sell its airline assets

China plans to take over HNA Group and sell off its airline assets, as the coronavirus outbreak hits the Chinese conglomerate's ability to meet financial obligations, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The government of Hainan, the southern province where HNA is based, is in talks to take control of the conglomerate, the report said. HNA did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment on the Bloomberg report.  Higgins-Dunn

11:05 am: Iran reports two deaths

Two Iranians have died in the hospital after testing positive for the new coronavirus in the holy Shi'ite city of Qom, the head of the city's University of Medical Sciences told Mehr news agency on Wednesday. "Two Iranians, who tested positive earlier today for new coronavirus, died of respiratory illness," the official told Mehr. Iran's health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur confirmed their death on Twitter. Iran confirmed earlier in the day its first two cases of the virus, government spokesman Ali Rabiei said, shortly after reports that preliminary tests on the two had come back positive.The health ministry said earlier that the patients had been put in isolation.  Reuters

10:04 am: IMF chief calls outbreak the 'most pressing uncertainty' for global economy

International Monetary Fund head Kristalina Georgieva said the COVID-19 outbreak is the "most pressing uncertainty" for the global economy. The new coronavirus has already slowed China's economic growth for the year  just how much depends on how well world leaders can contain the fast-spreading outbreak, she said in a blog post. "There are a number of scenarios, depending on how quickly the spread of the virus is contained," she said. If it's contained quickly, she said, China's overall 2020 GDP growth will be hurt, but just slightly and cross-border spillover would remain minimal. "However, a long-lasting and more severe outbreak would result in a sharper and more protracted growth slowdown in China. Its global impact would be amplified through more substantial supply chain disruptions and a more persistent drop in investor confidence, especially if the epidemic spreads beyond China."  Feuer

9:15 am: Plugable Technologies warns the worst of its supply disruption won't hit for months

The CEO and founder of Plugable Technologies, which sells USB, Bluetooth and power devices and partners with 15 factories in China, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" he is expecting the virus to disrupt his supply chain during March and April the most because securing any extra inventory will take at least two months to move through the supply chain. CEO Bernie Thompson said he has also had trouble with factories outside China since it only takes one part built in the country to disrupt the entire supply chain, especially in the electronics industry.  Higgins-Dunn

9:01 am: Virus hits small business owners who import products from China

As coronavirus spreads around the world, small business owners who import from China are on edge. CNBC spoke with Kyle Kirshner, who has been doing business in China for several years. He knew to stock up on supplies ahead of the Lunar New Year, but prolonged factory shutdowns threatened his business and that of others who import products from China. Kirshner owns Kyndley, which sells outdoor products via Amazon and imports 90% of its goods from China. He expects his supply will be impacted within a month if things don't turn around. And if he doesn't have product to list on Amazon, his rankings may drop and hurt sales.  Rogers

8 am: China expels three WSJ journalists

China has revoked the press credentials of three journalists from The Wall Street Journal after the newspaper declined to apologize for a column that called China the "real sick man of Asia," China's foreign ministry said. Spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily briefing that Beijing made several representations to the paper over the column, which China criticized as racist and denigrating its efforts to combat the coronavirus epidemic, but that the paper had failed to apologize or investigate those responsible. Deputy Bureau Chief Josh Chin and reporter Chao Deng, both U.S. nationals, as well as reporter Philip Wen, an Australian national, have been ordered to leave the country within five days, the WSJ reported.  Feuer

7:30 am: Adidas reports 85% drop in China business activity

German sportswear maker Adidas said business in China dropped by about 85% year on year as the coronavirus outbreak has resulted in store closures and fewer customers visiting the remaining outlets. Adidas said it had seen lower traffic, mainly in Japan and South Korea, but added that it had not yet registered any major business impact beyond Greater China. "As the situation keeps evolving on a daily basis, the magnitude of the overall impact on our business for the full-year 2020 cannot be quantified reliably at this point in time," it said.  Reuters

A masked man guards at the entrance to a village as a measure to contain the COVID-19 spread in Zhangye in northwest China's Gansu province Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020. Barcroft Media | Getty Images

6:30 am: Iran says two people have tested positive for coronavirus

Iranian authorities reported two suspected cases of the coronavirus, according to the country's semi-official ISNA news agency. A health ministry spokHesperson said both cases were in the city of Qom and the patients had been put into isolation. "The next stages of testing are underway and the final results of these tests will be released to the public once they have been determined," Kiyanoush Jahanpour, a spokesperson at Iran's health ministry, said in a statement, ISNA reported. Iran has not previously confirmed any cases of the coronavirus.  Meredith

5:40 am: Japan says 79 more people have tested positive for coronavirus on Diamond Princess cruise ship
Bollywood lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar had once called Kangana Ranaut home and threatened her before asking to apologise to Hrithik Roshan, sister Rangoli Chandel has claimed. She also said filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt threw a slipper at her when she refused to play a suicide bomber.

Javed Akhtar ji called Kangana home and intimidated her threatened her to say sorry to Hrithik, Mahesh Bhatt threw chappal on her cos she refused to play a suicide bomber, they call PM Facist, chacha ji aap dono kya ho? Rangoli tweeted in response to a Twitter user who called out Javed after his and Bhatts interview on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Also read: Angrezi Medium was meant to be made with Irrfan, so we waited for a year, says director Homi Adjania

Javed Akhtar ji called Kangana home and intimidated her threatened her to say sorry to Hrithik, Mahesh Bhatt threw chappal on her cos she refused to play a suicide bomber, they call PM Facist, chacha ji aap dono kya ho ? https://t.co/4yfHDK7Jcq  Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) February 18, 2020

Earlier, Kangana had a run-in with Akhtar and wife Shabana Azmi after the couple cancelled their visit to Pakistan after the Pulwama attack last year. In solidarity with the martyred soldiers, the two cancelled their visit to Karachi; they had been invited by the Karachi Art Council for a two-day literature conference to celebrate the writings of litterateur Kaifi Azmi, Shabanas father.

ALSO WATCH | Kangana Ranauts first look as Air Force pilot in Tejas

However, in a conversation with media, Kangana had said, People like Shabana Azmi calling for halt on cultural exchange - they are the ones who promote Bharat Tere Tukde Honge gangs... why did they organise an event in Karachi in the first place when Pakistani artistes have been banned after Uri attacks? And now they are trying to save face? In response, Shabana had said, You really think at a time like this a personal attack on me can be of any significance when the entire country stands as one in our grief and in condemning this dastardly Pulwama attack? May God bless her.

Kangana has had an ugly past with Hrithik as well. The two were embroiled in a dirty fight that became public after she claimed to have had a relationship with him and shared emails that were allegedly communication between the two actors who are said to have met during the shooting of Krrish. Hrithik has denied all claims and also took the legal recourse; Kangana replied with a legal notice too. The Mumbai Police closed the case a few years ago, citing lack of evidence.

Rangoli often takes potshots at Alia Bhatt and her family, including father Mahesh Bhatt. The Gully Boy actor and family have, however, refrained from comments.

On the professional front, Kangana is working on the ambitious film - a biopic on former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa. Titled Thalaivi, the film is slated to be released in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. She also has Tejas, where she plays an IAF pilot, in the pipeline. Kangana was recently seen in the critically appreciated movie, Panga.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Appointment

19 February 2020

Hilton Lake Taupo has announced Tracey Poole to the position of Hotel Manager for Hilton Lake Taupo commencing on 28 January, 2020.

Her hospitality career spans more than 20 years with 15 years working overseas in various luxury International hotels and resorts, including the iconic Soneva properties, under the Six Senses brand in the Maldives. Poole returns to New Zealand to join Hilton Lake Taupo, bringing a vast experience across multiple markets.

Most recently, Tracey was General Manager of Alila in Wuzhen, China and, prior to that, at the Anandi Hotel & Spa in Shanghai where she oversaw the pre-opening for the brand. Work during this transitional time included the development of the luxury and wellbeing concepts to increase the hotels' brand awareness and alignment with the growing hospitality trends across the world.

Originally from Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty, Poole is delighted to be returning closer to home and family. Poole is excited to be an integral part of the Hilton Lake Taupo and Australasian teams to bring her experience and passion for hospitality and high-end luxury wellness resorts.
With extravagant micheladas topped with shrimp, stuffed celery and ceviche, Mexico-based restaurant La Laguna Mariscos & Sushi is bringing its specialty cocktails and homemade seafood dishes to San Antonio this summer.

The restaurant will open near the Dominion area at 23535 Interstate 10 West on the far North Side. Restaurant representatives expect the new eatery to open in either June or July.
A multi-tier security arrangement comprising the Delhi Police, US Secret Service and other agencies will be in place in the national capital, including at the ITC Maurya hotel where US President Donald Trump is likely to stay when he visits India next week, officials said on Wednesday.

"In connection with the US President's visit, the Delhi Police is making all necessary arrangements. Security unit will be duly assisted by the district police and the traffic unit.

"Police will make elaborate arrangements at the place of stay and all venues where he is likely to pay a visit," Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik told PTI.

Patnaik said other sister agencies are also involved in the task and necessary tie-up has been made with the US secret service.

"It will be a multi-layered security arrangement with due assistance from the central armed police forces," the police chief added.

At the ITC Maurya, a three-layer security will be in place, another senior police officer said.

The officer said that the hotel, located in Diplomatic Enclave in Chanakyapuri, has 438 rooms and every floor of the hotel will have policemen in plainclothes.

The Delhi Police's security wing personnel will form part of the inner cordon that will work in close coordination with the United States Secret Service.

The security wing of the Delhi Police is a specialised unit tasked with the security of VIPs and visiting foreign dignitaries.

"The second layer of security will be deployed around the lobby area, parking, lawn area and the pool area, while the third one will comprise police personnel from the district police," another officer added.

There is a large stretch of green ridge area opposite the hotel and security personnel will be deployed there as well.

Snipers of the Delhi Police and National Security Guards will be stationed atop high-rise buildings near the hotel.

In 2015, the then US president Barack Obama had come to India on a three-day visit, during which he was also the chief guest at the Republic Day event.

Trump, who is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25, will be accompanied by a high-level delegation.

Prime Minister Modi will host a lunch for Trump, while President Ram Nath Kovind will host a banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Car enthusiasts often modify their vehicles depending upon requirements. Recently, a car lover named Mark Grage from the US, Colorado purchased a sixth-generation Ford Mustang. After driving the muscle car for 428 km, he thought his vehicle needed more power. Grage then went to Loveland Ford dealer and asked them to install a supercharger in the car. On February 10, Grage got a supercharger fitted in his vehicle and one of the mechanics from the dealership along with a friend took the car for a test drive to ensure that the owner doesnt face any issues after the installation.

However, the technician lost control of the car on the highway, resulting in the Ford Mustang getting crashed, reported The Drive. The Dealerships general manager Harry Johnston told The Drive that the car did come in for the installation of a supercharger and the mechanic was caught driving the vehicle recklessly by cops and he has been sacked from the dealership. However, Grage claimed in his Facebook post that the person in question continues to work there. Grage vowed that he would never return to the Loveland Ford dealer for their unprofessionalism.

The General Manager of the dealership said that the establishment took responsibility for the mishap and worked with an insurance company to get Grage the total amount incurred on the vehicle. The GM further added that Grage got more money in comparison to what he had invested in the car and he purchased another new car from them. However, Grage refused the dealerships statement and said he didnt get a new car. The dealership only reimbursed him the cancellation fees of the service contract and the gap insurance, and the parts he had purchased for the car that they destroyed.
Seven Romanian gendarmes were awarded medals in Afghanistan for their contribution to the NATO 'Resolute Support' mission, the Romanian Gendarmerie informed on Wednesday in a press release sent to AGERPRES.

"The head of the Combined Security Transition Command in Afghanistan, US General John Dedrick, on Wednesday, awarded medals to seven Romanian gendarmes for their contribution to the NATO 'Resolute Support' mission," reads the release.According to the cited source, during the mission in Afghanistan, the Romanian gendarmes advised the command and the functional structures of the Police Staff College of the Afghan National Police, contributing to the smooth functioning of this training structure."The cooperation relations of the Romanian Gendarmerie with NATO are based on the context of participation in training, counseling and mentoring missions under the aegis of this mission in Afghanistan, starting with 2011 within the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan. Until now, the Romanian Gendarmerie has deployed in Afghanistan 12 contingents," the release mentions.The Romanian Gendarmerie is currently participating in nine missions under the aegis of the EU, the UN and the OSCE
Is an electoral photo identity card proof of citizenship? A slew of contradictory rulings by different courts  in Gauhati and in Mumbai  in the past week have lent uncertainty to a fundamental question of law.

On February 12, the Gauhati high court, placing reliance on its 2018 judgment in Md. Babul Islam v. State of Assam, held that an electoral photo identity card is not proof of citizenship.

The decision was given by a bench of justices Manojit Bhuyan and Parthivjyothi Saikia in a plea by one Munindra Biswas, who had produced copy of his voter id and the voter list of 1997 bearing his name.

On electoral card, the court held that it is not proof of citizenship.

Regarding Electoral Photo Identity Card this court in the case of Md. Babul Islam v. State of Assam [WP(C) No. 3547 of 2016] has held that Electoral Photo Identity Card is not a proof of citizenship.

On electoral list, the court said that the petitioner did not produce voter lists prior to 1997 and thereby failed to prove that he was staying in Assam prior to March 1971.

The petitioner herein has failed to file voter lists prior to 1997, thereby the petitioner failed to prove that he has been staying in Assam prior to 25.03.1971.

On the very same day, the same bench also rejected the claim of a person who had produced proof of her parents names appearing in the voter list, but could not prove her linkage to her parents.

In 2018, the Gauhati high court in Md. Babul Islam v. State of Assam had held that merely producing an electoral photo identity card without any supporting evidence would not be proof of citizenship.

In so far Exhibit-7 Elector Photo Identity Card is concerned, besides not being proved, it is a post 25.03.1971 document. Besides, merely producing such an identity card in the absence of supporting evidence would not be proof of citizenship, the court had ruled.

In contrast, a Mumbai court, on February 15, ruled that electoral photo identity card is proof of citizenship unless proved otherwise. The ruling by a magistrate court in Mumbai was in a case concerning citizenship of a couple who were alleged to be from Bangladesh.

The court held that birth certificate, domicile certificate, bonafide certificate, passport, etc can be relied upon to establish the origin of any person. The court, while acquitting the couple, added, Even the election card can be said to be a sufficient proof of citizenship as while applying for the election card or voting card, a person has to file declaration with the authority in view of Form 6 of Peoples Representation Act to the authority that he is citizen of India and if the declaration is found false, he is liable for punishment.

What explains this difference in judgments?The most important explanation is that the context in Assam in different.

It is governed by a special regime under Section 6A of the Citizenship Act and that contextual difference should be looked into while analysing decisions of the Gauhati high court, said Alok Prasanna Kumar, Senior Resident Fellow and Team Lead, Vidhi Karnataka.

Under section 6A, there is a special regime for Assam. So, in Assam, it is not that everyone on voters list is automatically a citizen. A person in Assam will have to show that he/she is descended from somebody who was a citizen of India and in India prior to 1971, Prasanna Kumar said.

But in the context of renewed debates about citizenship  as well as a possible National Register of Citizens, which the government has clarified is not in the works for now  and lack of clarity from official quarters, the debate on documentation for citizenship has acquired a new salience.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had, according to media reports, said in December 2019, that voter card, Aadhaar and passport are not citizenship documents - and are only travel documents or prove residence in India.

Supreme Court lawyer Sriram Parakkat explained, As per the existing legal position in India, neither voter id card nor passport will be proof of citizenship. I am not saying that it is morally correct. But that is the law since 2003 because we have stopped giving citizenship based on birth from 1987, said Parakkat.

So what is the law since 2003?

In 2003, a major amendment was introduced to the Citizenship Act. It stipulated that a person, who was born in India on or after July 1, 1987, but before the 2003 amendment came into force, would be a citizen only if one of his parents was an Indian citizens. In case of those born after the 2003 amendment, both parents should be citizens of India or one of the parents should be a citizen and the other should not be an illegal migrant.

Experts attribute conflicting decisions by courts to the fact that the 2003 amendment provides room for subjective interpretations.

The law today has made proving of citizenship a question of fact in such a way that you can never conclusively prove citizenship. Somebody else will have the discretion of declaring you a dubious citizen. Proof will have to be adduced about one of the parents being an Indian citizen for which their documents will have to be adduced and your relationship with that parent will have to be conclusively proved. Moreover, even that will be dependent on the subjective satisfaction of somebody  for example the Foreigners Tribunal in NRC, said Parakkat.
UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said Tuesday that China will continue to play a constructive role in seeking a political settlement to the Ukrainian crisis.

"China always adopts an objective and impartial position on the Ukrainian crisis, respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, Ukraine included, and opposes interference in Ukraine's internal affairs by any external forces," Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the Security Council meeting on the situation in Ukraine.

"We maintain that there is no military solution to the crisis and that dialogue and negotiation are the only way out," he said, adding that China will continue to play a constructive role in the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.

Noting that the Minsk II agreement remains the "greatest common denominator" of all parties now, Wu said the agreement, endorsed by the UN Security Council, is the key to the political mediation of the Ukrainian crisis.

"China calls on relevant parties to concretely implement the agreement, remain committed to the overall direction of a political settlement and seek a comprehensive solution to the crisis through dialogue and consultation, so as to facilitate the realization of peace, stability and development in Ukraine, and promotes the harmony among all ethnicities in Ukraine and Ukraine's peaceful coexistence with regional countries," said the diplomat.

The Minsk II agreement refers to a package of measures signed in early 2015 between Kiev and regional armed groups, a renewal of a truce deal reached in September 2014.

The agreement came into being after leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany reached consensus on measures to peacefully end the conflict in Donbas in eastern Ukraine, which erupted in April 2014.
Prime Minister on Wednesday made a surprise visit to 'Hunar Haat' at Rajpath in New Delhi, where he interacted with artisans and relished 'litti-chokha' and 'kulhad'

Soon after chairing the meeting of the Union Cabinet, Modi reached Rajpath where 'Hunar Haat' is being organised by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Sources in the government said officials of the ministry were surprised when they came to know about the prime minister's visit.

Modi, who was there for 50 minutes, ate 'litti-chokha', a dough ball made of whole wheat flour and stuffed with 'sattu', and paid Rs 120 for it. The dish is popular in Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.



New Delhi: Prime Minister stops at a snacks stall at 'Hunar Haat' at Rajpath in New Delhi, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020 | PTI







He later had served in 'kulhad' with Minority Affairs Minister and paid Rs 40 for two cups.

Artisans participating in the event said the traditional arts were dying, but the 'Hunar Haat' programme has helped revive them.

There was a surge in crowd when people came to know that the prime minister was visiting the event.

The 'Hunar Haat' here is based on the theme of 'Kaushal Ko Kaam' and will be held till February 23.

Master artisans, craftsmen and culinary experts, including more than 50 per cent women, from across the country are participating at the Haat.





A 'bawarchikhana' section has also been set up with traditional delicacies of several states available for people to savour.

Similar 'haats' are being organised across India as part of an effort to empower master artisans.
Saturated by days of heavy rain, Mississippi's Pearl River crested Monday and water levels are expected to fall later this week, the National Weather Service said, but flooding in the state and in Tennessee has affected hundreds of homes.

"It's just a helpless feeling," said Patrick Crews, whose Mississippi neighborhood was flooded. "You can't really do anything. You want to be around, but you can't stop the water."

The National Weather Service in Jackson, Mississippi, said that 1 to 2 more inches of rain is expected and that flooding  some of it flash flooding  is likely Tuesday through Tuesday night.

"It goes without saying that it has been a long weekend for Mississippi as floodwaters have continued to rise at the Pearl River and around central Mississippi," Gov. Tate Reeves said.

Image: Flooding in Jackson, Mississippi

The Pearl River feeds into and continues south from the Ross R. Barnett Reservoir, which is northeast of Jackson, and snakes along the capital city's eastern side.

The river was at 36.8 feet when it was cresting Monday, which is the third-highest recorded crest. Its highest recorded crest was 43.2 feet on April 17, 1979, and the second-highest occurred May 5, 1983, when the river rose to 39.58 feet.

Hundreds of homes have been affected, and the number could grow to close to 1,000, Gregory S. Michel, executive director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said at a news conference.

Officials said Monday that they were not aware of any reports of injuries.

Law enforcement and other officers have been going door to door to tell people to evacuate, and officials have performed 16 assisted evacuations, Reeves said.

Chris Sharp had enough time to find an 18-wheeler, load it with his possessions and drive away Friday from the house his parents bought in the 1970s. The house was inundated in the previous two flood years. On Monday, he tried to go back with a boat, but a police officer turned him away.

Story continues

"All you can do is just sit back and watch," Sharp told The Associated Press by phone from his brother's nearby house.

Image: John and Jina Smith

Flash flood watches and flood warnings covered parts of central Mississippi on Monday evening, and a flood warning continued along the Tennessee River in that state, according to the weather service.

Reeves said that while there was relatively good news in the Jackson and central Mississippi area, "we as a state are not in the clear yet."

He urged people not to walk or drive in floodwaters, to heed evacuation areas and to stay away until given the all clear from officials.

"We do expect the water to recede relatively quickly over the next two to three days, but as it is receding it is going to be fast-flowing water," the governor said.

Tennessee has also been dealing with flooding. The fire department in Hardin County, in the southern part of the state, posted drone video on Facebook taken Sunday showing houses destroyed after land collapsed along the Tennessee River. One of the two homes was occupied but had been evacuated.

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The Hardin County Fire Department shared aerial video Sunday showing homes along the river inundated, some up to their rooftops. Hardin County is about 100 miles east of Memphis.

"It absolutely kills you" knowing houses are getting destroyed downstream from the dam at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Pickwick Reservoir, TVA spokesman Jim Hopson told the AP. He said February's rains have been "400 percent of normal, and we have more coming in this week. It's kind of a never-ending battle."

Reeves, Mississippi's Republican governor, said President Donald Trump called him Monday and offered assistance from the federal government. "Mississippi has a true friend in President Trump," Reeves tweeted.
A man who allegedly held a Brisbane school teacher captive before he was hit and killed by a truck on a highway in northern NSW will remain behind bars.

Mark Francis Frost, 46, appeared by video link as a charge of taking or detaining Brisbane teacher Anthony Stott, 43, with intent to obtain advantage was mentioned in Tweed Heads Local Court on Wednesday.

School teacher Anthony Stott, who was hit by a truck on the M1.

He applied for bail, but was unsuccessful.

His partner, Lauren Clair Grainger, 39, was refused bail on the same charge on Monday over concerns she could interfere with witnesses or destroy key evidence.
Unidentified criminals looted approximately Rs 8 lakh from a private finance bank located under the limits of Saraiya Police Station in Muzaffarnagar district on Tuesday evening.

The entire incident has been recorded in the CCTV.

"During the interrogation, the bank staff had said that at least eight to eight and a half lakh rupees have been looted. Police are further investigating the matter," said Rajesh Kumar Sharma, SDPO, Saraiya.

In the past three days, three separate incidents of robbery have occurred in the district in which almost Rs 35.5 lakh have been looted in total.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese students of Fuyang No.5 Middle School study in a classroom at night for upcoming National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) on May 29, 2018 in Fuyang, China. Visual China Group | Getty Images

As local governments in China delay the re-opening of schools to limit the spread of the new virus, parents and institutions are turning to online education, putting pressure on industry players to deliver. Online classes accounted for less than 10% of revenue since Beijing-based after-school operator Zhuoyue Youcai Education Technology launched its digital program two years ago, said Lu Fei, department headmaster, according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks. Now, it's the only way for the company to generate cash. All of the company's classes have moved online even though they charge less than offline courses  but that would also cut their usual income by about 40%, Lu Fei said. "It's just a choice between zero and something."

Longer term, this could make online tutoring more acceptable to once hesitant parents and potentially contribute longer term to online tutoring penetration in China, in our view. Alex Liu and Don Lau analysts, China Renaissance

China's roughly 276 million school children were heading into the month-long Lunar New Year school break when the new coronavirus hit. The disease has killed more than 2,000 people in China, and infected tens of thousands, prompting many provinces to delay the resumption of the school year for weeks. However, a society that prizes good education is not going to let a virus stop their children from learning. Some parents have signed up for online classes because they are afraid their children won't be able to keep up with their peers when schools re-open. Many provinces and schools have also requested that children tune into online courses during this time. In many areas, local governments have banned offline institutions from operating in an effort to limit the spread of the virus. "Longer term, this could make online tutoring more acceptable to once hesitant parents and potentially contribute longer term to online tutoring penetration in China, in our view," China Renaissance analysts Alex Liu and Don Lau said in a Feb. 3 report.

Software engineers at 17EdTech, which sells products and services to public school systems for online education, have been working day and night since Jan. 23 to deal with overwhelming demand and maintain availability of its online products, spokesperson Lu Tao said last week. "Obviously, almost all online schools would see a rise of enrollment during the outbreak, although there is no public data available yet," Lu Tao said, according to a CNBC translation of her Mandarin-language remarks.

Competitive market

Big, established players in China's education market are trying to make the most of the trend in what can be a highly competitive market. After-school tutoring company TAL Education, which operates online and offline courses, claims more than 2.3 million student enrollments in the quarter ended Nov. 30. In its race to grab market share in online education, the company has built up an artificial intelligence research lab, and spent heavily on promotional campaigns for its online school Xueersi. Last summer, campaign spending alone likely topped 1 billion yuan ($143 million), according to Chinese media reports.

When asked about the figure, TAL referred CNBC to its financial reports. Since the virus hit, the company has stepped up its advertising for the online school on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform and other Chinese social media. Shares of the U.S.-listed company are up more than 20% for the year so far. Those of competitor New Oriental Education have climbed more than 14% over the same time period, while shares of New Oriental's Hong Kong-listed online education subsidiary Koolearn have surged about 75% for the year so far through midday Wednesday.

Tough times for offline education
Legislation to give judges more discretion in denying bail to people accused of violent crimes advanced today in the Alabama House of Representatives.

The bill is named Aniahs Law, after college student Aniah Blanchard, who was abducted in Auburn last year and murdered. The man charged with her murder was out on bond after charges of several violent offenses at the time he was arrested in the Blanchard case.

Blanchards father, Elijah Blanchard, stepmother, Yashiba Blanchard, and mother, Angela Harris, spoke to the House Judiciary Committee today in support of the two bills. The committee approved the bills, putting them in line for a vote by the House as early as next week.

One of the bills is a constitutional amendment and would require approval by voters if it passes the Legislature. The Alabama Constitution affirms the right to bail for those accused of crimes except capital crimes. The legislation, proposed by Rep. Chip Brown, R-Mobile, would expand that exception to the right to bail to cover certain other violent offenses.

Brown said the change would allow prosecutors to request that defendants be held without bail and give judges the discretion to hold a hearing and determine if denial of bail is warranted.
New York, Feb 19 : Democratic Party's electoral calculus is set for a recalibration on Wednesday night when the controversial billionaire Michael Bloomberg steps on to the stage for the first time to debate the other candidates vying for the nomination to challenge US President Donald Trump in the November election.

Propelled by an estimated $300 million-ad blitz, Bloomberg has surged in national polls to become the top centre-right candidate claiming the middle ground as former Vice President Joe Biden slumped.

Bloomberg will be the target of the five others in the debate when they are expected to rake up his past anti-minority actions as the mayor of New York and his racists and sexist comments.

This will be the first time he will have to publicly spell out his platform and answer to criticisms having missed the previous eight debates, relying instead on TV commercials to build his image, and avoided the two intra-party state elections so far and the forthcoming two.

The race for the nomination has now sharpened to a head-to-head confrontation between the left-wing represented by self-proclaimed socialist Senator Bernie Sanders and the moderate by Bloomberg.

The latest poll that qualified him for the debate in Las Vegas, gave him 19 per cent support, while Sanders had 31 per cent.

Biden, once considered the front-runner, was trailing with 15 per cent support.

Three other polls had shown him over the ten per cent mark required to qualify for the debate.

However, the first real test of the strength of the candidates will be on March 3 when 14 states, including California, will be holding their intra-party elections known as primaries with secret ballots to select the nominee for the November election.

The party's establishment may find Bloomberg's rise comforting as it has been uneasy with Sanders, fearing that his leftist stance could drive away moderate voters.

Despite his racist and sexist comments and his position as an elitist billionaire, many Democrats have signalled support for him as they say he is the strongest candidate to defeat Trump - which is the only thing that matters to most in the party.

With his deep pockets and a feisty, abrasive demeanour he could match fellow New Yorker Trump's insults and bombast.

If Bloomberg, 78, wins the party nomination, the November election will be a contest between a mega-billionaire with assets estimated at about $61 billion, and a mere billionaire, Trump, 73, with assets estimated between $1.5 billion and $3.5 billion.

Both the Democrat front-runners do not have deep organic party connections: Bloomberg is a former Republican and Sanders, a self-described socialist, is officially an independent in the Senate.

Bloomberg made his fortune on Wall Street and is the owner of the news and financial information company that bears his name and provides data terminals to the financial industry while also operating a news service and radio and TV networks.

Bloomberg has been spending his own money for his campaign, unlike the other candidates - and Trump - who have been raising funds from supporters.

Presaging the attacks he will face from the other five candidates, Sander said, "The American people are sick and tired of billionaires buying elections." To participate in the eight party debates held so far, candidates had to show that they received contributions from a minimum number of supporters - 225,000 for the eighth debate on February 7 - but that requirement has been done away with for Wednesday's debate.

Bloomberg, who was funding his own campaign, was blocked from previous debates by the fund-raising requirement and now the qualification is based on poll performances which he has met.

Trump stoked the rivalries in the Democratic Party with a tweet that its leadership was rigging the race against Sanders -- a charge made by his supporters in 2016 when he challenged Hilary Clinton.

Trump had earlier said that he would rather face Sanders than Bloomberg in November.

While Sanders can turn off moderates, Bloomberg can appeal to wide range of voters from moderates to right-of-centre.

Bloomberg has a controversial past because of his policies towards minorities as mayor and racist and sexist statements he has made.

He has been criticised for these by his rivals and some other party leaders.

But so far he seems to have buried his past partially at least, with his ad blitz that featured clips of former President Barack Obama, an African American, praising him - and overshadowing the fact that Biden was his vice president.

As mayor he introduced a "stop and frisk" programme under which police randomly stopped and searched non-white youth and courts declared it unconstitutional because of the racial bias.

After ending his third term as mayor, he crudely defended his policy of "throw them against the wall and frisk them" claiming that "95 per cent of your murders and murderers" were "male minorities 15 to 25" and "you can just take the description and Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops." He also defended the illegal policy of financial institutions denying housing loans to non-whites asserting that ending it caused the 2008 financial crisis.

He and his company have faced several lawsuits alleging discrimination against women and denigration of them.

In one of the suits he is alleged to have asked a woman employee who was pregnant to "kill it," a charge he has denied.

Some of these views could appeal to the extreme right in Trump's base of supporters because Trump, who is accused of being a racist by Democrats, has not made such directly racist statements, at least in recent years.

Bloomberg has apologised for his comments.

Bloomberg, who entered the race late, has followed a strategy that focuses on the states that have more substantial number of delegates at the party's national convention which will anoint the Democrat presidential candidate.

That left the other candidates - who numbered about 20 at the start of the campaign last year - and have been whittled down to five now - spent millions of dollars fighting each other in the two early party elections that have taken place and two later this month and tearing up each other's images.

Along with his ad campaign, he has built a campaign network that pays staff top salaries.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in)
Surveillance video of the strike obtained by the Daily Southtown shows the vehicles driver back up in an apparent attempt to extricate herself from the intersection, but finding her vehicle hemmed in by the gate, she hits the gas and proceeds into the intersection as a train approaches.
Sheriff's deputies charge man with felony child rape

Henderson County sheriff's deputies on Wednesday charged a 24-year-old man with rape of a child under 15, the sheriff's office said.

After completing an intensive investigation, officers with the Henderson County Sheriffs Office Special Victims Unit arrested Josue Martinez Juarez and charged him with felony statutory rape of a child under 15 years old and disseminating obscene material to a minor, also a felony. Juarez was jailed in the Henderson County Detention Facility under a $85,000 bond.
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Vivid frescoes and never-before-seen inscriptions were among the treasures unearthed in a massive years-long restoration of the world-famous archaeological site Pompeii that came to a close yesterday.

The painstaking project that began in 2014 saw an army of workers reinforce walls, repair collapsing structures and excavate untouched areas of the sprawling site, Italy's second most visited tourist destination after Rome's Colosseum.

New discoveries were made too, in areas of the ruins not yet explored by modern-day archaeologists at the site - frequently pillaged for jewels and artefacts over the centuries.

It meant that one of the city's most celebrated buildings - the House of Lovers - reopened to the public on Tuesday, some 40 years after it was severely damaged in an earthquake.

The domus - a upper-class Roman house - was considered to be among the most spectacular buildings of the ancient city until it was buried by the infamous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The 'House of Lovers' pictured (above) during the reopening of three 'domus', or house, and the conclusion of safety work on the archaeological site of Pompeii yesterday

The walls of the 'House of Orchards' at the archaeological site of Pompeii. The restoration works, the so-called 'Great Project', started in 2014 and was financed mainly with European funds

The ancient city of Pompeii - which is a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - was buried and preserved under the ashes from an eruption of the Vesuvius volcano in 79 AD

Specialists worked inside the 'House of the Lovers' pictured (above), during the restoration work in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy

It was discovered in 1933 with its second floor and decorations almost completely preserved.

But the building was closed for repair following the Irpinia earthquake in 1980, which killed almost 3,000 people.

Part of the Great Pompeii Project, the restoration has taken place since 2012 and has seen the park undertake extensive restoration works and carry out new excavations.

During excavations in October, archaeologists discovered a vivid fresco depicting an armour-clad gladiator standing victorious as his wounded opponent gushes blood, painted in a tavern believed to have housed the fighters as well as prostitutes.

And in 2018, an inscription was uncovered that proves the city near Naples was destroyed after October 17, 79 AD, and not on August 24 as previously believed.

That might not be the end of fresh discoveries.

'When you excavate in Pompeii there are always surprises,' the site's general director Massimo Osanna told reporters on Tuesday.

'It's certain that by carrying out other excavation projects in areas never explored before, the discoveries will be extraordinary,' Osanna added.

A fresco in the 'House of Orchards'. Domus in this building featured intricately detailed frescoes of fruit trees and birds, while the House of the Ship Europa boasted a sketch of a large merchant ship

Restorer Aldo Guido removing dirt from frescos on the walls of the 'House of Lovers'. The building was severely damaged in an earthquake in 1980 that killed 3,000 people

The 'House of Lovers', at the archaeological site of Pompeii. Visitors from across the globe can now wander through the ancient streets and explore houses buried centuries ago by the volcanic eruption that killed more than 2,000 people

Restorers worked around the clock to shore up Pompeii, one of the world's most beloved historical sites, and have finally concluded the six year project

Kicked off in 2014, the restoration enlisted teams of archaeologists, architects, engineers, geologists and anthropologists and cost $113 million 105 million, largely covered by the European Union.

The project was initiated after UNESCO warned in 2013 it could strip the site of its World Heritage status after a series of collapses blamed on lax maintenance and bad weather.

But the project has breathed new life into the historic site.

On Tuesday, workers carefully restored ancient frescoes, hues dulled by years of dirt and calcifications, and cleaned off centuries-old tile floors.

'You have to be careful not to take off too much,' explained Aldo Guida, who was scratching at the surface of the oxblood walls of the 'House of Lovers', a two-storey home in the complex that was closed for repair after an earthquake in 1980.

A curator showing fresco in the 'House of Orchards'. The giant eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD devastated the ancient Roman city of Pompeii nearly 2,000 years ago, covering everything in its path with volcanic ash

The 'House of Lovers' during the reopening yesterday. Much of the site was damaged after the Irpinia earthquake in 1980, which killed almost 3,000 people

A fresco in the 'House of Orchards' during the reopening yesterday. That sediment after the volcanic eruption helped to preserve many buildings almost in their original state, as well as the curled-up corpses of Vesuvius' victims

'Little by little,' he added, with a smile.

The giant eruption of Mount Vesuvius devastated the ancient Roman city of Pompeii nearly 2,000 years ago, covering everything in its path with volcanic ash.

That sediment helped to preserve many buildings almost in their original state, as well as the curled-up corpses of Vesuvius' victims.

Some of the site has been closed to the public during the restoration, including several 'domus' - family residences for the upper classes - that have been since reopened to the public.

The House of Orchards domus features intricately detailed frescoes of fruit trees and birds, while the House of the Ship Europa boasts a sketch of a large merchant ship.

Though the bulk of the restoration work is now complete, director Osanna said running repairs will never truly be over.

'It's a city in ruins,' he said. 'The attention we pay to it must never stop.'

A restoration specialist working inside the 'House of Lovers' yesterday. The two-storey home in the complex in Pompeii was closed for repair after an earthquake in 1980
The Wagner group has been tempting Syrians to fight for them in Libya, with promises of settlements and large salaries writes Zaman Al Wasl.

The Russian Wagner paramilitary organization has been recruiting Syrians since last January to fight alongside General Khalifa Haftar in Libya, a local news site said Sunday.

Suweida 24 has obtained information and documents proving that the Syrian National Youth Party is responsible for the proxy recruitment in the southern province of Suweida and throughout regime-held areas.

Voice recordings and text conversations belonging to Shibli al-Shaer, the Branch Secretary of the National Youth Party in Suweida, were found among the documents, in which he calls on the youth to fight in Libya, in exchange for services including settling the situations of those wanted for security cases, among others.

Wagner Group contractors are accused of fighting alongside Haftar, who along with the support of the United Arab Emirates and Egypt is laying siege to the internationally-recognised interim government in Tripoli, according to the AP.

Shaer also said that the fighting in Libya will be supervised by the Wagner Group, providing tempting offers with, monthly salaries that range from 1,000 dollars to fighters who will protect the facilities, to 1,500 dollars to those who will join the war, as well as additional compensation for their families in the case of death or loss.

The Wagner group is associated with an oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to Foreign Policy, the Wagner group fell into disgrace after the Syrian offensive and has recently been trying to find work in Africa in the training of local militias and with contracts for private security. Three Russian journalists who were investigating Wagners presence in the Central African Republic were murdered in the summer of 2018. Others were threatened.

Moscow has repeatedly denied any direct involvement in the conflict but these mercenaries, operate under the control of the Russian security services and military, and without a hint from the Kremlin, do not move, Pavel Felgenhauer, an analyst and editor at Novaya Gazeta, told Euronews last December.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Robotic Research LLC, a leading provider of autonomy and robotic technologies to government and commercial customers, announced today its team has recently supported the launch of two new international deployments of Olli, the autonomous shuttle manufactured by Local Motors. The deployments both support campus-based pilot programs, including at the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITCILO) in Turin, Italy, and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. The Olli is equipped with Robotic Research's AutoDrive autonomy kit, which allows the vehicle to think, perceive and navigate in diverse, mixed-traffic environments.

"Every new application and deployment of the Olli shuttle demonstrates its effectiveness in solving transportation needs for customers looking for clean, safe and efficient infrastructure. The versatile autonomous performance in unstructured and dynamic environments like KAUST and ITCILO exemplify the Olli's state of the art mobility," said President of Robotic Research Alberto Lacaze. "This is another great step for our company in playing an important role to bring safer and more efficient public transportation to communities around the world."

Robotic Research's engineers were on-site in Italy and Saudi Arabia over the last two months to ensure the effective launch of both programs.

The main route of operation for each location includes:

KAUST A horseshoe route that includes a 1.9 mile loop circling the KAUST campus, including four loading zones throughout the trip.

ITCILO An on-campus route that includes four loading zones.

Robotic Research's AutoDrive autonomous kit provides driver-warning, driver-assist and fully autonomous functionality on surfaces ranging from urban-improved road to off-road terrain. The system retrofits ground vehicles of all sizes, from small, portable robots to large trucks. All of these functions occur while the vehicle is collecting and analyzing data to better enhance the future of autonomous vehicles and local transportation. Robotic Research's AutoDrive supports various autonomy programs in commercial and government sectors and is currently operating in communities and cities around the globe, including 30 states and four continents.

About Robotic Research

Robotic Research, LLC, is a leading provider of autonomy software and robotic technology and solutions driving the transformation of commercial and government autonomous operations through innovative and intelligent systems. Whether providing autonomous systems to the military to keep the warfighter safe, delivering unmanned transformable robots to extend the reach of Special Forces units, or making commercial transportation safer and more efficient, Robotic Research is leading this dynamic revolution in technology. To learn more about Robotic Research, visit www.roboticresearch.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005105/en/

Contacts:

Kristina Messner (Focused Image for Robotic Research)

703-678-6023

kmessner@focusedimage.com

Janet Hughes

240-631-0008

jhughes@roboticresearch.com
By Rasana Gasimova

Azerbaijan and the World Bank have concluded negotiations on a $50 million loan to continue reforms in the country's justice system.

The formal negotiations on the loan ended on February 14. The total cost of the project is $70 million, of which $50 million is a WB loan, and another $20 million are allocated by the Azerbaijani government, local media reported referring to the bank.

It was noted that the WB Board of Directors will approve the provision of the loan to Azerbaijan at the meeting to be held on March 26.

The WB emphasized that the financial resources will be used in several areas, including improving justice services; strengthening institutional capacity, effectiveness, monitoring and evaluation; application of transformative (advanced) technologies on a pilot basis; project management and coordination.

Earlier, it was noted that credit funds are planned to be directed to the development of the e-court system, particularly, the purchase of appropriate IT equipment.

This loan is provided under Judicial Services and Smart Infrastructure Project approved in July 2014 that envisages providing a loan of $100 million to Azerbaijan.

The project envisages the trainings for employees of the justice system, construction of administrative buildings for courts, and improvement of the service system in the field of justice. The other $50 million are expected to be provided until the completion of the project in June 30, 2020.

The development objective of the Judicial Services and Smart Infrastructure Project for Azerbaijan is to improve the access, transparency, and efficiency of delivery of selected justice services. The project comprises of four components.

Note that Azerbaijan joined The World Bank Group in 1992. Since then, the bank has allocated loans in the amount of over three billion dollars for the implementation of over 50 projects in the country.

Currently, seven more projects worth about 1.5 billion dollars are being implemented. In addition to loans, the World Bank allocated 45 grants to Azerbaijan for a total of $ 41.586 million in 1995-2014.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) central leadership on Tuesday dismissed speculation about a possible change of guard in Karnataka and threw its weight behind chief minister BS Yediyurappa.

Dismissing reports of tension brewing in the Karnataka unit of the party after news of 22 MLAs meeting at minister Jagdish Shettars home on Monday night emerged, a senior functionary in Delhi said, Karnataka has a stable government under a stable leader.

He acknowledged though that there are several members in the partys state unit who are flexing muscle in a bid to get ministerial positions in the government, but asserted that it should not be read as signs of split in the party.

It is natural for people to strive for positions when there are vacanciesbut this is no threat to the government nor is this a precursor to a split in the party or change of leadership. Yediyurappa continues to remain a tall, popular leader in the state and has the support of the leadership, said the functionary quoted above. Vacancy will arise for about 17 MLC seats in June of which seven seats will be elected by MLAs, while six fall under the nominated-member quota.

Trouble began to brew in the southern state after several BJP members complained of being overlooked for a cabinet position. Yediyurappas decision to offer berths to those MLAs who contested on a BJP ticket after switching sides from the Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) and Congress did not go down well with the party cadre.

There has also been talk that since the chief minister has already turned 75 and the party brass had earlier made its preference for younger leaders known, a new face could be named for the top slot in the state.

A second functionary however said that the age factor is a non issue.

The CM did not turn 75 yesterday; the party high command knew about this and yet he was picked for the top job, the second functionary said.

Friction between Yediyurappa and the BJPs organisational secretary BL Santosh who is also from Karnataka had also fuelled speculation about the possibility of a new chief minister. Santoshs strained equation with the CM is publicly known; his name had also been doing the rounds for the chief ministers post ahead of the 2018 assembly poll.

There is no threat to the Yediyurappa government from within (the BJP) or outside. The Opposition is in disarray, both the Congress and the JD(S) are floundering so there is no cause for worry, said the first functionary.

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By Ahmed Elumami and Ulf Laessing TRIPOLI/CAIRO (Reuters) - Libya's internationally recognised government on Tuesday halted talks hosted by the United Nations to halt war over the capital after eastern forces shelled Tripoli's port, almost hitting a highly explosive gas tanker and disrupting fuel supplies. The U.N.

By Ahmed Elumami and Ulf Laessing

TRIPOLI/CAIRO (Reuters) - Libya's internationally recognised government on Tuesday halted talks hosted by the United Nations to halt war over the capital after eastern forces shelled Tripoli's port, almost hitting a highly explosive gas tanker and disrupting fuel supplies.

The U.N. has been hosting in Geneva ceasefire talks between officers from the Tripoli government and the eastern-based Libya National Army (LNA), which has been trying to take the capital in a near year-long campaign displacing at least 150,000 people.

The talks had been agreed by foreign powers backing rival parties at a summit in Germany a month ago, an event that has not halted a war that has ripped apart the oil producer since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The LNA on Tuesday shelled Tripoli port, saying first it had attacked a Turkish vessel bringing weapons but saying later it had hit an arms depot. Heavy artillery fire could be also heard late at night in parts of Tripoli though details were unclear.

In response, the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord said in a statement it suspended its participation in ceasefire talks "until firm responses are taken against the attacker, and we will respond firmly to the attack in appropriate timing."

"Negotiations don't mean anything without permanent ceasefire guarantees returning the displaced people and the security of the capital and the other cities," it added.

Tripoli port is a major gateway for food, fuel, wheat and other imports for the capital, which is home to the internationally recognised government.

State oil firm NOC said it had urgently evacuated all fuel tankers from the port after a missile struck meters away "from a highly explosive liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker discharging in the port".

"Todays attack on Tripoli port could have led to a humanitarian and environmental disaster," NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said.

"The city does not have operational fuel storage facilities ... the consequences will be immediate; hospitals, schools, power stations and other vital services will be disrupted," he said.

Tripoli-based forces said the LNA had fired four missiles.

Since January, Turkey has sent several ships carrying arms and heavy trucks to Tripoli and Misrata, another western port allied to the Tripoli government, diplomats say.

The LNA is allied to a parallel government in eastern Libya supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Russian mercenaries. Eastern ports and airports are out of range of the Tripoli forces and its Turkish drones.

TALKS

Tuesday's attack on the port unfolded as officers from the Tripoli forces and the LNA held a second round of indirect talks in Geneva to establish a permanent ceasefire. Both sides refused again to sit in the same room, U.N. Libya envoy Ghassan Salame said, though he said he was hopeful of making progress.

"So while the situation on the ground remains a situation where the truce is very fragile... nobody has so far reneged on the principle of accepting the truce and the political process is trying to find a way to move forward," he told reporters before the GNA suspended its participation.

Salame added that he had received conditions from tribesmen allied to eastern forces to lift a blockade of eastern oil export ports, but said these were quite general and would have to be fleshed out in more U.N.-led talks in Geneva next week.

The port strike came as U.S. ambassador Richard Norland visited Haftar in his base near the eastern city of Benghazi.

"The Ambassador noted General #Haftars stated commitment to a permanent ceasefire and reiterated the commitment of the Berlin participants to de-escalation, the arms embargo, and a political solution to the conflict," the U.S. embassy for Libya said.

It was referring to a meeting in Germany last month where foreign powers agreed on paper to push for a ceasefire and enforce an arms embargo.

(Reporting by Ahmed Elumami, Emma Farge, Ulf Laessing, Hani Amara, Ayman al-Warfalli and Hesham Abdul Khalek; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Giles Elgood and Lisa Shumaker)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Actor Lee Jee-hoon greeted the SBS radio broadcast Power FM "Doosi Escape Cult Two Show" held at SBS in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul on the 17th.

The actor is promoting "Time to Hunt" which is a chase thriller about the story of four young men planning dangerous crimes in a hopeless reality and a man who is chasing them.

"Time to Hunt" is scheduled to premiere in Berlin this February 22th.
Witnesses and surveillance videos of the suspect's getaway car led authorities quickly to his home, near the scene of the second attack, where he was found dead near the body of his 72-year-old mother, said Peter Beuth, the Interior Minister for the state of Hesse. Neighbour Dieter Hog said he looked out his window and saw 25 or 30 police officers with dogs combing the area. "They were running around looking for the fugitive who was involved," Hog said, adding that even though he lived close by, he did not know the suspect. Both the suspect and his mother had gunshot wounds, and the weapon was found on the suspect, Beuth said.

At the townhouse on Thursday, forensic experts came and went from the building, and police kept people away. A website believed to be the suspect's is being evaluated, Beuth said. "Initial analysis of the web page of the suspect indicate a xenophobic motivation," he said. It does not appear, however, that the suspect was known either to police or Germany's domestic intelligence agency, he added. He said federal prosecutors have taken over the investigation of the crime and are treating it as an act of domestic terrorism. "This is an attack on our free and peaceful society," he said.

Following a conference call with Germany's state interior ministers, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said on the basis of the investigation so far, "it was a right-radical xenophobic" attack, German news agency dpa reported. The attack was quickly and broadly condemned by many organisations, including the Central Council of Muslims, the Confederation of Kurdish Associations in Germany, and the Central Council of Jews. Merkel pledged that "everything will be done to investigate the circumstances of these terrible murders." In unusually plain words, the German leader said: "Racism is a poison. Hatred is a poison." "This hatred exists in our society and its is responsible for far too many crimes," she added, citing the killings committed by a far-right gang known as the NSU, the shooting of a regional politician from her party last year and the attack on a synagogue in Halle in October.

She added that authorities would do everything possible to stand up to those who try to divide the country with racism. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted it was a day of "immense sadness" and pledged his "full support for Germany." "I'm at the side of Chancellor Merkel in her fight for our values and the protection of our democracies," he said. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the consulate in Frankfurt and the embassy in Berlin were trying to obtain obtain information about the attack, including the possibility that some of the victims were Turkish. German news outlets were reporting that police are examining a video the suspect may have posted online several days earlier in which he details a conspiracy theory about child abuse in the United States. The authenticity of the video couldn't immediately be verified.

Loading In the video, the dark-haired speaker wearing a white button-down shirt under a suit jacket, said he was delivering a "personal message to all Americans" that "your country is under control of invisible secret societies." In a slow and deliberate voice, in accented English, he says there are "deep underground military bases" in which "they abuse, torture and kill little children." He makes no reference to the far-right fringe QAnon movement in the US, but the missive is similar to the movement's central, but baseless belief that US President Donald Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the "deep state" and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic paedophiles and cannibals. The attack comes amid growing concerns about far-right violence in Germany.
In the past several years since marrying Kate, Duchess of Cambridge and having their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis  Prince William has really settled into his role as the future Crowned King. The Duke of Cambridge has become more serious, taking on more responsibilities and having more say in the British royal family.

In the wake of his younger brother, Prince Harry, and sister-in-law, Meghan, Duchess of Sussexs exit from the British royal family, Prince William has recognized how much hes going to need to help take the reigns of the royal family in order to save the monarchy and all that it stands for.

Even though Prince William has accepted his fate and the circumstances of his life, he absolutely hates that he has no control over his life.

Prince William has been preparing to be king for his entire life

From an early age, Prince William was told about the fate that awaits him. In fact, his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II took him under her wing, allowing him to go through paperwork and important documents with her. The also used to sit together for special lunches where they would chat about the role.

Despite being prepared for the role, Prince William hasnt always been thrilled about it. We talked about our children and [Princess Diana] said William often told her that he didnt really want to be king, and then Harry would say, If you dont want the job Ill have it, journalist Jeremy Paxman recalled.

Prince Harry once explained that the Sovereign Monarch was a job that no one really wants. We are involved in modernizing the British monarchy. We are not doing this for ourselves but for the greater good of the people, the Duke of Sussex told Newsweek. Is there anyone of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I dont think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time.

Prince William once tried to leave the U.K. for more privacy

Though Megxit might seem revolutionary to many, in the years after University, Prince William wanted to escape the U.K. for the U.S. Having enjoyed a degree of privacy as a student at St Andrews, perhaps its not such a surprise that William has announced his intention to spend a few years living in the US after he finishes his degree, reporter Louisa Pearson explained at the time. Having enjoyed a degree of privacy as a student at St Andrews, perhaps its not such a surprise that William has announced his intention to spend a few years living in the US after he finishes his degree. Work in a gallery or auction house, and the possibility of a postgraduate degree, have apparently been discussed.

However, Buckingham Palace vetoed that idea rather quickly.

Prince William hates not having control over his life

The intense schedule, scrutiny, and vicious rumors have not enamored Prince William to the role. Also, it seems that he resents the time spent away from his children.

I really do want to be in control of my own life, he said in a past interview. And if I dont agree with what someones saying or someones pushing on me then I wont do it. Im always open for people saying that Im royal, because most of the time I am, but I hate to lose control. Im going to get plenty of criticism over my lifetime and its something that I dont completely ignore, but its not something I take completely to heart. Im concentrating very much on my role as a father, and I take my duties and my responsibilities to my family very seriously. If youre not careful, duty can weigh you down an awful lot at a very early age and I think youve got to develop into the duty role.
The plane with evacuated people aboard will land in Boryspil on the morning of February 20

48 citizens of Ukraine and 29 foreigners are being evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan. All passengers are healthy. This was announced by Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Health Dmytro Koval during a briefing.

"All 48 citizens of Ukraine and 29 foreigners came on board: eight - from Argentina, five  from the Dominican Republic, five - from Ecuador, four - from El Salvador, two  from Kazakhstan and Costa Rica and one citizen from other countries," he stated.

The departure of the Boeing 737-800 SkyUp aircraft from the international airport Boryspil took place on February 19, at 02:50.

The plane with evacuated people aboard will land in Boryspil on the morning of February 20.

As we reported earlier, Members of Hostomel local council signed an appeal to the regional council and the Kyiv mayor on preventing the hospitalization of people evacuated from Wuhan.

"Many medical workers of the medical facility live in Hostomel, and they are concerned that they may become carriers of the disease among the residents of the village," the statement says.
Close Spurs' Top Five Goals Against German Teams

Tottenham will again have to do it the hard way in the Champions League after they suffered a 1-0 home defeat in the first leg of their last-16 tie with RB Leipzig.

Spurs' run to the final last season was full of great escapes and comeback wins and they will need another after Timo Werner's second-half penalty gave the Bundesliga side a deserved win in their first ever knockout game in this competition.

It also sees 32-year-old Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann, who has been dubbed 'Baby Mourinho' and is a rising star of European football, gain the edge over the man he has been named after.

But Spurs boss Jose Mourinho will claim this was not a fair fight as he was without two of his best attacking players, with the loss Son Heung-min on the eve of the match adding to that of Harry Kane.

The defeat would have been much worse had Hugo Lloris not produced a number of vital saves to keep Leipzig at bay, while Spurs struggled for clear opportunities at the other end.

Giovani Lo Celso had the best of them as his free-kick was turned on to the post, but it was a frustrating night for Mourinho.

Spurs will look to last season's semi-final, where they turned around a similar first-leg defeat to Ajax with a dramatic night in Amsterdam, and there is the sense that something similar will be required in Leipzig on March 10.

While Nagelsmann was enjoying his first taste of knockout football in this competition, this was nothing new for Mourinho.

But rarely will he have gone into such a big game without two such key men as Son and Kane and their absence really set the tone.

Although Spurs' problems were in attack, their frailties at the other end were immediately apparent as Leipzig had three golden chances inside the opening two minutes.

The hosts were sliced open down the right and Nordi Mukiele's cross teed up Werner, but his shot was blocked by Davinson Sanchez.

Then from the rebound Angelino's shot was turned onto the post by the leg of Lloris, who then saved Werner's effort from close range.

Spurs, with no recognised striker on the pitch, were hoping that the pace of Bergwijn and Lucas Moura would be their main weapon and it was the Dutchman who had their best moment of the first half.

The mercurial Lo Celso played him in with a deft touch and, after turning inside, Bergwijn's low shot was palmed away by Peter Gulacsi.

But from then on, it was a succession of missed chances for the visitors as Leipzig found holes in the Spurs defence at will.

Patrick Schick put a header just wide from a corner, Angelino had another effort blocked and Lloris was called into action again to deny Werner with a parried save.

The inevitable eventually happened just before the hour mark.

Werner's chipped ball was met by Konrad Laimer and the Dane was clattered into by Ben Davies, with referee Cuneyt Cakir rightly pointing to the spot.

Werner made no mistake as he drilled into the bottom corner for a crucial away goal.

It should have been even worse for Spurs as Leipzig got in on goal with a slick counter attack, but Lloris came to the rescue with a fine save off Schick.

Mourinho's side had to up the ante and Lo Celso came close to levelling matters in the 72nd minute, but his 25-yard free-kick was tipped onto the post by Gulacsi.

Their big moment came in the 89th minute, but Moura could not deliver as he did in Amsterdam last May.

Davies had space on the left and picked the Brazilian out perfectly, but his header went over the crossbar and it left Spurs with another mountain to climb in this competition.

PA

PREVIEW

What time is Tottenham vs Leipzig?

The match kicks off at 8pm at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

What TV channel is it on?

The match will be shown on BT Sport 2 for UK subscribers. Viewers can also access coverage via the BT Sport App.

Predicted line-ups

Spurs: Lloris, Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Davies, Lo Celso, Winks, Alli, Bergwijn, Ndombele, Lucas

Leipzig: Gulacsi, Mukiele, Klostermann, Ampadu, Halstenberg, Angelino, Laimer, Sabitzer, Olmo, Nkunku, Werner

Prediction

Tottenham have ground out some good results recently and Jose Mourinho is a master at stifling dangerous attacks in Europe. Expect a cagey contest. 0-0.
Liam Griffin, 19, from Hamilton, admitting abusing the 11-year-old girl over the course of 12 months. He was released on bail pending sentencing next month. He was placed upon the Sex Offenders' Register

A medical student who admitted sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl complained to police that he had 'f***** up' his planned career as a doctor.

Liam Griffin, 19, admitted abusing the young girl between August 2018 and August 2019 when the abuse was discovered.

Hamilton Sheriff Court heard the assaults took place in Griffin's bedroom and took place 'every two weeks'.

The court was told the primary school pupil didn't realise she was being abused until her class started sex education lessons.

When he was arrested, 19-year-old Griffin told police: 'I was studying to be a doctor, but I f***** up everything'.

The Court heard the young victim had kept quiet for months, but finally blurted out what had happened during an argument with her sister.

Medical student Griffin from Hamilton admitted abusing the girl between August 2018 and August last year.

Prosecuting, Mairi-Clare McMillan told the court: 'She said he had subjected her to numerous episodes of sexual abuse, sometimes as often as every two weeks.

'This occurred when she visited his home and it was always in his bedroom when they were alone. If another girl was there Griffin would send her downstairs on some pretence.

'The girl said she didn't realise at first that what he did was wrong, but this changed through her getting sex education at school.'

After assaulting her on the final occasion Griffin said 'bye' to his victim and left the house to visit his then girlfriend.

The abuse came to light on August 20 last year when the victim was having an argument with her sister at home.

They began to shout and during this she disclosed that the accused had touched her inappropriately and made her touch him.

Griffin will be sentenced at Hamilton Sheriff's Court, pictured, on March 23

Ms McMillan added: 'On hearing the argument, the girls' mother went to the bedroom where she was told by the victim that the accused had sexually assaulted her.

'The accused's mother was contacted. She confronted him in his bedroom and he confirmed it was true.'

The Court then heard how the girl confirmed to police officers and social workers that she was in P7 when Griffin first molested her.

Sheriff Thomas Millar deferred sentence on Griffin, who has no previous convictions, until March 23, placing him on bail in the meantime.

Background reports and a risk assessment were called for and Griffin was placed on the sex offenders' register.
Pete Buttigieg's already narrow state delegate equivalent lead over Bernie Sanders has reduced further, to less than a hundredth of a percentage point, after the Iowa Democratic Party announced the results of a recanvass of targeted precincts from the state's Democratic caucuses.

Buttigieg now leads Sanders by .08 state delegate equivalents, according to results posted by the state party  26.186 percent for Buttigieg to 26.182 percent for Sanders. The initial results were marred by apparent reporting or mathematical errors.

Sanders' campaign said it will seek a recount. The Buttigieg and Sanders campaigns have 24 hours to formally request one.

We now believe a recount will give Sen. Sanders enough State Delegate Equivalents to put him over the top by that metric as well. We want to thank the people of Iowa, our supporters, our volunteers and everyone who made this possible," Sanders senior adviser Jeff Weaver said in the statement.

Democratic presidential candidate, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks during a campaign event at Durango Hills Community Center in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

In the results posted by the Iowa Democratic Party, Buttigieg still had 14 delegates to the national convention to 12 for Sanders  a result that could flip after a recount. Sanders maintains his lead in the final alignment of the popular vote, as well as the first-choice alignment that preceded it.

"Look, it would have obviously been much better for the people of Iowa and people of this country to learn the results the night of the Iowa caucuses. But we have pursued the audit remedies that were available to us and we believe it will come in our direction," Weaver told POLITICO.

The Buttigieg campaign did not comment on if they too would request a recount. "Yet again these results confirm that Pete won the Iowa caucuses and remains the delegate leader in the Democratic primary," Buttigieg spokesperson Ben Halle said.

The Associated Press said the race would remain uncalled for now. "AP remains unable to declare a winner based on the available information, as the results may still not be fully accurate and are still subject to a recount," read an advisory from the wire service on Tuesday. "AP will continue to monitor the race, including the results of that potential recount."

Story continues

The Iowa caucuses have been marred by controversy since the vote on Feb. 3. On caucus night, an app developed to help transmit results failed, leading to a delay reporting results. But once results started to come in, journalists and caucus watchers noted that the party's official tallies appeared to be rife with mistakes  both recording errors from the party and apparent mathematical miscalculations on precinct worksheets. A review by The New York Times last week found apparent errors in about 10 percent of precincts.

The Iowa Democratic Party recanvass examined results in 81 precincts, according to a summary memo circulated by the state party on Tuesday. Twenty-nine precincts saw changed results, including 26 "because the precinct misapplied the rules" and three because the caucus math worksheets did not match "what was reported on the IDP results page."

Notably, the recanvass did not address one major complaint raised by the Buttigieg campaign: that the number of state delegate equivalents awarded in satellite caucuses was "miscalculated and misreported." The recanvass committee determined that "the reason for the request was outside of the scope of a recanvass."

The chaos in Iowa claimed the job of now-former state party chair Troy Price. State Rep. Mark Smith was elected to fill the role over the weekend. The botched caucus has also blown back on the Democratic National Committee and DNC Chairman Tom Perez as well, with the DNC and the state party feuding behind the scenes over the allocation of blame for the caucus problems.

Holly Otterbein and Elena Schneider contributed to this report.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation Tuesday that establishes a trust fund to help pay for expanded prekindergarten and other early childhood programs.

It will operate like an endowment  a strategy intended to provide a stable source of funding to support New Mexicos increasing investment in home visiting programs for new parents, pre-K and similar services that prepare children for school.

A portion of the states oil-fueled revenue boom would flow into the fund, with the hope that it will eventually reach $1 billion, large enough to disburse perhaps $40 million to $50 million a year.

Legislators are considering separate legislation  part of the main budget bill  to inject $320 million into the fund next year.

Lujan Grisham described the legislation, House Bill 83, as a breakthrough in efforts to expand funding for early childhood education.

It is not business as usual in the Legislature, she said. This is creative problem-solving.

The proposal for a trust fund emerged after years of attempts at Senate approval for a constitutional amendment that would allow New Mexico to tap more heavily into its Land Grant Permanent Fund as a source of early childhood funding.

The proposed constitutional amendment, meanwhile, is still alive this session, although its future is uncertain. The legislation, House Joint Resolution 1, is awaiting action by the Senate Finance Committee.

The trust fund, in any case, is meant to complement the constitutional proposal, not necessarily replace it, supporters say.

The early childhood trust fund picked up bipartisan support this session, even from lawmakers who oppose the constitutional amendment.

For example, Sen. John Arthur Smith, a Deming Democrat and chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, said the trust fund idea is a sound way to expand New Mexicos early childhood spending. He has opposed the constitutional amendment.

Were going to make it work, he said of the new trust fund.

Lujan Grisham signed the bill Tuesday, surrounded by parents and legislators. The legislation was co-sponsored by Smith and House Majority Whip Doreen Gallegos, D-Las Cruces.

The children of New Mexico deserve a trust fund, Gallegos said.

Under the legislation, energy-related tax revenue  if it climbs high enough, creating a surplus  will flow into the new fund.

Even without the trust fund, New Mexico has been ramping up spending on early childhood, to more than $500 million in the current fiscal year.
President Obama is keeping quiet, for now. Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images

Democratic leaders, whose two primary concerns these days are trying to keep Donald Trump in check and maintaining their own partys unity, have had ample reason for concern in the first seven weeks of 2020. There was the end of Trumps impeachment trial, the Iowa caucus fiasco, and the growing certainty that their intensifying presidential nominating contest will likely drag on for months. One Thursday afternoon in late January, they briefly had another worry to contend with: the entire party losing its mind after a Fox Business reporter tweeted a SCOOP that Barack Obama is growing increasingly anxious about @BernieSanders rise in the national polls & where the avowed socialist would take the country; he is considering a public statement addressing it. The report was quickly rubbished by those close to the former president  such an action would obviously be painfully out of character for the studiously quiet Obama, who has always been judicious about weighing in on Democratic primary fights, and whose defining post-presidential quality has been distance. But the tweet and ensuing hysteria did renew an unsettling round of questions among candidates, elected officials, campaign strategists, voters, and donors: Well, what does Obama think of all of this?

The truth of Obamas silence on the 2020 primary is that its not just about his obvious wish to stay out of the spotlight, but it also reflects a choreographed strategy. With the race looking more and more likely to grow bitter and messy, and maybe even wind up in a contested convention, the former president and those around him are increasingly sure he will need to play a prominent role in bringing the party back together and calming its tensions later this summer, including perhaps in Milwaukee, where the partys meeting is scheduled to be held in July. So he is committed to not allowing his personal thoughts to dribble out in the meantime, directly or via leaks, conscious of how any sense that hes taking sides in intraparty disputes could rock the primary in the short run and potentially undermine his ability to play this larger role in the months ahead. He says one sentence about being woke at some conference, and the Twitterverse freaks out, recalled one of his friends, referring to the former presidents comments at an Obama Foundation meeting in Chicago that set off a firestorm. He and his advisors are very aware [of the effect of] one word that Barack Obama says. And hes being careful to ensure he can be seen as an honest broker in June and July  a potentially necessary designation given both his status as the partys most popular figure and the real possibility that Sanders, or another candidate, could enter the summer with a plurality of the delegates needed for the nomination but not an outright victory. Obama is going to look at the [delegate math to determine] the outcome. If the math brings someone [to the nomination], hell back it in full, one person who still speaks with the former president told me recently. His biggest dilemma is if Bernie is at 35-40 [percent of the delegates], and no one else is [at] 20. Does he say, You have to go with who won [a plurality of] the delegates, and who looks to be the true front-runner?

But Obama is hardly the only Democrat sweating that particular possibility, especially with Michael Bloomberg  who some in Obamas orbit favor but many regard warily  poised to swoop in on the process in March. Sorting out that confusion might be the most complicated scenario for Obama, the person added. The reality might be more simple: Its not gonna happen before the convention, [but] hes gonna be all-in for Bernie if hes the nominee.

Watching from afar, Obama is for now sticking to the plan he set out at the beginning of the election cycle. Hes been going out of his way to remind worried Democrats who come to him that his 2008 primary was long and brutal, and still ended in his election. And his purposeful distance from the race isnt all about managing party factions in the short-term. He speaks with fewer people regularly about politics than ever  he rarely even talks with Tom Perez, the former Labor secretary he helped install as Democratic National Committee chairman, for example  in part because he is less interested in the back-and-forth than he was even as president, when his lack of patience for political horse-trading and debating was notorious.

But this isnt just about distance from the action, either  its also because he doesnt want to provide Trump with a political foil, and because he wants a new generation of Democratic leaders to step up, and to stop relying on him. (Hes only gotten directly involved in one domestic political fight since Trump was elected, working behind the scenes to help save the Affordable Care Act.) While hes following the race by reading newspaper reports, hes been disengaged with its day-to-day dynamics, sure that hell have to catch up on them later this year anyway  he doesnt even make a point of watching the debates. Obama has insisted that hell support Democrats nominee, no matter who it is, publicly saying so as recently as November. Privately, he reminds friends that the views of the candidate  even if its Sanders, whose democratic socialism is a significant break from Obamas technocratic progressivism  will more closely reflect not just his values, but Democrats and the nations, than Trumps. He often adds that he expects to campaign often and loudly in the general election, even if he has to step in to try and unite liberals, moderates, and progressives beforehand.

Until then, Obama has reminded those who ask, he wont speak up unless he feels compelled to make any specific, candidate-neutral points to ensure Democrats win in November. There is no way Barack Obama is intervening, unless something very strange happens, said a friend whos heard his reasoning. He just doesnt have that in him. Even if he felt like speaking out against Sanders specifically, he knows such a statement would likely ruin his standing on the left and almost certainly divide the party just when it needs uniting, according to multiple people whove spoken with him about the race. Obama and those around him have a very clear understanding that if they put their finger on the scale right now, all of a sudden half of the Democratic Party hates him, an influential Democrat who keeps in touch with Obama explained.

Anyway, Obamas team has made clear to Sanders inner circle that the former president has no intention of getting involved in the primary. And people from both camps who are familiar with the discussions say the pair has also spoken directly during this election cycle. Top Sanders advisors accordingly viewed the Fox Business report as a case of rogue former Obama aides speaking wishfully and out of turn, rather than a preview of things to come. (The Democratic establishment backlash will be fierce if Sanders starts running away with the nomination, theyre sure, but it wont come from the ex-president.) The Sanders camp also takes reassurance from 2016, when Obama easily could have spoken up for Hillary Clinton  his chosen candidate  during the rougher parts of the primary, but was careful not to. When Obama finally spoke with Sanders about his impending exit from the race in the summer of 2016, according to multiple Democrats briefed on the private conversation, it was only after it was clear that Clinton would be the nominee. He talked about delegate math and thanked Sanders for bringing new voters into the process but did not share any judgments on the candidates ideology or offer his own differing views of the partys shape or the electorates preferences.

None of this is to say Obama and Sanders suddenly see eye-to-eye on what the partys larger priorities should be. In private these days, Obama doesnt say hes bothered by Sanders himself, but he still talks about the need to balance pragmatism with idealism, and he remains wary of Sanderss tactics and the political style of his wing of the party, according to multiple people whove talked politics with him in recent months. (This poked into plain view in November, when Obama said: This is still a country that is less revolutionary than it is interested in improvement. They like seeing things improved, but the average American doesnt think we have to completely tear down the system and remake it. He never used Sanders, or any candidates, name, but the point landed. Voters, including Democrats, are not driven by the same views that are reflected on certain left-leaning Twitter feeds, or the activist wing of our party, he continued. And thats not a criticism to the activist wing  their job is to poke and prod and text and inspire, and motivate. But the candidates job, whoever that ends up being, is to get elected.)

Still, Obama is always careful to make sure people hes talking with dont get the impression he would try and stop Sanders from getting elected, and he even offered some of the senators signature policies oblique praise in his first major political speech post-presidency. Democrats arent just running on good old ideas like a higher minimum wage, but theyre running on new ideas like Medicare for All, giving workers seats on corporate boards, reversing the most egregious tax cuts to make sure college students graduate debt free, he said at the University of Illinois in September of 2018. And Obama has, at times, found Sanders to be a reasonable politician, even when they disagree: in 2016, the then-president asked the senator not to make his anti-Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement stance an issue on the floor of the national convention in Philadelphia, according to multiple Democrats clued in on the discussion. Sanders agreed.

This time around, Obama has sought to make sure the full field of Democratic candidates understands his intention to be both neutral and passive. He made that point when meeting with many of them individually in his West End Washington office while they were considering running, a series of sit-downs one later privately described as office hours. Hes spelled out to them that he is open to answering any questions they may have as they pursue the presidency, and his small staff has made sure the campaigns know who in Obamas orbit to contact in case anything comes up and they need open lines of communication. (Often, the arrangements are informal and based on previous relationships; almost every serious campaign has senior Obama campaign or administration alums near their top ranks.) Later, as candidates have dropped out, Obama has proactively contacted them to thank them for running, to offer himself up as a sounding board, and to talk about their futures, according to Democrats familiar with the outreach. In some cases, hes spoken with pols returning to Washington with long careers ahead of them  Kamala Harris, for example. In others, the path ahead for the failed candidate is less obvious. Earlier this year he asked to meet with Steve Bullock when the Montana governor was planning to be in D.C. for this months National Governors Association meeting. When they met, Obama spoke with him, at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumers request, about running for the Senate this year. Bullock reiterated he had no intention of joining that race, said multiple people familiar with the exchange.

Still, with friends behind closed doors Obama has occasionally offered brief commentary on some of the candidates. Last year he said hed been impressed with Warren, with whom he had a rocky relationship as president, and who  like Sanders  criticized his paid speaking gigs soon after he left office. Early on he said he liked what Beto ORourke was trying to do, and he used similar terms to describe Pete Buttigieg, who hed named in late 2016 as a future party leader alongside fellow then-future candidates Harris and Michael Bennet. And he spoke regularly with his friend Deval Patrick before the former Massachusetts governor got into the race in mid-November. But Obama told him he was skeptical he could gain traction so late, and reiterated that he would not suddenly weigh in on the race on Patricks behalf. (Patrick, who stepped down from the Obama Foundation board before announcing his campaign, also speaks regularly with Obama associates like Valerie Jarrett, the ex-presidents closest advisor, and his political strategist David Axelrod. Obama Foundation chairman Marty Nesbitt  another close Obama friend  held a January fundraiser for him. But Patrick dropped out after a disappointing showing in New Hampshire last week.)

No candidate has directly asked Obama for his endorsement, under no illusions that hes about to offer it, according to people whove spoken with him about the conversations. Still, hes aware its a sensitive matter for Joe Biden, in particular. After working behind the scenes to push Clinton into the 2016 race and Biden out of it, Obama this time talked often with Biden before he entered the race, but he has been unimpressed with his former partners campaign, say Democrats with whom hes shared his assessment.

Then theres Bloomberg, who might, at first glance, seem to be a favorite of many surrounding the ex-president: hes being advised by Mitch Stewart, one of the few former campaign aides whos regularly spoken with Obama about politics even in his post-presidency, and hes been running ads featuring Obama on heavy rotation. But the former mayor was one of the only serious contenders not to give the former president a heads-up before he entered the race, according to Democrats close to Obama, and some of Obamas closest, and oldest, political associates have bristled at the way Bloombergs ads have framed them as longtime allies. In recent days, some have been rehashing how Bloomberg appeared with both Obama and John McCain in 2008  calling the then-senator not experienced enough to be president at the time  and how he only endorsed Obama over Mitt Romney at the very end of the 2012 race. A Friday evening HuffPost report revealing that in 2016, Bloomberg appeared to lay some blame for racial divisions in the country with Obama didnt help, nor did a Sunday CNN story detailing how Bloomberg called Obamacare a disgrace in 2010.

Biden, for one, shared his displeasure at a fundraiser just off of Central Park South on Thursday: The advertising Ive seen, youd think that Mike was Baracks vice president, he told donors. Obamas former campaign manager David Plouffe chimed in on Friday morning: The power of saturation advertising, he tweeted. Someone at my gym in California asked me why Obama chose Bloomberg over the rest of the field. On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported Axelrod has been fielding similar questions from professional Democrats.

Of course, Bloomberg is far from the only remaining candidate invoking Obama like this: Buttigieg often talks about him on the campaign trail, and Obamas face also makes appearances in ads promoting Warren, Tom Steyer, Tulsi Gabbard, and, of course, Biden. Before the former vice president launched his campaign last year, his team worked out an arrangement with Obamas allowing him to use their old campaign email list, and also to talk about and feature his relationship and work with the ex-president as much as he wished, as long as he didnt imply an endorsement, according to Democrats familiar with those discussions. Obama knew Biden would rely heavily on imagery featuring the pair.

The same isnt true for other camps, few of which have asked the Obama teams permission to use his image and words, say Democrats close to the former president. (All of the clips and photos shown in the ads were previously public.) Those in Obamas close political circles say he doesnt mind being featured so prominently, but that hes been amused by all the attempts by candidates to associate themselves with him after numerous early primary-season discussions about the shortcomings of his presidency.

He has no plans to note that irony, though, or even to reach out to the campaigns blasting out his image. Its not like he sees the ads all that much, anyway  not even the seemingly inescapable Bloomberg spots. Obamas aversion to TV news hasnt abated now that he has enough time on his hands that hes compared himself to Neo, the time-slowing Keanu Reeves character from The Matrix, say people whove been spending time with him. If hes in front of a television, they say, hes probably watching sports.

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Link PAN with Aadhaar by this date, if not your PAN could become inoperative

PAN, bank documents do not prove citizenship: HC

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Guwahati, Feb 19: A PAN Card and bank documents do not prove citizenship. This observation was made by the Gauhati High Court, while rejecting a petition of a woman declared foreigner by the tribunal.

The court also rejected the plea by Jabeda Begum as she failed to prove her linkages with her projected parents and projected brother.

During the Assam NRC exercise, the applicants had to submit any one of the 14 documents issued before March 24 1971 which had either their names or the names of their ancestor to prove residence in Assam.

CAA: Applications must give proof of religion to get Indian citizenship

Land and tenancy records, citizenship certificate, permanent resident certificate, refugee registration certificate, passport, insurance policy, government issued license or certificate, proof of employment, bank or post office accounts, birth certificate, education certificates or documents of court records or processes were the documents that were valid.

For those whose names were not in the 14 documents, they were told to submit, birth certificate, land records, examination certificates, bank, insurance police or post office records, certificate issued by circle officer or gram panchayat secretary (for married woman), name in electoral roll or ration card.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 10:07 [IST]
Fears are growing about the emergence of a new high dose ecstasy pill containing three times the standard dose that's putting revellers' lives at risk.

New South Wales Health has issued a chilling warning about the orange and white MDMA tablets called QDance found in recent circulation across the state.

The warning comes after police seized a series of the new harmful drug across NSW and is in the wake of an inquest into tragic drug-related deaths of six young people at music festivals within a 13 month period.

Dance music revellers have been warned about a new potent drug called QDance,. Pictured is the 2019 Strawberry Hill Festival in the NSW Riverina region

Advocacy group DanceWize NSW shared the warning to make dance festival revellers aware of the dangers and highly variable effects of QDance.

Each pill contains an average 190mg of MDMA, up to three times the common strength.

'The strength of these pills will vary  some will be stronger than others, even if they're from the same batch,' DanceWize posted on its Facebook page.

'Recent deaths in NSW were a direct result of taking high doses of MDMA  taking good pills, not dodgy ones!'

For those who decide to take the risk, revellers are warned the safest dose is not necessarily what their mates are taking, to avoid mixing with alcohol and other drug and to not use alone.

NSW Health issued a dire warning about orange and white pills called QDance (pictured)

The risk of causing harm increases if higher doses or multiple MDMA tablets or capsules are consumed over a short period or taken in combination with alcohol or other stimulants such as methamphetamine or cocaine.

'Hot, humid weather also increases the dangers, as MDMA causes the body to dangerously overheat, potentially leading to organ failure, loss of consciousness and death,' NSW Poisons Information Centre clinical director Professor Andrew Dawson said.

'Consumption of high doses of MDMA has been linked to cases of serious illness and death in NSW. It can cause severe agitation and paranoia, raised body temperature, seizures or fits, heart rhythm problems and death.'

Two young people died at the last Defqon festival (pictured) held in western Sydney in 2018

QDance pills (one pictured) have up to three times the standard dose of MDMA

Revellers are urged to seek immediate medical attention if they feel any affects of taking MDMA.

Signs to watch out for include excessive sweating or stopping sweating when active/hot, uncontrolled repetitive movement, confusion, agitation and paranoia.

'Look after your mates. If you feel unwell, or if your friend feels unwell, do something about it. Dont ignore it. You wont get into trouble for seeking medical care,' Professor Dawson said.

The drug-related deaths of six young people aged 18-23 at NSW music festivals between December 2017 and January 2019 were the subject of an coroner's inquest last year.

Festival revellers have been warned of the dangers and highly variable effects ofthe new drug QDance. Pictured are revellers at the 2018 Strawberry Hills Music Festival

Nathan Tran, Diana Nguyen, Joseph Pham, Callum Brosnan, Joshua Tam and Alexandra Ross-King all died from MDMA toxicity or complications of MDMA use.

Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame delivered 28 recommendations, which included pill testing at festivals and urged police to stop using 'harmful' sniffer dogs at festival gates.

Glenn McRae, 24, also died at the Strawberry Hills Music Festival in the state's Riverina region in November after taking a lethal cocktail of MDMA, cocaine and GHB.

Another eight revellers were treated for suspected drug overdoses at the Festival X music event in Sydney that same day, where police charged four people with drug supply.
Kamala, Phuket Town residents urged to save water as outages take hold

PHUKET: The Kamala Tambon Adiministrative Office (OrBorTor) and Phuket City Municipality have both issued notices urging residents to save what water they can in the hope of making supplies last as long as possible.



By The Phuket News

Wednesday 19 February 2020, 05:28PM

All Phuket Town residents were also called on to keep spare water in containers in case of water-supply outages. Photo: Phuket City Municipality

Kamala OrBorTor posted its announcement yesterday (Feb 18).

Every year, from February to May, the temperature in Phuket is high, especially in April. There is also lttle rain during this period, causing water outage problems, explained Kamala OrBorTor Deputy Chief Nopporn Karuna.

To get ready and prepare for the dry season, everyone has been asked to use water sparingly and to save water in containers to use when water outages occur, he added.

We do not have much water left, as the Provincial Water Authority (PWA) supplies water to Kamala once every two days, and there is no water left in our own water sources.

Therefore we asked local people to save water while we are looking for a new water source. We are also sending water truck to areas where people inform their water need to us, Mr Nopporn told The Phuket News.

People in the Kamala area who do not have water to use, are urged to contact the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation division of Kamala OrBorTor by calling at 076-385640 or 076-385789.

Mr Nopporn also called on residents to not burn any trash off as a way of preventing any outbreaks of fire during the dry season.

Phuket City Municipality on Monday (Feb 17) also posted its own notice calling for residents to save as much water as they can by using a water tank / or water container to store enough clean water for consumption in the event that water does not flow.

The municipality recognised that some areas in and around the towns city limits may already be without mains water supply.

Those left high and dry were urged to call the municipality at 076-211111 or the Phuket City Fire Department by calling the national fire hotline 199  or the Phuket City Municipality call centre at 1132.

Phuket City Municipality has already reduced mains water pressure throughout the town in order to conserve water supplies.

Late last month, the mains water pressure throughout the town was reduced from 9am-5pm and from 10pm to 5am each day. How much the water pressure had been reduced was not explained. (See story here.)

The warnings of water-supply outages follows the Koh Kaew OrBorTor last Friday (Feb 14) setting up emergency water-distribution points for residents suffering from water outages. (See story here.)

Meanwhile, Cherng Talay Municipality has already shut off mains water supply in its area from 10pm to 5am each day. (See story here.)

Water supply to a slew of private estate and condominium projects in Cherng Talay has been shut off entirely. (See story here.)
- The government has come up with a project to lure more local and foreign tourists amid the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19)

- According to the Department of Tourism, there will be a nationwide sale in the country and all malls will be participating

- The Department of Health has approved it as long as precautionary measures will be observed

- People will be screened for body temperature before entering the mall and disinfectant will be made available

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Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat has announced that there will be a nationwide sale in the country to attract more tourists amid the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) scare.

KAMI learned that aside from seat sales and lowered hotel rates, all the malls in the Philippines would be participating in the month-long great sale.

In an interview with Romulo-Puyat in ANCs Headstart, she explained that the nationwide sale was patterned from the great sale abroad wherein people or tourists fly in to shop.

This March, were going to have a nationwide sale. All the malls, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will be participating, the tourism secretary said.

We actually planned this months ago but we decided to continue it for the whole month of March, she added.

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Romulo-Puyat also mentioned that the project was green-lit by the Department of Health (DOH) as long as precautionary measures are in place.

"Again, with the Department of Health, as long as precautionary measures are in place it's okay to have that nationwide sale," she said.

Before entering the mall, shoppers will be screened for body temperature and disinfectants like alcohol will be made available.

However, the tourism secretary advised people to refrain from going to the malls if they are not feeling well.

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Source: KAMI.com.gh
Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has acquired award-winning product design and innovation agency VanBerlo, headquartered in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The acquisition will strengthen Accenture's capabilities to help clients benefit from the merging of physical products and digital services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005075/en/

VanBerlo's headquarters in Eindhoven (Photo: Business Wire)

VanBerlo innovates products and services for companies in many industries, including fast-moving consumer goods, mobility, healthcare, banking and high-tech. The agency's smart connected solutions combine physical objects with digital services, using technologies like internet of things sensors, artificial intelligence and data analytics. These solutions can provide more personalized offerings and convenience to users while offering companies new ways to expand their businesses.

Since its foundation in 1982, VanBerlo's work has collected more than 150 awards, including from iF, Red Dot and Good Design. In 2017, Erasmus University and Dutch television and radio broadcaster AvroTros named it the Netherlands' most innovative company.

VanBerlo has a team of more than 90 professionals working from studios in Eindhoven and The Hague. They have deep experience in innovation and product strategy; product, software and user experience design; and prototyping, with a focus on sustainable solutions. The team will join Accenture Industry X.0, the part of Accenture that uses digital technologies to improve how companies design, engineer and manufacture products and services, and operate industrial facilities.

Frank Rennings, managing director and Accenture Digital Lead in the Netherlands, said:"The number of smart connected products is increasing rapidly and the speed of digitization is challenging our clients' design and development processes. Both call for a new approach to innovation. Bringing VanBerlo's creative team into our Industry X.0 practice will enable us to help our clients develop new business models and generate new revenues from smart connected products and services."

Thomas Paulen, CEO of VanBerlo, said: "Our multidisciplinary team is passionate about creating forward-looking solutions that meet humans' needs and generate growth for clients. We are looking forward to joining Accenture Industry X.0 and driving innovation for global clients."

The acquisition of VanBerlo will complement Accenture's acquisition of innovation agency Happen in October 2019, which has a team in Amsterdam.

Other acquisitions Accenture has made to strengthen its Industry X.0 business include US product innovation and engineering company Nytec, German technology consultancy Zielpuls, and German strategic design agency designaffairs.

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions underpinned by the world's largest delivery network Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 505,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Accenture Industry X.0 helps businesses master the digital reinvention of industry when they use advanced digital technologies to transform core operations and unlock new revenue streams and business models. We support every aspect of our clients' multi-phase transformation, including workforce, customer experience, R&D, engineering, manufacturing, business support, and ecosystems. Visit https://www.accenture.com/us-en/services/industryx0-index.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "will," "should," "likely," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes," "estimates," "positioned," "outlook" and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for Accenture; Accenture's results of operations could be adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic and political conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company's clients' businesses and levels of business activity; Accenture's business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company's services and solutions including through the adaptation and expansion of its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings, and a significant reduction in such demand or an inability to respond to the evolving technological environment could materially affect the company's results of operations; if Accenture is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company's business, the utilization rate of the company's professionals and the company's results of operations may be materially adversely affected; Accenture could face legal, reputational and financial risks if the company fails to protect client and/or company data from security breaches or cyberattacks; the markets in which Accenture operates are highly competitive, and Accenture might not be able to compete effectively; changes in Accenture's level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in tax laws or in their interpretation or enforcement, could have a material adverse effect on the company's effective tax rate, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition; Accenture's profitability could materially suffer if the company is unable to obtain favourable pricing for its services and solutions, if the company is unable to remain competitive, if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful or if it experiences delivery inefficiencies; Accenture's results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; as a result of Accenture's geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue to expand in its key markets around the world, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; Accenture's business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; Accenture's work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; if Accenture is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; Accenture's ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; if Accenture does not successfully manage and develop its relationships with key alliance partners or fails to anticipate and establish new alliances in new technologies, the company's results of operations could be adversely affected; Accenture might not be successful at acquiring, investing in or integrating businesses, entering into joint ventures or divesting businesses; if Accenture is unable to protect or enforce its intellectual property rights or if Accenture's services or solutions infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company loses its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others, its business could be adversely affected; Accenture's results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; changes to accounting standards or in the estimates and assumptions Accenture makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; many of Accenture's contracts include fees subject to the attainment of targets or specific service levels, which could increase the variability of the company's revenues and impact its margins; Accenture might be unable to access additional capital on favourable terms or at all and if the company raises equity capital, it may dilute its shareholders' ownership interest in the company; Accenture may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the "Risk Factors" heading in Accenture plc's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture's expectations.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005075/en/

Contacts:

Jens R. Derksen

Accenture Industry X.0

+49 175 57 61393

jens.derksen@accenture.com

Anja van Beijnum

Accenture Netherlands

+31 6133 00 503

anja.van.beijnum@accenture.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 00:16:04|Editor: huaxia

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A resident takes body temperature check during a health screening campaign at Qingheju Community in Qingshan District of Wuhan, capital city of central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

Hubei Province will take more thorough and forceful measures to find patients with fever in order to further contain the epidemic.



WUHAN, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Central China's Hubei, the province worst-hit by the COVID-19 epidemic, will adopt more thorough and forceful measures to find patients with fever in order to further contain the epidemic.

According to a notice issued Tuesday by the province's epidemic control headquarters, Hubei will check records of all fever patients who have visited doctors since Jan. 20, as well as people who have bought over-the-counter cough and fever medications at both brick-and-mortar and online drug stores.

Those people will be visited for health check-ups and, if necessary, be put in quarantine or hospitalized, according to the notice.

Designated hospitals and fever clinics are required to earnestly implement real-name registration for fever patients and report relevant information on daily basis.

Buyers of cough and fever medications are required to show ID cards for real-name registration.

All neighborhoods in cities and rural villages will carry out door-to-door visits to look for fever patients, with results reported to the headquarters daily, said the notice.

Residents are encouraged to report information of untreated fever patients and misconduct in the work to treat patients and implement epidemic-control measures, it said. 
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington state lawmakers announced Wednesday they will introduce bills, at The Boeing Co.s request, to suspend the aerospace giants preferential business and occupation tax rate unless the United States and European Union reach an agreement on their long-running international trade dispute that would allow the lower tax rate.

Democratic Sen. Marko Liias and Democratic House Majority Leader Rep. Pat Sullivan are the sponsors of the companion bills in the Senate and House.Under the legislation, starting on April 1, the company will no longer receivethe 40% tax break that the Legislature adopted for the aerospace industry in 2003, which was expanded in 2013.

Last year, the World Trade Organization body ruled that Boeing received an illegal U.S. tax break from Washington state that damaged sales by European archrival Airbus.

The decision by the WTOs appellate body considered whether the United States had complied with a 2012 ruling that found that plane-maker and defence company Boeing received at least $5 billion in subsidies prohibited under international trade rules.

But the ruling was limited and the decision found no grounds upon which the European bloc could seek damages from an arbitrator, except for the relatively small Washington state tax program  which the U.S. says was worth $100 million a year.

In a statement, Boeing spokesman Bryan Watt said Wednesday that the company advocated for and supports the legislative action to resolve the sole finding against the United States in the long-running trade disputes between Europe and the United States over government support for the production of large commercial airplanes.

This legislation demonstrates the commitment of Washington  and of the United States  to fair and rules-based trade, and to compliance with the WTOs rulings, he said.

In December, a WTO panel ruled that the European Union has not complied with an order to end illegal subsidies for plane-maker Airbus, which prompted the Trump administration to impose tariffs on nearly $7.5 billion worth of EU goods in October.

Now is the time for Airbus and the European Union to finally come into compliance by ending illegal launch aid subsidies once and for all and addressing the harm they have caused the United States aerospace industry and its workers, Watt said.

Liias said in a statement a legislative solution was a critically important issue for our states economy.

We share Boeings concern that retaliatory tariffs will hurt not only our states aircraft industry, but other Washington-based exporters and family-wage jobs here in Washington, Liias wrote.

Sullivan said that that goal of the legislation is to protect family-wage, good-paying jobs provided by the aerospace industry and other sectors that will be impacted by tariffs if the legislature does not act this session.

Gov. Jay Inslee said he would be working with lawmakers and Boeing officials to expedite the bill.

There is broad agreement in Olympia that we need to act this session to address the WTO issue in order to avoid retaliatory tariffs that would damage not just our commercial aircraft industry, but other important Washington exports, he said in a written statement.

The bills are not subject to normal legislative deadlines because theyre considered necessary to implement the budget. The 60-day legislative session ends March 12.
INTERNATIONAL

The Albania Dispatch article on Sunday about Iranian rebels living in the Albanian countryside misspelled in two instances the name of a woman who is a member of the Mujahedeen Khalq group. As the article correctly noted elsewhere, she is Somayeh Mohammadi, not Mohammedi.

An article on Saturday about Yigit Aksakoglu, a child development specialist accused of trying to overthrow the Turkish government, described incorrectly the place where Mr. Aksakoglu was born. It is a city, not a small village.

NATIONAL

An article on Friday about the possibility that some states will broaden parole misstated Gov. Ralph Northams position on a related bill. He has said he would sign a measure that would grant parole eligibility to prisoners who are older than 50.

An article on Saturday about the conviction of Michael Avenatti for extortion against Nike misstated the length of prison time that Mr. Avenatti could face in the Nike extortion case. It is 42 years, not up to 40 years.
An 88-year-old school crossing guard has been killed while saving two young boys from a distracted driver in Kansas.

Bob Nill, who was affectionately known as 'Mr Bob, died when a car careened into him around 8am Tuesday morning while he was protecting young children on the crossing in front of Christ the King Parish School in Kansas City.

The black sedan plowed straight into Nill, known fondly among the local children as 'Mr. Bob', as he saved the two boys, aged 11 and 7, pushing them out of its path, officials said.

Nill, a Coast Guard veteran, was taken to the hospital where he died of his injuries.

Bob Nill, 88, died when a car careered into him around 8am Tuesday morning while he was protecting children on the crossing in front of Christ the King Parish School

The crime scene: The black sedan plowed straight into Nill as he pushed two boys, ages 11 and 7, out of its path, officials said

The driver, who has not been named, was also taken to hospital for treatment.

The black sedan was later pictured being towed from the crash scene.

Distressed community members told how drivers would regularly speed in the area by the school.

One local woman told ABC7 said her 'heart just dropped' when she heard of the crash.

Tanya Walker said she and Nill had previously spoken of their concerns that cars were driving too fast.

'We used to talk about how the cars would come up fast,' she said.

The hero's heartbroken nephew Randy Nill said his uncle had worked the crosswalk for five years because he didn't want to sit around in retirement after working first in the Coast Guard and then in banking.

'This was something I think he felt like he could help children and help himself feel good about what he was doing,' he told ABC7.

'What my Uncle Bob did for just getting little kids across the street seemed probably trivial to some people, but for him, it was a really important job, and now, we really know how important it was. He maybe saved some lives.'

Cathy Fithian, principal of Christ the King Parish School, told KMBC that Nill loved working with the students and they were very fond of him.

'He loved the children. The children loved him. They called him Mr. Bob,' she said.

'On Friday, when he went home, he had a lot of Valentines from the kids, gifts and cards, and he just went on and on about the gifts. And his son knew that he loved it here and the kids loved him.'

The black sedan was seen being towed from the crash scene. The driver has not been named

The hero's heartbroken nephew Randy Nill said his uncle had worked the crosswalk for five years because he didn't want to sit around in retirement after serving in the Coast Guard and then a career in banking

Mayor David Alvey led the tributes to the 88-year-old veteran and his family.

'I offer my deepest sympathies to the family of the crossing guard, and I offer our gratitude on behalf of our residents for his selfless sacrifice in protecting our children,' he said in a statement.

'The Unified Government staff extends their heartfelt thoughts and prayers tot he employee's family, friends, and those affected by this tragedy.'

Christ the King School called the crossing guard a 'hero' for saving two of its students in the accident.

'Our hearts are heavy at the passing of Mr. Nill. Please continue to keep him and his family in your prayers as well as the students, parents, and teachers who witnessed today's accident. Also know that Mr. Nill is a hero. He stopped two of our students from crossing the road as the car approached,' the statement said on Facebook.

Police tape cordons off the scene. Nill, who was known among the local children as 'Mr. Bob', died in hospital of his injuries

Authorities continue to investigate the crash on the crossing (above) and determine whether the vehicle was speeding at the time

Wyandotte County Unified Government, which employed the crossing guard, said in a statement it was 'saddened' by his death.

'The Unified Government is deeply saddened to report a public servant employed by the city was struck and killed by a vehicle near 54th & Leavenworth Road while on-duty as a crossing guard this morning. Eyewitness reports indicate the employee was struck while pushing children out of the way of the approaching vehicle,' it said.

Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the crash and determine whether the driver was speeding or distracted at the time.

There is no word yet if any charges will be filed against the driver.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has opened a sizable lead in the Democratic presidential primary in California, the largest of 14 states in play on Super Tuesday, according to a new poll that shows four rivals competing for a distant second place.

In the poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California, Sanders was the favorite of 32% of likely Democratic primary voters in the March 3 primary.

He was followed by former vice president Joe Biden, with 14%; Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, with 13%; and former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg and former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg, both with 12%.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota was favored by 5%, billionaire activist Tom Steyer by 3% and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii by 1%.

The poll is among the first to emerge from delegate-rich California since Sanders's strong showings in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two nominating states. The Democrats are competing in Nevada and South Carolina on the next two Saturdays before the contest goes national on March 3, with voting in California and 13 other states.

The new California poll comes as a Washington Post-ABC News poll released Wednesday also shows Sanders with a sizable lead over his Democratic rivals nationally.

In the California poll, Sanders showed particular strength among Latino voters and those under age 45, garnering 53% support from each demographic.

Since his 2016 presidential bid, Sanders has consistently fared well among younger voters. His showing among Latinos is an encouraging sign for the campaign as the contest moves beyond Iowa and New Hampshire, two states with largely white populations.

The California poll shows Sanders with a sizable lead among self-identified liberal voters, drawing 40%, while he and Biden are virtually tied among those who describe themselves as moderate or conservative. Biden received the support of 23% of those voters, compared to 20% for Sanders.

The poll offers troubling signs for Biden and Warren. Overall support for both has slipped by 10 percentage points since a poll by the institute in January.

At stake in California are 415 delegates to the Democratic National Convention. The DNC has said it takes 1,991 delegates to win the party's presidential nomination.

The poll was conducted from Feb. 7 to Feb. 17 and is said to have a margin of error of plus or minus 5.7%.
Prominent North Korean defector Thae Yong-ho, who is running for a seat in South Koreas legislature, says human rights should remain at the forefront of any effort to improve relations with Pyongyang.

Speaking to a group of foreign journalists Wednesday in Seoul, Thae criticized those in South Korea whom he accused of trying to appease the North by not bringing up its human rights abuses.



They are going back to the approach of economy first and human rights later... I believe that is very unjust, said Thae, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to the South in 2016.

The comments appeared to be an implicit criticism of the government of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has attempted to improve inter-Korean relations through a series of economic and other projects.

Thae, the former deputy ambassador to Britain, is the highest-level North Korean defector in years. Last week he announced he would run for a National Assembly seat in April elections as a member of the main conservative opposition party.

Thae said his main "triggering point" for entering politics was South Koreas forced repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in November.



This is really wrong, even if theyre criminals. Because they wanted to stay here. But they were forcibly sent back, said Thae. We should save the people who want to be saved. Thats humanity.

South Korea usually grants asylum to North Koreans, but quickly returned the fishermen, saying they had killed their captain and 15 other crewmen. Many rights groups said the move amounted to sending the men to almost certain death in North Korea.

Since moving to the South, Thae has been highly critical of the North Korean government, which in return has dismissed him as human scum.

The 57-year-old has filled Seoul lecture halls, written a regular newspaper column, and is a sought-after voice in local and international media for his insights into the North Korean diplomatic apparatus.

More recently, Thae has begun criticizing the South Korean government. Now, he is doing so as a formal member of the opposition, which is badly divided following the 2017 impeachment of conservative President Park Geun-hye.

If elected, its not clear how much power Thae will be be able to amass in the National Assembly. But he could emerge as a prominent critic of the government  and one that is able to attract international media attention, thanks in part to his unique background and ability to speak English and Mandarin.



Becoming an MP is a logical way of making his voice heard, says Remco Breuker, a Korea specialist at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He'll have a dedicated platform now, which he hadn't before.



He brings legitimacy, even if he isn't strictly speaking representing any North Korean refugees, Breuker added.

Just one other North Korean defector has become a National Assembly member: Cho Myung-chul, who was assigned a seat in 2012 as a member of a major conservative party.

But if Thae wins, he would be the first defector to occupy a so-called constituency seat, which would give him more leverage and potentially allow him to be a long-term force in parliament.

At his press conference Wednesday, Thae said his main priority will be his local constituents. But he said he will also work to improve the plight of North Korean defectors, many of whom feel marginalized in South Korean society. 

This is also a great opportunity to show the North Korean people our democracy and freedom, he said.
13% of nearly 900 cities tracked by the nonprofit CDP get a top rating on climate change action  a fraction of the total population, but roughly double the number of cities on the organization's 2018 list.

Why it matters: Cities create more than 60% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and consume 78% of the worlds energy. The 105 cities who received an "A" rating from CDP represent a combined population of 170 million.

Where it stands: Big cities in mostly developed parts of the world  including Europe, North America and Australia  dominate CDP's "A List" for taking steps to reduce heat-trapping emissions and adapt to a warmer planet.

Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, Baltimore, Mexico City, Toronto, Paris, Berlin, Cape Town and Athens are among those setting strict emissions reduction goals and seeking to adapt to climate hazards like flooding and heatwaves. See the full list here.

The U.S. has the most cities on CDP's "A List," followed by Canada and Sweden.

Yes, but: While these cities have set forward-looking goals like lowering carbon emissions by 2050 and using more renewable power for energy consumption, a lot of these actions haven't yet been executed. CDP scores cities on their intent to follow through, which is far from guaranteed.

The big picture: CDP, a London-based nonprofit that asks companies to record their environmental impact, only gave 43 cities an "A" rating in 2018. This year, that figure was bumped up to 105.

City-level action to mitigate the effects of climate change is important, but national and international collaboration to cut carbon emissions is even more crucial for sweeping change.

Go deeper: What your city's climate will be in 2080
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 06:27:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAIRO, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian and French air forces conducted military drills in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, Egyptian military spokesman said on Tuesday.

A number of Egyptian Rafale and F-16 jetfighters and France's aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, participated in the exercise.

During the training, both sides carried out search and rescue missions inside and outside the Egyptian territorial waters, in addition to training on defense and attacking a vital sea target.

The exercise in the Red Sea witnessed an air-to-air refueling training as well as attacking naval pieces, according to the statement.
A fan of US President Donald Trump from Konnay village in Telangana has urged the central government to fulfill his wish of meeting Trump during his maiden India visit. This diehard fan named Bussa Krishna claims he's a devotee of Trump. Krishna isn't a regular fan. He fasts for Trump's long life every Friday, he claims.

Telangana's Trump superfan urges Centre to fulfill his dream of meeting US President Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/06ztuyXSoz pic.twitter.com/PdZXaHYest - ANI Digital (@ani_digital) February 18, 2020

Krishna told the news agency ANI that he wants the government to allow him to meet Trump. "I want India-America relations to remain strong. Every Friday, I fast for Trump's long life. I also carry his picture and pray to him before beginning any work. I wish to meet him; I request the government to make my dream come true," he said.

He added he carried Trump's picture with him and that the US President was like a god to him. He has even installed a six-feet statue of the POTUS near his house where he prays daily. Almost 15 labourers were involved in building this statue and it took them a month to finish the construction, he claimed.

His friends also told ANI that although his real name is Bussa Krishna, the villagers fondly call him 'Trump' Krishna due to his devotion towards the POTUS. Ramesh Reddy, a friend of Bussa, said the latter's house was known as the Trump house and that the villagers appreciated and respected his fondness towards Trump.

Konnay village head Venkat Goud said he approved of his beliefs. Goud also urged the government to fulfill his dream of meeting Trump. US President Donald Trump and the First Lady of the US Melania Trump will arrive in India on February 24 for a two day visit.

Also read: Not 'trade deal' but 'trade package' on the cards during Trump's India visit

Also read: 'Looking forward to visiting New Delhi, Ahmedabad,' says Melania Trump

Also read: Trump's India visit: Will it be just lofty intent or something more tangible?
A man wears a protective mask as he holds an umbrella on the Yangzi river bridge as snow falls in Wuhan, Hubei, China, on Feb. 15, 2020. (Getty Images)

Absent State Help, Wuhan Locals Rely on Each Other to Survive the Coronavirus

Feng Mingqin, a Walmart worker in the coronavirus outbreak epicenter of Wuhan, in central China, had trouble breathing whenever she moved around.

CT scans showed an infection in both of her lungs, and the doctor who diagnosed her with COVID-19 on Feb. 5 told her to seek immediate hospitalization.

Feng tried her best. For nine days straight, she slept on chairs in the hallway of a hospital, lining up daily for injections and medication while her case made the rounds through the labyrinth of administrative agencies that would determine whether she could be hospitalized.

In the now locked-down city, virus control officials have ordered all people seeking hospitalization to be reported first through the residential neighborhood office and then the subdistrict office before authorities can provide authorization.

Feng is still waiting for a decision.

A woman wears a protective mask as she carries an empty basket at Optical Valley in Wuhan, China, on Feb. 16, 2020. (Getty Images)

The Epoch Times has spoken with a number of patients and families who complained that the virus control officers were apathetic and only told them to wait. Many who became ill had to repeatedly fill out an application form for hospitalization and call hotlines, while some patients died at home while awaiting a response.

Frustrated with the lack of care, groups of volunteers have stepped in to help those who have failed to secure treatment.

Volunteers

Wuhan authorities on Feb. 10 announced that all severe coronavirus patients were hospitalized. They said they identified 1,499 such patients after a house-by-house search covering more than 98 percent of the local population.

Yet many say the investigation was sloppy and didnt help them at all.

A general view of the city as snow falls in Wuhan, Hubei, China, on Feb. 15, 2020. (Getty Images)

I dont know if they did the search or not, but they never came to our home, Luo, who became infected while taking care of his sick father, told The Epoch Times on Feb. 11.

Since virtually all transportation was halted in the city, people from all walks of life began to volunteer their own vehicles to help ferry doctors and nurses to and from the overflowing hospitals.

Chat groups have sprung up on social media, where medical professionals can provide services that range from clinical advice to emotional support. Locals also share tips based on their personal experiences, such as how to secure treatment.

Others have set up a hotline in which they help collect and organize information about patients and submit it to the nearest hospital free of charge to speed up their treatment.

One of the hotline volunteers, when reached by phone, told The Epoch Times that they are able to arrange treatment for up to 60 percent of callers each day. There are about eight people on her team working the hotline.

From each of the dozen or so districts across Wuhan, an average of 10 to 20 people call in every day, she said.

There were a lot of people seeking help, she said.

Many patients also took to social media in the hopes of having their voices heard.

The Epoch Times confirmed that a number of patients have been admitted to the hospital through the volunteers hotline.

A man wears a protective mask as he rides a bike as snow falls in Wuhan, Hubei, China, on Feb. 15, 2020. (Getty Images)

Tough Job

For the volunteers, the work is taking a mental toll.

Liu Fang, who takes more than 100 hotline calls over the course of a week, told Chinese media she almost tears up each day when shes on the phone.

Wuhan people are going through so much, Liu said, adding that many people who worked by her side had experienced mental breakdowns because of the stress.

Zhang Jiang, who volunteered to help with community work, said he had never seen Wuhan in such a serious crisis before nor heard of the restrictive lockdown measures currently in place.

The neighborhood where he volunteers is home to 10,000 people, but only has about 10 district officers who are in charge of checking peoples temperatures, arranging hospital pickups, and delivering medicine or vegetables to the needy.

Zhang, who says said hes heard of volunteer drivers who died after being infected, has decided to keep going.

Theres actually no other way, someone has to take on these jobs, he said, according to Tencent News.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 16:36:38|Editor: xuxin

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A conservationist holds a baby Siamese crocodile in Pursat province, Cambodia, on Feb. 19, 2020. Ten baby Siamese crocodiles have been spotted in Cambodia, raising hopes that conservation efforts have achieved a breakthrough for a species once believed to be extinct in the wild, said Fauna & Flora International (FFI) on the press release on Wednesday. (FFI/Bianca Roberts/Handout via Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Ten baby Siamese crocodiles have been spotted in Cambodia, raising hopes that conservation efforts have achieved a breakthrough for a species once believed to be extinct in the wild, said Fauna & Flora International (FFI) on the press release on Wednesday.

The hatchlings were sighted in late January by FFI conservationists at the Veal Veng crocodile sanctuary, a protected part of a river in the Cardamom Mountains, Pursat province, the press release said.

It added that this was only the second time in a decade that baby Siamese crocodiles have been seen in the wild in Cambodia.

"This is a really significant moment and it feels like we have reached a turning point for the Siamese crocodile," said Pablo Sinovas, flagship species manager in Cambodia for FFI.

"For a species that for a long time was believed to be extinct in the wild to be breading and producing hatchlings is extremely exciting," he said.

Siamese Crocodile is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as critically endangered, with just 250 individuals estimated to be surviving in the rivers of Cambodia.

According to the press release, an FFI team of scientists rediscovered the Siamese crocodile during surveys in the Cardamom mountains in southwest of Cambodia in 2000.
A Russian fund submitted its interest to the resolution professional on February 14 and also hired a consultancy firm to help them with the bidding process.

Russia-based Far East Development Fund has submitted an expression of interest (EoI) for the beleaguered Jet Airways, sources close to the development said.

This is the third EoI that the airline has received in the second round of bidding.

Following the development, the committee of creditors on Tuesday decided to extend the date for submitting a resolution plan to March 9.

The Russian fund submitted their interest to the resolution professional on February 14 and also hired a consultancy firm to help them with the bidding process.

The idea behind the bid is to explore developing Moscow and St. Petersburg as hubs for India-Europe and India-US traffic.

The fund is also keen to introduce Russian civil aircraft like Sukhoi SuperJet 100 in the Indian market, said a source.

The Russian fund proposes to set up a consortium of Russian financial and aviation companies for revival of the airline.

The other two entities which have expressed interest in reviving Jet are New Delhi-based Prudent ARC and South Americas Synergy Group.

However, Synergy has turned cold as it has issues related airport slots in India and abroad.

The Russian funds interest is a promising development. There are challenges in resolution but we are hopeful that those can be addressed, said Rajesh Prasad, chief strategy officer, Jet Airways.

Enso Group of India is helping the Russian fund in the bid process and is expected to tying up with it.

The group is headed by Vinay Maloo, who is the group chairman and chief executive officer.

Vaibhav Maloo is the managing director of the group and is on the board of most of Enso group companies.

Enso Group is involved in various business segments, including advising and consulting, capital and finance, energy, infrastructure, natural resources, renewable energy, technology and health care.

The fund was set up by the supervisory board of the State Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs and is chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It facilitates the inflow of investments to the Far East and Baikal region by providing preferential financing and long-term financing of prioritized investment projects in various industries.

Far East Development Fund refused to comment when contacted by Business Standard.

We do not comment on this topic at this stage, said a spokesperson of Far East Development Fund.

The corporate insolvency resolution process of Jet Airways is supposed to end in the second week of March as the 270 day period for revival of the company comes to an end.

Prudent ARC, which earlier signed a non-disclosure agreement with resolution professional, had sought four more weeks to submit a plan.

Earlier, the deadline for submitting a resolution plan for Jet Airways was February 17.

This is the second time that lenders called for a fresh resolution as the first round of bidding did not result in any resolution plan.

The lenders gave ample time to prospective suitors by extending the deadline repeatedly.

Earlier, Synergy Group had said slots at Heathrow airport are critical to the airlines operations and they would decide on participating in the resolution only if they get clarity on slots.

This time, it seems, Synergy Group has same the demands.

Besides slots, Synergy has also made some reservations about the past liabilities of Jet.

On its part, the civil aviation ministry had clarified that it would decide on returning domestic slots to Jet on submission of a concrete business plan.

Currently, the airline has 12 aircraft, including three Boeing 737s, six Boeing 777s, and three Airbus A330s (including one leased to Air Serbia).

Of them, the three Boeing 737s are fully-owned by the airline.

There is a pending loan of around Rs 250 crore on the remaining planes.

Banks have security interest over nine planes, which give them the right to acquire them in the event of a default.

The remaining debt would have to be cleared before the airline gets full ownership.

Creditors' claims for the airline are of Rs 36,090 crore, of which Rs 14,640 crore was admitted as on October 20.

Jet had 20-30 per cent of available slots at Delhi and Mumbai airports and overseas traffic rights, but these have been allocated temporarily to other carriers.

In December 2018, the airline had 115 planes, but most of them have been repossessed by lessors.

Photograph: Punit Paranjpe/Reuters
The closure of cases through liquidation under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) has seen a massive value erosion of companies. This should worry the policymakers as large number of insolvency cases are being closed through the liquidation process.

According to data collated by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), of the 51 liquidation cases in which final reports have been submitted till 31 December 2019, only Rs 96 crore were recovered against Rs 9,870 crore claims admitted. Of the realised amount, Rs 92 crore has been disbursed among the creditors.

Of the 551 ongoing liquidation cases, whose data was available with the IBBI, the total claim amount is Rs 4.47 lakh crore, while the liquidation value is just Rs 21,147 crore.

Under IBC, if a resolution plan is not approved by the committee of creditors within the stipulated 270 days, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) can order liquidation of the defaulting company. The liquidation process had to be completed two years earlier, but now it has been shortened to 12 months.

Though the regulations now allow a defaulting company to be liquidated as a going concern, the mere order of liquidation can lead to value erosion. "You have to fight a lot of negativity when a company goes into liquidation process," says Sutanu Sinha, an Insolvency professional and the liquidator in the IVRCL case. IVRCL was ordered to be liquidated as going concern in July 2019 after the resolution plan submitted by First Global, a wealth management and PMS firm.

Out of over 3,300 cases admitted under IBC till December 2019, 780 have gone into liquidation and only 190 cases have been resolved. A resolution necessarily means the defaulting company has been able to find a buyer.

Of the 780 cases in liquidation, only 51 have seen proper closure with proceeds from asset sales being disbursed to the creditors. Of the 51 closed cases, only one corporate debtor -- Emmanuel Engineering Private Ltd -- has been liquidated as going concern.

While liquidation order itself can erode the value of assets of a company, the delay in the process causes further value erosion. Of the ongoing 725 cases, at least 22 cases have not been closed even after the earlier stipulated two years time period. As many as 250 cases have been going on for over one year.

Sinha says that due to paltry realisation under liquidation process, it has been seen that the money gets over by the time cost of insolvency process, workers' dues and financial creditors' claims are met. Corporate creditors and those below in the waterfall model get nothing.

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Drew Carey shared a heartbreaking tribute to his ex-fiancee Amie Harwick after she was allegedly thrown off a balcony to her death by her crazed ex-boyfriend.

The Price Is Right host posted a Boomerang video with the slain sex therapist to Twitter on Tuesday, writing in the caption: 'I hope you're lucky enough to have someone in your life that loves as much as she did.'

In the video the beaming couple are seen cuddled up on an oversized chair in a Christmas-themed room. It's unclear when it was taken.

Harwick, 38, died on Saturday after her ex Gareth Pursehouse, 41, allegedly attacked her at her home in Playa Del Rey.

Carey, 61, who dated Harwick from June 2017 until November 2018, broke cover for the first time since her murder on Tuesday.

He was spotted taking out the garbage at his home in Hollywood Hills in photos obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com.

Drew Carey posted a Boomerang video with his slain ex-fiancee Amie Harwick to Twitter on Tuesday, writing in the caption: 'I hope you're lucky enough to have someone in your life that loves as much as she did.' The heartbreaking tribute came days after the sex therapist was allegedly thrown off a balcony to her death by her crazed ex-boyfriend

I hope youre lucky enough to have someone in your life that loves as much as she did. pic.twitter.com/xMkQIwR6d6    (@DrewFromTV) February 17, 2020

Carey, 61, broke cover on Tuesday for the first time since Harwick was murdered at her home in Playa Del Rey on Saturday

The Price Is Right host was seen taking out the trash at his Hollywood Hills home in photos obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com

Carey spoke out about Harwick's death on Monday in a statement emailed to US Weekly.

'Amie and I had a love that people are lucky to have once in a lifetime. She was a positive force in the world, a tireless and unapologetic champion for women, and passionate about her work as a therapist. I am overcome with grief,' he said.

'I would like to thank you in advance for giving myself and everyone who loved Amie privacy while we try to work through this tragic situation.'

The statement came after it was announced that the Price Is Right had cancelled this week's tapings and will be on hiatus indefinitely.

Carey also tweeted a link to an online petition Harwick's friend Diana Arias started on Monday seeking to eliminate expiration dates on restraining orders.

Carey and Harwick dated for over a year from June 2017 until November 2018. Carey spoke out about Harwick's death on Monday, writing in a statement: 'Amie and I had a love that people are lucky to have once in a lifetime. She was a positive force in the world, a tireless and unapologetic champion for women, and passionate about her work as a therapist'

His statement came after it was announced that the show has cancelled this week's tapings. Carey is pictured on the show during an October 2019 episode

Carey and Harwick first made their relationship public in June 2017. They were engaged in January 2018.

Harwick, the author of The New Sex Bible for Women, and Carey split in November 2018 after dating for more than a year.

Years before she dated Carey, Harwick was in a troubled relationship with Pursehouse.

The 41-year-old was arrested and charged with her murder on Saturday after officers responding to a call about a 'woman screaming' found Harwick unconscious on the ground outside her apartment in Playa Del Rey.

She died in the hospital of blunt force injuries to the head and torso.

The doctor's roommate told police that after Pursehouse broke in, they ran out of the apartment to get help for her.

Pursehouse was released on $2million bond on Tuesday.

Court documents reviewed by DailyMail.com catalog years of alleged abuse that drove Harwick to file for two restraining orders against Pursehouse in 2011 and 2012.

The pair dated 10 years ago and split after the relationship turned violent - but Pursehouse continued to be obsessed with her and harassed her up until her death.

Years before she dated Carey, Harwick (left) was in a troubled relationship with Gareth Pursehouse (right), who has now been charged with her murder

Harwick was found unconscious after falling from a third-floor balcony in her home (pictured)

On January 11, 2012, Harwick and Pursehouse got into an argument in the car and he tried to pull her out of the vehicle.

Pursehouse then took her suitcases from the car and threw them out.

Harwick suffered a bloody nose and scratches from his roughness, she reported in her court order filed on April 12, 2012.

On March 18, 2012, Pursehouse broke into her apartment complex and smashed 10 pictured frames on her front door. Then he texted her a chilling warning saying, 'Things will get worse.'

The next day he broke into the apartment building and left about four dozen flowers taped to her door.

The following day he returned yet again, this time to wait outside her door playing music.

The next day he proceeded to send threatening e-mails to her friends.

Court documents reviewed by DailyMail.com catalog years of alleged abuse in documents for two restraining orders against Pursehouse in 2011 and 2012

In her restraining order she detailed how in March 2012 Pursehouse smashed 10 picture frames on her front door. He returned for the next three days to tape flowers on her door and play music outside her apartment

In 2012 Pursehouse allegedly tried to pull her out of a car and threw her suitcases out of the vehicle. She was left with a bloody nose and scratches in the confrontation

Harwick's landlord was listed as a witness to his stalking incidents in March.

In May 2011 Harwick claimed that Pursehouse suffocated her, punched her and slammed her head onto the ground during a fight. He allegedly covered her mouth to keep her from yelling.

He then kicked her leaving her covered in bruises and unable to walk. She said she suffered broken blood vessels around her face and her back and neck suffered from whiplash.

'There were multiple arguments in which Gareth Pursehouse choked me, suffocated me, pushed me against walls, kicked me, dropped me to the ground with force, force-restrained me, slammed my head into the ground and punched me with a closed fist,' she wrote in court paperwork dated June 22, 2011.

'He has told me he hit me "because I made him so mad!" He refused to get help while in [the] relationship.'

On June 18, 2011 Pursehouse pushed her out of a car and left her on the freeway late at night. In the incident she suffered bruises.

In California the maximum length of a restraining order is five years. Her restraining order had expired against him at the time of his death.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Pursehouse, pictured, has worked as a photographer as well as a software engineer and developer. His most recent job was as lead architect at Internet Brands.

Pursehouse posted this picture of himself on Instagram in 2017

In her 2012 restraining order she requested that the court order Pursehouse to enter a 52-week batterer intervention program.

Harwick obtained a temporary restraining order against Pursehouse in 2011, but she did not attend a follow-up hearing and the order was dismissed, according to court records.

Less than a year later she was granted another temporary restraining order. A judge extended that order in April 2012, which expired in April 2015.

In that agreement Pursehouse was ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Harwick and refrain from contacting her.

She recently ran into Pursehouse in January at the XBiz adult-industry awards ceremony, which was hosted by porn star Stormy Daniels, in downtown Los Angeles.

She was a guest at the show and walked the red carpet. Pursehouse was a photographer working the event and seeing her seemed to 'reignite his obsessive preoccupation with her', a friend said to the Los Angeles Times.

Harwick recently ran into Pursehouse at the XBiz adult-industry awards ceremony in downtown Los Angeles on January 16. She is seen walking the red carpet at the event hosted by porn star Stormy Daniels

Pursehouse (circled in red) was a photographer working the event and seeing her seemed to 'reignite his obsessive preoccupation with her', a friend told the Los Angeles Times

Following Harwick's death, her friend Diana Arias started an online petition on Monday seeking to eliminate expiration dates on restraining orders.

'Amie had a restraining order in place against a violent ex boyfriend she dated over a decade ago. The restraining order had expired before her untimely death,' the petition that raised over 36,000 signatures Wednesday said.

'In the last week of January 2020, this ex boyfriend attended an event, at which she was making an appearance, and continued his harassment of her. He began to stalk her thereafter and on late Valentine's night decided to attack her in her own home.

In 2014, Harwick published The New Sex Bible for Women: The Complete Guide to Sexual Self-Awareness and Intimacy

'This man clearly needed treatment, incarceration and/or punishment for years prior to this attack. She should have never been in this situation like so many other victims.'

The petition seeks to eliminate expiration dates on restraining orders and mandate long term counseling for stalkers and abusers.

Harwick was a well known sex and family therapist in the Hollywood area.

The former Playboy model received her degree in psychology from California Polytechnic University in Pomona, California and went on to earn a masters of arts in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University.

In 2015, Harwick appeared in the popular online documentary titled Addicted to Sexting.

She offered weekly therapy sessions at $200 per session, according to her site.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : If you thought the government is done with the Budget after presenting it, think again.

Now, the ruling Bharatiya Janata party lawmakers will go to every district of India - 732 in total, to talk about the "goodies" of the Union Budget. Each meeting will be attended by the local BJP MLA or a BJP leader along with a central representative of the party and an economic expert.

Kisan Rail and Kisan Udan will be the two issues prominently marketed in those meetings, say sources. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Aviation Ministry will launch the Krishi Udan scheme which is aimed at helping farmers in transporting agricultural products. The idea of the scheme is to improve their "value realisation".

Similarly, 'Kisan Rail' through the public-private-partnership (PPP) model for the cold supply chain to transport perishable goods was proposed. These vans, with a carrying capacity of 17 tonnes each for transportation of highly-perishable parcel traffic are aimed to help farmers earn more.

Both these proposals will be explained as "pro-farmer" moves by the Modi government.

Another point of focus for the BJP will be the small scale industry, which has been unhappy with the party ever since the GST implementation. Currently, MSMEs with a turnover of Rs 1 crore are required to be audited by an accountant. Sitharaman proposed to increase the level required for audit to Rs 5 crore. The BJP has reason to believe, once explained, many in the MSME sector will root for the Budget.

The fact that the Modi government has requested the Reserve Bank to extend the debt restructuring window for MSMEs by a year to March 31, 2021, will be strongly marketed in those meetings all across India, said a BJP source.

While the economic experts will explain the details in simpler, non-jargon language, the central representatives will use the events to project the "achievability" of a five trillion-dollar economy, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been harping on consistently.

From Members of Parliament to general secretaries -- all will be pressed into this massive exercise which will take place in each and every district of India.

However, the meetings will be by invitation only. Select businessmen, farmers, teachers and socially influential people in the concerned district will be invited to attend them.

So what was the need for it in the first place? BJP sources say many tend to "miss" the "benefits" of the Budget because of not reading newspapers. These meetings will fill in the void, the BJP source said.
SPRINGFIELD  A day before Gov. JB Pritzkers budget address, House Republican lawmakers called for another inclusive and bipartisan effort at adopting a state budget without new taxes.

Lets go back in time to last spring; through a bipartisan effort and agreements in both chambers, we were able to craft a balanced budget with no new taxes for fiscal year 2020, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin said Tuesday. That was a great and successful example of give-and-take negotiations.

Lawmakers approved a $40 billion budget last year with several demands from Republican lawmakers for pro-business reforms: tax incentives enticing data centers, eliminating reporting the retailers discount in the comptrollers tax expenditure report, eliminating the franchise tax, reinstating the manufacturers purchase credit and a Blue Collar Jobs Act to help attract large-scale projects.

Those priorities were added to the budget late in the legislative session after weeks of Republicans claiming their voices were not being heard by the Democratic governor.

We have learned by example when we work together in a bipartisan manner, we respect each others priorities, we can accomplish and have accomplished great things for our state, Durkin said. If that same willingness exists today, we can come back with the same result, a balanced budget that protects the citizens of Illinois with no new taxes, nor any tax increases.

New taxes passed on parking garages, cigarettes and gasoline last year  as well as increased drivers license and other fees  went to fund a multi-year capital infrastructure plan, not the states operating budget. That proposal had bipartisan support as well, including a vote from Durkin.

This year, Durkin said, the budget shouldnt depend on hypothetical revenues that could result if the governors signature proposal  a constitutional amendment creating a graduated-rate income tax structure charging higher rates on higher income earners  is voted into law in the November general election.

In last years budget address, Pritzker called the fiscal year 2020 budget a bridge to when greater revenues  an estimated $3.4 billion  become available from the graduated income tax.

We should discuss real money, not money that is based on hypotheticals or possibilities down the road, Durkin said. The issue at hand is what we have to deal with this fiscal year.

Deputy Minority Leader Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, said House appropriations committees worked last year to find budget saving. They can play the same role this year.

In the projected revenues for the state for next year, just in the three largest areas of personal income taxes, corporate income taxes, and sales taxes, we have projected growth of nearly a billion dollars in new revenue, thanks to a strong economic performance across the state the last year and continued growth that weve seen across the country, he said.

Rank-and-file members should be involved in how we allocate the new revenues that are a result of economic performance and growth and not the result of new tax increases, he said, adding new revenues can be combined with commonsense ways to reduce spending in government that seem at least to have bipartisan support right now.
Cardston, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - American Creek Resources Ltd. (TSXV: AMK) (the "Company" or "American Creek") is pleased to announce that further to its news release of January 20, 2020 it has now completed the acquisition of precious and base mineral undersurface rights relating to 45 Crown Grant claims commonly referred to as the "Glacier Creek Claims" located in the Stewart area, British Columbia, from a subsidiary of Strikepoint Gold Inc. (TSXV: SKP) ("Strikepoint"). In consideration for the Glacier Creek Claims, the Company paid Strikepoint $50,000, issued 3,000,000 common shares to Strikepoint, and granted Strikepoint a 0.5% NSR royalty over the Glacier Creek Claims, which NSR royalty may be purchased by the Company at any time for $500,000 cash. The shares issued in relation to this transaction are subject to a hold period expiring June 19, 2020, in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Glacier Creek Crown Grant claim package consists of claims that overlap a portion of the Company's present Dunwell property as well as extending beyond the current Dunwell property boundaries. The net effect being a significant expansion of the Dunwell project and associated mineral rights.

Darren Blaney, President & CEO of the Company, stated: "We are very pleased to be able to acquire this package of Crown Grants as it makes sense to amalgamate the claims into one property. This acquisition expands our Dunwell property considerably and provides for increased exploration potential as work is done in the immediate area hosting the historic Dunwell Mine as well as in the surrounding region. We believe that the Dunwell Mine and the multiple bonanza grade gold and silver showings within several kilometers of the mine are all related geologically and are part of a large underlying system."



Figure 1: Dunwell Mine Claims Outline

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/682/52608_9da93a9aa4ebf887_001full.jpg

For more information concerning the Dunwell Mine and a map including the Glacier Creek Claims please click here: https://americancreek.com/index.php/projects/dunwell-mine

About American Creek

American Creek is a Canadian junior mineral exploration company with a strong portfolio of gold and silver properties in British Columbia.

Three of those properties are located in the prolific "Golden Triangle"; the Treaty Creek and Electrum joint venture projects with Tudor Gold/Walter Storm as well as the 100% owned past producing Dunwell Mine.

A major drill program was conducted in 2019 at Treaty Creek by JV partner and operator Tudor Gold. The focus of the program was on the Goldstorm zone where drilling has produced very wide intercepts of gold including a 780 meter intercept of 0.683 g/t gold including a higher grade upper portion of 1.095 g/t over 370.5 meters.

The Treaty Creek Project is a Joint Venture with Tudor Gold owning 60% and acting as operator. American Creek and Teuton Resources each have 20% interests in the project. American Creek and Teuton are both fully carried until such time as a Production Notice is issued, at which time they are required to contribute their respective 20% share of development costs. Until such time, Tudor is required to fund all exploration and development costs while both American Creek and Teuton have "free rides".

A drill program was also recently concluded on the 100% owned Dunwell Mine property located near Stewart. Assay results are pending. For images from the program please click here: https://americancreek.com/index.php/media-page/gallery/category/21-dunwell

The Corporation also holds the Gold Hill, Austruck-Bonanza, Ample Goldmax, Silver Side, and Glitter King properties located in other prospective areas of the province.

For further information please contact Kelvin Burton at: Phone: 403 752-4040 or Email: info@americancreek.com. Information relating to the Company is available on its website at www.americancreek.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the Company's management discussion and analysis filed with applicable Canadian securities regulators, which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52608
It is, in its way, unfortunate that the term racist is so very blunt. It is a word of tremendous force and width.

Racist begins its journey somewhere around the BBC Parliament caption writer accidentally mis-captioning black MPs with each others names, and rides all the way up to and beyond the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

Partly, that explains its popularity. There is nothing worse a person can be than a racist.

To call someone a racist leaves a thrillingly salty taste in the mouth.

If a political opponent or public figure can be found to have made some poorly phrased comments at some point in the fairly distant past, they can be bludgeoned with the r word, and dragged by association, and with thrilling potency, to the very extreme end of its scale.

So when the rapper, Dave, reaching the conclusion of a stunning performance at the Brit awards, drops his pre-planned bomb, and says the prime ministers a real racist, the instant response of whoops of delight from the crowd speak to the thrill of the attack: the severity of the crime of which the prime minister has been accused.

But the use of the word also offers a way out. It is no surprise that it should take only seconds for those on the other side to say that of course Johnson is not a racist. The guys who killed Stephen Lawrence. They were racist. Its just some old newspaper columns.

If you actually READ the column about Muslim women looking like bankrobbers and letterboxes, youll see it was a DEFENCE of liberalism. (Yes, yes of course it was. And, if you actually read my absolutely glowing review of my local curry house, youll see there are scarcely any more than two very light-hearted jokes about the waiting staff, and they still kicked me off TripAdvisor. The worlds gone mad.)

Is Boris Johnson a racist? Has he actively discriminated against people of colour throughout the course of his life? Probably not. But has he contributed to the suffering and the general hardness of life on non-white people living in Britain? Absolutely yes. Without any shadow of a doubt.

Is it boring to have to bring up again, the columns about African children looking like flag-waving piccaninnies? About watermelon smiles? About even more egregious examples than that, describing a group of Ugandan children who once sang for him at a ceremony in Uganda as Aids-ridden choristers?

These quotes havent gone away because the new prime minister has declined two decades worth of opportunities to apologise for them.

Is Dominic Cummings a racist? Does he consider non-white people to be inferior? Almost certainly not, even after this weeks hideous descent into the world of eugenics.

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But he certainly had no problem producing Islamophobic lies about the UKs new border with Syria and Iraq during the 2016 referendum. Providing Islamophobes with the Islamophobic lies they needed to vote for Brexit was a core strategy of the Vote Leave campaign. Is that racist? Yes, it absolutely is.

It is also a somewhat delicious irony that, on stage at the Brit awards, the rapper Tyler, the Creator, dedicated his win to Theresa May after she prevented him from coming to the country five years ago, a matter of minutes before the government was about to launch its new salary-linked immigration scheme.

By way of background: in 2015, Theresa May used anti-terror legislation to prevent him from performing at Reading and Leeds festival, on the grounds that his music encourages violence and intolerance of homosexuality.

He has since made the point the songs in question were written from the point of an alter ego. That they were, you know, artistic works. No one has, as yet, banned James Bond movies because of the remarkable tendency of people within them to seek to blow up the world.

Still, Tyler has made it now so evidently the laws have been relaxed. And as Theresa May herself is now out on the public speaking circuit, we can only assume she is also ascribing her edgy early work, you know, the citizens of nowhere stuff to some sort of Theresa May act that she, Theresa May, was working on at the time.

Only trouble is, the old Theresa May, the actual prime minister one, was making a lot less money than the new one. And as Lorraine Kellys accountant will tell you, if youre going to start claiming that you spend half your life doing a slightly tweaked impression of yourself, it makes much more financial sense if the fictional you is the higher earner. Poor May  cursed again.

All of which leaves us precious little time to consider the governments new, Australian points-based immigration system, other than to point out it is nothing like the Australian one, which actually increases immigration, and isnt points-based at all, other than that you gain or lose points based on how much money you earn.

But an Australian style points-based immigration system is what the voters want, so its what were getting. It will mean that high-skilled, high earning, doctors and scientists and so on will be able to come to the UK, but it will spell, we are told, the end of unskilled cheap labour.

Because when the native population makes it clear at the ballot box not once but twice that theyve had enough of immigrants, what they obviously want is for the skilled jobs still to be taken by immigrants, but the unskilled, poorly paid ones to be saved for them.

Theyve had enough of them all, coming over here, cooking our food, waiting on our tables, cleaning our houses.

Its time those jobs were given back to their rightful owners, the British. From now on, the immigrants will have to know their place, which is flying our planes, running our universities, performing our complex surgical operations, and headlining our music festivals.

Thats what taking back control was always about. And anyone that tries to tell you otherwise, ignore them. They just think youre a racist.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 19)  The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has arrested and detained the Chinese national who previously went viral on the internet for spitting on a Manila police officer who apprehended him for a traffic violation.

The BI said on Wednesday's release that 50-year-old driver Zhou Zhiyi was arrested on Monday and is now detained in the bureau's detention facility in Bicutan, Taguig City.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said Zhou was arrested by the bureau's agents for violating immigration laws upon learning that the suspect was granted bail by the court.

'Overstaying'

BI chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. said Zhou will be charged for overstaying and for being an undesirable alien, all violations of the Philippine Immigration Act, apart from the spitting incident.

I immediately dispatched a team of operatives from our Intelligence Division to effect his immediate arrest so he could also be charged for violating our immigration laws, Manahan said.

Zhou was flagged down earlier this month by an officer of the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau for violating the number coding scheme.

He entered the Philippines as a tourist last November 11 and was admitted for only 30 days.

Last February 6, a footage of the Chinese national made the rounds on social media for trying to evade authorities who accosted him, even running over several vehicles, then spitting on the arm of a police officer after he was handcuffed. He had a female companion who was also arrested by the police.

Zhou was previously detained at the District Drug Enforcement Unit of the Manila Police District after a subsequent search of his car yielded a sachet of shabu and other drug paraphernalia.

Two days after the incident, Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso ordered authorities to determine from the BI the status of the Chinese national and have him declared as an undesirable alien.

"If they can do it in Manila, then they can do it in [other cities]. He is a danger to our community, Domagoso previously said.
2020 Democratic presidential candidates (clockwise from top left): Former Vice President Joe Biden; Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg; Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; and former South Bend, Ind. mayor Pete Buttigieg. Read more

The ninth Democratic presidential debate of the 2020 election cycle takes place Wednesday night with Bernie Sanders the clear frontrunner and Mike Bloomberg taking the stage for the first time.

Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, has surged out nationally in front of former Vice President Joe Biden after the partys first two contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls. But also picking up support nationally is Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman and former New York City mayor, who will make his first appearance on the debate stage.

Bloomberg was able to qualify for tonights debate thanks to the Democratic National Committees decision to change its rules for candidates, eliminating the need to garner a specific number of campaign contributions to quality. Bloomberg, who is worth an estimated $60 billion, has made it a point not to take campaign donations.

Other participants tonight include former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg, who currently holds a slim lead over Sanders in delegates, and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is trying to capitalize on her strong finish in New Hampshire. Like Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren will hope to turn around a faltering campaign after disappointing losses in the previous two contests.

Heres everything you need to know to watch or stream Wednesdays Democratic presidential debate:

What time does the debate start?

Wednesdays Democratic debate, the ninth of the 2020 election cycle, is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Eastern and last about two hours. Its cohosted by NBC News and the Nevada Independent, and will air live on NBC10 and MSNBC in Philadelphia.

The debate will stream live for free on NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, and the networks respective apps and social media accounts. It will also be available to watch on the Nevada Independents website.

Which candidates will appear?

Six candidates qualified for the debate. They are (in alphabetical order):

Joe Biden , former vice president and U.S. senator from Delaware

Mike Bloomberg , former mayor of New York City

Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Ind.

Amy Klobuchar , U.S. senator from Minnesota

Bernie Sanders , U.S. senator from Vermont

Elizabeth Warren, U.S. senator from Massachusetts

Why isnt Tom Steyer at the debate?

Tonights debate will trade out one billionaire for another.

Steyer, the wealthy hedge fund manager turned philanthropist, has been on the debate stage since October. But this time around, Steyer didnt qualify, after failing to win any pledged delegates or surpass the DNCs polling requirements.

Despite his absence Wednesday, Steyer still can quality for the next Democratic debate on Feb. 25 in South Carolina. To do so, hell either have to win a few delegates in the Nevada caucus or hit 10 percent in four national polls approved by the Democratic National Committee (or 12 percent in two South Carolina-specific polls) released between Feb. 4 and Feb. 24.

Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard also failed to quality for Wednesday debate. Despite her low finish in New Hampshires primary, Gabbard said as recently as last week that she hasnt discussed dropping out of race with her campaign staff.

Three more candidates drop out, including Andrew Yang, who now works for CNN

The New Hampshire primary proved the be the last stop for three long-shot Democratic presidential campaigns.

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick all ended their campaigns after failing to garner much support.

Yang, who entered the race with no previous political experience, developed something of a following thanks to his passionate support of a universal basic income. Unlike Bennet and Patrick, Yang qualified for all but one of the Democrats previous eight debates, and his campaign managed to raise more than $30 million  a surprisingly large sum for an outsider with no name recognition.

But Yang isnt going far. On Wednesday, CNN announced it hired Yang as a political commentator, and he will make his debut on the network tonight ahead of the debate.

Maybe Ill wear a tie, Yang joked on Twitter.

Yangs role on CNN might be short lived. Last week, he suggested in an interview with the New York Times that a run for mayor in New York City in 2021 was a possibility.

Certainly people have been reaching out with various questions about the future, which is invigorating. Were looking at different ways forward, Yang said.

Who is moderating the debate?

Wednesdays debate will feature five moderators:

Lester Holt, NBC Nightly News anchor

Chuck Todd , NBC News political director and Meet the Press moderator

Hallie Jackson, NBC News chief White House correspondent

Vanessa Hauc , Noticias Telemundom senior correspondent

Jon Ralston, The Nevada Independent editor

How many delegates do the Democratic candidates have?

Candidates need 1,991 delegates to secure the Democratic presidential nomination. After two contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, heres where things stand:

Pete Buttigieg: 22 delegates Bernie Sanders: 21 delegates Elizabeth Warren: 8 delegates Amy Klobuchar: 7 delegates Joe Biden: 6 delegates

How many more Democratic debates will there be?

The DNC has approved as many as 12 debates, though there may be fewer, depending on how the primary process plays out. Wednesdays debate will be the third of 2020, with two more scheduled over the next month: Tuesday, Feb. 25 in South Carolina, and Sunday, March 15 in Arizona.

To qualify for the Feb. 25 debate, there is no donor requirement, but candidates must reach at least one of two polling requirements in polls released between Feb. 4 and Feb. 24:

12 percent or more in two polls in either South Carolina

10 percent or more in four polls in either South Carolina or in national surveys

Candidates can also qualify by earning at least one pledged delegate in either the Iowa caucuses, New Hampshire primary, or the Nevada caucuses. So far, five candidates have already qualified for the Feb. 25 debate, according to the New York Times: Biden, Sanders Warren, Buttigieg, and Klobuchar.

Upcoming Democratic primaries and caucuses
Technavio has been monitoring the cosmetic skin care market and it is poised to grow by USD 45.48 bn during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of 6% 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/20200218005711/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Cosmetic Skin Care Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire)

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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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It's been a little more than two months since the recreational pot market opened for business in Michigan on Dec. 1, 2019. During its first month, the state reported sales of nearly $7 million and in January that rose by 40% to $9.8 million. Medical marijuana revenue also increased, from $24.9 million to $25.2 million.

Flower products dominated sales, making up nearly half of the state's total recreational pot revenue. Vape cartridge sales totaled $2.5 million in January and accounted for about 26% of all sales. That's up from December when vape cartridges had a 23% share of revenue.

The Marijuana Regulatory Agency approved 24 recreational marijuana licenses in January, down from the 32 it approved in the previous month. With around 10 million people, Michigan is the third-largest state to have legalized recreational marijuana, behind Illinois and California.

One cannabis producer looks to get in on the emerging opportunity

Harvest Health & Recreation (OTC:HRVSF) announced in January that it would enter a strategic relationship with the Harvest of Battle Creek, which has a provisioning center in Michigan. The dispensary will use Harvest Health's name and the two companies will work together on training employees and developing procedures.

Harvest Health CEO Steve White is optimistic about the deal and what's ahead in Michigan: "We're thrilled for this relationship to build our presence in Michigan at such an exciting time for the state's burgeoning medical marijuana market. With the recent start of recreational sales, Harvest is in a prime position to contribute to the market's growth and success."

Over the past 12 months, the marijuana stock has generated more than $66 million in revenue.
Apollo Tyres Ltd is quoting at Rs 150.85, down 0.33% on the day as on 13:24 IST on the NSE. The stock tumbled 27.86% in last one year as compared to a 12.77% rally in NIFTY and a 5.44% fall in the Nifty Auto index.

Apollo Tyres Ltd dropped for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 150.85, down 0.33% on the day as on 13:24 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.95% on the day, quoting at 12105.9. The Sensex is at 41254.94, up 0.88%.Apollo Tyres Ltd has lost around 13.3% in last one month.Meanwhile, Nifty Auto index of which Apollo Tyres Ltd is a constituent, has eased around 8.06% in last one month and is currently quoting at 7692.3, down 0.16% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 28.76 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 26.85 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark February futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 151.2, down 0.56% on the day. Apollo Tyres Ltd tumbled 27.86% in last one year as compared to a 12.77% rally in NIFTY and a 5.44% fall in the Nifty Auto index.

The PE of the stock is 15.39 based on TTM earnings ending December 19.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Merck Foundation discussed their healthcare development and women empowerment programs with The First Lady of Angola; Merck Foundation met the Minister of Health of Angola to discuss their healthcare capacity building program.

Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany underscored their long-term commitment to build healthcare capacity and empower women during a high-level meeting held between Merck Foundation CEO, Dr. Rasha Kelej and The First Lady of Angola, H.E. ANA DIAS LOURENCO.

Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation explained, It gave me a great honor to meet the First Lady of Angola, H.E. ANA DIAS LOURENCO last week to discuss with them the long-term partnership to empower women and girls in education. I was very inspired with the passion the First Lady has to motivate and empower girls to complete their education and reach their potential. I am looking forward to work closely with her to tailor our program Educating Linda for Angola.

H.E. ANA DIAS LOURENCO, The First Lady of Angola shared It is great initiative by Merck Foundation to empower women by improving their access to information, knowledge and through capacity building. We welcome the initiatives for Merck Foundation to our country.

Moreover, I had a fruitful discussion with the Minister of Health of Angola, Hon. Dr Silvia Lutucuta to kickoff partnership between Merck Foundation and Ministry of Health with the aim to provide specialty training in the fields of Cancer care, Fertility care and Diabetes care across Angola.

We are excited to partner with Merck Foundation and are happy with their strong commitment and will provide all the required support for the efficient execution of their programs in the country said Hon. Dr Silvia Lutucuta.

Dr. Rasha Kelej also visited Agostinho Neto University in Luanda and met Prof. Nicolau Santos, Dean, School of Medicine along with his academic staff and Medical Undergraduate and Post graduates students to explore their challenges and needs to improve access to equitable and quality healthcare solutions in Angola.

I am happy and excited to announce to them the first on line diabetes management master program in Portuguese Language which is specially developed for African Portuguese speaking countries Angola and Mozambique. Merck Foundation is making history again. I am so proud of our work and impact in Africa concluded Dr. Rasha Kelej.

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A man cycles past city buses (back L) lined up to transport the first batch of passengers disembarking from the Diamond Princess cruise ship at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama on Feb. 19, 2020. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

Japan and South Korea Report Big Jump in Novel Coronavirus Cases

The Novel Coronavirus crisis has deepened in both Japan and South Korea, after both countries reported a large number of new confirmed cases of the virus on Feb. 19.

Japans Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare said that 79 cases were confirmed after testing 607 people aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess, which sees its 14-day quarantine at Yokohama end today.

Of the 79 cases, 68 do not have symptoms of the virus.

The ministry added that there are now 621 known cases on the ship, after testing a total of 3,011 passengers and crew.

The Wednesday announcement came after the ministry announced 99 new cases on Monday and 88 new cases on Tuesday.

People who have tested negative for the virus began disembarking the cruise ship on Wednesday. Local outlet NHK reported that about 500 people are due to leave the ship today.

Japans Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Tuesday the disembarking process will take about three days.

Meanwhile, South Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 20 new cases of the virus on Wednesday, raising the countrys total from 31 to 51.

Of the new cases, the KCDC said that 15 are contacts of the 31st coronavirus case in the countrya 61-year-old South Korean woman who lives in Daegu, a city in North Gyeongsang province, 185 miles southeast of Seoul. The woman tested positive on Tuesday.

Fourteen of the 15 attend the same church as the woman, and the other one had contact with the woman at a hospital.

A further epidemiological investigation at the church is underway to determine who was the source of the infection and what the pathway was, KCDC Director Jung Eun-kyeong said in a briefing, according to The Korea Times.

Also among the new cases in South Korea is an 11-year-old girl, who is the daughter of the countrys 20th case, a 41-year-old Korean woman who tested positive on Feb. 5 while in self-quarantine.

Another case involves a 77-year-old man from Seoul who had not traveled outside South Korea recently.

Also on Wednesday a South Korean government plane returned from Japan with seven evacueessix South Koreans and a Japanese spousewho were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, according to national broadcaster KBS.

The evacuees are set to undergo isolation in South Korea for 14 days at Incheon International Airports quarantine office.
THE head of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) legal division was shot dead Wednesday, February 19, in Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila.

Fredric Anthony Santos, who was among the BuCor officials invited to appear before the Senate during its investigation on the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) mess, sustained a gunshot wound to the head. He died instantly.

Muntinlupa police said Santos was in his vehicle waiting for his child in front of the Southernside Montessori School on Katihan Street, Barangay Poblacion when two unidentified men attacked him at around 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Santos was cited in contempt in September 2019 and detained at the Senate for being evasive along with two other BuCor officials, NBP Hospital doctor Ursicio Cenas and Inmate Document Processing Division chief Ramoncito Roque.

Read: Senate cites 3 BuCor officials in contempt

Santos was later ordered suspended for six months by the Office of the Ombudsman pending the conduct of an investigation.

The GCTA scheme, which reduces the jail sentence of a convict based on good behavior, drew widespread criticism in 2019 after former Calauan mayor Antonio Sanchez was reported to have been granted freedom.

Sanchez was convicted along with eight others for the rape-slay of University of the Philippines Los Banos student Eileen Sarmenta and the killing of her friend Allan Gomez in 1993.

The Senate hearing exposed the massive corruption at the BuCor and at the New Bilibid Prison.

It also morphed into an investigation on ninja cops, or policemen who sell illegal drugs that were confiscated during legitimate police operations.

An alleged collusion between some NBP prisoners and ninja cops was also revealed during the hearing. (SunStar Philippines)
A new study based on an assessment of nearly 867 Indian species says bird species are in an overall decline.

New Delhi, India  A new study claims that Indias bird population has seen a sharp decline in the past two decades and in some cases, the drop is even catastrophic.

This assessment of nearly 867 Indian species makes it very clear that our birds are in overall decline, in some cases catastrophically so, according to the report released on Monday during the continuing United Nations 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, in the western state of Gujarat.

Many more species show a downward trend than an upward trend, it said.

The study called State of Indias Birds 2020, put together by nearly a dozen institutions and numerous citizen scientists, is the first comprehensive assessment of the distribution range, trends in abundance and conservation status for most of the bird species in India.

The data for these birds were collected through the citizen science app eBird  a global crowdsourced database that has real-time data on the distribution and abundance of birds  which received a record 10 million entries by approximately 15,500 citizen scientists and professional birdwatchers.

Vulture population crashed

The report said the assessment was based on three indices; two are indices of change in abundance, long-term trend (ie over 25+ years) and current annual trend (ie over the past five years); and the third is a measure of distribution range size.

It claims that more than 100 species of birds exhibit a decline in the long and short terms, raising their threat of extinction.

Using these three indices together with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, each species was classified into categories of conservation concern for India: 442 into low concern, 319 into moderate concern and 101 into high concern, the report states.

Of the 261 species for which long-term trends could be determined, the report said, 52 percent have declined since the year 2000, with 22 percent declining strongly.

Species that have suffered the highest declines include white-rumped vulture, Richards pipit, Indian vulture, large-billed leaf warbler, Pacific golden plover and curlew sandpiper.

The report states that since the 1990s, the populations of several species of vultures have crashed.

During this time, bustards and other specialist grassland birds have also experienced clear declines and some species that are popular in the bird trade, such as the green munia, are at dangerously low abundance, it said.

A wake-up call

Suhel Quader, a scientist with Nature Conservation Foundation, which took part in the study, told Al Jazeera that the aim of the study was to assess the overall health of Indias birds.

He said that in the absence of an information base, people used to imagine that everything was fine. This (study) is a wake-up call for everyone that things are not fine and we really need to act, Quader said.

Now, we have the database to track the status of our bird population more or less year on year. So we have, in a sense, an early warning system to understand the changes in bird numbers.

Birdwatchers say the report is alarming and needs to be taken seriously.

This is empirical data. This is not some conjecture that people have, said Misha Bansal, a bird watcher. The study needs to be taken very seriously.

The report said that the conservation action must be taken immediately to identify causes of decline and implement measures to halt and reverse the trend for these species.

These species must be carefully monitored to rapidly detect and act upon signs of continuing decline, it said.

Pankaj Gupta, another bird watcher and member of the Delhi Bird Foundation, urged the government to protect bird habitats.

Unless they will protect the habitat, nothing much can be done. The government has to make more national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and protect as much as they can, he said.

With too much pressure of development, environment takes a back seat, he said.

In encouraging news from the study, a total of 126 species of the 867 assessed, including the house sparrow, Indian peafowl, Asian koel, rose-ringed parakeet and common tailorbird, appear to be stable or increasing in the long term.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Iowa.

Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Sanders split with AOC at a CNN town hall on Tuesday night, saying his signature Medicare for All plan was already a compromise.

AOC said last week that passing a softer version of the plan would still be a significant progressive achievement.

"But my view is that Medicare for All, the bill that we wrote, is in a sense already a compromise. It is a four-year transition period," Sanders said.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Sen. Bernie Sanders split with one of his top campaign surrogates on Medicare for All on Tuesday night. He said his signature plan to enroll everyone in the US under a government-run health insurance system was already a compromise.

At a CNN town hall, Sanders distanced himself from Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said last week that passing a watered-down version of the legislation would be still represent a significant progressive achievement.

Asked about Ocasio-Cortez's comments, the Vermont senator initially praised the freshman congresswoman's achievements in her first year in the House. But he disputed her assessment of the plan.

"But my view is that Medicare for All, the bill that we wrote, is in a sense already a compromise. It is a four-year transition period," he said.

In the Huffington Post interview, Ocasio-Cortez acknowledged the uphill struggle to pass legislation that would virtually eliminate the private insurance industry and reconfigure almost a fifth of the American economy.

The New York congresswoman said a president "can't wave a magic wand and pass any legislation they want."

"The worst-case scenario? We compromise deeply and we end up getting a public option. Is that a nightmare? I don't think so," she said.

Much of Sanders' $50 trillion platform, which includes the Green New Deal and a plan to wipe out $1.6 trillion of student debt held by millions of Americans, would likely face significant barriers in Congress.

He's recently weighed dozens of executive orders on healthcare, the environment, and immigration meant to bypass a gridlocked Congress.

Read the original article on Business Insider
OTTAWA - Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne wrapped two days of meetings at a summit with Caribbean leaders saying he's confident he was campaigning among "family" for support for Canada's election to the United Nations Security Council.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois-Philippe Champagne speaks to reporters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne wrapped two days of meetings at the Caribbean heads of government summit confident that he was campaigning among "family" for support for Canada's election to the United Nations Security Council. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne wrapped two days of meetings at a summit with Caribbean leaders saying he's confident he was campaigning among "family" for support for Canada's election to the United Nations Security Council.

Champagne replaced Justin Trudeau at the Barbados event because the prime minister chose to stay in Canada to address ongoing protests over Indigenous land rights and a B.C. pipeline.

Champagne told reporters in a conference call on Tuesday that his hosts would have preferred to see Trudeau but the close ties between Caribbean countries and Canada stood him in good stead as he pressed for support.

Canada is competing against Norway and Ireland for two temporary seats up for grabs at the UN's most powerful body.

The secret ballot occurs in June for a two-year term starting in 2021, and while winning political promises is key, there is no guarantee those will transform into actual votes.

Champagne accompanied Trudeau on his recent trip to Africa and a German security summit where they were campaigning for support.

"I leave Bridgetown with a renewed sense of commitment towards the Caribbean. As many of them have said, this is family," said Champagne.

Many of the leaders of the 15-country bloc known as the Caribbean Community or Caricom have personal connections with Canada, including studying here, he said.

They also view Canada as a strong candidate to "amplify" their regional interests when it comes to climate change and economic issues, he said.

Canada will need at least 128 votes in the 190-plus UN General Assembly but it faces tough competition from both Norway and Ireland, which both spend more on foreign aid and peacekeeping.

Africa is a key bloc with 54 voting countries. Trudeau's recent trip to Ethiopia and Senegal was meant to address a perception that Canada had forgotten about the fast-growing continent in recent years.

But Canada is campaigning from a stronger position in the Caribbean, said Adam Chapnick, a Royal Military College professor and author of the new book "Canada on the United Nations Security Council: A Small Power on a Large Stage."

"As for Champagne and Caricom, I can say that some states will likely be disappointed that the PM cancelled his personal appearance. That said, Caricom, as a whole, has typically been a consistent supporter of ours and I'm not sure what Ireland and Norway would have to offer them to change this," said Chapnick.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2020.
One man is dead after crashing into the parking lot of Lutheran High School on the far Northwest Side late Tuesday.

Police said the man  identified as 21-year-old Abdullah Alghurabi  was driving his black Mustang at a high rate of speed near Babcock Road and Camp Bullis Road just after 11 p.m. when he lost control of the vehicle, hitting a tree. The Mustang went airborne after hitting a curb and rolled into the high school's parking lot, where it came to a stop after crashing into a parked van, officials at the scene said.
Attorneys have one week to file written arguments to the state Supreme Court on why justices should provide a ruling on the gag order appeal now that Fotis Dulos had died.

Defense attorney Norm Pattis filed an appeal in October, seeking a state Supreme Court ruling on the gag order imposed by Stamford Superior Court Judge John Blawie in the criminal cases against his client.

The order has banned police, attorneys and witnesses involved in the investigation into the death and disappearance of Jennifer Dulos from speaking publicly about the case. Pattis argued the order prohibited him from adequately defending his client from the charges filed against him.

The case was argued before the state Supreme Court in December  about three weeks before Fotis Dulos was charged with the murder of his estranged wife.

As he faced murder, felony murder, first-degree kidnapping, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution charges, Fotis Dulos died from an apparent suicide on Jan. 30.

In a brief order filed Tuesday, the state Supreme Court is asking attorneys involved in the appeal, including Pattis and Robert Schienblum, who represented the chief states attorneys appellate unit, to file a memo not to exceed five pages addressing why the appeal should not be dismissed because the defendant has died.

The attorneys have until Feb. 25 to file the memoranda.

The issue is far from moot, Pattis said Wednesday. In fact, one could argue the gag order increased Mr. Dulos sense of despair.

The chief states attorneys appellate unit went along with the appeal in the hopes that the justices would set precedent for future gag orders, which are rare in Connecticut criminal courts.

Our appellate courts have yet to address the appropriate legal standard for imposing a gag order; accordingly, hearing this appeal would provide guidance to the trial bench on the law that applies, Scheinblum wrote in court documents filed last year.

Scheinblum, however, argued against lifting the order in a brief filed with the high court and during oral arguments in December.

Pattis argued that his clients right to a fair trial was being impeded since he was not able to present his defense tactics to the public or respond to comments on evidence from reporters.

Pattis contended that the order favored Richard Colangelo, the lead prosecutor in the case, since arrest warrants detailing police beliefs of how the disappearance and death occurred were public documents.

Colangelo sought the gag order in September after Pattis floated theories to the media that Jennifer Dulos may have disappeared like the main character in the novel Gone Girl, to get back at her estranged husband as the two were involved in an acrimonious two-year divorce.

Blawie wrote in his order that pervasive information or misinformation in the social media age could prevent a fair trial in this type of high-profile case.

The disappearance of Jennifer Dulos and the subsequent charges levied against Fotis Dulos and his former girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, have drawn international media interest.

The 35-page warrant for his arrest on murder charges details the exhaustive investigation into the disappearance and likely death of Jennifer Dulos at the hands of her estranged husband. Police believe Fotis Dulos drove an employees pickup truck to New Canaan the morning of May 24 and left the vehicle at a park near the home Jennifer Dulos had rented after leaving her husband in 2017, the warrants state.

Evidence listed in the warrant suggests that Fotis Dulos rode a bicycle to her house and was lying in wait when she arrived home after dropping off their children at school. He also used zip ties, which were later found stained with her blood, according to arrest warrants. Jennifer Dulos suffered injuries that the states Chief Medical Examiner James Gill called non-survivable without medical intervention.

Gills conclusions were based on blood splatter found in her garage and bloodstained items found a week later in trash bags that Fotis Dulos and Troconis had dumped along a busy street in Hartford that night, the warrants state.

The body of Jennifer Dulos has not been found. The arrest warrants served Jan. 7 on Fotis Dulos, Troconis and attorney Kent Mawhinney, a longtime friend, were the first time police publicly indicated that they believe Jennifer Dulos is dead.
Observing that it is not right to



deprive access of a child to his/her grandparents, the Bombay High Court directed a Mumbai-based woman to let her 10-year- old son meet her former in-laws once a week.

A division bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and B P Colabawalla earlier this week rejected a petition filed by the woman challenging a family court order, which directed her to let her late husband's parents meet their grandson once a week, or as and when they come to Mumbai from Delhi.

The woman, who has now remarried, in her petition claimed that when she was married to her late husband, she was not treated well by her in-laws. She also said her son has never met his grandparents since his birth.

The bench, however, refused to accept this argument.

"The reason given by the appellant (woman) that she was not treated well by her in-laws cannot be a ground to deprive access of the child to his grandparents. If the boy has not met his grandparents till date, it is the appellant who is responsible for it," the court said.

The boy was born in December 2009. His father died in February 2010. The boy's mother then started living with her parents and later remarried.

The woman's former in-laws approached the family court seeking access to their grandchild.

In June 2014, the family court allowed the grandparents to meet the boy whenever they visit Mumbai.

However, the woman did not comply with the order following which the grandparents re-approached the family court seeking execution of its 2014 order.

The family court, in its order last month, directed the woman to allow the grandparents to meet the child in the court premises every Saturday, and warned that if she fails to do so, a fine of Rs 5,000 would be imposed on her.

The woman then approached the high court.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
David Morrissey meets a family in Cairo  Pedro Costa Gomes

Weve all seen stories on the news about refugees. They speak of devastation, unthinkable journeys and horrifying loss.

Im an actor, so my job is to imagine other peoples lives - but sometimes even I have to ask myself: if this was me, how would I cope? The plight of many of the refugees I meet is simply unimaginable to me.

In the past few years, Ive also worked as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Ive met people who crossed the sea to Greece in leaky dinghies, or got trapped in limbo in refugee camps in Jordan. In Lebanon some ended up living in underground shelters, many with new born babies and elderly grandparents.

At the end of last year, I travelled to Egypt, where I met refugees from Syria. Across the region, UNHCR estimates that a staggering 3.12 million displaced Syrians need urgent support this winter. Camps in Iraq see temperatures plunge, while many settlements in Lebanon face snowstorms and flooding. These storms and high winds can be terrifying for families huddling together in tents and shelters.

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador David Morrissey visits Cairo  Pedro Costa Gomes

David Morrissey meets refugees in Cairo on his latest trip with UNHCR  Pedro Costa Gomes

David Morrissey visits Cairo with UNHCR  Pedro Costa Gomes

In Cairo, I met Mohammed and his wife Muna who fled Syria. Muna lost a leg when a shell hit their house in Damascus in 2015. Shrapnel wounded Mohammed in the back.

They both live with pain and can no longer work. So their son Omran, who is 14, has spent the last four years supporting them. He works as a delivery boy in Cairo, pulling 11-hour shifts six days a week.

Thats what war can do: rob a wife of a limb, a husband of his livelihood and a son of his childhood.

But there is hope. The family has been given a second chance  helped by UNHCR to resettle in the UK with support from the British government. In January, they will start a new life in Ayrshire.

It wont be easy. Their English is limited and they will need to start over without the support of friends or extended family. But Ive seen first hand how welcoming we Brits can be and how eager refugees are to give back in return. Many open their own businesses, creating valuable local employment.

There are over 70 million forcibly displaced people around the world and that number has surged in the last few years due to conflict, instability and climate change. Thats why we need to keep taking action to help. Every one of us has a role to play, a voice to raise. So, this new year, make your resolution to take action, no matter how small.

This Winter, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has launched the BelowZero campaign to help displaced families survive bitterly cold conditions in camps and settlements.

Public support will help families access essential relief items such as high-thermal blankets, plastic sheets and warm clothing, as well as kits to help with repairing and waterproofing refugee shelters.

To support UNHCRs Winter Appeal for refugees, visit www.unhcr.org/belowzero

This article was orignally published in The Liverpool Echo.
Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian oil workers and oil giant Petrobras are locked in a power struggle over the company's privatisation plans, with the union saying thousands of employees are on an indefinite strike.

The Unified Federation of Oil Workers said 21,000 employees in 13 states have joined the strike since it kicked off on February 1 - about 60 per cent of the company's workforce.

Petrobras, contacted did not confirm those numbers.

Oil workers march against layoffs at the state oil company Petrobras in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday. Credit:AP

A few hundred people gathered on Tuesday afternoon, local time, outside the headquarters of state-controlled Petrobras in Rio de Janeiro, waving flags and protesting against recent layoffs in the state of Parana.
The high-level committee formed by the union home ministry on Clause 6 of Assam Accord has completed its report and is waiting to hand it over to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Three members of the 14-member committee formed in July last year declined comment on the nature of recommendations but emphasized that the report is yet to be submitted.

Theres no truth in reports that we have handed over the report to Assam chief secretary. Lot of media speculation is on, but we are yet to formally submit it, said the chairman of the committee Justice (Retd.) Biplab Kumar Sharma.

Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, signed in 1985, between the representatives of the All Assam Students Union, the Assam state government and the government of India reads: Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.

Various news reports say that the committee has fixed 1951 as the cut of date to define Assamese people and also suggested the introduction of inner line permit (ILP) in the state.

The committee completed its report on February 10, five days ahead of the completion of its tenure.

During his visit to Assam earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured that the Centre would implement the recommendations of the committee without delay.

We have already written to the Centre that the report is ready and they can collect it by whatever means suitable, said Sharma.

Two other committee members also confirmed on condition of anonymity that the committee has completed its report and us now waiting to hand it over to Shah.

Formed 34 years after signing of the Assam Accord, the committee has the task of recommending steps to achieve the objectives laid down in Clause 6.

The committees suggestions would include number of seats to be reserved in elected bodies for Assamese people, steps to protect and promote Assamese and other indigenous languages and reservation in government jobs.

Chairman of the committee has already written three letters to union home ministry intimating them about completion of our task. It is now for the Centre and Assam government to decide what step they will take now, Samujjal Bhattacharya, chief adviser of All Assam Students Union (AASU), one of the members of the committee, told reporters on Wednesday.

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LAS VEGAS - Terry Reece has long been skeptical that voters would back Bernie Sanders, a 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist who is just months removed from a heart attack. Then the Vermont senator essentially tied for first place in the Democratic Party's Iowa caucuses and won its New Hampshire primary.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign event at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

LAS VEGAS - Terry Reece has long been skeptical that voters would back Bernie Sanders, a 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist who is just months removed from a heart attack. Then the Vermont senator essentially tied for first place in the Democratic Party's Iowa caucuses and won its New Hampshire primary.

That forced Reece to rethink his assumptions about who can win the nomination. After months of leaning toward former Vice-President Joe Biden, Reece filled out a preference card for Sanders during early voting this week in the Nevada caucuses.

"I think that people are kind of wanting to turn the pages and get more radical, or switch from the status quo," said Reece, a 62-year-old African American who owns a small media company in Las Vegas.

That's exactly the sentiment Sanders is counting on to carry him to victory in the battle to take on President Donald Trump. Since the early days of Sanders' second presidential campaign, he and his supporters have sought to allay concerns that he's a fringe candidate whose call for political revolution would doom the party to another humiliating defeat. The strong showing in Iowa and New Hampshire gives him fresh evidence to make that case.

"The reason that we are going to win here in Nevada, with your help, the reason that we are going to win the Democratic nomination, with your help, the reason we are going to beat Trump is we have an agenda that speaks to the needs of working families, not the billionaire class," Sanders told a crowd at the University of Nevada Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Sanders faces high expectations in Nevada, which formally holds its Democratic presidential caucuses on Saturday. He has a strong organization and has generated enthusiasm among younger and Latino voters. But there are plenty of hurdles that could dent his confidence in the weeks ahead.

Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg is expected to use his debate stage premiere on Wednesday to attack Sanders' broad call for economic and political revolution as unworkable and too liberal for more mainstream voters who simply want to defeat Trump. Sanders hasn't fully united the party's liberal wing and was denied the most coveted union endorsement in Nevada. His trademark "Medicare for All" proposal could unnerve voters in both major political parties who worry about higher taxes and the loss of private health insurance.

And while Sanders has notched a win, he has yet to post a commanding victory. Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, essentially tied with Sanders in Iowa and finished closely behind him in New Hampshire, a state the senator won by more than 20 percentage points in 2016.

Campaigning in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Buttigieg again raised questions about whether Sanders could unify the party against Trump.

"Sen. Sanders, I think, speaks to a lot of ideals that we all share," Buttigieg said. "But right now we need to make sure we're drawing as many people as we can into our coalition. And if the message goes out, Your choices are you either need to be for a revolution or you must be for the status quo, I don't think most of us see ourselves in that picture."

But as the Democratic contest unfolds, many voters may see a win as a win and make their decisions accordingly, said Tim Miller, a former strategist with Jeb Bush's failed Republican presidential campaign in 2016.

"Voters want a winner," Miller said. "Voters want someone who can win in November, and there is a sheen that comes from winning primaries."

Miller is one of several analysts in both parties who see parallels between the Republican contest in 2016 and this year's Democratic primary. In both cases, a party outsider held a grip on a tight group of supporters while a bevy of centrists split the vote against him. As Trump kept scoring victories in the 2016 primaries, he eventually won backing from GOP voters who might not have liked him but were focused on defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The question for Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, is whether the party will similarly warm to him if he can pile up more victories. For now, much of the Democratic establishment thinks it's impossible for him to win the presidency during a growing economy. Some House Democrats are openly expressing concern that a Sanders nomination could cost the party control of that chamber.

Miller said that argument may not resonate with Democratic voters who, like Trump supporters, are increasingly skeptical of political institutions.

"A lot of voters have lost confidence in their ability to predict who will win," he said.

Sanders could have a challenging time finding a winning path against Trump. He is poorly positioned in the perennial swing state of Florida, with its older voters and population of Cuban immigrants, many of whom have a visceral dislike of socialism. It's unlikely that Sanders could flip growing Sun Belt states like Arizona, Georgia or Texas, because a Democratic victory in those places depends on both motivating the states' expanding minority populations and converting moderate white Republicans.

That leaves Sanders' clearest path through the trio of Rust Belt states that gave Trump his 2016 victory  Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Notably, Sanders has proposed banning fracking, which could be a liability in Pennsylvania, where the drilling process is a key part of the state's economy.

But Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser to Sanders, said the senator has routinely been underestimated by election handicappers.

"This electability thing has been greatly overblown by candidates who had a more traditional approach but haven't proved that electable," Weaver said. "I do think the American people are hungry for someone who will take on the political and economic elite."

Weaver said Sanders wins about one-quarter of Republicans in his home state in Vermont and noted that he won 23 states in the long 2016 Democratic primary against Clinton. He identified rural Western states like Montana and the Dakotas as places a Sanders campaign could contest in the general election, and added that Democratic gubernatorial candidates in the key Rust Belt states of Michigan and Wisconsin asked Sanders to campaign for them in 2016.

"Some of the moderates say, Weve seen the polls and we want Bernie Sanders here in the general election,'" Weaver said.

Still, Sanders seems to be retooling his stump speech in ways that might ease concerns from some moderates. As he campaigned in Nevada over the past several days, he didn't call for political revolution or mention democratic socialism.

And when he attacks his rivals, Sanders is focusing less on ideological purity and more on what it will take to beat Trump.

"In order to win in November, we are going to need a multi-generational, multiracial campaign of energy and excitement that creates the highest voter turnout in American history," he said at the Clark County Democratic Party dinner on Saturday.

Then he turned to Bloomberg, the billionaire who is emerging as a centrist foil to Sanders.

"The simple truth is Mayor Bloomberg, with all of his money, will not create the sort of energy and excitement to have the voter turnout we must have to defeat Donald Trump," Sanders said.

That's resonating among his supporters. Jeanette Kano, an information technology worker in Las Vegas, knows plenty of Trump Republicans from growing up in Kansas.

"They say they would have voted for Bernie," she said.

She thinks Sanders can peel that sort of voter from the president.

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Margaret Hines, a writer and artist in Reno, voted for Clinton in the 2016 primary but backs Sanders this time precisely because of the significant changes he's proposed.

"I don't think vanilla is going to do it this time," she said.

___

Associated Press writers Jonathan J. Cooper in Las Vegas and Scott Sonner in Reno, Nev., contributed to this report.

___

Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, "Ground Game."
Stephen Brewer has stepped down as managing director of Magnet Networks

TELECOMS veteran Stephen Brewer has stepped down as managing director of Magnet Networks, the Irish Independent has learned.

He has taken on a new role at the telecoms company, focusing on the development of smart building technology, said Magnet. Mr Brewer - the former boss of Eircell, the mobile unit of Telecom Eireann before it was sold to Vodafone - has headed Magnet since 2018.

The Irish company is owned by US-based Columbia Ventures Corporation (CVC), which is controlled by Ken Peterson.

CVC vice-chairman Dave Brewer, no relation to Stephen Brewer, has assumed the role of interim managing director at Magnet Networks.

He has taken control of operational strategy and will lead the hunt for a new managing director.

Magnet recently sold its majority share in UK-based Velocity1 to Quintain.

Mr Brewer said he sees "smart real estate" as the next marketplace for Magnet.
NEW HAVEN  A second states cooperating witness Wednesday testified he saw defendant Christopher Gutta Calhoun fatally shoot Isaiah King Gantt during a dispute over drug-dealing at Church Street South nine years ago.

The witness, who entered into a cooperation agreement with prosecutors in which he pledged to testify truthfully, said Calhoun was like an older brother to me. The witness said Gantt was also a close friend of his.

Calhoun, now 28, is charged with murder in the death of Gantt, 23, at the then sprawling housing complex on April 20, 2011. The witness who testified Wednesday was in prison in April 2016 when he contacted police to say he could identify the shooter in the then-cold case. The other cooperating witness, who testified last week, contacted police in February 2017.

The witness who testified Wednesday said he had lived in Church Street South for his entire life, except when he was in prison. He said he had known Calhoun for about 17 years, since I was 7 or 8 years old.

When Senior Assistant States Attorney Seth Garbarsky asked the witness to identify Calhoun, he pointed to the defendant and said, Hes wearing a blue suit and a white shirt. Calhoun, seated between his two attorneys, has been held in lieu of $2 million bail since he was arrested in July 2018.

The witness acknowledged he had sold drugs at the housing complex, along with his friends, who included Calhoun and Gantt. The witness said he sold crack cocaine.

Under Garbarskys questioning, the witness said that on the night of the homicide, Gantt was angry and shouting at the other dealers, including the witness and Calhoun. He said we were taking (his drug) customers.

The witness said Calhoun then told him to go home but the witness said he didnt comply. I was being nosy. I wanted to see what was going to happen. He said he ducked into an alleyway where he could see Gantt and Calhoun.

Words were being exchanged back and forth between King and the defendant, he said. King was brushing him off. He was more concerned about his phone conversation.

About a minute later, the witness said, Gantt turned around.

What happened next? Garbarsky asked.

He shot him, the witness replied.

Who did? Garbarsky asked.

The defendant, the witness said.

The witness said he heard up to four shots and ran off. He testified he could see both men clearly when the shooting occurred. He said he was about 15 feet away from Calhoun as he was allegedly firing.

A couple of days later, the witness added, Calhoun told him he had shot Gantt. He said they had words and he shot him. The defendant said King tightened up, the witness testified.

According to the witness, Calhoun said he shot Gantt in the head and back. This is consistent with medical testimony in the trial.

Asked about the weapon, the witness said it was a silver revolver with a brown handle, a .22 caliber. This also is consistent with forensic testimony that four .22 caliber bullets were removed from Gantts body during the autopsy. The gun has not been found.

The witness said that three months after he contacted police to report he knew who had killed Gantt, New Haven police detectives interviewed him and showed him an array of photos. He recalled picking out Calhouns photo. When Garbarsky asked why he had written 100 percent on Calhouns photo, the witness said it was because he was 100 percent sure that Calhoun was the shooter.

The witness confirmed he testified about the homicide in a grand jury hearing in December 2017. The day after that, he said, he wrote a letter to the office of the New Haven states attorney, asking if he could get his prison sentence modified. At that time he had a couple of months left to serve. But he said his request was rejected and he served out the remainder of his sentence.

However, he said he was placed in a witness protection program for three months, starting in February 2018. He said he was put in a hotel for about a month and had expenses such as food, housing and bus transportation paid for by the state.

Under cross-examination by defense attorney Tara Knight, the witness acknowledged he received more than $8,000 from the state over that three-month period.

The witness also acknowledged he had been a confidential paid police informant, calling up people and arranging to buy drugs from them in a sting operation.

Knight said of the cooperation agreement: You werent doing this out of the goodness of your heart? You wanted something? The witness replied: I might have.

Knight noted the witness has several charges pending in Superior Court. When she asked if he was hoping to get some benefit in how those cases are handled because he has cooperated with the state, the witness said, Im not hoping. Im not expecting it. But Knight noted his cooperation agreement calls for prosecutors to notify Milford court officials he helped the state in the Gantt homicide.

Knight also noted the witness is charged with home invasion, among other charges in the Milford court and if convicted of home invasion he faces a prison sentence of up to 25 years.

Youre facing a total of well over 30 years in prison? Knight asked.

I never did the math, the witness replied.

During follow-up questioning, Garbarsky asked the witness if state officials had made any promises to him in exchange for his testimony. The witness said they had not done so.

randall.beach@hearstmediact.com
Ukraine's Defense Ministry explains situation with financing 2020 national missile program

12:40, 19.02.20 7884

The program concept is currently undergoing formal review.
LAS VEGAS - Democrats wont commit to releasing the unofficial results of Saturdays Nevada caucuses on the day of the vote, as they emphasize accuracy over speed in the aftermath of the chaos surrounding the Iowa caucuses.

Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told The Associated Press that several factors, including early voting and potentially high turnout, could affect the tabulation and timing of results. In addition, Nevada, like Iowa, will be reporting three sets of data from the multistage caucus process.

Perez said he doesnt know when results will be released. Were going to do our best to release results as soon as possible, but our North Star, again, is accuracy, he said late Tuesday after touring an early voting site in Las Vegas.

Nevada Democrats are hoping to avoid a repeat of the chaos that ensnared the Iowa caucuses this month. Unlike the November general election and state primaries that are run by state and local election officials, the caucuses are administered by state parties.

Election officials, in general, have been raising concerns about public expectations to report results quickly, noting that totals reported on Election Day are unofficial. It takes weeks for votes to become official, after the results are checked and any irregularities are investigated. Election experts say its better to slow down reporting if problems surface to ensure results are accurate.

If they set up expectations now, thats a lot better than bungling the reporting like they did in Iowa and have everybody question what happened, said Lawrence Norden, an elections expert with the Brennan Center for Justice at NYUs Law School.

A rushed effort by Iowa Democrats to deploy a mobile app to caucus organizers for sending in results ended in failure, with some volunteers unable to download it to their personal cellphones or access it and a coding error muddying the data that was sent in.

Nevada Democrats were going to use the same mobile app developer as Iowa, but quickly sidelined those plans. Instead, they will deploy party-owned, internet-connected iPads to precincts that will come with a Google form that will be used to access early vote totals, perform calculations during the caucus process and, ultimately, submit results electronically to the party.

The Google app and iPads are trusted commercial tech tools, but election experts have warned that developing and deploying any technology late in the process increases the risk of problems. Hundreds of volunteers need training, and the technology must also be field-tested.

In addition, Nevada Democrats offered early voting for the first time  another layer of complexity that Iowa didnt attempt.

Party officials have emphasized that a multistep process will be used to verify results that will include calling in results to a secure hotline and a paper worksheet that will be completed at each precinct and delivered to a party office. They have also been holding numerous trainings, with 55 sessions before Saturday.

We understand just how important it is that we get this right and protect the integrity of Nevadans votes, Shelby Wiltz, caucus director of the Nevada state Democratic Party, said in a statement.

Tuesday was the first time any in-person training for volunteers was held involving the iPad and the Google form, according to Seth Morrison, a volunteer who will be leading a site with six precincts on Saturday. Morrison attended the training in Las Vegas and said two of the three iPads at the location failed initially to power on. Only four other volunteers were present.

Morrison said he thought the Google form was easy to use but expressed concern for those who may not be able to attend the training and for those who may not be tech-savvy.

Im glad they are making an effort and that we finally have more training materials and information, Morrison said. I am still concerned but committed to do the best I can.

Precinct chairs will have a passphrase to access the Google form, party officials said. In addition, data transmissions will be encrypted to boost security. The iPads will be connecting to the internet by cellular network or local WiFi, the party said.

Volunteers and campaigns have raised concerns about how early voters will be integrated into the multistage caucus process. Jeff Weaver, senior adviser to Bernie Sanders campaign, said this was a top concern, despite assurances.

Paper records of the early vote will be available to precinct chairs if the iPads or Google forms fail, but the math formulas may prove complicated when incorporating the early votes into the in-person results.

Perez said Nevada Democrats were working on contingency plans in case something goes wrong. He noted that the DNCs tech team has been helping for some time, and theyve been on the ground since shortly after Iowa.

We learned some hard lessons in Iowa, Perez said. I think one of the values that we add here is putting those lessons to bear.

___

Cassidy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game.
Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a factory with sanitizing equipment, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, in Huzhou

PARIS/MILAN (Reuters) - Chanel and Prada said on Tuesday they have postponed fashion shows due to be held in Asia in May over concerns linked to the coronavirus outbreak.

Chanel said in a statement that following the guidance of Chinese authorities it had decided to postpone its Beijing replica of a catwalk display held in Paris last December "to a later and more appropriate moment."

Chanel was monitoring the situation closely, it said, adding: "At the foremost are the health and well-being of its teams and clients". No new date was given for the event.

The show was a presentation of its so-called "Metiers d'art collection", a showcase of its most intricate craftwork and handstitched outfits.

The Paris event had featured a set designed by film director Sofia Coppola, inspired by the apartment where founder Coco Chanel had lived in the early 1900s.

Chanel, one of the world's biggest luxury brands by sales alongside LVMH's <LVMH.PA> Louis Vuitton, did not disclose any financial details for the show.

Prada said in a separate statement it had put off its Prada Resort fashion show in Japan, originally scheduled for May 21.

The Hong Kong-listed group said the decision had been taken as a precautionary measure as well as "an act of responsibility and respect" for all those working on and planning to attend the show.

"Japan remains one of Prada's strategic markets and relevant events will be scheduled in the country at a more appropriate moment," it said.

Asia, and China in particular, are an important and lucrative market for major fashion companies including Chanel, Prada, LVMH <LVMH.PA>, Kering <PRTP.PA> and Burberry <BRBY.L>.

Luxury goods companies are already facing a sales hit from the coronavirus outbreak as they shutter shops in China and shelve advertising campaigns in the world's second-largest economy. Chinese shoppers account for a third of the luxury goods industry's clientele.

Gucci and other luxury labels owned by France's Kering last week said they expected smaller crowds at their catwalk shows this month, with Chinese buyers and influencers set to miss the major marketing fixture.

(Reporting by Sarah White, Dominique Vidalon and Silvia Aloisi; Editing by Alex Richardson and Mike Harrison)
SCHERERVILLE  Schererville police officers chose to take their coffee (or tea) with a side of conversation Tuesday morning.

Starting at 8 a.m., about a dozen officials, including Schererville police officers, town officials and an officer with Canadian National (CN) Railway, gathered at at Sophia's Pancake House for Coffee with a Cop.

The department has hosted the program for six years and is a "novel concept" that serves the town well, said incoming police chief Pete Sormaz.

"We have several programs ... and it's all about relationships with the community," Sormaz said. "We're trying to (have a place) where they can voice their thoughts and opinions openly, and what better way to do it than having coffee?"

Sormaz said he thinks participants appreciate the casual, easy-going format. While diners ate their breakfast or drank coffee, Schererville officers roamed about Sophia's, sparking conversation and pouring cups of coffee along the way.

Eric Graf, special agent for CN police, said he often shows up to community policing events to answer questions about trains that officers may not be able to.
A large number of anti-CAA



protesters, majority of them Muslims, held a massive protest against the amended Citizenship Act at Chepauk here, even as agitations were held across Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

The protest call here was given by a collective of Muslim outfits.

Agitators carrying placards against CAA, NRC and NPR, besides the Indian flag, converged at Chepauk as part of their original plan to lay seige to the Tamil Nadu Assembly, located inside the state Secretariat, and raised slogans against the amended law.

Scores of Muslim women joined the agitation here.

The Muslim outfits in the state have demanded that the state Assembly adopt a resolution against the controversial legislation in the ongoing session, concluding tomorrow.

The Madras High Court had on Tuesday restrained the Muslim outfits from going ahead with their seige protest.

Earlier, protesters converged at Chepauk here, resulting in traffic congestion at key points on the arterial Anna Salai.

Security had been beefed up in and around the Secretariat.

Anti-CAA protests were held elsewhere in the state, including Madurai and Tirunelveli, with members of the Muslim community hitting the streets against the Citienship Amendment Act.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-20 01:43:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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RAMALLAH, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye on Wednesday called on the European Union to fill the vacuum that was a result of the "failure" of the U.S. Middle East peace plan.

Ishtaye's call on the EU was made during a meeting held at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah with the new EU representative in Palestine Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff.

Ishtaye told Burgsdorff that the U.S. peace plan, also known as the "Deal of the Century," is rejected because "it is fully biased to Israel."

He also called on the EU to recognize the state of Palestine on 1967 borders and create an international mechanism that sponsors the peace process in the region.

"European presence has been always important for the state of Palestine on both political and development levels," said Ishtaye, who hailed the European positions that rejected the U.S. plan.

He stressed that the EU has to join an international mechanism that sponsors a fair peace process, adding that this mechanism should comprise all international powers and be based on international law and resolutions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday made a surprise visit to 'Hunar Haat' at Rajpath in New Delhi, where he interacted with artisans and relished 'litti-chokha' and 'kulhad' tea.

Soon after chairing the meeting of the Union Cabinet, Modi reached Rajpath where 'Hunar Haat' is being organised by the ministry of minority affairs.

Sources in the government said officials of the ministry were surprised when they came to know about the prime minister's visit.

Modi, who was there for 50 minutes, ate 'litti-chokha', a dough ball made of whole wheat flour and stuffed with 'sattu', and paid Rs 120 for it.

The dish is popular in Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

He later had tea served in 'kulhad' with minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and paid Rs 40 for two cups.

WATCH: PM Modi tries his hand at music, plays a traditional musical instrument

Artisans participating in the event said the traditional arts were dying, but the 'Hunar Haat' programme has helped revive them.

There was a surge in crowd when people came to know that the prime minister was visiting the event.

The 'Hunar Haat' here is based on the theme of 'Kaushal Ko Kaam' and will be held till February 23.

Master artisans, craftsmen and culinary experts, including more than 50 per cent women, from across the country are participating at the Haat.

A 'bawarchikhana' section has also been set up with traditional delicacies of several states available for people to savour.

Similar 'haats' are being organised across India as part of an effort to empower master artisans.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.19

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Italy consistently makes an effort to facilitate Azerbaijans relations with the EU, Augusto Massari, Italian ambassador to Azerbaijan told Trend.

In this regard, a new EU-Azerbaijan Partnership Agreement is a major goal  as well as with other key organizations we are a part of  and, among these, lets not forget Bakus partnership with NATO, he said.

Our key aims are not only bilateral in nature: we see, appreciate and support Bakus wish to maintain strong and mutually beneficial ties with European countries and institutions.

As for Italian-Azerbaijani relations, Massari said this relationship originated centuries ago

I would not reduce our relationship to economic factors. This relationship originated centuries ago, and today it is a friendship between peoples, characterized by an increase in mutual tourist flows, by the Azerbaijani love for Made in Italy products and Italian lifestyle, and by an increasing interest in Italian culture, with our language now being taught in three Universities in Baku. The same is true from our side, as more and more Italians know and appreciate Azerbaijan as a cultural destination and as a place to work  we already have the largest expatriate community among EU countries! said Massari.

---

Follow the author on Twitter:@Lyaman_Zeyn
Tata enterprise Nelco on Wednesday launched aero in-flight communication services in India, marking the beginning of a new era for Wi-Fi on aircraft in Indian skies.

Nelco has entered into a partnership with Panasonic Avionics Corporation for offering these services.

With the launch of these services, it will be possible for international aircraft flying over India as well as domestic airlines to offer broadband internet services to passengers on board.

Vistara has already signed up for aero in-flight communication services and is likely to be the first domestic airline company to launch these services soon.

"We foresee a great opportunity for growth of aero in-flight communication services in the coming years and intend to be a leader in this market," said Nelco's Managing Director and CEO P J Nath.

Ken Sain, Chief Executive Officer of Panasonic Avionics Corporation, said: "We are delighted to be partnering with Nelco and are proud to offer our valued customers the ability to change the way people stay connected inflight, at sea and in remote locations around the world."

In December 2018, the government announced the licenses for in-flight and maritime communications that allows broadband internet services while flying over the Indian skies and sailing in Indian waters, both for international and Indian aircraft and vessels.

The in-flight and maritime communications license is a key initiative of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, a move to liberalise satellite communication services in India.

Nelco obtained the licence and is the first Indian company to enable communication services for maritime and airlines sectors.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Advertisement

'Don't stick your arms out and try to sit still,' we were told as we nervously boated out to the shark diving site.

We were about to take a dip with one of the world's most dangerous shark species, the bull, which has gained a reputation for being aggressive and unpredictable.

At the time of my dive, at the Barefoot Kuata Island resort in Fiji, I wasn't aware of how lethal this shark species could be for humans and only on researching it afterwards did I realise that I had got up close and personal with something genuinely fearsome.

Scroll down to see Sadie's video of her bull shark adventure

At Kuata island in Fiji, adrenaline-seeking travellers can dive with bull sharks, pictured, with no cage. MailOnline's Sadie Whitelocks took this image as she tried out the experience

Sadie said she didn't realise how dangerous the sharks were before her free-dive

I had been a tad fearful though - as a result of 1975's Jaws movie.

Adding to the nerves was the fact that there was no cage to protect me from an animal that can grow to 11 feet in length and weigh 500Ibs.

Barefoot Kuata is one of the few spots on the planet where you can do such a thing.

The bull sharks are always in the area as it's now a protected marine park and the coral has been regenerated.

And the glistening blue waters mean you can see right into the creatures' eyes with superb clarity.

Barefoot Kuata's 'awakening shark dive' sees thrill-seeking tourists boat out to a spot where the seabed sits in 40ft of water.

They are then taken underwater by an experienced group of divers to sit and admire the bull sharks as they swarm around, munching discarded tuna heads donated by fishermen.

Bull sharks can grow to more than 11 feet in length and weigh up to 500lbs

The National Wildlife Federation states that bull sharks 'are often considered to be the most dangerous sharks to humans because of their aggressive tendencies and ability to migrate up rivers... bull sharks have also been recorded eating other bull sharks'

My heart was pounding as we stopped at the location and I was told to roll backwards into the water.

A girl I was partnered with was having trouble with her mask, so we were delayed for some time as the others ventured down.

To my horror, as we eventually descended, I saw the feeding frenzy had already started.

I spotted more than six sharks circling and snatching scraps of tuna in their powerful mouths.

I kept exhaling air to sink further down, hoping the sharks wouldn't spy me.

Luckily I made it to the seabed in one piece and I clung on to a low manmade barrier built out of coral to stop my body from swaying in the fairly strong current.

Barefoot Kuata's 'awakening shark dive' sees thrill-seeking tourists boat out to a spot where the seabed sits in 40 feet of water

Tourists are taken underwater by an experienced group of divers to admire the bull sharks as they swarm around, coming to feed on discarded tuna heads donated by fishermen

My heart continued to pound as more sharks appeared.

They were coming from the front, the side and as I looked up, there was one shimmying over my head.

The girl next to me was taking a selfie with a shark but I didn't want to take my chances and remained fastened tight to the coral wall, silently admiring the beasts.

Their small beady eyes looked quite menacing but their behaviour didn't match their death stare.

They seemed disinterested in us and calmly circled through the water with an air of elegance.

Shoals of fish danced alongside the sharks and suckerfish clung to them, mopping up minuscule scraps of tuna.

My heart rate lessened slightly as I came to realise I wasn't on the menu. After 45 minutes we slowly surfaced.

I kept looking behind me as I rose, checking there wasn't a shark darting behind.

Back on land I spoke with Davy M, a Belgian who is in charge of Barefoot Kuata's dive operation.

He acknowledges that bull sharks are often cited as the most dangerous shark species.

A view of Kuata island in Fiji and the surrounding blue waters. The area is home to bull sharks thanks to continued conservation efforts

Stays at Barefoot Kuata Island start from just 37, with various diving options available

HOW TO TELL IF A SHARK IS ABOUT TO ATTACK A shark that's about to attack will adopt the 'threat posture'. It will arch its back, raise its nose and lower its pectoral fins, with its tail down. And it will often swim in an erratic pattern. If you see this, stay very still indeed. Advertisement

For example, the National Wildlife Federation states that they 'are often considered to be the most dangerous sharks to humans because of their aggressive tendencies and ability to migrate up rivers... bull sharks have also been recorded eating other bull sharks'.

However, Davy says that bull sharks, like all shark species, are often misunderstood and shark attacks are extremely rare.

He explains: 'Their eyesight is very bad.

'They can't pinpoint things. Combine that with murky water and the shark can easily mistake their prey.

'Humans are in their territory. They think people are prey and the only way to identify is to taste and they take a bite. If the shark was a man-eater, no one would survive a shark attack.

'To be honest, they are disgusted by the taste.'

Davy says there have been no accidents since the 'awakening shark dive' has been running for more than four years.

He adds: 'It is actually safer being with the sharks in the water without a cage. Their electric sense bounces off the metal and it confuses them and can change their behaviour.

'These are beautiful creatures, they are shy and curious. That's what I want people to see when they come here.'

With that he limped off, his leg injured by a patch of sharp coral, not by a bull shark.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 09:46:53|Editor: mingmei

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KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The state government and local communities of Malaysia's Sabah state on North Borneo hosted a charity event late Tuesday to support China's fight against novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The "We Love, We Care" fundraiser, organized by the Sabah state government and Chinese associations in the state, took place in the state capital of Kota Kinabalu.

Chinese Consul-General to Kota Kinabalu, Liang Caide, who was present at event, expressed appreciation for the people and government of Sabah for their support to China in the current COVID-19 outbreak.

"The friendship between the China and the state of Sabah will definitely deepen after the outbreak is contained," said Liang, "By then, Sabah will be welcoming more Chinese tourists, exchanges and cooperation between China and the state of Sabah will be even closer for a brighter future of both sides."

Speaking at the event, Sabah's chief minister Shafie Apdal said that Malaysia was a friend to China, not only in prosperous times but in times of need as well.

"We support the government of China and the people of China. This is the world and we are the people. It is time for us to show our Sabahan culture, our caring culture, we want the world community to have compassion across borders. When we care for the people we care for the world. We are sharing the world together," he said.

Shafie said the decision to close the state to direct flights from China had been a painful one and had hit the state's tourism sector hard, but explained that the state did not have the facilities to deal with an outbreak.

Sabah has been a major tourism attraction for Chinese tourists in recent years due to its resorted beaches, islands, tropical rainforests and diverse culture.

Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew Chin Jin, who is also State Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, stressed that outpouring of support for those affected in China had come from the ordinary people of Sabah.
Dear Prudence is online weekly to chat live with readers. Heres an edited transcript of this weeks chat.

Danny Lavery: Hello, everyone! Lets get started.

Q. Banned and gaslit: I was a regular at this bar for most of last year, going at least once a week. I became good friends with one of the bartenders and started to develop feelings for him. Eventually, I asked him out. He said that he was seeing someone else and they were exclusive. I accepted the answer, and we continued to interact as friends at the bar. A couple of weeks later, after his shift was over, a few staff members of the bar and me and a friend all went to another bar. The bartender was there too, and basically, he invited me to his place after we kissed. We hooked up, and the following morning, he sent me a message asking me not to come to the two bars where he works until we had a conversation about the hookup. He went totally silent for a few days, and when we finally talked, he was 45 minutes late and only ended up talking to me for 10 minutes. He said he was embarrassed about the hookup. I told him there was nothing to be embarrassed about. We decided to keep being friends. I went to his bar a couple of times after, and he was totally hot and cold, sometimes being friendly and other times ignoring me for an hour, even though he had been serving me drinks. He kept doing this at his second bar, and at one point, I called him a coward while there were no other customers there and only one other employee. Since that incident, he has told the staff and managers at the bar where I was a regular that he feels uncomfortable around me and that I was yelling at him. (I didnt yell.) He told me I was banned from that bar. I spoke to the manager, and he said I should wait a couple of weeks until tempers cool before going back. This weekend, a bartender who used to work at this bar told me he heard from multiple people that I went psycho.

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I feel like the bartender I hooked up with is making me out to be a stereotypical crazy woman. I recognize I confronted him at work, but I genuinely dont think that justifies banning me from both bars and telling people that Im crazy or whatever. I feel like I am being gaslit. He is treating me like such a villain even though he has been inconsiderate to me this entire time. I want to speak again to the manager because I feel like I am being unfairly treated. What do you think I should do?

A: I think you should go to a different bar. Youre never going to get a satisfactory answer from this man about why he doesnt want to go out with you and why he treated sex with you like an embarrassing secret; all you need to know is that he doesnt respect you and is not going to treat you well, no matter what you do or say. Trying to force the manager to change their mind about letting you back in the bar in the interests of trying to convince this bartender to admit he treated you badly is not the way through this. Moreover, no manager in the world is going to rethink a ban if the customer they fear is going to be disruptive contacts them to say, Stop banning me and let me in. It doesnt matter if you dont think it was worth being banned overthe point is that you cant demonstrate they were wrong to ban you by insisting they were wrong to ban you. I dont think you can get water out of this well, and it will only cause you additional pain to try to contact him again and find yourself rebuffed and turned away.

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How to Get Advice From Prudie:

 Send questions for publication to prudence@slate.com. (Questions may be edited.)

 Join the live chat Mondays at noon. Submit your questions and comments here before or during the discussion.

 Call the voicemail of the Dear Prudence podcast at 401-371-DEAR (3327) to hear your question answered on a future episode of the show.

Q. Squashing the crush: Im in love with my partner but I also have a long-standing crush on my best friend. I want to propose to my partner this summer, but I feel somehow torn about this, knowing I havent been able to shake six years of romantic feelings for my dear friend. I dont think I want a romantic relationship with my friend for several reasons, and I dont think they have any interest in me anyways. I just want to have romantic feelings for my partner and platonic feelings for my friend. How do I squash this crush?

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A: I sure wish I knew what those several reasons are, and how much they may be influenced by your belief that your friend doesnt feel the same way! Only you know how much this crush interferes with your daily life with your lovely partner; it may be that youre willing to keep this one going to the bitter end, and the idea of never speaking to either of them about it is totally achievable for you. But I think were way past squashing stage. This is someone you know deeply and intimately, and you havent been able to get rid of these feelings after six years. I dont think its a question of just walking it off or stuffing it down. You may decide that you want to talk to both your partner and your friend about this (realizing that by so doing you may risk both relationships, but you also may experience real relief and the possibility of multiple romantic relationships); you may decide you want to see a therapist to figure out what your main priorities and values are in this situation before making a decision; you may decide you want to scale back from that friendship so you can more fully commit to your partner. You may want to dump your partner, even if theyre otherwise wonderful, simply because this long-standing crush has made you realize that you want something your partner cant give you! Whatever you decide to do first, I think the most important thing is to stop acting like these feelings are suddenly going to disappear. You can choose to scale back intimacies, you can choose to prioritize one thing over another, you can choose to have scary and vulnerable conversations, but you cannot choose what you feel.

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Q. My mom cant sit still while we bond over YouTube videos: I am living with my mom while I finish college, and we have a very close relationship. We usually spend a bit of time hanging out on the couch together every day, and I enjoy that quality time. However, she has this habit that drives me absolutely nuts.

Like most people, I enjoy watching videos on YouTube, and like most people, when I find a good video, I want to share it with others. I frequently attempt to play videos for my mom when were hanging out, but she gets up to do random things every few minutes. I either have to pause the video or rewind when she gets back, and some days this restlessness is so extreme that 10-minute videos can take 40-plus minutes to watch.

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Ive tried just watching on without her whenever she suddenly gets up, but she gets upset and hurt, so I dont think she secretly hates my taste in YouTube videos. The things she gets up to do are not time-sensitive; its as if in the middle of a cute ferret compilation she suddenly realizes she wanted to take the kitchen towel to the laundry room and then restock the printer paper. I dont enjoy our quality time nearly as much as I would if it werent constantly interrupted. Can I have a script to bring this up with her that doesnt sound totally petulant? Also, is it not a little weird that she cant sit still for 10 minutes?

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A: I dont think watching compilation videos of ferrets is necessarily quality time, and I think the reason your mom might be getting up to run errands is because she doesnt really want to watch ferrets gambol for 10 straight minutes. Take this as a cue to ask whether shed rather sit and talk, or take a walk, or watch an actual movie, or help clean the kitchen together, etc. This doesnt mean she necessarily hates your tasteit just doesnt sound like she has quite the same appetite for these videos as you do. If what you really want is quality time with her, and not just a captive audience for the videos you think are charming, then ask what shed like to do and do that every once in a while.

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Q. How to politely decline advice: It may seem strange to ask an advice columnist of all people, but how do I politely tell people to stop giving me advice? I am currently looking for a job. My career is unlike anything any of my friends and family have. They are constantly offering naive, uninformed opinions about how to get a job in my field. Instead of being able to vent my frustrations, I find myself arguing, explaining to them why their ideas wont work. I have repeatedly told them I dont want any advice. Whenever I do this, they bristle, saying they are just trying to help and that I should be more courteous. Is there a polite way to tell people I dont want any advice?

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A: If arguing, explaining why theyre misinformed about your field, and telling them to stop hasnt worked, I think my last best option would be saying: Great idea! Ill consider it. Repeat this until the conversation becomes so repetitive and boring that theyre desperate for another topic.

Q. My boyfriend wont hold my hand: I love my boyfriend of nearly a year very much. Hes extremely kind, awesome, and affectionatein private. In public, he wont hold my hand, hug me, kiss me, or even tell me he loves me. He says that it makes him anxious and he doesnt want to boast about our togetherness. But its really important to me, and it makes me sad to be so distant in public. I dont want him to do something hes not comfortable with for my sake, but this makes me very sad. But Im willing to live with it rather than break up if thats all I can do. Is it?

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A: You can absolutely decide to live with your boyfriend as he is, but that doesnt mean you cant have further conversations about his dislike for even very low-key public affection, like a hug goodbye. What does his anxiety around these issues feel like for him? How would he put those feelings into words? Does he think other couples who hold hands appear boastful, or is it something he feels uniquely about in all relationships? I dont think its necessarily the only case, but in your position Id probably wonder at least once or twice whether he has another girlfriend somewhere and thats why he refuses to acknowledge you as a romantic partner in public.

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Of course you dont want him to do something hes not comfortable with; its clear youre not trying to force him to develop a relationship to PDA that makes him unhappy. But asking for open-ended conversations and at least some willingness to consider hugging you in front of other people is not a demand, nor is it forceful. You also have a right to tell him how it makes you feel when he refuses categorically to ever hold your hand. Inform him what you value about nonshowy public physical intimacy, and suggest other ways he can demonstrate care and affection for you in public. Good luck!

Q. A very expensive bachelorette trip? About a year ago a friend asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. I agreed, happy to help with moral support and wedding planning logistics. Around six months ago she started talking about her vision for a bachelorette tripa relaxing beach vacation in another country with as many of her friends as possible. I said with the time and expense required it would be unlikely that many people could go. Her compromise plan is a long weekend in Mexico. This will still be very expensive and most of our mutual friends have already said they cant make it work. That means Im planning a trip with a group of people I barely know, in a country Im not familiar with. It doesnt sound relaxingit sounds stressful! The other bridesmaids all seem to be on board, but my finances are already strained this year because Im part of two weddings and have to pay for dresses/hair/makeup for both as well as the bachelorette trip for the other wedding (which is at least more within my budget, and with a group of my friends).

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Can I gracefully get out of going on this trip and still fulfill my obligations as a friend and bridesmaid? Part of my dislike of the wedding industrial complex is that it puts a price tag on friendship.

A: That sounds like a lovely trip, and I hope you have so much fun. My budget cant handle anything more expensive than a night out in town, so I wont be able to join you. Be sure to send me pictures!

Q. Parents forcing me back in the closet: I have been in a relationship for over a year with another woman, and I finally told my parents about it. My siblings are supportive, but my parents reacted in an incredibly awful way, telling me that although they love me still they wont ever accept it (and saying a few other colorful things). They made my life such a living hell for three weeks after, pressuring me to break off the relationship. I caved and told them I did in order to stop the incessant stream of awful texts, calls,. They have forced me back in the closet. SOS. I dont know what to do. I love my girlfriend and dont want to lose the relationship but this has totally destroyed my (previously OK) relationship with my parents.

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A: Im so sorry. This sounds terribly distressing, and I can understand why you felt like caving was your best option after three weeks of nonstop harassment. Have you been talking to your girlfriend about this? Does she know what kind of pressure youre under, and has she been able to offer you her support? If you feel that you need to keep it a secret from her, I hope youll give yourself permission to let her know just how hard this has been. Please dont blame yourself for lying in the moment to get out of a relentless onslaught of homophobia. I dont know if your parents might ever come around. You dont have to worry about that right nowall you have to do is take some space. You can let your parents know you need some time before youre ready to talk again without deciding whether that means youll ever have a relationship with them again.

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It might also help to share this with your siblings, since you mention that theyre supportive. They might be able to help run interference and absorb some of your parents direct homophobia while you take time to decompress, mourn, vent, turn to your girlfriend and other friends for solace, etc. If in time you decide you want to extend this break from your parents, you can; if you decide youre ready to have a more confrontational conversation with them and give them an ultimatum, thats an option too. But give yourself the gift of time, and remind yourself that you can temporarily block or mute their texts and callsyoure under no obligation to listen to repetitions of the same homophobia youve received for weeks now.

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Q. Re: Banned and gaslit: The facts, as you laid them out, are that you had a hookup with this guy. He expressed regret and pumped the brakes on whatever relationship you had, friendly or romantic. Rather than read the signals he was sending you (back off) you apparently decided it would be a good idea to confront him at work. Whether you yelled or otherwise behaved in a way you consider to be out of line is irrelevant. You confronted him at work. That is crossing a pretty significant boundary. Telling his boss what happened, expressing his discomfort, and banning you were all imminently reasonable steps to take after what you did. Own what you did, leave this dude alone, and find another bar to start going to.

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A: Thats an important distinction: Confronting someone at work over a personal dispute and nonemergency is really inappropriate and could have gotten him fired. Its also a real red flag to others that youre not going to behave reasonably and respect their boundaries! Now is a good time to reevaluate how you handle having hurt feelings.

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Q. Re: Banned and gaslit: This could have been me in my early 20s through my early 30s. (Im a slow learner.) Prudies answer was dead-onthe letter writer should just stay away from this guy and stay away from his bars. Even assuming that the letter writer is a reliable narrator and didnt actually yell or get belligerent and was totally in the right herewhich ignores the fact that she hooked up with the guy after learning he was in a relationshipshe has absolutely nothing to gain by pushing the issue. There are other bars. There are other men.

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A: I dont want to go too deeply into all the various possibilities here, but I agree that the first sign to back off was when the bartender told the letter writer he wasnt available or interested. Its so much more fun to pursue people who are available and interested. Go find them!

Discuss this column with Dear Prudence on his Facebook page!

Classic Prudie

Q. Im wasting my spectacular looks on a mediocre man: Im recently engaged to the most honest, thoughtful, and loving man Ive ever met. He has supported me through many hard times, including losing my job and being assaulted. Heres the but about him: He makes no money. He has ambitions, and hes smart, but will likely only bring a middle-class income at best. I have an OK job and Im self-sufficient. Now heres the but about me: Im really, really pretty. My whole life people have told me I could get any man I want, meaning a rich man, and are shocked that Im engaged to my fiance, nice though he is. Ive never dated a rich man, but it does make me curious. So part of me thinks Im squandering my good looks on this poor man, and the other part of me thinks that Im so shallow that I dont even deserve him or anyone else. Am I a fool for thinking that a poor man can make me happy, or an idiot for believing a sexist fantasy? Read what Prudie had to say.
UN Says Libyan Rival Forces Resume Talks to Save Cease-Fire

By Lisa Schlein February 18, 2020

A second round of U.N.-brokered talks aimed at achieving a cease-fire between the rival governments in Libya has resumed in Geneva, with the chief U.N. mediator expressing hope of making progress.

The first round ended with no breakthrough earlier this month but, U.N. special envoy Ghassan Salame says much has occurred during the past week-and-a-half, which makes him more hopeful of finding an acceptable solution.

He says separate talks dealing with Libya's financial and economic situation are moving ahead and political talks are set to begin in Geneva next week. He notes the U.N. Security Council has adopted a resolution supporting calls by world leaders last month during a summit in Berlin for a permanent cease-fire in Libya.

The U.N. mediator acknowledges that the situation on the ground in Libya remains fragile and the temporary truce agreed to by the warring parties is often violated.

"Where new attacks took place even today, in the very port of Tripoli, where incidents take place left and right. While this situation remains on the ground, nobody has so far reneged on the principle of accepting the truce," he said.

Five military officers representing Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj's internationally recognized government, and five officers appointed by rebel military commander Khalifa Haftar, are meeting to negotiate an end to nearly one year of bloody conflict in and around Tripoli.

That conflict, triggered by Haftar's military assault on the Libyan capital in April, has cost thousands of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Salame says finding a solution will be a challenge. Nevertheless, he says there are reasons to be hopeful.

"First because the Libyans do want an end to this tragedy they have painted themselves into. But also, that the Berlin conference has produced a follow-up machinery that will push for the implementation of this resolution that basically translates into legal terms the conclusions of the Berlin conference," he said.

The two delegations are meeting in separate rooms and the U.N. mediator is shuttling between them. Salame says both sides have decided it was better not to hold face-to-face talks just yet. Salame says that does not concern him because he is interested in getting an agreement, not a photo op.

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Congress MLA UT Khader on Wednesday slammed the Central government over the enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and said it violates the Constitution.

"The new citizenship amendment bill is unconstitutional. The citizenship cannot be given on cast and creed basis. Because of these things we are fighting against it," he said while speaking to ANI in Bengaluru.

Opposition along with several non-BJP state governments, including Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala, Punjab and Rajasthan have refused to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed NRC in their respective states.

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.)


This month, France marks the 60th anniversary of nuclear weapons tests that made the country one of the worlds first nuclear powers. But critics claim more than 30 years of testing in Algeria and French Polynesia left many suffering from the effects of harmful radiation.

On February 13, 1960, France held its first nuclear test in Algerias southern Sahara desert. "Hurray for France, then-French President Charles de Gaulle wrote at the time.

But Jean-Claude Hervieux has other memories. He joined the French testing efforts in Algeria as an electrician. He remembers a nuclear test in 1962 that did not go according to plan.

Radioactive dust and rock escaped from underground. Hervieux and others observing the testing ran for shelter. Two French ministers were among them. The group washed themselves in a military housing area to decontaminate.

France held more than 200 nuclear tests until a later president, Jacques Chirac, ended testing in 1996. Most tests took place in French Polynesia. But 17 took place in Algeria between 1960 and 1966, ending four years after Algerias independence from France.

Brahim Oumansour is a North Africa expert at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris. He said, Its part of the whole issue of decolonization and Algerians in general asking for recognition of colonization crimes. He added that official recognition and financial compensation for the Algerian tests could cost millions of dollars.

Hervieux spent 10 years working on nuclear test areas in Algeria and later French Polynesia. Now 80 and living in Frances Lyon area, he says he is physically fine. But he used to receive some questionable radioactive testing results from the French government.

Roland Desbordes is a former French physicist and spokesman for an independent French atomic safety research group called CRIIRAD. He has visited the Algerian test areas.

Desbordes said he discovered very high radiation levels in some places. He believes the French government should release important information about the explosions. But he also blames Algerian officials for failing to correctly secure the desert testing areas.

Frances nuclear compensation commission, CIVEN, said more than 1,600 claims have been filed under a 2010 French law that finally recognized health problems related to the testing.

Only about one-third have met the requirements needed to receive financial benefits. The requirements include about 24 possible radiation-related cancers. Almost all the claims came from France and French Polynesia. Of the 51 claims from Algeria, only one has been compensated.

CIVEN Director Ludovic Gerin said the commission can judge only the Algerian claims it receives. He said the sicknesses described in the few claims that did come in did not match the requirements for compensation. He added the commission could not actively go out and search for other victims.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Lisa Bryant reported this story for VOA News. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.

___________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

compensation  n. something that is done or given to make up for damage, trouble, etc.

decontaminate  v. to remove dirty or dangerous substances such as radioactive material from a person, thing, place, etc.

hurray  interj. used to express joy, approval, or encouragement

radioactive  adj. having or producing a powerful and dangerous form of energy called radiation
A special court on Tuesday reserved its order on regular bail of all the six bureaucrats and will pronounce order on 19 February in the INX Media corruption case

New Delhi: A special court on Tuesday reserved its order on regular bail of all the six bureaucrats and will pronounce order on 19 February in the INX Media corruption case.

The bail application was moved by six bureaucrats who were part of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) panel which granted approval to INX Media, in the case involving former Union Minister P Chidambaram.

All these bureaucrats are currently on interim bail.

The court also directed the CBI to hand over the copy of certain deficient documents to all the accused in the INX Media case, including former Union Minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti.

These documents were filed along with the charge sheet by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

All the bureaucrats who were charge-sheeted are currently on interim bail.

Earlier, in its reply, the CBI opposed the regular bail petition of the bureaucrats.

Last month, the court had extended the interim bail of six bureaucrats in the INX Media case till 18 February.

The interim bail of six bureaucrats, who were part of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), which granted approval to INX Media during Chidambaram's tenure, was extended by the court.

The bureaucrats include Ajeet Kumar Dungdung, the then Section Officer; Rabindra Prasad, the then Under Secretary; Prabodh Saxena, Director, FIPB unit of Finance Ministry; Pradeep Kumar Bagga, the then Officer on Special Duty; Anup K Pujari, the then Joint Secretary, and Sindhushree Khullar, Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs.

The agency's reply came on a notice served to it by the court on 29 November on the bail petition moved by them.

The interim bail is a temporary bail for a period in which the court can ask for documents to be presented which are required to make a final decision on the bail application. Subsequently, the court can grant permanent bail, extend interim bail or reject bail application altogether.

Chidambaram, who is the main accused in the case, is out on regular bail in the case.

The case pertains to FIPB clearance given to Karti's INX Media to the tune of Rs 305 crore when his father was the finance minister.

The economic offences watchdog had registered a PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) case based on an FIR by the CBI and alleged that irregularities took place in the FIPB clearance to INX Media.
The following arrests were all made by Edwardsville Police Department, in Edwardsville from Feb. 5 through Feb. 13

 Corey Winfield, 39, of Glen Carbon was charged with battery and unlawful use of a Blackjack knife on Feb. 7. He was initially pulled over for speeding. $300 bail was posted.

 Jacob Markos, 26, of Elmhurst, Illinois was charged with Trespassing on a residence on Feb. 8. While in custody, he was charged with two counts of battery pertaining to a prior warrant for his arrest by the EPD. No bail has been set.

 Robert Becker, 22, of Morton, Illinois was charged with driving under the influence on Feb. 9. No bail has been set.

 Heather Stucke, 41, of Alton was charged with deceptive practices on Feb. 12. Stucke was found with a bad check of over $150. This charge, if stays, is a class 4 felony. Bail was set at $1500.

 John Burdoe, 62, of Edwardsville was charged with criminal trespass to a building on Feb. 13. Burdoe was given a notice to appear.

 During the time frame, the Edwardsville Police Department arrested three individuals on separate accounts who had warrants out for their arrest and one individual who had three warrants.

 During the time frame, the Edwardsville Police Department arrested two individuals on separate accounts for driving with a suspended or no license.

Reporter Tyler Pletsch compiled the information.
While half the world is failing at maintaining the ideal work-life balance and working overtime, video of a companys CEO dancing with employees in the office is nothing less than a bullet for people who are stuck in their boring jobs.



This might sound like a dream, but this is more of trolling for most people whose bosses are sucking every inch of whatever life is left in them. Yes, sounds dramatic but true!

Recently, a video of Welspun Indias CEO Dipali Goenka dancing with employees in office has made everyone go crazy on social media. The video showcases Dipali Goenka dancing to the song Muqabla from the film Street Dancer 3D.

Checkout the full video here-



Rare to see a CEO dance and have fun in an office setting. Thats the way to create a happy culture @DipaliGoenka #welspun. pic.twitter.com/B6LAd2u3tr  Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) February 18, 2020

In the video, we can see Dipali Goenka shaking a leg and later her employees leave their cubicles to dance with her changing the whole vibe of the office. Now, this is the work culture we need, isnt it?



While everyone is dancing and having fun, by the end of the video, employees applaud Ms. Goenka for her amazing dance. Harsh Goenka shared the video on Twitter saying, "Rare to see a CEO dance and have fun in an office setting.



Trying hard to inculcate the culture of happiness at work. Need to learn a few things from you.  Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) February 19, 2020

Now, thats so true! Ask anyone working in a 9 to 5 job and youll know. The video has garnered over 186.8K views already and over 10.9K likes on Twitter already.



Not only this, the video left Street Dancer 3D actor, Varun Dhawan impressed too and he re-tweeted the video along with caption, Amazing.



Heres what people had to say about the happy work culture 



Truee..



Its so so nice way to connect our own people. Salutations to @DipaliGoenka for her out of the box way to motivate other entrepreneurs particularly women



Salutations to @hvgoenka Sir for bringing this masterpiece  SUNIL PATODIA (@scpatodia) February 19, 2020

Happy work environment isnt a myth, I think!



...and why not ?!! Generates happiness and cheer  Wg Cdr Gitika (R) (@gitika9) February 18, 2020

Sahi baat hai.



Sir.. aapkay yahan job miljaay to meri life bhi banjaay  Alphatoons  (@Alphatoons) February 19, 2020

Woahh..



A Happy & Fit CEO will radiate the same values within the organisation...Happiness & Fitness!!@DipaliGoenka your enthusiasm is infectious & your sense of rhythm impeccable!  Prabhaat (@pkvarsha) February 18, 2020

Agreed.



Tap dancing to work, as Bezos says. Love this display of energy!  Monica Patel (@AboutImpact) February 18, 2020

Hahahahah..



When You Have Already Exceeded March Targets.... https://t.co/iPlPfQIvBR  Pankaj Thapliyal (@PankajT04765688) February 19, 2020

Hainah?

Everybody would love to have such a CEO  Babita Dimpy Kashap (@DimpyBabita_t) February 19, 2020

Amazing!!



So energetic !!!!

Superb !!!  Maj Divya (@ThinkDivya) February 19, 2020

A healthy work environment is what people want from an organization and thats what motivates employees through the week. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.


In the new age of sustainability, there are plenty of companies pledging to offset emissions in the race for net-zero, writes Emily Chasan.

While certainly an improvement over past years when a pledge to do 10% better was the standard, the trend has triggered scepticism that greenwashing is really whats at work. Soon, however, there wont be anyplace left to hide, especially for companies that quietly use lobbying to keep climate regulation at bay.

Late last year, a group of investors with $6.5 trillion (6trn) in assets under management asked 47 of the worlds biggest greenhouse gas emitters to align their climate efforts with the Paris Agreements climate goals. And that was just the beginning. These mixed messages threaten our collective ability to avoid catastrophic climate change, Adam Kanzer at BNP Paribas Asset Management, said at the time. This year, many of those proposals are focused on whether corporate interests are undercutting efforts to fight global warming.

Companies that say they are planning to go carbon neutral, but still spend millions to fight climate legislation, may face some serious backlash when their conflicts are revealed. In the oil and gas sector, the annual climate lobbying spend of the five largest public companies is $201m, according to InfluenceMap, with an additional $195m for climate positive branding.

BP, which has fought carbon taxes and supported diluted federal reviews of its environmental impact, proclaimed last week that it would look at lobbying as part of a new net-zero plan.

The oil giant says it plans to stop corporate reputation advertising and redirect resources to active advocacy for progressive climate policies.

The details of how this companypart of an industry largely responsible for the climate crisiswill accomplish such goals have yet to be revealed. The investment industry isnt escaping scrutiny, either.

While asset managers pledge to push clients toward accountability, some of those same financial professionals privately raise money for climate deniers. With more institutions and pension funds professing a commitment to green investing, they might be less willing to have their money managed by people pushing the other way.

Already, the ball has moved further downfield. Next comes trade associations: Investors are pushing companies to re-evaluate trade group memberships. While Apple and Nike long ago left the US Chamber of Commerce over its climate change position, groups like Alec, the US Plastics Industry Association and even the Grocery Manufacturers Association are facing increasing scrutiny as well.

Within two years, if your companys climate policies arent aligned with your corporate sustainability targets on climate, youre going to be seen as two-faced, JP Leous at the World Resources Institute, warned a room full of corporate sustainability professionals at the GreenBiz conference in Arizona earlier this month.

Deadly wildfires are forcing Australian pension funds to confront whether their investments are green enough and UK pensions may be forced to report how they are affected by climate change. Meanwhile, RBS plans to cut fossil fuel loans and be climate positive by 2025, the New York States pension fund bet $800m on ESG credit, and KKR closed its debut global impact fund at $1.3bn.
Too many Lowcountry waterfront homeowners and businesses flush toilets into septic tanks in spots where they could hook into sewers, and water quality in our tidal creeks suffers because of it. Bacteria levels in Shem, James Island and Ellis creeks, for instance, regularly test above state standards for human contact.

Theres nothing inherently wrong with septic systems, more than a million of which treat an estimated 40% of the sewage produced statewide, but theyre usually not well-suited for sandy-soiled waterfront properties and require regular maintenance to function as intended. And while the state already requires property owners with malfunctioning septic tanks to tap into available sewers, theres no state entity that regularly inspects them to see if theyre working properly.

So this past fall we welcomed  with some reservations  a Charleston County Council ordinance meant to get more residents to hook into sewers. The ordinance, however, put some municipalities at odds with the county because it barred utilities from requiring would-be sewer customers to annex into associated municipalities.

Right off the bat, Mount Pleasant officials said they wouldnt go along with the plan, which was crafted primarily to enable about three dozen more property owners in the unincorporated Snowden community to tap into the towns sewer system.

Thats a thorny subject because Snowden is an old freedmans settlement whose residents want to preserve its heritage and perhaps rightly fear annexation into Mount Pleasant, which would then have jurisdiction over development. The town should be sensitive to their concerns, but also its understandable that for the sake of good, consistent governance, Mount Pleasant would like to eliminate its unincorporated doughnut holes.

Those differences need to be sorted out, perhaps with a separate legal agreement that requires annexation but limits the towns authority over development in the community, because the county ordinance, passed Sept. 19, gave residents with failing septic systems just six months to tap in. That deadline arrives March 19.

This is a point of contention because the Legislature refuses to allow towns and cities to grow their boundaries to meet the municipal population that grows up around them  or that they grow to surround. So requiring annexation as a condition of tapping into sewer systems they own is their only realistic option for incorporating the real city. If lawmakers make it easier for municipalities to grow  and they should  we wouldnt have to pit cities need to grow against public health concerns.

What we need to be able to focus on is regional water quality. The town of Mount Pleasant needs to move more waterfront homeowners along Shem Creek and elsewhere to sewers, as do the town of James Island, the city of Charleston and every other coastal municipality.

The costs to property owners can be several thousand dollars. But utilities, which are getting new sewer customers, are generally willing to help. In Snowden, for instance, the cost of a sewer tap worked out to about $6,300 per household, with Mount Pleasant Waterworks offering up to $2,500 in assistance. County officials also have discussed starting a fund to help low-income residents defray costs; since theyre trying to force the change, they should follow through.

The county is trying to move in the right direction. The state Department of Health and Environmental Control should back it up by better identifying pollution hot spots and, if they can be tied to faulty septic systems, enforcing existing law that requires property owners to tap into sewers where available. DHEC also should be looking for funding to help get more waterfront residents off septic tanks.

To move forward, governmental agencies need a better handle on how many septic tanks are out there, where they are, how many are failing, how they affect water quality and how many are within a reasonable reach of sewer lines. A comprehensive study, ideally undertaken by DHEC, could pave the way for tying the most troublesome waterfront properties into sewers even if the county winds up in court over its ordinance.

Legally, property owners are primarily responsible for their septic systems. But DHEC and lawmakers need to rethink that position as the coastal population balloons and septic systems collectively threaten the publics water quality.
The Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department has released 500 cusecs of water into the Yamuna from the Ganganahar in Bulandshahr to improve the rivers environmental condition in Agra, ahead of US President Donald Trumps visit, officials said on Tuesday.

Trump is set to visit India on a two-day trip on February 24-25. The main segment of the visit will take place in Delhi, though an option of having a short visit by the president to another city is being explored.

The cities that are being considered include Uttar Pradeshs Agra and Gujarats Ahmedabad.

Keeping in mind US President Trumps visit to Agra, 500 cusecs of water has been released from the Ganganahar to improve the environmental condition of the Yamuna. This water will reach the Yamuna in Mathura by February 20 and Agra by February 21 afternoon, the departments Superintending Engineer Dharmender Singh Phogat said.

He said the department aims to maintain a certain level of water in the Yamuna till February 24.

This move is likely to reduce the foul smell from the Yamuna, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) assistant engineer Arvind Kumar said when asked about the development.

If 500 cusecs of water has been released into the Yamuna to control pollution, it will certainly have an impact. This will also improve the oxygen level in the Yamuna in Mathura and in Agra. This move may not make the Yamunas water fit for drinking, but could reduce foul smell from the river, he said.

Gopeshwar Nath Chaturvedi who is associated with the Shri Mathur Chaturved Parishad that is working to clean the Yamuna, said,The move will hardly have any impact on the river.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has cautioned Ghanaians against indiscriminate coughing in public, as the Service heightens surveillance to avert any possible outbreak of the coronavirus disease in the country.



Spitting and coughing indiscriminately in public places must be controlled to avert any outbreak and spread of the coronavirus, says Dr. Kofi Issah, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Director of the GHS.



Speaking at the opening session of the 2019 annual review meeting of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in Sunyani, Dr. Issah implored the general public to report suspected case of the virus to the GHS.



He indicated that though the GHS and its partners had heightened surveillance, concerted efforts were required from all stakeholders to make the country alert, respond positively and to forestall any possible outbreak of the deadly- flu-like virus.



Dr. Issah advised health workers to treat their patients with courtesy, saying, Under no circumstances should the sick remain at the mercy of the health worker.



Mr. Joseph Mensah, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Director of the NHIA, said the NHIS chalked great success last year and commended the staff for their efforts.



He said plans were far advanced for four additional offices of the Scheme to be opened in the three regions, and urged the staff to intensify public education on the electronic renewal of membership.



Mr. Mensah said the NHIA was aware of many of the challenges confronting the Scheme and assured that it would soon pay Service Providers all outstanding claims.

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
Analysis Accountability Lacking as Civilian Casualties Mount in Myanmars Rakhine Conflict

Relatives show a picture of Aung Zin Phyo, who was killed when an artillery shell struck their home on Aug. 24, 2019 in Pan Myaung Village, Minbya Township, Rakhine State. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

When artillery struck a school in Kha Mwe Chaung Village in Buthidaung Township, northern Rakhine State last Thursday injuring 21 primary students aged between 5 and 10 years, both the Myanmar Military (or Tatmadaw) and the Arakan Army (AA), who are currently fighting each other in the area, denied responsibility.

Instead, they blamed each other.

On that day, Tatmadaw and AA troops clashed some 1 to 3 miles (1.5 to 4.5 kilometers) from the village, according to both sides.

In Rakhine States Rathedaung, Buthidaung, Myebon, Mrauk-U and Kyauktaw townships, where the fighting has intensified recently, an estimated 15 people have been killed and 63 injured in the first seven weeks of 2020.

According to the Irrawaddys count, about two-thirds of them died from shrapnel wounds after artillery struck their homes, while others died from mine explosions or gunfire from Myanmar military ground troops.

About two-thirds of the casualties, including both dead or injured, were children.

The Feb. 13 incident occurred at the post-primary school at 10 a.m. One girl was severely injured and taken for treatment to Sittwe Hospital. On the same day, children in other parts of Myanmar were celebrating Myanmar Childrens Day, which commemorates the birthday of Myanmar independence hero General Aung San.



Rakhine State parliament Speaker U San Kyaw Hla said in his closing remarks to an emergency session of the legislature on Monday that, It was very sad actually to hear about it. Should I say it was a sad coincidence that an artillery shell fell on a primary school and hit them on Childrens Day?

Whats worse, no perpetrator has been identified for the action, he said.

The incident sparked anger, sadness and frustration among the Myanmar public.

The speaker added, The actors in armed exchanges cannot shoot at whatever they want. You should neither take the people nor religious and cultural buildings as your cover.

He was referring to the armed engagements in Mrauk-U, the ancient capital of the historic Arakanese Kingdom, last year between the Tatmadaw and AA, as well as the stationing of military troops in the compounds of monasteries and hillside pagodas, and the reckless firing of artillery into villages.

The fighting between the AA and the military began in western Myanmar in March 2015, in lesser-known areas of Paletwa Township in Chin State. It intensified in November 2018, causing civilians in the eight townships of northern Rakhine State and Paletwa to flee their homes in fear for their safety.

More than 106,000 locals had been displaced as of Jan. 25, with limited access to food and shelter, according to figures compiled by the Rakhine Ethnic Congress (REC) based in Sittwe. The locals frequently risk their lives, running the risk of being shot at when they try to transport food or simply venture out to rivers or into the woods to look for food.

According to local relief groups and parliamentarians, more than 110 deaths and some 200 injuries have been reported since January 2019, but getting an exact number of casualties is hard. Some go undocumented, given the restrictions on movement in the area.

The speaker added that despite the state parliament repeatedly urging the government to ensure the protection of civilians and maintain historically important buildings, the government does not pay attention to us. Thus, he asked whether our countrys democracy is fading.

The civilians are suffering as a result of the exchanges of fire between the military and the AA, but no one takes accountability. Whats more disturbing is that the government, which has the key responsibility to protect civilians, is failing to perform its duty, the speaker told The Irrawaddy.

Echoing his comments, Rakhine State parliamentarian U Tin Maung Win, who represents Rathedaung constituency, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the government had ignored the state legislatures calls, and had not even started an investigation into civilian casualties, including the latest school shelling, as it suggested.

Every time an artillery shell strikes a civilian community, he added, locals gather pieces of shrapnel as proof of who fired the rounds.

But the government does not do its work. It doesnt care about artillery shells falling or who burns houses, he said, referring to dwellings burnt in Tha Mee Hla village in his constituency.

According to the Rakhine Ethnic Congress, five villages were set ablaze in Rathedaung, including Tha Mee Hla, from Dec. 2018 to Feb. 2, 2020.

In January last year, Maung Naing Soe, a 7-year-old boy from Tha Mee Hla, died from shrapnel wounds after Myanmar military troops fired into the village after being ambushed near the village on Jan. 26, 2019. The boy died from his wounds while being transported to a hospital in Yangon from Sittwe on Jan. 28, 2019.

Several other children in Minbya also died after being hit by shrapnel when artillery shells struck their homes last year.

The lawmakers did their work, seeking answers and urging the government to investigate the case, but no inquiry has been held yet, said U Tin Maung Win.

Following the mass injury of schoolchildren last week, over 100 Myanmar civil society groups called on armed groups to take responsibility for civilian victims.

On the same day, the UK Embassy urged both sides in the armed conflict to end the fighting in order to bring an end to such civilian suffering.

On Feb. 14, the embassies of the United States and Canada issued statements expressing their sadness over the incident on Myanmars Children Day.

The UK and Canadian embassies also called on both armed groups to cease hostilities and to ensure that citizens are protected.

The local office of the UN childrens agency, UNICEF Myanmar, called on the Tatmadaw and the AA to respect school zones and to prevent any interference of armed actors with education infrastructures, personnel and students, in line with national legal frameworks such as the Child Rights Law and other obligations under international law.

The Feb. 13 shelling was similar to previous incidents in which artillery shells have struck civilians homes, killing or injuring local residents, with no one claiming responsibility.

Over the past four months, the fighting in Buthidaung, Ratheduang, Kyauktaw, Mrauk U, Myebon, Minbya and Chin States Paletwa has remained intense.

AA spokesman Khaing Thukha told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the fighting has been fiercer in January and February this year than in the same period last year. In January, the AA clashed with military troops more than 50 times, and fighting has occurred every day this month.

He reiterated that AA troops do not attack their own people, who, the spokesman said, are strong supporters of the armed group in these areas.

Only the Tatmadaw has imposed so many different restrictions on civilians, including subjecting their movement to severe scrutiny and restricting the transport of rice sacks, the spokesman said, adding that the military does these things because it is unable to get intelligence information from the Rakhine public.

The AA attacked military trucks on the Taungguk-Ann Road in Taungguk Township, southern Rakhine State on Feb. 13, in an expansion of the territory in which it operates. It also attacked three military trucks in a village in Mrauk-U, northern Rakhine State on Feb. 15.

The AAs ambushes continue, as do the Tatmadaws artillery strikes.

We will continue to use every means at our disposal to stop the Bamar military; currently it is not easy for them to operate undercover among our people, the AA spokesman said.

The Myanmar military also denies responsibility for civilian casualties, consistently repeating its line that civilian deaths are a by-product of the fighting between it and the AA, while occasionally directly blaming the rebels. Regarding the injuring of the 21 students in the Feb. 13 shelling of the school, the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services said that, The AA fired heavy weapons at the Tatmadaw column and a heavy weapon round hit and exploded in the compound of the primary school.injuring 14 boys and six girls playing in the compound. The military put the injury toll at 20.

Military spokesperson Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun was not available for further comment on Wednesday.

Locals believe the Union governments ban on Internet access in the area on Feb. 3 was designed to help the Tatmadaw intensify its crackdown on AA forces and those the military deems to be sympathizers of the ethnic armed group.

As the fighting has intensified since early February, following the Internet blackout, the Tatmadaw has been clearing out local villages. At least four villages have been burned in Buthidaung and Ratheduang townships, said U Zaw Zaw Tun, a secretary of the REC.

The Rakhine parliament speaker and the social workers said the Internet ban in five townships in Rakhine and Chin states should be lifted. The government originally imposed a ban on Internet access in nine townships for eight months last year, citing a need to reduce hate speech on social media, and security reasons.

U San Kyaw Hla said, You can imagine what its like in an area without Internet access and without the presence of journalists. Our country faces enormous disparagement on the international stage, as journalists are not granted access to the conflict areas.

He added, Any place without Internet access or reporters is a place where human rights abusers thrive. Is our state in such a condition? We need to ask this.

On Feb. 16, 23 civil society groups and relief groups based in Rathetaung, Buthitaung, Mrauk-U, Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Minbya, Myebon and Sittwe called on the government to immediately restore access to the Internet, saying the ban had not helped reduce the fighting.

To the contrary, they said, the Internet ban had resulted in more civilian fatalities, due to a lack of access to information on human rights abuses and health concerns.

The relief groups and members of IDP camps committees added that the ban neither helps to reduce hate speech nor decreases fighting between the armed groups.
CHICAGO  Rod Blagojevich returned home to Chicago early Wednesday, shaking hands and signing autographs after President Donald Trump cut short the 14-year prison sentence handed to the former Illinois governor for political corruption.

Blagojevich landed at OHare airport hours after walking out of a Colorado prison where he served eight years, promising to work for judicial and criminal justice reform while maintaining his innocence.

I didnt do the things they said I did and they lied on me, Blagojevich, a one-time contestant on Trumps reality TV show Celebrity Apprentice, told WGN-TV as he walked through the airport greeting travelers who welcomed him home.

Blagojevich, 63, hails from a state with a long history of pay-to-play schemes. He was convicted in 2011 of crimes that included seeking to sell an appointment to Barack Obamas old Senate seat and trying to shake down a childrens hospital.

Trump, who announced clemency for 11 people on Tuesday, called Blagojevichs punishment excessive.

That was a tremendously powerful, ridiculous sentence in my opinion and in the opinion of many others, Trump told reporters in Washington.

Blagojevich told WGN-TV he learned of his commutation when other inmates told him they saw it on the news, insisting he had no inkling it was coming.

Trump had said repeatedly in recent years that he was considering taking executive action in Blagojevichs case, only to back away from the idea.

Im profoundly grateful to President Trump and its a profound and everlasting gratitude, Blagojevich told WGN. He didnt have to do this, hes a Republican president and I was a Democratic governor.

Blagojevich was rushed by media and supporters as he exited the airport in Chicago early Wednesday, signing a few autographs before getting into a white SUV and speeding out of the airport toward his home in Chicagos Ravenswood neighborhood. There he was rushed through a crowd of journalists and supporters to his front door.

The silver-haired former governor stopped briefly on his porch and said he was happy to be home with his wife and children before disappearing into the house, where he and his family planned a homecoming press conference later Wednesday.

Blagojevich was famously fastidious about his dark hair as governor, but it went all white because hair dyes are banned in prison.

Some in Illinois, including the current governor, said Tuesday that setting Blagojevich free was a mistake.

Trump has abused his pardon power in inexplicable ways to reward his friends and condone corruption, and I deeply believe this pardon sends the wrong message at the wrong time, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a written statement.

Many Republicans agreed.

In a state where corrupt, machine-style politics is still all too common, its important that those found guilty serve their prison sentence in its entirety, said the chairman of the Illinois GOP, Tim Schneider.

Trump made clear that he saw similarities between efforts to investigate his own conduct and those who took down Blagojevich.

It was a prosecution by the same people  Comey, Fitzpatrick, the same group, Trump said. He was referring to Patrick Fitzgerald, the former U.S. attorney who prosecuted Blagojevich and now represents former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired from the agency in May 2017. Comey was not at the FBI or anywhere in the Department of Justice during the investigation and indictment of Blagojevich.

The Illinois House in January 2009 voted 114-1 to impeach Blagojevich, and the state Senate voted unanimously to remove him, making him the first Illinois governor in history to be removed by lawmakers. He entered prison in March 2012.

Blagojevichs wife, Patti, went on a media blitz in 2018 to encourage Trump to step in, praising the president and likening the investigation of her husband to special prosecutor Robert Muellers probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election  a probe Trump long characterized as a witch hunt.

Blagojevichs conviction was notable, even in a state where four of the last 10 governors have gone to prison for corruption. Judge James Zagel  who sentenced Blagojevich to the longest prison term yet for an Illinois politician  said when a governor goes bad, the fabric of Illinois is torn and disfigured.

After his Dec. 9, 2008, arrest while still governor, Blagojevich became known for his foul-mouthed rants on wiretaps. On the most notorious recording, he gushed about profiting by naming someone to the seat Obama vacated to become president: Ive got this thing and its f golden. And Im just not giving it up for f nothing.

Prosecutors have balked at the notion long promoted by Blagojevich that he engaged in common political horse-trading and was a victim of an overzealous U.S. attorney. After Blagojevichs arrest, Fitzgerald said the governor had gone on a political corruption crime spree that would make Abraham Lincoln turn over in his grave.

A joint statement from Fitzgerald and the lead prosecutors at Blagojevichs trial, none of whom work in the U.S. Attorneys Office in Chicago anymore, stopped short of criticizing Trumps decision. But they highlighted the convictions, including for trying to shake down the childrens hospital, saying, Mr. Blagojevich remains a felon.

Mueller  a subject of Trumps derision  was FBI director during the investigation into Blagojevich.

Trump expressed some sympathy for Blagojevich when he appeared on Celebrity Apprentice in 2010, before his first corruption trial started. When Trump fired Blagojevich as a contestant, he praised him for how he was fighting his criminal case, telling him, You have a hell of a lot of guts.

Blagojevichs first trial ended with the jury unable to reach a verdict, except for a single conviction, for lying to the FBI.

At his second trial in 2011, Blagojevich testified, describing himself as a flawed dreamer grounded in his parents working-class values. He sought to humanize himself to counteract the seemingly greedy governor heard on wiretap recordings played in court. He said the hours of FBI recordings were the ramblings of a politician who liked to think out loud.

He was convicted on 18 counts. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago in 2015 tossed out five of the convictions, including ones in which he offered to appoint someone to a high-paying job in the Senate.

The appeals court ordered the trial judge to resentence Blagojevich but suggested it would be appropriate to hand him the same sentence, given the gravity of the crimes.

Ive made a whole bunch of mistakes but I didnt break any laws, Blagojevich told ABC 7 Chicago in Denver before boarding his Tuesday night flight. I crossed no lines. And the things I talked about doing were legal and this was routine politics and the ones who did it are the ones who broke the laws and the ones who frankly should meet and face some accountability.

___

Follow Michael Tarm on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mtarm. Associated Press Writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the Rod Blagojevich case: https://www.apnews.com/RodBlagojevich.
Everittstown United Methodist Church has added a blessing box beside the driveway of its location in Pittstown, where those in need are invited to take food and toiletries donated by both parishioners of the church and other members of the community.

The blessing box -- or emergency mini-food pantry -- contains non-perishable food items like cereal, cake mixes, soups, and powdered milk, as well as regular household items like diapers and paper towels. The pantry is restocked at least twice a week by members of the church, which averages approximately 20 to 22 per Sunday service according to Alicia Grey, associate pastor for Everittstown United Methodist Church.

Grey described the pantry as exactly like a library box."

Except that instead of free books, its free food," Grey said.

Closed blessing boxCaroline Fassett I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The blessing box was implemented in mid-September at the instruction of vice president of the congregations church council, Bette Mayers, who said that she had seen a photo of a mini food pantry several years ago and thought it was just the coolest idea.

Its little, and its easy, really, once you get the box. And I thought, You know, Im always looking for something small churches can do.' We cant always do those big huge projects that big churches can, but we can still make a difference, Mayers said.

Mayers said that since formulating the idea, she had just been waiting for the right person to come along to say, I can build that for you."

That individual, parishioner and Frenchtown resident Sargent Russell, came forward this past summer.

(Mayers) asked in church, Could anyone help by building a mini pantry? So I said, Yes I can, Russell said.

Russell said that he tinkered around in his shop for three or four days over the summer alongside Mayers son, James, who helped him cut up slabs of wood to fashion the box, its framework, the small roof over it, and a shelf that both supports the box and can be used as an additional platform to hold the items that it contains.

Russell said that he volunteered to create the pantry because he wanted to be of service to the church and to Mayers in particular.

That is a really good church. The people are really people that care about each other, and theyre willing to work to do some good. And a good example of that is Bette Mayers," Russell said. A person like myself, I cant devote my attention to things the way she does. But if she comes up with something I can do, thats when I do something.

While Mayers initially feared that individuals might unload the entire box at one time to take all of its contents for themselves, she said that that has not happened.

People are only taking what they want, or what they need. Were learning what they want and need as we go along, but hopefully that mom takes a brownie mix and has a goodie for their kid for when they come home from school. Or peanut butter to make peanut butter and crackers, or a side dish that they could add tuna to to make a meal, Mayers said.

Parishioner and Holland Township resident Susanne LaCourt, who has restocked the box herself, confirmed that the pantry is often filled by both donations made to the church or made directly to the pantry itself.

When I went to see what was missing on Sunday, someone had already brought some other items. So people come -- even if they dont need the food, theyll bring it anonymously and put it in the box," LeCourt said.

While the church continues to set aside donations for local food pantries, Mayers emphasized that the box alone is open to individuals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

A lot of food pantries are only open once a month, or every couple weeks ... But this is always there. They can always stop in to get something to make a meal if they have to, Mayers said.

Its not just a building where people come on Sunday. Theres an extension here where people can come any day of the week, any time of the day, to receive a blessing, LeCourt echoed.

Grey added that the box has the added benefit of securing the anonymity of its patrons.

Anybody can come anonymously, because I would think that sometimes there might be people who need help but perhaps are embarrassed or ashamed, or they just cant get to the pantry during the hours that its open, Grey said.

Both Grey and Mayers said the consistent usage of the pantry demonstrates the continuing existence of need throughout Hunterdon County, which they believe many of its residents might not currently recognize.

Hunterdon County is a wealthy area, by all standards, but theres a lot of hidden poverty," Mayers said.

We cant just assume what our neighbors are going through; we cant just assume that because were in a really nice, affluent area that everybodys doing well, that everybody has a steady paycheck, Grey added. People are using this blessing box; we dont know where theyre coming from, we dont know who they are, but obviously theres a need. So were really thankful to have the opportunity to do something to help people.

Reflecting upon the United Methodist Churchs official mission to make disciples for the transformation of the world, Grey stated that the blessing box is one way of doing that."

We are extending our love, extending our care and our concern for the community by recognizing what the needs are, Grey said.

Exterior of Everittstown United Methodist ChurchCaroline Fassett I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

(The blessing box) symbolizes our love for our neighbor. It symbolizes that the church (established in 1825) is more than coming to a worship service on a Sunday morning for an hour -- that being Christians is a lifestyle and something that is active, and something that we take very seriously," she added.

Looking forward, both Grey and Mayers expressed their desire for other groups of all kinds to follow the churchs lead and build a blessing box of their own.

It doesnt need to be churches. Ive had a Girl Scout group ask about it. Communities can do it -- any small group that wants to get together and put one together," Mayers said. "We would love to inspire other areas to do something like this.

Its not something you see very often, but were hoping that it will have a ripple effect," Grey said. And you never know ... No matter how small your group is, you can do something like this. Anybody can do this.

Everittstown United Methodist Church is located at 415 County Road #513 in Pittstown.

Those interested in receiving assistance to build a mini food pantry of their own can contact Sargent Russell at 252-238-9992.

Caroline Fassett can be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com.

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A pair of TikTok pranksters spent time and money creating a fake LGBTQ ad for Chipotle and tricked their local franchise into hanging it up on the wall  where it has remained for at least a week.

Blake Messick, 20, from Houston, Texas and his friend Javier Neveu executed the stunt, going to a park for a romantic Chipotle-eating photoshoot.

They then printed and framed the best shot before getting another friend to pose as a corporate employee and hang it up in a nearby restaurant.

Blake Messick, 20, from Houston, Texas and his friend Javier Neveu made a fake LGBT ad for Chipotle and tricked their local franchise into hanging it up on the wall

Setting it up: The pair went to a scenic spot for a photoshoot with some Chipotle food

Working on it: They edited the images to include 'Love for All' and 'Chipotle accepts #ChipotleStrong'

In a viral TikTok video that's been viewed and likes millions of times, Blake says that they started out with a plan 'to make a fake LGBT ad and hang it up inside a Chipotle.'

First, they dressed up and headed to a scenic outdoor location with some Chipotle food, bringing along a professional photographer whom they'd paid to shoot them.

They took hundreds of photos, smiling and snacking while posing as a couple.

'We immediately took the photos into Photoshop and started adding made-up Chipotle slogans,' Blake said.

They settled on a shot of them both smiling, Blake with his arm around Javier while they both feed each other.

Underneath, they wrote 'Love for All' and 'Chipotle accepts #ChipotleStrong.'

Professional: They printed it out at Walgreens and then bought a frame from Target

Fooling around: Another friend posed as the 'Manager of Advertising and Marketing' from corporate to go to the local restaurant and hang it up

Up there: The friend hung the poster in the store, where it remained for at least a week

Hot spot: Their poster was put in a frame before being hung above a table to make it look as authentic as possible

With that, they 'went to Walgreens and had the picture printed on posterboard-sized paper.'

In video filmed at the store, they can be heard laughing uproariously as they see the printed image.

They then went to Target for a picture frame that seemed 'legit.'

'I spent so much money on this video that it is actually embarrassing,' Blake said.

Of course, they couldn't very well walk it into their local Chipotle and hang it themselves, since an employee might recognize that they were in the photo. So Blake had another friend dress up and pose as someone from corporate.

The video shows the friend walking up to the counter and ask for the manager, telling him that he is the Manager of Advertising and Marketing.

It's OK! On Instagram, Blake revealed that the official Chipotle account had shared words of approval, commenting: 'Wrong font but also nicely done'

Freebies: Blake later said the chain 'sponsored' him and showed off a bag of free food

'I'm here to implement small interior design changes. Just want to make this place look a little bit more friendly,' he said.

Blake and Javier waited in the parking lot, and went wild when they saw photos of their poster hanging in the store.

'We were pretty surprised it actually worked,' he said, adding that it was still hanging a week later.

On Instagram, Blake revealed that the official Chipotle account had shared words of approval, commenting: 'Wrong font but also nicely done.'

They also treated him to some free food.

Asian representation: Filipino-Americans Jevh Maravilla, 21 (right) and pal Christian Toledo, 25, performed a similar stunt in a McDonald's in 2018

Blake and Javier may have been inspired by a pair of college students who performed a similar stunt in a McDonald's in 2018.

Jevh Maravilla, then a 21-year-old University of Houston student, teamed up with friends to mock up a fake McDonald's advertising poster, then posed as a 'Regional Interior Coordinator' to hang it in a McDonalds in Pearland, Texas.

Maravilla told KHOU that one day months before, he and his fellow Filipino-American friend, Christian Toledo, were eating at the fast foot restaurant and realized that none of the posters had any Asians in them.

'They had other races, but no Asians, so we felt like it was our duty to put ourselves up there,' Maravilla said.

So they snapped a photos of themselves eating a McDonald's burger and fries, matching it to the style of the real images hanging on the restaurant's walls.

They paid $85 to print the image on a large canvas via Office Depot's website, recording their work for a YouTube video.

Posing: Part of Maravilla and Toledo's scheme involved tracking down a McDonald's uniform shirt at Goodwill, which Maravilla wore to play the part of a 'Regional Interior Coordinator'

Lasting power: According to Maravilla, the poster was on the wall for at least 53 days

Maravilla then managed to track down a McDonald's uniform shirt at Goodwill  a steal at less than $7  and doctored up a fake ID badge that made it appear to anyone asking questions that he was Jeff Bergara, a McDonald's Regional Interior Coordinator.

They then snuck the poster into the Pearland McDonald's and proceeded to hang it on the wall without being detected.

Maravilla told Inc. that the phony advertising image has been on the McDonald's wall for 53 days, and he waited to reveal the prank on Twitter because he 'wanted people to think it was impressive that it's been there for so long.'

'I hope this can open the eyes of McDonald's and their corporation to show more people like me, Asians, in there,' he told Click 2 Houston.

Maravilla noted that 'Asian representation in media is not as prevalent as it should be.'

In a statement obtained by DailyMail.com, Pearland McDonald's franchisee Mariselle Quijano said, 'We take pride in highlighting diversity in every aspect of our restaurants. We applaud these students' creativity and hope to see them in our restaurants again soon.'
BETHEL, Conn., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BranchServ, a Division of Custom Vault Corporation, has successfully partnered with COCC to launch a transformational automation solution for community banking in New England and the Mid-West. Using advanced terminals (ITMs) from Nautilus Hyosung, its collaborative effort successfully reduces demands on both call centers and branch staff for banks and credit unions.

The BranchServ/COCC approach to transaction automation enables 'self-service first and assisted self-service only when needed'. They call it "self-service first". Ultimately, each advanced terminal (ITM) is set up and configured to run on both the ATM Network (Elan/Fiserv) and the core system (COCC) for the financial institution, and is thereby a dual-host solution. It provides 24/7 self-service access and support for 95% of typical transactions, and both customers and non-customers benefit from the technology. Notably, Active Teller is a complement which connects consumers with bank representatives via two-way audio/video, and with the new system, one video teller can typically support 9 or more terminals.

According to David Pepin, "Fully integrated terminals like this can be used to replace drive-thrus, supplement or replace the teller line altogether, and support remote offices where a 'staffed' branch is difficult to justify. Most importantly, they give consumers the flexibility to bank when and where they want. BranchServ is excited to see adoption of this superior technology."

Workers Credit Union recently implemented the technology and according to Peter Rice, SVP of Retail Services, "This (technology) puts us at the cutting edge of transactional banking with a continued focus on relationships through the interactive teller option. COCC and BranchServ are cutting edge partners in a time where credit union memberships are putting a premium on cutting edge digital technology to improve their daily lives."

COCC concurs. According to Dave Frauenhofer, FVP of Product Management at COCC, "The self-service first solution enables members to instantly perform real time transactions directly to the core. This integrated process drastically increases the efficiency and accuracy of these transactions."

About BranchServ Founded in 1999 as a division of Custom Vault Corporation, BranchServ provides security and automation equipment and service for bank branches and credit unions nationwide. This includes six of the ten largest branch banking networks in the United States. The fastest growing provider in the industry, BranchServ combines a client-driven service focus with unparalleled experience; empowering branch networks to improve operational efficiencies, lower costs, and enhance the end-customer experience. We help you Put Your Best Branch Forward.

About COCC COCC was created by a cooperative of financial institutions to deliver real banking technology. Its collaborative philosophy has led to 50+ years of immense customer success with a focus on delivering core technology platforms, next-generation information technology services and core processing solutions for community banks.

News Media Contacts BranchServ:

CONTACT: Rebecca Cicarelli, PH: 203.403.4226, Email: [email protected]

SOURCE BranchServ
HARRISBURG, Pa.  The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, six months after disclosing it had paid millions of dollars to people sexually abused as children by its clerics.

The diocese joins at least 20 others across the United States in seeking protection from creditors through the federal bankruptcy system, but it is the first diocese in Pennsylvania to take such a step.

In August, the diocese said it paid 106 people a total of just over $12 million to compensate for claims of sexual abuse they suffered as children from its clerics, deacons and seminarians,and officials said Wednesday the current total is 111 settlements.

The filing in Harrisburg federal bankruptcy court said the diocese faces potentially significant exposure from remaining claimants and wants Chapter 11 reorganization to provide money for unresolved claims and perform its ministry and other operations.

The diocese told the court it has more than 200 creditors and estimated liabilities between $50 million and $100 million, with assets of less than $10 million. It listed creditors that include a $30 million loan from the Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority and 12 blacked-out names that were represented by lawyers.

Bishop Ronald Gainer said that even before the abuse scandal reached it with a grand jury subpoena in 2016, his dioceses finances were in a very challenging condition.

We have no other path forward to ensure the future of our diocese than reorganization bankruptcy, Gainer said.

The diocese serves about 250,000 Catholics in 89 parishes, spanning 15 counties. Individual parishes within the diocese are separately incorporated entities and so are not part of the bankruptcy, diocesan attorney Matt Haverstick said.

The diocese estimates it faces about 200 additional child sexual abuse claims, counting those that do not involve clergy, Haverstick said.

The filing could help shield it from additional claims, said Harrisburg lawyer Ben Andreozzi, who has settled about 20 claims against the diocese and has two pending lawsuits, all related to child sexual abuse. Andreozzi was listed in the court filing as the contact for six creditors.

From the day they file bankruptcy, moving on into the future, if someone did not present their claim in that time frame, it is forever exhausted, Andreozzi said.

The Harrisburg diocese opened a temporary settlement program after a landmark grand jury report accused it and five other dioceses in Pennsylvania of covering up the sexual abuse of hundreds of children over much of the past century.

Many of those now-adult victims identified in the grand jury report are too old, under state law, to sue the dioceses.

The Legislature last year took a crucial step toward amending the state constitution to give those victims a new opportunity to sue their abusers and institutions that may have covered it up.

The proposed amendment allowing such a lawsuit window must be passed by lawmakers again in the 2021-22 legislative session before needing approval by voters in a statewide referendum.

Lawmakers, however, have rejected changing state law to allow such lawsuits, as several other states have done.

Andreozzi said the diocese can resolve lawsuits at a much lower cost by going into bankruptcy before Pennsylvania opens a window for lawsuits.

A claim that goes to a jury in state court is typically worth several times as much in a cash settlement for a victim who sues, Andreozzi said.

Minneapolis attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents dozens of clergy abuse survivors in lawsuits against the Roman Catholic dioceses, said filing for bankruptcy can be used to hide assets or shield them during the determination of their liability to victims.

Filing for bankruptcy can also help dioceses avoid being forced under court order to divulge documents or testimony about how they handled reports of abuse in the past, Anderson added.

Twenty-two U.S. dioceses and religious orders, including one in Guam, have filed for bankruptcy protection, according to the group BishopAccountability.org. One, Minnesotas Diocese of St. Cloud, had announced bankruptcy plans but has continued negotiating with accusers to stave itoff.

All the Catholic dioceses and religious orders that filed for bankruptcy in the United States are still in existence and carrying out their mission, said Marie Reilly, a Penn State University law professor.

___

Associated Press writers Marc Levy in Harrisburg and Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
Workers go door to door to check the temperature of residents during a health screening campaign in the Qingheju Community, Qingshan District of Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. (Cheng Min/Xinhua via AP)

Two Deaths From New Coronavirus Reported in Iran

Iranian authorities confirmed on Wednesday two cases of the new coronavirus, later saying the two patients died.

IRNA quoted Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to the countrys health minister, as saying that both of the victims had been carrying the coronavirus and were located in Qom, about 140 kilometers (86 miles) south of the capital, Tehran. Irans Mehrs news agency said the the patients were both Iranians.

The state news agency said later that schools and universities in Qom would be closed to enable an investigation.

Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian authorities confirmed two cases of the new virus, the first in the country, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency. Officials later said the two patients had died.

ISNA quoted an official in the countrys health ministry, Kiyanoush Jahanpour, as saying that since last two days, some suspected cases of the new coronavirus were found.

Iranians walk in Tehran on Feb. 18, 2020. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)

The new virus emerged in China in December. Since then, more than 70,000 people have been infected globally, with more than 2,000 deaths being reported, mostly in China. Because the country is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, which often underestimates death tolls and other figures, the true numbers are likely higher.

The United Arab Emirates, across the Persian Gulf from Iran, reported in late January the first confirmed case of the virus in the Middle East. The patient was a Chinese national from the city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged. Six other cases have since been confirmed in the country, including a Filipino national.

The country was one of many to implement flight restrictions in a bid to stem the spread of the disease, suspending all flights from China except for Beijing. Iran and Iraq are among other countries in the region to suspend flights from China.

Egypt last week said that a patient tested positive for the new virus for the first time. Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Mugahed in a statement described the patient as a foreigner who did not show any serious symptoms, Al Jazeera reported.

The patient was identified through a program designed to screen people arriving from countries that have cases of the virus.

Tourists wearing surgical masks are pictured on a beach next to Burj Al Arab in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 29, 2020. (Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images)

No other countries in the World Health Organizations Eastern Mediterranean Region had reported cases until Iran reported the new patients, according to the international health agency. The virus has spread widely in Asia and the Western Pacific, with dozens of cases in Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and South Korea, and at least 15 cases in Malaysia, Vietnam, and Australia.

Germany has the most cases in Europe with 16 and the United States confirmed its 16th late Tuesday.

Two deaths have taken place outside of China, one in Japan and one in France.

Coronaviruses typically circulate among animals, but in rare cases can infect humans before spreading from person-to-person. Both human-to-human transmission and asymptomatic transmission, or the spread of the virus from people not showing symptoms, have been confirmed. The origins of the new virus arent confirmed.

The virus has symptoms similar to the flu, including fever, coughing, and a headache. Other symptoms include confusion. To prevent contraction of the virus, experts recommend frequently washing hands, not touching the hand, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands, and avoiding people who are clearly sick.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Este Gobierno respeta la separacion de poderes y no negocia con la corrupcion. Defenderemos los intereses del Estado con toda la fuerza de la razon y las Leyes. Esta es la firme conviccion que compatimos todos los ministros junto al Presidente @MartinVizcarraC https://t.co/v2Sy01GUZD
The Baloch Army on Tuesday launched an attack on the Pakistan Army in South-West region of the Balochistan province in Pakistan. Balochistan Liberation along with Balochistan Liberation Front, Baloch Republican Guard and the Baloch Republic Army claimed to have launched a massive attack on Pakistan Army on Tuesday night where they destroyed Pakistan army camps and also killed 16 Pakistan Army personnel. Balochistan rebels have claimed that LeT operatives were being trained in these Pakistan army camps and were guarded by the army officials themselves.

READ | FATF Asks Pakistan To Tighten Laws Against Terror Financing, Keeps It In Grey List

'Balochistan is half of Pakistan'

Reacting to the incident, Major Gaurav Arya (Retd) said, "Over a period of time and it started in the Mushharaf-reign where the Pakistan Army could not control Baloch nationalists. What they started doing was trying to radicalise Baloch society, so people from Punjab and Sindh set up Madrassa and Masjids there and they would start training the young in radical Islam but they Baloch never fell in their trap. They control 40-45% of Pakistan's territory. Balochistan is half of Pakistan."

READ | UK MP Debbie Abrahams Lands In Pakistan, Katie Hopkins Lauds India's Denial Of Entry

Furthermore, he added, "They have gotten together and hammered the Pakistani army including the terrorists who were there and this is a clear thing as Baloch has always put nation before religion. They were independent and this is what the Baloch are trying to assert their independence."

READ | POTUS Donald Trump's India Visit A Stand-alone Affair - No Pakistan, No Afghanistan

READ | Pakistan Deploys Two Officials In Coronavirus-hit Wuhan To Assist Students
This is the moment two young male giraffes were caught butting heads in a rarely seen fight for dominance.

The two giraffes engaged in the violent duel, butting each other aggressively on the neck and body, at Kruger Park in South Africa in December last year.

The rarely captured battle is part of a complex ritual to identify the alpha male in the tower (group of giraffes).

The two giraffes can be seen sizing each other up at Kruger National Park in South Africa in December

The two creatures swing their heads at the same time with one (back of shot) landing a shot on his opponent's leg and the other getting a prize welt on the neck (front)

The giraffes can be seen posturing themselves in preparation to compete, sizing each other up.

As they get the measure of their opponent, both of the challengers swing their heads at the same time, with one landing a shot on his competitor's leg.

While he tries to unsteady his rival, the other giraffe strikes him on the neck with a swooping blow.

The giraffes swing again but the losing creature (back) can only aim towards his rival's rump, missing the neck

The giraffe with the longer neck at the front of the shot swings his head round like a windmill, landing a second and third shot on the neck of his foe.

After this conclusive welt and the challenger defeated, he resigns himself to second place.

Experts believe that for male giraffes, neck size is very important. Those with longer and stronger necks are more likely to win these battles.

One of the creatures (front), with the longer neck, comes out as victorious after hitting his challenger more often

With victory comes pick of the females, and scientists believe that giraffes with longer necks attract more of them.

Giraffes also use their long neck to feed on the leaves, shoots, and fruits of tall trees.

They can grow up to 20ft tall and their necks can be over 6ft in length.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A New Zealand lawmaker and three political donors face fraud charges over an alleged scheme to hide campaign donations.

Lawmaker Jami-Lee Ross on Wednesday was named along with three other men in the case. If found guilty, Ross faces a maximum penalty of seven years in prison on each of two charges.

The other men face similar charges. All four deny the allegations and say they will fight them in court.

The charges revolve around an alleged scheme to break up large donations into small chunks so the donors wouldnt be publicly identified under electoral rules.

Ross first brought concerns about the donations to police in 2018 during a tumultuous falling out with his party leader Simon Bridges, who Ross accused of orchestrating the alleged scheme. Ross said hes now being made a scapegoat.

I always wanted to make it very clear that as the whistleblower on this deception, it was outrageous that I was then charged and that others were seeking to implicate me, Ross said in a statement Wednesday.

Bridges has denied knowing about the alleged scheme and doesnt face any charges.

After he fell out with Bridges, Ross left the conservative National Party and has continued serving in Parliament as an independent lawmaker. He said he suffered a mental breakdown, while others have accused him of harassing female colleagues.

The three donors  Yikun Zhang, Shijia Colin Zheng and Hengjia Joe Zheng  said in a statement they were proud New Zealanders and philanthropists who had regularly donated to political parties and campaigns. They said they were casualties of the turmoil created through mudslinging when Ross and Bridges fell out.

Ross has previously said that Zhang donated 100,000 New Zealand dollars ($64,000) to the National Party. The scheme allegedly involves a second donation of the same size.

The charges came after an investigation by New Zealands Serious Fraud Office. The office this week announced it is also investigating a foundation that helped fund another political party, the centrist New Zealand First party.

Transparency International named New Zealand and Denmark as the least corrupt countries in the world on its most recent corruption perceptions index.
Trump hails President Erdogans efforts on Syria issue

Voicing his support over Erdogans policy, "You have a lot of warring going on right now, a lot of warring going on, but I am dealing with President Erdogan," Trump said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to ensure a humanitarian catastrophe does not befall northwest Syria's Idlib province, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday.

"WE ARE WORKING TOGETHER ON SYRIA CRISIS"

"Hes fighting on Idlib," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One. "He doesnt want people to be killed by the thousands, and hundreds of thousands."





Trump said Washington and Ankara are "working together" to determine what can be done amid a Syrian regime offensive backed by Russia and Iran that the UN said has led to the displacement of 900,000 people already.
General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu, has disclosed that the party has taken steps to sanction anyone who flouts the National Executive Councils' decision in the wake of their primaries.



According to him, they expect everyone to adhere strictly to the rules and guidelines governing their primaries.



Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme with Kwame Nkrumah Tikese, he explained that the party has taken notice of some misunderstandings with respect to acquiring forms.



"We have asked all party executives to adhere strictly and provide forms to all interested aspirants. Refusal to do so will warrant severe sanctions from the National Executive Council.



"The NPP is a democratic party and we expect that everyone within the party who desires to contest in the primaries to be treated equally," he said.



He said the National Executive Council has the privilege to take a final decision so far as the primaries are concerned.



Following the opening of nominations by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to elect parliamentary candidates for constituencies with sitting MPs on April 25, 2020, there has been a lot of hues and cry about the process in other regions and particularly Ashanti Region.



While some party officials intend to protect some of the Members of Parliament (MPs) for them to go unopposed as a reward for their good work for the party and the government, others believe that the decision is undemocratic and that the contest should be opened to all for the best candidates to win and represent their people.



Since the opening of nominations on January 20, 2020, the Ashanti Region, which is the stronghold of the party, has been awash with controversies, with some aspiring candidates accusing the regional and constituency executives of colluding to deny them the opportunity to pick nomination forms.



Though some aspirants have been able to pick their forms others are still struggling to locate their constituency executives for a copy of the forms.



Watch video below





Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Suspected Maoists rebels blew up a school building in Bihar's Gaya district and left behind pamphlets denouncing the CAA-NPR-NRC and the "fascist BJP government", a senior police official said on Wednesday.

Rajeev Mishra, the Senior Superintendent of Police of Gaya, said nobody was injured in the blast that razed the empty school building in Banke Bazaar police station area late Tuesday night. A CRPF contingent was stationed there till recently.

"A team of 153 Battalion of CRPF had been camping in the area since March 18 last year when naxals had carried out an attack ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. They had been putting up at Sonedaha High School and shifted to their own camp in the thick of the jungle nearby on February 08," Mishra said.

Hand-written pamphlets have been recovered from the site which bear slogans against "Brahminvadi, Hindutvavadi fascist BJP government," and question "occupation" of school buildings by security forces.

The pamphlets also urge people to "unite against draconian measures like CAA, NPR and NRC", the SSP added.

We have inputs about Maoists active in the area lending their support to the protests against CAA-NPR-NRC. On Sunday last, nine women suspected of naxal links were rounded up in Gaya town while they were on their way to Shanti Bagh where a round-the-clock demonstration has been under way," he said.

The SSP claimed that during interrogation one of the women confessed to being an active member of the banned CPI (Maoist) and others said they had received Rs 300-400 each for attending the Shanti Bagh protest.

Joint search operations by CRPF, Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) and STF of Bihar police were on to track down the perpetrators, Mishra said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The current vaccine mandate enforcement drive by Merck and Friends has driven our community, and those who never questioned vaccines before now, back to a basic question at hand here.

That precedent has been the basis for the mandate of dozens of now liability-free vaccines for children and adults, where no epidemic (or even one case) exists, at the costs of thousands, or even hundred of thousands, per year to opt out. It is even the basis on which the Supreme Court ruled that women can be force sterilized , for the good of themselves and society, of course.

One hundred and fifteen years ago this month, the US Supreme Court made a decision that because there was a deadly smallpox epidemic, the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts was allowed to charge a pastor five dollars to opt out of a city wide vaccine mandate. The law didn't apply to children.

The knee jerk reaction , and normal human response for Americans is, "I do."

But that is not what most governments believes. Even under our Constitution of individual liberties, governments strive to control even your medical choices, and if they can't, they will find a reason to justify it, and the means to carry out their will.

In 21st century America, there are no deadly epidemics of communicable disease, despite the fact that we are subject to constant fear campaigns that one is coming. In fact no such event has happened in my lifetime. If the fear mongers want to scare you into fearing deadly epidemics, they have to go back more than a hundred years. So the circumstances for the justification of the government's actions in Jacobson v. Massachusetts exist only in the history books.

So in this age of medical tech, including vaccines, that most people want, why do mandates still exist? And if Jacobson can justify the sexual mutilation of women, then what else can it justify as medical technology progresses over the next century and beyond?

What new medical interventions and body tech will The Gates Foundation invent and convince (bribe) governments and NGOs to force people into utilizing? And where will the battle to end coerced "medical care" begin.

I submit to you that it has begun in South Dakota. Today.

South Dakota House Majority Leader, Representative Lee Qualm (R), has introduced HB 1235 An Act to Revise Provisions Regarding Immunizations.

The bill repeals ALL vaccine mandates in the State.

South Dakota would be the first US state to have no vaccine mandates at all, joining other governments like the UK, Japan and Canada, in uncoerced vaccine decision making.

But the bill goes even further. IT ENDS MEDICAL MANDATES ALL TOGETHER. It adds new law that reads:

"Section 5. That a NEW SECTION be added: 334-22-6.1. Discrimination-Immunization Every person has the inalienable right to bodily integrity, free from any threat or compulsion that the person accepts any medical intervention, including immunization. No person may be discriminated against for refusal to accept an unwanted medical intervention, including immunization."

The State of South Dakota would function under the truth that YOU OWN YOUR BODY, and codifies into law that YOU make our own medical decisions. And no one can coerce your choices or discriminate against you because of them.

This is the real conversation that we should be having now. Begging the government not to take away our right to bodily integrity, or trying to claw back religious and philosophical exemptions that give us "loopholes" that "allow" us to make our own decisions about our own bodies is becoming an outdated conversation that is based on a lie. The lie that we have no right to bodily integrity in the first place, and government is doing us a favor by giving us even a medical exemption.

Cambridge, and the turn of the 20th century courts didn't care that Pastor Jacobson protested the violation of his body (and his bank account) based on his arguments that vaccines were not safe, that both he and his son had previous vaccine reactions (Jacobson himself was injured in childhood) and they violated his religious conscience. SCOTUS didn't care that Carrie Buck was a woman of sound mind who wanted to retain her ability to have children after she was raped and impregnated by a family member.

They declared her intellectually disabled, an "imbecile," even though there was never any evidence that she had any disability. They then forced her to be sterilized.

"Carrie Buck 'is the probable potential parent of socially inadequate offspring, likewise afflicted, that she may be sexually sterilized without detriment to her general health and that her welfare and that of society will be promoted by her sterilization"

The state did, of course, have a stated compelling interest, as they always do, when they seek to violate the civil rights of Americans. This was it:

"in order to prevent our being swamped with incompetence. It is better for all the world, if instead of waiting to execute degenerate offspring for crime, or to let them starve for their imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind. The principle that sustains compulsory vaccination is broad enough to cover cutting the Fallopian tubes. Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 , 25 S. Ct. 358, 3 Ann. Cas. 765. Three generations of imbeciles are enough."

And that justification was based on the existence of vaccine mandates.

This is dead thinking. It is unconscionable in the 21st century that such logic is allowed to stand in the law books, but Buck v. Bell is still law, as Jacobson is still law.

South Dakota will now consider the rejection of the lie that you do not own your body, the laws that can allow the state to do what it wants with your body.

It is time for America to decide who owns a person's medical choices. Is it the state, or the person in the body who must live (or die) with the consequences of those medical choices?

I urge you to change the conversation in your state. Take the SD bill to your legislators, tell them about Henning Jacobson and Carrie Buck, and ask them who they think owns your medical choices.

Because if governments have the right to coerce vaccination for Henning Jacobson, they also have the right to remove Carrie Buck's reproductive organs. And yours.

Who owns your body?
Integrated cable routing

We believe cables should always be routed directly through the frame. Brake and shift cables are dipped into the top tube via self-developed plugs and leave the down tube before the rear end transfers the cables back to the chainstay in an attractive way.



Brake and chainstay protection

We like quiet bikes and always want the best possible protection for our frames.

For this reason we have decided to develop our own chainstay.

At the same time the brake of the rear wheel enjoys effective protection by our 4 edge rear frame. Reachability does not suffer from this.


One-year post Bryan Murphy joining as CEO, the company has successfully reinvented the business to meet a trillion-dollar market opportunity with strong customer demand

NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Breather , a leading provider of flexible, private office and meeting space, today announced the results of a strong year for the company's office product with 200% year-over-year revenue growth and 95% of spaces rented at launch. In his first year as CEO, Bryan Murphy, former eBay executive, has fostered impressive growth by reinventing the Breather business model to meet the needs of customers who want private office space on flexible terms in the trillion-dollar commercial office market. Breather plans to continue expanding the office product with 40 new private office spaces launching in 2020.

Meeting an unmet need with flexible, private office space

A key to the company's 2019 success has been the addition of 35 purpose-built private office spaces to their global portfolio of on-demand spaces. These spaces provide fully serviced, move-in ready headquarters and satellite offices for customers who require the flexibility that a traditional lease can't provide and the privacy that coworking lacks. In addition to the physical office product, Breather has continued to innovate its proprietary space-as-a-service platform, which provides real-time access to Breather's growing network of spaces, allowing customers to book office space as easily as an Uber while delivering a world-class customer experience. "There has never been as great of a need for flexibility in business. Modern companies grow and flex more rapidly and the lease model for office space has not kept up," said Bryan Murphy, CEO of Breather. "Previously companies either had to sign a restrictive lease or put up with distracting coworking environments. We're now enabling high growth companies to have the benefits of a private office on flexible terms."

Breather's spaces are purposefully designed and crafted with productivity in mind. Every detail within each Breather space from lighting and acoustics to work and collaboration areas are optimized for maximum efficiency for a team. As a result, 90% of customers report that their Breather space is better than their former office, and 75% of employees under 35 years old report that they would be more inclined to take a job that operated out of a Breather space1.

Growing executive team with passionate and seasoned leaders

Murphy understands how to foster growth and has quickly built a seasoned leadership team consisting of industry experts with a record of scaling high growth companies. One of the most recent new hires is Samantha Goldman, former Head of Business Marketing at Lyft, who joins Breather as Vice President of Marketing. Goldman brings a strong B2B marketing and growth background working with disruptive companies and beloved brands and will leverage those strategies in her new role, fueling the growth of Breather as the company continues to scale.

"As a loyal customer, I have always been impressed by Breather's ability to seamlessly provide well-designed workspace on-demand," said Samantha Goldman, Vice President, Marketing of Breather. "With the market shifting to more flexible work environments, Breather's combination of private office and on-demand meeting spaces positions us to be at the forefront of the workplace transformation. I'm excited to work alongside this seasoned and passionate leadership team to further differentiate Breather as the leader in flexible office and meeting space."

Throughout the remainder of 2020 Breather will focus on aggressively expanding in the company's core markets with 40 spaces planned to launch this year. Additionally, the company plans to enhance the current user experience by streamlining the discovery, booking and management of their meeting and office space product offerings.

For more information, please visit Breather.com.

About Breather

Breather is a leading flexible, private workspace provider with a mission to create frictionless access to private, productive space on flexible terms, enabling businesses and their people to reach their full potential. Our space-as-a-service platform and growing network of private office and meeting spaces give businesses access to a variety of space solutions on their terms  by the hour, day, or month. Breather has hundreds of spaces across 10 cities including New York, San Francisco, Toronto, and London that are fully furnished, all-inclusive, and purposely designed with high growth teams in mind. Savvy companies like Uber, Spotify, Candid, and Airbnb use Breather for their space needs from headquarters and satellite offices, to offsites, workshops, and more. Learn more and explore office and meeting spaces at Breather.com .

Media Contact

N6A for Breather

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (212) 334-9753 Ext. 101

1 Study conducted by Breather, June 2019

SOURCE Breather

Related Links

http://Breather.com


A suspected spy who allegedly sought to put a Chinese agent in federal parliament was able to leave Australia after being questioned at the airport, exposing a gap in national security laws.

Melbourne businessman and spy suspect Brian Chen has apparently abandoned plans to return to Australia as new information emerges about his alleged operations for China, including that he was granted access to the historic summit meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in Singapore in 2018 by posing as an accredited journalist.

Alleged Chinese intelligence operative Brian Chen.

The ease with which Mr Chen was able to leave Australia last March despite the allegations that were raised against him has highlighted what security officials believe is a serious legislative gap: ASIOS inability to coercively question suspected spies. No formal action, including laying criminal charges, has been taken against Mr Chen and he denied spying allegations when he was confronted at the airport last year.

Security agencies say the lack of coercive questioning powers is hampering the agencies' ability to safeguard national security. Federal Coalition MPs on parliaments security committee have been briefed on the matter. Former ASIO chief Duncan Lewis warned recently that foreign interference and espionage were at an all-time high and undermining Australias sovereignty.
WRANGELL, Alaska - A Wrangell man died after his boat crashed into rocks in shallow water, Alaska State Troopers said.

The body of Randall Ferdinand, 53, was recovered Monday.

Troopers in Ketchikan on Sunday afternoon received a report of an overturned boat 12 miles (19 kilometres) southwest of Wrangell.

Wrangell Search and Rescue reached the scene within an hour after the call and found a 32-foot vessel (9.75-meter) listed on its side and aground.

At low tide early Monday morning, the volunteers and wildlife troopers were able to reach Ferdinands body.

The accident occurred as Ferdinand attempted to navigate during a storm, troopers said.

An autopsy will be conducted by the state medical examiner.
BJP leader Lanka Dinakar slammed AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi for "creating confusion among the public by clubbing CAA, NPR and NRC even though there is no NRC in Andhra Pradesh and other parts of the country except Assam."

"AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi came to Vijayawada today to spit venom on the Citizenship Amendment Act, NPR and tried his level best to provoke a particular section of the people and creating confusion among the general public by clubbing together CAA, NPR and NRC though there is no NRC in Andhra Pradesh and other parts of our country other than Assam," Dinakar's statement on Tuesday read.

The BJP leader said that although Owaisi, is an MP in the Lok Sabha, he "is speaking like a layman on the CAA, the enactment which was duly passed in the Parliament and it is the rightful obligation on the part of every state in the country to implement it."

Dinakar said that the AIMIM chief is trying to convince the YSR Congress Party government in Andhra Pradesh to not implement CAA and NPR in the state.

However, he urged CM Jagan Mohan Reddy to remember that his party MPs had supported CAA in both the houses of the Parliament and therefore, YSRCP "should be responsible to implement CAA effectively" in the state.

"NPR is the responsibility of all state governments as it is a general legitimate process of population census for once in every 10 years for implementing the government schemes for the needy people in the country," the statement added.

Dinakar also accused the opposition parties of trying to create the wrong perception on CAA and NPR to point their fingers at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Center.

Earlier on Tuesday, Owaisi had shared the stage with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and MP, Kesineni Srinivas, in a public meeting at Vijayawada.

Speaking at the public meeting, Srinivas urged Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to make a resolution against the CAA, NRC, and NPR and also went on to announce that he will ensure the support of TDP MLAs if such a resolution is brought in the AP Assembly.

At the same event, Owaisi had said, "We have to reject CAA, NRC, and NPR. If they are made, at least 8 crores names will be missing. Of them, the Muslims will be branded Bangladeshi or Pakistani."

"I ask Chandrababu Naidu not to be afraid of Modi, come out and speak openly like your MP. I ask Jagan Mohan Reddy not to support Modi. He should stay NPR in Andhra Pradesh," Owaisi added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pladis-owned McVities has unveiled a pineapple-flavoured Jaffa Cake to tap interest in tropical tastes.

Its new flavour, Jaffa Cakes Pineapple, consists of light sponge, coated in milk and dark chocolate with a pineapple centre. Sold in a pack of 10, they are available now for 1.20 at Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsburys and Waitrose.

The pineapple trend has grown 26% in the past three years, according to market research firms Mintel and Kantar.

The McVities brand, worth 65.9m according to Nielsen, is looking to drive interest among younger shoppers seeking playful, contemporary flavours.

McVities Jaffa Cakes Pineapple will offer consumers a trendy twist on the classic, said Emma Stowers, brand director for McVities at Pladis UK&I.

In January 2019, McVities rolled out Jaffa Cakes Nibbles, which increased the brands overall value sales by 21%, according to Nielsen.

Introducing new formats and flavour variants for McVities Jaffa Cakes has a strong track record of success for us, and the sales figures for McVities Jaffa Cakes Nibbles (6.3m) speak for themselves, added Stowers.

Pladis also launched three limited-edition McVities Chocolate Digestives this month, comprising Marmalade on Toast, Cherry Bakewell and Strawberries & Cream.
Sensato is Awarded Premier Inc. Group Purchasing Agreement for Cybersecurity Software and Solutions

Sensato Cybersecurity Solutions ("Sensato"), has been awarded a group purchasing agreement for Cybersecurity with Premier. Effective December 1, 2019, the new agreement allows Premier members, at their discretion, to take advantage of special pricing and terms pre-negotiated by Premier for Cybersecurity Software and Solutions.

"This agreement will provide Premier member hospitals and institutions with access to healthcare-specific cybersecurity solutions," stated Kate Macaleer, SVP of Operations for Sensato. "Premier performs a robust analysis of a supplier's capabilities, which goes a long way to streamline the evaluation process for their members. Sensato is exceptionally proud to have worked through the selection process and to be able to offer our unique solutions to Premier members."

Sensato's solutions address a variety of challenges for healthcare organizations. Sensato developed a fully integrated cybersecurity platform-Sensato Nightingale, combining network and host intrusion detection and prevention, vulnerability assessments, deception technologies, risk management, maturity modeling, device and asset fingerprinting as well as incident response and remediation.

In addition, the Sensato Nightingale platform provides a full stack managed medical device cybersecurity solution known as MD-COP which offers all of the aforementioned features with 24x7live monitoring as well as medical device governance and best practices.







Premier is a leading healthcare improvement company, uniting an alliance of approximately 4,000 U.S. hospitals and 175,000 other providers to transform healthcare. With integrated data and analytics, collaboratives, supply chain solutions, and advisory and other services, Premier enables better care and outcomes at a lower cost.

About Sensato

Sensato is a healthcare-specific cybersecurity solutions firm that provides leading-edge cybersecurity solutions to HCO's, Medical Device Manufacturers, and Pharmaceutical companies.

For more information on Sensato's products, contact Kate Macaleer at [email protected]. You can also visit Sensato on the web at www.sensato.co or become a fan at Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200218005075/en/
NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Clean, green and serene. Avon introduces Green Goddess, their first clean facial oil infused with CBD. It contains 99% natural ingredients including CBD, hemp, sunflower and jojoba seed oils, turmeric and squalene oil. Green Goddess Facial Oil is a cool, calm and collected solution to tackle and soothe stressed out skin.

CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a compound extracted from the cannabis Sativa plant (aka hemp), that's rich in vitamins A, D, E, and essential fatty acids. It is non-psychoactive, does not contain THC and is widely recognized for its therapeutic benefits in relieving irritation, reducing redness and skin discomfort. Avon Green Goddess Facial Oil is suitable for sensitive skin and is sustainably sourced, vegan, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, and dermatologist-tested. Green Goddess can be used morning and night after cleansing. For extra dry skin, follow with a cream or gel moisturizer.

With exciting product innovations happening, selling Avon has never been easier and now you can join for free. Beginning this week, anyone interested in becoming an Avon representative can sign-up for $0 cost for a limited time to start their Avon business and get an amazing discount on products including the new Green Goddess Facial Oil. No strings attached! Sign up with Avon and start earning in minutes, with opportunities to earn up to 65% of sales during your first four months with the Pathway to Premier incentive. And then you're on your way to achieving other exciting rewards, like a Caribbean vacation. See URL for details.

In addition to the free incentive, Avon is offering new representatives the opportunity to contribute to the American Cancer Society's breast cancer programs and services. At sign-up they will have the opportunity to contribute $5 or more  a fantastic way to start a new Avon journey.

For more information on how to sign up, visit https://youravon.com/home/join.

Green Goddess is now available for $50 on avon.com and through your local Avon representative.

ABOUT NEW AVON COMPANY

New Avon, ("New Avon Company") is the leading social selling beauty company in North America, with independent sales Representatives throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. Avon's portfolio includes award-winning skincare, color cosmetics, fragrance, personal care, and health and wellness products featuring brands such as ANEW, Skin So Soft, CHI, and The Face Shop, as well as fashion and accessories. Avon has a 134-year history of empowering women through economic opportunity, and supporting the causes that matter most to women. Avon philanthropy has contributed over $1 billion globally toward eradicating breast cancer and domestic violence. Learn more about New Avon and its products at www.avon.com .

For more information, please contact Lauren Donner, Vice President, Tractenberg & Co. [email protected] , 212-929-7979 and Susan Small, Public Relations Manager, Avon [email protected], 212-282-6066

SOURCE New Avon Company

Related Links

http://avon.com


Bishop Ronald W. Gainer, pictured here in a 2018 file photo, announced Wednesday his diocese would become the first in Pennsylvania to seek federal bankruptcy protection in the face of potentially crushing court judgments stemming from clergy sex abuse. Read more

HARRISBURG  The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, becoming the first diocese in the state to seek protection from financial claims in the aftermath of a 2018 grand jury report that revealed decades of sexual abuse and cover-up by the churchs top leaders.

And, said a lawyer for the diocese, its not likely to be the last.

Citing the fallout from that probe and recent court decisions that opened new avenues for some victims with time-barred claims to sue, attorney Matt Haverstick said Harrisburg, like each of the states eight other Catholic dioceses, faces the prospect of crushing court judgments that it will be unable to pay.

There is no capacity to take that kind of exposure, Haverstick said in an interview with The Inquirer and Spotlight PA. I think this is really the beginning  not just in Pennsylvania but across the country  of a wave of reorganizations spawned by  the economics of trying to maintain an organization in the face of catastrophic litigation.

With its filing Wednesday, the Harrisburg Diocese joins more than two dozen others across the United States that have sought similar bankruptcy protections since the clergy sex-abuse scandal first exploded in Boston 18 years ago.

The move comes six months after Bishop Ronald W. Gainer announced that the Harrisburg church had paid out $12.5 million in settlements with more than 100 accusers through an independently run victim compensation fund.

The diocese faces five pending lawsuits both in Pennsylvania and New Jersey from accusers who chose not to pursue offers through the program. But with church officials expecting an additional 200 victims, the threat of future claims is endangering the dioceses future, Gainer said.

At an afternoon news conference, the bishop said he believed restructuring is the best path to ensure all creditors  sex-abuse survivors included  are equitably compensated. It will also allow the diocese to continue offering free counseling and other support services to clergy abuse victims.

On behalf of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, and in my own name, I continue to offer my heartfelt apologies for the abuse you suffered," he said, addressing victims. "I also offer my apology and deepest regret that the diocese did not do more to protect you.

Our current financial situation is unsustainable, the bishop said at an afternoon news conference. We have no other path forward to ensure the future of our dioceses.

The Harrisburg Diocese serves roughly 245,000 central Pennsylvania Catholics, covers an area of 7,660 square miles, and includes 89 parishes with 98 diocesan priests.

It told the court in its filings Wednesday that it has more than 200 creditors and estimated liabilities between $50 million and $100 million. Of its top 20 creditors, 19 were plaintiffs in sex-abuse cases that remained unresolved in court.

Its petition for bankruptcy protection freezes all pending litigation against the diocese while the court considers its reorganization plan. Compensation for victims with outstanding claims would become part of the bankruptcy judgment.

But now that that process has begun, lawyers for accusers questioned just how much of the dioceses assets would be available to victims.

Wednesdays filings revealed a complex financial structure in which much of what the diocese once owned was moved in 2009 into charitable trusts, which it maintains are beyond the reach of court judgments and bankruptcy creditors.

All of its property and non-real estate assets are owned by separate trusts, as are the parishes, who each have trusts of their own, according to the documents. A priest pension fund  from which the diocese borrowed money to fund its victim compensation fund last year  is also off limits, lawyers for the diocese said.

That type of structuring has drawn scrutiny from judges who have handled other diocesan bankruptcies.

It is common and typical in all church bankruptcies that assets will have been transferred, will have been put into different names, that there will have been trust devices or other devices to get the assets out of the pot that will be distributed to survivors, said Thomas S. Neuberger, a Wilmington attorney who led efforts to win a $110 million settlement when that citys diocese filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009.

The job of the attorneys for unsecured creditors  the abuse victims in this case  is to search through all the different permutations of how assets are held and push to include them in the creditor compensation fund, Neuberger said.

The Harrisburg Diocese reported $183 million in total assets, including $144 million in investments, according its June 2018 audited financial statements. Those numbers included some, but not all, of the assets connected to the charitable trusts referenced in Wednesdays bankruptcy filing.

Diocesan lawyers say the affiliated charitable trusts were established to ensure the church could continue to serve its core functions of ministry, Catholic education, and charitable service. It is just one tactic dioceses nationwide have employed to ensure their survival as the clergy sex-abuse crisis endures.

The 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury investigation, led by Attorney General Josh Shapiro, set off a wave of similar probes in other states and renewed calls in state houses across the country to grant victims of decades-old childhood abuse a second chance to sue.

Eight states, including New Jersey, New York, and California, passed so-called window laws opening a short-term opportunity for victims, whose abuse had fallen outside civil statutes of limitations, to pursue lawsuits in court once more.

Pennsylvanias proposed version of a window law ignited a contentious battle in Harrisburg, drawing opposition from Senate Republicans who warned it would violate the state constitution. Still, in November, lawmakers reached a compromise, opting to leave the decision up to voters in a statewide referendum.

Fearing the financial fallout, seven of the states eight Catholic dioceses launched independently managed compensation funds last year, hoping to settle some old abuse claims before any new law had the chance to pass.

Separate from the $12.5 million paid out by the Harrisburg Diocese, an additional five funds have paid out more than $80 million to more than 470 individuals, said Camille Biros, who, along with Kenneth R. Feinberg, administered many of the funds. (Philadelphia has not finished paying out all its compensation fund claims, but it has already cut checks totaling nearly $39 million to more than 180 victims of abuse.)

Accusers and their lawyers have viewed those programs with skepticism, saying that while the funds payouts are better than nothing, they have allowed dioceses to limit the penalties they might have faced in court.

Some victims opted to take their chances, hoping that the window law referendum would pass or deciding to press their claims in other venues. The same day New Jersey opened its window period last year, five sisters who say they were all abused by the same Dauphin County priest in the 1980s sued the Harrisburg Diocese in that state.

With the bankruptcy filing Wednesday, that case is in limbo.

Its disappointing, their lawyer Ben Andreozzi said. Weve been patient with them and have acted in good faith.  This filing would seemingly preclude them to having to move forward in our case.

Despite the setback, lawyer Richard Serbin, who represents five Harrisburg-area sex-abuse plaintiffs, said he wasnt ready to throw in the towel just yet.

Survivors will now just be treated just like any other creditor, he said. It doesnt mean that survivors and their claims are dead in the water and that they get nothing.

Staff writer Harold Brubaker contributed to this article.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

A shooting in San Francisco's Bayview District on Tuesday afternoon left a 25-year-old man injured in a hospital, police said.

The shooting was reported at 4:24 p.m. in the 1300 block of Fitzgerald Avenue.

Someone fired several shots at the victim, causing injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening, according to police.

The male suspect fled in a vehicle and has not been arrested. San Francisco police did not immediately provide a detailed description of the suspect.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the San Francisco police anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to send a tip by text message to TIP411 with "SFPD" at the start of the message.

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.
US President has said he is "saving the big deal" with India for later and he "does not know" if it will be done before the presidential election in November, clearly indicating that a major bilateral trade deal during his visit to Delhi next week might not be on the cards.

"We can have a trade deal with India. But I'm really saving the big deal for later," he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews Tuesday afternoon (local time).

Trump is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25.

The US and India could sign a "trade package" during the visit, according to media reports.

Asked whether he expects a trade deal with India before the visit, Trump said, "We're doing a very big trade deal with India. We'll have it. I don't know if it'll be done before the election, but we'll have a very big deal with India."



US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the point-person for trade negotiations with India, is likely to not accompany Trump to India, sources said. However, officials have not ruled it out altogether.

In an apparent dissatisfaction over US-India trade ties, Trump said, "We're not treated very well by India." But he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he is looking forward to his visit to India.

"I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot," Trump said.

"He told me we'll have seven million people between the airport and the event. And the stadium, I understand, is sort of semi under construction, but it's going to be the largest stadium in the world. So it's going to be very exciting... I hope you all enjoy it," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) in a report said the latest quarterly data depict continuation of overall positive bilateral trade trends. The third quarter data reflects some downslide in growth rates.

"It may be due to several reasons, including the unexpected economic slowdown in India's economic growth, impact of US-China trade war, GSP withdrawal from the US side and retaliatory tariffs on specific US goods from the Indian side," USISPF said.



#WATCH US President Donald Trump in Washington on his visit to India: I happen to like PM Modi a lot. He told me we will have 7 million people between the airport and the event. It's going to be the largest stadium in the world. It's going to be very exciting. pic.twitter.com/FdusHCInJ9  ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2020

According to the report, the data available for the first three quarters of 2019 (January-September) pulled the overall growth rate in cumulative bilateral trade down to 4.5 percent from 8.4 percent registered for the first two quarters.

Goods and services trade performance in third quarter was dismal at -2.3 percent, in contrast with the impressive 9.6 percent growth witnessed for the first two quarters of the year; while trade in services was up two percent goods trade dropped five percent, the report said.

The cumulative US-India trade in goods and services (USD 110.9 billion) for the first three quarters of 2019 increased 4.5 percent with US exports and imports growing at four percent and five percent respectively.

The US exported USD 45.3 billion worth of goods and services to India in the first three quarters 2019, up 4 percent from the corresponding period in the previous year; and the US imported USD 65.6 billion worth of goods and services from India, up five percent from the previous year's USD 62.5 billion level for the same period, it said.

The USISPF has projected that the total bilateral trade can touch USD 238 billion by 2025 if the current 7.5 percent average annual rate of growth sustains; however, higher growth rates can result in bilateral trade in the range of USD 283 billion and USD 327 billion.

The US remains the top trading partner for India in terms of trade in goods and services, followed by China. While the bilateral trade between US and India is approximately 62 percent in goods and 38 percent in services, the bilateral trade between India and China is dominated by goods.

India's trade with China grew 13 percent in 2018, while India's goods trade with the US increased 18 percent.

China had a huge trade surplus of USD 58 billion with India, indicating Beijing's strength in the Indian market, especially in sectors, such as electronics, machinery, organic chemicals, plastics and medical devices.

The US goods exports to India, in comparison, were mainly concentrated in mineral fuels, precious stones, and aircraft. The US faces tough competition with China in the Indian market in areas such as electronics, machinery, organic chemicals and medical devices.
B.T.'s Smokehouses popular BBQ is coming to Worcester with an added twist.

The second location is adding fried chicken to the regular menu, Worcester Business Journal reported. The Sturbridge location only serves it the first Tuesday of every month.

With the added featured menu item, the new restaurant will also be called something slightly different  B.T.'s Fried Chicken and BBQ, the journal reported.

Originally a 16-seat restaurant, B.T.'s has expanded twice and there continues to be a steady swarm of customers making the restaurant standing room only.

On a good weekend, B.T.'s serves about 1,200 to 1,500 people and smokes about 9,000 pounds of meat per week, owner Brian Treitman told MassLive in 2019

On a Saturday, youll have a line that goes from the cash register, all the way around our brisket bar, and out the side door and into our parking lot, he said.

Customers typically wait an hour on Saturdays to order and get their food about 15 minutes later.

And if youre not into fried chicken, the infamous Brisket Reuben was ranked the 7th best BBQ sandwich in the country by Missouri-native Johnny Fuggit, author of The Best Barbecue Restaurants in America."

Its the best sandwich youll ever eat, Treitman said. It has large chunks of brisket, Swiss cheese, house coleslaw, Treitmans version of thousand island dressing sandwiched between two pieces of honey wheat brown bread.

Theres currently no official opening date but the owners have selected a location on Park Avenue.

We wanted to make sure it was centrally located so everyone has access to it," Billy Nemeroff, who is currently the operations director at B.T.s Smokehouse and will be the co-owner and operator of the Worcester location, told the journal.

Related Content:
second Romanian citizens was diagnosed with coronavirus aboard the "Diamond Princess" cruise vessel, and he was transported to a hospital in Tokyo, informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) on Wednesday.

According to MAE, the person's health condition is good. The Romanian citizen was part of the vessel's crew.
Election results: Wisconsin spring primary election

Wisconsin residents voted Tuesday in a number of contested state and local races, and local referendums.

Election results here will be updated here continuously Tuesday night through Wednesday.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  When containing a massive disaster like an oil spill, small microbes play a big role.

Arezoo Ardekani, a Purdue University associate professor of mechanical engineering, has published research that describes the complex hydrodynamics of microorganisms at liquid-liquid and gas-liquid interfaces, showing that microbes may flock to areas where surfactant has been applied.

On April 20, 2010, a catastrophic explosion aboard the Louisiana oil rig Deepwater Horizon caused an underwater wellhead to rupture, discharging oil into the Gulf of Mexico. It took 87 days to cap the underwater well, by which point more than 200 million gallons of oil had discharged into the gulf. Officials used many different tactics to contain the damage of the oil spill, such as relying on microbes to digest hydrocarbons, and using dispersant (or surfactant) chemicals to break up oil slicks, making it easier for the microbes to digest.

Microbes were the first responders to the oil spill, Ardekani said. They remediated a significant amount of hydrocarbons. But the Gulf of Mexico is a big place. How did so many microbes find this oil?

As Ardekani discovered, the performance of the microbes was affected by the surfactant, but not how anyone expected.

There are several things that cause microorganisms to move, she said. For example, the microbes near an oil spill may be motivated by chemotaxis, i.e., picking up the chemical trail of a potential food source. But the surfactant actually created a hydrodynamic phenomenon that caused microbes to gather in even greater numbers.

Ardekanis team tested its hypothesis in the lab, using E. coli cells, single-celled bacteria, whose behavior is well-known. The researchers 3D-printed a small chamber, where they could microscopically observe the cells movements in a liquid suspension, and then tested what happened when that liquid came into contact with another liquid of different viscosity. The results showed that the E. coli cells accumulated at higher density at the liquid-liquid interfaces, and even greater density at gas-liquid interfaces.

Those surfactants changed the interface property, Ardekani said. If microbes are hydrodynamically attracted to gas-liquid interfaces, the presence of surfactants made it even more attractive.

Using this experiment as a guide, researchers built theoretical models that successfully explained the complex fluid dynamics at these gas-liquid interfaces. Their research has been featured on the cover of the journal Soft Matter and published in the journal Physical Review E. A YouTube video is available at https://youtu.be/nLPVXmWxqj8.

The use of dispersants during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was not without controversy; Scientists disagreed on whether the chemicals did more harm than good for the ecosystem. In the aftermath of the disaster, BP spent $500 million to establish the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, an independent organization that funds thorough scientific research in mitigating the effects of the spill. Ardekanis research is one of the results of that effort.

We didnt know any of this before the spill, Ardekani said. The main reason they used dispersants was to break up the size of the oil droplets. But now we have discovered a new hydrodynamic mechanism, that adding surfactant causes microbes to spend more time near oil droplets. That, combined with chemotaxis, may potentially give microbes more time to decompose these hydrocarbons.

Writer: Jared Pike, 765-496-0374, jaredpike@purdue.edu

Source: Arezoo Ardekani, 765-496-0002, ardekani@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists : A YouTube video is available at https://youtu.be/nLPVXmWxqj8.

Abstract

Hydrodynamic attraction of bacteria to gas and liquid interfaces

Adib Ahmadzadegan, Shiyan Wang, Pavlos P. Vlachos, and Arezoo M. Ardekani

Near an interface, the distribution of swimming microorganisms such as bacteria is distinguished from inert colloidal particles because of the interfacial hydrodynamics induced by swimming. In this work, we use nontumbling flagellated bacteria, Escherichia coli, to study cell distribution near gas and liquid interfaces and compare it to the case of a solid wall. For low-viscosity ratios such as gas interfaces, we observe a stronger cell accumulation compared to that near liquid and solid surfaces. This contradicts known theoretical predictions. Therefore, we develop a model based on Brownian dynamics, including hydrodynamic effects and short-range physiochemical interactions between bacteria and interfaces. This model explains our experimental findings and can predict cell distribution near clean and surfactant-contaminated interfaces. By considering higher order singularities, this study helps explain bacteria orientation, trajectories, and cell density.

This work is partially supported by grants from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative and the National Science Foundation CBET-1604423 and CBET-1700961. This work used the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE), which is supported by National Science Foundation Grants No. CTS190041 and No. CTS190055. Data are publicly available through the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information & Data Cooperative (GRIIDC) at https://data.gulfresearchinitiative.org

Abstract

Biofilms at interfaces: microbial distribution in floating films

Nikhil Desai and Arezoo M. Ardekani

Cellular motility is a key function guiding microbial adhesion to interfaces, which is the first step in the formation of biofilms. The close association of biofilms and bioremediation has prompted extensive research aimed at comprehending the physics of microbial locomotion near interfaces. We study the dynamics and statistics of microorganisms in a floating biofilm, i.e., a confinement with an airliquid interface on one side and a liquidliquid interface on the other. We use a very general mathematical model, based on a multipole representation and probabilistic simulations, to ascertain the spatial distribution of microorganisms in films of different viscosities. Our results reveal that microorganisms can be distributed symmetrically or asymmetrically across the height of the film, depending on their morphology and the ratio of the film's viscosity to that of the fluid substrate. Long-flagellated, elongated bacteria exhibit stable swimming parallel to the liquidliquid interface when the bacterial film is less viscous than the underlying fluid. Bacteria with shorter flagella on the other hand, swim away from the liquidliquid interface and accumulate at the free surface. We also analyze microorganism dynamics in a flowing film and show how a microorganism's ability to resist flow-induced-erosion from interfaces is affected by its elongation and mode of propulsion. Our study generalizes past efforts on understanding microorganism dynamics under confinement by interfaces and provides key insights on biofilm initiation at liquidliquid interfaces.

This research was made possible by grants from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative and the National Science Foundation (Grant No. 1700961 and 1604423). This work used the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE), which is supported by the National Science Foundation grant number ACI- 1548562 through allocations TG-CTS180066 and TG-CTS190041. Data are publicly available through the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information & Data Cooperative (GRIIDC) at https://data.gulfresearchinitiative.org
Andhra Pradesh Director-General of Police Office (DGP) on Wednesday informed that changes will be made in security of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, as per the Security Review Committee's decision.

At present, Naidu has Z plus security, which is the highest security cover in the country provided by the Security Guard (NSG).

"Changes will be done in security of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu as per the Security Review Committee's decision. As of now, no changes have been done in his existing security. Currently, he has Z plus security," Andhra Pradesh DGP office told ANI.

Around 183 personnel look after the security of Naidu in Vijayawada and 48 in Hyderabad.

Meanwhile, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) strongly condemned the decision to downgrade the security cover of Naidu, alleging that the ruling YSRCP government in the state has decided to reduce the security of Naidu for political reasons.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

Totaling 13 Member Companies In First Year

BioLabs LA at The Lundquist Institute, with its state of the art equipment and resident experts in next-generation sequencing fosters the next stage in the genomics revolution by accepting three new innovators: Vangenes, Hinge Therapeutics and Basepaws. Innovators may learn more by contacting the team and applying for space or explore with a virtual tour.

From NIPT to NIPPT

Genomics can help determine fetal risks by testing genetic fragments from a pregnant women's blood. In combination with a paternal mouth swab, Vangenes takes next-generation sequencing technology further via their non-invasive prenatal paternity test (NIPPT). Vangenes launches its U.S. arm at BioLabs LA with the goal of making NIPPT more accessible globally.

"When looking for a launch location of our testing service, we compared several laboratories across southern California but chose BioLabs LA because of the passionate management team, state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, including access to next-generation sequencing experts and systems," said Chang Shu, Ph.D, COO of Vangenes.

Meeting Unmet Needs

BioLabs LA also welcomes Hinge Therapeutics, an early-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing small-molecule therapeutics against traditionally undruggable/challenging targets for unmet medical needs, including rare diseases, hemophilia, solid tumors, hypertension and CNS indications. The proprietary Hinge Discovery Platform has generated several novel small molecule compounds against targets which have previously only been addressed by large molecules such as antibodies and siRNA. Relocating to SoCal from San Francisco, the company looked to escape burgeoning Silicon Valley costs and tap into the growing life science ecosystem in the SoCal area by calling BioLabs LA home.

"We chose this environment because BioLabs LA and its members share a long-term vision and passion for discovering and solving complex issues related to life sciences. With the location close to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and access to investigators at The Lundquist Institute, we're in a fortunate position to collaborate in advancing science," said Akiko Futamura, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Hinge Therapeutics.

For Feline Family Members

Genomics not only positively impacts humankind, but also can be leveraged for a better life for pets. Basepaws is pioneering the personalization of pet products and therapeutics by offering a first of its kind at-home DNA test for cats. As seen on Shark Tank, angel investors Kevin O'Leary and Robert Herjavec support the vision that Basepaws gives feline owners a deeper understanding of what makes each cat unique by understanding their breed, health, traits and habits. By learning these factors, pet owners can make informed decisions about their cat's health.

"All pets want a place to call home and Basepaws is no different. Our new home, BioLabs LA enables us to gather dedicated geneticists and visionaries with cutting edge DNA sequencing technology for the purpose of helping pets live the longest, happiest, and healthiest lives possible," said Anna Skaya, Founder and CEO of Basepaws.

The acceptance of these three startups within BioLabs LA at The Lundquist Institute highlights the latest innovators that are furthering the next advancements in genomics and, less than a year after breaking ground, marks a total of 13 companies that now call BioLabs LA home.

About The Lundquist Institute: "Research with Reach"

The Lundquist Institute, formerly the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed), is an engine of innovation with a global reach and a 67-year reputation of improving and saving lives. With its new medical research building, its state-of-the-art incubator, "BioLabs at The Lundquist," existing laboratory and support infrastructure, and a 15-acre tech park in the planning stages, the Lundquist Institute is poised to serve as a hub for the Los Angeles area's burgeoning biotech scene. The research institute has over 100 principal investigators (PhDs, MDs, and MD/PhDs) working on more than 600 research studies, including therapies for numerous orphan diseases, and is responsible for innovations including the first FDA-approved treatment for sickle cell disease in 20 years. Find out more at https://lundquist.org.

About BioLabs

BioLabs is a membership-based network of shared lab facilities located in the nation's key biotech innovation clusters, designed exclusively for high-potential, early-stage life science companies. It offers co-working environments that pair premium, fully equipped and supported lab and space with unparalleled access to capital and industry partners. Find out more at https://www.biolabs.io/.

BioLabs LA Contact

Gary Olsem

Site Director

Tel# 1.310.618.6999

[email protected]

SOURCE BioLabs LA

Related Links

https://biolabs.businesscatalyst.com


Fourteen parents representing eight families from a Wisconsin school district have filed a lawsuit against the district over a policy that requires teachers to call students by their preferred names and pronouns without parental permission or acknowledgment.

According to The Christian Post, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty  which is representing the families  filed the lawsuit against the Madison Metropolitan School District this week.

At least 11 of the parents involved in the lawsuit are Christians, The Christian Post reports.

Madison schools have adopted policies that violate constitutionally recognized parental rights, WILL President and General Counsel Rick Esenberg said in a statement. A public school district should not, and cannot, make decisions reserved for parents.

A school district spokesperson said they could not comment on the lawsuit.

The lawsuit says that the school district cannot allow children of any age to change their gender identity without parental consent.

The school district approved its guidelines on transgender and nonbinary students in April 2018. The adopted policy says that any of the districts children can change their gender identity at school.

While the school district does require parental consent to officially change a students name in the district system, the 2018 policy allows students to request to use their preferred names and pronouns.

According to the lawsuit, the policy does not require school district staff to notify parents that their child has requested a preferred name or gender change.

The lawsuit says the school district policy tries to evade a state law that gives parents access to school records. The lawsuit adds that the policy recommends teachers keep paperwork related to the childs request to use a preferred name or pronoun in a teachers confidential records.

Some professionals believe that affirming a childs alternate gender identity too quickly can reinforce and solidify gender dysphoria that otherwise might resolve itself, the lawsuit adds, citing a report from Kenneth J. Zucker of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto.

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Rawpixel

Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
[February 19, 2020] Selligent Appoints Karthik Kripapuri as CEO to Lead Next Phase of Growth

SAN JOSE, Calif. and BRUSSELS, Belgium, Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Selligent Marketing Cloud (Selligent, or the Company), the intelligent omnichannel marketing and experience cloud platform, today named Karthik Kripapuri Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company. Kripapuri will focus on scaling the business and operationalizing the companys strategy. He succeeds John Hernandez, who led the development of Selligents strategy during his tenure, and who will advise Karthik and the Board to ensure a seamless transition.

Karthik is a proven leader who brings deep experience in corporate strategy and business transformation, along with comprehensive knowledge of Selligent clients and operations, said Rich Lawson, Chairman of the Board of Selligent. The Board is confident that Karthik is the right person to lead Selligent in this next phase of growth, and we are excited to continue to work alongside him. In addition, we thank John for the great contributions he has made to our success. Kripapuri has been with Selligent for two years as Chief Customer Officer. During this time, he has built strong, personal relationships with the senior leadership and with Selligents clients. Prior to joining Selligent, Kripapuri spent 15 years at Dimension Data, a global systems integrator and managed services provider for hybrid IT. During his time at Dimension Data, Kripapuri served various leadership roles across business transformation, integrations and services. His most recent position there was Vice President, Americas System Integration Services, where he was responsible for development and execution of the companys System Integration strategy, and oversaw the Consulting & Professional Services and Managed Services portfolios. Previously, he was Consulting Manager at Bearing Point, and served as a principal consultant at leading Contact Ceter technology firms, including Cisco, VistaIT (acquired by Avaya) and GeoTel (acquired by Cisco).



I am excited and honored to become CEO of Selligent, said Kripapuri. The combination of our talented team and partners, next-generation solutions and the great market expansion strategy John developed puts Selligent in a great position to extend our market leadership. Im deeply committed to building on our reputation as the leading AI-powered omnichannel marketing automation platform and delivering world-class innovation and service to clients as they grow with us. In 2019, under the leadership of John Hernandez, Selligent grew new SaaS business in North America 55 percent and saw significant growth in its European business with its continued partner-first strategy, expanded into Customer Experience, and was recognized as a Leader by Forrester Research , G2 , Aragon Research and other industry organizations.

I am very proud of what Selligent accomplished since I joined in 2017 and have been honored to work with such a great team of individuals, said Hernandez. As a continuing shareholder, I transition into my new board advisor role confident that the company has the right strategy to continue its growth and that Karthik will excel in executing the strategy and leading the company to reach its full potential. About Selligent

Selligent is an intelligent omnichannel marketing and experience cloud platform that empowers ambitious companies to maximize every moment they engage with connected consumers. With native AI capabilities, a robust data layer, and a powerful omnichannel execution engine, Selligent enables businesses to deliver ultra-personalized and highly relevant customer experiences that speed time to value swiftly and at scale. More than 700 global brands in retail, travel, automotive, publishing, and financial services trust Selligent to help deliver their programs. With offices across the United States and Europe and a global network of partners, Selligent serves over 30 countries with local, personalized service. Learn more at www.selligent.com or connect with the team on Twitter , LinkedIn , and our blog . Media Contact: Sylvie Tongco Director of Corporate Communications [email protected]

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MANILA, Philippines  The threat of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has reduced passenger traffic at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said Wednesday.

MIAA general manager Ed Monreal said that from January 27 to February 17, the countrys main gateway only handled a total of 1,352,692 international passengers compared to 1,624,698 passengers in the same period in 2019.

Domestic passenger traffic at NAIA also went down to 1,406,876 from January 27 to February 17 compared with 1,456,705 in the same period last year.

Its a lost opportunity but at the end of the day, theres still time to recover and hopefully, well be able to recover soon, Monreal told reporters at a Palace briefing.

The MIAA chief added that the aviation sector is now slowly recovering from its losses after the government fully lifted the travel restrictions on Taiwan, and allowed Filipino overseas workers, students and permanent residents to leave for Hong Kong and Macau.

So ngayon po, slowly recovering dahil sa mga pagbabago at panukala dahil sa mga pag-uusap ng task force na ipinatutupad ng task force and hopefully our local tourism will recover soon, he said.

The Philippine government earlier implemented an entry ban for passengers who traveled to China and its special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau due to the novel coronavirus outbreak in China.

It later expanded the travel ban to include Taiwan but was eventually lifted on February 14.

On Tuesday, the government announced that Filipino workers, students and permanent residents bound for Hong Kong and Macau are exempted from the outbound travel ban subject to certain procedural formalities.

Meanwhile, Monreal expressed hope that the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease will find a solution to the concerns raised by local airline companies on the safety protocols relating to the travel of its crew to Hong Kong and Macau.

Story continues

Local carriers have earlier expressed concern on the reduced number of personnel if their crewmembers will constantly be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine period after their flights to and from Hong Kong and Macau.

Kung ganoon po ang proseso na mayroon pa ho silang quarantine yung mga crew, medyo mahihirapan po sila na magmount ng flights dito kahit po may temporary lifting ng mga pasahero na papunta ng Hong Kong at pabalik po, he said.  RRD (with details from Correspondent Rosalie Coz)

The post Coronavirus scare reduces NAIA passenger traffic MIAA appeared first on UNTV News.
Aviation American Gin appoints Proof Drinks for UK distribution

Aviation American Gin, which is reported to be the fastest growing gin brand in the US, has appointed Proof Drinks to lead its UK distribution.

The gin is owned by actor and producer, Ryan Reynolds, and it is distilled and bottled in Portland, Oregon. It is part of the Davos Brands portfolio in the US, which also houses brands such as Balcones Distilling, Sombra Mezcal, Astral Tequila, iichiko Shochu and Ty Ku Sake.

Aviation American Gin is currently responsible for 37% of the total gin category growth in the US, and it is available in 40 countries, with further plans for international expansion on the horizon.

Proof Drinks has been brought on board to help grow the brands footprint within the UK off and on-trade. It is already available to buy online and in-store at more than 270 Asda stores and 60 Waitrose outlets.

Andrew Chrisomalis, chief executive of Davos Brands, said: Proof Drinks has a proven track record of nurturing and growing brands through effective sales and nationwide distribution. Were excited to continue the expansion of Aviation American Gin in the oldest, most discerning gin market in the world - and we're thrilled to have Proof Drinks on board to lead those efforts.

Ryan Reynolds said: "The UK is a huge priority for us. Its the most discerning gin market and were hopeful the momentum we have around the world and in the UK will help us worm our way into more hearts, minds and martini glasses all across Great Britain."

Paul Ferguson, co-founder of Proof Drinks, added: "Aviation is a smooth, quality spirit with a wonderful back story. We cant wait to start working with the brand and introduce this American gin to a wider UK audience."
After announcing that it was now operational, Aleppo Airport will see the first arrival from Damascus Airport today reports Hashtag Syria.

As part of preparations by the Ministry of Transport to launch the first flight from Damascus to Aleppo, after eight years of inactivity and following a full repair of Aleppo Airport, the ministry announced that a SyrianAir flight would launch today.

A source in the Ministry of Transport told Hashtag Syria that this aircraft would be advertising operational functionality, that is, it would serve as a celebration of the opening of Aleppo Airport. He added that official delegations would be transported in this first flight.

With regards to ticket price, the source said that it would cost about 40,000 Syrian pounds, within domestic transport, and added that private airlines could land their aircraft at Aleppo Airport, with the implementation of Decree No. 1 issued on Jan. 9, 2020, which provides for payments being received from national private transport companies.

Bassem Mansour, Director of Civil Aviation, said that the plane would be an Airbus 320, belonging to SyrianAir, as the private national transport companies do not own any planes. He said the Syrian Flights Institute would determine this through commercial agreements with the national private airlines.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Drones used by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are becoming deadlier and more accurate over long ranges, according to a report released Wednesday.

While the Yemeni group had been using earlier variants of Iran-linked drones in kamikaze-style attacks that sought to smash directly into targets, newer models discharge explosives and shrapnel, such as in an attack on a Yemeni military parade in al-Anad last year that killed six people and wounded several more.

Its not just an evolution in their technology, but their ability to reach targets beyond the conflict, said Jonah Leff, the director of operations at Conflict Armament Research, known by the acronym CAR, which analyzed nine drones seized from the battlefield by the United Arab Emirates.

The CAR report states that the parts used in drones are identical or similar to improvised explosive devices found in Yemen and Bahrain.

As the Donald Trump administration has backed off of earlier claims of direct linkages between the Houthi movement, which practices a blend of Zaydi Shiite Islam, and Iran, Leff, the CAR expert, said its increasingly likely the rebel fighters have the ability to develop their own parts.

But experts say its not clear that the Iranians are ready to offload their best technology on the rebels, even as experts said last year the Houthis were running low on components such as engines, fuel tanks and internal computing for unmanned aircraft, preventing deployment of more sophisticated models.

It is highly doubtful Iran would give Houthis latest-generation technology, said Fernando Carvajal, a former member of the UN Panel of Experts who reviewed the CAR report. This would give [Saudi Arabia] and the US access to Iranian technology since Houthi drones tend to crash over the border, risking the possibility that it could end up in American or Saudi hands, he said.

But even as Houthi-produced airframes  while theres no evidence that they are fabricated in large factories like the Islamic State's improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Syria  have extended the Iran-backed groups range deeper into Saudi Arabia for use against Patriot missile defense batteries, most of the models shot down have been linked to surveillance, not weaponized.

Carvajal said the drones are used to disrupt the Saudi-led coalition and assassinate high-level Houthi opponents. I dont see their drones affecting battles anywhere so far, he added. Houthis assassinated two major officers in 2019, one from the Yemeni army and another from the Security Belt Forces of the Southern Transitional Council.

Whats more, Carvajal said, the Houthis have no way to test and produce drones inside Yemen. A lack of computer capability and operational security would limit such activity, he said. So far, we can say the embargo is working, he said. The shipments are being intercepted, [and there are] no new developments in Houthi strategy or tactics.

Last week, the US Navy seized a cache of Iran-made weapons on a dhow bound for Yemen, including suspected drone components. US Central Command said the systems were identical to advanced weapons captured in a November seizure of an Iranian dhow by the USS Forrest Sherman, an American guided missile destroyer.

Yet the UN and other countries trying to stop drones from getting into the hands of the Houthi rebels face an uphill battle. The UN suspects that the Houthis rely on complex shipping and land routes to get the drones in country, including an overland route via smugglers through Oman.

Its very difficult because these are dual-use items. Their argument in many cases is that theyre not conducting any wrongdoing, even in areas where there might be risk, said Leff.

The UN Panel of Experts, which advises the Security Council on the possible implementation of sanctions, has indicated that the Iranians likely procure parts for the drones from within Europe. The expert grouping also identified a shipment from Hong Kong into Oman last year.

Meanwhile, as the network of proliferation has continued to spread, the Pentagon is looking to develop new defensive weapons to protect US troops in the field from weaponized unmanned aircraft.

In January, the US Army began standing up a counter-drone office designed to curb the proliferation of unmanned vehicles, part of a broader Pentagon effort to spend $373 million by the end of the fiscal year in September.

Ellen Lord, the Pentagons top weapons buyer, told reporters last month that the agency is looking at a number of different systems to defeat drones.
John Rood, the Pentagons top policy official, is the latest to be purged following Trumps acquittal in the Senate.

US President Donald Trump has forced out the Pentagons top policy official who certified last year that Ukraine had made enough anti-corruption progress to justify the Trump administrations release of congressionally authorised aid to Kyiv.

John Rood resigned Wednesday, saying he was leaving at Trumps request.

The Trump administrations delay in releasing the aid to Ukraine was central to the presidents impeachment by the House of Representatives on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate voted to acquit the president. But in the wake of the Senate trial, an emboldened Trump has gone after officials he has perceived as being disloyal.

Rood is the latest official to be purged. His forced resignation came as Democrats express concerns that Trump is on a vendetta in the wake of his acquittal. Just days after the Senate vote, the White House removed an Army officer, Lieutenant Colonel Alex Vindman, a key witness in the impeachment inquiry, from the National Security Council (NSC), and pushed his twin brother, an NSC lawyer, out with him. Gordon Sondland, Trumps ambassador to the European Union who also was a key witness before House investigators, was recalled from his post.

Trump tweeted on Wednesday that he wanted to thank John Rood for his service to our Country, and wish him well in his future endeavors!

Rood, in his letter to Trump, did not mention Ukraine.

Its my understanding from Secretary [Mark] Esper that you requested my resignation, Rood said. Rood said he will step down as of February 28.

Rood wrote in a May 23 letter to Congress that the Pentagon had made a thorough assessment of Ukraines anti-corruption actions and other reforms.

He added, I have certified that the government of Ukraine has taken substantial actions to make defence institutional reforms for the purpose of decreasing corruption and making other improvements.

Rood wrote that his certification, legally required before the aid could be released, was based on insights gained in persistent US engagement with Ukraine, including meetings between the US defence secretary and his Ukrainian counterpart.

Asked about Roods resignation, chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman declined to speculate on the reason for Trumps decision.

The president has the opportunity and the ability to have the team that he wants to have in policy positions, Hoffman said at a news conference. He said Roods resignation letter spoke for itself.

Delayed release of aid

Rood told reporters last year that, In the weeks after signing the certification I did become aware that the aid had been held. I never received a very clear explanation other than there were concerns about corruption in Ukraine. He also spoke in favour of releasing the aid, suggesting that withholding it would hurt the USs defence priorities.

Pentagon press secretary Alyssa Farah said James Anderson, who is currently serving as the deputy for policy, will take over the job until a permanent replacement is appointed by the president and confirmed.

Esper said Rood played a critical role on issues such as nuclear deterrence, NATO, missile defence and the National Defense Strategy.

Rood has served as under-secretary for policy since January 2018, but also had worked in various government agencies including the State Department, the CIA and the NSC for more than 20 years. He held senior policy jobs mainly during Republican administrations and also served as a senior policy adviser to Republican Senator Jon Kyl.

Rood also was a senior vice president at Lockheed Martin International.
An immigrant from Romania who once drove for President Donald Trump is still being detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a year after he was given a deportation reprieve.

Zoltan Tamas hasn't seen his family since July 2018 after a Romanian insurance fraud charge caught the attention of ICE agents.

Tamas, who along with his family entered a US lottery and won US residency, was scheduled for deportation in April 2019, but his lawyer, Mario Urizar, won a reprieve.

Zoltan Tamas (pictured), an immigrant from Romania who once drove for President Donald Trump is still being detained by ICE a year after he was given a deportation reprieve

Tamas hasn't seen his family (pictured) since July 2018 after a Romanian insurance fraud charge caught the attention of ICE agents

Despite the reprieve, Tamas has remained in ICE custody for 19 months.

Since then, he's missed his son's 12th birthday and his severely ill daughter's eighth birthday, his wife, Alina Rogozan told the Palm Beach Post.

Tamas' daughter, Rania Tamas-Rogozan, was born with a heart defect and doctors have told the family that she doesn't have long to live.

According to the 38-year-old's attorneys, Tamas is being held because of the Romanian insurance fraud charge.

When ICE agents saw the charge on Tamas record, they called him in for an interview in July 2018 and his family hasn't seen him since, according to the Post.

Urizar said that in pre-Trump years a non-threatening immigrant supporting his family, who are US citizens, would have been released.

Tamas and his family entered a US lottery and won US residency. He was scheduled for deportation in April 2019, but his lawyer won a reprieve

Tamas was a temporary armed guard at Mar-a-Lago and Trump National (file image) in Jupiter. Tamas also worked as a driver for the Trump family. His last position when he was arrested was a driver for a car service operated by a member of West Palm Beachs police force

'His detention is unreasonable,' Urizar said. 'Its taking way too long.'

Tamas, who purchased a home for $60,000 in Palm Beach County with his wife in 2011, used to work for Trump.

According to the Post, Tamas was a temporary armed guard at Mar-a-Lago and Trump National in Jupiter.

Tamas also worked as a driver for the Trump family. His last position when he was arrested was a driver for a car service operated by a member of West Palm Beachs police force.
Ideally, there should be a constructive working partnership between a government and the public service. In that partnership, the government is meant to be on top, and the public service is on tap. The public service is there to provide policy advice, execute the decisions of the cabinet and the legislature, and deliver quality services to citizens.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Ideally, there should be a constructive working partnership between a government and the public service. In that partnership, the government is meant to be on top, and the public service is on tap. The public service is there to provide policy advice, execute the decisions of the cabinet and the legislature, and deliver quality services to citizens.

When governments change, it takes time for the political and administrative sides of government to develop the mutual understanding, respect and trust required to make the partnership work.

In 2016 the Progressive Conservatives, under the leadership of Brian Pallister, took office after soundly defeating the NDP, and then won another majority government in September 2019. In both campaigns, the PCs promised budgetary restraint and downsizing of the public sector to achieve a balanced budget.

It was claimed that this could happen without harm to front-line services. It was also promised that policy, structural and process changes would make Manitoba the most improved jurisdiction in the country.

In pursuing its austerity agenda, the government has sent mixed messages about the contribution of the permanent public service to good governance, economic and social progress and citizen confidence in government. Words and deeds have not been consistent.

Among the greatest difficulties faced by the Pallister government has been aligning its overriding priority of a balanced budget with its goal of transforming the public service. Salaries and benefits make up more than half of the provincial budget. Over the past four years, the core public service of regular departments has been reduced from 14,876 to 12,839 employees, a decrease that was greater than the PC campaign promise of 1500 fewer public servants.

Downsizing has also occurred, with more forecast to come, in the non-departmental universe of Crown corporations and educational and health institutions.

More than 80 per cent of public-sector workers are union members. In June 2019, the government had the legislature pass Bill 28, which imposes a two-year wage freeze (the bill has not yet been proclaimed into law, in part because a coalition of public-sector unions has challenged its constitutionality in the courts).

Some level of conflict is inherent in collective bargaining; however, at times the premier has been needlessly provocative by using high-octane rhetoric designed to divide rank-and-file union members from their leaders. Trust inside government suffers as a result of such tactics.

Reflecting the premiers belief in the superiority of private-sector approaches, the government has relied on management consultants to provide efficiency audits and plans for reorganizations. It is unclear whether such use exceeds that of past governments, but the prevailing impression is that consultants are being used more frequently to formulate policy advice.

This may reflect the governments mistrust of public servants, lack of policy capacity inside government, or both. The costs of consultants and whether their advice has been used is difficult to track, so it is hard to know whether value for money has been obtained.

Requirements to eliminate 15 per cent of the management positions in the core public service and the Crown sector have already been set, and similar action is expected of educational institutions. This reflects the popular management theory that public organizations are top-heavy with executives.

However, it ignores some careful empirical studies that indicate middle management can play a crucial role generating innovative ideas and its greater knowledge of operations means it contributes to successful implementation.

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In February 2018, the Pallister government released the document Transforming the Manitoba Public Service, which was described as a strategy "built by the public service, for the public service." The document declares that without competition, the public sector must "disrupt itself"; rather than improving incrementally, it must "leap into the future."

It then sets forth two game plans: one to transform how the work is performed, and a second to transform the culture. Knowing that politicians often shift priorities and insist on error-free government, it is understandable that many career public servants will be reluctant to leap into an uncertain future.

As part of the strategy, a $50-million fund (in a provincial budget of $17 billion) was established to support improvements and efficiencies in service delivery identified by public servants. As early as June 2018, the government was boasting that more than $191 million in savings over the next decade had been identified. It is unclear whether these savings revert to general revenue or can be used by public-sector organizations to support ongoing innovation.

Not surprisingly, given the challenges of the past four years, a 2018 employee survey in the core public service found that only 38 per cent of respondents were satisfied with their department, down from 54 per cent in a 2015 survey. Similarly, only 38 per cent felt valued as an employee, which was a 12 per cent drop from the previous survey.

Past studies have demonstrated that sweeping public-service reform initiatives usually deliver less than was promised. In Manitoba, the austerity agenda on the political side of government may undermine the transformation agenda on the public-service side.

Paul G. Thomas is professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba.
A sign directs voters outside of a polling station during the special election between Democrat Dan McCready and Republican Dan Bishop in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District in Marshville, North Carolina, on Sept. 10, 2019. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

North Carolina Appeals Court Temporarily Blocks Voter ID Law as Discriminatory

A North Carolina appeals court on Feb. 18 temporarily blocked the state from using its new voter identification law in elections, ruling that the policy was enacted with racially discriminatory intent and thereby intentionally discriminates against voters of color.

Senate Bill 824, also known as An Act to Implement the Constitutional Amendment Requiring Photographic Identification to Vote, required voters to present a certain type of photo ID before casting a ballot.

While 10 types of identification are considered acceptable under the law, including passports, military IDs and tribal enrollment cards, critics noted that it excluded types of identification commonly used by African Americans, including community college and public assistance IDs.

A three-judge panel said in a 45-page ruling (pdf) on Tuesday that the law had been motivated by discrimination, adding that it would likely have a negative impact on African Americans because they lack acceptable IDs at a greater rate than white voters.

The General Assemblys history with voter-ID laws, the legislative history of the act, the unusual sequence of events leading to its passage, and the disproportional impact on African American voters likely created by S.B. 824 all point to the conclusion that discriminatory intent remained a primary motivating factor behind S.B. 824, not the Amendments directive to create a voter-ID law, the panel said in its ruling.

This is especially true where the Amendment itself allows for exceptions to any voter-ID law, yet the evidence shows the General Assembly specifically left out types of IDs that African Americans disproportionately lack, the judges wrote.

Such a choice speaks more of an intention to target African American voters rather than a desire to comply with the newly created Amendment in a fair and balanced manner.

The voter ID law was passed as a constitutional amendment in the 2018 general election. In December, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction against the same voter ID law, finding that it was at least partially motivated by an attempt to discriminate against certain voters in violation of their rights to equal protection under the law as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

The appeals court then reversed another three-judge panel in the lower Wake County Superior Court, which had allowed the voter ID law to remain in effect pending trial. Tuesdays decision could also extend that block until the election in November.

The North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley said that Tuesdays ruling was ridiculous and said the opinion was invalidating the votes of more than 2 million North Carolinians who voted for a constitutional amendment in 2018.

The opinion, issued by the North Carolina Court of Appeals, ignores the fact that more than 30 other states have enacted similar laws which have been upheld by federal courts, Whatley said in a statement.

An overwhelming percentage of North Carolinians of every demographic support voter ID and we are very disappointed to see a panel made up of three Democratic judges overturning their votes by judicial fiat.

With reporting from Reuters.
Mulan (Credit: Disney)

The live-action remake of Mulan will be a little more mature than Disney's recent remakes, with news it'll be the first to have a PG-13 rating in the US.

All the remakes so far have been at PG or below, but the new movie based on the Chinese folklore The Ballad of Mulan, will feature 'sequences of violence', according to THR.

It's also the first PG-13 for a Disney movie since Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge in 2017.

Read more: Mulan box office could be damaged by coronavirus

While we dont have the the PG-13 rating in the UK, usually that equates to a 12 or a 12A over here, with the BBFC yet to confirm which it will be (though it has classified the movies trailers as 12A).

The movie, which has a reported $200 million budget, is being pitched more as a war drama than a historical musical, which the original 1998 movie was.

Helmed by Niki Caro, it stars Liu Yifei as the girl who disguises herself as a man to go into battle for the Imperial Chinese Army to defend their country from tribal Huns.

Donnie Yen will play her mentor, Commander Tung, with Jason Scott Lee as Hun warrior Bori Khan, and Jet Li as the Emperor of China.

Per the official synopsis:

When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Chinese Army to defend the country from Huns, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. She is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. Disguised as a man by the name of Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her innermost strength and embrace her true potential. It is an epic journey that will transform her into an honored warrior and earn her the respect of a grateful nationand a proud father.

Read more: Disney plotting live-action Aladdin sequel

The movie is set for release on 27 March, however, there are now concerns over whether the release date will be delayed in China, as it grapples with the outbreak of Coronavirus.

Releases of movies including Dolittle, 1917 and the forthcoming Bond movie No Time To Die have also been affected.
The Duchess of Cornwall appeared in high spirits today as she visited a youth centre in Brent as part of her tour of this year's London Borough of Culture.

Camilla, 72, brightened up the dreary day in a royal blue, tailored coat as she was greeted by dozens of well wishers at the Granville Youth Centre.

She paired her stylish jacket, which featured statement, metallic buttons, with a pair of black heeled boots and leather gloves for the occasion.

The royal completed her chic ensemble with a navy pinafore-style dress, teaming it with a long-sleeved white blouse, which had a high neck and pleated cuffs.

The Duchess of Cornwall, 72, appeared in high spirits today as she visited a youth centre in Brent as part of her tour of this year's London Borough of Culture

Camilla, 72, braced the bad weather in a royal blue, tailored coat as she watched children perform dances inside the Granville Youth Centre

During her outing, Camilla was spotted grinning in the front row as children from across north west London performed dances from various cultures.

In the recital, young girls were seen taking part in Irish and Albanian dance routines for their royal audience.

The Duchess was also seen speaking with two children as they made clay figures during her tour of the Granville Youth Centre.

Later in the day, the Duchess visited the Kiln Theatre in Kilburn as she continued her visit to the London's Borough of Culture for 2020.

Once there, she posed for a photograph with the cast, crew and writer of the theatre's current production 'Pass Over'.

She paired her stylish coat - which featured statement, metallic buttons - with a pair of black heeled boots and leather gloves

The Duchess was also seen speaking with two children as they made clay figures during her tour of the Granville Youth Centre

Camilla greets a group of children inside the Granville Youth Centre after watching a dance performance featuring the youngsters

The London Borough of Culture Award 'puts culture at the heart of local communities', and aims to inspire the potential of young people and bring Londoners together.

The award, which was launched by the Mayor of London in June 2017, was inspired by the UK City and European Capital of Culture programmes.

This year, the borough of Brent will present high profile cultural events and activities throughout the year, with hundreds of residents taking part.

Highlights will include a new work by author Zadie Smith, who hails from the area, and a mile-long summer street party on the Kilburn High Road.

Pictured: The Duchess of Cornwall greets well wishers inside the Granville Youth Centre as part of her visit to Brent, the London 2020 Borough of Culture

During her outing, Camilla was spotted grinning in the front row as children from across the North West London borough performed dances from various cultures

In the recital, young girls were seen taking part in Irish (pictured) and Albanian dance routines for their royal audience

Camilla's outing continues a busy week of engagements for the Duchess, who hosted a reception for 'Versus Arthritis' at her home in Clarence House in London on Tuesday.

During the course of the evening, she was seen shaking hands with and engaging in conversation with members of staff who work for the charity.

The Duchess has previously helped throw the spotlight on the related crippling bone condition of osteoporisis after describing how it killed her late mother, Rosalind.

Versus Arthritis is the UK's largest charity dedicated to supporting people with arthritis.
All the subsidy schemes launched by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in its previous stint will continue for the next five years, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced in a meeting with officials at the Delhi Secretariat on Wednesday.

"All the earlier schemes including 200 free units of electricity, 20,000 litres of water, women's free rides in buses and pilgrimage to the elderly will continue," Kejriwal said.

Meanwhile, he spoke to the reporters at a press conference on not taking charge of any specific department.

"I feel the duty of a Chief Minister is to keep an eye on other ministers and hence I have distributed the portfolios to the ministers," he said.

He also said that the Cabinet has decided to hold a three-day Assembly session from February 24.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) points to a photograph of a rifle with a "bump stock" during a news conference to announce proposed gun control legislation at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Oct. 4, 2017. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

No Evidence Assault Weapon Bans Reduce Mass Shootings: Study

There is no evidence that banning assault weapons will reduce the incidence of fatal mass shootings, a study has found.

The study, conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, analyzed fatal mass shootings in 45 states between 1984 and 2017 and the association between the rates of those shootings and the presence of various firearm laws.

It concluded that it did not find an independent association between assault weapon bans and the incidence of fatal mass shootings after controlling for the effects of bans on large-capacity magazines.

However, it did note that firearm purchaser licensing laws that require an in-person application or fingerprinting are associated with an estimated 56 percent fewer fatal mass shootings in states that have them.

After each horrible mass shooting, there are always policy debates on how they can be prevented, said lead author Daniel Webster, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research.

One side often calls for expanding background checks to private purchasers, and the other usually calls for fewer restrictions on civilian gun carrying. Our findings indicate that neither of those prescriptions are associated with lower rates of fatal mass shootings.

What does appear to work to reduce mass shootings are licensing laws and laws banning large-capacity magazines, Webster added.

Originally established as the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, the school was renamed Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in 2001, in honor of billionaire Michael Bloomberg who has donated an estimated $2.9 billion to Johns Hopkins University over a period of several decades.

The former mayor of New York, who is currently running as a Democratic candidate for the 2020 presidential election, is a strong anti-gun advocate who has challenged the Second Amendment allowing people to keep and bear arms.

Last year, Bloomberg said on Twitter that he will do everything in my power to stop the epidemic of gun violence, if he were to be elected as president of the United States.

His campaign has proposed overhauling the background check system for all gun sales, making it much more effective, and keeping guns out of the hands of people who pose a danger to themselves or others by closing domestic violence loopholes, prohibiting violent offenders, and enacting red flag laws nationwide.

Bloomberg said he will also protect children and communities by banning assault weapons, protecting schools, and preventing unintentional shootings and tackling gun violence in the hardest-hit communities by increasing funding to a number of community-based violence programs, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and public health research on the matter.

His campaign also aims to hold the gun industry accountable and elevate the governments response to the gun violence crisis by giving the Consumer Product Safety Commission the authority to adopt minimum gun safety standards and declare the gun violence crisis to be a public health emergency to expedite funds and research.

Gun rights have long been a controversial topic in America, with proponents such as the National Association For Gun Rights arguing that individuals should be legally eligible to purchase a firearm and carry it, concealed, for self-defense, without government permission.
NUR-SULTAN -- Kazakh authorities have launched about 90 investigations into the ethnic clashes in the southern region of Zhambyl that claimed 11 lives on February 7-8.



Deputy Interior Minister Marat Qozhaev told journalists in Nur-Sultan, on February 19, that hundreds of people had already been questioned in the investigations, which are expected to last for two months.



"Information about other suspects, including those who might have provoked the violence, will be made public later as investigations continue," Qozhaev said.



Qozhaev also confirmed the Prosecutor-General's earlier statement about the arrest of three brothers from an ethnic Dungan family who were charged with assaulting police after they scuffled with a group of Kazakhs following a road-rage incident.



Kazakh authorities said earlier that the road-rage brawl sparked wider violence between local Kazakhs and Kazakh citizens from the ethnic Dungan minority -- a Muslim group of Chinese origin.



The deadly violence spread into the villages of Sortobe, Masanchi, Auqatty, and Bulan-Batyr.

Relatives of a 20-year-old man, Murat Masanov, who was visiting his relatives in one of the villages in the area on February 7, told RFE/RL on February 18 that he went missing after the clashes and his car was found destroyed by fire near the village of Masanchi.



More than 30 houses, 17 commercial buildings, and 47 vehicles were destroyed or damaged during the violence.



More than 23,000 people, mostly Dungans, fled villages where the violence erupted.



Many of them ended up in the Chui region of neighboring Kyrgyzstan.



Kazakh officials say the majority of the displaced Dungans returned to Kazakhstan several days later.



Many senior regional officials, including the local police chief, were fired by Kazakhstan's central government in the aftermath of the clashes.



Dungans, also known as Hui, are Sunni Muslims who speak a dialect of Mandarin that also uses words and phrases borrowed from Arabic, Persian, and Turkic.



Their ancestors fled from China to Central Asia, which then was part of the Russian empire, in the late-19th century after the Chinese government's violent crackdown on the Dungan Revolt of 1862-1877.



The total number of Dungans now living in former Soviet republics is about 120,000.



Most reside in Kyrgyzstan's northern region of Chui and Kazakhstan's neighboring region of Zhambyl.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Daily Briefing Online on February 19, 2020

2020/02/19

I'd like to share the latest numbers with you first. According to this morning's update from the National Health Commission, February 18 saw 1,824 patients cured and discharged from hospital in China's mainland, bringing the total number of cured cases to 14,376. New confirmed cases in China excluding Hubei Province stood at 56 on February 18, marking a decline for the 15th consecutive day.

Q: The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai conducted a survey of 109 companies with manufacturing operations in China. Nearly half reported that global supply chains are impacted by shutdown of factories. One third are considering transferring operations out of China. What's your comment? Are you worried that the epidemic may impact foreign businesses' confidence in China's economy?

A: Officials from the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce and other departments have talked about the impact of the outbreak on the economy on multiple occasions recently. I also responded in previous briefings.

In general, the impact on China's economy is temporary, since the Chinese government has sufficient policy space and maneuver room to boost the economy, and the long-term positive trend of China's economy will not change. We are confident in meeting economic and social development goals.

At present, China's epidemic prevention and control measures are showing positive effects, and we are actively supporting and promoting the resumption of work in various enterprises and institutions, including foreign companies in China. Relevant departments are making coordinated and targeted efforts to help them deal with problems in investment, production and business operation to minimize the impact of the epidemic. As far as I know, some foreign enterprises that are ready are already resuming production.

I need to specifically point out that many foreign enterprises in China, including American ones, have said that they believe China will overcome difficulties soon and maintain sound and stable economic growth. The epidemic hasn't affected their determination and confidence in investing and operating in China. Head of Chinese operations of Honeywell, a well-known American manufacturer, said that 18 of its 21 factories in China have resumed full production with the other three running partially. Ford, a large American automobile manufacturer, said China's huge market demand is still there, and that Ford is confident in China's prospects. Those remarks are highly representative. We thank them for their understanding and support in our fight against the virus, and appreciate their confidence in China's economic prospects.

I'd like to stress again that as the Chinese and world economies are highly integrated, China's challenges are the world's. In face of the epidemic, helping China is helping the world. The urgent task for the international community is to make concerted efforts to fight the NCP, resume normal state-to-state exchange and cooperation as soon as possible, and boost and facilitate international trade and global economic growth.

Q: The US on Tuesday added Switzerland-based Rosneft Trading, Russian energy company Rosneft's subsidiary, into its sanctions list, accusing it of handling Venezuela's exports in circumvention of US restrictions. The US also gave the countries and companies doing business with Rosneft Trading 90 days to disentangle arrangements. What's China's comment on this? Is China considering cutting ties with the company?

A: China believes that state-to-state relations should be based on international law and basic norms governing international relations. We oppose interference in other countries' internal affairs, unilateral sanctions and "long-arm jurisdiction". We believe differences should be resolved through consultation following the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and basic norms governing international relations. The Venezuelan issue should be resolved through dialogue and consultation.

Q: US Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams told reporters on Tuesday that Washington is advising India and China against purchasing oil from Venezuela. He added that Washington will continue to try "to persuade those countries that are supporting and sustaining this regime to diminish their activities". What's China's comment on this statement?

A: China's position on the Venezuelan issue is consistent and clear. We are committed to upholding the UN Charter and basic norms governing international relations. The issue should be resolved peacefully in accordance with Venezuela's Constitution and laws within the framework of international law. We oppose unilateral sanctions and the so-called "long-arm jurisdiction".

China-Venezuela cooperation adheres to the principle of equality, mutual benefit and market principles. Such cooperation complies with laws and regulations, benefits the two countries and peoples, and should be respected and protected. No matter how the situation evolves, our cooperation will proceed. We hope the US could accept the facts and stop abusing sanctions or other coercive measures. It should work with all parties to jointly seek a political settlement of the issue and help Venezuela return to the track of development.

Q: Russia will temporarily suspend from February 20 the entry of some Chinese citizens to the country amid the threat of the spread of coronavirus infection. What's China's comment on this decision?

A: Russia has informed China in advance through diplomatic channels of the above-mentioned measures against the NCP. It also stressed its firm support for and strong confidence in China. The restrictive measures, taken as part of its prevention and control efforts, are only temporary. This is not a total ban on personnel exchange. Once the situation improves, they will be adjusted before being lifted finally. In addition, for groups affected by the restrictions, such as Chinese students unable to return for their studies, the Russian side will take a series of measures such as online courses to ensure the curricular plans will be completed.

Russia and China are each other's biggest neighbor. We are closely following the measures Russia has taken in response to this epidemic. Russia has repeatedly expressed support and offered a large amount of assistance to us. The two countries are comprehensive strategic partners of coordination for a new era. We hope and believe that Russia and the international community will continue to show firm support to China, assess the epidemic situation in an objective and rational way, and adjust restrictive measures at an early date to avoid any disturbance to normal personnel exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

Q: The US State Department has designated 5 Chinese media outlets as "foreign missions," requiring them to comply with relevant rules with regard to employees and real estate properties. US officials say these outlets are owned and effectively controlled by the Chinese government and that each meets the definition of a foreign mission. What's your reaction?

A: We deplore and reject the wrong decision of the US.

The media play an important role like a bridge or bond facilitating communication and understanding between people of different countries. Chinese media's resident offices in the US have long been covering news following the principle of objectivity, impartiality, truth and accuracy. They have helped promote mutual understanding, communication and cultural exchange between our two countries.

The US touts its press freedom. However, it is wantonly restricting and thwarting Chinese media outlets' normal operation there. This is totally unjustified and unacceptable. We urge the US to discard its ideological prejudice and Cold War zero-sum game mentality, and stop ill-advised measures that undermine bilateral trust and cooperation.

We reserve the right to take further measures in response.

Q: Would China pursue any retaliatory measures after the US classified five Chinese media organizations as foreign missions?

A: As I just said, we urge the US to immediately stop its ill-advised measures. We reserve the right to take further measures in response.

Q: The US Embassy in China said on Weibo on February 8 that the US Secretary of State announced $100 million in support of China's fight against the NCP. Later, the State Department announced that the US government is prepared to spend up to $100 million to assist China and other impacted countries, both directly and through multilateral organizations. Can you elaborate how the US has so far helped with China's efforts against the epidemic?

A: Virus knows no borders. We welcome and appreciate every assistance from the international community, including the US.

As far as I know, the US State Department has coordinated with relevant organizations in donating to Hubei Province 16 tons of epidemic prevention supplies, including masks, protective suits and oxygen-generators.

We hope the up to $100 million the State Department announced for China and other impacted countries could materialize at an early date to help the fight against the epidemic.

Q: Last week, the Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry asked the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) to make an official apology publicly for its derogatory article and hold those involved accountable. Has the WSJ responded to these demands?

A: On February 3, the WSJ published an article by Professor Walter Russell Mead of the Bard College. The article discredits the Chinese government and people's efforts to fight the epidemic. The unfortunate editorial choice of adding the racially-discriminatory title China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia triggered indignation and condemnation among the Chinese people and the international community.

The Chinese side lodged stern representations with the WSJ repeatedly to make clear our solemn position on this and demand that it recognize the severity of its mistake, make an official apology publicly and hold the persons involved accountable. Meanwhile we reserve the right to take further actions.

However, regrettably, what the WSJ has done so far is nothing but fudging the issue and dodging its responsibility. It has neither issued an official apology nor done anything on accountability.

China handles affairs related to foreign journalists in accordance with laws and regulations. The Chinese people do not welcome media that speak racially-discriminatory languages and maliciously slander and attack China. As such, it is decided that from today, the press credentials of three WSJ journalists will be revoked.

China will continue to support and facilitate foreign journalists' press coverage in China in accordance with international common practice.

Q: A Uyghur human rights group disclosed some "internal documents" at a press conference in Washington on February 18. They claimed that the document detailed the personal information of some people detained in Xinjiang, including the reasons for their detentions. It asked the Chinese government to put a stop to such a policy. Can you confirm that these documents exist? And I would also like to have your comment.

A: I'd like to state three points:

First, Xinjiang-related issues are not about ethnicity, religion or human rights, but about fighting separatism, violence and terrorism. Thanks to the counter-terrorism and de-radicalization efforts taken by the Xinjiang government, there hasn't been a single violent terrorist attack over the past three years. They are supported by the 25 million people of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang and commended by Muslim countries and the wider international community. This is also China's contribution to the global counter-terrorism cause.

Second, the Chinese government protects the freedom of religious belief of all Chinese citizens, including ethnic minority groups like the Uyghur community in Xinjiang. There are nearly 200 million believers of various religions in China. 20 million of them are Muslims. With 24,400 mosques in Xinjiang, there is one for every 530 Muslims. All the information can be found in the seven white papers on Xinjiang published by the Chinese government since 2015.

Third, Xinjiang affairs are purely China's internal affairs. We will not allow external forces to use Xinjiang to interfere in our domestic affairs. Certain organization and media's attempt to smear Xinjiang's counter-terrorism and de-radicalization measures by so-called "leaks" are doomed to fail. The most powerful refutation to them is Xinjiang's lasting political stability, ethnic solidarity and religious and social harmony.

For scheduling reasons, our online briefing on Thursday, February 20 will start earlier at 2pm.
HelioCampus, a technology-enabled services company dedicated to higher education, has partnered with Ohio University on an analytics platform to support strategic planning initiatives and decision making across the student lifecycle.

Ohio University entered into a multi-year agreement with HelioCampus with the goal of growing and accelerating their existing analytics initiatives. HelioCampus will be working with Ohio University on improving enrollment and retention, as well as using data to inform their strategic planning process.

President Nellis has made analytics a priority at Ohio University and, by partnering with HelioCampus, well be able to use our data to make informed decisions more quickly than we could on our own, said Loralyn Taylor, Ph.D., Associate Provost for Institutional Research and Effectiveness at Ohio University.

Ohio University has clear goals for their analytics initiatives and what they are looking to accomplish. We are excited to support them on their journey. The Ohio University team is motivated and we are looking forward to helping them use data to tackle their most pressing challenges,  said HelioCampus CEO, Darren Catalano.

For more information about HelioCampus, visit http://www.heliocampus.com. To see the HelioCampus platform in action schedule a demo here: https://www.heliocampus.com/heliocampus-demo-request

About Ohio University

Ohio University strives to be the best student-centered, transformative learning community in America, where students realize their promise, faculty advance knowledge, staff achieve excellence, and alumni become global leaders. With a residential campus in Athens, additional campuses and centers across the state, and online programs, we educate approximately 35,000 students annually. Visit http://www.ohio.edu for more information.

About HelioCampus

HelioCampus is a fast-growing data company exclusively working with the higher education community. HelioCampus offers not only an extensible data platform, but also ongoing data science services, and provides client institutions with actionable solutions through comprehensive integration and analysis of key data across the student lifecycle, institutional financials, and more.

By helping colleges and universities use analytics to increase enrollment, improve student success, ensure financial sustainability and accelerate gift giving, we enable them to ask and answer their most pressing questions through data analytics, data storytelling and data science. Originated within the University System of Maryland, HelioCampus offers a unique perspective on using data to facilitate meaningful conversations that fuel higher value analyses and spur action, leading to greater institutional performance and financial sustainability.

For more information about HelioCampus visit http://www.heliocampus.com or follow them on Twitter.
Great Wall Motor (GWM) expands its global footprint by signing an agreement for the purchase of General Motors manufacturing facility in Rayong, Thailand. This announcement is subject to government and regulatory approvals. Under a signed binding term sheet, GM Thailand and GM Powertrain Thailand legal entities, which include the Rayong vehicle assembly and powertrain facilities, will transfer to GWM. GM and GWM are targeting the end of 2020 to close the deal and hand over the site.

This agreement marks an important milestone in the overall scheme of things for Great Wall Motor in the ASEAN Region and is a testimony of our global expansion strategy that is now focused on South East Asia including India., said Parker Shi, Vice President, GWM India. He further added, With the showcase of its line-up in India at the Auto Expo 2020, GWM is looking at India as a manufacturing hub and a very important asset in the ASEAN market, encompassing manufacturing, R&D and exports.

Speaking on this occasion GWM global strategy Vice President Liu Xiangshang said: The global strategy of Great Wall Motor has begun to take shape after more than 10 years of development. In the past two years, through the export model transformation and upgrades, Great Wall Motor has accelerated the pace of its strategic global rollout. In 2019, Great Wall Motors Tula plant in Russia successfully started production, and the company also reached an agreement with GM to acquire its Talegaon Plant in India in early 2020.

The acquisition of GM's Thai Rayong plant will help the business development of Great Wall Motor in Thailand and the ASEAN market. Great Wall Motor will expand through the entire ASEAN region with Thailand as the centre, and export its products to other ASEAN countries as well as Australia.

The ASEAN automotive market is a developing market and a market with great prospects and potential. Entering the Thai market is the first step for Great Wall Motor to enter the ASEAN market, and is also an important step in Great Wall Motors global strategy. Great Wall Motors investment will create more jobs in the local area, including direct and indirect employment and further enhance skill development in the automotive industry. GWM will also promote the development of the local supply chain, R&D and related industries, plus contribute more to the exchequer of both the local Rayong and Thailand governments.

Since, commencing manufacturing in 2000, the Rayong site has produced nearly 1.4 million trucks and large SUVs for domestic and export markets, as a regional manufacturing hub for mid-size trucks, SUVs and diesel engines.

Julian Blissett, Senior Vice President - Operations, GM International, said: The company had taken the difficult decision to cease manufacturing operations in Thailand after undertaking a detailed analysis of the business case to allocate a future product program to the site. With globally-recognized efficiency and achieving key quality benchmarks, the team at Rayong has delivered world-class vehicles for domestic and export markets for two decades. He further stated, On behalf of GM, I thank the Thailand team for their outstanding contribution to our company. I also want to thank the Thai Government for its long-standing support of our operations and for sustaining a highly competitive business environment in the market.
ADDISON, Texas, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dallas-Fort Worth corporate event and destination management company, Ultimate Ventures, is pleased to announce that it has been nominated for three 2020 Texas Star Awards. Award nominations include: Best Event Design $25,000-$75,000; Best Corporate Event $75,000-$150,000; and Best Corporate Event over $150,000.

"Rockin' Through the Decades" themed event. Welcome to the 90's event space. The "Yellow Zone" at the Color Block Party on the Hilton Anatole event lawn.

The Texas Star Awards, produced by the Texas chapters of the International Live Events Association (ILEA), is a globally recognized awards competition designed to honor the exceptional professional achievements of individuals and organizations from the Texas events industry. The ILEA Texas Star Awards will be held in Houston, Texas on February 23, 2020.

Ultimate Ventures' President, Laurie Sprouse, beamed, "Earning three Texas Star award nominations is both humbling and deeply gratifying. Our team works so hard to produce extraordinary events that delight our clients and their guests. I'm thrilled that the UV team's creativity and event management expertise is being recognized in such a big way!"

Laurie continued, "Although UV's nominations were for corporate events, each event was completely unique. From an ultra-luxe awards dinner in a grand hotel ballroom to a wildly colorful outdoor networking reception under the Texas stars, to a 'Decades' themed event for 2,800 guests packed with fabulous decor and music, these special events drove client and guest satisfaction levels to new highs."

About Ultimate Ventures, DMC Dallas

As the most awarded corporate event and destination management company in the state of Texas, Ultimate Ventures prides itself on providing exceptional experiences for clients holding meetings, conferences, and events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Recognized as the Best Meeting/Event Planning Company in Texas by Texas Meetings & Events magazine, our seasoned team is uniquely qualified to assist clients with a full range of services including special events, team-building, group excursions, dine-arounds, and transportation logistics. To learn more about Ultimate Ventures, visit our website at www.uvdmc.com.

About ILEA

The International Live Events Association (ILEA) is the association for event industry professionals that is focused on promoting creativity, inspiration, teamwork, education, and relationships within its membership. www.ileahub.com

Contact: Val Lenington

Vice President for Ultimate Ventures

T: 972-732-8433

E: [email protected]

W: www.uvdmc.com

SOURCE Ultimate Ventures
Greenway grant could boost Ecusta Trail

The Ecusta Trail could get a big boost in funding if Henderson County wins a federal grant for greenway construction.

The French Broad River MPO has invited local government bodies to apply for money, which comes from the Federal Highway Administration's Surface Transportation Block Grant program. Total funding available is $26 million. The grant requires a 20 percent local match but the money does not have to come from the county budget; it can come from private donors, nonprofits or some other source.

"It is anticipated this will be a very competive call for projects," county staffers said in a memo.

"We give more money in federal taxes than we receive, especially in the highway side of the ledger," John Mitchell, the county's business and community relations director, told commissioners Wednesday. "As the board is aware and the public also, Conserving Carolina is currently negotiating the acquisition of the Ecusta line." The grant money "could be used to fund all or part of a greenway on that property should Conserving Carolina be successful in those negotiations."

"It will be competitve," county Planning Director Autumn Radcliff said. "We do feel that this could be potentially one of the project that could be funded," and could cover preliminary engineering and some consruction costs. The grant money is for projects in fiscal years 2022-2026.

Mitchell said he thought private funding could provide the match if the county gets the grant.

Commission Chairman Grady Hawkins questioned whether the Ecusta Trail was the top priority. The Ecusta Trail "was really the end of the 30-year (greenway master) plan," he said. "There's a lot of greenways, particularly through Jackson Park, that we've not even got the money for. I have have some real reservations about what kind of liability that the county is going to have if we're successful in getting those grants. I'm a little concerned about tying it all up in the Ecusta Trail right up front."

Mitchell said commissioners don't need to make that decision today.

"Down the road, when we draw down that funding, this would require us to come back before you with an actual proposal for work to be completed," he said. At that time, the board could drop it or it could find out that private donors were stepping up to fund the 20 percent local match. "There are not tax dollars that are being asked for at this time," Mitchell said. A portion of the match could come from the Tourism Development Authority, which has set aside a portion of the hotel tax to support the Ecusta Trail.

Other commissioners endorsed the motion to apply for the grant, which the board adopted unanimoously.

"Of course we're taking a risk," McCall said. "Everything is a risk. This money is available now. It might not be available down the road."

Commissioner Bill Lapsley said "we would be remiss" not to apply, since federal grants of this size don't come up all that often.
A romantic island weekend getaway goes horribly wrong for a couple who are madly in love in the new Mexican comedy film Las Pildoras De Mi Novio (also known as My Boyfriend's Meds).

And on Tuesday some of the stars of the film, including Sandra Echeverria, hit the red carpet for the US premiere at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood.

Eva Longoria and Roselyn Sanchez were among some of the other high-profile celebs who lent their star power by attending the festive event.

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Starry night: Eva Longoria and Roselyn Sanchez joined Sandra Echeverria for the premiere of Las Pildoras De Mi Novio (also known as My Boyfriend's Meds) in Hollywood on Tuesday

Longoria, 44, turned heads when she stepped in front of photographers in a black ensemble that showcased her cleavage in a plunging top.

It was paired with loose-fitting slacks and a matching blazer and heels.

On this night The Desperate Housewives alum wore her dark brown tresses long and straight past her shoulders with a part in the middle

At one point, Longoria was joined on the red carpet by the film's male lead Jaime Camil, who looked dapper in dark jeans that were cuffed at the bottom without any visible socks, with a white dress shirt and a black blazer.

Longoria, who was born to Mexican-American parents, gave more than a hint of her cleavage in her black ensemble on the red carpet at ArcLight Cinemas

Sharing the spotlight: At one point, Longoria , 44, was joined on the red carpet by the film's male lead Jaime Camil, 46

Old pals: The pair showed off their friendly chemistry while in the spotlight

Echeverria, 35, originally from Mexico, opted for a more glamorous outfit in a sheer lavender dress, silver heels and her hair cut to shoulder-length.

Puerto Rican native Roselyn Sanchez, 46, also commanded attention on the red carpet in a figure-flaunting black dress that was cinched-in at the waist with a belt.

The Without A Trace star also donned black open-toed heels and pulled her raven tresses back into a sleek bun and a part on the slight left.

Stylish: Camil looked casual-cool in dark jeans that were cuffed at the bottom without any visible socks with a white dress shirt and a black blazer

Leggy: Echeverria, 35, originally from Mexico, opted for a more glamorous outfit in a sheer lavender dress, silver heels and her hair cut to shoulder-length

Sweet: Recording artist Leonardo de Lozanne and Camil snuggled up next to Echeverria

The Spanish-language film, which was directed and co-written by Diego Kaplan, was shot in a number of scenic spot in Mexico, that included Mexico City.

Echeverria plays Jess, a talented, high-powered marketing executive at an upscale tequila company who falls for Camil's character, Hank, a charismatic mattress store owner she meets while shopping for a new bed, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

Hank's charm and good looks convince Jess he is Mr. Right, but Hank hasn't been forthcoming about the various health issues and the seemingly endless assortment of medications he takes.

Curves: Roselyn Sanchez, 46, commanded attention on the red carpet in a figure-flaunting black dress that was cinched-in at the waist with a belt.

Eventually Jess gets to see that other side of Hank when he forgets to bring his medications during a business-pleasure trip.

Along with Camil and Echeverria, the cast also stars Jason Alexander, Marco Antonio Aguirre, Brooke Shields, Marco Antonio Aguirre, Luis Arrieta, James Maslow, Pamela Almanza, Brian Baumgartner and Ana Belena, among others.

Las Pildoras De Mi Novio hits theaters in the US February 21.

Ladies time: Dominican actress Celines Toribio and a guest joined Sanchez
A federal judge on Wednesday demanded more answers from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. about the long-troubled utilitys efforts to inspect its power lines and trim trees around them to prevent more deadly wildfires.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup told PG&Es lawyers to explain in writing why its inspections failed to identify and fix a worn hook on a power line that resembles the problem responsible for the 2018 Camp Fire. The hook, which PG&E has said it will repair, was found by an expert hired by attorneys for fire victims.

Alsup also wants PG&E to say how long it will take to add people to the companys contracted workforce of tree trimmers who try to prevent vegetation from falling on power lines and starting fires.

The company has already expanded from about 1,400 tree-trimming contractors to more than 5,400 last year. But Alsup, reacting to PG&Es failure to achieve some of its fire-prevention targets on time, wants more.

He had proposed forcing PG&E to hire its own tree-trimmers. But after strong objections from the company, the judge indicated he might allow it to add more contractors, possibly reaching a workforce of 6,500, instead.

Alsup is overseeing PG&Es criminal probation stemming from the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion. The companys five-year sentence started in 2017, and Alsup, who inherited the probation from another judge, has since taken a strong interest in the companys wildfire problems.

Alsup had some tough words for PG&E on Wednesday. He said he thought the companys decision to shut off electricity for millions of people was a necessary measure to prevent deadly fires during windstorms last year. But he bristled when a lawyer for the company said that perfect compliance with tree-trimming laws would not alone reduce the need for blackouts.

No, Alsup said. You have no credibility.

Alsup also said that people died as a result of the company paying billions of dollars in dividends instead of investing in its equipment.

The U.S. attorneys office ought to be prosecuting you now for what youve done on the electricity front, Alsup said. Your company poses a threat to the safety of Californians.

At the hearing, the fire victims expert, Thomas Scott Hylton, spoke under oath about the worn hook he found on PG&Es Cresta-Rio Oso transmission line. Hylton, a retired lineman for Sacramentos electric utility, said the hook was only a few hundred feet away from the Butte County tower where a hook on the Caribou-Palermo transmission line broke and led to the Camp Fire.

Eighty-five people died and the Butte County town of Paradise was nearly destroyed by that 2018 fire, Californias deadliest and most destructive wildfire on record.

Hylton said he first saw the worn Cresta-Rio Oso hook in 2018 while working for a lawyer representing fire victims suing PG&E. In 2019, as an expert for a committee of fire victims in PG&Es bankruptcy case, he reviewed a collection of power line hooks, resembling the one that started the Camp Fire, that PG&E had removed.

Hylton said the worn hook hed seen in 2018 wasnt there, so he returned to Butte County and found it.

When I went back and saw it hadnt been replaced, I thought they missed it, Hylton said. I felt an obligation to bring it forward.

PG&E attorney Kevin Orsini said the company immediately sprang into action after receiving photos of the other worn hook. The companys experts concluded there is obvious wear, but not enough to pose an urgent safety risk, so PG&E has one year to fix the problem, Orsini said.

Alsup asked how PG&E could have overlooked the hook despite an exhaustive effort to inspect its power lines in high-fire-threat areas last year.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

I have a feeling you missed it totally, Alsup said.

Orsini conceded that PG&Es inspections are a human process that might have completely missed the worn hook. But an inspector might have concluded that the wear was not bad enough to require ordering repairs, he said.

Alsup wants PG&E to give him a more definitive answer in writing, along with the timetable for adding tree-trimming contractors. Orsini argued that forcing PG&E to hire its own vegetation management workforce would add needless layers of corporate complications that would not result in any faster tree-trimming.

Alsup has also proposed barring PG&E from awarding any performance bonuses to executives or managers unless the company meets certain fire-safety goals. The company has resisted that suggestion, too, arguing that it would intrude on the purview of state regulators and the bankruptcy judge. Alsup made no decision on the matter at the hearing.

But the judge was grateful to the fire victims committee whose lawyers raised the problem with another power line hook.

You have done a very good public service in bringing this to my attention, he said.

PG&Es next formal response to Alsup is expected March 2.

J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris
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SpiceJet share price advanced more than 6 percent intraday on February 19 after reports made rounds that the company is going to launch new domestic flights.

The company is going to launch 20 new domestic flights from March 29 as it is going to introduce UDAN flights on Amritsar-Patna and Varanasi-Patna routes, reported CNBC-TV18.

The new flights are going to connect Guwahati with Patna, Hyderabad with Mangaluru, Bengaluru with Jabalpur and Mumbai with Aurangabad.

The company is going to deploy a mix of Bombardier Q400, B737 for these flights.

At 11:17 hrs, SpiceJet was quoting at Rs 87.25, up Rs 3.20, or 3.81 percent on the BSE.

The share price declined 40 percent in the last 6 months.
[February 18, 2020] The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz Announces Investigation on Behalf of CPI Aerostructures, Inc. Investors (CVU)

The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz announces an investigation on behalf of CPI Aerostructures, Inc. ("CPI or the "Company") (NYSE: CVU) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. On February 8, 2019, CPI announced that its previously issued financial statemets for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 should no longer be relied upon due to an error related to the Company's billing process which caused an overstatement of revenue.



On this news, CPI's share price fell 8.5% to close at $6.34 per share on February 8, 2019, thereby injuring investors. Then, on February 14, 2020, CPI announced that its financial statements for fiscal 2018 and 2019 should no longer be relied upon because "certain revenues and net income were recognized prematurely or inaccurately." Additionally, the Company announced that its Chief Financial Officer had resigned.

On this news, the Company's stock price fell $1.80, or nearly 27%, to close at $4.87 per share on February 14, 2020, thereby injuring investors further. Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert): twitter.com/FRC_LAW. If you purchased CPI securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Frank R. Cruz, of The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-914-5007, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.frankcruzlaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200218006156/en/

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Lisa Gordon has become the first female chairman of a British stockbroker at Cenkos

Cenkos has become the first stockbroker in the UK to appoint a female chairman. Lisa Gordon, who was the youngest woman to be made director of a listed company when she joined the media firm Chrysalis in 1994 at the age of 28, is joining Cenkos as it finally attempts to turn a corner under new leadership.

The smaller-companies broker, which suffered a dire first six months of 2019, told investors that a strong second half had pulled it back to a profit for the year as a whole. This meant it has held on to its unbroken 15-year track record of full-year profitability.

During the latter six months of 2019, Cenkos said it had completed a number of 'significant' fundraisings for its stock market-listed clients. And it said that the momentum was continuing into the New Year. As a result, it is now expecting to announce a final dividend when it releases its full-year 2019 results in March.

Jim Durkin, Cenkos's newly-returned chief executive, said: 'With levels of new issues and initial public offerings for growth companies being at an unprecedented low in 2019, it is testament to the quality of our staff and the strength of our model that we were able to maintain our record of having been profitable every year since incorporation.'

Durkin returned to Cenkos, the company which he helped build, after former Bank of England economist Anthony Hotson left in 2018 following a 90 per cent plunge in profits.

Insiders said the company's mojo had slipped under Hotson's leadership, while it also fell foul of City chatter for its close relationship with fallen fund manager Neil Woodford.
The triangulation of a 911 call from a cellphone can provide too large a search area for first responders when time matters most. In Mississippi, officials have embraced a no-cost software solution to narrow a caller's location to roughly 3 feet and help contend with the state's large swaths of rural and wooded areas.The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is just now embarking on its journey to deploy a statewide Next-Generation 911 plan, but in the interim, officials have been searching for ways to optimize what they already have  especially after the state's record-setting year of 114 tornadoes and severe flooding.As the number and strength of natural disasters grows, state governments are looking to the vendor community for answers. In California, for example, a rapid procurement model helped state agencies pilot and deploy new technologies to fight wildfires . Mississippi is already in the midst of its first flood disaster of 2020, further driving the statewide push to expedite emergency services. RapidSOS , a software vendor that specializes in pinpointing 911 callers, provides its service to public safety answering points (PSAPs) free of charge. MEMA CIO Bob Buseck said he discovered the vendor while at a 911 technology conference and offered to facilitate a demonstration to emergency response officials from the 82 counties in the state.Mississippi is very rural and if you think of it from the standpoint of being lost in the woods, the average 911 call, once its triangulated, is about 100 meters for the cone of certainty, Buseck said. In the dark, in a ditch, 100 meters in 360 degrees  thats a lot of area to cover to find somebody, especially if they cant vocalize.The vendor had approached counties individually for some time with mixed success. Before the demonstration last week, about 11 counties had signed up with RapidSOS but only about a handful had actively used the software.In Warren County, which hugs the Mississippi River in the central part of the state, the PSAP responds to between 140,000-150,000 calls for service per year, said Shane Garrard, the director of the Vicksburg-Warren E-911 Communication Center.Garrard said the center became an early adopter of the technology because he saw a need to reduce search and rescue times and provide clarity to calls with questionable locations. Though not every call is queried through the software, when it is used the contrast in improved processes becomes apparent.We had some lost hunters back in December 2019. It was a male and a female and they didnt know where they were, so they had made the 911 call and we took that number, Garrard said. We had a general idea, but with putting it into RapidSOS we were able to hone within a meter of where they were and send our search and rescue teams right to them. It probably saved about an hour in very cold temperatures.The vendors business model is to provide PSAPs with the software at no cost while Internet of Things and insurance companies pay to send data to the company's 911 portal, said Michelle Cahn, a spokeswoman with RapidSOS.Buseck said MEMA stands behind the technology because a wide adoption could prove vital during a disaster spanning multiple counties.We are not the first responder, but we are the support structure for those first responders, Buseck said. The second those first responders hit the ground, we are in the background to make sure they get what they need when they need to get it. After its all said and done, we make sure that were able to restore normalcy to everyday life for Mississippians.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : Another Jamia Milia Islamia student here on Wednesday filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Delhi High Court seeking Rs 1 crore compensation over alleged police brutality on campus on December 15.

The plea, filed by Md. Mustafa through advocate Nabila Hassan, seeks the court's direction to the Delhi Chief Secretary, the Home Department and the Department of Law to pay the compensation and provide free medical treatment.

The plea also sought directions to the respondents to register an FIR against the Delhi Police over its alleged brutality on campus.
19.02.2020 LISTEN

Constituency executives of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Navrongo Central in the Upper East Region are asking members of the New Patriotic Party to vote against their Member of Parliament, Joseph Kofi Adda.

According to the NDC, the MP has not prioritised the development of the area.

The NDC constituency executives also accused the MP of abuse of power and profligacy.

They also accused Kofi Adda who doubles as the Minister of Aviation of flying in a helicopter to file his nomination forms in the constituency to contest in the NPPs upcoming parliamentary primaries.

Speaking to Citi News, the NDC Navrongo Central Constituency Secretary, Dr. Selanwiah Abdul-Mumin urged delegates of the NPP to show Mr. Kofi Adda the exit in the parliamentary primaries slated for April 25, 2020.

Most of our people are suffering. We have a lot of people who cannot pay their fees at the universities, a lot of people who cannot have portable water and you have somebody who claims to be a representative of the people. Just because he is coming to submit his forms he is using a military chopper. It is so sad for our people. Instead of concentrating on providing projects that will ennui to the benefit of the people, he is rather showing his extravagance and profligacy that people are very angry with him.

He added that We are not happy with him. There are just signs of an era that is coming to an end. He has been in Parliament for more than 12 years and is still seeking to come back to represent the people for another four years. This shows that our people are not well represented and come 2020, Kofi Adda shall be shown the exit.

But the NPPs Navrongo Central Constituency Chairman, Mensah Kofi Anthony said the legislator did no wrong if the helicopter was not rented for his trip to Navrongo.

It was after Kofi Adda finished filing his nomination forms that I realized he came with a military helicopterPossibly it may have been a free ride to the North. Maybe the military chopper was already coming to the North to do something that he joined.

But if actually he paid for the military helicopter to have come to Navrongo to fill his nominations forms, I don't think it's appropriate but now that he is looking for power, he may do everything to see whether he will get his votes. It may be one of his strategies, the NPP constituency chairman added.

When Citi News contacted the MP for his reaction on the matter, he said, he was in Parliament and could

only speak on the matter after his parliamentary business.

---citinewsroom
Grandweld Shipyards, a leading UAE-based ship repair and conversion facility, has secured a contract to build four 41-m fast support vessel (FSIV) for Saudi-based offshore oil and gas service provider, High Seas Marine Industrial Services (HSM).



The first of its kind design will be built as per the standards of Saudi Aramco, and similarly meet all necessary offshore oil field regulations, said a statement from the company.



The builds of all four FSIVs are expected to be complete in 14 months, with deliveries being made in two week intervals, it said.



The official signing ceremony recently took place at Grandwelds headquarters in Dubai Maritime City (DMC). The contract was signed by Jamal Abki, general manager of Grandweld Shipyards, and Fawaz Talal Ali Al Tamimi, vice president of Tamimi Group, with the presence of Ibrahem Al Saeed, managing director of High Seas Marine Industrial Services Co, it added.



Engineer Jamal Abki, general manager of Grandweld Shipyards, said: We are pleased to open collaborations with HSM. Throughout the history of Grandweld, we have prided ourselves in adequate representation of the UAE, as well as going above and beyond our customers expectations.



This has been essential in driving both operational growth, and maintaining strong business partnerships. With that said, we are confident that this new affiliation will follow the same blueprint, he said.



Moreover, in the same manner that the UAE and Saudi have historical ties, we are optimistic that our alliance with HSM, and ultimately Tamimi Group, will evolve to be similar in nature, he added.



Accompanying the dawn of this decade, expectations for global oil demand is predicted to be 104 MMbbd/d in 2025, and natural gas is continually expanding to integrate itself across major markets. Thus, oil and gas companies are expected to accordingly expand their production in order to meet anticipated demand in the coming years.



Ibrahem Al Saeed, managing director of High Seas Marine Industrial Services Co, said: Recovering prices and strong demand from the transportation industry are becoming increasingly prevalent within the kingdom.



Furthermore, modern developments of oil and gas exploration and production activities is another key factor that seems poised to drive Saudi Arabias oil and gas market growth, he said.



HSM has built and developed a specific reputation, and ensuring the market remains satisfied with the services delivered to them is of the utmost importance. Grandwelds provision of four new top-of-the-line FSIVs will assist in maintaining the companys operational efficiency, as well as this distinctive recognition, he added.



In January 2019, the UAE and Saudi Arabia unveiled a seven-point co-operation plan to reinforce the countries collaborative efforts for a brighter future. Among the various laid out objectives, procurement opportunities for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) was a key area of focus. The initiative is seen as a key way to stimulate the post-oil economy.



Al Saeed continued: Despite the UAE and Saudi being among the worlds oil leaders, both countries have demonstrated admirable foresight by seeing beyond current success to begin steering their economies into the next sustainable phase of existence.



While this cooperative agreement with Grandweld will contribute in realising HSMs current potential, we also understand that diversification is vital for future growth. As we develop our capabilities, and witness the example that both our countries are setting in regards to diversifying and partnership, we are hopeful that this one-time union may lead to a strategic business relationship that benefits both Grandweld and HSM for many years to come, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Businessman Jim Mansfield Jnr, who is facing false imprisonment charges, has been denied permission to vary his bail to allow him travel to Spain for his mother's 75th birthday party.

Mr Justice Paul Coffey at the Special Criminal Court said there was "nothing to stop" the woman's party from taking place in this jurisdiction. The judge said "to ask the court to work around" circumstances in which the party arrangements were made after Mr Mansfield's passport had already been surrendered as part of his bail terms is "highly unsatisfactory".

Mr Mansfield Jnr (aged 52), of Tasaggart House, Garters Lane, Saggart, Co Dublin, is to stand trial at the non-jury court in April on charges relating to false imprisonment and the perversion of justice. He is charged with conspiring with one or more persons to falsely imprison Martin Byrne on a date unknown between January 1, 2015, and June 30, 2015, both dates inclusive.

He is also charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice by directing Patrick Byrne to destroy recorded CCTV footage, with the intention of perverting the course of public justice in relation to the false imprisonment of Martin Byrne at Finnstown House Hotel, Newcastle Road, Lucan, Co. Dublin, between June 9, 2015, and June 12, 2015.

Last year he was admitted to bail on an independent surety of 10,000 and subject to a number of conditions including the surrender of his passport. However, this morning, Mr Mansfield applied for a bail variation, specifically seeking permission to travel to Malaga in Spain tomorrow to celebrate his mother's 75th birthday before returning on Monday next.

Tony McGillicuddy BL, for Mr Mansfield Jnr, told Mr Justice Paul Coffey, presiding, sitting with Judge Martin Nolan and Judge James Faughnan, that Mr Mansfield Jnr lives with his mother and is one of two principle people who take care of her. He said the flights and hotel for the celebration have been booked and that the court and State had been provided with the relevant documents to outline these details.

"He would very much like to attend that [celebration] given that she lives with him on an ongoing basis," the barrister said.

Mr McGillicuddy also said that he understands that the request for permission to go to Spain is "close" to Mr Mansfield Jnr's trial date of April 20 next, however he said Mr Mansfield Jnr's independent surety, who was present in court, is happy to stand over the surety for anytime the court may grant a relaxation of the businessman's bail terms.

Shane Costelloe SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said there was one "remarkable aspect" of Mr Mansfield Jnr's submission for permission to leave the State. He said that the court will see from documentation provided that the flights and hotel were booked "for a date in March" and that, as recently as Thursday last week, the hotel and flights were changed. Mr Costelloe referred to the chain of events as a "peculiarity".

In respect of this, Mr McGillicuddy told the court that "an error was made in the initial booking and that's been corrected". He added: "I don't think it's of great import."

Mr Costelloe told the court that there is an allegation that Mr Mansfield Jnr "conspired with" Dessie O'Hare and Declan Duffy who, over the past three years, have either pleaded guilty or changed their plea to guilty to falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne. He said their cases [O'Hare and Duffy] are "done and dusted".

Sgt Eamon O'Neill, from Tallaght Garda Station, told Mr Costelloe that gardai became aware of Mr Mansfield's move to apply for permission to go to Malaga yesterday. Asked what the Garda attitude is to Mr Mansfield Jnr's application, Sgt O'Neill told Mr Costelloe:

We'd be concerned due to the seriousness of the offences Mr Mansfield is facing. We're also concerned about the close proximity to the trial date.

Sgt O'Neill added that Mr Mansfield agreed to his bail conditions last year and An Garda Siochana "just don't know if he has any intentions to travel further from Spain if he gets that far".

In response to a question from Mr McGillicuddy, Sgt O'Neill said there have been no bench warrants in respect of Mr Mansfield Jnr in the past.

Mr McGillicuddy told the court that Mr Mansfield has the presumption of innocence, that he has honoured his bail conditions to date and repeated that Mr Mansfield's independent surety is satisfied to stand over that "substantial surety".

After rising for several moments to consider the submissions, Mr Justice Coffey said it is "not in dispute" that Mr Mansfield Jnr's trial is "imminent". Another established fact, he said, is that a "key feature of his bail bond is that he has to surrender his passport".

He said it follows that the birthday celebration was arranged for outside the jurisdiction at a time Mr Mansfield is not allowed to leave the jurisdiction and he said there was "nothing to stop" the celebration from being held in this jurisdiction.

"The court is not disposed to proceed with the bail application," the judge said.

In April of last year, former INLA man Dessie OHare was sentenced to 10 years in prison with three years suspended for false imprisonment and assault. OHare (aged 63), of Slate Rock Road, Newtownhamilton, Co Armagh, pleaded guilty to falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne at Rathcooleand Saggart on June 9, 2015. He also pleaded guilty to assaulting John Roche, causing him harm, at The Towers, Garter Lane, Saggart, Co Dublin on the same date.

In January 2018, former Republican paramilitary Declan Whacker Duffy (aged 46), originally from Armagh but with an address at Hannover Street West in Dublin, was jailed for six years after he pleaded guilty to falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne in Co. Dublin on June 9, 2015. He also pleaded guilty to assaulting John Roche, causing him harm, at The Towers, Garter Lane, Saggart, County Dublin on June 9, 2015.
The 2020 Black Hills Film Festival will open today, showcasing award-winning films from South Dakota and around the world.

Though its traditionally been a springtime event, the 11th annual festival moved to February at the request of film fans who said spring was too busy a time and thought the festival would be just the thing to offset the slower pace of winter, executive director Chris VanNess said.

Its going to be gorgeous weather this weekend. We lucked out, VanNess said.

Film fans will be able to enjoy festival lineups in Rapid City, Hot Springs, Hill City and at a new event in Spearfish. A total of 29 films, all made in the past two years, will be screened. Filmmakers from throughout the United States have been invited and about 15 to 20 will be present after their films showings to answer audience questions, VanNess said.

Thursday

The festival opens with a reception for filmmakers and festival pass holders at 4:30 p.m. at Prairie Edge in Rapid City.

Special guests will include Thomas Smittle, Lakota activist Madonna Thunder Hawk, and Connor Trinneer. Smittle was a consultant for and star of The Mustang," one of the festival's films. Trinneer stars in "Dark Harbor," also showing during the festival. He is best known from television series such as "Star Trek Enterprise," "The Purge" and "Stargate: Atlantis."

Film screenings start at 7 p.m. at the Elks Theatre in Rapid City. The evenings lineup features Totems, Warrior Women, a 2018 documentary about the life of Thunder Hawk, and the thriller Dark Harbor."

Friday

Film screenings are set for Rapid City and Hot Springs. The Journey Museum and Learning Center, which premiered its own Native American film festival earlier in February, host another lineup of Native American films from 1-5 p.m. The Love of Two, Another Scar of Genocide, Leau est La vie and Decade of Dominance: The Warriors, will be shown, followed by a discussion from 4:35-5 p.m.

Beginning at 7 p.m., the festival continues at the Elks Theatre. The evenings lineup starts with Pipe Dream about the life of legendary comedian Carol Burnett, followed by The Still Life of Annika Myers.

The Mustang concludes the night, followed by a discussion with Smittle. Horseman, clinician and wild horse advocate Smittle made his acting debut in the film.

Thats pretty amazing to have someone who was a consultant for the film and is still a horse trainer in the Black Hills area, VanNess said.

Festival pass holders can attend an after-party with filmmakers at 10:30 p.m. at the Vertex Sky Bar.

In Hot Springs, Showing Up, Snake River Rising and Being Dead will play at the Historic Hot Springs Theatre at 7 p.m. An after-party was scheduled at The Vault, which is one of four buildings damaged by fire in Hot Springs on Tuesday night. A new venue is still to be determined and will be announced on the Black Hills Film Festivals Facebook page and website, VanNess said.

Saturday

The Historic Hot Springs Theatre will have afternoon and evening screenings. Totems, The Love of Two, Leau est La vie and Warrior Woman, will play from 2-5 p.m., followed by a reception at Chautauqua Artisans Market. An evening lineup at 7 p.m. includes Varlet, Just in Time and Dark Harbor. The after-party originally scheduled at The Vault will be at a location to be determined and announced on the film festivals Facebook page and website.

Filmmaker Ryan M. Hall opens Hill Citys portion of the festival with a free seminar, Ultra Low-Budget Filmmaking, from 11 a.m. to noon at Hill City High School theater. Hall is a producer in the Black Hills who has just finished his third ultra low-budget feature film. His films include the sci-fi action movie Dust of War, a drama Tater Tot & Patton, and a western horror movie, The Blackwood.

Film screenings will take place throughout the day and evening at Hill City High School theater.

1-3:10 p.m.: Name Escapes Me, Varlet, Ashes to Ashes, Lost Treasure of the Valley and All That You Love Will Be Carried Away.

3:25-5:15 p.m.: A Rodeo Film and Tales of an American Hoodrat, followed by a reception at Warriors Work Gallery at 5:15 p.m.

7-10 p.m.: Showing Up, Cannonball, Snake River Rising, Just in Time and Raising Buchanan, followed by an after-party at Alpine Inn at 10:30 p.m.

Sunday

Hot Springs and Hill City will host film screenings.

Afternoon and evening showings will take place at the Historic Hot Springs Theatre starting with The Still Life of Annika Myers, Acts of Contrition, and Patrinell: The Total Experience, from 2-5 p.m. An after-party at a location to be determined will follow the afternoon movies. The evening lineup will be 1995, Pipe Dream, and Raising Buchanan.

Hill City High School theater hosts two afternoon sessions, starting at 1 p.m. with Love Speaks A Different Language and Being Dead. Four more films  When Life Gives You Lemmon, Spark: A Profile of Sarah Rogers, 1995 and Patrinell: The Total Experience"  begin at 3:25 p.m.

The day concludes with a buffet at Desperados at 6:30 p.m.

No films or events are scheduled on Monday.

Tuesday

The festival wraps up with a new event at Matthews Opera House in Spearfish. Four films that were produced in South Dakota or filmed on location in South Dakota will be shown from 7-10 p.m.

The evenings lineup is When Life You Gives Lemmon, a profile of South Dakota sculptor John Lopez and his hometown, and Varlet, The Still Life of Annika Myers, and Warrior Women. Tickets are $10, which includes all four films. The evening will begin with a free reception at 6 p.m. in the Matthews Opera House lobby. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, go to matthewsopera.com.

A $50 festival pass provides access to all the films, parties and receptions. For more information and admission pricing, go to BlackHillsFilmFestival.org and follow the Black Hills Film Festival on Facebook.

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The Penn State community is mourning the deaths of two University Park students and a Penn State Harrisburg student over the Presidents Day holiday weekend.

The University Park students were both studying in the College of Information Sciences and Technology.

One was a member of the Alpha Phi Delta fraternity, was a full-time student from Arizona set to graduate in the spring, according to the university. He died by suicide, according to Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers.

In a statement, national Alpha Phi Delta Vice President of Public Relations Joe Bell said the student was found Sunday at the fraternity house he shared with 19 other brothers.

For help: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor

One was a full-time student from Huntingdon Valley, Andrej Vasik.

Vasiks death is still under investigation. It is not known where he died. Sayers said his toxicology results are expected in four to six weeks.

A student at Penn States Harrisburg campus in Dauphin County also died over the weekend, said Damon Sims, vice president for Student Affairs. Further information on that students death wasnt released.

Our university community can never be immune to such tragedy. But neither is it accustomed to the loss of multiple students in such a brief time, said Sims in a message to students.

By Sarah Paez, Centre Daily Times (TNS)
Billionaire software developer and philanthropist Mike Cannon-Brookes has set aside $12 million to install as many as 100 stand-alone solar and battery units in 100 days to provide off-grid power to hard-hit bushfire communities.

The Resilient Energy Collective - established only three weeks ago in the family office of Mike and Annie Cannon-Brookes - has already installed two units near Cobargo in southern NSW and one at Goongerah in Victoria's East Gippsland.

Billionaire software developer and philanthropist Mike Cannon-Brookes. Credit:Renee Nowytarger

The systems will range from supplying 8 kilowatt-hours to as many as 400 kW-hours per day, and allow homes, businesses and some infrastructure to operate around the clock.

The unit at Peak Alone near Cobargo was operational in less than 48 hours. It powers a police radio tower and a separate one used by the Rural Fire Service, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Eurobodalla Shire radio.
Less famous but even more disgraceful was Blagojevichs attempt to shake down a childrens hospital for campaign donations, using its state funding as leverage  a scheme that applied the same kinds of pressure points Trump did when he tried to get campaign help from Ukraine by using U.S. military aid as leverage. Blagojevich got a prison term for doing essentially the same thing that got Trump a Senate acquittal. No wonder Trump decided to set Blagojevich free.

Oddly enough, Blagojevich is a liberal Democrat from a blue state  not exactly qualifying factors for Trumpian sympathy.

It could be that, in his twisted worldview, Trump truly thinks Blagojevich got a raw deal. Trump last year characterized Blagojevich as having been in jail for seven years over a phone call where nothing happens. Just as Trump apparently thinks its fine that his own campaign officials met with a Russian operative promising campaign dirt  because, after all, the dirt wasnt delivered. So Trump must think a governor who tries to barter off a Senate seat for his personal gain didnt do anything wrong if the criminal intent doesnt yield results.

A more likely motivation, though, is Trumps core contempt for political reform. Remember, Trump has routinely used his official powers to enrich his business, reward his friends, punish his enemies and bolster his reelection campaign. In that light, its clear the Blagojevich commutation is nothing more or less than Trump holding up a big middle finger to the entire concept of clean politics.
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the main opposition party should be investigated for possible links to the U.S.-based cleric accused of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt, amid a bout of finger-pointing between the two sides.

Ankara blames Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, for masterminding the abortive putsch and has carried out a widespread crackdown on his alleged supporters. Thousands of people have been detained, arrested or sacked over links to Gulen's network.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said last week Erdogan was the "political wing" of Gulen's network, accusing him of allowing thousands of Gulenists to enter state ranks.

His comments drew harsh backlash from Erdogan, who in turn accused Kilicdaroglu of being involved with Gulen's network, which Ankara calls FETO.

"Everyone may have had a role in growing, strengthening and expanding FETO in Turkey. However, it is myself and the AK Party that declared them a terrorist organisation and waged a war on them," Erdogan told his AK Party (AKP) on Wednesday.

"We struggled to remove the FETO elements in institutions, and we think that we still haven't been able to fully eliminate this scheme," he added. "The state followed FETO everywhere, but it is clear that the CHP headquarters has not been examined enough."

Gulen and Erdogan, once allies, fell apart in 2013 during a corruption investigation that briefly threatened to engulf the government, which Erdogan blames on Gulen's network. Erdogan's government also accuses Gulen of trying to establish a "parallel state" in Turkey.

Shortly after the 2016 coup attempt, Erdogan had said he had been "deceived" by Gulen and his network.

"I also met him (Gulen) in the past, there is no point in trying to hide this," Erdogan said. "I accept that we struggled to explain the threat from this structure even to our very own circles. But we are the only ones who have relentlessly battled with FETO in a real way," he said.

Story continues

Several attempts by the opposition to establish a committee in parliament to look into Gulen's political connections have so far been rejected by the AKP. Last week, Erdogan filed a 500,000 lira (63,364.04 or $82,270) lawsuit against Kilicdaroglu for his comments.

Gulen has denied involvement in the coup attempt, in which some 250 people were killed and more than 2,000 wounded. Routine operations against Gulen's network are still carried out across the country.

Rights groups and opposition parties have accused Erdogan of using the coup as a pretext to quash dissent. But the government has said the measures are necessary.

A prominent businessman was re-arrested hours after being acquitted on Tuesday over his alleged role in landmark 2013 protests, which posed a major challenge to Erdogan.

Osman Kavala was among nine people acquitted of an alleged role in organising the Gezi Park protests.

Commenting on Kavala's acquittal, Erdogan said "they set out to acquit him with a manoeuvre". He later told reporters the new arrest order must be respected.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu, Editing by Ece Toksabay and Nick Macfie)
Turkeys new military operation in the Syrian province of Idlib is only a matter of time, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, addressing the members of his party in the countrys parliament.

"Turkey has completed preparations for the implementation of its plan on Idlib, just like we did with previous operations. Frankly speaking, an operation in Idlib is only a matter of time. Turkey wont leave Idlib to the devices of the [Assad] regime," TASS cited him as saying.

According to the Turkish leader, "despite ongoing talks on Idlib, Turkey and Russia are still far from reaching an agreement" on the issue. He added that the Ankara and Moscow negotiations "have not produced the desired results yet."

Erdogan emphasized that Ankara "is determined to pay any price to ensure security in both Idlib and Turkey."

For the past several weeks, Ankara has been demanding that the Syrian army return to the positions outlined in the Sochi memorandum on Idlib. Erdogan has threatened to take steps to push Syrian troops back.
The federal and provincial governments have pledged $8 million in investments on a homeless shelter in Edmonton.

The tranche is meant for Hope Mission, which will be rebuilding the Herb Jamieson Centre homeless shelter for vulnerable men requiring support in a 24/7 emergency facility.

The Herb Jamieson Centre will provide much needed updated shelter capacity in Edmonton. We are committed to providing supports to these very vulnerable people to ensure that emergent needs are met and long term healing is provided. We support the Herb Jamieson Centres mission to help people out of homelessness and into community, according to the Honourable Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Community and Social Services.
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C.  As Jill Biden looked into the faces of the several dozen people gathered before her in the hall of Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church, she talked about coming to this state in 2015 a few weeks after Beau Biden, the elder of Joe Bidens two sons, died of brain cancer.

Weve found respite on your shores, she said. When we lost our son Beau, the first place we went  was the low country.

Biden was here two weeks before the South Carolina primary to maintain a presence in the state while her husband  his hopes for the presidency on the ropes  stumped in Nevada ahead of the caucuses there this coming Saturday.

If Joe Bidens chances of winning the Democratic nomination are to be resurrected, hell have to do very well in South Carolina on Feb. 29, and even that may not be enough. But the Palmetto State has been a place of rejuvenation before for the Biden family.

The Bidens spent some time on Kiawah Island in June 2015, after Beaus death. Everything was darkened by the shadow of his death, Jill Biden wrote in her 2019 memoir. So we gathered up the kids and grandkids and headed to the beach, hoping for some healing from the clean salt air.

Jill Biden, wife of former Vice President Joe Biden, addresses the crowd before he speaks at a campaign event in Columbia, S.C., on Feb. 11. (Gerald Herbert/AP)

Joe Biden has told a story  in his own book on losing Beau  about weeping by himself on the beach during this trip.

But even then the Bidens could not escape the touch of tragedy. Just before they arrived, a white supremacist shot and killed nine Bible study attendees at one of Charlestons most historic black churches, Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Biden, then the vice president, attended the memorial service for the churchs pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney.

Biden and Pinckney had met before, and when Biden toured the church he saw a photo of himself with Pinckney, who was 41 years old when he was slain, five years younger than Beau Biden. Joe Biden wrote in his book about attending Sunday services at the church a few days after Pinckneys memorial service. He needed, he wrote, to be with those who were mourning even as he mourned.

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Vice President Joe Biden attends the funeral service for Rev. Clementa Pinckney on June 26, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. (David Goldman/AP)

It is that sense of enduring through suffering and tragedy that defines Biden now, who lost his first wife, Neilia, and their 1-year old daughter, Naomi, in a car accident in 1972. Beau and his younger brother, Hunter, were injured in that crash and survived. But now Hunters own personal problems and questionable business decisions have become a political liability to his father.

And it is all of this that connects Biden in a real way to that same community that suffered so profoundly in the wake of the Emanuel AME massacre: the African-American community. In this state, black voters make up about 60 percent of the Democratic primary.

There was a photo of Biden and Pinckney on the wall of Emanuel AME because Biden has been coming to South Carolina for decades. Hes run for president twice before and has campaigned for Democrats in congressional elections year after year.

At Jill Bidens event, state Sen. David Mack, who has represented part of North Charleston for more than 20 years, told the audience that what you see and what you hear is real.

Ive known the Bidens from before Vice President Biden was Vice President Biden. Hes come to our home several times, Mack said. And he told the audience that his mother had passed away a few weeks ago, and the Biden family had sent flowers in her honor.

In the crowd were the kind of people who make a real difference in the local community, like Hilda Gadsden, the president of the Womans Baptist Educational and Missionary Convention of South Carolina.

Gadsden told Yahoo News in an interview that Biden knows all of the players.

We dont need to be looking for someone going in fresh, she said. Its crucial right now that we have someone who understands what is going on. And as a senior statesman and the character he has, he will be an awesome president.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, arrive at a campaign rally in Columbia, S.C., on the night of the New Hampshire primary, Feb. 11. (Randall Hill/Reuters)

Vice President Biden is truly respected, she said. We just have to get out there and get the word out.

And Gadsden will do that. She said she usually drives people who live at a nearby retirement home to the polls to vote in every election. Her husband pastors a church in North Charleston where around election time they ask members to bring at least one friend or family member to church who is not registered to vote so they can add them to the rolls.

There was a palpable sense of relief among Jill Biden aides at the event Monday that they had escaped the cold and inhospitable political climates of Iowa and New Hampshire and had finally arrived in a warmer, friendlier climate.

Were just so excited to be here, a place that we know and love, [with] people who are here that we know and love, Jill Biden said

If Biden can finish strong in Nevada and then win South Carolina, there may be hope for his candidacy after disappointing finishes so far: fourth in Iowa and fifth in New Hampshire.

The Biden campaign will have to figure out a balance between pushing hard to win South Carolina convincingly without creating expectations that are too high for him that could create a negative news cycle if he wins but only by a few points, or comes in second.

At Jill Bidens second event on Monday, a house party in Mount Pleasant, a 15-year-old field organizer named Amari President warmed up the crowd of 100 people or so gathered in a living room.

We dont have to just win here in South Carolina, President said. We have to  and he paused so the audience could join him in saying the last two words together  win big.

Jill Biden speaks at a campaign event in the home of state Senate candidate Richard Hricik in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., on Feb. 17. (Gerald Herbert/AP)

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Read more from Yahoo News:
>>> Vietnam to announce six more cases of cured Covid-19



>>> Vietnam works to ensure health for participants in ASEAN 2020 meetings

On Tuesday morning, the second base of the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanois Dong Anh district discharged two more Covid-19 patients, N.T.Y and P.V.C. The duo are from the northern province of Vinh Phuc, one had returned from Chinas city of Wuhan  the epicentre of the global coronavirus outbreak, and the other one had previously had close contact with a confirmed cased.

P.V.C, 29, is among the eight workers of Japanese-invested Nihon Plast Co., Ltd, who were sent to Wuhan for training for two months and a half and came back on January 17. He developed symptoms of a sore throat and a cough on January 21 and was confirmed positive for the new coronavirus on January 26.

After three days of treatment, the patient was free from of their fever and his health condition was stable. His SARS-CoV 2 test was positive twice on February 7 and February 9, respectively. However, the patient was tested negative on February 11 and 12. Currently, the patient has not suffered any fever for ten days and he is now in stable health.

Meanwhile, N.T.Y, the 55-year-old woman, got the virus from another patient, who is her neighbour. She showed symptoms of a fever, headache and body aches on January 30 and was transferred from Vinh Phuc to the Hanoi-based hospital to continue receiving isolated treatment from February 9. However, Y turned up negative in two tests on February 12 and 15. Currently, the patient is stable with all X-ray and other medical test results are normal.

The National Hospital of Tropical Diseases received a total of five patients from Vinh Phuc and all of them have been cured and discharged so far. Earlier, three of them were released from the hospital on February 10.

Present at the discharge celebration, Assoc. Prof., Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the Ministry of Health (MoH)s Department of Medical Service Administration, shared the joy with the hospitals doctors and two patients.

"The National Hospital of Tropical Diseases is in the forefront of receiving and treating Covid-19 patients. I would like to congratulate the hospitals physicians and the two patients who are discharged today. I also hope they will be the last two Covid-19 patients of the hospital. This success makes us very proud, Khue said.

Speaking before leaving the hospital, both patients thanked the hospitals doctors and medical staff for their treatment and care.

I worried when I was admitted to the hospital, but the doctors encouraged me and advised me to be confident and trust them as they would try their best to take care and treat me well. Every day I was treated here, I felt much better. During the nine days here, I always trusted the doctors. Now I have recovered well and I am very happy. I would like to thank all the care and support for me", Y said in emotion.

So far, Vietnam has reported 16 cases of the virus, including 11 from Vinh Phuc province. The four patients being treated at the Quang Ha General Clinic in Vinh Phucs Binh Xuyen district are also expected to be discharged later today.

If all six cases are to be announced free from Covid-19, the number of cured cases in Vietnam could be raised to 13 on Tuesday. The remaining three cases are still being monitored but their health situation is progressing well and they are expected to be discharged soon.

As from February 13, there have been no new cases in Vietnam.

Health experts said although there is no vaccine for the new virus, the country has enough capacity and experience to treat Covid-19 patients and its treatment regimen has shown good results so far.

According to the MoHs infectious disease surveillance system, up until 3:30 pm on February 18, the world has recorded 73,336 cases of Covid-19 infection, of which 72,438 cases and 1,869 deaths have been recorded in mainland China, including Liu Zhiming, the president of Wuhan Wuchang Hospital in Chinas Hubei province, was confirmed dead from Covid-19 on Tuesday morning.
The management of Maris Trust Council is set to unveil personalities who will discuss the topic for the year, 2020 Maris annual public service lecture titled, "Effective Tax Administration In The Delivery Of Democratic Dividends."

According to a statement signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Council, Chief (Dr.) Kenneth Olise and Comrade Fidelis Egugbo respectively, the Chairman, Delta State Board of Internal Revenue (DBIR), Chief (Sir) Monday Onyeme will deliver the lecture.

They disclosed that due to the nature of the topic to democracies, efforts were being made to ensure that Nigerians of impeccable characters who have excelled in their chosen fields would discuss the lecture topic.

"First, we want to thank God for the manner Nigerians, especially, Deltans welcomed the topic for discussion this year.

"The topic, 'Effective Tax Administration In The Delivery Of Democratic Dividends' was chosen through divine inspiration and through His will, Chief Onyeme, a renowned tax administrator who has a sound record as a university lecturer, accountant, bursar, hotelier and as a successful businessman agreed to speak on the topic.

"Bearing in mind the technical and sensitive nature of the topic, members of Maris Trust Council have painstakingly, reached out to experts to discuss the topic.

"Also on the day of the unveiling of the duscussants, the public will be made to know the Special Guest of Honour, Chairman of the occasion, Mother of the Day, Spiritual Father of the Day, among other personalities who will play different roles at the lecture.

"Recall that last year, the nation heaved a sigh of relief after listening to Senator Stella Omu, Ms Faith Nwadishi, Barr. Fred Majemite and Dr David Oba discuss the topic, 'Managing Post Election Challenges, Nigeria As Case Study' delivered by the immediate past Managing Director of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Chief Williams Makinde.

"Dr Kemi Emina did very well as Moderator at that lecture which was designed to calm frayed nerves ahead of the inauguration of a new administration in Delta and Nigeria in general on May 29, 2019, and for this year's edition, we hope to release the names of the discussants next week, which is the last week of February.

"We are grateful to all of you out there for your patience, your support and strong belief that things can be done right in the country.

"It is worthy to acknowledge several calls and assurances of your determination to attend this year's edition of the lecture billed for Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at Orchid hotel, Asaba at 12 noon prompt not just to listen but to contribute to the topic for discussion as the lecture is free in line with our belief that money should not hamper positive contributions to the building of an egalitarian society and the strengthening of democratic structures; we are open to partnership from individuals and corporate organisations as the lecture holds annually on Wednesdays preceding Easter celebration," they said in the statement.
Episcopal Church will cease to have Sunday worship attendance in 30 years, seminary pres. warns

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A seminary president has warned The Episcopal Church's leadership that with the current rate of decline, they will cease to have any Sunday worship attendance in 30 years.

Kristine Stache, interim president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America-affiliated Wartburg Theological Seminary, gave a presentation Friday before the denomination's Executive Council.

Stache drew from the most recent parochial report data which found that, from 2008 to 2018, the denomination experienced a 24.9 percent decline in average Sunday attendance and a 17.5 percent decline in baptized members.

It depicts a church that appears to be dying, said Stache, as reported by Egan Millard of Episcopal News Service, labeling the statistics very sobering.

At the current rate of decline, according to Stache, the denomination will have no Sunday attendance in 30 years and no baptized members in 47 years.

Despite the somber report on statistics, Stache also said that the decline might be less showing a dying church and more one that is becoming something we have yet to imagine.

This kind of thinking looks nothing like weve ever done before. We dont have the current knowledge or solutions to address this work, she said.

In fact, we cant even define the problem. But thats the point. Living in this space is about a mental shift to a focus on questions instead of answers.

As with most religious groups in the United States, the Episcopal Church has experienced a considerable decline in membership over the past several years.

Last year, the Episcopal Churchs Office of the General Convention reported that in 2018, membership in the denomination had dropped to 1.676 million.

The 2018 total was less than half of the peak membership numbers for the denomination in 1966, when approximately 3.6 million Americans identified as Episcopalian.

One factor in the decline has been the increasingly progressive theological direction of the mainline denomination, especially regarding LGBT issues.

For example, the 2003 consecration of the Rev. Gene Robinson as the first openly gay bishop in the denominations history prompted many conservative congregations to leave in protest.

Staches presentation before the Executive Council resembles a presentation the Rev. Canon Neil Elliot gave to the leadership of The Anglican Church of Canada last November.

Presented before the ACC Council of General Synod, Elliot concluded that the Canadian denomination would effectively cease to exist by the year 2040.

ACC Archbishop Linda Nicholls said in a statement last year that Elliot's report was a wake-up call for the denomination.

Were called to do and be Gods people in a particular place, for the purpose of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, and the only question is, How do we need to share it, so that it might be heard by those around us? Nicholls said.
Houthi obstruction hinders several programmes that feed the near-starving population, says a senior UN official.

Yemens Houthi rebels have blocked half of the United Nationss aid delivery programmes in the war-torn country  a strong-arm tactic to force the agency to give them greater control over the enormous humanitarian campaign, along with a cut of billions of dollars in foreign assistance, according to aid officials and internal documents obtained by The Associated Press news agency.

The rebel group has made granting access to areas under their control contingent on a flurry of conditions that aid agencies reject, in part because it would give the Houthis greater sway over who receives aid, documents and interviews show.

The Houthis obstruction has hindered several programmes that feed the near-starving population and help those displaced by the nearly six-year civil war, a senior UN official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Over 2 million beneficiaries  are directly affected, the official said.

The Houthis have been pushing back against UN efforts to tighten monitoring of some $370m a year that its agencies already give government institutions controlled mostly by the rebel group, documents show. That money is supposed to pay salaries and other administration costs, but more than a third of the money spent last year was not audited, according to an internal document leaked to the AP.

Breaking point

The UN has largely kept quiet in public about the pressure but, behind the scenes, the agency and international donors are digging in against the Houthi demands. The AP spoke to seven workers and officials from UN and independent agencies about the situation. All spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. The AP also saw dozens of documents, including emails of aid officials.

In October, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grande, sent a letter to the Houthi-appointed prime minister, complaining about a long list of Houthi demands.

The overwhelming majority of them impede or delay delivery of aid and many violate humanitarian principles, she said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by the AP.

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For months, the Houthis demanded a 2-percent cut from the entire aid budget be given to them, a condition the UN and donors rejected. In an email to the AP, a spokesperson for the US Agency for International Development said Houthi attempts to implement a tax on humanitarian assistance are unacceptable and directly contradict international humanitarian principles. The United States donated $686m to Yemen in 2019, according to USAID.

Last week, the Houthis appeared to back off the 2 percent demand but continue to press for other concessions, according to aid officials.

During a meeting in Brussels last Thursday, aid agencies and international donors threatened to reduce aid if Houthis continue to impose restrictions on UN operations in Yemen.

The situation has reached a breaking point, they said in a statement.

At least one agency, the World Food Programme, is currently considering cutting back the monthly food aid it delivers to 12 million Yemenis every other month, a UN official said. Its unfortunate that people will suffer but this is on the Houthis, the official said. They cant use people as hostages for too long.

The Houthis demands have stoked longtime concerns among aid agencies over the rebels diverting humanitarian funds and supplies into their own or their supporters pockets or towards their war effort.

Delivering aid in a war zone has always posed a problem for UN agencies. But officials said the situation in Yemen has been especially challenging.

The Houthis have withheld visas and permissions for equipment and supplies and refused to grant clearances for UN missions to move through rebel-controlled areas. Aid workers said agency leaders past willingness to concede to some of the rebels demands have emboldened the Houthi leaders to push for more.

Brink of famine

Nearly 300,000 pregnant and nursing mothers and children under five have not received nutritional supplements for more than six months because the Houthis held beneficiaries hostage to the 2 percent demand, another UN official said.

In another example, Houthi authorities for months delayed permission to distribute 2,000 tonnes of food -enough to feed 160,000 people  in the district of Aslam, where the AP previously found starving villagers reduced to eating boiled leaves. By the time the approval came in November, the food had spoiled beyond the point of salvage, another aid official said.

Houthi leaders have remained defiant in the face of UN pushback.

Yemen will survive if agencies suspend aid, Abdul-Mohsen Tawoos, secretary-general of the Houthi agency coordinating international aid, told European donors during a January 20 Skype call. Minutes of the call were obtained by the AP.

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He said the Houthis wanted to reach an agreement with the UN and its donors, but wont be bullied.

Tawoos accused Grande, the top UN official in Yemen, of sending false reports about Houthis restricting the movement of UN humanitarian operations. Houthi leaders have threatened to expel her from the country.

The UNs enormous aid programme, totaling $8.35bn since 2015, is vital to keeping many Yemenis alive. The UN says the situation in Yemen is the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

Some 10 million people in the country are on the brink of famine and 80 percent of the population of 29 million in need of aid, according to the UN.

More than three million people have been displaced, cholera epidemics have killed hundreds, and at least 2.2 million children under 5 suffer from severe malnutrition, the agency said.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels control the capital Sanaa and much of the countrys north, where most of the population lives and the need for aid is greatest. They are at war with a US-backed, Saudi-led coalition fighting on behalf of the internationally recognised government.

With the economy in freefall, the UN aid effort is a major source of foreign currency into the country.

Despite the disputes between the Houthis and the UN, aid officials continue to appeal to international donors for money to address the crisis in Yemen.

Over the summer, Grande pleaded to donor countries for more funds to meet the $4.2bn goal.

When money doesnt come, people die, she said.

But one international aid official said more money is not the issue.

I dont want more funds. I want the space to spend what I have, he said.
The national Democratic Party is in full panic now, its leaders in a headlong flight like something from a 1950s sci-fi flick where terrorized townspeople flee a 10-story tall monster crushing cars and flattening buildings.

Its not some Godzilla-like creature risen from the ocean depths. Just a cranky, white-haired 78-year-old socialist from Vermont leading a dedicated band of followers trampling on a party establishment and reducing to rubble the philosophical pillars which support it.

Its the second coming of Sen. Bernie Sanders, delivering payback to the party hierarchy he blames for rigging the 2016 presidential primary process and cheating him of the nomination. His victory in the New Hampshire primary following a first place finish in the train wreck that was the Iowa caucuses secured his position leading the remaining viable contenders for the nomination.

Sanders  like Donald Trump four years ago  is an agent of change, not working at the margins and nibbling at the fringes change but bulldozing the political landscape flat and starting over change. Both boast dedicated, committed armies to prove their points. Both provided an outlet for the restiveness and alienation that gripped much of the country and turned it into a rebellious movement.

Four years ago, Trumps candidacy was dismissed by the Republican Party overlords as another public relations stunt, part of The Donalds obsession to be the center of attention but not to be taken seriously.

The Sanders candidacy was viewed more seriously  particularly since his strong showing against Hillary Clinton in 2016  but the smart money insisted he was little more than a gadfly promoting ideas and policies that wouldnt gain traction with voters. His showing against Clinton was fools gold, the argument went, the result of a wretched campaign by Clinton rather than a rush to embrace Sanders.

As Trump rolled through the primaries, blustered through debates and captured outsized media attention, the resonance of his message was ignored by those at the helm of the national party. Who in their right mind would support a thrice-married New York City real estate mogul with a history of financial chicanery, bankruptcies and a penchant for derogatory behavior toward women?

Trump succeeded by declaring his candidacy posed a choice between the tired status quo elements controlling the party and his pitch to disaffected Americans who felt ignored by an indifferent government interested only in perpetuating themselves in power.

It wasnt merely frustrations Trump recognized and played to  it was an anger simmering across the nation by Americans whod lost jobs, saw homes fall into foreclosure and their hopes for their and their childrens future vanish.

When Trump cried Make America Great Again, his listeners envisioned a return to a past when hope and optimism were genuine and hard work was its own reward.

Political correctness, he said, was the ruination of America and a mockery of traditional values.

And, they responded by electing an unproven entity whose qualifications and experience were greatly outweighed by his opponents.

Despite vast unbridgeable ideological differences, the Sanders/Trump parallels are vivid.

Sanders has relentlessly attacked the wealthy, large corporations and an uncaring, unresponsive government. From chronic income inequality to the perils of climate change, Sanders has laid blame at the doorstep of self-serving and self-absorbed robber barons.

There should be no such thing as billionaires, he once cried to his audience.

He and his army reject criticism they are engaged in class warfare, arguing that if there is a war, the middle class and the low earners are the only casualties.

The rich, Sanders contends, have become a protected class even enjoying the approval of elements of the Democratic Party  the party of the working class  desperate to maintain status and power.

And, as Trump before him, Sanders message has resonated, attracting the disaffected and overlooked with a pledge that his Administration would tolerate it no longer.

The suddenly real possibility that Sanders will ride that wave of discontent to the presidential nomination has induced a panic, a fear that his candidacy built on socialism will produce an electoral disaster, costing the party a chance at regaining the White House and potentially losing control of both houses of the Congress.

The monster that now stomps the streets is leading a revolution. And, they are the ones who poked it awake.

Carl Golden is a senior contributing analyst with the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University in New Jersey. You can reach him at cgolden1937@gmail.

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ANN ARBOR, MI  City Councils decision to fire City Administrator Howard Lazarus didnt go over well with residents who spoke out Tuesday night, Feb. 18.

Several residents criticized what they viewed as a political move without justification.

This is outrageous, said Zachary Storey, a street musician better known as Ann Arbors Violin Monster, who regularly attends council meetings and plans to run for council in 2022.

Im just livid now at the behavior of this particular council, and so many in the community are, and were organizing and were fed up with it, he said after the 7-4 vote to fire Lazarus without cause.

To fire somebody because theyre doing their job and engaging with science and data that you dont like, you know, this is shady as f--- and shame on you.

Storey repeated shame on you several times, once for each council member who voted to fire Lazarus.

Youre putting our city, our community, in turmoil by doing what youre doing, he said.

Warning: The following video contains profanity.

Julie Roth said it was her first time attending a council meeting and she came out because of Lazarus firing.

The notion that this is some straightforward personnel matter that you simply cant speak about reeks of falsehood. This was a completely political move, she told council.

Council members point to a non-disparagement clause in the separation agreement, saying it bars them from saying much, but they maintain its in the citys best interest to part ways with Lazarus.

Lazarus came to Ann Arbor in 2016 after eight years as public works director in Austin, Texas.

Theres been friction between Lazarus and council since the makeup of council changed in the 2018 election, when Mayor Christopher Taylor and his allies lost their majority.

If there was a reason to fire Lazarus, the vote wouldnt have split along factional lines, Roth argued.

I have avoided aligning myself with factions on City Council, mostly because I dont believe in them. I think its wrong and destructive and not useful, she told council.

I have always imagined a City Council with a diversity of voices being stronger, more robust, more able to come to compromise that benefits everybody  more so than groupthink where everyone already agrees with each other. But you have just proven me wrong and you have aligned me with a faction and Im angry about that.

Roth told those who voted to fire Lazarus shell be supporting their opponents in the next election.

Up for re-election this year are Anne Bannister in the 1st Ward, Jack Eaton in the 4th Ward and potentially Jane Lumm in the 2nd Ward if she decides to run again.

Seats in the 3rd and 5th wards also are up for grabs without incumbents running.

While council is firing Lazarus without cause, thats mostly because we dont wish to state those causes and we dont wish to engage in prolonged litigation over whether or not cause existed, Eaton said.

Ann Arbor resident Kai Petainen said he has always supported Lumm, but she crossed a line Tuesday night by voting to fire Lazarus and he cant support her now.

He compared it to whats happening in national politics with President Donald Trump firing people he doesnt like.

As elected council members come and go, those who work in city administration should have stable jobs and shouldnt be fired due to politics, Petainen argued.

Who would want to work for a city government as staff if they were told they could be fired in the next election cycle? he said.

Sally Hart Petersen and Joan Lowenstein, two former council members, also spoke out.

The vote to oust Lazarus shows how sorely out of touch you are with community values, Lowenstein told council.

We will remind you that such corruption and indifference are unacceptable, she said.

Petersen, who serves as an unpaid economic policy advisor to Lazarus, said council put ego ahead of the common good, undermining employee morale and the longterm integrity and stability of the administrators role.

Lazarus is expected to receive $223,600 in severance pay, plus roughly $50,000 for unused leave time.

Firing him is fiscally irresponsible and an insult to all city residents who rely on his authority and keen decision-making to keep the city running on a day-to-day basis, Petersen said.

Council members had no cause to fire him other than your choice to not get along with him, she said.

She urged council members to reconsider their vote at the next meeting.

Her husband, Tim Petersen, said the way Lazarus has been treated is extremely unfortunate.

Maybe a silver lining in this whole process  is that folks like myself will get even more active with our time and our money to make sure that this body changes going forward, he said.

Alan Haber, a member of the Center of the City Task Force helping the city plan a downtown central park and commons, said he was startled by Tuesdays council meeting.

Haber said he has appreciated the task forces positive, cooperative relationship with Lazarus.

All these behind-the-scenes moves of suspension and termination, I just dont get it, he said, arguing the mystery of whats going on in city government doesnt contribute to democratic politics.

Im sorry that the council meeting that I came to has this as its character, he said.

Ann Arbor resident Ed Vielmetti brought up the non-disparagement clause in the separation agreement. He suggested next time there should be a mutual-admiration clause, requiring both sides to say something nice.

Council members who favored firing Lazarus did actually say nice things about him Tuesday night, taking turns thanking him for his service before they voted. They said they wanted to part ways with him respectfully and they werent going to publicly discuss their concerns about him.

MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

Mayor and allies blow the whistle after Ann Arbor council fires city administrator

Ann Arbor city administrator fired in 7-4 council vote

Ann Arbor administrator gives speech ahead of council vote on firing him

City Council, oversight commission in the dark on Ann Arbor police chiefs leave

Ann Arbor administrator cited friction with City Council as reason for seeking new job
After the devastation that they have left in the crops and pasture of East Africa, the locust swarms continue to ravage farmlands as they spread to South Sudan, according to the United Nations food agency.

UN has previously warned that if the outbreak is not immediately controlled, it will bring about a food crisis, which is now imminent in South Sudan since millions are already facing hunger as the grapple to arise from a civil war.

In his visit to Africa, the United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged $8million to aid in the fight against the pest infestation and looming hunger. Pompeo pledged the amount after his talks with Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, whose country has also been hit by the infestations along with Somalia, Uganda and Kenya.

For the past quarter of a century, this is the worst infestation of locusts that Somalia and Ethiopia have seen, while in Kenya they have never witnessed a locust swarm this bad since 70 years ago.

The region's efforts to fight off the invasion of the pests have not been effective so far since they lack resources to effective ways of fighting off the swarms like aerial spraying of pesticides. This sparks fear that the locusts have now reached hundreds of billions in number and will multiply further.

According to the Food and Agriculture (FAO) there are about 2,000 adult insects that have entered South Sudan through Uganda into Magwi.

Also read: Landslide Reduces Two Tennessee Homes to Splinters (VIDEO)

Per BBC, FAO South Sudan Representative Meshack Malo described the pests as deep yellow which he said means that they would mostly be looking for areas to lay their eggs and multiply.

Citizens are also being trained to spray pesticides according to Agriculture Minister Onyoti Adigo Nyikuac. He further added that they still need chemicals and sprayers; vehicles which are needed to move while spraying; and if it becomes worse, air crafts will be necessary.

Amid their struggle to emerge from the civil war, 60% of South Sudan's population is already facing hunger and food insecurity. Hence, Save the Children, a rights group warned that if the locusts continue to devour crops and destroy harvests it may result to a drop of nutrition levels in children. The charity group also stated that even without the locust infestation, there are already 1.3 million children who are expected to be malnourished below the age of five.

The FAO also warned that if left uncontrolled, the pests could grow 500 times their number in June in the pace that they are breeding. These insects also eat their own body weight in food everyday.

Last week, the UN body called to the international community that nearly $76million is needed to fund the spraying of affected areas with pesticides.

In response to the infestation, the Ethopian government has called for immediate action to deal with the locust problem affecting nine of the country's states while Somalia has declared a national emergency.

The locust swarms started in Africa three months ago when they entered from Yemen.

Related article: East Africa Experiences Biggest Locust Swarm in 70 Years

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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Locals were in disbelief when water surged through the banks of Barwon River in the Murray Darling Basin for the first time in years.

The once dry banks of the river in Brewarrina, northern New South Wales overflowed over the weekend after being hit by heavy rainfall.

Families flocked to the river to celebrate, spending the day jumping off the town's weir with some children using their bare hands to catch fish.

The small town of Brewarrina had been crippled by the drought after Australia sweated through its hottest and driest year on record.

Two boys celebrate the overflow of water at the Brewarrina weir in the Barwon River in Brewarrina, New South Wales

A local child skips across a rock after heavy rainfall filled the once dry river banks of the Barwon River

Children flocked to the river over the weekend as water surged through for the first time in years

One boy is seen carrying a fish he caught with his bare hands while swimming in Brewarrina

Children spent the days jumping off the rocks and swimming through the currents in the Barwon River after the Brewarrina weir overflowed for the first time in a year.

Families, young kids and dogs took to the water to celebrate the long awaited water flow.

Just weeks earlier, the river banks were completely dry while some parts of the Barwon River were full of green water.

Children spent the weekend bathing in the Barwon River after it overflowed from a large dumping of rain

One Brewarrina local caught a fish with his hands while enjoying a swim in the recently filled Barwon River

The Barwon River was once without a drop of water after suffering through a severe drought

A new flow of water slowly meets pools of muddy water in the river in Brewarrina, NSW on Monday

Locals are hoping the water will continue to flow down the Barwon-Darling River to Menindee Lakes.

But there are fears a pumping embargo that was recently put in place by the New South Wales Government may be lifted after the heavy rainfall.

The embargo stopped irrigators from extracting water from the rivers to farm storages but was lifted for three days.

The embargo is expected to end by February 27 but Brewarrina locals are desperate to have it extended.

'By February 27 the river will be at its peak in Bourke,' Brewarrina Shire Council mayor Phil O'Connor told the ABC.

'If irrigators there are allowed to access the water at that time, we'll see the guts of this river go right down.

'The people downstream deserve a lot better than that.'

A girl balances on the rocks in a fishway in the Brewarrina weir on Sunday

Another local takes a dip in the river after it was dry for several years due to a severe drought

Children leap for joy into the river bed that was once bone dry before rain water from upstream flowed down

Dozens of locals flocked to the river bed at the Brewarrina weir after water flowed for the first time in years

Locals hook a fish at the Barwon River in Brewarrina on Monday

The sudden overflow of water in Brewarrina was highly welcomed by fishermen on the hunt for the iconic Murray Cod.

But the surge of water resulted in the deaths of thousands of fish in the Four Mile Reserve in Brewarrina.

Fish, yabbies and shrimp were seen lying lifeless on the river banks after they drowned from the newly de-oxygenated water.

A young boy holds a fish he caught with his hands at the Barwon River in Brewarrina on Monday

Before the heavy rainfall, the Barwon River was seen full of green water before flowing into the Brewarrina weir

A boy swims with his dog at the Brewarrina weir after it overflowed on the weekend

Children play in the water that overflowed at the Brewarrina weir for the first time in years

Families across Australia were burdoned by the drought that left many farmers without money and livestock.

A farmer from Tamworth previously spoke to Daily Mail Australia about the catastrophic weather event, which forced him to sell his 200 head of cattle.

'This is the worst drought I have seen in 40 years. Droughts come and go but this one is severe,' the farmer said.

His property was littered with the carcasses of dead cows, with some perishing in the mud as they tried to get water from dried up damns.

In 2018, the Australian government pledged a $190million drought package to provide relief for the affected farming communities.

The New South Wales government also pledged up to $1billion of drought relief measures and subsidies for farmers.

Children spent their time leaping into the waters of the Barwon River

Two girls laugh with joy as they are seen swimming through the Barwon River

A group of children play with their dog in the river after it was overflowed for the first time in years

Families lined the river banks as they celebrated the overflow of water in the Barwon River in Brewarrina

Two boys are seen tossing a fish they had caught after swimming in the Barwon River in Brewarrina

After the influx of water in the Brewarrina, the heritage listed Aboriginal fish traps were also brought back to life.

The drought was met with one of Australia's most devastating bushfire seasons that scorched around 11 million hectares across the country.

Small towns that were hit are now urging holiday makers to take a trip and help them get back on their feet.

Families float downstream in the Barwon River after the Brewarrina weir was overflowed

Two boys managed to pull out a large fish while swimming in the Barwon River

Locals were in disbelief when water surged through the river banks over the weekend

Two boys stand on the Brewarrina weir ready to jump off after water overflowed on Sunday

The water slowly moved down the banks of the Barwon River after it was pelted by heavy rain

A girl dives into the water as locals flock to the Brewarrina weir to celebrate the overflow of water
Roger Stone arrived in Washington D.C. Wednesday as he faces sentencing Thursday for lying to Congress against a backdrop of explosive Presidential tweets and mounting pressure on Attorney General William Barr.

But the longtime Trump ally and political dirty trickster is unlikely to see the inside of a federal prison cell - at least for now.

Stone swerved the immediate threat of incarceration this week when US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said she would postpone punishment while she decides whether the veteran GOP schemer deserves a retrial.

Stone was convicted last fall of lying to lawmakers over his efforts to procure stolen Democratic Party emails from WikiLeaks to boost Donald Trump's chances of becoming President.

Roger's here: Veteran dirty trickster Stone, 67, arrived in Washington D.C. the afternoon before sentencing for a series of crimes tied to the Robert Mueller probe

Couple arrived: Roger Stone and his wife Nydia touched down in Washington D.C. from Florida, with Stone carrying a plaid bag, and matching jeans with a herringbone weave tweed jacket, paisley pattern pocket square and black trilby

Subject of interest: Roger Stone and his wife Nydia had their pictures taken as they arrived in Washington D.C. for his sentencing, which takes place on Thursday

Arriving in style: Roger Stone was dressed in black tasseled loafers, denims and a large light gray scarf over a white shirt for the trip from Florida, accessorized with a black fedora,

Together: Roger Stone's wife Lydia was present throughout his trial and is expected in federal court Thursday for his latest hearing

Lightning rod: Federal judge Amy Berman Jackson will sentence Roger Stone in a case which has caused a crisis to engulf Bill Barr who pleaded with Donald Trump to let him do his job and stop the tweeting about his Department of Justice

I'm in charge: Donald Trump claimed in response to Bill Barr's plea to stop tweeting that as president he is the nation's top law enforcement official

Gagged: Roger Stone was confronted by reporters at Reagan National Airport but is banned from speaking about the case by the judge

Statement hat: Roger Stone is subject to a gagging order but his long-term sartorial flair spoke for itself when he touched down in Washington D.C. from Florida for sentencing

But his lawyers filed a sealed motion last week alleging 'juror misconduct' after it emerged that the forewoman had posted anti-Trump messages on social media and re-tweeted commentary about Stone's arrest.

Judge Jackson has vowed to press on with Thursday's 9am sentencing regardless, despite repeated Twitter attacks from President Trump who has slammed the prosecution of 67-year-old Stone as unfair and 'tainted'.

But it remains to be seen whether her punishment will be anywhere near as harsh as the seven to nine years originally requested by prosecutors before Barr triggered a political firestorm by ripping up their recommendation.

The original prosecution team of Aaron Zelinsky, Jonathan Kravis, Adam Jed and Michael Marando are not likely to be in court today after they resigned en masse over Barr's intervention.

But expect plenty of familiar supporters in the Stone camp: glamorous second wife Nydia Bertran Stone, spiritual advisor Minister Randy Short and 'alt-right' media activist and close pal Milo Yiannopoulos were ever presents during his seven-day trial.

Stone is subject to a gag order for repeatedly taking aim at Judge Jackson in the lead up to last year's proceedings, including mocking up a photo of her in rifle crosshairs.

But his proxies - including Trump - show no sign of shutting up.

The President exposed Barr to accusations of political interference last week by publicly praising the Attorney General's decision to overrule his own prosecutors.

Barr denied intervening on Trump's behalf but so far more than 2,000 former justice department employees have signed a petition calling on him to resign.

When he asked Trump to curb his explosive Twitter criticisms so he could get on with his job, the President flatly refused.

'These were Mueller prosecutors, and the whole Mueller investigation was illegally set up based on a phony and now fully discredited Fake Dossier, lying and forging documents to the FISA Court, and many other things,' Trump wrote Tuesday, bringing up a series of oft-repeated grievances about Robert Mueller's Russia probe.

And then he said that he - not Barr - was the nation's chief law enforcement officer. Barr was later reported to be considering resigning; his spokeswoman denied that he was resigning, but did not deny that he was considering his position.

Stone's decades-long career on the shadier margins of US politics appeared to be over last November after he was found guilty of five counts of making false statements to Congress and single counts of obstructing a congressional proceeding and witness tampering.

Jurors agreed the smooth-talking agent provocateur, who briefly served on Trump's 2016 Presidential campaign,told a series of 'whoppers' when he testified before members of House Intelligence Committee investigating Russian collusion in the 2016 election.

Stone lied about the identity of his 'back channel' to WikiLeaks and lied again when he denied asking its founder, Julian Assange, for the plundered trove of messages.

He also concealed numerous texts, emails and telephone conversations in which he discussed WikiLeaks with then candidate-Trump and senior campaign figures including former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, ex Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort andformer campaign official Rick Gates.

All about Assange: Roger Stone lied about the identity of his 'back channel' to WikiLeaks and lied again when he denied asking its founder, Julian Assange, for the plundered trove of messages

Back channels: Stone had fraudulently told lawmakers that Randy Credico (left), a left-wing radio comedian, was his 'back channel' to WikiLeaks when it was actually the conspiracy theorist and author Jerome Corsi (right)

Center of case: Roger Stone also took aim at Randy Credico's therapy dog Bianca, a 13-year-old Coton de Tulear, writing in an text message: 'I'm going to take that dog away from you.'

The net result of Stone lying to lawmakers 'over and over and over again' was that the House Intelligence Committee was impeded in its inquiries and its final report into Russian election inference was inaccurate because it didn't mention Stone's true intermediary, his trial heard.

The tampering charge referred to his effort to bully the comedian and radio host Randy Credico into pleading the Fifth so he would avoid contradicting Stone's sworn September 26, 2017 testimony.

Former Richard Nixon-aide Stone had fraudulently told lawmakers that Credico was his 'back channel' to WikiLeaks when it was actually the conspiracy theorist and author Jerome Corsi.

When Credico threatened to contradict his testimony, Stone branded him a 'c**sucker', a 'rat' and urged the rattled comic to do a 'Frank Pentangeli', referencing a character in Godfather Part II who lies to a congressional committee to help the Corleone family before committing suicide.

He also took aim at Credico's therapy dog Bianca, a 13-year-old Coton de Tulear, writing in an text message: 'I'm going to take that dog away from you.'

Prosecutors recommended earlier that Stone serve seven to nine years behind bars, citing his threats to harm someone and his interference with the administration of justice as aggravating factors.

Barr later cast aside their request however, saying the proposed punishment was 'excessive and unwarranted' and leaving it up to the court to decide Stone's jail sentence.

Credico was among those who argued against incarceration, saying in a January letter to Judge Jackson: 'I never in any way felt that Stone himself posed a direct physical threat to me or to my dog.'

Tomeka Hart, a former Memphis City Schools Board President, stoked the flames further when she outed herself last Wednesday as the jury forewoman in a Facebook post voicing support for the overruled prosecutors.

'I have kept my silence for months. Initially, it was for my safety. Then, I decided to remain silent out of fear of politicizing the matter,' Hart wrote.

'But I can't keep quiet any longer. I want to stand up for Aaron Zelinsky, Adam Jed, Michael Marando, and Jonathan Kravis  the prosecutors on the Roger Stone trial.

'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.

'For that, I wanted to speak up for them and ask you to join me in thanking them for their service.'

A review of Hart's social media posts showed that she had frequently denounced Trump, including calling the President and his supporters racists.

Furthermore, Hart had unsuccessfully ran for Congress as a Democrat in 2012 and participated in anti-Trump rallies and protests.

She had also re-tweeted a post by pundit Bakari Sellers dismissing Stone's claims that the FBI used excessive force when they arrested him at his Fort Lauderdale, Florida home in January 2019.

Sellers had listed black victims of 'police force', including Sandra Bland, Walter Scott and Eric Gardner, scoffing: 'But Roger Stone!!! Think about that.'

After serving on the Stone jury and finding him guilty, Hart took to social media again to gleefully post emojis of hearts and fist pumps.

The longtime GOP operative's lawyers have already made one failed attempt to secure a re-trial, arguing in an unrelated motion that a different juror was biased.

They argued the juror, an IRS employee who worked with the Justice Department on criminal tax cases and admitted reading news articles about Stone's arrest, should have been struck from the panel.

The juror denied having any opinions about Stone when asked about it by Judge Jackson during proceedings.

She ruled last week that there were approximately 1,400 lawyers at the IRS and that the defense had failed to demonstrate the 'sort of inherent bias' that would exclude one of their rank from being impartial.
Antonio Guterres & Tibor Nagy PhotoGrid by Atia Azohnwi

Tibor Nagy, Assistant Secretary for U.S. Department of State's Bureau of African Affairs, has condemned the killing of civilians in Ngarbuh, a locality in Cameroons North West Region last February 14, 2020.

His statement Tuesday, February 18, 2020, follows that of Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General as well as that of Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Hear Nagy: We condemn the killings of civilians in Ngarbu, NW Region of Cameroon, and offer condolences to the victims families. We call on the government to authorize an independent investigation, ensure safety of witnesses, and bring perpetrators to justice. The violence must stop.

The Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Secretary-General expresses concern over reported killing of civilians, including children, in Cameroons North West Region.

The statement attributable to Guterres read: The Secretary-General is deeply concerned over reports about the killing of civilians, including children, in an attack on the village of Ngarbuh in the North West Region of Cameroon on 14 February. He extends his deepest condolences to the families and calls on the Government of Cameroon to conduct an investigation and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

The Secretary-General calls on armed actors to refrain from attacks against civilians and to respect international humanitarian and international human rights law. He reiterates the readiness of the United Nations to work with all stakeholders towards a political solution to the crisis in the north-west and south-west regions of Cameroon through meaningful dialogue.

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Rupert Colville

The attack on 14 February on a village in Cameroon that left 23 people dead, the majority of them children, is a shocking episode in the ongoing crisis that has afflicted the countrys North-West and South-West regions for the past three years.

We note that the Cameroon Government announced on 17 February that there would be an investigation into the killings and that the findings would be made public. We urge the authorities to ensure that the investigation is independent, impartial and thorough, and that those responsible are held fully to account.

Witnesses said some 40 armed men, including members of the security and defence forces, attacked the village of Ngarbuh, in the department of Donga Mantung in North-West Cameroon, opening fire on people and burning down houses.

The authorities said defence forces and gendarmes came under attack from people inside the village with the exchange of shots igniting a fire that affected several dwellings.

According to information from UN colleagues on the ground, among the 23 people killed were 15 children, nine of whom were under the age of five. The victims also included two pregnant women, one of whom died of her injuries in hospital.

This attack is the latest deadly incident in Cameroons North-West and South-West regions where hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by clashes between security and defence forces and armed separatist groups.

We call on the Government to ensure that the security forces abide by applicable international law norms standards during the conduct of their operations. We similarly remind armed separatist groups of their responsibilities under international law and call on all parties to refrain from deliberate attacks on civilians.

The UN Human Rights Office has been following developments in the North-West and South-West regions as an already tense situation worsened ahead of parliamentary and municipal elections held on 9 February.

The Government deployed some 700 additional troops in the North-West and South-West where armed separatists reportedly kidnapped dozens of candidates, most from the Social Democratic Front which is one of the countrys biggest opposition parties. Most of the candidates were subsequently released. The UN Human Rights Office also received information that voting centres and the houses of those involved in the election campaign were attacked by separatists.

In May 2019, at the end of a visit to Cameroon, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet welcomed the Cameroon Governments openness to work with the UN Human Rights Office, and the rest of the UN, to seek solutions to the major human rights and humanitarian crises in the country.

In light of the latest violence, we urge the Government of Cameroon to take concrete steps to implement recommendations made last year by the UN Human Rights Office. We reiterate our readiness to help the Government to protect the human rights of people all across Cameroon.
The 56th Munich Security Conference took place at an unusual moment for China. The outbreak of the new coronavirus interrupted the smooth daily routine and required immediate action and difficult, but wise decisions.

The participation of State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi in the prestigious event of Munich was thus a good opportunity for the world to hear a review of the situation amid the somewhat unbalanced news reports of Western media.

On the whole, this coverage includes two predictable characteristics: The first is the typical fear mediation of epidemics that crises normally incite; the second is the recurrent ideological bias that often leads to an unfair and exaggerated criticism of the Chinese government.

Early research demonstrates that the volume of articles on the virus in some countries, for example, in the U.K., is much higher in comparison to other public health threats such as the Ebola outbreak.

In his speech in Munich, Wang Yi presented a picture of a country fighting a war without smoke by being fully conscious of responsibilities beyond national borders. Numerous people are devoted soldiers in the battle, including doctors, researchers, scientists, engineers and construction workers. It also includes ordinary citizens who patiently stay at home, cancel their business trips and see their companies suffer economic losses.

China is grateful to countries offering humanitarian assistance or expressing solidarity. Wang Yi made specific references to some of these, such as the Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka and Russia. Additional examples can be mentioned.

France deserves a special credit. While many diplomats have already left Wuhan, French Consul General Olivier Guyonvarch and his colleagues decided to stay and strengthen cooperation with Chinese authorities. A friend in need, is a friend indeed.

Effective measures and enhanced international collaboration yield results. The spread of the virus to other countries has been significantly curbed.

China mourns virus-related fatalities at home and abroad. And it remains highly concerned about the potential recovery of hospitalized patients. However, as long as the heroic fight against the epidemic continues, signs of success indeed do exist.

A John Hopkins University database revealed 9,871 people had recovered by February 16. The same database also showed a slow but steady growth rateinthis regard. Against this backdrop, Wang Yi said that the number of confirmed cases outside Hubei had dropped for 12 consecutive days.

A look into the history of China exhibits that the country has never lacked resilience in overcoming problems and its citizens have never sacrificed their pride and dignity. Western media overlook the rich Chinese history, the importance of the CPC for China's unity and the mentality of ordinary Chinese citizens.

Instead, they tend to predict chaos and a looming confidence crisis every time a problem emerges. Failures in predictions, however, are already obvious. According to most Western commentators, for example, the Chinese economy should have collapsed in the summer of 2015 when the New Normal policy caused some turbulence.

The Chinese leadership does not hide the truth from the Chinese people. When the present virus is controlled, economic challenges due to the ongoing turmoil will have to be addressed. The expected stimulus of the economy will have to be well-researched and targeted.

Balanced choices without unnecessary fiscal expenditure accumulating new debts will be the principal priority in order for general belt-tightening to be avoided. Such a policy will complement the reduction of the tax burden of enterprises that will normally continue during the year.

Chinese people who recently saw their average annual national income reach the threshold of $10,000, can understand the importance of some temporary adjustments that will not change the dynamic course of the national economy.

"After the storm, comes the rainbow," said Wang Yi. He is right. China will emerge stronger, more self-confident and prouder for acting responsibly in world affairs. Ironically, the elimination of the new coronavirus will possibly push supporters of the decoupling scenario  who already see the global economic consequences of the problem in various fronts  to reconsider their approach and preserve the globalization process. Theory is easier than practice.

George N. Tzogopoulos is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/GeorgeNTzogopoulos.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.




A 14-year-old Pakistani Christian, who was forced to convert to Islam after being kidnapped, has been reunited with her family, an outcome another couple is desperately trying to make a reality for their daughter.

In the most recent incident the girl, described only as Sneha, was kidnapped on her way home from school in Bahar Colony, Lahore on Jan. 14 by a Muslim man, according to the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), an interdenominational organization working for Christians persecuted in Pakistan.

Sneha was thrown in the back of a van and was beaten by six boys who jumped into the vehicle, CLASS reported. Other men also joined in as she was raped, the teenager said. When Sneha refused to sign several blank documentslater determined to be a marriage license and religion conversion certificateshe was tortured.

The captors threatened Sneha with severe consequences if she revealed their identities and implied they would also harm her two older sisters. Five days after her kidnapping police rescued Sneha and returned her to her family.

Even though Sneha is reunited with her parents, the family has moved to an undisclosed location as they continue to receive threats from the kidnappers, who are demanding they drop the case against them.

While Sneha has been safely returned, the parents of Huma Younus are still fighting to get back their daughter after a similar kidnapping near Karachi in mid-October. As Christian Headlines reported in December, the Christian eighth-grader was forcibly removed from her home by three men. She was later forced to marry her Muslim kidnapper.

Our daughters are insecure and abused in this country, Nagina, Humas mother, told International Christian Concern(ICC). They are not safe anywhere. We leave them at schools or home but they are kidnapped, raped, humiliated, and forced to convert to Islam.

Police have not rescued Huma, saying her kidnapper provided authorities with a marriage certificate and papers claiming the teen had converted to Islam. Humas mother maintains the documents are fake.

Earlier this month, the High Court in Sindh Provinceciting sharia lawvalidated Humas marriage and forced conversion. Her parents have filed an appeal and another court hearing is scheduled for March 4.

Saiful Malook, a prominent Supreme Court Advocate told Morning Star News that even though sharia law allows marriage of a minor girl, it has to be validated by the girls guardian.

In no way can any court of law endorse an underage marriage unless it is supported by the girls guardian, Malook said. Marriage is governed by the Contract Act, wherein no minor can enter into a contract or agreement without the explicit approval of her guardian. In this particular case, the court must take into account whether the girls legal guardian has consented to her marriage even if its judging the act under the sharia.

ICC President Jeff King told CBN News in an email that Pakistani law enforcement officials are of little help to parents.

"When the parents inquire of the police and try to get them to do something, they will be presented with a statement from their daughter saying that she has become a Muslim," King wrote. "If the Christian parents continue to fight, they're often slapped around and threatened with arrest. If the parents are especially brave, the daughter is often then dragged in front of them in a drugged state (with her torturer and rapist in the room) to say that she is a Muslim and doesn't wish to come home  never making eye contact with her parents."

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Mr. Khan

Lori Arnold is a national award-winning journalist whose experience includes 16 years at a daily community newspaper in San Diego and 16 years as writer-editor for the Christian Examiner. She owns StoryLori Media and is a member of the Evangelical Press Association.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Sydney, Australia  Wed, February 19, 2020 10:41 693 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2065572e7 2 World Australia,aviation,accident,MH370,politics Free

Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott has claimed "very top" level Malaysian officials believed vanished Flight MH370 was deliberated downed by the captain in a mass murder-suicide.

The Malaysia Airlines jet vanished on March 8, 2014 carrying 239 people  mostly from China  en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

No sign of the plane was found in a 120,000-square kilometer (46,000-square mile) Indian Ocean search zone and the Australian-led search, the largest in aviation history, was suspended in January 2017.

A US exploration firm launched a private hunt in 2018 but it ended after several months of scouring the seabed without success.

The disappearance of the plane has long been the subject of a host of theories  ranging from the credible to outlandish  including that veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah had gone rogue.

In an excerpt from a Sky News documentary airing Wednesday, Abbott claims he was told within a week of it vanishing that Malaysia believed the captain had intentionally downed the jet.

"My very clear understanding from the very top levels of the Malaysian government is that from very, very early on here, they thought it was murder-suicide by the pilot," he said.

"I'm not going to say who said what to whom but let me reiterate, I want to be absolutely crystal clear, it was understood at the highest levels that this was almost certainly murder-suicide by the pilot  mass murder-suicide by the pilot."

Zaharie's family and friends have long strongly rejected such claims as baseless.

In 2016, Malaysian officials revealed he had plotted a path over the Indian Ocean on a home flight simulator but stressed this did not prove he deliberately crashed the plane.

A final report into the tragedy released in 2018 pointed to failings by air traffic control and said the course of the plane was changed manually.

But they failed to come up with any firm conclusions, leaving relatives angry and disappointed.

Six passengers were Australian, including four from Queensland state, where Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk this week suggested authorities may pursue an inquest into their deaths.

Topics : Australia aviation accident MH370 politics
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Thermal coal has become a byword for the resource industrys climate crimes. From BlackRock Inc. down, fund managers are reluctant to touch a mineral that releases more carbon dioxide than any other energy source. Large miners, from BHP Group to Anglo American Plc, are trying to dump it. Coal is also  for now at least  profitable.

Its the unpalatable truth that explains why Glencore Plc, the worlds largest exporter of the black stuff, sticks with a dying fuel. Morals aside, the details suggest Chief Executive Officer Ivan Glasenberg and his team may well be right.

Tuesdays full-year earnings from the trader and miner bore more than a few smudges. Lower prices for commodities like copper and cobalt took a heavy toll. Coal didnt help, with the price of benchmark Newcastle coal down by over a third in 2019. Colombia, where Glencores reserves will run out in the next decade or so, accounted for nearly $1 billion of a $2.8 billion impairment that dragged the company to its first net loss since 2015. Those mines supply an Atlantic market where demand has all but dried up, thanks to mild weather, high European carbon prices and cheap gas.

But that doesnt mean the end is nigh.

Coal is obviously not the energy source of the future. That much is apparent even to those who agree with the International Energy Agencys stated policy scenario, which sees global coal demand roughly flat out to 2040. Glencore veterans like Glasenberg, who won his spurs trading the mineral, and some of his potential successors can be counted among them.

Yet its also clear from 2019s numbers that there will be short-term opportunities. Asian demand is holding and global supply is starting to come under pressure, as diversified miners divest and financing costs rise. Last year, global seaborne thermal coal demand was up 1.5%, despite an 18% drop in the market that feeds Europe. Thats because in absolute terms, the European drop adds up to 30 million metric tons  more than covered by Asias rise of less than 6%, or 47 million tons. Consider that over the past 20 years, Asia has accounted for some 90% of all coal-fired plants built globally. That suggests demand will hold enough to support reduced supply, even if by the 2030s more than 80% of the worlds appetite will come from Vietnam, India and their neighbors. Plans from homegrown suppliers like Coal India Ltd. will almost certainly fail to satiate domestic demand.

Story continues

Granted, sticking with thermal coal isnt a good way to attract investors guided by environmental, social and governance criteria. Yet thats not, as yet, a justification to sell, either. Under the current investment criteria at BlackRock, for example, Glencore just needs to keep coal contributing less than a quarter of its revenue. Last year, it amounted to about 4% of the top line, even if the contribution was closer to a quarter in terms of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization. Thanks to depleting assets in Colombia, Glencore can even hit its target of shrinking carbon emissions produced by its supply chain, so-called Scope 3, by 30% by 2035, without much effort.

Glencores coal Ebitda margins fell sharply last year but remain at a decent 36%, meaning the commodity is still one of its most profitable segments. The fuel effectively funds greener ventures, and keeps trading activities ticking over. Thats a good enough reason not to spin off the business, which may in any event do little to help clear other valuation-hampering questions, over leadership and a pending U.S. Department of Justice investigation into possible money-laundering and corruption.Staying put means Glencore could also snap up some bargains, with BHP selling its huge Mount Arthur mine in Australia, not far from its rivals Hunter Valley assets. Glasenberg has capped coal production at 150 million metric tons  an expedient decision that helps support prices  but there is no reason not to swap Colombian assets for Asia-facing Australia.

The risk of meddling with a moribund commodity, even when you account for much of the worlds seaborne supply, is that you can end up with worthless assets. Unfortunately for a warming climate, that looks a distant enough prospect for the worlds largest commodities trader.

To contact the author of this story: Clara Ferreira Marques at cferreirama@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Matthew Brooker at mbrooker1@bloomberg.net

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Clara Ferreira Marques is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering commodities and environmental, social and governance issues. Previously, she was an associate editor for Reuters Breakingviews, and editor and correspondent for Reuters in Singapore, India, the U.K., Italy and Russia.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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Maine's 2020 Senate race is uncharted territory for Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Colby College released the first poll of this year's Maine Senate race, and it shows the four-term incumbent statistically tied with her Democratic challenger, Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon. While 42 percent of respondents said they'd vote for Collins in the fall, 43 percent said they'd opt for Gideon, marking an unusually tough road ahead for Collins.

"This could be the kind of race Sen. Collins has not had to deal with before," said Dan Shea, Colby College's lead researcher on the poll. Collins secured her first Senate election in 1996 by about six points and won far more easily in her three re-elections since. Yet with Maine's second congressional district flipping to Democrat Jared Golden in 2018, it looks like the rest of the state could follow suit.

Collins infuriated many Democratic voters when she voted to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. The tight margin could also stem partly from Collins' vote to acquit President Trump during his impeachment trial. A total of 37 percent of poll respondents said they were disappointed with her role in the impeachment process, while 30 percent said they were proud and 31 percent said they had mixed feelings. When asked if the Senate's acquittal was the right decision, 48 percent said yes and 49 percent said no.

Colby College surveyed 1,008 registered voters from Feb. 1013 with a margin of error of 3 percent. About 30 percent of surveys were conducted via cell phone and landline, while 70 percent were conducted online.

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General Motors

General Motors will begin laying off around 1,500 employees in Thailand in June, after announcing the sale of its production plants in the country, a government official said on Wednesday.

GM said on Monday it would sell its two plants in the eastern industrial province of Rayong to China's Great Wall Motor . Its latest moves to retreat from Asia also included winding down its Australian and New Zealand operations.

Jak Punchoopet, adviser to the Minister of Labour, told Reuters all of the Rayong plants' employees would be laid off under terms of GM's sale agreement with Great Wall.

"The agreement was only for the sales of the plants and didn't include the transfer of employees," he said.

"Their plan is to lay off 1,000 employees in the auto parts manufacturing line in June, and then around 300 to 400 in the assembly line in October," Jak said, adding that the rest of the staff at the two plants would be let go towards the end of 2020.

"Everything will be done by the end of the year," he said.

GM will abide by Thai labour law and provide severance pay for the affected employees, Jak said, adding that the company will also grant an additional four-month bonus to all employees.

Great Wall, one of China's biggest sport-utility vehicle makers, said it will sell cars from the Thai base as part of its plans to go global and tap the Southeast Asian automotive industry, for which Thailand is a hub.
Among historians of European Christianity, it long seemed a settled question that Irish Catholicism, the so-called Celtic Rite, differed significantly in the middle ages from its Roman counterpart. This despite the fact that the phrase Celtic Rite must not be taken to imply any necessary homogeneity, notes the Catholic Encyclopedia, for the evidence such as it is, is in favour of considerable diversity. Far from an insular religion, Irish Catholicism spread to France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Northern Spain through the missions of St. Columbanus and others, and both influenced and absorbed the Continents practices throughout the medieval period.

Historians have recently set out to restore [the Irish Church] to its rightful place on the European historical map, writes Trinity College Dublins Ann Buckley in her introduction to a book of scholarly essays called Music, Liturgy, and the Veneration of Saints of the Medieval Irish Church in a European Context.

To varying degrees, all of the scholars represented in this collection write to counter the essentializing quest for what might be unique or other about Ireland and Irish culture among all other European national and religious histories.

Buckleys writing on the veneration of Irish saints has made a significant contribution to this effort, and her decade and a half of archival work has helped create the Amra project, which aims to digitize and make freely available online over 300 manuscripts containing liturgical material associated with some 40 Irish saints which are located in research libraries across Europe. So write Medievalists.net, who also point out some of the most exciting aspects of this accessible resource:

The digital archive, when completed, will also incorporate recordings and performing editions of all the chants and prayers from the original manuscripts, as well as translations of the Latin texts into a number of European languages. In this way, contemporary audiences can enjoy first-hand the devotional songs associated with Irish saints, bringing them out of their slumber after more than half a millennium.

You can hear one antiphonal chant, Magni patris/Mente mundi, from the Office St. Patrick, just above. Perhaps unsurprisingly, no other Irish saint is represented so extensively or with such variety in medieval liturgical sources, writes Buckley. Manuscript hymns, prayers, and offices for Patrick have been found in Dublin, Oxford, Cambridge, the British Library, and in the Vienna Schottenkloster dating from the time of its foundation by Irish Benedictine monks in the twelfth century. (See the opening of the Office of St. Patrick, Venerenda imminentis, from a late-15th century manuscript, at the top.)

Other saints represented in the archival material include Brigit, Colmcille, Columbanus, Canice, Declan, Ciaran, Finian, and Laurence OToole. The missionary monks all received their own offices, liturgical ceremonies performed on their feast days. Many of the manuscripts, such as the opening of the Office of St. Brigit, above, contain musical notation, allowing musicologists like Buckley to recreate the sound of Irish Catholicism as it existed in Ireland, Britain, and Continental Europe several hundred years ago.

The project is developing a digital archive of such recordings, as well as a fully searchable database, Medievalists.net notes, with interactive maps showing the geographical distribution of the cults of Irish saints across Europe, and of the libraries where the manuscripts are now housed. A series of documentary films is also envisaged. You dont have to be a specialist in the history of the Irish Church, or an Irish Catholic, for that matter, to get excited about the many ways such a rich resource will bring this medieval history to new life.

via Medievalists.net

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Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness
- The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) had in April 2019 announced it was phasing out the 07 prefixes following their exhaustion

- The regulator attributed the need for more numbers to increased demand for SIM cards, mobile data and machine to machine communication aided by numbers

- Safaricom which has a subscriber base of about 34.5 million now hopes the new system will allow it to register 2 million more customers

- The new system will allow subscribers to choose how their phone numbers will look like rather than being constrained to use SIM cards with pre installed digits

Kenya's telecommunications giant Safaricom has introduced new prefixes for its SIM cards. The new numbers will now start with 0110 and 0111.

The new numbering system will also allow subscribers to choose how their phone numbers will look like rather than being compelled to use SIM cards with pre installed digits.

READ ALSO: Tanzanian channel using TUKO videos to scam audience exposed

Safaricom will now be able to register about 2 million more subscribers. Photo: TUKO.co.ke/Bebeto Ogutu.

Source: Original

READ ALSO: Actress Charity Mwamba, 77, opens up on life without her children around

The development reflects the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) announcement in April 2019 that it will be phasing out the 07 prefixes.

According to CA, the transition was necessary owing to the growing demand of SIM Cards, mobile data and machine to machines communication that requires numbers.

"The introduction off new mobile number in prefix 01 is in line with National Numbering Plan developed in 2002 by authority, in consultation with ICT industry operators, the public and other stakeholders.

The plan provides for all existing and emerging services like Internet-of-Things, machine-to-machine communication services. According to the plan each prefix provides for a capacity of 100 million numbers," the regulator said in a statement.

READ ALSO: Taharuki yatanda Kitui baada ya Mchina mwenye dalili za Corona kutengwa kisiri

Safaricom's Chief Customer Officer Sylvia Mulinge hailed the new prefixes noting that they were in line with telco's aim of always bettering subscriber's mobile experience.

The new 0110 and 0111 prefixes alongside our new numbering system are part of our For You commitment to be Simple, Transparent and Honest.

We continue to invest in additional enhancements and services to better meet the needs of our customers as they evolve and to also provide them with even more freedom and flexibility, said Mulinge.

READ ALSO: Court dismisses case of sacked female security guard who asked CS Matiang'i to queue

With a subscriber base of about 34.5 million, Safaricom now hopes to register 2 million more customers. Photo: TUKO.co.ke.

Source: Original

With about 34.5 million active subscribers on its network, Safaricom now envisions to enlist 2 million more customers.

Some of the prefixes the firm has deployed for use: 0769, 0768, 0759, 0758, 0757, 074, 072, 070 and 071.

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.

Wife from heaven | Tuko TV | My Story.

Source: TUKO.co.ke
By the end of the day, Attorney General William Barr was said to be considering resignation, though the Justice Department denied such suggestions. The attorney general said last week that Mr. Trump was making his work impossible, and the president agreed with him on Tuesday, saying: I do make his job harder. I do agree with that. I think thats true.

White House officials said Mr. Trump had followed recommendations from friends, celebrities and campaign donors in granting full pardons or commutations to 11 people. (A commutation makes a punishment milder without wiping out the underlying conviction.)

The details: The Supreme Court has ruled that presidents have unlimited authority to grant pardons for federal crimes. Heres a full list of those who received clemency on Tuesday. Among them are Michael Milken, the Wall Street financier and so-called junk bond king of the 1980s, and Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor who essentially tried to sell the Senate seat that Barack Obama vacated after he was elected president.

Perspective: In the years since Mr. Milken was convicted of securities fraud, influential friends have portrayed him as a maverick crushed by the establishment. Not so, says our business columnist James Stewart, who wrote a book about Mr. Milken.
Ram temple in Ayodhya to be ready by 2025, open for 'darshan' to devotees by 2023 end

Foundation works for Ram Mandir to be ready by October, 'garbhagriha' by Dec 2023: VHP

Six temples of different deities in Ram temple's final blueprint

Ram temple in Ayodhya: Trust to hold its first meeting today; Plans to finalise construction date

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, Feb 19: The first meeting of the Ram temple trust is all set to be held today. It is reportedly said that the date for the beginning of the Ram temple's construction is expected to be finalised in the meeting.

Members of 'Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra', a trust that was formed by the Union government said that they would discuss the inclusion of Ram Mandir Nyas chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das in the trust.

Earlier, Swami Govind Devgiri Maharaj, a trustee had said that the construction of Ram temple would be commence either on Ram Navmi or Akshaya Tritiya.

Idols of Ram Lalla to be shifted from makeshift temple

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the central government constituted an independent 15-member trust to oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

According to reports, the trust that holds 15 members in it consists 9 permanent and 6 nominated members. This trust would take decisions related to the construction of the temple.

Supreme Court, on November 9, 2019, had approved the construction of a temple at the then disputed site in Ayodhya where the 17th century Babri Masjid once stood before it was demolished in 1992.

However, the Uttar Pradesh government came up with five possible locations for the construction of mosque.

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Story first published: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 9:15 [IST]
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The best recipe for Armenias Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is to withdraw Armenias Armed Forces from occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Peter M. Tase, strategic adviser on international affairs and public diplomacy to governments, universities and corporations in Europe and the Americas, told Trend.

Tase was commenting on panel discussions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Munich.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has delivered an outstanding keynote address that revealed in length the Armenian historical manipulations and Armenian disinformation campaign against Azerbaijan, that has taken place over the last three decades, Tase said. President Aliyev is a highly accomplished, unique democratic statesman.

The historical facts, diplomatic history and ancient ethnographic heritage of Azerbaijan, make the nation of President Aliyev to stand triumphantly at the apex of a shining hill were prosperity, multiculturalism, peaceful solution to conflicts and amazing historical heritage make the Land of Fire an exceptional place that inspires us all, the expert added.

Pashinyan, represents a country that is succumbed into unbridled corruption, organized crime, economic recession and high levels of unemployment; with such a grim reality Armenia has become one of the dangerous spots of Europe and continues to cause so much pain to the Azerbaijani civilians and is a permanent source of turmoil in Southern Caucasus, Tase said.

There is no doubt that real, well verified historical facts and archaeology are on the Azerbaijani side, the expert said.

The current status  quo must end and UN Security Council should address the humanitarian and environmental impact that Armenia has orchestrated inside the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, Tase said.

The end of Armenias status-quo can be achieved only with: the proactive assistance of international community; economic  political sanctions against members of Armenian Government and Parliament (that have openly violated the International Laws and inflict armed clashes in the line of contact) and suspension of international loans and grants until Yerevan is seriously active in the negotiations table, Tase said.

Political manoeuvring, bigotry and stalemate devoured by Yerevan and its disinformation campaign at a global scale, against Azerbaijan must be stopped; otherwise Europe will soon have greater security challenges that will be increasingly intricate for Brussels, the expert said.

The best recipe for Pashinyan is to withdraw Armenias Armed Forces from occupied territories of Azerbaijan and begin focusing on strengthening his nations economy and industrial sector; instead of advocating for a useless status-quo and making his own countrymen go through the pain of an unnecessary war with Azerbaijan, the expert said.
Front-line medical staff assured their families will be cared for

From:ChinaDaily | 2020-02-19 07:24

Families of medical staff who are fighting the novel coronavirus pneumonia will be taken care of by governments or other social groups if they need help.

Such measures have been taken in many Chinese cities to help ease worries of front-line medics who can't look after their families during this critical period, authorities said.

"If they have elderly parents, little children or disabled family members who are left without care, welfare institutions or special places arranged by the government will provide free care services," Li Hongbing, deputy head of the Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau, said at a news conference on Friday.

The city has provided a hotline for reporting such needs, and the bureau will take care of the arrangements, Li said.

Chongqing has rolled out similar measures. The municipality has designated people to visit the families of medical staff at least once a week to check if they need help.

In Hubei province, where the outbreak started, front-line medics' children who will attend this year's high school entrance examination can be given an extra 10 points, according to a notice released by the provincial government on Tuesday.

Other children that are going to be enrolled by kindergartens, primary schools or middle schools this year can arrange to attend local schools with high-quality educational resources.

In Bengbu, Anhui province, volunteers help the families of front-line medical workers purchase daily necessities and solve difficulties.

To help their children study well at home during the extended winter holiday due to the virus outbreak, a dozen colleges and universities in the country are providing free tutoring online.

More than 50 students from Hebei Normal University are serving as one-on-one online tutors for children of medical staff in Hebei province or those who are sent to help with the front-line battle against the epidemic.

According to the university, those volunteers will first consult medical staff and their children about specific learning needs and then make plans to tutor lessons or help solve problems during their studies.

"I'm very thankful because the tutor has provided huge assistance to me by giving my son private lessons," said a doctor surnamed Liu at the fever clinic of Shijiazhuang Great Wall Hospital in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei.

According to Liu, her 14-year-old boy is in his second year at a local middle school. His tutor from Hebei Normal University helps him with physics and math for about two hours a day.

Liu also goes to public transport stations like railway and subway stations to help check passengers' health conditions. This has left her little time with her son, she said.

"Since the tutoring started last weekend, my boy has become more eager to learn when I'm not at home," Liu said, adding that it has helped her ease a lot of pressure.

At Northwestern Polytechnical University in Shaanxi province, more than 600 students have volunteered to give private lessons to children and also help them deal with psychological issues they may have without their mothers or fathers being around.

Nationwide, various supportive measures have been introduced. In some provinces, including Hebei and Hunan, front-line medics can receive psychological counseling. In Nanjing, Jiangsu province, medical staff who have overworked will be forced to take a break.

Central authorities have also demanded local governments take measures to improve their work and rest conditions and distribute subsidies for their work during the outbreak.

Xin Wen contributed to this story.

zhangyu1@chinadaily.com.cn
Paul Caruana Galizia was at a friend's house in Notting Hill when he received the news he realised he had been dreading his whole life. His brother called from their family home in Malta to tell him their mother had been killed - a bomb had been placed under her car.

"I felt outside my body, like I was looking down at myself from the ceiling," says Paul, a slim man in a moss green jumper who speaks with remarkable poise about what his family is contending with. "I don't know how I managed it, but I cycled home to Stockwell and caught the next flight I could to Malta. My two older brothers and dad met me at the airport. I had a never-ending splitting headache for days, I barely ate or slept - you feel everything is a waste of time."

Paul had always known his mother was different. Daphne Caruana Galizia was the first woman to write a political column in Malta.

She earned a reputation as a one-woman Wiki-Leaks, fearlessly investigating neo-Nazis, drug traffickers and political corruption, and facing death threats for her stories.

On her blog, Running Commentary, she reported how she went through the Panama Papers and discovered offshore wealth allegedly linked to the then Maltese Prime Minister's inner circle.

The last words she typed on the day she died, October 16, 2017, were: "There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate."

"Growing up it was weird enough to have a mother who worked - all my friends' mothers were housewives - let alone one like her," says Paul.

Expand Close Paul's mother Daphne who was killed in a car bomb in Malta in 2017 / Facebook

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"It was as if there was only one person in Malta called Daphne - you'd hear her name on the news and know it was her. Everyone in my family worried about her, but it felt wrong to even ask her to stop writing.

"She tried to shield us - I was six when the first arson attack happened and she said she'd dropped a candle; when our dogs were killed she said they had eaten poison. We grew up with threats, so in a way you are prepared for it, it's within the realms of the possible, but it still shocks you.

"My mother was 53, she was the centre of our family.

"Suddenly we had to reconfigure. I had to go to the morgue and give a DNA sample because they couldn't identify her."

In December 2017, three people were accused of being hitmen and arrested over her death, but there was no investigation of what was behind it. They have all pleaded not guilty.

"My brother Andrew said it was like arresting the bomb," says Paul.

Expand Close Tragic day: the wreckage from the bomb that killed Daphne Galizia / Facebook

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The family still haven't grieved. Instead they have been consumed by a fight for justice. They've also set up the investigative journalism organisation The Daphne Project to continue her work.

Before Daphne was killed she had been investigating a story which claimed that a senior cabinet minister, Konrad Mizzi, and the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Keith Schembri, had opened shell companies registered in Panama.

She was investigating alleged payments to Mizzi and Schembri. Mizzi and Schembri deny these payments, and any wrongdoing.

In November last year, Yorgen Fenech, one of Malta's richest businessmen, was eventually charged with complicity in Daphne's murder.

He has pleaded not guilty and the case is ongoing. But it was a turning point for Daphne's family. Paul says they are still discovering "how right my mother was". There is also a case in France, where Fenech owns hotels and a racing stable, looking into whether he made payments to Maltese aides and ministers. And last month Joseph Muscat, the Maltese Prime Minister, resigned. Paul is lukewarm about his successor, Robert Abela. "Muscat wanted him. The biggest test will be if Muscat is properly prosecuted."

Paul asked the UK foreign office to publicly support the call for a public inquiry into Daphne's death.

Expand Close Protesters at an event organised by Daphnes family in Malta last year / Facebook

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"They said they were working behind the scenes but they used the Maltese government's line that it would interfere with the investigation. Individual MPs have been supportive, including Jess Phillips and Andrew Mitchell."

"I've made my job about my mother," says Paul, who left a position at a think tank to become a journalist at Tortoise Media.

Now he has made a four-part podcast to find out the truth behind his mother's murder.

"I would like the podcast to humanise my mother," he says. "In the last 10 years of her life she was robbed of her personality and humanity; called a witch, a whore; harassed. She used to love swimming in the sea but she couldn't because it wasn't safe for her to be outside. The whole thing upset her a lot but she would never talk to us about it, she never complained."

Recordings of Daphne feature on the podcast, and this was the first time Paul had heard his mother's voice since she died.

"I found that really difficult," he says. "I told the producer to take over that bit as I couldn't keep listening. I haven't listened to the podcast yet - I find it too much - but my family say it's good.

Expand Close A Malta newspapers front page after Daphnes death / Facebook

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"The hardest thing to deal with is there is no end. I don't know if we have ever grieved because we were just kicked into this battle straight away. I need to force myself not to think about it sometimes so we don't exhaust ourselves, but I don't think we're good at that - it dominates our lives."

Daphne was a reserved woman who liked reading. She decided she wanted to be a journalist aged 19 in 1984 after being attacked by a policeman and detained for 24 hours at a protest about religious schools being shut down.

"For her this was a turning point - she left thinking, 'What am I going to do?' "

She met Paul's father, a lawyer who is now 63, at a bar and Paul jokes: "She thought he was a creep for approaching her."

Paul says she was the one who looked after him and his brothers. "For a lot of people in Malta it was strange to imagine her as a mother, but that's what she was for us.

"We would have fights, go out to eat, she'd nag us about our clothes and girlfriends. She was the one who took us to school, made our lunches. She cooked these homemade burgers.

"She wasn't strict about most things, but she was about how if we messed up at school we'd pay for it with boring jobs. I remember her telling us, 'Get out of Malta while you still can because things are only going to get worse'." Did she ever consider leaving? "She had a big emotional investment in the country and thought she shouldn't have to leave."

Later, when Paul came to London to study at LSE in 2009 and stayed, marrying an English woman called Jessica, Daphne was a regular visitor. She liked Soho and Columbia Road Flower Market.

The last time Paul saw her was when he went to see her in Malta in July 2017.

Before that she had come to Stockwell at Easter. "She bought us two hortensia flowers which we still have, and a bottle of wine I haven't opened."

What would Paul say to people who want to visit Malta? "Think quite critically about the country and how it is being governed."

Paul's grandparents went to every one of the trials of the case, sitting, he says, "closer to Fenech than I am to you today".

"He was 35 when my mother was murdered. He was rich, married, with two young children. He had everything, yet there he was on a Saturday night, completely alone, about to be charged with complicity in a murder."

But the arrest has given Paul hope.

"On the anniversary of my mother's death last year there was a vigil in Malta.

"The mood was different, more energised. For the first time since she died it doesn't feel like we are coming up against a wall.

"You either feel sorry about it, stay at home and cry and despair, or you keep campaigning. We have to push every lever we can."
Foot and highway patrol will be operating in the area, while a checkpoint and a CCTV surveillance system will be installed.

The Communications Department of Ukraine's Internal Affairs Ministry says premises set to host for a two-week quarantine a group of Ukrainians evacuated from Wuhan, a Chinese city in the epicenter of COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic, will be taken under tight control with 30 police and 17 National Guard officers on 24/7 duty.

A plane has been sent to the Chinese city of Wuhan today to evacuate Ukrainian citizens and national of other countries seeking help, namely Norway, Israel, Belarus, Spain, Montenegro, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama and other countries, the Department told UNIAN on February 19.

Read alsoUkrainians evacuated from China to be subject to two-week quarantine

An emergency operational center has been established in Ukraine to ensure that no infected citizens are on board and to prevent the spread of acute respiratory disease caused by coronavirus.

In addition, temporary restrictions and special conditions have been set up for those who was in the PRC. They will be quarantined for up to 14 days.

The premises with the evacuees will be taken under tight control to provide security and disinfection. Forty seven officers will be guarding the area. Foot and highway patrol will be operating in the area, while a checkpoint and a CCTV surveillance system will be installed.

The State Emergency Service is ready to transport citizens, assigning seven buses and deploying 33 rescuers.
Like with many spots in town, when now-retired Orange police Maj. Don Sullivan drives by the former police station and jail on West Green Avenue, he sees ghosts.

When you talk about ghosts, youre talking about stories, not dead people, he said.

The building, which sits directly behind the former City Hall at 803 W. Green Ave., was constructed in 1924 by Orange businessman and philanthropist E.W. Brown, Jr.

The former police department once served as a garage and servants quarters for the Brown family, while the old City Hall was the familys home. Although from the inside, theyre hardly recognizable as such.

RELATED: Did you know about these forgotten places in Southeast Texas?

Together they are one of only a few historic homes left in the city.

They were purchased by the City of Orange in 1944 and used by city staff until last year, although the police department had relocated by 1976.

When they moved in here in 45, they probably thought this was paradise, Sullivan said.

The city paid about $16,263 to remodel both buildings, he said. Today inside the former jail, paint is peeling and the mechanism used to open and close three of the cells doesnt properly work.

But remnants of the people it once held persist through the graffiti-marked walls and day room table, as does the memories of those like Sullivan who worked in the facilities.

It never looked good, he said. But it didnt look nearly this bad.

PHOTOS: Have you seen the old Jefferson County jail?

In 2019, then-Interim City Manager Kelvin Knauf said the city was trying to find another use for the structures as it doesnt want to sell or demolish them.

Maj. Steve Jones, who worked in the Green Avenue police station and jail for a year before the department moved to the former Savings and Loan building, said he would like the see the home restored like the W.H. Stark Mansion just two blocks away.

It really needs to be made back into a house and be another attraction in downtown Orange, the retired police officer said while standing in the empty jail. It was a beautiful building and up here was the servant's quarters and the kitchen.

However, restoration seems unlikely at this time.

Stark Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Tad McKee III said the foundation must be judicious on how money is spent, as their mission is not historical preservation.

To purchase that and restore it or remodel it would really serve no useful purpose, no mission-related purpose for us to take money away from our core mission, he said. Im sympathetic to people who want it preserved, but its beyond the mission of the Stark Foundation.

Its also been suggested that the city restore the former police station and jail to serve as a museum.

Despite being used only as a storage facility for decades, much of the building looks the way it did the day officers left in the 70s.

The jail, which could hold 20 people, was the citys last facility for overnight stays. But it became costly and a great liability to hold inmates for extended periods of time.

City jails didnt have standards. County jails did, Sullivan said. The state didnt say we couldnt operate a city facility, but we were at a greater liability.

We had a holding cell at the (Savings and Loan building) while we did paperwork, and then wed take them to the county jail, Jones added. Liability changed and the city couldnt afford to have a jail.

Instead of having a nurse, a specific number of jailers per prisoners and other staff as is mandated today, just one officer was on jailer duty each day each shift. That job included getting meals from a local cafe, delivering them to the detainees and watching them.

On a recent tour of the facility, Sullivan pointed out the bed that held Charles Dowden, one of three men prosecuted for the killing of Orange police Capt. Danny Gray.

Dowden and his brother Billy Wayne Dowden in June 1974 around 1 a.m. were reported to have been robbing a convenience store at 10th Street and Green Avenue, Sullivan said.

Danny just loved police work, he said. He always wanted to catch a robbery in progress.

Gray successfully arrested Charles Dowden and brought him back to the jail, only to be confronted a few hours later by Billy Wayne Dowden, who said he was there to get his brother out of jail.

Dowden began shooting into the dispatch office while another officer, hiding in the stairwell, shot back. Gray was fatally struck in the process  the third on-duty officer killed during an attempted jail escape.

Charles Dowden received life sentences on charges of murder and aggravated robbery, but he was released from prison on parole a few years ago. Billy Ray Dowden also was given a life sentence, and denied parole in 2016. Currently housed in Beaumonts Stiles Unit, his next parole review will be in 2021.

Clifford Blancett, a third man who was involved, also was given a life sentence but later died in prison.

For the most part, the Orange jail held those charged with drunk in public, the public intoxication charge at the time, or panhandling, and many of the officers were familiar with them.

Town drunks werent a problem, Jones said. Theyd come in here, stay a couple of days, get a meal and wash your car. You knew if they got a little money, theyd be back next week.

The jail stopped housing people overnight even before the department moved into a new building, but experiences there helped shape safety measures in future stations.

In the current building, visitors need approval to get past certain doors  in part because of Grays killing.

You think youre secure just because its a police station and people have guns, Sullivan said. It took some of the innocence away.

Chief Lane Martin said even the people who have face-to-face contact with visitors in the foyer work behind bulletproof glass in a secure area.

Public access is still public friendly, but its not accessible where someone whos mad at you can get in, Jones said. Its not being scared, you just know whats coming up.

kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com

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Rapper Pop Smoke was shot and killed after several masked men broke into a home in Hollywood Hills early Wednesday morning.

The apparent home invasion unfolded at about 4.30am in a house the 20-year-old artist was reportedly renting from Real Housewives star Teddi Mellencamp and her husband.

Los Angeles Police Department officials said between two and six suspects wearing ski masks forced their way into the home and opened fire, striking a male victim before they fled on foot.

Multiple law enforcement sources identified the victim as Pop Smoke, whose real name is Bashar Barakah Jackson.

Rapper Pop Smoke was shot and killed after several masked men broke into a home in Hollywood Hills early Wednesday morning

Authorities say between two and six suspects wearing ski masks forced their way into the home on Hercules Drive and opened fire on Pop Smoke. Medics are seen carting the victim to an ambulance that transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead

First responders with the Los Angeles Fire Department were filmed rolling Pop Smoke out of the home on Hercules Drive on a stretcher.

He was transported by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood, where he was pronounced dead.

One man was taken into custody immediately after the shooting but he was released after police determined he was not involved.

At a press conference Wednesday morning, LAPD Captain Steve Lurie confirmed that authorities were still searching for the alleged assailants.

Lurie said the motive for the shooting has not been determined and it's unclear whether it was a targeted or random attack.

Detectives are interviewing witnesses who were at the home at the time.

TMZ, which first reported the incident, said surveillance video shows at least four masked men entering the home just 10 minutes after people inside deadbolted the front doors shut.

Pop Smoke's label, Republic Records, confirmed his death on social media. The 20-year-old is seen performing at an event to promote his new album in New York City on February 6

The apparent home invasion unfolded at about 4.30am at 2033 Hercules Drive (pictured). Pop Smoke was reportedly renting from Real Housewives star Teddi Mellencamp and her husband

LAPD officials say they are still searching for the assailants, who fled the scene on foot

Hours before the shooting Pop Smoke shared a video on his Facebook Story which featured the exact address of the home - sparking speculation that the attackers learned where to find him via the post.

The $2.5million property is owned by actor and producer Edwin Arroyave and his wife Teddi Mellencamp, daughter of musician John Mellencamp.

Arroyave owns several homes in the Los Angeles area, and sources say Pop Smoke was renting the Hercules Drive through AirBnB.

Teddi Mellencamp, 38, confirmed that a shooting had taken place at one of the couple's rental properties in an Instagram post.

'Foremost, we would like to extend our prayers and condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragic loss of life,' she wrote in the caption.

'We aren't aware of any of the details beyond what we've been told or seen reported on the news and at this time we would like to refrain from commenting further as we wish for the focus to remain on the law enforcement officers who are diligently doing their jobs.'

Pop Smoke shared a video on his Facebook Story hours before the shooting which featured the exact address of the home where it took place

The house is owned by actor and producer Edwin Arroyave, the husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp (pictured together in February 2019)

Teddi Mellencamp, 38, confirmed that a shooting had taken place at one of the couple's rental properties in an Instagram post (pictured)

Pop Smoke shared three photos of himself outside the home on Instagram the day before he was killed.

In two of the photos the tracksuit-clad rapper is seen posing with Louis Vuitton luggage next to the same white Range Rover that was parked in the driveway when medics arrived.

In the third photo, Pop Smoke is sitting in the driver's seat of the SUV next to his friend Mike Dee, who is holding a massive stack of cash.

The caption read: 'GET STRAIGHT PASSION - ZIP HIM UP BAG EM - LOUIS V LOUIS V LOUIS V.'

Hours before he was killed Pop Smoke shared three photos of himself outside the home on Instagram. In two of the photos (above) the rapper is seen posing with Louis Vuitton luggage next to the same white Range Rover that was parked in the driveway when medics arrived

In the third photo, Pop Smoke is sitting in the driver's seat of the SUV next to his friend Mike Dee, who is holding a massive stack of cash

Pictured is the caption on Pop Smoke's final Instagram post

Minutes after news of Pop Smoke's death broke, Nicki Minaj posted a photo of him on Instagram, writing: 'The Bible tells us that jealousy is as cruel as the grave. Unbelievable. Rest in Peace, Pop.'

The cryptic caption suggests Pop Smoke may have known the suspects - but law enforcement sources have not said if they think there is a connection.

Several other artists including Quavo, Chance the Rapper and 50 Cent also paid tribute to Pop Smoke on social media.

Kylie Jenner, who's boyfriend Travis Scott collaborated with Pop Smoke on the hit song Gatti last year, also shared her heartbreak at the news on Twitter.

Pop Smoke, who hails from Brooklyn, rose to fame last summer with the release of his debut mixtape Meet the Woo.

The lead single on that album, Welcome to the Party, reached number five on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and was remixed by Nicki Minaj.

The rapper released his second mixtape, Meet the Woo V.2, earlier this month. The album was met with rave reviews and reached number seven on the Billboard 200 Albums chart.

He was set to begin a national tour in March before performing at the famed Rolling Loud music festival in May.

Minutes after news of the shooting broke, Nicki Minaj posted a photo of Pop Smoke on Instagram, writing: ' The Bible tells us that jealousy is as cruel as the grave. Unbelievable. Rest in Peace, Pop.' The cryptic caption suggests Pop Smoke may have known the suspects

Quavo also paid tribute to Pop Smoke by sharing photos of them together on Instagram

Chance The Rapper shared his sadness over Pop Smoke's death at such a young age

Rapper 50 Cent tweeted a photo of Pop Smoke in the studio

Kylie Jenner, who's boyfriend Travis Scott collaborated with Pop Smoke on the hit song Gatti last year, also shared her heartbreak at the news on Twitter

At the time of his death Pop Smoke was facing charges for car theft.

He was arrested at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York City in January after police alleged he stole a black 2019 Rolls-Royce Wraith that he had borrowed for a music video in California, according to The New York Times.

Investigators said the rapper had transported the $375,000 car to New York on the back of a flatbed truck sometime between November 5 and December 3.

He then posed with the allegedly stolen car in an Instagram post that has since been deleted.

Pop Smoke pleaded not guilty to charges of interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle and denied the allegations in a radio interview on February 7.

'Foolishness. I'll tell you later,' Smoke told Power 105.1 host Angie Martinez . 'But just know... But you know, it's cap. We gon' keep it like that. But just know! Man, look at me man.'
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been battling with the Electoral Commission (EC) over its decision to compile a new voters' register.



The EC, on the other hand, says the compilation of new voters' register for the 2020 elections will begin on April 18.



In view of this, some political pundits have asked the NDC whether or not they will take part in the registration exercise should the EC not change their decision.



Even before the NDC takes a stand, former Central Regional Chairman of the party and now Social Commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs, says he will take part in the exercise.



"I have my biases when it comes to this new voters register . . . I have made it clear that I will go and register; I will take part because I am a Ghanaian, as simple as that," he opined on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo'.









Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/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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The officials said Rood was the subject of White House criticism for his role in the Pentagons reluctance to provide the White House with plans for a possible withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria before Trump abruptly announced a pullout in December 2018. Military officials had opposed the move because they did not think the mission against the Islamic States was finished. Trump later backed away from his decision but eventually reduced the force there.
The Congress alleged on Wednesday that the remarks made by US President Donald Trump ahead of his visit to India were an insult and affront to the country's dignity and the government should respond accordingly.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the issue was serious as it sought to undermine the progress made in the last many years as regards strengthening the Indo-US ties.

He also said the tone and tenor of Trump's visit seemed to be "transactional and not strategic".

"The president of the United States of America, on the eve of his first visit to India as the president, has said India has not treated the US fairly. I think, it is an insult, an affront to our dignity as a country and I hope the Ministry of External Affairs or the prime minister would respond to it.

"I think that comment was completely uncalled for. I do hope that the Ministry of External Affairs has responded to it and not swept it under the carpet," Tewari said.

He also said Trump's visit looked like a "side show".

"The more material thing is that for the president of the United States of America, on the eve of his visit, to say that India has not treated the US fairly, it undermines all the progress in Indo-US relations, which has been made since the steps in the strategic partnership were initiated by late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a process which was then carried forward for 10 years under the able leadership of prime minister Manmohan Singh," the Congress leader said.

"I do not think any right-thinking, self-respecting Indian should take this affront lightly," he added.

Trump has said he is "saving the big deal" with India for later and does not know if it will be signed before the US presidential election in November, signalling that a bilateral trade pact may not materialise during his maiden visit to New Delhi next week.

Forcefully pursuing his "America First" policy, Trump had previously described India as a "tariff king" for imposing "tremendously high" tariffs on American products and had also expressed dissatisfaction over the US-India trade ties.

"We are not treated very well by India," he had said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump will hold talks on February 25 to deepen cooperation in a number of key sectors, including defence and trade, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said.

Trump, who is scheduled to visit India on February 24-25, will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Claire Mercer is leading a fight to end the use of smart motorways in the UK. Claires husband, Jason, was tragically killed on a smart motorway on a section of the M1 near Sheffield, on June 7, 2019.

Claire and Jason Mercer

Claire, a buyer, lived with Jason, a contracts manager, in the South Yorkshire town of Rotherham.

Jason died along with Alexandru Murgeanu after they were involved in a minor collision. They stopped to exchange the legally required insurance details but had no access to a hard shoulder where they could do this safely. They were both hit by an oncoming lorry.

The government converted the hard shoulder into a live traffic lane along swathes of the motorway network as part of its smart motorways rollout.

Following the death of Jason and Alexandru, Claire and her family launched the Smart Motorways Kill campaign. She has begun legal action in pursuit of a judicial review of the decision to bring in smart motorways. The campaign has raised, through a crowdfunding appeal, over 9,000 of the 20,000 needed to take the case to court. Claire is also suing Highways England for corporate manslaughter with the aim of bringing criminal prosecutions against individuals.

World Socialist Web Site reporter Robert Stevens spoke to Claire about Jasons death and her campaign.

Claire Mercer looking at a photo album made in remembrance of the life of her husband Jason Mercer

Claire said of her life with Jason, We were together for nearly three years before we got married, and we would have been married 10 years in October.

Among the high points in Jasons life was his role in the trial of 12 Pakistani men charged with violent disorder after defending themselves against far-right protesters. They were cleared in court. He was really, really proud of being able to make a difference to the Rotherham 12 trial, said Claire.

He was on the counterprotest [against fascists protesting in Rotherham]. Me and my mum had got shut outside the protest, but he managed to stay inside it and he went on the march through town. There were a lot of kids at the front of the protest, and these fascists came running at them, throwing bottles, wheelie bins and things like that.

I think because he had a red Mohican that, in the melee, the fascists assumed Jason was one of them and let him near them. So, he took photographs of them all! Eventually they realised and one of them threatened to stab him, so at that point he backed off. He came and found me, and we handed the information over to the police and it was used in the trial against the fascists, and they were all jailed.

The judge asked Jason some questions like, So Mr. Mercer, what do you think of this group, and he replied, Well theyre all morons, arent they? The judge said, Well dont mix your words, Mr. Mercer, will you!

It made a big difference. He was a pretty recognisable character anyway, but after that he never had to pay for a taxi again. People used to walk up to him in the street and shake his hand. He was just so surprised and proud of the difference that he made on his own.

He loved his new job, and his company car. Hed got it only four days before and if it hadnt arrived, he wouldnt have been where he was when he died. He normally drove me to work each day. We used to meet up at dinner time. Hed drive me into work, and then hed go and pick up the pool car and go off to whichever building site he needed to be at.

Describing the events of June 7, 2019, Claire said, He was with me at eight oclock in town, we had breakfast, and at eight oclock he left, kissed me goodbye and said hed see me later. He said he had an easy day planned, he only had two sites to go to and it was a Friday. He was looking forward to the weekend. He drove past the window waving to me.

Id been planning to go to work but didnt feel well. So, I got the bus so that he could get straight onto the motorway and walked home.

I found out later that he was dead within 15 minutes, but I didnt know for definite for nearly four hours. After a couple of hours, Id had no messages or texts from Jason, which was unusual. I rang the police, and they said that they needed to check into it. I gave them the car registration, and they said theyd ring me back.

I later found out that the police were already on their way to me and didnt want to tell me over the phone. Within a couple of minutes, police were at the door. I phoned my brother Tony, who works at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield. I told him Jasons hurt, get to the A&E, I can see two police officers through the door. I opened the door, and I kept asking, Is he alive? They just said, Lets go in. My brain had just shut down. I fell to the floor and I said into the phone to Tony, Jasons dead. I just remember Tony asking, What?

I was wearing my nightdress, and I was crying and saying, Its not true, its not true. They didnt tell me anything about what happened at all. I do remember them saying, as they were leading me out of the house to go to my Mums, All this from a small bump. I didnt know for several days that he wasnt in the car. I didnt know that there had been another incident first.

Ive pushed for an official answer as to why it took me so long to find out what happened, but the last time the answer that came back from my police liaison officer he used the word carnage and told me how far away from the car Jasons body was thrown. I was thinking, thats my husband that youre telling me about.

They were knocked down because there was no safe place, no verge for them to stand where they stopped. Theres a very short verge and then it drops down to what I think is Blackburn Road. Theres a like a 15-foot drop, but Ive never dared asked for clarification and will only know for certain at the inquest.

It would appear they had just come off the viaduct and Jason and Alexandru had a minor bump. Theyd only just passed the sign that says no hard shoulder for four miles. They might have had the collision before theyd got to that sign. There was no emergency refuge area [ERA] visible. It was over a mile away.

I can only assume they didnt know what else to do. Its your legal obligation to swap details. Jason had been driving 27 years, and he didnt know to do any different. Alexandru had only been in the country a couple of years. So, they pulled over into what should have been the hard shoulder, but a barrier stopped them getting all the way out of the motorway. They were still half in a live lane. They swapped details and took photos when they stopped; we know that as Ive accessed Jasons iCloud account.

The lane Jason and Alexandru were in was not closed because the smart technology doesnt exist in that part of the road. The camera operators obviously never picked them up, so the lane wasnt closed, and a lorry driver hit them and killed them instantly.

Even now, people that use that stretch regularly dont know that its a smart motorway. People dont know what a smart motorway is! Theyve heard the term, but they think its to do with the cameras and fines. They dont realise that the hard shoulder is missing, because it looks just the same.

The home page of the Smart Motorways Kill website

And there is a definite policy from Highways England of not running an awareness campaign. At first, I thought it was ineptitude, but its a definite policy now. Someone suggested to me that its because it makes them liable if they do, because its the drivers responsibility to know how to use the road.

They have fundamentally changed the road. The Highway Code hasnt been changed to reflect smart motorways. Its not even in the driving test yet, and smart motorways have been around for 11 years!

The section of motorway where Jason and Alexandru were killed is an All Lanes Running, which means it never has a hard shoulder as opposed to dynamic lane, where it can be turned on and off.

At first people were saying to me, Its those smart motorways, and I didnt know what they were for the first two weeks after the accident. But then I kept hearing it and I thought, what is a smart motorway? I looked and there were a couple of Facebook pages, but no websites, no campaigns, and I thought that I dont understand how something this dangerous was brought in and how there isnt already a massive backlash against it.

The more you find out, the more you discover that people have been dying on these things for years and years. Theres a group of us that talk all the time, and we know each other quite well. We have all lost someone on smart motorways.

We discovered someone that lost their husband well before any of us, but it was never in the press. He was Jamil Ahmed. It was never published as a smart motorway death, just a death on the motorway.

Apparently his widow complained and asked the coroner to ban smart motorways, but there were paperwork errors by the coroner, who said he was applying a Regulation 28 that would put pressures on Highways England. They would have to respond to direct questions raised by the coroner, but the coroner forgot to file the paperwork and it was never raised.

I like to think it was a genuine error and he did rectify it, so there are now already about three or four Regulation 28s being applied to Highways England for deaths.

A Regulation 28 Report is issued to an individual, organisations, local authorities or government departments and their agencies where the coroner believes that action should be taken to prevent further deaths.

I didnt realise how much power a coroner had, but they are as powerful as a judge. I was told there might not need to be an inquest in Jasons case because there will be a trial. But Im now being told there will be an inquest. The coroner for this area has said that he will definitely be doing one regardless. I think it must be because he wants to have his say on another death in his area on a smart motorway.

From where Jason and Alexandru were killed it was just over a mile away to the next ERA. But the signage doesnt help. The sign near them said no hard shoulder for four miles. But it didnt say that theres an ERA a mile away.

I dont understand how they expect ERAs to work. They had a minor collision, so they couldve kept moving if theyd known about the ERA. But what if your engine stops or your tyre blows? Its not going to happen at an ERA, is it?

Of the claim by Highways England that ERAs are 1.5 miles apart and can be reached on average every 75 seconds at 60 miles per hour, Claire replied, You can pick and choose the statistics to suit your own agenda. I can throw a load of statistics that prove how dangerous smart motorways are. The major stat is that people are dying on them. If there had been a hard shoulder, Jason and Alexandru would still be here. Nargis Bashir would still be here, 83-year-old Derek Jacobs would still be here. It breaks my heart to think of an 83-year-old changing his own tyre at the side of a motorway anyway, but then he got hit by someone nearly the same age who had someone else the same age in the car and that person died as well.

Cost-cutting is a factor in why there are not more ERAs. Claire said, It had been suggested there was a need for more ERAs right where Jason and Alexandru were killed, but because it was 1 percent extra cost, they said no. So, the option for extra safety was there, and they purposely turned it down.

Jason was doing between 50 and 70 miles per hour when he had the minor collision. Hed got seconds to decide what to do on a road system that he didnt understand, with confusing signage and three lanes of traffic next to him. He stood no chance. When there was far less traffic, the hard shoulder was considered essential. Now there is far more traffic and youre more likely to have an accident, its gone! There is no logic to it. How was this signed off on? How was this allowed? Even Mike Penning, the ex-transport minister, has said that he was sold a completely different product.

To be continued
Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution sets out the original intention of the national census: In creating the new Congress at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the framers decided on a bicameral legislature, the House of Representatives and the Senate.

To determine how representation would be based in the two houses, Roger Sherman offered this compromise to resolve the issue of equal representation versus proportional representation in the Congress. Each state would have equal representation in the Senate  two senators from each state. The House of Representatives would have representation based on population.

However, slavery was at the heart of how representation would be decided. The slave-holding states did not consider their slaves to be human. But for the sake of gaining political power, they offered that their slaves would count as free people to determine representation in the House of Representatives, albeit counting as only three-fifths of a person. Thats how the Three-Fifths Compromise determined how states would count their populations for the purpose of allocating seats in the House of Representatives.
Pittsfield launched a website that offers links to services for those in business or considering starting a business in the city. Jay Anderson of PERC said the website offers more than just grants but professional and educational resources. Business Development Manager Michael Coakley said work on the website started in the summer 2019. Business development consultant Roger Matus said the website is both a mirror and an online mentor. Alfred and Auric Enchill of Elegant Stitches said Pittsfield helped them create a new website. Chris Kapiloff, owner of LTI Smart Glass said it was easy to expand his business in the city of Pittsfield. PreviousNext

Pittsfield Unveils Business Website



Mayor Linda Tyer welcomed the gathering of business leaders to the launch of the new website on Tuesday. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The city has launched Businesspittsfield.com , a new website that will serve as a resource for existing businesses, new businesses, and those looking to relocate to Pittsfield.

Mayor Linda Tyer told a large gathering in the City Council chambers Tuesday that the new website is the next step in bringing and sustaining business in Pittsfield.

"I don't know if you have noticed but Pittsfield is really knocking it out of the park and right now we are just rounding second base and we are on our way to home base," she said.

Tyer said the website stems from the efforts of the city, the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority, Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corp., and other stakeholders.

She said the three came together three years ago to promote the city and change the economic landscape.

"For a very long period of time Pittsfield had been kind of waiting for someone or something to come in and start their business or make a big announcement," she said. "We decided that we were going to take control of our own destiny and help the businesses that are here now that are already successful that want to grow."

Business Development Manager Michael Coakley said the website represents the next steps in these efforts and will not only promote Pittsfield to potential global businesses but offer resources and testimonials to those interested in operating a business in the city.

Business development consultant Roger Matus, who helped build the website, said the goal was to build a tool that was available 24 hours a day and seven days a week that provides tools and contacts.

He said the website was designed to act as a mirror through the 12 profiles of businesses that benefited from the city's guidance or resources,

"You see these 12 companies that are up here and what we want is for entrepreneurs and businesses to see people like themselves," Matus said. "To see the story of what they have done and how they can do it themselves."

He also referred to the website as an online mentor to not only help those new to Pittsfield but new to business in general.

"Please go to businesspittsfield.com and look into the mirror and start consulting the online mentor," he said. "Find your path ... and find success in Pittsfield."

Jay Anderson of PERC also spoke to these resources and said although there is monetary aid available the city can provide some of the educational and professional resources are just as important.

"Sometimes it's not money, sometimes it is an accountant or a lawyer," he said. "People may not be capable or have that business experience and we can provide that."

Christina Wynn, a member of the board of directors at PEDA, said the website is the next "logical step" in PEDA, PERC, and the city's efforts to attract business of all kinds to the city.

"This is a way for us to share resources and join together and have a united voice as we look for ways to enhance business here," she said. "We are so proud of this partnership and this website."

Coakley invited up local business owners who have worked with the city to expand or open in Pittsfield.

Nick Martinelli of Marty's Local said his business was the recipient of a PERC grant and said through the city he was able to grow his business and connect with other local vendors.

"At every turn the city has been helpful to us ... and as we have grown we have connected with a number of vendors throughout the city," he said. "We are excited to be a part of this."

Alfred Enchill and his son Auric of Elegant Stitches said they have been in business in Pittsfield since the late 1990s and, after a fire at their former downtown location, they reopened and tapped PERC for a grant to help them build a new website.

"The city has been very helpful and receptive to our ideas and at this point we have seen a lot of growth," Auric said. "We are creating partnership with bigger companies."

Steve Oakes, who owns three office spaces in Pittsfield, said he has more businesses from outside of the area leasing space from him and thought the website would only improve these circumstances.

Kacey Boos, owner of Shire Acupuncture, said she moved back to the area with little resources or experience but PERC provided her with a technical assistance grant that helped her get a foothold allowing her to stay in Berkshire County "helping the people in my own back yard."

Chris Kapiloff, owner of LTI Smart Glass, said expanding his business in Pittsfield was a streamlined experience. The city came to him and started the process that instead of taking months as he expected, took 90 minutes.

"The government of Pittsfield did what I think most business owners would really like them to do," he said. "They take a step to the left and be out of the way ... My primary goal is to not interface with the government but to interface with customers throughout the world."
Leading data transformation solution supports enhanced access, sharing, and replication of data across multiple cloud environments

DENVER and MANCHESTER, England, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Matillion, the leading provider of data transformation software for cloud data warehouses (CDWs), today announced the availability of Matillion ETL for Snowflake on the Google Cloud Platform , to help companies achieve faster time to insights with data transformation.

Matillion ETL for Snowflake on Google Cloud provides businesses with cloud-native ETL that is purpose-built for Snowflake and Google Cloud. Companies can use Matillion ETL to load business data into Snowflake then perform powerful transformations to unlock value within the data.

"Enterprises are implementing single, hybrid and multi-cloud solutions to complement their data management strategy, gain greater flexibility with vendor selection, and reduce costs across the organization," said Matthew Scullion, CEO of Matillion. "By releasing Matillion ETL for Snowflake inside the expanding Google Cloud platform ecosystem, we enable our customers to leverage our data transformation capabilities alongside the power of Snowflake to effectively manage their data and gain faster access to the insights that fuel business growth."

Matillion ETL for Snowflake on Google Cloud will also enable customers to manage various Snowflake features to optimize their experience on the Google Cloud platform. The data transformation solution helps users get faster time to value and insight with the following capabilities:

Easy-to-use, code-optional, drag-and-drop transformation canvas to allow business users to quickly transform data, at scale

More than 80 data sources to integrate with including on-prem databases, files, and SaaS applications

User-configurable REST API connector for additional data sources without native integrations

Deep integration into Snowflake features like Flatten Variant and Alter Warehouse; to allow users to suspend, resume and, resize a virtual warehouse

Matillion ETL features like built-in scheduler, version control, job documentation generator, data lineage, GIT integration, and more

Data ingestion support into Snowflake from Google Cloud Storage

"Enterprises require a unified data management platform that spans multiple clouds. Over the past several quarters, the demand for Snowflake as the unified data source on Google Cloud has been growing rapidly and we're excited to announce that our cloud data platform is now generally available on Google Cloud," said Colleen Kapase, VP of Worldwide Partners and Alliance at Snowflake. "I am very excited that our partner Matillion is supporting Snowflake's GA on Google cloud by providing Matillion ETL for Snowflake on Google Cloud. With strong transformation capabilities, Matillion ETL for Snowflake provides customers with a powerful, end-to-end solution that enables data ingestion and automatic scaling."

Trusted by hundreds of enterprise and mid-size companies, Matillion was named a 2019 Top Rated Award Winner in Data Integration by TrustRadius, based on unbiased customer feedback. Matillion ETL is highly-rated on the Google, Amazon, and Microsoft marketplaces, with 90 percent of customers saying they would recommend Matillion.

Matillion ETL for Snowflake on GCP is exclusively available on the Google Cloud Marketplace, allowing customers to leverage their existing billing relationship with Google. Get a demo at https://www.matillion.com/demo/ .

For further data transformation industry updates and perspectives, follow Matillion on Twitter @Matillion and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/matillion-limited/ .

About Matillion

Matillion is data transformation for cloud data warehouses. Only Matillion is purpose-built for, Snowflake, Google BigQuery, and Amazon Redshift enabling businesses to achieve new levels of simplicity, speed, scale, and savings. Trusted by companies of all sizes to meet their data integration and transformation needs, Matillion products are highly rated across the AWS, GCP and Microsoft Azure Marketplaces. Dual-headquartered in Manchester, UK and Denver, Colorado, Matillion also has offices in New York City and Seattle. Learn more about how you can unlock the potential of your data with Matillion's cloud-based approach to data transformation. Visit us at www.matillion.com .

Media Contact:

Nonfiction for Matillion

Katie Pierini

(847) 708-5600

kpierini@nonfictionagency.com

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 15:11:26|Editor: huaxia

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GUIYANG, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Manbang Group, China's largest freight service provider, said its big data suggested material logistics to central China's Hubei, the center of the COVID-19 outbreak, have been stable, showing nationwide supports to the province's anti-epidemic fight.

The company based in southwest China's Guizhou Province cited the data between Dec. 13, 2019, and Feb. 12 that before Jan. 13, goods to Hubei were mainly building materials, food, beverages, coal and minerals. After that, vegetables and fruits increased rapidly, with vegetables accounting for 10.4 percent of all goods sent to Hubei.

Vegetables are transported to Hubei mainly from Yunnan, Henan and Shandong provinces. Fruits are sent to Hubei from Guangxi, Yunnan and Guangdong. Guangxi alone accounts for 52 percent of the total amount of fruits transported to Hubei, while Henan contributes the most grain to Hubei.

Manbang's data platform also monitored that a truck driver traveled for nearly six days across 4,444 km to transport a full cargo load of medicine from Hotan in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to the city of Huanggang in Hubei, making it the farthest trip in the country to provide supplies to Hubei.

The hard-hit province had a total of 61,682 confirmed cases as of Wednesday. It saw 1,266 patients discharged from hospitals after recovery on Tuesday, bringing the total number of discharged patients in the province to 9,128, as epidemic control work progressed.

Manbang is an Uber-like truck-hailing service provider with nine million subscribers in 300 cities in China. Its data platform offers indicators of supply demands and logistics efficiency.
In a tweet, Dr Subramanian Swamy said, "26/11 Terror Act was a ISI & UPA joint operation to launch Hindu Terror operation and ban RSS. It fizzled because a brave Policeman caught Kasab alive. All ten others were killed. They were dressed as Hindus would be."(sic)

26/11 Terror Act was a ISI & UPA joint operation to launch Hindu Terror operation and ban RSS. It fizzled because a brave Policeman caught Kasab alive. All ten others were killed. They were dressed as Hindus would be. A new investigation necessary.  Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) February 18, 2020

He added that a new investigation was necessary. Swamy's claim comes on the heels of a former Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria releasing a book in which he claimed the militant group wanted to project the 26/11 attack as a case of "Hindu terrorism".
The delegation led by Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, who is on an official visit to the Kingdom of Denmark, yesterday had a meeting with Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Folketing (Parliament of Denmark) Bertel Haarder, Chair of the Committee on Europe Eva Kjer Hansen and the deputies of the foreign policy committee.

At the request of the Members of the Danish Parliament, the members of the Armenian delegation presented the reforms launched in Armenia and the achievements made after the Velvet Revolution and touched upon Armenias foreign policy priorities and regional issues.

Ararat Mirzoyan provided information about the talks over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, reaffirmed Armenias commitment to resolving the conflict exclusively through peace and attached importance to Denmarks balanced and impartial position and support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

The Danish party expressed great interest in the EU-Armenia cooperation and the prospects for its development, and Ararat Mirzoyan attached special importance to the quick launch of the process of the EU-Armenia visa liberalization dialogue and stated that Armenia has met all the conditions for ensuring launch of the dialogue in good faith.

At the request of the Danish Members of Parliament, the Armenian delegates touched upon the relations with Russia and the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union and talked about Armenias close ties with Iran and Georgia. The delegates also talked about the absence of relations between Turkey and Armenia and the impact of the absence of those relations on the prospects for regional cooperation programs.

Talking about Armenias reforms agenda, the Armenian party presented the course of implementation of judicial and legal reforms and the strategy on the fight against corruption, and the Danish party promised to provide assistance to Armenias efforts to reinforce its democratic achievements.
Indians have voiced fears that Donald Trump could be attacked by monkeys when he visits the Taj Mahal next week.

Monkeys harassing tourists have become a major problem at India's most famous landmark, with guards deploying catapults to fend them off.

Trump will have the elite protection of the Secret Service when he visits on February 24, but locals fear that a large swarm of monkeys could be impossible to control.

'If such a large troop of monkeys attacks Donald Trump's entourage, it will be a disaster,' one local resident told India Today.

A monkey searches for food on the river bank near the Taj Mahal in India, where Donald Trump and his wife Melania are expected to visit next week

One member of the Central Industrial Security Force said the catapults used by guards would be 'completely ineffective' against a large gang of monkeys.

The resident who feared 'disaster' said that sterilisation measures had failed despite a 200,000 effort by local officials.

'The terror of the monkeys is so pervasive that women and children are scared of going up on the roof of their houses, which have almost been taken over by monkeys,' he said.

The local forestry department has also been called in to keep the monkeys at bay during Trump's expected visit, it is believed.

There are around 500 to 700 macaque monkeys living in and around the monument, it is believed.

The animals are known to forage for food around the entrance, where visitors' bags are searched and food sometimes thrown away.

Monkeys harassing tourists have become a major problem at India's most famous landmark, with guards deploying catapults to fend them off

Donald Trump (pictured yesterday) will have the elite protection of the Secret Service when he visits, but locals fear that a large swarm of monkeys could be impossible to control

In May 2018, two French tourists were injured by monkeys as they took selfies at the Taj Mahal.

Experts say the animals are becoming more aggressive as an expanding city encroaches on their natural habitats.

Brij Bhushan, head of the Taj Mahal security force, said last year that police had received locally-made slingshots to fend off the monkeys.

'We found that monkeys get scared by just seeing us brandishing these slingshots,' he said at the time.

Built by a Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for the tomb of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal has 25,000 daily visitors, rising to 80,000 during the peak tourist season.

The Uttar Pradesh government said Trump and his wife Melania would visit the Taj Mahal on Monday evening, local media says.

Trump is leaving for India on Monday on his first official trip to the country, with negotiators working on a trade deal.

The United States is India's second largest trade partner after China, with their goods and services trade hitting a record $142.6 billion in 2018.
FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- It's A Secret Med Spa Fort Worth will host a Grand Opening in celebration of its newest spa located at Crockett Row at West 7th, a modern outdoor shopping plaza. The event will take place on Thursday, February 20, 2020, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will include a ceremonial ribbon cutting followed by an evening of education and celebration.

It's A Secret Med Spa's Grand Opening event will feature:

Introducing the newest It's A Secret Med Spa located in Fort Worth, Texas on Crockett Row at West 7th. This 9 room medical spa offers customized laser treatments, injectable and filler services, and membership packages.

Free Consultations

Exclusive on-the-spot Mini Services

Raffle prizes

Goodie bags

Champagne and hors d'oeuvres

Raffle prizes will include a three-month platinum membership and a variety of products and services.

"Expanding It's A Secret in Fort Worth was an obvious step in our national expansion because of the city's unique and vibrant culture, and there's no better place to set up shop than in the contemporary Crockett Row at West 7th," said Justin Magnuson, CEO of It's A Secret Med Spa.

Attendees will include clinicians performing on-site consultations and mini services, corporate representatives of It's A Secret Med Spa, and representatives from Allergan, SkinMedica, Skinbetter Science, Galderma, SkinPen, and Candela. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, follow It's A Secret Med Spa on Facebook and Instagram or visit www.secretmedspa.com .

To RSVP for the grand opening or schedule a complimentary consultation, call: 817-385-4814.

It's A Secret Med Spa  Fort Worth

2917 Crockett St

Fort Worth, TX 76107

www.secretmedspa.com

About It's A Secret Med Spa

It's A Secret Med Spa opened its flagship location in Uptown Dallas in early 2016 and quickly gained a solid reputation for its customized services, highly trained staff, state of the art equipment, and glam interiors. The spa's great success in Uptown Dallas sparked the team's ambition to share their passion with as many people as possible. It's A Secret Med Spa now has over nine locations with more locations coming soon.

With a mission to provide an individualized experience to meet each client's unique needs and desires, services are highly customized, ranging from face and body live photo scanner consultations and facial treatments to vitamin injections and laser specialties.

Media Contact:

If you would like more information on It's A Secret Med Spa or would like to schedule an interview, contact:

Daphne Leblanc

469-639-2011

[email protected]

SOURCE It's A Secret Med Spa

Related Links

www.secretmedspa.com


Promotions helped visitor figures from Europe rebound from the impacts of COVID-19

Nguyen Cong Hoan, general director of city-based HanoiRedtour, shared with VIR that it took about three months for inbound tours to recover from the previous SARS outbreak, whereas outbound tours took even longer.

In May 2003, Vietnam declared SARS a national epidemic. The local travel market rebounded in July. Shortly after that, both local and international travel saw sound recovery as travel demand was contained in the previous period.

We, therefore, are ramping up efforts to attract visitors right from now, said Hoan.

While waiting for incentives from regulatory bodies such as loosened visa policy, promotion activities at key and potential markets or more distant markets to lure visitors, local travel firms have been teaming up to offer outbound tours to safe destinations in Europe, Russia, or Africa.

Visitors from Asian countries coming to Hanoi currently account for 65 per cent of total, those from Europe make up 25 per cent, and the remaining from other markets.

A representative from Saigontourist Group unveiled that their member units have deployed plans to effectively tap into visitor sources and develop auxiliary services to enhance revenue streams, with priority given to exploiting the local tourism market.

For instance, Saigontourist offers tours to distinct local destinations with attractive price packages, like the three day, two-night Danang-Hoi An tour at VND3.6 million ($160) with departure from Ho Chi Minh City, or the three day, three-night Dalat tour that comes at VND2.99 million ($130) with departure from Can Tho.

Meanwhile, HanoiRedtour offers eight-day, seven-night tours to discover classic Europe with promotional prices from VND13 million ($570), lower than in the previous year.

VietSense Travel sells seven-day tours to Europe for VND36.9 million ($1,600), more than VND10 million ($430) less than last year.

We make no profit on most tours on offer this time. Retaining customers is our top priority now, said Nguyen Van Tai, general director of VietSense Travel, adding that the challenge in dealing with health risks also brings opportunities to upgrade the companys material and technical base, as well improving business and management expertise.

Currently, most travel firms are taking initiative in seeking new markets to attract visitors right after the outbreak cools down.

Considering new destinations that are safe zones to the disease and suite the capacity and conditions of each company is a viable option, said Hoan from HanoiRedtour.

He also stressed the need for firms in the hospitality industry to offer joint promotions (such as offering discounts to ticket fares or hotel charges) to appeal to visitors and ensure the efficiency of demand-stimulating measures.

According to Hanoi Department of Tourism, visitors from Asian countries to Hanoi currently account for 65 per cent of the total, while those from Europe make up 25 per cent. Due to the implications of COVID-19, the number of Chinese visitors to Vietnam took a nosedive, yet those coming from other markets have maintained stable growth, with the number of visitors from Japan jumping 200 per cent or those from India 65 per cent.
OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Imelda Dacones, MD, president and CEO of Northwest Permanente, has been named to Modern Healthcare's list of Top 25 Minority Leaders in Healthcare for 2020. Dacones was recognized for her leadership in delivering clinical innovations that led to significant reductions in pediatric opioid prescriptions, high survival rates among heart attack patients and the screening of patients for social needs.

In its ninth year, Modern Healthcare's biennial recognition program honors the top minority health care executives who are influencing public policy and care delivery models across the country. In doing so, they also highlight the continued need to nurture diversity in health care organizations.

"I'm honored to be recognized for driving innovations that improve health care outcomes, including programs that deliver clinical interventions and screening for pressing social needs that we can then help to address," said Dacones, who leads more than 1,700 physicians, clinicians and administrators at the largest independent, physician-led, multispecialty professional corporation in Oregon and southwest Washington. Northwest Permanente provides high-quality care to more than 620,000 members. "This award honors all of my colleagues and team members who, through the practice of Permanente Medicine, continually strive to provide high-quality, integrated, affordable health care."

Dacones serves as chair of the National Permanente Executive Committee (NPEC) of The Permanente Federation. NPEC is the executive leadership team of The Permanente Federation, which supports the work of more than 23,000 physicians and 80,000 care providers and administrative staff employed across the eight Permanente Medical Groups (PMGs) caring for more than 12.2 million Kaiser Permanente members. The PMGs, with Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Hospitals, comprise Kaiser Permanente.

Dacones also is known for championing physician and women leadership; equity, inclusion and diversity; workforce planning; and medical education, through her work with the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, slated to open this summer.

A passionate advocate for the role of physicians in mitigating adverse impacts of climate change, Dacones has since 2016 led efforts consistent with Northwest Permanente values as a certified B Corporation. Northwest Permanente is the first physician-led organization in the world to be certified as a B Corp, meeting rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

In addition to her leadership role with Northwest Permanente and The Permanente Federation, Dacones is a member of Futuro Health's board of directors. Futuro Health is a new nonprofit formed in partnership with Kaiser Permanente and Service Employees International UnionUnited Healthcare Workers West, launched in California in January with the mission of growing the largest network of certified health care workers.

Profiles of Dacones and all the 2020 honorees are available at the Modern Healthcare website.

"Executives honored on this year's list of the Top 25 Minority Leaders are reshaping care delivery. They're leading financial turnarounds, addressing social determinants of health and adopting new value-based models of care," noted Aurora Aguilar, editor. "But perhaps most importantly, this class is ensuring that staff reflect their communities by vetting minority candidates for decision-making positions and making medical education more affordable for disenfranchised communities. We thank the 2020 Top 25 Minority Leaders for their contributions to the industry and society."

About the Permanente Medical Groups

The Permanente Medical Groups are self-governed, physician-led, prepaid, multispecialty medical groups composed of more than 23,000 physicians. We are dedicated to the mission of improving the health of our patients and communities. Together with the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, we are Kaiser Permanente  an award-winning health care system that delivers Permanente Medicine to more than 12.2 million Kaiser Permanente members. We work collaboratively, enabled by state-of-the-art facilities and technology, to provide preventive and world-class complex care in eight states  from Hawaii to Maryland  and the District of Columbia.

About The Permanente Federation

The Permanente Federation LLC (the Federation) is the national leadership and consulting organization for the eight Permanente Medical Groups (PMGs), which, together with the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, comprise Kaiser Permanente. The Federation works on behalf of the PMGs to optimize care delivery and spread Permanente Medicine  medicine that is person- and family-centered, compassionate, evidence-based, technology-enabled, culturally responsive, team-delivered and physician-led. The Federation, based in Oakland, California, fosters an open learning environment and accelerates research, innovation and performance improvements across the PMGs to expand the reach of Kaiser Permanente's integrated care delivery model and to lead the nation in transforming care delivery.

SOURCE The Permanente Federation

Related Links

https://permanente.org/the-permanente-federation/


Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-20 03:36:02|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said Wednesday that terrorism in Syria must be eradicated to create a favorable security environment for the political process.

"Rampant terrorism has seriously affected Syria's political process and the country's future, and must be taken seriously and addressed by all parties," Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria.

"Idlib has become a breeding ground for terrorism and the acute problem of HTS (the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the umbrella group of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front) has created serious spillover effects. Countries should eliminate the safe havens established by terrorist groups in Syria in accordance with Council resolutions and international law. This is also a requirement of Resolution 2254," said the envoy.

"China supports all parties concerned in continuing to seek comprehensive and long-term solutions to the Idlib problem through dialogue and negotiations," Wu said.

Talking about political solution to the Syrian crisis, the envoy urged parties concerned to stay the course towards political settlement and make good use of the Constitutional Committee as a platform.

"Political solution is the only way to end the Syrian crisis," he said.

Political solution to the Syrian issue must be based on maintaining Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity, he added.

"The establishment of the Constitutional Committee is a good start for the Syrian political process. Its role should be fully leveraged on the basis of existing outcomes. Differences among Syrian parties in the work of the Constitutional Committee, while unavoidable, should be resolved through dialogue," said Wu.

"Attention should be paid to maintaining the independence of the work of the committee and creating conditions for all parties in Syria to narrow their differences and build consensus. We hope that members of the committee will demonstrate their political will, uphold the spirit of compromise, and play a constructive role in reaching consensus among all parties in Syria," said Wu.

The Syrian Constitutional Committee is a UN-facilitated constituent assembly process, which seeks to reconcile the Syrian Government headed by President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian opposition, in the context of the Syrian peace process, by amending the current or adopting a new Constitution of Syria.

Speaking of the humanitarian situation in Syria, Wu said that efforts should be made in this regard, "which will help advance the political settlement process."

"The international community should step up humanitarian aid to Syria, support the UN in providing help for the displaced persons. Humanitarian aid to Syria should have no political strings attached in the long run," said the envoy.

"We should support the Syrian Government in carrying out reconstruction in areas where the security situation is relatively stable," he added.

"The international community has the moral responsibility to help Syria restore economic development and tranquility," said Wu.
High street lender Metro Bank has appointed interim boss Dan Frumkin as its permanent chief executive as the group looks to recover after a tough year(Laura Lean/PA)

High street lender Metro Bank has appointed interim boss Dan Frumkin as its permanent chief executive as the group looks to recover after a tough year.

The 55-year-old has been interim chief executive since January 1 after former boss Craig Donaldson stepped down in December amid falling profits and the fallout from an accounting blunder.

Mr Frumkin was previously Metro Banks chief transformation officer, having joined the group last September.

Before that, he spent eight years at The Bank of NT Butterfield & Son Limited  a community bank based in Bermuda  most recently as global chief operating officer.

He also previously held roles at Royal Bank of Scotland and Northern Rock.

This is a business with robust foundations and real potential to shake up British banking. I am excited about the opportunity and look forward to updating the market on our plans on February 26Dan Frumkin

Metro Bank chairman Sir Michael Snyder said: The combination of three decades of experience across retail banking and the positive impact he has made since joining Metro Bank last year mean we have identified an impressive CEO to take Metro Bank into its second decade.

Mr Frumkin said: This is a business with robust foundations and real potential to shake up British banking.

I am excited about the opportunity and look forward to updating the market on our plans on February 26.

He will be paid an annual salary of 740,000, with potential bonuses worth up to 1.48 million on top.

His appointment comes ahead of the groups full-year results on February 26, which are expected to show the impact of a difficult year.

Metro Banks shares have been decimated since the start of 2019 after it revealed a 900 million accounting mistake in January.

The banks troubles were compounded when it was forced to abandon a bond offer, initially planned to secure 250 million.

The group relaunched fundraising plans earlier in October, raising 350 million.

But since then, the group revealed it swung to a 2.2 million loss in the third quarter, from profits of 15.1 million a year earlier.

In the first nine months of 2019, its profits fell by 71%, compared with the same period a year earlier, to 11.3 million.
A 55-year-old man was attacked in a New York street by a stranger who knocked him to the ground before launching an unprovoked assault on him with a hamburger in broad daylight, NYPD officers have said.

Dramatic footage appears to show the stranger rub fast food in the man's face, pummel him and lift his leg to stomp on his head in the Upper West Side.

Police said the unidentified suspect, with no provocation, blew smoke in the victim's face before waving a McDonald's bag at him, the Daily News reported.

Footage released by the NYPD shows a 55-year-old man being knocked to the ground in the Upper West Side of Manhattan

He grabs his McDonald's hamburger and rubs it in the man's face, covering him with fries

The victim from Washington Heights, who has not been named by police, was said to have swatted the bag away in response before attempting to continue walking down West 103rd Street off Broadway in Manhattan.

The attacker, thought to be aged between 20 and 30, followed him before stopping him in his tracks by punching him from behind, knocking him to the ground on the afternoon of February 5, police said.

He then stoops over him and lands a series of punches on him. Fries from the McDonald's bag spill over the victim before the stranger shoves his hamburger in the man's face.

The man then lifts up his leg in the air, appearing to be preparing to stomp on the victim's head.

The footage ends with the attacker standing over the victim and raising his leg to stomp on his head

Police appealed to the public on Tuesday evening for help to identify the man in the footage, who they say is wanted for assault. The attack left the victim hospitalized for head and body bruises.

The NYPD is urging the public to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS with any information.

The incident comes after a spate of random attacks in the city.

In one on Valentine's Day, Gabriel Bascou, 28, had his throat slit in Harlem as he left an IHOP with his 23-year-old girlfriend Manon Duma.

The French photographer was still recovering from his injuries recovering in Harlem Hospital on Monday. Khalief Young, 28, was charged with the assault.
If Nirbhaya fails to get justice then no other victim of heinous crimes like rape and murder will be able to get justice asserted Asha Devi, the mother of Nirbhaya, on Wednesday in a special segment on your favourite show, 'DNA' with Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary. Addressing the nation she pleaded that everyone should come together to ensure justice for Nirbhaya. "If Nirbhaya fails to get justice, no other victim will be able to get justice. All of us should come together and make sure that Nirbhaya gets justice," said Asha Devi.

It has been nearly eight years since the gangrape and murder of Nirbhaya, and the convicts are yet to be hanged. In the wake of this, the mother of Nirbhaya opened her heart and gave her message to the nation on the platform of Zee News.

December 16, 2020, will mark the completion of eight years since the 2012 Delhi gangrape and murder of Nirbhaya. Unfortunately, the family of Nirbhaya is yet to get justice as the convicts have not been executed yet.

A Delhi court has issued a fresh death warrant for the four convicts of the Nirbhaya gangrape case. The new date issued by the Patiala Court for the hanging of Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta, and Mukesh Singh is March 3 at 6 am.

A teary-eyed Asha Devi said that she has sleepless nights, adding that she died the day she lost her daughter. She, however, also said that she will continue her struggle for justice. An undaunted Asha Devi stated that people will have to fight for their rights and not ask for it. She yet again pleaded the law to give justice to her daughter.

"We will have to fight for our rights not ask for it. Things have changed, but I'm still pleading before the court with folded hands for justice of my daughter," said Asha Devi.

She assured that even after the execution of these convicts she will continue to raise the issue. "I want to assure you that even after the execution of these convicts I will continue to raise the issue. This is not my fight alone but a fight about the daughters of India," said Asha Devi.

The mother also said, "When the verdict of the court came for the death punishment of the convicts, they openly challenged me in the court. If women have their rights in the country, the system should change to ensure our rights."

Speaking on those who have asked her to forgive the convicts she said, "I want to ask them, Had this happened to your child, would you have forgiven them?"

"In Hyderabad, people distributed sweets not for police but for the instant justice as they lost faith in the court. Tomorrow, I will plead before the Supreme Court to ensure justice for Nirbhaya so that crime against women are discouraged. Human Right activists are merely running their business, I don't want to listen to their advice. I want to say that they are convicts and they will be hanged."

She also added, "I want to ask you the date is decided but when will she get justice? The court talks about the rights of convicts in front of me but not about my suffering."

Earlier in the week, Asha Devi broke down and had stated that she has been patiently fighting for the last eight years but she is losing faith in court and its legal procedures.

Have the citizens of India lost their patience in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case? If Yes then give a missed call on this number: +91-7834998998. Alternately, viewers can also tweet with the hashtag '#MaaKaSandesh'.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

December 30, 2019 will remain one of the significant days in the history of the Azerbaijani volunteer movement, Deputy Head of the Human Resources and Training Department of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan, Head of the ASAN Volunteer School Jahangir Hajiyev told Trend.

The reason is that on this day, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed an order meeting the interests of tens of thousands of people, according to which 2020 was declared the Year of Volunteers in Azerbaijan, Hajiyev added.

The head of the ASAN Volunteer School stressed that the announcement of the Year of Volunteers will serve to the further expansion of the Azerbaijani volunteer movement, which has begun to expand since 2012.

"I think that this order of the country's leadership is a high assessment given to the work of volunteers and will become an additional motivation for people who want to be volunteers," Hajiyev added.

Hajiyev emphasized the high status of the volunteer.

"I believe that this order of the president is a high assessment, which was given to the work not only of today's volunteers, but also of all those who were volunteers earlier in the Azerbaijani history, head of the ASAN Volunteer School added. The announcement of 2020 as the Year of Volunteers is very important for organizations and everyone in this sphere."

The head of the ASAN Volunteer School reminded that volunteering in Azerbaijan has deep national, spiritual and historical roots, but this activity has been developing systematically since 2012, from the moment when the ASAN service concept was put forward.

"The country's volunteer system is still very young and there is still a lot to do to develop it, the head of the ASAN Volunteer School added. Taking into account the abovementioned aspects, the Year of Volunteers will give a strong impetus to these processes."

After February 1, 2019, the opportunities were created almost in all state structures for young people to become volunteers and various volunteer movements and groups, among which healthy competition has been formed, were established upon President Aliyevs appropriate order, Hajiyev added.

"I believe that a sense of internal competition will allow implementing new initiatives, ideas and projects within the Year of Volunteers, the head of the ASAN Volunteer School said. An Azerbaijani volunteer is at the center of the intrasystem competition, that is, all processes will serve individual development. We will see a new, progressive generation, committed to the national spiritual values, in the near future.

As part of the Year of Volunteers, the ASAN volunteer movement will carry out work on two main platforms, the head of the ASAN Volunteer School added. "One of these platforms is the ASAN Volunteer School, organized by the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan, covering mainly ongoing volunteer activity, the second platform is the ASAN Volunteer Organization, covering more than 22,000 volunteers created by the ASAN volunteers. This year, the ASAN volunteer movement will increase the number of the projects aimed at individual development.

Instilling of the idea of statehood and a sense of patriotism, gaining of knowledge and skills in various fields, promoting of the Azerbaijani culture, supporting of the digitalization process, implementation of innovative ideas and projects, shaping of environmental thinking, supporting of the career growth process and others will be among the priority areas, Hajiyev added.
In an interview with the state-owned news outlet Sputnik, Russian Ambassador to Turkey Aleksei Erkhov blamed Turkey for escalating tensions between the two countries in northwest Syria.

The claim is misleading.

In recent months, Russia and Turkey have accused each other of violating an agreement they signed in 2018 on establishing de-escalation zones in the area. The agreement included an all-sides ceasefire, with Moscow ensuring that Syrian President Bashar Assads forces would stop advancing while Turkey secured the area from the remaining Islamic State fighters and reopened two strategic highways.

But tensions erupted after the Syrian government launched an offensive last April, disrupting the ceasefire and violating the treaty with Turkey.

After Syrian government forces killed 13 Turkish troops earlier this month, Turkey said it warned Russia of possible military action unless Assads forces withdrew from the strategic town of Idlib by the end of February.

The two sides held negotiations in Moscow on Feb. 17-18 but could not reach a breakthrough, according to Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin. Turkey rejected Russias proposals, and the only agreement reached was to continue talking, Kalin said.

On Feb. 19, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara was making final warnings to the Assad government and its allies to withdraw from Idlib, and that an offensive against Syrian government troops was now a matter of time. The Kremlin said a direct military confrontation between Turkey and Assad would be a worst-case scenario.

Erkhov blamed Turkey, saying Russia and the Syrian regime were only acting in response to Ankaras ceasefire violations. He implied that accusations that Russian and Assad had targeted civilians, bombing and shelling residential areas, were baseless.

Mark Lowcock, the U.N. under-secretary for humanitarian affairs, said in a Feb. 17 statement that the crisis in north-west Syria has reached a horrifying new level.

The violence in northwest Syria is indiscriminate, the statement read. Health facilities, schools, residential areas, mosques and markets have been hit. Schools are suspended, many health facilities have closed. There is a serious risk of disease outbreaks. Basic infrastructure is falling apart. We are now receiving reports that settlements for displaced people are being hit, resulting in deaths, injuries and further displacement.

On Feb. 15, Mark Cutts, the U.N. deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, tweeted a video showing the aftermath of the bombing.

Cutts blamed Syria and its allies.

Recent video from Ariha showing the devastation caused by airstrikes/shelling by Syrian Government forces & their allies. At least 1,700 civilians - mostly women & children - killed in NW Syria in the last 9 months. Stop the carnage! Cutts said.

Russia has maintained military bases in Syria for decades, and launched the first in a series of airstrikes targeting the Syrian opposition in September 2015.

Despite this, the Kremlins official position was that no Russian troops were on the ground in Syria.Yet, in December 2017, President Vladimir Putin ordered the withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria.

Moscow has consistently denied casualties among its military personnel in Syria. Still, media have reported the deaths of hundreds of Russian troops in fighting there, as well as casualties among private military contractors. Moscow has denied the involvement of private Russian military contractors in the Syrian conflict.

Last October, Russias defense ministry said it sent an additional 300 military policemen to Syria to patrol its borders.

This month, Russias foreign ministry said Russian military specialists died in Syria. Some media reported this as a rare admission of casualties.

Ambassador Erkhov blamed the deaths of Russian officers on Turkey, for failing to secure the area from Islamic State forces.

A group of Russian investigative journalists called the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) reported that it had identified the four dead Russian military specialists as officers of the Federal Security Service (FSB).
Billionaire Mike Bloomberg will sell his multi-billion media company in the event he succeeds in his audacious plan to capture the Democratic nomination and beat President Trump, his campaign revealed.

Bloomberg, whose wealth has been estimated as above $50 billion, would sell the media empire he spent decades building in the event he wins, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Bloomberg had earlier discussed putting his holdings into a blind trust to seek to avoid potential conflicts.

Democrats have hammered Trump for maintaining and profiting off his real estate empire as president, and accuse him of leverage his office to haul in hefty rental and room fees at his D.C. luxury hotel property and other holdings.

Trump pounced on the news Wednesday morning calling his company's media arm 'corrupt' and referencing his own earlier complaints about Bloomberg's media company, which announced an awkward policy for the primaries of not probing Bloomberg's Democratic rivals while still covering and investigating the Trump administration.

'Is corrupt Bloomberg News going to say what a pathetic debater Mini Mike is, that he doesnt respect our great farmers, or that he has violated campaign finance laws at the highest and most sinister level with payoffs all over the place?' Trump asked.

An image of 2020 candidate Michael Bloomberg appears on the video monitors inside the media center for Wednesday's Democratic debate in Las Vegas. All eyes will be on the billionaire as this is the first time he'll debate his Democratic rivals

Trump called an arm of Bloomberg's media company 'corrupt' shortly after Bloomberg's campaign revealed he would sell the company if elected

The news comes hours before the former New York mayor is set to join the debate stage for the first time to meet the wrath of his rivals for the Democratic nomination  some of whom have accused him of trying to 'buy' the White House, and compared him to Trump.

Not long after sending out the tweet about the 'corrupt' Bloomberg News, Trump retweeted a Bloomberg News story about the resignation of John Rood, the under secretary of defense for policy. Rood had certified that Ukraine was eligible to receive military assistance, at a time some in the White House were seeking ways to hold up assistance.

Like the host city of the debate - Las Vegas, Nevada - the expectation is that the other five candidates will go big and bold with their critiques of Bloomberg, who has the capacity to outspend them and is rising in the polls.

Bloomberg has already come under fire from his fellow Democrats who charge him with trying to buy the election and there are no signs the bombardment will let up.

The Journal cites the Burton-Taylor International Consulting firm as putting a potential $60 billion value on the firm.

The Bloomberg campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how Bloomberg would execute a sale and what measures could be put in place to avoid potential conflicts with a buyer.

Several Democrats suggested taking on Bloomberg, a former Republican and an ex-New York City mayor, is good practice before getting to President Donald Trump, a Republican and a former New Yorker, in the general election.

Bloomberg spent decades building a company now valued at up to $60 billion

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has a target on his back from other Democratic candidates who have been critical of his money, his evolution on the issues and his refusal to participate in the traditional first four Democratic primary states

Sen. Bernie Sanders is prepping to take on Mike Bloomberg on the debate stage Wednesday night, especially because Bloomberg's ascent comes as Sanders is finally cementing frontrunner status after two good showings in Iowa and New Hampshire

Sen. Bernie Sanders (right) and his wife Jane (left) walk with students to the early voting location on the University of Nevada's campus Tuesday. A campaign official told DailyMail.com that Sanders will go after Bloomberg for thinking he's 'entitled to the White House'

Former Vice President Joe Biden has to have a stronger showing in Nevada and South Carolina than he did in Iowa and New Hampshire in part because Mike Bloomberg is starting to gain steam

And they have previewed the attacks expected to come on the debate stage.

'It's a shame Mike Bloomberg can buy his way into the debate,' Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted Tuesday. 'But at least now primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we can take on an egomaniac billionaire.'

Warren will be on the Paris Theater stage alongside Bloomberg, former Vice President Joe Biden, ex-South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The Democrats' other billionaire candidate, Tom Steyer, didn't have high enough poll numbers to qualify this round despite appearing in the past two debates.

Neither did Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, the only remaining Democratic hopeful in the race.

Buttigieg has echoed criticism that the billionaire Bloomberg, who is self-funding his campaign, is trying to buy the White House.

'Yes. I mean, what else do you call it?,' the former South Bend mayor told CNN Tuesday night when asked if Bloomberg was trying to buy his way in. 'What else do you call it when you dip into your endless reserves of millions and billions and don't go through the process of campaigning in states like Nevada or Iowa or New Hampshire, humbling yourself, going into the diners and the backyards, looking eye to eye to voters?'

The former New York City mayor has spent $300 million on television and digital ads thus far, most of them designed to get under Trump's skin. Bloomberg has said he's open to spending up to $1 billion on the race.

And despite appearing on the Las Vegas debate stage, Bloomberg isn't participating in Saturday's Nevada caucuses. He has opted to skip the first four voting states to focus on Super Tuesday when 14 states vote on March 3 and one-third of the delegates need for the nomination are awarded.

Klobuchar also argued Bloomberg hasn't been heard by voters.

'I don't think you should just be able to buy your way to the presidency,' she told CNN Tuesday night. 'We've been answering questions. We have been going to states like Nevada and actually meeting the voters and having them quiz us and ask all kind of things, and put our policies out there. And I think that is what a presidential candidate should do. So, you know, I don't mind that he has this money, that's a great thing he made that money. But we want to make sure that we have the best candidate to lead the ticket.'

She added: 'I don't think that when people look at Donald Trump they automatically say, hmm, can we get someone richer?'

View of the debate stage ahead of the Democratic Debate at the Theater in the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and a top campaign official for Sen. Bernie Sanders both compared facing Mike Bloomberg to President Trump. Warren called Bloomberg an 'egomaniac billionaire' in a tweet Tuesday leading up to their meeting on the debate stage

Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar all qualified for Wednesday's debate in Las Vegas

Biden criticized the former mayor for some of his policies directed toward minorities from when he ran New York City. It's an area where the former vice president has strength among voters.

'Sixty billion dollars can buy you a lot of advertising, but it can't erase your record. There's a lot to talk about with Michael Bloomberg,' Biden told NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday.

'You take a look at the 'stop-and-frisk' proposals. You take a look at his ideas on redlining he's talking about. You take a look at what he's done relative to the African American community. I'm anxious to debate Michael on the issues relating to, you know, what we're going to face in Super Tuesday.'

'It's going to be awful hard to go out and win those  the base support of the Democratic Party, the African Americans, Latinos and working-class white folks  and put that coalition together. That's how you win an election. You put that coalition together,' Biden said.

Sanders, who has taken the lead for the nomination in several recent polls, said Bloomberg shouldn't be able to buy the election.

'Mr. Bloomberg has ever right in the world to run for president of the United States. He's an American citizen. But I don't think he has the right to buy this election,' he said Tuesday night at a CNN town hall.

The Vermont senator also indicated he'd attack his rival on more than money, however. He criticized Bloomberg for supporting policies such as 'stop and frisk' when he was mayor of New York.

'His policies humiliated and offended hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people. And I think that is something that is worthy of discussion,' Sanders said.

The debate comes as Sanders is trying to cement himself as the party's frontrunner, while Biden - long considered the frontrunner - has to prove that his campaign is back on track after fourth and fifth place losses in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser to the Sanders campaign, previewed how the Vermont senator would react to the addition of Bloomberg.

'In many ways running as Mike Bloomberg is like Donald Trump. Right? You know you have a sort of very wealthy New York business person turned political dilettante who believes he's entitled to the White House,' Weaver told DailyMail.com at a campaign event Tuesday.

'You know the contempt that Mike Bloomberg has shown for voters in this process is palpable,' Weaver continued.

Amy Klobuchar said voters don't necessarily want a candidate richer than Donald Trump

Pete Buttigieg and other candidates have attacked Bloomberg for not speaking to voters in Iowa and New Hampshire

The top Sanders adviser said Bloomberg shouldn't have been able to skip the first four contests to focus on Super Tuesday instead.

Weaver argued participating in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina is important because candidates are 'expected to stand in people's living rooms and go to diners and meet with small groups and small party clutches and what have you.'

'He's skipping all that because he just wants to put half a billion or a billion in TV and win the thing,' Weaver said. 'He is the epitome of sort of the entitled, elite ruling class and how they expect everybody else to bow and scrape for them,' Weaver added. 'And that's just not what's going to happen.'

Sanders has been hammering Bloomberg for weeks for trying to buy the election, though at a CNN town hall Tuesday night he wouldn't guarantee he wouldn't take Bloomberg's money, which the billionaire candidate promised to the Democratic nominee, should he not be chosen for the job himself.

'I don't think we're going to need that money,' Sanders eventually said. 'Because, interestingly enough, I think when you have an agenda as we have that speaks to the needs of working families, you're going to have millions and millions and millions of people chipping in 10 bucks apiece, 50 bucks apiece, and that's how you're going to raise the money you need to defeat Trump.'

Sanders has sprung to the lead for the nomination in the RealClearPolitics polling average on the race with Biden in second and Bloomberg in third.

The Democrats gather Wednesday night as the pressure increases for a break out moment, one that could bring in the donations and attention needed to keep their campaign going through the next round of voting.

And the debate will see one of the smallest gathering of candidates to date as the Democratic National Committee charged the qualifications needed to make the stage.

In the first eight debates, candidates had to meet polling and fundraising thresholds to qualify for the stage, but the DNC nixed the fundraising requirements for Wednesday night's meeting.

Some critics argue this was an establishment decision to let Bloomberg make the stage after the billionaire vowed not to take any contributions and solely fund his presidential campaign.

Candidates instead could qualify three different ways: by earning 10 per cent or more in four national, Nevada or South Carolina polls; getting 12 per cent or more in two Nevada or South Carolina polls; or by earning at least one delegate in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses or New Hampshire primary election.

Bloomberg made the stage by qualifying in the polls a day before the debate and Klobuchar qualified by earning six delegates in New Hampshire and one in Iowa.

All the other candidates qualified both in delegates and polling thresholds.
Haaland hands Dortmund the advantage over PSG Dortmund vs PSG Brilliant second-half double

Erling Haaland scored twice as Borussia Dortmund edged out Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie in Germany.

The 19-year-old netted goals either side of Neymar's equaliser in a thrilling second half at Signal Iduna Park.

Neymar came the closest to opening the scoring for either side in the first half when he whistled a freekick just wide of the post.

The match sparked into life in the second period as Haaland pounced on a loose ball in the PSG penalty area to beat Keylor Navas at his near post.

The visitors responded shortly after as Kylian Mbappe dribbled his way through the Dortmund defence and squared it for Neymar to tap into an empty net.

The Signal Iduna Park roof was raised once again just two minutes later when Haaland battered the ball into the back of the net from the edge of the box.

The score was almost level again moments later, but Neymar could only hit the post with his close-range effort.

Dortmund will head to Paris with an aggregate advantage on Wednesday March 11, but this tie is far from over yet.
City Council Chairman Erskine Oglesby indicated Tuesday night that he thinks the downtown Business Improvement District Board may reverse its action of charging four non-profits within the district.

At the close of the council meeting, attorney Charles Paty lambasted the BID board for charging St. Paul's Episcopal, Second Presbyterian Church, the United Way and the Downtown YMCA. All had asked to be exempted from yearly payments.

Attorney Paty, who earlier fiercely opposed having the family's Patten Parkway property in the BID district and wound up filing suit, said the action would harm the four non-profits.

Chairman Oglesby told attorney Paty he may be pleased about a future action of the BID board on the subject based on the group's meeting with the council earlier on Tuesday at the council's strategic planning meeting.

These are the annual assessments for the non-profits:

St. Paul's Episcopal - $7,865.15 for building, $2,085.12 for parking lot

Second Pres - $4,200.55 for building, $2,010.24 for parking lot

United Way - $3,060.02

YMCA - $14,288.94

Annual BID assessment rates are calculated at $0.09 per square foot (of the greater of lot size or building size) + $4.95 per linear foot of lot frontage.



Steve Hunt and the BID board were at the sessopm for reasons that we not immediately clear to the council. Councilwoman Carol Berz was the most vocal of the council, asking, Why are we putting our imprimatur in anything they do? What am I missing? My point is, if they next year wanted an increase, theyd have to come to us. But this isnt about an increase, so why are they here?

Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod said, To my understanding, when we voted on it, theyd have to pay the assessment for 2019, so youre paying the money for 2019, and theyre submitting the funds for this year.

Councilwoman Berz pointed out that she still did not understand why the BID board was presenting to them. Under the agreed upon terms, the BID board simply needed to get the councils approval for the budget at the end of each fiscal year.

The council itself has no control over what the BID does with its various tax-like assessment fees, as the BID is not a governmental agency. Because it is not a tax, the council itself cannot enforce or punish entities that fall under the BIDs authority in downtown Chattanooga, it was stated. City Attorney Phil Noblett said the approval was simply a transfer of money, and it was not technically part of the citys budget.

The ordinance clearly states that they were to come to us, showing what they did this year and what they may need for the following year, said Councilwoman Berz. Since it hasnt been a year, I was trying to figure out why they were even here.

She also emphasized the independent nature of the BID. The only reason the City Council is a pass-through for the BID is because state law requires it, she said.

They dont have a track record, and we dont have power over them, said Councilwoman Berz. Theyre an independent entity, a 501C3, and other than collecting their fees as a pass-through, and nothing more, thats our only contact with them. So I was wondering if this was a year premature.

The BID board also discussed its $912,000 budget, how it is divvied up, and the requirements for a non-profit in the area to be considered exempt from the assessment fee.

At the recommendation of Councilman Ken Smith, the March 3 council meeting will be bumped all the way up to 4:00, a two-hour difference from the normal start time. March 3 is Super Tuesday, which is when states hold primary elections for the presidential race.

It would allow us to get our business done, and then it would afford some of us the opportunity to make it to some different events on that night, said Councilman Smith.



All were in favor of the idea, and it was approved unanimously.


Patterson's withdrawal from consideration for the role comes amid a raft of senior departures at the Pentagon: Getty Images / Staff

Donald Trump sent a senior Pentagon official charged with overseeing the military's vast policy apparatus on his way Wednesday, the latest senior official to be ousted from or leave the administration - and possibly setting up an election-year showdown on a slew of issues with Senate Democrats.

John Rood's departure comes after White House and other administration officials had expressed displeasure with him for some time, according to several media outlets. But it also removes from the administration another senior official - as undersecretary of defense for policy, he was the Defense Department's No. 3 civilian official - who was at odds with the White House on a military aid package for Ukraine.

Mr Rood last summer told lawmakers that the Eastern European country had made enough progress on fighting corruption to deserve a massive military aid package from Washington. But the White House, at the president's direction, soon froze that aid as it pressed senior Ukrainian leaders to publicly state they were investigating top US Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden, then the party's frontrunner for its presidential nomination.

The matter became the basis for House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, and they late last year impeached Trump on an article of abuse of power stemming from his actions towards Kyiv.

The ouster was first reported by CNN, with the president confirming Mr Rood's departure in a morning tweet from Las Vegas, where he is spending his nights during a weeklong West Coast fundraising and political rally swing that ends Friday night.

"I would like to thank John Rood for his service to our Country, and wish him well in his future endeavors!" the president wrote.

The next move is all Mr Trump's.

He could opt to nominate a permanent replacement to lead the Pentagon's policy efforts. Or he could simply install another acting official, who could fulfill the position's duties on a temporary basis - and then do so again after that individual's time would expire.

Story continues

The president early last year signalled he would opt less for Senate confirmation hearings, which allow Senate Democrats to ask pointed questions - which sometimes expose his administration's flawed processes and unmet policy goals, and are played and replayed on the cable new programs he watches religiously.

"I have 'acting.' And my 'actings' are doing really great. ... Mick Mulvaney is doing great as [acting White House] chief of staff," the president said on 6 January 2019, as he left the White House for a border security summit with senior aides at Camp David. "But I sort of like 'acting.'"

"It gives me more flexibility. Do you understand that?" he asked reporters in a rhetorical question he has never fully answered nor explained.

"I like 'acting,'" Mr Trump said then. "So we have a few that are acting. ... If you look at my Cabinet, we have a fantastic Cabinet. Really good."

Democratic lawmakers, echoed by legal and government experts, have called both his turnover rate among senior officials both unprecedented and concerning.

Scholars at the Brookings Institution have tracked Mr Trump's turnover rate, charting data that shows he has lost more senior-level officials than Presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush, Bill Clinton, George HW Bush and Ronald Reagan.

Read more

How Trump was influenced by Fox News, friends before pardoning spree

Trump rape accuser says president is doing everything' to stop case

Why Trump pardoned more controversial figures
The Guard cuts include:

$790 million for the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account (NGREA);

for the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account (NGREA); $169 million for two C-130J Super Hercules cargo planes for the Air Guard; and

for two C-130J Super Hercules cargo planes for the Air Guard; and $100 million for the Army National Guard High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (Humvee) modernization program.

Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire, the chairman of the board, and retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson, the association president, the signatories of the letter, said the cuts will "result in severe and long-term damage to the National Guard.

"All of these funds are essential to maintain National Guard interoperability, lethality, and readiness in support of the National Defense Strategy," they wrote.

McGuire and Robinson reminded the president of a commitment he made to the Guard during a speech to the 138th NGAUS General Conference in Baltimore nearly four years ago.

Trump told Guard officers in attendance that he would provide "the resources, the equipment and the support you need and deserve and that you're not getting."

"In a Trump administration, the National Guard will always have a direct line to the Oval Office," he said, "and I mean direct. You will have an administration that never loses sight of the vital contribution you make each and every day."

The two generals wrote, "You were the only presidential candidate to honor us with your presence at the conference, and our members have never forgotten it."

They concluded their letter by requesting "a meeting with you to discuss how we can work together to resolve this matter."

Robinson said last week that the disproportionate cuts on the Guard were simply the Pentagon using the Guard as a "convenient bill-payer."

All of the cuts to the Army in the reprogramming come at the expense of the Guard and Reserve, and 75% from the Guard, he said.

"Any inference that these aren't critical needs for the Guard is false," he said.

The referenced Feb. 18 letter follows.

About NGAUS: The association includes nearly 45,000 current or former Guard officers. It was created in 1878 to provide unified National Guard representation in Washington. In their first productive meeting after Reconstruction, militia officers from the North and South formed the association with the goal of obtaining better equipment and training by educating Congress on Guard requirements. Today, 142 years later, NGAUS has the same mission.

SOURCE National Guard Association of the U.S.

Related Links

www.ngaus.org


JB Liautard's Winning Image for 2019 Photo of the Year...

JB Liautard's winning photo was pitted against some fierce competition throughout the 2019 Pinkbike Photo of the Year contest, including Ross Bell's impressive photo of a rider manualling through a puddle that transposes you to your last rainy ride, Toby Cowley's image of a stylish Brendan Howey amongst the fog and trees and Manuel Sulzer's shot of two people riding along a cliff in front of massive jagged Dolomite mountains. After a frantic couple days of voting during the final round, JB Liautard's dramatically lit shot of Hugo Frixtalon on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia was the one to take the competition.We caught up with JB Liautard to learn more about his winning photo.

Coming into the competition, how confident were you that you had a winning photo on your hands?

I wasnt confident at all, to be honest. I had two shots in mind for this contest and the one I expected the most didnt make the cut. I wasnt sure that the style of this winning photo would match the competition but in the end, its a great surprise.Ive been following this contest for five years now and every year Im surprised by the result of many rounds. But it just means photography is a really subjective topic, and its good to sometimes let everyone give their opinion because in the end, the people seeing your images arent just world-class photo editors or photographers. This open voting system might be rough and feel unfair from time to time, but it helps to keep you humble and to develop a critical mind about our own work.

Where were you when you took it and what were you doing? Was it for an assignment?

I took this photo on the Canadian Sunshine Coast, near Sechelt, BC. I was on an assignment for Commencal bikes as they were releasing their latest Freeride bike, the new Furious. Leon Perrin was shooting a video part with Hugo Frixtalon and I was taking photos on the side. We usually work together for this kind of project.

Was it a planned shot or spontaneous?

I would say a bit of both. It was spontaneous because I had no idea I was going to shoot this exact photo, but I already had the general idea in mind as I use a lot this kind of backlighting. I have a long list of concepts and ideas written on my phone. Its sometimes just a general thing, or really precise lighting and framing, and whenever the conditions are reunited, I know what I need to do pretty quickly. It just helps me think faster when Im on location.When we woke up that morning, we saw that the clouds were really low and it would potentially be foggy, so we decided to go up to that trail and started to shoot it from top to bottom. Luckily, the fog stayed in the woods for the whole day, which allowed us to work properly. When we reached this part of the trail and I saw what Hugo could do off this jump, I started to look for a way to make it look good. I took some photos of this jump without any flashes, and while roaming around, I found a big stump a few meters down the trail. So I asked Hugo and Leon if we could focus on this special photo for a couple minutes. I always carry speedlight flashes with me in these kinds of conditions so I just had to set it up and shoot.

Tell us about your photo  are there any interesting details to share?

There usually are some stories or fun facts going along with the photos I do, but for this one, I didnt destroy anything, we didnt even get wet and Hugo didnt crash, so Im not sure I can find anything interesting. Theres maybe one thing though. It might seem a bit weird, but I spent 5 minutes covering a big flat rock with dirt, as it was white and in the middle of the trail. It didnt fit into my composition because it was a bright object in the foreground, distracting the viewers eye from the main subject. I also removed a couple of small white rocks for the same reason. Its like Photoshop but in real life.

How many attempts did it take to nail the shot?

I dont really remember, maybe five attempts. Its a really technical image as the rider has to hide the flash with his body while in the air. As I was shooting with a flash, I couldnt shoot burst mode, so I had only one chance for each run Hugo did. Its kind of hard because you need to shoot at the right moment of the action, and the rider has to be perfectly aligned with your flash in the background. Each jump is different, sometimes he was going a bit higher or a bit more to the side, and thats why it took a couple of tries. But Hugo did a great job at almost doing the exact same move a couple times!

For the photography geeks out there, can you tell us about the camera, settings and lighting that you used?

I was shooting with a Canon 1D-X mk II and a 16-35mm 2.8 L II Canon lens at 30mm. Shutter speed 1/200s, ISO 1000, F/4. As for the lighting, I used a single Yongnuo YN 568 EX II speedlight with cactus V6 transmitters. The flash was on a thin tripod at around 2 meters high, in the background.

What did it feel like during each voting round?

I didnt really know what to think to be honest. I had literally no idea who could win for each round. With my previous experiences in this competition, I learned to not care too much about the results and to step back, but in my opinion, the worst thing might be the comment section. Theres so much hate no matter the results and I think some photographers might feel bad because of this.To come back to the main question, even if I was looking at the first rounds with not much confidence, the further my shot was going, the more I wanted to win. You know this feeling of "maybe therea chance?"

Which of your competitors' shots have stood out for you this year?

I really liked the shots from Sterling Lorence, Nathan Hugues, Toby Cowley, Reuben Krabbe, Vlad Bakumenko Boris also did a great job with Brendogs shot, I think I didnt see any better angle from this insane moment.

Any plans for the winnings yet? Some new camera equipment or an adventure to somewhere new and exciting?

I dont have any plan yet, but Ive been dreaming of a fishing/camping trip with my friends for a while now, so I might buy a plane ticket to BC one day or another.

Anything else to add?

First, thanks Pinkbike for organizing such a photo competition. Then Id like to thanks all the riders I work with, and all the people supporting my work, from my clients to my friends and family. I also want to give a shout-out to the Commencal Team, I wouldnt be here today without their support during the past 3 years. Im really lucky to make a living out of my passion and I cant wait to see what the future brings.Thanks to Jenson USA
New York: Boeing vowed Tuesday to tighten controls after potentially dangerous debris was found in fuel tanks of undelivered 737 MAX aircraft, a plane that has been grounded worldwide following two deadly crashes.

Due to the halt in service, the company has stopped delivering the jets and temporarily ceased production.

After repeatedly missing its goals for resuming flights last year, Boeing has targeted a mid-2020 return for the plane.

"While conducting maintenance we discovered Foreign Object Debris (FOD) in undelivered 737 MAX airplanes currently in storage," a company spokesman told AFP.

"That finding led to a robust internal investigation and immediate corrective actions in our production system."

A message to staff from vice president Mark Jenks said debris was found in several planes in storage. No further details were given about the debris material, which Bloomberg News said could have been tools or rags left by workers.

About 400 aircraft must now be inspected. The 737 MAX has been grounded since March 2019 following two crashes that claimed 346 lives.
Moving day: New tenants agreed leases after viewing images of the Vesta properties online and not visiting the actual property

More than 100 people are getting ready to move into one of the country's newest apartment complexes - without ever having viewed the properties.

It was moving day for tenants who got their keys yesterday for their ultra-modern but "very expensive" build-to-rent homes in Clongriffin, Dublin.

Leases have been signed for a third of the 376 available apartments by residents who didn't have the option to view the unit in person beforehand.

The One Three North development is being managed by Vesta and was built by its sister company Twinlite with funding from British investors.

Starting at 1,550 for a fully furnished one-bed apartment, rent will include utility bills, refuse collection, broadband and TV.

Two-bed apartments are priced from 1,990 a month and three-bed units will set a tenant back 2,499 a month.

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For the cost, renters will also be able to avail of an on-site gym, yoga studio, private cinema and a communal lounging area.

According to Rick Larkin, executive director of Vesta, tenants appreciated the convenience of not having to view their new property beforehand.

"We didn't expect to get all those leases without doing any viewings," he said.

"The way the world is going people are doing a lot more things online. People were able to look at the property's pictures and floor plan online without having the hassle of taking time off work to queue for a viewing.

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"Within three months we hope to fill the entire building and those that have moved in so far are very happy."

However, Sinn Fein's housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin told the Irish Independent 1,500 for a single room apartment is "far too expensive".

"Offering apartments at this price excludes the vast majority of young people looking for a place to live," he said.

"There's no reason why you can't have a good quality rental accommodation in Dublin for 700 for a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom for 800-900.

"The Government isn't providing any stream of affordable rental accommodation to those people, it's leaving it for the private sector entirely.

"This will mean people will rent places they can't afford or involuntarily sharing or people sleeping on couches to make up the rent with their friends," he said.

Meanwhile, An Bord Pleanala has granted planning permission to contentious plans for more than 650 homes on playing pitches beside St Anne's Park, Raheny, north Dublin.

The appeals board has given Pat Crean's Marlet Group the green light in spite of strong local opposition against the plan.

It received more than 650 objections against the proposed development.

Under the Government's 'fast-track' planning rules, Marlet's Crekav Trading was seeking a 10-year permission to construct 657 apartments on the St Paul College's site.

However, against the background of the continuing housing crisis, the appeals board has granted a five-year permission ensuring that the residential units will be built at a much faster rate.

The development is made up of 378 two-bed apartments, 224 one-bed units and 55 three-bed units across nine apartment blocks ranging in height from five to nine storeys.

In the grant of permission, subject to 25 conditions, the appeals board upheld the recommendation of its own inspector, Karen Hamilton, at the end of her 101-page report, to grant planning permission.

A spokesperson for Marlet Property Group said it was "pleased" with An Bord Pleanala's decision.

"At a time of severe housing shortage in Dublin it opens the way for the provision of 657 badly needed homes, close to the city, served by excellent public transport links."
(TNS)  A new Ohio initiative aims to use artificial intelligence to guide an overhaul of the states laws and regulations.Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said his staff will use an AI software tool, developed for the state by an outside company, to analyze the states regulations, numbered at 240,000 in a recent study by a conservative think-tank, and narrow them down for further review.Husted compared the tool to an advanced search engine that will automatically identify and group together like terms, getting more sophisticated the more its used.He said the goal is to use the tool to streamline state regulations  such as eliminating permitting requirements deemed to be redundant  which is a long-standing policy goal of Republicans that lead the state government.This gives us the capability to look at everything thats been done in 200 years in the state of Ohio and make sense of it, Husted said.The project is part of two Husted-led projects  the Common Sense Initiative, a state project to review regulations with the goal of cutting government red tape, and InnovateOhio, a Husted-led office that aims to use technology to improve Ohios government operationsHusted announced the project on Thursday at a meeting of the Small Business Advisory Council. The panel advises the state on government regulations and tries to identify challenges they can pose for business owners.State officials sought bids for projects last summer, authorized through the state budget. Starting soon, Husteds staff will load the states laws and regulations into the software, with the goal of starting to come up with recommendations for proposed law and rule changes before the summer.Husteds office has authority to spend as much as $1.2 million on the project, although it could cost less, depending on how many user licenses they request.I dont know if it will be a small success, a medium success, or a large success, Husted said. I dont want to over-promise, but we have great hope for it.
Leaders are thoughtful and consider the things they see around them

King Solomon, who wrote the following Scriptures, was a political leader of his day. As you read the scriptures, you will notice the phrase 'and I considered'. You will also notice the phrase I applied my heart to wisdom. This is a reflection of who he was. He was a deep thinker who spent time contemplating and reflecting on the things he came across. Do you consider yourself to be a real leader? It is time to start turning things over in your mind. You must be a deep thinker!

So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit. The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh. Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit. Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun. There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.

Ecclesiastes 4:1-8

When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:) Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea farther; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

Ecclesiastes 8:16,17

For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.

Ecclesiastes 9:1

The Brain Seller

I remember the story of a man who went into a store to buy some brains. There were four different brains on sale. The salesperson was on hand to help the customer.

The customer said, I would like to buy the best brains you have.

The salesperson showed the customer what he had in store.

He said, These are the brains from a nation that invented airplanes, rockets, and satellites. He continued, These next ones are from a nation that invented televisions, videos, telephones, radios and stereo systems.

He went on, This third set of brains comes from a nation that has developed beautiful cities, roads, bridges, trains, airports, tunnels, etc.

He then showed the fourth set of brains. He continued, This last set of brains is from a nation which has invented nothing and built nothing for itself.

I see, he said, How much are they anyway?

The salesman replied, The first three brains are affordable, but the fourth set of brains is very expensive.

Why is that? Why should they be so expensive when they have not been used to accomplish anything?

Oh, that is simple, the salesman replied, Those brains are fresh, unused and full of potential. Because they have not been used for anything, all the potential is still within.

This unfortunate story tells us how important it is to use the brains God has given us. No matter how spiritual you are, God still expects us to use our brains. A great leader is someone who contemplates, reflects, ponders and deliberates over issues. Thinking is a God-given privilege we must use.

Indeed, it is our prayer that we will have leaders who will contemplate, reflect, be thoughtful and consider the things they see around them in order to receive guidance. Be a leader who considers the happenings around you. You will notice that as you consider them, you will receive wisdom. That wisdom will help you to be a better leader. Consider why some people are successful. Analyse why some people fail. Think about what makes others victorious. This is the path of a leader.

Culled from 'The Art of Leadership'

www.daghewardmillsbooks.org

[email protected]

By Dag Heward-Mills
Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez (left), with Council President Darrell Clarke, in City Hall last year. She is calling on Mayor Jim Kenneys administration to sell the citys vacant land more quickly. Read more

After a series of embarrassing stories of developers reaping inappropriate windfalls, city officials have halted the sale of public lots recommended by a committee created to vet such deals in the first place.

The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority is setting aside virtually all sales that come through the Vacant Property Review Committee  whose chair is selected by the City Council president  in what officials say is an effort to prevent developers from continuing to exploit loopholes in the system at taxpayers expense.

The freeze follows recent Inquirer and Daily News reports about how a childhood friend of Councilman Kenyatta Johnsons was able to make $165,000 in September by reselling two Point Breeze lots hed purchased from the city the month before at below market value. The sales had been approved by the VPRC.

The newspapers have previously reported that other developers backed by Johnson, including campaign contributors, had gone through the VPRC and leapfrogged competing developers to purchase land at steep discounts in no-bid sales. WHYY reported last week on a similar land flip.

Anytime we see information like that and stories like that it makes us go back and look at our policies, said Jim Engler, Mayor Jim Kenneys chief of staff. We want to develop a system that is accessible for people, but also be responsible with our city-owned assets and make sure theyre not exploited.

The VPRC makes recommendations to the Redevelopment Authority on the sale of land owned by the citys Department of Public Property. The Redevelopment Authority acts as the settlement agent and its board then votes on approval of the sales.

Recently, however, the VPRCs oversight and record-keeping have been called into question.

In the case of Johnsons developer friend, Felton Hayman, the VPRC failed to disclose that other developers had submitted expressions of interest for the sought-after properties, which should have triggered open bidding. The VPRC also initially inaccurately described Haymans intended use for three of the properties as side yards, not to be developed. Hayman built homes there that sold for as much as $415,000.

The FBI in November subpoenaed city records pertaining to the most recent Hayman transactions, in which he purchased two lots for $65,000 and quickly resold them for $230,000.

Anne Fadullon, the citys director of planning and development, said Friday that she and Greg Heller, executive director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, were in agreement with the decision by the authoritys board decision to postpone the VPRC-related sales.

The [Redevelopment Authority] board said, Lets just take a pause, so they really can understand whats going on, said Fadullon, who also chairs the board.

Fadullon said board members had been feeling a little bit uncomfortable approving the VPRC land sales, given the committees recent track record of recommendations. The board also wanted time to review an executive order issued last month by Kenney aimed at stopping future land flips and speculation in city properties.

The Redevelopment Authoritys decision not to finalize the sales of VPRC-approved properties is likely to increase tensions between the Kenney administration, which typically favors competitive bidding, and Council members, who want to maintain their influence over who purchases land in their districts.

Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez opposes the redevelopment authoritys move, saying it will contribute to existing delays in selling vacant and blighted land. The citys Land Bank, created in 2014, was supposed to professionalize and streamline the process, but it has been slow to get off the ground.

You cant ask me to trust the process when nothing is going to move, Quinones-Sanchez, said.

All sales of public land in Philadelphia must be approved by Council. Under the unwritten tradition known as councilmanic prerogative, Council members defer to one another when it comes to development in their districts.

She said the Redevelopment Authoritys emphasis on selling properties to the highest bidder would primarily benefit wealthy out-of-town developers, while locking out neighborhood residents  some of whom have been maintaining land in hopes of purchasing it.

People have been waiting in line for years and now they have to compete with investors in bidding? Thats gentrification, said Quinones-Sanchez. Competitive bidding will push all my people out.

Clarke spokesperson Jane Roh declined to comment Friday.

Fadullon said the citys landholding agencies would not always use competitive bidding and would remain flexible with pricing in cases where the highest dollar value may not actually be the best value for the city  such as land targeted for affordable housing, workforce development, business expansions, and side yards.

We want to make sure we have neighborhoods that work for everybody, Fadullon said.

The path forward remains unclear, but both Council and the Kenney administration agree that the land disposition process needs to be streamlined and that there must be more accurate record-keeping and clearer communication among city agencies and potential buyers.

Unless we can be sure that Council members and the public are getting the most accurate information, the system will continue to fail, Councilman Johnson said in a statement. This is a citywide problem that needs a citywide solution, so Im pleased that Mayor Kennys administration is working to make improvements.

But Quinones-Sanchez, who sponsored the Land Bank legislation, said she was still struggling to find out which property sales in her district are being delayed and for how long.

They have not said with all clarity, Quinones-Sanchez said. But I told the administration that I will be on Market Street screaming bloody hell if they dont get it together.
The Democratic Party is hanging by a thread.

I obviously don't mean that a candidate who runs under the "Democratic" brand is doomed to fall short in his or her contest with President Trump later this year. Or that politicians who affix that label to themselves are bound to lose their House and Senate seats in November. Or that state houses are bound to flip to the Republicans when voters next go to the polls. For all I know "The Democrats" will have a banner year at the ballot box.

Yet the Democratic Party as an institution is tottering and much closer to being exposed as an empty shell than is typically realized. The party is easily as weak as the GOP was just before Trump launched his hostile takeover bid during the 2016 Republican primaries. That effort was a roaring success for the candidate, who managed to leave a husk of the party in a pile on the floor and subsequently remade it from top to bottom in his own image. A somewhat different process is unfolding among the Democrats right before our eyes, but the end result could be remarkably similar. It's long past time to begin acknowledging this and preparing ourselves for the consequences.

Recall what happened with the Republicans. Back in 2012, the institutional party's preferred choice (Mitt Romney) ended up winning the nomination. But before he prevailed, voters (in polls and then in actual primary contests) floated from one unorthodox (not to say bizarre) option to the next in a restless quest to settle on someone, anyone other than the party's favorite. First there was the Michele Bachmann boomlet. Then the Rick Perry bubble. Then the Hermann Cain surge. Then the Newt Gingrich groundswell. Then finally the Rick Santorum spike. That coincided with the Iowa caucuses, which Santorum won (along with ten subsequent contests). And through it all, Ron Paul floated between 8 and 15 percent in the polls. In the end, Romney prevailed. But the grassroots resistance to the party's preferred nominee was an ominous omen of what would happen four years later.

Story continues

The primaries in 2016 were actually somewhat less unsettled. Trump took the polling lead way back in July 2015 and held it solidly for all but a handful of days in early November of that year, when Ben Carson briefly edged into the lead before falling back again. This happened despite the fact  or rather, because of the fact  that Trump (a long-time Democrat with few ties to the GOP) ran a campaign that directed a torrent of abuse at the institutional party and its preferred candidates and policies on a range of issues.

In light of what's happened since, it makes perfect sense that Carson (a devoutly religious neurosurgeon with no political experience at all) was the only candidate to threaten Trump early on  and that Ted Cruz, another candidate who took aim at the institutional party and whom many in the party despised, came closest to stopping Trump late in the primary season. A long list of candidates that the institutional party would have preferred (Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, John Kasich, Chris Christie, Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal, Lindsey Graham, and George Pataki) went nowhere.

The Republican electorate showed that it rejected the institutional party  and Trump happened to be their clear choice for an alternative. Had the voters been more deeply divided and less willing to accept the nominee once he'd been anointed the standard-bearer  and of course if he had failed to win his contest with Hillary Clinton that November  things might have turned out differently, with the party left scrambling to find a different post-2016 alternative.

But Trump did win, and roughly 90 percent of Republican voters now embrace him. Meanwhile, on the institutional side, Trump has demanded professions of loyalty from those who remained from before the time of his successful insurgency, and he's purged those who refused to bend a knee and kiss the ring of the new emperor. Today the GOP might as well be called The Trump Party.

There are some important differences on the Democratic side four years later, as one would expect given various dissimilarities between the two parties. But what's striking is how many ominous parallels there are.

The 2020 Democratic primary season has seen a huge list of established, accomplished Democrats launch presidential campaigns, fail to catch fire, and then fold: Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Deval Patrick, Michael Bennet, John Delaney, Julian Castro, Steve Bullock, Joe Sestak, Tim Ryan, Bill de Blasio, Seth Moulton, Jay Inslee, John Hickenlooper, Mike Gravel, and Eric Swalwell.

Who's fared better? An independent socialist who only joined the Democratic Party to run for president and who ran his own surprisingly successful insurgent campaign four years earlier targeting the party's clear choice for the nomination. A former vice president who's been the top choice of the party establishment and the polling frontrunner from the time he launched his campaign but who tanked as soon as voting began and is currently in a polling free-fall. A senator and former professor from Massachusetts who's running just a few hairs to the right of the socialist and whose support now seems to be waning. A senator from Minnesota who's a Democrat in good standing but who has struggled mightily for months to rise above the low single digits in the polls. The 38-year-old former mayor of the fourth largest city in Indiana who has risen entirely on his own charm, charisma, and rhetorical panache. (No sensible member of the institutional party would have encouraged someone so green to launch a presidential bid.) And then last but not at all least, there's the ex-Republican billionaire businessman and three-term mayor of New York City who's running a self-funded campaign that's surging in the polls despite the candidate completely bypassing the institutional party.

From the socialist on the left to the plutocrat who endorsed George W. Bush on the right, with a handful of more mainstream Democratic options struggling to gain and maintain traction in the middle, this is hardly the field of a party in firm control of its own destiny and setting its voters on fire. But the real danger to the institutional party doesn't come from a lack of consensus about which candidate will prevail. It comes from the candidate with the resources to turn the party into his own private conduit to power.

Mike Bloomberg is spending lavishly, hiring reams of Democratic consultants and political operatives, and networking closely with long-time deep-pocketed Democratic donors, persuading them to act as Bloomberg campaign surrogates and to ease up on their giving to his rivals. The result? In just three months, Bloomberg has spent well over a quarter billion dollars, mostly on TV ads in major media markets, and gone from close to zero in polls to a third-place 14 percent  even though his record on policy as well as personal behavior resembles fellow billionaire Trump far more than it does your average Democrat.

Lots of commentators, not to mention the campaigns running against the Bloomberg juggernaut, have accused the Manhattan mogul of trying to buy the presidency. But these critics may be focusing on the wrong product to be purchased. Their model is Ross Perot, who (as T.A. Frank recently pointed out) spent about $60 million of his own money (roughly $120 million in today's dollars) to win 19 percent of the vote in the general election of 1992.

Bloomberg is spending on an entirely different scale  one that dwarfs anything we've seen before  and he has vastly more to spend. In a year with a lower than average return on investment, say 8 percent, Bloomberg would expect to make about $4.8 billion on a net worth of about $60 billion  meaning that he could spend nearly $5 billion on the 2020 election without depleting his fortune by a single cent.

That doesn't mean Bloomberg is guaranteed to prevail in the primaries  something that's extremely difficult to do, especially with the proportional allocation of delegates that the Democratic Party uses. But what if thinking in those terms is thinking too small? Imagine Bloomberg is merely able to ensure that neither Bernie Sanders (the early frontrunner) nor any of the other candidates can clinch the nomination outright by the end of the primary season. That would set up a contested convention  and enable Bloomberg to deploy his resources in a way we've never seen before.

What would stop Bloomberg from, say, offering every uncommitted superdelegate and every Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, and Joe Biden delegate $1 million each to flip to him on the second ballot? And making a cool $500 million donation to the Democratic National Committee to ensure that the process of anointing him as the nominee goes smoothly in Milwaukee? This scenario would probably cost Bloomberg between $1 billion and $1.5 billion. Add that to the probable cost of $1 billion for the primary battle, and he'd be left with about $2.5 billion to spend against Trump in the 3-4 months of the general election. Without, once again, having to tap into his capital reserves at all. (For perspective, the entire cost of the 2016 election, the Trump-Clinton presidential race, and all 535 congressional races combined was about $6.5 billion.)

Farfetched? Why? Just because it's never happened before? Sort of like a demagogic reality-show star and real-estate developer with no political experience winning the Republican nomination and then the presidency?

I'd like to submit that the only thing that will keep Bloomberg from taking this path or something like it  from using his fortune to effectively purchase the institutional Democratic Party, absorb it into Bloomberg LP, and use this hybrid corporate-political enterprise to fulfill the fervent wish of Democratic voters to defeat Trump  will be his own sense of personal restraint. There is no law or institution that can or will stand in the way of it happening.

Over the past four years, the GOP has been turned into the Trump Party. Before the 2020 cycle is over, America's other major party could well be transformed into the Bloomberg Party. And there might not be anything that anyone can do to stop it.

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T rack improvements to combat deafening sounds on the Central line were delayed after asbestos was found.

In August last year, Transport for London (TfL) announced that it had ordered new track for a section of the line to address the horror-film screeches that could be heard between Wanstead and Leytonstone.

However, work could not start earlier this year and a specialist team had to be called in to ensure tube users safety.

Improvement work is now scheduled to start next week instead.

Director of Asset Operations for London Underground Esther Sharples said: We are replacing rail track between Wanstead and Leytonstone Tube stations to reduce noise levels in the area.

Ahead of work starting, we identified some asbestos, which has now been dealt with by a specialist team to ensure the safety of staff and customers.

The rail replacement will start next week and be completed as quickly as possible.

Redbridge Councillor Khayer Chowdhury, who also chairs the scrutiny committee which discusses transport in east London said the noise on the line is so bad it is like he is in a horror movie.

There have been times where the loud screeching noises made the think the train had derailed and was about to crash, he told the Standard.

The noise not only impacted passengers but also residents who live in the Wanstead/Leytonstone area as trains run directly under their homes.

After years of suffering from these deafening horror-film screeches, Im glad TfL are now introducing noise-mitigation technology. Its been a long time coming and hopefully this will reduce the noise impact between Leytonstone and Wanstead. Ive been assured that journeys will become more comfortable for commuters with more tolerable noise levels.

Redbridge Council leader, Councillor Jas Athwal added: Residents in parts of Redbridge have had to suffer the screeching sound of trains and we were hopeful this work would have been completed by now.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday the European Union had no business making decisions on Libya, accusing European nations who agreed to launch a maritime effort to enforce a UN arms embargo of interfering in the region.

Addressing legislators from his ruling party in Parliament, Erdogan also voiced support for Libya's UNs-backed government decision not to participate in talks in Geneva aimed at salvaging a fragile cease-fire in the North African country.

The decision followed an attack on Tripoli's strategic port.

"I want to specifically mention that the EU does not have the right make any decisions concerning Libya," Erdogan said.

"The EU is trying to take charge of the situation and interfere."

"At the moment, the legitimate government based in Tripoli has withdrawn from the (negotiating) table and this is a positive decision, it is a rightful decision, it is the right decision," Erdogan said.

The Turkish leader added that Turkey would continue the Tripoli-based government to "establish dominance" over the whole of the country.

Erdogan also appeared to approve of the re-arrest of Osman Kavala, a prominent philanthropist detained for alleged ties to a 2016 coup attempt but detained again just hours after a court acquitted him on terrorism-related charges and ordered his release from jail after 840 days.

He described the 2013 anti-government protests as being a "heinous attack" that allegedly cost the country billions of dollars.
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Wed, February 19, 2020 21:02 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20658409c 1 National Batang-Toru-hydropower-project,Chinese-workers,China,Indonesia,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,travel-ban Free

Development of the Batang Toru hydropower plant (PLTA) in South Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra, has been temporarily shut down as workers from mainland China are unable to fly to the country amid a travel ban implemented by the government over fears of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The company that will operate the plant, PT North Sumatra Hydro Energy (NSHE), said it had suspended the construction project in August last year after Chinese technical workers from contractor Sinohydro were terminated because they were unable to properly carry out their duties.

The senior advisor for the president commissioner of NSHE, Emmy Hafild, said the company had arranged for 125 replacement workers, but they were unable to reach the Batang Toru project site because of the travel ban.

We dont know when the Batang Toru project can continue as it depends on when the government will lift the travel ban to and from mainland China, Emmy told The Jakarta Post during a press meeting on Tuesday.

Emmy added that Batang Toru, which would cost Rp 22 trillion (US$1.6 billion) and have a power capacity of about 510 megawatts, was a collaboration with the government as part of its 35,000-megawatt national electricity strategic project.

Read also: Chinese workers in North Sumatra test negative for COVID-19 after 14-days of quarantine

She said the company had so far been working on tunneling for the project, which was mainly handled by Chinese workers. Therefore, Emmy said, the absence of Chinese workers had disrupted the current stage of construction.

We hope to complete the Batang Toru project by 2022. But seeing the current conditions, we are certain that we will miss the target.

Indonesia imposed a travel ban to and from China on Feb. 5, preventing people who had stayed for more than two weeks in China to visit or transit in the country, amid efforts to avoid the deadly coronavirus from spreading to the archipelago.

As of Wednesday, the death toll from COVID-19  which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan  has surged beyond 2,000, with more than 74,000 cases of infection globally. A majority of the deaths came from mainland China, but France, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan and Hong Kong have each reported one death.

Indonesia has yet to report any confirmed cases, but at least four people have tested positive overseas; one Indonesian maid in Singapore and three on the Diamond Princess cruise ship anchored off the coast of Japan. (syk)
Police have arrested three persons and claimed to have recovered 2.3-kg heroin, two pistols, four cartridges and 7,000 drug money from them.

Also, a Tata Safari car without number plate and four mobile phones were seized from the accused identified as Tejinder Singh (25) of Lama village in Jalandhar, Rohit Joshi, alias Bahman (20) of Majitha road, Shivam Kumar, alias Nannu (20) of Loon Mandi, and Bikram Singh, alias Bikkar (28) of Jandiala Guru in Amritsar.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, deputy commissioner of police (DCP-detective) Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar said a team of crime investigation agency first arrested Tejinder with 300gm heroin at a checkpoint near Bhai Manj Singh Gurdwara on Tuesday.

During questioning, Tejinder told the police that he purchased the contraband from the three, Bhullar said.

Then our team carried out raids and arrested Rohit, Shivam and Bikram from their houses. Nearly 2 kilogram heroin was seized from them. The three revealed they were working at the behest of some criminals lodged in different jails of Punjab, said the DCP.

A senior police official said, The arrested men were working on the instructions of Rinka and Money who are lodged in the Hoshiarpur and Amritsar jails. We have initiated the process to bring the two on production warrant, he said.
New Delhi, Feb 19 : Ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to India, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the purchase of 24 American helicopters for the Indian Navy. The deal to procure MH-60R Seahawk helicopters is worth Rs $2.6 billion.

"The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared the procurement of 24 MH-60R multi-role helicopters for the navy," said a senior government official.

Last year former Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had approved the proposal to procure the choppers which is manufactured by the Lockheed Martin group.

The Trump administration also gave clearance after the US government rolled out a new "Buy American" plan in 2018 that had relaxed restrictions on sales, saying it would bolster the US defence industry and create jobs at home.

Sources said the deal would be carried out through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route, which is the American equivalent of the government-to-government contracts India.

The deal is likely to be inked during Trump's two-day visit to India from February 24. He would travelling to New Delhi, Agra and Ahmedabad.

The 24 helicopters would be a big boost to the Navy. The multi-role helicopters will be equipped with Hellfire missiles and torpedoes, and are meant to help the Indian Navy track submarines in the Indian Ocean, where China is expanding its presence.

Currently, P8i aircraft are being used to keep vigil on enemy submarines.

The US State Department had approved the sale of the choppers to India last year along with radars, torpedoes and 10 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.

A week ago, the US State Department had also said it had approved an Indian request for an Integrated Air Defence Weapon System for an estimated cost of $1.87 billion, which would further strengthen the two countries' defence ties. The two sides are expected to move forward on the deal over the year.

--IANS sk/prs

EOM
The CRPF on Wednesday said Jammu and Kashmir was its top priority and stressed on the need for effective synergy among security forces and intelligence agencies to maintain peace in the Union territory.

"Jammu and Kashmir is considered the crown of India and its security is our utmost priority,"DG CRPF A P Maheshwari said, addressing a joint darbar of police and CRPF personnel in Shopian district.

He complimented the Jammu and Kashmir Police and other central forces for successfully handling security and law and order duties in the UT.

Maheshwari added that the CRPF has been working with the Jammu and Kashmir Police for a long time and good results have come due to coordinated efforts.

Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh also addressed the darbar. He said the good work done by the J&K Police, CRPF and other forces was being recognised everywhere.

"The forces will continue their collective work to safeguard the interests of the people in Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 18:17 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20657cf89 4 Food culinary,foods,#food,West-Java,bandung-culinary-adventure,bandung-restaurants,travel,destination Free

Bandung never ceases to amaze travelers with its rich culinary scene, especially around the West Java capital citys Alun-alun (town square) Park that is often used as a meeting point and for events.

Below are some of the legendary eateries one must try when visiting the Alun-alun Park as compiled by kompas.com:

Warung Kopi Purnama

Built in the 1930s, Warung Kopi Purnama is a convenient place for those craving a homemade breakfast.

Located at Jl. Alkateri No. 22, the coffee shop is also interesting as it still maintains its colonial architecture and is adorned with vintage furniture and wall decorations.

Most customers can be found purchasing its famous roti srikaya (bread with coconut custard jam) as the family who run the business make their own family-recipe jam. The sweetness of the jam goes well with a cup of hot coffee brewed with legendary coffee factory Kopi Aroma's beans. The prices for roti srikaya start from Rp 18,000 (US$1.31).

Around a 10-minute walk from the park, the coffee shop is open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Sate DJ

In Indonesia, satay is mostly served with peanut sauce or soy sauce with sliced onions, tomatoes and chili. However, the Sate DJ eatery chooses to serve satay without any sauces.

Located on Jl. Sudirman, around a 10-minute walk from Alun-alun Park, customers can choose from chicken, beef or lamb meat  which is soaked in secret seasonings prior to being grilled.

Patrons may choose one out of the two different flavors available: salty-spicy and less salty, which may remind you of satay taichan (spicy satay dish without any sauces), but the one served at Sate DJ is more savory. However Sate DJ also provides peanut sauce for those craving the traditional. The price for each satay dish is Rp 15,000 for chicken and Rp 17,000 for beef and lamb.

Sate DJ is open from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Wedang Ronde Alkateri

Wedang ronde (glutinous rice flour served with a hot ginger broth) is among Bandung's most sought-after desserts, especially when the weather gets cold. It is also the most popular dish of Wedang Ronde Alkateri, which was established in 1984.

Here, the wedang ronde consists of the large ronde (glutinous rice flour) that has sweet peanut fillings that will burst with flavor in your mouth when you chew it, and smaller non-filling ronde. Patrons can choose whether they want the broth with palm sugar or white sugar -- palm sugar is the most popular though as it gives a savory hint to the broth. Customers can also ask for more or less gingery broth.

Nestled on Jl. Alkateri No. 1, Wedang Ronde Alkateri is open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Do note that the place is quite small in size and is therefore usually crowded during the night.

Sumber Hidangan

Sumber Hidangan is among the city's eateries that offer traditional dishes, including ice cream. One of its most popular ice creams, priced between Rp 11,500 and Rp 32,000, is the nougat flavor that boasts a sweet flavor with a crunchy texture coming from the nougat confection.

Located on Jl. Braga, Sumber Hidangan also sells bread and cookies. The eatery uniquely still write its menus in Dutch.

As the place is located in a small alley, those bringing their own vehicles may want to park them in the Braga City Walk area, or visit by foot, as it is only a 12-minute walk from Alun-alun Park.

Toko Sidodadi

This bakery on Jl. Otto Iskandardinata may appear small and humble, however it is actually among the most famous bakeries in Bandung, as it has been around since the 1950s and sells traditional breads.

Among Toko Sidodadi's most popular items are horn-shaped bread with a chocolate filling and the not-too-sweet soft corn bread, with prices ranging from Rp 3,700 to Rp 4,800. People can usually be found lining up in the morning to enjoy freshly baked bread.

Located around a 10 to 15 minute walk from the park, Toko Roti Sidodadi is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Rasa Bakery and Cafe

Established in the 1910s, Rasa Bakery and Cafe is another of Bandung's most famous cafes that still exist today. Located on Jl. Tamblong Dalam No. 15 in Braga, the place serves classic dishes that are influenced by Dutch cuisines, including bitterballen (fried balls of flour and meat) and poffertjes (mini pancakes).

First-timers to the cafe are recommended to try their ice cream -- with prices starting from Rp 25,000 to Rp 40,000 -- especially the coconut royale flavor that consists of strawberry, chocolate and vanilla ice cream served with assorted fruits in a bowl made of coconut shell.

Around a 15-minute walk from the park, the cafe is open daily from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Bakmi Parahyangan

Bakmi Parahyangan has long been known for its Bandung-style mi yamin (noodles in sweet soy sauce), which use the Kecap Cap Anggur soy sauce brand, bringing the right level of sweetness with meatballs and pangsit (dumplings) served in separated bowls.

What makes bakmi (noodles) at Bakmi Parahyangan special are the various toppings, from thinly shredded chicken to meatballs, beef tripe and dumplings. The beef tripe is chewy and savory, while the dumplings are soft. The food prices at the eatery start from Rp 25,000 to Rp 45,000 depending on the choice of toppings.

Established in 1975 and open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Bakmi Parahyangan is located on Jl. Dalem Kaum No. 12, only a five-minute walk from Alun-alun Park. (wir/kes)
UTICA, NY  The spirit of the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics is alive and well  and coming to you from Utica.

The Finnish Long Drink, a pre-packaged mix of gin and grapefruit soda, has been slowly introduced to the United States in recent months. Its produced by an independent company and made under contract for the U.S. market at Uticas F.X. Matt (Saranac) Brewing Co.
MADRID (Reuters) - The Spanish government has sent a bill to parliament proposing to tax revenues booked by web giants such as Google (GOOGL.O), Amazon (AMZN.O) and Facebook (FB.O) in Spain, budget minister Maria Jesus Montero said on Tuesday.

The government proposes to levy a 3% tax on large web companies that generate global revenue of more than 750 million euros (622.2 million) per year and more than 3 million euros in Spain, Montero said.

She said the affected companies will have to make the first tax payment in late 2020, adding that the delay will allow for international negotiations.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro and Clara-Laeila Laudette; Editing by Nathan Allen)
[February 19, 2020] Innovating the App Feature, HSB Optimizes the Future Investment Opportunity in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to research of the World Bank, today's middle class in Indonesia counts at least 52 million people, or 20% of the population in the country. However, only a few of the community are interested in the future investment due to the lack of education. Overcoming these challenges, a future trading company, HSB, is unveiling the new app feature to facilitate customer's exposure to the futures trading and investment activity. "The feature is aimed at increasing the public interest in futures trading, while at the same time optimizing the investment opportunity in Indonesia. Strengthening its position as one of the Indonesia's best industry players, HSB is the only company that applies the lowest commission rate, value at $0," said Hendrik Hartono, President Director of HSB. HSB innovates its facilities with the smart all-in-one trading application which allows customer to easily transact through mobile apps, such as, registering, depositing and withdrawing funds, open positions, as well as seting the take-profit and stop-loss features. As the feature becomes more sophisticated, it's possible for customers to transparently track every profit activity in real time.



Hendrik added, "With the feature namely Electronic Trading System, customers will always be updated in minutes, even seconds. By applying the AI Marketwatch feature, customers are also encouraged to be more observant to the futures trading trends, as it provides real-time and continuous market monitoring, updated notifications of new trading opportunities, as well as transactions review about highest profit values and the frequency. All customers' transactions are monitored through the CITRA link (https://citra.ich.co.id/), hence they can see precise details of their transactions on the HSB apps.

The company has also met all major requirement to be a trusted, safe, and transparent futures broker. Since 2018, HSB has been registered in BAPPEBTI, a member of PT Indonesia Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (BKDI / ICDX), also registered as a member of PT Indonesia Clearing House (ICH). "With the licenses of these authority institutions, all customer's operations and transactions will be continuously monitored to ensure that every trading activity is safe and trusted. Our further commitment is we consistently educate customers through a variety of free seminars led by experienced financial experts," said Hendrik. HSB showcases Trader Partners the best online trading experience by providing the most innovative trading process, training courses provided by experienced experts, and strict implementation of financial management standards to protect investor funds. The company has coordinated online seminar that covers topic about "Price Action Trading Strategies for Beginners" through Facebook's live streaming. To find more information about the upcoming seminar and training schedules, you can download the all-in-one trading application through Google Play and the App Store. To reach wider and high-integrity consumers, on February 17, 2020, HSB unveiled the new logo with vibrant colors that adopted the company's vision of user-friendly, INNOVATIVE, INTELLIGENT, and TRANSPARENT trading services. "This year, we're preparing for new changes to bring more choices of profit opportunities and promotions to attract and celebrate our customers' loyalty," concluded Hendrik. For more images of HSB, click HERE. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200219/2724378-1-a

Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200219/2724378-1logo SOURCE PT HSB Semesta Berjangka

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday went on a pardoning spree, absolving the prison sentence of former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik, who was convicted of crimes including tax fraud and lying to the White House in connection with a scheme that allegedly involved two brothers who are former Staten Island residents.

"There are no words to express my appreciation and gratitude to President Trump, Kerik wrote in a statement on Twitter. With the exception of the birth of my children, today is one of the greatest days of my life  being made a full and whole American citizen again.

Kerik was sentenced in 2010 after pleading guilty to eight felonies following being nominated as homeland security secretary by then-President George W. Bush. He later withdrew from consideration due to potential tax violations, the Advance previously reported.

Keriks conviction spurred after he received $165,000 in free renovations in exchange for helping Peter and Frank DiTommaso  both New Jersey residents who are ex-Staten Islanders  obtain a license for their company, Interstate Industrial Corp., authorities alleged at the time.

The brothers were accused of lying to a grand jury when they testified that the company didnt pay for the renovations.

In December 2012, Peter DiTommaso was convicted of two counts of perjury and later sentenced to five years probation, 1,500 hours of community service and two $5,000 fines. Frank DiTommaso was acquitted of the charges, the Advance previously reported.

In 2015, a state appellate court overturned the perjury conviction against Peter DiTomasso, citing the Bronx state Supreme Court, which had incorrectly allowed prosecutors to admit as evidence a testifying witnesss grand-jury testimony.

The same year, Frank DiTommaso was seen on surveillance video allegedly attacking his former friend, Larry Ray, an FBI informant whose testimony against Kerik resulted in a federal prison sentence, according to a Daily News report.

Frank DiTommaso was initially charged with felony assault in April 2016 for the alleged beat-down inside the hotel, but the charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor by the Manhattan District Attorneys Office.

Kerik was hailed as a hero as he helped rally New York Citys police force and its citizens following the 9/11 terror attacks.

Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Trumps current personal lawyer, previously backed Bushs nomination of Kerik to be secretary of homeland security.

After charges against Kerik arose, Giuliani told the Advance he was very saddened by it, personally saddened by it."

I worry for his children and for his wife," Giuliani said. "Im very disappointed with what Bernie did. Hes admitted to that. But I also realize how complicated it is, because as many bad things as Bernie did, he did as many good things.

Said Giuliani: He was an excellent police commissioner for the things that we publicly knew about, the ability to reduce crime. And he was a hero on Sept. 11, and nobody can take that away from him.

In addition to pardoning Keriks sentence, Trump commuted the 14-year prison sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Blagojevich, a Democrat who has served eight years of a 14-year sentence for pay-for-play charges, exhausted his last appellate option in 2018, according to the Associated Press.

Trump also pardoned financier Michael Milken, who pleaded guilty to violating U.S. securities laws and served two years in prison in the early 1990s, the Associated Press reported. Trump also pardoned Edward DeBartolo Jr., the former San Francisco 49ers owner convicted in a gambling fraud scandal.

Additionally, Trump pardoned Ariel Friedler, a technology entrepreneur who pleaded guilty to accessing a computer without authorization; Paul Pogue, a construction company owner who underpaid his taxes; David Safavian, who was convicted of obstructing an investigation into a trip he took while he was a senior government official; and Angela Stanton, an author who served a six-month home sentence for her role in a stolen vehicle ring.

(Associated Press materials contributed to this report.)
ISTANBUL  A verdict was widely expected today for the Amnesty International Buyukada case, but judges decided to continue the trial on April 3, 2020, after the court was unable to hear all the final defense statements to conclude proceedings.

In a trial that opened Oct. 25, 2017, 11 defendants, including Amnesty International's former Turkey chair Taner Kilic, face terrorism-related charges stemming from their work as human rights defenders. Todays proceedings come one day after Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala was acquitted and then re-arrested on charges of attempting to overthrow the government.

Both cases highlight the increased pressure faced by civil society members following a failed 2016 coup that sparked an ongoing state crackdown on critical voices and narrowed avenues for free speech in Turkey.

These proceedings are designed to silence individuals and quash the small independent civil society that still exists in Turkey, Milena Buyum, Turkey campaigner for Amnesty International, told Al-Monitor. It is contributing to a climate of fear. Its maintaining it and, of course, to a certain extent  its paralyzing.

The session ran from 10:30 a.m. to about 4:30 p.m. at Istanbuls Caglayan Justice Palace in a room too small to hold all the local and foreign observers present. Six of the defendants were in attendance to deliver their final defense statements, while defense lawyers read prepared statements for the absent defendants, some of whom are outside the country.

Several defense statements were extensive, as defendants recounted every piece of evidence supporting their innocence. Buyum said the lengthy statements may have come in response to the prosecutors final opinion, which was issued in November and omitted much of the defense evidence presented in prior hearings.

In his statement, Kilic outlined reports that he said proved his phone did not have software linked to ByLock, a communication application the Turkish state claims is used by supporters of Fethullah Gulen, an exiled Turkish cleric accused of fomenting the 2016 coup attempt. Other defendants explained that Amnesty International press releases and calls to action were not attempts to overthrow the Turkish government.

It seems really odd that youd have to explain such basic facts in a court of law, Buyum told Al-Monitor.

The defendants face up to 15 years' imprisonment after being initially detained in the summer of 2017. Kilic was detained first in Izmir in June 2017 and was released on bail in August 2018. The other 10 were detained in July 2017 at a hotel on the Buyukada island near Istanbul, where they participating in a workshop on digital security. Court proceedings were later merged for all 11 defendants.

The defendants include Veli Acu, Ozlem Dalkiran, Nalan Erkem, Idil Eser, Ali Gharavi, Gunal Kursun, Peter Steudtner and Ilknur Ustun, who spent 99 days in pretrial detention before their release on Oct. 25, 2017, as well as Nejat Tastan and Seyhmus Ozbekli.

The prosecution accuses Kilic of membership of a terrorist organization, while Acu, Dalkiran, Eser, Kursun and Tastan are charged with knowingly and willingly assisting a terrorist organization. Prosecutors requested that charges against the defendants be dropped.

The trial took place a day after warrants were issued for nearly 700 people suspected of having ties to Gulen supporters.

Erol Onderoglu, the Turkey representative for Reporters Without Borders who attended Wednesdays trial, said such developments, more than three and a half years after the failed coup, are evidence of ongoing political persecution in Turkey.

Keeping in mind what happened yesterday with Osman Kavala, it is absolutely [pointless] to seek reason with regards to this judiciary, Onderoglu told Al-Monitor. There is a huge political dispute within the judiciary between many groups and there are many forms of arbitrary rulings.

In a statement released Wednesday in response to the Kavala case, Dunja Mijatovic, commissioner for human rights for the Council of Europe, called on Turkish authorities to restore judicial independence and stop the practice of targeting human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists and silencing them by using administrative and judicial actions.

Mijatovic went on to claim the aftermath of the state of emergency imposed after the coup attempt has had devastating consequences for judicial independence and impartiality that threatens the rule of law in Turkey.

At the time of writing, Kavala awaits referral to a prosecutor's office following a 24-hour detention period in regard to his new court proceedings.

Since the July 2016 coup attempt, more than 77,000 people have been arrested and at least 130,000 civil servants have been dismissed on suspected Gulen links.
A mother-of-two was outraged after spending 12,700 out of her pension on a TUI 'holiday from hell' at a 'shabby' four-star hotel in Jamaica that allegedly provided awful food, filthy conditions, and a wardrobe that collapsed on her father.

Lisa Wickstead, 53, booked the Christmas holiday getaway for her family to celebrate the end of her 30-year career with the Metropolitan Police.

She treated her parents, policeman husband, and two children to a luxury week-long cruise with Marella Cruises, before upgrading to expensive hotel option The Jewel Runaway Bay, in Jamaica, as part of their holiday package with TUI.

But the former officer was shocked to discover a 'shabby' hotel serving 'lukewarm and tasteless' food and offered rooms with broken appliances.

Ms Wickstead of Essex complained of their rooms not being made in advance for the family-of-six, despite running two hours late for check-in.

Lisa Wickstead (pictured middle right) booked the Christmas holiday getaway for her family to celebrate the end of her 30-year career with the Metropolitan Police abroad (pictured with her husband Andrew, a policeman, and her two children)

Her parents found their bathroom lights were not working, while a wardrobe collapsed on top of Ms Wickstead's father.

The 53-year-old was mortified after spotting a dead bird caught in a trap above the buffet restaurant, the walls of which were splatted in bird faeces.

All the beds were wobbly, door handles were loose, tiles were cracked, and there were no pillows or towels in the children's room.

Meanwhile, dead insects were found squashed all over the walls, which were so thin that Ms Wickstead claimed she could hear guests as she tried to sleep.

She treated her parents, husband, and children to a luxury week-long cruise with Marella Cruises, before upgrading to expensive hotel option The Jewel Runaway Bay, in Jamaica, as part of their holiday package with travel company TUI

Her parents found their bathroom lights were not working, while a wardrobe allegedly even collapsed on top of Ms Wickstead's father

She also found dangerous exposed wires from lamp posts around the hotel, open pipes leading to the beach, and algae in the outdoor pool.

When Ms Wickstead requested changing rooms at The Jewel Runaway Bay, the family were met with similarly filthy conditions in the other suites.

She was left in tears and devastated as the scenery of her dream Christmas holiday fell all around her, and vowed it would take a 'lifetime to forget' the trip.

Despite complaining to TUI about the quality of the so-called four-star hotel, the travel company offered her a 1,755 voucher as compensation.

Her note to TUI read: 'I am disgusted by TUI - what is your advert says, we cross the T's and dot the I's with U in the middle... Really?

All the beds were wobbly, door handles were loose, tiles were cracked, and there were no pillows or towels in the children's room

The former officer was shocked to discover a 'shabby' old shack serving 'lukewarm and tasteless' food (pictured) and offered rooms with broken appliances

The 53-year-old was mortified after spotting a dead bird caught in a trap above the buffet restaurant, the walls of which were splatted in bird faeces

'We were neglected, forgotten about and my holiday experience left in tatters with poor transportation issues.

'This is the worst hotel I have stayed in and inadequate food, my older daughter's Christmas Dinner was French fries and a bread roll.'

She added: 'My husband lost half a stone on the holiday and our first ever all-inclusive hotel experience as a family will NEVER be repeated.

'From now on I am doing what I always do and book our family holidays independently for half the cost of this one.'

The Jewel Runaway Bay resort in Jamaica, as advertised on its website

The outdoor dip pool at The Jewel Runaway Bay resort in Jamaica, as advertised on its website

A bedroom at The Jewel Runaway Bay resort in Jamaica, as advertised on its website

The buffet restaurant at The Jewel Runaway Bay resort in Jamaica, as advertised on its website

Ms Wickstead has since refused the 1,755 voucher and returned it back to TUI, saying all her concerns simply fell on deaf ears.

Despite repeated emails, TUI has shut down any further communication with her, though she doesn't expect to receive her money back for the trip.

A spokeswoman for TUI said: 'We are very sorry to hear that Ms Wickstead was unhappy with her hotel following the cruise she went on.

'We take any matters like this seriously and have offered her a goodwill gesture for her disappointment in the second week of her holiday, as well as our sincere apologies. We'd like to reassure our customers that we regularly audit all of the hotels we feature in respect of health and safety, including hygiene.'

Ms Wickstead and her husband Andrew complained to TUI repeatedly over the holiday, and continued to chase up the travel company for further explanation afterwards

TUI offered her a 1,755 voucher as compensation (pictured). Ms Wickstead has since refused the 1,755 voucher and returned it back to TUI, saying all her concerns simply fell on deaf ears
The demolition of a tower near downtown Dallas didnt go quite as planned.

As the former Affiliated Computer Services building was imploded with explosives on Sunday morning, the core of the 11-story tower stubbornly remained standing, leaning to one side.

The building fell the way it was supposed to fall, said Josh Stevens, a project manager at Lloyd D. Nabors Demolition. It happened to stop right there.

Video of the buildings collapse immediately went viral and people began calling the structure the Leaning Tower of Dallas.

Who needs Pisa? We have the Leaning Tower of Dallas, one Twitter user wrote, sharing a photo of the citys newest landmark.
A man who was found dead Monday in the Tennessee River in north Alabama is believed to have jumped from a bridge in Tennessee nearly three weeks earlier, the authorities said

The man was identified as 66-year-old George E. Koontz, who was reported missing from Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Jan. 29, according to the Marshall County, Ala. sheriffs office. Koontz body was found in the river near Guntersville Dam on Monday afternoon.

Due to heavy rain over the past few weeks, flood gates have remained open along the Tennessee River. Investigators believe this allowed the body to travel 122 miles  from Chattanooga to Guntersville  along the river in nearly three weeks, said Steve Guthrie, a Marshall County sheriffs office spokesman.

The sheriffs office investigated the case along with the Marshall County Coroner and police from the Tennessee Valley Authority and Chattanooga.

Suicide resources in Alabama

Alabama Suicide Prevention and Resource Coalition Crisis Center, Inc. (Birmingham)

Phone: 205-323-7777

Kids Help Line: 205-328-KIDS (5437)

Teen Link: 205-328-LINK (5465)

Senior Talk Line: 205-328-TALK (8255)

Hours of Operation: 24/7

Crisis Services of North Alabama (Huntsville)

Phone: 256-716-1000

Toll Free: 800-691-8426

Hours of Operation: 24/7

Lifelines/Family Counseling Center of Mobile

Phone: 251-431-5111

Toll Free: 800-293-1117

Hours of Operation: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (CST) Monday-Friday

Sources: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and The Alabama Suicide Prevention and Resource Coalition
The Gujarat government on



Wednesday said the state tops in the country in total investment proposed under Industrial Entrepreneur Memorandum (IEM).

Gujarat alone accounts for 51 per cent of the total investment proposed under IEM, while neighbouring Maharashtra is a distant second, a government release said here.

Out of the total Rs 6.78 lakh crore investment proposed under IEM, Rs 3.43 lakh crore (or 51 per cent) was in Gujarat, the release said.

Industrial undertakings exempted from the requirements of Industrial Licencing under I (D&R) Act, 1951, are required to file information relating to setting up of industries in the country is known as IEM.

IEM is registered under the central government's Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

The state government said the Gujarat figure is three times that of proposed investment under EMI in Maharashtra, which is number two in the list with Rs 1.15 lakh crore.

The release credited policies of the Gujarat government for the surge in investment in the state.

However, the period of proposed IEM when these intentions for investment were filed with the central government has not been given in the release.

All industrial undertakings exempted from the requirements of industrial licencing under I (D&R) Act, 1951, and having an investment of Rs 10 crore or above in the 'manufacturing sector' and Rs 5 crore or above in the 'services sector', are required to file an IEM, as per the portal of DPIIT.

The release said under the leadership of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Gujarat is emerging as a favourite destination for investment in the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
DETROIT, Feb. 19, 2020 Stratview Research announces the launch of a new report on Eco-Friendly Fracking Chemicals Market by Chemical Type (Gelling Agent, Crosslinker, Surfactant, Friction Reducer, and Others), by Fluid Type (Slickwater, Linear Gel, and Crosslinked Gel), by Well Type (Horizontal Well and Vertical Well), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2020-2025.

This 209-page comprehensive report, from Stratview Research, is one of its kind and estimates the current as well as future growth opportunities for the market participants until 2025. The report segments and analyzes the market in the most detailed manner in order to provide a panoramic view of the market. The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for the market participants as well as investors in the identification of low-hanging fruits available in the market as well as formulate growth strategies.

Eco-Friendly Fracking Chemicals Market: Research Highlights

The market for eco-friendly fracking chemicals is in the growth phase and is expected to gain momentum in the coming years to come. The prime factor contributing to the growth of this market is the harmful environmental impact of the traditionally used fracking chemicals. The toxic fracking chemicals lead to soil and water contamination, which not only pollutes the nearby drinking water resources but also affects agricultural production. Eco-friendly fracking chemicals are a good alternative to these harmful chemicals.

As per a recent study by Stratview Research, the eco-friendly fracking chemicals market is projected to grow at a promising CAGR of 7.6% over the next five years to reach US$ 9,948 million in 2025. Increasing awareness regarding the use of environmental-friendly fracking chemicals, recuperating crude oil prices along with increasing share of hydraulically fractured oil & gas production, and huge reserves of shale gas are the key factors, propelling the demand for eco-friendly fracking chemicals.

Click Below and Run Through the Detailed TOC of the Report:

https://www.stratviewresearch.com/toc/814/eco-friendly-fracking-chemicals-market.html

The market is segmented based on the type of chemicals as gelling agent, crosslinker, surfactant, friction reducer, and others. Gelling agent dominates the market because of the use of a large amount of gelling agent in linear gel and crosslinked gel fracking fluids. Furthermore, there is a sheer interest in the use of eco-friendly gelling agents in the industry. Guar gum is biodegradable and an environmentally friendly gelling agent. Friction reducer is the fastest-growing segment, owing to its use in slickwater fracking fluid.

Based on the fluid type, slickwater is expected to remain the largest as well as the fastest-growing segment during the forecast period. Various benefits offered by slickwater fracking fluids, such as better production results at a reduced cost, make it the dominant segment.

Based on the well type, horizontally drilled well dominated the market in 2019 and is anticipated to maintain its dominance over the next five years as well. For the past few years, the share of hydraulically fractured horizontal wells has constantly been increasing because of their various benefits including an efficient extraction of oil and natural gas and reduced surface impact as several wells can be drilled from one location.

Register Here and Ask for a Free Sample of the Report:

https://www.stratviewresearch.com/Request-Sample/814/eco-friendly-fracking-chemicals-market.html

In terms of regions, North America is expected to maintain its unassailable dominance in the global market during the forecast period, driven by the most number of hydraulically fractured wells in the region coupled with the presence of major eco-friendly fracking chemicals manufacturers, increasing awareness regarding the use of environmentally friendly fracking chemicals, and a large amount of technically recoverable shale oil and gas reserves in the region.

Over the same period, Asia-Pacific is projected to grow at the highest rate, driven by increasing investments in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas in China and rising concern for protecting the environment from the harmful effects of fracking chemicals. China owns the highest technically recoverable shale gas reserves (31.6 trillion cubic meters).

The supply chain of this market comprises raw material suppliers, eco-friendly fracking chemical suppliers, fracturing service providers, and operators. Major players in the market, such as Halliburton Company, Schlumberger Limited, and Bakers Hughes, provide both, environmentally friendly fracking fluids as well as chemicals.

Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis. Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis. Market trend and forecast analysis. Market segment trend and forecast. Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc. Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities. Emerging trends. Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players. Key success factors

This report studies the eco-friendly fracking chemicals market and has segmented the market in four ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. Following are the four ways in which the market is segmented:

Eco-friendly Fracking Chemicals Market, By Chemicals Type

Gelling Agent (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

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China's measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic are achieving visible progress as the battle has reached a crucial time, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a phone conversation with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday.

In the phone call, Xi expressed his gratitude to Queen Elizabeth II and Johnson for their sympathies with China's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, noting that Britain has offered China supplies in support of the fight, which demonstrates the friendship between the two countries and the two peoples.

Since the outbreak, China has always prioritized its people's safety and health, given full play to its institutional advantages, mobilized the entire country, and adopted the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control measures, Xi said.

Thanks to those arduous efforts, the situation is witnessing positive changes, and China's prevention and control measures are achieving visible progress, he added.

Now the battle against the epidemic has arrived at a crucial time, he pointed out, stressing that China will strive to reduce the impact of the epidemic while resolutely carrying out the prevention and control efforts.

Noting that the Chinese economy enjoys strong resilience, broad space for domestic demand and a solid industrial foundation, Xi said that China has confidence and capacity to achieve this year's targets for economic and social development, especially such key tasks as securing a victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and in eliminating poverty.

Upholding the idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China is not only responsible for the safety and health of its people, but also committed to the cause of safeguarding international public health, Xi noted.

China has made enormous efforts, and has effectively contained the global spread of the virus, Xi said, adding that the Chinese side will continue to cooperate with Britain and all other countries in an open and transparent manner.

Against the backdrop of increasing global challenges, China and Britain, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, should work together to shoulder more responsibilities and make more achievements, so as to lead the China-Britain comprehensive strategic partnership to a fresh journey in the new decade, Xi said.

He said that the two sides should grasp the general direction of the development of bilateral relations from strategic and political perspectives, stick to the principle of win-win cooperation, and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns on the basis of mutual respect.

The two sides should also strengthen high-level exchanges, tap into their economic complementarity and carry out more practical cooperation, Xi noted.

He added that the Chinese side stands ready to work with the British side to safeguard multilateralism and free trade, and strengthen communication on major international and regional issues.

For his part, Johnson, on behalf of the British government and people, expressed sympathies to the Chinese people over the COVID-19 outbreak, and highly appreciated China's comprehensive and effective measures to prevent and control the epidemic, timely sharing of information with the international community, and efforts to stop the virus from spreading on a worldwide scale.

The British side admires China's speed and efficiency in the fight against the epidemic and stands ready to continue to provide China with support and assistance, the prime minister said.

Johnson also expressed his belief that under the leadership of Xi, the Chinese people will prevail over the epidemic and minimize its impact on the country's economic and social development.

He added that he loves China, and stands ready to lead the new British government to work with the Chinese side to strengthen exchanges at all levels, deepen cooperation in various fields, and push for continuous achievements in the "golden era" of bilateral relations.

Britain welcomes investment from Chinese enterprises and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

Britain and China, both influential major countries, share similar positions on many international issues, Johnson said, noting that both sides advocate multilateralism, support free trade and safeguard a multilateral trading system.

The British side stands ready to enhance coordination with China on the 2020 UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Britain and the upcoming 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in China, so as to jointly promote international cooperation on climate change, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 23:25:37|Editor: huaxia

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Viruses do not respect borders. The fight against coronavirus is also a test of international solidarity in the face of common enemies of humanity.

By Xinhua writers Wang Zhuolun, Zhu Chao

BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has had frequent phone conversations with his foreign counterparts over the past two weeks. With sympathies and solidarity pouring in from the international community, China has rallied global support as it wages a harsh war against the novel coronavirus outbreak, known as COVID-19.

China's measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic are achieving visible progress as the battle has reached a crucial time, Xi said in a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, Xi had his second phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron within a month.

China not only safeguards the lives and health of the Chinese people but acts in a highly responsible manner for global public health security, Xi told Macron.

Since the outbreak, China has mobilized the entire country and adopted the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control measures, including locking down the 10-million-population city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.

Combo photo shows an aerial view of the construction site of Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital, a makeshit hospital dedicated to treating patients infected with the novel coronavirus, during10 days from Jan. 24 to Feb. 2, 2020 in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

Both Johnson and Macron expressed their high appreciation for China's efforts to stop the virus from spreading on a worldwide scale as well as its high degree of openness and transparency.

In the past month, Chinese leaders, including the president, premier and foreign minister, had over 30 phone conversations with their foreign counterparts over China's fight against the epidemic, according to the website of the Foreign Ministry.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen paid a special visit to Beijing in early February to show solidarity. "A friend in need is a friend indeed as the Cambodian people stand with the Chinese people at this special moment," Xi said.

Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in China on Jan. 28, five days after Wuhan's lockdown.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (C), World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, addresses a press conference, on which WHO said that China's latest epidemiological paper on COVID-19 is important in enabling it to provide advice to other countries, in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia)

During his meeting with Xi in Beijing, Tedros hailed that the high speed and massive scale of China's moves are rarely seen in the world, expressing his confidence in China to finally prevail over the epidemic.

OPENNESS, TRANSPARENCY

On Monday, a joint expert team consisting of experts from China and the WHO began their field inspections on the prevention and control of the outbreak in Beijing, Guangdong Province and Sichuan Province.

With a highly responsible attitude, China has conducted active international cooperation since the outbreak. It has immediately informed the WHO of the outbreak, shared technical information and the full gene sequence of the novel coronavirus with the WHO, and provided assistance to foreign nationals in China.

Dr. Michael Ryan(L), executive director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Program, addresses a press conference, on which WHO said that measures to restrict people's movement in China amid the COVID-19 outbreak are a correct strategic and tactical approach, in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 18, 2020. (Photo by Chen Junxia/Xinhua)

Chinese Foreign Ministry held two briefings in late January and early February, respectively, for foreign embassies and missions in China on the prevention and control of the epidemic.

Chinese agencies abroad have also maintained close communication with the governments of receiving countries and updated them on the outbreak and China's efforts in a timely manner.

Due to the outbreak, the Foreign Ministry has held its daily press briefing online through WeChat, the country's most popular messaging app, since Feb. 3.

In a WeChat group of some 300 Chinese and foreign reporters, spokespersons update coronavirus-related data and respond to questions every weekday, together with an English version.

Hua Chunying, director-general of the information department and spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, took a pioneering step in opening a personal Twitter account on Feb. 14.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in his interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, elaborated on how China has shouldered responsibility for its own people and the world at large.

"We have taken the most comprehensive, stringent and thorough prevention and control measures, many of which are well beyond what is required by International Health Regulations and the recommendations of the WHO," Wang told Reuters.

Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the United States, responded to questions raised by U.S. media outlets, easing concerns and misunderstanding from the Western public.

The shared information conveys not only China's confidence and determination to win the battle but also the concrete measures on countering the epidemic, said Zhou Xinyu, a professor of international relations at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

"It shows Chinese diplomats are taking a candid, honest and open attitude when dealing with the epidemic," said Zhou. "They told the facts and did not evade harsh questions, which was helpful."

IN THE SAME BOAT

Viruses do not respect borders.

"The sudden outbreak of the epidemic reminds the world once again that no country can prosper in isolation or meet challenges on its own, as interests are closely interconnected," State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

Thanks to China's voluntary sacrifices, the number of confirmed cases outside China is less than 1 percent of the total, and the world has so far not seen a major global outbreak.

"China's efforts to control the source of the virus and contain its spread have bought valuable time for the rest of the world," said Tedros, stressing that without China's efforts, the number of global cases would be much higher.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, so far, leaders of more than 160 countries and international organizations have sent letters or messages to express their solidarity. Many countries offered moral and material support to China.

Valeria Castellano, 13, together with her 11-year-old little brother Javier Castellano, shows a painting with words of encouragement to China in San Salvador, El Salvador, Feb. 7, 2020. (Photo by Alexander Pena/Xinhua)

Russia, Belarus and the Republic of Korea delivered badly-needed medical supplies to Wuhan through chartered flights. Pakistan sent virtually all the face masks in its stock.

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party decided to deduct 5,000 yen (around 45.43 U.S. dollars) from the March salary of every parliamentarian of the party and donate the money to support China's fight against the epidemic, a sum totaling 2 million yen (around 18,170 U.S. dollars).

The U.S. State Department has coordinated with relevant organizations and donated 16 tonnes of epidemic prevention goods of all sorts, including masks, protective suits and oxygenerators.

While mainly relying on the strength of the Chinese people to fight the epidemic, China is very grateful for the help offered by the international community, said Xi.

The stringent and efficient measures China has taken to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus are paying off.

According to the National Health Commission, China's daily new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus pneumonia outside Hubei had dropped for 15 consecutive days as of Tuesday, and the number of cured cases reached 14,376.

"No winter lasts forever; every spring is sure to follow," Hua wrote in her first tweet. 
New depots will have 24/7 video surveillance and tighter security along the perimeter.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Oleksiy Martsenyuk has said the ministry is building concrete depots for safer storage of munitions and avoiding emergency situations.

In an interview with RFE/RL's Ukrainian service, the defense official said the ministry "learned the lessons of the past," therefore the security system is being improved, with the introduction of centralized monitoring of all military depots.

Read alsoSBU foils plot by Russian intelligence to blow up ammo depot in Ukraine

Martsenyuk added that the security perimeter of ammunition depots should have 24/7 video surveillance with towers, guards, and patrols.

"We also pin great hope on our unified monitoring center, from where we can conduct round-the-clock centralized monitoring of all facilities. Now the centralized monitoring system has already been launched in test mode for part of ammunition depots," he added.
India is expected to be a preferred market for sourcing of apparel products for buyers from the US, UK Europe and Canada as trade with China had been affected due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, Apparel Export Promotion Council Chairman A.Shakivel said on Wednesday.

Countries which had been depending on China have learnt a lesson they should have an alternative market for sourcing and India was expected to be their preferred destination since the Dragon nation's trade had been hit hard, he said.

Besides, UK's exit from the European Union would also give an edge to India, he said in a release summing up the three-day 47th edition of India Knit Fair, which concluded at nearby hosiery town of Tirupur.

Shaktivel, who is also the Chairman of the fair, said it was organised in the backdrop of current economic scenario.

Tamil Nadu Handlooms and Textiles Director M Karunakaran, who was present on the inaugural day, said the state's Textile Policy would support the growth of knitting and textile sector.

The fair featured summer and winter collections in knitwear for all age groups, including infants, along with cotton, polyester, polycotton, Polyester-viscose blended fabric apparels, Shaktivel said.

Specially made garments made from banana cotton, blend with 80 per cent cotton and 20 per cent banana fibre, attracted visitors.

As many as 31 buyers and 142 buying house and agents from different countries visited the stalls during the fair which was expected to generate business worth Rs.300 crore, he said.

A total of 39 leading exporters from Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Chennai, and Kolkatta participated and displayed their products.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested 12 suspects allegedly linked to the abduction of Jibril Giza, Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport of the state.

Commissioner of Police (CP) in the state, Bola Longe, disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday in Lafia, the state capital while parading 35 suspected criminals.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PS was abducted by gunmen in the early hours of February 16 from his residence in Shabu, Lafia.

He however regained his freedom at about 8:00 pm on February 18.

The commissioner explained that the suspects were arrested based on intelligence and technical information received by the police.

Mr Longe said the police rescued Mr Giza from Duduguru village in Obi Local Government Area where he was abandoned by the kidnappers following the close pursuit by his men.

He however, denied knowledge of any ransom paid either by the family members of the victim or anybody to secure his release.

Similarly, the Police also arrested a woman, Paulina Santos of Azuba community in Lafia, who was allegedly scouting for criminals to kidnap her wealthy neighbours.

The CP said the woman had contacted someone to help her organise a gang that would kidnap the mother of her bosom friend.

She told her contact that the husband and children of her target were all working with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and could afford to pay a huge ransom.

Unfortunately for her and fortunately for her neighbour, her contact informed the police about her plan and she was arrested, the CP added.

Mr Longe appealed to the public to always supply them with useful information to enable them nip crime and criminals in the bud even before they carry out their plans.

He therefore commended officers of the command, the Inspector-General of police and the Nasarawa Government for their support.

He assured that the command was motivated now than ever to tackle criminal elements in the state.

Meanwhile, Paulina Santos confessed to her crime in an interview with journalists and pleaded for mercy.

(NAN)


By Park Ji-won



Seoul Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2020 will go ahead as planned despite the spread of coronavirus here, according to a statement on the official website released Wednesday.



According to its official website, Seoul's largest fashion event will be held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) between March 16 and 21. However, some shows and events which were planned to be held outside the building will be cancelled.



"The Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Seoul Design Foundation and the director of Seoul Fashion Week took into consideration that many are worried about the spread of coronavirus and also are supporting the event. As a result, the show will be held as planned from March 16 to 21. But the plans of holding some shows in the street will be withdrawn and the shows will instead be held inside the DDP," a statement on the Seoul Fashion Week official website said Wednesday.



Earlier, the opening event was planned to be held on the eve of the start of the week-long event, but it was also canceled citing the health concerns.



"We will be prepared to prevent the spread of the virus," it added.



The decision came a week after the government announced that there is no need to cancel large events due to the spread of the virus, urging people to take quarantine and preventive measures instead.



However, worries are mounting over the possibility of infection following large crowds visiting the venue amid rising numbers of new cases of coronavirus here, in China and neighboring countries. Also, there are worries that the event will end up not winning enough contracts for the designers as many industry officials continue to cancel shows and have declined to visit venues in Asian countries.



Last week, Shanghai and Beijing Fashion Week which were slated to start in March, were postponed amid fears of coronavirus outbreaks.



Chanel, which considers China as one of its most important markets, canceled its upcoming show in Beijing in May to present its project of a replica of the Paris  31 rue Cambon 2019/20 Metiers d'art collection citing the current health concerns, it said in a statement. Prada also said in a separate statement it had postponed its Prada Resort fashion show in Japan, slated to be held on May 21.



Seoul's largest biannual fashion event has been one of the key events for the fashion industry here and for overseas buyers who were looking for a breath of fresh air in the global fashion world, attracting more than tens of thousands of people to the venue.



In the last event held for the 2020 Spring/Summer season last year, 34 fashion brands presented new collections while some 120 brands participated in fashion trade fairs.


Interim Prime Minister Ludivic Orban argues that in case the Parliament does not vote in favour of the Emergency Ordinance (OUG) regarding the organisation of early elections, there is a risk of "non-compliance" with the 90 days deadline imposed by the Constitution for the organisation of elections from the moment the President dissolves the Legislative, adding that the negative opinion issued by the Judicial Committee of the Senate shows "lack of reason."

"There is a debate and adoption procedure. For now there is the Judicial Committee of the Senate, we know very clearly that there is an ultra group of the PSD [the Social Democratic Party] at the Senate, that hasn't any trace of reason and common sense, that votes blindly, without analysing the normative acts. (...) To reject in an absurd manner, without any argument a regulation which is needed, an indispensable regulation in order to ensure the electoral process in good conditions in case of early elections shows a complete lack of reason," Orban stated on Tuesday, at an event organised by the Association of Communes of Romania.He responded as such when asked whether there are negotiations with the parliamentary parties so that the OUG regarding the oganisation of early elections doesn't get rejected in Parliament after receiving a negative opinion on Tuesday in Senate's Judicial Committee.In Orban's view, there is still "a long way" before the OUG on early elections be rejected in Parliament.When asked if he agrees certain amendments of the draft normative act, the PM-designate wanted to underscore that the Liberal MPs endorse the ordinance as it was adopted by the Government."There is the risk, if this ordinance doesn't get adopted, of non-complying with the constitutional deadline of 90 days, a mandatory term imposed by the Constitution for organizing elections from the moment the President dissolves Parliament," Orban added.When asked whether such a voting is to be organised prior of before the local elections, the PM-designate responded that a calendar of early elections depends "on several factors."The Judicial Committee of the Senate issued on Tuesday an admission report for the rejection of the Government Emergency Ordinance regarding the organization of early parliamentary elections. The Commission adopted an amendment proposed by the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) by which the title of the normative act was amended from "draft for the approval of the OUG" to "project for the rejecting of the OUG."
An ongoing plague of desert locusts is devastating crops in East Africa. The insects pose a serious threat to food security in a region where up to 25 million people are already struggling to get enough to eat. Also, the UN wants an independent investigation into the killing of at least 23 villagers in English-speaking Cameroon. Finally, in DR Congo, President Felix Tshisekedi has promised overpasses in Kinshasa to reduce traffic, but accusations of corruption and lack of funding have ground construction efforts to a halt.
Afghanistan vice president Abdul Rashid Dostum, a powerful warlord who has long held undue sway over the country's politics, called on his supporters on Wednesday to take to the streets to protest against the re-election of President Ashraf Ghani.

Ghani on Tuesday was declared winner of the presidential election -- five months after it was held -- prompting a muted response from the international community as well as ordinary Afghans weary of the dragged-out process.

The result was immediately rejected by Ghani's main rival, former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, as well as his running mate Dostum.

Dostum served as Ghani's running mate in 2014, but the burly 65-year-old Uzbek warlord has switched allegiances many times since joining the Afghan army in the 1970s -- fighting for the Soviets against the mujahideen and then with the alliance that helped overthrow the Taliban.

He has been vice president mostly in name alone, having spent much of the past four years in exile after being accused of rape and kidnapping.

On Wednesday, Dostum said the announcement by the election commission amounted to a "coup", and called on supporters to "hit the streets" to celebrate Abdullah's victory.

"I, as your leader... ask you to support Dr Abdullah with all your life and power," he said.

Despite the rallying cry, there was little sign of major protests -- or celebrations -- across the country.

Ordinary Afghans have shown little passion for Abdullah, Ghani, or the election process in general, with most of them abstaining from voting in last year's lacklustre election that saw a tired lineup of candidates pitch few new ideas.

The international community has also remained unusually silent in the wake of the results, with little in the way of public congratulations to Ghani or comments on Abdullah's announcement that he would form his own parallel government.

"While it is up to Afghans to decide the election outcome, our priority -- and what we believe to be the priority of most Afghans -- remains peace and the peace process," Molly Phee, deputy to US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, told a gathering at the US Institute of Peace in Washington late Tuesday.

The final results come just as Washington seeks a deal with the Taliban which would allow it to withdraw troops in return for various security guarantees, and a promise that the militants would hold peace talks with the Afghan government.

An Afghan official said the two foes could sign the deal on February 29 in Doha, depending on how well a confidence-building "reduction in violence" period plays out.

Abdullah's intent to try to form a separate government brought back memories of the angrily contested 2014 election, which also saw Ghani declared the winner.

That time, Abdullah's supporters held violent demonstrations before the US finally intervened to broker an awkward deal between the two rivals, with Ghani as the president and Abdullah as the Chief Executive.

More than five years on, the apathy of Afghans and reluctance of the international community to intervene meant it was not clear how much support Abdullah would get.

"We're still in a democracy," policy analyst Mariam Safi told AFP, warning that Abdullah would have to find legal justifications as well as popular support for his move.

"It's a huge question mark... (in) the next couple of days we'll start to see a few things come out that might signal where this is going.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
What just happened? We've seen numerous tech companies pull out of major trade events and conferences over concerns related to the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak, and that trend is continuing now. For better or worse, Sony has officially announced its decision to withdraw its plans to participate in this year's annual PAX East conference in Boston, citing a desire to protect the "health and safety" of its global workforce.

Though the coronavirus has spread to the US, the number of total cases in the country is still small in number (comparatively speaking). Nonetheless, Sony has decided that it's better to be safe than sorry, and it isn't hard to understand that perspective. When a virus outbreak occurs, the risk of it spreading faster likely raises when you put hundreds (if not thousands) of travelers from around the world in one location.

Of course, there could be other side benefits for Sony here. We don't doubt that the company's main focus truly is the health of its employees, but attending trade shows is not a cheap process, and skipping PAX could save some serious cash. On top of that, Sony seems to feel that it doesn't need the help of events like E3 to spread the word about its games lately (the gaming giant didn't attend E3 2019, and it won't be attending E3 2020), and that policy might extend to PAX as well.

At any rate, as gamers and enthusiasts ourselves, we're certainly disappointed by this news. We here at TechSpot were looking forward to watching and reporting on the latest announcements and reveals from Sony's PAX presence. Some prospective attendees may also find themselves feeling a bit less enthused about PAX now that they won't get the opportunity to try out games like The Last of Us Part II.

Regardless, this decision is probably for the best. The safety of PAX attendees, as well as Sony's own workers, should take precedence over hype and marketing potential. And hey, it's not as if there aren't other games to get excited about at PAX -- Baldur's Gate 3 will get its first gameplay demo during the event, and there will probably be a fair number of new reveals as well.

Masthead credit: Shutterstock. Middle image credit: Nikkei Asian Review.
Commander of the 4th military formation, Colonel A. Budaghyan has granted the Medals for Combat Service to the parents of contractual servicemen (Junior Sergeant Tigran Arzumanyan, Junior Sergeant Nver Shahbazyan and Private Karapet Nazaryan) who have posthumously received the State Award of the President of Armenia for their self-dedication while performing their official duties, as reported the news service of the President of Armenia.

The commander of the military formation expressed condolence and words of solidarity to the relatives of the servicemen who died as a result of an avalanche in Syunik Province on February 7.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. private space company SpaceX launched its fifth batch of 60 Starlink satellites into space on Monday, in an effort to build at minimum a 12,000-strong satellite network capable of providing broadband internet services.

The Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the satellites, lifted off at 10:05 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (1505 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force, Florida, according to a live broadcast by SpaceX.

SpaceX designed Starlink to provide continual internet coverage around the world, using a network of satellites in low-Earth orbit.

Falcon 9's reusable first stage missed a landing on SpaceX's drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. It didn't appear as scheduled upon the drone ship about nine minutes after the liftoff, according to the live broadcast.

This first stage previously launched two supply missions for the International Space Station in May and July of 2019, and the JCSAT-18/Kacific1 mission in December of 2019.

About 15 minutes after the liftoff, the satellites were deployed. They will be moved into their intended orbits and operational altitude of 550 km after checks take place, according to SpaceX.

SpaceX plans to launch into space about 12,000 Starlink satellites by 2024, and has revealed a bigger plan to launch 30,000 additional ones, bringing the total to 42,000.

Each Starlink satellite weights approximately 260 kg and features a compact, flat-panel design that minimizes volume, allowing for a dense launch stack to take full advantage of Falcon 9's launch capabilities, according to SpaceX.

The company's internet service will be available in the northern United States and Canada at some point this year, with global coverage planned for 2021.
A third document giving details of China's system of detention and re-education centers in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region reveals why some 300 Muslim Uyghurs and some 2,000 members of their direct family were locked up in centres to undergo forced re-education. The document gives an increasingly sharp picture of China's policy towards its Muslim minority.

Abdulmalik was sent to a re-education center because he overstayed a visit to one of 26 critically sensitive countries and is a suspicious person.

From May to September 2016 he visited Saudi Arabia for 128 days .... he poses a threat and we recommend he continue his re-education.

This is a suggestion for one of the 311 people listed in the leaked Karakax List, a list of mainly Muslim Uyghur prisoners in detention in re-education centers in the Xinjiang prefecture of Karakax.

The list was given to China researcher Adrian Zenz, of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation late November last year by Dutch Uyghur woman Asiye Abdulaheb, who says she got it from contacts within Xinjiang, and partly published by AP, CNN and other media outlets on 17 February.

Wife was wearing a veil

The list focuses on "students sent to re-education who are family of people who went abroad and never came back. It details the location of re-education, start date of detention, ID number and neighborhood of the suspect and reason for re-education.

These are the reasons Chinese authorities use to send Uyghurs into forced re-education, including wife was wearing a veil, violated family planning policy, or post-'80s generation untrustworthy individual.

"The local authorities on county level will be allocated a quota of people, and they'll have to find people to send to these re-education centers," reckons Michael Dillon, China specialist and author of Xinjiang and the Expansion of Chinese Communist Power, "and then they have to find some sort of offence to put against it."

"This is the real problem for Uyghurs who are living outside Xinjiang," he says, "their relatives within Xinjiang are being targeted and that puts pressure on them when they are outside, not to say things against the Beijing goverment."

Special training

Initially, China denied the very existence of the camps, but an article in the state-sponsored Global Times said that 1.1 million citizens working for start-ups, college students and those who had difficulty finding a job would be provided with special training.

Subsequent leaks of internal documents revealed that China set up the camps to correct its 12 million strong Muslim population through re-education that encourages people to step away from religion, while indoctrinating them with speeches of Communist Party leaders and suggesting they speak Mandarin rather than the Uyghur language.

It is very difficult to get information on this, says Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uyghur Congress, contacted by RFI. This is definite evidence, it is an example of what the Chinese government tries to hide.

Stasi-like

The Stasi-like Karakax list also includes information on the three circles status of the suspect: his family circle (with often up to ten names mentioned, including children, parents and in-laws,) the social circle (friends, neighbors) and the religious circle with details about frequency and location of prayers and contacts with religious people.

In total, the document includes 2,802 adult persons.

The Karakax List is the third leak of documents exposing China's treatment of Uighurs in re-education camps after the Xinjiang Papers, published by the New York Times on 16 November, consisting of 400 pages of internal documents exposing the bureaucratic inner workings of the system, speeches by Xi Jinping and other officials and directives on surveillance and control over Xinjiang's muslim population.

The second big leak, nicknamed the China Cables was published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists on November 24 includes the telegram, a nine-page operations manual for running the mass detention centers.

Since the 2009 riots in Xinjiang, Beijing significantly increased its repression of Uyghur muslims.

Researcher Zenz was one of the first to signal the increasing number of detention centres.

The exact number of Uyghur detainees is not known, but Zenz estimates it's "close to a million."

In his report on China's re-education campaign in Xinjiang entitled "Thoroughly reforming them towards a healthy heart attitude," he says that "untold thousands of Uyghurs and other Muslims are being detained in clandestine political re-education facilities.

We do know from official government reports that the camp system was being set up at different administrative levels," he told RFI.

He combined piecemeal evidence such as procurement bills for buildings and fences, with eye witness reports and the fact that just about any Uyghur family that you talk to has somebody detained, in many cases the majority of family members are detained.

Mass surveillance

Apart from Uyghurs being detained, human rights organisations say they have noted an aggressive increase of electronic surveillance of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

In its report China's Algorithms of Repression, Human Rights Watch managed to reverse-engineer an application used by the Xinjiang police.

"We found that authorities have been conducting mass surveillance of the population of Xinjiang," says Maya Wang, who helped write the report.

They check the car registration, their access to gas stations, tracking the movement of the vehicles, ID cards, phones.

"The app registers if and when someone leaves the country, and keeps track, and reports, many of his or her moves.

If these data raise suspicion, police can take a closer look, says Wang.

Some of these people are then sent to political education or other detention facilities.

Not lucky yet

It is not clear how long detainees are required to undergo forced re-education. But Dolkun estimates the minimum period is a year.

According to the Karakax list, detainees undergo a thorough investigation before authorities recommend release.

Rozimemet X, who violated family planning policy and who comes from a deeply religious family, is not lucky yet. Currently this individual shows average progress in reforming his ideas and needs to more deeply recognise his mistake, write the authorities. We recommend he continues his re-education.
Insurers cannot rely on an apparent three-year deadline within the Secondary Payer Act to protect themselves from litigation if they dont reimburse Medicare for all expenses paid on behalf of a beneficiary, a federal appellate court in Atlanta ruled.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court judges decision and held that a Medicare Advantage Plan insurer was not bound by a three-year time limit stated in the act. The decision allows a collection agent for Florida Heathcare Plus to proceed with a lawsuit against an automobile insurer for $21,965 in medical bills paid through Medicare.

The case is MSPA Claims 1, LLC v. Kingsway Amigo Insurance Co.

With this trend weve seen of greater enforcement of the Secondary Payer Act, this decision adds more ammunition and gives insurers another reason to protect Medicare in any settlement, said Robert Lockwood, an employment law attorney and partner with the Wilmer & Lee law firm in Huntsville, Ala. He wrote a blog post on the case for the firms Employing Alabama blog.

Lockwood said during an interview Tuesday that in the past several years, more and more claims companies have signed on as collection agents for Medicare Advantage insurers. They pursue reimbursement from workers compensation, automobile and liability insurers that settle with claimants without reimbursing Medicare for all of the beneficiarys medical expenses.

The Medicare Secondary Payer Act requires primary insurers  meaning the carrier that provided insurance coverage to a Medicare beneficiary  to protect Medicares interest when settling claims. Fiduciary agents such as attorneys that fail to comply can be sued for double the amount that wasnt paid.

Florida Healthcare Plus paid $21,965 in medical bills for treatment of a Medicare beneficiarys accident related injuries in 2012. In 2013, that beneficiary settled a personal-injury claim with Kingsway Amigo for $6,667.

MSPA Claims 1, which has been assigned recovery rights by Florida Healthcare, inquired about the accident in November 2015. After learning about the settlement, MSPA demanded reimbursement for the bills paid by Medicare. Kingsway didnt pay, so MSPA filed suit in December 2015.

Kingsway argued that U.S. Code Section 1395y(b)(2)(B)(vi) requires that any reimbursement under the Secondary Payer Act to be made within three years of the date of service. U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King in Miami agreed. He ruled that the deadline for seeking reimbursement had expired before MSPA Claims made its demand. MSPA appealed.

Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres was the first judge to hear the dispute. He noted that the Secondary Payer Act had been described in a previous appellate court decision as one of the most impenetrable texts within human experience. He said there are apparently two three-year deadlines in the act.

One section of the law states that a complaint must be filed within three years of the date Medicare receives notice that it had paid for a service that should have been covered by another insurer.

Kingsway pointed to another section in the act that states regardless of any deadlines set by an employers group health insurance plan, the government may seek reimbursement within the three-year period after services are provided.

Torres decided the first apparent deadline should be applied. Because MSPA had sought reimbursement well within three years after receiving notice of the settlement, he recommended that Kingsways argument be rejected. Judge King disregarded that advice.

The 11th Circuit panel, in a 3-0 opinion written by Judge Kevin C. Newsom, found that Torres had it right.

Newsom wrote that the deadline that Kingsway relied on in the case isnt a deadline at all.

Rather than imposing a strict requirement, the provision simply allows Medicare to overcome any time limits prescribed by an employers group health plan that might otherwise prevent it from requesting reimbursement, the opinion says. Put simply, the claims-filing provision is a get to, not a have to.'

So why does the other section of the statute addressing employer health plans say that claims must be filed within a three-year period?

The 11th Circuit didnt directly answer that question. But the court did say the intent of the statute is that the government has three years to file a claim regardless of any deadline imposed by an insurance contract. The section does not create another box to check in addition to the requirement that Secondary Payer Act claims be filed within three years after notice is received, the court said.

Lockwood said the decision means that insurers arent off the hook three years after services are provided if a claim is settled and Medicare isnt paid what it is owed.

It makes it a little bit easier for Medicare to sue insurance companies that settle claims that are subject to the Secondary Payer Act, he said.
(CNN)  The United States will begin treating five major Chinese media companies as extensions of Beijing's government, requiring them to comply with rules governing foreign embassies and consulates.

A senior State Department official said Tuesday that Xinhua, China Global Television Network, China Radio International, China Daily and People's Daily will be designated as "foreign missions," effective immediately, in accordance with the Foreign Missions Act.

The change in designation means these companies will now need US government approval to buy or lease office space and will have to register personnel changes, including new hires and staff departures, with the State Department just as foreign diplomatic missions do.

The official justified the step by saying the outlets are owned and effectively controlled by the government in Beijing and that each meets the definition of a foreign mission.

'Propaganda machine'

"They are part and parcel of the People's Republic of China propaganda machine," the official said. "The fact of the matter is each and every single one of these entities does in fact work 100% for the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party," the official added. "These guys are on the organizational chart."

None of the media outlets responded to CNN's requests for comment. The Chinese Embassy also did not return requests for comment.

The State Department official, speaking on background, said the move was not meant to "put any constraint" on the work done by employees of the five firms, or change how they operate, but was intended to create some transparency. A second senior State Department official said the Chinese entities were informed Tuesday.

The Trump Administration is acting now, the first official said, because Chinese leadership has tightened its control over these media outlets while it has expanded their global reach in recent years. State control "has gotten stronger over time, and it's far more aggressive, their activities outside of China including here in the United States," the first official said. "Based on that, we decided it was time to act," they said.

This official also pointed to the 2017 National Security Strategy, which identified great power competition as a central focus and China as one of the US' main competitors, along with Russia.

No move against Russian outlets

Neither official could explain why Russian state-owned media outlets operating in the US were not being designated as well.

The move on the media companies comes as senior US officials have turned up the volume on their criticism of China on the world stage, even as they seek Beijing's cooperation on foreign policy issues from Iran to North Korea and wants its help in understanding and containing the novel coronavirus.

Both Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo used appearances at an international security conference in Munich last week to excoriate Beijing. "The United States has woken up the world to China's unfair trading practices and the Chinese Communist Party's newly aggressive turn, whether on the military, diplomatic, or economic front," Pompeo said in Munich. In subsequent stops in Angola and Ethiopia, he warned against Chinese investment practices.

In Washington on Tuesday, the first State Department official said they would not speculate on China's response or possible retaliation against American journalists working in the country. "Western journalists already suffer very severe restrictions," the official said.

Neither official offered an answer when asked if the information about personnel could be used in counterintelligence efforts against China, a recent administration focus. The second official said that making the media entities register as foreign missions "helps improve our understanding of how these entities do operate in the United States." This official added that the administration doesn't currently have a list of the media companies' employees.

Guidelines about the the way information about the media outlets' foreign and American employees will be used will be laid out in a System of Records Notice on the State Department website and a notice about the change will be published in the Federal Register on Thursday, the second official said.

Asked what happens if the entities do not comply and provide the required information, the second official said, "We don't expect them not to comply."

This story was first published on CNN.com 'US to treat Chinese state media like an arm of Beijing's government'
Prince Andrew's scandal has left an 'ugliness' around Princess Beatrice's wedding and the bride-to-be wishes she could 'take off to Italy and do something private', a royal expert has claimed.

Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter revealed how there had been 'a lot of talk' about how Princess Beatrice, 31, would have loved to travel abroad for a 'low-key' wedding where there would be 'a lot less scrutiny'.

Beatrice, the eldest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, is set to marry Italian property developer Edo Mapelli Mozzi, 36, in May at the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace.

Speaking to Australian website 9Honey, Victoria said: 'I feel for [Princess Beatrice and Edo] a little bit because there is so much ugliness surrounding Prince Andrew at the moment and so by extension that does trickle down to his daughters.'

Royal commentator has revealed how Princess Beatrice, 31, dreamed of having a 'private' wedding with property developer Edo Mapelli Mozzi, 36, in Italy where she could avoid scrutiny (pictured together)

Last week, a source revealed how Princess Beatrice had altered wedding plans to be smaller than originally desired because of the furore surrounding Prince Andrew.

Despite her desire to avoid scrutiny and negative press, Victoria said Beatrice ultimately wanted to have the wedding in the UK, because of her closeness to the Queen and Prince Philip, who would be unlikely to travel abroad.

And while all three of the royal weddings within the last two years have taken place in the grand Windsor Castle, Victoria said a more 'low-key' event was actually more suited to Princess Beatrice's style.

She said: 'No bride wants to be compared to the bride that has gone before, so I think with Beatrice we're going to see something smaller...I think she's going to be keen to keep negative press at bay.'

She said the 'ugliness' surrounding Prince Andrew had 'trickled down' to overshadow Princess Beatrice's big day (pictured together in June 2019 at Ascot)

She added that while both Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, 29, are 'both lovely', Beatrice was actually more of an introvert than her 'gregarious' sister.

She said it is Eugenie who has 'all the famous friends', and is 'out and about a bit more' than elder Beatrice, who will want 'a more personal wedding'.

Beatrice and Edo had been together for 11 months at the time they announced their engagement in September last year.

Father-of-one Edo proposed with a ring estimated to have cost 100,000, while the pair were holidaying in Italy.

The royal commentator also revealed how Princess Eugenie is the 'more gregarious' sister and is more of 'an extrovert' than elder Princess Beatrice (pictured together in June 2018)

Prince Andrew stepped back from royal duty in November following a car crash interview with BBC Newsnight's Emily Maitlis (pictured, during the interview)

The scandal surrounding Prince Andrew's friendship with Epstein intensified in December after a second woman who was allegedly abused by billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein claimed she had sex with the duke.

This came after the prince denied sleeping with 17-year-old Virginia Roberts at the Belgravia home of Ghislaine Maxwell - who is accused of trafficking in young women for Epstein.

His royal resignation in November followed a car crash interview with BBC Newsnight's Emily Maitlis, after which he was lambasted by critics for failing to show regret or empathy for Epstein's victims.

The prince has categorically denied having any knowledge that Epstein was sexually abusing teenage girls.
PORT GIBSON, Miss. (AP)  A man has been arrested in an off-campus shooting that killed two Alcorn State University students were killed and two others were wounded in an off-campus shooting late Monday.

Mississippi authorities did not release the man's name but said he was arrested in Adams County on an aggravated assault warrant, news outlets reported.

Alcorn officials issued a statement Tuesday saying the shooting in Claiborne County happened at an off-campus event-venue about 13 miles north of campus. Authorities told Mississippi news outlets it happened at a place called The Ark.

The campus was locked down as a precaution for several hours.

The dead were identified as James Carr, 22, and Tahir Fitzhugh, 19. Carr was from the Mississippi city of Itta Bena. Authorities said Fitzhugh was from Brookhaven, Pa.

No details were available Tuesday about what sparked the shooting.
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Linkedin Michael Andrew (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 13:57 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20656d39c 1 SE Asia cannabis-legalization,cannabis,marijuana-plants,marijuana-laws,health-issues,medicinal-plants Free

As Thailand begins to follow the global trend of relaxing laws around medicinal cannabis, a Jakarta-based activist is campaigning to change public perceptions and Indonesian policy so that patients suffering from chronic disease and pain can also access the potentially life-changing treatment.

Dhira Narayana of Lingkar Ganja Nusantara, Indonesias cannabis movement, has been working with a network of NGOs, volunteers, patients and doctors to research how a domestic medicinal cannabis market might look and what needs to change for it to become a reality.

We want to prepare the ground for future industries by focusing on research into medical benefits from our local cannabis plant, he said

Since 2010 he has advocated for medicinal cannabis by encouraging research about its economic and public health potential in Indonesia.

We want to talk about assumptions, the data, the facts about cannabis in Indonesia, because as you know there was not even a single piece of research about cannabis here when I started.

Much like Thailand, which has the potential to be a world-leading supplier of medicinal cannabis, Indonesia has a climate that allows the plant to grow naturally and in abundance, allowing many people to take advantage of its medicinal properties.

In the Sumatran province of Aceh, parts of the wilding plant are widely used in food and medicine.

During the last decade, a wave of international science and anecdotal evidence has illuminated the efficacy of cannabis as a treatment for many conditions from insomnia to chronic pain.

While cannabis historical negative perception has stunted research, studies have shown that it is effective in treating child epilepsy such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), which typically do not respond to anti-seizure medications, according to the Harvard Medical School.

Pressure from within the medical community has led to unprecedented changes to legislation, especially in the United States, allowing doctors to prescribe cannabis to patients and for growers to legally cultivate it.

Through his advocacy work and research Dhira has met Indonesians who also rely on cannabis for treatment, including a 17-year-old boy in Yogyakarta who suffers from cerebral palsy-related seizures.

Ive seen the benefits for a boy called Musa who has cerebral palsy. Without treatment he would have three to four attacks a day. [He] could not speak, had difficulty breathing. With cannabis extract there have been no more attacks. His mother Dwi has her son back, but because of the policy [drug law] the mother decided to stop.

As in many societies in the 20th century, public perception of cannabis in Indonesia suffered from the global propaganda and misinformation about its harmful effects. This has led to some of the most entrenched stigma and prohibitive laws in the world.

Indonesias 2009 Narcotics Law lists cannabis as a type-1 narcotic alongside 65 other drugs including opium, cocaine and methamphetamine.

While the law presents the greatest obstacle to the progress of Indonesias medicinal cannabis industry, Narayana said public perception was a major issue, and few people knew about the medicinal, non-psychoactive properties of cannabis.

Cannabidiol or CBD is one of the main ingredients of cannabis and the key component in its medicinal application. However, according to the World Health Organization, CBD by itself has little to no psychoactive affects and therefore does not cause a high.

In the US and Europe, CBD products such as oil and capsules are available to patients for purely medicinal use. According to the New Zealand Hemp Foundation, the products are about becoming healthy, not high.

While more research is needed before the products can be available or produced here, Dhira said that Indonesians had been using cannabis for its medicinal properties for centuries.

They used the seeds to cook and also they used the roots of cannabis and they boiled it for diabetics. In Aceh the doctors support our movement.

And of course, I see the economic potential, because it is like a weed it can grow anywhere in Indonesia, its big money for Aceh.

In a hearing at the House of Representatives last month, a lawmaker from Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) even suggested that the Trade Ministry export marijuana.

The PKS politician Rafli, a lawmaker from House Commission VI overseeing trade and industry whose electoral district is Aceh province, said marijuana was not as dangerous as most people might have thought, and that cannabis could even be used as an alternative for medical treatment.

Market research has estimated the global cannabis industry to be worth upward of US$50 billion by 2025 meaning a huge potential revenue stream for Indonesia if cannabis or industrial hemp were ever an export commodity.

As a low-maintenance crop that absorbs more CO2 per hectare than any forest, it could also prove to be a sustainable and attractive alternative to controversial oil palm, which is being excluded from European markets due to the destruction of Southeast Asian rainforests.

However, Dhira does not want a potential cannabis industry turned into a giant corporate mechanism, and would rather it operate on a grassroots business model, owned and managed by local farmers who have a vested interest in taking care of the land.

Now I do the research, whats the best regulation for Indonesia to regulate the cannabis market? he said. We dont want it to be like palm oil, bad for the environment. We want to be more social and more local. Small but everywhere.

Thats what Im thinking, Im still working on it.

 The writer is an intern under the ACICIS program
(Newser)  Should polygamy be a felony, or a matter between man and wives? Lawmakers in Utah's Republican-controlled Senate leaned toward the latter on Tuesday and voted unanimously to decriminalize polygamy. Under current Utah law, a person who "purports to marry and cohabitates with" more than one spouse is guilty of a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison. The bill passed by Utah lawmakers removes the threat of jail time and makes polygamy between consenting adults an infraction treated the same way as a parking offense, punishable with a fine of up to $750 and community service, reports Reuters. The Mormon church banned polygamy more than a century ago, but it is still practiced by around 30,000 fundamentalists, many of them in isolated Utah communities, the AP reports.

story continues below

The bill's sponsor, Republican Sen. Deidre Henderson, says the intention is not to legalize polygamy, but to encourage victims of crime to report abuse without fear of prosecution, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. "In these isolated, insular communities, that's where a lot of the problems can really escalate," Henderson said after Tuesday's vote. "And thats where the bad people can reallyand haveweaponized the law in order to keep their victims silent and isolated in their control." Utah's attorney general has already stopped prosecuting otherwise law-abiding polygamists. The bill, which now moves to Utah's House of Representatives, leaves intact the existing 15-year penalty for polygamists who are also convicted of offenses including sexual abuse and human trafficking. (Read more polygamy stories.)
Austin, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2020) - Reliant Holdings Inc. (OTC Pink: RELT) recently announced that it has recorded its best year yet in 2019. The past year has seen record-breaking revenues for the company, which has quickly grown into a construction conglomerate that offers comprehensive services in the residential construction realm, from design phases through to fine details post construction. The pools division Increased revenues by approximately 20% over the prior year.

Austin is the third-fastest growing city in the US right now, having already expanded its population by 22.5% from 2010 to 2017. Considering the rapid and explosive growth in Central Texas, the success of Reliant Holdings Inc. is of no surprise. This is especially true when considering the quality and scope of work provided by the professionals behind the company, each bringing with them a combined 40 years of experience.

Expansion for 2020: Our wholly-owned subsidiary Reliant Pools Inc. is poised for another great year of growth. We remain confident of our goals as we work hard on building new relationships and opportunities for the company. We have formed other wholly-owned subsidiary, Reliant Custom Homes Inc., a new and exciting construction company that encompasses all aspects of residential construction.

After a record-breaking year in 2019, Reliant Holdings Inc. has already had a successful start to the new year with plans to continue growing operations via strategic business models. Already with three companies under its belt, Reliant Holdings Inc. plans to add to its roster by acquiring new businesses and be heavily involved in the funding of new businesses.

About Reliant Holdings INC. (OTC Pink: RELT)

Started as Reliant Pools LLC in 2013 and has since grown into Reliant Holdings Inc., a now publicly-traded company. Reliant Custom Homes was created to expand the businesses under the umbrella of parent company Reliant Holdings Inc. The company plans to continue expanding its operations following record-breaking revenues in 2019.

Follow us @ReliantHoldings

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Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Important factors currently known to management that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-statements Include fluctuation of operating results, the ability to compete successfully, and the ability to complete before-mentioned transactions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results.

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Jayanthi Pawar By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Two minutes after I called him for dinner, I heard a loud noise and suddenly everything was dark, recalls Mahendran, brother of Madhusudhanan Rao, who died after a crane fell on him at EVP film city on Wednesday night at the 'Indian 2' shooting set.

Mahendran was also working in the same set for over a week now.

"I rushed to the crane to look for my brother, as it was too dark I could not see anybody's faces. I heard my brother's mobile phone ringing right next to my leg, as I bent down, I found him under the iron rod of the crane," the 24-year-old said, his eyes swelled up, sitting outside the Kilpauk hospital mortuary waiting for his brother's body.

"My brother Madhusudanan has been working in the industry for over eight years and now he is working as a production assistant. He even worked in the production team of 2.0 and the recently released Darbar movie.

Since the shoot is at night, we reached the spot around 6 pm. Some 850 people were at the site and 500 had gone for dinner," said Mahendran.

"At around 10 pm, I had called him for dinner. He said that he would give director S Shankar his juice and come. He was entering the tent to hand over the juice when the lights that the crane was holding fell right on him from a height of about 50 feet," he said.

There were around 30 to 40 people at the spot including director Shankar and actor Kamal Haasan who narrowly escaped, he recalls.

Three persons were killed and nine others suffered serious injuries after a crane allegedly fell on them in a shooting spot at EVP film city on Wednesday night.

According to police, the men were preparing to set up the place for shooting of director Shankar's 'Indian 2'.

Madhusudhanan, is survived by his mother, father, two sisters and a younger brother.

Speaking to Express, a relative of Ramachandran alias 'Vesti' Ramachandran seeking anonymity said, a native of Devakottai has been residing at K K Nagar. "He has been in the set production industry for over 30 years and has been the leader of the South Indian Cinema Production Union for over eight years."

"On Wednesday, he had left home at around 3 pm, as it was night shift and around 10.40 we received a call from the set about the mishap," added the relative.

The relative also said that there has been no safety for technicians at the workplace and this has been an issue for several years. "Compared to the other state film industry, our state still is far behind in providing a proper working condition for its technicians," he added.

Ramachandran is survived by his wife and a daughter who is studying in plus two.

The other deceased identified as Sai Krishnan, who worked as an assistant director, was the son in law of popular cartoonist and film critic Madhan.

Meanwhile, the Nazarathpet police station have registered a case against the crane operator, Rajan under sections 287 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 304 A (death due to negligence) of the Indian Penal Code. The police have launched a hunt for Rajan, who fled the scene right after the incident.

Haasan tweeted his condolences: "Today's accident is the most horrific I have seen in my film career. I have lost three colleagues but my pain pales in comparison to the grief of those who have lost their loved ones. My deepest sympathies to them."

     .



     .



         .  Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) February 19, 2020

Many on social media claimed that director Shankar was injured, however, our sources confirmed that he was not injured.

He visited the mortuary at Kilpauk Medical College to meet the family members of the deceased.

Director Shankar also visits the mortuary at Kilpauk Medical College to meet the family members of the deceased who died at EVP film city on Wednesday night. @xpresstn  Jayanthi Pawar (@JayanthiPawar10) February 20, 2020

ALSO WATCH:

The injured have been identified as Manchang (37), Vasu (35), Ramzan (43), Arunprasath (24), Kumar (52), Kalaichithra, Gunabalan, Thirunavukkarasu (45) and Murugadoss (40).

Actor Hasaan has announced a crore to the families of the deceased.

Actor Kamal Haasan announces Rs one crore for the family members of the deceased and the injured who were involved in the tragic incident at EVP film city on Wednesday night. @xpresstn  Jayanthi Pawar (@JayanthiPawar10) February 20, 2020

The shooting site has been temporarily closed down by the police.

The much-hyped sequel of Shankar's 1996 hit film was officially launched a year ago but the shooting wasn't taking place in a brisk manner.

After much delay, the crew started work on the project this month.
ANKARA, Turkey  Turkeys president Wednesday criticized the European Unions decision to launch a maritime effort focused on enforcing the U.N arms embargo around Libya, accusing European nations that agreed to the operation of interfering in the region.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan also hailed a decision by Libyas U.N.-supported government to withdraw from talks with rivals following an attack Tuesday on the sea port of the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The U.S., however, called for the talks to be resumed quickly.
It was supposed to be a fun night out on St. Patricks Day.

Instead, the woman who testified in court Wednesday said she lost consciousness at the former Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem and wound up in St. Lukes Hospital.

Traver Tilley of Bethlehem Township sexually assaulted her at 1:30 a.m. March 18 in a womans bathroom near the Vision Nightclub. The 31-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to six months to a year in Northampton County Prison.

The victim said Tilley wasnt a stranger but she didnt know him well. She said she drank heavily in the hours leading up to the attack.

Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Tatum Wilson said surveillance cameras showed her hobbling into the ladies room. Tilley walked in after her minutes later, Wilson said. Security eventually found the victim covered in her own vomit.

This was an ultimate betrayal, Wilson said. There was a person who took advantage of a person who was in an incredibly vulnerable position.

Defense attorney James Burke said neither Tilley nor the victim remembers what happened. Tilley also drank heavily that night, he said. Tilley pleaded nolo contendre to indecent assault of an unconscious person. That means he admits there is enough evidence to convict him of the crime but he does not admit he committed the crime.

It was a nolo contendre plea for a reason Burke told Northampton County President Judge Michael Koury. The reason, Your Honor, is the defendant has no recollection of what occurred that evening.

Tilleys semen was found on the victim in the hospital. She was there to be treated for extreme intoxication but insisted that medical staff check whether she had been sexually assaulted.

She said, I was assaulted. I am a woman. I know my body. I feel it, Wilson said.

Tilleys mother and a longtime friend both called Tilley respectful. Most of his friends are women, the friend said. Burke said Tilley was also treated for alcohol intoxication at the hospital. He has a good work history and was not found to be a sexually violent predator. He will be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years under Pennsylvanias version of Megans Law.

Im deeply sorry to the victim, Tilley said, adding, Im sorry you had to go through this.

Burke hoped for immediate work release but thats not offered to sex offenders. He argued unsuccessfully for house arrest or probation.

One individual may have made the aberration of a lifetime and hes paying dearly for it, Burke said.

The victim said its been tough to put her trauma behind her.

She has lost her sense of self. She has lost her belief and confidence and trust in people, Wilson told Koury. Whatever sentence you give him, I submit her sentence will last much longer.

The Sands casino has changed hands since the crime. Its now known as Wind Creek Bethlehem.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
The third guarantee is to give a world-class education facility for each child in Delhi.

New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has called a meeting of top officers on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of ten guarantees including uninterrupted power supply, garbage-free Delhi, and basic facilities for unauthorised colonies, sources said.

Issues like potable piped water supply, education for every child, free bus ride scheme for different sections of society, healthcare facilities, safety of women, and cleaning of Yamuna are included in the agenda of the meeting scheduled to be held at noon on Wednesday, the sources said.

This would be the first meeting of Mr Kejriwal with top officers of various departments of the Delhi government after taking oath of office on Sunday.

All secretaries and principal secretaries have been asked to attend the meeting to be chaired by the chief minister on Wednesday, the sources said. A Cabinet meeting is also scheduled to be held on Wednesday.

After taking charge of their respective offices on Monday, Delhi Cabinet ministers said they would work to fulfill the promises made in the guarantee card which includes reduction in pollution and expansion of the Metro network.

Among the 10 guarantees promised in the guarantee card, reducing air pollution by three times is one of those. Mr Kejriwal promised continuation of 24-hour uninterrupted power supply and 200 units of free electricity to all in his first guarantee.

The city will be freed from the web of wires and electricity will reach each household through an underground cable, the guarantee card said.

As per the second guarantee, AAP promised 24-hour supply of pure piped drinking water to each house in the next five years and said the scheme of providing 20,000 litres of free water will continue.

The third guarantee is to give a world-class education facility for each child in Delhi.

The card also promised better health facilities for all as the fourth guarantee.

Mr Kejriwals fifth guarantee is to have the biggest and cheapest transport facility for the city.

More than 11,000 buses will be on Delhi roads and the Delhi Metro will have more than 500 km stretch in the city, the card said.

The AAP government will also work to improve the last mile connectivity.

In the card, Mr Kejriwal also said that on the lines of free bus travel for women, students travel will also be made free.

The bus rides for women will continue, Mr Kejriwal added.

The sixth guarantee is controlling air pollution in the city. It also includes a promise to clean the Yamuna.

While garbage management is with the MCD, AAP said it will make the national capital garbage-free in the next five years.

His eighth guarantee was to make the city safer for women and said the AAP government will also deploy mohalla marshals.

He promised roads, water supply, sewer, CCTV, and mohalla clinics for the unauthorised colonies as his ninth guarantee. His last and tenth promise is to give pucca houses to people living in slums under the Jahan Jhuggi Wahin Makan scheme.

I am giving 10 guarantees to the city. This is not a manifesto. This is superior to the manifesto. These 10 things are the issues which affect all the people in Delhi, he said.

Mr Kejriwal had signed the card after announcing the guarantees, saying he will fulfill these promises in the next five years.

Environment minister Gopal Rai has convened a high-level meeting of officers on Thursday to chalk out an action plan to tackle air pollution in the national capital.

Mr Rai, who was given the charge of the crucial environment department in the new AAP government, said reduction in pollution levels will be among the top priority of the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation.

An official said that top officers of the environment department have been asked to give a presentation of their plan on how to reduce pollution levels, especially in winter months, in the city.
A federal judge has found the United States government in contempt after authorities deported five young immigrants who were seeking to remain in the country under a programme for abused and neglected immigrant children.

US Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins issued the civil order last week after finding the Department of Homeland Security and US Citizenship and Immigration Services violated a 2018 preliminary injunction that required them to notify lawyers of any enforcement action against the young immigrants in a class-action lawsuit in California.

Despite the preliminary injunction, five immigrants who were seeking to stay in the US under a federal government programme for abused immigrant children were deported, and one of them was reportedly assaulted.

Mary Tanagho Ross, appellate staff attorney at Public Counsels Immigrants Rights Project, said she learned of the deportations months after one of the immigrants was back in Guatemala, where he was attacked by gang members.

It is shocking the defendants didnt do their part to make sure ICE complied with a federal court order and they literally sent kids back to the lions den, she said on Wednesday.

A Department of Justice spokesman declined to comment on the case.

The lawsuit was settled last year between the US government and lawyers for immigrants who sought to be covered by the programme after they turned 18. Applications are allowed until age 21.

Tanagho Ross said she would never have learned of the deportations but for another lawyer who mentioned one of his clients had applied for the programme, which leads to a green card, but got deported after losing a case for asylum.

Migrants who are applying for asylum in the United States sitting down in a processing court set up in a tent in Laredo, Texas [File: Eric Gay/AP Photo]

The court ordered the agencies to return the five immigrants to the US by February 29 so long as they want to come back, and to pay $500 for each day after that each one remains out of the country.

One of them has already been returned and is in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which plans to send him back to Guatemala in another two weeks now that the lawyers have been notified, the US government said in a court filing.

His application to the programme for abused children has been approved but he will likely have to wait more than two years for a green card due to a cap on the number allowed to be issued each year, the government said.

Tanagho Ross said lawyers will seek to block his deportation.

Migrants who are minors lining up to enter a tent at the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children in Homestead, Florida [File: Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo]

In a separate case on Wednesday, a judge in Arizona sided with migrants and asylum seekers who have long-complained about inhumane and unsanitary conditions in some Border Patrol facilities in the state.

The ruling came weeks after the conclusion of a seven-day trial in which lawyers for migrants who sued in 2015 argued that the agency holds immigrants in extremely cold, overcrowded, unsanitary and inhumane conditions.

The order makes permanent a preliminary injunction that US District Court Judge David C Bury issued in 2016 that requires the Tucson Sector to provide clean mats and thin blankets to migrants and asylum seekers held for longer than 12 hours and to allow them to clean themselves.

Bury is also banning the use of bathrooms for sleeping, which came to light during the trial this year, when video was shown of a man trying to reach a bathroom but failing to because migrants were sleeping in them.

Although the lawsuit predates last years surge in immigrant arrivals, it illustrates some of the challenges posed when migrants are detained, especially if they are children.

Bury has been critical of the agency, saying it has done little to remedy issues, especially around overcrowding and migrants inability to sleep.
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Malibu, CA, Feb 18, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Join Ellis Martin for a conversation with David Suda the President and CEO of Gold Terra Resource Corp ( CVE:YGT ) ( OTCMKTS:TRXXF ) Gold Terra owns a 100% interest in the Yellowknife City Gold Project, encompassing 790 sq km of contiguous land within 12 kilometers of the city of Yellowknife.The Project is located in the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering 70 kilometers of strike length along the main mineralized break in proximity to the former high-grade Con and Giant gold mines which have produced over 14 million ounces of gold. The Yellowknife City Gold Project is close to vital infrastructure, including all-season roads, air transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power and skilled tradespeople. In this segment Mr. Suda will discuss the name change of the company from TerraX Minerals to Gold Terra Resource Corp.To view the interview, please visit:About Gold Terra Resource Corp.

Gold Terra Resource Corp. (CVE:YGT) (OTCMKTS:YGTFF) owns a 100% interest in the Yellowknife City Gold ("YCG") Project, encompassing 790 sq km of contiguous land within 12 kilometers of the city of Yellowknife. The Project is located in the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering 70 kilometers of strike length along the main mineralized break in proximity to the former high-grade Con and Giant gold mines which have produced over 14 million ounces of gold. The YCG Project is close to vital infrastructure, including all-season roads, air transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power and skilled tradespeople. On November 4, 2019, Gold Terra announced an Inferred mineral resource of 735,000 ounces of gold for the YCG Project, consisting of a pit constrained Inferred mineral resource of 11.6 million tonnes averaging 1.4 g/t for 523,000 ounces of contained gold and an underground Inferred mineral resource of 1.2 million tonnes averaging 5.7 g/t for 212,000 ounces of contained gold.

About The Ellis Martin Report

The Ellis Martin Report (TEMR) is an internet based radio program showcasing potentially undervalued companies to an audience of potential retail investors and fund managers that comprise our listening audience. TEMR is broadcasted on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel and The Opportunity Radio Network. CEO and company interviews are paid for by those represented on the program.
India will send a C-17 military transport aircraft to China's Wuhan on Thursday to evacuate more Indians and deliver a consignment of medical supplies to coronavirus-hit people

New Delhi: India will send a C-17 military transport aircraft to the Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday to evacuate more Indians and deliver a consignment of medical supplies to China's coronavirus-hit people, official sources said.

The C-17 Globemaster is the largest military aircraft in the Indian Air Force's inventory. The plane can carry large combat equipment, troops and humanitarian aid across long distances in all weather conditions. The sources told PTI that the aircraft will carry a large consignment of medical supplies to China and bring back more Indians from Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic.

India's national carrier Air India has already evacuated around 640 Indians from Wuhan in two separate flights. According to estimates, over 100 Indians are still living in Wuhan, some of whom decided not to return to India. A sizeable number of countries have evacuated their citizens from China and restricted movement of people and goods to and from China.

All the Indians who want to return to India will be brought back in the IAF aircraft on Thursday as Indian embassy has reached out to the Indian citizens stuck in Wuhan, the sources said.

Chinese Ambasador Sun Weidong, addressing a press conference, said there was no case of any infection among the Indians in Wuhan as of today and that the authorities are taking "good care" of them. Sun appreciated India for extending solidarity and expressing readiness to assist China to deal with the epidemic.

China's National Health Commission on Tuesday said the death toll due to the outbreak climbed to 1,868 on Monday while the total number of confirmed cases jumped to 72,436.

Last week, India announced that it will send medicines as well as other medical supplies for coronavirus-hit people in China. In a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed solidarity with people of China over the outbreak of the virus and offered India's assistance to deal with it.
Qatar Airways said on Wednesday it had increased its holding in Aer Lingus-owner IAG to 25.1pc, buying another stake worth $600m (555m) as part of a strategy it described as being highly successful.

Qatar previously held 21.4pc of IAG, which also owns Spanish carriers Iberia and Vueling and the UK's British Airways.

The cost of increasing its IAG holding is 465m (559m), based on the closing price of IAG's shares on Tuesday.

Qatar first invested in IAG in 2015, buying 9.99pc of the company, and has steadily increased it since then.

It also owns stakes in China Southern and Cathay Pacific, and said earlier this month it was in talks about doubling its holding in LATAM Airlines to 20pc and buying a 49pc stake in Africa's RwandAir.

It said it continued to support IAG and its strategy.
An octopus in the Maldives put on a spectacular show for a diving instructor recently when it modeled its ability to change color to match its environment.

Pablo Dutto, a diving instructor living in the Maldives, recorded this video and posted it to his Instagram feed on December 25, 2019.

According to the Ocean Conservancy, cephalopods, including octopuses, squid and cuttlefish, are part of an exclusive group of creatures equipped with chromatophores  cells that change color based on activity or surroundings.

Dutto told Storyful, Octopus are masters of disguise, in this case the animal is using his camouflage technique to blend in with the surrounding for hunting purposes, or maybe just to show off to the camera. Credit: Pablo Dutto via Storyful
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This is the moment a new born giraffe appears to get a kiss on the head from its loving parents.

The image was taken on the plains of a private wildlife estate in Mpumalanga, South Africa, by project manager and amateur wildlife photographer Victor Soares who had been invited to the estate.

Although he arrived too late for the birth, Mr Soares shot a tender moment just after where the baby was being cleaned up by its mother and father.

This is the moment a new born giraffe appears to get a kiss on the head from its loving parents. The photo was taken on the plains of a private wildlife estate in Mpumalanga, South Africa, by project manager and wildlife photographer Victor Soares

In one of the pictures, the calf appears to be getting a gentle kiss on the forehead.

In another, the calf leans across to one of its parents as it continues to clean it.

In all of the pictures the calf is seen still sitting in the grass.

Mr Soares, 46, who is now based in London, took the pictures several years ago when he was still living in Johannesburg, where he is from.

He said he was having a 'boring' day at work - he was then a sales representative for an engineering firm - when a customer who lives on the wildlife estate asked him if he had ever seen a giraffe give birth.

He was then invited the estate, which is around 190 miles (300km) from Johannesburg, to witness the incredible moment.

He said: 'I couldn't believe what he was saying, but I knew that he was a keen follower of my photography and I also knew that he lived on a private wildlife estate in Mpumalanga - I had been there before.

'I left work, rushed home, phoned my wife (super excited) and told her what I was up to. She got as excited as I already was and wished me luck.'

Although he arrived too late for the birth, Mr Soares shot a tender moment just after where the baby was being cleaned up by its mother and father

Mr Soares, 46, who is now based in London, took the pictures several years ago when he was still living in Johannesburg, where he is from. He said he was having a 'boring' day at work when a customer invited him to witness the birth

Mr Soares said that once he arrived, he was told that he had missed the moment of the birth by around 15 minutes.

However, he took his camera to the scene and was able to capture the tender images from his vehicle, although at first he could not see the calf at all because it blended in with the terrain.

'I couldn't see it! From my vantage point, inside the vehicle, I couldn't get an angle on it and assumed that a brownish lump near the giraffe feet was part of the terrain,' he said.

Mr Soares said that once he arrived, he was told that he had missed the moment of the birth by around 15 minutes. However, he took his camera to the scene and was able to capture the tender images from his vehicle, although at first he could not see the calf at all because it blended in with the terrain

'I was expecting to see a bright, brand new, orange little guy. Within a few minutes, the youngster raised his weary head and the mother started to clean it up.

'This lasted about 5 minutes and I managed to fire away and get some good shots.

'The mother then moved away as some other giraffe walked in and inspected the new born and seemed to put the stamp of approval and acceptance with a range of kisses and nudges which I again managed to capture.

'I stayed around for a few more minutes but then needed to get back to work so had to leave. In all, I spent an amazing working hour, photographing and witnessing a new life entering the world.

'An incredible experience,' he added.
While some officials in a restive southern Afghan province say Iran has equipped the Taliban with anti-aircraft missiles, there is still no definitive proof that Tehran is behind the numerous recent downing of U.S. and Afghan airplanes.

Sardar Muhammad Haya, the caretaker police chief of Uruzgan Province, says recent intelligence indicates that Tehran is equipping the Taliban with anti-aircraft missiles, which is aimed at pushing U.S. forces out of Afghanistan.

Iran has given the Taliban anti-aircraft missiles so that they can better target our aircrafts, he told Radio Free Afghanistan. Numerous [recent] intelligence reports based on various sources detail this support.

The Taliban have rejected the claim. Iran has always denied supporting the Afghan insurgents militarily despite maintaining an acknowledged diplomatic link. Even Afghan Defense Ministry officials in Kabul are skeptical and appear reluctant to back the claim.

Haya, however, says their intelligence shows that the latest batch of Iranian missiles was given to the Taliban in the southwestern province of Farah, which borders South Khorasan Province in eastern Iran. He says they are working on preventing these missiles being used in Uruzgan, where the Taliban control large swathes of territories and frequently clash with government forces. In the past, senior Afghan officials have accused Iran of supporting the insurgents in the province.

Lawmaker Amir Khan Barakzai, head of Uruzgans provincial council, says Irans alleged support for the Taliban equals an effort to foment a new phase of the four-decade-long Afghan war in the wake of an imminent peace agreement. The Taliban and United States are likely to sign a peace agreement after a weeklong reduction in attacks. The agreement will pave the way for the withdrawal of American troops and negotiations toward a lasting political settlement among Afghans.

Through various bilateral and multilateral agreements, the international community had promised us to stop the interference of our neighbors in our internal affairs, which had gone on in the past, he told Radio Free Afghanistan. We now want them to honor their promises.

Fawad Aman, deputy spokesman for the Defense Ministry, told Radio Free Afghanistan that none of their aircraft has been hit by insurgent fire since the beginning of this year.

Two of our aircraft crashed in Farah and the [northern province] of Balkh because of technical problems, he said. Three more aircraft however, only made emergency landings.

The Taliban, however, have taken credit for shooting down these aircraft. Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, a purported Taliban spokesman, rejected claims they are targeting the aircraft with weapons newly acquired from Iran. In a message to Radio Free Afghanistan, he said they were using sophisticated weapons captured from the Afghan forces.

In addition to targeting Afghan military aircraft, the Taliban also took credit for targeting a U.S. military plane late last month.

Fringe Iranian media outlets celebrated the January 27 crash of a U.S. Air Force communications jet in the central Afghan province of Ghazni. Some termed it retaliation for the killing of Qasem Soleimani. Washington claimed to have targeted the leader of the shadowy Quds Force, arguably the most influential Iranian military commander, outside Baghdads airport on January 3.

Washington, however, said that plane crashed due to technical faults. "I'm pretty confident there was no enemy action involved. Aircraft mishaps happen," General Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, told journalists on January 29.

A Pentagon report to Congress in December painted a cautious picture of Irans support for the Taliban. Iran pursues its interests in Afghanistan by providing calibrated support to the Taliban while attempting to grow ties to the Afghan government, the report said. Iranian interests include the removal of United States and coalition presence; the elimination of ISIS-Khorasan; and increasing economic and security ties, water rights, and border security.

Days after Soleimanis killing, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of actively working to undermine the Afghan peace process by continuing to support Afghan militant groups. The Talibans entanglement in Irans dirty work will only harm the Afghanistan peace process, he noted.

Despite repeated attempts, Radio Free Afghanistan correspondents were not able to solicit comments from the Iranian Embassy in Kabul. In the past, Iranian officials have rejected accusations they are supporting Afghan insurgents.

But some Afghans are not convinced. Hekmatullah Azamy, a Kabul-based security analyst, says tensions between Washington and Tehran will prompt the latter to think of better arming the Afghan insurgents. For instance, will Tehran arm the Taliban with missiles to better target the Afghan Air Force and U.S. warplanes? he asked.

Barnett Rubin, a former UN and U.S. government adviser, sees Iran as a vital potential spoiler capable of derailing an imminent peace agreement between the Taliban and the United States. It must also avoid confrontation with Iran, possibly the single biggest threat to this process, he recently wrote.

A brewing political crisis over the presidential election in September, however, poses a more immediate threat. On February 18, the Afghan election commission finally declared incumbent Ashraf Ghani the winner. But his election rival, Chief Executive Abduallah Abdullah, also declared victory.

Radio Free Afghanistan correspondent Sharifullah Sharafat contributed reporting from Tarin Kot in Uruzgan. Mustafa Sarwar and Homayoon Shinwari contributed reporting from Prague.
BJP leader Rahul Sinha on Wednesday held West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responsible for the death of Bengali actor and former Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal, who passed away following a cardiac arrest.

"It is not right to do politics on someone's death. Mamata Banerjee is responsible for the death of Tapas Pal and other TMC people. Banerjee did not meet Tapas Pal, who was in a hospital in Bhubaneswar where she went to see Sudeep Banerjee. This led to a deterioration in the health of Tapas Pal and eventually he died," Sinha told ANI.

"Will agencies not investigate when TMC people are looting public money? Does Mamata keep a track of those people who suffered a heart attack due to investigation? Many people who lost their money in Saradha died... Those people who looted money will be sent to jail," he added.

Banerjee had earlier blamed the BJP and the Centre for Pal's deteriorating health, which resulted in his death.

"The Central government's pressure has claimed so many lives. Three people died due to this pressure by the agencies -- Sultan Ahmed, former TMC MP, TMC MP Prasun Banerjee's wife, and now Pal. This wasn't the time and age for Pal to die. He died because of pressure. People are being jailed but the agencies have not been able to prove their involvement or conclude what crime they committed," she had said.

The 61-year-old Pal breathed his last in a Mumbai-based private hospital on Tuesday.

Born on September 28, 1958, Tapas started his career as a Bengali actor in the film 'Dadar Kirti' in 1980. He was awarded the Filmfare Award for his role in a movie 'Saheb' (1981). In 1984, he made his Bollywood debut in 'Abodh'.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
E. Jean Carroll. Photo: Craig Ruttle/AP/Shutterstock

Seven months after E. Jean Carroll publicly accused Donald Trump of raping her in the mid-1990s, the author and former Elle advice columnist announced she was seeking a DNA sample from him. Her legal team said their goal is to determine whether his genetic material is on the dress she was wearing during the alleged attack. The latest reports now indicate that Trumps legal team is stalling Carrolls defamation lawsuit against him, including efforts to obtain the DNA sample.

On Tuesday, Carroll said in court that the president is trying to stop the truth from ever coming out, after Trumps lawyers requested her case against him be delayed until New York Supreme Court of Appeals deliberates on a separate case that seeks to determine whether or not a sitting president can be sued in state court. According to the Associated Press, that issue is being determined in a similar case put forth by Summer Zervos, a former Apprentice contestant who says Trump sexually assaulted her in 2007 and defamed her by lying about it.

Carroll also revealed this week that shed been fired from Elle following her accusations against Trump, tweeting, Because Trump ridiculed my reputation, laughed at my looks, & dragged me through the mud, after 26 years, ELLE fired me. I dont blame Elle. It was the great honor of my life writing Ask E. Jean. I blame @realDonaldTrump. The AP reported on Tuesday that the magazine ended its contract with Carroll in December, according to court documents.

In a New York Magazine cover story published last June, Carroll wrote that Trump cornered her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in late 1995 or early 1996, and thrust his penis inside of her, resulting in a colossal struggle. At the time, Carroll says she was wearing a black wool Donna Karan coat dress, which still hangs on the back of my closet door, unworn and unlaundered since that evening. (In response to Carrolls allegation, Trump said shes totally lying and claimed that he has never met her before, despite a photograph from 1987 that shows the two posing together.)

According to the AP, Carrolls lawyers contacted one of Trumps attorneys last month, demanding that the president submit a DNA sample for analysis and comparison against unidentified male DNA present on the dress. This demand is part of Carrolls defamation suit against Trump, which she filed last November, after he publicly denied her allegation and labeled her a liar.

After Carroll filed the defamation suit, her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, had the coat dress tested for DNA. A lab report found at least four peoples DNA on the sleeves, at least one of them male, and several potential contributors have already been tested and eliminated.

Unidentified male DNA on the dress could prove that Donald Trump not only knows who I am, but also that he violently assaulted me in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman, and then defamed me by lying about it and impugning my character, Carroll said in a statement at the time.

This post has been updated with additional information.

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Recent graduates report higher job placement, continuing education rates and higher starting salaries

Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020

Kansas State University graduates report higher job placement and continuing education rates as well as higher salaries in the most recent post-graduation report. | Download this photo.





MANHATTAN  Kansas State University's student-centered approach to higher education is consistently influencing employment rates and career success for recent graduates.

"Thanks to support from the entire university community, the class of 2018-2019 found continued success in pursuing a variety of job and educational opportunities," said Kerri Day Keller, director of the university's Career Center. "This year's bachelor's degree graduates set another placement record of 97% securing employment or furthering their education within six months of graduation."



Keller's statistics are from the university's recently released post-graduation report, an annual report that shows a 1% increase in employment and continuing education rates. With an 81% response rate, the increase has become a reoccurring trend. According to the 2019 report, 96% of 2017-2018 bachelor's degree graduates were employed or pursuing further education six months after they graduated. That number was 95% for 2016-2017 graduates and 94% for 2015-2016 graduates according to the respective reporting years.



"Kansas State University faculty and staff are deeply committed to students' personal and academic success and it shows," said Thomas Lane, vice president for student life and dean of students. "This student-centered approach helps K-Staters become highly desirable in the job market and get an immediate return on their investment."



The 2018-2019 bachelor's degree graduates reported a higher median salary at more than $48,000 six months after graduation. Graduates across all degrees were employed by more than 3,400 different organizations and enrolled in more than 740 different educational programs.



"Compared to one year ago, we are pleased to see about a 7% increase to the overall salary average for new bachelor's degree recipients," Keller said.



In addition, Kansas remains the top state for employment of K-State graduates at 56%, and 76% of bachelor's degree graduates were employed in the five-state area of Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The span of K-State graduates is wide too. New graduates are employed in 49 states and more than 30 countries.



According to Keller, the variety of opportunities available to K-State students boosts their career readiness.



"Beyond the classroom, K-State students gain marketable skills and experience through a wealth of opportunities such as internships, education abroad, undergraduate research, campus employment, student organizations, leadership opportunities and more," Keller said. "We are fortunate to have a universitywide learning environment that supports the career readiness and employability of our students."



The university offers a variety of student success programs from freshman year to graduation, such as K-State First, a comprehensive program to help new students adjust to campus life, and one of the largest career fairs in the Big 12. In addition, the university has an 18-to-one student-to-teacher ratio and about 92% of classes have fewer than 53 students.






File image

President of the United States Donald Trump is scheduled to visit India from February 24-25, in what would be his first visit to the country. Trump along with wife Melania Trump will travel by Air Force One, which is the aircraft traditionally used to transport US Presidents.

The moniker was initially used for any US Air Force aircraft that ferried US Presidents but currently describes two highly customised Boeing 747-200B series aircraft, as per the White House official website.

Dubbed as one of "the most recognised symbols of the US Presidency" the planes feature the words "United States of America", the US flag and the US President's Seal, it added.

Inside it has 4,000 square feet of floor space across three levels, including the Presidents executive suite, two kitchens which can feed 100 people, and a medical suite with a doctor always on board. The medical suite can also be converted into an operating room if required, the website noted.

The aircraft also houses quarters for senior advisors, Secret Service officers, the press, and other guests who travel along with the President.

It further states that onboard electronics are hardened to protect against electromagnetic pulse. "Air Force One is equipped with advanced secure communications equipment, allowing the aircraft to function as a mobile command centre in the event of an attack on the US," the site added.

There is provision for mid-air refuelling, and the aircraft has an unlimited range to transport the US President. Several cargo planes usually fly before the Air Force One to provide the President with required supplies and services in the remote locations.

The Air Force One is maintained and operated by the Presidential Airlift Group, which is part of the White House Military Office.

The other well-known vehicle that Trump will use during his visit to India is an armoured limousine called 'The Beast'.
Domino's Pizza has lifted its net profit to $69.2million for the first half of the year - thanks to customers ordering in while 'binge watching' TV.

The company announced a net profit increase of 29.8 per cent on Wednesday following strong online delivery sales and a record number of stores opening worldwide.

Chief executive Don Meij revealed business growth was due to the growing consumer trend of 'cocooning' - customers choosing online delivery while staying at home watching TV.

Online sales grew 18.8 per cent to $1.1billion reaching, and retaining new customers, including those inside third-party order platforms like Uber Eats and Deliveroo.

Domino's announced a net profit increase of 29.8 per cent on Wednesday following strong online delivery sales and a record number of stores opening worldwide

Netflix & pizza: CEO Don Meij revealed business growth was due to the growing consumer trend of 'cocooning' - customers choosing delivery while staying at home watching TV (stock image)

'Eating in the home is a greater trend, binge watching with Netflix, that is a global trend in food delivery and the fastest growth part of our business is delivered food and that is not exclusive to Australia, I can point to Europe as well,' Mr Meij told The Australian.

DOMINO'S HALF-YEAR RESULTS Net profit up 29.8 per cent to $69.2m

Global food sales increased by $151.3m to $1.58b

Interim dividend of 66.7 cents per share, fully franked, up from 62.7 cents, 75 per cent franked a year ago Advertisement

The company's Australia and New Zealand arm lifted revenue from continuing operations by $137.1 million to $343million for the six months to December 29, with global revenue rising to $905.7million from $702million a year ago.

Global food sales increased by $151.3million to $1.58billion, up 10.6 per cent on the prior year, and 4.1 per cent growth on a same store sales basis.

Management says Australian customers have also returned for the $5 value pizzas, which were reintroduced in December.

Domino's had raised the price, which led to fewer sales.

The Australian revenue figure was also inflated by Domino's changing its food distribution.

This had been outsourced but management wanted more efficiencies.

The business has since been buying and selling food to stores, although there is little effect on overall finances.

Management says Australian customers have also returned for the $5 value pizzas, which were reintroduced in December

There are 831 stores across Australia and New Zealand, and 2,596 across the group.

It is also continuing to take back underperforming stores.

The group owns about 118 stores across Australia and New Zealand, which it is improving, and can re-franchise them again at a higher price.

International performance was supported by a record 85 store openings across the group, led by 42 new stores in Japan and 12 in France.

Mr Meij said its Germany and Japan branches were its fastest-growing arms.

Domino's fully franked interim dividend of 66.7 cents per share is up from the previous interim payout of 62.7 cents, 75 per cent franked.

Domino's shares on the ASX reached a high of $66.13 in morning trade.

The price had settled to $63.80, an 11 per cent gain, at 12.31 AEDT.

In Australia, Domino's paid $1.1million to lawyers after former employees alleged they were deliberately underpaid.

The workers' class action is still to be heard in court and Domino's has flagged more expenses will follow.

Domino's Pizza Enterprises chief executive Don Meij (pictured) said business growth was coming largely from online delivery

'We're confident we adhered to Australian law,' Mr Meij said. 'We're confident we've done all the right things.'
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Joint Press Release

Outside trading hours - Regulated information*

Brussels, Budapest, Bratislava  17 February 2020  5.45 p.m. CET

KBC acquires OTP Banka Slovensko (Slovakia)

Today, Belgiums KBC Group and OTP Bank, the Hungarian parent company of OTP Banka Slovensko (Slovakia), reached agreement for KBC to acquire ownership of 99.44% of the shares in OTP Banka Slovensko, a mid-sized Slovakian bank focusing on retail, micro SME and SME customers. The remaining shares are held by a number of private individuals.

The acquisition will have a limited impact (-0.2%) on KBCs solid capital position, keeping KBCs excellent CET1 ratio well above regulatory minimum capital requirements. At the end of 2019, the CET1 ratio stood at 15.7%1 (Basel III fully loaded, Danish compromise).

The transaction is still subject to regulatory approval from the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) and to the authorisation of the National Bank of Belgium (NBB), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic. The parties involved in the transaction expect the deal to be finalised mid-2020 (in the second or third quarter).

After obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals, KBC Bank will become the new parent company of OTP Banka Slovensko. The future merged entity will substantially strengthen CSOBs bank-insurance franchise in Slovakia and enhance its cross-selling potential with CSOB Poistovna, CSOB Leasing and CSOB Asset Management.

The next logical step is the legal and operational merger of CSOB Bank and OTP Banka Slovensko, which will further consolidate CSOBs current position of fourth on the Slovakian banking market in terms of assets, with a market share of approximately 12.6%. KBC believes in the positive impact of cooperation and looks forward to welcoming OTP Banka Slovenskos employees into the KBC and CSOB family when the transaction closes. OTB Banka Slovenskos brand name will remain in place for a certain period going forward to ensure a seamless transition for customers and staff until the merger is completed.

In the meantime, OTP Banka Slovensko, with the full support of CSOB, will continue to honour its commitments to the market and to provide professional service of the highest level to all its customers, who will not have to take any action as a result of the transaction.

The merger will not affect the grants system of The Bethlen Gabor Foundation2 awarding or the option for Hungarian-speaking customers of OTP Banka Slovensko to be served in their own language at locations with a Hungarian population.

Johan Thijs, KBC Group CEO, welcomes todays agreement: This deal is a further execution of our strategy, which focuses on becoming the reference bank-insurance group for retail customers, small and medium-sized enterprises and midcaps in KBCs core markets. Through CSOB Bank, we have been present in the Slovakian banking market since 2002. Acquiring OTP Banka Slovensko will allow us to substantially strengthen our share of the Slovakian market, while enabling us to benefit from economies of scale and increased visibility in this highly competitive market. It will also create opportunities for us to provide high level, complex financial services to a wider range of customers, who will undoubtedly benefit from this merger.

Sandor Csanyi, OTP Bank Chairman and CEO, commented: OTP Group continually works towards increasing its market share in the CEE region through organic growth and acquisitions. The Group has followed this strategy throughout the almost twenty years it has been present in Slovakia. However, as it was unable to increase its market share to the optimum level, management took the decision to sell this group member. This deal will enable our group to focus on markets where we can achieve a higher market share in the future. From the very beginning of the sales process, it was of crucial importance for OTP Banks management to come to an agreement with a partner that would be able to continue providing OTP Banka Slovensko customers with the innovative financial solutions and high standard of services they have become accustomed to, and where ongoing professional advancement and a stable employer background would be available to our Slovakian colleagues. I am fully convinced that the change in ownership will offer numerous opportunities for customers and colleagues both now and in the future.

I would like to thank the management and staff of OTP Banka Slovensko for their professional and devoted work during the nearly two decades in which our subsidiary bank has been a stable market player providing high-quality services in Slovakia.

Daniel Kollar, CEO of CSOB Bank Slovakia and Country Manager concluded: Todays announcement is another milestone for CSOB in Slovakia. It will allow us to substantially strengthen our current market position and help us fulfil our role in the economic fabric of Slovakia and in society as a whole. We are convinced that the customers and employees of OTP Banka Slovensko  whom we all warmly welcome to CSOB and KBC  will benefit significantly from this future merger. We guarantee our new customers access to high quality, modern and innovative financial services enabled by digital technologies, as well as a personal and professional approach. At CSOB, we believe in dynamic collaboration initiatives between employees and advocate adding valuable insights to  and gaining them from  our teams, even across borders. With this in mind, let me take this opportunity to encourage, and invite, our new colleagues from OTP Banka Slovensko to embrace our community and to share their ideas and experiences with us.

Full press release attached







1 After pay-out of dividend and approval of the announced share buy-back by the European Central Bank and AGM/EGM

2 The Bethlen Gabor Fund (Hungary) is a dedicated public money fund. Its main task is to promote individual and community prosperity, material and intellectual growth in the homeland of Hungarians abroad and to provide support for the preservation of their culture. The Bethlen Gabor Fund operates a transparent tendering system for the use and effective allocation of grants. OTP Bank grants drawdown of the funding and managing an account for awarded applicants free of charge.





Attachment
The Independent Election Commission has confirmed the results announced in December. Main rival Abdullah Abdullah challenges the outcome again, wants an "inclusive government". Ghani calls for unity to end the civil war.

Kabul (AsiaNews/Agencies)  After five months of waiting, the results of Afghanistans elections of September 2019 were released yesterday.

Incumbent President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani took 50.64 per cent of the vote against 39.52 per cent for his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah. Right after the vote, the latter had requested and obtained a recount.

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) confirmed the results of the first count in December which had given the victory to Ghani.

At that time, Abdullah, who is chief executive officer of the state, contested the official results, declared victory, and vowed to form "an all-inclusive government."

The election saw a very low turnout in a country torn by almost 20 years of civil war and almost daily attacks. The official turnout was 1.8 million out of about 9 million eligible voters.

Ghanis spokesman Daud Sultanzoy told RFE/RL that "the [electoral] system worked well." However, the pointless delay [in the announcement of the results] due to meaningless interferences put the Afghan people on hold and made them worry.

A few hours after the final outcome was announced, President Ghani spoke to his supporters at the presidential palace dedicating this victory of the people.

Ghani said it was time to come up with patience both in small and big matters, to exercise patience and self-acceptance, not use weapons.
The decision of the Supreme Court Collegium to transfer Delhi high court judge, justice S Muralidhar, to the Punjab & Haryana high court was condemned by the legal community on Wednesday, with the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) calling for a complete abstention from work on Thursday in a mark of protest.

The executive committee of the DHCBA passed a resolution on Wednesday in an urgent meeting convened at 3pm after the recommendation of the Collegium was out in the public domain.

Although the decision to transfer justice Muralidhar was taken by the Collegium on February 12, it was published on the website of the Supreme Court only a week later.

Usually, senior high court judges are transferred from their parent high court only to take

over as chief justice of another high court. Transfer of a high court judge to another high court as a puisne judge (judge who is not a chief justice) is many times viewed as a punishment transfer.

The Delhi High Court Bar Association also resolves to request its members to abstain from work tomorrow, i.e, February 20 as a token of protest as the said transfer is the rarest of rare case, the majesty of our revered institution is at stake, the DHCBA resolution said.

The bar association expressed shock, dismay and outrage at the move, stating that such transfers were not only detrimental to the institution but also tend to erode the faith of the common litigant in the justice dispensation system.

The DHCBA expressed hope that the collegium would revisit the issue and recall the move to transfer justice Muralidhar.

The Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) also moved to criticise the collegiums decision and passed a resolution in this regard.

The entire bar and the legal community are quite astonished at the transfer of Justice Muralidhar which is also a step to interfere into the independence of judiciary. The Bar Council of Delhi has also passed a resolution condemning the recommendation of the collegiums, BCD chairperson KC Mittal told HT.

There has been no call from the district court bar associations in the national capital to abstain from work and the lower courts are expected to function normally on Thursday.

Justice Muralidhar started his law practice in 1984 in Chennai before shifting base to Delhi in 1987. He was appointed a judge of Delhi high court in May 2006 where he has served since then.

He is presently the third senior-most judge in the high court after chief justice DN Patel and justice GS Sistani.

Justice Sistani is due to retire on March 11 when justice Muralidhar will become the second senior most judge after the chief justice.

Justice Muralidhar has passed crucial judgments in sensitive matters. He was part of the bench which had, in 2009, decriminalized homosexuality by striking down section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. This judgment was later overruled by the Supreme Court in 2013 before the top court eventually struck down the provision in September 2018 in another case.

He was also part of the 2010 ruling that favoured disclosure of the number of Supreme Court judges who declared their assets under the Right to Information (RTI) law.

In October 2018, justice Muralidhar headed the bench which sentenced 16 officials of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary to life imprisonment for the murder of Muslim men in Hashimpura locality of Uttar Pradeshs Meerut in 1987.

This was a targeted killing by the armed forces. Members of the minority community were killed and their families had to wait 31 years for justice, he had held.

In December 2018, he had authored a scathing judgment convicting Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and sentencing him to life imprisonment.

A bench headed by him had, in March 2018 granted interim relief to Congress MP Karti Chidambaram in the INX Media case and in October 2018 to activist Gautam Navlakha in the Bhima-Koregaon caste clash case.

Later, a contempt plea was initiated by the Delhi high court against economic analyst and chartered accountant, S Gurumurthy for his comments on social media alleging bias on the part of justice Muralidhar in releasing Navlakha. Gurumurthy had apologised for his remarks and the case was closed.
Changes proposed by the British government for a points-based permit scheme for EU migrants to get work after Brexit has sparked widespread concern from business groups here.

The Northern Ireland Retail Consortium said the economy needed lower-skilled and lower-qualified workers; Hospitality Ulster said the measures will lead to increased vacancies and not jobs; while the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry said few industries will be able to cope with the new measures.

Aidan Flynn, general manager of Freight Transport Association Ireland, said from a broad European perspective it was curious the UK was going down the points-based path because its economy was so reliant on EU farmworkers and for EU truckers and EU logistics staff.

It is strange that they are characterising logistics as low-skilled jobs. It will struggle even more to fill vacancies, he said.

It will be more difficult for a guy from Poland to get a job in Newry, and it has wide-reaching implications across the North and the rest of the island too.

The proposed changes to the immigration system will mean UK employers will need to adjust, the British government has said.

UK employers will have until the start of next January to meet the requirements and ensure people have a right to work in the UK.

A policy statement out- lining plans for a new points-based system after freedom of movement ends said that the economy needs to move away from a reliance on cheap labour from Europe.

EU and non-EU citizens will be treated equally but top priority will be given to those with the highest skills and the greatest talents, like scientists, engineers, and academics, according to the paper.

The salary threshold for skilled migrants will be lowered from 30,000 (36,070) to 25,600 for those coming to the UK with a job offer.

Described in the policy paper as simple, effective and flexible, the proposed new system stipulates that people who want to live and work in the UK will need to gain 70 points to be eligible to apply for a visa.

Points will be awarded for key requirements like being able to speak English to a certain level, having a job offer from an approved employer, and meeting a minimum salary threshold.

Other points will be awarded for certain qualifications and if there is a shortage in a particular occupation.

The changes are designed to cut the number of low-skilled migrants entering Britain from the beginning of next year, but aim to make it easier for higher-skilled workers to get UK visas.

The firm and fair system will instead attract the high-skilled workers we need to contribute to our economy, our communities and our public services, according to the paper.

We will not introduce a general low-skilled or temporary work route, it said.

We need to shift the focus of our economy away from a reliance on cheap labour from Europe and instead concentrate on investment in technology and automation. Employers will need to adjust, it said.

But the EU Settlement Scheme, which is designed to give EU citizens permission to stay and work in the UK after Brexit, will provide employers with flexibility to meet labour market demands, it said.

- Additional reporting PA
Frustrated with Oregon's liberal government, a conservative group wants to transfer Oregon's rural areas to Idaho, according to the Washington Post. While Oregon leans Democratic, Idaho is a historically red state.

The group, called Move Oregon's Border for a Greater Idaho, is asking 18 Oregon counties to approve their petitions to open communications with state legislature. If approved, the group would then have to collect signatures of about 6 percent of the counties' populations to see the referendum show up on their ballots. After that, both Oregon's and Idaho's state legislatures as well as Congress would have to approve the changing of borders.
Dupont De Nemours: "Dupont is now run again by Ed Breen. It looks like the previous CEO is now gone. Why is he gone? Because he didn't deliver. Ed intends to deliver. He isn't the permanent CEO. It's not anything that's done, just temporary." Buy.

Chemours Co.: "I'm not a fan 'cause I don't like the commodities and there are some issues involving a PFAS verdict that could come up soon. So I'm going to take a pass there."

Ericsson: "Well, Ericsson is O.K. My problem with Ericcson, as well as Nokia, are that these are companies that are being swamped by  really being crush, frankly  by Huawei and the western nations in Europe don't seem to be interested in helping their own, which is wrong."

Leidos: "Leidos is such a winner. We have liked this company. Ever since the spin-off, we continue to like it. It is not done going higher, even though it had a real big move."

Sony Corp.: "Sony's a great company and the Japanese market is taking a little bit of a header here because people are worried about coronavirus. ... I'm willing to stay side-by-side with Sony."

Cherry Hill Mortgage Investment: "We don't know what Cherry Hill really owns. I meant that's the problem, it's another one of these black boxes. I do not like the black-box mortgage companies."
Section 1 Content

The Women in Education Initiative of Mott Community College also to be recognized with the ACE State Network Leadership Award



ACE announced today that Carol Moore, president of Columbia College in South Carolina, will receive the 2020 ACE/APL nextED Donna Shavlik Award.

The award will be presented at ACE2020, ACE's 102nd Annual Meeting in San Diego, during the Women's Leadership Dinner on Saturday, March 14. Johnnetta B. Cole, president emerita of Spelman College and Bennett College for Women, will give the keynote address at the dinner (tickets required).

Throughout her career of nearly 50 years in higher education, Carol has served as a mentor and role model to many women and men," said ACE President Ted Mitchell. Her steadfast leadership has helped the institutions she has served find stronger footing and inspired everyone who knows her."

Columbia College President Carol Moore



In 2018, Moore became president after serving as interim provost and then executive vice president at Columbia College. She led the private liberal arts women's college to sound financial and academic standing and oversaw a significant increase in student recruitment and enrollment.

Moore has served as chair of the ACE Women's Network Executive Board, currently known as the Women's Network Executive Council, and chair of the ACE Commission on Women in Higher Education. She was also a Senior Fellow at ACE from1991 to 1992 and served on ACE's Commissions on Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness from 2004 to 2007. Her commitment to empowering women and girls is also demonstrated by her tenure on the Girl Scouts Council of Vermont Board of Directors from 2001 to 2008.

ACE established the Donna Shavlik Award to commemorate the long and outstanding service of Donna Shavlik, former director of ACE's Office of Women in Higher Education. Presented annually, the award honors an individual who demonstrates a sustained commitment to advancing women in higher education through leadership and career development, campus climate, and mentoring.

ACE is grateful to APL nextED for its support of this award. APL nextED is a female-founded and owned education technology company that supports ACE's commitment to advancing women in all facets of higher education leadership.

2020 ACE State Network Leadership Award

The 2020 State Network Leadership Award will be given to the Women in Education Initiative of Mott Community College in Michigan. The award will be accepted by Lennetta B. Coney, president of The Foundation for Mott Community College and executive director of college and community advancement, at the ACE Women's Network Reception at ACE2020.

The ACE State Network Leadership Award recognizes an outstanding and innovative program sponsored by an ACE State Network or by a college or university that helps advance or support women or women's issues in higher education.

Sixty percent of Mott Community College's students are women, some of whom may face barriers such as financial difficulties, single parenthood, or returning to an academic setting after years of absence," said Gailda Davis, director of professional learning at ACE. The Women in Education Initiative ensures that such barriers do not stand in the way of these women's success and academic fulfillment."

The Women in Education Initiative was established in 1999 to help female students complete their education with non-traditional financial support, personal and professional guidance, and mentoring opportunities. In 2015, the initiative earned The American Association for Women in Community Colleges' Model Programs Award for its efficacy in addressing the needs of women at community colleges.

Click here to visit the ACE2020 website for more information and to register. Join the conversation on Twitter at #ACE2020SD.


Kathmandu, February 19

The Ministry of Health and Population says all 175 Nepalis who were evacuated from Wuhan of China tested negative for coronavirus infection.

After several complaints that the government did not take any initiative to protect its citizens from the virus-hit Chinese city, the government had airlifted them to Kathmandu last weekend. Currently, they have been quarantined at Nepal Electricity Authoritys training centre in Kharipati of Bhaktapur for 14 days.

The ministry says they will undergo the second round of the test on the 14th day of quarantine.
Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) has joined the race to develop a vaccine against novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and announced on Wednesday that they have a candidate, for which animal trials have begun.

The vaccine may be tested on humans as early as six months, pending approval from regulatory agencies, said SII, the worlds biggest vaccine-manufacturer by volume. The SII project is likely cost 300 crore.

The SII vaccine candidate was developed in collaboration with a US biotechnology company, Codagenix, which uses viral sequencing data to develop a weakened virus to develop immunity against a disease, according to its website.

The vaccine candidate has been developed using a laboratory-made synthetic virus, which is a key breakthrough as it will significantly reduce the time taken to build a vaccine against the virus. We hope to be ready with the vaccine by early 2022, said Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer, SII.

We are in talks with a number of companies across the globe for potential partnerships. We are also not excluding China as a potential site for our clinical trials. By end-August, we will have data on mice and primates to submit to regulatory authorities to enter into the human trials phase, he said.

As per the norms the conduct the trials in India, SII will have to submit the data to the national drug regulator, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

The subject expert committee will review after SII submits the data generated from animal trials, said a CDSCO official on condition of anonymity.

Sanofi Pastuer, which has collaborated with US Department of Health to repurpose its vaccine candidate developed during the 2002 SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak, is among the other pharmaceutical firms working on a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) through the international group, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, has invited proposals for vaccine development of COVID-19. A couple of groups from India have submitted their proposals. If their proposals are selected, we will be able to provide them all kinds of support, said Dr Renu Swarup, secretary, DBT.

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Nothing is more important than giving children an education that will help them cope with the challenges of the future.

That is a view that all participants at the Heralds 2020 Schools Summit today will likely embrace but some are also likely to feel a sense of unease about how the state is performing.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian is due to address the gathering and she has told the Herald in an exclusive interview of her concerns on that score.

She, like many others, is disappointed in the results of the triennial survey known as PISA (the Program for International Student Assessment) which is the best measure for comparing school education across countries.

Despite record funding for schools, Australia and NSW have been slipping down the table for some time and in the results released last December the trend continued with performance in maths now barely average compared with other countries in the survey.
Wow, wow, wow has This Is Us been on a run of great episodes. Each chapter of the Big Three Trilogy not only offered up some stellar performances  from adults and teens alike  but also provided some much needed forward momentum for everyone involved. This show is sad enough, we dont need to sit around and stew in it all the time, you know? And after episodes focusing on Randall and his anxiety, Kevin and his feelings for Sophie (SO MANY FEELINGS), and Kate and her flailing marriage (and strengthened relationship with her mom), the Big Three converge at the family cabin in an excellent episode that both has poignant character moments and does a nice job of setting us up for the final batch of season four episodes. You know Im a firm believer that this show is always better when the Big Three inhabit the same space. There is no escaping each other in The Cabin and that is a very, very good thing.

In fact, all three of the timelines in The Cabin feature the Big Three at um, the cabin. In the fall of 1993, Jack is doing a very Jack thing and forcing his family to partake in a time capsule activity, and when the kids turn 18, theyll open it up. At first youre probably like, Oh, what a sweet, wholesome activity! But then when you realize that Jack dies before his kids turn 18, youre definitely like Damn this show and this stupid time capsule to hell. Youre not alone!

The time capsule activity proceeds as youd guess: Kate is into it, Randall is stressed about it, Kevin is like, uh, heres a picture of me and Sophie. Meanwhile, Jack is off sketching the dream home he wants to build for him and Rebecca to grow old in, one that would sit on the hill overlooking their cabin, with big glass doors and floor-to-ceiling windows. If that looks and sounds a little familiar to you  good. Of course when Rebecca catches him, Jack is sheepish about it, but she tells him that if he says hes going to do it, she believes that he will. I mean, Jack dies so, again, [insert expletive of your choice to direct at this show].

Anyway, this time capsule is obviously a Chekhovs Gun situation and theres no chance we get out of this episode without opening that baby up. That inevitable moment, however, does not occur in the late-90s timeline; no, those Pearsons have much more important things to deal with, like how to get rid of the human stain that is Marc. It was around the time that Marc was joking with Jacks Worlds Greatest Dad mug and then accidentally dropped it that I wrote down I hate this kid more than Olivia Maine and the Crock Pot combined, and I stand by that assessment.

Because of a downed tree, Rebecca, Kevin, and Randall dont make it to the cabin until the next morning. Kate answers the door as if things are fine and normal, but things are definitely off. Kevin asks why its so cold in the house, and Randall notices a broken window. Kate tries to cover with a story, but its clear shes lying and her brothers are about to tear shit up. Its Marc who finally tells the truth: After the mug incident, Kate and Marc fought and when she went outside in the freezing cold to get wood for the fire, he locked her out in the snow. She banged on windows and doors and screamed for him to let her in, but he just stood there because hes trash, so she broke a window in order to get back in. Kevin doesnt punch a hole through a wall in that moment, but based on the fire coming through his eyes, he totally could have.

Rebecca takes control of the situation. She holds back her sons from clobbering Marc, but gets right up in that kids face and tells him to get the hell out of her house. This will be the last day he ever sees her daughter. Its awesome and Rebeccas a queen and this totally makes up for that time when she apologized to her son for lying to him about knowing his birth father while wearing a plastic fedora.

Rebecca is also the focus at the cabin in the present-day timeline. The Sad Three gather and you know there is no way Randall and Kate will be able to keep their moms diagnosis a secret from Kevin. When they are backed into a corner and have to tell him the truth, hes understandably angry. Angry that Randall came to L.A. and took their mom to a doctor behind his back, angry that his mom and his siblings dont think he can handle the news. But its clear his anger is really masking the pain he feels. He storms outside to have a good cry about it in the snow.

Kate and Randall start making headway on the custom Pearson family photo puzzle and Kate confides in Randall about how upsetting it is that now, just when she and their mom are on good footing, she might lose her. She also reminds her brother that he doesnt have to take care of this alone, she and Kevin are stronger than they look. Lets hope Randall remembers this later.

Its during this heart-to-heart that they discover the last piece of the puzzle is missing, and Randall realizes he knows exactly where it is: They need to go dig up that time capsule. In it, Kevin finds his picture with Sophie  you guys, he still loves her so much Im melting over it  and Kate pulls out an old game of M.A.S.H. in which she ended up in a mansion married to Joey Lawrence. Randall says that Joey Lawrence aint got nothing on Tobias but not one person says Whoa and were all sad about it. Randall opens his time capsule bag and shows them the missing puzzle piece. Only, he didnt put it in there: When Randall was so anxious about picking the right thing, it was Kevin who told him to relax, handed him a puzzle piece off the table, and told him it would be fine. Its always Kevin whos been able to walk Randall back from his episodes.

Reminded of this time, and how hes been barely managing his anxiety for his entire life, he admits hes not okay. He tells Kevin and Kate that he punched the mugger not because he needed to, but because he wanted to. It was everything hes been burying inside coming out at once. Its time for him to get some outside help. This time capsule is a miracle worker.

Theres two more bags in the capsule. First, they pull out the sketch Jack was drawing of his dream house, the one he never got to build. Then, they open Rebeccas and find a mixtape. Only, when they go to play it, they realize it isnt Rebeccas item, its Jacks  its a recording he made for them all. I cant even imagine what it must be like to hear your dads voice again after him being gone for so long, but by the end of his story about throwing out his sketch because he was embarrassed by it and then realizing that Rebecca found it in the trash and put it in the time capsule because she believes in his dreams, were all crying. Like, sobbing. It doesnt help that This Is Us has decided to play To Build a Home over all of this, a song that I now have a Pavlovian response to just cry as soon as I hear it since it is the same song that played over the Pearson house burning to the ground. So, thanks for nothing!

The recording is mostly Jack reminding his kids how when it comes to people [Rebecca] loves, she does not mess around, and while hes saying this, we see Rebecca ushering her teens out of the cabin, being a hero, proving Jack right. And the Adult Big Three are crying, no doubt thinking about how much they are going to lose when they lose Rebecca.

Somehow, though, after this experience, the Sad Three dont seem as sad anymore. Randall is going to get a therapist, Kate believes in her strength, and Kevin, well, Kevin decides hes going to take his dads sketch and build that house.

You know why the house in that sketch looked so familiar? Because that house, with the glass doors and big windows overlooking the cabin, is the same house where the family has gathered in the flash forward as they come to say good-bye to Rebecca. We get a glimpse of Future Kevin returning with the food and talking to Future Beth. Kevin has built his dads dream house. Okay, now turn up To Build a Home because I need a good sob.

This Is the Rest

 Well, Baby Jack almost chokes to death under Tobys care, but everyone is okay in the end and Toby starts to share Star Wars with his son through the sounds of the movie. This is a good sign for Ka-Toby, but it is still very strange that in the flash-forward  especially now knowing Kevins house is Jacks dream house  that Toby has never seen it before. When does Kevin build this thing?

 The series of voicemails Madison leaves for Kate in which she cant help but admit she slept with Kevin is amazing. It was a violation of Lady Code and Madison just couldnt stand it. Kate is not amused by her brother.

 Randalls face of delight when he learns Kevin slept with Madison is a true masterpiece.

 Im happy were getting so much more (at least, it feels like more, no?) of the Teen Big Three in season four. Niles Fitch, Logan Shroyer, and Hannah Zeile are excellent in this episode.

 Randall, after learning the only movie options at the cabin are White Fang and Free Willy: The 90s really had a thing for white boy befriends exotic animal movies.
What a way to start to the year 2020.

Following the disaster that struck the country, which is the recent phreatic eruption of the Taal Volcano in Batangas, automative manufacturers group suffered a slowdown in sales.

For the month of January, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) only sold 23,723 units, which reflected a decrease of 11.8 percent from the 26,888 units sold in the same period last year.

CAMPI President Rommel Gutierrez said that the industry expects this growth slowdown mainly due to the adverse effect of the recent Taal Volcano eruption.

Majority of plants and some dealerships located in South Luzon were badly hit by ashfall, also affecting operations in some areas of Metro Manila. Some companies were also forced to temporarily suspend its operations for safety reasons, said Gutierrez.

However, he maintained that the industry is brimming with optimism that a recovery is underway in the coming months now that operations are back on track.

We will continue to work double time to catch-up on last months losses. We assure our customers the highest level of quality in our products and services because safety and consumer satisfaction are our priorities

On a month-on-month basis, the group experienced a decline of 29.6 percent coming from sales surge growth in December 2019.

Gutierrez said such movement is considered normal as it has been the industrys consistent seasonal pattern for the past years.

Toyota Motor Philippines, which still holds the biggest market share with 42.23 percent, suffered a loss of 21.7 percent versus the January 2019s 11,355 units rolled out.

After Toyota enjoying the lions share is Mitsubishi Motors Philippines with 21.2 percent share on second and Nissan Philippines with 11.91 percent hold of market.

On fourth and fifth place are Honda Cars Philippines and Ford Philippines, respectively.

Story continues

Also read:

The post Car, Truckmakers Group Sales Down in January 2020 appeared first on Carmudi Philippines.
The number of cases of coronavirus worldwide continues to rise (Sakchai Lalit/AP)

No cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed in Northern Ireland, the Public Health Agency has confirmed.

A total of 35 tests for the virus, now named Covid-19, have been carried out and all results have come back negative.

It comes after it emerged Northern Ireland's tourism industry has been impacted by the virus, with as many as 3,000 hotel rooms cancelled by Chinese tourists between January and May.

A visit to China by Mid and East Antrim Borough council has also been cancelled due to the outbreak, which has so far killed more than 2,000 people and infected more than 72,000.

Several parts of China, where the virus originated, have been placed into quarantine and flights in and out of the country have been restricted.

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Earlier this week it emerged that that two passengers from the Republic who were on board a cruise ship docked in Japan have been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Irish foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney said the two people are currently being treated in hospital in Japan. Four other Irish citizens were on board the ship.

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These citizens share dual citizenship with another EU member state and are not normally resident in Ireland," Mr Coveney said.

Our embassy in Tokyo is in ongoing contact with them regarding their consular needs. We are also in close contact with those who remain in quarantine on the ship.

We are working with our EU partners and other like-minded countries regarding options for their return."
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Deepfake videos of Bharatiya Janata Partys Delhi unit president Manoj Tiwari were used to increase their voter outreach.

Notably, deepfakes are videos made with tools that let people manipulate visuals or audio content available on the Internet to render them in a hyper-realistic way. According to a Vice report, the campaign videos of Tiwari that were released during the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, where he could be heard speaking in English and Haryanvi Hindi, were dubbed using the Artificial Intelligence tool.

One day before the National Capital went to polls on February 8, the BJP leader had released videos criticising the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi. In the videos that had gone viral, Tiwari could be heard talking about how Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had cheated the voters by not delivering on his promises. He further told Delhiites it is time to change that by pressing the lotus button and let BJP come to power.

While there is nothing unusual about the monologue apparently, the report noted that the 44-second clip was not real.

Neelkant Bakshi, co-in-charge of Delhi BJPs IT cell, informed that the party had roped in political communications company The Ideaz Factory to produce positive campaigns. This, as per Vice, marked the debut of deepfakes in an Indian election.

Bakshi said the tool helped connect with different linguistic voter bases. The technology helped amp up our campaigns like never before. The videos in Haryanvi Hindi helped us convincingly approach the Haryanvi-speaking migrant workers, although the candidate didnt speak the language of the voter, he said.

He added that these videos of Tiwari, which was distributed primarily via WhatsApp groups, reached nearly 15 million people residing in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). The Haryanvi video was shared first, followed by the English one, to reach out to the urban Delhi voters next.
BRIDGEPORT  The family of a New Haven teenager, shot to death last month by a state trooper following a chase from Norwalk, will file a claim Thursday that will seek $10 million in damages, the lawyer for the family said.

The filing of this notice for claims is the first step required to file a civil lawsuit for the wrongful death of Mubarak Soulemane, attorney Sanford Rubenstein said in a release.

Soulemane, 19, was killed Jan. 13 in West Haven after he allegedly stole a car from an individual in Norwalk and fled from police at high at speeds that reached 90 mph along Interstate 95.

According to state police, Trooper Brian North fired his weapon after he saw Soulemane with a knife after stopping the car off Exit 43 in West Haven. When the driver displayed a weapon (later determined to be a knife), a trooper on scene discharged his assigned duty pistol, striking the driver, state police said.

Middlesex States Attorney Michael Gailor is heading an investigation into the shooting.

The claim will cite the state, the Connecticut State Police, the city of West Haven and the West Haven Police Department, according to the release by Rubenstein.

Attorney Michael Rosnick, who with Rubenstein, will file the claim on behalf of the Soulemane family, said they would be announcing more details of the claim at a press conference Thursday.

What is most important to the family of Mubarak Soulemane is to get justice for his wrongful death, Rosnick said. The family of Mubarak Soulemane is calling on the office of the Connecticut States Attorney to convene a grand jury in the matter with regard to the criminal culpability of Connecticut State Trooper Brian North.
By Trend

The Turkmen officials met with the heads of a number of the biggest enterprises and companies of Russias St. Petersburg city in the Turkmen Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Trend reports referring to the Union.

The sides exchanged views on the prospects for cooperation, including the participation of St. Petersburgs enterprises in joint implementation of big investment projects.

Turkmen entrepreneurs could evaluate the projects which are successfully implemented by St. Petersburgs companies in the field of road transport construction, festive illumination, construction of cargo, passenger ships and offshore platforms, as well as pharmaceutics and IT industry.

The Russian delegation consisted of the representatives of Vozrozhdenie, United Shipbuilding Corporation, Omega, Geropharm, and Petrosoft companies.

The presentation related to the activity of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, ongoing large-scale projects, including those in the transport and logistics sector, road construction, the fishing industry and the introduction of IT technologies was held at the meeting. At the same time, the export potential of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs was stressed.

The parties confirmed the interest in establishing mutually beneficial cooperation and discussed the possibilities of business partnership.

About 190 companies with Russian capital are operating in Turkmenistan. Russias Gazprom renewed the purchases of Turkmen gas this year, after a three-year hiatus. Since 2009, ARETI International Group of Companies (formerly ITERA) has been operating in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea.

The priority vectors of cooperation are the fuel and energy sector, shipbuilding, automobile industry, cargo transportation via sea, agriculture, including the supply of food products to the Russian market.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Volunteer efforts to deliver badly needed medical supplies to hospitals at the epicentre of Chinas coronavirus outbreak are being slowed by government red tape and city-wide lockdowns, organisers say.

The countrys hospitals are struggling to treat an outbreak that has now infected at least 60,000 people  roughly 15,000 new cases were announced last Thursday  and spread to two dozen countries.

Roughly three-quarters of confirmed infections are found in Wuhan, where coronavirus cases were first reported in December. In January, more than 20 Wuhan hospitals posted open letters calling for supplies on social media  an unusual step that bypassed government-designated charity channels.

There is an urgent need for supplies like masks, protective suits, and safety goggles, Chinese authorities said on 4 February. One NGO, US-based Project Hope, said hospitals in Wuhan alone are going through more than 110,000 face masks every day.

Local media have also reported examples of frontline staff working without proper supplies, including medical staff in one hospital resorting to wearing raincoats instead of protective suits.

Volunteers on the ground in Hubei say theyre struggling to source supplies from local factories and deliver them directly to hospitals amid restrictive quarantines and global shortages. Wuhan has been on lockdown since 23 January, and more than a dozen cities elsewhere in Hubei have followed suit.

One volunteer told The New Humanitarian that the government has ordered emergency requisitions of medical supplies in local factories, limiting whats available for unofficial relief efforts like hers.

We absolutely must source from personal contacts that we trust in these factories or else it is difficult to trust the quality of their supplies, said the volunteer, who asked that her name not be used because her group was not authorized to source supplies that factories have earmarked for official aid channels.

Due to road restrictions posed by the lockdowns in Hubei, her group transports donated medical supplies to Wuhan in bulk and asks hospitals to pick up the donations.

For hospitals that are too far away or do not have transportation capacities, we had no choice but to give up their donations, she said.

Wu Xuelan, part of a group of Chinese students at Princeton University in the United States that is mobilizing donations, said smaller Wuhan hospitals have contacted her group for help via social media.

We try to help as much as we can, and distribute the supplies according to need, she said.

Wu said her group has managed to bring in thousands of masks, goggles, and a small number of protective suits, which are shipped in bulk via a Chinese logistics company. The group channels shipments through a recognized charity, but arranges for hospital officials to receive the donations immediately, bypassing the charitys distribution network.

Chinese authorities have ordered customs regulations to be relaxed, but Wu said there are still layers of forms that must be filled in and stamped to comply with rules imposed by customs, shipping companies, and the state-designated charities that receive and redistribute supplies.

For some charity organizations, there would be a new version of forms every day or even changes made within the same day, and we would have to refill everything again, Wu said. Our volunteers felt overwhelmed and frustrated.

The volunteer aid efforts sidestepping officially designated relief channels to reflect mounting frustrations in China about how the response is being handled on the outbreaks front lines.

The Wuhan chapter of the Red Cross Society in China has drawn public outrage for mishandling face mask donations  reportedly sending thousands of masks to a private hospital that specialized in cosmetic surgery, while not sending enough to a hospital treating coronavirus patients.

State media have also published open criticism. The government has designated only five charities, including the Red Cross, to handle donations  a policy that has excluded smaller groups and ad hoc volunteer efforts.

We were warned from day one by doctors from China to not donate money or supplies to Wuhans Red Cross.

The mammoth workload also made it impossible for the five organizations to allocate supply in accordance with donors' wishes, Deng Guosheng, deputy director of the Institute for Philanthropy of Tsinghua University in Beijing, told the state-run China Daily.

Theres also lingering mistrust of the Red Cross in China over previous corruption scandals, including questions about how funding for 2008s Sichuan earthquake response was used.

We were warned from day one by doctors from China to not donate money or supplies to Wuhans Red Cross, said Kirsten Chen, a PhD student at the University of California, San Francisco and coordinator of her schools donation efforts.

News of the Wuhan Red Crosss blunder discouraged some people from participating: We had to assure people that we were reaching out to the hospitals directly, she said.

Under public pressure, the Wuhan Red Cross chapter announced that donors may bypass it to give aid supplies directly to their preferred hospitals, according to local media. The other government-designated charities in Wuhan have not commented.

As the outbreak continues, the lockdowns that started in Wuhan have spread elsewhere in Hubei and other parts of China.

Residents of Yichang and Suizhou, cities west and north of Wuhan, say movement has been completely restricted since last week. Only residents with special permits issued by the local government are allowed to leave their homes. Each family can send one person to buy groceries every other day.

The gates downstairs are all locked, said May Mei, a Yichang native who works in Beijing but came home for the Lunar New Year holidays in January, before the lockdown took hold.

Some roads and intersections have been blocked off by debris or manned checkpoints, residents said. Only hospital vehicles carrying the sick and government vehicles with permits are allowed to pass.

The panic in Wuhan is extremely high right now, and there is a feeling of loneliness and helplessness.

Other cities in the coastal province of Zhejiang, which has recorded more than 1,100 coronavirus cases, have adopted similarly stringent quarantines.

In Wuhan and elsewhere, neighbourhood committees  low-level government organizations that act as go-betweens for residents and the local government  track peoples mobility, oversee the rationing of face masks, and flag potential quarantine patients for signs of illness.

Supermarkets remain open, though shoppers have to wear a mask and undergo a temperature check, residents said.

Psychological stress is another big problem as the outbreak continues, said Li Wei, a 25-year-old Wuhan resident.

The panic in Wuhan is extremely high right now, and there is a feeling of loneliness and helplessness, Li said.

Its made worse as online rumours circulate unchecked among residents holed up in their homes: in recent days, there have been false rumours that supermarkets would close, or that the army would move in to Wuhan.

I do not know where to turn for information anymore, she said.
In among the bright and flashy billboard ads for fashion brands, the latest musicals and tech products, you might see something a little bit different if you're passing through Times Square over the next fortnight.

The NSW Rural Fire Service will have a "thank you" ad running on a massive screen outside the Marriott Marquis hotel in the heart of New York City for the next couple of weeks.

The RFS will have a 20-metre high advert on a billboard in New York's Times Square to thank the firefighters who worked hard over the past few months fighting fires in Australia.

After being approached by US company Silvercast media, which offered a donation of free advertising space, the RFS set about working with its Sydney ad agency, Wunderman Thompson, to make the most of the area, through which hundreds of thousands of pedestrians pass daily.

"Being that it's the biggest electronic billboard in North America, with 300,000 people walking by it each day, we felt we needed to utilise it as best we could," RFS spokesman Greg Allan said.
Chennai, Feb 19 : Several Muslim outfits are holding protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

In the state capital Chennai, a large number of Muslims men and women are holding procession from Kalaivanar Arangam to lay siege of the Tamil Nadu Assembly. The protesters are carrying tricolour.

The protesters demand the state government pass a resolution in the Assembly to the effect that CAA will not be implemented in the state.

The procession is held after Madras High Court denied permission to hold the same on Tuesday.

Security has been beefed up near the Assembly and along the procession route to prevent any untoward incidents.

Similarly, anti-CAA protests are held in other parts of the state like Trichy, Cuddalore, Tiruvannamalai and others.
The National Congress of American Indians is throwing its weight behind tribes in Oklahoma as they deal with one of the greatest threats to their sovereignty.

Speaking to reporters following the State of Indian Nations last week, NCAI President Fawn Sharp said an ongoing dispute over gaming rights strikes at the heart of the organization's 76-year-old history . She called on officials in Oklahoma to respect the government-to-government agreements -- also known as compacts -- signed with tribes.

"We're sovereignty based," Sharp said in Washington, D.C., last Monday. "It's our core mission."

"So any time any tribal nation is confronted with another sovereign who thinks they have the ability to carelessly, recklessly and disrespectfully disregard that relationship, to take unilateral action to undermine treaties, to undermine agreements that we have and and to be a direct threat to tribal sovereignty," Sharp continued, "they may be thinking they are dealing with one tribal nation, but they are dealing with all of Indian Country."

"We stand with those tribes who are facing a direct threat and annihilation to their sovereignty through this compact dispute," Sharp said of a controversy that has consumed Oklahoma's political, legal and media circles for much of the past year.

National Congress of American Indians President Fawn Sharp, center, talks with Jackson Brossy of the Native CDFI Network and Rep. Deb Haaland (D-New Mexico) following the State of Indian Nations in Washington, D.C., on February 10, 2020. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

The compact dispute in fact originated from an unlikely source. Shortly after taking office as only the second Native American governor in Oklahoma's history, Kevin Stitt -- who is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation -- called on tribes to fork over a greater share of their gaming revenues to the state.

Stitt, a Republican, faced immediate push-back from nearly every single tribe in the state, including his own. Cherokee leaders have been among the most vocal in opposing the demand, which was followed by threats to shut down their gaming facilities and to open the state to non-Indian forms of gaming.

"During the last fiscal year, our gaming operations sent $18 million in revenue directly to the state, bringing the total of the last eight years to $116 million," Cherokee Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. said in an opinion published on Indianz.Com

"And thats just one tribe," Hoskin continued. "Oklahoma has richly benefited from the gaming revenues of all our tribes.

The Cherokee Nation owns and operates the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Photo: Anadisgoi

The benefits have indeed been great. Since 2005 -- after the first Class III gaming compacts were signed -- tribes have shared more than $1.28 billion with the state, according to the Oklahoma Gaming Compliance Unit's most recent report.

So far, since the compacts were first approved in 2005 the tribes and the state have had a mutually productive relationship, and I hope that continues, Chairman John Berrey of the Quapaw Nation said last Tuesday.

Despite the show of unity in Indian Country, Stitt is digging in. With tribal leaders in attendance -- some of them looking visibly upset -- the governor repeated his demands during the State of the State address earlier this month, throwing in his on nod to "sovereignty" in the process,

"As Governor, I remain supportive of the sovereignty of the state of Oklahoma and our right  and your duty as the Legislature  to oversee all industries operating in the state," Stitt asserted on February 3.

"I also remain confident the state and Oklahomas tribes can hammer out a compromise that is a win-win for all four million Oklahomans, and we can accomplish this without putting public education in the crosshairs," Stitt said, in reference to the fact that a significant portion -- but not all -- of tribal gaming revenues are directed to public education.

Since 2004, tribes have paid $1.28 billion to the state of Oklahoma in exclusivity fees. Tribes set a record in fiscal year 2018, paying nearly $138.6 million to the state, an increase of 3.48 percent from the prior fiscal year. Source: Oklahoma Gaming Compliance Unit Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2018

The dispute is looking increasingly like one that will be resolved in court instead of the negotiating table. On the last day of 2019, just a day before Stitt said tribal gaming facilities would be operating illegally, the Cherokee Nation , the Chickasaw Nation and the Choctaw Nation filed a lawsuit to protect their gaming rights.

Together, the three tribes represent the largest segment of the gaming market in the state. But they aren't alone in seeking protection in the legal sphere -- the Citizen Potawatomi Nation , the Comanche Nation , the Delaware Nation , the Muscogee (Creek) Nation , the Otoe-Missouria Tribe , the Ponca Tribe , the Seminole Nation and the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes have since been granted permission to join the case.

"The tribal nations, the state of Oklahoma, and the United States government have had a long history of broken promises and we are not dwelling on it," Muscogee Chief David W. Hill said in his State of the Nation address on January 24. "We cannot change history, but by working together we can build a brighter future."

Hill added: "We will continue to work with the state of Oklahoma, but the Muscogee (Creek) Nation will not be controlled or intimidated by Oklahomas inability to practice sound fiscal management or dishonest attempts to rectify this failure by interrupting our lawful government activities.."

"The state must provide a fair and equitable partnership and mutual trust with the tribal nations that have provided so much to Oklahoma and its citizens," Hill said.

And on Friday, the Quapaw Nation was granted permission to intervene. Chairman Berrey said going to court presented a clear path toward resolving the impasse.

This litigation allows both the tribes and the state to seek a resolution to some of the key compact negotiations issues in a neutral, judicial forum, said Berrey. Our leadership team has been very supportive of the parties working toward a resolution in a constructive and businesslike manner, and we think this litigation could be helpful to all of the participants.

This is not a simple process because of the large number of governments involved, Berrey added, noting that the federal government -- which plays a significant role in reviewing and approving tribal gaming compacts -- is also impacted by the dispute. I think we all believe we can get to a mutually acceptable resolution. But it will take some work and a lot of listening.

As additional tribes joining the lawsuit, and on the same day as the State of Indian Nations, the federal judge handling the case ordered the parties into mediation. Four days later, Layn R. Phillips , himself a former federal judge, was appointed as the mediator . Phillips founded a private firm that specializes in alternative dispute resolution

Chief Gary Batton of @choctawnationOK announces that the tribe had an economic impact on Oklahoma of nearly $2.4 billion in 2018. That includes more than $45 million for educational programs. Learn more: https://t.co/1XKkagrbGY #StrongTribes #StrongOklahoma pic.twitter.com/ytbB1GMPnI  United For Oklahoma (@UnitedForOK) February 11, 2020

With the process moving forward, Kevin Allis, a citizen of the Forest County Potawatomi Community who serves as Chief Executive Officer of the National Congress of American Indians, believes the tribes will ultimately prevail.

"The tribes are going to win this one because they are on the right side of the fence on this," Allis said last Monday.

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U.S. President Donald Trump offered to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange if he said that Russia had nothing to do with WikiLeaks publication of Democratic Party emails in 2016, a London court heard on Wednesday.

Assange appeared by videolink from prison as lawyers discussed the management of his hearing next week to decide whether he should be extradited to the United States.

At Westminster Magistrates Court, Assanges barrister, Edward Fitzgerald, referred to a witness statement by former U.S. Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher who had visited Assange in 2017, saying that he had been sent by the president to offer a pardon.

The pardon would come on the condition that Assange complied with the United States by saying that the Russians were not involved in the email leak that damaged Hillary Clintons presidential campaign in 2016, Rohrabachers statement said.-

A White House spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, denied the assertion.

The president barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than hes an ex-congressman. Hes never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject. It is a complete fabrication and a total lie, she said.

Assange, 48, who spent seven years holed up in Ecuadors London embassy before he was dragged out last April, is wanted in the United States to face 18 counts including conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law. He could spend decades behind bars if convicted there.

Almost a decade after his WikiLeaks website enraged Washington by leaking secret U.S. documents, Woolwich Crown Court in London will begin hearings on Monday  with Assange present  to decide whether he should be sent to the United States.

At Wednesdays hearing, Assange spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth. He appeared relaxed and spent much of the hearing reading notes in his lap. He wore two pairs of glasses: one on top of his head and another which he took on and off and twiddled in his hands.

The Australian-born Assange made global headlines in early 2010 when WikiLeaks published a classified U.S. military video showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters in Baghdad that killed a dozen people, including two Reuters news staff.

WikiLeaks later angered the United States by publishing caches of leaked military documents and diplomatic cables.

The full extradition hearing will be split in two parts, with the second half delayed until May.

SOURCE: REUTERS
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Impostor scams continue to target large numbers of Americans, and as the federal government launches the 2020 Census, a majority may be susceptible to phony Census correspondence or telephone calls, according to results of a survey released today by the AARP Fraud Watch Network.

The study, "The Impostors: Stealing Money, Damaging Lives," (aarp.org/ImpostorScams), focused on government impostor scams, in which criminals pose as representatives of agencies such as the IRS, Social Security Administration or Census Bureau; and relationship scams, when fraudsters pretend to be a relative or someone seeking a romantic relationship online. Researchers also probed the effects of fraud schemes on intended victims.

Nearly half of U.S. adults (47%) reported that they have been targeted by an impostor scam, according to the AARP survey. The Federal Trade Commission received 647,000 reports of imposter scams during 2019, more than any other type of fraud; the FTC says government impostor scams increased more than 50 percent over 2018.

The Decennial Census presents a new opportunity for the criminals who impersonate government officials, and AARP's survey shows that many consumers may be at risk:

Seventy percent of respondents were incorrect or unsure about whether the Census Bureau would contact them via email. Invitations to participate in the Census actually will be sent via U.S. mail.

More than a third (35%) expect or are unsure whether the Census questionnaire will ask for their Social Security number. The Census Bureau says it will never ask for sensitive information such as Social Security number, bank account information or passwords, or request payment of a fee.

"We've learned that scammers are very shrewd and adept at capitalizing on current events," said Kathy Stokes, director, fraud prevention programs, AARP. "The Census has been in the news, so most people are expecting to hear soon from the Census Bureau. Scammers will use that to their advantage as they aim to deceive people into sharing sensitive information or handing over money."

Invitations to respond to the Decennial Census will be mailed to U.S. households in March. Responses to the Census questions may be submitted online or via mail or telephone. By May, Census workers will begin visiting or contacting households that have not yet responded.

For assistance with recognizing potential Census scams, see the tip sheet from the AARP Fraud Watch Network.

The toll of imposter scams goes beyond the financial impact, according to the AARP survey. Among those who have been targeted and/or victimized, 18% reported that they experienced health problems or emotional distress as a result of the encounter. People ages 18 to 49 reported health or emotional issues at a higher rate than those age 50 or older.

Among other findings of the survey:

Forty-five percent of people age 50 and older have been contacted by a government impostor, as compared to 35% of those ages 18 to 49.

Two in five U.S. adults use dating websites, apps or online social groups to find potential dates or romantic partners. Of those, half encountered one of the "red flags" of romance fraud, including requests for money.

The majority of U.S. adults are at least somewhat familiar with government impostor scams and relationship scams (including romance fraud and the grandparent scam) -- indicating that efforts by AARP and other consumer advocates to increase public awareness are working. However,

Fifty-five percent of survey respondents failed a 10-question fraud safety quiz.

AARP members and the public are invited to learn more about impostor scams and other fraud schemes by participating in an Online Community Q&A during February. Amy Nofziger, director, fraud victim support, is the host, and will answer your questions and take comments about scams you have encountered.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network launched in 2013 as a free resource for people of all ages. Consumers may sign up for "Watchdog Alert" emails that deliver information about scams, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to report scams or get help from trained volunteers in the event someone falls victim to scammers' tactics. The Fraud Watch Network website provides information about fraud and scams, prevention tips from experts, an interactive scam-tracking map and access to AARP's hit podcast series, The Perfect Scam.

Survey Methodology

Online survey via NORC's AmeriSpeak Panel, a probability-based panel with sample targeting U.S. adults ages 18 and older. AmeriSpeak is designed to be representative of the U.S. household population. Qualifications: Ages 18 or older; goes online or accesses the Internet (e.g., sending or receiving email). Sample: NORC's AmeriSpeak Panel, n=2,273 adults ages 18 and over. Interviewing Dates: Dec. 18, 2019, to Jan. 20, 2020. Weighting: Sample data are weighted to the U.S. population by age, gender, race/ethnicity, and Census division. Margin of error: 2.18 percent at the 95% confidence level. For more detail, see the research report.

About AARP

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit http://www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.

SOURCE AARP

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-18 14:41:42|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The lander and rover of the Chang'e-4 probe have resumed work for the 15th lunar day on the far side of the moon after "sleeping" during the extremely cold night.

The lander woke up at 6:57 a.m. Tuesday (Beijing time), and the rover awoke at 5:55 p.m. Monday. Both are in normal working order, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration.

The rover, Yutu-2 or Jade Rabbit-2, has traveled 367.25 meters on the far side of the moon, with a plan to drive northwest and then southwest to continue its scientific exploration.

The Chang'e-4 probe, launched on Dec. 8, 2018, made the first-ever soft landing on the Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon on Jan. 3, 2019.

A lunar day equals 14 days on Earth, and a lunar night is the same length. The Chang'e-4 probe switched to dormant mode during the lunar night due to the lack of solar power.

The scientific tasks of the Chang'e-4 mission include conducting low-frequency radio astronomical observation, surveying the terrain and landforms, detecting the mineral composition and shallow lunar surface structure and measuring neutron radiation and neutral atoms.

The Chang'e-4 mission embodies China's hope to combine wisdom in space exploration with four payloads developed by the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Saudi Arabia.

China plans to launch its first Mars probe and the Chang'e-5 probe to bring lunar samples back to Earth later this year.
Caroline Flack was found dead on Saturday aged 40. (Keith Mayhew/SOPA Images/Sipa USA)

An inquest has been opened into the death of TV presenter Caroline Flack.

The former Love Island presenter was found dead at her home in east London on Saturday.

The inquest, held at Poplar Coroners Court, was told that a provisional cause of death in a subsequent autopsy was suspension by ligature.

The hearing was told that police were flagged down in Stoke Newington, London, on Saturday and taken to a residential flat, where Flack was found hanged.

Her body was identified by her sister, Jody Flack.

Floral tributes outside Caroline Flack's home in north London following her death. (PA)

Coroners officer Sandra Polson said Caroline Flack was found lying on her back, she had apparently been found hanging.

Police attempted resuscitation, which was then continued by paramedics, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The inquest was opened as an unpublished social media post written by Flack before she died was released by her family.

In the post, Flack said a domestic incident involving her boyfriend Lewis Burton that led to a charge of assault was an accident.

Caroline Flack's family has released a social media post to the Eastern Daily Press that the presenter had never published. (PA)

The note  which Flack was advised not to post  has been shared by her family and published in the Eastern Daily Press.

It said: Within 24 hours my whole world and future was swept from under my feet and all the walls that I had taken so long to build around me, collapsed. I am suddenly on a different kind of stage and everyone is watching it happen.

I have always taken responsibility for what happened that night. Even on the night. But the truth is . It was an accident.

Flack said she had been having some sort of emotional breakdown for a very long time.

Caroline Flack arriving at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court charged with assault in December. (PA)

She added: But I am NOT a domestic abuser.

We had an argument and an accident happened. An accident.

Flacks death triggered anger at parts of the media that ran stories on the 40-year-old, with celebrities, commentators and social media users blaming some newspapers for the scrutiny applied to her.

A petition calling for legislation criminalising media harassment to the point where someone takes their own life had received more than 700,000 signatures by Tuesday.

Story continues

Outside the inquest, a woman stopped to remonstrate with waiting journalists and photographers.

She said: You lot, you want to be ashamed. Id rather be on the dole than be any one of you.

Dont look, dont smirk, dont be blinking - you want to be ashamed of yourselves.

I dont know how you sleep at night. Scum. Scum of the earth.

Poplar Coroner's Court, where the inquest into Caroline Flack's death has been held. (Google Maps)

Questions were also asked of the decision to prosecute Flack over the alleged assault on Burton at a north London flat, despite Burton not wanting the case to go ahead. She pleaded not guilty in December.

The Crown Prosecution Service said it decides to prosecute based on the evidence available and whether it would be in the public interest.

After the allegations emerged, Flack, 40, stepped down from presenting the current series of Love Island, which did not air at the weekend out of respect.

The ITV2 dating shows narrator Iain Stirling praised his friends passion, warmth and infectious enthusiasm on Mondays broadcast.

Lewis Burton said his heart is broken after Flacks death, and friend and fellow presenter Laura Whitmore said she was vivacious, loving and had a passion for life, which is why none of this makes sense.

Whitmore said that every mistake Flack made had happened under media scrutiny.

Ive seen journalists and Twitter warriors talk about this tragedy and they themselves have twisted what the truth is, she said.

You dont have to tear someone down to feel good about yourself.

For confidential emotional support at times of distress, contact The Samaritans at any time by calling 116 123 or emailing jo@samaritans.org.
Appearing in court with handcuffs and leg shackles, an inmate from a maximum-security prison in the state testified Wednesday to being assaulted by a tactical team at the facility, though officials lodged new accusations that it was he who had attacked staff when they entered his cell.

Robert Silva-Prentice is one of three prisoners suing multiple officials with the Massachusetts Department of Correction and the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, where he is serving a sentence for a 2017 murder. In addition to the assault allegations, the inmate has accused prison staff of taking away his legal paperwork and restricting access to his attorney.

The inmate alleged that on Jan. 22 roughly 10 prison staff members, clad in what he called army-fatigue-type green vests," came into his cell, grabbed him off the top of a bunk bed, slammed the prisoner onto the ground and proceeded to kick him several times in the face while they beat his cellmate. He also accused the officers of ripping five to six dreadlocks out of his head and tasing him.

It just felt like a burning sensation, he said of being tased. Your body kind of tenses up.

Several other inmates have accused a special operations team stationed at the facility of attacking them in retaliation for an inmate-led assault on four correction officers on Jan. 10 that put two of the guards in the hospital and led to a lockdown of the prison that lasted roughly three weeks. Additional threats of assault, hostage-taking, rape and murder were made against prison staff after the lockdown, according to Stephen Kenneway, superintendent of Souza-Baranowski.

To prevent future attacks, several prisoners involved in the attack on the officers were transferred out of the facility. Twenty-three inmates were identified as combatants, according to DOC, and prisoners were screened to determine appropriate housing placements within the facility. Those with serious disciplinary infractions were moved to the north side of the facility, while other inmates without infractions were placed on the south side.

The tactical team began a search of inmates cells on Jan. 21 during which time, prisoners had nearly all of their properties, such as their clothes and legal materials, removed and returned three days later, according to DOC. Some, including Silva-Prentice, accused prison staff of assaulting them over the course of the three days as well.

Silva-Prentice said during the day he claimed to be assaulted he was placed in a room that his cellmate called a shit bag cell, meaning there were blind spots in it that surveillance video cameras could not capture. Roughly five minutes later, the prisoner alleged, officers came into his cell with guns and tasers. There were no dogs, he noted.

I dont know what they came in my cell for, Silva-Prentice said.

The inmates who have alleged being attacked said they were not involved with the assault on the correction officers. The prisoners have claimed they have been tased, punched with fisted gloves and bitten by dogs.

Multiple state legislators who recently visited the facility also claimed there is a lack of oversight and control at Souza-Baranowski as well as public health and hygiene issues.

Silva-Prentice said following his alleged attack he was not allowed access to mental health professionals as well.

Kenneway, who was questioned during Wednesdays hearing in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston, disputed the claims, saying prisoners who alleged they were in crisis were provided access to mental health professionals.

He added that Silva-Prentice was involved in a use-of-force incident and that he assaulted an officer on Jan. 22, adding that a disciplinary report will soon be issued and that the case may be referred to the Worcester District Attorneys office.

Currently, Silva-Prentice is allowed two hours and fifteen minutes outside of his cell each day and is housed in non-restrictive housing, Kenneway said.

During a heated moment of the hearing, Patricia DeJuneas, the inmates lawyer, raised questions about why her client was not in restrictive housing if he allegedly assaulted an officer. She also asked Kenneway when cross-examining him why the accusations of assault were not brought up before, as the superintendent spoke last week.

The attorneys and Kenneway declined to comment after final witnesses were heard Wednesday. Closing arguments in the trial will be heard later Wednesday afternoon.

Silva-Prentice was convicted in 2018 of second-degree murder for the shooting death of 17-year-old Yanuel Viloria in Roxbury in 2017.

Got a news tip or want to contact MassLive about this story? Email newstips@masslive.com or message us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also call our news tips line at 413-776-1364.

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DALLAS, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Howard Hughes Corporation (NYSE: HHC) has partnered with Say, the fintech startup reimagining shareholder communications, to allow investors to submit and upvote questions they would like to see addressed on the Company's Q4 2019 Earnings Call. Say verifies all shareholder positions and provides permission to participate on the February 28th call, during which HHC leadership will be answering top questions. Utilizing the Say platform, The Howard Hughes Corporation elevates its capabilities for responding to company shareholders, making its investor relations Q&A more transparent and engaging.

In addition to the dial-in options provided below, institutional and retail shareholders can participate by going to app.saytechnologies.com/howardhughes . Shareholders can email [email protected] for any support inquiries.

The Howard Hughes Corporation will release 2019 fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday, February 27, 2020, after the market closes and will hold its fourth-quarter conference call on Friday, February 28, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The Company's earnings release will be posted to the Investors section of the Company's website prior to the conference call.

To participate in The Howard Hughes Corporation's fourth-quarter earnings conference call, please dial 1-877-883-0383 within the U.S., 1-877-885-0477 within Canada, or 1-412-902-6506 when dialing internationally. All participants should dial in at least five minutes prior to the scheduled start time, using 2190281 as the passcode. A live audio webcast will also be available on the Company's website (www.howardhughes.com).

A taped replay of the call can be accessed 24 hours a day through March 28, 2020, by dialing 1-877-344-7529 within the U.S., 1-855-669-9658 within Canada, or 1-412-317-0088 when dialing internationally, using the passcode 10137532.

About The Howard Hughes Corporation

The Howard Hughes Corporation owns, manages and develops commercial, residential and mixed-use real estate throughout the U.S. Its award-winning assets include the country's preeminent portfolio of master planned communities, as well as operating properties and development opportunities including: the Seaport District in New York; Columbia, Maryland; The Woodlands, The Woodlands Hills, and Bridgeland in the Greater Houston, Texas area; Summerlin, Las Vegas; and Ward Village in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Howard Hughes Corporation's portfolio is strategically positioned to meet and accelerate development based on market demand, resulting in one of the strongest real estate platforms in the country. Dedicated to innovative place making, the company is recognized for its ongoing commitment to design excellence and to the cultural life of its communities. The Howard Hughes Corporation is traded on the New York Stock Exchange as HHC. For additional information visit www.howardhughes.com.

About Say:

Say provides brokers, companies, and funds cost-efficient tools to enable high-value digital shareholder interactions. Say's innovative Shareholder Communication Platform disrupts the world of investor communications by making it more transparent and secure, from powering full-service proxy processing solutions, to connecting investors with the companies and funds they own for new leverageable forms of engagement.

For more information visit saytechnologies.com

Contact: [email protected]

Media Contact

The Howard Hughes Corporation

Cristina Carlson, 646-822-6910

VP, Corporate Communications & Public Relations

[email protected]

Investor Relations

The Howard Hughes Corporation

David R. O'Reilly, 214-741-7744

Chief Financial Officer

david.o'[email protected]

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He's the former Home and Away star-turned-Hollywood heartthrob.

And while Ryan Kwanten's star continues to rise, the Australian born actor does a pretty good job of keeping his life behind the camera private.

'I'm just a private guy full stop,' Ryan, 43, told the Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.

'I'm just a private guy, full stop!' Ryan Kwanten revealed why he prefers to keep out of the spotlight... as he recalls working with Home and Away legend Ray Meagher

'I try and put all the drama into my life on screen and leave my life outside of it as drama-free as I can,' he continued.

'I think the more people know about me the less inclined they are to believe the character that I play... I want to portray as much truth into that character as I can, so for me the more they know about me the harder I have to work,' Ryan added.

Ryan starred as Jason Stackhouse on True Blood, between 2008 to 2014.

'For me the more they know about me the harder I have to work,' Ryan told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday. (Pictured: Ryan as True Blood's buff hunk Jason Stackhouse)

He is most recognisable to Australian and UK fans from the long-running series Home and Away, where he starred as Vinnie Patterson from 1997 to 2002.

Recalling his time on the drama, Ryan recalled working with Summer Bay icon Ray Meagher, better known as Alf Stewart.

'Ray was like a lighthouse for me, he was pretty amazing and I know [that] he was with anyone that's worked with him as a young actor,' he said.

'Ray was like a lighthouse for me': Ryan recalled working with Summer Bay icon Ray Meagher (right), better known as Alf Stewart

Next up, Ryan will return to screens in Sacred Lies, which follows Elise (Jordan Alexander) as she searches for the family she never knew.

The Facebook Watch Original is heavily inspired by the Brothers Grimm's The Singing Bone, with real crime cases weaved into the fictitious story.

Facebook Watch is a global video destination on Facebook, where content, community, and conversation come together.

In the series, Ryan plays Peter, Elise's father, who is currently incarcerated in prison.

Meanwhile, actress Juliette Lewis plays Harper, a telemarketer-turned-amateur detective who has made a lifestyle out of searching for unidentified murder victims.

The Singing Bones premieres Friday, February 21 at 7am on Facebook Watch
French authorities said Tuesday that they would not halt a mass rally planned by former Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont in Perpignan, just a few kilometres from the Spanish region's capital of Barcelona. Organisers say they expect some 70,000 supporters to attend the meeting on February 29, but French officials had not yet given their approval. The delay prompted fears the rally could be outlawed on grounds of a threat to public order, but the government's top regional authority said it had "decided to respect the principle of freedom of assembly." Hundreds of buses have been chartered to bring supporters from Catalonia across the border, and many Perpignan hotels are already fully booked for the event. Puigdemont and other officials fled Spain in October 2017 after his regional government staged a secession referendum that was banned by Madrid. He has since been living in Belgium, and in May was elected to the European Parliament, granting him diplomatic immunity against a European arrest warrant issued by Spain. "I will feel at home, walking on the lands of northern Catalonia," Puigdemont said when announcing the Perpignan meeting last month. He will be joined by other Catalan officials, including the current Catalan president Quim Torra, a member of Puigdemont's Together for Catalonia (JxC) party. Torra has said the wealthy northeastern region will hold early elections this year amid disputes between its two governing parties, both staunchly pro-independence.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkeys export of cement to Turkmenistan increased in January 2020, Turkeys Ministry of Trade told Trend on Feb. 19.

In January 2020, Turkeys export of cement to Turkmenistan increased by 1.4 percent compared to January 2019, and exceeded $1.2 million.

In 2019, export of cement from Turkey to Turkmenistan increased by 49.18 percent compared to 2018 and reaching $12.2 million.

Last year, Turkeys total export of cement increased by 17.8 percent and reached $3.5 billion.

In 2019, export of cement from Turkey amounted to 1.9 percent of the country's total export.

Turkey's export amounted to $171.5 billion in 2019, having increased by 2.1 percent compared to 2018. In the meantime, Turkey's import dropped by 9.1 percent and amounted to $202.7 billion.

Turkeys foreign trade turnover in 2019 exceeded $374.2 billion.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has described the late overlord of the Gbi Traditional Area (Hohoe), Togbega Gabusu VI, as a friend who was very close to him.



He was a good friend, a friend of all seasons, not a fair-weather friend; be it in good times or bad times, he remained a friend, the visibly distraught President recounted at Hohoe in the Volta Region when he called on the chiefs and people of Gbi to console them over the demise of Togbega Gabusu.



The President, who is currently on a tour of the Volta Region, said the late prominent chief who was one-time President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs was a firm, loyal, upright and honest man who delighted in speaking the truth and sticking by it irrespective of the consequences.



He said although he had promised the late Gabusu of constructing the Hohoe town roads, it was unfortunate his friend was no more to see the fulfillment of the promise.



He added that perhaps the town roads project would all be finished in his honour, same as the Eastern Corridor, for which he was a strong campaigner.



The President went on to play with the thought of even naming the Eastern Corridor road after Gabusu who was also a strong supporter of the creation of a new region from the Volta Region, saying, Maybe, we dont know, but we shall see!



Togbe Keh XII, Divisional Chief of Gbi Wegbe, speaking on behalf of the Gbi Traditional Area and the Traditional Council, expressed gratitude to the President for mourning with them although he is yet to be officially informed.



He acknowledged the closeness between the late Togbega Gabusu and Nana Akufo-Addo even before he became President and reiterated that the befitting way to honour the memory of the late chief is to complete the Eastern Corridor road.



He also commended the President highly for reposing confidence in John Peter Amewu, a native of the area with the Ministry of Energy.



He said Mr. Amewu had played a key role in many development initiatives in the area, including an ongoing stadium project, the Hohoe town roads, streetlights, extension of power, among others.



The President went on to sign the book of condolences opened in honour of Togbega Gabusu VI at the palace.







Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former Liberal leader Lord Steel faces expulsion from his party over his failure to pass on his suspicions about paedophile MP Cyril Smith.

He is set to be the first politician singled out for censure by the national child sex abuse inquiry, it was reported last night.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) is set to publish its conclusions next week.

Friends of the peer fear he will be made a 'scapegoat' over his admission that he failed to pass on information about former Rochdale MP Smith's abuse of boys.

Last night the Liberal Democrats declined to comment  but it is understood a committee of senior MPs and peers is being convened to discuss Lord Steel's future.

Former Liberal leader Lord Steel (pictured) faces expulsion from his party over his failure to pass on his suspicions about paedophile MP Cyril Smith

Friends of Lord Steel, who led the Liberal Party between 1976 and 1988 and is now 81, accused the inquiry of 'scraping the barrel' in order to justify the huge cost of the investigation.

They also described Lib Dem moves to expel the peer as 'double jeopardy' because he has already been suspended, cleared and readmitted to the party over the same issue.

The Westminster strand of the inquiry has failed to find any evidence of a widespread paedophile ring operating among MPs.

It was set up by Theresa May on the back of a series of such allegations, many of which have since proved to be without foundation.

David Steel pictured with Cyril Smith pictured at the Midway Hotel in Rochester in 1977

Smith, who died in 2010, is accused of sexually abusing scores of boys. He was never charged in his lifetime

Close colleagues, including former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Campbell, are considering quitting if Lord Steel is expelled.

A friend of the peer, who is abroad, told The Daily Telegraph: 'This is really low-hanging fruit for IICSA. There is no allegation about Lord Steel's personal behaviour, but the way in which he dealt with some publicity about Smith which he raised with him 40 years ago.

'There is a real fear IICSA will use this as a small trophy and the Liberal Democrats will seize upon any criticism to expel him. We think IICSA will scapegoat him on the basis he is the only name they have got.'

The inquiry, which has already cost the taxpayer 150million, will also criticise Lord Steel for his decision to recommend Smith for a knighthood.

Smith, who died in 2010, is accused of sexually abusing scores of boys. He was never charged in his lifetime.

The report is understood, according to sources close to the inquiry, to be highly critical of his failure to notify authorities after an admission by Smith that claims about him in Private Eye magazine were true.

David Steel (right) with former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe (left). Last night the Liberal Democrats declined to comment

The Private Eye article accused Smith of spanking boys and conducting intimate 'medical examinations' at a Rochdale hostel, but Smith had insisted police took no further action

Under questioning, Lord Steel told IICSA of a conversation he had with Smith in 1979, in which the then MP admitted his behaviour was investigated a decade earlier.

The Private Eye article accused Smith of spanking boys and conducting intimate 'medical examinations' at a Rochdale hostel, but Smith had insisted police took no further action.

Lord Steel told IICSA last March that he 'assumed' Smith had actually committed the offences.

The peer's supporters point out that, at the time of the abuse in the 1960s, Smith had already been investigated with no action taken.

They add that the conversation with Smith took place at an informal dinner in the Commons at which Lord Steel raised the Private Eye articles. But they insist he did not discuss their content in any detail.

Friends of Lord Steel also say it is unfair to criticise him for recommending Smith for a knighthood in 1988, when the honours committee had the power to investigate him.
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A Japanese disease expert has branded the Diamond Princess quarantine a 'major failure', 'completely inadequate' and a 'mistake' as he slammed the 'bureaucrats' in charge.

Kentaro Iwata said the situation on board the vessel was worse than outbreaks he had dealt with in the past, such as Ebola in Africa and the 2003 SARS crisis in China, as he feared he would also be infected.

The professor said in a YouTube video that on board the Diamond Princess was the only time he feared getting disease himself.

He placed himself in a 14-day quarantine for fear of infecting his family after a brief visit on board the ship yesterday.

The Kobe University infectious diseases expert said conditions on the ship were 'completely chaotic' and violated quarantine rules.

His video has racked up more than a million views amid a barrage of criticism of Japanese authorities after 542 people were infected during the lockdown.

Some 74 Britons were quarantined on the cruise vessel in Japan as a total of 621 cases of the the virus were diagnosed on board.

Around 170 Australians have been allowed to leave to board a flight from at Haneda airport chartered by their government, while British passengers have had to remain in quarantine until their evacuation flight is in place.

Ambulance cars leaving from the Diamond Princess cruise ship at the Daikoku pier in Yokohama, sububan Tokyo, on Tuesday

A passenger of Diamond Princess leaving Daikoku Pier. About 500 passengers who have tested negative for the coronavirus were allowed to disembark the cruise ship on Wednesday after 14 days quarantine period

Medical workers outside the a cruise ship yesterday. A total 542 passengers and crews have found to be infected on the ship

A worker wearing a protective suit standing next to a bus carrying passengers, who will board the Qantas aircraft chartered by the Australian government, from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship drive at Haneda airport today

Of those Australians who were ready to go, 10 were told they could not leave because they tested positive for the deadly disease, which has killed more than 2,000 people so far. The rest will fly from Japan to Darwin after boarding a specially charted plane.

Around 500 holidaymakers who had tested negative were allowed to leave the ship this morning.

British nationals are due to be rescued from the cruise ship and brought back to the UK via a flight from Tokoyo, but they have not been given a time-frame of when this will take place. On their return they will be housed in Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral.

The ship docked in Yokohama on February 3 and Japan has been criticised for its handling of the quarantine, including by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Japan has also faced wider criticism after the number of infections on the mainland reached 74, including one of only four fatalities outside China.

But Iwata's criticism of the 'bureaucrats' who stoked the crisis by failing to follow basic protocols. is some of the most scathing yet.

'The cruise ship was completely inadequate in terms of infection control,' said Iwata in videos which he posted in English and Japanese last night.

He said: 'There was no distinction between the green zone, which is free of infection, and the red zone, which is potentially contaminated by the virus.

'I was in Africa dealing with the Ebola outbreak. I was in other countries dealing with the cholera outbreak. I was in China in 2003 to deal with SARS...I never had fear of getting infection myself.

'But inside Diamond Princess, I was so scared... because there was no way to tell where the virus is.'

Passengers board the Qantas aircraft chartered by the Australian government after disembarking from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship at Haneda airport today

Former passengers waving from a bus carrying them to a Qantas aircraft chartered by the Australian government after they were released from quarantine today

A bus carrying passengers who will take a flight chartered by the government of the Hong Kong driving past the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship docked the Daikoku Pier in Yokohama today

A bus leaves the Diamond Princess today after more than 500 people were infected during a two-week lockdown, sparking fierce criticism from disease experts

Mr Iwata said he had boarded the ship because he 'wanted to be useful in helping' to contain the virus.

He relayed his concerns to officials on the boat and was later told to leave the site, he said.

His criticism has made waves in a country where unvarnished criticism is rare in officialdom and academia, and Iwata fears he could face professional repercussions for his public rebuke.

He said he posted the videos at the urging of his wife, who is also an infectious disease specialist and said it was his professional duty to get the word out.

But Japanese officials defended their approach, insisting that many of the infections took place before the quarantine began.

Shigeru Omi, a former WHO regional head advising the government, said the quarantine had 'a very positive effect' on reducing infections.

'(The) majority of the infections, we believe, occurred before the date when the quarantine measures started,' he told reporters.

That does not appear to have convinced foreign governments, many of whom have lost patience with Japan and airlifted their citizens out.

When asked about the videos, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said staff on the boat were thoroughly protected from infection through the use of masks and hand washing.

Disease expert Kentaro Iwata (pictured) said he had placed himself in a 14-day quarantine for fear of infecting his family after a brief visit on board the ship yesterday

A bus carrying passengers who disembarked the quarantined Diamond Princess. About 500 passengers who tested negative for the coronavirus were allowed to disembark

A bus carrying passengers, who will board the Qantas aircraft chartered by the Australian government More than 200 Australians on the cruise ship will be flown to Darwin

Japan's health Minister Katsunobu Kato has also defended the government's approach.

'Expert doctors who are members of an infection prevention team are supervising inside the ship,' he said in response to questions from opposition lawmakers.

'If symptoms develop, of course not only that person but also those who had close contact with the person are told to refrain from serving, and workers follow rules such as wearing masks and putting on gloves,' he added.

'According to experts, the infection is under control.'

Michael Ryan, head of the WHO's health emergencies programme, acknowledged there 'has been much more transmission than expected on the ship'.

But, he added, 'it is very easy in retrospect to make judgements on public health decisions made at a certain point'.

A passenger wearing a face mask drags two items of luggage with him after leaving the Diamond Princess in Japan today

A passenger of the Diamond Princess cruise ship leaves Daikoku Pier today after about 500 passengers were allowed to leave

Richard Koo, chief economist at Nomura Research Institute, has warned that coronavirus could cause a 'substantial amount of economic damage in Japan' more widely, according to Bloomberg.

'The Japanese government's decision to wait for the China-friendly WHO to make its much-delayed declaration of a global health emergency led to the first cases of domestic person-to-person transmission and tarnished the country's international reputation,' he said.

Japan has announced plans to use HIV drugs to combat the virus as the growing number of cases poses an increasing threat to the world's third-largest economy.

With Japan's economy contracting, raising the risk of a recession, the spread of the coronavirus has prompted Tokyo to put limits on public crowds.

In addition, some companies have begun to urge employees to work from home.

Central banks across the region have already begun slashing interest rates to help ease credit as tourism arrivals plunge.
Coates is most recently the author of the novel The Water Dancer, however he is perhaps best known Between the World and Me, his National Book Award-winning essay collection on race. Coates, a 2015 MacArthur fellow, also has crossed over into comic books, writing Marvels Black Panther and Captain America.
Three men found dead this week in a Southern California cemetery were executed near the grave of a man who was murdered in Mexico last year, suggesting possible links to a drug cartel or a gang.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said detectives were looking into whether the location of the triple homicide was meant to send a message.

'All three were killed there at the same time,' Bianco said at a news conference.

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Aerial footage shows the lifeless bodies of three men 'blurred' lying in the middle of the Perris Valley Cemetery in Southern California on Monday

Riverside sheriff's deputies were summoned to the scene and set up tents to shield the bodies from view

The trio of victims were found suffering from unspecified injuries and their execution-style deaths are being investigated as a triple homicide

The three men were identified as Perris residents Jaime Covarrubias Espindola, 50; Jose Maria Aguilar-Espejel, 38 and Rodrigo Aguilar-Espejel, 28.

The bodies were found on Monday in the grass at the Perris Valley Cemetery east of Los Angeles. The causes of death were not immediately released.

While a motive hasn't been determined, Bianco said the men appear to have been killed execution-style.

'It certainly seems that way,' he said.

While they were found Monday, its not clear when the men were killed.

Bianco said detectives were looking at security camera footage to try and pinpoint how the men got to the cemetery.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said at a press conference on Tuesday that detectives are trying to determine whether a cartel or a gang killed the men to send a message

Univision reported that the elaborately decorated grave belonged to a man who was tortured and murdered in Michoacan, Mexico, on December 20.

Riverside Press-Enterprise reported that the burial site where the three bodies were found was festooned with hearts, balloons and a crucifix.

Officials did not name the deceased, or say whether a relationship existed between that person and the recent victims.

Detectives from Riverside have been in contact with Mexican authorities, the sheriff said.

According to a Tuesday press release from the agency, deputies from the Perris Station responded to the 900 Block of North Perris Boulevard at around 10.30am Monday after a report of three men laying unresponsive on a burial plot.

The trio of victims were found suffering from unspecified injuries.

Aerial footage from CBS Los Angeles and still photos taken at the scene showed the victims bodies laying in the grass amid bouquet of flowers and Valentine's Day balloons.

The sheriffs department said the men, ages 50, 38 and 28, were killed next to the grave of a man who was killed in Mexico in December 2019

Two of the bodies were next to one another, and the third was a short distance away

Detectives worked into the evening Monday gathering evidence as part of the probe

Witnesses reported seeing one of the victims hunched other, another laying face down and the third wrapped in something resembling a sleeping bag, according to KTLA5.

Two of the bodies were next to one another, possibly on top of a grave marker, and the third was a short distance away.

Detectives from the Central Homicide Unit were called to the cemetery and took over the homicide investigation.

'This appears to be an isolated incident and there is no perceived threat to the public,' the press release stated.

Investigators were working to determine if Monday's triple homicide is connected to two shootings that took place in Perris earlier this month,

Perris Mayor Michael Vargas released a statement saying he was 'heartbroken by the horrific crimes that have taken place today.'
TRIPOLI  Libya's unity government announced late Tuesday it would halt its participation in UN talks aimed at brokering a lasting ceasefire in the war-torn country where a fragile truce has been repeatedly violated.

The pull-out came after a barrage of rocket fire hit a port in the capital Tripoli  the target of a months-long operation by eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar to oust the Government of National Accord (GNA).

"We are announcing the suspension of our participation in the military talks taking place in Geneva until firm positions are adopted against the aggressor (Haftar) and his violations" of the truce, the GNA said in a press release.

"Without a lasting ceasefire... negotiations make no sense. There can be no peace under the bombing," it added.

The port strikes were the latest violation of a tenuous truce that came into effect in January, brokered by Haftar-backer Russia and Turkey, which supports the UN-recognised government in Tripoli.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

"It is clear the objective of the systematic bombardments of the residential areas, the airport and the port, in addition to the total blockage of the oil installations, is to provoke crises for the citizens in all the aspects of their life", the GNA statement said.

It added that Haftar's forces were "trying in vain" to destabilise the state, having failed to seize power.

UN Libya envoy Ghassan Salame launched the second round of talks on Tuesday in the latest international effort to end fighting between the warring sides, with five senior officers from the GNA and five appointed by Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) taking part.

A first round of the talks ended with no result earlier this month but Salame said there was "more hope" this time, mainly because of the approval of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a "lasting ceasefire".  AFP
The Save Romania Union considers that the rejection of the Emergency Ordinance for early elections, in the Senate plenary, is proof that the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) and the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) want to "restrict the right of Romanians to vote".

"The Emergency Ordinance for early elections, which facilitated the vote of the Romanians, including those from the diaspora, was rejected in the Senate plenary by the vote of PSD, UDMR and ALDE. The USR senators voted, along with those of PNL [the National Liberal Party], in favor of the ordinance. Today's vote in the Senate proves once again that PSD, ALDE and UDMR do not miss a chance to hinder the right of Romanians to vote, because they fear the Romanians' vote. Nor do PSD, ALDE and UDMR want the diaspora to vote in decent conditions, for three days, because they know that Romanians from abroad do not vote with them. And then they punish them, by also depriving them of a fair representation in the Bucharest Parliament," a press release of the formation shows.

USR Senator Florina Presada believes that this would not have been the case if the Union's requests to set up the Electoral Code Committee at the beginning of this legislature had been granted.

"USR has repeatedly called for the Electoral Code Committee to be convened so that parliamentarians have the opportunity to agree on the various provisions of the electoral laws. We woke up three or four years later that we must amend the electoral laws in order to conduct elections in the best possible circumstances. So, had there been the will to have an electoral legislation with uniform provisions, this could have been done. Unfortunately, we did not have political will on the part of the majority formed around the PSD and of Liviu Dragnea [former PSD leader] in 2016, a majority who further wants to decide how the Romanians vote. PSD voted against the ordinance because it does not want Romanians to vote in the best conditions, it does not want a fair representation of the diaspora and, obviously, it does not want early elections, because it would not get the same number of mandates as in 2016," said Presada.

The Senate rejected, on Wednesday's plenary session, as the first Legislative Chamber notified, OUG 26/2020 on the organization of early parliamentary elections.

The rejection bill of the ordinance was adopted with 86 votes "in favour" (PSD, UDMR and ALDE) and 34 "against" (PNL and USR).
A customer has his temperature taken during a screening outside a Cafe de Jargor restaurant during its first day of operations in Hong Kong, China, on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020.

Travelers to Hong Kong should avoid contact with sick people, the CDC said , and regularly wash their hands. It is the CDC's lowest-level travel warning, but it is the first coronavirus-related travel notice issued by the U.S. government for a territory beyond mainland China.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines on Wednesday for American travelers to Hong Kong after the city reported its second death from the new coronavirus.

The CDC said it issued the notice because "multiple instances of community spread have been reported in Hong Kong."

"Community spread means that people in Hong Kong have been infected with the virus, but how or where they became infected is not known," according to the CDC.

The announcement comes after a Hong Kong hospital confirmed the death on Wednesday of a 70-year-old man due to the virus. It is the second coronavirus-related death in the city. The man was one of at least 62 patients with coronavirus in Hong Kong.

Last month, the CDC issued a level three travel warning for all of China, telling Americans to avoid all nonessential travel to the country. That decision was an expansion of its prior travel warning from the city of Wuhan to the entire country as the coronavirus outbreak worsened.

As of Wednesday, the new coronavirus, which the World Health Organization named COVID-19, has infected more than 75,200 in over two dozen countries, killing at least 2,000 people.
There is no reason not to take Barr at his word that he found the Stone sentencing recommendation to be excessive and acted to correct that. In their widely cited but little analyzed letter, former Justice Department lawyers claim that it is unheard of for the Departments top leaders to overrule line prosecutors, who are following established policies, in order to give preferential treatment to a close associate of the President. It is certainly not unheard of for top leaders to overrule line prosecutors. The criticism added by the next phrase is a classic example of presenting a conclusory allegation (giving preferential treatment) as if it were a fact. If that was a technique learned on the job in indictments written by these prosecutors, supervision was clearly lacking.
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Historic color footage of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II - which saw the iconic image of US Marines planting the Stars and Stripes on a mountain top - has been released to mark its 75th anniversary.

Almost 7,000 American troops lost their lives in the Battle of Iwo Jima along with nearly all the 21,000 Japanese soldiers defending the Pacific island in February 1945.

It was the first piece of Japanese soil captured by the Allies and is perhaps most remembered for the photo of Marines planting the US flag atop Mount Suribachi - one of the most iconic images from the war.

But that photograph is far from the only image of the bloodiest fight in Marine Corps history.

The University of South Carolina's Moving Image Research Collections in a partnership with the History Division of the Marine Corps is digitizing films shot by more than 50 Marine combat cameramen who operated across the 8-square-mile island of Iwo Jima during the 36-day battle.

The goal is to provide public access to the video and expand historical understanding, said Greg Wilsbacher, the university's curator of newsfilm and military collections.

Two Marines kneel with a dog before a grave marker as they honor almost 7,000 troops that lost their lives in the battle

Almost 7,000 American troops lost their lives in the Battle of Iwo Jima along with nearly all the 21,000 Japanese soldiers defending the Pacific island in February 1945

The University of South Carolina's Moving Image Research Collections in a partnership with the History Division of the Marine Corps is digitizing films shot by more than 50 Marine combat cameramen

The goal is to provide public access to the video and expand historical understanding, said Greg Wilsbacher, the university's curator of newsfilm and military collections

He said the footage was just as 'emotionally affecting' as the iconic photo of the troops planting the Stars and Stripes.

He said: 'It can even bring Americans alive today closer to a war that ended in the middle of the last century.

'Take for instance, just one scene, two Marines kneel with a dog before a grave marker.

'It is in the final frames of a film documenting the dedication of one of the three cemeteries on the island.

'Those two Marines are among hundreds present to remember the more than 6,000 Americans killed on the island in over a month of fighting.

'The sequence is intentionally framed by the cinematographer, who was clearly looking for the right image to end the roll of film in his camera.'

Almost 7,000 American troops lost their lives in the Battle of Iwo Jima along with nearly all the 21,000 Japanese soldiers defending the Pacific island in February 1945

More than 6,800 Americans were killed on the island and on ships and landing craft aiding in the attack; more than 19,200 were wounded

The University of South Carolina's Moving Image Research Collections in a partnership with the History Division of the Marine Corps is digitizing films shot by more than 50 Marine combat cameramen

Wilsbacher said he came across the clip while going through thousands of hours of footage shot by Marine Corps photographers from World War II through the 1970s.

He said: 'Over the past two years of scanning, I have come to realize that our work also enables a more powerful relationship with the past by fostering individual connections with videos, something that the digitizing of the large quantity of footage makes possible.'

Iwo Jima, an island in the western Pacific less than 1,000 miles south of Tokyo, was considered a key potential stepping stone toward an invasion of Japan itself.

During the battle to take the island from the Japanese, more than 70,000 Marines and attached Army and Navy personnel set foot on Iwo Jima.

That included combat soldiers, but also medical corpsmen, chaplains, service and supply soldiers and others.

More than 6,800 Americans were killed on the island and on ships and landing craft aiding in the attack; more than 19,200 were wounded.

More than 50 Marine combat cameramen operated across the eight square miles of Iwo Jima during the battle, which stretched from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945.

Many shot still images, but at least 26 shot motion pictures. Three of these Marine cinematographers were killed in action.

Even before the battle began, Marine Corps leaders knew they wanted a comprehensive visual account of the battle.

More than 6,800 Americans were killed on ships and landing craft aiding in the attack; more than 19,200 were wounded

More than 50 Marine combat cameramen operated across the eight square miles of Iwo Jima during the battle

Beyond a historical record, combat photography from Iwo Jima would assist in planning and training for the invasion of the Japanese main islands.

Some Marine cameramen were assigned to the front lines of individual units, and others to specific activities, like engineering and medical operations.

Most of the cameramen on Iwo Jima used 100-foot film reels that could capture about two and a half minutes of film.

Sgt. Genaust, who shot the color sequence atop Suribachi, shot at least 25 reels  just over an hour of film  before he was killed, roughly halfway through the campaign.

Other cameramen who survived the entire battle produced significantly more. Sgt. Francis Cockrell was assigned to document the work of the 5th Division's medical activities. Shooting at least 89 reels, he probably produced almost four hours of film.

Sgt. Louis L. Louft fought with the 13th Marines, an artillery regiment; his more than 100 film reels likely resulted in more than four hours of content.

Landing on the beach with engineers of the 4th Division on Feb. 25, 1945, Pfc. Angelo S. Abramo compiled over three hours of material in the month of fighting he witnessed.

At least 26 combat cameramen shot motion pictures while the rest shot still images. Three of the Marine cinematographers were killed in action

More than 50 Marine combat cameramen operated across the eight square miles of Iwo Jima during the battle

Even taking a conservative average of an hour of film from each of the 26 combat cameramen, that suggests there was at least 24 hours of unique film from the battle.

Many surviving elements of this record are now part of the film library of the Marine Corps History Division, which we're working with. The remainder are cataloged by the National Archives and Records Administration.

While military historians visiting the History Division in the past have used this large library, the bulk of its films have not been readily available to the public, something that mass digitization is finally making possible.

For many decades, the visual records made by Marines have been seen by the public only piecemeal, often with selected portions used as mere stock footage in films, documentaries and news programs, chosen because a shot has action, not because of the historical context of the imagery.

Even when they are used responsibly by documentary filmmakers, the editing and selection of scenes imposes the filmmaker's interpretation on the images.

Wilsbacher said: 'As a historian and archivist, though, I believe it is important for people to directly engage with historical sources of all types, including the films from Iwo Jima.'

After the battle, the Americans buried their dead in temporary cemeteries, awaiting transportation back to the U.S. The film segment just before the graveside scene shows a service honoring the Americans of all backgrounds who had bled and died together.

At that service, Rabbi Roland B. Gittelsohn, the Marines' first-ever Jewish chaplain, gave a eulogy that has become one of the Marine Corps' most treasured texts. Noting the diversity of the dead, Gittelsohn said, 'Here lie officers and men, Negroes and whites, rich men and poor  together. Here are Protestants, Catholics, and Jews together. Here no man prefers another because of his faith or despises him because of his color.'

At least 24 hours of footage was captured by cameramen from the Marines during the battle in February 1945

More than 50 Marine combat cameramen operated across the eight square miles of Iwo Jima during the battle

Gittelsohn called their collective sacrifice 'the highest and purest democracy.'

After the dedication ceremonies, Marines walked the 5th Division cemetery, looking for familiar names. The photographers were there, and one recorded the footage of the two Marines  names not known  and the dog, at a grave with only the number 322 as a visible marking.

Wilsbacher said: 'The image stood out. The two Marines looking directly at the camera seemed to reach across the decades to compel a response.

'Researchers at the History Division identified the Marine beneath marker 322 as Pfc. Ernest Langbeen from Chicago.

'It felt appropriate and important to add his name to the online description for that film, so I did.

'I then located members of the Langbeen family, and told them that this part of their family's history existed in the History Division's collections and was now preserved and available online after more than seven decades.

'Speaking with the family, I learned more about the Marine in grave 322.

'One of the two Marines in the picture may well be his best friend from before the war, a friend who joined the Corps with him.

'They asked to serve together and were assigned to the same unit, the 13th Regiment.

'Now, family members who never knew this Marine have a new connection to their history and the country's history. More connections will come for others.

'The digital archive we're building will make it easier for researchers and the public at large to explore the military and personal history in each frame of every film.

'The visual library of more than 80 online videos from Iwo Jima carries in it countless Pfc. Langbeens, ordinary Americans whose lives were disrupted by a global war. Each film holds traces of lives cut short or otherwise irrevocably altered.

'The films are a reminder that, 75 years after World War II, all Americans remain tied to Iwo Jima, as well as battlegrounds across the world like Monte Cassino, Peleliu, Bataan and Colleville-sur-mer.

'Americans may find their relatives in this footage, or they may not.

'But what they will find is evidence of the sacrifices made by those fighting on their behalf, sacrifices that connect each and every American to the battle of Iwo Jima.'
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Illinois House Republicans are not happy after Trump commuted the sentence of Blagojevich, who they called the face of public corruption.

Here is the statement from the Illinois House Republican delegation:

The Illinois Republican delegation is not happy. "Blagojevich is the face of public corruption in Illinois, and not once has he shown any remorse for his clear and documented record of egregious crimes that undermined the trust placed in him by voters." pic.twitter.com/nyn3Av0wQ6  Kathryn Watson (@kathrynw5) February 18, 2020

It is rare to see Republicans criticize any move that Trump has made, but The New York Times reported that Trump ignored warnings from Republicans not to commute the sentence of Blagojevich:

Mr. Trump commuted the former governors sentence on Tuesday after saying for years that he was considering intervening in Mr. Blagojevichs case. By commuting the sentence, the president would free Mr. Blagojevich from prison without wiping out the conviction. Republicans have advised the president against it, arguing that Mr. Blagojevichs crime epitomizes the corruption that Mr. Trump had said he wanted to tackle as president.

Republicans see what Trump doesnt. The commutation of Blagojevichs sentence puts a big neon on sign on Donald Trumps corruption. Trump ran on draining the swamp, but he is restocking it with some of its most criminal elements.

Rod Blagojevich tried to sell a US Senate seat, and Donald Trump let him out of prison. The ads write themselves, as this move will come back to haunt Trump in November.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

Follow Jason Easley on Facebook
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 10:43:00|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Libya's UN-backed government on Tuesday announced suspension of its participation in the Intra-Libyan Joint Military Commission talks in Geneva, following its rival east-based army's attack on a Turkish ship in a port here.

"We announced suspension of our participation in the military talks in Geneva until (international) firm stands are taken against the violations of the attackers (east-based army)," the UN-backed government said in a statement late Tuesday.

"The Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord reiterates that there will be no negotiations without lasting cease-fire, guaranteeing that the capital and other cities are not threatened, and return of the displaced people to their homes," the statement added.

"The Turkish ship that was loaded with weapons and ammunition, which arrived in Tripoli port his morning, has been destroyed," the east-based army said on Tuesday.

However, Libya's transport ministry said the attack destroyed a number of containers loaded with foodstuff, and the health ministry said three civilians were killed and five others injured.

The east-based army has been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple the UN-backed government.

The fighting has killed and injured thousands of people and forced more than 150,000 civilians to flee their homes.

The rivals have agreed to cease fire on Jan. 12, but both parties accused the other of breaching the truce.
GUYSBOROUGH, N.S. - Lionel Desmond's licence to buy and possess guns was placed under review by firearms officials in New Brunswick in 2014 and again 2015, an inquiry into the former soldier's death heard Wednesday.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A sheriff stands at the door at the Desmond Fatality Inquiry in Guysborough, N.S. on November 18, 2019. The inquiry investigating why an Afghanistan war veteran killed his family and himself in 2017 has turned its attention to how the mentally ill former infantryman was able to legally purchase a firearm. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

GUYSBOROUGH, N.S. - Lionel Desmond's licence to buy and possess guns was placed under review by firearms officials in New Brunswick in 2014 and again 2015, an inquiry into the former soldier's death heard Wednesday.

But the mentally ill Afghanistan veteran  who shot and killed three members of his family and himself in Nova Scotia on Jan. 3, 2017  managed to get his permit reinstated despite repeated run-ins with police.

Desmond's ability to legally buy a rifle on the day he killed his wife, mother, 10-year-old daughter and himself is at the centre of a provincial fatality inquiry that heard its 13th day of testimony on Wednesday.

The corporal with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, was diagnosed in 2011 with major depression, severe post-traumatic stress disorder and a probable traumatic brain injury after serving in Afghanistan in 2007.

Before he was medically released from the military in 2015, Desmond had applied to renew his firearms licence. But the process was subject to a review in June 2014, when the Provincial Firearms Office in New Brunswick discovered Desmond had failed to disclose his PTSD diagnosis.

Lysa Rossignol, who at the time was operations manager for the office, testified that Desmond's doctor told a firearms officer he could see no reason why Desmond should be prevented from getting a licence renewal.

"He has no problem with Mr. Desmond possessing firearms," Rossignol said, reading from an investigation report prepared in December 2014.

"He's been treating him for approximately four-and-a-half years and has him medicated. He advises that Mr. Desmond has no psychosis and has never mentioned self harm or any violent ideation."

Inquiry counsel Allen Murray asked Rossignol if the firearms officer asked for any medical files.

Rossignol said he did not.

"That was the protocol that was in place," she testified. "He did what he was supposed to do."

Less than a year later, on Nov. 27, 2015, police were dispatched to Desmond's home in Oromocto, N.B., after his wife Shanna told police she had received texts indicating he was preparing to kill himself using a rifle he kept locked in his garage.

Desmond was arrested under the province's Mental Health Act, his weapons were confiscated by the RCMP and his firearms licence was again subject to a review  although that process did not kick in until a month later.

"It was the same approach as in 2014," said Rossignol.

A medical assessment form was sent to another doctor in January 2016, and he reported much the same thing as the first doctor.

"Non-suicidal and stable," Rossignol said as she read comments from Dr. Paul Smith that were included in the second investigation report. "No concerns for firearms usage with appropriate licence."

Rossignol said she was in the process of reviewing the file when she noticed Desmond's licence had been flagged on the Canadian Firearms Information System following an incident involving police in Nova Scotia on Nov. 18, 2015.

However, Rossignol said it took four months for her to determine what happened on that date because the firearms office in Nova Scotia had trouble getting disclosure from the RCMP.

Rossignol said documents from the RCMP detachment in Canso, N.S., revealed police had been dispatched to check on Desmond's mental health after his aunt complained he was in a manic state and suffering from paranoia, depression and PTSD.

However, the investigating officer reported that Desmond was "calm and lucid."

"Desmond displayed no signs of being a danger to himself or others," Murray said, reading from the officer's occurrence report. "He advised that he would call police if he felt he was deteriorating."

The inquiry was told there were two other RCMP calls involving Desmond in Nova Scotia  on Nov. 25, 2016 and on Nov. 28, 2016. But neither of those mental health calls were flagged in the database used by provincial firearms officers.

On Jan. 3, 2017, Desmond bought a Soviet-era SKS 7.62 carbine, which he used later that night to kill his 31-year-old wife Shanna, their 10-year-old daughter Aaliyah and his 52-year-old mother Brenda inside the family's home in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S.

 By Michael MacDonald in Halifax

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2020.
- Kenyans said NEMA was targeting the poor while the rich were thriving on impunity

- NEMA arrested three traders over use of banned plastic bags and said they were liable of a fine of KSh 2 million

- Netizens asked the environmental organisation to go for the manufacturers and spare the traders

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has come under fire for arresting three Nairobi traders over use of polythene bags.

The three businessmen were arrested for using the plastic bags while hawking their merchandise.

READ ALSO: Actress Charity Mwamba, 77, opens up on life without her children around

NEMA officials. The environmental organisation arrested three traders. Photo: NEMA.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Gay lovers celebrate 3rd anniversary with cute photos to encourage fellow queer couples

Taking to Twitter, NEMA said the suspects were liable to KSh 2 million or a maximum of 4 years in prison and Kenyans on Twitter went on a frenzy and accused the organisation of killing honest business.

One Twitter user identified as Toni Vendetta said the government was after the poor people in Kenya.

READ ALSO: Mtangazaji maarufu ataja kilichomfanya kutoroka ndoa yake ya miezi 2

Another, going by the name Marigiri said NEMA should have gone after the manufacturers and not the honest traders who were making a living.

"Find the manufacturers! Those are poor mums and dads looking for some a penny of survival," said Marigiri.

Q-Tech said the government body was biased since it was going after the poor while the rich face the law.

"Your team is just as biased as the other government bodies. Going after the poor while the rich never face the law," said the Twitter user.

Another one by the name Kang'ethe opined that the organisation was cornering the poor while the rich were thriving on impunity.

Here are more comments:

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NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Asia Pacific bread market is accounted to US$ 41,334.3 Mn in 2018 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period 2019  2027, to account to US$ 61,318.6 Mn by 2027.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05862060/?utm_source=PRN



Bread is among the household staples and there has been an increasing demand for greater variety of bread such as loaves, baguettes, rolls, burger buns, sandwich bread, ciabatta among others.The increasing use of these products by B2B industries such as HORECA, QSRs, cafes and others along with the household has driven the growth of market.



The Asia Pacific bread market is segmented on the basis of product type as  Loaves, Baguettes, Rolls, Burger Buns, Sandwich Bread, Ciabatta, and Others.The loaves segment in the Asia Pacific bread market is estimated to hold a dominant share in the market.



A loaf is a type of bread with elongated and rounded structure.It is common to bake bread in a rectangular-shaped bread pan, which is also called as a loaf pan, as some kinds of bread dough tend to collapse and spread out during the baking process.



Dough with a denser viscosity can be hand-molded into the preferred loaf shape and baked on a flat oven tray. The form of the dough with a diluter viscosity can be preserved with a bread pan of which the sides are higher than the unbaked dough.



The Asia Pacific bread market is segmented based on nature as conventional and organic.The conventional segment accounts for the largest share in the Asia Pacific bread market, while the organic segment also contributes a significant share in the market.



There are various preservatives that are used in conventional bread, such as Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).The GMOs are non-natural organisms that can affect the ecosystem.



Other preservatives used are hydrogenated acid and artificial colors.These preservatives are generally added as shelf-life extenders for the bread.



The rising use of conventional breads in various salads and dressings has been a contributing factor for the rise and expansion of the bread market in the Asia Pacific region.



The Asia Pacific bread market is segmented on the basis of distribution channel as hypermarkets and supermarkets, convenience and retail stores, online, and others.The convenience and retail stores segment accounts for the largest share in the Asia Pacific bread market, while the hypermarkets and supermarkets segment also contributes a significant share in the market.



Convenience stores are the stores that are located in a limited area and is small in size as compared to hypermarkets & supermarkets.The main difference between a convenience store and a hypermarket or a supermarket is that the convenience stores are open till late at night.



This adds an added bonus for the sales of a product, in this case, bread. The longer working hours availability of the convenience stores is beneficial for the consumers who work late and are picking up things in a hurry.



Asia Pacific bread market in segmented on the basis of country as  Australia, China, India, Japan, rest of Asia Pacific.China has a major share in the Asia Pacific bread market, which is followed by rest of Asia Pacific.



Presence of large consumer base and growing income of middle class has supported the growth of bread market in China. However, the Furthermore, Chinese are increasingly concerned over health and nutrition, so products that promote low sugar, vitamin fortified, or high-fiber qualities are likely to see rising sales in the coming years.



Some of the players present in Asia Pacific bread market are Associated British Foods plc, Cargill, Incorporated, Barilla G. e R. Fratelli S.p.A, Aryzta AG, Fuji Baking Group, Britannia Industries, CSC Brands, L.P., Finsbury Food Group Plc, Goodman Fielder, and Premier Foods Group Limited amongst the others.



The overall Asia Pacific bread market size has been derived using both primary and secondary source.The research process begins with exhaustive secondary research using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the Asia Pacific bread market.



Also, multiple primary interviews were conducted with industry participants and commentators in order to validate data and analysis. The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry expert such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, and external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders specializing in the Asia Pacific bread market.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05862060/?utm_source=PRN



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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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YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. On the occasion of the Book Giving Day, which is celebrated on February 19 in Armenia, Mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan suggests the readers to read the works by the renowned Russian writer Leo Tolstoy.

In an interview to Armenpress, Mayor Marutyan confessed that he didnt read a fiction for almost a year. I mainly read technical books relating to the urban development. I dont think they will be interesting to the broad public. But I would advise the literature fans to read Anna Karenina novel by Leo Tolstoy, the Mayor said.

The novel is about the tragic love of a married woman Anna Karenina and officer Vronsky.

February 19, the birthday of renowned Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan, is celebrated in Armenia as the Book Giving Day. This day was introduced in Armenia since 2008 thanks to the initiative of late President of the Writers Union of Armenia Levon Ananyan.
As a realtor, my job isnt just putting For Sale and Sold signs in the ground. You might be surprised to know that as the 2020 president of Greater Chattanooga Realtors, much of my time is spent being an advocate. In fact, I would say that realtors in our area are not just advocates for homebuyers; we serve as advocates for our entire community.







We joined an around 500 Realtors from all over the state to discuss crucial real estate issues on behalf of current and future home and property owners across Tennessee. These issues includes infrastructure, licensing, and unnecessary fees for homeowners.

Being an advocate takes many forms. For example, last week I was on a bus with other Greater Chattanooga Realtors, and we travelled to the Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville.We joined an around 500 Realtors from all over the state to discuss crucial real estate issues on behalf of current and future home and property owners across Tennessee. These issues includes infrastructure, licensing, and unnecessary fees for homeowners.





Of course talking with legislators is one way to advocate for our community, but theres another person who takes her advocacy to another level. Janice Robertson, a fellow realtor, is an advocate for hungry school children in our area. She showed me a picture of a young boy searching for food in a dumpster at a local school, and I immediately understood why she does all the she does. Janice told me that she learned that one in four children are food insecure, and she wanted to help.







Janice and her husband started Snack Packs food ministry in their living room. Snack packs now feeds over 7,000 children at 19 schools. Janice saw a need, and she stepped up.







Last week our state association, Tennessee Realtors, awarded Janice with the first ever Good Neighbor Award. This award recognizes the Realtors from all over state who make a difference in their communities. In honor of Janices work, our state association awarded Snack Packs $5,000. That will certainly help feed some children in need!







Janice is just one of our realtor members who tirelessly advocates for our community. We have so many members who give their time and efforts; everything from Habitat for Humanity Builds to raising money to cure diseases.







Last year, Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger said that realtors serve as ambassadors for our area; that Realtors are often the first face that people see when they are moving to the greater Chattanooga area. I believe this as well, and Im so proud to be the president of an association that serves this community in such a meaningful way.







Realtors are the leading advocates for homeownership as well as commercial real estate, which is why it is so critical that we connect with others to ensure they understand the issues facing the real estate industry and their constituents  of which many are home and property owners. Supporting home and property owners through smart legislation and regulatory initiatives is essential to advancing our nations economy, as well as our communities, so realtors are continuing to engage lawmakers on the issues that impact real estate.


Top US diplomat says he plans to bring up case of jailed Saudi-American doctor Walid Fitaihi with kingdoms leaders.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has arrived in Saudi Arabias capital, Riyadh, for high-level discussions with the kingdoms leaders.

During his visit, which started on Wednesday  the first since the US forces killed a top military commander of Saudi Arabias regional rival Iran, leading to soaring tensions  Washingtons top diplomat will hold discussions with King Salman and his son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the kingdoms de facto ruler.

Pompeo is expected to remain in the kingdom until Friday, before departing to neighbouring Oman, a close US ally that maintains ties with both Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Before his arrival in Riyadh, Pompeo said he planned to raise US concerns over Saudi Arabias human rights record, including the case of a Saudi-American doctor who is facing trial and barred from leaving the kingdom and allegedly tortured.

When asked by a reporter whether he would specifically raise the case of Walid Fitaihi, Pompeo said: Im sure Ill bring up that issue and a wide range of human rights issues, as well.

He added: In each of the visits Ive had to the kingdom during my time both as CIA director and as secretary of state, we raised these important issues, these issues that matter a lot to the American people.

Allegations of torture

A day before Pompeo was scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia, the two lead congressmen in the House Foreign Affairs Committee wrote to him to urge him to raise the case of Fitaihi with Saudi government officials.

Fitaihi, a Boston-area physician, was detained in Saudi Arabia in November 2017 during an unprecedented anti-corruption crackdown initiated by MBS, which targeted senior princes, ministers and businessmen.

At the time, some 200 people were detained in Riyadhs Ritz-Carlton hotel for weeks, and even months. They were forced to sign over billions of dollars in assets to the government during the shakedown which helped the young crown prince consolidate power.

Fitaihi was released from detention last year, but he and seven members of his family, all of whom are US citizens, have been barred from leaving Saudi Arabia while he stands trial, the congressmen said. It is unclear what specific charges Fitaihi faces.

Democratic Representative Eliot Engel of New York and Republican Representative Michael McCaul of Texas said in their letter that Fitaihi was held without charge for almost two years.

Ahmed Fitaihi has told members of Congress that his father was beaten, electrocuted and subjected to other forms of torture and allowed little contact with his family during his detention. Fitaihi returned to his native Saudi Arabia in 2006, where he helped found a hospital built by his family and became a popular motivational speaker on television.

Activists arrested, Khashoggi murdered

Since becoming crown prince in June 2017, MBS has touted economic and social openness in the traditionally closed-off country. At the same time, however, authorities have continued rounding up critics, an effort that gathered pace in September 2017 with the arrests of prominent religious leaders, some of whom could now face the death penalty.

In mid-2018, just as Riyadh lifted a ban on female motorists, more than a dozen womens rights activists were arrested including some campaigning for the right to drive. Local media tarred them as traitors, and a court has charged some of them with crimes including contacts with foreign journalists.

In a report released in November last year, Human Rights Watch said critics of the kingdom are still being vigorously pursued with measures including arbitrary travel bans and harassment of their families. These include prominent Muslim scholars, women rights activists and members of the royal family.

The princes reputation was further tarnished internationally after the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of MBS, inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

To date, public protests, political parties and labour unions are banned in Saudi Arabia, where the media are controlled and criticism of the royal family can lead to prison.
German foot-wear brand walks out of China, to set up operations in Agra

Water released into Yamuna to improve environmental condition ahead of Trump's visit

India

oi-PTI

Lucknow, Feb 19: The Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department has released 500 cusecs of water into the Yamuna from the Ganganahar in Bulandshahr to improve the river's "environmental condition" in Agra, ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit, officials said on Tuesday.

Trump is set to visit India on a two-day trip between February 23 and 26. The main segment of the visit will take place in Delhi, though an option of having a short visit by the president to another city is being explored.

The cities that are being considered include Uttar Pradesh's Agra and Gujarat's Ahmedabad.

"Keeping in mind US President Trump's visit to Agra, 500 cusecs of water has been released from the Ganganahar to improve the environmental condition of the Yamuna. This water will reach the Yamuna in Mathura by February 20 and Agra by February 21 afternoon," the department's Superintending Engineer Dharmender Singh Phogat said.

He said the department aims to maintain a certain level of water in the Yamuna till February 24.

Yamuna water level recedes, below danger mark now

This move is likely to reduce the "foul smell" from the Yamuna, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) assistant engineer Arvind Kumar said when asked about the development.

"If 500 cusecs of water has been released into the Yamuna to control pollution, it will certainly have an impact. This will also improve the oxygen level in the Yamuna in Mathura and in Agra. This move may not make the Yamuna's water fit for drinking, but could reduce foul smell from the river," he said.

Gopeshwar Nath Chaturvedi who is associated with the Shri Mathur Chaturved Parishad that is working to clean the Yamuna, said,"The move will hardly have any impact on the river."

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Story first published: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 10:22 [IST]
Iltija Mufti has been vocal in her criticism of the abrogation of Article 370 and the subsequent restrictions imposed in Kashmir.

Iltija Mufti, daughter of incarcerated Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is either being misled or he is "intentionally misleading the country" on Kashmir. Speaking at a press conference held in Delhi, Iltija was quoted as saying by The Hindu, "I respect Prime Minister Modi. But I don't know if he is being misled or he is misleading the country intentionally."

She said that though people of Kashmir are angry with local political leaders like Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, "they are more angry with the central government". "Let Amit Shah go there and see by himself...I will do a salaam to Amit Shah if he roams around freely in Kashmir," Iltija said.

In her address to the media, Iltija also questioned the filing of an FIR against 200 Kashmiris for using social media. She was quoted by India Today as saying, "I will go to Kashmir and use VPN. Let them slap an FIR against me."

The Union Territory's administration on 14 January had issued an order banning all social media sites to curb their misuse by miscreants for propagating false information and rumours.

Iltija said on Tuesday that the Centre is fishing in troubled waters, and that it will "backfire in its face." She further asserted, "I am not anti-India because I am speaking against the BJP. My loyalty lies with the country, it is not mortgaged to the BJP."

Mehbooba Mufti has been in detention since 5 August. She, along with several other regional leaders in the erstwhile state, was placed under detention shortly before the Union government passed two legislations to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution revoking the erstwhile state's special status and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories.

Iltija has been handling her mother's Twitter account since the latter was placed under detention. She has been vocal in her criticism of the abrogation of Article 370 and the subsequent restrictions imposed in Kashmir.

With inputs from PTI
We believe orders like this are disproportionate and contradict the governments claim that POFMA would not be used as a censorship tool, Facebook said in a statement, according to Reuters. Weve repeatedly highlighted this laws potential for overreach and were deeply concerned about the precedent this sets for the stifling of freedom of expression in Singapore.
(Alliance News) - Tower Resources said Wednesday it is planning to spud NJOM-3 well, located on the Thali licence in Cameroon, in June, although the date could still change.

The Africa-focused oil & gas company said although long lead items are already at its base in Douala, some testing equipment still needs to be mobilised prior to spudding the well, along with personnel, therefore the intended date could still change.

Tower Resources said it has made "considerable progress" in farm-out discussions regarding some or all of the well funding. The company believes that it will be able to complete a farm-out within its desired timeframe "although there can be no certainty as to timing or eventual outcome of such discussions."

Tower Resources shares were trading 8.9% lower in London at 0.48 pence each on Wednesday.

By Loreta Juodagalvyte; loretajuodagalvyte@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
[February 19, 2020] Hawkins Parnell & Young Elects Four Equity Partners

Hawkins Parnell & Young is pleased to announce the election of four attorneys as equity partners. The new equity partner class has been with the firm for 40 years cumulatively. "We are confident they will continue to play a significant role in our bright future," said Jack Sibley, managing partner of Hawkins Parnell & Young. Kathryn S. ("Kate") Whitlock (Atlanta) is a first-chair trial lawyer who has tried more than 50 cases to verdict and has a long list of appellate decisions to her credit. She has spent her career in professional liability, products liability, and premises liability defending people when they are accused of not doing their jobs correctly (lawyers, insurance claims handlers, product designers, construction professionals, property managers and more). Kate obtained her J.D., with honors, from the University of Iowa College of Law and B.A., with special honors, from the University of Iowa. Kate joined the firm in Atlanta in 2011. Barry R. Schirm (Los Angeles) is partner-in-charge of the Los Angeles office. He is a first-chair trial lawyer who primarily represents manufacturers in cases involving products liability, toxic torts, class actions, commercial litigation, and general insurance defense litigation. He has represented a number of the major automobile manufacturers in cases involving defect claims in addition to automotive warranty litigation. He received his J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law and B.A. from California State University, Fullerton. Barry joined the firm in Los Angeles in 2010.



Edward R. Ulloa (Los Angeles) is a first-chair trial lawyer and litigation strategist whose national practice involves the defense of clients in high-risk, mass tort and products liability litigation, including asbestos, talc, e-cigarette and chemical exposure, flammable fabric and automotive product liability actions. Ed has served as first-chair trial counsel in over 50 jury trials in over a dozen states. He obtained his J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law and B.A. from California State University, Long Beach. Ed joined the firm in 2008 in Los Angeles. Claire C. Weglarz (Los Angeles) is a first-chair trial attorney who represents public and private entities in high-risk litigation nationwide. She represents clients in a broad range of industries from energy and chemicals to manufacturing, automotive, and consumer goods. She has extensive experience in cases involving products liability, premises liability, environmental claims, and toxic exposures to asbestos, talc, benzene, and other various chemicals. She received her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and B.S. in biology from Loyola Marymount University. Claire joined the firm in Los Angeles in 2009.

About Hawkins Parnell & Young Hawkins Parnell & Young is a national defense litigation firm that has represented many of the largest and most well-known companies in high-risk litigation and business disputes. The firm works with clients to develop winning defense strategies and, if necessary, try cases to verdict across the United States. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005991/en/

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Boko Haram insurgents reportedly burned down many houses in Korongilum, a community in Chibok local government area of Borno state, as residents run for their lives.

TheCables reports that the insurgents came into the community around 6pm, shooting sporadically and setting many houses on fire on Tuesday, February 18, 2020.

People were just returning to their houses from the farm when the insurgents came in. They came in through Forfor, and our people are running for safety as we speak. a resident said.

A military source said troops from the Nigerian Armys 28 task force brigade and 117 battalion, both headquartered in Chibok, are already on their way to Korongilum.

In fact, the brigade and the battalion commanders are the ones leading soldiers to the attack, the source said.

Meanwhile, kanyiDaily had reported that women and children numbering over 1000 abandoned their homes in remote communities in Borno State for the streets of Maiduguri, after the recent Boko Haram attacks.

Boko Haram insurgents had recently killed over 30 civilians and kidnapped many travellers who were stranded outside the military entrance city gate in Auno town, Konduga local government area of Borno state.

Barely hours after President Muhammadu Buharis consolation visit to Maiduguri, the insurgents launched another attack on Jiddari Polo general area of the metropolis, as residents fled their homes into the heart of the city.
The just-published book American Manifesto: Saving Democracy from Villains, Vandals, and Ourselves has a list of actions for people to take to tackle the crisis in democracy in the United States.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/2/2020 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

The just-published book American Manifesto: Saving Democracy from Villains, Vandals, and Ourselves has a list of actions for people to take to tackle the crisis in democracy in the United States.

No. 1 on the list: "Subscribe to your local newspaper."

Author Bob Garfield, a Washington-based commentator on media, says the dwindling resources available for serious news gathering have neutered the ability of media to be watchdogs and inform the public.

"Dont starve the watchdogs," writes Garfield. "Nourish them."

Democratic processes and institutions in Canada may not be as sickly as those south of the border, but they are showing many of the same symptoms. They also need nourishment. Healthy, trusted news media are more needed than ever, as traditional business models for providing news collapse in the face of digital giants gobbling up advertising dollars.

On Wednesday a coalition of news outlets, including newspapers and the CBC, released a joint declaration calling on the federal Parliament to help nourish sustainable reporting for Canadians, by Canadians, across the county.

The Trudeau government has already shown unprecedented support for news gathering, increasing the budget for the CBC and announcing a number of measures to help written media, including tax credits and direct grants to employ reporters.

However, public subsidies are only a partial solution. More action is needed to strengthen competition laws, impose fair taxation on digital companies and provide copyright protection for original journalism. Other countries are ahead of Canada in investigating and taking action to counter the impact of digital companies on journalism within their borders. Australia has announced world-leading changes to its regulation of tech giants.

Canadian newspapers have been asking for these changes for several years. What is new today is that we have joined the CBC and others, which we have traditionally viewed as competitors.

There still is tremendous competitive spirit in our newsrooms. Every reporter wants to get a story first, and best. But what is at stake now  the quality and quantity of local news  is too important to cling to old ideas about how newsrooms should operate.

At the Free Press, we have developed a number of partnerships to further our public-interest goal of maintaining quality news coverage and reaching a broad local audience.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

We are participating in a pilot project with CBC Winnipeg to exchange a small number of stories on Saturdays and Sundays, days when both newsrooms have scarce resources. Free Press stories appear on the CBC website, and CBC stories appear on the Free Press site.

We also partner with not-for-profit radio station CJNU 93.7 to provide content for some newscasts. Our faith coverage is directly supported by local faith groups that have contributed money to help pay for reporting.

The Winnipeg Free Press already has two reporters being paid for by the Local Journalism Initiative, a federally financed program. The paper will also receive refundable tax credits for employing journalists, and our digital subscribers will be eligible for a tax credit when they fill out their tax forms in 2021.

None of this would have been done in the past. For that matter, none of it existed a year ago. But none of us wants to live in a community that is not being served by news outlets that are rigorous in their work and strive for fairness and accuracy in their reporting.

Well keep striving and keep asking for your support to do so. As Garfield writes: "In point of fact, journalistic information is not free. It is dear  in every way."

Bob Cox is publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press and chair of News Media Canada.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 00:35:06|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BANJUL, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Gambian President Adama Barrow called on citizens to remain united by not succumbing to their ethnicity and partisan differences at the detriment of national development as he addressed thousands at the country's 55th anniversity of independence in Banjul on Tuesday.

He said the status of independence sovereign state means The Gambia is responsible for managing its affairs without any external interference, therefore, it's a moment that should trigger thoughts to guide citizens to define their individual roles in order to re-positioning the country better on the global stage.

"Let us demonstrate that we are capable of managing our affairs by accommodating our differences, celebrating our successes, providing feedback with discipline and expressing our own opinions in respect and dignity," Barrow said, stressing "we must be aware of all divisive speeches, actions, sentiments... that may lead to social division in our communities".

Barrow called for unity and active deliberations on national issues and not on partisan and conflict interest.

"As true sons and daughters of The Gambia, this is a moment to reflect on the implications of independence, not only political independence but also social and economic independence," he indicated.

The Gambia attained its independence on the February 18th, 1965 from the British, ending its decades of colonial rule.
(Newser)  After suffering a heart attack in October, Bernie Sanders vowed to release his full medical records because "the people do have a right to know about the health of ... somebody who's running for president." So much for that. On Tuesday, the winner of the New Hampshire primaryand, he hopes, of the Iowa caucuses, toosaid voters shouldn't expect any new information. "I think we have released a detailed medical report and I'm comfortable on what we have done," he said, per USA Today. The outlet notes the 78-year-old released a letter from his primary doctor, describing him as in "good health," in December.

story continues below

"We have released quite as much documentation as any other candidate has," Sanders continued at a CNN town hall in Las Vegas. He had the same answer for Meet the Press' Chuck Todd during an interview on Feb. 9, only to be told that "no other candidate has had a heart attack." Sanders countered that "no other candidate is doing four or five events a day running all over the country," as he is, per the Daily Beast. He added "winning will make me sleep a lot better." The Vermont senator will face more questions at Wednesday's Democratic debate in Nevada. Among the moderators: Chuck Todd, per Vox. (Read more Bernie Sanders stories.)
DURHAM, N.C., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke University and Leica Microsystems, Inc. have combined efforts to establish the Leica Microsystems Center of Excellence at Duke University Light Microscopy Core Facility. The new Center will support a mission to drive new discoveries and insights from scientific research performed using the imaging systems.

A signing ceremony will take place Wednesday afternoon, February 19, 2020, at 147 Nanaline Duke Building between Dr. Lawrence Carin, Duke's Vice President for Research, and Greg Eppink, Leica Microsystems Americas General Manager of Microscopy. The Center of Excellence hosts several imaging systems, including cutting-edge stimulated emission depletion (STED) super-resolution and nanoscopy, and Deep in vivo Explorer (DIVE) multiphoton imaging, allowing researchers to capture images and video of the cellular and molecular processes of life.

"A scientist's insight is only as good as their tools," Carin said. "We're very pleased to have this microscopy center on campus to help our investigators see ever deeper into the mysteries of life."

"It's very exciting to be able to advance into the future of scientific research in collaboration with a top-tier institution like Duke," said Eppink. "With this agreement, we're enabling researchers to push beyond boundaries of what can be visualized and quantified and fulfilling Leica Microsystems' mission to provide unrivaled insight for our customers. We look forward to continuing this alliance for years to come."

"Leica Microsystems actively seeks to collaborate with leading research institutions. Scientists at Duke are prominent leaders in the global scientific community and their dedication to advancing human knowledge of the life sciences is an inspiration," said Douglas Spotts, Vice President and General Manager, Leica Microsystems Americas. "We are proud that they have chosen to collaborate with us on this road to discovery."

The Center of Excellence will also provide valuable feedback necessary to drive innovation in software, systems and workflow solutions while informing the applications and advanced imaging and analysis techniques of tomorrow. This supports the Leica Microsystems leitmotif of "with the user, for the user," established by Ernst Leitz I, the entrepreneur who led the business to world renown. For 170 years, Leica Microsystems has helped shape the future and continues to do so today with its latest digital innovations enabling new insights for research, medical, and industrial applications.

The opening ceremony for the Center of Excellence will begin at 3 p.m. in the auditorium at 147 Nanaline Duke, and then continue with a brief reception outside the Light Microscopy Core Facility, 337 Nanaline Duke, which will be the home of the Center for Excellence. Hands-on previews of the imaging systems will be available to researchers during the reception.

About Leica Microsystems

Leica Microsystems develops and manufactures microscopes and scientific instruments for the analysis of microstructures and nanostructures. Widely recognized for optical precision and innovative technology, the company is one of the market leaders in compound and stereo microscopy, digital microscopy, confocal laser scanning and super-resolution microscopy with related imaging systems, electron microscopy sample preparation, and surgical microscopy.

Leica Microsystems has six major plants and product development sites located in Wetzlar and Mannheim (Germany), Vienna (Austria), Heerbrugg (Switzerland), Morrisville (USA), and Singapore. The company is represented in over 100 countries, has sales and service organizations in 20 countries, and an international network of distribution partners. Its headquarters are located in Wetzlar, Germany. Leica Microsystems is part of Danaher.

SOURCE Leica Microsystems

Related Links

http://www.leica-microsystems.com


Former Central Regional Chairman of the largest opposition NDC and Social Commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs has said Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia initiative to digitize state institutions has yield results.

Allotey Jacobs disclosed that some state institutions that were migrated to digital platforms are recording improvements in revenue collection.

We cannot build a fair and equitable society that runs on the engines of bribes, Goro Boys and land guards.We must always support the idea to digitize every sector because all over the world that is what is going on and we need to work hard to match them, Bernard Allotey Jacobs told Lawyer Ohene Gyan on 'Pae Mu Ka' on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7

According to him,the government's recent policy of digitizing the economy, which is spearheaded by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia would enhance the competitiveness of the Ghanaian economy.

The Ports, Lands Commission, Ministry of Tourism and the Passport Office are a few state agencies that have migrated to digital platforms to enhance efficiency.

He is tasking the government to remove unnecessary procedures that allow stealing in public service.

According to him, digitization would allow the tax net to be expanded thereby enhancing revenue collection by government, leading to less borrowing and debt servicing.

----KingdomfmOnline
By Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Islamist al Shabaab militants killed at least 12 Somali soldiers and briefly captured a military base southwest of the capital on Wednesday, officials said, underscoring the insurgents' ability to launch attacks despite a government offensive.

A suicide bomber detonated at the El Salini base before gunmen stormed in and briefly occupied it, police said. The military recaptured the base after reinforcements arrived.

"They took the base and took weapons and ammunitions, this includes anti-aircraft guns fixed on pickups," said Nur Ahmed, a police officer from Afgoye in Lower Shabelle region.

Military officer Ismail Ali said 12 soldiers were killed and the commander of the base was injured.

Al Shabaab claimed responsibility.

"We took the base. We took two pickups with anti-aircraft guns hooked on. We destroyed four other military vehicles," Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operation spokesman, told Reuters.

He said the attackers had killed 15 soldiers.

Al Shabaab has been fighting the U.N.-backed Somali government for more than a decade in a bid to impose their strict version of Islamic law.

The Horn of Africa nation has been in the midst of civil war since 1991, after warlords overthrew a dictator but then turned on each other.

(Reporting by Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar; writing by Omar Mohammed; Editing by Katharine Houreld)
Ashraf Ghani has secured a second term as president of Afghanistan, according to final results of the September 28, 2019 poll released Tuesday by the country's election commission.

"The election commission... declares Mr Ashraf Ghani, who has won 50.64 percent of the votes, as the president of Afghanistan," election commission chief Hawa Alam Nuristani told a press conference in Kabul.

"May God help him in serving the people of Afghanistan... I also pray that peace comes to our country," she added.

The results had been delayed for nearly five months after allegations of vote-rigging from Ghani's main rival, Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, forced a recount.

The delay left Afghanistan facing a political crisis just as the US seeks a deal with the Taliban which would allow it to withdraw troops in return for various security guarantees and a promise that the militants would hold peace talks with the Afghan government.

If all goes well, then Ghani is likely to be the man sitting across from the Taliban at the negotiating table in a bid to chart Afghanistan's future.

Earlier this week, Abdullah's team said they would not accept fraudulent results.

Current vice-president Abdul Rashid Dostum, a powerful Uzbek former warlord and Abdullah's ally, has also threatened to form a parallel government if fraudulent election results are announced.

Abdullah lost to Ghani in 2014 in a divisive election that saw the US intervene to broker an awkward power-sharing deal between the two rivals.

Nearly one million of the initial 2.7 million votes were purged owing to irregularities, meaning the election saw by far the lowest turnout of any Afghan poll.

Ultimately, only 1.8 million votes were counted -- a tiny number given Afghanistan's estimated population of 35 million and 9.6 million registered voters.

(AFP)
A woman, who fell into an open



drain in suburban Oshiwara on Tuesday evening, has died, a civic official said.

Komal Jayram Mandal (19) fell into the drain in Adarsh Nagar near Mega Mall in Oshiwara around 7.45 pm on Tuesday.

The fire brigade and police launched a search and managed to locate her after more than seven hours around 3.20 am, the official said.

The rescue team then rushed the woman to nearby Shatabdi Hospital where doctors declared her dead on admission, he said.

An investigation was underway into the incident, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NAIROBI, Kenya - The owner of a bus company says three people have been killed by suspected extremists from Somalia after they were pulled out of a bus in northeastern Kenya.

Haji Abass said Wednesday that the bus belonging to his company, Moyale Raha, was heading to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi from Moyale, a market town on the Ethiopian border in Mandera county, when it was attacked.

Abass said suspected al-Shabab fighters in full police uniform flagged the bus down, but the conductor and passengers who knew the route said there was no police roadblock in the area, so the driver kept going.

The fighters then fired at the bus, injuring the driver. The front and back tires deflated and the bus lost control and went into a ditch.

The fighters then pulled out the passengers and killed two non-Muslims, as in previous attacks, as well as one Muslim, Abass said. It was not clear why they shot a man believed to be Muslim, he said.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab has vowed retribution for Kenyas troop presence in neighbouring Somalia. Its fighters have carried out numerous attacks on Kenyan soil since Kenya deployed troops in 2011 to fight the extremists.

Such attacks have brought education to a near-standstill in Kenyas Mandera, Garissa and Wajir counties. Nearly 1,000 non-teaching staff were withdrawn from the counties that border Somalia after three Kenyan teachers were killed in Garissa last month.
A man has superglued his hands to the bar table in a Brisbane courtroom saying it was in protest against police and the government.

The man identified himself as Marcus Burke and he was facing court on a charge of impersonating a State Emergency Services (SES) officer during a 2019 protest.

He refused to move when asked by the magistrate before he apologising numerous times, saying he 'had absolutely no other choice'.

Marcus Burke (pictured climbing flagpole outside Parliament House in Brisbane) was in the Brisbane Magistrates Court accused of impersonating a fireman before he allegedly glued his hands to a table

'Today I locked onto the bar (table) out of protest about what the police do to people and what the government does to our country,' Mr Burke said.

'Resistance is a duty when injustice becomes law.'

Mr Burke was eventually charged with contempt of court and outside told reporters he would fight the charge.

'Of course I will. Fight them all, give them hell,' he said.

Weve had enough, we need to stand up, we need to be united as a country. We need to act. We cant stand by and let these human rights abuses continue against the people.

'I am just going to keep protesting against to government until we get some action.'

It's believed Mr Burke has string ties to Extinction Rebellion and was pictured climbing a Parliament House flag pole during a February protest in Brisbane.

Mr Burke and other members of the Extinction Rebellion claim he is a volunteer with the SES and was wearing his uniform during a protest, The Courier Mail reported.

They dispute the allegation he was impersonating an SES officer.

He has been granted bail until his next appearance on March 26.
A pharmacy technician works on a computer as drug bottles sit on shelves at the central pharmacy of Intermountain Heathcare in Midvale, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2018. George Frey/Getty Images

FDA Suspends Inspection in China, Warns of Medical Supply Shortages

WASHINGTONAmericas dependence on China for thousands of medicines has been a concern for years, but the recent coronavirus (officially known as COVID-19) outbreak has heightened those concerns. It has disrupted the inspection of drugs and medical devices in China, prompting warnings from experts.

In January, the State Department announced a highest-level warning not to travel to China amid the rapidly-spreading virus. As a result, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recalled its inspectors from China, raising concerns about the quality of drugs that are being imported from the country.

The FDA is not currently conducting inspections in China, the agency said in a statement.

In general, the FDA conducts nearly 500 inspections a year in the country for drugs, foods, and medical devices. Inspections scheduled for February and March are postponed and will be conducted at a later date, the agency stated.

We are keenly aware that the outbreak will likely impact the medical product supply chain, including potential disruptions to supply or shortages of critical medical products in the United States.

Recently, there has been a surge in orders of some essential medical devices through distributors, such as masks, respirators, surgical gowns, and gloves. In order to mitigate the risk of supply disruptions for such products, the FDA stated it would be able to accelerate review of alternate supply to prevent shortages.

Personal protective equipment such as face masks and N95 respirators are in high demand in the United States, according to Robert Kadlec, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

When you go to Home Depot today, you cant find them. Theyve come off the shelves, he said on Feb. 18 at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations.

The retailer Home Depots website also shows that supplies for respirator masks are limited due to the outbreak.

The problem is that theres a huge demand. Supply is going to get constrained because of raw materials [from China], Kadlec said.

He also noted that 50 percent of respirator masks are used by the health care industry while the rest is used by the private sector for home improvement purposes such as painting or sanding.

So Americans should be mindful that buying up masks for non-health purposes is going to really hamper the ability of the health care industry to protect itself.

Supply disruptions could extend to other areas as 80 to 90 percent of U.S. health care productsraw materials, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and finished productsare outsourced mainly from China, he said.

Moreover, the production of many active pharmaceutical ingredients is centered in Chinas Hubei Province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on Feb. 12 at a Senate committee hearing.

Most drug makers have a one to three months of inventory of drug ingredients on hand. But these supplies are already being drawn down, he said in his testimony.

Troubling Dependence on China

China is the dominant supplier of thousands of medicines found in U.S. homes and used in hospitals, posing a national security threat.

Americans trust blindly, unquestioningly, the purity of the medicine we take, from antibiotics to chemotherapies, from antidepressants to painkillers that are made in China, according to Rosemary Gibson, a senior advisor at the Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute.

Gibson co-authored the book, China RX: Exposing the Risks of Americas Dependence on China for Medicine, which makes the case for bringing drug manufacturing home.

In the 1990s, the United States, Europe, and Japan manufactured 90 percent of the global supply of the key ingredients for medicines and vitamins, according to the book.

China, however, changed this global picture dramatically.

Beijings Made in China 2025 blueprint has laid out ambitious goals to dominate and control certain key sectors, including the pharmaceutical industry. By injecting billions of dollars in subsidies and training a large pool of talented chemists, China has managed to advance its capability in this sector and drive Western manufacturers out of the market.

Worldwide dependence on a single country for life-saving medicines makes the United States vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, Gibson told The Epoch Times.

This is a giant wake-up call, she said, adding that the coronavirus outbreak has exacerbated this vulnerability problem.

Lack of Inspections

The falloff in FDAs inspection capabilities is also creating risks for American consumers.

According to Gibsons book, the FDA was created in 1906 to oversee medicines made in the United States. With increasing imports from China, the federal agency opened its first office in Beijing in 2008, which was also the first FDA facility outside the United States.

However, the agency was ill-prepared to inspect foreign facilities on a large scaleand Chinese drug plants went out of their way to make inspections exceedingly difficult.

We do know that in the past, there had been serious problems with drugs that were manufactured in China, Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) told The Epoch Times.

Their quality was questionable. In some cases the drugs were tainted with deadly chemicals, he added.

The poor quality of made-in-China medicine had already taken its toll. In March 2008, the FDA announced that heparin made in China and sold through Illinois-based Baxter Healthcare Corp. was contaminated. The tainted heparin killed four people and injured 350 in the United States.

The issue of quality control in China with regard to these drugs is a major and important issue. The current recall of American inspectors only heightens concern about quality, Garamendi said.
FRANKLIN, Tenn., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lee Company is teaming up with six peer companies across the nation to launch an Innovation Partner Exchange. The long-standing, combined group of companies is known as Contractor Innovation Group (CIG). The goal of the exchange is to provide innovation startups and early-stage companies a new way to share, refine and move forward with business ideas targeting the facilities solutions and mechanical/electrical contracting markets, with the ultimate goal of co-developing successful technologies for the industry.

When technology is user-friendly for new service workers, as well as more effective in the field, it's a win-win. Lee Company service techs are now using the XOi Vision app to show video of equipment that needs repair or service to experienced supervisors in the home office's virtual support center.

Lee Company began working with Nashville-based, innovative startups and early-stage companies XOi and DST in 2013, which led to successful outcomes, including the co-development of industry-leading technology and applications that have created long-term synergies to better serve customers throughout the industry. For example, in 2016, Lee Company's partnership with XOi created the largest commercial roll-out of wearable technology of its kind. Subsequently, additional members of CIG have successfully partnered with these technology companies providing a platform for growth to them throughout the industry.

"We are looking to build on that initial success by bringing additional partners to the table to provide more resources to more startups and early-stage businesses," Richard Perko, Lee Company president and CEO, said. "It is our goal to utilize the combined experience, resources, and industry intelligence CIG offers to assist early-stage technology companies in developing new technology solutions for our industry. Through our recent experience with other technology partners, we have found that these partnerships are beneficial to assist technology companies in their journey into our industry, while providing successful outcomes to our company and the industry. We look forward to working with our CIG partners in this capacity, and we are excited to see which technology companies are interested in partnering with us."

The exchange will be a "Shark Tank" type approach to identify which technologies and partners are of interest to CIG. With the results from this exchange, the next step will be to formalize partnerships between these companies and CIG members.

Companies interested in becoming an Innovation Partner can learn more by visiting www.innovationpartnerexchange.com. Innovation Partner applications are due by March 30, 2020.

About Contractor Innovation Group (CIG)

The Contractor Innovation Group (CIG) is a long-standing national peer group of industry-leading mechanical contractors and facilities solutions companies, including: Enervise, Lee Company, MacDonald Miller Facility Solutions, Pacific Rim Mechanical, RK Mechanical, Southern Air, and TD Industries. As a combined group, CIG represents approximately $2B in annual revenues and 8,000 employees.

About Lee Company

Lee Company, a $300 million comprehensive facilities solutions and home services company with over 1,500 employees, was founded by Leon Lee in 1944. Lee Company offers facilities services and solutions for companies and organizations in the government, institutional, commercial, health care, and industrial areas. The company's home services include: heating and air conditioning, plumbing, electrical, and home improvements.

Media Contact:

Alexia Poe

[email protected]

615-345-9200

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Lee Company technicians use XOi's platform in the field

When technology is user-friendly for new service workers, as well as more effective in the field, it's a win-win. Lee Company service techs are now using the XOi Vision app to show video of equipment that needs repair or service to experienced supervisors in the home office's virtual support center.

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SOURCE Lee Company
'That Memory Will Just Never, Ever Go Away': Hershel Williams Recalls Iwo Jima 76 Years On

That Memory Will Just Never, Ever Go Away: Hershel Williams Recalls Iwo Jima 76 Years On J.D. Simkins

There are some memories that you would just love to eradicate from your mind  and cant, Hershel Woody Williams told HistoryNet. And then there are other memories that you wish you could bring back  and you cant.

On the morning of February 21, 1945  two days after the initial attack began  the 21-year-old from West Virginia ran toward the prehistoric landscape of Iwo Jima.

The assault was expected to last only 10 days with 30,000 Marines attacking the Japanese-held island. With poor to no intelligence on what faced them, these men waded into withering fire from a network of caves, tunnels, and concrete pillboxes reinforced with rebar  an intricately designed fortress that created deadly interlocking fields of fire. The Marines called it the Meat Grinder. With 21,000 fanatical Japanese soldiers vowing to kill at least 10 Americans before being killed themselves, Marine casualties quickly began to mount. One veteran recalled that they were losing so many men we couldnt tell if we were winning or losing.



A Marine receives a plasma transfusion while sheltered in a bomb crater. (USMC)

After the first 24 hours, with the situation dire, Admiral Raymond Spruance sent in another wave of 20,000 more men  of the eventual 70,000  to join the fight. Within that reserve force was Williams.

Running out from a Higgins boat on February 21, Williams recalled the distance from the water to the beach seemed like forever. Entering a maelstrom of snapping bullets, he was shaken by the terrible sight of the bodies of fellow Marines, stacked five, six feet high. We had no place to put our dead, so the burial peoplehad rolled them into their ponchosJust rows of them. That memory will just never, ever go away.

Through the concussive barrage and confusion of battle, Williams and the six other men from his company in the 3rd Marine Division, ran, crawled, and dug their way toward the entrenched Japanese. The suffocating smell of rotting flesh, mingled with explosives and the volcanic sulfur odor of the island itself, nauseated the Marines.

By the 23rd, a commanding officer and two other officers were all that was left. Most of the squad leaders were gone, Williams recalled. We had one gunnery sergeant still left. People were taking on jobs that they had never even dreamed they would be taking  a squad leader as a PFC. It didnt matter what your rank was, if you could find somebody to work with you, you worked with them.

It was on this day that Williams, having been made an acting sergeant, found himself in an NCO meeting  at the base of a bomb crater. The situation was chaotic, but this much was clear: the Marines couldnt advance until the surrounding pillboxes were taken out.



Marines operate a flameflower while fighting on Iwo. (USMC)

Williams was given a flamethrower and tasked to clear a path for his unit.

He famously replied, Ill try.

Now if I said that, OK, Williams said during an interview at his home in Ona, West Virginia. Kind of sounds like maybe I did, but I dont remember saying it.

Joined by two men from his company and two other Marines who had linked up with them in the confusion, the five-foot, six-inch Williams, strapped on 70lbs of hellacious fury, and began slowly crawling toward his first target.

Williams Medal of Honor citation explains his actions after that:

[Williams] fought desperately for four hours under terrific enemy small-arms fire and repeatedly returned to his own lines to prepare demolition charges and obtain serviced flamethrowers, struggling back, frequently to the rear of hostile emplacements, to wipe out one position after another. On one occasion, he daringly mounted a pillbox to insert the nozzle of his flamethrower through the air vent, killing the occupants and silencing the gun; on another he grimly charged enemy riflemen who attempted to stop him with bayonets and destroyed them with a burst of flame from his weapon. His unyielding determination and extraordinary heroism in the face of ruthless enemy resistance were directly instrumental in neutralizing one of the most fanatically defended Japanese strong points encountered by his regiment and aided vitally in enabling his company to reach its objective.

The two Marines who had linked up for the assault were killed that day. A fact, Williams somberly says changes the whole significance of what this medal represents. It really does.

I had men who gave their lives to protect me, Williams recounted to author James H. Hallas in Uncommon Valor on Iwo Jima. When I get to heaven one of my first questions to God will be: Why me?

Of the 36-day battle, Williams fought for 34. Although tapped to be evacuated on March 6 after sustaining a shrapnel wound to his leg, Williams chose to remain behind to help teach green Marine replacements proper battle procedure.

By March 26 the island was declared in U.S. hands, but at the deadly cost of nearly 7,000 Marines. War Correspondent Robert Sherrod wrote, General Tadamichi Kuribayashi never gave the order of the battle-ending banzai attack. His men stayed in their tunnels and their mole hills to the deathly end, and we had to go in and dig them out, or burn [them] out, or seal them in. There was nothing else for us to do.

Of the 21,000 Japanese under Kuribayashis command, only 212 defenders were still alive to surrender  just 1 percent of the original garrison.

After two and a half years of training and fighting in the Pacific, Williams was sent home. Twenty-seven Medals of Honor were awarded for the fighting on Iwo; more than double the 12 earned during Operation Overlord, the battle that began with the invasion of Normandy.

Prior to receiving the award, Williams had never even heard of the MoH and found the award ceremony surreal. They always read the citation before they present the medal and those words were extremely foreign to me. I didnt even know why they were reading it. I had done the things they had said Id done, but it felt so strange to hear them talk about me doing my duty.

He does remember that his legs didnt seem to want to cooperate when President Harry Truman approached him. But that nerve-wracking experience was dwarfed by meeting the commandant of the Marine Corps, General Alexander A. Vandegrift.

Vandegrift, a Medal of Honor recipient himself for his actions on Guadalcanal, sternly told Williams That medal does not belong to you. It belongs to all of those Marines who did not get to come home. And dont ever do anything that would tarnish that medal.

Williams has lived by those words.



Marines atop Mount Suribachi. (USMC)

Homecoming

Self-described as shy and timid prior to the war, the Medal of Honor forced Williams to become publicwhether [he] wanted it or not. And, in a sense, it saved him.

It was probably one of the best therapies that I could have really had, Williams said. I couldnt withdraw into myself. I couldnt go off by myself and have these thoughts or flashbacks.

The transition back home was not without some difficulty, however. In the initial days, Williams would often have nightmares about a conflagration that was seemingly spreading on the walls of his bedroom, seeing bursts of flames, or crazy, crazy stuff as he put it.

By being forced to discuss Iwo Jima and its traumas, it enabled him to rationalize and evaluate his service. Had I gone back to the farm, as a farm boy, without having received the Medal of Honor, I have no idea what would have happened, he said. But he didnt have to look far to understand how different his journey might have been. Williamss brother, William Gerald Williams suffered what the Marines called a crack up. The Army called it combat fatigue. Now its understood as post-traumatic stress disorder.

And while both brothers suffered from PTSD, each had vastly different outcomes.

William, serving under Pattons Third Army, fought in the Ardennes during the bitter Battle of the Bulge. There, he suffered two gunshot wounds  one through the left shoulder and one through the left rib cage.

Williams poor luck didnt stop there. While riding in a train taking him away from the front lines, a German pilot managed to strafe said train. After this, William shook uncontrollably and he could no longer string together a coherent sentence.

William was placed in a psychiatric hospital in England and wouldnt return home until December 1945. He was never the same again and died at age 42.

He just gave up. Thats all there was to it, Williams said of his brothers death. We didnt have any autopsy or anything like that, but the way the doctor explained it is his heart just quit. He didnt have a heart attack. We never did understand that.



(J.D. Simkins)

Williams himself found solace through his community, his family, and the church. Non-religious prior to the war; an accidental Catholic during the war after mistakenly putting the letter C in the religion category of his enlistment papers; after the war Williams found relief from his PTSD through the Methodist Church.

Just 18 days after returning home, Williams would marry his girlfriend, Ruby, on October 17, 1945. Together, he and Ruby would raise two daughters.

Williams accepted a position as a veteran counselor with the Veterans Affairs and worked with men returning home who needed help transitioning. He would remain with the VA for 33 years until his retirement.

At the age of 96, Williams continues to serve his country through The Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation, which, according to the mission statement, honors Gold Star Families, Relatives and Children by building Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments throughout the United States, by offering scholarships to Gold Star Children, by sponsoring outreach programs and events and by educating communities about Gold Star Families and the sacrifice they have endured.

It is such a fine line that separates what a soldier does under the intense fear that such combat brings. To act without fear can lead to foolish consequences. To be frozen by it is its own form of surrender. Life is so precious, I believe anybody being shot at has a fearthat the fear is there, but if fear takes over you become useless, said Williams. You dont rationalize in my opinion. You start rationalizing then you start backing up.

Williams walked that line and got the job done.

And what a job it was.
Since we started this our 4th Republican journey, no president has been engulfed in perceived corruption than Mr. John Dramani Mahama. What is hidden will continue to be hidden, but what has come out speaks volumes of a man bathed with perceived corruption tag. That is why they say when God picks a stone, He takes time to throw it.

It started with the Embraer 190 airplane saga. The late President Atta Mills commissioned his vice-president in the person of Mr. John Mahama to negotiate for the purchase of an Embraer 190 jet for Ghana. It came out that some fishy deals went on in the course of the deal. The late President Mills set up a three-member committee to investigate the matter even though it involved his own vice-president. Before the three-member committee could go into the matter, pressure was brought to bear on the good old incorruptible professor to drop the case because it could dent the image of the party which was in power. Members of the committee are still living and kicking, but sadly they have kept quiet and have refused to come out to tell Ghanaians the truth of the matter. And they call themselves gentlemen!

Then came the damning Kananzoe Ford Expedition scandal. That was the most perceived corruption case that ever happened to any president in Ghana. Somebody introduced Mr. Kananzoe, a Burkinabe contractor, to Mr. Mahama and the two fell head over heels in love. The smarter Kananzoe lobbied and had a juicy road contract in Ghana. One day, Mr. Mahama visited the site of the road construction and seized the opportunity to admonish Ghanaian contractors to emulate the good work done by Kananzoe. That was when Mr. Kananzoe had the idea that he could win more contracts in Ghana. Mr. Kananzoe the smart businessman imported a brand new Ford Expedition car into Ghana, drove the vehicle to Burkina Faso and presented it to the ambassador of Ghana to Burkina Faso to be given to Mr. Mahama in Ghana as a gift. An inquisitive journalist blew the alarm and the whole deal went public. When Mr. Mahama sensed that the issue was going to be a disgrace to him, he defended himself by telling Ghanaians that the car was meant for the car pool of the Jubilee House.

Ghanaians were not convinced because if, indeed, the car was meant for the car pool, why did the man clear the car from the Tema Harbour, drove it to Burkina Faso and thereafter presented it to the ambassador to be given to Mr. Mahama. When the kitchen became hot, the matter was referred to the Commissioner of Human Rights & Administrative Justice. Mr. Mahama was left off the hook and Ghanaians thought he will learn a lesson from that episode.

Enter the mother of all perceived corruption. In his lust to acquire more wealth as a president, Mr. Mahama gave way for fear of God to desert him one more time when it came to the purchase of a military aircraft from Airbus. A court in the UK ruled that in the course of the negotiation of the purchase of the aircraft, some deal went on involving a certain person described as 'Government Official 1' from Ghana. Even though Mr. Mahama's name was not mentioned in the ruling, communicators, led by inexperienced and vociferous Sammy Gyamfi went to town to defend their boss.

It was my late old father who told us a story of the gorilla and the carving of a drum. He said one day all the animals in the bush met to decide how to carve and drum so that in the evening when they are doing nothing, they could beat the drum, sing and dance to release tension. The following day, they went into the forest to carve the drum and after they had carved the drum, the rabbit stood up to announce that the ugliest among them will be the one who will carry the drum home. Even though the rabbit did not mention the name of the gorilla, he stood up to tell all the animals the following: As for me, I will not carry any drum oo! That is why the Akans say a person who eats the head of a monkey always dreams of it.

Listening to Sammy Gyamfi during one of his numerous and useless press conferences, I laughed. In his attempt to distant Mr. Mahama from the Airbus deal, he rather pushed the man deeper into the trench. In fact, he exposed his infantile disorders. This boy was not born when Nana Akufo-Addo was practising law, yet he acts as if he is one of the legal luminaries in this country. Looking at the faces of elderly and knowledgeable gentlemen of the NDC sitting behind Sammy Gyamfi, I wondered whether they knew that the boy was making things worse for Mr. Mahama.

President Akufo-Addo did not wake up morning, beat his stomach and instructed the Special Prosecutor to investigate that matter. The man might have been thoroughly briefed. As an astute lawyer, he might have read the ruling carefully before referring the matter to the Special Prosecutor. In anyway, the president did not ask the Special Prosecutor to investigate Mr. Mahama. So why is so much noise being made by Sammy Gyamfi. Or is it the case of the gorilla and the carved drum?

A journalist once asked Nana Akufo-Addo whether he had been corrupt before and listen to his answer, I have said on several occasions that I am not corrupt, I have never been corrupt and I will never be corrupt. I have never taken any bribe to give anyone any contract. Then another journalist asked Mr. Mahama whether he has been corrupt before and listen to him, You mean as a human being or president. From this answer, it stands to reason that Mr. Mahama has been corrupt as a president or a human being. That is how God exposes a liar.

From Eric Bawah
The people of Western Region, especially those residing in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis for some weeks now have been experiencing electricity load shedding popularly known as DUMSOR coupled with water rationing.

Ghana between late 2013 and mid 2016 experienced a nationwide dumsor due to 3 major reasons given by a team of energy experts from VRA, GRIDCO AND ECG:

a) GENERATION SHORTFALL.

b) FINANCIAL BURDEN DUE TO GENERATIONAL DEBT.

c) IRREGULAR FUEL SUPPLY.

The NDC government under his excellency John Dramani Mahama unlike his predecessors tackled and solved the menace in 1st quarter of 2016 and every honest Ghanaian will bear witness that from 2016 dumsor was a thing of the past.

The current vice president HE Dr. Bawumia is on record to have commended his Excellency John Dramani Mahama for solving dumsor but attributed it cause to him when he confessed, President Mahama deserves no credit for solving dumsor (published on 2nd March 2016)"

His excellency John Mahama tackled the generation shortfall by the installation of new power plants, Ameri, karpower etc.

He also tackled the fuel challenge. Due to the irregular supply of gas from the West African gas pipeline, he built the Atuabo gas processing plant which now gives the power plant constant supply of gas to power their plants.

With the introduction of ESLA in 2015 the generational indebtedness to the power players would have been a thing of the past.

Ghanaians, especially people of Sekondi-Takoradi, demand that the stable 24hr electricity bequeathed to President Nana Addo's government by his predecessor be maintained.

What is the reason for the constant darkness we are experiencing? many Ghanaians want to know.

For the water rationing, we all know that it is as a result of GALAMSEY in our water bodies. The activities of NPP members, especially their executives, in this illegal activity are putting a financial and technical burden to GWCL, GWCL in their latest publication expressed the frustration the company is experiencing in their production of potable water. 70% of their treated water is wasted daily in their Daboase plant.

The cost of production of portable water has doubled, and this insensitive destruction of our water bodies is causing financial problems to the GWCL.

The water rationing that the people of SEKONDI-TAKORADI is experiencing is placed on the door steps of his excellency president Nana Akufo-Addo.

We urge the NPP government to apologize to Ghanaians on this current water rationing and take immediate and urgent steps to stop the illicit act of mining in our water bodies while prosecuting all perpetrators of this inhuman act which has negative health consequences on the lives of ordinary Ghanaians.

To the media, the opinion leaders and general public: add your voice to ask the ECG, GRIDCO AND VRA to explain why we are experiencing dumsor now,

And we will urge ECG to publish the load shedding time table for us to be conversant with the timings so that residents of the western region can manage their life better.

SIGNED

RICHARD KIRK-MENSAH

(REGIONAL COMMUNICATION OFFICER

0208255102

0244848891
David Victor, a professor of international relations at University of California, San Diego, proposed as an idea to combat global emissions of warming gases. Victor has joined a Europe-based study that is focused on producing electric aircraft. Scientists estimate that airline travel makes up about 2.5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. ( The San Diego Union-Tribune  February 17, 2020)
Roughly two million Americans are waking up behind bars this morning. The incarceration rate in the United States is more than twice as high as that of Brazil; more than four times higher than in Britain or Mexico; almost six times higher than in China; and almost 15 times as high as in Japan.

A central reason for American mass incarceration is the long prison sentences in our criminal codes, even for some nonviolent offenses. A second reason is the infrequency and arbitrariness of parole, as Jennifer Gonnerman documented in a recent New Yorker story. A third reason  arguably the least common but most outrageous  is wrongful conviction.

Clemency is rarely an easy decision for a president or governor, because it involves freeing somebody convicted of breaking societys rules, sometimes violently so. But in a legal system that errs far too often on the side of harshness, clemency is vital. Its a way to correct abuses, albeit one case at a time, until true criminal justice reform can occur.

One recent example: Felipe Rodriguez, a Brooklyn man who spent 27 years behind bars for a horrific 1987 murder he didnt commit. Rodriguez spent years trying and failing to get prosecutors and police to turn over relevant evidence. Only after Governor Andrew Cuomo commuted his sentence in 2016  bringing more attention to the case  did police locate a file in the archives that helped clear Rodriguez.

Another argument for a greater use of clemency is the troubled parole system. Some parole boards dont even meet with the prisoners whose cases theyre considering, as Jorge Renaud has written for the Prison Policy Initiative. Other states reimprison people for insignificant parole violations: Alaska prohibits an individual on parole from changing residence without notification and considers an overnight stay a change of residence, punishable by parole revocation, Renaud writes.
PUNE, India, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global IoMT Market size is anticipated to reach USD 142.45 billion by 2026, with a CAGR of 28.9%, on account of the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. This, coupled with the improving healthcare infrastructure and facilities worldwide, is primarily contributing to the growth of the market. Internet of medical things consists of a system of interrelated devices that are either connected to each other or with an external network. These devices are capable of sharing information amongst themselves with the help of internet connectivity. The advent of technological advancement in medical devices, coupled with the rise in disposable incomes of people, is anticipated to help increase the popularity of smart medical devices, ultimately boosting the Internet of Medical Things market growth.

IoMT Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026

For more information in the analysis of this report, visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/internet-of-medical-things-iomt-market-101844

According to a recent study by Fortune Business Insights titled, "Internet of Medical Things Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Product Type (Stationary Medical Devices, Implanted Medical Devices, Wearable External Medical Devices), By Application (Telemedicine, Medication Management, Patient Monitoring, Others), By End User (Healthcare Providers, Patients, Government Authorities, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026," the market value stood at USD 18.75 billion in 2018. The report highlights the major growth drivers, restraints, opportunities, key industry insights, and the overall competitive landscape. It also discusses the market segmentation in detail and list of key players with the major strategies adopted by them to gain a competitive edge in the market. Besides this, the report highlights some of the major internet of medical things (IoMT) trends and challenges, helping our readers to gain more insights.

Increasing Awareness about Advantages of Smart Healthcare Products to Drive Market

The Internet of medical things offers various advantages such as real-time monitoring, improved drug management, improved patient outcomes, and a reduction in medical expenditure. The above factors are driving the IOMT market growth. Besides this, the improved efficiencies of smart healthcare devices, coupled with the rise in research and development of advanced devices and rise in awareness about them, are expected to attract high revenues during the forecast duration. Moreover, analysts at Fortune Business Insights also project the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases to propel the demand for smart healthcare further, boosting the market size in the future.

Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/internet-of-medical-things-iomt-market-101844

Rising Awareness about Advancement in Smart Healthcare to Help Asia Pacific Witness Significant Growth

North America is holding a dominant IoMT Market share with a revenue generation of USD 5.87 billion as per 2018 records. This is attributable to the rise in the prevalence of chronic diseases. In addition to this, the increasing number of product launches in this region, coupled with the upsurge in research and development initiatives by major market manufacturers are anticipated to help increase the overall market size during the forecast duration.

However, the increasing disposable incomes of people, coupled with the rapid adoption of IoMT devices in Asia Pacific, will help this region rise significantly. Apart from this, the rising prevalence of chronic diseases will also help augment the overall medical things market growth in the coming years.

Emergence of New Players Will Intensify IoMT Market Competition

Major internet of medical things companies are emphasizing on expanding their geographical portfolio to stay ahead of the competition. Besides this, manufacturers are investing huge sums in R & D for developing and launching new products. Emerging companies in this market are further intensifying the competition with new product launches.

Major Industry Developments of IoMT Market Includes:

June 2016  The first Bluetooth enables the INR/PT home health device, CoaguChek INRange was launched in nations accepting the CE Mark by F. Hoffmann-La Roche. This device helps healthcare professionals and patients to have the ability of monitoring Vitamin K Antagonist (VKA) therapy and greater control on their status of coagulation. A patient can use this device for self-testing his PT/INR data, thus reducing the overall cost spent on frequent hospital visits.

List of Notable Players of the Internet of Medical Things Market Include:

Biotronik

GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY (GE Healthcare)

Boston Scientific Corporation

Medtronic

Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.

Cisco Systems, Inc.

Welch Allyn

IBM Corporation

Siemens Healthcare GmbH

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

Others

Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/internet-of-medical-things-iomt-market-101844

Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction

Research Scope



Market Segmentation



Research Methodology



Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics

Market Drivers



Market Restraints



Market Opportunities

Key Insights

Start-ups Fundings: Overview



Technological Advancements in IoMT Devices



Key Industry Developments - Acquisitions, Mergers, and Partnerships



New Product Launches



New Application Areas: Overview



Key Industry Trends

Global IoMT Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026

Key Findings / Summary



Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Product Type



Stationary Medical Devices





Implanted Medical Devices





Wearable External Medical Devices



Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Application



Telemedicine





Medication Management





Patient Monitoring





Others



Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By End User



Healthcare Providers





Patients





Government Authorities





Others



Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Region



North America





Europe





Asia Pacific





Latin America





Middle East & Africa

TOC Continued.!

Request for Customization: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/internet-of-medical-things-iomt-market-101844

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With an estimated attendance of over 300 professionals, the event brings together dealers, aftermarket suppliers and industry experts for a chance to network and learn about changes and advancements in the material handling industry. The summit officially kicks off on May 12 with remarks from UCA executives, who will discuss corporate and industry updates. In addition to keynote presentations from dealers and industry experts who will bring unique insight into the forklift industry, suppliers and dealers can take advantage of information-sharing opportunities during breakout panels and sessions.

"We experienced great success with our first Forklift Industry Summit, so it was an easy decision to host an event of this magnitude again," said Mark Manninen, vice president of sales and marketing for UCA. "The Summit allows everyone to congregate, gain and share industry knowledge and explore and establish new partnerships, something we all feel is part of our DNA at UniCarriers."

Day two offers a powerhouse agenda starting with a tradeshow, giving dealers a chance to watch product demos, learn from supplier experts and see some of the latest innovations. And to round out the day, an exclusive product workshop will provide dealers a first-hand look at UCA equipment with an informative session for each product.

"We truly value our partnerships, and we look to our dealers and suppliers to continuously advance the best in material handling solutions and tools to our customers. By coming together at this one-of-a-kind event, it gives us the unique opportunity to improve on what we all collectively bring to the customer," Manninen added.

Additional event details will be announced in the upcoming months leading up to the summit. To learn more about UniCarriers Americas Corporation, visit ndm.unicarriersamericas.com/.

ABOUT UNICARRIERS AMERICAS CORPORATION1

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Mauritania and Senegal have signed a number of deals on Tuesday ranging from security, transport, energy, mining to fishing.

The agreements were signed during Senegalese President Macky Salls official visit to Nouakchott.

The two countries heads of State Mohamed Ould Ghazouani and Macky Sall reviewed the framework of their cooperation, with focus on fisheries, a key to both nations economies and a bone of contention over fishing rights.

According to press reports, Mauritania has lifted fines imposed on Senegalese fishermen accused of operating in Mauritanian waters, as part of efforts to improve relations with its neighbor, and Sall welcomed the move.

I think that after this visit, we can be proud to speak to our fellow fishermen, even if I strongly condemned their action, because questions are not resolved by violence.

We are opening a new page in the management of fisheries agreements between our two countries, said Macky Sall.

Mauritanias coastal territories are awash with fish. The fishing industry, though still rudimentary, employs 226,000 people and contributes up to 14 per cent of the national budget.

Last year, China has extended Mauritania a $87 million loan to be used for the construction of a fishing harbor expected to generate 800 permanent jobs and handle around 400,000 tons of merchandise yearly.
Photo: Pixabay The Osoyoos Indian Band is looking for support from the town for their application to open a casino.

The Osoyoos Indian Band is seeking support from the Town of Osoyoos to apply for a license to operate a casino.

The band is proposing a "community gaming centre" be built on band land across the street from the Petro Canada gas station on Highway 3 in Osoyoos, between 6,000 and 7,500 square feet in size.

It would include "100-150 electronic slot machines, 100 electric bingo machines, a 50 square foot off-track betting area and a 50-60 seat pub/bistro," according to Mike Campol of Nation First Investment Group, on behalf of the OIB.

"The facility will be designed to reflect the cultural history of the Osoyoos Indian Band and the unique environmental history of the northern point of the Sonora Desert," Campol added.

The centre would be on band lands and therefore revenues would be paid to the band, not the town.

Osoyoos mayor Sue McKortoff and chief administrative officer Allan Chabot met with OIB chief Clarence Louie and Campol on Feb. 7, at which time the OIB requested the town's support in their application to the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch.

The matter will be discussed by council at Tuesday's meeting.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump dismissed the Defense Department's top policy official, who had clashed with colleagues at the White House and the Pentagon over the implementation of Trump's foreign policy agenda since assuming office more than two years ago.

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy John Rood, a former top executive at the defense contractor Lockheed Martin, said in a letter to the president that his last day would be Feb. 28. Rood wrote that he understood, from speaking to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, that Trump had requested his resignation.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to serve with the many talented and devoted professionals in the military and civilian ranks of the Defense Department," Rood wrote. "While much work remains to be done, I am proud of the many accomplishments we have made instituting and implementing the National Defense Strategy, which reshapes U.S. security priorities."

Rood was the top Pentagon official who certified that Ukraine had sufficiently met its anti-corruption targets to receive military aid as required by U.S. law. Trump's effort to hold that aid, while his personal attorney demanded Ukraine's leader announce investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden and the Democrats, led to Trump's impeachment by the House of Representatives late last year.

In an email to Esper hours after Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Rood said "placing a hold on security assistance at this time would jeopardize this unique window of opportunity and undermine our defense priorities with a key partner in the strategic competition with Russia," CNN reported. The hold proceeded anyway.

Asked whether Rood's dismissal was related to his certification of the Ukraine aid, chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman said, "I have no information that would lead me to believe that."

"The president can make a decision to go in a different direction, so I'm not going to speculate on the motivations," Hoffman said, noting that James Anderson, who is serving as Rood's deputy on a temporary basis, would take over the post until a permanent replacement is appointed.

Trump tweeted about the decision Wednesday but didn't give a reason for Rood's dismissal. "I would like to thank John Rood for his service to our Country, and wish him well in his future endeavors!" the president wrote.

Esper said in statement that "John has played a critical role on a wide range of DoD issues including modernizing our nuclear deterrence capability, efforts to increase burden sharing by our NATO allies, our Missile Defense Review and implementing the National Defense Strategy. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

Despite Rood's role in the Ukraine drama, officials at the White House and within the Pentagon had been agitating for his removal for months for other reasons. One former administration official said Trump recently asked his aides for the names of people he should get rid of because they weren't loyal, and Rood's name came up.

Rood served in positions at the Central Intelligence Agency, the State Department and the Senate for more than 20 years, and had differed with fellow political appointees, particularly officials on the White House National Security Council under former national security adviser John Bolton. Several former officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a former colleague, said Rood's advocacy for positions supported by uniformed officials, which often contradicted White House policies, had repeatedly created friction with administration leaders.

The officials said Rood was the subject of White House criticism for his role in the Pentagon's reluctance to provide the White House with plans for a possible withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria before Trump abruptly announced a pullout in December 2018. Military officials had opposed the move because they did not think the mission against the Islamic State was finished. Trump later backed away from his decision but eventually reduced the force there.

One former official said Rood had also angered some at the White House by opposing the April designation of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, another position widely shared within military officials.

Rood also differed with White House officials over Trump's desire to ratchet up pressure on Japan and South Korea to pay more for U.S. troops stationed there, according to former officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Trump's proposed Syria withdrawal was met with criticism from many military officials, as was a later reallocation of American forces in Syria. The December 2018 announcement, among other issues, led to the resignation of then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who had brought Rood into the top policy job.

"Very few Mattis people are left, which means very few people to push back," another former official said. "The White House does not want contrary views."

A spokeswoman for Rood at the Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment on those matters.

Rood's departure caps a period of high turnover in the Pentagon's policy shop caused by numerous departures and lengthy vacancies. Rood has not had a permanent top deputy since his former No. 2, David Trachtenberg, departed last summer, and many other positions are being filled by officials in an acting or a temporary capacity - including three out of the five assistant secretary positions under Rood.

The top policy position for the Middle East has been vacant since December, despite significant upheaval following the Trump administration's killing of Iranian Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani last month.

- - -

The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey contributed to this report.
Using "BPA-free" plastic products could be as harmful to human health -- including a developing brain -- as those products that contain the controversial chemical, suggest scientists in a new study led by the University of Missouri and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For decades, scientists have studied BPA extensively in animal models with results indicating the chemical plays a role in early pregnancy loss, placental diseases and various negative health outcomes after birth. As these adverse health effects have become more widely known, companies have turned to using alternative chemicals to develop plastic products -- namely water bottles and food containers -- and often labeling them "BPA-free." However, MU scientist Cheryl Rosenfeld warns these chemical alternatives, such as bisphenol S (BPS), still aren't safe for people to use.

In the study, Rosenfeld and her colleagues focused on examining the effects of BPS on a mouse's placenta. She said the placenta serves as a historical record of what an unborn child faces while in the womb; the placenta also can transfer whatever the mother might be exposed to in her blood, such as harmful chemicals, into the developing child.

Synthetic chemicals like BPS can penetrate through the maternal placenta, so whatever is circulating in the mother's blood can easily be transferred to the developing child. This mouse model is the best model we have now to simulate the possible effects of BPS during human pregnancy, because the placenta has a similar structure in both mice and humans." Cheryl Rosenfeld, professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine, investigator in the Bond Life Sciences Center, and research faculty member for the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurobehavioral Disorders at MU

Rosenfeld adds that the placenta serves as a primary source of serotonin for fetal brain development in both mice and humans. Serotonin, while commonly associated with the feeling of happiness, is a natural chemical that can impact a person's functions, including their emotions and physical activities such as sleeping, eating and digesting food.

"The placenta responds to both natural chemicals as well as synthetic chemicals that the body misinterprets as natural chemicals, but the body doesn't have the ability to mitigate the detrimental effects of such industrial-made chemicals," Rosenfeld said. "More importantly, these chemicals have the ability to lower the placenta's serotonin production. Lower levels of serotonin can compromise fetal brain development because during this critical time in development the brain relies on the placenta to produce serotonin. Thus, developmental exposure to BPA or even its substitute, BPS, can lead to longstanding health consequences."

Rosenfeld's research is an example of an early step in translational medicine, or research that aims to improve human health by determining the relevance of animal science discoveries to people. This research can provide the foundation for precision medicine, or personalized human health care. Precision medicine will be a key component of the NextGen Precision Health Initiative -- the University of Missouri System's top priority -- by helping to accelerate medical breakthroughs for both patients in Missouri and beyond.
The Covid-19 virus is continuing to spread on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, which has been anchored in Yokohama harbor and held in quarantine since February 3. At least 542 cases have now been confirmed out of a total count of 3,711 passengers and crew on board.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Health, bluntly stated: Id like to sugar-coat it and try to be diplomatic about it, but it failed. People were getting infected on that ship. Something went awry in the process of the quarantining on that ship. I dont know what it was, but a lot of people got infected.

The cohort of cases aboard the Diamond Princess is by far the largest outside of mainland China and has highlighted the contagiousness of the virus.

Buses carrying American passengers from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship leave a port in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Monday, Feb. 17, 2020 [Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong]

On Sunday evening, 328 Americans were flown back to Travis Air Force Base in California and to Texas. As they were beginning to leave by bus from the harbor to Haneda airport, Japanese health authorities informed US officials that 14 passengers had tested positive for the coronavirus. At the last moment, after a chaotic exchange of communications, US officials allowed the infected evacuees to board the planes because they were not yet exhibiting symptoms.

US health officials defended their actions by explaining that they had no indication from their Japanese counterparts that test results were going to be provided prior to departure and therefore had to make critical decisions on evacuating people. Once the evacuees had arrived at Haneda, the 14 passengers were isolated to makeshift containment areas built out of plastic sheets. The back of the cabin of the aircraft returning to the US were rigged with an isolation box, where the infected people were placed to separate them from the rest of the passengers.

The two planes touched down in California and Texas, where the passengers will stay for two weeks in quarantine. A select number of high-risk cases were then flown to Omaha, Nebraska. Other countries, including Australia, Canada and South Korea, are in the process of working with Japanese authorities to fly their citizens home after they have been cleared to disembark from the ship.

There are now more than 1,000 cases outside of mainland China, including over 600 in Japan, 81 in Singapore and 62 in Hong Kong. The WHO and other medical agencies are concerned over the possibility of the outbreak taking hold in another country and heightening the danger that it develops into a global pandemic. WHO officials have particularly raised fears of the virus spreading within populations where the health system is poorly equipped to deal with a sudden and large number of patients requiring intensive care.

Dr. Michael Ryan of the World Health Organizations (WHO) health emergencies program has complained that crucial information regarding the spread of the coronavirus outside of mainland China has been difficult to obtain from many countries. We continually ask [national health authorities] that they share with us the core data that we need, and I would say that it hasnt been smooth sailing with any country so far because weve had to request a number of countries to speed up data sharing, he stated

Scientists such as epidemiologist Ian Lipkin of Columbia University, Edward Holmes of the University of Sydney and Kristian Anderson from Scripps Research have affirmed that the genetic structure of the virus indicates it developed naturally, and not in a laboratory. This work has been carried out, in part, to quell rumors that the virus was genetically engineered. US Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, suggested in a Fox interview, without any evidence, that the coronavirus could have come from a biosafety level-4 facility in China, designed to work with extremely dangerous viral contagions.

As of yesterday morning, 75,182 cases have been confirmed internationally, of which 74,185 have been diagnosed in mainland China. Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, has suffered 61,682 cases and 1,921 of 2,009 deaths caused by the virus so far.

An initial study in China has found that 80.9 percent of infected people had experienced only mild symptoms,13.8 percent were suffering severe illness and 4.7 percent were assessed as critical. The overall fatality rate is currently estimated at around 2.3 percent. Most of those who have died were elderly and/or had pre-existing medical conditions.

At least 10 percent of Chinas population, some 150 million people, are now under some form of government restriction on their movements, as part of strict quarantine measures to limit the spread of the virus.

The economic impact is becoming more severe, with large manufacturers and financial corporations reporting concerns over their future earnings. Apple released a statement on February 17 to their investors that resumption of work after the Lunar New Year holidays in China has been severely affected by the epidemic. The corporation reported: Work is starting to resume around the country, but we are experiencing a slower return to normal conditions than we had anticipated. As a result, we do not expect to meet the revenue guidance we provided for the March quarter. Apple had forecast up to $67 billion in revenues.

Though iPhone manufacturing sites are located outside of Hubei province, its facilities have not resumed normal production, leading to a contraction in the global supply. Demand in China for Apple products has also slowed, due to store closures and very low customer traffic at those few stores that are open. China is Apples third-largest market with $43 billion in revenue in 2019.

HSBCs Chief Financial Officer Ewan Stevenson told Reuters that it might have to take $600 million in additional provisions against loan losses if the pandemic persists into the second half of this year. HBSC is a British transnational investment bank and financing services holding company with large operations in Hong Kong and China. It is planning to cut 35,000 jobs and slash $4.5 billion in costs due to the impact of the epidemic and the months of political unrest in Hong Kong.

On Tuesday, the Dow slipped on Apples report on iPhone production and the sharp fall in Chinese demand in opening sessions but recouped some of the losses by the afternoon. Apple stocks fell 2 percent. Shares fell in most Asian markets. Uncertainties are partially being driven by the global reliance on factories in China returning to full capacity and concerns about the running down of inventories. Japan and Germany, in particular, are facing slowdowns or declines in their GDP.

The Covid-19 epidemic is expected to lower global economic growth by 0.2 percent to an anemic annual rate of 2.3 percent. This would be the slowest growth since the global financial crisis of 2008.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- When the Trump administration released its education budget last week, the most attention went to the deep cuts it would make in school funding and to a slew of federal K-12 programs. But the plans most important feature  one that would get $5 billion in new funds and could have far-reaching political consequences  is its support for school vouchers.

Even as the education budget calls for cutting about 8 percent of last years $66.6 billion allocation, the administration is increasing resources for school vouchers. A longtime priority of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, this shift would undercut both public and charter schools. Indeed, the Federal Charter Schools Program is among the programs set to be cut. The plan would give states block grants to give them discretion over how to spend a smaller pot of federal education funding.

Congress could ignore many of the education budget proposals as it has in recent years. But DeVoss voucher strategy could get a boost from the Supreme Court, which just heard a case challenging a Montana Supreme Court ruling that invalidated a tax-credit scholarship program because the credits would be used at religious schools. If the Supreme Court greenlights the use of such voucher-like vehicles to pay for religious schools, it would devastate public-education funding.

DeVos has already made it easier for religious groups to offer federally funded services to private and religious schools. Last year, when Floridas Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill creating a school-voucher program that would be paid directly out of state funds, he effectively redefined public education, noting that any school that uses public dollars is public education.

DeVos responded via Twitter: "Completely agree, @GovRonDesantis. (Florida has had a tax-credit scholarship program for almost two decades.)

Yet we know that the push for vouchers  even without a Supreme Court ruling allowing tax dollars to be used to pay for religious schools  is bad policy and a waste of money. Numerous studies, including from the conservative Fordham Institute, show that voucher programs have failed to improve outcomes (as measured by test scores) in Ohio, Indiana and Washington D.C., among other places, for participating students.

Story continues

Vouchers are a giveaway for families who can afford to pay the difference between the value of a voucher and the cost of tuition at the most expensive (and best) private institutions. As tax dollars follow children into private and religious schools, vouchers will suck both money and a dwindling number of more affluent families out of the public-school system, accelerating the transformation of public schools into dumping grounds for the poorest and neediest children. At the same time, vouchers will open the way for cheaper, unregulated and often low-quality private and religious schools.

Legislators should be wary of further undercutting public schools, which have been gaining support among both rural and urban communities.

K-12 schooling remains a hot issue especially in local elections; thus, the combination of block grants and vouchers create a political minefield for Republican state legislators this election year. During the 2018 midterms, teachers in Kentucky helped a Democrat, Andy Beshear, defeat Republican incumbent Matt Bevin in the race for governor in a state Donald Trump had carried by 30 points.

In Wisconsin, where another pro-public education Democrat, Tony Evers, defeated Republican incumbent Governor Scott Walker, voters set records passing ballot measures increasing property taxes and allowing districts to exceed state-imposed revenue caps. These measures brought in an estimated $1.37 billion in additional public-school revenue.

Meanwhile, in Arizona, groups critical of public education, including ones backed by DeVos and the Koch family, chose not to campaign for a 2018 ballot measure that would have expanded the states voucher law when they saw it would be a losing battle. The expansion measure was resoundingly defeated following a vigorous anti-voucher campaign. And just last month, Governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, unveiled a budget with close to $300 million in extra funding for Arizona public schools.

In Tennessee, a lawsuit filed against the state earlier this month is the first of several expected challenges to a controversial voucher law that the state Legislature imposed on two counties last year against their voters wishes. The law is expected to cost Nashville alone more than $137 million over five years, as students and their per-pupil funding leave the citys public schools.

Another major initiative in the Trump administrations education budget could also ensnare legislators in risky fights during an election year. That measure calls for collapsing 30 education programs, including ones that fund everything from rural schools and help for homeless children to arts education and gifted-and-talented initiatives, into block grants. Promoted as a way to push decision-making to the state and local level, the budget would cut about 20 percent from last years $24.1 billion for standalone programs.

Red-state legislators may have to choose between funding charter schools, which are backed by powerful groups like the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, and public-school programs that have been long underfunded and that have won increasing support from parents in rural and urban areas.

The fallout from a block-grant program in Kansas, under then Republican Governor Sam Brownback, serves as a cautionary tale. In 2015, Brownback essentially froze education funding at 2014 levels, while giving districts more flexibility in how they spent education dollars. A year later, Democrats and moderate Republicans, many of them campaigning for increased public-education funding, swept aside conservatives allied with Brownback.

In 2017, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that public-school funding in Kansas was inadequate and unconstitutional and that it had shortchanged one-quarter of the states students. The same year, Brownback joined the Trump administration as an ambassador, having ended his tenure as one of Americas least popular governors.

To contact the author of this story: Andrea Gabor at Andrea.Gabor@baruch.cuny.edu

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.

Andrea Gabor, a former editor at Business Week and U.S. News & World Report, is the Bloomberg chair of business journalism at Baruch College of the City University of New York and the author of "After the Education Wars: How Smart Schools Upend the Business of Reform."

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands - International Criminal Court judges on Wednesday rejected an appeal by an alleged Islamic extremist from Mali who argued that the charges against him were not serious enough to merit standing trial at the global court.

The decision clears the way for the trial of Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud to start later this year for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Timbuktu, including torture, rape and persecution.

Prosecutors allege Al Hassan was responsible for the torture and mistreatment of the people in the ancient Sahara Desert city from April 2012 until January 2013 while it was occupied and ruled by Islamic extremists.

Al Hassan allegedly was a key member of Ansar Dine, an Islamic extremist group with links to al-Qaida that held power in northern Mali at the time. Prosecutors say Ansar Dine imposed a brutal regime on Timbuktu residents including public floggings, amputations and forced marriages.

At a hearing last year, the courts Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told judges Al Hassan was the de facto chief of the Islamic police and played an essential and undeniable role in the system of persecution established by the armed groups throughout the period of occupation of Timbuktu.

His trial is scheduled to start July 14.

Set up in 2002, the ICC is a court of last resort established to prosecute grave crimes when local authorities cannot or will not take legal action.
Conakry, Guinea (PANA) - A human rights group is calling in the Guinea government to respect freedom of assembly and ensure security force discipline in advance of the 1 March constitutional referendum on a new constitution that could clear the way for President Alpha Conde to run for a third presidential term
Women currently make up only about two per cent of the construction industry workforce, and regardless that some men may be threatened by the presence of women in the workplace, the industry needs to get those numbers up.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/2/2020 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Women currently make up only about two per cent of the construction industry workforce, and regardless that some men may be threatened by the presence of women in the workplace, the industry needs to get those numbers up.

To help that relationship-building process, the Manitoba Construction Sector Council  along with sponsorship from all of the industry groups and several of the largest construction companies in the province  is holding the first-ever Women in Trades conference that ends Wednesday at the Victoria Inn.

By the year 2020, the federal government has stated that 319,000 new jobs will be required in the construction sector alone. Even though forecasters predict the Manitoba construction scene will cool down a bit after the end of construction of Bipole III and the Keeyask dam, there is still the matter of the current wave of baby boomer retirements that means the industry must aggressively recruit women.

Carol Paul, executive director of the Manitoba Construction Sector Council, said 19 per cent of the workforce will be retiring in the next few years.

"Even if we have have a bit of slow down, we are still not going to have enough workers to fill the positions that are available," she said. "Quite often you hear, Its a mans world. It really isnt. The industry requires smart people. Its not just about brute force. Its the ability to think, problem solve, make decisions and work with others. Women are good at that."

Its also been shown that women take better care of their equipment, they are consistent and they will spot issues that come up and report them before they become bigger issues.

There will always be sexist prejudices in the society, but conference goers heard tips like when they hit a barrier be sure not to be held back by one persons views.

"Surround yourself with people who will support you. Find mentors," Paul said. "My board chair, Colleen Munro, has been instrumental in me advancing in my role."

And Paul herself has helped others. Mila Mirkin, who works as a transportation designer at the engineering firm, Aecom, in Winnipeg, received her civil engineering degree in Israel. She is working her way through the Canadian certification process with just one exam to go.

She has been at Aecom for more than four years and said that she is happy and lucky to have the position she has. At one point she reached out to Paul for advice.

"I got some amazing advice about how to adjust, to be more confident and about how to be a part of the Canadian workplace environment," Mirkin said.

Women are being encouraged to consider a career in the trades far more aggressively these days. A new federally funded program called the Office to Advance Women Apprentices has just opened a Manitoba office after experiencing phenomenal success in Newfoundland and Labrador where female participation in the trades went from two per cent to 13 per cent.

Muriel Torchia Shyjak, an environmental design graduate, worked in the field for a few years then had the opportunity to buy a contracting firm and since 2016 has been the owner of MG Electrical/Mechanical Services Ltd.

"I get a lot of emails addressed to "Dear Sir" and when people ask to speak to the owner they are sometimes taken aback when I tell them I am the owner," she said.

She said general contractors may have underestimated her at the beggining but they are quick to come around.

"I do my research," she said. "I want to know what Im talking about."

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She also goes out of her way to volunteer at events like the Women in Trades conference and to seek out other women in the business. Meanwhile she now employs about 30 trades people including some women.

Colleen Munro, has been a bit of flag bearer for women in the construction industry for some time. For the past 12 years she has run Munro Construction and has been responsible for sending crews into remote work sites for many years.

"Cultural barriers still need to be overcome. Of course there is still prejudice," she said. "I always say, you can have all the rules in the HR department but people still have their own prejudices. It is up to the company owners to limit that. If they see women working beside the men the cultural barriers start to have less of an impact."

And Munro points out the economic realities.

"It used to be that parents and teachers said the smart kids should go to university and the not so smart kids go into the trades," she said. "Now the people in the trades are making more money than people who graduate from university. And there are plenty of jobs."

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
The number of Irish people in their 20s living at home with their parents is one of the highest in Europe.

Research by Eurofound, an EU agency tasked with improving living and working conditions, shows that the proportion of young people living with their parents grew 11.2% over 10 years, mainly because of the recession.

The Irish Mortgage Holders Association says a couple needs to be earning around 80,000 between them before a bank will speak with them.

Chief Executive David Hall says he meets young people all the time trying to flee the nest.

He said: "Plenty, Plenty. Not a day doesn't go by, and by the way it's equally the parents who are the ones to make the comment to say: 'Look we thought this day had passed and we still have himself or herself at home'.

"It's an extra cost, it's an extra space. People are getting older, people are coming and going at unsocial hours. Going to and from work, commuting.

"A whole host of lifestyle issues arise when your kids are staying at home."

The report also references the increased number of young people in Europe attending higher education as another cause for the increase.

The full report titled Quality of life: Household Composition and Wellbeing can be found here.
The Shiv Sena on Wednesday hailed as "historic" the Supreme Court's judgment directing the government to grant permanent commission to women officers in the Army, and said the Centre's stand of opposingcommand postings for women was "regressive" and an insult to them.

An editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' termed the Supreme Court order as the victory of "women power", and said the Centre needs to change its attitude and vision.

The apex court's verdict meant there was a problem in the central government's "mental frame", it said.

In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court on Monday directed that women officers in the Army be granted permanent commission and command postings, rejecting the Centre's stand of their physiological limitations as being based on "sex stereotypes" and "gender discrimination against women".

Referring to it, the Sena said, "The Supreme Court said there can be no gender bias when it comes to bravery and sacrifice. The verdict is victory of women power."

It is shocking that the central government should question the physical capacity and mental strength of women, the Marathi publication said.

"The Centre's stand reflects regressive mindset and this is an insult to women," it said.

"The Centre questioned how women can handle risks," it said, adding that the Union government's history is "weak".

Women like Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, Maharani Tarabai, RaniChennamma and Ahilyabai Holkar displayed exemplary courage and bravery on the battlefield, the Sena pointed out.

"Who can forget Captain Lakshmi Sehgal of the Indian National Army. The central government should change its attitude and vision. The Supreme Court's verdict meant there was problem in the central government's mental frame," the editorial said.

It also highlighted how Swati Mahadik, the wife of Colonel Santosh Mahadik, and Kanika, wife of Major Kaustubh Rane, have followed their martyred husbands in the Army.

"They have gone through all physical tests," the Marathi daily said.

Colonel Mahadik, hailing from Satara in Maharashtra, laid down his life battling militants near LoC in north Kashmir's Kupwara district in July 2018.

Major Rane, who was a resident of Mira Road in the state's Thane district, was killed in Jammu and Kashmir during an operation to foil an infiltration bid in August 2018.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 02/18/2020



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

's Part 2 of the Tell All special featured the seventh season's couples reuniting and providing updates on their relationships -- including Natalie Mordovtseva suggesting she fell out of love with Mike Youngquist due to a betrayal involving another woman during Monday night's episode on TLC.The Tell-All special featured Mike, a 34-year-old from Sequim, Washington, and Natalie, a 35-year-old from Kyiv, Ukraine; Anna Campisi , a 38-year-old from Bellevue, Nebraska, and Mursel Mistanoglu , a 38-year-old from Antalya, Turkey; Michael Jessen , a 41-year-old from Greenwich, Connecticut, and Juliana Custodio de Sousa , a 23-year-old from Goiania, Brazil; and Robert Springs, a 41-year-old from Winter Park, Florida, and Anny, a 30-year-old from Santiago, Dominican Republic.The following couples were also featured in the episode: Blake Abelard, a 29-year-old from Los Angeles, California, and Jasmin Lahtinen, a 27-year-old from Helsinki, Finland; Tania Maduro , a 29-year-old from Colchester, Connecticut, and Syngin Colchester , a 29-year-old from Cape Town, South Africa; Angela Deem , a 54-year-old from Hazlehurst, GA, and Michael Ilesanmi , a 30-year-old from Lagos, Nigeria; and Emily Larina , a 28-year-old from Portland, Oregon, and Sasha Larin , a 31-year-old from Moscow, Russia.The couples gathered in New York City for a show filled with surprises and drama hosted by mediator Shaun Robinson Below is how 's seventh season ended:Natalie was asked to reveal the current status of her relationship with Mike, and she said things were "on hold" because she had a lot of fears and doubts on her side. Natalie said, however, she couldn't speak for the both of them."I'm not out of the relationship," Natalie confirmed.But Natalie wasn't sure how to proceed with Mike, who admitted times had been tough and they had problems that needed to be worked out.Natalie said she felt like she was talking to a wall sometimes, and Mike said he felt the same way. Natalie suggested they were having problems because they weren't able to spend much time with each other.Mike shared that he believes there is "something out there that's far more intelligent than we are" but he doesn't believe in God."It doesn't make me a bad person. I don't judge anyone. I'll support Natalie to the fullest... I'll go to church," Mike insisted.But Natalie was upset because they had allegedly discussed religion a million times and she wants their children to be raised with the same faith of their parents. Natalie didn't want her kids to be confused by their different belief systems.Natalie had said she didn't trust people who don't believe in God, so when Shaun asked if she trusted Natalie, the Ukraine native didn't know what to say or how to respond.Emily pointed out Mike would have "a lot to learn" if he chooses to convert to Natalie's religion.Mike felt bad about the idea his children might be confused, but he said he wasn't going to lie to his children. Natalie hoped people would respect her choice no matter what it is, and she wanted a man who would be like her."Don't push him. Don't try to change him. I've done this before and see what happened? Two marriages and two children behind," Sasha advised Natalie.Natalie admitted she can be selfish at times and not think about other people's feelings when she's very wrapped up in her own. She said she had strong feelings for Mike but avoided questions about love."Do you love Mike?" Shaun asked."I really think you're a beautiful, nice lady. You're not giving us answers here. I mean, do you love the guy or you don't? What is it?" Angela asked Natalie."I'm cautious. I don't want to go through another divorce. And I told him a million times that. And there was a moment he hurt me a lot, and Michael knows what was the moment. I'm not going to discuss it here," Natalie explained."I have feelings for Michael but I love myself more."Natalie said she loved Mike when they began the K-1 process, suggesting she had fallen out of love with Mike. Natalie said things happened that forced Natalie to push Mike away.Shaun asked Mike if he had been unfaithful, and Mike dodged the question.Robert then asked Natalie to give a "yes" or "no" answer about whether she loved Mike."It's not easy to earn my trust, love, respect and everything," Natalie said, adding that she wasn't going to express love just because that's what Michael wanted to hear.Tania questioned Mike on what he might've done to hurt Natalie, but he said he couldn't recall anything specific.Mike insisted he loved Natalie and wanted her to come to America but her decision to return her engagement ring rubbed salt in his wound.Mike revealed Natalie's K-1 visa was still processing, but she was afraid to move to the United States and then just continue fighting with him."I think Natalie's just over it," Angela pointed out.Syngin said he could not marry someone who hasn't said, "I love you," but then Natalie revealed it's difficult to love someone who says he or she loves you but then betrays you afterward.Shaun asked Mike what Natalie was referring to when she mentioned having been "betrayed," so Natalie asked him to tell the story."So I have a best friend. I used to live with her and everything -- watched her dog grow up. I've known her for years and years and years. She got engaged, she got married and wanted me to be her best man. Like, we're just really good friends," Mike explained.Mike said he told Natalie that he wanted to attend this woman's wedding."I said, 'It's really important to her and I just want to go and support my friend and do that.' Her fiance was supposed to be there at the house the night before the wedding, but he was with his boys staying at his house," Mike continued."I went back to the house and then slept on the couch, but I was supposed to stay at my aunt's. And then the next day, I woke up, I called Natalie."Natalie interjected and stated, "It's not true. We cannot talk because it's not true... It's no point to talk."Mike asked Natalie what wasn't true about his story, but she said nothing.Sasha therefore asked Natalie if she thought Mike was cheating on her, and Natalie nodded her head "yes.""If he tells you some details, you would understand," Natalie said."This happened a year ago!" Mike shouted."We were already engaged," Natalie argued, "and I ask him, please."Robert admitted Mike's situation is why a lot of guys lie, because otherwise, the woman assumes he's being dishonest.Shaun asked Natalie if she thought something happened between Mike and that woman, but Mike answered for her."Nothing has ever happened -- never, ever. Before or ever!" Mike insisted. "Nothing. We've just literally been good friends.""Yes, enough that she wrote me, 'He's not marrying you,'" Natalie claimed.As their co-stars acted surprised -- as if things were starting to fall into place and make sense -- Mike felt the need to elaborate on his story."I called her and she got mad," Mike said. "She got mad at me the next day. Natalie was assuming we slept together and they went at each other's throats."But Natalie argued, "No, I just [asked] where is her husband?... Michael, you were with this woman by your -- only you and this woman. Why you lie to me? Why [did you say] her husband is going to be there?""Because her husband was supposed to be there," Mike pointed out."Her husband never was there," Natalie concluded.Mike said he didn't lie because the plan was for the woman's fiance to stay with them."He was supposed to be there! I didn't know he wasn't," Mike said, shrugging his shoulders.Natalie said she'd never wake up in a house with a man when it's only the man and herself."I would never do this to you. Never," Natalie said, before repeating how Mike had lied."I told you [the husband wasn't there]! I'd never lie to you," Mike told Natalie.Natalie grew tired of fighting, and Robert said he understood where she was coming from because had he been in her situation, he'd "be pissed too."Natalie added that if everyone knew the details, they would definitely take her side."I feel bad for you," Robert said."I will not say anything more because -- I'm sorry," Natalie noted.Shaun asked Natalie how she would feel if this incident never happened, and she replied, "Yes, I would love Michael. I would love him to death."Angela acknowledged Natalie still loved Mike but she was hurting.Shaun followed that up with a question to Mike, asking if he'd be willing to return to Ukraine and work things out with Natalie and possibly win her back."Yeah," Mike responded.But Natalie said she wasn't sure whether she could forgive him and that's why she put him through so much when it comes to her religion and morals."That's why I push him, because I don't understand what to expect from him," Natalie cried. "And I cannot move to America for a man who can do stuff like he did. And I didn't even tell you all."Anna said the group wasn't hearing the whole story, and Shaun hoped Mike and Natalie would be able to work things out.Mike was hoping to salvage his relationship because he said he wants marriage and children. Mike therefore said he'd travel to the Ukraine soon and give the relationship all he's got.Angela said Michael's K-1 visa denial was "tough," and Michael agreed it was a "painful" experience because he had all the required documents. Michael said their relationship must have come across as being fake and insincere.Angela admitted Michael struggled to get his point across during his K-1 visa interview, which only lasted for 20 minutes. Angela said Michael treated the interview like a job interview and he needed to show emotion and heart.Angela told the other couples they could make it as long as they truly loved each other.Michael's three friends from Nigeria then called in to discuss his relationship, and they claimed they were supportive of Angela and Michael's romance in the beginning but Angela had changed over time."Y'all have never been his friends... And I'm the classiest trashiest b-tch you'll ever meet! Remember that baby, and I'll own that! Call me trashy face to face!" Angela yelled.Michael's friends therefore called her "trashy" again and kept repeating "pumpkin." The guys joked about how they hoped Angela wouldn't beat Michael up, and then Angela stormed off the stage and demanded production remove the three guys from the call."Cut 'em off or I'll walk out this door!" Angela yelled. "I gave them a chance... Kiss my white trash ass!"Michael told his friends to stop talking, and Robert agreed Michael's friends should have never called his girl trashy. Robert respected Michael for sticking up for his fiancee."She loves me, I love her. That's it! Period," Michael said.Angela said she was so grateful Michael stuck it out when she showed her insecurities from getting hurt in the past and she had come to realize their age difference didn't matter. Angela believed she and Michael had found true love and his friends were just jealous.Angela said Michael's friends always guided Michael away from her and didn't like her from the beginning. Angela said she wasn't going to give Michael's friends another chance, and Michael called them "stubborn" and said he was done with it.Michael revealed he had lost some friends over Juliana due to jealousy or judgment.Michael said he found out who's really with him and who's against him through his unconventional relationship with Juliana.Blake's lifelong friends Rita and Everett called in to the reunion special.Jasmin insisted she's interested in learning everything about Blake's culture -- including going to clubs, listening to his music and hanging out with his friends.Jasmin said it was actually Blake who wasn't doing much to embrace her lifestyle and hobbies.Shaun asked Rita and Everett whether Jasmin had attempted to get to know them better and befriend them, but Everett replied, "Not yet," followed by Rita's comment that Jasmin had put "zero effort" into even asking, "How are you?"Rita said she got frustrated with Jasmin and felt Blake's friends weren't worth her time. Rita said Jasmin acted above them and better than them.But Blake pointed out that's just how Finnish people are. Everett, however, didn't think it was a cultural thing -- he thought it was a personality trait."My frustration is coming more from a place where I know how Blake is and nobody can tell him anything, like what to do or how to do it. He's almost getting lost, catering to everything [Jasmin] wants to do," Rita claimed.Rita said Blake went to Everett's 30th birthday party for about 20 minutes and Jasmin seemed to be changing him. Rita wished Blake would stand up to his wife more.Blake said his friends liked doing things that were out of Jasmin's comfort zone, such as the nightlife scene, and Jasmin insisted she's just shy and not outgoing.Jasmin told Blake's friends she'd be willing to develop relationships with them by doing "daytime things" and "no more clubs." Everett hoped Jasmin would become more outgoing before Los Angeles and California "eats [her] up."Rita explained she hopes steps are made -- at least for Blake's sake -- until she just stops caring entirely.Want spoilers? Click here to visit our Spoilers webpage!
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The old story of a farmer trying to get a stubborn mule to pull a wagon by dangling a carrot in front of its nose, or hitting its rump with a stick, may not seem to have much to do with the practice of medicine.

But a new study suggests that when it comes to making the best use of health care dollars, it will take a combination of carrots and sticks to move things forward.

The study looks at the effects of two initiatives that aimed to reduce the use of two blood tests that experts consider "low value" for most patients: Routine vitamin D tests, and an unnecessary thyroid test for tracking thyroid hormone levels.

After an organization that advises the health care system in Ontario, Canada reported in 2010 that population-based Vitamin D screening does not improve outcomes, the province's health plan for all residents declared it wouldn't pay for low-value vitamin D tests.

Soon after, the rate of testing dropped nearly 93 percent, the study shows. Patients who had a condition or medication that might lower their vitamin D levels could still get tested.

But in the U.S., where no such payment change took place, 2.6 million unnecessary vitamin D screening tests happened in just one year, according to the researchers from the University of Michigan, University of Toronto and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System who published the new findings in JAMA Internal Medicine.

A few years later, as part of an education campaign called Choosing Wisely, physician professional societies issued recommendations on when not to use Vitamin D and T3 testing. And while use of the test in Ontario dropped an additional 4.5%, the use in U.S. patients covered by Veterans Health benefits or commercial insurance dropped about 14%.

"Our study found small reductions in the use of unnecessary vitamin D screenings in response to recommendations from the Choosing Wisely campaign, but much greater reductions in Ontario when recommendations were complemented by policy change," says Eve Kerr, M.D., M.P.H., senior author of the new paper and a professor in the U-M Department of Internal Medicine. "The biggest lesson is that while recommendations alone can work to reduce low value care, recommendations have greater impact when they are reinforced by changes to policy and practice."

Improving value

Kerr heads a program at the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation called the Michigan Program on Value Enhancement. She and her colleagues used the same Choosing Wisely guideline to build an alert for clinicians who had ordered a vitamin D test of low potential value into the electronic health record at Michigan Medicine, U-M's academic medical center.

In 2018, they reported that this guideline-based "carrot" had led to a positive and sustained change in orders for low-value vitamin D tests.

James Henderson, Ph.D., the first author of the new paper, assistant director of MPrOVE and a data science consultant at U-M's Consulting for Statistics, Computing and Analytics Research unit, notes that the new paper's findings show that Choosing Wisely recommendations for T3 testing did not appear to have had the desired impact.

T3 testing, which is no longer recommended for patients with known thyroid issues because a test called TSH is more accurate, did not decline in either the U.S. or Canada after Choosing Wisely guidelines were issued. In fact, in the study population of U.S. patients with private insurance, the rate of testing actually went up slightly.

Handle with care

Kerr, Henderson and their colleagues from IHPI and the VA Center for Clinical Management Research note that policy decisions for low-value careincluding payment changesmust be made with care, to avoid problems with access to that type of care for patients who could benefit.

For instance, the Ontario payment change exempted patients who have bone or digestive disorders that can change vitamin D levels, and patients who take certain medications that can change vitamin D absorption from food and supplements.

"Payment policies are not the only effective means for reducing low-value care," says Kerr. "Indeed, sometimes restricting payment may be too blunt an approach and could lead to underuse."

She adds, "Other effective policies that can be coupled with recommendations include population based education programs, communication approaches to help patients and physicians make more patient-centered decisions, decision support for doctors about low-value care, and most importantly, culture change initiatives that emphasize the responsibility of health care institutions, clinicians, and patients to provide and seek high-value, evidence-based care while avoiding low-value services."

Explore further More awareness of Choosing Wisely campaign needed for nurses

More information: James Henderson et al, Comparison of Payment Changes and Choosing Wisely Recommendations for Use of Low-Value Laboratory Tests in the United States and Canada, JAMA Internal Medicine (2020). Journal information: JAMA Internal Medicine James Henderson et al, Comparison of Payment Changes and Choosing Wisely Recommendations for Use of Low-Value Laboratory Tests in the United States and Canada,(2020). DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.7143
Mumbai: Filmmaker-producer Karan Johar, whose digital content production wing Dharmatic has collaborated with streaming giant Netflix for a venture named "Guilty", has said that his upcoming edge-of-the-seat thriller film has intrigue, resonance and relevance, combined by some terrific performances.

"Guilty" is led by women in all departments -- be it in acting, direction, writing and production -- and Johar declares he will continue collaborating with female talent in future, too.

At the trailer launch, Johar was accompanied by the film's director Ruchi Narain, writers Kanika Dhillion and Atika Chohan, and cast members Kiara Advani, Gurfateh Singh Pirzada, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor and Taher Shabbir. Srishti Behl Arya, director, International Original Film, India, Netflix, was also present, as were Apoorva Mehta, CEO, Dharma Productions, and Somen Mishra, head of creative development at Dharma Movies.

On the female-centric cast and crew, Johar said: "It's quite interesting that it is such a strong female-led narrative, led by a mainstream female actor, directed by a woman, creatively nurtured by a strong woman and all of us at Dharma are such strong feminists including Somen (Mishra), Apoorva (Mehta) and me that we feel proud to tell this story and want to continue telling stories led by women, created by women and nurtured by women."

In "Guilty", Kiara essays a musician's girlfriend. The story explores the different versions of truth that emerge when a smalltown girl accuses her college heartthrob of rape.

"We are really excited to tell the story of 'Guilty'. It has intrigue, resonance, relevance and more than that, 'Guilty' has a strong narrative and storytelling along with terrific performances. We are excited to actually have a film that is led by a solid mainstream star but also bring new talent to the table along with a very strong filmmaker," declared Johar.

After her grand web debut with Karan Johar's segment in the anthology "Lust Stories" (2018), Kiara returns to the digital space with "Guilty".

Talking about his collaboration with Netflix, Johar said: "This is the first time that Dharmatic and Netflix has come together. All of you know that Netflix is a tremendous global platform and they really encourage and nurture strong content, so to collaborate with them was really an honour and also a privilege to be able to tell stories we really want to with the abundance and the craft and creativity."

"Guilty" will stream on Netflix from March 6.
In a country with compulsory conscription for Jewish citizens, it was not a stretch for people to insist that it could be their father, their brother, their son, left to rot in a hole in Gaza.

There are Americans rotting in similar holes. Iran has disappeared the C.I.A. consultant Robert Levinson for more than 13 years. The Islamic Republic is also holding captive Baquer Namazi, an 83-year-old former representative for Unicef who is in poor health, and his son, Siamak. Paul Overby, an author from western Massachusetts, has been missing since May 2014 when he was kidnapped in Afghanistan. Austin Tice, a former Marine and a freelance journalist, is in his eighth year of captivity in or around Syria. Last month, Moustafa Kassem, an Egyptian-American who was arrested more than six years ago, starved himself to death in an Egyptian prison.

Im embarrassed to admit that I had to Google some of those names.

In contrast, like many of the worlds 14 million Jews, I came to feel as if Gilad Shalit was a family member. Which is really the only way to understand why, in October 2011, Israel released 1,027 prisoners, some of them hardened terrorists, more than 300 of whom were serving life sentences, in exchange for this one ordinary soldier.

To the casual observer, the exchange defied rationality. But only 14 percent of Israelis opposed it. Among them were parents just like the Shalits  only their sons and daughters had been murdered in terrorist attacks ordered by the people Israel was now freeing. Some quickly made good on their promise to kill again.

And yet an overwhelming majority of Israelis  79 percent  supported the exchange.
The acting Navy secretary has ordered top brass to find ways to shift billions of dollars away from redundant or outdated programs to pay for high-ticket items -- and leaders have been given just weeks to carry out the plan.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger and other Navy Department leaders have until April 15 to find at least $40 billion that can be used to pay for new ships and ballistic-missile submarines. The review, which acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly ordered in a memo Tuesday, must identify ways to "fund the development, construction and sustainment of this new fleet over the next five years."

"As we prepare to go to Congress to defend our ... 2021 budget request, it has become increasingly apparent that we have a challenging story to tell," Modly wrote. "We are facing three critical pressurizing mandates that are conspiring to limit our ability to deliver the Integrated Naval Force required by the National Defense Strategy."

Those requirements include a congressional mandate to build a 355-ship Navy, improving readiness shortfalls after years of high operational tempo, and a four decade-long recapitalization of the nuclear ballistic submarine force. All of that, Modly wrote, will need to be paid for amid a "flat budget environment."

Related: Top Marine General Wants a New Class of 'Light' Amphibious Warship

"We must act now to make tough, fiscally informed choices in order to fund our key strategic priorities using the budget we have, not the budget we wish we had," he added.

The Marine Corps referred questions about the review to the Navy. The Navy did not immediately respond to a request for information about how it will carry out the directive.

Generating $8 billion a year in savings over the next five years will be equal to about 7% of the Navy Department's annual topline budget, Modly told leaders. The savings, he said, will be repurposed to help pay for what he called his top three priorities: designing and building a 355-plus-ship Navy by 2030; ethical and educational opportunities for sailors and Marines; and digital modernization across the forces.

During the review, the acting secretary said leaders should identity low-priority, redundant or legacy programs that can be eliminated, reduced or restructured to meet the services' needs.

"We must find savings within the Department to reinvest in the kind of decisive naval force that will provide for our nation's future economic and political security," Modly added.

He also challenged the sea services to a bit of service rivalry in his memo, calling on the Navy and Marine Corps to beat the Army's recent budget cuts.

But the Navy Department cuts will more than triple the $13 billion the Army has trimmed from its budget over the next several years. Coined "Night Court" sessions, Army leaders have met after hours and aggressively moved money away from low-priority programs to fund readiness and modernization efforts.

Related: Army Releases Full List of 80 Programs it Plans to Kill or Trim Back

No portion of the Navy budget is exempt from scrutiny as part of the eight-week analysis, which Modly is calling the "stem-to-stern capability-based strategic review." But the acting secretary marked eight programs that should receive consideration as department leaders look for potential savings.

Some of the changes could include eliminating headquarters, commands or organizations; streamlining naval logistics; outsourcing some programs; consolidating training and installation management; and significantly cutting service-support contracts, among others.

Gilday, the Navy's top officer, said last month that the Navy Department would need a bigger slice of the Pentagon's budget if sailors and Marines are going to be called on to counter China in the Asia-Pacific region.

Splitting the budget equally between the Army, Navy and Air Force doesn't match the requirements of the National Defense Strategy, he added, which calls for a hefty naval presence.

"If you believe that we require overmatch in the maritime, if you believe that in order to execute distributed maritime operations and to operate forward in great numbers now -- that we need more iron -- then yes, we need more topline," Gilday said.

The Navy Department's 2021 budget request, which includes overseas contingency operations funds, totaled $161 billion, $2.9 billion less than last year's request. The overall Pentagon budget request for next year is $705 billion.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

Read more: Navy Plans to Cut Shipbuilding Budget Face Swift Pushback on Capitol Hill
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, February 19, 2020 13:55 692 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20656ce3b 1 Politics omnibus-bill,omnibus-law,Article-170,mahfud-md,controversy Free

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud M.D. has played down a contentious article in the omnibus bill on job creation, claiming it as a typo.

Article 170 of the draft bill stipulates that the government is permitted to revoke laws simply by issuing a government regulation (PP), and that the government can consult the House of Representatives leadership in drawing up such regulations.

One important thing, the bill is still a draft, which means everything can be corrected due to errors or different opinions. It can still be fixed at the House, thats all, Mahfud said on Tuesday at the presidential palace compound in Central Jakarta, as quoted by kompas.com.

Mahfud added that the government had ensured that Article 170 in the draft bill was a mistake because government regulations could not override laws, referring to the hierarchy of laws.

Yes, its actually a typo, which means that its a mistake. We all have agreed, if we [refer] back to the basic theory of law, only laws can revoke laws, while PPs can only regulate laws. Thats the principle, he said.

Political observer Jeirry Sumampow expressed doubt over Mahfuds claim that Article 170 was "a typo".

The government said it was a typo. If you read the draft, this is impossible, Jeirry told Kompas on Tuesday.

Read also: Omnibus bill has authoritarian bent: Lawmakers, experts

His reasoning was that the provision in Article 170 had been arranged sequentially. If it contained typographical mistakes, he said, it was not possible that the article would contain coherent points.

There are several points in the article. How could the typos occur [in all points]? he said.

Jeirry said he suspected that the government deliberately created the article to gain the publics approval over the power, even if some argued that the article was drafted in the interest of business investment.

The narrative from the government is that the draft bill will have a good impact on the economy to face Industry 4.0. But substantially, I think there are things [in the bill] that can push the country toward authoritarianism, as has happened in the past, said Jeirry.

A statement from the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister issued on Monday, a copy of which The Jakarta Post obtained, calls speculation in the media that the government was becoming authoritarian as "groundless", because the third point in Article 170 stipulates that the central government could consult the House.

The omnibus bill was submitted last week to the House for deliberation. The bill aims to create jobs, improve the ease of doing business and stimulate economic growth.

The draft bill also grants the President the authority to revoke bylaws at the provincial and regency/municipal levels that contradict national regulations through the issuance of presidential regulations. The same authority can be used to override gubernatorial and regental/mayoral regulations. (syk)
The Jammu and Kashmir administration sealed two hotels for allegedly violating environmental norms in Katra, the base camp of Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, in Reasi district, officials said on Wednesday.

Acting on the recommendations of the State Pollution Control Board, Deputy Commissioner Indu Kanwal Chib ordered the sealing of the hotels -- New Sham Guest House, Jammu Road, and Hotel Meridian, Panthal Road -- for grave violation of environmental norms, an official spokesman said.

Both the hotels were found guilty of not installing sewage treatment plants as required under the Protection Act 1986, and were, therefore sealed, in the presence of SDM, Katra, Ashok Kumar, he said.

The owners of the hotels had been served notices prior to the closure of their establishments, the spokesman said.

Besides, the electricity supply to the hotels has been snapped and they were deregistered by the tourism department, he said.

The hotels shall remain sealed till the time they comply by the laid down environmental norms and install requisite treatment plants.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Social Media Power of Pink Balaclava #AR

Once upon a time, posting photos to Instagram sans filter was a point of pride among users, but almost a decade, the advancement of augmented reality has taken us in a very different direction, and futuristic embellishments to our photos have become a valuable marketing tool for bands and artists.

Guest post from AWAL

#nofilter hasnt aged so hot.

Remember Mayfair, Rise, and X Pro II on Instagram? Remember the pride of posting an image good enough to make them irrelevant? A lots changed since sharing photos with basic alterations was enough to mint billions of dollars. Now we can have our futures predicted and play with dragons in our Stories!!! Take that, 2012

AR filters are a new kind of social currency, made possible by many decades of government research, sci-fi dreams, and kids toys: View-Masters, early flight simulations, Star Wars, Tron, motion-tracking military headsets, flopped 90s SEGA prototypes, PTSD treatments, Google Street View, Oculus, Magic Leap  the list goes on long enough to inspire a Vanessa Carlton song. All of this stuff is ultimately why you had the privilege of watching 100 of your friends post In 2020 I will be roulette results during New Years week. Its also why 1000s of people can rock virtual pink balaclavas with puppies on em, spreading Scottish artist Joesef far and wide.

BACKGROUND

Its been just over a year since Facebook first integrated its Camera Effects Platform (you might know it today as Spark AR) with Instagram, and less than six months since the private beta program went public. The companys endgame is clear: Let anyone with WiFi access hop in the digital sandbox (Spark AR) and try their hand building AR filters. No coding required. More filters, more creative / personalized content, more time spent within the Facebook ecosystem. The same goes for competitor platforms, such as Snaps Lens Studio.

Its still early days, comparatively, for easy-access social AR tools, but usage has already increased exponentially. To give you an idea about the shift in volume, it helps to look at queue times for filter submissions to Facebooks approval process. Coveted developer Ommy Ahke told Verge last November that not too long ago, her filters would publish to Instagram just a few hours after sending them off for review. Now, a submission on the first of the month might not receive the green light until the very end.

Theres no telling how long this wild-west phase will last. Facebook has liberally cleared filters for takeoff that incorporate unlicensed intellectual property, e.g. Arno Partissimos mega-hit, Which Disney Character Are You? (Elsewhere, in a neighboring galaxy of the world wide web, Disney is demanding that Etsy shuts down sellers of Baby Yoda merchandise.) As with anything involving innocent-enough-but-technically-illegal IP co-opting, the same ancient debate will rear its head: Does free publicity and vested fandom outweigh the money left on the table?

While the good times roll, though, music marketers are leveraging AR filters to (1) make custom, living, breathing brand touchpoints for artists and their fans  a digital playground for those in the know  and (2) capitalize on a new form of IG virality. Because AR filters in Instagram Stories are credited to their creators, many users end up on the creators profile page to test it out for themselves or add the filter to their own library. This makes the impression-to-follower conversion easier as a popular filter ripples across different freind groups. Filippo Soccini, the mind behind the aforementioned In 2020 I Will Be filter, jumped from 7,000 followers to over 125,000 as we transitioned into a fresh decade. Theres fun to be had and fans to be made and *squints* blank t-shirts with AR compatibility to be sold.

THE BALACLAVA

Back to Joesef. Its been all eyes on the ascendant lover boy since the start of 2019. He capped a kinetic stretch  multiple sold-out nights at Glasgows staple venue King Tuts, Elevate honors from GAY TIMES x Apple Music, millions of streams, etc.  with Play Me Something Nice, which basically sounds like falling in and out of love with a boy for the first time in Bikini Bottom (this is a very good thing).

Before the project released in October, Joesef and his team (hi) stormed their brains to think of different ways they could best allocate his marketing budget.

We wanted to take a less-is-more approach with social campaigns around Joesefs EP, says Ariel Cohen, a digital wizard at AWAL. We didnt want to throw money at 20 cheap, contrived engagement initiatives, but instead a small handful of engaging thing fans could play with. We had talked about toying with Spark AR and were looking for ways to do something recognizable, making an association between Joesef and something else.

The ideal: Amplify a distinct element of the artists world by using AR to make it real. It didnt take long to realize the answer was clear as day. Joesef had created a small run of pink balaclava face masks that made heads spin everywhere it appeared. (The embroidered likeness of his pup, Frank, adorns the top of the garment.) What if everyone with an Instagram account got to give it a try?

After research and referrals, the team worked alongside AR firm PHNTM to produce the idea. Both sides ultimately agreed on these priority functions to include:

Joesefs track Lover Boy plays when the filter is used by someone on IG.

The balaclava filter is 3-D, not a 2-D superimposition.

The balaclava filter traces not just head movement, but also mouth and eye movement.

The simplest version of the pink balaclava filter would still serve as a nice treat for fans of an emerging artist. That said, going beyond baseline interactivity gave Joesefs mask more staying power. Cohen estimates that about a quarter of the budget went to mouth-mirroring.

The range for fair price for this sort of thing depends on whos making it, their experience, the level of interactivity youre after, the number of delivery deadlines, and the number of edits youre looking to make, he tells us. You might be looking at anywhere from $2,000 on the low end to $10,000 for more complex Spark AR builds. Theyre not cheap but they last awhile if you do it right.

The upfront costs (and the potential for less impressions than you might see after traditional ad buys on Instagram) might scare off many. To be fair, for now, AR filters are still nice-to-haves  massive boosters if a clever idea resonates, but just as easily a flash in the pan. Younger teams need not rush to throw all of their hard-earned cash at Spark AR. That said, the benefits speak for themselves. In Joesefs case, the filter that (1) functions as a world-builder that lives beyond the lifespan of any particular release (2) builds social awareness among those not yet onboard and (3) will undoubtedly drive physical merch sales when its time to restock the actual pink balaclava. The more symbiotic the relationship between an artists digital presence and IRL ambitions, the more fruitful the outcome is bound to be.

Keep up with industry news and dive deep into artist stories with AWAL Weekly, our weekly newsletter.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio  With early voting starting Wednesday in Ohio, only two Democrats have appeared to make a concerted effort to capture the Buckeye State.

With less than a month until the March 17 primary election, the candidates have been slow to stake out a noticeable presence in the state. The only exceptions are Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

The seeming lack of interest thus far is a symptom of the primary schedule and the current dynamics of the race. The party is fractured over who to support at the moment, making Nevada and South Carolina all the more critical before Super Tuesday  the first Tuesday in March when multiple high-value, delegate-rich states vote.

Coming into Ohio in full force this early just isnt in the best interests of some of the candidates right now.

That was evident outside the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections before the 8 a.m. opening of early voting.

10 Early voting begins at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections

A group of around 15 Warren staffers and supporters walked down the street from their campaign office, music blaring with signs in hand waving at cars before heading in to vote.

The Bloomberg campaigns footprint was smaller, with only two staffers there when doors opened handing out doughnuts to passersby on the sidewalk. Another two were supposed to be on their way with coffee.

Around the state, it was much the same story. Warren had events in 14 counties. Bloomberg had them in 10. The other candidates, whose campaigns did not send advisories and did not respond to requests for comment about Ohio operations, had nothing official.

Thats been the state of Ohio for the better part of an election cycle that started in earnest more than one year ago. Candidates have visited sporadically, but even with the October debate in Westerville, there hasnt seemed to be much action.

Warren was first in the state with paid staff arriving in September, which has since swelled to more than 20.

After Bloombergs late entry, he followed suit by announcing in February nearly 100 paid staff on the ground.

Both have also opened multiple field offices, Warren with three and Bloomberg with 12.

Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg is the only other candidate who has announced paid staff in Ohio, rolling out a state director on Tuesday.

To attain the Democratic Partys nomination, a candidate needs at least 1,991 of the 3,979 pledged delegates on the first round of voting convention in Milwaukee this July. Delegates are allocated by the Democratic National Committee to the states based on a plethora of factors, including population, geography, the date of the states primary or caucus and the number of Democratic elected officials in high-profile offices.

Ohios share is 136 pledged delegates, 89 of which are split up among each of the states 16 congressional districts based on the Democratic vote strength in each district (the more Democratic-leaning the district, the more delegates). Delegates will be given to candidates based on their performance in each of the districts, with anyone receiving at least 15% of the vote guaranteed at least one delegate.

The other 47 are statewide delegates and will be awarded based on the popular vote, with any candidate receiving at least 15% of the vote guaranteed at least one delegate.

Thats a potentially sizable haul. But with 1,805 delegates up for grabs in the contests before Ohio  a total that doesnt include 65 from Iowa and New Hampshire  plus a further 441 that will be awarded by states that vote the same day as Ohio, candidates cant afford to fall behind by looking too far into the future.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the front-runner at this point, is likely looking to consolidate enough support before even reaching Ohio to clear the field.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota lags the other candidates in fundraising and is trying to hold on to the momentum from her third-place finish in New Hampshire.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, who has polled the strongest in the Buckeye State, is trying to prevent the collapse of his once favorite status following disastrous showings in the first two states.

And billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer looks like hes heading toward a quick exit after missing the final debate stage before Nevada votes.

So, it shouldnt come as a shock right now that Ohio isnt being paid much mind, save for Warren and Bloomberg. Even Buttigieg, the latest candidate to invest here, is doing so in a limited fashion as he tries to prove he can do well in Nevada and South Carolina, states that arent overwhelmingly white.

Warren already made her investment last year and, despite underwhelming performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, could feasibly rebound heading into Super Tuesday, giving her an advantage over her rivals in some of the later contests.

Bloombergs case is unique. With a personal net worth of more than $62 billion, he can spend as much money as he wants on whatever he wants.

Read more cleveland.com politics coverage:

Poll of Great Lakes voters shows good news for Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders

Why wont Gov. Mike DeWine say whether he supports Ohios death penalty?

Mike Bloomberg wants you to text him back

Donald Trump vs. Barack Obama on jobs, and jobs growth under other presidents

Ohio college professor who refused to use a transgender students preferred pronouns loses religious freedom case
Houstons housing department is using its recommendations for tax credits this year to encourage affordable housing developments across the city in a bid to avoid concentrating them in lower-income neighborhoods where they typically are placed.

The result is that a greater share of the private developments set to receive the citys support this year are in Houstons more expensive  and affluent  city council districts, where affordable housing projects have been rarer and often a point of contention.

The new priority marks a change from past years, when the city would support any proposal that met a base threshold on its scoring criteria. The department this year aims to be more selective, cutting in half the number of projects it is recommending the city support. Officials say it is a strategy meant to maximize local control of the state process that decides which projects ultimately receives the benefits.

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs doles out the 9 percent tax credits for the projects, but a city resolution of support is seen as critical to compete for them.

This is a change for the city, Housing and Community Development director Tom McCasland told council members earlier this month. If we just gave letters of support to everyone, that puts all of the control at the state level. And we think some of this control appropriately belongs in this horseshoe around the table.

City council is set to vote on the housing departments recommendations Wednesday.

Council member Tiffany Thomas, who chairs the councils housing committee, said the selections strike a healthy balance and represent a good-faith effort toward righting the wrongs of the past. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found in 2017 that Houstons housing policy violated the Civil Rights Act, and the city is now part of a voluntary agreement with HUD to change its practices.

The framework were going with is a step in the right direction and aligns us with fair housing practices, she said. The other good thing is theyre mixed developments. Theyre not the projects of the 80s and 90s that people envision.

District C, home to the citys highest median household income ($97,287 in 2017), has three recommended projects this year. All three fall in the Greater Heights or Rice Military neighborhoods, including a 180-unit family housing building on West 26th Street, a 100-unit facility on Dian Street, and a senior housing building at Center and Moy streets. District G  which has the lowest level of affordable housing  also has three projects, including one on Post Oak Boulevard.

Meanwhile District B, made up of north Houston neighborhoods that have Houstons highest concentration of affordable housing and lowest median income ($31,925), has one recommended project  an 82-unit family building on West Gulf Bank.

That pattern is not universal. District D, which has the second-highest concentration of affordable housing, also has three projects; and District E, which has below-average concentration, has none.

It does, however, reflect McCaslands effort to spread the developments across the city.

The strategy was partly born out of last years tax credit awards, when several of the Houston developments that won the benefits were concentrated in the Fort Bend County portion of District K, according to housing department assistant director Ray Miller.

What we are trying to do is prioritize areas that have been underrepresented for awhile, Miller said.

District C council member Abbie Kamin said the new strategy represents an effort to ensure there are affordable places to live in every Houston community.

Im really excited about the opportunity District C is being given, Kamin said. The same people giving back to the neighborhood and community will be able to stay in their communities.

Among some council members, there was concern that the district-level focus fails to account for needs of specific neighborhoods.

District H council member Karla Cisneros expressed concern the new standards may disadvantage her district. While her district has three recommended projects, Cisneros pointed out that Near Northside, one of the areas in the citys Complete Communities program, did not get any support this year.

I appreciate your attempt to be equitable but were not a one-size-fits-all city, Cisneros said at the committee hearing.

McCasland said he welcomes such concerns.

I am thrilled that this conversation we are having today is about the need for more (projects) in your particular districts, McCasland said. I can assure you that a few years ago, it was not that conversation. It was about trying to block deals out of particular districts, by and large.

District A council member Amy Peck said the new policy resulted in unnecessary recommendations. Her district has the third-highest level of affordable housing units in the city, but Peck said most of those buildings are concentrated in one neighborhood: Spring Branch.

Both projects slated to get city approval in District A this year also were in Spring Branch, though the developers ultimately pulled those bids.

I think that every council district has different needs, Peck said. So, to just say were going to put the same amount in every council district, I dont think that accurately fits the needs of each district.

The tax credits have been the largest driver of affordable housing for decades, empowering private developers to build facilities that offer affordable rents by offsetting a portion of their federal tax liability. Developers sell the tax credits to investors, which allows them to finance the buildings with equity instead of debt, in turn allowing them to charge lower rents. Most of these developments include market-rate units, as well.

In all, 57 projects applied for the citys support for the tax credits. Just 20 are slated to receive it, down from 40 last year. The city estimates that only around 10 of the projects will ultimately receive the credits, worth a total of about $150 million over 10 years.

In the past, the city issued support for any project that scored a minimum of eight points on its criteria, which considers a variety of factors that include the neighborhoods school quality and poverty level, access to transportation, and how many market-rate units are included in the facility.

This year, the housing department ended that blanket policy, exercising more restraint. The department showed council members a graph displaying how many affordable housing units are in each district.

For the five council districts with above-average levels of affordable units  A, B, D, H and K  housing officials only would endorse projects in state-designated priority areas, like the Complete Communities Program and Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones. Six of those developments are expected to receive support.

While those districts were home to 29 of the 40 recommended projects last year, they received eight of the 20 endorsements this year. For those with below-average housing  Districts C, E, F, G, I and J  there were no location restrictions and a cap of three projects.

This was an opportunity to say, Where are the areas that we havent traditionally supported? Miller said.

dylan.mcguinness@chron.com
The logo of Chinese company Huawei is seen at its main UK offices in London, on Jan. 28, 2020. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images)

US Official Urges EU to Use 5G Alternatives Over Huawei

At least three U.S. officials have publicly made comments in recent weeks about the risks of using Chinas Huawei Technologies for 5G infrastructure, with the latest coming from a senior U.S. diplomat who voiced concerns about European countries using the technology.

Robert Strayer, deputy assistant secretary for cyber and international communications and information policy at the State Department, said the United States is encouraging European countries to think carefully about the security and economic implications of rushing forward with using Huaweis technology.

There is no way to fully mitigate any type of risk except the use of trusted vendors from democratic countries, Strayer told reporters on a visit to Lisbon, Portugal.

Just last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the United Kingdom to rethink its decision to allow Chinas Huawei a limited role in the countrys 5G networks.

Strayer also said it was necessary to demystify the notion that Huawei is more advanced in 5G. Huawei was founded in 1987 by a former Peoples Liberation Army engineer, and Washington has repeatedly asked allies to not use Huaweis technology over fears it would help China steal secrets from and spy on the West. Huawei and Beijing have both denied the accusations.

The good news is Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung all provide 5G technology that is on par with the one Huawei is providing today, Strayer said. They are leading the world in the type of technology they have.

Strayers comments echo those made earlier this month by Attorney General William Barr, who said there were only two companies that can properly compete with Huawei as 5G infrastructure suppliers: Nokia and Ericsson.

They have quality, reliable products that can guarantee performance, Barr said at a keynote address at the Department of Justices China Initiative Conference. They have proven successful in managing customers migration from 4G to 5G.

Barr said the main concern was that the two suppliers dont have enough resources or backing behind them to match Huaweis scale. He suggested the United States use its resources to back one or both of the firms, adding that it would make it a more formidable competitor and eliminate concerns over its staying power.

We and our closest allies certainly need to be actively considering this approach, he said.

Huawei says it spent $15 billion in 2019 on research to help it achieve market leadership and has said the United States wants to frustrate its growth because no U.S. company could offer the same range of technology at a competitive price.

Strayer said Western vendors such as Ericsson and Nokia will use an open architecture with more functionality, creating opportunities for companies in the United States and Europe to provide compatible equipment.

Experts told The Epoch Times previously that it would be a good move by the United States to promote competitors to Huawei.

Robert Blair, White House special representative for international telecommunications policy, said at the Munich Security Conference in Germany that the United States could potentially develop partnerships with the telecoms industry as a bid to create an alternative to Huawei.

China currently dominates the global 5G technology market, capturing 40 percent through companies Huawei and ZTE. 5G is the next generation of mobile network technology, which will offer internet connectivity at speeds that are 10 to 100 times faster than 4G. The jump in network speed is set to revolutionize many industries, including transportation, health care, and manufacturing.

Just days after Barrs comments, Vice President Mike Pence appeared to dismiss the suggestion and said the United States is already taking a different approach.

Great respect to Attorney General Barr, but we believe the best way forward is what Ajit Pai announced just over the last several days, Pence said, referring to the Federal Communications Commission chairmans efforts to free up more spectrum for 5G wireless use.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-18 16:51:01|Editor: huaxia

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XINING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Authorities are using Tibetan medicine to help fight the coronavirus in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

Of Qinghai's 18 confirmed cases, 17 have received treatment involving traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and Tibetan medicine has played an active role in the treatment, said Huang Licheng, an official with the provincial health commission.

Qinghai has incorporated western medicine and TCM to treat patients since the virus outbreak. TCM doctors heavily participated in rescue work, especially those practicing Tibetan medicine.

The provincial hospital of Tibetan medicine produced a batch of anti-virus medications featuring Tibetan medicine, with 1,000 of them already sent to the front lines in Hubei Province, the center of the virus outbreak. The rest will go to medical institutions in Qinghai.

Local Tibetan medicine hospitals have also produced medications to prevent virus infection and distributed them to the public for free.
The statistics of Elder Financial Exploitation are staggering. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1 in every 10 Americans age 60 and older suffers from some form of financial abuse. And even though many states have mandatory reporting requirements, this number is likely much higher. Sadly, many times exploitation is not reported because the victims depend on their abuser for care and assistance with daily living; they are either unable or unwilling to report the abuse.

Recently the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) released a strategic analysis of elder financial exploitation Suspicious Activity Reports filed between 2013 and 2019. The analysis indicated elder financial exploitation is on the rise, noting nearly 7,500 filings in August 2019 alone.

If you are reading this article, you undoubtedly know that elder financial exploitation is a difficult crime to manage. Credit union employees pride themselves on service and personal relationships with their members. This means they are often one of the first to notice the exploitation. However, despite several financial institution regulatory agencies having developed guidance, the complexity of state laws often leaves credit union employees feeling like their hands are tied when trying to stop the exploitation.

Over the past few years, many states have developed cross agency studies into financial abuse, specifically of seniors. In Tennessee, the General Assembly recently enacted the Elder Abuse Task Force. The task force is charged with assessing the current status of elders and other vulnerable adults related to financial exploitation; examining the existing barriers, services, and resources addressing the needs of these elder persons and vulnerable adults; and developing recommendations to address problems associated with the financial exploitation of these elder persons and vulnerable adults.

Over the past year, the task force has reviewed testimony from credit unions, banks, and Adult Protective Services. They are currently studying several ideas to increase awareness and recommendations to provide to the Governor. One theme which has been consistent throughout the task force meetings is the need for additional training for financial institution staff.

One of the programs already in existence is AARPs BankSafe online training platform. Offered in partnership with CUNA, the program is designed to:

Empower bank and credit union employees with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to better understand and interact with older customers. Help financial institution employees identify signs of financial exploitation and Teach employees the right steps to take to protect the assets of older Americans.



(Did I mention that its excellent and free?!)

Despite strong training programs available such as BankSafe, many financial institution employees reported to the task force that they are not always certain how to properly identify true elder financial exploitation or when to report the potential crime. This confusion among seasoned employees is the reason I believe one of the most important solutions to fight elder financial exploitation is simply awareness: awareness among employees through ongoing training programs, awareness among public officials through personal stories credit unions have experienced, and most importantly awareness among members.

There are some key steps credit unions can take proactively to increase awareness among these stakeholders and  as stakeholders become more adept at identifying victims of fraud  to be prepared to respond to potential cases of elder financial exploitation. These include:

Train all staff members to recognize the warning signs of financial exploitation. Provide realistic examples based on your own members experiences.

Educate members, family members, and potential victims about current trends in financial exploitation through emails, social media, lunch and learn, and newsletters. Give real-life examples of schemes and methods.

Meet with local, state and federal lawmakers to discuss situations in their communities. Invite them to your credit union to learn about the issue. Provide open dialogue and suggestions for improving the lives and safety of elderly and vulnerable members in the community.

Give staff members an action plan for reporting the exploitation. This should be an internal system of reporting to ensure the Fraud or Bank Secrecy Act Department is aware of the exploitation. A reporting or investigative hierarchy is important.

Train appropriate staff members how and when to report to authorities.

At the Tennessee Credit Union League, we prioritize supporting our credit unions efforts to combat elder abuse among their members, and I know my colleagues nationwide do the same for the credit unions in their states. If you need specific recommendations on where to start, I invite you to please reach out to me, my staff or the league/association that represents your state.
While paying tributes to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his 390th birth anniversary today (February 19), Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him the "the embodiment of courage, compassion and good governance". He also said Shivaji's life still motivates millions of people.

PM Modi tweeted, "Bowing to one of the greatest sons of Mother India, the embodiment of courage, compassion and good governance, the exceptional Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his Jayanti."

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj made a mark as a valorous warrior and an outstanding administrator. From building a strong navy to ushering several pro-people policies, he was outstanding in all spheres. He will always be remembered for his opposition to injustice and intimidation.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 19, 2020

While Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday expressed his government's resolve to carry forward the legacy of the Maratha warrior king. Thackeray visited the Shivneri Fort in Junnar tehsil of Pune district in the morning today to pay tributes to Shivaji Maharaj and announced Rs 23 crore assistance for the development of the fort.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and others also attended the birth anniversary function of Shivaji Maharaj. Thackeray also said that cases filed against protesters during the Maratha quota agitation will be withdrawn.

From Maharashtra Congress president Balasaheb Thorat and senior party leader Ashok Chavan, both ministers in the Thackeray Cabinet, to NCP president Sharad Pawar all paid their respects to Shivaji Maharaj in their respective Twitter posts.

Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Devendra Fadnavis extended greetings to the people of the state on the occasion of Shiv Jayanti. "Salutations to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his birth anniversary," he tweeted.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also took to Twitter to extend his wishes to the citizens on the birth anniversary of Shivaji Maharaj.

The Maratha warrior king, Shivaji was born at Shivneri Fort on this day today in the year 1630.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-18 23:32:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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SINGAPORE, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Singapore plans to earmark 4 billion SG dollars to help its firms with cash flow and 1.6 billion SG dollars support for its people amid economic uncertainties.

These were unveiled in the government's budget statement for the 2020 financial year, delivered by Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat in parliament on Tuesday.

The government will introduce 4 billion-SG dollar(2.99 billion U.S. dollars) package to help firms with cash flow and retain workers. Companies will enjoy a corporate income tax rebate of 25 percent, capped at 15,000 SG dollars for a single company during the 2020 tax year.

Meanwhile, families and households will enjoy a 1.6 billion-SG dollar (1.15 billion U.S. dollars) Care and Support Package to provide greater assurance and defray some expenses.

To boost the industrial growth, a total of 8.3 billion SG dollars (about 5.97 billion U.S. dollars) will be earmarked over the next three years. They will strengthen partnerships internationally as well as partnerships between government, industry and the research community. They will also deepen enterprise capabilities by enhancing support for enterprises at each stage of their growth. Third, they will encourage people to engage in life-long learning so as to thrive in the future economy.

The government will not raise the goods and services tax (GST) rate by two percentage points from 7 percent to 9 percent in 2021, which was previously announced to be raised some time from 2021 to 2025, when taken into consideration the current state of the economy.

It is estimated the overall budget balance for 2020 financial year is a deficit of 10.9 billion SG dollars.
Indian industry and students' groups in the UK have widely welcomed the new points-based visa system unveiled by Home Secretary Priti Patel on Wednesday to attract the "brightest and the best" from around the globe.

The new post-Brexit policy is pitched as a firm and fair mechanism that will treat all migrants equally as the free movement of people from within the European Union (EU) comes to an end from January 1 next year.

The magic number of points required to apply under the new system will be 70, accrued in increments of 20 or 10 based on professional skills, English language proficiency, a job offer from an approved sponsor and salary levels between 20,480 pounds and 25,600 pounds or above.

Some of the categories will fall under tradable points, such as salary levels and jobs that fall within the shortage occupation list, giving applicants some options to make up a total of 70.

"We welcome the Home Office's proposed new system, which rightly recognises that immigration to the UK should be based on skills, salaries and knowledge of the English language, said Jim Bligh, Chair of the Confederation of Indian Industry's (CII) UK-India Business Forum (IBF).

"For business, it's essential that the system retains flexibility for employers, particularly those bringing in highly-skilled workers on short-term assignments to support UK plc's growth and transformation. It will also be important to ensure salary thresholds are not a deterrent to finding staff with the right specialist skills from around the world, he said.

The tradable aspect of the salary threshold is likely to prove beneficial for Indian professionals, who already make up the largest chunk of skilled worker visas issued by the UK to nationals outside the EU.

Baroness Usha Prashar, Chairperson of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), UK, said the changes meet a long-standing business demand.

She said: "Majority of the Indian businesses in the UK require skilled manpower. The new point-based immigration system coupled with the lower salary threshold is a positive move. This has been a long-standing demand of FICCI members.

The new system will benefit not just qualified professionals from India but also large number of Indian students in the UK universities.

Student visa routes will also be points-based and bring EU citizens into the same remit as other international students from next year, at the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31, 2020.

A Graduate route announced by the government earlier had brought back a two-year post-study work visa route for overseas students, to allow eligible students to work, or crucially look for work, in any career or position of their choice, for two years after completing their studies from later this year.

The National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK (NISAU), which actively lobbied the government on a fairer visa regime that offers international students the chance to gain some work experience at the end of their degrees, believes the new changes are a step in the right direction.

"We welcome the points-based system. It feels like a good step towards creating a fair immigration system that meets the need of the British economy but also creates an environment that welcomes talent, particularly scientific talent, said Sanam Arora, founder and chairperson of NISAU UK.

Genuine Indian applicants with demonstrable skills should considerably benefit. As always though, the proof lies in the pudding and we await clarity over the coming months on details, and also particularly on how the Graduate route fits into the overall points-based system, she said.

The latest announcement follows British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's constant references to moving towards an Australian-style points-based visa system once the UK is free of EU immigration rules as a non-member of the economic bloc. The new regime effectively clamps down on low-skilled workers, aimed at cutting down overall numbers coming into the country a central pledge of the ruling Conservative Party government.

"For too long, distorted by European free movement rights, the immigration system has been failing to meet the needs of the British people. Failing to deliver benefits across the UK and failing the highly-skilled migrants from around the world who want to come to the UK and make a contribution to our economy and society," notes the Home Office in its policy statement, which will take the form of a new Immigration Bill to be passed by Parliament.

"We are ending free movement and will introduce an Immigration Bill to bring in a firm and fair points-based system that will attract the high-skilled workers we need to contribute to our economy, our communities and our public services. We intend to create a high wage, high-skill, high productivity economy, the Home Office said.

The Opposition parties remain critical of the new system, with shadow home secretary Diane Abbott warning that the government did not "appear to have thought through what the effects of this policy will be on the economy as a whole and what message it sends to migrants already living and working here".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 24-year old man has committed suicide after wishing himself rest in peace on his Facebook page.

The man identified by police as Dennis Yego Kogo, from Kabiyet in Mosop, Nandi County, Kenya hanged himself hours after posting the messages on his Facebook page.

His body was found hanging from a cypress tree. Before his death, he is said to have tried to kill his wife.





On Monday at 8.05pm, the man on his page going by the name, Dennis Yego, posted Rest in peace to me.



A few minutes later, he posted kama kuna mtu ananitai then kam before midday tomorrow morning (If I owe you any money, come and meet me tomorrow morning).

Kabiyet Ward Representative Walter Teno said the man and his wife had met him earlier on Monday after they sought his counsel over their marital differences.

He came to my office with his wife. They were having issues which they wanted me to help them solve. The wife had run away from their home. We talked and they agreed to go home and live together, Mr Teno told the Nation.

He said he had attempted to kill his wife before hanging himself.





He stabbed her several times but she did not die. She is presently admitted to Kapsabet Referral Hospital. I am shocked by this. I thought we had solved the issues, he said.

Nandi Police Commander Samson ole Kine on Wednesday said the mans body was found hanging from a tree near his home on Tuesday. He said the man did not leave a suicide note.

The police boss asked youths facing challenges to seek help from church leaders and other professionals.

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U.S. sanctions on Rosneft Trading SA threaten Venezuelas ability to export oil, but pose only a limited threat to the Russian energy giants wider business.

The Geneva-based trading arm of Rosneft PJSC, was targeted by the U.S. for helping to sell the commodity that bankrolls the regime of President Nicolas Maduro. The move could have a significant effect on the flow of Venezuelan crude to China and India, where the Russian energy giant has a stake in a refinery. Yet there were no signs yet that oil supplies to Europe will be hit.

For Rosneft as a whole there shouldnt be too much interruption, said Brian OToole, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and who previously worked in the Treasury Departments sanctions unit. However, the companys Swiss unit appears to be largely kaput, he said.

REARRESTED: Citgo 6 hauled back into custody

Rosneft denounced the sanctions, saying its operations in Venezuela dont violate any international laws. The Kremlin said the pressure on Russias largest oil company wont change the countrys relationship with Venezuela.

Able to Adapt

The sanctions imposed on Rosneft Trading are the toughest in the U.S. Treasurys arsenal, making it effectively untouchable to international companies, including shipowners, insurers and banks. That creates a headache for its Russian parent, but not an insurmountable problem.

Rosneft shouldnt face any significant negative financial effects, said Salih Yilmaz, a global energy analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. The company should be able to adapt by creating a new trading unit before the May 20 deadline when the sanctions kick in, he said.

Rosneft Trading accounted for about half of Venezuelas 874,649 barrels a day of exports in January, according to shipping reports and tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The potential loss of Venezuelan cargoes because of the sanctions helped push oil prices higher on Wednesday. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose as much as 1.5% to $58.61 a barrel.

Every layer of cost, of difficulty that this adds, means less cash flow for PDVSA, said Francisco Monaldi, a lecturer in energy economics at Rice Universitys Baker Institute for Public Policy, and an expert on Venezuelas oil industry. He estimated Rosneft Trading is making more than $1 billion a year on Venezuelan oil, because PDVSA has to sell its oil at a steep discount. By sanctioning a Russian company, I think the clear message is for the Russians to sit at the negotiating table, he said.

International Deals

In recent years, Rosnefts Swiss unit has also been involved in a variety of other international relationships. It has forged an oil-supply deal with Kurdistan, a liquefied natural gas contract with Egypt and delivered gasoline shipments to Asia, according to the companys website.

FUEL FIX: Now more than ever, you need our energy news in your inbox

There was no sign that Rosnefts core business of selling Russian oil on the global market would be affected. Recent company documents offering crude and refined products for sale didnt mention the Switzerland-based trading arm, the counterparty was the Moscow-based parent.

Rosneft Trading was listed as the counterparty for a contract to supply crude to Germany through the Druzhba pipeline from 2017 to 2018, according to a company disclosure. A spokeswoman for the PCK Schwedt refinery in Germany said the oil it processes is supplied by its owners -- Rosneft, Eni SpA and Royal Dutch Shell Plc -- but declined to comment further.

Even if Rosnefts direct legal exposure to the sanctions is limited, such measures by the U.S. can often have a chilling effect on trade as companies grow increasingly wary of counterparty risk.

It is only the Geneva-based company that is targeted, not the mother company, Olivier Jakob, managing director of consultant Petromatrix GmbH said in a note. Still, risk managers and compliance officers will probably make it difficult to trade with any structure that looks too similar in form to Rosneft Trading.

--With assistance from Patricia Laya, Peter Millard, Serene Cheong, Debjit Chakraborty, Rachel Graham, Ilya Arkhipov and Sarah Chen.

2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Pittsburgh, PA, Feb. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that Maria Masha Trainor has joined the Firms Pittsburgh office as a Partner in the Corporate, M&A, and Securities group. Masha is the sixth attorney to join the Firms Corporate, M&A and Securities group since the beginning of the year, following the arrival of partners Dean S. Nordlinger (Washington, D.C.), Stacy H. Louizos (New York), and Craig R. Culbertson (Chicago), as well as associates Jose A. Manalo, Jr. (Los Angeles) and Simon I. Bord (Washington, D.C.). Masha joins Blank Rome after serving as vice president, general counsel, and secretary for Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation.

Masha is another great addition to our strong Corporate, M&A, and Securities group and our expanding Pittsburgh office, said Grant S. Palmer , Blank Romes Managing Partner and CEO. Her experience will further contribute to the Firms commitment to seizing opportunities for strategic growth and attracting some of the best legal talent in practice areas of increasing importance to our current and prospective clients.

Masha focuses her practice on international and domestic mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance matters, joint ventures, private debt and equity financings, commercial transactions, and contract management, as well as venture capital and private equity transactions. She advises clientsincluding private and public companies, startups, emerging growth businesses, and financial investorson negotiated and hostile acquisitions, joint ventures, private and public securities offerings, corporate restructurings and recapitalization transactions, business formation, planning and governance matters, strategic and financial investments, financings of emerging growth companies, and commercial contracts. Mashas clients have spanned a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, proprietary education, technology, oil and gas, and robotics, among others.

Mashas prior experience as an M&A lawyer at a leading international law firm, coupled with her most recent position in-house at Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation, will serve as a tremendous asset for clients who seek well-rounded counsel, said Louis M. Rappaport , Co-Chair of Blank Romes Corporate, M&A, and Securities group. Masha is uniquely aware of the challenges that general counsel face in-house, which will enable her to provide invaluable strategic advice in order to prevent and mitigate problems before they arise.

In her prior role as vice president, general counsel, and secretary of Ampco Pittsburgh Corporation, Masha was responsible for handling all legal, compliance, and corporate governance matters, as well as providing advice to the companys board, CEO, and corporate and segment leaders on a wide variety of matters, including public company, M&A, capital markets, commercial, litigation, employment, and intellectual property. She also worked with the companys auditors and executive compensation consultants on various projects and engagements. Prior to Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation, Masha served as an M&A lawyer at a leading international law firm for more than a decade.

I have been impressed with Blank Romes strategic expansion over the past several years, particularly with regards to their focus on growing the Pittsburgh office since it opened in 2015, said Masha. In addition, the Firms entrepreneurial mindset and its commitment to the development and promotion of women is extraordinary. I have known and respected many of the Firms attorneys, both in Pittsburgh and throughout Blank Romes other offices, for a number of years, and am excited to have the opportunity to work with them and all of my new colleagues throughout a Firm that has such a great culture.

Masha is a tremendous lawyer with a broad range of experience and we are pleased that she will be joining our growing Pittsburgh office, added James J. Barnes , Partner and Chair of Blank Romes Pittsburgh office. She will be a great addition to our team, and will notably enhance our current corporate service offerings and capabilities.

Outside of the office, Masha serves as a member of the board of directors for the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. She earned her J.D. from The University of Tulsa College of Law, her M.B.A. from The University of Tulsa and her B.S., summa cum laude, from Missouri Southern State University.

Since January 1, Blank Rome has welcomed a number of lateral partners across its U.S. offices, enhancing the Firms services and capabilities throughout its various practices.

About Blank Rome

Blank Rome is an Am Law 100 firm with 14 offices and more than 600 attorneys and principals who provide comprehensive legal and advocacy services to clients operating in the United States and around the world. Our professionals have built a reputation for their leading knowledge and experience across a spectrum of industries, and are recognized for their commitment to pro bono work in their communities. Since our inception in 1946, Blank Romes culture has been dedicated to providing top-level service to all of our clients, and has been rooted in the strength of our diversity and inclusion initiatives. For more information, please visit blankrome.com.

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Peter Smith delivers water by truck to a holding pond in the drought-affected town of Murrurundi, New South Wales, Australia February 17, 2020. Picture taken February 17, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

For all the relief felt in other parts of eastern Australia as torrential rain in the past few weeks doused wildfires and filled reservoirs, the tiny township of Murrurundi, one of the driest places in the country, just cant seem to catch a break.

The struggling farming community of less than 900 people saw the rain falling in surrounding hills, and watched as the clouds passed by, but the three weeks of drizzle it has received was barely enough for families desperate to fill their water tanks.

You can watch storms go straight around and you wont even get wet here. It gets frustrating. It makes you want to run up into the hills and see if you can bring it back, said resident Sally Roser, standing by the tank, buckets and containers shed put in her backyard to catch what rain she could.

While the horrific wildfires that ravaged Australia in recent months ignited a national debate over climate change, the tinder for that argument was already provided by the three-year drought endured by rural communities like Murrurundi.

Back then, the Pages River ran dry, leaving little behind the dam that held the towns water supply.

Located 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Sydney, Murrurundi was one of the first places to implement the highest level-6 water restrictions during a drought that has become one of the most severe on record.

Expand Close Eight-year-old Chelsea Symonds helps her mother Sally Roser to water plants in their yard with buckets of collected rainwater in the drought-affected town of Murrurundi, New South Wales, Australia February 17, 2020. Picture taken February 17, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott / Facebook

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Whatsapp Eight-year-old Chelsea Symonds helps her mother Sally Roser to water plants in their yard with buckets of collected rainwater in the drought-affected town of Murrurundi, New South Wales, Australia February 17, 2020. Picture taken February 17, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Those restrictions, implemented in July 2018 and designed to cut water use by 85%, will likely remain in place until a new pipeline starts pumping water into the towns reservoir from a lake 40 kilometers (25 miles) away in the coming months.

The town has survived for more than a year on water brought in daily by road tankers. Working six days a week, driver Mathew Byrne trucks in more than 120,000 liters of drinking water a day from the nearby town of Scone.

The river hasnt run since 2017, said Byrne, relaxing in one of Murrurundis three pubs shortly after finishing a delivery. Theres no water going through the creek. Its pretty sad.

Wendy Jackson, a reverend at St Pauls Anglican Church, said it had been a torrid period for the community.

There have been awful tragic stories of people who have given up hope, Jackson told Reuters in the small, sandstone church where a couple of dozen residents typically gather on Sundays.

I did a funeral for a gentleman here a few months ago who just became so depressed and became physically ill and he just gave up. He had to sell all his cattle. His wife is now still struggling on their place to keep it going.

Jackson said despair overwhelmed another farmer whose herd was so underfed that he couldnt find a buyer.

The farmer shot all the cattle, then shot himself.

Australias Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says the drought is being driven, in part, by warmer sea-surface temperatures impacting rainfall patterns. Air temperatures have also warmed over the past century, increasing the ferocity of droughts and fires.

Fueled by drought-affected bushland, fires have struck like never before, claiming 33 lives and fanning a fierce political debate over climate change in coal-rich Australia.

Under pressure from environmental groups, scientists and the Australian public to address climate change, the conservative government recently acknowledged for the first time that the country must adapt.

Government forecaster ABARES estimates that the long-term higher average temperatures have reduced average farm profits by more than one-fifth, raising the prospect of more people being driven off the land.

Washing dishes at the Royal Hotel, a pub in Murrurundi, Gordon Simpson described how his old line of work dried up.

First time Ive had to work in the kitchen - Im usually mustering cattle or fencing or something like that, Simpson said. Theres no work because of the drought.

He said the light rain might just be enough to get him out of the kitchen, if farmers needed someone to spray the weeds that were starting to grow.
Leaders of the Community Health Nurses Association of Ghana have put on hold their impending strike over the gruesome murder of one of their members at Ayoum in the Ashanti Region.

The group had given the government a week ultimatum to find the perpetrators behind the death of Ruth Eshun, a community nurse who served at the Sewua government hospital, or they will lay down their tools.

But following the expiration of the deadline, the association says it has to reconsider its decision because it feels the police have made some inroads as far as investigations into the crime are concerned.

Joseph Appiah Kubi, the Public Relations Officer of the union in a Citi News interview said they will decide on their next line of action after a successful determination of the matter in court.

Now that the police have arrested two people for further investigations, we are following them and that is why we want to hold on to the strike so that we monitor and see the outcome of the people they have arrested and the court proceedings. Anything that goes contrary to what we expect, we will just communicate and embark on the strike as we have said, he said.

Ruth Ama Eshun, who is a mother of three, was found dead at a secluded area close to her Ayoum new site residence in the Bosomtwi District.

Relatives of Ruth Ama Eshun, who could not trace the whereabouts of the deceased after she closed from work on Monday, February 3, found her lifeless body a day after.

So far, police in the Ashanti Region have arrested two persons over the murder.

There has been a social media campaign by the members of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association seeking justice for the deceased.

The association has also called on police to intensify investigations into the death.

The deceased's husband, Kwadwo Arhin while narrating the incident to Citi News called for swift investigations into the matter.

---citinewsroom
Gastrointestinal doctor Erik Schoon performing an endoscopy | On the right the monitor showing the computer results. Credit: Catharina Hospital

Thanks to smart software doctors will soon be able to detect early signs of esophageal cancer in patients with so-called Barrett's esophagus. This is the result of research conducted by Amsterdam UMC, the Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven and Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). The results were published in the leading medical journals Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Patients with long-term symptoms of reflux can develop abnormal tissue in the esophagus due to irritation caused by the gastric acid. This phenomenon, known as Barrett esophagus, is one of the most important risk factors for esophageal cancer in the Western world. People with a Barrett esophagus therefore receive regular endoscopic check-ups in the hospital, which involves inserting a thin tube with a small camera into the esophagus.

However, early-stage esophageal cancer is difficult to detect; only a handful of medical specialists in the Netherlands have extensive experience in this. "That's why doctors sometimes miss early-stage cancer, which is still easy to treat. In advanced stage cancer, the five-year survival rate is less than fifty percent," explains Professor Jacques Bergman (Amsterdam UMC). "It is therefore important to detect the cancer in its early stages immediately."

Red marks

In their study, the researchers describe the validation of a computer algorithm that was trained on hundreds of thousands of endoscopy images, including images of Barrett's esophagus. The research shows that the system scores significantly better than 53 international endoscopists, who assessed the images by eye. "The system achieves a score of 90 percent," says TU/e researcher Fons van der Sommen, who developed the algorithm together with PHD candidate Joost van der Putten.

The new computer algorithm has been tested on patients at the Amsterdam UMC and the Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven. "Our system 'watches' live during an endoscopy in the oesophagus. The algorithm gives a red mark on a screen at a suspicious spot. The doctor can then inspect the suspect area more closely and, if necessary, take a biopsy," says Van der Sommen.

Breakthrough

Professor Jacques Bergman and Erik Schoon (Catharina Hospital), specialists in the field of Barrett's esophagus and both involved in the research, welcome the findings as an important breakthrough. "The software has proved to be a big support to the gastrointestinal doctor. The computer detects early-stage cancer in Barrett's esophagus, which is one of the most difficult things to do in our profession. Detection requires a lot of experience," explains Schoon.

The software is now being further tested. The expectation is that the program will become available to all gastrointestinal doctor in the Netherlands within the next two years. "The computer will support doctors, who only see a few patients a year with Barrett's esophagus, in detecting this earliest form of esophageal cancer. This will save patients from having to undergo a major surgical procedure to remove part of their esophagus. This is often unavoidable if the cancer is discovered late," says Schoon. Bergman adds: "Treatment of early cancer is much less invasive for patients and much cheaper."

Explore further New detection method paves the way for 100% detection of esophageal cancer

More information: A.J. de Groof et al. Deep-Learning System Detects Neoplasia in Patients With Barrett's Esophagus With Higher Accuracy Than Endoscopists in a Multistep Training and Validation Study With Benchmarking, Gastroenterology (2019). Journal information: Gastroenterology , Gastrointestinal Endoscopy A.J. de Groof et al. Deep-Learning System Detects Neoplasia in Patients With Barrett's Esophagus With Higher Accuracy Than Endoscopists in a Multistep Training and Validation Study With Benchmarking,(2019). DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2019.11.030
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday said soil health card scheme has helped in surplus foodgrains production, and announced that the government will soon launch a mission to boost oilseeds output.

Inaugurating a national workshop on Soil Health Card (SHC) Day, Tomar said soil health is vital to boosting agricultural production and asked farmers to follow the recommendations provided in the card.

The minister said the vagaries of weather pose a new challenge before the country.

The spurt in onion prices last year happened due to unseasonal rains, he said, adding that agricultural scientists are constantly engaged in finding solutions.

"Our schemes should not remain confined to files, farmers should gain out of it. I am of the firm belief our farmers will overcome this challenge heeding to the advice of agricultural scientists and soil analysis," he said.

The government is making efforts to set up Soil Testing Labs (STLs) on the patterns of Model Village, he said.

Tomar informed that under the scheme, soil health cardsare being provided to all farmers at an interval of two years. The cards contain status of soil health and also soil test based nutrients recommendations for important crops.

He appealed to farmers to adopt the recommendations of soil health cards for efficient use of fertilisers and improving farm income.

Tomar also said that the government will soon launch a Tilahan (oilseeds) mission to make the country self-reliant in oil seed production.

India meets around 70 per cent of its edible oil demand from imports.

The minister said the country has already achieved self sufficiency in pulses.

Speaking on the occasion, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal said SHC is among the biggest government schemes and will help in doubling farmers' income.

The Soil Health Card Day commemorates the day soil health card scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 19, 2015 at Suratgarh, Rajasthan.

During phaseI (2015-17), 10.74 crore SHCs were distributed to farmers, while 11.74 crore SHCs were distributed during phase-II (2017-19).

The government has spent more than Rs 700 crore on SHC scheme since its launch five years ago.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
YEREVAN.  On February 18, the Speaker of the RA National Assembly (NA) Ararat Mirzoyan being in the capital of the Kingdom of Denmark Copenhagen on an official visit met with the Speaker of the Danish Parliament Henrik Dam Kristensen (Social-Democratic Party). The First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Karen Ellemann and the Third Deputy Speaker Jens Rohde (Social-Liberal Party of Denmark) also took part in the meeting, the NA informed.

At the request of the Danish side Ararat Mirzoyan presented the RA passed path since the independence and changes happened after the Velvet revolution and 2018 snap parliamentary elections. The agenda of the democratic changes adopted by Armenia, especially in the judicial-legal sphere was touched upon. The framework of cooperation with European different structures over the reforms of the Electoral Code and the law on Parties was discussed. The Speaker of the Danish Parliament expressed readiness to support the National Assembly of Armenia in consolidating the democratic achievements in all spheres.

Ararat Mirzoyan has especially underlined that this is the first official visit of the delegation of the RA National Assembly to the Kingdom of Denmark at the level of the Parliament Speaker and expressed hope that new opportunities would be opened for the exchange of experience between the two legislative bodies and close cooperation in the international parliamentary organizations. Expressing regret that there is no tradition of forming Friendship Groups in the Danish Parliament, the parties have expressed hope that the organization of joint meetings and discussions between the parliamentary relevant committees, the mutual visits and the permanent contact between different parliamentary factions can be an effective platform of mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Speaker of the RA National Assembly expressed his gratitude to his colleague for ratifying the RA-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and officially informing the General Secretariat of the Council of Europe on completing the inner-state procedures. Ararat Mirzoyan expressed hope that the Danish side would support the authorities of Armenia for the launch of the dialogue over the liberalization of the entry visa with the EU.

At the request of the Speaker of the Danish Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan presented items of the inner-political agenda of Armenia, including the ongoing processes over the referendum to be held on April 5 and the Constitutional Court, talked about the necessity of the constitutional amendment as a pledge of reaching success in the ongoing judicial-legal, economic reforms in Armenia.

The large-scale of regional security problems, including the Nagorno Karabakh conflict were referred to. The members of the delegation led by the Speaker of the National Assembly presented the essence of Nagorno Karabakh conflict and the approaches of Armenia in its solution exclusively through peaceful means within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.
In late January 2020 a little known aircraft type, the E-11A, made the news when this vital American support aircraft suffered equipment problems and crashed in Afghanistan. This occurred in southeast Afghanistan (Ghazni province) where a lot of Taliban, pro-government tribesmen plus Afghan and American troops were active. The E-11A electronic support aircraft crashed because of equipment problems. The aircraft apparently attempted an emergency landing as the aircraft skidded quite a distance before bursting into flames, killing the pilots and destroying most of the specialized communications equipment carried. While the landing area was nominally under Taliban control since 2015, pro-government tribesmen and American troops quickly showed up.

E-11A is a twin-engine business jet filled with electronics, mainly communications equipment which enables the E-11A to serve as the equivalent of a communications satellite. This lets American and allied ground and air forces communicate freely without worrying about the interference Afghanistans many mountains create for most types of wireless communications. Ground troops can quickly report enemy activity and call in air support or ground reinforcements. In effect, the E-11A provides Afghan and foreign troops with more effective communications than the Taliban or drug gangs. The bad guys can use satellite phones but these are very expensive and detectable.

Four (now three) E-11As and three EQ-4Bs are the BACN (Battlefield Airborne Communications Node) force that is crucial to quickly linking air controllers on the ground with warplanes in the area. Some of these aircraft are available to provide support (usually in the form of smart bombs or missiles). Most of the airstrikes carried out in Afghanistan involve using BACN. Because of this, the BACN aircraft operate 24/7 over Afghanistan to speed up the delivery of air support and better communications in general.

The need for BACN became obvious soon after American forces entered Afghanistan in late 2001. By 2005 a test version of BACN was sent to Afghanistan and performed as predicted. By 2008 the first E-11A was in service and was soon followed by the first UAV version. In 2011 the air force assigned new designations (E-11A and EQ-4B) to the manned aircraft and UAVs that have been operating as communications satellite substitutes.

The E-11A was actually a 44 ton BD 700 twin-engine business jet and the EQ-4B a BACN equipped RQ-4B Global Hawk UAV. Since 2008 BACN service has been available over 98 percent of the time to provide communications relay services over Afghanistan.

Both E-11A and EQ-4B carry the same BACN equipment, which operates largely on automatic without any human intervention by anyone in the air. Human support is provided by technical personnel on the ground.

The BACN software does more than just act as a comm satellite. In order to make it possible for ground troops to not only talk to others farther away (anywhere, in fact), it also enables ground troops to quickly connect with other military aircraft combat and support) overhead. This is done with software that automatically transfers the data between the normally incompatible radio equipment aircraft and ground troops use. BACN also provides communications between aircraft. BACN not only provides ground troops with unlimited communications range but also handles linking normally incompatible communications systems with each other. BACN also provides a substitute for satellite communications which, ten years ago, was in short supply for troops in Afghanistan and that was one reason for creating BACN.

The E-11A can stay in the air for over ten hours per sortie, while the EQ-4B can do more than twice that. Both fly at 12,900 meters (40,000 feet). The E-11A entered service first, followed about a year later by the EQ-4B. Currently, there are three E-11As still operational and three EQ-4Bs in service over Afghanistan. These BACN aircraft have not been needed anywhere else, mainly because no other combat zone has the many high mountains and numerous valleys where normal military communications are often blocked.

The E-11A is used when you have to get some BACN capability somewhere in an area that might require some skilled piloting. The EQ-4B is for when you want to keep the BACN capability going someplace 24/7 and you have time for the EQ-4B ground controllers to deal with the details.

BACN is not a new idea for the air force. In 2003, realizing that every aerial battlefield in the past few decades has featured several KC-135 tankers circling, waiting to refuel a thirsty warplane, the U.S. Air Force gave the tankers an additional job. By adding a few hundred kilograms (220 pounds) of electronics mounted on a cargo pallet, which KC-135s are equipped to handle, the tanker was turned into a node in an aerial communications network. This solved the problem of how to connect warplanes to the new battlefield Internet when those planes do not have satellite communications capability. The aircraft use line-of-sight communications, which cannot connect with any ground station or aircraft that is over the horizon or behind a mountain. The system, called ROBE (Roll-On Beyond-line-of-sight Enhancement), was particularly useful in a mountainous area like Afghanistan. After the first 20 ROBE units, costing about $900,000 each, entered service, an upgraded model was introduced three years ago. The Department of Defense and NATO have already developed standards (LINK 16) for the transfer of video, picture and data electronically between ground stations, aircraft and ships using radio or satellite communications networks. KC-135s can't use BACN because they normally fly lower, at about 6,700 meters (20,000 feet) than required to truly act as a satellite substitute. Moreover, there are some mountains in Afghanistan higher than the KC-135 working altitude). The air force is developing a much improved version of ROBE to provide more aerial support functions for surveillance and EW (Electronic Warfare) work as well as operating as a communications node.
Delhi airport on Tuesday issued an advisory to passengers to leave their homes 10-15 minutes earlier if they want to catch their flights as a key road is going to be shut for a year. The road connecting Rangpuri on National Highway 8 will be closed for almost a year beginning Wednesday on account of the airport expansion work.

The construction work of the Eastern Cross Taxiway (ECT) is going to be carried out under the Phase 3A expansion plan of the government. "A road connecting Delhi airport with Rangpuri on National Highway 8 would be closed for over a year from tomorrow afternoon to carry out construction work of Eastern Cross Taxiway (ECT), under the Phase 3A expansion plan," Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said in a press statement.

Also Read: Delhi airport-Rangpuri road,Delhi airport news,Rangpuri on NH-8,Delhi airport,Rangpuri road closed,Eastern Cross Taxiway,Rangpuri-Mahipalpur,Delhi airport with Rangpuri on NH 8

The traffic coming from the Rangpuri roundabout will be diverted to central spine road, connecting terminals 2 and 3 from Mahipalpur, the statement added.

For the smooth movement of passengers coming to terminals 2 and 3 from Shiva Murti, Dwarka and Gurgaon, the DIAL noted it had built and commissioned "Radisson Bypass Road", connecting Rangpuri with the airport via central spine road.

The DIAL said it had put up signage at strategic locations regarding diversion for the convenience of passengers.

"The diversion is unlikely to have any significant impact on the commuting time of the airport-bound passengers. However, they are advised to take 10-15 minutes of extra time while commuting towards Delhi airport to be on the safer side," it added.

Also Read: Delhi, Mumbai airports post decline in passengers amid economic slowdown, Jet Airways crisis

Also Read: Delhi airports to be no-fly zone for two hours every day ahead of Republic Day
By Abdul Kerimkhanov

On the occasion of the 28th anniversary of Khojaly Massacre, thousands of Azerbaijanis will hold a Karabakh rally on February 22 in Paris Square near Brandenburg Gate, Berlin.

The rally will take place at the initiative of the diaspora organizations from more than 30 countries of the world and with the administrative support of Alliance of Azerbaijanis in Germany.

The rally participants will appeal to the international organizations with the slogans "Karabakh is Azerbaijan!", "We say no to terror!", "Azerbaijan demands justice!", "Don't be indifferent to Khojaly!", "Shame on he murders of the civils and innocent people!", "Armenia stop lying!", "Stop invasion!", etc.

During the rally, the participants will demand international community to give proper legal and political account of Khojaly Massacre perpetrated by the Armenian invaders 28 years ago, put pressure on Armenia to return the Azerbaijani lands back, restore the rights of the Azerbaijanis deprived of their homeland, and make Armenia follow the decisions of the proper international documents adopted with regards to the conflict.

Diligent participants will distribute brochures to the locals and tourists of Berlin about Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Khojaly Genocide, financial and moral losses of the Azerbaijani side as a result of the aggressive policy of Armenia. Thousands of Azerbaijanis are expected to attend the rally.

Azerbaijanis living in Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey, Moldova, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, France, Romania, Croatia, the UK, Greece, the U.S. and Canada, as well as diaspora members of the fraternal peoples are expected to attend the rally.

At the end of the rally, the diaspora representatives plan to adopt a document and address it to several international organizations.

In 1992, the town of Khojaly came under intense fire from the towns of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by the Armenian armed forces. 613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent.

Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, the fate of 150 of them remains unknown. Many civilians were shot at close range, scalped or burned alive.

The legislative bodies of many countries have already adopted resolutions recognizing the crime committed by Armenians against the peaceful people in Khojaly as genocide.

---

Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 01:10:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chairperson of Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) Hawa Alam Nuristani (C) speaks during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Feb.18, 2020. Afghanistan's election commission on Tuesday announced the final results of Sept. 28 presidential polls and declared the incumbent President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani as the winner to remain in office for the second term. (Xinhua/Rahmatullah Alizadah)

KABUL, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's election commission on Tuesday announced the final results of Sept. 28 presidential polls and declared incumbent President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani as the winner.

"Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has secured 50.64 percent of the votes used in the presidential elections, therefore the Independent Election Commission announces him as elected president of Afghanistan," head of the election commission Hawa Alam Nuristani said at a press conference here.

Ghani's rival and chief executive of his National Unity Government Abdullah Abdullah stood the second by securing 39.52 percent of the votes, she added.

However, Abdullah rejected the outcome as "unfair" and said he is the winner of the election and deserves to form government.

"We are the winner of the presidential elections. The result announced by the election commission is unfair and bogus, so our team rejects it and forms its broad based government," Abdullah said in his speech among his supporters Tuesday evening.

Afghanistan's fourth presidential election since the collapse of Taliban rule in late 2001 was held amid tight security on Sept. 28 among over a dozen contesters.

The preliminary results of the controversial presidential polls were announced in December wherein Ghani topped first position and Abdullah stood second in the race.

More than 1.9 million out of 9.4 million eligible voters casted their votes in Sept. 28 presidential elections.
An Australian family preparing to leave the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise and board a flight to Darwin have received the 11th-hour news that one of them returned a positive result for coronavirus.

Instead of joining close to 200 Australians who spent more than two weeks quarantined in Yokohama on an overnight flight to the Northern Territory, the Melbourne family of four will remain in Japan.

Mum Aun Na Tan revealed the news in a post to social media, explaining it was as they were pushing their bags out of their cabin that they were told their 16-year-old daughter Kaitlyns test from Monday was positive.

We will not be taking the flight tonight. Our family will stay together, one of her posts read.

Jeff, Aun Na and their kids, Xander and Kaitlyn, will remain in Japan after the daughter tested positive for coronavirus. Source: Instagram/happy_girls_r_the_prettiest

In a later update on their 15th day of quarantine, the mum explained the rest of the family had negatively tested for the virus and despite being told one adult had to stay with Kaitlyn, they decided to stick together.

Staff are now working to find a hospital that can take the four of them, so Kaitlyn can be maintained separately and the other three can begin another 14 days of quarantine.

Ms Tan revealed it wasnt a pretty sight for herself and Kaitlyn when they first heard the news, but they had since bounced back.

Kaitlyn much quicker than myself  to our merry selves, she wrote.

Despite her diagnosis, the teenager hasnt had any symptoms.

Kaitlyn is healthy. We are all healthy  we will get though this and be back home soon.

The daughter was one of 10 Australians to be told they tested positive to the deadly virus just hours before they were due to board the plane back to Australia, Nine News reported.

Story continues

Fifteen Australians chose to stay in Japan with family infected by the disease instead of flying overnight on a Qantas flight from Tokyo to Darwin with the 180 people who were taken to a former workers' camp.

No passengers will board the plane if they have any symptoms of the coronavirus or test positive, obviously, to the coronavirus, Immigration Minister Alan Tudge said in Sydney on Wednesday.

The evacuees will be screened for symptoms five times before beginning another 14-day isolation period at the Howard Springs site.

Passengers who tested negative for the virus were due to disembark the cruise overnight. Source: AAP

Mr Tudge said there were 542 cases on the ship, with 88 new cases including 36 Australians  all are being treated in hospital in Japan.

Australia's deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly said while the ship's quarantine methods had worked to protect the rest of Japan, the recent spike in cases could come down to crew falling ill.

It just demonstrates the infectiousness of this particular virus and how it can spread very easily in a closed setting like a cruise ship, he said in Sydney.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he understood the frustration of people stuck on the ship.

We want to get them home to their families as soon as possible, he said in Adelaide on Wednesday.

The evacuees, who are mainly elderly, will have continuous access to medical assistance at the quarantine facility.

They will be kept separate from hundreds of people already in isolation at the facility, who were evacuated from the Chinese epicentre of the virus at Wuhan.

Qantas plane for Australian citizens evacuated from the cruise ship at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Wednesday. Source: AAP

Cabin crew of the Qantas flight will be subject to two weeks of home quarantine after returning from the rescue mission.

Meanwhile, the 36 evacuees remaining on Christmas Island left on Wednesday morning bound for their Australian home cities after most of the quarantined group returned to the mainland on Monday.

The facility will be readied for the possibility of more Australians facing the two-week isolation period.

Island administrator Natasha Griggs tweeted her thanks to those involved in the operation.

Job well done! I couldn't be a more prouder Australian, she wrote.

There have been 15 cases of the virus in Australia, with eight people now recovered and the rest in a stable condition.

There are now more than 75,000 cases worldwide, with 2009 reported deaths.

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.
Burundi lawmakers on Wednesday passed a law declaring outgoing President Pierre Nkurunziza "supreme guide for patriotism".

A bill put forward by Justice Minister Aimee-Laurentine Kanyana was adopted by 91 votes to four with 13 abstentions, said National Assembly speaker Pascal Nyabenda.

As part of his new role, Nkurunziza will be consulted "on questions about safeguarding national independence, on strengthening patriotism and on national unity", according to the text.

He will also preside over a "national patriotism day" to be held every July.

Nkurunziza's 14 years in power have been marked by accusations of violence and rights abuse -- election-related unrest in 2015 left 1,200 people dead, drove 400,000 from their homes and sparked an inquiry by the International Criminal Court.

Lawmakers stipulated that Nkurunziza would be able to draw on "supporting measures" to help him to carry out the role.

On January 22, legislators passed a law offering a golden parachute to outgoing presidents, including a luxury villa and a one-off sum equivalent to more than half a million dollars.

The retired president will also get the same benefits as a serving vice-president for seven years after he steps down, and will for the rest of his life get an allowance equal to that of a lawmaker.

In 2018, constitutional changes adopted after a referendum had opened the possibility of Nkurunziza staying in office until 2034.

But the 56-year-old announced in December that he would not contest the May 20 election, a move that was greeted at the time by surprise and much scepticism.

Opposition MP Fabien Banciryanino told AFP that he voted against the bill on Wednesday.

"I told (the legislature) that since he has been in power, serious crimes have been committed, each week the bodies of people who have been killed are found, the country has become one of the poorest and most corrupt in the world," he said.

"I think that he should rather respond to these acts before the judiciary."

The ruling CNDD-FDD party has chosen a Nkurunziza ally General Evariste Ndayishimiye as its candidate in the elections.
Plans for a new 320m urban quarter in Galway City centre have been revealed.

The planning application, due to be lodged with Galway City Council, promises four new public squares and 11 new streets and lanes as part of a residential-led scheme on lands around Galways Ceannt Station.

Developer Gerry Barrett was selected as a partner by CIE to develop more than eight acres of the lands around the bus and railway station.

His company, Edward Holdings, is currently constructing a mixed-use scheme on adjoining property close to the Galway docks, renamed Bonham Quay.

The Ceannt station project, named Augustine Hill, is being led by sister company Edward Capital, and will be financed by Summix Capital.

It involves a proposed 378 residential units, including assisted-living units, a pedestrian shopping precinct, a six-screen cinema, several public performance spaces, and parking for 620 cars.

Some 25,100 sq m of retail space and 5,100 sq m of leisure space are set to include 11 streets and lanes linking to Eyre Square, the Galway docks, and Lough Atalia.

Mr Michael Mullen of BDP Architects said the compact quarter would offer a release valve for Eyre Square and adjoining streets, and the project aims to restore a number of period buildings.

Mr Barretts team said that it will help rebalance Galway in reversing the doughnut effect of locating jobs, investment, and housing on the outskirts of the city.

Galways population is predicted to increase by almost 50,000 people over the next two decades.

A computer-generated image of Augustine Hill, a proposed eight-acre development in Galway City Centre.

An economic analysis of the project by NUI Galways Whitaker Institute estimates it will generate 2,700 jobs and boost the national economy by 200m annually.

Over 600 people will be employed during construction if planning permission is granted.

CIE chief executive Lorcan OConnor noted that CIE lands can play a key role in the provision of housing, employment, public services and leisure space in close proximity to frequent, high-quality transport services  the very ethos of transport-orientated development.

An Taisces Galway branch chairman Derrick Hambleton said his group would study the plans in detail.

A computer-generated image of Augustine Hill, a proposed eight-acre development in Galway City Centre.

Mr Hambleton said Galway City Council has failed to produce a local area plan for the city centre, which means that a developer-led approach is being facilitated.

Mr Barrett had previously been named preferred bidder to redevelop what was then a larger CIE site at Ceannt station of 15 acres, but plans were abandoned in 2012 due to the recession.

Before the downturn, he and his associated companies held a comprehensive portfolio of retail and hotel properties, including Galways G Hotel and Ashford Castle, Co Mayo.
For UAE leaders, this is a "historic moment". A local group working with a South Korean firm built the Barakah power plant at a cost of US.4 billion. Four reactors are expected to produce 5,600 megawatts.

Abu Dhabi (AsiaNews/Agencies)  For the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the licensing of the Barakah nuclear power plant, the first to become operational in the entire Arab world, is a historic moment".

The permanent representative of the UAE to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Hamad Al-Kaabi, said that the Board of Directors of FANR granted the licence to the Nawah Power Company.

The plant is located in the north-western part of the country. It was expected to start in 2017, but faced a series of delays and postponements related to safety and regulatory requirements.

A consortium led by Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) built the facility at a cost of US.4 billion.

For the Emirates, the plant represents a milestone, said al-Kaabi, that will ensure that the UAEs future energy needs are met.

Last month, local authorities announced that their first reactor would be up and running in a few months, contributing to the countrys development and sustainability. The other three reactors are in an advance stage of construction.

When fully operational, the four reactors will produce 5,600 MW of power, meeting 25 per cent of the energy needs of the oil-rich country.

Although the Arab country has significant energy reserves, especially oil, nuclear power and renewables are expected to meet at least 27 per cent of its needs by 2021.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-19 00:55:08|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China will boost agricultural production in the spring season and take a multi-pronged approach adopted to facilitate business operation and employment, with specific measures including provisionally lowering or waiving employers' social insurance contributions and deferring their payments to the housing provident fund, in an effort to boost economic development.

These decisions were made at the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday.

"At this critical moment of epidemic control, we must facilitate spring plowing and farming preparations, while advancing outbreak response. For such a large developing country like China, agriculture is the foundation. We must tackle the outbreak in a science-based way, and lose no time in resolving the outstanding issues affecting spring plowing. The State Council's inter-agency task force should provide detailed guidance to facilitate orderly resumption of the manufacturing of agricultural supplies. The minimum purchase price for rice will be kept stable this year, and will be raised as necessary. Greater support will be provided to businesses of livestock products," Li said.

The Tuesday meeting emphasized that farming is a strictly seasonal undertaking. For China as a major agricultural country having 1.4 billion mouths to feed, spring farming is too important to be delayed or missed. All sub-national governments must fulfill their jurisdictional responsibilities and lose no time to promote spring farming with comprehensive and concrete measures, thus laying a solid foundation for a bumper harvest of summer crops. Detailed and categorized guidance will be provided for science-based epidemic control in the rural areas. Localities will be directed to promptly start spring plowing and farming preparations from south to north of the country. Companies producing agricultural supplies will be urged to resume production as early as possible.

Livestock and poultry farming must be intensified. Poultry farmers in the key regions, who suffered heavy losses, will be entitled to loan extensions and relaxed loan guarantee requirements. Resumption of hog production will be brought forward. The required number of slaughtered pigs that qualifies a hog farmer for loan interest discount will be lowered from 5,000 to 500.

Major disease and pest prevention and control will be enhanced with closer monitoring and greater preparedness on all fronts. The prevention and control of major animal diseases such as H5N1 influenza and African swine fever will be heightened.

The Tuesday meeting urged local authorities to set reasonable criteria for the resumption of work and production in their jurisdictions. Arbitrary guaranty or deposit requirements for companies who seek to reopen should be eliminated. Existing fiscal and financial support policies must be implemented at a faster pace.

"Keeping employment stable is a pressing priority in the course of advancing epidemic control and economic and social development. This requires stable performance of corporate China. It is important to promptly introduce policies bolstering businesses, especially micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Sound development of such businesses is vital to stable employment," Li said.

"We must take employment as a first-order priority in maintaining stability in the six key areas, namely employment, finance, foreign trade, foreign investment, domestic investment, and expectation. No job means no income and no wealth creation. Every effort must be made to prevent massive lay-offs from happening. Sub-national governments must meet their responsibilities for keeping employment stable. The return of rural migrant workers should be well organized. Sound and practical epidemic control guidelines for different categories of enterprises should be promptly formulated to guide local authorities in setting reasonable criteria for the resumption of work and production in their jurisdictions," Li said.

Targeted efforts should be made to ensure the employment of key groups of people. Except for regions hit hard by the outbreak and high-risk areas, unwarranted restrictions that make it hard for employees to get back to work must be resolutely reversed. Rural migrant workers will receive support in finding jobs in their hometowns or nearby cities under the existing programs of poverty eradication and local development.

Given the record number of college graduates this year, plans for extending the time-line for college recruitments will be promptly worked out, and on-line hiring will be popularized. Enterprises will be supported in adding flexible jobs to meet the online consumer demand. The essential needs of the jobless must be provided for.

"Online recruiting should be intensified to have their job seeks effort well catered," Li said.

Employers' contributions to the old-age pension, unemployment and workplace safety insurance schemes will be lowered or waived to cushion the impact of the outbreak on enterprises, especially smaller firms, and allow them some respite following the resumption of normal production.

Specifically, in provinces other than Hubei, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises will be eligible for a waiver of the above-mentioned contributions from February to June. Large companies will see their contributions halved from February to April.

Companies of all types in Hubei who have participated in these insurance schemes will be exempted from the above contributions from February to June.

Before the end of June, companies may also apply for deferring their payments to the housing provident fund. Failure by employees to repay their housing provident fund loans due to the epidemic will not be taken as a default.

In deciding on these policies, full consideration has been given to the sustainability of the social security fund, the balance of which is sufficient to support the full and timely payments of old-age pensions and other social security benefits nationwide.

"Household businesses have an important role in job creation. We must swiftly work out supporting policies. The unemployment insurance fund shall be tapped into to issue allowances to the jobless. Pension payments must also be met on time and in full," Li said.
[February 19, 2020] ECFX Recognized as Innovative Startup by ABA TECHSHOW

VENICE, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ECFX , a company providing Intelligent Automation for law firms, will compete in the fourth-annual Startup Alley at the ABA TECHSHOW. The show is the American Bar Associations annual legal technology conference, scheduled for February 26-29 in Chicago.

The Startup Alley competition recognizes innovative legal technology startups offering important products or services in a way not currently available on the market. ECFX will face other companies in a bracketed pitch competition on February 26, with the winner to be named by attorneys, legal professionals, journalists, bloggers and industry analysts attending the conference. ECFX will also exhibit in booth #4 of the shows Startup Alley, which showcases the minds and products that bolster legal innovation. ECFX Notice addresses an often-undiagnosed process challenge for law firms. It automates the entire electronic court notice workflow, reducing manual touchpoints and compacting the time spent from up to 60 minutes per notice to seconds. Paralegals and staff members no longer need to manually enter information, inform parties, update the docketing system and upload files to the document management system. By automating these steps, ECFX Notice not only saves time but also increases accuracy and reduces risk. A video overview of ECFX Notice is available here .



ECFX was established by legal technology veterans Dan ODay, a lawyer, programmer and legal technology product developer with 20 years of experience; Nelson Quintero, an intellectual property attorney with two decades of legal experience; and Bill Burch, a sales and marketing executive with 35-plus years in legal technology. They developed ECFX Notice in response to dealing with this process challenge in law firms throughout their careers. The companys vision is to help law firms gain efficiency and save costs by intelligently automating manual processes. It recently secured an investment of $1.5 million from a group of investors led by the Cove Fund, a family of seed-stage venture capital funds that provides startup funding for promising new Southern California ventures.

Were excited to share our innovative automation with the ABA TECHSHOW attendees, said Bill Burch, chief revenue officer and co-founder of ECFX. Automating and streamlining the entire electronic court notice workflow ensures the integrity of the electronic court notice workflow and increases efficiency by more than 90%, according to our research. This is the second awards program for ECFX Notice this year. Legalweek 2020 named it as a finalist in its LegalLaunch: Product Innovation competition, held the first week of February. Find ECFX at the ABA TECHSHOW ECFX is exhibiting at the ABA TECHSHOW in booth 4. Attendees are encouraged to visit the booth for a demonstration of ECFX Notice and a chance to win a pair of Bose headphones. To learn more about ECFX and ECFX Notice, visit www.goECFX.com or email [email protected] . About ECFX ECFX, founded by legal technology industry veterans Dan ODay, Nelson Quintero and Bill Burch, provides Intelligent Automation to help law firms and legal organizations address common, yet often undiagnosed, process challenges. Its premier product ECFX Notice streamlines the complex process of electronic court notice management, saving time, reducing costs and mitigating risk for law firms. Visit www.goECFX.com for more information. Media Contact

Vicki LaBrosse

Edge Legal Marketing for ECFX

[email protected]

651.552.7753

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Lucky Omoluwa, chairman of Pinnacle Communications, is dead. Omoluwa, who was standing trail over a N2.5 billion alleged fraud cas...





Lucky Omoluwa, chairman of Pinnacle Communications, is dead.





Omoluwa, who was standing trail over a N2.5 billion alleged fraud case involving the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), died at the National Hospital in Abuja on Tuesday.





Omoluwa first fell ill on Saturday and was admitted at a hospital. He was said to have been discharged after showing signs of improvement.





The deceased reportedly resumed work on Monday but suffered a relapse on Tuesday morning. Omoluwa reportedly died while undergoing treatment.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is prosecuting Omoluwa alongside Ishaq Kawu, director-general of the NBC, and Dipo Onifade, chief operating officer of Pinnacle Communications.





The anti-graft agency accused Kawu of illegal paying N2.5 billion of the digital switch-over (DSO) funds to the private firm owned by Omoluwa.





The anti-graft agency had demanded Kawus suspension pending the outcome of the trial. Kawu was suspended last week on the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari.





The federal government, had in 2016, released N10 billion to the ministry of information for the digital switchover programme.





A white paper was issued directing that the process should be explicitly handled by government-affiliated companies.





A total of N1.7 billion was subsequently approved as seed grant for the commencement of the switchover.





But the ICPC said during its investigations, it discovered that the process was fraught with corrupt practices.





It alleged that Kawu fraudulently recommended Pinnacle Communications Limited to the ministry for the release of N2.5 billion against the guidelines contained in the white paper




This is the dramatic moment a Minnesota crashed a rocket sled that reached 241mph in seconds during a Guinness World Record attempt - and walked away unscathed.

In a video from Sunday, Kurt Anderson is seen blasting off in his Arctic Arrow across the Manawa Snodeo on a frozen Bear Lake, Wisconsin.

But in an anxiety-inducing moment the yellow vehicle spins out of control and flips upside down, prompting one shocked spectator to gasp: 'Is he alive?'

He tried to smash the 247.93mph record set by the late Sammy Miller in February 1981 at Lake George, New York.

Kurt Anderson walked away unscathed after he crashed a rocket sled that reached 241mph in seconds on Sunday

Anderson began on the right track (left) but he soon went off course (right)

He was attempting to break a 39-year world record in his Arctic Arrow in Wisconsin

Anderson failed to break the record but managed to come out of the incident uninjured thanks to safety preparations.

He previously said he wanted to achieve the maximum G-force of a fighter pilot  usually a gravitational force of 8 or 9. Fighter pilots wear G-suits that restrict blood flow in the lower body to keep blood in the upper portion.

In January, Anderson told Fox 11 he was aiming for a 9 and had 'counter measures so that I don't black out'.

'My arms are tethered so that if something happened they wouldn't fly out of the car,' he told WJAC before attempted several runs.

The sport uses hydrogen peroxide instead of burning fuel. Via a process called decomposition it turns into high-pressured steam.

Anderson has not been put off by the close call and vowed to try again.

Video shows him blasting across Manawa Snodeo on Bear Lake as people watch on in awe

The sport uses hydrogen peroxide instead of burning fuel. Via a process called decomposition it turns into high-pressured steam

Anderson's arms were strapped inside the vehicle to ensure safety. Image shows the view from inside the sled

Anderson previously said he was aiming for G-Force 9 and had 'counter measures so that I don't black out'. Images from inside the sled prior to the smash

Footage from inside the sled shows the view as Anderson flips but manages not to get hurt

But the vehicle spun out of control and flipped upside down, causing him to fail the record attempt

'You see how far I got off course up there,' he explained to WJAC after the crash. 'I'm not done.'

His crew chief  who is 81 and has been building rockets since he was 13 - said it had taken years for them to reach that speed in a matter of seconds and revealed it has been very costly.

Anderson also crashed in 2017 while rocket sledding in Sweden but his Rocketboys team fixed any design flaws

'It'll burn about 18 gallons of fuel in four seconds at about $150 a gallon,' Ky Michaelson told WJAC.

Anderson also crashed in 2017 while rocket sledding in Sweden but his Rocketboys team fixed any design flaws, giving him the confidence try again.

Anderson describes himself as someone who has always been a mechanical person and had mini bikes and raced dirt bikes growing up.

His Area 52 shop is filled with race cars and rockets.

On Tuesday, he was already planning for the next attempt and was closely scrutinizing his work.

'I'm back home in MN ready to organize the build of a new winter go fast machine. I want to thank all the great people in Manawa and the surrounding communities,' he posted on Facebook.

'The support was amazing. Debbie, Dave, and Mike Sarna and the rest of the Snodeo crew thanks for a great event. I'm lucky I walked away from that wreck, some of my racing friends have not been so lucky.'

After the crash one shocked spectator is heard gasping in a video clip: 'Is he alive?'

He said: 'I'm lucky I walked away from that wreck, some of my racing friends have not been so lucky'

Anderson stepped outside of the sled and was greeted with a round of applause

After multiple runs he announced it was his last try of the day but has vowed to try again
A trio of bills aimed at giving all wrongfully convicted people up to 18 months to file claims against the state will soon head to Gov. Gretchen Whitmers desk.

Under a 2016 law, people exonerated from crimes are eligible for up to $50,000 per year spent in prison from the state.

Wrongfully convicted people were given 18 months to sue for the money under the law, but some had their claims denied because of a discrepancy between that deadline and a six-month deadline for filing claims against the state outlined in a different law.

The legislation would exempt wrongful conviction claims from that six-month timeframe and allow more time to file for people whose cases were initially dismissed in court.

Senate Bill 68 and House Bills 5117 and 5118 passed unanimously in the state House Tuesday after seeing similar support in the state Senate last week. They now head to the governors desk for additional review.

Since the Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Fund in the state treasurers office was established, many critics have been concerned that there isnt enough money being allocated to compensate exonerated people for the time theyd served for crimes they didnt commit.

A supplemental spending bill signed into law last June included $10 million for the states Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Fund for the state to begin paying exonerees, some of whom spent decades in prison.

Related:

Michigan bills would clear obstacle for wrongfully convicted people seeking compensation

House moves to refill compensation fund for wrongfully imprisoned

Whitmer signs spending bill that will fund roll-out of voting changes, Catholic clergy investigation

Whitmer vetoes $10M to refill compensation fund for wrongfully imprisoned

Wrongfully convicted Ionia man awarded $1.3M from state

Michigan AG approves $2.3M to compensate wrongfully convicted
In an email statement, a spokesman for OrganicLife, which employed Garcia-Espinal as a food services worker, said, The alleged incident at Sunset Ridge School is very troubling and our thoughts are with everyone impacted. Since we have not seen the complaint yet and because this is now a matter of civil litigation, we cannot comment further.
Relief Bed International was founded in 2015 by Scott Smalling who has dedicated his 30 year career to increasing his knowledge of, and improvement to, specialty foams and bedding. Scotts grandfather Ralph Smalling started their families foam business in 1946 which is still going strong today and on the eve of celebrating its 75th year in business.

Prior to starting Relief Bed International Smalling was President of the families foam business called IR Specialty Foam located in Tacoma, WA. In 2003 he founded the mattress brand ComforPedic which he ultimately sold to Simmons Bedding Company in 2007. After the sale Smalling spent 8 years with Simmons as their President of Specialty Bedding, and Chief of Specialty Innovations. While at Simmons Smalling helped create and lead numerous road shows to introduce new products. Along the way he curated many philanthropic projects to support Tornado victims in the SE and Fire Station makeovers to name a few. These projects were the catalyst where Smalling fell in love with helping those that didnt have a good place to sleep.

In 2015, Smalling started Relief Bed International with a goal to donate or significantly subsidize bedding in support of homelessness in United States or disaster relief efforts worldwide. To date Relief Bed has donated/distributed more than 15,000 beds worldwide with a goal to hit 20,000 beds by the end of 2020.

This has been a fantastic journey and a labor of love, stated an enthusiastic Smalling. My biggest joy is that my son Hunter Smalling and Father Jay Smalling, now 82, have been working with me side by side. In fact, its been a family affair with my wife Carolyn, daughter Sharky and mother Peachy helping along the way. Hunter continues to carry the torch for Relief Bed even while he is at school in Southern California, continued Smalling.

Relief Bed International has had numerous private and corporate partners over its first 5 years. Most recently, their largest partner has been Brentwood Home headquartered out of Southern California who supports Relief Bed by donating funds for every mattress they sell through their Crystal Cove Mattress line of beds. http://www.brentwoodhome.com Other corporate partners have included; Ergomotion, Reverie, Chili Pad, Levitz Mattress, Mattress Direct, PURPLE, SHEEX and many others.

It has been very rewarding knowing we have provided hundreds of beds to those in need through our partnership with Relief Bed, Stated Brian Baxter VP of Business Development for Brentwood Home.

Over the past 5 years Smalling and team have traveled to Haiti with World Concern, curated an awareness tour in support of homelessness that took them on a 7 state, 5,000 mile tour over 3 months donating beds to homeless shelters along the way and taking part in local events educating people on homelessness.

Its relatively easy for our partners to join with us in support of disaster relief, but its a struggle, at times, to get folks to understand our passion for homelessness. While one of the largest contributors to homelessness stems from a struggle with drug abuse we like to look past this and see these souls through a lens of love as Christ would, stated Smalling. All of these souls have a story and a journey that would shock, surprise and soften the hearts of those who assume homelessness is just an epidemic of laziness and/or drug abuse. I have had the good fortune to sit with many of these friends and hear their story, continued Smalling.

Smalling likes to include a verse in his email salutation which is meant to remind and inspire all who he communicates with to use your learned life talents / gifts to serve others. 1 Peter 4:10.

Relief Bed International is a 501(c)3 non-profit and encourages donations through their website http://www.reliefbed.com/donate Corporate partners who want to create their own Giving Program are asked to reach out to Scott via his email; scott@reliefbed.com or call 253-312-0653.
Uzbek police have detained 21 people suspected of being linked to an Islamist militant group operating in Syria.

Police said the detained men were under the ideological influence of another Uzbek man who was a member of the Katiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad group (banned in Russia) comprised mostly of Central Asians, Reuters reported.

They planned to finance the group and join it, police said in a statement.
In the mid-2000s, it became evident to Hytera that its analog radio products faced extinction, and that it could not hope to develop its own digital two-way radios in time to save its ailing business, Motorola alleged in the lawsuit. Hytera embarked on an unlawful plot to surreptitiously take and copy" Motorolas trade secrets and copyrighted material, and use them to build a competing product, Motorola alleged in the suit.
Donald Trump has said he is 'saving the big deal' with India for later and he 'does not know' if it will be done before the presidential election in November, clearly indicating that a major bilateral trade deal during his visit to Delhi

Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he is "saving the big deal" with India for later and he "does not know" if it will be done before the presidential election in November, clearly indicating that a major bilateral trade deal during his visit to Delhi next week might not be on the cards.

"We can have a trade deal with India. But I'm really saving the big deal for later," he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews Tuesday afternoon (local time).

Trump is scheduled to visit India on 24 and 25 February.

The US and India could sign a "trade package" during the visit, according to media reports.

Asked whether he expects a trade deal with India before the visit, Trump said, "We're doing a very big trade deal with India. We'll have it. I don't know if it'll be done before the election, but we'll have a very big deal with India."

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the point-person for trade negotiations with India, is likely to not accompany Trump to India, sources said. However, officials have not ruled it out altogether.

In an apparent dissatisfaction over US-India trade ties, Trump said, "We're not treated very well by India." But he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he is looking forward to his visit to India.

"I happen to like Prime Minister Narendra Modi a lot," Trump said.

"He told me we'll have seven million people between the airport and the event. And the stadium, I understand, is sort of semi under construction, but it's going to be the largest stadium in the world. So it's going to be very exciting... I hope you all enjoy it," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) in a report said the latest quarterly data depict the continuation of overall positive bilateral trade trends. The third-quarter data reflects some downslide in growth rates.

"It may be due to several reasons, including the unexpected economic slowdown in India's economic growth, the impact of US-China trade war, GSP withdrawal from the US side and retaliatory tariffs on specific US goods from the Indian side," USISPF said.

According to the report, the data available for the first three quarters of 2019 (January-September) pulled the overall growth rate in cumulative bilateral trade down to 4.5 percent from 8.4 percent registered for the first two quarters.

Goods and services trade performance in the third quarter was dismal at -2.3 percent, in contrast with the impressive 9.6 percent growth witnessed for the first two quarters of the year; while trade in services was up two percent goods trade dropped five percent, the report said.

The cumulative US-India trade in goods and services (USD 110.9 billion) for the first three quarters of 2019 increased 4.5 percent with US exports and imports growing at four percent and five percent respectively.

The US exported USD 45.3 billion worth of goods and services to India in the first three quarters 2019, up 4 percent from the corresponding period in the previous year; and the US imported USD 65.6 billion worth of goods and services from India, up five percent from the previous year's USD 62.5 billion level for the same period, it said.

The USISPF has projected that the total bilateral trade can touch USD 238 billion by 2025 if the current 7.5 percent average annual rate of growth sustains; however, higher growth rates can result in bilateral trade in the range of USD 283 billion and USD 327 billion.

The US remains the top trading partner for India in terms of trade in goods and services, followed by China. While the bilateral trade between the US and India is approximately 62 percent in goods and 38 percent in services, the bilateral trade between India and China is dominated by goods.

India's trade with China grew 13 percent in 2018, while India's goods trade with the US increased 18 percent.

China had a huge trade surplus of USD 58 billion with India, indicating Beijing's strength in the Indian market, especially in sectors, such as electronics, machinery, organic chemicals, plastics and medical devices.

The US goods exports to India, in comparison, were mainly concentrated in mineral fuels, precious stones, and aircraft. The US faces tough competition with China in the Indian market in areas such as electronics, machinery, organic chemicals and medical devices.
Yoon Se-ri portrayed by Son Ye-Jin was always attired in designer clothes from head to toe before crashing into North Korea.

If you are assuming that the fashion in Crash Landing on You would be plain and average, then you are very much mistaken.

You are bound to be proven wrong by our leading lady Son Ye-Jin. As soon as the clip of the drama begins rolling in then you will be shocked when you see the branded items that Son Ye-Jin is wearing. The stars of the drama are actors Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin the drama tells the love story between a North Korean military officer and a beautiful and fashionable South Korean heiress. This is in fact one of the most fashionable series that aired this year.

The drama's well-dressed heroine, Yoon Se-Ri in the first few episodes of the drama starts strong with a slew of ultra-expensive designer labels wrapped around her from her head down to her toes. Any designer brand that you could mention, most of it was worn by Yoon Se-ri in "Crash Landing on You", just name it: Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Burberry, Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Miu Miu, and you got it! As the CEO of a fashion company, her style did not disappoint us. Even after crashed and landed on North Korean still her sense of fashion was perfect!

In an interview with Preview, Son Ye-Jin expressed her thoughts about her fashion in the drama. She said that fortunately, during the first episodes she got to show the viewers the fancy and very beautiful wardrobe of the fashionista CEO Yoon Se-Ri Se-ri. She added that but unfortunately, mid-first-episode she crash-landed in North Korea, so the viewers would be able to see the difference between the very fancy outfits of her character as the CEO and her North Korean style wardrobe.

We have researched and listed below the lavish taste of Yoon Se-ri in fashion. Check out some of the most jaw-dropping designer pieces we've spotted Son Ye-Jin wearing on Crash Landing on You:

The Plaid Suit from Fall 2019 Collection, price unavailable, from GUCCI.

The GIAMBATTISTA VALLI Chantilly-lace dress Which has floral embroidery that is priced at 2366

The My ABCDIOR Lambskin Bag, $3950 from DIOR

The Mohair-blend cardigan, $1090 by MAX MARA

The Sylvie 1969 patent leather mini top handle bag, $3200 from GUCCI

The Mahesa 100mm white boots, $1393 from JIMMY CHOO

The Short iridescent black knit dress, $2295 by BALMAIN

The Waistcoat Detail Mohair Silk Blend Blazer, $2350 from BURBERRY

The Crystal Detail Plisse Soleil Stretch Cady Skirt, $4190 from BURBERRY

The Puffed sleeves metallic short dress, $2614 by DOLCE & GABBANA

The Mini Lady Dior Lambskin Bag, $3400 from DIOR

The Fergus velvet dress, 880 by ISABEL MARANT

The Mixed-Material Wrap Dress, $598 from TORY BURCH,

The Medium Tassels Bag in Tweed and Calfskin, HKD14,000 from CELINE

The Tournon Jacket in Checked Wool, $3500 from CELINE

The Classic Shirt French Collar in Striped Cotton Canvas, $690 from CELINE

The Colored Prince of Wales Check Coat, $4200 by MIU MIU

The Karligraphy Box leather shoulder bag, $1980 from FENDI

The Glitter-grid double-breasted velvet blazer, 2875 by BALMAIN

The Sicily 58 Small Leather Top Handle Bag, $2495 from DOLCE & GABBANA

The Sweater with Detachable Chain, 1700 by BOTTEGA VENETA

The Kelly Ado Backpack, price unavailable from HERMES

If you have not seen the designer pieces yet, then you should watch "Crash Landing on You" on NETFLIX!
UK officials are scrambling to contact 130 Britons returning from a cruise that ended in Cambodia after it was revealed that a US passenger has tested positive for the coronavirus since leaving.

The MS Westerdam made shore in Sihanoukville on February 13 after being rejected by five countries over fears its passengers could be carrying the new virus, which has killed more than 2,000 people.

Hundreds were allowed off after basic health checks - among them an 83-year-old American woman who was later diagnosed with the virus while in transit in Malaysia.

She recorded a high temperature on landing in Kuala Lumpur and tested positive for the virus.

Cruise operator Holland America announced there was 'no indication' of the disease, which has infected over 75,000 people worldwide, on the ship.

The woman's undetected infection has led to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advising UK passengers to get in touch.

A couple disembark from the MS Westerdam, which is docked in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, after testing negative for the coronavirus on February 14

The MS Westerdam cruise ship sits at a seaport in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, 14 February 2020

Cambodian health officials screening passengers aboard the Westerdam at Sihanoukville port on Saturday. The ship's operator, Holland America Line, said in a statement Monday that Cambodian health officials were on board the ship testing the 255 guests and 747 crew who were awaiting clearance, and that guests currently staying at a Phnom Penh hotel had all been tested

According to the BBC, testing after the ship moored at the Sihanoukville was basic.

Of the 1,733 passengers on board the Westerdam, only 20 had full tests because they were displaying signs of the deadly virus.

However, those who weren't showing symptoms filled out a form and had their temperature read, the BBC reported.

Dr Asok Karup from the Infectious Diseases Care clinic in Singapore told the BBC it was 'completely inappropriate' to ask people to self-certify whether they were experiencing symptoms.

Of these initially selected passengers, the majority then left the ship and were taken to Phnom Penh.

Clinical testing only began after the initial wave of passengers had left.

Swabs from the more than 700 crew members aboard were being collected as of Wednesday, a Sihanoukville provincial spokesman said.

Jubliant passengers pose on a bus on Monday after being given the all clear to leave the Westerdam cruise liner, which has been moored at a Sihanoukville port for a week

The last passengers from the 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, travel in a bus towards Phnom Penh, after being cleared to disembark, in Sihanoukville, Cambodia today

The Westerdam began its cruise in Singapore last month and its last stop before it was refused further landings was in Hong Kong

On Thursday Holland America said all 747 crew on board Westerdam have tested negative for COVID-19.

The previous day 781 guests in Cambodia also tested negative and were cleared to travel home.

The British Foreign Office confirmed that testing of all remaining ship passengers, including 70 Britons was negative.

An evacuation flight for British nationals who were on board the Westerdam cruise ship departed an airport in Cambodia on Thursday.

An spokeswoman for the FCO said: 'Our staff have worked with the cruise operator to organise a flight, which has departed Cambodia with British nationals on board.

'We continue to provide assistance to those still in Cambodia who were travelling on the Westerdam cruise ship.'

The majority of the guests were from the US, with 270 from Canada, 130 from the UK and 150 from Germany and the Netherlands.

In Phnom Penh, former passengers staying at a luxury hotel since Saturday rejoiced after Cambodia's health ministry said more than 700 people tested over the past two days have been cleared.

'All passengers have normal health with no noticeable problems and no-one had high temperatures,' the ministry said in a statement.

All British passengers who remained on board have been moved to a hotel in Cambodia after testing negative on the ship, a source said.

A British diplomatic source told MailOnline on Wednesday that officials were not aware of any Britons who travelled on the Westerdam cruise ship who have tested positive for coronavirus.

Officials are trying to contact all British nationals who previously disembarked the ship, as well as to get those who need to return home on flights back to the UK.

The British Foreign Office said they were helping British nationals and encouraged those who need assistance to get in touch.

A spokeswoman said: 'Our staff are providing consular assistance to British nationals in Cambodia who were travelling on the Westerdam cruise ship.'
New Delhi, Feb 19 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the members of the subordinate judicial services cannot be considered eligible for appointment as district judges through the way of direct recruitment.

In its verdict, a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said: "In the cases where such in service incumbents have been appointed by way of direct recruitment from bar, we find no merit in the petitions and due to dismissal of the writ petitions filed by the judicial officers. As sequel, no fruits can be ripened on the basis of selection without eligibility, they cannot continue as District Judges." The top court observed the posts of district judges is limited for lawyers, having a minimum of seven years of experience of continuous practice at the Bar. "Advocate has to be continuing in practice for not less than 7 years as on the cut-off date and at the time of appointment as district judge," it observed.

The court also observed that the members of judicial service having 7 years' experience of practice before they have joined the service or having combined experience of 7 years as a lawyer and member of the judiciary are not eligible to apply for direct recruitment as district judges.

The top court interpreted Article 233 sub clause 2 of the Constitution for its verdict. The provision states that a person who is already in the service of the Union or of the State shall not be eligible to be appointed as a district judge.

"The rules framed by the High Court prohibiting judicial service officers from staking claim to the post of District Judge against the posts reserved for Advocates by way of direct recruitment, cannot be said to be ultra vires and are in conformity with Articles 14, 16 and 233 of the Constitution," said the court.

However, the apex court noted that the members of subordinate judiciary can be considered for the post of district Judge by way of promotion.
[February 19, 2020] ATM Managed Services Market Procurement Intelligence Report | Difficulty in Estimating Service Providers' Cost Breakup Model Is Propelling Buyers' Spend In This Market | SpendEdge

SpendEdge has been monitoring the global ATM managed services market and the market is poised to experience spend growth of over USD 600 million between 2017-2022 at a CAGR of more than 3% during the forecast period. Request Free Sample Pages. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005521/en/ Read the 89-page research report with TOC and LOE on "The Global ATM Managed Services Market - Procurement Intelligence Report, Pricing Outlook in Geographies that include APAC, North America, South America, and MEA, top suppliers, supplier selection and negotiation strategies, and insights into best practices to optimize procurement spend." ATM management service providers are increasingly adopting and implementing digital technologies and analytics to help FIs and banking firms to tap new market opportunities and deliver better services to improve customer experience. This is serving as one of the chief spend growth drivers in the ATM managed services market. Service providers are modernizing their traditional legacy applications, adopting technologies such as IoT, mobile-based applications, cash recycler, CRM and EMV chip cards, and automating their business. These initiatives are aiding them to cater to the growing demand for ATM management services in emerging markets as well as reduce their operational costs. Subscribe to our procurement platform to get instant access to over 1000 market-ready procurement intelligence reports without any additional costs or commitment. Insights into the supply market ATM managed ervice providers are expanding their product portfolio by adopting and implementing newer technology, such as mobile-based technology, self-service software, EVM chip cards, and IoT, to provide better services and reduce operational cost. However, the adoption of advanced technologies such as IoT, self-service software, and bitcoin ATMs is triggering a substantial increase in technology and innovation expenses incurred by service providers in the ATM managed services market.



Insights into category management strategies that will help buyers to achieve a beneficial partnership with service providers A thorough analysis of service providers' cost ownership model benchmark

It is difficult to evaluate service providers' cost breakup due to lack of transparency and standardization of cost ownership and cost breakup model used by them. In addition, the models and calculations used for cost ownership assessment vary across service providers. This makes it imperative for buyers to partner with service providers who are known to map the spending regarding the management and monitoring of ATM. This provides the basis for identifying opportunities and risks, creates the foundation for cost reduction initiatives, and improving the services. Partner with service providers who pursue vendor consolidation strategy Vendor consolidation strategy reduces the number of service providers across business units and geographies and focuses on selecting preferred service providers per spend category, which reduces operating cost and complexity of managing various service providers. Buyers are advised to partner with limited service providers who offer a range of externally managed ATM services, including maintenance, security, and deployment of new self-service tools, which reduces the complexity to manage multi-vendor traffic. Buy 1 report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 reports and get the third for free. Download the free sample of this report on the ATM managed services market. Some of the key topics covered in this report are: ATM managed services market spend segmentation by region

Total cost of ownership analysis in the ATM managed services market

Regional spend opportunity for ATM managed service providers

ATM managed service providers cost structure

ATM managed services pricing models analysis

ATM managed services procurement best practices

Category management objectives

Cost saving opportunities in the ATM managed services market Free sample of reports that you may like: Global Managed Security Services Market - Procurement Intelligence Report

Global Managed Services Market - Procurement Intelligence Report About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. To know more, https://www.spendedge.com/request-free-proposal View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200219005521/en/

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As the nation recalls the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, President Donald Trump commented on what the battle meant to America and its allies.

The 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima is perhaps best known now for the photo by The Associated Press' Joe Rosenthal showing six Marines raising the U.S. flag over Mount Suribachi.

But, In the long record of American heroism in combat, few episodes capture the indomitable will and the stouthearted spirit of the American warrior better than the triumphs on the island of Iwo Jima in early 1945, Trump said in a White House statement. Seventy-five years later, we pay tribute to the immeasurable sacrifice of those killed in action on Iwo Jima, and we honor the heroic efforts of all who took part in one of the most costly and significant battles in our countrys history.

Related: Slideshow as Iwo Jima remembered

Trump notes that in February 1945, despite American forces possessing aerial and naval supremacy, the Japanese forces at Iwo Jima were well dug-in and prepared to fight to the last man for the strategically important airfields on this small piece of land. This was the first time in World War II that the Japanese were defending what they considered home soil.

For 5 weeks, our Marines and Navy sailors endured a harrowing trial by fire, fighting to secure this remote volcanic island from more than 20,000 determined Japanese soldiers. Nearly 7,000 Americans died in the effort, the president said.

Related: Marine Corps Museum commemorates Iwo Jima anniversary

The fighting, Trump said, was some of the bloodiest and most costly in all of World War II, but it also gave rise to some of the greatest examples of patriotism and heroism in our Nations history, inspiring Admiral Chester Nimitzs famous statement that uncommon valor was a common virtue.

Few images evoke as much emotion from the American soul as Joe Rosenthals photo of six Marines raising our Flag atop Mount Suribachi in the opening days of the battle.

All told, 27 Medals of Honorthe highest honor given to members of the militarywere awarded for actions of conspicuous gallantry during the battle, the White House statement noted. Of these, 22 medals went to Marines, making up more than 25 percent of the total Medals of Honor awarded to Marines throughout the entirety of the war.

Related: Veteran vividly recalls Iwo Jima battle

Trump said in the statement that among the heroes at Iwo Jima were non-combatants, such as Rabbi Roland Gittelsohn. After the battle, Gittelsohn delivered a powerful, stirring message at the Fifth Marine Division cemetery on Iwo Jima. There, he stated, Here lie officers and privates, blacks and whites, rich and poor together. Here are Protestants, Catholics, and Jews together. Here no man prefers another because of his color. For his service ministering to men in the thick of the combat zone, Rabbi Gittelsohn was awarded three service ribbons, and today his words resonate as a powerful testament to the founding principle of our Nation that liberty and democracy are the rights of all men and women of every race, religion, and creed.

On this anniversary, we honor those who answered the call of duty and ensured that the forces of freedom emerged victorious in that fateful battle. As a Nation, we remain forever indebted to the Greatest Generation, Trump said.

The Associated Press contributed tp this post.
19.02.2020 LISTEN

What God has written about your future matters more than your present circumstances. These were the words of Raphaelle Antwi to over 500 inmates of Nsawam Medium Security Prison in Ghana. On Sunday March 4, 2018, together with some members of Rain Foundations where he serves as founding president, they visited the inmates to donate food items and have a time of fellowship with them.

In less than two years, Author Ralph has inspired and helped two inmates to write and publish three books. The titles are Freedom from Fear, Unleashing Gods Agenda of Prosperity; and Not Rejection but Direction. It was my first meeting with Author Ralph two years ago that brought true meaning to my life, says Abdul Rasak Tajudeen, an inmate and author of the first two books. Abdul was a Muslim for many years until he found and gave his life to Christ in prison. I never imagined myself writing a book until I met him and he told me on the first day that I had the potential to write and challenged me to develop the potential.

According to Gerald Geofrey Amenyo who also wrote and published a book under the inspiration and guidance of Author Ralph, In my dark moments of rejection, hopelessness and frustration, God miraculously brought Author Ralph to be a blessing to me and my colleagues. Every month he visits with his team and they bring us food and other material items. They also spend time to encourage and pray with us. Just like my brother, he gave me the confidence to write and today I have a book to my name.

In April 2018, Author Ralph and the Rain Foundations group inaugurated a post-prison rehabilitation project for ex-convicts. It is a ground-breaking project with a five-dimensional approach to ensuring ex-convicts become useful to society.

Raphaelle Antwi, known widely as Author Ralph has written and published over 50 books in the last 15 years. He is the leader of Rain Foundations, a missions-based organization that has been serving countless people in various continents since the last two decades. Rain Foundations will roll out some interesting humanitarian projects in May this year, as part of celebrating two successful years of prison ministry.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Numerous events will take place today across Armenia in honor of Hovhannes Tumanyans (1869-1923) 151st anniversary of birth. The main celebrations will take place in the poets hometown of Dsegh and Yerevan.

February 19th is also the Book Giving Day in Armenia.

Roza Ghazunyan, the Director of the Hovhannes Tumanyan House-Museum of Dsegh, told ARMENPRESS that students of the Dsegh school will recite the poets works during an event. We will also host representatives from the Yeghishe Charents Literature and Arts Museum and the National Library of Armenia, she said.

The Hovhannes Tumanyan House-Museum of Yerevan, in turn has prepared events to mark the anniversary. The museum will host the traditional Tumanyans Toast competition, books will be available on special discounts, and the presentations several childrens books and a concert will take place.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
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The global mini LED market size is expected to reach USD 5.9 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 86.6% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Amidst rapid development of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs), mini LEDs have gradually forayed into the industry to bridge the application and technology gap between micro LEDs, which have not been able to overcome their inherent technical hurdles, and traditional LEDs. They are being integrated into backlight modules owing to their increased color gamut and brightness level, lower response time, and improved contrast ratio.

Increasing demand for miniaturized display in consumer electronics devices is expected to positively impact industry growth over the next few years. Mini light-emitting diodes are expected to aid chip makers in gaining market share and technology penetration. Chip sizes ranging from 100 to 200 m were commercialized in late 2018. Consumer electronics, digital signage, and industrial displays have been the early adopters of this technology. High dynamic range and power-saving capability are some of the features that make them a suitable backlight solution for next-generation displays. Key players are expected to cash in on this opportunity by providing mini LED packages.

Currently, the applications are limited to backlighting in televisions and laptops. These light-emitting diodes have the potential to alter LCDs by decreasing the performance gap with OLED displays. Miniature LEDs are expected to grow beyond these applications in the automotive, smartphone, and digital signage segments. They are suitable for curved display and notch design, and thus in the coming years, are expected to become mainstream smartphones.

Asia Pacific is one of the prominent manufacturing hubs as there are numerous China- and Taiwan-based companies involved in the development and mass production of mini light-emitting diodes. As manufacturers themselves feel that the manufacturing cost is much higher than other technologies, the focus currently hinges on cost reduction before introducing the technology into mainstream applications. Once low-cost products are introduced, miniature LEDs are expected to expand their presence in other regional markets as well.

Further key findings from the report suggest:

Mini LED is expected to become one of the mainstream display technologies, and thus various vendors are reporting their developments by showcasing these products in several exhibitions and trade shows

The automotive display application segment is expected to exhibit the highest CAGR in mini LED market over the forecast period. Mini light-emitting diodes have high contrast and brightness ratio, which provide clarity in automotive displays, thereby ensuring safety and security

North America is expected to be early adopters of this technology owing to regional demand for premium gaming monitors and laptops

Innolux Corporation; Japan Display, Inc.; Everlight Electronics Co. Ltd.; and EPISTAR Corporation are some of the prominent companies working on the development of mini light-emitting diode technology and products.

Grand View Research has segmented the global mini LED market on the basis of application and region:

Mini LED Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2025)

Consumer Electronics Mobile Phones Laptop/Notebooks Television

Automotive

Others

Mini LED Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2025)

North America U.S. Canada

Europe Germany U.K.

Asia Pacific China India Japan

Latin America Brazil Mexico

MEA

Access full research report on global mini LED market:

www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/mini-led-market
Jacobabad, Feb 19 : A court in Jacobabad in Sindh province of Pakistan nullified the free-will marriage of Hindu minor girl Mahek Kumari, as sought by her family, and asked the police to register a case against her alleged husband Ali Raza Solangi and six others within 24 hours.

Additional Sessions Judge-II, Jacobabad, Ghulam Ali Kanasro, on Tuesday citing the evidence and documents submitted to him declared that Mahek Kumari appeared below the age of 18 and was not fit for marriage under Sections 3 and 4 of the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act 2013, Dawn reported.

However, the girl was sent to a shelter home rather than to her parents.

Kumari, a class IX student, had left for school on January 15 and did not return home. Solangi also went missing that day. About a week later, police traced them when they received intelligence reports about the couple's presence at the shrine of Amrot Sharif. The couple claimed that they had contracted a free-will marriage after Mahek embraced Islam at the shrine and was renamed Aliza.

The judge referred the matter of the girl's custody to the judicial magistrate concerned and directed the Jacobabad deputy commissioner to arrange/identify the nearest child protection institution for temporary custody of the girl where she could be kept till her production before the judicial magistrate for a trial. The Sindh government and police were given strict directives for the safety and security of the girl during her stay in the child protection institution.

A strong contingent of police drawn from five districts was deployed around the court amid fear of unrest/violence as local leaders of the Hindu and Muslim communities were present in the town in a tense atmosphere.

The access roads to the civil court were cordoned off with barbed wire at two points/main roundabouts and the area was closed to the general public.

Members of the Hindu community took out a rally from Gaushala in protest against what they believed to be the "forced conversion of Mahek Kumari". It was led by Babu Mahesh Kumar Lakhani, Jeay Sindh Mahaz-Riaz chief Riaz Chandio, Punhal Sario, Deedar Mirani of the Rawadari Tehreek and others.

However, several Muslim organisations called for a complete shutdown of the city. They claimed that Mahek converted to Islam voluntarily. She is now a Muslim and if she is sent back to her home they will not tolerate it. She should be sent back to her 'husband'. However, these organisations did not object to the court's decision to send Mahek to the child protection home.
China reported its fewest new coronavirus infections since January yesterday - and its lowest daily death toll for a week - but the World Health Organisation said data suggesting the epidemic had slowed should still be viewed with caution.

It was also yesterday reported that the head of a leading hospital in China's central city of Wuhan, epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, had died of the disease, becoming one of the most prominent victims since the virus first appeared at the end of last year.

Illustrating the impact of the outbreak on worldwide growth and corporate profits, oil prices tumbled and equity markets slid after Apple Inc issued a revenue warning due to the disruption the disease is causing to global supply chains.

Chinese officials reported 1,886 new cases - the first time the daily figure has fallen below 2,000 since January 30 - bringing the total infected in mainland China to 72,436.

A figure of 98 new deaths marked the first time the daily toll in China had fallen below 100 since February 11, bringing the total to 1,868.

World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Chinese data "appears to show a decline in new cases" but any apparent trend "must be interpreted very cautiously".

Outside China, there have been 827 cases of the disease, known as COVID-19, and five deaths, according to a Reuters count based on official statements.

More than half of those cases have been on a cruise ship quarantined off Japan.

Tedros said there had been 92 cases of human-to-human spread of the coronavirus in 12 countries outside China but the WHO did not have the data to make meaningful comparisons to what was going on in China.

"We have not seen sustained local transmission of coronavirus except in specific circumstances like the Diamond Princess cruise ship," he said.

China says figures indicating a slowdown in new cases in recent days shows that aggressive steps it has taken to curb travel and commerce are slowing the spread of the disease beyond central Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan.

The WHO's Mike Ryan said China had had success with "putting out the fire" first in Hubei and ensuring that people returning to Beijing from the Lunar New Year holiday are monitored.

The numbers appear encouraging, said Mark Woolhouse, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at Britain's University of Edinburgh, who described himself as cautious.

"Though it is unrealistic to reduce the transmission rate to zero it may have been reduced to a level where the epidemic is brought under control," Woolhouse said.

"It may be that the epidemic is simply running its natural course, and is starting to run out of new people to infect. It could also be that the unprecedented public health measures introduced in China are having the desired effect."

Chinese state television said Liu Zhiming, the director of Wuhan Wuchang Hospital, died yesterday, the seventh health worker to fall victim. The hospital was designated solely for treating virus-infected patients.

Despite global concerns about the economic impact of the disease, China's ambassador to the EU yesterday said this would be "limited, short-term and manageable" and that Beijing had enough resources to step in if needed.

Chinese state television quoted President Xi Jinping as saying China could still meet its economic growth target for 2020 despite the epidemic.

Economists are warning of potential mass layoffs in China later this year if the virus is not contained soon.
OMJASVIN M D By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Captain Cotton Canal, which is an important micro drainage systems in Vyasarpadi is filled with large amounts of garbage, locking smooth flow of grey water. The 3-km canal is a major flood barrier for Erukkancheri, Vyasarpadi and MKB Nagar, taking grey water to the Buckingham Canal near Korukkupet. A field visit along the canal shows that an garbage including plastic, alcohol bottles, school bags, pillows, cardboard boxes, helmets and rubber tyres, dumped in the canal.

Residents claim there is insufficient garbage bins and door-to-door collection does not take place frequently and people who alongside the canal simply swing garbage into it. As the waste is not removed and due to excessive silt, the surface of the canal is almost flat, said G Radha, a resident of Bharathi Nagar, nearby the canal. The stench is unbearable and in certain places, water hyacinth and weeds have taken over. As per the latest data up to December 2019, Tondiarpet Zone, which includes Vyasarpadi, has recorded the most number of dengue cases (80) out of the 400 cases across the city.

It is hazardous to live alongside these canals due to contamination and mosquito-related issues. Children get red marks all over their hands and legs due to mosquito bites, said Tamil Selvi of Bharathi Nagar.

Alongside the Cotton Canal, more than a hundred families live. These include informal settlements too. The residents say due to the presence of water hyacinth, sewage stagnates. Meanwhile, to restore micro-drains, several proposals have been made time and again, but most of it remains on paper.

When contacted, Corporation officials said they have imported robots from Finland to clean the canal.

Amphibian machines and robotic excavators have been deployed across various canals in the city. We have also removed 24,732 cubic metres of silt from the Cotton Canal from an area of 89,270 sq km and work will continue, said officials. The Corporation also urged people to cooperate with restoration works and not dump waste in the canals. Meanwhile, `1,370 crore have been allocated for restoration of rivers and drains in the city. The list includes Captain Cotton Canal.
The UnXplained is returning to air its second season on Saturday, Feb. 29 at 9 p.m. The series stars William Shatner, and the premiere will feature an investigation of the alleged treasure and curse of the infamous Oak Island.

Heres the information youll need to watch The UnXplained online without cable.

When is 'The UnXplained on?

The UnXplained broadcasts its first episode of its second season on Saturday, Feb. 29 at 9 p.m. on History Channel. The episode will air after a rerun of The UnXplained, and will be followed by a new episode of Ancient Aliens at 10 p.m.

How to watch The UnXplained without cable

If youre a cord-cutter or dont have cable, you can live stream The UnXplained on any one of the following streaming platforms:

Hulu Live TV (free trial; note: to get the free trial, click the Hulu logo in the top-left corner and choose the Hulu + Live TV package)

Fubo TV (free trial)

Sling TV

What channel is History Channel?

You can use the channel finder on your providers website to locate it: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish.

How to watch The UnXplained online on-demand

If you missed an episode of The UnXplained or want to binge watch the series online when it becomes available, check out the following streaming platforms:

Hulu Live TV (free trial; note: to get the free trial, click the Hulu logo in the top-left corner and choose the Hulu + Live TV package)

Fubo TV (free trial)

Sling TV

What is The UnXplained about?

According to the official History Channel website: From the producers of Ancient Aliens and The Curse of Oak Island comes The UnXplained, a one-hour, non-fiction series that explores the worlds most fascinating, strange and inexplicable mysteries... Hosted and executive produced by Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor William Shatner (Star Trek, Boston Legal) each episode will feature compelling contributions from scientists, historians, witnesses and experiencerseach seeking to shed light on how the seemingly impossible actually can happen. From mysterious structures (like Floridas Coral Castle) and so-called evil places (like the cursed White City of Honduras) to strange creatures and bizarre rituals, The UnXplained will explore subjects that have mystified mankind for centuries.

Heres a look at a segment from the upcoming season of The UnXplained," courtesy of History Channels official YouTube channel:

Related stories about The UnXplained

Here are some additional stories and articles about The UnXplained, including a look at the shows examination of the mystery of the Devils Tower:

History Greenlights The UnXplained With William Shatner, Sets New Docudramas, Renews In Search Of, Evel Live  Upfront

The History Channel and Host William Shatner Present Tales of The UnXplained This July

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Woman recovers from virus after Thai cocktail

BANGKOK: An elderly Chinese woman who received a Thai cocktail of HIV and flu drugs to treat severe COVID-19-related pneumonia left hospital yesterday (Feb 18) after making a full recovery, a government official said.

healthChinesedeathSafetyCoronavirusCOVID-19

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 19 February 2020, 05:25PM

Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul gives the thumbs up to a coronavirus patient at Rajvithi Hospital in Bangkok on Feb 3. Photo: Bangkok Post

Visiting the 74-year-old woman at Bangkoks Rajvithi Hospital, Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said she was suffering from severe pneumonia when she was transferred there from a private hospital in Hua Hin district of Prachuap Khiri Khan on Jan 29.

According to Mr Sathit, the woman was first treated with two HIV medications - lopinavir and ritonavir - for five days, but failed to recover. Doctors at Rajvithi Hospital then added the flu drug oseltamivir to her prescription, leading to a marked improvement. Her severe pneumonia abated in 8-12 hours, and after 48 hours she tested negative for COVID-19.

She was given the cocktail of drugs for the next 10 days, and no trace of the virus was found in four subsequent tests over 20 days.

This shows she fully recovered from the disease and can leave the hospital, Mr Sathit said. She will undergo another physical check-up in a few weeks to find out if she is strong enough to board a plane back home.

Dr Narong Aphikulvanich, deputy director-general of the Department of Medical Services, said the woman was the first patient to receive the Thai cocktail of drugs now being administered to three other Chinese people and a Thai patient.

Dr Somsak Akksilp, director-general of the department, said the doctors who treated the Chinese woman were writing a research report for international publication.

The woman was one of two Chinese patients allowed to leave hospital yesterday. The other, aged 69, was treated at the Central Chest Institute in Nonthaburi province.

The number of COVID-19 patients in Thailand to make a full recovery is now 17, while the number of confirmed cases remained unchanged at 35 as of yesterday. Since Jan 3, a total of 817 patients have been placed under investigation and 82 of them were hospitalised.